MxMIndia

Category: THE ANCHOR

  • How to get – and keep – a great agency. Clients, listen up!

    The Anchor: 5 ways clients can get the best out of their agency

    By Anirudha Mukhedkar

     

    #1 Intellectual stimulation

    Keeping the agency intellectually stimulated works like a magnet. The best people in the agency will want to be on your business. Because great people love great challenges.

     

    #2 Creative Sensitivity

    This is not about creative freedom or degree of interference. This is plain, simple human sensitivity about a critical function that the agency performs. Great creativity is all about risk-taking. Which is why creative people can demonstrate belief and passion in their work. This can often get interpreted as pig-headedness. And it takes experience and sensitivity to be able to separate the two. Importantly, this does not mean that creative people or their work needs mollycoddling or tactful handling. Quite the contrary.

     

    Inspire them with the brief. Show respect for their work. And be honest and consistent with your feedback.

     

    #3 Financial Security

    Fundamentally, your agency must believe that you want them to make a healthy profit. Clients who negotiate with an agency on every job might get the best deal, but are not likely to get the best out of their agency over the long term.

     

    #4 Recognition

    The agency business does not pay as well as it used to some years ago. The smart people working on your business could earn as much as double their current salaries if they were in a different industry. They are here because they love the work they do. They love the communication business. Their relationship with their work is more emotional than contractual. Words of praise, letters of recognition and public acknowledgement of the agencies and individuals work way better than any other incentive.

     

    They will love you. They will always give their best for you.

     

    #5 Expectation and Accountability

    Apart from all the nice things that you can do for your agency, sometimes to get the best out of them you need to give the agency a well-defined framework to operate in. It is critical that you spell out your expectations from the agency and the individuals working on your business. This will help not only set benchmarks and define standards, in some cases will inspire your agency to exceed expectations.

     

    Anirudha Mukhedkar is the founder and CEO of Plan B

     

  • Arun Athiappan explains why online travel is much more than bookings and reservations – it's an ecosystem by itself

    The Anchor: 5 trends to watch out for in the online travel portal space

    By Arun Athiappan

     

    #1 Socialisation of travel portals

    Travel portals will start integrating their offerings with social media sites like Facebook and offer users ability to discuss their travel plans, options and choices with their social media buddies. Leveraging social media as a customer engagement and grievance redressal forum will give online portals immense access to next generation customers.

     

    #2 Ubiquitous travel shopping

    Travel shopping will become ubiquitous, available anywhere and everywhere. Shopping for travel tickets has moved from offline agents to online web based portals. The next move is to mobile devices. Most of the next generation internet users will experience the internet through mobile devices long before they do it through fixed computing devices. Such users will prefer the mobile over other devices for all their shopping needs including travel. For those who are only comfortable booking offline, there will be an explosion of options as any commercial establishment having access to the internet has the ability to become a travel boutique.

     

    #3 User experience as a differentiator

    Price as a driving factor for sales has reached saturation point and portals today find it hard to survive by competing on price. Most portals today offer a similar user experience, but a few have started to break the mould and differentiate themselves by providing a better user experience. Better organization of information presented, user ratings, speeding up the transaction cycles, more information on travels, destinations, weather etc. are a few options to better the user experience. Sites like Hipmunk are betting on user experience to be their only differentiator.

     

    #4 Rise of bus ticket booking portals

    The travel portal space has long been dominated by airline ticketing portals and the lone train ticket portal. The last couple of years have seen the raise of bus ticketing portals in the south and west of India. The bus travel industry accounts for most of the travel and only around 5 to 6 percent of it is online today. We can see rapid growth in this segment as more operators come online. The bus industry itself is seeing multi-fold growth and is poised to treble in the next five years.

     

    #5 Info, info and more info!!!

    Travel sites can be classified into travel inspiration sites and travel shopping sites. Travel inspiration sites are sites that do not do the actual booking, but provide all information required that inspire the traveller to make the right shopping decision. Such decisions may be based on price comparison, consumer ratings, amenities provided, services offered etc.. Customers can look forward to many such sites that will provide them comprehensive info to make their shopping decision.

     

    Arun Athiappan is Co-Founder and CEO, TicketGoose.com

     

  • 18 Amul ads that capture the post-2000 Amitabh Bachchan era

    The Anchor: The Amitabh Bachchan story via Amul ads

    By now you know that we love doing these. We of course love Amul ads and are also fans of Amitabh Bachchan. We find Amul ads – mostly on billboards and now also in the papers, a great chronicler of what’s been top-of-mind in the world. And when Big B Amitabh Bachchan does anything, the world watches!

     

    Here are 18 ads that we found handy. If we’ve missed out on any, please inbox them to us at edior@mxmindia.com.

     

    The euphoria over the hugely popular game show ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’ continues. – July 2000

     

    On a contestant winning the jackpot on the TV game show – October – 2000

     

    On the unveiling of Amitabh Bachchan’s wax statue at Madame Tussauds – December 2000

     

     

    On Amitabh Bachchan’s 60th Birthday. – October 2002

     

     

    Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan brand ambassador of Uttar Pradesh – October 2003

     

     

    Take off on the film Bunty aur Babli – June 2005

     

     

    On KBC 2 – August 2005

     

     

    Wishing him a speedy recovery of intestinal ailment – December 2005

     

    On receiving a Rolls Royce Phantom as a gift for his performance in Eklavya from producer-director Vidhu Vinod Chopra – March 2007

     

    On son Abhishek’s wedding with Aishwarya at their residence Prateeksha in Mumbai – April 2007.

     

    Box-office debacle of Ram Gopal Verma’s Bollywood movie Aag – Arrival of evil, a remake of yesteryear classic Sholay – September 2007.

     

    Playing a pop psychologist to inmates of the Bigg Boss house – Sept 2009.

     

    On the success of Paa – December 2009

     

    Controversy surrounding his presence at the inauguration of the second carriageway on the Worli-Bandra Sea Link – March 2010

     

    On release of’Bbuddah Hoga Tera Baap’- July 2011

     

    Controversy surrounding ‘Aarakshan’ – August 2011

     

    Wishing the superstar a speedy recovery – February 2012

     

    Birthday Greetings on his 70th Birthday – October 2012

     

    Compiled by Meghna Sharma

     

  • We are sure it won’t ever happen, but hypothetically, if it did, these are the 10 faces A N Chorrea writes he would like to see in the house

    The Anchor: 10 News TV faces one would like to see in the Bigg Boss house (and why)

    By A N Chorrea

     

    We now know the 15 people holed up in the Bigg Boss house. Of course only two or three of them will last all the days, as we will see an elimination almost every week.

     

    But what if there was one with just news television anchors, here’s a quick list of those we would like to see on the show (in alphabetical order of first names):

     

    1. Abhigyan Prakash

    Ever since I attended a star-studded birthday party of his in Mumbai a few years back, I have been majorly impressed by the man. His channel is not the #1 and he is not projected as the face of the channel, but he’s one who could well last out the 80-odd days.

     

    2. Arnab Goswami

    Arnab Goswami is a must-see face of Indian news television. Though we think he’ll either be quiet all the time (and not want to make a fool of himself). He will also want to be evicted early so that he can be back on the tube soonest. After all, India wants to know!

     

    3. Ashutosh

    The man who knows most about the Anna Hazare movement is sure to engage everyone into some heated discussions on Bigg Boss… on politics and his views on what should be done for the country.

     

    4. Barkha Dutt

    News television’s first lady may have escaped the Radia controversy, but has been lying low ever since. The Bigg Boss role could well see her get back her lost equity.

     

    5. Deepak Chaurasia

    The most colourful editor on news television is also one of its most connected. He’s a necessary force to have around to keep the house in check.

     

    6. Mini Menon

    Okay, she’s not here because we needed one more lady to keep Barkha company. La Dutt is enough match for all the men. But she can possibly give the Bigg Boss house and show a slightly different, classy flavour.

     

    7. Rahul Kanwal

    As the TV Today network’s most visible face, he is a natural choice for the house, but we doubt if he’s going to want to miss on the news TV lights for too long.

     

    8. Rajdeep Sardesai

    As the seniormost member of the house, he’s going to ensure that everyone feels at home, but given all that’s happening in the political world, one doubts whether you want to see him holed up in for too long.

     

    9. Shrivardhan Trivedi

    The man who scares us all with Sansani on ABP News, but also the man who will add the necessary colour to the house given that he’s one of the more popular faces on news TV, so what if it’s essentially a group of editors around.

     

    10. Udayan Mukherjee

    There’s much too much happening in the market for business news TV’s Amitabh Bachchan to be out in Bigg Boss, but this is just a hypothetical list after all. Would be interesting though to see how well Udayan mingles with the rest of the gang.

     

     A N Chorrea is a senior industryperson who prefers to write under a pseudonym

     

  • Imagine a world without your daily newspaper. You can’t, and that’s the point. Print will endure, no matter what.

    The Anchor: 7 reasons print will never die (despite declining readership figures)

    By Pankaj Arora

     

    #1 Akhbar mein likha hai toh kuchh toh sahi hoga:

    People believe in the written/printed word over television. Huge debates happen around what is read. Depending on the news and its impact as well as the personal points of view, layered by the individuals’ leanings, great discussions at the ground level take place on any event. However, the final word on the subject is based on what is reported.

     

    #2 Bijli kahaan hai bhai:

    Power is a major issue in most parts of India. Even within the top 10 cities, not all have 24-hour of electricity. And it is not necessary that they will have electricity in the few precious minutes one has before setting out for the day. Mainline newspapers are read by the working people mostly in the morning. Most often, over the cup of morning tea.

     

    #3 Pura maamla hai kya?

    A basic desire to understand the issues in detail requires one to spend time and dwell on the reportage in depth. Different points of views of the different affected parties as well as the implications will help print stay relevant and around.

     

    #4 Ghar mein TV hai. Ek!

    Most families are a single-TV household. Unless there is a major event that has taken place, the content that is watched is what the whole family can see together. So crime and horror shows probably blank out the real issues. While news is watched, it is not preferred by the whole family. As a result, the first thing that most people do is wait for the paper to get a complete perspective.

     

    #5Special Discount! Sab se Sasta! Diwali Ka bumper offer! Sirf Lalaji Ki Dukaan mein.

    The boom in retail will continue to percolate down through India. With more and more malls coming up even in small towns the growth in Tier 2/3 towns will require local advertising. The housewife too, laps up the newspapers or its supplement to keep herself abreast of the great deals that are made available to her.

     

    #6 Bade Chowk mein aaj Morcha. Dehant ki khabar. Tuition Classes. Dance Masterji.

    Local news and issues are best covered through print and will encourage proliferation of local editions as is evident for the last five years.

     

    #7 Train/ Bus mein:

    During travel most of the time is used constructively to catch up on the news. As travel times keep increasing, the need will only increase.

     

    Pankaj Arora is National Planning Director at Triton Communications

     

  • Digital is a dynamic world; here’s how an agency can milk it best

    The Anchor: 6 ways a digital agency can maximize profits

    By Saurabh Parmar


    #1 Value-addition. Most digital agencies are production focused – websites, banners, applications. For any agency see what you can give as a value to your client. If one can do that price for a client does not become an issue for they see something tangible. Thus, increasing profitability.


    #2 Focus on core competency and do not diverse too much. If you try to be a me-too agency and are focussing on larger chunk of business, your turnover may be higher but your profitability will always be lower. Pick out your core competency and focus on that rather than trying and doing everything under the sun.


    #3 Look at clients’ marketing issues rather than what you as an agency can deliver as digital product. Clients spend crores on marketing. We need to come out with digital solutions that can service the clients’ marketing challenge, rather than suggest properties & add to the clutter. If you can solve the challenges and issues, you will get more profits.


    #4 Analytics. Digital allows you to measure & measure a lot. Right from clicks, conversions to loyalty, recency and amplification. It’s a medium which can help you understand & optimize. Doing this gives the maximum profitability for a client & which in turn ensures maximum profitability for you.


    #5 Embracing web-based tools. In the current world a lot of the agency’s business processes can be outsourced & improved with tools right from finance, CRM, teleconferencing etc. Using off the shelf tools, in a lot of cases their paid versions, has decreased our costs & increased profitability.


    #6 Content. Creating content for new dynamic web is a great area to get into and is a high-value area. It is a high-growth and high-profit area that can be explored by the agencies.


    Saurabh Parmar is Founder & CEO of Brandlogist Communications

     

  • Besides grammar and spelling, here are some other etiquette tips for writers

    The Anchor: 5 tips on how to make writing copy-editor-friendly, if there is such a thing

    By Vidya Heble

     

    #1 Making it bigger / bold / coloured doesn’t work if your writing is bad. In fact, if it is big, bold and/or coloured, editors may regard your writing with suspicion even if it is perfectly good. Just use a standard font – MS Word’s defaults are fine – and a decent size such as 12 points.

     

    #2 Look it up. Don’t use a word that you think sounds like the word you should actually be using. It could mean something else altogether.

     

    #3 If it’s a long word, ask whether it needs to be there. If it’s a long sentence, practise saying it. If it’s convoluted, shorten the words and the sentence because you’ve probably created a bhelpuri that doesn’t belong.

     

    #4 Don’t use sms speak in official communication, even if it is chat or, in fact, sms.  Good language is a good habit. Not only will it tell the recipient that you care about how you say what you say, it will also make disciplined communication second nature for you. Note that this does not apply when you are chatting with friends or making non-official posts on Facebook – here you’re free to do what you like.

     

    #5 Don’t forget the basics. If you’re writing a story, type your name at the top or the bottom of it, or put your name in the filename if possible. Yes, you sent it from your email address but the editors are likely to have more things on their plates than your masterpiece, so don’t make them go hunting down the origin of the story for the author’s name, when they get round to editing it. If you’re sending out a press release, check the file name. Don’t send out ‘(Company name) revised’, or ‘(CEO’s first name)’. Give it a short explanatory filename which includes the bare basics, such as ‘MxMIndia 1st Anniversary’ for instance.

     

    Vidya Heble is deputy editor at MxMIndia, and is thrilled when good copy comes her way.

     

  • How they watch, when they watch, and with whom – the answers about children's TV-viewing practices may come as a surprise, says Tabassum Modi

    The Anchor: 5 things you didn’t know about kids’ TV viewing habits

    By Tabassum Modi

     

    # 1 There’s not much difference between what children from metro and non-metro cities are watching on TV: One would assume that kids living in metro cities are over-exposed to television and would have choices different from their non-metro counterparts. But our recent survey showed that irrespective of their location, kids prefer the same channels. This means that their choices in other areas of life are also converging to make Indian kids into a homogenous group.

     

    #2 Just 22% of kids watch TV after school: The EduMedia survey conducted revealed statistics that are shocking. Children spend at least 8 to 10 hours in school. Assuming most children and finish school by 3pm, they are left with about 7 hours approximately before going to sleep. Besides the amount of time that these children spend on travelling, they dedicate about 3 hours to coaching classes or completing a heap of homework, they actually have very little time left for leisure activities. This daily routine of children leaves them with little time for family, friends and entertainment – including spending time in front of TV.

     

    #3 Sony and Discovery channels are the topmost favourite channels with kids: In our survey of kids between 11 and 17, we found that instead of children’s and youth channels, it is Sony and Discovery channels which are ruling the roost when it comes to kids’ favourites. It is surprising that kids’ channels like Cartoon Network and youth channels like MTV and Channel V are not the top favourites. Does this mean then, that kids are not getting to watch what they want? Or are they growing older faster?

     

    #4 Kids actually don’t like watching TV alone; they prefer watching with their families: Contrary to popular assumptions that kids are tantrum-throwing monsters who will hog the TV viewing space, it was observed that they in fact like to sit down with their family while watching TV. This would lead them to step out of their ‘me’ zone and learn to accommodate other family members’ choices.

     

    #5 Watching too much TV can lead to children hitting puberty faster!A wide array of current scientific research in the field of child health tells us that TV is the cause why children are hitting puberty earlier today. Needless to say, children are growing up at a much higher pace than we can catch up with. This has a good as well as a bad side to it. They seem to understand the dynamics of the adult world and often deal with situations like adults. They become more aware and informed about the happenings around them. While we appreciate this, we might also want to take a look at the rising rate of pregnancies, drug abuse and anti-social activities among children.

     

    Tabassum Modi is Executive Director at EduMedia India

     

  • Madan Sanglikar makes a case for mobile advertising’s effectiveness.

    The Anchor: Madan Sanglikar on 5 reasons mobile advtg delivers more ROI than conventional media vehicles

    By Madan Sanglikar

     

    #1 No other medium in the world has the reach that mobile enjoys. While mobile implies reaching everybody, it is also targeted since mobiles are personal. Mobile phone is hardly ever an arm’s length away from us.

     

    #2 The mobile is the only device they can own and use. Most of the population in India today does not have an access to computer.

     

    #3 Mobile is an entertainment, communication, information device. from brand perspective, it allows the consumer to do anything and everything without moving away from the screen. various elements of phone work together.

     

    #4 Mobile is actually clearing the gaps that the internet as an advertising vehicle had.

     

    #5 As of today, mobile gives 2-to-5 times the response to even online advertising. The search level on mobile phone on lot of retail-based products, especially food-specific businesses, has already outpaced computers.

     

    Madan Sanglikar is the CEO of ad2c.

     

  • Not only the viewership pool but rating methods too are significantly different for Indian TV channels abroad, says Jenish Shah

    The Anchor: 5 reasons media reach & measurability in India are different internationally

    By Jenish Shah

     

    #1 South Asian channels are a niche segment. Regardless of the size of channels like Sony, Zee, Star, etc in the Indian markets, one has to remember that these channels cater to a very small base but extremely targeted audience of the South Asian diaspora worldwide.

     

    #2 Niche channels do not rate accurately. In the same vein that Indian niche channels are currently hotly debating the rating mechanism in India (such as the NDTV vs TAM debate), ratings of South Asian channels on mainstream rating systems (Nielsen, Rentrack etc) do not throw accurate light on channel performance. For example, a channel like Fox News caters to almost the entire universe of 311 million people in the US. While a Hindi GEC like SET, Zee, STAR caters to the relatively small 2.83 million NRIs. It’s unfair to compare apples with oranges!

     

    #3 Distribution is the accepted currency. In the absence of any industry accepted rating mechanism for South Asian channels, distribution of the channels (ie the number of DTH, cable, IPTV platforms they are present in) is the currently accepted method of gauging the strength of South Asian TV channels in the international markets.

     

    #4 Subscription revenues. While in India, the revenue split for media houses of ad sales versus subscription revenues is typically 70:30 in favour of ad-sales, the reverse is true for the international markets. While we are still struggling to implement the digitization bill here, almost the entire TV universe in the international markets is digitized. Which makes distribution (and hence subscription) an important part of the equation in the international business.

     

    #5 Moving beyond TV. International markets are more evolved in terms of internet penetration and hence avenues like Roku TV and Google TV have become an increasingly important part of content distribution. Just being present on TV is not enough – being present on any screen that the audience interacts with becomes a must!

     

    Jenish Shah is VP International Sales, Prime Time India

     

  • Wednesday's announcements should silence all those naysayers who believed Apple would lose its edge post-Steve Jobs, writes A N Chorrea

    The Anchor: 6 reasons why Apple is the hottest personal tech company even a year after Steve Jobs

    By A N Chorrea

     

    Yes, if you thought that the iPhone 5 was good, but no great shakes, the announcements on Wednesday (Oct 23) should silence all those naysayers who believe the computing giant will lose its edge post Steve Jobs. Far from it.

     

    1. Apple is more than a company that produces devices, it innovates. Look at the ultra-thin iMac. Amazing to trim the darn desktop so very much. Can you beat it, Dell?

     

    2. The iPhone’s a bestseller. There are many who thought the iPhone 5 was not very dramatic… no game-changing features. They expected a lot, lot more. But it’s a bestseller with record sales of five million units already. Right, Samsung?

     

    3. The iPad is better. Okay, if you are peeved about the new iPad being retired too soon after being launched, the newer one is smarter, and comes at the old price. It’s decidedly more powerful than others. What say, Nexus?

     

    4. Android is a good platform and some of the devices running it are cool, but the security can be a scare as it’s the preferred system for hackers to intrude. Apple machines are a fortress. Any thoughts, Google?

     

    5. Remember this is personal technology and not high-end corporate servers or even stockmarket terminals. Apple products are designed for you to fall in love with them. Okay Samsung’s S3 is sexy too. The Nexus appeared that when it was launched. But an Apple is an Apple is an Apple. Any one with any objections?

     

    6. If you haven’t watched Tim Cook’s keynote, we suggest you go to the Apple site and watch it. Obviously it was rehearsed. But the one thing that came out loud and clear was the Passion. Not some corporate captain making a matter-of-fact speech. Cook could well have been selling you luxury jewels or an exotic holiday. Do you have it in you, competition?

     

    A N Chorrea is a senior mediaperson writing under a pseudonym

  • Too many online shopping sites? On the contrary, says Satish Mani

    The Anchor: 5 reasons India can accommodate more e-commerce sites

    By Satish Mani

     

    #1 Increased Digital Connectivity:

    With the explosive growth in broadband penetration and mobile phone usage across population strata and town classes, the online population in India is expected to double by 2015. This will fuel the demand for products and services available online.

     

    #2 Enhancement of service levels by e-commerce firms:

    E-commerce companies are constantly enhancing their service levels through better delivery, more realistic shopping experience, customer-centric purchase and return policies. This will lead to an increase in customer confidence for shopping online and they will migrate a higher proportion of their discretionary spends online.

     

    #3 Increasing need for convenience:

    Traffic congestion and crowded retail infrastructure in smaller towns and cities increase the demand for home delivery. We will soon see major retailers adopting the e-commerce route to keep up with consumer demand.

     

    #4 Increasing adoption of online shopping by the younger population:

    The younger population, with an early exposure to the internet has been quick to adopt online shopping. This increasing adoption opens more growth opportunity for the e-commerce industry.

     

    #5 High infrastructural costs for brick and mortar outlets:

    As the cost of establishing and maintaining an offline retail presence becomes increasingly expensive, big brands will be prompted to invest in increasing their online presence.

     

    Satish Mani is Chief Technical Officer of Zovi.com