MxMIndia

Category: NEWS

  • Tequila Shot Productions will be venturing into feature films and digital content creation in near future

    Nautanki’s Saurabh Tewari opts for Tequila Shot

    By a correspondent

     

    Saurabh Tewari, the creative brainchild behind setting up Nautanki Films Pvt. Ltd which produced soaps like Madhubala – Ek Ishq, Ek Junoon among others is set to launch his new production house – Tequila Shot Productions. The newly formed company is set to produce a new TV shows for a leading broadcaster, details of which will be revealed in the next quarter. In addition to this, Tequila Shot Productions will be venturing into feature films and digital content creation in near future.

     

    Commenting on the new venture, Saurabh Tewari said, “I am delighted to announce Tequila Shot Productions through which I aim to continue my promise of delivering entertaining and engaging content to my audience. Tequila Shot Productions will not only create content for television but will also be foraying into film production very soon.”

     

    A Bachelor of Arts from Lucknow University, Saurabh began his career directing ad films. Since then he has worked with a variety of television production houses primarily as a writer which have given him a completing understanding of the creative & production business. In 2006, he moved to Zee Telefilms as Assistant Vice-President of Programming for ZEE TV where he was instrumental in growing the market share of the channel. In late 2007, he moved to Viacom 18 as a part of the start-up team for the launch of Colors. In 2011, Saurabh Tewari joined hands with BAG Films to launch his Film & TV Production company Nautanki Films Pvt. Ltd.

     

  • OMD retained the Agency Network of the Year title by scoring 367 points. It was followed by Starcom in the second place with 326 points and Mindshare at third with 319 points

    OMD, Group M, McDonald’s get Gunn salute for 2013

    By a correspondent

     

    The Gunn Report for Media, the global evaluation of media creativity launched in 2004, has released its new report recently. It has combined winners’ lists from the world’s most important award contests to establish the only global ‘league tables’ for the communications industry.

     

    According to the report, OMD retained the Agency Network of the Year title by scoring 367 points. It was followed by Starcom in the second place with 326 points and Mindshare at third with 319 points.

     

    In the Holding Company of the Year category, Group M was first with a total of 876 points. In second position was Omnicom Media Group with 751 points while Publicis Groupe was placed third with 617 points.

     

    Where the Advertiser of the Year category was concerned, McDonald’s took the first spot with 83 points as a result of their campaigns winning awards across 22 different festivals all over the world. Coca Cola was second with 79 points and Samsung was third at 49 points.

     

    As for the country-wise performance, the United States came on top this year with 302 points, 98 ahead of the United Kingdom’s score of 254. India followed in third place with 241 points.

     

    “The context in which marketing is taking place is changing dramatically.  Advertisers are fighting against an increasingly competitive and tough business environment where ROI is vital. They are also faced to customers, who are very unpredictable, expect to be surprised and entertained, and are more and more influenced by their friends and networks. They want to participate, share and collaborate as never before. Because of technology, the means of production and the channels of distribution have been turned over to the masses,” said Isabelle Musnik, editor of The Gunn Report for Media.

     

    Adding further she said, “Contact has become as critical to the success of a marketing campaign as content. The right media connections can make or break a campaign, or even a brand, and change behaviour as a result. Media innovation and creativity are more than ever, key to brand success.”

     

    Similar to the methodology used previously, this year’s scoring system assigned each agency and campaign 3 to 5 points for a Best in Show award / Grand Prix, 2 to 3 for a winner or gold, or 1 to 2 for a silver or bronze. Campaigns could also receive points for awards in different categories (i.e. Best Use of Sponsorship, Best Use of TV, etc.). Every show in the Report features all of the media: TV, cinema, radio, magazines, newspapers, outdoor, special events/stunts, internet, mixed media and sponsorship. Some have special categories on target audiences such as youth, young adults, all adults, men and women.  Single media festivals are excluded.  Too few of these reward media creativity and efficiency, and their inclusion would have unbalanced the scoring system in respect of some countries and agencies.

     

  • The finalists span across 25 single market and multi-market categories and represent works from agencies from 16 countries

    12 Indian entries shortlisted for 2014 APAC Effies

    By a correspondent

     

    The APAC Effie Awards has announced a total of 99 finalists for the 2014 edition. The outcome was a result of two rounds of intense judging by the jury consisting of industry professionals and senior level executives from agencies and clients across the region.

     

    The Jury for 2014 is led by Connie Chan as the 2014 Judging and Awards Chairman, and four Heads of Jury, namely i) Ajay Kakar, Chief Marketing Officer – Financial Services, Aditya Birla Group, ii) Ben Lightfoot, CEO, McCann Worldgroup Singapore, iii) Nicky Lim, Regional Director, ASEAN, Geometry Global, and iv) Pully Chau, Advertising and Effie veteran.

     

    The finalists span across 25 single market and multi-market categories and represent works from agencies from 16 countries, with China, Australia and New Zealand being the top 3 countries with the highest number of finalist entries.

     

    Winners will be announced at the Awards Gala taking place on April 3, 2014 at The Conrad Centennial, Singapore. Special awards – Agency of the Year Award and Agency Network of the Year Award will also be presented at the awards gala.

     

    APAC Effie Awards 2014 – Finalists

  • MSLGroup wins strategic and integrated communications mandates from six new clients

    MSL wins 6 new clients for strategic & integrated comms

    By A Correspondent

     

    MSLGroup, the Publicis Groupe’s flagship strategic communications and engagement company, has announces acquisition of six new clients across a range of industries, which includes, Tata Motors, Changi Airport Group (CAG), Monster Energy Drink, Videocon D2H, Sobha Developers, and Kinetic Group, for strategic brand communications and integrated engagement campaigns.

     

    Jaideep Shergill

    Said Jaideep Shergill, CEO of the firm in India, “The industry is evolving and clients are looking for strategic and integrated communications that will differentiate them in the marketplace. We are pleased to partner well-known and established players like these.”

     

  • Maxus India has retained the title of the most "dominant" agency profile for the fourth year in a row as per the RECMA 2013 report

    Maxus is RECMA’s ‘Most Dominant Agency’ for fourth consecutive year

    By A Correspondent

     

    Maxus India has retained the title of the most “dominant” agency profile for the fourth year in a row as per the RECMA 2013 report. Maxus was the only agency to be rated as “dominant” as per the ratings. The RECMA report is the Qualitative Assessment for 2013 for all leading media agencies in India, basis two parameters – Vitality & Structure. This is the highest level of ratings awarded by RECMA, for the agency that demonstrates a balance between the two parameters.

     

    Kartik Sharma

    Speaking on the new RECMA Ratings, Kartik Sharma, Managing Director, Maxus India said, “2013 has been an exciting year for us. We won 17 new businesses, worth over Rs 600 crores. We made substantial investments to strengthen our offering across core media, digital, branded content and activation. This is also reflected in the number of industry awards the agency won during the year.” He added, “From a people point of view, the new RECMA ratings are an indicator of the 10/10 vision that drives us to delight our clients and customers. We are governed by Passion, Agility, Collaboration and an Entrepreneurial spirit (PACE), a mission statement that drives us to deliver the very best and meet challenges head on.”

     

    2013 has been an exciting year for Maxus in India. New business wins include Tata Global Beverages, Unitech, Nestle India, Kotak Mahindra, Redbus.in, Ruchi Soya and Musafir.com to name a few. They also retained the media duties for L’Oreal in India.

     

  • Iodex has signed up badminton player Saina Nehwal as the new brand ambassador for Iodex UltraGel

    Saina Nehwal roped in to endorse Iodex UltraGel

    By a correspondent

     

    Pain relief expert Iodex has launched a new variant, UltraGel that vouches to provide effective relief from pain-related symptoms. To further drive its popularity, Iodex has signed up badminton player Saina Nehwal as the new brand ambassador for Iodex UltraGel.

     

    In the new TVC that has been conceptualised by Leo Burnett, a badminton player at an international tournament is seen fighting severe muscular pain to stand strong on the ground, her smashes making the country proud as she wins the match and stands victorious. But instead of tasting her victory, she sits back to bury her face in a towel, trying to hide her pain. When she lifts her face, it is covered by a mask with a huge smile as she carries on interacting with the media and her fans. The smiling mask continues to hide her pain from the world. But Saina decides to unmask herself by curing the pain and reaches into her kit bag. The TVC ends with Saina accompanied by hundreds of women throwing away their mask and saying “Iodex UltraGel apnao, dil se muskurao”

     

    Talking about the new campaign, Amit Nandwani, ECD- LeoBurnett said, “Women putting up a brave face in day-to-day life to hide pain is a human truth that connects with everyone. Iodex Ultra Gel, with its unique formulation, aspires to put an end to their silent suffering. We needed to drive home the point in an emotional, yet hard hitting manner. I think the device of a smiling mask does it really well as it’s not just visually stark and cut through, but also makes for a refreshing piece of communication in the category.“

     

  • Media Lounge has been floated with the idea of creating a full service agency

    Manajit Ghoshal turns entrepreneur with Media Lounge

    By a correspondent

     

    Manajit Ghoshal

    Manajit Ghoshal, former MD & CEO of Midday, has turned entrepreneur by floating a new company titled Media Lounge Pvt. Ltd. Partnering Ghoshal in the venture will be his good friend and owner of Ronak Advertising, Amardeep Singh Vig.

     

    Speaking on the development, Ghoshal said “Media Lounge is floated with the idea of creating a full service agency which has companies specializing in media buying, digital media, creative services, event management, PR, running exhibition centres and conducting media courses. We are planning a pan India presence and will look at mergers and acquisitions too.”

     

    Adding his inputs, Amardeep Vig said, “Ronak Advertising plans to go pan India and develop into a full service agency with all its verticals. We will grow both organically and inorganically. With the strength of Ronak advertising and Manajit Ghoshal on board as the MD & CEO of the new company, we are confident we will achieve a healthy growth rate and achieve our goals.”

     

  • Inventory crunch pitfall pushes radio station to hike ad rates

    MY FM hikes ad rates by 25%

    By a correspondent

     

    In its bid to address inventory crunch facing the radio station, MY FM has announced a hike in its advertising rates by 25 per cent. The hike will be effective from 1st April 2014 onwards.

     

    Harrish M Bhatia

    Commenting on the development, Harrish M Bhatia CEO, 94.3 MY FM – Radio Business of Dainik Bhaskar Group said “MY FM understands the pulse of the market, our music and content is according to listeners preferences. This has enabled MY FM to enjoy an unparalleled leadership across its stations.”

     

    Adding further he said, “Our markets are growing at an exponential pace and advertisers have realized that radio is the most effective way of reaching out to the audience. The new price structure is designed keeping the interest of both client and listeners in mind.”

  • One Alliance, MSMD's distribution arm will cease to distribute the Neo Sports and Neo Prime channels to the cable and HITS operators

    Neo to distribute sport channels through in-house route

    By a correspondent

     

    Neo Sports Broadcast Pvt Ltd has decided to do away with its cable distribution agreement with MSMD and rather distribute their channels through its in-house team. From April 1, 2014, One Alliance, MSMD’s distribution arm will cease to distribute the Neo Sports and Neo Prime channels respectively to the cable and HITS operators.

     

    A statement issued from the office read thus: “Neo shares a fantastic relationship with DTH operators and other digital platforms and are confident that it will be able to build a similarly robust relationship with cable and HITS companies across the country. The dawn of addressability is a great opportunity for all of us; we are confident that we will be able to forge an equally robust and healthy relationship with cable companies as we start selling channels directly though our team.”

     

    Neo has continued to distribute its channels through its in-house team to DTH and other digital distribution platforms even as it gave away its cable distribution rights to MSMD in 2010. Neo Prime and Neo Sports are currently available on all leading DTH platforms and also across all leading networks nationally and regionally.

     

    Dilip Sharan, EVP, Distribution Platforms said that it is a step in the right direction to further build business keeping in mind the emerging digital landscape. “The suggestive Regulatory approach combined with digitalization clearly points that future distribution deals will be dictated by the relevant content that is made available to various audiences and the ability to work with the platforms keeping in mind the business issues and not entirely on the strength of the channels size in the bouquet, a prevalent practice in the analogue era. Our cable distribution deal with MSMD made better commercial sense in the analogue environment.”

     

    Adding further he said, “Our dealing with the DTH operators has reinforced this line of thinking that standalone channels can make for a business case as much and as efficiently in a digital environment provided it can offer very relevant content that has significant traction in various category of sport; is attractively priced and above all, there is strong intent to engage with its business partner in building a mutually supportive business environment.”

     

    In 2014-2015, Neo will be showcasing some of the biggest sporting events including French Open, Fed Cup, Davis Cup, Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, Bundesliga, US PGA etc.

     

  • The fest was created as a platform to bring established and rising YouTube stars from around the world off computer screens closer to their fans

    Inaugural YouTube FanFest strikes a chord with viewers

    By a correspondent

     

    The YouTube FanFest with HP brought to India for the first time by YouTube and Branded Ltd. featured incredible performances by some of YouTube’s most popular artists. YouTube FanFest with HP was created as a platform to bring established and rising YouTube stars from around the world off computer screens closer to their fans.

     

    The festival featured videos and performances by American clarinetist Shankar Tucker, Canadian entertainer Lilly Singh, aka IISuperwomanII, a motivational speaker who relies greatly on comedy, American beauty and fashion expert Bethany Mota and more. The hilarious All India Bakchod, India’s highest selling comedy collective and popular YouTubers, hosted the festival. The event was sold out with fans grabbing the tickets within 48 hours of listings.

     

    YouTube FanFest with HP also brought some of the biggest International YouTubers to India, to collaborate with the new breed of Indian content creators. The YouTubers who together combine 14.6 million subscribers and over 1.2 billion views have spent a fantastic week collaborating with each other and producing new content as well as working on their shows for YouTube FanFest with HP.

     

    Live-streamed on YouTube, YouTube FanFest with HP was designed around live performances, interviews and personal meet-and-greets with fans. YouTube experts added extra layer of comprehension by delivering insights, analysis and advice related to online video communities and their trends at the YouTube FanFest Academy.

     

    “With amazing artists, crazy fans, incredible hospitality and stunning locations, India has proved itself as the perfect location for the first YouTube FanFest with HP of 2014. Next stop is Singapore in May but India has set the bar very, very high,” said Jasper Donat , CEO, Branded Ltd.

     

  • GSEAMS announces the signing of its first celebrity in sports star and youth icon Sangram Singh

    GSEAMS talent wing signs Sangram Singh

    By A Correspondent

     

    Having ventured into the talent management space with GSEAMS – Talent Management, Global Sports Entertainment and Media Solutions (GSEAMS) has announced the signing of its first celebrity in sportsstar and youth icon Sangram Singh.

    Speaking on this new found association Arjun Singgh Baran and Kartik Nishandar, founders of GSEAM said, “We are very happy to have Sangram Singh on board with us. He epitomizes the youth of the country as well as his connect with the common man is tremendous. Our core focus in the coming months would be on youth and fitness brands which can have a good connect with their target audience by associating with Sangram Singh.”

    Adding further they added, “Sangram has been one of few candidates who has come out with a clean image from a show like Bigg Boss. We are in talks with multiple television channels, production houses for roles best suited for him. We also would soon be launching a range of sports apparel and accessories under Sangram’s own label and are in talks with prospective partners for the same.“

     

  • 17 BIG Cinemas properties across the country will showcase branding for i-Sure, a single step ovulation detection kit in the ladies' washrooms

    BIG Cinemas opts for washroom advertising for i-Sure

    By a correspondent

     

    Big Cinemas has become a part of the changing face of advertising in India by associating with healthcare firm Piramal Healthcare. 17 BIG Cinemas properties across the country will showcase branding for i-Sure, a single step ovulation detection kit in the ladies’ washrooms.

     

    The association and activation is BIG Cinemas’ attempt to encourage and be a part of the rapidly rising unconventional media in the country, which goes beyond ratings and readerships.  Other brands that the one of the largest chains with a strong reach across the interiors and metros alike has tied up with include Zapak and Whisper.

     

    Shirish Srivastava, Head- Marketing and Sales, BIG Cinemas said, “We at BIG Cinemas have always aimed at going beyond traditional cinema advertising, and want to provide customized and integrated marketing/communication solutions to advertisers, since through BIG Cinemas we provide millions of captive audiences annually to marketers/brands. Our focus is to be as brand friendly as possible, without inconveniencing the consumers and getting too in your face with our advertising efforts. This advertising effort for the product range of Piramal Healthcare provided a challenge as well as an opportunity to deliver a customized solution and create further product awareness with the TG, at the most apt location.”

     

    Amit Sinha from Piramal Healthcare said, “Washroom advertising is effective as it gives you a one on one moment of impact for a range of products like i-Sure in the intimate space, while ensuring it is gender targeted and is thus very relevant.  We are glad to have chosen BIG Cinemas as one of our media vehicles on this one, since the brand provided us a significant reach to connect with our customers, at the right time.”