MxMIndia

Tag: GroupM India

  •  India devotes an average of 19.1 hours per week to listen to music, the report says

    Digital audio consumption far outpaces adspend finds Xaxis report

    By A Correspondent

     

    GroupM India’s programmatic advertising arm Xaxis’s new Audio Playbook finds that India devotes an average of 19.1 hours per week to listen to music, more than seven per cent higher than the global average. Despite the high adoption rate , only 71% of advertisers commit less than ten per cent of their total ad investment to digital audio channels

     

    To understand the drivers, challenges and adoption of programmatic audio, Xaxis surveyed 107 agency and advertiser participants, and 25 publishers and media owners.

     

    For agencies and advertisers, mobile devices are believed to have the highest audience reach. According to publishers, the four most important metrics for clients running programmatic audio advertising are – Brand awareness (71%), Advertising recall (71%), Reach and frequency (54%) and the listen through rate (54%).

     

    The future of digital audio industry looks optimistic where the number of smartphone users in the country is estimated to reach 829 million of the total population of 1.4 billion by 2022, as a vast majority of advertisers believe that mobile devices (94%) are the most effective means to reach audiences. While the Indian music industry is also expected to grow at CAGR of 15.8% between FY19 and FY24; audio streaming is expected to be the key catalyst for this growth.

     

    Bharat Khatri

    Said Bharat Khatri, Country Head, Xaxis India: “Programmatic advertising for audio in this country is at a very nascent stage but the future of the digital audio advertising industry looks bright in India. Soon digital will surpass broadcast as an audio consumption channel. Today over 200 million users use music streaming services. Yet, we have realized that audio is an undervalued and underutilized area by the advertising industry. As internet access via mobile grows, we believe that audio advertising can provide an edge to the advertiser and brands.”

     

    Rita Sahajpaul

    Added Rita Sahajpaul, National Head of Product and Marketing Science, Xaxis India: “India is only at the start of its journey in digital audio advertising, but new data suggests that this category is about to take off in this nation in a big way. Explosive smartphone adoption has led to a 17x increase in content consumption. A staggering 97% of people listened to music through their device in the past three months, and they devote an average of 19.1 hours per week to the activity. The growing demand for more content is increasing the popularity of podcasts, music streaming services and online radio, especially among the 18-34 age group. Audio streaming is gaining popularity with the influx of domestic and international platforms, along with the power of data and AI, opportunities for advertisers looks bright with programmatic digital audio advertising.”

     

     

  • On-ground sponsorship grew by 25 per cent for the first time, crossing INR 2000 crore mark

    Indian sports sponsorship crosses Rs 9000 crore benchmark, notes GroupM’s ESP Properties

    By A Correspondent

     

    ESP Properties, the entertainment and sports division of GroupM India, released the 2020 report on sports sponsorship in India. Overall growth in sports sponsorship at a healthy 17 per cent where the sports sponsorship Industry crossed the INR 9000 crore mark in 2019.

     

    The 2019 was the year for cricket and dominated the sports advertising sector unanimously. IPL and ICC World Cup gave a push in both, on-ground sponsorship and media spends. On-ground sponsorship grew by 25 per cent, for the first time, crossing INR 2000 crore mark. Overall industry upsurge was INR 1347 crore of which INR 800 crore was contributed by media spends alone growing at 18 per cent.

     

    Said Vinit Karnik – Business Head, ESP Properties: “Indian sports industry is on an upward trajectory breaking new grounds year-on-year. While cricket proved its dominance in 2019, overall the last 5 years the industry has doubled its size. If we look further, we can see a strong CAGR of 12.8 per cent in the business of sports over the last 10 years, making it one of the strong pillars of the Indian economy. With the sports industry growing at 17 per cent in 2019, the momentum on sports with added thrust from the government provides a holistic opportunity for the sector. Initiatives like Khelo India and Fit India movement are drivers towards making India a truly sporting nation.”

     

    Added Prasanth Kumar, CEO of GroupM South Asia: “Over the last decade, we have witnessed the growth of sports leagues and their gaining popularity across the country. The sports industry has been growing and has witnessed a significant upward shift in the overall ad spends. The passion and excitement that’s involved in this platform have only strengthened. We see more and diverse audience indulging with this platform. Many innovations and leverage of assets in this space are powerful opportunities. As we are unfolding another decade, we see this space to be providing powerful thrust for greater brand stories.”

     

    The non-cricketing space was dominated by women athletes. Badminton queen P V Sindhu was the leading non-cricketing athlete in 2019 in terms of brand endorsements. While Sindhu added four brands to her portfolio, the most notable one among them was her tie-up with VISA that made her the first Indian athlete to endorse the financial services brand.

     

     

  • As per the This Year, Next Year report, digital will secures #2 position in adspends in 2020

    10.7%: GroupM forecast for AdEx 2020

     

    By A Correpondent

     

    GroupM formally announced its advertising expenditure (AdEx) forecast for 2020.  As per the GroupM futures report ‘This Year, Next Year’ (TYNY) 2020, India will continue to top the list as the fastest-growing major ad market in the world. TYNY forecasts India’s advertising investment to reach an estimated Rs. 91,641 crores this year. This represents an estimated growth of 10.7%, for the calendar year 2020.

     

    India will continue to be the third-highest contributor to the incremental ad spends, only behind UK and USA while China drops to the fourth spot and the eight fastest-growing country with respect to ad spends across the globe.

     

    Commenting on the TYNY 2020 report, Prasanth Kumar, CEO – GroupM South Asia said: “We expect the global AdEx to grow by 5.1%. The Indian media landscape is constantly evolving, will continue to witness the fastest growth of 10.7% to reach Rs 91,641 crores. While we expect sustained and stable investment across media in India, Digital to garner 65% of incremental ad spends in 2020. In 2020, India faces challenges and uncertainties across sectors just like other markets. However, this also brings opportunities for brands to innovate because of which we see an evolving media stack. This will be propelled by greater use of technology and better content across media.”

     

    Digital secures #2 position as the most used media vehicle and is estimated to reach 30% of adspend in 2020 with growth coming from 3Vs (video, voice, vernacular-Indic) and advertising on e-commerce. The growth of digital is set to soar high because of changing consumer habits.

     

    Added Tushar Vyas, President Growth and Transformation – GroupM South Asia: “There are multiple advancements happening in technology which is transforming digital advertising and other mediums. India being a diverse country, digital will keep growing, especially with the rise of content platforms and its availability in multiple languages powered by the growth of 3Vs. From a predominantly ‘at home’, ‘urban’, ‘English print’ & ‘TV’ consuming market, the Indian media consumer evolved to include ‘on the move’, ‘rural’ & ‘regional’ counterparts, experimented with digital media in the early 2010s’, adopted social media in middle of the decade and started consuming digital videos voraciously after 2016.”

     

    Even with an overall slowdown in the global economy Indian media spends are expected to be between low to moderate in H1, with robust growth anticipated in H2 2020.

     

    Said Sidharth Parashar, President – Investments and Pricing of GroupM India: “The format of print storytelling is changing but the content is still the strongest. With print media organizations undergoing transformation across India. Publication houses have invested heavily in promoting digital subscriptions and have started limiting access to digital versions of epapers. We believe that this would pave the way for newer business models. Print will continue to remain relevant to advertisers wanting to build credible brands. Television will continue to grow at a steady pace. This year, the growth rate for TV is estimated to be 7% and Radio is expected to grow at 6%. While cinema and OOH will grow at 15% and 6% respectively in 2020.”

     

    OTT has seen a faster evolution in India, which is now complementing television. OTT hybrid models looking at both advertising and subscription will continue to be an effective model.

     

    Speaking on the trends for the year, Ashwin Padmanabhan, President – Partnerships and Trading of GroupM India said: “While there are challenges and uncertainties in the market, it is a world of abundant opportunities in the content eco-system. This gives us vibrant options to reach and engage with consumers. It necessitates us to be agile, invest in new-age talent and technology while keeping an eye on the future. The key is to be always prepared while we are shaping the media landscape.”

     

     

  • Both Parashar and Padmanabhan will join the GroupM Executive Committee

    GroupM India elevates Sidharth Parashar & Ashwin Padmanabhan

    By A Correspondetn

     

    Sidharth Parashar
    Ashwin Padmanabhan

    GroupM India, the media investment group of WPP, has announced the appointment of Sidharth Parashar as President – Investments and Pricing, GroupM India and Ashwin Padmanabhan as President – Partnerships and Trading, GroupM India. As part of this elevation, both Parashar and Padmanabhan will join the GroupM Executive Committee.

     

    Said Prasanth Kumar, CEO of GroupM South Asia: “The elevation of both Sidharth and Ashwin is a testament of GroupM’s continued investment in its talent which has helped build a strong leadership pipeline, creating leaders to take our business into the future. In this ever-evolving integrated media ecosystem, we understand the importance of having leaders across key client focus areas like media investments and trading. Both Sidharth and Ashwin are astute leaders and I am confident that they will continue to drive client delight and expand GroupM’s reach across platforms.”

     

    Prasanth Kumar

    Both Parashar and Padmanabhan have been leading GroupM’s pricing-investment and partnerships trading practices over the years and they will take over their respective new roles effective this month (November 2019). Parashar has been with GroupM for over 15 years and Padmanabhan joined GroupM from Reliance Broadcast Network where, as the COO he led the network’s Radio and Television business. Both Parashar and Padmanabhan will continue to be based out of the GroupM’s Gurugram office and will report to Prasanth Kumar, CEO GroupM South Asia.

     

     

  • Earlier this month, BCCI invited online bids for the title sponsorship rights for the BCCI organised domestic and international cricket matches

    Wavemaker, ESP Properties help Paytm bag BCCI title sponsorship

    By A Correspondent

     

    Wavemaker and ESP Properties, GroupM’s sports and entertainment marketing agency, have facilitated the renewal of the partnership between Paytm and BCCI for the title sponsorship rights for BCCI’s International and Domestic cricket matches at home from September 1, 2019 to March 31, 2023. Paytm first bagged the title sponsorship rights in 2015.

     

    Earlier this month, BCCI invited online bids for the title sponsorship rights for the BCCI organised domestic and international cricket matches. BCCI confirmed that Paytm will be the title sponsor of all domestic series/events organised, managed and administered by BCCI and played in India, between 1st September 2019 and 31st March 2023.

     

    Said Jaskaran Singh Kapany, Head- Marketing, Paytm: “We decided very early in our journey to partner with India cricket. Over the last few years, our association with the sport has given us a huge platform to be visible in front of half a billion Indian cricket fans. This has helped the brand immensely at various levels to build long term salience & stature. Paytm is a brand for the masses and continuing as the Title Sponsor of Cricket in India will help us bolster Paytm’s leadership position in the minds of millions of consumers, on the back of the most popular sport in the country.”

     

    Said Kartik Sharma, CEO, Wavemaker – South Asia: “Partnering with ESP properties to help Paytm win BCCI title sponsorship rights for the second time in a row is a huge feat for all of us. It is our constant endeavour to offer best platforms to all our partners and help them grow along the journey.”

     

    Added Vinit Karnik, Business Head, ESP Properties, GroupM India: “Paytm over the last four years has demonstrated its faith and commitment towards Indian Cricket. They understand & appreciate the potential of the game very well. Paytm and BCCI continuing their existing relationship will be huge win for both. The following that cricket gets in the sub-continent is at times more than any other sporting event across the planet and Paytm can continue to benefit from this. Earlier this year in ESP’s annual trends report we predicted that cricket would dominate the media and mind measure in 2019 and with such start to the new cricketing season we believe that this will only grow and improve over the next few months and years to come.”

     

     

  • GroupM and Lifesight guide brands on how to set standards and benchmarks for success in omnichannel marketing

    GroupM & Lifesight launch online-to-offline attribution playbook

    By A Correspondent

     

    GroupM India and Lifesight, a Bengaluru-based location intelligence platform and data company, have co-created a playbook answering key questions advertising clients have on online to offline attribution and outlining ways in which marketers can use intelligence on consumers’ online behaviors to impact offline sales. This, claims a communique, is the first-of-its-kind attribution study in India with examining the conversion of online ads into offline sales.

     

    Said Tushar Vyas, President – Growth and Transformation, GroupM South Asia: “The importance of omnichannel strategies has grown exponentially, and the lines between online and offline have begun to blur. Given that the consumer journey between online and offline is becoming seamless, it is critical to have the right technology to manage location data and location-based attribution models to provide better insights to clients. For a marketer to understand what’s working in their campaigns, it is important to attribute the right conversion to its apt source. At GroupM, we understand the constant need to create, invent and reinvent the right measurement frameworks to help our clients address their business problems.”

     

    In 300+ campaigns run through Lifesight, with over 200 brands, there were some interesting insights discovered:

     

    1} The average costs to drive in consumer footfall is the most for Consumer Durables and the Auto sector and the least for Quick Service Restaurants (QSR) and Fashion.

    2} Offline attribution works best for Auto and QSR since most people would visit a physical store

    3} The Retail sector takes the least time (2-3 days) to drive a walk-in from exposure. On average, it takes approximately 6-9 days across verticals to drive store walk-ins

    4} 70% of the initial walk-ins to physical stores happens within the first 8 exposures. Retail takes the least number of exposures while fashion requires the most.

     

    Added Tobin Thomas, Co-founder and CEO of Lifesight: “Marketers today have unlimited options for building, targeting, and delivering a campaign. But even with all these options, one question remains- is my advertising working? With a large number of channels to choose from, it’s imperative to understand how each campaign component performed comparatively. As a result, location attribution has emerged as a powerful solution to stitch together channel, audience, and platform signals to understand reactions to online advertising in the real world.

     

    “Lifesight is leading efforts to take campaign success metrics beyond the click. We are excited that leading a marketing powerhouse like GroupM have joined us at the forefront of online-to-offline attribution.” Tobin Added

     

     

  • Winners of the HR Excellence Awards set the benchmark for the HR industry and are recognised as the top performers across Asia Pacific

    GroupM India wins award at the HR Excellence Awards 2017

     

     

    GroupM has won a Silver at the HR Excellence Awards 2017, for its India team’s initiatives to drive work-life balance. Speaking on the win, Rohit, Suri, Chief HR &Talent Officer, South Asia said: “At GroupM India, with its agencies spread over several cities, this commitment has faced unique challenges driven by changing social and business realities. To maintain a positive work-life balance and moving towards work-life integration, it has been our endeavor to make continuous changes to our policies and practices in line with the changing social and business realities. With the help of technology and a stellar team of thorough professionals, we are today one of the most preferred employers in our industry, and this award is a testimonial of the hard work in a people centric business.”

  • 50% of urban cinema-goers are open to consume ads before the start of the movie and in the interval

    15- to 34-yr-olds captive for multiplexes & theaters: Interactive TV report

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    As cinema advertising gains momentum in the media mix, Interactive TV, the cinema advertising unit of GroupM India has released a report to track the urban cinema-going audience. The report, called ‘At a Theatre Near You’, is in collaboration with Kantar IMRB, also a part of the WPP group.

     

    ‘In a Theatre Near You’, notes a communiuqe, studies the urban cinema consumer and correlates their lifestyle and purchase habits with their film viewing habits. The report looks at audiences across eight cities in India, and buckets them into heavy, medium and light cinema goers.

     

    Speaking in the launch of the report, Ajay Mehta, Head, Interactive TV said, “The cinema medium had a lack of scientific data for planners and marketers. Being the leaders of cinema advertising in India, we are trying to make cinema advertising more transparent and accountable. This report is Interactive TV’s most ambitious initiative with the aim to down some measurement parameters for the medium and help brands understand and exploit the potential of this medium.”

     

    The report states that 57 per cent of the audience base watches a movie in the theatre at least once in six months, and of these 71 per cent are between the ages of 15 and 24. The gender gap is also decreasing with the urban cinema audience, as 53 per cent are women. Going to a movie in the theatre continues to be a social phenomenon as it ranks high as a family and social activity.

     

    Even though cinema advertising is a small part of the advertising expenditure in India, over the last few years it has been tremendous growth of over 20 per cent. Brands and marketers are realising the potential of the medium and its ability to work well with other media. 76 per cent of urban cinema goers own a smart phone and 45 per cent have the latest apps installed. This is a huge opportunity for marketers to creatively synchronise digital and in-cinema campaigns to maximize effectiveness of the both media.

     

    Another important point from an advertiser point of view is that 50 per cent of this audience is open and willing to consume advertisements before the start of the movie and during the intermission. Moreover, average consumers reach the movie hall 15 minutes before the show time, which allows enough and more branding opportunities for advertisers.

     

    At A Theatre Near You Summary

     

  • The GroupM Chief Talent Officer responds to questions on the full-pager inserted by the agency to attract diverse talent

    Diversity will help GroupM grow as an organisation: Rohit Suri

    On Wednesday (May 24), GroupM took newspaper readers by surprise with a front-page advertisement in business daily ‘Mint’. While it’s not uncommon to find ads on Page 1, this one was special because it was inserted by media agency conglomerate, it was an appointment ad and it was an ad inviting talent as diverse as anthropologists, musicians and coders (see image).

     

    While broadbasing its scope and activity to beyond tradition media buying and planning has been part of what GroupM South Asia CEO CVL Srinivas has been telling us over the years, the ad actually puts into action what Srinivas has speaking about. We spoke to a few people from diverse backgrounds on whether they would like to join GroupM given the clarion call. The reaction was mixed, but the sentiment was that one needed more details on what the job would entail if the attempt is to get high performers from amongst the talented to apply. “For one, we don’t know too much about GroupM. But now that you’ve told us, it looks very interesting. As a young musician with what I think will be a very bright future ahead of me, the draw to this kind of a creative job has to be significant to pull me into making music a secondary vocation.” A student with a psychology major from a liberal arts college said the proposition was attractive and he would consult his parents and apply.

    We asked GroupM a few questions given the ad and this is what Chief Talent Officer Rohit Suri responded via email.

     

    What was the rationale behind the ad – in terms of attracting a very diverse set of background… musicians included?

    Over the last few years we have diversified our talent pool to keep up with what our business will need in the future and are just intensifying the pace of this change.

     

    Given the ad as an indicator of the profile of people you are looking to hire, what would you say will GroupM as an organisation be?

    GroupM India is a digitally charged, data-centric marketing services conglomerate. With our seven agencies and specialty services, GroupM India gives clients the advantage of global operation and learnings, along with local expertise and market insight. With our investment in data, technology and diverse talent, GroupM India aims to shape the future and transform challenges into opportunities for our clients.

     

    The general perception of a media agency network is that it’s involved with media buying, planning… crunching numbers, offering media innovations. So what’s the GroupM 2020 going to be like?

    The industry is changing rapidly and the landscape evolving at a pace faster than ever seen before due to evolution of technology and we are nimble to imbibe this change and have worked tirelessly to transform our business to adapt to these changes.

     

    While traditional media agency employees may have had a certain affinity to their profession and hence the organisation, but isn’t there a risk of “outsiders” not having the same kind of loyalty to the business and the organisation?

    We do not believe this is true. Diversity will only help us grow as an organistaion, it will fuel collective insight and lateral thinking within GroupM India. In today’s media environment collaboration and open source is paramount and loyalty towards the profession will come when people get to do great cutting edge work which they are passionate about and are rewarded fairly.

     

  • 'Brew' brought together client brands and the best content creators in the country, in a unique format

    GroupM hosts branded content initiative for clients

    By A Correspondent

     

    GroupM has unveiled ‘Brew’- its premier content upfront event, exclusively for clients. This day- long event brought together several leading partners from the content industry and over 150 brand managers and marketing heads, across categories. Industry stalwarts such as screen writer Juhi Chaturvedi and Sports journalist Harsha Bhogle were among those who took the stage.

     

    The ‘Brew’ line up was a mix of formats that included TV, Radio, Digital video and also native content. Presenters included Digital content specialists YFilms, TVF, Arre, Qyuki, OML, Conde Nast, TV Channels MTV and the Star Network, radio channels Radio One and RED FM, and native platforms Firtpost, Mycity4kids, and DailyHunt. Over 20 presentations were made in the course of the day and clients had the option of going online and registering their bid for it immediately after a presentation. The collective worth of the properties presented at Brew 2016 exceeds INR 65 Cr (about $10 Million). Each of the properties have been bid for by multiple clients.

     

    Branded content, especially on digital is at a tipping point in the Indian market and GroupM estimates this sector to grow manifold. Over the last many years, GroupM has invested in creating a specialist team that works closely with clients to deliver branded content that impacts business goals in a significant manner. “There is a dire need for brands to stay relevant beyond campaigns and we see branded content bridging that chasm,” says Tushar Vyas – Chief Strategy Officer, GroupM South Asia. “It is critical for brands to invest in content across the calendar, to keep the conversation going”.

     

    “While our endeavour is to strategise and manage the branded content calendar for our clients across the year, Brew is a critical property as it evangelizes an upfront culture in the country, which currently does not exist” says Karthik Nagarajan, who heads the content practice for GroupM India. “The 20 ideas that were presented on the day were shortlisted from over 300, so they could be most relevant for the brands in the room. Brew will be curated as the first stop for premium content in the market.”

     

  • Radhakrishnan is a Hons graduate of Indira Gandhi National Open University in Accounts and Economics, and has worked with companies such as Webchutney, Carat Media and ABN Amro

    Tanushree Radhakrishnan appointed as SVP at ZenithOptimedia

    By A Correspondent

     

    Tanushree Radhakrishnan

    The ZenithOptimedia Group is expanding and consolidating its digital operations in India, and has made a key hire in the form of media veteran Tanushree Radhakrishnan. With experience of over twelve years across varied areas such as Display, Search, Social and Mobile, Radhakrishnan has joined the group in November 2015 as Senior Vice President and will drive its product standardization and programmatic agenda. Her last stint was with GroupM India where she was the digital head, MEC North.

     

    This is her second innings with the ZenithOptimedia Group. She was previously employed in the organisation between 2008-2013 and was instrumental in the phase when Resultrix was being integrated into the group. Radhakrishnan will report into Tanmay Mohanty, the Managing Director of ZenithOptimedia Group’s digital companies Performics and Resultrix.

     

    Mohanty says that Radhakrishnan will help the group deliver holistic value to the clients, and help develop a 360-degree offering basket in line with the Live ROI philosophy. “The group is witnessing unprecedented growth all around, whether it is increase in spends from existing clients, the rush of new business or talent. Be it the setup of a media technology division in Bangalore this year or the launch of Performics Mobile last year or the Centre of Excellence teams, there is a lot of vibrancy and energy flowing within, and I am sure that Radhakrishnan will now be a part of it. She has rich and varied experience across all key verticals of digital marketing and we are delighted to have her on board. Her real strength lies in delivering high ROI for clients.”

     

    Radhakrishnan is a Hons graduate of Indira Gandhi National Open University in Accounts and Economics, and has worked with companies such as Webchutney, Carat Media and ABN Amro.

     

    Radhakrishnan started her career in audit and planning at ABN Amro in 2001. After a 2yr run in finance she made a switch and pursued an MBA in Advertising & Communication from EMPI. In early 2005, she interned with Carat Media, after which she joined Webchutney in 2005 as SEM analyst. She joined Performics in 2008. She has been involved with performance campaigns for clients and maximizing return on interest (ROI) for them. She has worked with brands across categories, whether it is Makemytrip, Airtel, HP, Nestle, ICICI, Microsoft, Citibank and Aviva.

     

  • This year India shares 'Country of the Year' with GroupM Philippines

    GroupM India rules at the eMMies 2015

    By A Correspondent

     

    GroupM India has won the ‘Country of the Year’ award at the eMMies 2015, the regional awards for GroupM Asia Pacific. The ‘Country of the Year’ is the grandest award at the eMMies and is given to the country that delivers the best business performance while upholding the highest standards of GroupM values. This is the second time GroupM India has won this prestigious award. This year India shares ‘Country of the Year’ with GroupM Philippines.

     

    Commenting on GroupM India’s strong showing, Mark Patterson, CEO GroupM Asia Pacific said, “India continues to set a gold standard in the region through continuous refreshment, reinvigoration, expansion of services and unique influence in the market whilst maintaining a close, collaborative and entrepreneurial spirit throughout GroupM. India does this year on year which make their performance all the more special and worthy of recognition. If there was a country of the decade award it would be India’s.”

     

    CVL Srinivas

    CVL Srinivas, CEO, GroupM South Asia said, “India is extremely proud to receive the ‘Country of the Year’ award at the eMMies this year. 2014 has been one of our best years. We are especially proud of our talent who have embraced challenges in a very dynamic market and delivered true value to our clients. However what is most heartening is that we live up to the highest standards of quality among our peers in the larger GroupM family.”