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In this exclusive “Masters of Media” series, Integral Ad Science (IAS) speaks to the Movers and Shakers of the APAC advertising industry, on all matters digital.
Ravi Rajotia is the Associate Vice President, Media Planning at OMD India. He helps businesses achieve their ROI in marketing through media management, investments in sponsorships, defining media strategies, seamless implementations, marketing surveys, and planning touch points to gain & leverage marketing trends to tap potential audiences. A graduate of the Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, Ravi has 15 years of experience in media management.
Please tell us about your digital advertising journey and your current role at OMD:
I have been a traditional media planner, but I’m more into client servicing. As the shift in media mix started towards digital, I was bound to learn & understand digital media to address business queries.
Digital media looked similar to any other medium. Here, logic is more important to achieve the objective or KPIs. Visualising the consumer journey on digital platforms has been the key to understanding the digital medium & platforms. Reading, reading, watching, meeting etc.
Importantly, one becomes more explicit about what needs to be done by being sure of what DOES NOT need to be done owing to issues in the medium such as BOTS, brand safety, viewability etc.
Renault has been a relatively newer entrant in the market and focuses on value rather than volume. Currently, I lead the Renault business at OMD, responsible for a 360-degree media management mandate. At the same time, I am involved in conducting various pieces of training, managing people and participating in pitches that give me a perspective on other categories.
Today’s consumer considers the brand value more than ever before. Therefore, awareness building and value proposition play an integral role.
Ravi Rajotia
What are some key priorities for brands around the holiday buying season? Sampling and merchandise gifting can be an extension.
The go-to has to be offered & discounts. Brands need to highlight how these add value to the customers’ needs. Since most people are exposed to social media, it becomes inevitable for brands to create a high presence on social media by being interactive or creating viral content. Since brands speak to customers as they try to sell, they let people share their experiences and drive positivity around the same.
Today’s consumer considers the brand value more than ever before. Therefore, awareness building and value proposition play an integral role. Brands should drive visibility so that people get to know the brands’ offerings. Online and offline, sponsorships help establish a connection with the consumer. Email and SMS marketing can also help further to personalise this connection between a consumer and the brand.
If there’s one myth related to programmatic you’d like squashed, what would that be?
With a topic as vast as programmatic, there are several myths I would like squashed. To begin with, the first would be that programmatic has low-quality inventory. Although programmatic started with remnant inventory only, it has developed and added much better inventory over the years. Over time, several features, such as PG deals, were also introduced that can be used to buy premium inventory.
Another myth about programmatic is that it doesn’t get good results, especially when programmatic is an impressions-focused tool that primarily attributes to first click/view attribution and not last click (an old industry standard of looking at performance).
There are other misconceptions about programmatic such as it is only about display and video and will never reach the TV. Interestingly, programmatic now has CTV and audio inventory with popular and premium publishers such as Spotify. In future, TV, OOH, and other outdoor advertising is also likely to turn to programmatic as technology advances. In addition, pairing programmatic with other popular 3rd party verification tools can help make campaigns brand safe and address impressions/ clicks fraud. With the right knowledge and execution, such issues can be avoided.
In your opinion, is the industry doing enough to combat the trust and transparency challenges in the digital supply chain?
I want to address this through an example: I felt wrong about the statement being made in a larger client meeting wherein client teams were present from many countries. It was mentioned that “India is a Digital fraud market”. To address this statement, I had to highlight many examples that nobody believed. Then I realised that the primary reason behind this is – India as a market is not working diligently towards digital transparency. Once that is maintained, I believe the trust will be built and only then shall we set high standards for the Indian Digital industry.
I think programmatic maintains enough transparency. However, it is not trustworthy as other channels. Programmatic has put many measures and control in human hands to eliminate suues. Moreover, there are 3rd party tools that can help verify the authenticity.
One significant contributor to the above myths is that programmatic experts are not growing in numbers as fast as programmatic usage. This leads to a negative image that affects campaign outcomes and inefficient use of programmatic tools. A higher need to build transparency persists in the direct buys. However, many partners do not believe in parameters such as viewability which comes under the questionable radar. It’s about everyone coming together and then winning the battle.
Any advice for leaders on talent retention and supporting a hybrid workforce?
The leaders need to understand that our industry is shrinking and that we are not being able to attract new people to it. A few reasons people are not joining our industry are payscale, stress levels, and time balance.
Above all, I believe it is more about making them comfortable. It is about telling them that we have their back. It is about ownership of what they are doing. At the same time, making them feel important. Communicate with them to understand their workload and the responsibilities he/ she is handling. Remember, retaining a person is far easier than hiring a new one.
Secondly, in this hybrid world, leaders must showcase their team members’ confidence. Don’t just micro-manage! Checking on people again and again will not help. People should feel responsible and accountable as it only works this way. This can also be applied in the physical world.
What’s your favourite book/podcast/movie and why?
Being Indian, I read literature from local authors/ writers. For example, my favourite book is Five Point Someone, written by Chetan Bhagat. There’s a simple yet exciting reason behind that — it was my first non-textbook read, and one, which I loved. I must have read the entire novel in 3-4 hours.
Similarly, my favourite movie is – Dabangg. The novel is more about ‘it’s ok to make mistakes and helps us understand what is essential in life — experiences. I enjoy the movie as there is no logic, no application of mind – pure entertainment!
What is your advice to the fresh talent in the industry?
The most important thing I want to tell the freshers is – enjoy! They all need to understand why they are working so much. They need to know how they are moving the business through their small actions in daily life. Once they know that, I guess they will be happy working towards it.
My next advice is that they should be able to tell everyone about what they do in no more than fifty words. If they can do that, it means they understand their work pretty well.
