MxMIndia

Category: MARKETING

  • The campaign, titled 'India Ke Hunger Ki Bajao', is a global fund-raising drive initiated by Ching's Secret with Akshaya Patra

    Ranveer Singh supports fund-raising drive in association with Akshaya Patra Foundation

    By A Correspondent

     

    Ching’s Secret is known for its inimitable approach towards food and life. With a mission to bind the world together with its taste, Ching’s secret has undertaken a unique challenge to fight hunger amongst school children, with brand ambassador Ranveer Singh. The campaign, titled ‘India Ke Hunger Ki Bajao’, is a global fund-raising drive initiated by Ching’s Secret (and YRF) with not-for-profit organisation Akshaya Patra, to appeal to people to donate a small amount of 750 INR to feed a child for an entire year and to ensure that hunger does not stop children from getting an education.

     

    Conceptualised and created by Yash Raj Films, in association with Bad Clown productions, this campaign has been digitally integrated and amplified by Fluence India’s leading digital celebrity influencer network.

     

    The initiative will be supported by a high decibel television and digital campaign driven by Ranveer Singh. Through the ‘India Ke Hunger Ki Bajao’ drive, Ching’s Secret and Ranveer aim to raise funds to feed at least 1 million children in India. The actor, who has been personally involved in all stages of development of this initiative over the last six months, plans to go all out and appeal people to donate and support the cause. Known for his effervescence and ‘dare-to-do’ attitude, the actor will kick-start the drive by personally sponsoring mid-day meals for 10,000 children for a year.

     

    Ajay Gupta, MD, Capital Foods said: “As a company, we’re in a good place. So it is now time for us to give back to the community that supports our brands and the ‘India Ke Hunger Ki Bajao’ campaign is a step towards this direction. We strongly believe that by educating our children, we are ensuring a better future for our country.”

     

    The Ching’s Secret ‘India Ke Hunger Ki Bajao’ campaign will launch on May 27 2015 with television radio and digital push and will be aired on all major channels and promoted across the digital medium.

     

  • Four different ads featuring celebrities Kapil Sharma, and actors Dhanush, Allu Arjun, and Sudeep released across India

    Olx rolls out nationwide campaign featuring celebrities

    By A Correspondent

     

    Olx.in has launched four ads in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada, each featuring a celebrity superstar. All TVCs are weaved around a common theme – ‘Let the Old Make Way for the New’ or ‘Purana Jayega Toh Naya Ayega’. The ads that hit the TV screens on May 30, 2015, comprise of four different films featuring leading stand-up comedian Kapil Sharma, Tamil movie sensation Dhanush, Kannada hit-maker Sudeep, and Telugu star Allu Arjun. Another TVC featuring Bengali celebrity Mir Afsar Ali will be launched shortly.

     

    Said Amarjit Singh Batra, CEO, Olx.in, “The central thought behind ‘let the old make way for the new’ is that change leads to progress. Only when you let go of the old, you create opportunity for new things to happen in life. People have been selling everything from household items to cars on Olx in just a few hours! Olx is the easiest, and the fastest way in which people are upgrading these days, and bringing about a change in their lives. We hope that ‘Purana Jayega Toh Naya Ayega’ becomes both an incentive for people to let go and upgrade through Olx, as well as a mantra to live by.”

     

    “We are not just a local brand, we are a hyper-local brand, built by Indians and for Indians. This reflects in our marketing. We were the first internet company to make regional campaigns in local languages with regional celebrities using colloquial sensibilities and references. We have always been the first-movers in online classifieds, and that’s the reason that our brand today stands for the category itself commanding 85% market share of the C2C trade in the country” added Batra.

     

    Conceived by Lowe Lintas, the TVC featuring Kapil Sharma depicts a man literally stuck to his used car. Kapil, portraying the role of a security-guard, explains that he has been long stuck to it, refusing to let go. The man explains that it was his first car, and he doesn’t know what to do with it. Urging him to move on, Kapil takes the man’s phone out, clicks a photo of the car, and uploads it on Olx. Buyers start calling right away, and the car gets sold. The man is seen getting unstuck to his car, and upgrading to a bigger one. In his quintessential tongue-in-cheek style Kapil Sharma concludes – “No chipkoing, kyunki Purana Jayega Toh Naya Ayega”.

     

    Shayondeep Pal, Executive Creative Director, Lowe Lintas said. “Purana Jayega Toh Naya Ayega is based on our habit of stacking stuff at home which we might not be using. It is only by letting go of the old that you make way for the new. Kapil is the face of the masses. His sensibilities and style are something people relate to. We have used his style in this campaign to put across this message with satire. OLX is a great platform to help us meet people who might be waiting for the exact stuff we are selling.”

     

  • Manish Agarwal will be CEO while Nitish Mittersain will be MD at Nazara Technologies

    Nazara nets Manish Agarwal as CEO, eyes being largest smartphone publisher

    By A Correspondent

     

    Leading mobile game developer and publisher Nazara Technologies has announced the appointment of Manish Agarwal as Chief Executive Officer. Nitish Mittersain, who founded Nazara Technologies, will assume the role of the Managing Director.

     

    Formerly CEO of Reliance Games, Agarwal brings with over 16 years of rich experience in digital, consumer marketing and mobile gamingHe was instrumental for development of successful, multi-million download games including Real Steel franchise, Pacific Rim and Hunger Games Panem Run among others. He has held senior leadership positons at Unilever, Microsoft, Rediff, Infosys and UTV.

     

    Said Mittersain: “As an industry as well as a company, we are at an inflection point today. While on the demand-side, the adoption of smartphones and enhanced connectivity is helping the segment grow at an unprecedented pace, on the supply-side there is tremendous interest in the Indian market from global players, new entrants, content developers and investors. To remain competitive in this market, we need to scale up our operations and increase the management bandwidth, and this is where Manish will play a role. We are certain that his experience of running a large mobile gaming business, expertise of developing world-class games and passion for the mobile game developer ecosystem will help in taking Nazara to new heights.”

     

    Speaking about his appointment, Agarwal, said, “Nazara has been a pioneer in the Indian mobile gaming space. With an in-depth understanding of the gaming ecosystem and a highly talented team, the company is well poised to shift gears and enter a phase of faster growth. I am glad to be a part of Nazara, and together with Nitish will help steer the company and set it on course to becoming a world class mobile gaming company. ”

     

  • The PR mandate includes re-iterating and emphasizing Sony's business strengths and technology leadership

    Sony India appoints Avian Media to handle strategic communications

    By A Correspondent

     

    Avian Media has been awarded the PR mandate for Sony India. The development comes in the backdrop of a multi-agency pitch process held in New Delhi.

     

    It will be responsible for developing and managing strategic communications for the company. The PR mandate includes re-iterating and emphasizing Sony’s business strengths and technology leadership, as well as building online advocacy amongst the relevant stakeholders.

     

    Nitin Mantri

    Commenting on the new business win, Nitin Mantri, CEO, Avian Media said, “We have a diverse portfolio across industries and geographies. A new win in the space where our rich experience and expertise provides us a winning edge over competition will further augment and strengthen our position in the market. Working for a brand like Sony India is a great honor and it will amplify our capabilities with innovative planning and execution of successful campaigns for the brand.”

     

    Ryusuke Fukushima, Deputy General Manager Marketing Communications, Sony India said, “We look forward to work with Avian Media in successfully driving the strategic communications campaign in India.  We wanted a public relations partner which has a deep understanding of our sector and could support us strategically to meet our business goals.”

     

  • Aseem Bhargava and Adhish Mehrotra to lead operations

    Sharif Rangnekar takes over as Chairman of Integral PR

    By A Correspondent

     

    Sharif Rangnekar

    As part of an exercise to deepen and broad-base its market strategy, Integral PR Services Pvt Ltd, has made changes to its leadership structure. Sharif D Rangnekar, who was the CEO of the firm, has now stepped into the role of Chairman. The operations of the consultancy will now be shared and handled by its two presidents – Aseem Bhargava and Adhish Mehrotra. These changes are effective June 1, 2015.

     

    Together, the two presidents have over 40 years of experience in the fields of marketing and public relations. They will be supported by the recently set up National Advisory Team that includes leaders from different markets specialising in issues and crisis, digital, integration and media relations.

     

    Rangnekar has been at the helm of the consultancy, as it’s CEO, for over 10 years and has been responsible for growing Integral PR from a relatively small agency into a consultancy of reckoning. The firm, under his leadership, became a partner of Public Relations Organisation International (PROI) – the largest and oldest network of independent PR and marketing firms – in 2006. Three years ago, the firm entered the top 250 list of global firms put together by the Holmes Report and ICCO.

     

    Moving forward, Rangnekar will mentor, train and provide a strategic direction to the consultancy. He will also help build new services and be involved in special projects and existing alliances and partnerships. “We have significant depth and breadth in the agency and the time is ripe for some of our brilliant leaders to run the show and build our business from where it is and where it can be,” Rangnekar said on moving in to the role of Chairman.

     

    Bhargava has over 25 years of work experience in corporate communications and the world of public relations. He has been with Integral PR since December 2013 and looks after operations while working in the area of issues and crisis, and media. Mehrotra moved in to the firm in 2011 and since has built the integration business while leading significant wins for the agency. He has earlier worked in the spaces of sales and marketing besides public relations.

     

  • Account to be handled out of DDB Mudra West

    Jyothy Labs hands creative duties of Margo to DDB Mudra Group

    By A Correspondent

     

    DDB Mudra West has recently won the creative mandate for Margo (beauty soap) following a multi-agency pitch.

     

    In India, Neem and skin care have gone hand in hand for generations. If there’s one brand that is the very essence of Neem, that’s Margo. The legendary 95-year old brand has stood the test of time.

     

    Margo has revamped itself to appeal to the preferences and aspirations of India’s dynamic youth while retaining its core Neem benefits.

     

    Over the years, the brand has expanded the product range to include the Margo Glycerine soap and Margo Face wash offering a larger portfolio of Neem based products for skin.

     

    Quoting on the appointment of the agency, M.R Jyothy, Executive Director, Jyothy Laboratories said, “The brief was to bring in a fresh perspective to communicate the core benefits of Neem leading to brand trials amongst non-users. DDB Mudra’s creative strategy appealed the most as it was a logical build up to the last brand campaign. The creative routes were fresh and in sync with what we believe our TG will relate to. We hope that DDB Mudra’s talent pool and experience in diverse categories will help us meet our marketing goals.”

     

    Rajiv Sabnis

    Quoting on the account win, Rajiv Sabnis, President, DDB Mudra West said, “Margo is the original Neem soap. The brand has some strong loyalists but we need to broad-base the loyal franchise to younger audiences and pan-India. The need is to make the power of Neem relevant to a larger set of young adults who know of the efficacy of Neem, but haven’t experienced it yet through Margo. In a day and age when young people want to experience the world up close, Margo is just the right partner to ensure that you are ready to face the world. The communication is true to this insight and should connect well with young Indians. We look forward to further building this brand with the team at Jyothy.”

     

  • Universal Law Publishing has been publishing legal books and legislation for legal professionals, academics and students in the Indian market for five decades

    LexisNexis India acquires Universal Law Publishing titles

    By A Correspondent

     

    LexisNexis, a leading publisher and online solutions provider for legal, tax, academic, and test-prep, announced the acquisition of the Universal Law Publishing titles. Universal Law Publishing has been publishing legal books and legislation for legal professionals, academics and students in the Indian market for five decades.

     

    Over the years, Universal has published popular works from eminent authors like PM Bakshi, HM Seervai, KD Gaur, Justice VR Krishna Iyer, Justice PN Bhagwati, Justice Michael Kirby, Soli J Sorabjee and Arun Jaitley to name a few. The Universal Law Publishing brand has a strong connection with Indian customers, and LexisNexis is proud to continue serving the marketplace with the high quality content customers have come to expect.

     

    Mohan Ramaswamy, Managing Director, India, LexisNexis Legal & Professional said, “Universal Law Publishing perfectly complements our existing range of offerings in the legal market. Their presence in the bare act space expands our reach to a large set of legal practitioners.  And soon, we expect to make Universal’s content available on our Indian online legal research solution – Lexis®India – providing even more content to our customers.”

     

    “LexisNexis India is one of the leading publishers and online solutions providers with many good authors and titles. This combination gives our authors an opportunity to work with superior editorial and product development systems with higher quality benchmarks that provide greater value to customers. Under the aegis of LexisNexis Editorial and supported by their strong Marketing and Sales teams, Universal Law Publishing titles will now be accessible in more markets,” said MG Arora, Chairman ULP and Sanjeev Arora, Pradeep Arora, and Manish Arora, the Directors at Universal Law Publishing Co. Pvt. Ltd.

     

    “This is great news for the Indian market and customers. LexisNexis is committed to India, and we will continue to make the right investments to help our customers become more effective, efficient, and productive in their professions. We will continue to partner with those interested in advancing the Rule of Law further through their quality of works, actions, and innovation,” said TJ Viljoen, CEO Asia Pacific, LexisNexis Legal & Professional.

     

  • "I have not received any notice yet. So I cannot make any comment. If it (notice) is received, my lawyers shall attend to it. It would be inappropriate to comment on a matter that is subjudice," said Amitabh Bachchan

    Is it right to indict celebs for endorsing FDA-approved products?

    By Nandini Raghavendra & Ravi Teja Sharma

     

    With a Bihar court directing police to file an FIR against Maggi brand ambassadors Amitabh Bachchan, Madhuri Dixit and Preity Zinta, celebrity endorsers are in a tizzy.

     

    Many celebrities refused to comment on record, but said that they have become a soft target in this fiasco. “It’s sad and true that known faces get targeted for the wrong reasons and agendas just to seek attention. It’s unfortunate because it becomes like a cry wolf syndrome; the day there will actually be someone with a justified reason and cause, it will not be given the importance it possibly deserves,” said actor Arjun Kapoor, who recently faced public ire over his participation in the AIB Roast. “Fame is a double-edged sword,” said actor and singer Ayushmann Khurrana.

     

    Madhuri Dixit’s lawyer Anand Desai, who is managing partner at DSK Legal, said the actor had not received any Food and Drug Administration (FDA) notice. Asked if a star could be arrested for such an offence, Desai said that an arrest is made only to prevent a star from not co-operating or not perpetuating the crime further. Custodial investigation definitely reveals more than non-custodial, but what are the stars going to contribute here, he asked.

     

    “I have not received any notice yet. So I cannot make any comment. If it (notice) is received, my lawyers shall attend to it. It would be inappropriate to comment on a matter that is subjudice,” said Amitabh Bachchan.

     

    So have stars really become soft targets? The fact that such a big MNC has been accused does not seem as important to people as discussing the brand association with film stars, said social commentator Santosh Desai. “The primary responsibility lies with the FDA, who have still not been able to figure out what is wrong. Then how do you expect the stars to do it?” he asked.

     

     

    “If a product has been passed by the FDA, why would a celebrity not believe that all is in place? Yes, it merits an investigation but in the case of anything being amiss, the primary responsibility lies with the FDA not the stars. It is a completely irrelevant fact, it is just that everyone feels important by association with the stars,” Desai added.

     

    “Celebrities are protected by their contracts,” said Indranil Das Blah of celebrity and sports management firm Kwan. He found the situation grossly unfair. “You cannot hold a celebrity responsible or liable for something that’s not in their hands, they are not in charge of the product development in the first place. They are not going to get into the R&D of a product or the brand promises that it makes,” said Blah.

     

    Bunty Sajdeh, CEO of Cornerstone Sport and Entertainment said that it is unfair and opportunistic and the stars are being targeted just because they are celebrities. “If it’s a reputed brand, if it is FDA approved, legally approved and legally in the market, we will take it on its face value. Besides, we protect our celebrities very stringently in our contracts, wherein we are completely indemnified from any such untoward incidences and we also have the right to terminate,” says Sajdeh.

     

    Source:The Economic Times

    Copyright © 2015, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved

    Licensed to republish

     

  • The tweaking of brand position has been an outcome of consumer insights gained through extensive research conducted by IMRB for Gulf Oil

    MSD endorses new ‘power’ feature for Gulf Pride 4T Plus

    By A Correspondent

     

    Gulf Oil, a Hinduja Group company has released a TV commercial featuring brand ambassador Mahendra Singh Dhoni for their motorcycle engine oil - Gulf Pride 4T Plus. The company intends to gain market share in the motorcycle engine oil segment by re-positioning their product offering. The tweaking of brand position has been an outcome of consumer insights gained through extensive research conducted by IMRB for Gulf Oil.

     

    For 2-wheeler respondents surveyed ‘performance’ is an attribute they sought for most. A measure of performance in biker’s mind is the ability of vehicle to gain instant acceleration when he/she needs it, commonly referred as instant pick up. Gulf Oil has incorporated this fresh insight into their new campaign, currently on TV as well as digital platforms.

     

    The new TVC focuses on the more relevant proposition of ‘power when you need it’. The new product proposition talks about life boosting Oxy-bitors that keeps engine clean and controls oil thickening and that facilitates faster pick-up and sustained power through the oil life. While the brand continues to retain its long drain prowess the main communication will hence forth be on the lines of “Insta Pick-Up”.

     

    Managing Director Ravi Chawla, Gulf Oil Lubricants, commented, “We are the fastest growing major lubricants brand in terms of volume. We are also constantly innovating with new product technologies and communication strategies. In the new TVC we have put our consumers at the heart of the communication ensuring that their desire of performance via Pick-Up is delivered through superior quality products”

     

    The TVC revolves around influential personalities from different walks of life coming together through their burning passion for bikes. Brand ambassador Mahendra Singh Dhoni is seen in a rugged biker avatar which will certainly delight his fans. The brand message of ‘Insta-Pick-Up’ rendered via the line ‘Pick-Up Your Ride’ is aimed at creating resonance and acceptance with the young and enthusiastic youth.

     

  • Culture Machine'sBeing Indian has been roped in to turbo charge theVodafone 3G Campaign with viral content for greater reach

    Maxus ESP initiates project with Culture Machine for Vodafone

    By A Correspondent

     

    Maxus ESP has initiated a brand new content project partnering digital video entertainment company Culture Machine with Vodafone for its 3G campaign ‘Speed is Good’. They roped inYoutube star ‘Being Indian’ whointelligently placed them for content on fast internet in a video titled ‘Mumbai on #SpeedisGood’. This co-branded video has already garnered half a million views in a week.

     

    The Vodafone 3G campaign which was rolled out during the IPL has already struck a popular chord with the audiences looking for high speed uninterrupted internet availability.

     

    The ‘Speed is Good’ campaign aims at articulating speed with the benefit of the fastest 3G network substantiated with hard functional claims basis an analysis of OoklaSpeedtest data during the period September 2014 to February 2015. The Vodafone network was adjudged to allow 22 per cent faster download and 43 per cent faster upload experience with its 3G data network as compared to the next best operator.

     

    Shailja Saraswati, Regional Director- Content (South East Asia & South Asia), Maxus ESP said, “We are looking to amplify the connection between speed and Vodafone through digital content to bring out the concept of ‘Speed is Good’. Given the popularity of the YouTube sensation—Being Indian, we have designed the campaign to reach out to a wider audience. It must be mentioned that we also collaborated with BIG FM and helped to create the “SPEED IS GOOD” philosophy using the programming framework of the radio station. There was a spike in participation when the radio campaign went live and it was attributed as one of the many factors for success. With the campaign now taking a digital course, the Vodafone 3G SPEED IS GOOD Campaign is all set to capture more hearts”.

     

    Ronita Mitra, Senior Vice-President, Brand Communications and Insights, Vodafone India added, “For Vodafone, youth is a significant component of our target audience. For this generation, their smartphones and mobile internet are their primary source of content consumption. The YouTube Stars are very popular and command a huge fan following. As part of our 360 degree campaign for Speed is Good, we co-created content with Being Indian, a very popular YouTube channel to connect with the Youth.”

     

  • The Pune-based agency has been put in charge of the 'Spice Giant's communication and strategy

    Setu is now Suhana’s communication partner

    By A Correspondent

     

    Pune-based Setu Advertising has bagged the communication mandate of Suhana. The account win came after a multi-agency pitch, in which Setu was invited to participate.

     

    Suhana is a brand under Pravin Masalewale, the largest procurer, processor and marketer of spices in Maharashtra. The brand comprises a wide range of products in categories including Ready-To-Cook, Blended Spices and Pure Spices.

     

    “Having grown from a 2 person home enterprise, Pravin now employs more than 1000 people, and reaches its consumers through a network of 463 distributors and 1 lakh retailers. That is a great story to be told, and we’re excited to tell it,” says Rugwed Deshpande, Director of Setu Advertising.

     

    From the communication stand-point, we are likely to see the brand move from tactical, product-focused messaging to a more story-based, broad perspective, according to Nasir Shaikh, Setu’s Creative Head.

     

    “We were very impressed to see the extensive research Setu put into their pitch. Their approach, although very strategic in nature, is underlined by strong emotional appeal. It’s something new for us and we’re excited to take this ahead and see how it takes shape,” says Sagar Pande, Manager– Marketing, Pravin Masalewale.

     

  • Vectus Industries is one of India’s premier brand of water storage tanks and plastic piping solutions

    Contract unveils brand campaign for Vectus

    By A Correspondent

     

    Contract Advertising has unveiled a new campaign for Vectus that promises to heat up the battle in the water storage tanks and plastic pipes industry.

     

    Talking about the brief, Ashish Baheti, Director, Vectus Industries Ltd. said, “The challenge for us was to leverage our legacy of 25 years in the industry to get a head start for our flagship brand, Vectus. We wanted Vectus to rise above product features and speak in the voice of a leader – a voice of authority, reason and foresight. We also wanted to reach out to home builders across age groups as well as those from the construction industry with a memorable message which keeps us on the top of their minds”.

     

    Shot on the parched terrain of Rann of Kutch in Gujarat by talented director Sainath Choudhary, the TVC is intense and a refreshing change from the clutter of product advertising today. The cinematography, the cast and the sound design come together to create the excitement of a western thriller, and the entry of the product leaves one nodding in agreement.

     

    “Tanks, pipes, drainage pipes aren’t exactly top of mind for people ever. What we’ve done here is to change the conversation of the category. We’ve taken the usual clichés of durability, longevity, strength etc. and represented them in a totally new and compelling way. The socially responsibleangle presents the case to the consumer in a manner they can’t ignore. It brings the category into the forefront and presents Vectus as a thought leader in it,”said Mayur Hola, Executive Creative Director, Contract Advertising New Delhi.

     

    Vectus Industries is one of India’s premier brand of water storage tanks and plastic piping solutions. Leveraging their massive pan-India retail presence in the water storage tanks domain, Vectus launched their comprehensive piping solutions range successfully, and has made huge strides in the past few years.