Ad world seeks out blog spots

Jairaj Singh, Hindustan Times

It is a big blog world. Advertisers and publishers seem to have finally realised this. And they want to make the most of it.
Last week, Salt Water Blues, a Mumbai blog, revealed that a shampoo manufacturer was ready to pay for adding the shampoo brand name to the blog’s.
The author of Compulsive Confessor, a blog that gets 600 hits daily, has just completed her first book. Penguin India commissioned it after reading the blog. Another publisher loved Arun Krishnan’s blog, Cutting Chai. Krishnan’s novel, Loudest Firecracker, will be published in October.
Ravi Singh of Penguin India says, "Blogs are a new option to discover new talent." Adds Nilanjana S Roy, chief editor, EastWest and Westland Books: "You can follow a writer’s progression and the possibility of new trends on blogs." Roy discovered Krishnan’s work.

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Delhi-based Jai Arjun Singh, whose blog Jabberwocky deals largely with books and movies, is finalising a deal with Pix. The TV channel wants to advertise on his blog. "I was even approached by a matrimonial website to advertise its services on my blog. I declined because it didn’t fit in with my blog’s image," says Singh.
Himmat Butalia, marketing head, Pix, says Jabberwocky has what his channel wants. "We were interested in Jabberwocky because it’s a blog that writes about old films. It goes with our channel’s target audience, since Pix showcases old and different movies," he says.
Language blogs too are getting the offers. Mohalla, a Hindi blog by Avinash Das, has been approached by an ad firm. Says Das: "A regional language blog has an advantage — it helps advertisers focus upon a narrow, specific audience."
Ad-guru Prahlad Kakkar sums it up: "An advertiser will sell anything, any which way. Blogs are in because people are talking about them."