How to reach a billion people in 18 languages

Advertising challenges:

The Indian market poses a challenging task to the advertising industry. The advertising message has to reach a billion people, speaking 18 different languages, of many cultures and scattered all across the Indian sub continent. The literacy level also varies from above 90 percent in some states to below 40 percent in other states. The per capita income varies from USD 90 in poor states up to USD 450 in some rich north Indian states. Advertiser's can reach their audiences through television, radio, cinema, print medium, outdoor advertising, sales promotion and the Internet.


The shift towards brand equity:

As advertising budgets have grown, so too have India's advertising agencies. The change in the focus of advertising is visible in the industry. Instead of focusing on demand creation, end-user now works towards building a brand image. Prior to the 1990's, end-users were working in an era when all manufactured goods were sold. Normal demand generation was the key job of advertisers. Marketing departments used to work on rationing the production to different parts of the country. The competition that arrived with globalization of the Indian market changed all this. Brand and logistical distribution become all too important for end-users. Thus, the focus of advertising companies also changed. Brand equity became an important tool for advertising agencies, which expanded beyond traditional services.


Outdoor advertising, the reminder media of choice:

Outdoor media is the best forms of reminder advertising in all the major cities in India. It includes billboards, kiosks, wall paintings, bus panels, bus shelters, and suburban railway carriages. In metropolitan cities, the demand for outdoor media exceeds the supply, producing relatively high prices for such advertising. The average rental for a billboard (10 feet x 20 feet) varies between USD 50 and USD 300 per month, except in Bombay where prices are almost three to four times higher. Bill boards in India do not use paper but are hand painted. Several innovations have been introduced in outdoor advertising since the early 1990's.



Why outdoor advertising makes business sense:

Of all the media options available to the advertiser, outdoor is particularly effective for the following reasons:

• The outdoor market is growing about 18%*+ annually
• Culture and language variations make visual impact an important communication factor
• Growing middle class and increasing buying patterns from the consumer
• Opening of the telecommunication, insurance and consumer products have further given the advertising industry a boost
  
• Signage is increasingly used in the retail market
  
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