MxMIndia

Category: ADVERTISING

  • In short, IDEA fails this time on all counts. What a mess! They may as well have chosen hell as the setting. That may have been apt

    Debrief: IDEA 3G: Sirji, it’s not working!

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    The IDEA guys are back with another set of ads featuring Small B. This time to promote their 3G smartphone apps. There is one app which apparently drives mosquitoes away, and no, I didn’t make that up!

     

    The problem IDEA has been facing with its advertising is: They have taken on two tasks. One, to change the world. And two, to make you laugh out loud while they are at it. This is a rather dicey deal, and it’s no wonder that IDEA’s advertising is highly inconsistent. When they get the balance right, the effort shines, as was the case with the ‘mass migrations’ ad. And when they go wrong, they go badly wrong, as is the case with the new campaign.

     

    The idea this time is: ‘An IDEA can change your afterlife’. And so, Small B is seen selling 3G apps to creatures in heaven. I watched some commercials and was left scratching my head on what in heaven’s name is going on. Who is Small B? Is he the god of death? Or an angel? Or an earthling who’s taken a non-stop flight to heaven? Why on earth has heaven been chosen as the setting for this campaign? (I am all for surprising solutions but not for senseless solutions.) Is this not creating confusion instead of adding clarity to the communication? Also, what’s the public service message out here? And as if all this chaos isn’t enough, there is zero wit in the scripts. The forced humour leaves you totally irritated.

     

    In short, IDEA fails this time on all counts. What a mess! They may as well have chosen hell as the setting. That may have been apt.

     

    Rating: (On a scale of 1 to 5): 0. Confusing & boring

  • The agency will handle its entire range of Products including fans, lights, lighting fixtures, pumps and electric appliances

    Madison Media wins Crompton Greaves AOR

    By A Correspondent

     

    Madison Media Sigma has just announced the win of Crompton Greave Ltd. The agency will handle its entire range of Products including fans, lights, lighting fixtures, pumps and electric appliances.

     

    Mr. Sam Balsara, Chairman & Managing Director, Madison World said: “We are delighted to add a reputed global engineering conglomerate like Crompton Greaves in our roster of clients and are confident of helping Crompton Greaves get its rightful share and more in India’s growing market.”

     

    Ms. Vanita Keswani, COO, Madison Media Sigma said: “I look forward to working on a new and diverse set of categories and creating powerful media strategies for the entire portfolio.”

     

    Madison Media was recently in the news for winning Dixcy Textile’s Media AOR.

     

    Madison Media Group is India’s foremost media agency handling media planning and buying for blue chip clients including Airtel, Godrej, Cadbury, ITC, General Motors, Marico, McDonald’s TVS, Britannia, Procter & Gamble, Asian Paints, Tata Tea, Shriram Transport Finance, Levis, SpiceJet, Axis Bank, Domino’s, Bharti Axa, MaxNewyork Life Insurance, Tata Salt, Acer, Dish TV, Imagine TV, Times Television Network, Indian Oil and many others.

     

    The gross billing of Madison Media is Rs3,000 crores.

     

  • The show to air across 29 HSMs and reach out to over 5mn audiences

    92.7 BIG FM brings back the memories of Pancham Da with Yaadon Mein Pancham

    By A Correspondent

     

    92.7 BIG FM, India’s No. 1 FM radio network and the Radio Broadcaster of the Year award at Golden Mikes, is bringing back the memories of RD Burman through its late night show Yaadon Mein Pancham hosted by RJ Rajkumari. The show is an ode to Pancham Da, bringing to life the experiences of the people who worked closely with the legend. The show will air Monday to Friday from 9:00pm to 12am.

     

    The show will see biggies from the industry such as Pyarelalji, Kumar Sanu, Abhijeet, Sudesh Bhosale, Kersi Lord and many more who will share interesting experiences and never heard before revelations about Pancham Da.

     

    The show will be promoted on radio with excellent amplification on social media platforms. Yaadon Mein Pancham will air across 29 stations that fall in the Hindi speaking markets of 92.7 BIG FM and will reach a whopping 5 million listeners each week.

     

    Reliance Broadcast Network Limited is a multi-media entertainment conglomerate with play across radio, television, intellectual properties and out of home. It is part of the Reliance Group and specializes in creating and executing integrated media solutions for brands. It houses the following verticals: 92.7 BIG FM, BIG CBS- a joint venture with CBS Studios International which has launched four channels, BIG CBS Prime, BIG CBS Love, BIG CBS Spark and Spark Punjabi. Added to this robust bouquet, the Company also distributes Bloomberg UTV, India’s premier business news channel.

     

  • Many now prefer young, unknown faces in their campaigns

    Brands like Mountain Dew, Airtel, ITC and others bypass celebrities for their campaigns

    By Sagar Malviya & Ratna Bhushan

     

    PepsiCo ended its association with top Bollywood actor Salman Khan to promote its lemon drink Mountain Dew on Tuesday.

     

    Its decision to part ways with the hottest star of the moment may have surprised some observers, but the beverages maker is the latest in a growing club of marketers becoming selective about using celebrities in their campaigns.

     

    Top telecom services provider Bharti Airtel, mobile phone and durables maker Samsung, leading retailer Future Group, watch firm Titan and hotels-to-consumer goods firm ITC have all either ended associations with celebrities or are using them for lesser number of commercials. Many now prefer young, unknown faces in their campaigns.

     

    “In some categories, youth are taking the lead as celebrities are not an embodiment for segments, especially technology, etc,” said Santosh Desai, CEO at  Future Brands.

     

    Last week, Future Group launched a campaign for Big Bazaar’s apparel business without cricketer MS Dhoni or Bollywood actress Asin who have been the supermarket’s brand ambassadors till recently. “While Dhoni and Asin worked well for us in the last two years, we didn’t renew their contract as we thought having regular faces could connect with today’s generation,” said Parwan Sardah, chief marketing officer of Future Group.

     

    Youngsters of below 25 years account for more than 54 per cent of the consumer base in India. The retailer, which is negotiating several divestment and fund-raising deals to pare debt of almost Rs7,800 crore, said its high debt has nothing to do with ending celebrity associations and that the company has spent more than Rs30 crore on the new Big Bazaar campaign.

     

    Titan too has ended its deal with actress Genelia D’Souza for its Fastrack brand. “Genelia’s contract expired last month and we mutually decided not to renew it as after marriage, it would be difficult in relating to college going kids,” said Ronnie Talati, VP and business head of Fastrack & new brands at Titan.

     

    “Even in case of Virat Kohli, we are rethinking as he has been busy with his cricket schedules but still haven’t decided anything yet,” he said.

     

    Overall, however, celebrity endorsements are on the rise. But when it comes to attracting younger generation, many companies now prefer campaigns without their big-ticket ambassadors.

     

    A case in point is Samsung, which uses Aamir Khan in campaigns for its Hero series of mobile phones, but not for Galaxy series. “The usage of the celebrity depends on the key message and the creative route that is used for a particular product,” Samsung CMO Rahul Saighal said. “In the case of the youth-oriented Galaxy series, we are focusing on the use of smartphone and the need to get ‘smart’. So we are using young models.”

     

    ITC, which has Sachin Tendulkar as brand ambassador, uses the master batsman only for a few variants of Sunfeast biscuits, which has close to 20 sub-brands. “Naturally, different sub-brands require different types of advertising,” said VL Rajesh, ITC’s foods division GM (marketing). ITC is using Sachin for Dream Cream and Milky Magic brands.

     

    Source: The Economic Times

    Copyright © 2012, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved

     

  • But the point I am making is that while I have no love lost for the politicians, the enraged filmi types must also examine the channel’s role in this mess

    Anil Thakraney: Dirty Picture, Dirty Mess

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    The movie world is pissed off over the I&B Ministry abruptly stopping the telecast of the raunchy flick, The Dirty Picture. This was scheduled for screening last Sunday.

     

    Yes, they have every reason to be angry. First, because the film had to undergo as many as 59 cuts in order to make the dirty picture ‘clean’… as in suitable for family viewing on television. This is crazy to begin with. All those unlucky kids who were kicked out of the multiplexes (which is a rare occurrence these days), would have made sure to get hold of a pirated DVD, and would have already enjoyed Vidya Balan’s ‘show’. In that context, the cuts make little sense.

     

    The film frat has also reason to get riled because the I&B Ministry’s sudden intervention renders the censor certificate useless. Nothing more than a meaningless rubber stamp. May as well dismiss the censor board and let the politicians decide what we must or must not watch at home and in the movie halls. So far, so bad.

     

    However, in all this din, everyone overlooked the channel’s role in this dirty drama.

    The Central Board of Film Certification’s guideline clearly states that a UA certified film can be shown only AFTER 11pm. In which case, why did the channel slot the film for primetime viewing? Carelessness or lack of knowledge of the rules or pressure from the sponsors and the advertisers? You can decide the reason, I don’t know.

     

    But the point I am making is that while I have no love lost for the politicians and loathe their unwanted interference in our lives, the enraged filmi types must also examine the channel’s role in this mess. Before they tweet off their collective anger.

    Clearly, the picture is pretty dirty from all angles.

     

    * * *

     

    PS: An author has written a horror story on Twitter. No kidding! And he’s picked up a huge number of followers. Amazing and interesting. Makes me think: This could be a medium for putting out fantastic, engrossing ad scripts. Those with engaging stories.

     

    Consider this: Cost: no issues. Production headaches: zero. No need for expensive celebs. And the 30 second duration killed. Copywriters must give this brand new medium a serious thought.

     

    Link: http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/r-l-stine-posts-a-horror-story-on-twitter_b47126

     

     

  • Appoints Vikas Gulati as Vice President – Business Development for the region

    Vserv.mobi Strengthens South East Asia Focus

    By A Correspondent

     

    Vserv.mobi, a leading global mobile advertising network with a strong focus on emerging markets, on Tuesday announced the appointment of Vikas Gulati as Vice President – Business Development forSouth East Asia. Based inSingapore, Vikas will spearhead the company’s growth in this region.

     

    Vikas Gulati, a media and marketing industry veteran, has had a long and successful career track record of over 14 years. Earlier, Mr Gulati was Vice President – Marketing and Business Development, Asia at Sprice.com, a leading online travel network (now a part of Travelport). He was instrumental in raising Sprice’s revenues and company profile in Asia Pacific through business development, partnerships and marketing programs. He has also held various leadership roles at ZenithOptimedia and CaratIndiaamongst other companies.

     

    Commenting on the new development, Mr. Dippak Khurana, Co-Founder and CEO of Vserv.mobi, said: “Expanding our operations in the burgeoning mobile market ofSouth East Asia is a key phase of our growth strategy. Vikas’ solid experience and customer relationships in this region will help us leverage newer opportunities and strengthen our goal of being the #1 mobile ad network in emerging markets.”

     

    Speaking on his appointment, Vikas Gulati, Vice President – Business Development, Vserv.mobi said: “Over the last two years, Vserv.mobi has grown to be an admirable company in the segment, and I am excited to join them at this opportune time. Given the growth momentum the company is witnessing, I look forward to being part of the success story. With our differentiating proposition in the marketplace, we are attractively poised to capitalise on this growing demand of the mobile medium amongst developers, publishers and advertisers inSouth East Asia.”

     

    Vserv.mobi is a leading global mobile ad network with strong presence in emerging markets. Vserv’s pioneering technology AppWrapperTM powers ad-monetisation for 10000+ Apps. Vserv is the only Ad Network with App media across feature phones, smart phones and tablets, thus providing advertisers reach and engagement.

     

  • For TBWA, the win comes on the back of a multi-agency pitch that was held in Mumbai

    TBWA\India wins creative mandate for Peninsula Land

    By A Correspondent

     

    Peninsula Land Limited, a leading real estate company inIndiahas appointed TBWA\India (www.tbwaindia.com) as its creative partner.

     

    Rated among the top 100 companies in India by ET, the Peninsula Land Limited is a part of the Ashok Piramal Group, a leading business conglomerate with diversified business interests in textiles, real estate, engineering, family entertainment and sports.

     

    For TBWA, the win comes on the back of a multi-agency pitch that was held in Mumbai. The pitch saw the participation of several of the country’s leading agencies. The Mumbai office of TBWA will handle the business.

     

    Confirming the win, Mr. Rajesh Jaggi, Managing Director Peninsula Land Limited said: “We are happy to have TBWA as our lead agency. They bring a unique dimension to creativity by using the Disruption thought process. The PLL brand has always been very distinct in the market place and our association with TBWA will further go in positioning our brand.”

     

    Nirmalya Sen, Managing Director of TBWA\India, commented: “Peninsula is a story waiting to be told; a story of long years of commitment to ethics and high quality. We are delighted to have been chosen as Peninsula’s lead agency. There are few categories as steeped in communication conventions as the real estate category. Disrupting them is a challenge we are looking forward to.”

     

    This is TBWA\India’s fourth win on the trot. Over the last few weeks, the agency has won business from Sify, JG Hosiery and Jyothy Laboratories.

     

    TBWA Worldwide creates Disruptive ideas expressed through Media Arts for global clients. TBWA is ranked as a Top-Ten worldwide advertising agency, and was recognized by Advertising Age in 2010 as the “Best International Network of the Decade”.

     

    TBWA is part of Omnicom Group Inc, a leading global marketing and corporate communications company. Omnicom’s branded networks and numerous specialty firms provide advertising, strategic media planning and buying, digital and interactive marketing, direct and promotional marketing, public relations and other specialty communications services to over 5,000 clients in more than 100 countries.

     

  • MSLGROUP is Publicis Groupe's flagship strategic communications and engagement company and the largest public relations and social media network in Greater China and India.

    MSL Asia ranks 3rd in M&A leage

    By A Correspondent

     

    Publicis Groupe’s financial communications consultancies in Asia – operating as part of the MSLGROUP network – have been ranked third by volume for Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) deals, according to mergermarket, a leading M&A intelligence service in the ‘mergermarket League Tables of PR Advisers’ for Q1 2012.

     

    MSLGROUP is Publicis Groupe’s flagship strategic communications and engagement company and the largest public relations and social media network in Greater China and India.

     

    The mergermarket study analyzed the Q1 performance (January to March 2012) of PR advisors in Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) deals and placed Publicis Groupe’s financial communications consultancies third in terms of number of deals and eighth in terms of collective deal value ($978 million) within Asia Pacific. This represents a jump in ranking from 49th to eighth by value and from the 19th to third by volume.

     

    In Asia Pacific, the mergermarket report has considered four deals advised by Publicis Groupe’s financial communications consultancies – three by Hanmer MSL and one by MSL China.

     

    mergermarket based its ratings on deal values – considering only those over $5million – and number of deals struck. The ‘mergermarket League Tables of PR Advisers’ Q1 2012 is part of the ‘mergermarket’ report that not only evaluates and analyses M&A transactions all over the world on a quarterly and annual basis; but also the performance of PR advisors who act as strategic counsel.

     

    Commenting on the achievement, Jaideep Shergill, Chief Executive Officer of Hanmer MSL, India said: “The global economy has been witnessing consolidation across industries, much of it in the form of mergers and acquisitions. We sense immense opportunities in the M&A space for our finance practices inAsia, especially at a time when many European, American and even Asian firms are looking for quality acquisitions in the region.”

     

    Hanmer MSL India managed M&A communications for leading Indian business groups including Piramal Healthcare (acquisition of 5.5 per cent stake in Vodafone India by Piramal Healthcare), Network 18 Group (acquisition of 100 per cent stake in Eenadu Group by Network 18) and Binani Industries (acquisition of 100 per cent stake in 3B – The Fibreglass Company by Binani Industries).

     

    MSL China advised and managed communications for the Neiman Marcus Group on the US based company’s merger with Glamour Sales Holding, an online retail company, inChina.

     

  • In his new role, he will be responsible for aligning and strengthening the firm's operations

    Dipankar Chakraborty is COO at Kettle Communications

    By A Correspondent

     

    Kettle Communications, an integrated communication consultancy, announced the appointment of Dipankar Chakraborty as their Chief Operating Officer. In his new role, he will be responsible for aligning and strengthening the firm’s operations. His mandate with Kettle Communications include Strategy Development, New Business Initiatives, Team Development and Management pan India, for all verticals: Main Line Advertising, Below the Line campaigns (Events & Activations), Retail Management, Exposition Management, Digital and MICE.

     

    As a business lead, he will be responsible for the formation of full service teams in all metros of India (Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kolkata).
    Dipankar has over 14 years of experience, which includes leading several corporate and brand reputation programs. “We are delighted that Dipankar has joined our new team as we plan to touch new horizons and increase and establish our foothold in the industry,” said Mr. Aatanu Chakraborty, MD & CEO of Kettle Communications.

     

    Prior to joining Kettle Communications, Mr Chakraborty was with HansaVision, (A part of RK Swamy BBDO group) as National Head – Events and was instrumental in leading campaigns for Samsung, Yahoo, Nestle, LG, Micromax to name a few, where he was responsible for the growth and profitability of the organization.

     

    Mr Chakraborty, in the past, has been associated with prestigious national and international events like, IIFA Awards, London School of Economics Asia Forum, World Mobile Congress Barcelona, AfricaCom South Africa, World Telco Summit UAE, GSM Middle East, Communique Asia, Yahoo BIC Awards, NDTV Business Leadership Awards, Porsche Launch in India, Audi Launch in India, Bill Clinton, Bill Gates, Pierce Brosnan, Carl Lewis’ Visits to India.

     

    The bouquet of clients Mr Chakraborty has serviced during his tenure include, FICCI, CII, Yahoo, Airtel, Nestle, Adventz, ACME, Microsoft, Teacher’s, Nasscom, Nike, Porsche, Audi, Samsung, LG, Micromax, Comviva, Ananda Bazaar Patrika, The Times of India, Hindustan Times, Cairn India, ONGC, SAIL, NTPC, Indigo Music, India Today Group.

     

    Prior to this, Mr Chakraborty has worked with Wizcraft for more than 6 years followed by Ogilvy where he spent considerable time strengthening the Below the Line arm called Ogilvy Live.

     

    Kettle Communications has been founded by a group of thinkers consisting of core team with big agency, big brand exposure … thus forming the all weather plate of the Kettle. Kettle Communications believes that the art of communication is to sport a lively, engaging idea that carries the power to evoke emotions. Kettle Communications strive to partner client’s diverse needs by providing a work atmosphere that’s truly inspiring. And all these BOIL inside a “Kettle – Boiling with Ideas”

     

  • The addition of Neon Brand PR will further strengthen Draftfcb Ulka's portfolio of services and provide seamless inputs for their branding assignments

    Draftfcb Ulka lights up with Neon Brand PR

    By A Correspondent

     

    Neon Brand PR is the newest division of Draftfcb Ulka Group with a strong focus on traditional and social media. From conceiving and executing media relations strategies, the approach will be to develop PR for brands and brand campaigns that link marketing and communication initiatives for greater buzz and positive throwback on the brand. The addition of Neon Brand PR will further strengthen Draftfcb Ulka’s portfolio of services and provide seamless inputs for their branding assignments.

     

    Neon Brand PR will endeavour to bring in a significant amount of brand learning from the parent agency into its PR practice, thereby ensuring that the brand positioning and messaging are given the right tone and posture.

     

    Tanya Desousa has joined Neon Brand PR as PR Director. She has experience of about 14 years in PR, having worked in companies like Crest Communications, Hanmer & Partners and Percept Profile. She has been associated with brands like Spicejet, Western Australian Trade Office, Amway, Sanofi Aventis, Piramal Healthcare, Bridgestone Tyres, Asus Incorporated and many more.

     

    Neon Brand PR’s first assignment will be Santoor 25 Years campaign.

     

  • Vibgyor started out as a generic event management services company and has transformed into one of the top activation agencies in the country with a pan-India presence

    Vibgyor Brand Services gets future-ready

    By A Correspondent

     

    Vibgyor Brand Services, a pioneer in brand activation services, has completed 10 years of operations. This not only signifies the coming of age of this specialized industry, but also reflects on its growing importance as a tool of marketing communications.

     

    Vibgyor started out as a generic event management services company and has transformed into one of the top activation agencies in the country with a pan-India presence. Vibgyor has 6 offices and a team of over 90 that support top-notch companies like HUL, Dabur India, Pepsi, Samsung, Flipkart, Toshiba and others for their brand activation strategies including events, exhibitions and on-ground consumer contact programmes.

     

    Ankur Kalra, founder and CEO of Vibgyor recalls that a decade ago he had to explain brand activation and experiential marketing services to his potential clients. Today, no marketing plan is complete without Brand Activation and every forward looking company ensures a healthy balance of ATL & BTL as part of their plan.

     

    The discussions are now more on strategy, on methods of targeting the specific customer profile, engaging them and ensuring that they experience the brand and convert into loyal consumers. “This is the reason that we are adopting a new corporate identity and business philosophy today. Our benchmark is going to be how involved we are as a team with the clients brand and how much excitement we can create around it”, he said.

     

    Today consumers, with the overload of information, are looking for exciting brand experience and Vibgyor is committed to delivering the same. The new philosophy “Involve > Excite” is based on the input output principle – to get involved in a brand to create excitement around it.

     

    The brand activation industry is estimated to be anywhere between Rs5000 – 6000 crore, growing at 15 – 20 per cent per year. Vibgyor clocked a growth rate of 25 per cent last year which is substantially higher than the industry average. “The twin focus on commitment and creativity has enabled us to reach this far and we hope that adding involvement and excitement as part of our service delivery will help our client and in turn enable us stay ahead of the industry and maintain our double digit rate of growth”, Mr Kalra added.

     

  • It's quite painful to watch the ad. And given that Katrina Kaif is the protagonist, that's a criminal thing to happen

    Debrief: Slice: Ras nahin, boredom barsa

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Slice is back this summer with another ‘Aamsutra’ ad. And it again features Katrina Kaif. ‘Ab Ras Barsega’ is the idea, and that line is pregnant with tantalizing possibilities.

     

    Sadly however, nothing really happens. The pretty lady is seen gallivanting around in a garden, as she alternately consumes lots of mangoes and lots of Slice. A qawwali track plays in the background to give the ad film a movie song feel. Nothing wrong with that per se… after all we do love watching film songs… but the script is so weak, the commercial leaves you high and dry.

     

    Two big problems. For the song treatment to have worked, the TVC needed a little storyline. If romance was the intention, the ad needed the presence of a lover for Kaif, or at least an indication of a lover. If Slice is playing the lover, no wonder it’s a flop show. Secondly, if Kaif had to go solo, which means the entertainment factor rests totally on her shoulders, the ad needed to pack in a lot of raw sensuousness and oomph. But even that doesn’t happen, maybe the advertiser chickened out of it. Kaif looks pretty plain and boring in this TVC.

     

    Net net: It’s quite painful to watch the ad. And given that Katrina Kaif is the protagonist, that’s a criminal thing to happen.

     

    Rating: (On a scale of 1 to 5): 1.5 Good qawwali. Dull video.