March 7, 2010
School of Business, Kochi
 

MBA students study marketing concepts and techniques as part of their course curriculum. This past month, at Amrita’s Kochi campus, they also had the opportunity to learn first-hand about this subject from a media industry expert.
 

Mr. Reghu Ramachandran, General Manager, Marketing at Asianet Communications Ltd. addressed the Class of 2011 on February 22, 2010. He spoke about Advertising Media and Advertising Techniques.
 

Providing an introduction to all media forms available in India — print, television, radio and web, he elaborated on the massive growth in all these channels over the years. “Cable television today reaches nearly 90% of the population in Kerala,” he stated.
 

Mr. Ramachandran pointed out that the penetration of cable television was greater than the reach of the print media. “Firms see the ratings of TAM (Television Audience Measurement) and then decide which TV channel to advertise in,” he said.
 

“Fifty percent of revenue for a cable television channel comes from the firms that display the advertisements for their products on the TV channel and the remaining fifty percent comes from cable TV operators who have franchise to telecast the channel.”
 

Why do firms advertise on TV? They do it mainly to persuade viewers to buy their product/services and to build their brand identity. These advertisements to be telecast come to the TV channel mostly through ad agencies and sometimes through the firms themselves.
 

“There is a general tendency among firms to blame media, if something goes wrong,” Mr. Ramachandran cautioned. “In reality, it may be that the product has a defect, or the ad may not be very appealing, or the distribution system may be at fault.”
 

“If working in the marketing department of a TV channel, one should under-promise and over-deliver,” he advised. One would also need to focus on developing new business and increasing the current volume of the business, he added.
 

“Mr. Ramachandran told us about Asianet’s popular programs “Idea Star Singer” and “Munch Star Singer Junior” and how these provided opportunities to firms for advertising and marketing,” stated Laxman, an MBA student who attended the talk.
 

Both programs are greatly popular among the youth; both are sponsored by firms whose products are targeted to the youth. In this way, the advertisements aired during these programs are seen by the right target audience.
 

“Mr. Ramachandran also elaborated on job opportunities for MBAs in the media industry,” Laxman added. “He emphasized that there is a huge demand in the media sector for qualified professionals.”
 

At the conclusion of his talk, Mr. Ramachandran inaugurated Ozone, the Operations Forum of the Amrita School of Business, Kochi.