MUMBAI: Content aggregators, ad agencies and
advertisers should jointly work out 360 degrees
multimedia consumer interactions to provide positive
experiences and move away from intrusion to
invitation. Only then will they able to grow the
advertising pie and stretch every rupee of the ad
spend. These were some of the observations made during
the session on “Advertising: how to make the rupee go
further” held during the latter half of the second
day of Ficci FRAMES 2003.

The writing is clearly on the wall - TV channels and
print media owners should stop selling content alone
but forge multimedia alliances to woo advertisers. Ad
agencies want to make media owners equally responsible
and culpable for the success or failure of brand
objectives.

In an extremely jovial atmosphere, the panelists
comprising Bennett Coleman and Co (The Times of India
– TOI - president) director Arun Arora, Mindshare
Fulcrum MD Vikram Sakhuja, Zee TV president Apoorva
Purohit, Wizcraft director Sabbas Joseph and the
moderator Madison Communications chairman Sam Balsara
had no qualms about taking digs at one another while
scoring brownie points by their insightful
observations.

Balsara’s reference to The Times of India (TOI) as the
“grand old lady of Bori Bunder” compelled TOI
president Arora to claim that the grand old lady has
become the “spice girl” of Mumbai. Arora was adamant
when he stated that “what is timeless must become
timely; otherwise it will get dated!”. Sometime later,
Zee TV’s Purohit took a dig at competitor Sony and
wondered whether the channel would eventually brand
some of the “assets” of their wonderful team of
commentators!

Balsara’s rejoinder was that they had
approached Sony for branding Mandira with TBZ
jewellery. Purohit also claimed that media buyers
acted like purchase managers and some day in the near
future there would be “media channels” tender ads in
The Times of India. Balsara, then, urged Arora to
think about Purohit’s suggestion and ensure that she
gets part of the 15 per cent commission for her ideas.

In his presentation, Arora mentioned how the scenario
has changed and offered the following solutions to
stretch the ad rupee. Arora said that the days of
content aggregators doing vertical thinking are gone
as clients are demanding that their ad agencies should
think horizontally. The key is ensure that there is
a convergence of vertical media buying with horizontal
consumption.

Excerpts:

* Media habits have not just evolved but they have
been transformed. The market is ruled by complexity,
fragmentation, higher short-term goals and reduced ad
spends.

* The ground rules indicate that one must get an
emotional connect with the consumer who is in control.
The medium can be used effectively as the message.

* Products (including print and TV) have become
experiential and are no longer just functional – the
way to the heart and the mind could open doors to the
wallet.

* Mere communication isn’t enough but it must be
coupled with entertainment and experiences.

* There is a convergence of content and commerce.
Content aggregators and advertisers must move away
from vendor-buyer relationships and partner one
another. Examples of such relationships include music
videos for selling automobiles (Karunesh- Tata Safari;
Eveready Indipop Remix album; Romanov party mania).

* Advertising has to meet advertising events and
branded entertainment. Examples Brand Equity quiz;
Corporate Excellence awards; Femina Miss India and
Filmfare awards.

* A 360 degrees sweep for products and services –
examples include Star India and Channel [V]’s Popstars
band Viva had a multimedia deal with The Times of
India group; Pepsi with Adnan Sami and Fardeen Khan.

* Madison (advertising) must meet Vine
(entertainment)! Globally, some major 360 degrees
deals have been done. Pepsi and Coca Cola have tied up
with Sony and Universal music labels in order to get
the celebrity artistes to endorse their respective
brands. Viacom with Proctor & Gamble; AOL with
Kelloggs, Kraft, Burger King.

* Music or TV content or feature films are longer just
intellectual property but can be termed as emotional
property (EP). Create more and sell more in order to
benefit and stretch the advertising rupee.

Mindshare Fulcrum MD Vikram Sakhuja
# There is a need to move away from carpet bombing to
brand experience via a 360 degrees marketing and
communication mix.
#Ogilvy said that “only one half of advertising works
and we don’t know which half”. The key is ensure and
find out that both the halves work.
#Stretching the rupee is all about the right
communication messages and not about reach, frequency
or gross ratings points.
#Advertisers and ad agencies have to be very clear
about what they want to do and correct judgement will
indicate savings. For instance, WPP Media research
shows that if a brand launch costs Rs X; saying
something about the brand costs Rs 0.75 X;
repositioning a brand costs Rs 1.25X; reinforcing
brand values costs Rs 0.5X and gaining competitive
dominance would involve stepping up the share of voice
through selective media planning and buying.
#In India, planners and buyers can stretch the rupee
by conjuring up the right mix between satellite and
terrestrial channels. They need to question the role
of media and its ability to deliver. Media owners must
be made accountable and must guarantee sales.
#Medium can be the message eventually and if used
rightly!
#Micro-scheduling, optimization and effectiveness
could induce savings of nearly 20 per cent.
#Effective planning and buying can be done through a
mix of intuitive and nominative planning.
#In the near future, the focus will shift from “media
to communication”

Zee Television president Apoorva Purohit
#Media is not merely a commodity (that media planners
and buyers have made it out to be) but much more than
that
#Media planning and buying is an art but the media
agencies are too obsessed with the science of media
planning.
#Media specialists need to consider media in totality
and use innumerable media opportunities to drive brand
salience and extend brand proposition. Examples would
include in-film placements (actor Shahrukh Khan
sipping Stroh’s beer in Yash Chopra’s super-duper hit
“Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge”); branded TV shows
(Whirlpool extended its homemaker concept to creating
content around the theme) and long-term associations
(CEAT cricket ratings and De Beers with Aishwarya
Rai).

Event management specialist Wizcraft director Sabbas
Joseph
#Ideas need to be the base or foundation of any
attempt to stretch the rupee. Ideas can also create
compelling content.
#The best part about using below-the-line activities
to stretch the rupee is that there are no rigid rules
as in TV or print.
#Marketers and advertisers start off with the premise
of the idea and then innovatively use 360 degrees
multimedia marketing to build up hype.
#Delivery can be measured effectively.
#Association with a winning idea is beneficial in the
long-term as ideas have a life of their own.
#A clever mix of events and 360 degrees mix can make
the brand experiential and ensure reach and
interactivity with the target audience.

Moderator Balsara summed up the proceedings eventually
by saying that ad agencies, media owners and
advertisers have all been partly responsible for
having myopic visions. Leading media houses must
aggressively don the mantle of ensuring that they help
the advertisers sell more; ad professionals must gain
a business perspective and develop a holistic attitude
which just doesn’t end with delivering cost-effective
TRPs. Times of India group’s Arora however had the
last word when he commented that “good content always
sells and can always stretch the rupee.

The session: Advertising: how to make the rupee go
further

Moderator: Sam Balsara, chairman, Madison Communications