The Marketing mix of Zee Entertainment analyses the 7Ps of Zee Entertainment, which includes the Product, Price, Place, Promotion, People, Physical Evidence, and Process of Zee Entertainment. Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL) is a mass media & entertainment company founded by Subhash Chandra in 1992 and is now headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It is an Essel Group subsidiary, having 35 channels that are all specialized in serving Indian content in about 170 countries. Its latest channel is the World is One News.
In less than three decades, the company has become a powerhouse in the entertainment industry, earning many awards and accolades.
Competitors
- Sun TV Network
- PVR
- Ent Network Ind
- UFO Moviez
- DB Corp
About Zee Entertainment
- Type: Media and entertainment company
- Industry: Broadcasting and media
- Founded: 1991
- Founders: Subhash Chandra
- Headquarters: Mumbai, India
- Area served: India and internationally
- Current CEO: Punit Goenka
- Number of employees: 16,000+
- Major products: Television channels, films, music, digital content, and gaming
Table of Contents
Zee Entertainment Product Strategy
Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited, a significant player in the Indian media and entertainment industry, offers a diverse product mix and social media that caters to a broad audience with varying tastes and preferences. Zee Entertainment implements a robust marketing strategy to dominate the Indian mass media industry, leveraging its diverse Zee channels, including Zee Cinema, Zee Telefilms, Zee Studio, Zee News channel, and Zee Classic. Zee’s marketing mix extends to Zee’s digital platform, ensuring comprehensive coverage across various mediums.
The new Product Mix of Zee Entertainment in 2024 is as follows (Source).
- Television Channels: Zee Entertainment operates many television channels catering to different languages, regions, and content preferences. These channels include general entertainment, movies, music, lifestyle, and kids’ channels, each offering content tailored to specific demographics and linguistic groups.
- OTT (Over-The-Top) Platform: Zee5 is Zee Entertainment’s digital platform that streams various content, including TV shows, movies, web series, News, and live TV. Zee5 offers both original content and content from Zee’s extensive television network, catering to the growing demand for digital content consumption.
- Movies and Music Production and Distribution: Zee has a significant presence in the movie production and music industry and produces and distributes films and music across various languages. This includes both in-house productions and collaborations with other production houses.
- Live Events and Theatre Productions: Zee Entertainment also invests in live events and theatrical productions, including award shows, live concerts, and theatrical plays. These events often leverage the popularity of Zee’s television and film personalities.
- International Channels: Recognizing the global Indian diaspora, Zee operates international channels, broadcasting content for Indian audiences living abroad. These channels are customized to meet the needs of viewers in different countries.
- News Channels: Through its subsidiary companies, Zee operates several news channels, providing regional, national, and international news coverage. These channels cater to viewers interested in current affairs, politics, and economic News.
- Content Syndication: Zee Entertainment syndicates its content to other broadcasters and digital platforms globally. This includes selling rights to its vast library of movies, serials, and other regional entertainment content.
- Publishing: The company has ventured into publishing, particularly in the digital space, offering content through various websites and apps focused on entertainment news, updates, and lifestyle content.
Zee Entertainment Pricing Strategy
Zee Entertainment employs a competitive pricing strategy, an essential component of its marketing mix. This approach is meticulously designed to ensure the marketing mix of Zee Entertainment’s strong position in the highly competitive media and entertainment industry. Here’s an expert analysis of Zee Entertainment’s pricing strategy:
- Competitive Pricing: In the face of intense competition from major players like Sony and Star, Zee Entertainment opts for competitive pricing. This strategy involves setting prices in a way that is competitive with these rivals, helping Zee maintain a significant market share in the mass media industry, which is reported to be around 18%.
- Adaptation to Market Dynamics: Zee has adapted its pricing strategies in response to market challenges and competition. For instance, in response to competitors, Zee extended its program times during prime time and diversified its program offerings, enhancing viewer engagement and justifying its pricing model.
- Advertisement Revenue Model: A key component of Zee’s revenue comes from advertisements. For example, Zee News charges around INR 3936 for a 10-second advertisement slot. While competitive, this rate is strategically set to maximize advertising revenue without deterring potential advertisers.
- Subscription Model: Zee also follows a subscription model, a standard media and entertainment industry practice. This model provides a steady revenue stream while allowing flexibility in pricing based on different market segments and geographical locations.
- Digital Platform Monetization: With its investment in digital platforms like Ozee, Zee has opened up new avenues for revenue generation. The pricing strategy for its digital content is carefully calibrated to attract online viewers, balancing affordability with revenue goals.
Zee Entertainment Place Strategy
Zee Entertainment’s place strategy involves various elements that contribute to the company’s success in the media and entertainment industry. Here’s a concise summary of the marketing strategy of Zee:
- Global Presence: Zee Entertainment has established a solid global footprint, broadcasting its channels in 170 countries. This broad reach enables Zee to cater to a diverse international audience, showcasing its commitment to being a globally recognized media and entertainment brand.
- Diverse Content Offering: Zee provides a wide array of content, including News, sports, music, lifestyle, and movies. This variety ensures the company can appeal to a broad spectrum of viewer preferences, catering to different tastes and interests.
- Digital Platform Investment: Recognizing the importance of digital media, Zee has invested in its digital platform, Ozee. This platform makes Zee’s content accessible online, allowing viewers to watch their favorite shows at their convenience, and represents a strategic move to embrace digital transformation in media consumption.
- First Mover in Niche Markets: Zee has pioneered in launching unique offerings such as the first Spanish channel for Bollywood movies, ZEE Mundo. This indicates the company’s innovative approach to tapping into niche markets and expanding its global reach.
- Accessible on Multiple Platforms: Besides its digital platform, Zee’s content is available on various other platforms, like Hotstar. This multi-platform presence ensures that Zee’s content is accessible to a broader audience, adapting to the modern viewer’s preference for consuming media across different digital mediums.
Zee Entertainment Promotion Strategy
Zee has been striving to position itself as an entertainment brand with authentic Indian culture and heritage but with modernization. As can be seen from its logo, the company seeks to bring a balance between the contemporary and the traditional elements of Zee content. The company has put a lot of focus on promotions of its numerous channels and various programs.
The cast members mostly popularise the TV programs, whereas TV advertisements are used to push the channels. Cast members are skillful in how they reach the target market. A recent gate crash of marriage in Lucknow by three cast members of a recent Zee TV show left an impact in the hearts of the wedding attendants and other members of the public, thus promoting the TV show and the Zee brand.
Some Recent Video ads and Print ads for Zee are:
Zee Entertainment People Strategy
When discussing the “People” aspect of the Service Marketing Mix for Zee Entertainment, it’s essential to consider the various stakeholders involved in delivering and consuming the service. Here are several key points:
- Management and Leadership Team: The strategic decisions, vision, and leadership provided by Zee Entertainment’s top management, including the CEO, board members, and other executives, significantly influence its service offerings and market positioning.
- Creative Talent: This includes actors, directors, writers, and producers involved in content creation. Their creativity and innovation are crucial in developing engaging and diverse content that appeals to Zee’s broad audience.
- Technical Staff: Engineers, technicians, and IT professionals who ensure the seamless broadcasting of content across various platforms (TV, online streaming services like ZEE5, etc.) and maintain the technical infrastructure.
- Customer Service Representatives: These individuals directly interact with customers, handling inquiries, feedback, and complaints. They play a vital role in shaping customer perceptions and satisfaction levels.
- Marketing and Sales Team: Responsible for promoting Zee’s content across different channels, securing advertisement deals, and developing partnerships to increase reach and revenues. Their strategies directly impact Zee’s market presence and customer engagement.
- Human Resource Professionals: They are essential in recruiting, training, and retaining talent across all levels of the organization. Their policies and practices shape the company culture and employee satisfaction, indirectly affecting service quality and innovation.
- Distribution Partners: Includes cable operators, DTH (Direct-to-Home) service providers, and online platform partners who distribute Zee’s content to the end consumers. Their network and efficiency determine the accessibility and availability of Zee’s services.
- Audience: While not traditionally considered part of the “People” in a marketing mix, the audience plays a critical role in interactive services like entertainment. Viewer preferences, feedback, and engagement levels guide content creation and service improvements.
- Regulatory Bodies and Industry Associations: Their guidelines and standards influence how Zee Entertainment operates and engages with its stakeholders, ensuring compliance with legal and ethical standards.
- Collaborators and Content Partners: Other production companies, international companies, content creators, and digital content platforms are included. These collaborations expand Zee’s content library and enable it to offer a wider variety of genres and languages to cater to a global audience.
Zee Entertainment Process Strategy
The “Process” element in Zee Entertainment’s Service Marketing Mix encompasses the operational and procedural aspects of delivering services to the customer. It includes the steps involved in content creation, distribution, and customer interaction. Here are several vital points to consider:
- Content Development Process: This involves the imagination, scripting, production, and post-production stages of content creation. Zee Entertainment focuses on a diverse content portfolio, including TV shows, movies, news, and digital content across multiple languages and genres, providing regional entertainment.
- Content Acquisition: Producing content rights, including movies, sports broadcasting rights, and international content, to be aired across Zee’s channels and digital platforms. This process requires negotiation, legal compliance, and strategic planning.
- Scheduling and Broadcasting: This includes planning content airing across various channels and platforms, ensuring a mix that appeals to different audience segments. The process involves strategic scheduling to maximize viewership and advertising revenue.
- Digital Platform Management (ZEE5): The operational processes behind Zee’s digital streaming service, ZEE5, including technology infrastructure management, content uploading, and streamlining the user experience. This also involves ensuring cybersecurity and data protection measures.
- Quality Control: Encompasses content quality monitoring, adherence to broadcasting standards, and regulatory compliance. This is crucial for maintaining the brand’s reputation and viewer trust.
- Customer Service and Feedback Mechanisms: Engaging with viewers through various channels (social media, customer service lines, email, etc.) to gather feedback, resolve issues, and improve service quality based on customer insights.
- Marketing and Promotional Activities: Plan and execute marketing campaigns, public relations, and promotional activities to increase brand visibility and audience engagement.
- Distribution and Syndication: The process of distributing content through various channels, including cable, DTH, and online platforms, both domestically and internationally. This also includes syndication processes where Zee’s content is licensed to other broadcasters.
- Partnership and Collaboration Management: Involves managing relationships with partners, such as content creators, technology providers, and distribution networks, to enhance service offerings and reach.
- Technology and Innovation Management: The continuous process of adopting new technologies (e.g., AI for personalized content recommendations, blockchain for digital rights management) and innovative practices to improve content delivery, customer experience, and operational efficiency.
- Training and Development: Ensuring employees, especially those in customer-facing roles, are well-trained in product knowledge, customer service skills, and the latest technological tools to enhance service delivery.
Zee Entertainment Physical Evidence Strategy
The “Physical Evidence” component of the Service Marketing Mix refers to the tangible elements or the environment in which a service is delivered, helping customers to make judgments about the service. For Zee Entertainment, which operates primarily in the digital and broadcasting space, physical evidence encompasses various elements that contribute to the brand’s perception and customer experience. Here are key points to consider:
- Branding Elements: This includes the logo, brand colors, and visual identity of Zee Entertainment and its various channels and platforms. These elements are consistently applied across all marketing materials, websites, apps, and promotional merchandise, helping to create a recognizable and cohesive brand image.
- Website and Digital Platforms: The design, usability, and overall user experience of Zee Entertainment’s official website and its streaming service, ZEE5, serve as critical physical evidence. Features like ease of navigation, aesthetic appeal, and the quality of digital interfaces directly impact customer perceptions.
- Mobile Applications: The functionality, design, and user experience of Zee’s mobile apps (such as ZEE5) are crucial. These apps must offer seamless streaming, easy content discovery, and a secure payment gateway for subscriptions, reflecting the quality of Zee’s digital services.
- Social Media Presence: The appearance and activity of Zee Entertainment on social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.) contribute to its physical evidence. This includes the quality of content posted, engagement with the audience, and responsiveness to customer queries.
- Advertising and Promotional Material: Physical evidence also comes from advertising materials, including TV commercials, print ads, billboards, and digital ads. These materials’ quality, creativity, and message consistency affect customer perceptions of Zee’s brand and services.
- Customer Service and Support Centers: For services, customer support centers (whether online, telephonic, or physical locations for direct interaction) represent the brand and its commitment to customer satisfaction. These centers’ professionalism, environment, and efficiency impact customer trust and loyalty.
- Merchandise and Packaging: Any physical merchandise associated with Zee Entertainment or its specific shows and packaging for any products or promotional items serve as physical evidence of the brand’s quality and attention to detail.
- Events and Experiences: Physical events hosted by Zee, such as award shows, fan meet-ups, or promotional events, offer tangible experiences reinforcing brand values and quality. The organization, execution, and presentation of these events contribute to the brand’s image.
- Office Premises and Studios: Although not directly experienced by most consumers, the physical premises of Zee Entertainment, including its offices and production studios, reflect the company’s professionalism, culture, and scale of operations to visitors, partners, and employees.
- Quality of Broadcast and Streaming: The technical quality of Zee’s broadcast and streaming services, including picture and sound quality, reliability, and the absence of interruptions, is physical evidence of the brand’s commitment to excellence in service delivery.
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