Right marketing & great content are important

Broadband can touch the heights touched by broadcast only if it has the scale to match up to the latter. The scale can only be achieved if the advertisers play along. ET speaks to Punitha Arumugham, CEO, Madison Media, to get the advertiser perspective on this evolving medium of entertainment.

Excerpts:

Do you see broadband coming on par with broadcast in the future?
Only if we limit the universe to the internet population. However, if we look at screen-neutral access, be it through the 60 million computer screens or the 600 million mobile screens in India — then, yes, the potential exists.

Do you see business viability in shows exclusively for the internet audience?
Shows on the internet look interesting on paper but it all depends on how the marketing strategy is able to attract maximum attention. Nothing works like the right marketing and great content.

What should be the ideal marketing strategy for such shows?
It’s a debated issue — whether internet advertising needs the assistance of mass media advertising. But the key will be to create a viral, spread the buzz because it’s all about grabbing eyeballs.

What kind of content/ genre will work on the net which will attract the advertiser?
Globally, the highest number of views happen for music videos (e.g, Lada Gaga, Justin Bieber) and for non-celebrity content like Charlie bite my finger again. In India too, the content that is likely to work will be traditional like sports/movies/music — and what cumulates audiences will automatically attract advertisers.