 "BIG FM names and shames their debtors")
This is an interesting development. Reliance’s radio channel in Chennai, 92.7 BIG FM, has tried a novel experiment in dealing with clients who haven’t paid their dues.
Yesterday, this ‘announcement’ played on the channel (hear the audio at the end of this post and also here ). The announcement is in Tamil, so those who cannot understand the language can skip the audio file and move on.
“Access Atlantech India Private Limited, represented by their Chennai CEO Ratish Babu has advertised on the channel to the extent of Rs 27,83,533 in value and has not paid. Legal action is being taken against the company. This is an announcement to warn others in case they are contemplating doing business with them,” is what the announcement roughly translates into English as.
[caption id=“attachment_286741” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“A screen grab of the BIG FM site.”]
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Today, one learns, the radio station has made a few more announcements with reference to a few more debtors, naming and shaming them in the same tone and manner.
It’s an innovative route to recover outstandings - if it works - and it bears watching. If it does work, could we see, for example, ads in newspapers and magazines and on TV channels trying similar solutions to bring down their outstandings?
This is basically a business transaction - where one entity owes another for services rendered; it’s a business problem that could find resolution in the courts of law. Can BIG FM’s debtors who are named on the channel go to the courts for damage to reputation?
As importantly, will this make potential advertisers do a re-think - in the fear that, if they are not in a position to make payments, they could be named and shamed in a similar manner?
Impact Shorts
More ShortsOne understands that those who have been named thus far are small and medium enterprises. Will BIG FM do the same with large organisations?
And will this experiment move to other cities where BIG FM operates?
It’s worth a watch. We’ll be watching closely.
Anant Rangaswami was, until recently, the editor of Campaign India magazine, of which Anant was also the founding editor. Campaign India is now arguably India's most respected publication in the advertising and media space. Anant has over 20 years experience in media and advertising. He began in Madras, for STAR TV, moving on as Regional Manager, South for Sony’s SET and finally as Chief Manager at BCCL’s Times Television and Times FM. He then moved to advertising, rising to the post of Associate Vice President at TBWA India. Anant then made the leap into journalism, taking over as editor of what is now Campaign India's competitive publication, Impact. Anant teaches regularly and is a prolific blogger and author of Watching from the sidelines.