MxMIndia

Category: NEWS

  • Lowe Lintas drives new business at a scorching pace

    Lowe aims high

    By A Correspondent

    Lowe Lintas, one of India’s largest and most storied communication groups has won a staggering number of new accounts across the country this year. In just the first 9 months of this year, the agency has signed on 80 new clients; and with three months left to go this year, is hoping to cross the 100 mark for the year. Lowe Lintas has won these businesses across the country – in both metros and non-metros; and in advertising and in specialist communication fields like PR, Healthcare, Rural and Design.

     

    So while wins for Lowe Lintas’ advertising division include names like Suzlon, 3M,Tata Interactive, Birla Ultratech, Videocon D2H, GE Healthcare, UIDAI, Muthoot Pappachan Group and Expedia; its specialist PR division, LinOpinion’s wins include businesses like Tourism Victoria, Starwood Hotels & Resorts,  Samsonite and Times Now.  Lowe Lintas’ specialist Healthcare division, LinHealth’s wins include Cadila Pharmaceuticals, Bayer Pharmaceuticals and Sun Pharma; its specialist Rural Communications division, LinTerland has been signed on by Johnson & Johnson and Nokia.

     

    Speaking on this performance, Mr Joseph George, CEO, Lowe Lintas India said, “I personally believe that the tremendous equity that Lowe Lintas enjoys is under leveraged. Which is why, we set ourselves an aggressive growth target for 2011 and simultaneously went about putting in place an “enabling eco system”. I am happy to say that the first three quarters have been spot on plan; with every win making everyone across levels and functions hungrier the subsequent quarter. What is equally gratifying is that we have been able to win businesses across not just diverse categories, but also across all our offerings – Lowe, LinOpinion, LinHealth, LinTerland, LinProductions, LinTeractive and dCell.”

  • With a booming retail market and over 100 million internet users in the country, e-commerce is likely to enter a high growth phase in coming years.

    Travel industry to lead e-commerce trade in India

    By A Correspondent

    With a booming retail market and over 100 million internet users in the country, e-commerce is likely to enter a high growth phase in coming years, economic advisor at the Department of Information Technology Mr BN Satpathy has said.

    Travel will continue lead the online trade of goods and services in India and globally as new business models emerge in e-commerce space, he said while addressing delegates at a conference organised by The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham).

    Mr Satpathy said the government is working on a new Information Technology Policy which will propel the growth of low-cost, internet-enabled and hand-held devices. He asked business chambers like Assocham to be an interface so that industry data gathering and dissemination can be made online.

    Chamber secretary general Mr DS Rawat said the market size of e-commerce industry is expected to be Rs 46,520 crore by December 2011 with 81 per cent travel transactions and 6 per cent product purchases.

    “India is poised to be one of the top e-commerce hubs in the near future as number of internet users boom. This will bring in a new revolution in retail industry,” he said, adding that the size of e-commerce globally is about 700 billion dollars.

    Accelerated innovations have expanded the online retail market to $241 billion in Europe, $176 billion in the United States, $76.4 billion in China and $10.3 billion in India.

    The Indian retail industry is currently estimated at $520 billion and e-commerce is a sub-set of it. With high GDP growth rate figures, young population with a median age of 25 years, large and relatively insulated rural tracts coupled with people’s hunger for achievement, the country is projected to witness maximum growth coming from tier II and tier III cities.

    At present, small towns contribute 40 percent of all e-commerce transactions due to increasing broadband penetration. Industry experts say the numbers of people who have ever used internet and personal computer literates have increased to 88 million and 119 million respectively.

    India has the second fastest growing travel market globally which is estimated at $42 billion. Of this, the online travel market is expected to grow from $2.9 billion in 2008 to $7 billion by next year.

    Others who spoke during the conference were Mr Balendu Srivastava, group business director of e-Tech Group at IMRB International, Mr Kashyap Vadapalli, director of Category Management at eBay India, Mr Dhruv Shringi, co-founder and CEO of yatra.com, Mr Harish Bijoor, CEO of Harish Bijoor Consults Inc and Mr Bikky Khosla, CEO of tradeindia.com.

  • Entrepreneur Guru Mantra lecture series’ second edition in Mumbai with Phaneesh Murthy.

    2nd Guru Mantra with Phaneesh Murthy

    By A Correspondent

    Entrepreneur magazine in association with Client Associates is presenting the second edition of its Guru Mantra lecture series with Phaneesh Murthy, CEO of iGate Patni, better known as the man who built a US$1 billion empire in just seven years.

    An alumnus of the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad and Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Murthy began his journey in 1992 as a part of Infosys. His contribution to Infosys has been widely regarded as one of the major reasons why Infosys became the IT giant that represented the booming Indian economy along with other luminaries. Since his exit from Infosys in 2002, Murthy has served first as the founder of US-based consulting firm Primentor and then as the co-founder of Quintant Services in 2003.

    The latter was acquired by iGate in 2003, bringing Mr Murthy to the top of a major IT giant once again. At iGate, Mr Murthy has helped to improve the company’s performance by bringing in a new management team, changing the firm’s business models, putting emphasis on higher offshore revenue contribution, increasing resource utilization, amongst other measures.

    Mr Murthy also spearheaded iGate’s acquisition of Patni Computers, the sixth largest IT company in India for US$1.22 billion, creating an IT behemoth that employs a talent pool of 26000 people to deliver solutions to 360 Fortune 1000 clients across the Americas, Europe- Middle East-Africa, and Asia-Pacific.

    Mr Murthy will be talking to a select gathering of established entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and corporate executives at the ITC Grand Central, Parel on October 18, 2011 at 7.30 pm. The talk will be followed by an interactive Q&A session on the Indian entrepreneurial ecosystem with the audience, where Murthy will discuss his trials and tribulations as an entrepreneur and what it takes to succeed in the modern economy.

    Registration for the event is at entrepreneurindia.in/gurumantra.

    MxM Media will help to take the event to the relevant online community as the Online Media partner.

    Organized by Entrepreneur magazine, Guru Mantra is a lecture series that celebrates the spirit of entrepreneurship, organized at premium venues across different cities. Every session has a successful entrepreneur as the guest mento who shares his or her entrepreneurial journey with the attendees, followed by a Q&A session where the attendees get a chance to ask questions specific to their business.

  • Sony Entertainment Television launches music video of ‘Kuch Toh Log Kahenge’

    Sony serial’s title track goes the music video way

    By A Correspondent

    ‘Saiyyan Naino Ki Bhasha Samjhe Na’, the title track of Kuch Toh Log Kahenge, has become a rage right from the moment the promos of Kuch Toh Log Kahenge went on air. After the huge success of the title track, Sony Entertainment Television has launched a music video, which captures the magical chemistry between the lead couple Mohnish Behl playing Dr Ashutosh and Kritika Kamra playing young Dr Nidhi Verma.

    The excellent music, background score and the approach towards the title track of the show brings alive the theme of delicate and fine romance that will be budding between the lead protagonists. The enchanting video has been directed by Sony Entertainment Television’s on air promotion team and the music has been rendered by Mr Abhishek Arora. Singer Ms Sukanya Purkayastha of who rose to fame with ‘Kaisi Hai Yeh Udaasi’ from Kartik calling Kartik has lent her voice for the title track. The creative team at Leo Burnett, who have created the advertising campaign for the show and filmmaker Mr Gajaraj Rao, have created the lyrics of the song.

    Mr Danish Khan, Senior VP Marketing, Sony Entertainment Television said, “Since the time, the promos have hit the air, we have witnessed the rising amount of popularity of the title song amongst the viewers. Seeing the popularity of the song we decided to shoot the music video which has been created keeping in mind two important elements of the show – love and hesitation. With Kuch Toh Log Kahenge, we are hopeful to bring good old romance back on Indian television.”

    Kuch Toh Log Kahenge is a story of a budding love relationship between two doctors from diverse generations. Ashutosh (Mohnish Behl), a 38-year-old surgeon is married to his duty and is a disciplinarian, while Nidhi Verma (Kritika Kamra) is a 24-year-old carefree, jovial, MBBS graduate. The show is a striking portrayal of how both grow into a strong liking towards each other, eventually falling in love but are unable to express their feelings to each other due to the age gap.

    Kuch To Log Kahenge is aired every Monday to Friday at 8 pm on Sony Entertainment Television.

  • Skoda Rapid makes its global debut on NDTV’s award-winning The Car & Bike Show

    Skoda Rapid debuts on NDTV show

    NDTV’s long-running automobile-based programme The Car and Bike Show has completed 400 episodes, and eight years on air. To celebrate this India-first milestone, NDTV will broadcast the show’s first-ever studio-based format programming. Considering the show as the right platform to debut its new car, Skoda unveiled the Rapid on the sets of the show.

    The special two-part series will be aired on Saturday, October 15 at 1.30pm and Sunday, October 16 at 7pm on NDTV Profit.

    Hosted by Mr Siddharth Vinayak Patankar, NDTV The Car & Bike Show is one of India’s most awarded automobile programmes. It has been the most watched show in its genre and has held pioneer status since inception. Mr Patankar, Editor-Auto, NDTV, said, “We began in October 2003, with the intention of presenting the best from the world of automobiles to our viewers – and I mean the whole world. I am happy that the original intent remains intact, and we have been able to build on that foundation to challenge our own boundaries and continue to excite our faithful audience.”

    Mr Anand Mahindra, VC & MD, Mahindra & Mahindra said “I am partial to Siddharth and the show, given our old association but even objectively speaking I think Siddharth and the NDTV team have done an outstanding job. I think the fact that its covered in all the channels on NDTV network makes its reach very wide and therefore it has a tremendous impact on car lovers throughout the country.”

    Mr Thomas Kuehl, Board Member-Sales & Marketing, Skoda Auto India said, “We are launching the next big leap for Skoda this year. It is our new C Segment car, and we thought it would be a good idea to exclusively debut it on NDTV Car and Bike Show. This in a way is our birthday gift for the great show. It will be the all new Skoda Rapid. It is the most accessible limousine in the Skoda world now. We are starting with the compact limousine first. So the first market for Skoda worldwide is India to launch the first compact limousine.”

    Skoda also announced new base variants of its Yeti and Superb on the show.

  • Though magazines worldwide have been going through a rough patch, this IRS shows an increase in magazine readership, both Hindi and English, over the last quarter.

    Magazine readership looking up

    By A Correspondent

    Magazines have been witnessing a bit of rough weather of late. It is not an Indian phenomenon but is being witnessed worldwide. However, this IRS Q2, 2011 shows an increase in readership of both Hindi and English magazines as compared to Q1, 2011. Here is a quick look at AIR for the same:

    Readership in this duration has increased for Kannada and Telugu publications also. For Assamese, Gujarati and Marathi it has gone down – while for other languages the response is mixed.

    Keeping the focus on English and Hindi magazines for the purpose of this article, is it safe to assume that this IRS marks the revival of magazines? Says Anita Nayyar, CEO – Havas Media, India & South Asia, “This IRS certainly indicates better health for magazines but not necessarily revival.”

    Rajni Menon, Associate Vice President, Carat Media India, too believes that it is not really the revival of magazines and mentions two reasons for marginal upward trend for the magazines. She said, “The Week and Business World have been actively working towards increasing readership and it has had an impact in the market. Secondly, new magazines which were not captured in IRS earlier, eg 2010 Q2 IRS did not cover the following magazines – Outlook Profit, Economist, People, Life Positive. The biggies like India Today, Outlook have seen only marginal shifts only.”

    However the experts believe that there is definite scope of growth in niche and special interest publications, which have shown an upward trend. Ms Nayyar said, “Niche magazines are doing better than mass magazines.” Ms Menon endorsed this, “There has been growth in numbers for niche magazines : India Today Travel Plus, Good Housekeeping, Femina WTW, so that could show an indicative trend along with the fact that one does see more new magazines on the stands every few months. Travel, Women, Lifestyle. “

    However, a major issue faced by media planners and buyers is that a number of niche magazines are not tracked in IRS. As per Ms Menon, “We still can’t make a definite decision on magazines because there are so many in the market which are not covered by IRS. Mainline magazines like Open and Tehelka are yet to be covered, so seeing new niche magazine get covered is a long shot.

    Ms Nayyar too stated that niche and special interest publications are set to grow, but most niche magazines are not tracked.

     

  • Star Movies fans can get a chance to watch Hollywood titles a day before the official release.

    Star’s Hollywood Blockbusters aims to thrill

    By A Correspondent

    Star Movies, India’s leading English movie channel, presents Star Movies Hollywood Premieres; an initiative that brings exclusive screenings of Hollywood titles for their fans a day prior to their official theatrical release by leveraging the strength of their studio tie-ups.

    To be a part of this experience viewer will have to participate in a simple contest and answer questions that will be broadcasted on Star Movies and their India Facebook fan page. Lucky viewers will get a chance to attend the exclusive premier screening of the latest upcoming movie titles by Star Movies Hollywood Premieres. Star Movies kickstarts the initiative with its inaugural movie premiere of The Three Musketeers on October 14 at select theaters in Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and Kolkata.

    The channel also holds the exclusive rights to premiere other Hollywood biggies like ‘In Time’, ‘Twilight Saga- Breaking Dawn’ and ‘The Darkest Hour among others.

  • India’s biggest Business Reality Show The Pitch is back, as BloombergUTV invites entrepreneurs to enter Season 2, with the potential to get funding up to Rs 5 crore.

    The Pitch returns to Indian TV

    By A Correspondent

    BloombergUTV, India’s premier business channel, today announced Season 2.0 of The Pitch – India’s Biggest Business Reality Show. The channel is inviting potential entrepreneurs with sound business ideas to send in their entries through www.yourmoneysite.com/thepitch. Surviving a gruelling series of tasks given by India’s biggest business leaders, the winner stands to receive a funding up to Rs 5 crore to execute their business plan.

    The Pitch aims to identify, evaluate and encourage potential entrepreneurs who not only have the most deserving business ideas, but also possess the critical skills required to execute those ideas successfully. Following the nationwide call-for-entries, a jury comprising of highly renowned professionals will shortlist the participants who will be called to make their elevator pitches in Mumbai. The jury and angel investors will closely evaluate these shortlisted aspirants not only on the merit of their business pitches, but also on their individual brilliance and identify the finalists who will appear on Season 2 of The Pitch.

    Mr Deepak Lamba, Business Head, BloombergUTV said, “Through this show, BloombergUTV continues to strengthen its commitment to enrich the business news viewing experience. We encourage the spirit of entrepreneurship in the country and the response to Season 1 of The Pitch goes to prove that there is no dearth of ideas in the country. We will not only identify the next big business idea but also the most deserving entrepreneur who has the right balance of all the necessary elements required to succeed out there.”

    To enhance the experience of The Pitch, BloombergUTV has established strategic partnerships, each adding a distinct value to the proposition. The Centre for Innovation, Incubation and Entrepreneurship (CIIE) at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A); The National Entrepreneurship Network (NEN), LinkedIn are among several organizations and communities who have joined this unique platform to promote entrepreneurship in the country.

    This season of The Pitch is presented by Samsung Electronics and will see participants benefiting from the multiple features and utilities of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 750, from using the wireless keyboard to prepare for their documents to presenting directly from their tabs and of course receiving their tasks.

    Aspirants can send in their entries through www.yourmoneysite.com/thepitch or SMS PITCH to 59995 | ZipDial 022 33010050 for more information. The Pitch is scheduled to air exclusively on BloombergUTV from November 2011.

  • R K Swamy BBDO wins mandate from Manipal Hospitals

    Manipal mandate for RK Swamy

    By A Correspondent

    R K Swamy BBDO has won a three-year mandate to handle Corporate Communications for Manipal Health Enterprises (MHE), the company behind one of the largest tertiary care hospital chains in India.  The two month long pitch process included Ogilvy and Mudra besides others.

    Mr V V Vijaygopal, President (South), R K Swamy BBDO, said, “We are very pleased to work with one of the leaders in healthcare and healthcare management. Our task will be to enhance the leadership position the client has – through creative innovation and strategy.”

    R K Swamy BBDO is part of R K Swamy Hansa, a leading Marketing Communications and Services Group, serving over 150 companies in India and the USA. With 1200+ professionals, the Group offers Creative and Media services, Market Research, Direct/CRM & Advanced Analytics, Events and Activation, Healthcare Communication, PR, Social & Rural Communication and more.

  • Digital News Show (DNS) will take place in December and will exhibit digital products by media groups, as well as technology solutions within the digital journalism realm.

    Rio to host first digital journalism fair

    By A Correspondent

    The first exhibition dedicated to showcase digital journalism related products and solutions will take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in December. Digital News Show (DNS) will be attended by an audience of students, news executives, online media professionals and people interested in new media.

    Stands of media groups – as well solution development companies for the digital journalism industry – will take part in the event to display the latest innovations in this environment. Augmented reality, mobile applications, interactive infographics, QR codes, digital editions and publishing systems are some of the attractions that will be exhibited at the fair.

    In the two-day event, visitors will have the opportunity to interact with the technologies shown by exhibitors, and to purchase gadgets like tablet computers, smartphones, e-readers and digital cameras at attractive prices. Digital News Show will also realize discussion panels with online journalism related topics, such as ‘Interactive Infographics and Data Journalism’, ‘Investigative Journalism in the Digital Age’, ‘Newsgames’ and ‘News Content for Smartphones and Tablets’.

    Digital News Show is a production by Jornalistas da Web, an 11-year-old Brazilian website that covers the relationship between journalism and new media. The event will take place on December 10 and 11, at the SulAmérica Convention Center, in downtown Rio de Janeiro. The stands can be booked by exhibitors now. Tickets go on sale soon at www.digitalnewsshow.com.

  • UTV Stars and People present ‘The Mercedes Benz Best Dressed Show 2011’.

    UTV Stars to do catwalk show with People

    By A Correspondent

    After a successful launch, UTV Stars – The Official Channel of Bollywood has announced its partnership with People magazine for ‘The Best Dressed Show 2011’.

    The event will see an exclusive fashion show by ace designer Manish Malhotra. Walking the ramp as the showstopper will be actress Priyanka Chopra, who will also feature on the cover of the annual issue of People magazine, featuring the Best Dressed People of the year. The event is sponsored by Mercedes-Benz, World Gold Council, Teachers Origin, Schwarzkopf, Vero Moda and Jack&Jones. This association marks the beginning of a long-term partnership with People for more such on-ground initiatives.

    Commenting on the association, Mr Nikhil Gandhi, Business Head, UTV Stars said, “UTV Stars has been able to etch a strong mark in the Bollywood, lifestyle and fashion space in a very short time. It has an urban upmarket appeal  and we have already tied up with like minded partners to make the 360 degree experience more holistic and true to the brand. I am happy to announce this association of UTV Stars with People magazine for the Best Dressed Show as out first such initiative among many others planned in the coming year”.

    Now in its third year, the India edition of People magazine is one of the fastest growing magazines across genres. Says Mr Indranil Roy, President, Outlook Group, “People magazine’s internationally acclaimed titles like Best Dressed, Sexiest Man Alive, Most Beautiful are getting very popular among celebrities and with readers in India. The ‘Mercedes Benz Best Dressed Show’ is our endeavour to popularize these titles further. We’re glad to partner with UTV Stars and amplify this property on national television.”

    UTV Stars now plans to extend its 360-degree presence with many such associations and prominent on ground properties. The brand has already initiated Advertiser Funded Properties, providing advertisers customized solutions and communication packages on air, on ground, on mobile, web, digital etc.

  • Banerjee joins Rediffusion Y&R, Mumbai as Planning Head

    Prithviraj Banerjee joins Rediffusion Y&R

    By A Correspondent

    Rediffusion Y&R, Mumbai has ramped up its Planning team with the appointment of Mr Prithviraj Banerjee as one of its vertical heads for Planning.  He will report into Gautam Talwar, Chief Strategy Officer, Rediffusion Y&R.

    Mr Banerjee comes from BBH London where he was the lead on Vodafone VIP, Vodafone Enterprise Business unit and Kronenbourg beer.  Prior to BBH-London, he was with BBH-India and Leo Burnett.

    Mr Banerjee has worked on Vaseline (full portfolio), Lakme Beauty Salons, World Gold Council, Etisalat, Globalcom, Reliance Mobile, Asia Pacific Breweries and BIG TV.  In addition he has worked on several successful pitches.

    He has a Master’s degree in International Marketing from Leeds University, and his passions include travelling, photography and single malt whisky.

    Mr Gautam Talwar, Chief Strategy Officer, Rediffusion Y&R said, “Prithvi brings to the table an interesting mix of passion and experience. He also has the advantage of having worked on both Indian and global brands and we believe that he will be able to add key strategic insights into all brands and businesses that he works on. The team is excited to have him on board on some of the key brands in the Mumbai office.”

    Mr Banerjee said, “I am extremely excited to be a part of an organization that displays such high levels of passion and talent through every single employee. From day one, I have been greeted with great conversations and points of view that are truly evolved. I am honored to be a part of the team, and am looking forward to adding to the already-powerful strategic skills of the agency.”