Tag: The Anchor

Over the last few months, we have been bringing you various comments from industry stakeholders and the MxMIndia team that were part of the MxMIndia Annual 2012 published last year. We had fun bringing these to you online as we did in print… hope you found them interesting and adding value to your perspectives on the business. The last of these is by our editor-in-chief and CEO, Pradyuman Maheshwari. Meanwhile, work on the Annual 2013 has just begun… look out for it!

 

The problem with annuals and anniversary specials is that they are big and fat and while we all enjoy breezing through the pages and appreciate the great work done, most often we keep them aside and never really get back to reading them again.

 

My own workdesk has some of these tomes, a few over a decade old.

 

So what should a publication barely a year in the business have as the theme of its Annual?

 

We’re living in a world where the attention span is sub-140 characters. Given this, we went ahead with a brief to industry captains and leaders: give us ‘One Big Idea’ for the business of media and advertising, in not more than 250 words.

 

There are some who have kind-of stuck to the brief. Many others haven’t. But we didn’t go about trimming these. So enjoy the Big ideas, some of these really biiiiiig!

 

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It wasn’t easy putting together the Annual. We are working with a small editorial and business team. The team which produced this also works on the daily online edition. But it was fun. Many, many thanks to all those who’ve helped with the cause… especially Alok Kapuria and Johnson Napier who’ve been at it for over a month.

 

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So what’s my One Big Idea for the industry? I don’t think there’s one idea that fits all. Or perhaps there is: Transparency.

 

When MxMIndia set up operations in June 2011 and launched the site a few months later, one of the first things we did was to set up a Code of Ethics. Now, why have a Code when doing business ethically and with credibility ought to be a given?

 

I am often reminded that it’s tough being ethical when you’re running a business. My retort: does this mean a hospital is right in administering sub-standard drugs to ensure profitability? Isn’t it wrong for an educational institute to dupe students with false claims and promises?

 

There are inefficiencies at all levels in our country, so why bother when it plagues media and advertising? According to me, once the media is cleansed, our society will also rid itself of a lot of ills.

 

Guess it’s time to give a wake-up call to ourselves: Jaago Re!

 

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It’s been an enjoyable 15 months bringing you MxMIndia. My sincere thanks to all those who believed in us. To our friends and families, who’ve stood by us. To the industry and professionals who’ve had the faith in us.

 

We weren’t the first in the business. There was a slowdown looming. In fact we were badly hit by it. We made many of the mistakes that start-ups make. We’re possibly still making them.

 

However, we’ve got our basics in order. In the niche media, it’s critical to ensure editorial integrity. While it’s not a crime to be profitable, it’s imperative that you don’t sell your editorial columns for cash. And don’t give away awards for a consideration or to curry favour.

 

Our credo is simple: we write about people and entities even if they don’t advertise with us. And we don’t necessarily write about them just because they advertise.

 

It’s worked so far. My brief to the MxM editorial team is: engage with one and all. Stay in touch with them, and don’t worry whether or not they are advertising with us.

 

This Annual is a testimony of the MxM way.

 

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It’s a tightrope walk for me as editor and business head. In the light of the controversy around the arrest of two TV news executives, one of who wore the twin hats of editorial and business head, I have been wondering whether I should give up one of these roles. Unfortunately, the size of our operations doesn’t allow for this to happen. Not yet. However, I can assure you that there’s a Chinese wall up there in my head which ensures that we stick to our core editorial values. Even as we strive to make monies.

 

We are looking at coming to you in a printed form more regularly. Until then, enjoy the MxMIndia experience online. Alag chhe! Or should I say: Industry wohi, Soch nayi?

 

Pradyuman Maheshwari

Editor-in-Chief and CEO

Email: pradyumanm@mxmindia.com

BBM: 29FEA79C

 

By KV (Pops) Sridhar, Chief Creative Officer, Indian sub-continent, Leo Burnett

 

The last few decades of India have witnessed a plethora of changes, myriad remarkable ideas and lots of inspirational work leading to the progress of mankind at a staggering rate. Some ideas out of these have transformed the way we think, act and live today. We as a country have been riding on the shoulders of such giants to storm the gates of progress. However, if I have to put my finger on the single biggest game-changing idea that has influenced our present and future, it has to be the advent of technology which has transcended the boundaries of just connecting people to giving immense power in their hands.

 

It took us nearly 50 years to cross the 10 million landlines mark post-Independence, but less than 15 years to cross the 900 million mark in mobile connections as of now. Technology has a way of bringing about change faster than one can anticipate. The arrival of smartphones plus 4G combined with entertainment has turned out to be revolutionary. Imagine the sheer power of the combination of smartphones and 4G if they are available at cheaper prices. The most powerful tool in the hands of man has been technology, which has redefined the rules of the game. Today, a smartphone empowers us in a way that was hard to imagine a few years ago, allowing people to interact even without the knowledge of language by a slight touch of a tiny icon. 4G enables you to have entertainment at a pace that leaves us gasping for more.

 

How smartphones have been embraced by our country itself is amazing. We essentially are a ‘voice country’ where we call more rather than send SMSes or voice messaging. We like to talk to a person directly. With smartphones, without even typing a single word one can get to know the weather report, or by a single touch speak to anyone. The array of apps that comes with it takes us into a world that we never even dared to dream of earlier. So much empowerment and knowledge in our hands at all times seems at times too good to be true.

 

With 4G the smartphone user base in the country is certain to shoot up from the current numbers of 27 million. Suddenly it will change the way people live in the country, making it one of the biggest game-changers of the future. Smartphones powered by 4G and packed with entertainment at a cost less than a tankful of petrol ( for cars) will alter the way we live our lives and embark on our progress.

 

We are talking about a storm that is rising. People are hearing and watching everything through this device. People today are living their lives through this device. Thanks to smartphones, the position of mobile phones has shifted from beside the ear to in front of the eyes. This is going to have a tremendous impact and bring a change to people’s lives taking it ahead of its times. Imagine an Indian version of Siri in 3000 dialects of Indian languages. This is where the power of technology and future lies.

 

By Ananya Saha

 

How many of us have mentors in the industry? By a mentor, I do not imply a person corrects, as grammar and the like can now be corrected by MS Word (only if one is open to competition from a comp), but someone who can lead them ethically. A lot of us entered the field wanting to be P Sainath or Prannoy Roy. Are we not disillusioned when we work in this industry for paycheques rather than creative satisfaction or ethical reporting?

 

From Copy Writing to Reporting to Editing to PR to what not (change it in whatever order you prefer) to finally quitting the industry altogether: is the story that is generally becoming the norm. Is there anyone who can stop and ask us: ‘what are you exactly looking for?’ Or tell us if we are not cut for it? Or guide us and take us to the next level from ‘stuck in the rut’ to a ‘passionate vocation’? I am sure that media is not losing talent for it will attract many more as semester ends. But media is losing the faith. Who is responsible?

 

By Kishor Kate

 

My job requires me to be a Jack of all trades. So even though I don’t actually write stories or go on sales calls, everytime I answer a phone call and take the message, I have to digest the information that is being handed down. By now, I know what the message really means when I hand it over to the team. When I visit other offices for submission of invoices or collection of cheques, I notice the congenial atmosphere that exists in most media companies. At first I used to think it’s because of the relations of the respective bosses, but I know find it a common trait of media companies. This is not necessarily the case elsewhere where everything is a lot more formal. It is always good for people to enjoy their work and have fun at their workplace without sacrificing on discipline.

 

What I find noteworthy in my job and it’s perhaps my ‘One Big Idea’ for the industry is our clear policy about gifts. As per the Code of Ethics, we don’t accept most festive giftables. You are most often greeted with a grunt, but recently when a courier company representative praised us for our policy, I felt good about it. It’s the right thing to do. I hope all media companies adopt this as their ‘Big Idea’.

 

By Rafiq Barak

 

As someone who is into design, for me the way things look is very, very important. Thankfully, in the last two decades or so, Indian media companies have started concentrating on the look-and-feel of their properties. Remember Doordarshan… it appears now that no one was really bothered. The news background, the ‘Rukawat ke liye khed hai’ announcements were all-so-pedestrian.

 

Most newspapers too didn’t care too much design, and it was left to the magazines to offer jobs to art directors. Things changed dramatically from the early 1990s, as competition grew stiffer.

 

And it’s interesting to see design virtually driving content, along with advertisers who have grabbed the opportunity to play around in the hitherto-sacrosanct editorial space.

 

At MxMIndia, I am happy to see a fair amount of importance given to design. Our homepage is clutter-free, with very easy navigation. Although it’s an internet news portal, the approach is magazine-ish. Every morning, or the evening before, we work on the Big Story image. Often there is no clear visual possible. It’s tough, it’s fun. Like the life and times we live in.

 

By Johnson Napier

 

An idea, it is said, has the innate ability to strike when one least expects it. If we were to go back in time over the past few years and look up ideas that were discovered by its inventors, most could be attributed as being born at the spur of the moment. But while the basic premise for an idea is for it to be converted into an actionable force, not many go on to achieve that milestone. If we consider the realm of media and ponder over ideas that have managed to bring about a change in the recent past, the list would be an endless one. But ask anybody who comes from a media background in India about ideas by individuals/organisation that have changed the business environment and one name that would find a quick mention is Zee Group. Not that the others have not done enough but we don’t need to be told what the Subhash Chandra-led Zee Group managed to do when it bought in digitisation in the early 90s thereby pioneering the Indian cable and satellite television industry or the changes that it bought about in the woefully cluttered broadcast environment by flagging off its direct-to-home initiative.

 

Like Zee, there are several examples that one can boast of to drive home the point that our industry indeed has what it takes to get us going. But then the thing about ideas is that they need to keep evolving constantly and cannot be stopped even momentarily. After all, the industry has leapfrogged many a milestone to reach where it is today and to be ready to embrace the future it has to stay prepared today. And, as we’d all like to believe, it is only by the power of one big idea can we rise above the horizon and be an example worthy of emulation.

 

By Shruti Pushkarna

 

When I was asked to write this piece, I was totally blank. We keep complaining about the industry and how things are but when confronted with the question, “What’s my one big idea for the media sector?” I couldn’t put my finger on any one thing in specific.

 

I have been part of this industry for around seven years now and much has changed over the years, technology for one has changed the way we function at various levels. While there is hue and cry over how Internet is the next big thing or not even next, ‘Internet’ is the big thing, the reality is still very different in some aspects.

 

Talking from my personal experience, whenever I have approached industry people for video interviews, (and I have shot quite a few for MxMIndia in the past one year), their first response is of excitement, excitement from being featured on camera, but the minute you tell them it’s for the Web, the excitement levels go down a bit because the web is not ‘television’.

 

Somehow television still remains the bigger medium (while that is true in terms of visibility) but for change to come, there needs to be a change in perception, of course apart from infrastructural development for other mediums to thrive and become as popular. The Media needs to be more neutral in approach I think, the content should matter more than the medium. If people in the trade will differentiate between formats (web vs. TV vs. print), then how do we expect to reach a level of convergence for the mass consumers?

 

By Tuhina Anand

 

The media and advertising sector needs a major shake-up to bring back their shine. This can only happen if the industry is able to attract the right kind of talent and most importantly is able to nurture its existing talent. The industry is made by its people and if you have best of talent it will reflect on the work that the industry will produce. Most importantly it’s not just enough to attract that talent but also being able to retain and nurture the talent so that there is constant motivation and encouragement to continue doing the good work.

 

The industry needs to look beyond the predictable places from where they usually get talent. There is a need to come out of the boxes they have created for themselves within which they try to fit in a person’s skill and qualifications and if that doesn’t happen it doesn’t work. But that should not be the case. Instead, scout for talent at the most unlikely places and then nurture them to become the future leaders. The idea being that the industry needs to give up their biases when zeroing in on a talent and they will be amazed with the quality of people that might emerge from their unconventional approach.

 

By Alok Kapuria

 

It was interesting to have launched MxMIndia around the time when the slowdown was just beginning to set in. But having experienced troubled times in 2008-09, this one appeared to be smooth sailing. Thankfully, marketing spends haven’t come to a stop as media companies have been advertising, albeit with care.

 

The first item of consumption that is normally axed is marketing. Compromises over content comes next. And payroll third. When adspends reduce, it’s natural that media companies will be impacted first. However, cutting marketing expenses can be self-defeating as competitive pressures require at least some salience of a brand. It’s hence vital that when funds are available, media brands do not exhaust all their resources in one burst. That’s possibly the easiest way to survive the slowdown. It’s vital that the right buying decisions are taken… consume only what offers maximum bang for the buck.

 

As a sales person with relationships with clients built over the years, it’s my endeavour to ensure the good health of a brand and hence the longevity of the communication. There have been times where I have even advised clients to spread their spends. For, it is in the success of a client that my (and our) success lies.

 

Digitization, more advanced telecom and computing technology and manifold use of digital devices are sure to effect tectonic changes in the media over the next few years.

 

Adspends in India will be the 10th highest globally by 2017, as per the forecast from Magna Global. This could even happen earlier. But only those who are fit and have sound leadership will survive and thrive.

 

By Vidya Heble

 

The big idea in media and advertising cannot be anything other than Clarity. Clarity in communication, thinking and action. Whether it is a news item or an advertisement, the aim is to communicate, and effective communication begins with clear thinking.

 

The outcome could be an easy-to-understand Tanishq Solitaire TVC, or a slightly more involved Vodafone Birthday commercial with an old man and a small boy. As I write, the air rings with “Hello honey bunny, honey bunny, toko toko.” It doesn’t matter what it is; like Kolaveri Di, it has stuck. For me, this is effective and if the purpose of the commercial is to make a tune and a brand sticky, then it has worked. I like ads that don’t pretend to be something they are not.

 

This goes for news, too. When a leading daily sang the praises of an industrial baron without touching on the negative aspects of his business practices which were even then in the news, a puzzled member of my family said, “This reads like an advertisement.” That, I explained, was probably because it was just that – a “news item” that had been paid for. Such obfuscation is the downfall of media. And the enemy of clarity.

 

This concept of clarity is in sync with MxMIndia’s credo of integrity, because clear thinking stems from straightforwardness of purpose. It’s not a new thing – Bill the Bard said it, back when: “This above all, to thine own self be true.” If you make compromises at the thinking stage itself, this reflects in the communication chain, be it advertising, PR or media.

 

And when effective communication is the goal, accuracy goes hand in hand with clarity. It is no use sending out a message if you have spelt the client’s name wrong, or misrepresented a fact. Which is why getting it right is important. Also.

 

By Ritu Midha

 

Context is the new key to ‘right’ communication. Content and consumer – what you want to say, and to whom, no doubt, continue to be the most important elements of communication strategy.

 

However, the context needs to be given far more importance than it is usually done – more so on television. More often than not advertisements stick like sore thumbs in ad breaks – what if a little more attention is paid to the content of the programmes, in which the ad is appearing? Would it benefit or harm an ad, if it is shown in a more apt programme at the loss of a few ad ratings?

 

The content also determines the audiences, and also their mood. Agreed that an ad does not appear only once in a day, and hence it is difficult to find correct matches – but is finding the correct context also that difficult? Most certainly not.

 

No doubt an ad has to be good enough, has to have the pull power to capture the consumers’ attention. Having said that, it being presented in the right context would make all the difference. At the risk of stretching my neck out I would say, a slightly weaker (which definitely does not mean dull and boring) ad might work better for a brand, than a ‘cool’ ad presented out of context.

 

By Anil Thakraney

 

I think time has come to do away with the traditional creative department in the ad agency. There should be just one creative director in each office, and he/she must assign work to experts from different fields on various campaigns. This will bring in fresh, relevant energies to the brands, and it will lead to sparkling work. Need a long copy press ad with a serious tone? Invite a journalist to write it. Need a totally filmy treatment for a wood polish TVC? Invite a Bollywood script writer to work on it. Need a 360 degree campaign for a shampoo brand? Invite a funky hair stylist to do the honours. Need a campaign for a real estate project? Invite a Hafeez Contractor to your office. And so on.

 

This will not only help agencies cut the cost of huge salaries in a big way, their brands will benefit from new ideas and new ways of approaching communication. From professionals who would naturally know a great deal about their field of activity. The main problem with the current format is that creative personnel in ad agencies work on multiple brands at one go, and therefore their knowledge level and interest in many product categories is very limited. Many don’t even possess the desire to dig deeper for insights, and this leads to predictable, uninspired work. Even the hotshot names are able to deliver only one or two good ads in a year. This rotting system needs to be demolished.

 

The ad world needs to look outside for solutions. It’s time to quit being insular.

 

– The writer is a senior journalist and commentator based in Mumbai. He is also Editor-at-Large, MxMIndia