MxMIndia

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  • Key will be based in Seoul, Korea

    Zeno Group names Margaret Key as CEO, Asia Pacific

    By A Correspondent

     

    Zeno Group has appointed Margaret Key to the new position of CEO, Zeno Asia Pacific.

     

    Margaret Key

    In the newly-created CEO post, Key will join Zeno’s Global leadership team and oversee a growing staff of 135 professionals in India, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Australia as well as the network of Zeno+ partners across the region. Key brings extensive industry leadership experience throughout North and South Asia, most recently as CEO, Asia-Pacific for Burson-Marsteller.

     

    “We are thrilled to have someone of Margaret’s high profile and caliber join Zeno in Asia Pacific, a vitally important region as our business continues to expand and globalise,” said Barby K. Siegel, CEO of Zeno Group. “In addition to her deft leadership skills, Margaret understands the balance of local experience and global strategy. This is especially important as more and more of our clients look to us for an integrated Asia solution.”

     

    Key will be based in Seoul, Korea. Papri Dev continues to Managing Director, Asia and Ranjeev Vij is MD, Zeno India.

     

     

  • Do our news channels really care to highlight RBI's latest consumer confidence survey finding that 48% of respondents in six Indian cities feel that the economic situation in the country has worsened compared to a year ago, asks Ranjona Banerji

    Ranjona Banerji: Jab Anchor Bhi Kabhi Journalist Thi & other soaps our “news” channels can run

    By Ranjona Banerji

    The Reserve Bank of India’s latest consumer confidence survey finds that 48 per cent of respondents in six Indian cities feel that the economic situation in the country has worsened compared to a year ago.

    However, it is more than likely that this information is interesting to no one who controls the news cycle. There’s Anand Narasimhan of Times Now claiming that Prakash Ambedkar of all people has threatened him. This threat includes, apparently, a statement by Ambedkar that the Modi government has only another six months to go, which is in some sense a real threat to the anchors of “news channels” like Times Now.

    On the other side, well-known TV anchor Barkha Dutt says she and her family have received death threats. Will Times Now be doing a whole evening’s show in support of Dutt?

    The biggest problem for India is of course that former president Pranab Mukherjee addressed some RSS convocation. Actually, that is not the biggest problem but it must be the biggest perceivable problem. We will undoubtedly hear and see lots of comment on this. The connection between the RSS’s Hindutva agenda and the murder of Gauri Lankesh by Hindu supremacists will be made in a tenuous manner while there will be much handwringing about Mukherjee’s speech, should he have gone there, should he have made it, blaming liberals, and of course, the usual lies that will emerge from rightwing troll accounts.

    Vedanta, Thoothkudi, the arrest of Dalits in the Bhima-Koregaon case, the collapsing economy… all will be forgotten. Because, as a side dish, we have some masturbation scene in a Hindi film which denotes the end of India’s cultural superiority as we see it or some such nonsense.

    But all this is wisdom from far away. Am on holiday in Great Britain where media obsessions and trends are quite different. Not always any better perhaps, but different. For all of last week, the BBC has been obsessed with the reopening of the Jeremy Thorpe case. A charismatic politician accused of hiring a hitman to kill his homosexual lover Norman Scott in 1975. The unfortunate casualty was Scott’s dog Rinka, who was shot but Scott was saved because the hitman’s gun jammed. Thorpe stood trial but was acquitted. He died in 2014. The case was closed in 2017. Now evidence emerges that the suspect, thought to be dead, maybe alive.

    However, after watching the ceaseless coverage of the case past and present, you began to wonder whether the news was about the case and Thorpe or about the BBC itself. Because at the end of every news bit, there would be a reminder to viewers to watch the BBC Four drama, Thorpe: A Very English Drama, starring Hugh Grant. So was the news just an advertisement for the drama series or was the drama series an innocent off-shoot of the news?

    Is there an opportunity here for our intrepid “news” channels and their endless drama on prime time “debates”? Akshay Kumar stars as Anand Narasimhan in the Times Now soap, “Are Liberals Trying to Finish Times Now”? Suneil Shetty plays Rahul Shivshankar in the drama, “Hard Fact: There is No More News on this Channel. And, will Smriti Irani come out of ministerhood to star as Navika Kumar in the special series, “Jab Anchor Bhi Kabhi Journalist Thi”?

    Meanwhile, in Republic TV Land, Rajnikanth in and as “Arnab Goswami Ab Tak Sab Se Gussa”?

    **

    And in one wonderful moment of news excitement winning over news fact, the BBC informed us last week that the weather was so bad, that one woman had to be rescued when her car stalled in a puddle! Nostalgia fans will find this scene replayed now as the monsoon hits Mumbai badly and news channels will run to Milan Subway to film the puddles there. For those who came in late, Milan Subway 1) Has a flyover above it 2) Is below road level so will flood if a cup of coffee spills.

    On that note, coffee time, see you next week!

     

    Ranjona Banerji is a senior journalist and commentator. She is also Consulting Editor, MxMIndia. The views here are personal

     

  • In the digital age, we are getting bombarded by consumer-led demassification of media which is shrinking the value of the advertising budget, writes Indrani Sen

    Indrani Sen: Will Ekam provide the missing links in digital measurement?

    By Indrani Sen

     

    Digital media measurement has been breeding a sense of dissatisfaction among global marketers.  Recently, Procter & Gamble chief brand officer Marc Pritchard, was quoted in media that he was tired of waiting for digital platforms to get their measurement act together http://www.thedrum.com/opinion/2017/03/28/why-marketers-should-follow-coca-cola-and-pgs-lead-overhyped-digital. Pritchard complained about the inadequate viewability data from Facebook, Snapchat, Google, and others who are reaping the benefits of the advertising spends in digital media by all leading brands. The article also referred to Marcos de Quinto, Coca-Cola’s global chief marketing officer, who a few months back criticized his company’s history of digital spending, and stated that TV advertising is still the best investment for brands.

     

    Jeri Smith, chief executive of Communicus, wrote in the above article “So far, only de Quinto has opened up his brand’s books to show evidence of effectiveness. Stating that “TV still offers the best ROI across media channels,” he revealed that Coca-Cola has reaped a return on TV investment of $2.13 for every dollar spent. Their return on digital? Only $1.26 per dollar spent.”

     

    In August 2016, Sir Martin Sorrel had cited the example of Procter & Gamble planning to cut investment in digital ad spends while predicting that the digital ad spend to slow over the next few years https://www.marketingweek.com/2016/08/24/sir-martin-sorrell-brands-are-starting-to-question-if-they-have-over-invested-in-digital/. All these comments make one wonder if digital media is really overhyped and why the digital industry is unable to get the their measurement act together.

     

    Digital media haveplenty of measurable metrics and other analytical data available in real-time, but a comprehensive measurement of these data across different digital platforms is lacking. The metrics are generally categorised into three groups, according to the flow of any digital marketing campaign from traffic generation to conversion to revenue. Overall site traffic, traffic sources, click through rate, cost per click are typically the traffic metrics which progresses to conversion metrics like conversion rate, cost per lead, average page views per visit, average cost per page view, average time on site, bounce rate, rate of return visitors, etc., followed by calculations of return on investment and cost to acquire a customer. With all these metrics being flaunted by the digital media and organizations like comScoreproviding measurement for cross platform audiences in digital media, why are the global advertisers complaining about the lack of measurement?

     

    Last year, when BARC announced their plan for measuring digital viewership and going beyond audience measurement of broadcast media, it also claimed that BARC will be the first to provide a TV+ Digital viewership measurement service across the globe. The press release issued data “BARC India to Solve the Digital Puzzle with its “EKAM” range of products” announces certain unique offerings in digital measurement. Ekam range of products needs to be studied in greater details through interactions with representatives of BARC to understand their full implications. We will have to wait for another 18-20 months for the reports to roll out before we can sample the results and proclaim it as “EkamevaAdvitiyam” of digital measurement.

     

    The irony is that better tools and techniques of measurement of digital media may not be able to improve on the ROI as the consumer becomes more and more elusive. In the digital age, we are getting bombarded by consumer-led demassification of media which is shrinking the value of the advertising budget. The return on media investment is bound to fall in future with proliferation of media types and vehicles in spite of best efforts through programmatic media planning and buying.

     

    Indrani Sen is an advertising and media services veteran and now an academic. The views expressed here are her own

     

  • it will not be surprising if we find that the size of digital advertising revenue equalises the print advertising revenue even before 2021, writes Indrani Sen

    Indrani Sen: FICCI-KPMG Report 2017: Scripting the Digital Decade

    By Indrani Sen

     

    I must confess that I am disappointed with the title of the FICCI-KPMG 2017 Report on Media & Entertainment Industry – “Media for the masses: The promise unfolds”! Has not the media always been for the masses? What is this promise which will unfold particularly in 2017? After last three years’ reports with exciting titles which spoke volumes: 2014 “The-stage- is-set”, 2015 “#shootingforthestars” and 2016 “The Future: now streaming”; this year’s title sounds drab though it is politically correct.

     

    After going through the report, I felt that “Scripting the Digital Decade” could have been an alternative title from Advertising Industry’s view point as the predicted growth in advertising revenue shows Digital ad revenue equaling Print ad revenue in 2021. The total advertising revenue will grow at 15.3% CAGR over 2017-21 with digital advertising revenue growing at double the rate of 30.8% CAGR over 2017-21.

     

     

    Everyone is talking about the evolution of Free to Air TV channels post expansion of rural audience measurement by BARC and the impact of the 4G rollout as the highlights of 2016. It should be noted that as per KPMG India Analysis, TV advertising revenue for the first time touched the Print advertising revenue (201 INR Billion) in 2016 as shown in the table below.Further analysis shows that from 2011 to 2016, Print advertising revenue has increased by 61.9 INR Billion and a similar amount of 61.5 INR Billion has been added to Digital advertising revenue.  During the same period, TV advertising revenue has grown by 85.2 INR Billion to catch up with the Print advertising revenue.

     

     

    An analysis of the future projections show that in 2019 advertising revenue of radio industry will catch up with advertising revenue of the OOH industry and will have similar share of the Indian advertising pie by 2020.

     

     

    As per the FICCI KPMG M&E Industry Report 2017, the shape of the Indian advertising revenue pie will change completely during this decade. The rate at which digital advertising revenue has been growing and the digital industry is predicted to grow during 2017-2021, it will not be surprising if we find that the size of digital advertising revenue equalises the print advertising revenue even before 2021.

     

     

  • Sorrell Update

     

    The denial: https://www.theguardian.com/media/2018/jun/10/martin-sorrell-denies-paying-for-sex-worker-using-funds-from-wpp

     

    The allegation: https://www.wsj.com/articles/wpp-probed-whether-former-ceo-martin-sorrell-used-company-money-for-a-prostitute-1528576061 (requires registration)

     

    A report on the WSJ story: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5825485/Martin-Sorrell-faces-shock-claim-used-cash-company-pay-prostitute.html

     

    The Guardian report on this week’s AGM: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/jun/10/wpp-agm-sir-martin-sorrell-pay-shareholder

     

     

  •  

    Bausch+Lomb Ultra targets users via digital campaign

     

    Summary: Latest technology allows 16 hours of comfortable wear of contact lenses

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    Bausch and Lomb launched a new digital campaign for its product –Bausch + Lomb Ultra, which provides 16 hours of comfortable wear. The campaign includes a series of six digital ads – three renditions each of 15 seconds and six seconds.

     

    Speaking about the campaign, Sanjay Bhutani, Managing Director, Bausch and Lomb India said: “We at Bausch+Lomb have been thriving to make products that are consumer friendly, since decades. As times have changed and things are becoming digital, a chunk of the population is exposed to some or the other form of Digital screen. As a matter of fact, a spectacle wearing millennial typically spends 10-12 hours a day on multiple screens. This tends to dry out the eyes and thus making contact lens usage uncomfortable. To overcome this, we have launched Ultra-16 hour comfort lenses which could be worn up to 16 hours without any discomfort.”

     

    The ads have been conceptualised, developed and shot by FCB-Ulka. Said SurjoDutt , National Creative Director, FCB-Ulka: “In a category as silent as contact lenses, these quirky films will stand out not just for their visual appeal but also for being so relevant and with-the-times.”

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  • Candour, Inclusive, Challenging, Young are the values of the AAP brand and these are the values that tomorrow's India aspires for, appreciates and aligns with, writes Avik Chattopadhyay

    #AAPHEW! | Avik Chattopadhyay: What made Brand AAP click

    By Avik Chattopadhyay

     

    The AAP brand has been very thoughtfully created, nurtured and matured by the party thinktank. I really do not know the names of the thinkers, but I am sure there are quite a few of them, from various walks of life and backgrounds, that ensures its unique personality and positioning before the man and woman on the street.
    And the positioning was summed up in BBC’s update on February 10 evening that said, “India anti-corruption party routs BJP.”

     

    “Anti-corruption”.
    This is the brand essence of AAP.
    This is their greater purpose…of existing, contesting, winning and administering.
    The party has stood for this purpose with a manic conviction.
    In November 2013, it was demonstrated through a raw, extroverted, abrasive sincerity.
    In January 2015, it has been expressed through a calm, collective and controlled aggression.
    But the missionary zeal… clearly remains, undiluted.

     

    This purpose brings an automatic emotional connect with all Indians, at every corner.
    And most so, in the capital, where forms and intensities of corruption proliferate and pulverise.

     

    The values of the brand?

     

    Candour. Inclusive. Challenging. Young.

    These are the values that tomorrow’s India aspires for, appreciates and aligns with.
    In the disarming candour of a man openly admitting he had made a mistake and requesting for another chance.
    In the inclusiveness of its volunteer forces that gave their all for a just cause.
    In their challenging the conventional central authority of its organisational and financial muscle.
    In the youthful energy in their approach to campaigning and the content that they shared on social media.

     

    There was a Pepsi to a Coke.
    There came a Mac to a PC.
    There is an AAP to a BJP.

     

    Both need to co-exist, for in their contrasting ethos and styles of functioning will lie the checks and balances of administration and development. That is the very essence of a thriving democracy. And I am sure proud to be born and live in one that is ours!

     

    Avik Chattopadhyay is a senior marketing and brand consultant. He now co-runs brand advisory firm Expereal. He has spent over two decades in the automotive industry and was also CEO of Saffron Brands India.

     

  • 100 days of MxMIndia in the words of Deputy Editor Vidya Heble.

    Vidya Heble: A hundred bashes at the keyboard

    By Vidya Heble

     

    A hundred days, each ending with a feeling of triumph as we upload stories Big and small. Be it scoops, press events, awards nights, seminars, trade fairs or film festivals – each story is like another dollop of cement in the solid structure of MxM that the team has built up.

     

    A hundred moments of joy as we hit upon That Headline. Sometimes this is followed by a bout of despair when we realize that it won’t fit, and we scramble for an alternative.

     

    A hundred aaargh! moments when we come across oddly-phrased press releases that need to be deciphered by a scientist – sometimes a physicist and at times a microbiologist. And then the quiet elation when we manage to make it readable.

     

    A hundred plunges into despondency as we discover that we’ve goofed, and it’s too late to rectify it. The only cure for this is the dawn of the next day and a fresh palette to work on!

     

    A hundred questions – will this story work? Will this headline sing or sink? What’s a better word for…? Why didn’t I think of that (usually the next morning)?

     

    A hundred answers – every day. With every congratulatory message, every phone call and email and sms and chat popup that says “Good job!”  Yes, the answer is that we not only can, we did.

     

  • As a Service Platform, ‘Razorpay PaaS’

    We got fooled by Razorpay on the Podcast release!

    Our apologies for carrying this release. We missed the disclaimer that it was an April Fool’s Joke. It was a PDFed document, and we missed reading the disclaimer, which we admit was not exactly in fine print. We take the content that we publish very, very seriously, and we are extremely embarrassed by our act. We ought to have read the entire release. We assure our readers that we’ll be more careful in future. – Editor

     

    Razorpay, Omnichannel Payments and banking platform for businesses, launched a Podcast as a Service Platform, ‘Razorpay PaaS’*. This platform by Razorpay will enable users to create a podcast within minutes on a topic of their choice, at a time most convenient to them, with over 20 Celebrity Guests including Mark Zuckerberg, Joe Biden, Batman, Ironman, Rihanna, Morgan Freeman, Rafael Nadal, Ed Sheeran, Lady Gaga, Serene Williams among others.

    Check

    Excited to launch a platform such as this, Razorpay Spokesperson said: The recenī surge in consumpīion of in-depīh insighīful conversaīions in īhe form of podcasīs has been asīounding. An avid podcasī lisīener myself, I have resorīed īo some of īhe besī podcasīs, be iī while commuīing īo work, walking my dog, or having a ‘Sleepless In Seaīīle’ momenī. I’ve always been fascinaīed by īhe enriching knowledge and experience īhey offer, expanding one’s menīal horizons and sparking unconvenīional īhinking. After immersing myself in countless podcasts, the idea of empowering others to create their own podcasts felt like the next logical step. With Razorpay PaaS, we’re not just introducing a service; we are unleashing a platform that will seamlessly integrate into the fabric of daily life of every human.”

    Razorpay PaaS will solve the problem of waiting for new episodes every week, month, or even a year, by serving them with instant episodes at the click of a button! The platform also features a section called ‘Our Picks’ which has a sample of favorite podcasts, curated and handpicked by Razorpay’s top leadership for the users who are indecisive about where to begin their podcast consumption journey. One of the most well-received and celebrated episodes of this section features Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in a never-before-heard avatar, exclusively sharing their views on why the term GOAT should be retired and some new animals should be given the spotlight.

  • live blog post 1ખેડા SCST Cell નો એએસઆઈ 4 લાખની લાંચ લેતા પકડાયો, અન્ય કેસમાં વૉઈસ મેચીંગ બાદ DySP અને સાથી હે.કૉ.ની સામે થશે કાર્યવાહી

    અનુસૂચિત જાતિઓ અને અનુસૂચિત જનજાતિઓ સામે અત્યાચાર અને દ્વેષપૂર્ણ ગુનાઓને રોકવા માટે ઘડવામાં આવેલા એસસીએસટી એક્ટ અનેક વખત ચર્ચા/વિવાદમાં આવે છે. આ વખતે ગુજરાતના એસસી-એસટી સેલ બેફામ ભ્રષ્ટાચારના કારણે ચર્ચામાં આવ્યાં છે. Gujarat ACB એ છેલ્લાં બે મહિનામાં દક્ષિણ ગુજરાત અને મધ્ય ગુજરાતમાં ગોઠવેલા બે છટકામાં SCST Cell નો લાખો રૂપિયાનો લાંચકાંડ સામે આવ્યો છે.

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    Hi there! Stoked to see you’re using Sortd for a few days now – hope you like it! And if you do, please consider rating it. It would mean the world to us. Keep on rocking!