Reimagine. Reinvent

Media and Advertising play an intrinsic role in complementing each other's effectiveness to build a brand. Based in Dubai, Satish Mayya, CEO of BPG Max, speaks to Khaleej Times on the ever-evolving nature of the media industry and keeping up with the times

The advertising industry has conventionally been powered by media. While it may still be true, we are increasingly witnessing technology now playing a vital role like never before. For instance, how and where we connect with our audiences to the overall architecture of the business is being reimagined. It is no more about mere re-engineering the business model, but reimagining how our businesses will evolve in the time to come. 
Mayya says that BPG Max takes great pride in living a creative culture with love for analytical thinking. The firm believes that incredible things happen when sharp business thinking, cutting-edge Media Science and the right Analytics are combined with radical competence of talented people delivering memorable experiences.
"And to do this, we have brought in teams with diverse skillsets who help us sit at the intersection of media, technology and entertainment, helping our clients achieve maximum reach, resonance and effective business results for their brands, through this integrated approach."
With the media landscape constantly evolving in the UAE, there is a greater pressure on some traditional media channels, while the spends on digital platform are growing in double digits. Mayya adds that from a digital stand point, the only objective across the fraternity is to make digital media transparent and data-protected.
"Viewability, Verifiability and Value are becoming a prime concern area when it comes to digital marketing. Perhaps this pressure might drive these businesses to rethink their models or bring in innovative approaches that this market hasn't seen so far.
For instance, the print industry has heavily relied on advertising whereas globally we are seeing some successful transitions towards the digital platform going the subscription route - owing to higher quality editorial, UX and content." 
The changing nature of media has also realigned BPG Max's structure to create a 360-degree approach for evolving media channels.
Mayya says that there are already some early signs of success with the agency's new integrated structure - bringing in new talents with diverse skillsets to craft effective and efficient brand campaigns.
"At BPG Max, we don't believe in competing or merely wanting to be the best agency of the year. Our endeavour is to be the best agency of the day and repeat it 365 times for each of our clients with the aim to deliver effective business solutions. Our accolades and rewards come in the form of testimonials from content clients and engaged consumers."
But even as an agency creates that perfect campaign, for its clients, return on investment (RoI) is gauged at two levels - externally, by the incremental difference made at a brand and consumer level such as sales, brand health and brand affinity, etc. and internally by the constant improvement in the client-agency relationship that BPG Max continues to build. 
Clients want to see ideas that are truly unique and amplifies the regular effort. Today data and analytics are not a differentiator but ideas born out of analytics that would drive the ROI.
No one can also deny the power of artificial intelligence (AI) and role it is already playing across a diverse set of industries. So even when it comes to AdTech, it has already begun and will continue to evolve. So far, consumers had been victims of mass marketing across platforms - be it TV, print and display ads, etc. and the model thrived on disrupting the overall experience, which has made the consumers not only annoyed and impatient but sometimes even resent the brand, thereby deploying ad blockers.
However, the issue there wasn't the concept of advertising as much as the 'lack of relevance'. Soon AI will be seen as agencies' ally in helping brands drive relevant, engaging content to consumers who, for once, will be more than willing to receive the same.
BPG Max works with a diverse set of brands. While it is a long list, some of the brands include Omega, Versace, Swatch group, UAE Exchange, Air Arabia and Lal's Group. And the brand is just growing.

• Media & Marketing