Advertising funds much of the media business. Even back in the pre-digital era it was acknowledged that the cover price of news papers & magazines would be prohibitively expensive for the reader. In markets like India, major dailies and magazines have been incredibly affordable. When the television industry took off, both GEC and niche channels depended on advertiser monies for support. Since the rise of internet media brands, display ads have contributed to their sustenance.…
Back during my advertising days, not jus the copywriters, even the Account Management folks had to ‘write’ a lot. Minutes of meetings, creative briefs, emails or memos, communication proposal documents were all part of the job. I don’t know what kind of writing is expected of the present day advertising or digital agency folks, but these tips on writing skills – gleaned from an old deck (perhaps from the early 2000s) could be of use:…
It’s obvious that the internet, smart phone and the rise of social media have had a huge impact on news brands. Both print publications and television channels had to adapt to a new world and changing consumer preferences. The speed of news dissemination, ubiquity of the smartphone and some characteristics of social media platforms (two-way communication, making dishing out opinions easy and viral potential) have forced media brands to make changes to their service and…
Over a series of blog posts, hopefully, I will attempt to share few basics on making the best use of a particular medium (e.g. Print, Radio, Outdoor) or a platform (in-app advertising, YouTube) for advertising. This week, let me start with the basics of outdoor advertising. A fleeting medium The hallmark of a billboard is that people get just a few seconds to notice it, absorb the content and move on. This is especially true…
I have been blogging for over 10 years now. Some of the posts have been about my views on trends in the the world of advertising & marketing. Over the last few years I have tried to post a compilation of clutter-breaking creative ads every week. Here’s a collection of ads which caught my eye the week ending September 20, 219: Mumbai Mirror: Power of Print Last week, the city newspaper Mumbai Mirror carried full…
The fundamentals of marketing communications is believed to be the same, be it in the traditional media world or the ‘new’ digital world. Bill Bernbach, ad legend and founder of DDB said famously: ‘it is fashionable to talk about changing man. A communicator must be concerned with unchanging man, with his obsessive drive to survive, to be admired, to succeed, to love, to take care of his own’. Such motivations are not going to change…
Remember ‘ambient’ advertising? Just over a decade or so ago, it was all the rage. Essentially, it was using non-traditional out-of-home media, in an unexpected manner to deliver a brand message. While traditional billboards and kiosks were also used the creative expression gave it a twist. So we had ice-cream sticks, lamp posts, a seat tray in an aircraft and such like used for advertising. Here are a few others which caught my eye and…
I recently attended Zee Melt, a marketing & advertising conference. I shared my notes and observations through a blog post earlier this week, covering presentations from Mr. R S Sodhi of Amul and Dave Trott. In this post, I share my notes on presentations from a few others. Rory Sutherland: what are we missing? I have been a fan of Rory Sutherland for a while now, following his TED Talks, other speeches and social media…
The comments section of news articles and blogs have been around for a while now. The intention behind providing an option to comment on an article or blog post, was a lofty one – get people to share their thoughts & opinions as a value-addition to the discussion. The practice has gone through several phases over the years. Many years ago, bloggers used to die for comments on their blog posts, even if the blog post was about a mundane or niche topic, irrespective of the quality of the post. Such expectations usually led to disappointment as comments were hardly forthcoming. The harsh reality that blog posts are unlikely to get comments in droves dawned upon us soon. And then the big boys got into the online space – big names in traditional print journalism, blog sites run as a business (tech being a common topic). Such sites often had a panel of bloggers and could churn out truck loads of articles in a day – unlike the plight of the individual bloggers who could barely write two posts a week.
The print and outdoor ads from The Economist have always generated positive buzz for the brand. The classic red background, clever headline look of these ads are etched in my memory. I have always been a fan of the classic David Abbott created ads and loved the way they convey a clear, relevant and distinct message with wit and style. The tradition continues with a new campaign for The Economist running in Boston & Philadelphia.…
