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2009: Television media can certainly say “Aal Izz Well”By Zeel chief revenue officer Joy Chakraborthy
In view of the global economic meltdown and its imminent impact on the advertising, 2009 was bound to be a challenging and tumultuous year. But, even as we entered into a rather gloomy 2009, there seemed to be a glimmer of hope that India would manage to insulate itself, at least in part, from the global downswing. And guess what?
Our 1.1 billion-plus population, which until now has always been perceived as the hindering factor to growth, came to our rescue wherein the consumption of basic amenities of “ROTI, KAPADA & MAKAAN” ensured that organic growth across sectors is not stifled. Top this up with our undying quest for “KUSHI” (or constant up-gradation of our standard of living) which during the 2nd half of the year spurred the growth rates back onto the high single-digit figures.
In the first half of the year, the fear of an impending downturn led to cost-rationalisation initiatives . . . especially in the sphere of marketing budgets. This resulted in marketers intensely re-evaluating their ad-spends. With focus on sustaining consumption of their products (which was coming from every nook & corner of India), marketers re-visited their basics of reach and frequency.
Also, marketers adopted a stingy spending strategy. With splurging on high-value flashy media initiatives becoming a luxury that no one could indulge in, it was imperative to gain market shares in a declining market. The FMCG sector increased their ad investment by nearly 30 per cent, but on cost-effective options that yielded them better returns on media investments. This helped them grow their sales by six per cent.
So, one of the most important positives to have emerged from 2009 is that marketers have realized the true potential of television in terms of reach and cost-efficiencies. With FMCG leading the way and viewing TV more optimistically than print, other sectors such as auto and telecom followed suit.
So, let’s see how Television has evolved during last year:
The emergence of Colors not only transformed the Hindi GEC space into a “3-player” genre but, more importantly, provided viewers with varied & diverse content and advertisers with multiple options to reach out to their consumers. This facilitated the genre to grow both in terms of viewership and ad revenue.
Given the multiplicity of options and lower switching costs coupled with the marketers’ imperative of cost rationalization and reach maximization, “purple” GRPs became their key buying parameter. Broadcasters who quickly took advantage and managed to get their content propositions right reaped the highest benefits.
Towards this end, while most networks busied themselves in attracting higher GRPs (to become No. 1) by initiating extravagant programmes with high-value celebrities and airing movies, Zee, on the other hand, focused on developing relevant and strong properties which helped us become leaders in “prime time”.
So, the key to TV sales evolved around developing relevant, cost effective but plain vanilla sales propositions with high service quotient. As such, with our sales approach to optimally monetize these “purple” GRPs, we garnered highest revenue.
Moreover, with marketers demanding “localization”, regional channels gained acceptance and emerged as key drivers of growth. Our host of regional channels capitalized on this through complementary media propositions to our advertisers.
A key TV sales imperative emerging from the cost-conscious marketer was the need to leverage “network strength” across genres / markets as compared to offering a proposition based on merely one or two channels. The wider the range of the network’s bouquet, the better the ability to provide a comprehensive package to the marketer and thereby garner maximum share of client spends.
Despite all the above sales approaches, the two factors which, to my mind, truly provided the only competitive advantage in this hyper-competitive environment are “people” and “relationships”. Broadcasters who stayed away from rampant “right-sizing” initiatives have benefited not only because of highly energized sales but also, more importantly, as it gave them more “feet on the street” whose relationships with clients and agencies could now be leveraged.
In summation, Indian media (in general) and the television media (specifically) can certainly say “Aal Izz Well” and look forward for another enthralling year of high competitiveness.
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.
