Media planners’ herd mentality; advertisers’ inability to gauge rural media & more from Suhel Seth

One of the most interesting sessions of the exchange4media Conclave 2009 in Delhi was a Special Address by Suhel Seth CEO, Counselage on ‘Changing Rules of Media Accountability’. Seth spoke at length on the various facets of the subject, and left no stone unturned in lashing out at the media and advertisers in India. The event was sponsored by Star News and powered by Hindustan Times. The Associate Sponsor was Yuva.

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Jun 8, 2009 8:29 AM  | 3 min read
Media planners’ herd mentality; advertisers’ inability to gauge rural media & more from Suhel Seth

“If you are not looking at media fragmentation today, what are you looking at?” this was how Suhel Seth, CEO, Counselage started the Special Address at the exchange4media Conclave 2009 in Delhi on June 5, 2009.

Seth enumerated various things that he believed were going wrong with the present media scenario in India. To begin with, according to him, the media was compromised today, and the reason was that the stakes were very high; costs of keeping channels afloat were high. Most importantly, editorial integrity was compromised upon too. Seth said that one could notice the ‘herd mentality’ even with the media planners. Instead of analysing strategic pressure, they looked at numerical pressure. He stated, “According to me, they have really not understood the new media.”

He also pointed a finger at the advertisers, and said that they had not understood the strength of regional media. In his opinion, understanding regional media was of grave importance, as consumption patterns differed in rural and urban India.

He did not stop himself from saying that let’s not ascribe to old and new media; it is about relevant and irrelevant media. According to him, there are two kinds of markets, one that is driven by pursuit of market creation, and the other that is driven by market share. He said that the Indian media was at the stage where it had moved from inquisitiveness to only questioning; from “aggression” to “shrillness”. He said that today businesses are becoming more risk averse, and that explained the decline in advertising spends.

Seth was clear that it was important for accountability to precede innovation. He said, “News should be editorially more honourable and not TRP driven. There must be accountability at each level. If accountability is not considered important enough, then it shall open the floodgates to a domino effect.”

He went on to say, “If we look at editorial quality, it is diminishing by the day. National editors are talking of food, and food editors are targeting politicians. In our times, editors were only read and not seen. It’s a totally different ball game in today’s scenario when the editors are only seen and not read.” He added here, “We must build an ethical media world, as the lines of editorial sanctity are blurring. Media should create options and stop using the abused term called ‘innovation’. Today, New York Times is worried about losing readership, as people want to switch to different mechanisms of reading and hence is experimenting with how and what kind of content should be created and consumed.”

The session was followed by a Q&A round with the Group Chief Editor, exchange4media Group, Pradyuman Maheshwari. The questions ranged from who should ask tough questions and why do the perpetrators go scot-free and a lot more. Seth handled the questions well and to the delight of the audience, added a touch of humour to all his responses. Seth said that he did try to follow what he preached and wherever he was asked to toe an editorial line or dictated what to write or not , he stopped writing for those media products and talked about how he stopped writing for Asian Age once M J Akbar left Asian Age.

He finally ended his session by saying that media needed to create an environment where it is respected and that it was time for media organisations to reinvent themselves.

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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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