"Marketers' current mantra of visibility over content is a challenge"
The growing school of thought that a highly visible campaign targeting a wider set of TG can offset the lack of idea & clarity in communications is a dangerous trend, says Roy V Mathew, MD, Stark

Despite being a small-sized agency, Stark Communications has been strong on the creative front, bagging awards such as Art Director of the Year and Creative Director of the Year year-on-year. Moreover, some clients such as Kerala Tourism and Malayala Manorama have been with the agency for years.
Roy V Mathew, MD, Stark Communications has been spearheading the agency’s operations ever since he joined in 1994 as Director.
In conversation with exchange4media, Mathew speaks about the trends in advertising, challenges in the Southern market, encouraging talent, retaining long-term clients, and more…
What are the trends in advertising to watch out for?
The one thing you can’t predict is tomorrow. Anything can happen in this game. We keep our eyes pried open all the time, our ears to the ground without fail. We always look at the small trendsetters in our business and see what they are doing. We examine the moves that advertisers are making in evolved markets and see if it is leading anywhere. But the future is so very difficult to foresee. However, when we find something interesting that could help our clients, we embrace it and invest in it. One fact that we are very conscious of is that tomorrow is another day, but we cannot await it as if it is just another day.
What are some of the challenges that Stark Communications is facing in the Southern market?
A major challenge is the increasing number of large advertising agencies and small creative shops desperate to gain business at any cost, luring advertisers purely with prices. The general drop in standards and the acceptability of mediocre work, coupled with the difficulty in obtaining entry and mid-level talent, are other hurdles.
Marketers’ current mantra of visibility over content or message is a new challenge. The growing school of thought that a highly visible campaign targeting more can offset the lack of idea and clarity in communications is indeed a dangerous trend – especially keeping in mind the highly volatile media scene, which is getting ready to explode and create a media landscape like nothing we have ever imagined.
How does Stark keep up with the changes with mobile and digital? What are the agency’s initiatives in this direction?
We have established a good in-house young and experienced digital team to meet the challenges of our clients and have invested in nurturing this talent with ongoing induction of technologies and developments. Yet, it is difficult to stay ahead of the game as new developments are flooding in from unexpected quarters and we never know which one is the game-changing one. But, we are on the ball 24x7. We are also beginning to live the concept of not thinking traditional and/or online, but we look at the problem-solution environment as one universe – approaching it as a whole, rather than doing it in fragmented compartments.
Year on year, certain awards such as Art Director of the Year and Creative Director of the Year have been picked up by Stark. Please comment on this.
Talent wins. Stark is a great platform for talent, however anarchist it may be. We have some fine leaders at various levels, driven by the desire to explore the unusual and the unknown. Naturally, it leads us to all kinds of situations, including packing awards with our people and work. But, awards are incidental. As a policy, we do not create work for awards. We are happy that our day-work wins awards and, more importantly, wins markets and constituencies for our clients.
Though Stark still remains a small-sized agency, across time we have greatly benefited by practising a culture of think big and beyond boundaries.
Accounts such as Kerala Tourism and Malayala Manorama have been with the agency for years. What is the kind of approach used to get and retain more such clients by Stark?
We are honest and collaborative. So, our clients welcome our ideas and advice. That helps. We do not let anything leave our doors if we are not convinced about its effectiveness. So, a lot of good stuff eventually comes out. Most of our clients are highly trained, experienced, shrewd and sharp. They are also friends, such as Malayala Manorama. We value these relationships and try to get outstanding outcomes for them.
In the case of Kerala Tourism, we have a wider sweep and work very closely with the client, scanning the opportunities and making the most of the resources at their disposal.
What are the agency’s areas of focus for the coming year?
People and work, in its varied combinations. This will also mean acquiring a couple of bigger brands that will enable us to do great work both nationally and internationally.
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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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Swapan 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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