MxMIndia

Category: NEWS

  • Get set for action with Jai and Veeru in free-to-play 'Sholay: Bullets of Justice' game

    As Sholay releases in 3D, Jai-Veeru come alive on games

    By A Correspondent

     

    Hungama Digital Media Entertainment and Gameshastra Solutions have brought alive the famed Jai and Veeru duo of the megahit Sholay in a free-to-play game created as the 3D version of the film is being released.

     

    ‘Sholay: Bullets of Justice’ will be a single player finite level-based side scroller game. The game will have a ‘wild west’ feel and would also portray the locales of Ramgarh as in the movie, with each character having its own stylized animations.

     

    Said Neeraj Roy, MD and CEO,Hungama Digital Media: “The concept of gaming has caught on across the world and is gaining rapid pace especially in the mobile and connected devices environment. The Sholay: Bullets of Justice Game is engaging and addictive for the average gaming enthusiast.”

     

    “Sholay 3D is looking and sounding awesome! We have taken three years to painstakingly restore this film to an impressive quality level for all to enjoy for decades to come! I am thrilled with the game as it has 12 levels and is a complex game both on mobiles and on all other platforms,” said Sascha Sippy, Chairman of Sholay Media & Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.

     

    Take out the dacoits attacking Jai and Veeru in a moving goods train. Teach the dacoits lessons that are harassing the villagers for money. Assist in spreading around happiness and keeping the auspicious festival of Holi sacred. Unshackle Basanti (Hema Malini) from the jaws of the Gabbar Singh and balm the sadness of disconsolate Radha (Jaya Bhaduri) by bringing the maniac to justice.

     

     

  • The move is yet another sign of modern retail's inability to effectively take on neighbourhood stores in India

    Reliance Retail to turn hypermarkets into wholesale stores, to court kirana shops

    By Rasul Bailay

     

    Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Retail is converting some of its big hypermarkets into wholesale cash-and-carry stores, in an apparent sign of modern retail’s inability to effectively take on neighbourhood stores in India.

     

    The Reliance Mart hypermarket in Bhopal’s Aashima Mall is currently under renovation and getting refitted to be reopened in February in a new avatar, as a cash-and-carry store.

     

    This 44,000-sq-ft hypermarket is among Reliance’s big-box stores, including one in Ludhiana and another in Aurangabad, that are being converted into cash-and-carry formats.

     

    The company has realised that in some locations, low-frills wholesale stores have better prospects of making money sooner than consumer-centric hypermarkets, which have wide margins but also are more expensive to operate, two people with knowledge of the development said on condition of anonymity

     

    So, in order to convert the adversaries – the mom-and-pop stores in this case – into allies, Reliance is adopting a simple strategy: It is courting them.

     

    In the cash-and-carry format, companies sell to bulk buyers, such as neighbourhood or kirana stores, who are their members. Reliance is setting up its wholesale stores in places where the concentration of kiranas is high as it is easier to make them customers than competing with them. The business also offers huge potential.

     

    Industry experts estimate cash and carry in India to become a $22-billion (about Rs 1.4-lakh crore) annual opportunity by 2017, and the market leader in the segment is expected to corner $4 billion to $5 billion of this. The main rival for modern cash-andcarry stores in India is “wholesale retailers” – thousands of small retailers crowded into large markets, such as the Sadar Bazar in Delhi.

     

    “Reliance Retail continues to evaluate its offerings and realign them in specific locations in order to establish sustainable relevance of the business with the consumer ecosystem,” a Reliance Retail spokesman said in an e-mailed reply to queries on the company’s plans on its cashand-carry business. In the traditional retail segment, the going hasn’t been smooth for organised players.

     

    Over the past five years, Reliance Retail, Aditya Birla Retail, Spencer’s Retail and others shuttered hundreds of smaller convenience stores to focus on expanding big boxes as the smaller stores faced direct competition from kirana stores.

     

    But hypermarkets, generally spread over 40,000 sqft to 60,000 sqft, come with their own set of challenges, such as high cost structure associated with a large number of staff, look and feel of the store as well as logistical cost that ultimately eat into overall profitability On the other hand, cash-and-carry business generates much higher volumes – as customers buy in bulk, albeit at low margins – with smaller operational cost. Cash-and-carry stores can be low-frills in terms of look and feel and ambience, and they save on logistical costs as companies and distributors would supply merchandizes directly to these stores.

     

    Generally, Reliance Markets, as Reliance’s wholesale stores are called, allows only bulk buyers through memberships.

     

    But the store at Bhopal’s Aashima Mall is also likely to sell to consumers apart from traditional kirana stores even after it is turned into a Reliance Market, according to Ashish Jain, marketing manager of the company that owns and runs the mall. “Since it is in a mall with a heavy consumer footfall, it will also cater to consumers,” he said.

     

    Reliance, in fact, is undertaking an aggressive plan to expand its cashand-carry chain. It entered this business with a store in Ahmedabad in 2011 and the pilot was tested for the next one-and-a-half years before opening another one in Bangalore. In the past nine months, however, Reliance has opened about a dozen cashand-carry stores. Plans are also afoot to make an upcoming store at Mohali in Punjab, which was originally planned to be a Reliance Mart, into a wholesale store as well, one of the persons cited earlier said. In comparison, Germany-based Metro AG, a pure cash-and-carry player that has so far opened 17 stores in India since its entry into the country a decade ago.

     

    An industry analyst said converting a hypermarket into the cash-and-carry format may not work in some cases. Hypermarkets and cash-and-carry stores are two entirely different formats with different demands and economies, Amitabh Mall, partner at Boston Consulting Group, said.

     

    “Converting any hypermarkets into cash-and-carry has to negate the disadvantages of lower margin at the cash-and-carry with the high rentals (of the existing hypermarkets),” Mr Mall said. “That is the equation someone needs to solve. It could work in some cases and may not in others. So it’s a mixed answer.”
    One of the anonymous persons cited above said Reliance has plans to convert many more hypermarkets into cash-and-carry in the coming months. However, Reliance denied this and said the conversion is limited and selective.

     

    Further, as a conscious approach, locations and stores are identified as opportunities for the entire retail business and the precise format or offering is finalised after due consideration of the consumer demography,” the company spokesman said.

     

    Source:The Economic Times

    Copyright © 2013, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved

    Licensed to republish

     

     

  • Presenting the thirteen most accessed stories in the year 2013 on MxMIndia. There were some 2012 reports that also got accessed majorly through the year as well as some sections like

    The 13 Most Read Stories on MxMIndia in 2013

    So these were our most popular stories in the year 2013. There were some 2012 reports that also got accessed majorly but then these the ones that were written in the year 2013.

     

    1.

    For Adults Only… now in India!
    Former Microsoft exec Samir Saraiya launches an e-store selling adult products. While there exists a gap, is the time right for the sexy stuff?

    /2013/01/for-adults-only-now-in-india/

     

     

    2.

    Vijay Mukhi: Are Narendra Modi’s Twitter followers fake? And what about Shashi Tharoor’s?
    In the second instalment of his fortnightly column ‘PoliTech’, Vijay Mukhi digs deep into Twitter data of Messrs Narendra Modi and Shashi Tharoor

    /2013/07/vijay-mukhi-are-narendra-modis-twitter-followers-fake-and-what-about-shashi-tharoors/

     

    3.

    Down with Meenakshi Lekhi!
    The BJP rep’s accusation that Arnab Goswami has taken money from lobbies in a discussion on Sec 377 is unacceptable, writes Ranjona Banerji

    /2013/12/down-with-meenakshi-lekhi/

     

    4.

    #Scamadgate: After Bobby Pawar, will Ford marketing head also go? [Updated, Mar 28]
    JWT India crucified its CCO even as it emerged that Ford endorsed entry of Berlusconi ad at the Abby!

    /2013/03/scamadgate-after-bobby-pawar-will-ford-marketing-head-also-go/

     

     

    5.

    Mediaah! Bizarre! NDTV ombudsman Soli Sorabjee’s response to mail on Barkha Dutt-Niira Radia episode
    Pradyuman Maheshwari is surprised with the response he received from NDTV ombudsman Soli Sorabjee to his mail on the Barkha Dutt-Niira Radia controversy. Is one of India’s best known legal luminaries sitting on the fence on the issue, he asks in Mediaah!

    /2013/10/mediaah-bizarre-ndtv-ombudsman-soli-sorabjees-response-to-mail-on-barkha-dutt-niira-radia-episode/

     

     

    6.

    Shailesh Kapoor: Congratulations! You are too ‘evolved’ to be measured by TV ratings
    For most of these stakeholders, ’24′ brings in the hope that our television will change for the better, Alas, it was not to be, writes Shailesh Kapoor

    /2013/10/shailesh-kapoor-congratulations-you-are-too-evolved-to-be-measured-by-tv-ratings/

     

     

    7.

    Reckitt Benckiser’s Dettol Kitchen ad takes on HUL’s Vim
    It’s ad war time a Dettol’s campaign on kitchen cleaning product shows rival HUL’s Vim dishwash liquid

    /2013/02/reckitt-benckisers-dettol-kitchen-ad-takes-on-huls-vim/

     

    8.

    High Five with the Colors ‘A’ Team
    Up close and personal with Raj Nayak and his core team managing Colors

    /2013/07/high-five-with-the-colors-a-team/

     

     

    9.

    Anil Thakraney: An open letter to Katrina Kaif
    The actress dashes off an open letter to the media for carrying her bikini-clad pictures and Anil Thakraney responds to her as only he can

    /2013/08/anil-thakraney-an-open-letter-to-katrina-kaif/

     

    10.

    Zee Anmol to launch Sept 1 on TV & mobile
    All-time favourites and interactive elements to be highlights of the free-to-air Hindi GEC that will be launched on September 1

    /2013/08/zee-anmol-to-launch-sept-1-on-tv-mobile/

     

    KBC is ‘Kon Hoeel Marathi Crorepati’ on ETV Marathi
    The channel has secured the production and broadcast rights from format owner Sony Pictures Television and has partnered with Big Synergy to produce it for Marathi viewers

    /2013/03/kbc-is-kon-hoeel-marathi-crorepati-on-etv-marathi/

     

    [RECALL] Inside the Times 175 years’ celebrations
    Veteran adman and Exec Prez, BCCL gives a detailed account on The Times of India’s 175 years’ celebrations

    /2013/05/inside-the-times-175-years-celebrations/

     

    11.

    Ogilvy to skip Creative Abby @ Goafest 2013
    Leading creative agency Ogilvy & Mather has decided not to participate in this year’s Creative Abby at Goafest 2013

    /2013/03/ogilvy-to-skip-creative-abby-goafest-2013/

     

     

    12.

    Indian M&E industry to achieve 11.8% growth in 2013: FICCI-KPMG report

    /2013/03/indian-me-industry-to-achieve-11-8-growth-in-2013-ficci-kpmg-report/

     

    How the media agency networks stack up post Publicis-Omincom merger as per RECMA
    The Paris-based research firm releases its rankings on overall billings and network-wised billing

    /2013/08/how-the-media-agency-networks-stack-up-post-publicis-omincom-merger-as-per-recma/

     

     

    13.

    Utterly Butterly Tondulkarlicious
    While we hope he plays the second innings after the 74 in the first today. Presenting here 42 Amul ads that track Sachin’s life and times

    /2013/11/utterly-butterly-tondulkarlicious/

     

  • There will be no MxMIndia edition and update on Wednesday, January 1

    No edition day on Wed, Jan 1

    Our offices will be closed from the afternoon of today (December 31) to the evening of January 1. Hence, there will be no edition tomorrow (on January 1, 2014.)

    Have a great year ahead. And party responsibly.

     

    Cheers!

     

  • Pradyuman Maheshwari lists 13 reasons why 2013 could best be hashtagged #Fail (and also a few reasons why there is hope in 2014)

    Thirteen Reasons why 2013 was a #Fail for the Indian Media

    By Pradyuman Maheshwari

     

    Okay, so we are all going to down our sorrows tonight… in alcohol, in parties, stuck on the road in traffic, at office, on television watching Kapil Sharma for the nth time or an awards show or some other semi-entertaining stuff. Or just a quiet moment with family and friends.

     

    But before we do that, let’s take one last look at the 2013 and wish we could put some of the downers behind  us. Sadly, they can’t.

     

    Here goes my list of 13…

     

    Tarun Tejpal

    Tehelka founder. Alleged rapist. And as it has emerged, misused his position in recent years to achieve his ends.

     

    Mumbai Photojournalist Gangraped

    The media was at the forefront of the movement against atrocities to women through the year. And then one of our very own was gangraped. On an assignment, in daylight, in Mumbai, a city that prides itself to be safe for women. The lady is fine, but the scars will never go away.

     

    Hindustan Times Paid News

    And we thought that the corporate types running Hindustan Times knew what happens when you devalue a news brand by going in for a Medianet-like paid content service. Agreed there’s a footnote, but it’s in fineprint and the paid-for stories aren’t tagged ‘Paid Content’. Why, just why?

     

    Paid News still rules

    The recent elections saw many instances of paid news around the time of the elections with the EC asking the law ministry to make it an electoral offence. However,  what about the publications publishing the news? Shouldn’t those indulging in the corrupt practice also be suitably penalized, even if means losing the RNI registration/licence.

     

    Minister’s priorities

    Even the most sensible of politicians do bizarre things as I&B ministers. We’ve had one of the earliest ones in independent India banning film songs on Vividh Bharati. One went ballistic against news channels. Another frowned upon ads. Our current minister – Manish Tewari – isn’t bad news, but he could do with a better set of priorities. And not just talk about contradictions and paradoxes in his speeches. Also, not interfere in DD news.

     

    Industry divided

    The various industry associations in media,advertising and entertainment are a divided lot. The officebearers may be good friends otherwise, but their associations are often at loggerheads. And paying the price for all of this is the industry.

     

    Abby has really turned Shabby

    Of the various awards held in the country, the Creative Abby has turned out to be shabbiest. The biggest in the business (Lowe, Ogilvy) have not been participating, there are disputes about scam ads and last year we even had some complaints about a few awardwinning ads being plagiarized. All practitioners need to get together and discuss the future of the Oscars of the creative advertising business.

     

    State of magazine media in question as ABP sells BusinessWorld

    In a sense one should be thankful that it was sold, and not shut like the Indian editions of People, GEO and Marie Claire magazines. But BusinessWorld is an iconic brand and was owned by a large, prosperous media group like Ananda Bazar Patrika. The fact that the group lost interest in the magazine and found they couldn’t make the kind of money out of the publication was a sorry commentary on the state of the magazine media. Thankfully, Annurag Batra bought it on behalf of a group of unnamed investors.

     

    Professionals v/s Families

    There are many large and successful business conglomerates run by professionals, but in the world of media, not many professionals have done too well when the family gets active in the business. Two years back, The Hindu brought in professionals on the editorial and business front. It was a bold decision. But in 2013, both Editor and CEO were booted out. I don’t think any rightminded (or leftminded, given it’s Hindu) editor would ever want to join the paper at the helm after this.

     

    Corporate influence in media

    We all agree that the media must ask the tough questions, often being cynical when there is no need for being one. But that’s what it used to be. In a recent accident, the identities of the owners of a car that hit two others was hushed up by most media. The name of the corporate cropped up, but the news wasn’t investigated  in the same way as any other high profile accident case. Is this the influence of big business on the media? Why is it that media entities not directly owned or managed by big businesses also buckle under pressure? Wake up, guys. There’s no point being in the news media when you are going to crawl even there’s no one asking you to do so.

     

    Retrenchment rules

    Staff sackings are not a new story in the media. Some do it with a jhatka, others prefer halal. The best of newsmedia organizations have seen sackings. This writer has been involved with many over the years. The question is how you do it, and how sensitive you can be to the employee’s personal life. We hear of many cases of people opting out of journalism and media companies because of the way employers behave.

     

    Most media schools suck!

    The media wave of the 1990s and 2000s ensured a mad rush for the media and mass communication courses across the country. Everyone wanted to be a Piyush Pandey, Rajdeep Sardesai, Barkha Dutt and now Arnab Goswmi. But the faculty sucks at even the AICTE-approved institutes – mediocre professionals and trainers teach at these places, the curriculum is pathetic, fee cheques and not a rigorous entrance procedure is the only barrier for entry. The result: products of a large number of media schools are below par.

     

    Hold a mirror, News Media!

    What upset one most about the Hindu’s humbling of the Editor and CEO as well as the termination of edition and employee services at Outlook group’s publications was the way in which both were done. Is it the same media that otherwises sermonizes on how the world should behave? Hold a mirror, guys. Mr Ram, did you really need to write that looong letter detailing your misgivings about the editor and CEO? Thankfully, both of them have found jobs, but had it been in another era with no social media, people would’ve doubted their bonafides.  Ditto with the Outlook group, the same magazine company that has Vinod Mehta at its helm…. how could they not have the decency to even speak to employees who got to know about the closure from a tweet?

     

    But there’s hope…

    Indrajit Gupta fights for PR exec

    You don’t hear too often about editors taking up the cause of PR professionals who are subjected to harassment for a negative story in their publication. IG (as Indrajit is called) took up the case and cause for the late Charudatta Deshpande and continues to do so

     

    Arindam Chaudhari thrown out of Mid-Day

    Yes, Mid-Day actually junked his column after it realized that it’s giving the paper a bad name (now Kushan Mitra needs to do the same at Pioneer)

     

    Shashi Sinha cements the industry

    If there’s a Nobel Peace Prize for the Indian media, IPG Interbrands CEO Shashi Sinha should walk away with the awards. Hands down.  He tried his best to cleanse the Creative Abby at Goafest, in fact he did manage that and what happened in the 2013 edition was not really his doing. And now he’s building consensus on television measurement amongst broadcasters and advertisers and media agencies as head of BARC’s technical committee.

     

    Uday Shankar, Punit Goenka, Raj Nayak… entertainment merchants think big

    There’s hope for 2014 as our entertainmentwallahs are truly dreaming big. Uday Shankar is thinking big at Star India, Punit Goenka has planned some 10 new channels for Zee, and Raj Nayak pulled a mega serial in 24 with ease.  And you can’t keep Sony out of things for too long. Three cheers!

     

  • The former Visa India and South Asia Marketing Director has joined Star India as Vice President & Head Marketing – Sports

    Shubhranshu Singh now heads marketing at Star Sports

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Star Sports network has been busy dressing up its top deck. Visa’s Marketing Director – India and South Asia Shubhranshu Singh has joined as Vice President & Head Marketing – Sports.

     

    Star Sports hasn’t officially confirmed or denied the news, though sources within the organization have indicated that Mr Singh joined last month (December 2013). “Making sports a national passion in the truest sense – accessible, engaging and for everyone, everywhere”  is how Mr Singh has highlighted his work profile on LinkedIn. Mr Singh has been with Visa since August 2011 before which he has done two stints at Hindustan Lever amongst others.

     

    December is said to have brought in one more biggie to the Star India fold. As per a report on Bestmediainfo.com, Rajeev Beotra, the National Head – Revenue and Circulation at Hindustan Times (and part of the leadership team at HT Media), is reported to have joined the network as sales head.

     

    Mr Singh, it is learnt, will report to Nitin Kukreja, President – Sports, STAR India.

     

     

     

  • The greeting carries with it an offer to donate Rs 400 to a charity on behalf of the recipients who are required to indicate their choice of donation to the cause of either education or healthcare by clicking on a button.

    More than just a new year greeting. On 40th anniv, RK Swamy Hansa to donate Rs 400 to charity on every click

    By A Correspondent

     

    There are greeting cards and greeting cards and smses and smses and gifts and gifts and gifts. But, here’s a new year idea that’s different and been receiving rave reviews in the fraternity.

     

    A musical ‘happy new year’ message was sent out by RK Swamy Hansa to peers, friends and associates greeting them on the new year. But it’s the media services conglomerate’s 40th year in the business and true to the guiding principles of founder R K Swamy who was an illustrious adman and philanthropist, the greeting carries with it an offer to donate Rs 400 to a charity on behalf of the recipient. The interactive ‘card’ requested recipients to indicate their choice of donation to the cause of either education or healthcare by clicking on a button.

     

    Srinivasan Swamy

    “On our 40th anniversary, we did not want to send any commercial message about our progress or on the many specialized companies or divisions we have.  We wanted to touch the lives of those in need and help make the year a little bit better for them. The more responses we get, the more we will contribute to the charities involving education and healthcare. We’re hoping that the idea will ‘click’, and we will be seen as a caring organization. In any event we felt this would be a unique way to celebrate our Ruby Jubilee,” said Srinivasan K ‘Sundar’ Swamy, chairman, of the group.

     

  • The headline is pretty explanatory, but here's it again: Star Plus closed 2013 with 606 mn viewers. There were big gains for Colors as Sab reverted to the #4 slot

    Star Plus closes 2013 with 606 mn viewers. Big gains for Colors as Sab is #4

    The figures in the table below tell the story. These are for Week 52 and 51 of the year 2013 as per measurement agency TAM. However, the information we have received is not from TAM, but from a friendly subscriber. So, please do verify these numbers before making all-important decisions.

     

     

    Viewership in million
    Channel Week 52 Week 51
    Star Plus

    606

    599
    Colors

    527

    488
    Zee TV

    431

    409
    Sab

    330

    309
    Life OK

    324

    326
    Sony (SET)

    272

    255
  • Longstanding Chief Operating Officer of Multi Screen Media, N P Singh, has been appointed CEO

    N P Singh is CEO, MSM [updated]

    NP Singh

    By A Correspondent [updated]

    Longstanding Chief Operating Officer of Multi-Screen Media, N P Singh, has been appointed CEO. He moves in to the position held by Man Jit Singh until now.

    An official confirmation on the appointment has now come in. The news was first flashed on MxMIndia earlier today (Jan 3). An announcement to this effect has als0 been made to this effect in the MSM office.

    So here’s the news: Multi-Screen Media Private Limited (MSM), formerly known as SET India Private Limited, has announced that Mr NP Singh, Chief Operating Officer, would take on the mantle of Chief Executive Officer effective immediately. Mr Man Jit Singh, the current Chief Executive Officer of MSM, would return to being the Non-executive Chairman of MSM but would relocate to Los Angeles to assume other responsibilities. In his new role, Mr NP Singh will report to Andy Kaplan, President Worldwide Networks, Sony Pictures Television.

    It may be remembered that Mr Man Jit Singh held the position of non-executive chairman even before he took on the position of interim CEO first and later CEO after the exit of Kunal Dasgupta as CEO. In fact at that time – 2009 to be precise, there were strong rumours that Mr NP Singh would be made CEO given that operationally he had been running the network.

    The flagship channel of the group – Sony Entertainment Television – has a tough run with ratings in the recent past.  In fact from among the various Hindi general entertainment channels, it is ranked sixth. In the last week of 2013 (Week 52), as per unverified TAM ratings, its viewership was 272 million whereas that of Star Plus was 606 million viewers and that of of Colors was 527 million. The channel has had a problem on the distribution front too over a period of time. However, it must be said that Sab, also from the MSM bouquet, has had an excellent run over the years and in Week 52, it’s the #4 Hindi GEC, edging past Life OK.

    Various other channels in the MSM network have also been doing better than before. Sony Pix has had a good run in the last few months and sports channel Sony Six has also been active on tie-ups.

    A Cost Account and a Delhi School of Economics graduate, Mr NP Singh has been with MSM since 15 years and has earlier worked with Spice Telecom, Modicorp, Modi Xerox and Hindustan Copper.

    Here are quotes from the Messrs Man Jit and NP Singh and Mr Kaplan:

    Man Jit Singh said “NP and I have worked closely together as equal partners these last five years and the success of the company is largely due to his efforts. The time has come for him to lead the company to the next level and I fully expect the innovations he brings as CEO will ensure we have years of success ahead. As the Non-executive Chairman of MSM, I look forward to supporting NP and will continue to remain involved with the Indian television industry.”

    Andy Kaplan also expressed strong support for the move. “We have full confidence in NP being able to lead MSM and continue the success of the last five years. NP has been involved in all the decisions that lead to the success of our business and this is a well-deserved recognition of his untiring efforts and of the faith we have in his decision making. I wish him all success in his new role as CEO of MSM. I would also like to thank Man Jit for the huge contribution he has made in growing our business in India and setting it on the path of sustainable future growth.”

    NP Singh commented: “I am delighted by the confidence Man Jit, Andy and the Board have expressed in my abilities to lead MSM. It’s been a wonderful experience and a pleasure working with Man Jit last five years. While much work has been done there is clearly a long road to go before we can fully achieve our vision. I am certain that with our top quality Management Team and our dedicated employees we will achieve new heights of success in near future. I am excited in taking up the new role and look forward to making MSM the most profitable network in the business”

    Meanwhile, it is learnt, that at least one or two more announcements are expected from the MSM stable next week.

     

     

  • Creativeland Asia engages with 'internet generation' for the new campaign of Canvas Blaze by MTS

    Creativeland’s new campaign of Canvas Blaze by MTS

    By A Correspondent

     

    Sistema Shyam TeleServices Limited (SSTL), which provides telecom services under the MTS brand, announced the launch of Canvas Blaze, a Dual SIM CDMA + GSM Smartphone preloaded with data and voice benefits for six months. Creativeland Asia conceptualized the communication campaign of Canvas Blaze Dual SIM for television, print and the  digital media.

     

    The campaign is targeted at young smartphone users and intenders. ‘The Internet generation’, as Creativeland has branded them in this campaign, believes that their power comes from their connections and therefore, increasingly spends more and more time online. They constantly hanker for connectivity and speed. These youngsters have a sense of entitlement that makes them not just Smart but Smartass.

     

    The film opens with a young man making a bold statement, “It’s all about me.” He goes on to talk about the various reasons he is online like networking with friends and friends-of-friends, constantly updating himself with information about people and facts and spending time searching and stumbling.  Said Sajan RaJ Kurup, Founder and Creative Chairman: “The film is an eclectic character-sketch of an emerging behaviour code we call the ‘Internet Generation’. The film is a first step towards establishing MTS as the network designed for a whole generation that uses a phone as everything but a just phone.”

     

    Said Leonid Musatov, Chief Marketing & Sales Officer – MTS India, “An exciting Dual SIM, CDMA + GSM Smartphone – Canvas Blaze comes packed with data and voice benefits for six months. The launch of Canvas Blaze is supported by an integrated communication campaign including TVCs, print and social and other BTL activities.” The film is directed by Bharat Sikka.

     

  • He joins DDB Mudra West from McCann where he was ECD. He will report to Sonal Dabral

    McCann’s Rahul Mathew joins DDB Mudra West as Creative Head

    By A Correspondent

     

    Rahul Mathew

    DDB Mudra West has roped in Rahul Mathew as Creative Head. He will lead the agency’s creative output for clients including Future Group, Volkswagen, Johnson & Johnson, Kalpataru, Hindustan Unilever, Union Bank, Marico, Emirates, Gulf Oil, Godrej, Lavasa, Arvind, Adani Group, CenturyPly and Raj Petro among others. Mr Mathew will partner Rajiv Sabnis, President, DDB Mudra Group, West and will work closely with Sonal Dabral, Chairman & CCO, DDB Mudra Group, who he will be reporting in to.

     

    Mr Mathew joins DDB Mudra from McCann Erickson where he was Executive Creative Director. With over 15 years of experience, Rahul has worked with Ogilvy, JWT, Leo Burnett, Y&R (in Kuala Lumpur and India).

     

    Commenting on his new role, Mr Mathew said, “Few agencies, the world over, can boast of a creative culture the likes of DDB. And to be appointed a custodian of such a celebrated culture is both exciting and frightening.  But with the talented bunch at the agency, Sonal and I hope to make DDB Mudra West one of the brightest stars in the DDB constellation.”

     

    On the appointment, Sonal Dabral, Chairman & CCO, DDB Mudra Group, said, “I’m very excited to welcome Rahul to the DDB Mudra Group family. I’ve known Rahul for a while now and have followed his career across countries and agencies, seeing him build brands and win multiple awards along the way. A new age creative thinker equally adept at traditional and non traditional media,Rahul is just the talent to lead the creative teams in DDB Mudra West.”

     

    Added Rajiv Sabnis, President, DDB Mudra Group, West: “With Rahul coming on board, our ability to provide creative business solutions to our clients gets a strong fillip.”

     

     

     

  • West Bengal government recognises Star India CEO Uday Shankar for Special Contribution to Bengali Television

    Uday Shankar receives W Bengal govt award

    By A Correspondent

     

    Uday Shankar

    Star India today received the 2014 West Bengal Tele Academy Award for significant contribution to Bengali television through entertainment that’s progressive and sensitive.

     

    Uday Shankar, CEO of Star India, was conferred the award by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The award recognizes Star’s special contribution to Bengali television through Star Jalsha and Star Ananda (currently known as ABP Ananda and part of the Ananda Bazar Patrika group).

     

    “As a group, we are delighted to receive the West Bengal Tele Academy Award, as it clearly shows the society has embraced our focus on quality content,” Mr. Shankar said on receiving the award.  “I really believe socially sensitive content is the way forward for the future of a healthy society. The plaudits go to the entire team.”