MxMIndia

Category: Digital

  • He will report to Olivier Legrand, LinkedIn’s Managing Director for the Asia Pacific (APAC) region and will join the company’s Asia Pacific senior management team on January 7

    LinkedIn appoints Mahesh Narayanan as Country Manager for India

    By A Correspondent

     

    Professional networking platform LinkedIn has announced the appointment of Mahesh Narayanan as ountry Manager for India, effective January 7, 2019.

     

    Narayanan has worked with platforms such as Saavn, Sociomantic Labs, Google, and AdMob.

     

    He will report to Olivier Legrand, LinkedIn’s Managing Director for the Asia Pacific (APAC) region and will join the company’s Asia Pacific senior management team.

     

    Said Olivier Legrand, Managing Director – Asia Pacific, LinkedIn: “India continues to be a strategic market for LinkedIn, and we are pleased to have Mahesh join our team to take our business to its next growth chapter. As we continue to invest in the market, Mahesh’s strong track record in leading growth businesses and his deep market experience will bolster our efforts in India.”

     

    Added Narayanan: “I am grateful for the opportunity to further LinkedIn’s vision and mission in an important market that is rapidly digitizing. LinkedIn has created a meaningful impact on the professional lives of millions of people, myself included, and I am excited to work with the team to deliver even more value to members and customers.”

     

     

  • As co-sponsors of Mumbai IIT annual cultural festival Mood Indigo, UC aims to generate content for users through host of events and contests

    UC hunts for campus ambassadors at ‘Mood Indigo’

    By A Correspondent

     

    UC Browser, the leading third-party mobile browser, is co-sponsor of the IIT Mumbai cultural festival ‘Mood Indigo’. UC has announced that it will be looking for UC Campus Ambassadors while hosting exciting events and contents.

     

    Said Damon Xi, General Manager of UC India and Indonesia, Alibaba Digital Media and Entertainment Group said: “We are extremely excited to be associated with IIT Bombay as co-sponsors of the biggest college festival in Asia. Delivering rich and enjoyable content has always been the priority at UC. With hundred thousands of teenagers expected to be associated with the fest, Mood Indigo provides us with the perfect opportunity to generate entertaining content for our users and promote our brand amongst the youngsters. Our endeavor is to leverage this opportunity and provide a platform for the highly talented youth to showcase their marketing and creative skills. We expect a host of signups and are looking forward to recruiting bright, enthusiastic and talented youngsters into our Campus Ambassadors Program.”

     

     

  • In his new role, he will create and monetise sustainable and scalable IPs for the OTT space

    Devendra Deshpande joins Friday Filmworks as head of digital content and IP

    By A Correspondent

     

    Devendra Deshpande, until recently Head Of Content Plus at Mindshare, has joined multi-media production house, Friday Filmworks as head of digital content and IP.

     

    In his new role, Deshpande will create and monetise sustainable and scalable IPs for the ever growing digital/OTT space for domestic and international markets. He will also create new monetisation models around content, including franchising and l&M for Friday Filmworks.

     

     

  • The protagonist of the film brings all his family members closer together by baiting them to compete against one another

    Prime Focus film spins a tale around Uttarayan

    By A Correspondent

     

    Prime Focus Technologies’ latest digital film for Coats brings to life the fun-filled Uttarayan festival, with a focus on strengthening familial bonds. The protagonist of the film brings all his family members closer together by baiting them to compete against one

     

    Said Umesh Bopche, Vice President, Sales & Business Development, PFT: “Coats is an integral part of any Indian kite flying event, with a majority of industry players opting to use Coats’ high quality, cotton kite flying threads. Through this film, we wanted to highlight how they help people across the country enjoy the vibrant, sporting spirit of Uttarayan.”

     

    Added Rajesh Satija, Vice President Marketing, Coats India: “Coats is world’s leading manufacturer of industrial threads. In India we are market leader in sewing thread and kite flying thread. Come January, and our products take on a special significance during the Kite Flying festival. We are extremely happy with the way PFT created this film as an endearing slice of life that audiences can easily relate to.”

     

     

  • The account will be managed by the Mumbai office of Publicis India

    Publicis India to manage creative duties of Netmeds.com

    By A Correspondent

     

    Leading online pharmacy Netmeds.com has appointed Publicis India to manage its creative duties. The agency was shortlisted after a multi-agency pitch and was chosen for presenting a sharp consumer-focused communication plan that was in sync with what the brand had envisioned for the Indian market. The account will be managed by the Mumbai office of Publicis India.

     

    Commenting on the win, Pradeep Dadha, Founder & CEO of Netmeds.com said: “For us at Netmeds.com, the health of the nation is a priority, and we are working towards ensuring that every Indian has access to affordable and good quality medicines, no matter which part of the country they are in. We believe that our association with Publicis India is key step towards helping us reach that goal with the right communication. With Netmeds Cup at the offing, we have started 2019 on high note and will continue to create new milestones with our creative collaboration with Publicis India.”

     

    Added Suraj Pombra, Executive Vice President, Publicis Capital: “Netmeds.com comes from a legacy of 100+ years of healthcare. In keeping with evolving consumer needs and leveraging the power of technology and modern logistics, Netmeds.com continues its tradition of serving the nation’s healthcare requirements. We at Publicis India feel honoured to have been chosen by Netmeds.com as their partner through the next part of their journey. The online pharmacy market is seeing increasing action and the category landscape is fast changing – we will be working with what is a fantastic client team through the challenges ahead to help Netmeds.com lead the change.”

     

     

  • The service will help brands and agencies to cater the audience which is missing out on TV and Newspaper promotions

    Buzzoka launches influencer-driven Instagram Ad Film service

    By A Correspondent

     

    Buzzoka has forayed into Instagram Ad Films which will be led by influencers. This will allow Buzzoka to create more meaningful content for digital and social-first audience that rely on social media influencers for new products and services.

     

    Said Ashutosh Harbola – Co-Founder and CEO of Buzzoka:  “Instagram is a perfect channel for brands and marketers to capitalise on digital and social-first audience in the age bracket of 20-35. Instagram is a platform that is hosting this major chunk of audience, which is going away from TV and newspapers as their primary daily news medium. Hence, missing out on a lot of promotions and offers. Instagram Ad Films will be that one promotional tactic that we feel will be driving the next media wave in India”

     

     

  • The report finds that India is a strong growth market for B2B digital solutions

    IAMAI study estimates accelerated growth for B2B Digital Solutions biz

    By A Correspondent

     

    According to a report titled ‘B2B Digital Services Landscape in India-Impact on MSMEs’, by the Internet and Mobile Association of India [IAMAI] and IndiaMart, Indian B2B Digital services market, which is currently pegged at USD 5.6 billion is being driven by the rise of internet penetration in the country and growth of startups focused on servicing the B2B segment. In 2017 the share of B2B in the overall startup base was ~40 per cent. The report finds that India is a strong growth market for B2B digital solutions and is envisioned to be a USD ~29 billion market by 2023 growing at a CAGR of 39 per cent.

     

    The report was launched at the India Digital Summit by Dinesh Agarwal, Founder of IndiaMart. According to the report, MSMEs contribute ~38 per cent to the GDP in FY18 and are rising beneficiaries of the growth of the digital services. The report further finds that the current estimated revenue of Digital Services that can be attributed to MSMEs is 25per cent. Digital services are gaining 1.4 to 1.6 USD billion revenue from MSME’s, and this is primarily on account of significant segment of client base that they form for marketplaces and listing platforms.

     

    The estimated impact of digital services on MSME will grow from USD ~ 18 billion in FY18 to USD ~68 billion by FY23 growing at a CAGR of ~30per cent, the report notes.

     

    Adds a communique on the report: “Going forward, other digital services that are expected to see increasing participation of MSMEs are fintech and SaaS. Fintech, led by digital payments and lending is transforming the way MSMEs transact; enabling digital credit assessment, easy loan application process and collection and settlement dashboarding. Lending and payments have already created a market base of ~1 million MSMEs. The segment is growing at a significant rate of 60per cent to 70per cent and would form a USD 9.5 billion+ market. SaaS is also a rising digital service that has begun penetrating into MSME sector and has created a base of ~0.3 million enterprises. It has enabled easy to adopt, cloud-based implementation of ERP and CRM for enterprises on pay per use basis. Hence, they have been successful in breaking the adoption barrier by bringing down the implementation costs. Currently, SaaS is a USD 0.9 Billion market but is growing at a strong rate of ~26per cent year on year.”

     

    The report however points out that increasing adoption of digital services among the MSMEs will require them to circumvent the challenges of talent, mindset and digital awareness. Digital service players have an opportunity to create solutions that are easy to comprehend and use thus making the need for talent redundant. Government initiatives in partnership with private players to encourage digitization of MSMEs are bound to grow awareness and create a mindset shift.

     

     

  • The matchmaking app ties up with ‘Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga’

    Banihal.com launches campaign with Ek Ladki

    By A Correspondent

     

    Banihal.com, a matchmaking app targeted at millennials in India, is the official brand partner of the just-released film ‘Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga’.

     

    The brand film Sonam Kapoor and Rajkumar Rao highlights Banihal.com as the app to meet the one who can complete your sentences. Banihal has developed proprietary artificial intelligence technology called Rae that can predict compatibility and makes introductions so individuals can meet the one that would be the right partner.

     

    Said Ishdeep Sawhney, Founder and CEO, Banihal.com: “We are fortunate for the opportunity to collaborate with Vinod Chopra Films and Fox Star Studios for a fabulous story in ‘Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga’. We have now culturally accepted individuals to have a strong voice in their personal decisions. Banihal is a perfect solution that meets the needs of such young individuals looking to meet the right person who intuitively understands their unique aspirations.”

     

     

  • These will possibly be the first general elections where the agenda is driven more by social than traditional media, writes Shailesh Kapoor

    Election Battleplace: Social or Traditional Media?

     

    By Shailesh Kapoor

     

    The buzz is unmistakable. We are in an election year, and we can feel it. While specific dates will be out soon, the April-May period has been confirmed by senior leaders of the ruling party as the broad window in which 2019 General Elections will be held. The speeches have started, and alliances have started taking shape. After all, we are only two-three three months away from the first polling day.

     

    2019’s will arguably be the most bitterly-fought elections ever in independent India’s history. With social media being a prominent marketing tool to woo voters, it seems there is no room for subtlety or grace in election campaigns anymore. Personal attacks, accusations and rough language will be par for the course. We saw a glimpse of this in 2014 too. But there was a certain wave around Narendra Modi that became the dominant theme of those elections. This time, the opposition looks stronger and the fight can be tougher. The politicking may go on well after the election results are out, because a hung verdict seems the most likely outcome as of today, if one goes by recent opinion polls by leading media houses. But then, three months is a long time in politics.

     

    These will possibly be the first General Elections where the agenda is driven more by social media than traditional media. While social media was used to great effect by NDA in 2014, TV was still the lead medium. Things have changed significantly on the digital front over the last five years, and social media is no longer the bastion of the urban affluent and semi-affluent class. Social media will set the agenda and drive it, and effective use of social media can effectively swing the verdict in a close contest.

     

    Where does TV even stand in all of this, then? Over the last few years, the rise of digital news has meant that TV has taken the form of an opinion-centric medium, than one that breaks news. Channels and anchors put their stand upfront on issues, and don’t hesitate to take clear ideological positions. While this is a far cry from the classical definition of journalism, there seems to be a growing feel in the traditional journalist community that having a viewpoint is the only way for TV and print to counter digital news.

     

    We see that in the primetime everyday, across news channels across languages. And the polarisation of media, including some digital sites and apps, will get only more apparent in the coming weeks.

     

    It is easy to get frustrated with all the lowbrow politics and crass marketing that is sure to be on display. I’ve decided to focus on the “entertainment of politics” in these elections. I’ll be watching out for those silly one-liners, those foot-in-the-mouth quotes, those jibes that can be remixed into a YouTube video, and so on. Watch this space for more!

     

     

  • DViO’s mandate is to provide strategic and creative recommendations

    DViO Digital wins the creative and digital mandate for Theobroma

    By A Correspondent

     

    Theobroma has chosen DViO Digital as its creative and digital marketing partner. The account was won following a multi-agency pitch. DViO’s mandate is to provide strategic and creative recommendations along with building a strong communication and digital touch-point strategy to drive business results and visibility for Theobroma.

     

    Said Sowmya Iyer, CEO and Founder, DViO Digital: “This is an exciting opportunity for us, as working with a brand like Theobroma opens up multiple avenues for us as a creative agency. A good digital strategy doesn’t eliminate brick and motor – it helps increase the value of your store by power positioning it, and that is what we aim to do for Theobroma.”

     

    On appointing DViO Digital as their creative and digital marketing partner, Nihal Harchandrai who heads Finance & Strategy at Theobroma added: “We are looking forward to working with an agency as talented as DViO is. We’re excited to see where this partnership takes Theobroma.”

     

     

  • The account will be managed and supervised from the MediaCom Bengaluru office under the leadership of Hariharan Vishwanath

    Mediacom bags Mobile Premier League mandate

    By A Correspondent

     

    Following a competitive multi-agency pitch, GroupM’s media agency MediaCom has been awarded the media mandate for Mobile Premier League (MPL).

     

    As the AOR, MediaCom will be responsible for the media strategy, planning, buying and implementation for all media as per MPL’s requirements.  The last year has been exciting for MediaCom with a couple of big wins, with MPL adding another feather in their hat.

     

    Commenting on their newly formed partnership Abhishek Madhavan, VP, Growth, Mobile Premier League, said: “We are extremely delighted to appoint Mediacom as our media partners. Their understanding of the gaming audience as well as their strategy on how media can leverage the same was very sharp and focused. We are confident that together we will be able to achieve our business objectives and make MPL India’s top mobile e-gaming destination.”Added Navin Khemka, CEO, MediaCom South Asia: “The e-gaming space is exploding, primarily due to the increasing penetration of smartphones and rising number of internet users.  We are confident that together we will make MPL the go to destination for Indian gamers. With e-gamers increasing every hour and new games added every week, the platform will need repeat users and  also add new users every day. This will be exciting. Let the games begin!!”

     

    The account will be managed and supervised from the MediaCom Bengaluru office under the leadership of Hariharan Vishwanath.

     

     

  • The duties also include conceptualszing creative renditions and strengthening the SEO & SEM of the brand

    iCubesWire bags Bajaj Capital’s digital marketing mandate

    By A Correspondent

     

    iCubesWire has bagged the integrated digital mandate for Bajaj Capital. The agency will be responsible for managing a 360-degree digital marcom and strategy for the brand ranging from media spends, social media marketing, digital campaigns along with social listening & ORM. The duties also include conceptualising creative renditions and strengthening the SEO and SEM of the brand.

     

    Speaking on the association, Metesh Bhati, Head – Digital Transformation, Bajaj Capital, said: “At Bajaj Capital, our aim was to approach an ROI driven agency that justifies the spends meticulously. Since iCubesWire’s core strength lies in imparting higher ROI, we chose them as our digital partner. We hope the ardent team of iCubesWire would be an equal partner in our ambition and will help us reach the loftiest measure of the targeted metric.”

     

    Commenting on the win, Sahil Chopra, Founder & CEO, iCubesWire, added:  “We are vehement to onboard Bajaj Capital as our esteemed client. With the promise of consistently walking an extra mile, our expert team delivers effective measurable ROI. Igniting the interest amongst the target audience and tracking conversions online is exactly the kind of marketing we are geared to deliver as an agency.” Vehement? Hmmm.