Mass Media Remains Backbone Of Media Industry

Mass media, before the Covid crisis, grew at a steady pace over the years. This was true for all the formats- TV, print and radio. However, the last two years demonstrated a rapid shift in the growth of a few of these vehicles. For TV in specific, the pandemic acted as a positive catalyst with a substantial rise in the watch time. But for print, it did go on to witness gloomy days with readership numbers plummeting significantly. 

Giving us a sense of the state of mass media in current times, Sanjay Adesara, Marketing & Media Manager, Adani Wilmar asserts that regionalisation and relevant communication will remain essential in engaging with consumers better and staying ahead in the game.

Q. There is an evident shift amongst consumers with respect to their platform choices. How has it impacted the position of mass media in current times?
Due to the pandemic, we have seen substantial changes in many sectors, for instance, BFSI shifted their operations majorly through digital, consequently, many of the communications released in this sector were on OTT platforms instead of to the mass media. 

But for the FMCG sector, Television remains the core medium when it comes to media investments. Having said that, we have recognised the fact that consumers have adopted digital platforms and thus, we have increased our digital spending percentage considerably.

Q. With the influx of a lot of innovative players across sectors & platforms, what kind of challenges and opportunities lie ahead for mass media companies?
What we see happening now, is that mass media companies face a big challenge of providing not just one media vehicle but a complete package to the client. A television broadcaster now has to offer, not just vanilla FCT but also branded content, social media support, etc. to make its plan wide enough to effectively reach the client’s consumers. And as far as opportunities are considered, mass media companies have a chance to come out of the space of one media vehicle and add the new incremental audience to increase their reach.

Q. What kind of parallels would you draw in terms of your presence and consumption patterns in Tier 1, Tier II & Tier III cities?
Almost all mass media vehicles have been strong in Tier I and Tier II cities, whereas they are also becoming digitally strong too, and we have a good presence in these cities as we have been using a good mix of mass media and digital for our communications. When it comes to Tier III and Rural, what works is TV as it still rules in terms of media reach and that is where its true potential lies. In these sets of cities, the use of FTAs, GECs as well as regionalisation of the content would help us achieve an effective connection for the communication with the consumer.

Q. Mass media is often marred by backlash, controversies, and related challenges. How do you monitor and ensure that the set guidelines are followed internally and amongst other stakeholders?
To stay clear of the backlash and controversies, we have resources and standard operating procedures in place, wherein we do a periodic re-evaluation of our media spends and mediums selected. We also do analyse the historical data related to the medium and content and then take a call on whether we proceed with the opportunity or not.

Q. From an advertiser perspective, how lucrative an area is mass media today? What sectors are relying on the power of mass media more? Who are the top spenders?
All said and done, Mass media still is the backbone of the media industry to reach the consumers of any industry required, and that is apparent from the fact that 3000+ categories are active on mass media vehicles.

When it comes to top spenders, to this date, the FMCG industry accounts for approximately one-third of the ad spending, thus coming out as the biggest spenders to reach consumers through mass media. 

Q. What are some of the key trends that you see emerging in this space over the next few years?
What we have noticed is that now advertisers need to focus on creating an omnichannel presence to effectively reach their consumers, and thus as an FMCG, we see big possibilities in the Phygital space, which currently is being leveraged by the tech-retail sector. When it comes to genre-wise media consumption, we see that there is a growth in News consumption over mass media vehicles, as well as the regionalisation of content creates a better connection with the consumers targeted in Tier III and rural cities.