MxMIndia

Category: NEWS

  • Starcom MediaVest India has announced CEO Mallikarjunadas CR will assume full responsibility for running the agency in India

    … and Mallikarjunadas CR will head Starcom MediaVest in India

    By A Correspondent

     

    Mallikarjunadas

    Starcom MediaVest India today announced that the leadership transition it put in place 18 months ago is now complete and that CEO Mallikarjunadas CR will assume full responsibility for running the agency in India. Malli, as Mr Mallikarjunadas is known takes charge from Mr CVL Srinivas (Srini) who resigned on October 9 as Chairman of SMG India to join Group M as South Asia in early 2013.

     

    Since being named as CEO, Malli has worked very closely with Srinito grow its position in India, serve its clients and motivate its employees,” said  Matt Blackborn, President of SMG Emerging Markets.”During this time, Srini helped us build a new management structure and transitioned leadership responsibilities to Malli.  With the structure set and a strong management team in place, the transition has been completed, and Srini is leaving the company.”

     

    “We appreciate the contributions Srini made during his time at SMG, and wish him well in his future endeavors,” Mr. Blackburn said.

     

    “Over the past 12 years, Starcom MediaVest Group has moved aggressively to bring its global expertise in creating human experiences to India, partnering with brands to make deeper connections with consumers,” Mr Mallikarjunadas said.  “SMG India has an outstanding management team and a broad range of talent throughout the agency, and I am confident we will continue to deliver unmatched results to our clients.”

     

    As CEO, Mr Mallikarjunadas has been responsible for the day-to-day management of SMG’s clients in India, as well as leading its business momentum, with recent client wins Dabur, Axis Bank and Aircel, and leading the development of innovative products and an analytical center of excellence for SMG. He will now join the Global Management Group, the SMG leadership team of market and client leaders around the world who are dedicated to delivering outstanding results to clients.

     

    Mr Mallikarjunadas started his career at Leo Burnett Media (now Starcom) working on P&G and has also worked on the client side at Asian Paints and Tata Group, before joining Madison where he was COO of one of the Group companies. He re-joined SMG as CEO in May 2011.  He is extensively experienced in media planning and resourcing from several perspectives – as a media planner optimizing the marketing budget, as a client handling marketing resources and agency teams, and as a modeller making sense of the impact of advertising expenditure on brand health and sales.

     

  • Niche channel History TV18 completes a year of redefining the factual entertainment genre

    History TV18 @ 1: Factual, eclectic, successful

     

    By Meghna Sharma

     

    A year ago, it may have seen like yet another big bang launch of an all-new channel crowding the Indian satellite space. The niche offering, History TV18, a joint venture between TV18 and A+E Networks, aimed to redefine the factual entertainment genre through an eclectic mix of local and international shows.

     

    Ajay Chacko

    “As we stand at this first anniversary milestone, I believe we have challenged some of the established rules of the game in this genre. Our consistent leadership in time spent per viewer and our phenomenal contribution to the genre growth is a testament of our success,” CEO Ajay Chacko told MxMIndia. “This is just the beginning. Now that we’ve carved a niche for ourselves in the genre, we look forward to replicating our global leadership in the factual entertainment space in India.”

     

    As the channel broadens its horizons and carves a niche for itself with its edgy and differentiated programming mix featuring shows with greater emphasis on creating fact-based entertainment, thrill and action formats that appeal to a much wider audience, Sangeetha Aiyer, the Channel’s General Manager (Marketing) says, “The journey has been quite interesting so far. When we launched our intent was to make a distinct change in the factual entertainment genre and after one year of completion, we are honoured to have achieved this. Immediately after the launch, History TV18 accelerated growth for the entire genre from 2 percent and 15 percent in ’10 and ’11 to a whopping 29 percent post-launch.”

     

    Sangeetha Aiyer

    The channel boasts of delivering content which is vividly different. “Our content is contemporary; full of action and adventure. It has lot to do with achievement. It is about people making history every day. Also our objective has been to grow the factual entertainment genre and not just compete within the genre. We also got overwhelming response for our The Greatest Indian initiative. It was History TV18’s first local production in India and successfully garnered amazing response over the three month period with over 2 crore votes coming through missed calls and online. The campaign also sustained a healthy engagement on social media platforms reaching over 20 lakh Facebook users through viral content,” adds Ms Aiyer.

     

    The channel differentiates itself from the rest in the genre and claims that History TV18 is a factual entertainment channel, emphasizing that its content is based on ‘facts’ and has a heavy dose of ‘entertainment’, whereas other channels in this genre are more of factual knowledge. The USP of the channel lies in its programming mix and the target audience of the channel is CS 15+ AB market. However, another reason what makes it different from the rest is the fact that it is available in six languages (English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali & Marathi) in full HD across all major markets in India. “This has helped us enormously to broad-base and grows the entire genre,” says Ms Aiyer.

     

    The marketing budgets in the launch year of the channel was in the range of Rs 8-10 crore, but in the subsequent years the channel plans to consolidated and leverage network synergies.

     

    Dhruv Jha

    In terms of ratings, the channel accelerated growth for the entire genre from 2 percent and 15 percent in ’10 and ’11 to a generous 29 percent post-launch. But how is the genre doing?

     

    According to Dhruv Jha, business head, Lodestar UM Content and Experiences, there is definitely a market and audience for the genre, but it will always remain a niche. “Viewers of such channels are a sub-set of a larger audience which are very loyal to it and seek more and more of it. And as time progresses, we’ll see an increase in the number of viewers too but it will never to able to attain the appeal/popularity of a mass-consumed channel.”

     

    Janardhan Pandey

    Agreeing with Mr Jha, Janardhan Pandey, associate VP, DDB Mudra expands, “I see this genre picking up audience consistently with increased mass appeal. The channels have done quite well in attracting audiences. I see a good amount of viewership addition to this segment in coming years and I am sure these players have been doing exactly what the audiences want to experience, ie the right mix of world-class programming aligned locally.”

     

    The channel promises to continue to push the envelope in terms of a differentiated, clutter-breaking, world-class programming mix; and thus grow the genre. “In the process we plan to consolidate our leadership in 6 metros, 1 mn+ towns and finally all India. One of our great successes this year was the phenomenal success of our first local production ‘The Greatest Indian’. We plan to replicate this through similar innovative, path-breaking concepts,” concludes Ms Aiyer.

     

  • Fearing the backlash when they switch off analogue signals, the local cable operators from Delhi have asked for police protection

    Cable operators seek protection

    By A Correspondent

     

    In letters addressed to Ministry of I&B and Home Ministry, the West Delhi Cable Operators Association has put forth its apprehensions regarding switching off the analogue signals in the move towards digitization. The letter says that since consumers are not aware of the process leading up to digitization, including switching off the analogue signals, the last mile operators might have to face the wrath of consumers, who might also damage the offices of the LCOs.

     

    The letter says:

    a) No a-la-carte rates have been announced.

    b) STBs forced upon the consumers are basic ones of the cheapest variety without any features of video –on-demand, internet, games etc. that you have been promoting.

    c) No testing/ repair/ maintenance facilities exist for STBs.

    d) In spite of the consumer paying Rs 800 for an STB, ownership of it remains with the MSOs. The charges are termed as ‘Activation Charges’.

    e) MSOs are asking to pay more for the STBs now. Some of them are selling the STBs for Rs 2000. For HD STBs, Rs 6000 is being demanded.

    f) These STBs are not subsidised as reported by the media.

    g) Millions of poor consumers do not have good quality TV sets to support digital feed. They cannot use STB unless they spend more on a new TV set which they are resisting.

    h) Many areas of the metros do not have digital feed from any MSO.

    i) Increase in electricity bills of consumers.

    j) Rs 20 or more entertainment tax and 12.5 percent service tax on the cable TV bills for each STB.

    k) Consumer does not have any choice. He is being forced to buy the bouquets that an MSO gives.

     

    “We all are willing to co-operate with the government for the good of the consumers but we fear that since the consumers don’t know that they would not get all their choice in a single package of MSO and they would have to pay much more for the cable service, they are likely to react and cause damage to the life and property of cable operators,” said the letter.

     

  • Havas Media Asia Pacific has announced the appointment of Gaetano Squillante as Head of Digital Strategy for the region. Based out of Singapore, Mr Squillante's mandate includes leading the digital practices and platform led solutions for Havas Media in Asia Pacific

    Havas Media appoints Gaetano Squillante as Head of Digital Strategy

    By A Correspondent

     

    Havas Media Asia Pacific has announced the appointment of Gaetano Squillante as Head of Digital Strategy for the region. Based out of Singapore, Mr Squillante’s mandate includes leading the digital practices and platform led solutions for Havas Media in Asia Pacific.

     

    Mr Squillante joins the agency with several years of experience in the digital marketing industry, having worked with well-known agencies and brands.

     

    Prior to joining Havas Media, he was the Global Head of Social and Digital Media at adidas, responsible for building global digital ecosystem and platforms through partnerships and developing adidas’ global social media strategy. In his role at adidas, he was a key figure in the success of the brand’s 2010 World Cup campaign and has driven the development of the global social media team.

     

    Commenting on his appointment, SK Biswas, Head of Strategy, Havas Media APAC, said: “Gaetano is a very welcome addition to the regional strategy team. He brings in a unique skill set of understanding not just the digital ecosystem but also what really delivers for a brand. He is a cool head and brings in “walk-the-talk” philosophy and approach.”

     

    Gaetano started his career with Havas Digital (Media Contacts) London office. Prior to working with adidas he was with OMD Digital as an Account Director and MEC as Director of Integration.  Outside adidas, he has worked on Vodafone, Sony Ericsson, Microsoft, Peugeot, Intel & Accenture.

     

  • Dr A L Sharada, Director, Population First, tells MxMIndia that we need more ads with girls shown in a capable light

    Jaldi 5 with Dr A L Sharada: More ads must say: Yes, she can

    Population First has been at the forefront of the initiative on the way the girl child has been projected in the media. Dr A L Sharada, Director, Population First, spoke to MxMIndia on the girl child and the media and how we can prevent the celebration of the International Day of the Girl Child from being mere tokenism.

    01.  It’s good to see that the first ever International Day of the Girl Child is being celebrated. How do we prevent it from being mere tokenism?

     

    I welcome the UN, as a global body declaring October11, as the International Day of the Girl Child. This gives us an opportunity to take stock of the work that we have done so far, look further into what needs to be done and how we could take the issue at hand, forward. However the fear that it may turn out to be yet another gesture of tokenism is a valid one. The only way we can stop it from becoming yet another international day celebrated as a formality every year, is through concerted efforts to work on some of the major issues regarding the girl child.

     

    There are many issues concerning girls such as child marriages, low enrolment in schools and neglect of their health and nutrition needs. We need to advocate and lobby for more focused policies and programmes to improve the status of the girl child. We need to use the opportunity provided by the International Day of the Girl Child, every year to reflect upon achievements, fine tune our policies and redesign our programme, if required.

     

    Do you see that Population First’s efforts have had an impact on the media?

     

    I see lot of positivity and openness from the media towards these issues and a willingness to approach them differently. In the current media scenario, many of these issues are being addressed but more need attention. We, at Population First believe that we have to start a dialogue with all stakeholders, media being a primary stakeholder. We, as a nation have internalised, and have deeply ingrained patriarchal values to an extent that unless someone points it out, at times we are unaware of a possible patriarchal tone in our public communications. We need to initiate dialogues with all groups of society, so that together we can build a more gender-sensitive society.

     

    02, In your experience interacting with marketers and advertising agency professionals, do you think they are sincere in their attempts to appreciate the responsibility towards the girl child in a society like ours?

     

    Our experience with the advertising professionals has been very positive. We found them to be open-minded, willing to look at our standpoints and revise their current approach. From the time we began interacting with professionals in the advertising industry in 2008 up to today, we find a much greater presence of girls in advertising and many advertisements that are now projecting positive and non-stereotypical images of girls.

    03.  Do you think self-regulation bodies like ASCI, Advertising Club and AAAI should also take it upon themselves to promote the cause?

     

    Yes, definitely. It is important that activists working on gender issues and the regulatory bodies of media and advertising work together to ensure that the media does not project demeaning and negative images of girls. It is also imperative that  media does not consciously or otherwise, support or promote negative social attitudes and practices such as eve-teasing, commodification, objectification of women and violence.

    04.  What are your views on gender biases in today’s advertising?

     

    In 2008, during our analysis of advertisements showing girl children, we found that girls had a lesser presence and were often presented in a stereotypical fashion, for example mostly endorsing products that have been promoted by their mothers too. It was also observed that an ideal family is always shown as mother-father with one daughter and one son, or two sons. Rarely did we find ads showing two daughters. While a lot has changed in the last few years, in terms of projection of girls in advertisements, it is still rare to find an advertisement where two daughters are shown in a family setting. This, I believe, promotes the perception that a son is a must in the family. In a context where the country’s sex ratio is declining, this is a very disturbing trend.

     

    Television serials, television and print media content also further aggravate this image of women. What are your views here?

     

    Yes, it is true that the portrayal of women in print and electronic media is regressive and voyeuristic in flavour and we have to work on changing this. This is why we have instituted Laadli Media Awards for Gender Sensitivity. We have received 1500 entries this year and the quality of the content is improving. There is a lot of potential for change. The most pertinent example here is that of the popular show, Satyamev Jayate, which has suddenly got numerous issues into our drawing rooms. It shows the effect of one strong programme with a potent combination of Aamir Khan, an industry giant like Reliance and a media tool like Star TV. This shows that there is potential to bring social change. New media and its various options are also democratizing the way news now reaches out and has gained momentum with youth across the country as tools for creating public opinion. It is an exciting time to be, in terms of working with media on social issues

    05.  One view of marketers is that they need to sell to consumers, given the prevailing behavioural patterns, and that they are not in a position to correct these attitudes. How do we bring about a change in this view?

    I would like to highlight two ads here. For instance, an HDFC investment plan ad shows a father investing for his daughter’s education instead of a more common notion, such as saving for her marriage. This is a positive and refreshing approach to the product and in no way undermines the value of the product. The other ad I would like to mention is the Tata Nano ad where a small girl hugs the car, and the father gives her the car keys. This shows that the father is proud of his daughter. Giving visibility to girls in ads, is by itself crucial. We need to see more such instances where girls have to be shown in a capable light and in diverse concepts while selling a product. After all, communication is all about conveying the message effectively, is it not?

    (Interviewed by Fatema Rajkotwala)

     

  • Mr Sreekant was last with Ignitee Digital Services as National Business Director

    Fourth Dimension appoints Sreekant R as National Sales Head

    By A Correspondent

     

    Fourth Dimension Media Solutions Privated Limited is pleased to appoint Sreekant R as National Sales Head and he will be based out of Mumbai.

     

    Having spent 12 of 16 years work experience in the media, Mr Sreekant has worked across sectors — print, television, radio, OOH and digital.  He has worked with The Times of India, TV9, Hello FM, Tag Media and Ignitee Digital Services.

     

    His last assignment was at Ignitee Digital Services as National Business Director.

     

    “We are extremely happy to welcome Sreekant in the Fourth Dimension Family who comes with rich experience across all verticals, his role is more of strategic in nature and being a part of the teams across India, Wishing him good luck for a fantabulous innings at Fourth Dimension Media” says Shankar B, CEO, Fourth Dimension Media.  ”With Sreekant’s commitment and knowledge of All India market, his experience will carry our brands very well across all Advertisers and Agencies” says Bharath, COO, Fourth Dimension.

     

    Fourth Dimension Media Solutions represents Puthiyathalaimurai TV, Puthiyathalaimurai magazines, Chennai Live 104.8FM, V6 News and Sathiyam TV ( News Channel ) from Tamil Nadu.

     

  • No one blinks when Amitabh endorses everything from diamonds to instant noodles. But it created a huge buzz when he first appeared in an ad. Sanjay Prabhu looks back

    Sanjay Prabhu: How Big B’s brand endorsement yatra began with the BPL ad

    By Sanjay Prabhu

     

    Those were the early days post-liberalization, and India was witnessing the entry of foreign brands which were jostling with Indian brands for shelf exposure. We at BPL were faced with the challenge of creating the image that we were in the big league, way ahead of the various existing local brands. We also had an edge as we used to export lot of our products to the US and the UK market. So now the question was, how do we communicate this superior edge of BPL to the consumers?

     

    That’s when the idea came about to rope in a reclusive superstar like Amitabh Bachchan. He had taken a break from movies and was in fact off press and was putting his energies into building his company ABCL. We managed to reach him through Rauf Ahmed, the Former Editor of Filmfare. Filmfare and Rauf shared good relations with AB and we decided to go via the good offices of Rauf to approach Mr Bachchan to be the brand ambassador for BPL. For him brand endorsement was the last thing on his mind. In fact, our negotiations went back and forth and must have taken close to 8-9 months to actually bring him on board. The challenge was not just to convince him to endorse the brand but also to agree on a remuneration that would be affordable and justifiable.

     

    I think the figure that we paid him finally could easily be termed as the most expensive deal at that point of time to be paid to any artist in Asia.

     

    The ad was conceptualized by Dhar & Hoon and the idea was simple – believe in the best – BPL. When it came to the execution part, Mr Bachchan who is a great entertainer with great comic timing was keen on following the same. While we were of the opinion that comic element gets boring after a few repetition and that is sure to happen in TV commercials. In fact, we do believe that Mr Bachchan’s best movies are those where his acting was intense. So we took the route where he talks to himself. We were sure that we didn’t want him to say that he owns only BPL products at home, that would be so fake. So we got him talking about how BPL approached him to endorse their products and he justifiably asks why. We did a few ads with different takes, like one where he is trying to recall the name BPL which is clearly being displayed on a panel behind him.

     

    As for the success of those ads, it was phenomenal. We won many awards for innovative marketing. It was a first for AB to a endorse a brand so it did create a lot of buzz. However, the real reason for its success can be attributed to the fact that we recognized the buzz that Mr Bachchan’s presence in an ad would create, but we also sustained this with events and associations with the superstar that proved very successful for both BPL and Mr Bachchan.

     

    It would not be wrong to say that BPL in many ways opened up the path for the future of brand endorsements, especially celebrity brand endorsement. It also brought to the world a new Amitabh Bachchan who would only emerge later as the biggest celebrity brand ambassador.

     

    I do believe that what we did with BPL and Amitabh Bachchan was truly ahead of its time. It has played a significant role in redefining the way brands advertised themselves.

     

    Sanjay Prabhu is Executive Director & Publisher at Asianet News Private Limited & Managing Director Radio Indigo. He was earlier Vice President – Brand Management with BPL Limited from 1990-2005.

     

     

     

  • Today, Amitabh Bachchan is the darling of the media. But, unimaginable in this age of adulation, there was an era when the media had boycotted him, and he had shunned them right back

    Deepa Gahlot: Bollywood Badshah’s on-off affair with media… When he said he would like to be a journalist in his next life

    By Deepa Gahlot

     

    When Amitabh Bachchan was just emerging from the Bofors controversy, he was quoted to have said that in his next life, he would like to be a journalist – such was the power of the media.

     

    Today, Amitabh Bachchan is the darling of the media. They hang on to his every word; they not just retweet his tweets, they make entire stories out of them; they gather around the Bachchan family trying to get a picture of the grandchild. The entire country seemed to participate in the naming of the child of Abhishek and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. The family is photographed at work, at play, at airports, at temples and hospitals.

     

    But there was a time when Amitabh had decided to ban the ‘yellow’ press and the press, in a rare show of unity, decided to ban him right back. There was a ‘katti’ period, when Amitabh would not speak to the film media and they did not carry any news about him.

     

    What apparently happened was that Stardust had organised a charity show at which several top stars had agreed to participate. But then some of them, reportedly at the behest of Dilip Kumar, decided that they should not endorse the gossip press and decided to boycott the event. They also decided to boycott all gossip magazines.

     

    This was a time when Bollywood was not covered by the mainstream media. Stars liked to be featured in the magazines because that was the only way of reaching the film-going public. A boycott of the film media was bound to fail. But during the Emergency in 1975, Stardust had a rough time with the censors and this was reportedly on the orders of Amitabh who was close to the Gandhi family. The cold war went on for years till the unfortunate Coolie accident in 1982 when Amitabh was seriously injured during the shooting of the Manmohan Desai film.

     

    The whole country prayed for his recovery and even the media must have found it churlish to carry on with the ban. There was a thaw on both sides. In any case, the so-called boycott has not affected the star’s career in the least. He could also afford to be generous.

     

    Then, in 1989, the Bofors scandal hit, and dragged Amitabh’s name into it. His films started flopping. He only had the medium of the press to get his side of the story to the public. This time the media decided to be gracious and fair and helped Amitabh clear his name. That was when the star admitted to the power of the media and made that quip about wanting to be reborn as a journalist.

     

    Since then, he has been through problems – the failed comeback with a flop Mrityudaata, the Miss World fiasco that hit him financially – but the media has chosen never to hit out at the star when he was down. They even forgave the public relations disaster of the Abhishek-Aishwarya wedding, when the media was ignored and mistreated.

     

    On his part, Amitabh is not just an interviewer’s delight, he is always charming, gracious and professional. His office promptly returns calls, forwards messages; he writes personal notes of appreciation if an article or review praising him appears, he also sends miffed letters of clarification if something offends him.

     

    Times have changed; today the media is full of Bollywood trivia. Stars are worshipped, their homes staked out, their faults papered over, their achievements exaggerated. At a time when stars have more power than politicians and industrialists, the media needs the stars more than the stars need the media. Unlike many of his juniors who snap their fingers when they need the media, but shun the press between releases, Amitabh has maintained a relationship of cordiality with the media, even though he now has social media platforms to have his say (even ranting against a bad review). It could be because of past experience, it could because he is well bred, or maybe because you can’t really push away the guy who has prostrated himself at your gate to try and get an exclusive shot from the gap between the gate and the ground. If asked today, Amitabh would probably say he wants to be a superstar in his next life too… such is the power of Bollywood. He hates this term for Mumbai cinema, but here’s wishing the Badshah of Bollywood a happy 70th birthday.

     

  • Clarion call for media to help change perceptions as the 1st Intnl Day of the Girl Child is observed + Jaldi 5 with Dr AL Sharada, director, Population First

    Arise, awake… and care for the girl child!

     

    By Fatema Rajkotwala

     

    Jaldi 5 with Dr A L Sharada: More ads must say: Yes, she can
     

    Population First has been at the forefront of the initiative on the way the girl child has been projected in the media. Dr A L Sharada, Director, Population First, spoke to MxMIndia on the girl child and the media and how we can prevent the celebration of the International Day of the Girl Child from being mere tokenism.

     

    01.  It’s good to see that the first ever International Day of the Girl Child is being celebrated. How do we prevent it from being mere tokenism?

    I welcome the UN, as a global body declaring October11, as the International Day of the Girl Child. This gives us an opportunity to take stock of the work that we have done so far, look further into what needs to be done and how we could take the issue at hand, forward. However the fear that it may turn out to be yet another gesture of tokenism is a valid one. The only way we can stop it from becoming yet another international day celebrated as a formality every year, is through concerted efforts to work on some of the major issues regarding the girl child.

     

    There are many issues concerning girls such as child marriages, low enrolment in schools and neglect of their health and nutrition needs. We need to advocate and lobby for more focused policies and programmes to improve the status of the girl child. We need to use the opportunity provided by the International Day of the Girl Child, every year to reflect upon achievements, fine tune our policies and redesign our programme, if required.

     

    Do you see that Population First’s efforts have had an impact on the media?

     

    I see lot of positivity and openness from the media towards these issues and a willingness to approach them differently. In the current media scenario, many of these issues are being addressed but more need attention. We, at Population First believe that we have to start a dialogue with all stakeholders, media being a primary stakeholder. We, as a nation have internalised, and have deeply ingrained patriarchal values to an extent that unless someone points it out, at times we are unaware of a possible patriarchal tone in our public communications. We need to initiate dialogues with all groups of society, so that together we can build a more gender-sensitive society.

     

    02, In your experience interacting with marketers and advertising agency professionals, do you think they are sincere in their attempts to appreciate the responsibility towards the girl child in a society like ours?

    Our experience with the advertising professionals has been very positive. We found them to be open-minded, willing to look at our standpoints and revise their current approach. From the time we began interacting with professionals in the advertising industry in 2008 up to today, we find a much greater presence of girls in advertising and many advertisements that are now projecting positive and non-stereotypical images of girls.

     

    03.  Do you think self-regulation bodies like ASCI, Advertising Club and AAAI should also take it upon themselves to promote the cause?

    Yes, definitely. It is important that activists working on gender issues and the regulatory bodies of media and advertising work together to ensure that the media does not project demeaning and negative images of girls. It is also imperative that  media does not consciously or otherwise, support or promote negative social attitudes and practices such as eve-teasing, commodification, objectification of women and violence.

     

    04.  What are your views on gender biases in today’s advertising?

    In 2008, during our analysis of advertisements showing girl children, we found that girls had a lesser presence and were often presented in a stereotypical fashion, for example mostly endorsing products that have been promoted by their mothers too. It was also observed that an ideal family is always shown as mother-father with one daughter and one son, or two sons. Rarely did we find ads showing two daughters. While a lot has changed in the last few years, in terms of projection of girls in advertisements, it is still rare to find an advertisement where two daughters are shown in a family setting. This, I believe, promotes the perception that a son is a must in the family. In a context where the country’s sex ratio is declining, this is a very disturbing trend.

     

    Television serials, television and print media content also further aggravate this image of women. What are your views here?

     

    Yes, it is true that the portrayal of women in print and electronic media is regressive and voyeuristic in flavour and we have to work on changing this. This is why we have instituted Laadli Media Awards for Gender Sensitivity. We have received 1500 entries this year and the quality of the content is improving. There is a lot of potential for change. The most pertinent example here is that of the popular show, Satyamev Jayate, which has suddenly got numerous issues into our drawing rooms. It shows the effect of one strong programme with a potent combination of Aamir Khan, an industry giant like Reliance and a media tool like Star TV. This shows that there is potential to bring social change. New media and its various options are also democratizing the way news now reaches out and has gained momentum with youth across the country as tools for creating public opinion. It is an exciting time to be, in terms of working with media on social issues

     

    05.  One view of marketers is that they need to sell to consumers, given the prevailing behavioural patterns, and that they are not in a position to correct these attitudes. How do we bring about a change in this view?

    I would like to highlight two ads here. For instance, an HDFC investment plan ad shows a father investing for his daughter’s education instead of a more common notion, such as saving for her marriage. This is a positive and refreshing approach to the product and in no way undermines the value of the product. The other ad I would like to mention is the Tata Nano ad where a small girl hugs the car, and the father gives her the car keys. This shows that the father is proud of his daughter. Giving visibility to girls in ads, is by itself crucial. We need to see more such instances where girls have to be shown in a capable light and in diverse concepts while selling a product. After all, communication is all about conveying the message effectively, is it not?

    (Interviewed by Fatema Rajkotwala)

     

    Last December, the United Nations declared that it would annually observe the International Day of the Girl Child, starting from October 11, 2012. Supported by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), in partnership with Whisper, leading non-government social welfare organization Population First will celebrate the first International Day of the Girl Child today (October 11) at Mumbai’s Y B Chavan Centre (*see disclosure below).

     

    The first ever International Day of the Girl Child is marked to help prioritize girls’ rights as the salient issue in the coming decades. ‘Laadli‘ is Population First’s Girl Child campaign against sex selection and falling sex ratio. It focuses on creating a positive image of the Girl Child in society.

     

    Veteran adperson Bobby Sista is Executive Trustee, of Population First. Mr Sista spoke to MxMIndia about the positive response from the advertising world towards the issue, “The response from the advertising world has been encouraging. We, at Population First are absolutely delighted that at last a global body has recognised that the girl child is a special category that needs special, global attention. One of our primary focuses is to eradicate the horrible practice of pre-birth sex selection. I have been highlighting and propagating the economic value of the woman as a homemaker in our society and her contribution to the country’s GDP. A woman is at least four times better at being a manager, or doing any job today. Why always talk about the girl child in a suppressed context? What is it that a woman cannot do today, that a man can do?”

     

    Dr A L Sharada, Director, Population First spoke about the need for activists and media bodies to work together to bring about social change, “It is important that activists working on gender issues and the regulatory bodies of media and advertising work together to ensure that the media does not project demeaning and negative images of girls. There is a lot of potential for change. New media and its various options are also democratizing the way news now reaches out and has gained momentum with youth across the country as tools for creating public opinion. It is an exciting time to be, in terms of working with media on social issues.”

     

    Part of the multi-stage campaign, ‘Question Everything’ was a two-day workshop on Creative Thinking, Communication and Gender. Organized by ‘Laadli’ Changemakers Club of Population First, the workshop engaged students from Mass Media colleges across Mumbai, with an aim to involve the youth in a dialogue on gender issues, with a focus on enhancing the image of the girl child. Highly experienced advertising and media professionals such as Gautam Rakshit, Gopi Kukde, K V Sridhar (eka Pops), Dolly Thakore and Zoya Akhtar shared their expertise and guidance with students. The event will see the launch of 1MM, one-minute movies made by college students questioning gender inequality and injustice.

     

    Says Mr Sridhar, National Creative Director, Leo Burnett , “We have realised that at times, lack of knowledge and sensitivity tend to be the reason for negative content. But when you’re creating something, you have a white paper in front of you, you can create anything. We need to influence content creators first, then clients, then people themselves to come out of years of reinforced images of family planning. When you sensitise teens and youngsters, power to impact is higher. The new mantra for communication in the digital era is- Play, Buy and then Share. Young minds involved in making a one minute movie raise issues without fear to express and once you get involved, you think about it, play it with experience, then you buy into the philosophy, then you share it. Youth sharing via mass media tool such as Facebook or Twitter have a far reaching impact. This is a process that has been initiated. That is how social revolutions were made, religions and value were spread.”

     

    Part of the event’s agenda is to recognise young women achievers such as the female fire-fighters of the Mumbai Fire Brigade. The event will also felicitate celebrity parents and daughters who have made a mark for themselves in media, corporate and political circles.

     

    Population First has also introduced the Laadli Media Awards for Gender Sensitivity to encourage and recognise media content that has positive social messages for the girl child.

     

    Disclosure: MxMIndia has published for Population First a special volume on the First International Day of the Girl Child that will be released at an event in Mumbai this evening (October 11). Also, we strongly believe in the cause and feel that media and entertainment can play a key role in changing gender perceptions. – Ed.

     

     

     

  • From luxury suits and diamond jewellery, to tourism and polio eradication – you could say Amitabh Bachchan has done it all. MxMIndia has gathered the Big B's commercials over the years so that you can stand back in admiration

    From BPL to Zen Mobiles: Brand Amitabh Bachchan’s TVCs over the years

     

     

    BPL

    [youtube width=”300″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCMRhXAsdMo[/youtube]

    1996

    		  

    Eveready

    [youtube width=”300″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWD_6317vlg[/youtube]

    May 2005
     

    Pepsi – Political Twist

    [youtube width=”300″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTEqOj4fkro[/youtube]

    Sep 2006

    		  

    Lead India

    [youtube width=”300″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9seKn9ovHA[/youtube]

    Dec 2007
     

    Navratna Oil

    [youtube width=”300″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHwOQkiTLwY[/youtube]

    June 2007

    		  

    Pepsi (with Sachin Tendulkar)

    [youtube width=”300″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDdYfwbDgK8[/youtube]

    Mar 2007
     

    Reliance ADAG Group

    [youtube width=”300″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueWgSbYlLuU[/youtube]

    March 2007

    		  

    The New India (TOI)

    [youtube width=”300″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNomFKB8sgk[/youtube]

    Jan 2007
     

    The Times of India – India Poised anthem.

    [youtube width=”300″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wP-TwHwLc98[/youtube]

    January 2007

    		  

    Parker Pen

    [youtube width=”300″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22gkF903U-s[/youtube]

    Jun 2009
     

    Dabur Honey

    [youtube width=”300″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuRnWY2Oo8o[/youtube]

    Aug 2009

    		  

    ICICI Car Loan

    [youtube width=”300″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fE9wPLCf-LI[/youtube]

    Aug 2009
     

    Pepsi (with Arshad Warsi)

    [youtube width=”300″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRcPKxlpmow[/youtube]

    Sep 2009

    		  

    India Hockey Team

    [youtube width=”300″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fy2BJVWaYKs[/youtube]

    Apr 2010
     

    Dabur Glucose D

    [youtube width=”300″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2ql8LJ3_3s[/youtube]

    Jun 2010

    		  

    National Rural Health Mission

    [youtube width=”300″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWn63nuxYZQ[/youtube]

    Feb 2011
     

    Binani Cement

    [youtube width=”300″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DAFubSuGhU[/youtube]

    Jul 2011

    		  

    Binani Cement

    [youtube width=”300″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TUktKe7Cmo[/youtube]

    Sep 2011
     

    Cadburys

    [youtube width=”300″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3cju-2FbiE[/youtube]

    Sep 2011

    		  

    JustDial.com

    [youtube width=”300″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suXOFD66pIo[/youtube]

    May 2011
     

    Tanishq True Diamonds (with Jaya Bachchan)

    [youtube width=”300″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWzXSNqGmZU[/youtube]

    Apr 15, 2011

    		  

    Cadbury Celebrations

    [youtube width=”300″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqiONfDvoZY[/youtube]

    April 2011
     

    Reid & Taylor

    [youtube width=”300″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vFX33WCbMs[/youtube]

    Oct 2011

    		  

    Dabur Chyawanprash

    [youtube width=”300″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9md6V-lKl3Y[/youtube]

    Nov 2011
     

    Force One

    [youtube width=”300″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-qEvd0k4UE[/youtube]

    Dec 2011

    		  

    Unicef Polio (with Aishwarya)

    [youtube width=”300″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wood7OFg0IE[/youtube]

    Jan 2012
     

    Gujarat Tourism

    [youtube width=”300″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_W5ae2e51A[/youtube]

    April 2012

    		  

    ICICI PRULIFE

    [youtube width=”300″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIEW8dYd7TY[/youtube]

    Apr 2012
     

    Kalyan Jewellery

    [youtube width=”300″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6x78li4ddc[/youtube]

    June 2012

    		  

    Reliance Mobile

    [youtube width=”300″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSs0YWj4Y6g[/youtube]

    Jul 2012
     

    Luxor Nano

    [youtube width=”300″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-zkSt18dX8[/youtube]

    Jul 2012

    		  

    Champions League T20

    [youtube width=”300″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_e7fe9MaVY[/youtube]

    Aug 2012
     

    BIS

    [youtube width=”300″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0zkuH3zSuI[/youtube]

    Aug 2012

    		  

    Maggi

    [youtube width=”300″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tUZy0veUd8[/youtube]

    Aug 2012
     

    Zen Mobile

    [youtube width=”300″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAcy1ERwkyU[/youtube]

    Oct 2012

     

     

  • Dainik Bhaskar Women of the Year Awards 2012 is an initiative to recognise woman power in India. The award in its 3rd year encourages women to build their own identity

    Dainik Bhaskar honours women of the year

    By A Correspondent

     

    Dainik Bhaskar Women of the Year Awards 2012 is an initiative to recognise woman power in India. The award in its 3rd year encourages women to build their own identity.

     

    Dainik Bhaskar Group believes in woman empowerment and improving the status of women in the country. The group has been in the forefront of introducing innovative platforms for its readers to recognize the change makers in society. The award is an appreciation of who have achieved extraordinary success and done commendable work in their respective fields.

     

    The initiative was promoted through Print Campaign and Out of Home media. The nominations were open in 4 categories: Social & Public Service, Arts & Culture, Business & Profession & Asli Amla Star Ki Khoj.

     

    The awards are given at the State level and the function for Gujarat, Jharkhand and Chandigarh (including Punjab and Haryana) has been completed. Eminent personalities like Raj Bala Malik (Chandigarh City Mayor), Dolly Ahluwalia (Fashion Designer & Movie Actress) Mr C.P. Singh (Member of Legislative Assembly from Jharkhand), Meera Munda (Wife of Jharkhand Chief Minister) and Nirav Patel (MD Abaj Electronics) attended the events in the states. The winners received a trophy and certificate.

     

    In the second phase, award for the states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra will be given.

     

    With a special focus on empowering women, be it through such awards or through various other initiatives, the Dainik Bhaskar Group continues to recognise woman power.

     

  • Ogilvy has announced that Pete Smith has been appointed Regional Innovations & Creative Director, Asia Pacific for the agency's specialised healthcare division

    Ogilvy APAC transforms creativity in healthcare comm

    By A Correspondent

     

    Pete Smith

    Ogilvy has announced that Pete Smith has been appointed Regional Innovations & Creative Director, Asia Pacific for the agency’s specialised healthcare division. Ogilvy’s healthcare offering reaches across Asia with hubs in China, Korea, Japan, India, Hong Kong, Singapore and Australia. Mr Smith will relocate to Shanghai from Sydney in October to lead the creative offering of Ogilvy’s healthcare division across the region.

     

    Mr Smith comes from the BBDO network in Australia, where he was Creative Director. As creative lead within that network, he created some of the best-known and most successful healthcare campaigns both locally and globally. Most recently he has been driving the launch and ongoing growth of Astra Zeneca’s major brand portfolio in Australia.

     

    He will join the core regional team of Ogilvy’s health discipline which includes Rohit Sahgal, Regional Director Asia Pacific, and Sebastien Boisseau, Regional Director Insights & Strategy, to create a unique specialist agency model that will seamlessly service the needs of global/regional/local clients, across Rx-OTC-Nutrition & Wellness.

     

    “Pete has been a leading advocate for digital, new technology, experiential and social marketing in a health context, but has always followed the simple principle that every great campaign needs a great idea brilliantly executed. He has embraced and driven serious innovation of new media platforms into the healthcare sphere – in particular the ‘digitalisation’ of healthcare creativity. I couldn’t have asked for a more inspiring and groundbreaking creative leader to work with,” said Mr Sahgal on Mr Smith’s appointment.

     

    “The Asia Pacific region is where the most exciting work in the world is being done and the most exciting work in the region is being done by Ogilvy, a leader in the field. I genuinely feel privileged to be part of this team and excited by the prospects of working with this team. Ogilvy has always been the place where advertising people want to work, and nothing much has changed. Under my guardianship, I have strong ambitions to take that spirit further and faster” said Pete Smith on his being a part of the Ogilvy AP network.