MxMIndia

Category: NEWS

  • Radio is free, easy to access, and reaches everyone, everywhere. Yet why is the eye favoured over the ear?

    FM radio: Waiting in the wings for how long?

     

     

    By Ritu Midha

     

    Television and print continue to be the mainstay of any media plan. The buzz around launch of new channels and publications (largely newspapers) is difficult to ignore. Digital media, too, has become a medium of ‘now’. Meanwhile, radio continues to struggle, with cost to operate being quite high while profitability is still an issue. Is it time, then, to ring the alarm bells? Is radio getting lost even before it has acquired a national footprint?

     

    Prashant Panday

    Radio: Today

    Prashant Panday, CEO, ENIL, emphasises: “There is no evidence of that yet, though if Phase III expansion gets delayed, this is bound to happen. The Indian media scenario has new brand launches happening all the time. Newspaper reports say that since August this year, the Ministry of I&B has given permission for 745 new TV channels – about half of which are news channels. Likewise, if you look at newspapers, there are editions opening across the country almost every month. It’s the same with outdoor sites and internet portals. In a scenario like this, if there is no addition in the number of radio channels, then the sector will get affected. That is one reason we are waiting for the 800 odd new radio licenses to be issued under Phase III. At present though, radio continues to grow, and its share continues to be just under 5 percent of total advertising spends.”

     

    Media planning and buying fraternity, in turn believes that radio as a medium is gaining popularity, and that is largely because of its content which touches a cord with the local consumers. Mohit Joshi, Managing Partner, MPG India, explains, “While there is not as much buzz about radio, I don’t think it is losing out. It has developed a unique role in the communication mix, which straddles ATL and BTL. Advertising support on the medium has been growing at 11 percent over the years.”

     

    Ashit Kukian

    Increase in FDI Limits: Low impact

    Media owners are of the view that increase in FDI in radio would not really impact the sector, unlike retail where the proposal for FDI in multi-brand retail has raised a storm. The common belief is that not many foreign players would be interested in the medium because of low profitability.

     

    Mr Panday says, “Remember, FDI only enters sectors where there is profitability and where the regulatory regime is favourable and stable. Today, most radio broadcasters are barely hitting EBITDA break-evens. This, after half the license period of ten years, is already over. I personally feel that the higher FDI/FII limit will help increase trading in listed radio stocks like ENIL and RBN, but apart from that, the impact might not be that high.

     

    Ashit Kukian, COO and President, Radio City, agrees, “The increase in FDI in radio sector from 20 to 26 percent is not really going to make any dramatic impact on the industry.”

     

    Vinish Joshi

    Slowdown: Whither goes Radio?

    While FM in India continues to struggle, impact of the slowdown, interestingly, on radio, as per the expert opinions might be the least, courtesy its local content. As per Mr Panday, with a slowdown in ad spends, the overall ad industry is unlikely to grow at more than 5-8 percent. His belief is that radio may grow slightly higher at 10-12 percent. “Almost all sectors are seeing a slowdown. We attributed the slowdown in the 1st quarter to the higher spends in the preceding 4th quarter on account of the cricket. However, the 2nd quarter also has been weak,” he says.

     

    Vinish Joshi, GM, Mediacom, too believes that radio might see a higher percentage growth than other media – largely due to its reach and content. He says, “Increasingly FM-enabled mobile phones are driving radio growth in India and phase III is expected to extend radio’s reach to 294 towns and 839 stations. If any medium stands to gain from this slowdown, it is radio, as during the periods of slowdown, marketing activities get more focused. The concern remains on accountability, as marketing will also be more accountable during this period and comprehensive measurement tool for Radio industry will be critical.”

     

     Mohit Joshi

    Measurement currency: A catch-22

    Indeed, the tighter times lead to a lot more stress on RoI, and measurement currency becomes very important. The radio players feel that there is need for a more robust radio measurement system. Mr Panday says: “The present system is a diary system which has many flaws. What we need is an electronic measurement system which accurately captures listenership. We also need more sample sizes to better capture the heterogeneous habits of our cities.”

     

    This sentiment of the media players is shared by media planning and buying fraternity. While, they agree that attempts being made to capture a larger listener base are commendable, they believe that it needs to broaden further.

     

    Mohit Joshi says, “Effort is already on for increasing the coverage of the network of the current Radio Measurement systems. Today, when we have radio stations across most of the key cities, the coverage also needs to mirror that growth. The better the data, the easier it would be to establish the role of Radio.”

     

    It would be interesting to find out how much is the fraternity ready to invest in improving the measurement system and currency. It is a known fact that research and measurement is cost-intensive. With RoI being an issue, most of them might find it difficult to make a major investment in anything.

     

    FM stations: Same, same – no different

    Radio, at the moment is suffering from me-too syndrome – which to a large extent can be attributed to investment constraints. There is definitely a need for differentiation – enter localised communication.

     

    Mr Kukian says, “Radio as a medium has the ability to create customized communication for pocketed audiences and impact millions of Indians due to its wide coverage and personal connect. This coupled with the medium’s innovation quotient gives it one up over other media in terms of fulfilling advertisers’ requirements.”

     

    Vinish Joshi shares a similar opinion, but he qualifies, “Inserting rapid-fire weather forecasts and traffic reports is just providing minimum local content. Local radio, by my definition, is the real interaction of radio personalities, announcers, the people on the air, with listeners both on and off the air. As long as radio maintains its local presence, something that other syndicated forms cannot provide, there will always be a need for its services.”

     

    Unfortunately local content on radio, largely restricted to traffic reports and contests, seems to be similar on all the stations. The reason for this, yet again, is operating costs and limited number of stations. The game might change once there are more radio stations post Phase III.

     

    Mr Panday states, “Very little content differentiation will happen unless more frequencies are released. Let’s take an example. Suppose only 10 TV channels were allowed by law. Which channels would exist then? My guess is that the 4-5 GECs would still exist, there would be 1-2 news channels and 2-3 other channels. The reason for so much content differentiation in TV is that there are so many channels. The second reason is that broadcasters are allowed to own and broadcast several channels, so that the cost of operating smaller format channels is reduced.”

     

    He continues, “In radio however, we suffer from restrictions on both the above mentioned requirements. There are only 7-8 channels in the major markets and broadcasters are allowed to operate only one channel per market. The Phase-III regulations are going to relax the second condition, but till the number of channels increases significantly, we cannot expect much content differentiation. And if the auctions happen the way they are planned – e-auctions for one frequency in Delhi and two in Mumbai – then the license fees will shoot up and niche formats will become unviable. The government needs to release more spectrum BEFORE auctions are conducted. We have even given them a formula to do this – just reduce the “separation” between two adjoining radio channels from the 800 kHz at present to 400 kHz.”

     

    If the separation between two adjoining channels is helved, the number of channels would double – broadcasters will be able to compete better with TV and print, the government will get more license fees through auctions. And it just might help in increasing FDI investments in the sector by raising the bar and the competition.

     

  • A personal reminiscence of celebrated illustrator and cartoonist Mario Miranda by Dev Nadkarni

    Remembering Mario Miranda/Dev Nadkarni

    By Dev Nadkarni

     

    Mario Miranda never really liked to talk about himself or his work. But once during an assignment, when I pressed him on how he went about his meticulously detailed illustrations, he told me in his usual shy manner that he began at one corner of the blank sheet and put his scratchy ink pen nib down only when he had fully filled up the whole sheet.

     

    The maestro put his nib down one final time yesterday, having finished with the extraordinary canvas of his life. And what an incredibly rich and unforgettable picture he has drawn for all of us in his seven decade long career. His drawings, with their filigree-like detail, are an endless source of joy: you find something new in every illustration no matter how many times you’ve seen it before. That indeed was his genius.

     


    I knew Mario as a fan, friend, colleague and client – as fan for a lifetime, the rest for more than two decades. My first ever introduction to Goa was through one of his illustrated books, “Goa With Love – by Mario”, a copy of which we still have in our collection nearly half a century later.

     

    “Goa With Love” is Mario’s finest tribute to his most beloved Goa – it is completely illustrated, no copy except for an odd caption or two. It captures every aspect of Goa – the scenery, the people, the social mores, the cultural diversity, the oddly spelt Hindu names in Portuguese-influenced English, everything except perhaps the smell of feni.

     

    I have lost count of how many times I must have pored over that book throughout my life. I remember spending hours on each page when I was a child growing up in Panaji – which back then was Panjim. I can still find things to laugh about in the drawings.

     

    Dev Nadkarni (third from left) with Mario Miranda

    I first shook hands with Mario when I was perhaps all of five in my father’s office in Panaji’s iconic Secretariat Building – my father, Mohan Nadkarni, was the newly formed union territory’s first information officer and was in charge of publicity, publications and PR. “This uncle here drew Goa With Love – his name is Mario,” I remember my father saying. I was excited because I had shaken hands with the man whose book I was so very fond of.

     

    In later years, I often ran into him in the Times of India building in Mumbai on my errands delivering my father’s music reviews and columns to the newsroom on the third floor (no emails and faxes then). I’d reintroduced myself as his fan from Goa and chatted on some occasions about some of his illustrations from “Goa With Love” and his other work, which appeared regularly in the Khushwant Singh-edited Illustrated Weekly and the Evening News of India.

     

    Our next significant encounter was at my first real job – as an assistant editor of the popular children’s fortnightly Tinkle at the India Book House. He was illustrating a children’s book, which my colleague Nira Benegal (noted film director Shyam Benegal’s wife) was editing. We settled down for a long chat and at the end of it, he handed two rather tired looking diaries to Nira.

     

    I noticed Nira put away the diaries carefully in her bottom drawer. After a few days, knowing my respect for Mario and his work and my own ambitions to launch my cartoon strip, she let me have a peek at those diaries. I was amazed as I leafed through them.

     

    They were diaries from Mario’s childhood. Most of us who kept diaries did so in long hand. Mario simply drew. On one of the pages the only words were something like: “walking back from the market I saw” and there was this amazingly stylised picture of a cow. He must have been 10 or 11 when he drew it – perhaps even younger.

     

    The picture was greatly detailed. There were the blades of grass, the pebbles, the vegetable vendor, other trappings of the marketplace, a carrera (those small rickety buses – now extinct – with about eight seats that packed in 24 people), the fisherwoman, everything on that A8 sized diary page. It left me dumbfounded. Nira let me borrow the diaries for the weekend and boy, what a weekend that was.

     

    The Benegals and Mirandas were close friends. Shyam’s Trikaal – based on Goa’s liberation – was shot for the most part in Mario’s splendid colonial Loutolim residence, which is where he breathed his last.

     

    Mario’s recognition as an illustrator par excellence grew and he was invited for assignments and exhibitions across the globe. The world’s major cities invited him to draw their monuments and main squares. The volume of his published work grew and he was soon awarded both the Padma Shri and the Padma Bhushan, besides many other awards.

     

    Then Karnataka chief minister Devraj Urs commissioned Dom Moraes and Mario to do a book on the state – and that’s another book in our collection signed by both Dom and Mario.

     

    By 1987, I had a couple of weekly cartoon strips going. One appeared in the Sunday edition of the Indian Express and the other in the Sunday editions of the Economic Times between 1984 and 1990. The latter, called Doldrumms Ltd, based around office and business situations, was definitely inspired by Mario’s Miss Nimbupani and her cartoon colleagues.

     

    In the middle of that year, Mario and I were part of a delegation of Indian cartoonists who visited Europe as part of the Festival of India. Our works were exhibited for a week in Sierre in Switzerland. It was there that despite our great differences in age and stature, he took me on as a friend.

     

    During those long wine filled nights, I got to see his melancholic side, which I had not seen before. On one such evening, I remember, as we were sitting on the deserted platform of the Sierre railway station after a couple of bottles of fine French Beaujolais, he told me the real reason why he left the Times of India – but not before extracting a promise that I’ll keep it only to myself.

     

    Weeks later we reconnected in downtown London and spent a busy morning drinking some more – this time beer. Celebrated modern dancer Astad Deboo joined us for a while.

     

    As editor of a publication for India’s first major amusement park Esselworld, I had the pleasure of commissioning some work from Mario. But what I’ll remember most is a one of a kind interview I did with him: we did a four-page cartoon strip interview. He drew the replies to my questions – how cool is that. He later told me how much he had enjoyed doing that.

     

    Though I visited his home in Colaba, Mumbai, several times, I never really got to know his wife Habiba or his sons. At one time, I remember he had pet turtles clambering up and down the living room. Mario’s close friend and one of India’s finest humorists, Busybee (Behram Contractor), modeled two of the characters of his “Round and About” column – Darryl and Derrick, the two sons of the fabulously rich ‘my friend who lives on the 21st floor’ – on Mario’s two boys.

     

    There will not be another cartoonist, illustrator or human being like Mario de Brito Miranda. His celebrity came in spite of his self-effacing and humble personality. He will be greatly missed by millions of his fans.

     

    One of the final pages of “Goa With Love” has an illustration of a Goan funeral. As well as a few weeping relatives around an elderly man’s bier there is also a lot of beer and feni flowing around. The young people are eyeing one another through their tears. There is one young lady by the man’s feet, a tear flying away from her thick eyelashes, as her gaze meets a young man’s standing by the head of the departed gent. Her expression is an inexplicable mix of grief and expectation – there is a definite air of getting on with life once the grieving is over.

     

    That’s perhaps the best way to lay the great soul to rest – celebrate his life more than grieve his passing.

     

    RIP Mario Miranda.


    Dev Nadkarni, cartoonist, teacher and editor, drew India’s first cartoon strip – Fekuchand Garibdas – for the Indian Express’s Sunday edition. Around a decade back, Dev shifted base to New Zealand where he edits a newspaper for the Indian diaspora, works closely with the government and international development agencies on a range of initiatives. He is also a columnist with several publications. Email: dev.nadkarni@gmail.com

     

    Photographs courtesy Dev Nadkarni

  • With Hindustan's launch of its 9th edition in the state of UP from Aligarh, the daily is now printed from 17 centres across the states of UP, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Jharkhand and Delhi.

    Hindustan launches 9th edition in Aligarh

    By Akash Raha

     

    Hindustan Media Ventures Limited (HMVL) launched its 9th edition in the state of UP from Aligarh on December 10, 2011. With the addition of Aligarh, Hindustan is now printed from 17 centres across the states of UP, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Jharkhand and Delhi.

     

    Commenting on the launch, Amit Chopra, CEO, HMVL said, “Aligarh is a unique region, culturally rich and prosperous. Its traditional segments like manufacturing and agriculture trade have made the region prosperous. And, education adds to its cultural heritage. It is the perfect setting for a progressive newspaper like Hindustan to enter. The team at Aligarh is setting the stage to making this a success right from the start.”

     

    Hindustan has launched in Aligarh with a strong 75,000 circulation that is unsurpassed in that zone. Aligarh edition launch comes a year after the launch of Gorakhpur edition which has continued to progress strongly.

     

    Shashi Shekhar, Editor-in-Chief, Hindustan said, “This is the city of Sir Syed and Maulana. We are honoured to have Aligarh as a key part of our network. For long, readers have had limited choice. Hindustan will offer a refreshing change for Aligarh and its surrounding region. High standards of integrity and journalistic reporting have made Hindustan a much loved and read newspaper in other areas. I am confident that Aligarh will respond to us in the same manner. We will understand and partner with the residents of this belt in their march towards progress.”

     

    Speaking on the launch Rajan Bhalla, Head-Marketing, Strategic Businesses – HT Media said, “The core proposition of Hindustan is ‘Tarakki ko chahiye naya nazariya’. We have approached Aligarh with the respect that the ‘Mecca of Education’ commands. Recognizing this we sought participation from college and school students in a unique initiative. We asked them to express themselves on the topic of ‘Aisa ho mera naya Aligarh’. Needless to say the response was overwhelming.”

  • On the occasion of Big Bazaar's 10th anniversary, Mudra has created a new campaign where Big Bazaar claims to be 'Naye India Ka Bazaar'.

    10 years of ‘Naye India Ka Bazaar’

    Since heralding the birth of modern retail in India in 2001, Big Bazaar has adapted to varying consumption needs over the past decade. It has not only catered to the Indian consumer’s inherent search for value, but also attuned itself to his emerging aspirations. Big Bazaar’s offerings were amongst the first to address these dual needs.

     

    On the occasion of Big Bazaar’s 10th anniversary, the challenge was twofold. They had to narrate the brand journey and also recast Big Bazaar’s promise – “Iss se sasta or accha kahin nahin” with a new and relevant meaning. They  needed to craft a promise which would mark Big Bazaar’s commitment to continual evolution.

     

    India of today was different from that of 10 years ago, and so was Big Bazaar. There was an existing symbiotic relationship between the two, which became the inspiration for the new tagline and logo.The promise of continuously evolving and keeping pace with the consumers was captured through the new logo and tagline – “Naye India Ka Bazaar”. The word “Naya” connoted an embrace of modernity while “Bazaar” re-instated the brands belief in rootedness and Indian values

     

    The journey of Big Bazaar would then be captured in the same way.

     

    The reason is simple; they are changing with their consumers. And in this journey of 10 years they accept the mistakes of the past, because Big Bazaar believes, ‘only when we accept and acknowledge our mistakes’ can real improvement occur.

     

    They have expressed their willingness to evolve through one simple word – “sorry”. A bold stance for any advertiser. And they express our gratitude towards our consumers by saying – “Shukriya” – Thank You.

     

    Credits:

    Mudra India (West)

    Office Head: Arijit Ray

    CCO: Bobby Pawar

    Creative Copy: Anil Bhardwaj

    Creative Art: Vinayak Nayak, Ninad Gharat

    Films: Vishal Sane, Mahen Solanki

    Production House: Red Carpet Entertainment

    Director: Rajkumar Gupta

  • Hindustan Times, which has been celebrating Delhi's 100th birthday under the banner of 'I Love Delhi' throughout 2011, is getting ready for a high point on December 15.

    HT celebrates Capital’s 100th bday with conclave & campaigns

    By Akash Raha

    Hindustan Times, the top English daily in New Delhi, has been celebrating the 100th Birthday of New Delhi under the banner of ‘I Love Delhi’ throughout 2011 and is getting ready for a high point on December 15 – which is the day the foundation stone of New Delhi was laid and which paved the way for the metropolis to develop.

    Shantanu Bhanja, Vice President – Marketing, Hindustan Times, has said, “I Love Delhi is a continuing initiative for Hindustan Times since it encapsulates our feelings for this beautiful city perfectly. Every year, we have a theme for the initiative and this year, what else could it be except the Centenary of the Capital. We have done a series of events already and hope to bring it to a grand closure now.”

    Hindustan Times is organizing the New Delhi 100 Conclave (on December 15,), inviting Delhi’s most prominent citizens to share their vision of Delhi over the next 100 years. On the occasion, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit will release a coffee-table book that puts together Hindustan Times’ entire coverage of New Delhi 100 over the last year.

    Hindustan Times has a large outdoor campaign around Delhi-NCR on currently. In the campaign’s innovation, most sites have been decorated with red and blue balloons, wishing Delhi on its 100th birthday. The balloons give the city a festive and colourful look.

    Hindustan Times kicked off the celebrations for New Delhi’s 100th birthday on January 1, 2011 with an editorial series around various aspects of the evolution of the city. Chronicling how the political, cultural, social and architectural landscapes of the city have changed through the decades, this series was done at regular intervals throughout the year. One of the highlights of this series was the 100 Icons of Delhi – a listing of 100 buildings and institutions that define New Delhi as we know it today.

    In addition to the editorial features, Hindustan Times carried out several initiatives to increase reader engagement throughout the year under the Delhi 100 platform.

  • The challenge for Mudra Max-OOH was to showcase Hindustan Times as a brand that creates awareness among its readers, that it is a newspaper that listens and avidly takes up public issues, undertakes global-scaled initiatives and captures issues and solutions that we face every day.

    Mudra Max does OOH campaign for HT summit

    By A Correspondent

     

    Beginning November 18, 2011, Mudra Max – OOH executed an out-of-home campaign for the ninth edition of the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit held early in December in New Delhi. The campaign ‘When Leaders speak for change, change happens’ was carried out at all key junctions and arterial roads across Delhi/NCR. The Out-of-Home campaign was a mix of billboards, utility, gantry, drapes, bus shelters, office media and metro trains which were put to use with an aim to create the desired impact and communicate the message effectively.

     

    Hindustan Times is said to have wanted to bring a fresh perspective on critical issues facing the society today – impacting the future of governance, economic growth, education, cinema, and more. The challenge for Mudra Max-OOH was therefore to showcase Hindustan Times as a brand that creates awareness among its readers, that it is a newspaper that listens and avidly takes up public issues, and undertakes global-scaled initiatives such as the Leadership Summit encouraging debate and bringing about change by capturing issues and solutions that we face every day.

     

    Subhashish Sarkar
    Sanjoy Narayan

    Mandeep Malhotra, President, Mudra Max-OOH said, “We are proud to be associated with Hindustan Times for leading a powerful forum which is a unique congregation of leaders and opinion makers of global stature, raising the bar of discussion on critical world issues. By this mega act, HT has indeed shown its intent to make a difference in a changing world.”

     

    Subhashish Sarkar, Senior Vice President,Mudra Max-OOH, said, “The objective of the OOH campaign for the ninth Hindustan Times Leadership Summit, was to highlight and remind readers and informed citizens alike of this year’s event and high-profile participants. At the same time, the challenge was to maintain the exclusivity of the forum and not have the brand-image ‘diluted’ through casually selected media. The executed campaign bears this out in plenty.”

     

    Sanjoy Narayan, Editor in Chief of Hindustan Times said, “In modern India, change is constant. In the last two decades, it is said, India has changed a lot. So has the world around us. The changes that India faces are, thus, on several fronts – some domestic, others global. And all of these changes throw up for India, the challenge of keeping pace with them.”

  • PepsiCo India has appointed Proximity India as its digital creative agency for its 7UP brand

    Proximity India wins digital duties for 7UP

    By A Correspondent

     

    Proximity India, the youngest agency of Proximity Worldwide, will handle all digital initiatives including social media for 7UP Brand. Proximity is globally aligned to BBDO Worldwide.

     

    Commenting on assigning Proximity the account Ruchira Jaitley, EVP- Marketing, PepsiCo India said: “Proximity India is a part of the PepsiCo agency team. Proximity has done work award winning work with PepsiCo in the past and we were delighted with the strong creative work and strategic thinking demonstrated by Proximity India.

     

    Proximity is amongst most awarded digital agencies globally, and we look forward to being able to draw upon their international networks for learnings from across the world.”

     

    Proximity India offers talented communications experts with skills across the full range of relationship, digital and direct marketing services. The agency is focused on providing solutions and initiatives that are designed to change individual consumer behaviour by creating “acts not ads”.

     

    Commenting on the win, Ajai Jhala, CEO, BBDO / Proximity said: “7UP is BBDO’s founding brand and winning the digital account in Proximity’s first year of operations makes it that much more special. We are really excited about this win and are looking forward to delivering truly interactive digital ideas.”

     

    Ranjeev Vij, VP & Head, Proximity India added: “We can’t be more thrilled than working on this iconic brand and look forward to collaborate on big ideas and amplify them in everything that is digital today.”

     

    Proximity India has offices in Mumbai and Delhi and has worked on campaigns like Aviva Life Insurance for its “Great Wall of Education” initiative. This initiative has helped collect over two million books for the underprivileged children and the brand managed to get over 1.5 lakh fans for on facebook. BBDO/Proximity has won many accolade and awards for this campaign including recent one at Asia Digital Media Awards 2011.

     

    Proximity also manage digital work for Nicorette for which they launched a social application to support smokers quit on Facebook and have managed to get over 1.25 lakh fans on Nicorette India fan page within a span of 4 months.

     

    In the past Proximity network worked closely with other BBDO clients in India. Their idea for Quaker’s ‘mission to make India heart healthy’ won several awards in India and internationally, including the PepsiCo ‘Performance with Purpose’ Award.

     

    Apart from 7UP, over last couple of months Proximity digital team has added clients like Nissan, Visa and Doublemint to its portfolio.

     

    Early next year, Proximity will launch their proprietary Digital Lab Initiative in India, which is a multi-faceted program, designed to drive digital thought leadership and to provide a significant added value service to its clients.

  • Salt Brand Solutions is on a roll with two new businesses in its kitty; Bombay Stock exchange and RTL, a television channel yet to be launched

    Salt Brand Solutions wins creative mandate for BSE

    By Shubhangi Mehta

     

    Small agencies are here to talk big, Salt Brand Solutions, the agency founded by adland stalwarts Mahesh Chauhan and Minakshi Achan earlier this, is proving the same. After winning the Kaya Skin Clinic biz earlier this year and the reality channel from RBNL and RTL more recently, it has now won the creative mandates for Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE).

     

    BSE Limited, the oldest stock exchange in Asia now popularly known as the BSE, was established as “The Native Share & Stock Brokers’ Association” in 1875. Over the past 135 years, BSE has facilitated the growth of the Indian corporate sector by providing it with an efficient capital raising platform.

     

  • Set to replace Star One, 'Life OK' will launch on Dec 18. A chat with media agency heads on whether there is room for yet another GEC

    Star gets set for Life OK…

     

    By Rishi Vora

     

    The channel was rumoured to be called Star Desh. A predictable name to ward off those on the hunt for info on the channel that was set to replace the beleaguered Star One.

     

    But the identity has now been revealed on billboards and social networks. It’s called Life Ok. The descriptor on the channel’s YouTube page says: “Life OK, a new television channel from 18th Dec, through its unforgettable and powerful stories brings to life its unique philosophy of ‘cherishing what you have’. Life OK reminds and invites everyone to value the things that well and truly matter in life like family ties, relationships, valuing traditions and peace of mind, while in the eternal quest for more.”

     

    Since Star India and its public relations agency are tightlipped on the details, we don’t know whether Star One will shut on December 17 or be phased out gradually.

     

    Life OK, it is learnt, will cater to a wide audience targeting Tier 1 and Tier II cities of the country. Special attention is being paid on packaging and presentation. The leadership team has former MSM Sony business head Mr Ajit Thakur at the helm. That, indeed, is testimony of Star India’s plans to launch a serious challenger brand.

     

    A high decibel marketing push is planned for the launch.

    But, is there a scope for yeta another general entertainment channel? Top of mind, of course is Colors’ success in the not too distant past. Madison Media CEO Punitha Arumugam explains, “Yes there is room for more channels in the GEC space. A case in point being the launch of Colors when one thought that the GEC market was saturated, Colors launched and expanded the GEC channel share. Also, given the high demand situation for GEC inventory today, there does seem to be room for another channel.”

     

    Colors was backed by differentiated content and big-ticket shows; aggressive marketing and distribution, which helped the channel to grab the No 3 position weeks after its launch. That, however, was introduced as Viacom 18’s flagship GEC channel. Will Life OK be a successful second GEC channel?

     

    There are instances where the second channel hasn’t delivered results as per expectations. Zee Next and Star One are a few examples. Historically, second channels have received motherly treatment from networks, as the strategy has always been towards prioritising investments towards flagship channels. There have been cases where successful shows on the second channel shifted to flagship channels… but, from what is seen of the new channel from Star, special efforts are being made to ensure differentiated programming.

     

    Dentsu Media CEO Divya Gupta believes that a new channel needs to create and carve a niche for itself. “Is there a need? Perhaps not from the consumer perspective, but definitely from the marketers’ perspective! Star would do well to have a successful flanker brand.To be successful, however, it needs a distinct and independent raison de etre, which is a big challenge. The plan to feature ‘Sach Ka Saamna’ may draw initial eyeballs, but longevity and distinctiveness remain a challenge.”

     

    Janardhan Pandey, AVP, Mudra Max had a different view. “It is hard to predict if the new channel from Star will succeed or not. The market keeps changing, so one has to constantly evolve as a channel. In the GEC space, success is rare for a new channel, but not obsolete.”

     

    On the programming front, several shows are set to go on air on the new channel. Sach Ka Saamna… Bhrashtachaar Ke Khilaaf, which was to initially feature on Star Plus, has been shifted to Life OK as a strategy to give that extra push to the channel. Others include Tum Dena Saath Mera, Meri Maa, Dil se di dua…Saubhagyavati Bhava and Devon ke Dev…Mahadev.

     

    The channel will launch at 12 noon on Sunday, December 18 with an eight-hour live ‘online concert’ featuring leading leading rock bands and artists like Shankar Ehsaan Loy, Euphoria, Agni, Shaa’ir and Funk, Indus Creed, Salim Sulaiman and Kailash Kher amongst others. Interestingly, the live event will happen only for audiences on the internet, signifying an attempt to woo young, digitally-inclined viewers.

     

    Ms Arumugam remarked, “The success of the GEC channel depends totally on the content and engagement they provide the viewer – so it does not matter whether it is the second channel or the umpteenth channel from the same network”

     

    While all eyes will be on the new channel from Star, there is no doubt these are interesting times in the GEC space, where there is healthy competition between No 2 and No 3 (see table alongside for GRPs and channel shares from November 20-December 3, 2011). If Life OK does have a successful launch, battles will intensify and healthy competition will help increase the genre further.

     

    With bureau reports

  • The much-awaited Effie Awards will recognize the best and most effective advertising of the year

    It’s the Effies tonight

    By Tuhina Anand

     

    The stage is set for Effie Awards 2011 which will be held at Race Course, Mahalaxmi in Mumbai, tonight. The awards are much respected and coveted as they recognize effective advertising – ie, an award for advertising that has worked in the market. The client of the year and agency of the year are the Effies most watched for.

     

    The Effies 2011 were different even in judging as there were four sessions altogether, three in round one including one in Delhi which was for the first time and then round two. It is learnt that there were 60 judges in round one and 20 in round two and out of this number 75 per cent comprised the clients’ side who were involved in judging. The plan is now to take Effies case studies, a popular segment, toDelhinext year.

     

    Ajay Kakar, Chairman Effie 2011 Committee and CMO – Financial Services, Aditya Birla Group, on what the fraternity should expect from the Effies tonight, said, “The judges have cast their votes. When 60 luminaries from the advertising and marketing fraternities put their collective minds together to evaluate the work that has worked in the market place, you can expect nothing short of the ‘best among the best’ to gain its rightful recognition.”

     

    Work that has rightfully left its mark in the sands of 2010-11 will be unveiled at the gala awards night.

     

    “Effie 2011 has a host of records/firsts, to its credit be it the number of entries received (300), the number of judges (60), the number of clients in the jury, the judging in Delhi and the number of agencies (20) that contributed to the short listed entries. I am sure we can expect a few more pleasant surprises at the awards night,” concluded Mr Kakar.

     

    Also read:

    All set for Effies on Dec 14

    http://www.mxmindia.com/2011/11/edging-towards-effies/

  • MD K Balaji says the news stalwart has charted a growth plan to consolidate existing markets as well as tap into new markets for both The Hindu and Businessline

    Hindu on expansion (and consolidation) mode

    By Tuhina Anand

     

    The Hindu Group seems to be in the midst of activity with plans of new launches, expanding footprint and getting new people on board. There has also been talks of  The Hindu shutting its printing press in Delhi to rationalise its operational costs. K Balaji, Managing Director, Kasturi and Sons Limited talks to MxMIndia exclusively and shares details on company’s growth plan.

     

    Talking about The Hindu beyond the Tamil Nadu market, Mr Balaji said, “We have traditionally been strong in Kerala and Andhra Pradesh with the possible exception of Hyderabad. We are the No.1 English Daily in these markets. In Kerala we have editions out of Trivandrum and Kochi. We are strengthening our presence by adding Kozhikode early next year. Although Kerala is dominated by Malayalam dailies, we are seeing a trend in English language aspiration. People want to learn the language for personal and professional reasons. This we feel will grow the English readership in that state. We are well poised to nurture that market.”

     

    He added, “Andhra Pradesh in general is turning out to be an English readership aspirational market, and we feel with our core strengths we are growing at a good rate. We do have plans to supplement these markets with growth in Bangalore and Hyderabad, which will further consolidate our position as the largest read English newspaper inSouth India.”

     

    It is learnt that The Hindu in all probability is looking at its Kozhikode launch on January 14, 2012. It is also learnt that Smart Buy (The Hindu BusinessLine supplement) with focus on metro is expanding its footprint. Talking about Smart Buy, Mr Balaji said, “This product was launched three years back and the response for it has been encouraging and we plan to take it to the next set of cities in the south such as Coimbatore.” It is learnt that the Coimbatore entry for Smart Buy is slated for December 14, 2011.

     

    It is also leant that The Hindu is roping in a Vice President for its circulation, a post which has been vacant for a while. Though details on the new appointment could not be obtained, Mr Balaji, responded, “This is part of the strategy to strengthen the senior management team to take the organization to the next level of growth.”

     

    On the rumours to shut the production facility in Delhi, he said, “We are not shutting down our Delhi Edition. Our production facility at Delhi has been catering to the entire Northern India. A growing circulation and capacity constraint meant that the paper was reaching late in several markets. Earlier this year, we entered into a strategic alliance with Hindustan Times and as part of the tie up we are utilizing their printing facilities in the north to the service to our readers. We have already started our printing from Mohali, Allahabad and Noida, and expect to add Lucknow to the list.”

     

    “Yes, we have charted a growth plan to consolidate existing markets as well as tap into new markets for both The Hindu and Businessline. It is too early to comment on our plans for growth,” concluded Mr Balaji.

  • Young Guns 2011 announces the winners – India nets 3 bronze; 2 for Leo Burnett and 1 for Happy Creative.

    Leo Burnett bag two Young Guns bronzes

    By Shubhangi Mehta

     

    The winners for Young Gun Awards 2011 have been announced. Leo Burnett was awarded 2 Bronze Bullets and 2 Finalists, Happy Creative awarded one Bronze Bullet and Ogilvy&Mather managed 1 finalist, from India.

     

    Leo Burnett India has been awarded Bronze for Tide “Fold a Stain” Campaign in Art Direction categorty, team Ganesh Nayak, Amod Dani and a Bronze for Bajaj Irons “Fold Aide Box” Packaging in Design category,team Nadine Pereira, Zainab Karachiwala, Payal Juthani, Anirban Sanyal. Heinz “Sketchup” managed to be in the finalist category, team, Ganesh Nayak, Amod Dani.

     

    KV Sridhar aka Pops said, “it’s always good when young people are recognised since it is an assurance not just for the present but for a great future as well. We are happy that Leo Burnett worldwide has also won YoungGuns 2011 Network of the Year which proves that it is the agency encouraging the youth”.

     

    Ogilvy & Mather’s Anupama Sirsalewal, finalist for Unbearably Sour, Gun, Snake, Gullotine in the Illustration Campaigns category.

     

    Happy creative has been awarded Bronze Bullet.

     

    Agency Tally for India is as follows:

    Leo Burnett:                2 Bronzes + 2 Finalists

    Happy Creative:           1 Bronze

    Ogilvy:                             1 Finalist