MxMIndia

Author: mxmadmin

  • Indian footwear biggie 'Relaxo' signs Salman Khan as brand ambassador for its slipper brand 'Hawaii' to showcase the strength and toughness of the product

    Relaxo signs Salman Khan as brand ambassador for Hawaii

    By A Correspondent

     

    Relaxo, the second largest producer of footwear in India, has signed Salman Khan as the brand ambassador to endorse one of their most popular brands – Hawaii slippers.  Hawaii has introduced a new Hi-Fashion range of slippers for men and women, and Salman Khan will feature in all the brand communication related to Hawaii across the media.

     

    Speaking on the occasion, Gaurav Dua, Executive Director, Relaxo Footwears Ltd. said: ” Hawai i has always been on the forefront to provide the comfort and ease in daily wear for the masses. Through this new commercial, we bring in light the strength and toughness aspects of Hawaii slippers. And what better way to promote this strong USP than having Salman Khan endorse our product. We are extremely happy to associate with him and we hope this tie strengthens our bond with our customers.”

     

    Highlighting the same, Salman Khan said: “Relaxo is one of the most trusted brands in footwear, and I’m glad to be doing this commercial as it is focused on the concept of “mazbooti” (strength), and completely suits my persona.”

     

    Mr Khan will soon be seen endorsing Hawaii slippers in a 45 second TVC created by ARMS Communications Pvt. Ltd, positioning Hawaii as a symbol of style, comfort and strength. The film revolves around the star Salman Khan, who with confidence saves different girls from life-threatening situations, an act which seems impossible in real life. Since all this seems unrealistic, Salman appears on screen and says, “Yeh thodaa zyada hogaya. Lekin RELAXO Hawaii hai mazboot. Main pehenta hoon.” This statement sums up the exaggeration yet leaves the viewers with the message that  creates an aspiration in the minds of the consumer to acquire what their favorite star endorses.

     

  • Newly acquired English news channel NewsX mulls a name change. Status quo, INX News, IMN News, India News English, Nation 24 or any other…

    NewsX staff to vote on name change

    By A Correspondent

     

    Recently acquired by the ITV Media Group, English news channel NewsX is mulling a name change. MxMIndia has learnt that the channel is conducting an internal poll on whether the channel should be rebranded and launched with a new name.

     

    ITV Media’s head, Mr Kartikeya Sharma who is now the new owner of NewsX is learnt to have asked all staffers to share their views on the name change and also share ideas for new names. The new names being contemplated are INX News, IMN News, India News English and Nation 24. The team has also been invited to suggest a name other than these four. The last date of polling is July 24 after which  a call will be taken on the rebranding.

     

    ITV Media already operates a 24-hour Hindi news channel, India News. It also has six regional news channels including India News Bihar and India News Haryana.

     

    NewsX has been around since 2008, when it launched in March under the leadership of Mr Arup Ghosh who held senior positions in channels like NDTV, Sahara Samay and Channel 7 (now IBN 7) in the past.

     

    After its acquisition in January 2009 by Indi Media Company Pvt Ltd, a company owned by Mr Vinay Chhajlani, the then-promoter and CEO of Naidunia and Mr Jehangir Pocha, Former Editor of Businessworld, a rebranding and relaunch of the channel was announced in 2010. NewsX was expected to be relaunched with a new look and logo as IMN (Independent Media Network) News. Morgan Almeida, Director of London-based AlmeidaMedia was appointed to work on the new logo for IMN News.

     

    INX Media which owned INX News was set up by former Star India CEO Peter Mukerjea in March 2007. The existing logo of the channel was designed by UK-based Red Bee Media.

     

  • Maxus, Loderstar UM and Lintas Media Group are rank third, fourth and fifth respectively in the RECMA billings report

    Mindshare continues to be India’s #1 media agency, Madison is at #2: RECMA billings report

    By A Correspndent

     

    The much-regarded billings report for India has been released by RECMA. The Indian media agency business grew 12 percent in 2011 with a total billings of US$ 5644 million.

     

    Group M’s Mindshare media agency tops RECMA’s India billings report for 2011 with US$ 1055million, growing 10 percent over its 2010 billings. Madison Media is second 630mn, growing 15 percent. Maxus, Loderstar UM and Lintas Media Group are rank third, fourth and fifth respectively.

     

    ZenithOptimedia saw the highest growth with 40 percent over the previous year, as per the RECMA report. At least three agencies saw a degrowth. Media Direction went down 29 percent, MPG down 20 percent and TME dropped 15 percent.

     

    The combined billings of Dentsu and Aegis agencies Carat and Vizeum would put the new entity at #11 with US$ 250 million.

     

    Last week, MxMIndia had reported RECMA’s global billings data and rankings (see Link: http://www.mxmindia.com/2012/07/starcom-tops-recmas-global-billings-rankings-omd-is-2/).

     

     

  • There is a desirable exposure to brands. Hence advertising provides a wider canvas to work on and promises to be an integral part of marketing, says Ajay Chandwani

    The Anchor: Ajay Chandwani on 5 reasons why youngsters/MBAs should join advertising

    By Ajay Chandwani

     

    1. Brand Management

    For those who have studied MBA, marketing management is just one part of the spectrum, but one should realize that in advertising you also get to do brand management. This is a dynamic field to be a part with immense opportunity.

     

    2. Variety

    In advertising, you are not restricted to one industry, but you get to work on various categories. So if one time it is about selling a washing powder, next time it could be about selling biscuits and then about selling cars. One has to think different thus not getting stuck in stereotypes.

     

    3. You do it for a living

    Advertising promotes lateral thinking. It’s not that you can’t do out-of-box thinking in marketing, but in advertising that’s how you are making a living. You get to interact with creative minds and you need to be an ideas person to survive and succeed.

     

    4. Never a predictable moment

    You could get to work on a new product, marketing plans keep changing, new brands gets launched, so in short, there is no boredom. There is so much going around in advertising business that it promises to be one roller-coaster ride.

     

    5. Today advertising is at the helm of a marketing function

    The former has taken a 360 degree avatar which included advertising, PR, digital, BTL and the works. There is a desirable exposure to brands. Hence it provides a wider canvas to work on and promises to be an integral part of marketing.

     

    Ajay Chandwani is Director at Percept Ltd

     

  • Mahuaa channel directors P K Tewari and Anand Tewari have been arrested for forgery to secure loans of nearly Rs 100 crore, the CBI has said

    Mahuaa channel directors held for forgery

    By A Correspondent

     

    Two directors of popular Bhojpuri TV network Mahuaa were arrested for forgery to secure loans of nearly Rs.100 crore, a CBI official said Monday. A Delhi court sent them to judicial custody till August 4.

     

    Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Special Judge Swarana Kanta Sharma sent Mahuaa channel directors P.K. Tewari and Anand Tewari to jail after they were presented before her on the expiry of the period of their custodial interrogation.

     

    The duo were arrested by the probe agency on July 18 for their alleged involvement in presenting fake invoices and chartered accountant certificates to secure Rs 34 crore loan each from three banks. The two allegedly cheated three banks – Bank of Baroda, Punjab National Bank and Union Bank of India. The banks lodged a complaint against the accused in January.

     

    According to the CBI, the directors procured loans from the three banks for the expansion of their channel.

     

    Source: Indo-Asian News Service

     

  • One of the seniormost programming executives in the business, Mr Bahl has had short stints at Mahuaa, Turner, Network 18 after moving on from Star India in April 2011

    Vivek Bahl hops to Sony as Chief Creative Director

    By A Correspondent

     

    In 18 months, this is his fifth place of work… surely, the man’s on the move. Yes, Vivek Bahl is set to join Sony Entertainment Television (SET) as Chief Creative Director after short stints at Mahuaa, Turner and Network 18.

     

    One of the seniormost programming executives in the business, Mr Bahl, joined Zee TV a few months before it was launched way back in 1992. His last port of call has been the Viacom18 Network which he had joined in May this year as network advisor (content).

     

    In the new role, Mr Bahl will be responsible for the overall programming of the flagship channel. Speaking on his appointment, he said, via a communique: “I’m delighted to join SET and hope to provide valuable programming inputs in all genres of shows. This is an exciting and challenging role and I’m honoured that trust has been reposed in my abilities.”

     

    Mr Bahl will report to Sneha Rajani, Senior Executive Vice President & Business Head – Channel SET.  While announcing the appointment, NP Singh, COO, MSM, said: “Vivek’s entertainment experience and a cross-functional strategic perspective will enhance the growth of SET. On behalf of Sony Entertainment Network, we look forward to a long and fruitful working association with him.”

     

    Prior to joining Viacom18, Mr Bahl was with Turner International where he was the Chief Content Officer. And before that he was with the Mahuaa Network where he moved from Star India.

     

  • The first edition of this T20 league will be played in August 2012. The multi-year deal includes a minimum of 24 T20 matches per season.

    ESPN Star bags SL Premier League

    By A Correspondent

     

    ESPN Star Sports announced that it has reached a multi-year broadcast rights agreement for exclusive coverage of the Sri Lanka Premier League (SLPL) in India. The first edition of this T20 league will be played in August 2012.

     

    The multi-year deal includes a minimum of 24 T20 matches per season. The first edition of the SLPL will see seven provisional teams compete for the trophy as well as a qualifier berth to the Champions League Twenty20 (CLT20) to be held later this year. The SLPL will feature 42 international players participating from seven countries. Star Cricket, Star Sports and ESPN will broadcast all the matches live and exclusive in India Starting August 11.

     

    ESPN Star Sports’ broadcast rights agreement also includes live coverage of the SLPL in the territories of Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Korea, Nepal, Macau, Malaysia, Maldives, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Thailand

     

    These rights, in addition to the existing T20 leagues from Australia, England and Bangladesh and along with CLT20 and ICC WT20 make ESS the undisputed leaders in this coveted cricket format.

     

    Speaking on the occasion, Peter Hutton, Managing Director, ESPN Star Sports, said: “We are delighted to be able to telecast the live matches of the SLPL in India and throughout the region. It is an excellent addition to Star Cricket’s remarkable catalogue of content in the next year, headlined byIndia’s home series against Pakistan, England and New Zealand, the ICC World T20, the Champions League T20 and the ICC Champions trophy. Sri Lanka cricket becomes the 6th cricket body with whom we are working on the shortest form of the game.”

     

    The SLPL will see all leading international and domestic cricketers from Sri Lanka joining hands with talented U-21 players. The tournament has also attracted players from Australia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, South Africa, New Zealand, Zimbabwe and West Indies.

     

  • Mobiwise is a specialist mobile planning unit focused on SEO/SEM. The unit will be located at the Gurgaon headquarters of Mogae

    Mogae announces specialist unit Mobiwise for mobile SEO/SEM

    By A Correspondent

     

    After the launch of Mobocracy, the creative boutique for mobile, Mogae Media announced that it is launching Mobiwise, a specialist mobile planning unit focused on SEO/SEM. The unit will be located at the Gurgaon headquarters of Mogae.

     

    “In the recent years, a massive surge in the use of smartphones, and now tablets have made it essential to adapt web pages to meet the needs of their users. In particular, the web pages should be optimized for search on these platforms, so you reach your audience that is typically mobile, business oriented and mostly affluent,” said Tanya Goyal, Executive Director of the Mogae Group.

     

    Mobiwise brings in-depth understanding of how the user behaviour differs on these handheld devices from PC browsing and provides effective search engine optimization [SEO] for the mobile site. Experienced specialists at Mobiwise will help clients ensure their SEO works across all devices.

     

    The mobile SEO services will include regular mobile site audits, onsite and offsite SEO, accessibility and usability consulting, multilingual mobile site optimization, a balanced approach to SEO and pay per click [PPC].

     

    To balance the use of organic SEO and PPC advertising on mobile devices, an in-depth understanding of how the various search results and adverts are displayed across a range of the most popular platforms is required. It is also vital to keep up-to-date with the latest technologies and gadgets and their impact on user behaviour as well as search engine policies.

     

    Mobiwise has been setup especially to help clients through this maze and make sure their business is being found by users of the latest phones, tablets and other devices. Mobiwise helps get the best from this relatively new advertising medium, allowing the client to reach out to an affluent, mobile and technologically savvy audience.

     

    “At Mogae Media we are trying to provide single window solutions for the mobile medium. We believe the market is close to an explosive inflection point. Mogae, with Mobocracy and Mobiwise, will be in the forefront of mobile communication,” emphasized Ms Goyal.

     

  • By taking up this franchisee, Sahara India Pariwar intends to encourage young talents, thereby giving them a platform to nurture their skills

    Sahara picks Lucknow franchisee of Hockey India League

    By A Correspondent

     

    Sahara India Pariwar, a major business conglomerate, has announced that it has picked up one of the Lucknow franchise of the Hockey India League (HIL), which is to be started by Hockey India. The Hockey India League (HIL) will initially comprise of six teams which will play amongst each other (both home and away matches).

     

    Moreover, by taking up this franchisee, Sahara India Pariwar intends to encourage young talents, thereby giving them a platform to nurture their skills under the supervision of talented sportsmen.

     

    Speaking on the occasion, ‘Saharasri’ Subrata Roy Sahara, Managing Worker & Chairman, Sahara India Pariwar, said: “We are proud to associate with this great game, which has created legends in the past. By taking up this franchise, we are sure that fresh talent will be identified at city and regional level, who in turn will bring laurels to our beloved nation. We are also hopeful, that following our efforts to encourage hockey, other corporate entities will also come forward to support this league which will eventually benefit the game and its exponents.”

     

    Mr. Narendra Batra, Secretary General, Hockey India, said: “I am grateful to Sahara India Pariwar, for again coming forward in support of Hockey. The Group has always supported the sport of hockey.”

     

    Apart from being sponsor to the Indian Hockey Team, Sahara India Pariwar had also joined hands with Federation Internationale De Hockey (FIH) in 2004, the World’s apex Body for Hockey, and became the 4th Global Partner of the Federation for 3 years.

     

     

  • This commercial works for me. Mainly because Mr HCL isn't shown using technology to provide a solution, he uses ingenuity

    Debrief: HCL: Fresh and entertaining

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    HCL is back with its Mr HCL and Mr Banker campaign. The positioning is the same as before: ‘Technology that touches lives’. But innovation is at the heart of the new commercial.

     

    This time the two dudes are marooned on a remote island. The banker plays the bumbling idiot, and Mr HCL is, of course, the smart one. The latter uses the banker’s dead cell phone to light a fire on the beach. The smoke is detected by a rescue helicopter, and the two are saved. But not before the banker has made a fool of himself for some quick laughs.

     

    This commercial works for me. Mainly because Mr HCL isn’t shown using technology to provide a solution, he uses ingenuity. Imagine if he had used techno magic to perform the rescue act, the TVC would have become literal and therefore boring. At the same time, this approach projects HCL as an innovative company that’s ready to think out of the box. Ergo, message delivered.

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”225″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gAASVe09VM[/youtube]

    I didn’t much care for the ‘ass on fire’ slapstick stuff, it is much too forced, but our cold techie friends will find this funny, so that’s fine. But why make fun of investment bankers? Are they such morons? This is the only part I don’t quite get.

     

    All in all, an entertaining ad that delivers the message. Also, the Discovery Channel type of a setting, of being rescued from wilderness, adds to the freshness of the communication.

     

    Rating: (On a scale of 1 to 5): 3. Focused message. Cool delivery.

     

  • In Freaking News, Ranjona Banerji reviews the fare in the morning papers and the nightly news. And sometimes the afternooners, the newsmags and all that's on the Web

    Ranjona Banerji: TV news viewing can be injurious to the lower jaw

    By Ranjona Banerji

     

    Since president-elect Pranab Mukherjee spoke to almost everyone on Tuesday, it was hard to see why news channels rushed to qualify their interviews as “first” or “better” or whatever. Exclusive, in TV parlance, is apparently when you do the same thing as everyone else, except five minutes before.

     

    Anyway, Mukherjee did not say very much about anything he was going to do as President although he talked about his childhood and his early political career. The silliest question I reckon came from Sagorika Ghose of CNN-IBN who asked whether Mukherjee’s ascension to Rashtrapati Bhavan was a “return of Bengal to the mainstream”. At this point my jaw dropped so low that it fell off and I was so busy retrieving it that I couldn’t pay attention to the rest of the interview.

     

    The best I could get from Arnab Goswami’s interview with Mukherjee on Times Now was that first Mukherjee walked round his garden 40 times, then 33 times and now 30 times and he did not know how many times he was going to walk around the Mughal Gardens. He said he heard the gardens were very large. Anyway, as President he will have ample time to work out stuff like that. Or if he asks someone they might tell him how big the Mughal Gardens are.

     

    * * *

     

    Sunday was all about the presidential election as well as everyone gave us live coverage. Of course, after some time they ran out of things to say because there was very little to say about a presidential election in India, at least not enough that can last a whole day even given TV’s marvellous propensity for waffling on about nothing. The highlight of the day was losing candidate PA Sangma’s losing speech. He started by congratulating Mukherjee and then went into a whine about how the Congress had used bribery, extortion and threats to ensure Mukherjee’s victory and how the North East and betrayed not just him but all tribals and themselves as well. (They didn’t vote for him.) Sangma’s entire campaign was based on pettiness, so nothing surprising here. What was surprising was Navika Kumar of Times Now stating emphatically that this was the best, most gracious and most sportsmanlike speech she has ever heard from a loser. Her guests Krishna Prasad of Outlook and commentator NN Satchidanand tried to point out otherwise, but she would have none of it. Jaw-retrieval is a common affliction for those who watch too much TV news, as I should know by now.

     

    * * *

     

    Rupert Murdoch has stepped down from several boards which control News Corp’s titles in the US, UK and India. The pressure to do so apparently came from investors, after the phone-hacking scandal led to the closing of The News of the World and all the arrests of News Corp staff, current and former. Murdoch’s rise saw a lot of bile but in his fall are some abject lessons for media bosses and for those journalists who decide that principles are nothing when faced with corporate pressure to perform in a particular manner or to do anything to get results. The Nuremberg trials ought to be required reading for young aspiring journalists: the fact that you got an order is not defence enough.

     

    * * *

     

    I was appalled yesterday and continue to be appalled today about Monday’s front page anchor in The Times of India about a group of Indian athletes that went to the 1936 Berlin Games under a saffron flag singing Vande Mataram and impressed Adolf Hitler enough to give the group a medal. The story behaved as if getting a medal from the 20th century’s most frightening dictator was a great honour. There was not a squeak in the story about Nazism and what the organiser of the group thought of that. The glorification of Nazism in India is restricted to those influenced by the religious nationalism that comes of out of Nagpur. The story, therefore, should have mentioned or questioned the RSS connections of the group. Saffron flags and Vande Mataram were clear giveaways but why not come out openly and say so? And for a journalist – and a newspaper – to ignore the Nazi angle to such a story is criminal.

     

    * * *

     

    Vikram Doctor’s article in The Economic Times on food and the Olympics was extremely readable and well-researched. Try it: http://blogs.economictimes.indiatimes.com/onmyplate/entry/thanks-to-french-humour-here-s-best-of-british-food

     

     

     

  • The India operations will be headed by Uday Vijayan and the creative team will be headed by Alistair Petrie

    London’s Imagination creative shop enters India

    By Preethi Chamikutty

     

    Imagination, a London based creative agency became the latest entrant in the Indian advertising landscape. With offices in Mumbai and Bengaluru, Imagination is currently in the process of building its team in India. The India operations will be headed by Uday Vijayan, who has worked in the past with agencies like JWT, Bozell and GPJ.

     

    Imagination’s creative team will be headed by Alistair Petrie, regional creative director who is based out of the agency’s Hong Kong office. Imagination started off as an experiential agency but now handles different creative needs that a client may have. At the Auto Expo 2012 held in New Delhi earlier this year, Imagination helped auto brands like Land Rover, Ford and Tata Motors showcase themselves in a distinctive manner.

     

    “This maybe our official entry into India, but we have been working with Indian clients over the last 15-20 years,” explained Mark Barrett, CEO, Asia Pacific, Imagination.

     

    Oberoi hotels, 360 restaurants, Hyatt New Delhi and Ritz Carlton Bengaluru are among the brands that Imagination has worked with. Imagination has also redesigned the Aston Martin showrooms for the car brand in India.

     

    Imagination has 16 offices spread across Qatar, Moscow, Seattle, Sao Paulo and has 9 offices in the APAC region alone. China was its last entry before India, and Barrett hopes to replicate the success of Chinese market in India as well.

     

    “Our past experience with Indian brands is helping us grow. Everybody thinks an international agency will be expensive, but we think globally and work locally,” said Mr Barrett. He also said Imagination will draw upon its resources across the globe to do the best work for its clients, irrespective of where the client is physically located.

     

    Imagination, said Mr Barrett, works with over 311 brands globally including Disney, Siemens, Aston Martin and The Body Shop among others. Talking about the Indian opportunity, he said there are a lot of luxury brands in India which he says is an area of opportunity for them.

     

    Source: The Economic Times

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