MxMIndia

Category: MARKETING

  • It comprises a series of six films in six languages, conceived and created by Tilt Brand Solutions and shot by Nirvana films

    Tilt Brand Solutions unveils cricket-themed campaign for Dream11

    By A Correspondent

     

    Dream11 has launched its campaign titled ‘Ye Game hai Mahaan’ – an ode to India’s favourite game and the fans who continue to make it so.

     

    A series of six films in six languages, conceived and created by Tilt Brand Solutions and shot by Nirvana films, attempts to immortalise the love and dedication amongst everyday fans for the game.

     

    Speaking about the campaign Vikrant Mudaliar, Chief Marketing Officer, Dream11, said: “With a strong user base of over 5 crore fans, Dream11 has established itself as the leader of the Indian sports gaming industry. This IPL season, our campaign takes an innovative route for the brand’s storytelling, by paying an ode to the most loved sport in India and its passionate fans. The campaign attempts to further establish Dream11 as the platform where every fan can connect with their favourite sport. Dream11 celebrates this passion and emotional connection of fans with cricket through – “Ye Game hai Mahaan”. We are confident that the brand campaign will resonate with cricket fans and our users across the country, stirring memories of their experiences with the sport.”

     

    Added Shriram Iyer, Chief Creative & Content Officer, Tilt Brand Solutions: “Cricket in India is still so popular not just because of the game and its players, but arguably more so, because of the fans who are obsessed with it. The films showcase acts of dedication and heroism of fans for the cause and sake of cricket. These films truly are, made about cricket fans for cricket fans.”

     

     

  • Aims to strengthen the connect with IPL by extending the partnership as an Associate Sponsor for the league

    Asian Paints partners KKR for Vivo IPL 2019

    By A Correspondent

     

    Asian Paints has announced its association as official sponsors for Kolkata Knight Riders in addition to the continued association with IPL.

     

    Commenting on the association, Amit Syngle, COO, Asian Paints, said: “We are proud to be associated with IPL & Kolkata Knight Riders for the 12th IPL edition and are confident that this association will be a successful one. IPL continues to be a prestigious platform that has thrived over years, witnessing massive brand collaborations and visibility. KKR is considered to be one of the most coveted teams in the lucrative T20 tournament and this association is an added benefit for us to strengthen our connect with our consumers spread across the breadth of the country with a focus on the east.”

     

    Added Venky Mysore, MD & CEO, Kolkata Knight Riders: “It’s a pleasure to have a great brand like Asian Paints associate with us. At Knight Riders we like to work with credible brands who bring a lot of value to the partnership and with Asian Paints it’s yet another step in that direction.”

     

     

  • Team 82.5 Communications conceptualised the commercial

    Himalaya Purifying Neem highlights product benefits in new ad film

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Himalaya Drug Company has unveiled its ad campaign ‘Reveal your best skin’ for Himalaya Purifying Neem Pack.

     

    Said Rahul Panchal, General Manager Marketing – Face Care, The Himalaya Drug Company: “We all aspire to have skin which is devoid of imperfections, and hence, we end up trying various options to look better. Our latest commercial aims to create awareness about how one can focus on revealing the best version of their skin. And, that is where our product comes in. Instead of masking the imperfections, Himalaya Purifying Neem Pack helps you discover your best skin with the goodness of natural ingredients like Neem and Turmeric.”

     

    Team 82.5 Communications conceptualised the commercial. Said Naveen Raman, Senior Vice President & Branch Head, 82.5 Communications, said: “We keep the consumer first in our thinking and all our campaigns are looking through their lens. Natural, flawless skin is what every young girl desires. However, given the stressful lifestyle and uncontrollable external conditions in her life, she ends up trying multiple hacks and quick fixes to hide the imperfections of her skin. Himalaya Purifying Neem Pack addresses this problem and provides an effective solution.”

  • Launches a special campaign #GameHaathMein

    Fantain ropes in Suresh Raina as brand ambassador

    By A Correspondent

     

    Fantasy sports and fan engagement company Fantain Sports announced the appointment of cricketer Suresh Raina as its brand ambassador. The left-handed batsman will be the face of the company across all its brand communication campaigns starting this month.

     

    Commenting on the partnership, Anand Ramachandran, Co-founder and CEO, Fantain said: “Suresh Raina is a legend in his own right and we are delighted to be associated with him. His sheer talent, teamwork and energy have won several matches for India and CSK.  He always plays the game with a straight bat and this partnership is a perfect fit for us, as we build a platform based on trust and transparency. We wish Suresh the best of luck for this IPL and beyond.”

     

     

  • The association comes at a time when Fast&Up is on the cusp of its next phase of growth

    Fast&Up ropes in Mayank Agarwal as brand ambassador

    By A Correspondent

     

    Fast&Up has announced the signing of cricketer Mayank Agarwal as brand

     

    Said Vijayraghavan Venugopal, CEO, Aeronutrix Sports Products: “We are glad to sign the exceptionally talented cricketer, Mayank Agarwal as a Fast&Up brand ambassador. At Fast&Up, sports is our passion and we strive to identify and encourage talented athletes in their sports journey by ensuring their nutritional needs are met. We believe that Mayank has all the qualities to become a top performer for Indian cricket and we look forward to his engagement with Fast&Up.”

     

     

  • The mandate comes after an intense multi-agency pitch involving leading agencies

    Lowe Lintas bags creative mandate for Thums Up

    By A Correspondent

     

    Leading cola brand Thums Up has appointed Lowe Lintas to handle its creative duties. The mandate comes after an intense multi-agency pitch involving leading agencies in India.

     

    Said Naveen Gaur, Deputy CEO, Lowe Lintas: “We are thrilled to have won Thums Up, the iconic cola brand of the country. Lowe Lintas is known for creating and nurturing leader brands. To be awarded a brand like Thums Up that is already India’s icon is a great compliment to our brand building capabilities.”

     

    Said Shrenik Dasani, Vice President, Sparkling Category at Coca-Cola India & South West: “For over 40 years running, Thums Up has brought the taste of thunder to Indian taste buds. It has always been a unique icon of masculinity which reminds us that heroism is a choice, that we can unleash our true potential if we only choose to push the boundaries of self-belief.  We are very excited to continue finding refreshed expressions of this thought, now with our new partner – congratulations to Lowe Lintas on winning the pitch and agreeing to join hands with us. This partnership comes at a truly epic stage of our journey, as we move ever closer to reaching the 1 billion-dollar mark, and as the brand begins to expand beyond India, into South-West Asian markets. We couldn’t have thought of a better ally to help us take the thunder deeper into Indian youth’s hearts and minds.”

     

     

  • The Minimalist will craft campaigns that will build a relationship with parents, teachers and related influencers

    Navneet assigns creative and digital duties to The Minimalist

    By A Correspondent

     

    Navneet Publications has announced the appointment of The Minimalist as its creative and digital agency. The Minimalist will lead and execute all creative campaigns, including ATL, BTL and digital communication for Navneet Publications. Besides reaching out to the student community, The Minimalist will also craft campaigns that will build a relationship with parents, teachers and related influencers for Navneet Publications.

     

    Navneet Education, Devish Gala, Marketing Head, said, “In order to further strengthen the Navneet brand, we have partnered with The Minimalist to handle the creative duties for mainline and digital. We are happy to have them on board and look forward to a fruitful relationship in the coming years. We have been the leaders in the publications business for decades now and this exercise will help us to take the brand to the next level.”

     

    Sahil Vaidya, Co-founder – The Minimalist added, “As a company, Navneet enjoys a significant and pioneering position in India. Backed with a rich legacy of 60 years, their understanding of a student’s needs is immense and credible. Through our campaigns, we aim to make Navneet a student favourite and increase awareness for its comprehensive range of books amongst parents and teachers. We will also amplify the brand’s traditional and mainline communication across digital. We recently rolled out the first part of the campaign across Radio creating awareness on the range of reference books available for students appearing for their board exams in Maharashtra. As a brand, Navneet Publications has immense potential and we look forward to developing ideas and campaigns to uncover this potential and make it synonymous to the brands overall communication.”

     

     

  • The account will be handled out of Lowe Lintas Bangalore

    Lowe Lintas to manage creative mandate of Britannia’s Timepass

    By A Correspondent

     

    Britannia has entered the snacking category and has appointed Lowe Lintas to manage the creative mandate of Timepass – a range of baked snacks in new formats and flavours.

     

    Said Jayant Kapre, Business Head – Adjacent & New Business, Britannia Industries: “In line with Britannia’s vision of being a Total Foods Company, it was a natural move for Britannia to make an entry into this category. We looked at the tremendous growth of the snacking category over the past half-decade. Our approach will be not just to create an innovative portfolio of products, but one that is represented by a memorable brand persona. We look forward to working with Lowe Lintas in gaining a meaningful entry into this competitive category.”

     

    Added Hari Krishnan, President, Lowe Lintas: “We are Britannia’s lead creative partner and to be chosen for a new category is a vindication of our strengths in consumer understanding, strategy and our creative firepower. Snacking is a category where consumer demand is triggered by two types of hunger – Mouth Hunger & Stomach Hunger. Most of the packaged snacks fall into the Mouth Hunger category and is generally an addictive and/or mindless activity. Based on this insight, we have worked with the Britannia team on the strategy, brand name and communication and that’s how the brand name Timepass was frozen. We look forward to developing some exciting and Timepass work.”

     

     

  • The campaign has used hyper-localised outdoor and digital activations that are relatable, witty, and intend to encourage users to create their own playlists

    Spotify unveils maiden marketing campaign for India

    0By A Correspondent

     

    Spotify has unveiled its first campaign titled ‘There’s A Playlist For That’, a hyper-contextual OOH plus digital campaign born of the brand’s commitment to create deeply localised and personalised user engagements. The campaign – created by Leo Burnett – has been geo-targeted on the basis of cities, neighbourhoods, and important traffic intersections, with one liners that depict relatable life situations and hyper-local cultural nuances.

     

    Said Amarjit Batra, Managing Director – India, Spotify: “Every few kilometres in India, the cultural nuances change, which means that the same music can mean something entirely different to even those who live in the same city. Understanding this insight of the varying ‘when’ and ‘where’ led to the creation of our first marketing campaign in India, which communicates that we have playlists for our users, no matter what the moment “Spotify has 3 billion playlists, many of which have been made by the fans themselves. With this campaign, we have highlighted that strength and are also encouraging users to make their own playlists”, he added.

     

    Added Rajdeepak Das, MD India & Chief Creative Officer South Asia, Leo Burnett: “With so many curated playlists, Spotify has something for everyone; whatever be your mood – there’s a playlist for that. It is a fun execution of everyday life situations where things can go from good to bad, or bad to good but remember there is a playlist for that too. The strength of the campaign is that it is hyper – localised and the execution is not only city specific or area specific but even situation and local quirk specific.”

     

     

  • The company is also hosting T20-themed ‘Challenger Leagues’

    CricPlay appoints Gautam Gambhir as its brand ambassador

    By A Correspondent

     

    CricPlay has appointed Gautam Gambhir as the official brand ambassador for its inaugural ‘Ab India Khelega’ campaign. The company is also hosting T20-themed ‘Challenger Leagues’, i.e closed group leagues for users to compete with other users on the app that will offer them the chance to win several prizes.

     

    CricPlay Business Head, Gaurav Sarin said, “We are excited to have a legend like Gautam onboard with us in our journey to bring world-class fantasy gaming to India. His passion for the game is at the core of CricPlay, and ‘Ab India Khelega’ is aimed at pivoting fantasy games from the current transactional nature of spending money to play, to playing for the love and joy of Cricket where all fans are welcome irrespective of their ability to spend”

     

     

  • Learning and creating on Usha sewing machines are child’s play, and as much fun too

    Usha celebrates association with Mumbai Indians via latest ad film

    By A Correspondent

     

    Usha International has launched its latest campaign to leverage the association with Mumbai Indians this cricket season. Aligned to the ‘Learn and Create’ tag line, the campaign highlights how easy it is to create using Usha sewing machines.

     

    Said Harvinder Singh, President – Sewing Machines, Usha International: “Our aim is to encourage people to take up sewing as it is easy, fun, creative, and empowering. This TVC highlights the entire experience of learning together – the happy camaraderie among the kids and players from the Mumbai Indians team as they go about being creative in every sense. Our diverse range of sewing machines have features that are innovative and cater to the needs of every customer.”

     

    The TVC will be aired nationally during every match featuring the Mumbai Indians. The TVC will be supported by a digital campaign as well as BTL activations including promotional scheme for trade partners, and in-shop promotions, across India.

     

     

  • The bestselling cola dumped its creative agency of 24 years… but can this help gain back its thunder, wonders Prabhakar Mundkur

    Is Thums Up losing its Thunder?

     

    By Prabhakar Mundkur

     

    When Coca-Cola launched Thums Up Charged with great fanfare two years ago, they might have consciously ignored what was happening to the cola market in general.  The signs of decline in colas has been a global phenomenon for some time now. An increasingly health conscious population, especially amongst the millennials, has meant that colas in general might not be the preferred beverage. Consumers are increasingly moving to juices and non-cola beverages and colas are no longer as ‘cool’ as they were even a decade ago.  The logic of therefore launching a extra fizzy Thums up Charged defied the logic of a cola market already under pressure. If fizz was unhealthy then extra fizz was likely to be even more unhealthy!

     

    The government has also held the health banner to cola products by classifying them as ‘sin products’ and have taxed them heavily.  As with most other harmful products like tobacco, colas attract 28% GST and a 12% cess or ‘sin’ tax. It is unlikely that colas could have carried this new burden in addition to a shift in consumer attitudes to more healthy beverages.

     

    So the prediction of $1 billion revenue announced with the launch of Thums Up Charged may have been a little premature.  The company has not yet announced if it met that target.

     

    So, what happens when brands don’t do as well as they are expected to? Typically, they change agencies. After all advertising agencies are the easiest scapegoats for CMOs when they have to answer to their superiors.

     

    What then might have taken the Thunder out of Thums Up?  Toofani Thanda or Taste the Thunder which evolved to Main Hoon Toofani,  Live the Thunder and Aaj Kuch toofani karten hain was a classic positioning that the brand has held for years and made it the leader in the market for the last few decades since it was first acquired by Coca Cola in 1993. Thanda in Hindi has been the generic label for all colas.

     

    The Thums Up Masculinity Model

    The earlier masculinity model projected by Thums Up represented pure machoism with Salman Khan. There was something raw about it.  In this, model men were expected to be muscular, drink a few gallons of alcohol without getting intoxicated and strong enough to be heavy smokers. Ian Fleming’s James Bond in his books represented this kind of raw masculinity. Typically, men projected toughness and independence and seemed invulnerable.  Brands and marketers projected this masculinity by finding appropriate role models and celebrities and for Thums Up it was Salman Khan. For other brands like Cinthol in the old days, it was Vinod Khanna that represented this kind of masculinity.

     

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCqG3FTdEMw

     

    When Thums Up made the change from Salman Khan to Ranveer Singh, they made a conscious effort to change the original masculinity code of Thums Up.  The launch of Ranveer Singh with Main Hoon Toofani theme, had Ranveer in a feat where he helped schoolchildren out of a bus that was about to fall in to a gorge.  Heroic and a social do-gooder yes, but was it masculine enough? Probably not.  Earlier commercials for Thums Up had shown Salman go to any lengths to get his bottle of Thums Up and in the process overcome several hurdles.  In comparison the new Ranveer film did not have the same purpose. Also, variant advertising is not easy. How do you differentiate variants adequately in advertising so that the classic variant is different from the new variant?  Did the Ranveer commercial achieve this distinction of differentiating Thums Up Charged adequately from the classic Thums Up? I am not sure.  It was not clear what the emotional benefit the extra fizz resulted in for the Ranveer commercial.

     

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgEVNWdfIEo

     

    Cutting to the latest commercial in November 2018 for Thums Up lacked both a theme and any substance.  Ranveer Singh seemed to be running away from thugs and finally escapes them with a swig of Thums Up before he jumps into some rapids.   Heroic again but not particularly masculine.

     

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPjy_6pX9wA

     

    Contrast all this advertising with the Salman Khan advertising of yore.  Maybe it was time to bring the real Toofani back to Thums Up. Which might explain the change of agencies from Burnett to Lowe.