MxMIndia

Category: NEWS

  • Media and entertainment stakeholders on what the twin sectors are hoping the Narendra Modi government will deliver

    M&E expectations from Modi & Co

     

    By Shobhana Nair

     

    With the new government set to assume office in a few days, the media and entertainment sector is also hoping to see its ‘achche din’. MxMIndia spoke to a few stakeholders to know how they see this change of power and what they are hoping to get from the new government.

     

    Ashish Bhasin

    Ashish Bhasin, Chairman & CEO South Asia Dentsu Aegis Network, Chairman Posterscope and psLive – Asia Pacific

    From the Media & Entertainment point of view, what one wants is a strong and stable economy which depends upon a government that takes decisions and takes them forward. A clear majority government is much required as there seems to be a paralysis for the last few years on decision making. To that extent, whatever is good for the economy is good for the media and entertainment sector. From that point of view, having a stable government with a clear majority will be a good change.

     

    Nagesh Alai

    Nagesh Alai, Group Chairman, FCBUlka

    There is a lot of hope after the 10-year Congress mishap.  There are no industry specific expectations from the new government other than doing away with insidious muzzling of freedom of speech. I would like to see the new government walk the talk on eradicating corruption, have a zero tolerance on corruption and bring about probity and accountability in public life – to start with their own elected candidates and then amongst corporates and avoid crony capitalism. Once this is done, the rest will fall in place.

     

    Jehil Thakkar

    Jehil Thakkar, Head of Media & Entertainment, KPMG

    The Media & Entertainment sector is enthused about the fact that there is a majority verdict in this election. A majority verdict will hopefully mean a decisive government and movement on the regulatory front. This government will take office with the weight of a lot of expectations – including the expectations from the M&E industry. There are several areas that the industry will expect movement from the government which are:

     

    1. Speedy implementation of Phase III licensing in Radio and associated regulations (networking, multiple station ownership, etc.).

    2. Greater friendliness to FDI in Media. The industry is hoping that the government will raise the FDI caps in several areas including Cable to at least 74% if not 100%, DTH to 100%, Radio to 49% and progressively higher than 50%.

    3. The industry is also hoping that the government will allow the radio industry to carry news. It does not make sense that news is restricted to AIR in radio but allowed to be privatized for all other media.

    4. Solving the service tax issue for the media industry where due to content being on the exception list, a pass through option is not available. This will provide great relief to the industry.

     

    In addition, there are other issues that are not specific to media but will certainly help the industry. Rationalisation of customs duty, implementation of GST (assuming entertainment tax is part of GST) and increased focus on infrastructure development.”

     

    Apurva Purohit

    Apurva Purohit, CEO, Radio City 91.1FM

    We are happy with any government that promises to end the policy paralysis that has been operational for the last few years. The good news is that with a decisive victory of this nature there will not be in any internal pulls that will prevent the government from moving ahead with sectoral reforms. We hope to see good governance, an end to the policy paralysis and a focus on development, specifically infrastructure and thereby job creation.

     

    As far as the FM industry is concerned, we have been waiting for the last 3 years for the implementation of Phase 3 and the policy that was announced in July 2011. Unfortunately the previous government chose to do nothing; resulting in the stagnation of the industry, a failure to expand FM beyond the current 90 cities and thereby create job opportunities in the 300 more cities where Phase 3 has been planned for. This failure to expand has harmed not only job seekers, potential listeners but also small businesses and retailers who do not have the choice of a cost effective medium to advertise on to expand their businesses in these towns. We expect the government to urgently help kick start and proceed with Phase 3 of the FM deregulation – a process which by the way has the consensus of all the constituents but has not seen light of day due to the inertia exhibited by the previous government.

     

  • A look at the front-pages of the Saturday, May 17, edition of a cross-section of leading news dailies

    NewsStand: How various newspaper Page 1s covered Modi’s ascent

    Times Of India

    Hindustan Times

    Indian Express

    The Telegraph

    dna

    The Economic Times

    Dainik Jagran

    Dainik Bhaskar

    Mumbai Mirror

    Mid-Day

    Lokmat

    Sakal

    Dinakaran

    Malayala Manorama

    Inquilab
    		  

    Eenadu

    Vijay Karnataka

     

     

  • In his last assignment, he was with Indusind Bank as Deputy Vice President and Business Manager – New Branch Distribution

    Ajit Singh appointed Sales Head at Reliance Broadcast

    By A Correspondent

     

    Ajit Singh

    Reliance Broadcast Network has announced the appointment of Ajit Singh as National Sales Head, SME. Ajit will spearhead the sales function with SME clients across the radio and television businesses.

     

    Ajit has over 11 years of work experience across Sales, Product Development, Compliance, New Branch Distribution management including break-even across the Banking and Insurance Industry while working across different client segments. A BCom Hons graduate from Delhi University and a Post Graduate in Management from Amity Business School, he has had a distinguished career having worked with prestigious brands in the B & I sector such as ICICI Prudential, ABN Amro Bank and IndusInd bank. In his last assignment, he was with Indusind Bank as Deputy Vice President and Business Manager – New Branch Distribution.

     

    Ashwin Padmanabhan

    Commenting on his appointment, Ashwin Padmanabhan, National Business head – 92.7 BIG FM Reliance Broadcast Network said, “We are delighted to welcome Ajit into the RBNL family. Ajit brings to the organization a keen sense of setting up and operationalizing new businesses, we are confident that under Ajit’s leadership the SME vertical will flourish and grow.”

     

    On his appointment Ajit Singh said, “I believe the Media and Entertainment industry will grow at a good pace and there will be immense opportunities for learning and growth during my stint here. My agenda will be to build the company’s respectability and partnership with new and existing SME clients, while making the brand experience more enjoyable. I’m looking forward to carrying forward the fantastic work at Reliance Broadcast Network.”

     

  • The new film named 'Sands of Time' builds on the key consumer motivation that "Hair once doesn't come back. I desperately want to hold onto all the hair that is left on my head"

    DDB Mudra urges men to teat hair loss via Livon Hair Gain

    By A Correspondent

     

    DDB Mudra has unveiled a new campaign for hair brand Livon Hair Gain. The campaign endeavors to shake the hair loss sufferer from his inaction to start taking care of his hair loss problem.

     

    Hair loss affects a man not just as an ailment, but at an emotional level too. The market is replete with solutions ranging from quacks to extreme drastic measures such as clinical treatments and transplants. Livon Hair Gain is a scientific solution that has been internationally researched and clinically tested. It works to arrest hair loss in 90 days.

     

    The new film named ‘Sands of Time’ builds on the key consumer motivation that “Hair once doesn’t come back. I desperately want to hold onto all the hair that is left on my head”. It uses the metaphor of sand slipping through the fingers to accentuate the helplessness this consumer faces with regard to his hair loss problem.

     

    The film uses Rahul Bose as a celebrity who is encouraging consumers to learn from his mistake and take action about their falling hair before it’s too late. His urging to act in time and prevent hair loss is likely to make a consumer take note and act on their problem in time.

     

    Sambit Mohanty

    The campaign has been visualized by the team at DDB-Mudra. According to Sambit Mohanty, Creative Head (North) at DDB Mudra, “Falling hair is irretrievable; once you lose a strand, it’s gone forever. And that sparked off the idea of using sand slipping through fingers to make the point that Livon Hair Gain is proven to stop hair loss. Rahul Bose is known for espousing genuine causes… and he was the perfect celebrity to make the point about using Livon Hair Gain before it is too late.”

     

     

    Radhika Das

    Said Radhika Das, Senior Vice President, DDB Mudra Group, Delhi, “With Rahul Bose as the brand endorser, our attempt with this communication is to send out a simple yet compelling message that stems from a deep consumer insight. We hope it makes as many people sit up and take timely action than be in denial and suffer.”

     

  • The #McDElections campaign is for the launch of two premium burgers – the Grilled Chicken Royale and the McPaneer Royale

    RAPP India’s McDElections campaign initiative scores big

    By A Correspondent

     

    McDonalds and RAPP India have recently launched the #McDElections campaign for the launch of two premium burgers – the Grilled Chicken Royale and the McPaneer Royale, in their menu.

     

    Phase 1 of the campaign kicked off with all the McDonalds foods seemingly electing the leader amongst their candidates. The cast included a number of participating candidate burgers each with an interesting personification and McDonalds foods that play their supporters. With the just to be launched Royale Burger duo threatening to sweep the polls.

     

    Facebook posts and banners set up the context of the McDElections with the candidates and their supporter foods all campaigning for victory.

     

    But the inevitable happens, and the Royale Burger Duo wins the McDElections and forms the McDSenate.

     

    Venkat Mallik, President RAPP India said, “The McDElections campaign has provided us with a fantastic platform that helps us set up the food value of current and new Royale Burgers from McDonalds mixed in with the spice that the election brings in. The wide cast of characters with seven candidates and many supporters has helped us build a property which can potentially go on for a really long time ahead. The campaign lends itself extremely well to all parts of the digital landscape and we have used Facebook, Viral Videos, Youtube, a Microsite, Twitter and Banners.”

     

  • India Practice Chairs appointed for Health & Wellness and Brand & Consumer Practices

    Genesis Burson-Marsteller announces new leadership developments

    By a correspondent

     

    Genesis Burson-Marsteller has announced the appointment of Krishna Vilasini Bharadwaj, in a new leadership role, as India Practice Chair (IPC), Health and Wellness Practice and Charu Benegal, who has come on board as India Practice Chair (IPC), Brand and Consumer Practice.

     

    A seasoned communications professional and previously Co-Chair (West and South) of the Brand and Consumer Practice, Krishna’s appointment in her new role, further strengthens the firm’s position in the Health and Wellness sector, post the recent announcement of an exclusive partnership with Medulla Communications. While she is focused on building the healthcare credentials of the firm, Krishna will continue to lead the Broadcast and Entertainment clients in Mumbai.

     

    As IPC, Health and Wellness, Krishna will work closely with Medulla Communications, to provide greater value to healthcare clients and teams across the country. Krishna has extensive experience in Public Relations and journalism and has worked across clients in FMCG, healthcare, technology and fashion verticals. She has managed healthcare assignments, both at Genesis BM and in her previous agency role in Singapore, across categories like infant nutrition, adult food nutrition, diabetes and medical devices. As a journalist, she has also worked with Bio Spectrum Asia, Dataquest and ciol.com.

     

    Commenting on her plans for the practice, Krishna said, “With more players, increased competition and closely followed regulatory framework, differentiated communications will be a key to win in the healthcare marketplace. Our strategic partnership with Medulla Communications will enable us to partner with industry leaders and help them navigate the complex health and wellness communications landscape with our comprehensive offerings in this space.”

     

    Having more than 20 years of domestic and global experience in public relations, marketing and events, Charu Benegal takes on the role of IPC for Brand and Consumer. Charu’s last assignment was in New York where she worked at Star TV, a News Corp owned Indian television channel.

     

    As IPC, Brand and Consumer at Genesis B-M, Charu will be responsible for ensuring business growth of the practice in line with the firm’s strategy, provide leadership and direction to the teams for building and delivering domain expertise and ensuring high quality of service delivery and customer satisfaction. She will be supported by Rohit Moudgill, who will continue to be Co-Chair of the Brand and Consumer Practice, based in Gurgaon.

     

    Commenting on her decision to join Genesis B-M, Charu said, “While I have tremendously enjoyed my stint in New York, I am happy to be back in India and quite enthusiastic to be a part of such an inspirational leadership team at Genesis B-M. I am confident of supporting the organizational growth by providing strategic client direction and building and growing the Brand and Consumer Practice nationally. ”

     

  • Tangerine Digital has expanded its existing range of services across the content marketing spectrum

    Tangerine Digital launches analytics-driven content solution

    By A Correspondent

     

    Tangerine Digital has announced the launch of Analytics Driven Content Services to aid travel companies enhance their customer engagement across digital platforms. The uniqueness of this offering is backed by analytics that will drive a brand’s content strategy. Tangerine Digital has expanded its existing range of services across the content marketing spectrum from content creation, content management, content aggregation and crowd sourcing services to analytics for content strategy.

     

    With this launch, Tangerine Digital will now enable brands in the travel industry in India with travelogues, destination guides and videos, advanced photo shoots, user generated content, expert reviews and ratings, celebrity feeds, travel blogs, itineraries, traveler reviews and hotel description.

     

    Kesavan Kanchi Kandadai, CEO, Tangerine Digital stated, “Today companies like to be constantly connected with digitally-savvy customers at every step of their travel planning. The travel industry greatly depends on reviews, advices from other travelers and the spread of opinions on digital platforms. Content strategy backed by analytics will allow travel companies to empower their customers with customized and personal experience, driving brand loyalty and ROI. Over the content offering we ensure that all relevant metrics are pulled out from various digital platforms on the content trends that help brands drive engagement.”

     

    Tangerine Digital has an array of renowned clients across sectors and is now aggressively focusing on growing the business in the travel sector. According to a new report by Waggener Edstrom Communications released in January 2014, an astonishing 97 per cent of the Indians surveyed follow their favorite brands on social media. The study also stated that Indian consumers who follow travel & tourism brands spend up to 187 per cent more on these company products per year.

     

  • The report is part of a series examining insights on consumer attitudes and behaviours in the rapidly changing media and technology landscape

    PwC study highlights insights on consumer attitudes

    By A Correspondent

     

    PwC has unveiled a study titled ‘Mobile advertising: What do consumers want? Cross-country comparison’. The report is part of a series examining insights on consumer attitudes and behaviours in the rapidly changing media and technology landscape.

     

    The report notes that given the overall aversion to the prevalence of mobile advertising and the belief that mobile devices are often “ad-free”, marketers need to get creative and innovative. With mobile’s unique properties as both a data tracking device and a delivery mechanism, the biggest challenge is to leverage the knowledge of how consumers are using mobile to improve monetization from ad delivery.

     

    PwC surveyed consumers in the UK, Brazil and China and the findings confirm that multi-territory marketing campaigns are not a one-size-fits-all. The four key points that emerged for advertisers and marketers on mobile advertising include:

    1. Advertisers need to develop a “mobile first” strategy and think about mobile advertising (and all mobile channels) separately from having their traditional and online advertising repurposed for mobile. It must deliver perceived value to the consumer and often in an experiential manner.

     

    2. Context and relevancy is king. Respondents in our study are willing to view an ad if it is relevant, but there is an overall aversion to the prevalence of mobile advertising.

     

    3. Advertisers need to plan campaigns based on widely varying preferences in different countries.

     

    4. How can companies benefit? Leverage big data and analytics to drive better advertisements and customer targeting. Aggregate and analyse data for better targeting, results, and customer engagement.

     

  • Laqshya Advertising is the latest venture from the Group and is being set up as a New-age advertising agency

    Sai Nagesh joins Laqshya Advertising as CEO

    By A Correspondent

     

    Advertising veteran Sai Nagesh has joined Laqshya Media Group as Chief Executive Officer. In addition to this, he has also been given the responsibility of heading Strategy for the Group as the Chief Strategy Officer. Laqshya Advertising is the latest venture from the Group and is being set up as a New-age Advertising Agency to provide cutting edge solutions through Digital Media as well as communication solutions that cut across the fast blurring lines between paid, owned and earned media.

     

    The new appointment comes at a time when Laqshya Media Group has diversified and expanded its services to include activations, event IPs and advertising. Talking about the move to appoint Sai Nagesh as CEO of Laqshya Advertising & CSO of Laqshya Media Group, Alok Jalan, Managing Director of Laqshya Media Group said, “The kind of expertise and experience Sai brings to the table is immense and we are excited to have someone of his calibre on board with us. I am certain that Sai will offer valuable insights at a time like this when our company is exploring new opportunities and avenues for growth.”

     

    Sai Nagesh said “Having been an intimate part of the Digital Ecosystem for the last couple of years, I have realized the awesome value addition that an Agency with integrated offerings can deliver. Our solutions will be embedded in an Omnichannel approach straddling all screens and will give our clients a 360 degree view of Marketing and Advertising campaigns (both Digital & Offline) as well as customer behavior, lifecycles and lifetime value. I have known the Laqshya group for the last 15 years; this familiarity combined with their vast network and expertise is a huge advantage that we are starting off with”.

     

    In a career spanning a quarter of a century, Sai Nagesh has sold advertising space for newspapers, helped launch television channels and worked with leading advertising agencies. He was also a part of the team that launched Group M in India. His last assignment was as CMO for bedbathmore.com

     

  • Sony SIX has exclusively brought on board Bollywood star John Abraham to leverage the build-up to the big extravaganza

    Sony SIX urges fans to ‘Live the Magic’

    By a correspondent

     

    Sony SIX has announced its new marketing campaign for 2014 FIFA World Cupâ„¢ called ‘Live the Magic’. The marketing campaign sees the star studded support of John Abraham in a whole new football avatar encouraging viewers to join in the party to catch the ultimate footballing extravaganza on SIX. The inspiration of the campaign has been drawn from the global obsession of viewers assembling to catch the most anticipated international tournament in the world of football. The term ‘Live the Magic’ was coined to ignite the fervour and the passion for football fanatics, as well as to call out to non-sport enthusiast to join the party.

     

    The campaign is shot with the idea of replicating the carnival atmosphere surrounding Brazil. The opening scene shows John Abraham donning the avatar of Brazil’s beloved and sensational strikerNeymar Jr. exiting onto the town street. He is joined by fellow town football fans donning the avatar of Portugal’s superstar- Cristiano Ronaldo, Argentina’s footballing Maestro – Messi and France’s lightning bolt – Ribery. The film takes on from here where the characters mosey through town and arejoined by their entourage and ensemble of sports fans replicating the feel of the Brazil’s trademark carnival parade. Showcasing colours from several popular international teams, the film emits a grandeur experience signifying an important message on how viewers come together to celebrate and watch the sport of football. The commercial exudes Brazil in its beach, narrow streets, music and carnival-like atmosphere.

     

    This intent of the campaign emanates from the channel’s endeavour to capture sports enthusiasts and urge non-sports viewers to come together and enjoy the international football extravaganza. Further the campaign aligns itself to the channels continued commitment of bringing in high quality sports content for viewers across the nation.

     

     

  • The India leg of the 12th edition of the annual Portfolio Night happened last evening in Mumbai

    Starry night for creatives

     

    By Shobhana Nair

     

    Okay, so the chief host was missing. So deep is his commitment to projects he takes on, that R Balki, Chief Creative Officer and Chairman, Lowe Lintas and Partners stayed away from the starry Portfolio Night that his agency was hosting this year.

     

    Portfolio Night is a global event where, as the event’s website notes, aspiring young advertising copywriters, art directors and designers meet with several renowned advertising creative directors in a fast-paced evening of advice, networking and recruitment. “While the evening has been jokingly called “speed-dating for creatives”, it’s really much more than that. In the eleven years since its inception, Portfolio Night has grown to a global event, reaching creative hubs in every continent in an evening where the best of the present meets the best of the years to come.”

     

    In its 12th year, Portfolio Night brings together thousands of young minds on a single night at various top cities across the world. This year, Portfolio Night 12 was held in Mumbai’s Four Seasons Hotel, and Lowe Lintas was the host. Last year, Portfolio Night 11 was hosted in Mumbai and Delhi. While the Mumbai edition was hosted JWT, Leo Burnett got the act together in the capital. This year’s edition saw 13000 participants in what’s often also dubbed as one the world’s biggest “Job Mela”. The work is reviewed on the basis of geniality, creativity and execution.

     

    Apart from the obvious nervous energy in the crowd, the host had put together a fun video on the star judges and their predictable reactions after hearing a creative idea which evoked a great amount of laughter from the audience. Bobby Pawar, Chief Creative Officer, Publicis reacted to the video on him by saying, “I loved it. It’s hilarious and they had a great material to play with.”

     

    Talking about the quality of work expected at the Portfolio Night, advertising veteran and Executive Chairman and Creative Director South Asia, Ogilvy & Mather Piyush Pandey said, “It’s not about wrong. It’s about picking up little nuggets and encouraging them.” Amer Jaleel, National Creative Director, Lowe Lintas and Partners, who’s also the host, was seen in despair and wished he had this kind of platform when he had started out. “These 15 minutes are a big deal and it’s not about advertising but about an experience.”

     

    K S Chakravarty (Chax), National Creative Director, FCB Ulka, known as Chax was however not very lucky as the participants who he met were clueless about advertising in the first place. He explains, “You meet all kinds of people. It’s always luck of draw. Out of this entire lot, the chances are that only 5 participants will be really good and not necessary that I meet the brighter lot.”

     

    Arun Iyer, National Creative Director, Lowe Lintas and Partners shares that the team did miss R.Balki who was at that moment shooting for his movie but kept a close track on what’s happening. He further added, “It’s a fun evening. Of course, a responsibility but not a burden. Portfolio Night is a great platform for everyone and its getting evolved over the years.”

     

    “I feel like a celebrity,” exclaimed Deepanjali Singh, after being announced as All Star Nominee. Deepanjali was among those 75 participants who got a lifetime’s opportunity to present their portfolio in front of the biggies of the business.

     

    Bengaluru-based Mayank Bhayana was adjudged Portfolio Night – All Star from India. “I am still soaking in the news. It’s a terrific feeling indeed,” he said, adding: “And let’s not call it an award. It’s rather recognition that I can do a lot better than that.” The winner of Portfolio Night gets a chance to fly down to New York to take part in a week-long creative challenge on a specific brief.

     

    Hmmmm.

     

  • Paul Berney, Co-Founder & Managing Partner EMEA of mCordis to speak on World Goes Digital

    mCordis’ Paul Barney to speak at IAA webinar series today

    Paul Barney

    International Advertising Association (IAA) India Chapter has invited Paul Berney, Co-Founder & Managing Partner EMEA of mCordis for its webinar on 22nd  May 2014 at 4:00 pm. Mr. Barney has over 25 years experience in a wide variety of sales, marketing, business development and commercial roles spanning several different industries and market sectors including automotive, printing, internet development and management consultancy. He was recently invited to join the editorial Board of the IDM and was voted one of the Top 50 influencers in mobile marketing in the UK by The Drum magazine 2013.

     

    Abhishek Karnani, Director, Free Press Journal and Manish Advani, Head – Marketing and Public Relations, Mahindra Special Services Group, are co-chairing the IAA Webinar series.

     

    Questions for Paul Berney could be submitted through the IAA India Chapter facebook page – www.facebook.com/IAAIndiaChapter.

     

    The hangout will be broadcast live on our YouTube channel – www.youtube.com /iaaindiachapter on 22nd May, 4pm IST.

     

    International Advertising Association (IAA) India Chapter has recently hosted speakers like Sajeev Kapoor, CMO, Citi (India); Ashish Hemrajani, Founder and CEO, Bookmyshow.com; Rajan Anandan, MD, Google (India); Nishant Rao MD, Linkedin (India); Ajit Balakrishnan, Founder, Rediff.com; Julie Roehm, Chief Story Teller, SAP and Neeraj Roy, MD and CEO of Hungama Digital Media Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.