Media agencies today have become media brokers: Pradeep Iyengar
While the media industry in India is under constant scrutiny, lack of transparency is a cause of concern, says the President of EMM India

Do you think there is a gap between client’s expectations today and what agencies are delivering?
Media agencies today have become media brokers and operate like a wholesaler buying media inventory at as low a price as possible and reselling it to advertisers that creates a huge margin for the agencies, but also gives good prices to the client that they might not achieve by themselves. The problem is that in India the value of media strategy and media planning gets lost in the hectic spiral of price discounts that confuses objectivity of the role of media. Clients need to know that the agency is ‘buying the media plan’ (that is, actually optimising the media schedules using the approved channels) and ‘not planning the media buy’ (delivering a good price for the clients and a bonus for the media agencies). Yes, there is a significant gap between client’s expectations and what agencies are delivering.
What are the concern areas that need to be tackled from a media audit perspective?
A worrying increase is the clients’ lack of trust in their agencies and the realisation that clients have not grasped media’s 2013-14 media consumption realities. The farcical situation with the TV rating holiday last autumn is a classic example of media owners not understanding the role that accurate TV research brings to the negotiation currency that is vital for the media market overall.
Too often media audits have not been approved because some clients are very worried that the potential lack of transparency in media arrangements assessed by a media auditor could be uncomfortable for the client. This is why EMM India is focusing evermore on financial media audits in parallel with performance media audits, so that the learnings for the clients are deeper and more profound and improve the client’s understanding and reducing the lack of transparency inherent in the Indian media market.
What are the challenges that you see in the development of the media industry in India?
The Indian media market has not evolved very positively over the last few years, with advertisers still looking for performance benchmarks focused mainly on the lowest price and not moving with the speed of the middle market audiences who are using a wider range of media for their consumption. But advertisers still seem locked in the past. The biggest issue is the long line of management within companies who are not necessarily media savvy, but do have the power to say no. This is why the Indian media market is not expanding as fast as it could when compared to markets like China, the Philippines, Turkey, Japan and the Middle East. India has much to learn in their use of media to promote products and services to such a huge market with many audience groupings spread across a massive continent. The role of telephone media is a crucial opportunity for India and if they miss the curve they will struggle to compete with their global counterparts.
How does EMM optimise media investment in times of shrinking budgets?
EMM will recommend to advertiser clients improvements in the media investment pattern that we discover via our media management and media auditing proposition. Cost and quality performance KPIs are used to ensure maximum value is created by measuring cost and quality performances against our Indian database. We believe that quality is as important as price and the two combined become the value achieved by the client if the KPIs are reached.
What are your focus areas for 2013?
Capitalising on the momentum created by EMM India over the last year regarding awareness of our services and that we offer a choice of tailored options to suit individual client needs. Financial media auditing is already a need in India and this is a key sector for EMM India to focus on given the negative reputation that India has regarding transparency in media arrangements.
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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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