MxMIndia

Author: mxmadmin

  • She will be responsible for ensuring product launches, channel strategy, marketing strategy, technical training and development

    Anku Sharma joins Milagrow TabTops as Product Marketing Manager

    By A Correspondent

     

    Ms Anku Sharma has been appointed as the Product Marketing Manager for Milagrow TabTops. As the Product Marketing Manager she will be responsible for ensuring product launches, channel strategy, marketing strategy, technical training and development.

     

    Milagrow offers support as a venture catalyst to fill the ‘management capital’ need gaps of growth seeking – micro, small and medium businesses. Under industry specific consulting practice, Milagrow has special focus on retail and consumer electronics.

     

    Ms Sharma joined Milagrow Business & Knowledge Solutions as a venture catalyst in the consulting division in 2009. She has successfully worked on clients across segments like white goods, electronics, tractors, kitchen & small appliances and lifestyle and modern retail.

     

    Some of the clients that she has managed include Arcelik (Turkey), Havells, Sonalika, Eurostar (Dubai), Jindal Arc, Biglife, Chhabra 555 and Electrospark.

     

    Talking about her new role at Milagrow, Ms Sharma said: “I am delighted to be a part of the Milagrow family. With our strong customer base, wide range of offerings, and strategic alliances, I believe that we are optimally positioned to take advantage of the emerging opportunities in the Indian market. My immediate goal would be to position all our divisions equally and help them realize their fullest potential as the company moves to the next level.”

     

    Ms Sharma has graduated with B.Com & Economic Honours from Punjab Universityand is a post graduate from the Birla Institute of Management Technology in retail management.

  • India’s most prestigious food platform honours the finest in the culinary world, Delhi NCR voted as the 'Best Foodie City' of the country

    NDTV Good Times Food Awards celebrate the best in the food industry

    By A Correspondent

     

    NDTV Good Times,India’s first premium lifestyle channel, hosted the second edition of the NDTV Good Times Food Awards at The Westin, Gurgaon on Saturday. The channel honoured top restaurants, restaurateurs and chefs from across the nation in a gala awards ceremony. The venue resonated with the presence of celebrated faces, food enthusiasts, restaurant owners, chefs and other noted guests.

     

    Within a year the NDTV Good Times Food Awards have become the definitive standard to the best in the industry. With an unmatched expert panel that is unbiased and uncompromising when it comes to food, the awards have become the last word in the food and beverage space.

     

    Among the many highlights of the event, was a Sufi jugalbandi by The Mekaal Hasan Band and Harshdeep Kaur. The Highway on My Plate duo, Rocky & Mayur kept the audience in splits with their humour and charm.

     

    An addition to this year’s award categories was the Viewer’s Choice Award. This was a single award category where the viewers got an opportunity to decide theBestFoodieCitythrough their votes and Delhi NCR was unanimously selected by the viewers.

     

    The winners were selected by a highly qualified jury comprising of NDTV award winning anchor Vinod Dua, celebrity chef Ritu Dalmia, food critic Marut Sikka, popular anchor and chef Aditya Bal, restaurateur and chef Vicky Ratnani and Highway Stars Rocky & Mayur.

     

    Speaking on the occasion, Smeeta Chakrabarti, CEO, NDTV Lifestyle said: “We are delighted with the overwhelming response to the second edition of NDTV Good Times Food Awards. We are happy to see not only the industry, but also viewers from across the country voted for their favourite nominees. I would like to congratulate all the winners on behalf of the entire team of NDTV Good Times.”

     

    The list of NDTV Good Times Food Awards winners:

    Best North Indian Restaurant: Karim’s Hotel, Old Delhi

    Best Coastal Indian Restaurant: Gajalee, Mumbai

    Best Regional Restaurant: Ponuswamy, Chennai

    Best Asian Restaurant: Bomra’s,Goa

    Best Dessert & Coffee Menu: L’Opera,New Delhi

    Best Bar: The Blue Fog, Mumbai

    Best European Restaurant: Indigo, Mumbai

    Most Sensational Debut: Smoke House Room,New Delhi

    All time favourite Restaurant: Flury’s, Kolkata

    Best Dhaba: Fadtare Misal Pao,Kolhapur

    BestFoodieCity:DelhiNCR

  • The channel has grown by almost 15% since the previous week to consolidate its No.1 status

    Channel [V] No.1 for 6 weeks

    By A Correspondent

     

    Channel [V], the youth entertainment channel from the Star Network, has maintained its leadership in the youth entertainment genre for six consecutive weeks.

     

    With an alltime high of 37 GRPs for week 50, Channel [V] has left its nearest competitors far behind. The channel has grown by almost 15 percent since the previous week to consolidate its No.1 status, while MTV & Bindass are 25 percent behind in GRPs.

     

    Prem Kamath, Executive VP and GM, Channel [V], said, “Our performance over the last quarter clearly shows the depth of our understanding of this genre and our audience. All our properties, whether on-air or otherwise, are planned keeping in mind our researched understanding of youth.”

     

    With a healthy reach of 33 percent and a time spent of 34 minutes being almost 50 percent higher than MTV, the genre is overwhelmed with shows from [V]. The ratings reveal that 17 out of the Top 20 shows are from Channel [V].

     

    The youth & music genre has garnered a market share of 7.6 percent with 251 GRPs (up from 248 GRPs last week). Total TV was at 3308 GRPs (0.5% growth from 3291 GRPs last week). Channel [V] is leading in the CS4+, CS 15-34 or CS 10-14 groups.

     

    *Source: TAM Wk50, HSM CS 15-24 ABC, HSM Markets, Weekly GRPs

  • CNN-IBN is all set to host Indian of the Year 2011 in New Delhi on December 16, 2011. The award recognizes and honours those Indians whose endeavours have set an example and done the country proud.

    CNN-IBN’s Indian of the Year on Friday

    By Akash Raha

     

    CNN-IBN is all set to host Indian of the Year 2011 in New Delhi on December 16, 2011. In its sixth edition, this initiative will celebrate and honour famous personalities from various walks of life. The chief guest at this occasion will be Speaker of the Lok Sabha Meira Kumar.

     

    Speaking about the event, Rajdeep Sardesai, Editor-in-Chief, CNN-IBN, IBN7 & IBN-Lokmat, said, “CNN-IBN Indian of the Year awards have created a benchmark of excellence in choosing the most influential and deserving winners. The immense success of the award in the past has raised the bar for this initiative and we are looking forward to a great show this year as well.”

     

    These iconic Indians will be chosen from five different categories – Politics, Sports, Business, Entertainment and Public Service. The awards are chosen by a four-tier selection process which includes nominations from the Network18 editorial board, ratification by the jury, and voting by the electoral college and Indian citizens.

     

    The CNN-IBN Indian of the Year winners in the past have been:

    2010 – Nitish Kumar

    2009 – A R Rahman

    2008 – G Madhavan Nair & Team Chandrayaan

    2007 – E Sreedharan

    2006 – Dr Manmohan Singh

  • A Poem Is… is a short-form animated series showcasing poems for children set to scenes and imagery from classic Disney films and Tasty Time with ZeFronk will encourage kids to cook and have lots of fun along the way

    Disney Junior launches animated series for holidays

    By A Correspondent

     

    Disney Junior, the learning-focused block for kids aged 2-7 on Disney Channel, will usher in the holiday season beginning December 19 with the launch of two brand new short-form series – A Poem Is… and Tasty Time with Chef ZeFronk. These shorts will play out multiple times daily on Disney Channel.

     

    Arnab Chaudhuri, executive director content and creative, Walt Disney Television International India, said, “The launch of these new series further demonstrates Disney Junior’s dedication to programming that highlights the importance of great, heartfelt storytelling with learning components. Both A poem is… and Tasty Time with ZeFronk are wonderful additions to the already robust offerings from Disney Junior and showcase how Disney’s content strives to entertain and inspire learning while embracing positive values.”

     

    A Poem Is… is a short-form animated series showcasing poems for children set to scenes and imagery from classic Disney films including Dumbo, Bambi and Lady and the Tramp. Narrated by award winning actress and poetry enthusiast Shabana Azmi in Hindi, and well-known actor-director Suhasini Ratnam in Tamil and Telugu, the series is designed to bring back fond memories of Disney classics for parents and cultivate new ones for kids by introducing the young children to the beauty of poems. Featured poems include works by Robert Louis Stevenson, John Howard Payne, A.A. Milne and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, among others.

     

    One of the versatile personalities of the Tamil film industry, Suhasini Ratnam said, “Children these days learn poetry only to score marks in school. This series is about making poetry interesting for them and it’s only right that somebody fond of the language does it.”

     

    Award winning actress and poetry enthusiast Shabana Azmi said, “Children typically respond well to reading and writing poetry, as it fuels their imagination and creativity and allows them to express themselves. Some of the poems are going to be sentimental and sweet, the kind that will warm a mom’s heart, and some of them will be silly and funny to make kids giggle and laugh.”

     

    Disney Junior will also feature a series of five-minute long shorts, Tasty Time with ZeFronk, encouraging kids to cook with their families and have lots of fun along the way. Well-known comic actor Omi Vaidya will lend his voice to chef ZeFronk who will host the fun-filled cooking show from his doghouse with his assistant, a songbird named Sue.

     

    Chef ZeFronk’s voice Omi Vaidya said, “Being an ardent fan of the channel since childhood, it feels great to voice a Disney show. The highlight of the show is that it involves a lot of fun and learning at the same time.”

     

    In addition to the fun-filled shows on TV, Disney Junior will soon be available as a special magazine with tons of activities and stories. This is in addition to a series of DVDs featuring select Disney Junior shows already available at retail. Parents and caregivers can also access loads of games and on-line activities of Disney Junior content online through a dedicated section on www.disney.in.

     

  • Master Your Money – Tax Special is designed to offer an interpersonal plane to impart information and knowledge to the participants

    Online tax special programme from moneycontrol.com

    By A Correspondent

     

    Financial portal moneycontrol.com has unveiled Master Your Money -Tax Special, the first exclusive online event in a series of dedicated online investor camps. The month long event intends to get distinguished market experts to interact with and guide the users on their tax plans.

     

    The format-exclusive Master Your Money – Tax Special is designed to offer an interpersonal plane to impart information and knowledge, where participants can interact with market gurus who will decode the complexity of tax calculations and offer valuable tips.

     

    It is a platform where the users from different walks of life will get an opportunity to choose from a gamut of features and get their tax-related queries answered. Ranging from interactive sessions like income tax advice, FAQs and live chat with the experts to the application-based online Tax calculator, Income classifications, and a choice of tax saving instruments, Master Your Money – Tax special is all set to beat the income tax blues of all the users.

     

    “Master Your Money – Tax Special is our effort to reach out and provide feasible income tax solutions to the entire community of Indian investors,” said Joyson Thomas, COO, of Web 18, the company that owns moneycontrol.com.”

     

    He added that this is Master Your Money’s first in the series of dedicated online events and is attracting users from all over the country.

     

  • Mudra's campaign for WGC captured audience's attention at multiple relevant touch-points by giving higher weightage on innovations to break through an extremely cluttered media scenario.

    Mudra meets WGC’s golden rule

    By A Correspondent

     

    The brief that World Gold Council gave Mudra Max, which provides multi-speciality expertise to help build brands in the age of convergence, was to reinstate gold at the top of women’s wish-list by increasing desirability and making gold purchase the centre of celebration during Diwali.

     

    Mudra’s campaign for WGC captured audience’s attention at multiple relevant touch-points by giving higher weightage on innovations to break through an extremely cluttered media scenario.  The strategy adopted for different medias is as deatled below.

     

    > Television: The TV plan encashed on the festive opportunity by being present at big properties like premiere movies, awards night, reality show finales, news channels etc. A disruptive message “Somethings last, somethings don’t. This Diwali, don’t just spend. Invest” was created for the show Gadget Guru on NDTV. This helped in attracting the attention of a highly focused TG on the relevance of gold.

    > Print: A 10-year-old archival copy of TOI was used as TOI jacket, reinstating the message that ‘very little from 10 years back is worth remembering. Gold jewelry being the exception”. For the first time ever, an L-band format was used which was a combination of Masthead and Text Wrap, ensuring that the reader’s focus was drawn to the campaign message that appeared on front page of leading dailies such as Hindustan Times and Loksatta. A disruptive content ad was placed in Mint, grabbing reader’s attention on the creative message in an unconventional manner.

    > Radio:  On the day of Dhanteras, a well-known RJ from a leading radio station was ‘discovered purchasing gold jewelry from a partnering retailer’. The activity kicked off with a teaser a day before Dhanteras and continued the next day with live sound-bytes being aired from the retailer to create hype in order to drive people to purchase gold jewelry.

    > Activation: An activity was developed partnering retailers, where people walking into the store were encouraged to try out jewelry and get the moment captured in a WGC-branded framed photograph with the communication “Let this memory endure. Just like gold”.

    > Outdoor: Large format and ambient media involving tactical using innovations were used. In addition to most conventional hoardings, innovative ideas such as Roadblock on e-zone TVs, scrap TV innovation, jewel box on hoarding, LED in Gurgaon & shopping bags at airport were used.

     

    As a result of these innovations, the World Gold Council became one of the most visible brands during the three weeks of activity across mediums. The campaign created high recall due to nature and the scale of innovations used, creating a complete 360-degree surround (Source: MAP, TAM)·  Imports rose in October to $7.2 billion against a monthly average of $4-5 billion (Source: Economic Times). There was a 30 per cent jump in gold prices during Diwali over last year, owing to high confidence and demand (Source: Economic Times).

  • Kareena Kapoor and Katrina Kaif are hot contenders for the spot for the BIG Star Entertainment Awards

    Kat and Bebo in race for the Best Actress in romantic role

    By A Correspondent

     

    Kareena Kapoor, popularly known as Bebo, has always been the dream co-star of many a successful hero, especially the three Khans – Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, Shahrukh Khan. The three Khans have delivered smashing box office hits with the reigning queen with her co stars.

     

    But Katrina Kaif, Salman Khan’s close friend and confidant, is slowly emerging as the darling of the masses. Both girls are absolutely brilliant on and off screen too.

     

    Kareena has given powerful performances, be it Jab We Met, 3 Idiots or Ra One. Kat isn’t lagging behind, after wowing audience with Rajneeti, Tees Maar Khan, and My Brother Ki Dulhan.

     

    Now Bebo and Kat are hot favourites contenders for Best Actress in Romantic Role for the BIG Star Entertainment Awards.

  • Preethi Kitchen Appliances continues to be the 'Official Kitchen Appliances Partner' for the third consecutive year

    Parle join Aircel Chennai Open as official partners

    By A Correspondent

     

    Parle, India’s largest manufacturer of biscuits and confectionery, has come on board as an “Official Partner” for the 2012 Aircel Chennai Open with their product Hide & Seek.

     

    The $450,000 Aircel Chennai Open, operated and organised by IMG Reliance, isIndia’s only andSouth Asia’s premier ATP World Tour Open 250 event. This edition of the Aircel Chennai Open will be held from January 2 to 8, 2012 at the SDAT Stadium in Chennai. The tournament will see in action an impressive line-up of Indian and international players, including world number 9 Janko Tipsarevic, world number 10 Nicolas Almagro, Somdev Devvarman, Rohan Bopanna and Mahesh Bhupathi, among others.

     

    Commenting on the partnership Mr Shalin Desai, Group Product Manager, Parle Products said: “We are really proud that Hide & Seek is an official partner for Aircel Chennai Open 2012. Over the years, the Aircel Chennai Open has brought a world class event to Indian people. For us, there are several parallels between the event and the brand. Hide & Seek as a brand appeals to the youth similar to the Aircel Chennai Open. The association gives us an opportunity to participate in one of the most exciting events of the year.”

     

    Meanwhile Preethi Kitchen Appliances has come on board as the ‘Official Kitchen Appliances Partner’ for the third consecutive year. Following two successful years atIndia’s only leading ATP World Tour event, Preethi Kitchen Appliances has signed a two-year agreement for Aircel Chennai Open 2012.

     

    Commenting on this partnership Vijay Srinivasan, Managing Director, Preethi Kitchen Appliances Pvt Ltd said: “In keeping with our tradition of being associated withIndia’s leading ATP Tennis tournament, Preethi has always been proud to partner with the Aircel Chennai Open. Aircel Chennai Open has been the perfect occasion for showcasing Preethi’s product ranges that are renowned for their Performance, Quality, Reliability and Safety.”

     

    A spokesperson from IMG Reliance said: “We are pleased to announce that Parle, the number one biscuit manufacturer inIndia, is partnering with Aircel Chennai Open 2012 as an Official Partner. It is of great pride to us that a global brand like Parle has chosen to come on board withIndia’s only ATP tournament. We look forward to a long and mutually beneficial association.”

     

    The spokesperson added that they are glad that Preethi Kitchen Appliances has decided to continue their association with Aircel Chennai Open.

  • NDTV Car and Bike Awards 2012 to recognize the best products & people in the Indian Automotive Industry.

    Gearing up (ahem) for NDTV’s Car and Bike Awards

    By Akash Raha

     

    NDTV will present the seventh edition of the ‘NDTV Car & Bike Awards’ at the Buddh International Circuit, which played host to India’s first Formula One Race, on December 16 2011. The awards will honour the year’s best cards, bikes and the people behind them in the country’s vibrant automobile sector.

     

    Announcing the seventh edition of the awards, Siddharth Vinayak Patankar, Editor-Auto, NDTV Group said, “It’s been a tough year for the industry, with the sales slowdown casting a shadow. The huge shift to diesel cars due to rising fuel costs has also impacted not just sales but strategies too. Supply chains in Japan and Thailand were also severely affected due to natural calamities. In all this, it’s definitely the new launches that kept the momentum going, and I am excited we have had such fierce competition from a wide variety of products to choose from this year. As always, our awards credibly honour the best of auto, while also reflecting the choices and sentiments of customers, manufacturers and auto lovers alike.”

     

    Conceived in 2006, the NDTV Car & Bike Awards have emerged as one of the most credible automobile industry awards, and have created a niche for themselves in the automobile industry, and with automobile lovers. The NDTV Car & Bike Awards 2012 will once again give a chance to viewers to vote for their favourite car and bike nominees and also the chance to ride the year’s hottest wheels home.

     

    The nominees for CNB Viewers’ Choice Two Wheeler are Bajaj Boxer 150, Hero Impulse, Honda CBR250R and Yamaha YZF R-15 V2.0; and the nominees for CNB Viewers’ Choice Car are Chevrolet Beat Diesel, Ford Fiesta, Honda Brio, Hyundai Verna, Mahindra XUV500, Maruti Suzuki Swift, Nissan Sunny, Renault Fluence, Skoda Rapid, and Toyota Etios Liva. The NDTV Car & Bike Awards place a lot of emphasis on green technology by rewarding environmentally friendly work done by the industry with the NDTV Green Award.

     

    To ensure a fool-proof and fair selection process, the jurors assess and award each nominee in complete isolation from other jurors. Each car and bike nominated is driven, evaluated and tested by the jury, with detailed research on each nominee’s specifications, its market performance and its immediate competition also being provided to them. The process is monitored by tabulators at Ernst and Young, and the results will only be revealed as the envelopes are opened on Awards Night on December 16, 2011.

     

    The winners of this year’s awards will be selected by an eminent jury consisting of an expert panel of auto aficionados.

     

    Jury (Product)

    Dr V Sumantran, Hinduja Group; Dilip Chhabria, DC Design; Sarika Sherawat, Rallyist;

    Armaan Ebrahim, Formula Two Racer; Gul Panag, Biker, Auto Columnist & Enthusiast;

    Siddharth Vinayak Patankar, Editor-Auto, NDTV Network

    The awards also recognize Marketing, Advertising and Communication efforts of the players which contribute to any product’s success, with the CNB-AAA Awards. The categories in this include Best PR & Communications Team, Best Integrated Campaign, Best Creative Film (Two Wheeler & Four Wheeler categories) and Best Brand Ambassador.

     

    Jury (CNB-AAA)

    R Balki, Chairman & Creative Director, Lowe and Filmmaker; Agnello Dias, Founder, Taproot Films; Dorab Sopariwala, Editorial Advisor to NDTV; Prema Sagar, Principal & Founder, Genesis Burson Marsteller; Shruti Verma Singh, Editor, All About Ads; Siddharth Vinayak Patankar, Editor-Auto, NDTV Network

  • Creative directors need to hire tech cats and then work ALONG with them for each brand

    Anil Thakraney: Left & right brains must marry

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    The other day I was having a drink with a friend, an old world agency creative director. He’s one of those many old chaps who’ve been seriously challenged by the onslaught of the new media, and are at their wit’s end on how to deal with this ‘menace’. You see, not only are many clients now demanding to see creatives for the digital space AHEAD of the TV storyboards, they are putting pressure on the creative directors to make sure the videos go viral.

     

    I quite empathize with my old fogie pal’s predicament. Trained only in making television commercials, he’s finding it very difficult to learn new tricks. And what creative directors like him are doing is to hire net savvy kids and unleash them onto the clients. With the hope that the bachchas will take care of the digital work, while uncles, like my friend, can continue to focus on the old media.

     

    Personally, I don’t think this approach is going to pay dividends in the near future… in fact, it’s already showing signs of collapse. Digital marketing and advertising outfits are mushrooming by the day, and they are threatening to walk away with the digital business from clients. Clearly, this is revenue loss for the traditional ad agencies, and cannot be allowed to go on.

     

    I think ad agency creatives must begin operating the way movie studios work on sci-fi films, where massive technical effects are required. The movie director and the techies form a core team and each feeds off the other to produce scintillating cinema. The director makes sure the story keeps the connect with the audiences, and the tech specialists keep innovating till both are satisfied with the end result. Check out Steven Spielberg’s amazing work on the film Warhorse. The movie zaps you with special effects but the emotion runs through in every scene.

     

    In short, creative directors are digging their own graves if they leave the ‘headache’ of social media to youngsters in their office. They need to hire tech cats and then work ALONG with them for each brand, to make this work. Yup, the left and the right brains have to marry and produce goods that will meet the new media challenge.

     

    * * *

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1n-9-6ULjHY[/youtube]

    PS: British Airways has released a new commercial to commemorate its sponsorship of the forthcoming Olympic Games. It involves a race between luggage bags headed for various destinations. And the ad has been executed like the TV coverage of a sports match. Funny and smart. And I must add this: Many travellers on BA complain about lost luggage. Well, now we know why. The bags lose their way in all the hurry! 🙂

     

  • In Freaking News, Ranjona Banerji reviews the fare on primetime news and in the papers

    Ranjona Banerji: Sena on shaky ground, polls to decide all

    By Ranjona Banerji

     

    Mumbai has elections on February 16 to select its municipal corporators. Since the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has a bigger budget than some state governments, this is an important election. It is also a political test for the incumbent Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party and a signal for the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party alliance – which is in power in the state – about the roadblocks ahead for the next general election.

     

    Not surprisingly, election coverage has dominated Mumbai’s newspapers. Most seem to think that the ground is shaky for the Shiv Sena. This is, in a sense, a last bastion for the Sena – it has ruled the BMC for almost two decades. But everyday, newspapers are full of the shortcomings of the corporation and the corruption involved in most deals. Mumbai’s roads and water supply get the most attention and none of it positive.

     

    The general sense you get from newspapers is that this time there will be a challenge to Bal Thackeray from not just the Congress-NCP but also of course from his nephew Raj Thackeray and his breakaway party, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena. Uddhav Thackeray – the son and the main bone of contention – does not have the requisite firepower, seems to be the overwhelming feeling. There is also a discussion on whether both the Senas will cancel each other out.

     

    The Times of India and The Indian Express both carry interviews with chief minister Prithviraj Chavan, who says he pushed for an alliance with the NCP this time – to avoid fracturing the vote as happened when both parties went alone in 2007.

     

    * * *

     

    All newspapers have also focused on the low voter turnout in Mumbai and have exhorted citizens to come out and vote. You could pick up any newspaper to find out all about the candidates from their bank balances to their educational qualifications. The new seat reservations have created some turmoil in parties, all of which have been faithfully recorded.

     

    * * *

     

    Interestingly, the high number of dry days – three have been decided by the Election Commission – has been cause for consternation in print. The bar and restaurant association has put in a plea reported in Wednesday’s papers to allow the sale of alcohol in the evenings of the dry days, after voting is over on Thursday. The right to drink is well-felt by most journalists, so it is easy to see why this forced abstinence should get prominence.

     

    * * *

     

    It is these little titbits which make newspaper reading so pleasant a pastime. The oddities of life rarely find room in the high-pitched breaking news landscape of TV land.