New Movies should be premiered online for Mass reach - Gurjot Bedi

Indian film industry is the world's largest in terms of number of films produced as well as the number of cinemagoers. But you really get an idea of its size when you discover that it produces almost as many films as the next three - the US, Japan and China – combined!

·         In 2009, India produced a total of 2961 films on celluloid that include 1288 feature films.

·         100% FDI has paved the way for foreign giants like 20th Century Fox, Sony Pictures and the likes

The turnover of the Indian film industry is around 1.8 billion dollars. When this is posited with the global revenues of major Hollywood flicks, it is next to nothing. Avatar, for instance, generated revenues through global collections of more than $2.8 billion. The number of movie theatres in India reaches 45 million people (which is just 3.6% of our population) thus indicating huge untapped potential for films. Thus the major reasons for loss in revenue are piracy and limited reach. In my opinion an elegant solution for these problems is showcasing new movies online. The revenue model could be a one-time pay per view model or availability of the film on your local device for repeated use but not replicable or shared. Depending on agreements with Exhibitors the movies could be made available post the initial release week. This would not only help get revenues and increase reach but also help combat the evil of Piracy. Apart from targeting the urban market we can also look towards the rural market, which, even with lower ticket prices can help drive revenues through huge volumes.

This would also give rise to a new distribution model for films in India, wherein the distributor is bypassed and movies are delivered directly to the end-user.

Some facts that led me to believe about the huge potential of targeting the rural market for films

·         70% of India’s 1.24 billion people live in the rural areas.

·         According to a recent report by Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) there are 72 million Internet users in Rural India. 

·         Number of computer literates in rural India has risen nearly two-fold to 125 million, June 2013

·         Penetration and availability of high speed data like 3G in rural areas

FMCG brands need to use Social Media to engage housewives - Devesh Verma

The number of monthly active users on Facebook has surpassed 1 billion. The average duration of video uploaded on Youtube per second is about 50-60 minutes. There has been an active increase in the no. of people registered on Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, Scribd and similar social media websites. With close to 45% of this traffic consisting of the fairer sex, and the increase in the status and participation of women in India, I think this is the perfect time to use Social Media to target the right audience with the right connect.

There are so many brands in the FMCG market and most of them offer good value and quality, so it is through customer intimacy and product innovation that the differentiation can be brought about. Social Media is the ideal platform and can be leveraged upon to Foster dialog, Spread awareness, Measure customer satisfaction and communication impact, and Spur innovation.

FMCG brands can choose any or all of the above as their objectives for social media. The best thing about the digital platform is that one can measure how one is performing corresponding to each of the objectives using KPIs like share of voice and engagement rate for “fostering dialogue”, resolution rate and satisfaction score for “Measuring Customer Satisfaction” and so on using various social media analytics tools like Radian 6, Alterian SM2, Telligent etc.

To specifically target housewives content buckets could include hobbies, cooking, beauty and cosmetics, health and fitness and the perfect time could be in the afternoon and evening, but these can be altered depending on the results we get from analytical tools.

Using Multiple Media mix is very effective for all the Brand Campaign - Saurabh Jain

Availability of multiple channels and huge consumer potential has confused companies, to say the least, about its communication strategy. Everyone wants to get the largest pie of consumer attention and grab the maximum eyeballs possible. Intense competition has not only forced MNCs to rethink their communication strategy but also pressurized them to toe the strategy of competitors, which more than often is a mistake. Each company has its own fabric of connecting with consumer and it’s necessary to retain own self while exploring ways to connect with them. Each Brand Campaign consists of constraints in the form of budget and opportunities in the form of Channels, Technology & Creativity. Given the present scenario, where advertisers are tightening the nooses around communication spend; it becomes more important to use the resources judiciously and effectively. Brands have to more certain about the audience it wants to cater, its value proposition and effective channels. Advent of social media does not mean that each and every brand has to be equally aggressive on this platform. Exposing itself in social platforms along with connecting with consumers also bring a challenge of being attentive to consumer continuously. Companies need to understand where their strength does and weakness lies and should create their communication strategy accordingly. For example, campaign targeting rural segment of the society would be more effective through print medium rather than online platform. Each platform has its own set of strength and weaknesses, it makes more sense to be focused and effective than Omni-present and cluttered

FMCG brands need to use social media to engage housewives – Sanil Jain

In the last couple of years we have seen increasing digital presence of the companies and approximately 1-2% of entire marketing budget is being allocated for the digital marketing. However, for the FMCG companies, the digital medium will have only a limited role to play for some time, given the low internet penetration in the country (12.8%) out of which housewives who have access to internet comprises a meagre .5% of the Indian population. Hence, the medium is not suitable for mass market brands as the target audience is not present online. It is better suited for brands targeted at urban consumers and professionals.

The 6 million Indian housewives who have internet access, by large comprises the women from metros and other tier-I and few tier-II cities. Despite the relatively low cost of digital engagement compared to the other mass media, it is not advisable to put the resources and capital just for the sake of it without any substantial returns. Isn’t television already an effective medium to reach the 160 million housewives in India out of which more than 125 million actually have access to television.

There is no denying the fact that internet penetration is increasing at a rapid pace but it is still largely concentrated among the youths and the working professional and is likely to remain the same for the next 3-5 years. And hence it is high time for FMCG brands to realize this and stop finding answers for every marketing problem through social media.

How is Mass Media Consolidation affecting the Music Industry - Ashish Shukla

First of all, 1996 marked the end of one musical era and the beginning of a new era of popular culture.The Telecommunications Act of 1996 allowed the radio station industry, which had been mainly privately owned, to drop into the hands of a few powerful companies.  The radio was the first electronic mass medium; and when it first became a household item in the 1920′s, there was a requirement to operate in the public interest.  At the time, the number of licensed radio operators went from 322 in 1913 to 13581 in 1917! Most of these companies did not sell advertising time, but by 1930, nine out of ten radio stations sold advertising time.  This slow shift from no ad time to practically everyone advertising, marked the beginning of the trend of affiliation with large networks for financing.  These days, the number of radio owners continues to drop as an increasing  number of large networks own radio stations.

Because of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, communications companies who had their eyes out for smaller companies to swallow up were able to go on immense shopping sprees. For instance, Clear Channel communications  immediately purchased 70 other companies and a few radio stations.   In addition, before Jacor became part of Clear channel, it owned 233 radio stations in 55 different markets! With less and less companies owning radio stations, there has been less variety in the music world.  The goal now is to get those who can make a ‘hit’ and sell as quickly as possible. The music industry as now become a race track where every media company is trying to reach the best looking people who will attract the most listeners.  This point leads to the idea that the music world has now shifted from looking for talent to looking for beauty. As the various artists in the the documentary Before the Music Dies, the artists that came before the consolidated mass media would not have a chance in today’s industry.  Artists such as Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder, who are considered prodigies,  would not have made it in today’s music industry because of their bindles. It’s simple as that, the movie pointed out that today’s musicians must look good in order to even have a chance.

In addition to good looks, one must be willing to fit the entertainment mold.  It’s no longer what genre the musician himself wants to communicate to audiences, it’s all about what will sell as quickly as possible.  As mentioned earlier, the music world has now become a race track. These few companies at the top of the food chain, like Clear Channel Communications, are all racing to make the most money as soon as possible.  This also brings us back to the radio requirement to adhere to public interest. As the mother media companies race for the finish line, is the public interest really still the first thing on the priority list?  An increasing number of music consumers believe that their musical demands have not been met.  These days, only a few artists have the honor to be heard on the radio. People like Beyoncé, Ke$ha, Katy Perry, One Direction, Chris Brown, etc.  These artists are entertainers that fit the popular culture of music mold and their albums sell out as quickly as they come out.  Popular culture does not appeal to all listeners, so now people have found different ways to find interesting musicians who have escaped the popular music mold or who were simply not allowed to be themselves as they tried to make it to the top.

Using Mass Media to reach Rural Markets is Easy - Shubham Chandra

Use of conventional mass media techniques might be successful in urban areas but often fail to strike the right chord in the rural communities for several reasons. Low literacy rates, remoteness and sparsely populated areas characterize rural markets. Apart from that, penetration of access media like TV, print and radio along with different cultures and dialects pose severe challenges for the campaigners. Even celebrity endorsements and portraying a popular icon to create a natural pull for the brand fail to impress the rural dwellers.

Mass media is able to reach only 57% of the rural population. Large parts of rural India are inaccessible by TV. Only 41% people today can be reached through TVC.  There is a need of a paradigm shift in the focus of mass media from conventional means to disruptive innovation techniques. For example, HUL relies on its own company organized media. Stickiest organize promotional events. Godrej uses radio in the local language to reach the rural population. LG uses vans and road shows to reach rural customers.

Clearly there is an urgent need to educate rural customers on the tenets of adopting mass media, the benefits it can fetch and change the basic thought process mass media uses to target rural customers.

Bottom Line

IT is not easy for Mass media to reach rural markets, they need to come out of conventional techniques and target rural markets with means they understand.

Higher Exposure to a Brand Campaign Pushes up Trial Rates - Aditi Kadambande

Traditionally, brand campaigns have held specific objectives relative to factors like product life cycle stage, consumer base, market share and competition. Brand owners decide on these objectives in accordance to the response they want from the targeted audience- for example, product trial. This depends on, among other things, the level of brand awareness. This brand awareness in turn, depends on the number of exposures of the brand, in terms of

o   Awareness

o   Frequency

o   Impact

While reach is more important while launching new products, extension of present brands or popularizing lesser known brands, frequency is more important when there is strong competition in the market, or when the brand has a complex message to convey. Measurement of impact gives us quantification of brand awareness generated.

Trial rates share a directly proportional relationship with these three parameters. Thus, higher exposure to them pushes up awareness, which in turn translates into higher number of trails, thus increasing trial rates.

That being said, exposure is not the only parameter that can warranty an increase in trial rates. Effective communication of your brand’s inventory to the target audience is an important criterion for exposure to convert into trial rates.

Let us talk about the Amul Butter campaign, for instance. It consists of installing hoardings with a humorous take on current events, with the Amul Butter Girl as a social observer. These hoardings are put up at strategic locations, intended for mass reach. This age-old approach of Amul has helped them increase brand awareness, sustain the audience’s interest, generate brand recognition and recall, thus increasing trial rates.