Week at a glance: Q&A with Sumanto Chattopadhyay; Print, TV gear up for fresh lockdowns

Rabindranath Tagore is the first celebrity endorser I know of: Sumanto Chattopadhyay

Our weekly column ‘Talking Insights’ explores the world of celebrity endorsement with Sumanto Chattopadhyay, Chairman & Chief Creative Officer, 82.5 Communications. Chattopadhyay provides several deep and interesting insights into celebrity endorsement in India, past brand-celeb associations, brands’ thought process behind the entire engagement exercise and much more. 

Also read:  Week at a glance: DIGIXX 2021; IPL sponsorships; Q&A with Josy Paul; GroupM elevations

How prepared are broadcasters for another COVID disruption in shootings?

With the fresh wave of COVID-19 cases, broadcasters are faced with the same situation that they had faced last year amid the nationwide lockdown when shootings were not allowed. More specifically, GECs had run out of fresh content and had to re-run old serials to fill in the gap. This had resulted in a steep drop in viewership numbers of GECs. 

Print players remain unfazed by fresh lockdowns, feel they are better prepared now

As with several other sectors Print media, too, saw its share of declines in the COVID-19 disrupted 2020. However, the festive season (October 2020) saw a revival of Print media. The FICCI-EY 2021 report on the M&E industry is optimistic of Print segment’s recovery in 2021. It expects subscription revenues to grow 25% in 2021 and exceed 2019 levels by 2023, whereas on the advertising revenues front, the report expects them to grow 25% in 2021 to reach Rs 152.1 billion. It is this optimism that is reflecting in the print sector’s sentiments even as harsh measures are being re-introduced across the country to curb the fresh wave of COVID-19 cases. 

Factual Entertainment genre saw a major boost during the pandemic period: Avinash Kaul

In conversation with Adgully, Avinash Kaul, Managing Director, A+E Networks | TV18 and CEO-Broadcast for Network18, speaks about viewer and advertiser response to ‘OMG! Yeh Mera India’, growth of the Factual Entertainment genre in India, content consumption during the pandemic period, where OTT content is headed and much more. 

In order to stand out, brands need to make empathy the future of experience: Nitin Singhal

In an exclusive interaction with Adgully, Nitin Singhal, Managing Director, Digital Experience, Adobe India, speaks about how the digital landscape has changed in the pandemic period and how empathy has become one of the key differentiators for brands to gain a significant share of the consumers’ mind. 

Ad-Vantage Week 7: Numerologist turned entrepreneur and Peloton of weightlifting

Adgully is back with Week 7 of the Ad-Vantage Quiz with Rajiv Gopinath. Last week, participants engaged with the question on the business setup by numerologist JC Chaudhry and the brand dubbed the Peloton of Weightlifting. Our quizmaster, Rajiv Gopinath, Chief Client Officer, Starcom, will share 10 topical questions every week on the latest developments in Business, Advertising and Brands. 

K Madhavan elevated to President, The Walt Disney Company India & Star India

K Madhavan has been named President, The Walt Disney Company India and Star India, effective immediately. In this role, Madhavan will drive the strategy and growth of the Company in India, with responsibility for the vast Disney, Star and Hotstar businesses and operations spanning across entertainment, sports and regional channels, and direct-to-consumer. 

How &PrivéHD is catering to non-conformist viewers

English movie channel &PrivéHD has launched Privé World Box Office to bring international films to Indian audiences for viewing. To create excitement for this new launch, &PrivéHD has rolled out a campaign, titled ‘Feel at home, no matter the language’ to create a buzz for the launch. In conversation with Adgully, Kartik Mahadev, Business Head, Premium Channels, ZEEL, speaks about the launch of &PrivéHD’sPrivé World Box Office and the accompanying campaign. 

How Fantasy Cricket platforms are creating a preference for their brand?

With the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League currently underway, Fantasy Cricket platforms are being launched left, right and center so that hardcore cricket fans may experience the thrill of the sport. Seeing the overwhelming number of Fantasy Cricket apps one can choose from, we try to understand how fantasy cricket platforms are building a preference with users. 

Amid WFH, conventional businesses are now seeing merit in co-working

With lockdowns and curfews being imposed in several parts of the country due to the rise in the number of COVID-19 cases, most of corporate India has returned to working from home. Businesses have shifted to digital and pandemic has forced companies to adopt new and innovative ways of staying afloat and operational as they ask their employees to work from home. 

DIGIXX 2021 Award winners announced; 40% hike in number of entries received

Winners of the DIGIXX 2021 Awards were announced in the virtual platform yesterday (April 9, 2021). Over the last five years, the DIGIXX Awards have been setting the industry benchmark in digital marketing and advertising excellence. This year, 180 Gold, Silver and Bronze award winners were announced across categories. 

Reinventing Marketing ROI – Through the lens of performance branding

The DIGIXX 2021 Summit and Awards started with a riveting discussion on ‘Reinventing Marketing ROI – Through the lens of performance branding’ which saw some industry stalwart share their insights and experiences. Moderating the session was Anita Nayyar, ex-Head Customer Strategy & Relationships, ZEE5. The panellists included: Prasad Shejale, Founder & CEO, Logicserve Digital; Shantanu Sirohi, Chief Operating Officer, Interactive Avenues, a Reprise Network company; Tushar Vyas, President – Growth & Transformation, GroupM South Asia; and Vivek Bhargava, Head, dentsu Performance Group. 

Neel Pandya & Gourav Rakshit discuss the ‘Key to FMCG success on Digital’

Contrary to the old direct push strategy, consumers today no longer like to being forced into buying a brand of product. Keeping the evolving strategies in mind, the DIGIXX Summit & Awards 2021 turned the spotlight on ‘Engagement Beyond Reach: The Key to FMCG success on Digital’ in a special fireside chat that saw Neel Pandya, Head of Media, L’Oreal, in a freewheeling conversation with Gourav Rakshit, COO, Viacom 18 Digital Ventures. 

How First Party Data can become a game changer for marketers

The panel on ‘Building First Party Data Ecosystem’ provided several insights on how brands and marketers are generating and using first party data, the advantages and much more. Moderated by Suveer Bajaj, Co-Founder, Zoo Media & FoxyMoron, the panellists included Abhishek Shah, Head of Marketing, BharatPe; Neeraj Sangani, COO, Hansa Cequity; and Sumeet Singh, CMO, InfoEdge India. 

Emerging formats, mobile device & 1P data give fillip to programmatic ecosystem in India

Programmatic buying has graduated from being an experimental technology to a must have in a marketers’ toolkit. Programmatic buys are now happening across channels and ad formats, where it was once restricted to display ads. The mobile device has also added a new dimension to programmatic buying. To understand the trends in programmatic buying, Adgully organised a panel discussion at DIGIXX 2021 on April 9 to understand ‘How to optimise for better programmatic outcomes?’ 

Technology in the newsroom – How ready are we?

Keeping in mind the emerging trends in technology and digital transforming the PR world, we had an interesting fireside chat as part of DIGIXX 2021 on ‘Technology in the Newsroom – How Ready Are We?’. Moderated by Smitha Verma, an independent journalist, the speakers included Arpan Basu, Director - Communications, Coca-Cola India & South West Asia, and Binesh Kutty, Senior Director - Live Newsroom, Genesis BCW. 

Advertising Trends on Short Video Platforms

The DIGIXX 2021 Summit & Awards turned the spotlight on ‘Advertising Trends on Short Video Platforms’. The panel discussion was moderated by Shrenik Gandhi, Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder, White Rivers Media. The panellists included: Avinash Joshi, Chief Operating Officer, Natter; Bimal Kartheek Rebba, Co-Founder & COO, Trell; Devika Sharma, Director Sales, Glance &Roposo, InMobi; Shivank Agarwal, Co-Founder & CEO, Mitron TV; and Viraj Jit Singh, Head of Revenue, MX Player. 

“As PR professionals, our storytelling needs to build the brands’ equity wealth”

In conversation with Adgully, Pooja Trehan, Founder, PRestaurants and Co-Founder, PRPOI, speaks about how technology has enabled the blurring of traditional roles and new skill buckets, where PR professionals need to keep learning, adapting and upskilling. 

TV broadcasters conduct over 9,000 COVID-19 tests

Content producers are doing their best to ensure that production schedules continue as smoothly as possible amid the new wave of COVID-19 infections. For this, the industry has increased the testing drive. From the 90 TV shows that the IFTPC has received confirmation for, more than 9,000 tests have been conducted. The tests will be again repeated after 15 days as per the ‘Break the Chain’ guidelines, though the IFTPC has insisted that antigen tests shall be done every week for additional safety. 

“In this new world, technology is not a choice, but a fundamental business strategy”

As part of our series on DIGITAL DIALOGUE, Adgully spoke to Gautam Thakker, Chief Executive Officer, Everymedia Technologies, who shared his insights on how digital transformation has been the key in responding to the disruption of work and business ecosystems, the year of transformation in 2020 and more. 

How Mitron has been bridging the gap between skilled based Indian creators & consumers

In conversation with Adgully, Shivank Agarwal, CEO & Co-founder, Mitron, speaks at length about how the short video app has been bridging the gap between skilled based Indian creators and consumers. Agarwal shares several interesting insights into the creation of Mitron, building a team of passionate, like-minded people who are not risk averse, and much more. 

Jitender Dabas, Swati Bhattacharya among 4 Indians in Cannes Lions 2021 Jury

Cannes Lions has announced its jury line-up of global experts selected to award the world’s very best creative work and benchmark excellence this June. The Lion-winning work will be announced and awarded during Cannes Lions Live, a fully digital experience, running from 21-25 June 2021, that’s included for free as part of the new LIONS Membership, launching in May. 

Digital dependence is bound to grow multifold in the coming years: Mansi Darbar

In conversation with Adgully, Mansi Darbar, VP – Corporate Strategy & Development – Network, IN10 Media Network, speaks about how digital growth has developed during the pandemic period, what strategies and trainings they have provided to their employees for a better visual attention, as well as the need to focus on both soft and functional skills in the new normal. 

Madison Media promotes Vishal Chinchankar to CEO Madison Digital and Madison Media Ultra

Madison Media, a unit of Madison World has promoted Vishal Chinchankar, its Chief Digital Officer to CEO, Madison Digital and Madison Media Ultra. A veteran in the Digital space, Chinchankar has been instrumental in shaping the digital arm of Madison Digital since his appointment at Madison Media in 2017. In addition, Chinchankar has also been giving responsibility to drive a few integrated mandates under Madison Media Ultra, the unit that handles Marico, Atomberg, amongst other businesses. 

Pandemic year was a catalyst for growing importance of online communities in India

The year 2020 and COVID-19 have proven to be a catalyst for the growing importance of online communities in India with 92% respondents in a study saying they received some form of support through online community groups during the pandemic. Over 38.8% people in India said the online groups have become “significantly more important”, as compared to responses from the rest of the world (29.5%).

Media
@adgully

News in the domain of Advertising, Marketing, Media and Business of Entertainment