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In-store radio plays a big role in setting the ambience within a store and enhancing the purchasing experience of consumers. The radio stations get the opportunity to reach out to their listeners at a very effective consumer touch point – retail – which makes a listener’s interaction with the brand as interesting as possible. Future Radio has already started in-store radio in some of these consumer touch points. Over time, Future Media has plans to launch its own in-store radio network.


Partho Dasgupta, MD & CEO, Future Media (I) Ltd

As Managing Director and CEO, Future Media, Partho Dasgupta is responsible for spearheading the company’s growth in India. Future Media is the media venture of Future Group that is aimed at offering consumer-brand engagement in the ambience of consumption. Dasgupta’s previous assignment was as Business Head with Times Global Broadcasting, wherein he was responsible for Times Group’s joint venture with Reuters and the successful launch of the English news channel Times Now.

Dasgupta was with Bennett Coleman & Co. Ltd., where he was managing the brand operations of The Economic Times, the business of Times Multimedia and the ET Intelligence Group, before his assignment with Times Global Broadcasting.

He has also worked with leading companies such as CRISIL, Union Carbide, Tetra Pak, and Indal in various strategic domestic and international sales assignments. A mechanical engineer by education and an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta, Dasgupta is a keen observer of consumer and economic trends. He keenly participates in various industry forums, bringing key insights about media consumption in India.

In conversation with exchange4media’s Pallavi Goorha, Dasgupta talks about Future Media’s future plans and shares his views about the recent initiatives taken by the company.

When and what made Future Media enter the outdoor scene?

Honestly, we are not into outdoor, but out-of-home. In-store advertising literally is as old as the first retail outlet. What Future Media does is bring in a science to the media. Future Media started out in January 2007 with the objective of providing clients consumer engagement solutions in the ambience of consumption within the Future Group and outside. These consumption spaces could be stores, malls, petrol stations, multiplexes, where the consumer is in a receptive frame of mind and is willingly taking in brand messages coming his/her way. Future Group, being the largest retail company in the country, has a vast databank of consumption information like purchasing behaviour and spending patterns, which is used to design effective media solutions for clients. We do not just provide consumer touch points, but build engagement through innovative solutions.


How do you compare the Indian outdoor advertising industry with the global market?

Globally, the retail sector is leaps ahead of what it is in India, and hence, in-store media is also that much more evolved. In-store media is highly developed in the US, the UK, Australia and Singapore, whereas India is very high on the J-Curve.


Future Media had introduced interactive display GestureTek some time back. Where all is this technology being used and how successful has it been so far?

GestureTek is currently put up at show windows at 10 locations at select Pantaloon, Central and Food Bazaar outlets across Mumbai, Pune, Lucknow, Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai, all of which are controlled centrally from a network in Mumbai. It has been only about a month since the technology has been deployed, so it is a little early to gauge the success. However, from the initial feedback received, it is doing well and attracting good amount of curiosity from advertisers and consumers alike. Sunsilk has taken up the media as exclusive advertiser during its launch phase. There is also great demand amongst brands that are waiting to use this display as part of their marketing campaigns.


Future Media has picked up media rights of three players in the retail space – My Dollarstore, R-Mall in Mulund and Oberoi Mall in Kandivali. What kind of screens have been put up and how many?

All these deals include Future TV and Future Visual Spaces media properties that are part of Future Media’s bouquet of offerings. About 200 Future TV screens have been put up across the three properties.


Future Media and Bharat Petroleum had tied up to launch TV screens at petrol pumps. Could you comment on this partnership?

Future Media and Bharat Petroleum have come together in a long-term partnership by creating a new solution for outdoor communications. Future Fuel, which is what this television network is called, is not a just regular in-store TV, but a unique outdoor media providing audio as well, and viewers spend a good 3-4 minutes consuming this media. While currently, the screens have been put up at 20 petrol stations in Delhi, this number is likely to increase to 100 soon.


Any plans of tying up with more players like Bharat Petroleum?

We are in talks with various players in the consumption segment, not just petrol stations. You will hear from us soon in this regard.


Could you tell us about Future Radio and the concept behind it?

In-store radio plays a big role in setting the ambience within a store and enhancing the purchasing experience of consumers. The radio stations get the opportunity to reach out to their listeners at a very effective consumer touch point – retail – which makes a listener’s interaction with the brand as interesting as possible. Future Radio has already started in-store radio in some of these consumer touch points. Popular radio station Red FM has been playing across Pantaloon outlets, while Big FM plays out across Big Bazaar and Food Bazaar outlets. Over time, Future Media has plans to launch its own in-store radio network.


How many screens does Future Media have?

Future TV has about 1,500 screens across 35 cities, while Future Fuel has 67 screens in Delhi.


Who are your major clients in India?

In little more than a year, Future Media has provided solutions to more than 350 clients. Our client basket is a mixed bag of brands from various industries, and it does not necessarily include only brands that retail from our retail formats. An interesting trend that we have observed is the fact that nearly 50 per cent of brands advertising with us are brands that do not retail from these retail formats. Financial clients like HDFC, ICICI, UTI Mutual Fund, Barclays Bank, Centurion Bank, automobile clients like Pajero, Skoda, TVS, entertainment brands like BBC, Zee, Sony, Star, UTV, Sony Pictures, Sahara Filmy, FMCG brands like Kelloggs, Ponds, Lakme, Dove, Garnier are some of the clients that we have worked with.


Who are your competitors?

We compete with all other forms of media, be it television, print, radio, online or mobile, as we all are vying for the same thing – the evasive consumer eyeballs.


What are the technological advances that the medium is witnessing?

Technology plays a great role in increasing interactivity with the consumers. Innovations like multi-scrollers, interactive show windows, point-casting in the case of Future TV, will not only enhance engagement, but also help brands drive growth in their sales.


Archives
If one takes into account that the time is not too far when the medium can interact with the TG on a real-time basis thanks to Bluetooth/IR technology, it would offer results that could be tracked and passed on to clients. In that sense, OOH has stormed their bastion and is able to offer ROI that is measurable. It is, therefore, not surprising that you now see a lot many brands hitherto focussing on ATL apportioning a major chunk of their advertising monies on OOH.
- M Kumar, General Manager, Brand Development, Jagran Engage - 6/3/2008
The Indian OOH Industry is still unorganised and quite fragmented, and though there is no official calculation, it is guesstimated to be around Rs 2,000 crore static and digital inclusive. Currently, people buy locations, but with research, the play would evolve to tracking audiences. The end game has to be about audiences and not about locations.
- Ishan Raina, CEO, OOH Media India - 4/14/2008
“In India, as cities are becoming more affluent, the proliferation of leisure activities such as cafes, bars, late-night leisure centres, gyms and cineplexes have combined to offer a lifestyle that is increasingly out-of-home. A typical person in India is now more likely than before to come into contact with some form of outdoor advertising on a daily basis.”
- Pramod Bhandula, Managing Director, JCDecaux India - 12/3/2007
"At the moment, we are seeing a dramatic technological change. We are also now inviting consumers to interact more with the banners and hoardings through infrared and Bluetooth applications; touch screens and LED screens. That is surely a great move towards creating a personal relationship with the consumer. In future, outdoor creatives have to be extremely creative for breaking the clutter. There will be diverse forms of billboards, and advertisers can practically advertise everywhere."
- Daniela Krautsack, Managing Director, Magic Moments, - 7/16/2007
“There has been a significant shift in consumers’ lifestyles, the explosion in mobility and suburban growth. This has led to the entire OOH media assuming a far greater importance. View this in the context of severe media fragmentation and the extremely short attention span of consumers, and you will appreciate how integrated OOH is becoming brand strategic in nature.”
- Sanjeev Hajela, President, Primesite - 4/10/2007
“Logically, things should improve when you come out with better products. Eventually, you will have to look at advertisers as consumers. I think outdoors should become the Maruti 800 of the business. It has to be a volume business. Things will only improve if we have research.”
- Farid Kureshi, CEO, Times OOH - 3/7/2007

The Indian outdoor market looks positive in comparison to the global market, it contributes 10 per cent of the advertising expenditure and has been growing at 20 per cent for the last couple of years as against in the US where it is growing at a mere 2.2 per cent and Europe where it is growing at 6 per cent. Standardisation of the medium, aesthetic structures and scientific research will decide the quality growth of the medium.
- Nabendu Bhattacharyya, Country Head - Landscapes & Signscapes, Ogilvy Activation - 2/5/2007

You cannot expect to make money or better the industry by just planting outdoor media formats arbitrarily. The building of world class outdoor formats must go hand-in-hand with the cityscape and must form part of the city. Further, to do all of this requires huge investments, which we are more than willing to do.
- Adille J Sumariwalla, Chairman & MD, Clear Channel Communications India Pvt Ltd - 12/19/2006

“We are a pro-client agency and the only objective we have is to be accountable for every penny the client spends with us and I guess all our clients will vouch for us in this regard. We always try to add value at each step when a campaign is in progress, starting from planning to post-campaign presentations. This was our approach for the Tesco campaign or the recent Suzuki Zeus launch campaign across 70 towns.”
- Pratik Sen, Partner, Media Mindscapes - 11/8/2006

With more and more global OOH majors coming into India, the outlook of the clients, the specialist agencies and also the media owners will undergo a sea change. Technology, innovation and accountability with service delivered to the “T” will be the benchmarks that clients will use to judge us, and we all have to stand the test. OOH will evolve beyond its ‘static media’ heritage. Consolidation will also play a key role in taking OOH to the next level.
- Kaushik Chakravorty, Country Head, Enhance India - 10/18/2006

We are like a newborn baby which can only devour energy and grow. In the process, we are using technology, generating state-of-the-art knowledge, data bank and policies. We will be building and consolidating our network to tackle legislative issues across the country, and all this without sacrificing any cash flow.
- Indrajit Sen, COO and Business Head, Jagran Engage - 8/21/2006

Digital is the way forward. Having said that, it is also true that it calls for large investments. Only a company with global bearings or a player with sufficiently deep pockets can cash in on this trend. Two forces are in play – on one hand, there is consolidation happening, and on the other, global players are infusing a quantum change. Together, these two developments will determine the course of the OOH medium.
- Sanjay Yashroy, President, Posterscope India - 7/6/2006

I think that government regulations are the only deterrent in the development of OOH. Mindsets have already changed and there are enough ways to prove to brand marketers and the efficacy of the medium does not need to be proved again, we already have an economy that is driving people outside the home and spending more time outside. So, the whole environment is absolutely ready for this. Now it is only a matter of the regulations to fall into place.
- Indrajit Sen, President, Primesite - 2/14/2006

OOH and technology are intricately linked. In India, we still have to see lenticular being used; I also feel that a lot more mobiles will be used in the future. I hope our basic infrastructure improves fast…because OOH will depend a lot on roads, electricity. More and more people, especially the youth, is spending time out of the home, and the only effective media to attract and engage this category is OOH. Here, too, the OOH pricing is much cheaper than radio, TV and print, which are more mature medias. So, I feel OOH is at a golden step right now.
- Sudhir Sharma, Director, Elephant Design Pvt Ltd - 12/23/2005

“The localised option and the option of measuring your ROI is a key factor working in favour of OOH. It gives the option of qualitative localised communication, whereby you can go into individual pockets of suburbs to design your communication. Outdoor is a very lively media and, hence, picture works better because there is no other way to make the consumer look at your display.”
- Jignesh Sharma, CEO, Posterscope India - 12/1/2005

We love to satisfy clients, whether it’s working through an agency or directly with the client. If the product is likeable, then you will have repeat purchases. In print, once it appears, it’s done. In outdoors, there are multiple opinions that sometimes result in changes to the site or the site itself. It may result in issues on payments and other things. It is very satisfying to have happy clients. For example, Coca-Cola has been with us in Chennai since day one, which was August 30, 1994.
- Sridharan, Vice-President, Diamond Publicity - 10/24/2005

“OOH is very effective and very economical in comparison to newspapers and television. It has a very strong impact for brands like Pepsi, Coke, Airtel, Hutch. Effective brand promotion requires substantial advertising through outdoor media. Outdoor advertising will play a very major role in future.”
- Mukesh Gupta, Managing Director, GraphisAds Pvt Ltd. - 9/17/2005

“We have to have relevant data on outdoor and we have to scientifically justify ROI. Till that happens I guess opportunities would only mean a new site on some new road… Currently, creativity in outdoor only means creativity in visuals but creativity has to be there in strategy and media as well.”
- Soumitra S Bhattacharyya, CEO, Madison Outdoor Media Services (MOMS) - 9/1/2005

“I think a reasonable figure for the industry currently is Rs 1,000 crore annually. Let us not forget that there are so many things that we cannot measure in outdoors, unlike traditional media. The growth rate is at 20 per cent year-on-year.”
- Satish Singh, COO, Laqshya Media - 6/15/2005

“Regulation for outdoor advertising is still a distant dream .We are looking forward to have them in place. The international players will play a vital role in forcing the government to have the laws and regulations in place for uniformity.”
- Pramod Bhandula, COO, Selvel Media Services - 5/18/2005

“Outdoor advertising is growing and will continue to grow over the next few years. But given a more concerted effort from everybody in the industry, the medium can really come into its own.”
- Vasant Jante, Publisher, Outdoor Today - 5/16/2005
“Outdoor has always provided more scope in terms of application of new technology, innovation and other factors. And it is continuously evolving. Today it is laser shows; tomorrow it will be something else. In the last 4-5 years, we have witnessed a steady growth in outdoor spends by clients across categories.”
- Abhijit Sen Gupta, CEO, OAP India - 4/8/2005
“Print and TV are much more expensive mediums than outdoors. Another advantage that OOH enjoys is the higher brand recall. It is also a more cost-effective media in today’s scenario.”
- Atul Rai, Chief Operating Officer, Ads Advertising Pvt. Ltd. - 1/28/2005

“Traditionally, when people talk about outdoors, it approximates Rs 875 crore business annually. This is what the industry spends. One normally talks of outdoors when it comes to out-of-home communications and says Rs 875 crore, but actually this is not the case. If you are looking at out-of-home as outdoor along with visual merchandising and the rest of it, then it all amounts to a whopping Rs 2,000-crore-plus industry.”


- Indrajit Sen, President, Prime Site - 10/26/2004

“OOH as a medium has the greatest flexibility in terms of being able to transform ideas and imaginations into reality and as long as we have people walking on the streets, the industry has an exciting future. To be better off, marketers will have to look at ways the customer can interface with products, with brands, when he is out on the streets.”
- Brent Kennedy, President & CEO, DDB Japan - 9/16/2004
“The outdoor market in India is currently looking positive. There is an increase in bookings – more short-term than long-term, largely driven by media, entertainment, telecom and finance categories. There is more accountability for the rupee spent, and research and planning tools are gaining prominence. Out-of-Home is the fastest growing media segment in the country and has an average growth of 20 per cent annually.”
- Pratap Bose, President, Ogilvy Activation - 8/9/2004

"Joining the Maini Group at the age of 19, Willis D’monte stayed with the company for the next eight years. Starting as a Client Service Engineer, he climbed to the level of Assistant Manager, Marketing. During this tenure, he also added an MBA degree from INGOU to his kitty. Joining Serve & Volley in 2002 as a Business Development Manager, he bagged some of the most prestigious accounts in the industry including Britannia on a national basis and TVS across a number of states. D’monte was promoted to the post of Media Manager and, was recently conferred with the responsibility of the Country Head. Speaking to Shubha Kumble, at the agency’s Bangalore head office, D’monte shares his views on the growing outdoor industry, the need for constant innovations and more."
- Willis D’monte, Country Head, Serve and Volley Advertising Pvt Ltd - 6/21/2004

The public interest litigation that hit out at hoardings was actually fanned by newspapers. It is ironical, though, that newspapers have used hoardings most extensively to advertise themselves.
- Noomi Mehta, MD, Selvel Advertising - 5/27/2004
 
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