Category: THE ANCHOR

  • The Anchor: 5 old-school rules for today’s writers

    By Vidya Heble

     

    #1 Your story got laughed at.

    You wrote that fancy intro – and the editor read it out, mockingly, to the rest of the newsroom staff who chuckled while you stood there red-faced. This is exactly what happened to me, and I remember which story it was as well as the lavender prose that I thought made a great opening paragraph. Lesson: There’s a difference between lyrical and laughable, and the quicker you learn it, the better.

     

    #2 Your story got mangled.

    Maybe your language wasn’t clear. Did you try to write fancy? If so, the sub-editor didn’t get it. The end result – your story ends up very different from what it was supposed to be. Lesson: Write simply and clearly.

     

    #3 Your story died.

    There were times when your carefully composed prose just vanished. Was there a black hole into which it had gone? Yes, it was called the news editor’s dustbin, and if you asked why that had happened, you got sat down for a lecture, if you were lucky, or more likely ridicule. Lesson: If you want it to survive, write it well.

     

    #4 Your big story of the day was an obituary.

    Newbies were taught the hard way, and the deceptively simple obituary or death notice was among the starting courses. You had to get it right, and if you didn’t, you got – yes, ridiculed. Lesson: No job is too small, no story too simple.

     

    #5 You rose the hard way.

    You worked your story well, you wrote it well, you cooperated with the editing desk to make it look good. And when it shone, you got that boost. Not like today where one rises at the job almost as easily and quickly as one rises in the elevator. (By “pushing the right buttons”? Wicked.) Lesson: It may seem as if hard work doesn’t pay, but you get a reward that the easy risers don’t.

     

    Vidya Heble is Deputy Editor at MXMIndia.com.

     

  • The Anchor: Six Smart Screen marketing challenges in India

    By Anuj Kumar

     

    #1 Fragmentation across smart screens. There are too many devices. Varied screen sizes, running multiple operating systems, form factors and soon. Only the very top publishers and premium publishers have their content optimized for access across all smart screen – tablets, mobiles, PCs and Smart TVs. It requires awareness and investments to ensure smooth presence across all. Publishers, app developers will have to invest in smart screen presence, which comes with its share of increase in expenses. Solution can be the use of standard formats like html5, tools and products to enable publishing & curating content experiences across smart screens.

     

    #2 Monetization options on smart screens are limited. Smart screen ad spends is a small part of the total ad spends but this is one of the fastest growing segments. Monetization of contents thru ads on smart screens would enable more publishers to invest in smart screen contents and apps in India. Specialist advice is needed for smart screens; specialized smart screen ad networks for publishers and smart screen ad solutions for brands.

     

    #3 Lack of seamless & integrated experience across smart screens. Acceptability among consumers and greater off-take will drive pervasiveness of mobile content innovations. This does not exist now. Users want content they can share and access their apps, profiles and contents seamlessly across smart screens. This takes time for the industry to establish. This can be fixed by the use of cloud computing, user identities and use of standard OS platforms.

     

    #4 Mass adoption and affordability. Costs of buying devices with smart screens and the cost of connectivity is a very important factor. Consumer numbers have to reach high levels for marketers to start targeting consumers with smart screens. Rate of adoption is typically driven by telco plans for data connections, price of smart devices going down, plans for buying devices and so on. All these are going down but can certainly be made more affordable. At another level availability and awareness of apps drives mass adoption. Apps can entice consumer from productivity, engagement, entertainment and other perspective to drive adoption. Solutions come from the lowering cost of devices, consumer schemes and building awareness on the benefits of smart screens and their corresponding value.

     

    #5 Ad challenges. Most ad agencies are not ramped up or fully equipped to advice on smart screen media & creative plans. They are used to working on the conventional media. Large agencies running large businesses on conventional media treat mobile marketing as a poor secondary marketing platform. Primarily because of the volume of spends and lack of expertise. Specialized agencies will change that. They will create innovative engagement solutions to attract consumers, in turn attracting brands and growing the ‘smart media’ marketing and time spent pie.

     

    #6 Complex ecosystem and ad formats without independent media monitoring & performance metrics, which restricts ad spends.

     

    Anuj Kumar is Co-Founder and CEO of Affle.

     

  • The Anchor: 5 benefits of loyalty marketing

    By Siddharth Reddy

     

    A loyalty programme is a long-term strategy to identify, retain and grow profitable customers. Every enterprise should understand this and must put in place a strategy to achieve these objectives. The benefits of a loyalty programme are many but these are five key benefits:

     

    #1 Know your customers better – The starting point of implementing a loyalty strategy starts with gathering knowledge about your customers; their purchase preferences, value potential, personal traits etc. Knowing your customers better allows you to communicate 1-to-1, set up a listening post, personalise your products and services and continue to be relevant to them.

     

    #2 Retain your best customers – Not all customers are made equal. Identifying your most valuable customers (MVCs) and retaining them drives long-term sustainable revenues.

     

    #3 Increase Lifetime Value (LTV) – The total potential spends from a customer over his lifetime is defined as LTV and maximising this potential through a loyalty programme drives increased revenues and higher ROI on customer acquisition costs.

     

    #4 Lower your costs – Loyal customers understand your processes and products better, are less costly to serve and less prone to competition lures, and try new products faster, thus ensuring lower costs in maintaining sustainable revenues.

     

    #5 Increase profits – According to Fred Reichheld of Bain & Company, it costs 6 to 7 times less to retain a customer than to acquire a new one. Reducing customer churn reduces overall costs and increases profits.

     

    Siddharth Reddy is the MD of BI Worldwide, India, a loyalty marketing, recognition and incentives service provider. He can be reached at Siddharth.reddy@biworldwide.com

     

  • The Anchor: 5 Emerging Trends In Digital Media

    By Chhaya Balachandran Aiyer

     

    Funny that what is emerging today can become passe in couple of years, if not less. But that’s the digital space… fast, evolving, driven by the masses, if it’s good it will sell online. So if you had to look at the near future, and that’s just planning for the one year ahead, then here are 5 things that seem to be quietly brewing in the various nooks and corners of the wireless world – the Internet.

     

    #1 Mobile Internet: Don’t underestimate the power of mobile internet.  The number of people accessing the web on their phones is much more than those accessing via desktops/laptops. Mobile is very quickly but surely changing data consumption, infotainment, social connectivity. http://blog.bcwebwise.com/2012/06/08/web-internet-and-mobile-internet-usage-statistics-india-2011/.

     

    #2 Social is Going Visual: There is a lot of visual content out there, with the exception of twitter and LinkedIn where the visuals are yet to come of age primarly given the interfaces of these networks. Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest… its all about visual content that is getting shared  — images, videos — impressive compelling content that is engaging. Everyone is sharing and adding their viewpoint to these visual treats. Brands out there need to build their visual content quickly and smartly understanding that branded content will not be shared.

     

    #3 Digital AdSpends Unleashed: Even as a few homegrown giants have recognized the power of the digital media, and are slowly and surely increasing digital spends, most multinational players have mandates from their global headquarters to go digital. Indian arms are being questioned why their digital spends are less than 1 per cent of total ad spends. And CMOs are being forced to get involved in learning the digital ropes and diving deep into the digital waters themselves.

     

    #4 Digital Workshops: How can one increase spends when there is little knowledge to cope with the medium. Digital workshops within large MNCs are the order of the day. Indian corporations should ideally take a lesson or two and get their top line marketing and sales people, the decision makers to hone their digital acumen.

     

    #5 TV v/s Digital – Push v/s Pull : For the fence sitters still smug about TV reach v/s Digital reach – think about the 80:20 rule. That 20 which is the cream of your business is on the web, and they never were much influenced by TV advertising and even more so today. They are researching online, no matter where they are buying products from. It is all about peer to peer recommendation, perception, and information you have put out about your brand online, and how quickly you can respond to individual customers.

     

    Chhaya Balachandran Aiyer is Founder-MD at BC Web Wise Pvt. Ltd

     

  • The Anchor: 5 ways a radio station can attract more listeners

    By Rochak Kohli

     

    #1 Be Here And Now – Topicality is the key to listenership. Radio is a here-and-now medium and one must stay true to its basic nature.

     

    #2 Entertain – Radio should act as best friend to the listeners. Entertainment doesn’t mean being frivolous… Radio should be meaningful entertainment. It should inspire listeners.

     

    #3 Utility Heavy – Regular utilities make listeners habituated to your station. They match their clocks with you, follow the roads as you say. Utilities are the easiest way of making radio part of the listener’s lives.

     

    #4 Interact – Listeners always feel special when they hear their voice on the radio. They feel heard, and believe that they are also a part of the system. An opinion, a dedication, a debate will make them stay tuned.

     

    #5 Innovate Constantly – Innovation always helps you remain fresh. It’s simpler to innovate in radio, as execution of an idea is instant. New benchmarks, surprise songs and new formats will make you the favourite.

     

    Rochak Kohli is AVP Programming at 92.7 BIG FM.

     

  • The Anchor: Ajay Kakar on 10 reasons why the A&M world needs independents like MxMIndia

    By Ajay Kakar

     

    In an era when ‘independent’ agencies are the toast and talk of the advertising, media and marketing world, I am happy to share my views on the need and importance of ‘independent’ media in our world.

     

    #1 All that you wanted to know but didn’t know whom to ask and more importantly, whom to trust:

    In a fast evolving industry such as ours, there is a critical need to be on top of the changes and developments.

     

    An independent publication like MxMIndia offers a single window to all that you need to know. And that too, without any bias or agenda.

     

    #2 In the land of data, perspective is king:

    While there is a lot of data floating around, at times conflicting, there is need for an independent perspective, that gives light to how the data should be read and understood.

     

    An independent publication like MxMIndia allows the reader to make his own view and take-home, thanks to the professional and unbiased views of industry thought leaders.

     

    #3 Dig deep, while also digging wide:

    There are so many facets to our industry, wherein advertising can end up out-shouting and overshadowing all the other key though not glamorous disciplines like PR, Direct and media like radio, et al.

     

    Independent publications like MxMIndia care to give focus to all the facets, with due visibility to the perceived underdogs too, a la MxM Radio.

     

    #4 Learning from the gurus, while giving visibility to GenNext

    The industry is blessed with a few superstars who have a wealth of knowledge to share, as the face of our industry.

     

    But independent publications like MxMIndia have taken the lead to give a face and platform to the rising stars, who would otherwise get lost as a ship in the dark.

     

    #5 The good with the bad:

    There is a lot that can and still needs to be done to fast-track the evolution of our industry.

     

    Independent publications like MxMIndia dare to remind us of these glaring gaps. Regular features from critics like Anil Thakraney, who don’t shy from calling a spade a spade are invaluable.

     

    #6 The world, at your doorstep:

    There are so many learning opportunities and industry fora, that only a few privileged get to attend.

     

    Independent publications like MxMIndia open the world and minds of one and all, by their independent and unbiased coverage of events like Ad Asia, Goafest and Cannes. They play the role of our eyes and ears, as we learn from these platforms.

     

    #7. Kal kare so aaj kar, aaj kare so ab:

    Technology now allows us the opportunity to link with one and all, on an online real time basis.

     

    Independent publications like MxMIndia provide us Conversation dashboards, Twitter link, that help us to interact with Industry gurus and even publications like HBR, etc.

     

    #8 Your own guard-book of the world’s best:

    At the end of the day, it’s all about the work. And there is so much to see and learn from, that by ourselves we will never have access to.

     

    Independent publications like MxMIndia provide an AdStrat section, which gives a strategic perspective into some of the best and greatest industry work.

     

    #9 Who is who:

    How do you keep in touch with news and views, of an industry as big as ours!

     

    Independent publications like MxMIndia offer you a News section on brands and people, giving you a ring-side view to industry happenings.

     

    #10 Predict tomorrow, today:

    He who lives in the today, will soon be the past. He who can see the tomorrow, today, the future is his.

     

    If I were to sum the role of independent publications like MxMIndia, in our lives, they empower us…by helping us to understand the today, while helping us to learn from the past and helping us to predict the future.

     

    Ajay Kakar is Chief Marketing Officer – Financial Services, Aditya Birla Group

     

    Editor’s Note:

    He’s been our lucky mascot. Yes, Ajay Kakar wrote The Anchor on Day 1 of MxMIndia (The Anchor: 8 indications when you know it’s time to bid goodbye to your agency) and he wrote on Day 100 (The ‘Special’ Anchor: Ajay Kakar offers ‘100’ pointers MxM must remember in its journey ahead). And through this period he has contributed by way of writing or offering his views. Reason enough for us to have him (and only him!) write the Anchor on our first anniv.

     

  • The Anchor: A S Raghunath on 5 reasons why print media is still relevant in India

    By A S Raghunath

     

    Aam Admi in India is not a global citizen who has easy access to information that empowers him. Imagine him to be from Jhumri Talaiya and India’s best of GDP is coming from those roots.

     

    1. Print in India is an uncomplicated means of individual empowerment. The more the information is on common man’s personal life’s issues, the more empowered he becomes. Print is local, hence it is a tangible means of his empowerment. My aam admi is also as local as the muffasil reporter, whose reports he daily reads, is. Both of them take good care of each other’s empowerment. TV news on the other hand can rattle the Parliament and the nation but it cannot move the individual life of a common person, unless he has fallen in a deep pit or is self-immolating!

     

    2. Despite the fraternity’s doom prediction for the print media in India, our own 21 newspapers brands have made it to the Top 100 global list [basis circulation], according to a WAN list. Of this, five are in English, Six in Hindi, two in Tamil, Two Malayalee, one Gujarati, two Telugu and one Bengali Newspaper. If world newsprint demand forecast is any indicator for the global growth area for the print media, while North America, Europe may have been on sharp decline, but Latin America, South Africa, Australia and Asia are on ever-rise. Asia’s consumption base, which is larger than most continents, the newsprint consumption is up by 13 per cent and is on ever-rise.

     

    3. The pulp version of his news and information delivery is within easy reach of a common man. It costs him less than a cup of coffee, it is also door-delivered to him every morning and the subscriber is entitled to get the entire month’s supply on credit! No advance payment is ever demanded. Moreover, to keep him engaged in reading, media houses also reward him! Does this happen with any other media options in India?

     

    4. If printed news is the first need in the enlightened mankind’s mornings in India, this is also the first luxury that a ordinary man affords himself as he moves up the ladder of social status. Print is also aspirational. Being seen reading a daily in the morning is still considered a more civilized habit than sitting in front of a TV and watching a news channel that hardly allows you to digest anything. An argumentative Indian is best served by reading a topic in the morning on which TV anchors debated last night with eight highly opinioned panelists, whose banters left him completely confused. My common man’s Random Access Memory works faster when he reads and stores it in his hard disk!

     

    5. Take a look at the forces that drive country’s GDP today. The consumer power has shifted base to the more aspiring people residing on the country side. And they are the ones who are ringing in the cash registers for all product categories across the board. Mobiles, durable goods and the other FMCG products categories are finding newer consumers with enhanced consuming frequencies. And print is poised to move in that direction to reaping the newer growth. Advertising revenue stream therefore has to follow where the consumer is and not where the advertising fraternity is headquartered!

     

    William Powers, the author of Hamlet’s Blackberry had said, ‘Paper is the most successful communications innovation of the last 2000 years, the one that has lasted the longest and had the profoundest effect on civilization. About his book he said, ‘Hamlet’s Blackberry is not about circulation or ad revenues not even about journalism or strictly speaking, about newspapers! It’s about the material that newspapers are printed on – Paper’. On the question of future of newspapers, he had said, ‘It seems to me that the question of whether newspapers have a future is related, in a very related deep way, to whether the paper itself has a future!’

     

    The pulp occupies mankind’s mind and heart space. Be it crisp hard currency that gives you supreme confidence or legal papers that affords you security. Or be it a tiny booklet called passport that allows you access as Global citizens, or even the hard copy of your appointment letter that makes you feel more secured in an era of pink slips. Or that neatly folded bundle of joy that you eagerly await every morning for your Random Access Memory’s fill. Pulp and Newspaper are here to stay, dominating your mind space even as you read this on your tablet or computer screen!

     

    A S Raghunath is a senior print media brand consultant based in New Delhi NCR.

     

     

  • The Anchor: 4 reasons why digital media’s mergers and acquisitions are a good sign

    By Rammohan Sundaram

     

    #1 It is a sign that the market has matured:

    It shows that India as a market has matured. All these agencies which have been acquired are at least 10 years old and these are the people who have done all the hard work – whether it is Communicate2 which was acquired by Aegis Media or Hungama Digital acquired by JWT, etc. It’s a natural progression and these are things which happen when businesses are scaling up.

     

    #2 Large agencies bring large clients:

    When large agencies acquire a standalone agency, it comes with large clients and as a result, it helps the standalone agency maintain continuity in the business, especially for clients attached to the agency that they have been associated with over the last several years.

     

    #3 Standalone agencies are allowed to retain vision:

    It is important for continuity in the business, and there is no reason why the standalone agency needs to change post-acquisition. While operational and financial processes will inevitably change, how you run your business usually doesn’t. This is so that there is a continuity of the vision that first started the standalone agency and has ensured the continuation of its growth.

     

    #4 Brings more talent to the agency:

    The companies which are successful today are those that have got tremendous talent. In order to build talent, loyalty and attrition rates which are lower than any other competitor is the key to success for an advertising agency in the business today. This is what most of these agencies have managed to do and that’s the differentiator.

     

    Rammohan Sundaram is CEO and MD, NetworkPlay Media Pvt. Ltd

     

  • The Anchor: 4 challenges hampering mobile advtg growth

    By Narasimha Suresh

     

    #1 The mobile, as a handheld device, is a lot more personal and contextual. Advertising on this medium thus cannot be the same as on the internet. A promotional ad that is sent to a handheld device can excite. But if it does not, it can create more harm to the brand. Thus, contextual and relevant marketing is missing, and this is the foremost challenge.

     

    #2 The current inventory and mechanism available does not address the advertising issue for mobiles. The banner advertising or SMS might not be relevant at all times. There are clearly not too many options that are available or that an advertiser can leverage.

     

    #3 Brand marketers do not know how to measure the impact of mobile advertising. Advertisers need to engage consumer not only through content but also through context. The mobile advertisement should not be a push, but pull consumers. Since this is all about advertising on handheld devices, the advertising needs to target the person there and then. If a person is checking out a product, the offer or advertisement about the product or category should reach them immediately.

     

    #4 There exists an ecosystem problem as well. The penetration of 3G and smartphones is still limited. If 3G spectrum is present, the network is too slow. Smartphones are priced highly, and thus limit the reach.

     

    Narasimha Suresh is CEO and Founder of TELiBrahma.

     

  • The Anchor: 5 things clients should keep in mind when engaging a digital agency

    By Kushal Sanghvi

     

    #1 Treatment – The digital agency should be treated on par with traditional media. In today’s age, digital is as important as any other media and is a must. The client should realize that digital should be part of their media plan.

     

    #2 Not a mere lead-generator – Digital today should not be a medium to just generate leads or a sales channel. It’s not a channel to get databases. You can get those from various CRM channels. The medium is a necessity today and should be looked at in a different light.

     

    #3 Creativity in digital – It is not about putting a print ad or a TV ad on the digital medium. The digital agency should have the capability to come out with solutions that is unique to the medium and perhaps can be adapted and amplified to traditional medium as well. It is about co-creating creative messages especially on the digital which can then be taken forward.

     

    #4 Respect – The clients should be open to see the changes that the medium is doing in other parts of the world. There has to be a wider view of the medium and the willingness to explore the medium to its maximum. This also would mean that they should have respect for the digital agency and their capability.

     

    #5 Budget allocation – Clients should make budget allocations for the digital medium at the very outset when doing their media plan. Digital is a part of the 360-degree communication offering and should not be seen as an afterthought.

     

    Kushal Sanghvi is the CEO of Span Digital

     

  • The Anchor: CVL Srinivas on 5 reasons all media agencies need to be creative

    CVL Srinivas

    By CVL Srinivas

     

    #1 Media is part of the overall creative product – media agencies cannot be divorced from ideas and creativity. While a great amount of number-crunching and accountability measures can be brought into play, ultimately it is the power of the idea that makes a brand. Media agencies need to contribute to these ideas and not come in their way.

     

    #2 The role of a media agency is changing from managing throughput to creating experiences. To be able to create experiences and not just deliver exposure for brands, media agencies have to think creatively about their business and their future. Otherwise media agencies will remain throughput engines and soon lose their relevance.

     

    #3 Digital is bridging the gap between media and creative. If digital media solutions are to be effective, media agencies need to contribute as much to the creative as to the digital media strategy.

     

    #4 The explosion of content is fuelling media solutions of a different kind. Today there are numerous opportunities to ride on existing content or create a solution through a piece of entertaining content. Media agencies are equipping themselves to deliver on this front. It’s like having a mini creative agency within a media agency.

     

    #5 Given the high level of fragmentation and the mushrooming of specialist agencies, be it in digital or analytics or content, media agencies need to creatively tap into the ecosystem and work with partners to ensure that they stay ahead of the game. Media agencies can no longer live in their own siloed world.

     

    CVL Srinivas is the Chairman, SMG India and Managing Director, LiquidThread – APAC

     

  • The Anchor: 5 tips for holding a successful Tweetup

    By Zafar Rais

     

    Twitter has emerged as a platform which enables targeted conversations with individuals who have a direct linkage to their brand or industry and have a high opinion within the platform amongst their followers. In order to leverage opportunities with Tweeps, marketers are constantly innovating, and one such activity that proves to be highly successful is the Tweetup.

     

    Increasingly, this has also given rise to influencer relationship management as an individual business unit within social media agencies.

     

    A Tweetup is a chance for like-minded individuals from Twitter to come together offline and interact on the basis of a chosen theme. It may act as a relaxed networking event organized by Tweeps or a new route towards launching a product and creating the right kind of buzz about it, through the right kind of people. Tweeps come together to use their collective wisdom and networks to create outreach and support during the event. A Tweetup is a great way for brands to showcase, sample and get feedback on their product or service.

     

    So how do you ensure a successful Tweetup?

     

    After organizing a bunch of Tweetups for brands such as Kiehl’s, Star Plus, BIG CBS Network, Karaoke World Championship, to name a few, these are a few of our learnings to ensure you don’t goof up your first one.

     

    #1 Invite the right kind of people and not just Tweeps with a high follower base. The right mix is what gets you the right engagements and the right outreach. Influencers on Twitter range as per certain topics they constantly speak of. Gain some insights on their tweeting patterns and invite the relevant ones only. Quality over quantity is key here.

     

    #2 Innovate by offering something different. Most brands adopt the same flow for every Tweetup. The key is to find something exciting or adopt a theme that excites them to attend it, as much as it excites you to organize something different.

     

    #3 Communicate via an invitation that lets Tweeps know about the highlights of your Tweetup, the hashtag to be used and the venue. Ensure you create subtle opportunities for them to know about your product but avoid a hardsell. Influencers are intelligent and will communicate with their followers according to what they deem fit.

     

    #4 Networking is key. Innovate by creating instances for your audiences to interact with other people, the brand and your designated hashtag. An effective session by a core speaker or industry expert gives the event a good start but after that, ensure that your influencer manager does his job of keeping them buzzing via fun games, live contests, performances and some alcohol too if the occasion demands.

     

    #5 Take home evangelists. While it’s great to get your hashtag trending or to increase curiosity about what the hashtag you’re using is all about, a brand must focus on the influencers they have invited, ensuring they go back home as brand evangelists and have built a valuable relationship with you. Your ability to achieve this is directly related to the experience you create for them.

     

    At the end of it, be warm, friendly and remember the key philosophy of social media – engage!

     

    Zafar Rais is Founder & CEO of Mindshift Interactive