MxMIndia

Category: THE ANCHOR

  • Cartoon cannot be promoting somebody, cartoon is always attacking somebody, says Hemant Morparia

    The Anchor: Hemant Morparia on 5 reasons why cartoons can be more lethal than text

    By Hemant Morparia

     

    1. Cartoons are about satire

    Now satire is something that all people in power fear, because the last thing they want is ridicule. So when they face ridicule from ‘janata’ which they are trying to rule over, that is the last thing they would want. For them to appear ridiculous to a reader is a deadly blow.

     

    2. Cartoon is about making somebody laugh

    Why does that person laugh… because he recognizes that there is some truth in that. So there is some truth being outed, a cartoon cannot be bought. You can have a paid media, there could be a planted story but a cartoon cannot be a plant. Cartoon cannot be promoting somebody, cartoon is always attacking somebody.

     

    3. There is an agreement

    There is an agreement between the cartoonist and the reader on the kind of implicit sense of truth. Reader seems to understand that the cartoonist is trying to say something which is true and correct.

     

    4. Cartoon is also something that cannot be edited

    You can edit a text piece but you can’t partially edit a cartoon. Whereas if it’s an article which has a lot of data, different points of views, and so on, that could still be a plant or not telling you some relevant things.

     

    5. Cartoon is an honest voice

    And the reader also knows it. Cartoon is far from being bought.

     

    Hemant Morparia is a well-known cartoonist. Other than a daily pocket for Mumbai Mirror, he toons for various Indian and international publications

     

  • If an agency fares well at award functions, it is definitely recognized by clients, giving itself an option of fluffing its feathers, says Pratap Bose

    The Anchor: Pratap Bose list 5 reasons why awards are important

    By Pratap Bose

     

    1. It goes without saying that awards recognize good work. If an agency fares well at award functions, it is definitely recognized by clients, giving itself an option of fluffing its feathers.

    2. By actively participating in awards, an agency gets an edge over the other agencies in terms of attracting talent. ‘Award Friendly Agencies’ manage to get better talent.

    3. If an agency is a part of an international/worldwide group, it builds credibility for itself around the network. Awards help an agency be known by every client everywhere.

    4. Awards create healthy competition internally within different teams which leads to overall quality work by setting and breaking benchmarks internally.

    5. If an agency manages to win awards not just for creative work but for other departments as well it comes across as a holistic agency.

     

    Pratap Bose is COO, DDB Mudra Group

     

  • The very fact that large clients are investing in digital media shows that clients are spending serious amount of money to manage digital, says Atul Hegde

    Atul Hegde on why Digital is no longer New Media

    By Atul Hegde

     

    1. Serious spenders on traditional medium are now leading the way in digital spends

    When advertisers from the auto sector, FMCG, Corporate brands, Consumer Durables and other serious spenders, which for long have been spending heavily on traditional medium, begin to spend heavily in the digital media, it is the first indication that digital is no longer a new media.

     

    2. Large clients now have digital media/brand manager

    The very fact that large clients are investing in digital media, whether they are from the auto sector, telecom, FMCG’s, consumer durables  and so on, they have today either digital media managers or digital brand managers. This, in itself, shows that clients are spending serious amount of money to manage digital.

     

    3. Senior clients are regular consumers of the medium

    For any medium to succeed it is important that people who are buying it are also consuming the same medium because only when they consume that media will they realize the power of that media for their brands. Today there are senior clients who have become regular users of the medium.

     

    4. Movies and Cricket video consumption on digital has exploded

    Clients go where there are eyeballs, and inIndiawe view more than we read.Indiais a country where we consume films and cricket, both of which are heavily consumed on the internet. For instance IPL online has seen more viewership this year than the year before. Therefore, the more videos we have on movies and cricket, the more the audience will spend time viewing the videos and as a result, more advertisers will spend money on that medium. The explosion of video consumption inIndia, therefore, is bringing in more serious advertisers to digital media.

     

    5. Emergence of digital media awards (last count there were more than half a dozen)

    Today we find so many digital media awards, which only mean that clients are keen to win awards for digital. In fact, awards are a good way to boost the medium.

     

    Atul Hegde is the CEO, Ignitee Digital Services Pvt. Ltd

     

  • The buck truly stops at you. There are no approvals to be sought; there are no conflicting egos to be settled, says Naresh Gupta

    The Anchor: Naresh Gupta lists 10 reasons why one should go independent

    Naresh GuptaBy Naresh Gupta

     

    One of the biggest misconceptions people have is that if you work for yourself, you will get richer quicker. If money is all that drives you, then going independent can be a bad idea. Here are ten reasons for which you should go independent

     

    1.  Build something

    Everyone must build something that is your own. This is a true reflection of your ability, skill enterprise and ideas. There is no better way to self-actualization then to say, I built this. Bragging rights don’t come easy in life.

     

    2. Nurture your baby

    Every new idea needs careful nurturance. The idea is yours, so one else knows the idea better than you. This is like being a father, only you know what your child wants.

     

    3. Dream big

    Ambition knows no limits in your own set up. This is truly where your dream and your vision alone control the destiny of your enterprise. There are no approvals to be sought, no forms to fill, just you and your enterprise.

     

    4. Improve quality

    The buck truly stops at you. There are no approvals to be sought; there are no conflicting egos to be settled. You can deliver truly great work to your client, sharper and quicker. It’s amazing how layers of bureaucracy can dull the edge of even the sharpest sword.

     

    5. Connect better

    Your connections with your clients are stronger than usual. They are your clients because they like you; you are their partner because you like them. There can be no better way than this.

     

    6. Challenge yourself

    Doing a job tends to make days monotonous. You follow a routine and if follow it well you would be fairly successful. But when you run an enterprise yourself, every new day brings a new challenge to face. If you never want to do same thing twice, go independent.

     

    7. Follow your passion

    You remember those days in school when you woke up early to go to cricket coaching classes or something like that? You did it because you loved it; it even made school more fun. You wanted to get up early, even on the coldest morning. That’s something true of an independent venture. You do what you love, and you love what you do

     

    8.  Greater risk to reward ratio

    This is simple, the risk is yours, and the rewards are yours too. This does not mean that going independent is a get rich quickly scheme. It may be years before you see major financial benefits coming your way.

     

    9. No retirement planning

    Retirement plans can be put on ice. Your enterprise needs you to do the best for it as long as you can. Every day you will gain experience that will make coming days more promising. There is no point of even thinking of hanging your boots

     

    10.  Give back to society

    This is where as an independent entrepreneur you can make a small contribution. Work with the society, work with yourAlmamatter, and give back in time and effort. This one singular reason can make going independent worthwhile.

     

    Naresh Gupta is the Managing Partner at Bang in the Middle

     

  • Hollywood movies, when dubbed in Hindi or other Indian languages, reach higher number of audiences than in their original version, making them more mass, says Mansi Sapre

    The Anchor: Mansi Sapre on 5 reasons why dubbed Hollywood movies work in India

    By Mansi Sapre

     

    1. Growth in channels based on international content – movies, kids animation, infotainment, sports has seen tremendous growth in the last decade. This phenomenon is thanks to Indian audiences’ increasing exposure to, and appetite for, superior content, world class talent, international glamour, authenticity and production values far superior to most local content.

     

    2. Hollywood movies, when dubbed in Hindi or other Indian languages, reach higher number of audiences than in their original version, making them more mass. Dubbed TV channels carve out a healthy share of TV viewing from both English language channels and Hindi movie channels.

     

    3. Cultural bias against dubbed content has become passe – with Hollywood studios releasing prestigious titles in Indian languages and English channels (Infotainment/ movie channels) subtitling their content, people have accepted the need of localization of international content.

     

    4. Creative and meticulously localized dubbing – led by channels and resulting in maturity of dubbing industry has ensured quality of viewing experience without compromising on accessibility of language that dubbing brings to viewers.

     

    5. All the above has led to a strong brand identity of dubbed channels and advertiser interest in the same.

     

    Manasi Sapre is Director Programming and Acquisitions, Movie channels UTV

     

  • With consumers of all ages embracing digital, the threat to traditional media is real, says Raman Kalra

    The Anchor: Raman Kalra on 5 reasons how tech is going to drive media and entertainment

    By Raman Kalra

     

    1. Always Connected

    The shift to connected devices disrupts established ecosystems and present opportunities to engage and monetize the content in very different manners. It is beyond than just being digital. Multitudes of technology platforms is fast becoming a reality providing seamless experience to the consumers.

     

    2. Target consumers based on their “digital personalities”

    Personalization of content is an ‘essential’ now to be able to garner the time and wallet share of the consumers, and thereby monetize the content. While most of the ecosystem players are yet to gear up for age based segmentation, it’s already becoming increasingly important to segment the consumers based on the individual behaviours. Social media adoption and influence is further making this element lot more critical. Media companies will have to invest lot more heavy for the Customer Relationship Management solutions.

     

    3. Substitution is real

    Fragmentation continues as consumers of all ages embrace these new experiences, substituting time spent with traditional media. With consumers of all ages embracing digital, the threat to traditional media is real and which brings with it the larger impact of the multi-billion dollar ad industry. As cannibalization percentage grows, more revenue will be at risk for broadcasting and print industries. Changing media consumption habits with time-shifting and place-shifting will further add to this challenge. Technology will bring a paradigm shift in the way audience measurements and readership surveys are carried out. This will eventually work towards a 360 degree view of the consumer behaviour.

     

    4. Cable Industry will see a big shift from B2B to B2C

    With ongoing digitization of cable industry, technology – both information technology and operational technology – will become critical to succeed in the changing B2C environment. Globally, cable & satellite companies have made their profits from VAS add-on offerings. It is vital for cable companies to start understanding this important aspect and invest in technology for organizational readiness from back end standpoint as well as in revenue generating technologies to lead the ARPU growth. Consumers are more than willing to pay more, if provided content of their interest and relevance.

     

    5. Its ‘Data’ flowing everywhere

    The media industry is increasingly driven by data, shaped in different forms including news, education, sports, entertainment, and so on, flowing in structured as well as unstructured form. Media companies would need technological solutions to be able to make the data useable to inspire customer actions such as: buy, subscribe, share, recommend, like, etc.

     

    Raman Kalra is Director & Partner, Communications Sector-Media & Entertainment, Industry Leader, IBM Global Business Services, India/South Asia

  • Work on an intelligent, creative and smart campaign without reading too much into youth behaviour because reality is that one will never ever be able to understand how these mindsets function, says Samyak Chakrabarty

    The Anchor: 5 Reasons why Brands get it wrong with the Youth

    By Samyak Chakrabarty

     

    1. Boxing youth into strict definitions

    In a country as diverse asIndia, one cannot define our youth or predict consumption behaviour by merely categorizing them under conventional economic segmentation or geographies. Our youth is continuously evolving, especially those born after 1988 are still caught in a transitional phase from and into very different eras. It can never be obvious what a SEC A+ 20 year old male inNew Delhiwill purchase just by looking at the size of his wallet or the kind of college he studies in !

     

    2. Youth don’t wake up thinking about brands

    Just because your brand ambassador maybe Ranbir Kapoor or your communication is ‘cool’ (I hate it when brand managers say this!), one can’t take it for granted that youngsters will always have your brand on their top of mind or will purchase your product. Today, we are more conscious and calculative about what we consume, hence substance is equally as important as packaging. Second, to build loyalty with this generation, the brand has to be equally loyal to them!

     

    3. Digital is the holy grail

    There was a time when brand managers would pull out their hair trying to figure how to engage youth sustainably. Soon enough,Silicon Valleyanswered their prayers and there landed from ‘the cloud’ Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. But unfortunately, brands take it for granted that just because they are on social media or rather have a million likes/views, theirs is a ‘cool youth brand’. This is not true, these days we ‘view’, ‘like’ or ‘tweet’ about anything and everything that comes into our online space – it has become a function of habit. These numbers cannot be used to measure brand engagement/conversions in pure statistical terms. Just because your brand is now digital, it is not young.

     

    4. Trying to measure word of mouth

    Indiais perhaps the only country in the world where brand managers ask for a ‘measurement matrix’ for world of mouth campaigns conducted in colleges. I guess they like to show off to their bosses how much they know and meticulous they are. How can one ever measure, record or contain conversations that happen offline? And just because therefore there is no direct ‘ROI’, youth brands in India refuse to run simple WOM campaigns, even though in fact, if rightly administered and structured, the investment can be more profitable then all digital spends put together since most purchases/brand decisions happen through peer references that take place in conversations over chai in the canteen or a beer in the pub – NOT on Facebook.

     

    5. Today’s Youth is an alien species

    To my final point, brands look at ‘youth’ as a totally alien species, which they are trying to figure and due to that very attitude, all the numbers, insights and ideas start not making sense. I, myself, have written above that those born after 1988 are indeed a totally different than their predecessors but that doesn’t mean that we overcomplicate and give too much importance to the way they think, eat, drink and surf! I guess the simplest thing to do is work on an intelligent, creative and smart campaign without reading too much into youth behaviour because reality is that one will never ever be able to understand how these mindsets function since there is no one point where this transition will end.

     

    Samyak Chakrabarty is Chief Youth Marketer, DDB Mudra Max

     

  • When the chips are down, look at the stars. Hemang Arunbhai Pandit, founder-MD of Ganeshaspeaks.com, tells us why the astrological forecasting media is "reasonably" recession-proof

    The Anchor: 5 reasons why astrology business is reasonably recession proof

    By Hemang Arunbhai Pandit

     

    1. Astrology is a trouble shooting-oriented business in most parts of India and Asia. People turn to astrology when they are in trouble during a recession, thereby generating business for astrologers.

     

    2. In good times, the business class generally wants to diversify and expand, again for which astrology guidance is generally taken as a safety measure and for good mahurats.

     

    3. Astrology in India is a precursor to a lot of rituals and other remedies in terms of gemstones, yantras, and so on. People spend money on a consultation, which is generally followed by an appropriate ritual or a remedy to ward off the trouble. This is also a good source of income for the astrologers.

     

    4. Outside India, mainly in Europe and the US, astrology is also used as a tool for self analysis and development. This process has nothing to do with recession, since people do it all the time, as long as it is not too expensive.

     

    5. Outside India, astrology is the primary tool for determining whether you are with your soulmate or not, especially for young girls. The process of dating and romance is inherently recession-proof, thereby lending the same status to astrology.

     

    Hemang Arunbhai Pandit is Founder, MD & CEO, GaneshaSpeaks.com

     

  • Political spats, crime, scams make news. Social issues are for documentary film makers, unless Aamir Khan comes with the package, says Sevanti Ninan

    The Anchor: Sevanti Ninan on 5 things she’d like to change about journalism today

    By Sevanti Ninan

     

    1. Its idea of what constitutes national

    Delhi and Mumbai.  At a pinch add Chennai and Kolkata, because Mamata and Jaya are there to provide copy.

     

    2. Its notion of public opinion

    What Twitter, Facebook and smses on TV are saying.  Get off the computer and hit the streets to find out what’s happening to those who are not on social networking sites? Na, that’s uncool. Besides being too much work.

     

    3. Its notion of the arts

    Movies, movies, Bollywood, Bollywood. Regional stars in the field of writing, art, music: confined to the regional press unless they know how to make the scene in Delhi or Mumbai.

     

    4. What makes news

    Political spats, crime, scams.  Social issues are for documentary film makers, unless Aamir Khan comes with the package.

     

    5. Its notion of what constitutes progress for both India and Bharat

    Sexy industries like telecom and IT. Education reporting means tracking the IITs. Health coverage means celebrity cancer. Primary health centres and anganwadis-what’s that and where would I find them?

     

    Sevanti Ninan is Editor, thehoot.org and Columnist, Mint

     

  • There is an explosion of devices that are now connecting over to the Internet. We are living in an increasingly "hyperconnected" world where everyone is online 24/7, says Bruno Goveas

    The Anchor: Bruno Goveas lists 5 key trends shaping the internet

    By Bruno Goveas

     

    1. Hyperconnectivity:

    There is an explosion of devices that are now connecting over to the Internet. We are living in an increasingly “hyperconnected” world where everyone is online 24/7. Markets are evolving and business models are being replaced. Companies are embracing hyperconnectivity as they realize it is the only way to capture new opportunity and meet the emerging needs of their customers or consumers.

     

    2. Security for Online Businesses:

    With the Internet now an important channel for doing business, it’s not surprising that there is a dramatic increase in the frequency, scale and sophistication of web attacks. Hence, there is a critical need for robust web security that will ensure scalable protection from data theft and downtime, and enable extension of the security perimeter outside the data-centre to deal with distributed threats and ensure adequate protection.

     

    3. Enterprise Applications are moving to the Cloud:

    With theEnterpriseworkforce becoming increasingly mobile, and businesses expanding into new markets, having suppliers, partners and customers distributed around the world, there is a need to securely deliverEnterpriseapplications anywhere and to anyone, in a cost effective and efficient manner. Businesses are now leveraging the Internet and enabling enterprise application access over the Internet, to effectively reach their employees, customers and partners.

     

    4. Interactive HD quality entertainment over the Internet is now a reality:

    Consumers are now demanding access to entertainment from any device, anywhere. Hence there is a need to engage audiences with interactive HD quality video over the Internet, solve the challenges of multi-device consumption and provide the highest quality video experience to all devices.

     

    5. Need for performance with Mobile sites and applications:

    With connected mobile devices now ubiquitous, growing exponentially, and their capabilities having developed and matured, there is a critical need to overcome limitations of accessing content over the mobile network and optimizing the content to ensure optimal and vastly improved user experience on any mobile device.

     

    Bruno Goveas is Director of Products- Asia Pacific &Japan, at Akamai Technologies

     

  • Practically anything and everything can be accommodated in the dimensions of a media unit on OOH space, says Satish Singh

    The Anchor: Satish Singh lists 10 reasons why outdoor scores over other media

    By Satish Singh

     

    1. Free Medium – No Cost of Consumption

    Unlike any other medium, where you require a subscription or purchase, OOH is free. You need to purchase a newspaper to see an ad in it. One must have satellite TV subscription to cable/DTH to see an advertisement. For OOH, there is no need to purchase anything. It is outside, on the streets and is free for everyone to see, read, understand and there is typically a call to action – like a Short code, Toll free, and so on.

     

    2. Zone Domination Approach

    A particular territory could be concentrated with the communication in a limited geographic area to create a domination effect. What we call a roadblock in Radio and TV can be achieved in greater magnitude with this kind of an approach. This leads to the word of mouth and viral scenario along with creation of buzz – which is more likely to give a media multiplier effect – eventually leading to a digital platform discussions on the social platforms.

     

    3. Reach + Frequency

    This is the typical Catch 22 one sees in media planning. OOH allows you to circumvent the inherent challenge of the choice between the two, by helping you be there and do that. It is the only medium that will give you the best of the aspects by meeting both at a miniscule portion of what the traditional media would drain the wallet at.

     

    4. Large scale empty canvas

    The scale is superb and gigantic. One has the opportunity to create an imaginative thought on the larger than life canvas.

     

    5. Dynamic Visual impact

    3D, Motion, Lights, day/night effect, the list is nearly inexhaustive. This is something that is very exclusive to OOH. No other media offers this aspect – be it print, television, social, digital, none. The fanfare around the medium is because of the ability to push your imaginative genius to the limits and beyond. Practically anything and everything can be accommodated in the dimensions of a media unit on OOH space.

     

    6. 24×7

    This medium is there for an exposure 24×7. It will be present for a minimum duration of 10 days (as per the local associations in cities acrossIndia) and cannot be missed if a person is late to watch a program or read the newspaper that day.

     

    7. No Avoidance – Virtually No OTS

    Because of the size and scale, it is virtually impossible to miss a display in a city and, therefore, we have virtually no OTS. It is as good as MUST SEE.

     

    8. Key Ingredient of LMC

    As the studies have proved, the Last Mile Connectivity has most bearing in the actual purchase of the product. This is the time when the POP/POS is preceded by the OOH to ensure the curiosity pull happens to the brand/product and the retail point takes it up from there to ensure a closure of purchase/sale.

     

    9. Region Specific Targeting

    The only medium that works better than that of the traditional media is OOH in this area. If you want minimal geographic spillover, this gives you a ZERO spillover. The kind of brands and products that have a certain geography have chosen this medium as the lead medium. Telecom is the finest example for this – every circle has a specific tariff, VAS offering, network and bouquet of services. The best way of communicating about the same is the OOH. Traditionally, the lead medium for the industry has been OOH.

     

    10. Day-part capturing

    Media Scheduling is a part of every planner’s life today. Application in OOH is next to impossible. But that thought has been vapourised with the newer and advanced ways of putting up media and removing the same. This enables us to capture the morning, noon and evening parts of the communication that is possible on the same medium without breaking much of a sweat.

     

    All in all, the Out-Of-Home media is a really flexible and robust area of communication and advertising wherein one can expect focussed geographies to be connected, without the risk factors of a traditional print and electronic or any other media which has an OTS. Outdoors is BIG, BOLD, BEAUTIFUL and UNMISSABLE.

     

    Satish Singh is President, Lakshya Media