Exclusive | Breaking traditional media notions: EN Route's Varun Jain

En Route Media is a new media company focused on using technology to push the boundaries that envelope the media and content industries in India today. By using the advancements in technology and the progress in connectivity, it aims to provide solutions that will change the way media is consumed and also the way it is managed and delivered. En Route Media is a Mumbai based company; founded in 2008 by Varun Jain and Paul Schwarz.

 

One of the biggest achievements that Enroute boasts of is Flo- India’s first ever in-cab companion. Flo is a technologically advanced touch screen LCD that rids cab boredom. Pioneering taxi entertainment in India, Flo is a living example of En Route’s game changing vision.

 

Adgully caught up with Varun Jain - Co Founder, En Route Media as he provides interesting insights into their journey.

 

 Varun exclaims, “We at En Route are very strong believers in technology and are media enthusiasts too. We wanted to start a company driven by advancements and progress in technology to push the existing boundaries of the way media is consumed, delivered and managed.  In terms of some personal goals, we hoped to achieve a unique work culture at En Route. Having left well-paying jobs because of dissatisfactory work culture, we aimed to create a democratic corporate culture where we encourage proactive independence.”

 

Talking about the thought process that led to the creation of Flow, he said, “We saw two major gaps that existed in the in-transit entertainment industry and the Out of Home advertising industry. People in metropolitan cities spent/wasted a lot of time travelling during which they either used their phones, slept or did absolutely nothing. We also found jarring loopholes in the Indian Out of Home Industry where brands were paying a bomb to reach a mass audience without any accountability in a cluttered environment. These two reasons cumulatively gave us the required push to create Flo.”

 

He further adds, “When we started off with our research, we found that in countries like Singapore where the in-taxi screen networks were already a hit, an average cab journey lasted only 15 minutes. On the contrary, in India an average cab journey is 45 minutes! This revelation reinforced our vision and showed us the massive scope that the medium possessed in the Indian market.”

 

Flo has been installed in more than 250 EasyCabs in Mumbai. The infotainment that Flo offers is a result of consumer feedback and preferences. Currently, it consists of four channels: Entertainment, Fashion and Lifestyle, Cars and Technology, and Around the World.

 

It is interesting to note that En Route has attracted advertisers like Volkswagen, ET Now, The Economist, McDonalds, Garnier, and Tata Docomo in a short time span. It has also successfully converted clients like Volkswagen and The Economist into repeat clients. 

 

Earlier this year, EnRoute also bagged the award for “Creation of a New Medium” in the OOH Awards 2012 hosted by Network2Media and Exchange4Media. The accolade that came for Flo was a moment of pride for En Route as they competed against the best in the advertising industry.

 

Elaborating on some of the strengths of Flo, Varun said, “Traditional advertising media has its own perks but the need of the hour is accountability, personalized engagement with the target audience and creative methods to break through the clutter. That’s where Flo steps in - Flo is an interactive TV placed in a captive environment. It merges advantages of many traditional and newer media and comes out a winner. The 8 inch audio-visual touch screen brings TV impact to the passenger. The advanced backend system allows for detailed analytics and accountability just like the Internet. The audience reach includes the niche, hard-to-reach section of society that’s always on the move. Instead of a few seconds of opportunity to see, brands get an average of 45 minutes to spend with the passenger. We have also recently introduced break-through interactive features like quizzes, clickable banners, unique landing pages, digital catalogues, demo features and more to fortify quality engagement.”

 

Speaking on the measurability pattern employed, he said, “One of the major concentrations of En Route has been the Eyes-On-The-Prize Analytics system that we have developed in house. This allows us to remotely track in near real-time, exactly what is going on in the network. Not only does this ensure uptime of the network, but it also allows us to understand what is happening on every screen down to the last detail. This includes how many times an ad plays, how much of it is completed on average, how the passenger engages with the interactive ads, etc.”

 

Varun points out, “Our Movie Trailers section was really helpful; analytics showed that approximately 40% of all passengers pro-actively explored and watched the section. We are constantly trying out new forms of advertising to understand what works and what doesn’t. Our newer campaigns are already reflecting this expertise that we have developed.”

 

When quipped about the challenges that were faced while establishing Flo, he said, “Considering we were the first one’s to introduce India to digital in-taxi media, our major challenge was to swim against the deeply ingrained ad conventions prevalent in the market, such as exorbitant advertising spend on traditional media. As a completely new advertising medium with limited scale at the time, we had to work very hard to prove the effectiveness of the medium. Once our network of screens was on the road, we found another key challenge.  Due to no human contact between us and the passengers watching Flo, the drivers were our only method of connect. Initially it was difficult to get drivers to appreciate value and care for the new addition to their cabs. Through very innovative operational methods and processes, we have now managed to really streamline this aspect of the business.”

 

Talking about future expansion plans, he said, “We are present in Mumbai currently, and are looking to rapidly scale up now. In the immediate future we see ourselves spreading our network across the rest of the EasyCabs fleet in multiple cities and we are also finalizing other partnerships at present.”