Meesho, internet commerce platform, has launched a new campaign to encourage MSMEs to digitise their business. ‘India bhar pe chayega’ highlights how sellers can grow their business with Meesho. The TVC features prominent actors such as Deven Bhojani and Nitesh Pandey. The new ad campaign targets audiences in metro as well as Tier 2+ markets.
Said Laksminarayan Swaminathan, CXO, Supply Growth at Meesho: “Meesho’s latest campaign, ‘India bhar pe chayega’ highlights how sellers can grow their businesses with Meesho. Traditionally, businesses are limited by their geographical reach. With the help of digitisation and reach provided by ecommerce, businesses can cater to customers’ needs anywhere and at any time. We want to encourage independent business owners of small to mid-sized stores, shops and other retail establishments to digitise their business.”
5W1H, a newly launched marketing and advertising agency by Kunal Luhar and Aakash Chatterjee, has won the digital and social media marketing mandate of Eduvanz Financing, a digital fintech and an RBI registered non-banking finance company (NBFC).
Commenting on the association, Varun Chopra, CEO and Co-founder, Eduvanz Financing said: “The digital ecosystem is vast and continuously evolving and hence it becomes essential to adapt to the changes accordingly to remain relevant to our audience. We are pleased to partner with 5W1H in the next phase of our growth. We are excited to create fresh and enhancing experiences and content for our audience.”
Added Luhar: “We are humbled by the trust that Eduvanz Financing has put on us. We are looking forward to providing brand solutions and driving their social media strategy. Our team at 5W1H will ensure a customer-centric approach that will help them win, retain and engage with their customers.”
To all those who thought that dimple-cheeked Shah Rukh Khan Thums Up can never really be looked as an action hero, Thums Up (and agency Ogilvy) have got the actor perform stunts on the top of a train. And more.
Commenting on the new campaign Sumeli Chatterjee, Head – Integrated Marketing Experiences (IMX), Coca-Cola India & Southwest Asia said: “Thums Up is a 45-year young brand that has always inspired millions to stay committed to their dreams. When we launched #PalatDe last year, the upside-down bottle of Thums Up became symbolic of the #PalatDe spirit – turning down every naysayer who cast a doubt on your ability. Building on this platform, we are thrilled to team up with Mr. Shah Rukh Khan to tell the story of the #ThumsUpStrong spirit. The strong unique taste of the brand is naturally weaved into strength as an emotion, that urges the drinkers to stay strong and believe in their dreams.”
Btw, Salman Khan endorses Pepsi. The Khans aren’t foes, but the colas don’t have any love for each other.
The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has announced guidelines for virtual digital asset advertising.
The guidelines will be applicable to all advertisements released or published on or after the April 1, 2022. Advertisers and media owners must also ensure that all earlier advertisements must not appear in the public domain unless they comply with the guidelines, post the April 15.
Subhash Kamath
Said Subhash Kamath, Chairman of ASCI: “We had several rounds of discussion with the government, finance sector regulators, and industry stakeholders before framing these guidelines. Advertising of virtual digital assets and services needs specific guidance, considering that this is a new and as yet an emerging way of investing. Hence, there is a need to make consumers aware of the risks and ask them to proceed with caution”.
These guidelines interpret, for virtual digital assets, Chapter 1 of the ASCI code, particularly clauses 1.1, 1.4 and 1.5. that require ads to be truthful, and not mislead consumers by implication, ambiguity, exaggeration or omission, and are not framed in a way that abuses their trust or exploits their lack of knowledge.
It is important to note that these guidelines do not amount to any legal recognition or endorsement of the industry or the sector, as that is a matter of government policy. ASCI only provides self-regulation for content of ads that are permitted by law.
Manisha Kapoor
Added Manisha Kapoor, Secretary General, ASCI: “We have seen a spate of advertising for virtual digital assets which could compromise consumer interest in the absence of some guardrails. Use of celebrities and high decibel advertising would attract consumers to these offerings, without full disclosure of the risks. Given that this is, as of now, an unregulated space, it is even more important for advertising to be upfront regarding the risks associated with these products. Globally, this is an emerging technology and products in the virtual digital asset industry have seen significant volatility. We believe with these guidelines, advertisements would be fairer and more transparent.
All advertising for virtual digital assets and services needs to follow the following guidelines:
(1.1) All ads for VDA products and VDA exchanges, or featuring VDAs, must carry the following disclaimer.
“Crypto products and NFTs are unregulated and can be highly risky. There may be no regulatory recourse for any loss from such transactions.”
Such a disclaimer must be made in the following manner so that it is PROMINENT and UNMISSABLE by an average consumer:
(a) In print or static, equal to at least 1/5th of the advertising space at the bottom of the advertisement in an easy-to-read font, against a plain background, and to the maximum font size afforded by the space.
(b) In video, the disclaimer should be placed at the end of the advertisement against a plain background. A voice over must accompany the disclaimer in text. The voiceover should be at a normal speaking pace and must not be hurried. In the case of long format video of over two minutes, the said disclaimer should be repeated at the beginning and at the end of the video. The disclaimer must remain on screen for a minimum of five seconds.
(c) In audio, the disclaimer must be spoken at the end of the advertisement. The voiceover should be at a normal speaking pace and must not be hurried. In the case of long format audio of over 90 seconds, the said disclaimer should be repeated at the beginning and at the end of the audio.
(d) In social media posts, such a disclaimer must be carried in both- the caption as well as any picture or video attachments. The disclaimer within the caption must be placed upfront at the beginning of the post. Where social media posts. or advertisements have restrictions on text in the static picture, the disclaimer must be carried upfront in the caption before the fold.
(e) In disappearing stories or posts unaccompanied by text, the said disclaimer will need to be voiced at the end of the story in the manner laid out in points (a) or (b) above. If the video is 15 seconds or lesser, then the disclaimer may be carried in a prominent and visible manner as an overlay.
(f) In formats where there is a limit on characters, the following shortened disclaimer must be used “Crypto products and NFTs are unregulated and risky” followed by a link to the full disclaimer.
(g) The disclaimer must be made in the dominant language of the advertisement
(h) In addition to the above, all disclaimers must meet the minimum requirements laid down in the ASCI guidelines for disclaimers.
(2) The words “currency”, “securities”, “custodian” and “depositories” may not be used in advertisements of VDA products or services as consumers associate these terms with regulated products.
(3) The information contained in advertisements shall not contradict the information or warnings that the regulated entities provide to customers in the marketing of VDA products from time to time.
(4) Advertisements that provide information on the cost or profitability of VDA products shall contain clear, accurate, sufficient and updated information. For example, “zero cost” will need to include all costs that the consumer might reasonably associate with the offer or transaction.
(5) Information on past performance shall not be provided in any partial or biased manner. Returns for periods of less than 12 months shall not be included.
(6) Every advertisement for VDA products must clearly give out the name of the advertiser and provide an easy way to contact them (phone number or email). This information should be presented in a manner that is easily understood by the average consumer.
(7) No advertisement for VDA products or exchanges may show a minor, or someone who appears to be a minor, directly dealing with the product, or talking about the product
(8) No advertisement may show that VDA products or VDA trading could be a solution to money problems, personality problems or other such drawbacks.
(9) No advertisement shall contain statements that promise or guarantee future increase in profits.
(10) No advertisement may show that understanding VDA products is so easy that consumers do not have to think twice about investing. Nothing in the ad should downplay the risks associated with the category.
(11) VDA products may not be compared to any other asset class which is regulated.
(12) Since this is a risky category, celebrities or prominent personalities who appear in VDA advertisements must take special care to ensure that they have done their due diligence about the statements and claims made in the advertisement, so as not to mislead consumers.
Now Metaverse is the hottest new button in every chatter. The question is do we know what it entails. So we asked Dr Bhaskar Das the question and here’s his answer for Das ka Dum dated February 24. Read on…
If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar.
Q. Metaverse, it’s said, will transform the way A&M&E will be. But not many people really understand what it means. Could you help decode what it is.
A. I must admit I have limited understanding on the subject. Metaverse or Meta, I understand, aims to innovate the way people interact with each other on the internet, interacting in a way previously only thought possible in science fiction. I can further imagine that Meta’s researchers would build better models that can learn from trillions of examples, work across hundreds of different languages, seamlessly analyse text, images and video together; develop new augmented reality tools etc.
If these are indicative possibilities, there is every possibility that A&M industry would be deeply be impacted by it. Aren’t we seeing metaverse marriage, metaverse real estate initiatives already? Within the next 12 months you would observe more experiments involving the marcom industry using meta for creating unique experiences.
Come to think of it, all practitioners should take a crash course in appreciating the world of metaverse in augmenting possibilities.
Bajaj Almond Drops has launched a new campaign featuring Parineeti Chopra. Created by Mullen Lintas with a tagline ‘Hair Karenge Dare’, the campaign targets young consumers.
Commenting on the campaign, Jaideep Nandi, MD, Bajaj Consumer Care Limited, said: “The challenge given to Mullen Lintas was to give the brand a narrative that is not just problem-solution but occupy a space that young consumers would relate to. The film is rooted in a true insight and the execution brings it alive.”
Talking about the campaign, Azazul Haque, CCO, Mullen Lintas, added: “The brand had got in the problem-solution space in the past few years and we wanted to shift it into something more attitudinal that women of today could relate to. The idea of ‘Hair Karenge Dare’ was loved by all from the very go. Also, the idea was to break the clutter in the category. The creative idea of Challenging the mirror does that. It’s rooted in an insight, is extremely attitudinal and breaks the clutter.”
Hansa Research, consumer insights company, has launched IPLomania 2022, a syndicated study that captures insights about the advertised brands during the IPL tournament. IPLomania will track brands on a daily basis and understands return on investment among other things. It will also track the popularity and loyalty among fans for different teams and players.
According to the previous reports of IPLomania, Rohit Sharma’s reliability in the Indian team as well as his leadership qualities helped him reach the top position in the favourite player category for three consecutive years while Virat Kohli came second and MS Dhoni was third.
Commenting on the significance of the report, Praveen Nijhara, CEO, Hansa Research, said: “With sports marketing gaining prominence year on year, studies like IPLomania helps to provide a thorough analysis on the impact each brand creates in the viewers mind. We have been tracking brands, players, teams during the Indian Premier League (IPL) for over a decade now through ‘IPLomania’. We are extremely proud of the fact that our syndicated study has emerged as a guide for Indian brands and marketers, especially when it comes to understanding the efficacies of their ad spends during this highly popular tournament.”
As per the 2021 report of IPLomania, 60 matches were played wherein a whopping 219 brand variants across 117 brands appeared during the matches. Nearly 13,85,103 seconds were consumed by these 117 brands, which is a growth of a whopping 36.64% from 2020. The revenue perception model will probably change in 2022 and brands can learn and fine-tune their brand strategies by recapturing the branding and advertising developments from IPL 2021.
Laughter, they say, is the best medicine. Humour is also an equaliser of sorts, the jester can ridicule the prince and the pauper alike. Often what can’t be uttered directly, is passed off easily, garbed in satire. We see that a lot these days, in the form of standup comedy, where political powers or specific groups are targeted in jokes. Gaining popularity in both online and offline avatars, standup comedy is increasingly becoming a respectable career choice for many.
But what happens when the joke is directed at someone vulnerable or marginalised?
The other day, I came across a video clip in which an Indian comic, Abhishek Upmanyu incites laughter by mentioning physical disability. The joke is not only in bad taste, it makes no sense. I’m sure there is a larger context to his gig, but nothing justifies the sheer insensitivity.
What is funny to someone, can be extremely hurtful to another. Growing up, I used to wear thick spectacles to school. That’s when we didn’t have the luxury of ordering high index (thin) glasses to meet one’s cosmetic needs. I was mercilessly derided by peers who called me ‘chaukhi’ which loosely translates to ‘four-eyed girl’. Some kids even hid my glasses, and rejoiced seeing me bump into furniture, trying to find my way around.
While their laughter filled up the classroom and the corridors, it wasn’t funny for me.
Because of intrinsic stereotyping in literature, cinema, television, advertisements et cetera, the business of ‘othering’ is assumed to be acceptable. It comes naturally to people, young kids included.
It has been normalised to such an extent, that we use phrases and words without worrying about the implications. Common utterances include, ‘That joke is so lame’, ‘Why are you acting bipolar’, ‘Are you retarded’, ‘Can you dumb it down’ and so on.
Another comedian, Neville Shah was slammed online for ridiculing persons with disabilities. Incidentally, this artist features on a popular OTT platform. In this particular clip, Shah mocks disability and reservation for the underprivileged sections of society.
How can apathy towards a sizeable section of the population result in comic relief?
Bollywood also has a history of portraying disabled people as farcical, oafish or villainous. Their physical disability is accompanied with a character distinction that puts them apart from the rest of the cast. Premnath plays the powerful villain, Sir Judas in the film Karz who is speech impaired. Shah Rukh Khan plays young Rahul in the film Darr, chasing Juhi Chawla with an abnormal passion. His unhealthy obsession is attributed to mental instability. Vivek Oberoi plays the villain, Kaal in Krrish 3 who is paralysed neck down.
Buffoonery and disability also go hand in hand in Indian cinema. Tushar Kapoor is characterised by speech disability in the famous Golmaal series. The weird noises made by his character have made him all the more endearing to the audience. Three lead actors, Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh and Abhishek Bachchan pretend to be disabled, in the slapstick comedy Housefull 3. One character plays a wheelchair-bound cripple, another pretends to be blind, and the third dons the garb of a mute man, only to generate some silly laughs.
However, mocking disability is not limited to the Indian subcontinent. Several comedians across the world have indulged in thoughtless mirth at the expense of persons with disability.
A Canadian comedian, Mike Ward mocked a disabled singer, Jeremy Gabriel who became a celebrity as a young boy. Known as ‘Petit Jeremy’, Gabriel has Treacher Collins Syndrome, a genetic disorder that affects facial bone structure. In his case it caused severe deafness. His family filed a human rights complaint, which was challenged and won by Ward on grounds of free speech.
In 2018, advocacy groups, individuals and parents of children with Down Syndrome vociferously condemned comedian Tom Segura’s repeated usage of ‘retarded’ in the Netflix special ‘Disgraceful’.
In the American sitcom ‘Big Bang Theory’, Stuart Bloom who is the owner of a comic bookstore, struggles with physical as well as mental health issues. He is made the butt of jokes, used for cheap comedy and easy one-liners.
In the process of entertaining a majority, comedians and writers indulge in ‘otherising’ a minority and reinforcing prejudices in the societal mindset. Should the media be perpetuating such stereotypes?
Shruti Pushkarna is a former journalist who now works as a programmes and media specialist for the inclusion of persons with disabilities. Shruti was part of the founding team of MxMIndia and now writes for MxMIndia every other Thursday. Her views here are personal. She can be reached via Twitter at @shrutipushkarna
McDonald’s India (N&E) has launches a new campaign for the newly-introduced butter chicken and butter paneer grilled burgers.
Commenting on the campaign Rajeev Ranjan, Chief Operating Officer, McDonald’s India – North and East said: “Burrraaahh is the way our North Indian guests express the feeling when they experience excitement, joy and delight together. Our new ad film perfectly captures these emotions our guests experience while consuming our Butter Chicken and Butter Paneer grilled burgers.”
Added Iraj Fraz Batla, Creative Head – North, DDB Mudra: “Fans of Punjabi food are instinctively going to fall in love with the new McDonald’s butter chicken & paneer grilled burgers. And like you’d go ‘Ooh-la-la’ on trying a lovely French wine, or ‘Bravo!’ on tasting an original Italian pizza – when we took our first bite of the new burger, we instinctively went, ‘Burrraaahh!’ Through the film, we wanted to show the same happiness that we experienced while enjoying the new burger. You’d definitely go ‘Burrraaahh!’ when you try it.”
Motilal Oswal Mutual Funds has launched a series of digital films to create visibility for its ELSS fund and its dual benefits in a quirky way with relatable real life situations. Conceptualised and executed by Digital Refresh network, campaign films aim to reiterate the unique proposition of Motilal Oswal Long Term Equity Fund (An ELSS Fund).
Speaking on the film Charles Nadar, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Motilal Oswal Financial Services Limited (MOFSL) said, “Since it’s that time of the year when investors are scrambling for ways to save tax, this campaign seeks to highlight Motilal Oswal Long Term Equity Fund offerings, mainly built to help save tax U/S 80C and achieve their planned financial goals. We constantly endeavour to design ad campaigns that evoke humour, are awe-inspiring, and are relatable to everyday situations. On this note, we took cue from those real life situations where choosing from one of two options can result in the fear of missing out on the alternative, making it difficult to take a decision. But with our ELSS fund, one can save tax and build wealth simultaneously. ”
Added Amit Agarwal – Creative Director, Digital Refresh Networks: “A clear brief is half of the job done! Thanks to the team at MOMF, we received a very sharp proposition to communicate. We were happy to build further on our expertise with short format stories, to help the sharp messaging, land effectively with the audience. What becomes critical in this form is the little nuances that make the story come through even within a short window. It is the attention to this detailing that makes all the difference and finally, it’s the response to the communication that adds to the joy of this process, the videos have been well accepted by the audience as we are seeing great organic traction! That is the win we play for.”
Earlier this month, the Deepika Padukone starrer Gehraiyaan released on Amazon Prime Video. Over the last two weeks, the film has been incessantly analysed, intellectualised and dissected by the critics and the audience alike. It’s a subject of social media posts, memes, op-eds, the works. The film has found such attention largely because of the stardom of its female lead. The same film with a lesser star would have only got as much notice as any of the more than 100 Hindi films that have released direct-to-OTT in India since early 2021.
At an estimated audience (Ormax tracking) of 6.5 million on its first weekend in India, Gehraiyaan is by far the biggest Hindi film on Amazon Prime Video. In its first 10 days, the film has been watched (at least 30 minutes) by 13.6 million people in India alone. It may only amount to about 1% of India’s population, but it is a sizeable number from a streaming (paid) perspective.
But here’s the thing: this number is less than the number of people who watch any of the Top 10 Hindi GEC shows everyday. Yet, there is no interest and conversation around the fiction content on Indian television anymore. There are fan clubs on social media alright, but outside of that, the general media chatter on GEC fiction is close to nothing.
While Bollywood was always a media favourite because of the larger-than-life stardom it offers, there’s no such evident lure in the streaming category. Yet, even mid-range streaming shows, with no saleable faces, are being critiqued and discussed like mainstream content. But new GEC launches enjoy no such privileges. When did you last see a fiction GEC show trending on a social media platform?
Conversations around the imminent demise of linear television continue. While these conversations borrow principles from the West, and have little grounding in India’s social reality, not getting any press at all is a genuine concern Indian television must deal with today. GECs still rely heavily on advertising revenues, and even as TV continues to deliver big viewership numbers, media trading conversations are shifting to digital with every passing quarter. TV channels cannot afford to be out of the news altogether. Even in the industry trade websites, much of TV conversations over the last couple of years have been about NTO and news ratings. Most such stories don’t have a positive ring to them.
So, Indian television is not suffering from a viewership problem (at least not so far), but it definitely has a huge perception problem to deal with. Flaunting viewership numbers can help them circumvent this problem, but only till a certain point. It’s only human nature that brand managers and media planners like to associate with content and media they consume themselves, or see others around them consuming and talking about. The consumption had stopped many years ago, and now, even the conversation is dying.
Can mass television come out of this hole? Or it must surrender to the ways of the digital age? The next few years will give us the answer.
Meesho, the online shopping site and e-commerce platform, has announced its partnership with Sideways for strategic guidance and creative development of their brand campaigns through the year.
Said Abhijit Avasthi, Co-Founder, Sideways: “Meesho will be doing for a billion Indians what the incumbent e-commerce players have not been able to do even after many years – truly democratize the power of ecommerce for a billion Indians. We are excited about the opportunity and hope to build one of India’s most loved brands in the very near future.”
Added Lucky Saini, VP & Head of Brand: “We are absolutely delighted to go Sideways. In Sideways, we have found the right partner during this hyper-growth phase of our journey. They truly are a different kind of agency with an integrated team of strategists, creative folks and technologists who understand internet businesses and the pulse of Indian consumers. Together we aim to build Meesho as one of the largest internet companies in India and a brand that people love.”
Now Metaverse is the hottest new button in every chatter. The question is do we know what it entails. So we asked Dr Bhaskar Das the question and here’s his answer for Das ka Dum dated February 24. Read on…
Laughter, they say, is the best medicine. Humour is also an equaliser of sorts, the jester can ridicule the prince and the pauper alike. Often what can’t be uttered directly, is passed off easily, garbed in satire. We see that a lot these days, in the form of standup comedy, where political powers or specific groups are targeted in jokes. Gaining popularity in both online and offline avatars, standup comedy is increasingly becoming a respectable career choice for many.
Earlier this month, the Deepika Padukone starrer Gehraiyaan released on Amazon Prime Video. Over the last two weeks, the film has been incessantly analysed, intellectualised and dissected by the critics and the audience alike. It’s a subject of social media posts, memes, op-eds, the works. The film has found such attention largely because of the stardom of its female lead. The same film with a lesser star would have only got as much notice as any of the more than 100 Hindi films that have released direct-to-OTT in India since early 2021.