Starcom MediaVest launches Web+TV Optimiser in India

Starcom MediaVest Group (SMG) has rolled out a fused TV + Web Optimiser across the entire organisation in India. This optimiser will sit within the TARDIIS suite – SMG’s proprietary optimiser. SMG India has been using the TARDIIS TV optimiser since 2006.

The fused optimiser will allow every single media planner at SMG to evaluate plans fluidly between TV and digital. The optimiser runs on the local Television Audience Measurement (TAM) and Web Audience Measurement (WAM) datasets. India is one of the few markets where SMG has launched this product.

Commenting on the launch, Malli CR, CEO, SMG India said, “This is one of the several investments that we are making to improve decision-making on client investments and take businesses along the digital transition road. One senses that the growth of spends on digital should be faster than otherwise. There are several vehicles in digital whose reach is substantial and yet inertia and a lack of currency prevent investments. With this optimiser, a planner can seamlessly build plan options between TV and digital.”

He further said that SMG had been testing the product internally since March and was seeing paradigm changing results. “For a Female, 25-44 SEC A plan, the percentage of investment on digital can quadruple! A lot of decision-making in media happens through heuristics (thumb rules), and one needs new currencies to break out of the inertia of old thumb rules,” he added.

One of the biggest challenges in digital is increasing the share of spends of FMCG. SMG’s experience on TARDIIS Web + TV from other markets on FMCG clients has shown that it can lead to a totally different worldview on digital and increase spends substantially.

Deeming this also as a huge HR initiative, Puja Shah, Director Human Resources at SMG commented, “We want to enable all our planners to be digitally oriented. This is one of several steps in this direction that SMG India has planned out in the next six months.”