About Media Pulse ' 08

This is an annual seminar hosted by ISB&M to discuss and debate about the various issues plaguing the media industry. It provides a platform to all media professionals to come ahead and express their thoughts and ideas for the industry and also provides a great learning experience.
We aim to provide a platform for experts and pioneers in the field of Media to share their knowledge, experience and ideas. Inspired by the growing success and popularity of Media in the past year, we have decided to incorporate the academia in the event, thereby providing a larger scope of networking and knowledge sharing.
Apart from networking opportunity this conference will provide a valuable exposure to the Media community at large, to prepare for the future challenges and develop an aptitude for applying innovative methods to improve Media standards in India both from strategic and ethical aspects.
In a fast changing world the need to remain contemporary is a necessity. We provide you with this golden opportunity to review, relearn and research the latest media tools and practices. Come, be a part of this seminar and help the media industry flourish.

Main Theme

The Road Ahead: Changes, challenges and choices .
With enormous advancement in each genre, the Razor Age of media is on the horizon. With the revival of out of home as a new age media to the digitization of information being the new jargon on the block , the globe seems to be trotting over a new path altogether. Also, there is a whirlwind of futuristic modules that has been storming the industry ranging from the introduction of the information superhighway called the web to social networking sites and blogging and etc. Boundaries have begun to collapse and have led to the emergence of a techno-cultural environment where every decision is guided by consumer preferences.
With the presence of ever increasing media channels and other avenues for growth, it seems like there is no place for apprehensions, nothing to bother. But the nascent stage of development of these very technologies is a cause of concern in itself. There are hurdles to be overtaken ,bottlenecks to be removed .Our aim at this conference will be find the ideal path ahead like they say to find a method in the madness . Hence in this era called the razor age where technology and content are not the only pre-requisites, one has to be equipped and updated with the latest tool and methods to have a Razor Edge.
Our aim today is to envision the future to look at the challenges ahead of us, to make our choices to bring about the desired changes.

Sub Theme

Social Media : High Return of Interest But How Return of Investment
One would be more inclined to buy a black dress if a neighbor said that the dress fit great on her body and felt good, then when one just saw it on TV or just read an article about it in a magazine. The same concept goes for blogging; people want real people telling them what to buy and what not to buy. ‘Fashionistas’ want to hear how a fellow ‘fashionista’ would wear the new runway trend and the ‘Techno Freaks’ would want know about the gadgets from their community. No brownie points for guessing what we are talking about – social media optimization .But it is not all that easy as it looks . Monitoring the effects of this media is all the more difficult and all the more important for it involves many steps like identifying the key influences in your space , developing content based on what you learn , increase likability and reward inbound links , syndicating the content by using RSS feeds to help it travel far and wide . But calculating the Return of Investment (ROI) of these media is a challenging task .

Out of Home Advertising: The New Kid on the Block

Outdoor advertising is as old as advertising itself, but new life is being breathed into the old medium. In fact, as digital, video and wireless technologies redefine the sector over the next few years, it is estimated that it will rank second only to Internet advertising in ad spending growth. While other traditional advertising sectors, such as TV, radio, newspapers and magazines, struggle to adapt to increasingly fragmented audiences and changing media consumption patterns, the out-of-home advertising sector is actually reaping the benefits of the evolving media landscape. Therefore where-in in the earlier times traditional media based inside homes was where all the advertising bombardment on the consumer took place, today it is out of home where the focus is. Although more and more advertising communication is taking place outside the home, the communication is certainly not out of mind.
Also, in spite of the tremendous estimated growth of the industry, certain questions which still remain unanswered, which will decide the course the industry takes are:
-What are the drivers of growth in the out-of-home advertising sector?
-How much is being spent on the various forms of out-of-home advertising?
-What are the opportunities and challenges for digital billboards?
-How effective is out-of-home advertising and how can it be measured?
-And many others…

Journalism, Credibility & Evidence: News Story for News and Professional Value

From being the main vehicle of instigating, inspiring and informing the society during the pre-independence era journalism has come a long way from being a passion to merely a profession. Today the emphasis is only on "creating" news rather than gathering news. Also, in a rush of overtaking competitors authenticity is very often overlooked or neglected .In addition to this, sensationalizing every other news story to attract eyeballs often presents a distorted version of the issue in discussion .Therefore, in an attempt to attract maximum viewers there is also an increase in irresponsible investigative journalism which very often leads to unnecessary defamation of the parties concerned . This is becoming a trend which is being emulated by others as well eventually raising a doubt on the credibility of the news fraternity as a whole. Hence is the fraternity actually moving away from responsible journalism and who is to be blamed for the same? Isn’t it about time news channels also think about the impact it has on the viewers both national and international? Therefore how does one bring about a balance in approach is the moot question?

Ratings: Is it the be all and end all?

With rising competition and the need for understanding the consumer interests , media professionals rely on ratings and other audience measurement methods for various critical purposes like programming , media planning , news editing etc . Measurement methods like TRP, IRS, NRS, @Map, and RAM have different mechanisms and scientific techniques to gauge consumer volumes.

The moot point remains the authenticity, accuracy and the reliability of these tools. Another flipside of these tools is that as more and more channels aspire to achieve higher ratings , they follow these misleading results and hence take in correct programming decisions increasing the number of showing broadcasting misleading , provoking and sensational content . Is this over-dependence on ratings a healthy sign for the industry? What are the loopholes in the current mechanism? Is there a need for an alternative system of ratings? And if yes, who should take the initiative? Hence is the industry like a sheep which is led by a misguided shepherd in the form of ratings.

Digital: An all new world.

The Gutenberg era is over. A new digital communications age has emerged. The advent of the Information Superhighway, the digital convergence of communications, entertainment, and media on the Internet, and the emergence of "new media" on the World Wide Web have led many to take a serious look at the Web as a viable media opportunity . An opportunity for agencies as well as clients as the focus of both these entities is to effectively convey their communication in today’s highly fragmented consumer market. Given the enormous barriers to entry in traditional media, it is only natural for companies to see the emerging new media industry as an avenue of ownership for the future. Whether the area is entertainment or education, communications or commerce, analysts, educators, industry professionals, laypersons, regulators, politicians, and technologists all agree that the digital has the potential to change the way individuals are entertained, communicate, conduct business, learn, and think.
Hence , digital today is not just a media vehicle but an industry segment in itself and for consumers it is a way of life .Digital is where maximum eyeballs are today .But as the segment is at a nascent stage of evolution , it has both opportunities to seize and roadblocks to counter to assume the status of an evolved and mature industry .

Panel Discussion

Shelf life of movies: Who gains some who loses some?

An abundance of media across the globe mainly in television has tremendously transformed the global mediascape. With the proliferation of a vast multitude of television channels across our TV screens, the quantum of information before us has grown by leaps and bounds.
Also, the charisma & magnetism of such channels has matured magnanimously over the past years. At the same many new television formats are being introduced. Hence there is a gradual shift from fact based channels to fictional ones especially movie-based channels. This shift is a major cause of concern for multiplex owners today. Already the shelf life of movies today is not more than a few weeks and with the advent of movie channels the revenues of these multiplexes are dwindling as the shelf life of these movies is further reduced. While this trend favors the television channels, multiplexes and cinema halls are the ones who stand to lose. Therefore is there a balanced approach to this problem so that one segment does not moderate the revenues of the other.

Panel Discussion

People’s Industry – People’s Dilemma : Enticing and retaining the current talent pool .


The biggest challenge faced by a media organization today is not one of innovation, growth or profitability. Rather, it is about retaining one's finest employees. For a qualified media professional these days, there is no dearth of jobs. He only needs to send out feelers before he's flooded with offers. But the issue is to find enough of the better lot .
The employees in the industry often get itchy for a new job when they hit the 18-month mark with their current employer. High turnover is particularly popular with young employees, many who believe that staying more than a year or two in the same organization is a career faux pas. Instead of working up the corporate ladder at the same company, new graduates prefer to build up their resumes with multiple employers and a variety of positions. New grads and other workers may also have a financial incentive to change jobs frequently. One can’t always tell if employees or co-workers are considering a career switch, but if the top-performers and the senior executives show these outlandish signs, it’s time to start taking applications.
One question all employers have asked themselves is, “How do we keep top performers?” This is especially crucial right now, with the desire for good talent at an all-time high and fierce competition for that limited talent pool. Therefore, what are the strategies that employers need to develop and implement for recruiting the right people — and retaining their current high performers? Also therefore a question arises as to whether the industry itlesf has done enough to be assured of a sustained availability of talent pool .Therefore in an industry that runs on people , retaining people is the biggest dilemma .