It’s the biggest mobile tech show on the planet and Ganeshspeaks founder & MD Hemang Pandeet brings us his takeaways from the Mobile World Congress held in Barcelona, Spain from February 22 to 25, 2016
By Hemang Arunbhai Pandit
This year’s Mobile World Congress (MWC), widely regarded as the largest mobile technologies show on the planet, was brilliantly boring. Mainly because everyone did all the brilliant stuff that they were expected to do, but there was no major disruption. Held from February 22 to 25 in Barcelona, Spain, the handset biggies launched great phones (without a better battery), the tablet was proclaimed dead (as we already know – and there were no launches or promotions, to underscore the point) and the wearables industry showed that it is struggling with a lack of mass adoption and fragmentation.
The main actors of this show – the mobile operators – struggling with declining voice revenue and increasing data revenue, are hoping to lead a fightback against the OTT (over-the-top) industry, primarily because they do not want to be just a bit pipe. Everything that we, as consumers, might love, will now be launched in 5G, and it will take a few more years to happen. Still, there were three major takeaways from this red-letter event:
1. Virtual Reality or VR is the new fad: With Samsung and Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg coming together to launch the Gear VR along with Galaxy S7, VR seems to have taken centerstage and everyone is now looking at pushing its boundaries. An immersive experience is certainly enriching but currently, the side-effects of having it, are proving a bit too much for the average user. Nevertheless, we can expect a good amount of improvement, now that everyone wants a piece of it.
2. Mobile Ad Blocking: This is something that has been worrying the media industry, and was also pretty important at the MWC this year. Funnily enough, there is an entire ecosystem around it. For example, there are startups focusing on bettering the technology; operators who are talking about network-level ad-blocking; device manufacturers who have already adopted this preemptively, and last but not the least, ad agencies who have now started saying that it’s fine, we will find some other way to engage the user and ensure that our top-and-bottomlines are not affected.
3. Free Basics featured as well: This is something that Mark Zuckerberg loves, but India does not. We all know that both Zuckerberg and Facebook (FB) will not abandon this initiative, and that was confirmed at this event. Obviously for FB, taking the lead in providing a stripped-down version of its social networking site to people who have never been online, makes a lot of sense.
There were many other highlights at this year’s MWC, like the fact that Nokia can legally start marketing phones starting this year but it has chosen to wait; like the fact that the Motorola brand will continue to live on; that the LG G5, a modular phone that can be customised like a PC, has been launched and that Sony has launched hands-free and eyes-free gadgets. And here’s saving the best for the last: LG has launched a rolling bot – a home butler targeted at the home-monitoring market.
Hemang Arunbhai Pandit is Founder, MD & CEO, GaneshaSpeaks.com. This was the sixth consecutive MWC that he has attended. This article first appeared in dna of brands on March 7, 2016
Rural Marketing Association of India (RMAI) announced the winners of the 7th edition of Flame Awards Asia and Flame Leadership Awards 2016, during a gala evening held at Taj Vivanta, New Delhi recently. RMAI Flame awards recognize campaigns targeted at rural India. Over 300 business leaders, corporates, GOI & leading rural marketing agency representatives attended the presentation ceremony.
With six Gold awards, Vritti Solutions were the recipients of maximum gold awards, followed by four by PHD Media and three by JWT.
Vritti Media’s spokesman Rajesh Radhakrishnan said, “This is an important milestone which we have achieved with the help and trust of our clients. RMAI Flame awards recognize campaigns targeted at Rural India and I am proud to say that we got most of the Gold’s for our work.â€
RMAI also felicitated Business leaders, industry professionals for their extraordinary contribution in rural marketing & development sector.
Some notable award winners were:
:: Vritti Solutions Ltd – Best use of technology for rural reach Syndicate bank Ludhiana Activity
:: Mahindra & Mahindra Financial Services Limited – Community empowerment & development initiative Swasthya Bima Jagruti Abhiyan
::Â Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare – Effective use of technology in Agriculture (Livestock Initiatives) Nowcast – Extreme Weather Alerts
::Â Grey RC&M Farmer Connect – (Contact programme/Initiative of the year) Mahindra Jashn Josh Ka
::Â Coromandel International Ltd – Integrated Campaign of the Year Promotion of Organic manure usage – Godavari Gold
::Â Vritti Solutions Ltd Integrated – Campaign of the Year Goodknight Fastcard Pandharpur Activity
::Â Vritti Solutions Ltd – Promotion and Activation (Brand Awareness) Goodknight Fastcard Pandharpur Activity
::Â Geometry Global India Pvt Ltd – Promotion and Activation (Brand Awareness) 3 Roses – Godavari MahaPushkaram – ‘Sip of Strength’
::Â Vritti Solutions Ltd – Promotion and Activation (Sales Promotion) Emami Navratna – Nashik Kumbh Mela activity
::Â Vritti Solutions Ltd – Promotion and Activation (Sampling & Trial Generation) Godrej No 1 – Nashik Kumbh Mela Activity
::Â Vritti Solutions Ltd – Promotion and Activation (Sampling & Trial Generation) Iodex-Pandharpur Activity
::Â GroupM Dialogue Factory Promotion and Activation (Small Budget) Greenlight Sunking Ujaale Ki Udaan
The third edition of Click Asia Summit 2016 is to be held in Mumbai on April 21 and 22 at the Taj Lands End hotel.  Said Kavita Jhunjhunwala, director of Click Media, who is curating the summit: “Digital has been a stepchild in organisations for too long, shuttling between marketing and IT. Digital is demanding a seat at the table and any organisation that doesn’t accept that will find itself in disarray,†she said. This is why the summit’s content is focused on learning and new strategies as well as products that can be part of the digital marketing playbook. The content will be delivered through speeches, open forums and workshops.
Among the speakers are Markus Keiper, director and chief transformation architect, Global Leadership Foundry; Ryan Bonnici, director of marketing, HubSpot Asia Pacific and Japan; Robert Scoble, entrepreneur in residence, UploadVR; Lucy McCabe, VP (Asia-Pacific), Ogilvy Red, Ogilvy & Mather; Avinash Jhangiani, MD, Omnicon Media Group; Babita Baruah, senior VP and head, PO1 Unit, JWT; Mahesh Murthy, founder of Pinstorm, co-founder of Seedfund; Nitin Bawankule, Google’s director of e-commerce, retail, online classifieds, technology, education and government; Jaideep Shergill, co-founder, Pitchfork Partners; and Sakhee Dheer, digital marketing and analytics lead at Microsoft Asia-Pacific.
Meanwhile, in the run-up to the summit, a bloggers’ meet has been organised at Doolally Taproom, Bandra (West) tomorrow, March 22, 4.30 pm to 7 pm. A tweet-up will be part of the event and some of the summit’s speakers will attend. Among those are Seedfund’s Murthy; Omnicom Media Group’s Jhangiani; Aveek Dutta, associate editor, Forbes India; stand-up comedians Anuvab Pal and Aditi Mittal; and representatives from Google, JWT, Ogilvy & Mather, PubMatic and Flipkart. Link for bloggers sign-up: https://clickasiasummit.typeform.com/to/vLBxiY
At the fifth Edition of the Legal Era Awards, Sujeet Jain, Group General Counsel & Company Secretary, Viacom18, won the Star General Counsel of the Year award, nominees for which included senior General Counsel’s from across sectors. The Viacom18 legal team won the Best In-house Legal Team award in media & entertainment category once again.
Expressing his pleasure at receiving the awards, Jain said, “In-house counsel’s role is becoming more complex than ever since not only are they expected to have technical legal competence but also need to understand business in-depth; therefore this award is a recognition of excellence at business, leadership and law. The Media & Entertainment (“M&E”) sector in India has experienced robust growth over the last decade and the regulatory front of the sector has transformed over these years, throwing numerous challenges and growth opportunities. As we enter the new frontiers of digitization in the Media and Entertainment Industry, we will continue to evolve best practices for our legal, regulatory, IP and compliance needs.â€
At the same award ceremony, Kapil Sibal, Senior Advocate, Supreme Court of India, received the “Lifetime Achievement Awardâ€, Dilip Udeshi, Udwadia & Udeshi, won the “Lifetime Achievement Award  for “ Law Firm Partnerâ€. “Star of the Millennium†for ‘Outstanding Contribution & Excellence in the Legal Industry’ went to Justice B.N. Srikrishna, Former Judge, Supreme Court of India, whereas Justice A.P. Shah, Chief Justice, Delhi High Court, bagged “Legal Icon of the Yearâ€.
It’s the biggest event in the media and entertainment sector in the country, and the industry is set to congregated on March 30, 31 and April 1 at the Renaissance hotel in Powai, Mumbai.
This year’s theme ‘Change or Perish’ emphasises on the role of technological or digital aspect of the industry as the sector has seen an increase in application of VFX in movies and short films coupled with a spur in digital subscription models due to easy access of digital content. The theme also addresses the issue of digital disruption in the media and entertainment industry due to robust smartphone penetration& the advent of 4G network set to spread across the country.
The Conclave will bring together over 2600 media and entertainment business people from India and overseas, along with officials of the Central Government in a bid to deliberate on issues confronting the industry. The business sessions at the Conclave will cover the entire gamut of Media & Entertainment like Films, Broadcast (TV & Radio), Digital Entertainment, Animation, Gaming, and Visual Effects.
The inaugural session of FICCI FRAMES 2016 will see a welcome address by Uday Shankar, Chairman, FICCI Entertainment Committee & CEO, Star India followed by an address by Mukesh Ambani, Chairman, Reliance Industries.
The session will also be addressed by Dr A Didar Singh, Secretary General, FICCI; Ramesh Sippy, Co-Chairman, FICCI Media & Entertainment Committee; Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudeva, Founder, Isha Foundation; Francis Gurry, Director General, WIPO and actor Parineeti Chopra. J B Perrette, President, and Discovery Networks International will also deliver a keynote. r.
The various sessions, spread over three days will review, analyse and make predictions for the future for the entire gamut of Indian media and entertainment in general, followed by an comprehensive view of certain aspect or issues in the industry.
There are various sessions planned over the three days. “Media challenges and opportunities in emerging markets of BRICS†will see corporate honchos look at the partnership of BRICS nations for the future of media and entertainment. There is a session on Marathi Cinema, Digital media influencing news, Music being the new age entertainment destination
On Day 1 of FICCI-FRAMES, consulting firm is scheduled to present its annual study of the M&E sector.
The Wire, a news and public affairs website, has been adjudged the ‘Start-up of the Year’ at the RedInk journalism awards instituted by the Press Club, Mumbai.The Red Ink Awards, in the sixth year now, have been instituted to promote best practices among journalists and encourage good quality writing, fair play and high ethical standards.
MK Venu, Founding Editor of The Wire, said, “It is an honour to have won such a prestigious award. At The Wire, we believe that if good journalism is to survive and thrive, it can only do so by being both editorially and financially independent. This means relying principally on contributions from readers and concerned citizens who have no interest other than to sustain a space for quality journalism.â€
The Wire was launched in May, 2015 and was co-founded by MK Venu, Siddharth Varadarajan and Sidharth Bhatia. MK Venu has been an active economic and political writer and has held leadership roles in reputed newspapers such as The Economic Times, The Financial Express and The Hindu. He has written extensively on economic policy matters for over a quarter century after India opened up its economy in 1991. SiddharthVaradarajan was the Editor of The Hindu and is a recipient of the Ramnath Goenka Award for Journalist of the Year. Sidharth Bhatia was among the editors who launched DNA in 2005 and managed its editorial and opinion section.
Leading Marathi daily Lokmat hosted their first edition of ‘Lokmat Goan of the Year’ Awards 2016 on May 21st 2016 in Panjim, Goa. The event recognized the contribution of eminent personalities across various fields in the state of Goa, whose contribution has helped the state occupy a place of pride. Lifetime Achievement Award was conferred on Julio Rebeiro, Ex-DGP, Indian Police Service (retd.) and Civil Servant and ‘Goan of the Year’ was awarded to Rajdeep Sardesai, acclaimed media personality Consulting Editor of India Today Group, Former News Anchor and Editor-in-Chief of IBN 18 Network.
Smt. Mridula Sinha (Hon. Governor of Goa), Chief Minister of Goa, Shri. Laxmikant Parsekar, Shri Vijay Darda, Chairman, Lokmat Media Pvt Ltd. and MP, Rajya Sabha and Abhay Lodha, Chairman & MD, Topworth group of Companies graced the event. The occasion saw the presence of other important personalities of the state namely and over 1000 people attending from Goa. The event was presented by Maharashtra Tourism and powered by Deltin Group of Companies.
The awards recognized achievers and luminaries across 9 categories as Education, Literature, Arts and Culture, Business, Politics – Influential Young and Senior Politician, Agriculture, Administrative Officer and Women Self Help Groups. It constituted of public voting as well as jury selection.
The event’s highlights included special interview of four young politicians of Goa by Chief Minister, interview of Julio Rebeiro by Rajdeep Sardesai and Interview of Rajdeep Sardesai by Lokmat Goa Editor – Raju Naik
Lokmat readers had the dual opportunity of identifying the Goan of their choice from 5 nominees across 9 categories and either physically dropping it at any collection centre or sending a simple SMS to 5676702. There has been an overwhelming response with over 1 lac votes being generated by Goans.
Speaking on the occasion, Rishi Darda, Editorial, Jt Managing Director, Lokmat Media Pvt Ltd. said, ‘’It’s an immense pleasure to host the Lokmat Goan of the year awards this year in the presence of distinguished national and local personalities in Goa.  After the resounding success of Lokmat Maharashtrian of the Year Awards, we are happy to connect with people of Goa through this event. As a voice of the masses, Lokmat newspaper represents people and their achievements. This event is a true representation of that. Our endeavor through these awards is to bring to the fore their contributions that have led towards making Goa a great state today.â€
Speaking on the occasion, Karun Gera, President Sales, Lokmat Media Pvt Ltd. said, “This is one of the most prestigious events in Goa which is one of our IPs and goes to become an annual feature every year. We are immensely grateful to our partners for extending their support for the event. Further continuing the association, we wish to provide all our partners a great value for their brands through this platform.â€
Hailing from diverse walks of life, the members of the jury included eminent personalities namely, Shri Datta Nayak (a Sahitya Academy winner writer), Dr. Rajiv Kamat (a frequent contributor to Lokmat’s editorial page content), Shri Vishram Gupte (a prominent Marathi writer and local head of ‘Sangath†an NGO), Adv. Cleofat Almeida Coutinho (an eminent jurist and a contributor to all dailies in the state of Goa) and Deelip Borkar (Editor of ‘Bimb’, a Konkani magazine).
‘Untangling Marketing Convolutions’ is the tagline for the 12th Marketing Conclave presented by the Internet And Mobile Association of India (IAMAI).  And ‘Untangling’ it was from the word go. Day 1 of the two-day event started with a welcome address by Tushar Vyas, Managing Partner- South Asia, GroupM and a special address by D Shivakumar, Chaiman and CEO, PepsiCo India. The day was predominantly centered on digital marketing, better way of utilising the platform and the digital future of India.
A chat about ‘Global Marketing’ was conducted by Virginia Sharma, Director- Marketing Solutions, LinkedIn India with Sameer Desai, Head of Consumer Healthcare, Mundipharma and VP Asia Pacific, World Federation of Advertisers. At the start of the conversation, Sharma announced that 58 per cent of LinkedIn consumers access the network through mobile, which began the conversations on what are the learnings from emerging and global markets. Desai shared his own experience and challenges that he faced when he entered the pharma sector and about global marketing. He said: “The challenge was to consumerise the pharma model.†Desai also said that it is very important to understand the internal organisational culture while going global. “Working together and maintaining coordination within each department is the key,†he said when asked to give some tips for being a business leader. Sharma and Desai both praised the way e-commerce has fared in India and suggested that instead of looking West, we should be focusing within the country. In conclusion, Desai said research is an important part but it should not dominate decision making, the moment that happens, people stop being marketers.
Moving from global marketing to marketing technologies, the first panel discussion moderated by Sourabh Gupta, Engagement Manager, Tata Strategic Management Group started. ‘The age of marketing technologists’ was the topic and panelists included Manav Sethi, Group Head- Marketing and Digital Platforms, Head- Classifieds and Deals, AskMe Group India and Malaysia, Gunjan Soni, Chief Marketing Officer, Myntra, Pallavi Chopra, Head Marketing, redBus.in, Mohan Menon, Head Marketing, Max Healthcare and Sanjay Tripathy, Senior Executive Vice President- Head Marketing, Analytics, Digital and E-Commerce, HDFC Life. The discussion was divided in to four parts: the cultural change in companies due to digitisation, KPIs beyond sales and marketing, the changes in roles within the organisation and leveraging digital marketing dashboard. In the context of digitization, Soni said: “It has impacted quality and speed of decision making†and was quick to add that digital is a way of living for Myntra. The panelists agreed that the widespread digitisation has helped in breaking the hierarchies within a company. Consumer engagement and creating a consumer centric product were some of the major talking points in this discussion. Chopra shared that his company has developed a unique algorithm bus code to understand the consumer demands better and so that the bus operators start taking the consumers seriously. A case study session was being taken in parallel by Theodore Hayes, AVP Analytics, iProspect Communicate 2.
Next was a presentation followed by a discussion session with the presenters. The presenters included Apurva Chamaria, Vice President and Head Corporate Marketing, HCL, Virat Khullar, Head Marketing, Renault India, Karthik Jain, EVP Head Marketing and Customer Analytics, HDFC Bank and Raja Hussain, Chief Executive Officer, Airloyal, who also moderated the discussion. The topic was ‘ Maketing Automation: Golden opportunity for marketers’. Chamaria was the first presenter, he discussed the transition from MarCom (Marketing Communication) to MarTech (Marketing Technology) and now, MarOp (Marketing Operations). He said there is a need for agile marketing strategies in MarTech through personalisation , geo-based targeting, programmatic SEO strategy etc. The next presenter, Khullar shared how Renault launched its new car Kwid in the digital platform and developed an exclusive app for it. He emphasised on the effective usage of social media for marketing automation. Jain, named his presentation ‘Sharper Marketing’ and he said that it is very important to be customer centric. He also advised that the Analytics and Campaigning teams have to work closely to succeed. Last but not the least, Hussain focused on how feedback is the life blood of marketing and it can be used to make a bigger impact. The discussion that was followed mainly highlighted the personal experiences and the challenges that each panelist faced in their respective fields. The common consensus of the discussion was that it is important to understand the consumer psyche and change the mindset about digital, that is digital should be looked as a priority.
Parallel case study sessions were held by Deepak Kumar, Vice President- Ambient OOH, Posterscope India Group and Martin Nygate, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Gentay Communications, who took the session on ‘Mobile advertising is killing your brand. What if we could make it powerful?’
After an insightful discussion on various techniques of marketing, Tushar Vyasconducted a one-on-one with Prasant Peres, Director- Marketing (Chocolates), Mondelez India. They discussed about ‘The old-new age curve of brands: how new age brand’s marketing techniques are different than old age brands and vice versa’. The chat started with a quick volley of questions thrown at Peres, from which it was concluded that: the ad character Lalitaji is still stuck with him and he is a Kishore Kumar and Shahrukh Khan admirer. After the fun beginning, Vyas was back to the topic of discussion. He asked Peres to describe the evolution of marketing. “Marketing evolved not in the last 10 years but in the last five years, which was quite dramatic. Digital is a big change and we have become a mobile nationâ€, was Peres’s reply. He also added that he was awestruck by the transformation in mobile. “Engagement has become a core point of marketing,†Peres said. Another interesting point that was raised by Peres was that family TV viewing might become nostalgia as the current scenario demands focus on individual demands. He also said the success and failures in digital should be treated similarly as in traditional mediums.
The post-lunch panel discussion was moderated by Deepali Naair, Advisor, IAMAI and the topic was ‘Beyond numbers: The art of digital marketing’. Karthi Marshan, Head Marketing, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Gulshan Verma, Chief Revenue Officer, Times Internet, Priya Jayaraman, Cofounder and Business Director, Propaganda India, Gyan Gupta, Chief Executive Officer, DB Digital and Sanjay R, Marketing and Network Head, Flipkart ads were the panelists. ‘Brand building’ and ‘brand engagement’ dominated most of the discussion. With everyone agreeing that digital offers ample opportunities for brand building and should be used to its potential. A workshop on ‘Out of stock in 24 hours- Marketing Exclusively on Digital’ was being conducted simultaneously by Anthony Padayachi, Associate Creative Director, BC Web Wise and SiddharthPednekar, Business Director, BC Web Wise.
This was followed by a session on ‘Mobile Storytelling’ by Vishal Rupani, Business Head, M-Canvas, Affinity. The highlight of his presentation was he drew analogies between the immensely popular HBO series ‘Game of Thrones’ and the mobile storytelling. He demonstrated a few examples on how advertising can be made interactive and engaging for the audience. “Seduce your consumers through beautiful story telling through brands†was his tip to every marketer.
The last panel discussion was moderated by Milind Pathak, Chief Operating Officer, Madhouse and the panelists were Dhruv Chopra, Chief Marketing Officer, Carwale, PrakashSikaria, Business Head, Flipkart ads, Gaurav Gandhi, Chief Operating Officer, Viacom 18 Digital Ventures (Voot) and Vishal Rupani.  The topic was ‘Mobile: Is it minor screen or the major screen?’ “Digital marketing is equal to mobile marketing†said Pathak at the start and set the tone of the discussion. There was a unanimous agreement that mobile should be given more importance and content for mobile should also be given thought about seriously. “Mobiles should be the only screen looked at,†said Chopra in answer to the topic. “We believe that over time data price will neutralise and you will have opportunity to charge for content as well. The future looks very good of online video per say and eventually every screen will be connected.†said Gandhi, when MxM asked him about consumers not being ready to pay for content.
The Press Institute of India (PII), Chennai, and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), New Delhi, are organising a competition for the best three articles on a humanitarian subject.
This year, the organisers have extended the competition to the area of photography, and prizes are being offered for the best three photographs as well. The article or photograph should have been published in an Indian national or regional newspaper or magazine between April 2015 and March 2016 and can be in English or in any Indian language.
The participating candidate will have to produce proof of his or her article having been published. The theme for this year is ‘Reporting on the fate of victims of natural/man-made disasters’. The top three prizes in each category will win prizes worth Rs 60,000, Rs 40,000 and Rs 25,000.
Last year’s prize winners for the Best Articles were Neha Dixit (Outlook), Shazia Yousuf (Women’s Feature Service), and Priyanka Borpujari (The Times of India) and Saurabh Yadav (The Hindu BusinessLine).
In the Best Photograph category, photojournalist Biju Boro of Asomiya Pratidin and Rishabh Jain of Dainik Bhaskar, jointly received the third prize. The first and the second prizes in the Photograph category were not awarded.
Top leaders of the media and marketing services business in India addressed students at the annual Media Management Conclave of the Pune-based Symbiosis Institute of Media & Communication hed on Sunday (August 7). The broad theme of the Conclave was ‘Agency of the Future’, focusing on how media in India has evolved over the past years.
The Conclave was part of the silver jubilee celebrations of the institute and was followed by a Media and Marketing Analytics Conclave held in the second part of the day. Kartik Sharma, Managing Director at Maxus; Suresh Balakrishna, CEO, Middle East and South Asia at Kinetic and Sundeep Nagpal, Founder Director at Stratagem Media Pvt Ltd were the speakers on Media Management.
“The value of data will shape not only the future of organisations but countries and human kind as well,†stated Sharma in his keynote speech. His presentation focused and elaborated on the trends which can currently be seen in the country, especially with mobile phones, whose reach is higher than that of television. “We are becoming a visual world driven by mobiles,†he said. He spoke about advertising on television, which still gets huge investments from brands for their products. According to him, television is the most effective in generating not just sales but profits. The importance of content was highlighted by him through video examples. He said that sometimes knowingly and sometimes unknowingly, the consumer becomes the producer of the content it consumes. Moreover, he encouraged everyone to closely notice how technology would change the world.
Next up, Suresh Balakrishna shared a fresh perspective on the concept of ‘Out of Home’ (OOH) consumption and its dynamics. In his opinion, OOH includes television, newspaper and the internet. He cited how 80% of mobile consumption is done outside of home. Besides this, he also stressed on how innovations in digital OOH would impact OOH marketing. He opined, “Anything is OOH, and we do all of it.†He stressed on the importance of digital displays and gave the example of ‘Cadbury Bubbly’- which successfully carried out digital displays in metro stations. In conclusion, he said that once the measurability issue is resolved, OOH will become larger.
‘How to make media work for brands? – Black Magic’ was the name of the presentation by Sundeep Nagpal. He added that the reason behind the same would be understood once the presentation was over. Through various video examples he stressed on the changing investment scenario of media businesses in the digital era. The videos were also used to show what should be and what should not be done by brands to promote their products through content integration and Advertiser-Funded Programmes (AFP). “Big data is considered to be the most important thing happening not just to communications but to businesses as well,†he said. He spoke about the concept of branding and big data analytics, where businesses actually track every movement of their consumers. Nagpal also stated briefly about micro targeting, for which he said Netflix is the best example to understand how it can be done and about augmented reality. Even though the advancement of technology was spoken about in detail at the conclave, he concluded by saying “Technology is not everything, simplicity matters.†And, what does Black Magic actually mean? Black- a clean slate for you to start anywhere in the ecosystem.
The second half of the day was dedicated to Marketing and Media Analytics Conclave, where NiteenBhagwat, Executive Director and CEO at Asterii Analytics; SarangPanchal, CEO at MRSS India; Mubin Khan, Head of Products, Research and Analytics, Senior VP at BARC, India, shared their expertise on the subject.
The Marketing and Media Analytics Conclave opened with NiteenBhagwat, who spoke about the basics of analytics and the prospects it holds. Speaking on why measurement is the core of analytics he opined, “We cannot manage what we cannot measure.†Further, he underlined the amplification of human behaviour by technology and social media, and interestingly pointed out how social media is driven by altruism, homophily, tribalism, narcissism and control.
Sarang Panchal, who covered the concept of research in the media landscape, further explained about the trends in the market research industry and its future, which involved the growth of DIY research, popularisation of market research, online communities and predictive analysis.
The last speaker of the event, Mubin Khan began his discussion by saying, “What BARC envisaged for the future is happening now.†He elaborated on how market research is no more as simple as it used to be and predicted that the future agencies will not just depend on analytics but on consumer insights as well.
The Analytics Conclave concluded with the speakers in a panel discussion with SIMC Adjunct Professor and MxMIndia columnist Indrani Sen moderating the discussion. They shared their personal experiences in the industry to make the students understand what the companies require from them during recruitment.
The correspondent was hosted by Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication
The launch of the website Insight Buzzar- a platform for storytellers to share their stories with the world
By Anuka Roy
The All India Management Association (AIMA) in association with Storm the Norm – a thinktank of passionate bunch of marketing, innovation and entertainment professionals hosted a conclave called ‘InsightStorm’. It was an interesting format where leading lights from art and business came together to share the insights from their respective fields and also get insights from each other.
“The best insights are gained from conversations,†said Firdose Vandrevala, President, AIMA in his welcome speech at InsightStorm, the first edition of which was held on Wednesday, August 10.
The Conclave was divided in to two halves. The morning half was called ‘Being Extraordinary’ and the post-lunch half was called ‘Doing Extraordinary’. These two broad categories were further divided in to sub-categories.
In the ‘Being Visionary’ session, Indian film and television actor Kabir Bedi represented the art side and shared insights from his life and career. “Opportunity is a very strange thing and it does not come with marching brass bands,†he said. Bedi reminisced about the financial struggles he went through during his college days and which in turn helped him in being motivated to achieve and aim for bigger things. His concluding insight was, “Success is not an end. There are other worlds to conquer.†Ajay Bijli, owner of PVR Cinemas, represented the business side. But this session was a little different. Instead of Bijli sharing his insights straight away, he was asked three questions through which he explained the insights. He shared with the audience how his mini goal of offering something new to cinema goers gave birth to a bigger opportunity and more importantly the introduction of multiplexes in India.
The next session was about ‘Being Pioneer’. Multidisciplinary artist and storyteller Raghava K K and Shabir Momin, MD and CTO at ZengaTV.com represented art and business respectively. This session was predominantly about the art of storytelling and how it can be used profitably for business purpose. “Live the best story you can create,†said the storyteller. Momin narrated a personal experience of how his talented sister-in-law was initially hesitant to commercialise her painting talent but now, with his help, she is an established painter. Momin’s insight: “Do not mind, I will convert your art in to movement.†Finally, they both had a common insight for the audience. “Story is the new money and the companies who understand it will flourish.â€
On one hand there was the national award winning film producer, screenwriter and director Vikas Bahl representing art and on the other side Ananya Birla, founder of Svatantra Microfinance, one of the youngest participants of the Conclave represented business. Birla spoke how at the mere age of 17 she wanted to be an entrepreneur and a catalyst for change in rural India. She said, “There are no finishlines, just milestones to be celebrated.†Bahl said that trust is a very important factor in being a leader. So, the trust on thoughts and people should always be maintained. He also added, success and failures should be embraced equally.
In the midst of these insightful sessions, Anisha Motwani and Ranjan Malik, Co- founders and Managing Partners, Storm the Norm Ventures, launched their website Insight Buzzar, which will be live in the next few weeks. It is a platform for storytellers to share their experiences and stories, which can be under any category from business to entertainment or anything they want to share with the world.
Actor, model, producer and social activist Dia Mirza and Neeraj Roy, MD and CEO, Hungama Digital Media Entertainment were the speakers in the ‘Being Innovator’ session. “When an individual’s thoughts are inclusive of humanity, then an individual’s happiness in benefitted by multiplicity,†said Mirza. She spoke about personal experiences and how sometimes most of us tend to think our personal problems to be much bigger than the real problem that exists in the world. Roy made the audience laugh by stating that he founded the company on April Fool’s Day and that is why his people do not take themselves seriously. According to Roy, “Storytelling will become more immersive, interactive and gamified, with video becoming like ‘Air’.â€
Two successful business stories were shared by Radha Kapoor, Founder and Executive Director, Indian School of Design and Innovation (ISDI) and Raj Nayak, CEO, Colors – Viacom 18 respectively. Kapoor described the journey of ISDI and shared her insights. She said, “Good design may not always make commercial sense but going forward every business must make great design sense.†“We wanted to jump out of the box, we wanted to break free,†said Nayak about how the channel was conceived. He explained the journey of Colors so far. He concluded by saying, “Breaking the status quo and finding a differentiating factor is the key.â€
The ‘Doing Extraordinary’ part of the conclave started with Arnab Goswami, Editor-in-chief and President, Times Network and Sam Balsara, Founder, Chairman and MD, Madison World and Madison Communications.  The session was on ‘Conceive’.“Go with your gut feeling,†said Goswami. He said that during the Commonwealth Games scam story, he was initially paranoid whether to break the story or not but ultimately he went with his gut and broke the story. A veteran marketing services professional, Balsara said, “It is an advantage to recognise that you are at a disadvantage. And, if it is safe, it is risky.†According to Balsara, many great ad campaigns do not see the light of the day because they could not be sold. Hence, the ability to sell is very important.
The ‘Design’ session was initiated by Ashwin Sanghi, Author and Mahesh Murthy, Founder, Pinstrom and Co-founder, Seedfund. Sanghi narrated a funny story about his first book. When he went to a bookstore to see how his book was doing, he could not find it initially. Finally when he did find it, he purposely went and kept it in the best seller’s shelf. “An effective lie is one that stays as close to the truth as possible,†he said. Murthy described his investments in startups and how he noticed that the biggest brands in the world do not advertise. He said, “The dominant brand or name in a category is now the one who spends the least on advertising.â€
Rohan Joshi, stand-up comedian, writer and television presenter and Ashish Hemrajani, Founder-CEO, Bigtree Entertainment helmed the ‘Launch’ session. Joshi stressed on the obsession of clients about videos going viral and advised them not to think about the same since it takes away the essence from the larger picture. “A brand cannot demand a ‘viral’. It can only demand content. Virality is the internet’s decision, not the client’s,†he said. Hemrajani explained the rollercoaster ride of bookmyshow.com and how bid data helps them knowing their customers. He said, “Creating friction by asking information from users does not make for learning enough about your users.â€
The participants of the ‘Scale’ session were founder and blogger of MissMalini.com, Malini Agarwal and Radio Jockey, Actor, Anchor, Writer and Director Roshan Abbas. The common element between both of them was that both dared to dream and have been very successful in their respective fields. This session was predominantly about finding happiness in what you do and being happy in general. “It is great to scale fast but it’s ultimately about how long you last! Iconic brands are designed for longevity,†said Agarwal. Abbas stressed on the fact that it is important to find your replacement, so that you can focus on what has not been done. He said, “Start with spirit. Supplement with systems. And, find the balance between them.â€
Earlier in the day, painter and sculptor Jatin Das shared his story with the audience. He expressed his disappointment about the changing scenarios in terms of art and how commercialised it has become. “We buy more and see less, media celebrates the rich not the richness of our culture, change that at a primary level,†he said.
After a successful first edition of Zee MELT, Kyoorius is gearing for the second edition of the event. The two day event will be held on 26-27 August, 2016 at Pullman and Novotel, Aerocity, New Delhi.
MELT 2016 is a festival of creativity and innovation at the convergence of advertising, digital, media, marketing and emerging technology. It will see a host of sessions, workshops, conferences, expo area and more across several parallel sessions for different audiences based on four pillars – Learning, Networking, Showcase and Celebration.
Of the host of sessions, BARC India, the media measurement company in India will be hosting sessions on two trending topics: ‘Understanding Viewability In Today’s Digital Era’ and ‘Role of Big Data Sets In Driving Ad Effectiveness’.
The session on ‘Understanding Viewability In Today’s Digital Era’ will focus on understanding the current global standard metrics being used in digital measurement with respect to Ad effectiveness, Ad viewability and Digital ROI. The speaker lineup includes: Brian Murphy, VP, Product Management, Integral Ad Science; Paul Goode, SVP, Strategic Partnerships, comScore; Guy Barbier, Business Lead of India, Moat and Partho Dasgupta, CEO, BARC India.
The second session named ‘Role of Big Data Sets in Driving Ad Effectiveness’ will look at the new tool named ‘Big Data’ being used by broadcasters, agencies and advertisers to understand their audiences better. The session which will have Bjoern Kroog, Global Head POS Analytics and Integrated Market Intelligence, GfK; Sukanyya Misra, Senior Vice President, Mastercard Advisors Shared Services, India and Romil Ramgarhia, Chief Business Officer, BARC India, aims at understanding its importance in arriving at marketing decisions backed by big data.
“While Ad Viewability and Big Data are currently the two most talked about topics, the understanding on them are still limited. Through the sessions, we are aiming at informing and educating audiences on their importance and also give a world view,†said Partho Dasgupta, CEO, BARC India.
Leading Marathi daily Lokmat hosted their first edition of ‘Lokmat Goan of the Year’ Awards 2016 on May 21st 2016 in Panjim, Goa. The event recognized the contribution of eminent personalities across various fields in the state of Goa, whose contribution has helped the state occupy a place of pride. Lifetime Achievement Award was conferred on Julio Rebeiro, Ex-DGP, Indian Police Service (retd.) and Civil Servant and ‘Goan of the Year’ was awarded to Rajdeep Sardesai, acclaimed media personality Consulting Editor of India Today Group, Former News Anchor and Editor-in-Chief of IBN 18 Network.
