Making pay TV... pay

PAY-TV   FOX   LOCALISATION

As enterprises and advertisers across Asia seek to market and sell different types of products and solutions - some products being new and requiring education, while others may be in a more mature phase of the product life cycle - communication about each product needs to be adapted based on its level of maturity.

In the same way, as markets across Asia continue to develop at varying speeds - with some at an advanced stage of development and others in a more emerging phase of consumer evolution - brands need to tailor their advertising efforts to the different needs of local audiences and markets.

What this means for enterprises is they need to use varying types of advertising models for different markets and products. Specifically, an enterprise that sells LED televisions may utilise a pan-regional approach that reaches broad audiences with a consistent message, while a fast-moving consumer goods company that sells toothpaste might be better served using a "multi-local" approach with tailored messages based on local language, consumer taste and cultural requirements.

Not having the flexibility to use a varied approach can lead to an inability to reach the proper target audience, poor use of budgets and, in the end, a low return-on-investment from marketing efforts.

Traditionally, television has been viewed as a medium that provides broad scale and access to pan-regional audiences, but the notion pay-TV can meet the varying needs of enterprises tailored specifically for local target markets, audiences and product types, is a relatively new concept and one which is entering a further stage of maturity.

Providing a high degree of flexibility in pay-TV advertising campaigns is very difficult and cannot be achieved overnight. It requires high levels of investment in infrastructure, on a pan-regional scale and access to developed markets and emerging ones.

International TV networks are starting to see the value of this "localisation" strategy. FOX International Channels is benefitting now from an early movers' advantage, having already in place local teams on the ground in each country, who understand local needs and who have the autonomy to be able to implement local strategies that are best suited for each individual market.

What we are starting to see is these investments are allowing us to provide the kind of flexibility that certain advertisers require and positioning us as a complement or even alternative to local terrestrial channels.

Certainly, international pay-TV networks in this region are waking up to the fact the pan-regional "one-size-fits-all" approach as a singular offering is no longer enough.
There is no doubt as more clients seek and demand complete geographical flexibility and customisation in their media planning, the ability to provide pan-regional as well as tailored multi-local solutions is the next big step in the evolution of pay-TV advertising.

Simeon Dawes is senior vice-president, Fox One Step Media of FOX International Channels.

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