Everything that I see suggests that brands operating in India are aware that a large part of their audience spends most of their time online today and are trying to engage with them. The only thing that may be holding back some brands is the amount of money they are willing to spend on social media engagement and activation as compared to digital advertising. But Indian marketeers are smart – they operate in a tough environment and are perhaps the fastest movers in the world.

exchange4media Staff Feb 7, 2014 12:00 AM

Transparency of prices is still a challenge in the industry. Measurement is another barrier. If both of them are tackled by service providers, more brands will feel encouraged to take up this medium of marketing. Innovations have also not kept up with brand aspirations. There are great ideas out there, but do-ability on scale often becomes a challenge.

exchange4media Staff Feb 5, 2014 12:00 AM

There should be transparency and rationalisation in pricing. The buying process needs to be made simpler. Creative implementation is currently missing in the OOH space; maybe someone could start a marketplace for hoardings, that would be a great idea. The lack of ROI measurement is obviously a big challenge, which is why we are not consistent users of the medium.

exchange4media Staff Feb 5, 2014 12:00 AM

The news channels (in India) are very lively and sensational, but don’t have the depth of coverage, something like what the BBC would offer. It’s also interesting to ask people in India how interested they are in international news. Do they want to have a broader knowledge about what’s happening in the world? Indian news channels don’t spend time looking at happenings outside India.

exchange4media Staff Jan 31, 2014 12:00 AM

We started with the ‘3C’ approach, where the first ‘C’ represented creation of new product and additional capacities… The second ‘C’ represents connect with the masses. We went into an aggressive expansion mode not only in the urban areas, but also in the rural areas… The third ‘C’ is communication. We translated our global slogan, ‘The power of dreams’, into ‘Sach kar denge sapne’. The tone and manner of communication in the print ads was regionalised not only in terms of language, but also in terms of the look-and-feel.

exchange4media Staff Jan 24, 2014 12:00 AM

Be realistic in your expectations and understand that radio is a recall medium and is used as a media multiplier. Though radio is an intrusive medium, you must schedule your spots such that they don’t put off the listener. However, the optimum number of spots needs to be scheduled such that you are heard and have a recall in the clutter of all the ads.

exchange4media Staff Jan 23, 2014 12:00 AM

Mobile is a must. With the changing landscape in the mobile world conquered by large screen smart phones, the access to internet has moved from only desktops to mobile. We have seen a 300 per cent growth in last one year in the number of visitors using mobile devices to access our website.

exchange4media Staff Jan 17, 2014 12:00 AM

Last year, the contribution of digital to overall SMG revenues in India was in excess of 40 per cent, we have made a huge amount of push on the revenue and capability front. We have invested substantially both on search, both organic and paid. Some of the investments of the network are beginning to pay off.

exchange4media Staff Jan 17, 2014 12:00 AM

There is a higher degree of audience selectivity available when using radio advertisement. Advertising works by repetition. You may need to be exposed to a commercial three or four times before you take action or decision. To reach this ‘viable frequency’, radio advertising is often more cost-effective than other media.

exchange4media Staff Jan 14, 2014 12:00 AM

My feeling is that once the general elections are over in 2014, whichever way people decide, there will be a bit of a peak in the economy and marketing plans for all clients, there will be a promise of five years of stability. Our focus area will be to capitalise on the renewed surge of energy in the product and services market.

exchange4media Staff Jan 10, 2014 12:00 AM

Businesses run because we market our products. People buy our products because they like them. In the end, there is only marketing. We call print and TV ‘traditional’ media because they have been around for years. Today, you call something mobile marketing because the others are ‘not mobile’. These are just definitions we have come out with to make it easier to understand these concepts.

exchange4media Staff Jan 9, 2014 12:00 AM

Marketers must understand the requirement clearly, the reach of radio in a particular geography, detailed research about prospective home buyers, their travelling habits, and prime-time in a particular vicinity. We believe all these details need to be factored in when designing a campaign in order to ensure that the RoI is maximised.

exchange4media Staff Jan 3, 2014 12:00 AM

To win, you need to focus on the downstream. Increasingly, you will find that is where the majority of the competitive action (between brands) occurs. It is also here that there are so many neglected opportunities for differentiation.

exchange4media Staff Jan 3, 2014 12:00 AM

In the current e-commerce scenario, India is seen as a country of high potential. International players are gearing up to take a plunge as they see an untapped market waiting to be explored. The internet user base continues to grow, but the real game changer will be m-commerce.

exchange4media Staff Jan 2, 2014 12:00 AM

It is essential that the OOH industry gets more organised and less fragmented. Measurability needs to be looked into and the industry should incorporate standardisation of business practices, set independent measurement metrics, have transparency in dealings and implement the outdoor policy norms uniformly. It needs to adopt technological innovation as one of the big differentiator as compared to other mediums as that would sustain the outdoor medium for a long time.

exchange4media Staff Dec 30, 2013 12:00 AM

When using radio with other marketing mediums, the idea is to use an approach to optimise synergy and reach. In most cases, we use radio to render support to the primary campaign... Getting across to the right audience at the right time, effectively delivering a message that appeals to their ears and generates desired action is the main objective.

exchange4media Staff Dec 27, 2013 12:00 AM

We are seeing a growing trend among advertisers in using radio in their media mix. There are many first timers as well as repeat advertisers who find great value for money in this medium. Even film producers who had earlier preferred print and TV have started using radio heavily. Radio activation, too, has found many takers with considerable amounts being spent even by local advertisers.

exchange4media Staff Dec 27, 2013 12:00 AM

Nike as a brand does associate with several sports stars, but it’s only to build aspiration and by associating with them, the brand becomes known for excellence common among these players. We believe in innovation and inspiration, both are key virtues shared by Nike and sporting excellence.

exchange4media Staff Dec 27, 2013 12:00 AM

According to me, e-commerce is India’s next big story with travel dominating e-commerce in India. Having said that, number of users and ability to raise funds to scale up the business is key to survival. India has the third largest internet population in the world, with nearly 200 million users and is estimated to add 40 million users by end of 2014. It’s good news for online businesses in India because of the growing number of users, increasing credit and debit card holders and increasing online buyers.

exchange4media Staff Dec 26, 2013 12:00 AM

Approximately 10 million consumer homes are consuming content electronically; despite this, the imaging part is still very traditional. There is a need for printers to be smart as well. In fact, almost 30 per cent of our printer market can move to cloud printing since consumers are now storing their vital information on online services.

exchange4media Staff Dec 20, 2013 12:00 AM