Dainik Bhaskar to present fourth IAA Debate in Bengaluru on 26 July

The fourth in the series of International Advertising Association’s IAA Debates will be presented by Dainik Bhaskar Group, at the Leela Palace in Bengaluru on 26 July 2013.

The topic chosen for the Debate is ‘Social media is not a good business’. Speakers are to be announced shortly.

Srinivasan K Swamy, president – IAA India Chapter, and vice president – development, Asia Pacific, IAA, said, “After the successful IAA Debates series in Mumbai, Goa and Delhi, we are taking the property to India’s IT capital Bengaluru, and the topic has been chosen with that in mind. Social media is now a way of life not just for youth the world over but also the young at heart. While social media continues to grow in terms of adoption and usage, we are keen to get the best minds debate the business of social media and its future. We are confident that the event will receive a wonderful response from Garden City.”

Explaining the choice of topic, Partho Dasgupta, co-chairperson, IAA Debates, and member IAA Mancom, said, “Social media, world over, is the new media vehicle, giving not only reach but also engagement. However, there are opposing views on the advertising efficiencies and sustainability of business models. There is a view emerging that though social media is excellent for users, it is not a good business."

In Mumbai, the IAA Debates topic was ‘Print and Television are losing relevance with rise of digital’, while the topic in Goa was ‘With media fragmentation, role of creative agencies has become more important’.  The topic for the last debate in New Delhi was ‘Creative awards can also be given for differentiated one-off expressions’.