| What is interesting to note, is that looking at the
last two years, Mediaturf every quarter has had a record addition
of four-five accounts. This quarter has seen as addition of almost
five times its average number. Another interesting point is the emergence
of newer categories who at looking at the online space as viable and
significant visibility. Earlier the prominent categories were only
restricted to finance and IT companies.
Speaking to indiantelevision.com, Mediaturf's CEO V Ramani
says, "The increase in the number of accounts bagged this quarter
vis-à-vis the last years is heartening. Also, newer categories
are looking at online advertising more seriously. The pace has picked
up and the 24 million individuals which comprise the online eyeballs
is gaining increasing significance and have also attained critical
mass."
He also says that a lot of advertisers on the net have actually
sampled the medium first, done small activities and gauged the response
to the communication and subsequently taken the plunge to spend
large monies on the Internet.
Looking back on why only finance and IT companies were interested
in this space Ramani says, "It was the lowest hanging fruit
for these two as it was a direct fit. Also, the fact that financial
services were already on the Internet and hence found an excellent
synergy between the medium and their objectives."
The Indian Internet audience is expected to grow from 18 million
to 30 million in the next 12 months. Signs of these are already
emerging. Many research studies are establishing the fact that at
any one time, half the people watching TV will be opening their
mail, surfing the web, or listening to the radio.
Lately, Indian marketers have started believing in the power of
online advertising and what better example than that of Hindustan
Lever Limited (HLL), India's biggest advertiser. HLL recently invaded
the web with the re-launch campaign for the new Close Up.
Although, this has yet to sink into media planners as till date
each medium is looked at as a separate element of a campaign, rather
than binding them together. And the fact that the Internet is not
being better utilised by advertisers has been attributed to media
planners, measurements and standards.
This might just be the arrival of online advertising and its progression
onto larger scales.
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