MxMIndia

Category: MEDIA

  • IndiaCast, TV18 and Viacom18's venture, announced the launch of the international version of MTV India in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region

    Viacom 18’s IndiaCast takes MTV India to Mid East, N Africa

    By A Correspondent

     

    IndiaCast, TV18 and Viacom18’s venture, announced the launch of the international version of MTV India in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. MTV India, featuring music & reality content from India in Hindi language, will complement Viacom International Media Networks’ (VIMN) existing MTV channel, which services the Middle East and North Africa region with Arabic and international music and entertainment content.

     

    MTV India is IndiaCast’s second channel in the region after its flagship channel Colors which launched in September 2010. The IndiaCast team in Dubai, which currently distributes and handles advertising sales for Colors, will be managing the distribution & sales for MTV India as well. This launch expands the offering for advertisers in the region, allowing them to reach both family and youth audiences. With this launch, MTV India’s international distribution footprint will now span 31 countries, while Colors is available in close to 50 countries.

     

    Speaking about the launch, Gaurav Gandhi, COO – IndiaCast, said, “Indians are passionate about their music, and Hindi music in particular has a huge following both in India and overseas. The launch of MTV India in the Middle East & North Africa region will give an opportunity for these audiences to connect with Indian music and reality programming that they love most. MTV India is our second brand in the region and we intend to grow our presence here with more offerings from our extensive news and regional channel portfolio in the near future.”

     

    Adding to this, Aditya Swamy, Business Head – MTV India, said, “MTV India has constantly engaged and entertained young India and now the opportunity to do so with young people in the other countries is very exciting. While we will leverage our cult franchises such as Roadies, Unplugged and Rush in these markets, we will also look at some region-specific initiatives which will resonate with the local audience.”

     

    MTV India will be available on Pehla branded packs across DTH, Cable, IPTV and SMATV across Bahrain, Cyprus, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Sudan and Mauritiana. MTV India will also be launching on other platforms shortly.

     

  • Resultrix – A Performics Company, India's leading performance marketing agency, announced the appointment of Tanmay Mohanty as its Chief Operating Officer for Indian operations.

    Resultrix appoints Tanmay Mohanty as COO – India

    By A Correspondent

     

    Resultrix – A Performics Company, India’s leading performance marketing agency, announced the appointment of Tanmay Mohanty as its Chief Operating Officer for Indian operations. Mr Mohanty will be directly reporting to Gulrez Alam, COO – Global, Resultrix.

     

    Mr Mohanty, with an extensive and diverse work experience of close to 14 years, has been a part of organisations of repute at the management level. As he joins Resultrix, he brings his vast experience in the field of Marketing, Advertising, Brand Management, Direct Sales, BTL, Strategic Account Management, Business Development, and Administration. Prior to joining Resultrix, he was the COO of Interactive Media And Communication Solutions Pvt. Ltd. (id8 Labs). He has earlier been associated with organizations like Jasubhai, Merchant Media, Dalal Street, and Urja Communications.

     

    Speaking on his appointment, Mr Mohanty said, “Resultrix has an excellent track record as a leading player in the search and interactive services industry. I look forward to working with the talented and dynamic team at Resultrix and being a part of the company’s future.”

     

    Mr Alam added, “It’s great to have Tanmay on board with Resultrix. We are looking at strengthening our leadership team at Resultrix as we continue with our focus on being at the forefront of the ever evolving digital and interactive services industry. Our clients will benefit from Tanmay’s vast professional expertise spanning across multiple industries. As Resultrix’s success story continues, Tanmay’s insights and leadership will give that extra fillip to take it to the next level.”

     

    Resultrix, founded in 2008, is a performance-based digital marketing agency, managing over 120 brands across multiple screens and mediums. Its bouquet of interactive services includes search engine marketing (SEM), search engine optimization (SEO), web design & development, web analytics, social media marketing & display advertising.

     

  • In a new fortnightly series on industry backgrounders, Hemant Jain takes us through the journey of the current boom in the travel media sector

    Backgrounder | Hemant Jain: What makes online travel so sought after?

    By Hemant Jain

     

    Back in the good’ol days, setting out on a vacation with family was not less than a whirlwind! Not only the options were scant but also the hassles of lack of hotels and commutation modes made it less alluring. But the phenomenon of tourism since 1950 has been remarkable in terms of growth, spread and diversification. The international tourist arrivals since then have grown from mere 25 million to reach 940 million in 2010. The fast growth and spread has not only resulted the globalization of people’s movements as never before but has also contributed in creating a vibrant industry and opportunities for millions of people. Little wonder that almost 20 million people are employed in India’s tourism industry.

     

    So what are the factors that have triggered the era of consumerism in the travel industry?

    Advent of Low Cost airline- Earlier air travel was considered to burn a hole in a traveller’s pocket. But with the emergence of low cost airline in India in 2003, air travel, which was just a dream for a traveller with minimum resources, turned in to a possibility. This also opened up gates for many private players who offered better services to the consumers at competitive prices. This was one of the major revolution from a consumer’s point of view because it all together explored a new avenue of travel besides roads and railways.

     

    Increase in travel agencies: The Indian market was introduced to the concept of planning and booking travels in early 2000. The travel industry had not achieved momentum yet but there were surely some signs of hope. IRCTC (Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation) had proven to be a success and had demonstrated that Indians were warming up to booking online and ready to pay a premium for convenience. There were a couple of websites that offered air tickets but none could comprehensively claim to cater to travel needs across categories. But Innovation and differentiation are key drivers of growth today. While OTAs have gone beyond online travel to provide end-to-end travel and holiday planning solutions, innovation is the need of the hour. Cross selling of products is on the rise. Again OTAs have to engage with customers and listen to what they have to say. There is a need to make inroads into the customers’ life, without being intrusive and understand their needs better.

     

    Promotion by Government: The government’s ‘Incredible India campaign’ for boosting India’s image as a global destination has promoted tourism in a big way. It has promoted the destinations in India and abroad in countries like UK, Canada, Singapore, Malaysia, Russia, Australia and New Zealand. This concerted effort has not only attracted a consumer’s attention at destination in India like Leh, Kerala and Sikkim et al but also towards international destinations. Today, the top International destinations are UK, Pataya, Singapore. Moreover the involvement of state government in projecting their state as a favourable tourist destination has also escalated the inbound tourism. States like Gujarat, Rajasthan, Kashmir and Chhattisgarh et al spends millions on their marketing and advertising efforts in a year.

     

    Boom in Online Travel Industry: Initially online travel was marked by several challenges. Low Internet penetration was the major one. Another challenge was habit. The habit of buying an air ticket was through a travel agent and booking a hotel room was always through calling the hotel directly or by showing up. So it was a habit change that OTAs were dealing with and changing a habit obviously takes a long time. Also, there was limited confidence on online transactions. But eventually, online travel industry grew impressively. The travel boom, emergence of low cost carriers, proliferation of Internet and the growing acceptance of e-commerce, are key factors that have contributed to the emergence of this sector. The online travel industry is certainly marked for growth in coming years. The best is yet to come for the sector with broadband penetration just starting to take off. India is all set to become among the top three online travel markets in the world over the next decade.

     

    Increase in the No. of Woman Traveller: A study by Nielsen in 2011 tags women as the key decision makers for around 85% of all consumer purchases including everything from autos to health care and this includes the selection of preferred holiday destination also.  The study also highlighted that around 91% of the female booked trips with their friends and only meagre 8% travelled with their families. Also, shopping as an activity is widely preferred by woman enabling them to travel at far-flung areas.

     

    Change in Travel accessories: It is believed that the travel accessories (be it suitcase, briefcase, bags or pouches et al) a person carries during his travel says a lot about his personality. Gone are the days of bulky, ugly suitcases that threw a major challenge to passengers in terms of its handling. Today on consumers demand there is a host of lightweight travel accessories in different sizes, shapes and colours available to choose from. While female travellers can pick from the range of unusual colour palette in luggage including pink, purple and yellow, the males on the other hand can look out for cleaner and organised travel gear. There’s also a lot of innovation happening on other travel accessories in general beyond luggage. Like a travel Toothbrush that is a toothbrush and toothpaste rolled into one making a minute but simple travel accessory.

     

    Spurt of technological gadgets: Ever wondered what was it like to travel before the age of technology precisely gadgets like cell phones, laptops, e-Books, Music Players? Quite unimaginable, huh! Earlier books were the only tool that was used to pass away the time during long and tedious journey hours. And on top of it, a letter was the only medium to communicate to your near and dear ones about your safety arrival on a foreign land. But today, thanks to technological advancement there is a pool of gadgets that one carries during his travel. Gadgets like cell phones, laptops are not only a great mode of communication but are also used professionally. Besides gadgets like music players, e-books, cameras and all are a great source of entertainment for a person on a trip.

     

    The Social Media Influence: The social media plays a big role in travel. Earlier consumers use to book through travel agents. Now people use travel sites Cleartrip.com, makemytrip.com among many others. Sites like Facebook, Twitter are big influencers for travel. People post comments on travel sites, research on Google about place they visiting. Travelling in groups has been promoted in big way by websites like Thomas Cook. Even when people visit the destination, Google maps play a big role. Even the Internet on mobiles play a big role and people don’t get stuck in midway. Seeing other friends posting pictures on Facebook influences travellers. Travel blogs play a big role in making the decision where to go for a holiday.

     

    New avenues of travel options: This is an emerging sector with consumers moving towards more advanced forms of travel options including a helicopter, yatch or a cruise. Although the primary reason for its access remains cost but with the increasing purchasing power of the consumer’s the newer forms of travelling are gaining momentum in a big way.

     

    Undoubtedly there has been a magnum of changes in the travel industry over the past few years, but there is more to look forward.  According to a travel research firm, Indian travel industry is expected to grow by13% to $23 billion by next year. And by the year 2014, Indian tourism industry will contribute atleast US$16.3 billion.  The $4 billion online business is also expected to grow faster, at 28% to touch $7 billion. Now there are number of factors that can augment this phenomenal growth in coming times. Mobile penetration has increased considerable in the past few years and people are accessing the internet through their phones. Exploiting the mobile platform hence becomes very essential and going forward we can expect an influx of applications for mobiles. Application like Zomato.com, Yatra.com have already paved a way for the increased use of mobile platform for consumers to plan their leisure activities. Be it a dine out with family or planning a vacation abroad, the online travel industry is certainly marked for growth in coming years, especially through mobile platform. The best is yet to come for the sector with broadband penetration just starting to take off.

     

    India is all set to become among the top three online travel markets in the world over the next decade. By 2015, it’s estimated that shoppers from around the world will spend about $119 billion on goods and services bought via mobile phones, according to a study by ABI Research. Also identification of new growth sector like medical tourism is pivotal as the number of medical tourist arrival within few years is expected to cross two millions mark. So pack your bags and set out for your dream destination as the travel industry is witnessing a change that has never happened before and in a good way!

     

    Hemant Jain is Senior Vice President & Head – Domestic Business @ Hungama Mobile

     

  • Celebrated South Indian playback singer Mano, popularized with the hit television music series Super Singers on Vijay TV, performed to packed audiences in Johannesburg and Durban

    Vijay TV’s Mano thrills fans in South Africa

    By A Correspondent

     

    Celebrated South Indian playback singer Mano, most recently popularized through the hit television music series Super Singers on Vijay TV, performed to packed audiences in South Africa last week with smashing performances in Johannesburg and Durban. The hugely successful concerts were organized by Vijay TV – the leading Tamil general entertainment offering by the Star Network available on TopTV’s Top Star bouquet.

     

    The star, who has over 20,000 songs in 15 languages and has over 3000 live concerts to his credit wowed audiences at his events in Johannesburg and Durban. Fans of the superstar arrived hours prior to the events hoping for a glimpse of him before his mind blowing shows.

     

    The South Indian community of South Africa enjoyed a three-hour-long special performance by Mano who belted out hits back to back for his fans at the premier shows at Johannesburg and Durban exclusively for subscribers of Top Star, TopTV’sIndian bouquet.

     

    Mano also made a special public appearance at India Club’s Incredible India Day where hundreds of fans had the opportunity to meet him personally with an opportunity for photographs and autographs with him and a live performance at the 66th Indian Independence Day festival in Gauteng. A surprise duet performance of his hit song, Mukala Mukabla with P Susheela’s grand-daughter, Keertika Ponugupati, had fans roaring for more.

     

    The superstar rose to stardom with his hit songs Muqabla Muqabla from the film Kaadhalan with music composed by A. R. Rahman, the movie was recreated in Hindi and Telugu due to its popularity. Thereafter hit songs ‘Shenbagme Shenbagame’ followed and when the highly successful ‘Velaikkaran’ was released, Mano became one of the most sought-after South Indian singers in the industry.

     

    Sarika Shankarnarayan, Assistant Vice President, Marketing for Star, said, “We are delighted with the tremendous response to Mano’s concerts in South Africa. This is the first of many more interactive initiatives that the Star Network will bring to the Indian community in South Africa.”

     

  • The billboard is two-sided and front lit, with adverts on both sides, hence visible while approaching and while exiting the airport area

    Mediascope Publicitas OOH creates India’s largest billboard in Bengaluru

    By A Correspondent

     

    Mediascope Publicitas has created the largest billboard in India measuring 100ftx100ft, located at the airport approach road, welcoming travelers to Bengaluru. This puts Bengaluru in the league of global cities like New York, Dubai and Singapore with extraordinarily huge advertising media.

     

    The billboard is two-sided and front lit, with adverts on both sides, hence visible while approaching and while exiting the airport area.

     

     

     

  • Travel website Goibibo.com tracked the trend of travellers on their frequency of change in their plans, based on insight from its buyers' data

    25% Indian travellers change plans post booking confirmation: Goibibo.com

    By A Correspondent

     

    Travel website Goibibo.com has found that 25 per cent of travellers change their travel plans after booking. The website tracked the trend of travellers on their frequency of change in their plans, based on insight from its buyers’ data. The report adds that 20 per cent more women change their travel plans compared to men.

     

    According to the research report, the top routes for travel plan changes have been found to be Bengaluru-Delhi and vice versa followed by Mumbai-Delhi. The top five reasons are said to be: ‘Change in business travel plans’, Extension of stay at destination’, ‘Travellers’ health issues’, ‘Personal or family emergency’ and ‘Change in flight timings’ by the airlines. Women have been found to change their travel plans more frequently than men. It has also been seen that Bengaluru has the highest number of women travellers followed by Mumbai, Hyderabad and Delhi.

     

    Ashish Kashyap, Group CEO, ibibo Web said, “At Goibibo.com we are obsessed with data and analytics and thereby leveraging the same to drive a superior user experience. We publish travel insights based on real data that we study every hour of the day.  With the insights of large volume of changes in a travelers plan, Goibibo has enabled the traveler to access the fastest re-scheduling, cancellation and refund processes.”

     

    Goibibo.com, which was launched in September 2009, is a part of the MIH India Group. It enables travellers to buy air, bus tickets, hotels and holidays.

     

  • Two new Bhojpuri channels launch wanting a slice of around a Rs 100 crore (and growing) adspends market

    Boom in Bhojpuri broadcast

     

    By Ananya Saha

     

    It started in right earnest in August 2008 when Mahuaa TV defined the advent of Bhojpuri broadcast media. The 24-hour general entertainment channel wanted to identify with and meet the needs of the Bhojpuri-speaking community through its programmes, which have a strong local essence and mix of aspiration and entertainment. The channel offers a potpourri of serials, feature films, reality shows, news etc.

     

    The media market, however, is not restricted to Mahuaa anymore with newer channels and programming wanting to cater to this dialect, and audience.

     

    Earlier this month, CNEB and Launch Pads launched music channel Hummra M. Delhi-based production house AAP Media has taken a plunge into television broadcast with the launch of Anjan, a Bhojpuri GEC. Big Magic, the regional entertainment for the Hindi heartland from the Reliance Broadcast Network, launched a Bhojpuri music band, titled ‘Hamar Des Hamaar Sangeet’ in January 2012. And very recently, starting August 18, the channel started airing Bhojpuri movies in its weekend band – ‘Superhit Bhojpuri’. Then there’s Sangeet Bhojpuri and Dabanng – the channel from Sri Adhikari Brothers that features Hindi content with a flavour of the Bhojpuri region.

     

    Opportunity

    Probal Gaanguly

    Talking about the size of the Bhojpuri broadcast market, Probal Gaanguly, Partner, Launch Pad, which consulted CNEB to launch Hummra M said, “The only Bhojpuri channel so far was Mahuaa, which is a general entertainment channel. All other channels are a mix of Bhojpuri and Hindi language content. Hence, the past has very little relevance for future. You must reflect on what happened to markets like Bengal, Maharashtra, Odisha, Assam etc to see that till such time content is not well-packaged and developed in own mother tongue, the viewership always goes to Hindi. The only exception being Gujarati.”

     

     

     

    Nikhil Sheth

    Nikhil Sheth, President, Mahuaa Network pegs the market size of Bhojpuri broadcast media market at Rs 100 crore. He said, “Unlike other regional markets, Bhojpuri cuts across the state of Eastern UP, Bihar and Jharkhand. The sheer population is close to 12 crore, which is one-tenth of India. Therein lays the potential.” He is glad that Mahuaa had the first-mover advantage in the market.

     

    Outlining the growth of the segment, Anand Chakravarthy, Business Head, Big Magic, said: “Bhojpuri is a different socio-cultural market, with Bihar being a key market. It was a traditionally media dark market, and relatively poor. But in the last 5-6 years, it has evolved. The Bhojpuri area is culturally rich and has a distinct language. Even the Bhojpuri film market is of decent size. The people in this region have local sources of entertainment. And now, we have advertisers who want to reach out to this Bhojpuri audience.”

     

    Anand Chakravarthy

    Mr Chakravarthy also said that while Mahuaa had a good run when it began, it has seen a steep decline recently. But just as Big Magic saw the opportunity, other broadcasters are reach out to this audience. “Advertisers now can actually connect much better with their consumers. And this will be a cultural connect, an attitudinal connect, an emotional connect, a chance for the brand to speak their own language. The opportunities are endless,” said Mr Gaanguly, adding, “Bhojpuri is centrestage on most of the lead GEC channels today through their content. It is only a matter of time before Bhojpuris will have their own basket of channels to choose from eclipsing the hold of Hindi.”

     

    Not hunky-dory

    It is, no doubt, a huge market potential that is currently underserved and underserviced due to daunting marketing and media logistics. But the market is becoming a strong consumer market of FMCG, durables, jewellery and education, according to Mona Jain, CEO, VivaKi Exchange.

     

    Mona Jain

    The traditionally male-dominated viewership has skewed towards an equal gender ratio in this market. Interestingly, even as reality shows like Sur Sangam on Mahuaa, and Bhojpuri music shows continue to draw audiences, urbanised serials and quiz shows does not get much audience.

     

    “India is a young country and so is the case with the Bhojpuri-speaking. But youth is not just an age group. The manifestation of youth as understood by brand marketers are more to do with people who are seeking better life & life style. In fact the hard coded market data puts Bhojpuri people from Bihar and Jharkhand are as upmarket as an average urban Indian. Our incessant effort was to unearth it and then design a channel for them (Hummra M), and they loved it,” said Mr Gaanguly.

     

    Even as the entry of various players does show the interest in the market, the Bhojpuri broadcast media is also marred with challenges. TAM is restricted to Patna, and includes the area in Hindi-speaking market. “It is difficult to explain the advertiser that Bhojpuri is not an area, but a socio-cultural audience that speaks this particular dialect,” said Mr Sheth.

     

    Another challenge, according to Mr Chakravarthy is quality content. His view is supported by Satyajit Sen, CEO, ZenithOptimedia who added, “Even as the advertisers seek to reach the audience, it remains to be seen which channel emerges as primary and which one a secondary option for advertisers.”

     

    Sundeep Nagpal

    Sundeep Nagpal, Director, Stratagem Media, opined, “Bhojpuri is a widely spoken language. Given that there are so many channels for other languages, I see no reason why more players should not enter the Bhojpuri market. And yet, it’s not as if this market can accommodate anybody and everybody.  It’s as though several media houses seem to have identified the potential of this market at the same time, which might result in chaos and anarchy. Almost as though the potential of other language channels has been exhausted, and media houses are now planning to explore this untapped market. It may also result in a race for genres, in say, news, music, movies etc., within Bhojpuri itself..”

     

    The perception of Bhojpuri market as serving B-Grade content needs to be altered too. As the market grows, the advertising has grown too. While nobody shared the numbers, the interest of everyone to capitalise on this market shows the potential. And it is of course a win-win situation for the audience, who are now being catered content in their local language, and advertisers who need not spend on national GEC’s and expect their TG in this market to respond.

     

    “National GECs in India began with Doordarshan in 1969. But thanks to geo-linguistic pressure today even the best of GEC channels are producing soaps with the protagonist as Bhojpuri-speaking. Besides the number of songs movies and jokes in Bhojpuri are huge signifying the huge importance of Bhojpuri as a language. I have a feeling in this day of fragmentation we are about to see launch of many language channels, which are defined by language and not geography,” concluded Mr Gaanguly.

     

    And we thought we had one too many already 🙂

     

  • After one and a half years, Keith Alphonso has quit UTV. He was business head of Bindass, the youth channel from the UTV stable

    Keith Alphonso quits UTV, joins OML as Revenue Head

    By Meghna Sharma

     

    Keith Alphonso

    After one and a half years, Keith Alphonso has left UTV. He was business head of Bindass, the youth channel from the UTV stable which was recently acquired by Walt Disney, and was in charge of rebranding the channel in a bid to keep pace with the ever-changing outlook of its core audience set.

     

    Confirming the news to MxMIndia, Mr Alphonso said, “Yes, I have quit UTV and joined OML as Head of Revenue.”

     

    In his new role at Only Much Louder (OML), a company which focuses on reaching the youth market in India through high quality entertainment properties including music festivals, television and web-based content, Mr Alphonso will be creating more branding properties. “I have mastered the art of creating ‘branded content’ from my previous work experiences. So, will be in-charge of handling similar profile at OML too. The only difference being that here it will be across platforms – television, live events, web etc.”

     

    Prior to UTV, Mr Alphonso has worked with Zoom Television, MTV and Times of India in a career spanning almost 17 years.

     

  • This year's campaign is being launched with the slogan 'Ganpati Bappa Morya, Dharti Mata Morya' in a crusade that protects planet earth while seeking the blessings of Lord Ganesha

    Big FM Launches Big Green Ganesha 2012

    By A Correspondent

     

    BIG FM has announced the launch of the ‘BIG Green Ganesha Campaign’ (BGGC), which is entering its fifth year, with the aim of nurturing a better environment while celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi. This year’s campaign is being launched with the slogan ‘Ganpati Bappa Morya, Dharti Mata Morya’ in a crusade that protects planet earth while seeking the blessings of Lord Ganesha. The initiative has found support from celebrities namely, Aamir Khan, Neha Dhupia and Ranveer Shorey among others, who have donated newspapers which will be used to make the papier mache idols during the festival. Donating newspapers may be a small but significant step in the right direction to spread the message on celebrating the festival in an eco-friendly fashion.

     

    Launched in 2006 before the Ganeshotsav, this initiative is aimed at creating social consciousness towards making one of India’s largest and most popular festivals better and more ecologically sound.

     

    Drawing attention to the fact that most commonly available idols are created from non-degradable material and the paints used contain a high amount of toxins, BGGC has helped generate awareness and gained steady momentum during the last four years by creating a sense of responsibility among communities and delivering significant value to its partners.

     

    The initiative has found support from leading celebrities including Aamir Khan, Neha Dhupia and Ranveer Shorey.

     

    The drive will culminate with the BIG Green Ganesha Awards, on September 19. Radio Jockeys accompanied by top celebrities will travel across cities and announce the names of winners based on measures they’ve taken to create ecologically sound Ganeshas.

     

    While 13 paper Ganesha statues were put up last year as part of the BGG campaign, this year will witness the erection of 30 Ganesha pandals (special temporary structures) across six major cities and a number of other smaller ones. Cities included in this campaign are Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Indore, Surat, Vizag, Baroda, Mangalore, Gwalior, Mysore, Sholapur and Goa. Tie-ups will also be initiated with popularpandals and malls to garner maximum awareness and participation. Supported with out-of-home media and print visibility, the campaign also aims to encourage close to 110 residential societies across the 13 cities to install eco-friendly Ganesha idols.

     

    The activities carried out last year saw more than 35,000 people donating paper by covering 15,000 households. With 14 lakh people visiting the pandals, it was no surprise when the Indian Radio Forum named the campaign the winner in the best On Ground Initiative 2012.

     

  • Dhingana has launched an advertising platform to reach its 11 million worldwide users, with Gokul Rajaram, creator of AdSense and current Facebook product director for advertising, on the advisory board

    Dhingana launches ad platform, Gokul Rajaram is advisor

    By A Correspondent

     

    Dhingana (www.dhingana.com), a leading streaming service for Indian music, has announced the launch of its immersive advertising platform to help brands reach a fast-growing and high-grossing demographic: the Indian population around the world. As part of this initiative, the company has named Gokul Rajaram, Facebook’s Product Director of Advertising and the creator of Google’s AdSense, to its advisory board.

     

    “Globally, over 11 million Indian music fans listen to their favourite music on Dhingana. We believe that this is a great motivation for brands looking at innovative avenues to reach out to them. This led us to develop a highly intuitive advertising platform,” said Snehal Shinde, CEO of Dhingana.

     

    “We’re thrilled to have Gokul on board,” said Swapnil Shinde, COO of Dhingana. “Gokul has extensive experience in creating user-friendly and highly profitable experiences for social and mobile platforms.” Shinde added, “Gokul’s experience will be invaluable as we expand the service to reach more users.”

     

    Prior to joining Facebook, Mr Rajaram spent 5 years as the Product Management Director of Google’s Adsense. He also ran a startup, Chai Labs, that was later bought out by Facebook.

     

    According to Mr Rajaram, “The streaming market in India is growing at an unprecedented rate, offering myriad opportunities to consumers and brands. With more than 7 million active users on iOS, Android, BlackBerry, and Nokia devices, Dhingana has also been quick in tapping the huge impact that mobile is making in India”.

     

    Dhingana expects the advertising platform to become a “must buy” for advertisers such as movie production studios, music labels, independent musicians, mobile carriers, and other brands that want to reach a young, engaged global audience. Dhingana is offering a number of ad formats and can help target ads based on factors like music genre, platform, geo-location, and audience demographics.

     

    As part of beta testing of the platform, Dhingana ran a campaign for the film Cocktail, driving 100,000 audio streams of the ad in the first 18 hours, and more than 1 million streams in the first five days.

     

  • "All our members have been cooperating in the best possible manner to stave off the current situation since last week and we will continue to do so," stated Dr Subho Ray, President of IAMAI.

    Web firms fully cooperating with govt: IAMAI

    By A Correspondent

     

    Following the government’s clampdown on SMSes, social media and its concerns about the misuse of this media by miscreants or anti social elements, the Internet And Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) also urged authorities and citizens to use online tools positively for spreading true and useful information in the current situation.

     

    “Our members believe that hate speech and other illegal content should be removed when duly notified in accordance with Indian laws. All member companies have been responding expeditiously to requests from various government and law enforcement agencies,” the IAMAI said

     

    “All our members have been cooperating in the best possible manner to stave off the current situation since last week and we will continue to do so,” stated Dr Subho Ray, President of IAMAI. He further added that any government order to be effective should be based on the present context and not a general order to remove un-contextual or legal content.

     

    In a related development, the association also welcomed the notification of the government’s policy paper titled “Framework & Guidelines for Use of Social Media for Government Organisations”. With the formal adoption of this paper, the government is now said to be prepared to use social media. It may be recalled that the Department of Electronics and Information Technology has been working on this policy since September 2011 and the final version has emerged after wide consultations and an Open House discussion led by the Honourable Union Minister of Communications and IT.

     

    The current situation drives home the importance of this paper. It states, “One of the big challenges for government is to avoid propagation of unverified facts and frivolous misleading rumours with respect to government policies. Government must have presence on these platforms to counter such perceptions to present the facts to enable informed opinion making by the populace”.

     

  • BPN boss Suresh Balakrishna to take additional charge of Lintas Outdoor

    Suresh Balakrishna now also CEO of Lintas Outdoor

    Suresh Balakrishnan

    IPG Mediabrands has announced the appointment of Suresh Balakrishna as CEO of Lintas Initiative Outdoor. The leadership responsibilities of all the OOH businesses of IPG Mediabrands will now report to Suresh Balakrishna, with immediate effect, according to the official communique.

     

    Mr Balakrishna, a media veteran with over 25 years of publishing, brand building and media agency experience, had rejoined Lintas Media Group in January this year to roll out and lead BPN, the third agency network of IPG Mediabrands.

     

    He will be handling this assignment in addition to his current responsibilities as CEO of BPN India.

     

    Hemanth Shah, Managing Director of the company resigned a month ago and will be with the organisation till the end of August. His next destination is not known. He joined the company two years ago from Times OOH.

     

    Some of the leading OOH businesses in IPG Mediabrands include Nokia, Hindustan Unilever, Union Bank ofIndia, Coca Cola, Tata Consultancy Services, Expedia, Citibank, Monte Carlo etc.

     

    For the record, Lintas Initiative Outdoor has 22 offices around India.