March 1-15, 2020 Volume 8, Issue 17 ` 100

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DAINIK BHASKAR
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March 1-15, 2020 Volume 8, Issue 17 ` 100

Interviews with the

top media agency
executives of India
afaqs!Reporter | MARCH 1-15, 2019 | 5

Volume 8 I Issue 17

EDITORIA
I have a confession to make. We at afaqs!Reporter have, in the recent past, published several special issues of this magazine, to explore
different aspects of the media business – marketing, advertising, digital – but have never studied the media planning and buying space
in detail. To recapitulate, a year ago, we interviewed 40 heads of different types of agencies, but only a third were media planners, and
their input sat alongside that of creative and digital agency heads. Then, over the last three years, we published three specials around
the marketing heads of brands across product groups; in 2019, we interviewed 59 CMOs, in 2018, 55… and in 2017, 49. We call this the
annual ‘CMO Special’. Before that, we’ve published several year-enders and specials around ad-men and women, about their work.
Clearly, media planning and buying has emerged as the most under-represented function in our magazine, historically. Which is
why, you’re holding a copy of the very first edition of The Planner’s Special, an issue dedicated to media agency executives, keepers of
the client’s wallet. We spoke to 31 heads of media agencies across all major networks, and what a ride it’s been. It’s incredible how a
templatised set of questions can yield such varied answers. The process of editing these interviews was like a masterclass in the business
of media planning.
We asked them about the work they’re proud of, global practices, ad fraud, consumption trends across urban and rural markets,
skill-sets of the future, the agency-client relationship, and, of course, the economic slump and the product segments that are likely to be
most –and least– affected by it. While the anxiety quotient varies from person to person, I am heartened to report an overarching sense
of optimism.
Other key takeaways: Media agencies want to be business partners to their clients, the “outcome” of a campaign outranks the “output”,
the lack of a common measurement metric on digital is flagged as urgent, as is the lack of consensus on viewability. The industry needs
more “data scientists”. Lastly, the intangible “effectiveness” of a media investment always trumps its financial “efficiency”.

Ashwini Gangal
[email protected]
Team afaqs!Reporter

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C O N T E N T S
PRASANTH KUMAR - CEO, GroupM, South Asia ............................................................................................................ 10

JYOTI KUMAR BANSAL - CEO, PHD India ..................................................................................................................... 14

MOHIT JOSHI - Managing Director, India, Havas Media Group ................................................................................ 16

PRITI MURTHY - CEO, OMD India .................................................................................................................................. 18

SHASHI SINHA - CEO, IPG Mediabrands ...................................................................................................................... 22

VIKRAM SAKHUJA - Partner & Group CEO, Madison Media & OOH ........................................................................... 24

ANAND CHAKRAVARTHY - Managing Director, India, Essence (Group M) ............................................................... 26

RAJNI MENON - CEO, Carat India ................................................................................................................................. 28

HIMANKA DAS - Chief Executive Officer, Vizeum India, Dentsu Network .............................................................. 36

ASHWIN PADMANABHAN - Head of Trading and Partnerships, GroupM India ....................................................... 38

DINESH SINGH RATHOD - CEO, Madison Media Omega ............................................................................................... 40

TUSHAR VYAS - President, Growth and Transformation, GroupM, South Asia ........................................................ 42

MAMATHA MORVANKAR - Chief Investment Officer, Omnicom Media Group India .............................................. 44

RAJUL KULSHRESHTHA - CEO, Platinum Media .......................................................................................................... 46

SATHYAMURTHY NAMAKKAL - Executive Director, DDB Mudra Group and President, OMD Mudramax ................. 48

VANITA KESWANI - CEO, Madison Media Sigma ........................................................................................................ 50

NAVIN KHEMKA - CEO, Mediacom South Asia ............................................................................................................ 52

AMOL DIGHE - CEO, Madison Media Ultra & Head Investments ............................................................................... 54

ASHISH BHASIN - CEO APAC and Chairman India, Dentsu Aegis Network ............................................................... 56

DIPANKAR SANYAL - CEO, Platinum Outdoor ............................................................................................................. 58

ANITA NAYYAR - CEO, India & South East Asia, Havas Media Group ........................................................................ 60

PARTHASARATHY MANDAYAM - CEO, South Asia, Mindshare ................................................................................... 62

GIRISH UPADHYAY - Chief Operating Officer, Madison Media Infinity ....................................................................... 64

DIVYA KARANI - Chief Executive Officer, dentsu X ..................................................................................................... 66

SANDEEP SHARMA - President, RK Swamy Media Group ........................................................................................... 68

AJAY GUPTE - CEO, South Asia, Wavemaker ............................................................................................................. 70

KARTIK SHARMA - CEO, Omnicom Media Group India .............................................................................................. 72

VAISHALI VERMA - CEO, Initiative India ...................................................................................................................... 74

SIDHARTH PARASHAR - President, Investments and Pricing, GroupM, India .......................................................... 76

NANDINI DIAS - CEO, India, Lodestar UM ................................................................................................................... 78

TANMAY MOHANTY - CEO, Zenith India & Head, Global Partnerships, Publicis Media India ................................... 80
 afaqs!Reporter | MARCH 1-15, 2020 | 10

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“Most brands tend to view ad fraud through the lens of fear”

nning
PRASANTH KUMAR
CEO,
GroupM, South Asia

#Digies www.digies.com
 afaqs!Reporter | MARCH 1-15, 2020 | 11

Q
In 2020, what is that big trend that ought to con- per cent growth this year whereas other categories have only grown
cern or excite media agencies? by two or three per cent.
There are quite a few trends to watch out for in It also has a lot to do with the context of demand and supply,
2020. Many things are dynamic today irrespective and aspects of business growth. Each category has got a different
of the medium. We will see some significant chang- demand and supply ecosystem. Even the type of consumers differ
es. One trend we’re seeing for sure is the utility of across categories. Whenever there is more supply and less demand,
content. It’s interesting to see how brands can we see a slowdown. Even when there’s an inflation, creating busi-
co-exist by creating powerful engagement; I believe ness growth becomes difficult.
that’s one area where a substantial amount of power lies, if you

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can crack it. Multiple content creators are available in the market In the next 12 months, the solution to the digital ad fraud men-
right now so we see opportunities there. ace will come from…
This is not exactly a trend, but outcome-based, data-led market- Digital ad fraud has become a subject in itself. In the advertising
ing is also very interesting. It has become the norm for us. Usually, space, it’s been evolving with a width and depth greater than any-
there are multiple sources of data. It comes down to how we marry thing we’ve ever seen. It’s a perennial topic and we need to keep
this data into the entire consumer journey, through the purchase learning more about the subject. We follow strict guidelines and
funnel. rules for all of our clients but it’s a
Actually, the way the entire digital space constant battle. There’s always a new
is evolving is exciting. There’s an e-com- “The way the digital space is technique, a new feature or some-
merce aspect coming up, a performance evolving is exciting. It has thing new, that we need to be wary of.
aspect coming up, an influencer aspect Because of this constant evolution,
coming up... it’s a very exciting time. The
an e-commerce aspect, there’s a tendency for brands to view

nning
challenge lies in getting the most out of the a performance aspect and an ad fraud through a lens of fear. But it’s
creative assets that we have for our brands. influencer aspect” not always about fear, it’s about tack-
It’s not about agitation or intimidation… ling it smartly. We need to figure out a
no trend intimidates me as such because solution collectively.n
we’re now used to working this way. Every trend comes
with its own learning. Even if it’s a speed-breaker for a
campaign we’re working on, it’s still a learning experience.

In the context of media planning/buying, what’s the one global

practice/trend India will do well to catch up with fast?
We can learn how to ideate and execute strategies better. There’s
a lot to learn from global examples in that context. The thing with
the digital space is, you don’t have to wait and experiment and then
learn. You can learn from what is happening in other markets... les-
sons can come from analysing content and technologies such as AI
and analytics.

From a media spend perspective, which product groups do you

suppose will be most affected by the economic slowdown that has
crept up on us - and least?
It depends on the size of the category. Different product groups will
be affected differently. Some categories have shown almost 26-28

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“Our homes are being ‘Alexa-fied’, ‘Google-fied’, ‘Siri-fied’”

nning
JY TI K MAR ANSA
CEO, PH India

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Q
What, in your view, was your agency’s best cam- suppose will be most affected by the economic slowdown that has
paign of 2019? What about it impressed you? crept up on us - and least?
There are many, from ‘Skobot’ (AI powered chat Products that people can defer purchasing, or reduce their con-
bot for Skoda) to ‘Chasing the Sun - Dong Valley’ sumption of, will be affected much more than those that are ‘im-
for Volkswagen, to the deep data-driven marketing mediate’ and utilitarian. As technology changes the way people eat,
work for HP. My personal favourite was conceived shop, browse and consume content, product groups that enable
in 2019 but will come to life in this year – watch out these behaviours will see an upsurge in spending. Segments like
for it. education, online shopping, and content consumption have been
on a growth trajectory, and are upending categories that have tradi-

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In 2020, what is that big trend that ought to concern or excite tionally been high spenders.
media agencies?  
If the last couple of years have been about video, the next big wave And within that, what consumption trends are you seeing in
is voice – be it in a new smartphone, gadget or in an AI-enabled rural versus urban markets?
avatar. PHD’s book Sentience had projected that voice-enabled The mobile screen is narrowing the gap between urban and rural
assistants will permeate our lives in multiple ways by 2020. And markets; intent and desire are similar across the two, and are con-
today, our homes are being Alexa-fied/ strained only by the availability of dis-
Google-fied/Siri-fied. Just as Millennials posable income. Across brands, while
and Gen-Z can’t imagine a world without “A whole generation is urban and higher income audience
mobile phones, people born in this decade growing up talking to machines segments continue to hold strong,
won’t understand a world without voice- growth trends are coming from farther
commanded devices.
and gadgets as naturally out. As e-commerce players enable

nning
My seven-year-old daughter thinks and comfortably as they talk to rural Indians to buy the same product
nothing of talking to the search bar in her human beings” at the same price as their counterparts
tablet to find the video she wants to watch, in large towns, the democratisation of
or telling Alexa to play a song she wants to consumption will soon be a reality.
dance to, or discovering that she can listen to bedtime
stories at her command, or telling Miko to help out with In the next 12 months, the solution to the digital ad fraud
her homework. A whole generation is growing up talking menace will come from...
to machines and gadgets as naturally and comfortably as they talk to A mix of technology and human vigilance. Technology will provide
human beings. So the question is: Are marketers ready to leverage the tools. At the human level, having a deeper understanding of this
this? technology will allow us to take quick action, and put the cost as-
sociated with deploying such technology into perspective.
In the context of media planning/buying, what’s the one global
practice/trend India will do well to catch up with fast? What kind of specialisation/talent is missing in media agencies
The collision of OTT, CTV (connected TV) and linear TV is creat- today?
ing a new world of planning, buying and selling. The opportunities Truly creative digital talent is definitely missing in media agencies.
and challenges that come with this are exciting. Addressability and Also missing are creative technologists and people who can unleash
precision marketing are going to challenge us to create new ways of the power of AI and machine learning for agencies and advertisers.
defining and reaching people. This new world will belong to brave We also need to upgrade investment teams and bring in a mix of
advertisers who don’t get stuck in TV rating-based transactions and Spock and Captain Kirk – immensely logical, yet focused on hu-
metrics. mans… in a data-driven world it is easy to lose sight of the humans
who generate all that data in the first place.n
From a media spend perspective, which product groups do you

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“Consolidation of services is something that I expect in 2020”

nning
M HIT OSHI
Managing irector, India, Havas
Media Group

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 afaqs!Reporter | MARCH 1-15, 2020 | 17

Q
What, in your view, was your agency’s best cam- higher adoption of e-commerce, mobile wallets and OTT platforms.
paign of 2019? What about it impressed you?  
All our campaigns were very special to me. How- In the next 12 months, the solution to the digital ad fraud men-
ever, if I have to highlight one, it would be our work ace will come from...
on Philips Hue Lighting. For this, we associated I don’t think there will be a complete solution soon. However it’s
with Cricket Live during the ICC World Cup. What time all clients and agencies started deploying tools like IAS, which
impressed me about the campaign was the ROI it are able to highlight ad injection, ad stacking, auto refresh, and bot
generated for our client. traffic. Brands today are selective about using these services, but
if it is made mandatory, media owners will be more accountable.

pla
In 2020, what is that big trend that ought to concern or excite Another such tool, Nielsen DAR, ensures there is a demographic
media agencies? fitment to planned campaigns. This could also help fight ad fraud.
Consolidation of services is something that I expect in 2020. We  
have already consolidated all our offerings under Havas Village. What kind of specialisation/talent is missing in media agencies
This is a trend that I expect to see across other groups as well. The today?
thin line between creative and media is blurring, especially given More than talent, I would say it’s an attitude that is missing – an
the digital/content touch-points we have attitude of rigour. I feel the new
today. We will still need specialists; howev- generation – (and many from the old
er, the overall client approach will become “I’m an ‘old school’ guy, so more generation!) – has started seeing,
more integrated and inclusive. evaluating and working at the surface
  than talent I would say it’s an level of things. I am an old school
In the context of media planning/buying, attitude of rigour that’s missing professional; for me, rigour plays a

nning
what’s the one global practice/trend India very important role in whatever I do.
will do well to catch up with fast?
in media agencies today”  
India is catching up with all global trends I wish clients would... 
fast. The latest example is the OTT revolu- ... start viewing creative and media
tion. However, if we look at the overall digital consump- agencies as their brand and marketing consultants, the way they
tion, penetration, reach or media spend in India, we’ll view Accenture, EY and others. n
find that each one is still lower than it is in many global
countries. I would be happy if we could catch up with the global
trend of ‘digital first’ in the Indian context.
 
From a media spend perspective, which product groups do you
suppose will be most affected by the economic slowdown that has
crept up on us - and least?
The auto category has been under pressure this year and I expect
this to continue in the first quarter of 2020. Other infrastructure
related categories, like housing, real estate, trucks and develop-
mental equipment, etc., will also continue to be under pressure.
Alcoholic beverages is the least affected category.
 
And within that, what consumption trends are you seeing in
rural versus urban markets?
As digital penetration improves in 2020, rural markets will see

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“Advertising sufficiency allows for robust consumer sentiment”

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PRITI MURTHY
CEO, OM India
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Q
What, in your view, was your agency’s best cam- campaigns are now more than just experiments; brands are being
paign of 2019? What about it impressed you? launched through digital-only efforts.
Our campaign for Renault ‘Triber’, for which we  
used the ‘demonstration’ route to bring the brand From a media spend perspective, which product groups do you
to life, stands out. Equipped with the insight that suppose will be most affected by the economic slowdown that has
almost every household owns a television set and crept up on us - and least?
most families end the day watching their favourite We have seen it affect automobile and premium FMCG brands.
shows, the creative idea was to capitalise on this However, we’re also seeing the value equation of products counter-
popular mass entertainment space, through daily soaps and ing this trend. Advertising sufficiency allows for robust consumer

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high-impact shows. sentiments.
The scripts were meticulously prepared, and the storylines  
and protagonists of the shows were identified bearing in mind the And within that, what consumption trends are you seeing in
product offering and target audience. The project gathered pace as rural versus urban markets?
these daily soaps were used to map the entire consumer journey, Rural India is getting more ‘short-term’ – that is, we’re seeing
from awareness to consideration to purchase. smaller purchases that take place daily or weekly. Hence, more
The high-impact shows helped cre- recency in advertising is the norm.
ate immediate awareness, and our spatial  
demonstrations highlighted the product as “Rural India is getting more In the next 12 months, the solution
the living embodiment of space, modularity and more ‘short-term’, which is to the digital ad fraud menace will
and flexibility. come from...
To create buzz through print – histori-
why we’re seeing small Increasingly sophisticated technology

nning
cally, the most powerful medium for the purchases that take place daily and the skills to navigate it.
automobile category – we explored an or weekly” Understanding the ecosystem while
industry-first format of integrating the staying on top of the latest develop-
masthead in leading dailies. For example, ments will enable the industry to
a flap on the front page of The Times of India newspaper mitigate this problem. It needs to be a collective effort – for the
made consumers read the masthead as ‘TRIBER of India’. benefit of the entire trade, we should all come together to form a
Additionally, large format ads were splashed across the coalition and tackle this.
front pages of leading publications.
  What kind of specialisation/talent is missing in media agencies
In 2020, what is that big trend that ought to concern or excite today?
media agencies? We, as an industry, are becoming a lot more data-focused and
Precision marketing that allows brands to make better decisions, outcome-oriented. Therefore, we will see an increasing breadth of
faster. Leveraging data to help brands play and interact with con- roles in this space as it continues to evolve.
sumers throughout their journey is a reality and an expectation now.
We do this through our Omni platform, which delivers a single view I wish clients would... 
of the consumer that can be dynamically tracked and shared across ... continue planning for the long term, while keeping an eye on the
all marketing practices. short term. n
 
In the context of media planning/buying, what’s the one global
practice/trend India will do well to catch up with fast?
Real-time, data-led planning and buying that delivers precision
marketing for brands. Digital is standing its ground as digital-only

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“Media agencies have been elevated to consultancies today”

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SHASHI SINHA
CEO, IPG Mediabrands
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Q
What, in your view, was your agency’s best cam- What consumption trends are you seeing in rural versus urban
paign of 2019? What about it impressed you? markets?
2019 was a stellar year for IPG Mediabrands India Despite the steady rise of digital, television remains the key me-
and its agencies – Lodestar UM, Initiative, Interac- dium for advertisers targeting rural markets. FMCG categories like
tive Avenues and Rapport. It’s difficult to choose personal care and food and beverages continue to focus a large part
one campaign. In 2019, we created a Guinness of their rural outreach on TV, accounting for a dominant share of TV
World Record with our campaign for Too Yumm! spends. The medium delivers a potential 70 per cent of rural audi-
at Ardh Kumbh Mela; the account is handled by ences, supported by robust viewership measurement from BARC.
Initiative and Rapport. Initiative also launched Mission Paani With easy accessibility of free-to-air channels and headroom for

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for Reckitt Benckiser; it’s a campaign close to my heart. The agency growth, TV will stay at the centre of the action for rural advertisers
continues to do well on the Amazon business, which we have been in the future. While TV also delivers cost-effective reach in urban
handling since its launch in India. homes, consumers are more evolved in these markets and media
I am proud of the work Lodestar UM is doing for Samsung, Spo- habits are fragmented.
tify, Amul, Tata Motors, Mahindra & Mahindra, Johnson & Johnson In urban markets, advertisers have several screens on different
and so on. Interactive Avenues won the IAMAI Agency of the Year platforms to target these audiences through. The key to connecting
award for the sixth consecutive time. As a with urban audiences is identifying
network, in 2019, we won 42 gold, 39 silver and participating in the genres they
and 38 bronze awards. “Gone are the days when global follow. Besides FMCG, auto, consumer
durables and telecom also drive urban
In 2020, what is that big trend that ought headquarters used to introduce media spends.
to concern or excite media agencies? new services that we would then

nning
I think it’s an exciting time for media agen- In the next 12 months, the solution
cies. They’ve been elevated to play the role
replicate; today, we’re aligned” to the digital ad fraud menace will
of consultancies today. Clients look at media come from...
agencies as extensions of their market- ...increasingly sophisticated brand
ing teams – extensions that will help them solve business safety solutions and greater focus on transparent, named inven-
problems. We are moving from serving to solving. Media tory sources by agencies and clients.
agencies play a pivotal role in building and growing the
client’s business, and to my mind, that’s the single biggest transfor- What kind of specialisation/talent is missing in media agencies
mation we have undergone in recent years. today?
Now that the role of the media agency has evolved to that of a con-
In the context of media planning/buying, what’s the one global sultancy, clients are looking for business solutions which are media
practice/trend India will do well to catch up with fast? agnostic. We are focused on upscaling our mainline teams digitally.
Gone are the days when global headquarters used to introduce new While other networks are focused on creating specialists, our teams
services that we would then replicate. We are completely aligned to are fluid and can seamlessly work on all mediums including digital.
all our global best practices, tools and services. Moreover, media For most major clients across the IPG Mediabrands India network,
solutions are all about building strategies and solutions that are we have offline-online integrated teams. Our endeavour is to bridge
custom-made for the client’s business problems. this gap through continuous training and to work more collabora-
For instance, J&J India’s media solutions will be different from tively.
those in other global markets. We recently launched Spotify in
India; the idea, strategy and execution factored in cultural nuances I wish clients would...
and local challenges. ...not compromise on the quality of work just because some agency
is offering a lower commission.n

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“Publishers should open themselves to
third party monitoring”

nning
VIKRAM SAKHU A
Partner & Group CEO, Madison
Media & OOH
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Q
What, in your view, was your agency’s best cam- Earlier, rural was growing much faster than urban. But in the down-
paign of 2019? What about it impressed you? turn, rural is probably impacted a bit more than urban. That said, it
My top pick would be the ‘Missing i’ campaign that is still performing a tad better than urban.
we did for Tata Salt to bring out the importance of
iodine deficiency; we wiped out the letter ‘i’ from all In the next 12 months, the solution to the digital ad fraud men-
text the consumer read. It was done at scale, it was ace will come from….
optimised for multiscreen presence, we utilised I would love to say that digital majors will open themselves to third
partnerships to make it work, and also used contex- party measurement, and that it will become the standard, but they
tual triggers. That’s how we found the right consumer insights. will resist it. Ultimately, advertisers have to put their foot down. It

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The other campaign we are very proud of is the BJP 2019 Lok is their money. They have to be reassured that their communication
Sabha campaign. It comprised seven mini campaigns, each cor- is being seen by the right people and being reported correctly. If a
responding to a phase of the elections. It involved planning and critical mass of advertisers, as a group, stands up to the giants, I am
scheduling of several hundred creatives across TV and print, cus- sure they will be listened to.
tomised to different markets, while maintaining very strict imple-
mentation guidelines. This was operational excellence at its best. What kind of specialisation/talent is missing in media agencies
today?
In 2020, what is that big trend that ought The combination of EQ, traditional
to concern or excite media agencies? planning skills, and digital planning
Fraud and lack of viewability of digital “Malpractices have the risk of skills is missing. Currently they
media. Digital is a powerful medium that’s operate in silos.
growing very well. Malpractices have the
eroding trust, and when you

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risk of eroding trust. And when you lose lose trust the fall is off a cliff” I wish clients would….
trust, the fall is off a cliff. Publishers should ... spend more time asking how to
open themselves to third party monitoring. spend marketing money more ef-
It’s equally important for advertisers to get fectively, rather than wondering how
agencies to invest in these tools. to save marketing money. Which means, I wish they prioritised
effectiveness over efficiency.n
In the context of media planning/buying, what’s the one
global practice/trend India will do well to catch up with fast?
Using data to deliver insight. Currently, DMPs are the new toy and
we are mining data to target better. But the trick lies in uncovering
an insight based audience profile rather than an affinity based one.

From a media spend perspective, which product groups do you

suppose will be most affected by the economic slowdown that has
crept up on us – and least?
Everybody is affected. The issue seems to be a combination of con-
sumer demand and inadequate liquidity in the system. The FMCG
segment is impacted relatively less. High outlay categories, where
purchase can be postponed, are affected more.

And within that, what consumption trends are you seeing in

rural versus urban markets?

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“While consumption won’t decline; price down-trading may occur”

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ANAND HAKRAVARTHY
Managing irector, India,
Essence GroupM
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Q
What, in your view, was your agency’s best We know that consumers make specific choices across and within
campaign of 2019? What about it impressed you? product categories in an economic slowdown. There’s down-trading
I would go with the ‘shoppable television content’ in the consumer packaged goods category, and a shift from pre-
campaign that was created for Flipkart during the mium brands to mass premium brands. Consumption of essential
Big Billion Days sale. We made content ‘shoppable’ goods will not decline, but a down-trading in price may occur. Life-
by designing and executing a smart integration for style categories could also get affected – especially the replacement
Flipkart on television. With a strong insight and segment, as consumers may put off replacing an existing product
user-friendly participation, the campaign moved with a new one. Other sectors that could potentially see a slowdown
beyond brand metrics to drive actual sales, and was the first include white goods, mobile phones and auto. Categories that are

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such innovation on TV. unlikely to be affected are typically non-negotiable ones like educa-
Often, consumers want to buy the clothes/products they watch pro- tion, pharmaceutical products and religious tourism.
tagonists wear/use on general entertainment channels. In partnership
with Zee TV, we curated two special stores on Flipkart, which featured And within that, what consumption trends are you seeing in
fashion products and smart kitchen appliances, respectively. The prod- rural versus urban markets?
ucts were part of special episodes of Zee TV’s leading shows - Tujhse It is too early to talk about consumption trends in urban versus rural
Hai Raabta and Kundali Bhagya. Scanning markets.
the QR code that appeared on their television
screens led consumers to the relevant store “As data privacy laws come into In the next 12 months, the solution
on Flipkart, where they could purchase the play, marketers and their to the digital ad fraud menace will
products they saw on screen. come from...
agency partners need to think Prevention, by deploying available

nning
In 2020, what is that big trend that ought about how they will measure technological solutions equipped to
to concern or excite media agencies? campaigns” detect ad fraud, is important. The so-
The implementation of the new Personal lution will come from the adoption of
Data Protection Bill will have an impact on basic hygiene practices, like ensuring
the way digital campaigns are measured. As data privacy laws new publishers are whitelisted through a test campaign before a
come into play, marketers and their agency partners need to large amount is spent on them. Publishers, agencies and clients
think about how they measure campaigns and manage their must come together and work towards a solution. We see this
data analytics in a new regulatory ecosystem. The influence of digital kind of collaboration in the West.
platforms on consumer behaviour is going to accelerate in 2020. Smart
TV penetration in India will get real scale this year as prices continue to What kind of specialisation/talent is missing in media agencies
fall. More services and utilities will go online. today?
The agencies of the future will need to have structures that are skewed
In the context of media planning/buying, what’s the one global differently – the bulk of agency talent needs to be in business planning,
practice/trend India will do well to catch up with fast? strategy, digital activation, analytics and measurement. Operations and
There is just not enough focus on brand safety, ad fraud and view- execution need to be automated as much as possible. This way, more
ability (BAV) in India. This area is largely ignored. Often, cost is ‘manpower time’ will be given to clients and their business needs.
cited as the rationale behind the lack of investment in available Agencies will need to hire data scientists, technology engineers, busi-
solutions. The mindset needs to change. ness analysts, consultants, and process management experts.

From a media spend perspective, which product groups do you I wish clients would...
suppose will be most affected by the economic slowdown that has ... facilitate greater collaboration between their partners, such as
crept up on us - and least? creative and media agencies.n

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“On TV we’re still planning on the basis of extrapolated data”

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RAJNI MENON
CEO, Carat India
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Q
What, in your view, was your agency’s best eating out and FMCG are still seeing a steady rate of growth. Fi-
campaign of 2019? What about it impressed you? nancial products that offer long-term security are something that
It was the one we did for Philips Air Purifier. It people are spending on. Any purchase which is not a necessity is
was contextual, relevant, and we delivered it in a impacted by the slowdown.
very short span of time. It was not a ‘single media
touch-point’ based campaign; we used real-time In the next 12 months, the solution to the digital ad fraud men-
data, out-of-home… and print, at a time when it is ace will come from...
considered a medium that does not deliver any- We have all been battling this for the last couple of years and I don’t
more. The campaign fetched business results, something I was see a huge new solution coming in. A lot of us already have ad-fraud

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thrilled about.  tracking solutions, like IAS (Integral Ad Science) or DoubleVerify,
in place. Also, publishers today are a lot more stringent because
In 2020, what is that big trend that ought to concern or excite now they know that clients are willing to stop investments when
media agencies? faced with fraud of any kind – fraudulent impressions, wrong
Something we have to start preparing for is a time when Google – geography, bot traffic, unsafe content, etc.
and everybody else – stops all third-party cookie data. Digital has To fight ad fraud, advertisers need to realise that they too must
always been about measurement and being have security protocols in place, such
able to track audiences across all the envi- as having the right tags, etc. We all talk
ronments, except a few walled gardens. The “The ‘media agency’ - a about how AI and blockchain will help
third-party cookie is obviously one way to us make inventory safer, but it is still
do it. Without cookies, advertisers will be standalone entity that delivers far away. Theoretically, there are many
forced to re-think their digital strategies, what a client needs - does not things we can do, but for the immedi-

nning
and so will we. Hence, first-party data will ate future, it’s best if we work closely
become all the more critical and clients will
really exist anymore” with publishers and put pressure on
need to invest in this. them to create a safer environment.     

In the context of media planning/buying, what’s the one What kind of specialisation/talent is missing in media agen-
global practice/trend India will do well to catch up with cies today?
fast?   The ‘media agency’ - a standalone entity that delivers what a cli-
Non-digital programmatic planning - it is already in place with ent needs - does not really exist anymore. It is more about network
out-of-home, there is an ongoing discussion around TV... that is solutions and network strengths that come into play whenever you
the next stage in the process of evolution. About 50 to 60 per cent are looking at a client. No agency as a single entity can deliver eve-
of the ad investment is going on TV, a medium you still plan demo- rything that a client needs, and that is very difficult in a converging
graphically. But there is no authenticity about whether your audi- world. That’s how it is in the context of media, data and technology.
ence has really seen it. On digital, we’re tracking whether someone Smart advertisers are not looking at buying and deploying media;
has actually clicked on an ad, but on television we’re still planning instead, they are looking at smart marketing plans that deliver busi-
on the basis of extrapolated data, passive or semi-passive viewing. ness results.
Programmatic on TV is something I would like to see very fast.
I wish clients would...
From a media spend perspective, which product groups do you I hope advertisers don’t start moving to very short-term marketing
suppose will be most affected by the economic slowdown that has strategies. While discounts, vouchers, and other sales oriented
crept up on us - and least? initiatives might deliver some up-lift in sales in the short-term,
Real estate and auto (because of economic indicators as well as the they can erode brand equity in the long-term. n
rise of Ola, Uber) have slowed down. Necessities like food,

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 MARKETING SPEAK

#StarFlowFest 2020
Here’s how the second edition of the marketing festival unfolded

How to manufacture desire? performed in the anticipation of a reward. A quick

Google search is an example of the action performed

T
in the anticipation of results (the immediate reward).
he second edition of Star FLOW – The
According to BJ Fogg, founder and director of
Change Festival by The Times of India kick-
Behaviour Design Lab, for any behaviour to occur,
started on February 19, 2020, at The Leela
we need motivation (the energy for action), ability
Ambience, Gurugram. The first session of the event
(capacity to do a particular action) and trigger (either
– ‘How to manufacture desire?’ by Nir Eyal, author of
external or internal).
‘Hooked’ and ‘Indistractable’ began with him sharing
Reward: It is where you get what you asked for.
how the idea of his book ‘Hooked’ cropped up. He
Psychologist James Olds and neuroscientist Peter
mentions that it came out of the class that he taught at
Milner discovered the reward mechanisms in the
the Stanford School of Business.
brain involved in positive reinforcement, and their
“I didn’t write this book for companies like
experiments led to the conclusion that electrical
Facebook or Google, I wrote it for you. It was to
stimulation could serve as an operant reinforcer.
democratize the techniques that use the very same
The way the brain gets us to act is not through the
psychology that keeps us glued to our phones,” Eyal
pleasure per se, but it’s about stimulating the itch that
stated.
we seek to scratch.
In his session, he talks about the deep patterns
There are three types of variable rewards – tribe
behind how these products, that keep us glued, are
(search for social reward), hunt (search for resources),
designed. He began by asking – what is a habit? The
Nir Eyal self (search for self-achievement). The variable
definition he shared was, it’s the impulse
rewards are not a free pass. Your product must
to perform a behaviour with little or no
address the itch that one seeks. There should always
conscious thought. “About half of what Trigger: A trigger is a called action be a connection between the variable reward and the
you do every single day is done through that tells us what to do next. It is of two internal trigger.
a habit,” he said. types – external trigger (something in Investment: The last step of the Hook model is
He further explains that the building our environment that gives us a piece ‘Investment’ which is also the most overlooked phase
blocks of how to build a habit-forming of information about what to do next) of the four steps. This is where users invest in future
product. He said, “This is how – it’s and internal trigger (information about benefits. The point of the investment phase is to
called the ‘Hooked Model’. It is defined what to do next is informed through increase the likelihood of the user passing through the
as an experience to connect your user an association in the user’s memory). hook in the future.
problems to your product with enough Negative emotions are powerful internal The investment phase does it in two phases: by
frequency to form a habit.” triggers. loading the next trigger and by storing value.
Every ‘Hook’ has four steps: Trigger, Action, Action: It is defined as the simplistic behaviour
Reward, and Investment.

A session by Patrick Renvoise,

An in depth to and fro on sustainability and the circular economy - (L-R) Santosh Iyer, Chandra co-founder and chief persuasion
Bhushan, Prabodha Acharya and Ritesh Ghoshal Sandeep Bhushan’s session
officer, SalesBrain, on ‘Is there a
on connecting in a culture of
buy button inside our brain’
expression

Richard
Shotton speaks
on the impact
of behaviour
on marketing

A panel on Brand Building vs performance marketing - (L-R) Shripad Nadkarni, Rajeev Karwal,
Chandrasekhar Radhakrishnan, Tapan Singhel and Hitesh Oberoi
 MARKETING SPEAK

“Convenience makes us trust too much”: Philipp Kristian Diekhoner

I
n his session at the second edition that is trusted will still do well in the
of Star FLOW, Philipp Kristian market even if it isn’t trustworthy.
Diekhoner, trust futurist and Philipp shared that the world’s
innovation strategist, author of The most trusted brands and businesses
Trust Economy, spoke about making monopolise our minds. He categorised
trust your superpower in the digital age. trust in three types – transactional trust
In the beginning he mentions that trust (hygiene factor), contextual trust (expert
is often daunting and uncomfortable. knowledge) and universal trust (unique
But he says this can be changed. preposition).
“When people trust your stories, Shedding light he said that tech
everything changes. And that is what companies are especially good at
marketers should do – tell simple and gaining trust. Tech and data are far
interesting stories. But superior to paper and stamp
don’t tell stories you can’t administration. He also
own,” he said. clarified that increasing
Trust allows one to business complexity is
do extraordinary things. paralysing existing company
High trust sets apart structures. According to
the most innovative, him, no company should
high performing people, afford to ignore this
and team. “Trust isn’t dramatic technology shift.
everything, but without In the digital age, the
it, everything is truly trust economy is overtaking
nothing,” he told. the distrust economy. The
Speaking of how to make trust distrust economy is driven by Gen X
an advantage he pointed out that our and baby boomers, enforced by rules,
lives are based on assumptions. “More institutions, and central bureaucracy.
important than you telling the right Digital trust is changing the way we Philipp Kristian Diekhoner
stories is that when people retell your trust. It is making us trust by default.
stories, it is told in the right way. And Scaling trust digitally collapses the cost behaviour. Productivity suffers when tech as infrastructure, data is context
for that, your story has to be compelling of trust many businesses rely on. It common ground (trust) is missing. He emphasised that whenever trust
and simple,” he added. concentrates the power in the hands of Here’s how different generations trust: leaves, value leaves with it. Everything
Trust isn’t good or bad per se but it the very few. Gen X: rules as norms, tech as a we now take for granted was once a
simply drives behaviour and value and, He said if you want to be both toolset, data as insurance trust leap. He concluded that one can
in turn, behaviour drives choices. He trusted and trustworthy you have Gen Y: Google first, think second, be a successful marketer by helping
also said that trustworthy is different to change the way of trust-building tech as enabler, data as currency customers become the best version of
from trusted, it has to be both. A brand because digital empowerment is shifting Gen Z: digital equals first reality, themselves.

Marty Neumeier sheds light on

A panel discussion on what will it take to succeed in a difficult economic scenario – (L-R) the new brand model
Hemant Malik, Subodh Bhargava, Girish Agarwaal and Rohit Saran Erich Joachimsthaler reveals the
perfect mix for a strong brand
architecture

Charles
Leadbeater
speaks on
innovation
amidst
uncertainty

A panel discussion on how brands think about marketing on digital in innovative ways - (L-R) Shveta
Singh, Meera Iyer, Praveen Sharma and Sunil Suresh
 MARKETING SPEAK
,

“Simplicity is the best way to live”: Sonam Wangchuk

O
ial
ne of the major highlights of and created a school in 1999 where
me.
day two of the second edition admission was granted on the criteria
of Star FLOW was the stand- that ‘you have failed’. “Since they
alone session by Sonam Wangchuk, were failing to learn the way we were
innovator, education reformist and teaching, we thought to teach them in
inspiration for the film ‘3 Idiots’. In an the way they learn,” he mentioned.
almost hour-long session, Wangchuk Nobody is too poor to afford soil or
w
talked about how simplicity delivers sun or ice or foil, Wangchuk opined. It
beyond tech solutions. is around these things that he based his
“I come from a very different world innovation on. “This science is new. We
e
than yours. I am more in the social wanted to build on what our ancestors
entrepreneurship sphere where the had. We went to them to learn. We
impact is more important than income. made the mud building, naturally heated
s
But we share a big it and lived in harmony with
eria
common ground, that is, nature,” he added.
solving the problem with Further, speaking of
d.
innovation,” he began. Leh, he mentioned that
He went on to share development there was on
his own story of his the same road as any other
nt
work in Ladakh, which is part of the country. People
ed
where he comes from. with the mud building felt
He said that his work small in this town and so
s
is more about selling they moved to concrete
d
good ideas than about houses. They then had to
making money. “Being a invest a huge chunk of their Sonam Wangchuk
minority is a big challenge particularly earning to keep the concrete buildings
for children who go to school. My warm during winters. to fight over it. Whereas in summers, building competitions around the
journey started when I saw the status Wangchuk took a lesson from there are floods. “People laughed at us globe. This idea also won the Rolex
that through the 1980s and 1990s, this transformation in Leh and back in when we said we will freeze the winter Award. Wangchuk also devised
er, water, when nobody is farming, and another crowdsourcing movement -
95 per cent of Ladakhi students used Ladakh, along with his students. He
to fail in matric exams. We began to went on to build high-end contemporary melt it in spring when farmers need #ILIVESIMPLY Movement.
train teachers and villagers to demand buildings with natural heating. Inspired it. But we did succeed. We made a Sonam who had walked on the
good education along with their other by it, 10 years later, people started pyramid of ice that lasted till the end stage in a shirt which was donated
demands. We realised when they looking back at earth buildings. of August,” he mentioned. Wangchuk by a volunteer and stitched to make it
change their priorities, the government In the case of water solutions, put flags around it and marketed these wearable and trousers bought in a flee
changes its priorities,” he said. glaciers are of course melting. In pyramids in a spiritual manner in an market was greeted with a standing
Wangchuk revealed that he then sprintime, when farmers in Ladakh need attempt to save them. ovation as he descended the stage.
started focusing on failing students water, they get only a trickle and have Today there are ice stupa

Ajay Agarwal, Design Thinking –

Practice Lead, KPMG India,
conducted a workshop in Star FLOW Shreya Kapoor, head of marketing, Chakr Innovation, gave her inspi- Alakshi Tomar, co-founder,
fest 2020 on Design thinking and rational talk on ‘Turning pollution into art’. Shreya delved into issues Trucup, delivered her inspi-
how it relates to brand building and like pollution management and how it can be maneuvered into a more rational story in which she Anoop Khanna, founder,
marketing strategies productive entity touched multiple topics from Dadi ki Rasoi, delivered
menstrual hygiene to sus- an inspirational speech at
tainable hygiene Star FLOW Fest 2020 on
Richard Shotton,
the topic ‘The Importance
Founder, Astroten
of Giving Back’
Consultancy,
conducted a
workshop on
‘Behavioural sci-
ence in marketing’ Jaspreet Bindra, founder, Digital
in which he dis- Matters, conducted a workshop on
cussed possible Blockchain in marketing. Bindra shared
ways of leveraging some crucial insights on the relevance
human behaviour of Blockchain marketing in modern
to become better marketing.
marketers
 afaqs!Reporter | MARCH 1-15, 2020 | 36

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“Media agency business margins will continue to be a concern”

nning
HIMANKA DAS
Chief Executive Officer,
i eum India, entsu etwork

#Digies www.digies.com
 afaqs!Reporter | MARCH 1-15, 2020 | 37

Q
What, in your view, was your agency’s best notion of ‘value’, which is essentially a combination of price, utility,
campaign of 2019? What about it impressed you? aesthetics and features. This hasn’t happened by chance; it’s the
It was our award-winning ‘Festive Treat’ campaign result of the conscious effort taken by the Government of India to
for HDFC. Despite the media-cluttered festive improve the infrastructure in rural areas. Consequently, there’s
season and challenging macro environment that more movement of goods and services across these regions, which,
dampened all ‘festive purchases’, this campaign led in turn, improves the earning potential of people in rural areas. As a
to 15 per cent growth in the assets business and result, consumption increases.
over 25 per cent growth in card spends.
In the next 12 months, the solution to the digital ad fraud

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In 2020, what is that big trend that ought to concern or excite menace will come from...
media agencies? Digital fraud occurs when, using bots and fake users, the impact of a
Media agency business margins will continue to be a concern. In a campaign is inflated and advertisers are charged unjustified fees. In
digital economy, the excitement lies in empowering our people and India, mobile apps are the biggest contributors to fraud, accounting
brands, and in transforming our business through the intelligent for 85 per cent of the total damage. And as video formats gain
application of talent, technology and scale. traction, fraud is becoming even more rampant. Viewability re-
mains a problem too, because we don’t
In the context of media planning/buying, have a common industry currency
what’s the one global practice/trend India “In India, mobile apps are the to measure a ‘view’ against; we still
will do well to catch up with fast? haven’t agreed upon what duration
We have the best and most competent talent biggest contributors to fraud, qualifies as ‘a view’. Solutions to these
here. The work done by our Indian leaders accounting for 85 per cent of the problems will come when we deploy

nning
has been acknowledged and they’ve been technology to prevent ad fraud.
assigned global roles. Having said that, I’ll
total damage”
add - we need to catch up fast in our ability What kind of specialisation/talent is
to package our communication framework missing in media agencies today?
as world-class.  The concept of ‘offline’ and ‘online’ has jeopardised the industry
and has confused talent hunters. A hybrid skill-set is extremely
From a media spend perspective, which product groups valued in the emerging media agency ecosystem. Although
do you suppose will be most affected by the economic slowdown specialists, connectors, and soloists can excel too, it’s versatility
that has crept up on us - and least? that will help us tap into the drivers of customer behaviour. We need
Consumption is one of the key growth drivers of the economy. people who can make inferences from multivariate data sources.
When discretionary spends start to go down during a slowdown, Next-gen professionals will be adept at emerging core disciplines
categories that could get affected are real estate, auto, premium like mobile, analytics, social, web, search, and content.
mobile phones, and consumer durables, as they come with much
higher price tags and are often linked to non-banking financial I wish clients would...
companies (NBFCs), that are now staring at a liquidity crunch. We have to conduct ourselves in a manner that makes clients want to
embrace us as true business partners.n
And within that, what consumption trends are you seeing in
rural versus urban markets?
Rural consumers strive to purchase branded, high quality
products. India’s rural consumer markets are expected to grow
faster than urban consumer markets. Various studies and reports
clearly show that rural consumers are evolving towards a broader

#Digipubworld #Digipubawards

www.digipub.world/
 afaqs!Reporter | MARCH 1-15, 2020 | 38

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“Fraud is always going to be a cat and mouse game”

nning
ASH IN PADMANA HAN
Head of rading and Partnerships,
GroupM India

#FoxgloveAwards www.foxgloveawards.com

RECOGNISING
YOUNG AND UPCOMING AGENCIES
CREATING
EXCEPTIONAL WORK IN
MARKETING COMMUNICATION For Restless, Creative 12-year-olds* and less
afaqs!Reporter | MARCH 1-15, 2020 | 39

Q
What, in your view, was your agency’s best companies versus foreign multinationals’, I think Indian
campaign of 2019? What about it impressed you? companies are more stable right now. Indian corporations are
One is the ongoing Myntra campaign, which is not aggressively maintaining their spends and are continuing to acquire
a ‘campaign’ in the traditional sense. We created more customers. Their inherent belief in the economy is stronger.
content and produced a reality show with Myntra, in
which designers competed with each other to create And within that, what consumption trends are you seeing in
new looks and styles, that were then amplified by rural versus urban markets?
influencers. This campaign used content to engage Let me take the example of our client Emami – mid to smaller towns
with consumers, as opposed to traditional forms of advertis- is their key market. Despite all the economic stress, they’ve still

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ing. Similarly, the ‘Big Billion Days’ campaign for Flipkart was maintained reasonable growth. The space is so large that we’ve been
supremely successful. working continuously to grow different markets. Overall, strategy
From the P&G portfolio, Ariel’s ‘Share the Load’ campaign made and execution are going to be critical for growth.
waves. In fact, we’re seeing that grow into a bigger theme. It’s an
example of a campaign that’s changing and creating culture. In the next 12 months, the solution to the digital ad fraud
menace will come from…
In 2020, what is that big trend that ought We’ve been extremely paranoid about
to concern or excite media agencies? ad fraud. Brand safety is a big one for
Addressability is a big trend, not only with “Indian corporations are ag- us, globally. We’ve partnered with
digital consumers but in the non-digital multiple agencies and third party tech
space as well. Second is the role content is gressively maintaining their providers to ensure we provide the
going to play. I strongly believe advertising spends and are continuing to safest environment for the brands we

nning
is going to move away from its traditional manage.
forms to resemble content pieces. It’s not
acquire more customers” We’ve launched an influencer
about doing four campaigns a year; it’s about marketing tool called INCA, which
working together to create exciting content. uses AI to find out which influencers
have a genuine following and detect which ones are sourcing
In the context of media planning/buying, what’s the one followers through bots and fraudulent sources. We as a group are
global practice/trend India will do well to catch up with investing in technology to fight ad fraud.
fast? You have to constantly play this game. You’ll innovate to beat
India will be one of the fastest growing markets in terms of ad fraud, then the guys who want to carry out the fraud are going to
spends. As an industry, we have leapfrogged two to three genera- innovate further… so it’s always going to be a cat and mouse game.n
tions and are far ahead of other markets in terms of spending on
digital. Focus is going to be on reaching the large volumes of people
who are online today. 

From a media spend perspective, which product groups do you

suppose will be most affected by the economic slowdown that has
crept up on us - and least?
No product group is unscathed, but there are some that are less
affected, like the FMCG sector which has remained relatively stable.
But for other consumer groups like consumer durables, auto, tel-
ecom, etc., it has been a bloodbath.
But instead of looking at product groups, if I look at ‘Indian

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“We need to focus on outcome, rather than output”

nning
DINESH SINGH RATHOD
CEO, Madison Media Omega

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afaqs!Reporter | MARCH 1-15, 2020 | 41

Q
What, in your view, was your agency’s best And within that, what consumption trends are you seeing in
campaign of 2019? What about it impressed you? rural versus urban markets?
It was a campaign for Sporto, an active-wear brand. Time-strapped consumers in urban markets are increasingly get-
Cricket was an obvious choice, but there is a cost ting into the ‘convenience economy’, fuelled by apps for every need.
attached to being on the biggest show on Indian tel- People are stepping out of their homes less frequently, because a
evision. We did this, within the budget. With ‘Closer lot of their needs are met through apps, for instance, food delivery
to Live’, we managed a continuous presence for the apps. Small towns and rural markets are seeing huge growth in data
brand throughout the IPL. Across 60 matches, we consumption on the back of regional language content and apps like
delivered an equal number of GRPs and three times the reach TikTok. The aspirations of consumers across markets are the same,

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as compared to brands that invested twice as much as us. and this is reflected in the growth of categories like beauty parlours,
English-medium schools, automobiles, packaged food, etc., across
In 2020, what is that big trend that ought to concern or excite non-urban markets.
media agencies?
Content, for sure. Given the affordability of data, on-demand con- In the next 12 months, the solution to the digital ad fraud
tent is on the rise; consumers are inundated with content, which menace will come from...
they want to view at their convenience. We need to focus on outcome, rather
Marketers are always looking for those extra than output. The metrics for evaluation
10 seconds to tell their product story. Media “Time-strapped consumers in will need to move beyond impressions
agencies and clients are yet to exploit the and CTRs to actual engagement across
opportunity this brings. As long as viewers urban markets are increasingly the consumer journey. Analytics will
find the content relevant, brands will be getting into the ‘convenience be instrumental in judging the ef-

nning
able to put their proposition forward. The fectiveness of platforms and ad for-
lack of third party measurement, that could
economy’” mats. Even in the world of ‘influencer
bring more accountability to digital plat- marketing’, brands will have to turn to
forms, is a concern. analytics to distinguish between real
influencers and those who artificially increase their social media
In the context of media planning/buying, what’s the one presence.
global practice/trend India will do well to catch up with
fast? What kind of specialisation/talent is missing in media agencies
An emerging trend is an increased focus on business outcomes, as today?
opposed to mere media output. Our group CEO Vikram Sakhuja has To leverage the opportunities in the content space, media agencies
championed the ‘Outcomes Planning Framework’, which need specialists – including talent that will add value to the brand,
delivers measurable business results, by enabling us to allocate and not just plug or slot a product. Excessive focus on data can
media investments across various touch-points in the consumer sometimes become a barrier to innovative strategy. We need more
journey. ‘strategic thinking’ experts in media agencies.

From a media spend perspective, which product groups do you I wish clients would...
suppose will be most affected by the economic slowdown that has … focus more on outcomes and not be overly obsessed with effi-
crept up on us - and least? ciency. I also wish they would be more willing to take some calcu-
Product groups which usually see high demand from rural markets lated risks, step out of their comfort zones, and look at agencies as
will continue to feel the pinch, whereas new-age businesses, fueled true business partners – not vendors.n
by the digital explosion, will continue to invest.

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dgkfu;k¡ deky dh!
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“kq: dhft, viuk fnu ueLrs Hkkjr ds lkFk- [+kcjksa dk lqcg 6cts ls
QVkQV viMsV~l] ,DliVZ~l dh jk; vkSj gekjs
News | Health | Gadgets | Money | Sports
fnXxt fjiksVZ~lZ tks crk,axs cM+h [+kcjksa ds ihNs dh iwjh dgkuh!

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afaqs!Reporter | MARCH 1-15, 2020 | 42

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“We’re moving into an era when creativity and data will co-exist”

nning
T SHAR VYAS
President, Growth and ransformation,
GroupM, South Asia
afaqs!Reporter | MARCH 1-15, 2020 | 43

Q
What, in your view, was your agency’s best In the next 12 months, the solution to the digital ad fraud
campaign of 2019? What about it impressed you? menace will come from…
I’d like to name a campaign we did for Unilever’s The problem is multi-layered. There is a technical type of ad fraud
Lifebuoy. We used what is called a ‘data lighthouse’. for which commercial solutions are already being designed.
We wanted to target tier III cities and small villages. However, in the case of ad fraud, the problem keeps evolving.
To facilitate this, we started collecting data from Technological solutions have started coming in but what is
public health centres, at the village and district missing is the brand context, of the different types of
level. We identified the diseases prevalent in each vulnerabilities that each type of ad can have. For example, a con-
village and based on that information, we started localising sumer facing brand might have a particular threshold to resist ad

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our message. fraud, a security brand might have a different threshold, and so on.
As part of the brand communication, we gave them tips and
guidelines on how they can protect themselves from diseases. Many What kind of specialisation/talent is missing in media agencies
of these problems tend to be very hyper-local in nature, so we today?
tailored the messaging accordingly. We’re moving into an era when creativity and data will co-exist.
We need deeper understanding of what it means to be a data-savvy
In 2020, what is that big trend that ought consumer. We also need to invest in
to concern or excite media agencies? deeper technical knowledge.
Attention to engagement is something “A consumer facing brand might
that worries, concerns and challenges us. I wish clients would…
Modern consumers live in a hyper-commu- have a particular threshold to I don’t wish for anything specific. We
nicative market and are exposed to so many resist ad fraud, different from are at the forefront of a digital

nning
different types of media, daily. This means transformation, led by data and
there are both distractions and
that of a, say, security brand” creativity. Being socially responsible
opportunities. Standing out and engaging is an aspect of that journey, and that’s
the consumer with the right kind of content, what agency-client relationships are
in the right context, is the challenge. all about these days.n
Many brands are doing a great job of overcoming this,
but it has to happen at scale. The messaging, content, and
communication are all important because personalisation with a
human touch is what we need. This will drive engagement in the
future.

In the context of media planning/buying, what’s the one global

practice/trend India will do well to catch up with fast?
Each market is unique so I am not sure if we should be playing
catch up. Our growth will be more inclusive and the media sector
has grown in India. This could be because of our diversity and vast
geography.

What consumption trends are you seeing in rural versus urban

markets?
Urban has grown.
afaqs!Reporter | MARCH 1-15, 2020 | 44

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“Spending has not really dropped, but is now rationalised”

nning
MAMATHA MORVANKAR
Chief Investment Officer,
Omnicom Media Group India
afaqs!Reporter | MARCH 1-15, 2020 | 45

Q
What, in your view, was your agency’s best cam- dropped, but is now rationalised, as even in a downturn brands
paign of 2019? What about it impressed you? need to spend in order to be remembered.
On the one hand, we witnessed new, high impact,
multimedia product launches. On the other hand, And within that, what consumption trends are you seeing in
there were several test-and-learn opportunities rural versus urban markets?
across brands in digital media, that helped us better The slowdown has impacted rural India too. Within FMCG, product
understand the business. Creating content to categories that are most impacted are packaged foods such as atta,
amplify brand stories was an initiative we refined oil and impulse categories like biscuits, chocolates and
undertook. We created some unique, compelling content personal care products.

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associations too.
In the next 12 months, the solution to the digital ad fraud
In 2020, what is that big trend that ought to concern or excite menace will come from...
media agencies? The digital ad ecosystem has multiple players with diverse connec-
Today, society and technology are evolving faster than our ability to tions (DSP, SSP, ad exchanges, publishers, agencies and advertis-
exploit them, and all businesses are impacted by this. Predicting ers) that interact in real time. The connections are not necessarily
consumer interest and trends is still a big direct and are potentially anonymous.
challenge. Consumers today are impacted This creates conditions for lack of
by so many touch-points, in so many ways, visibility and transparency, which can
that it is becoming difficult to understand “Today, society and technol- lead to fraud in extreme cases.
their triggers and actions! In India, we have The solution is ad and traffic
consumers in various stages of digital adop-
ogy are evolving faster than our compliance. It’s a prudent strategy to

nning
tion; this can be both exciting and a concern ability to exploit them” have an always-on approach to
for media agencies. combating ad fraud, led by
experienced people who are
In the context of media planning/buying, empowered by sophisticated
what’s the one global practice/trend India will do well to technology. Adding human
catch up with fast? intervention to machine-led safeguards allows companies to
Programmatic buying is the one practice that will gain discover, identify and flag misrepresented inventory. It also
strong momentum for us in India. With the internet soon helps us identify technology that may be exploiting
reaching a billion users through mobile, targeting the right vulnerabilities in newer ways.
audience at the right time, with the right creative, will become
imperative for marketers. What kind of specialisation/talent is missing in media agencies
today?
From a media spend perspective, which product groups do you Structures in the advertising industry are constantly evolving;
suppose will be most affected by the economic slowdown that has up-skilling is the new norm. New talent that will be embedded in
crept up on us - and least? teams will include digital marketing solution experts, data
While almost all segments have been impacted, spends have been visualisers, AI specialists, web analytics experts, content developers
rationalised within categories. In FMCG, spends are focused on and consumer analytics experts.
key mass brands and less on premium brands. In auto, spends have
been driven predominantly by new players and around new launch- I wish clients would... 
es. New model launches in the mobile phone category have seen ...work with us as true partners for their businesses, collaborate
huge success, especially among the top players. Ecommerce spends more on new ways to drive real business outcomes for their
continue to accelerate in the festive season! Spending has not really organisations, and push less to deliver against unrealistic
 afaqs!Reporter | MARCH 1-15, 2020 | 46

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“The rural market is mirroring the urban market...”

nning
RAJ L KU SHRESHTHA
CEO, Platinum Media

#MediaBrandAwards www.mediabrandawards.com

Identifying and celebrating

extraordinary initiatives by all
For Marketers of Media Brands media brands across all platforms
 afaqs!Reporter | MARCH 1-15, 2020 | 47

Q
What, in your view, was your agency’s best I wish client would…
campaign of 2019? What about it impressed you? I wish they’d start looking at agencies as partners rather than as
I think there were three campaigns that impressed vendors.n
me: first, our Max Life campaign titled ‘You are
the Difference’. This was impressive because it
achieved all the KPIs that it set out to. Similarly, our
campaigns for MagicBricks and Domino’s were
also highly visible. Both these campaigns had fresh
communication that the audience needed to see – and, indeed,
they did see it.

pla
In 2020, what is that big trend that ought to concern or excite
media agencies?
I hope we see an integrated approach to media, going forward.

In the context of media planning/buying,

what’s the one global practice/trend India
will do well to catch up with fast?
Buying GRPs upfront, perhaps? “Looking at media in an
From a media spend perspective, which
integrated manner is an
product groups do you suppose will be approach that’s missing today”
most affected by the economic slowdown

nning
that has crept up on us – and least?
The automobile segment for sure is the
most affected – and it will continue to be so. The food
segment, however, will be unaffected to a large extent, I
think. That’s because people have to eat.

And within that, what consumption trends are you seeing in

rural versus urban markets?
The rural market is mirroring the urban market, albeit in a smaller
manner. They are, however, more cautious and need that extra push
to make it happen.

In the next 12 months, the solution to the digital ad fraud men-

ace will come from…
Strict legislation and execution of the same.

What kind of specialisation/talent is missing in media agencies

today?
Looking at media in an integrated manner is an approach that’s
missing today.

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 afaqs!Reporter | MARCH 1-15, 2020 | 48

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“I call it ‘economic correction’, not a slowdown”

nning
SATHYAM RTHY
NAMAKKA
Executive irector, Mudra Group
and President, OM Mudramax

#Digies www.digies.com
 afaqs!Reporter | MARCH 1-15, 2020 | 49

Q
What in your view was your agency’s best campaign panic and adopt short term, tactical, sales-led activities at the cost
of 2019? What about it impressed you?  of long term brand equities.
Any investment to reach out to or engage with
customers should impact the client’s business And within that, what consumption trends are you seeing in
directly. While I can give you a long list of impres- rural versus urban markets?
sive campaigns, one recent example is our work Video content is becoming the next big thing across the country,
for Gulf Lubricants – a campaign called ‘Suraksha including smaller towns and rural regions. Meanwhile, urban audi-
Bandhan’. The delivery of an emotional advantage to ences are getting into interactivity. Gaming will take off again in a
a low involvement, functional, engine oil brand gives joy to all newer, fresher avatar, especially in urban/semi-urban markets.

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stakeholders.
In the next 12 months, the solution to the digital ad fraud
In 2020, what is that big trend that ought to concern or excite menace will come from...
media agencies? The solution will always be work-in-progress. Ad fraud intelligence
Agencies should be concerned about the extent of data fraud, in will always be creating the next big fraud and the good guys will be
terms of measurement, that exists today. From audience working on the antidote. It’s not going to end anytime soon. In fact,
impressions to social engagement to it will spawn a whole new industry.
customer reviews, the loss of honesty is a
massive area of concern. What’s exciting is  What kind of specialisation/talent is
new-age fraud control, and emerging elimi- “Gaming will take off again in a missing in media agencies today?
nation technology that uses AI, blockchain An ‘ears to the ground’ approach is
and newer encryption algorithms.
newer, fresher avatar, especially missing in the industry at large. 

nning
in urban/semi-urban markets” Ironically, most agencies are happy
In the context of media planning/buying, being ‘implementation partners’ of
what’s the one global practice/trend India clients and not strategic solution pro-
will do well to catch up with fast? viders. But efficiency and effectiveness
They include integrated planning and delivery of solu- begin at the strategic planning level and end with smart imple-
tions, and the adoption of one, unified view of the con- mentation solutions.
sumer from a media delivery lens. We should have been
there already. Operating in silos is history. Clients need to integrate I wish clients would…
their mandate with one or two agency partners and not flirt with ...pay us more… and pay for performance, that is, pay us more when
multiple relationships. This will help minimise silos. Agencies we surpass expectations, and penalise us when we don’t – it’s only
need to demonstrate value for money, delivered through a high fair. Also, clients should resist the temptation to conduct frequent
caliber talent pool. reviews and pitches, and resist the pressure applied by the
‘procurement team’ to do so.n
From a media spend perspective, which product groups do you
suppose will be most affected by the economic slowdown that has
crept up on us - and least?
I call it ‘economic correction’, not a slowdown. You can’t gener-
alise anything. Some categories, which are not necessities, will
get deferred in terms of purchase. Few things were ballooned and
projected, but now we are seeing real numbers. As in the past, we
will find smarter solutions to this temporary phase, which will pass
soon. Only one word of caution – clients and agencies should not

#Digipubworld #Digipubawards

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 afaqs!Reporter | MARCH 1-15, 2020 | 50

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“I wish clients would set joint KPIs and work collaboratively”

nning
VANITA KES ANI
CEO, Madison Media Sigma

#FoxgloveAwards www.foxgloveawards.com

RECOGNISING
YOUNG AND UPCOMING AGENCIES
CREATING
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afaqs!Reporter | MARCH 1-15, 2020 | 51

Q
What, in your view, was your agency’s best cam- In the next 12 months, the solution to digital ad fraud menace
paign of 2019? What about it impressed you? will come from…
The 60-year Fevicol campaign was one of the most I’m not too sure… I know we need a third party measurement solu-
memorable ones because of the way we approached tion, but how the resistance from publishers will give way is a wait-
it from a media point of view. We had long duration and-watch situation.
90 second and 60 second ad films. Digital plat-
forms were used innovatively and effectively. We What kind of specialisation/talent is missing in media agencies
showcased the ad films as OTT content rather than today?
as advertising. The click through rates, performance and post Two types of talent are a rarity: First, integrated thinking and

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campaign results surpassed our expectations. understanding. Second, storytelling. Traditional and digital operate
in silos most of the time, and storytelling can make a huge
In 2020, what is that big trend that ought to concern or excite difference to media plans with data and analysis being a constant
media agencies? across the two.
In 2020, media agencies must be excited to excite advertisers about
their media plans through transformation, which includes digital I wish clients would…
transformation and integrated communica- ...set joint KPIs and work collabora-
tion planning. It is getting increasingly tively towards achieving them. n
important to excite advertisers with new
media thinking and prove that it works. “It is getting increasingly
In the context of media planning/buying,
important to excite advertisers

nning
what’s the one global practice/trend India with new media thinking”
will do well to catch up with fast?
Agencies would do well to embrace digiti-
sation more holistically through training,
insight development and partnerships.

From a media spend perspective, which product groups

do you suppose will be most affected by the economic slowdown
that has crept up on us – and least?
‘Want’ (versus ‘Need’) product categories are most affected by the
economic slowdown. Overall, high luxury sub-categories are more
affected, for example, the high value homes category is losing but
low value homes are gaining within real estate.

And within that, what consumption trends are you seeing in

rural versus urban markets?
In the last seven years, this is the lowest (consumption) we are
seeing from a rural growth perspective. Secondly, we have always
seen so much potential coming in from rural, from a commodity
and branding perspective; rural always used to outpace urban from
a growth point of view. This is the first time we are seeing
otherwise.

#GreatLifestyleBrands www.greatlifestylebrands.com

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other communication specialists review the best
practices that go into creating truly great lifestyle brands BRANDS
Conference | Awards
 afaqs!Reporter | MARCH 1-15, 2020 | 52

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“An emerging trend is the birth of the ‘Integrated Planner’”

nning
NAVIN KHEMKA
CEO, Mediacom South Asia

#MediaBrandAwards www.mediabrandawards.com

Identifying and celebrating

extraordinary initiatives by all
For Marketers of Media Brands media brands across all platforms
 afaqs!Reporter | MARCH 1-15, 2020 | 53

Q
What, in your view, was your agency’s best India. Farm distress and stagnant incomes have eroded demand.
campaign of 2019? What about it impressed you? However, this is expected to be reversed early this year.
While we had some fantastic campaigns over the
year, my personal favourite is our In the next 12 months, the solution to the digital ad fraud
#ShavingStereotypes ‘Barbershop Girls’ campaign menace will come from...
for Gillette; it is our effort to empower girls to take The solution will continue to come from tools like IAS, MOAT, Dou-
up a ‘male’ profession and become role models for ble Verify, etc., and their upgraded versions.
the nation. India needs more gender neutral roles
and this is a step in the right direction. What kind of specialisation/talent is missing in media agencies

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today?
In 2020, what is that big trend that ought to concern or excite We need media agnostic, integrated account planners, who can give
media agencies? a holistic solution across all media touch-points. We have more
A big emerging trend is the birth of the ‘Integrated Planner’. I think specialisations today and we need to integrate our skillsets.
the digital versus non-digital divide within agencies will need to
disappear. Agencies have to be ready for this change by up-skilling I wish clients would...
or re-skilling their current employees. I ...always motivate the agency to put in
know for a fact that most agencies are far 150 per cent effort and recognise the
from ready and need to be concerned and “Clients should always motivate business results that follow.n
excited about this change that’s coming.
the agency to put in 150 per cent
In the context of media planning/buying, effort and recognise the business

nning
what’s the one global practice/trend India
will do well to catch up with fast?
results that follow”
I think the dominance of programmatic, in
the way campaigns are being delivered, will
catch up fast. This is led by advanced data and machine
learning, as more and more people are getting into the
digital space.

From a media spend perspective, which product groups do you

suppose will be most affected by the economic slowdown that has
crept up on us - and least?
I would say any high involvement category, where the average
cheque size required to fulfil the purchase is large, has been
affected by this slowdown. So, categories like auto, real estate,
luxury goods, etc. are among the ones affected. On the other hand,
categories like FMCG (with GST rationalisation), online
companies (with new startups and funding), and education (fuelled
by the aspirations of the middle class), are the ones driving growth.

And within that, what consumption trends are you seeing in

rural versus urban markets?
Rural India has slowed down in consumption as compared to urban

#vdonxtasia #v d o n x t a w a r d s

India’s most engaging convention

for those who live by the promise
asia of digital video

CONFERENCE | EXHIBITION | AWARDS

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 afaqs!Reporter | MARCH 1-15, 2020 | 54

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“The planner is almost a marketing resource for the brand”

nning
AM L DIGHE
CEO, Madison Media Ultra &
Head Investments

#Digies www.digies.com
 afaqs!Reporter | MARCH 1-15, 2020 | 55

Q
What, in your view, was your agency’s best crop failures. They have driven consumption until now but that has
campaign of 2019? What about it impressed you? slowed down considerably. While we’re hopeful that rural markets
Saffola World Heart Day. While it’s done every year, will recover, it will take some time. For the economy to recover rural
Saffola highlighted the importance of a healthy has to drive consumption; urban markets have, maybe, reached a
heart and, importantly, made people take the ‘heart level of saturation.
ka exam’ test on the brand’s live portal. This gave
them the real picture of their ‘heart health’. OTT In the next 12 months, the solution to the digital ad fraud
platforms actually went ahead and asked audiences menace will come from…
not to skip their sleep to binge-watch content, as lack of sleep I think a consortium of publishers will have to come forward and

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is one of the key reasons for heart problems. Also, a moment of invest in solving this menace. The only solution is to develop high-
experience was created on newspaper jackets in HT, when readers end technology to control this phenomenon.
were asked to choose lifestyle habits using a toothpick!
What kind of specialisation/talent is missing in media agencies
In 2020, what is that big trend that ought to concern or excite today?
media agencies? Two types: One is strategic brand understanding. I believe the
Consumption of content on digital. There is brand planner is almost a marketing
a rapid change in the way content is being resource for the brand and has to be
consumed on digital; OTT platforms are the “I wish clients would look at as close to the brand as the marketing
new TVs. With superior content and cus- manager is. That talent needs to be
tomised screens, media agencies will have partner agencies for business revived. The second is medium-
to look at a new planning paradigm. growth and not just from a neutral brand custodians. We need

nning
talent that can look at the entire gamut
In the context of media planning/buying,
commercial value perspective” of media and not just approach it as
what’s the one global practice/trend India traditional versus digital. That
will do well to catch up with fast? bifurcation should end.
Multi-screen planning and buying. How do we establish a
single currency across various screens to normalise I wish clients would…
viewing? This is something we have to crack at the earliest ... look at partner agencies for business growth and not just from
as agencies could lose potential audiences especially on OTT media. a commercial value perspective. Also, I wish freedom of creativity to
deliver more effectiveness is encouraged.n
From a media spend perspective, which product groups do you
suppose will be most affected by the economic slowdown that has
crept up on us – and least?
Telecom, definitely, as the industry is going through a very rough
patch due to losses, taxation, etc. Also, the auto segment will not
continue to see the momentum of spends it did in the last five to
six years. FMCG will continue to spend as there will be volumes to
garner. And new categories, like OTT, will also invest for higher
subscriptions and eyeballs.

And within that, what consumption trends are you seeing in

rural versus urban markets?
Rural markets are impacted most due to weather conditions and

#Digipubworld #Digipubawards

www.digipub.world/
 afaqs!Reporter | MARCH 1-15, 2020 | 56

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“There’s no economic slowdown – it’s temporary sluggishness”

nning
ASHISH HASIN
CEO APAC and Chairman India,
entsu Aegis etwork

#FoxgloveAwards www.foxgloveawards.com

RECOGNISING
YOUNG AND UPCOMING AGENCIES
CREATING
EXCEPTIONAL WORK IN
MARKETING COMMUNICATION For Restless, Creative 12-year-olds* and less
afaqs!Reporter | MARCH 1-15, 2020 | 57

Q
What, in your view, was your agency’s best cam- In the next 12 months, the solution to the digital ad fraud men-
paign of 2019? What about it impressed you? ace will come from…
I’d like to name a campaign we did for Unilever’s The problem is multi-layered. There is a technical type of ad fraud
Lifebuoy. We used what is called a ‘data lighthouse’. for which commercial solutions are already being designed.
We wanted to target tier III cities and small villages. However, in the case of ad fraud, the problem keeps evolving.
To facilitate this, we started collecting data from Technological solutions have started coming in but what is
public health centres, at the village and district missing is the brand context, of the different types of vulnerabili-
level. We identified the diseases prevalent in each ties that each type of ad can have. For example, a consumer facing
village and based on that information, we started localising our brand might have a particular threshold to resist ad fraud, a security

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message. As part of the brand communication, we gave them tips brand might have a different threshold, and so on.
and guidelines on how they can protect themselves from diseases.
Many of these problems tend to be very hyper-local in nature, so we What kind of specialisation/talent is missing in media agencies
tailored the messaging accordingly. today?
We’re moving into an era when creativity and data will co-exist.
In 2020, what is that big trend that ought to concern or excite We need deeper understanding of what it means to be a data-savvy
media agencies? consumer. We also need to invest in
Attention to engagement is something deeper technical knowledge.
that worries, concerns and challenges us. “There are bigger issues than ad
Modern consumers live in a hyper-commu- fraud. If you don’t have I wish clients would…
nicative market and are exposed to so many I don’t wish for anything specific. We
different types of media, daily. This means
standardised measurement are at the forefront of a digital

nning
there are both distractions and what are you measuring the transformation, led by data and
opportunities. Standing out and engaging fraud against?” creativity. Being socially responsible
the consumer with the right kind of content, is an aspect of that journey, and that’s
in the right context, is the challenge. what agency-client relationships are
Many brands are doing a great job of overcoming this, all about these days.n
but it has to happen at scale. The messaging, content, and
communication are all important because personalisation
with a human touch is what we need. This will drive engagement in
the future.

In the context of media planning/buying, what’s the one global

practice/trend India will do well to catch up with fast?
Each market is unique so I am not sure if we should be playing
catch up. Our growth will be more inclusive and the media sector
has grown in India. This could be because of our diversity and vast
geography.

What consumption trends are you seeing in rural versus urban

markets?
Urban has grown.

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“I want clients to involve outdoor
agencies at the stage of annual planning”

nning
DIPANKAR SANYA
CEO, Platinum Outdoor

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extraordinary initiatives by all
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 afaqs!Reporter | MARCH 1-15, 2020 | 59

Q
What, in your view, was your agency’s best In the next 12 months, the solution to the digital ad fraud men-
campaign of 2019? What about it impressed you? ace will come from…
It’s difficult to pick one, but I will take the liberty of It is not really an issue from an out of home perspective as of now.
mentioning our Vodafone Idea ‘Clean Air’
campaign in UP, which was done post-Diwali. It was What kind of specialisation/talent is missing in media agencies
done at the right time, when the pollution in North today?
India was a hot, highly debated topic. The work OOH requires more youngsters with a marketing specialisation and
garnered immense media coverage. The second a basic understanding of digital media.
campaign I’ll name is our Gandhi Jayanti campaign for Tata

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Salt. It was a very engaging campaign that connected with people I wish clients would…
and questioned those who walk regularly on MG Road whether or ... consider out of home agencies as partners and involve us at the
not they really follow Bapu’s path and teachings. stage of annual planning, so that we can give strong solutions with
richer information, product know how, innovations, digital inte-
In 2020, what is that big trend that ought to concern or excite grations and reduced lead time.n
media agencies?
Digital integration and destinations are
the two trends that will be important going
forward. Ambient media, DOOH (digital out “The out of home space requires
of home), and transit will play a critical role more youngsters with a
in campaign planning.
marketing specialisation and a

nning
In the context of media planning/buying, basic understanding of digital
what’s the one global practice/trend India media”
will do well to catch up with fast?
The fragmentation of media is a challenge
that we all face in a country like ours. Also, limited
digital assets are available. One key global practice which
we should look at developing is a syndicated measurement
system for traditional OOH and DOOH.

From a media spend perspective, which product groups do you

suppose will be most affected by the economic slowdown that has
crept up on us – and least?
Services and high involvement/high investment product groups like
automobiles, mobile handsets, retail, clothing, and jewellery are
most affected, as consumers will tend to be more conscious about
their spending pattern.

And within that, what consumption trends are you seeing in

rural versus urban markets?
There has been a dent in the upsurge in rural consumption that we
saw over the last few years.

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 afaqs!Reporter | MARCH 1-15, 2020 | 60

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“Talent today does not find the agency business attractive”

nning
ANITA NAYYAR
CEO, India & South East Asia,
Havas Media Group
ayyar is no longer associated with Havas Media Group
w e f May

#Foil An Event
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conference in the country that Associate Partner: Technology Partner:

explores the power of

local languages in mass media
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 afaqs!Reporter | MARCH 1-15, 2020 | 61

Q
What, in your view, was your agency’s best cam- What kind of specialisation/talent is missing in media agen-
paign of 2019? What about it impressed you? cies today?
Without a doubt, I’d name the Durex campaign, Media as an industry – especially media agencies – is facing a huge
which has completely changed the face of condom talent shortfall, as talent today does not find the agency business
advertising. From a consumer perspective, the attractive. Ours is a resource intensive industry in which people
campaign breaks all taboos and inhibitions, making need to be looked after well. However, the shrinking margins in
discussions around the act interesting and agencies are making the business unattractive. Hence, we see a
pleasurable. dearth of talent and skill sets.

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In 2020, what is that big trend that ought to concern or excite I wish clients would...
media agencies? ... respect the value the media agencies bring to the table as they did
The biggest concern for media planning and buying agencies will be many years back. Treat agencies as partners and not vendors.n
to engage meaningfully with the audience in a hyper-cluttered
media environment. This concern itself is a source of excitement
for agencies, as they try to find effective and impactful ways to
engage.

In the context of media planning/buying, “We should catch up with the

what’s the one global practice/trend India
will do well to catch up with fast? trend of deciphering the digital
We should catch up with the trend of ecosystem well... and making it

nning
deciphering the digital ecosystem well, and
making it measurable and accountable.
measurable”

From a media spend perspective, which

product groups do you suppose will be most affected by
the economic slowdown that has crept up on us - and
least?
Spends across all product categories have been affected. The low
phase the automobile sector is going through is something that one
reads and hears about on a daily basis. E-commerce spends should
be least affected.

And within that, what consumption trends are you seeing in

rural versus urban markets?
Urban markets are saturated; it is rural markets that bring a ray
of hope. The industry will be driven by rural consumption across
product categories.

In the next 12 months, the solution to the digital ad fraud men-

ace will come from...
We will solve this problem if we have strict laws, digital policies,
and regulations. These are of utmost importance.

#Digipubworld #Digipubawards

www.digipub.world/
 afaqs!Reporter | MARCH 1-15, 2020 | 62

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“There is no one silver bullet to resolve ad fraud”

nning
PARTHASARATHY
MANDAYAM
CEO, South Asia, Mindshare

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YOUNG AND UPCOMING AGENCIES
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afaqs!Reporter | MARCH 1-15, 2020 | 63

Q
What, in your view, was your agency’s best cam- There is no one silver bullet to resolve ad fraud, because the
paign of 2019? What about it impressed you? frauds are also evolving at a rapid rate. The only solution is to have
There were so many great, award-winning stringent processes and guardrails that also evolve as quickly.
campaigns last year; it’s hard to choose one. I am GroupM is leading this initiative by deploying relevant tools,
especially fond of campaigns that transformed the guardrails, measurement systems and contractual agreements
experience consumers had with brands – like the to prevent brands from incurring legal, reputational or financial
“Truckasana” campaign for Castrol, the EVM de- losses.
ployed by Lifebuoy at Kumbh Mela and the industry
leading voice engagement created for Idea. What kind of specialisation/talent is missing in media agencies

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today?
In 2020, what is that big trend that ought to concern or excite Agencies today have invested in specialist talent in areas like data
media agencies? science and ad tech. We have always had expertise in consumer
I think the biggest thing that concerns as well as excites us, and insights and planning rigour. However, what is in short supply is
marketers, is the aspect of evolving regulations around the usage talent that’s able to integrate these two to unlock real value.
of data. I believe it gives us an opportunity to do true data-driven
marketing in a responsible manner, but we I wish clients would...
need to evolve significantly to unlock this With data being the core that powers
opportunity. “Traditionally, there’s been a growth for brands, it is beneficial for
division between ‘planning for clients to consolidate the various ele-
In the context of media planning/buying, ments of marketing around a unified
what’s the one global practice/trend India
brand’ and ‘planning for data lake rather than letting it stay

nning
will do well to catch up with fast? demand’; we must bring them fragmented across multiple agencies.n
There has traditionally been a division together”
between ‘planning for brand’ and ‘planning
for demand’, with distinct processes, touch-
points and skill-sets involved in each. This needs to be
brought together and planning for an integrated consumer
journey needs to be done.

From a media spend perspective, which product groups do you

suppose will be most affected by the economic slowdown that has
crept up on us - and least?
Products that are viewed as discretionary expenses will be affected
the most, especially among the less affluent sections of society.

And within that, what consumption trends are you seeing in

rural versus urban markets?
Growth in the past has been powered by small town and rural
markets. And the slowdown has affected these markets to a higher
degree than large urban markets.

In the next 12 months, the solution to the digital ad fraud

menace will come from...

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other communication specialists review the best
practices that go into creating truly great lifestyle brands BRANDS
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 afaqs!Reporter | MARCH 1-15, 2020 | 64

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“People are increasingly creating their own ‘media menus’”

nning
GIRISH UPADHYAY
Chief Operating Officer,
Madison Media Infinity

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Identifying and celebrating

extraordinary initiatives by all
For Marketers of Media Brands media brands across all platforms
 afaqs!Reporter | MARCH 1-15, 2020 | 65

Q
What, in your view, was your agency’s best And within that, what consumption trends are you seeing in
campaign of 2019? What about it impressed you? rural versus urban markets?
The ‘Missing i’ campaign we did for Tata Salt is Consumption in rural India has hit a seven-year low and this trend
something to be proud of. While iodine has always might continue next year. Demand is being eroded by falling crop
been a key highlight of all communication by Tata prices, stagnant incomes, farm distress and erratic rainfall
Salt, we spotted just the right media opportunities patterns. Urban growth might still be a little better, but not
to engage with our consumers and thus created a significantly better. We will need to adjust to the new norms of
multi-platform, ‘i-deficient’ campaign across growth, across urban and rural.
networks. It not only delivered numbers but also shed light on

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an issue which requires attention. In the next 12 months, the solution to the digital ad fraud
menace will come from…
In 2020, what is that big trend that ought to concern or excite The solution has to come from publishers themselves. They need to
media agencies? work with high-end, reputable ad exchanges and invest in the
We can see the shift to personalised experiences all around us. technology required to detect and manage fraud. Agencies and
Behaviour towards entertainment is changing fast. People are brands need to ensure their programmatic advertising is delivered
increasingly creating their own media to humans in brand safe environments
menus and are rejecting the bundles of and not fall for unrealistic traffic
channels their cable operators are selling “Clients should understand that numbers.
to them. Instead, they’re constructing their
own ad-hoc bundles comprising various agencies need capital to attract What kind of specialisation/talent is
OTT players and are consuming it at their talent; effectiveness is far more missing in media agencies today?

nning
own pace. This great unbundling is hap- The kind that understands
pening at a pace much faster than anyone
important than efficiency” marketing, not just media. The out-
expected. This will definitely excite media come for a planner has to go beyond
agencies in the year to come. reach, frequency and CTR to sales,
revenue, customer satisfaction and customer lifetime value.
In the context of media planning/buying, what’s the one
global practice/trend India will do well to catch up with I wish clients would…
fast? ... understand that agencies need capital to attract good talent, and
It definitely has to be around cross-media audience measurement. that effectiveness is far more important than efficiency.n
Being able to identify and measure audiences’ media consumption,
as a ‘single view’ across media, is a much needed breakthrough for
the Indian media planning and buying industry.

From a media spend perspective, which product groups do you

suppose will be most affected by the economic slowdown that has
crept up on us – and least?
Through many of us would tend to name the auto category as the
most affected one, I will differ on this. With new launches and the
roll out of BS VI, the category will see a new sense of excitement in
the next financial year. Real estate, telecom and e-commerce might
go slow whereas FMCG, education and retail should be least af-
fected.

#vdonxtasia #v d o n x t a w a r d s

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asia of digital video

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 afaqs!Reporter | MARCH 1-15, 2020 | 66

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“Attention-commanding creative ideas are the lifeblood of brands”

nning
DIVYA KARANI
Chief Executive Officer, dentsu X

#Digies www.digies.com
 afaqs!Reporter | MARCH 1-15, 2020 | 67

Q
What, in your view, was your agency’s best And within that, what consumption trends are you seeing in
campaign of 2019? What about it impressed you? rural versus urban markets?
There are very many that come to mind. The mul- India’s urban-rural consumer divide is an illusion of the past.
tiple campaigns we have done for Maruti Suzuki Sometimes the difference between segments of urban consumers
bear testimony to insightful, well crafted work. In a may well be starker than the difference between urban and rural
significantly depressed market, the brand has held consumers. In fact, given media and market proliferation, there is
its own. Also, the stupendous work done by Web- an increasing similarity in the mindset of urban and rural
chutney recently speaks for itself. consumers – both seek value and make choices basis ‘brand
connect’.

pla
In 2020, what is that big trend that ought to concern or excite
media agencies? In the next 12 months, the solution to the digital ad fraud
There is no one big thing alone. Continuous, compressed, faster menace will come from...
disruptions herald exciting times. Let us strap ourselves in for an This is the elephant in the room that needs significant focus and
even more exhilarating ride ahead. Today, more than ever before, attention. Change needs to come collectively from all stakeholders
we can engage in meaningful dialogues with our consumers; we can – clients, agencies and media owners.
measure and calibrate the exact impact and
value we bring to the table. What kind of specialisation/talent is
Technology, furiously evolving digital “Ideas are global and don’t missing in media agencies today?
productivity, and data turbines, combined necessarily come from a Media agencies need to transform
with our agile, ever-demanding consumers, themselves and become business
are holding companies and brands account-
privileged location. When partners to their clients, by having

nning
able. These are the forces at play today. knowledge is everywhere, so are more meaningful conversations with
the thinkers” them. The lines between media and
In the context of media planning/buying, creative are blurring. Consumers’
what’s the one global practice/trend India attention is the prize and they are in
will do well to catch up with fast? complete control. Attention-commanding creative ideas are like
Democratisation of information has de-centralised ideas; the lifeblood of brands.
today, ideas are ‘global’ and don’t necessarily come from The work done by Data2Decisions (global marketing ef-
any one ‘privileged’ location. When knowledge is everywhere, so fectiveness consultancy, part of Dentsu Aegis Network) shows
are the thinkers. Partnering clients, as they leverage first party data, that creative execution is the second highest driving factor behind
at scale, holds tremendous opportunities for agencies. We are also market size and has ten times more influence on ROI than flighting
focussed on serving a customised, curated offering to consumers, as and cost!
and when they need it, to ensure an optimal outcome.  
I wish clients would... 
From a media spend perspective, which product groups do you … foster a collaborative, multi-function culture across teams such
suppose will be most affected by the economic slowdown that has that everyone has an equal seat at the table, and works towards a
crept up on us - and least? common goal. I have had the good fortune of working with such
Age old wisdom applies just as well today – during a slowdown, clients who effortlessly orchestrate this and inspire everyone to give
companies need to continue to invest in brands, because brands their heart and soul to the common enterprise.n
that invest during slow growth periods tend to extract multiplicative
dividend over the long term.

#Digipubworld #Digipubawards

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 afaqs!Reporter | MARCH 1-15, 2020 | 68

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“Thinking is completely missing today; everyone is driven by numbers”

nning
SANDEEP SHARMA
President,
RK Swamy Media Group

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CREATING
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afaqs!Reporter | MARCH 1-15, 2020 | 69

Q
What, in your view, was your agency’s best From a media spend perspective, which product groups do you
campaign of 2019? What about it impressed you? suppose will be most affected by the economic slowdown that has
That would definitely be our campaign for Polycab crept up on us - and least?
wires, which ran during the IPL, and across high While an economic slowdown affects all product categories, auto
impact properties on leading GECs. We also had and BFSI are among the most affected ones. Even real estate and
prime-time sponsorship and logo visibility on commodities are affected. Least affected categories include insur-
leading news channels through the year. ance, mobile handsets, consumer durables, online shopping sites,
The media team that strategised this pan-India and food delivery apps, to name a few.
campaign did impressively well by buying and implementing The slowdown has affected all mediums, especially print which

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everything within the stipulated budget. We had a clear-cut mass was already reeling.
focus, and our regional emphasis helped us cover a large volume of
our TG. Further, brand integrations and reality TV shows helped And within that, what consumption trends are you seeing in
boost reach and recall. The proposition, ‘savings in electricity’, was rural versus urban markets?
distinct and well enacted by a talented cast including Paresh Rawal. In rural India, there is huge proliferation of mobile handsets due to
the easy availability of data. Thanks to the increasing income in the
In 2020, what is that big trend that ought hands of the rural consumer, FMCG,
to concern or excite media agencies? tractors, crop enhancement related
The advent of OTT, and the possibilities it “With 5G coming in, OTT products, and certain low-end con-
has opened up for advertisers, is a big trend platforms will reach a tipping sumer durables are likely to do well in
that ought to excite media agencies. Once rural markets.
more and more people start
point. It will affect both TV as

nning
consuming video content and TV through well as experiential In the next 12 months, the solution
OTT, the revenue formats will increase. entertainment” to the digital ad fraud menace will
With 5G coming in, these OTT platforms come from...
will reach a tipping point. This will BARC or comScore could perhaps work
probably affect both TV as well as experiential entertain- out a solution for this, but don’t see it happening in the next 12
ment. Among the younger audience, there is a clear shift months.
towards OTT.
What kind of specialisation/talent is missing in media agencies
In the context of media planning/buying, what’s the one global today?
practice/trend India will do well to catch up with fast? People well versed in mar-tech and those who can work out holis-
Measurement of video across TV and digital, recorded through tic, tech-led marketing solutions are missing in media agencies.
impressions, is a much awaited practice in the context of media ‘Thinking’ is completely missing today; everybody is driven by
planning, as is programmatic buying. Also, measurement should numbers.
be more focused on our rural audience, as a lot of TV viewing comes
from semi-urban and rural areas. In fact, brands from categories I wish clients would...
like FMCG and consumer durables would love to allocate more to ...continue to invest in brand building, and not look at rates specifi-
these areas but there isn’t enough data to corroborate this media cally, as rates do not buy quality. Clients should continue to invest
consumption. Also, India needs to match international standards in media campaigns, as it has been proven time and again that those
when it comes to measuring radio and outdoor. who invest during depressed times are usually the first to benefit
when the tide turns.n

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“Programmatic is growing fast in India, but not fast enough”

nning
AJAY GUPTE
CEO, South Asia, Wavemaker

#MediaBrandAwards www.mediabrandawards.com

Identifying and celebrating

extraordinary initiatives by all
For Marketers of Media Brands media brands across all platforms
 afaqs!Reporter | MARCH 1-15, 2020 | 71

Q
What, in your view, was your agency’s best campaign up with electrical vehicles will be advertising a lot more. Another
of 2019? What about it impressed you? factor that will help the sector grow is related to the BS-VI pollution
The work we did for Pernod Ricard stands out; we certificate.
executed 100 music gigs across 27 cities simulta-
neously, and each gig was tied to a cause. I’m also And within that, what consumption trends are you seeing in
proud of the work we did on Myntra – titled ‘Fashion rural versus urban markets?
Superstar’, it was a talent hunt based contest among We’ve noticed that rural consumption rates have come down,
influencers, which was aired on the Myntra app. as have growth rates. Urban growth rates are now ahead of rural
Our Cadbury Fuse campaign is special to me as well; we growth rates. So, the expectation that growth will come from rural is

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had multiple topical creatives which were personalised and deliv- now changing – focus has shifted to urban markets. The other thing
ered to customers based on their profile. It showcased our digital that is clearly ‘trending’ is the consumption of premium products,
capabilities. which is growing faster than the consumption of base products.
This means the lower strata is curtailing consumption whereas the
In 2020, what is that big trend that ought to concern or excite upper strata is consuming a little bit more. While that is good news,
media agencies? it’s the mass market where real growth comes from.
One major trend is that media is being held
accountable. This will directly impact both, In the next 12 months, the solution to
the business and the brand side of things. the digital ad fraud menace will come
Balancing the two is where the challenge
“The consumption of premium from…
lies and it’s an exciting trend. Another huge products is growing faster than Ad fraud has been tackled to a very
trend that’s coming up in India is the one the consumption of base large extent, with the help of technol-

nning
around the 3 Vs - vernacular, video and ogy. We recommend that brands utilise
voice.
products” this technology to avoid ad fraud, im-
prove viewability and increase brand
In the context of media planning/buying, safety.
what’s the one global practice/trend India will do well
to catch up with fast? What kind of specialisation/talent is missing in media
Programmatic is growing very fast in India, but not fast agencies today?
enough. We need to build capabilities in that space. There are some There are a lot of new fields that are growing, like digital program-
areas in which India can emerge as a leader, like video and mobile. matic and content. We are looking for skills in these areas; not all of
them are available in the ecosystem. Also, the amount of data avail-
From a media spend perspective, which product groups do you able today is insane. We need people skilled to analyse it and make
suppose will be most affected by the economic slowdown that has it meaningful. Data science is an area we’re investing in.n
crept up on us - and least?
As stated in the GroupM report, we are forecasting about 10.7 per
cent growth for media in 2020. This makes India the fastest growing
large media market in the world. Obviously, this will be impacted by
factors like the corona virus which came up after we published our
data.
Real estate is one sector that has definitely slowed down. As far
as auto is concerned, well, though it has been in the news for being
down, I think it will certainly grow again, given the emphasis on
electric vehicles. In fact, automobile companies that have come

#vdonxtasia #v d o n x t a w a r d s

India’s most engaging convention

for those who live by the promise
asia of digital video

CONFERENCE | EXHIBITION | AWARDS

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 afaqs!Reporter | MARCH 1-15, 2020 | 72

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“The world is becoming too logic driven;
we need magic too”

nning
KARTIK SHARMA
CEO, Omnicom Media Group India

#Foil An Event
MARCH 26, 2020
TAJ MG ROAD, BENGALURU

foili
presents
A first-of-its-kind multimedia www.foil.media

conference in the country that Associate Partner: Technology Partner:

explores the power of

local languages in mass media
FESTIVAL OF INDIAN LANGUAGES
 afaqs!Reporter | MARCH 1-15, 2020 | 73

Q
In 2020, what is that big trend that ought to con- For the first time in many years, we have observed low growth in
cern or excite media agencies? rural FMCG. The rural economy is dependent on many factors, like
The last few years have seen a lot of interest and rural income - which is now stagnating, crop prices - which are
investment around owning consumer data, partic- falling, and the income of wage workers - which is under pressure
ularly the kind that’s enabled through digital media. as many of them are landless. However, being an optimist, I do ex-
While data is important, marketers are losing the pect things to bounce back over the next few quarters. Consumption
art of delivering a great message. Though super- will grow again.
targeting excites marketers, if this ‘personalisation
at scale’ is not backed by creativity, then it won’t solve prob- In the next 12 months, the solution to the digital ad fraud men-

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lems. Targeting and personalisation have been embraced to such an ace will come from...
extent that good old creativity has taken a backseat. It needs to be …technology companies, many of which will be startups. Solutions
brought to the forefront again. will also come from countries like Israel that are extremely ad-
In many categories, as consistently evidenced by good research, vanced when it comes to technology, including ad tech.
it’s clear that light buyers are more critical for brand growth. There-       
fore over-targeting might be harmful. Also, relevant messages need What kind of specialisation/talent is missing in media agencies
to be crafted using the right context. The big today?
opportunity is to understand how context In the media business, it’s becoming
impacts behaviour. In sum, take more risks, increasingly important to understand
be creative, don’t over-target, and try to “While data is important, technological changes. The industry,
understand the context before delivering in general, has been low on attract-
any message.
marketers are losing the art of ing experts from fields like tech, data

nning
delivering a great message” science and coding, to name a few. We
In the context of media planning/buying, need people who can blend logic and
what’s the one global practice/trend India magic to weave great brand media
will do well to catch up with fast? strategies for clients. The world is be-
One of the best global practices is measuring the market- coming too logic driven – we need people who can create magic
ing investment and understanding its impact on business. too.
While large clients and brands tend to do this as a matter
of routine, many Indian companies don’t. Regular measurement I wish clients would... 
unlocks great value and helps optimise marketing investments. ... firstly, pay a fair price to agencies for good quality thinking and
execution. Secondly, focus more on understanding marketing effec-
From a media spend perspective, which product groups do you tiveness rather than obsessing over efficiency just because it’s easy
suppose will be most affected by the economic slowdown that has to measure. And thirdly, prioritise long-term effects, as opposed
crept up on us - and least? to short-term results which lead to frequent changes to campaign
The current slowdown has two components - one is linked to our designs.n
economy and the other, to the corona virus epidemic which is
impacting all sectors that have some level of dependency on China.
Categories that contribute heavily to the ad-ex and are driven by the
economy, such as FMCG, auto and BFSI, will be affected. However,
the impact will not be uniform at the company level.

And within that, what consumption trends are you seeing in

rural versus urban markets?

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“Unlike the old linear world, the digital world is flat”

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VAISHALI VERMA
CEO, Initiative India

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Q
What, in your view, was your agency’s best stay engaged with their customers, and do not drastically cut down
campaign of 2019? What about it impressed you? on their spends, usually emerge stronger after the recession. Any
 It’s difficult to choose one; we had stellar work challenging period separates the wheat from the chaff. Sectors like
across offices, clients and categories. If you take education are recession-proof in a country like India. 
awards/external recognition as a barometer, we  
clocked the second highest number of Golds and And within that, what consumption trends are you seeing in
were ranked third at the Media Abby Awards as rural versus urban markets?
well as the Emvies; our work on Amazon, Reckitt Given the large size of India’s rural population, the value of goods
Benckiser, and Guilt Free Industries was awarded by juries of and services consumed has always been greater in rural India. But

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both. One of the biggest content launches last year was Mirzapur urban India had narrowed the differential during most of the last
on Amazon Prime Video and we are proud of the work we created decade by growing at a faster pace. Internet usage in the country has
for that. Also satisfying was the work we did on Mission Pani for exceeded half a billion people for the first time, pegged at 566 mil-
Harpic.  lion, driven by rural internet growth and usage. Categories like used
  cars and pre-owned durables, including mobile phones, will see
In 2020, what is that big trend that ought to concern or excite much more traction. But, the most difficult thing about the future is
media agencies? to predict it. 
The two big pillars that any media agency  
needs to focus on: First, consumer journeys, “Marketers who don’t In the next 12 months, the solution
across the vast spectrum of social, program- drastically cut down on spends, to the digital ad fraud menace will
matic, personalised messaging and content come from...
marketing. Second, deeper integration with
emerge stronger post-recession, …regulation, brand safety measures,

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the client’s business. With technology, big which separates the wheat from consumer education, working with in-
data and the blurring of lines between the chaff” dustry approved partners, and asking
creative and media, especially in con- a lot of tough questions to tech pro-
tent, there is a big opportunity to integrate viders. Why can’t all the players come
deeply with the client’s business.   together and set aside a budget for consumer education? Why
   should it just be the government’s responsibility?
In the context of media planning/buying, what’s the one  
global practice/trend India will do well to catch up with fast? What kind of specialisation/talent is missing in media agencies
Why play catch up when one can define the rules? Unlike the old today?
linear world, the digital world is flat. Today, India is not playing Good agencies will always hire diversified talent, of which there
catch up, but is defining the rules of engagement in areas like is no dearth in India. We are hiring specialists from varied back-
community marketing, mass personalisation at scale, sports grounds like behavioural economics, data science, as well as con-
marketing and content marketing. This is the first market where sumer behaviour experts and storytellers.  
many clients, social media apps and e-commerce giants test new  
ideas.  I wish clients would...
   …not award business basis pricing claims only, and not push agen-
From a media spend perspective, which product groups do you cies to drop commission. Agencies are investing in up-scaling
suppose will be most affected by the economic slowdown that has talent and clients should acknowledge this, as it’s going to fuel their
crept up on us - and least?  business.n
Many categories are already affected - telecom, automotive,
banking. However, there is enough marketing research done over
many recessions in the past to show us that the marketers who

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“Connected TV has the potential to become a trend”

nning
SIDHARTH PARASHAR
President, Investments and Pricing,
GroupM, India

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 afaqs!Reporter | MARCH 1-15, 2020 | 77

Q
In 2020, what is the one big trend that will concern products and services that offer more convenience, better health/
or excite media agencies and clients? wellbeing, and that advocate environment-friendly practices. Given
Connected television has the potential to become the current macro-economic condition, consumers would seek
an emerging future trend. A growing section of more bargains and value for their money. Hence, bundling of
consumers is adopting smart TVs - essentially, products and services is likely to increase.
bigger screens for live streaming and to access OTT
content. This is becoming a high focus area for a In the near future, what measures do you think could lead to a
few leading players. The trend is furthered by the solution to the digital ad fraud menace?
easy availability of affordable smart TVs in India. Digital ad fraud is a matter of concern for the industry. It requires

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all stakeholders to collaborate and work towards solving it. This
In the context of media planning/buying, what’s the one global could be done by establishing clear measurement guidelines on
practice/trend that India will do well to catch up with fast? brand safety and viewability across digital investments. We need to
While we have come a long way in data and audience planning, there find ways to make this an important element of compliance between
is still a lot to cover. ROI measurement and full-funnel attribution the parties conducting digital marketing.
are still in work-in-progress mode; they will become more
important in the years to come, as What kind of specialisation/talent
consumers spend more time online. As this do you think is missing or dwindling
area keeps evolving, more and more im- “Given the current macro-eco- from media agencies today?
portance will be given to media tactics and I would rather look at what we need to
triggers that enable a quantifiable impact on nomic condition, bundling of do in order to be future-ready and to
branding and conversions in the full pur- products and services is likely to stay relevant given the rapidly

nning
chase cycle. changing landscape around us. There
increase” needs to be more willingness and
From the perspective of ad-ex, which cat- speed. We must be more adaptive and
egories will be most –and least– affected in sync with clients’ needs for end-to-
by the economic slowdown? end solutions.
An economic slowdown impacts most categories. How- Whether it’s in the area of developing deeper understanding
ever, depending on the cause of the slowdown, impact of consumer behaviour through the right dissection of data, or
varies by category. Typically, in the context of urban consumption, whether it’s about focusing on relevant technology and emerging
a slowdown impacts discretionary spending, whereas in the case of trends, what’s important is for agencies to invest in and develop the
rural consumption, it impacts the staples. For instance, right talent.n
following the NBFC crisis in 2018, the first sectors to get impacted
were the ones with higher reliance on financing, whereas the
impact on other categories was witnessed much later.
This is in contrast to what we saw during demonetisation, where
the impact was seen across categories with an exception of online/
mobile payments, which saw a spike as usage surged. The same
principle would apply in any such situation.

What consumption trends do you foresee in rural versus urban

markets in 2020?
Rural is likely to continue seeing a shift, as consumers upgrade to
premium brands via smaller SKUs. Urban consumers would prefer

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“This year will be tougher than 2019”

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NANDINI DIAS
CEO, India, Lodestar UM

#Digies www.digies.com
 afaqs!Reporter | MARCH 1-15, 2020 | 79

Q
What, in your view, was your agency’s best From a media spend perspective, which product groups do you
|campaign of 2019? What about it impressed you? suppose will be most affected by the economic slowdown that has
Early last year we won Spotify; the global music crept up on us - and least?
streaming service wanted to enter India, with a mix of This year will be tougher than 2019. While last year saw a decline
Indian and international music, with over 40 million in GDP, the fall in consumption was also due to emotional senti-
songs. We made the simple yet decisive call to go with ments. This year, due to the global health crisis and the depend-
an audience-first approach, leveraging data to iden- ence on manufacturing from China, we will undoubtedly face
tify a personalised connection with content, and even- added challenges.
tually linking it to every single instance in the consumer’s life. While last year saw a dip in auto, BFSI and real estate, this year we

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We used neuro-imaging techniques coupled with mind-and- will see challenges in durables, travel and tourism, fashion retail and
mood studies to co-relate music content with finely split user pharma. Even if the consumer regains spending power, he/she is cer-
micro-moments, thus moving seamlessly from mass to individual tainly spooked; it will be a while before they feel confident again.
content. With over 1,000+ micro-moments mapped across over  
three billion playlists, we personalised content at an unprecedented And within that, what consumption trends are you seeing in
scale, through our People-Place-Moments (PPM) framework. rural versus urban markets?
  In most downturns, high-income
In 2020, what is that big trend that ought urbanites can withstand a depression
to concern or excite marketers and media “Even if the consumer regains far better and recover faster than their
agencies? spending power, he/she is rural counterparts. The intensity is
It’s exciting to see the coming together of usually more in rural areas. Moreover,
two strengths, from the past and the future
certainly spooked; it’ll be a the monsoons haven’t been consistent,

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– the scale of legacy media with the person- while before they feel confident so the agri-economy has not had a very
alisation of new media. Personalisation at again” good time.
scale is like an open and shut case for the  
future.  In the next 12 months, the solution
Here’s what should concern us: While marketers know to the digital ad fraud menace will come from…
that technology and data stacks will raise their brand With advertisers investing more and more on digital it is inevi-
scores, barely nine to ten per cent of them have a stack that table that audit and transparency will have to come into play.
they’re using optimally. Brands that move with speed to put together While technology companies are working on this aspect, I think for
an optimised, inter-operable marketing stack will have a major every solution a new trick will emanate from somewhere. In India,
strategic advantage over brands that don’t. BARC has been pushing for digital ratings and transparency for two
  years now. I truly hope we find a solution that is accepted unani-
In the context of media planning/buying, what’s the one global mously across large digital companies.
practice/trend India will do well to catch up with fast?  
That India is a complex and vast country is so true that it’s a cliché. What kind of specialisation/talent is missing in media agencies
In many aspects, some of our databases are far more evolved than today?
globally available ones. However, the global learning curve on digi- That media has proliferated is beyond discussion. Lodestar UM, for
tal, mobile and e-commerce is way ahead of ours. While in India we instance, tracks over 68 touch-points through a single source study
are comforted by the fact that traditional media - TV, print, radio - Moments. Thus, specialists and integrated strategists are direly
- is still growing, we must pick up global lessons on digital. Our raw required. Also missing are data scientists and analysts.
material is far superior but our mining processes are fairly dated.  
However, even globally, they haven’t been able to agree on a com- I wish clients would... 
mon measurement metric for digital. …invest a bit more in research.n

#Digipubworld #Digipubawards

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 afaqs!Reporter | MARCH 1-15, 2020 | 80

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“Agencies that embrace automation and streamline data will benefit”

nning
TANMAY MOHANTY
CEO, Zenith India & Head, Global
Partnerships, Publicis Media India

#FoxgloveAwards www.foxgloveawards.com

RECOGNISING
YOUNG AND UPCOMING AGENCIES
CREATING
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afaqs!Reporter | MARCH 1-15, 2020 | 81

Q
What, in your view, was your agency’s best cam- commerce, electronics, high value products and travel. Consumers
paign of 2019? What about it impressed you? from all parts of the country, including urban areas, are spending
It was our ‘Ask Nestlé’ campaign, India’s first cor- drastically less on essential food items which is going to affect the
porate nutritional counselling brand campaign, led CPG (consumer packaged goods) category as well.
by an AI-based chatbot on the Google Home system.
This application was built using rich first-party And within that, what consumption trends are you seeing in
data that informed Nestlé about the nutritional rural versus urban markets?
needs of its customers, which were answered in real We see a sharp contrast in the rural versus urban story, when it
time. The objective was to strengthen Nestlé’s credentials as a comes to non-food related spending. The urban market seems to

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leading nutrition, health and wellness company, by helping parents be doing well still. This is also reflected in automobile, health and
choose the right meal plan for their children. retail consumption.
There are about 2,00,000 searches happening around nutrition
in India every day. ‘Ask Nestlé’ came as a digital rostrum for anxious In the next 12 months, the solution to the digital ad fraud men-
mothers. It was launched on kids channels on TV, to ensure mass ace will come from…
reach. In print, we used a creative that talked to parents with kids. Ad fraud is more of a by-product of demand and pricing. There are
We also used the biggest reach platform on too many SSPs (supply side platforms)
digital – the YouTube masthead. The acqui- sprouting up and this has led to a lot
sition and remarketing strategy included “We see a sharp contrast in the of fraudulent products and compa-
online parenting platforms. nies that use these platforms to make
rural versus urban story, when a quick buck. In India, given that OTT
In 2020, what is that big trend that ought it comes to non-food related pricing is higher than to TV, we will

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to concern or excite media agencies? definitely see a play of these fraudulent
The biggest opportunity today is the
spending” elements here, as they try to skip off
ability of a brand to create unique experi- the top margin.
ences for each customer, at scale. With the
right technology, agencies are better able to meet this need What kind of specialisation/talent is missing in media agen-
and tell compelling stories. cies today?
The analytical ones.
In the context of media planning/buying, what’s the one global
practice/trend India will do well to catch up with fast? I wish clients would... 
Agencies that embrace automation and streamline data have a clear … think long-term.n
advantage moving forward. We are exploring automation for
marketing optimisation, product recommendation, dynamic p
ricing, customer retention, personalisation at scale, and work flow
management. This, in the coming year, will create better planning,
execution and operational rigour, across agencies.

From a media spend perspective, which product groups do you

suppose will be most affected by the economic slowdown that has
crept up on us - and least?
The global economic slowdown and the corona virus are impacting,
both global and domestic economies alike. This is affecting both
consumption and supply. The supply chain disruption will affect

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other communication specialists review the best
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