MxMIndia

Author: mxmadmin

  • Rather than worry about its viral impact, social media can be effectively employed to handle crises, writes Sanjay Mehta. Not just by brand heads, but governments too!

    Sanjay Mehta lists 8 ways how brands can handle real and false negativity on social media

    By Sanjay Mehta

     

    1. By setting up listening posts (“social media monitoring”) so they are not taken by surprise and can deal with issues proactively, once they discover them

     

    2. By having a well-defined protocol and a workflow to manage normal responses to negativity

     

    3. By also having a plan to handle and manage a potential PR crisis, while praying hard that such crisis actually do not happen at all!

     

    4. By ring-fencing the brand well to ensure that miscreant activity is curtailed and as and when it happens, it is dealt with, firmly

     

    5. In the event of false information that cannot be recognized easily by people, going out with the correct information, with proof, with details, with credibility, to give “their side of the story”

     

    6. By owning up to their own mistakes once in a while, being honest to admit those, not hesitating to say ‘sorry, we screwed up, but we are working to fix it’

     

    7. By creating their own content on social media, giving out interesting, lesser known information, so that consumers have a peak at the real story

     

    8. Most importantly though, by being out there, ‘talking’ to the consumers, engaging with them, establishing a dialogue with them, winning their confidence, in normal times, and not just when there is a crisis!

     

    PS: Governments also need to follow the same strategy. Yes, governments are no different to brand managers, in this respect. The earlier that they understand and accept this, the better it is for them.

     

    Sanjay Mehta is Joint CEO, Social Wavelength

     

  • After one and a half years, Keith Alphonso has quit UTV. He was business head of Bindass, the youth channel from the UTV stable

    Keith Alphonso quits UTV, joins OML as Revenue Head

    By Meghna Sharma

     

    Keith Alphonso

    After one and a half years, Keith Alphonso has left UTV. He was business head of Bindass, the youth channel from the UTV stable which was recently acquired by Walt Disney, and was in charge of rebranding the channel in a bid to keep pace with the ever-changing outlook of its core audience set.

     

    Confirming the news to MxMIndia, Mr Alphonso said, “Yes, I have quit UTV and joined OML as Head of Revenue.”

     

    In his new role at Only Much Louder (OML), a company which focuses on reaching the youth market in India through high quality entertainment properties including music festivals, television and web-based content, Mr Alphonso will be creating more branding properties. “I have mastered the art of creating ‘branded content’ from my previous work experiences. So, will be in-charge of handling similar profile at OML too. The only difference being that here it will be across platforms – television, live events, web etc.”

     

    Prior to UTV, Mr Alphonso has worked with Zoom Television, MTV and Times of India in a career spanning almost 17 years.

     

  • A recent report announced that IndiGo has replaced the Jet Group as the nation's No 1 airline. This is no small achievement for IndiGo

    Anil Thakraney: IndiGo: because on-time is everything

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    A recent report in the TOI announced that IndiGo has replaced the Jet Group as the nation’s No 1 airline. This is no small achievement for IndiGo. Jet has been around for a long time, and runs both, full and low cost service. IndiGo, a more recent player, has, from the start, been a budget airline. So how did they achieve this unexpected feat? Especially considering that there are other low cost airlines in the Indian skies? And what is the learning in this?

     

    Here’s what I think: This is a clear indication that the market in India prefers budget, no-frills travel. This could be because of the not very rosy economic situation at present, but it does indicate what the average desi flier wants. This is also a wake-up call for Dr Vijay Mallya. I have said this before, and will say it again: Kingfisher ought to have been a low cost airline. Mallya and gang went overboard on service and frills, made their airline financially unviable, and burnt their fingers in the process.

     

    There’s another reason IndiGo has become the market leader. Their single-minded and very desirable positioning: Punctuality. I haven’t done a market research study to support this claim, but it’s common sense to me that for a domestic flier, reaching there on time takes top precedence. For a flight of one and a half hour duration, I don’t really care if the chicken biryani is lip-smacking or if the air hostess arrives decked up in a rising hemline. And a movie on board is a silly idea, because I won’t be able to complete it in time. Therefore, punctuality is everything.

     

    Indeed, IndiGo puts its money where its mouth is. They are almost always on time, and I say this from experience. On all personal travel in the last three years, I have only flown IndiGo, and they have never left me twiddling my thumbs in the airport lounge. Clearly, there is some good leadership at work; the company’s core ideology seems to have percolated down to the lowest level. (And this is often not the case in Indian business organizations.)

     

    On a recent flight from Bangalore to Mumbai, I discovered that the airline was celebrating its sixth anniversary. I airily asked the airhostess: “Hey, no chocolates or pastries for the passengers?” She smiled: “Sir, we’ll celebrate by getting you to Mumbai on time. Isn’t that great?” I agree. It is.

     

    ***

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”220″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0HwiPHyenI[/youtube]PS: Malaysian rice distributor BERNAS released this ad on the occasion of Eid. It’s a heart-rending tale of two orphans. BERNAS runs a charity program, as part of which they donate rice to various orphanages. Keep a hanky on standby.

     

     

  • This year's campaign is being launched with the slogan 'Ganpati Bappa Morya, Dharti Mata Morya' in a crusade that protects planet earth while seeking the blessings of Lord Ganesha

    Big FM Launches Big Green Ganesha 2012

    By A Correspondent

     

    BIG FM has announced the launch of the ‘BIG Green Ganesha Campaign’ (BGGC), which is entering its fifth year, with the aim of nurturing a better environment while celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi. This year’s campaign is being launched with the slogan ‘Ganpati Bappa Morya, Dharti Mata Morya’ in a crusade that protects planet earth while seeking the blessings of Lord Ganesha. The initiative has found support from celebrities namely, Aamir Khan, Neha Dhupia and Ranveer Shorey among others, who have donated newspapers which will be used to make the papier mache idols during the festival. Donating newspapers may be a small but significant step in the right direction to spread the message on celebrating the festival in an eco-friendly fashion.

     

    Launched in 2006 before the Ganeshotsav, this initiative is aimed at creating social consciousness towards making one of India’s largest and most popular festivals better and more ecologically sound.

     

    Drawing attention to the fact that most commonly available idols are created from non-degradable material and the paints used contain a high amount of toxins, BGGC has helped generate awareness and gained steady momentum during the last four years by creating a sense of responsibility among communities and delivering significant value to its partners.

     

    The initiative has found support from leading celebrities including Aamir Khan, Neha Dhupia and Ranveer Shorey.

     

    The drive will culminate with the BIG Green Ganesha Awards, on September 19. Radio Jockeys accompanied by top celebrities will travel across cities and announce the names of winners based on measures they’ve taken to create ecologically sound Ganeshas.

     

    While 13 paper Ganesha statues were put up last year as part of the BGG campaign, this year will witness the erection of 30 Ganesha pandals (special temporary structures) across six major cities and a number of other smaller ones. Cities included in this campaign are Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Indore, Surat, Vizag, Baroda, Mangalore, Gwalior, Mysore, Sholapur and Goa. Tie-ups will also be initiated with popularpandals and malls to garner maximum awareness and participation. Supported with out-of-home media and print visibility, the campaign also aims to encourage close to 110 residential societies across the 13 cities to install eco-friendly Ganesha idols.

     

    The activities carried out last year saw more than 35,000 people donating paper by covering 15,000 households. With 14 lakh people visiting the pandals, it was no surprise when the Indian Radio Forum named the campaign the winner in the best On Ground Initiative 2012.

     

  • Dhingana has launched an advertising platform to reach its 11 million worldwide users, with Gokul Rajaram, creator of AdSense and current Facebook product director for advertising, on the advisory board

    Dhingana launches ad platform, Gokul Rajaram is advisor

    By A Correspondent

     

    Dhingana (www.dhingana.com), a leading streaming service for Indian music, has announced the launch of its immersive advertising platform to help brands reach a fast-growing and high-grossing demographic: the Indian population around the world. As part of this initiative, the company has named Gokul Rajaram, Facebook’s Product Director of Advertising and the creator of Google’s AdSense, to its advisory board.

     

    “Globally, over 11 million Indian music fans listen to their favourite music on Dhingana. We believe that this is a great motivation for brands looking at innovative avenues to reach out to them. This led us to develop a highly intuitive advertising platform,” said Snehal Shinde, CEO of Dhingana.

     

    “We’re thrilled to have Gokul on board,” said Swapnil Shinde, COO of Dhingana. “Gokul has extensive experience in creating user-friendly and highly profitable experiences for social and mobile platforms.” Shinde added, “Gokul’s experience will be invaluable as we expand the service to reach more users.”

     

    Prior to joining Facebook, Mr Rajaram spent 5 years as the Product Management Director of Google’s Adsense. He also ran a startup, Chai Labs, that was later bought out by Facebook.

     

    According to Mr Rajaram, “The streaming market in India is growing at an unprecedented rate, offering myriad opportunities to consumers and brands. With more than 7 million active users on iOS, Android, BlackBerry, and Nokia devices, Dhingana has also been quick in tapping the huge impact that mobile is making in India”.

     

    Dhingana expects the advertising platform to become a “must buy” for advertisers such as movie production studios, music labels, independent musicians, mobile carriers, and other brands that want to reach a young, engaged global audience. Dhingana is offering a number of ad formats and can help target ads based on factors like music genre, platform, geo-location, and audience demographics.

     

    As part of beta testing of the platform, Dhingana ran a campaign for the film Cocktail, driving 100,000 audio streams of the ad in the first 18 hours, and more than 1 million streams in the first five days.

     

  • "All our members have been cooperating in the best possible manner to stave off the current situation since last week and we will continue to do so," stated Dr Subho Ray, President of IAMAI.

    Web firms fully cooperating with govt: IAMAI

    By A Correspondent

     

    Following the government’s clampdown on SMSes, social media and its concerns about the misuse of this media by miscreants or anti social elements, the Internet And Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) also urged authorities and citizens to use online tools positively for spreading true and useful information in the current situation.

     

    “Our members believe that hate speech and other illegal content should be removed when duly notified in accordance with Indian laws. All member companies have been responding expeditiously to requests from various government and law enforcement agencies,” the IAMAI said

     

    “All our members have been cooperating in the best possible manner to stave off the current situation since last week and we will continue to do so,” stated Dr Subho Ray, President of IAMAI. He further added that any government order to be effective should be based on the present context and not a general order to remove un-contextual or legal content.

     

    In a related development, the association also welcomed the notification of the government’s policy paper titled “Framework & Guidelines for Use of Social Media for Government Organisations”. With the formal adoption of this paper, the government is now said to be prepared to use social media. It may be recalled that the Department of Electronics and Information Technology has been working on this policy since September 2011 and the final version has emerged after wide consultations and an Open House discussion led by the Honourable Union Minister of Communications and IT.

     

    The current situation drives home the importance of this paper. It states, “One of the big challenges for government is to avoid propagation of unverified facts and frivolous misleading rumours with respect to government policies. Government must have presence on these platforms to counter such perceptions to present the facts to enable informed opinion making by the populace”.

     

  • Jishnu Sen remembers Vinod Prabhakar

    Vinod Prabhakar (1967-2012)

    I have worked very closely with Vinod ever since I moved to Grey. I would say that he practically ran the place and was our strength. His ability to simplify a complicated problem and come out with a decision was something that the organization and I would always remember him for. His warmth, his smile and the twinkle in his eyes will be missed immensely. He had this innate quality of making people feel comfortable which made people go to him even before they came to me with an issue. I would say that he had broad shoulders, very broad ones actually that shouldered a lot that was going around in the agency.

     

    He was extremely generous as well as sensitive person. I depended a lot on his advice and he would always show the right direction. In the worst of times, Vinod would always come up with the best possible solution to wade through the issue. The news of his passing away has been personally shattering. I have lost a friend and an excellent partner at the workplace.

     

    Jishnu Sen is President and CEO, Grey Group India

     

     

    Succumbing to a cardiac arrest, Vinod Prabhakar who was the Chief Financial Officer at Grey Group, breathed his last on Sunday. He was only 45 years old.

     

    A Grey veteran for over 18 years, Mr Prabhakar began his work life with Trikaya as a young Internal Audit Assistant. In less than four years, he was promoted to Deputy General Manager where in addition to his regular responsibilities, was made in-charge of re-designing the Agency’s critical Cash Flow function. He also spearheaded the development of the agency’s unique integrated and all-comprehensive Financial Software Package as well as a new MIS aligning Grey’s internal reporting to the global formats.

     

    In appreciation of his performance, he has been recipient of many internal awards at the Grey Group. A people’s person, he lived by the idea that postponing of decisions or not taking them is dangerous than taking a wrong decision. When not engaged in financial processes at Grey, he spent his time watching movies, reading, badminton and listening to music.

     

    Information on Mr Prabhakar and photograph, from the Grey India website

     

     

     

  • BPN boss Suresh Balakrishna to take additional charge of Lintas Outdoor

    Suresh Balakrishna now also CEO of Lintas Outdoor

    Suresh Balakrishnan

    IPG Mediabrands has announced the appointment of Suresh Balakrishna as CEO of Lintas Initiative Outdoor. The leadership responsibilities of all the OOH businesses of IPG Mediabrands will now report to Suresh Balakrishna, with immediate effect, according to the official communique.

     

    Mr Balakrishna, a media veteran with over 25 years of publishing, brand building and media agency experience, had rejoined Lintas Media Group in January this year to roll out and lead BPN, the third agency network of IPG Mediabrands.

     

    He will be handling this assignment in addition to his current responsibilities as CEO of BPN India.

     

    Hemanth Shah, Managing Director of the company resigned a month ago and will be with the organisation till the end of August. His next destination is not known. He joined the company two years ago from Times OOH.

     

    Some of the leading OOH businesses in IPG Mediabrands include Nokia, Hindustan Unilever, Union Bank ofIndia, Coca Cola, Tata Consultancy Services, Expedia, Citibank, Monte Carlo etc.

     

    For the record, Lintas Initiative Outdoor has 22 offices around India.

     

  • The status is unchanged for news and sports channels who were most opposed to the regulation. There is a restriction on the use of the lower part of the screen to carry captions – static or moving alongside.

    TRAI sticks to 12-minute ad regulation in fresh draft, seeks feedback

    By A Correspondent

     

    Expect a fresh round of litigation or at least a war-via-the-media as negative responses have already started coming in on the new TRAI recommendations on ad duration. On Monday, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India issued fresh guidelines on the duration of advertisements suggesting that no broadcaster can carry advertisements exceeding twelve minutes in a clock. Every broadcaster is required to present a report on ads carried within 15 days of the end of the quarter, with the first report to be submitted on January 15, 2013 for the Oct-Dec 2012 quarter.

     

    The TRAI released the draft regulation “Standards of Quality of Service (Duration of Advertisements in Television Channels) (Amendment) Regulations, 2012” on Monday for consultation with stakeholders.

     

    In the new draft, the explanatory note highlights the advertising code with the following:

    • The picture and the audible matter of the advertisement shall not be excessively ‘loud
    • All advertisement should be clearly distinguishable from the programme and should not in any manner interfere with the programme viz., use of lower part of screen to viz., use of lower part of screen to carry

     

    carry captions, static or moving alongside the programme.

    •  No programme shall carry advertisements exceeding 12 minutes per hour, which may include up to 10 minutes per hour of commercial advertisements, and up to 2 minutes per hour of a channel’s self-promotional programmes.”

     

    Given the above, although some of the earlier suggestions have been eased, the status is unchanged for news and sports channels who were most opposed to the regulation. There is a restriction on the use of the lower part of the screen to carry captions – static or moving alongside.

     

    All television channels are required to follow the advertising code as prescribed in the Cable Television Networks Rules 1994, and as amended from time to time. However, many broadcasters do not following the provisions laid down in the advertising code. A consultation paper, titled “Issues related to Advertisements in the TV channels” was issued on March 16 with comments from various stakeholders and consumers sought. The TRAI then notified the “Standards of Quality of Service (Duration Of Advertisements in Television Channels) Regulations” on May 14.

     

    There was an uproar even as public opinion was divided on the issue. The regulation was challenged by several broadcasters in TDSAT with the TRAI’s role in administering the issue also being questioned. The current draft  regulation “Standards of Quality of Service (Duration of Advertisements in Television Channels) (Amendment) Regulations, 2012” has been prepared for consultation with stakeholders.

     

    The full text of the draft regulations is available on TRAI’s website (www.trai.gov.in) and responses are expected to reach the regulator by September 10.

     

  • To be in tune with the changing milieu it has become imperative for a brand to be present in the digital medium

    The Anchor: Carlton D’Silva on 5 reasons why marketers must take digital seriously

    By Carlton D’Silva

     

    #1 Keep up with the times. To be in tune with the changing milieu it has become imperative for a brand to be present in the digital medium. The brand else would look historic as digital presence is essential for any brand today. It is a way forward for the brands and a way to keep up with the new generation. In fact, the digital presence of a brand and its various innovations is what makes the brand different from the various traditional communication media.

     

    #2 Connect where its TG hangs around. If one is targeting youth, which most marketers today do, then digital cannot be ignored. Data shows that 70 percent of the Indian youth are today online hence it is ‘the’ medium where your TG is and definite should be high on the radar of any marketer who is focusing on this segment.

     

    #3 Cross-function ability. I don’t think any other medium is so agile as digital, which has the ability to extract the good parts of other media and then take it forward. Like an on-ground activation can be recorded and put up on digital and it could go the viral route, thus the restriction of place that an on-ground activity provides can easily be overcome when the same can be viewed by people across. Digital helps in enhancing a traditional medium and can help it make a massive idea.

     

    #4 Quantifiable. No other medium can be tracked better than digital. It can help in specific targeting while being non-intrusive, unlike spillages that happen on traditional media. Also its ability to lead to immediate transactions, like seeing an offer online that leads to purchase there and then, makes it the best option for converting an ad into a sale immediately.

     

    #5 Last but probably the biggest reason why the marketers should adopt digital medium is that it facilitates conversation with consumers. The medium helps to connect instantly with the consumers and no other medium provides that. Also, if there is negative talk around the brand, the medium allows you to listen and then help in taking steps to amend the negatives.

     

    Carlton D’Silva is the Chief Creative Officer at Hungama Digital

     

  • Godrej Security Solutions continues with the humour approach, and that, when done well, always works for a serious product category

    Debrief: Godrej Security: Good use of humour

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Godrej Security Solutions has released a new TVC. And I must say it’s quite hilarious.

     

    An elderly couple is dozing in their bed. The lady hears a strange sound, and asks her hubby to investigate. He does, and discovers that some thieves are trying to break open the safe. Instead of panicking and calling the cops, he quietly goes back to sleep. And so does the missus. No worries. There’s no way the chors will break open their safe vault.

     

    I like this ad. Because Godrej Security Solutions continues with the humour approach, and that, when done well, always works for a serious product category. Better to make the consumer smile rather than make him suffer a heart attack. Also, this particular TVC is single-minded and simple, which is its strength. I am a fan of advertising that is witty & simple, and in my book, the best ideas are those which don’t demand a huge ad budget. Godrej’s ad scores high on all three parameters. Even on repeat exposure, you will find this commercial entertaining.

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”220″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kTwTObrKrw[/youtube]

    Perhaps the execution could have been a trifle better, perhaps the expressions of the protagonists could have been sharper, but that’s a very small blemish. The ad shines, and it makes you want to invest in Godrej.

     

    Good one.

     

    Rating: (On a scale of 1 to 5): 3.5 Simple and effective.

     

  • Kevin Pietersen, the South-African born English cricketer, will be the ambassador for Citizen watches. He presently plays for England, Surrey and the Delhi Daredevils

    Citizen signs Kevin Pietersen as brand ambassador

    By A Correspondent

     

    Kevin Pietersen, the South-African born English cricketer, will be the ambassador for Citizen watches. He presently plays for England, Surrey and the Delhi Daredevils and has the distinction of being the second-highest run scorer from his first 25 Tests. He became the fastest batsman to reach both 1,000 and 2,000 runs in One Day International cricket.  He is the third English batsman to top the ICC One Day International rankings in March 2007.

     

    Katsusuke Tokura, MD, Citizen Watches India said, “We are delighted to have Kevin Pietersen as Citizen’s brand ambassador. Kevin Pietersen is one of the finest batsmen, his sophistication and style superbly personifies our brand.”

     

    Kevin Pietersen will also feature in the brand’s communication of the new Super Titanium watch collection. All models from the Super Titanium Collection feature a high-quality sapphire glass that helps resistance against scratches and always guarantees a perfect view on the time display. The watch is also water resistant to 10 Bar. Colour accents and changing design in minute division also revive the appearance of the dials, and Super Titanium watches are five times harder and 40 percent lighter than stainless steel watches.