Advertisers look for Realty Shows !!!

Advertisers are increasingly looking at investing in reality shows following the huge popularity such shows enjoy among audiences. Reality shows now constitute 20% of the programming mix in the Indian television industry, compared to 5-10% earlier, say experts. Ratings agency Television Audience Measurement (TAM) also recently reported that reality shows were a huge success.

“Advertisers are looking at reality TV shows in a big way because of the returns on investment,” said Maneesh Mathur, COO, P9 Integrated. He said that products advertised through reality shows, in an integrated manner, have a very high brand recall. Three Hindi general entertainment channels, NDTV Imagine, 9X and Colors, launched during 2007-08 have a variety of reality shows, which have turned out to be huge successes.

“Such shows serve the dual purpose of reach and impact at the same time. An advertiser depending on this category typically looks for high buzz value, integration and the right brand fit,” said Simran Hoon, national sales head, Colors. According to KPMG, the launch of these general entertainment channels (GECs) increased the size of the entertainment market; there has been a 30% hike in the weekly gross rating points of GECs in the Hindi speaking market.

Meanwhile, following the recent launch of reality shows like Sarkaar Ki Duniya and Sitaron Ko Choona Hai on Real and Chote Miya and Dancing Queen on Colors, the target rating points (TRPs) of normal soaps have dipped. According to industry experts, advertisers investing in reality shows manage to grab greater percentage of eyeballs since these shows are more captivating and different.

Sunil Lulla, director, Real Global Broadcasting Pvt Ltd, said, “Reality shows like Bigg Boss, MTV Roadies and Fame Gurukul are not scripted and have a larger appeal. The rates depend on the number of times an ad is played, the target audience and the market scenario.” Lulla added said that the rates go up as TRPs rise.

Advertisers, meanwhile, have cropped the length of commercials to be more cost-effective at these tough times, said Joseph Eapen, director, research, aMap. This year, in a bid to further cut costs, advertisers have opted for the out-of-home (OOH) platform for reality shows, as it is available at a much lower cost per contact.“OOH can be used smartly by creating OOH-specific creatives, which work even without the audio component,” said Mathur.

Reach

• Reality shows help channels reach new audiences
• They provide advertisers with a platform for live interactions
• Thay also allow advertisers to integrate brands inside the programme
• Advertisers of reality shows attract greater percentage of consumers

Courtesy - Financial Express