Advertising in Kolkata – time to look beyond, observe experts
Kolkata chapter of the Business Today Crossfire looked deep into the city, the psyche of the people and lacuna in coming up of age as an advertising hub. Moderator Suhel Seth and speakers Ram Ray and Ishan Raina – all acknowledged Kolkata as the cit
For ages, Kolkata has been famed for its thoughtfulness, creative idealism and intellectual contributions. And, all this was reiterated in the words of Business Today Crossfire moderator Suhel Seth, chief executive of Equus Red Cell. “Kolkata is a land of fertile imagination. It is the city that allows people to think. It is a city that breathes and helps others to breathe,” he avowed while kicking off the Kolkata chapter of the six-city advertising debate on Friday evening at Taj Bengal.
“There are more talks and less actions, more thoughts and less do, more ‘adda’ and less work,” rued Seth while offering his views on the features that describe quintessential Kolkata. He invited Ram Ray, Chairman, Response Group and Ishan Raina, CEO, Euro RSCG, India & Middle East to debate out the evening’s topic – ‘Advertising in Kolkata: Ideas or Business’.
Ray was not ready to accept that ideas and business could be two distinct dimensions in the advertising industry. “I believe advertising is the business of ideas,” the veteran adman began his speech, “There has been a mental floss that advertising in Kolkata has lost its teeth.” Snubbing to be called a debater, he preferred to present a picture of what the opinion makers in Kolkata think about the industry. Ray’s ‘Mindbytes’ reflected a holistic image of the business in the city – observed and studied by different people with varied viewpoints.
As Ray read out the observation of Selvel’s Noomi Mehata, media was highlighted to enjoy a better stand compared to agencies. She advised the city to forget deserters and encourage proselytes. Amitabha Sinha of Rediffusion and MS Balaji of JWT were quite optimistic. They felt the market was upbeat with more and more local converts beginning to invest in brand building exercise and real estate, healthcare, hospitality and many other sectors coming up of age in the city – helping the business gather new momentum. Pawan Lohia of Radiant Advertising was of the belief that commodification of the market was complete. But Rajlakshmi Menon of Times Of India found the industry not in a promising state.
The presentation turned exciting with Ray putting up dissenting views. Thoughtshop’s Meera Kakkar felt while clients were more focused on the below-the-line activities, agencies were turning self-destructive with mismanagement. Deepak Pramanik of Access Ability, in his elaborate analysis, observed the curve was on the rise with retail advertising fast coming up as a potential domain. He felt there was a potential territory in the as-yet-unexplored markets of North East and Bangladesh.
To keep alive the atmosphere of a debate, Seth interrupted in an eristic intent, asking whether people should now on move to Bangladesh instead of heading for Delhi or Mumbai for businesses.
Ray, however, carried on without being needled. Quoting Indrani Sen of Mindshare, he said brand building had limited scopes in Kolkata as regional marketers were not so keen on this. While the who’s who of the industry so far maintained a soft tone even being sceptic, Lowe’s Sandip Choudhury, Bates’ Asish Palchoudhury and Sandip Ghosh of The Telegraph were forthright in calling the situation ‘very bad’.
The Rs 500-crore advertising market in Kolkata is the pastureland for over 250 agencies of different sizes. “Medium and small agencies are maintaining a healthy bottomline,” claimed Ray, “Business has grown by 50 per cent – from Rs 289 crore in 2003 to Rs 350 crore this year.”
Interestingly, the latest Business Today consumer survey report claimed, East had recorded a five percent growth in job expectation of the people in the next year. This has a strong point in establishing the fact that East was on a swing – with Kolkata being the nerve-centre.
Though the debate didn’t centre round the suggested topic, the ambience was exciting. While Ray took the stand of ideas, Raina preferred the business aspect. With both the speakers and the moderator looking at the city from different angles, Kolkata as a city of ideas remained the theme of the evening.
In a humorous tone, Raina pointed out that Kolkata always had ideas and someone else had the business. “Lipton, Britannia, ITC….there are lots that are ideated in Kolkata but flourished and developed elsewhere,” lamented Raina. Highlighting the want of a national brand from the city, he said, “There are KC Das, PC Chandra, Ananda and many other local brands that are famed across the country but they always suffered a national presence.”
When Seth asked both the speakers about what was fundamentally wrong with the city for not coming up to the level with other major cities, Raina quipped: “In Kolkata, owners are rich but companies are poor.” Ray, however, felt most of the Kolkata brands were inward bound.
On the subject of marketing brand Kolkata, both the debaters agreed on a point that insight mattered the most. Calling advertising as the business of unique re-configuration of existing ideas, Ray said successful advertising was all about creating communication that would pull the consumer to the product and the brand. Perceiving the need of the hour for advertising in Kolkata, he advised, “It is the time to re-engineer….enter the brand into business, blueprinting marketing plan…..and above all, we need to learn to listen.”
Read more news about (internet advertising India, internet advertising, advertising India, digital advertising India, media advertising India)
For more updates, be socially connected with us onInstagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook Youtube & Whatsapp
TOP STORIES
E4M Our strategy is to target younger audiences through Sports: Rajiv Dubey, Dabur
The Head of Media at Dabur India spoke exclusively to exchange4media on the World Cup, associating with Indian Idol, the company’s digital spending and much more
With quirky campaigns, memes and moment marketing, timed with the ongoing World Cup and particularly the India-Pakistan matches, Dabur India has got considerable consumer attention for its popular brands – Red Paste, Cool King Hair Oil, Chyawanprash, Dabur Vita and the recently launched Bae Fresh Gel toothpaste.
The 140-year-old company is going big on key sporting events, World Television Premiere (WTP) movies and reality shows. It is now gearing up to become the title sponsor of popular talent show ‘Indian Idol’ on Sony TV for the first time, shared Rajiv Dubey, who leads the media strategy at Dabur.
Read more news about (internet advertising India, internet advertising, advertising India, digital advertising India, media advertising India)
For more updates, be socially connected with us onInstagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook Youtube & Whatsapp
ShareSwapan Seth's new book 'COOL' is out
The book is a reflection of the author's 'eclectic taste across categories'
Advertising professional and art collector Swapan Seth has announced the launch of his new book COOL. The book is described as "a ready reckoner to the hip and the happening, of the known and the very unknown."
The book is a reflection of the author's "eclectic taste across categories: from boltholes to exotic hideaways."
COOL has been published by Simon & Schuster India and is available on Amazon.
Seth is an ad veteran with a long and illustrious career in the industry. He became the youngest-ever Creative Director at Clarion at age 24. He was VP at 26 at Trikaya Grey. Two years later, he started his agency Equus.
He writes for publications such as The Economic Times, Hindustan Times and India Today. This is his second book and he has previously published THIS IS ALL I HAVE TO SAY.
Read more news about (internet advertising India, internet advertising, advertising India, digital advertising India, media advertising India)
For more updates, be socially connected with us onInstagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook Youtube & Whatsapp
Disney Star signs 9 sponsors for Asia Cup PAK
Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up come on board
e4m Staff Disney Star has signed nine broadcast and digital streaming sponsors for the upcoming Asia Cup.
Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up have come on board for the upcoming tournament.
As reported earlier by exchange4media, Disney Star has sought Rs 26 crore for the co-presenting sponsorship on TV and Rs 30 crore for Disney+ Hotstar.
According to industry sources, the associate sponsorship on Star Sports has been priced at Rs 19.66 crore, whereas for the ‘powered by’ sponsorship on Disney+ Hotstar, the broadcaster is seeking Rs 18 crore.
As per the information available with exchange4media, Disney+ Hotstar has three sponsorship tiers-- co-presenting (Rs 30 crore), powered by (Rs 18 crore) and associate sponsorship (Rs 12 crore). The broadcaster is offering an estimated reach of 120-140 million for co-presenting sponsors, 90-100 million for powered by and 60-70 million for associate sponsorship.
A spot buy for 10 seconds has been priced at Rs 25 lakh for the India vs Pakistan matches, while for the non-India matches, the ad rate for 10 second is Rs 2.3 lakh. The India matches plus the final for ODIs has been priced at Rs 17 lakh per 10 seconds.
Asia Cup is scheduled to be held from 30 August, 2023, to September 17, 2023.
Read more news about (internet advertising India, internet advertising, advertising India, digital advertising India, media advertising India)
For more updates, be socially connected with us onInstagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook Youtube & Whatsapp
Sorted 360 wins creative & social media mandate of Reliance Mall
The agency will manage offline and online campaigns for Reliance Mall
Sorted 360, an integrated creative and social media agency, has won the mandate to providing brand solutions for Reliance Malls across India.
“Sorted 360 is set to enhance Reliance Malls' market presence with their unparalleled creative prowess and strategic thinking,” read a press release.
“Sorted 360's commitment to pushing the boundaries of creative communication aligns perfectly with Reliance Malls' ethos. With a pan-India presence spanning across 19 cities and growing, Reliance Malls has consistently captivated customers by offering an array of Reliance brands and third-party fashion & lifestyle brands. The mall has established an unparalleled connection with its patrons through superior quality, a remarkable value proposition, and an unmatched shopping experience,” it read further.
"We are thrilled to welcome Sorted 360 as our trusted partner in advancing our brand presence across the nation," said the Head of Marketing at Relaice Malls. "Their proven expertise in retail, shopping center management, and innovative creative strategies make them the perfect fit for our vision."
"Partnering with Reliance Malls is a testament to our commitment to shaping extraordinary brand experiences," remarked Prerana Anatharam, Co-founder of Sorted 360. "We are excited to leverage our strategic and creative acumen to further elevate Reliance Malls as the epitome of convenience, choice, and excellence."
Read more news about (internet advertising India, internet advertising, advertising India, digital advertising India, media advertising India)
For more updates, be socially connected with us onInstagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook Youtube & Whatsapp
test
test
test
Read more news about (internet advertising India, internet advertising, advertising India, digital advertising India, media advertising India)
For more updates, be socially connected with us onInstagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook Youtube & Whatsapp
test
test
test
Read more news about (internet advertising India, internet advertising, advertising India, digital advertising India, media advertising India)
For more updates, be socially connected with us onInstagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook Youtube & Whatsapp
KlugKlug onboards Hemang Mehta as Country Manager for Indias
Mehta was most recently Head of Agency Relationships at Network 18 Media & Investments
KlugKlug has appointed Hemang Mehta as its Country Manager for India.
Mehta will play a pivotal role in driving KlugKlug's growth and expansion within the Indian market and be responsible for Sales & GTM Strategy
Prior to that, he has also represented organisations like Exponential (now VDX.tv), India Today Digital and Rediff.com. His expertise spans various domains including digital media sales, mobile marketing, media planning, and buying, social media marketing, and more.
Hemang Mehta expressed his enthusiasm about joining KlugKlug, saying, "I am thrilled to be a part of KlugKlug, a forward-thinking platform that is reshaping the influencer marketing landscape. As much as I look forward to collaborating with the exuberant team at KlugKlug, I am super excited to interact with the brands to deliver powerful data-backed Influencer solutions that will guarantee business outcomes."
Commenting on the appointment, Kalyan Kumar, Co-Founder and CEO of KlugKlug, stated, "We are excited to welcome Hemang Mehta to our team as the Country Manager for India. His extensive experience in digital media sales and marketing will be instrumental in driving our efforts to provide influencer marketing solutions to our clients. We believe Hemang's leadership will be key in scaling our operations and expanding our reach within the Indian market."
Read more news about (internet advertising India, internet advertising, advertising India, digital advertising India, media advertising India)
For more updates, be socially connected with us onInstagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook Youtube & Whatsapp