The Hindu Business Line : Indo-Pak series: Worry over high ad rates

INDIA'S 40-run victory over Pakistan at Lahore not only thrilled cricket lovers across the country but the advertisers too, who got the best bang for the buck. However, the big question is whether the high advertising rates that the Indo-Pak cricket series attracted are sustainable through the cricket season.

Advertising rates have zoomed to Rs 5 lakh for a 10-seconder and media planners are worried.

Mr Ashutosh Srivastava, Managing Director, Group M, Mindshare India, said: "There has been tremendous excitement around the recent matches. When the series was announced, the ad rates just skyrocketed and we were worried about the return on investment (RoI). But as Doordarshan was also clubbed along with Ten Sports, there has been an improvement on RoI for the one-day international (ODI)."

Mr Sandip Tarkas, President, MPG, which is part of Havas Advertising, said: "All the India-Pakistan matches were of extremely high calibre and I definitely got value for money on this series. But I am concerned about the long-term sustainability of these ad rates."

According to Mr Ajit Varghese, General Manager, Madison Advertising, this was a "historic series. Therefore, advertisers were willing to pay extra. But we expect the rates to cool off in future. Clients operate on a limited budget and will not always be able to pump in this kind of money."

The ad rates stood at about Rs 5 lakh for a 30-second spot during the cricket World Cup last year and this time they were even higher. "But we expect the rates to settle at about Rs 1 lakh for a 10-seconder for the other forthcoming series," said media planners.

The fifth and final ODI had a barrage of advertisers with two-wheelers and cellular companies dominating the top positions. Paints were the third most advertised category.

According to AdEx India, which tracks advertisements, brands such as Bajaj Auto, Samsung India Electronics and Blue Dart Express were the top advertisers.

The Aditya Birla group, which was the third largest advertiser on the fourth ODI, slipped a notch while Hutch climbed up to the sixth position in this match.

Airtel Prepaid Easy Charge, Aristocrat Black Apple Juice and Jaquar Bath Fittings were also visible during the match.

Aerated soft drinks, courier services, cars and jeeps, lubricants, liquor and computer printers were active advertisers on the final ODI.

The advertising industry is eagerly awaiting the audience rating numbers for the finals.

Mr Atul Phadnis, Director, S-Group Tam India, said: "We are expecting the final match ratings to beat all previous records hollow."

The first ODI drew the highest audience, with the last half hour generating 12 television rating points (TRPs) on DD and 10.3 TRPs on Ten Sports.