Category: PEOPLE & PRODUCTS

PEOPLE & PRODUCTS

  • Saina Nehwal outpaces Sania Mirza & Mary Kom in top female sports endorser race

    By Ratna Bhushan

     

    Kellogg, the world’s largest breakfast cereal maker, has signed badminton player Saina Nehwal to an endorsement deal pegged at close to Rs 1.5 crore, two people aware of the development said.

     

    The two-year deal makes Nehwal – the world No. 2 in women’s singles — the highest paid female sports endorser in the country ahead of tennis player Sania Mirza and boxer Mary Kom.

     

    A Kellogg India spokesperson confirmed the association with Nehwal but declined to give details of the deal. Darshan Machdar, director at Spoment Ventures, the sports marketing firm that represents Nehwal, was unavailable for comment.

     

    “Kellogg is looking for a repositioning exercise with Saina… the advertising is likely to break next month,” one of the persons quoted earlier said.

     

    The 25-year-old already has endorsement deals for Yonex, Bajaj Nomarks cream, Iodex pain reliever, Indian Overseas Bank and the Sahara group, which, sources said, were signed for least 20% less.

     

    Vinit Karnik, national director, sports and live events at GroupM ESP, the sports marketing division of media buying group GroupM, said, “In the current scenario, Saina is the highest paid woman sportsperson in the country. Sania Mirza’s endorsement fee used to be the highest till about five years back. But Saina has been far more visible on the circuit, which is what brands look for.”

     

    Nehwal had topped the women’s world ranking list in March this year. Some talent managers, however, believe that Nehwal has remained under-marketed when it comes to endorsement fee. Also, the gap between what male and female sports persons earn outside of the sports arena remains wide.

     

    According to industry executives, cricket captain MS Dhoni charges upwards of Rs 10 crore for brand endorsement while Virat Kohli’s fee is Rs 5-6 crore. However, endorsement rates can vary as they depend, to a large extent, on the relationship the celebrity has with the brand.

     

    Talent management firm Kwan’s promoter Anirban Das said, “It’s a reflection of the popularity of the sport rather than a function of gender.

     

    The reach of cricket still hugely overshadows any other sport in India.” He pointed out that in Bollywood, the gap between what men and women earn has seen a lot of correction over the recent past. “Someone like Deepika Padukone earns a lot more than many other popular actors now,” he said.

     

    Source:The Economic Times

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

    Licensed to republish

     

  • Amitabh Bachchan endorses new campaign for FirstCry.com

    By A Correspondent

     

    FirstCry.com, Asia’s largest baby and kids store, has announced that Amitabh Bachchan will be the face of the brand. Firstcry.com is already the leading baby and kids player with its online, mobile and 125+ offline store presence. With the campaign, the brand aims to accelerate the growth and take the brand to a much larger parent base.

     

    Supam Maheshwari

    Speaking about the campaign, Supam Maheshwari, CEO and founder of Firstcry.com said “Over the last 4 years we have built an omni-channel business model that serves the largest variety of baby and kids products in express time. It is now time for us to scale up the model by raising awareness of FirstCry.com and building a brand that parents love”. The campaign, which has been conceptualized by Lowe Lintas Mumbai, works on the insight that parents feel great about having worked hard for their children, including shopping. The category is a high involvement category and FirstCry.com makes sure that parents have the best choices available both in types of products as well as numbers of products. On the one hand it means that parents are assured of finding the right product on Firstcry.com, but at the same time it makes ‘choosing one, not so easy.”

     

    Vasudha Narayanan, Executive Creative Director at Lowe Lintas Mumbai, said, “Mr Bachchan has never played the role of an indulgent grandpa. And that’s why he is a perfect fit for FirstCry.com. The magic in the films comes from the silliness and love between a grandpa and his granddaughter. He finds it easier to take care of her than indulge her. Because he knows ‘bachchonki shopping, bachchonkakhelnahin’.” The campaign has a series of films which will have Mr. Bachchan in a never seen before avatar. The child-like fun that he had while shooting the films reflects in some of the most endearing grandfather-granddaughter moments. He is a perfect fit for the brand because he is known to be a doting grandfather, he has been a trendsetter in adopting social media and technology and, last but not the least, he brings credibility that comes with his stature.”

     

  • Varun Dhawan to endorse Shaving category for Philips India

    By A Correspondent

     

    With the intent of empowering the youth to express themselves freely through their personal style, Philips has created brand new categories in the market including beard trimming, and bodygrooming for men, depilation for women and many more. It is now leading the change from manual to electric shaving-a faster, easier and more skin-friendly way of shaving for the modern man. To further encourage men to adopt the ‘new way of shaving’, Philips India announced, Varun Dhawan as the brand ambassador for its Shaving category.

     

    Varun Dhawan will help drive the transition to the ‘new way of shaving’, to support which, he unveiled a new electric shaving wizard Philips AquaTouch – Wet and Dry Electric Shaver, which protects skin 10 times better versus a regular blade while giving a refreshing shaving experience. Varun will play a pivotal role in the brand and product communication across media platforms. Philips India will continue to focus on its trimming and bodygrooming business as well, with Bollywood Style icon Arjun Kapoor as the brand ambassador, while further strengthening the Shaving business with Varun Dhawan’s endorsement.

     

    Following this announcement, Philips India will also launch an extensive marketing campaign with Varun Dhawan starting with a TVC that will go on air on 16th July, 2015.The TVC has been conceptualized and created by Ogilvy & Mather.

     

    On the introduction of the newest brand ambassador for Philips Male Grooming, ADA Ratnam, President – Personal Health, Philips India, said, “Manual shaving is a thing of the past and we have been leading the shift to electric shaving over the years. The modern man of today does not wants a no-mess, skin-friendly, modern solution for his shaving needs and that’s what we promise to deliver with the Aquatouch. Varun Dhawan exemplifies the modern man – suave, confident and well-groomed. Who better than him to endorse the new shavers range that is designed for all the men to get the perfect shave without any nicks and cuts!”

     

  • Farhan Akhtar to endorse AskmeBazaar

    By A Correspondent

     

    Askme has announced Farhan Akhtar as new brand ambassador for its online marketplace Askmebazaar.com.  As per the terms of the contract, the actor will endorse the company’s products and services through advertising campaigns, which will be unveiled soon. The brand, known for its effort to recreate the great Indian shopping experience online identified Farhan as someone who continues to redefine the boundaries of success with his originality and enigmatic persona.

     

    As the brand ambassador, Farhan will be featured in a new integrated 360-degree campaign for Askmebazaar.com which will run across TV, print and online channels rolling out from August 2015. The actor will be seen endorsing the range of products offered by AskmeBazaar where consumers can buy products from multiple stores with great value offers.

     

    Commenting on the association, Manav Sethi, Group CMO, Askme said, “We are delighted to have multi-talented Farhan Akhtar on board as this association will help build a strong connect between the brand and consumers. Farhan Akhtar who wears different caps of a singer, lyricist, actor and director, truly exemplifies our brand philosophy which is defined by simplicity, great design and ease of use with contemporary Indian features.”

     

    AskmeBazaar was launched last year and has become India’s premier online marketplace where sellers from across India can open their online store and list their products for free. With zero upfront investment, the seller can now sell their products online by just paying fixed fees for processing every transaction on the platform. It has 35,000 storefronts with 700,000 SKUs (excluding movies & books) available on the platform.

     

  • Yepme.com announces partnership with upcoming flick ‘FAN’

    By A Correspondent

     

    Yepme.com brings a chance for fans to get closer to Shah Rukh Khan with their latest brand association with his upcoming movie, FAN. Directed by Maneesh Sharma and produced by Yash Raj Films, it is scheduled to release on 15th April’ 2016.

     

    The brand is running a full-fledged 360 degree campaign, #iamfan contest, to bombard its association across all platforms including social media. The contest revolves around SRK looking for his 100 biggest fans and these fans get to be a part of a unique activity where their profile pictures become a part of the FAN movie logo.

     

    The campaign kick-starts with the launch of the TVC with Shah Rukh Khan talking about #iamfan contest. The TVC captures the mood of SRK’s most popular movies which along with clippings from the FAN movie teaser shows lakhs of fans expressing their love for SRK. It makes every SRK fan feel the magic created by their superstar over the years and prove that they are his biggest fan. The winners will in turn get a chance to be part of FAN movie logo along with being a part of videos and promotions for Fan the movie, while lucky winners will get the opportunity to meet Shah Rukh Khan in person.

     

    Vivek Gaur

    Talking about the association, Vivek Gaur, Founder & CEO, said – “Yepme has very actively positioned its Fresh Fashion Model and now our aim is to get closer to our customers and the campaign will help us generate plethora of conversations around it. The #iamfan contest itself is planned to involve our end users into various engagements to build a two-way communication and what better way to initiate that but to make them talk about their love for Shah Rukh Khan. Shahrukh Khan, the man unarguably with one of the greatest fan following globally, it’s a huge opportunity for Yepme to strengthen its vision as a global brand. We are defininitely looking at this association as a good platform to gain popularity and recognition.”

     

    Havas Media Group India will be handling the media for the campaign.

     

  • Interbrand unveils new identity for Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas

    By A Correspondent

     

    Legal services firm, Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas (a successor firm of the erstwhile Amarchand and Mangaldas and Suresh A Shroff and Company) unveiled a fresh brand positioning and identity for the firm, at its first Founder’s Day celebration.

     

    The high profile event was attended by industry leaders like Deepak Parikh, Uday Kotak, Gautam Adani to name a few.

     

    Cyril Shroff

    Speaking at the event, Cyril Shroff, Managing Partner, Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas said, “Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas is like a start-up with a hundred year old history. So, while we are unveiling a new identity and fresh thinking today, the values and the principles that we have internalized are over a hundred years old. In many respects therefore, this new identity is like taking those same values into a new dawn.”

     

     

    Ashish Mishra

    The identity has been designed by Interbrand. Ashish Mishra, MD, Interbrand India, said, “As Interbrand India, we are committed to helping the best Indian brands navigate their ambitions to become the best global brands. We are delighted to be entering into a long term partnership with Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas which is the country’s top law firm and has the potential to emerge as a strong global brand too. As a matter of fact, through the project, the new vision for the brand has already been articulated. And it is to emerge as the top law firm from Asia by 2025.”

     

    To express this position, the identity draws from demand drivers that are considered most compelling in client choice – heritage, knowledge, expertise and relationships. The identity builds on these factors symbolically: The ring of gold is a symbol of unity and infinity. Gold as a color embodies tradition, brilliance and success. Wisdom, integrity dignity and ambition are qualities that are represented by the color, violet.  While the orange in “C” stands for warmth and friendship.

     

    The identity makes use of an interesting concept of ligatures, or letters that are joined to form shapes. Thus, C, A and M appear joined to each other within the golden ring, thereby symbolizing the tightly knit relationships both, within the firm and with clients.

     

    Apart from the play of letters and colors, the placement of the dot also reveals an element of surprise – the formation of an elephant within the circle. The elephant symbolizes strength, intelligence and longevity –the qualities of the firm that make it so valuable to clients. “And the fact that it is ‘hidden’ within the symbol implies intelligence and insightfulness – traits crucial for a law firm’s ability to see things that others don’t. That’s a hallmark we would want to build through experiential reinforcements for the brand going forward”, added Mishra.

     

  • Take the right call – Trucaller’s high pitch to consumers

    By A Correspondent

     

    Truecaller has launched its first-major brand campaign – “Take the right call” -  marking the company’s foray into the world of advertising & marketing. Truecaller’s “Take the right call” campaign has been designed in line with the company’s efforts of providing users their right to know who is calling them. It also allows them to make the most of the opportunities that may otherwise pass by unknown. The digital film features popular actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui communicating the brand’s philosophy through his own life experience and goes live today followed by the television commercial.

     

    Truecaller has grown phenomenally in India. Currently, at 80 million users in the country, the Indian user base comprises more than half the total global users. With a persistent focus on product innovation, Truecaller is making the ecosystem more robust, enabling the users to communicate in a smarter way and correctly establish actions to take calls.

     

    “India is a very important market for Truecaller, as a majority of our users are based here. Over the years, millions of users have seen the value of having Truecaller on their smartphones, we now wanted to expand our horizons and reach more and more consumers. Our first-ever 360 degree brand campaign tells a compelling story of opportunities and we found Nawazuddin Siddiqui as the perfect fit; someone who can best translate his own story for the brand. Nawaz’s life changed completely after the one right call that he took making him the apt choice to highlight the importance of taking the right call and making the most of opportunities. The campaign stays true to our brand vision towards helping users ‘Take the right call’ through various touch points including television, radio and digital media. We are excited about taking Truecaller closer to its users with this campaign”, said Kari Krishnamurthy, Vice President, Growth and Partnerships, Asia & Country Manager, India.

     

    The TVC has Nawazuddin Siddiqui reminiscing about his struggling days when he had to work as a security guard and how this one call changed his life completely. It was his luck that the caller persistently kept calling him for days, despite having missed it numerous times and he ended up with a role in a movie. But not everyone is lucky enough.

     

    “More than 80 million of us in India, already use Truecaller. So our task isn’t to address people who already have it downloaded on their phones. It is to inform the rest of India which is unaware about the opportunity Truecaller offers. That’s where Nawazuddin came in. Nawaz is the voice of the emerging India, his screen presence is magnetic and persuasive. And the true story of where he has emerged from, the story of a guy who made the most of what life and luck threw up, is compelling. We saw an effortless link between the task and Nawaz’s story. Thereafter the only thing to do was to have him tell us his story in his words and observe the same. The product just slips in effortlessly and we’re confident that this will help Truecaller surge further into the country”, said Ashish Chakravarty, National Creative Director, Contract India.

     

    The digital film by Truecaller has gone live on social media and will be followed closely by the television commercial. This will be complemented by Radio and digital media campaigns.

     

  • Publicis communicates “Always Fresh, Always On” proposition for Park Avenue Deos

    By A Correspondent

     

    Featuring Farhan Akhtar, Publicis conceptualized a fresh TVC for Park Avenue’s new range of deodorants, which breaks the monotony of passé deodorant ads featuring scantily-clad women getting fascinated with the guy who uses these deodorants. Park Avenue decided to swerve away from the much-exploited ‘get the girls swooning’ plot and, instead in its new campaign, focuses on the benefit of Park Avenues new deo range- ‘Freshness Lock Technology’ which overpowers body odour, thus ensuring fragrance to last longer.

     

    The commercial shows two young office pals, full of enthusiasm, making ambitious plans, in the morning, to watch a cricket match at the stadium after they get off work. By the time it’s 6 p.m., we see that these youngsters have turned into drooping, depleted old men and have compromised their plans to instead watch the match on TV at home. At this point, Farhan interjects to talk about the benefit of Park Avenue deos offering daylong freshness that enables the user to continue to stay fresh and enjoy the day beyond the work hours. The commercial ends with Farhan himself enjoying the match at the stadium.

     

    Bobby Pawar

    Commenting on the campaign Bobby Pawar, Managing Director, CCO, Publicis South Asia said “The ‘Shaam ka budhaapa’ idea springs from what happens to a person and his deo; they start the day full of zest but become ‘thakela’ come evening. It is a fresh take in a category that is littered with chicks and wannabe chick magnets. And it will start a new conversation about long lasting freshness. That said, what I liked most about it, when Jigar Fernandes and his team shared it with me, is its potential to create engaging social content and conversation.”

     

    Raja Chakraborty, Marketing Head, J. K. Helen Curtis, said “The deodorant category is struggling for relevance in consumers mind as a daily wear product. Role of brands is to introduce consumers to newer roles of the same category and back it up with perceptible product performance. That’s the journey we have undertaken with the new campaign for PARK AVENUE. Publicis have played a key role in developing life insights that has gone into the communication. We are quite confident that this communication should generate new trials for the brand”

     

    The film portrays the reality and irony of daily life – we begin our day full of freshness, but in the evening, when we have time, there’s no freshness / life left in us. An all-day freshness of Park Avenue deo ensures that you have the freshness whenever you need it, which is not only through the day but also in the evening.

     

  • Cycle Agarbathi rolls out latest ad campaign

    By A Correspondent

     

    Following the recent announcement of Cycle Pure Agarbathies bringing Amitabh Bachchan on board as a brand ambassador, the brand has rolled out its ad campaign ‘Prarthana ki shuddhata’ (Purity of prayer).

     

    Created by DDB Mudra South and East, the campaign showcases the Bollywood icon endorsing the brand’s new positioning ‘Prarthana ki shuddhata’ across a multitude of media vehicles nationally.

     

    Centered on the theme of purity, the campaign beautifully marries the functionality of the product to the core value of the brand. It takes a leap forward and stresses on purity of thought along with hope and optimism that the brand has always stood for. Through the campaign, Cycle Pure Agarbathies is planning to reinforce its position in the market and also to make in-roads into the hearts and minds of new customers.

     

    The theme-line has been translated as two 30 sec ad films which are the key element of the campaign. Produced by Rising Sun Films and directed by Shoojit Sircar, of the “Piku” fame, the television commercials are supported by radio spots and direct outreach programmes across the country. The campaign is also introducing the new packaging of Cycle Pure Agarbathies and incorporating Amitabh Bachchan as the face of the brand on the packets.

     

    Arjun Ranga, Managing Director, Cycle Pure Agarbathies said, “We are extremely proud to be associated with Mr. Amitabh Bachchan. He is an embodiment of honesty, transparency, ethics and dedication that Cycle Pure Agarbathies stands for making him the perfect fit to be the brand ambassador. His focus on hard work and persistent career innovations also resonates with optimism that we wish to evoke in the minds of our consumers. He is an icon that the nation reveres, the association with Mr. Amitabh Bachchan will be an ideal platform for us to connect with our audiences across the country.”

     

    Sonal Dabral

    Commenting on the campaign, Sonal Dabral, Chairman & Chief Creative Officer, DDB Mudra Group said, “Cycle Agarbathies is a 60 year old iconic brand of trust and heritage. It is built on values of sincerity and purity. Really, there is no one who can speak for the brand better than Mr. Amitabh Bachchan. The campaign at one level is a straight testimonial. But they are also personal stories of warmth that come from his heart. Of course, a perfectionist that he is, Mr.Bachchan was passionate about the stories and was fully involved in the crafting of the scripts. I’m sure the audience will feel the sincerity and purity of the brand in these simple heartfelt anecdotes.”

     

  • Rajnigandha Silver Pearls unveils new TVC with ambassador Priyanka Chopra

    By A Correspondent

     

    Rajnigandha Silver Pearls, the popular mouth freshener brand from the multi-diversified conglomerate, Dharampal Satyapal Limited (DS Group) has launched its new TV ad campaign. Featuring the brand ambassador and Bollywood diva, Priyanka Chopra for the second time, the TVC takes forward and firmly re-establishes the brand’s core communication and philosophy: ‘Achchai ki ek alag chamak hoti hai’.

     

    In the new TV ad film, conceptualized and created by Dentsu Marcom, Priyanka Chopra is shown introspecting on her life and on what people say of her. She mulls over these things as she climbs down a majestic staircase in a grand hotel. The film ends with a simple, spontaneous act of goodness where she helps a hotel staff member. With this, she deduces what goodness is actually all about: ‘Not what people say about you, but what you do.’

     

    Rajeev Jain, Associate Vice President, DS Group said, “The brand story of Rajnigandha Silver Pearls is hinged on the tagline ‘Goodness that shines or ‘Achahai ki ek alag chamak hoti hai’, which articulates the goodness of great tasting product enhanced by the shining silver coating.  The new campaign with the brand ambassador Priyanka Chopra also weaves a story around the same theme reinforcing the message; let the goodness of your heart shine forth, yet again. Leveraging on the success of the initial campaign and the growing product demand, this new integrated campaign is being launched on TV, Radio, Digital, Cinemas and in BTL space.”

     

    Titus Upputuru, National Creative Director, Dentsu Marcom, said, “This time, just like the previous campaign, we are carrying forward the same brand message of ”Dil bada to tu bada” through a shocking story that shows the brand face- Priyanka Chopra, indulge in a self-depreciating monologue, emphasizing that at the end of the day, it is only what you do that matters. Priyanka Chopra played a sport and criticized herself through the film”

     

    “People have opinions. Judgment is something none of us can avoid, even the biggest celebrities and stars can’t. Priyanka Chopra finds herself in the middle of such a thought, wondering why people misconstrue her. But then she rationalizes that as long as she is good in her actions, it doesn’t matter how people think or talk. Her belief is reinforced when she helps someone purely out of kindness,” added Vishal Mittal, Senior Creative Director, Dentsu Marcom.

     

  • bigbasket ropes in Shah Rukh Khan as Brand Ambassador

    By A Correspondent

     

    Online supermarket player bigbasket has unveiled a new and fresh brand identity and announced superstar Shah Rukh Khan as its brand ambassador.

     

    “bigbasket has grown at an unprecedented pace over the last couple of years. We’ve added new business lines, expanded our product lines and added more cities to our roster. Today, online grocery shopping is a way of life for lakhs of people in India and bigbasket has become a household name. As we elevate our company into a new growth orbit, we felt it apt to bring a versatile icon like Shah Rukh Khan on board as the brand ambassador to propel us forward,” said Hari Menon, CEO, Bigbasket.

     

    bigbasket is charting an aggressive growth path and is planning to expand into 50 non-metro cities by the end of this year. The company is now slated to launch a one-hour express delivery shortly in all the cities it operates in, also to launch Speciality Stores offering unique merchandise too. bigbasket had recently launched premium coffee under the brand, and is all set to serve up few more exclusive products in the days to come.Bigbasket has also launched new versions of its mobile apps supporting Android and iOS

     

    bigbasket offers convenient, one-stop online shopping for high quality, fresh products at competitive prices delivered right to a customer’s doorstep. With a catalogue of over 15,000 products including fresh fruits and vegetables, grocery and staples, meats, personal care, and home and kitchen products, bigbasket delivers everything a household may need. With guaranteed on-time delivery, a guaranteed order fill rate and a no questions asked return policy bigbasket is the leading choice for today’s grocery shoppers.

     

  • Spice unveils new campaign promoting masala variety

    By A Correspondent

     

    Catch Salt and Spices has launched a new TVC for its offering ‘Catch Garam Masala’. The communication of new TVC has been developed around the core product attribute of taste, freshness and quality. The new communication tagline- “Khaney pe 100 percent attention, Catch Garam masale se” has been built on the already established positioning of “100% Indian women ka match sirf Catch”.

     

    Featuring Bollywood icon Vidya Balan, the new TVC illustrates that if you want the family to enjoy ‘Roz Ka Khana’ it should be made with ‘Catch Garam Masala’.  It is a TVC that addresses the day to day concern faced by women when family members are not interested in the routine food as it is not exciting enough. The new Catch TVC is clutter breaking in its category focusing, on ‘how to make everyday food, happening’.

     

    Commenting on this occasion OP Khanduja, Associate Business Head, DS Spiceco Pvt. Ltd said, “Brand Catch has always served its customers with outstanding quality and range of products that enables them to connect with the brand. The new TVC relates to the day to day scenario of an Indian household and is conceptualized in a way so that a common man is able to relate to it. Catch has recently shifted its ATL strategy from umbrella branding to being product focused. This new TVC for Catch Garam Masala is second in its series after success of Catch Subzi Masala TVC. A series of more products focused Television commercials are in the pipeline.”

     

    Rahul Jauhari, Group Chief Creative Officer, Everest Brand Solutions said: “Our consistent efforts over the past few years have been to elevate Catch Spices from a being a Spice brand to a partner and solution provider in the housewife’s life. So once again, in this campaign, we picked on a real issue that exists in numerous homes and linked it to the superiority of our spices. ”

     

    The TVC has been created by Everest Brand Solution Pvt. Ltd., and directed by Pradeep Sarkar of Apocalypso productions Pvt. Ltd., who is known for his films like Parineeta, Mardaani etc. while the still shoot has been done by Dabboo Ratnani.

     

    The bigger edit of the TVC encapsulates all three situations, whereas, the smaller edits presents individual situations -with husband reading newspaper, a child playing Lego and a young woman working on a laptop. The script is cut across segment and connects well with audience as their own incidence. The smaller edits will be highlighting the quality feature that “khushbu se mahake har ek niwala”.