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WPP Media offers SCR level insights through Dialect
MUMBAI: A new tool called Dialect can help your brands grow through customised and integrated micro marketing solutions.
WPP Marketing Communications (WPP MCI), touted as India’s largest and most admired media specialist, has integrated local insights at the SCR level through what it claims is a gigantic and painstaking data collection exercise and has integrated the same into the NRS. The resultant database is now available as an integrated business solution tool from Dialect, the micro marketing arm of WPP MCI.
WPP MCI national director Suku Murti claims that reliance on national mass media plans is proving to be inadequate for brand communications to uniformly reach consumers spread across 29 states and 331 districts in India. He adds that the existence of 14 languages (over 1,500 dialects), local passions, local channels and local promotions have shifted the focus of marketing and media to 91 socio-cultural regions (SCRs) in India.
“There is a strong need to ‘connect’ with consumers locally. The emphasis is shifting from ‘deliveries’ of exposures to setting up, managing and measuring ‘consumer meetings’. Sophisticated marketers are increasingly supplementing the ‘see and hear’ approach with a strong ‘touch and feel’ dimension. This involves a range of marketing and media activities in a specified market which delivers (to consumers) a brand experience with multiple touch points and much deeper levels of involvement,” adds Murti.
Murti also states that many SCRs have differential penetration of Cable and Satellite (C&S) TV and every often, the under-delivery of exposures within SCRs within a states can be glaring.
NEW DELHI: Hamdard Laboratories gathered a cross-section of India’s achievers in New Delhi on Friday, handing out the Hakeem Abdul Hameed Excellence Awards to figures who have left their mark across healthcare, education, sport, public service and the arts.
The ceremony, attended by minister of state for defence Sanjay Seth and senior officials from the ministry of Ayush, celebrated individuals whose work blends professional success with a sense of public purpose. It was as much a roll call of achievement as it was a reminder that influence is not measured only in profits or podiums, but in people reached and lives improved.
Among the headline awardees was Alakh Pandey, founder and chief executive of PhysicsWallah, recognised for turning affordable digital learning into a mass movement. On the sporting front, Arjuna Awardee and kabaddi player Sakshi Puniya was honoured for her contribution to the game and for pushing women’s participation onto bigger stages.
The cultural spotlight fell on veteran lyricist and poet Santosh Anand, whose songs have echoed across generations of Hindi cinema. At 97, Anand accepted the honour with characteristic humility, reflecting on a life shaped by perseverance and hope.
Healthcare honours spanned both modern and traditional systems. Manoj N. Nesari was recognised for strengthening Ayurveda’s place in national and global health frameworks. Padma shri Mohammed Abdul Waheed was honoured for his research-backed work in Unani medicine, while padma shri Mohsin Wali received recognition for his long-standing contribution to patient-centred care.
Education and social development also featured prominently. Padma shri Zahir Ishaq Kazi was honoured for decades of work in education, while former Meghalaya superintendent of Police T. C. Chacko was recognised for public service. Goonj founder Anshu Gupta received an award for his dignity-centred rural development initiatives, and the Hunar Shakti Foundation was honoured for empowering women and young girls through skill development.
The Lifetime Achievement Award went to former IAS officer Shailaja Chandra for her long career in public healthcare and governance, particularly in the traditional systems under Ayush.
Speaking at the event, Hamdard chairman Abdul Majeed said the awards were a tribute to those who combine excellence with empathy. “These awardees reflect Hakeem Sahib’s belief that healthcare, education and public service must ultimately serve humanity,” he said.
Minister Seth struck a forward-looking note, saying India’s young population gives the country a unique opportunity to become a global destination for learning, health and wellness by 2047.
The ceremony also featured the trailer launch of Unani Ki Kahaani, an upcoming documentary starring actor Jim Sarbh, set to premiere on Discovery on 11 February.
Instituted in memory of Unani scholar and educationist Hakeem Abdul Hameed, the awards have grown into a national platform that celebrates those building a more inclusive and resilient India. For one evening at least, the spotlight was not just on success, but on service with substance.
