MxMIndia

Category: MEDIA

  • Talenthouse India is bringing together India's youth to crowdsource the National Anthem, with the movement 'My Nation My Anthem'

    Reinterpret the Anthem, win a prize

    By A Correspondent

     

    In a unique initiative, people across the country will now get a chance to show their love for the Anthem through India’s first-ever crowdsourcing of the Anthem. Called My Nation, My Anthem, the initiative will give filmmakers, musicians and singers an opportunity to render their interpretation of the Anthem. The shortlisted entries will be supervised by an expert panel in their creation of a new film, set to a new tune and sung by new voices. This is an initiative by Talenthouse India, a Reliance Entertainment division, along with PVR, Rising Sun Films and Rampage Motion Pictures.

     

    The idea behind the initiative is to engage with the citizens of the country and give them a sense of ownership of their proud heritage by helping them create a lively rendering and an engaging video for our Anthem.

     

    Crowdsourcing may be relatively new concept in India. An example of this, however, was the Government of India crowdsourcing the Indian rupee symbol wherein the new rupee symbol was chosen amongst thousands of new designs as proposed by the citizens of the country. The power of this mechanism is only set to grow. From the entries that captured various interpretations of the symbol, the then Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, India’s current President, chose the design submitted by D Udaya Kumar, a B Arch student of IIT Bombay.

     

    Similarly, Talenthouse will now empower the people of India by giving them an opportunity to contribute to a fresh take on the National Anthem.

     

    This creative invite is open to three different categories of budding talent – music composers, film makers and singers. Winning participants across the three categories will be creatively supervised by popular Bollywood director Shoojit Sircar along with Ronnie Lahiri and Ram Mirchandani to create a final film of The National Anthem to be showcased at PVR Cinemas before a movie screening.

     

    Aspiring music composers and musicians are invited to create a new rendition of the background score for the National Anthem and the winning entry will receive Rs. 30,000/- to produce the final track.

     

    Ambitious film makers get a chance to share their work that captures their representation of the National Anthem. The winning entry will receive Rs. 50,000/- to produce the final film. Apart from this, upcoming singers can render their voice to the National Anthem by submitting samples of their singing.

     

    With submissions open till February 21, 2013 the winners will be announced by February 23. They will then get a chance to be mentored by the established mentors in their creation of a final film of the National Anthem that will be showcased at theaters.

     

    Shoojit Sircar of Rising Sun Films said, “India has more than 50 percent of its population below the age of 25. In times where there is unnecessary discord between communities and regions, My Nation My Anthem promises to be an exciting project to evoke the patriotism within us towards our country and fellow Indians. I look forward to working on this initiative that embraces the diversity of our country, while bringing people together.”

     

    Gautam Dutta, COO, PVR said, “My Nation My Anthem has been designed to be a true representation of our diversity, captured by the youth. Movies bring people from all walks of life together and PVR is proud to showcase this version of the national anthem across our theatres.”

     

    Arun Mehra, CEO, Talenthouse India said, “We are incredibly excited to launch My Nation My Anthem. At Talenthouse, we believe that crowdsourcing has a unique power to bring out the best talent. This project is even more special as it is an inclusive initiative that every Indian will be inspired by.”

     

  • BuzzCity research expects Indian mCommerce activity to grow, with 53% of consumers having already shopped via mobile

    ‘Consumer confidence in mcommerce at all-time high’

    By A Correspondent

     

    BuzzCity has brought out its latest quarterly report on the current trends dominating the global mobile advertising industry. The report reveals the appetite for mobile commerce is at an all-time high, with consumer confidence diminishing previous fears over security of payments – 3 percent compared to 27 percent a year ago.

     

    Dr KF Lai, CEO of BuzzCity, said, “It is clear that consumers are now far more receptive to mobile commerce than ever before; this comes as a result of continuous education by the mobile industry to overcome concerns such as trust and security, combined with falling data costs and increased capabilities of smartphones and tablets.”

     

    The unstoppable proliferation of mobile devices, along with the convenience they provide, has put online stores and the ability to compare and research purchases directly into the hands of consumers.

     

    BuzzCity’s research illustrates how shoppers are using their phones to “browse and buy” – search engines and social media are a major source of information, along with 14 percent using review and comparison sites, and 17 percent relying on friends’ recommendations. However, mobile advertisements are still influencers to a purchase with 17 percent claiming to have been persuaded to buy via an ad. With this wide range of mobile touch points brands need to continue to develop an optimum shopping experience, in order to reap the rewards of all that mobile commerce has to offer.

     

    This latest report highlights a key factor in the mobile purchasing chain – convenience.  With 74 percent of consumers using mobile for last-minute purchases, linked to the increasing prevalence of mobile vouchers and QR codes to drive people to connect mobile with the offline world.

     

    Dr Lai added,  “Mobile is now the first screen for many. Our research shows that there are many influences involved in consumers’ decisions when shopping via a mobile device. Marketers must ensure that they put strategy before tactics and take into consideration user behaviour as well as multi-screen viewing. Any brand embarking on global campaigns should bear in mind that consumer reliance on these services can differ greatly by region, and merchants need to understand these cultural nuances by localizing content strategies and apportioning resources accordingly.”

     

    Other highlights of the report include:

    • India saw four quarters of double digit growth and closed off with a year-on-year growth of 46%.
    • While Nokia remains top device in India, its dominance is being challenged by Samsung
    • Mobile surfing expected to grow in India as smartphone penetration increases beyond 25%.

     

  • India TV has announced the first Yuva Awards, planned to honour India's future by instituting recognition for the most promising young faces of the nation. The awards will be given on Feb 18 in New Delhi

    India TV announces Yuva Awards

    By A Correspondent

     

    India TV has announced the first Yuva Awards, planned to honour India’s future by instituting recognition for the most promising young faces of the nation.

     

    Positioned as an aspirational salute to youth icons who have shown exemplary leadership and extraordinary excellence in respective fields with achievements much bigger than their age, the awards will be given in six categories: Politics, Sports, Music, Film, Television and Business.

     

    The honorees for the inaugural annual property by India TV will be decided through a stringent process involving tabulation and stratified research by a renowned international research agency, India TV viewers’ votes and jury deliberations.

     

    The high-powered jury will be chaired by Sarod Maestro Ustaad Amjad Ali Khan. The panel includes personalities like sporting legend Kapil Dev, Padma Shree Vandana Luthra and Professor Pushpesh Pant. Noted media personality and Chairman & Editor in Chief of India TV, Rajat Sharma, will also be part of the jury.

     

    Announcing this, Ritu Dhawan, MD & CEO, India TV said, “Yuva Awards is a humble attempt to inspire the iconic potential of young indians who will take our nation to newer heights. These youth icons will be those who have already displayed enormous potential and made it big at their young age. They have created benchmarks in their respective fields and brought pride to our nation.”

     

    The awards ceremony will be held in New Delhi on February 18, and will be telecast live on India TV.

     

  • Bijoe George, VP, Rapp, will now handle Rapp India's operations in the West and South. Saugata Bagchi, VP, Tribal DDB, will now be in charge of the West & South operations for Tribal DDB through the Tribal DDB presence in Mumbai and Bangalore

    Saugata Bagchi, Bijoe George get wider roles at Tribal DDB, Rapp India

    By A Correspondent

     

    Saugata Bagchi
    Bijoe George

    Saugata Bagchi and Bijoe George are taking on additional roles for Tribal DDB and Rapp India respectively. Mr George, VP – Rapp, will now handle Rapp India’s operations in the West and South. He will also continue his lead role on the HP business that is a key client for Rapp in India. Mr Bagchi, VP Tribal DDB, will now be in charge of the West & South operations for Tribal DDB through the Tribal DDB presence in Mumbai and Bangalore.

     

    Both of them will continue to report to Venkat Mallik, President, Tribal DDB and Rapp India.

     

    Tribal DDB is a digital agency while Rapp is a new age data-driven multi-channel agency. Rapp and Tribal DDB are members of the DDB Mudra Group and the Omnicom Group world-wide.

     

    Commenting on his new role, Mr Bagchi said, “We’ve had a strong hold in the western market and were able to further consolidate it in 2012. I am very excited about this new opportunity and believe that with our new improved digital skill-sets, our clients in Southern India will increasingly contribute to the fast pace of growth that we’ve set for Tribal DDB India.”

     

    Mr George said, “Over the last few years Rapp India has won many blue-chip clients and 2013 would further propel our growth story. It would be exciting to lead this growth and transformation. Given Rapp’s legacy in the data analytics space combined with its media-neutral offering, clients across verticals will find the Rapp proposition a compelling one.”

     

    Venkat Mallik

    Venkat Mallik, President, Tribal DDB and Rapp India, said, “We have had a very good 2012 for both Tribal DDB & Rapp. The new structure with expanded roles for Bijoe and Saugata will help us leverage their skills better &build on the progress we have made in 2012. The year 2013 should see us deepening our capabilities and delivering higher quality business and creative solutions for our clients while we build Rapp and Tribal DDB into stronger, bigger communications agencies.”

     

  • On February 3, Sony Six will telecast live the Pepsi IPL 2013 player auction as the bidding process rolls out for the sixth edition of the tournament and nine team owners battle it out to build their dream team

    IPL 2013 player auction live on Six

    By A Correspondent

     

    On February 3, Sony Six will telecast live the Pepsi IPL 2013 player auction as the bidding process rolls out for the sixth edition of the tournament and nine team owners battle it out to build their dream team.

     

    This year round, the auction is being held at the ITC Grand Chola in Chennai. The auction will begin at 10.45am on 3rd February and will be conducted by Richard Madley, a professional auctioneer from England who has conducted each of the previous Pepsi IPL 2013 player auctions. Karishma Kotak will be the host, and cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle will also be present, sharing his expertise on player and team strategies.

     

    Commenting on the auction, N P Singh, Chief Operating Officer at MSM said, “The Pepsi IPL 2013 Player Auction promises to be an exciting affair with team owners vying for the best of the best talent in creating their dream team. Six will bring an up close and personal perspective into the strategy each team has chartered for the league, keeping the audience enthralled throughout the event.”

     

  • A responsive website automatically adapts and resizes itself according to the resolution of a device. Hence, a single site is displayed in different visual formats with flexible images and fluid grids

    Zoom TV launches responsive website Zoomtv.in

    By A Correspondent

     

    Bollywood channel Zoom has ramped up its internet presence with a new responsive website, Zoomtv.in. Developed by Times Internet, the new website automatically adapts and resizes itself according to the resolution of a device. Hence, a single site is displayed in different visual formats with flexible images and fluid grids. In today’s world of multi-screen experiences, like phones, tablets, and computers, responsive sites automatically adjust to give the best experience for each one.

     

    Zoom TV has already established itself in the social media space, with 3.2 million fans on its Facebook page, 1.6 lakh subscribers on YouTube and a strong presence across Google+, Twitter, Socialcam and Pinterest.

     

    Satyan Gajwani

    The content on the website has also undergone a strong refresh. Besides regular channel programming, the site will feature exclusive videos and unused footages from the channel to offer depth to its video content. Satyan Gajwani, CEO, Times Internet, said, “Times Internet prides itself in developing cutting edge digital platforms. This is our first responsive design product for the market, complemented with a very strong technology platform. As consumption becomes multi-screen, ZoomTV.in is well positioned to serve content across devices.”

     

     

    Avinash Kaul

    “We have been, and continue to be, very serious about the digital presence of Zoom. We are revolutionizing the way we cover and distribute Bollywood content across platforms in relevant ways that inform and entertain our users at all times,” said Avinash Kaul, CEO, Zoom TV.

     

  • Reliance Broadcast Network has launched Big RTL Thrill And Big Magic on Ditto TV, India's first 'Over-The-Top' TV distribution platform

    RBNL launches Big Thrill, Magic on Ditto TV

    By A Correspondent

     

    Reliance Broadcast Network (RBNL) has announced the launch of their channels Big RTL Thrill and Big Magic on Ditto TV, India’s first Over-The-Top (OTT) TV distribution platform offering live TV and on demand content on mobile phones, tablets, laptops, desktops, entertainment boxes and connected TVs.

     

    This is a next step ahead for the channels to engage with audiences through the digital platform, in addition to the traditional television medium. The tie-up also offers video-on-demand content.

     

    Sunil Kumaran

    Sunil Kumaran, Business Head, Language TV, Reliance Broadcast Network said, “Around the world and in India, digital media has transformed the way consumers perceive and consume entertainment. The immense penetration of the internet and the growing number of smart televisions and internet-enabled mobile devices are stimulating demand and we believe this will transform into a very significant viewing platform in time. Ditto TV is a promising new distribution tool and we are pleased to launch our channels through the platform. We are confident that it will help expand our channel offerings and reach.”

     

     

    Vishal Malhotra

    Commenting on the alliance, Vishal Malhotra, Business Head, New Media at Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd said, “This partnership with Reliance Broadcast Network spells a momentous occasion for Ditto TV ensuring that we continue to delight our customers across the world with rich, premium and quality content, anytime, anywhere. Ditto TV will continue to drive innovation in this sector, thereby consolidating our position as a pre-eminent OTT distribution platform worldwide. We are extremely proud of this partnership with Reliance Broadcast Network and are confident that our customers will enjoy the variety that it brings to the Ditto TV offering.”

     

    Ditto TV, as an application, is available on leading application stores such as Apple App Store, Android Market, BlackBerry Application World and Intel AppUp. Ditto TV’s prepaid cards are also retailed at high-footfall outlets like Croma and Vijay Sales with whom Ditto TV has entered a distribution alliance. For Windows and Mac PCs the app can be downloaded from www.dittotv.com.

     

  • Managing a media archive is no mean task, though the digital era has infused it with new life and efficiency. The Association of Media Libraries and Archives' two-day conference on Feb 4 and 5 will discuss the challenges and opportunities of digital archiving

    Archiving in the time of digital

    By A Correspondent

     

    Newspaper archives have existed since the newspaper itself. The efficiency and turnaround time in daily production is affected hugely by the availability of an archive giving instant access, retrieval and re-use of content created in the past, be it stories, photographs, graphics, audio, video and so on. The return on investment (ROI) is made well worth it when the right technology and more importantly the right professionals are in place to organize this intellectual property into a valuable asset that can be tapped for multiple purposes, endlessly.

     

    The advent of the Digital Archives Management System (DAMS) both in terms of technology application and investment has shown significant returns in the past decade. Add to that the instantaneous needs of 24×7 news delivery and new media. The Association of Media Libraries and Archives (AMLA), a professional forum and the first such initiative inIndiawas conceptualized by the Indian media library and information professionals. It primarily aims to provide a professional platform to deliberate, discuss, examine and debate the various practical issues in managing all aspects of media libraries, across the various mass media segments such as Print, TV, Radio and Online.

     

    Anita Pujari, General Manager, Research, Archives & Syndication, DNA – Daily News & Analysis, said, “No media house can afford to not digitally archive their content. The value of immense intellectual wealth lies only if the content can be re-used and re-purposed. Especially, in news media, the stories keep coming back. One needs to have a cutting-edge archive to revisit and reuse the stories of the past. Else, one can spend money and gather from archives of some other resource.”

     

    Media archives as a source of revenue generation is a growing area of business interest amongst established media houses and this potential perhaps augurs well for the Media library & archives professional. The two-day conference on “Managing Indian Media Libraries and Archives: Challenges, Opportunities and Best Practices” jointly hosted by Association of Media Libraries and Archives (AMLA) and Jawaharlal Nehru University and supported by UNESCO will be held on Feb 4 and 5, 2013 at New Delhi and will discuss all aspects of Digital Archiving.

     

    The conference will be followed by a one-day workshop on ‘Digitization, Digital Archiving and Digital Video Archiving in Media Libraries and Archives’ on Feb 6. More details are available at www.amla.org.in.

     

    MxM India is the media partner to this event.

     

  • For the IRS, it's a case of damned if you do and damned if you don't

    Paritosh Joshi: Heads, you win. Tails, I lose

    By Paritosh Joshi

     

    The IRS is in a strange situation. If there are sharp changes in any statistic, it is accused of unspecified mischief. If there are no changes, it is pilloried for being inaccurate.

     

    The criticisms usually come in these flavours.

     

    1 Sudden, big moves: Publications launch new editions or prune existing ones on a regular basis. While there is no decision required when an edition disappears, the IRS needs to have a consistent view on incorporating a new edition into the study. Publishers clamour for inclusion no sooner than the edition goes to market. IRS takes the view that as a continuously 4-quarters moving total, it needs a whole year worth of data before the edition can be reported. This is not necessarily bad for the publication either. Basic statistics demand that if the readers actually picked up in fieldwork are below the ‘Normality’ threshold, they cannot be reported. A year’s worth of fieldwork gives every serious participant i adequate time to promote their new offspring so that it shows up in the study. Conversely, editions may sometimes be launched only tactically to preempt a competitor and may disappear once the short term objective is delivered. They certainly don’t belong in the study. Big moves happen when such editions go past the 1-year Rubicon and get reported.

     

    2 Little or no change: This one usually stems from anecdotal observation. A publication may have mounted a particularly visible, or even successful marketing initiative leading to an apparently significant impact on its popularity. The IRS seems unimpressed when the next quarterly round emerges. Easy to explain. Let us assume that a particular saw as much as a 10% improvement in the brand’s performance vis-à-vis the preceding three quarters. If it had on an average, 100 readers in the previous three, it now has 110. This is what the maths would look like:

    (100 x ¾) + (110 x ¼) = 75 + 27.5 = 102.5

    In other words, the ‘smoothing’ effect of the Moving Annual Total reduces the large Δ of 10% to a small 2.5% perturbation in the final outcome.

     

    3 Change in the wrong direction: Related to the previous observation, anecdote suggests an increase/decrease while IRS shows a decrease/increase. This is hard to explain without having some sense of the apparent capriciousness of Probability and Statistics. A simple random sample of adequate size yields convergent estimates of population parameters. However, samples can occasionally produce estimates that may have a wide variance from the underlying population statistics. These samples aren’t wrong. They just happen to be the outliers fully compliant with laws of probability. Such a sample will reveal estimates that are counter-intuitive but that doesn’t make them incorrect. If you never spot a estimate that seems to be out of kilter, you should be more worried about the reliability and/or integrity of a sample-based exercise than if you do, every once in a while.

     

    4 Further analysis produces contradictions and conundrums: My response to this one? Don’t. The IRS reports only those numbers that pass the test of statistical propriety. When you start attempt to dice down whatever has been reported at minimal granularity, you are working with samples that fall below Normality and can no longer be used as consistent and convergent estimates of population behaviour. This, tragically, is practiced almost entirely in the breach by the alarmingly large number of strategists, planners and the like who appear to have no understanding of Statistics.

     

    In exactly three months, we shall have another IRS release and notwithstanding these meek entreaties, the same rotten tomatoes will be hurled at it again.

     

    Comes with the territory.

     

    Paritosh Joshi has been a marketer, a mediaperson and a key officebearer on industry bodies. He is developing an independent media advisory practice. His column, Media Matrix, appears on MxMIndia, usually on Thursdays

     

  • More information on the MxMIndia Emerging Leaders Series

    More on The MxMIndia Emerging Leaders Series

    As mentioned in our earlier announcement, the MxMIndia Emerging Media Leaders Series will be a bi-monthly series (that’s one every other month) and will see nominations being invited from specific segments from the Indian media, marketing and advertising world. A jury will deliberate and decide on who among the contenders fits the bill. Since the number is limited, the decision is not going to be easy, and we will take our time on deciding on the list. We will also do our homework on each and every candidate before they come up for the jury meeting.

     

    Who is an Emerging Leader:

    For the Emerging Leader series, we are looking at leaders-in-the-making who, by virtue of their performance, competence and commitment, are in the forefront of their organisations.

     

    An Emerging Leader is under 35 years in age and has between 7 and 13 years of experience.

     

    While there is no pre-requisite of an educational qualification, what we are looking for is a clear sign that the contender will be a CxO/xCD/Editor in the next five to seven years. Or even sooner.

     

    Who can nominate?

    Anyone. Bosses, friends and self. We will not reveal to the jury who nominated a contender. However, we insist that the nomination is not done without the knowledge and concurrence of the nominee.

     

    What’s critical is that the recommendation reaches us in a certain format with all the mandatory data in.

     

    At a certain stage in the process of shortlisting, we will require you to furnish us with proof of age and experience.

     

    The process

    The link to the nomination form will be provided on Thursday, February 7 with the last date etc.

     

    Once the nomination form comes in and we find that all the necessary data has been filled in and the nomination is eligible (given age and experience), we will interview the nominee as per his/her time preference (as specified in the nomination form). Each interview will be recorded.

     

    Part of the interview will be on video (in person or captured via an internet interface).

     

    The interview duration (including video) will not exceed 10 minutes.

     

    A team of top professionals will be invited to constitute the jury.

     

    The nomination form, the interview responses and the videos will then be shared with a jury.

     

    Each jury member will be given a week’s time to appraise the nominations and that will be followed by a jury meeting.

     

    In order to ensure that there are no attempts to influence jury members, the list of jury members will be announced after the meeting is held.

     

    MxMIndia Emerging Leader #1: Media Planner

    The first in the MxMIndia Emerging Leaders Series is the Media Planner.

     

    Please await more information along with our nomination form link on February 7, 2013.

     

  • To be held on February 2 in Mumbai, the first ever International Advertising Association Leadership Awards will recognize and honour outstanding individuals in the fields of marketing, advertising and media

    Colors is presenting sponsor for IAA Leadership Awards

    By A Correspondent

     

    The International Advertising Association’s (IAA) India chapter has roped in general entertainment channel Colors as the Presenting Sponsor for the first ever IAA Leadership Awards to be held in Mumbai on February 2.

     

    The IAA Leadership Awards celebrates individual innovative thinking and performance excellence. The awards also seek to acknowledge the fact that the disciplines of marketing, advertising and media have to come together for the brand’s success, by having all three functional disciplines honoured simultaneously.

     

    Talking about this association Raj Nayak, CEO Colors said, “As an organization we have always supported industry initiatives, for example we recently sponsored The Advertising Club’s Effies. This is yet another step in that direction.  This is the first time when marketing professionals and advertising professionals from both disciplines (creative and media) and professionals from Media (Print TV, Radio, Digital etc) will come under one roof to honour excellence across all the three, and we are extremely happy and excited to be a part of this initiative by the IAA.”

     

    Speaking about the association with Colors, IAA president Srinivasan Swamy said, “The IAA Leadership Awards salutes the brilliance of top professionals whose contribution makes our industry what it is. Colors is a respectable and one of the fastest growing media brands and we are extremely grateful and happy that they have come forward to support this initiative. The awards night promises to be a memorable one with top entertainment and celebrations. I am also very grateful to the Honourable Minister for Information & Broadcasting, Mr Manish Tiwari, for agreeing to be our chief guest for the awards night.”

     

  • The inaugural awards for media, ad and marketing professionals tomorrow is to be followed by a star-studded Colors party

    IAA Leadership Awards: Stage set for big night for Indian media & marketing

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    All roads will lead to the Grand Hyatt tomorrow. Situated in what’s the new centre of Mumbai, the hotel will play host to the first ever awards for the country’s marketing, advertising and media fraternity. Organised by the India chapter of the International Advertising Association, there are 19 categories, nominees for most of which have been announced.

     

    Manish Tewari

    I&B Minister Manish Tewari is the Chief Guest and he will give away the awards. Colors is the sponsor of the awards. The awards presentation will be followed by a party celebrating four years of the channel.

     

    Although the organizers haven’t revealed too much about the entertainment acts during the show or who is going to emcee the evening, what we do know is that some of the biggest stars in Bollywood and television will be in attendance. As of course all the people who matter in the media, advertising and marketing fraternity.

     

    IAA’s commitment to the cause:

    Srinivasan K Swamy

    Over the years, the IAA has indeed been spearheading activities towards the environment and sustainability. Said IAA President Srinivasan Swamy: “The IAA in India has always organized marquee events. Events that are not just big, but also meaningful. Many will remember the Lighting a Billion Lives campaign we created and ran to create awareness and raise money to install solar lamps in dark villages all over India as a part of Dr Rajendra Pachauri’s project. Many have been a part of the Olive Crown Awards for we launched two years ago. These remain India’s only awards for excellence in communicating sustainability.

     

    We have recently launched a large gender sensitization program which consists of a seminar to create awareness about gender nuances amongst content creators and a national communication campaign on the evils of eve-teasing  and we will roll it out soon. We see it as our duty to ourselves and to the women in our country. I believe all these initiatives endorse IAA¹s commitment to the communications industry and to society in general.

     

    In a similar vein, IAA Leadership Awards is a major initiative. These awards salute the most distinguished from the marketing, media and advertising functions… the silent warriors, who had made their companies and brands rich and famous.

     

    This is the first year of the IAA Leadership Awards and I am extremely pleased with the overwhelming response we have received from the industry. There may have been some categories we may have missed out this time due to time constraints like Digital, Radio etc and hopefully we will include it in Year 2.

     

    I must add that we found in Colors a great partner to not only finance this important initiative but to put their entire organizational weight behind marshaling the event and sweating out the million details. We are very grateful to Raj Nayak and his tireless team.

     

    Raj Nayak

    Said Raj Nayak on the eve of the event, “This is an award that the India chapter of the IAA had always wanted to do. The idea was seeded  almost a year-and-a-half ago when Kaushik Roy was the President, and Sunder the vice-president. The IAA board has been fully behind this initiative and the only thing that stood in the way was the resource to make this a reality. We at Colors saw this as a great opportunity for us to engage with our all the stakeholders of our industry and use this platform to bring the entire industry under one roof. Besides senior  professionals from advertising, marketing and media, the evening will be followed by a Colors party wherein we will also have the film and TV fraternity rubbing shoulders with the corporate world.”

     

    So is it a one-off sponsorship or a longer commitment? “We have a long term association with the IAA for this initiative and we plan to dovetail the Colors party along with it to make it an annual event,” said Mr Nayak, adding that his only regret is that “after these awards I may become a little unpopular as given the capacity constraint of the venue we had to limit our invitations and have had to say no to so many requests.”

     

    The organizers also point out the “wholehearted” support they’ve received from the fraternity. Apart from ads and mailers from trade sites such as MxMIndia, the print, television and outdoor media has also helped promote the event. “Honestly, the support we have got from or friends in media, whether it is TV, print or trade websites, the response has been fantastic. I am truly grateful to all of them,” said Mr Nayak.

     

    Meanwhile, the IAA has released nominees for another 5 categories of Leadership Awards

     

    The International Advertising Association (IAA) India chapter has announced the nominees for another five categories for the first edition of the IAA Leadership Awards. The nominees have been shortlisted on account of their outstanding contribution to the fields of Marketing, Advertising and Media.

     

    Besides the below, IAA has also constituted special six categories for Editor of the year, News Anchor of the year, Mediaperson of the year, the Brand Endorser of the year (Male and Female) and the IAA Hall of Fame.

     

    Nominees announced for five more categories: 

    The following are the list of nominees revealed today across five categories to win the IAA Leadership Awards: