MxMIndia

Category: MEDIA

  • The conclave introduces Thinktent, a platform for aspiring professionals and students to interact with speakers. Live budget analysis roundtable managed by Business Today editors

    IndiaToday Conclave 2012: Securing the global promise

    By A Correspondent

     

    The India Today Conclave, India’s largest thought festival for the finest minds from across the country and the world, is scheduled to take place in the capital on March 16-17. The theme this year is The Asian Century: Securing the Global Promise. The focus, as usual, is on contemporary concerns as well as on innovations. But the Conclave will have a wider reach this year. Because India Today firmly believes that the more ideas are shared the bigger they become.

     

    The India Today Conclave goes free with ThinkTent, a brand new innovation this year, to increase the reach of the Conclave and to engage theIndiaof tomorrow-young executives and management students. Conceived as an outdoor event in a massive and comfortable tent, ThinkTent will beam proceedings live, via giant screens, concurrently with the Conclave.

     

    Not just that, the audience will get the opportunity to interact with Conclave speakers, who will also be available for photo ops and autograph sessions. One can register for ThinkTent at the Conclave website and, if selected, can be a part of ThinkTent for free.

     

    The Conclave is also proud to present a debriefing session from the Union Finance Minister, Pranab Mukherjee, a day after he presents the Budget to the nation. March 17 will open with the Finance Minister’s keynote address, explaining his budget. Delegates will get the rare opportunity of interacting with him over a Q&A session.

     

    On March 17, Akhilesh Yadav, the young Samajwadi Party leader, who has pedaled his party to sweeping electoral success, will address the Conclave. But he will not be the only one. There will be the opportunity to listen to a range of new heirs of political dynasties from acrossIndiaand its neighbours-from Namal Rajapaksa, MP,Sri Lanka, to Sajeeb Wazed, Special Adviser toAwami League,Bangladesh, Omar Abdullah, the Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir and Shehrbano Taseer, Journalist,Pakistan.

     

    With India Today’s culture of being in step with news, this year there will be a concurrent session, The Business Today Budget Studio@India Today Conclave, on March 16. The live budget coverage will be accompanied by senior editors from Business Today, India’s premier-most business magazine, and experts from the world of finance explaining the implications of the budget and answering queries.

     

    As usual, the Conclave promises to be a star-studded affair. Beginning with an inaugural keynote address by social activist Anna Hazare on ‘Yeh Dil Maange No More Corruption’, the two-day conference will reflect the full range of contemporary interests, passions and concerns: India’s favourite cricketers Virender Sehwag and Harbhajan Singh on the zigzagging fortunes of Indian cricket; superstar Kareena Kapoor on the rise of the New Heroine in Bollywood; His Excellency Anwar Bin Ibrahim, Leader of Opposition and Former Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, on arguments for democracy and a keynote address by Henry Kissinger, Former Secretary of State of the United States of America and Nobel Laureate.

     

    The conclave will close with  Imran Khan,  Pakistan’s legendary cricket captain and chairman of the political outfit, Tehreek-e-Insaf, delivering the Dinner Keynote address. The event will be followed by a gala dinner, specially created by British gourmet chef, Rob Rees.

     

    With some of the finest minds from around the world assembling inNew Delhi, The India Today Conclave will once again provide the perfect platform for a free and frank exchange of ideas.

     

  • Customers to benefit from integrated attribution solution for ad campaign analysis

    MediaMind and Encore Media Metrics Announce Partnership

    By A Correspondent

     

    MediaMind, the leading independent provider of integrated digital advertising solutions, announced recently its partnership with Encore Media Metrics to deliver cross-channel, full-funnel attribution as an extension of the MediaMind platform.

     

    Marketers can now receive deep, actionable insights through robust, attribution-based reports through the partnership. As an integrated solution, MediaMind and Encore are reducing the cost, complexity and level of effort normally associated with advanced analytics.

     

    Attribution solves the ‘last-click’ problem by allocating partial credit to each impression, click and interaction that influence conversions. Through Encore’s statistically validated attribution model, marketers can see the true performance of each channel, vendor, placement and keyword. Encore also measures the optimal frequency for converters while quantifying opportunities to expand reach and increase ad efficiency. Armed with these insights, marketers can optimize campaigns effectively and efficiently while gleaning a deeper understanding of customer engagement cycles.

     

    “Advertisers and their technology partners are challenged to optimize every dollar in a media buy,” said Gal Trifon, General Manager, MediaMind and Chief Digital Officer, DG. “Collaborating with Encore provides our customers another opportunity to maximize campaign performance at a channel, vendor, placement and keyword level, as well as determine optimal frequency, engagement cycles, and KPIs for search, display, affiliate, email, social and other digital media.”

     

    “With the fragmentation of digital media, advertisers and media agencies find it increasingly difficult to track how consumers respond to cross channel campaigns,” said Steve Latham, Founder and CEO, Encore Media Metrics. “By integrating the Encore solution with the MediaMind platform, advertisers will have easy access to advanced insights into their ongoing campaigns while saving time, money and energy.”

     

    “To date, the biggest hurdle faced by our customers to full-funnel, cross-channel views is the level of effort required to deploy yet another point-solution across each campaign,” said Jordan Khoo, MediaMind APAC Regional Director. “We’re very pleased to be able to bring an integrated attribution solution to our customers to reduce their workload.”

     

    MediaMind, a division of DG (NASDAQ: DGIT), is a leading global provider of digital advertising campaign management solutions to advertising agencies and advertisers. MediaMind provides media and creative agencies, advertisers and publishers with an integrated platform to manage campaigns across digital media channels and a variety of formats, including rich media, in-stream video, display, search and mobile.

     

    Encore Media Metrics helps advertisers and media vendors optimize performance through better analytics. Encore helps clients measure performance across channels and beyond the last click, producing actionable insights while reducing the cost and complexity of media measurement.

     

  • There are a few advertisers who have raised concerns over low returns against large investments on IPL

    Has IPL become too expensive for advertisers?

    By Rishi Vora

     

    After Rahul Dravid announced his retirement from international cricket on March 9, senior journalists, fellow cricketers and fans pondered over the future ofIndiaas far as test cricket was concerned. While that’s an issue selectors for the Indian cricket team have to sort out soon, officials from IPL and Multi Screen Pvt Ltd have to come up with real quick ideas to woo key advertisers, so that they remain invested in the property, especially after the 10 per cent hike in the ad rates for Season 5.

     

    The 10 per cent hike in ad rates means that advertisers will have to pay upwards of Rs5 lakh per 10 second spot. Last year, afterIndia’s fabulous performance in the World Cup, MSM hiked ad rates by about 25 per cent.  The season delivered an average rating of 3.91, lowest ever in four seasons.

     

    So season 5 was always going to be a challenge considering the slowdown andIndia’s continued poor run inAustralia. However, despite these challenges, MSM has managed to rope in a few sponsors already. Pepsi, Vodafone, Tata Photon and Idea have been signed on as sponsors and, furthermore, the broadcast partner is in process of finalising a few more deals.

     

    But, as a matter of fact, there are a few advertisers who have raised concerns over low returns against large investments on IPL and two amongst those – LG Electronics India and Godrej that have been sponsors from the start of the tournament have decided to pull out this year. They don’t think it’s worth the money anymore.

     

    LG Electronics India’s Chief Marketing Officer, L K Gupta told MxMIndia: “It is true that we’ve opted out of IPL this year. While it is the single largest property on TV, the fact of the matter is that there is only a certain level to commit marketing funds and the return we get in terms of TRPs does not really justify the high level of spending. Last year we felt the pinch, so we decided to stay out this year.”

     

    Godrej too is said to have opted out on similar grounds.

     

    Maruti Suzuki, which as a policy spends about 23 per cent on sports every year, of which cricket commands a reasonable share, has always restrained from being associated with IPL. Shashank Srivastava, Chief Marketing Officer explained his stance: “We invested in the World Cup last year. We don’t invest in IPL because for a company like ours, one needs to put in a lot of spike. IPL gives you good reach. In terms of viewership, it gives you good returns for 5-6 weeks which is something ideal for new launches or new product offering. So the money which goes in on buying IPL, and in return what you get for a brand like Maruti is not much.”

     

    A senior media professional who requested anonymity said that India’s richest league commands nothing less than Rs65 crore for presenting rights and Rs45 crore for being an associate sponsor. He said: “This is serious money you’re talking about. They (MSM) have increased by 10 per cent on ad rates, and they are under tremendous pressure to cut down further.”

     

    Nitin Jain, Co-Founder, DoMor Communications said the broadcast partner will eventually have to come down to last year’s price which was around Rs4.5 to 4.75 lakh per 10-second spot. “I’m sure the broadcaster is in talks with many clients, but from what I understand, it is going to be a game of who blinks first.”

     

    Buying his point is Nimbus sports COO Yannick Colaco who said: “I think advertisers are just waiting to see if the rates can be brought down. It’s pretty usual for advertisers to do this as a practice to get better deals out of the broadcaster.  IPL is a big tournament and advertisers will eventually look to advertise on a property of that scale, so I think it’s just a matter of time before they (MSM) sell out and a formal announcement is made.”

     

    It is learnt that MSM has initiated talks with Cadbury, but it is not entirely clear if the chocolate brand has signed the deal officially. On-ground sponsors for season 5 are DLF, Hero Motocorp, Karbonn Mobiles and Volkswagen.

     

    Set Max officials could not be reached but it is said that this year the attempt is also to sell smaller packages of 20-25 matches to cash in on advertisers with limited budgets. Also, it is not leaving any stone unturned in promoting the mega event. It is believed that a whopping Rs45 crore is being spent to bring the IPL fever back among viewers.

     

    It will be interesting to see how things turn out to be for all stakeholders of the mega property.

     

  • The Kannada Kaun Banega Crorepati promises to be as big a hit as its counterparts in Hindi and other languages.

    Kannadada Kotyadhipathi locks ads, to air from tonight

    By Tuhina Anand

     

    Kannadada Kotyadhipathi goes on air tonight (on March 12) on Suvarna, and the team behind it has pulled out all the stops to make it a success. The channel has closed on its sponsors which are a mix of both national and local advertisers. The presenting sponsor for the show is Santoor and it is powered by Pepsodent. The telecom partner is Airtel while the banking partner is Vijaya Bank. The associate sponsors for KBC include Confident Group, Bhima Jewellers, Sunfeast, Muthoot Fin Corp, Mentos, Tata Motors. Big FM is the radio partner and Suvarna News is the news partner. It is learnt that in terms of revenues the channel is getting a premium on this property; the average spot rate for this show is three times more than that of a regular show.

     

    It is seen as the biggest property in Kannada and the channel has been promoting the show heavily on its own platform. Besides, there is a complete 360-degree marketing plan to promote the show across ATL and BTL activities. During the launch phase, there was print advertising in all key publications of the state. Radio activity included radio spots and RJ mentions. In OOH, 100 hoardings are up in the state promoting the show and 10000 posters across the state. There was also a mobile canter activity conducting events across 15 towns of the state is on for one month. Bus shelters across key areas of Bangalore were taken besides branding in high-traffic key retail outlets of the state. 10 kiosks in high traffic areas are planned across Bangalore city plus a mobile application with which key info of the show like schedule, pics, videos and a quiz game will be live for Android phones. In the online space, there has been engagement via Facebook and videos on YouTube.

     

    For the sustenance activity, the plan is to continue with print advertising in key publications. Radio activity with radio spots and RJ mentions will continue besides the hoardings and mobile application and online activity. Anup Chandrashekaran, the channel’s Business Head, said, “This is the biggest show on Kannada Television and we expect that this show will break all previous records in terms of performance & revenues. The look and feel of the show and the production values are of international standards.”

     

    “Kannadada Kotyadhipathi is yet another show that stands for wholesome family entertainment. We at Suvarna are happy that Puneeth Rajkumar, the face of the Kannada film industry, is doing this path-breaking show for us. The format of the show is unique as this gives the common people an opportunity to use their knowledge and change their lives. Big Synergy, the production house which produced the Hindi version of KBC, is also doing this version. They are a team of experts and I am happy to be associated with them,” added Mr Chandrashekaran.

     

    He also said other shows are planned to be launched around KBC. He said, “We have lined up an array of fiction shows to come up in the next few weeks. The first show to be on air would be “Amrutavarshini” this show is about a naive girl from a middle-class family who gets married into a rich family. The show looks at the mother-in-law – daughter-in-law relationship through a new lens. We are also working on a few other fiction shows which fall in line with our channel philosophy of offering differentiated content.”

     

  • Radio Netherlands' Country Manager Amitabh Srivastava tells MxMIndia that talk radio is the next big thing.

    Intnl radio stns will soon enter India: Amitabh Srivastava

    By Robin Thomas

     

    Amitabh Srivastava is the Country Manager – South Asia, Radio Netherlands Worldwide. Prior to working with Radio Netherlands, Mr Srivastava was the Director, Affiliate Relations at Walt Disney Company and General Manager at TV Today where he worked for a total of five years. In conversation with MxMIndia’s Robin Thomas, Mr Srivastava spoke at length on the six-year-long journey of Radio Netherlands in India, on phase III developments, various initiatives of the Dutch international broadcaster in India and much more.

     

    Q: Radio Netherlands has been in India for the last six years. How would you rate the year 2011 for RNW and the journey since the India launch?

    Radio Netherlands Worldwide had exponential growth, both in terms of brand building and our key responsibility areas of promoting issues related to human and nature welfare. Our milestones were partnership with Reliance and State Radio Service AIR on co-production, which propelled the growth from thousands to millions. Apart from this, we have also tied up with regional and university radio – IGNOU Gyanwani, which has equally benefited us to mark our footprints in smaller areas, thus leading to a gradual development in this part of the world.

     

    Q: How are you viewing the Indian market from the radio perspective?

    India is a big nation and above all a huge audience size to attract any international broadcaster. Its diverse nature and broad media landscape ensures that any broadcaster invests resources on both commercial and for welfare means.

     

    Q: You had launched web and mobile sites Lovematters.info and Lovematters.in in November 2011; how has the response been so far? How do you plan to take this initiative forward?

    We had an overwhelming response and great uptake from our partners on both the versions of the websites. We had tie up with Reliance to launch the WAP version of the site which has been a great success. Also we had marketing campaigns (On Ground and Web) with various web portals and campuses which resulted into further promotion of our websites. We are also trying to get partnership with other telecom operators on pay mode to ensure sustainability in a longer run. FPA (Family Planning Association of India) also joined hands with us for this noble cause.

     

    We are planning to launch Love Matters to other parts of the world, for example in Latin America.

     

    Q: There are so many websites and information available on sexual health; how is Lovematters any different? How does the mobile site work? Is there a separate team working on these sites?

    We are an independent broadcaster which provides reliable information. Also, we have experience in making journalistic content for a young audience. It’s a one-stop solution and a comprehensive database for all sexual-related issues. It is to have a Dutch purview, but has been customised especially for the Indian audience with its cultural sensitivities taken care of.

     

    We have the mobile site on the WAP model on a lighter version which works quite brilliantly on the GPRS mode too. We have a dedicated editor in India as well as a complete editorial and technical team already on it from Hilversum, Holland.

     

    More so looking at the response we have a Hindi website too, which is www.lovematters.in.

     

    Q: Besides the audience, are advertisers, particularly youth marketers keen on advertising on the website?

    We are a state-funded organization, hence this is no issue for us.

     

    Q: In 2010 Radio Netherlands tied up with Web 18 for news on in.com as well as for international music on their website. Tell us more about how the deal has shaped up today? What are the other digital technologies you have invested in?

    Yes indeed we had a tie up with Web 18 for their web portal www.in.com. We are successfully running our strategic partnership with RNW music content on their sites as web stream radio and experienced good uptake by our listeners.

     

    We have developed APPS for Apple products, RNW Apps (Light Version) and other application programming Interface to strengthen our footprints in the new media.

     

    Q: Are you observing the FM phase III developments? The government has given its nod to air news on FM radio sourced from the government-owned All India Radio (AIR). FDI limit has been marginally increased from 20 to 26 per cent, there will be additional 800 stations in 300 new cities. How does Radio Netherlands India view all these developments?

    With this initiative I am sure many of the international broadcasters will try to base themselves, which will further enhance the need for talk radio which is already an established model on the global platform. The embargo on news and current affairs in India will be lifted as a result of this initiative, thus giving us more space to do some quality partnering with FM channels.

     

    Q: Are there any specific challenges that a foreign media faces when it enters the India market especially from a radio perspective? In a few years from now do you see these challenges being met or overcome?

    As stated, I believe, soon we will find the Indian radio industry catering to audiences from a global perspective. Besides this, since a new investment opportunity will also lift the embargo on news and current affairs, it will also make talk radio available in India. Hence I am hopeful to see these developments in the near future.

     

    Q: Do you agree that radio is a highly regulated medium in India and that it needs to be self-regulated?

    Yes radio is regulated to some extent which encompasses a restrictive circle to adhere to. In my opinion, we must have news and current affairs also to be part of the programming rights which will certainly prove a boon to the radio industry, as Bollywood songs and other contents are being exploited to a much desirable extent in other forms of media as well.

     

    Q: What are some of the lessons the Indian radio industry can learn from their international counterparts?

    Interactivity is the element that seems to be missing in the FM channels in India. Talk radio is the key to ensure that we have the missing piece in place. We are seeing the same already running successfully on the global platform.

     

    Q: Can you throw some light on the India-specific plans of Radio Netherlands? What is the business like in the South Asian markets?

    Radio Netherlands Worldwide needs to cut 70 per cent of its budget from 2013. We will focus entirely on making journalistic content to encourage free speech. It’s difficult to say anything about plans for the South Asian markets, because that’s still undecided.

     

    Q: How different is the radio industry in, say, Pakistan or Sri Lanka?

    The South Asian subcontinent on the landscape has primarily the same behaviour. Hence I don’t see any structural difference, however I do agree that press freedom is much curtailed and there is lack of free speech in these countries as compared to India.

     

    Q: What is the team size in India and in other South Asian markets? Any expansion plans?
    In India we have an office in New Delhi and dedicated producers for All India Radio co-productions. Apart from the distribution team we also have an editor based in the same region too.

     

    Q: On a lighter note what is a typical day like for Mr Amitabh Srivastava, Country Manager- South Asia, Radio Netherlands Worldwide?

    Well, I work in two countries at the same time. All my partners and potential partners work according to IST (Indian Standard Time) which normally starts at 10am, and since I have my team in Hilversum hence I have to work till the office timings in Netherlands which is 11pm IST. I enjoy being busy!! Plus I love meeting people and also spent good amount of time on social media for personal and professional reasons which helps me a great deal.

  • The magazine aims to capture the attention of new home owners and renovators, architects and designers as well as design enthusiasts

    Conde Nast India launches Architectural Digest

    Deepika Padukone with Alex Kuruvilla (MD Conde Nast India) & Manju Sara Rajan, Editor of Architectural Digest India

    By A Correspondent

     

    Publishing group Conde Nast India launched their fourth magazine title, the Indian edition of AD Architectural Digest, following the success of premium luxury magazines Vogue, GQ and Conde Nast Traveller. Architectural Digest in India will position itself as the most trusted authority on design, architecture and living.

     

    AD India is the ninth edition of the magazine, after the United States, Italy, Germany, France, Mexico, Russia, Spain and China. It is targeted towards the affluent Indian population in the age group of 25 to 50 years who aspire for fashionable living spaces. The magazine aims to capture the attention of new home owners and renovators, architects and designers as well as design enthusiasts.

     

    Speaking on the launch of Architectural Digest in India, Alex Kuruvilla, Managing Director of Conde Nast India said: “Having established leadership in the luxury lifestyle magazine space with Vogue, GQ and Conde Nast Traveller, we are happy to extend our portfolio and bring Architectural Digest in India, recognized as the world’s design bible – the most trusted authority on design, architecture and living to Indian homes.”

     

    The bi-monthly magazine will be priced at Rs150. AD’s editorial content is broadly divided into four key parts, including AD Discover with a focus on news, trends and lifestyle; AD Perspective bringing to light the people who matter; AD Spaces featuring the most beautiful homes and the AD Inside section sharing advice and tips on the must-have products. Key target markets for the magazine include metros like Mumbai, New Delhi and Bangalore.

     

    Manju Sara Rajan, editor of Architectural Digest India shared: “The editorial content of this bi-monthly magazine will contain photo spreads of the best homes in the world, feature stories on the latest trends and people in design plus advice on practical solutions for home improvement. AD will become an essential resource for refined home-owners planning luxurious spaces.”

     

    “By showcasing the best of contemporary Indian design and key international trends, AD will help readers visualise, plan, adapt and innovate homes to reflect the personalities of the people who live in them,” she added.

     

    The launch event of AD was held in Delhi on March 9 at the Aman in association with India Design Forum (IDF) and supported by Absolut elyx and Maserati.

     

     

    Architectural Digest, an interior design magazine published by Conde Nast was founded in 1920. The magazine is aimed at an affluent and style-conscious readership. AD is positioned as the most trusted authority on design, architecture and living. The Indian edition of AD Architectural Digest will present the very best of international and Indian architecture and design.

     

    Conde Nast, a division of Advance Publications, sets the benchmark for magazine publishing excellence. Conde Nast currently operates in 24 countries, publishing 126 magazines, and with 98 innovative websites from Conde Nast Digital.  Recent print launches include GQ inBrazil, Wired in the UK and Italy, Vogue in Turkey, and Conde Nast Traveller in India . Conde Nast India is a 100 per cent owned subsidiary of Conde Nast International.

     

  • Ms Sengupta will take charge of the agency's strategic offering and product development. She will also take custodianship of Havas Media's proprietary tools and processes

    MPG India appoints Ruma Sengupta as Director of Strategy

    By A Correspondent

     

    MPG India, the flagship brand of Havas Media, has announced the appointment of Ruma Sengupta as Director of Strategy.

    Based out of Mumbai, Ms Sengupta will work closely with MPG’s four key offices in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai, to take charge of the agency’s strategic offering and product development in keeping with the vision of Leading New Thinking. She will also take custodianship of Havas Media’s proprietary tools and processes.

     

    Ms Sengupta will report to Anita Nayyar, CEO of Havas Media South Asia and also work closely with the regional strategy team based out Singapore.

    Ms Sengupta joins the agency with 15 years of experience and expertise across marketing, branding, sales, strategy, MR and analytics. She was most recently the Director of Business Insight for Synovate, where she was responsible for key international clients across FMCG categories. Prior to this, she has worked as Business Head for IMRB International. Her diverse experience also includes working in senior marketing roles at Adlabs Films Limited owned by Reliance ADAG and United Spirits Limited at UB Group.

     

    Ms Sengupta’s longest stint has been with Ranbaxy Global Consumer Healthcare where she launched OTC & DTC business and managed it successfully through marketing and sales-distribution.

    Commenting on the appointment, Ms Nayyar said: “Havas Media is well-known for the high quality of its strategic product and tools and Ruma has the right credentials and attitude to take control of our strategic offering. Her flair is evident from her extraordinary background having worked with top research agencies like Synovate and IMRB. Her previous experience in spearheading marketing and innovation capabilities with brands is a plus.”

     

    MPG anchors Havas Media, the world’s fastest growing global media network and recipient of the network Service Award at the 2010 Valencia Festival of Media. MPG provides media planning & buying, strategic consulting, branded entertainment and interactive marketing services for a range of clients in every region of the world. With offices in 109 countries, MPG consists of over 3,500 media professionals working across a broad variety of disciplines and categories.

     

    Havas Media, the global media network of Havas, is one of the world’s fastest growing media groups having grown from 10 markets in 1999 to 122 markets in 2012. Havas Media services its clients through a portfolio of specialist global networks and agencies. The group is organised to maximise local market dynamics whilst leveraging the extensive global insight and strategic support under its Meaningful Brands framework and analysis.

     

    The companies within Havas Media include: MPG (Havas Media’s global media communications network), Arena Media (Havas Media’s tailor-made communications network), Havas Digital (Havas Media’s global interactive network) and Havas Sports & Entertainment (Havas Media’s global sports and entertainment communication network).

     

  • According to Radio Establishment Survey 2011 findings, although the mother tongue of 51 per cent of FM device owners is Marathi, an overwhelming 80 per cent of them prefer Hindi music

    Will Marathi content be a shot in the arm for FM in Mumbai?

    By Robin Thomas

     

    What’s common between radio stations in Kolkata, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Kolhapur, and Kochi? They give almost equal prominence to local music along with the Hindi or Bollywood songs. This is in direct contrast to the Mumbai market where FM stations mainly play Bollywood songs which are quite popular with the Mumbai listeners.

     

    According to RAM’s (Radio Audience Measurement), Radio Establishment Survey 2011 findings, although the mother tongue of 51 per cent of FM device owners in the city is Marathi, an overwhelming 80 per cent of them prefer Hindi music and RJ talks on radio. Nevertheless, the survey also revealed that as compared to 2007, the preference for music and RJ Talk in Marathi has witnessed an increase in 2011.

     

    It’s not that the all the FM stations in Mumbai have ignored the Marathi speaking audience. Big FM, Radio Mirchi and Radio City play Marathi songs, but only on Sundays and they are the only radio stations to do so.

     

    Big FM, for instance, has been airing Masala Chaha every Sundays between 7am to 9am since 2009, much before Raj Thackeray’s diktat to the radio stations to play Marathi music. But even then, a Big FM spokesperson was of the view that although there is a market for Marathi music, Mumbai being a cosmopolitan city, most Mumbaikars prefer listening to Bollywood music. “There is surely a market for Marathi music, given the high population of Marathi speaking public. However, Mumbai is a cosmopolitan city with a wide audience base, and a mass channel has to play the music that appeals the most… which is Hindi, a lot of it being Bollywood. Phase III will unleash the true potential of radio and will allow for more differentiation in content, along with newer genres and radio stations that will cater to a more specific audience base.”

     

    Radio Mirchi airs ‘Mumbai Dhol’ every Sunday, between 12 noon to 3pm, hosted by RJ Rohit. ‘Mumbai Dhol’ covers the culture of the city, the happenings and plays back to back Marathi music, contemporary and the classics.

     

    Indira Rangarajan, VP, Programming, West & Central, Radio Mirchi stated: “The response to our Marathi show – ‘Mumbai Dhol’ has been very good. Following the resurgence of Marathi films and music, we had decided to experiment with a slot specifically for Marathi songs and it has worked well. I believe there is plenty of scope for Marathi music in Mumbai and over the years this popularity will increase further.”

     

    RadioCitytoo plays Marathi retro songs every Sunday evening between 5pm to 6pm during ‘Sandhikali Aasha’, a radio programme hosted by RJ Vishaka.

     

    After looking at the Marathi content being offered by these three stations, one wonders if there scope for more Marathi content on Mumbai radio stations? Or will the Marathi music lovers have to wait a little longer for a radio station that caters to their tastes?

     

    Unlike the private radio stations, the government-owned FM stations, AIR FM2 Gold and AIR FM1 Rainbow, play a mix of Hindi and Marathi songs every day. The private radio stations would do well to take a lesson from these government-owned radio stations.

     

    Naval Toshniwal, CEO, Tomato FM, a Kolhapur-based FM radio station, was also of the view that although the potential for Marathi music is huge, Mumbai being a cosmopolitan city will play more Hindi or Bollywood songs. “Yes, there is a huge scope for Marathi music in Mumbai. However, no private FM station would want to play only Marathi music, it will have to play Bollywood or Hindi songs too because of the cosmopolitan listenership. Looking at the current FM scenario where every station sounds the same, I believe that a radio station which plays a little more Marathi music will create some amount of differentiation in the market.”

     

    FM stations in the city play Marathi hit songs during prime-time, especially on occasions like Maharashtra Day or Gudi Padwa. For instance, Big FM Mumbai will be playing Marathi songs during the breakfast show from March 19 to March 23, celebrating the occasion of Gudi Padwa.

     

    According to Janardhan Pandey, Associate VP, Mudra Max: “Although the market may not be big, the potential for Marathi listenership is huge in Mumbai. The issue, however, is that there has not been any serious attempt by FM stations to woo the Marathi listeners. Awareness about Marathi programmes aired on radio stations seem to be non-existent, the Marathi programmes or music are played during mostly non-prime time. However unless a FM station does not aggressively promote its Marathi programmes, and plays Marathi songs more frequently, it will neither add new listeners nor will it attract new advertisers. There are a lot of retail advertisers in the city catering to the Marathi audience.” Ajay Rao, Vice President, Dentsu stated: “There is a huge scope for Marathi listenership in Mumbai as Marathi generates high level of passion.”

     

    The good news is that increase in the frequency of Marathi music on radio stations could mean attracting new listeners to radio, and perhaps even new advertisers. Moreover, multiple frequencies may bring some good news to the Marathi music lovers as it will bring new genres of radio stations.

     

  • India Inc is watchful in their recruitment needs and is going through this uncertain phase with poise, according to the inaugural edition of the TimesJobs RecruiteX Quarterly Report

    Hiring expected to pick up in the coming quarter

    By A Correspondent

     

    Indian employers are treading on a cautious yet optimistic trail and maintaining staff levels across major industries. Employers have definitely become selective and are conscious about the need for ‘right’ hiring at this juncture. The good news is that this period of uncertainty is better than 2008, since there are no large layoffs or hefty cost cuts and people are not losing jobs.

     

    The inaugural issue of the TimesJobs RecruiteX Quarterly Report throws light on this trend providing expert opinions and data-backed insights into the demand for skills and talent and the supply of human resources & capital.

     

    The report is segregated into three sections: top ten industries, locations and experience ranges. For the industrial section, the report provides the views of market experts alongside the research analysis thereby providing a balanced and comprehensive view of the recruitment market. Similarly, for locations and experience levels, the findings are confirmed with the interviews of senior executives from major HR consultancies and companies.

     

    Industrial Hiring Patterns-

     

     

    The TimesJobs’ RecruiteX reports that all major industries clocked stable hiring patterns during the October-December 2011 quarter. According to the quarterly analysis of the RecruiteX, only three industries, BPO/ITeS, Consumer Durable/FMCG and Retail, out of the top ten industries, reported double-digit growth over the base level recorded in December 2010. Demand in support functions such as HR and Accounting & Finance has overshadowed core functions across top ten industries.

     

    This in-depth journal of statistics, information and analyses on employers (demand) and jobseekers (supply) and will serve as a reliable reference guide to present and future developments in recruitment.

     

    Geographic Hiring Patterns –

     

     

    As per TimesJobs’ RecruiteX, both, Delhi NCR and Mumbai have performed poorly on the demand index. Market experts opine that the hiring activity was negative in metros due to the poor macro-environment and negligible business investments.

     

    Among the other geographies that the TimesJobs RecruiteX covers, Pune witnessed decent growth in demand during the October-December 2011 quarter. Bangalore reported an increase in hiring activity and was the top performer during the same period.

     

    Work Ex Related Hiring Patterns –

     

     

    Hiring activity for fresher/junior level and executive level positions witnessed a substantial fillip while recruitments in the middle-management level were sluggish. In comparison, recruitment for top management positions was healthier.

     

    Demand for candidates with less than 2 years of experience was robust across industries and locations. The Demand Index for this segment registered an 18-point growth in December 2011 compared to July 2011.

     

    This TimesJobs RecruiteX Report reinforces the portal’s efforts in becoming a strong medium to pull Indian employment market closer to the line of reality and presents a balanced outlook on the positions & perspectives of employers and job-seekers in Indian employment scenario.

     

    Other Key Findings:

     

    • Hiring expected to start picking up during the transition period of January to March 2012
    • Consumer Durables/ FMCG, Automobile, Energy and Infrastructure sector could be major employment drivers in the coming months
    • Demand in support functions such as HR and Accounting & Finance has overshadowed core functions across top ten industries
    • Engineering is the only major profession to maintain consistent growth pattern during the quarter in allied industries, locations and experience levels
    • Amongst top locations, only Bangalore and West Bengal have been able to maintain healthy supply of talent
    • Demand for senior experienced professionals will grow in Education, Healthcare/ Pharmaceutical domain

     

    RecruiteX Methodology

     

    To minimise the scope of inaccuracy, the TimesJobs RecruiteX analysis is based on demand and supply data integrated with numbers collected by our offline teams and then segregated according to top industry verticals, experience ranges and locations. Demand for talent is computed by factoring activities of recruiters on TimesJobs.com. Supply of talent is calculated by the activities of the jobseekers on the portal. The base value of RecruiteX has been kept as 100 for the month of December 2010. All RecruiteX values for subsequent months represent the trend of RecruiteX viz-a-viz December 2010.

     

  • He will be handling the communication mandate for Wipro Technologies and the Corporate

    Vipin Nair joins Head of Communications at Wipro

    By A Correspondent

     

    Vipin Nair has joined as the Head-Communications at Wipro. He will be handling the communication mandate for Wipro Technologies and the Corporate.

     

    Mr Nair brings with him diverse experience in the media and a rich experience of close to two decades. He has worked with print publications as well as international news wires. He has worked as the Executive Editor of Ticker Plant. Prior to that he has been with NewsWire 18 and CRISIL Marketwire. He has also worked with print publications including The Economic Times and Financial Express among others.

     

  • Financial portal moneycontrol.com’s new commercial features 'rockstar netas'

    Budget comes alive on moneycontrol.com

    By A Correspondent

     

    Moneycontrol.com recently launched its Budget 2012 campaign Rock the Sabha, which shows some well-known political personalities hitting the high notes.

    The latest moneycontrol.com commercial, which is currently on the air, has set the ball rolling for moneycontrol.com’s Budget 2012 campaign. With key politicians like P Chidambaram, M Karunanidhi, Mamata Banerjee and Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee playing guitars and jiving to the beats of rock music, the rock concert effect introduces the Budget 2012 coverage on moneycontrol.com in an unexpected way.

    The bold punchline, ‘Budget Comes Alive’, brings to life the brand’s rather sober attitude and creates the right amount of curiosity towards the newly incorporated interactive elements like poll, debates, slideshows, online chats, LIVE blogging and videos on  moneycontrol.com’s budget page, said a release from the company.

    Commenting on the campaign, Lakshmi Narasimhan, CEO, Web 18, said, “Apart from communicating that moneycontrol.com presents the biggest Budget coverage online, one of the key objectives of this campaign was to give a fresh perspective to moneycontrol.com and reach out to new users.”

    Ravi Deshpande, Chief Creative Officer, Contract Advertising, said, “Moneycontrol.com is the undisputed No.1 financial portal of the nation. It has redefined the way finance is presented and consumed in today’s day and age. Which is why we thought its communication too has to make a bold, emphatic statement. If the Budget campaign is disruptive, it’s only to mirror what the brand is actually doing in the marketplace.”

    Kaushik Roy Senior Creative Director & AVP, Contract Advertising said, “It’s absolutely eye-opening! The way in which moneycontrol.com is taking the boredom out of the Budget presentation. The ‘Rock the Sabha’ campaign is an attempt to make that point loud and clear. We hope it will attract newer, younger audiences, in addition to exciting millions of existing users.”

    The ad can be viewed at http://t.in.com/budget2012.

     

  • As many as seven Indian entries are among the 89 finalists announced in the world’s premier competition for marketing newsmedia brands by the International Newsmedia Marketing Association.

    7 Indian finalists at INMA Awards 2012

    By A Correspondent

     

    As many as seven Indian entries are among the 89 finalists announced in the world’s premier competition for marketing newsmedia brands by the International Newsmedia Marketing Association (INMA) on Tuesday.

     

    Of the 89 marketing campaigns from 66 newsmedia companies in 23 countries selected as finalists for the INMA Awards 2012 competition by a global panel of judges. In India, there are seven finalists from five newsmedia companies for the INMA World Congress May 6-8 in Los Angeles.

     

    According to the INMA site, from these finalists, 30 first-place recipients across three audience groups will be announced Tuesday evening, May 8, at the conclusion of the INMA World Congress at the JW Marriott/LA Live in Los Angeles.

     

    The announcement also said, “The INMA Awards 2012 competition judging was completed recently by 24 industry expert judges from media companies, advertising agencies, trade magazines, and more. Judges came from the Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Mexico, Oman, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, United Kingdom, and the United States.”

     

    Earl J Wilkinson, executive director and CEO of INMA, said, “Almost all of the finalists were multi-media in nature aiming to motivate cross-platform subscription sales, integrated advertising solutions, and hybrid print/digital products.”

     

    Indian Finalists for the INMA Awards competition:

    (under each of the 10 categories, there were three sub-categories of under 75k, 75-300k, above 300k)

    Category 1: Marketing Campaign With the Best Results

    Over 300,000

    • The Economic Times, Mumbai, India, “The Economic Times – Young Leaders.”
    • The Telegraph, Calcutta, India, “t2.”

     

    Category 3: New Brand/Product/Audience Development

    Over 300,000

    • The Economic Times, Mumbai, India, “The Economic Times – Young Leaders.”

     

    Category 5: Marketing Solutions for Advertising Clients

    75,000-300,000

    • Mint, New Delhi, India, “Mint Brand Solutions – Values & Fortunes.”

     

    Category 6: Digital Audience Usage and Engagement

    Over 300,000

    • The Economic Times, Mumbai, India, “The Economic Times – Young Leaders.”

     

    Category 9: Print Single-Copy Sales

    Over 300,000

    • Malayala Manorama Weekly, Kottayam, India, “Haritham Kitchen Garden.”

     

    Category 10: Public Relations and Community Service

    75,000-300,000

    • Mid Day Infomedia Ltd., Mumbai, India, “Mid Day Domestic Violence Campaign.”

    Read more and check the complete list of 89 finalists at: http://www.inma.org/blogs/main/post.cfm/89-top-marketing-campaigns-named-finalists-in-inma-awards-2012-competition#ixzz1p1VpGNoJ