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THE ECONOMIC TIMES
Shagun Popli
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advertisers were quite happy to overlook niche channels or use them only to support mass entertainment channels. But today, target groups are not being defined by traditional demographics only, and niche channels have begun to find their place in the media plan. They reach a sharply defined audience that mass channels do not always address (or do so at prohibitive costs) and are starting to attract a lot of unique brands. < code=http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=4,0,2,0 height=129 width=138 id=clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000>< NAME="_cx" VALUE="3651">< NAME="_cy" VALUE="3413">< NAME="FlashVars" VALUE="">< NAME="Movie" VALUE="/banners/cnn/2005/october/yja_138x129.swf">< NAME="Src" VALUE="/banners/cnn/2005/october/yja_138x129.swf">< NAME="WMode" VALUE="Window">< NAME="Play" VALUE="-1">< NAME="Loop" VALUE="-1">< NAME="Quality" VALUE="High">< NAME="SAlign" VALUE="">< NAME="Menu" VALUE="-1">< NAME="" VALUE="">< NAME="AllowAccess" VALUE="">< NAME="Scale" VALUE="ShowAll">< NAME="DeviceFont" VALUE="0">< NAME="Movie" VALUE="0">< NAME="BGColor" VALUE="">< NAME="SWRemote" VALUE="">< NAME="Movie" VALUE="">< NAME="SeamlessTabbing" VALUE="1">< NAME="Pro" VALUE="0">< NAME="ProAddress" VALUE="">< NAME="ProPort" VALUE="0"> < src="https://www.india-forums.com/banners/cnn/2005/october/yja_138x129.swf" QUALITY=high PLUGINSPAGE="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash" ="application/x-shockwave-flash" WIDTH="138" HEIGHT="129"></></>
According to Ajay Vidyasagar, senior VP-marketing, Star Network, for many advertisers these channels are the first step into television from print or even no advertising at all. Many advertisers use a combination of niche and mass channel advertising. "Volumes come from mass channels, range comes from niche channels," says Shashi Sinha, president, Lodestar.
Take for example, the affluent English-speaking Indian. Typically he/she has a plum job, hits the gym every day and eats out once a week. They are many a marketer's object of desire but extremely elusive, and expensive to contact. There's no point paying an astronomical sum for a spot on KBC or any of the K-serials.
since these consumers don't usually tune into mass entertainment channels, and can be found flipping between Star World, Zee Cafe and HBO. Within this segment, Vidyasagar points out, the core audience for English general entertainment channels such as Star World are the affluent, 'premium' viewers, generally residing in the metros, whereas English movies have a slightly wider appeal. "The audience for English movie channels is more broadbased, and reaches out to non-metros as well, with more of a skew towards male audiences than English general entertainment channels," says Vidyasagar.
One of the most significant traits of these niche viewers is that they don't watch television by appointment. So, TRPs are not the right measure to gauge the success of shows such as The Kumars at No 42, Sex And The City, Friends, Will & Grace and The Apprentice. Consider the example of Desperate Housewives. Media coverage indicates that the show is a huge success even though the TRPs are nothing to talk about. "TAM data indicates that the SEC-A audiences are actively watching it," says Vidyasagar. "The TAM system of audience measurement is not always foolproof when it comes to measuring premium eyeballs, so the quality of the content and the fit of the brand to the show - which influences image - become very important in attracting advertisers."
Typically, it is brands aiming to appeal to the 20-something audience who advertise on such channels. According to data available from TAM, Pepsi, Nokia, HLL, Tata Motors and Hewlett Packard are among the top five advertisers on English channels. Says Jasmin Sohrabjee, president, Mediacom, "Brands that are focusing on the youth or young adults, include this genre of channels in their media plan, in addition to brands that have a male skew in their target group." Vidyasagar also points out that premium brands in every category, from pens to milk products to designer wear to laptops, are present in this space, "Niche channels deliver customers at the uppermost end of the SEC spectrum as well as the highest-earning, highest-spending consumers."
As a result, while mainstream channels help increase reach across a broadly defined target group, niche channels increase the quality of contact or frequency among a more focused subset. "We call this the 'Key & Choke' strategy, where mainline channels are the choke points delivering width and depth of reach, and relevant niche channels are used as key, strategic supplements," says Sohrabji. So a cell-phone company will advertise on both types of channels to reach customers at both ends of the value chain. Even in IT products, where audiences are very sharply defined, niche channels make sense.
"We target business technology purchase influencers spanning IT implementers, technology strategists, key influencers and decision makers with an emphasis on enterprise and large organisations," says Gul Raj Bhatia, country manager, imaging & printing group, HP. "The channels we select us are focused towards upwardly mobile audiences."
So while a niche channel may not reach as many viewers as a Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, it would offer a more relevant reach to the select few who matter to some brands, and that's good news for marketers.
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