Plasmanet and SureWaves develop comms channel

Plasmanet, a communication software consultancy, has partnered with Bangalore-based media convergence company SureWaves to develop an intelligent, pan-Indian communication channel.

Available for integration into an organisation's existing communication strategy or as a standalone tool for advertising in public spaces, SureWaves provides a communication solution for markets including retail, retail banking, transportation, hospitality, health care, education services as well as local and national governments.

SureWaves was created in response to difficulties in communicating brand messages to groups of consumers in India.

SureWaves resolves this challenge using a network of highly visible, strategically placed screens, combined with key dynamics including demographics and socio-economic groups, to distribute messages to all or a selected few locations.

Content can be distributed across networks of any size, from an internal corporate television channel to public spaces across geographical regions.

The SureWaves Media Planning Interface integrates with Plasmanet's Enterprise server (which hosts the database and schedule) and Content Distribution Platform.

SureWaves channel will be available to organisations and local governments across India following a series of successful pilot tests.

"With the number of television channels available across India growing, it is becoming difficult for brands to reach out to select consumers in a cost-efficient manner," said Group Chairman and Managing Director of IndusEdge, the parent company of SureWaves, Raj Khare.

"Furthermore, frequent switching of channels during commercial breaks means the messages are weakened and often the impact is lost.

"SureWaves enables an advertiser or brand owner to better target consumers, ensuring that advertising using this visual medium is not only more effective in attracting the attention of the right people at the right time, but a more cost-effective method of doing so".

SureWaves' user-friendly graphical front-end, the Media Planning Interface, is integrated into the Plasmanet Content Distribution Platform and Plasmanet Enterprise Server.

Using an editing template, a user enters the required target market information on behalf of the advertiser, which is then mapped using the geo-demographic and socio-economic data in the database.

Plasmanet's Content Distribution Platform automatically distributes adverts on schedule, ensuring the chosen target group of consumers sees the advertiser's message.

Plasmanet has also enabled SureWaves to avoid the problems associated with network scarcity in some areas of India, by ensuring each screen is linked to a local server, as Technical Director at Plasmanet, Mark Hopgood, explained: "Poor connectivity in some regions has meant that support for web-based networks is unreliable.

"By networking every screen to a Plasmanet Local Server, a cache memory of the current or upcoming schedule is held locally, which means that should the Enterprise Server lose communications with a screen then the service is maintained without interruption".

SureWaves plans to enable the channel for use within its own media and internal communication solutions for large organisations, which can manage up to seven different regions on a single screen.

Adverts can be run on the same screen as other important business information and will provide an essential tool for targeting employees and an important revenue stream for Indian firms.

PlasmaNet is a communications consultancy specialising in high-visibility display software for applications including internal communications and contact centres.

PlasmaNet products comprise a browser-based software user interface that enables businesses to rapidly distribute information to employees across single or multiple sites, both nationally and internationally.

It does this via a network of strategically placed high-resolution plasma screens.

The PlasmaNet product range includes PlasmaNet Express, PlasmaNet Lite and PlasmaNet Enterprise, all of which are capable of managing complicated communication matrices.

Using trusted hardware partners, PlasmaNet delivers targeted messaging using digital and dynamic signage, TV signage, information display and narrowcasting.

Its high-profile client base includes Coca-Cola, BP and Chelsea Building Society.

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