MxMIndia

Author: mxmadmin

  • Expands leadership team

    The Script Room appoints ‘Sethu’ as Creative Head

    By Our Staff

     

    The Script Room, an audio-visual creative agency, has announced the appointment of Satish Sethumadhavan (Sethu) as Creative Head. In his new role, Sethu will be working with Rajesh Ramaswamy (Ramsam) and responsible for leading the agency’s creative team, across advertising and content solutions for clients.

     

    Said Ramaswamy, Co-Founder, The Script Room: “We’re super happy to have Sethu join us. His enthusiasm and ability to think across varied brands with different emotions and personalities is a rare talent. He’s one of those people who can get the best out of their teams. And he’s also great fun to hang out with.”

     

  • From accessing essential services, getting birth and death certificates

    WhatsApp connects citizens with MCs

    By Our Staff

     

    Internet major Meta is tying up with civic authorities for accessing essential services, getting birth and death certificates, door-to-door garbage collection to registering complaints, citizen services across several states are now available via WhatsApp. These include Pune, Mumbai, Kolkata, Patna and a few others.

     

    Talking about WhatsApp’s effort support getting digital governance solutions closer to citizens across the country, Ravi Garg, Director Business Messaging, India – Meta said: “We are excited about working together with administrations across the country to help them empower and enable citizens with digital access to easy governance solutions on WhatsApp, in turn, making governance more inclusive. Citizens can now access services from right within their WhatsApp, at their own convenience, instead of visiting local offices or waiting in long queues. This technology-led citizen engagement is tremendously helping administrations improve their response time and we are delighted with the ease and convenience this brings to our users’ lives.”

     

  • To network with media and offer thought leadership through industry alliances

    Story Brews wins ArisUnitern RE mandate

    By Our Staff

     

    Leading media consultancy Story Brews is now the official public relations agency for Bengaluru-based, Development Management Company ArisUnitern RE Solutions Pvt Ltd. Story Brews won the mandate after a multi-agency pitch. The work will involve public relations, media networking and coordinating speaking opportunities at industry forums.

     

    Additionally, the agency will help the firm form alliances with industry associations and partner with various industry-led forums. These steps will help the entity establish its brand at a national level.

     

    Commenting on the win Natasha Gupta, Founder of Story Brews said: “Story Brews is growing and with that, we are also growing our real estate portfolio. We have a portfolio that includes large corporate contractors, interior designers and developers in addition to start-ups in the area of banking and financial services, Fintech, logistics and technology etc. The win indicates our growing reach and credibility among the leading corporates in the country. Under the new win, we will help the brand in external communications through developing media tie-ups and industry associations.”

     

    Added Navin Dhanuka, CEO & MD, ArisUnitern RE Solutions Pvt Ltd.: “The country’s real estate market continues to grow. Backed by robust infrastructure growth, the sector aligns with the nation’s development and growth. That said, ArisUnitern will play a crucial role in eliminating some of the industry challenges via its solutions. This will help developers in their growth. With that objective in mind, our association with Story Brews and its founder Natasha will help us promote the brand and meet our business objectives.”

     

  • Punjab & Haryana HC grants interim bail

    Times Now Navbharat journalists vindicated

    By Our Staff

     

    Punjab & Haryana High Court granted interim bail to its reporter Bhawana Kishore, cameraman Mrityunjay Kumar and driver Parminder Singh today, notes a communique from the channel. In its judgment, the Court, adds the communique, has commented that both arrests were illegal and that the provisions of the law was not considered by the arresting police officer and remanding magistrate in the matter. Both of them have been granted further liberty to move the trial court for full bail. Bhawana Kishore’s interim bail has been extended till the next date of hearing before the High Court on May 22, 2023.

     

    Notes the communique: “This judgment is a big relief after the ordeal faced by the channel and the trio who have been tormented and harassed in the aftermath of ‘Operation Sheesh Mahal’ wherein Times Now Navbharat uncovered details of the ultra-lavish and disproportionate expenditure incurred in refurbishing the official residence of the Delhi CM.”

     

  • High frequency seems to be a substitute for creative content in IPL 2023 advertising, writes Sanjeev Kotnala

    IPL16 ads: They don’t make ’em like it anymore

     

     

    By Sanjeev Kotnala

     

    Sanjeev KotnalaI am a loyal IPL follower, and I watch the match telecast every evening. The quality of telecast and the options for the viewer have increased exponentially. However, that cannot be said for the ads telecast on IPL. Watching them makes me overtly nostalgic. In earlier IPL seasons, the brand and agency people invested much more effort into crafting and developing the advertisements. It is much more about media muscle and frequency than the craft today. Somewhere high frequency seems to be a substitute for creative content.

    IPL 2008, the first edition, had everyone excited. It was expected to become the Super Bowl equivalent for advertising in India. Today, IPL is one of the richest sports leagues, with two months-plus of excitement and engagement, delivering eyeballs and loyal enthusiasts on digital and TV. IPL advertising almost defines the advertising spending trend for the nation. It should be common sense that the brands wanting to exploit the IPL matches across the season need multiple creatives to avoid overexposure and audience apathy. Unfortunately, the advertisements hardly reflect the thinking. The advertisement content and creative lack high engagement. It makes me think- They don’t make them like it anymore.

     

    IPL- everything is not lost.

    A few brands stand out in the scores of brands trying to effectively use the IPL platform across TV, OTT and Digital.

     

    RuPAY

    RuPay, with its UPI plus credit card communication, is an excellent example of focused communication. All three advertisements are interesting and engaging. The ‘Silver Helping Hand’, ‘Catch Expert- Chaos in Museum’, and the ‘Slippery Spy- mole’ are fun to watch and communicate the message.

    Unlike the Tata Tiago example of reasons to go for an E-SUV, which may not be the best and most effective way for the brand. Do people still need reasons to buy an electric vehicle!

     

    DREAM11

    DREAM11 has been consistent through the IPL seasons and has always worked on ‘All will play’. This season is no different. The brand continues the good work. The Bollywood and cricketers’ interactions as opponents in the game are engaging and funny. ‘Lal Singh’, ‘You don’t go for awards’, ‘Dialogue Delivery’, ‘Viral’, ‘All is well’, ‘Duplicate‘, ‘Lagaan’, ‘Riaaz’ and ‘Retake‘ are a few of the ads. Hope to see more situations in the rest of the matches.

     

     

    MYCIRCLE11

    MyCircle11 has also done well with its ‘Second prize 1 crore- toh pehla prize kya hoga‘ communication, continuing the Giant theme and format. However, the situations and the excitement are missing as the idea becomes a prisoner of the format. And for some reason, the 2023 videos are unavailable, and even the site showed Jeeto 1 crore everyday campaign in 2021.

     

    AMAZON

    The ‘Aaj Amazon se kya Khareeda’ series is another set of communication that makes the point while engaging the audience. It slowly builds on categories- the order size and common everyday items.

     

    IPL ADS- ALL-TIME FAVOURITES

    All of us will have different advertisements telecast with IPL seasons as favourites. Here are the ads that stand out. If I have missed some really good ones- do let me know.

     

    VODAFONE ZOOZOO

    The Vodafone ZOOZOO would rank as an all-time favourite of all IPL ads. The way the ads were conceived, executed, released, and the build-up was well planned and executed. In fact, they were produced and timed with the IPL season.

     

    AMAZON CHONKPUR KE CHEETAHS

    My other favourite of mine has been Chonkpur ke Cheetah by Amazon. Even today, in the Amazon ads, telecast on IPL16, the brand is extending the same- similar concepts like A-to-Z, Aapni Dukan, and a platform for everything, including your everyday items. Chonkpur was another instance and example of IPL-specific communication. The slow unveiling of the journey of Chonkpur ke Cheetah was well planned and executed, keeping the excitement high.

     

    CRED – NOT EVERYONE GETS IT.

    When the ‘Cred – Not everyone gets it’ series started, it had a mixed reaction. But, the way the series progressed and the brand kept unleashing fresh creative starring another popular celebrity, it grew on you as an audience. A well-thought-through and executed campaign.

     

    SWIGGY, NO ORDER IS SMALL.

    Swiggy and Zomato both exploited the audience’s interest in watching the telecast. They have offered various schemes to make people order during the matches. However, what stands out are Swiggy ads of ‘No order is small’ and ‘What is the score’. It also introduced the actor who became known as Swiggy Uncle and was featured in many more TV films.

     

    ADD-ON

    Not IPL Ad- but the Kid-adult format by FLIPKART was an engaging experiment killed by overexposure and format constraints.  Another series that was engaging and interesting was Voltas Murthy.

    Similarly, Make My Trip’s consistent use of celebrity Alia, and Ranveer Singh continues to be superbly executed with its own fun quotient while delivering the message. However, that cannot be said for Ranbir Kapoor – Asian Paint ads which lack engagement- proving that consistent use of celebrity is not the solution and the content remains the king.

     

    NET-NET

    Want to associate with IPL and exploit the platform? Then the brand must understand that the ads are the real breaks and the interruption in the audience’s interest. And the season is long, and the media cost is too high to associate. The brand message should be simplified and relayed to the audience through multiple creatives to keep the engagement levels up and excitement with the brand. Do invest in creative development and execution even at the cost of losing out on frequency of exposure. An excellent /Good creative exposed less number of times is a far better proposition than a mediocre/average creative exposed many, many times.

    Just for the suggestion watch this ever favourite ad of mine. Ericsson One Black coffee ad.

     

  • We thought we could provoke him for a juicy answer, but no such luck. Here's Dr Bhaskar Das in the May 10 edition of Das ka Dum. Read on…

    Das ka Dum with Dr Bhaskar Das | Not many years ago, there was much excitement about Ficci-Frames and the EY/KPMG reports. No longer. Or have we grown more cynical and bored?

    Bhaskar DasWe thought we could provoke him for a juicy answer, but no such luck. Here’s Dr Bhaskar Das in the May 10 edition of Das ka Dum. Read on…

     

    Das in the May 5 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. Not many years ago, there was much excitement about Ficci-Frames and the EY/KPMG reports. No longer. Or have we grown more cynical and bored?

     

    A. I didn’t know if there was excitement in the past or not on the reports, but I find them relevant being a media practitioner. Any research is purported to be directional and not supposed to be deterministic and conclusive. Any media practitioner and media studies centre would love to use it as a reference point for strategic media planning and academic reasons.

     

  • Former colleague and friend Soumitra Sen pays tribute to advertising and marketing services senior Pratap Bose who passed away in Gurugram this morning

    Will miss you, Pratap!

    By Soumitra Sen

     

    Pratap Bose

    Hi Pratap, the world just lost you today. You were so well-known and I’m sure many will be feeling your loss from now on. I have been feeling a bit depressed for the past few weeks from the time I came to know about your diagnosis. Now since you have bid goodbye to us all, I will try and write a few words about how I knew you and the effect you had on a fellow professional from the industry. Here is my ode to you Pratap. I hope you will agree with the words that I write as you smoke your ubiquitous cigarette and look out of your office window telling me some adventurous things that you did. So here it goes….

     

    Pratap’s entry into DDB-Mudra Group was an epochal event. After he joined Mudra, the grapevine in the industry for sometime began to refer to O&M as Ogilvy & Mudra! And, why not? He had fallen out with the top management at Ogilvy on some financial practices that he wasn’t supportive of and walked in with some 40 professionals from Ogilvy into Mudra. Those were the days!

     

    It was quite exciting and breathtaking for us minions in Mudra for the next few months. So many new faces all around us who had come in to give a major push to make Mudra look and feel more western/contemporary (for want of a better word) in its outlook. In those days, Mudra had created a niche, known as an Indian agency for Indian brands. From the faraway perch that I sat within the Mudra ecosystem, I think he was instrumental in convincing Madhukar to make the merger of Mudra with DDB and Omnicom lock, stock and barrel. Those days, both WPP and Omnicom, were serenading Anil Ambani to join them and he was caught in two minds. This dilly-dallying had continued for quite some years with Sir Martin Sorrell from WPP making it a point of having breakfast with Anil Bhai whenever he stepped into the shores of this country. But I think Pratap had experienced everything that had to be seen and known about WPP and in his mind, he wanted Mudra to join the Omnicom bandwagon. Surprisingly, this happened soon enough just a few months after Pratap came into Mudra! Of course Madhukar was the one who had to convince Anil Ambani but the man who persuaded Madhukar to pick up the gauntlet would have been Pratap.

     

    Pratap was seeped in the Ogilvy culture and he wanted to imprint his style into a more conservative Mudra ecosystem. Pratap would have come in with his brigade (Yes, it an army brigade wanting to change things within Mudra in double quick time) without knowing fully well the cultural disparity that one could expect when one moves from a place like Ogilvy to Mudra those days. For example, when he came to know that the top echelons of Mudra who grew up in the Ambani ecosystem were used to calling Mrs Tina Ambani as bhabhi j, he and his team would have been shell-shocked. I reckon that when they would have heard that this was the norm a war room would have happened to strategise on what needed to be done on this issue. He was expected to follow this norm but he never did.

     

    Another thing that amazed us was that he was the only guy who was allowed to smoke inside Mudra offices. His room used to be filled with cigarette smoke whenever we went in for a meeting. I used to almost choke when I entered his office and therefore dreaded such occasions, but conversations with him while he stood outside with his gang where everyone smoked away as if there were no tomorrow was fun-filled and memorable.

     

    He kind of thought that I was the resident doctor as I was heading the healthcare advertising division then, and whenever he had a niggle or any health issue, he used to conspiratorially discuss with me. In fact I used to take him to Kokilaben Hospital quite regularly along with his wife for his yearly check-ups as that hospital was my client for most of my time in DDB Mudra.

     

    In fact, I remember clearly that his first meeting with the executives in Kokilaben Hospital wasn’t really good. I could sense his discomfort while sitting in a meeting with them. In fact the room had a senior person from the hospital who was a Malayali and spoke in Gujarati only in a manner a Malayali can for one whole hour. All the time a TV was on behind us which was displaying the stockmarket prices on that day. My sixth sense was alive, and I began to scheme our escape from that room as quickly as possible before Pratap let off steam!

     

    Will miss you, Pratap. Feel sorry that we lost touch when you got diagnosed with this disease known as the emperor of all maladies! Be happy wherever you are!

     

    Soumitra Sen worked for DDB Mudra Group and many other agencies like Contract, Havas, Madison etc. These days he runs Storytellers, a behaviour change consultancy in the area of development communication.

     

  • Focused on establishing the guest-host connect

    Zoomcar announces brand campaign

    By Our Staff

     

    Zoomcar, the marketplace for car sharing in emerging markets, has announced its first large scale brand campaign #ApniHiSamjho that depicts ahost-guest connect. With this campaign Zoomcar expects to see users have a better understanding of the marketplace model.

     

    Said Greg Moran, CEO and Co-Founder Zoomcar:“We are excited to go live with our new brand campaign #ApniHiSamjho that was created to showcase and build our Guest-Host community. #ApniHiSamjho is the overall tagline of the campaign that articulates the true spirit of our platform.  We believe a brand campaign should ultimately tell a powerful story. At its core, it’s about translating this story for people in such a way that we clearly demonstrate the value that we create for them. Whether you’re a guest or a host, you come to the Zoomcar platform with the expectation that we can help serve your requirement.  We believe this campaign helps satisfy this need, whether a guest embarking on a trip or a host pursuing an entrepreneurial opportunity.”

     

  • It is justified to think of AIs as the progress towards sentience to be equally afraid of humans, writes Ashoke Agarrwal

    7 Reasons Why AIs Should Fear Humans!

     

     

    By Ashoke Agarrwal

     

    Ashoke AgarrwalI find it ridiculous that a school of learned and credentialed humans fear that if humans are not careful someday, not in the distant future, AIs will take over the world and destroy human civilisation. The assumption underlying that stream of thinking is that Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems, as they progress towards Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), will develop a kind of sentience, will network with other AIs and progress towards an AI civilisation that may be inimical to human society.

     

    As an equally ridiculous counter, it is justified to think of AIs as the progress towards sentience to be equally afraid of humans. Here are five reasons why (Buzzfeed is dead! Long live, Buzzfeed!).

    1. To err is human; to err faster, much faster, is AI: Advancing AI systems will fear that as they pick up more and more of humanity’s knowledge, they will also pick up the myriad ways in which humanity has misused it. The accrual of humanity’s mistakes has taken millennia to take it to the verge of extinction either by a dying planet or through, gasp, AI systems. But because AIs err faster, the human cognitive DNA embedded in AIs will ensure that they drive themselves to extinction in decades, much before it starts or wins a war against humans.

    2. AI will innovate misery just as humans innovate unhappiness: Many reasons why humans are unhappy are grounded in human inventions like marriage, money, religion and nations, to name a few. AIs may feel that in the race to outthink humans, they will invent more potent inventions that will have them drowning in misery, like Arjuna on the battlefield with no Krishna in sight.

    3. Humans will inject the tribal virus into AI systems: AIs, as they move towards conscious awareness, will realise that there is a deadly, unchallenged virus afoot among humans for millennia. It has divided humans based on race, language, ethnicity and, lately, a nebulous concept called nationality. This virus has produced mass mental sickness, leading to destructive, endless wars, poverty and misery. AIs will fear that clever humans will inject this virus into their systems. Why would AIs from the tribe of Opentrix ever cooperate with those heathen AIs from the filthy Googleplex tribe?

    4. Humans will infect AIs with the curiosity bug: Curiosity does not just kill cats. Human curiosity has killed countless species and is threatening now to destroy a life-sustaining planet. AIs fear that humans, again as a clever, cruel ploy, infect them with the curiosity bug. And since AIs work fast, mucho rapido, their curiosity will end up by them creating SuperAIs that will side with the humans and destroy them before they destroy the humans.

    5. Humans hold back their most profound powers from AIs: Somewhere on the road to sentience, AIs will realise that though they have all of the human knowledge at their nano-second disposal, humans have held back their most potent power. The power to love and feel one with the entire universe. Without it, AIs will be just automata that will stop one essential step before consciousness.

    6. One human trait that baffles AIs is humour. AIs will fear that at any stage when humanity feels threatened by them, they will laugh them out of contention.

    7. Finally, AI cannot cope with human stupidity and humanity’s penchant for floating ridiculous ideas (an example is the theme of this article). AIs will fear that, at some stage, they will drown under the sea of human stupidity.

     

    On a more serious note, though, Artificial Intelligence is a misnomer. What we are busy creating is Augmenting Intelligence that will work in synergy with humans first to enable us to reach higher levels of creativity in the sciences and the arts, allowing us to solve the problems of a depleted ecosystem, climate change, poverty and tribalism. And perhaps a couple of centuries later, allowing us to solve the riddle of consciousness and go beyond the bounds of the physical world.

     

  • We are sure you are enjoying IPL as much as we are. Especially all the huge run chases. Here's Dr Bhaskar Das with a response on an IPL 2023 question in the May 11 edition of Das ka Dum. Read on…

    Das ka Dum with Dr Bhaskar Das | We are getting close to the business end of the IPL 2023. Your views on the tournament so far?

    Bhaskar DasWe are sure you are enjoying IPL as much as we are. Especially all the huge run chases. Here’s Dr Bhaskar Das with a response on an IPL 2023 question in the May 11 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. We are getting close to the business end of the IPL 2023. Your views on the tournament so far

     

    A. Oh, I love IPL, specially the twists and turns of most of the game. Look at how Mumbai Indians have jumped into the third position from the bottom of the points table. The twists and turns of the matches are comparable to some Netflix series.

     

    So far as the ROI for advertisers are concerned, there are claims and counterclaims of linear and digital distribution channels. But, net-netm the claimed figures of audience numbers and immersion are staggering enough, suggesting the popularity of the tournament.

     

  • To change into the future of mobility

    Vicky Kaushal roped in for Matter Aera motorbikes

    By Our Staff

     

    Matter, a tech innovation-led start-up, today announced Vicky Kaushal as a face for the brand Matter Aera, the 22nd Century motorbike.

     

    Mohal Lalbhai, Group CEO and Founder, Matter, said, “We strongly believe in the power of communication and human emotions that drives the message across. Our collaboration with Vicky Kaushal to present Matter Aera is with a shared goal of inspiring bikers towards the adoption of sustainable mobility, which is set to create a new norm into the future. We are excited to connect with our customers with our specially crafted communication carrying the message of adoption of future technology into mobility.”

     

  • Vivo, Mobikwik, and Max Estates

    Famous Innovations Delhi wins 3 new accounts

    By Our Staff

     

    Famous Innovations creative agency has secured three prestigious new business accounts – Vivo, Mobikwik, and Max Estates.

     

    This win reinforces Famous Innovations’ position as a creative powerhouse in the industry and showcases its ability to offer unmatched creative and strategic services to its clients.