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| With numerous channels and shows being churned out, advertisers have realised that it is time to break the advertising clutter and one way to do this is by way of funding a show which will revolve around the brand. "The frequency of viewing ad campagins has shot up to 50 times more than what it used to be ten years ago, causing viewership fatigue. Also, the cost of buying media space has increased," reasons Siddhartha Mukherjee, director communication of TAM Media Research. |
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| Advertisers, media agencies, production houses and channels work closely, trying to strike a winning equation and AFPs seem to be the strategy. "It is an option sought by brands not to create awarness but to build on brand image and brand positioning. It is a speciality function wherein brands buy half an hour or an hour rather than 30 seconds of air space from the channel," explains Manish Porwal, executive director of media agency, Starcom. |
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| "Considering that viewership and customer patterns are rapidly changing and evolving, there is a fundamental need for broadcasters and brands to reach out to consumers. AFPs do just that. When brands use programmes as a platform to communicate with customers, the brand comes alive," informs Sathya Ragavan, vice-president, marketing, Star India. |
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| Adds Pradeep Shrivastav, chief marketing officer of Idea Cellular, "We like to be associated with shows that are creative and unique, shows that reflect our brand image as well. Therefore, our association with Star One in the forthcoming show is just another attempt in adding value to our brand." Idea has recently tied up with Star One for its forthcoming AFP initative, 'Idea Ek Se Badhkar Ek', a countdown show that will go on air by December. |
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AFPs are built around the brand. Therefore these shows reflect what the brand stands for. "This initative guarantees brand positioning and brand imaging in the minds of the viewers for a longer period than the conventional methods of communication.
AFPs serve as a platform for us, advertisers, to communicate well with our prospective customers and also help customers in experiencing the brand. Like in the case of the reality funded show, 'Nerolac Impressions Jama De', we are trying to change the mindset of people, since painting a house is opined as a painful process," says Anuj Jain, vice-president, sales and marketing, decorative, Nerolac Paints. The basic format of 'Nerolac Impressions Jama De', aired on Zee, is giving makeovers to celebrity homes. Adds Anuj, "The reality show was conceptulised and created by media agency Lodestar Universal for Nerolac." |
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| "The key to the success of AFPs is innovation. The onus is on broadcasters to make the show interesting thereby reducing viewership fatigue. This is the reason we decided on getting television celebrities to particiate in 'Nerolac Impressions Jama De'. Viewers are acquainted with the celebrities and since they get a peek into their homes, the product recall is also high," says Ashish Kaul, senior vice-president, Zee TV. He further adds that since celebrity reality shows are gaining popularity among the masses, the show has been well received by the audiences. "On day one, the TRPs of the show were 0.9. Over time, the TRPs have increased and, at present, the TRPs stand at 1.6," adds Tarun Mehra, vice-president, Marketing, Zee TV. |
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| 'Rin Mera Star Superstar', a children's reality show aired on Star Plus, is an AFP by Hindustan Lever. "AFPs are a form of intergrated communication, which works wonders when an ad of the brand is featured during the ad break following the AFP. The recall value is most effective then," says Mukherjee. "Certainly AFPs are better modes of revenue earning for channels," adds Mehra. |
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