Category: Uncategorized

By Shubhangi Mehta

 

Something that started off as an experiment has continued to be a year-long journey for MxMIndia and me. In September 2011, Pradyuman Maheshwari, Editor-in-chief and CEO, MxMIndia, told me about his new venture, MxMIndia.

 

The offer to work with a start-up at the beginning of my career came with scepticism which was accompanied by immense thrill and conscientiousness.  This twelve-month journey helped me to discover and develop my own distinct voice in Journalism.  The stories I’ve done, be it exclusives or features, have been lessons that merge as inspiration and instruction.

 

The admirable element of working with MxMIndia has been that whether one is a beginner looking to express one’s own voice or someone experienced looking for inspiration, there has been room for it all.

 

Of course nothing in this world is perfect, in fact nothing should be or else it loses its charisma. There have been colossal moments accompanied by the stumpy ones for MxM and me.

 

Being a B2B journalist I always thought there was less scope of expressing oneself as a writer; but at MxM I think I was given ample opportunities to write the way I liked. We are let free here but there is always enough encouragement and wisdom from seniors available whenever required.

 

It’s not easy for a journalist, whose work means connecting and networking with other people, to spend most of the time working out of a part of the world where no one, absolutely no one from the industry is present.

At MxMIndia, I have learnt as much as I have worked, despite working out of home. It’s been one of the most different working experiences for me here, and there can be very few who could understand it, doubtlessly the ones who have sometime or the other have had an experience of working out of home.

 

It’s not easy for a journalist, whose work means connecting and networking with other people, to spend most of the time working out of a part of the world where no one, absolutely no one from the industry is present. I managed one year doing that and the credit goes to both, MxM and myself – sadly, I will have to pat my own back (one of the drawbacks of working out of home).

 

Connecting with advertisers and creative people was meant to be a task sitting out of Mumbai; I can’t describe what a pain it can be when one tries to figure out a piece of news sitting in Dehradun but one thing assured in all of this is that once you get the news, and that too an exclusive, no ‘weed’ can give you a high equal to that.

 

Years will pass by, MxM will grow and so will I, but one thing that’ll stay with me for sure, whether I work at MxM or not, is it will always be one of the most special working experiences for me. Wish you a Happy First Birthday, MxMIndia!

 

By Kishor Kate

 

I joined MxMIndia in the month of October, shortly after its launch in September 2011. I handle the Office Operations and other support-related functions at MxMIndia. There is a lot of running around that I have to do from one company to the other for office-related work, and yes, I am also indirectly the one who ensures that salaries are credited on time. I am one of the first people to enter the office and the last to leave, staying until the shutters come down. One of the best things about working with MxMIndia is the fact that I am constantly learning new things. I have learnt how to operate the computer, enter data, and so on. In addition, I also ensure the office is kept spick and span, and that my colleagues do not have any trouble as far as their work equipment is concerned.

 

What is even more overwhelming is when I am told that I was missed at work or that my absence was badly felt, such as a day when I am on leave, or I spend the whole day on the move and don’t come in to the office.

What is even more overwhelming is when I am told that I was missed at work or that my absence was badly felt, such as a day when I am on leave, or I spend the whole day on the move and don’t come to the office. These are some of the factors that motivate me to work even harder for my company and my colleagues, who I feel have been very kind and supportive as well. Another good aspect about my job at MxMIndia is the exposure it offers me to various multinational companies and big media houses, many that I have only heard about. I look forward to many more exciting opportunities and challenges at MxMIndia. At this moment, I would like to wish MxMIndia a very Happy Birthday, congratulations on completing a successful year, many more birthdays and a very bright future.

 

By Rafiq Barak

 

Being the one responsible for what you see on the website daily is not an easy task but then that is what is really endearing for me. MxMIndia has been a game-changing experience like no other for me. First of all, I was appointed a Designer on a part-time basis on September 22 last year with the understanding that I would be made a full-time employee in six months, but this happened within a month and a half itself! It speaks volumes about the kind of work that needs to be done on a daily basis by me.

 

A typical day for me begins at 8am in the morning but I generally make it a little before time. With so much to be done before the website goes live, the next 2-3 hours are the toughest for me. My work profile includes uploading stories, creating and sending mailers, attending phone calls, image creation etc. I also double as an office assistant as I have to open the door and tend to people who come in the morning, as the office support staff arrives only later.

 

Of all the tasks, the one that is the most challenging but also fruitful for me is preparing imagery for the Big Story. When analysed, my top 5 most strenuous yet outstanding Big Story creatives include:

 

1. So why did Turner stop Imagine(ing)?

http://www.mxmindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/imagine-underwater3.jpg

 

2. U-turn to comfort zone!

http://www.mxmindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/car-u-turn5.jpg

 

3. MxM Mondays

http://www.mxmindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/mxm-mondays3.jpg

 

4. Mid-year Blues: Group M media spends forecast down from 12 to 6.6%

http://www.mxmindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/media-shattered012.jpg

 

5. The 1st Anniversary theme picture (what you see currently on your screens today)

http://www.mxmindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/emblem-copy-mailer2.jpg

 

MxMIndia has been a game-changing experience like no other for me. I find the website particularly interesting including the layout, theme, colour combination, etc.

I had prepared a few options but this was the one that was finally accepted. I am happy to be a part of this organisation as I have learnt a lot from my seniors and team members. They have always been helpful and supportive of me. I find the website particularly interesting including the layout, theme, colour combination, etc. I enjoy bringing in fresh changes as and when the need arises.

 

Lastly, I would like to thank all the readers for sharing their comments personally and also with the editorial team about the looks of the website, day in and out. It helps me to perform better. I would like to end by wishing MxMIndia a very happy first birthday!

 

By Ananya Saha

 

As MxMIndia celebrates its first anniversary, I complete one month in this organisation (how I wish I was the youngest too!). And it has been a good month chasing crazy stories, always-tied-up in-meeting people, and just-do-or-die-deadlines.

 

 

It has been a good month chasing crazy stories, always-tied-up in-meeting people, and just-do-or-die-deadlines.

I have not been a part of this journey for long, but it looks promising. And when you have a sane team to work with, it can only get better!

 

Happy 1^st to MXM!

 

By Tuhina Anand

 

Put on your party togs and don your dancing shoes, we’re celebrating the first birthday of our baby MxMIndia. What a journey it’s been for all of you who have been involved with this venture! Looking back, I can confidently say that I am proud to be a part of the team who has been endlessly pushing boundaries to give the best and wholesome information on issues and news related to media, marketing and advertising fraternity.

 

MxMIndia has emerged as a name to reckon with in the industry in a short span of a period and I do not hesitate to say that the content we provide especially our special coverage has been superior to many of those who have been in this field for longer than us. For me, MxMIndia has always been about pushing boundaries, it’s about giving an edge to our coverage, knowing that when people will read the same stories on different media the next day, they will realize that we have gone that extra mile to give our readers something more meaningful. And in this last one year, I have heard from different people how they have recognized our effort and see MxMIndia as a refreshing change.

 

In this last one year, I have heard from different people how they have recognized our effort and see MxMIndia as a refreshing change.

In the last one year, I have done innumerable stories and today as I look back I feel happy that I got an opportunity to be part of an ably guided team helping me to do some good work. Just recently, I worked on a story on the missing account planners in advertising agencies and believe me as I started digging further the story only got more fascinating. I started with a simple assumption that the ad agencies today would rather spend on a creative person than an account planner but as I started speaking to various people, new facets to the issue started opening up. It was learning for me too.  In fact, the good part of being at MxMIndia is that we take up industry issues seriously and while interacting with various people on the issue what often comes up is a new aspect of that issue altogether which one perhaps didn’t know or never really thought of seriously. So it has been a learning process, and it continues.

 

Another story I worked on was the whole issue of agencies staying solo or being part of a biggie (http://www.mxmindia.com/2012/07/stay-solo-or-scale-up-with-a-biggie/). The story now becomes more relevant when we see star indie agency Taproot selling stake to Dentsu Inc. Mind you, we did this story months ahead of the current development and it is now being taken up by other media. Then there was a story on e-commerce (http://www.mxmindia.com/2012/07/is-there-money-to-be-made-in-e-commerce/) which again was an eye-opener for me as talking with the players gave me a peek into the way the business functions especially considering that e-comm is the in thing today.

 

The list of stories continues and of course there is the long list that can be especially dedicated to my effort of getting the anchor organized for the website.

The crux, however, remains that MxMIndia is a genuine effort to give something more to our industry and I hope we have succeeded some bit in our endeavor.

 

By Robin Thomas

 

It’s been close to a year since I joined MxMIndia and the journey, I feel, has just begun. Despite the tough competition in the market, brand MxM has already created positive vibes, not just among the media industry but also with advertisers and agencies. Some of my favourite stories include my interview with the ‘Angry Birds’ creator -Henry Holm, SVP, Rovio Asia. MxMIndia has given me opportunities to interview Terry Peigh, Senior Vice President and Managing Director, IPG among the many others, not restricted to my beats alone. I think of all my responsibilities at MxMIndia, as a Senior Correspondent, I have enjoyed interviewing industry veterans the most.

 

Conducting video interviews I think has been another fascinating aspect of my job and now I am most eager to learn how to edit these videos and upload them on our site. This is also the first time I attended and covered Goafest and also the first time I ever visited Goa. I think covering the biggest advertising festival – Goafest 2012 will be one of my most memorable moments at MxMIndia not only because of the round the clock coverage, interactions with ad veterans but, also because of some wonderful presentations and creatives that came to light, leaving many awestruck.

 

The last few months saw plenty of action in the digital space, and although India drew nil at Cannes, industry veterans observe the recent spurt in mergers and acquisitions as a sign of good things to come. Radio too saw some action with inter ministerial committees being formed and the government inviting pre-bidding qualifications for FM Phase III. Internet radio stations in India is slowly beginning to gain recognition, Venturenet Partners launched an internet radio station this year, WorldSpace Satellite is also planning to explore internet radio soon, FM stations like PlanetRadiocity has been constantly adding new web radio stations so on and so forth.

 

Covering Goafest 2012 will be one of my most memorable moments at MxMIndia not only because of the round the clock coverage, interactions with ad veterans, but also because of some wonderful presentations and creatives.

Speaking of stories, I must confess I am beginning to enjoy writing stories on digital more often, probably because there is so much I can write about this medium and so much still to learn and write about. As far as radio is concerned, I recently wrote a story on Community Radio Stations in India, it was a pleasure interacting with various players in this space. I look forward to write more stories on community radio stations, some of their works and campaigns if any.

 

Lastly, it has been great to receive feedback from industry players and readers, which helps me dish up a better read every day. Keep it coming, please!

 

 

By Meghna Sharma

 

I had known about PM since my days at DNA, and though I was interviewed by him for my previous job, he had left that organisation by the time I joined it. Yet, many still continued to talk about him and his style of working. He gave reporters a lot of freedom and never breathed down their throats. Also well known was his passion for food. I had to quit that job for personal reasons but when I got back to the city, I didn’t hesitate to give him a call.

 

I had heard about his new venture – MxMIndia. Many would have thought twice before joining a start-up. I didn’t. What matters to me are the people I work with. So, May 1 (ironically, on Labour Day) was my first day in MxMIndia. And it wouldn’t be wrong to say that my journey in MxMIndia started on an ‘honest’ note. My first assignment was to cover Satyamev Jayate, on May 6 – a Sunday, so I worked on a holiday in my first week itself. Thankfully, it was a much anticipated show and everyone was ready to give their two bits on it – good, bad or ugly.

 

The broadcast industry is always buzzing – shows being launched, movements, mergers, a few shutdowns as well… I had to build contacts, learn about each network and everything in between.

I was given the broadcast beat, something I hadn’t covered thoroughly in the past. But I took it up as a challenge. The broadcast industry is always buzzing – shows being launched, movements, mergers, a few shutdowns as well… I had to build contacts, learn about each network and everything in between. And thanks to my editor and my colleagues, I think I have done fairly good job (still time for the appraisals!). However, it still remains a challenge to get broadcasters to talk as they are always busy in their numerous and never-ending meetings! But then again, what’s the fun in having everything on your fingertips. Media planners, I like. They are willing to give their insights on various issues/topics related to the industry. The past few months have been exciting – from writing big stories to getting people to contribute for our various sections – Relative Values, My First, Life’s Lessons and How I Unwind.

 

Apart from work, I’m glad to have a wonderful team to work with. We are a small team; some work from home; but somehow, the office never feels empty. We discuss work, industry trends and ideas. And of course, have our share of fun too. Who doesn’t love a little office gossip?

 

The last three months have been exciting and enriching for me and I hope it continues to be so.

 

By Alok Kapuria

 

One year of existence…

 

Where do I begin? I’d rather start by reporting from the other side of the editorial bastion. Firstly, I’d like to state that it is because of the belief and faith that has been bestowed upon us by our readers and advertisers that we have reached here. Like the Fox Traveller show “This journey is fun…” I’ve had a superb innings so far and the journey has really been fun. It gives me immense pleasure when a media planner/buyer tells me that he/she visits our website and spends anywhere between 7 to 30 minutes every day; I feel mesmerized when I hear such things. Likewise, it feels good seeing the comments that get posted below most of the stories written by many seniors and midlevel media and marketing professionals. It surely builds up one’s confidence. We at MxM feel that the future of news is analysis, which we do in plenty since our focus is always around topics that are new-age, forward looking, agile, alive yet insightful. It is with vigour that I end up telling my clients: invest on us, we are the future!

 

In the last one year, we have been able to achieve what we aspired to, and that is gaining editorial trust and respect from everyone from the industry. All one needs is clarity of thought. I feel proud to say that we at MxMIndia have managed to keep our environment clutter- and confusion-free. Here, all colleagues are treated equally and guided equally.

 

As for my personal background, I am a pseudo-Bengali from Hyderabad (as my parents live there) but after spending 10 years in Mumbai, I have become a complete Mumbaikar. I am learning Marathi too and I love Maharashtrian food. Bombay or Mumbai does not matter as long as I am breathing in this city. When Malishka of Red FM raises an alarm every morning shouting Gooooood morninnngggg Mumbaiiiii… it makes me feel that I am very much a part of this city now. When she was the anchor of the show “It happens only in India” on Fox Traveller, I never missed an opportunity to watch it including the repeats. Seeing her transition to television, I wished the same for another famous RJ by the name of Jituraj from Radio Mirchi. It would have been good to have him as a host for a musical show on MTUNES or MIX or MTV as I am sure that the youth of today will relate with him. It helps knowing that he is damn good as a host on air too. Any takers?

 

Moving on to my obsession for good food, while I have enjoyed the delicacies from Bade Miya in Mumbai on many starving nights, I was equally tempted to tickle my taste-buds by consuming delicacies from Kareems and Pind Baluchi in Delhi. This was made possible as I have to constantly keep travelling to the capital city, since my designation reads ‘National Sales Head’. I am thankful to MxMIndia for giving me this opportunity that allows me to travel to different cities. Similarly, I enjoyed reading Amar Ujala, a Hindi newspaper, while waiting at their reception to meet the team. I was happy to see lots of advertising done by local and national brands. But I am yet to visit clients in Chennai and Bengaluru. Will it mean that I will be able to read and understand content in Malayala Manorama or Sakshi? I do not think so, as I don’t understand that language. So sitting in Mumbai and Delhi, I will never know about local news in South India as much as I will know about news from North India belt by watching channels like India TV and P7.

 

Trends are changing, reading habits are changing, we all are becoming thirstier for knowledge and there is more appetite for news and more specifically analysis.

While our love for food and travelling is known, it is something that draws us to other facets of the business as well. I love watching FoodFood channel and attempt cooking some of the dishes at home. Poh’s Kitchen on TLC is good too as it makes one feel hungry watching some yummy culinary delights being prepared. Unfortunately, the channel is missing on my STB right now. The cable guy tells me that they are in testing mode as they getting ready for digitization. Hence many times some channels will not appear. I felt happy with the thought that soon my broadcaster-clients will be richer by some percentages in the digitization era. I get happy because it will benefit everyone in the chain. BTW, you must check out our channel on “Digitization” http://www.mxmindia.com/category/media/tv/digitization-tv/ which features the views of stakeholders on the countdown to digitization and its challenges and opportunities.

 

Today, I can proudly state that I see MxMIndia as one-stop destination for news on everything related to media and marketing. I look forward to the following content every day…

 

The reviews of the latest television commercial in the section ‘DEBRIEF’ by Anil Thakraney.

 

Ranjona Banerji’s column ‘FREAKING NEWS’ is seriously freaking given the way she analyses news that gets played in the evening on news channels and in the morning newspapers. When I miss reading the TOI or miss watching ABP News or Times Now in the morning, I rely on this section for my daily updates. Otherwise too, I just read the section to gain perspectives. Yes I do watch India TV in the evenings to make life little entertaining. It’s different. Times Now’s ‘The Newshour’ is a must-watch for me. In case I miss watching it I make sure that I visit ‘Freaking News’ to update myself.

 

Another blog by Anil Thakraney, ‘HARD KNOCKS’ where he writes about the truth behind the business of media and marketing, is another favourite. Sometimes very bold but not necessarily brash. It’s fun reading through the column and leaves you asking for more.

 

Paritosh Joshi’s articles on media measurement and the whole business of ratings through ‘MEDIA MATRIX’ are insightful too. I am sure planners and marketers love reading them.

 

Peter Mukerjea’s thoughts in his column ‘MEDIA MULLINGS’, where he shares global perspectives on the way media businesses function abroad and the way we do business here, is also very enlightening.

 

Another very interesting section ‘TV TRAIL’ by Shailesh Kapoor, where he shares interesting facts about consumer’s behaviour towards television shows is also fascinating. The section talks about trends in business of television, television content, viewership patterns and consumers preferences. We believe that such content helps planners/buyers, media and marketing professionals to take the right business decisions.

 

The channel ‘EXTREME FOCUS’, focuses on in-depth analysis of the latest big development in the media and marketing space. A few examples that I enjoyed reading were IPL 5, Imagine turn-off, Satyamev Jayate, NDTV vs TAM and the recent one on Taproot.

 

And then there is the blog written by my boss, titled ‘MEDIAAH’, which sees him analyse recent issues and concerns surrounding the media and marketing space.

 

Some ask me why we are not into the business of breaking news. Well, I say that we are in the business of analysing breaking news, trends, research, reports, new launches, account movements and analysing the whole gamut of the business of media and marketing. The core focus for MxMIndia I feel is to do analytical-based content that helps all of us take logical business decisions and one that allows us to keep questioning facts and statements.

 

Trends are changing, reading habits are changing, we all are becoming thirstier for knowledge and there is more appetite for news and more specifically analysis of any news. Fragmentation is a way of life and the target audiences are scattered. Hence, it would make sense for our clients to invest in us as I see uniqueness in the way we portray the industry. We are the future.

 

I take this opportunity to thank to all my existing clients and the others who have trusted and supported us from the beginning. I want to thank WWM, Bindass, Lokmat, Colors, Sakal, Star World, Star Movies, Love BIGCBS, BIGMAGIC, Sparks Punjabi, Bigfm, PRIME BIGCBS, Sparks BIGCBS, Sahara One, ABP News, Discovery, Hungama Digital, Movies Now, ET Now, NGC, PIX, AXN, MIX, MAX, Suvarna, Bloomberg, Neo Sports, Web18, CNBC, Zee 24 Taash, Vh1, OPEN, History, Forbes India, UTV Action, Amar Ujala, Mastiii, Dabang, DNA… I also want to thank clients who have given me the opportunity to come and present them our credentials. I specifically want to thank Dainik Jagran, India TV, Myfm, Dainik Bhaskar, Hari Bhoomi, India Today, Headlines Today, Mail Today, Hindustan, HT, iNext, Delhi Press, Redfm, Fever fm, Zee News, Zee Uttar Pradesh, Mathrubhumi, Cartoon Network, Nick, Disney, Star Network, Zee Network, Sony, Maharastra Times, Radiomirchi, Zoom, B4u and Sakshi.

 

As I end this long, yet emotional note, my request to all would be to keep reading MxMIndia, as we are clearly different from the clutter. Our focus is to not just keep you well-informed, but keep you future-ready.

 

Cheers! 🙂