Power Of Mass Media Huge: Gagan Bhatia, Dalmia Cement

The business of Dalmia Cement caters more to Tier 2 & 3 cities and beyond as most of us as individuals in bigger cities are in all likelihood living in builder constructed apartments and not self-constructed homes. Thus, while the company may have solved for physical availability in these areas, solving for ‘mental availability’ via crafting relatable messages for the consumer and delivering them with ease remains key to their business success. In an invigorating conversation with us, Gagan Bhatia, General Manager – Marketing & Head of Marketing Communication (ATL & BTL), Dalmia Cement explains how mass media stands at the centre of their marketing initiatives and that it is here to stay.

Q. How would you define the growth story of mass media in India? How did it act as a catalyst during the pandemic time? Did it grow or change in the post-pandemic scenario?

I would look at the long-term growth of media in India and that media has gone from being a voice for the masses to the voice of the masses. From the times of DD / AIR to the times of YouTubers we have seen remarkable shifts in content creation. In the pandemic times, media has only amplified some of these long term trends which put more power in the hands of individuals. In the post-pandemic times, I do see some of the established media vehicles coming back like Print & OOH, albeit in an adapted manner that caters to the lower attention spans.

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? Any irreversible changes that you observe?

Consumers’ platform choices are evolving rapidly with traditional media doing lesser of the heavy lifting and digital media becoming faster and targeted. I also see personalisation and customisation becoming bigger trends influencing content creation and media consumption going forward. An irreversible change and a trend that I see picking up momentum is the shift from appointment viewing on traditional platforms to anytime anywhere viewing on personal screens via the OTT apps.

Q. What impact does this irreversible consumer behaviour have in the investments that you have earmarked for your presence and marketing in the year ahead?

It would inevitably lead to more buying on new-age platforms and a change in the way we measure successful message delivery.

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?

The biggest challenge and opportunity lie in making the brand and customer meet each other with minimum effort – and thus building brand marketing assets and catering to consumer segments can be an area where a lot of success may be rooted in, in the near future.

Q. Talking genre-wise, which segments in mass media garner the maximum inclination and why?

For us News & Movies on traditional TV capture the maximum inclination is given our core TG being what it is.

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 stakeholders?

Along with basic levels of social listening, our attempts are to remain agile and responsive to all conversations on priority. I would however say that this is one of the areas in which we have a long way to go.

Q. What unique strategies are you deploying to engage with consumers better and stay ahead in the game?

We continue to focus on developing the right message, conveyed in a relatable manner on an easily accessible (media) platform. Thus, at the heart of our communication approach is remaining true to the good old adage of being in the right place at the right time in the right clothes and manner.

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?

The power of mass media continues to be huge - the D2C companies, the Startups solving the problems that they are, the small companies that are setting up completely new ways of going about life – all are relying on media to accelerate the transitions they believe are due now.

Q. What are some of the key trends that you see emerging in this space over the next few years?

One trend that I see, or at least I hope for, is along the lines of hyper-localisation or mass customisation in the sense that media vehicles who have captured the audiences’ time and imagination would work on improving the effectiveness of their advertising by pre-selecting / filtering what ads do the individuals on their network get to see. This I assume would help reduce wasted advertising for the seller and minimise the wasted time for the viewer/reader.