Marketing Ganga

Author: Shabbir Chunawalla

  • Advantages of Radio

    Local coverage: It offers local coverage on its medium wave channel. FM also offers local coverage.

    Wide reach : It permeates all economic strata and thereby reaches masses.

    Frequency : Continued messages can be broadcast daily. Repeated messages during one day are also possible. It has a loyal listener base which tunes in regularly. It is thus a high frequency medium.

    Rural coverage : Rural folks who do not read print media can be reached by radio.

    Illiterate people : We can reach illiterate people through radio.

    Interactive : Radio can be adapted to the the target audience. It is also suitable for modern active life.

    No captive audience : We can do a lot other activities while listening to the radio.

    Multiplier medium :  It improves campaign efficiency as a multiplier medium.

    Mobile : Radio is portable.

    Low cost: It is cost efficient. There are multi-city packages.

  • Radio in India

    The first broadcast was made by the Times of India from its Mumbai office in collaboration with P&T department to be received by the Governor Sir George Lloyd in Pune. It was in 1921. A full-fledged radio programme was broadcast by Radio Club, Mumbai in 1923. Indian Broadcasting Corporation was set up in 1927. IBC is the forerunner of present day All India Radio (AIR). IBC was taken over by the Government and renamed Indian State Broadcasting Company. It was again renamed  All India Radio in 1936. All India Radio was officially renamed as Akashvani in 1957. AIR was prevented from broadcasting film music. It switched over to highly Sanskritised Hindi. It lost mass appeal. Radio Ceylone grabbed the opportunity and became popular in 1950s. AIR mended its ways and Vividh Bharati service was set up in 1957. The commercial service of Vividh Bharati started in 1967. It was called Akashvani Ka Panchrangi Programme. AIR later adopted the concept of sponsored programmes. Slowly, AIR overshadowed Radio Ceylone. The boom lasted till 1981 when DD began to displace radio. FM broadcast has been started by AIR since 1980s in the metros. FM later spread to many more cities. FM radio broadcasting has been thrown open to private broadcasters who use their own tansmitters.

    Radio is now extensively spread. It is no longer a frequency medium. It airs ad spots. It is involved in content integration, RJ mentions, promotional contests and viewer polls. Radio is the new newspaper. An average listener spends more time on radio than in reading a newspaper in a day. As more listenership data will be available, more money will be channelised to radio.

    We do have now Internet radio, satellite radio and community radio.

  • Tent Talkies (Tambu Talkies) — Touring Talkies

    In jatras or religious fairs, movies are shown in a tent, and are a huge source of entertainment for the pilgrims. Usually, there are low entry rates, say RS 20 per seat. There were some 2000 touring talkies in 1985, but there is a decline now.. There are harly 33 touring talkies now, of which some six are in the Western Maharashtra and the rest in Vidarbha and Marathwada. Till 2010, they made good business — say they earned Rs 3 to Rs 4 lac per season. Each tent can seat 500 to 1000 viewers. The business runs for six months of the year. They have tent and the projector is mounted on the truck. The patrons are made to sit on the chairs or on hard ground. They design special film posters for the rural ares.  Trupti Bhoir has made  a film on the touring talkies. The footfalls have reduced on account of satellite films on TV, DVDs and Cable TV.

    To begin with, the talkies travelled in bullock carts. Earlier they had night shows, as the movies were showcased in white tents. They now pitch in black tents, making it possible to screen the movies even during the daytime. The tent talkies  begin tours post-Diwali and up to April-May. The remaining months are spent at home.

    These talkies have to seek all the permissions every single time they pitch in the tent anywhere. These include permissions for ground, electricity and fire departments. Ideally, there should be one yearly permission. There are heavy taxes levied for new Hindi films. The rentals for tent are high. They should be helped to digitize projection. The insurance companies are reluctant to insure them. There should be a tie-up with the Marathi film producers to take Marathi movies in the rural areas. They should be allowed to participate in the Film Festivals.. They should travel abroad with rare films. Celebrities should endorse this medium.

  • Celluloid Films and Digitally Shot Movies

    Nearly 80 per cent of Marathi movies are digitally shot. Almost 80 per cent of theatres have digital projectors. Few Marathi films are shot on celluloid. So far the subsidy of Marathi films from the State was restricted to those shot on film. This is likely to change. The cost of digital film making is relatively lesser as compared to film. Digital is the future now.

  • Gopal Krishna : 76 Years Completed

    Gopal Krishna, a film by Prabhat Film Company, completed 76 years on May 14, 2014. It was shot at the iconic Prabhat Studio and was released in 1938. It portrays Lord Krishna, leading a community of cow-herds in Gokul. The adolescent Krishna shows people how people can take on the British rule. Ram Marathe was the young Krishna. Shanta Apte captured attention as Radha, and Parshuram as Krishna’s friend.The film had stylish sets, costumes and classical music. The music was composed by Master Krishnarao. The directors were Damle and S Fatte(h)lal. The film was dubbed in Hindi too.

  • Identity Crisis for TV Actors

    The TV serial actors today face an identity crisis.This is the result of the policies of the channels. The credit titles at the end of an episode of a serial or at the beginning are the root cause of this identity crisis. The real names of the actors/ actresses are dropped from the credit titles. These people are known as by the names of the characters they play in the serial. They are presented in the promotional programmes too in the name  in the name they have assumed in the serial. The novices suffer a lot, as their real names do not get established. The new audiences too fail to recognise these actors. All technicians are included in the titles. Only the actors are excluded.

  • Retail Frauds

    Frauds Related to Credit Cards

    1. An employee has several credit cards. A customer makes purchases by cash. The employee pockets this cash, and swipes his own credit card.

    2. There are few such transactions and he has a big pool of cash. He invests this cash over his credit card cycle to get returns.

    3. The employer has to bear the cost of commission on the credit card payment.

    Frauds Related to Discount Sales

    1. An employee works at the cash counter. He has discretion to offer Rs 1000 discount on Rs 20000 purchase. Instead he offers just Rs 200 as discount.

    2. He makes a bill of Rs 19800 in his hand under the pretext that the computer system is down. The carbon is adjusted in such a way that Rs 19800 does not appear on copies. Later the figure of Rs 1900 is entered on the copy.He pockets the remainder Rs 800.

    Frauds Related to Friends

    1. The employee works at the check out counter. His friend buys 30 packets of milk.

    2. He scans just 20 packets and allows the remaining 10 packets unscanned and thus unbilled.

    3. The customer pays for 20 packets though he receives 30 packets. The exit security is not able to detect such fraud.

     

  • Organised vs Unorganised Retail

    Organised (modern) retail refers to large superstores that sell almost everything. Organised retail in developed countries accounts for 75 -80 per cent of the total retail. Unorganised retail refers to small grocery stores, street hawkers and vendors who dominate the retail business. Organised retail is represented by modern formats such as hypermarkets, superstores, supermarkets and convenience stores. Such formats have now spread to developing world but still the major portion of retail business is handled by family-run neighbourhood shops and open markets. The organised retail has arrived in developing countries in three waves.

    First Wave : It is the period of early 1990s to mid-1990s. It covers countries such as South America, East Asia and South Africa.

    Second Wave : It covers the period of mid-1990s to late 1990s. It spreads to countries such as Central America and South-East Asia.

    Third Wave : This started in late 1990s and continued in early 2000s. The spread is in parts of Africa, China, India, Russia etc.

    Size of India’s Retail Sector  $450 billion

    Expected Investment in modern retail in India over the next five years  $35 billion

    Investment expected from foreign retailers in India over the next five years  Rs 70,000 crore

    Investment required in agricultural infrastructure over the next five years Rs 64,312 crore

  • Journalism Courses

    Two Year PG Diploma in Journalism

    It helps students to develop their skills in research,writing ,and delivering news in different media. Well-researched writing is well received. The degree provides a theoretical background. You can specialise in an area of journalism.

    One Year P.G. Diploma in Journalism

    It is a practical hands-on course. This crash course makes students ready for the industry.

    The work that you do is valued more is this industry than a degree or a diploma.

    Specialisations

    Advertising

    This is a challenging field, though not conducive to fast growth. There are separate diplomas in advertising. Some offer MBA in this subject. Students just focus on copy writing and content generation. There are areas such as account planning, brand management and client servicing. Rather than a diploma, a full-fledged MBA degree will help you master all these areas. Institutes should teach how to make creative briefs. A diploma in advertising packs close to three dozen subjects. There are other areas such as Public Relations and Media Management. A degree is necessary to enter these areas.

    Public Relations

    Degrees at P.G. level are offered. There is MBA in PR. The students should keep abreast of the latest developments, and not rely fully on the degree. Constant up dating of knowledge is necessary. Some prefer a degree abroad which exposes the student to the best in the field. Indian courses still lack the practical approach. Good institutes offer placement services. MBA in marketing broadens the knowledge of a student. Here PR is not studied as a stand-alone subject. PR students must have aptitude for the job, and must be articulate. They must have a fair understanding of how the industry works.

  • Communication Design

    The design field is primarily divided into two areas — industrial design and communication design.

    Industrial design covers product design, furniture design and interior design. Engineers (mechanical) are suited for product design or transportation design. Architects are suited for furniture and interior design.

    Communication design covers graphics, animation, film and video design covering print/TV media. It generally caters to the field of advertising and promotion. Fine arts graduates are suited for this field. Communication design is further expanded to cover user interface design and new media design. Communication design applied to fashion industry is known as fashion communication.

    Product design applied to fashion industry is known as life style accessory design.