MxMIndia

Category: NEWS

  • The 15th Ujala-Asianet Film Awards 2013 were distributed at a glittering function held recently at Kochi. The event will be telecast on Feb 2 and 3

    Ujala Asianet Film Awards held

    By A Correspondent

     

    The 15th Ujala-Asianet Film Awards 2013 were distributed at a glittering function held recently at Port Trust Stadium, Willington Island, Kochi. The show was attended by a 25,000-strong crowd.

     

    Star Kamala Haasan was felicitated by mega star Mammootty and Asianet Managing Director K Madhavan for his outstanding contribution to the Indian film industry. Director Priyadarsan was also felicitated by Mr Madhavan for his contribution to Indian cinema. The event was attended by a cross-section of stars from the South Indian film industry and featured colourful programmes performed by leading Malayalam artistes along with a mix of stars from Tollywood and Bollywood.

     

    Usthad Hotel won the award for the best film, and Ranjith won the award for the best director for the movie Spirit. Mohanlal won the best actor award for his role in Spirit and Run Baby Run, and Kavya Madhavan for the best female actress for the film Bavoottiyude Namathil.  Spirit won the award for the best popular film.

     

    Others who won awards include Vijay Yesudas (best male singer), KS Chithra (best female singer), Swetha Menon Sunil (best character artiste – female), Biju Menon (best character artiste – male), Babu Raj (best actor in a comic role), Nivin Poli – Isha Thalwar (best star couple), Rafeeq Ahammed (lyricist), Gopi Sundar (music director), Dhananjay (child artiste), Anjali Menon (script writer), Jomon T John (cameraman), debut artiste Gauthami Nair, Lena (best supporting actress), Shankar Ramakrishnan and Indrajith (best supporting actor), Ramya Nambeesan (popular singer), Jacqueline Fernandez (most stylish Bollywood actress), Vineeth Sreenivasan (multi-faceted talent), Prakash Raj (Asianet Golden Star award) and Manoj K Jayan, Kunjacko Boban and Anoop Chandran (special jury awards). Popular star Jayaram was also honoured for 25 years in the film industry in various languages.

     

    The awards show will be telecast by Asianet on February 2 and 3 at 6.30pm.

     

  • The Broadcasting Content Complaints Council is the independent self-regulatory body for non-news general entertainment channels

    BCCC received 8,628 complaints as of Nov ’12

    By A Correspondent

     

    There has been a rapid increase in the number of complaints being handled by the Broadcasting Content Complaints Council (BCCC), following the various measures implemented by the IBF’s member channels and increased awareness among the Indian television audience.

     

    The BCCC is the independent self-regulatory body for non-news general entertainment channels, set up by the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) in June 2011. The council came into being after consultations between the IBF and the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting to implement ‘Self-Regulatory Guidelines and Complaints Redressal Mechanism’ for all non-news channels, including general entertainment, children and special interest channels.

     

    The council held a conference in New Delhi recently, which was addressed by BCCC Chairperson Justice (Retd) AP Shah, IBF President Man Jit Singh, BCCC Members Shabana Azmi and Bhaskar Ghose, and IBF Vice President Rajat Sharma. Also present were BCCC Broadcast Members Ashok Nambissan (MSM Media Pvt. Ltd.) and Sujit Jain (Viacom 18).

     

    BCCC Chairman Justice Shah said, “The BCCC has taken a serious note of complaints relating to women and children and issued advisories in this regard. Broadcasters should strictly avoid showing children below the age of 12 dancing to item numbers. The treatment of children during the course of the programme is also important. Stereotyping of women should be discouraged in TV programmes.”

     

    “We have made certain suggestions and recommendations to the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting with regard to Clause 10.2 of the Uplinking Guidelines. We feel a provision for graded financial penalty can be introduced in for serious violations by channels,” Justice Shah added. The BCCC submitted a report to the MI&B in this respect on January 22, 2013.

     

    IBF President Man Jit Singh said, “Self-regulation is the most appropriate way to handle content on television. The BCCC is a truly independent council that looks into complaints from all over the country. The broadcasters take all recommendations, directions and advisories of the BCCC very seriously and will continue to support the council’s efforts.”

     

    BCCC Member Shabana Azmi said, “Freedom of speech and expression, especially artistic freedom, is very important and a democratic right. This freedom, however, comes with responsibility, and this is where BCCC plays an important role. At BCCC, we hear the channels when serious complaints come before us. We are happy to say that there has been full compliance of the BCCC’s directives by the member channels.”

     

    IBF Vice President Mr Sharma said, “The BCCC is a credible and successful system of self-regulation that has been functioning for 21 months now. It has done good work and we are sure it will continue to do so.”

     

    BCCC Member Bhaskar Ghose said: “At present, debates relating to content and similar issues cater only to a defined audience. We feel its scope needs to be expanded with fruitful participation of a much wider audience in society.”

     

    Till November 30, 2012, BCCC has received 8,628 complaints and suggestions, including 1,072 specific complaints. So far, BCCC has issued seven advisories to the member channels on different topics of concern. During the personal hearings, the BCCC gives an opportunity to the concerned channel’s Standard & Practices heads/Content heads to place their point of view and arrive at appropriate action as per the established norms of self-regulation.

     

    The BCCC has also held two interactive sessions with Channel heads/ S&P heads/ Content heads to develop a better understanding about the IBF’s Self-Regulatory Guidelines and to make television content suitable for unrestricted viewing.

     

    The BCCC has decided to hold similar sensitization sessions with S&P heads of channels in other parts of the country.

     

  • DDB Health & Lifestyle along with NFDC has launched ‘Mitti’, an anthem for the National Population Register

    DDB, NFDC go back to roots for govt film

    By A Correspondent

     

    DDB Health & Lifestyle along with the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC), a Government of India enterprise, has launched the ‘Mitti’ anthem for The National Population Register, on behalf of the Office of the Registrar General, India.

     

    Brief: Make people aware about NPR, its importance and process through which every resident of India feels motivated to get his/her identity validated.

     

    Objective: Create awareness about the National Population Register. Establish the relevance of participating in the National Population Register amongst the residents of the country.

     

    Challenge: India is a population of over 1.2 billion hailing from 28 states and 7 union territories. Our various cultures, traditions and languages make us different from each other in more ways than one. This makes communication a challenging task. This challenge was further magnified for the National Population Register where the aim was to create a single register that amassed information about all the residents of the second most populous country in the world – India.

     

    Brand Idea: My Identity, My Pride

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”220″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtEUIvs3Q_8[/youtube]

    Creative thought: The need was to identify a common sentiment, a sentiment that would inspire all equally to become a part of the National Population Register. A sentiment that would bind us all like leaves, branches and fruits of a tree. We found the answer in our root – our Mitti (soil).

     

    The Mitti film is a call to individuals to embrace their identity stemming from the soil. It is a call to unite and participate with pride in the nation’s attempt to create a single register about all the residents of India – the National Population Register.

     

    The film does this by capturing people from various walks of life in various moods. The highlights of the film include Mitti reaching out to people, people’s celebration of patriotism and a cultural extravaganza that serves as an ultimate visual feast. All this weaved together by a symphony of melodies from different regions that takes the viewer to an emotional high of “Mitti se hi shaan, Mitti se hi pehchaan!”

     

    “We have been commissioned by the Ministry to spearhead this campaign, where DDB Mudra has handled the creative execution in close association with NFDC. Managing the campaign on behalf of NPR is a step forward in NFDC’s endeavor to function as a 360 degrees agency for government clients”, said Nina Lath Gupta, Managing Director and Producer, NFDC (National Film Development Corporation).

     

    Soumitra Sen

    Soumitra Sen, President, DDB Health & Lifestyle, said, “Advertising professionals often have to wait a lifetime to get an opportunity to work on a campaign that will shape behavior and impact humankind for generations to come. The DDB Mudra Group feels proud of the opportunity to work with the GOI project, the National Population Register closely with NFDC. This has resulted in the first creative communication capsule based on the theme of the umbilical cord like relationship that we all have subliminally with our soil. We are working on the next phases of the campaign to motivate all Indian residents to register.”

     

     

    Credits

    Chairman & CCO – Sonal Dabral

    President – Soumitra Sen

    Office Head – Urvashi Guha

    Account Management – Durba Gogia, Subhendu Kumar

    Account Planning – Jeffrey Jose

    Group Creative Director – Ravinder Siwach

    Creative Director – Saritha Shivshankar, Partha Majee

    Director – Lloyd Baptista, 7 Films

     

  • BCCC Chairperson Justice (Retd) AP Shah tells MxMIndia about the complaints that the broadcast authority receives, and what is being done about them

    Jaldi 5 with BCCC chief AP Shah: Unedited foreign programmes lead to more complaints

    By Ananya Saha

     

    The Broadcasting Content Complaints Council received 8,628 complaints and suggestions as of November 30, 2012. Should it be a cause for concern? Should the industry focus more on self-regulation? MxM India spoke to BCCC Chairperson Justice (Retd) AP Shah about the issue.

     

    1. What kind of role does BCCC play in the regulation of the broadcast medium?

    We have to strike a balance between preserving free speech and expression on the one hand, and on the other see that the guidelines and advisories are followed.

     

    2. What are the major complaints or suggestions that BCCC gets?

    Broadly 47 percent of complaints are on sex, vulgarity and nudity. Some 30-40 percent pertain to harm and violence. Others are related to religion or are general complaints. I think the complaints have increased due to increase in import of foreign programmes, which are telecast unedited.

     

    3. What is the advisory you issue on ‘unedited’ programmes?

    Some are asked to go off-air, or some episode is asked to be pulled. Or be put in night slot, which is the restricted slot of 11 pm to 5 am. Or we ask them to modify the content. The good thing is that when it comes to self-regulation, we have had 100 percent compliance from the channels.

     

    4. What about content on regional entertainment channels?

    Yes, there are concerns in regards to regional channels. We receive a large number of complaints from South but since we do not know the language it becomes a problem. We get complaints in language programmes such as Kannada, Telugu, Tamil; not so much in Malayalam though. We need to have a BCCC person in South India who understands the languages.

     

    5. Does MIB interfere with BCCC’s advisories?

    No. There are times when the ministry refers a complaint to us. But the ministry has not interfered with our work. We have fairly succeeded in implementing the guidelines.

     

  • The NRI and PIO convention held in Kochi was an opportunity for the broadcaster to interact with the Indian diaspora as well as government bodies dealing with overseas Indians

    SET Asia participates in Pravasi Bharatiya Divas

    By A Correspondent

     

    The 13th Annual Pravasi Bharitiya Divas (PBD) recently concluded in Kochi. The three-day event, held on January 9, commemorates the day that Mahatma Gandhi returned to India from South Africa.

     

    The PBD conventions are held with an aim to provide the overseas Indian diaspora with a platform to engage with the Indian government. Various seminars on topics like Tourism, Pure Sciences, Growth opportunities in India, Heritage and Diaspora and investment opportunities in different states were held across the three days.

     

    The event was inaugurated by Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi and Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President Pranab Mukherjee were also present at the event.

     

    In conjunction with the event, an exhibition was also organized which gave companies interested in targeting NRIs and PIOs an opportunity to interact with each other, as well as the delegates who were attending the event.

     

    Among the various banking, real estate, state boards and media companies, Sony Entertainment Television Asia was a key exhibitor. Sony Network’s vast global presence especially catering to NRIs and PIOs made it an automatic fit for the exhibition. Sony showcased their programming and distribution strength in the international markets and received many enquiries for the same.

     

  • Indian Sarthak Dasgupta is among four directors honoured for their visionary projects at the festival in Utah, USA

    Sundance-Mahindra award winners announced

    By A Correspondent

     

    Sundance Institute and India’s Mahindra Group have announced the four winners of the 2013 Sundance Institute – Mahindra Global Filmmaking Awards, in recognition and support of emerging independent filmmakers from around the world.

     

    The winning directors and projects are: Sarthak Dasgupta, The Music Teacher from India; Jonas Carpignano, A Chjana from Italy-US; Aly Muritiba, The Man Who Killed My Beloved Dead from Brazil; and Vendela Vida and Eva Weber, Let The Northern Lights Erase Your Name from UK-Germany-US.

     

    The awards were presented at a private ceremony at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, USA, by Rohit Khattar, Chairman, Mumbai Mantra, Michelle Satter, Founding Director, Feature Film Program, Sundance Institute, and Paul Federbush, International Director, Feature Film Program, Sundance Institute.

     

    The Sundance Institute – Mahindra Global Filmmaking Awards are part of a multifaceted collaboration that exemplifies a commitment to and support of world cinema by the Mahindra Group, one of the largest industrial conglomerates in India known throughout the world for its dedication to excellence and to social responsibility, and the nonprofit Sundance Institute, one of the world’s leading cultural organizations. This is the third of the three-year collaboration between the two organizations.

     

    “At a time when there is no dearth of issues around the world that are crying out to be heard, the Global Filmmaking award recognizes independent film-makers who give expression to those voices. The Mahindra Group is proud to assist the Sundance Institute in this endeavour, which, in line with the Group’s ‘Rise’ philosophy, aims to drive a positive change in communities across the world,” said Mahindra Group Chairman & Managing Director Anand Mahindra.

     

    “We are grateful to the Mahindra Group for building with us, this multifaceted programme, which embraces our joint global commitment to nurturing new storytellers and getting their voices out to the widest possible audiences,” said Sundance Institute President and Founder Robert Redford.

     

    Rohit Khattar, Chairman, Mumbai Mantra, said, “These are exciting times for independent cinema in India and across the world. We feel privileged to help support Sundance Institute in its mission of nurturing and honing emerging talent. We congratulate this year’s four award winners and look forward to hearing much more about their incredible work in the future.”

     

    The Sundance Institute – Mahindra Global Filmmaking Award Nomination Committee for the Indian award winner included Anil Kapoor (Actor), Anjum Rajabali (Screenwriter, Film Professor), K Hariharan (Film Academy Head), Ira Bhaskar (Film Professor), Rajkumar Hirani (Writer-Director), Ramesh Sippy (Director-Producer), Sharmila Tagore (Actor), Shabana Azmi (Actor-Activist) and Shyam Benegal (Director).

     

    The winners of the 2013 Sundance Institute – Mahindra Global Filmmaking Award:

     

    Jonas Carpignano / A Chjana (Italy/US): After leaving his native Burkina Faso in search of a better life, Ayiva makes the perilous journey to Italy; though he finds compatriots along the way, they are unprepared for the intolerance facing immigrants in their newly-claimed home.

     

    Jonas Carpignano is an Italian-American filmmaker currently based in New York City and Rome. While raised and educated in New York, he has spent periods of time in Italy where he began his career working as an assistant director. Since enrolling at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, Carpignano has made several short films that have screened in numerous prestigious festivals throughout the world. Recently, he was awarded the Martin Scorsese Young Filmmaker Award, and his latest short film A Chjàna won the Controcampo Award for Best Short Film at the 68th Venice Film Festival.

     

    Sarthak Dasgupta / The Music Teacher (India): The life of a small town music teacher takes a sharp turn when an estranged ex-student, now a celebrity in the city, comes to visit after several years. The teacher, now lovelorn, prepares to meet her, not knowing if she still bears the same feelings about him as she did those many years back.

     

    Sarthak Dasgupta’s debut feature is the critically acclaimed The Great Indian Butterfly, which screened at several International Film Festivals before its release in 2010. Sarthak holds a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering and a Master’s degree in Business Management.

     

    Aly Muritiba / The Man Who Killed My Beloved Dead (Brazil): After the death of his wife, Paulo mourns her each day by repairing her clothes and tending to the personal belongings she’s left behind. One day, he finds a video tape that will change his life.

     

    Aly Muritiba is a partner at the independent production company, Grafo Audiovisual. As writer-director, he has directed six short films, a tele film and a feature film. His most recent short film, A Fábrica, is a winner of 60 film awards (including Best Live action in CFC World Wide Short Film Festival, Best Short Film in Cartagena das Indias and Honorable Mention in Clermont-Ferrand short film festival). A Fábrica was recently shortlisted for the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short.

     

    Eva Weber / Let The Northern Lights Erase Your Name (UK/Germany): When 28-year-old Clarissa discovers on the eve of her father’s funeral that everything she believed true of her life was a lie, she flees New York and travels to the Arctic Circle to uncover the secrets of her mother who mysteriously vanished many years before.

     

    Originally from Germany, Eva Weber is a London-based filmmaker working in both documentary and fiction. Her multi-award-winning films have screened at numerous international film festivals, such as Sundance, Edinburgh, SXSW, BFI London, and Telluride; and have also been broadcast on UK and international television. Her film, The Solitary Life of Cranes was described as “one of the most absorbing documentaries of the year” by The Observer newspaper in the UK, and selected as one of the top five films of the year by critic Nick Bradshaw in Sight & Sound’s annual film review in 2008. Eva is currently developing a number of feature projects, including the fiction/documentary hybrid ‘Ghost Wives’. She has also been selected to direct the 20-minute fiction film, ‘Field Study’. Funded through the British Film Institute’s shorts scheme, filming is scheduled for late spring 2013.

     

  • As the GroupM South Asia CEO assumes the Maxus Global CEO role, MxMIndia speaks to a cross-section of associates, including some from competition

    The Importance of Being Vikram Sakhuja

     

    By Johnson Napier

    With inputs from Ananya Saha

     

    It may be the calling of a lifetime but as Vikram Sakhuja gets ready to shoulder new responsibilities as Global CEO of Maxus, he leaves behind a legacy at Group M that’s not going to be easy to match. Apart from influencing the team and colleagues to take on bigger challenges at the workplace, Mr Sakhuja has ensured that that the four media agencies under Group M umbrella continue to dish out excellence in whatever manner possible. The results are for all to see as the Group collectively has soared to great heights over the past few years and has become a hot favourite with several clients as well.

     

    On the eve of a farewell the team at Group M is hosting for him, MxMIndia spoke to a few industry captains who have worked or interacted closely with Mr Sakhuja maverick to gather their perspective on his contribution to Group M and towards the industry.

     

    CLIENT:

    Ajay Kakar, Chief Marketing Officer, Aditya Birla Group – Financial Services

    What does one say about Vikram? He is an omnipresent shadow. And what i mean by omnipresent is that he is there all the time but in his perfect humility and understated personality. He is not overpowering or overbearing but always there wherever you need him, wherever you need him. So as a client, i can say he is an omnipresent shadow, a very reassuring person to have to have access to and he will be there.

     

    As an industryperson, he is a very rounded person because he has the rare experience of agency, client and media. He is not a theoretical preacher but he has been on all sides and knows the practical side of clients and clients’ business. It gives him an unparalleled edge. The biggest thing i have noticed about him that he has managed to create culture at Group M, which reflects his personality of understated people who just do their best. Typically, advertising is about talking about your own self and talking about your own work. Here, his personality is of being understated and letting his work speak for himself and he has managed to permeate that culture across all Group M companies. Today, if you look at the Group M leadership belt, you find the same welcome personality across the agencies and people.

     

    What he has achieved is unparalleled  Look at the way Group M agencies are ruling not on size but on recognition also. On one end it is Mindshare and at the other, it is Maxus. Whichever horse won the race, it was Group M or Vikram.

     

    COMPETITION:

    Sam Balsara, Chairman & Managing Director, Madison World

    I’ve known Vikram Sakhuja for quite some time now first as a client at P&G and Coca Cola and then at Star India and later Group M. I see Vikram as a true-blue professional with high professional integrity and commitment to do a good, objective and honest job at hand. Also, he has performed well as a leader at Group M and his promotion is richly deserved. His promotion in fact is a cause of pride for all of us in the media industry and also India Inc. because he is an outstanding example of someone from within our industry who has been chosen to be a global head and that too operate out of India.

     

    Ambika Srivastava, Chairperson, VivaKi Exchange India

    I’ve known Vikram Sakhuja since his brand management days when he was with Coca Cola. He was very sharp and clear and was always able to ask the right questions. It’s a fundamental want but some people do not ask the right questions especially at forums. What I’ve noticed with Vikram is that he is always focused and asks the right questions. That is what enables him to articulate and address issues in the right manner.

     

    As for his stint at Group M, I personally feel that he has done a great job especially during the last 2-3 years when the economy was going through a tough phase. His appointment as global CEO of Maxus is indeed an achievement; he would be a great role model for the younger generation. I am indeed pleased that Indian talent has been recognised; it was indeed waiting to happen.

     

    MEDIA HOUSE:

    Bhaskar Das, Group CEO, Zee News (cluster)

    From what I’ve seen of Vikram Sakhuja, he is truly an inspirational leader as he is known to lead by example whether on the intellectual or managerial front. Of the many qualities that he possesses the one I think he is good at is keeping his eye on the future and seeking out cutting-edge development in the business and media space. He has a good understanding of business theories and the way it needs to undergo constant evolution for its own betterment. Our industry is such that it is undergoing continuous evolution due to acceleration in technological development and global practices. For a media buying house to be successful needs to have a good thought leadership in place and that is what Vikram Sakhuja has excelled in abundantly.

     

    During his stint, I think Group M has achieved greater heights and much of that has been possible due to his dynamic thought leadership skills. He has even created leaders out of his organisation in the time that he was at Group M. It is a matter of pride that an Indian has managed to get a global mandate, which signifies the importance being paid to Indian talent and also India being the epicentre of intellectual and managerial ability.

     

    (Dr Bhaskar Das was until recently President, Bennett Coleman and Company Ltd)

     

    COLLEAGUE:

    Ajit Varghese, Managing Director South Asia – Maxus and Motivator

    Vikram has been a client, a boss and great leader for me in the last decade. His biggest strength is depth of knowledge, ability to dig deep into issues and ability to focus on issue in hand than the people involved. To me his biggest contribution to GroupM is his ability to choreograph the strengths of 15-17 units heads and not letting competition have anything easy.

     

     


  • Given the NewsCorp acquisition, the popular sports channel will be rechristened from Monday

    ESPN to turn Fox Sports from Jan 28?… though not likely in India

    By A Correspondent

     

    Is ESPN turning into Fox Sports come Monday?

     

    Although there is no official word from the now NewsCorp -owned sports network, trade sources suggest that it will be rechristened Fox Sports, the world’s leading sports media brand, in Asia, including the Philippines.

     

    According to buzz doing the rounds, it is being said that all ESPN networks will now be named Fox Sports from January 28. While ESPN, the flagship sports channel, will be called Fox Sports, ESPN HD is likely to be called Fox Sports Plus. Star Sports, Star Cricket and Star Cricket HD will stay unchanged.

     

    But an official from ESPN clarified that there will be no such change that will be reflected in India.

     

    There is no information on programming-level changes. There have been some announcements on internet feeds on the change, though these have not been authenticated by ESPN Star to MxMIndia.

     

  • A team from Cogito Consulting has won the BMA competition for young managers 2013

    Cogito team wins Young Managers competition

    By A Correspondent

     

    The winning team from Cogito Consulting with the judges

    Saket Agarwal and Sonam Jain from Cogito Consulting, the independent consulting division of the Draftfcb Ulka group, won the BMA-FOSTIIMA Institute competition for young managers. The competition was judged by Hemant Kombrabail – Director of Marketing, Etch Square Medinet & E-Trading Pvt. Ltd. and Shyamkant Surve – Marketing Professor at Sinhgad Institute of Business Management.

     

    Into its second year, the competition witnessed participation of teams from leading corporates such as Tata Consultancy Engineers Limited and Blue Star Limited, and management colleges like Mumbai Educational Trust (MET), Sydenham Institute of Management Studies, Jankidevi Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, etc.

     

    The Cogito team selected the topic ‘It’s a leader who makes or breaks the companies – Indian Story.’ As part of the process, they submitted a 2,000-word article and also made a presentation to the panel of judges. As a part of their rigour, the team conducted extensive research including interviews with people who had experience in organizations with great leadership. They put forth some interesting cases on companies which saw ups and downs primarily because of the leadership. The team also wove in important lessons from the Ramayana to support the fact that corporate leaders are no less than the leaders from Indian mythology.

     

    The winning team said, “We were thrilled to win a competition held by an iconic institution – the BMA, which is today almost 60 years old. Our victory can be attributed to our learning from various projects that we execute at Cogito Consulting and the mentoring our seniors gave us. This great start to 2013 has motivated us to achieve much more.”

     

  • Amar Chitra Katha has announced the Tinkle range of back-to-school and stationery products, and is in talks with business partners, distributors and manufacturers for the Tinkle franchise

    Suppandi on your lunchbox soon?

    By A Correspondent

     

    Illustrated book specialist Amar Chitra Katha has announced the entry of its brand Tinkle into the back-to-school and stationery product categories.

     

    Tinkle’s popular characters Shikari Shambhu, Kalia the Crow and especially Suppandi are popular with children, teenagers and adults. Announcing the initiative, ACK CEO Vijay Sampath, “With Tinkle expanding its presence in television, feature films and digital products, the clamour for Tinkle products is growing. We are also flooded with requests from consumers during exhibitions and fairs for such products. We want children to experience the magic of Tinkle in a wholesome way. Through the Tinkle back-to-school programme, we will provide high-quality, competitively priced and child-friendly products, which are true to our values and extend the imaginations of children.”

     

    ACK Media Business Head Prakash Batna said, “The Tinkle franchise is a rare opportunity to participate in one of India’s most popular and fast growing consumer franchises. Leading distributors, business partners and manufacturers have evinced interest in the Tinkle franchise. We want to associate ourselves with the best partners in India and adjoining markets, to make Tinkle a market leader in this category.”

     

    The franchise is slated to hit the market in mid-2013.

     

  • A new initiative by the English news channel promises people the chance to be heard

    Headlines Today introduces ‘Right to Be Heard’

    By A Correspondent

     

    English News Channel Headlines Today has introduced a nationwide new campaign, ‘Right to Be Heard’. Under this campaign, Headlines Today will give the activist in every Indian a platform to speak and the channel will ensure that it is heard.

     

    The website www.righttobeheard.in has an option where people can upload their videos, comments and issues they want to raise. There is also a hotline number they can call to record their message, following which a Headlines Today team will get in touch with them.

     

    The channel has started two new shows in sync with this campaign – ‘The Right to be Heard’ and ‘RTH Town Hall’. The Right to be Heard show will raise and highlight the problems raised by the people of the country and which will then be investigated by the Headlines Today editorial team. It covers stories such as “Save River Yamuna”, “Increasing Noise pollution in the urban India”, “Right to Education for every Indian” and “Garbage issues in Bangalore”. The RTH Town Hall show is a weekly talk show that provides a platform for the public to debate the issues that concern them the most with the people in authority are to answer all their concerns.

     

    The channel has undertaken a 360-degree marketing campaign including OOH, TV, Print and Digital.

     

    Commenting on the initiative, Ashish Bagga, CEO, India Today Group said, “With this initiative we are aiming to reach out to the growth-aspiring Indian, who after his tireless efforts over many years is still helpless and ignored by the authorities in the system. We will support the campaign with extensive editorial coverage with special stories and shows to encourage viewers to come out and voice their concerns.”

     

    Vivek Malhotra, Vice president Marketing, Strategic Planning & Research – TV Today Network said, “At Headlines Today, we firmly believe that news reporting has a larger role than merely providing people with facts and information. What we do has the power to transform a society; to change people’s lives. Look at what’s happening around us – people have become more self-aware and are voicing their displeasure. In a country where traditionally we have been a ‘voiceless’ population that has to ‘make do’ with whatever is decided by the agents in power, today things are changing and people are ensuring their voices are being heard. Our new campaign whole-heartedly endorses this healthy attitude and tells people that voicing their concerns and problems to the authorities is their right to be heard.”

     

    The TVC, conceived by Black Pencil, follows a politician, a symbolic representative of a person in power but far removed from the common man of today, who ignores a woman on the street who is trying to talk to him but then can’t seem to get away from the voice of the woman – the voice of a common man (in this case the woman) demands justice.

     

    Samarjit Choudhry, Executive Director, Black Pencil India said, “We pride ourselves on being the world’s largest democracy – where each citizen has certain fundamental rights as laid out in the Constitution (including the right to speech). Juxtapose this with one of the biggest grouses we all have against the establishment – that no one listens to us. What emerged was this – shouldn’t the ‘Right to be Heard’ also be as fundamental as every other right that we have as Indian citizens? That was the genesis of the campaign. If Headlines Today could stand for something through which people could exercise their right to be heard, our campaign would have done its job. The beauty of this TVC is in the story-telling. It is a stark and haunting reminder to the people in power that they can’t brush people’s voices under the carpet any more.”

     

    Client: TV Today Network

    Client team: Kush Rai

    Agency: Black Pencil India

    Creative team: Shweta Ahuja & Shadab Abidi

    Production house: Purple Vishnu Films

    Director: Sainath Choudhury

     

  • Draftfcb Ulka has announced the appointment of Trishay Kotwal as Creative Director

    Draftfcb Ulka appoints Trishay Kotwal as CD

    By A Correspondent

     

    Draftfcb Ulka has announced the appointment of Trishay Kotwal as Creative Director.

     

    Mr Kotwal started off at Grey Worldwide as a trainee after completing his post-graduation in Mass Communication from The Delhi School of Communication. In a career spanning a decade he has worked in Delhi and Mumbai, with Enterprise Nexus, Alok Nanda and Company, Rediffusion Y & R and McCann Erickson; he has worked on leading flagship accounts such as Arrow, Taj Hotels, L’Oreal Paris, Marico and General Motors.

     

    Mr Kotwal said, “I am excited to work on Draftfcb Ulka’s portfolio of clients. It’s a very interesting mix and both Kartik and Chax are people I’ve wanted to work with for a while now. I look forward to some great opportunities here.”

     

    Commenting on the appointment, Kartik Smetacek, Group Creative Director, Draftfcb Ulka said, “Trishay is a very talented writer and a valuable addition to the team. He will be handling an important set of accounts, and we look forward to some great work from him.”