MxMIndia

Category: MARKETING

  • Of course he can, but it's going to be an uphill task. A comeback needs a fair amount of humility, and from what we've known of him till now, Dr Mallya lacks that.

    1 Minute View: Can Vijay Mallya make a comeback?

    We all know that Vijay Mallya’s empire has been down in the dumps. Kingfisher Airlines, which got his image to fly high, also eventually brought him down.

     

    Can he stage a comeback? Of course he can, but it’s going to be an uphill task. A comeback needs a fair amount of humility, and from what we’ve known of him till now, Dr Mallya lacks that.

     

    Losing control of the flagship United Breweries was decidedly the last straw.

     

    What next?

    He needs to pick up the threads, and get back.

    Not get cocky, do so with humility.

    A flamboyant lifestyle gets you to the Page 3 circuit but the society likes and celebrates achievers.

    And Dr Mallya isn’t one.

    He was one, but he lost it.

    We’ll be delighted to see him back.

    Even as the odds are stacked against him.

     

  • Parle G goes digital with author Ruskin Bond as a guest blogger for microsite 'TheFutureGenius.com'

    Parle Products ropes in Ruskin Bond for digital campaign

    By A Correspondent

     

    Leading biscuit and confectionary-maker Parle Products is all set to extend its promotional campaign for its flagship brand Parle G into the digital arena. With this, the campaign enters into its next phase and ropes in renowned author Ruskin Bond as a guest blogger to write for its microsite – TheFutureGenius.com. The edutainment site, TheFutureGenius.com is an interactive portal where parents can interact and share videos, audio clips and documents to showcase their child’s talent.

     

    Mr Bond will be contributing two articles every month, which will be letters to the children, talking about tales about life in the mountains, adventure, nature or simply the beauty of life. The microsite also has counselling section called – Genius Gyaan which features advice from experts to help the parent discover the genius in their kid. Along with Mr Bond, the company has also roped in a journalist and blogger Kiran Manral and a kid blogger who will write for the brand on issues related to parenting and upbringing of children.

     

    Mayank Shah

    Commenting on this, Mayank Shah, Group Product Manager said, “The response we got for the campaign on the digital medium has been tremendous and it helped us reach out to the audience effectively. We are now looking forward to leverage this and for the same we have got the renowned author Ruskin Bond on board. With this, we are looking forward to bringing alive story-telling. This will give us an opportunity to interact with our core target group and build a strong relationship between the brand and them.”

     

  • Tata Starbucks appoints Manmeet Vohra as Director – Marketing and Category as Sushant Dash takes charge as Global Brand Director of Tata Global Beverages

    Starbucks appoints Manmeet Vohra as Director-Marketing and Category

    By A Correspondent

     

    Tata Starbucks Limited, the 50/50 joint venture between Starbucks Coffee Company and Tata Global Beverages Limited announced the appointment of Manmeet Vohra as its new Director – Marketing and Category. In her new role, Ms Vohra will lead all marketing and category aspects for the company in India. Prior to this, she was the Marketing Director at TAG Heuer and brings with her eleven years of extensive marketing experience in the luxury industry.

     

    Sushant Dash, who has been associated with the Tata Group for close to twelve years and joined Tata Starbucks Limited in August 2012, will continue this association in his new role as the Global Brand Director of Tata Global Beverages Limited.

     

    “Sushant has played an integral role in launching Starbucks in India and delivering the Starbucks Experience to Indian consumers. His commitment and contribution to our business has been invaluable and we wish him the very best in his new endeavour,” said Avani Davda, CEO, Tata Starbucks Limited. “We are extremely pleased to welcome Manmeet to her new role at Tata Starbucks Limited.  Her forward-thinking brand sensibility and cross-channel marketing expertise will continue to push us toward building a strong presence in this dynamic market.”

     

    Commenting on her appointment, Manmeet Vohra said, “This is an exciting time in Starbucks’ journey in India and I am looking forward to bringing my passion for elevating the customer experience to this iconic brand. I am humbled to be a part of Tata Starbucks Limited – a partnership between two strong companies that share common values of responsible business ethics and commitment to community.”

     

  • Mr Khanna will lead a 360-degree role which includes marketing and communication, CRM, B2B Sales and Alliances

    HomeShop18 appoints Vikrant Khanna as CMO

    By A Correspondent

     

    Vikrant Khanna

    HomeShop18, the ecommerce and homeshopping TV channel network of the Network18 group, has announced the appointment of Vikrant Khanna as Chief Marketing Officer for its TV, Web and Mobile business. In his new assignment with HomeShop18, Mr Khanna will lead a 360-degree role which includes marketing and communication, CRM, B2B Sales and Alliances.

     

    Mr Khanna has a 19 years’ experience in marketing and business roles across FMCG, Telecom, IT and Paints. He has worked with brands like Airtel, Dabur India, General Mills and ICI Paints. At Airtel he was the VP Consumer Engagement and Digital, where he was involved with award winning campaigns such as the “Har Friend Zaroori” across integrated platforms and also India’s first Grand Prix – 2011 Formula 1 sponsorship.

     

    On the appointment, Sundeep Malhotra, Founder and CEO, HomeShop18 said: “We are glad to have Vikrant head our marketing team. He brings years of rich experience in Business & Marketing roles across various industries. Vikrant will work towards building stronger consumer orientation across various touch points, shape a solid consumer franchise and take HomeShop18 brand to newer heights.”

     

  • Value 360 Communications will lead Grohe India's communication strategy

    Value 360 to handle Grohe’s PR

    By A Correspondent

     

    Leading international sanitary fittings brand Grohe India has appointed Value 360 Communications as its official PR agency in India.

     

    Said Ramesh Kaushik, Head-Marketing, Grohe India on the appointment, “We are looking to reinforce our strengths of a consistently delightful consumer experience led by pure Inhouse Designs and superior technology as well as creating new service standards amongst the ever-widening target markets. Our motive is to fortify our position further with a consumer connect strategy that redefines the segment in the Indian market with Value 360 Communications through a fresh perspective.”

     

    Kunal Kishore, Director, Business Development & Strategy at Value 360 Communications, feels his agency will be instrumental in helping Grohe India further consolidate its leadership position in the market. “Our endeavour will be to enable the brand to bolster its position as the leader in sanitary design by carving out a product-led, penetrative strategy that is befitting to the brand, ” he said.

     

  • Prosperous in the Gulf, Sheikhs fail in the Indian consumer market due to operational issues and religious tenets

    Sheikhs fail to shake up Indian consumer markets

    By Rasul Bailay & Vijaya Rathore

     

    Thousands of Indians may have struck gold in the Gulf with their hard work, but most Sheikhs who ventured into the Indian consumer market have failed miserably due to factors ranging from operational issues to religious tenets.

     

    A number of Middle East enterprises that successfully run franchisee stores of various global brands in their home markets, such as the region’s largest mobile phone retailer Axiom Telecom, Jawad Business Group, Sharaf Group and BinHendi Enterprises, have either shut down their shops in India or diluted their stakes.

     

    Last month, for example, Dubai-based conglomerate Sharaf Group, which successfully runs franchisee stores of global brands such as Forever 21 and Woolworths in its home market, shuttered its lone India franchisee store of Forever 21 in New Delhi. The Los Angeles-based fashion retailer has now picked DLF Brands as a local joint venture partner for expansions in India.

     

    Experts attribute the Sheikhs’ failure in India to various reasons starting with their inability to understand the complex Indian retail market. “Most of these entrepreneurs like to control their businesses sitting in the Middle East,” a retail consultant says. “Which is not a great idea, especially in a market like India where local knowledge and connections are very crucial,” the person adds.

     

    Gaurav Marya, president at Franchise India Holdings that advises companies on franchising opportunities in the country, says the retail environment in India is different and is difficult to operate in. “The cost of real estate and marketing is very high, besides high attrition rate of shop floor staff, unlike in the Middle East,” he says. “Given the challenges, many companies from the Gulf have either gone slow or pulled out their investments,” Marya adds.

     

    Axiom Telecom LLC all but ended its equal wholesale business with Future Group last week after filing an arbitration case in Singapore against its local partner. It has also filed a case in the Bombay High Court, accusing the Kishore Biyani-led group of breach of contract, a person with direct knowledge of the cases says.

     

    “The joint venture still exists on paper but in reality and practice its not there,” the person says, adding that Axiom is seeking damages of 150 crore with interests from Future Group through the Singapore arbitration. Ashish Bhan, a lawyer representing Axiom, declined to comment. Future Group has not yet responded to an e-mailed questionnaire sent on Saturday.

     

    Bahrain-based Jawad Business Group – which operates more than 300 outlets of foreign brands such as Adams, Accessorize and Costa Coffee from the UK, Spanish brand Mango and US-based Papa Johns Pizza – is looking to dilute its remaining 20% stake in Papa Johns franchisee in India. It had sold 80% in the venture to Chennai-based TVS Capital in 2010. Currently TVS and Jawad are in talks with private equity players to raise money and Jawad will further dilute its stake to become a miniscule minority, a person with direct knowledge of the matter says.

     

    Jawad has also folded up other retail ventures of Adams Kids and Pumpkin Patch in India. Jawad Business chief executive has not yet responded to an email.

     

    If these firms mostly failed to understand the intricacies of the Indian market, UAE-based BinHendi Enterprises LLC decided to shut its lone franchisee restaurant of Japanese Cafe Japengo in Mumbai tony Nariman Point area after realising what consumers wanted.

     

    Mohi-Din BinHendi, president of BinHendi Enterprises, says serving alcohol is vital for any fine-dining restaurant to become successful in India. But that would be against his cultural and religious tenets, so he decided to quit. “I do not want to make money by serving alcohol to people. It is a matter of principle for me,” BinHendi said over the phone from Dubai.

     

    Source:The Economic Times

    Copyright © 2013, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved

    Licensed to republish

     

  • Kolaveri Di and Raanjhana star Dhanush has been signed on as brand ambassador by confectionary-maker Perfetti Van Melle India

    Dhanush is the new face of Center Fresh

    By A Correspondent

     

    Perfetti Van Melle India (PVMI) has signed on singer and actor Dhanush as the new face for its flagship chewing gum brand Center Fresh. Dhanush will feature in the new television commercial of the brand and on all mobile and internet communication. This is Dhanush’s first brand endorsement in the confectionary category.

     

    The Center Fresh brand with its tagline “Zubaan Pe Rakhe Lagaam” has had a series of popular ad campaigns. To further strengthen this equity, Dhanush, has been named as its brand ambassador.

     

    Commenting on the ‘acquisition’, Mandar Keskar, Category Head-Gums, Perfetti Van Melle India, said, “While Dhanush is taking his first steps in Bollywood, in our key markets he is very popular especially among the youth. We are really looking to leverage Dhanush’s equity to help take Center Fresh to the next level.”

     

    Commenting on his endorsement, Dhanush said “It feels great to be associated with Center Fresh which is one of India’s most loved brands. Looking forward to work on some exciting campaigns for the brand”

     

    Abhijit Avasthi, National Creative Director, Ogilvy & Mather - the creative agency that handles Perfetti Van Melle India account, commented: “We are quite excited to work with Dhanush. After Kolaveri Di and now Raanjhana, all eyes are definitely on him. His value addition to the brand will be immense.”

     

    A new TVC for the brand is currently under development and would be released during the later part of the year.

     

  • He will do that in addition to being Managing Director Australia and New Zealand for WBCP

    Preston Kevin Lewis to oversee India for Warner Bros Consumer Products

    By A Correspondent

     

    Warner Bros Consumer Products (WBCP) has announced that Preston Kevin Lewis, Managing Director, Australia and New Zealand, will expand his position to include oversight of the India market, while continuing to drive the Australia and New Zealand businesses. Mr Lewis will be responsible for building WBCP’s interests in India and will oversee all sales, marketing, promotions, clip licensing, media and retail partnerships related to merchandising and product licensing business for the market.  He will continue to report to Jeffrey Whalen, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Latin America and Asia-Pacific for Warner Bros Consumer Products (WBCP).

     

    The appointment comes as WBCP places increased focus on emerging markets to develop significant brand growth around the Studio’s extensive portfolio of properties. Expanding his role into India, Mr Lewis will continue to build the business utilizing WBCP’s arsenal of brands, from classic animated fare like Looney Tunes, Scooby-Doo and Tom and Jerry, to the DC Comics Super Heroes portfolio, and theatrical films including Man of Steel, Godzilla and The Hobbit Trilogy to popular properties such as The Big Bang Theory.

     

  • The writer gets some quick responses from marketing, ad and media professionals on the new RBI governor

    Guest View: Will Brand Raghuram Rajan work for India?

    By Ganapathy Viswanathan

     

    Raghuram Rajan

    Raghuram Govind Rajan, now Chief Economic Advisor to the Government and a former chief economist of the International Monetary Fund, was on Tuesday named successor to RBI Governor D. Subbarao. While this news was making some rounds for some time finally it has come true. To quickly gauge some response from marketing and advertising professionals, I did some dipstick research and the following responses were received from a small and select random sample from the professional world.

     

     

    – Yup I agree he is the right choice at this point of time.

    – He is cool. Good credentials, excellent track record and strong relationship with the finance ministry

    – Good guy I am not sure what will be do get us out of the current mess especially with the dollar just galloping

    – I hope he upholds the rich tradition and the fierce independence and integrity that RBI governors are known for.

    – Good selection not very old, global outlook, non bureaucratic  and impressive credentials

    – Right choice but what can he do in the present scene

    – Great guy, former economic advisor to IMF. Let’s see if he can be as independent as the earlier governor.

    – A very smart guy with lot of potential and rich international experience

    – A great choice very intelligent and  one of my relative was his batch mate at IIM

    – Good selection but may be too late for UPA

    – Young and dynamic

     

    And then there was this Facebook post by someone:

    – The new RBI guv is a hottie.

     

    Interesting to note and observe that the feedback from the communication and marketing world has been very optimistic and positive. The responses were more or less universal and as expected from most respondents. As a brand he has all the qualities and will fit the bill to steer the Indian economy towards growth and stability.

     

    The immediate challenges before Rajan will be to stabilise the rupee, bring inflation under control, and push growth on to a higher trajectory. While this is easier said and done he has to face a tough political environment as the elections are round the corner. But Rajan is in a bullish mood and he is confident that the government and the RBI will partner together to address the challenges the country is facing today. In his words we do not have a magic wand to make the problems disappear overnight but he is absolutely sure that this can be dealt with a positive approach.

     

    This is a great move and a bold step from Finance Minister P Chidambaram to select a young and dynamic RBI Governor. Raghuram has also got  the brand characteristics required for this role imbibed in him.

     

    The writer is vice-president, Optima Response

     

  • Four years ago, women shoppers accounted for around 55% of the consumers in modern retail. Today, up to 70% shoppers are male consumers, be it single, with family or friends.

    Attracted by self-service format, more men take to shopping

    By Writankar Mukherjee & Sagar Malviya

     

    Most daily-use product advertisements might still be talking to housewives but, hey, it’s men who now do most of the shopping in FMCG, grocery and food segments. Sales data obtained from leading food and grocery retail chains including Future Group, Spencer’s Retail and Aditya Birla Retail shows that single male shoppers account for 40-45% of their total customers, more than double the number of single female shoppers at 20%. And up to 70% of their shoppers are male consumers, be it single, with family or friends. Just four years ago, women shoppers would account for around 55% of the consumers in modern retail.

     

    Retailers attribute this new trend to social changes with men sharing household responsibilities with their partners and many men cooking at home, buoyed by a flurry of television cook shows.

     

    “The social change and modern retail has turned grocery shopping into a weekly activity unlike earlier when men used to consider it as a boring chore,” Devendra Chawla, president (Food Bazaar) at the country’s largest retailer Future Group, says. “In fact, men now actually look forward to shopping in super markets,” he adds.

     

    Mohit Kampani, president and CEO at Spencer’s Retail, says the key reason for growth in male shoppers is self-service format, which has made shopping more convenient and delivering wide assortment at one location. “In fact, male shoppers are making a transition to self-service retail away from the traditional formats,” he says. This is good for retailers because men are impulsive shoppers than women and they like to experiment with newer products.

     

    Male shoppers tend to buy more of vegetables and impulse-driven categories such as confectionery, biscuits, frozen food, drinks and juices and skin care products than their female counterparts, Kampani says. As per Spencer’s Retail estimates, male consumers shop frequently for topping up the monthly shopping basket, while female customers tend to purchase monthly requirements.

     

    Russell Berman, CEO (hypermarkets) at Aditya Birla Retail, says male shoppers also enjoy the process of picking and sorting and are aware of quality choices like texture, size of grain and smell, that are mandatory checks when purchasing loose produce. “Men are also open to trying out new products and their basket sizes are larger than those of women shopping alone,” he says.

     

    Mr Chawla of Future Bazaar says the dominance of male shoppers is driving growth of newer categories like gourmet food and grooming products. A recent study by TNS in partnership with IIM-A, KiE Square and OgilvyAction reveals that men don’t care much about the pack size or product format.

     

    “All they care about is the brand. And if a small pack of their favourite brand is all they can afford, they’ll go for it even if another brand offers a larger pack size for the same price. This is an advertiser’s dream,” the study notes.

     

    It also says that even female consumers buy more when they bring a male along. “In their company, women spend between 30% to 50% more than they would have spent if alone. In fact, women spend the least when shopping alone and the most when shopping with their spouse,” the study says.

     

    Source:The Economic Times

    Copyright © 2013, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved

    Licensed to republish

     

  • An animated character is created to explain simple analogies and demystify oft-used jargons

    SBI Mutual Fund launches investor education campaign in Tier 2/3 cities

    By A Correspondent

     

    SBI Mutual Fund has launched SBI Fund Guru, a pan-India, multi-lingual multi-media investor education campaign, which a communiqué says is “considered to be the first in the asset management industry in recent times”.

     

    The campaign’s creative strategy gives SBI Fund Guru, a warm, friendly and welcoming face with whom investors would feel comfortable interacting. SBI Fund Guru would be showcased across digital television, radio, print, OOH media and during on-ground activations.

     

    Said D P Singh, Chief Marketing Officer – Domestic Markets, SBI Mutual Fund: “Traditionally, Indian investors have been wary of investing in stocks, and considering the global uncertainty and domestic economic subduedness,   investors have shied away from investing in Mutual Funds. SBI Fund Guru Campaign revolves around making investors understand mutual funds as an asset class better. The more and better we understand mutual funds, the more affinity we build. The SBI Fund Guru campaign in essence, creates that personification not just for SBI MF but for the Mutual Fund category itself.”

     

    Added Sakshi Dalela, Head – Corporate Communication: “Generally it is perceived that Investing in MFs is complicated and hence to address these fears and concerns, we created an affable animated character ‘SBI Fund Guru’ who would explain simple analogies and demystify oft-used jargons.”

     

  • Apollo Tyres announces a three-year partnership with Manchester United

    Apollo Tyres inks 3-yr pact with ManU

    By  A Correspondent

     

    Leading tyre-maker and distributor Apollo Tyres  has announced a three-year regional partnership with Manchester United Football Club which will see Apollo Tyres become the Club’s official Tyre Partner in the UK and India.

     

    While Apollo is a leading brand in India with annual revenues of over US$ 2.34 billion, it will leverage the high profile partnership with Manchester United to raise awareness of its brand among potential customers, business partners and consumer audiences around the world.

     

    Commenting on the announcement, Onkar S Kanwar, Chairman, Apollo Tyres Ltd said, “This is a very important partnership for us as a company and clearly demonstrates our global ambitions for our business, and the brand. Very few sports platforms deliver a global profile and awareness and we believe the impact of this relationship will be significant in helping to make Apollo a globally recognisable brand.”

     

    A key element of the partnership will be a joint community commitment to encourage young people to ‘go the distance’ and seek a higher level of excellence in building sporting skills and developing healthy lifestyles. Drawing on its philosophy, Apollo will build football pitches made from recycled rubber in local communities across the UK and India.

     

    The first ‘go the distance’ pitch will be built within the grounds of Old Trafford before similar pitches are rolled out across the UK and India. This initiative will include some specific skills challenges, encouraging users of the Apollo football play zones to achieve excellence in control, agility, speed and precision.

     

    Manchester United Group Managing Director, Richard Arnold commented, “Apollo Tyres is a leading player in the tyre industry and its rate of growth and development into new territories made it an attractive partner for the Club. With a combined fan base close to 46 million followers in both the UK and India, we are confident in providing Apollo with a captive audience. This partnership will allow Apollo not only to promote its brand, but also to engage and communicate with our fans, like we observed today with the skills demonstration.

     

    The announcement was made at a launch event at the Club’s Aon Training Complex, which was attended Mr Kanwar and Mr Arnold.