Strategies to Capture Eyeballs Drive Hot Debate on the Second Day of CASBAA 2013

Hong Kong, October 24, 2013 – New strategies to capture and retain viewers, while increasing advertisement potential, were key areas of focus on the second day of the CASBAA 2013 in Hong Kong. Global and Asian industry leaders joined media personalities to examine successful strategies and techniques.

“CASBAA’s commitment to promoting the effectiveness of multichannel TV as a marketing tool and raising the industry profile among advertisers was in full force, with several panels focusing on topics including branded content, audience measurement and the value of partnerships,” said Marcel Fenez, Chairman, CEO. “Our closing panel on satellite services and C-band usage also reflected the diverse issues affecting our industry today.”

Many participants agreed that local relevancy was crucial in Asia. According to Zanny Liu, Senior Manager, Advertising Sales, A+E Networks Asia, noted that the Ride N’ Seek documentary series, featuring US-born biker Jaime Dempsey and her Harley-Davidson, successfully met Malaysian viewers’ expectations. Comments on Jaime Dempsey’s Facebook page showed that “Malaysia fans want more,” said Mr. Liu.

Peter Giakoumelos, VP, Advertising Sales, Discovery Network Asia Pacific, also advised not to restrict content delivery to a few platforms: “Today, the media landscape is diverse and redefined. All we have done is to satisfy curiosity, and provide the highest quality content that entertains, engages and enlightens.”

Use of branded content is also gaining traction in Asia. According to Ah Jin Jung, Senior Regional Sales Manager, Turner Broadcasting Systems Asia Pacific, their choice of using branded content for the Cha-Ching Money Smart Kids financial literacy programme allowed them to “maximise exposure and integrate into the kids’ lifestyles.”

Kar-Tai Koh, Global Brand Manager, Shell Advance Motorcycle, noted that branded content can help to create a bond between the brand and the target audience. Commenting on the Freedom Riders Asia series, he noted: “We wanted Shell to develop a bond with the biking community. And the bikers wanted to see, hear, and be part of it.” However, participants also highlighted looming challenges. “The biggest challenge that we have is to create interesting and engaging content, and deliver the client’s messages to the customers at the same time,” said Mr. Mike Rich, CEO, Content (APAC), GroupM.

Measuring pay TV effectiveness was another hot topic during the Convention. Although this debate has been raging for years, participants noted that the alternative measurement system, Return Path Data (RPD), is showing promise. “RPD provides data and information for the niche channels among different segments,” said Henry Robles, Research Director, Audience Research & Analysis, NBCUniversal. Nick Burfitt, Global Director, Kantar Media Audiences, who observed that RPD is becoming widespread, noted: “It can fill some of the gaps among the traditional [measurement] methods and provide solutions.”

However, Janice Lee, Managing Director, TV & New Media, PCCW argued that RPD will not replace but supplement traditional methods. “Consumer behaviours are changing and cannot be captured yet, and we also have more OTT users at the same time. RPD supplements traditional [measurement] methods in order to provide a comprehensive view,” she added.

The day ended with an intense panel discussion that examined the challenges facing content delivery in Asia. “Supply and demand always comes together,” observed Bill Wade, President & CEO, AsiaSat. “The selling point is to match the product to the customer, and the key is to find the right customers,” added Mohamed Youssif, COO, Asia Broadcast Satellite.

When questioned on the importance of satellite transmission given the growth and penetration of terrestrial broadband, panellists highlighted that for “small and advanced” areas like Hong Kong this hold true, but not for wide geographies like Thailand and Malaysia, which has areas where terrestrial broadband is not available everywhere.

The panellists then took a close look at ITU’s recent announcement to open up C-band frequencies for use by mobile devices. “This is a whole new bargain,” said Mr. Wade. “We need to win the battle,” Paul Brown-Kenyon, CEO, MEASAT claimed. “And we need to raise customer awareness on the resulting impact [of how this will affect quality of service].” Andrew Jordan, EVP Strategic Projects, Eutelsat questioned whether there is a need for more frequency, while Mr. Youssif added: “To me, [ITU] is just bullying.”