Sumita Vaid
Advertising

Internet is 'hugely popular' with Indian youth, says OMS study

The net has emerged as a serious media option among the Indian youth, concludes a recent study by Optimum Media Solutions

The net has emerged as a serious media option among the Indian youth, concludes a recent study by Optimum Media Solutions (OMS), the media arm of Mudra Communications. The study - aimed to get a better handle on the nebulous relationship the Indian youth shares with sundry media - surveyed the media consumption pattern among the youth in the Top 5 metros. The target audience comprised 340 individuals in the 18-25 years age group belonging to the SEC AB, satellite television households.

According to the OMS study the reason why most media planners consider the net a tertiary option is the uncertainty that still shrouds the effectiveness of advertising on the net. If this study is anything to go by, the net is hugely popular among the Indian youth. In fact, magazines are low on priority even in comparison to net and music. According to the OMS study both net and music "should be explored rigorously for this segment" because "they offer low cost, high involvement routes."

However, if media planners wish to stick to the conventional medium then on TV, late night programmes are ideal for booking ad space. According to the OMS study, "TV undoubtedly is the most actively present medium in the target audience's day, scoring over all other options. A large portion of his spare time goes into TV viewing. Late night viewing is also a popular phenomenon with this segment, which thus emerges as a territory worth tapping." Music, movies and sports channels are especially hot among the youth.

As far as print is concerned, city supplements find more readership among the youth than do dailies. The Indian youth also relate quite closely with the outdoor medium - comprising cinemas and shopping malls. On radio, FM is the current buzz. Today, for FMCG and consumer durables marketers, any media plan is incomplete without FM. A classic example is the manner in which Dr Morepen has very innovatively used FM to reach out to the youth.

The study says that marketers should seriously target the youth as they are a "highly significant" audience base for several product categories, and are serious "buyers/ influencers" for several others. Understanding their interaction with various media options thus becomes critical for marketers and the media fraternity.

The OMS report, however, cautions that since the study deals with a niche audience, tracking its media habits through traditional systems (peoplemeter data) falls short on reality. In conclusion, Youth Buzz points at the need for a more focused and detailed study on this target audience. © 2002 agencyfaqs!

Have news to share? Write to us atnewsteam@afaqs.com