MxMIndia

Category: Digital

  • Five reasons why the newly introduced mobile application for Aircel Chennai Open could be a game-changer for the tournament, from Ashu Jindal

    The Anchor: 5 ways a mobile app can change the Chennai Open

    By Ashu Jindal

     

    #1 Riding the digital wave: Digital media has become one of the largest platforms to reach out to audiences. This app will be available for both Android and iOS, giving Aircel Chennai Open an unprecedented reach to an audience that was earlier untapped.

     

    #2 Enhanced fan engagement: It is the first time that an app has been launched in the history of the tournament. This app takes the extent of interactivity to a completely new level, giving the spectators an enhanced experience, on par with any other international sporting event.

     

    #3 Going beyond borders: Aircel Chennai Open has become the definitive ATP World Tour title in South Asia with many more top-ranked international players participating in the event, which has resulted in a worldwide fan following. The app can be downloaded by anyone in any part of the world and the latest news and happenings from the tournament are just a click or swipe away.

     

    #4 Easy accessibility: The app allows tennis enthusiasts easy access to all information about Aircel Chennai Open on their phones, right from schedules and draws to live scores, current updates to event news, player profiles to tournament history. The users will also be able to watch match highlights on their phones.

     

    #5 New avenue for marketers: The app opens up new avenues for advertisers and sponsors, it allows them a direct, 24×7 reach to the consumers in a targeted manner. The app also allows them to interact with the audiences in the form of customized content and contests.

     

    Ashu Jindal is COO, IMG Reliance

     

  • The flash mob concept was extended to on-the-spot games, at the Express Avenue Mall in Chennai

    DDB MudraMax, Aircel flash mob promotes Pocket Internet Games card

    By A Correspondent

     

    Aircel in collaboration with DDB Mudra Max organized an ‘exhilarating and exciting’ Flash mob at the Express Avenue Mall to promote their newly launched Pocket Internet Games card. The crowd at the Express Avenue mall in Chennai were entertained with music, footwork and the live gaming activities of boxing and football.

     

     

    For starters, two men materialized out of nowhere and got into a heated argument. Their heated argument got the whole crowd interested and even as they listened to the peppy background music. On cue, the duo stripped down to boxing attire, a referee jumped into the fray, cordoned off an impromptu ring and began a round of boxing. Football followed similarly.

     

     

    Mandeep Malhotra, President, DDB MudraMax, said, “The ‘Aircel Pocket Internet Games’ Card is a unique property, and we wanted to do justice to the same.  When the word ‘flash mob’ is used, we automatically picture a group of people getting together and dancing on a song. We wanted to change this assumption, so we brought in the idea of gaming in the form of a flash mob.

     

    Commenting on the idea behind the flash mob, Gunjan Arora, Group Director, Brand Communications, DDB MudraMax, said that Aircel as a brand has always been open to new ideas and innovative practices to aggressively engage consumers and make an impact.

     

  • After Taproot, Japanese ad giant Dentsu is in advanced talks to buy leading digital firm Webchutney

    Dentsu in talks to buy out digital agency Webchutney

    By Ratna Bhushan

     

    Japanese advertising agency Dentsu is in advanced talks to buy out leading digital advertising agency and consulting firm Webchutney.

     

    This will be Dentsu’s first local acquisition in the digital agency space. Network18, which holds 70.06% stake in the Sidharth Rao-promoted Webchutney Studios, is looking to exit from the alliance, two officials with knowledge of the development said. The deal size is estimated at between Rs 40 crore and Rs 60 crore for Network18’s 70.06%, which values the agency at roughly Rs 90 crore on the higher side.

     

    “Dentsu is expected to buy out Network 18’s stake in Webchutney. The promoters of Webchutney will continue to hold their stakes,” one of the officials quoted earlier said.

     

    Rohit Ohri

    Rohit Ohri, Dentsu India group’s executive chairman said: “We are looking to scale up our digital capabilities in India. Obviously, acquisition is one of the options. We are currently discussing the various options and putting together our plan.” Officials close to the development say Webchutney, which was ranked the No 1 digital agency in the latest Brand Equity Agency Reckoner, is the front-runner in Dentsu’s quest for inorganic growth in this space.

     

    Network18 had invested in Webchutney through its investment arms, Capital18 Ltd and Capital18 Fincap, in 2007. The agency, which services firms like Airtel, Microsoft, Hindustan Unilever, Marico and Titan, posted a profit of Rs 6.35 crore in the financial year 2011-2012 on revenues of Rs 21.55 crore. Network18 owns 49.42% of the shareholding through Capital18, Mauritius and 20.64% through Capital18 Fincap.

     

    Webchutney’s Rao said: “It’s very early to talk about any new alliance… nothing has been finalised as we are evaluating many options.”

     

    Sarbvir Singh, Capital 18 MD, too neither denied nor confirmed if Network18 was exiting Webchutney. “In the normal course of business, at any given point in time, we are approached by several interested parties and we speak to them as appropriate. We have no other comment to offer at this point.”

     

    Webchutney was set up in 1999 by entrepreneurs Sidharth Rao and Sudesh Samaria. The agency’s area of work includes online advertising, website design, mobile marketing and social media. Its employee strength is about 200.

     

    In July, globally Dentsu had acquired British media buying group Aegis for $4.9 billion. Back home, too, the Japanese agency has been on the prowl. In August, it acquired majority stake in creative hotshop Taproot.

     

    Founded by ad men Agnello Dias and Santosh Padhi, Taproot has created clutter-breaking ads including PepsiCo’s ‘change the game’ and Airtel’s ‘jo tera hai wo mera hai’.

     

    Denstu also has an indirect alliance with mobile marketing agency ad2c, a collaboration between Japan’s D2 Communications and Singapore-based Affle, led in India by Madan Sanglikar. In mid-August Aegis had acquired D2 Communications, a digital marketing and search agency. Indirectly, this deal gave Dentsu access to the digital space.

     

    Dentsu’s clients include car maker Toyota and electronic firm Panasonic whilst Aegis services brands such as Adidas and Philips.

     

    Digital agencies are increasingly being wooed by traditional ones. Earlier this year, Publicis Groupe bought out digital and performance marketing firms Resultrix and Indigo Consulting in two back-to-back deals. And in mid-June this year, WPP Group bought out a majority stake in Hungama Digital Services through its agency JWT Singapore.

     

    Source:The Economic Times

    Copyright © 2012, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved

     

  • Vuclip has been selected to amplify the 'trendify' campaign for the Nokia Lumia 510 through more than 55 million video views

    Vuclip helps Nokia, Maxus trendify social media sharing

    By A Correspondent

     

    Independent mobile video and media company Vuclip has announced that it has been selected by Nokia and Maxus India to promote the much touted Trendify brand campaign for Nokia Lumia 510 on Vuclip’s mobile video portal and social networks. As many as 65 percent of Vuclip’s 14 million Indian users share videos primarily through Facebook and Twitter, making it the ideal platform to integrate Trendify and allow users to experience what Trendify means in the language of Nokia Lumia 510.

     

    Social users in general and the youth in particular are in the age of ‘discovery’ enabled by the proliferation of internet-enabled mobiles in India. Identifying this, Nokia, Maxus India and Vuclip have joined hands to empower the youth to discover and create new trends in time and spearhead innovative social media campaign on mobiles. As part of the product innovation involving a seamless integration with Vuclip, for the first time, the ‘Share’ button has been changed on a video portal to reflect the brand campaign. The ‘Share’ button for each video has temporarily been replaced with ‘Trendify’, encouraging users to now trend their videos directly on m.trendify.in at the click of a button, which in turn can be shared on Facebook, Twitter and other social sharing sites. More than 55 million videos on Vuclip are expected to be viewed in 2 weeks through this campaign. Besides its mobile portal, Vuclip has also integrated Trendify with its own social media properties to further amplify the campaign leading to virality, where it has extended Nokia’s opportunity for lucky users to win a Nokia Lumia 510.

     

    Viral Oza, Marketing Director, Nokia India said, “Through the Trendify campaign we wanted to connect to the urban youth on a platform and space that is relevant to them. The youth today are socially connected 24×7 and have their own take on life. They experiment to express their originality, creativity and individuality. Topics that trend affect their lives in a big way and is their tool to express themselves on the bigger stage. This was the genesis of the Trendify campaign. We believe that anyone can begin a trend by sharing, following, liking through social platforms. The Nokia Lumia 510 is designed to empower the Indian youth to start their own trends. By leveraging Vuclip, world’s leading mobile video platform, we wanted to bring the Indian youth even closer to the Trendify campaign. Creating trends requires a 360 degree approach, and with its exponential growth in India, leveraging entertainment snacking was a clear choice for us.”

     

    Unny Radhakrishnan, Digital Head (South Asia), Maxus India said, “Nokia wanted us to craft a campaign which exemplifies trendifying in the DNA of each of its core elements. Leading the curve in mobile video sharing, Vuclip fitted well with our strategy in helping us connect the Nokia “Trendify” campaign with millions of users in a fun sharing way almost instantly. One of the essential criteria that worked in their favour was that besides being a leader in mobile video sharing, their team was quick to internalize the core philosophy of our novel campaign, think out-of-the-box with creative application of technology, and adapt to make functional enhancements that added value to our campaign, instead of just cosmetic changes. Looking at the results, we are confident that this agile integration will help us optimally amplify the campaign across regions.”

     

    Commenting on the integration, Meera Chopra, Vice President – Head of Advertising Sales (APAC & ME), Vuclip said, “We are delighted that Vuclip has been chosen to showcase and integrate Trendify. This fun and path breaking campaign is yet another proof of how Vuclip is fast becoming an integral part of aggressive digital campaigns for leading brands like Nokia. In one of the most unique ways of perfect integration on the site, Vuclip has temporarily renamed the social Share link on all its videos as Trendify. This not only helps build a stronger brand recall but also builds a ‘cool quotient’ for the youth who now Trendifies, instead of just sharing.”

     

  • 'Resign before Jan 26' is a campaign on Facebook and Twitter that the Vivaki India chairperson has kicked off

    Srikant Sastri launches online campaign asking tainted MPs/MLAs to resign

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Delhi gangrape has led to all sections of society – the media included – get together for a common cause. Srikant Sastri, Country Chairperson, Vivaki India; Entrepreneur and Social Visionary has started ‘Resign Before Jan26th’ campaign on Facebook and Twitter. The campaign is aimed to persuade political parties that the two MPs and 42 MLAs charged with crimes against women, should resign before January 26.

     

    While the campaign has been getting a good response on social media, Mr Sastri plans to create more noise with videos- some with music; others with facts & interviews; getting people to contribute articles; enlisting support from celebrities in civil society, academia, policy, industry, arts/culture/literature; making deeper inroads into colleges; and writing to election commission, speakers of assemblies and leaders of parties. “We appeal to the leaders of all parties to ensure that these 2 MPs and 42 MLAs resign before January 26, 2013. It will be a fitting tribute to the strength of our Republic, and its ability to transform itself,” says the FB page.

     

    The campaign began on Dec 31, and has over one thousand supporters on Facebook so far. If you agree with the message, sign it, and spread the word: https://www.facebook.com/resignbeforejan26th

     

  • Introduces video timeline for cricket with innovative video scorecard, and integration with social media

    Star India launches starsports.com

    By A Correspondent

     

    Star India has taken a new step in sports viewing on digital, with the launch of starsports.com to give Indian cricket fans a personalized audio-visual experience. Flagging off with the Pakistan tour of India, the website will present a video experience for cricket fans that includes high-definition video streaming, an advanced player that can be individually controlled, and the ability to catch up on the game through both a video scorecard and a video timeline that marks the key moments of the game.

     

    Uday Shankar

    Commenting on the launch, Star India CEO Uday Shankar said, “At Star, we have always focused on dramatically enhancing the overall consumer experience. Smart technology, combined with powerful content, can be disruptive and we are excited about offering Indian fans an entirely new way of experiencing their favourite game.”

     

    Starsports.com includes a video timeline for cricket that marks key moments of a match, while it happens, allowing users to go back, relive the moment and jump back into the action in real time. The commentary section has also been reinvented. It not only focuses on explaining the action ball by ball but also pulls in real-time conversations on social media while the match is on. A video scorecard brings statistics to life with video clips of key moments supported by detailed analytics and graphics. Fans can also catch up on games through replays and highlights.

     

  • Times Internet has launched its interest-based network, itimes.com which is live with over 5000 interests. We spoke to Archana Vohra, Vice President, Times Internet to get more details

    Jaldi 5 with Archana Vohra: itimes is philosophically different

    01. How will the property be marketed?

    We are excited about the launch and right now want to learn how our users are interacting with the new product. Once we get a better understanding we will think about how to grow the audience base.

     

    02. FB Groups/Yahoo Groups also offers same proposition. How do you plan to make it tick?

    The new Itimes.com is philosophically different from Facebook groups and Yahoo groups.

     

    03. Is it invitation-only?

    Itimes.com is a open interest network where anyone can create and share interests. It’s not invite or friends led hence relationships are based purely on content.

     

    04. How scalable is the property?

    From a business model perspective, the focus is engagement and not monetization currently. On the application side, we are scalable to manage large volumes of data and interactions.

     

    05. What are the challenges that this proposition might face in India?

    Right now we’re trying to build something that gives users a new way to engage with things they care about. So our real challenge is to see if we can develop an experience that makes that happen.

     

    As told to Ananya Saha

     

  • Global professional network LinkedIn has announced the appointment of Nishant K Rao as the new country manager for India

    LinkedIn appoints Nishant Rao as country manager, India

    By A Correspondent

     

    Global professional network LinkedIn has announced the appointment of Nishant K Rao as the new country manager for India. Mr Rao’s appointment at LinkedIn India comes following the promotion of former country manager Hari V Krishnan to a larger role as the Managing Director of Asia-Pacific and Japan.

     

    In his new role as the country manager for LinkedIn India, Mr Rao will focus on scaling up operations and staying committed to LinkedIn’s value proposition of connecting India’s professionals to make them more successful and productive and helping enterprises hire, market and sell effectively.

     

    “With a member base of 18 million professionals, India is one of our fastest growing markets and the largest outside the US,” said Mr Rao. “Indian marketers and recruiters are fast realizing the potential of LinkedIn’s affluent member base and are leveraging the platform for targeted and thought leadership oriented campaigns. I am excited about the opportunity to work with the LinkedIn India team to serve our customers and members in India.”

     

    Prior to being appointed as LinkedIn India’s country manager, Mr was Director, Business Operations – Head of Global Sales Strategy at LinkedIn’s headquarters in Mountain View. He has been with LinkedIn since September 2011 and has a strong understanding of the company’s business.

     

    Mr Rao has over 10 years of industry experience and has held leadership positions with companies like McKinsey and ARIBA Inc. He was also one of the founding members of Epicentre Technologies, among India’s first call centres. He holds an MBA in Strategy, Entrepreneurship, Marketing and International Business from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and also a BS in Computer Science from the University of Texas.

     

  • Bangalore-based independent mobile advertising network InMobi has announced the acquisition of Overlay Media, experts in context aware computing

    InMobi acquires Overlay Media

    By A Correspondent

     

    Bangalore-based independent mobile advertising network InMobi has announced the acquisition of Overlay Media, experts in context aware computing.

     

    Overlay Media, which comprises of a team of data scientists, have built the Context Engine technology to deliver personalized content to mobile users.

     

    Naveen Tewari, Founder and CEO at InMobi, said, “We are excited to add amazing talent to InMobi. This acquisition, along with Metaflow Solutions and MMTG Labs, will help us to continue to be at the forefront of delivering highly engaging content to consumers globally.”

     

    “At Overlay Media, our goal has been to develop technology that enables mobile devices to provide a highly personal and, immersive user experience. We are excited to join InMobi to further their position as a market leader in mobile advertising”, said Dr Ian Anderson, CEO at Overlay Media.

     

    The Overlay Media team will be based from the InMobi London EMEA HQ.

     

  • Times Internet has entered into a strategic partnership with American independent online media company Gawker Media, under which it will manage and drive local Indian destinations for Gizmodo.com and Lifehacker.com

    Times Internet partners Gawker media to drive Gizmodo, Lifehacker

    By A Correspondent

     

    Times Internet (TIL) has entered into a strategic partnership with American independent online media company Gawker Media (Gawker). Via this partnership, Times Internet will manage and drive local Indian destinations for Gizmodo.com and Lifehacker.com, Gawker Media’s leading technology sites.

     

    As part of the collaboration, Times Internet will have exclusive rights to the brand; monetization, content, syndication and sub-licensing of Gizmodo.com and Lifehacker.com within India. The unique partnership will help TIL grow an already-strong vibrant digital community of Indian consumers passionate about consumer electronics and technology. TIL intends to use the Times Group’s multimedia resources to help develop and evangelize the brand locally.

     

    Gizmodo.com, a site focused on gadgets and tech culture, is Gawker’s most popular site, registering nine million unique visitors and 100 million page views every month. About one-third of its traffic is international. Lifehacker.com is an eight-year-old weblog with thousands of posts related to technology, personal productivity, software, tips, and technology lifestyle. The two sites already have a wide user base and are getting good traction in the country.

     

    Discussing the partnership with Gawker, Satyan Gajwani, CEO, Times Internet said, “Gizmodo and Lifehacker have been two of my favourite sites for a long time, so it’s exciting to be their partner in India. They have fantastic, relevant content for a younger generation that’s increasingly interested in technology. We are partnering with one of the world’s strongest digital media companies, and we can’t wait to increase their prominence in India.”

     

    Gaby Darbyshire, COO of Gawker, said, “With an international presence in eight countries outside the USA, India has long been a natural next step for our global expansion, and TIL is a natural fit for Gizmodo and Lifehacker. We are very excited to be partnering with them to bring our technology content to India and look forward to seeing the brands develop for this new audience.”

     

  • Star TV has tied up with Buzz, a free mobile engagement platform from TELiBrahma

    Star Network creates Buzz

    By A Correspondent

     

    Star TV has tied up with Buzz, a free mobile engagement platform from TELiBrahma which allows subscribers to view 30-60 sec clips of popular channels such as Star TV, Star World, Star Movies, Star Gold, Channel V etc.

     

    The Buzz platform delivers contextual content and engagements such as movie listings, music video, deals, branded content etc at no cost to users. Buzz hotspots are available at 1,200 locations across India and include favourite hangout places like Cafe Coffee Day, Barista, malls and supermarkets. To connect to Buzz, the user has to turn on their mobile’s Wi-Fi or Bluetooth to receive information, messages and offers.

     

    Commenting on the tie-up, Gayatri Yadav, Head of Marketing, Star TV said, “Our partnership with Buzz has been a great venture. Through Buzz our viewers have access to their favourite Star Network promos. This is also great way to be in direct touch with our consumers where they have the convenience to choose the information they wish to access.”

     

    Ravi B R, COO and Co-founder, TELiBrahma said, “We are happy to have on board with us the prestigious Star Network. This has given us yet another opportunity to deliver varied, exciting information to our users. Brands are slowly able to understand the importance of location based service providers delivering rich media content and how effective they can be as a marketing tool.”

     

  • The application not only plays music but also allows the users to interact with each other

    Bindass Facebook Jukebox launched

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Digital business of DisneyUTV announces the launch of ‘Bindass Facebook Jukebox’, a digital platform which allows users to choose music on the social networking site Facebook, and watch their interaction live on television on Bindass.

     

    Users can rank music by voting for their favorite songs listed on the application. Besides playing music, the application also allows users to interact with each other, dedicate songs and watch their dedication along with their profile images live on the Bindass Jukebox show, Monday to Friday, 5-7 pm.

     

    Commenting on this, Sameer Pitalwalla, Director – Video and Celebrity, DisneyUTV, said, “Combining our music show on Bindass with our Facebook audience and giving them the power to select songs and see themselves along with their comments and dedications on TV is not only a great reward for our fan-base but also a step forward in the direction of making TV more social. The Bindass Facebook Jukebox is an innovative product which converges social media with television through music, which appeals to our audience. Bindass on Facebook has the most engaged audience base for any youth channel on Facebook in India and we wanted to create something special for our audience.”