Mandira Bedi aur Sony

It seems Mandira Bedi brings good luck to Sony, starting with the EXTRA INNINGS which brought a shift in Sports/Cricket commentary towards Glamor, to Fame Gurukul and now in Deal or No Deal. All have been trend setters, every channel puts a lady in the commentary box in every sports now a days be it football or WWF. And now Madhavan is being replaced by Mandira Bedi to bring more eyeballs to Deal or No Deal. Sony has been trying very hard to the right node and who knows may be it has been successful but the current system of TRP ratings shows it in poor light. I have been a die hard fan of SONY's marketing strategies. No one comes near to Sony when it comes to promoting the channel. And it has always been the front runner when it comes to implementing new ideas. Even today Indian Idol or Deal or No deal has the best IN PROGRAM ad placement, barring the Nokia ad all other placements are quite well fitted into the script and effective also. Look for instance at the idea to have every leaving participant leave a message on the Asian Paint wall or Chloro-Mint representing Re.1 in Deal or No Deal. As Sony is busy promoting itself during the AD breaks it makes perfect sense to find new innovative ways to sell the in program ad spots. Look the way Fame Gurukul was promoted across channels using tie ups with MTV and AAJTAK, Star and Zee have all the channels in their bouquet but they have not been able to create the BUZZ Sony has done with its perfect execution of 360 degree marketing tactics. It has tried to sell the channel as a whole and has reacted very swiftly to he viewers choice by scrapping poor shows, but it has been quite unlucky as the Media Planners go by the TAM ratings which are very much tilted towards Star. Sony lacks a distribution channel, it does not have the Rahejas or Siticable with it so it becomes difficult for it convince the buyers of having a stable and secured viewership. But hope this year will prove to be a milestone year for Sony as it is launching all the hit international formats in a Indian Avatar may be starting with Cadbury's Bournvita Confidence Challenge. Viewers are looking for a change and it has been proved with Star One's success. The old weepy shows on Star Plus must die soon. And one more urgent need is that of a more metro like English Channel which shows Indian shows, otherwise all these viewers have to tune to lifestyle cum News channels like NDTV Profit. Zee Cafe has created a sort of sluggish image for itself otherwise it would have hit the jackpot, but no wants to switch to Zee Cafe for entertainment. We can surely and safely have the Indianised versions of Desperate Housewives and Sex and the City.