MxMIndia

Category: MARKETING

  • The youth-based education programme won 'Best On-Ground/Event Marketing of the Year' and 'Best Initiative Around Youth' awards from the Rural Marketing Association of India

    92.7 Big FM’s ‘Big Disha’ campaign wins 2 rural marketing awards

    By A Correspondent

     

    FM radio network 92.7 Big FM has garnered two awards for ‘Big Disha’, its youth-based education programme focusing on rural markets, at the Rural Marketing Awards, for the ‘Best On-Ground/Event Marketing Campaign of the Year’ and the ‘Best Initiative around Youth’. Organized by the Rural Marketing Association of India (RMAI) which promotes the cause of rural marketing, the Rural Marketing Awards applaud the best campaigns in marketing, branding, innovation and CSR.

     

    Big Disha won for its campaign designed to provide career counseling to small-town youth while preparing them for professional challenges that they might face. As a part of the campaign ‘Helping Men Look, Feel and Be at their Best’, Big Disha along with partner Gillette Guard tied up with multiple colleges and vocational outlets across Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Gujarat. The initiative reached out to over 6 lakh youth across 325 towns through career and grooming workshops giving the youth the right kind of training and guidance towards choosing a career and shaping their personalities.

     

    Commenting on receiving the Rural Marketing Awards for Big Disha, Vineet Mittal, Business Head, Big Rural said, “It is an extremely proud moment for us to win the Rural Marketing Awards for our IP, Big Disha. It is extremely motivating for us to receive appreciation for the rural youth education campaign we conducted in partnership with the Gillette team. We started it as an ambitious venture and are very happy to see the support it has received all along. We look forward to creating more landmark concepts which will help towards the education of more youth in rural India and creating a better life for them.”

     

  • Experian CheetahMail, the world's largest permission-based email marketing platform, has expanded its portfolio of clients by signing up with Cafe Coffee Day, Apnapaisa and Yepme.com

    Experian Marketing Services bags Cafe Coffee Day, Apnapaisa and Yepme

    By A Correspondent

     

    Experian CheetahMail, the world’s largest permission-based email marketing platform, has expanded its portfolio of clients by signing up with Cafe Coffee Day, Apnapaisa and Yepme.com. Experian Marketing Services will partner with these prestigious brands to help them engage with their audience through advanced email marketing strategies. These new clients join an existing roster of brands such as Makemytrip, Lemon Tree Hotels and Flipkart, helping Experian CheetahMail strengthen its position in the Indian market.

     

    On securing these new signups Naveen Bachwani, Head of Experian Marketing Services, said, “Experian CheetahMail is pleased to partner with Cafe Coffee Day, Apnapaisa and Yepme.com, to help improve the RoI on their digital marketing programs by deploying sophisticated Email Marketing strategies on the foundation of an industry-leading permission-based platform.” “Every marketer’s need is to get the right message delivered to the right consumer at the right time. The Experian CheetahMail platform and its team of highly experienced professionals, enables customers to tailor their marketing strategies to suit their consumer preferences, define an appropriate segmentation approach and maximize Inbox deliverability with measurable results.”

     

    K Ramakrishnan, President, Cafe Coffee Day, said, “CheetahMail is an email marketing platform that has helped us communicate effectively with our customers. With a robust reporting platform and hands-on help from the team, I’m confident we will be able to tailor our communication much better.”

     

    Hemang Desai, COO of Apnapaisa, said, “CheetahMail brings to ApnaPaisa a product that delivers great flexibility, combined with some of the best practices of contemporary email marketing. Today, subscriber engagement not only impacts performance but also future deliverability. Hence, working with a partner who can track and report up-to-the-minute metrics, as also advise you with real, implementable solutions to improve these metrics, is invaluable. We are delighted with our partnership with Cheetahmail.”

     

    Sandeep Sharma, Co-Founder, COO & CTO of Yepme, added, “Experian is a very dynamic company and has put in efforts to understand our business. The solution is designed to better understand our customers and help in ROI improvement through targeted marketing. The team understands the challenges of our business model, and tries to provide help in operational aspects. I think Experian’s greatest strength is their people – they are not just trying to sell you a product, but are also able to look beyond to forge a long-term partnership.”

     

  • The IAA Leadership Awards will recognize outstanding professionals across Marketing, Advertising and Media

    Top marketing & media agency bosses in first nominee list of IAA awards

    By A Correspondent

     

    The International Advertising Association (IAA) India chapter has released the nominees in the first 10 categories for the first edition of the IAA Leadership Awards. The nominees have been shortlisted on account of their outstanding contribution to the fields of Marketing, Advertising and Media.

     

    The IAA Awards will honour the individuals across Marketing, Advertising and Media under the same roof.

     

    The following are the list of nominees revealed from an initial list across 10 categories to win the IAA Leadership Awards:

    Media Agency Head of the Year:
    Name Organization
    Shashi Sinha Lodestar India
    Sam Balsara Madison World
    Rajesh Jain Prachar Advertising
    Vikram Sakhuja Group M
    Jasmin Sohrabji OMD

     

    Marketer of the Year: FMCG – Food & Beverages
    Name Organization
    Deepika Warrier Pepsico
    Chandramouli Venkatesan Cadbury Kraft India
    Krishan Kumar Chutani Dabur
    Anuradha Narasimhan Britannia
    Geetu Varma HUL

     

    Marketer of the Year: FMCG – Personal Care
    Name Organization
    Satyaki Ghosh Loreal
    Arun Srinivas HUL
    Kainaz Gazdar P & G
    Arvind Chintamani Colgate Palmolive
    Devender Garg Dabur

     

    Marketer of the Year: FMCG – Consumer Durables
    Name Organization
    Divya Rao Sony
    Rahul Saighal Samsung appliances
    Nivedita Mandal Whirlpool
    Sunil Tandon Videocon
    Sarthak Seth Panasonic

     

    Marketer of the Year: Household Products
    Name Organization
    Sukhpreet Singh Kansai Nerolac
    Ajay Arora D Decor
    Amit Syngle Asian Paints
    Kumar Pillay Ultratech Cement

     

    Marketer of the Year : Telecom Products
    Name Organization
    Anuradha Aggarwal Vodafone
    Bharat Bhambawle Airtel
    Gurinder Singh Sandu Tata Docomo
    Rahul Saighal Samsung Mobiles
    Rahul Sharma Micromax Mobiles

     

    Marketer of the Year: Auto 2 wheeler
    Name Organization
    Anil Dua Hero Motor Corp
    Mr. Vijay Kaul Yamaha
    Mr. Sanjay Saraswat Bajaj Auto Ltd.
    Yadvinder Singh Guleria Honda
    Atul Gupta Suzuki Motorcycle Company

     

    Marketer of the Year: Travel & Hospitality
    Name Organization
    Deepa Harris Taj
    Manish Kalra Make My  trip
    Gajendra Kumar Incredible India
    Manish Dureja Jet Airways

     

    Marketer of the Year : Banking
    Name Organization
    Manisha Lathgupta Axis Bank
    Sujit Ganguli ICICI Bank
    Karthi Marshan Kotak Mahindra Bank
    Mahendra Kumar Rekhi SBI
    kalyanaraman S. Bank Of Baroda

     

    Marketer of the Year: Insurance
    Name Organization
    Chandramohan Mehra SBI Life Insurance
    Yateesh srivastava Aegon Religare
    Rita Bhattacharya LIC
    Ajay Kakar Birla Sunlife
    Manish Dubey ICICI Prudential Life

     

    Srinivasan K Swamy

    Speaking on the nominees, Srinivasan Swamy, President of the International Advertising Association, said, “The IAA Leadership awards are an attempt to honour the contributions of individuals in the field of Marketing, Advertising and Media. Each of the nominees from across categories have burned the midnight oil to make a positive difference for the brands they work for. May the best professionals win.”

     

    To ensure that the recipients of the many awards are determined in a fair and just manner and to ensure the process is seen as transparent, IAA appointed the experienced marketing research company A C Nielsen to execute the nomination and voting process. Further Ernst & Young has been appointed to conduct audit and validate the entire process. The winners will be decided in a two-stage selection process; the first stage will include nominations and shortlisting by seasoned marketing, media and advertising professionals; and the second stage will be the final selection of winners by a voting process among the shortlisted nominees, by respective senior industry peers.

     

    The first edition of the annual awards is scheduled on February 2 at Grand Hyatt, Mumbai. Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Manish Tewari will be the chief guest.

     

  • 'Manager Sahab' has been created to educate the customer on life insurance and help him take correct and informed financial decisions

    Canara HSBC Oriental Bank of Commerce Life Insurance launches customer education campaign

    By A Correspondent

     

    As part of its commitment to customer centricity, Canara HSBC Oriental Bank of Commerce Life Insurance announced the launch of the new customer education and awareness campaign, ‘Manager Sahab’, created to educate customers about life insurance and help them take correct and informed financial decisions.

     

    The campaign uses print media – there is a series of advertisements in different languages where basics of life insurance are brought out in an easy-to-understand and simple Q&A format. As the company operates a pure bancassurance model, the character of Manager Sahab was conceptualized around it especially as the bank manager is someone whom customers trust. The campaign addresses questions on suitability, safety, return and liquidity of products.

     

    Vishakha RM, Director – Sales and Marketing, Canara HSBC Oriental Bank of Commerce Life Insurance, said, “Customer centricity is a core value for the company. The campaign has been created with the objective of educating the customer and simplifying different life insurance concepts. The campaign focuses on providing the right information to customers so that they can make an informed choice. The concept of Manager Sahab has been developed as the source of information and clarification to build synergy on our core focus on bancassurance. Manager Sahab seeks to builds on the trust, confidence and convenience enjoyed by the banks to help customers understand the need and importance of life insurance.”

     

    Developed by the in-house brand team, the brief in a single line was for Canara HSBC Oriental Bank of Commerce Life Insurance to be seen as a friend, philosopher and guide. The intention was to answer basic queries relating to life Insurance in a simple and easy to understand manner and to encourage customers to walk into the banks where they do their banking transactions for their insurance needs. The campaign focuses on providing the right information to customers so that they can make an informed choice. Manager Sahab seeks to builds on the trust, confidence and convenience enjoyed by the banks to help customers understand the need and importance of life insurance.

     

  • Ormax Media's study reveals that Fevicol, Colgate Active Salt and Suzuki Hayate have benefited from their association with Dabangg 2

    How Dabangg is my brand: Ormax study

    By A Correspondent

     

    In an independent study conducted by media and entertainment research firm Ormax Media, Fevicol leads the list of at least 12 brands that tied up with Salman Khan’s blockbuster Dabangg 2. At no. 2 and no. 3 position are Colgate Active Salt and Suzuki Hayate respectively.

     

    However, most other brands that associated with the film have not benefited from the association, with no significant recall in the study conducted in the week after the release of the film. These include brands like Thums Up, Gillette, Dixcy Scott and Fastrack, among others.

     

    Fevicol evidently benefited from the usage of the brand name in the chartbuster Fevicol Se, featuring Kareena Kapoor with Salman Khan. Colgate Active Salt ran a contest called the ‘Colgate Active Salt Dabangg 2 Challenge’, with Sonakshi Sinha featuring in the ad. Suzuki Hayate, a brand endorsed by Salman Khan anyway, almost ran a multimedia contest, with bikes as prizes.

     

    However, despite these associations, Revital emerged as the brand with the strongest association with Salman Khan. Revital didn’t have any co-branded ads for Dabangg 2, but their consistent brand endorsement by the no. 1 star over the last few months has ensured that it benefits from any Salman Khan event, including a film release like Dabangg 2.

     

    Shailesh Kapoor

    Speaking about the research, Shailesh Kapoor, CEO, Ormax Media, said, “Upto 15-20 brands tie up with big films, but only about 3-4 actually derive any real value out of the association. We had conducted a similar study when Ra.One released, and now plan to conduct such researches for big releases at regular intervals. Using such research, brands can benefit from learnings derived from associations of various kinds, and use these learnings as an input into their own film associations.”

     

  • Canon India Pvt Ltd has unveiled Out-of-Home initiative in India, with neon signs at international airports in New Delhi, Bengaluru and Mumbai

    Canon India intensifies marketing plans with OOH initiative

    By A Correspondent

     

    Canon India Pvt Ltd has unveiled Out-of-Home initiative in India, with neon signs at international airports in New Delhi, Bengaluru and Mumbai.  Designed by advertising giant Dentsu India, the concept lies in the growing popularity and impact of neon signs in the country.

     

    Kazutada Kobayashi, President and CEO, Canon India, said, “Canon is a powerful brand, both in India and worldwide. Today, we have pioneered the ‘Out of Home Media’ initiative by launching the Canon Neon sign at specific locations in three major cities of India becoming the first Japanese Company to create such a major launch in India. This is part of our growth strategy for 2013 to create a powerful brand recall for our customers. This would be the first strategic step to create a positive image for the brand as well as the company. As part of our vision and mission, we want people to be proud of associating themselves with the Canon brand; this initiative would pave the way for creating that association together with our state-of-the-art technology and quality service network.”

     

    He also said that for Canon, India remains an important market, and that smartphones cannot give competition to camera-market since “there will always be people who want high-quality pictures”.

     

    For the record, in 2012, the company rolled out a new marketing campaign by roping in Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma, as the brand ambassador for Canon’s cameras. After ‘What Makes Us Click’ campaign, Canon is determined to extend its marketing initiatives to reach out to a niche target audience and retain the exuberance, energy and appearance of the brand. In the past decade, Canon has undertaken several pioneering advertising and marketing campaigns with renowned brand ambassadors from the field of sports and Bollywood.

     

  • BuzzCity research expects Indian mCommerce activity to grow, with 53% of consumers having already shopped via mobile

    ‘Consumer confidence in mcommerce at all-time high’

    By A Correspondent

     

    BuzzCity has brought out its latest quarterly report on the current trends dominating the global mobile advertising industry. The report reveals the appetite for mobile commerce is at an all-time high, with consumer confidence diminishing previous fears over security of payments – 3 percent compared to 27 percent a year ago.

     

    Dr KF Lai, CEO of BuzzCity, said, “It is clear that consumers are now far more receptive to mobile commerce than ever before; this comes as a result of continuous education by the mobile industry to overcome concerns such as trust and security, combined with falling data costs and increased capabilities of smartphones and tablets.”

     

    The unstoppable proliferation of mobile devices, along with the convenience they provide, has put online stores and the ability to compare and research purchases directly into the hands of consumers.

     

    BuzzCity’s research illustrates how shoppers are using their phones to “browse and buy” – search engines and social media are a major source of information, along with 14 percent using review and comparison sites, and 17 percent relying on friends’ recommendations. However, mobile advertisements are still influencers to a purchase with 17 percent claiming to have been persuaded to buy via an ad. With this wide range of mobile touch points brands need to continue to develop an optimum shopping experience, in order to reap the rewards of all that mobile commerce has to offer.

     

    This latest report highlights a key factor in the mobile purchasing chain – convenience.  With 74 percent of consumers using mobile for last-minute purchases, linked to the increasing prevalence of mobile vouchers and QR codes to drive people to connect mobile with the offline world.

     

    Dr Lai added,  “Mobile is now the first screen for many. Our research shows that there are many influences involved in consumers’ decisions when shopping via a mobile device. Marketers must ensure that they put strategy before tactics and take into consideration user behaviour as well as multi-screen viewing. Any brand embarking on global campaigns should bear in mind that consumer reliance on these services can differ greatly by region, and merchants need to understand these cultural nuances by localizing content strategies and apportioning resources accordingly.”

     

    Other highlights of the report include:

    • India saw four quarters of double digit growth and closed off with a year-on-year growth of 46%.
    • While Nokia remains top device in India, its dominance is being challenged by Samsung
    • Mobile surfing expected to grow in India as smartphone penetration increases beyond 25%.

     

  • Interbrand's Ashish Mishra tells MxMIndia about the agency's strategy for the Indian market and what one can expect from it in the near future

    Jaldi 5 with Ashish Mishra: ‘Great deal of confusion in brand consultancy sector’

    By Johnson Napier

     

    Having flagged off its operations in India, brand consultancy firm Interbrand will be aiming at living up to its global reputation of being the only integrated brand services offering that completes the loop of creating, managing and evaluating brands.

     

    Ashish Mishra, Managing Director, Interbrand India responds to queries by MxMIndia on the agency’s strategy for the Indian market and what one can expect from it in the near future.

     

    01. It’s been almost a year since Interbrand had announced its launch in India through acquisition of Water. You waited almost a year to kick off operations in India? Why the delay?

    Interbrand as world’s leading brand consultancy is very particular who represents the Brand Interbrand. Yes, like we advise our clients, unless we are sure of being completely aligned to the Brand internally, we do not encourage our representation. With an intent of migrating Water to Interbrand, we undertook the course of imbibing the Interbrand way. Of thinking, doing and behaving. The interesting part was that the unlearning turned out to be a bigger challenge than learning!

     

    a What does the Interbrand team in India look like?

    We have attempted to build our team as well as our clientele on the lines of ‘big & few’. So

     

    the lean team has very senior people from diverse backgrounds as­ Business & Brand Strategists, ex marketing heads from some of the top Indian corporates, arguably some of the best design talents in the market, architects, pop culture experts, financial analysts, etc. That’s how the Interbrand India team looks like.

     

    02. Though yours would be a pan-India approach, what would be the initial priority markets that Interbrand would be focusing on in India?

    We are geography neutral. Our business priority is around the nature of work. We would like us to do most upstream work in the area of Branding as we establish Interbrand in India. We are known for our strategic rigor and especially for the concept of Brand Value that we have pioneered in the world. We would like to do assignments that bring alive our positioning ­that of creating & managing brand value.

     

    a How have clients taken to your offerings in India? Would you be doling out services across categories in India?

    Interbrand has tremendous reputation in every market around the world. We were the first global brand consultancy and we are world’s leading brand consulting firm today as well. We are also uniquely placed as the only integrated brand services offering that completes the loop of creating, managing and evaluating brands. Our entire suite of brand services are on offer in India as well.

     

    03. While Mahindra is a global client, what would be your approach towards local clients who’re looking to go global in approach?

    One of the clear agendas we have set for ourselves is to partner the Best Indian Brands and help them become serious contenders for becoming Best Global Brands. Having done Brand Valuation for TATA, Re Branding, Valuation & Engagement for Godrej, we have a rich history already to build on around this agenda.

     

    04. In a market that’s stayed flat in a tough economic year, do you see clients increasingly opting for redesigning/branding exercises going forward?

    The tougher the market, the higher the relevance for Branding. Simply because, best brands enable strategic focus, synergy and efficiencies. Very clearly, good branding doesn’t just create long term brand value but immediate business value.

     

    05. How will you leverage intra-group expertise to for Interbrand’s growth in India? And what do you foresee for the brand consultancy sector in India?

    We are fortunate to have the benefit of all the Omnicom Group companies in India. DDB Mudra is a tremendous local network and is always a great option for the communication and implementation aspects during the expression part of branding value chain.

     

    It is still a nascent industry with great deal of confusion. Almost all agents and departments consider themselves to be brand custodians, while the true understanding of brand creation and management evades most. Marketing, advertising, marketing services, creative productions…almost everyone talks of brands on a superficial basis. I believe some good demonstrations of brand & business value creation will prove to be educative. We are on a growth path as an economy and globalization imperatives will be a key driver of branding in India. The tone once set would create both an aspiration as well as a competitive compulsion for the rest to emulate.

     

  • Communications firm Genesis Burson-Marsteller has identified the top 13 trends that could define Indian youth in 2013

    Genesis Burson-Marsteller reveals the TR:OUTH

    By A Correspondent

     

    With the constant evolution of youth and their choices, it is pivotal for marketers and communication specialists to read their pulse and match steps with their moves.  Understanding this need and deriving from the expertise and insights, the consumer and brand marketing team at communications firm Genesis Burson-Marsteller has highlighted key trends among Indian youth in 2013.

     

    From being proud desis to fitness fanatics, youth is bringing alive the passion and re-inventing the rules of life every single day. What’s relevant this moment will be outdated today and what is defined a taboo could be the next big trend.

     

    Talking about these new-found trends, Papri Dev Sharma, India Practice Chair, Cosumer & Brand Marketing, Genesis Burson-Marsteller, India & South Asia said, “Youth is increasingly becoming the focus target audience for brands and it is imperative for marketers to listen to the voice of these emerging influencers. The consumer and brand marketing team at Genesis Burson-Marsteller realised the importance of capturing the thoughts of young India to find out what gets them ticking. With TR:OUTH 2013, we hope to give a glimpse of what youth wants and help communication professionals keep pace with the mobile generation.”

     

    Aastha Taneja, a young working professional, adds, “We are being heard, seen and taken seriously, for the first time. And it has become more important now to continue to speak our mind and be heard. One of the primary reasons we have been able to do this has been the judicious use of Social media which gives us, the youth, an opportunity to be a part of any movement.  The youth has the potential to change the perspective of the nation and it has already started to happen. Hope to see the same zeal in everyone in the time to come.”

     

    Another 25-year-old, Shreyashi Sanyal, says, “I feel there is very little tolerance for misbehaviour and whether it’s a little stray dog on the street hurt and not getting help to bigger issues like violence against an individual, we are not ready to accept injustice. The youth have realized, finally, that change will happen only when they make it happen. That in itself is a big step towards a new beginning”.

     

  • To be held on February 2 in Mumbai, the first ever International Advertising Association Leadership Awards will recognize and honour outstanding individuals in the fields of marketing, advertising and media

    Colors is presenting sponsor for IAA Leadership Awards

    By A Correspondent

     

    The International Advertising Association’s (IAA) India chapter has roped in general entertainment channel Colors as the Presenting Sponsor for the first ever IAA Leadership Awards to be held in Mumbai on February 2.

     

    The IAA Leadership Awards celebrates individual innovative thinking and performance excellence. The awards also seek to acknowledge the fact that the disciplines of marketing, advertising and media have to come together for the brand’s success, by having all three functional disciplines honoured simultaneously.

     

    Talking about this association Raj Nayak, CEO Colors said, “As an organization we have always supported industry initiatives, for example we recently sponsored The Advertising Club’s Effies. This is yet another step in that direction.  This is the first time when marketing professionals and advertising professionals from both disciplines (creative and media) and professionals from Media (Print TV, Radio, Digital etc) will come under one roof to honour excellence across all the three, and we are extremely happy and excited to be a part of this initiative by the IAA.”

     

    Speaking about the association with Colors, IAA president Srinivasan Swamy said, “The IAA Leadership Awards salutes the brilliance of top professionals whose contribution makes our industry what it is. Colors is a respectable and one of the fastest growing media brands and we are extremely grateful and happy that they have come forward to support this initiative. The awards night promises to be a memorable one with top entertainment and celebrations. I am also very grateful to the Honourable Minister for Information & Broadcasting, Mr Manish Tiwari, for agreeing to be our chief guest for the awards night.”

     

  • Ashwin Padmanabhan, Business Head, Big 92.7 FM speaks to MxMIndia about the station's remarkable growth in Delhi and other markets

    Jaldi 5 with Ashwin Padmanabhan: Going retro for differentiation

    By Ananya Saha

     

    Over the past 12 months, 92.7 Big FM has seen a phenomenal growth in the Delhi market with the average share growing to 11.3 from an average share of about 6. Ashwin Padmanabhan, Business Head, Big 92.7 FM speaks to MxM India about the station’s remarkable growth in Delhi, and other markets.

     

    01. What has contributed to this growth?

     

    Late last year we did studies and research to understand the unique and mass position of Big FM in Delhi. And with this research we decided to go retro. We took a clear-cut and distinct positioning of a retro music station with ‘Hit The, Hit Rahenge’. Within eight weeks of changing our music positioning along with a new RJ line-up that was more mature and new local shows, we saw a trend of increasing listernership. So, sampling started happening. In the 52nd week, we started averaging to 11.2 points from the previous 6. It tipped in second week of 2013, when three FM stations in Delhi stopped airing for a week. It became a two-horse race between Fever and us. What is heartening for us, we tipped Fever, which has been leading in Delhi, in this week. Our share went upto 33 percent in that week.

     

    02. Is Delhi witnessing faster growth than other markets where Big 92.7 is present?

    We have grown across markets. As per the Q2 and Q3 IRS figures, we have seen significant growth and continue to be leaders in Hindi-speaking markets. We have actually grown further from last quarter to this quarter. In Bengaluru, we have been growing and are a strong No.2. We did see a dip about an year back, and we have clawed back since then. We have been a very strong No.2 in Kolkata but now, our big shows like Breakfast Show are consistently No.1 in Kolkata. In Hyderabad, we have traditionally been strong, so we are maintaining that. In Chennai, we are witnessing quarter-on-quarter growth. According to IRS and the last round of RAM that happened in Chennai, we came at No.3.

     

    We have seen overall growth happening across our markets.

     

    03. Has the growth resulted in higher ad revenues?

    The growth has resulted in the brand becoming more visible and audible, and top-of-mind for our potential advertisers. We are seeing a larger offtake from advertisers. A lot of this is also being driven from smaller markets where SMEs and large brands from Tier II markets are taking to our network in a big way. Many of them are actually using our network to launch their products.

     

    Have the ad rates increased?

    We have been looking at increasing. At this point in time, we have been able to maintain our ad rates. But we are surely looking at increasing yields 15-20 percent depending on the market.

     

    04. Do on-ground or off-air and on-ground marketing initiatives help an on-air brand?

    When we lauched and introduced Retro in Delhi, we initially just allowed the people to sample our station for good three months. Then we did our first campaign in Delhi – Mohabatien, which was to promote our 11am-2pm show. Then we did the concert with Kailash Kher. And then on, it has been primarily driven by content that we have been creating on-air. Our marketing has been from weekly street-level perspective when we have tried to reach our listeners and tried to acquire new listeners through street-level activations that we do on weekly basis.

     

    There has been a lot of consumer engagement on-ground. It has been sampling and activation-based marketing rather than marketing in the pure sense.

     

    05. What can we expect from 92.7 FM in the coming months?

    We have Retro positioning in four stations: Indore, Delhi, Bhopal and Surat. We are looking at engaging with consumer at 2-3 levels in this market. We are creating platform for consumers to come on and express themselves. In Indore and Bhopal, we have just finished this initiative called Big Hindustani.

     

    In Delhi, we are looking at series of concerts – Hit The, Hit Rahenge that we’ll do every quarter. It will be Retro music celebrated by today’s musicians and singers. We are also launching talent hunt across our network in March – Big Star Voice. The big gratification being – a chance to sing for a movie. There are going to be local activations that will happen in each of these markets, which will be driven by the positioning of our station in those markets.

     

    We invest, and will continue to invest in differentiated content.

     

    Is Big 92.7 FM looking at internet radio?

    At this point, obviously everyone is looking at internet radio. But we need more time in terms of clarity on music licensing policies on internet. Hopefully, when we get that clarity, we will surely look at it.

     

  • Ignitee Digital Services has been signed on as the digital marketing partner by American Swan, the global online and lifestyle brand owned by The American Swan Lifestyle Company

    Ignitee bags digital duties of American Swan

    By A Correspondent

     

    Ignitee Digital Services has been signed on as the digital marketing partner by American Swan, the global online and lifestyle brand owned by The American Swan Lifestyle Company.

     

    Ignitee Digital Services will undertake to establish a strong digital footprint for American Swan in the fast growing Indian lifestyle and fashion segment. It has developed the corporate website for American Swan and will now manage the brand’s social media campaigns and communication across assets including Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube. Additionally, Ignitee will also manage the digital media planning and buying for the brand across platforms.

     

    Atul Hegde

    Atul Hegde, CEO, Ignitee Digital Services, said, “The fashion and lifestyle segment in e-commerce has shown the largest growth this year. It’s a crowded but very exciting space to be in. American Swan with its globally designed products is uniquely placed to leverage this booming trend online. Ignitee will put all its might in making American Swan one of the premier fashion brands online.”

     

    According to a recent report by Google India, apparel and accessories has emerged as the second biggest product category with 30 percent market share in the e-commerce space. Other categories that have witnessed a significant growth online include beauty and personal care with 10 percent, and home and furnishing with 6 percent market share respectively.

     

    On partnering with Ignitee Digital Services, Anurag Rajpal, Director and CEO, The American Swan Lifestyle Company said, “The American Swan brand has been conceived and developed to be aspirational, accessible and affordable. We aim for a differentiation through our brand proposition and positioning to offer affordable luxury to an aspiration-led audience. We want to bring our target audience closer to the brand through our digital activities and for this we have brought Ignitee Digital on board.”