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<ul><li>As we come closer to the end of 2021, we take a look back at a few learnings from the year, and talk to experts from different industries about what lies ahead.</li><li>In today's feature, we bring you prominent voices from the <keyword id="2014281" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="ooh" source="Orion">OOH</keyword> and <keyword id="1784761" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="experiential" source="Orion">Experiential</keyword> industry who tell us about their expectations from 2022.</li></ul>For years, the Indian Out-of-home (OOH) industry has depended on traditional way of measuring the success of its campaigns which has led to marketers spending less on the medium. With the advent of the digital medium and the marriage of technology, almost all mediums have become more accountable, easily measurable. OOH, however, has taken it time to embrace data and technology. The industry has been long working on a measurement system that will help advertisers better understand the effectiveness of their campaigns and there is hope that in 2022, this system will be up and running, which will be that much-needed boost for the industry. Since the pandemic, OOH has suffered, and most experts feel this measurement system will help the medium get back in the game, and even help make it one of the most effective mediums. Meanwhile, another medium which suffered massive losses due to the pandemic was experiential and live events. The lockdown ensured that people are stuck at their homes. It led to the cancellation of many events. While things were slowly starting to get back to normal at the end of 2020, things came to a complete standstill again, once the country was hit by the second wave in April-May this year. There was hope of things slowly limping towards normalcy with the Covid numbers going down but the spread of Omicron again has put a question mark on the way things progress next year. To understand how things are expected to pan out for both the OOH and Experiential industry in 2022, we spoke to some prominent voices from both the industries and here are their predictions: <keyword id="939652" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="noomi-mehta" source="Orion">Noomi Mehta</keyword>, Chairman &amp; MD, Selvel One <div type="image" title="Noomi." msid="88546058" hostid="261"></div> Measurement to revolutionize Indian OOH There is hope that 2022 will be a standout year for Indian OOH. The industry association has been working on a common currency of measurement and there is hope that we will be able to launch it in the next few months. Once that happens, OOH will not just become more accountable with effective measurement, we will be able to prove that it is perhaps one of the most effective mediums, owing to its reach and impact. While business has been slow, there is hope things will pick up in 2022. We will see the coming together of digital and technology that will help make OOH much more stronger than its current form. <keyword id="2406965" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="atul-shrivastava" source="Orion">Atul Shrivastava</keyword>, CEO, Laqshya Media Group <div type="image" title="atul-main-image" msid="88546322" hostid="261"></div> The year of convergence of OOH and Digital The cliché is more apt than ever before: 2022 will be one of the defining years for both OOH and Experiential media. Needless to add, this is apropos the challenges that were 2020 and 2021. The application of technology and analytics will be the primary trend that we shall hope to see for both the verticals. However, important to point out that it will be the intelligent application of technology that will separate the men from the boys. Convergence between OOH and digital media will make its presence felt in India – and help OOH garner a larger, a more significant share of marketing spends, and indeed a more serious share of the brand managers’ mindspace. Experiential marketing must go/will go far beyond physicality and capitalise on the brilliant ideas and experiences that our agencies can conceive – and again receive the attention that it truly deserves. Overall, we hope that India becomes more democratic in its marketing processes – look at wider audiences and increases her per capita <keyword id="35666" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="advertising" source="Orion">advertising</keyword> spend – which lags significantly behind the more developed markets. Aman Nanda, Chief Strategy Officer, Times Innovative Media <div type="image" title="Image." msid="88546370" hostid="261"></div> Out of home to move Beyond just Brand Advertising OOH advertising has been primarily used for Brand marketing campaigns. Originally, the focus of OOH was to drive high impact and enhance brand awareness. While it still has the potential to do that, we believe now OOH is powered enough to drive tactical brand objectives. Whether it means to target only students near colleges, or to target CXO’s in the morning drive time or to drive sales to the nearest store – out-of-home media is now evolved enough to deliver it. DOOH and PDOOH are growing faster than any other advertising format as a result we are able to offer pin-pointed campaigns – ranging from few hours to multi-years and deliver logic and rationale for ad placement through programmatic and planning tools. OOH also helps now, like no other media, to deliver online response through phones. This ability of OOH to amplify the online activity and drive offline sales is being embraced by brands and will help OOH grow multi-fold in near future. Nandini Nayyar, Associate Vice President, <keyword id="2091244" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="kinetic-india" source="Orion">Kinetic India</keyword> <div type="image" title="nandini" msid="88547222" hostid="261"></div> OOH has seen a lot of disruption, integration, upgradation, and use of contextually targeted campaigns in 2021. A media that has shown high level of resilience and managed to bounce back with the caliber of allowing high consumer interaction as mobility numbers seemed back in order post the pandemic slowdown from the months of August onwards. Organizations like Kinetic India worked towards heavy data ammunitions to back the medium across cities and important touchpoints saw a lot of revival. DOOH, most importantly programmatic way of functioning in particular was in vogue across airports&amp; mall. Cinema as a touch point saw a huge boom with big titles releasing across movie theatres. Clients who were unlikely to advertise through OOH formats in the pre-Covid times reflected a sudden interest in the data backed OOH formats and with Digital, we saw brands advertising through OOH as second preferred medium for a continuous reminder. 2022 will also have its own trend in the OOH, where brands will be mindful of the Omicron and its effects and spends will again be partially dependent on the mobility numbers and seasonality across the cities for various categories. The OOH agencies will need to be cognizant of the situation, brand requirements, act flexible, be spontaneous with their bespoke data driven approach &amp; close on long term deals for better efficiencies across relevant touchpoints. Agencies will also need to move towards transitioning and educating their clients towards investing programmatically on digital OOH formats for the desired ROI. <keyword id="52304" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="roshan-abbas" source="Orion">Roshan Abbas</keyword>, MD, Geometry Encompass <div type="image" title="Roshan Abbas, President, EEMA (1)" msid="88546575" hostid="261"></div> Time for brands to build live experiences In a world of revenge travel and revenge shopping there will be a surge of live experiences. Tickets to concerts are selling out in minutes. NH7 Weekender early bird, India Bike Week, spoken all are returning slowly. It’s time for brands to take advantage and build live experiences. To keep these safe will be paramount so vaccine passes and apps are a must. We have relegated the virtual to the essential. So most knowledge-based events and experiences will have hybrid components to satisfy the remote audience. This will also lead to a surge of all on ground events having a broadcast component. Sanjoy K Roy, Managing Director, Teamwork Arts <div type="image" title="Sanjoy K Roy - MD Teamwork Arts @ JLF 2015 Curtain Raiser (3)" msid="88549459" hostid="261"></div> Hybrid events will continue to dominate 2022 will be dependent on the world opening up and dealing with new variants of Covid -19. Even as digital fatigue abounds and people long for on ground events, celebrations and conferences, there is wish to return to the old `normal’. This is unlikely to play out, hybrid events will continue to dominate with organizers trying to improve the virtual experience and convert these from cookie cutter formats to more endearing and immersive programs. Tech continues to power forward looking to create more opportunities to control our motivations and experiences by ensuring flawless online delivery. <keyword id="1586079" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="dalveer-singh" source="Orion">Dalveer Singh</keyword>, Head of Experiential Marketing - APAC, GroupM Dialogue Factory <div type="image" title="Dalveer Singh, , Head of Experiential Marketing- APAC, Dialogue Factory (1)" msid="88546762" hostid="261"></div> 2022 the year of taking ‘Store to the Door’ The experiential marketing space has been fast changing in the last 5 years and more so in the last couple of months and seems will continue to disrupt. The last two years have been a rollercoaster ride for this highly specialized practice. The biggest trend that we see unfolding in 2022 in this space will be to take the store experience to the door of the consumers across geographies including metros, mini metros, semi-urban &amp; rural cities. The store experiences could be in the form of any of these: AVATARS – Kirana store, General store, modern trade outlet, Pharmacy, Showroom, Mall or Multiplex etc. It will be all about bringing the brand and brand experiences closer to where the consumer lives. The store-to-door experience must marry the best of both physical and digital brand assets, thus creating strong hybrid experiences. All this needs to have a creative spin that surprises, entertains and drives both brand equity as well as brand sales. C ya @ the door!

What 2022 has in store for the Indian Out-of-Home and Experiential industry

<ul><li>As we enter a brand new year, our Trends series will help us crystal gaze into what the year holds for us.</li><li>In today’s feature, experts from the <keyword id="1784761" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="experiential">experiential</keyword> and live events industry tell us what lies ahead in 2021.</li></ul>The year 2020 was difficult for most mediums but mediums that operate on the frontlines of human engagement and connections were perhaps hit the hardest. Take for instance the experiential and live events industry which came to a complete standstill. The lockdown period saw the events industry innovate, giving way to a large number of webinars, online discussions and live chats and shows, just to make sure that the industry stays active. However, the effects were felt more adversely by the thousands of people who work in the industry as daily wage workers. The smaller agencies and businesses in the domain also struggled through the year. Currently, the organized experiential sector is pegged to be around Rs 7,000 crore in size. However, according to most experts from the industry, its actual size is substantially larger, if one would take into account the unorganized side of it. Therefore, it is imperative for the industry to not just innovation but to come up with disruptive ideas to future-proof itself and to make sure that more such pandemics in the future don’t cripple it. We reached out to some experts from the industry to understand their areas of focus for 2021 and the trends they think we should watch out for. Here’s what they had to say: <keyword id="52304" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Roshan-Abbas">Roshan Abbas</keyword>, MD, Geometry Encompass <div type="image" title="Roshan Abbas, President, EEMA" msid="80136966" hostid="261"></div> Brands will follow a live and virtual strategy to reach a bigger audience. Events will be produced as TV specials are with a live experience and a broadcast experience for the internet. The line between televised events and live events will blur even further. An incremental 30% revenue will be added to the space with these experiences. Brands will stitch social commerce into all experiences. Those who do it with the least amount of friction and the maximum engagement will emerge victorious. E commerce stores will become experience commerce stores using every trick in the event playbook to attract consumers. <keyword id="279820" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sanjoy-Roy">Sanjoy Roy</keyword>, Managing Director, Teamwork Arts <div type="image" title="Sanjoy K Roy - MD Teamwork Arts (1)" msid="80137240" hostid="261"></div> Even as the global economy contracts, artists and artisans try and break down the virtual ceiling, looking for innovations and possibilities to survive and sustain their livelihood. Perhaps, it is time to step back, reflect and view the world in crises and find, equitable and sustainable opportunities for all. ‘Intimate and focused’ could well be the new mantra to replace ‘bigger and brighter’. Solo performances could bring talent and excellence back to the spotlight. Innovation in social and cultural celebrations focusing on the arts to provide a sense of place, identity and tradition, are the need of hour. AI and virtual reality could help traverse the world instead of the flatbed or the cramped seat. As we look to 2021 with hope of a vaccine to solve our immediate predicament, the fact is that the road to recovery will be long and arduous. Those who have access to capital and have the agility to innovate will emerge stronger from the experience, the rest will need to reinvent their world. <keyword id="1586079" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Dalveer-Singh">Dalveer Singh</keyword>, Head of Experiential Marketing – APAC, Dialogue Factory <div type="image" title="Dalveer Singh, , Head of Experiential Marketing- APAC, Dialogue Factory" msid="80137187" hostid="261"></div> The year 2021 will be about sale, sale and more sale! We should ensure that nothing is able to distract us from the sole aim of advertising, which is sale. And this will start with brands, if they are able to sell more, they will be able to afford different partners. We, as agencies, publishers or people who create brand solutions have to create solutions single-mindedly keeping in mind strategies that will drive sales. And it is sales that will enable us to keep going in a big way and it will give us that boost we need to do what we want to do. This will help us come up with innovative ways of reaching out and doing things at scale. Everything will come back to the objective of whether I am able to create solutions that are saleable, sustainable and cost-effective, because in the end, whatever we do, it has to drive sales. And that is what will work for all of us. <keyword id="7410855" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Swaroop-Banerjee">Swaroop Banerjee</keyword>, COO, <keyword id="7281920" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Zee-Live">Zee Live</keyword> <div type="image" title="Mr. Swaroop Banerjee, COO, Zee Live" msid="80137204" hostid="261"></div> The pandemic of 2020 disrupted the way we live, work, and socialize. It gave way to a new normal, which every industry whether big or small adopted to maintain business continuity. The entertainment industry was no different too. Fighting against the tide, we too at Zee Live had to find new and innovative ways to keep our viewers entertained while meeting our business goals. Now looking ahead to 2021, adopting a virtual route will continue to be imperative. Maintaining a strong digital presence, including live/online streaming, pay per view in one’s business portfolio will be the way forward. With the pandemic still raging across the country, it is essential that we as the leaders in the entertainment industry should be able to provide our viewers top class entertainment while keeping their health and safety a priority. Keeping in line with this thought, we are bringing in our A-game as we continue to collaborate with the largest music icons and create live original content for Zee Live. 2021 worldwide is going to be about digital live entertainment and we will see a gigantic shift in this direction and we shall also see a trend where we will have a sizable arrest of audiences who would consume live entertainment,while audience will flock in large gatherings when safe. Therefore, we are investing heavily in this direction.” <keyword id="2289911" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sukrit-Singh">Sukrit Singh</keyword>, Founder, The Platform <div type="image" title="Sukrit Singh" msid="80137226" hostid="261"></div> The trend today in the experiential industry is to announce that WE ARE BACK (or will be). Noble and preachy, to say the least, from an industry that has ruthlessly culled its workforce. Global networks shutting down companies, entrepreneurs abandoning teams overnight –and I believe the worst is yet to come. The lesson of the past and the trend of the future isn’t technology or virtual – but the human story. I salute those who never hibernated, retrenched or bitched and moaned. I urge the industry leadership to ask themselves… Did we stand up for our teams? Is there anyone in our team who suddenly felt forsaken and abandoned? Did we hoard – at the expense of others? Or did we share whatever little we had? Doctors saved lives. Did we save livelihoods? 2021 is here! The date has moved; the year has changed but challenges remain. Let’s not hide behind the pandemic and rebuild our human capital – it’s the only asset we have had. Our crazy work culture and ethos is fueled by the passionate misfits who unconditionally stood by us as we built the industry. The big trend for 2021 is the change of guard and the emergence of a stronger, more committed experiential leader and organization. So goodbye – fly by night operator, good riddance ad-networks(neither of you were here for the people or the work anyway). In 2021 my generation (you know who you are) passes the baton to the next. Godspeed to them - build with your people - an experiential industry that can withstand the next pandemic.

Experiential: The trends to watch out for in 2021

<ul><li><keyword id="6355185" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="rural-india" source="Orion">Rural India</keyword> is highly concerned about COVID situation in second wave.</li><li>Concerns are higher amongst females (91%) as compared to males (85%) and within the higher age bands (55+ year old’s).</li></ul>Kantar along with GroupM’s rural and experiential marketing unit- Dialogue Factory today unveiled the 2nd edition of the <keyword id="10373134" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="rural-covid-barometer-report" source="Orion">Rural COVID Barometer Report</keyword>. This report explores rural India’s concern about the impact of the second wave and how it alters consumer behavior and purchase patterns. The research was conducted with Kantar’s strong data and insights network and Dialogue Factory’s rural marketing intelligence in 18 Indian states, across rural adults (18+ years in age) with representation across gender, NCCS and age groups. Key highlights: Rural India is highly concerned about COVID situation in second wave. Concerns are higher amongst females (91%) as compared to males (85%) and within the higher age bands (55+ year old’s). These concerns are mostly driven by COVID’s impact on day-to-day life and functioning (most for 25-55 year old’s), fear of falling sick and overall need for financial planning. As a result, rural consumption and shopping patterns have witnessed a major shift. While consumers are concerned, most are also positive about economic recovery once the situation normalizes. Nearly 3 in 4 rural households have received some form of assistance via Government of India schemes, thus providing the much-needed financial cushion to consumers. Rural consumers are saving 25% of their income. Southern India (except for Tamil Nadu) is saving more in comparison to other parts of the country. As expected, expenses are higher on personal care, hygiene and cleaning products while spends on indulgence and beauty products have been deprioritized. With respect to retail channels, consumers prefer local village shops for purchasing groceries (56%), personal hygiene (49%) and cleaning (45%) products. Even big-ticket items like consumer electronics (50%) and durables (46%) are preferred to be bought at these local shops. Digital trends: There has been an internet revolution in rural India, with online being the most consumed media after television. With respect to online content consumption, music/ audio (69%) leads the pack followed by news (49%) and gaming (33%). Usage of video / OTT apps are driven by YouTube at 87% (most in Rajasthan, AP/ Telangana, TN and Bihar) followed by Disney+ Hotstar at 30% (highest usage in UP, TN, Gujarat, Kerala). WhatsApp and Facebook are the most used social media/ messenger platforms at 87% (most in Rajasthan, AP / Telangana, Karnataka) and 66% (most in Odisha, UP, Gujarat and West Bengal) usage respectively. <keyword id="4072966" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="phone-pe" source="Orion">Phone Pe</keyword> is the most used digital payments app with 19% rural consumers having used these services in the last 6 months. Usage of Phone Pe is driven by Karnataka at 46% followed by Rajasthan at 38%. Foresighting: Growth in the consumer durables and automotive (2-wheeler) sectors are likely to slowdown in next 6 months. However, the smartphone category is expected to see fast growth in the near future. Construction sector is also expected to see a bounce-back with consumers expected to spend on building a house/ undertake smaller construction work in the next 6 months. Commenting on the report, Dalveer Singh, Head of Experiential Marketing- APAC, GroupM Dialogue Factory said, “The pandemic has evolved the rural consumer’s decision-making process. They are watching their spending and prioritizing their buying patterns by the need of the hour. There is a positive acceptance of the vaccination. The upper- and middle-class rural Indians are being more proactive in financial planning to deal with covid constraints, which make these markets a significant place to introduce investment and savings products. To sum up, there is a deep sense of uplift on the subject of India’s economic future.” Puneet Avasthi, Senior Executive Director, Insights Division, Kantar said, “With a highly concerned rural consumer, rural India is planning finances better and inclined towards a savings mindset. This offers a significant headroom for growth to savings and investment products such as insurance and even mutual funds. Additionally, we are witnessing a significant rise in digital payments as an important mode of transaction, this offers a robust platform for rural financial inclusion, as also for suitable hyperlocal promotions. With the change in consumption priorities in favor of health and hygiene products (a trend that has held since the first wave), FMCG marketers should leverage this trend for planning their innovation pipeline.”

Online is the second largest consumed media after television in rural India: Kantar and GroupM report

Aligarh, Apr 28 () The Jawahar Lal Nehru Medical College and Hospital here is not informing authorities about novel coronavirus patients in time and has become a "hub" for COVID-19, a Uttar Pradesh BJP lawmaker alleged on Tuesday, seeking an inquiry from the state government.Expressing shock over the allegations, doctors at the hospital said MLA Dalveer Singh's insinuation has put them "at grave risk of lynching at the hands of ignorant elements". The Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), to which the JLNMCH is affiliated, has also criticized the MLA's remarks. The legislator later said his statement is being "misconstrued and distorted".In his statement, which has gone viral on social media, Singh alleged that the hospital has become a "hub for the coronavirus" and urged the Uttar Pradesh health minister to institute an inquiry into the lapses at the medical facility.Singh also accused the "hospital of not informing district authorities about (COVID-19) patients in a timely manner".The doctors said they are working round-the-clock at grave risk to their lives.These remarks have put "us at a grave risk of lynching at the hands of ignorant elements who could vent their anger on doctors on the basis of the MLA's insinuation and holding doctors responsible for this outbreak", the Resident Doctors' Association (RDA) at the hospital in a letter to the district magistrate said.The doctors said that in case any of them faces any untoward incident, the MLA and district authorities will be held responsible.RDA president Hamza Malik said authorities cannot absolve themselves of their responsibility for this defamatory action.Copies of the letter have been sent to the prime minister and chief minister, he said, adding that the hospital is conducting free coronavirus tests of about 250 patients daily.Following the reaction of doctors, MLA Singh said, "The medical college is a very important health facility not just for this district but for an entire region, and I have approached the Uttar Pradesh government and Union Minister Rajnath Singh to intervene in this matter only because I am aware of the importance of this hospital." If the functioning of this hosptal is hit then it could lead to a bigger crisis. "It was not my idea to defame the hospital", he said."The virus spread among some doctors at the hospital because it was brought in by a patient," he said, adding that the present crisis arose solely because a coronavirus patient was referred to the hospital by a private doctor without duly informing.Aligarh has 24 COVID-19 cases and the first case in the city was reported less than a week ago when a coronavirus patient was referred to the JLNMCH by a private facility without allegedly informing hospital authorities of the symptoms of the patient. Singh said that "my other complaint is that all the work has been left to junior doctors while senior consultants are not playing their due role." "This is impacting the healthcare here. I also want an inquiry into reports that some senior consultants are illegally engaging in private practice," he said.The Jawahar Lal Nehru Medical College and Hospital is the frontline COVID-19 designated hospital for testing patients from more than seven districts of western Uttar Pradesh, including Gautam Buddh Nagar, Agra, Etah, Hathras, Kasganj, Rampur, Sambhal, Moradabad and Bulandshahr. Hamza said the MLA does not seem to be aware that an infected patient who visits the hospital can easily spread the virus which can hang around in the air and no one can be aware of it. AMU authorities have also strongly criticized the MLA's statement. In a statement, AMU spokesman Professor Shafay Kidwai said, "The hospital authorities are taking all possible measures to protect patients and doctors . We have provided PPE to all medical staff, and from last week we have made it mandatory for every patient who visits the hospital for any sort of treatment to wear PPE." Kidwai said the allegation that the hospital was not informing the district authorities in time is totally baseless. The testing machines are being operated at full capacity round the clock and every day reports are sent to district authorities. COR SAB ANBANB

BJP MLA alleges lapses at hospital in Aligarh, says facility COVID-19 'hub'

<ul><li>Kantar and GroupM launched a report titled Dialogue Factory.</li><li>Despite the differential impact of COVID across the country, consumers in rural parts of the country seem more confident of a rapid recovery in the economy. </li></ul>India’s largest insights-based consultancy company- Kantar, along with GroupM’s experiential marketing unit- Dialogue Factory, today unveiled a first of its kind Rural COVID Barometer Report. This report provides a provides a unique, fact-based perspective on consumer sentiments, their consumption choices and the behavioral changes brought about by the pandemic. This survey was conducted in 17 Indian states and deep dives into the lives of Rural consumers and their adaptations post COVID, providing valuable inputs for any brand’s rural strategy. The lockdown amidst COVID has brought about varied changes in the lives and livelihoods of <keyword id="6355185" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="rural-india">Rural India</keyword>. Loss of income, socio-cultural norms, health and hygiene protocols and reverse migration are some key challenges faced by the rural population during the pandemic. The report highlights emergence of new trends which will necessitate changes in the way businesses and brands connect with rural consumers: • Heightened focus on rural affluent consumers: The report suggests that with 1 in 3 rural adults being impacted by COVID-19, the rural economy is likely to take a hit. However, with fewer job losses and consequent reduction in the incomes of the affluent households, the overall impact on rural consumption pattern is likely to be muted in the future. This presents an opportunity for the businesses to sharply target their brands towards the upper end of the rural consumer spectrum • Quest for balancing the budget: The rural Indian is walking the tight rope and is balancing the budget by cutting on “indulgence” categories like cold drinks, ready to eat snacks like chips etc. and diverting the savings towards hygiene products • <keyword id="3497257" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="digital-adoption">Digital adoption</keyword>: Like their urban counterparts, rural Indians are increasingly relying on digital services for their day to day activities. With the pandemic accelerating digital adoption, there is a huge potential for businesses and brands to leverage mobile as a medium to reach rural consumers • Focus on the future: The pandemic has heightened the worries around health and safety. The study highlights that rural Indians are today more concerned about their future well-being; especially of the chief earners. With a relatively weaker health infrastructure as compared to urban areas, the mindset of rural Indians is shifting towards financial planning. They are also considering buying health and other insurance products. This opens a large market for the BFSI segment. • Last mile connectivity: With commute being restricted, the rural consumer is now increasingly shopping within the village for their FMCG needs. It is therefore imperative for the brands to focus on their distribution and last mile connectivity, since product availability in the local village stores will significantly impact brand choices of the rural shopper Dalveer Singh, Head of Experiential Marketing- APAC, Dialogue Factory said, “Rural India has always had a higher degree of resilience which makes it more confident for a rapid recovery than the urban areas during these unprecedented times. This report; which is one of the biggest assessment of the impact of the pandemic on rural areas, speaks volumes on the new, defining values that are shaping rural India - resilience, planning for future, protection from falling sick and growing reliance on digital.” A deeper analysis of the data reveals divergent regional trends. Says, Puneet Avasthi, Senior Executive Director, Insights Division, Kantar- “For businesses, we would recommend a regional prioritization. We believe that the Western India is likely to bounce back earliest. On the other hand, indications seem to suggest that rural South might take longer to recover as the impact of COVID 19 on employment has been more severe, which in turn has depressed the economic outlook of consumers in rural South. We see this as an opportunity for brands to deploy their resources across zones in a graded and phased manner” The report also assessed the impact of reverse migration. The study suggests that nearly 53 million migrant workers in India have returned to their villages. 80% of migrants who have returned to due to COVID come from 5 States. Says, Mr. Avasthi- “With 1 out of 3 rural migrants not planning to go back to urban India, we are likely to see a huge shift in rural consumption choices. This will also affect the availability of labor in urban India” The report also highlights a deep sense of optimism regarding India’s economic future; stemming from a healthy growth in the agricultural sector and near universal reach of targeted government programs (75% of all consumers claimed to have received at least one of the major government schemes for Rural India; 66% claimed to have received free rations under <keyword id="3965039" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="PM-Garib-Kalyan-Yojana">PM Garib Kalyan Yojana</keyword>).

Rural India likely to bounce back faster than urban: Kantar and GroupM report

<ul><li>With events across the globe getting postponed indefinitely or even cancelled in some cases, the experiential marketing industry is expecting the next few quarters to be very challenging. </li><li>We spoke to a few industry leaders to get a sense of how they feel this pandemic will affect the industry in the coming months, and for everybody the answer is the same, ‘How do you prepare for the unknown?’</li></ul>As the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the Covid-19 outbreak a pandemic with over 125,000 confirmed cases and 4,600 deaths in 114 countries, India has shut down its doors for foreign travellers. Just today the first death from Coronavirus in the country was reported from Karnataka, substantially increasing panic, with the government ordering closure of schools, colleges and multiplexes in cities like Delhi. While the hospitality and the entire service sector is expected to be impacted hard, the events and <keyword id="8901436" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="experiential-industry">experiential industry</keyword> is bracing itself for a few dismal quarters. With events across the globe getting postponed indefinitely or even cancelled in some cases, the experiential industry is expecting the next few quarters to be very challenging. While India has still not been affected as adversely as a few other countries, corporates are taking precautions and limiting their events. If media reports are to be believed, even big tickets events like IPL might have to be held without spectators for the first 15 days, which could affect the industry to a huge extent. AdClub’s Goafest 2020, which is a gathering of all advertising and media stalwarts and is looked forward to every year, is also postponed as several international speakers who were participating in the event have cancelled their trip to India. Facebook’s Global Marketing Summit, which was scheduled on March 9 in San Francisco is cancelled. In such a scenario, the experiential industry, which is all about creating experiences for people in huge gatherings, is obvious to face the brunt of this everyday-unfolding situation. We spoke to a few industry leaders to get a sense of how they feel this pandemic will affect the industry in the coming months, and for everybody the answer is the same, ‘How do you prepare for the unknown?’ <keyword id="8901438" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Event-and-Entertainment-Management-of-India">Event and Entertainment Management of India</keyword> (EEMA), the apex body of the experiential industry in India, recently sent out an advisory to all its members, putting together some protocols for venues that are still hosting events. The industry body set together guidelines around ‘Hygiene and Infection Control at Events’. Postponement and cancellation of many events With the government suspending travel visas and the general panic growing with each passing day, brands are refraining from organising events, which will hurt the experiential industry the most. Speaking about how the spread of the virus is already having an effect on the industry, Sabbas Joseph, Co-founder &amp; Director, Wizcraft International said, “The outbreak of the Coronavirus has caught the world of experiential marketing by shock. Multiple global events have been hit -- postponed or simply cancelled: IIFA2020, the Geneva Motor show, ITB-Berlin, the India Today Conclave, the META Awards, IMEX-Frankfurt, the Barcelona Mobile Congress…the list is endless. Additionally, product launches, promotions and activations, business conferences, business travel, MICE, exhibitions, trade shows have been simply put off or cancelled.” Adding to the list of cancelled and postponed events, Deepak Pawar, Managing Director, Midas Next added, “We had a few large events and activations for Colors, Mumbai Indians and IPL, but all of them have been canceled for now. We also had a couple of large exhibitions and conferences planned for the pharma industry and those have been postponed indefinitely. We were organizing an activation for Cadbury catering to tourists across the Himalyan belt. Since tourists are not allowed in India right now, we had to cancel that too. Similarly there was an activation planned for Lifebuoy about hygiene to avoid Coronavirus. Now since schools are also shut down, where will we do those activations?” Anticipating a few dismal quarters While India has yet not been as badly impacted as a few other countries, there are still new cases being detected everyday, with the current count being 62. As a step to contain the future spread of the virus, the government has suspended all existing visas, except diplomatic, official, UN/international organisations, employment, project visas until April 15. With it, many foreign nationals or companies that were supposed to come to the country for various events are having to cancel their travel plans. Moreover, the industry was already grappling with the effects of the economic slowdown, which was followed by riots in Delhi. Speaking about how all these factors combined will have a massive impact on the industry, Sanjoy Roy, Managing Director, Teamwork Arts and President, EEMA said, “Since February, we have postponed our festival India by the Bay in Hong Kong, India by the Bosphorus in Turkey, and another event in Morocco. In India, we have just postponed the Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Awards (META). And everything else we have in the pipeline is getting pushed back. There’s that unknown factor as to what is this going to result in. While there's enough information out there, the fact that the world has reacted in a particular way means that there is more to it than meets the eye. And anyway, the economic slowdown was already impacting the industry. The biggest effect was the Auto Expo. We saw around 50% of Auto Expo disappear and many of the major players did not come, and that's a big thing for most of the event companies. If I were to talk about how the industry will perform, the quarter figures are not out yet and we won't have a sense of it right now. But I am sure both the industry as well as the quarter figures will be dismal.” Agreeing with Roy, <keyword id="52304" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Roshan-Abbas">Roshan Abbas</keyword>, Founder and Managing Director, Geometry Encompass, added, “The worst hit is the experiential business. From large sporting events to film awards, concerts to festivals all have been postponed. With the 14-day quarantine, many international speakers are also cancelling. There is a sense of panic everywhere. In these times take part in spreading information and awareness. Verify your facts. Try work from home and remote working. It’s the best time to test it. Also the only hope is to try digital events and plan for the future, cut back on all expenses. This will impact Q2 and Q3 very badly.” Tackling the crisis by going virtual The experiential business is all about direct-to-consumer engagement. The business thrives on human contact and the assembly of people is an important part of the entire offering. However, whenever a crisis hits, the only way of bouncing back is by thinking out of the box and doing things a little differently. On how brands have been reacting to the entire situation and how that might lead to an overhaul in the way the experiential industry works, Joseph said, “Brands are resetting their plans, expectations, markets, delivery systems, marketing focus and logistics. This will force the experiential industry to change its method of working, composition of team structure, use of technology, data, global resources, innovation and physical space. Collaboration and Innovation are going to be the new drivers of the experiential economy.” Dalveer Singh, Head Experiential Marketing - APAC, GroupM has come up with a plan B for this predicament. His team is trying to figure out if the experience can be digitised through some virtual or augmented reality experience. He says agencies equipped with digital skills can manage to survive else, this unfortunate situation will push them to think how to take experiential beyond mass-gatherings. “One solution can be how much of the experience that we create by being physically there, can be converted into ideas that are virtual or digital. Now that's something which we as a team are planning to do and that is our plan B. Brands wanted to have physical events because virtual does not give the same amount of joy. However, today, in these circumstances, brands will be more open to doing these events digitally because that gives them reach. So marketers will be more receptive to doing things virtually. However, in this whole environment, how many experiential marketing companies are today equipped to shift from physical to digital to virtual? There are a few companies that have those skills. This means it's also an opportunity for companies to get those new skills in,” said Singh. Singh also suggested helping each other in this dismal times, especially the smaller parties and freelancers. “For putting together an experiential marketing piece, we work with a lot of freelancers across different companies. And in this whole game, I think the small agencies and freelancers are the ones who might be affected by the heat because you are the resources for them. So, we need to figure out how to protect these small agencies and freelancers who do not have deep profits and holding capacity when the times are tough,” added Singh. While things don’t look very bright right now, the industry is still hopeful that the festive season will bring about some respite.

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