MxMIndia

Author: mxmadmin

  • Through its magnum opus 'Shiv Shakti – Tap Tyag Tandav'

    Colors redefines mythological marketing

    By Our Staff

     

    Colors has rolls out a marketing strategy for its mythological magnum opus  ‘Shiv Shakti – Tap Tyag Tandav’. Created and produced by Siddharth Tewary’s Swastik Productions, the show stars Ram Yashvardhan as Lord Shiv and Subha Rajput as Goddess Shakti.

     

    To spread the glory of the deities among their devotees, Colors created an on-ground buzz during religious events such as Ganga Dussehra and Maasik Shivratri.

     

    Speaking about the campaign, Sapangeet Rajwant, Head, Marketing and Digital, Hindi Mass Entertainment, Viacom18 said: “Colors takes great pride in crafting creative strategies that get the audience to notice and engage with the show. Bringing back the mythology genre after three years was a special milestone for Colors and so our marketing campaign was as simple as to connect with the audience in-person at the right place and at the right time that is during the holy events such as Ganga Dussehra and Maasik Shivratri. The objective was to have the viewers embrace our show as the biggest saga of universe’s first love story. We successfully sparked conversations around the show through temple visits, branding, giveaways and religious activities such as Mata Ki Chowki and Maha aarti. Our campaign garnered an overwhelming response from the masses, generating great impressions and reach.”

     

  • For its True Curv range

    Leo Burnett creates Zivame campaign

    By Our Staff

     

    Zivame, the intimate wear brand, has launched a campaign for its True Curv range conceived by Leo Burnett.

     

    Said Khatija Lokhandwala, Head of Brand Marketing at Zivame: “At the core of our brand lies the empowering message of Wear Your Confidence irrespective one’s age, size, or body type. Our latest campaign for our True Curv range amplifies our commitment to inclusivity and body positivity and reinforces the belief that every woman, regardless of her shape or size, deserves to feel celebrated and valued every day.”

     

  • Host Amitabh Bachchan stars in a Sonal Dabral-directed promo for the show's 15th edition

    Badal gaya hai KBC ka ad & positioning

    By Our Staff

     

    Sony Entertainment Television has launched a promo campaign of the 15th edition of Kaun Banega Crorepati directed by senior adperson Sonal Dabral.

     

    Said Neeraj Vyas, Business Head – Sony Entertainment Television, Sony Sab, Pa,, and Sony Max Movie Cluster: “Kaun Banega Crorepati is a legacy brand, and in tune with the changing times – its 15th edition will embrace the transformation that we are all experiencing in this new India. A flagship show for Sony Entertainment Television, KBC will soon return in an all-new exciting avatar, the elements of which will be unveiled in the coming weeks, and it is sure to capture the imagination of the entire nation. This season will also welcome new opportunities for brands to drive innovation and build engagement with audiences across the spectrum. The recently launched campaign film sets the tone for KBC, ek naye roop mein and the fan favourite format, helmed by the legendary Amitabh Bachchan, will continue to foster cohesive family viewing.”

     

    Posted Dabral on his Facebook post: “Had a great time directing this year’s KBC promo! Working with Bachchan Sir is always an inspiring and learning experience.  Huge thanks to Neeraj Sir, Vaishali and the teams at Sony Entertainment Television for an amazing experience!  Great working together again and writing this with you Anshu Arthjam”

     

  • Most award-winning work is different from the brand-building work, writes Sanjeev Kotnala

    Sanjeev Kotnala: UCC ‘Causvertsing’ for Cannes24 

    By Sanjeev Kotnala

     

    Sanjeev KotnalaMr Verma, my mentor and brand consultant, sighed. He remembered the golden days when it was all about brand and revenue, preferences and creating preferences. The awards were the by-product of the marketing process.

     

    His friend Mr Arya, CMO of one of the companies start-up (after some eight years of business), returned empty-handed from Cannes. None of his three entries made the cut despite being curated by the experts at ‘FILLURCANESCFORM’ at a hefty fee. The presentation agency early adapter of AI had a good track record, but then there was no guarantee.

     

    India brought home 25 metals across 15 campaigns in 2023. There was a heavy skew towards purpose-led advertising. It is different that the tally was 50 per cent less than in 2022.

     

    The CMO, Arya, a veteran in the industry, knew people only remember the last campaign. The earlier wins did not matter. He had none to show for this year. No cause for a party and no need to revise his profile on LinkedIn or post those pictures on Instagram.

     

    His product category did not lend itself to any public-oriented purpose-led campaigns. But that has never been a problem. He knew he would find a dependable defendable link later.

     

    He was no longer interested in simplistic done-to-death malaria eradication, vaccinations, mensural hygiene, sustainability, climate change or woman empowerment. Disciplined, responsible gaming did make sense now that the country was full of gaming and betting sites under the game of skill. However, no point in picking something that obvious. For impact and award, it had to be something more esoteric, something no brand has tried before, something to shock the jury. For the purpose-led campaign and award entry preparation, 10 per cent of the annual budget was budgeted, excluding the cost of his trip to Cannes.

     

    He knew brands must go beyond functional and emotional benefits to build a belief system and ecosystem. Experts say it requires putting purpose at the heart of the business model, not just in campaigns. But damn the experts, they knew nothing. They are not practical.

     

    The brand campaign was in place and will take care of the revenue generation. The link between the brand and the ‘Causevertising’ will be created, however tenuous. The possible overlap between the cause and the brand’s reason for existence was a bonus. It was the reason for his existence, his ego and his future.

     

    The reality – rarely award-winning work works for the brand. Not saying it does not work. Only most award-winning work is different from the brand-building work. When you can make them meet or overlap, it is almost Nirvana. However, the agency and the client are divided and confused or totally clear about the purpose and return on the individual piece of creative. Be it B2I, B2B, B2C. Maybe that is the problem.

     

    Arya has been in jury panels and knew how much time was available and devoted to entries. Despite facilitators and coordinators, no one knew how the brands were doing in the market. All was secondary information or the information shared by the brand. The international jury can never know the reality or differentiate between brand and award work- both are supported by impeccable data and pre-post research. The data, impressions, results and the power-point with high-quality videos made sense. Arya knew precisely the person from ‘LETSBURNT’ to do the job. He was in awe of this person who could talk about creativity and expressions while discussing ‘Causevertising’. Who could make anyone believe poverty will be eradicated with a well-designed digital campaign.

     

    Maybe one could shock the jury with a non-digital purpose-led campaign! He loved the Happydent and the Eriksson One black coffee ad. And indeed he loved the ‘The Unfiltered History Tour’ as well as the ‘SRK-MY-AD’ too. They won.

     

    Someone had to remind the industry of the need for branding and brand development.

    He knew his options between Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

    The Uniform Civil Code (UCC) push by the government was a perfect case. It would make sense. It was a large, sustainable fight for diversity through inclusiveness, political and yet hints at undifferentiated equity. There was a tadka of religion and region. A pinch of minority-majority angle. And a national-level issue. You don’t get bigger than that.

     

    However, there was a problem. The government may not risk it other than with two of the known industry stalwarts. But it can’t stop a law book publisher from running a winning ‘causevertising’ campaign on UCC.

     

    Arya had already approved the brief. It was out in the market after the famous ‘ITOLDUSO’ award consultant helped close it in the last meeting. He was a fast, proactive worker, a prosumer for awards and rewards.

     

    The ink on the Cannes award list and the associated euphoria was yet to die, and here was he planning and thinking of the next year. He already had received feelers from the targeted agencies to pitch, to get a toe in the door. The Japanese, the Indian, the film city roadwali, the Parel flyover ke passwali agency and the BKC Bandrawaali – everyone was interested.

     

    The next few weeks will go into selecting the agency and pinpointing the final purpose to give his life a purpose. It was not about the industry seeing an opportunity to create positive change and impact in society – but it was about creating change and positivity in his life. Small things like this keep happening in the big cities and industries.

     

    No one has forgotten that a clear promise to the customers gives campaigns a creative edge’. They should remember that a curated buzz around a ‘causevertising’ gives campaigns an award edge’. And a Jug-Mug-Bucket though popular and problem solving will never cut ice with the international jury.

     

  • We thought we could provoke him into a juicy answer but that's something that one can never ever get out of our Wizard with Words. Be that as it may, here's Dr Bhaskar Das in the July 5 edition of Das ka Dum. Read on…

    Das ka Dum with Dr Bhaskar Das | The new KBC ad is perhaps an ideal launch vehicle for the 2024 elections. Or are we imagining much too much?

    Bhaskar DasWe thought we could provoke him into a juicy answer but that’s something that one can never ever get out of our Wizard with Words. Be that as it may, here’s Dr Bhaskar Das in the July 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. The new Kaun Banega Crorepatiad is perhaps an ideal launch vehicle for the 2024 elections. Or are we imagining much too much (link: https://twitter.com/SonyTV/status/1674094053779177474?s=20) ?

     

    A. I have been liking Kaun Banega Crorepatipromos always because they are not only distinctive but have also a certain sense of universality in terms of human emotions and aspirations. This year’s promotion’s key message of ‘badal rahi hai India… India is changing) can be applied to any political party’s election pitch. But who/what changes: is it the political process or the voter? I think it is the combination of 18-year-plus (first-time voters) with other older voters who are creating a mix of human aspirations at an economic, social and cultural level across regions and geographies. While they are not uniform but directionally, no one can doubt the palpable and tectonic shift.

     

    From this point of view, it can be a great election pitch but it can be as generic as it could be and if all political parties claim so, the distinctiveness of appeal will be lost. So, I feel that if the core universality of the message is internalised, the repurpose communication for generation confidence with multitude of aspiration cohorts can be leveraged.

     

  • To create awareness about the brand & the value provided

    Team Pumpkin bags mandate for Springwel Mattress

    By Our Staff

     

    Team Pumpkin has won the creative, digital mandate and offline collaterals for Springwel Mattress.

     

    Said Springwel owner Ananta Capital’s CMO Ankit Kapoor on this partnership: “As a brand, we have always prioritised excellence and innovation. We believe that this partnership with Team Pumpkin will propel Springwel to new heights with innovative marketing ideas. We joined hands with the agency to curate brand strategies that resonate with our audience and reflect our core values. Springwel combined with Team Pumpkin will drive innovation in storytelling, customer engagement, and market dominance, ushering in a new era of success.”

     

    Added Swati Nathani, Chief Business Officer and Co-founder, Team Pumpkin: “We are delighted to win one of the leading innovative mattress brands. Our team begins its journey of creating and implementing unique brand campaigns and influencer marketing strategies that will captivate audiences and drive brand recognition. With our expertise and creativity, we aim to leverage Springwel’s brand strategies to bring it to new heights in the market. Our team is committed to delivering outstanding results for a lasting impact for Springwel as trusted partners and co-founders of its success.”

     

  • To showcase its home solutions

    Wakefit.co refreshes identity

    By Our Staff

     

    Wakefit.co, the sleep and home solutions company, has unveiled its new identity developed in partnership with its brand partner, Spring Marketing Capital.

     

    Sharing his views on the company’s rebranding, Chaitanya Ramalingegowda, Director and Co-founder, Wakefit.co, said: “Our new identity perfectly aligns with our core thought of enabling individuals to make the most of their homes. At Wakefit.co, we are committed to simplifying living and providing innovative home solutions. The rebranding highlights our dedication to helping individuals navigate life stage transitions and find products that balance aspirations with practicality. We firmly believe that our offerings empower customers to create spaces that truly enhance their quality of life. ”

     

    Added Prateek Malpani, Head of Brand, Wakefit.co: “The rebranding is a symbol of our commitment to making people’s lives easier and simpler. The Wakefit 2.0 logo, which symbolises The Infinity Home, is a bold and modern representation of a home that evolves with the needs of the people and opens up infinite possibilities for them. By simplifying the home upgrade process and providing a diverse range of innovative products, Wakefit.co empowers individuals to unlock the full potential of their homes across various life stages. I am confident that this rebranding effort will help us reposition ourselves as an innovative and loved home solutions brand propelling our entry into people’s homes beyond the bedroom.”

     

  • To be played at the Queen's Park Oval in Trinidad

    Cycle Agarbathi to sponsor India-Windies legacy series

    By Our Staff

     

    Cycle Pure Agarbathi is the title sponsor for the three-Test series between India and the West Indies in the Caribbean. For the Frank Worrell trophy traditionally contested by the two countries, the 2023 series will be called ‘Cycle Pure Agarbathi Test Series.’ This match will take place at the Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad, from July 20 to.

     

    The series will also feature three One-Day Internationals, and five Twenty20 matches. The tour opens with a Test match at Windsor Park in Dominica, on the 12th of July and conclude on the 16th of July.

     

    Announcing the partnership, Arjun Ranga, Managing Director, Cycle Pure Agarbathi, said: “At Cycle Pure, one of our primary objectives is to foster and empower young talent. We firmly believe that everyone has a reason to pray even during a match and hence cricket serves as a unifying force, transcending borders and bringing people together. It is with immense delight that we announce our title sponsorship for the India vs West Indies 2023 tour. This partnership presents us with a unique opportunity to propagate the values of unity, prayer, and hope not only for the Indian cricket team as they represent our nation on the international stage, but also for every individual across the country. We extend our heartfelt wishes and the very best of luck  to the Indian cricket team for this momentous tour and I am eagerly looking forward to witnessing the 100th historic match between the two sides.”

     

  • With the launch of international Hindi dubbed shows

    Amazon Mini TV to dub shows in Hindi

    By Our Staff

     

    Amazon miniTV, the free video streaming service from Amazon.in, has announced the launch of its newest category, ‘Mini TV Imported’, with International content dubbed in Hindi. It will stream top global shows every month ranging from Korean, Turkish, Mandarin and Spanish dramas.

     

    Commenting on the big venture, Amogh Dusad, Head of Content, Amazon Mini TV (or miniTV, as Amazon writes it) said: “In recent times, the viewing preferences of digital video consumers in India have changed significantly. They love diversity in content offering and are looking for unique stories & captivating characters from across the world. We have curated a list of blockbuster shows (from Korean, Turkish, Mandarin, Spanish and many more languages) that we believe will resonate with Indian viewers. Very excited to add the international shows in local language to our content slate on Amazon Mini TV!”

     

    Added Aruna Daryanani, Director and Business Head, Amazon Mini TV: “At Amazon Mini TV, our endeavour has always been to offer exciting content to our audiences across India for free. We are catering to a vast majority of 18-34-year-olds, who are looking for fresh content beyond television. Hence offering a varied choice of international shows dubbed in India is a perfect extension and we believe will appeal to our customers. We believe this is an exciting opportunity, as advertisers are also very keen on reaching out to this audience on our service.”

     

  • To provide creative solutions for online and offline campaigns

    Worldmark awards marketing mandate to Three Fourth Solutions

    By Our Staff

     

    Three Fourth Solutions (TFS), an independent full stack marketing agency headquartered in Kolkata, has won the Integrated Marketing mandate for Worldmark, a retail hub catering to both national and international corporations.

     

    Said Siddhant Jain, Director – Three Fourth Solutions: “We are delighted to have been chosen as the Communications partner by Worldmark. This is a testament to the strength of our team and our track record of delivering strategic, integrated communications programmes that deliver results, we are looking forward to generating great results and a long lasting relationship with them over building their core digital presence. The team will work closely with the brand stakeholders to deliver on digital distribution and customer engagement.”

     

  • As per the latest Axis My India India Consumer Sentiment Index study

    44% view TV News as Most Trusted Source

     

     

    By Our Staff

     

    Axis My India, the leading consumer data intelligence company better know these days for its Exit Poll results, has unveiled its latest report on the India Consumer Sentiment Index (CSI). The survey shows the change in media consumption, particularly among younger demographics, with TV News Channels and Social Media dominating as primary news sources.

     

    The July 2023 Axis My India CSI survey aimed to understand the primary platform that consumers rely on to stay updated with the latest news. As per the findings, TV News Channels are the primary news source for 44% of respondents, followed by Social Media (23%) and YouTube education/news channels (18%). Newspapers accounted for only 14% of news consumption, while YouTube Shorts had 7%. TV News Channels and Newspapers are preferred majorly by viewers above 60 years while social media platforms and formats are majorly preferred by 18-25YO.

     

    Commenting on the CSI report, Pradeep Gupta, Chairman & MD, Axis My India, said “Amidst India’s ever-changing economic landscape, our comprehensive survey reveals fascinating patterns in media consumption, information seeking, and online shopping habits. Embracing the digital era, the youth drive a surge in digital platform usage, while traditional sources like TV news maintain steadfast relevance. The cinema’s revival is noteworthy, with urbanites and seniors spearheading this trend. Trust remains paramount, as consumers rely on shopkeepers, local markets, and online searches for product insights. However, data privacy concerns loom, particularly among the younger generation. These insightful trends underscore the imperative for a versatile approach to cater to the diverse preferences of our dynamic consumer base.”

     

    The survey was carried out via Computer-Aided Telephonic Interviews with a sample size of 5072 people across 35 states and UTs. 67% belonged to rural India, while 33% belonged to urban counterparts. In terms of regional spread, 23% belong to the Northern parts while 22% belong to the Eastern parts of India. Moreover, 26% and 29% belonged to Western and Southern parts of India respectively. 59% of the respondents were male, while 41% were female. In terms of the two majority sample groups, 31% reflect the age group of 36YO to 50YO and 27% reflect the age group 26YO to 35YO.

     

    Other findings:

    • Overall household spending has increased for 56% of the families, which is the same as the last two months. The net score, which was +48 last month is +47 this month. The increase is slightly higher in rural households (57%).

    • Spends on essentials like personal care & household items has increased for 31% of the families, which has decreased by 1% from last month. The net score, which was at +20 last month has dipped to +18 this month.Essential spends continue to increase majorly for the rural segment of the consumers (32%) and among 18-25-year-olds (38%).

    • Spends on non-essential & discretionary products like AC, Car, and Refrigerators have increased for 5% of families, which is the same as last two months. The net score is 0, which was same as the last month.

    • Expenses towards health-related items such as vitamins, tests, and healthy food has surged for 30% of families. This reflects a decrease in consumption by 2% from last month. The health score which has a negative connotation i.e., the lesser the spends on health items the better the sentiments, has a net score value -19 this month. Health-related products consumption increased more for the rural segment of the consumers (31%), among females (30%), and among those within the age group of 26-35-year-olds (34%).

    • Consumption of media (TV, Internet, Radio, etc.) has increased for 18% of families, depicting a significant dip in increased media consumption percentage by 6% from last month. This decrease is depicted after an increase was reflected last month at 24% (the highest since April 23) majorly due to IPL. The overall, net score which was at +4 last month is at -4 this month. The increase in Media viewership percentage could be majorly reflected among males (20%) and 18-25 YO (29%) compared to older age groups.

    • Mobility has increased for 8% of the families, which is the same as last month. The overall mobility net indicator score, which was at +2 last month, is at +1 this month. Mobility is highest amongst the age group of 18-25YO at 14% which is 2% more than last month for the same age group.

    • Another key aspect explored was the frequency of movie theatre visits in recent months. The findings reveal interesting patterns in consumer behaviour, where in out of all the respondents, 49% stated that they visited movie theatres once a month, 30% twice, 8% thrice, and 13% more than three times. As a significant proportion of consumers visit movie theatres at least once a month, it could be apt to assume that a consistent interest in cinema as a form of entertainment is again rising back. This keenness is majorly witnessed amongst urban consumers (51%), and females (57%).

    • When seeking information about products they intend to buy, respondents in the Axis My India survey relied on various sources. The primary sources of information were shopkeepers and local markets (36%), followed closely by internet searches (29%), indicating the significance of both traditional and digital channels. A notable 19% of respondents preferred seeking advice from friends, colleagues, or neighbours, highlighting the continued influence of word-of-mouth recommendations in purchase decisions. YouTube emerged as a source of product information for 6% of respondents, demonstrating the growing popularity of video content in informing consumer choices and Television advertisements held relevance for 5% of respondents. Only 2% refer to social media, and 1% go directly to the company website or use print media. While those above 60 years old prefer shopkeepers and local markets, 18-25YO prefer internet searches and YouTube videos. The majority of the 51-60YO prefer seeking advice from others.

    • The survey further unveiled a diverse range of online shopping habits among consumers with a sizable portion yet to adopt e-commerce as their preferred mode of shopping. A significant 64% stated they never shop online. However, 11% do online shopping once a month, and 7% do so once in 6 months to 1 year. Additionally, 6% shopped online once in the last 6 months, and another 6% did so more than once in the last month. Only 3% shopped online more than once in the last 6 months, while a mere 2% engaged in online shopping almost every week. 18-25YO forms the majority segment that shops once a month (19%).

    • The survey further gauged respondents’ sentiments regarding data privacy and security in the context of the increasing usage of the internet and technology in their daily lives. The findings reveal that 45% of respondents reported not being worried about data privacy and security, while 23% expressed a significant concern. Additionally, 26% reported being worried to some extent suggesting a moderate level of concern about data privacy and security. They may have a general awareness of the risks involved but may not be overly alarmed by them. A majority of 18-35YO reflect apprehension to a large extent.

    • Finally, the survey also focussed on farmers’ concerns about the potential repercussions of deficient monsoon on their farming activities in the current year. The findings revealed that 55% of farmers were highly worried, 24% expressed mild concern, 9% were optimistic about a good monsoon, and 13% expected normal monsoons. These findings highlight the apprehensions of a significant portion of farmers, emphasising the importance of addressing agricultural challenges and potential risks associated with monsoon variability.

     

  • Twitter was not perfect under Jack Dorsey & Co, but we are worse off under Elon Musk, writes Ranjona Banerji, also a long-time user

    Trust Deficit UnLtd

    Twitter logo reimagined by Rafiq Barak

     

     

    By Ranjona Banerji

     

    Ranjona BanerjiThe almost total collapse of the social media site Twitter reached one more landmark on July 1, when billionaire owner Elon Musk announced that he was limiting the number of posts that people could see to combat “data-scraping”.

    Immediately, the internet was in a roil. First of all, not everyone saw Musk’s tweet so they didn’t know why they were being restricted. Most assumed it was something to do with internet freedom and government. Then some explanations emerged, although with Twitter restricted not everyone saw the announcements!

    Musk’s target was not customers and subscribers, but AI companies who were helping themselves to Twitter’s data without permission. Thus “data-scraping”. Most people had no clue what that means. The internet being what it is, there was a clear division between those who explained that Musk was wrong and others who insisted he was right.

    https://www.reuters.com/technology/musk-says-twitter-applies-temprary-limit-address-data-scraping-system-2023-07-01/

     

    There is however a massive trust deficit between users and the new owner. Without offending those who will start huffing and puffing with rage, let me acknowledge that Twitter was not perfect under Jack Dorsey and his team. But as a long-time user, it is clear that we are worse off. The removal of verifications by Twitter itself means that it is hard to sift misinformation from facts. Taking payment for verification adds another layer of mistrust, since any fake news spreader can pay without any control. Musk has also declared that he is happiest with the alt right ideology and that means Twitter is susceptible to control by the most effect fake news spreaders and manipulators of all.

    Musk’s open admission that he has no option but to kowtow to dictators, fascists and any government which demands personal information adds an extra layer of danger for activists and dissenters.

    The problem for users is that many have spent years building networks on Twitter. It is extremely useful for gathering and sharing information with credible sources. It is also useful for engaging with a variety of people who you would not have access to. Unlike other social media sites, Twitter was the ideal place for journalists to connect with each other and potential sources.

    A few years ago, pre-Musk, many Indian Twitter user switched to Mastodon. But although the experience was friendly, it did not have either the scope or reach of Twitter. It was more like Facebook, where you chatted within a created community. And because big news sites did not join, it was not useful.

    Dorsey announced Blue Sky, Mark Zuckerberg has announced Threads. These are possible alternatives, when they arrive. But it will require existing Twitter users to remake their networks, which is tedious and inconvenient.

    The fact is that we cannot work without social media and the internet any more. And thus in a sense, we are trapped. Hostile governments, capricious owners, devious fraudsters notwithstanding, the internet has become indispensable. Even the spectre of AI looming over us, with its own demons and magic, will not stop us from becoming more digital.

    For Musk as for traditional media, the problem seems to be money and effective ways of monetisation in the age of digital information. We will pay for entertainment streaming services but we won’t pay for streams of credible information.

    Musk might reach Mars before he can figure that one out!

    The rest of us might well have flown into a blue sky hanging on a thread by then…

     

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