Tag: The Anchor

By Prabhakar Mundkur, Executive Director, Percept / H

 

When the Russians invented the Sputnik in 1957 everyone thought this was an innovation in space technology with military applications. As it turned out in retrospect, it was an innovation for communications. It became the first satellite in space, just the size of a basketball, which weighed about 183 pounds, and took 98 minutes to orbit the earth in its elliptical orbit.

 

The idea of wireless itself is not new. Remember your first radio transistor? Radio waves transmit music, conversations, pictures and data through the air over millions of kilometers. Radio waves are invisible and completely undetectable by humans. Whether we are talking about a cellphone, a cordless phone or a thousand other technologies all of them use radio waves to communicate. Even things like radar and microwave ovens depend on radio waves. So is this the end of where wireless can take us?

 

All of us have a few dusty power cord tangles around our home. Behind the TV, behind the audio system, behind our desktops… How often have you followed that one particular wire through its various snarls right to the power outlet hoping you are going to pull out the right plug? So I guess you know what I’m getting at. What if you could use those same radio waves that transmit to your cellphone, TV, and wi-fi, to transmit power to your devices? The idea is futuristic but it is not entirely new. The electric toothbrush is a first step in this direction. The toothbrush’s daily exposure to water makes it potentially dangerous were it to charge through a ordinary power charger. Electric toothbrushes recharge through inductive coupling, which again is not new.

 

So imagine a world without power cords. Now add that to your existing digital world of TV, computers, cellphones, iPods, iPads, Facebook, Twitter and other media.
The future of the internet and internet-based technologies may well be cutting our umbilical cord with the power outlet!

 

By Ankur Warikoo, CEO, Groupon India

 

The next big idea for the Indian industry is local e-commerce – defined as buying and selling of products that are distance- or location-dependent. Think of restaurants, beauty and wellness services, and health services.

 

Over 70 per cent of the Indian retail segment constitutes local trade, with food dominating it. This segment is not only a high-purchase-frequency segment (compared to traditional product e-commerce), it is suffering from lack of marketing innovation from the business side.

 

For the customer, the introduction of local e-commerce is inevitable. India is perhaps the only country where internet penetration has almost magically timed itself with the average population age. We have half the population aged below 27 years, making us one of the youngest countries in the world – and an internet penetration that is only scratching the surface. This population has grown up on the Internet and is willing to transact. Compare that with developed economies, where it is the older generation, hard-wired to traditional media, that is driving the Internet and its use. The convenience of buying services only, as against products, is new for the customer but one that is inescapable.

 

For businesses, the digital platform will prove to be a blessing. For years, traditional forms of advertising such as newspaper, local cable, direct marketing have been non-measurable and expensive ways of marketing. Digital introduces them to a new way of marketing – one that is measurable, controllable, customizable and relevant.
India is unique in several ways. I believe we are at the cusp of one more such unique feature. That’s becoming the world’s biggest country in local e-commerce.

 

By Ameer Ismail, Executive Director, Lowe Lintas and Partners

 

India is a land of opportunity and contradictions, one moment we are basking in glory with India Shining, the next we are being perceived as the corruption capital of the world where there is policy paralysis and constant downgrading of our ratings and status… the imagery has moved from shining tall towers to masses of humanity struggling to get something as basic as clean water and electricity. In this crazy dichotomy, what are we? What is our edge? Are we future ready…or just confused?

 

We are rich in human capital…not only in numbers but in our ability to create and innovate. Our problem is we don’t have the collective wisdom to harness this power and use it to make a positive change for society. Media is also changing and evolving rapidly. This is where we as communications professionals need to do more. We have the capability and connect to make things happen. We have the potential to be creative, we have access to the masses through various platforms and media and we have a strong connect with Corporate India.

 

So far, we, as a collective group, have not harnessed this – the power of communication. Glimpses of this potential have been seen with successful campaigns that have started looking at societal issues. Impactful change can be only made if we get together and define a collective roadmap for the future. We have enough ability to turn perception around for the country and we must!

 

By Anita Nayyar, CEO, Havas Media, India and South Asia

 

We’ve seen an overall degrowth in readership for magazines and newspapers what with the fight for eyeballs across print and digital media formats; and both of them growing in the number of publications and offerings.

 

However, the differentiator needs to be not quantity but quality underscoring engagement and understanding of the reader. This is key to attract the advertiser to whom an engaged reader is the ultimate.

 

While newspapers by the pure habit of news consumption are leafed through, magazines really offer a relevant editorial environment: an environment which can be enjoyed at leisure; an environment which lends itself beautifully to the product category.

 

The positive exploitation of this environment is what will alter their scope. It has been seen that advertising in the relevant editorial environment enhances the chances of the advertising being noticed and retained.

 

To thrive, an ecosystem needs not a single element but multiple and complementary ones.

 

Magazines will need clutter-breaking innovations eg inventive use of the double page, say a housing project, instead of a flat print, could display as a 3-D cut-out; product experience in terms of shape, smell and touch; etc. Yet, done in silos or overdone, they will soon be stale.

 

Integrated offerings can and are opening up a lot of vistas for ad revenue where publications can use the muscle of their own group or forge alliances with non-competing yet complementary sister media. While larger media houses like BCCL, Jagran, HT, Bhaskar, etc. are soon adapting the art of integration, the seamless offer and execution across media is what will create the difference.

 

Specialized information will win hands down. General Knowledge Today is placed second as the content is relevant and meaningful to the reader. Magazines have tremendous scope to create for their customer /reader once they have defined him.

 

Online or in a magazine the user, here the reader is a customer with similar needs. Actively engaging him will make him a major shareholder in the magazine. Allowing a page or edit by specific target groups such as Student/CEO/Housewife and actively marketing and promoting user-generated content will put the magazine in the spotlight.
In tandem all of these will create considerable mindspace.

 

By Vishal Gondal, Managing Director, Digital, DisneyUTV

 

Did you know that 19 out of 24 apps are free on the iOS App Store and these apps still manage to draw millions of dollars’ worth revenues? ‘Free’ is the next big thing for sure! For content developers, the freemium model is fast emerging as the most profitable way to go. The term ‘freemium’ is devised using two powerful words ‘Free’ and ‘Premium’.

 

Freemium is offering an app, product or service free of charge while charging a premium for advanced features, functionality or related products and services. That blend of free and premium is only slowly taking off in the traditional apps market in the West, but it has grabbed the mobile market and it is not letting go. And why would they, these freemium apps induce user engagement, help build communities and spread a good word around too.

 

The Freemium model is viable and lets the user make a decision on whether he would like to pay for it or not. India, which is a price sensitive market is apt for this business model where the developers allow the users to make a purchasing decision after they have tried the product. This ability of the business model works wonderfully well and has users worldwide who are paying for content. Once adopted the freemium content will also catch the eye advertisers who are still grappling with the idea to reach out to the digital audience. Best thing about this model – can be adopted by games, video apps, music apps and more! A handful of digital content developers have started to adopt this strategy in India and I hope to see this number grow in the next 18-24 months.

 

By Harshad Jain, Business Head – Radio and Entertainment, HT Media Ltd

 

Till some years back, radio listening meant music consumption! Listeners switched between radio channels during jock talk. Over a period of time the scenario has gradually changed and radio programming has moved towards music plus category. When I say Music Plus, I am referring to entertainment and content that drives appointment listening and audiences specially tune into a channel to hear a particular show/program. This trend has been largely prevalent in case of television but radio has also started reflecting drift with the help of differential programming. Be it radio dramas or reality based programming content, the Indian radio industry is evolving with the consumer.

 

Did anyone think that Ramayana could be repackaged for radio? Or that a radio campaign could help jail inmates start a new life? Yes, that’s the power of radio and content like this is the next big thing in the radio industry. Radio is a free medium; a listener today has sufficient options to move between radio stations for his choice of content. Therefore brands need to offer content that is unique and helps them be differentiated.

 

At Fever 104 FM, we were the first to spot this trend and have tasted this success at various occasions. Be it Radio Dramas like Gandhi, Bose, Bal Gopal or reality pieces like Sachin Ki Sadak, Fever Ka Asar, Sharad Ki Madad, Reliance iDream etc we have been able to offer our listeners engaging content that is beyond music.

 

By Dhunji S Wadia, President, Everest Brand Solutions

 

Consider this..

1. The CEO of a large MNC agency confidently proclaims, “Digital is the Future.” We are in 2012, pal – wake up!

2. Yet another takes pride in the fact that he doesn’t know how to switch on his computer.

3. One of them gets his PA to print all his e-mails and then dictates his responses and forwards to her.

4. One reads out ‘tweets’ to his PA, from whichever part of the world he is, in for onward transmission.

5. And almost all have a TV commercial/ print campaign in mind even before receiving the brief from the client.
If there’s one Big Idea that can be a gamechanger, then it would be for industry heads to wake up to the new reality; by modifying their on-going lip service towards the digital world and consumer engagement.

 

Close to 3.5 billion brand conversations happen in public every day – therefore it is time for agencies to master the art of listening to what’s happening out there.

 

The role of the agency should be to facilitate conversations as opposed to the current formula of orchestrating advertising campaigns. The consumer is now a creator/sharer/distributor; we need to learn to harness and inspire that. Today, consumers trust consumers more than they trust brands; we need to mobilize fans and followers to evangelize on our behalf.

 

Even marketers will move to the concept of a new communication entity – one that shifts from creating messages to creating consumer connections.

 

Over time, traditional agencies will have very little option other than to make this shift; they will start by connecting with consumer communities and will eventually become an integral part of them.

 

Too many agencies still are not making themselves an integral part of the new reality. The old system of agencies employing a few creative teams to come up with agenda-setting ideas simply doesn’t make sense in a digital era where ideas can and should come from anywhere.

 

You can’t start a fire without a spark. Clear the clouds in your mind. Come out of the woodwork. Burn the deadwood. Clear the cobwebs. Wake up. Interact with what’s happening out there. Engage your consumer. And become part of the new reality.

 

By Anurag Bhatnagar, Head, Media Contacts, India, Havas Digital

 

2013 will be an interesting mix of how brands and businesses continue to leverage social media coupled with digital activations. Will there be one defining idea? Not really. What we expect to happen is that brands will learn from their experience of 2012 (which is really the year of social media) of how to optimise their digital touchpoints.

 

Financial services, travel, e-commerce retailers will continue to leverage search as the primary channel for lead generation. For more brand led campaigns, we see a rising trend using video and social media activations as a preferred means of connecting with their consumers.

 

Today most publishers are geared to deliver video ads and we will see a greater use of this. Among the choices available, mobile will also play a significant role as a choice of connect with consumers through custom applications and more targeted campaigns.

 

Also, hyper targeting will allow brands to send more specific creative messaging to a greater segmented audience. The structural problems do remain however – lack of publisher data, consumer insights data coupled with clients’ unwillingness to invest deeply in analytics keeps the whole ROI conversation on digital stoked.

 

By Sriram Kilambi, President, Bloomberg TV India

 

A lot of us would remember this quote by Mahatma Gandhi hanging from our local grocer that went: “A consumer is the most important visitor on our premises. He is not dependent on us; we are on him. He is not an interruption to our work; he is the purpose of it. We are not doing a favour to a consumer by giving him an opportunity. He is doing us a favour by giving an opportunity to serve him.”

 

Indian consumers’ demand for goods and services has been growing with the integration of global markets and more importantly, there is growing quality awareness amongst the average consumers. As the Indian consumer matures, tastes are evolving rapidly and savvy marketers will need to keep pace with the change to survive.

 

The Mahatma’s words hold true for the Indian media as well. The media has to cater to the consumer’s varied needs and provide news that is useful, current and local. The opening up of the media landscape and the advent of international media houses saw the Indian players not just brush up their reportage but also the presentation of news.

 

If one looks at the business news genre, channels have realized that the Indian consumer is not satisfied with just news reporting but is more keen on understanding the effect of the news on their day-to-day life as well as on their profession and professional life. With globalization and opening up of the Indian economy, business news channels have broad-based their reportage to bringing on-board industry experts, bureaucrats and even international experts to analyze every incident, irrespective of it occurring at home or across the globe.

 

While news reportage is changing, players in the business news genre have understood that their viewers don’t want to be fed the stock and trade news on a 24×7 basis but also content that appeal to their intelligence and emotional quotient.

 

Bloomberg TV India, with the advantage of being a part of the global Bloomberg network, spotted this trend quite early and started tweaking its content to suit the consumers’ palate. Shows like Fight Back, The Assignment, The Date, The Pitch, and the recently launched mega debate series The Outsider with Tim Sebastian are testimony to the channel adapting to the viewers’ choice.

 

The Indian business news consumer, apart from demanding content suiting his choice, wants it on an as-it-happens basis. The internet explosion, advent of 3G, smartphones and tablets in India has made that possible. All telecom service providers are today offering 3G services, and media houses offer apps on smartphones and tablets which help the consumer to stay in touch with the happening around him/her in real time.

 

In a nutshell, the future for the media lies in keeping a finger on the pulse of the ever-changing needs of the consumer and staying in sync with it. Apart from that, media houses will have to ensure that the reportage and the presentation appeals to consumer and excites him enough to stay loyal. After all, the consumer is the king and we service providers have to bow to his wishes.

 

By Upen Rai, COO & Executive Director, Ant Farm

 

One wished that it was simple as one big idea and the pace of the digital industry could change – the only common thing is change! Followed by adoption and application. To dwell on the one big idea may really not be the ideal way as most of the thoughts and ideas every day/night is that one big idea until the next one stares us in the face!!

 

What does the industry thrive on? It’s only one common factor and that is people, audiences, traffic, and engagement with them. My bet is on mobile. With over 900 million subscribers it’s a matter of time before mobile actually runs our lives – how do we keep the audiences engaged with their devices and how do we help them perform better in whatever field they are related to…

 

Today most application developers are busy finding that ‘niche’ to operate in and help ease the burden of the consumer; however, there is no universal app which can multitask. During such instances, the big idea will come when one single app can multitask for you – from tutoring, to local, to finance to dating to recipes etc all rolled into one big idea. That will be the day when the mobile will become the mother of all utility devices.

 

So you will have less clutter on your screen, not have to download a newer app all the time and all you need to do is download this one app; and multitask! This coupled with the ease in bandwidth and lower cost is a sure-shot winner – move this on to digital and you are set – populate this on Social and get the fans going…

 

So developers out there, here is your chance.

 

Go for it!

 

By Pawan Jailkhani, Chief Revenue Officer, 9X Media Group

 

Music is one of the oldest genres in the Indian television space. What started out as a two-channel category has now grown to about 60 national and regional music channels of which Hindi music forms a formidable chunk. Today, these channels are dishing out back-to-back movie songs, but their airtime was once ruled by the Indian pop music fraternity.

 

The early 90s were a defining period for the Indian music industry with artistes like Alisha Chinai, Anaida, Baba Sehgal and Lucky Ali becoming household names; but they faded into oblivion just as quickly as they rose. Many believe that the age of Indipop has passed for good; but has it? Every now and then, an album by the likes of Kailash Kher, Sonu Nigam, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan or the Pakistani group Strings makes us wonder. So here are six reasons why we think the genre may see resurgence:

 

1. Limited opportunities in Bollywood: A deluge of talent hunt shows has provided the platform to showcase India’s talent but has not provided the means to sustain them. While some break into Bollywood, the rest are left high and dry. Associating with fellow talent could help these artistes carve out a space for themselves.

 

2. Technological advantage: What once led to the industry’s downfall could well be its saviour. Social media, video sharing sites, online releases and viral popularity (eg Kolaveri Di) can be tapped to reach audiences.

 

3. Different people, different tastes: Global exposure and access to variety has led to immense fragmentation. There is a market for everything as long as the talent is good and differentiated.

 

4. Digitization: As digitization grows, disparity in distribution will diminish, compounding the need for differentiation among music channels. Finding and supporting new talent could be the next wave in the industry.

 

5. Independent artistes and bands: Many Indian rock bands and independent talent have developed a loyal fan base in their geographies. A music video could give them the exposure for national and even international recognition.

 

6. Copyright Bill: The new copyright bill makes it possible for artistes to generate royalty revenues from multiple avenues. This should generate more confidence in the industry’s ability to survive.