MAM
Tracking the working woman
While the Indian housewife has been assiduously tracked and her media habits traced by eager advertisers, the Indian working woman has been dodging definition. A recent study by Kartik Iyer, President- Initiative and Madhavi Goswami- Intellect Research & Technologies, Lintas Media Services, however shows that the woman in office exhibits media habits that are closer to her male counterparts than to her homemaker sisters.
 Media consumption patterns of working women are closer to those of men rather than those of non working women |
The number of working women exposed to press is 104 per cent more than non-working women is one of the significant findings of the study. Working women also consume 49 per cent more cinema than non-working women and four times more Internet than non-working women, the study says.
 Televison viewing patterns of working men and women are similar, those of non working women are different |
Interestingly though, the television and radio habits are not very different for both working as well as non-working women but working women are much higher on Press, Cinema and Internet. The study, based on figures thrown up by the Indian Readership Survey and analysed using the ESPRIT consumer segmentation and mapping tool of Intellect, reveals that the media reach for working women mirrors that of their male counterpart. Except for cinema, the media habits of both these demographics are quite similar. The study tracked target group SEC AB, 10L+ HHs, Females Age 20-40 yrs as a base, using
Even in terms of day part viewership, the pattern of working women conforms to that of working men while non-working women show a difference in the viewership. For working men and women, the peak is in the prime time band while non-working women peak both during the afternoon time band as well as the prime time band.
 Except for cinema viewing, media use patterns of working men and women tally |
The time spent in a day on watching television again coincides for working men as well as working women. Working women spend less time watching television than non- working women do. This pattern of being ‘like working men’ is apparent across other parameters of media consumption too such as language of media consumption, genre preferences, etc, the study shows.
The analysis garnered has been used to determine the involvement of women in decision making (particularly the role of working women), and the current gender skew in advertising for various categories. The TAM TV Adex database has been probed to understand the existing gender skew in advertising spends. Correspondence analysis was done to examine the skews in ad duration across various categories with respect to different genres of channels and hence target groups.
 The average amount of time spent in television viewing is nearly the same for all three, however |
The study analysed ad durations of various categories vis-?-vis the channels that they are advertised on, thus reflecting the target audience being advertised to and found that TV spends are being targeted at both the male and female audience but the skew is more towards males. Household durables such as televisions, refrigerators, cars/ jeeps etc are being advertised to both genders but they have a skew towards the males. The study concludes that media planners need to include women as a part of the audience that needs to be advertised to incase of major household durables can not only impact the decision making process for the consumer, but also optimise the spends for the advertiser
Brands
Muthoot FinCorp names Arun Kumar COO & Harjit Singh Takkar chief distribution officer
Leadership hires to boost operations and widen pan-India reach
THIRUVANANTHPURAM: Muthoot FinCorp has strengthened its top deck with the appointment of Arun Kumar B as chief operating officer and Harjit Singh Takkar as chief distribution officer, sharpening its focus on scale, speed and service as it pushes into its next phase of growth.
The flagship financial services arm of the 138-year-old Muthoot Pappachan Group, popularly known as Muthoot Blue, is expanding both muscle and mindset. With more than 3,750 branches nationwide and its digital platform, the Muthoot FinCorp ONE app, the company is betting on tighter execution and wider reach to stay ahead in an increasingly competitive lending market.
Arun Kumar B steps in with nearly two decades of experience cutting across financial services, technology transformation and customer analytics. He previously worked with CreditAccess Grameen, where he led enterprise-wide technology and data strategy initiatives and played a pivotal role during a major merger in the microfinance space. His work spanned integrating operations and products while scaling lending and non-credit offerings such as insurance and pensions.
At Muthoot FinCorp, Arun will steer operational excellence and strategic growth initiatives, aligning teams and processes to deliver sharper efficiency across the business. A gold medallist from Anna University and a postgraduate from IIM Indore, he also holds certifications in design thinking, Blue Ocean Strategy and business analytics.
Harjit Singh Takkar takes on the newly created role of chief distribution officer, reporting directly to the chief executive officer. The position is designed to energise the company’s distribution engine and bring greater governance and agility across its branch network.
Takkar brings over 28 years of retail banking experience, having held senior leadership roles at IndusInd Bank, Bandhan Bank, Yes Bank and ICICI Bank. Known for scaling branch networks and building high-performing teams, he combines distribution expertise with governance depth as a qualified company secretary with a master’s degree in finance and control.
In his new role, Takkar will oversee branch business and distribution channels, with a clear brief to expand reach, lift productivity and reinforce the company’s pan-India presence.
Commenting on the appointments, Muthoot FinCorp Ltd. chief executive officer Shaji Varghese, said the company continues to invest in leadership as it scales. “Our purpose is to improve the financial well-being of the common man. As we grow, strengthening leadership across key functions is important to ensure consistency in execution and customer experience,” he said.
With complementary strengths in operations and distribution now in place, Muthoot FinCorp appears set to move from steady expansion to sharper acceleration, backed by people, process and technology working in concert.
