A success story
SANGEETA BAROOAH PISHAROTY
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As Turner India prepares to present the world's favourite `alleyway', to Indian kids, Monica Tata gives an outline of her team's strategy.
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We are looking at tying up with corporate houses which are seriously living their corporate social responsibilities, simply because it is not just another show and so it has to go with the profile. Monica Tata
SHARING A STRATEGY Live and muppet characters from "Galli Galli Sim Sim". PHOTO: SHANKER CHAKRAVARTY
Monica Tata, Turner India's Head of Advertising and Sales, has an interesting tale to relate. Her team has been able to bring into the advertising arena a bunch of first-time telly advertisers.
"In the last year itself, our client base has grown by 20 per cent. Many service providers who never ever thought of having a TV commercial are now on the telly. Even small-time traders, you would notice, have now begun to advertise on the channels run by Turner," says Monica.
To widen the client base of the company, what Monica and her team had done is to approach these first-timers in various cities across the country and offer to help them in making their commercials, most of the time using Turner's in-house talent for these.
"What turned out is an interesting phenomenon. Now, we have an array of names to name in this category. Brands that never thought of promoting their services and products are now on Turner channels - say, for instance, HDFC Home Loans and the kids' garment brand Lilliput. Even small-time traders like Pothi Saris, Abacus, etc. are there now on Turner channels," she elaborates.
"Galli Galli Sim Sim"
Monica Tata
Now that the entire focus of the company has shifted to promoting "Galli Galli Sim Sim", the Indian version of the popular children's series, "Sesame Street", Monica says, her team is working on the idea of roping in some corporate houses that are already doing social work.
"Turner's biggest focus in India is now `Galli Galli Sim Sim'. Tentatively, we are thinking of launching it this August but the attention now is on its promotions. We are looking at tying up with corporate houses which are seriously living their corporate social responsibilities, simply because it is not just another show and so, importantly, it has to go with the profile," says Mumbai-based Monica.
Besides TV commercials, she says, Turner will also do a lot of outreach programmes linked to "Galli Galli... " in the regions beyond the ambit of cable television, and there would be a separate set of promotional activities "which will look beyond TV."
Talking more about trends in telly advertising, Monica says since last year the Cartoon Network started positioning itself as a general entertainment channel, so it has begun to receive advertisements not directly related to children, such as FMCG products, bank promos and others.
"There are now personal care products and bank commercials on Pogo and Cartoon Network," the lady flashes a pleasing smile.
But little kids still treat Cartoon Network and Pogo as kids' channels and not their parents'.
Will her team ever think of monitoring the ads in this context? Well, the lady is currently focused only on generating business.
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