MxMIndia

Category: NEWS

  • This is the result of the divisions winning multiple business accounts in the first six months of 2014

    Maxus strengthens leadership teams in West & South

    By A Correspondent

     

    Maxus has announced the strengthening its regional teams across its divisions in the West and South. This is the result of the divisions winning multiple business accounts in the first six months of 2014.

     

    In the southern region, Maxus has elevated Kishankumar Shyamalan to the post of General Manager. In his previous role as Client Leader, Kishankumar was the key lead for the Tata Global Beverages pitch, ultimately converting the business in Maxus’ favour. He is the key architect of the ‘Power of 49’ campaign, conceptualized and executed by Maxus Bangalore. He also spearheaded media teams for Titan Industries, Wipro and the Kerala office. His erstwhile roles include Buying Head for Maxus South.

     

    The new appointment at Maxus Mumbai, is of Monaz Todywalla as General Manager. Monaz will be leading client teams for Vodafone, L’Oreal, HDFC Life and Kotak. She comes with a wealth of experience across categories like FMCG, BFSI, Retail and Confectionary. Monaz joins Maxus from Madison Communications, where she worked on clients such as Marico Industries Limited, Asian Paints, Kaya and Sleek. She began her career with Lodestar where she serviced Amul and SC Johnson.

     

    Speaking about both these leaders, Kartik Sharma, Managing Director, Maxus South Asia said, “We are excited to elevate Kishan and bring Monaz on board at Maxus. We have always attracted the very best talent in the industry and have given them every opportunity to grow and prosper within Maxus. We are confident that Kishan and Monaz will be ambassadors of the PACE values of Passion Agility, Collaboration and an Entrepreneurial spirit that drives us to become change agents in a fast paced media environment.”

     

    In the first half of 2014, Maxus India has won 23 new accounts across the country worth 300 crore collectively. Over the last six months, Maxus India has garnered 23 new clients, including JK Tyres, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Unitech, PayTM, Askme.com, ICC T20 World Cup 2014, Cigna TTK Health Insurance, Musafir.com and BML Educorp.

     

     

  • In response to a strong growth forecast in advertising revenue in Asia-Pacific, two new roles have been created within the Asia leadership team

    BBC Worldwide expands ad sales team in Asia

    By A Correspondent

     

    BBC Advertising, the commercial arm of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), is boosting its ad sales team in Asia to make the most of growth opportunities in the region.

     

    In response to a strong growth forecast in advertising revenue in Asia-Pacific and combined with a global ad sales strategy to get closer to customers and identify new cross-platform opportunities, two new roles have been created within the Asia leadership team. The decision reflects the desire to build on existing success of BBC Advertising in Asia and a commitment to investment in this growth region, with a focus on key priority markets of China, Korea, Japan, India and fast-track SE Asia.

     

    John Williams has been appointed Vice President, ASEAN & India, and will be based in Singapore. Katy Xu will take on the role of Vice President, Greater China & North Asia, located in Hong Kong. Both assume their new roles effective 1st September 2014 and will report directly into Sunita Rajan, EVP Advertising Sales, Asia, BBC Worldwide.

     

    John has relocated to Asia from New York, where he was previously VP, International Advertising for BBC Worldwide North America.  Katy, currently Regional Director, Hong Kong & Greater China, takes on an expanded role with responsibility for more markets.

     

  • The book showcases exclusive pictorial details of the significant monuments, art & craft, tradition and music, which are the cultural heritage of Lucknow city

    Jagran unveils ‘The Cultural Legacy of Lucknow’

    By A Correspondent

     

    Dainik Jagran released its Coffee Table Book titled ‘The Cultural Legacy of Lucknow’. The book was unveiled by honourable Governor of UP, Shri Ram Naik at a gala function in Lucknow last week. The launch function took place at the vintage Clark Awadh hotel of the capital and was replete with prominent bureaucrats and top Jagran Group brass, including the CMD Shri Mahendra Mohan Gupta.

     

    15th in the line of JCTBs, ‘The Cultural Legacy of Lucknow’ in the line of JCTB series, showcases exclusive pictorial details of the significant monuments, art & craft, tradition and music, which are the cultural heritage of the city. This coffee table book documents contemporary Lucknow, which is known for its cosmopolitan lifestyle, modern infrastructure, shopping and tourist destinations that embellish the city. Well researched narratives in the book illuminate the historical and contemporary perspectives that speak volumes about the understandable exclusivity of the city.

     

    Shri Mahendra Mohan Gupta said, “Jagran Prakashan Ltd. is publishing coffee table books for last six years. I am proud that time and again we come up with such illuminating books on different genres.”

     

    Editor and COO of i-Next & Project Head of Jagran Coffee Table Book – Alok Sanwal said, “Jagran Prakashan Ltd wishes to contribute to bringing alive the glory of the city of Nawabs to the world through this unique Coffee Table Book, which unfurls the unsung glory of this wonderful city. I thank Sharmishtha Sharma, author, and the entire research, editorial and marketing teams for their outstanding and extensive support throughout.”

     

    Priced at Rs. 1500, this 210-page book is available on Flipkart and Infibeam portal for sale.

     

  • It aims to give a chance to experienced players as well as upcoming talent from various countries to come on one platform and play to win

    Havas Media wins media biz of World Kabaddi League

    By A Correspondent

     

    On the heels of retaining the prestigious MTS India media business, Havas Media India has been awarded the integrated media mandate for World Kabaddi League (WKL) – the first professional Kabaddi League of the world, in a multi-agency pitch. The account is estimated to be upwards of INR 30crores.

     

     

    Raman Raheja

    WKL is an initiative to uplift the level of Kabaddi by professionalizing the sport. It aims to give a chance to experienced players as well as upcoming talent from various countries to come on one platform and play to win.

     

    Talking on the appointment, Raman Raheja, CEO, World Kabaddi League said, “We are a young and dynamic organization looking to scale Kabaddi to new heights on a global platform. Havas Media understood this. They have scale, the thought leadership, experience, were transparent and displayed tremendous passion. We know they are the people to partner with to achieve our goals.”

     

    Anita Nayyar

    Commenting on the association, Anita Nayyar, CEO, Havas Media Group, India and South Asia said, “We are honoured that WKL has chosen us as their partners to further their business objectives. It has been a good year at Havas Media with strong integrated media new business wins. Our digital at core approach has paid off big dividents and impressed clients.”

     

    Havas Media recently won the integrated media mandate of MTS India, Yepme.com and the digital mandates for Businessworld magazine and XOLO mobile.

     

  • The 5-week long jubilation includes honoring its valued customers of last 5 years

    Goibibo completes five years

    By A Correspondent

     

    Goibibo.com has completed five years of its journey in India. The company is celebrating the 5th anniversary with the Goibibo management team meeting the first 50 bookers in person and honoring them with a certificate of appreciation for showing faith and confidence when Goibibo was just starting out along with a goCash gift voucher worth Rs. 10,000.

     

    Goibibo’s first booker is Sandeep Arya from Gurgaon who works with Gartner and the second is Richard Barraud from Delhi who is an Architect and teaches at School of Planning and Architecture.

     

    Besides this, on a daily basis five lucky online bookers will get Rs.1000 in goCash, five weekly bookers have a chance to win Rs.5000 in goCash on bookings made during the week and the five mega winners will win Rs.50,000 in goCash on bookings made in the 5-week period.

     

    As per a statement issued by the company, “Goibibo.com has had a very successful 5-year stint in the market. We have carefully nurtured the brand to help it reach its present status as the most popular travel website in India.  Our valued customers have played a very significant role in helping us reach this milestone. Through the 5-week mega celebration we want to demonstrate our gratitude and appreciation for their loyalty by rewarding them with these incredible deals and offers.”

     

  • Since June there has been an average of more than 1 billion video views on Facebook each day

    Facebook rolls out more features for its video biz

    By A Correspondent

     

    The last few months have seen an unprecedented growth in video consumption for Facebook in India. More and more people are uploading, sharing and discovering videos on Facebook. Video views grew more than 50 per cent from May through July of this year, and since June there has been an average of more than 1 billion video views on Facebook each day.

     

    For marketers, digital video, particularly on mobile, is becoming more important as well. Combining sight, sound and motion, video creates experiences that are, at their best, memorable, moving and inspiring – the types of experiences that help brand marketers drive important metrics, including awareness, consideration and, ultimately, sales.

     

    Facebook has announced some new features to its video ads offering. After introducing videos that start playing automatically in News Feed earlier this year, FB found that people discover significantly more content with this feature. And when used in combination with the new video views objective, businesses are seeing a significant decrease in cost per view for their Facebook video ads. So in the coming weeks, FB will extend the availability of videos that play automatically to more content from more brands in the US.

     

    “Using videos we uploaded to Facebook during Fashion Week in February, we saw an 85X lift in view rates versus our previous Fashion Week campaign, which linked to videos from other players. This fall we will begin tapping into the new video views objective, and our ads are now eligible to automatically play in News Feed. Facebook is and will continue to be a key part of our video marketing strategy going forward,” shared Jen Daly, Senior Brand Building Manager, TRESemmé & Nexxus, Unilever

     

    People will also begin to see how many views a video on Facebook has received. Views will be shown on all public videos from people and Pages. This will help people discover popular videos, and help businesses quickly gather information about how their videos are performing.

     

  • MSN aims to deliver the world’s most popular and comprehensive content on the Web; coming soon to Windows, Android, and iOS devices

    Microsoft unveils first look of new MSN in India

    By A Correspondent

     

    Microsoft has unveiled a first look of the new MSN in India. Designed from the ground up for a mobile, cloud first world, the new MSN combines premium content from the world’s leading media outlets with personal productivity tools that help you do more. Built around the insight that the knowledge and information that enriches your life should be accessible regardless of where you are or what device you are using, the new experience is available on the web and will soon be available across all major device platforms, including Windows, iOS and Android.

     

    “We have re-written MSN from the ground up for a mobile-first, cloud first world. The new MSN brings together the world’s best media sources along with data and services to enable users to do more,” said Sanjay Trehan, Head of MSN India, Microsoft. “The new MSN focuses on the primary digital daily habits in people’s lives, helping them complete tasks on the web and across all of their devices, roaming data and personalized settings to keep users in the know wherever they are.”

     

    MSN is partnering with some of the world’s best and most authoritative sources, including The New York Times in the U.S., Yomiuri Shimbun and Asahi Shimbun in Japan, The Guardian and the Telegraph in the U.K., Le Figaro and Le Monde in France, and Lance and Estadão in Brazil, and many more.

     

    In India, Microsoft has partnered with top local content partners, including Hindustan Times, NDTV, India Today, Indian Express and Network 18.

     

    Spanning multiple sections including sports, news, health & fitness, money, travel and video, the new MSN provides a global perspective from thousands of publishers across the world. Information ranges from the latest stats on over 200 global sports leagues, reviews of over 1.5 million bottles of wine, to over 300,000 gorgeously photographed recipes and more. MSN’s expert editors are able to draw from the over 1,000 sources to hand-curate content for individual markets and cultures.

     

    “With an audience of nearly 425 million people coming to over 57 markets around the world available across the three major device platforms, the new MSN presents an enormous opportunity for publishers” said Adam Anger, General Manager for Asia Pacific, Microsoft Advertising “With over 50% of people accessing content on dedicated apps, this release is in lockstep with where usage is happening.”

     

    The new MSN brings actionable information and the opportunity to act directly at the point where people are actively engaging, from personal productivity tools like shopping lists, flight status and savings calculators, to integrated access to popular sites like Outlook.com, Facebook, Twitter, OneNote, OneDrive and Skype. At the top of the page, there is a personal stripe allowing you one click access to top services so you can stay on top of what’s happening in your life.

     

  • While the overall industry was at $1 billion (Rs 6,000 crore) a couple of years ago, just the top three marketplaces in the country-Flipkart, Snapdeal and Amazon-are estimated to cross $4 billion (Rs 24,000 crore) in sales this fiscal

    Online retailers Flipkart, Amazon etc to woo customers with eye-popping deals this Diwali

    By Radhika P Nair

     

    Online retailers, from biggies such as Flipkart and Amazon to niche players like FabFurnish and Bluestone, have lined up special catalogues, exclusive products, offers, contests and discounts to ensure a cracker of a Diwali season, with an eye on first-time shoppers.

     

    Fashion portal Myntra will offer more than 5,000 new products across top brands like FCUK, UCB, Elle, SuperDry, Biba, FabIndia and Antony Moratto for the first time online, while online marketplace Snapdeal.com is working with brands across categories like fashion, electronics and home products to put together a special Diwali catalogue that will be out in the next few days.

     

    Market leader Flipkart will put up exclusive products and offer heavy discounts while rival Amazon.in may introduce drone delivery in the country, as Diwali season is when most number of Indians try out online shopping for the first time. The four to five weeks until Diwali brings the largest sales spike for online sites.”For online retailers, you can say that the financial cycle is Diwali to Diwali,” said Saurabh Srivastava, director at advisory firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) India.

     

    “Every project cycle and launch that an etailer works on during the year is geared only towards Diwali.” MrSrivastava said sales jump during this season can be double the regular daily order size. Sandeep Komaravelly, senior vice president of marketing at Snapdeal, said that unlike offline, Diwali momentum does not taper off in online retail after the festival.

     

    “New customers who have tried online shopping for the first time during the festival season continue to do so even afterwards,” he said. No wonder then that portals big and small are going all out to woo new customers, backed by large marketing campaigns.

     

    “For large e-tailers the marketing budgets will be as high as 10% of overall costs,” said PwC’s Mr Srivastava. Even niche jewellery site Bluestone has set aside Rs 6 crore for advertisement and marketing for the festive season. It will launch a consultancy feature for Diwali that will suggest jewellery items based on the user’s face, hair style and likes.

     

    The typical Diwali shopping season starts from third week of September and goes on until Bhai Dooj, two days after Diwali. The online retail industry has grown rapidly in the past few years. While the overall industry was at $1 billion (Rs 6,000 crore) a couple of years ago, just the top three marketplaces in the country-Flipkart, Snapdeal and Amazon-are estimated to cross $4 billion (Rs 24,000 crore) in sales this fiscal.

     

    Ganesh Subramanian, chief operating officer at Bengaluru-based Myntra, which was acquired by Flipkart earlier this year, said it’s setting up a special Diwali store on its site. The company has started a new warehouse in Gurgaon in time for the peak shopping period.

     

    “We expect a lot of interest from tier-II and III cities and towns thanks to mobile. At least one out of two orders will be through mobile,” he said. Myntra is targeting sales of Rs 2,000 crore this fiscal.

     

    Flipkart plans a single-day big-bang sale a few days before Diwali with new and exclusive products at big discounts, said a person with direct knowledge of the site’s Diwali plans. It will also launch exclusive brand partnerships-around one a week-as part of its Diwali line up.

     

    “The company is expecting the largest sales in its seven years of existence,” said the person who did not wish to be identified. Flipkart declined to participate in this story. Samir Kumar, director of category management at Amazon India, said the portal will have exclusive launches and innovative gifting options. Amazon could also do drone deliveries in India during the period, as reported earlier. The company declined to speak on this.

     

    Source:The Economic Times

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

    Licensed to republish

     

  • MxMIndia celebrates its third anniversary. Three years ago, we launched with the promise of integrity

    Three Cheers! We are three today!

     

    It’s reason for a big Yay! On the afternoon of September 9, 2011, on the happy occasion of Onam that year, MxMIndia launched with some fanfare.

     

    We were very clear from Day 1: that more than even our own stakeholders, our allegiance would be to you dear reader. It took a while for many in the media to get used to this. For years they’ve been happy being subjected to only positive news (and hardly any views). Like very early in our existence, some biggies at a channel weren’t too happy with what a columnist had written about them. Soon enough they figured we had no agenda, and there was no method to our madness. We just let it pass even as we were worried whether it would impact our advertising. It didn’t and the network has been an ongoing supporter in business. Over the years, there have been several attempts to silence us. We’ve also been threatened with dire consequences. Some really large corporates spewed venom or made fervent requests about what our columnists have written. As all our writers will testify, we’ve stood by them. And never got them to change their commentary.

     

    Yes, there were a couple of times when our reporters goofed. We carried info without verifying facts. We apologised, unconditionally.

     

    We are very careful about how we conduct ourselves. We don’t unleash newbies on to captains of the industry. We respect their time and don’t want them to be subjected to inane questions.

     

    So what does MxMIndia stand for? Integrity.

     

    In the world of me-toos, we attempt to be different. We don’t get too excited about breaking news. We don’t think your inbox should be inundated with movements of people or accounts about which you wouldn’t care too much. Not that we haven’t done that in the past. But we try and resist the temptation 99.5 percent of the time.

     

    Other than our unique treatment of news, we’re known for our views. Our columnists have the licence to write on anything. Of course they do that responsibly.

     

    We also love doing interviews. And some of our long copy interviews are fun reading. Or so people tell us.

     

    We don’t do quid pro quos. Recently a potentially big advertiser asked for a story with the promise of year-long advertising. We refused. We don’t mind losing out on revenues, but we won’t compromise our values. Revenues jaaye, but values na jaaye…

     

    We also don’t mix our business with editorial. There’s a clear wall between both functions. So even if a certain media entity is an advertiser with us, we don’t necessarily write about it. Ditto with events. We may be media partners of Conference X, but we won’t necessarily report on it. Conversely, even if we aren’t associated with a media event, we cover it. We self-regulate. We are governed by a Code of Ethics from Day #1.

     

    So how do we rate our own performance so far? We would think it’s a 6 on 10. Okay, make it 5.75. It was an 8 on 10 when we celebrated our first anniv, but since then things slipped a bit. We promised a print edition. Save two annuals and some advertiser-funded booklets, adverse business conditions held us back. We’ve also not ventured into events yet, even though the intent exists.

     

    What next in the coming year? First, our third Annual. Second, a few special initiatives that we are working on. We will of course continue to add on to our focus on editorial content.

     

    Our sincere thanks to the fraternity for supporting us – in business and editorially. Thanks to all our staff – past and present – for having been part of MxMIndia and sharing our vision.

     

    Thank you for keeping the faith.

     

    Best wishes

     

    On behalf of Team MxM,

     

    Pradyuman Maheshwari

     

  • The 2014 edition of the coveted honors is officially underway post the Jury deliberated to decide upon the distinguishing Bravehearts last weekend

    India TV annouces 2nd edition of Salaam India Awards

    By A Correspondent

     

    The second edition of Salaam India Awards 2014, constituted by India TV last year, is back to felicitate the exceptional acts of bravery exemplified by the common citizens of India.

     

    Following the ‘nationwide call for nominations’, the 2014 edition of the coveted honors is officially underway post the Jury deliberated to decide upon the distinguishing Bravehearts last weekend.

     

    Rajat Sharma

    This year’s Award Jury includes India TV Chairman & Editor-in-Chief, Rajat Sharma, Former India CEC, Dr. S.Y. Quraishi, Former Army Chief Gen. Deepak Kapoor, Ace Shooter Col. (Retd.) Rajyavardhan S. Rathore and former IPS Dr. Kiran Bedi.

     

    In line with the guiding principle for the awards, the chosen honourees are those who are not intrinsically fearless but who could selflessly win over their fears to safeguard someone else’s interest while risking or even sacrificing their own lives, in the hour of need.

     

    Ritu Dhawan

    Announcing the second edition of the honors, India TV MD & CEO, Ritu Dhawan said, “We are glad that we are again getting a chance to felicitate our real heroes, who simply inspire us all by their actions demonstrating selflessness & fearlessness, also the most important traits of a news source.”

     

    “As a leader in the Hindi news genre, it is certainly a matter of both pleasure & contentment for us to felicitate those who are not only our role models but also who bring the positive balance to humanity, our society & nation” she added.

     

    The chosen bravehearts will be honored in a glittering ceremony on Sunday, 21st September at Hotel Taj, New Delhi. Salaam India Awards will be conferred across four categories including Bravery Awards, Gallantry Awards, Jyoti Singh Awards and Special Awards.

     

    Officer’s Choice has once again decided join hands with India TV as the presenting sponsor of the initiative along with Amrapali Group as the associate sponsor. Dainik Bhaskar & Pioneer Publicity are the media partners for the initiative. Showtime Events, one of India’s premier event management companies will be managing the event.

     

  • Linen Lintas has unveiled a campaign – 'Sunonahindekho' – that portrays the differentiation that CarDekho.com offers its users

    Linen Lintas appointed creative partner for CarDekho.com

    By A Correspondent

     

    Linen Lintas, a Lintas group company has been appointed as the creative partner for CarDekho.com. As its affiliate, Linen Lintas will work towards delivering creative and strategic insights & solutions that’ll play a significant part in making CarDekho.com a formidable player in the online car buying and selling marketplace.

     

    LK Gupta

    On appointing Linen Lintas as its creative partner, LK Gupta, CMO, CarDekho.com said, “Having worked with some of the team members at Linen in the past, we had high confidence in strategic insights and creative capabilities of the team. Hence we opted to partner with them.”

     

    To tap into the online auto marketplace that is witnessing its fair share of excitement at the moment, Linen Lintas has unveiled a campaign – ‘Sunonahindekho’ – that portrays the differentiation that CarDekho.com offers its users. The campaign has been conceptualized based on the insight that everybody has an opinion and that one should listen to all of them, but the final decision should be taken by individuals on their own accord. That’s the message that the new CarDekho.com TVC conveys, albeit in an entertaining and relevant way.

     

    Sharing his observations, LK Gupta, CMO, CarDekho.com said that being a pioneer in the concept of unbiased, objective and expert comparison of used and unused cars, CarDekho.com wanted to bring alive the most prevalent insight of what goes on in the mind of a prospective buyer. “Our website does a detailed analysis of all technical information, expert opinions, on-road prices and helps the buyer to shortlist what is most correct for him. We even help the consumer by arranging a test drive and connecting with the nearest dealer. All in all, it’s a must-check solution before buying a new or used car.”

     

    Adding further, he said that CarDekho.com had recently launched the iOS version of its popular smartphone app, and was the first among car portals to do so. “Our Android app that was released about a month ago has already clocked more than 100,000 downloads. So this is the perfect timing for us to go and present this wonderful service,” he continued.

     

    Building further on the concept, Abhik Santara, EVP, Linen Lintas said that when we throw open our decision to buy a car, we seek and get opinions from all and sundry. “Eventually, thanks to multiple POVs, we stand confused. CarDekho.com, gives a real comparison on all aspects to let you be most informed before making the choice. This is the core insight that we worked around. Through this proposition, we are aiming at an intense TV and digital burst in the next couple of months,” he shared.

     

    Jaideep Mahajan, ECD, Linen Lintas added, “The task was simple and that actually was the most difficult part – how to depict this mental trauma of a car buyer in a refreshing and interesting manner. Our objective was to just not show a picture of the ‘car-buying-phase’ of a guy but to show it in a manner that everyone who is in that phase or who has gone through it should relate to it and say- this has happened/is happening with me. Cardekho.com actually solves all these quandaries and shows the true picture. So not deviating from the brand promise our task was to heighten the problem part of it.”

     

    For the record, CarDekho.com is India’s most popular auto portal and helps its users with car research, finance, insurance, used cars and any other aspect of car buying and selling with the best possible deals through its exclusive tie-ups with car manufacturers, finance and insurance companies.

     

  • Gautam will be responsible for the overall sales and revenue generation of the channel

    Gautam Bhanot joins NewsX as National Revenue Head

    By A Correspondent

     

    Gautam Bhanot

    ITV Network has roped in GautamBhanot as National Revenue Head for NewsX. Gautam will be responsible for the overall sales and revenue generation of the channel. He will focus on growing the top line for the company, while also creating new revenue streams and opportunities, and in turn significantly contributing to the overall growth of the ITV Network.

     

    Gautam is a seasoned media professional with more than 16 years of experience across leading media companies in revenue maximization, inventory management and market development. He comes with a proven track record of leading his team in achieving sales targets consistently. He joins NewsX from Network18 after a fruitful innings of 9 years, his last position being National Sales Head for CNN-IBN. Prior to this, he was Vice President – Sales, heading revenue generation for CNN-IBN, CNBC-TV18 and CNBC-AWAAZ, for the North region. Gautam’s has had successful stints at The Times of India & Economic Times and the TejBandhu Group.

     

    R K Arora, Group CEO said in an official communique, “We are delighted to have Gautam on board at this exciting time of growth and expansion at ITV Network. We are certain that his experience and understanding of the business will benefit NewsX as we strive to continue to be the market leader in English news genre, in line with ITV Network’s objective of becoming India’s profitable and largest TV news network.”

     

    Gautam is a Commerce graduate and holds an MBA degree with specialization in marketing.