MxMIndia

Author: mxm_india

  • On October 31, 2011 AdAsia began in New Delhi in Grand style. The opening ceremony hosted 1200 delegates from over 25 countries.

    AdAsia opens in grand style

    By Akash Raha

    AdAsia went underwent today with a gala high decibel opening ceremony called the ‘Zee Gala Night’. The event will host over 1200 delegates from over 25 countries. All the leading names of the advertising fraternity were present to grace the opening ceremony of AdAsia 2011, held in New Delhi.

    The evening began with traditional Cambodian dance which represented the dance of Asia. It was followed by several other dance forms from Taiwan, Thailand, Japan and not to mention, India. The day’s proceedings was anchored by the multi-talented Boman Irani who enthralled the crowd by his witty comments, his humour and not to mention, by singing wonderful songs. Mr Irani also announced the Chariman of AdAsia, Mr Madhukar Kamath of the in-the-news Mudra Group.

    This was followed by a speech by Mr Tejender Khanna, Lieutenant Governor of Delhi. Mr Khanna spoke about India, Delhi and the theme ‘Uncertainity: The new Certainity’.  A part of this amazing evening also was percussion maestro Taufiq Qureshi who enchanted the crowd with his amazing performance.

    The day ended with mouthwatering food and drinks. The food from all over Delhi was brought to the table for the delegates and was named ‘Streets of Delhi’.

    Day 1

    The day one of the conference begins today (November 1) with several key sessions and addresses by prominent members of our industry. The day will be started off with the Indian national anthem followed by a choir performance. Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan and Minister of Information & Broadcasting Ms Ambika Soni are scheduled to  be the guests of honour.

  • With just three weeks left for AdAsia, the total delegate count for the main event has touched almost 800. The theme is ‘Uncertainty is the new certainty’, and industry expectations from the event are high.

    AdAsia expectations soar

    By Shubhangi Mehta

    The excitement over Asia’s biggest management, marketing, media, advertising and communications congress is mounting. AdAsia 2011 is scheduled to be held over three days with 20 sessions, over 40 speakers and 800 delegates already registered.

    A panel of world renowned personalities from different walks of life will share their invaluable experiences, insights and sharp analysis of ongoing events, providing new ideas, concepts and a firm handle on how the changes we are witnessing today will translate into trends in the future. They will go beyond analysis to address the question ‘How’ and to elaborate innovative ideas and solutions to key global challenge.

    Indra Nooyi – Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, PepsiCo, Ram Charan – Business Consultant, Speaker & Author, Harish Manwani – COO, Unilever, Joseph Tripodi – Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing & Commercial Officer, The Coca-Cola Company and David Droga – Founder, Creative Chairman, Droga5, are some of the big names speaking at AdAsia 2011.

    Mr Bobby Pawar, COO, Mudra, said, “I am excited about AdAsia, we will get to listen to great people from in and out of the industry. To me this is very motivating. The theme for AdAsia 2011 is a great one and I totally agree with it, what will be interesting here is that what do  they say to focus more on this topic.”

    The conference is planned to engage and involve participants from the word go so that they are an integral part of the rethink of systems, strategies and solutions. Their thoughts and ideas will be instrumental in aligning these to a rapidly changing global business environment. The participants will also get a chance to connect with the right people both familiar and unknown who will challenge the way you think and act.

    Mr KV Sridhar, NCD, Leo Burnett, said, “AdAsia used to be a non-glamorous conclave for advertising industry, unlike other ad events which have awards as an integral part of their ceremony. This year though they are trying hard enough by getting great speakers, having a very interesting theme and overall spending luxuriously on the event. It will be interesting to see how much the event actually benefits from this. I am really looking forward to AdAsia this year as it will be fascinating to see how many industry people actually attend the event other than the speakers.”

    Mr Prathap Suthan, Chief Creative Officer, iYogi, said, “I will be going for AdAsia with a couple of my agency people. We are expecting to hear the best  of experts on ‘uncertainty is the new certainty’ as in my opinion the world has always been uncertain hence nothing can be regarded as certain. Steve Jobs’ death was not certain, anything that happens to anyone is never certain.”

    AdAsia began as a three-day Asian Advertising Conference in 1958 sponsored by the Japan International Advertising Association (JIAA). The principal objective of the conference was to give Asian advertising a boost in the post war era. The conference was attended by delegates from six countries including Japan. The modest conference grew into a congress in the 1960s and was nick named AdAsia in 1984.

    AdAsia2011 is being organised under the aegis of the Asian Federation of Advertising Associations (AFAA). AFAA was set up in July 1978, when representatives of advertising associations of ten Asian countries reached an unanimous decision to do so, based on the recommendations of a working committee formed at the 10th Asian Advertising Congress held in Sydney in 1976. The current members of the Federation include Advertising Associations from Bangladesh, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taipei, Thailand, United Arab Emirates and Vietnam.

  • Early Bird offer on registration for AdAsia 2011 closes September 30

    Hurry to register at AdAsia for discounts

    Indian Delegates : Registration Fees – Rs 40,000; Early Bird – Rs 33,000

    International Delegates; Registration Fees –US$ 1,500; Early Bird – US$1,200

    Accompanying Person: Indian Delegates – Rs 10,000; International Delegates – US$500

    Early bird prices are available to those who register before September 30.

    The AdAsia agenda will feature more than 20 intellectually stimulating sessions that explore the business ecosystem and understand the nature of disruption. The topics have been carefully selected to stimulate exciting and cutting-edge debate on concerns vital to the marketing, advertising and media industries.

    • Can industry reinvent itself to fit the new world order?
    • Who will be the Game Changers?
    • Marketing is dead, engagement is in…Trust is dead, excitement and edginess are in. What are the new rules for survival for brands and their markets?
    • Has the DNA of the new consumer been decoded?
    • How will strategy and structure evolve to tango better?
    • The Asian conglomerate – just a pipe dream?
    • From Chat Rooms to Facebook to Twitter…..What Next?
    • Will Asia lead the next creative renaissance?
    • How will clients cut through clutter to navigate media traffic?
    • Can Unpredictability be managed in Life and Business?
    • Will Brands with a Conscience survive?
    • India 2020 – a global brand?

  • All set for new highs @ AdAsia 2011

    By Shruti Pushkarna

     

    Asia’s biggest Marketing, Media and Advertising Congress is less than two months away, and the Organizing Committee members of AdAsia 2011 seem all set to set new precedents in the history of AdAsia. Organizing Committee Chairperson and Group CEO-MD Mudra Group, Mr Madhukar Kamath, confesses, that after Jaipur 2003, the team is working hard towards setting a new benchmark.

    The theme for AdAsia 2011 is Uncertainty: The New Certainty. Extensive thought has gone into the content for AdAsia 2011. As opposed to Jaipur 2003, where the city had the advantage of virtually no distractions, Delhi is a bigger challenge. Mr Kamath admitted, A lot of thinking has gone into the 20 unique sessions for this year as the biggest challenge was to keep the audience inside the halls hooked enough with great content, knowing that Delhi as a city is full of distractions.

    Adding to this, Mr Ashish Bagga, Co-Chairman of the Organising Committee and India Group CEO, said, We have looked at all the highs of Jaipur and made them higher and we’ve looked at all the lows of Jaipur and made them into our strengths Delhi will be far far better than Jaipur in every which way. Delhi is going to be the New Certainty in making the new benchmark of AdAsia.

    Speaking at a press conference in the Capital on Thursday, the Committee presented the media with a quick peek on the programming. Day1 will open with a keynote with Mr Michael Roth, Chairman & CEO, Interpublic and Mr Harish Manwani, COO, Unilever. This will be followed with uniquely designed sessions for the following two days.

    With eight Indian panelists and nearly 40 foreign speakers, AdAsia 2011 seems a promising delight for the industry across Asia. No AdAsia in the last 26 years has had this ensemble of speakers, said Mr Kamath.

    Bollywood actor and theatre artist Mr Boman Irani will host the event and there will be spectacular performances by Mr Shiamak Dawar’s dance troupe, as well as Shillong Choir, the winners of popular reality show India’s Got Talent. Day 1 will also see a rare musical ensemble led by the famous percussionist, Mr Taufiq Qureshi, son of legendary tabla maestro, Ustad Allah Rakha. Everyone inside the hall will be making some music, remarked Mr Kamath.

    The event promises to be not just the biggest international gathering of industry stalwarts but also a cultural gala. On the schedule are Kathak performances, a Vietnamese evening, and theme lunches and dinners to look forward to. The streets of Delhi will be recreated on the Taj lawns, displaying foods of Delhi and street performances, said Kamath.

    With around 1,200 delegates expected this year, over 400 will be international delegates alone. The neighbouring countries like China and Pakistan have shown an overwhelming response, with over 100 pre-registration requests from Pakistan and around 30 from China so far. Mr Kamath said that there have been about 300 registrations so far, and more are expected.

    A high-profile event, AdAsia will see government participation with confirmations from the Delhi Chief Minister and I&B Minister for the opening ceremony. Bollywood veteran Mr Amitabh Bachchan, and actors Mr Shahrukh Khan and Mr Aamir Khan have also been requested to attend. So keeping the high profile in mind, strict security measures will be in place.Although we don’t take responsibility for any quakes, quipped Mr Bagga.

    Answering questions about the business prospects of the event, Mr Bagga stated,This is not a money making thing, it’s a knowledge sharing platform.As for the speakers, Mr Kamath said, All of them, barring a few listed professional speakers, agreed to attend at a very reasonable price.

    Although the committee members expressed their desire to reach out to the maximum number of management students in the country through this platform, there are no discounts on offer. The delegate tickets are priced at Rs 33,000 for early birds and Rs 40,000 post September 30.

    However, there are contests on social media, like Twitter and Facebook, and winning these can get you registration waivers. All you need to do is, upload a 10 slide presentation on the theme, Uncertainty: The New Certainty. These presentations will be judged by the members of the Advisory Board of AdAsia 2011.

    Vietnam will play host to the next AdAsia. As for AdAsia 2015, Thailand and Taiwan are competing to host it. Details about the event can be found at http://adasia2011.com/index.html

     

  • AdAsia 2011: The colour and the certainty

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    By Dhara Salla

    The logo for AdAsia is a colourful creation based on the different fabrics one can find all over Asia, and the theme of the marketing, media and advertising congress is Uncertainty is the New Certainty.

    AdAsia will be held in New Delhi from October 31 to November 3, 2011. This is its 27th edition and it will be presented by the Asian Federation of Advertising Associations. The chairman of the organizing committee is Mr Madhukar Kamath, group CEO and MD, Mudra group; the committee also consists of co-chairman Mr Ashish Bagga, CEO, Living Media India Ltd; co-chairman Dr Bhaskar Das, President, The Times of India group and Mr Uday Shankar, CEO, Star India.

    The congress is divided into 20 sessions with 50 speakers from the world over  ranging from creative spark Mr David Droga to Lever honcho Mr Harish Manwani  out of which 38 have been confirmed. The list of speakers also includes people like Mr Sanjay Kapoor – CEO, Bharti Airtel, Mr Salman Amin, EVP and Chief Marketing Officer, PepsiCo, and Mr Chris Thomas, Chairman and CEO of BBDO Asia, Middle East and Africa and Chairman of Proximity Worldwide, to name a few.They are awaiting the confirmation from Amitabh Bachchan and Shahrukh Khan. The upper limit of the number for the delegates attending the event is 1,000-1,200. Around 300 registrations have been confirmed, said Mr Kamath.

     

    The event promises to be not just the biggest international gathering of industry stalwarts but also a cultural gala. On the schedule are Kathak performances, a Vietnamese evening, and theme lunches and dinners to look forward to. The streets of Delhi will be recreated and will display foods of Delhi and street performances, said Mr Kamath.

    AdAsia already has a few co-sponsors on board, and the scale of the event means it is bound to be big-budget. Mr Kamath did not reveal the budget but said the title sponsorship cost around Rs 4 crore and the co-sponsorship would start from Rs 50 lakh.

     

    The marketing strategy for AdAsia this year includes heavy use of social media such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

     

    Asked what the event promised, in a nutshell, Mr Kamath thought for a while and answered, Incredible learning and enthrallment from the congress sessions.

     

    More information can be had at www.adasia2011.com.

     

    Related Stories

    http://www.mxmindia.com/2011/09/adasia-2011-a-new-benchmark-in-the-making/

     

  • The News Broadcasters Asscociation asks the Prime Minister to ask the Press Council of India chief to mind his own business

    Mediaah! Katju ko bolo katli maaro, says NBA

    Pradyuman MaheshwariPardon the forced usage of Bambaiyya, but with a name like Katju and this being the season for mithai, one couldn’t help the play on Kaaju Katli. With apologies to the lovers of the Kaaju Katli. I am not too concerned about how Mr K reacts… in any case he finds journalists irresponsible and unintelligent.

    There’s been a lot of song and dance about the Press Council of India chief Markandey Katju’s outbursts to all and sundry. Yesterday, the News Broadcasters Association asked the Prime Minister to ask the Press Council of India to mind his own business and stop effing around with the news TV wallahs.

    The Prime Minister is in Cannes attending the G20 summit and I won’t be surprised if he does precious little about it.

    There have been various reports on the News Broadcasters Association asking the Prime Minister to restrain the Press Council of India chairman to not comment on areas that are beyond his jurisdiction. I found the one on former friend and benefactor Anil Wanvari’s Indiantelevision.com the most exhaustive. Here goes: http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k11/nov/nov28.php

    But before you slam the man any further, as our editor-at-large Anil Thakraney writes, there is a point that Katju is making. There are scores of occasions when you do have our news channels transgressing all lines of decency. I have stopped some of the channels – especially a few in Hindi – because of the trashy content that’s there on them. Even on Big News Days, these guys don’t seem to get over their obsession with the Occult. And the Inane.

    Former Aaj Tak CEO and also bossman of a dozen industry associations G Krishnan would often argue for the trade about this with a “We are like this only refrain”.  Whoever says news has to be only current affairs. And whoever said current affairs shouldn’t include who Ranbir Kapoor was in bed with last night.

    (aside, these days channels could also do similar stories about mediapersons, but we’ll come to that some other time… or perhaps will never do it.!)

    (aside 2: the last time, Mediaah! tried to write on the private life of a mediaperson, we had to kill ourselves).

    I am not armed with the stats, but the fact of the matter is that all news broadcasters aren’t members of the NBA. And it’s impossible for the NBA to coerce channels to turn members. There’s nothing out of the ordinary about this. In other trade associations too, large players don’t become members.

    So, as the NBA has said, let its self-regulation policies rule over all news channels. In fact the uplinking and downlinking policies must make it mandatory for all news channels broadcasting out of India to subscribe to a self-regulation code of the NBA.

     

    Should the Press Council be made the Media Council?

     

    First, do we need a Press Council. The newspaperwallahs have their INS, the magazine guys have an AIM, internet and mobile dudes have IAMAI, the ad folk have their AAAI and ASCI, so why the Press Council.

    It’s a body with no teeth. It can’t do a thing to police newspapers. I remember receiving a few letters from the Council in the ‘90s asking my paper to apologise for some flimsy reason. I was advised by my publisher to ignore the notice, and when one realised there was no need for the paper to issue an apology, I trashed the missive. It’s not that the newspaper lost its licence or was penalised. We went about our business peacefully only to trash the next letter that came in.

    I am a little surprised that the Press Council didn’t have news channels under its jurisdiction all these years. When it was set up in 1966 (with the Press Council Act taking coming into existence only in 1978), we only had the government-owned Doordarshan and All India Radio so I guess no one found the need for policing the airwaves.

    Para 1 of the ‘about us’ section of its site says:

    The Press Council of India was first set up in the year 1966 by the Parliament on the recommendations of the First Press Commission with the object of preserving the freedom of the press and of maintaining and improving the standards of press in India. The present Council functions under the Press Council Act 1978. It is a statutory, quasi judicial body which acts as a watchdog of the press. It adjudicates the complaints against and by the press for violation of ethics and for violation of the freedom of the press respectively.

    There is a self-regulator for news and non-news television and advertising and there is none for print and digital media. So I guess there is merit for a self-regulator, but ideally it should be done by an industry body and not someone set up by the government. As for ensuring the freedom of the press, we surely don’t need a Press Council of India to police that.

    Our democratic set-up will ensure that governments can’t get away with stifling the press. As for media owners muzzling their own employees, I don’t think the Press Council or any minister or Parliamentarian can do anything about it. The owners almost always have the final say.

     

  • Communication can include local flavouring but the core idea remains and finds cohesion when it comes to execution.

    The Anchor: 5 reasons it’s good to be part of an international agency network

    By Alok Agrawal

    #1 Global exposure: There is an opportunity to interact and learn from the various offices of the network spread across the world. Especially in the times we are operating in, it is imperative that we have knowledge of how markets are operating in different parts of the world, and a global network makes this possible.

    #2 One network one brand: With many international brands finding a foothold in India and and Indian brands going International, a network handling the brand helps in creating seamless communication across the world. While communication can include local flavouring, the core idea remains and finds cohesion when it comes to execution.

    #3 People experience: One gets to interact with people from various geographies and learn from them. There is an opportunity to exchange ideas which helps in coming out with better communication solutions.

    #4 New practices: As the business of advertising is undergoing transformation with changing times, being part of the network helps in anticipating those changes, learning from markets that have undergone such changes earlier or anticipate changes and be better equipped to meet those challenges.

    #5 New experience: Besides, it helps in giving an opportunity to travel across the various offices across the world and be part of new experiences.

     

    Alok Agrawal is the Chief Operating Officer of Cheil India/Southwest Asia Regional HQ.

  • Niira Radia has paid the price for doing her job while those on either end of her intermediary role are sitting pretty.

    Freaking News: Media ethics just hogwash?

    This is surely the best story about journalistic arrogance and insouciance. A newspaper reports that Mr X has the “manners of a pig”. Mr X sues and wins the case and the newspaper is directed to retract the remark. The next day’s edition declares: “Mr X hasn’t the manners of a pig”.

    Basically, you can’t win.

    For years, the media has got away with this and everything else. But now, in these days of social media and public clothes lines, nothing is secret and certainly nothing is sacred. The hippies wanted to let it all hang out but even they may not have envisaged the extent to which they were taken seriously.

    There are three issues at hand here. The first is about paid news – which specifically in the Indian context refers to politicians and political parties buying editorial space to win elections. This is not a seedy arrangement with a crooked reporter. This is money paid to the owners and managers of media houses.

    The election commission had taken up the issue but seems more concerned with punishing the politicians rather than the media houses. Both, surely, are culpable.

    The second is the new chairman of the Press Council of India and his contempt for journalists. The contempt may well be justifiable and freedom of expression as a fundamental right applies to all of us. How his views have anything to do with the activities of the Press Council are another matter. Markandey Katju may have forgotten that he is not longer a judge on the Supreme Court but head of a toothless, spineless and rather redundant body. Or probably he knows that, which is why he trying to get a little more for himself.

    The third is the strangest of all. Just before public relations diva Niira Radia quit the profession, NDTV elevated Barkha Dutt to the post of editor-in-chief and has set up an ethics committee under another editor, Sonia Varma. One of all journalists’ favourite proverbs is about bolting the stable door after the horse has fled. Well, maybe it doesn’t fit here. The horse has been promoted and is in fact running the stable. What exactly will this ethics committee achieve now, over a year after the Radia tapes damned Dutt and Vir Sanghvi? Sanghvi lost his popular Hindustan Times column ‘Counterpoint’ and for many, his reputation, for agreeing to Radia’s suggestions and demands. Dutt stonewalled and badgered her way through all criticism and appears to be have been rewarded for similar interactions with Radia. Her column in the Hindustan Times remains, however.

    From all appearances, Radia has suffered the most. She was the messenger acting for her clients, the Tatas and the Ambanis. It was the telecom industry, as revealed in Radia’s conversations, who wanted the DMK’s A Raja to become telecom minister. Radia has paid the price for doing her job while those on either end of her intermediary role are sitting pretty.

    Under such circumstances, it does feel that the breast-beating about media ethics is just hogwash. No one wants to take on the big names and too many within the media are obviously willing to be compromised. The current story in Goa about a sting operation revealing paid news has hardly created the storm it should.

    Right now, many of us are just happy fooling the public and few of us have the manners of a pig.

  • “The trick is to do effective loyalty programmes,” says Adrian Hoon, Vice President, Sales, APAC, Epsilon International.

    Epsilon aims to win customers over for good

    By A Correspondent

    Perhaps one of the most challenging tasks for marketers today, in a scenario where competition is burgeoning, is to convert existing customers into loyal customers. And of course, the bigger challenge is how to retain them for a long period, how to ensure they move hand-in-hand with the brand through its evolution phase in the marketplace. The challenge can be even more significant in categories such as telecom and financial services, where a huge number of players are eyeing to out-size each other in terms of new customer acquisitions.

    “The trick is to do effective loyalty programmes,” says Adrian Hoon, Vice President, Sales, APAC, Epsilon International. Epsilon is a multichannel marketing services company that specialises in Customer Experience marketing and Mr Hoon along with his key members of the team are in India to talk to marketers and the trade on the importance of loyalty marketing and the services they provide.

    The company, in association with LoyaltyOne, specialists in loyalty programmes, has released a detailed report that seeks to identify underlying differences in cultural approaches in six countries; three emerging economies – India, China and Brazil and three developed countries – United States, Canada and Australia. Mr Hoon says that the report has enough insights that talk about consumer behaviour in the six markets, and how brands, particularly in India and China can make best use of loyalty programmes to service consumers for many years. He further states that when companies know they need to practise loyalty marketing, they aren’t sure about how to do that on an ongoing basis.

    The scope of the research spreads across consumer attitudes, preferences, and behaviours.

    As far as India is concerned, the study says that more than 40 per cent of Indians are eager to join loyalty programmes.

    Key findings from India

     

    • Word of Mouth (WOM) is a big factor when it comes to purchase decisions. WOM conversations are rated at 7-8 on a 10 point scale in India, in terms of importance. And that’s a good 15 – 25 per cent higher than developed countries. This insight is of great significance for brands looking to create early adopters and loyal ambassadors.

     

    • Indian consumers are fairly optimistic about the country’s growth, with 34 per cent of Indians feeling strongly that the country’s economic prospects will improve over the next decade.
    • 42 percent of Indians belong to at least one reward programme, it is significantly lower than American counterparts, 74 per cent of whom are enrolled in such programmes.
    • 20 to 33 percent of Indian consumers are “extremely loyal” to their favorite brands across six major categories — clothing retailers, grocery retailers, financial services providers, dining, auto fuel and travel providers.
    • 56 percent of Indians believe that most businesses can be trusted. This is significantly higher than all other countries surveyed. A high number of Indians (56 percent) also seem to have inherent trust towards international brands over domestic brands.
    • Email and text messages rank No 1and No 2 respectively as the preferred means of receiving marketing messages among India’s middle class consumers, beating television and print advertising.

     

     

    The survey was carried out online with a sample size of 500 for the Indian market (A sample of 1200 d was taken for developed economies – US, Canada and Australia). Interviews were carried out across segments: SEC A, B and C.

  • Chris Brown, President, The NAB Show, is expecting India to participate in a big way in the April 2012 global broadcasters’ event at Las Vegas.

    Huge demand for Indian content in US: Chris Brown, NAB Show prez

    Chris Brown, President, The NAB Show, talks to MxM India’s Rishi Vora on how he’s looking at India to participate in a big way in the global event starting April 14 – 19, 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada USA.  Edited excerpts:

    Q: It’s been 90-odd years since The NAB Show was first introduced. How has the event evolved over the years?

    The NAB Show started as a television-radio event in the US at a time when media—primarily radio and television—were just about introduced. The focus was on technology, very basic in nature. The industry was evolving and you basically had small station operators. Over time, technology became more sophisticated, the internet started to become a potent medium, software started to play a major role. Then came high-definition TV which is a big plus for the industry.  Our audience became much more diverse; they began to expand into whole world of production and that tied us with the film community—the Hollywood and the Bollywood community. We then got into the enterprise community, covering segments such as retail and healthcare, companies that want to build content for entertainment or communication purposes.

    So effectively what we are doing is bringing buyers and sellers onto a common platform to meet business needs, to enable buying, selling and distribution of great content around the world. We get participation from more 150 countries. We are the world’s largest media and entertainment event. Our audience demographic is very wide, it covers television in all forms – cable, satellite, internet, mobile and cinema—and it’s a big reason why we’ve come to India.

    Q: Does the majority of the participation come from the US?

    Thirty percent of the total participation is global, and that’s a very high percentage. More than 2,500 people come from different countries.

    Q: What are your expectations from the 2012 event as far as the number of delegates are concerned?

    We expect to have 95,000 participants out of which 25,000 to 28,000 will be global participation.

    Q: How many do you think will participate from India?

    About 750 to 1,000.

    Q: What are your plans for the 2012 event that is schedule to take place in April?

    There will be focus on things like connected TV, and we’ll have new things like an Apps pavilion and a Cloud Computing pavilion. We are also bringing focus on Online Video.

    Q: Are you talking to YouTube too?

    YouTube is a company that has been on the show in the past, not in a big way but we’re trying to get them back. They have not committed yet but we hope they do.  But yes, there is no doubt we’re putting heavy focus on content platforms like these and that’s why we’re here to talk to companies and try and get them to the event, meet other companies from around the world, and explore business opportunities.

    Q: What’s the USP of NAB as a global event?

    We’re very strong on the digital media side, helping folks on the buying and selling space connect to each other. So YouTube and some major players in India and US, we try and get them together. The other part is just the straight connection of international content where it makes sense around the world. And in the US, we think, there is a huge demand for Indian content.

    Q: What’s in it for Indian participants?

    It depends on what kind of a company they are and what their focus is. If they are coming from more of a technology side, I think what they would want to do is come and understand trends—where is technology heading and how is that going to drive the business going forward. The other thing on the technology side they can do is, develop partnerships with companies that can help leapfrog their business to greater levels. If they are in the content business, they would want to build international alliances, partnerships and JVs etc.

    Q: How was the response from India last year?

    We had about 600 delegates from India.

    Q: Why is it that a delegate has to pay a separate fee for the conference and a separate fee to participate in the show?

    The conference is a different offering, and hence we charge a fee for that. We get the best speakers across the globe to share their knowledge and experiences, so there is huge value on that. However, it is not a huge revenue generator for us by any means. This year your focus is more on India, China, US and the UK. What are the parameters that determine the focus countries?

    For the last four-five years, China has really been on that list with India. So we look at economic stability, how much growth, whether there has been transition to HD TV etc. Brazil is generally the top country in terms of participation with close to 2000 participants every year. India is very much the focus country now. We are spending more time in India than in China. That’s primarily because our focus is on content. India is today producing top quality content that needs to go global, whereas China is a hardware driven market.

    Also, what we bring to the table for our participants in India is the scale. We are the largest media and entertainment event in the world. It’s a showcase of the world’s latest technologies.

    Q:  What companies in India are you initiating talks with?

    We are speaking to Balaji, Shemaroo, Idreamz, UTV, Reliance, Hungama, Big Synergy, Tata etc. The idea is to get a cross section of companies, across television, digital and films.

    Q: How big a challenge is it to market this event globally?

    It’s tough! We do a lot of work through the US Department of Commerce, so that connects us with embassy contacts around the world and that helps us reach local companies in different markets. We also work with trade associations in different countries, publications etc.

    Q: Should we expect many Indian participate as speakers in the event? Have you already got some names on board?

    We’re trying to get them but none have confirmed yet. We are hoping to get some really good speakers from India. We have extended our invitations to companies like Reliance and UTV.

     

  • In Freaking News, Ranjona Banerji reviews the fare on nightly news and in the morning papers

    Freaking News: One event, two interpretations

    By Ranjona Banerji

     

    One event, two interpretations: Monday morning’s Times of India and Hindustan Times had two completely different interpretations of LK Advani’s rath yatra’s entry into Gujarat. TOI found in an empty chair between Advani and Gujarat CM Narendra Modi a symbol of the growing distance between the two leaders and described their interaction as cold. Advani apparently added to the distance by praising Modi’s bete noire, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar. Hindustan Times however perhaps read nothing into empty chairs and said that Advani and Modi put up a united front to turn the heat against the Congress.

    Surprisingly, Headline Today, known for its slightly rightwing stance – No, Mr Katju, not all media outlets have identical reactions – also perceived a freeze in Advani-Modi relations.

     

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    Mamata Banerjee’s dramatic declaration – although her speech itself was very well-reasoned and delivered most matter-of-factly – of withdrawal of support to the UPA over the petrol price hike did not turn into a weekend drama. Mainly because the Congress barely responded and Banerjee herself said she would wait till the PM returned from his travels.

    It was interesting that Times Now broadcast her whole speech which was in Bengali and took a good few minutes to get translations up. Perhaps we need to have a more instant translation technique given the languages listed in the Constitution or at least faster paraphrasing abilities.

     

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    The death of composer and singer Bhupen Hazarika received both airtime and newsprint space and more importantly, honour and respect. Perhaps this means that we in the media are not as shallow as we ourselves feel or are made out to be – Mr Katju please note.

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    Our Sunday papers felt the need to reconnect us with the “other India’ and we had special reports on our labour policies and how unfair they are to labourers, the problems of contractual workers as well as focus on our perennial health problems. Not sure if this was proving a point to Mr Katju or in fact, it was the Katju effect at work.

     

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    Mumbai’s law and order problems were highlighted once again as the spotlight remained on the deaths of Keenan and Reuben in a Mumbai suburb in October. Most say this as an opportunity to focus on similar problems elsewhere in the country as well as on the treatment of women on our streets.

     

    **

    The Hindustan Times has been running a series of accusations and counterpoints between Goa theatre veteran Hartman de Souza and Tehelka editor Tarun Tejpal which has now spilled over into cyber space. Tehelka has been holding a “Think Fest” in Goa and de Souza and others have accused the journal of having double standards when it comes to the issue of exposing the mining lobby in Goa. It is a fascinating series of accusations, some petty and some serious. This is one more example of how the media is looking more at itself as a “story” as well as how the internet has changed the game when it comes to public interaction.

  • MxMIndia partners ‘Paid News’ event to be held on November 18 in Mumbai with a film screening followed by a panel discussion.

    MxMIndia partners ‘Paid News’ event

    By A Correspondent

    MxMIndia has partnered the event ‘Paid News: Fooling People all the Time’ organised by Moneylife Foundation and Citizens Action Network with the support of industrialist Cyrus Guzder.

    To be held in Mumbai’s Madame Cama Hall (Opp Lion Gate, Kala Ghoda) on Friday, November 18, the evening will see the screening of the documentary ‘Brokering News’ followed by a panel discussion with senior journalists and the film-maker Umesh Aggarwal.

    About the film: The Delhi-based non-governmental, not-for-profit Public Service Broadcasting Trust (PSBT) recently released a documentary titled “Brokering News—the inside story of paid news”.

    The film by Umesh Aggarwal addresses a significant challenge facing Indian democracy today—which is the state of its media. The film looks at three aspects of paid news—how politicians are paying for positive coverage during elections, with the result that those who don’t pay are blanked out by the media; how the coverage and reviews of movies are orchestrated and paid for and of course, paid news about business and industry. It depicts in detail how journalists were forced to broker deals to offer editorial coverage to politicians.

    Details of the Event:

    Panelists: Umesh Aggarwal, Ayaz Memon, Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, Bhawana Somaaya, and Sucheta Dalal.

    Timings: 5.30-7.30pm (Registration and Tea starts at 5pm)

    Venue: Madame Cama Hall, KR Cama Hall Institute, Bombay Samachar Marg, Opp. Lion Gate, Kala Ghoda, Mumbai 400 023

    Admission: While admission is free, please register well in advance. Contact details: Call Judith/Seraphina on 022-24441058-60, or mail at mail@mlfoundation.in,or log on to www.mlfoundation.in

    While MxMIndia.com is Media Partner of the event, other media organisations (including trade media) are welcome to register and cover the event