MxMIndia

Category: ADVERTISING

  • Taproot has created series of TVCs for Karbonn Smart Mobile which is the official sponsor of the Champions League Twenty20 currently being played in South Africa

    Taproot India creates its first campaign for Karbonn Mobile

    By A Correspondent

     

    Karbonn Smart Mobile is the official sponsor of the Champions League Twenty20 currently being played in South Africa.

     

    Taproot has created series of TVCs which is currently on air, and there will be some digital and onground activities as well in the coming days, which are around the same idea, “Can you do two things at a time?”

     

    Shashin Devsare, Executive Director, Karbonn Mobiles explained, “Our superior quality ‘Duple series’ phone A21 is dedicated for dual core processors and is launched under the highly successful umbrella ‘Karbonn Smart’. We asked the agency to come up with a unique campaign so as to communicate the multitasking capabilities of dual core processors being used in Karbonn Smartphones. The creative message in the campaign is centric to Karbonn Smart’s new advertising positioning of connecting with Indian youth with offbeat, humorous & engaging messaging. We are confident that this new campaign will help us engage better with our consumers, enhancing the brand imagery for the smartphone segment in the market.”

     

    Santosh Padhi, Chief Creative Officer & Co-Founder, Taproot India said, “The challenge was to bring upfront the single-minded benefit (Dual Core Processor in the Duple Series Smart phones) basically what it does is, it allows you to do more than one thing at the same time. We took a interesting insight that’s relevant to youth, though youth is known for multitasking, but physical one cannot do two things at a time, hence the whole idea is you may fail to do two things at the same time but the new Karbonn Smart A21 won’t.”

     

    Manan Mehta, Managing Partner, Taproot India said, “This is our first campaign for Karbonn Smart. We were handed over an interesting brief where the target audience were teenagers. The truth about today’s young India is that they are comfortable living parallel lives at multiple levels. Their impatience combined with high ambitions have allowed the unlocking of potential markets, by creating opportunities to launch products that address their needs. The intent of this campaign was to reflect this very mindset of our impatient, multi-tasking audience and demonstrate the product benefit upfront in a rather amusing manner.”

     

  • The TVC features a young couple having a blast, as they set off on various weekday holidays. The man manages so many chhuttis by giving those thakela excuses to his rather gullible boss

    Debrief: Mahindra Quanto’s strange positioning

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Mahindra has come up with a rather intriguing positioning for their new compact SUV called Quanto. They have called it the ‘weekend life’ car meant for young couples. Must say I find this very odd. I thought Quanto was the cheapest SUV in the Indian market, and that is its biggest plus point. Also, I believe an SUV in India is essentially favoured by largish families, the hansta khelta parivaar.

     

    The TVC features a young couple having a blast, as they set off on various weekday holidays. The man manages so many chhuttis by giving those thakela excuses to his rather gullible boss: Dog bit ma-in-law, wife is sick, house got robbed, etc. Then there’s a silly, very predictable twist in the end. Of course, the holiday imagery is peppered with shots of Quanto.

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”220″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wu3yCLR5c2k[/youtube]

    Here’s the problem: I would imagine a young urban couple would seek out a sedan or a loaded hatchback at Quanto’s price point (around Rs 6 lakh). And that’s a sensible option over buying a low-end SUV which is expected to be low on power and features. Because extra room isn’t really their top priority (unless, er, they intend to do naughty stuff inside the car!). Which is why this positioning appears incorrect. Quanto simply had to target the Big Indian Family.

     

    In addition, the creative is un-interesting and the humour forced, and this makes matters worse. But treatment issues can be sorted out in the next commercial. What is problematic is the positioning. It beats all logic.

     

    Rating: (On a scale of 1-5): 1. Confused strategy, weak creative.

     

  • Salman Khurshid conducted himself so shabbily that as a viewer, one was left wondering if one had erroneously switched into the Bigg Boss mad house

    Anil Thakraney: Mr Khurshid, you screwed up!

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Watching Mr and Mrs Salman Khurshid in action at a press conference on Sunday told me how little even an exalted minister is aware of how to hold a successful press meet. He was responding to accusations of forgery and corruption involving an NGO he heads. Recently, a corporate friend told me that some organizations hold workshops on how to deal with the media. This is a good idea, and our politicians must also organize such training programmes for themselves.

     

    Khurshid conducted himself so shabbily that as a viewer, one was left wondering if one had erroneously switched into the Bigg Boss mad house. Although I don’t participate in these gigs, here are some commonsense tips on how to hold a successful press meet. And how not to make a bungling fool of yourself, as Khurshid certainly did.

     

    One, never, never, never lose your cool, no matter how agitated you are in the head, no matter how serious the charges are. Demonstrating anger in a press conference shows you in a very poor light, the public opinion directly goes against you. Always be in control.

     

    Two, be coherent in your statements, do your homework before you arrive at the meet. You already know the type of questions that will come your way, therefore keep your answers ready and keep them pithy. If you fly off on a tangent (as Khurshid frequently did), it will confuse not just the journalists but the public who will eventually consume the event. And when that happens, the entire purpose of the conference is lost.

     

    Three, do not be rude with journalists, no matter how provocative the questions are, no matter how aggressive their body language is. Definitely no ‘You there, shut up!’ The moment you speak crassly at a press conference, you have already lost the battle. In Khurshid’s case, he has an axe to grind with the India Today group. But behaving politely with their reporters would have scored the man some easy brownie points.

     

    Four, never, never have an entourage of chamchas and groupies stand right behind you. This shows you are not confident, and are using your minions as a crutch. This enhances the perception of guilt. Stand in the line of fire all alone. Particularly so if the accusations are personally targeted at you.

     

    Five, and this is specific to Khurshid (therefore, dear militant feminists, please spare me the knives). Do not invite your missus to sit next to you at a press meet. Even if she happens to be the co-accused. Be a man and deal with the heat on your own. And I say this also because, if your partner happens to be an edgy and a restless soul (which Mrs Khurshid clearly is), she will mess up your show more than it already is.

     

     Anil Thakraney, Editor-at-Large,MxMIndia, is a senior journalist and commentator based in Mumbai. The views here are his own

  • With the new addition, the communications firm takes its award tally to 17 for the year

    Pulp Strategy brings home a Globe

    By A Correspondent

     

    Pulp Strategy Communications has added another feather to its cap by securing a bronze at Globe Awards in the category Best Telecom, Utilities and Technology for their campaign: Learn with Yahoo – New to Net campaign.

     

    The awards were announced at the 27th Annual MAA GLOBE Awards during the MAA Worldwide Conference at the Park Hyatt, Chicago. Over 130 judges from 15 countries, representing agencies, clients, academia, media and industry associations carefully reviewed over 300 campaigns spanning across 25 countries in July and August this year.

     

    “We are thrilled with the win at the MAA Globes; it’s indeed a high to realize the scale at which the program takes place, and to absorb the fact that we made our place among the best of the best across the globe. This win not only speaks of our work which has shone with 17 awards this year but also sets the pace for us to do better with each campaign in the future. Behind this win silently glows our constant endeavour to deliver innovation and results,” saidAmbika Sharma,MDand CEO, Pulp Strategy Communications.

     

    The Globes are the most competitive and renowned awards. Only the campaign winners in the PMAA and similar partner awards in each continent can enter into the Globes. Including the Best of the Best Globe Award, 72 Awards – Globe, Silver and Bronze – were awarded in 25 Categories and announced at the 27th annual MAA GLOBE Awards during the MAA Worldwide Conference at the Park Hyatt, Chicago. Entries were received from six continents and some of the most innovative ideas came fromBrazil,Russia,China,UkraineandIndia.

     

    The MAA Globe Awards recognizes the very best in marketing campaigns executed globally with association partners: CAMPRO from Argentina, the APMA Stars from Australia & New Zealand, AMPRO from Brazil, CAPMA PROMO Awards from Canada, the JPM Awards from Japan, the PMAA Dragons of Asia, the Silver Mercury’s from Russia and Ukraine, the IPM Awards from the UK and the PMA REGGIE Awards from the USA. Entries were also received from Israel, South Africa and Ireland.

     

    Over 130 judges from 15 countries, representing agencies, clients, academia, media and industry associations carefully reviewed over 300 campaigns from 25 countries in July and August this year. Kathryn Williams, a judge from Australia, commented “…the entries are world class. My categories were perfect, and I found the calibre of work to be exceptional – in times where our marketing budgets seem to be drying up, creativity shines…”

     

  • Harry Winston Opus 12 has won the coveted Watch World watch of the year 2012, while Titan's MD Bhaskar Bhat has been awarded for special contribution to the watch industry

    Harry Winston Opus 12 awarded at Watch World Awards 2012

    By A Correspondent

     

    Watch World, from the Chitralekha Group, hosted the third edition of Watch World Awards recently.

     

    The marquee event was moderated by Chitralekha’s President and Publisher, Mitrajit Bhattacharya, while the jury which comprised of Master watchmaker with five decades of experience in watchmaking – Antoine Simonin; Leading image consultant Chhaya Momaya; Noted designer Priyadarshini Rao; Cricket Commentator Ravi Shastri along with established marketing consultants from Market Gate – Shripad Nadkarni and Sharda Agarwal; awarded leading watches across eleven categories in the Product Awards section and five categories in the Marketing & Merchandising Awards category.

     

    The event which saw attendance by eclectic timekeeping brands like Cartier, Harry Winston, Zenith, Hublot, Bulgari, TAG Heuer, Dior, Greubel & Forsey, Breitling, Corum, Parmigiani, Romain Jerome, Seiko, Citizen, Titan, Timex, HYT, Rotary, and many others; saw stiff competition amongst the brands with Harry Winston coming out the winners and bagging the ‘Watch of the Year’ commendation.

     

    Commenting on the occasion, Mitrajit Bhattacharya said, “The success of this third edition of Watch World Awards reiterates the success of the franchise and creates a pertinent connect within the horology industry. By bringing together marquee brands, our endeavour is to create a common platform to laud the technical innovativeness and bespoke workmanship that these finesse masters create. This opportunity is also a time to celebrate the greatest leveller of life – Time and honour its significance in our lives.”

     

    The winners in the Product category were GREUBEL FORSEY GMT which won the award for the ‘Complicated Watch of the Year’. While the HUBLOT Oceanographic 4000 won the ‘Sports Watch of the Year’ award, ROMAIN JEROME Steampunk RED Chronograph was adjudged the ‘Watch with Best Design’, HARRY WINSTON Opus 12 and HYT H1 both won the ‘Best Concept Watch of the Year’ award and CARTIER Pocket Watch Grande Complication Skeleton which was adjudged the ‘Best Limited Edition Watch of the Year’.

     

    Gurinder Sahni, CEO Jot Impex said, “Watch World Awards is a very special platform as far as the Indian market is concerned. We thank the Watch World team’s initiative year on year, and on behalf of our team back in Geneva at Romain Jerome, we are proud to win the prestigious Design category this year”.

     

    The jury also presented the ‘Jewellery Watch of the Year’ award to BULGARI Serpenti and the ‘Fashion Watch of the Year’ award to HARRY WINSTON Ladies Midnight Moon Phase. While ‘The Watch with Most Innovative Material’ was awarded to HUBLOT Big Bang Ferrari Magic Gold, the ‘Watch with Highest Utility’ award was presented to SEIKO Astron GPS, the ‘Watch with Artistic Excellence’ award to CARTIER Promenade d’une Panthere and TAG HEUER Formula 1 Lady Steel & Ceramic Diamond Dial bagging the ‘Value for Money Watch of the Year’ award.

     

    Jury member Antoine Simonin, commented “I am honoured to be a part of the jury this year as well. There has been a greater increase in the brands and quality of nominations this year which augurs well for the horology eco-sphere. Seeing the response of global brands in this third year, I am happy to watch the Watch World Awards making a mark for itself in a very short span. I wish that these awards go strength to strength and create an unforgettable franchise for itself.”

     

    While the Product category saw stiff competition; the Marketing category saw TIMEX Helix bagging the ‘Best Marketing Campaign in Print’ award with TITAN HTSE picking up the award for ‘Best Marketing Campaign on Television’. While ‘Best In-Store Merchandise’ was won by HUBLOT, BREITLING Rue de la Paix, Paris picked the ‘Best Boutique’ award and PARMIGIANI Château-d’Oex International Balloon Festival 2012 was adjudicated as the ‘Best Organised Event’.

     

    Bhaskar Bhat, MD of Titan Industries ,was honoured with a special award for his contribution to the watch industry.

     

    Commenting on the event, Ashok Goel of Beanstalk Brand Consulting said, “Watch World Awards is a well thought out independent project from the Chitralekha Group. Apart from honouring the best work of the year, it helps expanding the luxury watch market in India by reaching out to newer potential customers. Almost all the brands we represent in India like Hublot, Parmigiani Fleurier, HYT, Breitling etc are proud winners in this year’s edition of the awards”.

     

  • One really has no idea what’s happening out here. It’s okay to be a bit arty sharty in ads, but not at the cost of comprehension

    Debrief: Royal Stag: Nothing royal about this

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Didn’t know Royal Stag whisky is such a huge brand. They have hired the services of two very expensive movie stars for one single commercial. Wow! Thinking of the likely budget for this one makes me want to reach for a Patiala peg. And their claim that this TVC is for Royal Stag ‘mega music’ collection makes me want to dive into a vat full of booze.

     

    The commercial, featuring Shah Rukh Khan and Saif Ali Khan, is a load of nonsense. The visuals make very little sense, one really has no idea what’s happening out here. It’s okay to be a bit arty sharty in ads, but not at the cost of comprehension. All you see is various shots of the two heroes lost in deep thought, while flashing certain strange expressions, as the voiceover continues non-stop about competing with one’s own self, or some such heavy-duty stuff.

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”220″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfyE2ENhX1o[/youtube]

    For one, both the heroes are neither royal nor stag. Both are much married, and both go around beating up people in public places. (Maybe those are the sort of dudes Royal Stag targets.) Both are also overused in advertising, so brand recall will be zilch. Therefore am not sure how much the brand gains with all this mega expenditure. I think the least the makers of Royal Stag should have done, having signed up SRK and Saif, is to create thrilling little movie films with them. That would have ensured some entertainment happens and the brand scores some points too.

     

    This looks like a half done ad. The VO says: “Abhi Shah Rukh Banna Baaki Hai.” I think abhi ad banna baaki hai.

     

    Rating: (On a scale of 1-5): 1. Gobbledygook.

     

  • Veteran adman Gopi Kukde believes there do exist some professionals in our awards-crazy advertising world who believe in the movement to change perceptions on the girl child as a social responsibility

    Jaldi 5 with Gopi Kukde: No gender bias in advertising

    Veteran adperson Gopi Kukde was one of the mentors invited by Population First for the creative thinking workshops engaging mass media students on gender issues. Although the International Day of the Girl Child was celebrated last week, Mr Kukde has been travelling and he completed this interview via email over the last week.

     

    01. It was good to see the first ever International Day of the Girl Child being celebrated last week. How do we prevent it from being mere tokenism (as in, what are the steps that need to be taken to avoid it being just another ‘day’)?

    It always happens that a ‘top-of-mind’ event is spoken about and celebrated for a few days. Unless we feel for the cause from bottom of our hearts it is difficult, rather impossible to convert it into a revolution. Nevertheless one must keep on trying!

     

    02. In your experience with interacting with marketers and advertising agency professionals, do you think they are sincere in their attempts to appreciate the responsibility towards the ‘girl child’ in a society like ours?

    Yes and no. While most of them look at it as an opportunity to win an award, which is why you see most shallow attempts time and again, there are some professionals in this award-crazy world who do it as a social responsibility.

     

    Though I feel that a lot of professionalism and science needs to be added to our attempts for, the task is a mammoth one. It is an issue that is spread across the country for centuries, in different levels, sometimes absolutely contradicting each other.

     

    Do you think self-regulation bodies like ASCI and Advertising Club and AAAI should also take it upon themselves to promote the cause?

     

    Although I believe that advertising is a smaller part of the pie in such a movement, the larger part depends on the government, the media and the social leaders. In this situation, the more the merrier, without making it a case of too many cooks complicating matters. For this we need a systematic approach and a strong belief in the cause. The more systematic we are better the results would be.

     

    03. Your views on gender biases in today’s advertising?

    For the last 35 years I have not come across any instance like this, which is why I am proud of advertising as a profession!

     

    04. One view of marketers is that they need to sell to consumers given the prevailing behavioural patterns and they can’t be correcting those. How do change this view? (Marketers often feel that they need to sell according to prevailing Indian consumer attitudes and mentality and that there is little they can do to change that. How do you think this can be tackled?)

    I don’t think so. Advertising has changed many perceptions. Yes, it might take time, but constant efforts will definitely show results.

     

    05. Television serials, television and print media content also further aggravate this image of women. What is your view on this?

    You are right, our television serials and some other media do portray a woman the way she shouldn’t be. The ultimate goal they look for is TRP and sales. This would automatically reduce once this small effort becomes a movement.

     

    (Interviewed by Fatema Rajkotwala)

     

  • Team Ogilvy, the 2011 Champions, retained the championship cup when they won the annual 5-A-Side Football Tournament organised by The Advertising Club Bangalore jointly with The Dainik Bhaskar Group

    Team Ogilvy wins Ad Club Bangalore football tourney

    By A Correspondent

     

    Team Ogilvy, the 2011 Champions, retained the championship cup when they won the annual 5-A-Side Football Tournament organised by The Advertising Club Bangalore jointly with The Dainik Bhaskar Group.

     

    Team Ogilvy convincingly beat Group M, 4 – 3 in a keenly contested finals this afternoon, at The Powerplay sports Pavilion at Bangalore. The tournament began on Friday, 12th October under flood lights and continued on Saturday 13th October. 18 teams contested in 4 groups on a league basis. The teams were tied at 1 – 1 at the end of the stipulated time and went into extra time of 5 + 5 minutes. During the extra time Sameer of Ogilvy scored with a hatrick. Group M fought back valiantly by scoring 2 Goals but eventually Team Ogilvy won by the one goal margin.

     

    Sameer of Team Ogilvy who scored a total of 28 goals for the Champions, bagged the trophy for the Highest Scorer. Sameer of Team O & M who scored 28 goals and excelled in an all round display of skill & sportsmanship was also unanimously adjudged “Player of the Tournament “. Soumya Das of Group M, was adjudged ” The Best Goal Keeper for his consistent performance in all matches played by Group M.

     

    The tournament, which is into its 21st year, is being jointly presented by the leading national media group Dainik Bhaskar, which has instituted a championship trophy for the winners. Commenting on their association with this tournament, Dainik Bhaskar’s Sr General Manager-south and Business Head – International Raja Mitra said, “We are proud to be associated with this prestigious event which brings together members of the advertising & marketing community in Bangalore. Such events not only help in improving inter-company relations, it also helps in bringing out a competitive spirit, albeit on the football field.”

     

    Anand Bazaar Patrika gave special prizes to the “Player of the tournament”, Top Scorer and Best Goal Keeper apart from the trophies instituted by the Ad Club.

     

    Speaking about the tournament, Arvind Kumar, Executive Director of the Ad Club, said, “This is the 20th year of this five a side competition and we are happy to receive 19 entries, a record for the Advertising Club, Bangalore. I am happy to see the enthusiasm and fair play, displayed by all the teams.”

     

  • PrecisionMatch promises effective audience data for display advertising, offering data targeted advertising that tracks how users interact with content

    Smile Vun Group launches of PrecisionMatch

    By A Correspondent


    Nitin Chowdhary

    Display advertising is losing the ROI race to search and social media due to lack of targeting options. Smile Vun Group, the digital media conglomerate, has announced the launch of PrecisionMatch that promises effective audience data for display advertising. What it offers is data targeted advertising that tracks how users interact with content.


    “PrecisionMatch will utilize advanced data mining and analytics to identify prospective consumer segments for advertisers, generate actionable insights from aggregated data and develop consumers online behaviour models,” said Nitin Chowdhary, Business Head, PrecisionMatch


    PrecisionMatch has launched its operations simultaneously in three markets: India, SEA and UAE with 50 million unique users and around 60% of internet users across India, Singapore and UAE across a variety of consumer segments.


    Manish Vij

    “Over 50% of the web inventory globally is already on exchanges and this trend is accelerating.  In APAC, it is estimated to be 5-10% and is rising rapidly. Additionally, in APAC, that has about $700 MM of display advertising spend, the supply of inventory outstrips the demand by at least 5 times. In such a scenario, buying the right impression is critical to drive ROI for which advertisers will need quality audience data. recisionMatch is our resolution to make display advertising more effective in APAC and UAE by means of targeting data without destroying the ROI,” said Manish Vij, Founder, Smile Vun Group.


    PrecisionMatch works via partners. Marketers will be able to use PrecisionMatch data through their media partners i.e. DSPs, Agency Trading Desks and Ad Networks. PrecisionMatch has added advertisers such as: Samsung, General Motors, Tata Motors, Ford, Snapdeal.com, Expedia.com etc. to its portfolio and is rapidly expanding its services across different categories of advertisers in India, Singapore and UAE.

    Post the launch in India, Singapore and Dubai, PrecisionMatch will be expanding to other countries in the region in 2013. “Data targeted display can improve click through rate by 300% and post click engagement by 200%. In addition, the relevance of the audience improves significantly.” added Nitin Chowdhary


    With an investment of $2 million, PrecisionMatch plans to break even in next two years.

  • Tim Isaac, Chairman of bates Asia, has announced that David Mayo will take over as CEO of the agency network as he retires at the end of October

    David Mayo to take over leadership of bates Asia

    By A Correspondent

     

    Tim Isaac, Chairman of bates Asia, has announced that David Mayo will take over as CEO of the agency network as he retires at the end of October.

     

    Mr Mayo who came to Asia in 1994 from London to join bates in Hong Kong was hired by Mr Isaac to Ogilvy & Mather in 1997 to run Guinness, among other regional business. In the time since, he founded creative boutique, Red Card and after 2005 went on to hold several key senior roles at Ogilvy, including the Presidency of Ogilvy & Mather Advertising, Asia’s largest Advertising Agency and latterly of Ogilvy & Mather ASEAN.

     

    “David is one of Asia’s most experienced and creative agency leaders with a very strong track record in building brands and driving creativity,” said Mr Isaac. “He is a born entrepreneur and has put many of our clients’ brands firmly ahead of their competitors. He is the right person to build on the good work and the platform that has been established and to take bates to the next level in its long history in Asia.”

     

    Mr Mayo’s track record with clients in Asia such as Guinness, Nike, Gillette, The Economist, Motorola, Coke and Diageo will bring added impetus to Bates as the agency model changes in Asia. His brief will be to galvanize the agency leadership, develop the bates brand and establish a new network model.

     

    “When I originally came to Asia in 1994, it was to work at bates,” said Mr Mayo. “It has a very strong track record as a maverick and creative brand in Asia and it has a unique place in a region of the world where more and more clients are asking for the bespoke and the personal. We will take bates to the next level. I am returning to take this heritage and fashion a fresh new agency offer for ambitious brand owners across the region.”

     

    “David’s verve, energy and drive will be the perfect tonic for bates. David has done a brilliant job at Ogilvy across the region for more than a decade. I will miss him personally but am delighted he remains part of the broader family,” said Paul Heath, Chairman, Ogilvy & Mather Asia Pacific.

     

    Bates’ major clients in Asia include HSBC, Shanghai General Motors, Diageo, Philip Morris, Cheong Kong, Colgate, Castrol, P&G, Disney, Nokia, Singapore Government, Marico, Kraft and Yum Restaurants. They have 12 offices in Taiwan, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Vietnam, KL, Singapore, Manila, Jakarta, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore and Delhi.

     

  • New categories, sharper definitions, expanded judging and paperless judging are among the highlights of the annual awards for effectiveness in advertising this year

    Entries open for Effies 2012

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Advertising Club has let the cat out of the bag as it sets the stage open, inviting entries for the most coveted event of the Advertising Industry in India. The EFFIE Awards are back and with a bang. This year the showcase for effective marketing and creative strategies throws open new categories.

     

    While the International EFFIE Awards are hosted every year in New York, since 2001 The Advertising Club Bombay has been organizing the EFFIEs in India. Says Ajay Kakar, Chairperson = EFFIE Committee and the Vice President of The Advertising Club, “For over a decade, the EFFIEs has become the gold standard in measuring marketing and communication effectiveness in India. This is reflected both in the quality and the number of entries which the awards have been attracting every year – a startling increase from 53 in 2001 to 300 in 2011! In fact EFFIEs is the only award that is bestowed on both the client and agency, to jointly celebrate the in-market effectiveness of their campaigns,”

     

    A practice introduced last year, this year too, thought leaders of the industry were invited to share their views and suggestions on how to further enhance the stature of the EFFIE. Basis the discussions and feedback, EFFIE 2012 will:

     

    · Introduce 2 new categories i.e. Direct, in recognition of the Specialist discipline’s ability to give measurable results and Best ongoing campaign, to recognise brands that have made effectiveness a way of life, across years

    · Host the Round 1 and 2 judging in Mumbai and Delhi, while inviting coveted jury members from across the country

    · See a sharpened definition of categories like Integrated and David vs. Goliath

    · Attract specialist Jury members for specialist categories like Direct, Digital and Rural

    · Introduce paper-less judging

    · Sharply qualify the material that can be submitted in support of the entries

    · Marico uncommon Sense Award is an essential part of EFFIES.

    · Lenovo has introduced a new Award  – Lenovo Tech-Doers Award.

     

    The Advertising Club has not increased the entry fee, only the service tax component gets added as a statutory requirement.

     

    The Effies are open to all clients and agencies, be they creative, media, digital, DM and PR, to enter their work and demonstrate the effectiveness of their campaigns.

     

    “I am also happy to share with you a strengthened team at our end, committed to taking EFFIES 2012 to even greater highs. Sameer Sathpathy from Marico has come on board as the Co-Chairman and N Rajaram from Airtel as our Anchor, from Delhi. And as always, we enjoy the active guidance of our President, Shashi Sinha and the active support of the Secretariat, led by Bipin Pandit,” Mr Kakar added

     

    The last day for entries to be submitted is Monday, November 5, 2012. The award ceremony event is scheduled to be held in Mumbai, on Wednesday, December 4, 2012.

     

    In-depth details about the EFFIES 2012 are available in the Entry form, which is now up and available on The Advertising Club’s website. The advertising, media and marketing industries can visit www.adclubbombay.com or email adclub@vsnl.com, for more details.

     

  • Editors and television content chiefs need to introspect on India Against Corruption activists using the media to build their own brand, writes Anil Thakraney

    Anil Thakraney: The media is being used

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    During the 26/11 carnage, terrorists freely used the electronic media to their advantage, and (hopefully) some hard lessons have been learnt post that incident. Now, it’s the turn of the politicians. It is obvious that the India Against Corruption (IAC) guys are regularly using the media to build their own brand. And once again, editors and particularly the television content chiefs will need to introspect on this.

     

    In their mad quest for ‘Breaking News’, it isn’t occurring to news channel folks that they are being hired as a convenient ladder. What the IAC team is doing is to create scandals based on half-baked information in order to malign the big-name political leaders. This information isn’t enough to pronounce a person guilty in a court of law, but the idea is to fling some mud and, given the mood of the masses, most of it sticks. People on the streets have already pronounced Robert Vadra and Salman Khurshid guilty as charged, nothing can save these men now. All thanks to the breathless coverage on television.

     

    It is not my case that these people aren’t guilty. But the correct course of action would be to cross-check and verify all allegations before putting them out on air. Indeed, that’s the way journalists are supposed to operate. But in the hunger for sensationalism, and in order to beat the rivals, news channels aren’t bothering with such trivia. They are going on air the moment an accusation is hurled. I find this situation quite unfair. This means anyone can malign anyone he wants based on all sorts of wild allegations. And clearly, that can’t be the way forward.

     

    Much as though one would like the new political party to come to the fore, it can’t be done by smashing basic rules of ethical journalism. If, along the way, the courts dismiss these allegations, who becomes responsible for the individual’s sullied reputation? It won’t just be the accuser, it will be the media that broadcast the ‘story’.

     

    I really think the time has come for TV channels to ponder on this issue, and apply the brakes on such unfair coverage. No one should be allowed to use the media, however noble that individual/organization’s intentions might be.

     

    ***

     

    PS: Haha. An art director has designed a superb typeface, exclusively for doctors. Serves them right, I say. If they are going to write their prescriptions in Greek, they may as well use designer lettering.

     

    Link: http://stocklogos.com/topic/typeface-designed-doctors