| Euro RSCG's Delhi-based executive creative director Ashish Chakravarty, who created the campaigns with his team, spoke to Business Standard on the future of radio advertising in India. |
| Do you notice a change in the kind of advertising on radio? |
| Definitely. Radio advertising was not as innovative as it is today. Earlier there was only one radio option available "" the All India Radio, and advertisers did not really experiment with their creatives. |
| With the entry of private channels, things changed. The new radio companies hired people from advertising agencies and the channels are young and funky and open to innovative advertising. |
| Are agencies focusing more on humour in radio ads? If so, why? |
| Humour, when handled well, does have the power to hold the listener's attention, and agencies are aware of this. So, yes, we do hear a lot of radio spots making attempts at humour. |
| It is also used to draw attention as most radio listening happens either while driving or doing other things, that is, when your attention is diverted. |
| But telling a funny story is an art. More so, if the story has to make a point or sell something to the listener. Mostly, humour on radio ends up being pretty flat. |
| With radio increasingly featuring in the clients' media plan, will agencies need to set up separate divisions to handle the work? |
| I don't see that happening. However, what I see happening is an increase in the number of radio producers. Good radio producers, those who actually organise and execute the spot, are a rare breed. |
| What kinds of brands are moving to radio? |
| Earlier, the really mass or low-end brands advertised on radio. Now even the Opel Corsas and Tata Safaris are on radio. So is Microsoft. |
| Major brands from categories such as banks to chewing gums to Internet service providers are moving to radio. There is an audience shift too. |
| They are no longer just from Jhumritalaya but from the metros. Radio did not cover this profile earlier. |
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