From the desk of Strategic Resources
For any query, discussion or feedback, please contact Pavan Chandra, Head of Strategic Resources at pchandra@zenithoptimediaindia.com, +91-124-4195100. Office Address: 10th Floor, Vatika Tower, Block-B, Sector 54 Gurgaon -122002, Haryana, India.

Volume: XVIII

December, 2008

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In these hyper charged times where news comes in as fast as it becomes outdated, we need a source that can keep track of what matters to us. At ZenithOptimedia we have created Wavelength to apprise all of us of the happenings in three areas i.e. 1. Trends in Digital, Retail, OOH, Consumers and the International Advertising 2. Media & Advertising Research 3. Environment

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Media & Advertising Research Watch

AdEx Findings

9. Instant Foods/Meals ad volumes grew by 3 per cent on TV during January- October 2008 compared to the same period in 2007, whereas advertising in print fell 39 per cent during the January-October 2008 period as compared to the corresponding period last year

Source: Indiantelevision, Exchange4media

10. Fairness Creams and Skin Care Products had a 23 per cent rise in TV ad volumes during January-October 2008 compared to same period in 2007.

Source: Indiantelevision, Exchange4media

11. Skin care advertising in print went up by 5 per cent in the January-October 2008 period as compared to the corresponding period last year.

Source: Indiantelevision, Exchange4media

12. Compaq notebooks topped the charts in TV advertisements this year.

Source: Indiantelevision, Exchange4media

13. Hair care category witnessed 22 per cent growth in TV advertising during January-October 2008 compared to January-October 2007.

There was more than 50 per cent of hair care advertising on national channels during January-October 2008.

Source: Indiantelevision, Exchange4media

14. Radio channel promotions in print rose 47 per cent, while TV channel promotions in print went up by 19 per cent during the January-October 2008 period as compared to the corresponding period last year

Source: Indiantelevision, Exchange4media

Television and Media

15. Cartoon network remains the leader among children viewing channels like Pogo, Nick, Disney Channel Jetix and Hugama TV – November 27

Source: Exchage4media

16. News channels go regional – November 25

Increasing presence across geographies has become a mantra to capture a wider market. In keeping with this trend, Zee News followed by other news channels are gearing for a launch in the Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh markets “India is a country of multiple states and every state is a country in itself. Hence, regionalization and customization for local flavor is very essential for any channel.” On the advantages, regional presence will only help them. It is a demand of every state. Besides the regional market is the most expanding market in the media domain now, and currently, the entire regional general entertainment channels and news channels put together form the most exciting status of media. Channels like Zee and Star are getting ready for the times ahead. A wider portfolio gives you a better proposition and helps get more advertisers. This is why regionalization of news channels has become important.

Source: Exchange4media

17. Sports Channels tie up with movies to attract audiences - November 28

While there have been numerous movies with sports as the main theme, there is a growing trend being seen where sports channels are entering into strategic partnerships with Bollywood movies. P9 integrated claims to be the only movie marketing company to launch such initiatives. Channels like Neo Sports ESPN-STAR Sports and Ten Sports have partnered with movies and promoted films such as ‘Welcome’‘, Heyy Baby’ and ‘Salaam-e-Ishq’ to name a few. These channels and movies had associated itself with the English Premier League and the Premier Hockey League. The Indian Cricket League (ICL), too, is continuously being approached by various production houses for such partnerships. One such film that has partnered with ICL is ‘Ek Vivaah Aisa Bhi’. Yash Raj Films, too, have approached the League for a shoot in their Chandigarh stadium. The League claims to have a couple of more films lined up for such partnerships. More and more sports channels are considering such innovative and creative tie ups.

Source: Exchange4media

18. Newspapers get creative to connect with the reader -December 8

Technology is providing newer platforms to newspapers to bring in a more participatory element to news. Several measures have been taken to understand the reader and his issues. The Times of India publishes the responses directly coming from readers in its column called ‘My Times, My Voice’ on the Edit page “We are entering what Jonathan Swartz (COO of Sun MicroSystems) calls the ‘new participation age’, where boundaries between consumer/ creator are becoming increasingly blurred. DNA introduced a completely new platform of interaction with it readers with its blog called the ‘DNA Editors’ Blog’. This endeavours to see more people expressing their views on the worldwide platform. In addition, Newspaper blogs allow you to post comments on various lead stories of the day on the site.” A similar trend was followed by Mint as well. These initiatives really make a difference to the newspaper brand. It involves people, and the brand connects increase substantially. It is not about reading but it is about how you keep your readers engaged throughout the day. Readers have moved on from the early paradigm of merely receiving information to commenting and contributing to the news content.

Source: Exchange4media

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This tracker has been compiled from external sources and does not necessarily reflect the views of the company.
Links provided will take you to the full articles appended at the end of the file.

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Full Articles

9. Instant Foods Volume grow further

December 9

Exchange4Media

'Instant Foods/Meals' ad volumes grew by three per cent on TV during January-October 2008 compared to same period in 2007.

'Noodles/Pasta' garnered a high share (76 per cent) of overall TV ad volumes of 'Instant Foods/Meals' during January-October 2008.

'Nestle India Limited' leads in advertising of 'Instant Foods/Meals' brands on TV during January-October 2008.

'Maggi Cuppa Mania' was advertised the maximum among the new brands of 'Instant Foods/Meals' category on TV during January-October 2008.

10. Fairness Creams had maximum share in advertisement this year

December 16

Exchange4Media

There has been a 23 per cent rise in TV ad volumes of skin care category during January - October 2008 compared to same period in 2007. Fairness creams had the maximum share of skin care category advertising on TV during January - October 2008.

Ponds India was the top advertiser in skin care category advertising on TV during January - October 2008.

Clearasil Face Wash topped the chart of new skin care brands advertised on TV during January - October 2008.

Sushmita Sen leads in celebrity endorsement ad volumes of skin care brands on TV during January - October 2008

11. Skin care advertising in print grows 5 pc in Jan-Oct 2008: AdEx Analysis

December 23

Exchange4Media

Skin care advertising in print went up by 5 per cent in the January-October 2008 period as compared to the corresponding period last year. Range of skin care products and fairness creams had the maximum share of overall advertising share of the skin care category during this period.

12. Compaq notebooks topped the charts in TV advertisements this year

December 23

Exchange4Media

Eight per cent rise in TV ad volumes of IT sector during January - November 2008.

High share of laptops/notebooks category advertising on TV during January - November 2008.

Hewlett Packard India Ltd tops in the advertisers list of IT sector on TV during January - November 2008.

HP Compaq Notebooks was the most advertised new brand of IT sector on TV during January - November 2008.

Hrithik Roshan was the top celebrity endorsing IT brands on TV during January - November 2008.

13. Hare Care Witnesses a large Growth from January 08 to October 2008

December 2

Exchange4Media

Hair care category witnessed 22 per cent growth in TV advertising during January-October 2008 compared to January-October 2007.

There were more than 50 per cent of hair care advertising on national channels during January-October 2008.

Shampoos contributed for 55 per cent of overall hair care category advertising on TV during January-October 2008.

Hindustan Unilever Ltd was the number one advertiser of hair care category on TV during January-October 2008.

Superia Maxi Protect Active Health Shampoo topped the chart of new launches of hair care brands on TV during January-October 2008.

14.Radio and TV channels promotion in print show growth during Jan-Oct ’08:

December 9

Exchange4Media

Radio channel promotions in print rose 47 per cent, while TV channel promotions in print went up by 19 per cent during the January-October 2008 period as compared to the corresponding period last year. Publications from the West zone were preferred for TV and radio channel promotions during this period

47% rise in ad volumes of Radio Channel Promotion whereas TV Channel Promotions saw a growth of 19% in Print during Jan-Oct'08 compared to Jan-Oct'07..

• Publications from west zone were preferred for TV and Radio channel promotions during Jan-Oct ‘08.

• High share of TV and Radio channel promotions in Non-Metro Newspaper.

• Synergy Media Entertainment’ topped the advertisers list of Radio channels and ‘Star TV Network’ leads for TV Channels promotion in Print.

High share of print advertising for independent retailers during Jan-Oct ’08:

November 25

High share of Print advertising for independent retailers in the retail sector was seen during January-October 2008. Pantaloons Retail India led the retail sector in print advertising during this period. Sales promotional campaigns constituted 48 pr cent share of total retail sector ads in print during January-October 2008

15. Cartoon Network, Hungama emerge leaders among kids’ channels

November 27

Exchage4media

The kids’ channels have been mostly spared the vagaries of wild fluctuations. TAM Media Research shows that for weeks 1 to 46 for the C&S 4-14 in the all market, Cartoon Network is still the leader. Weeks 1 to 30 saw a close fight between Pogo and Hungama for the second slot, with Pogo becoming the No. 1 player in the kid’s genre from week 30 onwards. The fight then shifts to Hungama and Nick competing closely for the third position. Weeks 1 to 20 see a close fight between Nick and Jetix for the fourth position, however, from week 20 onwards, Nick moves up, while Jetix drops.

The trend in Hindi speaking market sees Hungama leading from weeks 1 to 30. From week 30 onwards, Hungama sees a downturn and there is a close contest see between Cartoon Network and Nick for the No. 1 position. From week 44, Cartoon Network emerges as the leader, while Nick, Hungama and Pogo fight it out for the second position.

Jetix and Disney Channel have failed to get adequate market share. It may be noted that Hungama, Disney Channel and Jetix are sister companies, while Hungama is doing very well, Jetix and Disney Channel have fallen behind.

Speaking on the trend, Nina Elavia Jaipuria, Vice President & General Manager, Nick India, said, “If you look at the numbers in September and October, Nick has clearly been ahead of Hungama, we have been a clear No. 2 all the way. In September, our market share was 22 and in October it was 24, as compared to Hungama’s 21 and 20, respectively. The gap between Nick and Hungama was close earlier, but not anymore. In fact, the gap is widening week on week.”

She added, “In terms of initiatives and on-ground activities, all our efforts are 360-degree initiatives. Our continuous offerings in terms of interactivity, contests and promotions, stunts and marathons and our endearing characters like Ninja, Perman and SpongeBoB continue to engage the existing viewers and enhance our time spent. Therefore, all our initiatives off and on air, above and below the line, connect with kids wherever they are.”

Meanwhile, Nick has lined up new content like Tricky TV and Finzoni Circus. It has also embarked on an extensive marketing campaign for Toon Jockey, reaching out to more than 40 cities across the country through initiatives like a robust TV plan, radio, outdoor, out-of-home (McDonalds), comic books and partnerships with Westside and PVR.

The standoff between the Federation of Western India Cine Workers (FWICE) and the producers, which incidentally was resolved recently, saw audiences shifting alliances to sports and movie channels in the absence of fresh programming on Hindi GECs. When exchange4media asked industry experts whether there was a shift in advertisers from GECs to kids’ channels, they replied in the negative.

Jaipuria said, “There was an understanding between the ISA and the IBF of not pulling out their ads from GECs. There has been no shift so far, but we could see a positive impact if the strike prolongs beyond the 21st.”

She further maintained, “Despite the economic downturn, Nick has managed to increase its rates because of the excellent channel performance and efficiencies, and, therefore, there have been no adverse effects of the slowdown. Nick is in the position to command a higher rate that matches its deliveries.”

On the other hand, Monica Tata, Vice - President and Deputy General Manager – Entertainment Networks, South Asia, Turner International India, said, “It is too early to comment on numbers. Our networks (Cartoon Network and Pogo) continue to see steady business from non-traditional advertisers.”

At the time of filing story, officials from Walt Disney were not available to comment on Disney Channel, Jetix and Hungama TV.

16. Spreading across regions is the mantra for news channels

November 25

Exchange4Media

Increasing presence across geographies has become a mantra to capture a wider market. In keeping with this trend, Zee News is gearing for launch in the Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh markets. With an election year coming up, this strategy makes huge sense.

At present, in the language news space, Zee operates 24 Taas (Marathi), Zee Telugu and 24 Ghanta (Bengali). Speaking on the upcoming channels in Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, Barun Das CEO, Zee News, said, “We have not yet decided what the UP channel would be called, but the Andhra channel has been named Zee 24 Ghantalu. Both are wholly owned by Zee News.”

Explaining how important a regional spread was for news channels, Tarun Nigam, Executive Director, StarCom India (North), said, “India is a country of multiple states and every state is a country in itself. Hence, regionalisation and customisation for local flavour is very essential for any channel.” On the advantages, Nigam Added, “Regional presence will only help them. It is a demand of every state. Zee and Star are getting ready for the times ahead. A wider portfolio gives you a better proposition and helps get more advertisers.”

Commenting on the potential benefits of expanding in the regional space, Das said, “I feel the regional market is the most expanding market in the media domain now, and currently, the entire regional general entertainment channels and news channels put together form the most exciting status of media. Together they come out with 44 per cent of viewership with 37 per cent advertising revenue share. It has grown from 36 per cent viewership share and 25 per cent revenue share four years back in 2004.”

He further said, “Regional expansion is what our business is all about today. If we talk about news, ideally we could have one news channel for every state. There is a restriction in GEC expansion because due to language differentiation you cannot possibly have a GEC in Hindi in UP. For the news expansion, one is not restricted by the language diffraction because the content composition is a differentiating factor for a local news channel. Ideally, we should have a news channel in every state in the country, but that would depend on the economic viability and prioritisation depending on our resources.”

As to why Zee was adopting a JV or franchisee model in some states, Das explained, “In those places which are not economically viable for us to expand now with a 24-hour news channel, we are looking for a franchising option. Where we don’t have to have equity participation, or we help a respectable business house to build, operate and transfer our 24-hour news channel operation. We franchisee our brand to them and we insure that our brand is protected by building it to the contract that the editor is on our payrolls. The editor is employed by us, but reimbursed by the franchisee owner.”

Chirantan Chandran, Partner - Client Leadership heading Mindshare North & East, observed, “Primarily what is happening across is that regional channels are becoming more important and they are growing at all levels. South side, these channels are doing extraordinarily well. All big players are now spreading in the regional space as that is where the growth is now.”

He further said, “These channels are experts in selling news in one market, Hence, it becomes easier for the channel to spread in other markets as well. Also, for the advertisers this is much more beneficial. They can work out various packages for different markets and make them more attractive.”

Talking about competitors, Das said, “In West Bengal, we have competition from Star Anando and Kolkata TV. In Maharashtra, there is Star Majha and IBN Lokmat. In Uttar Pradesh, there is Sahara Samay, while Andhra Pradesh is a very competitive market with several players. In the North we are very strong and Zee is a household name here. We are doing very well in the other markets that we are present in and it will not take us long before we emerge as a distinct channel in UP. That is what our expectations are. In Andhra, it will take time as we generally try to attain the No. 2 position and then take it from there.”

In times of economic slowdown how is Zee still expanding? Das replied, “This slowdown would rationalise the media sector to a large extent. Some companies have been too euphoric and have expanded themselves too thin without worrying about their future performance. This is not the case with Zee News and Zee Entertainment, as both have significant focus on the current performance, and all along, even when the economy was all gung ho. We found ourselves in a far more robust position because we haven’t stretched ourselves too thin. We are best placed to see through this downturn, which also offers an opportunity to expand at a very low cost. It’s a buyers market now, so any expansion will cost you significantly low than it would have cost you a year back. We would be going into expansion now after a thorough evaluation. It is the right time to be present in the UP market. We had planned the Andhra foray and had announced it six months back.”

exchange4media tried to take Star’s perspective and its presence in the Bengal and Maharashtra markets. However when contacted, Star officials declined to share details regarding their regional expansion plans.

17. Sports channels see an ally in movies for audience engagement

November 28

Exchange4Media

Neo has recently tied up with animated film ‘Jumbo’, which has roped in actor Akshay Kumar for a series of initiatives, including a contest – ‘Jumbo of the Match’. This contest is being promoted through a promo featuring Akshay, where viewers have to choose their favourite player of the India-England series. One winner will be chosen from each match, who will get to meet the actor.

There are other instances of such Bollywood-sports channel tie-ups as well. Neo Sports had earlier tied up with ‘Saawariya’, ESPN-STAR Sports had tied up with films like ‘Welcome’ and ‘Heyy Baby’, ‘Salaam-e-Ishq’ had associated itself with the English Premier League and the Premier Hockey League. The Indian Cricket League (ICL), too, is continuously being approached by various production houses for such partnerships. One such film that has partnered with ICL is ‘Ek Vivaah Aisa Bhi’. Yash Raj Films, too, have approached the League for a shoot in their Chandigarh stadium. The League claims to have a couple of more films lined up for such partnerships.

Speaking to exchange4media, Manish Mathur, COO, P9 Integrated, said, “It is all about partnership between cricket and movies. Most of the tie-ups that we do are with cricket. However, our non-cricket tie-ups, too, help us get exposure to cricket. It does not matter with which sport we partner as long as we are getting an Indian cricket exposure, and the response we got from previous film tie-ups were phenomenonal.”

Mathur further said that movie marketing was a very clean way of reaching out to consumers despite a very limited budget, resulting in high TRPs, thus working favourably for both the sports channel and the movie. This would indeed be a perfect time for films to partner with sports channels as the on-going India-England cricket series is delivering good numbers.

Abhishek Verma, Associate Vice President - Marketing, Neo Sports, said, “A partnership like the one we have with ‘Jumbo’ is a great opportunity for us to build viewership and engage them through contests.”

Verma also spoke about Neo Sports being part of an in-film brand, where they have partnered with a Harman Baweja film called ‘Victory’, which is based on cricket. He further said that brand integration in sports was a great opportunity as sports had mass appeal, just like bollywood. “Thus, it makes great sense for us to integrate with films, which results in broadening the appeal of the channel.”

Ten Sports, which has just recently the PCB rights through 2013, is also considering tie-ups with movies for its upcoming properties. Chris McDonald, CEO, Ten Sports, said, “Yes, we are certainly considering several innovative and creative tie-ups, which we will be announcing soon.”

18. Newspapers go interactive to keep up with the ‘new participation age’

December 8

Exchange4Media

For long newspapers have been a static medium, doling out news, opinions and analysis with hardly any participation or contribution from the readers, barring the letters to the editor. However, technology is providing newer platforms to newspapers to bring in a more participatory element to news – be it blogs, citizen journalism, SMSes, emails or opinion polls.

Speaking on BCCL’s various initiatives, its Chief Marketing Officer, Rahul Kansal, said, “Apart from blogging, the other elements that a newspaper has at its disposal to encourage interactivity include emails, SMSes, physical panel discussions directly with the editor through campaigns like ‘Teach India’ and ‘Lead India’, and lastly, market research, where you get to know what readers are saying, what are their issues and what they want. In The Times of India, we have column called ‘My Times, My Voice’ on the Edit page in which we publish the responses directly come from our readers. And at the end of this column, we also give options to the readers to write to us either through emails, SMSes or letters on so and so number and address, respectively.”

Neelanjan Shome, Chief Marketing Officer, HT Media, remarked, “We are entering what Jonathan Swartz (COO of Sun MicroSystems) calls the ‘new participation age’, where boundaries between consumer/ creator is becoming increasingly blurred. This is particularly evident in the media firmament, where newspapers are attempting to forge relationships with the reader which is active rather than passive like in the past. Interactivity – content flowing both ways – is key to forming such a relationship. Newspapers around the world are attempting to do this in several ways, the only real constraint is our imagination. To mention a few examples, ‘OhMyNews’ in South Korea is written entirely by its readers – created by 33,000 citizen journalists everyday – generating a regular readership of 20 lakh. Wisconsin State Journal (second largest in the state) asks its readers to vote for the next day’s lead story.”

DNA, too, has introduced a completely new platform of interaction with it readers with its blog called the ‘DNA Editors’ Blog’. The blog went online on November 24, 2008, with posts from senior journalists like R Jagannathan, Malavika Sanghvi, Ayaz Memon, Sathya Saran and Siddharth Bhatia.

KU Rao, CEO, DNA, said, “By launching this blog, we have reinstated people’s belief of being the most interactive daily in the country. With this initiative, we hope to see more people expressing their views on this worldwide platform. With blogs from our editors we would cover the entire gamut of topics – from the economy, fashion and entertainment, politics, sports and social causes – and hope to connect with the growing number of netizens blogging in India today.”

Sandeep Bhushan, COO, Mint, said, “We at Mint look at this a bit differently. Unlike in the case of many other publications, a bulk of Mint’s readers are net-savvy decision makers, which gives us the option of using both our website livemint.com and the paper to build interactivity. Our website also has inbuilt interactivity through features such as polls and feedback.”

He further said that as the paper started out, they had the basic features like ‘Letters to editor’, ‘Readers’ Choice’, etc. They then added strong interactive sections in a Q&A format under the ‘Ask Mint’ section. “Recently, we launched the ‘Mint Helpdesk’, where we invite readers to ask us any question related to the world of business, each of which is replied to individually. We have now institutionalised interactivity on key stories. During the US Presidential elections, we partnered the LiveJournal community (The Independent, UK, was one of their other partners) in the US, and our editors interacted with them on a range of issues and some of these discussions were carried in a special section for over a month. This gave an insider view to our readers, for whom global news and analysis is critical. We have also recently launched the ‘If you were PM’ platform to catalyse the debate on what should be our next action as a country. Responses are being published daily in the paper in a special section. We are using our blogs platform to build this debate further,” Bhushan added.

Akila Urankar, President, Business Standard, observed, “You have so many transactions that you allow on the site today, you allow chat, you allow people to post their comments, there are blogs, chat rooms, there are investment tips, etc. A lot of people tend to respond back or post their comments after the reading session. Newspaper blogs allow you to post comments on various lead stories of the day on the site.”

Manajit Ghoshal, CEO, Mid-Day Infomedia Ltd, said, “We have something called ‘Point of View’, which is actually almost like a blog, but the difference here is that multiple people’s opinion are voiced on a particular story. We also have polls, an important part of our interactive element, and thirdly, of course, ‘Citizen Journalism’. Citizen journalism is one of the most impactful interactive element that we have in the media industry today.”

Interactive elements helps

There are various other interactive elements apart from blogging to encourage interactivity. According to Kansal, “All these initiatives really make a difference to the newspaper brand as they really help in building an active relationship between reader and the brand.”

Shome too said, “The short answer is an emphatic ‘yes’. It is more than newspapers attempting to ‘change’, as it were. The fact is that as media consumers, our attitudes and behaviours to various media formats have been evolving rapidly, led by disruptive technological changes over the last decade. The reader has changed and, therefore, newspapers and other traditional formats must adapt themselves to this changing consumer. This new adaptability is exciting to say the least, and it should result in more competitive generic benefits that newspapers will be able to provide.”

Bhushan noted, “As the premium business paper in the country, we at Mint do not see interactivity as a matter of choice. We are read by articulate influencers in society who have a point of view. Our interactive features help build loyalty. Our effort is to provide clarity in business and our interactive features convey our brand personality of transparency and accessibility. So, both from the view of building loyalty and brand personality, interactivity is critical for Mint. In fact, even on our events platform ‘Clarity through debate’, which are panel discussions chaired by Mint editors, we take questions and comments from a live audience as well as from an international audience, who tune in to the live webcast on Livemint.com, which is an another illustration of taking the brand wider and building stickiness on the brand.”

According to Urankar, “All these initiatives really make a difference to the newspaper brand. These are all channel for disseminating the information. Any interactivity whether you engaged the readers through the website or newspaper basically will help readers’ stroke visitors engage with the brand.”

Ghoshal said, “These initiatives really make a difference to the newspaper brand. It involves people and the brand connects increases substantially. It is not about reading but it is about how you keep your readers engaged throughout the day. Engagement part happens when people get involved in terms of voting, in terms of giving their opinion and in terms of writing their article and so on. There you get maximum mileage and maximum amount of impact happens.”

Today’s newspaper readers have moved on from the early paradigm of merely receiving information to commenting on and now to contributing to the news content.

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