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  • The idea is to not just create a platform for young talent, but to also actively look for the unique, different and gifted

    Lowe Lintas to host 10th Portfolio Night

    By A Correspondent

     

    Lowe Lintas and Partners has once again come in support of Portfolio Night, which in its simplest form is, a platform for young creative aspirants to have their work sampled by at least three top creative directors from the industry in one evening. In the process, they not only get feedback and advice, but if they are good enough, they might land up a job as well. It is conducted on the same date in more than 20 cities all over the world every year.

     

    Organised by IHAVEANIDEA globally, as an industry event, it has been growing over the past few years with a lot of young creatives looking forward to it. Since 2003, it has taken place in 56 cities and 35 countries around the world. Over the past nine years, over 11,000 young copywriters, art directors and designers have taken part in it all over the world. And over 2,800 Creative Directors have given their time to participate in Portfolio Night.

     

    Mumbai has been a part of this event since last two years and this is the third year that it is being organized in the city. Given the significance of encouraging and motivating new talent in the industry, the mantle of organizing Portfolio Night in Mumbai has been taken up by Lowe Lintas and Partners this year on May 23 at the Four Seasons in Worli.

     

    With 25 top CDs from the industry slated to attend and review the work of young, enthusiastic creatives, this highly anticipated evening will unite advertising and design communities in every continent as the next generation of creative talent makes an exciting foray into the industry.

     

    The idea is to not just create a platform for young talent, but to also actively look for the unique, different and gifted. It acquires tremendous significance as there are limited opportunities for the young creatives to discover opportunities in the industry. This is one way with which they not only get one but three opportunities in one evening.

     

    And while one may think that he or she is talented enough to be in an agency, the reality of what agencies and Creative Directors look for may be completely different. Part of the attraction is thus the opportunity for young aspirants to get valuable advice and perspectives as well, from some of the well-known and established CDs who have gone through the grind.

     

    Arun Iyer, NCD, Lowe Lintas and Partners, said: “Hosting Portfolio Night is one way for us at Lowe Lintas and Partners to give back to the community. We would want young creative guys to come in and get the chance to talk to some of the best known CDs in the country. It’s only when you sit in front of someone who has the experience and the maturity that you understand what’s frivolous and what’s really important in a given context. Portfolio Night is thus the right opportunity to get a Reality Check.”

     

  • The idea behind Ward Watch is to sensitize people about their rights and to apprise the civic bodies about people’s expectations

    Inext’s Ward Watch for civic issues

    By A Correspondent

     

    In an attempt to bring order to the ever chaotic city wards, Inext, from Jagran Prakashan, has launched a Ward Watch campaign, a three month long campaign which will focus on the civic infrastructure issues that plague the cities. It will highlight core areas which warrant serious attention like roads, sewage, power supply, water connections, garbage collection, which pose a big challenge for people to lead a healthy and risk free life.

     

    This drive covers over 500 wards across 10 cities includingKanpur,Allahabad,Ranchi,Gorakhpur,Agra,Varanasi,Meerut,Lucknow,PatnaandBareilly. Inext team will go from one ward to another, digging out problems that the residents face in their daily life due to lackadaisical attitude of authorities and the office bearers towards local area development. Inext, through this civic focused initiative, will pose direct questions to the policy makers by bringing the plight of the wards on a public forum. The corporators, councillors /parishads of the locality will be confronted and responses will be sought for the sorry state of affairs.

     

    Similarly, the residents are also invited to present their perspective on the health of their respective wards. Therefore, this not only provides masses a platform to voice their concerns through Inext, but also it will also open up a debate on the role of each of the stakeholders including the government, civic authorities and the people.

     

    Alok Sanwal, Editor, Inext explained the rationale behind this initiative: “Mini metros inIndiasuffer from a peculiar and perennial state of negligence as far as civic affairs are concerned. There are many pockets, where even very basic facilities like proper sanitation, power supply and garbage management are absent. Ward Watch will highlight the local problems by taking them up ward wise, for a deeper penetration. And Inext, being a youthful newspaper, through this initiative resonates with the realization of the need to change, a change that solves problems!”

     

    The idea behind Ward Watch is to sensitize people about their rights and to apprise the civic bodies about people’s expectations. In Inext’s efforts to reach out to the people, youth have shown tremendous enthusiasm and support to the cause.

  • To remake the Vidya Balan starrer Kahaani in Tamil and Telugu

    Endemol India forays into films

    By A Correspondent

     

    Following the acquisition of a 49 per cent stake in the company by CA Media, Endemol India is all set to make its foray into the film making business. The company has already acquired rights to remake Vidya Balan starrer Kahaani in Tamil and Telugu. The production is slated to begin in September this year and the company is looking forward to an early January release of the films in 2013.

     

    Endemol India is currently in talks with a couple of leading South Indian actors for the lead role in the remake of Kahaani. Sujoy Ghosh, who produced the original script, will also step in as the producer for the remakes and will be working with a leading director from the south Indian film industry.

     

    Elaborating further on this venture, Endemol India CEO, Deepak Dhar said: “After having produced content for some of the biggest format shows in the country, we realized it was time for us to venture into something new. Filmmaking was always on the cards and we are delighted to actually do it. We are already lining up projects for 2013 and are extremely excited about our first project, the remake of Kahaani, which will be in production soon.”

     

    Endemol India will be producing 3-4 films every year with an equal mix of South and Bollywood scripts. The slate for 2013 will be announced soon and work is on for the 2014 slate.

     

    While the movie making business is Endemol India’s newest venture; the company will continue to produce content for television shows with Bigg Boss and Fear Factor returning for their sixth season this year.

     

  • This cricket season, RED FM gives its listeners an opportunity to earn mega cash prizes with Sania Bhabhi

    Sania Bhabhi is back on Red FM

    By A Correspondent

     

    Known for its innovations, 93.5 Red FM has got ‘Sania Bhabhi’, a sensuous housewife who considers all cricketers her ‘dewars’, back this cricket season. Last year, the character was introduced by Red FM Delhi to deliver cricketing content in an interesting and entertaining manner. Sania Bhabhi used to have topical conversations with her dewars, in a way that makes the listeners let loose their imagine.

     

    This year she has come back with her wallet full of cash, nicked from her dewars, up for winning through interesting contests. The concept of the show is that Sania Bhabhi knows that all her dewars have earned big bucks, and now she will share that loot with the listeners. For one specified hour in each show on Red FM, she will declare the amounts she’s taken from cricketers. Listeners are encouraged to stay tuned through the hour to know how much money she has given away. The listener who will declare the correct total amount will walk away with that cash prize at the end of the hour.

     

    The activity has already started from April 4 and will stay on air through-out the IPL cricket season till end of May.  Nearly Rs10,000 will be given out as prizes every day.

     

    The campaign is primarily aimed at getting listeners to listen to the station longer, through which they can win big. As such, the off-air media will focus to touch-points, to generate incremental listenership:

    • Posters in pan shops, other relevant outlets in high visibility areas for the primary demographic
    • Slides, ambient media at PVR
    • Facebook activation, with creative and audio downloads from theDelhipage

     

  • This edition of DNA Wheelocity Auto Expo which showcased cars from the every price level

    DNA drives 10,000 visitors to Wheelocity Auto Expo 2012

    By A Correspondent

     

    Over 10,000 visitors visited DNA Wheelocity Auto Expo on May 12 and 13 at theBombayExhibitionCenterto enquire about sedans, hatchbacks, SUVs and bikes, which were being exhibited. From Maruti to the brands like Toyota, Mahindra, Honda, Renault, Hyundai, Ford, Nissan, GM, BMW, Land Rover, Volkswagen were amongst others on display. The expo also saw some vintages on display – a Ford Mustang 1969 model, a Dodge 1954 and Avon SS 1933.

     

    This edition of DNA Wheelocity Auto Expo which showcased cars from the every price level turned out to be a winner as there were interested buyers gathering information on their choice. Gautam Dalal, Vice President Marketing, DNA said: “The ability of a newspaper to deliver over 10,000 footfalls is an absolute testament to the response generating power of DNA. The clients present have ensured that working with DNA was indeed a fruitful relationship. They now want us to commission the next one at the earliest.”

     

    DNA had begun their campaign just 15 days prior grabbing the attention of their 6 lakh readers.

     

    In 6 years, DNA has become India’s 6th largest and the fastest growing English daily. Targeted at a young readership, DNA is the voice and soul of its readers intertwined with honesty. Through news, views, analyses and interactivity, DNA provides readers with a composite unbiased picture of their city and the world. Its interactive platforms seek to bring the reader and surfer at the centre of its news activity.

     

     

  • While the TV viewership is falling, mobile viewership ratings see a rise

    Apalya TV crosses 11 million viewers on IPL 2012

    By A Correspondent

     

    The IPL’s fifth season is proving to be good news for mobile TV operators. Apalya Technologies, leader in mobile video, has registered 11 million viewers till now for the IPL 2012. This rise in mobile viewership is close to the numbers garnered by YouTube, which is also registering the same number of viewers on its website.

     

    Speaking on the increasing viewers for mobile TV, Vamshi Krishna Reddy, Co-founder & CEO, Apalya Technologies said: “We started the tournament with an aim to catch at least 10 million subscribers before IPL 2012 ended and today after 65 matches, we are proud that Apalya Technologies has already crossed its target and registered 11 million viewers who are watching the matches Live on their mobiles. With another 10 odd matches to go, we are sure that we will be able to write many success stories this IPL.”

     

    He added: “Apalya Technologies is exceeding not only TV, but also online viewership numbers, as compared to mobile viewership with the average minutes of usage per customer being between 17 to 20 minutes per day. Out of these viewers that we have registered till now, at least 70 per cent is coming from the Nokia users. The fact that mobile TV viewership is increasing is a proof in itself that the trends are changing and we are adapting to newer ways of watching TV.”

     

    With emerging technologies and growing mobile video viewing habits, India records over 200 million video views a month on mobile devices and Apalya is all set to capitalize the opportunity to tap the interest of the youth, allowing them mobile video viewing for various popular events. During the World Cup season in April 2011, Apalya generated 17 TB of streaming and with close to 50 minutes of usage per user for the 6 matches India played. Currently, Apalya powers mobile TV for all the major telecom service providers in India and has also launched its services with leading operators in Sri Lanka & Indonesia.

     

  • The survey, conducted across 28 cities, revealed that the BJP would garner 28 per cent of the votes if Lok Sabha elections are held now, while the Congress would manage only 20 per cent

    Congress-led UPA loses sheen as BJP inches ahead: ABP News-Nielsen Survey

    By A Correspondent

     

    The ABP News-Nielsen survey conducted on the eve of the UPA-II third anniversary has revealed that after eight years in power, the Congress-led coalition’s pull seems to be diminishing.

     

    The survey, conducted across 28 cities across the country in April-May 2012, revealed that the BJP would garner 28 per cent of the votes if Lok Sabha elections are held now, while the Congress would manage only 20 per cent.

     

    In fact, the BJP has turned out to be the most favoured party. In an interesting revelation, only 69 per cent of those who voted for Congress during 2009 Lok Sabha elections are still intending to vote for it, if Lok Sabha elections are held now. 31 per cent are moving away from it and 12 per cent now intend to vote for the BJP. Whereas for BJP, 84 per cent will stick with the party and only 2 per cent are switching away from it to Congress.

     

    In 2009 elections, 28 per cent of these respondents voted for Congress, while 27 per cent voted for the BJP. But for the BJP, the dip of 8 per cent in the Congress vote share is not a complete gain. The BJP is gaining only a marginal 1 per cent. The remaining 7 per cent dip in Congress vote share among these respondents is gain for regional parties.

     

    In the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, Congress had won 207 seats while BJP had got 116 seats.

     

    While 32 per cent believed the government’s performance was good or very good, a sizable 35 per cent rated the performance as average.

     

    Significant 21 per cent respondents said it was poor while 11 per cent rated the performance as very poor. The performance of UPA government has been rated slightly below average with a mean score 2.95, which is lower than the mean score of 3.22 last year.

     

    However, Manmohan Singh’s ratings are good with 37 per cent respondents saying his performance was good or very good. Another 33 per cent ranked him average, while 28 per cent believed his performance was poor or very poor.

     

    Around 32 per cent of the respondents felt that performance of UPA government is better or much better than its last term. A dip of 8 per cent is observed in the perception of people from last year survey, where 40 per cent of the respondents felt that the performance of UPA government is better than previous term. 39 per cent rated UPA performance as “about the same” this year, similar score in comparison to last year.

     

    Only 36 per cent of the respondents felt that performance of the PM is better than its last term. A dip of 8 per cent is noted in the perception of people from the last year survey, where 44 per cent of respondents said that the PM performed better than his previous term.

     

    When it comes to best leader in the country, Narendra Modi 17 per cent said he is the best leader over Manmohan Singh at 16 per cent. Modi was preferred at number four during last year’s survey (12 per cent).Manmohan was ranked at number 1 last year (21 per cent).  Rahul Gandhi’s scores have dipped from 19 per cent to 13 per cent this year.  Sonia Gandhi’s scores are down from 14 per cent to 9 per cent.

     

  • Over Rs8.89 crore funds were raised as part of the Green Campaign

    NDTV celebrated May 20 as ‘India’s Recycling Day’

    By A Correspondent

     

    NDTV, the country’s most reputed news network, brought together concerned citizens for the fourth edition of the NDTV-Toyota Greenathon on May 20, in a 12 hour long gala finale at the Yash Raj Studio in Mumbai.  This year, the focus has been recycling waste, especially plastic, along with encouraging everyone to keep their immediate environment clean. Joining the grand celebrations of Greenathon 4 were a galaxy of film personalities, celebrity chefs, composers and singers, chief ministers, Members of Parliament, school children and citizens from around the country.

     

    In keeping with the green theme, the NDTV-Toyota Greenathon 4 set was made of recyclable products. The unique Green Set, created by well known designer Omang Kumar, also had a Green Kitchen area where celebrity chefs including Aditya Bal, Ritu Dalmia, Bikramjit Singh and Vicky Ratnani cooked some eco-friendly, delicious recipes for guests and hosts.

     

    Supporting this Green Initiative and raising awareness about the environment, actor Milind Soman started his 1,500 km Green Run on April 20, running from the Qutub Minar in New Delhi, across 5 states and ending his Green Run at Yash Raj Studios in Mumbai. His 1,500km run in 30 days had been recognised as a World Record by the Limca Book of Records.

     

    In an attempt to mobilise a mass movement, plastic/recyclable waste collection centres were set up across New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Phagwara (Punjab), Dharamshala and Nainital. People were invited to come out and participate in the recycling drive by depositing their recyclable waste, from plastic (bags and bottles), metal, paper, Tetrapak cartons and e-waste.

     

    Some of the generous supporters of the campaign were brand ambassador Priyanka Chopra, Cyrus Broacha, Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Shahid Kapoor, Sridevi, Farhan Akhtar, Imran Khan, Deepika Padukone, Rahul Bose, Kunal Kohli, Parineeti Chopra, Arjun Kapoor, Bappi Lahiri and Vasundhara Das.

     

    Speaking on the occasion, Dr Prannoy Roy, Chairman NDTV Group, said: “NDTV-Toyota Greenathon 4 has been the best we have seen so far. I would like to thank TERI for being there and making this whole experience a success. Not having light is like losing your eyesight.”

     

    NDTV-Toyota Greenathon 4 saw Rs8.89 crore being raised to benefit 508 villages. IndusTower came forward to donate Rs5 crore and the Power Finance Corporation donated Rs3 crore. Other key donors included Shah Rukh Khan who adopted 12 villages and Aamir Khan who adopted 5 villages. Shahid Kapoor adopted 3 villages, Priyanka Chopra adopted 2 villages.

     

    Since its launch in 2008 The Greenathon Campaign has already funded solar lanterns for over 600 villages benefitting thousands of households. The NDTV-Toyota Green Campaign was the first ever-nationwide campaign to save the environment. The Campaign is aimed at creating awareness about the environment, by involving the people of our country to make a difference, and is supported by Dr RK Pachauri and TERI.

     

  • WPP media investment management arm will roll out Buddy Media's BuyBuddy social ad software to all agencies

    GroupM selects Buddy Media as preferred social ad partner globally

    By A Correspondent

     

    Buddy Media, the social enterprise software for eight of the world’s top ten global advertisers, announced that GroupM has selected the company’s BuyBuddy social ad product as its preferred social ad management partner.

     

    “We are proud that GroupM has chosen Buddy Media as its preferred social ad partner,” said Michael Lazerow, CEO and Founder, Buddy Media. “Our self-serve social ad buying technology will make it easy for any GroupM agency to effectively scale and measure social spend for their clients.”

     

    GroupM will roll out Buddy Media’s BuyBuddy to all of its agencies, including Maxus, MEC, MediaCom, Mindshare, M80 and other business units. It will also begin training on how to maximize the benefits of Buddy Media’s unified social marketing software solution across paid, owned and earned media.

     

    “After extensive evaluation of the marketplace, GroupM is excited to deploy Buddy Media’s social ad software to all of our agencies,” said Rob Norman, CEO, GroupM Interaction Worldwide. “Social media success is of critical importance to our clients, and Buddy Media is the proven self-serve solution in market that has a focus on empowering agencies and being a true partner. We will continue to work with other partners but believe this consolidation will offer our clients and teams the opportunity to develop consistent high performance in a rapidly developing market.”

     

    GroupM invested $200 million in Facebook advertising in 2011. Social network ad revenues will grow to nearly $10 billion in 2013, up from to $5.54 billion in 2011, according to eMarketer.

     

  • Reliance Digital TV is the first DTH operator to offer BIG Magic to the viewers

    BIG Magic to be available on Reliance Digital TV

    By A Correspondent

     

    BIGMagic, India’s first variety entertainment channel for the core Hindi heartland from the Reliance Broadcast Network stable, will now be available to all viewers of the Reliance Digital TV platform.

     

    BIG Magic will replace Imagine TV on Reliance Digital TV channel 213, increasing its reach to an additional 4.5 mn digital homes and in effect goes national. This move allows BIG Magic immediate width in reach across the country, and marks the first step in its digital distribution plan.

     

    With the channel’s endeavour to take its unique regional content to the increasingly large base of DTH audiences in the Hindi Heartland, this alliance between BIG Magic and Reliance Digital TV, marks the beginning of a slew of digital alliances that the Channel is in the process of closing.

     

    Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Anand Chakravarthy, Business Head, BIG Magic said: “The last one year has seen BIG MAGIC build a strong platform on the back of an excellent programming mix and leveraging BIG FM’s brand lineage to fortify its position as a leading player in a very short span of time. As a next step of growth, DTH was the logical move and what better than Reliance Digital TV to begin with. This will only further cement our position as a leading regional television player, serving tailored entertainment to people who belong to the heartland.”

     

    Commenting on this occasion, Mr. Ashutosh Srivastava, Business Head, Reliance Digital TV said: “It has always been our constant endeavour to provide our customers with choice of content thus, enhancing their viewing experience. By adding BIG Magic to our bouquet, we now offer the unique regional variety entertainment content like movies and daily soaps for our subscribers from the Hindi speaking states of UP, MP, Bihar and Jharkhand directly in the comfort of their homes.”

     

    The partnership with Reliance Digital TV will be promoted aggressively on BIG MAGIC as well as on 92.7 BIG FM.

     

    BIG MAGIC is currently being distributed across all cable operators across the states of UP, MP and Bihar and spread across operators like DEN, Digicable, WWIL, Hathway, Darsh and Maurya amongst others, reaching approximately 10 million households in the heartland. Add to this the reach of Reliance Digital TV and BIG MAGIC can now boast of an enhanced reach. The Channel is supported with a high decibel multi-media integration plan across 92.7 BIG FM, Outdoor, and Mall Activation, play-out seeding in malls, print and local cable.

     

  • The soundtrack becomes the first in India to premiere on the mobile platform before the album's physical music release – thus tapping into the fast expanding base of mobile music listeners

    Airtel & Hungama announce mobile music premiere of Gangs of Wasseypur

    By A Correspondent

     

    Music from Anurag Kashyap’s most-awaited movie ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’ became the first soundtrack in India to premiere on the mobile platform, prior to the album’s physical music release thanks to a tie-up between Airtel  and Hungama Mobile. The music is now available exclusively for Airtel mobile customers till May 26 via Hello Tunes and Airtel Radio.

     

    Commenting on this, N Rajaram, CMO – Consumer Business, Bharti Airtel said: “The music premier of ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’ on the mobile platform speaks volumes of the changing consumption pattern among customers today. Be it music, movies, gaming, social networking or emailing – the discerning Indian customer is increasingly relying on the mobile phone for accessing content. As more and more customers prefer listening to music on their mobile phones, we expect to see mobile music launches as a fast emerging trend towards catering to the preferences of India’s expanding base of mobile music listeners. We are delighted to join hands with Hungama to announce this industry first and exclusive for Airtel mobile customers”.

     

    Albert Almeida, COO, Hungama Mobile, said: “The mobile ecosystem is evolving and with a staggering number of consumers wanting to consume music and movies directly on their phones, we are happy to satiate their appetite. Airtel has been at the forefront of marketing and distributing entertainment and music content via mobile devices and through this initiative together we will make a compelling offer to music lovers yet again.”

     

    What makes this tie-up special is that ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’ has been selected for the prestigious “Directors’ Fortnight” at the 65th Festival De Cannes and has already garnered unprecedented buzz from international media and critics.

     

  • Fans can now listen to the live, running commentary of the last three matches including the final IPL matches on AIR

    Times Internet partners AIR for live IPL commentary

    By A Correspondent

     

    Times Internet Limited (TIL) and All India Radio (AIR) have joined hands to broadcast live commentary of IPL 2012 over AIR’s national channel and the FM Gold Network.

     

    The running commentary of the final matches of IPL 2012 will be broadcast alternately in Hindi and English on National Channel and FM Gold Network.

     

    Speaking on the deal, Rishi Khiani, CEO, Times Internet, said: “By partnering with All India Radio, IPL 2012 will be able to reach out to a much larger base of cricket fans, who are spread all over the country ,especially beyond the metros.”

     

    “AIR has had a very long innings in promoting sports including cricket in the country. We are still going strong in that direction. We are now about to carry live commentary of the last three important and crucial matches including the final match of IPL. We hope that this would provide a new experience to our listeners,” said LD Mandloi, Director General, All India Radio.