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  • The healthcare category complaints surpassed education, witnessing 36 complaints

    ASCI upholds record 96 complaints against ads in Feb ’13

    By A Correspondent

     

    In February 2013, the Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) of ASCI witnessed a sharp increase in the number of complaints against ads in Healthcare category. The category had 36 complaints upheld. The second highest number of complaints were seen in the Education category, most of them claiming to guarantee 100% job placements.

     

    HEALTHCARE

    Dabur India Ltd’s Dabur Chyawanprash print ad claimed that “Dabur Chyawanprash provides 3 times more immunity”, “Helps improve the ability to fight illness by 3 times”, “ONLY Dabur Chyawanprash provides immunity”. The advertisers were not able to substantiate the claim with necessary support and data. The advertisement contravened Chapter I.4 of the Code and the complaint against the ad was UPHELD.

     

    CCC found following claims in print ads by 35 different advertisers as either misleading or false or unsubstantiated and hence complaint against ads upheld:

    BAKSON DRUGS & PHARMACEUTICALS PVT LTD – Bakson’s range of products claimed that it “is the World’s largest Homeopathic corporate”.

     

    BOURN HALL CLINIC – IVF treatment ad claimed “Infertility treatment centre with the world’s best success rate”, “World’s first and highest success rate giving IVF (Test tube baby clinic)”.

     

    UMALAXMI ORGANICS PVT LTD’s Sugar Remedy claimed that it’s “India’s No.1 drug for sugar”, “Clinically proven”, “Trust of doctors, relief from diabetes”.

     

    NATUROVEDA HEALTH WORLD – Naturovedic treatment claimed that “Naturoveda has successfully treated more than 1 lakh patients till now”, “Naturoveda eradicates the disease right from its roots without any side effect”, “We treat physical weakness (male/female), diabetes, obesity”, “underweight, piles, joint pain, asthma, stomach problems, skin aliments, female disease, and hair problems”, “Winner of Hakim Ajmal Khan Global Award for Best Ayurvedic & Unanai Clinic”.

     

    JAGRUTI TEST TUBE BABY CENTER claimed that it “provides complete and successful cure of infertility”.

     

    JOLLY PHARMA INDIA - Jolly Vaseer Capsule & Ointment claimed that it “Helps to get rid of Haemorrhoids and piles”, “Avoid expenses and pain of operation”, “Vaseer capsule and tube – 100% Ayurvedic, no side effects”.

     

    JOLLY PHARMA INDIA – Jolly Fat Go claimed that it “is effective ayurvedic medicine without any side effects”, “Jolly Fat Go capsule burns the accumulated fats and converts it into energy”, “Jolly Fat Go Anti – celluloid oil avoids wrinkles”, “Removes stretch marks caused after pregnancy”, “save yourself from dieting”, “Easy way to stay slim, smart and fit”.

     

    PRATIRAJ HERBAL PHARMACY - Amrut Navjeevan Ayurvedic Oil claimed that it “goes in the depth through pores and creates a sticky sensation which helps in stopping pain and strengthens your bones”.

     

    DR. NIGAM’S GOODHEALTH PVT LTD - Stem Cell Hair Transplant claimed that “Dr. Nigam has pioneered the procedure of spotlipo and has given well sculptured figures to millions of people. Bollywood celebrities, politicians, business tycoons and cine artists prefer him to other doctors”, “Dr. Nigam co-partners India’s first and only stem cell hair lab which was started 3 years back by a group of doctors with an investment of 100 crores”.

     

    GAUTAM CLINIC – Ayurvedic medicines claimed that it “provides Successful treatment by 100% ayurvedic medicines for night fall, earlyfall and impotency through Ayurvedic medicines”.

     

    CHANDAN HOSPITAL – Pocket Friendly Packages claimed “helps you lose 3-6 cms in only 45 minutes”.

     

    DR. KRISHNAN CANCER HEALER CENTER – Cancer Healer claimed that “when a patient is sent home saying that he cannot be cured, his family is asked to take care of him since he is going to die within a month or so. In such situation this patient is given Cancer Healer and sent for check-up, we found his reports normal”, “Cancer Healer is effective in case of V Grade Cancer”, “Helps in case of injuries which start stinking, water accumulation in stomach”, “Pleural effusion in lungs, Metastases in liver and brain, do not feel hungry, continuous reduction in weight, pain which doesn’t stop by morphine”, “It can be consumed along with radiotherapy and chemotherapy, Cancer Healer is called Communotherapy which heals any type of cancer”, “Names of patients which have been cured by Cancer healer are also given”, “Thousands of cancer patients have been cured and given a new life by Cancer healer”.

     

    JOLLY PHARMA (INDIA) – Jolly Sunsex Gold Capsules claimed that ” A better formula which contains safed musli, shilajeet and saffron that helps you get rid of weakness”, “Increases power and immunity naturally”, “Visual implies sexual pleasure related benefits”, “Makes you strong and solid from inside”.

     

    THE BODY CARE & CURE CLINIC – Slim I Lipo claimed that it “Helps lose 5kgs (35-50cms) in 7 days”, “Leads to Permanent weight reduction”, “Gives immediate visible result of 6-8cms of weight loss in 60 minutes”.

     

    RAJ CLINIC claimed in their print ad that “Male sexual power in 7 days only”, “Successful Ayurvedic cure of early fall, nightfall and sexual problems”.

     

    Ashrafi Clinic claimed that it “provides successful treatment of white spots”.

     

    MAHAMAYA SALES & SERVICES – Khatod Sanjeevini Plus claimed “to be effective for most of the ailments”.

     

    FIT & FINE HEALTH CLUB claimed “101% guarantee of 3 to 5 kg weight reduction and 2 to 6 inches reduction every month by sleeping on toning table”.

     

    SUSSRUTHA PHARMACEUTICALS – Diab Life claimed that “Diab Life completely cures Diabetes”.

     

    NEW VISION LASER CENTERS claimed that it “has cured more than 60,000 people from glasses”.

     

    TARA HOMEOPATHY CLINIC claimed that “Baldness can be treated through homeopathic medicine”, “We help in growing natural hair”, “Stop hair fall today itself”.

     

    LIFE SLIMMING & COSMETIC CLINIC claimed that it provides “World class “Stem Cell Therapy”, “Prevents hair fall, grows new hair”, “No invasive, no anaesthesia, no pain, no scar”, “World’s latest non-surgical liposuction with guaranteed 10 kg weight loss”.

     

    HAKIM TULSIPRASAD AGARWAL – Hakim Tulsiprasad Products Range claimed that Shakti Tarang Capsules “makes your semen thicker and strengthens your body”.

     

    RANBAXY LABORATORIES LTD - Volini claimed that “99% doctors have used Volini to relieve their pain” and “Volini No.1 doctor’s prescribed pain reliever”. since last 12 years”.

     

    NEW LOOK LASER CLINIC – Laser Hair Removal Service claimed that “First time in India New Look has brought trusted and very safe treatment”, “For solving your skin related problems like vitiligo”, “Freedom from smoking”, “Freedom from obesity”.

     

    ALCON LABORATORIES INDIA P. LIMITED – Alcon Replenish claimed that it “is World’s No.1 recommended solution”, “OPTI-FREE replenish with its patented tearglyde technology retains moisture in your eyes up to 14 hours irrespective of the lens you wear”.

     

    SHREEJI UPCHAR KENDRA claimed that it provides “Permanent cure of piles, warts, fistula and stone in 10 days with Ayurvedic medicine without any surgery”, “Reduce 3 to 7 kg in a month”, it will “Increase weight 2 to 5 kg in a month”.

     

    EGO WELLNESS – Stem Cell Therapy claimed “Be slim @ home”, “Lose upto 35-50 cms from abdomen, hips and thighs + guaranteed 5 kgs weight loss free”.

     

    JDM AYUR PSORIASIS RESEARCH CENTRE claimed that it “has found rare herbs of the world which cures psoriasis in few months on its consumption”.

     

    NUTURE HEALTH CARE - Medora Capsule gel and oil claimed that “decreasing fat by merely applying Medora gel and oil on waist, arm and thigh”, “lose of weight by mere application on body”.

     

    LOTUS HERBAL LIMITED - Lotus Whiteglow Range claimed that it “deep cleanses your skin, brightens it and prevents melanin production that causes skin darkening”, “Whiteglow Skin Whitening & Brightening Micro-Emulsion – It contains SPF-25, breakthrough formula that works 2-6 times faster and allows deeper penetration of ingredients”, “Whiteglow Skin Whitening & Brightening Nourishing Night Crème – It is a technologically advanced triple action formulation that contains rare fruit & plant extracts which nourish & lighten the skin, overnight” “It reduces dark spots, dullness & the appearance of pores, corrects uneven skin tone & improves skin moisture balance”, “The result: a fresh, radiant and fair skin when you wake up”.

     

    REPL INDIA – REPL range of products claimed that Super Sonic “is the No.1 Power Capsule”.

     

    KADYAN OVERSEAS claimed that Night Riders Afgani Nuskha contains “Sheeghrapatan, swapnadosh, dhaatu rog, kam tanav”.

     

    AADHAR HERBAL P. LIMITED – Aradhya Aloe Vera Juice claimed that it “provides Quick relief in obesity, diabetes, gas, constipation, piles, gout, joint pain, blood pressure, dengue, chikungunya, gastrointestinal ulcers, skin care, cancer, AIDS, sexual problems”.

     

    MOHAK HI TECH SPECIALITY HOSPITAL claimed “Begin healthy life, free from obesity and diabetes”, “The only approved institute for surgery for obesity and diabetes”.

     

    All above mentioned claims made in print advertisements needed to be substantiated with necessary support data, market research and analysis/data. The CCC concluded that in the absence of comparative data, the claims mentioned in the advertisements and cited in the complaints were inadequately substantiated. The advertisements contravened Chapter I.1 of the Code. The advertisements of JOLLY PHARMA (INDIA) – Jolly Sunsex Gold and MAHAMAYA SALES & SERVICES – Khatod Sanjeevini Plus also contravened Chapter III.4 of the Code. These complaints were UPHELD.

     

    EDUCATION 

    PGP COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY – UG Courses / PG Courses in their print ad claimed that PGP College of Engineering & Tech “provides 100% Placement provided through Campus Requirement”. The CCC concluded that as all the students were not placed, the claim of “Provides 100% Placement provided through Campus Requirement”, was not substantiated and was misleading. The advertisement contravened Chapters I.1 and I.4 of the Code. The complaint was UPHELD.

     

    LITTLE KIDZ EDUCATION – Smartkidz Play School in their print ad claimed that it “is ranked No. 5 among 300 branded preschools in India”. The CCC noted that Silicon India ranked Little Kidz No.5 on the basis of best practices in Franchising, but to claim it as the 5th rank among branded preschools is misleading by implication. The advertisement contravened Chapter I.4 of the Code. The complaint was UPHELD.

     

    Complaints against the following claims made in print advertisements by 27 different advertisers were upheld by CCC:

    NARAYANAGURU COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING – Off Campus Recruitment claimed that it is the “only company in ASIA which is fully operated by Female Employees”, “Asia’s Largest Networking & Web Hosting Company”.

     

    LA MILITAIRE ACADEMY claimed “Selection Guaranteed!!!”, “Already Selected 1850+ Officers And 8500+ In Other Ranks”.

     

    DGN MARITIME ACADEMY PVT LTD – Join Merchant Navy ad claimed its “Placement 100% assured”.

     

    AAKASH EDUCATIONALSERVICES LTD – Medical & Engineering Entrance Exam claimed it “is India’s No. 1 Coaching Brand”.

     

    S P T SAINI CLASSES claimed it “gives 100% selection guarantee in writing on stamp paper”.

     

    VOICE OF GOD POLYTECHNIC COLLEGE – Diploma in Mechanical Engineering claimed that it “provides 100% Placement”.

     

    SANKARA EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION claimed that it “provides 100% Placement”.

     

    SHEKHAWATI GROUP OF INSTITUTIONS claimed that it “provides 100% Placement”.

     

    ANNAI NURSING & CATERING COLLEGE claimed that it “provides 100 percent job guarantee”.

     

    ST ANTO GROUP OF INSTITUTIONS claimed that it “provides 100% Job assurance & inplant training in Kerala”.

     

    ARJUN SHOOTING CLUB claimed it “provides 100% employment guarantee”.

     

    FGL ACADEMY claimed that it “provides 100% Placement”.

     

    INSTITUTE FOR EXCELLENCE IN SERVICES & PLANNING claimed that it “provides 100 percent job guarantee”.

     

    ICA INFOTECH PVT LTD - Computerized Accountancy claimed that it “provides 100 percent job guarantee”.

     

    INDIAN INSTITUTE OF AIRWAYS TRAINING – Practical Training facility claimed that it “provides 100 percent job placement”.

     

    THE PRINCETON REVIEW claimed that it provides “Prep with world leader in GMAT, GRE, SAT, PSAT, IELTS, TOEFL”. The claim of world leader wasn’t substantiated with comparative data, records, documentation and with other appropriate necessary supporting data.

     

    F2 FUN & FITNESS (INDIA) PVT LIMITED – Gold Gym Fitness Training Certification claimed that it “provides 100% Job Guarantee”, “Earn Rs 25000 to 100000 per month”

     

    ARYAN COACHING claimed that it “Is region’s No. 1 institute since 8 years”, “Candidate selected for SI only from Aryan and no other institute”, “Selected for Patwari only from Aryan and no other institute”, “G III 2008, 1st rank in Bhilwara all categories”, “ISO 9001:2008 certified institute”.

     

    VLCC INSTITUTE claimed that it “gives 100% placement facility takes into consideration that you are placed in a good paying beauty and nutrition Industry”.

     

    INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF CORPORATE MANAGEMENT claimed that it “Provides guaranteed placement with offer letter and salary around Rs.3 lakhs p.a.”

     

    FIRST RANK PUBLICATION – First Rank Classes claimed that “Guaranteed selection get Rs. 5000 back if not selected”.

     

    SRI VENKATESWARA POLYTECHNIC COLLEGE claimed that it “provides 100% job placement”.

     

    IDEACOUNT EDUCATION PVT LTD claimed “Earn 6 lakhs p.a. job guarantee”.

     

    ANIBRAIN XDI claimed it has “100% employment record”, “Train under production artists of Hollywood films”.

     

    IIHT NETWORKS – IIHT ACHNP claimed it “provides 100% Job Guarantee”.

     

    CHANDRAGUPT INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT – Post Graduate Diploma in Management claimed that “Visual of the infrastructure of the Institution shown in the advertisement does not appear real”, “100% Placement Record from 1st Batch”, “State of the art campus to be operational soon”.

     

    ACADEMY FOR PROFESSIONAL EXCELLENCE claimed that it “provides assured placements with over Hundred Preferred Corporate Recruiters”, Visual of “Upcoming campus”.

     

    All these claims made by the advertisers need to be substantiated with necessary support data, documentation and past records. In the absence of comments from the advertisers, the CCC concluded that the claim mentioned in the advertisement and cited in the complaint, was not substantiated. The advertisement contravened ASCI Code’s Guidelines for Advertising of Educational Institutions and Chapter I.1 of the Code. All above complaints were UPHELD.

     

    PERSONAL HEALTHCARE & HOMECARE

    EMAMI LIMITED – Himani Boroplus Antiseptic Cream claimed in their TVC that “the said cream has been used by 50 crore Indians”. The data presented by Emami Limited was inadequately substantiated. The advertisement contravened Chapter I.1 of the Code. The complaint was UPHELD.

     

    L’OREAL INDIA PVT LTD – L’Oreal Paris Total Repair 5 shampoo claimed that L’Oreal Total Repair 5 Shampoo is “Voted India’s No. 1 Shampoo”. The CCC concluded that whilst L’Oreal was voted – Product of the year (POY) – product innovation, the claim that it was “India’s No. 1 Shampoo”, was misleading by implication. The advertisement contravened Chapter I.4 of the Code. The complaint was UPHELD.

     

    ORIFLAME INDIA P. LIMITED – Oriflame Ecollagen claimed that “Smart whitening complex: Restricts the production and distribution of melanin, the key cause of skin pigmentation”, “Tri-piptide complex: Boots collagen production and re-plums wrinkles from within in length, width and depts.”, “Ecollagen 3D+ re-plumps wrinkles from within in 3 dimensions”, “Reduces wrinkles appearance and brightens skin, visible reduction of dark spots after 12 weeks”. The CCC concluded that the claim, “Smart whitening complex: Restricts the production and distribution of melanin, the key cause of skin pigmentation”, was inadequately substantiated. The advertisement contravened Chapter I.1 of the Code. This complaint was UPHELD. Whilst the claim that “it reduces wrinkles and results in visible reduction of dark spots” was substantiated. This complaint was NOT UPHELD.

     

    LIFE SLIMMING & COSMETIC CLINIC – Unique Slimming Service in their print advertisement states that their clinic “is appreciated by Press, Portals, TV & magazines India wide and worldwide”, and then mentions names of media including Moneylife and the personal finance magazine. They claim that Moneylife has appreciated the company which is not true. The CCC noted the contents of the Ad which state that the “Clinic is endorsed by a host of reputed institutions including Moneylife”. As Moneylife has denied endorsing the advertiser. The complaint was UPHELD as it contravened Chapter I.3 of the Code which states – “Advertisements shall not, without permission from the person, firm or institution under reference, contain any reference to such person, firm or institution which confers an unjustified advantage on the product advertised”.

     

    SAFECHEM INDUSTRIES – Safed Detergent powder in their TVC showed “a lady with dirt on her clothes is forcefully washed inside the washing machine”. This may leave an impression on young and sensitive minds of children that it is possible to clean up a living being by a washing machine. The CCC concluded that the advertisement features a dangerous act which is likely to encourage minors to emulate it in a manner which could cause harm or injury. The advertisement contravened Chapter III.2 of the Code. The complaint was UPHELD.

     

    SC JOHNSON PRODUCTS P. LTD – Glade Touch & Fresh in their TVC claimed that “ordinary air fresheners only mask the foul smell whereas the product in question eliminates the foul smell”. The CCC concluded that the TVC did not disparage the Complainant’s product. This complaint was NOT UPHELD. In the absence of comparative data, the claim that Glade Touch & Fresh “is superior to the other air freshener blocks”, was not substantiated. The advertisement contravened Chapter I.1 of the Code. This complaint was UPHELD.

     

    Complaints against the following claims made in print advertisements by 11 different advertisers were upheld by CCC:

    L’OREAL INDIA PVT LTD – L’Oreal Youth Code Luminize Range claimed that it “contains LUMI-Gen technology, which identifies light infusing genes in the skin and enriches them to give even and luminous skin”, “Try Youth Code Luminize and see yourself how 90% women experienced a more even or luminous skin, Super: Skin evaluation, after 8 weeks”, “More even looking skin tone – Unifying effect”, “Dewy, luminous finish – Liquid Light technology”, “Enhances and refines – with daily use”, “Liquid Andersen juxtaposes micromirror plates on the skin that reflect light, giving you even and luminous skin”, “This serum is a fluid “Oil in water” emulsion that is 40x more concentrated in Vitamin Cg”.

     

    METRO POLY CLINIC claimed that it “Stops hair fall 100%”.

     

    LOTUS HERBAL LTD - Lotus White Glow claimed that it “is Enriched with Grape, Mulberry, Sazifraga extracts and milk enzymes, it also protects the skin from harmful UVA & UVB rays”.

     

    MANKIND PHARMA LTD – Kustody Neem Face Wash claimed that it “provides Effective Fairness”.

     

    ULTRATECH INDIA LTD – 18 Again claimed “Post pregnancy issues?”, “Infection?”, “Sour relationship?”, “Here’s the answer to questions you fear most. 18 again – Female renewal gel. Tightens and Rejuvenates. For vaginal use only”.

     

    VASU PHARMACEUTICALS – Trichup Hair Care Range claimed “150 million people all over the World are using Trichup”.

     

    PANGENE BIOTECH LIMITED – Bodydear Range of Products claimed that it “is India’s most effective & affordable Herbal Cosmetics”.

     

    MILAGROW BUSINESS AND KNOWLEDGE SOLUTIONS (P) LTD – Milagrow Tabtop 10.4 claimed it’s “Introducing world’s first eye protect tab top”, “India’s only “Ready to use” Tablet with 70 pre-loaded applications”.

     

    VASU PHARMACEUTICALS – Trichup Hair Care Range claimed that “Now there would be no hair fall – a guarantee by Trichup”, it “Stops hair fall or get your money back”, “Stops hair fall and gives nourishment to newly growing hair”, and “Comprises Powerveda”.

     

    RATAN AYURVEDIC SANSTHAN- Facia Silky Touch Lotion & Cream claimed that it “provides 48 hour moisture lock”.

     

    RESULT ADVERTISING PVT LTD – Black Hair Dye Shampoo claimed that they are introducing “First time in India”, “Completely ammonia free herbal shampoo”, “Black hair in 5 minutes”, “No spots after on your scalp after dying your hair”.

     

    All these claims needed to be substantiated with necessary support data and test reports of efficacy. In the absence of comments from the advertisers, the CCC concluded that the claims mentioned in the advertisements and cited in the complaints were not substantiated. The advertisements contravened Chapter I.1 of the Code. Complaints against these ads were UPHELD.

     

    CONSUMER DURABLES

    BAJAJ ELECTRICALS LIMITED - Bajaj Quick Chef Induction Cooker, in their print ad claimed “Switch to Bajaj Induction Cookers. Save up to 65% costs”, “Bajaj Induction Cooker is better than Gas stove in terms of Time – To boil 2 ltrs of water Gas stove takes 9 min & Rs 1.90 and Bajaj induction cooker takes 6 min and Rs 0.65 (50% faster and saves 65% cost)”. The CCC concluded that the claims mentioned in the advertisements and cited in the complaint were not substantiated adequately. The advertisement contravened Chapter I.1 of the Code. The complaint was UPHELD.

     

    Complaints against the following claims made in print advertisements by two different advertisers were upheld by CCC:

    GANGOTRI SUPPLIERS - Nutech Solar Heater claimed that it “has 1.5 lacs satisfied customers”, “India’s fastest growing solar company”.

     

    KEVIN POWER SOLUTIONS claimed “Awarded Power Brands “Rising Stars” of the year 2012-13″, “India’s fastest growing Inverter, UPS, Battery Company”, “Highest manufacturer of Sine Wave Inverter/ UPS”, “Largest Range of Products in the Industry (400VA-300KVA)”. these claims needed to be substantiated with necessary support data and test reports of efficacy. In the absence of comments from the advertisers, the CCC concluded that the claims mentioned in the advertisements and cited in the complaints were not substantiated. The advertisements contravened Chapter I.1 of the Code. Complaints against these ads were UPHELD.

     

    FOOD & BEVERAGE

    Complaints against the following claims made in print advertisements by six different advertisers were upheld by CCC:

    CIBA MASALA UDYOG - Ciba Taaza Spices claimed that it “is approved by food safety and standard authority of India (FSSAI)”, “Highest seller of branded Masala in Rajasthan”.

     

    KALEESUWARI REFINERY P.LTD - Gold Winner Sunflower Oil claimed that it is “India’s largest selling Refined Sunflower Oil”.

     

    ANKUR CHEMFOOD LIMITED - Ankur Salt claimed that it is “No.1 salt of our country”, “World’s largest salt refinery”.

     

    VIMAL OIL & FOODS LIMITED - Vimal Lite Table Migarine claimed that it “is India’s largest selling table margarine”.

     

    UNITED SPIRITS LTD – McDowell’s No.1 Water & Soda claimed that it “is the No.1 drinking water”.

     

    MEHAR HERBALS – Mehar Arjun Tea claimed that “One cup tea, protect yourself from heart attack”, Mehar Herbals “has discovered a magical tea formula that is Panacea for Heart ailments”, Mehar tea “cures heart disease – decreases level of cholesterol – regularizes heart beat”, “controls blood pressure – increases haemoglobin – opens up veins and valve”, “reduces obesity – reduces mental and physical fatigue – increases hunger”, “beneficial in piles – beneficial in typhoid, liver ailments, hepatitis and jaundice”, “freedom from urinary blockage and kidney disease – passes out toxin from body”, “improves eye sight – enhances beauty and complexion – protects from cancer”, “improves “bal and shukra” – prevents prameh (peshab mein dhaatu)”.

     

    All these claims needed to be substantiated with necessary support data and test reports of efficacy. In the absence of comments from the advertisers, the CCC concluded that the claims mentioned in the advertisements and cited in the complaints were not substantiated. The advertisements contravened Chapter I.1 of the Code. Complaints against these ads were UPHELD.

     

    REAL ESTATE

    GOKULAM DEVELOPERS - Cheran Residency claimed in their print ad that “Cheran Residency “provides 100 % pollution free and eco-friendly residency”. In the absence of comments from the Advertiser, the CCC concluded that the claim “provides 100 % pollution free and eco-friendly residency” was not substantiated. The advertisement contravened Chapter I.1 of the Code. The complaint was UPHELD.

     

    TECHNOLOGY

    AISWARYA SYSTEMS - Ricoh Buy Back & Special offer in their print advertisement claimed that Ricoh “is World’s No.1”. This claim needs to be substantiated with necessary support data along with worldwide market share data. In the absence of comments from the Advertiser, the CCC concluded that the claim that “Ricoh is World’s No.1”, was not substantiated. The advertisement contravened Chapter I.1 of the Code. The complaint was UPHELD.

     

    AUTO

    PIONEER MOTORS – Ape Range in their print ad claimed that Pioneer Motors “is the No.1 manufacturing company”. This claim needs to be substantiated with necessary support data, along with market share data to prove No.1. The CCC concluded that in the absence of comparative data, the claim that Ape Range “is the No.1 Manufacturing Company”, was not substantiated. The advertisement contravened Chapter I.1 of the Code. The complaint was UPHELD.

     

    STANDARD COMBINES PVT LTD – Standard Tractors in their print ad claimed that “There is no other like this one”, “No need of repairs”. These claims need to be substantiated with necessary support data along with comparative analysis data. In the absence of comments from the Advertiser, the CCC concluded that the claims mentioned in the advertisement and cited in the complaint were not substantiated. The advertisement contravened Chapter I.1 of the Code. The complaint was UPHELD.

     

    VARIOUS SECTORS

    S S JAGDAMBA PHARMA AGENCIES – X Power Oil in their print ad claimed that people will “Now get complete satisfaction”, “Made from rare and precious ayurvedic Herbs”, “No side effects”, “For new energy”, “For joy and happiness”, “For reenergize yourself”. These claims need to be substantiated with necessary support data, proof of efficacy along with safety data. In the absence of comments from the Advertiser, the CCC concluded that the claims mentioned in the advertisement and cited in the complaint were not substantiated. The advertisement contravened Chapter I.1 of the Code. The complaint was UPHELD.

     

    SAMSONS LEATHER CLOTH MFG CO PVT LTD – Royal Touch Joyride claimed in their print ad that it “Has best quality artificial leather seat cover that reflects back the UV rays of sun and therefore keeps the temperature of your seat to 12- 22 Degree Celsius cool”, “It is also 6 times more durable than the other seat covers”, “Save approximately Rs. 1200 in 3 years”, “Environment friendly”, “First time in India”. In the absence of comments from the Advertiser, the CCC concluded that the claims mentioned in the advertisement and cited in the complaint were not substantiated. The advertisement contravened Chapter I.1 of the Code. The complaint was UPHELD.

     

    During the month of February, the CCC also received complaints against 15 advertisements. The complaints were received against the advertisements of CADBURY INDIA LTD – Bournvita, BRITANNIA INDUSTRIES LIMITED – Britannia Good Day Biscuits, LENOVO INDIA PVT LTD – Lenovo Exclusive Store, LUMINOUS POWER TECHNOLOGIES P. LTD – Luminous Range, JUBILANT FOOD WORKS LIMITED – Domino’s Cheesy Boloroni Pizza, BERGNER IMPEX INDIA PVT LTD – Bergner Austria Kitchenware, INTERCRAFT TRADING PVT LTD – Rouge Plump Lipstick, HINDUSTAN UNILEVER LTD – Close Up Toothpaste, CELKON IMPEX PVT LTD – Celkon Smartron Mobile, SHREE CEMENT – Ultra Red Oxide Cement, BACARDI INDIA PVT. LTD. – Bacardi Music CD’s – Beach,DKT INDIA – DKT Condoms, QUIKR INDIA PVT. LTD., VOLKSWAGEN GROUP SALES INDIA PVT. LTD., COLGATE PALMOLIVE (I) LIMITED – Colgate Total Advanced Whitening Toothpaste. However, as these advertisements did not contravene ASCI’s codes or guidelines, the complaints were NOT UPHELD.

     

  • Citizen's association with the sport by introducing Kevin Pietersen as the brand ambassador reinforces their commitment to reach out to a global market

    Citizen signs brand ambassador Kevin Pietersen

    By A Correspondent

     

    Citizen strengthens its commitment to India with their new brand ambassador Kevin Pietersen recently. Cricket is a celebrated sport across the world today and Citizen’s association with the sport by introducing Kevin Pietersen as the brand ambassador reinforces their commitment to reach out to a global market.

     

    Katsusuke Tokura, MD, Citizen Watches (India) Pvt Ltd, said, “Citizen has always been associated with sports, personifying the spirit of sportsmanship, confidence and independence of the Eco drive collection. Citizen has always considered India as an important market. Our target-consumer in India is the ‘new rich young generation’ who is financially independent, style-conscious, as well as seeks real value and appreciates new technologies. Citizen has plans to bring out several contemporary designs year on year.”

     

    On the occasion, Kevin Pietersen said, “I am delighted to join as the new face of Citizen in India. Citizen has always had a strong association with sports in the past and I am greatly honoured to be a part of this great global brand.” He added, “Cricket is all about timing and only with timing does a cricketer fulfil his full potential. Citizen has also grown with time; I see my association with them noteworthy, as I see Citizen in me.”

     

  • Under this arrangement, Sony Pix will premiere the studio's new titles

    Skyfall, Hobbit on Pix post deal with MGM

    By A Correspondent

     

    English movie channel Sony Pix has partnered with Metro Goldwyn Mayer (MGM) Studios, one of the leading studios of Hollywood. Under this arrangement, Sony Pix will premiere the studio’s new titles on television which includes Skyfall, The Hobbit and in future the remake of Robocop. In addition, the channel will also be home to all the Bond titles and popular movies from their stable such as the Rocky series, Terminator, Species, The Pink Panther and Conan the Destroyer to name a few.

     

    NP Singh
    Saurabh Yagnik

    N. P. Singh, COO Multi Screen Media, said, “We are pleased to announce the deal with MGM and this is another step in providing world class entertainment to our viewers.” Saurabh Yagnik, Business Head, Sony PIX said, “Sony PIX is on a strong growth path and has been consistently operating in the No.1/2 slot in the category. It is aggressively strengthening its library through investment in content. This association with MGM will significantly help the channel to operate in the top 2 slots in the genre.”

     

    The association is strategic and gives the channel access to some of the biggest premieres this year like Skyfall and The Hobbit. Sony Pix will also be airing the entire Bond series exclusively on the channel.

     

  • The New York Times set up a team to track – practically in real-time – whether editorial is going in the right direction. Does India need data analytics in editorial decisions? MxMIndia finds out

    Does editorial content need an eye in the sky?

     

    By Ananya Saha

     

    Recently, The New York Times set up a news analytics team with the aim of establishing a better understanding of how editorial content is consumed – to know if the content being created is actually working, and if they’re publishing the news the right way, and where and how can they fix the gaps.

     

    With more and more people consuming and sharing news in real time, do media houses in India too need analytics team to make data-driven decisions? Would it help the editorial decisions? Do Indian media houses need it yet? While Sriram Kilambi of Bloomberg preferred to not comment since Bloomberg is considering it, the industry thinks it is the right time to employ data analytics for editorial decisions.

     

    Mitrajit Bhattacharya, President-Publisher, Chitralekha Group

    Different media houses have their own methods of assessing the efficacy/ response to their content. We religiously go through the traditional letters and emails from our readers. The feedback is very sharp on new media like Facebook. Based on continuous feedback from our readers we decide to make changes in our edit mix. It’s a continuous process though. Use of analytics is always welcome. It just makes the feedback process bias-free and scientific.

     

     

    Niteen Bhagwat, Executive Director & CEO – Asterii Analytics

    The data analytics and its role in news and journalism was the tipping point in US market after the Obama election campaign. Nate Silver, an analyst had predicted that Obama would win even when expert commentators had predicted that Romney might win. However, Silver’s prediction was right since he based his theory on data available. He made an editorial comment based on marketplace. Now, that was the tipping point. There is a lot of data around that can be used. Even the US papers moved to data-based journalism from opinion-based journalism.

     

    There are three kinds of journalists in a news room: traditional, social media or digital-friendly journalists, and quant or quantitative-oriented journalists. Quant journalists are the ones who can make sense of huge amount of data. Now, whether it is journalism, corporate communication or PR, we will need people in all three buckets or people who have all three qualities.

     

    The second point is, NYT is one of the 100 publications that have a metered payment gateway. And it has registered more subscription revenue than advertising revenue. This makes the publications enjoy more freedom when it comes to content. With data analytics in place, one can understand the online reading habit – can know the demography, or which part of the publication is being consumed more, which will allow more tailor-made content.

     

    Shantanu Bhanja, VP (Marketing), HT Media Ltd

    Yes, for sure. While the editorial judgment is paramount, analytics are valued inputs to that judgment. Our analytics team helps us give the editors a pulse of the consumer, as well as feedback on our news offerings in real time as well as over periods of time. The final editorial decisions are taken solely by the editorial team. However, an analytics team provides the reader interface. We carry out various studies, both online and offline some continuous (with different periodicity) and some as and when the need arises.

     

     

    Projit Chakrabarti, Head – Marketing Services, NDTV Limited

    Well certainly for genres of news that fall into the category of ‘information’ or ‘news you can use’; with more and more 360-degree targeting to the consumer  becoming increasingly relevant, data and analytics will drive the dissemination of certain kinds of news and information. It will most certainly help from a contextual and utilitarian point of view but may be not so much from an editorial point of view. Indian media houses definitely need it.

     

    Ashish Pherwani, Partner, Advisory Services, Ernst & Young

    At the end of the day, a media house (whether TV, print, radio, website, whatever) provides audiences to advertisers.  With the growth of digital distribution channels and the proliferation of lower-cost hardware options, audiences are changing the manner in which they consume content.  Hence, media houses now not only need to provide their content to their audiences in the manner and format of their choice, but also keep using analytics to understand changing audience preferences, to better cater to them.

     

    Analytics will also enable better sales efficiency – enabling ad sales teams to sell in a more targeted manner. And of course, editorial teams, to understand what type of content do their audiences prefer, at what time and how it must be packaged. Hence, analytics leads to (1) better serving the audience and (2) better monetization of the audience.

     

  • Introducing a new 'Viewsletter' Feature called 'Links of the Day'. This will have links to various news and features from various publications which we think are good for you to connect to

    Introducing: New Viewsletter Feature: Top 5 Links of the Day

    Introducing a new ‘Viewsletter’ Feature called ‘Links of the Day’. This will have links to various news and features from various publications which we think are good for you to connect to. The summary against each link may not necessarily be from the news report/article. This feature will soon be available only as part of our ‘viewsletter’.

     

    #1: Welcome decision, says Uday Varma. We had given proposals to DD for rural, but they didn’t want to fund it: LV Krishnan

    http://www.exchange4media.com/50819_now-cci-goes-after-tam-acts-on-dd-complaint.html

    Exchange4media.com/Abid Hussain

    Quotes from I&B secretary Uday Varma, Prasar Bharati CEO Jawahar Sircar and TAM CEO L V Krishnan

     

    #2: Competition Commission orders investigation on representation of Doordarshan in TAM

    http://www.indiantelevision.com/release/y2k13/may/mayrel5.php

    IndianTelevision.com

    Report on the Competition Commission of India verdict under “Section 26 (1) of the Competition Art 2002, against TAM Media Research Pvt. Ltd, sole and dominant television viewership measurement firm in India that it has abused its position of strength with respect to measurement of viewership in contravention of the provisions of section 4 of the Act”.

     

    #3: Infrastructure Developments Creating Huge Opportunities for the Indian Advertising Industry

    http://www.pr.com/press-release/489206

    PR.com

    Research firm IMARC’s new report titled, “Indian Advertising Market Report & Forecast (2012-2016),” provides an analytical and statistical insight into the Indian advertising industry along with its various segments and sub-segments.

     

    #4: China warns Indian media, says ‘will not ignore provocations’

    http://post.jagran.com/china-warns-indian-media-says-1367590987

    Jagran Post

    Arnab Goswami, please note. The Chinese don’t like the Indian media’s slamming of the recent ‘intrusion’. “Such nonsense will influence mainstream society,” the article in the government-controlled daily said.

     

    #5: It’s serious: space for cartooning shrinking

    http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/its-serious-space-for-cartooning-shrinking/article4686924.ece

    The Hindu

    The cartooning scenario has become grim – with many newspapers opting to not use them on top of the page or in the edit page… the message from  a session on the “Art of political cartooning” at the two-day Mario Miranda Cartoon Festival which ended in Panaji, Goa on Sunday.

     

  • CNN retains its position as the number one news and business brand on all platforms, according to new findings from the latest Pan-Asia Pacific Cross-Media survey (PAX)

    CNN celebrates 15 years as top news channel in Asia Pacific

    By A Correspondent

     

    CNN retains its position as the number one news and business brand on all platforms, according to new findings from the latest Pan-Asia Pacific Cross-Media survey (PAX). The research reinforces the network’s undisputed regional leadership in TV, mobile and online – making it 15 consecutive years in the top position.

     

    A release from CNN said the latest PAX results for the period Q1 to Q4 2012 show that CNN is the clear frontrunner among international news and business channels across all metrics. CNN also continues to deliver its brand of quality, engaging and trustworthy news content to an affluent and discerning demographic across Asia Pacific. Highlights of the research include:

     

    The CNN brand reaches 30 percent of PAX respondents across all platforms#, with an even stronger connection with hard-to-reach target groups, such as top management (43 percent monthly reach). The total brand reach is also 43 percent greater than the next largest international news brand (BBC), and 2.4 times more than the third placed news and business brand (CNBC).

     

    Each week, CNN reaches 55 percent more international travellers than the next placed news and business channel.

     

    Within the business community, far more corporate investors watch CNN than any other international news and business channel. CNN alone reaches 79 percent more of these investors each week than the combined audience of the international business/financial news channels.

     

    As a TV news brand, CNN has two-thirds (68 percent) more daily and 57 percent more weekly viewers than any other international news or business channel. Across a month, CNN’s leadership remains strong, with 46 percent more viewers than the next placed TV news brand (BBC World News), and more than twice as many viewers as CNBC.

     

    Duncan Morris, Vice President of Research at Turner International Asia Pacific, said, “What makes these results particularly striking is that CNN has the largest audience base in news, no matter how you look at the data – by platform, target group or reach metric. Since the first PAX results were announced in 1997, CNN has demonstrated that it is consistently successful in delivering quantity, as well as quality, in audience terms.”

     

    The Ipsos PAX survey measures media consumption among the top 22 percent of society in socio-economic terms across 11 Asia Pacific markets: Australia (Sydney, Melbourne), Bangkok, Hong Kong, India (Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru) Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Seoul, Singapore, Taipei and Tokyo.

     

  • Penn Schoen Berland's Ashwani Singla asserts that the firm has worked hard in building its capabilities and setting a good foundation, and its leadership team has already crafted a 2015 strategic vision and roadmap for growth leading to that year

    We’ve already chalked out 2015 vision & roadmap: Ashwani Singla, PSB

    It’s been a busy yet fruitful second year for communications shop Penn Schoen Berland, which completed two years in India recently. Having carved a niche for itself, the focus by PSB has been in establishing its corporate and political consulting practice where it is beginning to find its niche in these domains.

     

    Ashwani Singla, Managing Director & Chief Executive – South Asia, Penn Schoen Berland asserts that the firm has worked hard in building its capabilities and setting a good foundation. In fact the leadership team at PSB has already crafted a 2015 strategic vision and roadmap for growth leading to that year.

     

    In an interaction with Johnson Napier of MxMIndia, Mr Singla highlights the highpoints of the second year for his firm and outlines what the future will unfold for PSB in India. The market is vibrant and dynamic enough, he says, and ultimately those who deliver value to clients will thrive. Excerpts:

     

    It’s been two years since you launched operations in India. How would you describe the second year of your journey in India?

    The journey has been very satisfying for me and the team at PSB; we have grown as a team and served blue ship clients across corporate and political practice areas. We have not only attracted senior talent but also young and dynamic professionals from premier management institutes in India and the APAC region. We have also built our capabilities and have set a good foundation. My leadership team and I recently crafted our 2015 strategic vision and a roadmap for growth leading to that year.

     

    How have you grown in the past year across the specialities that you operate in, pan India?

    We have focused on our efforts in establishing our corporate and political consulting practice and I can confidently say that we are beginning to find our niche in these arenas.

     

    You began your Mumbai operations with the introduction of Capital Market Communications for the finance community. How has the vertical delivered for you since it launched last year?

    As you know, last year has been particularly challenging for as regard markets and we haven’t see the growth that we expected from our offering, however we remain committed to growing that practice. We have some very interesting irons in the fire…:)

     

    Have you launched any other speciality units after CMC in India? How have they performed since?

    Our focus has been to build our corporate and political consulting practices. Our corporate image and corporate affairs work has grown and Gaurav Bhagowati, a senior media and public advocacy professional has joined the firm this year as a Director to handle the growing portfolio of our work. Our corporate political polling and consulting work is seeing growing traction. Ashish Rastogi, a senior market research professional has joined recently as a Director to lead our Insights Services and Suvir Paul, Director now leads our Corporate Image and Corporate Affairs Services unit.

     

    How have clients responded to your multiple service offerings, particularly during a tough 2012?

    Yes, our clients have faced marketplace challenges but they have needed us more than ever during this time to help generate the insights and develop campaigns in order to get the edge they need. Spending is cautious but when we have demonstrated value of our offer, they have found the budget.

     

    One of PSB’s USP has been to recruit highly qualified professionals and have them run the show for you in India. How fruitful has this approach been for you in India?

    It has been fantastic. Our “Unagency” Approach has really been appreciated by our clients and they want more of it. Clients value the advice they get from senior professionals and the quality they see in our work with top class young talent. Senior leaders in the firms are hands-on and engage with clients on a day-to-day basis. Our young associates also get great exposure working with seasoned professionals and the empowered work place they get when they work with clients directly.

     

    Digital, led largely by social media, seems to be the go-to terrain for communication agencies in India. What is PSB’s emphasis on that front?

    What works for the client in a particular campaign works for us. As you know our campaigns run on 3i philosophy. Insights driven, Integrated across stakeholders and mediums and Impact business.

     

    The communications market in India is seeing the emergence of many new players who are out to carve a niche in the market. How do you view their entry into a market that’s already cluttered?

    The market is vibrant and dynamic enough to absorb new players and ultimately those who deliver value to clients will thrive.

     

    What were the challenges that you were faced with last year, particularly from the client and industry front?

    As we bring new thinking and a new approach to managing strategic communication we need to invest a lot of time to help people grasp the nuance. Once they get it they become believers.

     

    How, in your opinion, is the Communications (including PR) space evolving in India in the recent past?

    Communication is a dynamic sphere and it will continue to evolve as people evolve and how they consume information evolves.

     

    Where do you see PSB in India as you enter the third year of operations in India?

    We are building off our solid foundation…:)

     

  • The total digital commerce market in India was valued at Rs 47,349 crore in December 2012 and is expected to grow by 33 percent to reach Rs 62,967 crore by the end of 2013 according to IAMAI's latest Digital Commerce report

    Digital commerce market to grow by 33%

    By A Correspondent

     

    The total digital commerce market in India was valued at Rs 47,349 crore in December 2012 and is expected to grow by 33 percent to reach Rs 62,967 crore by the end of 2013 according to the latest Digital Commerce report by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and IMRB International.

     

    Source: IAMAI-IMRB International

     

    The report finds that while Online Travel, which includes booking rail, air, bus tickets, hotel accommodations and tour packages comprised a majority 71 percent of the whole Digital-Commerce pie in 2012, E-Tailing, which includes purchases of various consumer products/ services such as electronics, apparels, footwear, jewellery, home & kitchen appliances, consumer durables, furnishings, constituted 16 percent of the overall share.

     

    Financial Services, which include services such as paying insurance premiums and renewals, paying utility and mobile bills, trading shares and securities amounted to 6 percent of the overall share. B2B and B2C Classifieds (jobs, matrimony, car, real estate etc.) contributed 5 percent, whereas other online services such as online entertainment ticketing, online food delivery, buying discounts/deals/vouchers etc. constituted 2 percent of the overall digital commerce market in 2012.

     

    Source: IAMAI-IMRB International

     

    According to the report, online travel industry has on an average grown by 32 percent from Rs 14,953 crore in 2009 to Rs 34,544 crore in 2012 and is estimated to grow by another 30 percent and be valued at Rs 44,907 crore by the end of December 2013. The E-Tailing category has grown from Rs 1,550 crore in the year 2009 to Rs 6,454 crore in year 2012. This category is estimated to grow by 55 percent and cross 10,000 crore by the end of 2013.

     

    Financial services market was valued at Rs 2,886 crore in 2012 and is expected to grow by 25 percent and reach to Rs 3,607 crore by the end of year 2013. According to the report, Classifieds market has seen a significant growth and has reached Rs 2,354 crore in 2012. Classifieds as a category has grown with a CAGR of 45 percent growth from 2009 and is expected to grow by another 30 percent to Rs 3,061 crore by 2013.

     

  • This project is expected to light up the lives of over 250 people and to positively impact their livelihood, health, and education

    Perfetti Van Melle India launches solar electrification project with TERI

    By A Correspondent

     

    Confectionery manufacturer Perfetti Van Melle India (PVM India) has announced the launch of its Solar Electrification Project in Uttarakhand, a project to provide clean, affordable and sustainable lighting to people in remote areas of this state.

     

    Under this project PVM India has collaborated with TERI and effectively implemented one solar charging station at Dugari Khatta 1, which comes under Gram Panchayat of Biriya Block, Khatima District of Udham Singh Nagar. For these villages, Perfetti has supported the distribution of LED lanternsfor 50 households.This project is expected to light up the lives of over 250 people and to positively impact their livelihood, health, and education.

     

    Perfetti Van Melle India decided to initiate a solar electrification project, under which one centralized solar charging station in Dugari Khatta 1 has been set-up with a provision for 50 solar lanterns. The LED lanterns work for approximately six hours and provide a clean lighting solution. The centralized solar charging station is run by a woman entrepreneur, from the community, who has been trained by TERI on the basic operation and maintenance of the solar charging station. She will be responsible for monitoring and maintaining log books and faults/rectification status, daily upkeep of the lanterns and solar panels, maintaining contact with the energy enterprises for the service of lanterns etc. The programme is structured to provide her livelihood, thus providing an additional benefit to the community.

     

    Commenting on the occasion, Stefano Pelle, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Perfetti Van Melle group, said, “Lighting is a key issue in such remote parts of the country, and can truly transform lives. Through this programme, the productive day is effectively being stretched by 6 hours, thus providing more time for domestic chores and education. Solar energy is a great way to provide electricity in such areas, since it is eco-friendly and self-sustainable. We are very happy to launch this project and bring about a positive change in the community.”

     

    I H Rehman, Director, Lighting a Billion Lives Campaign, The Energy and Resources Institute, added, “One of the major challenges faced by the world today is providing sustainable energy. The task is massive but solutions need to meet specific basic needs in an efficient manner. Lighting based on solar energy is very effective for areas which are deprived or have poor access. Lighting a Billion Lives Campaign of TERI is a step in the direction of making clean lighting available to poor households”.

     

  • Day 2 of our new feature where we bring you stories from across media-land which we think you ought to read. Handpicked and ranked by our editors

    New Viewsletter Feature: Links of the Day

    Presenting our new feature where we bring you stories from across media-land which we think you ought to read. Handpicked and ranked by our editors. Soon this will be available on our viewsletter only, and not on the website

     

    01. Parliamentary panel calls for media watchdog

    http://www.livemint.com/Politics/zcygRgFikOFQv89l8T5hOL/Parliamentary-panel-calls-for-media-watchdog.html

    Mint/Shuchi Bansal and Liz Mathew

     

    On Monday, A parliamentary committee made a case for controlling the media – both print and electronic -through a statutory regulator on the grounds that the media had been silent over the menace of paid news and the inability of the ministry of information and broadcasting (I&B) to contain the practice through a suitable mechanism.

     

    02. IPL advertisement rates surge for last four matches

    http://www.livemint.com/Consumer/tvpMAiEbS7vsypW2jZVWpO/IPL-advertisement-rates-surge-for-last-four-matches.html

    Mint/Aminah Sheikh

     

    Multi Screen Media is reported to have increased ad rates for the final four matches of the League, three times the amount of the preliminary matches.

     

    03. Marketing investment isn’t growing as much as tech adoption: Nick Seckold

    http://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/marketing-investment-isn-t-growing-as-much-as-tech-adoption-nick-seckold-113050700034_1.html

     

    Business Standard/Gaurav Laghate

     

    Nick Seckold, head of digital (Asia-Pacific) at Mindshare on the state of digital advertising in India. The challenges, adveriser perception…

     

    04. Times, Hindu plan Tamil dailies

    http://www.exchange4media.com/50839_tamil-print-war-heats-up-as-toi-the-hindu-gear-up-for-new-launches.html

     

    Exchange4media.com/Abid Hasan

     

    Both BCCL and Hindu are reported to be planning to launch Tamil dailies in a few months

     

    05. Making Headlines Today

    http://www.afaqs.com/news/story/37420_Making-Headlines-Today

     

    Afaqs.com/Raushni Bhagia

     

    Group CEO Ashish Bagga is bullish on Headlines Today as FMCG, retail, telecom and various high value brands are including Headlines Today as part of their business plans

     

    06. YouTube set to launch pay channels within weeks

    http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/internet/youtube-set-to-launch-pay-channels-within-weeks/articleshow/19923239.cms

     

    Economictimes.com/AP

     

    The pay channels will be in addition to the free variety and as per a Financial Times report, viewers may be charged as little as $1.99 (approx Rs 100) per month for subscriptions.

     

    07. Looking for a comeback, Zynga embraces austerity and FarmVille

    http://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/looking-for-a-comeback-zynga-embraces-austerity-and-farmville-113050700035_1.html

     

    Business Standard/Reuters

     

    Zynga’s 47-year-old CEO Mark Pincus is hoping to restore revenues by focusing on ‘Farmville’ which propelled Zynga to much fame.

     

    08. Why CMO Tenure Has Doubled

    http://adage.com/article/cmo-interviews/keeping-time-cmo-tenure-doubled/241294/

     

    Adage.com/Natalie Zmuda & Rupal Parekh

     

    The complexity of the job given the recession and shaky economy may have made CMOs more fulfilled, challenged and respected.

     

  • JWT India unveiled the theme and its first video for Portfolio Night 11, scheduled to be held here at the JWT India office on May 22

    JWT’s Portfolio Night 11 to be ‘An Eye-Opener’

    By A Correspondent

     

    JWT India has unveiled the theme and its first video for Portfolio Night 11, scheduled to be held at the JWT India office on May 22, 2013. Given that aspiring advertising students nurse a multitude of misconceptions about the industry and its people, JWT has chosen their theme for this year’s Portfolio Night as ‘An Eye-Opener’. The entire concept is built around the hashtag #WhatIThinkAboutAdvertising. Students were asked to use this hashtag and tweet @pnmumbai11 their thoughts on what they think advertising is all about.

     

    “Bust the myths and unveil the truth in the most realistic, simple fun way, that’s the endeavor on the “Eye Opener”. The truth may be a bitter pill to swallow but just like your work it’s time to come face to face with what advertising and you are really worth,” said Tista Sen, National Creative Director, JWT India.

     

    The 360-degree crowd-sourced campaign includes social media, posters, TVCs, hoardings and radio spots on Radio Mirchi. As part of the overall campaign, a few advertising students were asked what they thought about advertising and these videos were seeded on the Portfolio Night Facebook page, urging people to tweet about what they thought about advertising. The craziest of these tweets are being selected to create posters, films and radio spots for JWT-Portfolio Night 11 campaign, all of which can be viewed on http://www.facebook.com/portfolionightmumbai11 The people whose tweets are being picked will be given prizes.

     

    JWT- Portfolio Night 11 promises an evening with the country’s top creative directors which include Prasoon Joshi, Piyush Pandey, Ashish Khazanchi, Sonal Dabral, Amer Jaleel, Manish and Raghu Bhatt, Malvika Mehra, Santosh Paddy, Russel Barett, Carlton D’Silva, K S Chakravarthy (Chax), Ravi Deshpande, Josy Paul and Sagar Mahabaleshwar to name a few. (For the full list of participating creative directors, please log on http://portfolionight.com/11/mumbai)

     

    JWT is championing Portfolio Night 11, in its fourth innings in India, to help gifted young creatives to discover new opportunities in the ad world and take their voices to the advertising industry’s global stage. It is an ideal platform for advertising and creative freshers to meet with several renowned creative directors for advice, networking and recruitment.

     

    Scheduled to take place simultaneously in over 20 cities on this date across the world, including Athens, Austin, Beijing, Boston, Costa Rica, Johannesburg, Los Angeles, Montreal, New York, Paris, Sao Paulo, Stockholm, Tokyo and Toronto amongst others, Portfolio Night is an annual property of ‘Ihaveanidea’, the creative founders and the world’s first and largest community of the international advertising industry.

     

    For the record, Portfolio Night is an event where aspiring young advertising copywriters, art directors and designers meet several renowned advertising creative directors in a fast-paced evening of advice, networking and recruitment. In the eleven years since its inception, Portfolio Night has grown to be a global event.

     

  • The Pathfinder publisher on the need for mainstream media to understand that health, religion, education and jobs are the biggest things for people in India

    Growing to No1, ethically: Maheshwer Peri

     

    By Ananya Saha

     

    After spending 18 years as the publisher of the Outlook group, Maheshwer Peri launched Pathfinder in 2009 with the aim of making it India’s largest and most credible career counsellor in five years’ time. While still a mentor with Outlook, he has been associated full-time with Pathfinder since April 2012. Mr Peri rewrote the plans for the magazine, closed a publication, injected positive energy and weaned out negative energy.

     

    With an aim to reach students on a platform-agonistic way, Pathfinder’s magazine Careers 360 offerings are available in print, web and mobile. And it is succeeding. The webpage of the magazine has recently overtaken the more established portals, becoming India’s largest education and career portal.

     

     In a freewheeling conversation with MxMIndia, Maheshwer Peri, Chairman and Founder, Pathfinder Publishing, talks about the publication and the high digital notes it has been striking. And whether his ethical standards have come in the way of advertising.

     

    How has the journey of Careers 360 shaped up?

    It has been fantastic for one simple reason: there was no one who was competition. There was no one who approached the genre at all in terms of journalism, content and student. Everything you had in the market till that point in time was marketing or advertorial features that were coming up because there was an advertiser waiting. There was no one who made a model which is to say that student will buy this product, which is suited for the student and not for the institute. From that perspective, it was a complete paradigm shift.

    Even today, the content that you see is created because there is an advertiser around. They are advertising and marketing features. This is a first product that has been created with student in our mind. That is why the journey has been good, since there was no one as competition.

     

    Does the magazine attract a different set of advertiser then?

    The advertiser had multiple options. In any business, or publishing business, you need to create something that attracts readers. Once the reader is there, the advertiser follows. In any niche, if you are to create content because of which a set of loyal readers follows you, the advertiser follows. They cannot avoid us – that is the stage at which we are.

     

    Has the print run of the magazine increased as well?

    The initial print run was very high earlier, of the English and Hindi magazines of Careers 360. It was about 1,80,000 but today we print about 1,30,000-1,40,000 copies. We sell about 1,20,000-1,25,000 copies of which 30,000-40,000 are school and college libraries.

     

    Have you broken even yet?

    No. It’s an investment phase. The reason why I think it is a case study… there has never been a case in India that a single stream of content has been monetised over multiple platforms. The articles that we do are backed by data. And that data has to be complete. So we decide how much of that should be put into the magazine, and the balance we put on the web. There are journalists who create content, which is suitable for the magazine, for our almanacs and guidebooks and for the website, and going from there to the physical career workshops that we do.

    The challenge is if I were to say if the magazine would break even, it would not. Because I am still going though the phase of seeing how many more platforms I can grow to and keep investing in those platforms also. It is definitely going as per my plans and projections.

    On the digital space, we are the No 1 website in the country. One or one-and-a-half-year ago, when I started this journey, I had 4,000 students on the site each day. Today we have guaranteed 100,000+ each single day.

    Now the challenge for me is; since I have become the largest website in the country, the largest website has 10 crore of ad revenues and sitting on 5 crore of data. And I do that, yes, I will make money. That is the next step for me. Now that I have got the audience, I will monetise that.

     

    What are the factors responsible for the growth of the web presence of the magazine?

    I realized that the content we are creating for the magazine is not being leveraged. It is just limited to the magazine, so for me the challenge is how I invest myself in a way that the content I create can reach out to plenty more audience.

    Today 2-2.5 million students come to my portal every month. That is 30 percent of the audience of that category. Today if 1.4 million students have opted for engineering, and one million students have come to my portal, it captures 70-80 percent of the students. For each of the verticals, I need to say that I reach out to more than 30-40 percent students. And that is with the guidebooks, almanacs, counselling workshops, magazine, and digital portal.

    If you look at the content creators in the country, we are the largest content creators. There is no one who comes close to even 10 percent of what we do in the marketplace. The reason why student come to us, they have more and enough value to add to their decision-making.

     

    Has the strategy for magazine changes over the year?

    Strategy has changed to the extent that the moment we talked about digital. The typical thing that journalist does is goes and collects information, edits it, and puts out a 1,000-word story. This is not exactly career-driven journalism thing here. It is actually lot of data also. We are not just advisors; we are counsellors to the students. And counselling means two-fold integrity for us: financial integrity where no one is able to influence the way I right. The other big part of integrity is that we have covered everything so that student makes an informed decision, which means I have not omitted anything because of lack of research. It is important that the student does not suffer because you did not inform him of a very good option, which he otherwise should have known.

     

    Are you considering any brand extensions in the near future?

    Online we have lots of products. There is student space. There is mock counselling on our Engineering page. Each student pays Rs1,499 to take our advice. It is based on the data and information that we have collected in the magazine for our website. If a student comes and asks, ‘I have got a JEE rank of 11,000, what should I do?’ I give him seven options because I have cut off of all colleges in the country, which no one has. All that information that we research, collate is sitting with us. In my opinion, we are the best position advice student what to do. if the student’s choice if for five, I will make it eight. We optimize students’ choices, include one or two that he doesn’t know or remove what I think are bad for him. It is for him to decide where he wants to join, because I am not an agent.

     

    And is the counselling handled in-house?

    We have counsellors. We appointed a BPO company in Bangalore, which created all data for us. So the data is for more than 6,000 colleges and it cost a lot of money to create the data. I cannot do the data myself. We have journalists, a set of digital content creators, and data people, which is a BPO, working from Bangalore. Increment in further content creation would take 1x cost to become 1.5-or-1.8x cost. But the 1y of revenue can become 3y. That is the whole objective here: how do you add 10-20 percent investment in cost to add another stream of revenue that gives you one more ‘x’.

     

    You also closed down Competition 360. Why?

    When I moved from Outlook, I actually had three publications: Careers 360 English and Hindi and Competition 360. Competition 360 was dealing with competitive exam in the market like Competition Success Review or Pratiyogita Darpan. What I realised was there were many who were doing far better job than me, whereas in career-side, there was no one who was doing it. It is important for me to focus on something that I see as my path. So today my path is that I want to be India’s largest career counsellor; I want to be hand-holder for this country’s biggest student community. The moment that is decided, I am not getting into the job space and competition space. I am not going there because there are people who are already doing wonderful job out there and they will continue to do that. It doesn’t need me.

     

    You’ve been asked this earlier, but in the light of the strides you’ve taken: Outlook was going great guns under your leadership so what prompted you to start Careers 360?

    At some level, there are many people who will do Outlook. Aspirationally, Outlook is there. In India, and it has nothing to do with me or Outlook, you will see a lot of people getting into mainstream media or celebrity media. You would not see anyone coming into a morbid area, which is education. It’s standardized and regulated. But if you look at the demographic dividend that India has, the biggest demographic dividend would be when you handhold the students to nurture them otherwise it will become a nightmare. Someone has to handhold them otherwise we are sitting on a time bomb.

     

    What exactly is your role at Outlook now, and has it changed in the past one year?

    I am still the Mentor and Publisher. In fact, in March it was to get over but it got extended I am continuing for one more year. Me and my promoters have a fantastic equation. I will not influence that they remove my name. As long as they want, I will be around. Whenever they call me, I will be there. Period.

     

    Who handles the sales and marketing for Careers 360, now? Is it being handled by Outlook still?

    There are 4-5 people in my team, two of them were in Outlook. One, I always had arrangement with Outlook that I will never poach a single person from there. And I have stuck to it, and will even going forward. But these were people who were handling Careers 360 in Outlook. And they have moved with me.

     

    What is your next target for Careers 360?

    Within the next two years, Careers 360 would be India’s largest career counsellor. I would want to say that about 20 percent of students in India take a decision because Careers 360 influenced them. The day I start influencing the decision, and already we are doing it and handhold the students and also tell the institutes what students think about it: I have done my job. In India, regulators want to control without giving freedom to the private guys and institutions do not want any control. The balance is between them: the regulators need to give bit of freedom while institutes need to understand that their freedom is going to be limited by what regulation would want.

    We are aiming to achieve this balance.

    In a larger sense, this country has to start invest in its youth. And I hope more mainstream publications understand. Health, religion and education and jobs are the biggest things for people in India. In every mainstream media, these are supplemented by marketing activities. People like us come in because mainstream media has somewhere ignored it.

    Apart from the great things that Careers 360 is doing, you are also becoming very ‘activistey’.

    As Outlook, whatever I say was Outlook. It was a news media. There is no identity as Maheshwar Peri; it was only an Outlook publication. My view need not be Outlook’s view. In certain positions, you don’t have your own voice. It is the position that carries the voice. And I did not want any confusion between Outlook’s voice and my voice, so I was never active then. I was very conscious of the fact that whatever I speak is going to be taken as voice of Outlook. And now that the burden of Outlook is not with me, I have my own voice, which is what is coming out.

     

    Given your ethical stands on many things, has your advertising suffered?

    Yes, but that is again a conscious call. Whenever you take a stand, there are bound to be a set of people who will not stand with you. The current market situation is: I will give you an ad what will you give me in return. Not that is much more prominent in education sector. All these institutions are colleges are looking for ratings and rankings and some kind of coverage. And there are people who do that in the market. But again I say that once you create the content, which makes the reader stick to you, the best of the advertisers cannot avoid you; and then the other follow because the best advertisers are with you. There is a change that you need to crack. It takes a lot of time, perseverance and stamina. That is something I always had. When I launched it, I said I will create a DNA where nobody can change the credibility of the magazine or question the credibility of the magazine.

    So initially, when people were saying “Why don’t we have those guys and these guys”, I said, “Let’s create a DNA first, come what may”. It means lot of cost, money, time. But all those things are fine. Once we create the DNA, even when we go out unless we go to a new advertiser, the old advertisers know that they cannot bend us.

     

    Very recently, I went to an advertiser in the northern part of India. He looked at the magazine, and said, “Obviously, we cannot buy you.” So I was very intrigued and asked him what made him say so. He said, “Typically when we give an ad, our ranks are very high. In your magazine, we have given our ads in your magazine, but our ranks are very low.” That is the image that has reached the advertiser, for each time and every time, and I think we have managed to do that.