Marketers will divorce their love for the idiot box
Ajay Verma, Senior Vice President, Percept/H
Our cell phones are ready to evolve into a new very powerful avatar. The power of 3G will make the mobile phone a huge force to reckon with. The 3G revolution will make the cell phone more glamorous and addictive to marketers, and a big competition to traditional TV.
Optimists say India can leapfrog the current slower-bandwidth with a speedy launch of 3G. We know from recent experience that Indian consumer is accepting and adopting technology faster than any other country in the world. But others question, whether India is really jumping ahead of the curve or blindly following in the footsteps of operators in more developed markets - where 3G is a fancy gizmo and has proved hard to sell.
We are a young country with an increased affluence, which is surely not afraid of technology, but may not be ready to pay the higher outlays. Here the cost of the hardware (3G enabled phones) and the cost of value added services will play a very important role. Current TELCO players with deep pockets will invest ahead of the curve to retain their customer base as number portability across networks will be a reality.
With a broadband phone at just Rs.4000 upwards, the consumer can see live TV or watch films or see the person they are talking to or transfer and access data or create and circulate user-generated content in real time through high speed broadband etc. This new powerful avatar of the cell phone will be irresistible to the Indian consumer.
TELCO is already working on creating specialized content for the 3G. Imagine a 15 minute movie or an Interactive multi player real time game or buy music on demand or do video conferencing at will, etc. are a reality and maybe at just a marginal cost. This opens up a plethora of marketing and communication possibilities for the marketers.
Communication programs on 3G will be audio-visual, real time and with a high speed bandwidth advantage. Targeted consumer engagement that is measurable will be the biggest triggers for creating a shift from tradition medium - a TV. If meteoric growth witnessed on 'new media' in the marketing-mix is any indication the 3G will make a clean sweep.
3G will change the communication consumption habits of the consumer forever. Tomorrow is no different than a sci-fi movie. The question for the traditional marketers and advertising agencies is - are they ready?
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