MxMIndia

Category: NEWS

  • With a view to heighten engagement and make an impact, the channel has etched out a 360-degree marketing campaign to deliver its brand message loud and clear

    Colors undertakes largescale marketing blitzkrieg for KKK

    By a correspondent

     

    The show is about to hit the airwaves in a day’s time but what has been making news is the promotional blitzkrieg that’s being undertaken by the channel. Colors has conceptualized a high octane marketing campaign for the latest season of ‘Idea presents Khatron Ke Khiladi’ powered by Gionee Smart Phone.

     

    With a view to heighten engagement and make an impact, the channel has etched out a 360-degree marketing campaign to deliver its brand message loud and clear. The campaign covers the entire gamut of media including Print, Cable, Radio, Promo exposures in various network and non-network channels, interesting OOH creatives and an impressive mobile app.

     

    Of the various initiatives undertaken, the channel has painted the town black and yellow with distinctive hoardings placed at various consumer touch points across 70 cities in the country a week before the launch to seed in the key messaging of the show. Replete with star power, the campaign spells of sheer magnificence and never before seen stunt and fear inducing illustrations in order to attract maximum eyeballs.

     

    Next in line is the launch a one-of-a-kind adventure-based mobile game called ‘Khatron Ke Khiladi – The Game’ on March 22, 2014, coinciding with the day of the launch of the show. The app designed by Gameshastra Solutions Pvt. Ltd, has been devised to challenge the fear of heights of the players. While playing, a performer has to maintain balance walking on a tight rope while passing through the dense jungles of South Africa. The app will also enable players to purchase branded in-game merchandise for their respective characters. Scoring for the game will be on the basis of the distance that one has been able to cover while walking on the tight rope before they lose their balance and trip due to factors including wind conditions and rope oscillation. The game will be available for download on iOS and Android platforms.

     

    Along with the game, the social media will be buzzing with interesting activities on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.  From the first look of all the contestants and exciting trivia from the shoot in South Africa, to some hilarious bloopers and behind-the-scenes videos, digital audiences will be in for a visual treat as the excitement of the show will unfold on their fingertips.

     

    Along with the digital campaign, Colors has also devised a comprehensive marketing campaign for ‘Khatron Ke Khiladi – Darr Ka Blockbuster’ across other mediums as well. The channel has partnered with Radio Mirchi as exclusive radio partners who will engage listeners over a period of 17 days through 17 stations across the country. Radio Mirchi will review the show’s blockbuster opening on their premium property ‘Blockbuster Budhwar’ along with small segments interspersed during the day called ‘Meri Life Ka Blockbuster’ which will highlight the achievements of real-life khiladis from the entertainment industry.

     

    These specially designed marketing initiatives, with an overall outreach programme involving over 4500 + spots on television, 75 plus editions of key print, over 9000 Radio spots, OOH covering 70 cities and DTH imprints aims to target the right audience and grab their attention through at least one consumer-led touch-point during the launch week.

     

    Raj Nayak

    Speaking about the initiatives, Raj Nayak, CEO – Colors, said, “Idea presents Khatron Ke Khiladi powered by Gionee Smart Phone, is a show which brings together thrilling action and entertainment which, under the expert guidance of stunt maestro Rohit Shetty has the makings of a masaaledaar blockbuster. We have designed a comprehensive digital and marketing campaign for the show that promises to engage audiences at multiple touch-points to create a strong recall value. The innovations including the adventurous mobile game and action-packed outdoor creative, strategically designed to amplify viewer experience as they tune in for the show.”

     

    The latest season of KKK will see Idea Cellular as the presenting sponsor along with Gionee Smart Phone as the powered by sponsor. Associate sponsors include Mahindra Scorpio and Amul Macho.

     

  • The 30-sec long TVC is in line with the existing campaign of the brand and introduces the new flavour by pulling a prank and asking, "Aaj Lee Kya?

    Chingles unveils campaign for new gum variety

    By a correspondent

     

    Confectionary brand Chingles, from the house of Dharampal Satyapal Group has announced the launch of a new campaign for the ‘Tutti-frutti’ variety of the refreshing mini gums. The 30-sec long TVC is in line with the existing campaign of the brand and introduces the new flavour by pulling a prank and asking, “Aaj Lee Kya?”

     

    The new flavor is also available in Rs. 1 sachet, Rs. 5 zipper and Rs 10 fliptop packs, just like the other existing Nimbu, Saunf and Mint flavours of Pass-Pass Chingles.

     

    Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Rajeev Jain, Senior General Manager, Marketing, Dharampal Satyapal Ltd, said, “At DS Group, we are committed to creating new and refreshing products & variants to provide innovative tastes to our customers. Our new flavor Chingles ‘Tutti Frutti’ has been developed keeping the same in mind.”

     

    He further added, “Chingles, has always been positioned as a lively brand that aims to bring friends and family together by playing fun filled pranks on each other to enliven their lives. The new TVC for ‘Chingles Tutti Frutti’ is packed with the same joy that will bring smile on the viewer’s face.”

     

    Positioned as an antidote to seriousness, the new campaign introduces a new character LiLee who turns the tables on the Lee brothers- UngLee, KhujLee and GoogLee, by playing a prank on them. Created by Dentsu Marcom, the commercial is set to foot-tapping music and pays a tribute to the golden age of retro in the 70’s which had heroines dressed up in dazzling costumes and living in lavish houses.

     

    Titus Upputuru, National Creative Director, Dentsu Marcom, and the director of the film said, “The idea was to announce a new flavour. However, since the new variant is a continuation of the legacy of the existing Chingles mini gums, we decided to do it the Chingles way– pull a prank. It was fun shooting the film.”

     

  • Users in India can access a translated version of the Pinterest website and Android apps immediately

    Pinterest takes the Hindi route to popularity

    By a correspondent

     

    Pinterest, a site where tens of millions around the world go to get inspiration for the things they love and plan their future, has been translated into Hindi. Users in India can access a translated version of the Pinterest website and Android apps immediately.

     

    “We’re excited to help Pinterest fans explore the things they love to do in Hindi,” said Matt Crystal, Head of International, Pinterest. “Pinterest India already has an active pinning community with our most popular categories including fashion, travel, crafts, food and home décor.Today’s localizationis a first step towardhelping pinnersdiscover their interests and hobbies in an entirely new way.”

     

    In the last year, Pinterest has launched in more than 20 languages and will continue with more translations in 2014.

     

    “Global growth is a top priority for us because as more people join the site, the more interests will be represented, and the better the service becomes for Pinners,” Crystal said.

     

    People use Pinterest to create wish lists, plan decor for their home, get inspired about places to visit, discover new recipes, and more. On Pinterest, people can follow Pinners with similar interests to get creative ideas for the everyday activities in their lives or things they hope to do someday in the future. As a global discovery tool, Pinners get access to a worldwide resource of visual content based on the categories they’re most interested in.

     

  • Travel portal ixigo.com has announced a major revamp to its trip planner product with new content and social features

    ixigo bets big on content, apps post revamp

    By a correspondent

     

    Travel portal ixigo.com has announced a major revamp to its trip planner product with new content and social features.

     

    Some of the new features include street view of monuments that will offer 360-degree views of historical monuments. Through this feature, ixigoers will be able to get panoramic views of key monuments and historical sites in India, providing a real virtual tourist experience of what the place actually looks like. This will help travellers in planning their trips better by knowing in advance what to expect at these historical sites. Other feature includes expanded content coverage where the website will cover tourist information over 5000 cities, towns and hill-stations in India. It will provide detailed information including names, addresses, locations, photos, opening timings, prices, detailed tourist guides etc. for over 63000 places to visit, 17000 activities and things to do, 16000 hotels, 5000 nature and wildlife spots and over 5,000 tips from travellers.

     

    Announcing the revamp, Aloke Bajpai, CEO & Co-Founder said, “Thanks to the ever-expanding content coverage on trip planner and our unbundled approach to solving specific travel use cases on mobile apps, we have registered a 2x year-on-year growth. We now have over 2.5 million active users every month and have seen almost 2.5 million app downloads across our five apps. We think this is just the beginning.”

     

    Other features include finding restaurants across the country where the website will showcase over 65,000 restaurants across India on its website and apps. It will also offer the useful ‘Near Me’ location-based mobile feature in its app that helps people explore great local places to eat at, stay or explore in whichever city they are. Ability to add new places and pictures that will allow travellers to add interesting places to visit, hotels, restaurants and even photos making the website more comprehensive, and in turn more informative for fellow travellers.

     

  • FCBUlka appoints Joy Das as Media Director – Digital

    By a correspondent

     

    Joy Das

    FCBUlka Interactive has appointed Joy Das as Media Director – Digital. With the rapid growth that the FCBUlka Interactive arm has been clocking, it was only imperative to make a hire at this level to handle some of its key accounts.

     

    Joy has tremendous experience in the digital space with over 10 years of focused digital media specialization. Being a well-entrenched digital expert, Joy boasts of an enviable twitter following of over 17,000 tweeters and a unique and inspiring blogger network. He also brings with him deep knowledge of Digital Media Mix Modelling Tools which ensure high efficiency and measurable response.

     

    Prior to his stint at FCBUlka Interactive, Joy has worked on a gamut of brands like eBay, ITC, Tata Docomo, MTV, among many others.

     

    FCBUlka Interactive has a long and impressive client list and works with Amul, TCS, Tata Chemicals, Abbott Healthcare, Wipro, ITC, Bausch & Lomb, Nerolac, ICICI Bank, World Vision, FabIndia,  Tata Housing to name a few. Joy will provide leadership to the digital media duties of several of these accounts and will lead a team of over 10 digital media planning and buying professionals.

     

    Commenting on Joy Das’ appointment, Satish Ramachandran, Senior Vice President, FCBUlka Interactive, said, “We are growing at a scorching pace and digital is well poised to become a key medium for many of our Group’s clients. Our Interactive team’s strength is now over 50 members. We have been consistently investing in talent and technology to ensure we are ahead of the curve. Joy’s experience will be of immense value for us to maintain our growth rate.”

     

  • The study notes that Millennials in India are the most ambitious – 37 per cent of those surveyed expect to be in a management position within one year of graduating

    Gen Y Millennials the most ambitious, notes study

    By a correspondent

     

    MSLGROUP’s latest report ‘The Millennial Compass’, based on original research across the globe, has found Gen Y talent in Asia to be anything but corporate-minded and intensely ambitious. The study notes that Millennials in India are the most ambitious – 37 per cent of those surveyed expect to be in a management position within one year of graduating and 25 per cent expect to be in senior management positions or running their own business within two years. Likewise for Chinese Millennials, 19 per cent expect to be managers after two years. The study further states that Millennials in India and China have the highest percentage of young managers – 78 per cent of managers in China and 75 per cent for India are Millennials (under 30) or late Gen Y (31-40 years old).

     

    “The research dispelled popular belief that Millennials have a relaxed attitude about work because of their high demand on work-life balance. Millennials view themselves as ambitious, hardworking, and with strong work ethics. They are uncomfortable with rigid corporate structures and expect rapid progressions. Especially for young talent in ultracompetitive markets such as China and India, who entered the workplace when the region’s economy began to take off. Anything is possible for the Gen Y in Asia. They are more engaged and aggressive than ever, with a strong desire to make their mark in the business world,” said Parveez Modak, MSLGROUP’s Regional Practice Leader, Asia for Employee Communications & Engagement.

     

    Equally surprisingly, Millennials in Asia value global work experience much more than their Western counterparts- 65 per cent of Millennial in India and 47 per cent in China plan to get international work experience in the next five years. On the contrary, only 18 per cent of respondents in the US and 29 in the UK and 28 in France have foreign work in their minds. Gen Y workers in Asia believe that international work experience places them on a fast track in the company and contributes to personal empowerment, while their Western counterparts tend to undervalue the need for global career experience. Gen Y employees in the West seem to believe that their online connections with friends around the world count as global professional experience.

     

    “With the dramatic growth of educated and successful Millennials in Asia and other parts of the world, multinationals have a much greater talent pool from which to hire and this opens up great global opportunities for Gen Y workers from India, China and Latin America,” said Brian Burgess, Global Co-Director, Employee Practice, at MSLGROUP.

     

    With data and interviews from China, India, France, Brazil, the UK and the U.S., MSLGROUP’s six-country study offers rich insights into the Millennial generation’s attitudes and expectations in the workplace globally today. As well as the major disjuncture around global work experience, the research also clearly confirms one long-held hunch: Loyalty is not a particularly strong work value for Millennials, with 43 per cent of surveyed Indian and 28 per cent Chinese Gen Y intend to leave their organizations in the next two years. Millennials across the board have a strong preference for a less hierarchical relationship with their boss.

     

    The study was conducted in partnership with the UK’s Ashridge Business School, one of the top schools internationally for executive education.

     

  • A message from Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on the passing away of Khushwant Singh

    A man the likes of whom we will not see again: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh

    A message from Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on the passing away of Khushwant Singh:

     

    “I am deeply saddened to learn that my dear friend, Sardar Khushwant Singh, is no more.

     

    Throughout his life, Khushwant Singh worked hard to make it easier for the rest of us to understand and come to terms with the major social, economic and political changes that our country and the world witnessed. His writings, whether as a journalist, editor, historian, author or provocative raconteur, never failed to shed light on the human condition. That he did this unfailingly and candidly for more than half a century, while also managing to be humourous and witty, reflects on the enormous talent that he had for holding up a mirror to society. There was hardly an aspect of public life that escaped his attention and none that was not the better for it.

     

    Khushwant’s passing marks the end of an era and while I join you and countless others around the world in mourning his loss, I am sure that he himself would want us also to celebrate – to celebrate a rich and full life that was devoted to the pursuit of truth and justice. Indeed, Khushwant was a man the likes of whom we will not see again.

  • Presenting a selection of interesting links to stories, tributes, toons and another collection of links on Khushwant Singh

    Tributes & Toons from the papers, Web

    What is it like being the son of Khushwant Singh: Rahul Singh

    http://scroll.in/article/what-is-it-like-being-the-son-of-khushwant-singh?id=659119

     

    My father walked with kings yet had the common touch: Rahul Singh

    http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/My-father-walked-with-kings-yet-had-the- common-touch-Khushwants-son-Rahul-says/articleshow/32391855.cms

     

    King of the Columnists and prince of hosts: A tribute in verse to Khushwant Singh by Vikram Seth (Hindustan Times)

    http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/a-tribute-in-verse-to-khushwant-singh/ article1-1198072.aspx

     

    A very nice man to know: Shobhaa De (The Economic Times)

    http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/et-cetera/khushwant -singh-a-very-nice-man-to-know/articleshow/32386019.cms

     

    We celebrate a great life, not his passing away: BG Verghese (DNA)

    http://www.dnaindia.com/india/column-khushwant-singh-1915-2014-1970934

     

    “Questions can’t be impertinent, only answers can.” 10 interviews (Outlookindia.com)

    http://blogs.outlookindia.com/default.aspx?ddm=10&pid=3204&eid=31

     

    He never worked at being editor, he just glided through the job: Raju Bharatan & others (mid-day)

    http://www.mid-day.com/articles/tribute-the-craft-of-being-khushwant-singh/ 15173103#sthash.giEjYnih.dpuf

     

    ‘Work is worship,’ he said, ‘but worship is not work: Jaishree Mishra (The Times of India)

    http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Khushwant-was-a-very-nice-man-to-know -Writer-Jaishree-Misra/articleshow/32379609.cms

     

    With Malice Towards One and All: Best of Khushwant’s columns (HindustanTimes.com)

    http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/with-malice-towards-one-and-all-best- of-khushwant-singh-s-columns/article1-1197650.aspx

     

    Hemant Morparia in Mumbai Mirror: http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp? From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=MIRRORNEW&BaseHref=MMIR/2014/03/21& PageLabel=4&ForceGif=true&EntityId=Ar00402&ViewMode=HTML

     

    Sudhir Tailang in Asian Age: http://www.asianage.com/sites/default/files/images/21cart.preview.jpg

     

    Manjul in DNA: http://epaper.dnaindia.com/story.aspx?id=61577&boxid=32020&ed _date=2014-03-21&ed_code=820009&ed_page=3

     

  • And this is how some well-knowns tweeted on Khushwant Singh

    Tributes on Twitter: Manmohan Singh, Narendra Modi, SRK, others

    And this is how some well-knowns tweeted on Khushwant Singh

     

    Gursharan joins me in conveying all members of the family our sincerest and heartfelt condolences. We pray for peace for the departed soul.

     

    PM condoles the passing away of Mr Khushwant Singh: “A gifted author, candid commentator and a dear friend. He lived a truly creative life.”

    — Dr Manmohan Singh (@PMOIndia) March 20, 2014

    Oh no Khushwant Singh is no more. He made our lives so much richer by his literary contributions. “With Malice towards one and all” RIP

    — SHAH RUKH KHAN (@iamsrk) March 20, 2014

     

    so khushwant singh goes,like we all must. what a life led! a 100 would have been excellent but he gave us 99 & we must be thankful for that

    — Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) March 20, 2014

    My condolences on the passing away of noted author & journalist Khushwant Singh. May his soul rest in peace.

    — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 20, 2014

     

    I most fondly remember playing tennis with Mr Kushwant Singh.And his hearty laughter over certain shots! He played to enjoy and not compete!

    — Kiran Bedi (@thekiranbedi) March 20, 2014

    Truth, Love & A Little Malice. An apt title for a book & for a life! A rare man with a rare capacity to look inwards. RIP, Khushwant Singh.

    — Madhur Bhandarkar (@mbhandarkar268) March 20, 2014

     

    Saddened by the news of passing away of noted author Khushwant Singh, my condolences to the family. An era comes to an end.

    — ShivrajSingh Chouhan (@ChouhanShivraj) March 20, 2014

    Khushwant Singh. End of an era. Only KS could say ‘There’s no condom for a pen.” And prove it!

    — Shobhaa De (@DeShobhaa) March 20, 2014

     

    Very sad to hear of the death of Khushwant Singh – great historian, novelist, editor, columnist, and a wonderfully kind, generous man. RIP.

    — Amitav Ghosh (@GhoshAmitav) March 20, 2014

    Saddened by the demise of Sh. Khushwant Singh. Literary world has lost a shining jewel. Condolence to his family.

    — Vasundhara Raje (@VasundharaBJP) March 20, 2014

  • Consumer product companies have confirmed the slowdown in product launches and said they will bring out new variants and products once overall market improves

    FMCG product launches dry up in a tough market

    By Ratna Bhushan & Sagar Malviya

     

    Consumer product companies drastically cut down on product launches in 2013 to avoid additional cost pressures in a year when sales growth slipped to a decade low. Growth in product launches in the fast moving consumer products (FMCG) segment dropped to just 5 per cent last year from 35 per cent in 2012, according to data shared by research firm IMRB. Consumer product companies confirmed the slowdown in product launches and said they will bring out new variants and products once overall market improves.

     

    “This is not the best time to launch new products. We are waiting for consumer sentiment to improve, which we believe will be in the second quarter of the next financial year,” Sunil Duggal, chief executive officer at Dabur India, said. Dabur restricted its new products, Real drinking yogurt and premium chyawanprash Ratanprash, to select markets instead of a national rollout.

     

    Companies want to keep their expenses low even as they increase ad spends to protect existing brands and roll out higher promotional offers or price cuts to mop up volume growth. “Any FMCG company will have to take into consideration the high expense of taking a new launch national. The second half last year was bad in terms of cost perspective,” said Anil Chugh, senior VP at Wipro Consumer Care and Lighting.

     

    Consumer product companies have been facing relentless rise in the prices of raw materials such as crude and palm oil that went up by 19 per cent and 32 per cent, respectively, in the last 12 months. Consistent demand pressures weakening margins also resulted in the BSE FMCG Index underperforming Sensex by 10 per cent in the past six months. Some experts, however, feel marketers are making a mistake by not exciting a dull market with new launches. “It’s an irony that marketers take upon themselves to open consumers’ purse strings while they themselves tighten theirs,” Devendra Chawla, CEO at Future Group’s Food Bazaar, said. He said companies that continue to invest and innovate in a slowdown will benefit once the economy rebounds.

     

    According to IMRB’s group business director Manoj Menon, categories such as tea, breakfast cereals, hair, washing powders and noodles drove the slowdown last year while skincare and oralcare products saw higher launches.

     

    Several product launches in the past three years have been in the premium category – a space which slowed down the most as consumers cut back on discretionary spends.

     

    Some companies said the slowdown in product launches is temporary and it will pick up in the coming months as raw material prices stabilise and food-inflation is controlled. That’s already happening in some cases. L’Oreal has introduced a hair care range called 6 Oil Nourish, ITC has launched Sunfeast Farmlite and Procter & Gamble has rolled out a shampoo for men -Head & Shoulders Men. A recent Goldman Sachs report said marketers expect things to improve after the general elections. “Most companies pinned hopes on improved consumer sentiment post elections,” it said.

     

    Source:The Economic Times

    Copyright © 2014, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved

    Licensed to republish

     

  • ASCI will now deliver its Consumer Complaints Council’s (CCC) decision on a complaint against an objectionable advertisement within a span of an average just 12 days

    ASCI betters processing time; wins accolades

    By a correspondent

     

    In a move that would encourage more participation from aggrieved parties, the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) now delivers its Consumer Complaints Council’s (CCC) decision on a complaint against an objectionable advertisement within a span of on an average just 12 days from the date complaint is received. With the consumers and regulators demanding that ads which are a) misleading or make false claims, b) indecent, c) showing hazardous activities and d) unfair to competition should be promptly removed or modified, ASCI has taken effective action to reduce  the complaint processing turnaround time from 45 days two years ago to just 12 days on an average currently.

     

    Some of the actions taken by ASCI to achieve this unparalleled turnaround time include:

    1) From monthly meetings two years ago, the CCC now meets weekly by having two CCCs instead of one earlier and total number of CCC members moving up from 21 to 28.

     

    2) The turnaround time taken at ASCI to process the complaint and time provided to the Advertiser to respond to the complaint has been significantly reduced with the use of email and technology.

     

    3) Intra Industry complaints among ASCI members are being resolved in just seven days via Fast Track Complaint (FTC) process which was introduced in 2012. FTC, which handled 30 complaints in 2013/14 has been very popular among ASCI members who are seeing real time and cost savings by not taking the matter to the courts on intra industry ad content disputes.

     

    4) In the recent past ASCI also introduced ‘Suspension Pending Investigation’ (SPI) by which ASCI can order an extremely objectionable ad to be removed immediately pending investigation and decision of the CCC.

     

    Under its National Advertising Monitoring Service (NAMS), ASCI has also started tracking in print and on TV of all ads against which complaints have been upheld. And results show that over 90 per cent of such “upheld complaints” ads do not reappear or are appropriately modified. ASCI has now started reporting non compliant upheld ads to regulatory authorities such as the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (MIB), the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI), the Medical Council of India (MCI), the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and the Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) for taking action as per the law of the land.

     

    The faster complaint turnaround time and improved compliance upheld complaint decisions by ASCI has taken place at the same time when number of complained ads processed by ASCI has increased more than 10 times. In 2011/12 number ads processed by ASCI were 176 which post the NAMS initiative in 2012/13 increased to 784 and for April 2013 to Feb 2014 period (11 months), ASCI has handled complaints against 1833 ads.

     

    Partha Rakshit

    Commenting on these developments, ASCI’s Chairman, Mr Partha Rakshit said, “ASCI’s effectiveness and credibility as an advertising self-regulatory organisation has increased several fold with speedier redressal of complaints and high compliance of its CCC’s decisions by Advertisers. Regulatory bodies like MIB, DCA, FSSAI, FDA now recognise and support our self-regulation work with the inclusion of the ASCI in the Inter- Ministerial Monitoring Committee formed to review misleading ad content.”

     

  • The hashtag #FreeAJStaff has now had over 786 million impressions since it was launched during a day of action in Nairobi on 4th February

    Industry rallies behind jailed Al Jazeera staff

    By a correspondent

     

    News of Al Jazeera journalists being held captive by authorities in Egypt has grabbed headlines in the past few weeks. As a show of support, some of the world’s most prominent presenters from multiple news organisations have highlighted the importance of journalism by asking their viewers to “imagine a world where reality is distorted, imagine being kept in the dark about major world events, and imagine being silenced when speaking out could save your life”.

     

    The broadcast of the message comes ahead of the court appearance in Cairo on 24th March of three of the four Al Jazeera journalists who have been detained in Egypt for 85 days.

     

    The rare coming together of news organisations in one film features CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, ITN’s Mark Austin and Julie Etchingham, Channel Seven Australia’s Mark Ferguson, and Al Jazeera English’s Shiulie Ghosh. The 40 second film ends with a collage of photos of journalists around the world muted as part of the FreeAJStaff campaign. The hashtag #FreeAJStaff has now had over 786 million impressions since it was launched during a day of action in Nairobi on 4th February.

     

    Al Anstey, Managing Director of Al Jazeera English said: “We are very grateful to our colleagues around the world for their support of our staff detained in Egypt. Mohamed, Baher, and Peter are world-class journalists and are in detention for simply doing their job. We have seen massive support for them and for journalism from all corners of the globe, so the message of this film is clear – journalism matters and people have a right to be heard and to be informed.”

     

    The broadcast comes just days after Egyptian President and Chief Justice Adly Mansour sent a letter to the parents of Peter Greste, telling them he will “spare no effort to work towards the speedy resolution of the case”. Al Jazeera English journalists Peter Greste, Baher Mohammed and Mohammed Fahmy have been detained by the Egyptian authorities since December 29th 2013. Al Jazeera Arabic’s Abdullah Elshamy has been detained since August 14th 2013.

     

    The film (https://www.dropbox.com/sh/6yia76f4i0rs8ag/R-hOJuXlPJ ) is available for all media organisations and supporters to broadcast and upload online in support of media freedom worldwide.