MxMIndia

Category: NEWS

  • Tata Starbucks appoints Manmeet Vohra as Director – Marketing and Category as Sushant Dash takes charge as Global Brand Director of Tata Global Beverages

    Starbucks appoints Manmeet Vohra as Director-Marketing and Category

    By A Correspondent

     

    Tata Starbucks Limited, the 50/50 joint venture between Starbucks Coffee Company and Tata Global Beverages Limited announced the appointment of Manmeet Vohra as its new Director – Marketing and Category. In her new role, Ms Vohra will lead all marketing and category aspects for the company in India. Prior to this, she was the Marketing Director at TAG Heuer and brings with her eleven years of extensive marketing experience in the luxury industry.

     

    Sushant Dash, who has been associated with the Tata Group for close to twelve years and joined Tata Starbucks Limited in August 2012, will continue this association in his new role as the Global Brand Director of Tata Global Beverages Limited.

     

    “Sushant has played an integral role in launching Starbucks in India and delivering the Starbucks Experience to Indian consumers. His commitment and contribution to our business has been invaluable and we wish him the very best in his new endeavour,” said Avani Davda, CEO, Tata Starbucks Limited. “We are extremely pleased to welcome Manmeet to her new role at Tata Starbucks Limited.  Her forward-thinking brand sensibility and cross-channel marketing expertise will continue to push us toward building a strong presence in this dynamic market.”

     

    Commenting on her appointment, Manmeet Vohra said, “This is an exciting time in Starbucks’ journey in India and I am looking forward to bringing my passion for elevating the customer experience to this iconic brand. I am humbled to be a part of Tata Starbucks Limited – a partnership between two strong companies that share common values of responsible business ethics and commitment to community.”

     

  • The winner of The Pitch stands to win upto Rs 5 crore as seed money to set up her/his business

    Bloomberg TV gets set for third season of The Pitch

    By A Correspondent

     

    Leadling English business news channel has announced the third season of its business reality show ‘The Pitch’.

     

    Entries from potential entrepreneurs are being accepted from July 19 and will not be taken after August 4. Aspiring entrepreneurs with sound business ideas can send in their entries through www.btvin.com/thepitch. The winner of The Pitch stands to win upto Rs 5 crore as seed money to set up her/his business.

     

    Sriram Kilambi

    Talking of the show, Sriram Kilambi, President – Bloomberg TV India said, “As a premier business news channel, we believe that we need to deliver more than just stock and trade news. Through ‘The Pitch’ Bloomberg TV India continues to strengthen its commitment to make a difference to viewers’ lives.”

     

    Following a nationwide call-for-entries, the jury comprising successful entrepreneurs like Mahesh Murthy, Alok Kejriwal and Vishal Gondal will identify the top 25 business plans and their creators, who could make it to the show. The jury will closely evaluate these aspirants not only on the brilliance of their business pitches, but also on their individual excellence and identify the final 10 aspirants who will appear on The Pitch.

     

    Mahesh Murthy

    Mahesh Murthy, Founding Partner of Seedfund and Jury Member at Pitch said “India has to come out of the work-for-others mentality. The one thing that will fulfill our potential as a nation is if we produce tens of thousands of new entrepreneurs.”

     

    The final 10 contestants will face challenges thrown to them by some of India’s most prominent business leaders each week. In every episode, a business leader will assign tasks to the participants. The tasks will challenge the aspirants on the most critical skills required to be a successful entrepreneur and by eliminating the weakest performer, narrow down to the most competent and deserving aspirant who goes on to receive the funding of up to Rs 5crore from the investors.

     

    The first two hugely successful seasons of The Pitch created history with more than 3000 entries in each season and saw stalwarts like Rahul Bajaj, Naina Lal Kidwai, Y.C Deveshwar, Kishore Biyani, N Damodaran and Ronnie Screwvala amongst others, challenge the participants with business tasks.

     

    The Pitch Season 3 is powered by Hyundai and will be supported by a 360 degree marketing campaign spread across Television, Outdoor, Print, OOH, Online, Mobile, Radio, Multiplex, Retail, Restaurants, Malls, etc.

     

  • JW Marriott Bengaluru, Big Bazaar, Whirlpool, Investors' Clinic and The Institute of Neurosciences – Kolkata have chosen MSLGroup for its PR and social media duties in June and July

    It’s raining clients for MSLGroup!

    By A Correspondent

     

    MSLGroup, the Publicis Groupe’s public relations and social media network, has announced a slew of business wins during June and July 2013. These include JW Marriott Bengaluru, Big Bazaar, Whirlpool, Investors’ Clinic and The Institute of Neurosciences – Kolkata. The value of the business is not known.

     

    Jaideep Shergill

    Commenting on the new business wins, Jaideep Shergill, CEO India, MSLGroup, said: “We see that more and more clients in India are looking to partner with consultancy firms which are able to provide added value which goes way beyond execution capabilities. Therefore, we are very pleased to once again re-enforce our position as the choice of top brands in India looking for a partner to support their businesses and brands through strategic communication and engagement”.  MSLGroup was known as Hanmer MSL and Hanmer & PR earlier.

     

  • The agency claims it bagged the Star Network account last year when it in fact has only part of the account of the television network

    ‘Indian Consultancy of the Year 2013’ Perfect Relations claims winning entire Star network account when it hasn’t

    By A Correspondent

     

    Valerie Pinto

    As reported earlier, Perfect Relations was awarded ‘Indian Consultancy of The Year 2013’ by the Holmes Report recently. Last week, after the MxMIndia report appeared, the agency issued a press release highlighting the same.

     

    The Perfect Relations press release claims the agency has secured several coveted pitches in the past year including that of the Star Network. While we were unable to verify the claims on all accounts won, we do know that only part of the Star India business is with Perfect Relations and not that of the entire network as the press release would make us believe. MxMIndia confirmed this with the PR head at Star India. Perfect Relations handles PR for only three of the Star India channels.

     

    We hope that the information given to the Holmes Report wasn’t with a similar half-truth.

     

    Meanwhile, the communique quotes the agency’s CEO Valerie Pinto saying: “Having helped in the creation and the evolution of India’s communication industry for over 20 years, and being the advisory for more than 2500 clients, Perfect Relations is pleased that its effort in pioneering the role of growing this industry has been recognized.”

     

    Dilip Cherian

    “We are also pleased with the Holmes Report instituting new awards that recognize the need and complexities of the evolving PR industry,” said Dilip Cherian, Founding Partner, Perfect Relations.

     

  • SAP's Chief Storyteller Julie Roehm will be live from her New York office for the IAA webinar today (July 24)

    IAA webinar with SAP’s Chief Storyteller Julie Roehm today

    By A Correspondent

     

    The International Advertising Association (IAA) India Chapter has announced its next webinar on ‘World goes Digital’. Ms. Julie Roehm, Chief Story Teller, SAP, will be the speaker at this webinar using the Google Hangout platform. The Google Hangout session will be held at 5.30pm today (Wednesday, July 24, 2013).*

     

    Srinivasan Swamy

    Said Srinivasan Swamy, president, IAA India chapter, “We began with Rajan Anandan in April, followed it with Ajit Balakrishnan in May and Nishant Rao in June. We are seeing increased participation, and are glad that this knowledge sharing platform by IAA is allowing us to get some of the high profile speakers from across the world who could make a big difference in people’s digital journey.”

     

    Abhishek Karnani, director, Free Press Journal and Manish Advani, head – marketing and public relations, Mahindra Special Services Group, are co-chairing the IAA webinar series.

     

    Abhishek Karnani

    “Looking at the way digital is growing, customers in the future will buy products or services based on the stories or experiences of existing users,” said Mr Karnani.

     

    “Being in the consulting business what we sell is a concept which is difficult to sell the way other products and services are sold, the only method which has worked well for us is Story telling which makes our customers experience what they could expect if they engage us on an assignment,” said Mr Advani.

     

    *MxMIndia is a partner of the IAA webinar series

     

  • Mr Khanna will lead a 360-degree role which includes marketing and communication, CRM, B2B Sales and Alliances

    HomeShop18 appoints Vikrant Khanna as CMO

    By A Correspondent

     

    Vikrant Khanna

    HomeShop18, the ecommerce and homeshopping TV channel network of the Network18 group, has announced the appointment of Vikrant Khanna as Chief Marketing Officer for its TV, Web and Mobile business. In his new assignment with HomeShop18, Mr Khanna will lead a 360-degree role which includes marketing and communication, CRM, B2B Sales and Alliances.

     

    Mr Khanna has a 19 years’ experience in marketing and business roles across FMCG, Telecom, IT and Paints. He has worked with brands like Airtel, Dabur India, General Mills and ICI Paints. At Airtel he was the VP Consumer Engagement and Digital, where he was involved with award winning campaigns such as the “Har Friend Zaroori” across integrated platforms and also India’s first Grand Prix – 2011 Formula 1 sponsorship.

     

    On the appointment, Sundeep Malhotra, Founder and CEO, HomeShop18 said: “We are glad to have Vikrant head our marketing team. He brings years of rich experience in Business & Marketing roles across various industries. Vikrant will work towards building stronger consumer orientation across various touch points, shape a solid consumer franchise and take HomeShop18 brand to newer heights.”

     

  • Tata Housing hosts roundtable discussion on dynamics of the growing market segment

    New affluents redefine luxury market segment

    By A Correspondent

     

    L to R: Roger Darasha, Harish Bijoor, A.Harikesh, Sandeep Trivedi and Bino Paul

    India’s rapid advance from an emerging to a developed economy has given rise to a new breed of luxury consumers, a highly opinionated and demanding set of consumers, which is heavily influenced by global tastes and beliefs. New affluents, while retaining a distinctly Indian identity, are redefining the market, taking marketers by storm, concluded a roundtable discussion organized by Tata Housing Development Co. Ltd in Bengaluru last week.

     

    According to the Boston Consulting Group, the numbers of affluent class are around 13 million households in India. Among affluent households, education and occupation help define consumption patterns and attitudes, creating two distinct segments: New and Traditional. The recent emergence of the affluent class in India highlights this demographic group’s obsession with the love for technology, high living and new-age affluence – in a nutshell, an opulent lifestyle. This has led to conversation amongst manufacturers and marketers on who these ‘affluents’ are and why their consumption habits are of relevance to India.

     

    According to the panel, the new affluents will “not simply mimic western spending patterns but retain distinctly Indian characteristics, a type of jugaad that marries affluence with aspirations, with a strong focus on the former.”

     

    The discussion had A Harikesh, Senior Vice President, Marketing & Sales – Tata Housing playing host with Harish Bijoor, Business Strategy Specialist and CEO of Harish Bijoor Consults Inc, Bino Paul, Professor and Chairperson at Tata Institute of Social Sciences and Sandeep Trivedi, Director, Growth Market at Cushman & Wakefield in attendance.

     

    Speaking at the roundtable, Mr Harikesh said, “New affluents are the ones driving the realty market today. They are ambitious and aspire to live a life of sheer luxury. They have the advantage of having both good education and as well successful careers. Most have travelled internationally and have lived abroad, a life they now want in their own home town as well.”

     

    Mr Bijoor, said, “In the marketing sector, we have changed the way offerings are assessed, while at the same time delving deep into the buying psychology of affluent consumers. For new affluents, products should flaunt their value and brand name always trumps affordability.”

     

    Social researcher Mr Paul commented on the societal change saying, “New affluents are pivotal in transforming urban agglomerations into global cities whose steadfast longing for novelty and structural changes forms potent base for new ideas, products, markets, spaces and socialization milieus. They seem to be different from conventional Indian middle class, in assimilating dynamic contexts that are enmeshed in social-spatial-economic-cultural changes.”

     

    According to Mr Trivedi, the growing working population of people in the age ground of 27-45 is the “primary reason for this change”. “The age of a homebuyer has drastically decreased over the years. Today, the average age of a first home buyer is in the age bracket of 28-32 years. This trend has transformed the residential market and created a niche within,” he said.

     

  • The campaign for the movie which will air on July 27 entails the use of various tools like Television, Print, Outdoor, Digital, DTH and Cinema

    Max goes 360-degree for Aashiqui 2

    By A Correspondent

     

    It appears to be the time when movie channels are going big on promoting the films they are airing.

     

    Max from the MSM/Sony stable has deployed a 360-degree marketing campaign for Aashiqui 2 that’s set to be aired on July 28. The campaign entails the use of various tools like Television, Print, Outdoor, Digital, DTH and Cinema.

     

    Said Vaishali Sharma, Marketing Head, Max on the campaign: “We have strategically and creatively used different media effectively to create experiential and interactive opportunities for our audiences. Building on the theme of romance and the music of the film that has captured hearts of millions, we have recreated the magic of Aashiqui 2 across outdoor, digital and on air. We have got the stars of Aashiqui 2 to enhance this experience further, inviting and enticing audiences to be part of the experience on Sony Max.”

     

    On the social media platform, the Sony Max Facebook page has a daily love tip for all its followers where fans get advise on their love life. It has created a special ‘Aashiqui 2 Lovemeter’ which calculates the love quotient between you and your partner. A contest called ‘Aashiqui 2 Moments Contest’ where Facebook fans can upload their best romantic pictures. Shortlisted pictures will be showcased in the end credits of the premiere.

     

    On July 26, Aashiqui 2 roadblock videos is set to greet all Youtube viewers. A contest will also happen where audiences would be asked questions related to the movie. Lucky winners will meet Aditya Roy Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor.

     

    With outdoor, a movie poster will be installed on a rotator at various major drive-heavy roads of Mumbai. A hoarding outside National College in Bandra will be covered with real roses which has to plucked by spectators revealing the Aashiqui 2 poster.

     

    Then there’s the musical bus stand which will play live music from the movie for the benefit of commuters.

     

  • In the run-up to the launch next month, Epic channels has signed on iContract, MSLGROUP, Jack in the Box and Madison Media for its launch and overall marketing strategy

    Epic gears up for August launch, appoints iContract, Madison, MSLGroup & Jack in the Box

    By A Correspondent

     

    Epic, the proposed Hindi entertainment channel that will offer content centered on Indian history, mythology and folklore, is gearing up for launch next month subject to regulatory approvals. And in order to do that, it has collaborated with specialized creative and communication agencies to initiate a comprehensive launch campaign.

     

    IContract, a part of Contract Advertising and the WPP Group, has been appointed to manage the creative and brand building duties for the channel; while Madison Media has been assigned the media buying and planning mandate.

     

    MSLGroup will be been handling the channel’s public relations, while Jack in the Box Worldwide, the content-for-brands arm of Bang Bang Films, has been selected to manage all digital communication for Epic.

     

    The decision comes after a month-long process of agency pitches for each of the mandates. Commenting on these partnerships, Business Head Aparna Pandey  said “Epic is a differentiated channel that will present meaningful entertainment against an innovative backdrop. Therefore, we were searching for partners who would exemplify fresh and enlightening approach in ideas and thought process. There was so much of creativity in all the agencies we met; however our selected partners had something different to offer, which appealed to all of us at EPIC. We are confident that our brand will be portrayed exactly like we perceive it, with the help and support of our partner agencies”

     

    Rana Barua

    On the assignment, Rana Barua, COO, Contract India said: “I am excited that the management of Epic Television Networks has entrusted iContract with their trust and faith in launching the channel in the country. iContract is one of our key offerings which merges the world of Digital, Experiential and Mainline with powerful and effective media neutral ideas and am confident that the launch will be successful”.

     

    Said Vanita Keswani, COO, Madison Media Sigma: “We are delighted to be helping India’s first digital channel with their launch strategy in the dynamic digitizing cable TV scenario and we are looking forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship”.

     

    Vanita Keswani

    Speaking on the win, Prashanth Challapalli, Business Head, Jack in the Box said, ” India has a rich history and the possibilities of telling these stories in the digital medium is really exciting. Our mandate is to create awareness and more importantly relevance for the brand in the online space”.

     

  • LinOpinion Public Relations has announced several new business wins across the education, real estate and retail sectors amongst others

    LinOpinion PR announces 16 new business wins

    By A Correspondent

     

    Leading PR consultancy LinOpinion Public Relations has announced several new business wins across key sectors including education, real estate and retail. Some of the prestigious brands that have chosen LinOpinion include the Shapoorji Pallonji Group, Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS University), ScribeTECH, Herbalife, ATS Infrastructure, Rapid Metrorail Gurgaon, NEC India, Merino Industries, Isenberg, Poddar Developers, Wadhwa Group, Rio Tinto Diamonds and ITC Grand Chola. Apart from these, the consultancy has also added three more channels – Discovery Kids, Discovery Science and Discovery Turbo from Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific (South Asia) bouquet and will now represent its seven channels in the country.

     

    Ameer Ismail

    Commenting on the new business wins, Ameer Ismail, Executive Director, Lowe Lintas & Partners, said: “We have started the year on a high, partnering with some of the best brands and are very bullish about keeping up the momentum. At LinOpinion, we follow a solution-focused approach and often advise clients to adopt a strategy, apart from traditional PR. It is our ability to bring creative solutions beyond the obvious and executing our ideas with maximum impact that has set us apart in the industry. I am confident that the quality of our work will bring greater business success.”

     

     

    Kavita Lakhani

    Kavita Lakhani, President, LinOpinion and Executive Vice President, Lowe Lintas & Partners added: “We believe in creating simple, yet impactful campaigns that are rooted in key consumer insights.  Also, another factor that’s fuelled LinOpinion’s new business roll is our strong base of happy, satisfied clients who continuously refer us to others.”

     

  • Hathway Broadband launches high-speed 'Wi‐Fi Broadband Homes' with free D-Link wi-fi routers

    Hathway ties up with D-Link to offer routers

    By A Correspondent

     

    Hathway Broadband Internet has tied up with D‐Link to offer wi‐fi routers bundled in the market under the “Wi‐Fi Broadband Homes” initiative.

     

    All existing and new customers of Hathway Broadband across the country can avail this offer and convert their wired homes into “Wi‐Fi Broadband Homes ” with speed of upto 15mbps.

     

    The company intends to leverage on its robust Hybrid Fibre Coaxial (HFC) network to deliver a superior connectivity to its users.

     

    “Consumer broadband usage has shifted to concurrent multiple wireless device consumption at homen” said Mr Jagdish Kumar, Managing Director & CEO, Hathway Cable & Datacom Ltd.

     

    Said Tushar Sighat CEO D‐Link (India) Limited: “With the mydlink cloud router on the offering we are confident to bring alive a never-before secured Wi‐Fi broadband experience ”

     

    Kunal Ramteke

    “A typical modern family by using the Wi‐Fi Broadband Home solution at home can save upto Rs. 500 per month,” said Kunal Ramteke, Business Head, Hathway Broadband.

     

    Hathway will not charge any one time fee or monthly rentals for the Wi‐Fi device. D‐Link Wi‐Fi router will be given to the customers at zero cost. However customers would be charged a nominal fully refundable security deposit, a communiqué notes.

     

  • Special despatch from London by MxMIndia Contributing Editor Ranjona Banerji

    Oh boy! How the entire British media went ballistic about the royal arrival

     

    Ranjona Banerji, who was in England to cover the Wimbledon tennis championship and a short holiday thereafter (which explains a few misses of her column on Tuesdays and Fridays), has been witnessing all the frenzy about the birth in the British royal family. Here’s her despatch:

     

    After days of reporters baking in the hot sun and features editors tearing their hair out, the “royal baby” finally conceded to arrive at 4.24 pm after 10 hours of labour but it was announced to the public only at 8.30 pm. In the meantime, a series of inane and nonsensical stories have been put out, which included statements like this from Sky News online: “Former Midwife Clare Byam-Cook told Sky News: “The Duke and Duchess will be as excited as any other new parents”.”

    Meanwhile, according to The Guardian, reporters started interviewing each other in desperation.

     

    But once the announcement was made, the news media was finally given something to go on. Unfortunately for television, the nature of the beast means banal speculation is foisted on viewers. Lots of expert commentators who know nothing share their expertise. The parents will be happy, tired, overwhelmed, the baby will have a name, the baby will behave like other babies and here are some other babies… which last bit of news is usually the first sign of giving up.

     

    Since I have nothing to tell about the baby you want to know about, I shall now tell you about the baby you are not remotely interested in. For Sky News, it was baby Henry who was born 20 minutes before “Baby Cambridge”.The funniest scene on Sky News was when the main anchor Eamonn Holmes almost choked on his early morning breakfast when a “parenting expert” talking about how a nursing mother’s breasts can feel like cabbages!

     

    Newspapers in Great Britain put a lot of thought into their headlines. The Sun wins this one, changing its masthead to “The Son”. The Daily Telegraph, Star and Daily Express got stuck with “It’s a boy”. The Daily Mirror went with “Our little prince”. The London Times was gracious with “Welcome to the world”. The Daily Mail focused on the first in line to the British throne with a picture of Prince Charles and the headline “Oh boy. One’s a grandpa”.

     

    The Guardian was profoundly portentous with “A birth a boy, a prince, a king”. The Independent headlined with British prime minister David Cameron’s war on child pornography on the internet but had flyer saying “Special delivery”. The Financial Times had the baby as its lead picture captioned, “Royal arrival”.

     

    The i, the very successful tabloid version of the Independent went with a grand “Born to Rule” while the free tabloid Metro just said, “Oh boy!”.

     

    The biggest news spins for the media will now be the name (bookies are betting on George), when the parents will show themselves, which royal will visit first and so on. The newspapers told the public that the baby was born four hours before the announcement but even till Tuesday morning, TV channels were going with the time of 8.30 pm. Somehow, that equation between TV and print never changes!

     

    **

     

    The only thing competing for space with the royal arrival is the British weather. After weeks of baking hot sun, the island finally saw some rain. The connections with the birth have not yet been made but perhaps one only has to wait!