<FONT COLOR="#FF0033"><B>FICCI Frames ’06:</B></FONT> The next ICE Age has just arrived, says Sameer Nair

What did the last Ice Age bring to Earth? Human beings!

And now, according to Sameer Nair, CEO, STAR Entertainment, a new ICE Age has dawned. Only, in the 21st century, Nair means information, communication and entertainment when he says ICE. He says, “A new generation of media consumers has risen, demanding content, so a new ICE Age has just set in. This ICE Age brings with it newer media options.”

Nair was addressing a session called ‘Attraction…in an Age of Distraction!’ at FICCI Frames 2006.

In 1990, there was only terrestrial television, press and outdoor/cinema. However, fresh concepts such as satellite television were introduced in 1995 and that’s when outdoor and cinema became two separate entities. More innovation was seen in 2000 when FM Radio and the Internet took the nation by storm. In 2005, there was a surge of mobile entertainment space and multiplexes.

Nair said, “As we go ahead from here, by 2010, webcasting, IPTV, mobisodes, broadband and DTH will gain in popularity.”

He explained, “We are at the cusp of some of these technologies. Today’s state of art technology is certain to change with time. But all these will be always driven by storytelling.”

Nair stressed that the newer media options were shattering old beliefs and mass audiences. They were fragmenting the industry. He said, “No actor gives a shot thinking that it will look good on a DVD. Also, no content is created just for ‘one’ audience. Purists also complain of shrinking screens and lack of shared experience.”

Therefore, to combat this situation, one needs to create high impact content to unite audiences and then fragment it over time, space and application.

Citing the examples of ‘The Simpsons’, ‘Star Wars’ and the Walt Disney Company, Nair said, “These three are bright models of how a strong brand can be created out of strong content. And also how, over the years, through licensing, merchandising, prequels, sequels, games, books, theme parks, toys, etc., these brands have been successful in leveraging their media options on various platforms.”

So, like always, content remains king. Marketing becomes the real crown prince in terms of creating a strong brand out of that content. In this chain, distribution plays the role of a multi-headed God and, finally, financing this kingdom will be complicated.

“Keep the creation simple with an effective communication – that should be the idea,” said Nair. He picked up three programmes from the STAR bouquet – ‘KBC 2’, ‘The Great Indian Laughter Challenge’ and ‘Nach Baliye’ – to establish how STAR has been successful in uniting its audience in a fragmented atmosphere.”

To conclude, Nair quoted Rupert Murdoch, who once said that the history of the media revolution is not one in which the new wipes out the old. Radio did not destroy the newspaper and television did not destroy either radio or the newspaper. Each new medium forced its predecessor to be more creative and relevant to its consumers.

© 2006 agencyfaqs!