IDG’s MERIT Series: Niche Media is here to stay, Mass Media for Brand building, say experts
Speakers at the inaugural day of the technology symposium series MERIT, put together by IDG, voiced forceful opinions on advertising in the Niche Media, and the Mass Media. A broken verdict was the end result, with an underscore on the fact that ‘special interest publications’ are here to stay.
Speakers at the inaugural day of the technology symposium series MERIT, put together by IDG, voiced forceful opinions on advertising in the Niche Media, and the Mass Media. A broken verdict was the end result, with an underscore on the fact that ‘special interest publications’ are here to stay.
Delivering his address, Patrick McGovern, Chairman and Founder, IDG Group, said, “When our company was launched 39 years ago, the product lifecycle in the technology space was around five years. Now it is a very different world. The product lifecycle is only five weeks long, and everything is a matter of negotiation. Choices have broadened dramatically.”
Moderator of the panel, Anurag Batra, Editor-in-Chief of exchange4media, commenced proceedings with statistics, which showed that ad spends, as a percentage of ad sales, were static over the years, but BTL and other promotional routes were growing. He underlined that ROI on marketing spends was being critically viewed by CEOs in the present day.
Admitting that 40 per cent of the total ad spends of Sun Microsystems in India was on mass media, KP Unnikrishnan, Diretcor – Marketing of the company, contended that niche media was the better choice. He said, “Last calendar year, an estimated 17,300 brand launches happened, and there were one million messages sent out – that works out to 3,000 to each consumer. We’ve reached a stage today where one ad is not going to make a difference. The quality of products on offer too is not really different.”
He substantiated the need for a set of niche media in an era of clutter of products and services and communication messages.
Brand-Comm CEO, Sridhar Ramanujam, reiterated the significance of brand building, with data underlining the reputation of brand names playing a significant role in the purchase decision process. He quoted – much to the excitement of the audience – the example of Intel, whose mass media advertising in 1991-92 cost the company a whopping $250 million, and said, “If they had used niche media alone, their campaign would still be running.”
“When you talk about selling a PC or a desktop, it’s both B2B and B2C. When you’re talking technology, it’s not just advertising, it’s PR too. Large technology companies seek write ups not just in the financial dailies and the English dailies, but also in the vernacular dailies. You can’t build a brand on niche media alone,“ he added.
The panelists exchanged views on accountability being a positive factor for the niche media. Malvika Harita, EVP, Saatchi & Saatchi Direct, quoted statistics on the extensive media exposure that consumers were subjected to. The contention was that the 164 minutes in a day that the average Indian male was exposed to media was constant, but the number of media had grown.
“I see niche media also playing an intermediary role between mass media and personal information devices. Today, you’ve got too much to look at, and are distracted. Mass media, too, has recognised this trend. This reflects in the number of supplements we see today. It’s a reflection of the growth of niche media, “ said Harita.
The shift from the traditional advertising model was acknowledged by more than one panelist. The rise of direct contact programs and focused marketing initiatives had a downside, warned Shekhar Deshpande, Strategic Planning Director, JWT. He pointed out that a brand was a noted and recognised symbol not just to users, but also non-users of the brand, and explained that the consumer might not want the marketer to be too familiar with him or her.
Making his point in favour of mass media, Deshpande said, “The very tenet of branding rests on the fact that the awareness of a brand is universal and omnipresent. This is brought about by mass media. In the buying process, the comfort level with a brand gets it into the consideration set.”
Calling the debate a $700 billion question, Mukund Ramaratnam, Director – Marketing of AMD, quizzed the audience on the share of DM (15-20 per cent) and the Internet (5 per cent) of the global advertising spend. Taking examples of Capital Asset, Amway, Eureka Forbes and Amazon.com, he underlined that one needed to look at the company’s business model before getting into debate on niche versus mass.
“As AMD, our competitor has 10X the ad budgets we have. In the last few years, it helped us go to our target audience with a more focused approach. In the US retail market, we closed with a 50 per cent market share against a competitor with massive media budget. Niche media and special interest magazines are going to garner a much bigger share of budgets,” explained Ramaratnam.
The debate is far from over, especially in a country whose mass media is growing with each passing set of circulation audits. But the special interest publications are here to stay. And the next debate on issues of technology marketing is slated to take place in Mumbai on May 24, 2006.
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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
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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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.
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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 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
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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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."
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