MxMIndia

Category: MEDIA

  • Besides having terrestrial presence, the group also plans to offer digital presence of Dhamaal Gujarat, providing content that can be consumed online

    Youth-centric channel ‘Dhamaal Gujarat’ launched

    By A Correspondent

     

    Sri Adhikari Brothers Grouphas announced the launch of youth channel –’Dhamaal Gujarat’. The channel promises to be a good hangout zone for the youth of Gujarat, by bringing forth a unique platform that offersa combination of music, interaction, vibrancy and the hyperlocal nature of radio on TV.

     

    Manav Dhanda, Sri Adhikari Brothers television network, Group CEO said, “The motive of Dhamaal Gujarat is to cater to the untapped  youth market. The 15 to 40 age segment (youth) account to almost 50 per cent of Gujarat population which is a huge number. One noticeable fact is that Youth & Music alone accounts for almost 60 per cent ofyouth TV viewership. Hence the channel is expected to be a hit among the youth and a perfect platform for advertisers to reach to their target audience.”

     

    Besides having terrestrial presence, the group also plans to offer digital presence of Dhamaal Gujarat, providing content that can be consumed online. Also keeping up with the digital age the channel shall have a focused approach on social media presence and create content that focuses on engaging the youth.

     

    With Dhamaal Gujarat, their latest music, youth& entertainment channel, the company further aims to strengthen its position by targeting the highly affluent youth in Gujarat and providing them with differentiated content and a free spirited zesty time. The channel has two flagship shows, one of which will be a radio show with Radio City, 91.1 FM with RJ Aseem and RJ Aarti among the most iconic jocks of Gujarat and the other show will carry a light hearted comedy theme with the Superstar of Gujarat-SiddharthRanderia of the superhit movie ‘Gujjubhai-The Great’ fame. There will also be high interactive shows that will be shot among the youth at different locations in Gujarat.

     

    Sri Adhikari Brothers Group has an extensive marketing plan for Dhamaal Gujarat. They are planning to have a massive print & outdoor promotion covering the major cities & towns of Gujarat and associations with College festivals where they will hold fun interactions for the students.

     

    Abraham Thomas – CEO Radio City says, “Western India Contributes maximum to TV viewership and Radio City reaches to 2.14 Crs listeners in this zone. We are happy to associate with Dhamaal Gujarat and wish them the very best on their initiative of being the first & only youth channel in the State. As official Radio Partners we aspire to engage the audience and add value to the Sri Adhikari Brothers endeavour.”

     

     

     

    Srinivas Krishnan appointed Senior Advisor – Auto Practice at 20:20 MSL

    Summary: Srini’s hire reinforces 20:20 MSL’s standing as a preferred destination for top talent as being well-equipped to provide strategic, specialised counsel to its plethora of clients.

     

    20:20 MSL announced the appointment of Srinivas Krishnan, former Editor of Business Standard Motoring, as Senior Advisor to its Auto practice. Srinivas joins 20:20 MSL from Porsche, where he was Head of Press for the India market. He will work closely with the Auto practice across the offices of 20:20 MSL. Srinivas’ rich experience in media and communications will step up the quality of the agency’s engagement with its roster of auto clients through a combination of thought leadership and strategic insights.

    Commenting on the development, Chetan Mahajan, Co-MD MSLGROUP India said, “Adding a stalwart like Srini to our team shows our commitment to our clients to bring the best talent on board to deliver strategic counsel to their ever-challenging communication needs. Srini’s brings in-depth industry expertise and experience to the organisation, to help us fulfil our role as our client’s trusted advisors.”

    Prior to his stint at Porsche India, Srinivas co-founded the auto magazine Business Standard Motoring where he worked for over 15 years. Srinivas began his career in the advertising industry in copywriting and client servicing roles at Frank Simoes, Triton and Leo Burnett.

     

  • By enabling a wide range of playout capabilities in the Cloud, Amagi's Cloudport speeds up operations& increases flexibility

    Amagi’s Cloudport enables Horse & Country TV to go global

    By A Correspondent

     

    Amagi has announced that Horse & Country TV (H&C TV), a UK based equestrianism and the country lifestyle television channel, broadcasting exclusive sports event coverage, news, documentary, and personality-led programming, has deployed Amagi’s Cloudportto optimize the delivery of new channels around the world. Utilizing Cloudport, which offers end-to-end broadcast workflow capabilities on the cloud, H&C TV is now able to reach a wider global audience at a fraction of the cost of traditional satellite-based playout methods, while improving its transmission quality.

     

    “We transitioned to Amagi’s Cloudport platform in Benelux and Sweden in 2013 and then in the U.K. in 2014. We have since expanded into Australia and Germany,” said Heather Killen, CEO and chairman at H&C TV. “Amagi’sCloudportplatform resolves our challenge of reaching high-value, non-contiguous geographies, enabling us to launch new channels affordably and with a short time to market of just four weeks. With traditional satellite technologies that would never have been commercially viable and the lead times would have been longer.”

     

    The Bengaluru-based company’s Cloudport platform offers 99.99 percent guaranteed broadcast SLAs, and can be deployed at the edge, at the teleport, or even at the data center to suit the broadcaster’s distribution requirements. By providing H&C TV with comprehensive playout and ancillary workflow management on the cloud, Cloudportsimplifies operations, increases flexibility while enabling higher playout reliability at significantly lower costs.

     

    “H&C TV is a great example of an award-winning TV network that is best served by leveraging cloud-based channel playout technology versus satellite feeds,” said Srividhya Srinivasan, co-founder at Amagi. “Through Cloudport, H&C TV is able to perform hyper-localized and cost effective international distribution of its channels.”

     

    Cloudport delivers H&C TV channels to leading operators such as Sky in the U.K., Deutsche Telecom in Germany, Fetch TV in Australia and UPC in Benelux. This partnership marks yet another step towards Amagi’s expansion of its content delivery offering to international markets.

     

  • Ekalavya will work closely with the leadership team to define the corporate strategy for ensuring wider acceptability and success of ALT's digital initiatives

    Alt Digital Media appoints Ekalavya Bhattacharya as the Chief Strategy Officer

    By A Correspondent

     

    Ekalavya Bhattacharya

    ALT Digital Media Entertainment Ltd. (ALT Digital), a wholly owned subsidiary of Balaji Telefilms Ltd., announced the appointment of Ekalavya Bhattacharya as the Chief Strategy Officer.ALT Digital reflects the BalajiGroup’s strategic intent to extend their creative expertise to develop on-demand, original, edgy andcontemporary content for global audiences to consume on digital platforms.

     

    Ekalavya will work closely with the leadership team todefine the corporate strategy for ensuring wider acceptability and success of ALT’s digital initiatives.

     

    Ekalavya joins ALT Digital from Viacom18 Media Private Ltd. where he was the AVP and Head – Digital, MTV India. Responsible for expanding the digital footprint of MTV India, Ekalavya’sstint at Viacom 18 saw him develop and execute strategies related to product, content, mobile, technology and marketing amongst other things. Ekalavya brings with him more than a decade of experience in the digital space and is well-versed with the country’s digital landscape. He has previously worked at other reputed digital firms like Zapak.com, Contests2Win.com, WAT Consult and PaGaLGuY.com.

     

    Commenting on his appointment, Sameer Nair, Group Chief Executive Officer, Balaji Telefilms Ltd. said, “Ekalavya comes with very strong pedigree having done some amazing work at MTV in building their digital business. We believe his disruptive attitude and business smarts are a wonderful addition to the eclectic diversity in the fast growing ALT Digital Team.”

     

    Nachiket Pantvaidya, CEO, ALT Digital Media Entertainment Ltd. said,“We welcome Ekalavya to ALT – his experience and diverse skill sets will help us formulate and drive our strategy across our business operations. He will enrich the already strong team at ALT as we prepare to launch our service in India and globally.”

     

  • Here are BARC's urban + rural ratings for Week 1 of 2016 (Jan 2-8)

    Colors continues to top Hindi GEC roster

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Week 1 ratings from BARC​ for ​Saturday, January 2, 2016 to Friday, January 8, 2016) sees Colors continuing to be #1, followed by Zee Anmol and Star Plus amongst Hindi GECs.

     

    Note these numbers are combined for urban and rural audiences, and subscribers to the data will know how the rankings are dramatically different for urban audiences.​ And ditto for rural or free-to-air audiences.

     

    Enjoy!​​​​

  • Prior to this, Niti was in-charge of the digital marketing accounts under Google India for a span of five years

    iProspectropes in Niti Beri to lead team Paid Media

    By A Correspondent

     

    iProspect India has roped in Niti Beri to lead the Paid Media strategists who are based out of the agency’s Gurgaon office. Prior to this, Niti was in-charge of the digital marketing accounts under Google India for a span of five years.

     

    “Paid Search is all about being there with the right message at the right time, at the right price. iProspect India has been providing value and business insights through bought media at an extremely efficient cost. Niti has come in with immense experience from Google – the biggest Search engine giant in the world. We are blessed with an efficient team of SEM professionals across all the three branches of iProspect. Niti will be guiding our paid media experts from the Gurgaon branch to deliver best in class campaigns for our clients based out of the Delhi circle. I wish her all the very best and welcome her warmly to the iProspect India family,” said Vivek Bhargava, Managing Director, iProspect India.

     

    NitiBeri has been a digital marketer for more than seven years. She began her career as a Management trainee at Satyam Computers (now Tech Mahindra) before moving to Google. During her 5 1/2 years at Google she took up various roles. She has extensive experience in working on accounts ranging from the biggest Fortune 500 companies in the US like AT&T, Citigroup, Johnson & Johnson and Abbott Labs to budding start-ups and new entrants into the Indian market.

     

    In her new role at iProspect, Niti Beri hopes to build and sustain an even stronger team of Paid Media strategists to ensure client delight.

     

    Niti said, “It’s been a long seven years in the digital industry and each day has been a new challenge pertaining to the changing ways of digital approach. I am extremely excited to join one of the pioneers of digital marketing industry in the country. I have understood that iProspect has very strong paid media strategists. I look forward to working with them closely and contribute towards building a stronger and more agile team with laser sharp understanding of the clients’ objectives and goals.”

     

  • Over 3 million Facebook readers, several highly impactful campaigns & the launch of Instant Articles made it a year of many firsts

    The Quint completes impactful one-year run on Facebook

    By A Correspondent

     

    Leading digital content platform, The Quint, completed its first year on Facebook on January 9, 2016. First launched on the social media platform before its website was unveiled in March, The Quint, has had a good run in India. The platform enjoys over 3 million dedicated readers on Facebook having pioneered publishing concepts like Instant Articles, created calls-to-action and championed several meaningful and impactful campaigns through the innovative use of technology.

     

    Led by Raghav Bahl and Ritu Kapur, co-founders of Quintillion Media, The Quint on Facebook has made its presence felt since its very first day a year ago when it coloured the social media site with the shades of yellow and purple. Besides being driven to bringing news to the fingertips of readers, the platform has successfully leveraged the power of Facebook to invite readers to participate in its campaigns and create change with it.

     

    Speaking on the first Facebook anniversary celebrations, RituKapur, CEO, The Quint said, “In this exciting one year, we have experimented with content, formats, technology and different ways of engaging our readers meaningfully. Throughout this ride, we’ve broken news (and parameters) as well as our own expectations, but most importantly, we’ve broken the perception that only print or television can rule information. We dreamt of a platform where we could interact with our readers and they’ve overwhelmed us with their response. It is indeed a time of celebration for the entire team for what we’ve managed to achieve together!”

     

    Amongst several campaigns that garnered a lot of attention on Facebook was the #MakeOutInIndia campaign that talked about breaking away from the hypocrisy that is associated with sexuality and discussions on sex in India. #SayYesToWeed was another high-impact initiative where The Quint took the onus of breaking the myth that weed is harmful. The #BiharMobile campaign grabbed a lot of eyeballs as The Quint went out to become the first digital-only platform to cover an entire election on smartphones.

     

    Facebook was where the platform began to test waters and tried to understand what its readers expected and wanted. From its first 500 likes to now more than 3 million fans, from the ‘first’ piece of breaking news to the ‘first’ 1,000 shares, the first taste of going viral with the `BuriLadki’ poster which broke gender stereotypes in India, The Quint has displayed tremendous growth in this one year which it plans to continue building on in the year ahead.

     

  • So which character of a fiction-non-fiction show came out tops last year? Here's Shailesh Kapoor's list based on Ormax Characters India Loves

    Top 10 Hindi GEC Characters For 2015

     

    By Shailesh Kapoor

     

    Character popularity is now well known to be singularly important driving force towards programme loyalty. In the last of the yearenders in this column, here’s the list of the top 10 Hindi GEC characters (including non-fiction) for 2015. This list is based entirely on the results of Ormax Characters India Loves, an ongoing survey that polls more than 35,000 Hindi GEC viewers over the year across more than 20 markets.

     

    10. Maharana Pratap (Sony): Warrior portrayals hold intrinsic appeal, yet they remain largely an under-served genre on Indian television and even cinema. With Bajirao Mastani succeeding at the box-office, we can expect more warrior ‘biopics’ on the celluloid. On television, Maharana Pratap kept the genre’s flag flying through the year, though with a lot less intensity by the time the year ended.

     

    9.Salman Khan (Bigg Boss – Colors): He had a great year at the movies, with probably his best film in the last decade (BajrangiBhaijaan). But for many television audiences, Salman Khan’s primary identity is that of the Bigg Boss host. Khan has been often accused of taking sides on the show, but even his hardest critics cannot fault his commitment that comes shining through every weekend.

     

    8. Chakor (Udaan – Colors): Chakor’s character lost considerable steam during the year, starting the year in the Top 5 but ending it outside the top 20.With innocence being a scarce commodity in adult characters on television these days, child protagonists tend to stand out even more. But only till they don’t start behaving like adults!

     

    7. Pragya (Kumkum Bhagya – Zee TV): KumkumBhagya is emerging as a long warhorse for Zee TV, and much credit should go to its lead pair played by SritiJha (Pragya) and Shabbir Ahluwalia (Abhi). As the year closed, Pragya grew to an even stronger position,  signaling a good 2016 for this popular character.

     

    6. Akshara (Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai– Star Plus):It’s been seven years since she first went on-air. Her character journey over years has mirrored various life-stages and challenges Indian women would tend to face in their life. In the largely-unrealworld of television soaps, Akshara has managed to infuse her share of relatability and warmth for many viewers.

     

    5. Sandhya (Diya Aur Baati Hum–Star Plus):Between them, Sandhya and Akshara represent two facets of the Hindi GEC heroine. Sandhya is a woman of aspirations, but one who strives to balance her work and her family in her journey, while Akshara is a nurturer at heart, willing to let go for others. Between them, Star Plus has a strong 9-10pm slot that’s currently their prime-time pivot.

     

    4. Ashok (Chakravartin Ashok Samrat – Colors): Another warrior prince story that was waiting to be told on the small screen. Aided by good casting and production, Ashok emerged as a strong character challenging the dominance of female protagonists in the GEC space. Can we now have a PeshwaBajirao show on TV, please?

     

    3. Kapil Sharma (Comedy Nights With Kapil–Colors):The comedian dominated the non-fiction list in 2015, no different from what he managed in 2014 and much of 2013. He’s Colors’ fourth entry in this list, and the combination of Salman Khan, Chakor, Ashok and Kapil Sharma accurately captures the formula behind the channel’s success. In 2016, Sharma will move to Sony, his original home from Comedy Circus. He’s come in for criticism on various things, ranging from misogyny (on the show) to unprofessionalism (off the show). 2016 could be a defining year for Sharma, at the end of which he would either emerge stronger or begin to fade out.

     

    2. Jethalal (Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah – SAB): SAB TV remains a one-show channel and yet a strong force to reckon. Jethalal (played by Dilip Joshi) is the centerpiece around which this show continues to thrive, now for seven and a half years. The ratio of Jethalal’s popularity among male audiences to female audiences is a staggering 8.2, highlighting the dichotomy of our mass television content, which is family viewing in practice, but often not in spirit.

     

    1. Ishita (Yeh Hai Mohabbatein–Star Plus):Yeh Hai Mohabbatein combines various genres and sub-genres into a unique show. It has romance, inter-cultural conflicts, social issues, family and a lot more. It has even ventured into the supernatural space recently, as if to tick that pending box. But at the core of this huge success remain its leads Ishita (Divyanka Tripathi) and Raman (Karan Patel). Her motherly love is the central quality that makes her no. 1, especially because it’s love for a ‘daughter’ she’s not given birth to.

     

     

  • The integrated offering will include Digital, Media, Experiential, Out of Home, Retail, Entertainment, Cause Marketing and also extends to Semi-Urban and Rural Activations and Outreach

    Rediffusion-Y&R group & Social Street shake hands

    By A Correspondent

     

    Rediffusion – Y & R Group and The Social Street have entered into a strategic alliance to provide value added marketing services to clients of Rediffusion – Y & R, Everest Brand Solutions and Rediffusion Wunderman. This alliance will come into effect from March 1, 2016.

     

    According to a communiqué, Rediff-Y&R and Social Street will leverage their individual strengths to partner and provide greater value to clients and collaborate to tap opportunities for growth in the market. The alliance will enable Rediffusion-Y&R Group’s clients to benefit from The Social Street’s extensive network, capabilities, and expertise in bringing together a more effective and optimized solutions to clients. 
This integrated offering will include Digital, Media, Experiential, Out of Home, Retail, Entertainment, Cause Marketing and also extends to Semi-Urban and Rural Activations and Outreach.

     

    Dhunji S. Wadia

    Says Dhunji S Wadia, President, Rediffusion-Y&R Group “This is one of the deepest integrations to date, marking yet another milestone in the Group’s plan for a consolidated media investment management operation.  Our services are designed to offer an integrated yet seamless solution across the communications continuum. The focus is to bring competitive advantage to our clients and our companies.”

     

    Pratap Bose

    Added Pratap Bose, Founding Partner & Chairman, The Social Street: “This is going to be a very exciting journey for both Rediffusion and us.  It will be a great growth story to tell the world.  Our shared vision and collective capabilities should help us serve nothing but the best to all the clients as part of this alliance.  We are all focused on one single client centric objective through this alliance and that is unlocking value for clients.  With the wealth of expertise in both Rediffusion and TSS, I have no doubt in saying that we will make it the strongest and successful alliance ever.”

     

    Mandeep Malhotra

    Sad Mandeep Malhotra, Founding Partner & CEO, the Social Street,  “I am personally very excited about this alliance and looking forward to creating many stories together in this journey with Rediffusion. My career in the agency world started with Rediffusion and it feels now that the circle is getting closer. There is nothing more exciting for me then working with energetic, talented, committed and a fun team. Organizations that partner or compliment each other in this manner are going to be more nimble footed in the future, in creating customer-oriented value.”

     

  • Radio One Ahmedabad will also create new programming to attract better revenues

    BIG Magic partners with Radio One for ad sales initiative in Ahmedabad

    By A Correspondent

     

    BIG Magic and Radio One Ahmedabad have announced an ad sales tie up for the city of Ahmedabad. As per the agreement, BIG Magic will facilitate sale of advertisement airtime on a non-exclusive basis on 95 FM Radio One Ahmedabad. Radio One Ahmedabad will also create new programming to attract better revenues.

     

    Ashwin Padmanabhan, Chief Operating Officer, For Big Magic Ltd said, “We are pleased to announce that effective January 15th, 2016 onwards, BIG Magic Limited has associated with Radio One Ahmedabad, wherein we would work together with them to sell advertising spots on95 FM Radio One Ahmedabad on a non-exclusive basis. We have always been open to exploring new avenues for our advertisers and provide them the best value. The popularity of Radio One in Ahmedabad will ensure that this move would prove to be viable for our advertisers, and a win-win for both entities.”

     

    Saurabh Sehgal, COO (Operations), Radio One said, “We have been looking to improve revenues in our Ahmedabad station and since BIG magic has no conflict of interest in the city of Ahmedabad it was worthwhile associating with them for the city. We will work together to create local advertiser funded programs and are positive that this is a win-win for both parties. We also look forward to more national revenues now going into Ahmedabad. This will help our sales effort.”

     

  • The campaign #ThingsYouGiveUp saw people share stories with the brand about the various things they give up in pursuit of their dreams and ambitions

    #ThingsYouGiveUp invokes enormous participation from social natives

    By A Correspondent

     

    Health food brand GAIA Good Health recently engaged with their audience on social media when they partnered with Xebec Digital to launch their latest campaign. The campaign #ThingsYouGiveUp saw people share stories with the brand about the various things they give up in pursuit of their dreams and ambitions.

     

    The social media chatter created by the campaign resulted in a nationwide trend for two days.

     

    Dolly Kumar

    Speaking about the campaign, Gaia Good Health CEO Dolly Kumar said, “Today’s individual is aspiring and does not mind giving up health on occasions to meet daily targets and achieve dreams. But there is always a room to compensate by making those smart choices. That’s where GAIA wanted to fit in.”

     

     

    Sowmya Iyer

    Sowmya Iyer, CEO, Xebec Digital, said, “The idea was to make people realize that in this faced-paced life, health knowingly unknowingly does take a beating. That’s where GAIA as a health brand ran a contest on twitter asking people to share their stories where they have given things up to achieve their goals.”

     

    “The contest was designed in such a way that people started realizing how they neglect health. The brand started receiving stories of confessions and resolutions to walk the path to good life,” said Sowmya Iyer, CEO, Gaia Good Health.

     

    As the brand asked people to share their story of compromises, its social pages saw people confessing and then realizing the importance of health through the #ThingsYouGiveUp campaign. This created a social chatter with the brand handle receiving 35,804,506 impressions, 4,708 tweets, 2,675 mentions and 700 retweets.

     

  • To bring the best of Bollywood films, entertainment and general interest programmes to Germany

    ZEEL enters Germany; to launch free-to-air channel by mid-2016

    By A Correspondent

     

    Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL) has announced its foray into Germany. The company also shared its plans to launch a free-to-air television channel for this market by mid-2016. This FTA channel will offer high-quality Bollywood films produced by the Indian film industry as well as popular Indian television series to German screens, 24-hours a day. The new channel´s core target group will be females between the ages of 19 and 59. The channel is planned to be available on the most important satellite and cable platforms. Friederike Behrends will be responsible for business operations in the German-speaking area.

     

    Amit Goenka

    Amit Goenka, CEO-International Broadcast Business, ZEEL said: “Our foray into Germany is a major step as part of our international expansion strategy. The objective is to establish a lasting presence and grow in the German television market. With our highest levels of entertainment and new content, we are confident of being able to offer our German viewers an attractive enrichment to the existing range of television offerings.”

     

     

    Neeraj Dhingra

    Neeraj Dhingra, CEO Europe at Asia TV Ltd. (Zee TV) said: “The launch of the channel will signify ZEEL´s entry into one of the world´s most important television markets, in which the Bollywood genre is still barely represented as yet. With 210,000 hours of programming and more than 3,500 film titles, our endeavor is to delight the German audiences with Indian content.”

     

    “We also welcome Friederike to the ZEE family. She brings with her a rich experience and in-depth knowledge of Media, Broadcasting and TV content. Her extensive international and national industry expertise will help us not only to cement our presence in the German market, but take it to greater heights;” Dhingra added.

     

    Friederike Behrends

    Until recently, Friederike Behrends was the Senior Strategy Advisor for the international streaming provider Magine, being responsible for its German market entry in 2014. From 2008 to 2012, she was Managing Director of WDR media group digital GmbH and the full-service internet agency web COLONY in Cologne.

     

  • For today's time-starved corporate execs, running provides the much-needed 'me time', writes the Viacom18 Group CEO

    Special to MxM: Run, life and work – the near and far of it. By Sudhanshu Vats

     

    By Sudhanshu Vats

     

    Standing at the flag off point, I looked up to survey the sea of humanity surrounding me and what a sight it was. Age, color, nationality, language, background –all ‘labels’ of the human race were rendered meaningless as about half a lakh people prepared to run the 13th edition of the Mumbai Marathon. As I straightened and shared glances with my running mates, we knew the next few hours would both exciting and testing for us.

     

    And then it started. I ran for the next 3 hours 59 minutes and 7 seconds to complete my 10th Mumbai marathon. I was tired yet satisfied with another Sub 4 hrs. performance. While the start of a marathon is filled with excitement and anticipation, the middle requires maintaining the momentum, and the last stretch, tests the limit of perseverance.  As the clock ticked and the miles accumulated, I settled into my rhythm. A rhythm meticulously planned over hourly weekday runs and longer weekend ones. As I looked around at my fellow runners and the milieu standing on the sidelines cheering us on, I felt an immense sense of belonging. All around were an enthusiastic bunch of people running for their varied personal reasons, united in a common act.

     

    Running, to my mind, is a wonderful urban exercise. It is location- and paraphernalia-agnostic – all you need is a pair of sneakers and you are ready for your routine anywhere in the world. A run exercises the human body in its entirety. And it is a fierce critique of its physical condition as well! Try running with an inconspicuous injury and you will immediately know your pain points. While any form of running teaches one the virtue of patience, focus and perseverance; running long distances requires a planned approach. Much of my business success comes from being able to put together a strategic long-term plan divided into focused short-term milestones – a mantra I picked up from my marathon planning.

     

    “Haji Ali –  and the final Peddar road climb,” reminded the voice within, as I crossed the iconic 600 year old dargah. I looked at my running mates and was happy to see we were all going pretty well. Marathons have a way of bringing people together, instilling a sense of the collective over the individual.

     

    No wonder corporate India has taken to marathons like fish to water. For today’s time-starved corporate executives, running provides one with the much needed ‘me time’ in this fast paced world. Running is a great leveler as well; and nowhere is this more evident than in a marathon. People from divergent walks of life run together, as one, while the city descends on the street to cheer them on in an amazing celebration of encouragement and solidarity. Isn’t that what today’s business leaders strive to do? Build organizations that transcend boundaries, strengthened by their employees’ will to collaborate and excel. And at an individual level completing a grueling marathon leads to a strong sense of achievement and fulfilment.

     

    I used to do cross country in my Boarding school but the bug of marathon bit me as I went to cheer my friends in the first Mumbai Marathon. Over the course of time I have completed 8 Marathons and four Half-marathons. And what a run it has been. People talk about the physical benefits of running. Personally, I think it is the impact running has on your character and personality is profound. For me, that has been the most important differentiator.

     

    In our professional environment, we are faced with new challenges every day and the key is to keep the spirit alive within ourselves. If we calm our minds and learn to ‘break’ our audacious goals into focused short-term milestones, not only will we reach our eventual goal but also enjoy the journey.

     

    The beauty of a marathon is that between training for it, participating in it and finally celebrating a successful run you learn valuable lessons that prepare you for most of what life has to offer and learn to live it to the Fullest!

     

    Sudhanshu Vats is Group CEO, Viacom18