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  • Mr Uppal confirmed to MxM that he has quit Fever 104 FM and joined Red 93.5 FM

    Rajat Uppal is the new GM Marketing, Red FM

    By Shubhangi Mehta

     

    Rajat Uppal has quit Fever 104 FM and moved to Red 93.5 FM as General Manager- Marketing. On being contacted Mr Uppal confirmed the news to MxMIndia.

     

    In his new role, Mr Uppal will be responsible for strengthening the brand “RED” and drive all marketing initiatives of Red FM. Mr Uppal comes with close to 10 years of marketing experience across Liquor and Media Conglomerates like UB Group, Radico Khaitan, Reliance BIG Entertainment (BIG FM) & Hindustan Times (Fever 104 FM).

     

    Prior to working with Red FM, he was the Deputy General Manager- Marketing at Fever 104 FM (HT Media Ltd.)

     

    At Fever 104 FM, he was working as part of the national marketing team and handling marketing for Fever 104 FM, Fever Entertainment( Events Division) & FAT Productions, a new business venture of creating, aggregating and selling content for all digital media including, but not limited to, Mobile, Internet, radio, TV, CDs and other similar storage hardware devices. He was also responsible for managing key national campaigns for trade & consumer audiences besides spear heading online, digital & new marketing innovations.

     

  • He will be handling the communication mandate for Wipro Technologies and the Corporate

    Vipin Nair joins Head of Communications at Wipro

    By A Correspondent

     

    Vipin Nair has joined as the Head-Communications at Wipro. He will be handling the communication mandate for Wipro Technologies and the Corporate.

     

    Mr Nair brings with him diverse experience in the media and a rich experience of close to two decades. He has worked with print publications as well as international news wires. He has worked as the Executive Editor of Ticker Plant. Prior to that he has been with NewsWire 18 and CRISIL Marketwire. He has also worked with print publications including The Economic Times and Financial Express among others.

     

  • The mood is upbeat at the three-day convention on media and entertainment that kicked off in Mumbai today

    Digital, growth mantras to drive agenda

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    Asia’s largest convention in the business of entertainment, FICCI Frames 2012, will be held at The Renaissance, Powai in Mumbai from March 14 to 16. In its 13th year, Frames is a three-day global convention covering the entire gamut of media and entertainment ranging from films to broadcast, which includes television and radio, to digital entertainment, animation, gaming and visual effects.

     

    The Summitwill be inaugurated by Government of India’s Information & Broadcasting Secretary, Mr Uday Kumar Varma. Senator Chris Dodd, Chairman, Motion Picture Association of America will deliver the keynote address at the inaugural session. Japanis the partner country at FICCI Frames 2012 and will be present with a high-powered delegation comprising key stakeholders from the Japanese media and entertainment industry.

     

    Frames 2012 will present opportunities for business networking, lobbying, and creative and financial collaboration and partnerships. There will also be a series of workshops and master-classes that will be conducted by venerated global gurus who will be busy highlighting the way forward to the assembled delegates. Nearly 2,000 Indian and 800 foreign delegates are expected to attend the event.

     

    The Who’s Who of the Indian media and entertainment industry will join hands with the global industry leaders and experts to discuss and debate and to announce new initiatives at FICCI Frames 2012. Mark Hollinger, CEO, Discovery, Carolyn Everson, VP-Global Marketing Solutions, Facebook, Cameron Bailey, Co-Director Toronto International Film Festival, Bruce Beresford, Director of Oscar-winning movie Driving Miss Daisy, Silas Hickey, Regional Creative Director for Animation at Cartoon Network, Max Howard, Global Animation Consultant and Lecturer on Producing Independent Animated Feature Films for the International Markets, Oscar-winner Harvey Lowry, Hollywood’s Special Effects Guru, and John Bashford, Vice Principal, LAMDA (The London Academy of Music & Dramatic Arts) are some of the globally well-known names who will be delivering keynote addresses, conducting workshops and master classes, and joining the panel discussions in various sessions at Frames.

     

    Other eminent speakers from the world of television, radio and print that would be present include television czarina Ekta Kapoor, Barkha Dutt and Vikram Chandra of NDTV, Sunil Lulla of Times TV, and Puneet Goenka of ZEEL. Print will be represented by Shekhar Gupta, Editor-in-Chief of the Indian Express Group and T.N. Ninan, Editor of Business Standard.

     

    Bollywood too would be adequately represented through eminent faces such as Yash Chopra, Karan Johar, Vidya Balan, Kamal Haasan, Imtiaz Ali, Anurag Kashyap, Farah Khan and Zoya Akhtar.

     

    The theme of this year’s event is ‘Embracing the Digital World’. Dr J S Sarma, Chairman, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and Mr Uday K Varma, Secretary, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, will identify and address immediate areas for successful implementation of the digital switchover and also on what’s next in the regulatory and market framework to enable and sustain the transition.

     

    The move to embrace digitization in Cable and Satellite TV services has become imperative as such services have grown exponentially inIndiain the last 17 years. A separate session at FICCI Frames 2012 will deliberate on ways to maximize the power of digital distribution. Industry leaders will share their experiences with Frames delegates, their perspectives on how funding challenges have been overcome in other jurisdictions and the takeaways forIndia. The panelists include Vivek Couto, Founder, Media Partners Asia; Anshuman Mishra, MD, Turner International India; Vikram Chandra, CEO, NDTV; Jagi Mangat Panda, CEO, Ortel; Prof Jonathan Askin, Professor of Law, Brooklyn School of Law, Former Senior Legal Advisor, FCC; Anita Wallgren, US Department of Commerce.

     

    The FICCI-KPMG study on Indian Media & Entertainment for 2012 will also be released on the occasion. Strong growth in tier 2 cities, the continued march of regional media and the rapidly expanding new media business helped the media and entertainment industry log a 12 per cent increase in revenues to Rs729 billion in a troublesome 2011, according to the report. Overall, the industry is expected to grow at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15 per cent to Rs.1,457 billion by 2015.

     

    Further details on the event will be available at: http://ficci-frames.com/

     

     

  • According to the FICCI-KPMG report, the growth trajectory was backed by strong consumption in tier 2 and 3 cities, continued growth of regional media, and fast increasing new media business. Overall, the study predicts the industry to register a CAGR of 15 percent to touch INR 1,457 billion by 2016.

    @Ficci Frames 2012: KPMG study says M&E sector is set for good times ahead

    By A Correspondent

     

    HILE the effects of the economic downturn were felt across sectors and industries last year, it was a steady year for the Indian Media & Entertainment (M&E) industry that registered a growth of 12 percent over 2010, to reach INR 728 billon. According to the FICCI-KPMG report, the growth trajectory was backed by strong consumption in tier 2 and 3 cities, continued growth of regional media, and fast increasing new media business. Overall, the study predicts the industry to register a CAGR of 15 percent to touch INR 1,457 billion by 2016.

     

    But despite the positive numbers recorded, the report agrees that 2011 has indeed been a challenging year not just for the Indian M&E industry, or even the Indian economy, but for the larger world economy. While India is still expected to grow at a healthy pace, growth is projected to be lower than expectations.

     

    The report notes that television continues to be the dominant medium while sectors such as animation & VFX, digital advertising, and gaming are fast increasing their share in the overall pie. Radio is expected to display a healthy growth rate after the advent of Phase 3. Print, while witnessing a decline in growth rate, will continue to be the second largest medium in the Indian M&E industry. Also, the film industry had reason to cheer, with multiple movies crossing the INR 100 crore mark in domestic theatrical collections, and INR 30 crore mark in C&S rights.

     

    Advertising spends across all media accounted for INR 300 billion in 2011, contributing to 41 percent of the overall M&E industry’s revenues. Advertising revenues witnessed a growth of 13 percent in 2011, as against 17 per cent observed in 2010. In terms of performance, 2011 proved to be a year with mixed results in terms of growth across different sub sectors. The traditional media businesses experienced a slowdown compared to last year, especially in the second half of the year. However, the new media segments like Animation and VFX, Online and Gaming businesses witnessed phenomenal growth rates.

     

    Highlighting some visible trends spotted in the report, Dr. Rajiv Kumar, Secretary General, FICCI said, “The key highlights are rise in digital content consumption, launch of diverse content delivery platforms, strong consumption in tier 2 and 3 cities, rising footprint of the players in the regional media, rapidly increasing new media business and regulatory shifts.”

     

    Putting forth a more pragmatic outlook, Jehil Thakkar, Head of Media and Entertainment, KPMG said, “The Media & Entertainment industry landscape is undergoing a significant shift. Cable digitization, the promise of wireless broadband, increasing DTH penetration, digitization of film distribution, growing internet use are all prompting strategic shifts in the way companies work. Traditional business models are evolving for the better as a host of new opportunities emerge.”

     

    Key trends and industry drivers:

    – Growth in digital content consumption across media

     

    Key Highlights –

    Print: The print industry grew by 8.3 percent from INR 193 billion in 2010 to INR 209 billion in 2011. The growth was slightly lower than our expectation of 9.5 percent last year due to the challenging macroeconomic environment and reduced advertising spends.

     

    Television: The over-all television industry is estimated to be INR 329 billion in 2011, and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 17 percent over 2011-16, to reach INR 735 billion in 2016. The share of subscription to the total industry revenue is expected to increase from 65 percent in 2011 to 69 percent in 2016. The TV industry continues to have headroom for further growth as television penetration in India is still at approximately 60 percent of total households.

     

    Films: With several high budget Hindi releases lined up across the year, 2012 is expected to sustain the growth momentum witnessed in 2011. The Indian film industry is projected to grow at a CAGR of 10.1 percent to touch INR 150 billion in 2016. The industry is estimated to be INR 93 billion in 2011 indicating a growth of 11.5 percent vis-à vis 2010.

     

    Music: While 2010 was the year of structural shift from physical formats to digital ones, 2011 provided users viable options of music consumption through different digital platforms. The Indian music industry achieved revenues of INR 9 billion in 2011, registering a growth of 5 percent over 2010.
    Radio: Overall, the industry grew 15 per cent in CY 2011 to reach INR 11.5 billion, compared to INR 10 billion in CY 2010. Volume increases in certain markets and rate increases for the leaders in metros drove growth.

     

    New Media: Digital advertising is expected to grow at a CAGR of 30 per cent from 2011-16; digital adspend reached approximately 5 per cent of total M&E industry advertising revenue in 2011. Growth is largely driven by increase in internet penetration and proliferation of new devices.

     

    Animation & VFX: Animation, VFX and Post Production industry achieved estimated revenues of INR 31 billion in 2011, a robust growth of 31 percent over 2010. Growth was achieved on the back of increased contract work, higher VFX content in movies, 2D/3D conversion projects.

     

    Out of Home: The OOH sector was hit relatively harder by the global economic slowdown than other sectors of the Advertising industry. The sector registered a Y-o-Y growth of 7.6 percent.

     

    Digital technology continues to revolutionize media distribution – be it the rapid growth of DTH and the promise of digital cable, or increased digitization of film exhibition – and has enabled wider and cost-effective reach across diverse and regional markets, and the development of targeted media content.

     

    There has been increased proliferation and consumption of digital media content – be it newspapers and magazines, digital film prints, and online video and music or entirely new categories such as social media. Accordingly, online advertising spends have seen a spurt in growth vis-a-vis spends on traditional media.

     

    – Rise of new age user devices

    Smart phones, tablets, PCs, gaming devices, etc. all form the foundation of a new wave in media usage. This is gradually impacting the way content is being created and distributed as well. Multiple media including TV, films, news, radio, music etc are being impacted with this change.

     

    – New age consumers adapting themselves to the newer technologies

    As Indian consumers evolve, there is a heightened need to engage them across platforms and experiences. There is a greater need for integration and innovation across traditional and new media, with changing media consumption habits and preferences for niche content. Media companies today have no choice but to provide more touch points to engage with audiences.

     

    – Regionalisation

    Regional television and print continued its strong growth trajectory owing to growth in incomes and consumption in the regional markets. National advertisers are looking at these markets as the next consumption hubs and the local advertisers are learning the benefits of marketing their products aggressively.

     

    – An advertising revenue dependant industry

    The ARPU (Average Revenue Per User) for television, average newspaper cost for print and average ticket price for films continue to be low on account of hyper competition in these industries. Segments like Radio and a significant portion of online content are available free of cost to consumers. Owing to this, the Indian consumer is still not used to paying for content and hence the industry players are sensitive to the impact of the slowdown which affects the budgets of advertisers.

     

    – Awaited regulatory shifts

    Lastly, apart from the shifts in consumer preferences, company strategies and business models, one big change awaited for the next growth wave is the implementation of recently enacted and regulations on digitisation for cable, implementation of Phase 3 and copyright for Radio and the roll out of 4G. These shifts are expected to be game changers in terms of how business is being done currently and what could be the path going forward.

     

  • Pradyuman Maheshwari on why he’s going to do the trek to Powai for FICCI Frames 2012.

    11 reasons why I am going to be @ Frames this year

    By Pradyuman Maheshwari

     

    #1 This is my 11th FICCI Frames. Must say I had lost count of when the event was launched, except when I learnt yesterday that’s it’s the thirteenth edition of the event. If I remember right, I have missed out on just two years. So, couldn’t not make it this year.

     

    #2 This is the only time I visit the the Marriott property at Powai. The Renaissance is a great hotel and I quite prefer it to other convention hotels like Taj Palace in Delhi or Leela at Gurgaon, but three days of the trek here are enough for the whole year!

     

    #3 I can’t do without meeting my Frames friends. Yes, I don’t meet them for the rest of the year… these days I chat with some over Facebook or BBM, but nothing like meeting in the lobby at Frames.

     

    #4 Star-gazing! Thanks to the fact that Yash Chopra is chairperson of the entertainment committee and now with Karan Johar as co-chair, one can’t not find the big stars around. Last year, we had Vidya Balan pre-Dirty Picture. Now, we have Vidya Balan post-Dirty Picture. Ooh, la, la!

     

    #5 There is some serious discussion on digitization and with the presence of all stakeholders – the I&B secretary and the TRAI chairman, the key broadcasters and the distribution biggies, we couldn’t have had a better platform now that the sunset date in metro is a few weeks away

     

    #6 I enjoy Uday Shankar’s keynotes. The industry couldn’t have asked for a better champion. Given that his group is also into films in the country and his own background in news and print, there are few who have a more well-rounded view.

     

    #7 I am also looking forward to the session with all the legal eagles though I am unsure whether the time allotted will be sufficient for a reasonable discussion. Perhaps next year, there should be a day-long discussion with the law-wallahs.

     

    #8 Even though MxMIndia is a media partner and there’s no denying the fact that Frames is the premier event of India’s M&E sector, I have also been critical of a few of the earlier editions. It would get boring and I have seen no real merit in some of the deliberations. I have found media captains snooze and wish I had taken pictures of them. But I see that there is an attempt to get some new names in.

     

    #9 I really like Rajiv Makhni of NDTV and I’m going to try and attend all the sessions moderated by him. In fact I wonder he was only called for three of the sessions… why not all?

     

    #10 Clinch deals, exchange cards and pleasantries and promise to meet. Now that I am in an entrepreneurial mode, all of this assumes much importance.

     

    #11 And for the 11th reason why I am going to be at FICCI Frames this year: Be happy that you are part of the media and entertainment business. Okay, folks in other industry sectors may not think much of us and crib about our work – our newspapers, magazines, channels, films… whatever – but they can’t do without us.

     

    The views expressed here are my own, and not necessarily those of MxMIndia.com and my colleagues.

  • In Freaking News, which will now appear every Tuesday and Friday, Ranjona Banerji reviews the fare in the morning papers and the nightly news. And sometimes the afternooners, the newsmags and all that's on the Web

    [MJR] Grrrrr! Why do people speak so much on News TV?

    By Ranjona Banerji

     

    The best news programme in India has to be The Week That Wasn’t on CNN-IBN. Since it steadfastly refuses to save India and the world and shamelessly makes fun of everyone, it fails miserably on the high-pitched hysteria count. But it wins on all the others. And it makes you wish that the programme had more than a weekly format because if you spend three evenings running watching our other worthies, it is enough to make you scale to the top of a tall building without a safety harness.

     

    After his marathon election extravaganza, I have found Arnab Goswami and his channel a dead bore. Also, they spend too much time discussing the minutiae of the Indian cricket board’s digestive processes. Plus, when they do, Boria Mazumdar comes on air and this disrupts my digestive processes. So I tried to give a fair hearing to NDTV, Headlines Today and CNN-IBN (am currently in Tata Sky land which does not carry Newsx).

     

    Rajdeep Sardesai on Monday night went on and on about the UPA government collapsing, a third front forming and mid-term elections approaching. None of his guests – Devesh Thakur of the JD (U), Pinaki Mishra of the BJD and Abhishek Manu Singhvi of the Congress agreed with him. Sardesai laboured the point and the rest pooh-poohed him. I fail to see the point of such a programme. Then Sardesai announced that Chandan Mitra was arriving on the show so I quickly switched to NDTV. And to my horror, there was Chandan Mitra on NDTV. This was too much to handle and I tried to look for a tall building (with no safety harness) but there aren’t too many in Dehra Dun where I am now.

     

    On NDTV just before the horror of the spectacle of Chandan Mitra, Sonia Varma had Arvind Kejriwal on the show. He said that the results of the Uttar Pradesh government, where the Samajwadi Party effectively trounced the BSP, reflected the anger of the people against the Congress Party. Varma, if she had false teeth, would have swallowed them. Serves her right for inviting a member of Team Anna to start broadcasting their bizarre logic all over again.

     

    Headlines Today was on a trip which I couldn’t understand, a mixture of cricket and the government falling, but none of them cohesively.

     

    On NDTV Profit, Srinivasan Jain attempted to interview Aditya Ghosh, president of Indigo airlines, about why they were more profitable than the others and what about Kingfisher. However Jain spoke so much that Ghosh’s views got lost in a series of “having said thats”.

     

    Still on NDTV, Prannoy Roy had a panel discussion with several industrial worthies at a Mumbai college. Rahul Bajaj spoke so much that no one else had a chance, so that was that.

     

    The good news was that someone actually found the world-famous Bollywood Super Star Nupur Mehta who is now going to sue The Sunday Times (phoren) for calling her a “honey trap” used by bookies to lure cricketers into cheating. But no one told me whether it was just because her picture was used or because she really was the honey trap. Anyway, I had never heard of her before and any minute now my ignorance will be exposed because she is the star of Ra One, The Robot, Dirty Picture and more. No?

     

    Finally, I took refuge in Rajya Sabha TV which was so serious and sober that I felt that I had entered a parallel universe which completely disoriented me, so I went back to watching tennis.

     

  • Creativeland Asia creates a series of TVCs and a micro site www.appyfizz.com for Appy Fizz as part of the campaign, adding more fun and excitement to hanging out.

    Appy Fizz finds a new buddy in Saif Ali Khan

    By Shubhangi Mehta

     

    Appy Fizz, ‘the cool drink to hang out with’ has found Saif Ali Khan, a new and popular face as a pal. Popular amongst his gang of friends for his sparkling wit, one liners and tireless fizz, Appy Fizz, will now be seen hanging out with Saif Ali Khan, in a series of TVCs created by Creativeland Asia.

     

    In the films, we see Appy Fizz hanging out with Saif and friends during his shoots for films. In the first film from a campaign of three, we see Saif greet his friends as he enters his personal pad at the film studio right after pack up. Appy Fizz jumps out of the fridge eager to see his friend after his long hours at work, startling Saif. Saif then introduces Appy Fizz to his bunch of friends. And then there is no stopping Appy Fizz. In his typical witty style, Appy Fizz boasts to his new friends how Saif and he have done many films together, as even a confused Saif finds this unbelievable. Appy Fizz then explains how he was always present in the intervals at the popcorn-and-drinks counter. This funny banter continues and we see Appy Fizz win the hearts of his new friends with his light-hearted banter.

     

    Nadia Chauhan, Joint Managing Director & CMO, Parle Agro, said: “Saif Ali Khan is a great youth icon who loves his work as much as his life. The actor brings in the cool quotient to Appy Fizz’s friends circle, and both complement each other and make a very entertaining duo. We’re sure the two will make a winning pair.”

     

    She added: “Right from inception, Appy Fizz has been a runaway success. It is the creation of not just a successful brand but a successful category and we are the only players offering such a unique product in the market. We see huge potential in this brand and its massive acceptance has us led us to investing heavily in it. We see a very large growth contribution from Appy Fizz this year and in the years to come.”

     

    Commenting on the campaign, Sajan Raj Kurup, Founder and Creative Chairman, Creativeland Asia, said: “I’m glad we have been able to design a campaign that preserves the sanctity of Appy Fizz communication over the years and yet build in a popularity factor through Saif Ali Khan as a celebrity cast. What makes it even cooler is the fact that it has been able to depict Saif Ali Khan as a hangout buddy and not necessarily a celebrity endorser in the campaign.”

     

    On this new association Saif Ali Khan said: “It gives me great pleasure to be associated with Appy Fizz and look forward to a long fruitful relationship with the brand. I believe brand endorsements are partnerships which go beyond what one sees on TV and Print. Appy Fizz came to me with really exciting concepts which got me interested. Many new ideas and innovations will be seen by the consumer shortly and I am confident that they will be loved.”

     

    As part of the campaign, Creativeland Asia has also designed and developed a microsite, www.appyfizz.com making hanging out even more fun and interesting and a lot simpler for friends. So, if someone wants to hang out with their friends all they have to do is visit the website, and choose one of the options for hanging out with friends either at a nightclub, a bar, a cafe, an entertainment or for a house party. Once they choose an option, Appy Fizz asks them a locality they are interested to hang out in and accordingly suggests to them suitable places they can go to in that specific area. If the visitor opts for a house party, Appy Fizz suggests places in the vicinity where they can buy drinks, food or any other supplies from. Friends can even create an event complete with details like time and place and automatically post it on Facebook and Twitter and invite friends for the same. Creativeland Asia has also developed aMobile application for those on the move.

     

    The website is designed like Saif Ali Khan’s personal pad at the film studio, complete with a music system that allows you to play your choice of sound track as you explore the website, and a Television that connects you to the Appy Fizz page on Youtube.

     

    The campaign has been conceptualised by Creativeland Asia and the films have been directed by Sajan Raj Kurup and have been co-produced by equinox and Crocodile films. The VFX and the animation has been done by Mfx inKuala Lumpur.

     

  • I like the strategy. Rather than use the tried and tested route of boasting about Thomas Cook's great work, better to make fun of the rivals

    Debrief: IndusInd Bank: Dull and annoying

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    A rather exasperating campaign from IndusInd Bank. I know this is feature-based advertising, but that’s no excuse, really.

     

    The commercial I watched features Bollywood veteran actress Neetu Singh and young actor called Jimmy Shergill, who plays her son. Promoting ‘Cash-On-Mobile’, it has Singh shopping for a surprise gift for her son. In a rather haughty manner, she dismisses all the shop assistants, constantly claiming that ‘I know everything’. At the cashier’s desk the bravado vanishes when she realizes she’s broke. She calls her son for help, who in turn transfers money to mommy instantly, via IndusInd Bank, of course.

     

    There are multiple problems with this ad. To begin with, the actress’s continuous drone grates the ears; this is not humour, it’s irritation for the viewer. If you find Singh continuously shouting ‘I know everything’ to be funny, you need help.

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7GBhH4XO1g[/youtube]

    Two, the ad is totally literal and predictable, therefore it has zero entertainment value. Waste of expensive movie actors. And finally, Ms Neetu Singh is a rarity in advertising. So to cast a man who’s not her son in real life jars a bit. A better idea would have been to not use Shergill, they could have cunningly used a voice-over that sounds like Mr Ranbir Kapoor. That would have injected a little charm.

     

    Alas, was not to be.

     

    Rating: (On a scale of 1 to 5): 1. Complete wash out.

  • Elephant Strategy + Design has come out with its brand identity for Daimler's India-specific range of trucks. The association with Daimler is two years old for Elephant.

    Elephant gives an identity to Daimler’s BharatBenz

    By A Correspondent

     

    Elephant Strategy + Design has come out with its brand identity for Daimler’s India-specific range of trucks. The association with Daimler is two years old for Elephant, as Ashwini Deshpande, Director for Elephant Strategy + Design explained: “Daimler asked us for expression of interest nearly two years ago. The involvement asked was for development of identity for their India specific range of trucks. We were selected after they were satisfied on stringent global parameters as this was a unique case where the brand and products were to be developed outside Germany.”

     

    She continued, “It was a daunting task to partner with Daimler teams from India & Germany. Daimler owns legendary brands like Mercedes Benz. There was a huge learning in the process of development as the scale & reach of this brand as briefed to us was for making history, for changing the trucking landscape of India.”

     

    The name BharatBenz was chosen as it showcased Daimler’s commitment to the Indian market very effectively. “However, to continue the legacy and yet create a framework for contemporary Indian ethos was a challenge,” added Deshpande.

     

    She also shares that between Pune and Delhi, Elephant has added over 25 new clients in 2011. They include Axis Bank, BCCI (CLT20), Delhi Duty Free, Ericsson, Essar Steel, General Mills, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals, Heinz, Karrox, Mars International, Piramal Realty, Promethean Power, Reckitt Benckiser and Wagh Bakri Tea. Over a hundred projects of varying sizes and impact were executed between Delhi and Pune. Complan re-launch, Experience Strategy and visual language for Axis Bank, strategy, identity and communication for Delhi Duty Free, Visual language for Champions League T20 and innovative cookware ranges designed for Nirlep are some of the highlights. One of their most recent brand assignments was for Britannia NutriChoice Multigrain Thins where the agency designed the shape of the biscuit, the brand and the packaging.

     

    “We have created a character called Adem for Mead, the global giants who probably sell the most number of notebooks in the world. Excitement has come in all shapes and sizes. From notebooks to cricket stadium!” concludes Deshpande.

     

    Going ahead, the agency aims to see action from Service Design. There is also a plan to continue to grow the ongoing practices of product innovation and branding. There will be broader focus on Asia as the Singapore team of Elephant is ready to bring in richer insights.

     

  • Scarecrow's Manish Bhatt will be judging Cannes Lions 2012 in the Direct category.

    Manish Bhatt to be Cannes Lions judge

     

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity 2012 is in the process of finalizing its jury teams for various categories. Manish Bhatt, Founder Director, Scarecrow will be representing India in the Direct category.

     

    Gideon Amichay, former Chief Creative Officer and Joint Managing Partner of Shalmor Avnon Amichay / Y&R Interactive Tel Aviv, Israel from 1994-2011, will chair the Direct Lions Jury.

     

    The founder director of Scarecrow Communications Ltd, Manish Bhatt is originally a civil engineer by qualification, and started on a career as a site engineer with the Gujarat State Fertilizer Corporation. But he soon got bored with machines, boilers and chimneys and decided to enter the world of advertising. Having armed himself with a BFA, he joined Contract (a WPP agency) in 1995.

     

    In a career spanning 15 years, he has worked with leading agencies like Ogilvy & Mather, McCann Erickson, Ambience Publicis and handled brands including Tata Indicom, Aegon Religare, Cadbury, Asian Paints, HSBC, Hanes, Wonderbra, Vaseline, Johnson & Johnson, L’Oreal, Nestle, Eristoff (Bacardi), Barclays, Anchor Panasonic and Viacom 18.

     

    His work has been recognized by award bodies such as Cannes Lions, D&AD, One Show, Clio, Communication Arts and the Asia Pacific Awards, among others. The Scarecrow office doubles as an art gallery, promoting young and often offbeat talent.

     

  • According to Radio Establishment Survey 2011 findings, although the mother tongue of 51 per cent of FM device owners is Marathi, an overwhelming 80 per cent of them prefer Hindi music

    Will Marathi content be a shot in the arm for FM in Mumbai?

    By Robin Thomas

     

    What’s common between radio stations in Kolkata, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Kolhapur, and Kochi? They give almost equal prominence to local music along with the Hindi or Bollywood songs. This is in direct contrast to the Mumbai market where FM stations mainly play Bollywood songs which are quite popular with the Mumbai listeners.

     

    According to RAM’s (Radio Audience Measurement), Radio Establishment Survey 2011 findings, although the mother tongue of 51 per cent of FM device owners in the city is Marathi, an overwhelming 80 per cent of them prefer Hindi music and RJ talks on radio. Nevertheless, the survey also revealed that as compared to 2007, the preference for music and RJ Talk in Marathi has witnessed an increase in 2011.

     

    It’s not that the all the FM stations in Mumbai have ignored the Marathi speaking audience. Big FM, Radio Mirchi and Radio City play Marathi songs, but only on Sundays and they are the only radio stations to do so.

     

    Big FM, for instance, has been airing Masala Chaha every Sundays between 7am to 9am since 2009, much before Raj Thackeray’s diktat to the radio stations to play Marathi music. But even then, a Big FM spokesperson was of the view that although there is a market for Marathi music, Mumbai being a cosmopolitan city, most Mumbaikars prefer listening to Bollywood music. “There is surely a market for Marathi music, given the high population of Marathi speaking public. However, Mumbai is a cosmopolitan city with a wide audience base, and a mass channel has to play the music that appeals the most… which is Hindi, a lot of it being Bollywood. Phase III will unleash the true potential of radio and will allow for more differentiation in content, along with newer genres and radio stations that will cater to a more specific audience base.”

     

    Radio Mirchi airs ‘Mumbai Dhol’ every Sunday, between 12 noon to 3pm, hosted by RJ Rohit. ‘Mumbai Dhol’ covers the culture of the city, the happenings and plays back to back Marathi music, contemporary and the classics.

     

    Indira Rangarajan, VP, Programming, West & Central, Radio Mirchi stated: “The response to our Marathi show – ‘Mumbai Dhol’ has been very good. Following the resurgence of Marathi films and music, we had decided to experiment with a slot specifically for Marathi songs and it has worked well. I believe there is plenty of scope for Marathi music in Mumbai and over the years this popularity will increase further.”

     

    RadioCitytoo plays Marathi retro songs every Sunday evening between 5pm to 6pm during ‘Sandhikali Aasha’, a radio programme hosted by RJ Vishaka.

     

    After looking at the Marathi content being offered by these three stations, one wonders if there scope for more Marathi content on Mumbai radio stations? Or will the Marathi music lovers have to wait a little longer for a radio station that caters to their tastes?

     

    Unlike the private radio stations, the government-owned FM stations, AIR FM2 Gold and AIR FM1 Rainbow, play a mix of Hindi and Marathi songs every day. The private radio stations would do well to take a lesson from these government-owned radio stations.

     

    Naval Toshniwal, CEO, Tomato FM, a Kolhapur-based FM radio station, was also of the view that although the potential for Marathi music is huge, Mumbai being a cosmopolitan city will play more Hindi or Bollywood songs. “Yes, there is a huge scope for Marathi music in Mumbai. However, no private FM station would want to play only Marathi music, it will have to play Bollywood or Hindi songs too because of the cosmopolitan listenership. Looking at the current FM scenario where every station sounds the same, I believe that a radio station which plays a little more Marathi music will create some amount of differentiation in the market.”

     

    FM stations in the city play Marathi hit songs during prime-time, especially on occasions like Maharashtra Day or Gudi Padwa. For instance, Big FM Mumbai will be playing Marathi songs during the breakfast show from March 19 to March 23, celebrating the occasion of Gudi Padwa.

     

    According to Janardhan Pandey, Associate VP, Mudra Max: “Although the market may not be big, the potential for Marathi listenership is huge in Mumbai. The issue, however, is that there has not been any serious attempt by FM stations to woo the Marathi listeners. Awareness about Marathi programmes aired on radio stations seem to be non-existent, the Marathi programmes or music are played during mostly non-prime time. However unless a FM station does not aggressively promote its Marathi programmes, and plays Marathi songs more frequently, it will neither add new listeners nor will it attract new advertisers. There are a lot of retail advertisers in the city catering to the Marathi audience.” Ajay Rao, Vice President, Dentsu stated: “There is a huge scope for Marathi listenership in Mumbai as Marathi generates high level of passion.”

     

    The good news is that increase in the frequency of Marathi music on radio stations could mean attracting new listeners to radio, and perhaps even new advertisers. Moreover, multiple frequencies may bring some good news to the Marathi music lovers as it will bring new genres of radio stations.

     

  • Nilesh Naik has been appointed as Senior Creative Director, Percept/H – Bengaluru, effective February 2012. Prior to joining Percept/H, he was working with Dentsu Marcom, Mumbai as Creative Director.

    Nilesh Naik is Senior CD, Percept/H, Bengaluru

    By A Correspondent

     

    Nilesh Naik has been appointed as Senior Creative Director, Percept/H – Bengaluru, effective February 2012. Prior to joining Percept/H, he was working with Dentsu Marcom, Mumbai as Creative Director.

     

    In his new role as Senior Creative Director at Percept/H, Mr Naik will be spearheading the creative team in Bengaluru and will be focusing on developing and strategizing innovative campaigns for the clients.

     

    Commented on the new appointment, Prabhakar Mundkur, Chief Executive Officer, Percept/H, said, “Our Bangalore office is growing from strength to strength. Getting Nilesh on the team is part of our effort to strengthen the creative product at Percept/H.”

     

    Elaborated Mr Naik: “Percept/H is the right fit in terms of brands, the people, and their vision for the place. It’s a great opportunity to create work that’s refreshingly different yet works wonders for the brand.”

     

    With experience of 13 years in the advertising industry, Mr Naik has worked with leading agencies such as Everest, Euro RSCG, Ambience and Bates. He has had the opportunity to work for different verticals namely FMCG, Finance, Real Estate, Publications, Telecom and Insurance, and his creative work has won him several accolades at both local and international award shows.