Digitization : Tata Sky unleashes new Ad campaign !!

[Xen]

Drop cable, upgrade to Tata Sky," reads the latest ad of the direct-to-home (DTH) service provider, as the cut-throat rivalry between DTH players and cable operators intensifies in the countdown to the first phase of compulsory digitisation in the top four metros by June 30.

"Your TV will continue to run on your inverter even during a power cut...isn't this a reason enough to choose Tata Sky over cable,"

says another advertisement, as the DTH major unleashes its third phase of print and out-of-home (OOH) ad blitzkrieg to lure millions of cable users in the top four cities to its services.

Vikram Mehra, Chief Marketing Officer of Tata Sky, says the campaign is directed at educating consumers so that they can make an informed choice.

"Our latest print campaign tells subscribers to do their homework before they buy a set-top box (STB) so that they chose Tata Sky and not just some dabba (box)," says Mehra. It's not targeting any cable operator, he adds.

With over 9 million subscribers, Tata Sky is the second-largest DTH service provider in the country, after Dish TV.

Last December, Lok Sabha passed the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2011, which makes it compulsory for cable companies to convert their analogue system to digital in a phased manner from June 2012.

Consequently, in the first phase of digitisation, India's top four metros-Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata-will have to replace all analog television networks with digital transmission from July 1, 2012.

This means that all cable subscribers would need to get digital STBs in order to ensure that their TVs don't go blank. By March next year, as many as 38 cities across the country would be brought into the digital fold.

High-stake game

While phase 1 has around 10 million TV homes in the four metros, over 90 million analogue cable TV homes are estimated to convert to digital by the end of fourth phase in December 2014.

Stakes are indeed high for DTH players who have a ready, captive base of millions of analogue cable TV customers, who just need to install a digital set top box in their homes.

DTH is expected to grow at a healthy CAGR of 20 per cent for the next 5-7 years, says Abhishek Chauhan, Senior Consultant, ICT Practice, Frost & Sullivan, South Asia & Middle East. DTH contribution would increase to more than 30 per cent to overall the pay TV market, reducing the cable providers' contribution to less than 65 per cent, he says. While the number of DTH households in the country is set to go up from 37 million in 2011 to 86 million by 2016, digital cable would see its subscriber base jump from a mere 6 million to 75 million, according to a recent FICCI-KPMG report.

The number of cable and satellite (C&S) households is estimated to reach approximately 176 million by 2016, of which paid C&S households is estimated at 168 million, representing 89 per cent of total TV households. In 2011, 146 million households in India had television sets; 119 million of which used cable or satellite services, says the report.

 

[Chief]

Tata Sky: At your service​

In its latest product-led, tactical ad campaign, Tata Sky furthers its position as a 'service brand'.​

In its most recent bout of product-centric communication, DTH (direct to home) player Tata Sky has rolled out a three-film campaign. Whether it's the casting or the objective of the campaign, all three commercials are an evident extension of the brand's recent set of ads, also a three-film effort. Both sets of films attempt to position brand Tata Sky as an out and out service brand.​

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While the product benefits highlighted in the previous campaign include the brand's relocation services, its call centre services and punctuality, the current campaign emphasises offerings such as Tata Sky's package advisory service, payment reminder system and the three-day grace period after the bill payment date.​

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While the earlier campaign featured married couples, the current one features only the wives. Referring to the TVCs as ads comprising Tata Sky's 'service campaign', Sukesh Kumar Nayak, group creative director, Ogilvy India (the brand's creative agency of record), tells afaqs!, "These films are a continuation of the earlier set of films. The personality of each of the three female characters has been maintained across the two campaigns."Apparently, all six films draw inspiration from actual consumer behaviour.

Why are the husbands missing in this set of ads, anyway? Well, while featuring just the wives (who appear to be housewives) may appear misleading as far the brand's TG (target group) is concerned, Nayak assures afaqs! that featuring only the wives in the second leg of the brand's service communication has nothing to do with women being a special focus this time. According to him, they emerged as the protagonists to continue the story because in the previous campaign, it was these women who were having fun at the expense of their respective other halves.

Regarding the rather plain testimonial-like route adopted in this campaign, Nayak insists that this was a deliberate move on part of the agency and that it serves to break the monotony during commercial breaks on TV. "This simple look of the campaign stands out. It was an 'art direction call'," he explains.

In all, there are eight such films, all of which are being aired on Channel 100, the Tata Sky channel.


Still Jingalala?

According to Vivek Dutta, vice-president, planning, Cheil Worldwide SW Asia, the strategy to use housewives as direct endorsers seems plausible in creating some credibility for the brand as a service brand. "But the execution could have been more hard-hitting. Currently, it seems to be forced and staged," he says.

He adds, "Also, jamming it up with too much information is a further put off."
He feels that considering how mandatory digitisation is a landmark event in this category, this could have been a great opportunity for the brand to address familiarity and convenience issues.

Sujit Das, executive creative director, Pickle Lintas finds the insight too generic. "It didn't appeal to me much, by putting myself in the consumer's shoes as well as from a creative perspective," he critiques.

After blatantly expressing his perplexity about why the films feature only women this time, Das goes on to add, "Talking heads or testimonials have been in vogue for some time now. A better execution could have lifted the film. This 'vox-pop' approach (also known as the 'voice of the people' method) is too plastic and artificial."