MxMIndia

Tag: Dainik Bhaskar

  • Pradeep Dwivedi has moved from Tata Teleserves to join Dainik Bhaskar Group as chief corporate sales and marketing officer, and will be based in Mumbai

    Pradeep Dwivedi leaves Tata Group for Dainik Bhaskar

    By A Correspondent

     

    Pradeep Dwivedi

    Pradeep Dwivedi has joined DB Corp Ltd. (Dainik Bhaskar Group) as Chief Corporate Sales & Marketing Officer (CCSMO). He will be based out of Mumbai and will report to the Managing Director, Sudhir Agarwal.

     

    Mr Dwivedi comes with a rich 19 years of management experience in B2B and B2C domain across functions and industries. He has wide-based expertise in leading Sales & Marketing, Service Delivery, Risk Operations and Business development. He has earlier worked with Tata Teleservices Ltd., American Express Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, GE Capital and Eicher Motors Ltd. As CCSMO, he will be responsible for overall Sales Revenues and will be leading nationwide Corporate sales for the group publications, Dainik Bhaskar (Hindi), Divya Bhaskar (Gujarati) & Divya Marathi (Marathi). He will also be responsible for trade marketing and establishing brand amongst the corporate market, and will be the Bhaskar representative with press, industry and government forums.

     

    Announcing the appointment, Sudhir Agarwal said, “Pradeep is a very accomplished seniorsales and marketing professional, and with him taking charge the group would benefit from diversity of his experience to take on the emerging challenges and further strengthen the group’s leadership in media sector.”

     

    Prior to joining DB Corp Ltd, Mr Dwivedi was with Tata Teleservices as Regional Chief Operating Officer & Senior Vice President- Enterprise Business.

     

    Speaking at his role and responsibilities at Dainik Bhaskar group, Mr Dwivedi said, “I am excited at the opportunity of joining the leadership team at India’s largest & most innovative newspaper group, working with our esteemed corporate customers and agency partners to firmly establish Dainik Bhaskar Group’s businesses and realize the vision to be the largest and most admired media brand enabling socio-economic change.”

     

    Mr Dwivedi is a MBA from Punjab University, (UBS) Chandigarh, India. He has also done an Executive Programme from the University of Michigan, Stephen M. Ross School of Business, at Tata Management Training Center.

     

  • The coffee table book features the best print campaigns of around 70 brands created by 23 leading creative agencies in India

    Bhaskar announces second edition of Mosaic

    By A Correspondent

     

    Encouraged by the success of Mosaic 2011, Dainik Bhaskar Group is now gearing up for an even bigger second edition of ‘Mosaic – India’s Best in Print’. The coffee table book features the best print campaigns of around 70 brands created by 23 leading creative agencies in India.

     

    Mosaic 2011 not only compiled excellent print creatives but had comments by leading media experts on what made them stand out and which were their five favourite ads from the 123 ads printed. With an added feature of the National Creative Directors commenting on what made them choose the creatives as their best, Mosaic is a collector’s publication.

     

    Commenting on Mosaic 2012, Sudhir Agarwal, MD, D B Corp Ltd. said “As a leading national media organization, we are proud to have co-created the first edition of Mosaic in 2012 as the compilation of Best in Print advertising and marketing in India. It illustrates the way the print medium has been used with a significant impact to deliver on brand promise and is a ready reference for professionals practicing the art for the possibilities in print category. The response has been tremendous and I believe, more than 9,500 copies were downloaded in addition to the 4,500 physical copies of the book circulated within the agencies and marketing organizations. A few copies have, in fact, been forwarded by some of the agencies to their counterparts globally as a reflection of Indian work. The teams at the Dainik Bhaskar Group have been working to further improve on Mosaic in its second edition and we are excited to make it more salient and inclusive.”

     

  • Dainik Bhaskar Group has announced the launch of Junior Editor II, aimed at building readership among the younger population

    Dainik Bhaskar announces ‘Junior Editor’ Season 2

    By A Correspondent

     

    Dainik Bhaskar Group has announced the launch of Junior Editor II, aimed at building readership among the younger population. Junior Editor II – The Next Generation 2050 is implemented under ‘Bhaskar Champs Club’ taking the core brand engagement thought along with innovation to a new high. This follows Junior Editor I, 2011 which was a grand success being recognized by ‘Guinness World Record’, ‘Limca World Record’ and ‘India Book of Record’ for ‘Largest Writing Competition’ ‘Largest Countrywide Newspaper making competition for children’ and ‘Largest number of manually prepared newspaper by kids’ record respectively.

     

    In ‘Junior Editor’, the participants are expected to manually create a 12 page newspaper using the pre-designed blank newspaper provided to them on their registering for the contest. The newspaper template is available in 3 language combination; ‘Hindi & English’, ‘Gujarati & English’ and’ Marathi & English’.

     

    Vinay Maheshwari, Vice-President, Sales and Market Development, Dainik Bhaskar Group said, ‘We wish to sensitize the younger audience and their families on various socio-economic issues and also draw their attention to concerns like, the importance of elders in our families, prevalent malpractices of child labor and value of a vote to build a strong and democratic India,” adding, “JE II will enable students a better understanding of the role and nuances of journalism and news reporting impacting day-to-day life. This has been the core idea for JE II. We are confident that like most of our activities even this will generate huge response and participation.”

     

  • Dainik Bhaskar group is one of the few media houses equipped with machines that allow for multiple innovations

    Dainik Bhaskar unveils 8-page gatefold ‘Gateway to New Bhopal’

    By A Correspondent

     

    On Sunday, October 21, readers of Dainik Bhaskar’s flagship Bhopal edition in Madhya Pradesh were treated to an 8-page gate fold. The innovative gatefold was specially printed on the state-of-art KBA machine.

     

    The front page gave no indication of the 8 page gate fold (Image- Cover page), but when the readers opened it they were treated to the Door visual (image – inside page) which opened from the centre on both sides (image- inside opening) and resulted in a 8 page gatefold with details on all the properties from the participating builders (image- 8 page gate fold). An initiative by the Dainik Bhaskar Bhopal sales team, it brought together 10 Builders of Bhopal which are developing ‘New Bhopal Area’ near International Airport. This opportunity was created with the Builders Exhibition ‘Awas Mela’ happening at Bhopal. Festival season is a very auspicious period for booking residential assets in our markets and hence this Gatefold, primarily a collective advertisement feature by the 10 Builders was highly relevant for the market. This special feature was circulated with the Bhopal City edition of Dainik Bhaskar.

     

    Speaking on this initiative, Alok Purohit, CEO, MPCG & Gujarat, Dainik Bhaskar Group said, “Innovation works best when it is relevant and a pleasant surprise to the readers. For impact this is an intrusive innovation – as the reader must interact with it to get to their favourite newspaper and hence has a huge visibility and impact generator. To have done this in a live edition with the huge print run of Dainik Bhaskar Bhopal is another plus”.

     

    R D Bhatnagar, CTO of Dainik Bhaskar Group said, “Dainik Bhaskar group is one of the few media houses, which have KBA Machines allowing multiple innovative possibilities. The special feature for the Bhopal Unit was printed at the Ahmedabad centre. The group is geared to bring alive such possibilities by utilising its strength in printing technology across centres”. Vinay Maheshwari, Sr. Vice President, SMD added, “This task required a massive effort on logistics and distribution to be able to reach readers on time with a large print run.”

     

    KBA Machines are the state-of-art newspaper printing machinery from Germany. These high speed machines are capable of printing 80,000 copies in an hour allowing paper to go to bed late.

     

  • Dainik Bhaskar Women of the Year Awards 2012 is an initiative to recognise woman power in India. The award in its 3rd year encourages women to build their own identity

    Dainik Bhaskar honours women of the year

    By A Correspondent

     

    Dainik Bhaskar Women of the Year Awards 2012 is an initiative to recognise woman power in India. The award in its 3rd year encourages women to build their own identity.

     

    Dainik Bhaskar Group believes in woman empowerment and improving the status of women in the country. The group has been in the forefront of introducing innovative platforms for its readers to recognize the change makers in society. The award is an appreciation of who have achieved extraordinary success and done commendable work in their respective fields.

     

    The initiative was promoted through Print Campaign and Out of Home media. The nominations were open in 4 categories: Social & Public Service, Arts & Culture, Business & Profession & Asli Amla Star Ki Khoj.

     

    The awards are given at the State level and the function for Gujarat, Jharkhand and Chandigarh (including Punjab and Haryana) has been completed. Eminent personalities like Raj Bala Malik (Chandigarh City Mayor), Dolly Ahluwalia (Fashion Designer & Movie Actress) Mr C.P. Singh (Member of Legislative Assembly from Jharkhand), Meera Munda (Wife of Jharkhand Chief Minister) and Nirav Patel (MD Abaj Electronics) attended the events in the states. The winners received a trophy and certificate.

     

    In the second phase, award for the states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra will be given.

     

    With a special focus on empowering women, be it through such awards or through various other initiatives, the Dainik Bhaskar Group continues to recognise woman power.

     

  • The Dainik Bhaskar Group has put the Maharashtra success case study by IIM Bangalore before the industry to analyse

    Industry to analyse Dainik Bhaskar case study

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Dainik Bhaskar Group has placed IIM Bangalore’s recently completed classroom case study of Dainik Bhaskar group’s Maharashtra success, titled ‘Aspiring Growth’, for the industry to analyse.

     

    The case showcases the fast-paced expansion of the group into 13 markets and the successful launch of Divya Marathi in Aurangabad, Maharashtra with a roaring success with five editions within such a short span of time. The case leaves the reader with a pertinent question in the current scenario ‘Which market/ territory / language should Dainik Bhaskar Group enter next?”

     

    The contest will follow a two-stage process. In stage 1; teams registering at Dainikbhaskargroup.com will send in their summary of recommendation and approach. In Stage 2; 5 to 7 shortlisted teams will then finally make presentation to a jury of Bhaskar team, senior fraternity members and IIM Bangalore professor Ms Seema Gupta who has developed the case. The winner team stands to get Rs 1,00,000 as prize money.

     

    Elaborating on this further, Sanjeev Kotnala, Vice President, Dainik Bhaskar Group said, “Before the case was finalised, we had two classroom sessions at IIM Bangalore and the Brand team raised a simple question – what if the case was to be solved by the media-advertising-marketing fraternity. This was the birth of this unique innovative contest. We debated this with Prof Seema Gupta, who has been encouraging and excited by the innovative contest. She agreed that this will make the case that much stronger for future classroom discussions. We as a team are gearing to hear some totally differentiated point of view and approaches- as the professionals working within the industry definitely have an advantage.”

     

    The contest is open to professionals in media, advertising, communication and marketing and students of premier management institutes, he added Those wishing to register and download the case can do so at www.dainikbhaskargroup.com.

     

  • The successful launch of Divya Marathi, the Dainik Bhaskar group's Marathi newspaper, has attracted IIM Bangalore to study and create a classroom case on group's success through the years

    Divya Marathi now a case study at IIM Bangalore

    By A Correspondent

     

    The fast paced growth and unique new market launch strategy of Dainik Bhaskar Group, an Orbit-shifting innovative process featured as a case in IIM Ahmedabad, and the successful launch of Divya Marathi, the group’s Marathi newspaper, this time has attracted IIM Bangalore to study and create a classroom case on group’s success through the years.

     

    Seema Gupta

    Prof. Seema Gupta of IIM Bangalore did a detailed analysis of Dainik Bhaskar group processes in her attempt to understand what makes this group succeed. She met with the senior management across verticals; Editorial, Production, circulation and marketing to deep dive into their independent and cross-functional working. Result; ‘Dainik Bhaskar group: Aspiring Growth’ a case study by IIM Bangalore.

     

    The case delves into the history of the group, the aggressive launch strategy, accelerated business growth and robust marketing plan. It strongly points out that launching of a newspaper and venturing into a monopolistic market space is definitely a decision that is governed by the faith in the brand. Considering the nature of the category, where reading habits are relatively strong and the market leaders create high entry barriers including the competition-intensive cut-throat ground zero strategies, it makes for an interesting study in management strategies, processes and execution. Success in such situations cannot just be attributed to the business acumen, understanding of market dynamics and identification of the need-gap within the market. There are other elements like agility, empowerment, passion and high ambition across the employee set that is a real differentiator and helps convert strategies into reality.

     

    Elaborating on selecting Dainik Bhaskar Group for the case, Prof. Seema Gupta said, ‘Dainik Bhaskar with its ambitious growth plans exemplifies gutsy business strategy and marketing. It changed the contours of the marketplace by entering into markets with strong and entrenched incumbents. This task was even more arduous considering the nature of the category as it is difficult to change the habit of readers. Newspapers touch the life of every consumer and hence the case would drive strong emotional connect and animated discussion in the classroom. The focus of the company on tier II towns makes it an apt material for case study as small towns would be the drivers of future growth of Indian economy.’

     

    The case in detail traces the sustained leadership strategy adapted by Dainik Bhaskar Group over the years. It places importance on the way the group evaluates and  identifies the gap between supply and demand. And the process of creation of a product that truly answers the overt and latent needs in the ever evolving market. It identifies that the core business philosophy of the group remains a singular focus on close in-depth understanding of the consumers’ pulse and being consumer-centric in its product creation.

     

    Girish Agarwaal

    Speaking about this development, Girish Agarwaal, Director, Dainik Bhaskar Group said, “It is always a moment of pride when an institute of repute like ‘Indian institute of Management Bangalore’ seeks to study the organisation and creates a case study. We do believe that in the process of the case creation and discussion, the group also benefits in getting some raw, unbiased and unfiltered views. We attended the first classroom sessions held on July 20 at IIM-B, where second year students discussed the case. It has been a healthy experience and we respect the level of analysis that the students presented in their understanding of the challenges faced by the group.”

     

  • Dainik Bhaskar celebrated two years in Jharkhand, which it had entered with the launch of the Ranchi edition in August 2010, followed by the Jamshedpur and Dhanbad editions in December 2010 and April 2011 respectively

    Bhaskar celebrates 2nd anniv in Jharkhand

    By A Correspondent

     

    Dainik Bhaskar celebrated two years in Jharkhand, which it had entered with the launch of the Ranchi edition in August 2010, followed by the Jamshedpur and Dhanbad editions in December 2010 and April 2011 respectively.

     

    Dainik Bhaskar offers its readers a tailor-made newspaper as per their needs and expectations. It is a voice of the area with a deep sense of reader connect and quality, unbiased news reporting – and that has lead to its tremendous success across editions.

     

    As part of the celebration, a special 16-page issue was released along with the main newspaper. Dainik Bhaskar in Jharkhand has been a voice raising citizens’ concerns on infrastructural development and progress. Last year on the first anniversary the special issue had spoken about the thought of “Badlav Miljulkar”- collective change. This year the special issue highlighted the socio-economic changes witnessed by the state in the last few years, taking it that much closer to achieving dream state status.

     

  • While spends may be shifting to digital globally, in India, television and print still rule. Sigh.

    MxM Mondays: Why do marketers not spend enough on digital media?

     

    By Ananya Saha and Robin Thomas

     

    According to the latest IAMAI-IMRB report on Digital Advertising, as of March 2012, the total advertising spends, including classifieds, was valued at Rs2,850 crore. It is expected that by FY2013 the digital advertisement spends will be Rs4,391 crore.

     

    Search advertising constitutes about 20 per cent of the total online advertising spend or about Rs570 crore. Display advertisement, which has many components, forms a sizeable portion of advertising spends. Advertisements on portals and vortals form 13 per cent of the overall pie (Rs369 Crores). Advertisements on Social Media, Email and Videos over the Internet form 3 per cent (Rs94 Crores), 5 per cent (Rs144 Crores) and 2 per cent (Rs59 Crores) respectively. Mobile ads form nearly 4 per cent (Rs90 Crores). A major proportion – around 53 per cent of the overall digital advertising spends – are classifieds listings (Rs1,496 Crores).

     

    These numbers seem impressive, but there has been some concern that marketers are not spending enough on Digital Media. The theme for this week’s MxM Mondays is ‘Why do marketers still not spend enough on digital?’ While marketing spends may be shifting to the digital media globally, in India, television and print still rule. Is it because digital still doesn’t reach the masses, and homemakers, in particular? Or is that the bucks (hence commissions) are still big in TVCs? MxM spoke to some players in the industry to find out:

     

    Ambika Sharma

    Ambika Sharma, MD and CEO, Pulp Strategy

    The shift to digital media is not happening as fast as the industry would like it to be. However, we are witnessing an increase in aptitude and attitude with regards to usage of digital media. Marketers are not using the media aggressively as they prefer to wait-and-watch. Even then, they are aggressive on ‘search marketing’, but not other aspects of digital media.

     

    There is hardly any youth brand which is currently not on digital platform. Education is one prominent category that has been using digital media. The cents for digital, however, remain restricted. But as the impact of digital media grows, the impact of mobile advertising has seen a decrease as most people now do not prefer to click on banner ads on mobile screens. Some studies show that in the past one-and-a-half-year, the user has been ignoring banner ads.

     

    The digital spends depend on ROI, search and impressions, which needs robust backend engine. E-commerce websites have been the heavy users of digital advertising to create impressions. But there is little or no response mechanism on impressions and the visibility is highly fragmented. The numbers, like there is TAM for television, are not available for digital media. If a marketer advertisers on three digital platforms, every platform gives their own numbers. So, there is no comprehensive measurable strategy.

     

    Going forward, digital media will grow, but it will be a long while before it catches up with other media vehicles. Lotof factors such as measurability, reach, people not preferring to buy online are affecting the growth.

     

    Gyan Gupta

    Gyan Gupta, CEO, I Media Corp Limited (IMCL), Dainik Bhaskar

    In the US, the online spend is 29 per cent of the total advertising pie; in UK, it is 26 per cent. Now if you see the figures in India, it is not even 5 per cent. The trend shows that there will be 50 per cent increase.

     

    But I will not say that marketers in India are spending enough yet. The typical spender (who spends on television) is yet not on-board. Till the main spenders come on-board, the growth will be limited. FMCG’s have a deep share of the pocket, and it is necessary that they spend on digital media. Auto companies, e-commerce companies, financial companies have been heavy spenders on this medium.

     

    What are the marketers spending on, and how they spend also becomes important. What needs to be analysed is if the cost of acquisition is happening, if the leads are getting generated, how much a brand is spending on digital activation vis-a-vis on brand promotion. Trending is happening. This year will actually showcase the brands spending on digital media.

     

    Harneet Singh Rajpal

    Harneet Singh Rajpal, Vice President-Marketing, Domino’s Pizza India

    The use of digital media is picking up in India. For any marketer present in India, the digital media is beginning to become a part of their media plan. It is on radar for everyone, especially in the categories where youth is the target.

     

    For Domino’s, digital media has been important ever since we began our online ordering platform. Currently, it helps us drive traction. Hence, our media spends for digital medium have increased over the last two years. For us the return-on-investment is visible for every buck we spend on this media, since it results from direct conversion from inventory to revenue generation.

     

    We now spend close to 4-5 per cent of our total advertising budget on digital marketing, from almost nothing in the last two years. We work with leading publishers in the domain to create applications for Google search, Facebook and social media. I must say that on Facebook, we have the largest number of fans in the food category, and also followers on Twitter.

     

    Social Media management needs time and investment. It is important that the brand keeps the target in mind when planning the digital activations. Going forward, marketers will have to evaluate the prospects digital media brings. Of course, that depends on category to category. Digital media is still limited because of its reach, whereas traditional media garners higher reach. Also, the confidence about using the media is not too high among the marketers since there are no hard numbers to prove its success. The penetration of internet and the efficacy of the media will be tested over time.

     

    Jonathan Bill, Senior Vice President and Business Development, Vodafone India

    Digital Advertising is a growing medium in India. It will be everything we are hoping it to be and that too quicker than we think, so I think the business is starting to get in a healthy shape. The advertisers are starting to embrace digital more openly and they should do so, because India has the third largest internet population on the planet.

     

    On TV and Print bagging bigger ad share, I think that is a legacy issue among advertisers, but I do get a sense that it is fast changing. In the West, however, TV and Print advertising have declined in favour of online advertising. Print, therefore, has very less revenue share from advertisers as compared to online advertising and now online is beginning to even threaten television as a medium.

     

    I think we just need to continue on the path we are going. The quality of sales and, to a certain extent, the market needs to be made. The West took nearly two or three years to be made as far as the start of digital advertising market is concerned and in India we are only about a year ready. So, I am very bullish on digital advertising in India, particularly on mobile on three to five years timeline.

     

    Narayanan SP

    Narayanan SP, Senior Vice President, and Head VAS Mobile Commerce and Long Distance, Idea Cellular

    Compared to the global benchmark, certainly advertisers in India are not spending as much money on digital or mobile, but this is something which will change over a period of time. Marketers are experimenting to see if it makes sense for them to connect digitally for certain set of products/features and whether digital is the right medium to communicate or engage their brands. Thus, lot of experiments are happening.

     

    On the internet front, we are already seeing a significant traction which may not be as big as the international market because of the low internet penetration in India. So if you are looking at a certain type of product wherein the target audience are already digitally connected, then it makes immense sense to go digital. Digital, I believe, will evolve as more and more customer profiling is done and advertisers are able to target their customers precisely. When advertisers are able to measure the ROI (Return on Investment), then we definitely believe that a lot more investment will come into digital.

     

    The fact that TV and Print still bag more advertising share will definitely change over a period of time in terms of mobile being one of the vibrant channels. This does not mean print and television advertising disappear but, you will see an increase in spends on digital advertising and mobile advertising in particular over a period of time. This is because mobile is able to give the advertiser not only a more precise profile of the customer which makes it a lot easier for the advertiser to reach out to its consumers effectively, but it also allows the advertiser to interact with customers and measure the results of their campaigns effectively.

     

    Mobile industry, for instance, has a wealth of data in terms of customer usage, but there has not been much mining of the data which can be heavily leveraged by the advertisers. However over a period of time, you will see a lot more advertisers leveraging this data.

     

    Rakesh Rao

    Rakesh Rao, National Sales Head, Zapak Digital Entertainment

    The digital media has been growing exponentially. The year-on-year growth of this media vehicle is close to Rs2,800 crore, and is supposed to reach close to Rs4,000 crore in a year. So to say that it is not a preferred media would not be the right statement. Of course, it is not a dramatic growth, but given the growth of internet and smart phones, digital media is becoming a part of our daily life. The marketers are also following the trend.

     

    The ROI, when compared to TV and radio, is much more measurable. Cost per lead and cost per click measure actual conversions. This is the only interactive platform too, while rest of the media only give reach.

     

    Education, travel, finance are becoming the biggest spenders on digital because of conversion aspect. E-commerce, and categories like travel that look at selling inventory believe in digital media.

     

    The challenges that this media is encountering is getting TV-centric brands such as FMCG onboard because of reach. It is a given that while TV is cost-effective when it comes to reach, digital media will catch up in some years. About 60 per cent of these brands are on digital, but 40 per cent need coaxing. There is no hindrance apart from the fact that broadband numbers need to grow. Digital media is here to stay and grow.

     

    Sandip Tarkas

    Sandip Tarkas, President (Customer Strategy) and CEO, Future Media and T24

    As far as Future Media is concerned, our advertising spends on digital have been increasing year-on-year. Despite a lot of digital activities done by marketers specifically on social media, it does not reflect in spends. The problem with digital is not a lack of a credible or universal measurement system, but the fact that it is too measurable as people try to measure every little thing. Although there are so many metrics which evaluate the digital medium, I don’t think it is a lack of measurability at all, as in digital we are clearly able to measure our CPM’s (Cost per Thousands) and so on. Digital is something we use for more engagement rather than reach because it does not offer reach.

     

    We look at advertising based on two things – reach and cost efficiency. And then you look at everything else – whether the medium is interactive and so on. So, it is primarily about reach and cost efficiency. Digital media spend in India is a reflective of India’s internet penetration, whereas in a lot of markets digital penetration is very high. In those markets both print and television advertising have declined and digital advertising has been growing.

     

    In India too, digital is growing much faster than the traditional media, and the growth of the media certainly shows the growing importance of digital. The current size of the digital advertising pie is reflective of the kind of inroads it has made in the country.

     

    On digital being a 360-degree medium in itself and the role of online video and social media advertising, the biggest gain happening in digital at present is the fact that it is changing quite rapidly. Since the late 90s when we first started using digital advertising until now, the role of the medium has changed quite drastically.

     

    Digital today not only offers more opportunities for engaging the consumers, but the vehicles used in digital have also been changing with time. For instance, in the early days television ads would continue for quite a lot of time, but today with more options, even the television channels have begun to announce that the programme will be back in say a minute or two. So as consumers have more choices, the way the medium gets utilized also changes. Digital, I believe, be it in any form – video, social, mobile – if it is not going to be interactive, it will not be very successful.

     

    For anybody targeting the youth, digital is an inescapable medium. I believe the biggest change in digital advertising will take place through mobile, particularly mobile VAS and the data cost. Growth spurt in digital advertising will also come through the increase in smart phone usage and the lowering of data cost will revolutionize digital advertising.

     

    This is because India has a very high tele-density and today mobile phones have reached the lower-most strata. I believe digital advertising in India will explode once mobile advertising comes of age but, right now it is still in its infancy.

     

    Eventually digital advertising will impact television and print ads as marketers will have to allocate their budgets for digital advertising, once it comes of age. It may probably hit print advertising first and then television but for that to happen there is still some time.

     

    Sanjay Tripathi

    Sanjay Tripathy, Executive Vice President – Head Marketing and Direct Channels at HDFC Life

    There is still limited spend on digital due to lack of knowledge about the medium and utilizing it effectively as a part of marketing plan; reach/penetration of the medium; and its ability to create impact in the short term. Digital still reaches about 10 per cent of the Indian population and there hasn’t been much of a development in building infrastructure to support the growth of internet. TV continues to be the mass medium which gets the maximum eyeballs and reach.

     

    While the ROI variables will drive spends to digital, marketing needs a serious mind shift to look at the additional advantages which digital brings along –  a medium which allows two-way dialogue  and measurability to the last mile.

     

    Thirty per cent of our budgets are dedicated to digital this year – a big move from the fact that we spent a negligible amount last year. As BFSI marketing and advertising becomes more ROI focused, digital media will play an important role. Digital budgets will have a healthy growth each year and will also account for a significant part of the marketing budget.

     

    While marketing spends may be shifting to the digital media globally, in India, television and print still rule. This is because reach plays an important role. Penetration of Internet in India is still low compared to international markets. The consumption of non-traditional online media is still low and 360 degree integrated communication planning in India has not evolved to have online as an integral part of marketing plans. Also, online medium do not works in sync with other media.

     

    While there has been a tremendous amount of growth in the usage of internet among SEC A, SEC B audience, internet is yet to gain as big an audience in tier 2 or tier 3 cities. TV continues to be the mass medium due to lack of digital infrastructure. It is the reach and channel affinity which mainly drives the spending and this is where a traditional channel like TV gets one up over digital. There is also a problem of lack of content on digital. Either the content has not been customized to cater to the audience or often the language becomes a hindrance in consuming the content.

     

    But digital media will make a huge impact. Level of engagement, interactivity and ROI afforded by the medium means it has big role to play. For brands which don’t engage their users online will tend to lose their relevance. As reach increases, the importance and level of competition will also increase –  YouTube already affords a higher reach compared to most of the TV channels and is increasingly becoming an important part of the traditional media mix.

     

    Digital offers tremendous potential for business – whether it’s about spreading awareness or generating business even in the face of a slowdown. In fact, as people tighten up their purse strings, they will want to do more research before they arrive at a purchase making decision and internet remains the primary medium of product research.

     

    I see the spends going up because the whole media pie has been asymmetric- if you look at the reach-frequency formula and compare it to TV, print, radio and then digital. There are more people spending time on digital in comparison to other traditional media touchpoints. I see the digital percentage increasing in the overall pie.

     

    Youtube and pre-roll videos have become a mainstay when it comes to hosting TVCs on digital and these unique ad formats are as effective in reaching out to audience as a TVC. For print QR codes help bridge the gap between offline and online world.

     

    Saugata Bagchi

    Saugata Bagchi, Senior VP, Tribal DDB India

    The primary challenge is the need of cracking an ROI metric, which is acceptable by advertisers across the board.  The media spends are happening, but is it delivering enough clickthrough rate goes unanswered. Digital media cannot ensure high reach like television, but with 12 per cent penetration among various categories it can definitely give high frequency. Currently, only 25-30 per cent of population is online; hence, the spending on this medium will remain lower than other mediums.

     

    The point of advantage is that there is a big influx of youth, and they are ready to spend. While the marketers would want to catch the youth online, they (marketers) get no justification in form of numbers to spend much on media. Hence, they prefer doing mall activation to spending on digital platform. The agency and publishing community need to be more forthcoming to speak to the marketers, and in their language.

     

    Digital media is currently registering 15-18 per cent year-on-year growth, but it is important to note the gap between digital and television media.

     

    Since the offices of MxMIndia are closed on Monday, August 20, there will be no MxM Mondays next week. We will announce the theme for the next edition on Tuesday, August 21.

     

     

  • Dainik Bhaskar Haryana celebrated its 12th Anniversary by making the news more reader-centric – reflecting the preferences of the new age readers

    Dainik Bhaskar Haryana gives ‘Pehle Se Bhi Zada’

    By A Correspondent

     

    Dainik Bhaskar Haryana celebrated its 12th Anniversary by making the news more reader-centric – reflecting the preferences of the new age readers.  The refreshing changes are encapsulated by ‘Pehle Se Bhi Zada’ which makes for enhanced reader delight.

     

    Based entirely on the pattern of news consumption by its base of 12.68 lakh readers in Haryana, Dainik Bhaskar has realigned its 12 page main issue to provide insightful focus on government and political issues. It has also added a weekly page talking about latest developments in agriculture practices along with opinion and interviews of experts for the agrarian state. The paper has gone even more hyper local in its approach providing depth of information and opportunities within the state with local news finding prominence in the special supplements on Hissar, Rohtak, Ambala and Sonipat.

     

    Along with the focussed localisation, investigative journalism finds its place with an aim to help empower the readers with information that is relevant. Speaking about ‘Pehle Se Bhi Jyada’, Ashu Pharkey, COO (CPH) Dainik Bhaskar Group said: “Over the last decade, the confidence of our readers is high as we remain relevant,  innovative and have continuously evolved with the changing reader ecosystem.”

     

    Commenting on the ‘refreshing’ strategy, Sanjeev Kotnala, VP Dainik Bhaskar Group said: “At Dainik Bhaskar Group, we always look at some way to contribute toward socio-economic development of our markets. There is a constant formalised research and informal feedback mechanism that allow us to track the changing needs of our readers and hence evolving with them.”

     

  • But there is a cautious optimism among industry players as far as ad spends in the medium is concerned

    Industry welcomes DAVP plans to embrace digital with cautious optimism

    By A Correspondent

     

    Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity (DAVP), the multi-media advertising agency of the Government of India, in its Annual Report 2011-2012 stated that out of the total value of advertisements released by DAVP, 15 per cent goes to small newspapers, 35 per cent to medium newspapers and 50 per cent goes to big category of newspapers. DAVP also has an audio visual wing which undertakes various advertising or publicity campaigns through various other multimedia vehicles like the television, radio, out of home and now even the internet and mobile.

     

    In what could be a shot in the arm for the digital industry, DAVP has been conducting pilot projects on websites and through SMSes. According to DAVP’s Annual Report 2011- 2012, 33 of India’s top websites were empanelled for releasing advertisements. In addition to this, more than 110 advertisements via SMSes were also sent.

     

    Rajan Anandan

    According to Mr Rajan Anandan, VP and Managing Director, Google India: “This is a welcome development for the entire digital advertising industry. With over 120 million Internet users in the country, digital is already the third largest advertising medium in terms of revenue in the country. It’s too early to talk about the impact, but it’s definitely a step in the right direction as the overall marketing/advertising approach is making a shift to being more accountable and measurable.”

     

    In fact on July 26, The Sectoral Innovation Council by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting submitted a list of recommendations to the Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Ms Ambika Soni. One of these recommendations stated: ‘New Media should be utilised for media campaigns by the government’. In addition to this, it also recommended that ‘E-mode transactions should be a priority for the functions of DAVP, RNI, CBFC and licensing activities of the Government for ensuring transparency’.

     

    Arpan Chatterjee

    Mr Arpan Chatterjee, online media professional and consultant with webdunia.com noted: “This is a logical extension by DAVP to focus on digital media, which is generating a critical mass in the country. It is to be noted that DAVP started digitization of its own system of issuing release order and payments to media companies over a year back and the fact that it is now looking at digital media more seriously was only a matter of time. DAVP’s move to enter the digital media will only add to the importance of the digital medium, but how it uses the medium is something one has to wait and watch. DAVP ads can also help create certain guidelines for internet advertising in India, which currently is self-regulated.”

     

    Even before these recommendations were made by the Sectoral Council, the IAMAI (Internet & Mobile Association of India) is said to have lobbied hard to bring a shift in the government’s approach towards digital media. The IAMAI is also said to have played a key role in getting the mobile SMS aggregators empanelled.

     

    Dr Subho Ray

    Dr Subho Ray, President – Internet & Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) explained: “Today with 100 million internet users and growing every day, digital is the most cost effective way to reach out to youth and, through them, their parents. The engagement with internet and mobile of the youth is very deep and the relevance of the message too gets transmitted on this medium. Young urban voters aged between 18 and 35 are a major constituency today for all political parties. And the internet, whether through mobile or PC, has surfaced as the best medium to reach this group.”

     

    DAVP recently revamped its website with an aim to make it user-friendly, it has also adopted digitization by issuing release orders and payments to media companies online. In fact the Ministry of Tourism is said to have been one of the early adapters and a large advertiser online. While these developments also show the government’s willingness to use digital, nevertheless what remains to be seen is how effectively the medium is used by the government in the long run.

     

    Mr Gyan Gupta, CEO, Dainik Bhaskar Digital Division pointed out that although these are good recommendations and a welcome step, it all depends on how much DAVP is willing to spend on digital. Just like any other medium, digital too needs a sizable ad spend: “DAVP has started this process last year and the trial is still on. Although this is a fantastic move, the question really boils down to how much is the government willing to spend on digital? What will be the ad spend from DAVP on digital? Digital today has become the third largest medium with increasing reach – it has become a medium which cannot be ignored. But, if the government is not willing to spend a sizeable amount or if each publisher does not get a decent money or ad revenue then it is not worth it, it will be irrelevant.”

     

    Mr Gupta too had a set of recommendations for the DAVP, which is said to have had a consensus among the other local language publishers: “First, they have to look at the categorization of the website very clearly and second, DAVP must also ensure that enough volume of advertisement is pumped into digital.”

     

    Now that more and more people are gaining access to the internet and spending more time online, not just in urban but also in rural India, perhaps the government has realized that it is a medium it can no longer ignore. With the 2014 general elections fast approaching, the government is expected to increase its advertising spends in order to showcase its achievements and with the Council’s recommendations to use digital, the government could well use digital extensively to reach out to the youth.

     

    Mr Upen Rai, Director, Times Internet Ltd, observed: “By bringing digital publishers into the DAVP fold, the signals are very clear from I&B ministry that it is digital all the way. With e-filing of taxes and other e-govt frays including Passport Kendras, it was a matter of time! Next stop would ideally be its relevance to general elections, yes this time around social, and digital will play a large part… Watch out for this space…”

     

    The 2009 Lok Sabha elections or general elections saw political parties advertising online and the next general elections could well see political parties further increasing their spends online.

     

    BG Mahesh

    Mr BG Mahesh, Founder and MD, Oneindia.in said: “Considering the contribution of Government ads in Print and TV channels, if the similar importance is given to the digital medium, it will be a very good sign for the Digital industry. It will not only fuel the higher growth rate for the digital industry, but will also provide the government a better connect with youth of country who spend a lot of time on Internet. Furthermore, if DAVP also extend the digital spends to mobile internet, the reach would be much broader as today phones with internet connections, or smart phone, start from as low as Rs5,000 and their dependence on electricity is very less as compare to desktop/laptops.”

     

    So, how would the youth of today react to government advertisements? Will it have any positive impact on them? Ms Chhaya Balachandran Aiyer, CEO and MD, BCWebWise said: “Awareness will increase, and we can pave the way for a betterIndia. We will see more open forums, debates and discussions. There are perils of uncensored content, at the same time, and this is something India needs today.”

     

    Chhaya Balachandran Aiyer

    So, while the industry has welcomed the Sectoral Innovation Council’s recommendation that the Government must utilise the new age media for its media campaigns, there is a cautious optimism among industry players as far as ad spends in the medium is concerned.

     

    Mr Anurag Gupta, MD, DGM India stated: “Government spending should be seen in the same light as spending by any brand. A marketer spends his monies where the users are, and if users are online then the best way to reach them is by advertising online! Any online media consumer whether it is youth or the older people will react to online advertising by the Government in pretty much the same manner as they would seeing the same ad in print or on TV.”

     

    Anurag Gupta

    Nonetheless if the government approves of these recommendations and does increase its digital ad spends, it would be a major boost for the entire digital industry particularly for increasing the digital advertising revenue. Currently, DAVP ad spends seem majorly skewed towards print and, to an extent, even television. However as the government increasingly uses the new age medium, what kind of implications digital advertising may have on DAVP ad spends only remains to be seen.

     

  • He will be responsible for sales revenue across all products in Dainik Bhaskar Group's portfolio

    Sanjay Sharma joins Bhaskar for sales

    By A Correspondent

     

    Sanjay Kumar Sharma has joined Dainik Bhaskar group as Regional Head (West). He will be responsible for sales revenue across all products in Dainik Bhaskar Group’s portfolio.

     

    Mr Sharma has a rich experience of 22 years in Sales, Marketing, Customer Service and Business Development. He has an extensive experience in spearheading businesses across Telecom and Consumer Durable companies.

     

    Mr Sharma is an MBA (Marketing) from Pune University and have worked in companies like Unitech Wireless (Uninor), Bharti Airtel, Reliance Communications Ltd., ZIP Telecom, Samsung India Ltd. and Philips India Ltd. His last assignment before joining Dainik Bhaskar group was with Unitech Wireless.

     

    At a personal level, Mr Sharma likes to read, is an ardent fan of cricket and likes to travel and explore new locations.

     

    On his appointment Mr Sharma said: “Media is a new challenge for me and I am happy to be part of Dainik Bhaskar, the leaders in Print Media business.”