Week at a glance: NTO 2.0 developments; India @Tokyo Olympics; H1'21 TV ad review

6 impact areas where NTO 2.0 will hurt the most

Since 2017, when the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) announced its tariff order for the first time, broadcasters have been in strict opposition to MRP capping. Several petitions, hearings, stays, unholdings and judges later, the broadcasters have not been able to shake it off. In the most recent verdict from the Bombay High Court on the NTO 2.0, the capping on MRP stays at Rs 12 for each channel that wants to be a part of a bouquet.

GAMEXX Awards 2021 Last date for submitting entries - Monday, July 26, 2021 - ENTER NOW

The great Indian brand brigade supporting Team India at the Tokyo Olympics

Cricket has always grabbed the lion’s share of the ad spends and brand attention. But over a period of time, the canvas for sports has widened and today we are seeing several advertisers associating with non-cricket sports to leverage their brands. Held under the shadow of the global pandemic and already having faced a cancelled year, the Tokyo Olympics 2020 get underway from tomorrow (July 23, 2021). The current situation has failed to dampen brands’ enthusiasm for the greatest sporting event in the world.

With 4 days to go, will Sony’s Tokyo Olympics gamble beat the Rio figures?

With just four days to go for the start of the Tokyo Olympics 2020, apart from the performance of some of the world’s greatest athletes as well as the Indian team, all eyes are also on the advertiser response. The Tokyo Olympics is being held after a one-year delay due to the global pandemic. The shadow of COVID-19 still looms large as the virus bubble has been burst as news of some athletes/ staff testing COVID-19 positive is emerging.

TV ad volumes in H1 2021 up 37% over H1 2020: BARC data

With the economy showing steady signs of recovery, India’s advertising community continues to place their faith in television, indicates BARC India’s latest THINK report, titled ‘TV Ad Volumes Insights - The Mid-Year Analysis’. The report indicates that Ad Volumes registered in June 2021 are the highest if compared to the same period for 2019 and 2020 despite the impact of the second wave of COVID-19. With a 6% growth in Ad Volumes over June 2019, June 2021 saw a total of 1,839 advertisers and 3,074 brands advertise on television. H1 2021, too, witnessed higher growth with 12% and 37% increase in Ad Volumes if compared to 2019 and 2020, respectively.

TV ad volumes see strong rebound in H1 2021, posts 43% YoY growth: TAM AdEx

In a month-on-month comparison, TV Ad Volumes recorded highest share in March 2020, just before the country was put under strict lockdown due to COVID-19, as well as in March 2021, just ahead of the second wave of COVID-19 surge across the country. In H1’20, TV Ad Volumes recovered with a sharp rise of 41% in Jun’20 over May’20. However, Jun’21 saw a drop of 8% in TV Ad Volumes over May’21.

A thought leader can be just an experience in today’s world: Ajay Kakar

Held on Saturday, July 17, 2021, the second edition of the Thought Leadership Series saw Ajay Kakar, Chief Marketing Officer, Aditya Birla Capital, and a prolific speaker at several industry forums, in a scintillating conversation with host R. Sridhar, where he highlighted the strategic direction and marketing skills required to become a thought leader. The warm camaraderie between the two industry leaders was evident throughout the conversation as the back and forth banter between the two kept the audience engaged.

How gaming & esports are fuelling an alternate revenue ecosystem for gamers

Esports is a form of competition using video games. These games can be played on PC as well as mobile phones. The difference in desktop and mobile esports is that the prize pool is greater in mobile gaming tournaments compared to PC gaming tournaments, since mobile games have more audience and participation than PC games. It currently has a lot more engagement, viewerbase and also more players trying to make it in the mobile gaming industry.

"Advertisers are having a tough time understanding ad performance in video games"

As gaming comes to its own as a media channel, questions regarding brand safety, Return on Investment, ad fraud, performance and impact inevitably become a part of the conversation. Oracle Advertising has updated the Oracle Moat measurement and marketing analytics suite to include solutions for in-game ad measurement. The company is working with leading in-game advertisers like Anzu, Bidstack, Adverty, and Frameplay.

#TwitterChat - What makes India a mobile-first gaming market?

Mobile gaming in India is a rapidly growing industry. According to industry reports, the gaming industry in the country is poised to more than double its growth – from $1.2 billion currently to $3 billion by 2023. Industry estimates peg the number of mobile gamers in India at 365 million. To fully understand the scope and future growth, Adgully’s premier #TwitterChat #GullyChat this week focussed on ‘What makes India a mobile first gaming market’.

Is Twitter Inc responsible for Twitter India or not? Karnataka HC asks Manish Maheshwari

During a court hearing of Twitter India versus Uttar Pradesh Police, Karnataka High Court Justice G Narendra probed into the shareholding pattern of the company and also sought reasons as to why Twitter Inc cannot be called for questioning over the case. The report was published in business newspaper Mint, which also stated that Judge Narendra’s order will be pronounced today (July 23, 2021).

YouTube to acquire Indian video e-commerce startup Simsim

Google owned YouTube has announced that it will acquire Indian video e-commerce startup platform Simsim, to help small businesses and retailers in India to reach new customers. “We are taking another step to help viewers discover and buy products from local businesses: we have signed a definitive agreement to acquire Simsim and expect to complete the transaction in the coming weeks,” Google said in a blogpost.

When good intentions miss the mark: Lessons from Budweiser

A recent example is that of Budweiser’s #StrongerTogether campaign with an influencer touch to it, which received severe backlash in social media. The core thought behind the campaign was a noble one – it sought to encourage people to register three people for COVID-19 vaccination along with themselves and help them get vaccinated against the virus.

The new rules for PR to build strong media relations in a digital-first VUCA world

For the longest time in memory, Public Relations and media have had a symbiotic relationship. PR agencies facilitate news and interactions with their clients, while the media carries this news. For PR agencies, chasing journalists to carry news about their clients, keeping print media clippings, and calculating the column centimeter coverage received for their clients have been part of their daily operations.

How delivery & logistics business has remained resilient amid the pandemic

The delivery and logistics business are witnessing a surge as they recalibrate to operate in the new normal. While the nation battled the first wave of COVID-19 last year, delivery brands became the key aspect during this pandemic and the lockdown also saw people ordering their daily staple via e-commerce platforms, which gave a new rise to all the delivery brands in making an extra engagement with their set of customers more strongly and closely.

5 brands that handled COVID-19 wrong

Kent RO’s Health and Purity Campaign: Stereotyping and Rude
When Amul’s billboard went wrong
Budweiser’s ‘shrewd and selfish’ execution of #StrongerTogether campaign
Dabur’s unsubstantiated claim of fighting COVID-19
Zodiac’s anti-Corona shirt slammed by consumers

With SKINN Tales, we’ve democratised the fine fragrance space: Kanwalpreet Walia

In an exclusive interview with Adgully, Kanwalpreet Walia, Marketing Head - Fragrances and Accessories Division at Titan Company Limited, elaborates on the marketing strategy for SKINN Tales brand, catering to a discerning young TG, creating consumer experience in the digital space even though creating the mood with fragrances is very hard to do digitally.

How BPCL has been acting as a springboard for India’s budding sports talent

In an exclusive interaction with Adgully, Abbas Akhtar, Chief General Manager, Public Relations & Brand, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd, speaks about the company’s long association with sports and especially the Olympics, as well as how the company has been supporting budding sporting talent in the country.

It’s the dawn of hyper-personalisation: Anuj Sidharth, MediaTek India

In conversation with Adgully, Anuj Sidharth, Deputy Director - Marketing & Communication, MediaTek India, speaks at length about the company’s marketing strategies to stay engaged with its consumers, how technology is enabling new trends impacting customer preferences today and much more.

“When Bewakoof started, India hadn’t even heard of the concept of a D2C brand”

Adgully has been putting the spotlight on the entrepreneurs who fought against all odds to bring their dreams to fruition in our special series – START-UP STARS. We at Adgully wholeheartedly support the ‘Vocal for Local’ movement and over the next few months will be featuring all local/ homegrown businesses, brands and Apps. In conversation with Adgully, Prabhkiran Singh, Co-founder-CEO, Bewakoof, speaks about the growth story of the start-up and his learnings from the pandemic.

The past year has been pivotal for digital marketing with digital growth leapfrogging across industries. According to the InMobi Report: Search in India – 2021 Trends Report, leveraging insights from the Microsoft Advertising team, search has been steadily growing as a digital medium as the demand for online services has significantly spiked in the last year. The report showcases insights on the shift in netizens’ online behaviour and their search preferences from the data analysed between April 2020 and June 2021.

3 reasons why a strong supply chain is necessary for having a happy customer

Supply chain, better known as logistic services are one of the most important factors in ensuring customer satisfaction. Without a smooth supply chain, no business can thrive or grow even with the best marketing strategies. The simple reason for this is, one can create a lot of demand for a product or service through extensive publicity and marketing but a delay in meeting that demand will ultimately create customer dissatisfaction.

Network18 reports 50% growth on Q1FY22 revenues; EBITDA margin at 15%

Network18 Media & Investments Ltd has reported Consolidated Operating Revenue of Rs 1,214 crore for the first quarter ended June 30, 2021, a growth of 50% over Rs 807 crore recorded in Q1 FY2021. Consolidated EBITDA was up ~6x YoY (and ~3x vs Q1FY20); while operating margin clocked 15.5%.

Ad-Vantage Quiz Wk 12: Pride Week, McD’s BTS meal & Clubhouse competition

Adgully is back with Week 13 of the Ad-Vantage Quiz with Rajiv Gopinath. Last week, participants engaged with questions related to Pride Week, McD’s BTS meal and other interesting questions. Our quizmaster, Rajiv Gopinath, Chief Client Officer, Starcom, will share 10 topical questions every week on the latest developments in Business, Advertising and Brands.