MxMIndia

Tag: The Anchor

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

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

    By Vidya Heble

     

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

     

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

     

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

     

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

     

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

     

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

     

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

    The Anchor: 6 ways a digital agency can maximize profits

    By Saurabh Parmar


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


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


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


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


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


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


    Saurabh Parmar is Founder & CEO of Brandlogist Communications

     

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

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

    By Pankaj Arora

     

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

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

     

    #2 Bijli kahaan hai bhai:

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

     

    #3 Pura maamla hai kya?

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

     

    #4 Ghar mein TV hai. Ek!

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

     

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

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

     

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

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

     

    #7 Train/ Bus mein:

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

     

    Pankaj Arora is National Planning Director at Triton Communications

     

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

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

    By A N Chorrea

     

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

     

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

     

    1. Abhigyan Prakash

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

     

    2. Arnab Goswami

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

     

    3. Ashutosh

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

     

    4. Barkha Dutt

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

     

    5. Deepak Chaurasia

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

     

    6. Mini Menon

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

     

    7. Rahul Kanwal

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

     

    8. Rajdeep Sardesai

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

     

    9. Shrivardhan Trivedi

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

     

    10. Udayan Mukherjee

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

     

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

     

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

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

    By Arun Athiappan

     

    #1 Socialisation of travel portals

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

     

    #2 Ubiquitous travel shopping

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

     

    #3 User experience as a differentiator

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

     

    #4 Rise of bus ticket booking portals

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

     

    #5 Info, info and more info!!!

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

     

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

     

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

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

    By Anirudha Mukhedkar

     

    #1 Intellectual stimulation

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

     

    #2 Creative Sensitivity

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

     

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

     

    #3 Financial Security

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

     

    #4 Recognition

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

     

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

     

    #5 Expectation and Accountability

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

     

    Anirudha Mukhedkar is the founder and CEO of Plan B

     

  • The age of TV may not be imminent yet, but the internet is a strong rival – and quality online streaming content is a big reason

    The Anchor: 5 reasons why premium online video streaming is the next big thing in India

    By Pandurang Nayak

     

    #1 The ‘screen’ is everywhere:

    Technology has enabled true convergence of content across various kinds of devices. Your phone or tablet is also your television and entertainment device. Your television is also your internet device. With the proliferation of devices, users want premium content wherever they are. The users who have their handheld device as their first computer are already here!

     

    #2 Appointment-viewing vs On-demand:

    The days of people waiting for their favourite show at a particular hour of the day is fast changing. On-demand video lets users break from the shackles of appointment-based television viewing and decide which part of the day or night they want to watch their favourite content.

     

    #3 Internet proliferation:

    Better broadband speeds and network infrastructure has meant that even people in small cities and towns have a Facebook account, share stuff online with their friends and colleagues, read news online and do more online activity than ever before. Online video consumption for short-form content has grown massively in the past few years. The surge in internet access through faster network speeds, better data plans and increased awareness means that the time is here for premium long-form content.

     

    #4 Shortening of the windows:

    Content owners are wary of rampant digital piracy and the lost opportunity of making revenue in the digital streams with genuine content. This has led to shortening of the time it takes for new releases to arrive on digital distribution platforms. Content owners have also carried out bold experiments like doing simultaneous releases or releasing on the internet first, and seen some early success.

     

    #5 Transcending boundaries:

    The internet has always helped transcend boundaries faster. With the relative simplicity of streaming content via the internet, it is easy for content owners to take their content around the world. From the user’s perspective, users can get content from all around the world sitting in one place. This opens the viewer to a world of content that was never available before and thus creates an explosion in video consumption patterns.

     

    Pandurang Nayak is Business Head, Boxtv.com

     

  • Here are six questions you need to answer before you jump on the social media bandwagon

    The Anchor: 6 things marketers must keep in mind while opting for social media

    By Ambika Sharma

     

    Everyone is on social media; we need to be present too! While this is true, what will work for your brand is probably unique to the brand. Rather than starting with “We have to have a Facebook page – let’s get one,” here are six questions you need to answer before you jump on the bandwagon.

     

    #1 What social media activities are consistent with your brand positioning? Start with your brand, and then think of social media activities and platforms that will help enhance its positioning and personality. Choose your platform carefully; it should provide you with the freedom as well as the reach to be able to communicate with your audience effectively. If you have a service with a lot to say, then you must evaluate a blog and/or forums alongside the social networks.

     

    #2 Set your expectations. What do you want from your social media presence, and how will it enhance your marketing initiative? It’s critical to list out and set expectations. This will be the first step to establishing not just the platform right but also what sets the tone of that platform.

     

    #3 Does it fit with the rest of your marketing plan? How will your social media programme take advantage of your other marketing initiatives? Social media built on advertising or promotion activity or sponsorship events have a head start. Before creating an entirely new programme, consider how you will cross-leverage existing initiatives.

     

    #4 Content is the king. Getting on social media is easy, keeping interest, excitement and relevance alive, but consistency is not so simple. Get a content plan in place. Research your consumer. What will keep him interested about your brand? Deep dive into your brand communication – what is the message that you want to reinforce? Marry the two. Keep it interesting, consistent, conversational and light.

     

    #5 Guidelines are a must. Set your organizational guidelines for social media in place. It’s a good idea to get the buy-in on all stakeholders in place. What worked for advertising will not necessarily work for social media. Be specific, for instance: what will you do if an irate consumer is vocal on your page? What is the information flow? What is the escalation plan?

     

    #6 How will you make your social presence valuable for your consumers? Social initiatives require a daily effort in customer delight and engagement. It’s imperative to have a plan in place that will chalk out a path towards the same.

     

    Ambika Sharma is MD and CEO, Pulp Strategy Communications

     

  • From keyboard to keypad, it’s a quiet little revolution

    The Anchor: 5 reasons mobile games will take over from PC games

    By Deepak Abbot

     

    #1 Mobility: One of the major reasons for mobile games to take over is the ease of accessibility. You don’t need to depend on a computer to provide entertainment. Mobile games offer you engagement on-the-go and instantly. So, while you are travelling or commuting you can still play games on your mobile unlike PCs.

     

    #2 Reach: The reach of a mobile phone is far better than that of computers. Owning a mobile phone is a common trend because of the range in terms of price. Not everybody owns a PC. Therefore, the reach of mobile games because of accessibility is much better.

     

    #3 Cost-effectiveness: India is a very price-sensitive nation. PCs are still a niche market. They are not present in every household. Whereas a mobile game comes for as cheap as Rs 5 a game, and with the current ad wrap models most popular games are available free to the consumer. This is not the case with PCs.

     

    #4 Content type: The content available on mobile phones is very snappy and snacky. Gamers have a variety of options to choose from. Also, the games available on mobile are easy to use and do not require the user to be very tech-savvy.

     

    #5 Internet and technology explosion: With the current 3G and 4G boom, everything that you could once access on PCs or laptops can now be accessed on one’s mobile. Also, with technology being on an all-time rise, the handset and smart device rates have become extremely affordable.

     

    Deepak Abbot is Head – Product, Reliance Entertainment Digital

     

  • Information, comparison, decision-making help… everything is online, and with increasing ease of internet access, it only makes sense to sell online.

    The Anchor: 5 reasons insurance should be sold online

    By Ravi Vishwanath

     

    #1 Growing number of internet users in the country. At the end of last year, India had 12.1 crore internet users and this number is expected to grow exponentially over the next five years. With this growing number of internet users in both urban and rural areas, we have already started to witness the internet’s cost-effectiveness in reaching out to consumers through online advertising, blogs, clear and succinct advertising and websites.

     

    #2 Informed decision-makers. We are witnessing tremendous growth in the level of awareness among the target market with every passing day. Our surveys show that consumers are now more willing to spend time to review the details of policies, wordings, exclusions, inclusions and benefits. People now talk about insurance policies with their friends and family in order to arrive at informed decisions. With larger accessibility to data on the digital platform along with increased investment to build awareness, we are poised to see an informed market in the days to come.

     

    #3 Ease of online product comparisons. With the advent of several insurance and personal finance portals, customers are able to gauge quality and performance of products and services. Online reviews, comparisons, listings and comparative information are just a click away and are helpful for one to take an informed decision. However, I would like to suggest that all customers take help from multiple sites.

     

    #4 Independent decisions. It is a universal truth that every individual wants to take an independent decision. With the gamut of information now available online about health insurance plans, as well as customer reviews and feedback, consumers are able to arrive at independent decisions. Today, we receive more enquiry calls on our national helpline than previous years, which signifies increasing likeability towards the sole information conduit.

     

    #5 Know your customer. With the advent of newer players and unique propositions, it has become imperative to know your customer more than ever before. Direct contact with the customers through the internet can be a catalyst in maintaining a good relationship, where everything is just one click away. Knowing the customer fully is an added advantage that can give far-reaching sustenance and value to the companies.

     

    Ravi Vishwanath is Chief Marketing Officer, Apollo Munich Health Insurance

     

  • Kiran Gopinath sees the shape of things to come in the ad network arena

    The Anchor: 5 trends to watch for in the ad network space

    By Kiran Gopinath

     

    #1 Ad networks allow advertisers to focus on audiences rather than just publisher/content-specific deals.

     

    #2 Advertisers are able to understand and target users most effectively and efficiently using ad networks.

     

    #3 Data segmentation and analytics drive advertising and marketing efficiencies on ad networks.

     

    #4 Publisher revenue yields will increase as efficiencies of inventory utilization improve.

     

    #5 Moving up the value chain to becoming digital media consultants rather than just publisher aggregators.

     

    Kiran Gopinath is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Ozone Media Solutions

     

  • In a growth economy, with a vibrant entertainment market and an eager and aware audience, there are many reasons for licensing and merchandising to succeed in the Indian market

    The Anchor: 8 reasons why the licensing & merchandising market holds promise in India

    By Jiggy George

     

    #1 India is a growth economy with a vibrant entertainment market. Television, film and sports in India have a huge audience which creates potential demand for licensed merchandise for brands and icons. Entertainment is also inexpensive in comparison to most markets; eg, you can get access to a plethora of channels for as little as Rs 300 or less a month. So, our audience is aware of brands via content.

     

    #2 Our consuming class is significantly large and have an appetite for licensed brands.

     

    #3 While entertainment licensing with brands like Tom and Jerry, Disney, WWE, Angry Birds, Power Rangers, Ben Ten and Chhota Bheem have an active kids’ audience and is one of the fastest growing segments, sports, fashion, movie and celebrity licensing are also coming to the forefront.

     

    #4 Retail is on the cusp of growth and with FDI opening up, will launch licensing into double digit growth figures in coming years.

     

    #5 With e-commerce growing at its current rapid pace, it is now possible for consumers who are aware of local and international brands, and are fans to buy licensed products on-line even if traditional and modern retail formats is unable to make it available in the towns and cities.

     

    #6 With the economy growing, there is a hunger among OEMs (original manufacturers) and large suppliers/distributors to create their own brand and identity. Licensing is an excellent method of leveraging iconic brands to launch new brands and business propositions.

     

    #7 Franchising is another area of growth which can use licensing models to create differentiated and outstanding offerings in entertainment, restaurants and retail.

     

    #8 Indian consumers are now more open to stating their identity and sporting it on their apparel, accessories and items of everyday use through brands they like, such as Mr Men (with characters like Mr Happy, Mr Strong, Little Miss Sunshine etc), WWE, Superman, Batman, Shrek, Angry Birds and others.

     

    Jiggy George is founder and CEO, Dream Theatre Pvt Ltd