MxMIndia

Category: ADVERTISING

  • The Dentsu India Group has announced the appointment of Shouvik Sarkar as Executive Creative Director, Dentsu Marcom, Mumbai, leading all creative deliveries at the agency's Mumbai operations.

    Shouvik Sarkar appointed ECD, Dentsu Marcom Mumbai

    By A Correspondent

     

    Continuing with the series of senior-level appointments, the Dentsu India Group has announced the appointment of Shouvik Sarkar as Executive Creative Director, Dentsu Marcom, Mumbai. He will lead all creative deliveries at the agency’s Mumbai operations.

     

    Mr Sarkar started his career as a Copywriter at Equus Red Cell in Mumbai where he worked on the India launch of AXN, the Kolkata launch of Shopper’s Stop and Development Credit Bank, Mumbai. Next as Senior Copywriter, Ambience Publicis, he worked on HDFC Mutual Funds, Water Kingdom, Yellow Pages, Westside and Hit. He led the Mumbai campaign for Water Kingdom (city-wide) and the national launch of Yellow Pages, his efforts winning 8 individual silvers and The ‘Ad Agency of the Year’ in the ‘Outdoor’ category at the Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) Awards, 2004.

     

    Mr Sarkar joined O&M as Creative Supervisor where he was an integral part of the team that won the SBI account. He handled SBI and spearheaded the creative output for Hutch, 3G (Hutchison Whampoa). He also worked on the ‘Surprisingly SBI’ campaign, a rebranding exercise for the State Bank of India, in 2005, possibly the largest communications makeover for a PSU at that time. At O&M, his work won two silver Abbys (‘Integrated Campaign’ and ‘Financial Products’ categories), two Effies (‘Big Idea’ Award and ‘Financial Products’ categories) and the ‘Yahoo Big Idea Chair’ Award.

     

    Moving to Dubai in 2007, Mr Sarkar joined DDB, Dubai as Creative Controller. His work helped DDB win The BBC Arabic News Channel and Dell Inspiron accounts. In addition to developing the 360 launch campaign for BBC Arabic News, Mr Sarkar also managed the Parachute Coconut Hair Oil account. On his return to India, Mr Sarkar joined Contract Advertising as Senior Creative Group Head. While managing brands like DNA, Shoppers Stop, Asian Paints, Cadbury and Ask Me B2B, he studied retail consumer behavior, SME advertisers’ mindsets while creating copy to redefine brand perceptions and driving retail sales. Next, he moved to Telibrahma Convergent Communications as Associate Vice-President.

     

    Welcoming Mr Sarkar to Dentsu, Hiroshi Omata, Chief Operating Officer, Dentsu Marcom said, “Shouvik brings a very unique blend of multi-functional expertise to our business. His background of consistently developing effective recognized creative work, combined with his knowledge of digital technologies and a mindset further moulded by his intensive marketing experience – will be of great value to our teams and client relationships. I am delighted to have Shouvik on board and look forward to his work at Dentsu Marcom.”

     

    On joining Dentsu, Mr Sarkar  said, “Fleet-footed communications solutions rooted in consumer insight are the order of the day. Back in time, Dentsu created the distinctly memorable ‘Sar Uthake Jiyo’ campaign for HDFC Standard Life. The mandate is to extend the same magic to other brands. My goal will be to render ‘Tenka musou’ the Japanese adage of being matchless/ fearless to the team and to the work that we do. I would like to deploy the purist marketing learnings now to a role which delivers more meaningful work for clients, and also help Dentsu grow organically.”

     

    Mr Sarkar joins Dentsu from The Lodha Group where as Marketing Manager, he led integrated marketing strategies at the brand, segment and company levels. As part of the core team at Lodha, Mr Sarkar managed their largest product for 2011-12 with average revenues approximating 500 cr m-o-m. While handling the media allocation and spends for the launch, Mr Sarkar also mentored the internal graphic design team at Lodha. His efforts enabled Lodha to win 3 critically-acclaimed International Property Awards in Shanghai.

     

    Prior to Lodha, Mr Sarkar was Associate Vice-President, Telibrahma Convergent Communications. He led business development operations for Mumbai, taking new mobile/digital marketing technologies – QR (Quick Recognition) codes, (enabling print augmentation), augmented reality products to market. Setting up operations from scratch, he supervised a digital campaign for Nike while acquiring new business from brands like Cadburys’ 5 Star and Apple iPhone.

     

    Mr Sarkar graduated in English Honours from St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata. With a Post-Graduate Diploma in Print Journalism from IIMC, he also completed a MBA in Marketing and Strategy from the Indian School of Business.

     

  • Media planners say official broadcaster ESPN Star Sports hopes to earn Rs95-100 crore by selling advertisement spots during the 17-day event in July-August as well as related programmes

    Olympics countdown: Hero, Airtel etc flock to hockey on rising public interest

    By Ratna Bhushan & Meenakshi Verma Ambwani

     

    Indian marketers are joining the ‘Chak De India’ brigade going to London Olympics. A day after the Indian hockey team qualified for the Olympics in spectacular style, advertisers such as Hero MotoCorp, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone plan to associate with the team and the event while Coca-Cola and Samsung may look to cash in on their official partnerships for the event, say people involved in their media buying plans.

     

    Media planners say official broadcaster ESPN Star Sports hopes to earn Rs95-100 crore by selling advertisement spots during the 17-day event in July-August as well as related programmes that will be spread over five months starting March.

     

    This amount is several times more than Rs5-7 crore that Doordarshan had raked in during the Beijing Olympics in 2008, but experts say three factors will help ESPN Star Sports reach its revenue target.

     

    These are, Indian cricket team’s disastrous performance in recent times that has pushed the sport’s television viewership to new lows; the fact that the Olympics is being shown on a private channel for the first time, leading to aggressive marketing of the event; and, a strong revival in interest in hockey and other sports.

     

    “The hockey team qualifier has changed things. Many companies are now seeing the Olympics as an opportunity to cash in on their global partnerships,” said Navin Khemka, senior vice-president at media buying firm Zenith Optimedia, which buys media for Reckitt Benckiser.

     

    Advertisers game for London

    ESPN Software Executive VP Sanjay Kailash said there is significant interest among Indian brands to advertise on the Olympics. “With the Indian team qualifying for hockey, the interest and buzz around the Olympics among Indian viewers and advertisers will only increase,” he said.

     

    ESPN Star Sports plans to rope in eight partners for the event. Consumer electronics giant Samsung is the official partner of the Indian delegation to the London Olympics while dairy products brand Amul on Monday announced a deal to sponsor the Indian contingent.

     

    “The hockey team’s performance has added muscle to our sponsorship plans,” said RS Sodhi, managing director of Amul brand owner Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation, which will provide Rs1 crore for athletes who have qualified for the London Olympics.

     

    A Samsung spokeswoman said the company is yet to work out the specifics of its Olympics campaign. The firm is supporting training expenses of six players. Two-wheeler manufacturer Hero MotoCorp, the title sponsor for the Olympics qualifying tournament concluded in New Delhi on Sunday, is also expected to pick up broadcasting spots.

     

    Others such as telecom services providers Bharti Airtel and Vodafone too have evinced interest in associating with the Indian team, either on ground or on television, say media planners. Sahara Group, which renewed its five year sponsorship deal with Hockey India earlier this month, too may pitch in.

     

    Cricket’s loss helps

    In a strange turn of the wheel of fortune, the Indian hockey team, by merely qualifying for an event it had missed only once since the country’s Independence, has stolen the limelight from the national cricket team that won the World Cup less than a year ago.

     

    Television rating points for India’s ongoing series in Australia have plunged to less than 2, now that India has lost all the Test matches and is almost certain to finish last in the three-nation one-day international tournament.

     

    The downturn started in England last year, when the Indian team lost all its matches and meekly surrendered its top ranking in Tests to the host country. Yet, ESPN Star is expected to have earned about Rs300 crore in advertising revenues from the three-month Indian tour to Australia.

     

    “Family viewership for cricket has dropped and rates are now out of reach of certain brands,” says Shripad Kulkarni, chief executive officer of Allied Media, part of sports entertainment company Percept.

     

    Source: The Economic Times
    Copyright © 2012, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved

  • While History Har Din is about regular people, the channel's first joint production with CNN-IBN, 'The Greatest Indian', features India's best known faces.

    Two new shows on History Channel

    By A Correspondent

     

    History TV18 announced the launch of ‘History Har Din’ – a user generated content initiative for online, social media and other platforms and ‘The Greatest Indian’ – the channel’s first big-ticket local production in association with CNN-IBN.

     

    History Har Din is an innovative UGC (user generated content) concept where viewers are invited to share instances from their life when they too have made history. The pioneering format is a first by any factual entertainment channel in the country and is based on the channel’s brand position of ‘History Made Everyday’ – that history is more about achievement and is made every day by ordinary people doing extraordinary things.

     

    Through this initiative, viewers are invited to share images or videos that capture their life’s biggest successes, turning points, most inspiring and endearing moments or just plain fun experiences – anything which they believe were points in time when they truly created history. Entries can be submitted by visiting HistoryHarDin.in.com. The best of the ‘history making’ stories will be telecast on the channel in the coming months.

     

    While History Har Din is about regular people, the channel’s first joint production with CNN-IBN, ‘The Greatest Indian’, features India’s best known faces. The initiative is set to trigger a national debate on: “Who is the greatest Indian afterIndependence?” The show format is based on a path-breaking series featured on BBC called ‘The Greatest Briton’. Launched in 2002 in theUK, the initiative reached out to millions of viewers and broke significant viewership records there. An astounding 21 countries have successfully adopted this format since then.

     

    History TV18 is now available in English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Gujarati, Marathi and now Urdu.

     

    Speaking on the occasion, Ajay Chacko, President, A+E Networks | TV18, said: “The initiatives truly exemplify what History TV18 stands for – the celebration of human spirit to succeed and achieve against odds – to make History. While History Har Din celebrates the human spirit through achievements of regular people, ‘The Greatest Indian commemorates those who have made invaluable contribution to the nation, through popular vote. Through these initiatives, we believe we will make significant inroads towards our objective of broad basing the genre.”

     

    Rajdeep Sardesai, Editor-in-Chief, IBN18 Network, said: “At CNN-IBN, we have always believed in celebrating the idea ofIndiawith all its unmatched diversity. What better way than to partner History TV18 in this path-breaking programme to find out who is the greatest Indian after Gandhi. In today’s world of social media, every Indian has a chance to be part of this inclusive debate and we hope that millions will join us in this exciting adventure.”

     

    “History TV18 has successfully created a special place for itself in the minds of Indian audiences with its edgy, lively, fast-paced and differentiated content. The channel has already begun to whet the audience’s appetite for more of its kind. With the launch of these two initiatives, the channel is all set to engage with viewers in more ways than one,” said Salman Khan.

     

  • [Flashed y’day] Vizeum gets ready to talk “with” consumers; Anand Kumar on board

    By a correspondent

     

    Aegis Media’s Vizeum India has announced an added layer in its suit of services in the area of active consumer engagement and has roped in Anand Kumar as Associate General Manager – Engagement Planning.

     

    Affirmed S Yesudas, Managing Director, Indian sub-continent, Vizeum, “As the communication channel choices increase and the limited time at the consumers’ disposal further shrink,  we believe we need to focus on engaging with consumers at different occasions and different state of mind based on the same strategic thread of the overall communication. Anand’s appointment is in line with this thinking.” Adding further Yesudas said, “Passive advertising sells a particular product and makes the consumer walk to the point of sale. However, there is a good chance that the consumer might walk out with a totally different brand because of some dynamics at the point of sale. On the other hand, had there been reinforcement of the message once again in the consumers’ mind as actively as possible just before the decision to pull out the wallet, chances are that the same brand would have been benefited. Both these scenarios call for different consumer engagements -the former talking “AT” the consumer and the later, talking “WITH” the consumer. Talking “WITH” the consumer is all about actively engaging them at a different state of mind.”

     

    Commenting on the motivation to join Vizeum, Anand Kumar asserted, “Vizeum India today is a strong and credible agency in just less than two and-a-half years. Their well articulated understanding of talking “At” and “With” consumers can further enhance thought leadership status. I look forward to working closely with the leadership team in Vizeum as they move to next level of aggressive growth and consolidation story.”

     

    Anand has a Bachelors in Visual Communications, Masters in Journalism & Communications and MBA (Sales & Mkt.) and has close to 9 years experience in the relevant field of operation. His last assignment was at the Network 18 Group. Anand will be based in Mumbai and will report directly to Yesudas, while working closely with the Heads of the 3 Vizeum offices.

     

    Vizeum successfully operates in 55 countries with a philosophy of in-depth understanding of the co-existence of lives, brands and media in the actual world, through its process – motivation to media.

     

  • Veteran adperson Ranjan Kapur has agreed with the Regional Management of Bates Asia to step into the role of Chairman Bates India. It will be in addition to his current role as Country Head, WPP, India

    [Flashed y’day] Ranjan Kapur is new Bates chairman

    Veteran adperson Ranjan Kapur has agreed with the Regional Management of Bates Asia to step into the role of Chairman Bates India. It will be in addition to his current role as Country Head, WPP, India.

     

    In his new role, Mr Kapur will work closely with the senior management of Bates India to fire a new ambition and help develop an organization structure that offers more relevant ways of engaging with clients and consumers “Bates has developed an exciting new ‘changengage’ philosophy that helps provide solutions that are both media and discipline neutral, and it has through the line capability and resources, to deliver them. To drive this thinking forward we are in conversations with a few new age thinkers and we hope to finalize on the CeO for bates India very shortly,” said Mr Kapur in a communique.

     

    Mr Kapur has been informally engaged with Bates ever since he stepped down as Chairman of Ogilvy. Mr Dheeraj Sinha, Regional Head of Planning feels that Ranjan will help galvanize the people at bates India. “His reputation precedes him and he hasn’t lost any of the passion and drive he displayed when he led Ogilvy to the top.”

     

    “The recent departures at Bates India, have presented us with an opportunity to put the right leadership in place”, says Mr Tim Isaac, Regional Head of Bates Asia. “I am delighted to renew my partnership with Ranjan. I have worked with Ranjan many times since I first arrived in Singapore in 1986. With Ranjan as Chairman and a new CeO in place shortly we will be looking to accelerate our growth in India”.

     

  • It is now printed from 18 centres across the states of UP, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Jharkhand and Delhi

    With Moradabad launch, Hindustan now pan UP and Uttarakhand

    By A Correspondent

     

    Hindustan Media Ventures Limited (HMVL) recently launched its 10th edition in the state of UP from Moradabad. With this, Hindustan completes its footprint across the two states of Uttar Pradesh and Uttrakhand. It is now printed from 18 centres across the states of UP, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Jharkhand and Delhi.

     

    Commenting on the launch, Benoy Roychowdhury, ED, HMVL said: “Moradabad is a unique region of Uttar Pradesh that has placed India on the global map through its exports of over Rs2,200 crore of brass artifacts annually. Through the launch of our Moradabad edition, Hindustan now serves the entire footprint of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand – two progressive and prosperous states with a rich, cultural heritage.”

     

    Sharing his views on the launch, Amit Chopra, CEO, HMVL said: “With our launch in Moradabad, we mark the completion of our journey of expansion that began in 2005. We now serve this economically powerful and culturally rich zone. As in our other markets, Hindustan will work to create reader delight through a high-quality newspaper and continuous engagement. We will become partners in progress for the citizens of the region. I am confident that Hindustan will emerge as the preferred newspaper for the people in this region.”

     

    Rajan Bhalla, (Head-Marketing, Strategic Businesses – HT Media) said: “The core proposition of Hindustan is ‘Tarakki ko chahiye naya nazariya’ – central to our brand and activation campaigns. We approached Moradabad with this very distinct perspective. Our Election Campaign “Aao Rajneeti Karein” reflects our commitment towards the state of UP and creating positive social impact.”

     

    Hindustan’s Moradabad edition has started with a strong 1.1 lakh circulation, a number that is unsurpassed in that zone. Moradabad launch comes on the back of the recent Aligarh edition launch which continues to progress by leaps and bounds; setting new benchmarks of journalism and reader connect.

     

    Hindustan Media Ventures Limited (HMVL) is the publisher of the leading Hindi newspaper – Hindustan, Hindi magazines Nandan and Kadambini and the news website livehindustan.com. Hindustan, which is the fastest growing daily in the country has presence in the states of UP, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Jharkhand & Delhi, with a Total Readership of 3.75 crore.

     

    The company is a subsidiary of the HT Media Group – a diversified media group with interests in Radio, print & online media.

     

  • While the top-level realigning at the group was made known earlier to one and all, the event also witnessed a couple of other key announcements from the group

    Realigned DDB Mudra ups ante for APAC push

    By A Correspondent

     

    After a realigning and restructuring exercise that stretched through to 100 days plus and with several key appointments and a few exits later, the DDB-Mudra alliance presented itself in a new avatar as the DDB Mudra Group at an event in Mumbai yesterday. The event was made interesting by having the APAC, Japan and India Chairman & CEO of DDB, John Zeigler announce the key milestones to the gathering.

     

    While the top-level realigning at the group was made known earlier to one and all, the event also witnessed a couple of other key announcements from the group. These included the entry of TracyLocke, one of the world’s most awarded shopper marketing agencies into India and the decision to make Water, the strategic branding and design consultancy to join the Interbrand network and represent Interbrand in India.

     

    With a client roster that boasts the likes of HP, T-Mobile, Starbucks, Johnson & Johnson, Gatorade, Tropicana, PepsiCo, Sony and Unilever’s Lipton, TracyLocke will be managed in India by Pratap Bose, Chief Operating Officer of DDB Mudra Group. According to Jim Sexton, Global Chief Marketing Officer of TracyLocke, “Once we saw the level of retail expertise and comprehensive knowledge of the India consumer and shopper at DDB MudraMax, we knew we had the perfect fit. We look forward to delivering to our clients a unique brand of shopper marketing relevant to each segment of the Indian market. Additionally, we hope to share proprietary marketing tools that we can take from India to the rest of the world.”

     

    As for the revitalised DDB Mudra Group, the network in India will be split as DDB Mudra, Mudra and DDB MudraMax. Accordingly the group has adopted a new structure, brand identity, colours and architecture that will drive forward the change. The new structure will comprise eight branded agencies as follows: DDB Mudra – the Influence & behavioural change agency with a pan India presence across Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Kochi, Kolkata and Mumbai; DDB MudraMax – the Experience & Engagement agency which offers Media, Out-Of-Home, Retail and Experiential; Mudra – the partnership for entrepreneurs agency with a pan India presence across Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Kochi, Kolkata and Mumbai; DDB Health & Lifestyle – Health & Lifestyle Solutions practice; RAPP – data driven marketing services agency; Tribal DDB India – interactive & new media agency; Water – Brand & Design consultancy and Maatra – localisation & pre-media services agency.

     

    Elaborating on the proposed management structure, Madhukar Kamath, Group CEO and MD, DDB Mudra Group said that while he was proud of Mudra’s past, he is equally excited about the future. According to Kamath, the executive board committee will comprise of Sonal Dabral, Chairman & CCO, DDB Mudra Group, Pratap Bose, COO – DDB Mudra Group, Madhukar Kamath, Group CEO & MD, DDB Mudra Group, Dilipkumar Upadhyaya, CFO and Ajit Menon, EVP – DDB Mudra Group. Excited about the largescale realigning, Kamath said that the new venture would see DDB Mudra emerging amongst the fastest and topmost agency in a few months from now. He was also in praise of his clients of whom he said that about 40 per cent of them access more than one business service of the Group, which speaks volumes of the solutions and services that the group has to offer.

     

    Earlier, John Zeigler began by highlighting the growth of DDB Worldwide and how it is looking at Asia Pacific, led especially by India, to drive its expansion into the region. “Current figures suggest our growth split as 44 per cent from Europe, 38 per cent from North America, 6 per cent from Latin America and 11 per cent from Asia Pacific. Our core focus would be to increase the pie of Asia Pacific to a large sum going forward and this would be driven by India which is being seen as a leading market in marketing communications by most agencies.” In a one-on-one conversation with MxMIndia, Mr Zeigler was hopeful of deriving a modest growth across APAC as he said, “With the kind of businesses we have in India we should be able to achieve a growth rate of 25 per cent plus. As for our other agencies across Asia Pacific, we had a compounded growth rate in excess of 30 per cent year on year.”

     

    Mr Zeigler further highlighted how DDB’s model was unique in the sense that it captured both local and global sentiments of its clients and offered services that were unmatched in nature. The idea, according to Zeigler, was to be seen as an agency offering local solutions to international clients who wanted to tap outside markets as well as offering international solutions to local clients who wanted outside exposure to derive local growth.

     

    On getting TracyLocke to India, Mr Ziegler said, “As one of the leading shopper marketing agencies in US andEurope, TracyLocke brings vital shopper insight and great creativity into our future. The launch in India is its entry intoAsiaand will be providing vast opportunities for the entire DDB Asia Pacific group.” The summit is to be conducted next month and will showcase the experience, skill sets, global practices and learning of the entire DDB Asia Pacific region which has distinguished itself in 2011 with several impressive wins including Spikes Asia’s Network Agency of the Year 2010 and 2011, and AdFest Network Agency of the Year. The summit will be attended by Chuck Brymer, President and CEO of DDB Group Worldwide; John Zeigler, Chairman & CEO, DDB Asia Pacific, India & Japan; and Patrick Rona, Tribal DDB Asia Pacific’s President and Chief Digital Officer for DDB Group Asia Pacific, as well as an overseas contingent of senior agency personnel from across the Asia Pacific region.

     

  • To commemorate the second anniversary and the launch of the re-vamped website, ArtistAloud.com will be celebrating the Seagram's Fuel Music Day on March 2

    ArtistAloud.com is back in a new avatar

    By A Correspondent

     

    ArtistAloud.com, the digital platform for independent music has been entertaining audiences with the very best in independent music. With support from the audience and musicians alike for two years since its inception, this digital destination is back in a brand new avatar.

     

    To commemorate the second anniversary and the launch of the re-vamped website, ArtistAloud.com will be celebrating the Seagram’s Fuel Music Day on March 2. Music Day is going to be the longest webcert with around 50 independent artists performing live for the digital audience. 50 artists, 1 stage, Seagram’s Fuel Music Day is an attempt to connect artists and listeners closely. Also, for the first time ever 50 artists will share a stage and a venue to perform for all music lovers across cities, counties, language and genre.

     

    The Seagram’s Fuel Music Day event that will start at 12pm with artists like Suneeta Rao, Manasi Scott, Shefali Alvares, Shilpa Rao, Harshdeep Kaur, Neha Bhasin performing their favourite numbers. This is the first time ever that 50 artists will come together to perform Live for the webcert. Other stalwarts of music industry like Shankar Ehsaan Loy, Sonu Nigam, Shankar Mahadevan, Kailash Kher are also expected to attend Seagram’s Fuel Music Day to show their support for independent music inIndia.

     

    The 9-hour long webcert attempts to enthrall the audience with absolute mix of genres. From fusion to pop, Bollywood to rock, Seagram’s Fuel Music Day will have something special for every listener. The event will be relayed live to a global audience on www.artistaloud.com from Rang Sharada in Mumbai.

     

    The idea was conceptualized by ArtistAloud.com to celebrate their second anniversary. During the last two years, the website has emerged as the most preferred digital destination for independent music in India. With a promise to offer audiences access to more artists, new genres, multiple releases and music videos, ArtistAloud.com is back in a new avatar.

     

    The website has been revamped with a prime objective of offering unreleased singles – Music First. With the new Artistaloud.com, the consumer now gets a chance to browse the home page that showcases multiple artists and multiple releases at the same time.

     

    With video consumption on the rise, users will now have access to high quality video content on the website. The new revamped website allows full streaming of songs as compared to the previous 30 second samples.  Besides a new layout and structure, the new site will also subsequently introduce a plethora of properties that will live up to its brand promise- ‘Music First.’

     

    ArtistAloud.com is now made accessible through 5 touch points- website, WAP, IVR, APPS and social media. The main objective behind the revamp was to make the site compatible with any device – PC, mobile smart phone, tablets and connected televisions.

     

    ArtistAloud.com is a digital platform that provides music lovers access to unreleased music, which they can sample, buy as well as share with the world. An initiative pioneered by Hungama Digital Media Entertainment Private Ltd, ArtistAloud.com is an opportunity for independent artists to build a connect with their fans and for fans to have access to their music that is previously unreleased and created by the Artist for them. The site currently houses original music from over a hundred artistes – both well known and new.

     

  • The supplement highlights some important scenarios that will help build brands for not just the next few years, but well into the next 50

    DraftFCB Ulka’s Cogito Consulting & Asterii Analytics Release India 2061 Report

    By A Correspondent

     

    Cogito Consulting and Asterii Analytics present a fitting finale to the Draftfcb Ulka Group’s 50 Year Celebration, with a projection of whatIndiacould be when the Group celebrates its centenary. After digesting reports from over 150 sources, more than 1000 pages of data, talking to experts, economists, academics, a concise form was put in public domain on February 29.

     

    Coming from the context and belief that brands have a potential for immortality and last well beyond brand managers and sometimes even companies and owners, it may be necessary to plan for brands well beyond just the next 3-5 years.  The supplement highlights some important scenarios that will help build brands for not just the next few years, but well into the next 50.

     

    Some key aspects of the report on ‘India 2061’.

    • From a pre-dominant rural population today urbanization will lead to rural population constituting to about 43 per cent of the total population.
    • Average life expectancy to go up to 79 years and number of senior citizens to grow from 8per cent  to about 24 per cent  of the population.
    • Within the next 10 years, literacy levels are projected to jump to 95 per cent  with almost complete literacy achieved by about 2030.
    • Internet penetration will touch 92.7 per cent  with over 1592 million users.
    • Per capita income will be up to Rs11,63,000 from the current Rs. 37,000.
    • There will be an estimated 319 million four-wheelers and 573 million two-wheelers making a total of 900 million vehicles on the Indian roads.
    • Number of air travellers will double every decade andtouch 860 million in 2061.
    • Televisions are expected to achieve a 97 per cent  penetration with over 50 per cent  homes boasting of multiple TV sets.
    • Ad spends are expected to grow to Rs33 trillion by 2061 and contribute a wholesome 1.5 per cent  of the GDP.
    • The movie industry acrossIndiawill produce about 2234 films in 2061 i.e. more than all the Hindi movies produced between 1961 and 1991 in India.

     

     

    The knowledge piece has been released in a leading publication and is available on www.cogitoconsulting.com

     

  • Saving Face chronicles the arduous attempts of acid-attack survivors Zakia and Rukhsana to bring their assailants to justice

    HBO documentary ‘Saving Face’ wins an Academy Award

    By A Correspondent

     

    Pakistani documentary film ‘Saving Face’, produced by HBO, which uncovers the story of hundreds of people, mostly women who become acid attack victims, was honoured with the Academy Award for best documentary (short) at the 84th Academy Awards ceremony held inHollywoodrecently.

     

    Every year inPakistan, many people – the majority of them women – are known to be victimized by brutal acid attacks, while numerous other cases go unreported. With little or no access to reconstructive surgery, survivors are physically and emotionally scarred, and many reported assailants, typically a husband or someone close to the victim, are let go with minimal punishment from the state.

     

    Directed by Daniel Junge and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy; Saving Face chronicles the arduous attempts of acid-attack survivors Zakia and Rukhsana to bring their assailants to justice, and follows the charitable work of Dr. Mohammad Jawad, a plastic surgeon who strives to help them go beyond this horrific act and move on with their lives.

     

    A journey of healing and a battle for justice, Saving Face, the 40 minutes documentary will be premiered soon only on HBO.

     

    Launched in September 2000, HBO is the English language movie channel available in South Asia (India, Pakistan, Maldives and Bangladesh). HBO brings the best of Hollywood by premiering top blockbuster movies on television first in South Asia through exclusive licensing deals with more than 16 studios and companies.  It is the only English movie channel to feature cutting-edge award-winning original productions year on year. HBO has won 3 Golden Globe Awards this year. HBO Asia is a joint venture of HBO (a Time Warner company) and Paramount.

     

  • Aegon Religare 'hijacked' the letter 'i' from yesterday's national daily, The Times of India. The innovation was done to introduce the new and improved iTerm Insurance plan for Aegon Religare

    Aegon Religare hijacks ‘i’ from TOI

    By A Correspondent

     

    Aegon Religare ‘hijacked’ the letter ‘i’ from yesterday’s national daily, The Times of India. The innovation was done to introduce the new and improved iTerm Insurance plan for Aegon Religare. The front page of the TOI in 8 metros carried the letter ”I’ in the masthead and headlines in the colour blue and in small font similar to the ‘i’ used in the word icon in the main copy advertising for Religare.

     

    Talking about the objective behind this campaign, Mukesh Waje, AVP, Branding, Aegon Religare said, “It is very clearly to announce the launch of a product that has been a pioneer in the market. This campaign is to announce the comeback of an icon. The campaign will unfold further on the web and will heavily rely on this medium. Besides we will have radio and print to support for the duration of the next three weeks.”

     

    The campaign is designed by Ogilvy and BCCL has partnered on media. Though Mr Waje refused to put the amount spent on the campaign, he added, “We have already started getting calls post the ad and we are positive that the campaign will do well for us.”

     

    Aegon had earlier created a stir with its KILB campaign during its launch which talks about being underinsured. Last year, during the same time, the company had done another print campaign on the jacket of TOI where the print of the first page was hardly legible, thus asking if one’s insurance was as faint as the words on the paper, again pointing to being underinsured.

     

  • 'Radio City Connect', Radio City 91.1 FM's full spectrum activations cell provides end-to-end 360 degree brand marketing solutions to all their clients

    Radio City Connect’s awareness campaign for Pune Strykers

    By A Correspondent

     

    Radio City Connect, the event activation cell of Radio City had organised an awareness campaign for the “Pune Strykers” hockey team at the SGS Mall in Pune. The team was launched on-air and on-ground at the same time. The team launch is said to have been a live event in the mall, along with a flash mob and studio shift. A Radio City studio was created in the mall wherein RJ Sonali went live and treated listeners with the grand proceedings of the launch.

     

    The entire team of ‘Pune Strykers’ introduced themselves to the audience on-ground as well as to the listeners on-air.

     

    Radio City Connect orchestrated a flash mob where the dancers grooved to the ‘Pune Strykers’ Anthem choregraphed by Piyush Malhotra, a renowned choreographer.

     

    Adding to the excitement, Radio City Connect incorporated ‘Minute to Win It’ games for contestants. Merchandises like miniature hockey, bags, key chains and pens were given during the entire activity.

     

    Moreover, a signature campaign was carried out by Radio City Connect that gave the audience a chance to articulate their love and blessings for the team by writing messages and signing on the board.

     

    Ashit Kukian, COO,Radio Citysaid: “We are delighted to launch the Pune Strykers Hockey Team. As a medium that enjoys immense local relevance and personal connect with listeners, we have been able to cultivate a strong expertise in on-ground activations. This is the first time a sports activity has been launched on-ground and on-air simultaneously. I am glad that the response was much more than what we had anticipated. Our effort to create awareness of the team by reaching out to maximum number of listeners and contribute towards adding popularity to the game of hockey has been successful. ‘Radio City Connect’ which is Radio City 91.1 FM’s full spectrum activations cell provides end-to-end 360 degree brand marketing solutions to all our clients. Our proficiency in executing on-ground activations has propelled this partnership with the World Series Hockey.”

     

    Mr. Manoj Choudhary, Franchise Owner, Pune Strykers and promoter of Jewel Products said: “World Series Hockey was conceived with the objective of reinvigorating the sport of hockey in India and creating a financially self-sustaining ecosystem for hockey to thrive and grow to become the “sport of choice” for young Indians. We chose Radio City Connect because our team spirit and attitude is synonymous with their brand attitude; leadership, energetic and pep.”

     

    More than 18,000 people are said to have attended this event which was covered by many leading publications and TV channels.

     

    World Series Hockey is a joint initiative between the Indian Hockey Federation and Nimbus Sport. An annual event, World Series Hockey will feature “city-based” teams playing against each other in a “home and away” league, culminating into a multi-header playoff to determine the World Series Hockey Champion.