MxMIndia

Category: NEWS

  • Carrier Midea India Pvt. Ltd. has appointed DDB Mudra Delhi as its creative agency for the Midea Brand. DDB Mudra Group was entrusted with the account after a multi-agency pitch

    Carrier Midea appoints DDB Mudra for creative

    By A Correspondent

     

    Carrier Midea India Pvt. Ltd. has appointed DDB Mudra Delhi as its creative agency for the Midea Brand. DDB Mudra Group was entrusted with the account after a multi-agency pitch. The agency’s main focus will be on strategic planning and creative execution for both ATL and BTL requirements of the Midea brand. Led by Vandana Das, President, DDB Mudra Group, the account will be managed out of Delhi.

     

    Carrier Midea India is a new entrant in the Indian home appliances market and has aggressive marketing plans. The business was awarded to DDB Mudra Group based on its strong strategic recommendation and sharp point of view on positioning the brand Midea in the competitive Indian consumer durables market.

     

    Confirming the agency appointment, Sanjay Mahajan, Vice President – Sales & Marketing, Carrier Midea India said, “We are delighted to partner with DDB Mudra. They have a proven track record of creating brands, remarkable campaigns and fresh ideas. The team is proactive, extremely passionate and provides a good balance of thinking and doing. Also, we are poised for growth with major expansion plans and are confident that our partner agency will play a critical role in achieving our marketing goals. We look forward to work with them.”

     

    Vandana Das, President DDB Mudra Group, said, “Wins are always delighting, but this specific one, we are even more delighted as we would be partnering with Carrier Midea India for a full fledged launch of the Midea brand in the country. We would be adopting an integrated approach to launch it across all consumer touch points, in the months ahead.”

     

  • InMobi to rename Sprout to InMobi Studios; eyes huge revenue jump this quarter

    Mobile ad platform Sprout is now InMobi Studio

    By A Correspondent

     

    InMobi, a mobile ad network company which acquired Sprout in August last year, has decided to rebrand the leading platform for creating mobile HTML5 rich media advertising. Sprout will now be called ‘InMobi Studio’ while the details about the rebranding were not available at the time of reporting, Sandeep Deshpande, Country General Manager, InMobi said, “We will be rebranding Sprout, a company we had acquired last year to InMobi Studio.” The company website however states that “InMobi Studio is a simple, yet tremendously powerful platform that empowers marketers to build, run, and measure mobile rich-media ads without compromise.”

     

    InMobi which is said to be the largest independent ad network company in the world claims to reach over 600 million mobile internet users worldwide. In India, the ad network company claims to reach over 85 per cent of mobile internet users. “About 85 per cent of the entire mobile internet users in India can be reached through our network (InMobi), worldwide however we reach over 600 million mobile internet users worldwide” pointed out Mr Deshpande.

     

    According to Mr Deshpande, by 2014 more people across the globe are expected to access internet on their mobile phones rather than their PC or laptop. As a result mobile advertising will become a very important medium for brands to reach out to and engage.

     

    InMobi is currently working with over 150 advertisers in India namely NDTV, Indian Express, NIIT, Levis etc. InMobi aims to offer significant opportunities for brands to connect and engage with its users by using its reach and super engaging creative solutions. Mr Deshpande was of the view that there is a need for evangalising the benefits of mobile advertising in India. He said, “These are still early days for mobile advertising in India and we are investing a significant energy as a team to build the momentum of mobile advertising in India. It will take time for advertisers to realize the benefits of this medium”

     

    InMobi is said to have a total of over 800 employees currently, and about half of them are expected to be based out of India. With the festive seasons approaching and a lot of cricket tournaments coming up, InMobi expects a big jump in its revenues this quarter as compared to the previous quarter.

     

  • Myntra aims to further strengthen leadership position through new segments; to launch private labels soon.

    Myntra, clicking faster

    By A Correspondent

     

    Myntra.com, an online retailer of fashion and lifestyle brands, has expanded its range of apparel to sarees this month. The online retailer of fashion offers 12 brands of sarees namely, FabIndia, Satya Paul, Satyavee Designs, Ambica Bridal Sarees to name a few. Myntra which is said to be witnessing consumer interest and traction in this category also expects to register daily sales average close to 1000 units within the next 30-45 days. In addition to these brands more brands and designs are expected to be added soon. While 65 per cent of its shoppers are males and 35 per cent are females, Myntra eyes an increase in female shoppers with its introduction to apparels like cosmetics and sarees.

     

    Myntra will be promoting these new categories across online platforms including Google ads, affiliates and social media platforms. On basis of its research findings, Myntra found that there is a huge demand for categories like sarees and cosmetics especially from tier 2 and 3 markets because of lack of choice and availability. Myntra aims to further strengthen is leadership position through its strong connect and high reach.

     

    Ashutosh Lawania

    In an email interaction with MxMIndia, Ashutosh Lawania, Co-Founder and Head – Sales and Marketing, Myntra.com said that Myntra is working on launching private labels in a few months time. These private labels will be Myntra’s own brand of clothing line. More details were however not available at the time of filing the report. “We are working towards launching our private labels which would go live in a couple of months,” said Mr Lawania.

     

    Footwear continues to be the most popular category on Myntra which is said to contribute approximately 45 to 50 per cent of its daily sales. Footwear is then closely followed by clothing for men, women and children, along with accessories such as jewelry, watches, glares, handbags, and so on.

     

    In addition to these developments, Mr Lawania also spoke about his mobile plans in the coming few months. “We believe that mobile will be the next big thing and that today it is only at a tipping point. We are working towards enabling our interface to make it ready to deliver the full Myntra experience across a plethora of handheld devices.”

     

    Speaking about the scope of e-commerce business in India and whether online buyers would increase their trust in online transactions, Mr Lawania said, “With the internet penetration currently at 120 million and expected to touch 300 million by 2015, we believe that ecommerce has a huge potential to grow over the years. We believe that CoD will play a huge role in the success of ecommerce in India. CoD is here to stay as we (India) are a huge cash economy and people are comfortable transacting in cash. Online retailers need to make this process of handling cash more efficient and cost effective.”

     

  • She will be the only woman ambassador for Brand Pepsi, which is also endorsed by the Ranbir Kapoor and M S Dhoni.

    Priyanka Chopra back as Pepsi’s brand ambassador

    By Nandini Raghavendra & Ratna Bhushan

     

    Priyanka Chopra is making a comeback as brand ambassador for Pepsi after four years, riding on her new, yet to be released avatar as a singer and her recent success at the box office, which the beverage-maker believes will help connect it with young consumers again.

     

    The deal is estimated at over Rs 4 crore a year, one of the biggest deals for the actress, an official aware of the details said. “It is likely that Pepsi will extend their association to Priyanka’s debut music venture as well,” he added. Earlier in May, PepsiCo and social networking platform Twitter announced a global music partnership, called ‘Live for Now Music’.

     

    Priyanka, one of Bollywood’s highest paid actors, who endorses Nokia phones, Nikon cameras, Hero two-wheelers and Garnier cosmetics, among others, had walked out of a deal with Pepsi in 2008 over endorsement fee, two people in knowledge of the development said. Over the last four years, Priyanka has reworked her movie career and will release her first solo album for Universal Music later this year. PepsiCo, on the other hand, is looking for fresh campaigns to beat a slowdown in sales.

     

    A PepsiCo spokesman confirmed the association with Priyanka as the brand ambassador for Pepsi. She will be the only woman ambassador currently for brand Pepsi, also endorsed by Indian cricket team captain MS Dhoni and actor Ranbir Kapoor.

     

    Source:The Economic Times

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

    Photograph: Fotocorp

     

     

     

  • MxMIndia gets the chieftains of Multi Screen Media to dwell on the UFC gameplan and what more to expect from Sony Six

    Sony Six all set for the fight!

     

     

    By Johnson Napier

     

    If all had gone as planned, then Sony Six, the much-hyped sports channel from Multi Screen Media, would have been the toast of sport-loving viewers in India by now. The single biggest property that was scheduled to be relayed on the channel – the IPL, was supposed to be the booster with which the channel was supposed to be flagged off in India. But that was not to be and Six was forced to launch itself in a manner that was meek by nature.

     

    A few months into its journey and with cricket taking a minor backseat for the network, the channel is back in action with a big-ticketing property to boast. Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization has partnered with Sony Six to popularise the sport in India. Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada, and with offices in London, England, Toronto, Canada and Beijing, China, UFC programming is broadcast in over 150 countries and territories, to nearly one billion homes worldwide and is available in 20 different languages. It is known to produce more than 30 live events annually and is the largest Pay-Per-View event provider in the world.

     

    While the physical sport phenomena is not new to India – made famous by WWE on Ten Sports and properties like Bellator on BIG CBS Prime – UFC seeks to change all that is associated with Mixed Martial Arts (the format on which UFC is modelled around) and get in viewers to take a liking to the sport. It is the ‘real’ fights that will attract the viewers, say the promoters, and not ‘fake’ action that gets thrown across to them.

     

    The partnership will kick off in India with the production of an all-Indian edition of the Ultimate Fighter, the UFC’s long-running reality TV show where 16 of the most talented unsigned martial artists compete for a contract with the UFC. The schedule for the same will kick off around Diwali. The actual show will be telecast in India in 2013.

     

    On the sidelines of the launch, MxMIndia’s Johnson Napier got the chieftains of Multi Screen Media, CEO Man Jit Singh and COO NP Singh and also UFC Chairman and CEO Lorenzo Fertitta, to dwell on the gameplan for UFC in India and also what to expect from the channel Sony Six in the immediate future.

     

    We are aiming at being the No 2 sport in India after cricket: Lorenzo

     

    Lorenzzo Ferttita

    What would be your immediate operational plans for UFC in India?

    The immediate focus would be to work with Sony Six and ensure that the sport is on the right track in terms of attaining a foothold in India. In October we would be launching a massive ad campaign around UFC that would include mediums like print, radio, outdoor etc. We would also be looking at social media in a big way. A lot of our marketing activity would be focussed online on the youth in the 18-34 age bracket where the attempt would be to make them more aware of UFC and get them to be a part of our database. These would be largely centred on large metropolitan cities like Delhi, Mumbai, etc.

     

    The only other popular sport related to what UFC attempts to do in India is WWE. What are your plans to combat the popularity of WWE and get viewers accustomed to your sport?

    WWE is very different from UFC. The thing about WWE is that it is fake while UFC is real. While WWE has a large fan base but once we enter the market we expect our TG to migrate from there and become regular viewers of UFC. We follow what WWE does and we know that they have a large fan base here but we hope to attain a large market share with UFC.

     

    Sony Six has assured that UFC will draw in more viewership numbers compared to a popular market like the US. What is your assessment of the ratings that you wish to draw from India?

    I really cannot say much on that but we are relying on Sony’s expertise in the market to get us the viewership numbers. Obviously we know that we are going to be very successful here and we know that fighting dominates the sport scene and we are aiming at being the No 2 sport in India after cricket. We feel it is going to be a very successful business for us as it is very big in terms of the market.

     

    Did you scan the market for other potential buyers for your property? What was the motive behind shortlisting Sony Six for UFC?

    We spoke to every other sporting network in India and we shortlisted Sony Six because firstly, we share a pretty good relationship with Manjit Singh and we also like the fact that they broadcast the IPL, which has a huge following in India. So we liked having that connection. UFC is an important event for us. We didn’t want it to be on a general entertainment channel because the way our marketing and positioning is that we are a sport; we didn’t want to be on any other channel.

     

    Where do you plan to head next in your bid to expand in the Asia Pacific market?

    From an Asia point of view, our next stop is going to be Macau in greater China. Beyond that the focus is going to be in taking the live event to other major capitals like Shanghai, Taipei, Seoul, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. So these are our next priority markets for Asia. We would be taking these events to these markets by 2013.

     

    Hope to see Sony Six among the top-3 players in India soon: Man Jit singh

     

    Man Jit singh

    Why the decision to invest behind a physical sport that is yet to find a foothold in this country?

    Our strategy is to target young India. What we have gathered is that young India is interested in new fast-pace sports and UFC is the epitome of a fast-pace sport. We have great expectations that over time we will be able to build the UFC brand and also build the audience for UFC. One has to remember that it is the fastest growing sport in the world today. In Brazil, where the sport was launched some time ago it has become a hugely successful show now. According to me, Brazil and India are similar by nature and we feel we will be able to attain a similar success in India too.

     

    What is the USP that UFC will offer its users compared to what is already being aired by properties like WWE, etc?

    It’s too premature to comment but you could take a look at the models of other fight sports that are around like WWE – it is the second-most watched sport in India after cricket. We expect to much exceed something like that because it is a real sport; it’s about real fight, there’s no pretence in what you will see the contestants doing. That’s what I feel is the core differentiator for us.

     

    A large percentage of the TG that you plan to target is transfixed around WWE. How do you plan to convert them to like your product?

    The TG for our show is youth that fall under the 18-34 year-old bracket. I feel once they get older they will migrate from make-belief to the real thing. It would be a natural progression that we hope to see happening in this space. We are already of the opinion that we have a natural base of fans that will migrate to us.

     

    Would it be okay if children below 14 take a liking to your sport? There is a tendency for them to go overboard in terms of aping stunts, etc?

    I do not see any issue with children below 14 years coming to our channel to watch the show. I have been to events where they have children even in the audience who are avid fans of the sport. Remember that it is a sport; it’s like you asking if children like to watch boxing, if they like to then why not?

     

    Did you engage in any research exercise before you finalised on bringing in a fighting sport in India?

    We had carried out research studies in the market last year where the focus was on finding out the interest levels among viewers on fight sports and the pride that our people have on the sportspersons in India. We can tell that wrestling is going to be a big thing in India because the athletes are performing well on the international platform. Also, Indians like seeing Indians do well internationally. That we feel was a natural fit for us. Our real expectations are that UFC be a very successful sport in India.

     

    Have you managed to arouse the curiosity levels of marketers for this property?

    We haven’t yet started out on advertising, sponsorships and stuff like that. We are waiting till around Diwali time to get this sport established, to get the channel fully established on all platforms and then we will go and talk to the advertisers. It will be a premium priced product though. It will be available on all platforms by October.

     

    What are the other big-ticket properties to expect from Sony Six?

    We are looking at properties like basketball, soccer, fight sports of all kinds, tennis, cycling etc.

     

    What is the gameplan you have for Sony Six in the coming one year?

    We hope to see Sony Six be among the top 3 sports channels in the country.

     

    Sony Six will become the home for new sports in India: NP Singh

     

    NP Singh

    What promise does an event like UFC hold for Sony Six in India?

    Traditionally, fight sports have always been popular in India. Through UFC the attempt is to get real fight sport made available on Indian television, which the youth too will be able to connect with. It would a good example for the youth to look up to a real sport like UFC and inspire them to face real life challenges. UFC holds a lot of promise for Sony Six and for the youth of the country.

     

    What’s the next step for UFC in India?

    The journey has just begun. We would be showcasing a lot of the UFC Talent hunt everyday on Sony Six. Getting the local talent to come and register for the ultimate fight will start soon.

     

    The buzz is that you plan to tap in the viewership from IPL and convert them to watch UFC. Do you think the attempt will fetch you high viewership for UFC?

    UFC in the US attracts a viewership of 20 million whereas for the last season of IPL the number was 163 million. So that’s the size that we are talking about. We hope to better the numbers that a big market like the US throws up for UFC. We have just launched our channel a few months ago but it is already being beamed across 30 million homes. Also, we have still not completed our distribution but by the time we are done it will be in double those homes. One should understand that our country has a high percentage of youth and of late they have started taking a liking to other sports like football, F1 etc. We believe that Sony Six will become the home for new sports in India. I am much more confident that we will manage to engage the youth much more than any other sports channel in India.

     

    Does India need a sport like UFC in the first place?

    Through UFC, we hope to establish Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) in the Indian market which I am sure will benefit everyone concerned.

     

    Sony Six was launched a few months ago but is yet to see traction in terms of viewers and properties. Your comments?

    We are first trying to establish the channel and within that the sport has to be established. Our efforts are on. UFC is one big step in that direction.

     

    The UFC deal seems to be heavy on investment. Would you be going all out to promote the event in India?

    As a network we have never stopped short of making investments in every new initiative that we take. Likewise would be the case with Sony Six and with UFC. Anything that we as a network do we do it big. UFC will too be in the big league for us. For one, we are positioning ourselves differently by calling ourselves a sports entertainment channel. Entertainment is in our DNA so everything and anything that we do will be garnished with a lot of entertainment.

     

  • Tintin – Sony Pix has planned a 360-degree – marketing and advertising – campaign around The Secret of the Unicorn on the 16th of this month

    PIX goes all out for Tintin premiere

    By Meghna Sharma

     

    With numerous English movie channels trying their best to catch as many eyeballs as possible, merely showing the best and the latest movies won’t fulfil the agenda.

     

    Sony Pix which will showcase Tintin – The Secret of the Unicorn on the 16th of this month is going all out to make sure the audiences don’t miss out on the opportunity. The channel has planned a 360 degree – marketing and advertising – campaign around it.

     

    Speaking about the importance of a 360 degree campaign, Himmat Butalia, marketing head of the channel says, “In today’s day and age message ‘muddling’ can often prove to be a challenge for marketers. There are many similarities between rival brands and even channels, which can often lead to confusion in the minds of consumers. Our endeavour has always been to create a clear distinction between us and competition through interesting and unique touch points. A 360 degree campaign aids in escalating a campaign’s scale and spreading one message through many mediums such as print, television, radio, outdoor, BTL, on ground activation or digital.”

     

    The channel is using a number of mediums to create the right balance for the campaign around the film. It will focus not only on quantity but also quality of messages through the mediums like print, digital, television, radio, BTL or OOH. The outdoor creatives have been kept simple with key messages such as adventure, courage & mystery to connect with the audiences. Apart from hoardings, bus panels & bus shelters in key markets and Metro Station branding in Delhi. In terms of Below The Line activations, the channel has tied up with major malls as well as upped their presence in retail stores such as Spencers and Crossword across the country.

     

    In addition to this, Pix has also initiated two unique on ground activities for this film – Comic Con 2012 in Bangalore & an inter-college treasure hunt in tune with the theme of the film. “Comic Con has been a great success in directly creating touch points with fans of TINTIN as well as young movie buffs. The inter college treasure hunt held in Mumbai with over a dozen colleges participating. This initiative is a first of its kind in not just connecting with younger audiences but also in creating an extension of the premise of The Adventures of Tintin – The Secret of the Unicorn,” explains Mr Butalia.

     

    The digital space is also being utilized by the channel – through various social media engagements like Tintin games and advertising on sites like Yahoo, Google, YouTube. The channel believes that the new media is clearly the most potent weapon in every marketer’s arsenal today. “We recognized the scope of the digital space a couple of years back. And since then our digital presence and social media groups have grown by leaps and bounds. India has witnessed a significant traction towards social networking in the past to start conversations but today it has also become as significant tool for people to run their businesses. Unlike other mediums the digital space requires minimal investment. The number of connections and viewers reached through the online medium is the highest compared to all mediums since you can reach millions of people through one single post or advertisement. Another important attribute of using this medium is its quick turnover time. Websites and social media has minimized time lapse between a brand’s communication and its consumer’s response. At the moment, I would place digital mediums right on top of the marketing pecking order,” adds Mr Butalia.

     

    According to Mr Butalia, in his career so far, he has learnt one major lesson through various marketing activities – power of simplicity. “It’s something I learnt, that a simple yet effective touch point can do wonders for a brand.”

     

  • The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has appointed Arvind Sharma, Chairman of India Sub Continent, Leo Burnett, as Chairman of the Board.

    Arvind Sharma appointed ASCI Chairman

    Arvind Sharma

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has appointed Arvind Sharma, Chairman of India Sub Continent, Leo Burnett, as Chairman of the Board. Partha Rakshit, Proprietor, Partha Rakshit Associates, was elected Vice-Chairman; and Vikram Sakhuja, CEO-South Asia – Group M Media India was re-appointed the Honorary Treasurer.

     

    I Venkat, Director – Eenadu, and the outgoing Chairman of ASCI said, “The last year has seen ASCI take various initiatives to strengthen the self-regulatory system. These included increasing the frequency of Consumer Complaints Council to twice a month, introduction of the Fast Track Service, having a National Conference on Strengthening Self-Regulation of Advertising Content, engaging with young creatives through a Mobile Film Contest at the Goafest, interacting with the Department of Consumer Affairs and participating in their conferences on misleading advertisements. ASCI has taken a giant leap forward in introducing the National Advertising Monitoring Service (NAMS) which monitors 1,500 TV and 45,000 newspaper ads per month. All in all a very satisfying year for ASCI. ASCI is the first self-regulatory body in the world to initiate monitoring of almost all newly released ads in print and TV nationally with NAMS.”

     

    Arvind Sharma said, “It is indeed an honour to be elected as Chairman of ASCI which has progressively contributed to effective self-regulation in advertising content. We are confident that the ad sector, industry body’s regulators, consumer activists and the general public will actively seek ASCI’s services and take self-regulation forward.”

     

    As a member of the Board of Governors for seven years, Mr Sharma has provided active support to self-regulation in the advertising movement.

     

    During the year 2011-12, the Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) met 16 times and considered 2,986 complaints against 176 advertisements. Of these, complaints against 103 ads were upheld, while 69 were not upheld and 4 were considered non-issues. In 89 cases, the complaint upheld ads have been voluntarily withdrawn or modified as per the CCC’s decisions resulting in over 86% compliance rate.

     

    The other members of the new Board of Governors include: Advertisers: Narendra Ambwani (Agro Tech Foods), Hemant Bakshi (Hindustan Unilever), Rajiv Dube (Aditya Birla Management Corporation), Shantanu Khosla (Procter & Gamble Hygiene & Health Care), Media: Rajan Anandan (Google India), Sunil Lulla (Times Global Broadcasting Co.), Benoy Roychowdhury (HT Media), I. Venkat (Eenadu); Advertising Agencies: Subhash Kamath (BBH Comms India), Srinivasan Swamy (R.K. Swamy BBDO). Allied Professions: Dilip Cherian (Perfect Relations), Dhananjay Keskar (IBS), Pranesh Misra (Brandscapes Consultancy P. Ltd.).

     

  • The AROI (Associations of Radio Operators for India) has re-elected Ms Anurradha Prasad as its President for the second consecutive term. Ms Prasad was re-elected unopposed at the Governing Body Meeting of the AROI held earlier this week

    Anurradha Prasad re-elected AROI president for 2nd term

    By A Correspondent

     

    Anurradha Prasad

    The AROI (Associations of Radio Operators for India) has re-elected Ms Anurradha Prasad as its President for the second consecutive term. Ms Prasad was re-elected unopposed at the Governing Body Meeting of the AROI held earlier this week.

     

    Talking to MxMIndia about her immediate plans as President AROI, Ms Prasad said her basic agenda would be about brand building for the radio industry. “Radio in India is one medium that has been completely ignored,” she noted. The third phase of FM radio which is expected to kick-start shortly will also be among her key focus areas and part of her agenda. She further stated, “I will endeavour to placing the radio industry on the correct roadmap of the advertising world. We must evangelise and educate the advertisers about the benefits of using radio as a medium and how they can effectively reach out to their consumers.” Ms Prasad is also the Chairperson cum Managing Director, B.A.G Network.

     

    In addition to this development, AROI has also created four initiatives for further enhancing the future growth of the Indian radio industry.

     

    The ‘Self Regulation and Content Complaint Redressal’ initiative will be led by Apurva Purohit, CEO, Radio City.

     

    The second initiative which deals with the ‘Measurement System’ will be led by Tarun Katial, CEO, Reliance Broadcast Network.

     

    ‘Brand Building’ of the radio industry will be jointly led by Harrish Bhatia, CEO, MY FM and Harshad Jain, Business Head, Fever 104 FM.

     

    Prashant Panday, CEO and Executive Director, ENIL (Radio Mirchi) will be leading the setting up of ‘Outstanding Policy Initiative and Control Agency Accreditation’.

     

    AROI will also be forming an initiative which deals with the ‘Copyright and Music Royalty’ issues. This initiative is to be led by Rahul Gupta, Director, Radio Mantra.

     

  • The Dainik Bhaskar Group has put the Maharashtra success case study by IIM Bangalore before the industry to analyse

    Industry to analyse Dainik Bhaskar case study

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Dainik Bhaskar Group has placed IIM Bangalore’s recently completed classroom case study of Dainik Bhaskar group’s Maharashtra success, titled ‘Aspiring Growth’, for the industry to analyse.

     

    The case showcases the fast-paced expansion of the group into 13 markets and the successful launch of Divya Marathi in Aurangabad, Maharashtra with a roaring success with five editions within such a short span of time. The case leaves the reader with a pertinent question in the current scenario ‘Which market/ territory / language should Dainik Bhaskar Group enter next?”

     

    The contest will follow a two-stage process. In stage 1; teams registering at Dainikbhaskargroup.com will send in their summary of recommendation and approach. In Stage 2; 5 to 7 shortlisted teams will then finally make presentation to a jury of Bhaskar team, senior fraternity members and IIM Bangalore professor Ms Seema Gupta who has developed the case. The winner team stands to get Rs 1,00,000 as prize money.

     

    Elaborating on this further, Sanjeev Kotnala, Vice President, Dainik Bhaskar Group said, “Before the case was finalised, we had two classroom sessions at IIM Bangalore and the Brand team raised a simple question – what if the case was to be solved by the media-advertising-marketing fraternity. This was the birth of this unique innovative contest. We debated this with Prof Seema Gupta, who has been encouraging and excited by the innovative contest. She agreed that this will make the case that much stronger for future classroom discussions. We as a team are gearing to hear some totally differentiated point of view and approaches- as the professionals working within the industry definitely have an advantage.”

     

    The contest is open to professionals in media, advertising, communication and marketing and students of premier management institutes, he added Those wishing to register and download the case can do so at www.dainikbhaskargroup.com.

     

  • Hungama Digital Media Entertainment and ITC's Vivel Face Wash have unveiled a new TVC called 'MOBISur – Sitaron Ki Talaash with Shankar Mahadevan' to look for India's first digital talent hunt

    Vivel launches ‘digital talent hunt’ with Hungama

    By A Correspondent

     

    Hungama Digital Media Entertainment along with ITC’s personal care brand, Vivel Face Wash, has unveiled a new television commercial called ‘MOBISur – Sitaron Ki Talaash with Shankar Mahadevan’ to look for India’s first digital talent hunt, which will give millions of Indians an opportunity to become a singing star.

     

    This talent hunt enables participation from anywhere in the country; all that a participant requires is a mobile phone or an internet connection. This property empowers the participants to break the queue and forego travelling to the nearest city for an audition. The winners of the contest will get an opportunity to record an album with Shankar Mahadevan which will be released by T Series and Hungama. The winners will also receive Rs 5 lakh rupees.

     

    Developed by Meridian Communications, the TVC features well-known Indian musician Shankar Mahadevan encouraging aspiring singers, who don’t get enough time out of their busy schedules, to showcase their talent through this platform. The TVC also features the ‘Ghar baithe baithe famous singer bano’ concept that highlights the various ways to participate in the contest so that the aspirants can live their musical dreams.

     

    The contest has already received a phenomenal response since its launch with over 4,50,000 call-ins on IVR and more than  6,00,000 entries on the website in just 40 days.

     

    The TVC is currently on air across various music and other GEC channels. The latest TVC can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FonHDegCo9A.

     

    Credits:

    Meridian Communications Pvt Ltd

    Creative: Anurag Khandelwal, Satish deSa

    Account Management: Mohit Ahuja, Abhishek Nand

    Production House:

    Jack in the Box

    Director: Myles

    Producer: Ashlesha Bangia

     

  • The BIG CBS Network is readying to launch its latest home-grown property, India's Prime Icon, which will be dual-cast across its targeted channels – BIG CBS Prime and Bloomberg TV India.

    BIG CBS Prime, Bloomberg TV to simulcast India’s Prime Icon

    By A Correspondent

     

    The BIG CBS Network is readying to launch its latest home grown property India’s Prime Icon which will be dual-cast across its targeted channels – BIG CBS PRIME and Bloomberg TV India. The show aims to get Indians choose their icons – successful and celebrated personalities who inspire and influence them the most! The USP of the property is that it allows people to choose their icons from across all sectors of life, be it sports, entertainment, business, politics or social welfare.

     

    With BIG CBS Prime and Bloomberg TV India, both targeting premium audiences, the show has been designed to ensure it meets the entertainment requirements of the upwardly mobile males, seeking this quality content. India’s Prime Icon will bring forth the lifestyle of Indian society’s elite personalities and evaluate them basis qualities which will make them the prime icons of the country.

     

    Speaking of the show, Anand Chakravarthy, Business Head, BIG CBS Networks said, “Our country boasts of some of the most influential men and women who are an inspiration, role model and icons for the people. India’s Prime Icon is a new concept, which has not been explored in the past and which indicates at an opportunity to connect with audiences. Both BIG CBS Prime and Bloomberg India are premium channels, making them perfect platforms to reach out to the right audience mix, both for this show as well as for marketers.”

     

    The show is designed to give audiences a peek about the life stories of some of India’s most distinguished men and women. Seagram’s 100 Pipers collaborates in this initiative. Bikram Basu, VP-Marketing, Pernod Ricard India,commented on this association, “Seagram’s 100 Pipers stands for True Legends. Our association with BIG CBS Prime’s India’s Prime Icon show reiterates our common values, and brings our brand closer to India’s true icons.”

     

    Recommendations for India’s Prime Icons will come from none other than the audiences themselves, through a voting system, and will see prominent personalities – from across business tycoons, sports personalities, entertainers, Bollywood celebs etc. making it to the list. Following this, an eminent jury will qualify the entries and shortlist the top 20 icons. The 20 icons will be revealed on the Channel each evening during prime time and a voting window will be kept open for 24 hours so that viewers can vote for their favourite icons, which decided the Top 10 icons.

     

    The Top 10 icons will then battle it out to the coveted title of India’s Prime Icon, with each episode unveiling one icon showcasing never heard before stories of their lives, style statements, achievements, sex appeal, philanthropy popularity and more…

     

    To ensure optimal reach, BIG CBS Networks has planned an extensive marketing campaign for the show. The network will engage audiences on multiple touch points ranging radio, television, out of home media and social media.

     

  • For the second year in a row, Hansa Events and Activation has been chosen by Vodafone to showcase the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team F1 car across eight cities in India

    Hansa builds up F1 fervour; showcases VMM F1 car for Vodafone across India

    By A Correspondent

     

    For the second year in a row, Hansa Events and Activation has been chosen by Vodafone to showcase the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team F1 car across eight cities in India. This is part of Vodafone’s promotion in a lead-up to the races in New Delhi.

     

    Sujit Kote, GM, Hansa Events and Activation, Mumbai, said, “The show-car activity was a tremendous success last year due to which we have been chosen to handle this again this year. Besides Ahmedabad, Pune, Bengaluru and Chennai, the activity will also be done in Hyderabad, New Delhi, Kolkata and Bhopal. Over 300,000 consumers have already participated and are part of the social media buzz that’s been built around this.”

     

    Hansa Events & Activation, has included a car simulator allowing fans at the airport and malls in Mumbai to experience racing in a Vodafone McLaren Mercedes car at racing tracks across the world.

     

    Hansa Events & Activation is part of the R K Swamy Hansa Group, a leading Marketing Communications and Services Group, serving over 250 leading companies in India and the USA.