Zee News Ltd celebrates leadership with agency activation

Conducts the outreach programme at 9 agencies in Delhi and 6 agencies in Mumbai to drive home the impact of digitisation

BestMediaInfo Bureau | Delhi | January 23, 2013

After endorsing the process of digitisation with a mass-media campaign, Zee News Ltd recently conducted an outreach programme at media agencies to communicate its strong presence across all digital platforms.

Zee News visited various media agencies in Delhi and Mumbai with a variety of engagement activities. Cake cutting, opening of Box Piñata, digital number matching where one can win exciting prizes were some of the on-ground celebrations. In Delhi, the network conducted the activation in nine agencies – Madison, Lodestar, Starcom, Zenith Optimedia, MEC, Alliance, Lintas-Initiative, GroupM and Mudra while the agencies in Mumbai included GroupM, Prachar, Mediacom, Lintas, Lodestar and Madison.

Earlier, the news network held a series of engagement activities in three metros – Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata – comprising quiz, debates, painting, etc., under its mass education campaign. In addition to this a live demonstration, with support of Dish TV, about the impact of digitisation was also executed. This facilitated product experience and awareness for smooth transition from analog to digital for an improved and hassle-free high quality TV viewing experience.

BestMediaInfo.com spoke to Rohit Kumar, DVP - Marketing and Distribution, Zee News Ltd, on the need and timing of agency activation. Excerpts:

Rohit Kumar

What makes Zee News Ltd the fastest growing and No. 1 news network on digital networks?

The staunch commitment of Zee News Ltd (ZNL) to the philosophy of 'Engage, Inform, Empower' has made it not only the leading news network on the digital platform but also the fastest growing.  Thus when it comes to reaching out to one's target audience, there is no better news network than Zee News network. We have our roots spread across the nation by offering seven channels in five languages. In addition, all the channels under Zee News Ltd. are available across all DTH and DAS platforms. Our reach is more than any other news network of India.

What is the objective behind agency activation and how has been the response?

As a responsible media organisation we took the lead to inform the nation about the benefits of digitisation by fully endorsing it, as it is the outcome of progressive and innovative thinking. We started out with a mass education RWA/Housing Society campaign with a series of engagement activities in key metros, such as quiz, debates, painting competition, etc. We then celebrated digitisation with its outreach programme with media agencies to educate and engage and inform them about our strengths and how this strength can increase eyeballs for their brands. We conveyed our message in a very simple language so that people from all walks of life completely understand the importance of digitisation in today's world. I am glad we got a good and positive response from people.

As marketing head of Zee News, what challenges do you observe for news channels in a digital environment and what will be your focus in the new era of digitisation?

The customer is rising as the king and has become choosy about the information he/she receives in the digital era. The biggest challenge for news channels would be customer retention because people now reserve the right to choose and pay for only those channels they like, post-digitisation.

The news channels can't afford to mock at viewers' intelligence any longer. They have become more informed, independent, individualistic and involved. People don't want anything in the name of news. It's all about delivering a quality product now.

Zee News has established itself as a channel 'committed to news' with focus on hardcore, serous and relevant news, thus respecting the thought of the viewer. The core of Zee News will remain the same – devoid of trivialisation and sensationalism. Acting as an enlightened member of the fourth estate, Zee News has and will always strive to set an enabling agenda to empower people for a better and a more informed life.

What should be the mantra of news channels to continue doing well in the digital regime?

It is high time for all news channels to understand what people want and respond accordingly. People today have full freedom to watch what they like. News channels therefore should fulfil their responsibility as the fourth estate, acting as a social watchdog while fostering positivity in society.

Info@BestMediaInfo.com

Info@BestMediaInfo.com