MAM
Tamil Nadu’s retail brands weigh in on television as a marketing medium
MUMBAI: Tamil GECs should include subtitles in their shows to increase stickiness and drive more brands to advertise on them, was the conclusion of the very insightful ‘Retail Therapy’ session at the recently concluded Tele-Wise Tamil conclave by Indiantelevision.com. The panel was discussing the role of retail advertisers in the Tamil market and how broadcasters can get them to advertise more on television.
Part of the panel were SRM University head of marketing & media Chaitanya Gurijala, Challenge Advertising founder and CEO R. Sakthivel, Kalimark Group joint managing director J. Ramesh, Viveks vice-president marketing B.S. Vishal, and Jaya TV Network business head Viswanathan Devaraj. The session was moderated by Win News executive director, Cornerstone founder president, and Puthiyathalaimurai Group former CEO R.B.U. Shyam Kumar.
The two broadcasters on dais, Devaraj and Kumar, discussed how important subtitling can be in not only driving more viewers to regional channels but also greater advertising revenues. However, they insisted that it has to be evaluated on a cost-benefit model before implementation.
Kumar noted, “I am sure moving hyperlocal, particularly in the GEC segment, will drive a lot of brands because coming from a news channel, I have seen those 4-5 aston bands that we run get a lot of stickiness to our programmes. Even GEC segment can try subtitles as an option to break the ongoing rules and get more traction. Forget about advertising, first of all, it will increase the viewer base to a great extent.”
Devaraj said, “I agree that stickiness to a content increases when there are subtitles on it. In Singapore, if they have a Tamil movie playing, they post subtitles in four different languages, including Tamil language. But when we look at, say Vijay TV, that goes on air in Singapore doesn’t have subtitles in all languages because it is a costly affair.”
To this, Indiantelevision.com founder, CEO, and editor-in-chief Anil Wanvari added that it takes approximately between 12-15 thousand rupees to add subtitles in a half hour episode.
Kumar claimed that if GECs can monetise that additional cost to the production of an episode of a TV show, which he assumed to be close to Rs 1.50 lakh for an half hour run, broadcasters will be equally interested in drawing new audiences.
Devaraj added that this will require a deep analysis based on the cost effectiveness.
The panel also discussed a lot of other interesting topics related to retail advertising in Tamil Nadu market. While Gurijala and Vishal reinstated the fact that print advertising is working for them to a great extent, Sakthivel and Ramesh vouched for the need advertise on TV to increase the user base.
Gurijala said, “I am huge fan of television but for education as a medium, print gives us an edge that we need to survive. There is a belief that parents are looking for education institutes that are more subtle. And subtlety has been the mantra that some of the biggest universities across the globe have followed and are following to build their ads.”
He acknowledged that a few universities like Amity and Lovely Professional are turning the narrative to the other side and investing big in TV but he insisted that advertising on television is only good for getting a sudden spike in the visibility.
Vishal shared that Viveks have been investing in print since the day they started in 1965.
“Back then, the competition was very less and everything that started was on print. Also, I would say that word-of-mouth was a strong medium. I would say, till date, we are known by the trust (that people have in us), and that has given us a strong foothold. I am spending close to 80-85 per cent of my budget on print”
He added, “TVCs are only for a brand recall purpose. But there are national players like Reliance and Croma, who are now spread across Tamil Nadu. For them, I believe, TV TVCs get more leverage than they do for players like us.”
Ramesh shared that television helped his Kalimark Group to a great extent. “When we started in 1916, for the initial few years, we used only paintings to promote our drinks. Later, I am very proud to say, TV helped us greatly in our brand journey. People in Tamil Nadu are very sensitive and they believe what they see. So, TVCs help us in getting their attention. I am spending 75 per cent of my budgets on TV.”
He also shared that the brand initially had a rule that it will not engage with any celebrity to promote its products, but they revoked it with changing times.
Sakthivel also mentioned that TV is the dominating medium in Tamil Nadu. He said, “As an advertising agency that handles a lot of retail clients, I believe that Tamil Nadu is still a television market. To give you an example, 18 years back, my first client was a computer institute who was advertising just on print, spending somewhere around Rs 4-5 lakh rupees for a month-long campaign. We helped him go to television with the same budget, did a TVC with a popular TV star of that time and placed it on 3 GECs. Within 3-4 years, the institute grew from 10 centres to 350 centres.”
He added that while digital is soon catching up with television, advertisers can focus on creating a mix for both the media but only digital will not be able to drive growth.
Brands
YES Bank hands the keys to SBI veteran Vinay Tonse as it bets on a new era
Former SBI managing director appointed as YES Bank’s new MD and CEO
MUMBAI: YES Bank is done rebuilding. Now it wants to grow. The private sector lender has appointed Vinay Muralidhar Tonse as managing director and chief executive officer-designate, with RBI approval secured and a start date of April 6, 2026 confirmed. The three-year term signals the bank’s intent to shift gears from crisis recovery to full-throttle expansion.
Tonse, 60, is no stranger to scale. Most recently managing director at State Bank of India, he oversaw a retail book of roughly $800bn in deposits and advances, one of the largest in the country. Before that, he ran SBI Mutual Fund from August 2020 to December 2022, a stint that saw assets under management surge from Rs 4.32 lakh crore to Rs 7.32 lakh crore across market cycles. Add stints in Singapore and four years leading SBI’s overseas operations in Osaka, and the incoming chief arrives with a genuinely global CV.
His academic grounding is equally solid: a commerce degree from St Joseph’s College of Commerce, Bengaluru, and a master’s in commerce from Bangalore University.
The appointment follows an extensive search and evaluation process by the bank’s Nomination and Remuneration Committee. NRC chairperson Nandita Gurjar said the committee unanimously backed Tonse, citing his leadership track record, governance credentials and ability to drive the bank’s next phase of transformation.
Non-executive chairman Rama Subramaniam Gandhi was unequivocal. “I am certain that Vinay Tonse, with his vast experience as a senior banker, will propel YES Bank to its next phase of growth,” Gandhi said, adding that the bank remains focused on strengthening its retail and corporate banking franchises and expanding its branch network.
Rajeev Kannan, non-executive director and senior executive at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, the bank’s largest shareholder, said Tonse’s experience across retail, corporate banking, global markets and asset management positioned him well to lead the lender. SMBC said it looks forward to working with Tonse and the board as YES Bank pursues its ambition of becoming a top-tier private sector lender anchored in strong governance and sustainable growth.
Tonse succeeds Prashant Kumar, who took the helm in March 2020 when YES Bank was in freefall following a severe financial crisis, and spent six years painstakingly stabilising the institution, rebuilding governance and restoring operational scale. Gandhi was generous: “The bank remains indebted to Prashant Kumar, who is responsible for much of what a strong financial powerhouse YES Bank is today.”
Tonse, for his part, struck a purposeful note. “Together with the board and my colleagues, I remain deeply committed to creating long-term value for all our stakeholders,” he said, pledging to build on Kumar’s foundation guided by his personal motto: Make A Difference.
Beyond the balance sheet, Tonse played cricket at college and club level and represented Karnataka in archery at the national championships — sports he credits with teaching him teamwork, situational leadership, discipline and focus. In quieter moments, he reaches for retro Kannada music, classic Hindi songs, and the crooning of Engelbert Humperdinck, Mukesh and Kishore Kumar.
YES Bank has its steady-handed rebuilder in Kumar to thank for survival. Now it has a scale-obsessed growth banker at the wheel. The next chapter starts April 6.
