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  • Far from being a casual youth-centric online hangout place, Facebook is increasingly becoming the focal point for all things digital, including businesses, writes Hareesh Tibrewala.

    Comment: Is Facebook the new centre of the digi universe?

    By Hareesh Tibrewala

     

    Legend has it that the digital universe, as we know of it today, evolved from ARPANeT. And a lot of websites, portals, directory sites and search engines lay claim to the ownership of this digital universe in its early days, until Google came along and put a method to the madness. It became the de-facto gate-keeper of this world. If Google did not know of you, for all practical purposes, you were just some digital litter in some corner of this universe!

     

    For the past few years, Facebook is challenging Google’s role as the gate-keeper of this universe. Already the total number of minutes spent on Facebook by netizens equals the number of minutes spent on Google. And Facebook’s understanding of relationships, and of likes and dislikes in the cyberworld is by far deeper than what Google can ever achieve.

     

    And now, with the launch of “Timeline” feature for brand pages, Facebook is signalling perhaps its strongest intent to move to the centre of this digital universe. Here are some interesting features that implementation of timeline gives to brands:

     

    Brand pages on Facebook are now no longer pages, they actually become a brand website anchored in Facebook.

     

    The new timeline feature gives huge real estate on the brand Facebook page, for a brand to communicate its message. Once upon the time, the only real estate that the brand had was a very small display picture (DP) and a small left hand aligned banner. Pretty much all Facebook pages looked the same!

     

    But now there is a complete masthead that stands out and fills almost 1/3rd of the screen, all of it screaming ‘brand’. We will see very creative uses of this real estate, in time to come, which will enable brands to communicate their differentiation to the audience.

     

    Brands can pin a story of their choice to the top of the fan page, thereby ensuring that page visitors definitely view that story. Again some more opportunity for brand communication Fans always had the facility to communicate with the brand using the wall. But this was a one-to-all kind of communication. Now a fan can send a message to the page and do a one-on-one communication, almost like a “contact us” kind of communication.

     

    With the entire tab navigation now moving prominently to the masthead, and with a compressed drop-down list, a brand can create a complete website with these tabs (with individual tabs for about us, products, services, testimonials etc).

     

    So now a brand can have its complete digital presence as well as its community… both at one place. And as more and more of us depend on ‘referral’ based inputs for our decision making process, rather than ‘information’ driven inputs (that Google offers), we might see both consumers and brands finding the Facebook eco-system more conducive than the current Google dominated ecosystem.

     

    So is www.mybusiness.com now passe and www.facebook.com/mybusiness the new norm? And is Facebook now going to be the new centre of the digital universe? What is your opinion?

     

    Hareesh Tibrewala is Joint CeO, Social Wavelength.

     

  • The Mint Luxury Conference is the largest event of its kind in this sector. Industry experts, designers, marketers and owners of prestigious international luxury brands will come together for multiple sessions spread across 2 days of the conference

    5th Mint Luxury Conf to explore future of lux industry

    By A Correspondent

     

    The 5th edition of Mint Luxury Conference will take place in Mumbai on March 23 and 24. The theme for the conference is “Luxury inIndia: At the Tipping Point”

     

    Over the last few years,India’s luxury industry has witnessed significant transformation. The ever-growing Indian market has drawn a lot of attention from across the globe in recent years.Indiahas been a production outsourcing destination for a long time, but now due to a steadily growing economy and globalized businesses environment,Indiahas rapidly transformed into a large market for luxury goods.

     

    In view of the growing importance of the country in the global luxury industry, Mint, from the house of HT Media, has initiated a conference to bring together stakeholders to a common platform.

     

    The Mint Luxury Conference is the largest event of its kind in this sector. Industry experts, designers, marketers and owners of prestigious international luxury brands will come together for multiple sessions spread across 2 days of the conference.

     

    This year marks the fifth anniversary of the Mint Luxury Conference. Among the speakers this year are legendary designers Diane von Furstenberg and Christian Louboutin; Indian design star Manish Malhotra; expert in luxury retail, Michael Ward – MD Harrods; Michael Perschke, Head of Audi India and Anoop Prakash, MD of Harley-Davidson India. The sessions range from the intricacies of design and creativity to the minutiae of the luxury market inIndia. A much anticipated session is the very topical “The Impact of 100% FDI on Luxury” which will see Ajay Dua, former Secretary, DIPP, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Peter Beckingham, Deputy British High Commissioner to India, and Armando Branchini, Executive Director, Fondazione Altagamma, butting heads on the issue of FDI.

     

  • in its event avataar, Brunch Dialogues is a heady mix of glamour, music, spirits and style which is to be led by Vir Sanghvi

    HT extends Brunch IP to live events

    By A Correspondent

     

    Brunch Dialogues are essentially conversations with the Indian Film Industry that are light-hearted in context, yet deep-rooted in content; just like the weekly Brunch.

     

    However, in its event avataar, it is a heady mix of glamour, music, spirits and style. The endeavour is to be led by Vir Sanghvi;  whom we all know best for his ‘In Conversation’ sessions at the HT Leadership Summit and the ‘Rude Food / Travel’ columns in HT Brunch – that make the Sunday read quite irresistible. It is his inimitable expertise in exploring living biopics and his astute humour, liberally laced with repartees, that forms the central character of this evening.

     

    While the conversations will set the pace for a racy evening, the evening will also have live performances to lift up the mood. It will culminate into a showcase of ‘THE DAMN GOOD LIFE’ – full of Fine Food, Good Wine and Smart Indulgences – something that weekly Brunch encapsulates in print every Sunday.

     

    A host of showbiz icons like Anil Kapoor, John Abraham, Vidya Balan, Ekta Kapoor, Kangna Ranaut, Sanjay Gupta, Naseeruddin Shah, Nana Patekar, Sonu Sood, Mahesh Manjrekar will be attending the event whoch will see some stellar musical performances.

     

  • Junior Editor-2011, an initiative of Dainik Bhaskar, has been recognised by Guinness World Records as "The Largest Writing Competition", by 'Limca World Record' as "The Largest Countrywide Newspaper Making Competition for Children" and also recognised by 'India Book of Records' for "The Largest Number of Manually Prepared Newspapers by Kids."

    Dainik Bhaskar’s ‘Junior Editor’ creates history

    By A Correspondent

     

    Junior Editor-2011, an initiative of Dainik Bhaskar, under the umbrella of Bhaskar Champ’s club has created history by being recognised by Guinness World Records as “The Largest Writing Competition”, by ‘Limca World Record’ as “The Largest Countrywide Newspaper Making Competition for Children” and also recognised by ‘India Book of Records’ for “The Largest Number of Manually Prepared Newspapers by Kids.” A total of 67,130 manually created newspapers were submitted by children from 41 cities of 10 states. The activity commenced on February 2011 and culminated in September 2011.

     

    Junior Editor was an exceptional interactive programme with elements of editorial, designing, creative writing and reporting of the major happenings in and around the world. 67.130 participants of class 1 to class 12 manually created their own newspapers using the framework provided in the 8 page templates. These even had creative spaces for subject as varied as ‘Cartoon & Caricature” and ‘Ad Mad – Creativity at its best’.

     

    Vinay Maheshwari, Vice-President- Sales & Market Development, Dainik Bhaskar Group said, “Guinness World Record is just an affirmation of scale. The Junior Editor 2011 has made to all the three relevant records, ‘Limca World Record’ & ‘India Book of Records’ and the participation of 67,130 participants from 592 schools joining in reflects the stature of the club as well as the strong brand presence of DB Group”.

     

    He added ‘The idea behind the initiative was not only to engage kids but the entire family by providing them a smart reader engagement, as the participants were expected not to just cut-paste the information but to give their own interpretation and at times use imagination to complete a story, it definitely had the family interacting as a unit. That was also the focal point of Ideation”. Such initiatives tap the existing enormous potential of strengthening reader connect with the brand.’

     

     

    The participants participated in 2 categories based in level of expertise and expectations. Category- A (Class 1st to 4th), Category- B (Class 5th to 8th) & Category C (Class 9th to 12th). It was interesting to see the spectrum of subjects picked up for making the newspaper by different categories of participants.

     

  • DDB Mudra leads with 9, Leo Burnett (6) and McCann (5) follow at Pattaya festival.

    India lifts 27 metals at AdFest 2012

    By A Correspondent

     

    At the recently concluded AdFest 2012 in Pattaya, India has finished with the total metal tally of 27 which includes 2 Gold, 12 Silver, 13 Bronze. DDB Mudra won total 9 metals and leads the pack followed by Leo Burnett with 6 metals and McCann WorldGroup with 5.

     

    In the Film Lotus Category, Creativeland Asia won Silver for film tilted Maa, Hippo Round-Round. Ogilvy & Mather also won Silver in films for Bajaj Pulsar. In Campaign for Best of Retail, Bangalore-based Happy won for Flipkart for No Kidding. No Worries.

     

    In the Press Lotus category, DDB Mudra Group won Silver. It won a Bronze for its work for Passat. In the press category for electronics, Grey Worldwide bagged a Bronze while McCann WorldGroup won 4 Silver for Onida. Leo Burnett too got a Silver.

     

    In the Outdoor Category, DRAFTFCB+ ULKA got a Bronze for its Falling Hoarding Mumbai Traffic Police work. McCann WorldGroup got a Gold for its work for Blind Car Hard Rock Café India. DDB Mudra won a Bronze for Cleanoscope Rotract. There were three more Bronze and a Silver in the Outdoors for DDB Mudra for its work titled Jumbled Conspiracy.

     

    In the Direct Lotus, DDB Mudra bagged Silver for Lass Natural Cosmetics while Grey Worldwide too got silver for Pantene. In the Direct Ambient O&M got a Bronze for its work titled Chanting Lighter for Cancer Patients Aid Association. Leo Burnett bagged a Bronze for Ink Pad Literacy program for Door Step School.

     

    In the Design Lotus, Leo Burnett got a Gold for Gandhifont. It also won 3 Bronze in the category for Bajaj Exhaust Fans. DDB Mudra pocketed a Bronze too.

    India drew a blank in Radio Lotus and Cyber Lotus, Promo Lotus, Film Craft Lotus, New Director Lotus, 360 Lotus, Innova Lotus and Lotus Roots.

    In The Special Awards 2012, Advertiser of the Year went to Google Inc and Advertising Agency of The Year went to Dentsu Inc, Tokyo. Network Agency of the year went to DDB.

     

     

    Agency Category Gold/Silver/Bronze Tally
    McCann WorldGroup Press 4 Silver 5
    McCann WorldGroup Outdoor 1 Gold
    DDB Mudra Press 1 Silver, 1 Bronze 9
    DDB Mudra Outdoor 1 Silver, 4 Bronze
    DDB Mudra Design 1 Bronze
    DDB Mudra Direct 1 Silver
    O&M Direct 1 Bronze 2
    O&M Film 1 Silver
    Leo Burnett Press 1 Silver, 6
    Leo Burnett Direct 1 Bronze
    Leo Burnett Design 1 Gold, 3 Bronze
    CreativeLand Asia Film 1 Silver 1
    Happy Film 1 Silver 1
    Grey Worldwide Press 1 Bronze 2
    Grey Worldwide Direct 1 Silver
    Draft FCB+ULKA Outdoor 1 Bronze 1
    Total Metal Tally 27
  • The problems faced by Indian athletics in its attempt to catch up with the rest of the world echoed at the seminar on athletics held to mark the start of the 36th National Convention of the Sports Journalists Federation of India in Guwahati on Tuesday.

    Long way to go for Indian athletics: Sports journos’ meet

    By A Correspondent

     

    The problems faced by Indian athletics in its attempt to catch up with the rest of the world echoed at the seminar on athletics held to mark the start of the 36th National Convention of the Sports Journalists Federation of India (SJFI) in Guwahati on Tuesday.

     

    While the elite panel comprising former internationals Bhogeswar Barua, Adille Sumariwalla, Sunil Abraham and Tayabun Nesa and eminent coach, Kuntal Roy, spoke generally on a variety of factors, the common refrain amongst them all was the need of a long-term plan, support from within the educational system and the adoption of a supportive sports medicine system for the growth of the sport in the country.

     

    Setting the ball rolling, Bhogeswar Barua, 800m gold medalist at the 1966 Asian Games in Bangkok, was critical of the powers-that-be who controlled the affairs of the Athletics Federation of India, for the failure of Indian athletics to really take off at the world stage. “They have really no genuine concern for the sport. Or for all the gains we have made through the years, Indian athletics could have really made a real impact at the world level by now. Power and pelf are what they are interested at, while the real concern should have been that of the welfare of the athletes.”

     

    Barua also said that there was no point in blaming Indian cricket for the ills plaguing Olympic sports disciplines in the country. “There is enough space to co-exist for all sports disciplines along with cricket. But then, the attempt should be to have a long-term plan which should be backed with some vision.”

     

    Adille Sumariwalla, former National sprint champion, emphasised the need for society to change its approach towards athletics. “The crowds are simply not there at any meet held in this country despite the fact the action provides much more thrill than any other sport. Where else, can one witness competitions in more than one event being held simultaneously other than in athletics.”

     

    Sunil Abraham, also a constituent sprinter of his times, pointed out that things were bound to improve only if the middle class took to the sport in large numbers. “They are our main stay and I see an attitudinal problem as they choose to shun the sport and its excitement without any valid reason. The blame for this could be the lack of commitment of the present generation of athletes despite the facilities being made available to them.”

     

    In her intervention, Tayabun Nesa spoke generally on how the sport had got totally removed from the educational system through the years and stressed on the need for the adoption of a sound system to take advantage of modern sports medicine. “The Government should look seriously into both these aspects if Indian athletics has to go places.”

    Later in the day, the convention was officially inaugurated by 94-year-old Pulin Das, Assam’s first sports journalist, while the daily SJFI newsletter, Guwahati Rocks, was released by Bhogeswar Barua, by handing over the first copy to former National table tennis champion, Monalisa Barua-Mehta.

     

  • Singapore Tourism Board has launched a new marketing campaign for India – 'Singapore -The Holiday You Take Home with You'.

    Singapore aims fresh salvo at Indian tourism market

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) unveils its latest plan targeted at the India market. “Singapore – The Holiday You Take Home with You”, the third in a series of customised and differentiated marketing campaigns after those in China and Australia, adopts a similar consumer-centric approach by tailoring experiences based on a deeper understanding of the needs of the Indian leisure travellers. By understanding their needs, better quality experiences can also be created and delivered, which is a natural evolution of the YourSingapore destination brand with its emphasis on personalisation of experiences.

     

    Through years of presence and engagements held with Indian consumers, STB has observed changes in the travel habits and needs of Indian travellers. Today, Indian travellers possess a more global worldview and have discerning travel needs. Indian consumers prefer for families to travel and bond together through shared learning experiences. Many also research and plan their own Free and Independent Traveller (FIT) itineraries on the Internet, and are eager to try out and learn new things.

     

    The new marketing campaign will focus on quality tailored offerings that appeal to the Indian audience. The core of the campaign rests on four pillars of enriching experiences, namely family fun, active lifestyle, culinary and romance. Singapore offers the promise of a deeper and more engaging experience beyond a usual holiday; through experiential and shared learning activities, the campaign wishes to draw an emotional connection between travellers and the destination.

     

    Randall Tan, STB’s Regional Director for South Asia, Middle East & Africa, said, “Indian travellers’ preferences have truly evolved;  they are more adventurous and seek much more out of their holidays today. There is greater interest in quality, aspirational and engaging experiences that allow visitors to build deeper relations, as well as acquire new skills and knowledge with their loved ones. They will return home enriched. Our campaign is thus an invitation to Indian travellers to explore an ‘experiential touch-do-and-engage holiday’ instead of the mere ‘checklist holiday’.

     

    The campaign is driven largely by a digital thrust that features online and mobile advertising, a dedicated India landing page on the YourSingapore destination website, and social media engagement, including a Facebook quiz. The dedicated webpage allows easy navigation and customisation of one’s travel itinerary, and also highlights the new enriching itineraries under culinary, family fun, romance and active lifestyle, travel agent listings and travel essentials, along with a social media component to enable travellers to have first-hand information about the latest events taking place in Singapore.

     

    The YourSingapore Facebook page will feature engaging applications and wall posts such as conversations and photos shared by fans, centred around the travelling behavior of Indians to help STB build a direct relationship with Indian travellers. Fans can also participate in the ‘Unravel & Travel’ quiz and stand to win holidays to Singapore. The campaign will also see strategic collaborations between STB and key specialised travel partners like Thomas Cook (India) Ltd. and Mercury Travels to co-create and offer travel packages across the four core pillars of enriching experiences.

     

    Madhavan Menon, Managing Director of Thomas Cook (India) Ltd added, “We are delighted to partner with Singapore Tourism Board on the launch of their new campaign, “Singapore – The Holiday You Take Home with You”. As pioneers of travel, with a vibrant heritage of over 130 years, this unique partnership with Singapore Tourism Board will bring to Indian travellers a truly enriching and experiential range of ‘Active Lifestyle’ and ‘Family Fun’ experiences. In keeping with our strong focus of innovation and exceptional customer service, our tie-up with Singapore Tourism Board further enhances our unique and diverse customer centric product-service portfolio.”

     

    Travel partner Mercury Travels will offer itineraries focusing on the culinary and romance pillars of enriching experiences. Its Chief Executive Officer Mr. Aashutosh Akshikar said, “Holidays are a time for memorable experiences and family bonding. Singapore’s “The Holiday You Take Home with You” campaign brings to the fore experiential travelling that helps strengthen familial bonds. From a romantic holiday to a family vacation, or even from a culinary programme to an active holiday, Singapore is certainly a great holiday destination.”

     

     

  • BMB India, a 50:50 JV between Trevor Beattie's BMB and Madison World, has won the O-SIX Travel & Hospitality account.

    BMB India wins O-SIX travel & hospitality

    By A Correspondent

     

    BMB India, a 50:50 JV between Trevor Beattie’s BMB and Madison World, has won the O-SIX Travel & Hospitality account.

     

    Prabha Prabhu, CEO, BMB India says “We won this account based on our capabilities and our category knowledge and the great work that we have done for Thomson Holidays in London. The campaign is approved and ready to roll next week. This year we will be using only Press and Digital media. We hope to however make it a highly visible campaign.”

     

    Leapfrog Holidays & 360 Himalaya; brands of O-SIX Travel & Hospitality have been in the business for six solid years, making the world accessible to thousands of satisfied clients who have enjoyed great holiday experiences. This is mainly due to many years of relentless research and touring being done by the company’s core team of travel fanatics.

     

    BMB India is the advertising unit of Madison World, a diversified Communication Group with 24 units across 10 specialized functions of Advertising, Media, PR, Out-of-Home, Rural, Retail, Entertainment, Mobile, Events and Sports; employing over 1000 communication professionals across cities in India, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

     

  • Piyush Pandey, Executive Chairman of Ogilvy & Mather India, will be the first South Asian to receive the prestigious advertising industry award.

    CLIO Lifetime Award for Piyush Pandey

    By A Correspondent

     

    The CLIO Awards, one of the world’s most recognized awards competitions honouring excellence in advertising, design and communications, today named Piyush Pandey as the recipient of the 2012 CLIO Lifetime Achievement Award. Mr Pandey, the Executive Chairman and Creative Director of South Asia for Ogilvy & Mather India, will be the first person from the region to receive the distinction. With a prolific advertising career spanning three decades, Mr Pandey is often revered as “the godfather of Indian advertising” by peers. He will be presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 53rdannual CLIO Awards ceremony, taking place on Tuesday, May 15, at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.

     

    The CLIO Lifetime Achievement Award, one of the most prestigious honours in the advertising industry, recognizes the outstanding creative contributions of an individual who leads the advertising community forward.

     

    “Piyush truly embodies the spirit of this award,” said CLIO director, Karl Vontz. “He not only possesses wonderful creative vision, but he is a great leader who motivates everyone around him with his enthusiasm and passion. We look forward to celebrating his body of work and his ongoing contributions in the field of advertising.”

     

    Mr Pandey, the recipient of the 2010 Advertising Agencies Association of India Lifetime Achievement Award, has won five CLIO Awards to date. The Economic Times has rated O&M the number one advertising agency in the country eight times in a row under his leadership. The paper also named him the most influential man in Indian advertising for eight straight years. With more than 600 international awards to its credit, O&M India is ranked among the most creative offices in the entire O&M network.

     

    Under Mr Pandey’s stewardship, O&M India weathered the storm of the 2009 worldwide financial crisis and won Media Magazine’s Office Of The Year Award. In the same year, Mr Pandey unveiled mobile service provider Vodafone’s popular ZooZoo characters, a social phenomenon that swept India.

     

    CLIO established its Lifetime Achievement Award in 2001.

     

     

  • Everyone seems to be using the BB for all sorts of stuff. Dating, BBMing, uploading pics, chatting, etc. As a result, the uncle suits have gone into absolute mourning, and this makes the TVC very unappetizing to watch.

    Debrief: Vodafone BlackBerry: Self-indulgent tripe

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    The Vodafone ‘BlackBerry Boys’ are back. Those singing and jiving suits. If I recall correctly, these buggers were complaining in a commercial a couple of years ago, that their BlackBerry had been stolen by dudes and dudettes. That it was no longer a corporate toy. Well, they are still cribbing about that, but the new ad is immensely irritating.

     

    Vodafone wants to increase the BB penetration further amongst the masses. And now the suits appear to have totally lost their ‘USP’. Everyone seems to be using the BB for all sorts of stuff. Dating, BBMing, uploading pics, chatting, etc. As a result, the uncle suits have gone into absolute mourning, and this makes the TVC very unappetizing to watch. Trust me, it’s no fun watching suits whine and sob, we see enough of that in the corporate world anyway. So while the original version was peppy and novel, the sequel is jaded and boring. I think it was a big mistake rehashing the ‘BlackBerry Boys’. They should have come up with a fresh idea.

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dz1Tsh4MW0o[/youtube]

    More importantly, in what appears to be an exercise in self-indulgence, the marketer and their ad agency overlooked one very important factor: There is zero entertainment in the commercial. After the first exposure you want to shoot the mourning suits. The least they should have done was to make them more interesting, if that is indeed possible. And what’s with the running supers that spell out the tired jingle? ‘BlackBerry Boys’ don’t understand simple angrezi? Now that’s reason to mourn.

     

    Rating: (On a scale of 1 to 5): 1. RIP, Messrs BlackBerry Boys

  • Star's no-holds-barred show promises to be a tear-jerker, as Aamir Khan brings out facets of India’s gritty reality.

    High EQ at Aamir Khan talk show Satyameva Jayate

    By A Correspondent

     

    From Lagaan to Rang de Basanti to 3 Idiots and the hard-hitting Peepli Live which dealt unabashedly with home truths – for Aamir Khan, the next logical step seemed to be tackling real life itself, live.

     

    His no-holds-barred talk show Satyameva Jayate has already garnered praise from industrywallahs – singer Sukhwinder Singh is gaga about it, for one – and, from all accounts, promises to be an eye-opener.

     

    Shooting for the episodes has begun and is said to be proceeding as per schedule.

     

    Besides the guests on the show, the live TV audiences have also been moved by the issues tackled on the show. While the mood is not always sombre to begin with, as the issues get revealed and the guests share their touching stories, it is often Mr Khan himself who is seen to have tears in his eyes. The actor with a heart does succeed in getting the guests to talk about the most difficult times in their lives, but not without also extracting mugfuls of tears from practically everyone, according to eyewitnesses.

     

    “I will put it this way, that the ‘EQ’ or emotional quotient is very high on this show,” said a participant who attended one of the studio shoots. “Aamir Khan is really dedicated and really cares about the people and their problems that are being discussed. He’s wonderful. We came because we are Aamir fans, but then we just forgot that he is a star actor,” she added.

     

    After heavy doses of manufactured reality programmes, the Star offering seems to be a breath of genuine fresh air, as the show sets out to reveal the India that lives in far-flung villages and only sometimes breaks out in the form of a headline.

     

  • Networkplay has announced that Gruner + Jahr, the publishing division of European media conglomerate Bertelsmann AG, has acquired a majority stake in the company.

    Gruner + Jahr acquires Networkplay

    By A Correspondent

     

    Networkplay has announced that Gruner + Jahr, the publishing division of European media conglomerate Bertelsmann AG, has acquired a majority stake in the company.

     

    Networkplay is India’s digital ad network with presence on internet, mobile and DTH platforms.

     

    Networkplay was incubated in 2008 by Webchutney, India’s leading digital advertising agency and funded by Capital18, the venture capital arm of the Network18 group. Since inception, Networkplay has successfully executed its vision of creating a highly effective and scalable advertising solution across all digital platforms. Over the last 3.5 years, the company has grown at a rapid pace to reach an execution capability of over 4 Billion impressions per month across 500 publishers and 350 advertisers. Networkplay has emerged as the partner of choice for advertisers and publishers due to solid execution capabilities, innovative services and a top notch team. Networkplay has also brought global event franchises such as ad:tech and iMedia Summits to India, in partnership with dmg::events, a leading international events company that manages over 80 events in over 25 countries.

     

    Sidharth Rao, Founder & CEO of Webchutney, said, “Ram and his team have built an amazing business from an idea a few years ago. We are very proud and delighted to have believed in Networkplay’s vision from the first day. A partnership with a leading global company, Gruner + Jahr, will propel Networkplay on a stronger, higher growth path”

     

    Sarbvir Singh, Managing Director of Capital18, said, “Networkplay’s success has been driven by Ram’s inspirational leadership and the passion/commitment of his outstanding team. I wish G+J the very best in India and am sure that best days lie ahead for Networkplay. This transaction is an important milestone for Capital18 as we continue our journey of working with extraordinary entrepreneurs in the media and entertainment space.”

     

    Rammohan Sundaram, Founder and CEO of Networkplay, said, “This is an exciting phase in our journey and we are delighted to partner with a global company that shares our ambition and vision. We are privileged to be part of the Bertelsmann group with operations across the world. We believe this partnership is a testimony to our unique proposition, strong execution capabilities and the extraordinary team we have built over the last few years. This is a positive outcome for all our stakeholders, especially our customers as we now aim to enhance our innovative and execution capabilities in line with the world class standards and experience that Gruner + Jahr brings to this partnership. I would like to thank Sidharth and Sarbvir for having the confidence in us and helping us grow an idea to what Networkplay is today. They shared our enthusiasm and vision and have been great partners through this journey”.

     

    Gruner + Jahr is one of the world’s leading media groups and its Electronic Media Sales (EMS) division is a leader in the digital advertising space in Europe. G+J recently acquired the majority of MaXposure Media and this is their second strategic investment in India.

     

    Dr Torsten-Jörn Klein, Executive Board Member and President of Gruner + Jahr International, said, “The expansion of our activities in India is clearly in line with the strategic priorities of Gruner + Jahr. After the acquisition of MaXposure in the print space, G+J is now acquiring Networkplay, one of the fastest growing digital companies in India and follows its strategy to build a combined portfolio of print and digital media activities.”

     

    Kuldip Singh, CEO, Gruner + Jahr India will join the board at Networkplay. Kuldip Singh will also be the CFO of Networkplay and he added, “Networkplay was one of the several companies we were looking at when we decided to build our digital business in India. We zeroed in on NP simply because of the brilliant team along with the strategic vision that Ram had for the company thus far, also they have shown very attractive growth in revenues in such a short time of their existence. We are extremely thrilled to bring Networkplay under the G+J Group and I am confident that with our strategic vision this company will consolidate its leadership position going forward”.