Week at a glance: How COVID has hit print media; IPL 2020 coverage; Festive Mood

COVID-19 impact: EBITDA margin of print media to shrink 10% yoy in FY21 - Ind-Ra

Major print media players during 1QFY21 witnessed a substantial revenue decline of over 67 per cent yoy, led by a substantial fall of over 76 per cent yoy in the advertisement revenue and 32 per cent yoy drop in circulation revenue. The decline was higher for English print media players than Hindi print media players. Given that advertising revenue remains a key profitability driver, the players reported EBITDA losses during this period.

Also read: Week at a glance: New ad guidelines; Vi debuts; IPL inventory; Taboola-Outbrain part ways

IPL lays down norms for use of IPL Names & Proprietary Content by print media

Ahead of the commencing of the tournament, the Indian Premier League (IPL) has taken steps to enforce its rights against the unlicensed commercial utilisation by third parties of the IPL Names, IPL Marks and IPL Proprietary Content in contravention of the rights granted by the IPL to its sponsors.

IPL 2020: No Whistle Podu Army this time, but CSK guns for glory under Dhoni

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) is all geared for their opening match against Mumbai Indians in IPL 2020 this Saturday, September 19, 2020. However, the loudly cheering the Whistle Podu Army will be missing (at the stadium, at least) as the tournament this year is being played in the UAE and most probably in either empty stadiums or with the bare minimum people in the stadium.

IPL 2020: Mumbai Indians’ engagement strategy for its MI Paltan is above par

As the battle royal for the IPL 2020 crown begins, Adgully takes a look at how the IPL franchise teams are engaging with their fans and drawing up their communication strategies in COVID-19 times. Four-time IPL champions Mumbai Indians is arguably the most successful team amongst all the other franchises today. While the pandemic has resulted in the tournament being held under unusual circumstances, Mumbai Indians has stayed strong, has also got onboard several sponsors and has been strong in terms of fan engagement.

Will digital hold on to No. 2 spot in terms of ad spends during peak festive season?

Digital media has been fairly resilient to the shockwaves caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. In H1 2020, digital advertising contracted by 7 per cent, compared to print and TV, which showed a degrowth of 51 per cent and 43 per cent, respectively, according to the Madison Advertising Report 2020. During the same period (H1 2020), digital grew its share of the AdEx pie to 30 per cent, firmly displacing print to become the 2^nd largest media after television.

Unlocking digital & TV synergies and the impact on the entire marketing funnel

With platform agnostic media consumption on the rise, 360-degree media campaigns have become the mainstay of most marketing plans. It’s not fashionable to approach media planning in silos, and brands that can afford it, often opt for a multi-platform blitz to create maximum impact. TV and print campaigns afford the highest reach and have been proven to be most effective while executing top of mind awareness (TOMA) campaigns. However, in contrast, digital may be leveraged for TOMA, consideration and point of sales (POS).

Fresh content, festive season, rural consumption buoy GECs as advertisers return

Devoid of fresh content due to shootings not taking place during the lockdown, General Entertainment Channels (GECs) saw a decline in its viewership, especially during the primetime. With shootings resuming amid strict guidelines, original content is returning to television and so are the viewers. BARC-Nielsen reports reveal that though viewership dropped during the peak lockdown period, advertisers remained consistent on GECs.

#TwitterChat: Why experts see IPL as a giant leap for Fantasy Sports

One sector that is expecting a greater pull during the IPL is Fantasy Sports. With Live sports events on a halt for a prolonged period of time due to the pandemic, even the Fantasy Sports category didn’t really see much action during the first half of the year. To take a deep dive into the realm of Fantasy Sports, Adgully’s much appreciated marquee property – #TwitterChat – turned the spotlight on ‘IPL – The Perfect Shot In The Arm For Fantasy Sports?’

I see more consolidation in the agency ecosystem: Ameer Ismail

As part of our latest series on ‘PR Conversation’, we at Adgully are speaking to some of the industry leaders from both PR agencies and the corporate communications world about how PR as a business and communication tool has evolved and grown over the years. Ameer Ismail, President, GolinOpinion – MullenLoweLintas Group, speaks to Adgully about diverse topics ranging from – evolution of PR, PR measurement, driving efficiencies to COVID disruptions and the “creativity first” approach to communication.

"Media industry suffered 17 bn credential stuffing attacks between Jan 2018 & Dec 2019"

When it comes to digital experience, one needs sound infrastructure, which will support the system and the platform and ensure that the experience is fast, smart and secured. This is where Akamai Technologies has been securing and delivering digital experiences for the world’s largest companies. In an exclusive conversation with Adgully, Mitesh Jain, Country Sales Manager – Media & Carriers Division, Akamai Technologies, speaks at length about their offerings and how they are delighting the customers with world class digital experience.

DIY is driving demand across segments: Gulbahar Taurani, Philips

Adgully has reached out to marketers and publishers across India to gauge the sentiments during the festive season this year as part of our special series on ‘Festive Mood’. In conversation with Adgully, Gulbahar Taurani, Vice President - Personal Health, Philips Indian Subcontinent, shares his perspective on the festive season and market sentiments. He also shares insights on Philips’ plans this festive season.

“After a depressing 1st half, we are likely to see cautious optimism this year”

In this interaction with Adgully, Sumit Sehgal, CMO, Sheela Foam, speaks about the market sentiments this festive season and how his company is preparing to woo consumers and the digital-first approach to marketing.

“A&M advisory needs to be more holistic to cover activities across the value chain”

In conversation with Adgully, Chandrashekar Mantha, Partner, Media & Entertainment lead, Risk Advisory, Deloitte India, speaks at length about the acquisition of Spatial Access and how it will further strengthen Deloitte’s A&M operations, tech-enabled approach to marketing, media audit in the new normal and much more.

Why content marketing strategies need a relook in pandemic times

With fewer avenues to engage with consumers directly during the pandemic times, brands are increasingly turning to content marketing to build trust and reputation of the brand, as well as increase recall and relevance. To understand more about the role of content marketing for brands during the pandemic times, Adgully reached out to some leading media houses, content agencies and brands.

Every piece of interactive content is call to action in itself: Ravpreet Ganesh

In the run-up to SCREENXX 2020, we are lining up a series of interesting interactions and stories on the OTT space and highlighting how this sector is evolving and the consumers’ engagement with the OTT platforms, as part of our ‘Show Time’ series. In conversation with Adgully, Ravpreet Ganesh, Chief Integration Officer, PublicisGroupe, gives her take on the digital trends impacting content consumption in these times, why OTT platforms need to invest in exclusive original content in regional languages and more.

Show Time: “TV is fictional; Cinema is larger than life; OTT is in the realism space”

In the run-up to SCREENXX 2020, Adgully’s premiere property for the Video-On-Demand and Digital Entertainment space, we spoke to versatile actor, TV host and comedian Gunjan Utreja, who shares is views on content consumption during COVID times, scope and scale of OTT platforms and much more.

“Festive season will be the first phase of optimism in the business sector”

In conversation with Adgully, Anand Dubey, CEO, Compaq, speaks about how India remains a swiftly growing market in terms of consumerism, a trend that will not change even in COVID times.

Lessons in modern day leadership & some timeless mantras

Ruchi Kaushal, Global Marketing Manager - Car Workshops, Castrol, shares a communications professional’s journey to another business and various countries. Kaushal also shares the many key lessons learnt from her bosses, teams and even customers, on way to successfully straddling the business world.

“Our partnership with Delhi Capitals also entails collaboration for Vocal for Local”

Earlier this month, IPL franchise team Delhi Capitals had announced OkCredit as their principle sponsor, which is also seen as a support to the Government’s ‘Vocal For Local’ initiative. In conversation with Adgully, Harsh Pokharna, Co-founder & CEO, OkCredit, talks about the association and the expectations from IPL this year.

Brands & retailers need to deploy an omnichannel marketing strategy: Taranjeet Singh

Criteo is a global technology company powering the world’s marketers with trusted and impactful advertising. Adgully spoke to Taranjeet Singh, Managing Director, SEA and India, Criteo, to understand their plans and to find out how brands will benefit from Criteo, as well as what his long term plans are.

India’s SMBs represent the next growth opportunity for Httpool

Today, Httpool represents the top 20 media platforms is most of their markets, including Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Spotify, and LinkedIn. In conversation with Adgully, Sunny Nagpal, Co-founder, and Regional Managing Director, Httpool APAC charts the decade long journey in the APAC region, Covid-19 impact on digital advertising growth opportunities unlocked via the IMS-Sony acquisition.

There’s a shift in consumer preference for long-form content: Chidambaram Natesan

In conversation with Adgully, Chidambaram Natesan, Director and CEO, Trend Loud, gives insights on the content consumption trends during the pandemic times, how OTT players are growing their subscriber base, shift to long-form content and more.