MxMIndia

Author: mxmadmin

  • Created by O&M, the campaign proposition is of "internet is fun" to be substantiated by products that make internet fun to use on Vodafone network

    Vodafone pushes to access net via phone

    By A Correspondent

     

    Looking at growth opportunity in using internet on phones, Vodafone is pushing for this aggressively. Data shows that a sizable proportion of internet enabled phone owners do not use internet or have very low minutes of usage. To tackle this issue, Vodafone has come out with a campaign to drive usage and penetration of internet among Vodafone customers by simplifying usage experience and showing the fun possibilities of internet.

     

    Created by O&M, the campaign proposition is of “internet is fun” to be substantiated by products that make internet fun to use on Vodafone network.

     

    The brief given to the agency for the campaign is based on the core idea that internet and the mobile phone are ubiquitous in today’s world. The message communicated is to ensure that consumers get easier access to the internet and experience it in a simple and fun manner, on their Vodafone mobile phones. In short – The Internet is fun on Vodafone.

     

    “This also meant creating services, products and offerings that substantiate our proposition, which you will see unveiled over the IPL. We will be staring the campaign with an execution on the Opera Mini browser available on Vodafone that facilitates faster internet browsing as an added caveat – this campaign was for the IPL. Hence the creative execution needed to be different and have scale to break clutter and standout during IPL 5,” stated an official communique from Vodafone.

     

    “To deliver the ‘internet is fun on Vodafone’ promise we brought alive the Vodafone internet world in the form of huge, larger than life real games in a setting reminiscent of the Tele Matches. These games are set in a timeless space, with real people playing ridiculous games and generally getting together to have a fun time. And that provided the best metaphor for our proposition.”

     

    “each offering explains how Vodafone makes the mobile internet experience more fun and was brought to life with its own unique and absolutely fun game played between two teams. To bring out authenticity in the execution, the TVCs are set in a small village nearPragueinCzechoslovakiaand all the props are real and have been constructed for the films. And because the drama is happening in Czech, and english commentator explains the proceedings to the audience,” stated the communique.

     

    This is an 8 week long campaign. The campaign started with 3 teaser films on April 4 followed by the first TVC which aired on April 8. This is part of the 8 TVC’s on different products from Vodafone that make the internet experience on Vodafone fun. The campaign will be supported with a high decibel 360 media plan using TV, Radio, Print, Outdoor, on Ground and a digital and online plan.

     

  • The former Network 18 Group CEO is joining PE firm India Value Fund Advisors as Partner

    My experiences around building brands & teams will come in handy: Haresh Chawla

     

    He’s had an indelible association with Network 18 and was largely responsible for the group turning into a large conglomerate today from being a wannabe a few years ago. He’s better known for effecting quite a few turnarounds across the multiple organisations that he’s worked in, especially start-ups that have gone on to become large empires today. Whether at HCL Group, where he headed business development for HCL Comnet or at ABCL, where he set up the Film Distribution Business or at the Times of India Group where he launched their music label – Times Music, Haresh Chawla has an exceptional approach in the way businesses need to function.

     

    Having sent the media world into a tizzy post his decision to move on from Network 18, Haresh Chawla is back in the news and will be seen reprising a role that he has advocated earlier, though in a smaller way. Chawla has joined private equity firm India Value Fund Advisors (IVFA) as Partner and will be responsible for building and scaling up businesses owned by IVFA across sectors, as well as leading media & entertainment investments at IVFA. He will resume office on June 1, 2012.

     

    In conversation with MxM India’s Johnson Napier, Haresh Chawla divulges his plans and responsibilities at IVFA, on the scope that private equity firms offer to mid-sized businesses and admits on missing working for the behemoth that continues to make noise even after his departure. Excerpts:

     

    Congratulations on your appointment as Partner, IVFA. After your announcement of moving on from Network18, many had anticipated you to be joining another large media entity but that’s obviously not the case now. What made you join a private equity firm and not take up anything else?

    My desire really was to grow from the role that I had undertaken at Network 18 and try and do something different. As I said, I have prior experiences in building businesses and brands and I can use that in a much different environment where the operating environment is different and where both capital and management coexist together and you also have to mentor teams. So it’s slightly different attempt from a pure operating point of view.

     

    Any other interesting offers from media entities before you took up this role at IVFA?

    I wouldn’t like to comment on that.

     

    While you’ve donned the role of being an entrepreneur-investor in the past, what is the newness that this role will bring to the fore at IVFA?

    It’ll be about focussing on new projects. If you see, the fund (IVFA) is a diversified fund, so it will be in a larger operating space in that sense. Also, the fund will also be about operating with mid-sized companies and scaling their businesses up. This is what will be the difference in the projects that I have undertaken in the past and what I will be doing at IVFA.

     

    My experiences around building brands and teams in the past will come in handy here, only this time around it will be done in a much larger space. The company is unique, in the sense that it has both capital and management, so the canvas is much larger than what I have attempted in the past.

     

     

    You’ve been seen as a leader who enjoys taking up challenges in floating new start-ups and turning them into profitable ventures. How similar or different will be your approach at IVFA?

    The approach would be pretty much similar to what I have done in the past. The challenge is that IVFA is a firm that buys businesses that are at an interesting stage in their lives and really help them scale up and build them into much larger businesses. I look forward to continuing what one has done in the past few years and build up on that.

     

    Your new role would see you being involved with various other sectors apart from Media & Entertainment. Having largely handled media-based clients in the past, how do you see yourself acclimatising to these new sectors?

    I actually see this as an opportunity. Whatever work I do on Media & Entertainment will clearly be an opportunity for me to put to use my past experience. As for work on firms with a non-media background, I look at it as a challenge as to how to learn a new business and how to further develop that into something more meaningful for the company.

     

    One of the focus areas at IVFA would be on strategic management thinking that is required to scale up mid-sized businesses into large professionally-run enterprises. Is this something that is being ignored by most other equity players of today?

    IVFA is unique in the sense that it has a very strong operating focus as well, which is not the case with other PE fund companies. The other thing about IVFA is that it tries to take majority stake in businesses. Bottomline is, the operating focus of IVFA is of a magnitude that’s very different from other PE funds.

     

    What do you perceive of the private equity space in India today given that the country is witnessing a slowdown where investments/spends are concerned?

    My sense is that despite the slowdown,Indiais still a growing market. One of the challenges that PE businesses had is that valuation has been prohibited in the Indian market for the last few years. But I guess that there is sensibility coming back in the valuations as the economy comes to terms with moderate growth. Therefore clearly, opportunities for private equity players are better because access to public markets is currently less buoyant. So you will find entrepreneurs and promoters turning to private equity now versus the last few years where public markets were the major source of money.

     

    Do you miss your association with Network 18?

    I do and I have learnt a lot at Network 18 where brand building and engagement is concerned. Hopefully I could use a lot of what I have learnt there at IVFA.

     

    Would you like to comment on how work is progressing at Network 18 post you moving on?

    No, I wouldn’t like to say anything on that front.

     

    Is there a goalpost that you have set aside for IVFA in a year from now?

    Right now I am taking a break and will join IVFA in two months’ time. You could probably call me later and ask me this question again and I’ll be able to give you a clearer picture on the road ahead.

     

  • I wasn't even aware that Cag awards still exist. They've become so low profile and unhappening in recent years, I imagined they had shut shop some years ago

    Anil Thakraney: Cag awards: Need to be revived

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Interesting story on Cag awards in mxmindia. Here’s the link in case you missed it:

    http://www.mxmindia.com/2012/04/why-cag-has-stopped-awarding-seniors/

     

    To be quite honest, till I read this particular article, I wasn’t even aware that Cag awards still exist. They’ve become so low profile and unhappening in recent years, I imagined they had shut shop some years ago. In fact, I often used to wonder what went wrong.

     

    Once upon a time, Cag awards were the most respected and the most wanted in the ad world. Creatives used to value them hugely. Unlike the Abbies which were perceived to be commercial in nature, and therefore lacked the value of Cag awards.

     

    The difference between the two was essentially what happens with film awards. Those in the popular categories and those awarded by the critics. The latter is more valued by the film frat. According to the story in mxmindia, what led to the de-valuing of Cag awards is that scam ads slipped in, and the scamsters robbed the awards of the credibility they possessed. A pity, really. Because in my books, Cag had the opportunity to be that ONE awards competition which most ad people would continue to covet and which would truly reflect their skills.

     

    Surely the entry of scamsters could have been controlled. It’s not so difficult to do.

    All you need is a copy of the media plan and a letter from the client. To kill the whole idea because of that makes little sense to me. Also, GoaFest charges heavy fees per entry. And therefore its revenues are dependent on the ad frat. This makes the organizers powerless.

     

    In my interview with Shashi Sinha, he mentioned that given a choice he’d invite clients to the jury team, but the creative directors won’t allow it. What Sinha didn’t say openly is that the real control lies with the creative directors so there’s nothing he can do. They pay for the festival, right?

     

    Cag could have been that organization where there are no entries. Or the entries aren’t paid for. Like the film awards. Where the jury members select the winners on their own. And this allows the organizers to run the show in their way, on their terms. Minus all the scams and controversies that have been known to dog GoaFest.

     

    And Cag could so easily have found sponsors who desire to be associated with a clean, respected ship.

     

    In fact, I believe this can still be done. It needs just one entity/organization to revive the awards and make them the most valued in the Indian ad world.

     

    * * *

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qxjz_P3yjwM[/youtube]

    PS: Brilliant commercial from Land Rover. What a refreshing way to advertise a powerful SUV. Says so much about the brand without having to pack the ad with the usual, tired, vehicle-in-action shots.

     

  • Diptakirti Chaudhuri will move on to a new role in the Digital domain and Parveen Gupta will move to the position of Head, Marketing for HT Delhi

    Meanwhile @HT: Diptakirti Chaudhuri head strategy & new biz-digital, Parveen Gupta to head mktg in Delhi

    By A Correspondent

     

    Hindustan Times has announced that Mr Diptakirti Chaudhuri will move on from his current role as Head- Marketing, HT Delhi to a new role in the Digital domain as Head, Strategy and New Businesses, Digital Business. In this new role, he would be a part of the Leadership Team of Digital Business, and be responsible for working on new category evaluation and entry. In this role, Mr Chaudhri will directly report to Amit Garg, Business Head-Digital. Mr Chaudhri is a Mechanical Engineering Graduate from the Jadavpur University and an MBA from XLRI.

     

    Mr Parveen Gupta will move to the position of Head, Marketing for HT Delhi. In his earlier roles, Mr Gupta was a critical driver in the relaunch of both HT and HT City. He will be responsible for the entire consumer & product agenda for the brand with. He will report to Rajesh Ramakrisnan, Marketing Head, Hindustan Times. Mr Gupta is a Production Engineering Graduate from Punjab Engineering College and holds an MA and MPhil in Sociology from JNU as well as an MBA from the ISB.

  • News, Copyright issues and a more gorceful role by AROI are some changes that Tarun Goyal wants in the radio industry

    The Anchor: Tarun Goyal on 4 things that should change in the radio industry today

    By Tarun Goyal

     

    1. Radio must have full-fledged news:

    Radio should be allowed to air news freely. By allowing the private radio stations to air news limited to only AIR is not sufficient, radio is a local medium, it must be given a free hand to broadcast news.

     

    2. Copyright issue must be resolved:

    The Government of India must make the copyright policy clear. The government should come out with a formula on revenue share basis as this will change the way the dynamics of the industry. We are sharing 4 per cent of the revenue with the government ofIndia, so why can’t we share the revenues with the music companies? I believe this model can solve most problems facing the radio industry today especially in programming.

     

    3. Government must be more supportive:

    The government should be more supportive in formatting their policies for radio because the government spending on radio is not sufficient enough for the growth of the industry.

     

    4. AROI should be more assertive

    Although the AROI is functioning well, the change I would like to see is that AROI should pursue be more assertive in meeting the needs of the radio industry. The AROI must function more aggressively and the government should also take the body seriously as AROI is a body which was formed by the radio broadcasters.

     

    Mr Tarun Goyal is the Founder, Director of Radio Chaska

     

  • Three channel bouquet of BIG CBS now available to viewers of Dish TV

    BIG CBS Spark now on Dish TV

    By A Correspondent

     

    Close on heels of closing distribution deals for BIG CBS Prime and Love, the BIG CBS Network, a JV between Reliance Broadcast Network and CBS Studios International has inked the distribution deal for the third channel BIG CBS Spark on Asia’s largest DTH provider – Dish TV.

     

    Positioned as the ultimate music destination, BIG CBS Spark offers the huge 12.5 million subscriber base of Dish TV access to the best music mix from the international and Indian market spread across genres.

     

    BIG CBS Spark, targeted at the youth audiences and catering to their entertainment requirements, is loaded with music and peppered with hit shows like the Cheaters, Maximum Exposure, Smash Cuts, Oblivious and Real TV.

     

    This deal takes the total reach of the BIG CBS Channels to a strong 42.5 million households, making sure it reaches its international English entertainment content to its relevant target audiences in India.

     

    With excellent synergies coming into play, the deal helps both businesses benefit with the digitization reform which is in the anvil.

     

    Speaking on the development, Salil Kapoor, Chief Operating Officer, Dish TV, said: “Dish TV, being the pioneer and market leader in DTH industry, has now the bouquet of Big CBS channels for all its valuable customers. We are proud to extend our partnership to the entire BIG CBS Bouquet – BIG CBS Prime, Spark and Love to our 12.5 million subscribers; Dish TV endeavors to bring entertainment at par best in terms of quality content, we hope that our alliance will mutually benefit each other.”

     

    Speaking on the alliance, Vishal Rally, Business Head, BIG CBS Networks said: “We are happy to have the BIG CBS Channel Network on Dish TV. This is part of our continued endeavour to reach the world-class content from India’s No. 1 English Entertainment Network – BIG CBS’s stable to audiences seeking English entertainment in India.”

     

    This alliance complements Reliance Broadcast Networks’ recent campaign called ‘Choose Your Set-Top-Box Wisely’, designed to increase awareness and empower consumers with adequate information to make the right choice while choosing their set top boxes, while parallely enabling operators to build their brand equity. Reliance Broadcast Network has a robust well crafted 7 channel and is ready to maximize from the digital wave.

     

    An equal joint venture between Reliance Broadcast Network Limited and CBS Studios International, BIG CBS Networks has changed the way English language television entertainment is served to Indian audiences. The JV, at start, launched 3 English language  Entertainment Channels marking not just RBNL’s, but the Reliance Group’s entry into the television broadcasting space and CBS Corporation’s channel  entry into India. The themed channels targeted at India’s fast-growing, upwardly mobile population are branded BIG CBS PRIME, a premium general entertainment channel, BIG CBS SPARK, India’s first international youth entertainment channel and BIG CBS LOVE, India’s first ever international entertainment channel for the contemporary Indian couple.

     

    Dish TV is Asia’s largest direct-to-home company and part of the biggest media conglomerate – Zee Group. Dish TV has on its platform 330+ channels and services including 21 audio channels with 12.5 million subscribers, which is growing. The company has a vast distribution network of about 1400 distributors and 55,000 dealers that spans around 6600 towns across the country.

     

  • It is the current no 2 daytime show in the US, now exclusively on BIG Magic which offers great opportunities for brand endorsements, product placements, sampling

    Khullja Sim Sim returns on BIG Magic to entrall audiences

    By A Correspondent

     

    BIG Magic, the variety entertainment channel for the core Hindi heartland from the Reliance Broadcast Network stable, featuring locally relevant entertainment has further strengthened its offerings with the introduction of Indian television’s most successful game show ‘Khulja Sim Sim’ (KJSS).

     

    The show, which is a local adaptation of the international format Let’s Make A Deal, is currently USA’s No. 2 day time show. BIG Magic has acquired exclusively rights for the format from Fremantle.

     

    The fun-filled game show is a no-brainer based on intuition and luck, making it an ideal opportunity for anyone to participate. An extensive ‘call for entry’ promotion across multiple media will invite consumers to participate and get a chance to be on the show. And the entire show will be shot in UP and MP with local audiences from across the region participating.

     

    KJSS is a simple and entertaining game format. The host randomly picks up participants from the studio audience. The participant has to trade between various options and gets the chance to win a jackpot. Then participants usually have to weigh the possibility of an offer being made for a valuable prize, or a potential undesirable item, or a tai tai fish! Participants stand the chance of winning crores worth of prizes from jewellery to electronic goods and even a luxury car!

     

    The beauty of KJSS is the excellent opportunity marketers of any product category – FMCG, Automobile, Electronics, Travel & tourism, Home fittings, financial products, fashion brands, retail brands  and so on have to showcase their offerings through this game show. The show, which is slated to go on the floors shortly, will soon be announcing a leading celebrity as the host of the show. The show is being produced by BIG Productions, the television content production division of Reliance Broadcast Network Ltd.

     

    Khullja Sim Sim will be promoted through an aggressive multi-media campaign, featuring TV, Radio, OOH, Print, Digital, Cable, Cinema across the Hindi heartland. The Company said in a statement: “We are very happy to bring this successful game show exclusively on BIG MAGIC. Keeping with our commitment to give audiences in the Hindi Heartland a unique entertainment experience, KJSS gives our viewers a once in a life time opportunity to participate in a game show of this stature and win big for themselves on television! And for our advertisers what better opportunity to showcase their brands and product features than this show!”

     

    Reliance Broadcast Network Limited is a multi-media entertainment conglomerate with play across radio, television, intellectual properties and out of home. It houses the following verticals: 92.7 BIG FM -India’s largest FM Network; BIG CBS – A joint venture with CBS Studios International; BIG MAGIC – which marked the Company’s entry into the regional entertainment space. The company also distributesBloomberg UTV, India’s premier business news channel. In the space of live entertainment the company has BIG LIVE a division which develops, executes and markets Intellectual Properties, and synergizing excellently with this division is BIG PRODUCTIONS a division which functions as a television content production house catering to the diverse creative needs of the Indian television landscape.

     

  • Introduces LinkedIn Targeted Updates and Follower Statistics for Hyper-Customization of Messages to Brands' Target Audiences

    LinkedIn Strengthens Follower Ecosystem

    By A Correspondent

     

    LinkedIn – the world’s largest professional network with more than 14 million inIndia- is furthering its commitment to help brands build a more effective follower ecosystem in a business context with the launch of LinkedIn Targeted Updates and Follower Statistics. LinkedIn has signed on a select group of early release partners – including DSP Blackrock, AT&T, Dell, Microsoft, and Samsung Mobile – who will be immediately using these new follower tools.

     

    With these new offerings, this initial group of marketers will have access to the most robust targeting and analytics capabilities for their campaign initiatives on the platform from their LinkedIn Company Pages. They will be able to create hyper-focused follower lists – based on several targeting criteria, including Industry, Seniority, Job Function, Company Size, Non-company Employees, and Geography – to which they can deliver highly relevant content to increase engagement.

     

    In addition, marketers will also have self-service access to an insights dashboard that will further support their efforts by allowing them to assess their follower acquisition efforts; track engagement metrics, including likes, shares, comments, and percentage engagement, over time; and review their followers’ demographic information.

     

    LinkedIn Targeted Updates and Follower Statistics, through the hyper-customization of messages and campaign performance analysis it provides, is enhancing the LinkedIn follower ecosystem and the ability of brands to communicate with their most impactful audiences on the platform.

     

    • LinkedIn’s Unique Follower Ecosystem:

    LinkedIn’s follower ecosystem has been designed to enables marketers to: identify and acquire the right followers; more effectively engage and communicate with followers on a regular basis via relevant content; and analyze and optimize the impact of their follower relationships.

     

    • LinkedIn’s Follow Company Button:

    LinkedIn Targeted Updates and Follower Statistics’ launch follows on the heels of the introduction of the LinkedIn Follow Company button – the first phase of LinkedIn’s follower ecosystem strategy in February. It facilitates engagement through a button added to businesses’ Web pages and other marketing materials.

     

    Also 63 per cent of LinkedIn members expect companies to have a presence on LinkedIn. Members “following” companies and want to maintain these relationships: 70 per cent of LinkedIn members follow or would follow companies on LinkedIn; two out of three LinkedIn followers (64 per cent) would follow companies “indefinitely”; followers are active on LinkedIn (global).

     

     

     

  • This was the result of a competitive pitch to manage the communications activities of the the PHDCCI across the 12 states

    WordsWork bags PR mandate for PHD Chamber of Commerce & Industry

    By A Correspondent

     

    WordsWork Communications Consulting has won the public relations mandate for PHD Chamber of Commerce & Industry, a proactive and dynamic multi-state apex organisation working at the grass-root level and with strong national and international linkages. This was the result of a competitive pitch to manage the communications activities of the the PHDCCI across the 12 states that they represent since 1905.

     

    The Chamber acts as a catalyst in the promotion of industry, trade and entrepreneurship. PHD Chamber, through its research-based policy advocacy role, positively impacts the economic growth and development of the nation.

     

    Speaking on the partnership, Neha Mathur Rastogi, CEO & Founder, WordsWork, said: “We always choose to associate with clients that are regarded as the trendsetter in their respective field and this association with PHD Chamber of Commerce & Industry gives us immense pride. Our core value is to run intelligent campaigns that deliver value for our clients. The PHDCCI is a prestigious account for us and we are looking forward to deliver a valuable campaign for them.”

     

    Established in 2009, WordsWork is a young, dynamic and entrepreneurial communications advisory firm.  The organisation’s client list is spread across industries, be it sports to lifestyle to corporate. These include names like Thomson Reuters, The Netherlands Embassy, Monnet Ispat & Energy Ltd, IWC Schaffhausen, Laureus Sports for Good Foundation, German National Tourist Office, Interarch, Hero Women’s Indian Golf Open, Narain Karthikeyan (F1 Racer), and Yo!Chinaamong others.

     

  • There were a record 300 entries, a 50 per cent jump over last year. The number of participating agencies doubled to 33 agencies

    Jury meets to select winners of the 9th Mirchi KAAN Awards

    By A Correspondent

     

    The ninth edition of the Mirchi Kaan Awards had an unprecedented response when the Ad gurus met to select the best radio ads of 2011. There were a record 300 entries, a 50 per cent jump over last year. The number of participating agencies doubled to 33 agencies. And the number of entries for the Best Use of Radio as a Medium saw a tripling of entries to a record 31. Entries were spread across 15 categories, ranging from food to cosmetics.

     

    The winners will be felicitated at a gala event hosted by Cyrus Broacha on April 17 at Comedy Store, Phoenix Mills. The Mirchi KAAN Awards was introduced in 2004 to celebrate creativity in the challenging and evolving field of radio advertising. Over the years it has recognised and honoured ground-breaking and original radio campaigns.

     

    Speaking about the ninth Mirchi KAAN Awards, GG Jayanta, National Marketing Head, Radio Mirchi, said: “Every year the stakes get higher. In our 9th edition, the entries and the number of participating agencies have doubled. This is a testament to the prestige that winning a KAAN award gives. I thank the jury for having taken the time out of their busy schedule and selecting the winning entries.”

     

    The eminent jury included stalwarts like Pratap Suthan, Priti Nair, Amit Akali, Malvika Mehra, Manohar Nayak, Josy Paul, Rekha Nigam, Deepa Krishnan, Ramanuj Shastry, Tista Sen, Sonal Dabral and Ravi Deshpande.

     

    Sharing his thoughts about the quality of entries received this year, Josy Paul, Chairman and National Creative Director- BBDO India, said:  “Radio is a very personal and one to one medium. Hence good execution is of utmost importance. There has been resurgence in lot of fresh ideas this year which has lead to more freshness in programming.”

     

    Sonal Dabral, Chairman and Chief Creative Officer, DDB Mudra Group, said: “I am on the Mirchi KAAN Jury for the very first time this year and I am quite excited to be a part of this process. Radio as a medium has a lot of potential. Unlike earlier, a lot of brands have now started including and demanding for Radio advertisements to be included in the overall marketing campaign.”

     

    Ravi Deshpande, Chairman and Chief Creative Officer, Contract Advertising, said: “Advertising is always evolving, and especially radio advertising has seen tremendous amount of growth. Interesting trends of conversations are always happening and it’s nice to see them getting adapted to the medium of radio”.

     

    Ramanuj Shastry, Chief Creative Officer, Saatchi & Saatchi, said: “It’s fun to be a part of the Mirchi KAAN Awards. New writers are coming in, innovative projects are being showcased. As a jury member it is a pleasant experience to watch this fantastic trend”.

     

    Amit Akali, National Creative Director, Grey Worldwide, said: “The Tony Hertz workshop for these aspirants as a run-up to the main KAAN Awards is a commendable initiative by Radio Mirchi. The workshop will help the listeners to learn the nuances of radio advertising and improve the quality”.

     

    This year the theme of the Mirchi KAAN Awards’ ‘Listen, Learn, Shine’ focuses solely on the quality of work in the developing industry of radio advertising. Celebrated and renowned ad guru, Tony Hertz, will conduct a seminar on the art and craft of radio advertising for the aspirants from various ad agencies on April 17 as a build up to the Awards night. ET Now is the television partner and Afaqs.com is the digital partner of the ninth Mirchi KAAN Awards.

     

  • Must say, quite a risky move from Yatra.com. People will either recall Salman and his antics, and forget all about the brand, or the star will become synonymous with the brand and that will help in recall

    Debrief: Yatra.com: Dangerous strategy

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Totally filmi commercial from Yatra.com, the travel portal. They have hired the services of Salman Khan and have packed in all the masala Sallu bhai’s flicks contain. And of course, the macho hero does what he does best in his movies: Act himself.

     

    Salman plays some sort of a travel agent who spends all the ad time making fun of a partner/customer over the wig the man is wearing. Basically all the nonsense Khan indulges in on the big screen. Of course, we have no idea how Salman fits into Yatra.com and how exactly we get better deals. What happens in the ad is what happens in Salman’s movies: He totally hijacks the show.

     

    Must say, quite a risky move from Yatra.com. This is like a loaded dice that can swing any which way. People will either recall Salman and his antics and forget all about the brand (what Yatra.com does for you gets lost in all the filmi drama). Or, the star will become synonymous with the brand and that will help in recall when one is planning to travel. He could improve the brand saliency. Only time will tell Yatra.com if they’ve benefited from the actor or if they’ve pissed away a whole lot of money.

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75PU4RwdXJU[/youtube]

    Just one small side observation: A little birdie tells me the middle aged hero has got hair weaving done inDubai. In which case, should the joke not be on him? 🙂

     

    Rating: (On a scale of 1 to 5): 2.5 Marks only for the entertainment Salman provides.

  • The contest is simple and effective! Readers have to find a mnemonic dot that appears in two advertisements in the Hindustan Times every day

    HT innovates to increase ad engagement

    By A Correspondent

     

    Given the continual struggle of advertisers to grab attention of consumers, Hindustan Times has launched an initiative to engage its readers with the advertisements appearing in the newspaper daily.

     

    Called ‘Spot the Dot”, Readers have to find a mnemonic dot that appears in two advertisements in the Hindustan Times every day and message the brand names to a shortcode. Respondents stand to win attractive daily and weekly prizes such as watches and laptops.

     

    “As leaders in our field, we have always strived to innovate and set new benchmarks. We believe the advertisements are an important part of the newspaper, and a reader looks forward to the combined package every morning. This contest further increases engagement with the ads, and the response has been quite remarkable,” said Shantanu Bhanja, VP Marketing, HT Media.

     

    Dinesh Jain, CEO, Hover Automotive India, an advertiser with HT, added: “Spot the Dot is a unique initiative undertaken by HT, which helps in building brand recall and creating buzz around the brand. We applaud HT for this initiative.” Promoted every day in the paper through innovative ads, the promo has generated buzz amongst the readers as well as the advertiser fraternity.

     

    HT Media Limited is one of India’s foremost media companies, and home to three leading newspapers in the country in the English, Hindi and Business news segments – ‘Hindustan Times’ (English daily), ‘Hindustan’ (Hindi daily, through a subsidiary) and ‘Mint’ (business daily). ‘Hindustan Times’ was started in 1924 and has a more than an 85-year history as one of India’s leading newspapers. The Company also has four FM radio stations – Fever 104 FM inDelhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Kolkata.

     

    The Company has also made a foray into the Internet space through its subsidiary Firefly e-Ventures Limited and has launched successful portals, www.Shine.com, www.HTCampus.com, www.Desimartini.com. These are in addition to the existing websites livemint.com, livehindustan.com and hindustantimes.com.