In-program Placements-The soft-branding Tool

Details

Case Code : CLMC-013
Publication date : 2005
Subject : Marketing Communications
Industry : -
Length : 05 Pages
Price : Rs. 100

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Key words:

ESPN Star Sports, ‘Replay Bug’, ICICI Bank, Dr. Morepen Labs, Sony Entertainment Television (SET), ‘Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin’, Kellogg’s, Aaj Tak, ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’, TAM and Cross-promotion.

Note

1: This caselet is intended for use only in class discussions.
2: More comprehensive case studies are priced at Rs.200 to Rs.700 (US $5 to US $16) per copy.

 

Abstract:

This caselet examines the increased usage of in-program placements by Indian companies. The caselet also describes various ways in which Indian companies are using in-program placements. Finally, the caselet explains how Indian television channels are using this tool for their advantage.

Issues:   » Decreasing effectiveness of mass media advertising   » Evolution and growth of in-program placements   » In-program placement as a revenue generating and cross-promotional tool for television channels   » In-program placement in news bulletins and talk shows Introduction According to TAM, the media research organization, television viewership during commercial breaks has dropped steadily over the years. When compared to 2001, there was a drop in viewership of 8% in 2002 [i.e. if TVR (television ratings) of a program was 8.3, it dropped to 7.6 during commercial breaks]. In 2003, the drop in viewership during the commercials increased to 19%.

Such a drop has prompted advertisers to look for other avenues that provide higher recall and visibility for their promotional campaigns. One such option that companies have begun to look at is in-program brand placement. Internationally, this kind of advertising is very popular among the advertisers with companies like Coca Cola and PepsiCo using brand placements in popular reality shows like ‘American Idol’ and ‘Survivor’ respectively. In-program brand placement was first prominently used in India when cricket matches were aired live, where the advertiser’s message or logo appeared during replays. One of the first companies to use this kind of advertising was BPL (a consumer appliance company).

Questions for Discussion:

1. Advertisers on the lookout for avenues other than traditional advertising to improve the effectiveness of their marketing communication spend; have begun to rely heavily on in-program placements as an effective promotional tool. In what ways do you think in-program brand placement has helped advertisers to improve the effectiveness of their marketing communication campaigns?

2. What are the limitations of in-program brand placements? What steps should advertisers take to ensure that this powerful promotional tool is used effectively?