MxMIndia

Tag: Jaldi 5

  • Last month, Narayana Health, one of the leading network of healthcare facilities in the country, refreshed its brand identity with much fanfare. A quick, five-question interview with Dr Ashish Bajaj, CMO of the healthcare giant

    Jaldi 5 with Dr Ashish Bajaj, CMO, Narayana Health: Compassion, innovation & integrity are values we stand for

    Last month, Narayana Health, one of the leading network of healthcare facilities in the country, refreshed its brand identity with much fanfare. In an emailed interaction, Dr Ashish Bajaj, Chief Marketing Officer at Narayana Health responded to questions from MxMIndia.

     

    1. What is the role of branding and marketing for a leading hospital (brand) like Narayana Health?

    Overall, branding and marketing are essential tools for a leading hospital like ours to connect with the community, attract patients, and establish ourselves as a trusted healthcare provider. These efforts are aligned with the hospital’s mission, vision, values, and commitment to patient care.

    • A hospital’s brand is closely tied to its reputation. Consistent branding that emphasises quality of care, patient safety and positive outcomes helps build continued trust & loyalty amongst our patient base

    • To create a distinct identity by highlighting our unique services, technology, patient-first approach etc.

    • Engaging with the local community is essential. We regularly organise health fairs, wellness programmes, and educational seminars to demonstrate our commitment to community health. This not only benefits the community but also strengthens our brand as a trusted healthcare partner.

    • In today’s digital age, a strong online presence is vital. This includes a user-friendly website, active social media profiles, and online advertising. Patients often research healthcare options online, and it’s important for us to have an online presence which can shape their perceptions.

    • Content marketing to position us as a trusted source of healthcare information.

    • Positive feedback via patient testimonials and reviews serves as a powerful marketing tool for us, as it provides social proof of the hospital’s quality of care.

    • Consistency across all online and offline communications helps reinforce our brand identity and messaging.

     

    2. What prompted to NH to undertake a brand refresh?

    As a group, it is our mission to put the needs and emotions our patients first by offering the highest quality of healthcare. Our new logo is symbolic of our renewed vision, mission and core values.

    Via this exercise, we shall standardise all healthcare verticals of Narayana Group with One Name, One Heart and One Mission. ‘Narayana’ will serve as the universal nomenclature, ensuring consistent messaging across all healthcare verticals. Clinics will be called Narayana Clinic, Labs to be named Narayana Lab and similarly pharmacies to be called Narayana Pharma. All hospital units across the country will adopt the standardized name Narayana Health

    As a brand which is constantly evolving and has ambitious plans to enter into new healthcare verticals, the identity change comes at a pivotal juncture in our journey. It encompasses more than just a logo alteration; it harmonises with our future vision of delivering integrated care wherein we take full responsibility for every aspect of our patients’ healthcare needs right from prevention to treatment.

     

    3. Can you talk us through specifics on the new brand identity vis-a-vis the earlier one?

    The new logo incorporates three beating hearts seamlessly and reinforces ‘healthcare with a heart’ into the Group’s visual identity. It reinforces Narayana Health’s commitment to serve people whole-heartedly and provide healthcare with empathy and compassion. The fresh brand logo, with updated fonts and a colour palette of red and blue, symbolises Narayana Health’s foundation as a cardiac care provider while looking ahead to newer horizons. The three beating hearts represent Compassion, Innovation and Integrity, basically the values which we stand for.

     

    3. Most marketing activities are planned to achieve certain objectives. What are your targets? (As in what would you expect the initiatives to achieve?)

    Via this brand transformation exercise, we are standardising all healthcare verticals of the Group under a single name, a shared mission and a common purpose. A cohesive brand identity across all healthcare verticals will help in better brand recall and Top-of-Mind Awareness.

    This exercise also marks a pivotal moment in our journey as we endeavour to redefine our brand identity and embody a genuine dedication to our patients and their well-being. By aligning our brand with a customer-first approach, we aim to instil trust, empathy, and reliability within our patients. Our goal is to make them feel seen, heard, and valued. From the moment they engage with our brand to the point of their healthcare experience, we want them to know that we are here for them, providing exceptional care and support every step of the way.

    Through this transformation, we will leverage cutting-edge technologies and innovative solutions to enhance accessibility, convenience, and the overall patient experience. We will actively engage with our customers to gather feedback, understand their preferences, and tailor our services accordingly.

     

    4. NH reaches out to all strata of society and all linguistic groups. Is there anything specific that you are undertaking to reach out to all groups, and ensure you don’t alienate any? (as in people shouldn’t feel that you are a pricey, ‘hi fi’ hospital)

    We are optimistic about getting approvals from IRDAI for our entry into healthcare insurance business. Via this move, we aim to bridge the gap between healthcare service and insurance, bringing more comprehensive and integrated solutions to patients and healthcare customers. Our idea for health insurance is one that combines huge amount of healthcare services on one end as well as providing a bundled plan that covers comprehensive healthcare. We call it as Integrated Care which includes outpatient services, screening, check-ups as well as surgery that one may require. We are also investing in services closer to patient homes like Narayana Clinics.

     

  • A quick five-question interview with Priya Mukherjee, Group President- Network Development

    Jaldi 5 with Priya Mukherjee: What’s the secret sauce of a news channel being #1?

    In May 2022, India TV announced the appointment of Priya Mukherjee as Group President- Network Development. Mukherjee had just a year before that been with the Republic Media Network where she was part of the founding team and got the channel to the #1 status. And now in the last few weeks, India TV has been on top of the ratings roster from amongst Hindi news channels.

     

    We posed questions to Priya Mukherjee in a new season of our Jaldi 5 interviews. Here goes

     

    Priya Mukherjee
    Priya Mukherjee

    The Lady with the Midas Touch, we would say! India TV @ 1!

    How much ever one would like to think that J,  we all know its not true.  It is never about one person, it’s always about the team, led from the front by the vision of our beloved Chairman and MD. It involves dedication and toil of our ever-growing team of professionals, who work – tirelessly, in a coordinated effort at the back-end.  In a short period, India TV has created benchmarks in innovation, impact, ratings, viewer engagement and viewer-support.

     

    In today’s rampant me-too-ism, India TV is, perhaps, the only Hindi news channel that is perceived as “courageous” and “different.” The channel’s No.1 position is no accident. It is the result of Rituji and Rajatji leading the way on the lonely path of “credibility first.” It is the result of their efforts where the viewer’s interest has been paramount.

     

    But the gap between #1 and #2 is precariously narrow, as is the case with top 4/5. What measures are you taking to ensure India TV maintains the lead?

    We work extensively on the ground, to bridge the gaps in our distribution. The basics of distribution need to be followed always- 100% AVAILABILITY & VISIBILITY. We follow the strategy of “Hold”, “Increase” and “Add” to continuously maintain and grow our reach. We are keeping a razor-like focus and holding our urban reach and improving our rural reach. This growth in reach along with high stickiness in turn helps achieve marketshare.

     

    On a lighter note, it is also amusing to see some Hindi News channels self-proclaiming to  being No1 – All India- when the real benchmark for any Hindi channel as we know is Hindi Speaking Markets!

     

    Its not that India TV hasn’t been on top, but in the last few years, there have been some tectonic changes in the distribution space. Give us the ingredients of your secret sauce that helped you achieve this?

    The channel always kept the viewer at the fore front of everything it did, which is evident from the high viewer engagement through time spent, we always garnered. And has been a consistent No 2. We are very aware of the pulse of our viewers , who have been supporting us over the years.

     

    What works for us other than this is how we work and use data to make continuous on ground distribution changes in our core markets. My team works on creating long-term partnerships with the affiliate networks, who have helped us grow our organic reach and that  gives a huge boost to the channel achieving no 1 Market share. We have always been doing well in Urban markets and now are focusing on bridging the gaps in the Rural markets.

     

    Good distribution is built on four pillars: Data, Information, Relationship and Speed.

     

    It’s said (rightly or wrongly) that viewership data of channels is based more on dynamics like landing page, extra promotion in certain geographies and do whatever it takes to get high numbers. Is this perception correct? Please do tell what’s the situation in reality?  And what’s your view on landing pages?

    To each its own. It is a promotional tool for broadcasters and a revenue stream for platforms. Promotional tools are a part and parcel of any distribution set-up –  be it FMCG or media. The organisation’s objectives, financials and requirements define what strategy is to be adopted. Ultimately, it is for the honourable regulatory authorities to debate and decide on its merits and demerits. India TV, has always taken a long-term view, of how we approach our distribution strategy. Our clear focus is on organic reach growth and strengthening our core viewer base with the support of our Affiliate cable and DTH Networks.

     

    One last Question: According to you, what contributes to the ratings of success of a channel: Content or Pushing Reach?   

    It’s always a combination of couple of things done right.  We take a long-term view of things and strive at creating a potent balance of quality content and enhanced reach. This coupled by the data inputs provided by research, helps us in making smart and calculated choices, which has worked in our favor on content, bridging the reach gap and hence the success of the channel.

     

  • A quick interview with the Sanmarg boss on life in and post the pandemic

    Jaldi 5 with Vivek Gupta, MD & Ed-in-Chief, Sanmarg: Being small helped to be fleet-footed and be experimental

    Vivek Gupta
    Vivek Gupta

    Vivek Gupta is Editor-in-Chief and Managing Director of Sanmarg, a 90-year-old Hindi newspaper which started in Kolkata and has now spread itself to many parts of the East. The paper is a leader amongst the affluent Marwari community and the Hindi-reading MSMEs of the region. Gupta has been involved with Sanmarg right from the age of 17 and is a hands-on promoter who keeps a sharp eye on all aspects of the newspaper on an ongoing basis. We revive our series of short ‘Jaldi 5’ interviews with industry leaders with Gupta, who would decidedly count among the more erudite media owners in the country

     

    Q01. We know you are a key member of the ruling dispensation in West Bengal, so may not like the usage of the phrase, but would you say that the ‘Achche Din’ are back in newspaper publishing?

    We live in a hyper-competitive world, where in a sector good and bad results are dependent on the response of the players. I have encouraged and tried convincing my entire team that it is the action which changes the thing. Today, I can say with pride that this ACT (Action Changes Things) thinking has kept us, as Davids, alive and kicking while a lot of Goliaths are complaining. Pundits have always predicted doom for the newspaper business in the face of rising popularity of digital. To answer your question in your own language, we managed to hold on to our ‘achche din’ however the definition of ‘achche din’ are now very different from the past.

     

    Q02. As you look back at the pandemic and the two waves of the virus attack, would you say that the dice was severely loaded against small publishers like yourself?

    Absolutely. We were born about 90 year back as a community newspaper in an alien land. It was essentially for the migrant Marwari merchants. Kolkata, being the cultural capital of India, was (and will continue to be) a land of English and Bengali language publishing. Without realising, we became a force to reckon with in spite of being in a third language. We never wanted to go out of Kolkata and Bengal so remained small yet happy serving the needs of this community which practically are the largest contributors of the state’s commerce. Right from the onset of the pandemic we knew that ‘burre din’ is round the corner and it is our size which helped us make changes fast. Yes, there were financial implications but we punted against all odds and today it gives me immense pleasure to see that the silver line is much closer that it would have been if we didn’t ACT (pun intended).

     

    Q03. One of the key cost centres of the media business has been staff salaries, though not as much with the non-English media. We’ve heard that you also retrenched a fair number of people in the pandemic. Talk us through the various steps you took to keep costs under check?

    Being small helped to be fleet-footed and be experimental. We embraced the concept of productivity and technology. Instead of retrenching people we re-structured the organisation around productivity. Technology helped a lot but it was mindset of people which saw us reducing unnecessary costs without giving up the product quality

     

    What also helped us is the understanding that for newspaper advertisers, newspapers became a must. As we are practically the only newspaper for the affluent (with significantly higher purchasing power than the other people of the state) Hindi reading population of the state, which the advertisers also knows very well. We had faith in our readers and knew they will never desert us. While we rationalised expenses on one hand, we invested in alternate distribution system and retained our cover price and advertising rates on the other hand.

     

    We also capitalised on certain opportunities. Firstly, our Sunday circulation has always been twice that of week days at a cover price of Rs 7 (which probably is as high as a morning newspaper price in India). Add to that the fact that people spent much more time at home. Which helped us drive the weekday circulation. Besides, our language competitors from neighbouring states discontinued local operations which helped us convert a lot of competition readers. Not being from this state they depended heavily on national news while for us the state always remained the main focus. We also saw a lot of circulation increase in rest of the state (other than Kolkata)

     

    Q03a. There is a charge that media companies which have been profitable for years should have absorbed the losses and not passed on the (negative) effect to employees. Your view?

    We have always believed in that. We motivated people for multi tasking and reskilling. Yes a few could not reinvent themselves who eventually moved on

     

    Q04. We saw many large-sized display ads and jackets in Sanmarg, around the Durga Puja and Diwali seasons. While the volumes are there, has the value gotten back to 2019 levels? Or are you still discounting?

    We never believed in mindless discounting. We always knew that advertisers for whom we matter they will especially during festival time as that is also the buying time. Here also we had the understanding that the amount of cash available for consumers, mainly our consumers have increased multi-fold during last 18 odd months. We got the rates that we deserve

     

    Q05. What was the biggest lesson that you as a media-owner learnt from the pandemic?

    In one word, faith that it is the action which changes things. We reimagined the market place in deep details and reengineered our operations accordingly.

     

     

  • In the first of our new ‘season’ of Jaldi 5 interviews, we spoke with India TV’s CRO Sudipto Chowdhuri

    Jaldi 5 with Sudipto Chowdhuri, CRO, India TV: Numbers alone do not sell

    Sudipto Chowdhuri

    Even as we thought the multiple lockdowns and the fear of the Third Wave had impacted the adspends climate, India TV has come up a sales initiative for its election show ‘Abki Baar Kiski Sarkar’ where sponsorship will be sold by invitation only.  The show will cover the elections for Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Uttarakhand Assembly. In the first of our new ‘season’ of Jaldi 5 interviews, we spoke with India TV’s CRO Sudipto Chowdhuri

     

    Isn’t your move to only take your main sponsors for your primary election show on invitation a bit audacious, given the fact that adspends haven’t really come out of the low that we’ve had since the pandemic struck us?

    If you take the meaning of audacious as taking surprisingly bold risks then yes, it is. But as far as we at India TV, are concerned, NO, it’s not audacious. We want the most relevant brands to be on board, both in terms of relevance to viewers and also in terms of relevance to the priority of that market. Then only their affinity will make a whole lot of sense to the viewers, help the viewers, and therefore will also help the channel.

    Markets, as always, will keep fluctuating basis many unforeseen incidents and will keep surprising us, but a true leadership brand like ours, will always find out new ways to reinvent ourselves. That’s why we Lead and create paths for many to follow.

     

    There are some who may say that there are in any case only an x number of advertisers who would possibly spend the kind of money you need. So please do address this sentiment that this is perhaps a gimmick?

    There will always be an x number of advertisers on a channel, or, even across all channels in the genre, because it’s a finite inventory business like airlines/ hotel etc. We would love to see a channel which carries ALL advertisers of this country on their platform. It’s anyway not possible.

    If Elon Musk would have asked someone that he wants to put a car in the orbit, then I am sure, he couldn’t have done that ever in his entire lifetime. Most people are formatted… so, there will always be someone who won’t understand. There will always be someone who won’t agree. There will always be someone who won’t believe.

    That’s okay.

     

    We’ve not had ratings for news channels coming out of BARC since early October of 2020. Does this impact ad sales for the news sector? Especially for innovations such as this?

    Not at all. Advertisers are smart, intelligent, educated, experienced and well-informed. They know exactly where they should spend, how much they should spend and what ROI to expect. Agencies also help them to understand the impact of every rupee that they spend on each platform and even qualitative parameters are important.

    We must understand that in this industry numbers alone do not sell. Numbers are just indicators given the kind of extrapolation which happens. Perception, Credibility, Service parameters, Commitment levels, Balanced approach on screen, Viewing comforts… all these and many more are crucial when it comes to deciding about a news channel to advertise on. Not just numbers. So not having ratings will not impact business at all for the established, credible channels. Smaller or Newer channels?? May be YES!

     

    Almost every news channel has a flagship show around the elections, and this time you have the all-important Uttar Pradesh election. How do you differentiate what you have against what others have to offer?

    Historically, we have always been successful in creating differentiation in our programming and that also in a genre where content differentiation is very minimal because we present Live News. India TV has stalwarts like Ms Ritu Dhawan and Mr Rajat Sharma, who have seen the television industry since 1989, when few even knew about TV business. Aap Ki Adalat, Aaj Ki Baat, Corona Se Jung Swami Ramdev Ke Sang, Bhavisya Vaani, Cricket Ki Baat and many more programmes are already being aired on India TV and therefore we know exactly what needs to be done to make this programme ‘Abki Baar Kiski Sarkar’ successful.

     

    As a veteran media sales professional, do you think your strategy of invitation-only advertising is the way to go?

    I have been too young for too long, so I am not sure if I am a veteran, but then, yes, I genuinely feel that inviting the right kind of clients, for ‘’right kind of programmes’’ and connecting them to the right kind of viewers is the way forward for the channels leading the genre.  Unfortunately, due to various reasons, advertising has become commoditised and that’s not a great thing for the industry. News channels deliver substantial reach and credible live news, and the viewers watch the content with much more seriousness, compared to a GEC or Movie genre channel.

    The value WE bring on the table as a news genre / channel, is far more relevant and serious. We impact Lives. We help trigger travel plans. We capture pains / emotions and what not. Daily. 24×7.

    So, we need to have more respect from our partners / advertisers and business associates when they invest on us and under no circumstances advertising on top news channels can be sold as ‘bhajji–pav’ with free value adds. Our credibility has a rub-off on their credibility as well. New products seen on a ‘’credible news channel’’ is also accepted as a ‘’credible brand’’ and this is ‘’priceless’’.

    Someone must start the process of meaningful and respectful partnership. So, as a leader channel, we thought of taking the first step, and we are more than confident that it will help the brand, the viewers, and the industry.

     

     

  • A quick chat with Partho Dasgupta, the all-new President of The Advertising Club. Plus a report on the ManCom for the fiscal

    Partho & Partha to helm Ad Club in 2019-20 (+Jaldi 5 with the new Prez)

     

    Jaldi 5 with Partho Dasgupta, the all-new President of The Advertising Club: We are positive that good things will happen with the Abby at Goafest

     

    Partho Dasgupta

    He may be occupying perhaps the most thankless jobs in the media fraternity – that of the CEO of the Broadcast Audience Research Council, the joint industry body that is mandated with television measurement in the country. But that hasn’t really prevented him from being superactive with trade associations over the years. An engineer and MBA from IIM Calcutta, Partho, as he’s known in the fraternity, has been with BARC for nearly six-and-a-half years, had a looong stint with the Times of India group including being Business Head of Times Now in its early years and a few interesting entrepreneurial stints. Read on for what is possibly his first interview after taking charge of the top job of the top ad club in the country.

     

     

    ManCom 2019

     

    The Advertising Club elected its Managing Committee for the current fiscal – that’s FY 2019-20 — at the 65th Annual General Meeting held on Wednesday (Sep 11).  The new committee will be helmed by senior media professional Partho Das Gupta who has been elected as President– The Advertising Club.

    Commenting on his appointment, Dasgupta said: “It is an honour to be elected as the President of one of the most prestigious advertising clubs in the country, and I am truly humbled by the faith and trust that my Industry peers and  seniors have bestowed upon me. I look forward to continuing the legacy of the Ad Club and the great done work by Vikram over the last two years”

    The following members were elected unopposed.

    The Office Bearers of the Advertising Club for 2019-2020 are

    :: President : Partho Dasgupta

    :: Vice President : Partha Sinha

    :: Secretary : Dr Bhaskar Das

    :: Secretary : Aditya Swamy

    :: Treasurer : Shashi Sinha

    Other Managing Committee Members:

    :: Debabrata Mukherjee

    :: Laxmiraj Seetharam ‘Raj’ Nayak

    :: Mitrajit Bhattacharya

    :: Siddharth Banerjee

    :: Sidharth Rao

    :: Sonia Huria

    :: Virat Tandon

    And here a list of industry professional who’ve been co-opted on the ManCom:

    :: Abhishek Desai

    :: Nandan Srinath

    :: Punitha Arumugam

    Also on the ManCom are the following industry leaders:

    :: Ahteram Uddin

    :: Ajay Chandwani

    :: Ajay Kakar

    :: Ashit Kukian

    :: Kartik Sharma

    :: Pradeep Dwivedi

    :: Ramesh Narayan

    :: Sapangeet Rajwant

     

    1. So we thought that being the BARC Boss required a 100,000 per cent of your time. And now you’ve taken charge as President of The Advertising Club. How are you getting to manage the time?

    One can do 120% too isn’t it?? 🙂 Yes the BARC job is immensely engaging, but we all want to give back some things to the industry – isn’t it? The Advertising Club is also blessed with a secretariat that is extremely experienced and competent. A strong team of committee members and the secretariat should make things easier for me

     

    2. Vikram Sakhuja brought in D-Code, Raj Nayak started Marquees, Shashi Sinha dropped the Mumbai from the name and make the Club all-India… so what can we expect from your two-year run as President?

    I am just getting started. Do you want me to start making promises now itself?

    We are talking to the ManCom members – some have brilliant ideas – exploring and evaluating them before we come to conclusions.

     

    02a. But, save the judging in Delhi and Bengaluru, and one or two events in other cities, it’s still a Mumbai-centric Club?

    Efforts on this have been on since many years. We have friends from these cities who are coming  forward to  help us get  things there. We are in active conversations – let’s see how it goes

     

    3 .Any thoughts on the Abby at Goafest. Attempts have been made to reinvent and revitalise them… but in vain. Do you think there is time to take some tough decisions, scrap the current format and bring in some fresh energy?

    ​This is brainstormed and discussed at length at various Ad Club’s Managing Committee meetings and we are positive that good things will happen

     

    4. There are a large number of non-advertising professionals now in the managing committee of the Ad Club as well as with the membership of the club. Any thoughts on making it more relevant for advertising professionals across the spectrum of the media?

    Non-advertising is a wrong word. They are all part of the advertising and marketing eco system. We are trying to be more inclusive and aligned to new realities

     

    04a. Also, the industry comprises a lot of of young talent, especially with digital gaining ground. The managing committee of the Ad Club and most M&E industry associations though is constituted by what one can call ‘’oldies’’. Any thoughts on how this can be changed, and how do you think this can happen?

    ​One look at the names featuring on the Ad Club’s Managing Committee will answer your question. We are inclusive – irrespective of age. Relevance is more important

     

    5. Perhaps an unfair question: Could there be some ‘dharma sankats’ that may crop up? For instance, if I am a new broadcaster, I may want to sponsor one of your big events just to influence you as BARC CEO?

    Do you think people have not tried other means of influence till now??

     

     

  • Ram Siya Ke Luv Kus is a show that has been made at scale and we wanted to position it commensurately, says Sapangeet Rajwant, Head, Marketing and Digital – Hindi Mass Entertainment, Viacom18

    Jaldi 5 with Sapangeet Rajwant, Viacom18: It’s the role of marketing to create awareness & interest for content

    Most general entertainment channels are known to not leave any stone unturned in their marketing arsenal for their big shows. Earlier this week, Colors launched ‘Ram Siya Ke Luv Kush’, a narration of the Ramayana through the lens of Lord Ram’s sons Luv and Kush. On-ground activations included a hologram-equipped moving temple across the Hindi-speaking markets, a Twitter Setu campaign, partnerships with Google and UC Browser and a Luv Kush Ram Dham Yatra travelogue. MxMIndia engaged Sapangeet Rajwant, Head, Marketing and Digital – Hindi Mass Entertainment, Viacom18 in a Q&A on the Ram Siya Ke Luv Kush marketing initiatives. Read on…

     

    1. While every new show is accompanied by some high voltage promotions, it appears that with ‘Ram Siye Ke Luv Kush’, Colors is leaving no stone unturned. Why such a huge blitz?

    Luv Kush is a magnum opus for us. It is a show that has been made at scale and we wanted to position it commensurately. Keeping in line with the scale of the show, the marketing has been aggressive to reach the last mile of audiences. The campaign has been designed keeping three objectives in mind – build reach, create impact and drive conversations and buzz. We have used a mix of both traditional and digital media to reach our target audience. This show will cater to audiences across all age groups and segments. Hence the need to go all out and build great opening for the show.

     

    2. It’s interesting that your digital offensive for RSKLK is significant with your tie-up with Google, a Twitter Setu. Given that a bulk of the viewers for a show like this are slightly older women and men, why go digital?

    Ramayan is a story about family and family relationships. It’s an epic that teaches us life lessons. It’s a story that the entire family watches and it has something there for every family member to learn from. We believe that the show caters to each and every age group across segments and gender. Today, whether it is metros or small towns, with the spread of the internet, all users across segments are present on digital. If you look at the profiling of audiences on digital, you will see that it is present across Sec A, B and C as well. Additionally, apart from Twitter, we have extensively used Facebook and Instagram to promote the show. And there is a huge chunk of GEC audiences that uses these platforms.

     

     

    3. What has been the response to the onground promotions that you have undertaken – especially the mobile structures employing hologram technology?

    The response to our Bhakti ki Yatra has been overwhelming. The idea of the entire on-ground activation was to give people an experience of the story of Ramayan using technology – essentially marry new-age technique to experience an ages-old story. We have seen across towns people flocking our Yatra to experience the holy engagement. India is a very religious country and we actually saw people coming out and paying their respect to the structure that carried the story of Ramayan.

     

    4. Since all of the marketing activities require big budgets – even though some of them are being done in sync with other tech platforms, how do you assess the efficacy of the promotions, especially since in the final analysis it’s the show content that is most critical?

    They say that content is king and we totally believe so. But it is the role of marketing to create awareness and generate  interest for the content. Like they say, jo dikhta hai woh bikta hai. The role of marketing is to create sampling for the show and garner reach. In the broadcasting space, the only metrics that measure our ROI is the reach numbers that we get for the show opening.  Apart from the reach, marketing also builds brand equity and increases top-of-mind awareness for the brand. Through marketing, we build engagement and affinity with audiences which goes a long way into building loyalists

     

    5. What next coming up from the Colors stable? The next season of Bigg Boss coming up soon?

    There is an action-packed quarter for us ahead. We have lined up quite a few shows including Bigg Boss going forward, which we will announce shortly.

     

  • Shankar B, CEO of Fourth Dimension Media Solutions speaks on the second edition of the South India Media Summit, that is scheduled to be held on Friday, August 9, in Chennai

    Jaldi 5 with Shankar B: ‘South India is different in all aspects’

    Shankar B

    On Friday, August 9, all roads lead to the second edition of the South India Media Summit in Chennai. Around 350 delegates are scheduled to be in attendance with around 50-odd speakers from across the country addressing the audience.

    Organised by Fourth Dimension Media Solutions, there will be panel discussions on issues like Fake News, the importance of regional languages and OTT and how South Media is becoming an important centre for medical tourism amongst others.

    As he was stitching up arrangements for the Summit, Shankar B, CEO of Fourth Dimension Media Solutions spoke to MxMIndia (Disclosure: MxMIndia is a media partner of the South India Media Summit). Read on…

     

    01. How’s this edition of SIMS different from the last one?

    The success of this format is due to the sessions and panellists who have contributed all their experience and agreed to be a part of this event. Also South India doesn’t witness such large format events and my only aim is to educate and make people learn out of this event – there is no other motive.

     

    01a. How’s this edition of SIMS different from the last one?

    This Edition has mix of speakers from all walks of Life. I have MDs,CEOs and also CMOs from large corporates. This year the focus is more on digital, health care branding and women empowerment. There hasn’t been a session till date on healthcare branding and Chennai being the sort of capital for medical tourism – I badly wanted to address this.

     

    02. Does the fact that you have a separate summit for South India mean that the existing events held aren’t inclusive? That the southern players feel left out?

    Am glad someone asked me this question. South India is different in all aspects – the language, food, culture, clothes etc but there is abundant potential which lies in each of these five states and One Union Territory. The way Retail/Regional brands in the South have given a  tough fight to most of the MNCs is worth mentioning. I always try and educate the media fraternity on the Do’s and Don’ts and now people have taken cognisance it seems to be working well.

     

    03. Would you advocate similar events for other regions as well? Would you consider conducting a simiar Summit elsewhere in the South where there is a formidable media presence?

    I don’t know how to answer this – I strongly feel there was a strong need for marketers and brand owners to understand the South more closely. Though there are events held in South – there aren’t events which involves the Retail Biggies who have actually contributed to South’s GDP. I always evangelise for South – I still feel we are left out. Without naming anyone – the so-called big industry events which happen hardly have any knowledge sessions on South – I have bought this to people’s notice – it went unnoticed. That prompted to start the SIMS.

     

    04. Would you advocate similar events for other regions as well?

    Yes, we plan to take this to the smallest of towns in South India –there is no point in doing events in Chennai, Bangalore & Hyderabad. You should do events where people from smallest of towns stand to gain form these knowledge leaders, which otherwise wouldn’t happen.

     

    05. I notice that Federal is the presenting sponsor which is a sibling of PT. Is this why there is no representation from Sun, the largest player from the South?

    We have always wanted to do an event for Federal and this fitted their bill. This has nothing to do with Sun Group – they are the market leaders in South and there is no doubt about that. Frankly speaking – we didn’t approach them for Sponsorship.

     

    05a. But there’s no one from the rivals of PT/Federal among the panellists?

    Well, Hindu and Dighvijay are there. Deccan Herald couldn’t make it. I  approached Sun last year, but there was no response… so there’s nothing much one can do.

     

     

  • The Advertising Club COO Bipin Pandit is celebrating two decades at the Club and a successful run of 12 editions of his popular show, Khumaar

    Jaldi 5 with Bipin Pandit: 20 years at Ad Club, 12th edition of Khumaar

    It’s been two decades since Bipin Pandit has been at the Advertising Club. As Chief Operating Officer of the apex Ad Club in the country, Pandit has a 24×7 job managing the various affairs of the Club. But that doesn’t hold him back from what’s possibly his first (or second) love: music. On Saturday (Feb 10), he will hold the 12th edition of Khumaar, his ever-so-popular variety entertainment show. Excerpts from an interview with the one-and-only BipinPandit

     

    These last twenty years helming The Advertising Club have also been the most eventful for Indian advertising… what would you say has been your most memorable moment?

    There have been quite a few and in a journey spanning 20 years it has to be that way. The field is exciting. You may do an event for many a years but the person who chairs it changes every one or two years so the approach is different. The dynamics change.

     

    I will surely single out the India Advertising festival in 2001 which had a Abby, Effie, Emvie, Exhibitions, Seminars, Lunches and Dinner Parties all to be accomplished in only three days. It really was tremendously stressful to say the least. The fact that we accomplished it in style was very satisfying. To top it all I had put in only three years at the Ad Club then. It was a colossal effort but still memorable.

     

    How can I not mention Adasia Jaipur, 2003. The Mother of all events. Again being chosen by Pradeep Guha and Ramesh Narayan as Secretariat-In-Charge at that point of time showed the confidence they had in me and my team’s abilities. This event taught me many a things. There were so many varied activities happening at the same time in the course of four days further so many stalwarts and big names were involved. Delegates from different countries were to come. The event had an aggregate of 1200 delegates . Till today it is talked about as the best Adasia and I am happy I was an integral part of it and could contribute.

    What has been extremely satisfying is to read the industry stalwarts expressing their opinion on my 20 years with the Ad Club and the contributions made thereof. They have spoken about the man they have known and his passions. It will feature in a special four-page supplement I am releasing on Saturday, February, 10, 2018 at my Khumaar show. All the 10 Presidents have written a piece not to forget the other Industry bigwigs and people from Abroad. It will always motivate me to do still better. I will be ever so grateful to Pradeep Diwedi that the supplement has seen the light of the day.

    International commendation from Effies New York, Appies Singapore and Adasia  Korea and Singapore is also very satisfying.

     

    Many Presidents, many managing committee members and all with their own ways of working. How has the journey been for you?

    As many an industry stalwart tells me you have a job to do no doubt but managing the high profile managing committee in itself is no less a job. The best part is you have got to be a good listener and you learn a lot by doing so. I do give suggestions and also speak out because that has been my nature but surely in the same vein I hasten to add that your views prevail.

    The good part is they have appreciated most of my suggestions and implemented as well. Actually they all have been very nice and understanding. I have only positive things to say about my overall experience.

     

    These 20 years has also seen the rise and rise of the awards, the emergence of the Effies, the lows with the creative Abby… (your comments)

    As I have always said, in my 20 years be it any award that comes from the Ad Club stable the effort has been to evolve and look forward. Highs and Lows are a part of life and surely you will always be criticised if you work and put in efforts. We value the feedback and inputs of the industry and thus have the town hall concept before coming out with the entry form for every award. Ad Club is a 63-year-old association that is running Abby for 50 years , Effies for 17 years , Emvies for 17 years thus there is longevity which is a barometer of consistency which in turn is a hallmark of doing a good job. The Marquees launched recently also holds lot of promise and will be a property to watch. You will also hear shortly about the many a changes brought about at Abbys to be held at Goafest 2018.

     

    I know it’s an unfair question to ask you: but what would you say have been the significant trends in advertising that you have found very noteworthy? 

    The movement of big creative stalwarts from very big agencies to start their own Independent outfits is on a tremendous rise. Gone are the days when you found a big name being a part of one agency for a long time. As a result of this happening you also see that the awardwinning work has started to flow from these new outfits besides of course the major agencies who continue to do well.

     

    This year marks the 12th edition of Khumaar. With a hectic (and often stressful) dayjob at the Ad Club, how do you manage to find the time to practise and come up with new things in every show?

    This is one question that is often asked to me and let me confess very honestly: yes, it is hectic and surely stressful. Imagine deciding upon the date of the show, booking the auditorium, lining up sponsors, selecting singers and musicians, putting a song list, getting creative in places, publicity, backdrops, promotional material, inviting celebrities, VIPs and not to forget selling of tickets it is a one-man-show at Khumaar. It truly gets tiring and what people forget is I am a performer who has to be the anchor, mimicry artist a shayar and a ready reckner of all the anecdotes and interesting nuggets. But I conclude it is labour of love, passion, madness. And to reveal the truth: I have two wives: One is Nandini and the Other is Khumaar

     

     

  • A quick chat with Sonia Huria, Head of Corporate Communications and CSR at Viacom18, on her group’s recently launched CSR initiatives

    Jaldi 5 with Sonia Huria: Chakachak Mumbai as an initiative is the anti-thesis of preachy

    By Sonia Huria

     

    The Viacom18 group announced with much contentment a twin CSR drive to bring in hygiene in a section of Mumbai city as well as an attempt to cleanse the mind. We spoke to Sonia Huria, Head – Corporate Communications of the group who is now also heading the Viacom18’s CSR initiative for a quick Q&A

     

    We know it’s mandatory for all corporates to get into CSR, but one thought Viacom18 as an entertainment network would do some more stuff that’s in line with what it’s doing? So getting down to cleaning neighbourhoods?

     We believe that the dream of a Clean India can only be achieved through both on-ground and in-mind campaigning – address the physical availability of cleanliness paraphernalia (toilets, dustbins etc.) and articulate why they need to be used. The thing with our CSR campaign is that it is manifold in both its target audience and communication ethos. While the ground work is currently focused on 4 slum clusters in Andheri East and a pavement stretch near our office premises in Ville Parle, the larger cause is aligned with the national Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. While the primary target audience is the residents of the slums, people like us form the secondary target audience. We have the power and the means to espouse the cause of a clean India. It follows that to address these diverse audiences, the communication too needs to be differentiated.

     

    And the mind?

    Hygiene cannot be viewed in just its physical manifestation. The moment you start thinking clean, you act to be clean.So while Chakachak Mumbai is the mass targeted campaign that cuts across both the audiences, we launched the #GetAngry Project as a social experiment that talks about cleanliness of both your physical and psychological realms.

     

    Essentially we at Viacom18 are great storytellers. And cleaning up India needs a strong storyboard – one that is multilayered and appeals both to the heart and mind. That is what we have chalked out for ourselves.

     

    How come the name ‘Chakachak’ which is kinda flip, and not something more serious like a Swachh Viacom Abhiyaan?

    The nomenclature stems from the philosophy that governs the organization. Swachh Bharat Abhiyan is the all-encompassing vision that has been launched by the Government of India. Viacom18 wants to humanise the vision into a relatable story with multiple touchpoints, cutting across socio-cultural divides. Yes it is flip and hence it is the anti-thesis of preachy. We want to act as agent provocateurs bringing in behavioural change in the way we look at cleanliness. To be able to do justice to that role, it is important to build a brand that motivates without being dogmatic.

     

    The Get Angry project is interesting, but it will take a long time to change mindsets. What are the next steps on it?

     We’d purposefully stayed away from drawing conclusions based on our social experiment. The idea was to do it, release it for the connected Indians and let them decide. With more than 2.5 million views on FB, becoming a trending topic on Twitter and rich thought provoking conversations all around, a lot of insights have come in. While the sentiment of encouragement has been the primary takeaway, we would like to build upon this momentum to carry forward the overarching Chakachak Mumbai campaign and its underlying thought of “the road to prosperity lies through cleanliness”.

     

    A personal question: Corporate Communications and Corporate Social Responsibility are very divergent roles. How do you switch gears?

    The beauty of being a communication leader for a brand like Viacom 18 is that you inculcate the varied individual brand ethos into your professional work ethics. Since ours is a centralised unit, I also work closely with various departments within the individual brands– whether it is pushing out a HR initiative, communicating a sales innovation, amplifying product and marketing launches. To authenticate the communication I need to understand the finer nuances of these various functions.

     

    Now consider the fact that, under our CSR initiative, we want to use our storytelling finesse to amplify the behaviour change communication to realize the dream of a Swachh India – both in mind and body! I see more synergies in the different hats I wear, feeding off a centralised ecosystem of learnings from my multiple roles.

     

  • An interview with Priyanka Datta, Cluster Head (FTA channels and Zindagi) at Zee Entertainment for her sentiments post Anmol's amazing rise

    Jaldi 5 with Priyanka Datta: On how focus on the brand ensured Zee Anmol rise to #3 Hindi

    One of the highlights of the new BARC urban-cum-rural ratings is the rise in viewership of all free-to-air (FTA) channels. Particularly noteworthy has been the performance of Zee Anmol which attained the #3 slot, ahead of the network’s flagship Zee TV.  We spoke with Priyanka Datta, Cluster Head (FTA channels and  Zindagi) for her sentiments post Anmol’s amazing rise.

     

    01. Congratulations on the rise of Zee Anmol on the combined urban and rural (U+R) ratings roster as released by BARC earlier today. Would you say this is something you always knew but were looking at some ratification from a ratings agency?

    Thanks for the good wishes.  Zee Anmol has been a leader in the FTA genre for over one year now. It is indeed very heartening to see the rise in the U+R ratings roaster as released by BARC yesterday as well. The channel has truly lived up to its brand promise of “Dil Choo Jaye” and touched the hearts of many.

     

    1a. To what would you attribute the success of Zee Anmol?

    There has been complete focus on this brand and constant on ground initiatives taken, be it for sampling of the brand, engagement or visibility and that has given positive results. Add to it extremely engaging and entertaining programming which largely comprises of some excellent shows Zee TV has produced clubbed with shows from some other channels that we showcase on our channel. Earlier this fiscal, we launched our very first original reality show, Grihani No 1.

     

    02. Other FTAs like Star Utsav and Colors Rishtey have done well in the U+R ratings. Would you say this is a given for the entire genre, considering they are Free to Air and showcase reruns of popular content?

    We would however like to reserve our comment till we see the data of a few more weeks.

     

    03. Now that you have tasted success, will you prop up the channel with more current or even original content or will the mix stay the same?

    At this stage, all I would like to say is that the channel team will continue to focus on the channel as always. There are a lot of things planned, which will be put into action or even newer ways crafted, after we analyse the data of a few more weeks of BARC ratings.

     

    04. Pardon our ignorance, but how is Anmol doing in terms of advertising? Will you now push the channel a lot more with advertisers?

    The channel has a dedicated sales team and has been in the mind space of advertisers since its inception & the BARC ratings only further substantiate that their investments have been right. I am positive that they will continue to patronise and support Zee Anmol.

     

    05. Zee Anmol has crossed the flagship Zee TV. Any sentiments on this, or are we in the media making much about it?

    It is a very encouraging and proud moment for Zee Anmol. Largely, the content that is shown on Zee Anmol is the rich quality shows produced by our Zee TV team and that makes us collective winners.

     

  • The biggest takeaway for delegates would be that if you do what pumps your heart and do it with all the passion, money will follow sooner or later, says Rajesh Kejriwal, Founder CEO, Kyoorius on the takeaways from KDY 2015

    Jaldi 5 with Rajesh Kejriwal: We started work on Designyatra 2016 in June itself

    This interview ought to have appeared on Monday, but understandably Kyoorius Founder CEO was busy winding up, and couldn’t respond to these by deadline. But here we are: a quick Q&A with Rajesh Kejriwal. Read on…

     

    01. What do you think would be the biggest takeaway for delegates from the 10th edition of Kyoorius Designyatra?

    The biggest takeaway for delegates would be that if you do what pumps your heart and do it with all the passion, money will follow sooner or later. What is important is to do works that is disruptive and gives you an immense sense of satisfaction while it helps solve the problem for the client.

     

    02. Do you sometimes think that given the kind of content you have at Designyatra it would possibly be good to call it a conference on creative thinking than just design, which it actually is?

    You are right, it has moved beyond “design” in its simplistic term to creativity to innovation in a more defining manner.

     

    03. We say Ogilvy winning most Blue Elephants at the awards from amongst all entrants, and even overall ad agencies have done better than traditional design shops? Shape of things to come? Could we see design agencies getting alienated?

    I don’t think so, in fact I see it as a booster to design studios to participate more and more. Advertising agencies, by the nature of its business, have more work and more budgets. Secondly designers are normally not so kicked about awards though its slowly seeing a shift. And this shift is happening primarily because Kyoorius Awards are seen to be credible and transparent.

     

    04. So have you started preparations for Designyatra 2016? Any early indicators on what to expect?

    We started work on Designyatra 2016 in June itself. We already have a few speakers confirmed, we are firming up the theme at the moment, we will have frozen the dates in the next two weeks – so yes, preparations are in full swing.

     

    05. Ten years of Designyatra? How are you going to grow the franchise in the design arena (the Dubai and interiors/architectural design events you had once spoken of haven’t happened yet)?

    Melt happened and our other initiatives took a backseat for the moment. As Kyoorius we are very keen to do something in the realm of Space – Architecture, Interior, Furniture, Lighting, etc and we will announce something in 2016. We are now very keen to take Designyatra as a festival beyond India for the simple reason that while we have a large audience wanting to come in from various parts of Asia, we do not have the infrastructure in Goa to make this happen for beyond 1500 people.

     

  • A quick chat with the veteran media agency professional who quit Percept Media after a 12 years of association with the promoters

    Jaldi 5 with Shripad Kulkarni: Entrepeneurial spirit of Percept promoters gives a different kind of high

    He’s always understated. So rather than get that exclusive from Economic Times on his quitting, he let the news that he was moving from Percept be tucked in somewhere in a press release from the Mumbai-based media conglomerate. But with the belief that it should be the work that must do the talking, Shripad Kulkarni has now taken the plunge out of Allied Media, the company he set up and sold to Percept in 2006. His new port of call will be disclosed soon, we were told.

     

    An MBA from the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, Kulkarni has been in media from way back in 1985 when he joined Contract and later Ogilvy. Before his MBA he worked in a slew of research firms after a Master’s in statistics and a course in operations research. He has also worked with Carat as Chief Operating Officer. Excerpts from a quick chat with Shripad Kulkarni…

     

    01. Nine years at Percept is a long, looooong time. Leaving it must’ve been quite a decision. Moving out from one’s comfort zone isn’t easy…

    Yes, comfort zone is the right phrase. Actually it’s 12 years of association. And, if you are the first person moving in as the head, it has another dimension of ownership and passion which makes it difficult to leave.

     

    02. These few days before you move to your new workplace must be quite weird, especially since you’ve spent so much time at Percept. Right?

    Yes, it is a funny emptiness in the routine. A little like withdrawal symptoms when smokers quit! But spending more time at home is really good!

     

    03. Tell me, how are the Singh brothers to work with? There are some who say they are tough and crafty. But, then, there are people like you who have been with them for so long, and you aren’t the only one who has done that?

    Percept is  a one-of-its-kind institution in 360-degrees marcom. And this nobody will deny. What is unsaid is about the entrepreneural spirit the promoters infuse. This spirit is unparalleled! This is what gives a lot of people like me who have stayed long a different kind of high. And, entrepreneurial environment isn’t what all can relish or handle is what I would say in this context!

     

    04. As you look back at your last nine years at Percept Allied Media, what would be that one thing that you are very proud of having achieved?

    It is undoubtably building a team which was ranked in Top 5 in Brand Equity Reckoner within a couple of years

     

    05. Next is what? Where do you go from here?

    There are two things I will do:

    One is to take this opportunity to hit the REFRESH Button. My next assignment will be a fresh look at Marcom. We tend to look for a ‘continuous change’ which is actually finetuning of the old. Digital has ushered in a new set of Customers, whole new Customer Decision Journey and a Paradigm Shift of the Marketplace. This calls for a discontinuity in our approach to Marcom. A Rethink and Reinvention of Marcom principles as we have known so far is what this REFRESH Button is about!

     

    Second, is to do my bit on the impending talent crunch the Marcom industry is facing. I will soon start an Online MasterClass in Marcom. I am putting together a Plan of Action!