MAM
Only 3% of brands in Tamil Nadu advertise on both TV and digital
MUMBAI: Marketers advocated for the need to create ads simultaneously for television as well as digital to penetrate deeper in regional markets like Tamil Nadu, at the recently concluded Tele-Wise Tamil 2019. The event was organised by Indiantelevision.com to acknowledge the vast pool of opportunities Tamil television has for brands and advertisers in Chennai on 6 August.
On the panel were Lodestar UM EVP Laya Menon, Matrimony.com AGM marketing communications Akhil Jain, Paytm Travel GM brand marketing Bhushan Walzade, TAM Media Research VP Tam Axis Vinita Shah, TVS Auto Assist India head marketing Mahima Singh, and Wavemaker general manager Rajendra J Prasad. It was moderated by Bodhitree Multimedia co-founder & Director Mautik Tolia.
Speaking on the panel, discussing the might of the Tamil market for national and regional advertisers, Menon said, “Hetero-TV consumption is a trend not just in Tamil Nadu but also other South Indian markets. Thus, to optimise the reach of any campaign, we have seen while the reach tends to start with TV, the digital medium adds anywhere between 7-10 per cent to it. And this is just the AV medium I am talking about. To top that, we have other layers like social media platforms. The fact is that the market is now screen-agnostic. TV sells the opportunity and the added advantage comes from online content that has to be fairly customised for the market on a language-basis, which adds a significant amount of measurable reach.”
Jain, who admitted spending around 80 per cent of his ad spends on TV, shared the example of his own brand as he elaborated more on the concept. He said that he has seen campaigns that run both on TV and digital performing better than the ones that ran just on the latter.
He said, “I believe that there is a huge synergy between digital and television. As you know, ours is a digital-first platform. With our marketing communications, we ask people to download our app. Now, there is this two-screen theory, which says that even while people are watching TV, they have their phones with them. So, whenever our ad pops up on TV, and the person is using the phone, we serve them the communication on digital medium too, for example, on Facebook.”
Jain added that it increases the rate of conversion for their app, adding more users. He mentioned that he has observed a positive blip in the number of registrations on the app when the ad is running simultaneously on both platforms.
Walzade shared similar thoughts as he noted, “I think that the digital medium is growing very fast now. It makes it very important for us to 360-degree campaigns. At Paytm, especially with our travel business, we don’t only put TVCs on national and regional TV, but are also going big on social media.”
Speaking about the Tamil Nadu market, Walzade added that the state is in top 3 when it comes to internet penetration and the literacy rate is also quite high there. The acceptance of new technologies there is leading to the thriving of e-commerce industry and it really helps us in investing in media and reaching to consumers.
However, Shah noted that despite there being a great understanding of the need to advertise on multiple platforms only 2.5-3 per cent of advertisers in Tamil Nadu advertise on both TV and digital. She urged the community to recognise this big gap in the synergy between TV and digital and try to fill it.
Another insight that came out through the session was the importance of creating content in simple and relatable language for the regional audience. The speakers insisted that national advertisers create simultaneous campaigns for the regional markets to assure better results for their campaigns.
Singh said, “One’s approach should be really regional when it comes to connecting with the regional audience. National advertisers should look at creating content that is more local and is closer to the audience.”
She also emphasised the need to understand the audience’s AV-viewing patterns and recognise at what time they are accessing content on what platform for better targeting. Prasad seconded her thoughts as he advocated for the creation of customised and bespoke brand codes for each region.
Brands
FSS names Anand Krishnamurthi head of global digital delivery
Tech veteran to drive AI-first, cloud-led transformation in payments globally
CHENNAI: Financial Software and Systems (FSS), an AI-first payment infrastructure company, has appointed Anand Krishnamurthi as head of global digital delivery.
In his new role, Anand Krishnamurthi will lead FSS’s global digital delivery capabilities, focusing on AI-first and cloud-led transformation while ensuring predictable, high-quality outcomes for customers worldwide. He will be based in Chennai and report to V. Balasubramanian, CEO of FSS.
Bringing 28 years of experience in technology and digital transformation across banking, capital markets, financial services, and insurance, Anand has held senior leadership positions at Cognizant and NuSummit. He is recognised for scaling multi-geography delivery teams, leading mission-critical platforms, and embedding AI-driven automation in complex, regulated environments.
“What drew me to FSS is its deep payments expertise, strong product DNA, and the scale at which its platforms power real-world financial ecosystems,” said Anand Krishnamurthi. “I aim to strengthen delivery predictability, execution rigor, and engineering quality, building empowered teams that deliver measurable customer outcomes. FSS has a unique opportunity to create real-time, AI-infused payments infrastructure that is resilient, secure, and globally scalable.”
V. Balasubramanian added, “Anand’s track record in leading multi-geography delivery programs and AI-first operating models makes him the ideal leader for FSS as we accelerate our AI-driven digital payments business. His leadership will help us raise the bar for outcomes globally.”
This appointment is part of FSS’s broader push to build an AI-powered, cloud-native delivery organisation capable of meeting the evolving needs of banks, fintechs, and financial institutions worldwide.
