MxMIndia

Category: MEDIA

  • Watch a movie? Maybe. Or read, shop, check out sports. Or watch a movie.

    The Anchor: 6 things you could do in the looooong Diwali break this week

    There’s an extra long Diwali break coming up. So you’ve had to cancel your Bangkok holiday because of the deluge there and find the tickets to every other touristy place exorbitant? You would’ve liked to watch Ra One at least once, but the endless promos have ensure that you have the movie coming out of your ears, eyes and toe nails?

     

    Worry not. Here’s a recommendation from the MxMIndia editorial team of what you could do.

     

    #1 No 1 on our list is the exclusive biography of Steve Jobs. Written by Walter Isaacson, this book shot up on the Amazon popularity charts from oblivion to the top after Jobs passed away. Since it’s got the blessings of Jobs, be sure of getting some rare insights.

    It’s going to be on all bookstores and is available for quite a steal on Flipkart (Rs 559) or better still, off uRead.com at Rs 543. Hey, the 16 bucks could buy you a world of things. Isaacson’s book is scheduled to be out today (Oct 24).

     

    #2 Go shopping for the Smart TV at Chroma, eZone, Vijay Sales etc. The Samsung Smart TV or the other brands in the same genre. It can do loads of things together, plus also play videos from DVDs and YouTube. Prices are high, but can be fitted into EMI plans.

     

    #3 Get yourself a couple of DVDs. Check the ones at Flipkart (http://www.flipkart.com/movies). Okay the new releases may not excite you much: Nutcracker 3D is a downer. Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara has already been on telly recently, but if you want to see it at one go and with deleted scenes and the making of a few of the songs, go for it at Rs 255 (Flipkart again). Some good giftables are available from among the TV shows.

     

    #4 Live events: Eden Gardens is going to come alive with an ODI tomorrow (Oct 25) and a T20 encounter on Saturday (Oct 29)… the games are between India and England and they’ll be on Neo Cricket (and DD). There’s Metallica in Gurgaon (Oct 28) and Bengaluru (Oct 30). Plus of course Lady Gaga and all the entertainement acts to coincide with the big F1 days on Oct 28-30.

     

    #5 Go watch Ra One. Poor Shahrukh Khan. He’s invested huge sums of money and time for its promotion. May as well watch it. Meanwhile, visit MxMIndia next Monday for our expert view on the film and how we think the reviewers fared.

     

    #6 And last but definitely not the least, await MxMIndia’s Diwali special on Wednesday. Titled ‘It’s gr8 to be in the media’.  Guest writers plus Anil Thakraney, Ranjona Banerji, and, a little birdie tells us, even Mediaah! To those of you, who’ve been initiated to MxMIndia a little late, this may be a good opportunity to dig into our archives.

     

  • The theme of YCC 2012 was 'Role of Youth: Transforming Dialogue to Action.'

    Young changemakers talk about Change

    By Insiyah Rangwala

     

    The Young Changemakers Conclave (YCC) 2012 was held on April 14 at the US Consulate, Mumbai. Organized by Samyak Chakrabarty, Managing Director, Youth Media Group and team for the United Nations Information Centre forIndia and Bhutan (UNIC), in collaboration with the US Consulate General, and presented by UTV Bindaas, the Conclave which is in its second year, was being hosted in Mumbai for the first time. The key focus point of the Conclave was ‘Role of Youth: Transforming Dialogue To Action’.

     

    The Conclave was attended by 200 young individuals between the ages of 18 to 35 who were selected from diverse backgrounds of the 5000 who applied, to attend this near-day-long event to discuss, deliberate and confer on a wide array of topics while engaging with current day leaders and started off with an address by Mr Peter Haas, US Consul General, who talked about how change wasn’t meant to be easy.

     

    Thereafter a diverse and interesting list of dignitaries addressed the gathering:

    > Mr Suhel Sheth, Managing Partner, Counselage who talked about change being internal and about understanding yourself and changing yourself before the world.

    > Mr Arnab Goswami, Editor-in-chief, Times Now, spoke about how the fear of exposure is what leads to making people want to control the media and how that is a change that should be stopped

    > Mr Agnello Dias, Founder, Taproot spoke about creativity in finance and business.

     

    Other speakers included Mr Sanjay Nirupam and Mr Anurag Singh Thakur, both Members of Parliament who spoke about the importance of educating the youth about politics, and a mix of celebrities from the arts and cinema, sports, advocacy and hospitality. Masaba Gupta, Leander Paes, Rahul Akerkar, Rajeev Samant, Laxmi Narayan Tripathi, Asin Thottumkal, and Awista Ayub, Director, South Asia Program for Seeds of Peace, all of who spoke about their respective journeys to make a change in their own way. Musicians like Vishal Dadlani spoke about using music as an instrument for social change and how it is easier to sneak in a message through music. The event ended with a vote of thanks by Mr Keith Alphonso, Business Head, UTV Bindaas.

     

     

    Keith Alphonso, Business Head – UTV Bindass, talks to MxMIndia about what he defines as a changemaker, the channel’s new look and plans for Bindass

    The word change maker is used a lot nowadays. What do you, and the company, think is a change maker?

    Well, Bindass has always been about change. If you look at the brand, it has changed. This country is on the threshold of an immense amount of change across a variety of levels. I really think that for young people, success is a religion and achievers are their gods. Those who have taken the plunge beyond what society told them, they are the heroes for the kids today. Their achievement is what has identified them as a hero.

     

    Who do you believe are the three top Indian changemakers?

    A: I think it would be a gross injustice to name just three. The only thing that comes to my mind isIndiaitself, and the fact that there is a majority of young people today who are heroes. These are the kids who are going to drive the change, so there maybe 3,000 heroes in small towns who actually go out and do something to make a significant difference to the big guys you see on stage. I think it is the spirit of change that exists among the kids today that will be the changemaker.

     

    Bindass has changed their logo, so any comments about the new look.

    This is the third change we are going through because the audience changes at a supersonic level, there is no such thing as a steady state, especially when dealing with young people. The new look is about the change, so the new tag line- Restless – is about change. It’s about the fact that there is so much opportunity out there, that if you get up and do it now you will succeed and that is the message we want to take across.

     

    Future plans for Bindass…

    To start with the idea behind the new logo is that we celebrate the fact that ‘If you rest less rather than sitting ideal you will be successful and you will achieve’. We want to empower that transformation. We have several platforms through which we want to do it – we have two blockbuster shows coming up: Live Out Loud and Fearless. The brand is all about helping you change, helping you make that move to the better life. On ground we have got a whole string of activities- there is Campus, we’ve got something called the Bindass Buddies, a contact program which helps people get admission to college because that’s a huge problem for a lot of people. We’ve got a 5 city music tour that we are doing. So, the idea is not to do a couple of shows and just be happy. We are looking at the Young India and where we can make a difference.

     

     

  • ETV Marathi and Star Majha come on board as telecast and news partners respectively

    92.7 BIG FM returns with the second edition of BIG Marathi music awards

    By A Correspondent

     

    Reliance Broadcast Network Limited’s intellectual property vertical BIG Live and its radio arm 92.7 BIG FM, the Golden Mikes’ Broadcaster of the Year, have announced the second edition of BIG Marathi Music Awards 2012 – the biggest celebration of regional music for the Marathi music industry.

     

    After the phenomenal success last year, the second edition of BIG Marathi Music Awards promises to be bigger, better and more glamorous this year. ETV Marathi will once again be the official telecast partner and STAR Majha has come on board as the news partner. A special one hour segment of the ceremony will be aired on STAR Majha.

     

    BIG Marathi Music Awards 2012 is a unique platform conceptualized to recognize, applaud, and honour the extraordinary talent from the Marathi music industry who have significantly contributed to the music industry. These awards will have nominations across a wide range of categories and will also pay tribute to legendary artists of the Marathi music fraternity who have contributed to growing the industry and inspiring talented young singers and musicians to excel.

     

    The esteemed list of jury members include classical vocalist Arati Ankalikar, Ravindra Sathye and Sudesh Bhosle. The jury, along with the public, will select the winners.

     

    A judicious mix of media including 92.7 BIG FM, OOH media and the social media will be pressed into service to promote this property. The Facebook page which will be specially created for this property will allow the online users to browse through the page, explore links, and upload videos or files in related categories and above all a special voting application to vote for their favorite nominee of the awards. In addition to all this promotion an SMS push for the event will reach out to 10 lakhs consumers directly.

     

    Reliance Broadcast Network Limited is a multi-media entertainment conglomerate with play across radio, television, intellectual properties and out of home. It is part of the Reliance Group and specializes in creating and executing integrated media solutions for brands.

     

  • Recent media reports had suggested an equity infusion by Cinepolis, the world's fifth largest multiplex operator with more than 2,500 screens, into Big Cinemas

    Cinepolis in talks to pick stake in Big Cinemas

    By A Correspondent

     

    Mexican multiplex operator Cinepolis is in talks to pick up a significant stake in Reliance ADA Group’s Big Cinemas and later combine its Indian operations with that of Anil Ambani’s multiplex chain, a person involved in the negotiations said

     

    “Cinepolis wants to buy a meaningful stake in Big Cinemas,” the person told ET. The companies will consider merger of operations if the equity deal goes through, the person added on condition of anonymity.

     

    Recent media reports had suggested an equity infusion by Cinepolis, the world’s fifth largest multiplex operator with more than 2,500 screens, into Big Cinemas and a strategic alliance to acquire some of the latter’s cinema halls.

     

    Cinepolis India Joint Managing Director Deepak Marda denied any agreement to merge operations. “We continue to explore synergies with various multiplex operators, including the Reliance ADA group. But we have no such agreement in place,” he said in an email reply to a query. Mr Marda added Cinepolis is exploring good investment opportunities in the cinema exhibition space, including acquisition of companies.

     

    Reliance ADA Group officials refused to comment.

     

    Cinepolis entered India in 2009 and has so far launched 32 screens. Mr Marda said the company has signed contracts to set up more than 400 screens across various cities. An industry source, who did not want to be named, said Cinepolis is talking to other screen operators besides Big Cinemas and that some other acquisitions are likely to fructify faster.

     

    Cinepolis is getting aggressive in India because valuations in the business are dropping to more realistic levels from three years ago when deals happened at very high prices, the person said. “This is the perfect time to make acquisitions.”

     

    Such transactions take a long time to get finalised because the companies need to sort out contractual obligations with builders who lease cinema halls to the screen operators, the person said.

     

    Big Cinemas, the exhibition arm of Reliance MediaWorks, is the biggest movie hall operator in the country with more than 250 screens. It has over 500 screens worldwide.

     

    Other big players in the multiplex space include PVR Ltd, Inox Leisure and Fame, in which Inox has taken a majority stake.

     

    Source: The Economic Times
    Copyright © 2012, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved

  • The key objective of the survey was to factor in all the relevant components so that results reflect all the ideal key considerations of today's MBA aspirant

    Free Press releases annual B-school rankings

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Free Press group of newspapers has released its annual cluster rankings of Mumbai B-schools. The report is ranked in clusters and by specialisation in one of the most detailed surveys conducted.

     

    The specialisations covered are Marketing, Finance, Human Resources, Operations, IT/Systems/Technology. The ranking survey uses proprietary ranking methodology that includes expert inputs from important stakeholders like the corporate sector, faculty, alumni, analysis of some publicly available information, and detailed feedback from academic experts, making this a powerful tool for students.

     

    The survey covers B-Schools based out of Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Thane, offering a two-year, full-time postgraduate degree or diploma program in management studies. The key objective of the survey was to factor in all the relevant components in the research methodology deployed so that research results reflect all the ideal key considerations of today’s MBA aspirant.

     

    The 23-page report also has articles by senior educationists and counsellors. The full copy of the report can be downloaded at www.freepressjournal.in.

     

     

  • Mr. Kilambi has over 13 years of Marketing and Operations experience in the Media and FMCG industries

    Sriram Kilambi joins BloombergUTV as President

    By A Correspondent

     

    BloombergUTV, India’s premier business news channel announced the appointment of Mr Sriram Kilambi as the President of the channel with effect from April 16. Mr. Kilambi, an IIM-Bangalore alumnus, in his last assignment was Senior Vice-President and National Marketing Head for Radio Mirchi, the FM station of Entertainment Network India Ltd (ENIL). Mr. Kilambi has over 13 years of Marketing and Operations experience in the Media and FMCG industries.

     

    Mr. Harsha Subramaniam, Executive Producer, Bloomberg Television, welcoming Mr. Sriram Kilambi on-board, said: “Sriram is a terrific professional with a strong background in building brands across various platforms. We are excited to have him on board as BloombergUTV gears up to the next level of growth.”

     

    Mr. Kilambi, speaking about his new assignment as President BloombergUTV said: “I am quite excited to be on-board. The channel has made its mark in business news reporting and has seen excellent growth. It is a privilege to be able to work with the amazing team here and I am looking forward to being a part of a wonderful future.”

     

    Mr. Kilambi has earlier worked with Coca Cola India for seven years in various capacities and was instrumental in initiating and implementing key strategic plans for brands like ‘Coca-Cola’, ‘Kinley’ & ‘Georgia’. He also won two awards at the ‘2004 Coca-Cola Worldwide Marketing Awards’ for ‘Best Integrated Marketing Communications Program’ and ‘Consumer Insight with Greatest Business Impact’.

     

    Mr. Kilambi, 35, did his Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Economics from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi University before joining IIM-Bangalore for his post-graduation.

     

    BloombergUTV, India’s premier Business news channel is a strategic partnership between Bloomberg L.P., the global leader in business information, and the promoters (founders) of UTV,India’s leading integrated media and entertainment enterprise. With an enviable squad of Indian journalists, power of over 2500 professionals across the globe and a network of 145 bureaus, BloombergUTV is a product of local news gathering, production and distribution expertise combined with world class financial news capabilities and global reach. The channel is positioned as an enabler that cuts out the terminology and presents the honest truth.

     

  • This joint bid will combine Hansa's extensive experience of readership measurement in the Indian context with Ipsos' global expertise of conducting readership surveys in 60 countries

    Hansa, Ipsos to jointly bid for IRS in ’13, sign MoU

    By a Correspondent

     

    Hansa Research and Ipsos have entered into an MOU to jointly bid for the new Indian Readership Survey (IRS) contract that starts with IRS 2013. Hansa Research has been conducting the IRS, the world’s largest continuous readership survey for the last nine years i.e. since IRS 2003. This joint bid will combine Hansa’s extensive experience of readership measurement in the Indian context with Ipsos’ global expertise of conducting readership surveys in 60 countries. Through the joint participation, the two companies expect to make a very strong and forward looking pitch for the new IRS contract.

     

    Mr Ashok Das, Managing Director, Hansa Research Group said: “We are happy and excited to work with Ipsos on this prestigious project, and hope to bring in a number of new ideas into the IRS.”

     

    Mr Mick Gordon, CEO of Ipsos inIndiasaid: “We are delighted to be working with Hansa on this very exciting project and we hope we can persuade RSCI that our combination will be a very big plus for the industry. Ipsos measures readership in more than 60 countries around the world and has made a name for itself in introducing many innovations into this specialist area of market research – we were the first to use CAPI and DS-CAPI in readership measurement, for example. We believe we can add significant value to Hansa’s proven expertise and experience on the ground in India.”

     

    Speaking to MxMIndia, Mr. Suresh Nimbalkar, Senior Vice President, Hansa Research Group Pvt. Ltd said that the reason Hansa decided to join hands with Ipsos was to offerIndiathe best possible IRS. “We want to deliver the best possible product and we are working forward to it. We started people meter, IOS, we have continuously innovated and besides we have had a long standing relation with Ipsos. There is synergy between the two and so we decided to collaborate, rethink all aspects of IRS and offer an even better product (IRS) whether in technology, talent, and so on.”

     

    Hansa Research is a global full service market research agency headquartered in India, conducting market research in 77 countries with offices in India and US. Over the last few years, Hansa has developed sound mechanisms to reduce fieldwork related issues that has been widely acclaimed by research users for its ability to minimize some long standing industry weaknesses.

     

  • B2B Connect 2012 was the first such attempt by the network as they bought together marketing enthusiasts

    For LinkedIn, it’s abt being relevant & contextual

    By A correspondent

     

    While social media in India is largely about congregating on two of the busiest portals in the space, mostly for the sake of networking and fun, there is another experience – led largely by B2B marketers – that is setting the business community abuzz for a while now.

     

    Having arrived in India only in 2009, LinkedIn has emerged as one of the fastest growing professional networks in India, being valued by its members as professional, trusted, and creating a remarkably different social environment. Having managed to outperform expectations by clocking over 14 millions+ users in a span of just two years and further generating business leads in the range of 149 million, it was an opportune time for the network in India to get together the community responsible for driving such a change.

     

    B2B Connect 2012 was the first such attempt by the network as they bought together marketing enthusiasts – led largely by blue chip clients, evangelists and practitioners to look into the scope that the medium offered for professionals to liaise, interact, get business leads and even look out for talent – new and experienced. Not wanting anyone from the network to miss out on the excitement, the Indian contingent were even successful in getting the otherwise hesitant global CEO Jeff Weiner to be a part of the event as they got him to kick-start the proceedings with a keynote address.

     

    Mr Weiner began by admiring the efforts and innovations bought in by late Apple CEO, Steve Jobs, who he described as a talent to reckon with. “The reason Apple is what it is, because it managed to find the right talent for the right opportunity. Obviously, it helped in having a team that was as instrumental in achieving the desired objective.” Likewise for LinkedIn, the focus was on making sure that the right talent matched with right opportunity in making the association with professionals more productive and successful. Emphasising on the three key attributes that would drive the network in the future, Mr Weiner said that it would be about creating an Identity, Insight and being Everywhere.

     

    Throwing up impressive numbers put up by the three divisions at LinkedIn, Mr Weiner said that Hiring Solutions contributed about $261 million, Marketing Solutions contributed about $156 million while Premium Subscriptions contributed about $106 million to the overall growth. Overall, the network witnessed a growth in excess of 100 per cent YoY.

     

    Dhiman Mukherji

    According to Mr Weiner, India was at top of the the markets that were putting up an exciting show, as it grew by more than 300 per cent in terms of user base. Drawing from what Mr Weiner had expressed at the event regarding India being a force to reckon with, Dhiman Mukherji, Director, Marketing Solutions said that the focus is on how the network is positioning B2B in the forefront of everything it does.

     

    In an interaction with MxM India, he said: “What has really worked is that we have been able to create a B2B marketplace and this event is a celebration of that. In two years’ time we have been able to leverage with some of the leading brands in India and that is what has helped us take our business to new levels. When I joined the company in 2010, we were at 3 million-odd user base and today we are at 14 million users. So it’s all a result of not only good trade marketing that has happened but a lot of PR communication drive that has taken place. The fact that increasingly people are finding value in the LinkedIn proposition is what is making this medium click.”

     

    Having already created a strong user base in the realm of IT, according to Mr Mukherji, the focus, going forward, would be to break into each and every vertical, including energy, construction, real estate, and so on. In fact, they are already seeing some amount of traction in these verticals as well. “Going forward we would be increasing our focus towards financial, travel & tourism, auto, and others,” he said.

     

    Providing an APAC perspective, Olivier Legrand, Senior Director – Marketing Solutions, APAC said that India’s current hold is such that “some of the most sophisticated campaigns that have been running in Asia Pacific have been coming out of India. The Indian market has proven to be successful from the users’ perspective. Even in terms of the marketers, as they are really leveraging what’s really available on the platform. We have been consistently working with marketers on what are they trying to achieve and how we could help them in their journey,” he said.

     

    On how India stacks up to other Asia Pacific countries for LinkedIn, Mr Legrand said, “APAC and India are very critical for us in achieving our objective of connecting professionals. Of the 150 million professionals that we have connected thus far, about 25 million are from APAC. We are anticipating a big part of the growth in users to come from this part of the world. Other markets that have been delivering good growth include Australia, Malaysia, Korea, Japan.” He further stated that the key markets going forward would be Indonesia and Malaysia.

     

    On comparisons being drawn to other popular social media platforms of today, Mr Mukherji said: “The two pillars that separate us from the rest is relevance and context because at LinkedIn, it is all about being relevant and contextual. It’s about a network of people who are bonding to share insights, to get feedback from each other and really benefit from each other. Our solutions are such that they give marketers an ability to position their brand in a way that it turns out to be productive and in a manner which is in context to whatever is happening around them.”

     

    Mr Legrand has another version to offer. For him, it all boils down to the mission set by the network: “To connect the professionals in a way so as to make them productive and successful. So what we bring is focus, what we bring is professional identity online, what we bring is opportunities for users to connect with businesses.”

     

    According to him, other social media firms deliver different values. “For example, if we look at Facebook, it deals with fun, entertainment, pictures, and so on and is an environment that has an interest for certain categories for users but we are a place for professionals and are very attractive for B2B marketers. So that’s how we are positioned and that’s what’s going to be our focus going forward. We are about providing identity, providing insights and being everywhere.”

     

    When asked on the growth put in by the Marketing Solutions division, Mr Mukherji said: “Where Marketing Solutions is concerned, we have grown by leaps and bounds. Not only has the user base grown but the sheer number of marketers who want to experiment with LinkedIn – that in itself is growing. So we have been growing substantially from where we started off in 2010.” Even the Hiring Solutions and Premium subscriptions too, contribute significantly to its business, he revealed.

     

    As for the goalpost of increasing the user base in India by a large sum this year, Mr Mukherji said: “We are not in a hurry to add more users as its basic philosophy is putting the user first. Have we improved the experience for the existing user – that is the core of our philosophy. If I can make his current experience on LinkedIn better by giving him access on the mobile, i-Pad, smartphones and others that’s what we would ideally like to concentrate on. So yes, we are not in a tearing hurry to get in more users; that will come when the experience in itself sees an improvisation over a period of time and when it starts benefiting our online community at large.”

     

    The event saw an impressive line-up of guests present interesting case-studies and examples of leveraging LinkedIn for deriving success for their brands. Dell, Philips, Citi India, Microsoft, HCL Technologies, Siemens were some blue chip clients who came in good numbers to imbibe meaningful solutions from the meet.

     

  • The former chairman of P&G and self-regulator ASCI on the decision to set up the National Advertising Monitoring Service with TAM

    ASCI is not a toothless tiger: Bharat Patel

     

    Bharat Patel

    By Robin Thomas

     

    The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has joined hands with TAM Media Research to introduce National Advertising Monitoring Service (NAMS) which will come into effect from May 1. The aim of the monitoring service is to reduce the number of misleading and unsubstantiated advertisements (see accompanying story: ‘Paradigm shift for self-regulation’). AdEx India, a division of TAM, will monitor around 350 televisions and 10,860 newspaper advertisements released every week.

     

    In conversation with MxMIndia, Mr Bharat Patel, former chairman of Procter & Gamble and Board Consultative Committee Member and also former Chairman of ASCI spoke about NAMS and its impact on consumer complaints. And that ASCI is not a toothless tiger!

     

    NAMS has been introduced shortly after the government asked ASCI to fast-track the decision-making process…

    Absolutely. In order to speed up decision-making, the CCC (Consumer Complaints Council) decided to meet twice every month from the earlier once a month meeting. This decision was made following the advice of Ms Ambika Soni, the Minister of Information and Broadcasting. We are open to receiving suggestions, and when the Ministry of Consumer Affairs pointed out that something needs to be done on the increasing number of consumer complaints, we decided to do monitoring and thus the introduction of National Advertising Monitoring Service (NAMS).

     

    And the discussion to set up NAMS?

    The discussion started over three or four months ago. We were in talks with a lot of people, including consumer organizations and we found that TAM has the best availability and resources for the service.

     

    There were reports of the government planning to launch its own version of advertising monitoring services to reduce consumer complaints…

    I don’t think it’s true because the Additional Secretary at the Ministry of Consumer Affairs denied any such move. So we don’t know how true this is but, the Ministry denied it at this stage. The I&B Ministry has been very supportive of the ASCI. They have, in fact, mentioned in their codes that any advertisement that violates the code of ASCI will not be allowed. The Consumer Affairs Ministry is also supportive of self regulation.

     

    What is your reaction on ASCI being called a toothless tiger? Will NAMS give ASCI more teeth in dealing with ads that violate ASCI code?

    Calling ASCI a toothless tiger is absolutely wrong.  Cable TV Act Rules state that no ad which violates ASCI’s code can be released on TV.  Nowhere in the world has such recognition of an advertising Self Regulatory Organisation (SRO) been granted by the Government. All the ads, against which a complaint is upheld by CCC, are modified or withdrawn voluntarily in writing by advertiser. In fact, the I&B Ministry sends all the complaints it receives to ASCI for adjudication. In print, nearly 80 per cent ads voluntarily comply with CCC rulings. So, how can ASCI be called toothless tiger? ASCI is not a toothless tiger!

     

    It has been 26 years since ASCI was established, what are the changes you think ASCI has brought to the minds of the consumers and the advertising industry?

    ASCI has increased awareness, atleast among its members who release 80 per cent of non-government advertising in India, on the need to have ads which are true, decent and fair to competition.  Consumers are also made more aware of ASCI as a service that can help remove ads which they find misleading or indecent or displaying unsafe practices. As a result, the total number of complaints to ASCI has increased from 770 in 2010/11 to about 2,000 in 2011/12.

     

     

    ‘Paradigm shift for self-regulation’

     

    I Venkat
    LV Krishnan

    According to the Advertising Standards Council of India’s agreement with TAM, AdEx India will identify ads which are potential violation of Chapter 1 of ASCI code – to ensure truthfulness and honesty of representation and claims made by advertisements against misleading advertisements. The advertisements that violate the ASCI advertising code will be forwarded to ASCI on a weekly basis, post which ASCI would process them as per its complaint redressal procedure involving its Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) for adjudication.

     

    AdEx India will monitor ads in the auto, banking, financial services and insurance, FMCG (including F&B), consumer durables, educational institutions, health care products and services, telecom and real estate sectors. AdEx will track more than 30 newspapers which is said to contribute over 80 per cent of national newspaper readership and all television channels across India in all languages.

     

    Said Mr I Venkat, Chairman, ASCI: “The National Advertising Monitoring Service or NAMS initiative is a paradigm shift for self-regulation in Indian advertising and probably a benchmark for the other countries. For such an important industry central initiative, TAM’s AdExIndiawas the obvious option to handle such a large responsibility that brought in requisite infrastructure, neutrality, integrity and quality.NAMSwill strengthen the ad self regulation redressal process manifold, as we will be able to proactively monitor wider number of ads. This will be in the best interest of the Indian consumers as it will significantly reduce release of misleading advertising in India.”

     

    Mr LV Krishnan, CEO, TAM Media Research said: “Apart from media measurement, for decades now, we have been playing a silent, yet central industry, role towards media (advertising) monitoring and analytics as well. Our partnership with ASCI is yet another reiteration of the neutral role we play within the Indian landscape.”

     


  • The Dainik Bhaskar School has tied up with Dale Carnegie Training Consultants, a renowned US-based Training company conducting training programs worldwide for over 100 years, to adapt and create the training programs in identified areas

    Dainik Bhaskar Group launches Bhaskar School of Media Education

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Dainik Bhaskar Group has identified a gap in quality media training and education and with an aim to provide a solution- training media professionals and matching the global standards- have launched the Bhaskar School of Media Education.

     

    Shiv Khera, the eminent motivational guru and author of self transformation, inaugurated the school on April 17. The Bhaskar School of Media Education will be run under the able leadership of Mrs. Jyoti Agarwal. The curriculum has been designed keeping the demands of the media industry.

     

    The Dainik Bhaskar School has tied up with Dale Carnegie Training Consultants, a renowned US-based Training company conducting training programs worldwide for over 100 years, to adapt and create the training programs in identified areas.

     

    The modular curriculum is designed to strengthen students’ skills across areas that will give them personal and professional advantage. The participants will be updated on latest global trends and technological advancements that will open new vistas for development through refresher programs across different verticals in media.

     

    Commenting on this new initiative and launch, Mr. Sudhir Agarwal, Managing Director, Dainik Bhaskar Group, said: “This is a first of a kind initiative by a media group to partner with Dale Carnegie – a world leader in enabling businesses to enhance performance and increase knowledge by imparting highly resourceful training and consulting services. We are delighted to join hands with the best in the training industry. This endeavour is an extension of Bhaskar’s vision to drive socio-economic change as the largest print media group and to help develop professionals attuned to the latest trends in media systems, processes and values. We aim to offer challenging careers and training modules in media to aspiring youngsters.”

     

    Every participant will have to undergo a rigorous training program to earn the ‘Dainik Bhaskar – Dale Carnegie Training Certificate’.

     

  • The on-ground division will also manage Pepsi T20 Football’s on-ground events in India

    ESPN STAR Sports launches ‘Event Management Group’

    By A Correspondent

     

    ESPN STAR Sports, Asia’s leading sports broadcaster, announced the launch of its on-ground division ‘Event Management Group’ (EMG) in India. The company also announced that PepsiCo India has signed on EMG to manage its mega football league Pepsi T20 Football’s on-ground events in India. As a part of the deal, ESPN STAR Sports is producing and showcasing the Pepsi T20 Football tournament in a special 8-episode series. EMG is also managing the School Quiz 2012, where it has roped in HDFC Life as the title sponsor. While the on-ground initiatives around HDFC Life School Quiz 2012 have already started, on-air telecast of the Quiz begin on June 01.

     

    The Event Management Group (EMG) will manage and promote premier sporting events around Asia. EMG specializes in creating, managing, promoting, consulting, producing and syndicating leading sporting events such as the KIA X Games Asia, KL World 5s and Guinness 9-Ball Tour. With over 1000 events in 11 countries, all events organised by EMG enjoy unrivalled regional broadcast across Asia through the ESPN and STAR Sports channels.

     

    Speaking on the occasion, Sanjay Kailash, Executive Vice President, ESPN Software India Pvt Ltd, said: “Our Event Management Group has firmly established itself across Asia Pacific with world class products designed to engage and entertain sports fans. It offers an exciting business opportunity in the India market as well. We can bring our deep international experience into play; create tailor made events and offer interesting and innovative marketing solutions using multiple platforms of ESPN STAR Sports. I am sure corporates will see lot of value in what EMG has to offer.”

     

    ESPN STAR Sports is a 50:50 joint venture between two of the world’s leading cable and satellite broadcasters. As Asia’s definitive and complete sports broadcaster and content provider, ESPN STAR Sports combines the strengths and resources of its ultimate parent companies – Walt Disney (ESPN, Inc.) and News Corporation Limited (STAR) – to deliver a diverse array of international and regional sports to viewers via its encrypted pay-TV services.