Radio is the most regulated media sector. Nothing can change the content game completely till the Government loosens up on the regulations. No radio station can grow with this amount of regulations. We need to wait till the Government takes a strong step.

exchange4media Staff Aug 5, 2013 12:00 AM

The important factor to connect with the audience is to create media opportunities that are apt for the brand. That brings about the much needed flexibility in creating customised messaging. In fact, I have always believed that creative content should be made keeping in mind the media placement. The second important factor is the message relevancy of communication and identifying the relevant touch points depending on the TG and campaign objectives.

exchange4media Staff Aug 5, 2013 12:00 AM

The challenge in the mobile marketing space is in the framework and not the technology that we have in a market like India. The way brand conversations are initiated also needs to be looked at very carefully. Brands can earn content rather than pushing content through existing consumer communities. Mobile marketing is all set to hit the right chord, it’s just that brands and also mobile marketing experts need to take wise strategy decisions.

exchange4media Staff Aug 2, 2013 12:00 AM

Globally, digital marketing is a key component of mainline advertising. Also, online buying and selling is an established practice. In India, digital marketing is a new trend that has captured the interest of marketers. Once the fraternity has used the medium, there has been a grown awareness of the positives of the medium and hence, more and more people are joining the digital marketing wave. But it will still take at least five more years for the Indian digital marketing space to reach the current global levels.

exchange4media Staff Aug 2, 2013 12:00 AM

The coming year is a tough one since it is Election year. It is a year where one has to have nerves of steel, you have to be stable; a lot of policies are going to be announced, one has to realistic about one’s ambitions, in my opinion, you cannot be very aggressive. We will continue making inroads into new clients and be cautiously optimistic, and will be watching what happens in the political scenario that impacts the economy.

exchange4media Staff Aug 2, 2013 12:00 AM

If a brand wants to moderate a conversation online, then I think the brand shouldn’t be in social media. It is essential for digital agencies to educate marketers about this phenomenon. As long as brands are clear about what they want to convey through their communities, I think the brand will create impressive impressions in the minds of its online community members. It is necessary that a brand withstands what its online community members come forward to say. Brands have to be ready to listen to what its community members want.

exchange4media Staff Aug 1, 2013 12:00 AM

When we speak about monetisation, everything boils down to measurement and RoI. Thus, as television has TRPs, a similar kind of model will soon follow for online video content. A number of agencies are already working on a GRP kind of model. However, to make the best out of this system, video content creators will have to work more professionally and verify the target audience, reach and frequency.

exchange4media Staff Aug 1, 2013 12:00 AM

What we must keep in mind as marketers is that digital is an eco-system comprising devices and media, and one must have a cohesive strategy that covers as much of the relevant eco-system as possible. Also, I would urge marketers to look beyond the ‘digital is measurable’ myth and use it to look beyond leads and customer acquisition as a medium that can actually help build brands.

exchange4media Staff Aug 1, 2013 12:00 AM

Grey was synonymous with Nirvik Singh, hopefully that needle is moving, which is also because Nirvik had never stopped me from doing anything that I wanted to do. Nothing prepares you for the role of a CEO; a new dream or nightmare walks into my office every few minutes. I am aware of the legacy I have inherited. Hopefully, I will not just raise the bar, but clear it.

exchange4media Staff Jul 31, 2013 12:00 AM

As one of the youngest countries on the planet, Indian advertising has no choice but to consider their view on the way we build brands. The post-liberalisation generation is poised to be the biggest consuming class in the country and both mass and class brands will have to stay relevant to them. The other aspect of being young is their natural comfort with technology. We need to be ready to reinvent our approaches to stay relevant to them.

exchange4media Staff Jul 31, 2013 12:00 AM

Globally, the industry is at a crossroad. Growth has plateaued in the West and, in some markets, there is a contraction. Asia, on the other hand, is extremely encouraging. The industry is growing fast in India and faster in China. Asia is where the growth and future innovation will come from. In India, the industry will grow at more than 20 per cent for several years.

exchange4media Staff Jul 31, 2013 12:00 AM

Outdoor is an undiscovered reach medium. It is powerful in building frequency and even more potent in building recency. Put these three facts together and you potentially have GRPs that match any other medium. Unfortunately, its power remains un-calibrated, un-measured and difficult to harness.

exchange4media Staff Jul 29, 2013 12:00 AM

The Indian client continues to remain price conscious, though now willing to put more dollars behind digital than before. While the Indian brand manager comfortably spends crores on TV commercials and print advertising, she remains circumspect on digital and expects immediate ROI. In international markets, customers are willing to invest in their digital assets, 'farm' them through continuous digital spends on search, social, etc., and then enjoy the returns of the digital brand presence once it crosses a certain threshold size.

exchange4media Staff Jul 26, 2013 12:00 AM

There is an overall upbeat mood right now and we expect the trends to continue. At times, due to the macroeconomic environment, one feels that there can be reasons to worry, but then radio still being a medium which has to be fully explored by a majority of advertisers, especially in the smaller and upcoming markets, one is optimistic and positive on the industry’s growth. Also, there are opportunities like the festive season, elections and Phase III that are at the door, giving us enough reasons to be buoyant on the prospects of growth.

exchange4media Staff Jul 25, 2013 12:00 AM

Though India is very important, but from a marketer’s point of view, China is the focus. At this moment, brands are still trying to win in China because they don’t think they have won there. To me, right now I think India should be playing at that level. But that doesn’t mean that India isn’t a priority. For most of our clients, India is a top priority market. For MEC, India is among the top ten priority markets.

exchange4media Staff Jul 19, 2013 12:00 AM

We strongly lack standardisation of price for an outdoor inventory. There are many small players in the industry that can’t be regulated. Illegal hoardings, unregulated banners, and clutter displays are some of the obstacles for the OOH industry.

exchange4media Staff Jul 19, 2013 12:00 AM

I am a great believer in brilliant thinking; creativity is just the logical conclusion to brilliant thinking. If you don’t have the thinking and the real understanding of people, and an understanding of the purpose of the brand in people’s lives, you will never get to creative excellence. You will get to the execution, but you don’t get to communication. Communication is designed to work, while advertising just talks at you. We don’t have the divine right to people’s attention, we have to give them something in return for their investment.

exchange4media Staff Jul 18, 2013 12:00 AM

I am not sure about an overlap between radio and digital. Yes, there are certain advertisers who go to digital or might be more digitally inclined. However, the ratio of listeners on radio for tuning into music is far higher as compared to digital. Besides, radio is a free medium for listeners and does not have woes such as internet plans and speed and hence, garners a lot more traction and attracts a lot of advertisers.

exchange4media Staff Jul 16, 2013 12:00 AM

For any company that is getting into social media anew is scary because you lose control. For companies that are used to having a didactic, top down method of communication, the idea of having rank and file employees freely blogging and tweeting their opinion is frankly terrifying. Our approach is first to understand what the guidelines are and set the parameters. These don’t have to be prescriptive rules that run into hundreds of pages, but common sense things.

exchange4media Staff Jul 13, 2013 12:00 AM

The outdoor advertising viewing audience is mostly mobile. People travel swiftly in vehicles or walk at a brisk pace while they perform the activities of daily life. Mobility limits the potential viewing time of an outdoor advertising message to only a few seconds. Because of limited time exposure, outdoor advertising design requires a disciplined and succinct creative approach.

exchange4media Staff Jul 11, 2013 12:00 AM