MxMIndia

Author: mxm_india

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

    Social media hits back at Sibal

    By Ranjona Banerji

     

     The might of social media came straight down on Union minister Kapil Sibal on Tuesday after he tried to control, contain and coerce the internet into submission. Not only did the websites he spoke to refuse to screen content before it goes online, internet users also spewed venom at him. Those who tried to defend the minister’s position also felt the wrath of the people – former minister Shashi Tharoor and cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle for instance.

     

    Sibal said that after “offensive” comments and pictures on the net were brought to his notice, he got in touch with some websites and asked them to screen such content before it goes online. He pointed out that the cultural sensitivities of India had to be protected.

     

    Does the minister have a point? The problem for him though is that the internet is notoriously (and gloriously) indifferent to regulation. Its users guard their freedom very effectively and the effort to control them would be time-consuming, expensive and largely futile.

     

    TV on Tuesday night was bristling with rage – though I should clarify that. Times Now and CNNIBN bristled, NDTV was bothered about surrogacy (more publicity for Aamir Khan) and after that, showed We The People Again.

     

    For the first time since I have seen Suhel Seth on television (I confess here that he and I went to the same school for some years in Calcutta, at the same time), he did a commendable job yesterday. As Chandan Mitra was extolling the virtues of a tolerant India and the importance of freedom of speech, at the same time likening the Congress Party to the devil, Seth reminded Mitra that December 6 was the anniversary of the demolition of the Babri Masjid, which does not say much for Indian tolerance. He also asked Mitra to reveal what he felt about freedom of speech and expression in the context of MF Husain and the controversy over the late artist’s depiction of Hindu deities. Mitra promptly changed his tune and was not quite so much in favour of freedom of expression. This is fact brought him closer to the song which Sibal is singing? Goswami, to his credit, pointed out to Mitra that he had changed his position. Anyway, Seth and Mitra got into spat and that ended what anyone else had to say.

     

    As a result, like all TV debates, there was more bombast that substance. It took today’s newspapers to tell us that the government is considering fines for offensive material and is formulating a code of conduct.

     

    Twitter and Facebook however continued their anger into Wednesday. India was likened to China (which is infamously terrified of freedom), the Emergency was harked back to, Sibal was compared to a Taliban cleric and the defining word – used in defiance of course – for Sibal was “idiot”.

     

    Not a nice day in the office for the minister!

     

    **

     

    The amount of publicity given to Aamir Khan’s baby via IVF and surrogacy has raised this cynic’s suspicions. Is there some sort of a publicity campaign going on for IVF clinics? Having done a number of stories on the procedure in my youth, I am surprised to see that the downside of IVF – high cost and low success rate to name two – is hardly being discussed.

     

    Surrogacy however has had some discussion on it.

     

    **

     

    V Gangadhar’s satirical piece on the edit page of The Hindustan Times is worth a read for a chuckle. He’s had a little gentle fun with the tributes to the late actor Dev Anand, which have been written by the unlikeliest of people.

     

  • Leo Burnett gets three nominations for Young Gun Advertising awards, Ogilvy & Mather has one.

    4 Indian names on Young Guns shortlists for 2011 awards

    By Shubhangi Mehta

     

    The shortlists for Young Guns 2011 have been announced and this year India has four nominations on the shortlist; Leo Burnett with three and Ogilvy with one.
    Leo Burnett’s Amod Dani and Ganesh Nayak have three nominations. Two for Tide Fold A Stain in the Art direction and Print Crafts category and one for Heinz Sketchup in the Consumer magazine campaigns category.

     

    Ogilvy & Mather’s Anupama Sirsalewal has received one for Unbearably Sour, Gun, Snake, Gullotine in the Illustration Campaigns category.

     

    Speaking on the shortlists, Arvind Sharma, Chairman Leo Burnett said, “We always believe in giving responsibilities to young and upcoming talent. We shall continue to do the same. We are happy that Amod and Ganesh are shortlisted in three categories and glad that the world is also recognising their talent”.

     

    On being nominated Amod Dani, ECD, Leo Burnett India, said, “The Young Guns award is a very prestigious international award. It is an extreme honour to be shortlisted for our efforts. We hope to convert this into a metal and continue to pursue creative excellence. Leo Burnett has always been at the forefront of promoting young talent, and this honour speaks a lot about the same”.

     

    Anupama Sirsalewal, Copywriter, Ogilvy & Mather, on her nomination said, “It’s a great feeling to be nominated. Piyush Pandey is God for me and I have grown up watching his ads, and now working in Ogilvy is anyway an award for me. This year has been great for me, be it Cannes Lions or Abby’s. Hope this one falls into my kitty too but there is still a long way to go.”

     

    Young Guns International Advertising Award is the world’s first and only award forum that is specifically for 18-30 year olds.

     

    To be named “Young Gun of the Year” is to be named the best young creative under 30 in the world.

     

    The “Young Gun of the Year” gets invited to join next year’s Young Guns jury.

  • The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the proposal of Walt Disney Company to up its shareholding in UTV to 100%

    Govt approves Walt Disney’s shareholding in UTV to 100%

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs of the Government of India has approved the proposal of Walt Disney Company (Southeast Asia) Pvt. Ltd., Singapore for increasing its shareholding of UTV Software Communications Limited, on fully diluted basis, from 48.02 per cent to 100 per cent, pursuant to the Foreign Investment Promotion Board recommendation in its meeting held on November 15, 2011.

     

    This approval is expected to result in FDI inflows amounting to Rs.8250 crore.

  • FMCG, consumer durables prices rise on rupee volatility

    As the $ rises, pay more for FMCGs & white goods

    By A Correspondent

     

    The falling rupee is raising the heckles for consumers already grappling with rising food prices. Over the last few weeks several fast moving consumer goods companies and white goods makers have increased prices, citing the depreciating rupee. And, those left behind are also bracing for a hike.

     

    If you haven’t noticed it yet, telecom handset makers such as BlackBerry and HTC have already jacked up prices by around 5%. According to retailers, Nokia has also raised the prices by the same amount, but the company declined to comment. Godrej, LG Electronics and Whirlpool have increased prices by around 8%. Samsung is planning to raise smartphone prices by 3-5%, but when it comes to white goods, the Korean giants have already opted for a 2-5% increase for refrigerators, washing machines and microwave ovens. Godrej Consumer Products, Dabur, Panasonic will follow suit, company executives said.

     

    While demand is not rising significantly, most companies say they can no longer absorb the lower margins on account of higher commodity prices. Although metal prices have declined internationally in recent weeks, the falling rupee has eroded the gains. Since the beginning of August, when the rupee was a little short of the 45-mark against the dollar, the Indian currency fell to a low of 52.73, a decline of nearly 18%. On Monday, the rupee closed 51.42, but even this is 15% lower than the level seen four months ago.

     

    Source: The Economic Times

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

  • Rahul Mathew on why not taking a risk is sometimes more hazardous.

    The Anchor: 7 reasons why taking risks in ideas works

    By Rahul Mathew

     

    #1 You already took a risk by being in this business of ideas. You could have been working fewer hours for a lot more money in some other job. So why stop now?

     

    #2 It’s not an idea to begin with if it’s not brave. And how can you be brave if you don’t have a penchant for risks?

     

    #3 Considering the only other risk you will be taking on a regular basis is eating the canteen food, you might as well get a little adventurous with your ideas.

     

    #4 If a risk pays off, you’re a radical thinker. If it doesn’t, you’re a reckless one. Both of which are often used to describe rock stars. Safe and dependable sounds good for a condom.

     

    #5 There’s nothing like that incredulous/stupid/shocked expression on the face of a tight-assed client/account management/boss when you present such an idea. It’s worth the effort.

     

    #6 A more practical reason: There are fewer risk takers in the industry today. And many who don’t take any. So, who do you think will be able to negotiate better?

     

    #7 Most importantly, the biggest risk you would be taking in this business would be not taking any. It’s the one thing that keeps you and your ideas from becoming wallpaper in today’s media space.

     

    Rahul Mathew is the Executive Creative Director, McCann Erickson Mumbai.

  • Indian parents in general do not bother to teach good manners to their kids, and this is amply demonstrated by the little ones at public places.

    Debrief: Thank you for the lesson

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Tata AIG Life Insurance has released a new TVC to hawk their children’s ‘Gyankosh’ insurance plan, and I totally like this one. Instead of promising that our children’s future will be safe with Tata AIG Life, and that they’ll grow up to become doctors and engineers, the focus is on inculcating the right values in the kids.

     

    The commercial features a young family at the dining table. When the servant arrives to serve food to the kid, the dad demands that he must say thank you to the house help. The spoilt lad refuses, but the dad puts his foot down. Finally, after much prodding, the kid says thanks to the servant and learns a lesson he’ll hopefully never forget in his life. The VO explains that parents must focus on the right upbringing of their children and Tata AIG Life will worry about their future.

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”250″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9Hc7JcNLuc[/youtube]

    Good one. Very refreshing and unexpected communication. And very relevant for our times. Because Indian parents in general do not bother to teach good manners to their kids, and this is amply demonstrated by the little ones at public places.

     

    In addition the message emphasises the company’s core brand values. I also like the thoughtful execution… specially the part where the mother does not interfere when the dad is teaching his son a lesson. Wonder if all moms would do that in desi households.

     

    Rating: (On a scale of 1 to 5): 4. Also works nicely as a public service advert.

  • Gouri Dange on how to eat canapes and other etiquette tips for journos and non-journos at book launches by non-page3 writers.

    Gouri Dange: Rules for book launch attendees

     

    By Gouri Dange

     

    Rules of Engagement – a small checklist, mainly for journos attending book launches of the non-page3 kind.

     

    First, when we send you the invitation, don’t immediately mail back querulously questioning a) the venue that we have chosen/ are stuck with b) the date that we have arrived at after much intricate planning c) the choice of personality who has agreed to read from and release the book. Of course it could have been at a better place, better time, better season, with a celeb you particularly like… and we’re sorry for disappointing you on all scores, but we don’t conjure up book launches by twirling a tinsel wand, we put them together after mental, physical, social and financial contortions of the most fantastic kind.

     

    We writers, forced to be our own marketers and PR persons, are constantly trying to find the fine line between sending you the invite well in advance (so that you can plan to come or send an underling), but not sending it so early that you will forget about it. So do not expect us to play secretary to you. Do have the grace to mark the day on your own, in your own calendar/similar device.

     

    Another constant see-saw that we are trying to work is this: We writers-in-launch-mode realise that your Blackberry gags at attachments, so our anxiously designed elaborate e-invitations end up irritating you. This is why we put the gist – place, date, time – in the body copy of the text. Surely that is considerate enough? So desist from writing to us in an offhand way from your wretched devices instructing us to put it all on SMS format for you. Wish we could pander to your every whim about what format you would like the invitation in, but deal with it, whatever format we send you.

     

    If you really do intend coming to the event, stop groaning about traffic and distances. Keep the address with you – either on your phone or scribbled on your palm (the body part or the device), or on paper or in your head. Do not, and this bears repetition, do not call the writer half an hour before (or five minutes, even) the event itself, and ask for directions. And really, this is just not the time to provide a fresh insight into how the venue and day is all wrong and that parking is such a b***h in your city, and all that jazz. We writers do not personally arrange for your city roads to be so lousy.

     

    Once the event begins, it would be nice if you would switch off your phone, and also not keep a fake engaged look on your face while you jab SMSes on your keypad. Really, we don’t want just your bodies there, we want your minds, such as they are, present and participating.

     

    Some of you also tend to ask questions in the interactive part of the reading/launch, that are only a verbal vehicle to tell people who you are and how you’re so good at what you do. Stop. Just stop. Go do it somewhere else.

     

    Remember, it’s about the book. So questions about finances, advances, and other intricacies of the book business can perhaps be asked of us on our email ids, but certainly not at the book launch. You are more than welcome to ask and tell about what you liked or didn’t like about the book. But asking after the health of my wealth? No.

     

    When it is time to buy your copy and get it signed from the writer, do not leak out of the door empty-handed. Maybe you don’t want to wait in line for a signed copy and that’s fine. But do buy a copy. Oh well…what am I thinking…you’re the Press, you don’t buy.

     

    At launches where there are canapés served, please do not eat the nice part and leave the toast behind on the platter. (This is a well-documented occurrence.) This causes the waiters to walk about with just the dry toast pieces on a platter, and less canny guests end up having to eat those; they then become moody and sulky and tend to leave without buying any books.

     

    And this one is for non-journo attendees: Do not walk up to us writers after the launch and ask things like “But where’s the media? No media?” This may come as a shock to you, but a) journos don’t show up for most launches – their story is usually that ‘evenings are hellish at the office’ b) you may have not read them, but we do have reviews and interviews out there; it’s just that you may not see a real live journalist at our readings/launches c) it really is more important for a book to have actual readers present than the media, whatever anyone tells you.

     

    Lastly, journos, non-journos, listen up: If you did not attend our reading/launch, do not appear on Gmail chat or SMS two days after the event saying ‘How did your thing go? It was when?’ The answer doesn’t really matter to you, and we both know it. Our fingers can tap out only that many things in one lifetime, and telling you ‘the launch was awesome’ or ‘missed you there’ or some such thing is a waste of taps, which we want to save for our actual writing.

     

    Naming no Names is the mid-week column where novelist, columnist and counsellor Gouri Dange presents her tongue-in-cheek view of our world.

  • As the Ogilvy India Alumni celebrates the great adman's 100th year this evening, former Ogilvyian Sumit Roy pays a tribute

    Remembering David Ogilvy

    By Sumit Roy

     

    As the Ogilvy India Alumni celebrates David Ogilvy’s 100th year at an event in Mumbai this evening, former Ogilvyian Sumit Roy pays a tribute to the Father of Advertising, and surely an inspiration for a million creative thinkers’. He shares with MxM India his experience of working with the ‘King of Madison Avenue’

     

    I have had the privilege of working with David Ogilvy when I joined Ogilvy & Mather as a copy trainee in the year 1973. This was my first job and what a training ground it proved to be! O&M is an institution which laid the foundation for my current avatar where I am the Founder Director of Univbrands showing people how to ride the brand communication motorcycle.

     

    It’s at Ogilvy I learnt about growing people who grow brands that is the driving philosophy behind Univbrands

     

    David Ogilvy’s relationship with his employees was just like that of a father with his children. Some of the lessons I have learnt from him have held me in good strength in my life and profession. One of my biggest learning is that he codified knowledge into slide and film presentations called Magic Lanterns which Ogilvy follows even now. It points out to things that works and not just idle words and the testimony to this lies in the outstanding works that Ogilvy does even today. He taught us that the consumer is not a moron; she is your wife thus teaching a huge lesson of valuing the consumer and not take him for granted. In fact, David Ogilvy used to often quote that Rules are for obedience of fools and the guidance of wise men (Douglas Bader).

     

    He also professed that one should always hire people who are better than you as it helps in the growth of the organization. Always look at qualities that are more than one had at a particular age and hire those people and we at Univbrands try to emulate this and have many talented people.

     

    I think being at Ogilvy at that time was like being at a University but the difference was that while you have to pay to get knowledge, here one earned knowledge. So the whole idea of earn as you learn that we at Univbrands profess has its genesis from David Ogilvy’s philosophy.

     

    I do endorse his saying that unless your ad is built around a big idea it will pass like a ship in the night. He also said that one should use their intellect to follow any principle and that would ensure that there is no repetition. Hence there should be a discipline of knowledge to the anarchy of ignorance. Another one his teaching that has stayed with me is that he professed that what we say is more important than how we say it. Somewhere today many are going wrong here as the focus is more on how you say it rather than what you say.

     

    David Ogilvy also said, We sell-or else and that is the foundation of advertising. It is not about the notion of reaching how many people but how much you spend for the prospect. That is the key of advertising which many tend to forget behind lofty ideas.

     

    I think every advertising professional should read his books as they are immensely relevant even in today’s world. While we may have progressed but the basics remain the same and that’s where David Ogilvy’s book come in useful. Every individual associated to advertising in some way must read his books which are treatise on advertising.

     

    David Ogilvy has been a great teacher and influencer and those who have not come in contact with him have missed a lot.

     

    Sumit Roy has spent 14 years at Ogilvy and is now Founder Director of Univbrands

     

    As told to Tuhina Anand

  • Pradyuman Maheshwari on the mess at Mid-Day, Minister Sibal's plans to screen the Net, credible awards and the Mediaah! take on who's a worthy Impact Person of the Year

    Mediaah!: Oh MiD-Day, my MiD-Day!

    By Pradyuman Maheshwari

     

    Its paid content strategy is rubbish, but it’s a great newspaper. It’s a Mumbai institution, just as The Times of India is (see disclosure below). Sadly, it flopped miserably in Delhi and Bengaluru (and Pune) in the past and I wasn’t surprised to learn that the paper was shutting shop in the two metros. Pune stays, but it’s serviced totally by Mumbai, save the local reporting talent.

     

    When Jagran bought Midday Multimedia last year, it was evident that the group was interested in the flagship Mumbai edition, Inquilab and Gujarati Mid-Day. In fact, Inquilab fitted the gameplan perfectly to dominate UP.

     

    While we mediapersons sermonise endlessly about how corporates should deal with retrenchment, we are awful in handling such situations in our own backyard. The mail from the CEO was very casual and while he may have thought it was cool, there are better ways to do effect a closure.

     

    Do it face-to-face. Personally visit one of the centres and request your editor who was in Bengaluru to interview the Apple co-founder to stay back and break the bad news.

     

    Those in power must never forget that the same fate could strike them.

     

    Now what? The team in Delhi is up in arms. Over social networks they say that they were being asked to voluntarily resign and have heard that bouncers will stop them from entering the office today. I don’t know what’s the state in Bengaluru, but some protestors asked MxMIndia to report on the matter. We haven’t done a story on the issue, because it was too late to get a comment from the Mid-Day bosses.

     

    From what I know of the Jagran management, the Guptas are cool and considerate. They are open to reason, and I’m sure they’ll correct the wrongs. They are interested in the big picture, and will not want to dirty their image with such petty matters. Mid-Day is just one of the publications in their acquisition plans… there are many more in the pipeline.

     

    Yes, the Delhi and Bengaluru editions didn’t work. With abysmal readership and a nil score on the IRS Q2/2011 numbers for urban centres like Gurgaon and Noida, even the journos knew that the editions weren’t going anywhere.

     

    But you’ve got to give the jhatkas with compassion. Jaago, Jagran, jaago.

     

    * Disclosure: I have spent some of the best years of my professional life working with Mid-Day from 1993 to 2000.

     

    Hey Minister! Leave the cyberspace alone!

    My heart goes out to our dear central mantrijis. They’ve are subjected to the whims and fancies of all and sundry. The Prime Ministerji, Madamji, Babaji, Betiji, Saaleji, other Mantrijis and Mukhyamantrijis, various MPjis, some friendly Opposition leaderjis too. And the Babus, the secretaries, chaprasis and even the drivers. Not to forget the barber and the occasional masseur.

     

    But in the mother of all wtf-ness, I was shocked to see the otherwise reasonable Kapil Sibal making a hash of himself (literally, with an idiot prefixed on Twitter) by asking social networks etc to regulate content. Sibal, poor man, is under hajaar fire. 2G, 3G and of course the G family.

     

    There has been furore on the twitterosphere and for that matter all media. Monsieur Sibal should know that the internetwallahs aren’t divided and won’t sit quiet after a while like broadcasters and newspaperwallahs. Consequence: the issue has got internationalised and India is being compared to China. Which is silly. We aren’t.

     

    Time for credible awards

    I was at the Time-Out food awards on Tuesday evening, and the creme de la creme of restaurantwallahs were in attendance. Funnily, every other winner had just one thing to say: that being from Time-Out, the awards were credible.

     

    I think the credit for this goes to editorial head Naresh Fernandez and owner-bosswoman Smriti Ruia Kanodia. I’ve known Naresh for a bit, and must say he can be brutally credible. Which is perhaps why I trust Time-Out thoroughly. If Time-Out says the food at Restaurant X is good, you can be sure it’ll be good. Can’t say that about some other reviewers who love the free stuff, or at least whose publications do not have a policy of serving honest content. Ms Kanodia deserves credit for having survived Naresh and been successful despite his (and the Time-Out parents’ ) insistence that they will not bow to  advertiser diktats. Okay, okay credit also to the business and sales folk for being able to sell despite all these odds.

     

    Back to the point of awards not being credible. It’s unfortunate that the general perception is that awards instituted by media companies aren’t aboveboard. More on that some other day.

     

    Who’s the most IMPACT-ful of them all?

    It’s the big night for media professionals. It’s also for the first time I will not be attending an Impact Person of the Year. Guess the promoters there are still peeved that I quit to set up MxMIndia. As a career journalist, I couldn’t have turned to farming after moving on. Yes, I could’ve gone back to mainstream media or set up a Firstpost-like site that I was intending to, but, heck, I think it’s possible to have a good, clean media and marketing portal. With content that’s not got strings attached. Like afaqs and a few others.The market is waiting to grow.

     

    For the record, none of the ex-e4mers who’ve joined MxM were pulled out of their jobs. They’ve either joined me after quitting, or moved out because they saw a brighter future. The fact is that I did attempt to poach a few, but they didn’t join us.

     

    Before I digress any further, here’s my take on the nominees. First, I think it’s a great idea to have just eight nominees. Yes, there will be people who’ll be unhappy to have not made it to the List, but that’s fine.

     

    It’s a tough call… all the people are very, very worthy winners.

     

    Let’s take a look at the Eight:

    > Agnello Dias, Chairman & Co-founder, TapRoot India
    > Haresh Chawla, outgoing Group CEO, Network18 and Viacom18
    > Madhukar Kamath, MD & CEO, Mudra Group and Chairman, AdAsia
    > Man Jit Singh, CEO, Multi Screen Media
    > Rajiv Verma, CEO, Hindustan Times
    > Ronnie Screwvala, CEO and Founder Chairman, UTV
    > Sandeep Goyal, Non-Executive Founder Chairman, Dentsu India
    > Vineet Jain, Managing Director, Times Group

     

    I must confess I know who the winner is. So it would be incorrect to be a spoiler. I wish I had written this a week back, but I didn’t get down to it.

     

    But if I were to do a shortlist from the above and for their spectacular performance this year and also the way the voting works, here’s my shortlist:

     

    Agnello ‘Aggie’ Dias, Madhukar Kamath, Man Jit Singh, Ronnie Screwvala and Vineet Jain.

     

    > Aggie for producing some marvellous work in an industry dominated by Ogilvy and JWT.

    > Madhukar for dressing up Mudra beautifully and making it matter in the creative world and finally hawking majority stakes to an international major.

    > Man Jit Singh for finally getting all MSM channels in top gear

    > Ronnie Screwvala because his UTV Stars is doing so very well, the others are on action mode, Bloomberg-UTV is near-sold to Reliance and cementing the deal for 100 per cent stake to Disney.

    > Vineet Jain: well, you know about my reservations about Medianet, but otherwise the company rocks. Editorially, both The Times of India and Times Now set the agenda. The Anna Hazare movement and Commonwealth Games scams gave the government sleepless nights thanks to the belligerence of TOI and TN. Times Internet is doing well, and other brands are also flexing their muscles.

     

    As for those not in my shortlist: both Rajiv Verma and Haresh Chawla have been running run their empires with entrepreneurial zeal , and as for Sandeep Goyal, the man who sold his stake to Dentsu for Rs 240 crore, this line from ‘3 Idiots’ comes to mind: ‘Ustaad, tussi great ho!”

     

    Buzz me if you have a story to tell. Confidentiality assured. There are various ways you can reach me: pradyumanm[at]mxmindia.com, 23050B5D, pradyumanm[at]gmail.com, @pmahesh, 98338 76278.

     

    Disclaimer: Although Pradyuman Maheshwari is CEO of MxMIndia other than being editor-in-chief, he chucks those hats while writing Mediaah! So, the views expressed here are entirely his own and not those of the website and the team that runs it (especially the National Sales Head!).

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

    Much admiration for glam add-ons

    By Ranjona Banerji

     

    Just to entertain myself, I decide to read the glamour supplements of The Times of India and Hindustan Times. Though now I am not sure whether entertainment or aggravation is what I was looking for. Since the arrival of Medianet and its variations in other newspapers, I usually ignore Bombay Times, HT Cafe and the entertainment/celebrity sections of all newspapers. Disclosure: I used to write a restaurant review for DNA After.Hrs but I haven’t seen that either for over a year and many years ago, I edited the Ahmedabad Times and Baroda Times. This takes nothing away from my life as I have minimal interest in Bollywood and tinpot celebs.

     

    So what have I learnt today? That a supermodel I had never heard of (though they told us her name) has agreed to launch a perfume (which was not named). This unnamed perfume will cost a million dollars and proceeds from sales will go to charity (named). So what do I make of this? That the supermodel paid Bombay Times, while the perfume and charity did not? Or that the editors just take the line of least resistance and do not name whoever had paying potential?

     

    This then turned into a fun game. Ekta Kapoor made an appearance (some new movie or something) on the front pages of both Bombay Times and HT Cafe. Money paid or not? Time Out has its food awards this week. HT Cafe covered it, Bombay Times did not. Because Bombay Times has its own awards or… By the way, these are the people whose pictures appeared in HT Cafe as guests or presenters at the Time Out awards: Abhay Deol, Malaika Arora Khan, Neha Dhupia, Shahana Goswami, Mahie Gill, Kalki Koechlin and Shruti Shah. Barring Deol and Dhupia (though it could be her large dress), none of the others looked like they’d eaten a meal in two weeks. Two winning chefs got a mention in the accompanying paragraph and no restaurants were mentioned (paid or not…?).

     

    A story on French producer (called veteran, which means just about anything) Marc Zermati is headlined ‘I’m not interested in Bollywood bulls**t’ is next to the Time Out story which perhaps shows someone in HT Cafe has a great sense of irony or none at all.

     

    Both Bombay Times and HT Cafe have the same people in the lead: Priyanka Chopra and Hrithik Roshan. Bombay Times says they both get ‘wet and naughty’. (Actually the headline says ‘Hrithik and PC get wet and naughty’ so for a moment I thought it had something to do with Hrithik and computer porn. The pic showed them really close, so give me a break). HT Cafe has Priyanka Chopra saying there is no “lip-lock” in this movie. So don’t get disappointed when you watch it, presumably.

     

    I was pleased to see that I no longer needed a magnifying glass to read my fortune in Bombay Times but was disappointed to see that it did not say reading “advertorial entertainment promotional features is bad for mental health”.

     

    Anyway, by this time I was so bored that I had to stop.

     

    Question for those who make them and those who read them: how do you guys do it? Full admiration!

  • Hanmer MSL's one-of-a-kind in-depth look at the PR of the anti-corruption crusade

    India gives voice a case study of Anna Hazare’s PR

     

    A good product generates its own PR. That, in a nutshell, is the success of Anna Hazare’s anti-corruption movement. The movement seemed to have a life of its own. Yet, it was a very successful PR exercise at the same time, and this is what leading public relations and communications firm Hanmer MSL has examined in this case study, the first of the thought leadership studies that Hanmer MSL’s new content service plans to put together on a regular basis.

     

    Anna Hazare took up an issue that affects the common man in every aspect of his life  he must bribe officials for even simple things like a driving licence to something major like getting his child admission into school. In his interaction with the government/bureaucracy, absolutely nothing gets done unless he pays a bribe.

    The product

    You can compare the Jan Lokpal Bill to a product that satisfies a crying need  the reduction of corruption, if not its extinction.

    The success of the agitation is astonishing because it had no professional help. Yet, a good product (the Jan Lokpal Bill), clear messaging and use of the right communication tools for this age (it’s been a social media-fuelled stir, which is why you see such a large youth participation), have led it to great success.

    The brand

    If the Jan Lokpal Bill is the product, Anna Hazare is the brand ambassador. Here are a few lessons he taught us about brand-building through the campaign.

     

    Lesson 1: Have an idea that connects

    Rocked by five major scams over the past year, India was angry at the government, its seeming lack of will to tackle corruption and the time it took to act. A strong, independent Lokpal that could investigate ministers, the bureaucracy, the judiciary and even the prime minister was an idea whose time had come.

     

    Lesson 2: Create symbols, icons

    Every timeless brand has its symbols Nike and its swoosh, for instance. Most brands also have their icons Steve Jobs for Apple, for example.

    Similarly, every public movement has its symbols and icons  the charkha and non-violence as symbols and Mahatma Gandhi as the icon of the freedom movement.

    Similarly, Hazare and the Gandhi topi became the icon and symbol respectively of the anti-graft fight.

     

    Lesson 3: Offer a consumer experience

    Each brand has a distinct character. But how do you make the consumer experience it? Hazare chose the Ramlila ground for its size, allowing thousands to throng it and take in the atmosphere. Having experienced their own power, the people began to believe they could change things. There was no looking back.

     

    Lesson 4: Test market

    All successful products are test marketed before they are launched. Anna’s earlier fast at Jantar Mantar showed that the idea could work. It provided the vindication for a larger movement.

     

     

     

    Lesson 5: Package it right

    Product, pricing, promotion, packaging are the four Ps of marketing. In this case, packaging was paramount. Anna’s white dhoti-kurta and his clean image were the perfect magnets for the jeans and T-shirt generation.

     

    Lesson 6: Make a media plan

    The campaign was timed perfectly to grab media attention. Launched between the World Cup and IPL, it filled the media vacuum that existed then.

    Team Anna Kiran Bedi, Arvind Kejriwal, Prashant Bhushan  gave innumerable interviews to the media, making sure the campaign was centrestage all the time.

    Hazare himself did not give too many interviews in fact, none during the second round of agitations. He spoke just once to Kiran Bedi from Tihar Jail, which he refused to leave after his arrest. This created a larger impact than any media interview could have had.

    Apart from this, he addressed the public and media several times at the Ramlila Maidan.

    There was another critical aspect to the media communication: the campaign had only the abovementioned people speaking to the media. This was smart thinking. The fewer the voices, the less scope there was for distortion of the message.

    Would any corporation have 15-10 spokespersons? Normally, they’d have one or two. No reason why the anti-corruption movement should have been different.

    The campaign made impressive use of PR tools and techniques ranging from symbolism (fasts and meditation) to social media (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, apps), FM radio, news media, television and mobile telephony.

     

    Lesson 7: Out-think the competition

    Anna kept the competition (the government) guessing. Example: The government thought it had preempted the agitation by arresting Hazare. But, his refusal to leave Tihar even when allowed to go, trumped the government’s move and fuelled the movement.

     

    Lesson 8: Use the right imagery

    The image of Hazare meditating at Rajghat or of him lying down at Ramlila ground and clapping along to the bhajans being sung proved to be iconic. When he broke his fast, he took water from a Dalit girl and a Muslim girl.

    With a giant image of Mahatma Gandhi in the backdrop, the message was not lost on anybody  here was a frail 74-year-old taking on the establishment, much as another frail old man had done in the 1930s and 1940s, and he deserves your support.

     

    Lesson 9: Use the right tagline

    I am Anna Hazare is a lot more impactful than I am for Anna Hazare. It is far more participative and has a way of internalising the struggle. It grabs you and makes you want to act.

    The social revolution

    The young, some of them fresh graduates, were the ones who created a countrywide buzz about the campaign for a strong Lokpal.

    While Arvind Kejriwal may have headed the media cell, it was the responsibility of over a dozen team leaders, most of them below the age of 30.

    A dedicated team of IT experts from Public Cause Research Foundation (PCRF), which acted as a secretariat for India Against Corruption (IAC), ran IAC’s main website (http://www.indiaagainstcorruption.org/) along with 14 city-centric websites round-the-clock. They also monitored TV channels and posted videos on the internet to create a buzz across the globe.

    Another team ensured that the latest information about Hazare, soon after he was arrested, was posted on social networking sites such as Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/IndiACor) and Twitter (@janlokpal).

    Till August 27, there were 3.64 lakh likes on Facebook and over two lakh followers on Twitter. In contrast, the I Hate Anna Hazare Facebook page roped in only 4,137 members.

    Hazare’s video recorded in Tihar had 1.6 lakh views on YouTube.

    The media impact

    • Large swathes of the television-viewing public switched to the saturation coverage of Hazare and his campaign, especially those in Hindi. For once, real life was more riveting.
    • While viewership increased for most news channels, time spent on them doubled in just a week. It may, in fact, have eaten into the sports market, which dropped 33%; and Hindi movies, which showed a 12% fall (from a 16.37% genre share to 14.44%) in the week ended August 20, according to a study by media servicing agency ZenithOptimedia.
    • The genre share of Hindi news channels rose from 5.9% in the week ended August 13 to 11.02% in the week ended August 20, according to TAM.
    • The genre share of English news channels also rose  to 0.54% from 0.31%.
    • Viewers were hooked since August 16, when Hazare began his fast.
    • The average daily time spent on Hindi news channels rose to 16.9 minutes from 8.5.
    • Viewership of Star News rose 15%. From 26 million viewers, Star News reached out to 31 million.
    • There was a viewership surge across Tier 2 and 3 towns in Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan in the past week, which shows how mass-based the movement was.
    • While the news genre viewership more than doubled, Times Now reached 12 million viewers, said Sunil Lulla, CEO of Times Global Broadcasting. Times Now continued as the No. 1 English news channel with a share of 37.8%, followed by NDTV 24×7 (22.2%) and CNN IBN (20.7%).
    • Among Hindi channels, Aaj Tak continued to lead with a share of 17.9% share, up from 15.2%. India TV’s share declined to 11.6% from 14.2% to bring it down to the fourth place. THIS IS BECAUSE IT HAS A STRONGER ENTERTAINMENT COMPONENT COMPARED TO NEWS. Star News took over as No 2 with a share of 14.7%.
    • Many news channels decreased their entertainment-related content to make way for Hazare. In fact, some dropped ads to accommodate more of Hazare.
    • Every newspaper covered the agitation.
    • All newspapers took the stance that corruption needs to be tackled; ToI took an aggressive pro-Hazare stand. Every other newspaper gave the issue and the agitation wall-to-wall coverage, but was careful to balance it.
    • Regional newspapers, which have far more experience of covering Anna, were more balanced too.

    Top-viewed news events on TV

    Event % of audience Period
    Anna campaign 12.41 Week 34, 2011
    Babri demolition case 11.54 Week 40, 2010
    YSR chopper crash 12.31 Week 36, 2009
    26/11 17.81 Week 48, 2008
    Mumbai train blasts 11.78 Week 30, 2006
    Mumbai floods 9.71 Week 31, 2005
    Tsunami 10.35 Week 1, 2005
    Lok Sabha polls 2004 10.22 Week 20, 2004
    9/11 7.56 Week 38, 2001

    Source: TAM

    How the UPA got it wrong

    Manmohan Singh used to be known as one of India’s most effective prime ministers. By shaking off the communists hold on his government, pushing through a historic nuclear treaty and winning the last Lok Sabha polls, he was on a high.

    Today, he’s the face of a government that badly misread the public mood and bungled the handling of Anna Hazare’s movement. What’s more, his extended silence gave the impression that he wasn’t really in charge and that he had no idea of how to manage ministers who seemed to get shriller by the minute.

    He finds himself at the receiving end of a nationwide upsurge against corruption, his government with its back to the wall.

    Sending out the wrong messages

    Action Impact
    Refused to accept need for anti-corruption law Government created a perception that it was stonewalling, seeking to stall an effort to cleanse the country of corruption.
    Arresting Hazare If arresting him was ill-advised, taking him to Tihar was a PR disaster. Tihar is where those accused of some of the worst corruption in recent times A Raja, Kanimozhi, Suresh Kalmadi were lodged.Hazare turned his arrest into victory by refusing to leave jail until his demands were met.
    Failure to communicate The top leaders stubbornly refused to engage with the media, secure in their 2009 electoral victory.
    Let anti-graft crusaders drive the debate Government should have seized the initiative by moving aggressively on the unfinished reforms agenda. It did not even celebrate 20 years of reforms in July, as though it disowned them.A publicity blitzkrieg would have done wonders for its reputation, especially with young middle class Indians who benefited most from the reforms. It is these people who heeded Hazare’s call. Instead of regarding Manmohan Singh as a benefactor, they saw him as an obstacle to change.
    No magic wand to curb corruption, said PM He would have been better off declaring that the battle against corruption and a strong Lokpal Bill were an integral part of the reforms process. If RTI brings openness in governance, Lokpal is part of the restructuring.
    Missed opportunity It would have been a PR coup if Singh had asserted that he was on the same side as Hazare. He could have even joined Hazare on a day’s token fast. That would have gone a long way in bridging the communication gulf between the populace and the government, which they see as remote and loath to abandon old habits.

     

    Timeline

    January 30, 2011: Marches in over 60 cities to demand Lokpal bill. Social reformer Anna Hazare, former top cop Kiran Bedi, activist Swami Agnivesh and lawyer Prashant Bhushan participate in Delhi rally.

    February 26: Hazare announces fast unto death from April 5 if Prime Minister Manmohan Singh does not decide on civil society’s inclusion in drafting the bill.

    April 5: Hazare starts fast at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar.

    April 8: Hazare announces decision to end fast as government agrees to form 10-member panel of civil society members and union ministers to draft a stringent anti-corruption law.

    April 9: Hazare ends fast.

    April 16: Joint committee meets, both sides exchange drafts.

    May 2: Second meet with no difference of opinion.

    May 7: Agreement on independent Lokpal with powers to initiate investigation and prosecution.

    May 23: Agreement on empowering Lokpal to order list of movable and immovable assets of accused in corruption cases when sufficient evidence found to book them.

    May 30: Differences appear as government disagrees on including prime minister, Supreme and High Court judges and MPs conduct in parliament within Lokpal’s ambit.

    June 6: Civil society members boycott meet a day after police crackdown against yoga guru Baba Ramdev’s fast in Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan.

    June 15: No consensus on inclusion of prime minister, Supreme and High Court judges.

    June 20: Some ice melts amid war of words; government calls it major step forward.

    June 21: Last meeting of joint committee ends on sour note. Both sides exchange drafts; Hazare warns of another fast.

    August 15: Hazare denied permission to fast at Delhi’s Jayaprakash Narayan Memorial Park after Team Anna agrees to accept only 16 of police’s 22 conditions.

    August 16: Hazare begins fast, detained and sent to seven-day judicial custody to Tihar jail. Government decides to set him free late night. He refuses to leave.

    August 17: Hazare refuses to leave Tihar till a solution is reached on fast venue. Supporters gather outside prison, Hazare continues fast from jail. Permitted to fast at Ramlila Maidan.

    August 19: Hazare leaves Tihar, continues fast at Ramlila Maidan.

    August 23: Government invites Team Anna for talks.

    August 24: Second round of talks, all-party meeting held. No breakthrough in impasse.

    August 25: After meetings with political parties and Team Anna, government agrees to debate all versions of Lokpal bill in parliament.

    August 27: Both houses of parliament debate Lokpal bill, adjourn after adopting sense of the house and agreeing to Hazare’s three demands that will be sent to standing committee on Lokpal bill.

    August 28: Anna breaks fast on 13th day.

     

    Copyright: Hanmer MSL

  • Rediffusion and Edelman announce strategic alliance to form an SBU to service Tata group business

    Rediffusion subcontracts Tata work to SBU with Edelman

    By A Correspondent
    We told you so. Rediffusion-Y&R and Edelman India announced a strategic alliance to take care of the Tata group business that starts today, November 1.

    The alliance brings together ad agency Rediffusion and PR firm Edelman. Edelman India is an independent public relations (as against others like Hanmer, Genesis and Sampark being part of international networks). The alliance will involve the formation of a separate business unit within Edelman to operate as Rediffusion/Edelman. Note: the SBU is part of Edelman. So, for all practical purposes, the Tatas have awarded the PR contract to Rediffusion which in turn has let it out to Rediffusion/Edelman. A spokesperson clarified that although the unit has been set up for the Tata account, in future it could also take on other businesses. A la Vaishnavi, which started out with the Tatas and took on other accounts.

    “The complexity of the Indian market favours an integrated communications approach that needs to seamlessly combine multiple marketing disciplines,” said Arun Nanda, Chairman and Managing Director, Rediffusion-Y&R in a communique. “Our partnership with Edelman allows us to partner one of the world’s finest PR companies and offer our clients the best in class thinking and capability in this area. This will enhance our already existing offerings in Advertising, Direct Marketing through Rediffusion/Wunderman, Media through TME/MPG and Digital. We will be able to add greater value to our clients across all of their marketing and communications requirements.

    “We believe this alliance will further enable us to push the boundaries of how PR is practised in India today” said Robert Holdheim, Managing Director, Edelman India in the statement. “We are seeing a significant shift in strategic stakeholder communications. An integrated marketing approach is crucial in addressing today’s communications challenges.”

    The spokesperson from Edelman was tightlipped about the staffing and who would be incharge of the SBU. It will evolve, he told MxMIndia.