Media Mavens: ‘Media planning is about capitalising consumer trends and unearthing unique opportunities,’ says Alliance’s V Narayanan

As per Alliance’s V Narayanan, some of the key challenges are: Consumers reach getting more f-r-a-g-m-e-n-ted, building top of mind awareness for a brand in a fiercely contested market place is a huge challenge to procure in a digital world. Further, consumer trust is declining and it is getting more and more difficult to sustain loyalty.

V Narayanan, CEO of Delhi-based Alliance, believes the new formula – C (Creative) x D (data) = CE (Consumer Experience), will change how media planning works.

Marketing Mocktail: The purpose of Brand Purpose explained!

Today, while many marketers have bought into the idea of Brand Purpose, it has its share of critics who label it as mumbo jumbo. While the cheerleaders argue that today a successful brand must have a reason for being, not just a reason for selling. (Images sourced via Twitter)

The biggest trend of the past decade – Purpose. But what does it really mean? Here’s the only primer you need on Purpose and how to wield it in marketing and brand building.

“Note” able advertising: Iconic ads of yore that said it with music

Titan watches and Garden Vareli sarees are examples of different brands united by a universal form of communication – music. While Titan retained the original classical piece in its commercial to celebrate its timepieces, Garden Vareli used a tune rooted in tradition to contemporize traditional attire. (Stills from ads)

For brands like Titan and Garden Vareli, music became the thread which helped them forge a relationship with the audience. The role of music, which is to influence emotion and drive brand associations and consumption stands universal. Further, it awakens a nostalgic factor or remembrance for the brand, whenever the tune played in advertisements.

Creativity in God’s Own Country: What’s the advertising culture like in Kerala?

It is critical that agencies start enabling strong regional brands to shed their local moorings and identify new consumer contexts and conversation sets that are more pan-India. (Representative Image: Annie Spratt via Unsplash)

Agency On Map is Storyboard18’s new series that will feature agencies and the advertising culture of various regions of India. First up is the coastal state of Kerala. We see how creative shops there are attracting work and talent.

Digital shops, media agencies, influencer marketing platforms bet big on D2C services

The results are based on responses from 45 companies, with an estimated annual global ad spend of $60 billion. Seven percent of respondents are spending more than $50m annually on their in-house agencies, the same percentage spend $25-50m, 33 percent spend $5-$25m, 13 percent budget $1m-$5m and 27 percent spend less than $1m. (Representative Image: Tim Mossholder via Unsplash)

From Zoo Media to Wavemaker India to Qoruz, agencies are seeing the need for varied specialised direct-to-consumer services for both legacy and startup brands.