If your people are not excited, you won't see good work coming out: Alok Sinha, Initiative

In his first interview after taking up the new role, Sinha, Chief Strategy Officer of Initiative spoke on how media planning has become a more complex exercise than ever

e4m by Ruhail Amin
Published: Oct 30, 2018 8:29 AM  | 4 min read
Alok sinha initiative

Having joined Initiative as its new Chief Strategy Officer few weeks back, Alok Sinha is focusing on ensuring that his teams and the teams that he is working with are inspired, excited and happy to be doing the work that they want to do. In his first interview after taking up the new role, Sinha spoke about his vision for Initiative and how media planning has become a more complex exercise than ever.

Excerpts:

What kind of transformation has the media planning landscape witnessed in the last few years?

I think the big shift is that five years back the media was led by TV. It is not that it is not TV led at the moment but I think perspectives have changed quite a bit. The thinking has moved beyond TV. Also the kind of capabilities and skill sets that you see within media organisations, media agencies, etc. are very different than you would have imagined few years back. 

Moreover, the kind of data that media agencies have access to now has changed.  Earlier it was a lot about reach curves and effective frequencies and I don't think it is going to change too much in the short term, but I think there is a whole lot of other complexity that has been introduced into agencies with the kind of data that has actually become available. Very broadly, those are the kind of shifts that I see happening.

How do you see the availability of a plethora of media platforms in today's market environment? Has it added to the complexity of media planning?

Yes it has become a challenge, but it is a challenge which the agencies have taken head on. It puts a lot of responsibility on the planners to be able to upgrade themselves and to up-skill themselves.

The biggest challenge for media planners I think is the environment in which they are actually doing the planning. There was study done in 2008 which indicated that consumers are bombarded with roughly 3000-5000 commercial messages in a day, and I am sure that this number has gone up significantly now. So, if you are going to be bombarded with so many messages as a consumer, you are going to switch off. You are not going to pay attention to so many messages thrown at you. So as media planners and media professionals we need to be cognizant of that. As an industry we have to work hard to ensure to create messages which pull the consumers in.

In your view has the adoption of big data and AI given media planners better insights into consumer behaviour or again made the planning game more complex?

I think there exists some complexity given that the number of data points have increased, and in many cases those data points are not talking to each other in a cohesive kind of manner. This is where conversations around big data and AI come into play because what this technology is doing is streamlining multiple data sets to make smarter decisions. If we talk of big data in the Indian context, I think it's still early days and marketers are still experimenting and the scale up will happen soon.

Can data led marketing help in building emotional connect?

When we are talking about targeting, we are talking about just one aspect of communication. It is about identifying somebody who is right for you and be able to deliver right kind of messages in the right kind of context. The other part is the message itself where data also has a role to play. By understanding what kind of content is appealing to people is a great input into the process of creation itself and generates the emotional response that you desire from the consumer.

Tell us about your vision for Initiative?

I see myself as a conductor. The important part of what I do is ensuring that my teams and the teams that I am working with are inspired, excited and happy to be doing the work that they want to do.  This industry moves so fast that if your people are not excited or happy, you will not see good work coming out. Second important thing for me is to be able to integrate the different skill sets that sit within this agency and bring those skill-sets to bear on the businesses that we handle, and finally, to ensure that the brands at end of the day are actually successful in the marketplace.
 

 

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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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