MxMIndia

Category: NEWS

  • Colors and The Global Indian Music Academy (GIMA) will celebrate the 71st birth anniversary of the 'Ghazal King' on February 8 in Mumbai.

    Colors’ tribute concert for Ghazal maestro Jagjit Singh

    By A Correspondent

     

    In a unique initiative, the Global Indian Music Academy (GIMA) in partnership with Colors and Wizcraft International Entertainment will bring together the Indian music & film fraternity for a tribute concert in the fond memory of the late ‘Ghazal King’, Jagjit Singh.

     

    The musical evening titled ‘Jagjit Singh -Yaadon Ka Safar’, which also marks his 71st birth anniversary, is a special tribute to celebrate his musical legacy.

     

    Jagjit Singh was an artist with many dimensions – singer, writer, composer, music director, activist and a philanthropist. An active member of GIMA, he also mentored most of its music initiatives. Jagjit Singh always supported and inspired new talent. This intimate tribute concert is an effort to celebrate his ‘musical journey’ – his iconic legacy and unmatched contribution to music, through performances dedicated to him by friends and colleagues.

     

    Renowned poet & lyricist Nida Fazli along with well-known celebrities like Javed Akhtar, Shabana Azmi,Mahesh Bhatt and Dia Mirza, who shared a special bond with Mr Singh will share their personal anecdotes.

     

    Speaking on the occasion, Chitra Singh said: “I am filled with a deep sense of pride and joy that the music fraternity is coming together to remember and honour my husband on his 71st birth anniversary. The tribute concert has my blessings and support. My family and I look forward to a nostalgic night embracing his memory.”

     

    The expected artistes at the tribute concert are Ghulam Ali, Ustad Rashid Khan, Anup Jalota, Bhupinder & Mitali Singh, Talat Aziz, Suresh Wadkar, Hariharan, Dr. L Subramanium & Kavita Krishnamurthy, Kailash Kher, Hans Raj Hans, Shafqat Amanat Ali, Shaan, Kunal Ganjawala and Richa Sharma, to name a few.

     

    Sharing his thoughts on the initiative on the same, Mr. Raj Nayak, CEO – Colors said: “­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Colors is proud to present a peek into the life and times of the musical maestro Jagjit Singh. Our association with GIMA and Wizcraft opens up avenues into several unchartered territories in this space. This event is a mark of respect and love for the Jagjitji, and will surely touch an emotional chord with the music lovers and Colors viewers”

     

    “We are very honoured and excited that our initiative has received an overwhelming support from the industry. Through GIMA, it is our endeavour to contribute to the Indian music industry by providing a platform where such legends can be celebrated, honoured and fondly remembered. This intimate tribute concert will feature memorable performances by renowned artistes as we bring alive the memories and anecdotes about the maestro,” said Wiz. Sabbas Joesph, Director – Wizcraft International Entertainment Ltd.

     

    A recipient of the ‘Padma Bhushan Award’, Jagjit Singh won hearts world over with his soulful voice, inimitable rendition and timeless music. Credited for the revival and popularity of Ghazals, he was responsible for single-handedly changing the course of music by infusing the age-old genre of classical Ghazals with modern instrumentation while preserving its soul and purity.

     

    Wizcraft International Entertainment,India’s leading Event and Entertainment Company is dedicated to showcasing its expertise on the world stage. The Global Indian Music Academy (GIMA) and The International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) are some of its initiatives.

     

    The Global Indian Music Academy Awards (GIMA) is a unique initiative in Indian music with a vision to honour artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in Indian music.

     

    Colors is Viacom18’s flagship brand in the entertainment space inIndia. From Fiction shows to Format shows to Reality shows to Blockbuster movies – the basket contains all ‘Jasbaat Ke Rang’.

     

  • This deal will make available select blockbuster UTV titles to BigFlix plus subscribers to help them further expand their personal movie collection

    BigFlix inks deal with UTV Motion Pictures for popular titles

    By A Correspondent

     

    BigFlix, a part of Reliance Group’s digital entertainment business, on Tuesday announced a license deal between India’s first online movie-on-demand service – BigFlix plus and Studio UTV Motion Pictures to bring the best of UTV’s titles to movie buffs across India.

     

    This deal will make available select blockbuster UTV titles to BigFlix plus subscribers to help them further expand their personal movie collection whilst simultaneously adding popular titles to their personal blockbuster theatre.

     

    Jodhaa Akbar, Wake up Sid, Raajneeti, I Hate Luv Storys, No One Killed Jessica, Dev D, Udaan, Fashion, Race, and Kaminey amongst several others will now be available on BigFlix.

     

    BigFlix plus subscribers can now enjoy these, and many more, movies from the UTV banner via a high quality movie viewing experience at their preferred time, sans advertisements, across all internet connected devices such as desktop, tablets, smartphones and connected TVs.

     

    This deal gives audience access to their favourite films at their convenience and provides them with an ever-increasing bouquet of High Definition (HD) blockbuster movies.

     

    “Pay per View (PPV) and Subscription Video on Demand (SVOD) options on internet platforms like BigFlix is a great way for audience to watch movies at their convenience. This is the one of our first internet deals inIndia. BigFlix is one of the first players in this space inIndiaand we are happy to have our movies available for their vast subscriber base,” said Amrita Pandey – Senior Vice President, International Distribution and Syndication, UTV Motion Pictures.

     

    Commenting on the deal, Mr Pankaj Chandra, Chief Operating Officer(COO) – BigFlixs Pvt Ltd, said: “BigFlix plus is India’s first movie-on-demand subscription service, which offers an exhaustive choice of HD quality movies to the net savvy movie buffs in India, at their convenience, across all internet connected devices. It is our constant endeavour to equip consumers with latest blockbuster movies and our partnership with UTV is a step closer to enhance, strengthen and expand the VOD (Video on Demand) service inIndia. We are confident this partnership with UTV Motion pictures will add significantly to our movie offering.”

     

     

  • 92.7 BIG FM, known for its fresh program initiatives, innovatively engineered the launch of 'The Perfect World'.

    Sonu Nigam launches Priya Kumar’s “The Perfect World” on 92.7 BIG FM

    By A Correspondent

     

    92.7 BIG FM,India’s number one FM Network and the Radio Broadcaster of the Year at the Golden Mikes, on Tuesday launched renowned motivational speaker Priya Kumar’s latest inspirational book ‘The Perfect World – A Journey to Infinite Possibilities’ by singer and musician Sonu Nigam.

     

    Sonu Nigam launched the first copy of the book at an event held at the 92.7 BIG FM studios, also present were model Shamita Singha, Moni Kangana Dutta and Teesha Nigam (Sonu Nigam’s sister). The event was hosted by RJ Ankit, the breakfast jockey at 92.7 BIG FM’s Mumbai station.

     

    92.7 BIG FM, known for its fresh program initiatives, innovatively engineered the launch of ‘The Perfect World’. The book launch is being promoted across the 92.7 BIG FM network through interesting on-air integrations.

     

    The book takes you through the journey of Niki Sanders, who is living an ordinary life burdened with fear, loaded with dreams, a very demanding relationship, a dissatisfying job, a bitter attitude and ever-eluding aspirations. In a desperate attempt to seek clarity, courage and confidence, she unwittingly leads herself into meeting with two evolved souls from across the universe. These superior souls belong to The Perfect World and with them Niki Sanders embarks on the most thrilling adventure of her life; an adventure into infinite possibilities and self discovery.

     

    Sonu Nigam, an avid book lover, said: “Reading Priya is an ongoing healing effect.”

    Talking about the book, Priya Kumar said: “My books fall in the genre of ‘inspirational thrillers’. I tell stories that inspire people. Stories loaded with spiritual wisdom, which will stay with you long after you’ve turned the last page. The Perfect World is an extraordinary story of the truth about your own eternity that will find a place in your daily consciousness.”

     

    The company spokesperson for 92.7 BIG FM said: “Our endeavour is to give innovative content and bring something unique to our listeners every day. This time around too we used the 92.7 BIG FM network to launch a book by Priya Kumar, known for her works like ‘I am another You’ and ‘License to Live’.”

     

    The Perfect World published by Embassy Books is available at bookstores across India and is priced at Rs. 275/-only.

    Renowned motivational speaker and bestselling author, Priya Kumar is the CEO of Priya Kumar’s Training Systems. She has worked with the best names in the corporate world. Her interactive and at times unconventional methods of training continue to deliver much sought after tangible results. Apart from being a columnist for leading newspapers, Priya does several radio and television shows on Motivation and Peak Performance.

     

  • South African Tourism has now started the campaign on television and outdoor to popularise the destination among Indian travellers

    South African Tourism launches ‘Leave ordinary behind’ ad campaign

    By A Correspondent

     

    South African Tourism has kick-started its television, outdoor and cinema campaign in order to promote the destination inIndia. Post the launch of its cinema campaign recently, South African Tourism has now started the campaign on television and outdoor to popularise the destination among Indian travellers.

     

    The 20 and 30 seconds advertisement captures an Indian couple who share their mesmerizing experience of travelling toSouth Africa. The commercial captures the experience of adventure, nightlife, wildlife, luxury, wine route and beauty ofSouth Africa. With this advertisement, South African Tourism is reaching out to numerous travellers through various entertainment and news channels.

     

    Indian television has a lot of shows that have the potential to draw good viewership and South African Tourism is tapping this opportunity to draw more Indian tourists to the Rainbow Nation.

     

    Along with its television campaign, South African Tourism has also launched its outdoor campaign. Outdoor Advertising Professionals (OAP) has done the creatives and execution for the outdoor campaign. The upcoming campaign is spread across 16 types of media that comprises of 452 media units covering an outdoor space of approximately 1,90,000 sq ft across 22 markets. The various media chosen for the campaign are billboards, backlit walls, bus shelters, cantilevers, glass façades, flagpoles, gantries, glow cubes, king-long buses, metro signages, pole kiosks, subway panels, skywalks, standalones, malls and airport displays.

     

    Commenting on the campaigns, Hanneli Slabber, Country Manager, South African Tourism, said: “Given the fact that Indian television is one of the strongest consumer influencers, we wanted to leverage the medium with the launch of our television campaign. The commercial aims to demonstrateSouth Africa’s warmth and affability through the eyes of Indians who have experienced the country. They are real people telling their story in their own words and we hope that the Indian viewers can connect well with the ad. With these two campaigns we want to intrigue desire towards the destination and aid brand recall towardsSouth Africa. We are confident that the television, outdoor and cinema campaign will definitely tempt the Indian audience to consider a holiday inSouth Africa.”

     

    South Africahas grown to become one of the most popular destinations among Indian tourists. South African Tourism has witnessed an exceptional 29.9 per cent increase in Indian tourist arrivals between January-September 2011 in comparison to 2010.

     

  • It is Number one in TV news segment and the entire TV category and has climbed up 22 ranks from last year

    Aaj Tak, the most trusted TV channel says Brand Trust Report

    By A Correspondent

     

    Aaj Tak, part of the TV Today Network, has once again emerged as the most trusted news TV channel according to the Brand Trust Report released recently. Not just news segment, Aaj Tak also stands undisputed as the most trusted brand across the entire television category.

     

    The Brand Trust Report, India Study is a scientific study carried out by Brand Trust of based on a proprietary 61 primary components matrix, developed over three years of research.

     

    The report stated that Aaj Tak is the most trusted TV channel acrossIndia. It is Number one in TV news segment and the entire TV category and has climbed up 22 ranks from last year.

     

    Mr. Joy Chakraborthy, CEO TV Today Network said: “It’s a proud moment to see Aaj Tak continuing its journey to set new benchmarks. What’s the most heartening is that it’s not just numbers that make Aaj Tak the undisputed leader but also the unshakeable trust ofIndiabehind these numbers.”

     

    It’s interesting to note that Aaj Tak has been the most preferred news channel on almost all important news events this year. The viewership numbers slotted Aaj Tak on the top across Lok Pal Bill presentation in Lok Sabha, Anna Hazare’s protest, Baba Ramdev’s agitation at Ram Lila ground, Mumbai blasts,India’s win at the ICC World Cup, and Gadaffi’s killing. Also it was the leader on the counting day of the 5 key state elections.

  • Under the platform of 'Creating Happiness', the campaign combines a film competition along with social media and traditional media outreach

    Vedanta unveils first ever national corporate campaign

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Vedanta Group, a globally diversified natural resources major with interests in aluminum, copper, zinc, lead, silver, iron ore and oil & gas, has unveiled its first ever national corporate campaign under the platform of ‘Creating Happiness’.

     

    The integrated campaign combines a unique first-of-its-kind film competition forIndia’s next-gen filmmakers along with social media and traditional media outreach. As a part of the campaign, Vedanta is releasing 39 films – a 90 seconds film by Piyush Pandey of O&M and 38 three minute films made by student film-makers from across the country.

     

    Vedanta Chairman Anil Agarwal’s vision of contributing to building sustainable communities and integrating sustainability as a core part of the business is at the heart of this campaign.

     

    114 students from top media and film schools in the country including FTII, Whistling Woods, Symbiosis, School of Convergence, MGR FTI, IIMC, Assam University, Xavier’s, Christ University, AAFT, ZIMA, Tezpur University, IP College and Ravenshaw have produced 38 short films that tell the stories of the people and communities whose lives have been changed by Vedanta’s community initiatives, creating happiness in the process. Each film was made by a group of three students.

     

    The students travelled to the interiors of Rajasthan, Goa, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Orissa, and Chhattisgarh to meet with an Indiathat is full of inspiring stories and came back with their experiences and films. The films are open for public voting on YouTube till 20th March, 2012. The films will also be judged by the jury that includes Piyush Pandey, Shyam Benegal and Gul Panag.

     

    The face of the campaign is ‘Binno’, a little girl who was chosen from one of Vedanta’s community initiatives in rural Rajasthan. The television ad film, which has been conceived and scripted by veteran adman Piyush Pandey takes a real slice out of Binno’s life, with her parents, friends, doctors and school teachers playing their parts.

     

    It shows how her life is different from that of her earlier generations, in the process, highlighting the many changes that have come about over the years.

     

    The film has been shot on location in Rajasthan by award-winning director Shivendra Dungarpur of Dungarpur Films and the music has been composed by Rajat Dholakia, who has won two national awards as best music director for ‘Dharavi’ and ‘Sunday’.

     

    The television campaign, with the Binno film, will go on air from January 30 and student films are available for public voting on youtube.com/Vedanta group.

     

    Piyush Pandey, Executive Chairman, O&M said: “The Vedanta ‘Creating Happiness’ campaign is extremely close to my heart for it’s all about enablingIndia. I have worked on this campaign along with my team as an excited young copywriter and I look forward to the people ofIndianot just appreciating Vedanta’s efforts, but getting inspired to do something on their own to makeIndiaa happier place.”

     

    Senjam Raj Sekhar, Director – Communications & Brand, Vedanta group said: “Vedanta has several compelling stories to tell about the work that is being done in community and sustainability. Our aim is to tell the world the Vedanta story under the platform of ‘Creating Happiness’. With the film competition, we opened up all our projects and locations to budding independent film makers. The idea was to enable them to experience it first hand and make films on impact that the projects were having on the community. The results are tremendous – we have got 38 heartwarming stories capturing hope, change and empowerment in rural India”

     

    Vedanta Resources plc (“Vedanta”) is aLondonlisted FTSE 100 diversified global natural resources major. The group produces aluminum, copper, zinc, lead, silver, iron ore, oil & gas and commercial power. Vedanta has presence in India, Zambia, Namibia, South Africa, Ireland, Liberia, Australia and Sri Lanka.

     

  • Lokmat facilitates Aurangabadkars' commemoration of 100 years of Jana Gana Mana, creating a new Guinness World Record for 'the most people singing a national anthem simultaneously'.

    Lokmat’s initiative puts Indian Guinness Book

    By A Correspondent

     

    In a rousing display of patriotism and unity, the voices of thousands of Aurangabadkars singing Jana Gana Mana created history. With a tally of 15,243 people singing the national anthem, they landed India into the Guinness Book of World Records for ‘the most people singing a national anthem simultaneously’, erasing the previous record held by Pakistan with 5,800 individuals.

     

    Andrea Banfi, Head of Adjudicators, Guinness World Records Limited, who had flown in from London, handed over the certificate to Rajya Sabha MP and Chairman of Lokmat Media Limited, Vijay Babu Darda, who accepted it on behalf of each and every Aurangabadkar who created the world record for India.

     

    Other Guinness World Records Limited officials present on the occasion were Lucia Sinigagliesi, Adjudications Manager, and Nikhil Shukla, Adjudicator - India.

     

    Commenting on the achievement, Rishi Darda, Editorial Director – Lokmat Media Ltd, said: “This is our gift, as a responsible media house, not just to Aurangabadkars, but to every Indian. We are delighted that Aurangabadkars responded so splendidly to our initiative for the world record attempt to commemorate the completion of 100 years of Jana Gana Mana, since it was first sung.”

     

    It will be recalled that Jana Gana Mana was first sung at the Calcutta Session of the Indian National Congress on December 27, 1911. It was declared the Indian National Anthem by the Constituent Assembly on January 24, 1950.

     

    Lokmat Media had pulled out all stops to inform every Aurangabadkar of the world record attempt. While Radio Mirchi was the radio partner, MCN Hathway, IBN7, IBN Lokmat and CNN-IBN were the TV partners, and Abhishek Advertisers was the outdoor media partner. The sponsors were WS Developers, while the Phadnis Group was the co-sponsor. “I would like to thank our sponsors and media partners who ably supported us in the initiative,” said Mr Darda.

     

    As early as 7 am, all roads leading to the District Sports Complex in Garkheda witnessed traffic jams, with students, working people, housewives and families making their way purposefully to take part in the historic world record attempt. The entire stadium, with an official capacity of 45,000 was jam-packed, with no standing room, and the gates had to be shut on thousands of eager locals waiting to get in and be part of the world record attempt. The final tally of 15,243 people came as a surprise to everyone.

     

    GWR head adjudicator Andrea Banfi said: “We were not able to include all the people present at the stadium in the count, as it was physically impossible since they were so closely packed. And after the first singing, many people left. But, for us to do a proper count as per the stringent GWR standards, we had to request Lokmat Media to ask the people to assemble once again, in a particular, countable order, and to sing the national anthem again. The figure of 15,243 is what we arrived at after the second singing.”

     

    Leading the swelling crowd in the chorus on stage were Shankar Mahadevan, Mahatma Gandhi’s grandson Tushar Gandhi, Prashant Damle, Roopkumar and Sonali Rathod, Vaishali Samant, Swapnil Bandodkar, Pramod Sarkate, Mrs Salaskar (widow of 26/11 martyr Vijay Salaskar) and others, who sang with Aurangabadkars to create the world record.

     

    “Our National Anthem is a wonderfully inspiring composition, and is a part of everyone’s psyche. I am truly excited to have been a small part of this gigantic experience,” said Shankar Mahadevan.

     

    Tushar Gandhi, grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, said: “I am very happy to be among the enthusiastic people of Aurangabad, who have given such a wonderful response to this initiative by the Lokmat group. It reinforces the magic of those 55 words written a hundred years ago by Rabindranath Tagore.”

     

    Prashant Damle, actor and singer said: “It is moving to see the surge of patriotic sentiment at the grassroots, as I have witnessed here in Aurangabad.” Singer Vaishali Samant said: “It has been a great experience to mingle with thousands of Aurangabadkars on this momentous occasion. I am happy to have paid my tribute to the Nation by singing with one and all.”

     

    The Fictitious Group, winners of talent reality show India’s Got Talent mesmerised one and all with their power-packed acrobatic dance routines.Vernonfrom Fictitious said: “It’s exciting to dance in the service of our Nation! We salute those who laid down their lives for the country.”

     

    Smita Salaskar, widow of Vijay Salaskar, who laid down his life defending his countrymen on November 26 2008, said: “I am overwhelmed by the patriotism of the people inAurangabad.” She urged the young students to study hard and serve with the defence forces, which need good officers.

     

  • The website launches 7-Day Shopping Extravaganza to celebrate the 'Republic week offer' with huge discounts and gift offers

    HomeShop18 commemorates 63rd Republic Day Celebrations

    By A Correspondent

     

    HomeShop18 has launched a special 7-Day shopping extravaganza from January 24. It is an effort to celebrate Republic Day with the customers of HomeShop18. On offer are huge discounts and gifts to the brand loyal customers. It is an initiative to add excitement over the 63rd Republic Day celebrations. The promotions also ran on HomeShop18, the shopping channel, from January 24 to 26.

     

    HomesShop18 also offers ‘26 deals’ on multiple categories like apparels, appliances, cameras, computers, electronics, health, beauty, jewellery, mobiles and toys during the Republic Day week on all purchases made from the official website,  www.homeshop18.com.

     

    Shopaholics will benefit from heavy discounts, ranging from 69 per cent off on traditional clothing and 72 per cent off on jewellery and watches along with an 81 per cent off on health & beauty products.

     

    HomeShop18 has always endeavoured to offer customers world-class products and provide benefits that enable them to make the best use of on going offers. All these initiatives enable customers to shop at leisure from home during Republic Day.

     

    The Republic Day 2012 shopping extravaganza will offer an array of products including home appliances, jewellery, home decor, kitchen appliances, mobiles, digital cameras, laptops, apparel, furniture, gift items, bags and many more from world’s well known brands. The brand stores something valuable for everyone who shops from HomeShop18.

     

    In addition to the above offers, HomeShop18 is holding a Facebook Contest from January 25 to 27, where participants will get a chance to win three products from any category. Participants will have to answer two questions, one on Freedom and the other, a clue-based question. The customer has to search the answer (which will be a product from www.homeshop18.com). There will be a lucky draw of all the correct answers and winners get a chance to bag surprise gifts.

     

    HomeShop18 is Network18 group’s online and television retail marketing and distribution venture. It isIndia’s fastest growing e-commerce website. Adding a new customer every 6 seconds, HomeShop18’s robust distribution set-up helps it reach out to over 3000 locations in the country.

  • Earns top ratings in customer service, global footprint, market presence, management team, executive vision, mobile, social and more, finds Forrester Research

    Experian CheetahMail achieves a leader status

    By A Correspondent

     

    Experian CheetahMail, the leading global technology services provider of integrated email, social, mobile and display marketing, on Thursday announced that Forrester Research has deemed it among the leaders in its January 2012 report, “The Forrester Wave: Email Marketing Vendors, Q1 2012”; most notably recognizing CheetahMail’s customer satisfaction scores and rave client reviews

     

    As reported by Forrester: “We count on high services and customer satisfaction scores from Experian CheetahMail and it did not disappoint. Its large support teams – which are staffed and operated independently of the larger Experian organization – win customer kudos, particularly for their availability, operational expertise, collaboration and practical, proactive advice. Retailers love this firm because of its experience managing promotional emails although it suits any marketer who needs some extra hands on his email program.”

     

    The report continues: “Experian CheetahMail shines on services. Experian CheetahMail, the study’s largest vendor, lands as our third leader because of its well-staffed, capable professional services teams, tenured management, 14-country international footprint, and near-perfect customer satisfaction scores. Rave client reviews of this vendor’s social and data security solutions…”

     

    “I was gladly a reference for Experian CheetahMail for this year’s Forrester Wave and gave them top marks across the board. I’ve worked with a number of email service providers referenced in the report and have never worked with an email services provider who has made as significant of an impact on our business,” remarked Jenn McClain, vice president of online marketing for Chico’s.

     

    “We are truly obsessed with our clients, and it’s always great to receive recognition for the service, expertise and technology we provide them with every day. Our continued global growth; 97 per cent client retention rate; and investment in emerging mobile, social and display technologies are just some of the things that illustrate our dedication to our clients’ success. We were thrilled to not only be recognized for our customer service, but also for our technology. We received the highest scores for ‘Market Presence,’ highlighting the fact that we continue to be the largest email services provider in the world,” said Navin Chandani, Managing Director, Experian Marketing Services inIndia.

     

    The Forrester Wave: Email Marketing Vendors, Q1 2012, evaluated six Email Service Providers (ESPs) based on a variety of 37 weighted criteria, including current offering, strategy and market presence. Ratings also were based on Forrester Research’s opinion of each ESP’s corporate strategy, product road map, vertical strategy and revenue. Technology demonstrations and in-depth interviews with a number of customer references and top executives also were included in the evaluation process.

     

  • Mudra Max has exclusively implemented a high decibel campaign in Mumbai and Delhi through a mix of digital, experiential, on ground and OOH execution

    Volkswagen & Mudra Max go 360 on OOH for Think Blue

    By A Correspondent

     

    Volkswagen is not just a brand but a proud bearer of automotive heritage. ‘Think Blue’ is a philosophy of the brand’s ecological and sustainable activities that has been designed to promote it’s key corporate objective of sustainability and environmental protection.

     

    The current initiative aims at strengthening the brand’s ‘Think blue’ philosophy using the opportunity provided by the Delhi Auto expo.

     

    Mudra Max has exclusively implemented a high decibel campaign in Mumbai and Delhithrough a mix of digital, experiential, on ground and OOH execution. The campaign is based on the international template which tells the story of the Volkswagen brand’s evolution as a responsible brand leveraging the ‘Think Blue’ philosophy.

     

    Mudra Max and Volkswagen installed an exceptional art-piece of the iconic Beetle created wholly out of scrap collected from various Think Blue clean-up drives undertaken by Volkswagen at different locations.

     

    The concept has given life to lifeless objects that have been discarded. The team took 15 days to put together a real-sized Beetle, made entirely of scrap ranging from discarded mother boards, keyboards, disposed machinery parts, mobile phones, cans, plastic bottles, cassettes, wires and other such scrap.

     

    To maximize impact and reach, the Delhi T3 terminal served as the venue to exhibit the Beetle art-piece along with a holistic mix of media elements, ranging from a constant running AV on the Think Blue philosophy and the making of the Beetle, a digital set up which connected the location live to Volkswagen’s micro-site and pages on Facebook, cameramen to capture pictures of passersby and giving them away in custom made ‘Think Blue’ photo jackets as mementos, with promoters engaging people to a classic steel-plated information kiosk on the heritage of Volkswagen and Think blue.

     

    At the same time garbage collection drives were initiated where the trash collected were mounted in cases and put on billboards to spread awareness and to have a more responsible behaviour towards the environment.

     

    Taking the display of the art-piece forward, the Beetle was brought back to Mumbai and is now exhibited at Mahim causeway, one of the most significant junctions in the city catering to high decibel traffic and footfalls all day long.

     

    This would further heighten the impact and buzz created by the art-piece and would create talking points around the brand’s philosophy of Think blue and achieving sustainability while creating something beautiful.

     

    A concept of ‘Fence branding’ preceded the entire ‘Think blue’ activity. A global template campaign of Volkswagen was rolled out worldwide on December 15, 2011. The primary requisite was continuous running space which would complement the ‘story telling’ creative of Volkswagen.

     

    Huge fences at Inorbit mall, Travelators at Delhi T3 airport, Fence branding at the T1 Delhi Airport were taken up. The size of the media was enormous running up to 700 square feet at one go.

     

    In addition, an entire Delhi Metro train was wrapped with the ‘Think Blue’ story to create higher impact and interest. This was coupled with a block-out media presence across significant stations of theDelhi metro & DAME.

     

    Speaking on the execution, Vikas Nowal, Vice President, Mudra Max-OOH on behalf of the Mudra Max team said: “We wanted to ensure that the Volkswagen campaign receives equal prominence in the communication across media. Therefore, the need of the hour was to create disruptive opportunities for the message to hit home. The Earth Hour activity was probably the simplest yet most relevant introduction to the brand’s commitment to taking care of the environment. The Beetle installation is something we are all extremely proud of achieving, and is the best embodiment of the iconic brand, and the worthy cause it champions. We continue to look at how we can help spread the brand’s message to a wider audience.”

     

    Bishwajeet Samal, Head of Marketing Communication at Volkswagen India said: “Our aim was to create buzz and drive home the message of ‘Think Blue. Drive Blue.’ With Out of Home activations like the Beetle art piece constructed purely out of scrap, branding of a Delhi Metro with the ‘Think Blue.’ message, creating the ugliest billboard in New Delhi from garbage collected from cleanliness drives in New Delhi; our outdoor agency effectively positioned Brand Volkswagen as a responsible automobile manufacturer.”

     

     

  • The Senior VP at Google speaks on the controversy around banning objectionable content in an exclusive interview to NDTV

    We Cannot Censor the Web, says Google’s Nikesh Arora

    By A Correspondent

     

    Technology giant Google has finally spoken out on the controversy around banning objectionable content that has led to a legal battle inIndia. In an exclusive interview to NDTV’S Shweta Rajpal Kohli from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Google’s Chief Business Officer Nikesh Arora said: “We cannot censor the web or the ability of people to express themselves”.

     

    He asked if the Indian government understands the enormity of what’s being asked? He said things are being done too hastily for Google’s liking, and any form of censorship will taint the growth of India’s Internet industry.

     

    Mr Arora felt that censoring and pre-clearing everything will taint growth of Internet industry inIndiavis-a-vis rest of the world. He said that Google would welcome more dialogue before people rush to try and take action on what’s not a fully formed idea. “We would like to have a real conversation around these issues. They are not asking to censor the web inIndia; they’re asking us to censor the world wide web,” said Mr Arora. He said that Google is not comfortable being final arbiters of what’s objectionable.

     

    “I used to proud when I used to come toIndiabecause we have a fundamental belief around democracy. Do you want to be part of a country where things don’t move fast, there are no innovations because everything is pre-checked?,” said Mr Arora.

     

    Stating that 60 hours of video are uploaded every minute and such kind of content  impossible to pre-censor. “You cannot say I built the street corner and will be responsible for everyone who stands on the corner and has a conversation, that’s ridiculous,” was Mr Arora’s last word.

     

  • A Comms has tied up with the e-commerce site for a unique campaign across India

    A Comm’s latest TV campaign for snapdeal.com

    By A Correspondent

     

    One of India’s largest network media houses, Aurora Comms (A Comms) has tied up with one of the most popular e-commerce sites, snapdeal.com for their campaign. A Comms, which has been connecting brands to consumers at consumer spend zones, has tied up with the e-commerce site for a unique campaign acrossIndia.

     

    A Comms brought to the Indian market the innovation of streaming communication on multiple LCD panels in electronic stores. It has successfully been running campaigns connecting premium brands with technology climbers. snapdeal.com will be the first brand in e-commerce segment to be displayed in Croma and E-Zone outlets acrossIndia.

     

    A Comms uses multiple television panels in electronic stores to create an experiential zone for the brand. While some brands may use the medium as pure-play display medium, for some it also works as sampling.

     

    In the case of snapdeal.com, which already has a recall among tech-savvy and upwardly mobile audiences, this tie-up will only take it to the premium consumers of the two electronic stores and make them aware of its creative approach for getting the “Best Deals everyday”. That snapdeal.com itself has attractive offers in the same cities where Croma and E-Zone are present, is the X-factor of this tie-up.

     

    Samir Vithlani, Director – Key Accounts, Aurora Comms, said, ‘It is our endeavour to deliver targeted consumers in a contextual manner. Croma and E-Zone attract intellectual consumers; therefore we worked on offering branding and showcasing the deal site across these stores.”

     

    Abhimanyu Rishi, Head Activations, snapdeal.com feels this will help the e-commerce site get a new audience. “The footfalls in electronic stores are always increasing. Our tie-up is a unique attempt to promote snapdeal.com to the smart, upwardly mobile urban citizen. We want to drive home our messages innovatively, not intrusively,” he said.

     

    The Campaign:

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFrkWV-yZ44[/youtube]

    Aurora Comms, popularly known as A Comms, is India’s largest advertising network media house offering branding solutions across various consumer spendzones. The company already has tie ups with over 4000 destinations in about 600 cities inIndia.