TV or digital? Industry leaders speak their mind at IAA awards

Brands are still under the mindset of getting immediate sales instead of looking at the long-term perspectives, said Sanjay Behl, CEO, Raymonds. Participating in a panel discussion at the sixth edition of IAA Leadership Awards organised by the International Advertising Association (IAA), he also said TV is and will remain a powerhouse medium in our country.

Behl said, “Properties that are being watched in India right now are at an all-time high, beating world numbers. Fundamentally, there are two questions in context of media, first being ‘brand position’ and second being ‘which medium helps me build my brand’. I feel brands are working towards influencing immediate purchase rather than analysing which medium helps in the long run. No doubt that the reach of TV is high, it is also quick as product life cycles are short and TV gives you a wide reach within a 30-second ad duration. It is also intense as TV as a broadcast medium builds passive engagement vs digital disengagement. I also feel quality innovations have been happening in consumption of the media as TV remains the second highest return on investment after paid research. I truly believe TV is and will remain a powerhouse medium in our country.”

Presented by Zee Entertainment Enterprises (ZEEL), the event brought together great minds in business, marketing, advertising and media to celebrate the best in the industry.

The panel discussion offered an open platform for exchange of ideas among the industry stalwarts. Apart from Behl, the panellists comprised Shashi Sinha, CEO, IPG Media Brands India and Prathyusha Agarwal, CMO, ZEEL. The session was moderated by Partho Dasgupta, CEO, BARC India.

Agarwal said, “TV has been the source of entertainment for every Indian household for decades and continues to be so. As the entertainment powerhouse of the country, we believe that only when we come together across platforms, extraordinary happens. Hence, we are here to provide the best solution to the advertisers. We are also witnessing huge growth in the regional markets and connecting with people in their own language is invaluable. Fundamentally, TV is and will always be relevant, but it is also a glorious time for marketers with digital and working together to effectively reach out to consumers.”

Sinha said, “In the media agency ecosystem, there is a lot of discussion on ratings. I appeal that we must look at first impressions to make actual comparison and what comes easily to traditional advertisers, may not appeal to the youth today. I feel TV has a long way to go and is an undernourished medium. However, for people to build brands, India still has a long way to go, so one needs to advertise using TV as a medium.”

Dasgupta said, “TV today reaches 836 mn individuals across India, we, as Indians still are TV fanatics. People are spending four hours on TV in the South of India. Almost 12 hours of advertising gets telecast in India. Hindi content is still ruling, 688 million viewers are watching GEC serials while at a similar number 680 million are watching movies which is a higher number than people who watch movies in the theatre. Sports as a genre is also going up. Overall, I would say TV is the biggest dominant medium today and will continue to grow.”

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