MxMIndia

Category: MEDIA

  • The cricketing legend teams up with Aaj Tak & Headlines Today to cheer for India, this World Cup

    Sachin makes his presence felt at Cricket World Cup 2015

    By A Correspondent

     

    Sachin Tendulkar, the cricketing legend is back, exclusively on Aaj Tak and Headlines Today all through the World Cup 2015 coverage.

     

    Commenting on Sachin’s association, Aroon Purie, Chairperson and Editor in Chief, India Today Group, said “He is the master who redefined the sport for the world’s most passionate Cricketing nation. A World Cup without him is nothing but unimaginable. His presence on the shows will help fill the void in cricket since his last match. It is an honour for the group to have the legend himself on our channels.”

     

    Commenting on his association, Sachin Tendulkar said “The shows that I will be doing on Aaj Tak and Headlines Today are quite impressive and interesting. This is the first time that I am doing something of this sort and it will be a completely new experience for me. What makes this all the more special, is the fact that, I will get to share my experience of the last 6 world cups with the youngsters, cricketers and budding talent. Obviously World Cup 2015 is going to be a lot more competitive and important. The rules having changed, and with 20 -20 changing the norm in cricket, new and innovative batting styles are coming to the fore. We have discussed these and more in the programmes and am really excited that we could do so many shows of this kind. Most importantly, I would like to wish the very best to Team India to win the world cup. Along with the Aaj Tak and Headlines Today teams, the whole nation is with Team India.”

     

    For the first time Sachin will also interact with the audience directly on the shows and take questions. The legend, who has given 25 years of his life to cricket, is taking care of his team but from a different pitch. His presence will ensure that the World Cup 2015 will only be bigger, better and more inspiring.

     

  • Less than a week for the biggest cricketing event to start. Vinit Karnik kicks off MxMIndia's week-long Big Story specials on the Cup

    What makes the World Cup a win-win

     

    By Vinit Karnik

     

    Vinit Karnik

    The countdown to this year’s biggest sporting spectacle, the International Cricket Council (ICC) Cricket World Cup 2015 is drawing near and more than a billion hearts are pinning their hopes on Team India winning the Cup that counts this time too. This edition of the tournament to be jointly co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, promises to be much bigger than previously held editions of the tournaments. For advertisers and brands, this will be 2015’s biggest moneyspinner and provide an opportunity to jump on the brand bandwagon in order to reach their audiences and there is a lot that one needs to watch out for during this year.

     

    Advertisers on ground and on air:

    Traditionally we all have been used to seeing on ground sponsors taking sponsorship slots on air as well. But there is all likelihood that we might see a change in this strategy during this World Cup. On-ground ICC partners that are ‘evolve’ brands may look at the digital media environment and surround content to effectively engage with their respective target audience. This might give way to new and emerging categories like e-commerce and newer brand launches to take the television route to gain visibility.

     

    Linear TV:

    Official broadcaster Star India will air the World Cup in six languages in Bengali, Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada, apart from English and Hindi – making it far more inclusive than any other sporting tournament on television. The network has revamped its programming around the World Cup across platforms in a manner presenting brands opportunities to associate with the tournament at various levels. While brands with deeper pockets will definitely look at investing at the national level, smaller brands who could previously not associate with the World Cup, will be able to put in their money at the regional level thus targeting their markets specifically. The strategy of using geo-targeting will allow local brands to avoid spillover. The network has taken a step to broadcast select matches in 4K or Ultra High Definition production ensuring a change in the television viewing quality habits for the better.

     

    Surround Content:

    Lot of surround content around cricket will be a part of channel programming. This will be pre-/post-match analysis by cricket experts, celebrities, social influencers and fans. Surround content will also extend itself to digital medium for convenience of viewing anytime anywhere. The commentary panel will feature 13 World Cup captains, 20 World Cup winners and 26 World Cup semi-finalists. The likes of Allan Border, Kapil Dev, Wasim Akram, Shane Warne, Mark Waugh, Graeme Smith, Ian Botham, Rahul Dravid, Sunil Gavaskar, Saurav Ganguly among others will be sharing their expert insights and analyses.

     

    Social Layer:

    The dynamic social media space will be hyperactive around World Cup with live and non-live action. Cricket experts, ex-players, celebrities, social influencers and fans will keep the conversations active all the time. We may see advertisers effectively leveraging this trend and stay relevant through the World Cup. User- and fan-generated humour content is to be watch out for including pre- and post-match reviews this World Cup. Most of the trends on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter will be dominated by the World Cup.

     

    World Cup Format:

    Team India’s fitness concerns are not going to be much of a concern. Two pools of seven teams will be playing in a round-robin format. The top four teams from each pool will proceed to the knock-out stage of the tournament, which will comprise quarter-finals, semi-finals and the final. Unless an extremely massive upset takes place, this format will almost ensure all top teams play in the quarter-finals. This will definitely keep the viewers and advertiser interest alive at least this stage of the World Cup.

     

    Vinit Karnik is National Director, GroupM ESP

     

    Image courtesy: ICC

     

  • Last week, the BARC top brass went around Delhi, Chennai, Bengaluru and Mumbai to present the user software. And to those happy with the current software that's available for TAM data, this was light years ahead

    Media pros hope to vroom with BARC software

    The BMW or Bimmer, as it’s known, is known to be a gold standard in motorcars. And Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) CEO Partho Dasgupta wants the user interface – christened BARC Media Workstation or BMW, in short – to offer unmatched ease of use with all the data that’s relevant.

     

    Last week, the BARC top brass went around Delhi, Chennai, Bengaluru and Mumbai to present the user software. And to those happy with the current software that’s available for TAM data, this was light years ahead.

     

    We asked a cross-section of those who attend the roadshows in Delhi, Chennai and Mumbai and they were all very delighted with the offering. “The BMW is indeed like a switch from to a humble City to a Bimmer,” said one senior planner, not authorized to speak to the media.

     

    What works in the initial reaction for BARC is that the people who actually work on the software believe it will ease their lives much. One senior user who no longer crunches numbers said the new software could well lead to some redundancy in media agencies and media departments in channels. But then hastened to add: “What it will do is take the drudgery off the data, and allow people to concentrate on the analysis, which is what matters.”

     

    The unique feature of the interface is TeleView which allows access of data and video on a single screen. Tracking of audience movement between channels is also actively monitored. The interface offers customized reports with graphical representation that wasn’t hitherto available. The individual analyses, built-in optimizer plus targeted batch runs are said to be unique to the BMW.

     

    What works in the initial reaction for BARC is that the people who actually work on the software believe it will ease their lives much. One senior user who no longer crunches numbers said the new software could well lead to some redundancy in media agencies and media departments in channels. But then hastened to add: “What it will do is take the drudgery off the data, and allow people to concentrate on the analysis, which is what matters.”

     

    The software has been sourced from Markdata Solutions based in Lisbon, Portugal. BARC India has signed a licence agreement with Markdata, a company of the Portuguese Marktest Group, Portugal’s leading market research and audience measurement organisation. The agreement gives BARC the right to distribute the TV Markdata Solutions to their subscribers in India. Markdata has its systems installed in 26 countries.

     

    Users meanwhile are keen on knowing whether all of the seven unique properties of the BMW will be part of the offering to all users or only those who cough up more. Also, while the overall response has been positive and given that the technology is tried-and-tested, the final verdict, the planners we spoke, could only be given once people get their hands on it.

     

    Test drive time!

     

  • Nair will be responsible for P&L, business strategy, marketing, content, distribution and overall growth strategy of the channel

    Alok Nair appointed EVP at Bloomberg

    By A Correspondent

     

    Alok Nair

    Bloomberg TV India has appointed Alok Nair as its Executive Vice President. As part of his new portfolio, Nair will be responsible for P&L, business strategy, marketing, content, distribution and overall growth strategy of the channel. He will be working with the board of Business Broadcast News Ltd.

     

    During his tenure at Network 18, Alok’s last assignment was as the National Revenue Head – CNBC TV18 & CNBC Prime HD.

     

    Nair comes with a rich experience in Print, General News and Business News domain. Having worked and interacted with the finest minds in the industry, he has many firsts to his repertoire. At Network 18, he was a part of the initial team and has seen the network grow from one channel – CNBC TV 18 and one portal – www.moneycontrol.com to one of the biggest integrated news network. Alok was instrumental in creating pathbreaking formats and properties across business and general news channels. He eventually went on to head the FOCUS business across the News Network.

     

    Lavneesh Gupta

    Commenting on Alok Nair’s appointment, Lavneesh Gupta, COO – Bloomberg TV India said, “Alok brings a unique blend of talent, experience and deep understanding of the News Channel business and will surely add tremendous value to the group. I am confident that he will be a prodigious asset to the organization and will help us reach the next level through his keen understanding of the business. We endorse Alok’s belief that there is serious value unlocking to be done in the Business News space & Bloomberg TV India, a part of the world’s world’s most influential news network, can surely lead the way. The year 2015 will be exciting with many disruptive and differentiated media products that will be offered by the channel. It will definitely ensure a higher impact for advertisers as well as viewers.”

     

  • The Webinar will be aired live on the IAA YouTube channel – www.youtube.com/iaaindiachapter on February 12, 2015 from 3 to 4pm live

    IAA Webinar Series to discuss ‘World Goes Digital’

    By A Correspondent

     

    The International Advertising Association (IAA) India Chapter has invited Sanjay Mehta and Hareesh Tibrewala, veteran digital media specialists and Founders and Joint CEO of Social Wavelength for their next webinar that will be held on Thursday, February 12, 2015 at 3pm.

     

    Srinivasan K Swamy

    “Our objective at the IAA Webinar series is to provide an interface with leading digital media practitioners and we are delighted to have two leading entrepreneurs and pioneering digital professionals Sanjay Mehta and Hareesh Tibrewala to address the next IAA webinar. I am sure young professionals and others wanting to make a career in the social media or use it in their own companies would gain much from this interaction,” said Srinivasan K Swamy, President IAA India Chapter & Vice President, Development Asia Pacific, IAA.

     

    “We are very happy to have with us Sanjay Mehta and Hareesh Tibrewala, extremely successful digital marketers, who will enlighten us with the future of digital and help us embrace digital for taking our brands to the next level,” said Abhishek Karnani, Director, Free Press Journal, who along with Manish Advani, Head – Marketing and Public Relations, Mahindra Special Services Group, is co-chair of the IAA Webinar series.

     

    Abhishek Karnani

    The Webinar will be aired live on the IAA YouTube channel - www.youtube.com/iaaindiachapter on February 12, 2015 from 3 to 4pm live from the Google Hangout Room at the Google India office in Mumbai.

     

    As part of the Webinar series, the International Advertising Association (IAA) India Chapter has hosted speakers like Sanjeev Kapoor, CMO, Citi (India); Ashish Hemrajani, Founder and CEO, Bookmyshow.com; Rajan Anandan, MD, Google (India); Nishant Rao MD, Linkedin (India); Ajit Balakrishnan, Founder, Rediff.com; JulieRoehm, Chief Story Teller, SAP, Neeraj Roy, MD and CEO of Hungama Digital Media Entertainment Pvt. Ltd, PaulBerney, Co-Founder & Managing Partner EMEA of mCordis and adfilm-maker Ram Subramanian. Recently Rajjat Barjatya and Tushar Vyas were guests on ‘World Goes Digital’ webinar series.

     

  • We bring you six Amul Butter advertisements that tell you the Aam Aadmi Party and Arvind Kejriwal story

    #AAPHEW! 6 Amul ads that tell the AAP Story

    Okay, we thought there would be more ads created by daCunha, Amul’s agency for the topical ads. After all, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Arvind Kejriwal have been occupying the headlines over the last two years in a huge way. However, the six ad reproduced below do tell us part of the story. Enjoy!

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Having surfed through most news channels in various Indian languages, it was clear that the most exciting channel was Times Now, writes Ranjona Banerji

    AAPHEW! Ranjona Banerji: Times Now, Twitter score with Delhi results

    By Ranjona Banerji

     

    “ARNAB GOSWAMI JUST CONGRATULATED ARNAB GOSWAMI FOR HIS VICTORY IN THE DELHI ELECTION!”

     

    This is a tweet, capital letters and all, from Overrated Outcast (@Over_rated). Because without a doubt, Times Now was the only channel worth watching, for its entertainment value at least, as the results of the Delhi state elections were being counted.

     

    It started soon after 8am on February 10 as the counting started. Other news channels started putting out trend figures. Goswami was spitting scorn. Other channels, he said, were “psephological paparazzi”. Some hapless guest tried to claim that phrase as his own. I laughed so much that I missed who the guest was: mea culpa. But Goswami used the phrase through the morning as results poured in and has effectively made it his own.

     

    He carried on with it and by 11.40am was even asking for a CBI enquiry into news channels which put out figures which inflated the BJP’s wins!

     

    Times Now and Goswami also took great glee in pointing out that exit polls and forecasters got the Delhi election wrong, since the Aam Aadmi Party effectively swept through Delhi. But one might point out that the night before, on February 9, Navika Kumar of Times Now said that the BJP could not be written off since the BJP claimed that there was a voting surge for them between 3 and 5 in the afternoon on voting day. Goswami did not at that time react as fiercely as he did with such claimants on February 10.

     

    Instead, Goswami, who is often seen as pro-BJP, took off on the BJP as the results became clear. Shazia Ilmi walked out of the studio after being asked tough questions. This is a sure way of getting ahead of the rating points for any channel and Times Now has won.

     

    Having surfed through most news channels in various Indian languages, it was clear that the most exciting channel was Times Now. And all credit for that has to go to Goswami for being compelling viewing, with all the attendant melodrama and hysterics. He interrupted the discussions to show us where in the world the hashtag #TimesNow was trending. The US apparently, where he told us, Times Now has a huge following. No ad breaks, however.

     

    But having doffed my hat to Times Now and it is still blaring as I write this, the winner has to be Twitter across all media. There is no better way to track news events. You don’t just get the news but you get humour, analysis, wit, scorn, anger, bitterness and rubbish as well: the whole human experience.

     

    And as for tracking the election results, the Election Commission is surely the most reliable: http://eciresults.nic.in/.

     

    You can track the results through constituency, party and vote share. You can therefore be ahead of the hysteria of news channels. Though the fun of Arnab Goswami cannot be beat! NDTV, too civilised and calm. Headlines Today looks like a CNN-IBN copy unless Rahul Kanwal and Gaurav Sawant are allowed to prance about. NewsX looks like a copy of all. CNN-IBN looks like His Master’s Voice except the BJP master and his main puppeteer are missing in action after this drubbing.

     

    **

     

    Jokes aside though, there is an urgent need for India’s best known journalists, especially those on TV, to do a little thinking. Their all out sycophancy for the government at the Centre has run its course. No?

     

  • NewsStand 2: How international newspapers covered the Obama visit

     

     

       
       
       
       

  • NewsStand 1: How Indian newspapers covered the Obama visit

     

     

     
       
       
       
       
       
       
  • It signals a big opportunity opening up in the Bottom of Pyramid which both BJP and marketers must address.

    AAPHEW! | Shripad Kulkarni: Arvind Kejriwal’s ‘Wake up Call’ to BJP and marketers!

    By Shripad Kulkarni

     

    This is not about the communication or media strategy of the Aam Aadmi Party versus the new age digital strategy of Narendra Modi/Amit Shah’s Bharatiya Janata Party. Nor is this post about the outreach programme of the two parties (we already know very well that you need to reach out and connect with consumers to succeed). It signals a big opportunity opening up in the Bottom of Pyramid (BOP) which both the BJP and marketers must address.

     

    The BOP – 40% (or bottom two quintiles) of Urban India is the next emerging market!

     

    The Middle Classes were the bull’s eye TG for the Modi/Shah approach. Arvind Kejriwal rightly found a gap and zeroed in on the BOP.

     

    The BOP, especially in the Metros, is now economically well off. These people have the aspiration and quite a few of them partake of basic consumer goods. But the ‘quality of basic living’ is a daily fight. A classic case of consumer aspiration but failure of public goods. And, now, these people have a new found voice. If Kejriwal delivers in some measure on power, water, transport, education, sanitation, healthcare, the BOP people would have tasted blood. BOP people in city after city, state after state will have to be wooed by politicians.

     

    What’s more, once governments provide decent quality basics of living, the discretionary income of the BOP segment will actually grow. The ‘value’ spaces of consumption that Rama Bijapurkar has written about will present a range of opportunities. And therein may be the key to opening up the huge market called Bharat! The new driver for the Indian economy!!!

     

  • And this is how various English, Hindi and other language dailies displayed the news of AAP's landslide victory

    AAPHEW! | NewsStand: How various dailies chronicled AAP’s landslide win

    ou know this. We love doing it. Other than the Amul ads, MxMIndia brings ​frequently ​you a display of how the various morning papers cover the ‘hot’ news. And this is what our ​agile tech head Rafiq Barak found while surfing the epapers of today’s editions. All datelined February 11, 2015.

     

    So which Page 1 did we like most?

     

    ​While the laaarge ad is a bummer​ as it spoils the look (okay, okay, as a ‘business of media’ publication, we shouldn’t be saying this!), the Telegraph front-page in our mind was the most innovative. But, that’s what the ABP paper always scores with, right? Scan on…

     

       
     
     
       
       
       

     

     

  • The Aam Aadmi Party scored a landslide win thanks to a positive campaign, comments Pratap Bose. The Grand Effie-winning BJP's blitz was a dud

    AAPHEW!| How Bad Messaging did the BJP in

     

    By Pratap Bose

     

    So the Aam Aadmi Party scored a landslide victory in the Delhi elections. It’s a huge win. Massive.

    As I wrote last week,  AAP was very clear and focused in its election campaign. The messaging was simple.  It was to provide an alternative to the BJP and Congress, and for those keen on a government run by a true representative of the common man. While it was an anti-Bharatiya Janata Party, anti-Congress, there was no negativity from Arvind Kejriwal this time.

     

    And as for the BJP, the negativity in the campaign didn’t work. In fact the very reasons why there was much sympathy towards the BJP and Narendra Modi in the Lok Sabha elections, seem to now be the reasons why Kejriwal won.

     

    Negative campaigns don’t work. Even if the BJP’s Lok Sabha ads painted a dismal pic of the country, the essential message was positive: Achhe Din Aane Waale Hain.

     

    In these elections, while there was a ‘Call to Vote’, the messaging was negative. And, according to me, that’s what possibly did the BJP in. There are of course a variety of other factors – the public’s belief that the AAP can deliver better and some dissatisfaction on the BJP doings at the Centre – but the sensitivities of the public at large cannot be ignored. How else can you explain a 23% drop in voter share?

     

    If you think about it, there was nothing spectacular that the AAP did. The BJP had far greater assets in terms of budgets, advertising expenses, and the might of the entire top cabinet at their disposal, but like any strong brand the AAP stayed close, relevant and true to the people of Delhi. The symbols of the AAP, like the broom, the AAP cap, Kejriwal’s muffler, the simplicity in which he dressed, and the simple promises, all clearly resonated in this humongous victory.  One must never forget that aspiration is always secular and never based on class-based politics.

     

    After the Grand Effie-winning campaign of the BJP last year, this was a dud.

     

    Courtesy: www.PratapBose.com

    Pratap Bose was until recently COO, DDB Mudra Group. He is currently President, The Advertising Club. Visit www.pratapbose.com for this views

     

    Big Story image taken from the Aam Aadmi Party Facebook page. Visual of RK Laxman’s Common Man with Arvind Kejriwal in an ad by ‘Happily Unmarried’