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  • Over the years, India's winning tally from 2007-2011 in Press Lions read thus: 4, 7, 2, 6, and 4

    India@Cannes: DDB Mudra with 10 & Leo Burnett with 8 shortlists raise India’s hopes for Press Lions

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    Largely the same as the number of entries sent last year,India’s tally in Press Lions stands at 266 – compared to 267 last year. Overall the category has seen a rise of 12 per cent, recording 6,056 entries from 72 countries. Leading from the front once again is Brazil that has sent a record 948 entries. It is followed by UK & USA that have sent 399 and 390 entries respectively,Germany that has sent 385 entries and France that has sent 325 entries.

     

    The number of shortlists from India stands at a commendable 30. This is led by DDB Mudra that has 10 of its entries being shortlisted, Leo Burnett which has 8, Ogilvy & Mather that has 6, BBD0 that has 4 and Publicis that has 2.

     

    In the category Art Direction, DDB Mudra has three of its entries – Great Fire of London, New York Blackout and Armenian Internet Shutdown that have been shortlisted for its client Geebees Beverages. Three other shortlists of DDB Mudra include Elvis, JFK and Roswel lfor its client Stedfast in the Business Equipment & Services category. Leo Burnett once again finds four mentions for its Cigarette, Socks, Fish and Egg entries for its client Bajaj Electricals in the Photography category while Ogilvy bags three shortlists for its client Mattel Toys in the entertainment & Leisure category. Publicis has two shortlists for its client Bookstalk Audiobooks in the Retail Stores category.

     

    Representing the jury from India is Raj Kamble Former Chief Creative Officer, BBH.  Over the years,India’s winning tally from 2007-2011 in Press Lions read thus: 4, 7, 2, 6, and 4.

     

    The awards will be distributed at a glittering ceremony at Palais des Festivals on Wednesday evening.

     

     

  • It is even more disheartening as India has sent fewer entries despite the overall number of entries in the category seeing an 8 per cent rise compared to the previous year

    India@Cannes: Shortlist tally in Outdoor at its lowest

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    Having amazed the jury members in the initial stages, Leo Burnett and Brand David Communications showed why they were one of the worthy contenders at Cannes as they both bagged the highest number of (shortlist) entries in Outdoor Lions category. With four nominations, both agencies stand a good chance of winning big at the awards.

     

    Leo Burnett was nominated for its entries – Cigarette, Socks, Fish and Eggs for Bajaj Electricals exhaust fans in the Home Appliances, Furnishings, Electronics & Audio Visuals category while Brand David Communications was nominated for their entries – Pig Attack, Buffalo Attack, Deer Attack and Goose Attack for Peptocid Antacid under the Cosmetics & Beauty, Toiletries & Pharmacy category.

     

    Other contenders include Ogilvy & Mather with three shortlists, McCann Worldgroup India that has three shortlists for Western Union & DDB Mudra Group which has three shortlists for Stedfast.

     

    But what is a bit discouraging is the decline that has been witnessed in the overall number of entries from India which has been its lowest ever at 219. For the record, the entries in 2011 stood at 252. It is even more disheartening as India has sent fewer entries despite the overall number of entries in the category seeing an 8 per cent rise compared to the previous year. There are a total of 4,843 entries that have been entered in this category which is led by entries from countries like Brazil which has sent 766, USA that has sent 404, Germany that has sent 322 and UK & Spain that have sent 191 entries each.

     

    Leading the Jury from India is Vikram Gaikwad, Partner & Executive Creative Director, Creativeland Asia. The Outdoor awards too will be held on Tuesday evening at Palais des Festivals.

     

     


  • India hasn't received a single shortlist nomination having submitted only 5 entries in the category

    India@Cannes: Zero shortlists in Mobile Lions

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    New for 2012, the mobile category will reward the best creative work which lives on or is activated by a mobile device, app or mobile web. The judging criteria will be based on creativity and the idea, execution (usability, user experience, craft and design), relevance to the mobile platform and results (level of user engagement and any quantifiable outcomes).

     

    In its first year, the category has received a total of 965 entries from 47 countries. As disappointing as it sounds,India hasn’t received a single shortlist nomination having submitted only 5 entries in the category. This is starkly different from what other countries have submitted including 84 by UK, 83 by Sweden, 63 by Brazil and 62 by Germany.

     

    There is no Indian in the jury for this category which is being headed by Tom Eslinger, Digital Creative Director, Saatchi & Saatchi. The award ceremony for Mobile Lions will be held on Tuesday evening in the Grand Auditorium, Palais des Festivals.

     

  • India managed to line up an unprecedented 130 entries in Media Lions 2012 compared to 103 entries that it had sent last year

    India@Cannes: Leo Burnett, Cheil lead race for Media Lions

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    The biggest year by far in terms of the number of entries sent,Indiamanaged to line up an unprecedented 130 entries in Media Lions 2012 compared to 103 entries that it had sent last year. But this number is distant from what the other countries have nominated from their shores:USA- 411,Germany- 272,Brazil- 252 andAustralia- 138. A total of 3,247 entries have been sent from 74 countries compared to 2,895 entries last year – an increase of 12 per cent.

     

    Having widened its scope with the sheer number of entries,Indiashould look at gaining more than 2 wins in this category, a figure which it achieved last year. But whether it will cross 8 metals, which it did in 2009, will be something to be seen at the awards function which will be held on Tuesday evening.

     

    Instituted in 1999 to honour excellence in media strategy, planning and execution and give key players in the media industry an annual meeting point, the jury will be looking not just for brilliant ideas, but moreover, ideas that work. RepresentingIndiaat the Media Lions Jury is Premjeet Sodhi, Chief Operating Officer, Lintas Media Group.

     

    Leo Burnett Mumbai leads the tally with two shortlists including ‘Ink Pad’ forDoorStepSchoolunder the Best Localised Campaign and ‘Happy Sparrows’ for McDonald’s under Best Consumer Engagement. Also having two shortlists is Cheil Worldwide for ‘Minus One Project’ for Samsung under the Best Use of Integrated Media. The entry is also nominated under the Charities, Public Health & Safety, Public Awareness Messages category. The other entries include DDB Mudra’s ‘Smokers Balloon’ for CPAA in the Best Use of Ambient Media and OMD India’s ‘Honeymoon Down Under Works Wonders’ for TourismAustraliain the Best Use of Branded Content & Sponsorship.

     

     

  • She is the first female to win the Title in wedding photography

    Sanika Jahagirdar is Wedding Photog of the Year

    By A Correspondent

     

    After a record breaking 20,954 entries from all overIndia, Sanika Jahagirdar from Mumbai won the third edition of Kodak Better Photography Wedding Photographer Of the Year. A professional photographer, Ms Jahagirdar is the first female to win this title since the awards were first started in 2009.

     

    Better Photography, a photography magazine, declared the winners at a grand awards ceremony hosted at The Westin Mumbai. Ms Jahagirdar, who was also the category winner for Photo Series on a Single Wedding, was judged the title winner by the final judge, the renowned wedding photojournalist and documentary photographer Sephi Bergerson.

     

    A freelance professional photographer, Ms Jahagirdar was extremely excited after the win: “I am highly thankful to Better Photography for providing such a platform and opportunity to the wedding photographers. Achieving a title as the ‘wedding photographer of the year’ is completely priceless. It is difficult to explain in words how excited and honoured I am feeling.”

     

    Apart from earning the title of Kodak-Better Photography Photographer of the Year 2011, she has won a cash prize of Rs1 lakh, including a D-LITE IT One standard kit from Associate Partner Photoquip and two photobooks from Associate Partner Canvera.com which were also given to each of the other category winners.

     

    As a special surprise, Ms Jahagirdar also won a photography workshop by Sephi Bergerson that costs Rs60 thousand.

     

    According to Sephi Bergerson, “I see the Wedding Photographer of the Year awards as a way of rewarding outstanding achievements, as well as a tool for supporting and promoting emerging new talents. There will always a call to be made. Two of the six finalists had a close fight and I eventually chose Sanika as the winner.”

     

    Every year Better Photography Wedding Photographer of the Year invites entries fromIndiaunder six different categories. These entries are judged by eminent photographers to select the six category winners who compete at the final face-off which decides the title winner for the year. This year a special leg on album making was included as part of the evaluation criteria and the six finalists were given six hours each to design their albums on the designing stations provided to them at theKodakDesigningCenter.

     

    Better Photography editor, K Madhavan Pillai said: “The Kodak-Better Photography Wedding photographer of the Year Awards are the only national level awards inIndiato recognize and laud the artistry and vision of the country’s finest talent in wedding photography.”

     

    The competition was organized by Better Photography, in sponsorship with title partner Kodak along with Associate Partner Photoquip and Canvera.com, Television Partner CNBC TV18, online Partner Wedding Sutra.com and blogging Partner Miss Malini.

     

    According to Mr. Srinivasu Saraswatula, Country Business Manager-Consumer Digital Group, KodakIndia: “Into its third year, this event has grown in stature, scale and above all has become an industry benchmark. It’s served all stake holders well beyond their imagination when this was set up couple of years back.”

     

  • Award constituted by MedscapeIndia, India’s largest community of doctors and healthcare professionals.

    Complete Wellbeing bags Medscape award

    By A Correspondent

     

    Complete Wellbeing emerged as India’s first ever magazine to win the Medscape India Award 2012 for its commitment and contribution to the field of holistic wellness. Medscape is India’s largest community of doctors and healthcare professionals. The award was presented at a gala ceremony presided over by the honourable Health Minister, Suresh Shetty and was attended by India’s leading doctors and healthcare professionals.

     

    The awards were hosted by Founder President of Medscape India, Dr Sunita Dube. Also present at the event were Dr Kishore Taori, President – Maharashtra Medical Council; Dr Lekha Pathak Hon. physician and cardiologist to the president of India and Governor of Maharashtra; eminent orthopaedic surgeon Dr HR Jhunjhunwala, renowned ophthalmologist Dr Hemanshu Mehta, and Padma Bhushan Dr Sancheti.

     

    The award was one of the 21 awards won by distinguished individuals from the medical, pharmaceutical and paramedical fraternity. Accepting the award, Manoj Khatri, editor-publisher of the magazine said: “We launched Complete Wellbeing with a vision to go beyond the narrow confines of physical health to create a collective mind, body and soul experience that would help our readers live richer, fuller and more gratifying lives. This award is a testament to the commitment and support of our team and our readers.”

     

    Commenting on the award, Founder President of Medscape India, Dr Dube said: “Complete Wellbeing effectively encapsulates our vision of catering to the holistic welfare of all individuals. We at Medscape are delighted to take this opportunity to honour this contribution.”

     

    The fraternity including the team of Complete Wellbeing also took a pledge to spread awareness about gender neutrality through the “save the girl child campaign.”

     

    The awards celebrate excellence and integrity in wellbeing and were voted by a high-profile judging panel of doctors and healthcare professionals, including Dr Niranjan Agarwal President, Association of Medical Consultants, Mumbai.

  • To gain the maximum out of the pointers, a proper road map needs to be charted out that will help build the talent's brand persona, says Indranil Das Blah

    The Anchor: Indranil Das Blah on 5 essentials in talent mgmt

    Indranil Das Blah

    By Indranil Das Blah

     

    Create a Brand

    It’s crucial to create and maintain distinguishing individual brand images while managing talent. On that basis, we plan and execute a plan that will help project that brand and communicate a certain persona/image. There may be times when certain attributes maybe similar but the job of an effective brand custodian is to find that one USP that helps create that distinction and makes the individual stand tall in a crowd.

     

    Identify the Appeal

    Appeal is another very important factor to be kept in mind while managing talent. The idea is to find out not just what TG he or she appeals to but also to find out what makes them so appealing. You can work to create brand that works on the marketable appeal.

     

    Word of mouth

    Even if a talent is considered to be a good brand and has a desirable appeal, the word of mouth around him/her is what makes or breaks a talent. It’s important to protect the talent’s image from negative perception – be it via the media or via industry whispers. And as a brand custodian, our role also includes an advisory aspect where we share our inputs with our talent to ensure that they help us protect them from the negative backlash and make them a formidable entity in the business.

     

    Image building road map

    To gain the maximum out of the aforementioned pointers, a proper road map needs to be charted out that will help build the talent’s brand persona. The core thought needs to filter down through various audience touch points – be it endorsements, public appearances, media interactions, films and so on to create the desired consumer and audience mindset and thereby attain the goals you set out to achieve with your talent.

     

    Visibility

    Visibility is a very key aspect of managing talent and building their brand. We need to ensure that we expose talent to the various touch points and create a strong, positive buzz around them. More the visibility, better the quality, more is top of mind recall. Recall is what changes the game for talent as it helps them consistently build and enhance their positioning in a competitive environment.

     

    Indranil Das Blah is the COO at KWAN Entertainment and Marketing Solutions

     

     

  • Manas Mishra will be President of Initiative as CEO Sudha Natarajan moves on

    Manas Mishra joins Lintas Initiative as President

    By A Correspondent [updated]

     

    Lintas Media Group has confirmed the  the appointment of Manas Mishra as President of Initiative India. As Lintas Initiative Media CEO Sudha Natarajan moves on, Mr Mishra will helm the agency. Presently Managing Director on the 600 million dollar P&G business at Starcom China, Mr Mishra earlier led Mudra Connext till late last year.

     

    A media and communications professional with 17 years of experience spanning media strategy, revenue growth, successful team leadership, and P&L management, Manas has earlier worked with Mediaedge CIA, and Contract, and also ran the Initiative Mumbai office from 2004 to 2006.

     

    Mr Mishra will be based in Gurgaon, overseeing a national team of 65 people servicing the agency’s blue chip accounts in the country – prominent among them being Maruti Suzuki, Sony Electronics, Voltas, Expedia, 3M, Citizen watches etc.

     

    Speaking on this appointment, Lynn de Souza, Chairman and CEO of Lintas Media Group, to whom Mr Mishra will report, said, “It is wonderful to have Manas back with us. He has grown manifold during the time he has spent with other leading agency networks, while retaining a strong strategic bent of mind. His service on the Technical Committee of the IRS has also been highly appreciated.” Mr Mishra added, “I am looking forward to this new journey with Initiative, building new partnerships with teams and clients.”

     

    Meanwhile, Ms   Natrajan will be leaving the agency at the end of July. “Sudha has been a great asset to Lintas Media Group”, added Ms de Souza. “Her business acumen and affectionate nature have won her long standing relationships in the media industry which will serve her well in future pursuits. We will miss her terribly but respect her desire to try out something new”.

     

  • Times Internet Limited has announced that Satyan Gajwani will be its CEO with immediate effect. Rishi Khiani, currently CEO, has stepped down to pursue opportunities outside of the company.

    Satyan Gajwani is Times Internet CEO as Rishi Khiani moves on

    From the MxM Infodesk

     

     Moving Out: Rishi Khiani Moving In: Satyan Gajwani

    Times Internet Limited has announced that Satyan Gajwani will be its CEO with immediate effect. Rishi Khiani, currently CEO, has stepped down to pursue opportunities outside of the company.

     

    In an internal circular, managing director Vineet Jain said: Under Rishi’s leadership, TIL has grown its userbase by 150% to 28M visitors, has seen significant growth in revenues and launched strategic properties such as Gaana.com and the new indiatimes.com.

     

    We thank Rishi for his contributions to the growth and  success of TIL and wish him all success in his entrepreneurial endeavors.” Said Mr Gajwani, “We’re sad to see Rishi move on, but excited for his future ahead. Indiatimes has made great progress under his leadership, and I’m excited to take it forward to new and bigger heights. These are big shoes to fill but with such a strong team in place, I’m sure we’ll succeed.”

     

    Mr Gajwani will report to Mr Vineet Jain. Mr Khiani will stay on till August 17 to help in the transition.

     

  • The Union finance minister, perhaps inspired by incumbent Pratibha Patil’s wonderful lifestyle, wants a similar retirement plan for himself

    Ranjona Banerji: Will Pranab Mukherjee be our next President?

    Ranjona Banerji

    By Ranjona Banerji

     

    Do we have a President of India at last in Pranab Mukherjee? The Union finance minister, perhaps inspired by incumbent Pratibha Patil’s wonderful lifestyle, wanted a similar retirement plan for himself. Lovely house and gardens, lots of fuss and protocol and nothing to do – perfect!

     

    This is hardly surprising since Mukherjee is the most hard-working man in the Universe. Not only is he the finance minister, a bad enough job, he is also the go-to man for both the government and the party. If the prime minister’s not there, Mukherjee’s in charge. If some ally is misbehaving, off goes Mukherjee to sort it out. If anything in the government is going wrong, Mukherjee to the rescue. If Parliament needs to be taught a lesson, up pops Mukherjee. Since he is 900 years old and has been part of every Parliament as long as anyone can remember, no one can contradict him. Earlier, in the 1970s, no one could contradict him because he always had a pipe in his mouth, so no one could understand him. Now he has got rid off the pipe but comprehension is still a prerequisite to contradiction. He also has a look in Parliament and if he gives you one, you quail and sit down quietly. This puts an end to the Opposition usually.

     

    In addition to this, he is head of some 8,000 Groups of Ministers and another 8,000 Empowered Groups of Ministers. (I really don’t know what these are but they sound important.) Effectively, this means the government will come to a standstill once Mukherjee moves to Rashtrapati Bhavan. Since we in a form of paralysis anyway, the government is hoping no one will notice.

     

    The main thorn in Mukherjee side is his “sister” Mamata Banerjee, also known as “I am a simple man”. The “simple man” does not want Mukherjee in the top chair. Bengali parochialism has still not recovered. This is akin to Bengalis supporting Kolkata Knight Riders instead of Pune Warriors. Oh, right, they’ve done that anyway. The TV channels are wondering how the man who everyone (except them) knew would get the job, eventually got it in spite of all their best efforts. India demands an answer here.

     

    The two comedy acts running on the sideline are PA Sangma and Arvind Kejriwal. The BJP is wondering whether or not to join this laughter challenge.

     

    The only person laughing all the way to the Mughal Gardens is Pranab Mukherjee!

     

  • On Day 1 of the Cannes Lions 2012, 13 Indian entries won a shortlist in thee of the categories: eight shortlists in Direct Lions, four in Promo and Activation Lions and one in the PR Lions

    # Cannes Lions: Lucky 13 for India on Day 1

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    So how did India fare on the awards front on Day 1 of Cannes Lions, and more importantly Day 1 of the shortlists? This is what JWT chief creative officer Bobby Pawar tweeted (as @FriedFoodBrain): “I’ve been asked by many what I think of India’s performance thus far. Short answer, hamburger without a side of fries.”

     

    The 59th International Festival of Creative took off with much fanfare at Cannes yesterday, with around 12,000 delegates in attendance.

     

    India’s opening shot was fair: eight shortlists in Direct Lions, four in Promo and Activation Lions and one in PR.

     

    In the Direct Lions category, eight Indian entries, from seven entrants, are in the running for metals.

     

    A02 Dimensional Mailing

     

    KEEPING THE LEGEND ALIVE

    SAREGAMA INDIA / SAREGAMA MUSIC/McCANN WORLDGROUP INDIA Mumbai

     

    INDIA’S FIRST D.I.Y. CALENDAR FOR BABIES

    JOHNSON & JOHNSON / JOHNSON’S BABY/BBDO INDIA Mumbai

     

    A03 Direct Response Digital: Email Marketing

    WORLD’S YOUNGEST JOB APPLICANT

    PLAN INDIA / CHILD WELFARE FUND/BBDO INDIA Gurgaon

     

    A09 Ambient Media & Print Collateral, Non-Mail (Small Scale)

    INK PAD

    DOOR STEP SCHOOL / DOOR STEP SCHOOL/ LEO BURNETT INDIA Mumbai

     

    B03 Best Low Budget Campaign

    IFOLD

    VODAFONE INDIA / SAVING PAPER OGILVY & MATHER Mumbai

     

    C09 Business Products & Services

    GROWING TREES

    PRISM PAPYRUS PRIVATE / FEDRIGONI/DDB MUDRA GROUP Mumbai

     

    C10 Corporate Image & Information

    MINUS ONE PROJECT

    SAMSUNG / PRINTERS/CHEIL WORLDWIDE Gurgaon

     

    C11 Charities

    LIMITED EDITION

    SYDNEY DOG’S AND CAT’S HOME / ANIMAL SHELTER/ M&C SAATCHI DIRECT AND DIGITAL Mumbai

     

    In Promo and Activation Lions, the following is the list:

    A02 Best Use of Guerilla Marketing in a Promotional Campaign

    THE KILLING STAPLER

    SANCTUARY MAGAZINE / MAGAZINE DDB MUDRA GROUP Mumbai INDIA

     

    B08 Publications & Media

    GOD’S OWN DELIVERY BOYS

    BENNETT, COLEMAN & CO. / THE TIMES OF INDIA – KERALA JWT Mumbai INDIA

     

    B13 Charities

    INK PAD

    DOOR STEP SCHOOL / DOOR STEP SCHOOL LEO BURNETT INDIA Mumbai INDIA

     

    B14 Public Health & Safety, Pubic Awareness Messages

    THE ANTI-TERROR BAG

    PERCEPT / PERCEPT PERCEPT/H Mumbai INDIA

     

    PR Lions

    In the PR Lions category, an entry for HP has earned The Practice Porter Novelli a coveted shortlist.

     

  • In the age of hyper-competition, it is important to be the first and the only one to offer great content /movies to the viewers, says Amogh Dusad

    The Anchor: 5 ways to keep audiences coming back to your channel

    By Amogh Dusad

     

    Extensive variety in offerings

    India remains largely a single TV market. Therefore, a channel should offer an array of genres and appeal to all members of the family. Variety also ensures that viewers find the channel fresh and vibrant.

     

    Extending beyond the TV screen

    Gone are the days when television channels just aired promos and expected to keep viewers glued. The need of the hour is to create brand extension programs. It is also important to be a part of local festivals and important historic days which make the viewers feel closer to the channel – for example Christmas or Independence Day

     

    Exclusive content – premieres

    In the age of hyper-competition, it is important to be the first and the only one to offer great content /movies. Television premieres make the viewers look forward to channel announcements and promotions along with making the channel an exciting destination.

     

    Enjoyable viewing experience

    Watching a channel must be enjoyable for it viewers, otherwise they will simply move onto another channel. Therefore, it is essential that the content is showcased in a viewer friendly style to enhance viewing experience.

     

    Engaging the viewer – starting conversations

    A channel has to interact with its viewers to keep them glued to the channel. A consumer today is constantly bombarded with one-way conversations through print, outdoor, radio, and television but how much of it really resonates in their mind! One must engage with the viewers and remain in constant dialogue with them. Digital is great medium to create conversations.

     

    Amogh Dusad is Programming Head, PIX