Before the
festive season arrived, all my TV air-time selling and print
space selling friends had chewed away all their nails. The nervousness
was clearly visible as pressure on revenues mounted in what
was clearly a difficult year.
The festive season (between September and November) for most
channels and publications is when the cash register rings the
most! In fact, in a recent analysis across seven-year trends,
TAM ADEX found that almost 30-35 per cent of Press Display revenue
is earned in the Festive season.
So how
has this year's festive season been? Not too bad actually. In
ad revenue growth terms, October-November saw spends increase
by 13 per cent over last year. Which are the product categories
that kept their advertising pressure up? TAM ADEX tried to find
out more in terms of the sectors that saved the day in Festive
2002. And we have drawn up our pecking order of The Big Festive
Spenders on Television. (see table: The Top 10 TV Festive Spenders)
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TV spends studied for September-November 2002 versus the same
period in 2001, point to the toilet soap category retaining its
leadership position. This was despite the fact that there was
only a nominal five per cent increase in the category's spend
over the same previous period.
However, what has been surprising is that Corporate Advertising
has shot up 63 per cent in terms of TV spends and shot up three
spots from the fifth to the second rank!
A host of
players has emerged from nowhere and resorted to Corporate Advertising
rather than specific product/ brand promotion. Some of the Big
Guns who took to pushing their corporate image in ads in Festive
2002 include Whirlpool, Britannia, Samsung and Allianz.
The year has
also seen three new product categories coming into the Festive
TV Top 10. Paints, Rubs-&-Balms and Hair Oils have replaced Aerated
Soft Drinks, Cars/Jeeps and Writing instruments in the Top 10.
So are the trends in the print medium the same as TV? How have
press spends been? Has print also seen changes in the categories
that used it is a medium to reach out to consumer?
Share of
print in the Ad pie
Press is again very interesting! Two-Wheelers continued on their
steady bulid-up to race ahead to the top spot among press spenders
in Festive 2002. Cars/Jeeps, which occupied the numero uno position
in Festive 2001 had to be content with the Number 2 position.
Cellular Phone Services and TV Channels stormed into the Festive
Press Top 10 list in place of Computer Education and Insurance.
Computer Education, as a category, has been on a downward spiral
in terms of ad spends following the software slowdown.
TV
Channel Promotions, which was ranked number 12 in the previous
festive ranking, has entered the Top 10 Festive Print list at
the number 10 spot by upping its spends by a whopping 46 per cent
as compared to Festive2001.
In
fact, that has happened primarily because almost all channels
have brought in programming changes for the Festive this year.
The Top Channel networks spending on Print have been Zee, Sony,
ETV and Star.
What's more
is that while most analysts would believe that Channel-Publication
deals are all barter deals, market feedback for this festive is
quite the opposite. A bulk of the deals that took place in this
Festive turned out to be paid deals.
As one publication sales head told me recently, "Barter deals
are done in a lean season. In Festive, when inventory levels are
stretched and chock-a-block all that publications want are all-cash
deals! The channels in most cases have paid full rates to come
in."
Conclusion: Overall, this festive seems like one where FMCGs and
Corporate campaigns dominated TV spends. However, Print was a
mixed bag between Auto, Durables, Real Estate, Cellular and TV
Channels! It will be interesting to see if 2003 is able to generate
the kind of growths that the industry is gasping for. Watch this
space for more!
Atul Phadnis
Director
S-Group
TAM Media Research
All figures used are courtesy TAM TV ADEX
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