Anshuman Chakravarty, Head Brand & Corporate Communication, Orient Electric

We are today knee deep in the era of digitisation and the way information and content is being consumed has  changed profoundly. Getting the right message delivered to the right person in the right place at the right time is nothing less than the Holy Grail in this information age. Media is an imperative element of any communication strategy which helps brands communicate convincingly with their target audience which includes but is not limited to media analysts, policymakers and policy influencers and customers. With businesses becoming more complex with each passing day, organisations of all sizes are seeking media & allied services to take a holistic media approach, gain control of their public image, connect better with the target audiences, build a strong brand  reputation, and improve RoIs in communication costs.

The Indian media industry has evolved drastically in the last decade with the arrival of new mediums and formats for content dissemination and consumption. The advances in technology, sweeping digital transformation and shifting demographics to millennials who are responsible for high level of media consumption has made media more complex and the task of media planning more challenging than ever before. This in turn is driving more and more brands to seek services PR, digital etc. which have comprehensive crosssector expertise to captialise on this disruption. Further more, one size doesn’t fit all and in many cases, brands today have multiple agencies on-board  to dedicatedly work on different areas such as digital communication, print media, TV advertising, mobile media, ORM, PR, online media buying, big data and advanced analytics. While the media landscape today offers great prospects to foster enduring connection with the audience, marketers must stay cautious of its complexity in order to reap the best benefits.On the receiving end, it is the Indian audience who has benefitted largely due to this drastic media transformation, as proliferation of choices has enabled them to access and consume information of their interests in the easiest way.

"While the media landscape today  offers great prospects to foster enduring connection with the audience, marketers must stay cautious of its complexity in order to reap the best benefits"

The increasing internet penetration and rise of social media has entirely redefined the role of media where in they are embracing  the power of digitisation and exploiting online mediums to develop successful communication plans for a brand. The emergence of new media vehicles like social media platforms and blogs have made it easier for the brands to reach out to the potential customers. More over, digital mediums offer significant insights into consumer behaviour and content consumption which further helps brands create better and effective communication plans using the right medium. Rapid digitisation, increasing penetration of broad band, affordable smart phones, and the ability to deliver content in regional languages will play a key role.

Having said so, I would strongly like to point out that this new digital shift doesn’t mean a death sentence for the print media. Majority of Indian population still relies on newspapers and magazines for information. More over, India is a vast country with massive cultural and linguistic variations, regional media there fore has its own importance. Indian media has been experiencing continuous fragmentation for quite some time now as we can see new TV channels, print publications, radio channels and other mediums  cropping up which cater to niche topics and audience. When it comes to advertising spends in India, TV advertising still leads the game followed by print and digital which is indicative of the fact that the traditional media is still delivering the results for the advertisers and it is here to stay.

Building a positive brand reputation in this ever-changing business landscape is no cake walk. To make it happen, it is important for a brand to ensure that all critical touch points & media interfaces are identified, and the information is created and curated in the most efficient manner with the adapted media. This is why most Indian companies are hiring media consultants to put in place the right communication plan in line with their respective business objectives. Whether its competition
analysis, reputation management or engagement with stakeholders,an effective media consulting agency looks after each aspect of a brand’s communication strategy.

Every organization is vulnerable to unanticipated risks and difficulties which could cause serious damage to its reputation, therefore, it makes good sense to have a specialist media agency which can strategically manage your communications and help you get over the crisis while managing reputational challenges.

Indian media is going through an exciting phase wherein the industry professionals and leaders are using traditional media and digital media hand in hand to achieve their goals in a better and faster way. However, going forward, we will see the maximum growth in digital consumption thus adding to the overall media consumption.