MxMIndia

Category: MEDIA

  • Mr Satheesh will spearhead the company's revenue opportunities and oversee the marketing and brand building of the channel

    PR Satheesh joins as President, Travel Trendz TV

    By A Correspondent

     

    PR Satheesh, who recently quit as the President of the mobile solutions company TELiBrahma, has joined Travel Trendz Tv as its president.

     

    Mr Satheesh will spearhead the company’s revenue opportunities acrossIndiaand rest of the world. He would also be overseeing the marketing and brand building of the channel, along with giving strategic inputs in the content creation and distribution space of the channel.

     

    Talking about his role, Mr Satheesh said: “I am excited to be part ofIndia’s first travel channel that plans to projectIndiato Indians and foreign nationals – the true culture, history and diversity ofIndia.”

     

    He has been instrumental in taking TELiBrahma from its nascent stage to a high growth stage, and was part of their recent Series C fundraising efforts from Intel Capital. He had also set up and managedIndia’s first IN Store TV Network Tag Media.

     

    Mr Sateesh has worked with Zee Network, Deccan Chronicle and The Asian Age in the past.

     

    Talking about Mr Satheesh’s appointment, Abdul Azeem, CEO & Executive Director of the company which is promoted by the Agri Gold Group said: “We have found an ideal partner in Satheesh. He brings with him decades of experience in the industry, along with great passion and entrepreneurial mind-set that will go a long way in carving TTTv’s passport to success.”

     

    He added that PR Satheesh joining the company has added a fillip to the efforts of the channel in showcasingIndiain its true spirit towards promoting global travel and tourism in its real spirit.

     

    TTTv has also recently appointed Som Banerjee as the Channel Head. Banerjee comes with an experience of creating content across genres such as sports, travel, fiction and reality. A graduate in Philosophy from thePresidencyCollege, Kolkata, he is a multi-brand and a multi genre professional with over a decade of work experience.

     

  • Janhavi Samant will head MiD DAY Hitlist along with Center Stage, Hot Property and Big Break. Ms Samant will take charge from outgoing editor Shubha Shetty Saha.

    MiD-DAY has a new entertainment editor

    By A Correspondent

     

    MiD DAY has appointed Janhavi Samant as the new entertainment editor for Hitlist. Ms Samant will take charge from outgoing editor Shubha Shetty Saha. Ms Samant has been working with MiD DAY for more than six years now and heads the editorial for Center Stage, Hot Property and Big Break.

     

    Speaking on the new assignment, Ms Samant said: “It’s a privilege and pleasure to be working with Hitlist. It’s one of MiD DAY’s most popular sections and will continue to be so. The Hitlist masala will work its magic.”

     

    “Hitlist is the most successful section in the entertainment sphere and Janhavi takes over Hitlist with a lot of experience. And I am confident that under her leadership, Hitlist will become an even bigger success in the city ofMumbai,” saidManajit Ghoshal,MDand CEO of MiD DAY Infomedia Ltd.

     

    Ms Samant started her career as a trainee in MiD DAY in 2000 and worked there for three and a half years. Then she moved on to Bombay Times and then to Hindustan Times, before returning to MiD DAY.

    Ms Samant will be reporting to Sachin Kalbag.

    MiD DAY is a part of Jagran Prakashan Ltd (JPL), India’s leading media and communications group with its interests spanning across Print, OOH, Activations, Mobile and Online that covers all of India as its footprint.

    MiD DAY has become the quintessential physical connect for the uber-social generation to consume their local city news today. Over the last couple of years, the newspaper has been on a mission to up its engagement quotient with these social netizens.

    To add to the dynamic product delivery through content, MiD DAY has also been creating a unique experience for its readers and clients through globally awarded marketing initiatives. The print innovations like 3D Impact Jacket, Format innovations and promotional activities like the MiD DAY Bollywood Lunch Contest, MiD DAY Happy Hours @ Work & @ Home, MiD DAY Media Nights, MiD DAY Corporate Cricket League & many others have won top honours across International Award functions such as INMA, IFRA Cross Media Awards & Asia Multimedia Publishing Awards.

    The company also has an established presence in the multimedia space, with its web version, www.mid-day.com with presently over 23 million page views per month as well as MiD DAY news feeds on cell phones which have over 2 lakh subscribers across the country. MiD DAY is available in Mumbai and Pune.

     

  • Manoj Barpujari of Dainik Agradoot daily is to be awarded the Best film critic award Swarna Kamal and Rs75,000 for his critiques in English and Assamese

    Assam’s Manoj Barpujari wins Nat Award for film criticism

    By Archita Wagle

     

    The recently announced National Awards 2011 saw Manoj Barpujari win the Best Film Critic award Swarna Kamal and Rs75,000 for his critiques in English and Assamese.

     

    Mr Barpujari is based in Guwahati and works as Assistant Editor with the Assamese daily, Dainik Agradoot. He also “very occasionally” contributes to the English daily, Assam Tribune. He is a member of Indian section of FIPRESCI, the Paris-based international federation of film critics and contributes to the website, www.filmfocusindia.com. He has been associated with the film society movement for more than two decades and has been tutoring on media and film studies. Mr Barpujari’s win makes him the fourth from the North-east to win this award.

     

    Mr Barpujari said that winning the Best Critic award was “Beyond my expectation. I am feeling what any man would feel on winning such a prestigious award.”

     

    When asked about his foray as a film critic, Mr Barpujari said: “I started as a film critic in the early 80s, even before I became a full time journalist. I was very much influenced by the parallel cinema movement in India and that inspired me to write about films. I write mostly about political and social issues. Only 10 per cent of what I write is about films.”

     

    Fellow film critic and Assamese journalist and now a film-maker, Utpal Borpujari, who was also the first from the North-east to win the Best Critic in 2003, was all praise for Mr Barpujari. “Manoj is a very senior film critic. He follows Indian and world cinema very seriously. He is the fourth from the North-east to be awarded the Best film critic. This proves that there is serious film criticism happening in the North-east. Unlike the mainstream media, regional publications are giving space for serious film criticism.”
    Apart from Mr Barpujari and Mr Borpujari, Altaf Mazid and RK Bidur Singh, both from North-east, jointly won the Best Film critic award in 2009.

     

    Mr Barpujari is not just a film critic and a “working journalist” as he calls himself. He is the winner of the Hafeez Karamath Journalism Fellowship 2010 of Trinidad & Tobago and has published nine books on various subjects in the fields of socio- political issues, art and literature including cinema. He has co-edited with Dr Garima Kalita the first ever comprehensive volume on cinema of Assam titled Perspectives on Cinema of Assam (2007).

     

    Mr Barpujari has served as jury in many competitions and film festivals in India and abroad. He presented documentaries from Assam in a program organized under the auspices of the Media and Communication Department, Goldsmiths College, London in 2008.

     

    Mr Barpujari is also a poet whose have been translated in to several major Indian languages. A collection of his poems won the Munin Borkotoky Literary Award in 2004.

     

  • Mr Rao will be responsible for growing sales and leading the team across the country, to grow client base and revenues for these channels.

    Yashraj Rao is National Sales Head for BIG Love & Spark

    By A Correspondent

     

    BIG CBS Networks announced the appointment of Yashraj Rao as the National Sales Head for its channels – BIG CBS Love and BIG CBS Spark. As part of his new role, Mr Rao will be responsible for growing sales and leading the team across the country, to grow client base and revenues for these channels. In his current profile, he will report to Vishal Rally, Business Head – BIG CBS Networks.

     

    With almost nine years of sales experience across industries, this trained pilot with the Indian Air Force holds a PGDBM from Birla Institute of Management. He began his career with Monster.com as a Corporate Relationship Manager, before moving into the Life Insurance Industry with Aviva Life Insurance as Assistant Manager, in the Corporate Sales portfolio. From there he moved to HDFC Life where he grew quickly from a Relationship Manager – Group Sales to Associate Vice President – Group Sales.

     

    A multifunctional sales, marketing, business development and professional services executive, Mr Rao comes armed with a combination of dynamic technical skills and proficient sales knowledge. His new profile marks his entry into the dynamic M&E industry. With skill sets which include relationship building, negotiating favourable deals, securing strategic alliances and laudable client development, Mr Rao is confident of being able to grow the market while offering excellent ROI to Clients through the Channels.

     

    Speaking on the appointment, Mr Rally, Business Head, BIG CBS Networks said: “Yashraj’s sound background across the dot com and insurance sectors along with skill sets, when combined with his ability to listen to prospects’ needs and develop solutions to meet their requirements, are what will work in his favour to lead the team to further growth. We are happy to have him on board and wish him an excellent innings at BIG CBS.”

     

    Commenting on his appointment Mr Rao said: “I feel honoured to take on this responsibility and feel proud to be part of an excellent media conglomerate. I look forward to working with the dynamic team here and am confident it will be long and fruitful journey for both.”

     

  • Veteran mediaperson and BCCL president Bhaskar Das will now don an additional hat of Principal Secretary to Managing Director Vineet Jain.

    Exclusive: BCCL President Bhaskar Das is now also Principal Secretary to MD

    By A Correspondent

    It was Holi. And time for colour and loads of cheer.  In media-land, we received this missive via our BBM: Bhaskar Das, the man who brought to The Times of India group most of its monies (as head of response), and the man who’s captained many industry associations and is known for his very interesting and intellectual questions at media industry conferences, will now be President and Principal Secretary to the Managing Director at Bennett Coleman & Co Ltd (BCCL). MD = Vineet Jain.

     

    In a signed office advisory, Mr Jain recognises Dr Das’s contribution to the company. “Bhaskar Das has always excelled in every responsibility entrusted to him – be that of leading Response function to newer heights, brand management, profit centre head or special projects in the area of Wellness, Times Foundation among others.” And he mentions that the new role “has the potential of becoming a gamechanger for the Group”.

     

    So what does this gamechanging role mean?

     

    In addition to the responsibilities he has been entrusted with at ‘Brand Capital’ (eka Private Treaties), Dr Das will now look after the following:

     

    * Exploring new revenue opportunities across the group’s media initiatives

    * Evolving a collaborative sales approach across various group properties

    * charting out a future roadmap for Optimal Media Solutions (that is, Medianet)

    * Facilitating a shared understanding an aligning all functions and group cos. to shareholder philosophies and objectives

     

    The end-objective is to “capitalize on the wealth of knowledge and expertise and to leverage the same across the Group”.  Given this, Mr Arunabh Das Sharma, Executive President – Response will report to Mr Ravi Dhariwal.

     

    See also: MxMIndia interview with Dr Bhaskar Das

     

     

  • To celebrate the spirit of women in the advertising-media domain, MxM India conceptualised a roundtable conference with Big CBS Love, in a half-hour show that was aired on Bloomberg-UTV on March 8.

    Woman power at MxMIndia’s roundtable for Big CBS Love

    By A Correspondent

     

    Much has being spoken about how the media-advertising industry being one of the few industries in India that has seen many women professionals coming to the fore and showing the way to the younger and the aspiring lot to stand their ground for excellence, despite myriad challenges.

     

    To celebrate the spirit of women in the advertising-media domain, MxM India conceptualised a roundtable conference for Big CBS Love, in a half-hour show that was aired on Bloomberg-UTV on March 8, 2012.

     

    Eminent women professionals such as Punitha Arumugam, CEO, Madison Media, Anita Nayyar, CEO, MPG India, Shubha George, COO, MEC South Asia, Anisha Motwani, Director and Chief Marketing Officer, Max New York Life Insurance shared their views on the role of women in the industry.

     

    Ms Arumugam pointed out that advertising attracted a lot of women as against other industries, while Ms Nayyar and Shubha George referred to how Roda Mehta played an inspiring role. Ms Motwani, who started out in advertising, then joined the automobile industry and moved from there to insurance, remarked how women even today can’t ignore their responsibilities towards their families. Ms Motwani, who had taken a sabbatical after marriage for two years, said working women need to believe in themselves, their ability and not give up.

     

    On reasons why women have done so well in advertising and media, Ms Nayyar said: “Over the years, it is evident that when it comes to client relations and numbers – women have done very well. And since advertising has a casual sort of environment, it gives that extra advantage and scope for women to double up as a key member at home and the workplace.”

     

  • With its enhanced display, Apple's new tablet could rev up digital media and publishing though there's no indicator of an India launch

    iPad3 could revolutionise ad & content

     

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAF51B0HgDg[/youtube]

    By A Correspondent

     

    Apple brightened up our lives on Holi day with the third generation of the iPad. That it launched on Holi was obviously a coincidence. India sadly figures nowhere in the iPad 3’s roll-out later this month.

     

    On March 7 in the US, Apple introduced the new iPad featuring a stunning new Retina display, its new A5X chip with quad-core graphics and a 5 megapixel iSight camera with advanced optics for capturing amazing photos and 1080p HD video.  The battery life is 10 hours.

     

    And what happens to the iPad 2? It is now offered at $399 (Rs 24,500 in India) for the 16GB Wi-Fi model and $529 (Rs 32,900 in India) for the 16GB Wi-Fi + 3G model.

     

    “The new iPad redefines the category Apple created less than two years ago, delivering the most amazing experience people have ever had with technology,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “The new iPad now has the highest resolution display ever seen on a mobile device with 3.1 million pixels, delivering razor sharp text and unbelievable detail in photos and videos.”

     

    According to Mumbai-based IT consultant Lionel Faleiro, the new iPad is a great evolutionary product for its screen, processing power and upgraded camera. “The main reasons that sells the iPad the most is its availability of Apps and its consistent OS updates. The quality of design of iPad optimized Apps in the iOS Store is much better than its Android counterparts,” he said, adding that he expects the iPad3 to launch in India in May this year.

     

    The new iPad’s Retina display delivers four times the number of pixels of iPad 2, so dense that the human eye is unable to distinguish individual pixels when held at a normal distance, making web pages, text, images and video look incredibly sharp and realistic. The 3.1 million pixels in the Retina display are more than one million more pixels than an HDTV, and with 44 per cent increased colour saturation the new iPad displays colors that are unbelievably richer, deeper and more vivid. Movies are now capable of playing at full 1080p HD-resolution, delivering an incomparable viewing experience on a mobile device.

     

    The A5X chip with quad-core graphics promises to deliver a fast, responsive user experience while supporting the incredible Retina display. With double the graphics performance of the A5 chip, the A5X facilitates a Multi-Touch interface, immersive gameplay and visual depth.

     

     

    Writes Patrick Thornton on Poynter.org:

    “The new iPad could finally elevate the text reading experience on a tablet to something much more akin to reading a printed newspaper, magazine or book. Most major news organizations have released iPad apps, but the blurry, pixelated text from the relatively low-resolution iPad 1 and 2 always stood out. iPad news apps may have great looking photos, videos and interactive graphics, but text – often the core of what a news organization produces – doesn’t look that good, especially in comparison to what humans have been able to enjoy for hundreds of years.”

     

    iPad Wi-Fi + 4G with built-in next generation 4G LTE offers support for fast networks including HSPA+ and DC-HSDPA, and now both CDMA and GSM iPad users have the ability to easily roam internationally.

     

    Comments Amy Gahran on the Knight Digital Media Center site: “Over the last two weeks, such updates include the iPad apps for the New York Times, Associated Press, New York Daily News, Pulse News, Flipboard, NBC Nightly News, the Guardian (Eyewitness app), the Star Tribune and more.

     

    Now that the specs and capabilities of the iPad3 have been confirmed, it’s likely that even more news organizations will be revamping both their apps and the kind of content delivered through them-especially the resolution of photos, video, and graphics.”

     

    The new iPad also supports dictation, another amazing way to get things done just using your voice. Instead of typing, tap the microphone icon on the keyboard, then say what you want to say and the new iPad listens. Tap done, and iPad converts your words into text. You can use dictation to write messages, take notes, search the web and more. Dictation also works with third-party apps, so you can update your Facebook status, tweet, or write Instagram captions.

     

    The new iPad Wi-Fi models will be available in black or white from Friday, March 16 for a suggested retail price of $499 for the 16GB model, $599 for the 32GB model and $699 for the 64GB model. iPad Wi-Fi + 4G for either AT&T or Verizon will be available for a suggested retail price of $629 for the 16GB model, $729 for the 32GB model and $829 for the 64GB model. iPad will also be available in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Puerto Rico, Singapore, Switzerland, UK and the US Virgin Islands from March 16.

     

    By the end of March iPad will be available in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Macau, Mexico, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.

     

    A final word from Gahran: What will be more interesting will be to see if later this year Apple finally launches a smaller, cheaper iPad mini. This long-rumored unicorn so far has failed to materialize-but if the Kindle Fire and other smaller Android tablets keep gaining ground fast, Apple might be tempted to compete with this large consumer market segment.  It’s still a rough economy out there – and the lesson of how Android quickly came to dominate the US smartphone market is probably not lost on Apple. An iPad mini would have very different device and app support capabilities, which would require more significant adaptation from apps and mobile websites.”

     

    Please read:

    BusinessWeek: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-03-07/apples-big-show-the-tech-bloggers-prom

    Poynter.org: http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/top-stories/165618/ipad-3s-retina-display-will-make -news-apps-stand-out-present-new-challenges-for-news-orgs/

    Knight Digital Media Center: http://www.knightdigitalmediacenter.org/news_blog/comments/20120307 _ipad_3_launches_what_does_it_mean_for_news_publishers/

     

     

     

     

  • Android Game 'Parking Frenzy' scaled its way to the No 7 position on the ‘Free Games' section in the Android Market (USA) recently, making it probably the first game from India to have featured this high in the space.

    Games2Win sets 20 mn users target for 2012

    By A Correspondent

     

    About a month ago, Rovio – creator of one of the most successful online game Angry Birds – made a significant announcement when it proclaimed its intention to touch the 1 billion download mark of the game by end of 2012. Not a difficult proposition, one may think, given the spurt in the online gaming market especially following the entry of supporting smartphones and operating systems. And so if a developer comes up with a game that’s unique and appeals to the masses, it would be a matter of a few days before the game races its way to being the most downloaded of the lot. This was the case with Parking Frenzy by Games2Win that made its way into the top 10 most downloaded games in the world, a few days ago.

     

    Android Game ‘Parking Frenzy’ scaled its way to the No 7 position on the ‘Free Games’ section in the Android Market (USA) recently, making it probably the first game from India to have featured this high in the space. At last count, the game had witnessed 2,676,668 installs, led by the US which recorded 636,660 installs, Germany – 197,204, Britain – 138,182, Spain – 137,128, Korea – 122,665, France – 119,187, Russia – 93,916, Italy – 84,833, Holland – 62,468, and Israel with 56,747 installs. Acknowledging the success, Raj Menon, Director – Business, Games2win said, “To be honest we knew it was a good app and would do well. But we did not expect it to be such a big hit. The game started out as any of our other games – a slow steady creep in the number of people downloading the app and playing it. Installs started rocketing from week two, and the growth hasn’t stopped since.”

     

    According to Mr Menon, the feat is unique as it is not every day that your app ranks higher than Twitter, Facebook Messenger and Angry Birds Rio. “So we are just soaking it in. But in reality, we are just concentrating on shipping – shipping the best games, apps and platforms that we hope our consumers will like.”

     

    On how the gaming market in India is evolving, Mr Menon said, “Indians are now used to the best entertainment in the world thanks to the internet. But they want it with a local flavour – something that they relate to. They play games on the world’s best sites; so they are becoming increasingly demanding in terms of game play. We have more than matched their expectations – we have the largest library of cricket games in the world and Indians just can’t have enough,” he quips.

     

    Asked why Indian online games have failed to make a mark on a global front, Mr Menon said, “There is no global ranking for individual online games like there is for mobile games on iTunes and the Android market. comScore ranks sites by traffic and Games2win is a top 20 gaming site in the world with an audience of over 15 million consumers. Our games are on the top gaming sites like Addicting games, the Spillgroup and Yahoo! So it would be unfair to say that Indian online games haven’t made the cut.”

     

    In fact, Games2Win has carved out a roadmap for 2012 where it plans to grow its base from 15 million to 20 million users on the online front. On the mobile front too, it will be releasing an app a month. Affirms Mr Menon, “The biggest release we have is Appucino which is Leaderboards on Steroids. Appucino is basically a location based leaderboard where users can capture their favourite location on Google Maps with their scores. Other gamers can topple these owners by simply scoring better. This ping-pong amongst gamers, we believe, will do wonders for the life of an app.”

     

  • Ramanujam Sridhar remembers The Wall, and what stood beyond it as we replay the various Amul ads on the former India skipper

    Amul ads on Rahul Dravid + Essay by R Sridhar

    By Ramanujam Sridhar

     

    David Ogilvy the advertising legend wanted that rare breed for his advertising agency “gentlemen with brains”. The greatest gentleman that ever trod the cricket field – Rahul Dravid called it quits from all forms of cricket at a farewell press conference at Bangalore on Friday. Even as encomiums pour in from all and sundry from different parts of the world, I thought I would write a few words about Dravid the cricketer and the person. His deeds on the cricket field have been well recorded. The nickname “the wall” was earned after years of playing some of the finest bowlers in the world in every cricketing country in the world and even as Indians earned the justifiable nickname of “lions at home and lambs abroad” Rahul Dravid stood head and shoulders above his more celebrated and written about colleagues – as he simply batted better abroad. More than his batting was his selfless attitude of team first, something that individual record obsessed Indians never fully understood. When he first declared the Indian innings with a desire to win a cricket match when Sachin was short of his century (though he was truly dawdling at the crease), Dravid copped a lot of criticism. But he soldiered on – always taken for granted, never truly appreciated to the extent that he should have been.

     

    For team balance he opened the batting though he was arguably India’s greatest number three ever. He kept wickets so that the team could accommodate another batsman. He shuffled himself in the batting order when he was captain when quicker runs were required. He never “whined to the press” when the BCCI dumped him from the captaincy. He was upset when he was recalled to the one day side a few years after being dropped and was constrained to announce his retirement. A lesser mortal might have felt used by Indian cricket and justifiably so. But the great gentleman and the wonderful cricketer he was, he took everything on his chin.

     

    A master who is still a student of the game

    Rahul Dravid is a great role model for young cricketers. He usually was the first person to enter the nets and the last to leave it. In today’s world of cricketers who think they are God the moment they get an IPL contract, he has been a model of modesty despite his phenomenal achievements. Success rested lightly on his broad shoulders and his sense of humor enabled him to keep things in perspective. When Shane Warne announced to the world that he had discovered a chink in his armour, Rahul just smiled and said “Warney is upto his usual tricks”. The next day he smashed him all over the park in his own quietly efficient way. He did a few endorsements too because any brand which was honest, reliable and something that would not let you down fitted the man to a “t”. He was a keen student of the game and would constantly be found with a book in his arm, something that is rare in a world which appreciates physical prowess more than the mental one.

     

    The words of the Walter Scott poem “unwept, unhonoured and unsung” come to mind as a possible epitaph to Rahul Dravid. While that has been the truth so far, I think history will recognize the value of the man and the cricketer. I will miss him on the field and hope to meet him more often now that he will not be living off suitcases and be in Bengaluru, the city that both of us belong to.

     

    Ramanujam Sridhar is the CEO of brand-comm and a Director of Custommerce, an organization committed to promoting customer service in the country.

     

    Read his blog at http://www.ramanujamsridhar.com for more articles, polls and to sign up for our mailing list.

     

    You can remain in touch with him on Facebook: facebook.com/RamanujamSridhar & Twitter: twitter.com/RamanujamSri

     

    LinkedIn: http://linkd.in/SridharRamanujam

     

     

  • has been appointed as National Director and will report to CVL Srinivas, Managing Director, LiquidThread, Asia-Pacific

    Manisha Tripathi to head SMG’s LiquidThread in India

    By A Correspondent

     

    LiquidThread announced on Monday that Manisha Tripathi has been appointed as National Director and will report to CVL Srinivas, Managing Director, LiquidThread, Asia-Pacific and Malli CR, CEO SMG India. She takes charge on March 12 and will be based out of the Gurgaon office.

     

    LiquidThread is Starcom MediaVest Group’s all screen content practice. In line with the network’s digital, open source approach, LiquidThread has increased the scale and innovation of SMG’s content creation, moving beyond branded entertainment to create communities, conversations and advocates for brand properties.

     

    Ms Tripathi has more than 15 years experience in roles spanning content creation, strategy and business development. She began her career with TV18 where she produced, directed and scripted stories for shows such as India Business Report and Amul India Show. She was part of the core programming team at Star Plus between 2000-2004 and worked on several successful shows including Khullja Sim Sim, Kya Masti Kya Dhoom, Kisme Kitna Hai Dum, Sonpari, Kyunki Saas Bhi and others.

     

    Ms Tripathi was closely associated with the strategy, planning and content development at TataSKy during its launch phase. In her stint with BigFM, she was station director, Goa where she developed, launched and ran the first privately owned FM station of Goa. She later became station director Delhi.

     

    Most recently, Ms Tripathi was associated with Alva Brothers Entertainment, first as President, Miditech, producing shows for a range of channels and later with Real Lifestyle Broadcasting Pvt Ltd.

     

    Confirming the appointment, CVL Srinivas said: “Manisha has been at the cutting edge of content creation and brings the right blend of creativity and business focus. Her coming on board will help us accelerate the growth of our branded content business”.

     

    Commenting on her move to LiquidThread, Ms Tripathi said: “I’m delighted to join LiquidThread and excited about creating brand inspired content that reaches out, connects, engages and interacts with consumers across different screens, generating valuable experiences.”

     

    Ms Tripathi is a post graduate in Social Communications in Media from Sophia, Shree BK Somani Memorial Polytechnic College, Mumbai.

     

  • Inspired by the success of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in cricket, almost every sport with some following in India is launching a city-based, professional league

    Life beyond cricket: 5 new leagues in 1.5yrs

    By Bhanu Pande

     

    If Pepsi’s latest commercial, ‘change the game’, prods people to switch from cricket to football, it hints at a fundamental shift in the way the cola major plans to use sports as a brand-building platform. It feeds off – and feeds into – a fundamental change happening in the Indian sporting landscape.

     

    Inspired by the success of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in cricket, almost every sport with some following in India is launching a city-based, professional league. Five new professional leagues have been announced in the last 18 months and, word is, two others are being revived. “The Indian sports consumer is looking for entertainment, diversion, passion and emotion,” said Shailendra Singh, joint managing director, Percept India, which is behind the Indian Boxing League (IBL). “League sport will ensure that.”

     

    But for leagues to become a permanent fixture, something only the IPL has managed so far, paramount is drawing sponsors and advertisers. If the initial response is any indication, sponsors of many hues are warming to them. Hero Motocorp is making big investments in hockey, the Mahindra Group in basketball, and the ongoing World Series Hockey (WSH) has Bridgestone and Vodafone among its sponsors.

     

    “Those chasing cricket will have to move to a life beyond it,” said Sanjay Sharma, head of JK Motorsport. “The canvas has to enlarge for brand marketers as cricket won’t continue to enjoy the status it does.” Besides cricket fatigue and the gathering momentum of other sports, there are three reasons why marketers and sponsors are gravitating towards these new leagues.

     

    Low-risk investment

    The new leagues offer a low-cost proposition. Unlike cricket, they don’t have to put a lot at stake. CVL Srinivas, chairman of Starcom MediaVest India, a global communication & media services group, said while sports is a good medium for brands to connect to the youth, the most popular of them, cricket, poses an entry barrier for many advertisers. “Many advertisers today see cricket as overpriced,” he said. “Emerging new leagues could give them an opportunity to enter sports in some way at a much lower cost.”

     

    Four years ago, when Bridgestone considered IPL as a medium for brand communication, it was put off by the price tags for premium rights. For example, DLF pays 40 crore per year to be the title sponsor of IPL. So, Bridgestone made a modest entry into cricket as a co-sponsor of IPL team Mumbai Indians. The decision to become the title sponsor for the ongoing World Series Hockey (WSH) came easy.

     

    The investment was low: Bridgestone is paying 2 crore per year in a three-year deal. And it gives the tyre company an opportunity to target North India, a market where hockey is popular and where Bridgestone was weak. “South India has always been our strong market and our association with Mumbai Indians is good enough to deliver there,” explained Vaibhav Saraf, GM (sales & marketing), Bridgestone India.

     

    Similarly, a 10-second spot on IPL cost 4-5 lakh, but just one-tenth on WSH. “Returns in non-cricket sports would be much lower,” Mr Srinivas qualified. Even then, the cost value equation works just fine for Bridgestone. “Even if our return on investment (RoI) from WSH is 10 crore worth of media mileage, we are happy,” said Mr Saraf.

     

    Besides Bridgestone, the other principal sponsors of WSH are Vodafone and Imperial Blue (Pernod Ricard India). “We evaluate all sponsorship proposals on a cost per reach and level of consumer engagement possible,” said Anuradha Aggarwal, senior vice-president-consumer insights & communications, Vodafone. “The WSH was efficient on both.” The early days of WSH have seen modest to half-filled stadiums.

     

    “Hockey is still not a proven sport, we are building it,” said Yannick Colaco, chief operating officer of Nimbus Sports, the promoter of WSH. “Some leagues in the past haven’t delivered, which is likely to make sponsors and advertiser sceptical for any new league.” Mr Colaco claimed the league has booked 15 brands on-air in the first week.

     

    He expects this number to increase to 40-50 by the time the tournament ends on April 2, yielding 50-60 crore from sponsorship and advertising revenues. “WSH is not here to topple cricket, but we hope to make it a strong number two property before we enter the second season,” he said, adding that marketers will have to have “realistic expectations” during early days and come in with a “long-term vision.”

     

    Proof of Concept

    One factor that gives the new leagues a greater chance is how they are structured. They follow the IPL model, which is city-based and essentially pays for itself by riding on a big TV rights sale. “IPL has proven that city loyalties exist, which has prepared the ground for other professional sporting leagues to take off,” said Darshan M, CEO of Machdar Motorsports, promoters of i1Super Car Race Series.

     

    In Premier League Soccer, Uro Infra Realty, a Kolkata-based real estate company, was the highest bidder for a franchise – 25 crore for Team Barasat over 10 years, or a franchisee fee of 2.5 crore per year. Each team can spend up to Rs 12.5 crore on players, which means Barasat (Uno Infra) will spend a total of 15 crore a year.

     

    Now, 50 per cent of the central revenues – essentially, the sale of TV rights and central sponsorships – would be equally divided among the six franchisees. In return, each team gets 2.5 crore as match rights fee for its five home matches. Then, each team can have eight sponsors, apart from ticketing and hospitality rights in home matches. “Considering the league will be broadcast in 50 countries other than India, it won’t be a problem for franchisees to recover their investment,” predicted Bhaswar Goswami, executive director, CMG, the promoter of PLS.

     

    The new leagues have learnt from the failure of the past. For example, the Indian Cricket League (ICL), promoted by Zee, died because it did not have a buy in from the Indian board that runs cricket in India and so could not draw the best of the current players. The new leagues are either taking the boards of their respective sports along (soccer, boxing and basketball) or are working towards it (hockey).

     

    Another learning is spreading it out. Premier Hockey League (PHL) – India’s first sporting league event launched in 2005 and WSH’s predecessor – was discontinued in 2008. “Any successful league the world over has had two fundamental elements: multiple ownership and multiple match locations,” said Mr Colaco of Nimbus. “PHL ignored both.” PHL teams were all owned by ESPN and all matches were held in Chandigarh. By comparison, WSH has eight franchisee teams playing in eight cities.

     

    When Fragmentation Works

    Sports promoters and marketers say sports like soccer and wrestling have a significant regional following, and brands can tap that. “For instance, a brand that wants to target audience in soccer-crazy West Bengal may want to ride the PLS,” said Indranil Das Blah, chief operating officer, Kwan Entertainment & Sport Solutions.

     

    Mr Aggarwal of Vodafone sees a fragmented market as more of an opportunity rather than a threat. “Marketing investments are fixed and need to deliver maximum RoI,” she said. “If local fragmentation delivers a higher RoI, marketers like us will not have any problem going regional.”

     

    Similarly, Mr Colaco points to how motor sports can target auto brands, be it cars, tyres, lubes or accessories. However, eventually, feels Mr Srinivas, leagues will have to make a national impact. “To sustain, they’ll have to become pan-India properties,” he said.

     

    Source: The Economic Times

    Copyright © 2012, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved

     

  • The occasion is the second birthday celebrations of AlphaOne,Amritsarwhich was attended by politicians, retailers, media, shoppers, corporates and celebrities

    Over 100,000 throng AlphaOne for grand celebrations

    By A Correspondent

     

    The AlphaOne team recently celebrated its second anniversary on March 5. Dr. Prodipta Sen, Executive Director, Marketing, Corporate Affairs & Retail, Alpha G:Corp, along with Navjot Singh Sidhu, MP, Tarun Chugh, Mandip Singh Manna,Punjabpoliticians, Dalbir Pannu, JV Partner, and Alpha team members cut the cake for the anniversary celebrations.

     

    Dr Sen addressed the media with the promise of adding further value to Amritsar. “AlphaOne substantially elevates the customer expectation and experience by constantly providing a truly cosmopolitan experience to Amritsaris, customized especially for them.”

     

    As a gesture of gratitude toAmritsarand Amritsaris, Dr Sen announced the launch of their landmark initiative, ‘Be the Change Club’. “This unique club is the next level of our initiative, ‘Amritsar Sparkling’. It will integrate AlphaOne’s CSR initiatives in the city.

     

    ‘Be the Change Club’ would consists of registered volunteers who would benefit from various learning programs, self-governance, personal development, health education programs, sports activities as well as career orientation counselling and seminars. The club will help members to contribute to the betterment of the city with initiatives based on that. The team believes in the progressive values of Learn, Earn and Return. Dr Sen said that they are seeking active participation from principals of colleges and institutions in supporting this cause by encouraging their students to join this collective initiative.”

     

    The logo of ‘Be the Change Club’, was unveiled by the AlphaOne Management at the bash. The unique club would engage in city welfare activities like green campaign, cleanliness drives, boosting civic amenities, among others.

     

    AlphaOne, since its launch in March 2010, has been adding value to the lives of families and youngsters ofAmritsarby creating opportunities for wholesome participation for all.

     

    The crowd witnessed and thoroughly enjoyed the first-ever Flash Mob inAmritsarat the Central Atrium of AlphaOne to mark the unveiling of ‘Be the Change Club’.

     

    The day started on a reverent note with Shri Sukhmani Sahib Path followed by Lamp lighting in the Central Atrium. The Alpha Team, for the first time, gave awards to recognize excellence to the retailers at AlphaOne in several notable categories, namely, Best Store Employee Award, Best Store Team – Anchor, Vanilla, Food Court, Entertainment and Special Dining, Best Store Manager – Anchor, Vanilla, Food Court, Entertainment and Special Dining Best Marketing Efforts – Vanilla, Best Store – Anchor (Consumer’s and Jury’s Choice), Best Store – Vanilla (Consumer’s and Jury’s Choice) and Best Store – Food Court (Jury Choice).

     

    An inspiring Sufi (Fusion) rock band performance by Satvik group was the climax to the day’s celebrations.

     

    AlphaOne offers the best of national, international and regional brands while also retaining the best of the vibrant Amritsari spirit. It caters to the city ofAmritsar, and as a corporate citizen involves itself with initiatives that qualitatively and quantitatively contribute to the betterment of societal welfare in the realms of health, positive public awareness, entertainment, community participation, cultural and spiritual well-being.