Week at a glance: Netflix’s ad gamble; DIGIXX 2022 coverage; Invesco’s ZEE stake sale

In-depth: Will ads take the chill out of Netflix?

Netflix and ads might look like an oxymoron, as the ad-free experience has been at the core of its DNA – the distinctive factor that distinguishes it from the rest. Its subscribers may not stomach the very idea of ads. CEO Reed Hastings has always sought to protect Netflix’s vaunted premium position. But the competition is growing. Disney+ and HBO Max provide customers the choice of selection: ad-supported and ad-free. Disney plans to add an ad-supported AVOD tier later this year, with the hope of reaching 230-260 million subscribers within the next two years.

AdLift, Xapads Media, Logicserve Digital, ZEE Biskope shine at DIGIXX Awards 2022

Adlift walked away with two Special Awards – Performance Agency of the Year and Most Promising Digital Agency of the Year. Xapads Media was adjudged the Digital Agency of the Year. White Rivers Media won the Best Independent Digital Agency Award. Logicserve Digital won the award for Social Media Agency of the Year. ZEE Biskope was adjudged Brand of the Year.

DIGIXX Day 2 Round-up. A day devoted to Mobile Marketing & DIGIXX 2022 Award winners

After a day devoted to Influencer Marketing on Day 1, Day 2 of the 6th edition of DIGIXX Summit & Awards 2022 saw another round of wide-ranging topics dominating the Digital ecosystem. Our industry leaders dwelled on a cookieless world and what it means for advertisers; Programmatic, Artificial Intelligence, Connected TV and more.

DIGIXX 2022 kicks off with the spotlight on the Influencer Marketing ecosystem

Day 1 of the 6th edition of DIGIXX Summit & Awards 2022 was devoted to the Influencer Marketing ecosystem, where we saw our esteemed speakers share their insights on the growing importance of influencers in brand marketing, how they have emerged as a formidable force in creating consumer engagement for brands without being in-your-face.

Influencer Marketing Unplugged: From experimenting to mainstream

Influencer marketing came under focus on Day 1 of DIGIXX Summit & Awards 2022, the flagship event of Adgully for the Digital industry. The panel discussion on ‘Influencer Marketing Unplugged’ tracked the journey of influencer marketing from the testing of waters by marketers to becoming mainstream and an integral part of brands’ marketing strategies.

How brands can have an effective influencer tracking mechanism

The speed at which the Indian influencer marketing industry has grown, especially in the last three years, is phenomenal. As per data for 2020, this particular industry values close to Rs 900 crore, and it is expected to grow to Rs 2,200 crore by 2025. This is a compounded annual growth rate of 25%.

Decoding the rise of creator economy in India

Anyone who is active on social media has probably noticed that the race to become an influencer has begun. The market will inevitably see a large influx of creators, and due to the growing crowd, the likelihood of creators becoming lost is greater than that of becoming noticed.

Is the era of specialized influencers here?

India is a mobile-first ad economy, which has only accelerated the use of social media platforms. The exponential rise in the use of social media has further given rise to these whole influencer-led communities around common themes, interest, creativity. Given the large population that we have of about 1.3 billion, we are beginning to realise the potential of these communities, for which engagement and conversion is extremely compelling for marketers in this new world.

Cookieless future is here & Now – How geared are advertisers to adapt to it?

The “cookieless future” can be bright for advertisers, publishers, and consumers, but it will be grim indeed for ad tech vendors that had been profiting off of the data collected from users, diverting ad revenue away from good publishers to themselves.

Connected TV Advertising: The Do’s, Don’ts and Best Practices

Connected TV has been gaining traction in India in the recent times. According to the FICCI-EY M&E report 2021, Connected TV sets increased to 10 million in 2021, with Smart connected TVs expected to exceed 40 million by 2025, thereby ending the monopoly of broadcasters.

Invesco plans to sell 8% stake in ZEE at a price of Rs 2,200 crore

Invesco has 18% stake in Zee currently and they increased its stake in 2019 at a price of Rs 390 (11% stake bought at Rs 42 billion). Invesco recently softened their stance, despite the court judgment moving their favour, wherein they mentioned that they were in favour of the Sony-ZEE merger and did not want to remove Punit Goenka as CEO.

MIB blocks 22 YouTube channels for spreading fake news

The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (MIB), utilising the emergency powers under the IT Rules, 2021, issued orders on March 4, 2022 for blocking of 22 YouTube based news channels, three Twitter accounts, one Facebook account, and one news website. The blocked YouTube channels had a cumulative viewership of over 260 crore, and were used to spread fake news, and coordinated disinformation over social media on subjects sensitive from the perspective of national security, India’s foreign relations, and public order.

Delhi HC dismisses Red Bull’s injunction plea against Pepsi’s tagline

Pepsi defended its use of the tagline as being descriptive of the product and thus, no action for infringement can lie. Pepsi also argued that Red Bull’s trademark itself is invalid since it is in contravention of Section 9 of the Trade Marks Act.

Metaverse: Is it the next space to be won?

When thinking of the metaverse as it exists today, gaming has led growth in this space, making it more accessible to many. The 2002 release of Microsoft’s Xbox console and its iconic game, ‘Halo’, paved the way for a vibrant and interactive gaming economy.

We’ll launch Roadies on Metaverse in some form & extend it to Web 3.0: Anshul Ailawadi

Speaking to Adgully about what is different this year in ‘Roadies’, Anshul Ailawadi, Head – Youth, Music and English Entertainment, Viacom18, said, “I won’t tell you what is different, I will tell you what is the same, and that is the DNA of the show – which is adventure and journey. Everything else is different – it’s a new journey, adventure, a new location, it’s a new host, new vibe.”

How Discovery is experimenting with different genres

Speaking about the new docu-series, Megha Tata, Managing Director-South Asia, Discovery Inc, told Adgully, “‘Legends of the Ramayana’ will be like seeing Ramayan through the lens of discovery, which is in the space of docu-series. The whole concept was very interesting when it came to us that we all know about Ramayan.

PR industry may match pre-Covid 19 growth rate by 2022-end: Parveez Modak

In conversation with Adgully, Parveez Modak, Managing Director, Strategy  group, MSL Group India, speaks about the data driven content and campaigns, evolving media landscape, integrated communications and corporate communications in the public relations industry, and more.

How Flamingo has achieved a YoY revenue growth of 35-40%

In an exclusive conversation with Adgully, Rakesh Kumar, VP - Sales & Marketing, Ascent Meditech, elaborates on the new campaign, Hrithik Roshan as the perfect brand ambassador for the campaign, engaging with the audience, brand positioning and more.

LaLiga is investing heavily in social media and in Digital India: Jose Antonio

Speaking to Adgully about the partnership deal with Viacom18 and the difference he witnessed in terms of viewership from both partnerships, Jose Antonio Cachaza, Managing Director, LaLiga India, said.

Companies should invest in ideating disruptive digital PR campaigns: Akanksha Jain

In conversation with Adgully, Akanksha Jain, Head - PR and Communications, BharatPe, speaks about her journey in the PR industry, the paradigm shifts in this industry, handling PR for start-ups, growing importance of Digital PR and more.

We don’t believe in being very pedantic to sell our products: Ashish Chhabra

In a free-wheeling conversation with Adgully, Ashish Chhabra, Joint Managing Director, Hygienic Research Institute Pvt Ltd (HRIPL), speaks about the various initiatives taken by the brand during the pandemic period and how they were active and agile by continuously engaging with their audiences and deploying various online activities through a highly motivated team.

Organisations need to have an inclusive work environment: Ayesha Desai

In conversation with Adgully, Ayesha Desai, Co-Founder, Cornucopia Concepts, speaks about how women leaders have come into their own in the post-pandemic world, the importance of creating a secure work environment for women and more.

Women are resilient enough to groom themselves: Priya Sharma

In conversation with Adgully, Priya Sharma, COO, CFO & Co-founder, ZestMoney, speaks about how the pandemic has changed every aspect of life, the steps to take to make things work without getting burnt out, making diversity, inclusivity and respect a non-negotiable integral part of the work culture, and more.

Good News Today is the Rising Star as per BARC’s ratings

Arriving with a bang, GNT which is uniquely positioned with its news packaged as humanely and emotionally positive, has found high appreciation amongst its viewers. As per BARC ratings, the channel has topped the rankings for the HSM region with over 7.6% market-share for Week 13’22 (Free Platforms).