MxMIndia

Author: mxmadmin

  • Predictive and Prescriptive AI could make India a leader in the coming Age of AI, writes Ashoke Agarrwal

    Ashoke Agarrwal: Building AI India

    By Ashoke Agarrwal

     

    Ashoke AgarrwalOne of India’s achievements of the past two decades has been the ongoing building of Digital India. The world acknowledges the excellence of the public digital infrastructure that India has built through Aadhar and UPI.

     

    Can India now take a leadership position in the nascent but fast-developing age of Artificial Intelligence (AI)?

     

    It is currently fashionable to think of AI mainly in terms of Generative AI- AI that puts together words and images in practical or amusing ways.

     

    However, two other forms of AI – Predictive and Prescriptive AI – are likely to prove equally, if not more, valuable and powerful in terms of their impact on human civilisation.

     

    While it is already too late for India to strive for a leadership position in Generative AI, it has the potential to be a leader in Predictive and Prescriptive AI.

     

    Many experts predict that China will lead in developing cutting-edge AI, given the tremendous amount of data its large and increasingly affluent population generates. And more importantly, because of the unfettered, centralised access that its government has to the data. On the other hand, India, too, has a large, increasingly better-off population. Still, given its noisy democracy, media and civic society, centralised access to data by fiat is neigh impossible.

     

    However, the State already has access to a tremendous amount of data in various silos – commercial and personal. Think of company and tax filing, court filings and judgements, police records, land records, birth and death records, applications and petitions, legislative records, etc.

     

    Many of the above records are probably musty paper sitting in cardboard boxes in damp storage rooms. More importantly, they belong to bureaucratic fiefdoms that will loathe to give them up. And most importantly, bringing them together into an integrated State-owned dataset threatens the privacy and rights of individuals.

     

    The solution would be to set up a central institution through an Act of Parliament – say, National Data Centre (NDC). The NDC would have the power to acquire data sets from all listed bureaucracies – Central and State. The NDC would then be responsible for digitizing, cleaning, and integrating the datasets. However, before the integrated dataset is available for public and private organizations to use as training sets to develop Predictive and Prescriptive AI, NDC will have the onus to anonymize the dataset to protect the rights and privacy of individuals and other entities. The NDC could also run an outreach program that would facilitate individuals and other entities to share their data in prescribed formats with the NDC assurance of anonymization before use. NDC would pay the individual and other entities for making this data available to them.

     

    With suitable communication campaigns and incentives, voluntary direct information sharing by individuals and other entities could become a significant data flow. Integrating this data with the data available from Government sources could lead to NDC sitting on the world’s most potent dataset.

     

    NDC would generate revenues and move towards self-sufficiency by making integrated, anonymized datasets available to various users.

     

    While the world-class, sustainable, and responsible datasets that a properly mandated and empowered organization like the NSD could create are necessary to build AI leadership, more is needed.

     

    The two other ingredients are computer power and talent. India has the talent and, if adequately rewarded, will stay and work in India.

     

    It is the area of computing power that India needs another significant initiative. An AI developer or lab needs a lot of “compute”- essentially large, advanced clusters of graphical processing units (GPUs like Nvidia A100). While all three big cloud-computing companies – Amazon, Google and Microsoft – the so-called hyper scalers- offer such facilities, all these servers sit outside India. Quite rightly, given privacy and security concerns, India will not allow the kind of datasets outlined above to reside on servers outside India.

     

    Therefore, the other significant initiative that the Government of India needs to undertake in its drive to build AI India is to persuade hyper scalers to locate advanced cloud computing servers within India. One way to do it is to offer them incentives, but a better, more sustainable way would be to convince them about the seriousness of India’s push in Predictive and Prescriptive AI.

     

    If India is going to fulfil its potential of being a developed economy within the next few decades, it will need to build leadership in some of the critical technologies of the future. Given its unmatched potential to integrate and harness robust datasets and the ready pool of talent it commands, Predictive and Prescriptive AI could make India a leader in the coming Age of AI.

     

     

  • One more question given Artificial Intelligence (AI). Here's Dr Bhaskar Das in the June 22 edition of Das ka Dum. Read on…

    Das ka Dum with Dr Bhaskar Das | Ogilvy is asking brands to disclose the use of AI-led influencer content to the public, so as to avoid deception. Is this the way to go?

    Bhaskar DasOne more question given Artificial Intelligence (AI). Here’s Dr Bhaskar Das in the June 22 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. Ogilvy is asking brands to disclose the use of AI-led influencer content to the public, so as to avoid deception. Is this the way to go?

     

    A. There are two elements in your question. One is AI-led Chat GPT. And the second is the credibility of the influencers. Both of them have their pitfalls and are currently prone to misuse because all types of so-called innovators have jumped onto the bandwagon. Ogilvy is right because while a brand’s image takes a lot of time to build, it can be destroyed very fast in case consumers find the content suspicious. It’s better to be safe than sorry. The role of influencer may not be bad per se and can be creatively used, combined with intelligence and after checking veracity.

     

  • He is bossman Samir Jain's most trusted lieutenant in BCCL. That he would be appointed CEO-Publishing was a no-brainer, writes Pradyuman Maheshwari

    The Importance of being Sivakumar Sundaram

     

     

    By Pradyuman Maheshwari

     

    The photograph doing the rounds of brothers Samir and Vineet Jain signing on the dotted line on the terms of dividing the vast media empire had three gentlemen in the background. One of them was a silver-haired bespectacled gentlemen with his wrists bearing a near-new red holy thread who is, as they say, is Samir Jain’s blue-eyed boy.

     

    Sivakumar Sundaram at his morning run at Cannes. Photograph source: Facebook
    Sivakumar Sundaram at his morning run at Cannes. Photograph source: Facebook

    Boy, well, a 55-year-old one. Delhiwallah, from Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh. Non-MBA, but a Chartered and Cost Accountant, he joined Bennett, Coleman and Company Ltd (BCCL) in 1990 as a Management Trainee – an Assistant Manager in the accounts department, to be precise. Spiritually inclined, he’s an early riser and loves the run. Even at Cannes in France, where is attending an international advertising festival, he was spotted in his running shoes. Proof: Check his Facebook page.

     

    His credo, as per a LinkedIn post: “There are no right or wrong decisions in life. Any decision taken in compliance to one’s own values is the right decision. Be reliable and invest in yourself because success is the by- product of the well-being of body, mind, and soul.”

     

    We’re referring to Sivakumar Sundaram, the newly appointed Chief Executive Officer – Publishing. This is after being Chairman of the Executive Committee of Bennett Coleman & Company (BCCL) and a member of the BCCL Board as Executive Director. May appear to be comedown but CEO – Publishing is of course a key executive role, and he naturally becomes decidedly the most powerful professional in print and digital news in the country.

     

    As per his profile on LinkedIn (LI), Siva, as he is known in the fraternity, has worked across various corporate functions including finance, taxation, M&A, group strategy and innovation, response (BCCL’s sales department) and Brand Capital, the group’s ads-against-equity investment arm.

     

    Reads the LI note: “During this period, he  has been closely involved in the setting up of every new business of the group – from Times Internet to radio to TV and partnerships/joint ventures with international media houses,” and it continues: “In his immediate prior role, Siva was President – Revenue, responsible for leading response and Brand Capital, which generated nearly 85 percent of BCCL’s revenues. He was instrumental in setting up Brand Capital in 2005, a significant innovation in the global media industry, which now has assets under management of nearly US$ 2 billion and an ecosystem of 800-plus clients. The 1800-plus sales team of Response manages relationships with over 50,000 advertisers in India and abroad.”

     

    An article in a CA journal notes Sundaram last made his CV in 1994. No-brainer that. He had no reason to. He is Vice-Chairman Samir Jain’s eyes and ears in the organisation. And more.

     

    Sundaram runs marathons, not just a jog around Lodhi Garden or Shivaji Park. Which needs careful planning, long-term thinking and strong execution. And most importantly: Ironman-like endurance.

     

    Which Jain (VC, as he’s called) knows Siva has in plenty.

     

    Hence: the decision to appoint him as incharge of the publishing business was natural.

     

    Sivakumar Sundaram wearing dark glasses
    The Boss. Sivakumar Sundaram at Cannes. Photograph source: Facebook

    Sundaram though has quite a job ahead of him. At first a shrinking readership, and circulation numbers. The post-1990-born prefers tracking news via notifications, Instagram reels or at most Twitter. Newspaper these days are used more to line cupboard shelves or ripen papayas and mangoes.

     

    There is a fair amount of mediocrity that has set in and circulation numbers have fallen. The numbers for even Tier-2 cities like Pune where the edition was very strong have gone south. In Goa, the edition is a distant #3. Overall, while the advertising revenues are bright enough for company seniors to go to Cannes, the buzz that the paper once had has diminished.

     

    And if there’s anyone to blame for this, it’s the leadership at many levels.

     

    Sundaram knows that. Since he is a numbers person, he knows that they tell a story like a few other things can. He knows where there exists a wastage. And what needs to be propped up.

     

    Remember, an accounts job can also entail creative thinking.

     

    The road ahead could be like one of those potholed roads of Mumbai after that first major downpour.

     

    We spoke with at least a dozen former and current Times of India staffers to get a view on Sundaram’s ascent. And the tasks ahead of him. While most of them spoke with us off the record, there was only one person we spoke with who was willing to be quoted.

     

    Jaisurya Das
    Jaisurya Das

    Said Jaisurya Das (JD), a senior industry person, advisor and commentator (also a former MxMIndia columnist): “Sivakumar does have a tough mile to walk and I do hope he will as always start with a due diligence of the core departments. This may just be what will make the difference!”

     

    But we are being naughty. We’ve used a quote from JD to suit our story.

     

    This is what Das said before: “To be honest, I think this was long overdue and am truly happy to see these changes! The true ‘stars’ all figure in these movements and each one of them are the kind who can do immense justice to their new roles. For me, a clear indication of Samir Jain in the saddle.”

     

    And he continued: “As for Sivakumar as the CEO, it comes as no surprise since there really is no one better. He is an astute professional whose razor-sharp financial acumen, inclusive management style and unquestionable loyalty to purpose is well-established in the industry, be it BCCL or beyond. And yes, contrary to what anyone may assume, I do not curry favour. This is what it is and no one can refute it, no matter what they think.”

     

    Das knows BCCL like few others. As not only has he worked in key functions, his brothers Monu (MD Nalapat) and Chinnen have been BCCL veterans.

     

    As Sivakumar Sundaram returns to India from Southern France, he will certainly set things in motion. Some changes in the top deck have been effected. Some more are likely to happen. Some souls who have been under-performing or misbehaving will see the wrath of Siva’s Third Eye.

     

    Watch this space. The times, as they say, are surely a-changin’

     

  • Introduces anthem for Tractor Brand

    Ajay Devgn campaigns for Insecticides India

    By Our Staff

     

    Insecticides (India) Limited, crop protection company, has launched an anthem for its umbrella brand “Tractor Brand”. The anthem, which also features the brand’s ambassador and Bollywood superstar Ajay Devgn, covers several leading IIL products under the Tractor Brand, including Shinwa, Mission, Izuki, Hercules and Sofia. This comes as the company continues to seek more innovative ways to connect to farmers across India and beyond.

     

    The campaign, conceptualized by BEI Confluence advertising agency with 360 integrated solutions with long experience in FMCG & Agri/Rural Category, would be transmitted across multiple platforms to provide the much-needed education and enlightenment to its teeming farmer population and raise awareness about the Tractor Brand.

     

    Said Rajesh Aggarwal, Managing Director, Insecticides (India) Limited: “This is why this anthem is necessary and I am happy with its execution. Today Tractor Brand has its credibility and is popular among the farming community now we need to take this relationship to next level. It is a great way to connect with them, and give them a sense of belonging to our “Tractor Brand”. We hope this will better take our message of the Tractor Brand and help the farmers understand the need to use our Tractor Brand range of products for increased productivity.”

     

  • Champions inclusivity and individuality

    Jim Sarbh campaigns for Infinix technology brand

    By Our Staff

     

    Infinix, a new age technology brand, launches its latest brand film titled ‘#BreakThrough’. The film showcases characters often considered as societal outcasts, such as homeless individuals and sex workers, to highlight the need for inclusivity.

     

    By championing inclusivity and celebrating individuals who defy societal moulds, Infinix reinforces its dedication to creating a world that embraces diversity and encourages innovation.

     

    Said Anish Kapoor, CEO, Infinix: “As a new-age tech brand, Infinix India believes in pushing boundaries, challenging norms, and driving innovation. We are committed to redefining what is possible in the tech ecosystem through our ever expanding categories and unique propositions. ‘Break Through,’ resonates and mirrors the journey that Infinix has undertaken by defying convention and bringing meaningful solutions to people’s lives. Through this film, we want individuals to believe in the power of their potential and the importance of embracing differences,”. “We chose to tell this story along with the extremely talented Jim Sarbh, who rightly embodies the brand’s spirit.”

     

    Infinix has established itself as a pioneer in the field of new age technology. The brand’s expanding portfolio encompasses smartphones, laptops, and smart TVs, designed to cater to the discerning GenZ audience. Renowned for their exceptional style, quality craftsmanship, and incorporation of cutting-edge technologies, Infinix products stand out as trendsetters in the industry.

     

  • To bring together data and intelligence to elevate brands visibility

    Ethinos and ideacafe.agency announce collaboration

    By Our Staff

     

    Ideacafe and Ethinos Digital Marketing come together to form a strategic partnership to deliver the best phygital solutions for brands by bringing together data and intelligence to elevate a brands visibility and effectiveness in the OOH domain.

     

    Ethinos specializes in AI -based Media Performance Programs, Omni Channel Marketing, Data Driven Marketing, B2B Marketing, Digital Solutions while ideacafe specializes in Out of home advertising solutions, DOOH content generation, Creative services, rural outreach, and activation solutions across the spectrum.

     

    Nabendu Bhattacharyya founder of ideacafe said: “We believe that the consumer today is dictating the terms of engagement and the lines between physical and digital have blurred to a significant extent because of which brands now need a better integrated solution to connect effectively and hence our partnership with Ethinos sharpens our OOH offering and makes it even more efficient than it already is.”

     

    Brijesh Munyal, Managing Director Ethinos added: “We are excited to announce our partnership with Ideacafe. This strategic collaboration will allow us to offer our clients a more comprehensive marketing solution that combines the reach and impact of OOH with the precision and targeting of digital. Together, we can help our clients reach their target audiences at every touchpoint, from online to offline.”

     

    Fabian Trevor Cowan, Chief Growth Officer ideacafe said, “The next phase in the evolution of OOH will be driven by the true convergence of data and creativity riding on the wheels of technology. The rapid rise in DOOH will rightly raise the expectations of a client base that has begun to believe in the power of Out of home. This collaboration will provide us and our clients with deeper insights on audiences that can now be applied to the OOH environment.”

     

  • A serious question but what was, we guess, a fun thing on two news channels (or perhaps more of them). Here's Dr Bhaskar Das in the June 23 edition of Das ka Dum. Read on…

    Das ka Dum with Dr Bhaskar Das | Last week, two Hindi news channels innovated with their reporting on the cyclone. Do these experiments dilute the credibility of news journalism, or all’s well for entertaining television?

    Bhaskar DasA serious question but what was, we guess, a fun thing on two news channels (or perhaps more of them). Here’s Dr Bhaskar Das in the June 23 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. Last week, two Hindi news channels innovated with their reporting on the cyclone. One walking on the streets of an affected area and another in a helicopter, all from a studio of course. What’s your view: do these experiments dilute the credibility of news journalism, or all’s well for entertaining television?

     

    A. First a disclaimer: I am not a news channel owner so all my perspectives would suffer from the infirmities of a layman.

     

    Good journalists are expected to be cognitively more empowered than hoi polloi like us. And as an entrepreneur they know what keeps the cashbox ringing.  You must be wondering about the divine responsibility of maintaining objectivity and gravitas of a news media organisation including news channels. But what do you expect when there is a plethora of purveyors of parity content or news. The number of channels in the news space is 400 so one has to stand out to gain attention, TRPs and accordingly advertising revenue – the holy grail of the economics of news channels.

     

    To my first point is what the channel owners are doing and they should know what they are doing.

     

    But is the audience/ viewer also unintelligent? If I paraphrase a cliche that every audience deserves the channel it gets, and sensationalism, dramatisation, overhyping improves the dopamine flow in the brain for the audience in general. Exciting content is in a sense the opiate of the masses (with apologies to Mr Karl Marx).

     

    I am not a great consumer of news as I don’t spend much time on nice-to-know content. And of course being apolitical, I spend more time on academic content. In view of this, whether a news medium has gravitas and credibility or not, it doesn’t matter. As a discerning member of the group of audience, I have ways of crosschecking news that matters. People debate about polarised content, people debate about hyper-sensationalism… I wonder why. Because one has the choice not to consume content of a specific news brand. In a hyper-personalised environment, reading about universal gravitas and need for leader guarding the reader/ viewer is an anachronistic concept. So your concern doesn’t t concern me.

     

  • Campaign brings alive situations in Gen Z lives

    New ad for KFC Snacker

    By Our Staff

     

    We ought to have published this a few days back, but here’s it: It’s about KFC India’s latest campaign crafted by Ogilvy. The campaign will run on TV and digital platforms, along with a “robust” 360-degree plan.

     

    Said Aparna Bhawal, CMO, KFC India & Partner Countries: “As a brand, KFC is always tuned into what Gen-Z wants. We know this young value conscious consumer has multiple snacking occasions in a day where they want to indulge, but at the same time want to manage expenses. All our recent launches reflect this – the KFC Snacker range presents a variety of KFC favourites at an unbelievable price of INR 99! The campaign uses an engaging visual device where the OG celebrity chef, Colonel Sanders helps youngsters get out of relatable yet sticky situations and save money too! Thanks to Colonel Sanders, awkward situation and paise dono bach gaye!”

     

    Added Ritu Sharda, CCO, North, Ogilvy India: “In India, a tray full of snacks is always a happy distraction from a loaded discussion. It’s always a “bach gaye” moment. Going at just Rs. 99, it felt like “Bach Gaye” doubles up as a very Indian way of saying, money saved. Simple, charming, quirky. I think it’s safe for us to heave a sigh of relief and say bach gaye, because you’re going to love snacking on these short, quirky commercials.

     

  • The mandate involves redefining brand narratives & imagery to enhance corporate identity and fuel business growth

    Moshi Moshi rebrands Vijayanand Travels & Gillco Group

    By Our Staff

     

    Moshi Moshi has been mandated to undertake a comprehensive rebranding initiative for two leading brands: Vijayanand Travels Ltd and the Gillco Group. As part of this manate, Moshi Moshi will undertake a complete corporate and marketing rebranding for the companies.

     

    For those not in the know, Vijayanand Travels Ltd has nearly five decades of business operations in road transportation, logistics and publishing. Over the course of two decades, Gillco Group has carved a niche for itself in the Punjab real estate sector, excelling in residential projects, commercial properties, entertainment, and educational spaces.

    Said Moshi Moshi founders Rishav Dubey and Ajay Bothra: “Moshi Moshi looks forward to embarking on this transformative journey with Gillco Group and VRL Group, and is confident that this collaboration will yield remarkable outcomes. We feel a great sense of gratification that these esteemed brands have entrusted us with the responsibility of transforming their brand imagery. Through this partnership, Moshi Moshi reaffirms its commitment to innovation, creativity, and delivering unparalleled communication solutions to our valued clients.”

     

  • SoulTree is an Indian ayurvedic beauty and wellness brand

    ETML wins digital mandate for SoulTree

    By Our Staff

     

    ETML, short for ET Medialabs, the advertising and analytics company based in New Delhi NCR and that has nothing to do with ET (as in The Economic Times)  has bagged the digital mandate for SoulTree, an Indian ayurvedic beauty and wellness brand. ETML, notes a communique, will be responsible to help the brand by providing high-end performance marketing services through this partnership, with an aim to serve larger business objectives.

     

    Commenting on the win, Raghav Kansal, Founder & CEO of ETML, said, “We are excited to announce our partnership with SoulTree. With the help of our strong Growth Advertising & Analytics acumen, our primary focus will be on delivering sustainable business growth through innovative campaigns in the paid digital space. We intend to play a vital role in the brand’s journey in achieving sustainable business growth.”

     

    Adding on to this, Jatin Mahani, Brand Lead, SoulTree, said, “We are confident that our partnership with ETML will help us achieve our

     

    business objectives, and accelerate our digital growth. Having an experienced partner like ETML would help us leverage the power of Growth advertising. They stand out for their distinctive data-driven approach, and we anticipate that they will be crucial in assessing and personalising the need of our brand and business to provide the desired results”

     

  • The campaign features two digital films that capture the "joy" of shopping at the exchange festival

    IdeateLabs campaign for Fashion Factory

    By Our Staff

     

    IdeateLabs, one of the early digital-first marketing solutions providers in the country, has conceptualised and created a digital campaign for the ‘Unbranded to Branded’ Exchange Festival for Fashion Factory, a division of Reliance Retail.

     

    Said Raman R.S. Minhas, CCO, IdeateLabs: “We are excited to partner with Fashion Factory in this fun campaign. The U2B campaign is a great property that powers Fashion Factory to reach a wide audience and drive sales. We needed that balance of engaging content and offer push, which happened when the team hit upon the creative device of “ex”. We believe the campaign will resonate with the audience and further establish Fashion Factory as India’s leading value fashion retailer.”

     

  • It features actor Siddhant Chaturvedi

    WT campaign for Park Avenue

    By Our Staff

     

    Wunderman Thompson India’s latest commercial for Park Avenue Fragrance Deo features actor Siddhant Chaturvedi.

     

    Commenting on the campaign, Pooja Sahgal, Chief Marketing Officer, Park Avenue, said: “Our campaign ‘Spray kar, aage badh’ draws inspiration from the insight that everyone, regardless of their background or profession, experiences nervousness when trying something for the first time. Park Avenue Fragrance Deo for Men recognises the importance of overcoming these inhibitions, enabling men to embrace their ambitions and reach for the stars. The film features a youthful personality like actor Siddhant Chaturvedi, who is not only performing but is also singing, adding a more personalised touch to the campaign.”

     

    Added Anurag Tandon, Managing Partner, Wunderman Thompson, Mumbai: ”The category has traditionally operated on either attraction or success. We wanted to steer clear of both those narratives and root our work closer to the real emotion around grooming i.e., the need to feel prepared in moments that put you under some kind of scrutiny. We feel confident in the ability of this narrative to connect with the younger audiences and create a differentiated image and preference for the brand.”