Sanjay Ramakrishnan, Head, Consumer Audio Business – India, WorldSpace
“People have adopted FM in a fairly large way, and to that extent radio is quite clearly in people’s mind. So what we are saying is: You have in a way gone through radio, it’s time for you to evolve and upgrade yourself to satellite radio.”
“People have adopted FM in a fairly large way, and to that extent radio is quite clearly in people’s mind. So what we are saying is: You have in a way gone through radio, it’s time for you to evolve and upgrade yourself to satellite radio.”
As the head of the consumer audio business for Indian operations, Sanjay Ramakrishnan leads the development and implementation of WorldSpace's comprehensive marketing strategy. He is responsible for the overall sales, distribution, marketing and customer care initiatives for the Indian business. In his stint so far, he has been involved with a comprehensive repositioning strategy for the brand in India. Ramakrishnan has also spearheaded the launch of the World's Largest Music Store range of experience zones for consumers in Bangalore. In this conversation with Shubha Kumble of exchange4media.com, he speaks about what it means to be a satellite radio player, the need to re-launch the brand and more. Q. Tell us what WorldSpace is all about.
WorldSpace is the world’s first satellite radio company. It was started around 12 years ago in Washington DC and has been operating in India for the last four years. As a company, it’s a satellite-based digital-to-home radio. It’s basically DTH in the radio space. That’s what WorldSpace is all about. Our satellite Asia Star beams music, news and information directly to people’s homes across India and the rest of the Asia circle. It’s a special radio that people need to buy and that’s what satellite radio is all about.
Q. But the US market is saturated in terms of FM players, while that is hardly the case in India…
With regard to saturation, I was talking not in terms of industry saturation but purely the kind of media we have. In the US market, WorldSpace falls under the music industry, which in turn falls under the entertainment sector. The general audience in the US has enough and more opportunities to entertain themselves. They have innumerable vehicles of entertainment with music being just one of the sources, whereas in India the entire entertainment industry is in a nascent stage. So, when I say saturation, this is what I mean. Of course, FM is very new here and is still growing. People have adopted FM in a fairly large way, and to that extent radio is quite clearly in people’s mind. So what we are saying is: You have in a way gone through radio, it’s time for you to evolve and upgrade yourself to satellite radio. So while FM is always going to be there, there is a whole new experience available through satellite radio.
Q. Are you receiving any positive response from the re-launch?
In Bangalore, since our re-launch in end-January, our subscriptions have grown month on month by around 20-25 times. We have targets set for each city and are confident of achieving them.
Q. How are you going about strengthening your distribution chain?
We started off in Bangalore purely through our stores, ‘World’s Largest Music Store’. We have three of them in Bangalore. If we approached dealers directly, we would be faced by the typical questions of how much marketing support we would offer. So instead of approaching them first, we decided to do the campaign and run it for three to four months. We did this quite successfully and then went up to a few dealers, showed them what we were doing, shared our plans and invited them to be a part of our distribution network. We started adding dealers in the last three weeks. Starting with four active dealers, we are today working with around 20. In fact, dealers are calling us and saying that they want to be a part of our network. Along with this we are also looking at getting into the shop-in-shop model. But of course, nothing has been finalized as yet.
Q. Could you tell us more on your Indian operations?
Commercially our consumer audio business started in 2000 and it has gone through its share of ups and downs. We’ve had a fairly long test-marketing phase in the first two years in terms of figuring out a successful revenue model. The last six months have been very, very good for the company in India. Firstly, now we are very clear about the business model – it’s going to be a subscription-based business. Second, it’s going to be extremely content-led. So, our USP will be the kind of content we bring on to the table and as a music source, we would like to get into every household. It’s not about targeting XYZ in a household; the end vision for the company is to be a part of every household in India, at least the top floor, in terms of SEC A and B.
We have re-launched our services in Bangalore and the response has been very good. We’ll be covering the other four metros by September. The plan is to get into a national marketing campaign for the last quarter.
Q. With advertising spends on radio set to increase in a big way, how viable is a subscription-based model?
In the US, WorldSpace and its sister concern Exim Radio, which was launched a couple of years back, operate as a full-fledged satellite radio company in a market that is vastly saturated with FM and other music sources. Right now it’s been two years since the company was incepted and it’s the second fastest growing consumer durable in the market after DVD. Though the subscription fee is as high as $ 9.9 per month, they are growing at almost a million subscribers year on year. So, if the US can do that in the satellite market, it definitely will hold well across the world and more so in India. Look at what cable has done to the television business here. I believe that we are exactly in the same phase as cable was in the first three to four years of its venture into India. We have reached a point where we need to break into people’s mindset in terms of what the service is. So far, hardly anyone has come out and said our prices are high for the service we offer. So on the price front and the adoption of the subscription-based business model, there is absolutely no doubt. Our content and how we cater to our audience is going to be the key driver that will determine if we reach X or 100X.
Q. At present your audience is still pretty niche in terms of SEC A and B. Are you looking at creating a mass appeal?
In terms of content, you normally define an audience to start a business and we are pretty much in the same phase. We have identified our primary audience and said that this is where the early adopters are going to come from. Even as we have earmarked that, we are very clear that at the end of the day our content needs to cater to everybody. If someone plans to bring WorldSpace to his home, it must cater to all the members of the family. The current content plan is to strengthen our regional offerings. This offers the mass appeal that you mentioned.
On the pricing front, we will definitely see to it that more and more people find it accessible. We have brought down our starting price by 60 per cent over the last six months and at present our entry level costs Rs 2,790. On the receiver front we would like to cater to every household in every category. With regard to content, it’s going to be as premium as ever with regard to the quality even as we give you the range that you need.
Q. Moving to your communication strategy, you launched WorldSpace in 2000 with a big-budget national mass media campaign that had fizzled out after a while. What was the reason behind this?
One of the biggest lessons we have learnt is the manner in which we ought to handle our communication. Earlier, it was a national campaign from Day 1. Today, we are still present nationally in that a person in Delhi or Mumbai can subscribe to us. But we aren’t doing any big marketing activity there. Whatever is happening is small and pretty much falls under BTL.
We are concentrating on each of the main metros and have started with Bangalore. We’ve spent considerable time here, we’ve seen and learnt, and will now move to Chennai. After that we will go to Delhi and Mumbai. So, we are picking up a specific area and are looking into it very, very closely. We were working with a budget of Rs 13 crore but most of the times this is not followed. Areas that need more investment will get it; we are constantly reworking on spends. At present we are looking mainly at Bangalore where the bulk of the spend is going into outdoors and BTL. We are eventually looking at a scenario where 60 per cent of our spends will go into mass media and 40 per cent into BTL.
Also, we have made a conscious move to be simple in our communication. Take the name of the company itself. Earlier we used to call ourselves WorldSpace Digital Audio Services Company. We thought this was the way to convey the business we were in. But it ended up being a bit too complicated for the regular consumer. After all, he or she doesn’t, and more importantly, needn’t know what the back end is. So we decided to convey our business in the simplest possible manner and we now call ourselves WorldSpace Satellite Radio.
Q. What other marketing initiatives have you adopted?
There are a number of organisations that offer music in their premises through WorldSpace. As part of our new marketing initiatives, we are approaching each of them and exploring the possibility of in-store/restaurant branding. Also, we have drawn up a list of places and organisations where WorldSpace would fit in, like gyms and cafes, and are approaching them.
Q. What kind of a dateline have you set for a breakeven?
We are hoping to achieve 1,00,000 subscriptions across the country by December. Breaking even is not something we want to discuss as of now. Our main focus is to constantly improve our content and cater to a wide audience.
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TRAI releases Consultation Paper on reserve price for auction of FM radio channels
The regulatory body has asked for written comments on the consultation paper from the stakeholders by November 6
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has released a Consultation Paper on "Reserve Price for auction of FM Radio channels".
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) sent a reference dated August 22, seeking recommendations of TRAI on reserve prices for 283 cities (260 new + 23 existing) under FM Phase-Ill Policy.
Accordingly, this Consultation Paper has been prepared to seek the comments and views of the stakeholders on issues related to estimation of the reserve prices for auction of FM Radio channels.
As part of the consultative process, the Consultation Paper has been uploaded on the TRAI website.
The regulatory body has asked for written comments on the consultation paper from the stakeholders by November 6. Counter-comments, if any, may be submitted by November 13, the paper said.
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ShareRadio Mango Nerolac ‘Pulikkali’ celebrates the essence of Onam
Radio Mango in association with Nerolac Healthy Home Paints flags off an Onam folklore-themed roadshow in Kerala
Radio Mango in association with Nerolac Healthy Home Paints launched ‘Pulikkali’, an Onam folklore-themed state-wide roadshow that resonates with the ideology of unity among all people, regardless of their caste, colour or religion.
The road show brings to life the most vibrant and eye-catching ritual of Onam, the Pulikkali (Tiger Dance). The campaign also fondly recalls the popular Onam folk song ‘Maveli Naadu Vaneedum Kaalam, Manushar Ellaarum Onnu Poley.’
It is designed around the ancient folklore of the golden reign of King Mahabali when there was no discrimination on the basis of caste or class and there was neither crime, nor corruption.
The dynamic crew of entertainers, dressed as Pulis (Tigers) accompanied by Chenda Melam (traditional percussion) artists will travel across Kerala for 15 days as part of the campaign to emphasise the fact that no matter what, we all are one and whatever the colour, we must unite to make this Onam colourful.
The flag off to the ‘Pulikkali’ roadshow was conducted in Kochi by Malayalam actor Saiju Kurup in the presence of Ravindran Nair, Programme Director, Radio Mango, and Rajesh C., Kerala Regional Sales Manager, Nerolac Healthy Home Paints, at Malayala Manorama’s Panampilly Nagar office.
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PM Modi lauds Fever FM’s #PlasticSeBreakUp initiative
In a tweet, the Prime Minister congratulated Fever FM for its innovative campaign to ensure reduced usage of single-use plastic
As part of the Fever Voice of Change CSR initiative, Fever FM launched the ‘#PlasticSeBreakUp’ campaign to make India free from single-use plastic.
Drawing inspiration from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s message this Independence Day, the initiative urges all shopkeepers to do away with single use plastic bags.
PM Modi too tweeted in support of Fever FM’s Bharat Positive initiative. He said ‘I congratulate Fever FM for their innovative campaign to ensure reduced usage of single use plastic. I urge shopkeepers to take part in this campaign with vigour. Such efforts will add valuable momentum to the Swachh Bharat Mission.’
I congratulate Fever FM for their innovative campaign to ensure reduced usage of single use plastic. I urge shopkeepers to take part in this campaign with vigour. Such efforts will add valuable momentum to the Swachh Bharat Mission! @FeverFMOfficial
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 12, 2019
Talking about the initiative, Harshad Jain, CEO – Radio and Entertainment, HT Media Ltd and Next Mediaworks Ltd., said, “We are extremely grateful to our honourable Prime Minister for his encouragement and appreciation of our latest Bharat Positive campaign, and assure him of our unending support. This encouragement gives us motivation to continue our work with greater zeal to bring about a positive change in the country. We are committed, with our latest campaign against single use plastic, to drive the citizens towards a plastic free India. Bharat Positive is a Fever Voice of Change (FVOC) initiative, the biggest CSR in the history or radio.”
Gautam Gambhir, cricketer, MP and face of Bharat Positive initiative, said, “Credit to team Fever and the listeners of the radio station. PM sir noticing the campaign is no mean feat, it just gives a shot in the arm. Of course when Mr Modi talks, the world listens. There’s substance in his thoughts and him putting the weight behind ‘Plastic Se Breakup’ campaign will only galvanise the whole movement. The fact that his following cuts across age groups is another huge plus. Through PM’s support, the youth, the mid-aged and the elderly, everyone will know about this campaign.”
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RED FM's ‘Pride Ki Side’ campaign highlights LGBTQIA + issues
To celebrate the first anniversary of repealing of Section 377, the initiative will provide a platform to share stories and highlight challenges faced by the community
93.5 RED FM has launched a brand-new initiative – ‘Pride Ki Side’ to celebrate the first anniversary of repealing of Section 377. The initiative will provide a platform to share stories and highlight the various challenges faced by LGBTQIA+. The concept of this campaign majorly aims at educating the masses about the pride community.
RED FM has joined hands with Naz Foundation and Breaking Barriers – a project by students of Tagore International School, Vasant Vihar, Delhi, to sensitise the society at the grass root level.
RED FM is targeting the children at a young age so that they become compassionate and kinder towards LGBTQIA+ children.
To support this belief, various workshops are being conducted in schools to provide a safe and respectful learning environment for everyone. Trained and certified counsellors accompanied by RED FM’s team and RJs are conducting the workshops.
Speaking about this campaign, Nisha Narayanan, COO and Director, RED FM and Magic FM, said, “Looking at the status of LGBTQIA+ community in India, it is high-time we start educating the people about them. Everyone should have the right to openly appreciate and practice who they are and love who they want. At RED FM, we believe in supporting this movement through our humble initiative ‘Pride Ki Side’. We want to raise awareness in the public about the challenges faced by them. We hope more people will come forward, share stories and help empower each other. Our vision is to create an inclusive environment and encourage our audience to adopt a progressive and compassionate outlook towards the LGBTQIA+ community.”
Commenting on the association, Anjali Gopalan, Founder and Executive Director, The Naz Foundation Trust said, “I am so happy that RED FM has taken this step to highlight LGBTQIA + issues. The Naz Foundation (India) Trust is proud to be part of this journey.”
To ensure maximum outreach, RED FM has also introduced a daily special morning show on their radio channel with a counsellor. This engaging and interactive format of the show will address queries and problems of the community who face bullying, hatred and discrimination at institutes or workplace.
Besides this, RED FM has also invited a well-known LGBTQIA+ influencer at their studio who will share stories of courage in dealing with cyber trolls, verbal harassment, and how they moved-ahead and dealt with such situations.
The campaign, which began September 4, runs till September 13.
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Dia Mirza supports BIG FM’s green Ganesha initiative
To spread awareness about using eco-friendly Ganesha idols, BIG FM held a two-week-long contest and 15 winners were felicitated with a Tree Ganesha by Mirza
For the 12 th year in a row, BIG FM has brought to light the importance of celebrating festivities in an eco-friendly way through Ramky’s BIG Green Ganesha.
The initiative promotes the use of eco-friendly Ganesha idols and its celebration with minimum environmental damage. RJ Rani, the face of Ramky’s BIG Green Ganesha initiative, hosted the event, which was graced by actress Dia Mirza, Sujiv Nair from Ramky Enviro Engineers Ltd and Ram Kharpuriya, Director - Greenland Farms.
15 lucky contest-winning listeners were felicitated with a Tree Ganesha by Mirza, at the BIG FM office.
To spread awareness about using eco-friendly Ganesh idols, a two-week-long contest was held and it resulted in widespread response from listeners across Mumbai. BIG FM Mumbai associated with Tree Ganesha as they create eco-friendly idols which are made of natural soil and also melts completely after immersion in water bodies as compared to non-biodegradable options that create pollution.
Commenting on the initiative, a BIG FM spokesperson stated, “BIG FM has always tried to bring about a positive change in society. BIG Green Ganesha has been our on-going initiative for the past twelve years which is amplified through on-air and digital channels. We at BIG FM believe in ‘Change starts with you’ and through this campaign tried to raise awareness on the environment pollution created with non-biodegradable idols. The campaign has been very successful till date and we are happy and proud that we as a medium can offer our listeners entertainment with purpose.”
Nair, Chief Human Resources Officer of Ramky Enviro Engineers Ltd, commented, “The Green Ganesha initiative is our contribution to the environment. Being in the space where we closely experience the hazards that affect the environment, we are trying to make Green Ganesha an awareness campaign and save the environment from the use of harmful products. Through this we urge the people to acknowledge an environment-friendly celebration by adopting the use of eco-friendly products.”
Mirza added, “I am very happy to be here. Moreover, I am extremely grateful to BIG FM for this campaign that has been raising awareness over the last 12 years. For the past few years, I have been associating with beach clean ups post the Ganpati Visarjan and it’s very disheartening to see the remains of the idols washed back ashore. Three years ago, Dattadri (Kothur of Tree Ganesha) and I made one of these tree Ganeshas together and it was a beautiful feeling. The happiness you feel while doing something for the better good just elates you to a whole new level. I urge more people to opt for eco friendlier methods, for not just their Ganpati celebrations, but in their day-to-day activities as well.”
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Radio Adex: Ad volume sees 8% decrease in indexed growth in Q2 2019
Paytm.com continues to be the top brand to advertise in the services sector in the first half of both 2018 and 2019
The recent Radio Adex report for ad volumes in the medium for the first and second quarter of 2019 shows 8 per cent decrease in indexed growth.
In the first quarter (Jan-March), the service sector had 31 per cent share which came down to 26 per cent in the second quarter (April-June). The retail sector saw increased share in the second quarter. From 8 per cent in the first quarter, the ad volumes from the retail sector increased to 11 per cent. This was the time when IPL, General Elections and World Cup were ruling the roost.
Interestingly, Banking/Finance/Investment sector which was one of the top advertising categories in the first quarter with 12 per cent share, doesn’t find a place in the top five super categories in the second quarter. Education makes an entry in the top five list for Q2 with 10 per cent share. Auto jumped from 8 per cent to 10 per cent, while food beverages declined from 10 per cent to 9 per cent.
If we consider the ad volume in Radio for the first half of 2019 vs the first half of 2018, the indexed growth saw a decline by 9 per cent. Services continue to take the maximum share. In 2018, it was 30 per cent share while in 2019, it is 29 per cent share. Retail, Food & Beverages, Banking, Finance and Investment saw similar shares this year as was in 2018. Auto moved from 8 per cent in 2018 to 9 per cent this year.
Paytm.com continues to be the top brand to advertise in the services sector in the first half of both 2018 and 2019. Google Pay takes the next spot this year as compared to Amazon.in in 2018. Google, Cars24, Yahoo Cricket were the other brands which were a part of the top 5 brands in the first half of 2018. This year, Cars24 remained constant while there has been an addition of Hotstar and Phonepe in the list.
In the retail sector, except for Home Centre (Koz), all the brands that advertised on Radio in the first half of 2018 are missing from the top 5 brands list of 2019. While last year there were Great Eastern Trading, Central (Pantaloons), Max Retail, and South India Shopping Mall, in 2019, they are replaced by Alishan, Reliance Trends, The Chennai Silks and Lifestyle. In the Food and Beverages category, the Pan Masala brands continue to make a mark.
The cars category has jumped from 5 per cent to 7 per cent shares on radio, when compared to the first half of 2018 vs the first half of 2019. Properties/Real Estates have the maximum share of 8 per cent in 2019 compared to 9 per cent in 2018.
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FM Tadka goes for makeover with ‘Apni Suno’ campaign
Apart from the new positioning statement, FM Tadka also sports a new logo indicating dialogue within for a positive change
Three months ago, management at the Patrika group decided to go for a makeover of FM Tadka. And just two weeks back, the revamp exercise reached a climax at film studios in Jaipur with RJs all across the country practicing steps for the new jingle video having both an aspirational and inspirational feel to it.
The radio network, spanning six states and 18 cities, started its teaser campaign on August 1 with a mascot named Mr. Mannki who ignited people's minds on the new message hidden in its pose which became quite a hit amongst listeners.
The campaign garnered praise from celebrities across the spectrum. Singers Sukhwinder Singh, Hariharan, Tochi Raina, Aastha Gill, and Hindi film industry stars like Tusshar Kapoor, Mallika Shehrawat, Urvashi Rautela, Sonali Kulkarni, director Nitish Tiwari, Super 30 founder Anand Kumar, comedians Shekhar Suman, Sunil Pal, Raju Shrivastav and sports stars appreciated the concept when it was shared with them during their visits to FM Tadka. The campaign, Apni Suno, talks about making a transformation in life.
“As a country, we have always followed Gandhi ji’s three monkeys, but now the fourth monkey Mr Mannki came with a message- to bring a positive change in your life and to the destiny of the country- Apni Suno. This network philosophy was aptly revealed on Independence Day,” the network said in a statement.
“From students as environment crusaders, young innovators to reality stars from smaller cities- there are many examples of people listening to themselves and carving a new life for themselves. It is this clarion call that FM Tadka is bringing to its listeners and propagating through roadshows, cinema, mall tie ups and artists across the country,” the statement read.
Gaurav S Karrir, the National Programming Head, further reveals, “The prospect of a product change around was quite exciting. We took innovative ways like making Mr Mannki our mascot, mask inserts in newspapers, celeb led Apni Suno life changing stories and using Patrika power in digital, outdoor, print and tv to make people notice the new message of Apni Suno”.
Saurabh Bhandari, National Head Marketing, Patrika Group, who has seen the radio product evolve over the years, applauded team Tadka and shared his vision, saying, “We at Patrika Group always believe to bring change in people’s life. Our endeavour FM Tadka's ‘apni suno’ positioning is yet another step in same direction, there has been a deep study and long research behind this, we are confident listeners and our trade partners will continue their love n support to FM Tadka.”
Apart from a new positioning statement, FM Tadka also sports a new logo indicating dialogue within for a positive change. Shades of blue pointing at freedom of expression. The core TG now is 16-30 with music starting from 2008 and the playlist focused on melody. FM Tadka's flagship Jaipur station now has a new team of RJs making the entire station live with focus on social impact plus technology and sports segments.
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