MICA Ahmedabad conducted a one hour session on ''Media Industry: Opportunities and Challenges'' with Mr. Siddharth Roy Kapur, MD and CEO, Disney India at MICA campus on July 22, 2016. The Mani Aiyer Auditorium of MICA was packed with eager students from across batches as they gathered to attend the lecture, organized by MICA Leadership Series (MLS), a student-run committee in MICA.
Talking to MICA students about the opportunities in the media and communications industry, he said, “This is the right time for media and communications. In earlier days it was difficult to have a professional career and be taken seriously in a field like media and entertainment and the preferred path was to get into an FMCG and trace your path back to the media industry. There wasn’t even the concept of an MBA that would get you into the movie business, as the industry used to be highly fragmented,” he said.
Mr Kapur narrated before MICA students his journey and the experiences that shaped him. Inspiring the budding business leaders at MICA, he quoted his experiences working for P&G and how he entered the media industry early, following it up with his work on KBC and how difficult it was to get Amitabh Bacchan to the small screen.
“It's good to be in a position that something that you are involved in is something that the whole country is talking about, something that becomes part of the cultural zeitgeist,” he said. He also was a part of the team that was funnelling viewers towards the K serials in the country.
MICA students were presented by him with an interesting comparison between Rang De Basanti and Khosla ka ghosla, by emphasizing that based on the reputation of the cast and crew, even though both movies had the same marketing budget, Khosla ka Ghosla had double the production budget of RDB. Khosla ka ghosla, he said, was a diamond in the rut. “We enjoy being associated with something that people can connect to emotionally,” he quipped.
Talking about the media and entertainment industry, he said that the average ticket price in India is just half of what it is in the US. “The problem in India is that we subsidize the consumers so much that the value of content is reduced for them.”
Talking about Disney India, he shared with MICA students, the wide and differentiated content across multiple touch points leading to customized experiences for the consumers. With limited attention spans, he observed, the need is for availability of compelling content on the go and on demand.
Following this, MICA students got an opportunity of interacting with Mr Kapur in the question & answer session. Mr Kapur answered questions of MICA students who asked about Beauty and the Beast and infrastructure needing to develop in order to cater to the demand for other such shows. “We’ve got the ability to be able to cater to audiences in different ways. We translated the Jungle Book and made it more relevant to India. Hindi cinema needs to buck up. We’ve become self conscious now, after years of being influenced by the west,” he said.
He also opined that content is driving the merchandising business allowing people to take home something that they already love. He also remarked about the recent push towards diversity in America, which is why, he mentioned, someone like Priyanka chopra is doing so well there. “We are not consumers of smarter content, we are just consumers of different content,” he said, quoting the example of PK which made 20 million dollars in China.
Following the lecture, Mr. Siddharth was presented with a live portrait which was made by a student during the lecture. As is the tradition at MICA, Mr.Siddharth also planted a sapling in the MICA premises, to mark the occasion of his visit.
Established in 1991, MICA, Ahmedabad is the first residential institute in the country dedicated to creating Leadership in Strategic Marketing and Communication. The B school aims to assure delivery of Strategic Marketing and Communication solutions to the industry, government and community. The institute provides specialists in the field of communications management. Its spirit lies in its grasping of contemporariness, addressing the needs of an ever-changing environment. MICA is a premier school that focuses on strategic marketing and communication.
Related Article
"Challenge the status quo" Facebook India MD Umang Bedi at inauguration of MICA session
MICA Ahmedabad records 100% Placement 2016; Amazon, Google, Mahindra emerge largest recruiters
MICA Ahmedabad appoints alumnus as Associate Dean; endeavours to lead Industry, alumni partnership
MICA celebrates Convocation with Mr. Bhaskar Bhat, MD, Titan as Chief Guest; 181 students graduate
MICA Ahmedabad announces New Leadership Structure
MICA Ahmedabad celebrates 25th Anniversary; dedicates to its founder
Stay tuned to MBAUniverse.com for more updates on MICA
