Qualifying consumer segments for apt communiques

It seems the IPL is 'busting' another advertising norm. FMCG companies that traditionally stayed away from running their commercials during cricket matches are having a change of heart.

Now that's because the TAM Peoplemeter ratings of the first five days of the IPL has thrown up the finding that 35-37% of the Twenty20 event’s viewers are women. On the first two days, 8.2 million women across six metros of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bangalore tuned in to watch the matches, TAM data adds.

Now, is that reason for FMCG companies to join the IPL bandwagon? Not yet or at least these IPL spots are not suitable for all. That's because the viewership has been qualified with a single gender variable. That's not a good enough characterisation. What about age? Are housewives tuned in or are these the giggle twenty-somethings that have latched on, more for Shah Rukh than anything else.

The FMCG companies currently using spots seem the right ones, as they hawk products that appeal to younger women who, I am sure, make up the female audience that the TAM Peoplemeter ratings talk about. Take ITC for example. They are in the process of buying spots for their brands across foods, lifestyle and personal care categories. Now those categories make sense, especially to the younger uns.

Before drowning an audience with communiques, marketers must qualify the target audience with more than one variable. Else their messages will sorely be misplaced.