And marketers are searching with a magnifying glass
Earlier this year, when flamboyant business
tycoon, Richard Branson launched Virgin Mobile services in India (in collaboration with Tata Teleservices), marketers and industry veterans left no opportunity unutilised to scoff at him. At a time when all existing operators are pursuing a similar strategy of getting as many subscribers as quickly as possible, Virgin shocked veterans by targeting the 550 million strong niche of Indian youth instead. Prasad Narasimhan, CFO, Virgin mobiles, shares, “We target youth as they talk twice as much and SMS thrice as much. They are also the first to adopt any value added service.” Branson has found his niche in the otherwise mass marketed wireless communication sector. He is catering to that segment within the mass which is likely to spend on data based mobile services (where the future of telecom services lies) and drive big moolah into his bank account. With half a dozen more telecom players to debut in the Indian landscape, aiming at a niche audience can actually prove to be the winning strategy, given that the mass strategy has already been deployed and won by the likes of Airtel, Reliance, Vodafone and BSNL in any case.
Even the Indian media and entertainment landscape is tilting toward the niche format, given the media clutter and resultant fragmentation of mass media audiences. Take television for instance. The high TRPs that entertainment news has been fetching, 24X7 News channels have resulted in the launch of channels completely dedicated to Bollywood news (E-24 from BAG Films’ stable) and Lifestyle oriented content (Zoom, NDTV Good Times, et al). Viacom 18, an offshoot of the ever expanding Network 18 and US based Viacom, also intends to launch a host of niche channels in the TV space. In fact, most media houses find niche TV channels a promising market, with some even mooting ideas for highly special interest channels like Golf, Motoring, Gardening, et al. Yash Khanna, Senior VP, Corporate Communication, Star India explains, “Globally niche channels are popular and the main earnings for these is from subscription revenue. Once broadcasters in India too are able to get considerable revenues through DTH and other addressable systems, niche channels will kick off in a true sense.” Advertisers too welcome the possibilities of such channels with open arms. “The sharper the audience a channel delivers, the better for the brand,” avers Naresh Gupta, Head of Planning, Publicis.
For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article
Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008
Earlier this year, when flamboyant business
tycoon, Richard Branson launched Virgin Mobile services in India (in collaboration with Tata Teleservices), marketers and industry veterans left no opportunity unutilised to scoff at him. At a time when all existing operators are pursuing a similar strategy of getting as many subscribers as quickly as possible, Virgin shocked veterans by targeting the 550 million strong niche of Indian youth instead. Prasad Narasimhan, CFO, Virgin mobiles, shares, “We target youth as they talk twice as much and SMS thrice as much. They are also the first to adopt any value added service.” Branson has found his niche in the otherwise mass marketed wireless communication sector. He is catering to that segment within the mass which is likely to spend on data based mobile services (where the future of telecom services lies) and drive big moolah into his bank account. With half a dozen more telecom players to debut in the Indian landscape, aiming at a niche audience can actually prove to be the winning strategy, given that the mass strategy has already been deployed and won by the likes of Airtel, Reliance, Vodafone and BSNL in any case.Even the Indian media and entertainment landscape is tilting toward the niche format, given the media clutter and resultant fragmentation of mass media audiences. Take television for instance. The high TRPs that entertainment news has been fetching, 24X7 News channels have resulted in the launch of channels completely dedicated to Bollywood news (E-24 from BAG Films’ stable) and Lifestyle oriented content (Zoom, NDTV Good Times, et al). Viacom 18, an offshoot of the ever expanding Network 18 and US based Viacom, also intends to launch a host of niche channels in the TV space. In fact, most media houses find niche TV channels a promising market, with some even mooting ideas for highly special interest channels like Golf, Motoring, Gardening, et al. Yash Khanna, Senior VP, Corporate Communication, Star India explains, “Globally niche channels are popular and the main earnings for these is from subscription revenue. Once broadcasters in India too are able to get considerable revenues through DTH and other addressable systems, niche channels will kick off in a true sense.” Advertisers too welcome the possibilities of such channels with open arms. “The sharper the audience a channel delivers, the better for the brand,” avers Naresh Gupta, Head of Planning, Publicis.
For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article
Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008
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