Pitch-Madison Media special session: ‘Cut costs and get real’
‘Managing Bottomlines’ was the second panel at the Pitch-Madison Media special session on ‘The Road Ahead for Indian Media’, which was held in Mumbai on February 20. The panel probed whether media owners attempted to control or reduce costs in order to maintain profitability, given that the outlook for increasing topline was not bright.

The Indian media and advertising industry is not aloof to the global economic slowdown, as reiterated by the Pitch-Madison Media Advertising Outlook 2009, which has projected a bumpy road ahead for this industry with a mere 2 per cent growth in 2009. ‘Managing Bottomlines’ was the second panel at the Pitch-Madison Media special session on ‘The Road Ahead for Indian Media’, which was held in Mumbai on February 20.
The panel pointed out that programming, content, distribution, manpower and operating costs had been shooting up in the last few years and asked whether these costs were sustainable in 2009. Should media owners, like advertisers, attempt to control or reduce these costs in order to maintain profitability given that the outlook for increasing topline is not bright and has the time come for all constituents to become more accountable?
The panelists for the session included Shantonu Aditya, Executive Director, UTV Global Broadcasting & CEO of UTVi; Markand Adhikari, pioneer in media, and Chairman & Managing Director, Sri Adhikari Brothers, Live India, Mi Marathi; Chintamani Rao, CEO, Times Global Broadcasting Co Ltd; Vinay Chhajlani, CEO, NaiDunia; Farokh Balsara, Partner & Director, Advisory Services-Technology, Communications & Entertainment Ernst & Young Pvt Ltd.
The session was moderated by Amit Agnihotri, Co-founder and Director of exchange4media Group, and Editor of Pitch magazine.
According to Chhajlani, “The reality is that if the topline is not growing, you would still need the bottomline to survive. You have to contain yourself in the space. For those in the regional space, we need to focus on the efficiencies and how we can get more from our circulations, and fortunately this is also a time where technology is not a cost for us, and if we merge it with our day-to-day content, I believe we can cut down on many costs.”
Rao observed, “This situation affects every single business and there is no question about it. The problem in our business is that we are all dependent on advertising and, therefore, we are suffering the cost. This situation is not going to improve unless there is a significant amount of decree of digitisation.”
Adhikari pointed out, “We have all gone away from reality, everyone was overbound on spending and everything was in the valuation game, and that is hampering the industry.”
Aditya said, “We began cutting costs sometime around October 2008 itself. We had cut back on our carriage and we even re-negotiated the movie prices. Overall, I believe it is better to cut cost, and in the bottomline, cash is going to be the king, and if we could only hold back to it, then eventually it will only help us.”
Having a different take, Balsara explained, “I don’t subscribe to this tale of gloom and doom, and I do not believe that it is all that bad as it is projected. While the topline growth will slow down, it will most certainly grow. Many of the costs have significantly come down and the media should leverage on that and, in fact, further improve the bottomline. The organisation structure and levels of management need to be closely monitored, and if there is ever a time to innovate, it is now. You need to bring the new media centrestage. One should look at digitisation of content.”
Wrapping up the panel discussion, Agnihotri said, “The times are bad, however, we need to use this time to ponder and rejuvenate, and let not it be only the Sensex that goes up.”
Also read:
Pitch-Madison Media Advertising Outlook projects a growth of only 2 pc in 2009
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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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