It’s time for national brands to invest the time, money and energy on South India: Deepan Ramachandran, Mind Your Language!

This agency was born after national brands reportedly struggled to connect with the south Indian audiences

e4m by Akshata R Murthy
Published: Dec 7, 2017 8:41 AM  | 4 min read

With vernacular or regional languages gaining a lot of importance these days, brands have begun to focus on the South Indian market. Their need for relating to the regional audience is increasing. Deepan Ramachandran, Founder & Creative Director, Mind Your Language! talks about how brands and audience are now helping advertising foray into the Southern markets.


Excerpts:

Can you tell us something about Mind Your Language! Why that name?

On our prior stints at large network agencies, we realised that national brands were/are struggling to connect with the south Indian audience. The brand managers in Mumbai and Delhi were in need of someone this side of India to help them understand the market. There was a huge vacuum. There was (and still is) the need for a giant bridge to connect national brands with South India.

That was the birth of Mind Your Language! - An independent agency that exclusively focuses on communicating to the south Indian consumer. Mind Your Language! as a name is self-explanatory.

The era of ‘Translating’ Hindi to Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu and Kannada should stop. The era of thinking that national insights ALWAYS work for South India should stop. We want brands to ‘mind their language’ when they talk to south Indian consumers.

How do you differentiate yourself from the other current agencies?

In the last few years, Indian advertising has seen many people quitting their big agency jobs to start their own shop. We were part of that attrition as well. However, we did not want to be just another kid in the block. We wanted to have a niche for ourselves. Just like products and services we advertise for, we needed that core USP. We believed that an agency that specializes in South India specific communication will be that differentiating factor for us. There is hardly anybody around doing something that we do.

Another important point is that we are not just consultants giving brands a point of view on South India. We are a full-fledged advertising agency that cracks briefs and executes it across print, radio, film and digital.

How is the industry of advertising changing?

Big agencies will find the going tough as clients are going to ask for specialized skill sets and they need to find the wherewithal to address it. And mostly, they realize that just by having a local branch office, the network agencies don’t get the support that is required.

The task is not just to write in the local language, but rather THINK in the local language. There is a big difference.

Clients are going to ask, “How will you market this for us around Pongal in Trichy and Coimbatore?” “Who do you think can be the brand ambassador that can represent our brand in Rural Tamil Nadu?” “Why do you think Angamaly Diaries is a hit in Kerala?”

Clients are going to need specific answers to specific problems. That’s where agencies like us with a clear specialization come in to the picture. We just don’t have advertising guys on board. We have assistant film directors, graphic novelists, authors and everyone actively involved with the pop-culture of South India, conversing and consulting with us. As hard-core advertising people, we tap in to the knowledge and distil human insights and advertising ideas out of it.

What are some of the latest trends in advertising that you have noticed?

Firstly, advertising is going to become more local. India is regional in its competition. National brands have to fight battles on local turfs. A brand like Rin Bar has to fight out a battle in Tamil Nadu with a strong local player like Arasan Soap or Discount soap. To fight that battle, they to need to fight it with local expertise, using the local language and with a sharp street level understanding of the local people.

Secondly, today brands are less about positioning and more about taking positions. That’s why we see an explosion of human stories on digital and elsewhere like standing for LGBT community, working women, against harassment and so on. When we try to tell human stories, we need to tell them in a language humans understand. That’s where Mind Your Language! can help when it comes to South India.

We managed to do a digital film for OLX for Madras Day. It did go viral at that time and even when we play it to audiences today, it always invokes a smile. The smile that translates to ‘Ha, some Hindi brand has thought of doing something for us’

Have you noticed any changes in advertising between the north and south?

The truth is that not much has been done in South India recently, that you can feel ultra-proud of. North India has done way more powerful, beautiful advertising. No doubt about that. We think, it’s time for national brands to invest the time, money and energy that they usually would, to create something similar in South India.

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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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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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