GECs, advertisers, brands tap festival fervour in a big way

Gone are the days when festivals were scattered occasions of celebrations. Now the festival season has extended to an entire quarter. Starting September, advertisers, brands and media platforms like television gear up to tap the festival fervour in a big way. exchange4media takes a bird’s eye view of various festival season activities.

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Oct 22, 2008 8:18 AM  | 5 min read
GECs, advertisers, brands tap festival fervour in a big way

Gone are the days when festivals were scattered occasions of celebrations. Now the festival season has extended to an entire quarter. Starting September, advertisers, brands and media platforms like television gear up to tap the festival fervour in a big way. exchange4media takes a bird’s eye view of various festival season activities.

General entertainment channels line up a slew of on-air initiatives in the form of festival-specific programmes or getting festivals like Dussehra, Navratri and Diwali woven into the plots of popular soaps. Such initiatives are welcomed by advertisers and brands alike – who up their activities during the festival period – as they serve the purpose of reaching out to the maximum number of people.

Better pricing, better yield

Speaking on the various channels’ festival plans, Sudha Natarajan, COO & Joint President, Lintas Media Group, said, “From a channel’s point of view, launching special software as Diwali specials and mega movies seem to be stronger pegs for viewership.” Giving an example, she said that launch of Colors channel had been pretty strategic. “They have managed to garner good numbers even before the festival period, which helps them grab a good share of Diwali spending,” she noted.

On ad rates, Natarajan said, “In a fragmented market that exists today, rate hike is less likely even during the festival period. Channels rely on launching special events and movies to grab higher share of expenditure. If we look at the existing basket of GECs, they are attempting to launch many new shows led by reality to garner revenues higher than the regular buys can get them. Any advertiser who is attempting to buy just before the festival period might have to pay a premium, while ongoing buys shall need to fight for inventory.”

“A large pie, upwards of 55-60 per cent, should be going to GECs, especially in a scenario of weaker cricketing season. DTH launches should take the GEC pie spends higher, since reaching masses would be key for each player,” Natarajan said, while commenting on the percentage of a client’s Diwali activities centred on GECs.

According to Natrajan, “All advertisers are very active during the festive season. Higher levels of spends are led by durables, automobiles and, now of course, DTH, while telecom is an ongoing strong player throughout the year.”

Imran Karim, Media Director, TME, said, “Channels do come up with Diwali specials to boost viewerships, which could be in the form of special events, dance or music shows or blockbuster movies. Star Plus is doing Diwali Dhamaka for a period of two weeks, Monday to Thursday at 10 pm. Sony has a Yash Raj film festival, including two premiers. 9X is also doing Tehvar Dhamaka, which is mix of dance and music. These special programmes do sell at a slightly premium rates than the regular rates for that time slot. But overall, they deliver similar kind of TVRs. The objective is to get additional budgets from the client, who heightens activities around Diwali.”

On the client’s Diwali activities, Karim said, “It depends on client to client and the plan objective. Some clients go for only properties on GECs, while some clients buy a mix of regular shows and property. It varies depending on the product category as well.”

Categories that are active or increase their spends around Diwali include apparels, electronic goods, lifestyle products (jewellery, etc.), automobiles (consumer segment), beverages and paints, among others.

Harish Shriyan, Joint MD, OMD, said, “Some GECs have special programmes for Diwali, but if you look at GECs per se, the third quarter becomes very important given the beginning of the festival season from September onwards. Most advertisers like FMCGs, consumer durables, apparel brands, electronic goods, etc., become very active during this festive period.” These heightened activities were not limited to the television medium alone, he added.

GECs’ plans for festive season

Speaking on Sony Entertainment Television’s programme initiatives for Diwali, President Rohit Gupta said, “Though Diwali is celebrated over two days, for us as a GEC, the entire third quarter becomes the festive quarter. Brands get active during this period. Normally, our overall revenue in this quarter is 20-25 per cent higher than the other quarters. There is a lot of money riding on it and a lot of investments too. During the festive period, we do plan special episodes of our ongoing shows as well as blockbuster movies as part of our programming to grab viewers’ interest.”

Tarun Mehra, Business Head, Zee TV, said, “We have a special show coming up this Diwali, called ‘Diwali Dhamaka’. It’s a unique concept.” He, however, but declined to share any other details on the same.

Likewise, beginning October 13, Star Plus had been airing a special eight-episode Diwali special – ‘Diwali Rishton ki’. This series is on air Monday to Thursday at 10 pm and is concluding on October 23.

Star Plus officials were not available for comments at the time of filing this report, while a Colors official said that the channel did not have any Diwali-specific programmes.

Also read:

Small screen, big plans: Hindi GECs line up slew of new shows

Consumer durables offer ‘real value’ vis-à-vis freebies this festive season

Festival marketing: Companies go all out to loosen consumers’ purse strings

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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

e4m by e4m Staff
Published: Oct 27, 2023 6:15 PM  | 1 min read
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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.

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Swapan Seth's new book 'COOL' is out

The book is a reflection of the author's 'eclectic taste across categories'

e4m by e4m Staff
Published: Oct 27, 2023 6:07 PM  | 1 min read
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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.

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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 by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 26, 2023 11:48 AM  | 1 min read
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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.

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Sorted 360 wins creative & social media mandate of Reliance Mall

The agency will manage offline and online campaigns for Reliance Mall

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 26, 2023 10:54 AM  | 1 min read
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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."

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e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 25, 2023 4:39 PM  | 1 min read

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e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 25, 2023 4:38 PM  | 1 min read

KlugKlug onboards Hemang Mehta as Country Manager for Indias

Mehta was most recently Head of Agency Relationships at Network 18 Media & Investments

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 24, 2023 3:35 PM  | 1 min read
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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."

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