MxMIndia

Author: mxm_india

  • Apple co-founder and former CEO Steve Jobs has passed away

    Steve Jobs. 1955-2011

    Steve JobsWe woke up to this rather sad news on a Dassera morning. Steve Jobs has passed away.

     

    Sad. Very, very sad.

    He has of course named Tim Cook as successor but  there will be questions on whether Apple will continue to produce such wonder products and services.

    On behalf of the vast number of Apple users and tech watchers from amongst India’s marketing and media fraternity, our Salaams.

     Tell us how Steve Jobs or his products and services have impacted your life. Email MxMIndia at editor@mxmindia.com

    Recommended reading:
    A look back at Steve’s life, in pictures wired.com/gadgetlab/2011…

    New York Times link to stories: http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/j/steven_p_jobs/index.html?inline=nyt-per

    Bill Gates: http://www.thegatesnotes.com/Personal/Steve-Jobs

    Huffington Post obit: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/05/steve-jobs-dead-apple-obituary_n_997256.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003

    Time magazine’s Top 10 Apple Moments: http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1873486_1873491_1873530,00.html

    Poynter: How he changed journalism. http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/media-lab/mobile-media/144051/how-steve-jobs-has-changed-but-not-saved-journalism/

     

     

    Picture: www.apple.com

  • "Innovations by the regional press are not showcased properly. We do everything that delivers desired impact to the brand communication"

    Keeping pace with technology is the huge challenge: Jwalant Swaroop

    Mr Jwalant Swaroop, who has more than 26 years of experience in the newspaper industry, has been associated with the Lokmat Media Group since 1992. He recently took charge as the chief operating officer of the group’s publishing and events division, based in Mumbai.

    In a freewheeling chat with Ritu Midha, Mr Swaroop talks about topics including new challenges to the newspaper industry, the growth of the regional press, and digital as the next big thing.

     

    How has the newspaper industry evolved in the last decade or so?

    The newspaper industry has evolved remarkably in the last ten years, both in mindset and revenues. The approach is futuristic so investments have been made in that direction. Just for numbers sake, the industry has shown robust growth of around 15 percent YOY in advertising revenues and about 10 percent on the circulation front in the last ten years.

     

    Traditional media in markets like India is still growing. Would you say that print players have taken the right steps to take optimum advantage of that and push the medium further?

    Yes very much. I think digital is being seen as the most potential transition, there are investments being made and backed with complete will to seize all opportunities. However, it is a long-term view and probably it might take another five years to see the real ROI.

     

    Looking specifically at regional press, do you believe it is poised to grow at a reasonable pace?

    It will, of course, as the regional markets growth is pretty robust. Therefore regional press will have its share of growth.

     

    Coming to Marathi media competition is growing intense (what with the launch of Divya Marathi). Do you see it helping in growing the market, or could it fragment the market?

    Both. Growth brings fragmentation. It is good, of course, making content the King and the consumer the real Hero.

     

    Moving on to your new role at Lokmat, what are the changes and transformations that you intend to undertake as the COO Publishing?

    As a company we are poised for the next orbit of the growth and therefore I need to accelerate that pace and make it happen so that the company is future-ready.

     

    On May 15, 2011 Lokmat saw a content and design change to its product. On August 15, Lokmat Samachar saw a similar makeover. Did they achieve their objectives?

    Differentiation and relevance are the key elements of the change, and I am glad that both the makeovers respectively, of Lokmat and Lokmat Samachar, achieved this.

     

    What has been the market response to your Hindi compact daily Lokmat Samachar? Do you think the compact format, like in the west, will have more appeal in future as it is easy to read and handle?

    Lokmat Samachar is actually a broadsheeter; the compact is the City News Express (CNX), launched in Aurangabad as a bilingual newspaper. That is doing pretty well, both in terms of advertising and circulation.

     

    Do you think that the regional newspapers are doing enough innovation to gain the attention of the advertisers? What are some of the recent noteworthy innovations?

    Unfortunately, innovations by the regional press are not showcased properly. We do everything that can deliver the desired impact to the brand communication. Communities and printing innovations are a regular in thing. We are doing several cross-media promotions for many brands these days. We recently published a 3D issue in Nagpur, Aurangabad, Nasik, Kolhapur, Mumbai, Jalgaon and Pune, which became hugely successful.

     

    Digital is supposed to be the next big thing. Do you think that such a threat would not affect the regional players for a long time as the technology, perhaps, has not percolated to the grassroot levels?

    Technology reaches the masses rapidly  faster than anyone can think. The huge challenge is actually to keep pace with it. Digital is reality, and why next big thing it is already a big one. Social media is changing the landscape and fast impacting media consumption patterns, and mobile internet browsing will be the defining medium of the future.

     

    How has the year been so far? And how do you see it panning out for the group?

    The early months have been disappointing and I hope, as we go forward, things will be better.

     

     

  • He departs from TV Today Network after a long and productive stint of 16 years… what next for G Krishnan?

    G Krishnan moves on

    By A Correspondent

    A mail from Mr G Krishnan yesterday morning took his industry friends by surprise. It said he was moving on, but had no mention of his next destination.

    Mr Krishnan’s departure from TV Today Network happens after a long and productive stint of 16 years. At the time of putting in his papers, he was Executive Director and CEO of the media giant.

    In an internal communiqu, Mr Krishnan simply stated, I write to inform you that I have decided to move after 15+ years from my current role of Executive Director & CEO, TV Today Network Ltd., to pursue new opportunities. He further said, In view of the above, I would like to relinquish my position as Vice President and Board Director – IBF and also the Chairmanship of IBF-AAAI subcommittee. However I am always available for any industry-related issues. I would like to take this opportunity to wish IBF and the sub-committee all the best.

    Meanwhile, India Today Group Chairman & Editor-in-Chief Aroon Purie stated in an internal communication, This is to inform you that G Krishnan (GK) has resigned from the services of the company with effect from September 1, 2011. All his direct reports will report to me until further notice. I would like to place on record my appreciation for his immense contribution in making TVTN a leading news broadcasting company of the country and AajTak, India’s foremost news channel in Hindi, right from its inception.

    Mr Krishnan’s stint with television began in the mid-1990s, with the introduction of the daily TV news bulletin Aaj Takon Doordarshan. Krishnan played a key role in launching Aaj Tak as a news channel. TV Today Network today runs news channels Aaj Tak, Headlines Today, Delhi Aaj Tak and Tej.

    Before the TV Today Network, Mr Krishnan worked with Bennett, Coleman & Company as the head of its marketing and sales departments. At BCCL too, he was credited with many firsts, among them Times FM.

  • MSM pumps up the volume with new music channel

    Multi Screen Media (MSM) is all set to launch its music channel, Mix, on September 1. Promoted as a pure Bollywood music channel, Mix will play songs not only from contemporary cinema but also the earlier decades, appealing to a wide audience spectrum.

     

    It is after a five-year gap that MSM is launching a channel  the last one was Sony Pix in 2006. Reflecting on the reason for launching a channel at this juncture, that too a music channel, NP Singh, COO, MSM said, We wanted to first advance our existing channels, and then launch the music channel. Now that Sony is number two in the GEC space, and SAB, Max and Pix too are doing very well, the time is just right for the launch of music channel. He added, As a network, we have seen tremendous growth this year. There has been viewership and revenue growth in every quarter.

     

    Music, Mr Singh believes, is a natural extension of the MSM bouquet of offerings. Mix primarily plans to cater to the core target group of 15 to 24, as the youth consume maximum music. However, the channel will also target adults in the age group of 25 to 44, the section which, Mr Singh stated, is largely underserved when it comes to music on television.Thirty percent of the programming on Mix will be targeted towards this group.

     

    The channel will have theme-based programming through the day, playing different types of music. For instance, Arziyan will feature devotional songs at 7am, Ishq- Vishq will have softer love songs from noon to 3pm, and Music Madness with faster numbers will be from 6pm to 8pm.

     

    Alleyah Asgghar, Vice President and Head Programming at Mix, said that scheduling on the channel is a result of mood mapping research conducted by MSM, combined with the network’s learnings from viewership pattern on its other channels.

     

    Answering questions on the key differentiators that the channel would have, Neeraj Vyas, Executive Vice President and Business Head, Max and Mix, stated, Though the content on a music channel cannot be unique, Mix will showcase good quality music in an uncluttered environment. It will have factoids about music similar to what Max has about movies.The channel, he said, would have a large library of songs to reduce the number of repeats.

     

    At the moment, average time per viewer on a music channel is 25 minutes. As Mr Vyas remarked, it is important to not only get more viewers to the channel, but also to keep them engaged and increase stickiness.

     

    The channel also plans to have user-generated content on the channel wherein the users can send in their stories and the channel will play related songs.

     

    Mix, Mr Vyas said, would be on all distribution networks in the duration of a month.

  • India Shops Online is thrust of HomeShop18.com’s new campaign

    Shopping for the Indian consumer usually means in-store  but with e-commerce gaining ground, HomeShop18.com has unveiled its new television commercial, called India Shops Online.

     

    The TVC is built around the idea that the e-commerce portal delivers the best brands at great value, and emphasizes the click of a button concept visually as well as in the audio.

     

    Announcing the launch of the new commercial, which is produced by Cell18 under the direction of Zubin Driver, the company shared some key statistics: 300 percent growth in traffic over the past 12 months, six-fold growth in online shopping revenues and nearly 30 percent repeat customer base.

     

    In creating the commercial, the brand has taken care to introduce the modern within the context of the traditional in the Indian household. The commercial also captures the instant nature of e-commerce shopping, and reflects the growing stature of homeshop18.com in the category.

     

    Commenting on the commercial, HomeShop18 CEO Sundeep Malhotra said, This commercial is reflective of our deep focus on the e-commerce domain and is meant to accelerate the growth of the e-commerce category and of homeshop18.com as a consequence, being the clear leader. In this commercial you will find a clear leader-like tonality and a deep association of e-commerce and homeshop18.com.

     

    The TVC, the first in a series, has been produced in a 30-second format with 15-second versions to follow, and more commercials are scheduled to be produced under the Indian Shops Online theme.

     

    HomeShop18 has recently been in the news for having acquired a books e-tailer called coinjoos.com and also for raising funds worth Rs 100 crore.

  • Veteran journalist Aroon Tikekar kicks off a new weekly column by Editors tracking news across the country…

    A pinch of cynicism, please!

    Instead of raising awkward questions, theIndian media went along — and encouraged — with the wave of emotionalism which took over some of the country during Anna Hazare’s anti-corruption campaign… introducing a new weekly column by Editors tracking news across the country

    By Aroon Tikekar

    It is distressing to see the Indian media print as well as electronic- going berserk at the slightest provocation. Has the constant fear for survival affected the healthy vision of the Indian media? Why have the tried and trusted tenets of the profession been disregarded, intentionally or otherwise? These are some of the questions that demand a discussion.

    First and foremost, do the new brand of journalists sincerely believe that a demonstrative approach to solving social problems can and does help? Coming out on the streets shouting slogans can highlight political issues. Pressure put on the powers that be may help hasten a political process. But mere highlighting of social issues does not ensure their solution, as essentially it requires a change in social mind. Obviously journalists are not so nave as to believe that the Anna Team is not going to wipe out corruption from the Indian scene at one go. Then why did they not educate their readers or viewers to doubt the efficacy of any such attempt? Without a pinch of salt called cynicism, media ceases to be the Fourth Estate in a democracy.

    Indian media should raise awkward questions on the right occasions. Joining the bandwagon would have been considered in the past as bad journalism and an affront to the calling. The editors do have a right which is ex-officio to criticize the high and the successful. Reporting on the news and analyzing it for the benefit of readers or viewers as the case may be, is one thing and creating news by emphasizing unimportant aspect and commenting on it is another.

    Today’s Indian media, while fighting a battle of survival, is creating news unworthy of reporting and repeating it ad nauseum, much to the chagrin of readers or viewers. Supererogation of emotion has become willingly or unwillingly the hallmark of our electronic channels, but why should the print media too compete with the electronic media in sensationalizing or pandering to emotions? Whenever we, the people become victims of emotionalism in any large democracy, it becomes the prime duty of the media to educate them. The gullible masses are prone to seek and expect miracles to happen and can easily be tricked into accepting an apparent solution. The media has to come out to warn that miracles are not possible by emphasizing need to be cautious, even cynical of quick successes.

    Secondly, it may sound strange but the media, by definition, is supposed to be critical and is duty bound to take a negative stand by pinpointing weaknesses and lacunae in any proposal or happening which the gullible and innocent person may accept without complain or questioning. Social responsibility is nothing to be ashamed of. In fact it is expected that a newspaper editor or channel editor be so detached from the theatre of activity that he should be able to swim with ease against even torrential current of people’s emotions. The editors should not ride waves of emotionalism. Such objectivity is a pre-requisite in journalism.

    Thirdly, why do the media fail to grapple the historical fact that a political revolution is possible almost overnight but there cannot be a social revolution? Social change can take place only on evolutionary lines. History has shown us time and again that change for the better by slow absorption, not by convulsion, but by assimilation this is the only formula for social change. There are no short cuts to social change, no miracles, and no magical remedies.

    The same newly cropped up weaknesses were displayed by our journalists when the Anna phenomenon was taking shape in Delhi. Society should have been warned that wiping out corruption is not an easy task. Team Anna has only made a beginning. The entire country is aroused and is up in arms against corruption. All these are good signs, but nothing much per se is going to be achieved by the mere introduction of Anna’s Jan Lokpal Bill in Parliament. The roots of corruption have reached deep within our system. Again, on the issue whether the electorate is sovereign or the Parliament, the media should have brought out that our Constitution-framers have taken care to see that no section enjoys absolute sovereignty.

    Even while appreciating the novel idea of distributing caps with I am Anna written on them, the media should have warned the agitators about the limited use of such symbolism. It was on the contrary seen going overboard and was quick to call Anna Hazare as the Second Gandhi.

    The catapulting of Anna Hazare into a national figure is largely the media creation. Media is responsible for creating his larger than life image. One is not even sure whether he has the qualities of a national leader. But media called him as the second Gandhi. Let’s face it. To compare Anna with the Father of the Nation is a cheap gimmick. Comparison of the two is odious. Anna lacks vision. He also lacks wisdom, one doesn’t even know how much the Gandhi literature he has read. The original Gandhi did not even approve of the ways of revolutionaries as he believed that to assassinate is the highest kind of censorship, but Anna does.

    Aroon Tikekar is former editor of Loksatta

  • NBT goes hyper-local at Greater Noida

    By Akash Raha

     

    Navbharat Times (NBT) of The Times Group is going to launch a special eight-page local newspaper in Greater Noida today. The eight-pager will be distributed in Greater Noida along with the main NBT newspaper. There will be no change in the price point and the newspaper will be available with the added pages at the Rs 2.50. It is noteworthy that NBT has such hyper-localized content for other satellite-cities to Delhi, namely Ghaziabad, Gurgaon, Noida and Faridabad.

    Speaking about the idea behind NBT’s strategy towards creating hyper local content for consumers, Aman Nayar, Brand Head, NBT said “While the main product Navbharat Times (NBT) has the pulse of overall Delhi-NCR (or as we see ‘Greater Delhi’) there is a need to cater to the needs of each of the 4 NCR cities, as each of these cities are rival state capitals in their consumption or economic activity. Hence, we built on the concept of a dedicated local newspaper with local hard news but the focus being on development and growth in these cities. In sheer quantity we would be more local than the competition in fact, but rather than being sensationalist in playing up petty crime or local politics, our focus is the growth opportunities and where there are gaps, to drive change in these boom towns. A lot of our campaigns in these cities have been ground-level connect and have yielded more than encouraging response.”

    After the success of the group’s English newspaper, The Times of India across India, NBT had scaled down its newspapers to two editions – Delhi and Mumbai. However, about four years back, with localized newspapers it began building strategic presence in Delhi and NCR. The move helped them to penetrate in tier two and tier three cities. According to Mr Nayar, it has gained good traction with the advertisers too. Moreover, with ‘NBT Greater Noida’, the company will certainly garner robust local advertising.

    “Greater Noida is a step towards creating meaningful and relevant content for Greater Noida. There has been a marked jump in economic activity centering around the Formula One race. At the same time, as the recent Noida Extension episode showed – The Greater Noida readership’s concerns and thinking may have variation from that in Noida. And so now we have launched Greater Noida’s own local newspaper ‘NBT Greater Noida’. In fact in Ghaziabad, we observed that it was a case of two cities co-existing – the trans-Hindon Area (closer in thinking to Delhi than UP) versus Old Ghaziabad. Therefore, we created two splits of NBT Ghaziabad, one for each city,” added Mr Nayar.

  • Three days to the FIPP’s World Magazine Congress in India, being held here for the first time

    3 days to World Magazine meet

     

     

     

    By Akash Raha

    The FIPP’s 38th World Magazine Congress is only three days away and is going to be held for the first time in India. Approximately 600 delegates from 50 countries (including India) will be attending this event. The conference will be held from 10-12 October, 2011 at New Delhi,and the biggest names of the media and advertising fraternity, from India and internationally, will be present at this event.

    Chris Llewellyn, President and CEO FIPP, UK, speaking on WMC India edition to MxM India said “The World Magazine Congress is FIPP’s most iconic event, gathering together the great and the good from our industry and is always special. Being held in India for the first ever time is a wonderful endorsement of how the market for magazine media is developing in this country and I’m looking forward to some great interaction between the local and international publishers. More generally, being able to understand how to balance the array of opportunities that new digital platforms bring together with the many strengths of the traditional magazine is the obsession of the magazine media world, and I’m sure that our New Delhi Congress will provide real insight and guidance as to what’s working, where, and why.”

    In a conversation with MxM India Mr Mitrajit Bhattacharya, General Secretary, AIM said, “We have a huge number of delegates coming in from all over the world; from the far-east, from Europe, from America. So I think, this is going to be one of the most successful World Magazine Congress in the last decade or so. India is the toast of the world for anything and there is a lot of interests for delegates to attend the WMC 2011.”

    When asked if business transactions can be expected in the WMC Mr Bhattacharya added, “I think there is a large amount of work which is happening in the digital space, and there is a lot of business which could be driven in that area in the World Magazine Congress with the magazine publishers of India. So there would be a definite angle of business in World Magazine Congress and I know that publishers are already full with the dates in their calendar with meetings with international delegates. There is a very nice appointment dairy that we have offered to every delegate and that is getting full for many publishers. So there will definitely be business transactions in the World Magazine Congress.”

    The World Magazine Congress will begin with the opening address by Mr Aroon Purie, Chairman of FIPP, and Chairman and Editor in Chief, India Today; Mr Chris Llewellyn, President and CEO, FIPP and Mr Jussi Pesonen, CEO, UPM. This will be followed by an interaction with Mr Shahrukh Khan, who will talk about ‘My Tryst with Magazines’.

    The next two days will be packed with speakers of renown from across the globe. The key note address on the second day will be given by Ms Ambika Soni, Minister of Information and Broadcasting, India.

    The Congress’ theme for this year is ‘The 360-degree Opportunity’. The congress will showcase various innovation and means to success in today’s dynamic market. The conference agenda contains some of the world’s biggest media names, giving their own personal insights. In addition, the 2011 Congress will incorporate a large commercial exhibition, providing the opportunity for delegates to learn about new products, developments and opportunities in a highly-charged business environment.

    India is an essential market as it has 73,000 magazines, including weeklies, fortnightlies and monthlies. The market is dominated by Hindi and regional publications. About 34 percent of the overall magazine industry publications are in Hindi, followed by English publications accounting for 13 percent of the total pie. The remaining 53 percent of the market comprises regional languages such as Marathi, Bengali, Tamil and Telugu.

    FIPP’s World Magazine Congress is by far the biggest magazine event that is organized across the globe which brings forth magazine publishers and business media providers from across the globe. The biennial Congress has taken place in many different locations over the years, including United Kingdom, London (2009), Beijing, China (2007), New York, USA (2005), Paris, France (2003), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Buenos Aires, Argentina (2001) and Hamburg, Germany (1999).

     

    For more information: www.fippindia11.com

  • AIM plans a credible tool for advertising fraternity to understand consumer engagement with media and evaluate the engagement of magazines vis-�-vis other media

    Engagement Study may solve magazines’ measurement blues

    By Akash Raha

     

    Advertisers and media agencies will have more options to choose from in the print industry, as the much-awaited Engagement Study is set to be released at the World Magazine Congress 2011 in New Delhi next month. Mr Pradeep Gupta, President, Association of Indian Magazines (AIM), confirmed this development with MxM India.

    The apex association of magazine publishers is delivering on its promise of the Engagement Study on time. Mr Mitrajit Bhattacharya, General Secretary, AIM informed MxM India that the research for the Engagement Study was conducted by Quantum and IMRB, whereas Quantemplate coordinated the project on behalf of AIM. The research methodology of the study was based on desk research by Quantemplate, qualitative survey (20 one-on-one interviews of 2.5 hours each) by Quantum preceded the large scale quantitative survey (Sample Size: 3600 +, across 10 centers) by IMRB.

    Commenting on the study’s efficacy for the industry, Mr Bhattacharya said, The magazine industry has never been represented well by the large readership surveys like IRS, which are largely designed to cater to the needs of the dailies. The data for magazines has been less robust and highly fluctuating. More so, these surveys do not attempt to cover qualitative dimensions like reader involvement, lower clutter levels leading to higher attention, recall or even the image building capability which are the strengths of the medium. The Engagement Study will be a highly credible tool for the advertising fraternity to understand the engagement of consumers with various media and to evaluate the level of engagement of magazines vis-vis other media. These insights will help the advertisers immensely in choosing a medium like magazines in absence of sound readership data.

    He further added, But let me clarify at this stage that this survey is not attempting to capture any data at an individual title level. It is a very robust survey with a huge sample size, both qualitative and quantitative, trying to address the issues of the magazine industry as a whole, well represented by all major genres and languages.

     

    The AIM had announced during IMC 2010 its plan to conduct the Engagement Study for magazines, which could act as an alternate source of data for advertisers, after advertisers and media agencies expressed their concerns over the measurement issue that has plagued the magazine industry for long. The study is expected to solve the problem of qualitative measurement that the print industry faces, especially in the magazine domain.

    We have great work available on this subject in countries like the US, UK etc. However, the complex nature of the magazine market like India, with so many titles in so many different languages, makes this survey a unique and challenging one, concluded Mr Bhattacharya.

    Studies have shown that magazines have a completely different level of engagement. Magazine reading is very immersive and concentrated, much more than other mediums. Hence, the study is expected to be a boost for the advertising industry, giving them more options and choices to advertise effectively and efficiently.

     

  • Luxury market grew 20% last year despite signs of global slowdown, says CII-AT Kearney report

    Luxury mkt grows 20% despite slowdown signs

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Indian luxury market grew at a healthy 20% during last year, reaching a size of $5.8 billion, despite signs of the reemergence of a global slowdown, says a CII-AT Kearney report on Indian Luxury.

     

    In 2009, the luxury market in India stood at $4.76 billion and is expected to grow to $14.7 billion by 2015, notwithstanding the infrastructure and regulatory constraints, says the study, which will be unveiled at the CII-ET Luxury summit in Delhi on Tuesday.

     

    Some segments of the market, of course, have seen runaway growth, compared to others. The jewellery segment, for example, has seen a growth of 30% in the last one year due to increasing prices of gold and diamond.

     

    The luxury electronics and car segments have seen a growth of above 35%, while fine dining has seen a whopping 40% growth in this period. All of these segments have seen higher growth than expected in the last one year. Apparel and accessories, watches and personal care have also seen robust growth, between 24-30%.

     

    The only two segments that lagged last year are realty and yachts . The rapid growth in luxury sales can be attributed to the fast growing affluence in the country.

     

    According to a global affluence study by research firm TNS, India has 3 million affluent households, defined as those with more than $100,000 (around Rs 50 lakh) of investable surplus. In a report released last month, Swiss wealth manager Julius Baer forecast that the wealth of HNIs in India, with assets of $1 million or more, would more than double to 4,03,000 by 2015.

     

    “Skepticism is being replaced by an increasing sense of buoyancy and promise in the future potential of the market. Consumers are accepting and adopting global trends much faster than anticipated,” says the report.

     

    Luxury players report that they are making money at the store level, which means that the model is proven and now it is a question of adding growth capital to gain scale.

     

    Source:The Economic Times

    Copyright © 2011, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved

  • PR agents are often abrupt and rude. Indisciplined too, perhaps influenced by their bosses. And their egos massively inflated because they believe they ‘own’ the stars.

    Anil Thakraney’s Hard Knocks: A problem called film publicists

    Part of my work involves doing big, detailed interviews with movie stars. And meeting these mighties is often a tedious process. Interviews get cancelled at the nth hour, or the star will arrive hours late for a pre-arranged meet. And therefore instead of it being a routine story, the ritual turns into an exercise in testing one’s patience. Of keeping your cool. Most filmi journos, for whom actors and directors constitute a regular beat, have reconciled with the waiting game.

     

    Though I must mention that an interview with Amitabh Bachchan starts sharp at the appointed time. On the occasions I have met him, I never have had to twiddle my thumbs. So if the ultra-big and the ultra-busy Big B can be so disciplined, it makes you wonder about the younger stars. Perhaps they get some jollies out of making journalists wait? Or they are simply disorganized folks, and haven’t been brought up to value other people’s time.

     

    And what makes things worse is the role played by the star’s PR agent or Publicist (or whatever fancy title they’ve acquired these days). Except for very few senior agents, who are a little more professional, I have often had rotten experiences with these front men and women. The job of representing movie stars (and close proximity to them) seems to give these people a false sense of self-importance. And the boom in the media, which also means a boom in celeb journalism, has resulted in too many journos chasing these PR agents with interview requests. And this has made the fronters feel even more powerful.

     

    The PR agents are often abrupt and rude. Indisciplined too, perhaps influenced by their bosses. And their egos massively inflated because they believe they ‘own’ the stars. As journalists, most of us have learnt to live with these ‘obstacles’ enroute to meeting the actors. Some junior reporters even indulge them, so that interview requests don’t get turned down, and gossip about rivals keeps pouring in. And the show goes on, as it should.

     

    But a few of them have gotten so drunk on their access to celebrity, they refuse to leave the room even AFTER the interview begins. They continue to hover around like a nasty presence, like ghoulish shadows. Completely ignoring a basic principle of journalism: That the best interviews (at least for the print medium) happen one-on-one, and it’s in their interest if the discussion with their bosses is insightful and meaningful. I have had PR agents politely evicted from rooms, but some die-hards still won’t get it. They’ll hang around despite being ticked off.

     

    I hope one day we see some degree of professionalism come into this job. So that meetings with film stars can be a joyful ride. And not a pain in the you-know-where, which it often is.

     

    ***

     

    PS: My best film interviews, in my own judgment, have so far been with Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan… in both cases there was no middle person involved. And with Aamir Khan and Kareena Kapoor, because their agents were wise enough to leave us alone.

  • Indian FMCG companies tie up with American film studios to co-brand products

    FMCG biggies go America to co-brand wares

    By Sarah Jacob & Meenakshi Verma Ambwani

     

    As Tintin, the boyish hero with a slick mohawk and do-good spirit, breaks out of the comic strip into a 3D animation film in November, brands in India too have begun to partake in the Hollywood adventure.

     

    Consumer goods companies in India and American film studios have found value in each other’s consumer base, leading to movie mania on the retail shelf. Chocolate Junction, which made chocolates printed with New Delhi monuments for the Commonwealth Games, is creating chocolates wrapped in Tintin characters.

     

    Holding the licence for Paramount Pictures’ The Adventures of Tintin: The secret of the Unicorn, it plans to retail at multiplexes and supermarkets just as Sweet Dreams will make leisure wear for children and Funskool India will develop puzzles around Tintin characters.

     

    Or take perfume firm York Transnational, which adapted Archie comics to eu de toilette (EDTs) and eu de perfumes in India recently. It is in talks with Sony Pictures’ India agents Bradford License to launch EDTs for Men In Black-3 across malls and its Perfume Station retail chain next year.

     

    In such agreements, the licensee pays a royalty based on the sales it projects for the extension of the movie into a particular product category. These partnerships typically extend for 10-12 months, leading up to the film’s release and after.

     

    While Bangalore-based Chocolate Junction is betting on the eyeballs to grow its profile and distribution into a national chocolatier by creating products, others are cobranding existing products with films to generate higher sales by breaking through the competition clutter.

     

    Studios, in turn, gain by engaging with viewers and potential ones off screen. “It gives us an edge over other brands and give consumers another reason to buy,” said Sushil Sushant, Godrej Tyson Foods’ associate vicepresidenty -India. The frozen foods company entered into a strategic partnership with Walt Disney for brand Yummiez.

     

    It not only co-branded the party packs of its dinosaur-shaped nuggets with Toy Story-3 last year but has also tied up with Cars-2 this year. The sales of the packs have grown 70% over the past year.

     

    “Since Hollywood movies are being well received at the box office, brands are beginning to view it as an effective marketing medium,” said Pritie Jadhav, COO of film marketing arm of Percept, P9 Integrated. Hollywood movies contributed about 5% to the total box office revenues in India in 2010 from less than 1% a few years ago, trade analysts said.

     

     

    Hindustan Unilever too tied up with Disney’s Tangled as Rapunzel’s story tied in with Clinic Plus shampoo’s benefit of long and strong hair. “Hair clips (bundled with the bottles) had immense badge value for young girls,” said Piyush Jain, category director (hair care), HUL, adding that it influenced purchases by parents and was evident in both the sales and market share for the period.

     

    In fact, much of this increase in licensing and merchandising opportunities is because of the fast growth of the retail industry in India, said Divya Pathak, Sony Picture Entertainment’s marketing director.

     

    Horlicks-maker GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) too bet on the magical world of Narnia by featuring the film’s characters on its biscuit packs. And when the rotund Kung Fu Panda landed his menacing kicks for the sequel, GSK found synergies between the Panda’s noodles restaurant business and its brand Foodles.

     

    It bundled a Kung Fu Panda fork, spoon and bowl with Foodles packs. “Our core consumers are children and such films help us talk to them in a language they understand,” said Puneet Das, GM, Horlicks. He said superhero movies tie in very well with their promise of making children taller, stronger and sharper.

     

    In fact, marketing spends of Hollywood movies are growing at faster pace than Bollywood movies, said Navin Shah, joint MD of film branding company EMC Worldwide. It has grown from a few lakh rupees in the past 2-3 years to close to Rs 1 crore today.

     

    This is also because Hollywood films are now being launched in a larger number of prints. “As studios focus on dubbed languages, we are spending higher to reach out to audiences across the country and that has meant more cobranded promotions,” Vivek Krishnani head-marketing distribution and syndication Fox Star Studios, said.

     

     

    Source:The Economic Times

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