MxMIndia

Category: NEWS

  • The Studio will offer content and thought leadership solutions

    Ketchum Sampark launches Knowledge Studio

    Whoever thought you hire a public relations agency to get your plugs in the papers the following day or on television and online outlets like MxMIndia?! PR firm Ketchum Sampark has announced the launch of a ‘Knowledge Studio’ to provide research, content and thought leadership services for Indian and transnational corporates. The Knowledge Studio will complement Ketchum Sampark’s PR offerings to clients with thought leadership-led content and serve as an important growth driver especially in the ever-evolving online and digital reputation space, notes a communiqué.

     

    Jon Higgins, Senior Partner and CEO, International, Ketchum,said, “India is one of our most promising and key growth markets. We believe in continuously providing our customers solutions and offerings that significantly add value to their business. Knowledge Studio is a great example of that value-added service offering.”

     

    Announcing the launch, Bela Rajan, Founder and Director, Ketchum Sampark, said: “We see strategic synergy in offering our clients value-added services in the thought leadership and content space along with integrated design and software solutions. I believe the Knowledge Studio team will help us deliver new ideas and enhance client value in the new-age digital reputation arena.”

     

    Biswadeep Gupta, President, Knowledge Studio, and Partner, Ketchum Sampark, will drive the content business. Previously, he was the founder and CEO of Riteverses, a firm in a similar business as the Ketchum Sampark Knoweldge Studio. The Riteverses website now points to Mr Gupta and two others who are now part of the (Publicis) Omnicom group PR agency.

     

    Commenting on this move, Mr Gupta said: “Going ahead, content will be a key differentiator globally for consumer and other stakeholder outreach programmes, especially in the online space. We see a genuine opportunity to partner customers in building Thought Leadership content solutions for our clients at Ketchum Sampark and also continue to build and service existing and new customers.”

     

    It may be noted that the Publicis group’s MSLGroup in India already runs a similar division under the leadership of former Hindustan Times senior associate editor Ashraf Engineer. It will be interesting to see if post the merger of the Publicis and Omnicom groups, such services in the group’s PR agencies are turned into a common resource or stay as is to be value adds to the PR function.

     

  • Apollo Tyres announces a three-year partnership with Manchester United

    Apollo Tyres inks 3-yr pact with ManU

    By  A Correspondent

     

    Leading tyre-maker and distributor Apollo Tyres  has announced a three-year regional partnership with Manchester United Football Club which will see Apollo Tyres become the Club’s official Tyre Partner in the UK and India.

     

    While Apollo is a leading brand in India with annual revenues of over US$ 2.34 billion, it will leverage the high profile partnership with Manchester United to raise awareness of its brand among potential customers, business partners and consumer audiences around the world.

     

    Commenting on the announcement, Onkar S Kanwar, Chairman, Apollo Tyres Ltd said, “This is a very important partnership for us as a company and clearly demonstrates our global ambitions for our business, and the brand. Very few sports platforms deliver a global profile and awareness and we believe the impact of this relationship will be significant in helping to make Apollo a globally recognisable brand.”

     

    A key element of the partnership will be a joint community commitment to encourage young people to ‘go the distance’ and seek a higher level of excellence in building sporting skills and developing healthy lifestyles. Drawing on its philosophy, Apollo will build football pitches made from recycled rubber in local communities across the UK and India.

     

    The first ‘go the distance’ pitch will be built within the grounds of Old Trafford before similar pitches are rolled out across the UK and India. This initiative will include some specific skills challenges, encouraging users of the Apollo football play zones to achieve excellence in control, agility, speed and precision.

     

    Manchester United Group Managing Director, Richard Arnold commented, “Apollo Tyres is a leading player in the tyre industry and its rate of growth and development into new territories made it an attractive partner for the Club. With a combined fan base close to 46 million followers in both the UK and India, we are confident in providing Apollo with a captive audience. This partnership will allow Apollo not only to promote its brand, but also to engage and communicate with our fans, like we observed today with the skills demonstration.

     

    The announcement was made at a launch event at the Club’s Aon Training Complex, which was attended Mr Kanwar and Mr Arnold.

     

  • Brand Dialogue’s entry marks the Netherlands government’s steps to strengthen ties with India

    Dutch brand consultancy Brand Dialogue enters India

    By A Correspondent

     

    Brand Dialogue, a European brand communications company headquartered in Amsterdam, has announced its entry into the Indian market. The Dutch firm has under its umbrella a group of specialist agencies namely Fabrique, Globrands, THEY and Yellow Dress Retail. Being multi-disciplinary and working with leading Dutch design firms, Brand Dialogue attempts to offer collective strength in visual branding, internet and digital, advertising, naming, retail, packaging, product design, brand strategy and project management.

     

    Announcing this, Willem Woudenberg, CEO Brand Dialogue said: “For a small country like the Netherlands, India is an important international market. Considering the country’s richness and diversity of culture, we can assist brands in simplifying complexity; thereby, moving with the theme ‘Simple Solutions, Bright Design’. Entering India with the steadfast support of The Netherlands Consulate in Mumbai and the Netherlands Embassy in Delhi, we are encouraged towards strengthening the ties between India and The Netherlands in the space of design and brand communications.”

     

    Commencing operations with Mumbai, Brand Dialogue next eyes New Delhi and Bengaluru. The company is also looking at effecting tie-ups with Indian creative agencies looking for global partnerships to widen their stance.

     

    “At Brand Dialogue, our mission is to help our clients in strengthening their positioning, identity and communication, so as to present a more positive picture to their target audience and in due course improve their results. We do this in various ways, depending on what is required. It always involves a robust analysis and focused advice, which we like to carry through creatively, in concrete project plans” added Willem.

     

    Some of Brand Dialogue’s clients include brands like Metro India (retail/packaging), Delhi Airport (positioning, branding), Heineken International (corporate branding), Rabobank (branding), City of Amsterdam (city branding), Philips (naming/labeling, annual report), Rijksmuseum (recent website), Business World India (branding, advertising), among others.

     

     

  • The Sri Adhikari Brothers-owned magazine starts a Hindi edition under Alok Mehta and with a a Marathi edition expected to launch next month

    Governance Now launches in Hindi, soon in Marathi!

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Sri Adhikari Brothers media group of brothers Gautam and Markand Adhikari has launched the Hindi edition of Governance Magazine with well-known editor and Padma Shri recipient Alok Mehta as editor.

     

    Buoyed by the success of the English edition which was launched in January 2010, SAB vice-chairman and managing director Markand Adhikari said he is bullish about the Hindi edition too. The content mix will be different from that of the English version which is edited by senior journalist B V Rao.

     

    Markand Adhikari

    Mr Adhikari informed that a Marathi edition is also underway from next month, with content essentially from the English and Hindi editions.

     

    While the magazine project was on an investment mode for the first two-odd years, it is now looking up thanks to quality content and a growing emphasis on events and conferences, said Mr Adhikari. “There is no alternative to good content and we’ve ensured that our editorial is unbiased and sticks to our core values,” he added.

     

  • The information and broadcasting ministry has asked the TRAI and Press Council of India to rush their comments on the increase of foreign invements limits in the broadcast and print media sectors respectively.

    Jaldi karo! MIB asks TRAI & Press Council to expedite comments on foreign investment limits

    By  A Correspondent

     

    The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has requested TRAI once again to expedite its comments on the reference made earlier to the body regarding foreign investment limits in the Broadcasting Sector. In its communication to TRAI, the ministry has sought comments regarding the paper prepared by the Ministry of Finance relating to revision in existing FDI caps in the broadcasting sector. The paper had been forwarded to TRAI seeking its recommendations under Section 11(1)(a)(ii) & (iv) of the TRAI Act, 1997, which pertains to the terms and conditions of license to a service provider and measures to facilitate competition and promote efficiency in the operation of telecommunication services to facilitate growth in such services.

     

    In a similar separate communication, the ministry has requested the Press Council of India to expedite its advice on the existing sectoral caps of FDI in the print media, under Section 13 of PCI Act, 1978. The advice has been sought in view of the communication received from the Ministry of Finance which aims to review policy of sectoral caps of FDI in the print media. Section 13 authorizes PCI to express its opinion in regard to any matter referred to it by the central government.

     

    The paper proposes to raise the existing FDI cap of 26% which is through FIPB route to 49% through automatic route in the news sector. In the non-news sector, the existing FDI cap is 100% through FIPB route which has been proposed to be 100% through automatic route without the requirement of FIPB’s approval.

     

  • Over 30 speakers are scheduled to deliberate on the theme 'Print: Thriving in the age of digital'

    News Update: Full-house at INMA South Asia 2013 Conference

    By A Correspondent

     

    The 2013 edition of the International News Media Association South Asia Conference took off in New Delhi to a full-house.

     

    Over 30 speakers including management experts like Rama Bijapurkar, media agency honchos, equity and consulting firm captains are scheduled to speak and deliberate on the theme ‘Print: Thriving in the age of digital’.

     

    Sanjay Gupta, President, INMA South Asia and CEO, Jagran group and BCCL President and conference co-chair Arunabh Das Sharma had made their opening remarks at the time of filing this report.

     

  • Global marketing industry enjoyed generally positive business conditions in August, despite some less optimistic results in Europe and Asia, according to Warc's Global Marketing Index

    Warc Global Marketing Index positive in Aug even as budgets fall in APAC

    By A Correspondent

     

    The global marketing industry enjoyed generally positive business conditions in August, despite some less optimistic results in Europe and Asia, according to Warc’s Global Marketing Index.

     

    The global index of marketing budgets held steady, returning a reading of 51.5 this month – the same reading as July. But Asia Pacific experienced a net decline in budget expectations: after July’s sharp drop to a flat 50.0, the region’s index is down further in August, to 48.2.

     

    Europe has seen a slight improvement, reaching 50.0, a 0.3 increase from July. Only the Americas, up 0.3 points from July to 55.8, saw a net rise in marketing budgets for August.

     

    The index is is produced in association with World Economics.

     

  • The cricket-crazy in Canada will now get Ten Cricket on Rogers Communications Inc

    Roger for Ten Cricket in Canada

    By A Correspondent

     

    Zee Americas in partnership with Ethnic Channels Group has announced the launch of Ten Cricket on Rogers Communications Inc.

     

    Roger’s addition of Ten Cricket will enable cricket fans in the region to watch all home and away matches played between teams representing West Indies, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, and India. Ten Cricket’s 24-hour programming will include live and repeat broadcasts of major tournament matches such as Test, ODI and T20 as well as popular shows such as Cricket Classics, Great Centuries and The Inside Story.

     

    “Cricket is the second most popular sport in the world next to soccer. Cricket lovers in Canada will be enthralled by Ten Cricket,” said Slava Levin Co-Founder and CEO of Ethnic Channels Group.

     

    Sameer Targe, General Manager of Zee Americas said: “Canadian cricket enthusiasts have experienced Ten Cricket through ATN cricket channels for the last two-and-a-half years and we saw great traction for our content.  It was only logical for us to stop syndicating that to ATN (through Willow TV) and launch a full-fledged 24×7 linear channel—Ten Cricket”.

     

  • 22-year-old photojournalist intern gangraped while on an assignment in a city that prides itself on being safe for women

    Shame!

     

    There are already cynics saying why did the lifestyle magazine have to send a lady photog to the desolate Shakti Mills on an assignment early Thursday evening. That’s an unfair comment, for a male companion did accompany the 22-year-old intern. His presence didn’t really help as he was beaten up.

     

    But, hey, yeh hai Bambai,  said to be one of the safest places for women in India. Bombayites shed crocodile tears at the plight of Dilliwallahs and those living or working in Gurgaon and Noida. Thursday’s incident of the photojournalist gangraped and her companion beaten up is shameful. And this wasn’t in the dead of the night: but before sundown, at around 5.30-6pm.

     

    While we pray for the speedy recovery of both and wish they and their families and friends get the strength in these traumatic times, there is need for worry in the profession. Journalists across the media and especially those on the move need to be on the alert.

     

    People in Mumbai don’t think twice about sitting up till late for work. Travel safe in that 12.17 Virar local from Churchgate or walk to the Elphinstone Road station at 9pm, as the night drop is still an hour away.

     

    It may be tough keeping a watch on all the nooks of a large city, but it’s the police’s job to guarantee us a safe place to live and work.

     

    Meanwhile, even though it’s a journalist from a cultural newsmag, it’s good to see Mumbai dailies take up the issue in a big way. One hopes that the events on the financial and political fronts do not get this off primetime news tonight and until the culprits are caught and punished as per law.

    [updated on August 23, name of magazine where the intern worked was deleted]

     

  • Fourth Dimension takes Sanjeev Kapoor to Kochi live, the third in South India, after Coimbatore and Bengaluru

    Fourth Dimension takes Sanjeev Kapoor to Kochi for live show

    By A Correspondent

     

    Sanjeev Kapoor

    The Chennai-based leading adsales network Fourth Dimension has been on a roll with live shows with Master Chef Sanjeev Kapoor.

     

    After the success in Coimbatore and Bengaluru, Chef Kapoor and Fourth Dimension are set to stage an interactive session tomorrow (Aug 27) from 10.30am to 2.30pm. The ticket price is Rs 1800 (lunch included) and total of 21 recipes will be demonstrated.

     

    Shankar B

    “Smaller brands get an excellent opportunity to partner with India’s cooking legend,” said Fourth Dimension CEO Shankar B who is ecstation about the response. “The recipe of the success of the shows is to have these live events in smaller cities across India and get someone as big as Chef Kapoor,” Mr Shankar said

     

    The event has various sponsors like Preethi Kitchen Appliances, Milky Mist Panneer, AMC Cookware, iFLO Salt, Quaker Oats, Double Horse Payasam Mix, Leonardo Olive Oil and Aquaguard.

     

  • Aidem excited about the channel which will air classical music and more

    ‘Heritage music’ channel InSync gets Aidem for adsales

    By A Correspondent

     

    Recently launch InSync, India’s first heritage music channel, has appointed Aidem Ventures for its advertising sales representation.

     

    Ratish Tagde

    The brainchild of renowned Violinist and MD of Perfect Octave Media, Ratish Tagde, InSync covers an array of music genres from Indian classical music to Sufi, Ghazals, Folk, Fusion and many more. The opening programming line-up also includes interviews, talk shows, documentaries, genre based reality shows and youth-based fusion shows.

     

    As a part of the launch marketing strategy, the channel plans to connect to and to build awareness amongst its local targeted audience by organizing 40 to 50 musical concerts across India over the next one year while simultaneously covering them on the channel.

     

    Manish Rach

    The channel has roped in Manish Rach to take responsibility of the distribution of the channel. “InSync is a pay channel already available on major MSOs including Hathway, InCable, DEN,GTPL, Fastway, Star and DIGI Cable. Talks are currently on with the major DTH platforms in India& a few international distribution players as well” said Mr Rach.

     

     

     

    Vikas Khanchandani
    Nikhil Sheth

    Speaking of the association, Vikas Khanchandani, Director, Aidem Ventures, said, “InSync has the potential to set the standard for excellence and innovation in the Indian television industry while forging deep connections with diverse and passionate audiences. ”

     

    “As the only heritage music channel available, InSync has the first-mover advantage. We are also going to be offering customizable, branded event solutions to keen advertisers,” added Nikhil Sheth, Business Head, Hindi Entertainment & Niche channels who joined Aidem a few months back from Mahuaa.

     

  • With the recent win of LG, Havas Media Group has made two senior appointments as also another for MTS, etc

    Havas strengthens India top deck for LG, MTS etc

    By A Correspondent

     

    Love Guglani
    Saurabh Bhatnagar

    In keeping with its growth and new business acquisitions since the beginning of 2013, Havas Media Group India has made some senior management appointments.

     

    Love Guglani joins as Vice President and Saurabh Bhatnagar as Group Account Director-Digital. Their main mandate is to manage the LG business in keeping with the philosophy of being ‘Digital at the core’.

     

    Besides this, the Delhi office has appointed Roopali Sharma as Vice President to manage key clients like MTS which are on their growth phase.

     

    Roopali Sharma
    Anita Nayyar

    Commenting on the appointments, Anita Nayyar, CEO, Havas Media Group India & South Asia said, “Our growth strategy needs the right people. All three have had illustrious careers and collectively bring in huge wealth of knowledge and experience.”

     

    Mr Guglani has 12+ years of experience across Carat, Starcom, Maxus and Loadstar Universal. He has worked on some of the big local brands (Tata, Hero Honda) as well as global brands (Intel, Sony). He has straddled across planning, buying and implementation roles. Mr Bhatnagar too comes with 12_ years of experience most of which have been with digital. He was previously Business Director, Dentsu Digital. He has also worked with Sapient Nitro, Quasar Media, BC Web Wise. Ms Sharma has over 13 years of experience which spans across strategy, planning and buying. She also had a stint on the client side when she worked with LG. and was previously VP Buying at Zenith Optimedia.