MxMIndia

Author: mxmadmin

  • The idea taps into the single-game malaise this nation suffers from, and it's time the other games got some attention. The TVC reflects the opinion of many, and so it's a good consumer insight.

    Debrief: Pepsi: Game changer

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Ah, so Pepsi wants to totally change the game for the upcoming summer. Previously their ‘change the game’ ads involved cricketers doing offbeat stuff. This time cricket itself is gone; it’s time for some football action.

     

    In the new TVC (and I suppose there will be many more as the heat picks up), brand ambassador Ranbir Kapoor asks a lad to forget practising his football skills, and instead opt for playing cricket. But the boy keeps ignoring him. Then they reach a non-functional Pepsi vending machine which Kapoor is unable to operate. The boy heads the ball onto the machine and a bottle pops out. Voila! Game changed!

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ior6SXL35NY[/youtube]

    Yes, it works for me. The idea taps into the single-game malaise this nation suffers from, and it’s time the other games got some attention. In that sense, the TVC reflects the opinion of many, and so it’s a good consumer insight. Also, the creative treatment is simple and fun, so that’s fine too.

     

    However, on a personal note, I wish Pepsi had changed the game to hockey, which is our national game and which is languishing big-time. It definitely needs all the attention it can get. Perhaps Pepsi will take that on in another commercial in this series, we’ll have to wait and watch. However, it must be said Pepsi has opened its innings on a promising note this summer.

     

    Rating: (On a scale of 1 to 5): 3. Moving away from thakela cricket refreshes the campaign.

     

  • Pune-based design agency Changing Sky has won recognition for excellence in brand repositioning from The Rebrand 100.

    Changing Sky on its way ahead

    By A Correspondent

     

    Changing Sky, a Pune-based design agency has recently garnered recognition from The Rebrand 100. This Global Awards is the highest recognition for excellence in brand repositioning – and the first and only competition of its kind. Changing Sky has won the recognition for its work for Mapro.

     

    Talking about the journey of the agency, Gargi Sharma, Founder & Principal Designer of the agency said, “The journey of Changing Sky has been much like the “changing sky” itself both challenging and rewarding. Though two years old, we still feel like a start-up in spirit – rearing to go.”

     

    On future plans she said, “Our mantra is to grow with our customers. So the drivers very clearly are to deliver value to them that leads to tangible business results – from growth, profitability and sustainability points of view.”

     

    The agency has worked with clients that largely comprise sectors including FMCG, IT and Engineering sectors. Sharma added, “The playing field is global and we have been working with both national to international customers. The most rewarding though, have been domestic brands with global aspirations, whom we have been able to help carve a niche for themselves in the global marketplace.”

     

    Commenting on their expansion plans, Sharma concluded, “We have lots of plans that we are hoping to turn to reality in the course of the year. I must also add that they will be executed prudently so that there is no compromise on the quality of work – which I have seen happen due to scaling.”

     

  • Veteran mediaperson and BCCL president Bhaskar Das will now don an additional hat of Principal Secretary to Managing Director Vineet Jain.

    Exclusive: BCCL President Bhaskar Das is now also Principal Secretary to MD

    By A Correspondent

    It was Holi. And time for colour and loads of cheer.  In media-land, we received this missive via our BBM: Bhaskar Das, the man who brought to The Times of India group most of its monies (as head of response), and the man who’s captained many industry associations and is known for his very interesting and intellectual questions at media industry conferences, will now be President and Principal Secretary to the Managing Director at Bennett Coleman & Co Ltd (BCCL). MD = Vineet Jain.

     

    In a signed office advisory, Mr Jain recognises Dr Das’s contribution to the company. “Bhaskar Das has always excelled in every responsibility entrusted to him – be that of leading Response function to newer heights, brand management, profit centre head or special projects in the area of Wellness, Times Foundation among others.” And he mentions that the new role “has the potential of becoming a gamechanger for the Group”.

     

    So what does this gamechanging role mean?

     

    In addition to the responsibilities he has been entrusted with at ‘Brand Capital’ (eka Private Treaties), Dr Das will now look after the following:

     

    * Exploring new revenue opportunities across the group’s media initiatives

    * Evolving a collaborative sales approach across various group properties

    * charting out a future roadmap for Optimal Media Solutions (that is, Medianet)

    * Facilitating a shared understanding an aligning all functions and group cos. to shareholder philosophies and objectives

     

    The end-objective is to “capitalize on the wealth of knowledge and expertise and to leverage the same across the Group”.  Given this, Mr Arunabh Das Sharma, Executive President – Response will report to Mr Ravi Dhariwal.

     

    See also: MxMIndia interview with Dr Bhaskar Das

     

     

  • In Freaking News, which will now appear every Tuesday and Friday, Ranjona Banerji reviews the fare in the morning papers and the nightly news. And sometimes the afternooners, the newsmags and all that's on the Web

    Freaking News: It’s business as usual after the election euphoria

    By Ranjona Banerji

     

    Of course the media was to blame for the Bahujan Samaj Party’s loss in UP’s assembly elections. Sure, the Samajwadi Party, Congress and BJP were also involved but the media certainly played a role in the rout of Mayawati. Thankfully – perhaps – the former chief minister of UP did not blame the people, as Prakash Karat, chief dictator of the CPM did, after the Left managed to lose West Bengal to Mamata Banerjee.

     

    After the results were declared, TV land went into a sort of decline. Having expended this enormous amount of energy on getting the results out to the people in the usual frenzied fashion, the day after was a probably inevitable anti-climax. The arrival of Holi did not help either, because everyone went into holiday mood which for most TV channels means showing a stream of Hindi film songs (no point asking) and other fillers.

     

    Life was not different for newspapers as Holi meant holidays on different days across India. Was this a conspiracy by the Election Commission? If I were Mayawati or Salman Khurshid, I would certainly think so.

     

    The Times of India’s early edition for Dehra Dun on March 7 (more on the perils of being stuck with a mofussil edition coming soon) headlined the results as ‘UP has spoken, no Rahul Maya’, with the ‘sp’ of spoken in red. Other puns were also in evidence (Sonrise for Akhilesh and Bad Heir Day for Rahul Gandhi). The Hindustan Times went for ‘Akhilesh Pradesh’, DNA Mumbai had a bit of fun with ‘Rahul knocked down by cycle’.

     

    * * *

     

    Newspaper editorials summed up the results quite cogently. The Hindu argued that just depending on anti-incumbency isn’t enough; parties have to make more effort that expecting the other person to lose. The Times of India emphasised the fact that the Indian voter knows when someone is trying to take them for a ride and rather than traditional promises, deliverance and governance are the keys. Several commentators also pointed out that corruption at the Centre had an impact on local polls, which is bad news for the UPA and Anna Hazare, his team and Baba Ramdev had a little chuckle here. No one missed the fact that the regional parties had trumped the big two in UP either. The forthcoming perils for the UPA and the BJP have both been underlined.

     

    As expected, it takes print to make sense of anything and TV would do well to develop some expertise and analytical skills of its own.

     

    * * *

     

    By the time the euphoria died down, it was business as usual and the Samajwadi Party was up to its usual tricks which TV jumped on with alacrity – a young boy killed, journalists under siege, houses burnt. An IPS officer was killed in Madhya Pradesh, apparently by the mining mafia, several people in Mumbai were hospitalised by poisonous Holi colours and BS Yeddurappa wants his job back!

     

  • Media Planning adds D.R.A.M.A to every creative to make it larger. Karthik Lakshminarayan cites some examples

    5 reasons why behind every good creative is an even better media plan

    By Karthik Lakshminarayan

     

    #1 Media plans ‘Demonstrate’ brand promise

    People are increasingly becoming health-conscious these days and one cannot get past a dinner with family and friends without having a conversation around how everyone is watching what they eat or are trying hard to lose weight and maintain a ‘healthy heart’. Hence, when an oil brand which stood for heart health took the simple route of making an RJ lose weight ‘live’ on radio by adopting the brand, it helped ‘Demonstrate’ what the brand stands for, and took the creative forward and helped it work harder for the brand.

     

    #2 Media plans help brands promise become a ‘Reality’

    When a chocolate brand started celebrating every happy moment in our lives with chocolate, it was only a matter of time before passing exams became a part of the same. Hence, when the brand celebrated that and we had exam results available on the mobile platform, it was a media plan that made this promise a ‘Reality’ and every single student who passed his exam and looked up his results on the WAP platform had the brand message being dished out to them. This media plan won accolades across the globe!

     

    #3 Media plans show ‘Applicability’ in consumers’ lives

    The first time Indian Idol came about, it was a huge success and everyone remembers the hype and popularity the show created. However, to be able to reach each and every nook and corner of the country for auditions was physically impossible and hence evolved the concept of ‘Telecom Partner’, which helped people audition by recording themselves in specially designed booths and sending it to the channel.

    The ‘Applicability’ of the telecom partner was strengthened and helped people realise that telecoms help connecting people with not just people but also with their dreams.

     

    #4 Media plan help brands ‘Magnify’ their status

    Not so recently, when I was part of Colors and we launched the channel close on the heels of the high-profile launch of 9X and Imagine, we had to ‘Magnify’ the brand and what we stood for to consumers and woo them to our channel. The media plan was designed to Magnify the brand by using network strength and riding every single ad-break on the network with top and tail promos of brand Colors. This magnified the brand promise many times and the intrigue generated was high enough for the channel to be a part of the consideration set amongst viewers and more than magnified the creative of some of the lead shows like Fear Factor and Balika Vadhu.

     

    #5 Media plans that help brands ‘Amplify’ their promise

    Who can forget the famous ‘Kodak’ moments and how each and every happy moment is captured even today with these rather famous words – ‘Its a Kodak Moment’. The media plan that sought to ‘Amplify’ this promise rode on the largest media channel and the largest Bollywood award show of its time and the aptness is something which will be cherished for years to come.

     

    Karthik Lakshminarayan is the COO, Crest (Madison Media).

     

  • To celebrate the spirit of women in the advertising-media domain, MxM India conceptualised a roundtable conference with Big CBS Love, in a half-hour show that was aired on Bloomberg-UTV on March 8.

    Woman power at MxMIndia’s roundtable for Big CBS Love

    By A Correspondent

     

    Much has being spoken about how the media-advertising industry being one of the few industries in India that has seen many women professionals coming to the fore and showing the way to the younger and the aspiring lot to stand their ground for excellence, despite myriad challenges.

     

    To celebrate the spirit of women in the advertising-media domain, MxM India conceptualised a roundtable conference for Big CBS Love, in a half-hour show that was aired on Bloomberg-UTV on March 8, 2012.

     

    Eminent women professionals such as Punitha Arumugam, CEO, Madison Media, Anita Nayyar, CEO, MPG India, Shubha George, COO, MEC South Asia, Anisha Motwani, Director and Chief Marketing Officer, Max New York Life Insurance shared their views on the role of women in the industry.

     

    Ms Arumugam pointed out that advertising attracted a lot of women as against other industries, while Ms Nayyar and Shubha George referred to how Roda Mehta played an inspiring role. Ms Motwani, who started out in advertising, then joined the automobile industry and moved from there to insurance, remarked how women even today can’t ignore their responsibilities towards their families. Ms Motwani, who had taken a sabbatical after marriage for two years, said working women need to believe in themselves, their ability and not give up.

     

    On reasons why women have done so well in advertising and media, Ms Nayyar said: “Over the years, it is evident that when it comes to client relations and numbers – women have done very well. And since advertising has a casual sort of environment, it gives that extra advantage and scope for women to double up as a key member at home and the workplace.”

     

  • With its enhanced display, Apple's new tablet could rev up digital media and publishing though there's no indicator of an India launch

    iPad3 could revolutionise ad & content

     

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAF51B0HgDg[/youtube]

    By A Correspondent

     

    Apple brightened up our lives on Holi day with the third generation of the iPad. That it launched on Holi was obviously a coincidence. India sadly figures nowhere in the iPad 3’s roll-out later this month.

     

    On March 7 in the US, Apple introduced the new iPad featuring a stunning new Retina display, its new A5X chip with quad-core graphics and a 5 megapixel iSight camera with advanced optics for capturing amazing photos and 1080p HD video.  The battery life is 10 hours.

     

    And what happens to the iPad 2? It is now offered at $399 (Rs 24,500 in India) for the 16GB Wi-Fi model and $529 (Rs 32,900 in India) for the 16GB Wi-Fi + 3G model.

     

    “The new iPad redefines the category Apple created less than two years ago, delivering the most amazing experience people have ever had with technology,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “The new iPad now has the highest resolution display ever seen on a mobile device with 3.1 million pixels, delivering razor sharp text and unbelievable detail in photos and videos.”

     

    According to Mumbai-based IT consultant Lionel Faleiro, the new iPad is a great evolutionary product for its screen, processing power and upgraded camera. “The main reasons that sells the iPad the most is its availability of Apps and its consistent OS updates. The quality of design of iPad optimized Apps in the iOS Store is much better than its Android counterparts,” he said, adding that he expects the iPad3 to launch in India in May this year.

     

    The new iPad’s Retina display delivers four times the number of pixels of iPad 2, so dense that the human eye is unable to distinguish individual pixels when held at a normal distance, making web pages, text, images and video look incredibly sharp and realistic. The 3.1 million pixels in the Retina display are more than one million more pixels than an HDTV, and with 44 per cent increased colour saturation the new iPad displays colors that are unbelievably richer, deeper and more vivid. Movies are now capable of playing at full 1080p HD-resolution, delivering an incomparable viewing experience on a mobile device.

     

    The A5X chip with quad-core graphics promises to deliver a fast, responsive user experience while supporting the incredible Retina display. With double the graphics performance of the A5 chip, the A5X facilitates a Multi-Touch interface, immersive gameplay and visual depth.

     

     

    Writes Patrick Thornton on Poynter.org:

    “The new iPad could finally elevate the text reading experience on a tablet to something much more akin to reading a printed newspaper, magazine or book. Most major news organizations have released iPad apps, but the blurry, pixelated text from the relatively low-resolution iPad 1 and 2 always stood out. iPad news apps may have great looking photos, videos and interactive graphics, but text – often the core of what a news organization produces – doesn’t look that good, especially in comparison to what humans have been able to enjoy for hundreds of years.”

     

    iPad Wi-Fi + 4G with built-in next generation 4G LTE offers support for fast networks including HSPA+ and DC-HSDPA, and now both CDMA and GSM iPad users have the ability to easily roam internationally.

     

    Comments Amy Gahran on the Knight Digital Media Center site: “Over the last two weeks, such updates include the iPad apps for the New York Times, Associated Press, New York Daily News, Pulse News, Flipboard, NBC Nightly News, the Guardian (Eyewitness app), the Star Tribune and more.

     

    Now that the specs and capabilities of the iPad3 have been confirmed, it’s likely that even more news organizations will be revamping both their apps and the kind of content delivered through them-especially the resolution of photos, video, and graphics.”

     

    The new iPad also supports dictation, another amazing way to get things done just using your voice. Instead of typing, tap the microphone icon on the keyboard, then say what you want to say and the new iPad listens. Tap done, and iPad converts your words into text. You can use dictation to write messages, take notes, search the web and more. Dictation also works with third-party apps, so you can update your Facebook status, tweet, or write Instagram captions.

     

    The new iPad Wi-Fi models will be available in black or white from Friday, March 16 for a suggested retail price of $499 for the 16GB model, $599 for the 32GB model and $699 for the 64GB model. iPad Wi-Fi + 4G for either AT&T or Verizon will be available for a suggested retail price of $629 for the 16GB model, $729 for the 32GB model and $829 for the 64GB model. iPad will also be available in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Puerto Rico, Singapore, Switzerland, UK and the US Virgin Islands from March 16.

     

    By the end of March iPad will be available in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Macau, Mexico, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.

     

    A final word from Gahran: What will be more interesting will be to see if later this year Apple finally launches a smaller, cheaper iPad mini. This long-rumored unicorn so far has failed to materialize-but if the Kindle Fire and other smaller Android tablets keep gaining ground fast, Apple might be tempted to compete with this large consumer market segment.  It’s still a rough economy out there – and the lesson of how Android quickly came to dominate the US smartphone market is probably not lost on Apple. An iPad mini would have very different device and app support capabilities, which would require more significant adaptation from apps and mobile websites.”

     

    Please read:

    BusinessWeek: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-03-07/apples-big-show-the-tech-bloggers-prom

    Poynter.org: http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/top-stories/165618/ipad-3s-retina-display-will-make -news-apps-stand-out-present-new-challenges-for-news-orgs/

    Knight Digital Media Center: http://www.knightdigitalmediacenter.org/news_blog/comments/20120307 _ipad_3_launches_what_does_it_mean_for_news_publishers/

     

     

     

     

  • Android Game 'Parking Frenzy' scaled its way to the No 7 position on the ‘Free Games' section in the Android Market (USA) recently, making it probably the first game from India to have featured this high in the space.

    Games2Win sets 20 mn users target for 2012

    By A Correspondent

     

    About a month ago, Rovio – creator of one of the most successful online game Angry Birds – made a significant announcement when it proclaimed its intention to touch the 1 billion download mark of the game by end of 2012. Not a difficult proposition, one may think, given the spurt in the online gaming market especially following the entry of supporting smartphones and operating systems. And so if a developer comes up with a game that’s unique and appeals to the masses, it would be a matter of a few days before the game races its way to being the most downloaded of the lot. This was the case with Parking Frenzy by Games2Win that made its way into the top 10 most downloaded games in the world, a few days ago.

     

    Android Game ‘Parking Frenzy’ scaled its way to the No 7 position on the ‘Free Games’ section in the Android Market (USA) recently, making it probably the first game from India to have featured this high in the space. At last count, the game had witnessed 2,676,668 installs, led by the US which recorded 636,660 installs, Germany – 197,204, Britain – 138,182, Spain – 137,128, Korea – 122,665, France – 119,187, Russia – 93,916, Italy – 84,833, Holland – 62,468, and Israel with 56,747 installs. Acknowledging the success, Raj Menon, Director – Business, Games2win said, “To be honest we knew it was a good app and would do well. But we did not expect it to be such a big hit. The game started out as any of our other games – a slow steady creep in the number of people downloading the app and playing it. Installs started rocketing from week two, and the growth hasn’t stopped since.”

     

    According to Mr Menon, the feat is unique as it is not every day that your app ranks higher than Twitter, Facebook Messenger and Angry Birds Rio. “So we are just soaking it in. But in reality, we are just concentrating on shipping – shipping the best games, apps and platforms that we hope our consumers will like.”

     

    On how the gaming market in India is evolving, Mr Menon said, “Indians are now used to the best entertainment in the world thanks to the internet. But they want it with a local flavour – something that they relate to. They play games on the world’s best sites; so they are becoming increasingly demanding in terms of game play. We have more than matched their expectations – we have the largest library of cricket games in the world and Indians just can’t have enough,” he quips.

     

    Asked why Indian online games have failed to make a mark on a global front, Mr Menon said, “There is no global ranking for individual online games like there is for mobile games on iTunes and the Android market. comScore ranks sites by traffic and Games2win is a top 20 gaming site in the world with an audience of over 15 million consumers. Our games are on the top gaming sites like Addicting games, the Spillgroup and Yahoo! So it would be unfair to say that Indian online games haven’t made the cut.”

     

    In fact, Games2Win has carved out a roadmap for 2012 where it plans to grow its base from 15 million to 20 million users on the online front. On the mobile front too, it will be releasing an app a month. Affirms Mr Menon, “The biggest release we have is Appucino which is Leaderboards on Steroids. Appucino is basically a location based leaderboard where users can capture their favourite location on Google Maps with their scores. Other gamers can topple these owners by simply scoring better. This ping-pong amongst gamers, we believe, will do wonders for the life of an app.”

     

  • Ramanujam Sridhar remembers The Wall, and what stood beyond it as we replay the various Amul ads on the former India skipper

    Amul ads on Rahul Dravid + Essay by R Sridhar

    By Ramanujam Sridhar

     

    David Ogilvy the advertising legend wanted that rare breed for his advertising agency “gentlemen with brains”. The greatest gentleman that ever trod the cricket field – Rahul Dravid called it quits from all forms of cricket at a farewell press conference at Bangalore on Friday. Even as encomiums pour in from all and sundry from different parts of the world, I thought I would write a few words about Dravid the cricketer and the person. His deeds on the cricket field have been well recorded. The nickname “the wall” was earned after years of playing some of the finest bowlers in the world in every cricketing country in the world and even as Indians earned the justifiable nickname of “lions at home and lambs abroad” Rahul Dravid stood head and shoulders above his more celebrated and written about colleagues – as he simply batted better abroad. More than his batting was his selfless attitude of team first, something that individual record obsessed Indians never fully understood. When he first declared the Indian innings with a desire to win a cricket match when Sachin was short of his century (though he was truly dawdling at the crease), Dravid copped a lot of criticism. But he soldiered on – always taken for granted, never truly appreciated to the extent that he should have been.

     

    For team balance he opened the batting though he was arguably India’s greatest number three ever. He kept wickets so that the team could accommodate another batsman. He shuffled himself in the batting order when he was captain when quicker runs were required. He never “whined to the press” when the BCCI dumped him from the captaincy. He was upset when he was recalled to the one day side a few years after being dropped and was constrained to announce his retirement. A lesser mortal might have felt used by Indian cricket and justifiably so. But the great gentleman and the wonderful cricketer he was, he took everything on his chin.

     

    A master who is still a student of the game

    Rahul Dravid is a great role model for young cricketers. He usually was the first person to enter the nets and the last to leave it. In today’s world of cricketers who think they are God the moment they get an IPL contract, he has been a model of modesty despite his phenomenal achievements. Success rested lightly on his broad shoulders and his sense of humor enabled him to keep things in perspective. When Shane Warne announced to the world that he had discovered a chink in his armour, Rahul just smiled and said “Warney is upto his usual tricks”. The next day he smashed him all over the park in his own quietly efficient way. He did a few endorsements too because any brand which was honest, reliable and something that would not let you down fitted the man to a “t”. He was a keen student of the game and would constantly be found with a book in his arm, something that is rare in a world which appreciates physical prowess more than the mental one.

     

    The words of the Walter Scott poem “unwept, unhonoured and unsung” come to mind as a possible epitaph to Rahul Dravid. While that has been the truth so far, I think history will recognize the value of the man and the cricketer. I will miss him on the field and hope to meet him more often now that he will not be living off suitcases and be in Bengaluru, the city that both of us belong to.

     

    Ramanujam Sridhar is the CEO of brand-comm and a Director of Custommerce, an organization committed to promoting customer service in the country.

     

    Read his blog at http://www.ramanujamsridhar.com for more articles, polls and to sign up for our mailing list.

     

    You can remain in touch with him on Facebook: facebook.com/RamanujamSridhar & Twitter: twitter.com/RamanujamSri

     

    LinkedIn: http://linkd.in/SridharRamanujam

     

     

  • The Last Wal(l)tz: MxMIndia pays tribute to India's most dependable cricketer and tracks his endorsements journey of over 15 years

    Celebrating Rahul Dravid via his TVCs

     

    By Johnson Napier

     

    He may have bid adieu to all forms of international cricket but it is impossible to erase the indelible impression that “Jammy” has left on the minds and hearts of his many followers and well-wishers. Having delivered with the bat consistently on the field for team India, Rahul Dravid also managed to contribute in pushing the awareness and popularity of brands that nominated him as their ambassador. Not that his brand endorsement journey will take a downturn now that he has called it a day – in fact advertisers may well flock to him even more as The Wall never crumbles even under dire circumstances – but India’s most dependable cricketer does demand a befitting advertorial tribute as we survey his endorsement journey that has spanned over 15 years. (pls also check: essay by R Sridhar + the Amul ads on Rahul Dravid)

     

    We dig up noteworthy endorsement commercials that see Rahul “The Wall” Dravid doing what he does best: assuring the authenticity, trust and longevity of the brand – attributes that best define the indomitable cricketer who has championed his country to umpteen unassailable victories.

     

    Kissan Jam

    Perhaps the only commercial that attempted to bring out the funny side to an otherwise very serious persona. It was from here that Dravid was to be famously nicknamed “Jammy” by his peers and fans alike.

    		 [youtube width=”400″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-dhgXJlCaY[/youtube]
    Nippo Batteries

    Another attempt at getting Dravid to do what he doesn’t wish to – wooing the gals into posing willingly as he shoots away with his camera. Don’t miss the attention that he draws from his female legion as he advocates the USP of the battery in question.

    		 [youtube width=”400″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6yKsFewK-E[/youtube]
    Pepsi with Shahrukh Khan and Team India

    This ad may all but belong to Sachin Tendulkar and King Khan, but Dravid’s presence made for quintessential viewing as he donned Team India’s favourite blue jersey.

    		 [youtube width=”400″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGsOgjAQuY8[/youtube]
    Britannia

    Trust ‘The Wall’ to play family guru and guide as he endorses the benefits of this product for FMCG major Britannia.

    		 [youtube width=”400″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3zS0WJub6M[/youtube]
    Britannia Milk

    Forget children, even teens and adults would have relished taking a sip of this brand of milk that Dravid so cooingly advocates – simple yet effective, character traits that define Mr Dependable to a tee.

    		 [youtube width=”400″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FD5viMQTxI[/youtube]
    Hutch

    even this telephone network operator couldn’t resist the rustic charm of The Wall as they used him as bait to woo the viewers to watch him play at the biggest tournament surrounding cricket – World Cup. But wait, how come the geek in the frame doesn’t recognise one of cricket’s most popular faces on planet earth? Wasn’t he off to watch a cricket match after all?

    		 [youtube width=”400″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXjcR26roFo[/youtube]
    Anchor electrical

    Another classic gem that shows The Wall playing motivator and mentor with elan. While his juniors are busy putting his plan into action, don’t miss the smiles that the team manages to bring on the faces of the children that are fraught with fear.

    		 [youtube width=”400″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRwIqudwOJU[/youtube]
    Max New York Life

    A bevy of aunties are seen making a headrush towards Mr Popular even as he struggles to hide his identity. No age is too less or more for his legion of fans – as is the case out here where he is hounded by 30-plus housewives.

    		 [youtube width=”400″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NS6JO2z-aUQ[/youtube]
    Gillette Turbo

    Imagine being paired alongside a world sporting greats. Only a Dravid would’ve brought conviction to the role that needed him to match up to icons such as Tiger Woods and Roger Federer. Indeed, world’s envy, India’s pride!

    		 [youtube width=”400″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnmiEld-cFU[/youtube]
    Sansui

    Character traits are being compared between Mr Dependable and electronics brand Sansui. Turned out to be a perfect matchmaking exercise for the brand as they looked up to Dravid to give out the message of being a brand that is as worthy and reliable as the cricketer.

    		 [youtube width=”400″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6pfGwYbgNo[/youtube]
    Castrol

    Another instance that saw the man delivering the message with just a few words.

    		 [youtube width=”400″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ughlUi8xvSs[/youtube]
    Bank of Baroda

    This was a phase when Bank of Baroda had announced a nationwide makeover and enhancement of services – who else to belt out superlatives than Mr Dependable himself? Notice the family man in him take precedence over the meek endorser.

    		 [youtube width=”400″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTaAQ3XA2mo[/youtube]
    Reebok

    This association dates back to more than 14 years but do not miss his passion and dedication towards the game – and also the brand objective, as he convinces us why his commitment is still as unmatched and endearing as his peers’.

    		 [youtube width=”400″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6yI3-8jVX8[/youtube]
    HDFC Life

    Putting team ahead of oneself – as was the prerequisite of the insurance player in the frame. One of the last endorsements involving Dravid and probably the one that will go on for a long time as he is committed to still play for the IPL. One can never tire of seeing the man deliver his rustic punches – a rare phenomenon in advertising today.

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

     


  • While production companies and the channels are ready to experiment, there seems to be a reluctance to totally deviate from the tried and tested stuff.

    Anil Thakraney: Sex and the city, anyone?

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Ekta Kapoor’s legendary saas bahu TV shows are officially dead. Both Tulsi mata and Parvati bhabhi over-stayed their visit to our living rooms, and that’s generally agreed upon. Further proof is Ekta’s increased attention to the movie business… the soap queen perhaps realizes that her sort of forever weeping, forever sacrificing, sati savitri naari is dead. And that’s a good thing; massive audience fatigue had set in on the format.

     

    However, after watching some of the new prime time daily soaps, I observed that the senior woman/younger woman face/off isn’t really over. Sure, the producers are attempting to feature the ‘modern’ woman and the plots now include remarriage, late marriage, young girl/old man, wife beater husband, and so on. But almost always, lurking in a dark corner, is an older woman who’s ready to give our young protagonist some serious stress. We haven’t really eschewed kitchen politics, in that sense.

     

    And I suppose the reason is this: Production companies, and more importantly the entertainment channels, are playing a safe game. There is a formula that’s worked in the past, and while they are ready to experiment with new ideas, there seems to be a reluctance to totally deviate from the tried and tested stuff. Too much money rides on television programming, there are also sponsors to worry out, and so it makes sense to be cautious. Fair enough, I understand where they are coming from.

     

    However, I do believe time has come for a ‘Sex and the City’ sort of a show. This could be exclusively targeted at the upmarket urban women (they are the ones with money power), a segment that really has nothing tailored for it on the massy entertainment channels. It’s a badly starved segment. In any case, high living, blind dating, promiscuity, binge boozing… all of that (and more) goes on in the metro towns. So why not capitalize on it?

     

    Yup, it’s a slot waiting to be filled; it’s a great programming opportunity. And the first mover will have the big advantage. Marketers of premium brands would be very interested in such a show. A chance for them to exclusively reach the hip, loaded, urban woman.

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kKAq6lHgeY[/youtube]

    So people, ready for some sex and sleaze in our living rooms. Any takers?

     

    * * *

     

    PS: Fabulous, fabulous media innovation fromIsrael. To create awareness on the problems faced by those suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Hats off to the creators.

     

    Brilliant stuff.

     

  • has been appointed as National Director and will report to CVL Srinivas, Managing Director, LiquidThread, Asia-Pacific

    Manisha Tripathi to head SMG’s LiquidThread in India

    By A Correspondent

     

    LiquidThread announced on Monday that Manisha Tripathi has been appointed as National Director and will report to CVL Srinivas, Managing Director, LiquidThread, Asia-Pacific and Malli CR, CEO SMG India. She takes charge on March 12 and will be based out of the Gurgaon office.

     

    LiquidThread is Starcom MediaVest Group’s all screen content practice. In line with the network’s digital, open source approach, LiquidThread has increased the scale and innovation of SMG’s content creation, moving beyond branded entertainment to create communities, conversations and advocates for brand properties.

     

    Ms Tripathi has more than 15 years experience in roles spanning content creation, strategy and business development. She began her career with TV18 where she produced, directed and scripted stories for shows such as India Business Report and Amul India Show. She was part of the core programming team at Star Plus between 2000-2004 and worked on several successful shows including Khullja Sim Sim, Kya Masti Kya Dhoom, Kisme Kitna Hai Dum, Sonpari, Kyunki Saas Bhi and others.

     

    Ms Tripathi was closely associated with the strategy, planning and content development at TataSKy during its launch phase. In her stint with BigFM, she was station director, Goa where she developed, launched and ran the first privately owned FM station of Goa. She later became station director Delhi.

     

    Most recently, Ms Tripathi was associated with Alva Brothers Entertainment, first as President, Miditech, producing shows for a range of channels and later with Real Lifestyle Broadcasting Pvt Ltd.

     

    Confirming the appointment, CVL Srinivas said: “Manisha has been at the cutting edge of content creation and brings the right blend of creativity and business focus. Her coming on board will help us accelerate the growth of our branded content business”.

     

    Commenting on her move to LiquidThread, Ms Tripathi said: “I’m delighted to join LiquidThread and excited about creating brand inspired content that reaches out, connects, engages and interacts with consumers across different screens, generating valuable experiences.”

     

    Ms Tripathi is a post graduate in Social Communications in Media from Sophia, Shree BK Somani Memorial Polytechnic College, Mumbai.