Following the acquisition of a 49 per cent stake in the company by CA Media, Endemol India is all set to make its foray into the film making business. The company has already acquired rights to remake Vidya Balan starrer Kahaani in Tamil and Telugu. The production is slated to begin in September this year and the company is looking forward to an early January release of the films in 2013.
Endemol India is currently in talks with a couple of leading South Indian actors for the lead role in the remake of Kahaani. Sujoy Ghosh, who produced the original script, will also step in as the producer for the remakes and will be working with a leading director from the south Indian film industry.
Elaborating further on this venture, Endemol India CEO, Deepak Dhar said: “After having produced content for some of the biggest format shows in the country, we realized it was time for us to venture into something new. Filmmaking was always on the cards and we are delighted to actually do it. We are already lining up projects for 2013 and are extremely excited about our first project, the remake of Kahaani, which will be in production soon.”
Endemol India will be producing 3-4 films every year with an equal mix of South and Bollywood scripts. The slate for 2013 will be announced soon and work is on for the 2014 slate.
While the movie making business is Endemol India’s newest venture; the company will continue to produce content for television shows with Bigg Boss and Fear Factor returning for their sixth season this year.
Known for its innovations, 93.5 Red FM has got ‘Sania Bhabhi’, a sensuous housewife who considers all cricketers her ‘dewars’, back this cricket season. Last year, the character was introduced by Red FM Delhi to deliver cricketing content in an interesting and entertaining manner. Sania Bhabhi used to have topical conversations with her dewars, in a way that makes the listeners let loose their imagine.
This year she has come back with her wallet full of cash, nicked from her dewars, up for winning through interesting contests. The concept of the show is that Sania Bhabhi knows that all her dewars have earned big bucks, and now she will share that loot with the listeners. For one specified hour in each show on Red FM, she will declare the amounts she’s taken from cricketers. Listeners are encouraged to stay tuned through the hour to know how much money she has given away. The listener who will declare the correct total amount will walk away with that cash prize at the end of the hour.
The activity has already started from April 4 and will stay on air through-out the IPL cricket season till end of May. Nearly Rs10,000 will be given out as prizes every day.
The campaign is primarily aimed at getting listeners to listen to the station longer, through which they can win big. As such, the off-air media will focus to touch-points, to generate incremental listenership:
Posters in pan shops, other relevant outlets in high visibility areas for the primary demographic
Slides, ambient media at PVR
Facebook activation, with creative and audio downloads from theDelhipage
Constant readers of this blog might remember my post on IPL 5 when the tamasha had just gone underway. And in that post, I had spelt out various reasons why the tournament doesn’t interest me in the least. Now, I know it isn’t very nice to boast ‘I told you so’. And yet, on this occasion, I feel no hesitation in reporting that I had mentioned at the time that I would be mighty surprised if there was no match fixing going on in this cricket ‘fest’. I also recall saying that for the tabloid media, IPL is a goldmine for sensational stories.
Don’t know if the India TV guys read my post or not, but their sting operation has confirmed my fears. Good story. The only little grouse I have with the channel is that maybe they went out with the story a bit too soon. Perhaps if they had been more patient and had cared to dig a little harder, they may have nailed some big fish too.
To be fair, it isn’t entirely BCCI’s fault if some youngsters decide to sell their souls for some extra moolah. Surely the board cannot keep an eye on the activities of every single player. So perhaps we can’t slam only them for this scandal. The real question is this: What will the BCCI do NOW? Their future conduct will determine if they are serious about protecting the credibility of these games. They have to not just impose a life ban on the offenders (if proved guilty), the richie rich cricket board has to draw out powerful anti-corruption mechanisms to make sure the games are run cleanly.
And this is where the problem lies. How can an organization that’s not answerable to anyone, that has been following dodgy practices as standard operating process all these years, be trusted to run clean and transparent games? Which is why I really think the government, through the sports ministry, must clamp down on their activities. To begin with, they must bring the BCCI under the RTI regime. Of course, this is going to be tough because a whole lot of netas are involved with cricket in India, but it simply has to happen. As long as the BCCI is run like a private party, a personal fiefdom of a chosen few, rats will keep crawling under their glitzy carpet.
If the latest shameful expose doesn’t trigger massive changes in the functioning of the BCCI, nothing will. And yes, thank god I chose to stay away from the IPL. Imagine wasting so many man hours each day watching this nautanki, only to discover later that some players have been busy cutting private deals with freelance agents. Bollocks, mate!
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PS: An interesting billboard created by JWT, London. The National Centre for Domestic Violence, through this interactive billboard, asks people to use their cell phones to drag an abusive man away from his partner. Folks can visit a website featured on the billboard, and click on that to remove the man. Good way to directly involve people on the issue of domestic violence. Wonder when India’s hoardings will get a little imaginative!
Over 10,000 visitors visited DNA Wheelocity Auto Expo on May 12 and 13 at theBombayExhibitionCenterto enquire about sedans, hatchbacks, SUVs and bikes, which were being exhibited. From Maruti to the brands like Toyota, Mahindra, Honda, Renault, Hyundai, Ford, Nissan, GM, BMW, Land Rover, Volkswagen were amongst others on display. The expo also saw some vintages on display – a Ford Mustang 1969 model, a Dodge 1954 and Avon SS 1933.
This edition of DNA Wheelocity Auto Expo which showcased cars from the every price level turned out to be a winner as there were interested buyers gathering information on their choice. Gautam Dalal, Vice President Marketing, DNA said: “The ability of a newspaper to deliver over 10,000 footfalls is an absolute testament to the response generating power of DNA. The clients present have ensured that working with DNA was indeed a fruitful relationship. They now want us to commission the next one at the earliest.”
DNA had begun their campaign just 15 days prior grabbing the attention of their 6 lakh readers.
In 6 years, DNA has become India’s 6th largest and the fastest growing English daily. Targeted at a young readership, DNA is the voice and soul of its readers intertwined with honesty. Through news, views, analyses and interactivity, DNA provides readers with a composite unbiased picture of their city and the world. Its interactive platforms seek to bring the reader and surfer at the centre of its news activity.
Xaxis, a GroupM company that is part of the WPP, has announced the opening of its headquarters in Singapore to serve the Asia-Pacific region. With this launch, Xaxis is initiating an aggressive plan in the region with nine market roll-outs planned over the next six months – these new markets will include India, Malaysia, Taiwan, Vietnam, Indonesia and Hong Kong. The existing Xaxis operations in Australia will also come under the umbrella of the new headquarters, which represents the industry’s most comprehensive network of digital endpoints across online, mobile, social and video platforms.
Global digital media executive Michel de Rijk will lead the practice, joining Xaxis as Managing Director, Asia-Pacific. Prior to Xaxis, Mr de Rijk served as a senior executive at digital ad firm EyeWonder, where he was responsible for launching operations in the Asia-Pacific, Benelux and Middle East regions. During his four years with EyeWonder, Mr de Rijk served in several roles throughout each region and introduced the first ad-view-time metric to gain insights into the actual visibility of an ad. Previously, de Rijk worked for Dutch publisher De Telefoongids.
“As the largest audience-buying company in the world, Xaxis has an unmatched understanding of the global digital media-buying space along with local presence and expertise in each market it operates in,” said Mr de Rijk. “This combination allows Xaxis to deliver proven audience solutions that are custom-fit for executing targeted campaigns market by market. From mobile in Indonesia to video in Taiwan, Xaxis offers maximum precision when delivering ads in all markets.”
Xaxis provides audience buying solutions to more than 700 global advertisers, delivering over 300 billion impressions each year. The proprietary Xaxis data management platform (DMP) houses the largest collection of unique anonymous audience portraits. Additionally, as a universal and neutral data management platform, the Xaxis DMP allows advertisers to measure attribution, offline ROI, audience insights and brand impact based on the entire digital plan, not just the Xaxis portion of the plan.
“This commitment to expansion throughout the Asia-Pacific region follows a year of success and growth in North America, Europe and Australia,” noted Brian Lesser, CEO of Xaxis. “Ad spend in the region is expected to reach $170 billion within the next two years with online ad spend making up 31 per cent of the growth. Our clients have asked us to apply our knowledge and experience executing audience campaigns to the region. This launch displays the first step in our commitment to the region and will be followed with an aggressive expansion.”
Mark Patterson, CEO GroupM Asia Pacific, commented: “We have ambitious plans with Xaxis in the region. Our drive for value and improved audience delivery for our clients, as well as ownership of that capability – versus outsourcing as many groups do – will help us deliver on both, securely and rapidly, for our clients across the region and the digital spectrum.”
Through its proprietary platform, Xaxis offers advertisers a single, comprehensive resource from which to reach and engage with global audiences across the universe of digital media. Xaxis, which offers its proprietary platform for Group M media agencies Mindshare, Maxus, MEC and MediaCom.
Sandhya Srinivasan, Chief Strategy Officer, Law & Kenneth
Name of the Campaign:Â eBay – Want it. Get it.
The Brief: eBay India is where you can buy a range of brand new products.
Research/Insights:Â
Shopping, in reality, has a strong emotional narrative. While money is exchanged and tangible goods are purchased, it’s the intangible flight of the heart that makes shopping such an addiction. People don’t buy products & services. Their attempt is always to fulfill a desire or negate a worry. They want to get back to their waist 24′ jeans or look like the coolest dude in the mohalla and so on. Products they shop for are just means to an end.Â
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The thought process behind the creative:
To fulfill your wants and achieve your dreams, you will need a lot of things along the way. Whatever they are, you will get them on eBay India
Media vehicles chosen:Â TV, OOH, Digital, BTL [Cafe Coffee Day and PVR]
Key issues kept in mind while executing the ad:
eBay India offers great deals on the widest range of brand new products
Does the treatment do justice to the brief?
Yes it does. It puts the products in a life context, almost mirroring the unspoken desire that drives shopping. Makes it relevant in an easy, casual sort of way.
What according to you is the differentiating factor about the ad?
Every other brand in the eCommerce space is focused on discounts/deals and modus operandi of the category itself. eBay India’s focus, however, reinforces the role of eBay in every Indian’s life thereby lifting online shopping beyond the mandi/bazaar mentality to a life/lifestyle upgrader.
Market and client feedback:
eBay India has witnessed strong double-digit growth in overall traffic to the site as a result of this campaign
I had been traveling all of last week, but I kept track of the IPL shenanigans as and when I could. Since the news channels and the social media folks were busy discussing two sensational incidents of last week, allow me to add my two-bits. And I’ll cut to the chase, as always.
Firstly, on the Shah Rukh Khan versus Wankhede security personnel battle. If SRK’s kids and their pals did not have passes to enter the stadium, the security guards had every reason to demand their immediate removal. Kids will be kids, and it’s highly likely that they would run onto the pitch. There have been allegations that the kids were ‘molested’. I think that’s utter crap. Had that been the case, garam khoon Mr SRK would not have settled for maa bahen ki gaalis, he would have dispatched a few souls to the nearby Bombay Hospital. Also, guards molesting kids on an open ground when the IPL office bearers and players are still at the venue is a preposterous idea to even imagine.
Net net: King Khan’s fat ego (and maybe his booze-influenced head) got the better of him, and he lost control. Ergo, it’s correct that the MCA has banned him. Though given the star’s super heavy connections; that would soon be lifted. But, hats off to the security men who stood up to him. It’s very, very rare in a celeb and VIP obsessed India for lowly officials to take on a heavy weight. I think these guys should be bestowed with an honour.
Next: The incident in Delhi where a drunken IPL player allegedly molested a lady inside her hotel room. That’s a criminal case, and we will have to leave the investigation to the local cops. No one has the right to pass any moral judgments. But Mallya Jr’s tweet was beyond disgusting. It not only denigrated the woman in question, his rant exposed the dude’s sick mindset towards women in general. If Dr Vijay Mallya is a good dad, he needs to send darling beta for counseling, ASAP. And he must also insist that the brat disconnects his twitter account. Junior is not just busy bringing disrepute to his family – he’s reflecting a very poor image of the entire UB group.
It’s Sunday evening as I write this piece. The dust is beginning to settle on both the above issues. But am sure the next scandal is just round the corner. What’s the IPL without some offline tamasha? Aisa mauka aur kahaan milega, bhaiyya?
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PS: “If You’re Not Pissing Someone Off, You’re Probably Not Innovating.” An interesting read from the Harvard Biz Review. On what innovation really means and how marketers must do things differently in order to make a real impact.
The IPL’s fifth season is proving to be good news for mobile TV operators. Apalya Technologies, leader in mobile video, has registered 11 million viewers till now for the IPL 2012. This rise in mobile viewership is close to the numbers garnered by YouTube, which is also registering the same number of viewers on its website.
Speaking on the increasing viewers for mobile TV, Vamshi Krishna Reddy, Co-founder & CEO, Apalya Technologies said: “We started the tournament with an aim to catch at least 10 million subscribers before IPL 2012 ended and today after 65 matches, we are proud that Apalya Technologies has already crossed its target and registered 11 million viewers who are watching the matches Live on their mobiles. With another 10 odd matches to go, we are sure that we will be able to write many success stories this IPL.”
He added:Â “Apalya Technologies is exceeding not only TV, but also online viewership numbers, as compared to mobile viewership with the average minutes of usage per customer being between 17 to 20 minutes per day. Out of these viewers that we have registered till now, at least 70 per cent is coming from the Nokia users. The fact that mobile TV viewership is increasing is a proof in itself that the trends are changing and we are adapting to newer ways of watching TV.”
With emerging technologies and growing mobile video viewing habits, India records over 200 million video views a month on mobile devices and Apalya is all set to capitalize the opportunity to tap the interest of the youth, allowing them mobile video viewing for various popular events. During the World Cup season in April 2011, Apalya generated 17 TB of streaming and with close to 50 minutes of usage per user for the 6 matches India played. Currently, Apalya powers mobile TV for all the major telecom service providers in India and has also launched its services with leading operators in Sri Lanka & Indonesia.
The ABP News-Nielsen survey conducted on the eve of the UPA-II third anniversary has revealed that after eight years in power, the Congress-led coalition’s pull seems to be diminishing.
The survey, conducted across 28 cities across the country in April-May 2012, revealed that the BJP would garner 28 per cent of the votes if Lok Sabha elections are held now, while the Congress would manage only 20 per cent.
In fact, the BJP has turned out to be the most favoured party. In an interesting revelation, only 69 per cent of those who voted for Congress during 2009 Lok Sabha elections are still intending to vote for it, if Lok Sabha elections are held now. 31 per cent are moving away from it and 12 per cent now intend to vote for the BJP. Whereas for BJP, 84 per cent will stick with the party and only 2 per cent are switching away from it to Congress.
In 2009 elections, 28 per cent of these respondents voted for Congress, while 27 per cent voted for the BJP. But for the BJP, the dip of 8 per cent in the Congress vote share is not a complete gain. The BJP is gaining only a marginal 1 per cent. The remaining 7 per cent dip in Congress vote share among these respondents is gain for regional parties.
In the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, Congress had won 207 seats while BJP had got 116 seats.
While 32 per cent believed the government’s performance was good or very good, a sizable 35 per cent rated the performance as average.
Significant 21 per cent respondents said it was poor while 11 per cent rated the performance as very poor. The performance of UPA government has been rated slightly below average with a mean score 2.95, which is lower than the mean score of 3.22 last year.
However, Manmohan Singh’s ratings are good with 37 per cent respondents saying his performance was good or very good. Another 33 per cent ranked him average, while 28 per cent believed his performance was poor or very poor.
Around 32 per cent of the respondents felt that performance of UPA government is better or much better than its last term. A dip of 8 per cent is observed in the perception of people from last year survey, where 40 per cent of the respondents felt that the performance of UPA government is better than previous term. 39 per cent rated UPA performance as “about the same” this year, similar score in comparison to last year.
Only 36 per cent of the respondents felt that performance of the PM is better than its last term. A dip of 8 per cent is noted in the perception of people from the last year survey, where 44 per cent of respondents said that the PM performed better than his previous term.
When it comes to best leader in the country, Narendra Modi 17 per cent said he is the best leader over Manmohan Singh at 16 per cent. Modi was preferred at number four during last year’s survey (12 per cent).Manmohan was ranked at number 1 last year (21 per cent). Rahul Gandhi’s scores have dipped from 19 per cent to 13 per cent this year. Sonia Gandhi’s scores are down from 14 per cent to 9 per cent.
Group M agency Maxus is on tops of the much-respected RECMA qualitative evaluation of Indian media agencies in April 2012. While Maxus has scored 17 points, Mindshare has 15 points, whereas Lintas Media has 13 points. Both Maxus and Mindshare have a ‘Dominant’ profile and LMG has a ‘Good profile’. These are cumulative points across four categories.
In competitive pitches, Maxus and LMG are found to be ‘successful’ and Mindshare is ‘stable’.
The RECMA study is done four times a year. In December 2011, the following were the standings: Maxus: 15 points (Dominant, successful), Lodestar UM 13 points (Good, successful) and Madison Media 13 points (Good variable).
And in December 2010, it was as follows: Maxus 17 (Dominant, successful), LMG 15 (Dominant, successful), Madison 12 (Dominant, stable).
When compared over three periods – April 2012 vs December 2011 vs December 2010 – the Benchmark points for the three leading agencies of April 2012 are: Maxus (0), Mindshare (+4) and and LMG (-2). Maxus has had the same points in December 2010 and April 2012, while Mindshare and LMG have seen a change of +4 and -2 respectively.
Ajit Varghese
“RECMA is an important achievement for our agency as it is the only study that is authentic and is backed by numbers. On a global level, it is the numbers that do the talking and we are happy to have been performing consistently well,” said Ajit Varghese, managing director, Maxus. “It gives us an edge over our competitors and shows that we are not just a flash in the pan; that we are a dominant and successful agency. Yes, competition is pushing us to perform harder but we have been successful each time and this can be seen by our consistent performance at the top.”
“Recma is an important benchmark for us as it is considered seriously by most advertisers around the world, ” said Lynn de Souza, chairman and CEO, Lintas Media Group. “It is based on hard facts and data and not like the other studies that are based on perception. Also, the study cannot be manipulated and is therefore genuine to stand by.”
Lynn de Souza
As many as 19 media agencies were ranked in April 2012 with scores from +17 to -9; following a decreasing classification from ‘Dominant’ to ‘Good profile’, ‘Average profile’ and ‘Low profile’. This ranking is combined with a New Business qualification: ‘successful’, ‘stable’ or ‘underperforming’.
This qualitative evaluation has been processed in 40 countries and gathers 14 criteria in four categories:
1- Competitiveness: mainly measured by pitches results over the last three years (including a 2012 trend).
2- Momentum measured by the activity growth, market shares growth over 3 years, new business activity and changes to the top management.
3- Resources in Digital and Diversified Services (outdoor, branded content, entertainment, sponsoring/events, multi-cultural, retail, econometrics, etc.) as well as geographical coverage.
4- Client Profile: number of big advertisers handled, number of local advertisers, share of the 1st client and the 3 biggest (exposure).
“The factors that have led us to achieve such a ranking include our ability in growing in new segments and our ability to retain big clients. Vodafone, Nokia are a few examples where we have managed to retain them despite they belonging to different agencies worldwide,” Mr Varghese added.
Said Ms de Souza:Â “We are pleased with our current performance at RECMA. We have topped the list of being the most ‘successful’ agency in the criterion of competitiveness,” This was largely due to our aggression in pitching for new clients and our ability to retain most accounts. There was a worry in 2011 when we lost one of our biggest clients in ITC but then we compensated for that loss by aggressively pitching for mid-sized clients and doing that specifically in Tier 2 and 3 towns and cities. Going by our strong performnace , I see ourselves becoming the No 1 or 2 agency at RECMA very soon.”
Mindshare India Leader Ravi Rao was in meetings and not available for comment at the time of writing.
The India Qualitative Evaluation report is the fifth edition, the first one having been released in October 2010. “The key benefit of this study is to provide advertisers a fresh picture of the competition throughout a qualitative assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of each player, ” said Eudes J. Delfaon, the Paris-based RECMA Founder and Director of Research and Michèle Le Bris, RECMA’s Regional Director APAC in Manila.
“Revised and updated on a quarterly basis, the RECMA domestic reports stand as a powerful benchmark essential to all industry professionals in order to get a good and accurate understanding of the media agency landscape and deliver relevant credentials in their presentations,” he added.
You must have watched umpteen numbers of ads where you are left scratching your head wondering how did that celebrity fit into this (SRK selling Santro had me in splits for days together), However, truck maker Ashok Leyland appointing MS Dhoni as their brand ambassador will have you tearing your hair out in utter frustration.
In the TVC, Maahi doesn’t just bond with truck operators and mechanics, he claims to represent Ashok Leyland (like a company salesman), and worse, the cricket captain boasts, ‘Hamara barson ka tajurba’! Wow! What on earth does the Mercedes Benz driving dude know of trucks?? Has he spent even a single day with Ashok Leyland? In the very next commercial, I saw Dhoni jiving with some international footballers, busy selling Pepsi.
The Ashok Leyland guys must think their customers are totally dumb to buy into this nonsense. And if they had to use Dhoni, the least they should have done was to make the man play a credible role in the script. As if all this isn’t bad enough, the ad is very boring and painful to watch. And I say this even when I put myself in a trucker’s shoes.
Â
Complete disaster, I say.
Rating: (On a scale of 1 to 5): 0. Incredible and dull
NDTV, the country’s most reputed news network, brought together concerned citizens for the fourth edition of the NDTV-Toyota Greenathon on May 20, in a 12 hour long gala finale at the Yash Raj Studio in Mumbai.  This year, the focus has been recycling waste, especially plastic, along with encouraging everyone to keep their immediate environment clean. Joining the grand celebrations of Greenathon 4 were a galaxy of film personalities, celebrity chefs, composers and singers, chief ministers, Members of Parliament, school children and citizens from around the country.
In keeping with the green theme, the NDTV-Toyota Greenathon 4 set was made of recyclable products. The unique Green Set, created by well known designer Omang Kumar, also had a Green Kitchen area where celebrity chefs including Aditya Bal, Ritu Dalmia, Bikramjit Singh and Vicky Ratnani cooked some eco-friendly, delicious recipes for guests and hosts.
Supporting this Green Initiative and raising awareness about the environment, actor Milind Soman started his 1,500 km Green Run on April 20, running from the Qutub Minar in New Delhi, across 5 states and ending his Green Run at Yash Raj Studios in Mumbai. His 1,500km run in 30 days had been recognised as a World Record by the Limca Book of Records.
In an attempt to mobilise a mass movement, plastic/recyclable waste collection centres were set up across New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Phagwara (Punjab), Dharamshala and Nainital. People were invited to come out and participate in the recycling drive by depositing their recyclable waste, from plastic (bags and bottles), metal, paper, Tetrapak cartons and e-waste.
Some of the generous supporters of the campaign were brand ambassador Priyanka Chopra, Cyrus Broacha, Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Shahid Kapoor, Sridevi, Farhan Akhtar, Imran Khan, Deepika Padukone, Rahul Bose, Kunal Kohli, Parineeti Chopra, Arjun Kapoor, Bappi Lahiri and Vasundhara Das.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Prannoy Roy, Chairman NDTV Group, said: “NDTV-Toyota Greenathon 4 has been the best we have seen so far. I would like to thank TERI for being there and making this whole experience a success. Not having light is like losing your eyesight.”
NDTV-Toyota Greenathon 4 saw Rs8.89 crore being raised to benefit 508 villages. IndusTower came forward to donate Rs5 crore and the Power Finance Corporation donated Rs3 crore. Other key donors included Shah Rukh Khan who adopted 12 villages and Aamir Khan who adopted 5 villages. Shahid Kapoor adopted 3 villages, Priyanka Chopra adopted 2 villages.
Since its launch in 2008 The Greenathon Campaign has already funded solar lanterns for over 600 villages benefitting thousands of households. The NDTV-Toyota Green Campaign was the first ever-nationwide campaign to save the environment. The Campaign is aimed at creating awareness about the environment, by involving the people of our country to make a difference, and is supported by Dr RK Pachauri and TERI.
By A Correspondent
By Anil Thakraney
By A Correspondent
Sandhya Srinivasan, Chief Strategy Officer, Law & Kenneth
