Nobody likes being interrupted, especially when they are deeply immersed in a piece of information. Unwanted advertisements appear out of nowhere at times, causing disruption. This is why marketers are investing heavily in non-interruptive advertising for today’s viewers, who have a shorter attention span and a greater desire for rapid gratification.
In-content advertising (ICA) is one of the most effective and innovative ways to reach potential customers while they are at their most responsive and attentive: while watching a show. While digital platforms are swiftly adopting this style of advertising, corporations are still warming up to the concept of employing it on traditional television.
Whisper Media, a global company that specialises in linear television in-content advertising, is bringing the revolution to India. LS Krishnan, the company’s CEO and Director in India, discussed the company, its operations in India, and how companies are responding to in-content advertising on traditional media.
Krishnan noted that despite the pandemic-related slowdowns and obstacles, Whisper Media’s growth in India has remained consistent. They began operations in India in 2019 and have received widespread backing from broadcasters.
While in-content advertising makes sense in other media such as digital and film, where development and post-production timeframes are often longer and advertisers can cooperate more easily with creators, linear television appears to be a difficult space to cater to.
They have a strict protocol in place, as well as a large team of employees, to ensure that the advertising is delivered on time. They work directly with the broadcasters and don’t require any additional production setup; in other words, they don’t ask them to shoot anything more.
To make things easier, Whisper Media does not currently offer contextual advertising, nor do these ads run on digital platforms. “The television and over-the-top (OTT) audiences are significantly different. They don’t want the advertiser to waste money on media that isn’t capable of producing decent results. So, for the time being, we’re concentrating just on television, according to Krishnan.
To have their in-content adverts shown on regional channels by Whisper Media, brands must spend somewhere between Rs 15 and Rs 30 lakh. HSM channels have higher prices, ranging from 60 to 80 lakhs for each campaign.
To obtain a strong return on investment, he recommends that a company spend at least 2-3 weeks of activity at first, according to Krishnan. Better attrition, an uncluttered view, the frequency for a media plan, and a decent range of channels with popular content are all benefits of in-content advertising on linear television.
Krishnan is optimistic about the future of in-content advertising on linear television, believing that there is plenty of space for expansion. However, he believes that right now the most difficult task is convincing more marketers of the value of this type of advertising.
He wrapped up the conversation by stating that the company expects a 3X increase in revenue this year. They are optimistic about the coming year and expect to outperform ourselves, he remarked wittingly.
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