The Big Fat Media Wedding - Digital Weds Traditional Media

Stratagem Media Pvt. Ltd. organizes a training session at least once a year, under the banner of Media RHYTHM. These programs are designed to enhance both, knowledge and skill and bring participants up-to-date with the latest practices being adopted in the media business. Over the last five years, each theme of the Media RHYTHM series has been contemporary and relevant for its time. The topics have kept pace with the current needs of the industry. In the near future Stratagem Media hopes to venture in a bigger way into this space.

After 4 successful programs of Media RHYTHM on various topics related to Media Business, Stratagem Media organized 5th annual open program under its Media RHYTHM series with 27 participants, on 28th and 29th Nov at the Hotel LeSutra, Khar, Mumbai.

Given the surfeit of available media options for brand communication these days, it has become rather important to resolve the question of “what’s the most appropriate combination of Media to use and how much”. To help address this issue comprehensively, this year, the theme of the annual Media RHYTHM series of workshops was titled as “The Big Fat Media Wedding – Digital weds Traditional”. The program offered an opportunity to understand how to apply their learnings of media in their job profiles and also to learn how to conceive, develop and evaluate a multi-media campaign, based on the marketing insights and communication effectively with the brand.

Participating companies included T.I.M.E, Zephyr Consultancy Services, Times Pro, Eenadu, Malayalam Manorama, Group M, Laqshya Outdoor, Credo Brands, Cheryl Cosmetics, TLG India, SREI Equipment, Espirito Santo, Daily Sakal, Times of India etc.

Program Structure

The program was designed by Mr. Sundeep Nagpal – the Founder & Director of Stratagem Media Pvt. Ltd. The topics were about Digital Media, Media measurement, Creativity in media and How to integrate multi-media.

1. The applicability of the different forms of Digital marketing such as Search, Display, Social & Mobile to the communication requirements of a brand
2. Differences between the approaches for Traditional and Digital Media
3. Media Metrics & their application in Media Planning and Media Sales.
4. Media Research & Audience Measurement
5. Innovision – using media creatively for brand salience, with an active learning exercise
6. Developing an effective multi-media approach for brand communication.

The facilitator’s panel included

Sundeep Nagpal

As the first speaker of the day, he delved into how any piece of communication converts to sales. He then discussed the grain of each medium – its intrinsic characteristics and what each medium is most suitable for. To amplify this, several examples of brands that had chosen to communicate their brand propositions in incorrect media, were showcased. And lastly, the session established how the process of media selection actually emanates from the some of the most basic marketing related aspects of the brand.

RP Singh

With 15 yrs of experience as Digital Marketer, he flagged off his session with a Digital campaign based example of Volkswagen – Polo – wherein the brand was likened to a rabbit – by claiming that the Polo could do anything that a rabbit could. Surfers have to fill in ______ like a rabbit, and watch the car perform a specific move. This was just an example of creativity based on a well defined communication objective.

Mr. Singh conducted more than 50 % this program – breaking it up into separate modules on Search, Social, Mobile and Display. Special focus was on the steps involved in developing a Social Media Campaign.

An exercise on various metrics of Digital Media like CPC (Cost per Click), CPL (Cost per Lead), CPM (Cost per Mille), etc., was also one of highlights of the session.

Suresh Balakrishna

Mr. Suresh Balakrishna kick-started his session on how media can be made to sell a brand to the consumer. He spoke about getting the brand’s communication objective right, after which the media objective could easily follow suit. He emphasized the need to question clients on what the brand really needed to communicate. Then he demonstrated how the media objective and choice of medium emerges from the communication objective. He also showcased several examples of how traditional and digital media were combined by leading brands.

Bharat Kapadia

Bharat Kapadia’s module was on creativity in media. It was titled ‘Innovision’. He focused on four crucial points for innovation: Uniqueness, Impact, Achieving the goal and Sustainability. In true workshop style, participants indulged in an exercise to get an insight into how to create brand value with limited resources and yet utilize more than just ad space/ time. The group with the most relevant & innovative ideas was rewarded. He concluded that ideas were not restricted by budgets.

Ravi Rao

On the second day of the program, Ravi Rao – CEO of Group M (APAC region), was the key note speaker. He spoke of the difference in the metrics used hitherto as compared those being used in modern day media businesses. He highlighted the benefits of single source data, and exemplified his points with examples of leading brands.

Over 2 days, participants were given varied insights, not only into modern day media practices, but also into how creativity can be an integral part of the media practice.