MxMIndia

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  • AliveNow will carry out digital marketing activities for Forum Mall, Koromangala and Forum Value Mall, Whitefield

    Forum malls appoints AliveNow for social media

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Forum Mall, one ofBangalore’s first full-fledged malls, has appointed AliveNow as its social media partner. AliveNow will carry out digital marketing activities for Forum Mall, Koromangala and Forum Value Mall, Whitefield.

     

    Rama Raju, GM – Mall Operations said: “Forum Mall, being one of the pioneers of the mall culture inBangalore, is gearing up to elevate the brand proposition to the next level. Understanding the demographics of our TG who are significantly prevalent on social media platforms, we are pursuing to establish a better user interface to engage them further. We aim to create such an experience wherein our customers, even while being seated within the comfort of their homes, can still interact with us. Our goal is to enable our customers to carry the experience of visiting our mall out of the premises and beyond, thus creating effective brand recall.”

     

    AliveNow CEO, Adhvith Dhuddu added: “We are very excited to partner with Forum Mall and the Prestige Group to promote this iconic mall on social media. Malls could benefit from these social media tools and push the brand towards better visibility, and we plan to execute some very innovative and interesting campaigns for Forum Mall on Facebook and other social platforms.”

     

  • Cadbury Bournville will pull out all stops for the cinema release of The Dark Knight Rises (TDKR) inIndiawith one of their biggest and innovative integrated marketing campaign yet

    The Dark Knight Rises in India with Bournville

    By A Correspondent

     

    As the countdown to Christopher Nolan’s epic conclusion of the Batman trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises, kicks off around the world, Cadbury Bournville has partnered with Warner Bros to celebrate the release of the most anticipated Hollywood blockbuster of 2012.

     

    Cadbury Bournville will pull out all stops for the cinema release of The Dark Knight Rises (TDKR) in India with one of their biggest and innovative integrated marketing campaign yet.

     

    The Cadbury Bournville-TDKR integration comes to life with special brand packaging, in-store branding, on-ground activities and television and cinema campaigns. The campaign has been designed and created, going through great lengths to ensure engagement across all touch points to reach out to dedicated fans of the movie franchise as well as Bournville loyalists.

     

    However, the biggest component will be Bournville’s digital campaign, especially created for the TDKR association. The digital campaign has been brought to life with a large format online contest that will add to the wave of anticipation and excitement with the legion of movie buffs and dark chocolate aficionados.

     

    The Dark Knight has already taken centrestage on Cadbury Bournville’s Facebook page, which has over 1.5 million fans, with contests and gave 100 lucky fans prizes through an innovative pixel contest.

     

    The digital campaign also features a specially created 30-second ‘digital commercial’ viewed exclusively on Cadbury Bournville’s official YouTube channel. The video is interactive in nature as daily trivia around the Batman franchise will be posted on it with exciting prizes for lucky winners. Those with the right answers will win passes to the pre-screenings of TDKR which will be organized in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata and Chennai.

     

    Mr. Chandramouli Venkatesan – Director, Snacking & Strategy, Cadbury India said: “As the fans await the movie of the year to be released in India, we plan to take the ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ release to greater heights and even greater excitement among Bournville consumers. The movie characterizes strong feeling of emotions among youth, something that Bournville lovers are known for. The Bournville brand fit with the Dark Knight franchise cannot be any better than this. It’s like the Dark Knight really has a Dark companion in India.”

     

    A specially created 30 second TVC on the Cadbury Bournville-TDKR promotion will be starting in the second week of July. The TVC will be aired on television channels and cinema theatres.

     

    The special TDKR packs of Bournville will run an online contest for customers where one lucky winner will stand a chance to win a free trip for two to Warner Bros Movie World in Australia. The contest will be available on all packs of Bournville.

     

    The association will be promoted in-stores through heavy trade activations in traditional and modern trade throughout the month of July. The campaign will continue to be driven through direct marketing and promotional activity.

     

  • Both accounts are headquartered in Mumbai and shall be serviced by Happy's Mumbai branch

    Happy bags Ola Cabs and Eros Now

    By A Correspondent

     

    Happy Creative Services, which recently launched its Mumbai operations, has been appointed the creative agency for two new accounts based out of the city.

     

    The first one being Ola Cabs, a technology-based cab service that allows people to book a cab directly through an app on their smart phone along with the option to book via telephone and the web. The service is currently available in Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore currently and shall soon roll out to 8 cities within the year.

     

    “It is about time we had a proper organized cab service in our country. I am sure everyone is sick and tired of being put to the mercy of unorganized cab services and unprofessional cab drivers. We’re really excited to be working with Ola Cabs to launch their brand across the country. That fact that it is a technology-based service makes it all the more exciting. We are grateful to the team at Ola for placing their faith in us”, said Kartik Iyer, CEO, Happy Creative Services.

     

    On appointing Happy as the creative agency Bhavish Aggarwal, CEO, Ola Cabs said: “I was impressed with the simplicity and broad appeal of Happy’s past work and that’s exactly what we wanted at Ola. The team at Happy has put in a lot of time with us to understand what our product and brand is and how to communicate with our consumers. I’m really excited about bringing them on board!”

     

    Happy also bagged the Erosnow.com account, the digital arm of Eros International – the producers behind many of some famous Bollywood movies. Erosnow.com is a subscription based website where people can watch their favourite Bollywood movies on demand, from anywhere in the world. The site shall also feature Tamil and Telugu movies and will proceed to offer more languages in the future. Erosnow.com shall also offer music and humor content alongside the movie offering.

     

    “It is an opportunity to take Bollywood to the world. And we can’t think Eros enough for choosing us to do the job. We have a lot of exciting things planned for the global audience. It is all about the movies, and that can only be fun and entertaining,” said Pallavi Nayak, GM Mumbai, Happy Creative Services.

     

    “Getting Ola Cabs and Erosnow.com on board at Happy Mumbai is very much in sync with our overall growth strategy,” said Siddhartha Roy, COO, Happy Creative Services. “We are very confident that our work on these businesses will certainly help increase our penetration in Mumbai” he added.

     

    Both accounts are headquartered in Mumbai and shall be serviced by Happy’s Mumbai branch.

     

    Since its inception the Mumbai branch has also been working with MTV on certain special projects surrounding their ACT initiative.

     

  • The account will be handled out of Scarecrow's Mumbai office

    Scarecrow bags creative duties for Emami Healthy & Tasty

    By A Correspondent

     

    Emami Healthy & Tasty has appointed Scarecrow Communications as its creative agency. The account will be handled out of Scarecrow’s Mumbai office.

     

    Healthy & Tasty, from Emami Biotech Limited with a presence across 6 states, has an ambitious plan to go national during the course of this financial year. Despite being in existence for a short period of just over two years in a highly complex category with various regional variants and preferences and a litany of national and local players, the brand has been able to create a premium imagery and consumer preference for itself and is well on it’s way to becoming a strong national brand.

     

    Saroj Chakraborty, CEO, Emami Biotech, said: “Healthy & Tasty is a young brand with a strong appetite for growth and needed an equally young creative agency with great creative abilities to be able to match its aspirations. Scarecrow fits the bill and I have no doubt that their creative skills would be able to bring forth the inherent goodness of the brand to the consumer and help translate the brand’s aspirations into reality.”

     

    Manish Bhatt, Founder-Director, Scarecrow Communications, said: “This is one of the sweetest wins for Scarecrow. Emami is one of the most advertising-savvy companies inIndiaand it is an honor to work on one of their most prestigious brands.”

     

    Joy Sengupta, Founder-Director, Scarecrow Communications, added: “There are truly very few national brands in edible oil. We hope to create advertising that will help Healthy & Tasty find a place in a woman’s heart and also, her kitchen.”

     

  • The second edition of Power Brands provides a bigger platform for the brands to stamp their authority

    BIG FM among 100 most successful brands in Power Brands 2012

    By A Correspondent

     

    BIG FM has been named amongst the 100 most successful brands of the nation in Power Brands 2012. It is said to be the only radio network to get on the list this year. The brands were selected through one of the most extensive surveys conducted panIndiaover a research base of 20 centres and 5,000 respondents.

     

    In addition to BIG FM, the mega launch of the second edition of Power Brands saw brands like Apple, IPL, LUX, Sunsilk, Hero Motocorp, McDonalds, Airtel, HP and SBI Bank being honoured as part of the 100 Power Brands. The Power Brands Hall of Fame ceremony also took place, along with the book launch which salutes icons and leaders who have carved a niche for themselves with their remarkable strategies and vision.

     

    Rabe T Iyer, Business Head, 92.7 BIG FM said: “This recognition speaks volumes of the efforts put in by our associates across the country over the years in living the promise of ‘Life Banao’. This is the first time that a radio brand got into the power-brands, which highlights the power of the medium and its effectiveness. We are humbled by this honour and would like to thank Power Brands for this credit, as we stay committed to offering value to our stakeholders.”

     

    The second edition of Power Brands provides a bigger platform for the brands to stamp their authority. The ‘Power 100’ exemplifies the 100 most successful brands of the nation.

     

  • Sameer Suneja moves on to a global role as Executive Vice President – Innovation and Business Development

    Perfetti appoints Ramesh Jayaraman as MD

    By A Correspondent

     

    Ramesh Jayaraman

    Perfetti Van Melle, the confectionery giant will shortly be appointing Ramesh Jayaraman as the Managing Director of Perfetti Van Melle, India. Prior to this Mr. Jayaraman was the Managing Director of PVM’s businesses in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. He will take over this responsibility from Sameer Suneja who has been promoted to a global role as Executive Vice President – Innovation and Business Development.

     

    Mr. Suneja will now be based out of Netherlands, having a larger responsibility in the global operation of the company and will report to the Global CEO of Perfetti Van Melle.

     

    Mr. Jayaraman is well respected for his extensive skills and knowledge across all functions of the company. His leadership has been a key driver in transforming the company’s operations and sustained growth in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh markets.

     

    Sameer Suneja

    In India, he worked for Cadbury and Britannia, in the Marketing area. He also had a brief stint with Ogilvy and Mather. From early 1999, he has worked mainly outside India, and his assignments have taken him to China, France, Egypt, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

     

    Prior to joining Perfetti Van Melle in 2006, Mr. Jayaraman was Project Director India for Danone, and the Deputy Managing Director of Yakult Danone India Private Limited, a joint venture between Groupe Danone and Yakult Honsha of Japan.

     

    Mr. Suneja, who now moves on to this international assignment, has been with Perfetti for more than 15 years in various capacities. During his tenure in India he has played a key role in the company’s distinguished growth and he has been heading the Indian business for the past 4 years.  During his tenure the company forayed into the snacks category in India, thus becoming the first subsidiary in the group to diversify into non-confectionery segment.

     

    In his new role as Executive Vice President – Innovation and Business Development, Mr. Suneja will identify and eventually develop projects in different markets related to new product ideas and exchanging cross-Group successful experiences in the marketing and commercial fields.

     

  • This is an episodic fiction comedy and the story revolves around a family which runs a small business of home-made products

    Suvarna Launches new weekend comedy show

    By A Correspondent

     

    Star Network’s Kannada General Entertainment Channel Suvarna has announced the launch of their new weekend comedy show Tirupathi Tirumala Venkatesha directed by Master Anand, who has earlier directed the comedy shows Paduvaralli Padegalu and SSLC Nanmakkalu for Suvarna.

     

    This is an episodic fiction comedy and the story revolves around a family which runs a small business of home-made products.

     

    The show will go on air from July 7 and will be aired on weekends at 10pm.

     

    Anup Chandrashekaran, Business Head of Suvarna said: “Suvarna has been setting new benchmarks with every new show and Tirupathi Tirumala Venkatesha is yet another offering from us which will stand out as a high quality product. We, at Suvarna, are bullish about the comedy genre as it appeals to the entire family and resonates across age groups. I hope our viewers like this show.”

     

    Anil Narang, Head of Marketing & Strategy, Suvarna Channel said: “This show will further strengthen our weekend offering. We have seen in the past that viewers like light hearted comedy shows which act as a stress buster. We are confident that viewers will enjoy this hilarious comedy show.”

     

    Tirupathi Tirumala Venkatesha is one more addition to the many popular shows of Suvarna such as Krishna Rukmini, Preetiyinda, Amruthavarshini, Pancharangi Pom Pom, Chukki, Cheluvi and Pallavi Anupallavi.

     

     

  • Launched on August 31 2011, 9X Tashan is available across cable and satellite homes

    9X Tashan now also available on Tata Sky

    By A Correspondent

     

    9X Media Group’s Punjabi music channel 9X Tashan is now also available on Tata Sky. Commenting on the initiative,  Sandip Bansal, Managing Director, 9X Tashan, said: “We are delighted to announce that Tata Sky subscribers can now enjoy Punjabi music and humorous short format shows aired on 9X Tashan.”

     

    Nicola Bamford, Chief Content & Business Development Officer, Tata Sky Ltd. said: “Our endeavour has always been to provide the most relevant content to our growing subscriber base. Today, Tata Sky engages every member of the family with the most comprehensive range of entertainment and music content. The launch of 9X Tashan on our platform underscores our continued commitment to add the very best to Tata Sky’s growing portfolio of channels and further increase the entertainment value of Tata Sky.”

     

    Launched on August 31 2011, 9X Tashan is available across cable and satellite homes. The Channel is streamed live on the internet on the channel’s website - www.9xtashan.in and on various mobile platforms.

     

  • While Dainik Bhaskar has achieved 136 million page views, Divya Bhaskar has 61 million to its credit

    Bhaskar digital biz nets 200 mn page views

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Dainik Bhaskar digital business has achieved 200 million page views (PVs) and to commemorate their success, the group had noted filmmaker Ekta Kapoor visit their Noida office and participate in the cake-cutting ceremony with Pawan Agarwal, Director and Promoter, Dainik Bhaskar Group, Gyan Gupta, CEO, Dainik Bhaskar Digital Business, Harrish M Bhatia, CEO, My FM and employees.

     

    Highly impressed with the wide digital reach of the Dainik Bhaskar digital business, Ms Kapoor said, “This achievement speaks volume of the interest people take in their content and how successfully they have catered to the varying demands of the readers.”

     

    With the number of people accessing their websites – Dainik Bhaskar (www.dainikbhaskar.com), Divya Bhaskar (www.divyabhaskar.com), Daily Bhaskar (www.dailybhaskar.com) and Divya Marathi  (www.divyamarathi.com) -  increasing by the day, it is obvious that their readers not only relate to their news and articles, but also find these interactive and engaging.

     

    The local language websites have found a connect with the viewers. While Dainik Bhaskar has achieved 136 million page views, Divya Bhaskar has 61 million to its credit, explaining the impact local languages leave on the minds of the readers.

     

    Since the websites’ highest traffic is generated from their cardinal sections such as local news section, e-paper, entertainment, sports, business and stories flashed on flicker, all websites are designed keeping in mind viewers’ interests.

     

    Considering the interesting blend of articles, news items, movie reviews, videos and audio links, which all websites offer, there is something substantial for everyone!  In addition to presenting the news of national and international significance in a rational way, it is planned in a way which is simple, enlightening and attention-grabbing!

     

    Commenting on the group’s accomplishment, Mr Gupta said: “We have been making constant endeavours to give our readers what they want, beyond news. Our huge growth is an endorsement of the fact that our readers are right.”

     

  • The CNN veteran brings extensive experience from previous roles in the newsroom and broadcast sales team

    Ann Chu joins CNN advertising sales team in Asia

    By A Correspondent

     

    CNN announced that it has appointed Ann Chu as Director – Partner Solutions Group, CNN Advertising Sales Asia Pacific. Based inHong Kongand reporting to William Hsu, Vice President, CNN Advertising Sales Asia Pacific, Ms Chu will be responsible for generating and managing sponsorship opportunities and projects across the region.

     

    “Ann’s experience in both the newsgathering and content sales functions position her extremely well to provide our clients with first-in-class sponsorship solutions,” said William Hsu. “As the CNN ad sales team in Asia continues its solid sales performance this year, we look forward to Ann’s continued commitment to the network and our clients.”

     

    Ms Chu began her career at CNN in the newsroom more than a decade ago, writing and producing for award winning programs including CNN Today and BizAsia. She was most recently the Executive Director of CNN Broadcast Sales and Affiliate Relations, responsible for managing sales and support of the network’s broadcast services to networks across the region. Ms Chu was instrumental in driving the expansion of the network’s affiliate training and support services across both traditional and new media platforms, including the development of a web-based content delivery system for the network’s broadcast affiliates.

     

    Prior to joining CNN, Ms Chu worked at MTV Asia and Dreamworks in Los Angeles. She has a BA in Communications and Business from the University of Southern California, and a Masters in Journalism from the University of Hong Kong.

     

  • RK Swamy Hansa Group is being called upon to provide TAFE all ATL (Creative, Rural Marketing and Media), BTL (Promotions, Events and Activation) and CRM & Analytics services

    RK Swamy Hansa wins mandate for TAFE

    By A Correspondent

     

    The RK Swamy Hansa Group has won the mandate for Tractors and Farm Equipment Ltd. (TAFE Ltd). The pitch presentations spread across the last few months were from eight National and Regional agencies over several rounds of Credentials, Strategy, Creative, Media, Events, CRM and Analytics.

     

    The decision was initially narrowed down to RK Swamy Hansa Group, Lowe and JWT and then to a 2-way encounter between JWT and RK Swamy Hansa. This win is significant since the RK Swamy Hansa Group is being called upon to provide TAFE all ATL (Creative, Rural Marketing and Media), BTL (Promotions, Events and Activation) and CRM & Analytics services.

     

    VV Vijay Gopal, President (South & East), RK Swamy BBDO, said: “The collective expertise and deep insights that various entities of the RK Swamy Hansa bring is what enabled this win. Our task will be to enhance the equity the client has and deliver a unique customer experience.”

     

    As part of this mandate, RK Swamy BBDO Creative, Hansa Customer Equity (Hansa Cequity), RK Swamy Media Group, Social^Rural Direction and Hansa Events & Activation will come together to offer specific services. Hansa Cequity and Social^Rural Direction, the specialist division of RK Swamy BBDO were critical partners with the Creative Agency during the pitch stage. Social^Rural Direction, with its strong understanding of the rural market and strong network, will develop strategy as well as implement the rural marketing programs and events for TAFE across different states. Hansa Cequity with provide focused CRM & Analytics programs to enhance pre-sales and post-sales experience. It will also leverage the power of data, analytics & insight-driven campaigns to every customer interaction.

     

    RK Swamy BBDO will orchestrate the entire exercise of building the brand – Massey Ferguson. The agency will be the single point contact to the client.  While the Agency’s main focus will be on Strategy Planning and Creative execution for both ATL and BTL requirements, it would also ensure that all the divisions work in unison with the brand strategy to create the synergy for the brand.

     

    The RK Swamy Media Group is entrusted with all media planning and buying work.

     

  • Rajendra Gupta has joined Mogae Media as Chief Value Officer from Reliance Communications. He will be based at Mogae's Gurgaon headquarters

    Rajendra Gupta joins Mogae

    By A Correspondent

     

    Rajendra Gupta has joined Mogae Media as Chief Value Officer from Reliance Communications. Mr Gupta will be based at Mogae’s Gurgaon headquarters.

     

    Mr Gupta started his career at Dunlop where he worked across different geographies. He then spent a few years at Wipro in their Lighting Division. In 1994, he moved to Rediffusion DY&R as national head of Business Development. His first big win at Team Rediff was a small company that had won a license to launch cellular services in Delhi- Bharti. Brand Airtel was soon born

     

    “Those were the best days of my professional life. I got to work closely with the Mittal brothers and enjoyed every moment of launching a brand that one day would become a world beater”, he said.

     

    Mr Gupta moved to Reliance Communications and spent the last 10 years there in a broad variety of functions. “Moving to Mogae is like home-coming. I have worked with Sandeep Goyal for many years and his new venture really excited me. So here I am,” said Mr Gupta.

     

    “Guptaji (as he is popularly called) is a veteran of both mobile and of advertising. It is a rare combination. And that is what makes him a really valuable asset on any team,” said Tanya Goyal, Director of Mogae Media. “We look forward to Guptaji carving out a new business out of creating customer value and delight through options on hi-value brands”.

     

    Mogae Media is the exclusive partner of Airtel, for monetization of all its mAdvertising assets, including mCouponing and mCommerce.

     

    Mogae Media was launched by Sandeep Goyal, former JV partner of Dentsu India in October 2011.