MxMIndia

Author: mxmadmin

  • To build a holistic strategic leadership

    Sideways onboards Aditi Patwardhan as Chief Strategy Officer

    By Our Staff

     

    Sideways Consulting has roped in Aditi Patwardhan as the Head of Strategy.

     

    Patwardhan has 25 years of Marketing and Advertising experience across businesses and agencies like Lowe Lintas, Leo Burnett, Mattel, DCW Home Products, International Bestfoods and Dabur India.

     

    Speaking about the onboarding, Abhijit Avasthi, Founder, of Sideways, said: “Clients come to us for a variety of problem statements besides their advertising needs. Aditi has the experience and the curiosity to be an able partner to our creative, tech and industrial design teams to help them come up with impactful solutions. Her joining us will add more heft to the remarkable Strategy team at Sideways.”

     

    Sonali Sehgal, Co-Founder, Sideways, added, “Aditi brings onboard a holistic strategic leadership having spent time both in Marketing and Advertising. Her drive for problem-solving across customer journeys, doing right by brand and enthusiasm of exploring the new aligned with us philosophically.”

     

  • Produced by Useful Garbage Creations

    Croma launches campaign for R-Day

    By Our Staff

     

    Croma releases a film for Republic Day. It is based on the true event of a Croma customer conceptualized by the Croma in-house creative team, produced by Useful Garbage Creations and directed by Gaurav Gupta.

     

    Croma’s digital campaign #ConstitutionOfJoy expresses Croma’s dedication to provide its customers with the best-in-class end-to-end shopping experience and understands that behind every small electronic there are countless memories.

     

  • To pay tribute to India's contribution to the world

    GroupM teams up with Optimum Television for new show

    By Our Staff

     

    GroupM’s Motion Content Group, in partnership with Google and Meta, announces the launch of a new show, “Jai Ho! Bharat Ki Anant Yatra,” in collaboration with Optimum Television. The show, a tribute to the contribution that the Indian Civilization has made to the world, takes viewers on a journey through India’s past, present, and future.

     

    The show which will be available on Zee Network and can also be streamed on Google and Meta’s platforms is narrated by Sharad Kelkar and scripted by Prasoon Joshi.

     

    Ashwin Padmanabhan, President – Investments, Trading, and Partnerships, GroupM – India, said: “We are thrilled to announce the launch of Jai Ho! Bharat Ki Anant Yatra. This show is a celebration of the stupendous journey of Indian Civilization and its contribution to the world. The show also looks into what the future holds for India as an economic and cultural world leader. We are proud to collaborate with Google Cloud and Meta to tell this inspiring story of India on the cusp of our Republic Day on Jan 26th.”

     

  • Service to be led by well-known influence marketer Sangya Lakhanpal

    Pitchfork announces influencer marketing division

    By Our Staff

     

    Sangya Lakhanpal
    Sangya Lakhanpal

    Pitchfork Partners has launched a specialised influencer marketing division. It is led by Sangya Lakhanpal, an Instagram influencer with a healthy follower base. She is an experienced influence marketer with both back-end and front-end knowledge of the industry.

     

    Pannkajj D Desai
    Pannkajj D Desai

    Said Pannkajj D Desai, Chief Operating Officer, Pitchfork Partners: “With an influencer marketing service, we can create much-required synergies for holistic marketing solutions, which are the need of the hour. It will act as a force multiplier for brands as they seek to spread their reach and achieve instant recall. Established brands who were allocating large budgets for celebrity brand ambassadorships will now be able to economise better with influencer marketing. Evolving brands, meanwhile, will be able to grow their reach through smaller budgets, making it a win-win situation for all.”

     

  • We applaud the celebration of Republic Day even as the reason we celebrate is regularly debased, writes Ranjona Banerji

    Ranjona Banerji: Mainstream media skips about like happy little children…

    By Ranjona Banerji

     

    Ranjona BanerjiOn January 24, the US-based Hindenburg Research released a two-year investigation into India’s fastest growing company, the Adani Group.

    Hindenburg is named for the famous exploding blimp because, according to their website: “We look for similar man-made disasters floating around in the market and aim to shed light on them before they lure in more unsuspecting victims.”

    According to Hindenburg, the Adani Group is pulling “the largest con in corporate history”.

    Adani Group: How The World’s 3rd Richest Man Is Pulling The Largest Con In Corporate History

    There have of course been murmurs in India, including some braver sections of the Indian media (albeit tiny) about Adani’s improbable growth and rumours of closeness to the ruling dispensation. And there have been massive uproars against the Adani Group in Australia. The group is excellent at filing SLAPP (strategic lawsuit against public participation) cases against journalists who ask uncomfortable questions.

    For instance, this one, against Paranjoy Guha-Thakurta when he was editor of EPW:

    https://thewire.in/media/adani-group-slapps-epw-editor-job

    And this one against The Wire:

    https://www.newslaundry.com/2018/01/05/adani-group-100-crore-defamation-suit-the-wire

    This is easy if you live in India.

    But Hindenburg Research is not an Indian company, it is not a journalistic enterprise. And the report comes with a very thorough disclaimer.

    So far, an employee of the Adani Group has stood next to an Indian flag and protested. The official statement used terms like “factual matrix” after which my head exploded and I could not read any more.

    As of now, we are at a stalemate.

    But Hindenburg Research has let several worms out.

    Business Standard has picked up on some of them with this:

    https://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/gautam-adani-and-his-fortune-drivers-deserve-keener-spotlight-scrutiny-122092300102_1.html

    Who indeed supports the Adani Group and has helped in its amazing growth? The BS story concentrates on murky off-shore names, which Hindenburg has explored in detail.

    But we all know that in India, no one gets this far without potent political capital. And oh my, who could that be, who supports the Adani Group with such generous gratitude?

    Who indeed.

    Until the mainstream Indian media digs its teeth into the political story behind the Adani Group, regardless of whether it gets SLAPPed and tickled, there will be no end to this magical beanstalk’s rise into the sky. How long since the Panama Papers told us about illegal offshore accounts attached to various companies worldwide?

    I do though see Gautam Adani’s face smiling at me in newspapers and digital stories which are largely reports on the Hindenburg investigation or follow up stories about how Adani stocks have fallen since the story appeared. But so far, nothing further.

    https://scroll.in/latest/1042548/adani-shares-plunge-as-research-firm-alleges-manipulation-group-says-claims-are-malicious

    Adani may rise further or not. The town of Joshimath though still faces collapse. The Government of India has not just tried to stop the internet from carrying the BBC documentary on the Gujarat riots of 2002 and Narendra Modi’s uneasy relationship with Muslims, it has tried to stop showings with India.

    Although Kerala and Hyderabad have had showings, JNU students claim that the campus had a massive three-hour powercut just as they tried to show the film and several students of Jamia Milia were detained by the police.

    https://thewire.in/education/jamia-students-detained-bbc-documentary-modi-2002-gujarat

    https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/25/world/asia/india-bbc-modi-documentary.html

    Incidentally, this BBC documentary has not been officially banned.

    And yet, we see no threat to our Constitution when the police and the administration behave in this illegal, high-handed manner. And we applaud the celebration of Republic Day even as the reason we celebrate is regularly debased. The mainstream media of course is as ever skipping about like happy little children in a special Modi garden.

    Though I was really unhappy to see, admittedly after a very cursory internet search, that there was no flurry of articles on the prime minister’s fashion choices for the parade.

    That is a clear sign of a lazy media.

    No?

     

    Ranjona Banerji is a senior journalist and commentator. She writes on MxMIndia on Tuesdays and Fridays. Her views here are personal.

  • It can be that big-ticket idea that unleashes the true power of women in sport, for the wider audience, writes Shailesh Kapoor

    Women’s IPL: Better Late Than Never

     

     

    By Shailesh Kapoor

     

    Shailesh KapoorThis has been a significant week in the India’s modern sporting history. The bidding process of WPL (Women’s Premier League, i.e., the women version of the IPL) concluded Wednesday, with five team owners shelling out a cumulative INR 4,670. WPL will be played between five teams during this year.

     

    It’s taken BCCI a few more years than expected, to action this evident spin-off that combines the success of IPL with the growing popularity of women’s cricket. Perhaps the Covid years pushed their plans back. But better late than ever, as it’s said.

     

    Women’s cricket has found traction in the recent years, because of more consistent performances by the Indian team, as well as better television coverage and marketing for women’s cricket events by Star Sports in particular. WPL can take the awareness and interest in women’s cricket to a whole new level, not just in India but worldwide. Given how good the standard of women’s cricket at the highest level now is, it’s only appropriate that the richest cricket body in the world has invested in it. Australia has had the Women’s Big Bash League for several years now. But WPL will be several times bigger, in its viewership, revenues, and hence, the impact.

     

    India, as a country, can do well with stronger female presence in mainstream sports. In our monthly tracker Ormax Sports Stars, as many as 94% sports viewers pick a male sportsperson as their favourite, marginalising the female representation to badminton stars PV Sindhu and Saina Nehwal, and tennis star Sania Mirza. There are no other names, including cricketers, of note on the women’s list. Even female sports audience (a high 91%), pick sportsmen as their favorite.

     

    While sport, in general, tends to be male-skewed across the world, the extremity of this skew in India is a worrying indicator, from a socio-cultural perspective. In the recent years, Indian women have matched the men at the Olympics, accounting for seven out of India’s 14 individual medals at the games since 2012. However, the media and government attention these winners have received has been short-lived. While there continues to the improvement in facilities available for aspiring women sportspersons at the ground level, the audiences, who eventually drive revenue into sports, have been untouched by it.

     

    WPL can be that big-ticket idea that unleashes the true power of women in sport, for the wider audience. One could argue that anything that works with cricket is not replicable to other sports. But here, gender, and not sport alone, is the operative word. And if one needs cricket to start the process of building awareness, then so be it.

     

    I can’t wait for WPL 2023. Hope BCCI treats the event with great respect, and gives it the attention and the stature it deserves. The degree of WPL’s success will surprise many, is my little prediction.

     

  • We actually asked ChatGPT to frame this question. We didnt ask it for an answer of course, coz theres no one better than our Wizard with Words to put things into perspective. Without any further ado, heres Dr Bhaskar Das in the January 27 edition of Das ka Dum. Read on…

    Das ka Dum with Dr Bhaskar Das | What are the trends and challenges facing the Indian advertising industry in the digital age? (question generated by ChatGPT)

    Bhaskar DasWe actually asked ChatGPT to frame this question. We didn’t ask it for an answer of course, coz there’s no one better than our Wizard with Words to put things into perspective. Without any further ado, here’s Dr Bhaskar Das in the January 27 edition of Das ka Dum. Read on…

     

    If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar or click here: https://www.mxmindia.com/category/columns/das-ka-dum/

     

    Q. What are the trends and challenges facing the Indian advertising industry in the digital age? (question generated by ChatGPT)

     

    A. I think leading Indian agencies, especially global network agencies, are already cognisant of the unfolding challenges of their served markets and are taking steps to keep up with the challenges.

     

    While they are aware of it, I may mention a few which would be more than obvious to them:

    1) there’s no choice but to embrace tech and data in every area of agency’s operations,

    2) a future backwards strategic approach ( as opposed to present forward) and complement each area of work with appropriate action including skill acquisition and future ready workforce,

    3) client-cum-customer-centricity and sensitivity,

    4) emphasis on performance marketing without jettisoning the key imperatives of Brand building,

    5) develop capabilities to view the competitive environment of client through an ecosystem approach and not a linear myopic process,

    6) develop good internal capabilities for social listening and proactive reputation management of the client through adroitness of navigating earned media.

     

    While the six factors above would be critical to future-proof an agency, two key factors would run through all factors are creativity, deep understanding of consumer and content and adhere to a core purpose for which the Agency’s and their clients’ business stand for.

     

    The points mentioned by me might appear theoretical but they are all practical for thriving in a ‘ never normal’ world unpredictability is the new predictability. The capabilities mentioned by me, if honed consciously , can make an agency/ organisation nimble enough to pivot in case of any future contingencies.

     

  • As part of the campaign, a number of underprivileged and specially-abled children

    Akshar Yoga launches Healthy India- Ek Kadam Swasthya ki ore Campaign on this Republic Day

    By Our Staff

     

    Akshar Yoga, started by Grand Master Akshar, launches Healthy India campaign on this Republic Day. As part of the campaign, a number of underprivileged and specially-abled children will be carefully trained by Akshar Yoga Research and Development Centre Master level teachers.

     

    Said master Akshar: “On a spiritual level, yoga is transformational and brings growth, positive self-development, and happiness. Its deep reach and influence can be felt in people’s lives.”

     

    The festival will also include 100 specially abled kids and 150 children from orphanages. To achieve a healthy India, Akshar Yoga, through this campaign, wishes to spread the message about the power of yoga to the world. He will demonstrate how to enrich your life through asanas and make it beautiful. To achieve work-life balance, we need to stay in optimal health, and yoga is the perfect answer to overall well-being and good health.

     

  • Hopes to get the Indian Sign Language officially recognised

    Grey collaborates with Axis Bank for R-Day campaign

    By Our Staff

     

    Grey Group India collaborates with Axis Bank Republic Day Campaign. The campaign aims to  celebrate diversity and unity in an effort to acknowledge the one language over a billion Indians speak across borders.

     

    The communiqué states  – With your support, Axis Bank and Grey Group hopes to get the Indian Sign Language officially recognised as the 23rd language in 2023.

     

     

  • Kalli Purie, Vice Chairperson, India Today Group, met Gautam Anand, Managing Director of APAC – YouTube, in Singapore to commemorate the special achievement

    AajTak crosss 50 mn subscribers on YouTube

    By Our Staff

     

    AajTak has becomes the first news YouTube channel in the world to cross 50 million subscribers, notes a communique, adding: “This record milestone comes just three years after crossing 10 million subscribers in 2019.”

     

    Kalli Purie, Vice Chairperson, India Today Group, met Gautam Anand, Managing Director of APAC – YouTube, in Singapore to commemorate the special achievement.

     

    “Thank you so much, YouTube! This is just amazing. The team is already planning its way to 100 million so YouTube had better start designing the next button,” Purie, adding: “Trust has always been the foundation for audience engagement at AajTak. It’s no different with our YouTube channel, but on a much wider scale with hundreds of videos getting uploaded every day. We place equal emphasis on having new audiences discover our channel while ensuring loyal viewers revisit, and invest in figuring out what works on YouTube – whether this is a nuanced understanding of thumbnails or producing hero content frequently.”

     

    “Constant experimentation with new formats like Shorts and investment into our Community page has really paid off, and consistently breaking stories has helped create a very loyal fanbase,” explained Purie. “Events like the Presidential Elections of 2022, Solar Eclipse and the Cricket World Cup just kept encouraging us to do better and better.”

     

  • To expand ET Now’s business news offerings to digital viewers

    ET Now launches ETNowNews.com

    By Our Staff

     

    Leading English business News has announced the launch of its digital business news platform, ETNowNews.com.

     

    Rohit-Chadda
    Rohit Chadda

    Said Rohit Chadda, President & COO – Digital Business, Times Network said, “Serving holistic business news to the nation at large, we are delighted to expand ET Now’s unparalleled business news offerings to digital viewers. Powerful content enhanced by visual storytelling and simplified information to deliver easy-to-consume stories on business, stock market and economy, the website has been carefully designed and curated to appeal to the content preferences of all cohorts of users consuming business news online. With powerful and impactful multimedia content and a strong editorial team, I am confident ETNowNews.com will further fuel our mission in driving financial empowerment and will act as an enabler of financial freedom for every discerning Indian.”

     

    Added Nikunj Dalmia, Managing Editor, ET Now and ET Now Swadesh said, “ET Now has been committed to India’s growth story for over a decade and we are now thrilled to launch our digital arm, ETNowNews.com, a multimedia business news platform that truly integrates ET Now’s Live stream, exclusive content, special shows, videos, and compelling analysis. Pioneering a revolution of financial empowerment and progress for millions of Indians, ET Now has delivered breakthrough stories that have redefined the Indian economic landscape. I am confident that ETNowNews.com will resonate with the audience, fulfilling their dreams and aspirations to Rise with India.”

     

  • To drive growth and revenue

    ZMCL ropes in Mona Jain as CRO

    By Our Staff

     

    Zee Media Corporation Limited (ZMCL) ropes in Mona Jain as chief revenue officer (CRO). Jain has more than 30 years of experience in media marketing and promotions. Jain, worked with ABP Network as Chief Revenue Officer for more than 3 years and before joining ABP Network in November 2019, Jain had spent six years in Zee Entertainment Enterprise Ltd. (ZEEL), serving as Executive Vice President, AD Sales.

     

    Prior to her tenure in ZEEL, Jain was the CEO of Vivaki Exchange for almost nine years, where she was designated as India Head – Strategic Investments. She has also worked at Cheil Communications and Mudra Communications in the past, where she held the positions of Executive Director and Media Director respectively and was responsible for setting up media for various brands. She started her career with Hindustan Thompson Associates (HTA) and holds vast experience in the field of communications and marketing.

     

    Abhay Ojha, Chief Business Officer – ZMCL, said: “We are excited to have Mona Jain come on board with her expertise in the revenue domain. We look forward to driving growth and revenue for the brand and take it to greater heights with each passing day.”