Author: mxmadmin

  • Vserv.mobi Strengthens South East Asia Focus

    By A Correspondent

     

    Vserv.mobi, a leading global mobile advertising network with a strong focus on emerging markets, on Tuesday announced the appointment of Vikas Gulati as Vice President – Business Development forSouth East Asia. Based inSingapore, Vikas will spearhead the company’s growth in this region.

     

    Vikas Gulati, a media and marketing industry veteran, has had a long and successful career track record of over 14 years. Earlier, Mr Gulati was Vice President – Marketing and Business Development, Asia at Sprice.com, a leading online travel network (now a part of Travelport). He was instrumental in raising Sprice’s revenues and company profile in Asia Pacific through business development, partnerships and marketing programs. He has also held various leadership roles at ZenithOptimedia and CaratIndiaamongst other companies.

     

    Commenting on the new development, Mr. Dippak Khurana, Co-Founder and CEO of Vserv.mobi, said: “Expanding our operations in the burgeoning mobile market ofSouth East Asia is a key phase of our growth strategy. Vikas’ solid experience and customer relationships in this region will help us leverage newer opportunities and strengthen our goal of being the #1 mobile ad network in emerging markets.”

     

    Speaking on his appointment, Vikas Gulati, Vice President – Business Development, Vserv.mobi said: “Over the last two years, Vserv.mobi has grown to be an admirable company in the segment, and I am excited to join them at this opportune time. Given the growth momentum the company is witnessing, I look forward to being part of the success story. With our differentiating proposition in the marketplace, we are attractively poised to capitalise on this growing demand of the mobile medium amongst developers, publishers and advertisers inSouth East Asia.”

     

    Vserv.mobi is a leading global mobile ad network with strong presence in emerging markets. Vserv’s pioneering technology AppWrapperTM powers ad-monetisation for 10000+ Apps. Vserv is the only Ad Network with App media across feature phones, smart phones and tablets, thus providing advertisers reach and engagement.

     

  • TBWA\India wins creative mandate for Peninsula Land

    By A Correspondent

     

    Peninsula Land Limited, a leading real estate company inIndiahas appointed TBWA\India (www.tbwaindia.com) as its creative partner.

     

    Rated among the top 100 companies in India by ET, the Peninsula Land Limited is a part of the Ashok Piramal Group, a leading business conglomerate with diversified business interests in textiles, real estate, engineering, family entertainment and sports.

     

    For TBWA, the win comes on the back of a multi-agency pitch that was held in Mumbai. The pitch saw the participation of several of the country’s leading agencies. The Mumbai office of TBWA will handle the business.

     

    Confirming the win, Mr. Rajesh Jaggi, Managing Director Peninsula Land Limited said: “We are happy to have TBWA as our lead agency. They bring a unique dimension to creativity by using the Disruption thought process. The PLL brand has always been very distinct in the market place and our association with TBWA will further go in positioning our brand.”

     

    Nirmalya Sen, Managing Director of TBWA\India, commented: “Peninsula is a story waiting to be told; a story of long years of commitment to ethics and high quality. We are delighted to have been chosen as Peninsula’s lead agency. There are few categories as steeped in communication conventions as the real estate category. Disrupting them is a challenge we are looking forward to.”

     

    This is TBWA\India’s fourth win on the trot. Over the last few weeks, the agency has won business from Sify, JG Hosiery and Jyothy Laboratories.

     

    TBWA Worldwide creates Disruptive ideas expressed through Media Arts for global clients. TBWA is ranked as a Top-Ten worldwide advertising agency, and was recognized by Advertising Age in 2010 as the “Best International Network of the Decade”.

     

    TBWA is part of Omnicom Group Inc, a leading global marketing and corporate communications company. Omnicom’s branded networks and numerous specialty firms provide advertising, strategic media planning and buying, digital and interactive marketing, direct and promotional marketing, public relations and other specialty communications services to over 5,000 clients in more than 100 countries.

     

  • TV Today’s Gulab Makhija joins India TV as CFO

    By A Correspondent

     

    India TV announced the appointment of Gulab Makhija as its Chief Financial Officer. Mr Makhija will be responsible for financial Management and Control Systems in the company’s growth plan. Prior to joining India TV, Mr Makhija served as CFO at TV Today Network where he was instrumental in cost optimization across the network.

     

    As part of its aggressive growth strategy, India TV also announced several key appointments, many of them, as the company’s communique admits, coming from TV Today.

     

    Shubhra Manasi, joining from TV Today, will look after Strategic Planning and Research functions for the company as DGM. Pradeep Khatri has joined as Chief Manager Marketing. He also comes from TV Today and will be responsible for marketing communication, sales support & sponsorship marketing functions.

     

    But there are others who are not from the TV Today stable who’ve also joined the channel: Rohit Lal has been appointed Vice President Programming.  Mr Lal comes with vast experience of programming for Zee, IBN and Star. Prashant Sharda, who was with Nokia, joins as Vice President, Digital Media to look after mobile, 3G, and streaming and India TV’s website, while working towards digital convergence for the company.

     

    India TV MD & CEO Ritu Dhawan said: “We are happy to induct new team leaders and expect that their proven track records will add strength to the existing strong team. We together look forward to further consolidate our leadership position in the Hindi news genre and set new benchmarks in the domain.”

     

    On his appointment as CFO, Gulab Makhija said: “I look forward to a great opportunity and exciting times with India TV, a company that is all set to take the leap to the  next level of success.”

     

  • MSL Asia ranks 3rd in M&A leage

    By A Correspondent

     

    Publicis Groupe’s financial communications consultancies in Asia – operating as part of the MSLGROUP network – have been ranked third by volume for Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) deals, according to mergermarket, a leading M&A intelligence service in the ‘mergermarket League Tables of PR Advisers’ for Q1 2012.

     

    MSLGROUP is Publicis Groupe’s flagship strategic communications and engagement company and the largest public relations and social media network in Greater China and India.

     

    The mergermarket study analyzed the Q1 performance (January to March 2012) of PR advisors in Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) deals and placed Publicis Groupe’s financial communications consultancies third in terms of number of deals and eighth in terms of collective deal value ($978 million) within Asia Pacific. This represents a jump in ranking from 49th to eighth by value and from the 19th to third by volume.

     

    In Asia Pacific, the mergermarket report has considered four deals advised by Publicis Groupe’s financial communications consultancies – three by Hanmer MSL and one by MSL China.

     

    mergermarket based its ratings on deal values – considering only those over $5million – and number of deals struck. The ‘mergermarket League Tables of PR Advisers’ Q1 2012 is part of the ‘mergermarket’ report that not only evaluates and analyses M&A transactions all over the world on a quarterly and annual basis; but also the performance of PR advisors who act as strategic counsel.

     

    Commenting on the achievement, Jaideep Shergill, Chief Executive Officer of Hanmer MSL, India said: “The global economy has been witnessing consolidation across industries, much of it in the form of mergers and acquisitions. We sense immense opportunities in the M&A space for our finance practices inAsia, especially at a time when many European, American and even Asian firms are looking for quality acquisitions in the region.”

     

    Hanmer MSL India managed M&A communications for leading Indian business groups including Piramal Healthcare (acquisition of 5.5 per cent stake in Vodafone India by Piramal Healthcare), Network 18 Group (acquisition of 100 per cent stake in Eenadu Group by Network 18) and Binani Industries (acquisition of 100 per cent stake in 3B – The Fibreglass Company by Binani Industries).

     

    MSL China advised and managed communications for the Neiman Marcus Group on the US based company’s merger with Glamour Sales Holding, an online retail company, inChina.

     

  • Dipankar Chakraborty is COO at Kettle Communications

    By A Correspondent

     

    Kettle Communications, an integrated communication consultancy, announced the appointment of Dipankar Chakraborty as their Chief Operating Officer. In his new role, he will be responsible for aligning and strengthening the firm’s operations. His mandate with Kettle Communications include Strategy Development, New Business Initiatives, Team Development and Management pan India, for all verticals: Main Line Advertising, Below the Line campaigns (Events & Activations), Retail Management, Exposition Management, Digital and MICE.

     

    As a business lead, he will be responsible for the formation of full service teams in all metros of India (Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kolkata).
    Dipankar has over 14 years of experience, which includes leading several corporate and brand reputation programs. “We are delighted that Dipankar has joined our new team as we plan to touch new horizons and increase and establish our foothold in the industry,” said Mr. Aatanu Chakraborty, MD & CEO of Kettle Communications.

     

    Prior to joining Kettle Communications, Mr Chakraborty was with HansaVision, (A part of RK Swamy BBDO group) as National Head – Events and was instrumental in leading campaigns for Samsung, Yahoo, Nestle, LG, Micromax to name a few, where he was responsible for the growth and profitability of the organization.

     

    Mr Chakraborty, in the past, has been associated with prestigious national and international events like, IIFA Awards, London School of Economics Asia Forum, World Mobile Congress Barcelona, AfricaCom South Africa, World Telco Summit UAE, GSM Middle East, Communique Asia, Yahoo BIC Awards, NDTV Business Leadership Awards, Porsche Launch in India, Audi Launch in India, Bill Clinton, Bill Gates, Pierce Brosnan, Carl Lewis’ Visits to India.

     

    The bouquet of clients Mr Chakraborty has serviced during his tenure include, FICCI, CII, Yahoo, Airtel, Nestle, Adventz, ACME, Microsoft, Teacher’s, Nasscom, Nike, Porsche, Audi, Samsung, LG, Micromax, Comviva, Ananda Bazaar Patrika, The Times of India, Hindustan Times, Cairn India, ONGC, SAIL, NTPC, Indigo Music, India Today Group.

     

    Prior to this, Mr Chakraborty has worked with Wizcraft for more than 6 years followed by Ogilvy where he spent considerable time strengthening the Below the Line arm called Ogilvy Live.

     

    Kettle Communications has been founded by a group of thinkers consisting of core team with big agency, big brand exposure … thus forming the all weather plate of the Kettle. Kettle Communications believes that the art of communication is to sport a lively, engaging idea that carries the power to evoke emotions. Kettle Communications strive to partner client’s diverse needs by providing a work atmosphere that’s truly inspiring. And all these BOIL inside a “Kettle – Boiling with Ideas”

     

  • Draftfcb Ulka lights up with Neon Brand PR

    By A Correspondent

     

    Neon Brand PR is the newest division of Draftfcb Ulka Group with a strong focus on traditional and social media. From conceiving and executing media relations strategies, the approach will be to develop PR for brands and brand campaigns that link marketing and communication initiatives for greater buzz and positive throwback on the brand. The addition of Neon Brand PR will further strengthen Draftfcb Ulka’s portfolio of services and provide seamless inputs for their branding assignments.

     

    Neon Brand PR will endeavour to bring in a significant amount of brand learning from the parent agency into its PR practice, thereby ensuring that the brand positioning and messaging are given the right tone and posture.

     

    Tanya Desousa has joined Neon Brand PR as PR Director. She has experience of about 14 years in PR, having worked in companies like Crest Communications, Hanmer & Partners and Percept Profile. She has been associated with brands like Spicejet, Western Australian Trade Office, Amway, Sanofi Aventis, Piramal Healthcare, Bridgestone Tyres, Asus Incorporated and many more.

     

    Neon Brand PR’s first assignment will be Santoor 25 Years campaign.

     

  • Vibgyor Brand Services gets future-ready

    By A Correspondent

     

    Vibgyor Brand Services, a pioneer in brand activation services, has completed 10 years of operations. This not only signifies the coming of age of this specialized industry, but also reflects on its growing importance as a tool of marketing communications.

     

    Vibgyor started out as a generic event management services company and has transformed into one of the top activation agencies in the country with a pan-India presence. Vibgyor has 6 offices and a team of over 90 that support top-notch companies like HUL, Dabur India, Pepsi, Samsung, Flipkart, Toshiba and others for their brand activation strategies including events, exhibitions and on-ground consumer contact programmes.

     

    Ankur Kalra, founder and CEO of Vibgyor recalls that a decade ago he had to explain brand activation and experiential marketing services to his potential clients. Today, no marketing plan is complete without Brand Activation and every forward looking company ensures a healthy balance of ATL & BTL as part of their plan.

     

    The discussions are now more on strategy, on methods of targeting the specific customer profile, engaging them and ensuring that they experience the brand and convert into loyal consumers. “This is the reason that we are adopting a new corporate identity and business philosophy today. Our benchmark is going to be how involved we are as a team with the clients brand and how much excitement we can create around it”, he said.

     

    Today consumers, with the overload of information, are looking for exciting brand experience and Vibgyor is committed to delivering the same. The new philosophy “Involve > Excite” is based on the input output principle – to get involved in a brand to create excitement around it.

     

    The brand activation industry is estimated to be anywhere between Rs5000 – 6000 crore, growing at 15 – 20 per cent per year. Vibgyor clocked a growth rate of 25 per cent last year which is substantially higher than the industry average. “The twin focus on commitment and creativity has enabled us to reach this far and we hope that adding involvement and excitement as part of our service delivery will help our client and in turn enable us stay ahead of the industry and maintain our double digit rate of growth”, Mr Kalra added.

     

  • Amith Prabhu: PR frat needs a Goafest-like event

    By Amith Prabhu

     

    Goafest has become the annual jamboree for the advertising folks in India. And nothing wrong with that if it serves the purpose of those organizing and those attending. It is an expensive programme, especially for younger people. The cost to attend Goafest for a person varies from as low as Rs12,000 (if a person under 30 from Mumbai travels by road or rail and lives in very simple accommodation for 2 nights) to Rs40,000 (if a person over 30 from Delhi flies low-cost and lives in decent three-star accommodation).

     

    The point is that in all this effort and investment or spending (depends who pays the bill) very little is achieved for the industry in terms of learning. Most high profile speakers either use the opportunity to make a sales pitch or are not effective enough to make an impact (I have been to two events and seen for myself).

     

    The few who are impactful and are not making a sales pitch have few takers because they are either not well known, haven’t got the right publicity in advance and therefore those who should be listening to them are either on the beach or in their luxury rooms or sightseeing.

     

    The real achievement is for those who want a break and get it (most often fully or partially company sponsored), great work done in the year gone by gets rewarded (sometimes with controversy), people seeking a job change get to meet their potential employers and those who want to catch up in a non-work environment with former colleagues and buddies get to do that.

     

    Some PR professionals attend because they are involved in some way with the organizing and some others are connected with the ad agency that has a big role to play.

     

    But most inspiring of all the achievements is that all the big boys and girls in creative and media agencies who fight it out like bitter rivals in new business pitches and industry awards between May and March come together in April to celebrate the profession. And this to me is remarkable. No doubt there are a handful of boycotts that happen each year, but those are bound to happen and frenemies come and go.

     

    Cannes, around which part of Goafest is modelled, embraced PR a couple of years ago by including a separate category for PR and having a full-fledged PR jury. I’m not saying Goafest should do that. I’m here to seed the idea of a gathering of PR professionals from around the country. Head honchos of PR firms can collectively do a lot for the industry and the young and mid-level professionals. The three things they should do at break neck speed is put together a forum for PR professionals modelled on PRSA, create an industry award that is transparent, world-class and the gold standard for younger professionals to gain inspiration from and plan a gathering of PR professionals over a weekend to learn from each other. Networking is no longer a major need in the age of Facebook, Twitter and frequent after hours parties in the metros.

     

    There are several forums that function formally and informally in the PR space. But none that brings together corporate communication executives and public relations professionals, at all levels and of all ages, under one umbrella. It is time for a body that works closely and learns from PRSA. There is so much it does through several chapters for the betterment of the practitioner. With almost 15 of the Top 20 global PR firms present in India there is scope to even be handheld by one of the well-established forums.

     

    Thereafter, this organization should establish a PR award that enables entries to compete in the global arena. There is a major vacuum that needs to be filled and no one can help us on this but ourselves.

     

    Finally, the PR fraternity of India needs an annual event where PR professionals get together, listen to experts fromIndiaand around the world and celebrate the profession keeping aside differences for 48 hours at least, if not more. Maybe this could be called PondyPoweR and be held at Pondicherry on the east coast ofIndia. Symbolically, a quaint town with a rich heritage, near the beach for those who want to mix learning with fun.

     

    Hope this happens sooner than later, so public relations people can ponder on how to do some Public Relations for themselves, their firms and most importantly for the profession.

     

    Amith Prabhu is a public relations professional who spent a large part of his career in India and is now based in Chicago working for a PR major. Views are personal and do not reflect that of the writer’s employer. 

     

  • Amul to sponsor India at London Olympics

    By A Correspondent

     

    The year 2011 saw Amul sponsoring theNetherlandscricket team in the ICC Cricket World Cup and Switzerland-headquartered Sauber F1 team at the inaugural Indian Grand Prix. In 2012,Asia’s largest milk brand will now be sponsoring the Indian contingent at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

     

    Mr. RS Sodhi, Managing Director GCMMF said: “Amul is committed to strengthening the Olympic movement in India and encourage young generation from all corners of the country to take up Olympic sports.”

     

    Explaining the rationale of this association, he said that milk is nature’s original energy drink and plays a pivotal role in building the physical and mental strength of the athletes. Nutritious dairy diet is an important part in the diets of athletes around the world. India is the largest producer of milk in the world and Amul is not only India’s but Asia’s largest milk brand.

     

    To leverage this association, GCMMF has created a TVC which shows a girl made of milk performing the sports which are part of Olympics. Liquid simulation was extensively used for generating realistic animation of milk to form the body shape and movements of the girl.

     

    “How many people are aware that milk is actually the world’s original energy drink…. completely natural and loaded with nutrients. The commercial effectively communicates that, while making the connection between Amul and Olympics,” said Nitin Karkare, Chief Operating Officer, Mumbai, Draftfcb Ulka.

     

    The TVC is scripted by Haresh Moorjani, Group Creative Director, Draftfcb Ulka. Mr Moorjani said: “As the official sponsor of the Indian team for the 2012 Olympics, Amul’s commitment to health is best defined by its signature product – milk. The film demonstrates the potency of the world’s original energy drink by its lusciousness as it transforms into the ‘milk girl’ making milk magical and appetizing for both, kids as well as adults.”

     

    The new campaign will be aired on more than 50 television channels. It has already started getting very good feedback in social media.

     

    Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation is India’s largest food products marketing organization. It procures 4 billion litres of milk annually from 3 million milk producers in more than 16,000 villages, twice a day, and processes and markets its product range comprising butter, cheese, ice cream, fresh milk, yoghurt, milk powders, UHT milk, flavoured milk, ghee, paneer etc in 3000 cities and towns of India and 40 countries around the world. Its annual sales turnover in 2011-12 was US$ 2.4 billion.

     

    Credits:

    Agency: Draftfcb Ulka

    NCD: K. S. Chakravarthy

    Creative team: Haresh Moorjani, Mehul Patil

    Client Servicing: Nitin Karkare, Ruta Patel, Rohan Patil, Ruchi Agrawal

    Account Planning: Vidyadhar Wabgaonkar, Mubina Quraisshi

    Films Coordinator: Alpa Jobalia, Stanley Christian, Ganesh Iyer

    Production House: Famous House of Animation

    Producer & Director: Jayant Hadke

     

  • Hyundai signs multi-level global sponsorship deal with CNN

    By A Correspondent

     

    CNN Worldwide announced that it has signed a large-scale global sponsorship deal with leading automotive producer Hyundai Motor Company (HMC). The deal will include sponsorship of the new nightly ‘Amanpour’ show and the popular interview program ‘Piers Morgan Tonight’, and will involve HMC’s ‘Live Brilliant’ campaign airing across the CNN International, CNN US and CNN en Español networks. The collaboration represents one of CNN’s most comprehensive global auto sponsorship deals to date.

     

    The six-month sponsorship agreement encompasses both billboards and spots around signature programming, in addition to daily segments within shows. The new ‘Amanpour’ show, airing every weeknight, launched from April 16 will have Christiane Amanpour deliver insights through vital conversations, tenacity and holding those in power to account. ‘Piers Morgan Tonight’ is a candid, in-depth, personality-driven interview program that uses his inimitable style to uncover the most fascinating details about his newsmaker guests. The campaign further extends to the primetime shows ‘World Report’ airing in Asia-Pacific and ‘Panorama Mundial’ airing on CNN en Español.

     

    “CNN’s core personalities and signature programming are unrivalled in the intelligence and insights they deliver to viewers around the world,” said Tony Maddox, EVP and MD, CNN International. “This exciting collaboration with an influential global brand like HMC reinforces the unique value and quality of our content,” he added.

     

    “This deal represents a remarkable endorsement of the unmatched quality and scale of our global audiences and we are delighted to once again work alongside HMC to connect them with our discerning and influential viewers,” said Jonathan Davies, EVP CNN International Ad Sales. “It is also indicative of our commitment to fostering and strengthening high quality and long-term relationships with our clients, with HMC first having partnered with CNN back in 2000.”

     

    Mr. Won Hong Cho, CMO of Hyundai Motor Company said: “CNN provides unparalleled insights into today’s shifting global environment, empowering viewers with the knowledge they crave. We saw a perfect fit with Hyundai’s brand direction of ‘Modern Premium’ through ‘New Thinking. New Possibilities.’ and are delighted to once again work with CNN through this truly global collaboration. Hyundai Motor Company launched a new worldwide brand campaign called “Live Brilliant” as part of its efforts to reinforce its brand management activities and fulfill its vision to become the most beloved automotive company in the world.”

     

    CNN is the world’s leading global 24-hour news network and one of the world’s most respected and trusted sources for news and information. CNN International is the international directorate of CNN Worldwide and distributes news via 14 services in seven different languages. CNN International can be seen in more than 280 million households and hotel rooms in over 200 countries and territories worldwide.

     

    Established in 1967, Hyundai Motor Company has grown into the Hyundai Motor Group, with more than two dozen auto-related subsidiaries and affiliates. Hyundai Motor Company — which has six manufacturing bases outside of South Korea including the U.S.,China, India,R ussia, Turkey and the Czech Republic– sold 4.06 million vehicles globally in 2011.

     

  • TAM data Top 10 programmes on HGEC – Wk 16’12

     

    Source: TAM Peoplemeter System
    TG: CS 4+ yrs
    Market: Hindi Speaking Market
    Period: Wk 16: Apr 15 to Apr 21, 2012

     

     

    About TAM Media Research

    TAM is a joint venture between Nielsen Company & Kantar Media Research. Besides measuring TV Viewership, TAM also monitors Advertising Expenditure of Television, Print & Radio through its division AdEx India. Since 2004, it extended its presence in the PR Measurement & Analysis space for Corporate/Marketing Clients by setting up a separate division Eikona PR Measurement.

     

    In 2007, the joint venture introduced RAM (Radio Audio Measurement) service to track Radio Listenership for the Indian Radio Broadcast Industry. In year 2009, TAM launched a division, called TAM Sports that specializes in monitoring Sports Sponsorship ROI.

     

    TAM Media Research’s objective is to fuel media insights that will drive the growth of the Indian Media Industry.

  • TAM Data (GRPs Channel shares of HGECs)- Wk 16’12

    Source: TAM Peoplemeter System
    TG: CS 4+ yrs
    Market: HSM
    Period: Wk 15: Apr 8 to Apr 14, 2012
    Period: Wk 16: Apr 15 to Apr 21, 2012

     

     

    About TAM Media Research

    TAM is a joint venture between Nielsen Company & Kantar Media Research. Besides measuring TV Viewership, TAM also monitors Advertising Expenditure of Television, Print & Radio through its division AdEx India. Since 2004, it extended its presence in the PR Measurement & Analysis space for Corporate/Marketing Clients by setting up a separate division Eikona PR Measurement.

     

    In 2007, the joint venture introduced RAM (Radio Audio Measurement) service to track Radio Listenership for the Indian Radio Broadcast Industry. In year 2009, TAM launched a division, called TAM Sports that specializes in monitoring Sports Sponsorship ROI.

     

    TAM Media Research’s objective is to fuel media insights that will drive the growth of the Indian Media Industry.