Marketers must promote internet advertising: Krishna Kumar

29 April 2009

Krishna Kumar, founder and CEO of media2win, says the belief that the net can be used as an extension to direct marketing is completely incorrect. Aruna Rathod.

Why is everyone out to measure the response from internet ads only?
Internet is defined by interactivity and it is a two-way communication media, an active media. All other forms of media are passive. Therefore, every aspect of this interactivity between a consumer and the medium can be measured.

The medium has always allowed measurement and hence it's also bought by many on ROI terms. While this is an advantage, the belief that the medium can be used as an extension to direct marketing is completely incorrect.

Given the widespread growth of consumer feedback / response in the digital media, building your brand only on the digital media is extremely critical. Education amongst marketers is the key and all this will change over time.

Is it true internet advertising agencies are under constant presure to keep monitoring and delivering results?
Delivering results is the job of any agency whther in the traditional or the digital space. Yes, there is pressure on us, and it is different from the pressure on traditional agencies. T o understnd that, one needs to understand how internet marketing grew in India. We hardly had a dotcom boom in late '90s, but the bust hit us faster.

Those in the business had to survive and the ability to generate a consumer response, which was economical became the modus operandi. For many clients the initiation into the medium itself began as an extension of direct marketing. The pressures are self-created and certain myths around the medium need to be cleared. Its matter of educating the overall benefits the medium provides and that it's not just a tool that generates responses.

Is the internet advertising industry growing as fast as it should?
The medium is growing, but the speed of growth can be better. Both width and depth in growth needs to happen. Let's take the UK as an example. The UK has an estimated population of 60 million out of which 70 per cent are active consumers of the internet. Almost similar numbers operate in India too. However, the consumer in ther UK is really active and spends a significant amount of time on the internet. In fact, the amount spent on digital advertising in the UK is almost as much as the overall Indian advertising spend spending. That is the difference.