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  • On World Water Day, March 22, the clothing brand Levi’s is challenging people to go WaterLess. This is a social media initiative by Levi’s to help give more to people in need in association with water.org.

    Levi’s WaterLess initiative for World Water Day

    By A Correspondent

     

    On World Water Day, March 22, the clothing brand Levi’s is challenging people to go WaterLess. This is a social media initiative by Levi’s to help give more to people in need in association with water.org.

     

    The official communiqué from Levi’s states, “Nearly a billion people don’t have access to clean drinking water and we’ve decided to do something about it. Our hope is that you will too. Beginning March 22, in honour of World Water Day, the Levi’s brand and Water.org will partner to encourage people to ‘Go WaterLess’ and experience what life is like for the one billion people around the globe without clean water. Go WaterLess challenges people across the globe to take water saving steps to help provide water to those without.”

     

    This is an engagement activity where people can log on to www.levi.in/waterless and learn more about the global demand for clean water and small actions they can take each day to use less and give more. Each action completed ‘unlocks’ WaterCredits and ultimately supports Water.org’s work to provide life-saving clean water worldwide.

     

    The Levi’s brand has also introduced its WaterLess jeans collection in India. The average pair of jeans uses 42 litres of water in the finishing process, while Levi’s WaterLess products say they reduce the use of water in the finishing process by up to 96 percent for some styles. The Levi’s brand, the communique said, has already made more than 13 million WaterLess products and saved more than 172 million litres of water. This is water saved equivalent to 726,600,812 8-ounce glasses of drinking water which is enough for 157,000 people for one year.

     

  • Rachna Kanwar, the brain behind PlanetRadiocity.com, talks to MxMIndia about trends in radio – online, mobile and emerging media – and plans for its revamp.

    PlanetRadiocity launches new genre on Web Radio

    By A Correspondent

     

    PlanetRadiocity.com has formally launched its new web radio genre, IndiPop Radio, which plays back-to-back IndiPop hits 24×7. The newly launched web radio station will feature popular IndiPop music from all over the world, the segment will also feature popular music of artistes like Lucky Ali, Mohit Chauhan, Kailasa, Strings, Junoon, Apache Indian, Sukhbir and so on.

     

    The launch of the IndiPop stream (a new genre on PlanetRadiocity Web Radio) is said to be an effort to expand the offerings of PlanetRadiocity Web Radio. Web Radio which offers 24 hours of streaming internet radio was launched in March 2010 by PlanetRadiocity.com.

     

    Indian rapper Baba Sehgal also launched his new single and video ‘Praji Kunjam Kunjam Control’ exclusively on PlanetRadiocity Web Radio. Listeners will have to visit IndiPop Radio on PlanetRadiocity.com’s Web Radio to listen to the song.

     

    A little more than three years since its launch, PlanetRadiocity.com, the music portal from Radio City, is set to undergo a revamp. Its Web Radio, after ‘Live Radio’ and ‘IndiPop’ will very soon launch more genres such as Devotional and Independent music to name a few. In conversation with MxMIndia, Ms Rachna Kanwar, Head – Digital Media and New Business, Radio City the brain behind PlanetRadiocity.com spoke about the future trends of online radio, mobile plans for PlanetRadiocity, on the revamp plans and much more.

     

    Q: Can you throw some light on the new web radio station – IndiPop? 

    Last year we started ‘Web Radio’, which is a separate entity and not the same as the terrestrial radio. Web Radio has been created keeping in mind our TG which is the internet audience and now we have launched IndiPop Radio which was formally launched on Tuesday, March 20, 2012. We believe there is a huge space that is yet to be filled by the non-film music. Today most people are focusing only on Bollywood music, which of course is very popular and we too play and endorse it.

     

    However there are also other genres or type of music which are very popular and have a lot of audience and hence needs to be played. In fact most of the popular Bollywood singers have emerged from this genre (IndiPop) whether they are Kailash Kher, Mohit Chauhan, Shaan etc. So if Bollywood is dipping into this creative pool then why not create space for the IndiPop genre itself. This year in fact is in a way seen as a comeback of the IndiPop genre because a whole lot of artists of this genre are announcing their albums whether it Lucky Ali, Indus Creed or Baba Sehgal himself.

     

    Q: Now, once an artist launches his/her album, take for example the Baba Sehgal album… How does PlanetRadiocity promote it or take it forward?

    What we plan to do is take a 360 degree marketing approach by promoting it through our terrestrial radio station, online we will be using the social media, search engine marketing, mailers, promos etc. and then create events around it.

     

    Q: On Web Radio, (launched in 2010) you have Live Radio and now IndiPop Radio. How has the response been for web radio? What are new genres that you would explore soon?

    Very soon we will be launching devotional music and independent music which is very different from Indipop and many more. Our TG is completely the internet audience i.e. anybody and everybody who is interested in listening to music but, our web radio are consumed heavily in offices and by college students. Apart from them, we have a whole lot of audience listening from home as well and a large chunk of them are the NRI’s. We have received huge response from audience on our Web Radio. We have about 1.6 million listeners from across the world including UK, US and Pakistan etc.

     

    Q: Is there a market for web radio in India? What is the audience profile that visit PlanetRadiocity’s web radio? Do Radio City listeners also visit the website?

    Frankly, people have just begun to understand digital music in India, people are becoming quite aware of music online and therefore you have more websites targeting music lovers online. So there is a market for web radio in India and we have been quite successful with web radio.

     

    Radio listenership to a certain extent has been moving to the digital platform and while we do realize that radio has its loyal listeners, there are listeners particularly the younger ones who are moving to digital. We already have headway in engaging this audience, we have a full-fledged digital team and music website.

     

    Q: The business model for web radio (and PlanetRadiocity) is ad sales led, isn’t it? Is there any other revenue source?

    Web Radio is also dependent on banner advertising and ad sales etc. The advantage being that within the stream also one can sell air time and which is a huge advantage for us because our sales team know how to sell air time.

     

    Q: It’s been nearly 3.5 years since the launch of PlanetRadiocity.com. You have the web radio now and more genres to come. Any plans to revamp the website or give a new look to the web radio section?

    Yes, very soon we will be revamping the website. We would also be including new features in it which should happen in about a month time or so.

     

    Q: How are you leveraging mobile? Any mobile specific plans? Will mobile internet users also be able to listen to PlanetRadiocity web users?

    We are in the process of creating mobile apps for the website. Once these apps are created we will also have mobile internet users also visiting our website.

     

    Q: How has 2012 welcomed PlanetRadiocity? What can we expect from you this year and say a few years from now?

    The year 2012 looks extremely positive and encouraging because we will be launching a new look, we would be launching a lot of music streams, new web radio genres etc. which will attract new audience. As far as our growth target is concerned we have been able to meet them.

     

  • In her weekly 'grouse', Ranjona Banerji writes on how the news media took on an issue when none existed.

    [MxM Journalism Review] When media got taken for a ride

    By Ranjona Banerji

     

    One of the best examples of the way the media was taken for a ride lies in the Bhattacharyas versus the Norwegian child welfare services story. Without a thought for the facts, Indian television plumped up with rage and immediately pulled out the racism card. The parents of the children who had been removed from their care wept on television. Theories were put up about how the Norwegians did not understand the cultural traditions of Indian parenting – feeding with your hands, cuddling, the whole family sleeping together. These cold, hard, unfeeling people invaded the Bhattacharyas’ home and decided that they were bad parents. We were told that Norway’s child welfare services did this regularly, particularly to people of colour. Other Norwegians appeared on television and told us that they also lived in constant fear of their children being snatched away by the state.

     

    As the jingoistic cries of “India done wrong” grew louder, the case became a diplomatic incident. Indian politicians – notably Brinda Karat of what is left of the Left Front – held protests against Norway, demanding that the Indian government do something. Newspapers just followed the television line. Our thin Indian skins bristled with outrage that someone had dared to accuse an Indian couple of being bad parents.

     

    Now the story has taken a bizarre and potentially tragic turn. The father of the children now says that his children were taken away because of his wife’s psychological condition. In fact, he says he has left her after a violent incident. It turns out that it was not a “cultural misunderstanding” that led to the drastic act of removing the children. The little boy’s teachers found his behaviour to be strange and that is when the child services entered the Bhattacharyas’ home. Charges of malnutrition were also added to this.

     

    To make matters worse, the children’s uncle, designated as guardian, now says that the children are “flourishing” and happy in child care. He fears what will happen to them when he brings them back to India and his sister-in-law’s family tries to claim them.

     

    The husband says his wife got carried away with the media attention. So, probably, did he.

     

    In all this, the media asked no questions. They took the Bhattacharyas at face value and instead of getting a “story”, editors and reporters allowed their own personal feelings of outrage to guide them.

     

    Few if any efforts were made to dig a little deeper. There was a clue that I can remember. The children’s mother had said on TV that the Norwegian child welfare services had not taken into account the effects of post-partum depression in their analysis.

     

    A journalist who does not ask questions, as many as possible, sooner or later lands up with egg on the face. In this case, it is not just about embarrassment. It is about the life and happiness of two children.

     

    And no matter whether it makes good TV or not, we have to stop behaving as if the world is out to insult us. Sometimes, it is quite possible, that some Indians are not perfect.

     

  • Pradyuman Maheshwari on why the TRAI proposal on ad duration and display need to be rubbished and how market forces must decide on what’s right

    MxMIndia Comment: Let market forces decide ad duration

    By Pradyuman Maheshwari

     

    There is no denying that the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has done some splendid work in the world of telecom. It’s also done its homework well on the recommendations for digitized delivery of broadcast signals. The sunset dates (especially for the four metros) are very ambitious, but TRAI is determined to cleanse the system, and this could well help do that.

     

    However, there are some areas where TRAI has failed, and come up with outlandish recommendations. For instance, its advisory that only All India Radio news feeds be used on FM private radios. It’s bizarre. When all and sundry players are allowed to air news on television – via satellite and cable, why not have news on radio? I believe that radiowallahs are also to blame for this delay and somewhere the fact that most of them are also in television and print is impacting pushing this agenda.

     

    Then there’s the issue of cross-ownership. I am aware of the problems that owning various media has, but just following what was implemented in developed nations eons ago is not right. Also, strategic tie-ups between media groups can happen to ensure that they further their collective agenda. An example being of Star and Zee getting together to set up distribution arm MediaPro.

     

    The newest in TRAI’s proposals which has now asked stakeholders to present views is on the duration and display of ads on channels. Surely we knew that the TRAI was working on it, but the timing was interesting. It’s happening at the end of a tough fiscal, but more importantly, the industry bodies have matured in their outlook and are taking necessary steps to get their acts together (like they did on self-regulation). So why not ask the IBF and NBA to get together and deliberate?

     

    [youtube width=”350″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QGcFHfF6kE[/youtube]

    But the issue here is different, should the government really get into the act of regulating ad durations and displays? Let market forces decide (see video alongside where Sunil Lulla, Times TV Network CEO and VP, IBF and NBA board member, advocates the same to my colleague Shruti Pushkarna on the sidelines of the CASBAA convention yesterday). We have already had several instances when broadcasters have dropped ads to up viewership and ratings. Ad breaks on films have been tweaked much to achieve this. I am sure all sports channels know that they can’t play around with the amount of screenspace ads take because it impacts the viewer experiences. News channels go without a break for hours whenever they are pursuing a huge story.

     

    More than regulations, market forces will help decide all of this. The government must have as much, say, in the matter of ad duration as it has in, say, a Hindustan Lever’s pricing of Dove soap. Tracking the policies in other countries makes for good reading, but is not necessarily a good idea. Broadcasters have appointed top marketing and research talent to think through this. Let them do their jobs… they know what’s good for their channels and their viewers.

     

    The problem is that the Indian public doesn’t like to pay for content. They wouldn’t mind paying a few hundred rupees per head on going to the cinema for the movies, but will hesitate to pay even 1/10th that for a month’s subscription of a pay movie channel. Broadcasters are largely to blame for this, but that doesn’t mean that they need to pay so heavily for their mistakes.

     

    The damage is not done yet. I am certain that all stakeholders will damn the proposals and ensure that these regressive policies don’t come in to being.

     

    MxMIndia opposes them, and recommends a liberal broadcast regime. Let market forces rule.

     

  • At the CASBAA India Forum, the I&B joint secy said those who don't digitize will be punished

    MIB diktat: Digitize or get punished!

     

     

    By Shruti Pushkarna

     

    Reiterating the government’s stand on implementation of digitization in the Indian market yet again, Supriya Sahu, Joint Secretary (Broadband & Policy), Ministry of Information and Broadcasting made it clear that there was no alternative to digitization, that digitization has been made mandatory for all and those who don’t digitize will be subject to punishment under Section 11.

     

    Speaking at the CASBAA India Forum 2012 in New Delhi, Ms Sahu said, “It actually becomes punishable if you don’t give digital signal by the notified date. So after June 30 if somebody does not give digital signal and continues with analog signal, it becomes punishable as per Section 11.” Ms Sahu admitted that the biggest challenge for the Information & Broadcasting Ministry was to keep pace with the evolving technology as far as policy formulation is concerned. She said, “Policies are slower than evolving technology…By the time you have put in place a legal framework, you have another innovation come up. So the policy needs to keep pace with the technological advancement. We also need to speed up the policy making process.”

     

    Addressing the forum earlier in the day, Uday Kumar Varma, Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting also emphasized that digitization will run its course successfully. He said, “Digitization is a phenomenon which is sure to happen and now we need to look beyond the digital. Digitization is an idea whose time has come and the only question is that of timing and phasing, which the government has already looked into.” The Secretary also said that despite the mammoth challenge of digitization, it is set to address a plethora of issues for broadcasters, like measurement, carriage fees etc.

     

    With regard to the availability of set top boxes, Mr Varma said, “The country is in a fair position… as per industry estimates, we require about 10 million set top boxes in the four metros. Around 2.5 million set top boxes are in stock and another 7 million are being procured, about 1.8 million have already been installed.”

     

    Addressing the audience, Ms Sahu also said that Cable Television Network Regulation Act of 1995 has now been amended. It is under this act that digitization has been made mandatory. She also said that certain major changes have been brought in policy in the amendment act which will facilitate digitalization. Clearing the air on issues pertaining to licensing of MSOs and registration regime for the cable operators, Ms Sahu said, “The rules under the act have already been drafted, it is under consultation. We don’t have to bother much about the rules because we are not going to substantially change the licensing procedures for the MSOs and therefore it is not going to disturb the entire process of digitization…The licensing procedure for the MSOs and the cable operator is much simpler, it’s not going to be complicated at all because we know that we have to finish the first phase in time, before June 30.” In the new act, TRAI has been empowered in the act itself to make regulations on tariff and interconnection issues.

     

    Talking about the need to create more awareness among consumers about digitization, both the Secretary and Joint Secretary asserted that the government has already started taking steps in that direction. Ms Sahu said, “We have a committee which is working on the communication campaign. Our jingles are already on two of our radio stations and we just finalized our TV spots. Ministry has already gone ahead with a Facebook account, we are developing an exclusive website, our toll free numbers are already working. But I would like to appeal to the broadcasters and the broadcasting bodies like NBA to come out with their campaigns also.” The onus of bringing awareness she said, lies with both the government as well as the broadcasters.

     

    However, Roop Sharma, President, Cable Operators Federation of India feels that the government needs to do much more in terms of educating the consumers. She said, “Industry has done everything on its own, the government should play a better role in educating the consumer. Since government has mandated the change over from analog to digital, we want government to take a more proactive role in this. They should do many consumer workshops, many consumer awareness programmes and give some incentive to the consumer to transform from analog to digital.”

     

    In an earlier session titled, ‘The Big Picture’, Ashok Mansukhani, President, MSO Alliance, Management Consultant, M/s Hinduja Ventures highlighted three issues, which if addressed now, will make the deadline of June 30 possibly achievable. He said, “The first issue is to have a level playing field cable rules which align the cable rules of 2006 to the DAS act of 2012. Second is, we want a level playing field regulation for digital addressable because the August 2006 CAS regulations cannot work in DAS. And the third is, unless government says that this is a government mandate, everybody on July 1 must necessarily watch television in these 4 cities through a set top box exercising choice it will not take off.” Mr Mansukhani also said that the government needs to get its act together and get all the rules in place to avoid any chaos. He added that in his personal view the June 30 deadline was a mirage in a Siberian desert but the industry was nevertheless committed to make it happen.

     

    Narayan Rao, President, News Broadcasters Association and Executive Vice Chairperson, NDTV, said that digitization will provide a huge potential for the entire industry in forms of revenue. He also said that industry members need to get rid of the trust deficit and work together in order for digitization to happen by the notified date.

     

    Mr Mansukhani said, “Digitization should become an acceptable form of television viewing in India from now on and the industry should make consumers aware of it and take care of them.” Mr Sunil Lulla, VP, IBF and MD & CEO, Times TV Network echoed Ms Roop Sharma’s views when he said that the government needs to take more responsibility for communicating to the consumer the benefits of digitization.

     

    In a separate session titled, ‘The Regulatory Mandate’, speaking about the biggest regulatory challenge for the government, Anil Khera, CEO, Videocon d2h said, “The biggest challenge is to implement within the given time frame.” Mr Ravi Mansukhani, MD, IMCL said, “The biggest challenge is to create a level playing field in a world of convergence.”

     

    Answering a question on whether India is ready to go beyond digital, Mr Khera said, “The first 4 metros will set the pace for digitization. The success of these 4 metros will decide the pace of digitization for the rest of the country.”

     

    K Jayaraman, CEO & MD, Hathway Cable and Datacom as well as Mr Ravi Mansukhani expressed their disappointment with the budget which had no fiscal incentives mentioned. Although Mr Jayaraman said, “It is not a big show stopper for Phase I, I’m sure it’ll come by Phase II and III.” Mr Mansukhani said that the bigger MSOs are lucky to have an investor so money is not a problem for them but there is another smaller MSO who cannot come up with the money; it is this MSO which will be affected, and the government should set up a fund for these MSOs.

     

    The forum ended with a session with GroupM South Asia CEO Vikram Sakhuja talking about ‘The Advertising Revenue Advantage’. He spoke about how digital TV advertising revenue is adding value for platforms, broadcasters, advertisers and consumers across the Asia Pacific. He said that digitization has the opportunity to take measurement from sample to census. The three areas of impact for advertisers in the digitized era are targeting, measurement and interactivity. He said, “Great interactivity and involvement comes from digital TV… we are moving from lean back television to lean forward television and this will lead to increased levels of interaction.” He said we can increase the value of TV inventory by digitization. He concluded, “The new business model will be such where distribution will lead to advertising.”

     

     

  • We have finally found a real match-winner in the cricket team, a player who doesn't get intimidated by huge targets, and it's in the nation's interest that we carefully nurture this rare talent. Hold the mega praises and the fat endorsement contracts for a bit, people. Let's not kill the golden goose.

    Anil Thakraney: Don’t kill Kohli

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Young Virat Kohli must be pleased as punch. Not only did he manage to do the unthinkable – eclipse Sachin’s 100th 100 – the hot, new sensation is sitting on a goldmine. Imagine the excitement inside corporate boardrooms, as brand managers salivate at the prospect of signing multi million dollar contracts with the lucky dude. And also inside the buzzing rooms of editors and programming heads, as they plan huge spreads for the new found hero. What works even more for Kohli is that he looks reasonably good, unlike most desi cricketers. This makes him a huge media and ad property.

     

    I must quickly add here that I personally have very little respect for brand managers who piggyback on celebrities. This is their way of acknowledging that they are idea-less and want someone else to save their skin. But that’s a debate for another day. I have a larger worry at this point of time.

     

    Not every cricketer is mentally as strong and sorted as Tendulkar. Too much adulation and quick riches could easily go to Kohli’s head; he’s still very young, a 23-year-old lad. We have finally found a real match-winner in the cricket team, a player who doesn’t get intimidated by huge targets, and it’s in the nation’s interest that we carefully nurture this rare talent. We need to give the guy some space and time to mature (he’s got a long way to go), and both, the media and the marketers, must go easy on the young man. Hold the mega praises and the fat endorsement contracts for a bit, people. Let’s not kill the golden goose. We must think India first.

     

    Having said all of the above, I am equally aware that I am wasting my time out here. Our celeb-obsessed media and our idea-starved brand managers will pay no attention to this. They will go for the kill. What to do, we are like this only. All I can say is, one hopes Virat Kohli stays grounded. And keeps his head screwed on. Else, he’s finished. Like one Vinod Kambli.

     

    ***

     

    PS: Must read. An interesting profile of Imran Khan. From his playboy days to his new avatar as a devout Muslim. From captaining a difficult cricket team to the burning ambition to lead a ravaged nation. And of course, his recent bonhomie with dodgy mullahs and terror groups.

     

    Link: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/mar/04/imran-khan-pakistan-cricketer-politician

     

  • What do women want? It’s increasingly the question that millions of dollars ride on. After all, they directly purchase or influence buying behaviour of over 80% of the categories that we as marketers pitch every day.

    Managing Middle India’s Golden Lady

    By Geetanjali Bhattacharji

     

    What do women want? It’s increasingly the question that millions of dollars ride on. After all, they directly purchase or influence buying behaviour of over 80% of the categories that we as marketers pitch every day.

     

    > Cellular service providers have introduced special fares and marketing schemes for women.

    > Consumer durables company Electrolux has ‘womanned’ stores-outlets that are owned, manned and operated by women.

    > Banks, such as Standard Chartered with its Diva credit card and Citibank with its Woman’s Account, are trying to lure women with special products that have value-adds-like free financial advice or discounts at grocery stores-thrown in.

    > Hero Honda Motor & TVS announced scooters in India-aimed specifically at women.

     

    Where are marketers moving to? The gold rush today is evidently towards the 400 smaller towns with a population of 0.1-1million – middle India. Where the market for fast-moving consumer goods will surge from $5.7 billion now to $20 billion in 2018 and $80 billion by 2026.

     

    Why Middle India? Because these towns-Bathinda in Punjab, Anantapur in Andhra Pradesh, Nanded in Maharashtra, Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh-form a bridge between the big metropolitan centres and rural India. The 400 small towns are currently home to about 100 million people with a strong woman population. Let’s look at the potential in terms of value & growth in this region.   Strong value growth: recently Middle India is growing at 20% (up 3+ points from 2010) The woman in these regions is defining her own space. From a silent observer, to a silent influencer, the women in middle India today have come into their own.   Let’s examine the evolution & characteristics of middle India’s golden lady…

     

    Non-vocal about the independence she desires

    One prominent manifestation of this segment is seen in the daily soap operas on Indian television. While the characters may seem regressive at first glance, increasing viewership in middle India has proved that they have struck a chord – whether the woman is a homemaker or a professional. The serials depict a number of scenarios that a woman cannot openly communicate about within her family and in-laws and therefore the television becomes the messenger. This is a large opportunity for marketers to address this audience.

     

    Conformist, yet individualist

    There is another unique characteristic of this segment. She wants to break out from her traditional, sacrificing image, but does not want to go all the way. She wants to conform to the values she believes in and yet wants to do her own thing.   And in the midst of this soul-searching process, the marketer is bewildered. It is a challenge to identify the boundaries correctly and to touch the right chord with this new consumer.

     

    Indulgent A measure of her growing independence is the changing profile of this woman’s out-of-home activities. Today women go out with each other, a trend that was not seen previously. They are also much more into indulgence and satisfying their emotional self. So, whether it is pampering herself at the salon, experimenting with cosmetic surgery or enrolling at the fitness centre, the need to look good has now become a priority. More in middle India with increasing income levels.

     

    Secure There are two things happening – one is behavioural change in terms of the consumer and the second is structural change in terms of the retail outlets themselves. Therefore, women are feeling more and more secure that they can go into a store and actually get the product.

     

    Challenges as marketers

    Are marketers guilty of speaking to the gender divide and perpetuating stereotypical portrayal of half the population, in guise of reflecting society?

    Or is there evidence of ‘brave marketing’ that has liberated itself from more of the same and made a meaningful connection with the woman consumer in middle India differently from the one in Urban & Rural India?   Brands still tend to box her into a simplistic classification of the bahu, beti, biwi, ma, seductress and recently the time challenged working woman.

     

    It is always in one of her ‘doer’ avatars, seldom understanding or reflecting her dilemmas and emotions as an individual.

     

    While the brand may offer a family relevant solution, the relationship can be far more powerful if its conversation is deeply personal. After all there is no Male Maslow or Woman’s Halyen’s   It’s interesting that when we investigate kids, tweens, teens or boomers, we tend to be more gender neutral and focus on understanding their underlying motivations as individuals or cohorts. However we tend to go back to the safety of a ‘role box’ when it comes to women. Yet spanning time, it is Mother India, Manthan, Lalitaji, Cadbury girl on the pitch, Diamond Bride, Dove, Rakhi ka Swayamvar, Gang of Girls and the gender equalising ability of reality shows like Bigg Boss and Roadies to name a few that are memorable and brave for their time. And they have touched a chord with women as individuals.

     

    We are still a while away from shedding the seven second product window that serves as an elaborate ‘purchase justification’ especially for products that target women.

     

    Can we make them cornerstones of brand-building?

    By moving from one-way brand monologues to dialogues…..

    Do we value her views, provide her a platform to express, showcase her creativity, and celebrate her talent? Different channels could be explored depending on her profile – digital, packaging for snacking recipes, television content for her suggestions on parenting, radio for volunteering time to teach. It’s time to recreate strategies to manage the Golden Lady in Middle India…here’s an illustration from a marketer’s page –

     

    How Marketers are managing the gold rush in middle-India

    Suparna Mitra, head of marketing for the watches division of Titan Industries, sheds light on her company’s Middle India experience: “Titan has been aware of and has been addressing this market for some time now. It was one of the first companies to set up exclusive stores in these towns and has an early-mover advantage. For Titan, 50% of watch sales come from the top 10 towns [including metros] and the 11th to 100th towns account for another 35%.

     

    “At this point there are some differences in the products being sold in the metros and in the smaller towns. For instance, the average price in the top 10 towns is 10% higher than the products sold in Middle India. There are also different levels of acceptability in terms of styles and modernity, etc. But, given the exposure, increasing disposal incomes, and similar levels of aspirations, it is just a matter of time before this changes.

     

    We are already seeing it happen. For instance, last year Titan had a high-priced collection called Raga Crystals as part of its sub-brand Raga, which is aimed at women. This collection, which was studded with Swarovski crystals, was priced at around $200 at the top end of the range.

     

    We estimated a certain amount of sales, most of it from the metros. But when we actually introduced the product, we found that it was selling right down to smaller towns. While the realities of the Middle India consumer may be different from the urban or metro consumer, his expectations and aspirations are the same,” Mitra says. “A marketer has to aim at the aspirations and not at the realities.”

     

    The writer is CEO, Spatial Access Solutions, India

     

     

    INDEX
    Success mantras from media captains
    All work and some play
    Riding the creative crest
    Holding up the managerial sky
    Celebrating the difference
    Managing Middle India’s Golden Lady
    Wooing vibrant India’s Wonder Woman
    Rural women – how strong is their ‘spending say’?
    Is the serial woman tellying it like it is?

     

  • Ranjona Banerji isn't surprised on how those who damned the master blaster not long ago are now singing praises.

    [MJR – Noosemakers] Will typists and babblers leave Sachin alone?

    By Ranjona Banerji

     

    Bill Dwyre in The Los Angeles Times, in a recent comment on Roger Federer, dismisses trigger-happy journalists of print, web and broadcast as “typists and babblers”. But far more often than tennis great Roger Federer has cricket legend-in-his-lifetime Sachin Tendulkar had to face the firing squad. If the poor man doesn’t score a century every time he plays, out come the guns. O, now he should retire. O, actually, MS Dhoni, Sreesanth, Irfan Pathan, Akhilesh Yadav and Emraan Hashmi are all better than him. O, India never wins when Sachin scores a century. O, he’s just a selfish beast. Babble, babble, blah blah. The typists and babblers, having no sense of history (or if it comes to that, geography) can’t really compare him to Gary Sobers or Viv Richards or even Sunil Gavaskar. Instead, they cast their beady little eyes around and catch the first person they see. The canteen teaboy, for instance, had he been a cricketer and played for India and scored 99 centuries.

     

    The last few months, especially after India’s scintillating performance against Australia in Australia, have been good for the knife-sharpening brigade. And all focus was on Sachin Tendulkar scoring his 100th century. This nunber was far more important than anything else in the world. The pain of our losses in Australia would have been wiped out if the great man (or selfish beast) had done it. As it happens, no one even has close to 99 centuries in International cricket and getting 100 does not constitute some significant cricketing milestone. But the typists and babblers (thank you, Bill Dwyre) picked on this and stuck to it. “Sachin fails again” were common headlines. Former greats like Kapil Dev called for him to retire.

     

    And then the man goes and does it. No one could believe it at first, so the whiners and those with bad digestion (some bran flakes in the morning a good idea to improve the mood?) got in first: O, it was only against Bangladesh. It would have been better if it had been against another team. (By that reckoning, do the record books discount all India’s victories against Bangladesh or do we hang on to them happily?).

     

    Soon after however, the joy and accolades took over. All the hyperbolic praise poured out as if the last few months had not happened. Kapil Dev appeared on TV with the “greatest” and whatnot pouring out of his mouth in his own brand of English. He ducked the retirement question, heh heh. Other former cricketers made it clear that Bangladesh was a legitimate Test playing country. Former England captain Nasser Hussain pointed out that it wasn’t just about a century against Bangladesh but the other 99 against every top team and top bowler in the world. The headlines now said, “Sachin, Thanks a Ton”, “Man of the Century” and “God of All Things”.

     

    The biggest winner however was Union finance minister Pranab Mukherjee whose lacklustre budget got forgotten.

     

    Knowing the tiny thinking capacity of the typists and babblers however, there can be no doubt that they’ll begin soon once again. Sachin Tendulkar however knows that he will recover and decide for himself. As Ayaz Memon quoted from Shakespeare in The Times of India on Monday to describe Tendulkar, “I might call him a thing divine; for nothing natural I ever saw so noble.”

     

    Yes, typists and babblers, you can look up Shakespeare on Wikipedia but don’t read it for too long or your little brains will hurt.

     

  • As part of the combination between Ipsos and Synovate, Ipsos has reorganised its Ipsos Marketing specialisation – the largest of Ipsos’ global business lines, representing nearly half of Ipsos’ total revenues in 2011.

    Ipsos Marketing reorganizes globally, sets up four practices

    By A Correspondent

     

    As part of the combination between Ipsos and Synovate, Ipsos has reorganised its Ipsos Marketing specialisation – the largest of Ipsos’ global business lines, representing nearly half of Ipsos’ total revenues in 2011.

     

    Ipsos Marketing remains under the global leadership of Pierre Le Manh, Chairman and CEO of Ipsos Marketing. Mr Le Manh is also Ipsos deputy CEO and Chairman of Ipsos ASI.

     

    Ipsos Marketing is now organised through four practices:

     

    Market Understanding and Measurement

    This practice helps clients understand consumers, shoppers and markets, differentiate their brands, optimise their distribution and allocate their Marketing expenditures. For now it is managed directly by Pierre Le Manh and mainly operates under the Ipsos Marketing brand. It also includes new and highly specialised services such as: Ipsos Business Consulting, which advises clients on emerging markets penetration strategies; Ipsos Retail Performance, which provides technology to measure and analyse traffic in stores; and Ipsos MMA, a leader in Marketing Mix Modeling.

     

    In India Ipsos Market Understanding and Measurement will be headed by Rajesh Nair, Executive Director, Ipsos in India.

     

    Innovation and Forecasting (Ipsos InnoQuest)

    Ipsos InnoQuest is the global leader in Innovation research, helping clients maximize the ROI of their innovation initiatives. From generating new ideas to testing products and services, to forecasting sales across many industries, Ipsos InnoQuest has a unique, global end-to-end offer. Lauren Demar is the CEO of Ipsos InnoQuest, with Mary-Beth Lake leading MarketQuest, our Product Testing capabilities.

     

    Ipsos InnoQuest in India will be led by Paru Minocha, Executive Director, Ipsos in India.

     

    Healthcare (Ipsos Healthcare)

    Ipsos Healthcare is dedicated to understanding the motivations, interactions and influences of the multiple stakeholders who impact commercial success in the pharmaceutical industry. It provides syndicated services through its therapy monitors as well as custom research. Michael Spedding is the CEO of Ipsos Healthcare, with Bob Douglas leading our custom research teams.

     

    Ipsos Healthcare in India will be headed by Monica Gangwani, Executive Director, Ipsos in India.

     

    Qualitative (Ipsos UU)

    Ipsos UU is the world’s leader in Qualitative research. It has developed a unique global network of talented qualitative researchers from diversified backgrounds and a consistent set of methodologies. It uses technology extensively to bring Life to life. Jacquie Matthews is the CEO of Ipsos UU.

    Rinku Patnaik, Executive Director, Ipsos in India will lead Ipsos Qualitative business in India.

    “The combination with Synovate has been a terrific opportunity to develop a new plan for Ipsos Marketing,” explains Pierre Le Manh. “We are further specialising our teams so that our clients can have access to professionals who can truly help them understand how to improve their business”.

    Ipsos, an independent market research company controlled and managed by research professionals, was founded in France in 1975, and is now a worldwide research group. In October 2011 Ipsos completed the acquisition of Synovate to form the world’s third largest market research company with offices in 84 countries.

     

  • LinkedIn has announced a marquee event to define the opportunity for B2B brands in the digital age.

    LinkedIn announces B2B Connect for Ind marketers

    By A Correspondent

     

    LinkedIn India has announced B2B Connect 2012 – a first of its kind event, exclusively for Indian marketers to be held on Tuesday, 17th April, 2012 at the Grand Hyatt, Mumbai. The inaugural by-invitation event will bring together leading global marketers and advertising industry stalwarts to discuss the current and future marketing potential of the online space and will seek to establish digital and social media as a core channel for B2B marketing.

     

    LinkedIn India has lined-up a stellar list of speakers and panelists from India and abroad for B2B Connect 2012 led by Jeff Weiner, CEO, LinkedIn, who will give the first keynote address. B2B Connect 2012’s second keynote speaker will be globally renowned B2B marketing strategist David Meerman Scott who will present on the New Rules of B2B Marketing. Arvind Rajan, Managing Director & Vice President, Asia Pacific and Japan – LinkedIn, Future Brands’ CEO Santosh Desai, Microsoft South East Asia’s Simon Mouyal and Philips Korstiaan van Wyngaarden will also address the audience at B2B Connect 2012. For more information and updates on speakers, please visit http://www.linkedinsolutions.in.

    Announcing the launch of B2B Connect 2012, Hari V Krishnan, Country Manager, LinkedIn India, said, “Indian B2B Marketers are finding that their traditional channels aren’t scaling or providing the measurability they desire. At B2B Connect 2012, we aim to bring together some of the best minds from across the globe to share their knowledge and expertise on how B2B brands can capitalize on the digital medium. The rise of social media has helped brands with the ability to reach the right audiences, and in the right context. In such a dynamic environment, it is critical for brands to be where decision makers are engaging with each other and influencers. At B2B Connect 2012, industry leaders will discover valuable insights and should leave inspired with a path forward for their brands to better market themselves in today’s connected world.”

    LinkedIn, with over 150 million members worldwide of which over 14 million are in India, has evolved into a preferred platform for marketers in the country. It is also the platform of choice for B2B marketers in many leading economies. Approximately 57% of LinkedIn members in India are decision makers. In 2011, 149 Million business leads were driven on the platform by professionals in the country. This potent member base has equipped brands including CISCO India, SAP India, Huawei Enterprise Business Group, Polycom and Trend Micro, with an opportunity to lead engagement with the right audience. LinkedIn Marketing Solutions entails a host of customizable solutions with tools including LinkedIn Audience Targeting, LinkedIn Personal Messaging Unit, LinkedIn Custom Groups, LinkedIn Company Pages, LinkedIn Content Ads and LinkedIn Partner Messages.

    “Indian brands have successfully leveraged the power of the LinkedIn professional network to reach an audience comprising of highly educated individuals in decision making capacities. This has become possible due to our approach of helping brands tailor their marketing approach as per their requirements. The combination of an empowered audience supported by unique tools and an emphasis on insights helps brands achieve a strong conversion rate and provides measurable results. At LinkedIn we provide marketers access to a product suite that caters to not only their short term tactical needs, but also long term strategic objectives,” said Dhiman Mukherji, Director, Marketing Solutions, LinkedIn India.

    Regular updates on B2B Connect 2012 will be posted on the official website and on Twitter (@LinkedInIndia).

     

  • Media services agency Mindshare in partnership with Brand Equity is organizing Compass 2012, a day-long marketing summit in Mumbai on March 27.

    Face the ‘Moments of Truth’ with Mindshare-Brand Equity Compass 2012

    By A Correspondent

     

    Media services agency Mindshare in partnership with Brand Equity is organizing Compass 2012, a day-long marketing summit at Hyatt Regency, Mumbai on March 27, 2012. This year, the Conclave theme ‘Moments Of Truth’ dwells on the truth every brand must face and conquer to propel its growth. Every session will discuss new ideas that will redefine the marketing trends of the future.

     

    Mindshare India has been organizing this annual marketing event with leading business daily, Economic Times, from the past four years. Each year, the summit is attended and addressed by leading constituents from the marketing and advertising fraternity who provideinsights and the latest trendsinmarketing, media and consumer behavior, setting new directionsinbrand-building. This year Shantanu Khosla, Director and CEO, Procter & Gamble India and Marco Rimini, Leader, Business Planning, Mindshare Worldwide will address the audience. In 5 years, this summit has grown to become a coveted arsenal of marketing mantras.

     

    Sandeep Pandey, Principal Partner, Consulting, Intelligence & Aanlytics, Mindshare said, “Mindshare and Brand Equity have partnered for the last four years to bring the best of thought leadership to the business community through the BE Compass. It has proved to be the ideal platform for leadership discourses on the most relevant marketing issues that CMOs and CEOs face today. We work very closely with the leadership of some of the top companies in each industry to identify the themes, speakers and audience for this prestigious event. The outcome is a heady brew of game-changing strategies, approaches and stories that leaders can take back to their board rooms.”

    He added, “This year’s themes revolve around the truths and challenges that the C-Suite faces around consumer growth, leadership, communication, and market penetration, including rural markets, to run their businesses effectively. As in the last years, we are sure of overwhelming response to these themes this year too.”

    Over the years, The Mindshare-Brand Equity Compass has focused on a topical agenda, with the objective of addressing the key business challenges and discovering marketing strategies that align with business goals. This year, the conference theme ‘Moments of Truth’ will talk about why it is so crucial to b2b marketers’ ability to help drive the business.

    While the emphasis remains on addressing challenges confronted by the marketing and business community, the day long summit is aimed at creating a platform wherein industry leaders can discuss strategies that can be adopted to propel growth to the next level. The Summit is divided into various interactive sessions which will focus on topics ranging from CEO’s Truth, Consumer Truth, Communication Truth, Retail Truth and Rural Truth.

    The summit will address the challenges faced by CEOs as they rally around new set of business truths, be it allocating resources or best way to nurture people and brands in 2012. Finding the true consumer insight is undeniably the most important task faced by every marketer today. The session on Consumer Truth will analyze consumer’s relationship with brands, advertising and the role of innovation. With social networking sites gaining momentum Communication Truth is evolving every day, this session will focus on lessons for the future.

    Retail has moved from being viewed as a traditional sales function to being an important component of the marketing mix. The session on Retail Truth will witness marketers discussing diverse subjects such as different formats that work in a challenged economy, how to create price premium in retail and role of advertising amongst others. With more than 70 percent of the total households in India residing in the rural areas, understanding the Rural Truth is very crucial to derive and reap maximum benefits for the marketers.

     

  • I find this commercial pretty worrying. This creative suggests to me that Mid Day doesn’t really understand Mumbai. That they have a superficial view of this great city. And that’s much more disappointing than one sad ad

    Debrief: Mid Day: Maximum City. Minimum TVC

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    ‘My City, My Life’, the slogan, is a promising thought. What is even more promising is that Mid Day has chosen to compose an anthem for Mumbai city. A very good idea. This rotting, decaying, ignored city needs a war cry very badly. Something we can call our own and use to make a statement. Sadly, the execution sucks and the so called anthem is at best a below average jingle.

     

    Mid Day’s new TVC consists of vignettes of youngsters indulging in timepass. Goofing around at Marine Drive. Celebrating a cricket match victory. Goofing around some more near the Sea Link. And just in case you think they are a bunch of airheads, the kids are seen indulging in some more timepass: one of those candle-light marches. And the lazy, laidback ‘anthem’ will ensure you doze off rather quickly.

     

    An opportunity blown. There’s a lot more to the city’s youngsters, they are spirited, aware and want to see things change. They want to be a part of that change. Mumbai is the one Indian city that pulsates with energy, passion and ambition, that’s what keeps people rooted here, that’s what keeps the city alive. Despite all the problems people face. And if Mid Day didn’t want to deal with the city’s civic issues, they ought to have captured its raw passion. The anthem ought to have enshrined that energy and that can-do Mumbai spirit.

     

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

    I find this commercial pretty worrying. (And I use the word ‘worrying’ because as an ex employee I want the newspaper to do well.) This creative suggests to me that Mid Day doesn’t really understand Mumbai. That they have a superficial view of this great city. And that’s much more disappointing than one sad ad.

     

    Rating: (On a scale of 1 to 5): 1. A good concept murdered by thoughtless execution