GECs
Have you taken my appointment yet? – A study on programme promos
TV Pulse 2005, the annual research initiative put together by the Joint Industry Body (JIB) and Tam Media, series continues with the paper – Have you taken my appointment yet? – A study on programme promos.
The paper has been put together by Rashmi Wadhwa, MICA with inputs and guidance from Tam Media Research VP Atul Phadnis and MICA Tara Nair.
Among the various marketing activities undertaken by TV channels, On-air promos are the most prevalent form of marketing used, but at the same time they are also the most debated ones. Considerable work has been done to enhance the returns on these promotions by studying factors like TRPs, reach, frequency, etc. But an area that continues to hold latent potential is the effectiveness of elements intrinsic to the production of promo itself, that is, the constituents of the creative that can act as perpetuators for watching the program.
This paper by Rashmi Wadhwa, MICA (with inputs & guidance from Mr. Atul Phadnis, VP – TAM Media Research & Director, S-Group Dr. Tara Nair, Faculty – MICA) studied the relationship between creative elements of a promo and audience intention to walk-in to the program. Apart from identifying the effective creative elements, this study also understands the influence they can command on the conversion of promo viewers to program watchers. The first stage of the study involved identifying various elements that can constitute an ‘on –air promo’. Eleven factors were identified on the basis of secondary and primary research. The primary study was conducted on three families (SEC A: SEC B:: 2:1) in the form of Focus Group Discussions. Some of the many promo creative elements identified at the end of the study were:
1. Understanding theme 2. Liking the theme 3. Familiarity with cast 4. Liking of cast 5. Interactivity 6. Novelty
7. Age appeal 8. Duration of the promo 9 Background/sets
10 Curiosity generated 11 Background music
The above eleven elements were then tested in the second stage of the study to evaluate the effect they can command on promo viewers in converting them to program viewers.
The study was conducted on a sample of 120 individuals with 60 respondents each in the age group 15-24 and 25-45. The sample was also equally divided across gender. In this stage, each viewer was exposed to a promo (pilots obtained from Adex India) and scores were obtained on each of the eleven creative elements and ‘intention to watch the program’ for the promo shown.
The scores were obtained on a 7-point Likert scale and a correlation drawn between each of the creative elements and ‘intention to watch’ to understand their strength of association.
Findings of the Study
The study analyzed the data obtained across different parameters like genres, type of promotions, gender and age and established the importance of these parameters varies across these elements.
The following chart gives the correlation coeffeicients between the various elements of the promo and the intention to walk in to a programme from the drama genre.
The liking of cast emerged to be the strongest factor for a promo to pull in audiences into a drama genre programme.
The study manifests that a well crafted message of a promo stands an excellent chance of creating addiyional listening. It indicates that certain elements of the promo creative can play a significant role in attracting the promo viewers to the program and thereby, influencing viewership.
Limitations
This study is specific to Delhi and hence should not be taken as being indicative of the preference for TV programme promos across India
The results for the study are applicable to the point in time when the study was actually conducted, since viewership behaviour is liable to change with time
GECs
Z launches ‘Dilfluencer Moments’ to boost brand engagement across screens
New omnichannel format blends TV characters, storytelling and digital reach to boost engagement and affinity
MUMBAI: Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (‘Z’) has unveiled ‘Dilfluencer Moments’, a new omnichannel media format designed to help brands cut through the clutter and turn audience attention into brand love.
With media access increasingly democratized, visibility alone no longer drives results. Shrinking attention spans and rising content noise have made memorability, emotional connection and action the real currency. Dilfluencer Moments addresses this by embedding brands into character-led, culturally resonant storytelling that travels seamlessly from TV to digital, social and creator ecosystems.
The format debuted with the “TumHoLovely” campaign on National Girl Child Day. Anchored in Hindi and Marathi shows, the campaign’s narrative extended organically across digital platforms, amplified by creators and community participation. A brand film featuring Sanya Malhotra further showcased how TV-originated cultural cues can spark broad engagement and virality. Within 24 hours, the campaign racked up 35 million total impressions, 20 million digital views, 2.5 million engagements and over 1,000 comments.
Laxmi Shetty, head – advertisement revenue, broadcast & digital, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd, said, “As consumers turn away from interruption-led communication, advertisers need moments that feel culturally earned and emotionally authentic. Dilfluencer Moments delivers reach at scale through character-first content systems that connect with audiences personally, transforming storytelling into brand love.”
Kartik Mahadev, chief marketing officer, ‘Z’ & Zee 5, added: “Access alone is no longer an advantage; affinity is. Affinity comes from storytelling, familiar characters and moments that stay with audiences across screens. Dilfluencer Moments lets brands participate meaningfully in moments audiences already love, travelling organically across linear, digital and social platforms at scale.”
By anchoring campaigns in high-trust television moments and extending them into digital and social ecosystems, Dilfluencer Moments enables brands to generate organic engagement, amplify virality and convert attention into long-term emotional equity.
With its national scale, deep emotional storytelling and character-first approach, Z is offering marketers a powerful new way to build affinity, cut through clutter and create culturally resonant brand moments that stick.
