MxMIndia

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  • The partnership will focus on developing a comprehensive communication offer

    APCO Worldwide and Aakriti Promotions form strategic partnership

    By A Correspondent

     

    Leading global communication consultancy, APCO Worldwide’sIndiaoperations on Wednesday announced a strategic partnership with Aakriti Promotions & Media Ltd, a premier Ahmedabad-based advertising agency. The partnership will focus on developing a comprehensive communication offer.

     

    APCO and Aakriti had recently partnered to deliver the integrated communication campaign for Vibrant Gujarat 2011Summit, which had attracted participation of more than 200 trade associations and trade delegations from 101 different countries. Investment announcements valued at more than $460 billion were made. APCO has been retained for the 2013 summit.

     

    Commenting on APCO’s first such partnership in India, Philippe Maze-Sencier, executive director of APCO Worldwide for India, the Middle East and Africa said: “India is a growing market for APCO, and this partnership strategically integrates APCO and Aakriti’s services to provide a 360-degree communication service to present and future clients.”

     

    Sukanti Ghosh, APCO Worldwide’s managing director inIndia, added: “We are very excited about the opportunities we see in partnering with Aakriti, which will accelerate our plans for APCO’s growth inIndia.”

     

    Pankaj Mudholkar, advertising veteran and managing director of Aakriti, said: “Our strategic partnership with APCO will help us provide integrated services to our existing clients and expand opportunities nationally. APCO’s acclaimed strategic communication record mixed with Aakriti’s expertise in above-the-line and below-the-line advertising activities will enable the partnership to deliver the best holistic service in the industry.”

     

    Founded in 1984, APCO Worldwide is an award-winning, independently owned global communication consultancy with offices in major cities throughout theAmericas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa andAsia. As well as winning several awards for its work inGujaratincluding ‘Best Government Communications Campaign in Asia-Pacific’, APCO Worldwide was recently declared South-East Asia Consultancy of the Year by The Holmes Report. With two full-service offices inNew Delhiand Mumbai, APCO Worldwide inIndiaserves the communication needs of a number of global corporations, government entities and NGOs across diverse industry sectors.

     

    Headquartered in Ahmedabad, Aakriti provides integrated communication services and its clients include top corporates like Adani, Cera, Sai infosystems and Gujarat Gas Ltd in Ahmedabad; Transstadia in Mumbai; and Alpha G Corp in Delhi.

     

  • The idea behind the campaign is to make the masses aware that their life, dreams and future are not necessarily in their control.

    Radio Mirchi and Birla Sun Life’s campaign to protect families

    By a Correspondent

     

    After a TVC and launch of an independent microsite, Birla Sun Life Insurance roped in Mindshare and Radio Mirchi to spread the message of their campaign, Protection Solutions. The idea behind the campaign is to make the masses aware that their life, dreams and future are not necessarily in their control. There is always an element of the unexpected – fate – and it is best that they don’t leave dreams to fate. The objective of the campaign is to inspire people to secure their families, and not to leave their dreams to fate.

     

    Mr. Ajay Kakar, Chief Marketing Officer, Financial Services, Aditya Birla Group, said: “As a brand, we believe in identifying unarticulated needs of our customers and contextualizing the role that we can play to meet these needs. It is important to play a role of a facilitator to sensitize the customer to the uncertainties of life and empower him with solutions that protect his priceless dreams. In order to communicate and effectively engage the customers, it was important for us to select an appropriate activation and media planning partner and our association with Mirchi and Mindshare best helped us to reach out to the masses.”

     

    The campaign is spread over three weeks, across eight markets and encompasses the theme of ‘safety, security and protection. Mindshare and Radio Mirchi urged people to come forward and share their stories of luck and survival.

     

    Abhishek Ray, of ‘Sahib Biwi Aur Gangster’ and ‘I am Kalam’ fame and Kavita Krishnamoorthi, the versatile singer and former actress, are said to have come together to create a song that will inspire the listeners to take the necessary steps and protect their families.

     

    Radio Mirchi also organized a massive on-ground activity in 64 housing societies across 8 metros. The activity, ‘Birla Sun Life Insurance presents My Family Day’, mixed a lot of fun activities while giving an opportunity for families to bond together. This gave most family members to display various strengths to protect their families.

     

    Birla Sun Life Insurance also gave away a maroon coloured band to individuals who pledged to protect their families. The idea behind the activities was to get the audiences to take a pledge to protect their families.

     

  • Lalit Choudary, MD, Performance Cars receives the award for the Sport Sedan of the Year

    Aston Martin Rapide wins ET Zig Wheels Award 2011

    By A Correspondent

     

    The ET Zig Wheels Awards 2011 have given the Indian automotive industry a solid platform and direction for growth. Over the years ET Zig Wheels has grown into an esteemed brand. As the journey continues, the organizers believeIndiacan be a global capital for the automotive industry.

     

    With a wealth of stunning small cars and affordable mid-size segment stunners to choose from, the special jury panel of the 2011 ET ZigWheels Awards 2011 awarded the Aston Martin Rapide as the Sport Sedan of the Year.

     

    For an international auto major just starting to find its feet in the country, being adjudged as the Sport Sedan of the Year (CBU), is a noteworthy accomplishment. It has just been a few months since Lalit Choudary, Managing Director of Performance Cars, introduced the coveted Aston Martin brand inIndia.

     

    Mr Choudary was confident of their partnership with Aston Martin. He said, “Partnering Aston Martin offers us a unique opportunity to bring one of the world’s iconic brands to one of the most discerning and fast growing markets.”

     

    The range of models, the comfortable ride quality the car offers on Indian roads and the exclusivity of Aston Martin has been identified worldwide. Now Mr Choudary is poised to position Aston Martin as the finest car in the luxury auto sector.

     

  • The most-read business daily launches applications for all mobile and tablet formats.

    Economic Times, now on mobile and tablet

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Economic Times,India’s most-read business newspaper and most-visited business and finance site, has now launched mobile applications for the iPad, iPhone, Android phone, BlackBerry, Nokia and Windows Phone.

     

    The apps combine ET’s cutting edge business news and market analysis with the best browsing experience, thanks to the simple navigation and clutter-free layout.

     

    The applications have been designed keeping in mind the audiences’ preference for live coverage of the business news and markets. All the apps provide in-depth and analytical coverage of the stock markets, with live stock quotes from BSE and NSE.  The sleek user-friendly apps feature the latest and most important news as it happens, along with the choicest of analysis and features from ET’s print editions.

     

    These apps also provide forex rates, commodities updates and news about the global markets. Stock recommendations and experts’ views from ET Now are featured through the market hours. Users can also track the stocks on their watch-list and monitor live gainers, losers and movers.

     

    Announcing the launch of these applications, Rishi Khiani, CEO of Times Internet Ltd, said: “This stack of ET Mobile apps fill an important need for ET readers. Within a short time of launch, ET’s iPad & iPhone apps topped the most popular charts on the Apple website. We have received a phenomenal response to our Android app as well. The latest entrants to our portfolio are apps for both Nokia Symbian/Anna smartphones and also for Windows. All the apps will be constantly upgraded and more features added in the weeks to come.”

     

    All Economic Times applications let users share articles or photos on Facebook and Twitter, and also via e-mail.

     

     

  • Within two days of launch, the new HFZ videos garnered over 1.5 lakh views and tremendous positive word-of-mouth on social networks.

    Airtel’s HFZ online campaign enters next phase

    By A Correspondent

     

    The youthful rendition of Airtel’s ‘Har Friend Zaroori Hai, Yaar'(HFZ) campaign and its accompanying foot-tapping friendship anthem resonated well with people of all age groups and backgrounds.

     

    On January 4, the company further extended this brand idea with the launch of its new online viral campaign on www.youtube.com/airtel and released seven entertaining videos depicting “friend types”: ‘Status Update Friend, Activist Friend and Filmi Friend and others, sourced from the online audience through an initiative on Facebook.

     

    Within two days of launch, these new HFZ videos garnered over 1.5 lakh views and tremendous positive word-of-mouth on social networks like Facebook and Twitter.

     

    As part of the next phase of this campaign, Airtel, on Tuesday, released the next leg of these in videos – which viewers will be able to access, unlock (using the concept of ‘Gamification’) and share with others on social networks like Facebook, Twitter and Google+. Upon doing so, viewers will be able to gain points on the leaderboard and stand a chance to win exciting prizes daily as well as the grand prize of a trip to Ibiza.

     

    Airtel will periodically release a total of 20 videos on the web through the month of January.

     

  • The plane is branded entirely with the Nokia Lumia colours, and also features the names of Nokia employees responsible for the marketing initiative.

    Jet Airways unveils innovative airplane wrap for Nokia Lumia

    By A Correspondent

     

    Jet Airways and Nokia unveiled their ‘The Amazing Everyday’ campaign for Nokia Lumia on January 10. The Jet Airways Boeing 737-800 will carry the Nokia Lumia brand name on the aircraft. The jet will be branded entirely with the Nokia Lumia colours. The aircraft will also features the names of Nokia employees responsible for this marketing initiative.

     

    The campaign will continue till January 31, 2012. At present, the branding has been done only on one Jet Airways aeroplane. But plans are on to have this innovative wrap on other planes too as more and more brands may want to be advertised on airplanes.

     

    It is hoped that the ad will grab more eyeballs for Jet Airways as well as Nokia Lumia. This marketing initiative is also likely to open up new revenue streams for the airline.

     

    Besides the airplane wrap, Nokia has also announced a consumer competition, ‘Spot the Lumia’ where lucky winners will get an opportunity to make it to the ‘Sky Party’ on the aircraft on January 20.

     

    In a prepared statement Manish Dureja, Vice President, Marketing, Jet Airways said, “The aircraft wrap is a virtual advertising billboard that allows you to take your brand to the skies quite literally. We are certain that Nokia will reach out to its target customers through this unique branding opportunity. We are confident that this unique media vehicle will leverage the power of innovative brand communication to a focused group of prospects and will deliver value for money to brand managers acrossIndiathat opt to take their brands to the skies in the months ahead.”

     

    Prashanth Mani, General Manager, Nokia West India said, “We have created some amazing moments for our consumers since the launch of the Nokia Lumia range through the Lumia Taxi, flashmobs, flash cricket and luxury helicopter. Now the Lumia aircraft will take the ‘amazing quotient’ of this campaign a little higher.”

     

  • Brain Hunt-2012 is a roller-coaster ride with 16 mind boggling activities presented in a wonderfully crafted activity workbook

    Dainik Bhaskar Group Launches ‘The Brain Hunt 2012’

    By A Correspondent

     

    Dainik Bhaskar Group,India’s largest newspaper group, believes in offering its readers ‘smart engagement’ that aim to fill the void of originality and innovation. This is exemplified by the activities under Bhaskar Champs Club (BCC); a club that provide a platform for students to enrich their knowledge, practical wisdom, creativity and showcase their talents.

     

    The club has been instituted for school students to develop reading habits in ‘Gen-Next’ and boost future readership. The Bhaskar Champs Club has more than 1 lakh members acrossIndia.

     

    In 2012, BCC intends to showcase another mind- engaging activity, ‘The Brain Hunt 2012’, the fourth initiative in a row. ‘Bhaskar Champs Club’, ‘Brain Hunt 2012- The quest for wonder kidz’. The initiative was started with the successful Scrapbook Activity in 2010, which had 9 winners in 3 classifications – class 1-4, 5-8 and 9-12, who were awarded by Aamir Khan, was followed with Junior Picasso (National Level Painting Competition), which led to creation of a desk top calendar from the winning 24 entries in 2011. The same was released by Ms Ambika Soni atDelhi. The year also saw BCC’s ‘Junior Editor-2011’ being recognized by ‘The India Book of Record’ as the Largest Newspaper-making Competition with more than 68,000 student participants which culminated with an evening for the winners with Army Chief Gen

    VK Singh

     

    Mr. Vinay Maheshwari, Vice-President- Sales & Market Development, Dainik Bhaskar, said: “Brain Hunt-2012 is our initiative to hunt for visionary brains. It is a true roller-coaster ride with 16 mind boggling activities presented in a wonderfully crafted activity workbook available pan-India from January 11. Themes and activities in the workbook will test true strength of a student’s creativity and innovation.”

     

    Mr. Maheshwari concluded: “Brain Hunt 2012 will enable students to ‘Imagine

    a Whole New World’, ‘Experiment with the facts’, ‘Visualize the unseen’ and Think

    Unlike!!!’, around which the whole idea has evolved”. The activity starts in January 2012 and will be completed by March 2012.

     

    Dainik Bhaskar Group isIndia’s Largest Newspaper Group and has a strong presence in newspapers, radio, event marketing, printing, short code, Digital, services andMobileapplication.

     

  • As a part of this arrangement, Reebok has designed a customized range of DID dance gear and will retail it in nearly 100 outlets across the country

    DID announces tie-up with Reebok

    By A Correspondent

     

    After nearly three months of anxiety and sleepless nights, the aspirants of Dance India Dance’s ‘Sunehri Taqdeer ki Topi’ have left the gruelling audition process behind.

    All those hours of sweating and stretching will be now rewarded with a chance to be on the coveted stage as a part of Dance India Dance’s (DID) Adbhut 18 and dazzle the viewers with breathtaking performances.

     

    The Masters, Remo D’Souza, Geeta Kapoor and Terence Lewis announced the names of Adbhut 18 inDelhi, who have secured their places in ‘Remo Ke Rangeeley’, ‘Geeta Ki Gang’ and ‘Terence Ki Toli’.

     

    Mr. Ashish Golwalkar, Non Fiction Head, Zee TV said: “This is a momentous occasion for us. After weeks of contemplation and deliberation, we have finally chosen our ‘Adbhut 18’contestants. The contestants were handpicked on the basis of their skill, innovative presentation, versatility and ‘never give up’ attitude. Zee, as a channel, takes immense pride in the fact that dance has boomed in popularity inIndiabecause of a show like Dance India Dance.”

     

    This moment is also significant as DID has announced its tie-up with sportswear giant Reebok. Over the years, Dance India Dance has become a trend setter in the genre. Continuing with the tradition of exploring differentiated marketing on DID; this season the channel has ventured into unexplored territory – a revenue sharing and licensing deal with Reebok.

     

    Regarding the licensing and merchandising deal with Reebok, Mr Akash Chawla, Head-Marketing, National Channels, ZEEL said: “DID stands for great quality of dancing and extreme rigor. DID has always been a progressive brand which has been an aspiration to many. Taking this forward, this season we have ventured into a licensing contract with Reebok. This is a first at Zee TV that a costume range will be unveiled. As a part of this arrangement, Reebok has designed a customized range of DID dance gear and will retail it in nearly 100 outlets across the country. This will help us to extend our brands into new product categories, and will also help increase the popularity of the brand.”

     

    Mr. Sajid Shamim, Brand Director, Reebok said: “At Reebok, we have always focused our efforts on creating products that bring elements of life, sport and style together. Through this association with ‘Dance India Dance’, we are celebrating fitness through the medium of dance, which at its core is fun and enjoyable. The Dance India Dance collection has taken its inspiration from the various forms of dance. Comprising of graphic t-shirts in vibrant and bright colours, this collection celebrates the spirit of dance.”

     

    The Reebok and Dance India Dance Apparel Collection brings together dance and fashion with daily wear, value-added design elements. Graphic T-shirts and hoodies for men, with ‘Born to Dance’ and ‘Live Love Dance’ written in bright neon colours have specially been made keeping in mind dance enthusiasts across the country. The women’s has a ‘DID – Born to Dance’ racer back and flick pant for all the hardcore dancers. Graphic t-shirts complete the “Fit for the street” Dance Inspired Streetwear collection.

     

    Both Zee and Reebok feel that this synergy between dance lovers and sports lovers will surely work wonders for both the brands.

  • History TV18 is the first international channel to launch in Gujarati

    Saaru chhe! History channel now in Gujarati

    By A Correspondent

     

    History TV18,India’s number one factual entertainment channel, announced the launch of its Gujarati feed. The viewers ofGujaratwill now be able to watch their favourite channel in their preferred language – Gujarati.

     

    History TV18 is the first international channel to launch in Gujarati. With this launch, it is also the only factual entertainment channel to be available in seven languages – Gujarati, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Hindi and English. All the programmes and the fixed program chart (FPC) schedule will remain identical in all the language feeds.

     

    Viewers using digital platforms will be able to choose their preferred language through their remote controls.

     

    Speaking on the launch, Ajay Chacko, President, A+E Networks I TV18 said: “Our objective is to grow the genre and make it a relatively mainstream alternative for viewers in the near future. With this objective in mind, we intend to make the channel available in every Indian language possible and entertain audiences all acrossIndia.”

     

    Sudheer KG, V P Programming, A+E Networks | TV18 JV said: “As Indian audiences mature and seek out more international content in their own languages, there is no better time than now to launch our Gujarati feed. The incredible level of aspirations of people speaking that language and a large youth population make it all the more appealing and lucrative. We have taken care to ensure that the translation retains a certain local flavour, making the channel more accessible and relatable.”

     

    Gujarat is an important market for factual entertainment after Mumbai andDelhias it contributes as much as 7 per cent to the genre in 1 Mn+ towns. Ever since its launch History TV18 has been a strong player inGujaratwith the highest viewership in 0.1-1Mn market cluster and also highest time spent per viewer in 1Mn+ market cluster. Through this initiative the channel hopes to strengthen its position even more.

     

    History TV18 emerged as the number 1 channel in 6 metros in factual entertainment within months of its launch. The channel has in the process expanded the genre by 55 per cent, drawing in the highest time spent per viewer in the genre. It is the first in a bouquet of factual entertainment channels to be launched by A+E Networks I TV18.

     

  • The report has captured the gender and the age profiling of the remote in-charge for different one-hour slots, from 7pm to 11pm, on both weekdays and weekends.

    Who controls the remote? Ormax Media study released

    By A Correspondent

     

    Ormax Media has released a report on understanding the remote control dynamics in single TV households inIndiacalled ‘And The Remote Goes To…’

     

    This large scale syndicated study was conducted across 7 cities – Mumbai, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Indore, Lucknow, Jalandhar and Hyderabad – and with 5,547 regular prime time television viewers as respondents.

     

    The study aimed to answer the question that has obsessed the television industry: “Who controls the remote at different times?” The report has captured the gender and the age profiling of the remote in-charge for different one-hour slots, from 7pm to 11pm, on both weekdays and weekends. It has also captured the differences in the profile of the remote in-charge by markets, SEC and family size.

     

    Speaking about the study, Shailesh Kapoor, CEO, Ormax Media said: “One of the limitations of television ratings is that they don’t tell us who the decision maker is. Marketing is about talking to decision makers and influencers, not the actual consumers. In television, this reality is even more pertinent, given the nature of TV viewing inIndia– single TV households where the entire family watches TV together. In such a scenario, whom should you be talking to? A man or a woman or

    both? The youth, the newly married, the middle-aged, or all of them? What is the best time and day to attract each of these segments? This study has answered several such relevant but under-rated questions.”

     

    The report is available to broadcasters, media agencies and advertisers for a one-time subscription cost of Rs40,000. Mr Kapoor said: “This study was done to share useful data across the industry. Hence, we have priced it in a way that the entire television and media fraternity, including the smaller channels and advertisers, can use it for better understanding of their audiences.”

     

    Ormax Media isIndia’s first and only research and consulting firm specializing in the media & entertainment industry. It is also the owner of 19 proprietary research products that are being used widely across the media industry. Setup in 2008 by Vispy Doctor and Shailesh Kapoor, the company partners with 81 leading media brands, including Star India, Viacom 18, Multi Screen Media, Zee Network, Viacom 18, Times Television, Disney, Yash Raj Films, Group M, Radio City, Eros and many others.

     

  • The gala evening in Ranchi had approximately 40,000 passionate music lovers, besides 4,000 army officials, experience a thrilling performance.

    Asha Bhosle, Babul Supriyo enthral at Prabhat Khabar event

    By A Correspondent

     

    Jharkhand’s number one Hindi daily Prabhat Khabar organized musical evening “Sur Sandhya” on January 8, featuring queen of melody and versatile singer Asha Bhosle along with acclaimed playback singer Babul Supriyo.

     

    The gala evening, which was organized at Birsa Munda Football Stadium, Morabadi Ranchi, had approximately 40,000 passionate music lovers, besides 4,000 army officials experience a thrilling performance during the open-air programme.

     

    The dignitaries attending the event included the deputy chief minister, chief justice, senior army officers, ministers and IAS officials.

     

    The golden-voiced singer sang many of her best scores which left audiences and dignitaries spellbound. As the dusk fell, the audience were completely wrapped in the singer’s sensational tunes. Bhosle was ably accompanied by an all-charged up Babul Supriyo, known for his unique voice, who entertained with his famous scores.