MxMIndia

Category: MEDIA

  • Mr Love talked about how language is a technology and how we have underestimated the effect language has on human misunderstanding

    Goafest 2012: Innovation is the magic of ideas: Tim Love

    By A Correspondent

     

    Tim Love, CEO, APIMA, Vice Chairman, Omnicom Group talked about how the world we live in today has become interdependent especially because of technology during his address on ‘The Magic of Ideas – Our Language Impediment’. He was of the opinions that one thing the financial crises have taught us is that we are all inter-dependent.

     

    Mr Love spoke about how “Digital is not a channel but, the air we breathe and communicate with each other,” giving the example ofIndiabeing the fourth largest internet user population despite its internet penetration being merely 8 per cent. He also talked about how language is a technology and how we have underestimated the effect language has on human misunderstanding.

     

    Besides talking about the importance of verbal communications, Mr Love also spoke about the importance of nonverbal communications. He said that just as verbal or spoken communications, nonverbal communications like sign language, although universal, differs from culture to culture; but no matter what the stream of communication, technology will always flow through.

     

    During the Q&A session moderated by Ms Kainaz Guzdar of P&G, when asked to give a few suggestions or advertisers and marketers on how to come with great ideas on language impediment, Mr Love explained that one must be more cognisant in languages, and show some sensitivity to different languages verbal or nonverbal. He added that ideas are best communicated from individual to individual. He also pointed out that one needs to be careful with languages in different cultures, as it could have different meanings in different cultures, and how we have always minimised the importance of language.

     

  • Start a video advertising campaign online, and you will be surprised to find how people are passionate about participating with the brand they love, says Lucas Watson, Global Vice President, YouTube

    Goafest 2012: Net better RoI with online video ads: Lucas Watson

    By A Correspondent

     

    In just six years since its launch, YouTube has garnered over 8 million users and billions of videos have been uploaded on the site. At Goafest, YouTube demonstrated how consumers can be used to build a brand by conducting a flash mob. Mr Lucas Watson, Global Vice President, YouTube further added to the brand’s insight by sharing his views on how ‘Magical Ideas Come When You Harness the Power of many People’.

     

    Mr Watson put across his point when he cited how Lady Gaga has built up her brand through a passionate group of fans who have played a vital role in building the Lady Gaga brand. Mr Watson explained that nowadays it has become very easy and inexpensive to build a brand by starting a video advertising campaign online, thanks to the Internet. He said that a brand need not be big to come online and start a video campaign, all it needs is to gain the trust of its consumers. “Start a video advertising campaign online, and you will be surprised to find how people are passionate about participating with the brand they love. The magic of YouTube is available for all as it allows everyone to participate. Besides online video advertising allows a brand to run its advertisement in a cost efficient manner, delivering better RoIs.”

     

    During the Q&A session moderated by Mr N Rajaram of Airtel, when Mr Watson explained his views on the rapidly changing role of advertising agencies: “Being creative and coming up with new ideas is a skill which not everyone has. So we need creative directors to nurture young talent to build brands. Unlike television, where consumers have a dedicated time slot to watch their favourite programme, in the online world it is the consumers who decide when to watch what and for how long.”

     

    Talking about if there is scope for co-existence between television and online video, Mr Watson said that there is no win-win situation but, there will be either winners or losers. “Like many industries even we are going through a transformation scenario. There are brands which are afraid to disrupt their way of functioning and there are brands which are keen to reach their consumers in newer forms of media platforms and thus rapidly build their brands. Therefore, I believe there could be some co-existence but, there will also be winners and losers.”

     

  • Competition organized to encourage self regulation in advertising huge success

    ASCI, Goafest announce winners of ‘ASCI Mobile Movie Challenge’

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Advertising Standard Council of India (ASCI) announced the winners of the ‘ASCI Mobile Movie Challenge’ during the closing event of Goafest 2012, the Creative Abbys. The competition, conducted to promote responsible creativity, and to encourage self regulation in Advertising, under the theme of ‘Creativity with a conscience’, garnered huge public support during the 3 day ad-fest.

     

    The winning entries came from team Leo Burnett consisting of Nikhil Pai, Abhineet Agarwal & Almas Ahmed and team O&M consisting of Parth Gadhiya, Harshad Salian, Aishik Sengupta. All the six winners received an iPad sponsored by media house, Rajasthan Patrika.

     

    The competition received a total of 120 registered entries through 41 mobile movies, from across the country. Of all the movies registered, 8 were shortlisted by a jury of eminent ad-makers and 2 were chosen as winners.

     

    As per the contest, teams of 3 young professionals, under the age of 30 years, were asked to create a short film (between 30 and 60 seconds), using their mobile handsets. Each team was assigned a mentor film maker who guided the team members on the nuances of film making. The teams were asked to create the art forms on one of the four briefs provided by ASCI which were based on the four tenets of ASCI’s code of self regulation: Honesty & truthfulness in advertising; Decency in advertising as per generally accepted societal norms; Safety & avoiding exploitation of vulnerable sections of society, especially children and Fairness in competition

     

    Mr Subhash Kamath, ASCI Board Member, said: “Through this competition, we wanted to inspire young professionals to abide by the guidelines set by ASCI and implement the same in their work. We’re extremely happy with the kind of response we’ve received and thankful for all the support. Next year, we hope to make this initiative larger and stronger by reaching out to many more media, advertising professionals.”

     

    The films were showcased at Goafest 2012 and uploaded on youtube.com and select online portals, so as to inspire professionals to understand the importance of self-regulation in advertising. The entries were judged by a jury of top creative directors and film makes of the industry.

     

    Advertising Standards Council of India is a self regulatory voluntary organization of the advertising industry. The Role and Functioning of the ASCI & its Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) is in dealing with Complaints received from Consumers and Industry, against Advertisements which are considered as False, Misleading, Indecent, Illegal, leading to Unsafe practices, or Unfair to competition, and consequently in contravention of the ASCI Code for Self-Regulation in Advertising.

     

     

     

  • Digital Pay TV penetration of TV homes in India will grow from less than 20% in 2011 to 50% by 2016, and 61% by 2020, a new report by Media Partners Asia (MPA) indicates

    Digitization to up Pay TV penetration by 150% in 5 years, says MPA report

    By A Correspondent

     

    Digital Pay TV penetration of TV homes in India will grow from less than 20% in 2011 to 50% by 2016, and 61% by 2020, a new report by Media Partners Asia (MPA) indicates. The key demand drivers will come from cable operators, six commercial DTH platforms, and DD Direct, the government-owned DTH platform. A gradual consolidation of last-mile local cable operators will become inevitable, leading to a shift in industry profits and value to centralized distribution platforms and broadcasters, the report observes.

     

    Commenting on the findings, MPA executive director Vivek Couto said:

    “India’s digitization timetable implies a three-year transition to full digital TV (DTV) conversion. This is ambitious though we believe DTV transition will occur but over a longer time frame. The industry will remain capital-intensive until 2017 at the earliest, due to the capEx requirements associated with digitalization. This will lead to more M&A and fund-raising activity in both primary and secondary markets. The sector’s improved transparency, scale and operating leverage will attract large domestic and international strategic players, who will play a key role in M&A activity. Our biggest concerns include: cable execution and capitalization, as MSOs transition from a B2B to B2C model; DTH satellite capacity; and the extent of regulation in the broadcast ecosystem. While digitalization is the result of policy progress, this has not been the case for investment and taxation policies.”

     

    The report, entitled Asia Pacific Pay TV & Broadband Markets 2012, measures consumption and revenue generation across pay-TV and broadband industries in 16 Asian markets, including India, which the remains the key pay-TV market for Asia in the future.

     

    MPA projections indicate that Pay TV industry subscription fees will grow at an 11% CAGR between 2011-16, driven by increased volume over DTH and digital cable. Total Pay subscribers are expected to reach 172 million by 2016, and 199 million by 2020. MPA projections measure Pay penetration after accounting for households that opt for multiple services. Using this definition, MPA estimates that Pay penetration will grow from 79% to 89% between 2011 and 2020.

     

  • Unveils new positioning 'Apna Pradesh Apna Magic'

    BIG Magic completes a year

    By A Correspondent

     

    BIG MAGIC, India’s first variety entertainment channel for the core Hindi heartland from the Reliance Broadcast Network stable, featuring locally relevant entertainment recently celebrated its first anniversary, with a new brand new positioning – Apna Pradesh Apna Magic.

     

    The new positioning is intended to further build BIG MAGIC as the very own channel of the Hindi Heartland. BIG MAGIC has made great strides in the last year, living up to its promise of offering the heartland the entertainment of their choice. With an excellent assortment of local programs, BIG Magic has surpassed entrenched players to grow its audience base phenomenally.

     

    Apna Pradhesh, Apna Magic brings the channel closer to the people of the heartland as it translates into their very own channel for their very own region – truly local and a reflection of the people’s taste preferences and entertainment requirements.

     

    Conceptualized by the in-house team, Apna Pradesh, Apna Magic will be communicated to audiences through a multi-media campaign with a heavy use of radio – 92.7 BIG FM, outdoor, television, print and social media.

     

    Researching and understanding the pulse of the region and audience preferences, the channel has successfully launched a series of local shows like BIG Bal Kalakaar, BIG Memsaab, Hasya Panchayat and newly launched shows Hum Hai Bajrangi, Police Files and Mele ka Big Star. These shows created on the basis of local insights have all been produced in the Hindi Heartland reflecting the culture, language, entertainment and ethos of the region.

     

    The channel has been instrumental in tapping local talent and giving them the right platform. The Channel has not only provided a wholesome mix of entertainment to the local populace, but also acted as a forum to address various social concerns, issues faced by them.

     

    The channel’s well tailored programming, when coupled with the extensive marketing initiative offers a most effective platform for both national and local brands. With Apna Pradesh, Apna Magic, the channel will continue to create magic in the regional entertainment space giving both audiences and customers a truly unique experience.

     

    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. It houses the following verticals: 92.7 BIG FM, BIG CBS- a joint venture with CBS Studios International which has launched four channels, BIG CBS Prime, BIG CBS Love, BIG CBS Spark and Spark Punjabi. Added to this robust bouquet, the Company also distributes Bloomberg UTV, India’s premier business news channel.

     

  • 9XO is the sixth music channel from the 9XM group and will air contemporary and non-stop English and international music

    9XM launches international music channel 9XO

    By Shruti Pushkarna

     

    9X Media Pvt Ltd has launched an international music channel called 9XO today. 9XO is the sixth music channel from the 9XM Group, which at present runs a popular Bollywood music channel 9XM, a Punjabi music channel 9X Tashan, Marathi music channel 9X Jhakaas, Timeless Bollywood Hits channel 9X Jalwa and 9XM-UK which is available on the Sky Digital Platform.

     

    Luke Kenny

    Speaking to MxMIndia on the launch of 9XO, Programming Head for 9XO, Luke Kenny said: “Till date there has never been a 100 per cent pure international music television channel. With 9XO, we are bringing the music video experience back full circle to the way the audience likes it, uninterrupted…with no non-music programming whatsoever.”

     

    Said Punit Pandey, Sr. VP and Business Head, 9X Media Pvt. Ltd: “Post a series of successful launches across the regional and Hindi markets and the launch of 9XM in the United Kingdom, we are pleased to present 9XO – an international music channel. The urban youth in India clearly feels the need of a platform that delivers international music in a great audio visual format. With 9XO, we believe that we address this need gap by airing the best of English and international music.”

     

    Talking about the programming content on 9XO, Mr Kenny said: “9XO will air contemporary and up-tempo English and International music. The channel’s programming lineup comprises fresh and innovative segments such as O-Vid, Who Dat, Wotta Song, Hot Sh*t and Out There, among many others, which will showcase hit international music cutting across genres, themes and artists.” The channel is targeted at the upscale urban youth.

     

    Speaking of the differentiating factors of 9XO, Mr Kenny told MxMIndia: “The resurgence of Indian artists and bands playing English music has encouraged us to introduce a unique platform on 9XO called OmeGrown. The platform will highlight Indian talent and will bring to the fore the multi-talented youth who are pursuing English music and its sub-cultures in creative ways. The global explosion of EDM (Electronic Dance Music) will find a special place on the channel on weekends giving the dance music audience their very own house party experience. BYOB (Bring You Our Beats) is an uninterrupted flow of all the hottest dance hits from the biggest global DJs. All you have to do is leave your TV tuned to 9XO and dance!”

     

    Another differentiating factor of the channel will be its packaging, added Mr Kenny. He said: “9XO’s channel packaging has been designed using pop-art influences and elements with a layer of humour and attitude which would delight our target group. We are convinced and confident that the channel will receive a great response and will become the ultimate destination for international music.”

     

    Talking about how 9XO will differentiate itself from existing international music channels (like Vh1), Mr Kenny said: “Apart from no non-music content, there will be no music blocks that ‘block’ the rotation of hits that will be programmed. The commercial breaks will be substantially lesser than the traditional formats. And there will always be a song that everyone likes playing at any given time. A dedicated channel website will offer opportunities for the social media generation to generate and share their own playlists, music and humour content as well.”

     

    9XO has also launched its official website, www.9xO.in simultaneously with the on-air launch. The website will engage the users with a series of innovative sections such as O-BOARD, LAUGH-O-RAMA, and so on. O-BOARD will encourage the youth to create their own playlist with their selected songs and share it with other users. There will also be a special college playlist section, where students from various colleges all over the country can create their own college playlists and publish the same on the website. LAUGH-O-RAMA will provide a platform to Indian comedians to showcase their talent and get internet users to rank them.

     

    Speaking of the launch campaign, Mr Kenny confessed that there were no big gigs planned around the launch. He told MxMIndia: “We would like our audience to discover the channel currently and would look at a 360 degree marketing campaign at a later stage comprising ATL and BTL activities targeting multiple touch points.”

  • Infosys and WPP firm Fabric have unveiled a first-of-its-kind cloud-based platform for simplifying digital marketing

    Infosys & WPP’s Fabric unveil cloud-based platform for digital marketing

    By A Correspondent

     

    Infosys, leading consulting, outsourcing and technology company, and WPP unveiled Infosys Brandedge in partnership with Fabric, a WPP company. This first-of-its-kind comprehensive cloud-based offering simplifies digital marketing by bringing together integrated marketing and technology expertise on a single unified platform. It transforms the full spectrum of digital marketing activities including creation and management of digital properties, data management, coordination with multiple partners, and campaign execution

     

    The platform was launched by S D Shibulal, Chief executive Officer and Managing Director, Infosys and Sir Martin Sorrell, Chief executive Officer, WPP at the newly inaugurated Infosys experience Center in London.

     

    Infosys Brandedge, in partnership with Fabric, a WPP company, is designed to provide a single, flexible solution for large-scale organizations to simplify this complexity, a communique added.

     

  • Veteran mediaperson and Star CJ CEO Paritosh Joshi has put in his papers. He proposes to turn entrepreneur, he told MxMIndia confirming the news.

    Paritosh Joshi turns entrepreneur, quits Star CJ

    [updated]

    By A Correspondent

     

    Veteran mediaperson and Star CJ CEO Paritosh Joshi has moved on. He proposes to turn entrepreneur, he told MxMIndia confirming the news. Mr Joshi’s last day at the homeshopping channel was Tuesday (April 23).

     

    Mr Joshi was with Star India since August 2008. After graduating from IIM, Ahmedabad in 1985, Joshi joined Procter & Gamble (then Richardson Hindustan Limited). Since then, his career has spanned FMCG, B2B services, newspapers, industrial perfumery, international trade and of course television. In recent years, Joshi was also overseeing strategic diversifications for Star into a few new business sectors.

     

    Mr Joshi who was with Star CJ since March 2009, is also Mentor at MentorEdge (mentoredge.com) since two years and Member of the Board of Governors of the Media Research Users Council (MRUC). He heads the IRS technical committee at the MRUC. He is also Director, Indian Broadcasting Foundation and was actively associated with the BARC announcement recently.

     

    Meanwhile, Star CJ hasn’t announced who will take Mr Joshi’s position. A Board meeting is scheduled to be taking place later this week and a decision may be announced post that.

    Mr Joshi is likely to continue in his roles with the MRUC and IBF (for BARC).

     

  • Appoints Vikas Gulati as Vice President – Business Development for the region

    Vserv.mobi Strengthens South East Asia Focus

    By A Correspondent

     

    Vserv.mobi, a leading global mobile advertising network with a strong focus on emerging markets, on Tuesday announced the appointment of Vikas Gulati as Vice President – Business Development forSouth East Asia. Based inSingapore, Vikas will spearhead the company’s growth in this region.

     

    Vikas Gulati, a media and marketing industry veteran, has had a long and successful career track record of over 14 years. Earlier, Mr Gulati was Vice President – Marketing and Business Development, Asia at Sprice.com, a leading online travel network (now a part of Travelport). He was instrumental in raising Sprice’s revenues and company profile in Asia Pacific through business development, partnerships and marketing programs. He has also held various leadership roles at ZenithOptimedia and CaratIndiaamongst other companies.

     

    Commenting on the new development, Mr. Dippak Khurana, Co-Founder and CEO of Vserv.mobi, said: “Expanding our operations in the burgeoning mobile market ofSouth East Asia is a key phase of our growth strategy. Vikas’ solid experience and customer relationships in this region will help us leverage newer opportunities and strengthen our goal of being the #1 mobile ad network in emerging markets.”

     

    Speaking on his appointment, Vikas Gulati, Vice President – Business Development, Vserv.mobi said: “Over the last two years, Vserv.mobi has grown to be an admirable company in the segment, and I am excited to join them at this opportune time. Given the growth momentum the company is witnessing, I look forward to being part of the success story. With our differentiating proposition in the marketplace, we are attractively poised to capitalise on this growing demand of the mobile medium amongst developers, publishers and advertisers inSouth East Asia.”

     

    Vserv.mobi is a leading global mobile ad network with strong presence in emerging markets. Vserv’s pioneering technology AppWrapperTM powers ad-monetisation for 10000+ Apps. Vserv is the only Ad Network with App media across feature phones, smart phones and tablets, thus providing advertisers reach and engagement.

     

  • As part of its aggressive growth strategy, India TV also announced several key appointments, many of them coming from TV Today.

    TV Today’s Gulab Makhija joins India TV as CFO

    By A Correspondent

     

    India TV announced the appointment of Gulab Makhija as its Chief Financial Officer. Mr Makhija will be responsible for financial Management and Control Systems in the company’s growth plan. Prior to joining India TV, Mr Makhija served as CFO at TV Today Network where he was instrumental in cost optimization across the network.

     

    As part of its aggressive growth strategy, India TV also announced several key appointments, many of them, as the company’s communique admits, coming from TV Today.

     

    Shubhra Manasi, joining from TV Today, will look after Strategic Planning and Research functions for the company as DGM. Pradeep Khatri has joined as Chief Manager Marketing. He also comes from TV Today and will be responsible for marketing communication, sales support & sponsorship marketing functions.

     

    But there are others who are not from the TV Today stable who’ve also joined the channel: Rohit Lal has been appointed Vice President Programming.  Mr Lal comes with vast experience of programming for Zee, IBN and Star. Prashant Sharda, who was with Nokia, joins as Vice President, Digital Media to look after mobile, 3G, and streaming and India TV’s website, while working towards digital convergence for the company.

     

    India TV MD & CEO Ritu Dhawan said: “We are happy to induct new team leaders and expect that their proven track records will add strength to the existing strong team. We together look forward to further consolidate our leadership position in the Hindi news genre and set new benchmarks in the domain.”

     

    On his appointment as CFO, Gulab Makhija said: “I look forward to a great opportunity and exciting times with India TV, a company that is all set to take the leap to the  next level of success.”

     

  • Vibgyor started out as a generic event management services company and has transformed into one of the top activation agencies in the country with a pan-India presence

    Vibgyor Brand Services gets future-ready

    By A Correspondent

     

    Vibgyor Brand Services, a pioneer in brand activation services, has completed 10 years of operations. This not only signifies the coming of age of this specialized industry, but also reflects on its growing importance as a tool of marketing communications.

     

    Vibgyor started out as a generic event management services company and has transformed into one of the top activation agencies in the country with a pan-India presence. Vibgyor has 6 offices and a team of over 90 that support top-notch companies like HUL, Dabur India, Pepsi, Samsung, Flipkart, Toshiba and others for their brand activation strategies including events, exhibitions and on-ground consumer contact programmes.

     

    Ankur Kalra, founder and CEO of Vibgyor recalls that a decade ago he had to explain brand activation and experiential marketing services to his potential clients. Today, no marketing plan is complete without Brand Activation and every forward looking company ensures a healthy balance of ATL & BTL as part of their plan.

     

    The discussions are now more on strategy, on methods of targeting the specific customer profile, engaging them and ensuring that they experience the brand and convert into loyal consumers. “This is the reason that we are adopting a new corporate identity and business philosophy today. Our benchmark is going to be how involved we are as a team with the clients brand and how much excitement we can create around it”, he said.

     

    Today consumers, with the overload of information, are looking for exciting brand experience and Vibgyor is committed to delivering the same. The new philosophy “Involve > Excite” is based on the input output principle – to get involved in a brand to create excitement around it.

     

    The brand activation industry is estimated to be anywhere between Rs5000 – 6000 crore, growing at 15 – 20 per cent per year. Vibgyor clocked a growth rate of 25 per cent last year which is substantially higher than the industry average. “The twin focus on commitment and creativity has enabled us to reach this far and we hope that adding involvement and excitement as part of our service delivery will help our client and in turn enable us stay ahead of the industry and maintain our double digit rate of growth”, Mr Kalra added.

     

  • Significant deal includes CNN flagship shows 'Amanpour' and 'Piers Morgan Tonight'

    Hyundai signs multi-level global sponsorship deal with CNN

    By A Correspondent

     

    CNN Worldwide announced that it has signed a large-scale global sponsorship deal with leading automotive producer Hyundai Motor Company (HMC). The deal will include sponsorship of the new nightly ‘Amanpour’ show and the popular interview program ‘Piers Morgan Tonight’, and will involve HMC’s ‘Live Brilliant’ campaign airing across the CNN International, CNN US and CNN en Español networks. The collaboration represents one of CNN’s most comprehensive global auto sponsorship deals to date.

     

    The six-month sponsorship agreement encompasses both billboards and spots around signature programming, in addition to daily segments within shows. The new ‘Amanpour’ show, airing every weeknight, launched from April 16 will have Christiane Amanpour deliver insights through vital conversations, tenacity and holding those in power to account. ‘Piers Morgan Tonight’ is a candid, in-depth, personality-driven interview program that uses his inimitable style to uncover the most fascinating details about his newsmaker guests. The campaign further extends to the primetime shows ‘World Report’ airing in Asia-Pacific and ‘Panorama Mundial’ airing on CNN en Español.

     

    “CNN’s core personalities and signature programming are unrivalled in the intelligence and insights they deliver to viewers around the world,” said Tony Maddox, EVP and MD, CNN International. “This exciting collaboration with an influential global brand like HMC reinforces the unique value and quality of our content,” he added.

     

    “This deal represents a remarkable endorsement of the unmatched quality and scale of our global audiences and we are delighted to once again work alongside HMC to connect them with our discerning and influential viewers,” said Jonathan Davies, EVP CNN International Ad Sales. “It is also indicative of our commitment to fostering and strengthening high quality and long-term relationships with our clients, with HMC first having partnered with CNN back in 2000.”

     

    Mr. Won Hong Cho, CMO of Hyundai Motor Company said: “CNN provides unparalleled insights into today’s shifting global environment, empowering viewers with the knowledge they crave. We saw a perfect fit with Hyundai’s brand direction of ‘Modern Premium’ through ‘New Thinking. New Possibilities.’ and are delighted to once again work with CNN through this truly global collaboration. Hyundai Motor Company launched a new worldwide brand campaign called “Live Brilliant” as part of its efforts to reinforce its brand management activities and fulfill its vision to become the most beloved automotive company in the world.”

     

    CNN is the world’s leading global 24-hour news network and one of the world’s most respected and trusted sources for news and information. CNN International is the international directorate of CNN Worldwide and distributes news via 14 services in seven different languages. CNN International can be seen in more than 280 million households and hotel rooms in over 200 countries and territories worldwide.

     

    Established in 1967, Hyundai Motor Company has grown into the Hyundai Motor Group, with more than two dozen auto-related subsidiaries and affiliates. Hyundai Motor Company — which has six manufacturing bases outside of South Korea including the U.S.,China, India,R ussia, Turkey and the Czech Republic– sold 4.06 million vehicles globally in 2011.