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  • Ranjona Banerji writes about a grouse. Either spewing venom or tongue-in-cheek

    Ranjona Banerji: Irritating ads that irritate

    Ranjona Banerji

    By Ranjona Banerji

     

    Am stepping on a few toes here and other people’s territory but then wothehell. As much news as you watch on TV (or as much TV that you watch, be honest) you’re forced to watch as much advertising as content.

     

    And sometimes it’s fun (like Hari Sadu and naukri.com) or even the poor chappie who thinks he’s eating chicken, but it turns out to be a doggie. Or Fastrack’s funny series on the risqué side with Genelia D’Souza and Virat Kohli. Or even the Flipkart ads where children play adults.

     

    But what does one make of Priyanka Chopra squirming about on the ground to a song that does not match the bizarre dance she does as she tells us she hates the “chip chip”. All that happens for Garnier is that most people throw up and switch channels.

     

    Through the telecast of Wimbledon on Star Sports you get to hear that “amazing Thailand always amazes”. Well, duh, couldn’t they think of another word? Or has someone done Thailand tourism in?

     

    The Kelloggs ads with that vastly annoying mother who does something as simple as throw a few almonds on a bowl of cereal and pretends she’s invented sliced bread is anodyne as such ads normally are.

     

    But the winners of the most irritating ads have to be Reliance Foundation and Coca-Cola. Insensitivity seems to rule the Coca-Cola ad in which a group of not very well off (how do I say this politely?) children play cricket in some dusty desert scrub land as a voice over tells us poetically how they have no cricket bat, ball, stumps, the pavilion has no roof and so on and ends some poignant note about how this is not play but the call of the earth or something. Then Sachin Tendulkar with his strange new hairstyle drinks a Coke and says play on. The children and Tendulkar never meet and you get the feeling that the children cannot afford to drink Coca-Cola, certainly not one each.

     

    And there’s the Reliance Foundation. I’m not getting to the connection with the programme Satyamev Jayate. For one, the ad looks like a copy of the Vedanta ad, which claimed to be saving the lives of various village children with schools and food and making their dreams come true. The ad ran into as many problems as Vedanta does with its mining projects and the company’s attempt to redeem itself with this real or exaggerated NGO social work effort did not work.

     

    If indeed Nita Ambani is moving into social work, an ad that copies an already discredited ad is surely not the best vehicle. Also, the figures put up for the number of children fed or schooled or clothed is embarrassingly small for a company the size of Reliance. Even worse, Nita Ambani’s look is so carefully crafted that it looks just that. Also makes her ears look unnaturally large.

     

    Hidden persuasion is fine. But these are attempts at such blatant manipulation that they are not just exploitative, they may not even work.

     

    For those interested in advertising and how it works, try and catch The Gruen Transfer on the Australia Network or Youtube. Hosted by Australian comic Will Anderson, it is funny, incisive, intelligent and hard-hitting. And did I say funny?

     

    All right, I’ll watch the news from tomorrow.

     

  • A weekly column by Paritosh Joshi, until recently CEO, Star CJ. Given his varied experience in the media and industry bodies, Mr Joshi will analyse issues concerning the business of media, measurement and research

    Paritosh Joshi: Who will cast the first stone?

    By Paritosh Joshi

     

    You’ve got to give it to Aamir Khan. Any theme he raises through his cinema, and now his television show, instantly becomes the issue du jour. Dyslexia (Taare Zameen Par), rigid education practices (Three Idiots), anguish at the political establishment (Rang de basanti), morality of terrorism (Fanaa) and now in rapid fire succession the weekly episodes of Satyameva Jayate (everything from female foeticide to medical malpractice). If the worlds of the social media are anything to go by, people in the Media & Communications industry are particularly engaged in Aamir’s weekly broadsides. Minutes after the week’s episode goes on air at 11am on Sunday, Twitter is deluged with views and opinions agreeing, and less often disagreeing, with Mr. Khan.

     

    You would imagine, looking at the stridency of tone that characterizes a lot of the chatter, that we belong to an industry that has solid claim on the high moral ground. Does it?

     

    I became involved with the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) about 6 years back. As a communication professional, I was conscious of the close and incessant scrutiny that our industry attracted and of the permanent Damocles’ Sword of statutory regulation that hung over it. The ASCI charter’s commitment to self-regulate resonated strongly with me and joining the Consumer Complaints Council, which gives force to the Self Regulatory Code of the ASCI, was a natural next step.

     

    If Awards Functions like the Abbys and Cannes are the Halls of Fame of the industry, CCC must qualify as its identification parade for the Rogues’ Gallery. Education institutions that claim their superiority, not based upon quality of education facilities they offer, but the acreage of their campus. Cooking oils that assure you of defence against cancer. Fairness potions promising enhanced employability. Malted beverages that deliver anything from height gain to better grades in the exams. A whole spectrum of beers and spirits veiled very thinly under guises of ‘Music CDs’, ‘Unique Events’, ‘Golf Equipment’ or ‘Soda’. Apparatuses that promise the benefits of a cardio workout by merely placing your feet in a harness and allowing them to shake about for a few minutes. Perfumes and deodorants that will instantly cause the user to become a sexual dynamo around whom people of the other gender experience spontaneous orgasms. Plastic beads and metal baubles that will ‘guard against the evil eye’, pacify irate planetary deities and result in a shower of wealth. Or in a particularly horrifying instance, a hospital that advertised radical hysterectomies as a permanent solution against pre-menstrual syndrome. We’ve seen them all.

     

    While some offenders are no-name businesses, the largest majority are big and prominent businesses that we all hold in high esteem. Indeed, we must look well beyond the brand owners to understand the circle of culpable accessories that enable the offending communication to reach the consumer. The creative work originates in an advertising agency. A marketing team approves it for release. A media agency sets up a media schedule. Multiple media outlets finally convey it to the consumer. In many cases, all the organisations that are involved through this value chain are members of the Advertising Standards Council by virtue of which they are presumably committed to the ASCI Code. While the complaint is made and upheld against the brand owner, the actual burden of guilt correctly lies with all the accessories that participated in the process.

     

    Interestingly, whenever the issue of legally dodgy, false, misleading or vulgar advertising crop in professional discourse, the ASCI is indicted forthwith, for its abject failure in bringing the perpetrators to book. Of recent days, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs has joined the chorus, promising a ‘National Consumer Protection Agency’ aka the other NCPA, to become the consumer’s paladin against advertising mischief. Apparently the phrase ‘Self-regulation’ is indecipherable to the average communication industry professional.

     

    Self-regulation begins by a body representing all stakeholders in a particular context agreeing to a code of ethical practice. This code is then widely shared with all stakeholders so that they may understand and assimilate its letter and spirit. Once this has been done, self-regulation transfers the burden of compliance upon the practitioner. The overseeing authority is not a policeman. It is a conscience keeper.

     

     

    This is an exhortation. A humble request. How clean is our own escutcheon before we pronounce moral judgment on all and sundry? Or as Aamir might say, “Apne ghirebaan mein jhaank kar dekha hai kabhi?”

    Paritosh Joshi was until recently CEO, Star CJ. He has been a marketer, a mediaperson and been a key officebearer on industry bodies. He can reached via his Twitter handle @paritoshZero

  • The film will release on Friday in 3D, 2D and IMAX formats and in four languages – English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu – with over 1,000 plus prints

    ‘Amazing Spiderman’ largest Hollywood film release in India

    By Binoy Prabhakar

     

    The Amazing Spider-Man will open with over 1,000 prints, the largest ever release for a Hollywood film in the country, according to a statement from Sony Pictures India. The film will release on Friday in 3D, 2D and IMAX formats and in four languages – English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu – with over 1,000 plus prints, according to the statement.

     

    Kercy Daruwala, Managing Director – Sony Pictures India said: “The Amazing Spider-Man is fittingly our biggest release ever in the country. The fact that Spider-Man is the most consistently successful movie franchise in India, combined with an increased audience in dubbed versions, growth of 3D, the pre-US release date and a local connect in the film, has led to a record demand for prints.”

     

    The Motion Picture Dist. Association (MPDA – India), the Indian arm of the Motion Picture Association (MPA) representing the six major Hollywood studios is beefing up its enforcement action across the country in preparation for the release. Uday Singh, Managing Director, MPDA (India) said: “With every big film release comes the threat of Content Theft through Camcording in cinemas and movie downloads through illegal websites. We have chalked out a strong enforcement action plan to keep Camcording pirates at bay and urge movie-loving audiences to watch The Amazing Spider-Man at the nearest theatre.”

     

    Source: The Economic Times

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

     

  • 2011 witnessed the first edition of the awards, where the cine stars are judged by their fans. The awards are by the public, for the public, of the public

    Bol Bachchan stars announce Dainik Bhaskar Bollywood Awards

    By A Correspondent

     

    Dainik Bhaskar.com’s CEO, Gyan Gupta, alongwith the Bol Bachchan team to launch the Dainik Bhaskar Bollywood Awards 2012

    Dainik Bhaskar Group launched the second edition of the Dainik Bhaskar Bollywood Awards. The awards were announced by the star cast of the film, Bol Bachchan.

     

    2011 witnessed the first edition of the awards, where the cine stars are judged by their fans. The awards are by the public, for the public, of the public.

     

    Gyan Gupta, CEO Dainik Bhaskar Digital Division said: “After the success of the previous awards, Dainik Bhaskar is delighted to announce the launch of the second edition. I am really thankful to the team of Bol Bachchan, as they graced this occasion with their presence.”

     

    Ajay Devgan, known for his acting skills and with two National awards in his kitty, does not believe in the award ceremonies. But as the DB Bollywood awards are decided purely by audience voting, he humbly accepted the award in 2011.

     

    The awards not only let people choose their favorite stars as winners, but also the 10 lucky winners get to walk on the red carpet and hand over the award to the winning stars.

     

    Dainik Bhaskar Group has brought a fair award show where Best Character, Best Dialogues & the Hottest Item Number will also be awarded.

     

    RadioCity and E-24 are partnering with Dainik Bhaskar for the their Bollywood awards

     

  • AliveNow will carry out digital marketing activities for Forum Mall, Koromangala and Forum Value Mall, Whitefield

    Forum malls appoints AliveNow for social media

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Forum Mall, one ofBangalore’s first full-fledged malls, has appointed AliveNow as its social media partner. AliveNow will carry out digital marketing activities for Forum Mall, Koromangala and Forum Value Mall, Whitefield.

     

    Rama Raju, GM – Mall Operations said: “Forum Mall, being one of the pioneers of the mall culture inBangalore, is gearing up to elevate the brand proposition to the next level. Understanding the demographics of our TG who are significantly prevalent on social media platforms, we are pursuing to establish a better user interface to engage them further. We aim to create such an experience wherein our customers, even while being seated within the comfort of their homes, can still interact with us. Our goal is to enable our customers to carry the experience of visiting our mall out of the premises and beyond, thus creating effective brand recall.”

     

    AliveNow CEO, Adhvith Dhuddu added: “We are very excited to partner with Forum Mall and the Prestige Group to promote this iconic mall on social media. Malls could benefit from these social media tools and push the brand towards better visibility, and we plan to execute some very innovative and interesting campaigns for Forum Mall on Facebook and other social platforms.”

     

  • The account was previously handled by Carat

    Madison wins Parag Milk media AOR

    By A Correspondent

     

    Madison Media Infinity has announced the win of Parag Milk Foods, the makers of Go and Gowardhan milk-based products like cheese, milk, ghee, and so on. The account was previously handled by Carat.

     

    Mr Gautam Kiyawat, Group CEO,MadisonMedia & Platinum Media said: “We are delighted to add Go to our portfolio of clients and are confident of adding a lot of value to their businesses and starting a long and mutually beneficial relationship.”

     

    Mr Devendra Shah, Chairman, Parag Milk Foods Pvt Ltd said: “We have partnered with Madison Media, considering their strength and hopeful that their strength will definitely help us to draw our future growth path strategically.”

     

    Madison Media was recently in the news for winning Dixcy Textiles, Enamor and Crompton Greaves Media AORs.

     

  • Now while the insight is cool and the execution funny, there is a basic flaw in the communication. Monster.com is only a job finder, they can't help you do well in an interview

    Debrief | Monster.com: Misplaced communication strategy

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Monster.com believes that more than talent, Indian candidates rely on luck to make it through in a job interview. This is true. Many of us do have our superstitions. The lucky tie, the lucky socks, the lucky underwear, and so on. It may or may not work, but the illogical superstitions go on. In that sense, Monster.com is on to a good consumer insight.

     

    So these two blokes are waiting to be called in for the interview. And they spend the time competing with each other on who is more superstitious, and therefore luckier of the two. Eventually both get egg on the face as the job goes to the third chap who doesn’t believe in luck, but uses Monster.com.

     

    Now while the insight is cool and the execution funny, there is a basic flaw in the communication. Monster.com is only a job finder, they can’t help you do well in an interview. Ergo, if luck is what Monster.com is riding on, then this ad doesn’t make sense. Because even the superstitious candidates DID land the job interview. So on pure logic, the commercial derails.

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”225″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fbrzc8-w6SY[/youtube]

    This would have been a sound strategy for, say, a grooming shop, one of those that help you create a favourable impact in an interview. For Monster.com, this doesn’t work at all. Funny that the managers of the job portal overlooked such an important factor. I suspect on the day the brand manager came up with this strategy, he/she wasn’t wearing his/her lucky charm. 🙂

     

    Rating: (On a scale of 1 to 5): 2. Entertaining ad. Based on a wrong promise!

     

  • The Anchor: Rajesh Mehta on 5 highs for a marketer winning a Gold at Cannes

    By Rajesh Mehta

     

    1.  Winner at a global level:

    It was a campaign that was conceptualized and visualized by the team and received laurels globally. The appreciation that we received was absolutely exciting. The admiration that we got withWestern Unionwining at such a global platform was thrilling for our entire team.

     

    2. Not expected from financial services:

    Western Unionmoney transfer, being a financial services company, is associated as the category from which cutting edge creative work is not expected. But to break the standard belief that the category can also be innovative was an achievement in itself. The entireWestern Unionmarketing team, along with McCann (creative agency), worked together to develop the campaign, that enabled us to cut through the clutter.

     

    3. It’s a Gold:

    There couldn’t be a better feeling than winning a Gold at the Cannes. And apart from that, it was the first Gold win forIndiaat the Cannes 2012. Western Union accomplished two victories with one Award – won the Gold at Cannes and the first gold forIndiafor 2012. There couldn’t be a greater feeling for us than winning these accolades in one night.

     

    4. Befitting to theWestern Unionbrand:

    As a marketer, it is a thrill to know that the ad campaign has captured the essence of the brand and has reached out to the right audience. The win at Cannes not only proves the creativity behind the campaign but the spot on messaging captured through it. The out-of-the-box thought process of our creative agency, along with theWestern Union’s internal marketing team’s insights, made this campaign an award winning one.

     

    5. Stood out among all the entries:

    For all of us, standing out in a crowd matters more than anything else and that’s exactly what we achieved with this win. There were 4,843 entries from 87 countries sent this year in the OOH Category which was higher than last year. This clearly indicates thatWestern Union’s win of the Cannes Lion Gold stood out and it certainly speaks volumes about the brand.

     

    Rajesh Mehta is Director-Marketing, Western Union India

     

  • HUL's Sudhanshu Vats will be Group CEO of Viacom18 a position left vacant since Haresh Chawla moved on earlier this year

    Viacom18 Appoints HUL’s Sudhanshu Vats as Group CEO

    Sudhanshu Vats

    From the MxM Infodesk

     

    Viacom18 Media has announced the appointment of Sudhanshu Vats as its Group CEO. Joining in August 2012, Sudhanshu will report to the Viacom18 board and will be responsible for the growth of all Viacom18 brands/businesses, comprising Colors, Comedy Central, MTV, Nick, Sonic, Vh1 and Viacom18 Motion Pictures. The position was left vacant since Mr Haresh Chawla moved on earlier this year.

     

    Mr Vats is an HUL veteran, having worked with Unilever in India for more than 19 years, in various capacities. He is currently the Vice President – Laundry, South Asia and Global Brand Radiant (Rin in India).

     

    Announcing the appointment, Raghav Bahl, Founder – Network18 Group, said, “Given Sudhanshu’s rich experience, his ability to lead large businesses and his acute understanding of the Indian diaspora, he is well poised to lead Viacom18 into its next phase of growth.” He further added, “Sudhanshu also brings with him an intense and interesting perspective on the entertainment business and that is sure to add a new dimension to Viacom18.”

     

    Speaking on the development, Sai Kumar, Group CEO – Network18 and TV18, added, “Viacom18 comprises some of the most dynamic brands in the television and entertainment space that cater to a wide spectrum of audiences. Given Sudhanshu’s vast experience and an extremely successful track record with multi-brand portfolios, we’re confident of him driving each of the Viacom18 brands to its deserved place in the category.”

     

    Commenting on Mr Vats’ appointment, Bob Bakish, President & CEO – Viacom International Media Networks, said, “With Sudhanshu on board, we’re confident that Viacom18 will continue to redefine the many spaces it operates in.”

     

    Mr Vats has about 21 years of experience, of which 19 have been with Hindustan Unilever across Sales, Customer Development, Marketing and General Management with P&L responsibility. In his previous assignment as VP Soaps and Detergents, HUL (the largest Business segment in India), Mr Vats aggressively grew the Laundry and HHC categories leading to sustained market share growth. He is equally at ease setting up Businesses from start and launching new Brands. He has worked across different categories (Home & Personal Care and Foods) in FMCG leaving his mark on many popular household brands like Surf Excel, Rin, Vim, Wheel, Lifebuoy, Lux & Lipton. Sudhanshu has also worked with Castrol for about two years, where he headed the Marketing function and was instrumental in the Castrol Master Brand re-launch. Under his stewardship, South Asia was the fastest growing cluster globally in Laundry during 2011.

     

  • Not really, say broadcasters, as they work towards bringing the newest seasons of popular shows

    Is internet killing viewership of English GECs?

     

    By Meghna Sharma

     

    Dying to watch the latest season of Big Bang Theory or want to know who’s going to win the current MasterChef Australia series? Then, you have two options: either download it or wait for a channel to telecast it here.

     

    Of course, many of us opt for the first option as Indian channels still lag in getting the latest seasons of these international shows to India . MxM India explores if the internet is indeed posing a threat to the genre.

     

    Internet, a menace?

    Anurag Bedi

    Consumer trends have changed over the past few years; and if one gets his dose of entertainment, it doesn’t matter it’s on which platform. “The viewer is platform-neutral. So, as far as one gets certain amount of entertainment quotient, it doesn’t matter even if he’s doing it illegally i.e. by downloading. And with the internet reaching out to every nook and corner of the country, it won’t be wrong to say that internet poses a threat to content owners or channels,” explains Karthik Sharma, managing partner, Maxus.

     

    The internet remains the biggest threat to the English general entertainment channels. Most of these channels are not able to telecast various popular international shows like Games of Throne, Weeds, Sherlock and others, hence viewers log online.

     

    Saurabh Yagnik

    “Today, the television audience is experimenting with content. They are quite receptive to exploring new, innovative and unconventional content. Considering the change in lifestyles and the impact of globalization, our audience is more aware than ever. Viewers have the knowledge of the scope of entertainment available on various platforms,” said Anurag Bedi, Business Head, Zee Cafe.

     

    Saurabh Yagnik, GM & senior VP, English Channels, STAR India Pvt. Ltd added: “STAR World’s constant endeavour has been to bring international shows to India , at the same time as their broadcast in US. We, in fact, had the World Television Premier of shows such as Missing, Touch on our channel. Even for Masterchef Australia Season 4, we are broadcasting the show very close to its telecast in Australia this time. This also becomes possible due to our strong and exclusive associations with international production houses such as Disney, Fox, and others.”

     

    Ricky Ow

    On an optimistic note, Ricky Ow, executive VP, Networks, Asia, Sony Pictures Television feels that though the internet adds to the competition, it helps one realize what the market is looking for: “If one studies the internet, then it can definitely turn out to be an asset as it gives us an opportunity to look at what the audience is interested in. For example, it helps us know what the India n audiences’ interests are outside AXN.”

     

    However, the newest entry on the block, Comedy Central’s Ferzad Palia, senior VP and GM – English Entertainment, Viacom 18 Media Pvt Ltd feels that internet should be seen as a complimentary asset rather than just as competition. “With technology, the social mindsets of people are changing too. And now people have become more accepting towards western culture. Thus, it’s good for us as more and more people identify with the content.”

     

    Ferzad Palia

    The buying game

    There is no doubt that the English-language general entertainment market is developing. Almost every channel is trying its level-best to keep the audience hooked on by getting more and more international shows to the living rooms. One question still remains: why are channels not able to show what their TG wants?

     

    “It is difficult to bring popular international shows to India , especially at the same time as their release in other markets. However, we have been driving our efforts to realize this for a long time with our property titled Torrentz, wherein we brought international shows very close to their release in other markets,” said Mr Yagnik.

     

    New channels coming up are giving a tough competition to the likes of Star World, Zee Cafe and AXN. Media professionals feel that, though the competition is good, it can become a burden on English channels as they have a limited TG. This has lead to rise in the cost of procuring rights. So, if a channel is paying more for an acquisition of shows which are popular abroad, they might not be able to recover money as mass channels do.

     

    Mr Ow added that though it cannot be categorized as easy or difficult, the onset of more channels has definitely risen the costs: “If we want a show, we try our level best to get it. AXN’s programming formula is simple – we are an action-adventure destination. Therefore, it narrows down the competition as we look for series, movies or reality shows which cater to that genre.”

     

    On the other hand, Mr Palia feels that though procuring rights is a complicated process, nothing is easy when it comes to running a channel. “It’s a part and parcel of starting a channel. What is more important is the selection process of the shows which will interest the India n audience. Demand for international shows has increased in the country of late and people have become choosy about what they want to watch.”

     

    Hence, many channels are now associating with production houses or producing their own shows as they feel it will help them grow their market without too much of a trouble.

     

    Vishal Rally

    “There could be 100 popular international shows, but we cannot telecast them all. So, a channel needs to choose what their TG wants. Thankfully, we are backed up with a studio and a JV which allows us to telecast shows simultaneously in India as well. We telecast shows like Survivors, NCIS at par with their international seasons. That’s our USP,” said Vishal Rally, business head, BIG CBS Network.

     

    Nevertheless, most channels agree that it isn’t an easy task to get good international shows to India , but to keep the competition at bay, they have to try to out-do internet but also each other by bringing the latest shows to their audience’s living rooms ASAP.

     

    Many broadcasters are also aware that the internet viewership of popular shows is small, and the public still prefers a bigger screen experience. As one broadcaster said, high speed broadband connections exist, but not with everyone. And the buffering is a pain. It’s a huge negative for the viewers who watch English GECs.

     

    But low broadband speeds and poor connectivity will soon be a thing of the past, right? Yes and so will dated soaps and old seasons be, says the broadcaster, requesting anonymity. “Right now, we are catching up with old seasons since most people haven’t watched them… For instance, how many people have watched The Newsroom, which has been receiving rave reviews?” There’s also an issue of copyright and picture quality. “Some of what you see on YouTube is pirated and is being yanked off the site when caught in the act. And if it is available somewhere, it appears to have been recorded on the microwave oven… Who wants to view Masterchef where a tomato looks like a potato!!!”

     

    Hmmm. Surely reason for us to wait and watch. Or in this case, watch and wait.

     

  • He also hinted at boycotting Cannes next year if a proper investigation was not undertaken by the organizers of Cannes for this year's jury decisions

    I’m not sure if DDB will participate in Cannes next year: Amir Kassaei

    By A Correspondent

     

    DDB Worldwide Chief Creative Officer Amir Kassaei has indicted some Cannes Lions 2012 jurors of bias. Mr Kassaei alleged that judges of certain global holdings had been ordered to vote for work from their respective groups. In a video interview to Campaign Brief, Mr Kassaei said that the integrity of Cannes was at stake and the authority as well as the value of the festival was being undermined. In the same interview, he also hinted at boycotting Cannes next year if a proper investigation was not undertaken by the organizers of Cannes for this year’s jury decisions.

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”225″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t27gPMSJND0[/youtube]

    Mr Kassaei said: “We (DDB) as the most awarded network in the history of Cannes will go into a very tough discussion about next year because we cannot accept that the people are willingly voting against the best work in the jury.”

     

    Mr Kassaei’s accusations follow claims by WPP’s Chief Executive Sir Martin Sorrell that Cannes judges could have been pressured into block voting, which has damaged his agencies chances of winning. Sir Martin Sorrell was quoted in The Guardian saying he had heard rumours of certain jury members being pressured into voting for selected entries and dismissing quality pieces of work from the judging process without due cause.

     

    The jury in question was chaired by Mainardo de Nardis, the Chief Executive of OMD Worldwide and Manning Gottleib OMD, Omnicom-owned media buying agency won the Grand Prix award for a Google Campaign.

     

    Reacting to Sir Martin Sorrell’s allegations that Omnicom somehow rigged the Media Lions award in favour of Manning Gottlieb OMD’s work for Google, Mr Kassaei said that WPP executives were ordered to discriminate against Omnicom agencies’ work in the jury voting: “I have since been notified by no fewer than 12 jury members that people from other holding companies this week are being briefed to kill Omnicom, especially BBDO, DDB and TBWA, this is a fact.”

     

    He added, “What differentiates Omnicom from WPP is the creativity and innovation. I would respect them if they did the better work. Just look at the objective facts, in the media category, WPP is doing better than Omnicom, so accusing us that we’re playing silly games is not right.”

     

    Furthermore, Mr Kassaei said: “The problem we have at the moment is that Cannes used to be the World Cup of advertising because of the qualification and the result of the juries, and at the moment I don’t have a feeling we are at the World Cup of advertising because a lot of people are playing politics instead of judging the best work of all.”

     

    In an interview to Afaqs on the judging of Media Lions, Dominic Proctor, President, WPP’s media holding company, Group M, said: “I’ve heard a lot of whisperings in bars and restaurants that there did seem to be some kind of strange voting…I heard rumours that certain blocs of votes were being encouraged. If that’s the case then it would be a worry because if Cannes wants to be taken seriously as a media and a creative platform, then we need to make sure that the process is not in any sense corrupted.”

     

  • Digitas will conceptualize, design and manage Axis bank's presence online across the bank's verticals and practices

    Axis Bank appoints Digitas India

    By A Correspondent

     

    Digitas, the digital marketing agency, has been appointed by Axis Bank as their digital AOR. Digitas will conceptualize, design and manage Axis bank’s presence online across the bank’s verticals and practices.

     

    On the association, Manisha Lath Gupta, Chief Marketing Officer at Axis Bank said; “At Axis bank we believe that digital media is an extremely important channel to engage with and have meaningful conversations with consumers. Over a period of time, a good digital strategy will go a long way in creating preference of one service provider over another. We believe that Digitas India is the right strategic partner to help us achieve our aspirations. Digitas will be handling all social media and online creative work for Axis Bank.”

     

    Working with Axis Bank is extremely exciting and challenging said Kanika Mathur, President, Digitas India. “We will be using some of our worldwide learning’s and best practices to create and implement best in class strategies and consumer experiences for Axis bank. These will include helping position new and current services online as well as in social media,” she added.

     

    Digitas India has a full service offering across ‘paid, owned and earned’ media. Today the India team has over 160 team members.