MxMIndia

Category: MEDIA

  • The account will be handled in Mumbai by Madison Media Sigma is estimated to have a spend of over Rs 40 crore annually

    Madison Media wins Policy Boss/Landmark Insurance Media AOR

    By A Correspondent

    Madison Media has bagged the Policy Boss/Landmark Insurance account in a multi-agency pitch. The account will be handled out of the agency’s Mumbai office by Madison Media Sigma is estimated to have a spend of over Rs 40 crore annually.

    Policy Boss/Landmark Insurance Brokers is a leading insurance broker and deals with all types of insurance ranging from car, health, term, travel, home, office to marine. Since its inception in 2003, Landmark has built a healthy footprint in the Indian insurance industry with a full presence in 19 cities, catering to more than 3 lakh customers and partneringwith majorly all the insurance service providers.

    Said Susheel Tejuja, MD, Policy Boss /Landmark Insurance, on choosing Madison Media, “Madison has helped establish world class brands in India and we are happy to associate and avail their experience in building our brand..”

    Added Vikram Sakhuja, Group CEO, Madison Media & OOH: “We are delighted with this new win and are looking forward to working and building Landmark Insurance’s online brand in the highly competitive online insurance space.”

     

  • Enjoy the new year. Enjoy responsibly

    Happy New Year. See you on Jan 4

    Okay, we know that there are many who say, that if you work hard on the first day of the year, you do that all year round. And you do good stories on Day 1 of the year, and you do that all year.

     

    We know that, we know that.

     

    But since it’s a holiday for a large number of our readers, we don’t want to stress you much. Just have an easy day. Even if it’s a non-MxM day.

     

    Enjoy the new year. Enjoy responsibly.

     

    We’ll be back on Monday, with all the updates

     

  • Here they are again: our awards – in jest – for the most outstanding, albeit dubious, achievements in the year

    The Mediaah! Dubious Achievement Awards 2015

     

    Here they are again: our awards for the most outstanding, albeit dubious, achievements in the year. Please do remember this is a fun feature that MxMIndia carries annually and the objective is to enjoy at the expense of others and ourselves.

     

    The Let’s Get This as Wrong as We Can Award: To Dr Prannoy Roy of NDTV for heading the panel that called the Bihar Assembly elections in favour of the BJP. For those who remember, the BJP lost and the Grand Alliance of RJD-JD(U) and Congress won.

    The Let’s Get This Wrong By Saying One Thing and Then the Opposite Without Blinkng Award goes to Shekhar Gupta, for blaming Nitish Kumar for losing the Bihar elections and then immediately changing his tack when it turned out that Nitish Kumar had won.

    The How To Protect Your Friends at the Cost of Your Professional Integrity Award to all senior editors who have tried to protect Arun Jaitley from the onslaught of Arvind Kejriwal and Kirti Azad in the allegations of corruption against the Delhi cricket administration.

    The Noble Peace Prize for bring in harmony and peace in Bollywood to Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan for coming together in a Bigg Boss mega-epsiode on Colors and professing enormous love for each other

    The Nirupa Roy Award for younger sibling gaining over older, bigger one to Zee Entertainment with Zee Anmol marching ahead of Zee in the BARC urban+rural ratings

    The Mera Gaon Mera Desh award to Zee Anmol… how rural ratings just turned things on its head in the broadcast industry

    The What Do You Mean The BJP Lost Award To all Indian News Channels who could not believe the evidence in front of them which went against their exit polls for the Bihar elections.

    The Big Moose Big Bully Award to the broadcasters and newspapers who attempted to bully the measurement agency – BARC and MRUC – on data release

    The Surf Excel Wash in Linen Award to The Times of India and Hindustan Times for washing dirty linen on the IRS issue. Thankfully, better sense prevailed.

    The Roger Federer now I am No 1, Now I am Not Award to:  It’s the leader alright, but 2015 has seen its lead over rivals diminishing and there are weeks when it’s No 2, now post-Anmol, even No!

     

    The Arvind Kejriwal Odd-Even award: To Star Plus and Colors for alternating leadership… Star Plus is no longer the clear leader and has been facing heat in the last six months

     

    The Swachh Bharat Award for Clean-up-in-Waiting Award: FCB Ulka. With Rohit Ohri set to join, even though the agency is doing rather well, there is much talk about a clean-up of operations and the top deck

     

    The Hum Honge Kaamyaab Award:  To Ashish Bhasin and the Dentsu Aegis Network in India for his goal to make his network the No 2. In this case though, it’s Hum Honge Kaamyaab not ek din, but Bhasin wants it happening by 2017.

     

    The Let’s Not Use the One Exit Poll That Actually Got It Right Award to CNN-IBN for not using the one exit poll that got it right.

     

    The Who Needs to Be An Objective Journalist When You Can Gain So Much More by Being a Sycophant Award to all of Delhi’s journalists who spent an entire press briefing with the prime minister taking selfies with the prime minister instead of asking questions.

     

    Also: The iPhone 6S Selfies Unlimited Award to journos wanting selfies

     

    The Threatening to Quit Before Appraisals Award to Kapil Sharma to always threaten to quit Colors whenever questions are raised about the ratings of his popular weekend show

     

    The How to Upset the Management and Government In Spite of Being Ultra-Pro Government Award to firstpost.com for carrying a mildly critical piece on Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitely and then promptly taking it down.

     

    The Bumper Diwali Sale Award not to the usual contenders like Amazon, Snapdeal or Flipkart but The Times of India. All the e-com biggies fought full0page wars against each other and TOI was laughing all the way to the bank

     

    The Aamir Khan Intolerance Award to Arnab Goswani. Everyone claims they can’t tolerate him, yet they can’t stop watching him

     

    The Virat Kohli #$$&#@ Award  to AIB.  Why #$$&#@? Well,  %#$^#$&%$&%$&! J

     

    The Mr  India Award to Sony Entertainment… the channel has disappeared from the radar. Even when it didn’t muster top ratings, the buzz levels have always been high… KBC, Indian Idol, etc. Now it appears to have lost its mojo

     

    The Nishaan-E-Pakistan Award to Barkha Dutt, for her coverage on India-Pakistan issues. Pakistan couldn’t have asked for a better ambassador (and friend) in the media

     

    The Nishaan-E-Pakistan Award to Arnab Goswami for how he loves to attack the country even there is good news like Narendra Modi dropping by for chai at Nawaz Sharif residence.

     

    The Kores Carbon Paper Award to the Reliance Jio celebrity management and social media agency for messing up big time on tweets from celebs on the Reliance Jio soft launch

     

    And finally:

    The ShekChilli Award  to MxMIndia. Have you seen any other media website taking on the big and mighty?

     

    Contributed by Ranjona Banerji, Pradyuman Maheshwari and a few readers who have requested anonymity

     

  • Here's a look at what will trend in the world of advertising and marketing in 2016

    16 buzzwords that will trend in A&M in 2016

     

    1. Content marketing, native content

    Yes, there may be a thin dividing line between advertorials and paid content being passed off as the regular thing, but in the digital domain, care is being taken to tag sponsored content and not devalue the brand. Other forms of content marketing will also gain ground, especially for products and services that need to promoted by editorial-like offerings

     

    2. Programmatic buying

    The large media agency networks and clients are talking of this already, but as the year progresses, programmatic will be the way to go on digital. Will it work for television and print? Not anytime soon.

     

    3. 4G boom

    Airtel, Idea and Vodafone already have their 4G offerings, and Reliance Jio recently launched it for its employees. Expect loads of action on the advertising and promotion front on this. But the real difference will be after the service becomes operational pan-India. Digital devices will boom.

     

    4. Start-ups, e-commerce

    We won’t get into the statistics of how many start-ups are launched every few hours in the country, but more than ever before, the start-up culture will proliferate. Not just in dotcoms, but also towards service-providers in the field of A&M

     

    5. Digital media advertising

    The smartphone is ubiquitous, not just in the towns and cities, but also in the hinterland. Once 4G becomes a reality — and with the government figuring that it is its telecom infra that will drive the nation — expect digital media advertising to finally take off.

     

    6. Social Media

    Social media just cannot be ignored when it comes to reaching out to the connected generation. There are already a category of goods and services whose primary medium is social. This is only going to increase as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter start doing their damnedest to reach out.

     

    7. Integrated marketing (aka The Rise of PR)

    Thanks to the rising costs of traditional media with doubts being expressed on its efficacy, there is a greater emphasis on integrated marketing. For instance, while public relations was always considered important by organisations, with social media around, it is now being actively integrated into the marketing function

     

    8. Influencer marketing

    While at one level it’s the way to go, given the rising influence of social media, reaching out to influentials in the environment they inhabit, also becomes crucial.

     

    9. App-ify it!

    Apps are everywhere, and a surer way to reach out to consumers and prospectives. In 2016, more and more consumer-facing organisations will app-ify their interactivity.

     

    10. Branded content and product integration

    With direct media costs becoming prohibitive, product integration with content – especially in films, television and print — is going to the order of the day.

     

    11. Think Visual, Videos

    With attention spans decreasing, the emphasis is on engagement and what better way to achieve this than with a visually-appealing presence. Digital is going to boom with videos. Okay, this was set to happen two years ago, but with 4G around, it’ll just become simpler.

     

    12. Personalisation

    It’s easier done in digital, and that’s the way it will be for websites and apps on all platforms. Give the consumer what s/he wants, goes the adage.

     

    13. Think Regional, Think Local

    With the growth of the digital medium, and digitally-served traditional media, the growth in going local will increase. With strong regional play, digital can leapfrog ahead. Shall we say, only with strong regional play…

     

    14. Television micro-targetting

    This isn’t new with geo/micro-targetting already on in television, and tried out much earlier in print. In digital, too, it’s easily done. More and more marketers will seek that in 2016.

     

    15. Rural Focus

    This is not just because of the recent introduction of rural audience measurement by the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC). Rural consumption is growing, and with better mobile connectivity, even media-dark pockets will see consumption of content and services.

     

    16. Storytelling

    With all the emphasis on technology and forms of delivery, remember what’s most important is the craft of telling a story. Often, strategy and the creative message are thrown out of the window, and it’s all considered a waste of time and money. Perhaps not.

     

    This first appeared in dna of brands dated January 4, 2016

     

  • What was also evident on Twitter is that journalists who favoured the government were at a loss about what to tweet about, writes Ranjona Banerji

    Ranjona Banerji: When handout journalists refused to see the reality at Pathankot

    By Ranjona Banerji

     

    Following the Pathankot attack on social media, with no access to Indian television news, was a bizarre experience. For one thing, Twitter now seems to be the Government of India’s official means of communication. Information arrives there first as ministers and government officers tweet away. However, it is unclear whether something as serious as an attack on Air Force Base should have government agencies tweeting about it.

     

    Secondly, it is now obvious, as far as this government is concerned, who in the media has access to whom in the government and whom the government uses to disseminate the information it wants out there. As senior journalist Saikat Datta pointed out on Twitter this week, “handout journalists” had been releasing information that Indian security operations in Pathankot were a success even while the assault was still on.

     

    You may argue that these sycophant journalists cannot be wholly blamed since the Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh himself tweeted that the attack had been foiled two days before it was over. In fact, even as I write this, combing operations are on.

     

    What was also evident on Twitter is that journalists who favoured the government were at a loss about what to tweet about. The apparent confusion over what was happening in Pathankot was bad enough. Mixed messages were coming out of government agencies and sources. And to make matters worse for the BJP loyalists is that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was not to be seen. Far from taking charge of an escalating situation, he was giving a speech about the importance of yoga. He tweeted extensively over the three days of the attack. However, aside from a couple of tweets about the “enemies of humanity” and the pride we feel in our Armed Forces, most of his attention was on science, yoga, cities and various saints and seers.

     

    What is a loyalist journalist to do under such circumstances? The prime minister and the government were being roasted on Twitter. So our friends of the BJP fell back on two of our usual suspects. One lot started with attacking Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on increasing crime rates in his state. The other targeted Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and his government’s plan to restrict cars on the roads in an attempt to deal with the national capital’s severe pollution problems.

     

    The Nitish Kumar ploy was a non-starter. No one was remotely interested. The Kejriwal attack worked better if only because so many vocal and loyalist journalists live in Delhi. However, the odd-even number-plate restriction had been discussed down to the bare bones when it was first announced and besides, there were some reports that it was working.

     

    The elephant in the room however remains: Pathankot. It was the biggest news for three days and will undoubtedly continue to be so. There is context – the proximity of the attack to a friendly supposedly unscheduled ‘happy birthday’ meeting beween Modi and Nawaz Sharif. There is the larger issue of resuming talks. There are the outrageous claims made by BJP president Amit Shah that no Pakistani terrorist would dare to enter India if Modi was prime minister. There are the usual problems of intelligence miscommunication, of a fumbling government and the Punjab administration saying it cannot cope with cross-border assaults. And there is the fact of the attack itself, the deaths, the apparent lack of equipment and so on.

     

    It is almost impossible to imagine what sort of a journalist would even think that tweeting about Bihar’s crime statistics was remotely relevant at a time like this. It needs to be pointed out that these are not junior reporters and sub-editors. These are people in senior positions in mainline establishments. Even funnier were the subsequent attempts at the mildest possible criticism of the PMO’s tweets about yoga during an ongoing attack on an Indian Air Force base. If you have ever seen a cat tentatively trying to dip its paws in the water and then retreating, you would know how amusing it can be.

     

    Unfortunately, this is the sort of journalist who is now most powerful in India. Go figure.

     

  • Our National Flag needs all the respect but it’s vital to allow citizens to use it more liberally, writes Jaisurya Das

    Brand India… It’s about time!

     

    By Jaisurya Das

     

    By Jaisurya Das

     

    For more reason than one, I am convinced many of us do not believe in our own country; India for more reason than one. I write this today, not because I’m overly patriotic but someone has to say what must be said..!

     

    I was quite appalled by the absence of any focussed activity on branding India. Yes i know, the tourism ministry and departments of tourism at most states have campaigns going all the time, but is this branding India? Is it changing the way we look at our country? Is it making our children sit up and realise that this country has much to offer than meets the eye?

     

    Am afraid the answer is a feeble no! Patriotism starts at home, or so I believe. Yet I haven’t seen a single house displaying the Tricolour outside their door. I wonder at times if, it is the Indian Flag Code that prevents most of us from doing so, or is it sheer indifference ?

     

    The Flag Code specifies an exhaustive code of conduct and rightly so. Our National Flag needs all the respect that it can get, however it’s important to also allow citizens to use it more liberally, without disrespecting it. And this is more than workable. The whole world does it and effectively too.

     

    Let’s look at the Stars and Stripes or the Union Jack for that matter. There is no disrespect ever shown to them and yet it’s plastered over their Countries and Continents. In fact their reach extends to many countries including ours, one way or the other.

     

    I am pretty much a traitor wearing the ‘stars and stripes’ on my boxers but do I have a choice?

     

    I would gladly buy boxers which brand my country but alas, that is not to be! We have the flag code and then the Indian Stamp Act and so on…..

     

    Why does it matter how it’s displayed ? After all, it’s only someone who’s genuinely interested who will take the trouble. Let it free, Let it fly, Let it go… Only then will you see it blossom.

     

    The more closely held, the less it will prosper.

    Brand India cannot be built with restraint.

    Brand India needs focussed attention, innovative thinking, lateral strategy and much more..
    I sincerely hope the PMO sees this. While our international image is certainly peaking thanks to our  PM being omnipresent every inch of the globe, it’s also important to have this emotion within our own country!

     

    A few questions that are nagging and yet remain unanswered for me:

    Why is it that we don’t talk about our own country on social media ? If at all, it’s all about what we don’t do right.

     

    Why don’t the citizens of India feel proud enough to post all the good news from our country, or isn’t there any ?

     

    Why can’t all of us have the Tricolour displayed proudly outside our homes, offices, shops ?

     

    Why can’t I buy a tee that has my own National Flag on it ?

     

    Will wearing it make it less respectable ? I don’t think so. Its just that the Flag Code was written decades before branding and subliminal communication came into being.

     

    Why can’t I have my car sport the Tricolour? Or will it continue to be reserved for the powers that be?

     

    Why can’t my children be told how good their country is ? Why is it that educational institution’s counsel them only about higher studies abroad ?

     

    We complain about dirty cities and towns and yet we don’t bother about doing anything to make it better ? And if there is an initiative such, its only ridiculed as a publicity stunt !

    Why, this double standard ?

     

    It’s not enough to have the PM being the country’s brand ambassador. Brand India must take birth and within each one of us. There is no other way.

     

    Is it a herculean task ? No, it’s not. All it needs is to have a passionate and patriotic Brand Director to conceptualise the entire process and oversee it, with the help of the Government and agencies.

     

    Nothing is impossible once we set our mind to it, and yet that’s the toughest part. Believe me, brand building is significantly easier than having to convince our own brethren.

     

     

    We must believe, trust and love to make it happen.

     

    Brand India; Your Time Has Come.

     

    Jai Hind

     

    Jaisurya Das, maverick and media evangelist and Contributing Editor, MxMIndia, eats, sleeps and makes love to brands. His consulting interventions are aimed at making brands powerful and sustainable. The views expressed here are his own.

  • Vinodh Bhat is a serial entrepreneur, who co-founded Saavn, which is a revolutionary streaming music service, reinventing how people listen to and share music, in India and around the world

    IAMAI names Kunal Shah as its new Chairman

    By A Correspondent

     

    Kunal Shah

    The Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) has named Kunal Shah, Co-founder & Chief Executive Officer, FreeCharge as the new Chairman of IAMAI. The move was necessitated following Nishant Rao’s move to join Freshdesk as the global Chief Operating Officer, from Linkedin.

     

    The Association has also announced Vishwas Patel, Chief Executive Officer – CCAvenue as the new treasurer. Vinodh Bhat, Co-founder, President & Chief Strategy Officer at Saavn remains the Vice-Chairman of the Association.

     

    Vinodh Bhat is a serial entrepreneur, who co-founded Saavn, which is a revolutionary streaming music service, reinventing how people listen to and share music, in India and around the world.

     

  • The festival is not just about discounts and cash-backs but, also about the experience the consumers have – a simple, straight forward, rewarding and smooth payment experience

    Citrus Cash Back Week seeks to make an impact on social & traditional platforms

    By A Correspondent

     

    Citrus Wallet has rolled out its first digital multimedia campaign with four films that support its latest brand campaign ‘The Citrus Cash Back Week’. The campaign has been conceptualised by Charles Victor, NCD of LK Saatchi & Saatchi and went on-air on January 4th to kick-start 2016 with the theme ‘Your wallet will never be empty’. The festival is not just about discounts and cash-backs but, also about the experience the consumers have – a simple, straight forward, rewarding and smooth payment experience.

     

    The films open with ‘The Orange man’ trying to get into the wallet of young online shoppers to give them their cash back. The four films, each with a consistent narrative, explore four instances where Citrus Wallets offer upto 80 per cent cash back.

     

    The mascot, an orange man, is a mime character who is more than enthusiastic to return cash back into the online shoppers’ wallets. In each film, he is consistently seen walking into the user’s space to pay cash back into the shopper’s wallet almost instantly. Making this frame the key take away for viewers.

     

    The campaign is supported by the brand’s efforts on social media urging users to spot this ‘mysterious orange man’ in various popular spots in the city. Citrus Pay has also roped in 30 merchant platforms for this Citrus Cash Back Festival.

     

    Jitendra Gupta, Founder & MD, Citrus Pay said, “Before the new year blues set in, we decided to give our users something to cheer about. The Orange Man or The C-Man, as he’s popularly called, captures that energy and the ease of getting cash back into Citrus Wallet no matter where and when you shop — be it online or offline, too. The 4 digital films crafted by Lk Saatchi & Saatchi portray that association with ease and showcase over 30 different tie-ups with our merchants across multiple categories.”

     

    Charles Victor, NCD shared, “The brief really was simple – during the promotion, Citrus Wallet users get money back in their wallets when they spend on partner brands. The team created this character who at first seems like he’s out to pinch your wallet, but he actually does quite the opposite. We had a wonderful client who backed the team and in the end, everyone had a lot of fun doing this! What else do you expect when you have someone in spandex! ”

     

  • Former CEO and Co-founder of Pulse will also lead product initiatives in India

    LinkedIn appoints Akshay Kothari as Country Manager for India

    By A Correspondent

     

    Akshay Kothari

    LinkedIn has announced the appointment of Akshay Kothari as Country Manager for India, effective immediately. Akshay will report to Olivier Legrand, LinkedIn’s Managing Director for the Asia Pacific (APAC) region, and join the company’s APAC senior management team.

     

    Akshay joined LinkedIn in 2013 when Pulse, the company he co-founded and was CEO of for almost three years, was acquired by LinkedIn. Since then, based out of LinkedIn’s global headquarters in Mountain View, California, he successfully led several major product and content initiatives, including making Pulse one of the fastest-growing consumer product on LinkedIn, and boosting the number of members publishing on LinkedIn from 1,000 to nearly 2 million in the last two years.

     

    “My journey with LinkedIn started when Pulse became part of the LinkedIn family almost three years ago. I’m excited to have this opportunity to work with our teams across India, from sales to product and engineering. This new role also brings me back ‘full-circle’ to India, a high-growth market where there are opportunities abound to create even more value for our members and clients. Ultimately, my dream is for LinkedIn to play an even more significant role in helping to transform professionals and businesses in India, and showcase their success to the rest of the world,” Akshay said.

     

    Olivier commented, “India continues to be a strategic market for LinkedIn. While we have come a long way over the past 6 years in the country, we still have a long runway of opportunities to deliver even more compelling experiences and value for our members and clients. Akshay’s successful track record as an entrepreneur, leader and product executive will be a boost to our efforts, as he leads our team to the next stage of growth in India.”

     

  • Box Cricket League will air its second season on India's leading Hindi GEC, Colors & Colors HD from Feb 28th 2016

    Balaji Telefilms hands over sales mandate of Box Cricket League to Aidem Ventures

    By A Correspondent

     

    Aidem Ventures has acquired ad sales duties of a celebrity cricket show titled Box Cricket League. This reality show is a joint venture between Balaji Telefilms & Marinating Films.

     

    Box Cricket League is an on-ground property with a unique blend of sports, celebrities & entertainment. It is the only reality show that brings the concept of cricket being played in an indoor format. The top 200 television actors & actresses have been roped in, making it a star-studded battle of equals. Besides the game of cricket, Box Cricket League also promises its viewers with a line-up of dance performances, high-end drama, team-wise strategy sessions, on-field tasks etc.

     

    Sameer Nair

    Confirming the news, Sameer Nair, Group CEO, Balaji Telefilms said, “The networking strength & the rich experience that Aidem has garnered over the years is what sought our attention. We are confident about Aidem’s ability to understand the needs of the brands, living up to the advertisers’ expectation which is vital for our content. Hence, we are looking forward to a prolific business relationship going ahead.”

     

    Vikas Khanchandani

    Vikas Khanchandani, Co-founder & Director, Aidem Ventures added, “Box Cricket League as a concept is exceptional, innovative & untouched in the history of Indian Television. We are not looking at it as a challenge but an exciting task of evangelizing the market about their beneficial association with a unique content like this. Also, Aidem Ventures has been successful in not just selling space but revolutionizing the perception of advertising. I believe Balaji Telefilms’ association with Aidem Ventures will establish an advertising platform of huge success.”

     

    Box Cricket League will air its second season on India’s leading Hindi GEC, Colors & Colors HD from Feb 28th 2016. The show will be telecasted on Saturdays & Sundays, 4.30 – 6.30 pm, with a repeat telecast on Rishtey.

     

  • The 2015 Awards represented the biggest and most inspiring creative collection for Facebook as it reviewed over 2,700 submissions from 160 countries that offered a snapshot of the state of creativity and innovation across Facebook, Instagram and the entire industry

    5th edition of Facebook Awards announced

    By A Correspondent

     

    The nominations are open for the fifth edition of Facebook Awards. The awards celebrate the best creative work being shared on Facebook. More businesses are using Facebook and Instagram to connect with audiences and tell stories than before and the FB Awards showcase the power of Facebook and Instagram as creative canvases.

     

    The 2015 Awards represented the biggest and most inspiring creative collection for Facebook as it reviewed over 2,700 submissions from 160 countries that offered a snapshot of the state of creativity and innovation across Facebook, Instagram and the entire industry.

     

    For 2016, the awards program will include –all countries will have the ability to be recognized for great work within their region, with local creative executives from each region as judges at the Regional Voting Events; Regional awards: “Best of APAC”, “Best of EMEA”, “Best of LATAM” and “Best of NA” have been added; top winners from each Regional Voting Events will move to the Global Judging Event; the judging process is in three rounds this year due to the volume of entrants

     

    Also, for the first time ever, the FB Awards will recognize small business advertisers who have earned effective, eye-opening results. Winners of this category will also receive FB Ad Credits.

     

    Other initiatives include

    – Best Use of Facebook family of brands: Awarded to the most creative, original and well-executed Facebook and/or Instagram campaign concepts. Example: Lexus 1000 to 1

    – Innovation: Awarded to campaigns that aren’t only creative, but engage audiences in ways we’ve never seen before. Example: GT Ride – Viral Gaming for Kia

    – Small business Awarded to those who successfully captured the attention of local audiences and drove gained results with creative thinking on Facebook and Instagram.

    – Social for good: Awarded to charitable/non-profit org campaigns that creatively and successfully raise awareness and drive positive social change using Facebook or Instagram. Example: ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, Kafa

    – Integrated: Awarded to campaigns that creatively use Facebook as part of a larger, overall media mix.Example: P&G Always “Like a Girl”

     

  • Happ Post is available as a native app for iOS and Android devices downloadable at http://onelink.to/bbuvww and as a web offering on www.happpost.com

    Happ Post launched for ‘sunshine’ take on news

    By A Correspondent

     

    Senior media professionals Pradyuman Maheshwari and Sorbojeet Chatterjee have announced the launch of Happ Post, an apps- and web-based news offering that promises a “sunshine take on news”. * See Disclosure

     

    Notes a communique: “As per the United Nations, India ranks an appalling 117th on the Global Happiness Index. Surprisingly, many countries including China, Iraq and Pakistan are ahead of India. There is a a clear need-gap for a positive news offering that provides a viable alternative to sensational headlines and a fixation for negativity.”

     

    Happ Post is available as a native app for iOS and Android devices as well as a web offering on www.happpost.com. Maheshwari is a senior journalist and entrepreneur with experience across leading medium platforms. Chatterjee has cross-functional and cross-platform leadership experience across marquee consumer facing brands like Zee TV, AajTak, DNA and Neo Sports.

     

    Said Maheshwari who is Co-Founder and Chief Content Officer: “There is clearly an unarticulated need amongst evolved news consumers for positive content and Happ Post will not just focus on special feature stories but more importantly look at daily news with a ‘sunshine’ lens.Curated news is the first launch under the ‘Happ’ umbrella and the ambition is to create specific product lines and services that are true to the ethos of being a harbinger of happiness.”

     

    Added Chatterjee, who is Co-Founder and CEO: “Disruption and innovation have been the cornerstones of the entire startup movement. However, there has been very few ‘game-changers’ in the content space. Happ Post is disruptive, relevant and above all – an idea whose time has come.”

     

    The app can be downloaded at http://onelink.to/bbuvww

     

    *Disclosure: Pradyuman Maheshwari is also Founder, Editor-in-Chief and CEO of MxMIndia