MxMIndia

Author: mxmadmin

  • The media has just 'sensationalised' the whole issue of Kingfisher's troubles, we are to glean from Mallya's letter.

    [MJR] Noosemakers: The life and letters of Dr Vijay Mallya

    By Ranjona Banerji

     

    “The Indian media and the ‘paid’ media that even the Prime Minister referred to are unscrupulous and they will do whatever it takes, part fact or fiction, true or untrue to achieve their sensationalist objectives.”

     

    These lines are from the opening paragraphs of Vijay Mallya’s letter to the employees of Kingfisher Airlines, promising them that he is making arrangements to pay their salaries. He also says that he intends to pay his taxes.

     

    It is heartening, however, to note that the media, paid and not paid (unpaid would refer to a Kingfisher staffer) have not been responsible for denying Kingfisher employees their salaries. Or indeed, that it is because of the media that Kingfisher could not pay so many taxes.

     

    The media has, therefore, just “sensationalised” the whole issue of Kingfisher’s troubles, we are to glean from Mallya’s letter and concentrated on one airline when the whole aviation sector is in trouble. (Again, thankfully, the media is not responsible here for the woes of civil aviation (at least I think not), just for talking about it.

     

    Except, he points out, the one airline which is not in trouble but even that could be true or untrue according to Mallya. I am not sure the media had any role to play here… does the media have the power to make just one airline in a sick industry successful?Indiawants to know.

     

    I don’t want to point fingers at anyone here, but I think Mallya should also blame passengers, especially his “guests” who paid but were then un-boarded and un-flown. These guests kept blabbing to the media about how they had been inconvenienced by Kingfisher Airlines. I think Mallya should have blamed them too.

     

    And all the pilots who upped and left to work for that one airline “that defies the odds and claims to be profitable, however unlikely that may be”. I’m guessing that they were paid rather than unpaid by that other airline with its bizarre claims.

     

    Many years ago, a person kept calling newspapers (there was not much TV those days, it was that long ago) and claimed to be Vijay Mallya’s PR person. She would talk about his latest horse or yacht or holiday destination. We could never determine if she was paid or unpaid, part fact or fiction, true or untrue. Somehow I feel that Mallya needs someone like her all over again. Might be better if he pays her this time and I know Niira Radia’s out of a job but maybe not her…?

     

    Here’s the text of the letter:

    http://www.ndtv.com/article/business/vijay-mallya-writes-to-kingfisher-employees-read-letter-180222

     

    Photograph: Fotocorp

  • The objective of MJR is not to take journalists to the cleaners. It’s more of a celebration of the profession, and in the process reporting on all the good and bad things in there.

    Introducing the MxM Journalism Review

    So what’s a media, marketing and advertising website doing with a Journalism Review? Isn’t journalism at the bottom of the value chain for some or just one of those things that don’t quite matter? ‘Cos who will advertise on a website/microsite that’s only got journos hooked?

     

    Monsanto, perhaps, given that it was the benefactor for a major award recently. Or the Jaypee group or various others wanting to curry favour with news media professionals.

     

    There’s a reason why the MxM Journalism Review (MJR, for short) has happened. For one, we have received an astounding response to our journalism section. And two, as a media and marketing site, we can’t not track what’s happening in this part of the media. While the pressure of running the rest of the operations has taken a toll over my doing Mediaah! regularly, senior journalist, until last year senior editor at DNA and former colleague Ranjona Banerji’s ‘Freaking News’ has been attracting many hits. Plus Gouri Dange’s column ‘Naming no Names’, Deepa Gahlot’s review of reviews, Newswatch by well-known journos, Anil Thakraney’s frequent ‘hard knocks’ on news and of course our regular fare of stories.

     

    The objective of MJR is not to take journalists to the cleaners. Yes, it’s a ‘review’ but we aren’t watchdogs who like to bark at everyone. It’s more of a celebration of the profession, and in the process reporting on all the good and bad things in there. We don’t think there’s anything wrong with innovative advertising in print. So a coffee-flavoured newspaper is fine and if a newspaper wants to have a full page ad on Page 1 on a big news day, then we guess its folks know how it impacts the brand. We’ll have our commentators do the talking, but we surely don’t believe most publishers are evil.

     

    Yes, we have a very strong view on paid content. Our standpoint on the issue was evident when we were perhaps the only publication which said RJ mentions constituted an incorrect practice… quite the same when a newspaper asks a restaurant to pay for publishing a picture of its opening. We don’t think it’s right. We stand for integrity in the profession and are worried as media companies compromise on ethics when they get into allied activities like events – conferences, awards, et al.

     

    We think journalists who accept bribes are as corrupt as those indicted in the various scams. We believe journos who pass off readymade stories handed to them by PR agencies as their own are corrupt even if they may be senior editors at respected print media. We think award organisers who give out awards without a legit process and/or juries deciding on them must be damned.

     

    We also want private FM radio to air news. We think news journalism – especially local and cultural – will get a huge boost with FM radio. When Markandey Katju went on a rampage against journalists, we were upset because some of it was indeed true, except of course he had no business to do so as Press Council chief.

     

    The MxM Journalism Review isn’t just about news journalism. We are as interested in documenting how the Maxim editor is doing as is the editor of Hindustan Times. We will write about how Sun News is doing as much as, say, YouTube-based film news offering Lehren.

     

    A lot of it is tough doing, but we hope to achieve the impossible thanks to a network of well-wishers across the country. In the process, we may experiment. Our columns and features may upset Editors, CMOs and CEOs. While some may threaten to pull their advertising, a few may choose to invest their faith in us.

    MxMIndia’s MJR will strive to bring you unbiased news and views on Indian journalism. So help us God.

     

    -Pradyuman Maheshwari

    Editor-in-Chief and CEO, MxMIndia

    Email: pradyumanm@mxmindia.com,
    BBM: 23050B5D, Twitter: @pmahesh
    Gtalk: pradyumanm[at]gmail.com

    PS: Taaliyaan!

  • Some of the presenters seem to have been inspired by our own award shows

    Anil Thakraney: The Oscar Bore-fest

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    A few random observations on THE most watched TV show on Mother Earth, the 2012 Academy Awards, which was telecast live on Star Movies.

     

    Our pride and joy, AR Rahman’s gig was a ‘blink and miss’. The maestro should take offence and refuse further participation. So should Mr and Mrs Anil Ambani, who were probably seated in the last row.

     

    Some of the presenters seem to have been inspired by the trashy stuff that goes on during desi award shows. The inane, idiotic, incessant chatter on stage. Which young SRK has become an expert at. While I am happy that India is impacting the world, events like the Oscars must ensure award presenters are barred from aping our unfunny jokers.

     

    But what they SHOULD have learnt from us, they haven’t. The Oscars was a bore- fest; much too long drawn out with too many categories being awarded, and with too much self back-slapping. I almost dozed off mid way through. Pity that the show which honours the world of entertainment must be so yawny. Sizzling dance performances from the Hollywood hotties would have broken the ennui. Penelope Cruz and Natalie Portman were in the house. Some ‘Sheila Ki Jawaani’ action from them would have been nice.

     

    Every single nominated individual was in the house (except Woody Allen, who’s apparently outgrown the Oscars). This means there was no awards leak. Compare this to Indian movie award events, where only the winners turn up. If we ever hope to reach anywhere close to where the Oscars is in terms of prestige, the first thing we need to do is plug the bloody leaks.

     

    Host Billy Crystal’s humour has all dried up with age. He looked liked a stoned, embalmed Egyptian mummy. Or, maybe he was ordered by the organizers not to cause the slightest offence. Poor man. Guess when it comes to fragile egos, Hollywood stars are no better than ours.

     

    However, one must say what did save the show a little bit, which was otherwise headed for disaster, was Angelina Jolie showing off her long shapely right leg. Total paisa vasool.

     

    ———————————————————————————————–

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhAg0COnqds[/youtube]

    PS: Outside the Oscars auditorium, Sacha Baron Cohen dropped Kim Jong IL’s ‘ashes’ on the anchor. The notorious comedian, who was banned from appearance on the stage, made a surprise entry on the red carpet and created a scene. Good fun. He should have been on the stage. He was sorely missed.

     

  • No, it's not a microscope. But the new competition-killer with a mindblowing sensor: the Nokia 808 PureView

    Nokia unveils phone with 41 MP camera!

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    This wasn’t going to be our Big Story today. Given the launch of our smashing new journalism channel, a story on the state of scribeland was more appropriate. But, we were woken up to the amazing sounds of surprise, shock and awe on social networks. Good ol’ boy Nokia is keen on a fight to the Finnish. Pardon the pun, but let’s get on with it.

     

    At the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, Nokia unveiled what’s possibly the mother-of-all-camera phones. The Pureview with a 41MP sensor.

     

    The Nokia 808 PureView is the first smartphone to feature Nokia PureView imaging technologies, bringing together high resolution sensors, Carl Zeiss optics and Nokia developed algorithms, which will support new high-end imaging experiences for future Nokia products. It runs on the Belle operating system and is likely to available from May 2012… just a few more months. It is rumoured to be priced at $600.

     

    “Nokia PureView imaging technology sets a new industry standard by whatever measure you use,” said Jo Harlow, executive vice president of Nokia Smart Devices. “People will inevitably focus on the 41 megapixel sensor, but the real quantum leap is how the pixels are used to deliver breath-taking image quality at any resolution and the freedom it provides to choose the story you want to tell.”

     

    The PureView should be a delight even for professional photographers. It features a large, high-resolution 41 megapixel sensor with superior Carl Zeiss optics and an innovative pixel oversampling technology. At standard resolutions (2/3, 5 and 8 megapixels), this means the ability to zoom without loss of clarity and capture seven pixels of information, condensing into one pixel for the sharpest images imaginable. At high-resolution (38 megapixel max) it means the ability to capture an image, then zoom, reframe, crop and resize afterwards to expose previously unseen levels of details. With great low-light performance and the ability to save in compact file sizes for sharing via email, MMS, and on social networks, the PureView makes it possible for anyone to take cool, pro-like images in any conditions.

     

    Comments Devindra Hardawar on venturebeat.com: “Nokia is well aware that such large resolution pictures will be difficult to share, so the phone will oversample pictures to a size roughly around a 5 megapixel picture. That means better picture quality without scary file sizes. And if you do dare to take a picture at the full resolution (which is actually 38 MP), you’ll be able to zoom into the picture after the fact without losing much detail.

     

    In addition to superior still imaging technology, the PureView also includes full HD 1080p video recording and playback with 4X lossless zoom and the world’s first use of Nokia Rich Recording. Rich Recording enables audio recording at CD-like levels of quality, previously only possible with external microphones. This is a boon for online journalism as short, clear clips can be captured clearly on the device.

     

    The phone features exclusive Dolby Headphone technology, transforming stereo content into a personal surround sound experience over any headphones and Dolby Digital Plus for 5.1 channel surround sound playback. In fact, the unveiling at the Mobile World Congress yesterday happened at the Nokia and the Dolby stalls.

     

    Check out the Pureview preview at http://www.nokia.com/in-en/products/pureview/

     

  • Industry specifics that matter because they affect your customers, from Chaitanya Prakash.

    The Anchor: 5 drivers in B2B marketing

    By Chaitanya Prakash

     

    #1 Your channel partner has the key.

    In a B2B scenario, your channel partners are often closer to your customers. Realising their importance, ensuring the right framework to support them, enabling and engaging them with your brand is critical. While channel development is a function by itself, marketing pitches in with co-branding, co-promotion and joint marketing initiatives. Engaging them through special portals, forums, meets and networks forms the foundation for a long term relationship, besides helping tremendously in understanding customers. Remember, your Channel partners are your brand ambassadors, and hence engaging them requires a long term view (read investment).

     

    #2 Building your intellectual capital.

    Steer your PR for more intellectual-driven engagement, showcasing the knowledge and management depth of your company. Clients are often a lot more influenced and assured if their B2B seller knows the business. Participating in seminars, presenting white papers and getting invited for guest columns are only a few ways to start this long journey.

     

    #3 Content. Content. Content.

    B2B marketing is far more content-driven, be it presenting through your product or service brochure, case studies, video or advocacy. Focus on the content and evaluate its worth frequently. While the medium today has expanded several fold, and ‘creative’ is important, your key theme (read message) is critical.

     

    #4 Take things personally.

    Vijay Mallya makes a bold statement to his guests aboard Kingfisher flights, that ‘he is taking things personally’. In good times, it cut the ice among his guests (today, of course, it may be a different story). In B2B marketing, be committed to take things personally, when it comes to your customers. Engaging your customers beyond the ordinary, with a personal touch, triggers several ripple effects – word of mouth, repeat orders, endorsements and advocacy, to name a few.

     

    #5 Resist the ‘visibility’ syndrome.

    Visibility may not be as critical as the right associations. Resist the temptation of investing in a highly ‘visible’ campaign. Instead, think the right visibility campaign, where your brand gets to be seen in the right light, at the right places, with the right associations. It’s long-term, but it’s rock-solid.

     

    Chaitanya Prakash is the Head of Strategic Marketing & Communication for Weir Businesses in India.

  • New offices inU.K.,Canada,India,Singapore, and U.A.E. include several senior hires contributing to a 25% increase in headcount over the last year

    AdoTube announces new offices spanning 5 continents

    By A Correspondent

     

    AdoTube, the in-stream video advertising technology company owned by Exponential, announced on Monday five new offices expanding AdoTube’s global footprint to now cover North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East andAfrica. The five new locations -London,Toronto,Mumbai,Singapore, andDubai- will help capitalize on the reported 1.2 billion online video viewers watching videos globally.

     

    In announcing this expansion, AdoTube is also unveiling a rebrand including a new site, logo and look and feel to cater to its expanding global audience. The new website has gone live and can be viewed at www.AdoTube.com.

     

    “Access to broadband technology has spurred global consumption of online video across multiple devices,” said Steven Jones, Chief Strategy & Operations Officer, AdoTube. “AdoTube is well positioned to help brands benefit from that shift by delivering highly engaging and relevant campaigns in online video content. Our expansion into EMEA and APAC brings those capabilities to a much wider audience.”

     

    AdoTube is headquartered inNew Yorkwith offices in three otherUScities, as well Romania, Russia and Melbourne, Australia. Heading the London office is Niall Hogan,UK Commercial Director, and Tiernan Jinks, Senior Sales Manager, who both join AdoTube from Tribal Fusion UK. Carolyn Cramer, Exponential Country Manager,Canada, will lead from the Toronto office along with Michael Prytz, AdoTube’s Director of Sales, Canada. Vijay Kundari, Director of Sales, and Pooja Gupta, Senior Business Manager, will cover most of Asia-Pacific from AdoTube’s Mumbai and Singapore offices. Kundari joins AdoTube fromIndia’s largest media company, Web18, and Gupta previously worked with Tribal Fusion. Covering both the Middle East and Northern Africa from the Dubai office is Amer Attyeh, Business Manager. Amer was previously responsible for developing Tribal Fusion’s presence in the same area.

     

    AdoTube is a global in-stream advertising technology company. Its powerful and flexible technology provides a complete video advertising platform offering publishers and advertisers easy and efficient access to in-stream video advertising across all media platforms. AdoTube is part of the exponential Group of online businesses – a technology-enabled media services company headquartered in Emery ville, California with operations in 37 locations worldwide.

     

  • Hansi Ke Rang Surendra Sharma Ke Sang launches on March 5, marking the auspicious occasion of Holi, and is to premier across 25 Hindi-speaking markets in India.

    New comedy show on 92.7 BIG FM

    By A Correspondent

     

    While the primary expectation from radio continues to be music, the very next is humour, a nation-wide passion and cutting across all SECs, it is exceedingly playing a critical role in entertainment. Now 92.7 BIG FM is upping its humour quotient with one of the best humour poets ofIndia, Surendra Sharma.

     

    The Radio Network, which was adjudged the ‘Radio broadcaster of the Year – 2011’, continues to cater to the tastes and requirements of its listeners with ‘Hansi ke Rang Surendra Sharma ke Sang’. In keeping the mood of the Holi, the show will launch on March 5 exclusively across 25 stations of BIG FM in the Hindi belt.

     

    The well-crafted humor show will see the King of comedy Manoranjan Surendra Sharma at his best while:

    Solving queries and challenges of listeners in his own inimitable style.

    Taking on human follies and the ill of society with his humorous poetry.

    Giving listeners the flavour of ‘chaar laina’, poker face and comic sketches of himself and his wife which are legendary.

    Promising to keep the audiences hooked to the station through ‘chhed chhaad’ on the airwaves.

     

    The show will premier across the markets of Mumbai, Delhi, Rajasthan, UP, MP, Jharkhand, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu. The enormous reach across the markets, and with this kind of humor appealing to a more mature audience base, ‘Hansi ke Rang Surendra Sharma ke Sang’ offers audiences the best evening entertainment, while offering marketers an excellent opportunity to connect with a diverse audience base that meets their communication requirements.

     

    Reliance Broadcast Network Limited is a multi-media entertainment conglomerate with play across radio, television, intellectual properties and out of home. It is part of the Reliance Group and specializes in creating and executing integrated media solutions for brands. It houses the following verticals: 92.7 BIG FM, BIG CBS, – A joint venture with CBS Studios International, USA’s No. 1 TV broadcaster which has launched 4 Channels, BIG MAGIC, which is positioned as India’s only channel exclusively for the Hindi heartland. Added to this robust bouquet, the Company also distributes Bloomberg UTV, India’s premier business news channel.

     

  • The Dentsu India Group has announced the appointment of Shouvik Sarkar as Executive Creative Director, Dentsu Marcom, Mumbai, leading all creative deliveries at the agency's Mumbai operations.

    Shouvik Sarkar appointed ECD, Dentsu Marcom Mumbai

    By A Correspondent

     

    Continuing with the series of senior-level appointments, the Dentsu India Group has announced the appointment of Shouvik Sarkar as Executive Creative Director, Dentsu Marcom, Mumbai. He will lead all creative deliveries at the agency’s Mumbai operations.

     

    Mr Sarkar started his career as a Copywriter at Equus Red Cell in Mumbai where he worked on the India launch of AXN, the Kolkata launch of Shopper’s Stop and Development Credit Bank, Mumbai. Next as Senior Copywriter, Ambience Publicis, he worked on HDFC Mutual Funds, Water Kingdom, Yellow Pages, Westside and Hit. He led the Mumbai campaign for Water Kingdom (city-wide) and the national launch of Yellow Pages, his efforts winning 8 individual silvers and The ‘Ad Agency of the Year’ in the ‘Outdoor’ category at the Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) Awards, 2004.

     

    Mr Sarkar joined O&M as Creative Supervisor where he was an integral part of the team that won the SBI account. He handled SBI and spearheaded the creative output for Hutch, 3G (Hutchison Whampoa). He also worked on the ‘Surprisingly SBI’ campaign, a rebranding exercise for the State Bank of India, in 2005, possibly the largest communications makeover for a PSU at that time. At O&M, his work won two silver Abbys (‘Integrated Campaign’ and ‘Financial Products’ categories), two Effies (‘Big Idea’ Award and ‘Financial Products’ categories) and the ‘Yahoo Big Idea Chair’ Award.

     

    Moving to Dubai in 2007, Mr Sarkar joined DDB, Dubai as Creative Controller. His work helped DDB win The BBC Arabic News Channel and Dell Inspiron accounts. In addition to developing the 360 launch campaign for BBC Arabic News, Mr Sarkar also managed the Parachute Coconut Hair Oil account. On his return to India, Mr Sarkar joined Contract Advertising as Senior Creative Group Head. While managing brands like DNA, Shoppers Stop, Asian Paints, Cadbury and Ask Me B2B, he studied retail consumer behavior, SME advertisers’ mindsets while creating copy to redefine brand perceptions and driving retail sales. Next, he moved to Telibrahma Convergent Communications as Associate Vice-President.

     

    Welcoming Mr Sarkar to Dentsu, Hiroshi Omata, Chief Operating Officer, Dentsu Marcom said, “Shouvik brings a very unique blend of multi-functional expertise to our business. His background of consistently developing effective recognized creative work, combined with his knowledge of digital technologies and a mindset further moulded by his intensive marketing experience – will be of great value to our teams and client relationships. I am delighted to have Shouvik on board and look forward to his work at Dentsu Marcom.”

     

    On joining Dentsu, Mr Sarkar  said, “Fleet-footed communications solutions rooted in consumer insight are the order of the day. Back in time, Dentsu created the distinctly memorable ‘Sar Uthake Jiyo’ campaign for HDFC Standard Life. The mandate is to extend the same magic to other brands. My goal will be to render ‘Tenka musou’ the Japanese adage of being matchless/ fearless to the team and to the work that we do. I would like to deploy the purist marketing learnings now to a role which delivers more meaningful work for clients, and also help Dentsu grow organically.”

     

    Mr Sarkar joins Dentsu from The Lodha Group where as Marketing Manager, he led integrated marketing strategies at the brand, segment and company levels. As part of the core team at Lodha, Mr Sarkar managed their largest product for 2011-12 with average revenues approximating 500 cr m-o-m. While handling the media allocation and spends for the launch, Mr Sarkar also mentored the internal graphic design team at Lodha. His efforts enabled Lodha to win 3 critically-acclaimed International Property Awards in Shanghai.

     

    Prior to Lodha, Mr Sarkar was Associate Vice-President, Telibrahma Convergent Communications. He led business development operations for Mumbai, taking new mobile/digital marketing technologies – QR (Quick Recognition) codes, (enabling print augmentation), augmented reality products to market. Setting up operations from scratch, he supervised a digital campaign for Nike while acquiring new business from brands like Cadburys’ 5 Star and Apple iPhone.

     

    Mr Sarkar graduated in English Honours from St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata. With a Post-Graduate Diploma in Print Journalism from IIMC, he also completed a MBA in Marketing and Strategy from the Indian School of Business.

     

  • Media planners say official broadcaster ESPN Star Sports hopes to earn Rs95-100 crore by selling advertisement spots during the 17-day event in July-August as well as related programmes

    Olympics countdown: Hero, Airtel etc flock to hockey on rising public interest

    By Ratna Bhushan & Meenakshi Verma Ambwani

     

    Indian marketers are joining the ‘Chak De India’ brigade going to London Olympics. A day after the Indian hockey team qualified for the Olympics in spectacular style, advertisers such as Hero MotoCorp, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone plan to associate with the team and the event while Coca-Cola and Samsung may look to cash in on their official partnerships for the event, say people involved in their media buying plans.

     

    Media planners say official broadcaster ESPN Star Sports hopes to earn Rs95-100 crore by selling advertisement spots during the 17-day event in July-August as well as related programmes that will be spread over five months starting March.

     

    This amount is several times more than Rs5-7 crore that Doordarshan had raked in during the Beijing Olympics in 2008, but experts say three factors will help ESPN Star Sports reach its revenue target.

     

    These are, Indian cricket team’s disastrous performance in recent times that has pushed the sport’s television viewership to new lows; the fact that the Olympics is being shown on a private channel for the first time, leading to aggressive marketing of the event; and, a strong revival in interest in hockey and other sports.

     

    “The hockey team qualifier has changed things. Many companies are now seeing the Olympics as an opportunity to cash in on their global partnerships,” said Navin Khemka, senior vice-president at media buying firm Zenith Optimedia, which buys media for Reckitt Benckiser.

     

    Advertisers game for London

    ESPN Software Executive VP Sanjay Kailash said there is significant interest among Indian brands to advertise on the Olympics. “With the Indian team qualifying for hockey, the interest and buzz around the Olympics among Indian viewers and advertisers will only increase,” he said.

     

    ESPN Star Sports plans to rope in eight partners for the event. Consumer electronics giant Samsung is the official partner of the Indian delegation to the London Olympics while dairy products brand Amul on Monday announced a deal to sponsor the Indian contingent.

     

    “The hockey team’s performance has added muscle to our sponsorship plans,” said RS Sodhi, managing director of Amul brand owner Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation, which will provide Rs1 crore for athletes who have qualified for the London Olympics.

     

    A Samsung spokeswoman said the company is yet to work out the specifics of its Olympics campaign. The firm is supporting training expenses of six players. Two-wheeler manufacturer Hero MotoCorp, the title sponsor for the Olympics qualifying tournament concluded in New Delhi on Sunday, is also expected to pick up broadcasting spots.

     

    Others such as telecom services providers Bharti Airtel and Vodafone too have evinced interest in associating with the Indian team, either on ground or on television, say media planners. Sahara Group, which renewed its five year sponsorship deal with Hockey India earlier this month, too may pitch in.

     

    Cricket’s loss helps

    In a strange turn of the wheel of fortune, the Indian hockey team, by merely qualifying for an event it had missed only once since the country’s Independence, has stolen the limelight from the national cricket team that won the World Cup less than a year ago.

     

    Television rating points for India’s ongoing series in Australia have plunged to less than 2, now that India has lost all the Test matches and is almost certain to finish last in the three-nation one-day international tournament.

     

    The downturn started in England last year, when the Indian team lost all its matches and meekly surrendered its top ranking in Tests to the host country. Yet, ESPN Star is expected to have earned about Rs300 crore in advertising revenues from the three-month Indian tour to Australia.

     

    “Family viewership for cricket has dropped and rates are now out of reach of certain brands,” says Shripad Kulkarni, chief executive officer of Allied Media, part of sports entertainment company Percept.

     

    Source: The Economic Times
    Copyright © 2012, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved

  • While History Har Din is about regular people, the channel's first joint production with CNN-IBN, 'The Greatest Indian', features India's best known faces.

    Two new shows on History Channel

    By A Correspondent

     

    History TV18 announced the launch of ‘History Har Din’ – a user generated content initiative for online, social media and other platforms and ‘The Greatest Indian’ – the channel’s first big-ticket local production in association with CNN-IBN.

     

    History Har Din is an innovative UGC (user generated content) concept where viewers are invited to share instances from their life when they too have made history. The pioneering format is a first by any factual entertainment channel in the country and is based on the channel’s brand position of ‘History Made Everyday’ – that history is more about achievement and is made every day by ordinary people doing extraordinary things.

     

    Through this initiative, viewers are invited to share images or videos that capture their life’s biggest successes, turning points, most inspiring and endearing moments or just plain fun experiences – anything which they believe were points in time when they truly created history. Entries can be submitted by visiting HistoryHarDin.in.com. The best of the ‘history making’ stories will be telecast on the channel in the coming months.

     

    While History Har Din is about regular people, the channel’s first joint production with CNN-IBN, ‘The Greatest Indian’, features India’s best known faces. The initiative is set to trigger a national debate on: “Who is the greatest Indian afterIndependence?” The show format is based on a path-breaking series featured on BBC called ‘The Greatest Briton’. Launched in 2002 in theUK, the initiative reached out to millions of viewers and broke significant viewership records there. An astounding 21 countries have successfully adopted this format since then.

     

    History TV18 is now available in English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Gujarati, Marathi and now Urdu.

     

    Speaking on the occasion, Ajay Chacko, President, A+E Networks | TV18, said: “The initiatives truly exemplify what History TV18 stands for – the celebration of human spirit to succeed and achieve against odds – to make History. While History Har Din celebrates the human spirit through achievements of regular people, ‘The Greatest Indian commemorates those who have made invaluable contribution to the nation, through popular vote. Through these initiatives, we believe we will make significant inroads towards our objective of broad basing the genre.”

     

    Rajdeep Sardesai, Editor-in-Chief, IBN18 Network, said: “At CNN-IBN, we have always believed in celebrating the idea ofIndiawith all its unmatched diversity. What better way than to partner History TV18 in this path-breaking programme to find out who is the greatest Indian after Gandhi. In today’s world of social media, every Indian has a chance to be part of this inclusive debate and we hope that millions will join us in this exciting adventure.”

     

    “History TV18 has successfully created a special place for itself in the minds of Indian audiences with its edgy, lively, fast-paced and differentiated content. The channel has already begun to whet the audience’s appetite for more of its kind. With the launch of these two initiatives, the channel is all set to engage with viewers in more ways than one,” said Salman Khan.

     

  • [Flashed y’day] Vizeum gets ready to talk “with” consumers; Anand Kumar on board

    By a correspondent

     

    Aegis Media’s Vizeum India has announced an added layer in its suit of services in the area of active consumer engagement and has roped in Anand Kumar as Associate General Manager – Engagement Planning.

     

    Affirmed S Yesudas, Managing Director, Indian sub-continent, Vizeum, “As the communication channel choices increase and the limited time at the consumers’ disposal further shrink,  we believe we need to focus on engaging with consumers at different occasions and different state of mind based on the same strategic thread of the overall communication. Anand’s appointment is in line with this thinking.” Adding further Yesudas said, “Passive advertising sells a particular product and makes the consumer walk to the point of sale. However, there is a good chance that the consumer might walk out with a totally different brand because of some dynamics at the point of sale. On the other hand, had there been reinforcement of the message once again in the consumers’ mind as actively as possible just before the decision to pull out the wallet, chances are that the same brand would have been benefited. Both these scenarios call for different consumer engagements -the former talking “AT” the consumer and the later, talking “WITH” the consumer. Talking “WITH” the consumer is all about actively engaging them at a different state of mind.”

     

    Commenting on the motivation to join Vizeum, Anand Kumar asserted, “Vizeum India today is a strong and credible agency in just less than two and-a-half years. Their well articulated understanding of talking “At” and “With” consumers can further enhance thought leadership status. I look forward to working closely with the leadership team in Vizeum as they move to next level of aggressive growth and consolidation story.”

     

    Anand has a Bachelors in Visual Communications, Masters in Journalism & Communications and MBA (Sales & Mkt.) and has close to 9 years experience in the relevant field of operation. His last assignment was at the Network 18 Group. Anand will be based in Mumbai and will report directly to Yesudas, while working closely with the Heads of the 3 Vizeum offices.

     

    Vizeum successfully operates in 55 countries with a philosophy of in-depth understanding of the co-existence of lives, brands and media in the actual world, through its process – motivation to media.

     

  • Veteran adperson Ranjan Kapur has agreed with the Regional Management of Bates Asia to step into the role of Chairman Bates India. It will be in addition to his current role as Country Head, WPP, India

    [Flashed y’day] Ranjan Kapur is new Bates chairman

    Veteran adperson Ranjan Kapur has agreed with the Regional Management of Bates Asia to step into the role of Chairman Bates India. It will be in addition to his current role as Country Head, WPP, India.

     

    In his new role, Mr Kapur will work closely with the senior management of Bates India to fire a new ambition and help develop an organization structure that offers more relevant ways of engaging with clients and consumers “Bates has developed an exciting new ‘changengage’ philosophy that helps provide solutions that are both media and discipline neutral, and it has through the line capability and resources, to deliver them. To drive this thinking forward we are in conversations with a few new age thinkers and we hope to finalize on the CeO for bates India very shortly,” said Mr Kapur in a communique.

     

    Mr Kapur has been informally engaged with Bates ever since he stepped down as Chairman of Ogilvy. Mr Dheeraj Sinha, Regional Head of Planning feels that Ranjan will help galvanize the people at bates India. “His reputation precedes him and he hasn’t lost any of the passion and drive he displayed when he led Ogilvy to the top.”

     

    “The recent departures at Bates India, have presented us with an opportunity to put the right leadership in place”, says Mr Tim Isaac, Regional Head of Bates Asia. “I am delighted to renew my partnership with Ranjan. I have worked with Ranjan many times since I first arrived in Singapore in 1986. With Ranjan as Chairman and a new CeO in place shortly we will be looking to accelerate our growth in India”.