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  • The wedding album measures 14X17 with over 256 wedding photos.

    Bharat Matrimony’s Guinness World Record for world’s largest photo album

    By A Correspondent

     

    In lieu with the Matrimony Day celebrations, Bharatmatrimony.com, largest matchmaking company with presence both online, with over 450 Matrimony portals, and offline with 150+ company owned retail outlets, gathered to set the Guinness Book of World Record with the World’s Largest Photo Album (Wedding) featuring the contributions by the public.

     

    Matrimony Day is an ode to the magic of marriage. It turns the spotlight on these positive aspects and encourages the young to look forward to matrimony rather than stay away or step into it with trepidation. It also provides an opportunity to showcase the myriad hues, traditions, rituals and customs of Indian weddings that vary by religion, region, city and village.

     

    The World’s largest Photo Album (Wedding) is 14 feet (4.26 meters) in width and 17 feet in Length (5.18 meters) in physical size. Guinness World Records adjudication authority examined the album and presented a certificate to Mr. Murugavel Janakiraman, Founder & CEO of BharatMatrimony.com commemorating this feat.

     

    The previous record for the ‘largest photo album’ measured 4 m x 5 m (13 ft 1 in x 16 ft 4 in), created by Johnson’s Baby China and was unveiled in Beijing, China, on 10 June 2008.

     

    The certificate ceremony saw the support of people from all walks of life

     

    BharatMatrimony.com is owned by Consim Info. Pvt. Ltd,India’s leading internet business group with leadership presence in all key categories. The group currently owns and operates BharatMatrimony.com and has 400+ community portals.

     

  • The Press Club Awards for Excellence in Journalism have been instituted to promote best practices among journalists

    Press Club Awards for Excellence In Journalism

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Press Club Mumbai has received overwhelming participation from journalists all over India for its prestigious ‘Press Club Awards for Excellence in Journalism-2012’. With over 500 entries, participation has gone up more than 4-fold from last year. Currently, judging the entries is underway and the final Awards will be held in Mumbai on May 5, 2012 at the NSCI Club, Worli.

     

    The Awards will be conferred for excellence in print journalism in six categories for best writing in ‘Crime’, ‘Cricket’, ‘Entertainment’, ‘Health & Environment’, ‘Politics’ and ‘Business’; in addition to the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award for Outstanding Contribution to Journalism’. Citations and prize money of Rs1 lakh in each category will be awarded to the winners and runners-up from each category by eminent journalists and corporate partners.

     

    The past couple of months witnessed over 500 entries from journalists pan-India. The jury finalising the winners comprises prominent journalists and personalities including Sanjay Manjrekar, Ayaz Memon, Sambit Bal, Brett Lee, Clive Lloyd, Shabana Azmi, Khalid Mohammad, Amit Khanna, Mahesh Jethmalani, Meenal Baghel, Uday Kotak, N. Jagannathan, Bittu Saighal, Cyrus Guzder, Vithal Kamat, Yogendra Yadav, Vinod Sharma and Paranjoy Guha Thakurta.

     

    The Press Club Awards for Excellence in Journalism have been instituted to promote best practices among journalists and encourages good quality writing, fair play and high ethical standards.

     

    The response from corporate partners too has also been immense with 6 corporate brands coming on board to back the awards. These include Podar Enterprise for the K.N.Prabhu Award for Cricket Writing, Yes Bank for the Best Business Writer,

    Glenmark Pharmaceuticals for the Environment / Health Awards, MCHI for the Political Story of the Year, Eros International for the Entertainment category and the Adani Group for Lifetime Achievement.

     

     

  • Ms Richman asserts that the next phase of digital growth will come from Greater China,Russia, as well as the Middle East andCentral Europe

    Emerging markets offer potential that we digital natives thrive on: Amanda Richman

    It has been a dream run for Starcom MediaVest Group that bagged a series of client wins in 2011-12 and saw it post commendable growth numbers for the network. Of the many divisions under the network, probably the unit that surprised one and all with its performance was its digital arm – SMG Digital that managed to deliver 200 per cent growth in 2011. according to amanda Richman, President – Digital, MediaVest Worldwide & Digital Lead for Emerging Markets, Starcom MediaVest Group, that’s an impressive milestone, and a testament to the digital talent and the focus of the new leadership team at SMG.

     

    On a short Indian sojourn, Ms Richman took some time out of her busy schedule to reply to MxMIndia’s Johnson Napier’s questions about the strides made by the digital agency in India and around the globe. While India continues to deliver spectacular growth, Ms Richman asserts that the next phase of digital growth will come from Greater China,Russia, as well as the Middle East and Central Europe.

     

    It’s the size and scale of the BRIC markets that offers unprecedented growth opportunities for SMG, as well as its clients, she affirms. Ms Richman also delves on how social media will change the advertising ecosystem going forward and what is SMG Digital’s plans for India.

     

    as you continue to deliver above-par growth in the realm of digital, could you elaborate on a few eminent strides that MediaVest has managed to gain under your leadership over 2011-12?

    Our focus on designing and delivering human experiences as an agency puts digital at the core of what we do, and demands that we build that skill set across the organization.

    From developing connection strategies based on digital behaviours, to integrated video buying approaches, to building capabilities in social, mobile, content and analytics, digital growth has been a singular focus of the entire agency, and that drives momentum.

     

    How would you sum up the growth put up by the digital division here in India?

    SMG Digital delivered 200 per cent digital growth in 2011 – that’s an impressive milestone, and a testament to the digital talent and the focus of the new leadership team.

     

    How do the other asia Pacific countries stack up against India vis-a-vis harnessing the digital tide?

    Each market has its own success stories, driven by our client’s objectives and digital appetite. What’s unique aboutIndiais the focus on cost and scale – the constraints of investment can lead creative innovation in how we build and scale ideas more efficiently.  There’s also an inherent creativity in this market linked to such a strong appreciation for technology. This networked mindset inIndiacan see new possibilities in both, the art and the science of digital.

     

    How would you describe the agency’s growth in your global markets, including the US, Europe and elsewhere?

    Digital growth continues to be strong in our core markets, driven by our integrated approach. When you start with human insights at the core, and build out experiences based on creating value, it naturally leads to opportunities with social, content and mobility, and we’re seeing tremendous growth in these three areas. However, it’s a more measured growth in theUSandWestern Europe, whereas the emerging markets offer that unbridled enthusiasm and potential that we digital natives thrive on.

     

    Despite the current digital boom being witnessed in India, the country is still in its infancy, gripping with the sudden demand for the medium. What are the pros and perils of being a young, yet highly sought-after, market?

    Hyper-growth, and the resulting chaos, creates a climate of intense creativity – and we’re clearly in that phase of opportunity inIndia. However, there’s a risk that this energy is expended on chasing apps and shiny objects, rather than building a digital foundation. It’s important during this early stage that we balance the passion for innovation with the need to execute the ‘brilliant basics’, train our talent to have a digital mindset over skillset, and find solutions that will grow our clients business – not simply check the box on doing digital.

     

    Will social media emerge out of the shadows of the web and take on a singular role of being a popular medium for advertisers?

    Social media is more than an ad opportunity – social is human behaviour that will increasingly power the web. Paid advertising is one part of the experience, but the real value is in understanding the human interactions and conversations, so that marketers can learn and engage in ways that provides real value in their consumers’ lives. That’s the real opportunity with social.

     

    Of the three screens, television, web and mobile, which would be the most definitive in terms of ROI and reach for clients?

    We approach the ROI challenge uniquely for each client, based on their objectives and audience goals.  While television is still a great reach driver with strong ROI, online has proven to deliver better ROI for several clients and targets, and mobile is quickly gaining ground as both a reach, engagement and acquisition tool vehicle.

     

    Despite the huge buzz, spends on digital are still abysmally low, atleast here in India. What do you advocate the industry needs to do to attract more revenues?

    In theUnited States, we faced the same level of resistance in the early 2000s, as marketers questioned the value of digital relative to traditional, proven media.  The shift to Internet being the #2 media came thru a series of wake-up calls:

    • For performance marketers, search and performance display was proven to be high-performers, resulting in ‘digital first’ planning, and quickly setting the pace for double-digit investment.
    • as time spent online exceeded time spent on most other media, brand marketers realized they needed to follow the consumer across all digital touchpoints.
    • as brand marketers began to engage with real dollars, they quickly realized how digital not only offered unique targeting opportunities, but also could complement v/s compete with their traditional media investments, serving as an activator towards the sale. The era of integrated planning took hold.
    • The advent of video, social and gaming demonstrated an unprecedented level of engagement that couldn’t be delivered elsewhere, leading to greater investment in creating digital content.
    • as mobile and smartphones usage increased, it was clear that digital was an always on, always connected medium that warranted deeper investment and experience design across all three screens.

     

    Which are the new and emerging markets being tapped by your agency for the future?

    Our emerging focus spansIndia, Greater China,Russia, as well as the Middle East andCentral Europe.  Clearly the size and scale of the BRIC markets offer unprecedented growth opportunities for SMG as well as our clients.

     

    As you move forward, is there a vision that you’d want the agency to abide by as it prepares to take on the future?

    Our dream is to grow our clients’ business by transforming behaviour through uplifting, meaningful human experiences. That vision transcends digital and market boundaries, and enables a level of creativity and commitment that motivates our entire organization.

     

  • Being a medium with only one sense paramount, the message – both about the identity of the station and things attached with it – needs to be stylish, individualistic, and memorable, feels Sarthak Kaushik

    The Anchor: 4 things I would like to change in Radio Programming

    By Sarthak Kaushik

     

    1. Programming differentiation

    Sometimes looking around can influence individual creativity, and far too often, the ‘mega’ goings on are mirrored across the airwaves, without a thought for its efficacy in grabbing eardrums of that particular city.

     

    2. Radio as a LOCAL medium

    What a listener in Mumbai would identify with is not necessarily what appeals to the listener in Bengaluru. Radio is an intensely local medium, with its geographical bearings – and the understanding thereof – being critical to its connect. And on radio, if the personal touch is missing, the biggest USP of the medium has been squandered. In trying to make a countrywide campaign, sometimes this attention to ‘local’ goes missing.

     

    3. Making the listener a star

    Far too often, celebrity endorsement overshadows the fact that radio works on a one to one, on-the-passenger-seat-of-my-car intensity. And when the listener feels a part of the station – the Star – the loyalty lasts for a long time. Attention to making the listener feel special could perhaps do with a little more focus. Everyone wants to be associated with a celebrity, but more importantly, everyone wants to feel like a celebrity, the nudge-wink “I Am on Radio” feeling could also perhaps be encouraged a little more

     

    4. Simplicity still rules

    The keep it simple rule still applies very much to radio. Being a medium with only one sense paramount, the message – both about the identity of the station and things attached with it – needs to be stylish, individualistic, and memorable. But, perhaps, the power of simplicity in ticking all these boxes gets dropped by the wayside. A flashy message might make the jaw drop open, but the simple elegance of a warm connect will invariably lead to a smile. And in the end, the smiles are usually more memorable in the long run.

     

    Sarthak Kaushik is Director, Programming, Hit FM

     

  • DoT secretary R Chandrashekhar acknowledges the need for the government to have a systematic engagement on social media

    Govt ought to leverage social media for public consultations: DoT secy

    By A Correspondent

     

    The World IT Forum 2012 came to a close on Wednesday after two days of deliberating on the role of ICT in agriculture, education, health and e-governance, within the overall theme of ICT for sustainable human development.

     

    On the second day, during the Plenary Session on ‘Networking – connecting people’, R Chandrashekhar, Secretary, Department of Telecommunications, Ministry of Communications and IT acknowledged the need for the government to have a systematic engagement on social media. He said the government has prepared the draft of a Social Media framework.

     

    Underlining the importance of social networking, Mr Chandrashekhar said there are issues and programmes like NREGA, Food Security Bill and e-governance projects where it is imperative for the government to engage the public through consultations. This is where the government can leverage the power of social media.

     

  • What does Aircel have to do with Dhoni's self-belief saga? This ad is valid for any brand and any product category

    Debrief: Aircel: Misplaced belief

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    ‘Let’s keep believing’, says Aircel. Okay man, will do. But believe in what? In myself or in the Aircel call center executive who will hopefully have solutions to my billing problems? That minor detail doesn’t get explained in the new Aircel advert.

     

    So, I suppose ‘Belief’ is Aircel’s brand new corporate philosophy. That’s fine, but this platform has been sucked out dry in advertising. I wonder if people, er, believe in it anymore. Also, the treatment of the ad film, which features brand ambassador Dhoni explaining to a young friend (and to himself) the importance of not losing hope in bad times, is too close to one of those booze commercials the cricket captain does. I almost expected Maahi to sign off the ad by asking the kid to ‘Make it large’.

     

    Blasphemous thought.

     

    But more than the positioning and the treatment, I have a serious problem with brand linkage. What does Aircel have to do with Dhoni’s self-belief saga? This ad is valid for any brand and any product category… self-belief is a universal concept.

     

    Also, because the brand arrives abruptly in the end, its recall is gonna be a dicey issue. I would be rather surprised if Aircel gain’s much from this effort.

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJbpzQSO3U8[/youtube]

    Yep, I believe in Maahi. Nope, I don’t believe in this ad. I think I’ll just go and make it large.

     

    Rating: (On a scale of 1 to 5): 1. Weak idea and execution.

     

  • There have been a record number of registrations as the annual fest kicks off today with the Advertising Conclave

    All roads to a bigger, beerier Goafest!

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    It’s the time of the year when the adfrat congregates in Goa for the sun, sand and loads of learning. And may we add: gallons of beer. As Goafest 2012 begins at The Zuri White Sands in South Goa today with the industry conclave, one will see more than 3,000 people get together to celebrate creativity.

     

    Says an ecstatic Arvind Sharma, Chairman, Goafest 2012: “We were ourselves surprised with such an encouraging response. This year will see the biggest crowd gather in the history of Goafest.” If the number of registrations has skyrocketed, guess will so be the consumption of beer and assorted liquids. Remember, the excise levies are perhaps the lowest in the country in Goa!

     

    “Goafest 2012 is a brand owned by the advertising and marketing fraternity. The high numbers that will attend the festival goes to show that fraternity looks at it as an extremely responsible event that is representative of the industry. We have an outstanding line-up of speakers this year, the process of judging has been rule-based and transparent and the jury has been extremely happy with the quality of entries that have come in. I just hope that people will enjoy the Goafest, Mr Sharma adds”

     

    Goafest will start, as has been the norm, with the Advertising Conclave with the theme Ideas That Impact the Full Circle. The session will begin with the welcome address by Nagesh Alai, President, AAAI. Srinivasan K Swamy, Chairman, Goafest Advertising Conclave will give his address on the theme of the Conclave. This will be followed by introduction of speakers by Arvind Sharma, Chairman, Goafest 2012.

     

    Jean-Yves Naouri, COO, Publicis Groupe and Tim Love, CEO, APIMA, Vice Chairman, Omnicom Group will give a global insight to the theme of the conclave. Jayant Murty, Director of Strategy, Media and Integrated Marketing, Asia Pacific Region, Intel Corp will speak on building brands in the era of multiple degrees of freedom. The last session will be a panel discussion on the theme which will be moderated by Anuradha Sengupta of CNBC TV18.

     

    Post the Conclave, April 20-21would have seminars during the day and awards night. On Day 1, the sessions will start from 2.30pm and the speakers would include Lucas Watson of Youtube, Jonathan Mildenhall of Coca-Cola, Tim Love of Omnicom, Charles Wright of Wolff Olins. On Day 2, one would get to hear author and brand guru Prof John Philip Jones, Rishad Tobaccowaala of Vivaki, Erik Vervroegen, Publicis Worldwide and Simon Wardle. These sessions will begin from 11.30 am.

     

    This year, Goafest has included segments that would appeal and include the marketers to their fold. During the seminars, a leading marketer would pose questions to the speaker and also bring an Indian context to the entire session even giving his or her interpretation.

     

    Some of the marketers who would be part of the sessions include: N Rajaram of Airtel, Sanjay Behl of Reliance, Kainaz Guzdar of P&G, Rajesh Jejurikar of Zee, Viral Oza of Nokia, Gayatri Yadav of Star and Hemant Bakshi of HUL. Goafest has also introduced the Marketing Wizards encouraging marketers under 30 years of age to participate in the fest.

     

    In the case of the awards, the number of jury members in each category has been increased to give a better representation. The number of Grand Prix too has been extended to all 9 categories (10 if film and film craft is considered separately).

     

    The focus has been to make the awards bias-free (as they ought to be!) and the Goafest Committee has brought in many filters to ensure that awards are held in high esteem by the fraternity. Also there are entries and delegates from Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh this year.

     

    On April 20, the Media Abbys Night will be held where Digital, Design and Direct Abbys will also be presented and on April 21, the rest of the awards will be given including the coveted Creative Abbys.

     

    On the downside, while Lowe continues to skip the awards, among the bigger agencies, McCann too did not send any entries though it is learnt that folk from the agency will attend the fest.

    Click here to view all Goafest 2012 stories

     

  • Dentsu Inc. consolidates all operations outside Japan in virtual company, Dentsu Network

    Rohit Ohri appointed on Dentsu Network’s Global Operating Committee

    By A Correspondent

     

    Bringing together leadership teams from the East and the West, Japanese communications conglomerate Dentsu Inc., has consolidated all its operations outside of Japan in a single virtual company, Dentsu Network. Rohit Ohri, Executive Chairman, Dentsu India Group is among the key leaders from across Dentsu’s Global Network to be part of Dentsu Network’s Global Operations Committee to help develop and drive Dentsu’s strategy, collective vision, values and motivation.

     

    In a move to make Dentsu a more competitive and powerful global network, Dentsu Inc. is, for the first time, combining all its overseas operations into one global team with a unified management structure. Led by Tim Andree, President and CEO, Dentsu Network, the Dentsu Network will foster collaboration and sharing to serve more clients in more markets with more capabilities more profitably, with innovative strategies and collaborative entrepreneurship. Effective from April 2, the Dentsu Network will launch with 82 operations in 29 countries.

     

    “Our goal as the newly formed Dentsu Network is to serve more clients, in more markets, more effectively through truly global collaboration,” explained Tim Andree. “We have had the benefit of testing our growth strategy in the western hemisphere through our Dentsu Network West operation, and saw the rewards it has brought to all of our agencies and business partners. By combining our power in the East with our rapidly growing operations in the West, there is nothing stopping us from serving our clients in the most dynamic, nimble and resourceful way possible.”

     

    Sharing his thoughts on the India implication of this development, Rohit Ohri, Executive Chairman, Dentsu India Group said: “The formation of the Dentsu Network is a reflection of our President and CEO Tadashi Ishii’s vision for accelerated global growth.  This new organization of our global operations has been designed for speedier decision-making, accelerated sharing of know-how across geographies, and more empowerment of  developing markets like India. This structure will power Dentsu India Group’s skill and capability to be the best integrated communication solutions partner for our clients.”

     

    Tim Andree joined Dentsu in 2006 as CEO of Dentsu America and by 2008, it became the fastest growing agency in the US. That same year, underscoring Dentsu’s commitment to globalization, Tim was appointed Dentsu Inc.’s first non-Japanese Executive Officer. Mr Andree is a co-author of The Dentsu Way: Secrets of Cross Switch Marketing from the World’s Most Innovative Advertising Agency.

     

    Dentsu Inc., Tokyo commenced its India operations in October 2003 in a joint venture with the Mogae Group. In 2011, the parent company acquired the India businesses and the new Dentsu India Group became a 100 per cent subsidiary of Dentsu Inc., Tokyo. The new Dentsu India Group comprises three independent, full-service advertising agencies-Dentsu Communications, Dentsu Marcom and Dentsu Creative Impact, a media company, Dentsu Media and a digital company, Dentsu Digital. Besides the core advertising and media business, the Group also houses world-class expertise in the areas of design, digital media and sports.

     

    Founded in 1901, Dentsu Inc. has held the position of the world’s largest single-brand agency for almost 40 years. Through its unique “Integrated Communication Design” approach, Dentsu offers multinational clients the most comprehensive range of advertising and marketing services in the industry. While continuing to pursue innovation in the digital arena, Dentsu is active in the production and marketing of sports, movies, anime and other entertainment content on a global scale.

     

  • As a part of this initiative, HT will contribute 5 paise every day from every Metro copy sold in Delhi-NCR towards creating a corpus which will fund education of over 10,000 children over the year

    HT launches ‘You Read, They Learn’ initiative

    By A Correspondent

     

    Hindustan Times has announced the launch of ‘You Read, They Learn’ or YRTL, a year-long initiative to help educate underprivileged children, on Wednesday.

     

    As a part of this initiative, launched initially in Delhi-NCR, HT will contribute 5 paise every day from every Metro copy of the paper sold  towards creating a corpus which will fund the education of over 10,000 children over the year. Besides this contribution, HT will raise the issue of children’s education rights and focus on the problems that need immediate attention and will strive to find solutions.

     

    Commenting on the occasion, Mr Rajiv Verma, CEO of HT Media Limited, said: “We, at Hindustan Times, strongly believe that a newspaper has the ability to drive positive change in society. As a newspaper, we are intrinsically linked to the cause of education. With this initiative, we wish to contribute strongly in the space of pre-primary and primary education as we believe that education is every child’s right.”

     

    “To begin with, HT is partnering with Pratham Delhi Education Initiative and Child Rights And You (CRY) to utilise the funds for bringing underprivileged children to the classroom. Going forward, we will also engage with other NGO partners working in this space,” he added.

     

    Mr Sanjoy Narayan, Editor-in-Chief, Hindustan Times said: “Our reporters and writers will dig out stories of change, of people making a difference and of readers’ contribution to the lives of children whom nobody has time for. ” Said Mr Shantanu Bhanja, VP-Marketing, HT Media: “As socially conscious citizens, our readers want to do their bit for society, but are usually constrained by time. The YRTL initiative allows them to contribute to a meaningful cause in the course of their daily life.”

  • The new brand, Uni Wash, will be launched in the next 2-3 months and be priced similar to Rin and Tide

    Rohit Surfactants to launch mid-premium laundry brand Uni Wash to challenge HUL & P&G brands

    By Sagar Malviya

     

    Maker of India’s largest-selling detergent brand Ghari, Kanpur-based Rohit Surfactants plans to launch a mid-premium laundry brand to take on Hindustan Unilever’s Rin and Procter & Gamble’s Tide.

     

    “We want to tap into mid-priced category which has good potential as well as offer higher margins,” Rahul Gyanchandani, director at Rohit Surfactants, said. Ghari competes in the highly competitive mass-priced segment, where companies are under margin pressure due to high raw material costs. “In addition, apart from brands such as Rin and Tide, there is a vacuum in the segment which we want to fill,” said Gyanchandani.

     

    The new brand, Uni Wash, will be launched in the next 2-3 months and be priced similar to Rin and Tide, the company said. Rin’s 1-kg pack costs Rs50, while Tide Naturals’ 870-gram pack is sold at 30. Spokesperson of HUL and P&G said as a company policy they do not comment on competitors.

     

    Rohit Surfactants’ Ghari beat HUL’s Wheel late last year to become the top brand in the 13,000-crore laundry industry. The firm’s entry into the mid-premium segment is expected to make the infamous Rin-Tide fight even murkier. HUL, early this year, priced Rin lower than P&G’s Tide and released an advertisement asking consumers to choose the better brand-the latest in a series of aggressive commercials from either brand targeting the other. Some blatant ads even attracted legal recourse from the other side.

     

    According to an industry insider, Tide’s share has doubled in the last two years to over 13.7 per cent in 2011 while Rin’s share has grown from 4 per cent in 2009 to around 6 per cent.

     

    TOUGH MARKET

    Analysts feel that Rohit Surfactants’ entry could further dent margins in laundry, one of the largest segments that contribute to more than a quarter of the revenues for both HUL and P&G.

     

    “The category has limited pricing power already and a new brand entering will surely affect the exiting brands in the long term,” Gautam Duggad, an analyst at brokerage Prabhudas Lilladhar, said. Mr Duggad, however, added that it would not be easy for Rohit Surfactants to build a brand from scratch.

     

    “Launching a completely new brand altogether would be a challenge in this cut-throat market as it will take a long time for a brand to start from scratch,” he said. Rohit Surfactants has been building its distribution network to reach most of the country and believes it now has the wherewithal to compete with established brands.

     

     

    “We already have a solid platform now, which we can leverage for the new brand to push it,” Mr Gyanchandani said.

     

    Rohit Surfactants entered 10 new states in the last three years to expand its reach to 19 states through more than 3,500 dealers. It has 21 manufacturing units, 15 of which were added since 2006. The company now plans to expand its distribution and build manufacturing plants in markets such as Bihar, Raipur and Karnataka.

     

    Launched in 1987 by brothers Muralidhar and Bimal Kumar Gyanchandani, Rohit Surfactants had sales of over Rs2,500 crore in the year ending March 2012.

     

    But there is increasing pressure on the margins of detergent makers due to increasing prices of key raw materials such as LAB, or linear alkyl benzene,  that has increased 19 per cent, and soda ash that climbed 4 per cent in the last three months.

     

    HUL, the Indian unit of Anglo-Dutch Unilever, has indicated that it is facing the heat of inflation in categories such as soaps and detergents, and has tried to moderate its advertising spends to protect margins.

     

    At the same time, P&G is looking to expand production capacity in India so that it can make products cheaper locally.

     

    Source: The Economic Times
    Copyright © 2012, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved

  • The new designation became effective from April 1, 2012

    Cyrus Mistry redesignated Tata Sons MD

    By Satish John

     

    In a quiet move, the board of Tata Sons has re-designated Cyrus Pallonji Mistry as the managing director of Tata Sons. The new designation became effective from April 1, 2012.

     

    On November 23, 2011, Tata Sons named Mr Mistry the successor to Ratan Tata, the current non-executive chairman of Tata Sons. Tata will retire by the end of 2012, when he becomes 75 on December 28.

     

    Mr Mistry is currently learning the ropes directly under Ratan Tata, shadowing the chairman as he prepares Mr Mistry to take on the mantle for bigger responsibilities within the Tata group.

     

    Mr Mistry’s induction is closely tracked within and outside Bombay House, the Tata headquarters. In recent times, he has met chief ministers of states such as Jharkhand and Gujarat, Union ministers and also been introduced to senior business captains of industry associations.

     

    Interestingly, when Ratan Tata took over from JRD Tata, he was appointed the executive chairman. Following the group’s policy, Mr Tata shed the executive role when he attained 65 years of age, but retained the post of non-executive chairman of Tata Sons and flagship group companies.

     

    In recent years, the Tata Sons board has seen senior board members shed their executive roles, even as they retained their role as a non-executive board member. The senior members include R Gopalakrishnan, Arun Gandhi and R Krishna Kumar.

     

    Legal circles say it is logical to appoint Mr Mistry as the managing director of Tata Sons. As a deputy chairman, Mr Mistry wouldn’t have the direct management role in managing the day-to-day affairs of the company. “Appointing him as the managing director gives him the legal authority and responsibility,” to manage the day-to-day affairs of the holding firm.

     

    Source: The Economic Times
    Copyright © 2012, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved

  • Ajay Chandwani on how Abby is not just a creative advertising award any more, though it had started that way more than 40 years ago

    Go-Goafest!: Ajay Chandwani on why the Abby this year is special

    By Ajay Chandwani

     

    The Creative Abby has evolved in many ways and this year is no exception. With the 9 verticals, the Abby is not just a creative advertising award any more, though it had started that way more than 40 years ago. Direct, Design, Digital and Film Craft have all created new communication communities with companies participating from these functional areas. The Abby is sought after by film directors, through the line stalwarts, mobile and digital companies and others.

     

    New categories like Environment Design, Online Integrated Digital andMobile, Augmented Reality, Direct response inMobileand so on added a new dimension to entry opportunities. No wonder we saw 4,253 entries this year, a significant increase over last year.

     

    The combination of discussion with secret ballot seems to have been welcomed by most creatives for the second year running. This is a departure from the open hands vote of 3 years that Goafest 2008-10 used, with endorsement from the creative community. Also new rules on multi-category entering and discretionary clubbing on winners with similarity has gone down well with the creative folks.

     

    Jury composition has also evolved with younger and recent award winning contemporary judges being added from several agencies. At least 15 per cent of the judges were first time jury members at Abbys. Also we saw 3 new Jury Chairmen at Goafest Abby this year … Sonal Dabral of Mudra DDB, Ashish Khazanchi of Publicis and Abhijit Awasti of Ogilvy.

     

    Another added feature this year has been that judges from advertising mainstream agencies are rubbing shoulders with specialist judges in Direct, Design, Digital and Film Craft juries. The lines between specialists are blurring as convergence and creativity becomes a child of the 360 degree touch point era.

     

    The healthiest debates in discussion have been on ‘Are we honouring best in local Indian standards or benchmarking against international winners?’ With so many Indian entries chasing International awards and Indian judges at global festivals, it’s not surprising that most juries have worked out their balance on this subject.

     

    Let’s hope the audience likes the winners picked on April 21!

     

    Ajay Chandwani is Director at Percept Limited and is member of Award Governing Council in charge of Jury selection, judging process and conducting of Creative Abby

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