MxMIndia

Category: NEWS

  • Infosys and WPP firm Fabric have unveiled a first-of-its-kind cloud-based platform for simplifying digital marketing

    Infosys & WPP’s Fabric unveil cloud-based platform for digital marketing

    By A Correspondent

     

    Infosys, leading consulting, outsourcing and technology company, and WPP unveiled Infosys Brandedge in partnership with Fabric, a WPP company. This first-of-its-kind comprehensive cloud-based offering simplifies digital marketing by bringing together integrated marketing and technology expertise on a single unified platform. It transforms the full spectrum of digital marketing activities including creation and management of digital properties, data management, coordination with multiple partners, and campaign execution

     

    The platform was launched by S D Shibulal, Chief executive Officer and Managing Director, Infosys and Sir Martin Sorrell, Chief executive Officer, WPP at the newly inaugurated Infosys experience Center in London.

     

    Infosys Brandedge, in partnership with Fabric, a WPP company, is designed to provide a single, flexible solution for large-scale organizations to simplify this complexity, a communique added.

     

  • Promart will offer its customers an additional 10 per cent discount on purchases of Rs2,500 and above by members who log in to Snapdeal.com and pay Rs30 for this special deal

    Promart Retail ties up with Snapdeal.com

    By Sagar Malviya

     

    Promart Retail announced a strategic tie-up with e-commerce company, Snapdeal.com, to bring offers and shopping experience for consumers. Promart is a value format retail chain that offers discounts all year round.

     

    Promart will offer its customers an additional 10 per cent discount on purchases of Rs2,500 and above by members who log in to Snapdeal.com and pay Rs30 for this special deal. Those who pay this small fee will receive a unique code by SMS. When this code is shown at Promart stores, an additional 10 per cent discount would be extended.

     

    Ashish Garg, Managing Director (MD), Promart said, “Snapdeal has a great presence in India and consumers can look forward to new promotions and packages with attractive offers. Promart already gives consumers an opportunity to buy the latest merchandise at 20-60 per cent discount. Now, with this partnership, they can enjoy sweeter deals and even better discounts.”

     

    The offer will be available at all Promart stores in Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Rajkot and Mumbai till June. Kunal Bahl, founder and CEO, Snapdeal.com, said: “Contribution from Tier-II and Tier-III cities is growing tremendously, and this partnership with Promart will help us in delivering great value to our customers in these cities, given their strong presence.”

     

    Launched by Provogue India, the chain was taken over by Apple Group of Companies and VEMB Lifestyle Pvt. Ltd in 2011. As part of the takeover, Apple Group and VEMB got control of the brand’s assets and intellectual property.

     

    Source: The Economic Times

    Copyright © 2012, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved

     

  • Veteran mediaperson and Star CJ CEO Paritosh Joshi has put in his papers. He proposes to turn entrepreneur, he told MxMIndia confirming the news.

    Paritosh Joshi turns entrepreneur, quits Star CJ

    [updated]

    By A Correspondent

     

    Veteran mediaperson and Star CJ CEO Paritosh Joshi has moved on. He proposes to turn entrepreneur, he told MxMIndia confirming the news. Mr Joshi’s last day at the homeshopping channel was Tuesday (April 23).

     

    Mr Joshi was with Star India since August 2008. After graduating from IIM, Ahmedabad in 1985, Joshi joined Procter & Gamble (then Richardson Hindustan Limited). Since then, his career has spanned FMCG, B2B services, newspapers, industrial perfumery, international trade and of course television. In recent years, Joshi was also overseeing strategic diversifications for Star into a few new business sectors.

     

    Mr Joshi who was with Star CJ since March 2009, is also Mentor at MentorEdge (mentoredge.com) since two years and Member of the Board of Governors of the Media Research Users Council (MRUC). He heads the IRS technical committee at the MRUC. He is also Director, Indian Broadcasting Foundation and was actively associated with the BARC announcement recently.

     

    Meanwhile, Star CJ hasn’t announced who will take Mr Joshi’s position. A Board meeting is scheduled to be taking place later this week and a decision may be announced post that.

    Mr Joshi is likely to continue in his roles with the MRUC and IBF (for BARC).

     

  • Many now prefer young, unknown faces in their campaigns

    Brands like Mountain Dew, Airtel, ITC and others bypass celebrities for their campaigns

    By Sagar Malviya & Ratna Bhushan

     

    PepsiCo ended its association with top Bollywood actor Salman Khan to promote its lemon drink Mountain Dew on Tuesday.

     

    Its decision to part ways with the hottest star of the moment may have surprised some observers, but the beverages maker is the latest in a growing club of marketers becoming selective about using celebrities in their campaigns.

     

    Top telecom services provider Bharti Airtel, mobile phone and durables maker Samsung, leading retailer Future Group, watch firm Titan and hotels-to-consumer goods firm ITC have all either ended associations with celebrities or are using them for lesser number of commercials. Many now prefer young, unknown faces in their campaigns.

     

    “In some categories, youth are taking the lead as celebrities are not an embodiment for segments, especially technology, etc,” said Santosh Desai, CEO at  Future Brands.

     

    Last week, Future Group launched a campaign for Big Bazaar’s apparel business without cricketer MS Dhoni or Bollywood actress Asin who have been the supermarket’s brand ambassadors till recently. “While Dhoni and Asin worked well for us in the last two years, we didn’t renew their contract as we thought having regular faces could connect with today’s generation,” said Parwan Sardah, chief marketing officer of Future Group.

     

    Youngsters of below 25 years account for more than 54 per cent of the consumer base in India. The retailer, which is negotiating several divestment and fund-raising deals to pare debt of almost Rs7,800 crore, said its high debt has nothing to do with ending celebrity associations and that the company has spent more than Rs30 crore on the new Big Bazaar campaign.

     

    Titan too has ended its deal with actress Genelia D’Souza for its Fastrack brand. “Genelia’s contract expired last month and we mutually decided not to renew it as after marriage, it would be difficult in relating to college going kids,” said Ronnie Talati, VP and business head of Fastrack & new brands at Titan.

     

    “Even in case of Virat Kohli, we are rethinking as he has been busy with his cricket schedules but still haven’t decided anything yet,” he said.

     

    Overall, however, celebrity endorsements are on the rise. But when it comes to attracting younger generation, many companies now prefer campaigns without their big-ticket ambassadors.

     

    A case in point is Samsung, which uses Aamir Khan in campaigns for its Hero series of mobile phones, but not for Galaxy series. “The usage of the celebrity depends on the key message and the creative route that is used for a particular product,” Samsung CMO Rahul Saighal said. “In the case of the youth-oriented Galaxy series, we are focusing on the use of smartphone and the need to get ‘smart’. So we are using young models.”

     

    ITC, which has Sachin Tendulkar as brand ambassador, uses the master batsman only for a few variants of Sunfeast biscuits, which has close to 20 sub-brands. “Naturally, different sub-brands require different types of advertising,” said VL Rajesh, ITC’s foods division GM (marketing). ITC is using Sachin for Dream Cream and Milky Magic brands.

     

    Source: The Economic Times

    Copyright © 2012, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved

     

  • Every Thursday, Ranjona Banerji will write about a grouse. Either spewing venom or tongue-in-cheek

    [MJR] 40 is new 60 in media

    By Ranjona Banerji

     

    Every day when I look in the mirror I know that 50 is getting closer. I do not grudge or regret my advancing years – I’ve enjoyed most of those that have gone by. It’s only when I open a newspaper that I get really sad about my age. Given that no one above the age of 40 can get a job in the media any more, the 13-year-olds who work in newspapers have decided that anyone above the age of 40 is doddering and on the brink of senile dementia.

     

    Cross 40 and you can be called a senior citizen, elderly, aged and any other such ageist term that you can think of. To actually avail of senior citizen benefits in India, you have to be between the ages of 60 and 65, so that particular descriptive has some technical connotations. But try explaining those to a 13-year-old who heads a news desk.

     

    Thanks to newspapers, the general public also get influenced. Mid-Day did a very good story earlier this week on how children were arrested for playing cricket in Vashi. The police said that a “senior citizen” had complained and that is why they took action. The senior citizen was 40. That is, at least 20 years before she can get a discount on a railway ticket. Good to know, I suppose, that age still commands respect.

     

    Wednesday’s Times of India tells us that two senior citizens and another person killed themselves. The first person was 71, the second was 34 and the third was 66. You feel for the 34-year-old – had he waited six years, he would have been a senior citizen too. When senior citizens kill themselves, by the way, they are usually depressed. I am guessing from reading newspapers.

     

    Oddly, these same newspapers will run stories about how 60 is the new 30 and 40 is the new 11. Clearly, the nine-year-olds who edit these feature sections are too young to read the rest of the newspaper, so have no clue what their classmates, sorry colleagues, are up to.

     

    Ah well, another day another grey hair.

     

  • Appoints Vikas Gulati as Vice President – Business Development for the region

    Vserv.mobi Strengthens South East Asia Focus

    By A Correspondent

     

    Vserv.mobi, a leading global mobile advertising network with a strong focus on emerging markets, on Tuesday announced the appointment of Vikas Gulati as Vice President – Business Development forSouth East Asia. Based inSingapore, Vikas will spearhead the company’s growth in this region.

     

    Vikas Gulati, a media and marketing industry veteran, has had a long and successful career track record of over 14 years. Earlier, Mr Gulati was Vice President – Marketing and Business Development, Asia at Sprice.com, a leading online travel network (now a part of Travelport). He was instrumental in raising Sprice’s revenues and company profile in Asia Pacific through business development, partnerships and marketing programs. He has also held various leadership roles at ZenithOptimedia and CaratIndiaamongst other companies.

     

    Commenting on the new development, Mr. Dippak Khurana, Co-Founder and CEO of Vserv.mobi, said: “Expanding our operations in the burgeoning mobile market ofSouth East Asia is a key phase of our growth strategy. Vikas’ solid experience and customer relationships in this region will help us leverage newer opportunities and strengthen our goal of being the #1 mobile ad network in emerging markets.”

     

    Speaking on his appointment, Vikas Gulati, Vice President – Business Development, Vserv.mobi said: “Over the last two years, Vserv.mobi has grown to be an admirable company in the segment, and I am excited to join them at this opportune time. Given the growth momentum the company is witnessing, I look forward to being part of the success story. With our differentiating proposition in the marketplace, we are attractively poised to capitalise on this growing demand of the mobile medium amongst developers, publishers and advertisers inSouth East Asia.”

     

    Vserv.mobi is a leading global mobile ad network with strong presence in emerging markets. Vserv’s pioneering technology AppWrapperTM powers ad-monetisation for 10000+ Apps. Vserv is the only Ad Network with App media across feature phones, smart phones and tablets, thus providing advertisers reach and engagement.

     

  • For TBWA, the win comes on the back of a multi-agency pitch that was held in Mumbai

    TBWA\India wins creative mandate for Peninsula Land

    By A Correspondent

     

    Peninsula Land Limited, a leading real estate company inIndiahas appointed TBWA\India (www.tbwaindia.com) as its creative partner.

     

    Rated among the top 100 companies in India by ET, the Peninsula Land Limited is a part of the Ashok Piramal Group, a leading business conglomerate with diversified business interests in textiles, real estate, engineering, family entertainment and sports.

     

    For TBWA, the win comes on the back of a multi-agency pitch that was held in Mumbai. The pitch saw the participation of several of the country’s leading agencies. The Mumbai office of TBWA will handle the business.

     

    Confirming the win, Mr. Rajesh Jaggi, Managing Director Peninsula Land Limited said: “We are happy to have TBWA as our lead agency. They bring a unique dimension to creativity by using the Disruption thought process. The PLL brand has always been very distinct in the market place and our association with TBWA will further go in positioning our brand.”

     

    Nirmalya Sen, Managing Director of TBWA\India, commented: “Peninsula is a story waiting to be told; a story of long years of commitment to ethics and high quality. We are delighted to have been chosen as Peninsula’s lead agency. There are few categories as steeped in communication conventions as the real estate category. Disrupting them is a challenge we are looking forward to.”

     

    This is TBWA\India’s fourth win on the trot. Over the last few weeks, the agency has won business from Sify, JG Hosiery and Jyothy Laboratories.

     

    TBWA Worldwide creates Disruptive ideas expressed through Media Arts for global clients. TBWA is ranked as a Top-Ten worldwide advertising agency, and was recognized by Advertising Age in 2010 as the “Best International Network of the Decade”.

     

    TBWA is part of Omnicom Group Inc, a leading global marketing and corporate communications company. Omnicom’s branded networks and numerous specialty firms provide advertising, strategic media planning and buying, digital and interactive marketing, direct and promotional marketing, public relations and other specialty communications services to over 5,000 clients in more than 100 countries.

     

  • As part of its aggressive growth strategy, India TV also announced several key appointments, many of them coming from TV Today.

    TV Today’s Gulab Makhija joins India TV as CFO

    By A Correspondent

     

    India TV announced the appointment of Gulab Makhija as its Chief Financial Officer. Mr Makhija will be responsible for financial Management and Control Systems in the company’s growth plan. Prior to joining India TV, Mr Makhija served as CFO at TV Today Network where he was instrumental in cost optimization across the network.

     

    As part of its aggressive growth strategy, India TV also announced several key appointments, many of them, as the company’s communique admits, coming from TV Today.

     

    Shubhra Manasi, joining from TV Today, will look after Strategic Planning and Research functions for the company as DGM. Pradeep Khatri has joined as Chief Manager Marketing. He also comes from TV Today and will be responsible for marketing communication, sales support & sponsorship marketing functions.

     

    But there are others who are not from the TV Today stable who’ve also joined the channel: Rohit Lal has been appointed Vice President Programming.  Mr Lal comes with vast experience of programming for Zee, IBN and Star. Prashant Sharda, who was with Nokia, joins as Vice President, Digital Media to look after mobile, 3G, and streaming and India TV’s website, while working towards digital convergence for the company.

     

    India TV MD & CEO Ritu Dhawan said: “We are happy to induct new team leaders and expect that their proven track records will add strength to the existing strong team. We together look forward to further consolidate our leadership position in the Hindi news genre and set new benchmarks in the domain.”

     

    On his appointment as CFO, Gulab Makhija said: “I look forward to a great opportunity and exciting times with India TV, a company that is all set to take the leap to the  next level of success.”

     

  • MSLGROUP is Publicis Groupe's flagship strategic communications and engagement company and the largest public relations and social media network in Greater China and India.

    MSL Asia ranks 3rd in M&A leage

    By A Correspondent

     

    Publicis Groupe’s financial communications consultancies in Asia – operating as part of the MSLGROUP network – have been ranked third by volume for Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) deals, according to mergermarket, a leading M&A intelligence service in the ‘mergermarket League Tables of PR Advisers’ for Q1 2012.

     

    MSLGROUP is Publicis Groupe’s flagship strategic communications and engagement company and the largest public relations and social media network in Greater China and India.

     

    The mergermarket study analyzed the Q1 performance (January to March 2012) of PR advisors in Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) deals and placed Publicis Groupe’s financial communications consultancies third in terms of number of deals and eighth in terms of collective deal value ($978 million) within Asia Pacific. This represents a jump in ranking from 49th to eighth by value and from the 19th to third by volume.

     

    In Asia Pacific, the mergermarket report has considered four deals advised by Publicis Groupe’s financial communications consultancies – three by Hanmer MSL and one by MSL China.

     

    mergermarket based its ratings on deal values – considering only those over $5million – and number of deals struck. The ‘mergermarket League Tables of PR Advisers’ Q1 2012 is part of the ‘mergermarket’ report that not only evaluates and analyses M&A transactions all over the world on a quarterly and annual basis; but also the performance of PR advisors who act as strategic counsel.

     

    Commenting on the achievement, Jaideep Shergill, Chief Executive Officer of Hanmer MSL, India said: “The global economy has been witnessing consolidation across industries, much of it in the form of mergers and acquisitions. We sense immense opportunities in the M&A space for our finance practices inAsia, especially at a time when many European, American and even Asian firms are looking for quality acquisitions in the region.”

     

    Hanmer MSL India managed M&A communications for leading Indian business groups including Piramal Healthcare (acquisition of 5.5 per cent stake in Vodafone India by Piramal Healthcare), Network 18 Group (acquisition of 100 per cent stake in Eenadu Group by Network 18) and Binani Industries (acquisition of 100 per cent stake in 3B – The Fibreglass Company by Binani Industries).

     

    MSL China advised and managed communications for the Neiman Marcus Group on the US based company’s merger with Glamour Sales Holding, an online retail company, inChina.

     

  • In his new role, he will be responsible for aligning and strengthening the firm's operations

    Dipankar Chakraborty is COO at Kettle Communications

    By A Correspondent

     

    Kettle Communications, an integrated communication consultancy, announced the appointment of Dipankar Chakraborty as their Chief Operating Officer. In his new role, he will be responsible for aligning and strengthening the firm’s operations. His mandate with Kettle Communications include Strategy Development, New Business Initiatives, Team Development and Management pan India, for all verticals: Main Line Advertising, Below the Line campaigns (Events & Activations), Retail Management, Exposition Management, Digital and MICE.

     

    As a business lead, he will be responsible for the formation of full service teams in all metros of India (Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kolkata).
    Dipankar has over 14 years of experience, which includes leading several corporate and brand reputation programs. “We are delighted that Dipankar has joined our new team as we plan to touch new horizons and increase and establish our foothold in the industry,” said Mr. Aatanu Chakraborty, MD & CEO of Kettle Communications.

     

    Prior to joining Kettle Communications, Mr Chakraborty was with HansaVision, (A part of RK Swamy BBDO group) as National Head – Events and was instrumental in leading campaigns for Samsung, Yahoo, Nestle, LG, Micromax to name a few, where he was responsible for the growth and profitability of the organization.

     

    Mr Chakraborty, in the past, has been associated with prestigious national and international events like, IIFA Awards, London School of Economics Asia Forum, World Mobile Congress Barcelona, AfricaCom South Africa, World Telco Summit UAE, GSM Middle East, Communique Asia, Yahoo BIC Awards, NDTV Business Leadership Awards, Porsche Launch in India, Audi Launch in India, Bill Clinton, Bill Gates, Pierce Brosnan, Carl Lewis’ Visits to India.

     

    The bouquet of clients Mr Chakraborty has serviced during his tenure include, FICCI, CII, Yahoo, Airtel, Nestle, Adventz, ACME, Microsoft, Teacher’s, Nasscom, Nike, Porsche, Audi, Samsung, LG, Micromax, Comviva, Ananda Bazaar Patrika, The Times of India, Hindustan Times, Cairn India, ONGC, SAIL, NTPC, Indigo Music, India Today Group.

     

    Prior to this, Mr Chakraborty has worked with Wizcraft for more than 6 years followed by Ogilvy where he spent considerable time strengthening the Below the Line arm called Ogilvy Live.

     

    Kettle Communications has been founded by a group of thinkers consisting of core team with big agency, big brand exposure … thus forming the all weather plate of the Kettle. Kettle Communications believes that the art of communication is to sport a lively, engaging idea that carries the power to evoke emotions. Kettle Communications strive to partner client’s diverse needs by providing a work atmosphere that’s truly inspiring. And all these BOIL inside a “Kettle – Boiling with Ideas”

     

  • The addition of Neon Brand PR will further strengthen Draftfcb Ulka's portfolio of services and provide seamless inputs for their branding assignments

    Draftfcb Ulka lights up with Neon Brand PR

    By A Correspondent

     

    Neon Brand PR is the newest division of Draftfcb Ulka Group with a strong focus on traditional and social media. From conceiving and executing media relations strategies, the approach will be to develop PR for brands and brand campaigns that link marketing and communication initiatives for greater buzz and positive throwback on the brand. The addition of Neon Brand PR will further strengthen Draftfcb Ulka’s portfolio of services and provide seamless inputs for their branding assignments.

     

    Neon Brand PR will endeavour to bring in a significant amount of brand learning from the parent agency into its PR practice, thereby ensuring that the brand positioning and messaging are given the right tone and posture.

     

    Tanya Desousa has joined Neon Brand PR as PR Director. She has experience of about 14 years in PR, having worked in companies like Crest Communications, Hanmer & Partners and Percept Profile. She has been associated with brands like Spicejet, Western Australian Trade Office, Amway, Sanofi Aventis, Piramal Healthcare, Bridgestone Tyres, Asus Incorporated and many more.

     

    Neon Brand PR’s first assignment will be Santoor 25 Years campaign.

     

  • Vibgyor started out as a generic event management services company and has transformed into one of the top activation agencies in the country with a pan-India presence

    Vibgyor Brand Services gets future-ready

    By A Correspondent

     

    Vibgyor Brand Services, a pioneer in brand activation services, has completed 10 years of operations. This not only signifies the coming of age of this specialized industry, but also reflects on its growing importance as a tool of marketing communications.

     

    Vibgyor started out as a generic event management services company and has transformed into one of the top activation agencies in the country with a pan-India presence. Vibgyor has 6 offices and a team of over 90 that support top-notch companies like HUL, Dabur India, Pepsi, Samsung, Flipkart, Toshiba and others for their brand activation strategies including events, exhibitions and on-ground consumer contact programmes.

     

    Ankur Kalra, founder and CEO of Vibgyor recalls that a decade ago he had to explain brand activation and experiential marketing services to his potential clients. Today, no marketing plan is complete without Brand Activation and every forward looking company ensures a healthy balance of ATL & BTL as part of their plan.

     

    The discussions are now more on strategy, on methods of targeting the specific customer profile, engaging them and ensuring that they experience the brand and convert into loyal consumers. “This is the reason that we are adopting a new corporate identity and business philosophy today. Our benchmark is going to be how involved we are as a team with the clients brand and how much excitement we can create around it”, he said.

     

    Today consumers, with the overload of information, are looking for exciting brand experience and Vibgyor is committed to delivering the same. The new philosophy “Involve > Excite” is based on the input output principle – to get involved in a brand to create excitement around it.

     

    The brand activation industry is estimated to be anywhere between Rs5000 – 6000 crore, growing at 15 – 20 per cent per year. Vibgyor clocked a growth rate of 25 per cent last year which is substantially higher than the industry average. “The twin focus on commitment and creativity has enabled us to reach this far and we hope that adding involvement and excitement as part of our service delivery will help our client and in turn enable us stay ahead of the industry and maintain our double digit rate of growth”, Mr Kalra added.