By A Correspondent
Longstanding editor Prosenjit Datta has put in his papers at BusinessWorld. Executive Editor Rajeev Dubey is scheduled to take over as editor from August 4.
While recognising the contribution of Prosenjit (who is popular known as Pro in the team), Annurag Batra, chairman of the organisation, said in a communiqué to staff: “Change is a constant process. It creates opportunities for all stakeholders and must be welcomed and benefited from.”
By A Correspondent
The decision to allow All India Radio news on private FM has drawn mixed reactions.
Here is the view of Ashish Pherwani, Partner & Radio Segment Champion, EY (eka Ernst & Young):
“The regulator continues to restrict news on radio by restricting FM radio to broadcast only AIR bulletins, while no such restrictions are placed on print, TV or digital media. Â News on radio (without curbs) could be used either in capsules to increase listener stickiness on existing channels, or through the launch of dedicated news channels which could open up a whole new genre of content.”
GroupM has announced new members of its YCO (youth committee) for 2014-15. “This group of the brightest stars under 30 across GroupM agencies and specialist units work together with the GroupM senior leadership on key initiatives that are helping us transform into a digitally centric marketing network,” notes a communiqué.
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GroupM YCO 2014 Ashima Chetan Chinmay Kelkar Dany Coutinho Divya Nair Farah Siddiqui Farzeen Udwadia Manoj Kumar Manvi Singh Mohit Sharma Nakul Agarwal Parul Pandhoh Ruth Alice Noranho Sangeetha Mahadevan Subhamoy Das Vaibhav Choudhari
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Speaking on the announcement, CVL Srinivas, CEO, GroupM South Asia said, “We launched several new initiatives in 2013 as part of our New Me roadmap – which is helping us transform to a digitally centric marketing communications network from just a media agency. YCO was one such initiative in the talent space. We wanted to harness the knowledge, energy and enthusiasm that exists at the junior levels of the organization and give them a platform where they could add value to our network. The YCO worked closely with the senior leadership team (EXCO) through the year in three areas – digital transformation, talent retention and internal & external communication programs. We got a lot of rich and valuable insights from YCO in all these areas and have made several changes to the way we used to operate”
Commenting on the new YCO team, Gaurav Hirey, Chief Talent Officer, GroupM South Asia said, “The YCO initiative has been tremendously successful at GroupM. This year we have integrated a reverse mentoring element into the program where YCO members will mentor an EXCO member helping them sharpen or develop new skills. We believe that this initiative just like many others in GroupM will help us to be future ready and deliver client delight.”
The Himalaya Drug Company has unveiled a new TVC for its anti-hair fall shampoo. The new TVC captures a woman’s multiple attempts at addressing hair fall before arriving at a definite solution.
SarfrazRumane, Category Manager, The Himalaya Drug Company said, “Today’s lifestyle has resulted in more women and men experiencing hair fall at a much younger age. This is definitely a growing concern. Given that consumers have access to a great deal of information, there is confusion when it comes to choosing the right product. Himalaya has a strong equity in the problem-solution space, and our product provides an effective solution to hair fall. Through our communication we want to help customers make the right choice.”
The commercial rolls out at a college campus where the protagonist is complimented for her healthy and beautiful hair. She then goes on to narrate her hair fall experience sighting the challenge she faced every time she washed or brushed her hair. The TVC continues with the protagonist narrating how she was influenced by various shampoo advertisements and home remedies. Unsatisfied with several attempts the protagonist also trims her hair with the belief that hair fall may reduce. Finally, when recommended to try Himalaya’s Anti Hair Fall Shampoo, the voiceover highlights the benefits of the product – long and strong hair.
The TVC ends with the protagonist, confidently walking out of her college campus flaunting her long and curly hair. She promises to stop experimenting with her hair and says, “Ab apnebaalokesaath koi galtinahi”.
Rajesh Krishnamurthy, Business Head – Consumer Products Division, The Himalaya Drug Company, said “Hair care category is the one largest personal care category in India growing at 9 per cent and the estimated size of anti-hair fall segment is 1400cr. Himalaya Shampoos enjoy a strong equity in the South with 4.5per cent market share. We have relaunched the whole range of Himalaya Shampoos with an improved formula, and new packaging graphics. This new communication has been developed to support our key variant and build share in the Hair Fall problem segment. The communication is candid and very relatable. Hair Fall happens to be one of the biggest concerns and our product’s USP lies in problem-solution, the new communication helps showcase the effectiveness of our product rather clearly!”
Creative Agency Head, Shenaz Bapooji, Soho Square added, “Consumer research revealed that hair fall is one of the biggest problems for women, and no product today has a ready solution at hand, for it. The message of the film is simple and very true to the Himalaya way of telling consumers to Try Himalaya Anti Hair Fall Shampoo first! …because you know it works”.
Created by NativeWorks Productions, the TVC is directed by Shrisha Guha Thakurta, whose past work involves commercials for brands like Aircel, Mia by Tanishq, Britannia, Horlicks to name a few.
PUMA has announced their association with Bengaluru FC. PUMA will mark its foray into Indian football as the official kit sponsor for Bengaluru FC for the 2014/2015 I-League season. Also, PUMA will be supplying the club with match and training playing kits for not only the senior squad but for the club’s junior squads well.
The playing kits will feature PUMA’s Dry Cell technology that incorporates highly functional materials to keep the players dry by superior moisture management which draw sweat away from skin, enabling quicker evaporation; contrast piping on the sides and ergonomic design for function as well as comfort.
Talking about the association, Parth Jindal, CEO Bengaluru FC opined: “Bengaluru FC is very proud of this association. In many ways, BFC and PUMA have a lot in common – young, dynamic and growing brands. We look forward to providing our fan and players with the best the footballing world has to offer and through this alliance with Puma, we believe we are doing just that.”
PUMA India MD, Rajiv Mehta said, “We are very excited to announce our first ever association with a football club in India and are even more excited to be associated with a club like Bengaluru FC. BFC is one of India’s best managed clubs and we look forward to growing bigger and better with them. With this association we hope to make waves in the Indian football world together.”
Cementing its commitment to football, PUMA recently associated with international football club Arsenal and super star Mario Balotelli. With the new association with BFC, PUMA is firmly cementing itself as a serious player in the football world.”
Entries for the 53rd D&AD Annual Professional Awards have opened with a number of new sub-category additions in response to the evolving creative landscape.
New media continues to play a large role in shaping creativity and with such adiversearray of outstanding campaigns continuing to emerge in this space; D&AD has created a new jury and category for Branded Film Content & Entertainment. TV, film, online and documentaries will be recognised at next year’s awards, in addition to a sub-category for Tactical Branded Film Content & Entertainment.
Meanwhile, the White Pencil–Creativity for Good award has proved a good success at the D&AD Professional Awards. Since its launch in partnership with Unilever in 2012, the White Pencil has grown from a single brief to an entire movement, whilst producing two Black Pencil winning campaign sin 2014.
With its popularity increasing with each year, the category has expanded from two to five sub- categories. With the ambition to encourage more entries from big businesses, the jury now distinguishes between work for NGOs and brands across both advertising & marketing communications and design. Service Innovation is also a new addition, introduced to recognise service products that seek to build brands and businesses by doing good.
Innovation was richly represented in 2014, with the three new categories introduced across digital and integrated juries producing two Black Pencil sin ‘NS/Pro Rail’ and ‘The Most Powerful Arm’. To further celebrate those pushing the boundaries of technology, innovation sub-categories have been added to Packaging Design, Product Design and Radio Advertising. Innovation in media is also recognised through there vamped Integrated & Innovative Media jury.
Also, the TV & Cinema Advertising category is renamed to Film Advertising and features a new Tactical sub-category for film advertising that features are al-time, rapid reaction to breaking news.There is also a new sub-category Casting for Film Advertising introduced within Film Advertising Crafts.
Also, following its successful re-addition at the 2014 Awards, there are two new sub-categories introduced with in Music Videos. Direction and Production Design for Music Videos take the number of sub-categories available for entrants to seven.
Tim Lindsay, CEO of D&AD commented, “There were two stand out themes at last year’s awards: innovation and creativity for good. Across the board we saw some exceptional demonstrations of the power of creativity to push boundaries through ideas that fundamentally change peoples’ behaviors for the better.â€
“In 2014, we saw White Pencil winners also awarded the ultimate accolade of a Black Pencil for the first time, but we don’t want to stop there. We want to see even more inspirational and innovative ideas that raise the bar even higher. Infact, one challenge I’d like to set is to see White Pencil winning work from brands, as well as NGOs and charities. Show us just how influential creativity can be by proving how you can do well by doing good, too.â€
All awarded work appears in the D&AD Annual, released annually in September and is available to purchase exclusively through D&AD.
Work entered in to the 2015 D&AD Awards must have been commercially released between 1 January 2014 and 28 February 2015 and been produced in genuine response to a client brief. It must not have been entered in previous years. Submissions should be made in their original language by 18 February 2014. The Awards cost from just £ 85 to enter this year.
By Shubham Mukherjee & Namrata Singh
The Boardroom discussion at India Inc which was limited to cost-cutting, productivity and operational efficiencies has suddenly given way to growth in a 180-degree swing, which is being heralded as the birth of a new corporate cycle. Improved sentiment and sensing a fresh buoyancy in the economy, companies across sectors are now approaching consultants with various demands which point to a single agenda – that of growth.
Even a few months back, the tone was quite different. No company was confident enough to talk about growth initiatives even though some have been talking about the economy bottoming out for a while now. Given a situation where policy paralysis, delayed clearances and corruption scandals ruled, consolidation and rationalization were the operative words and doors were slammed on any talk of a long-term plan for growth.
Today, a contrasting picture has emerged. Leading consultancies are busy getting plans ready, making strong pitches for M&As, raising finance, planning IPOs and cross-border listings. And, all this is being driven by the companies themselves.
“More of our clients are engaging in early discussions on growth while so far, there was a significant emphasis on operational and cost efficiencies and performance improvement,” Sri Rajan, MD, Bain & Company India, said. He believes it’s driven by the change in mood among business leaders who are more optimistic about the domestic economy and its prospects since May. This was around the time they sensed a change in the government at the Centre.
Mr Rajan is not the only one in the consulting community benefiting from the improved sentiment. Others such as KPMG, PwC, Deloitte and EY are among the few which are experiencing the trend reversal.
“In this new era of optimism, professional services requirements of companies are increasing considerably. The regulatory environment, the optimism in investing in India and the overall need to be profitable are driving these engagements,” said Richard Rekhy, CEO, KPMG in India.
A manufacturing company recently approached Deloitte for chalking out a topline growth plan for the next three years. The company wants to ensure its supply side is beefed up as it expects the demand to go up significantly. “A year and a half back, clients would often ask us to put ideas on long-term growth on the backburner. They were more interested in short-term margins and managing cost structures. The mood is shifting and companies are now more bullish about growth,” said Ambar Chowdhury, MD, Monitor Deloitte India.
The last time companies talked about growth was during the period 2006 to 2008 and then again between 2010 and 2012. “We did a lot of work around growth, including growth abroad, in the 2006-to-late 2008 period as the economy was rapidly growing; then there was a shift to cost and operational efficiency from late 2008 to around early 2010 as the global recession impacted India too. The economy picked up again in 2010 and the conversations steered to growth till late 2012,” Rajan said. Consulting on growth stopped in the last quarter of 2012.
“There is a renewed business confidence among CEOs in India now and they are looking to increase investments for growth and better manage the complex problems that businesses today encounter,” said Deepak Kapoor, chairman, PwC.
Harsh Goenka, chairman, RPG Enterprises, puts it in perspective. “We expect the demand to pick up now. The new government has inspired confidence and sentiment has improved. The Budget has been received well and so we can anticipate the growth focus returning.”
Simultaneously, companies across industries are also engaging consultants to address the evolving regulatory challenges which come up in chasing growth. Ram Sarvepalli, leader, advisory services, EY in India believes some positive thinking on the investment front has been triggered by expectations of the government deregulation and FDI in new areas. “Companies are also keen on looking at opportunities outside India in terms of trading routes and given that assets are still cheap in markets like Europe, global acquisitions are back on the agenda of many companies,” said Mr Sarvepalli.
However, there is one fear. What if things don’t turn out as expected? Mr Chowdhury of Monitor Deloitte says clients are cognizant of the uncertainties involved and are planning for multiple scenarios. They are advised on how to keep their plans flexible so that they can ramp up when demand increases and pull down if demand fails to pick up. So being nimble and flexible are areas where companies would need to focus as they chase growth.
Source:The Economic Times
Copyright © 2014, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved
Licensed to republish
By A Correspondent
Hero MotoCorp Ltd has signed a three-year deal to be the title sponsor of the Indian Super League – the first-of-its-kind franchise-based football league in the country.
With this sponsorship, the much-awaited new football league, promoted by IMG-Reliance and Star India, will be called the ‘Hero Indian Super League’.
Synonymous with some of the marquee Indian as well as global sports partnerships, Hero MotoCorp has for long had a steadfast commitment towards promoting various disciplines of sports including cricket, hockey and golf.
Pawan Munjal, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, Hero MotoCorp Ltd, said, “Football is not just the world’s most popular game; it has today become a phenomenon sweeping across continents. I witnessed this myself while moving from one Brazilian city to another to watch the games at the recent World Cup. Like every other part of the world, India is also in the grip of this magic called football as millions of youngsters across the country are taking to the game with enthusiasm. The Indian Super League, therefore, is a timely initiative, and we are delighted to be partners in this journey for the common goal of promoting football in the country. As the Title Sponsor of the league, we are happy to being catalysts in bringing in much-needed professionalism and promote the game at the grass roots level to help identify and promote local talent.”
Uday Shankar, CEO, Star India, said, “The Hero name brings with it credibility, commitment and passion to the cause of sports. I am deeply pleased because Hero and Pawan Munjal are true ambassadors of sports with a commitment that goes beyond sponsorship. It is great to see them take centre-forward position to support ISL and the future of Indian football. We feel honoured and privileged to present the “Hero Indian Super League” to the growing base of Indian football fans.”
Backed by the All India Football Federation (AIFF), the Hero Indian Super League is set to usher a new era of football in India. Featuring eight new clubs, the Hero Indian Super League aims to promote the game of football across India, in the newer markets and foster young local talent to take up the sport professionally.
Each team at the Hero Indian Super League will have a minimum squad strength of 22 players, including 1 marquee player, 7 internationals and 14 Indian talent. Additionally, a team can increase its squad by 5 more players of its choice, outside of the central player pool draft.
The eight clubs participating in the Hero Indian Super League includes, Atletico de Kolkata, Delhi Dynamos FC, NorthEast United FC, Kerala Blasters FC, Team Goa, Team Pune, Team Mumbai and Team Bangalore.
By Pritha Mitra Dasgupta
Maxus, advertising and PR firm WPP’s media agency, wants to study your behaviour and help clients use that insight to sell their products.
Last week, Maxus launched Moribus, a behavioural science lab in India which will be part of its consumer insights division, Insights. Moribus will be the first of its kind lab by a media agency in Asia-Pacific and will use disciplines of behavioural science, behavioural economics, sociology, psychology and so on to solve real life business problems, said Maxus MD Kartik Sharma. Moribus has inked an exclusive deal with Mumbai University’s Centre for Computational & Social Sciences to carry out customised research projects for marketers. While the unit was officially launched a week ago, Maxus had floated two behavioural study projects about two-and-half years ago, Sharma said.
“Moribus is a Latin name for behaviour and the fundamental thing about marketing is changing behaviour or making people do something which they were not doing earlier,” he said. “It is only for India for now and as we go along we may extend it to a few more markets in Asia.”
While Mr Sharma declined to comment on the investments made by Maxus on setting up the lab, sources with knowledge of the matter said it has invested Rs 2-3 crore to flag it off.
While traditional research is good, it sometimes doesn’t unearth some of the insights that marketers are looking for, Mr Sharma said. “People, when asked a question, will react in a certain way, and when you observe them they react in another way. So this kind of technique will also help us understand some of the insights.” Findings of these behavioural studies will be complimentary to the existing marketing plans of clients, and will not replace anything.
One of the two projects it has carried out was for an impulse category product – usually, things like chocolates, perfumes, music, luxury clothing – and it was called ‘The Ego Depletion Experiment’. “The objective of the study was to understand consumer decision-making when people are under stress,” said Mr Sharma. In behavioural research, the word “economics” has a certain amount of pay off, he said. “Markeunters of impulse products would significantly increase their chances of making a sale by being present in ego-depletion moments.”
For example, it could be their presence outside the classroom in colleges via counters or giving special offers during exam time.” Besides the economic payoff, this experiment doesn’t need a very large sample size. “Because when you study behaviour in a particular way, even with 30-40 people one can get very good insights. You don’t need to run a 30,000-40,000 panel, therefore it is also more cost effective to the client,” said Mr Sharma.
Source:The Economic Times
Copyright © 2014, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved
Licensed to republish
Lufthansa Passenger Airlines has announced the launch of its first television commercial for the Indian market.India is the first and only Lufthansa market worldwide to have a local television commercial. Lufthansa is also the only international airline operating in India to launch a complete local television commercial for the Indian market.
Reflecting the Soul of Germany, with a Heart of India, the new commercial from Lufthansa banks on the importance of family orientation in India and captures an endearing relationship of a grandfather and grandson to tell the story in a simple yet enticing way. The storyline set in Mumbai forms the landscape of the TVC and showcases the “Indian side” of the brand through a number of its product and service offering – Indian food, entertainment and Indian crew onboard. Unveiled under Lufthansa’s “Non Stop You” positioning, the new television commercial is delivered through the prism of Lufthansa’s “More Indian than you think” philosophy and aims to let the audiences discover the emotional and Indian side of the brand.
Wolfgang Will, Director South Asia, Lufthansa, said, “Our presence in India of the last 50 years has given us an unparallel understanding of the needs of our customers and we are convinced to be able to play an important role in connecting our global customers with India and India with Europe and North America. We always evaluate our best products and services and introduce in India the ones we feel will be appreciated by our customers. We are sure the new commercial will help our Indian customers see the brand’s “Indian” side and connect with the brand even more.”
Sangeeta Sharma, Manager, Marketing & Communications, Lufthansa, said, “The brand Lufthansa is very strong in the Indian market in the rational space and is known for punctuality, precision, quality and efficiency. The brand has made huge progress towards embracing Indian culture & needs and adopting it in the way it delivers its products and services in the market. The new Lufthansa commercial for the Indian market clearly wanted to communicate best of both worlds – The Soul of Germany and Heart of India. In the new TVC, there is a playful intersection of traditional notions and the final pleasant discovery which has moments of warmth and delight as it unfolds. We want our audiences to see the “emotional side” of the brand and realize that there is an ‘Indian You” in Nonstop You and communicate that Lufthansa is actually more Indian than they think. The new commercial brings alive a story that at the end has an element of discovering something new and pleasant, over a more traditional perception.”
The new TVC will be aired on various communication platforms including English news, movies, infotainment, biz news channels as well as Hindi movies, blockbuster movies and reality shows on mass channels. The new commercial will also be promoted on various digital spaces, cinema halls along with the print advertisement to give multi-media launch impact in cities including Delhi NCT, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Pune, Indore, Chandigarh, Ahmedabad, and Vadodara. The launch is also supported by online video, banners and a microsite.
By A Correspondent
Leading global business communications consultancy Instinctif Partners has announced a formal partnership with Bang In The Middle. Instinctif has now opened an office in Bang In The Middle’s premises. There is no equity investment by either agency, though sources say it is a distinct possibility in the near future.
Bang InThe Middle, which provides a range of strategic services to its blue-chip clients, additionally has offices in Kolkata, Kochi and Trivandrum as well as in New York and Chicago.
Instinctif Partners’ office in India will be headed by Nabanita Sircar, who has extensive media (including as a journalist) and public affairs experience, with support from Managing Partner, Mark Garraway and Senior Partner, Geoff Potter, both of whom know India well and have acted for a wide range of Indian corporates over the last 15 years.
Commenting on the partnership, Richard Nichols, Chief Executive said: “India is a key market for Instinctif. We have been doing business there for some time and believe it is now appropriate to cement our presence in the country. We very much look forward to working alongside our new colleagues at Bang In The Middle and to welcoming them into the Instinctif global partnership as we integrate our respective operations over the coming months.”
Added Sircar who is designated Partner and Head India Operations: “Instinctif Partners has a long-term commitment to India and with Bang In The Middle as partners we look forward to offer a wide range of strategic communication options to businesses. Our international offer would further facilitate business in and out of India.”
Said Prathap Suthan, Managing Partner of Bang In The Middle: “We are delighted to be working with Instinctif Partners who have identified India as a key part of its international network and is committed to a long-term presence in the country. The respective strengths and client relationships of both companies will underpin the successful establishment of Instinctif in India and Bang In The Middle’s development internationally.”
Naresh Gupta, Managing Partner of Bang in the Middle, added: “In the last two years we have grown significantly as an organization. We have a remarkable portfolio of brands and services. Instinctif Partners and their expertise allows us to offer a more holistic communication approach to brands and corporates. Together we will be able to offer a far wider and holistic suite of services”.
DDB Mudra Group has announced the launch of Bernbach Fridays, a tribute to a man who is the Father of Modern Advertising, a brilliant advertising mind of the 20th Century and DDB’s founder the great Bill Bernbach. The sessions take place on the last Friday of every month at the DDB Mudra Group office, and so far a total of four successful sessions have already taken place.
The maiden session of Bernbach Fridays saw DDB Mudra Group’s very own Chairman and Chief Creative Officer, Sonal Dabral.Having over two decades of experience in the field of advertising, he shared his life journey with the audience. Right from his NID days to his first job to how he helped Ogilvy Singapore become the hottest agency in the region and the No.1 creative office of the WPP global network and also his experience as a TV host and a scriptwriter in Bollywood.  He inspired and engaged the DDB Mudra Groupemployees which was the perfect kick-start to Bernbach Fridays.
The second speaker of Bernbach Fridays was Shreedavy Babuji, of DDB Mudra West, who presented an extremely interesting project she had worked on. The project was a documentary covering the various aspects of an age old folk art form of India – the Truck art. Titled ‘Horn Please’, the documentary focuses on origin of truck art and its evolution since then. The documentary has been accepted at festivals across the world and is getting tremendous reviews everywhere.
The third and fourth sessions of Bernbach Fridays saw Varun Thakur – stand-up comedian and E Suresh – Founder of Studio Eeksaurus, respectively. With a good mix of personal stories, observational humour and impersonations, Varun was an act that no one could miss. E Suresh, also the founder of Famous Studios, shared his eventful journey in the world of animation.
Sonal Dabral, Chairman and Chief Creative Officer at DDB Mudra Group said, “Our instincts and craft as creatives gets honed everyday by just observing and assimilating life happening around us. Which means the more we are aware of our world the better advertising professionals we become. That’s where curiosity comes in. The desire to know as much as possible.Desire to find out the answers.Desire to be acquainted with as many subjects as possible. Curiosity and creativity are never far apart. Without curiosity, we will never be innovative. There will be no growth and nothing will change. To fuel this curiosity we have launched “Bernbach Fridays”.â€
The main aim of Bernbach Fridays sessions is to celebrate advertising by creating curiosity. The audiences at DDB Mudra arealways ready for something new, therefore these sessions will see speakers from different fields which would include Fashion Designers, Chefs, Film Makers, Scientists, Directors, Musicians, Artists and so on.