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  • Perfectly serviceable words are being replaced by silkier ones

    Gouri Dange: Smooth new words for same old fare

    By Gouri Dange

     

    I love the print and TV media advertiser’s smooth transition to silky new words.

    Nothing is ‘free’ anymore, it’s ‘complimentary’. No one wears underwear anymore, it’s inner wear – somehow under has become a crass word. But inner, like inner beauty and inner strength, has a more sophisticated ring to it.

     

    What we knew as a second-hand car, is now only ever referred to as a ‘pre-owned car’. Is this fancy term somehow supposed to take the sting out of not being able to afford a new car?

     

    Everyone’s on to the jargon. Now when you’re asked in a restaurant if you’ll go in for the ‘exec thali’ or ‘open thali’, you have to know that these are the brave new words for the old words ‘limited thali’ and ‘unlimited thali’. In ice-cream parlours no one uses the word scoop anymore. It’s all about single-serve and double-serve. Remember the time there were little ads and banners for shops that would sell ‘novelty’ or ‘fancy items’? No more. Everything is ‘exclusive’ now.

     

    When you go shopping for something to wear, get on with the program and use the right words. Never say you’re looking for readymades. That word has been thrown into the shredder. The gushy-mags have changed that word. Now it’s prêt that you’re looking for. Briefly it was ‘off the rack’. But French fakery always wins hands down when it comes to fashion-speak and food-speak. So what our moms used to call imitation and our older sisters used to call fake and we used to call junk jewellery, is now ‘faux’. Remember, faux. And don’t go and pronounce it ‘fox’ and look all gauche.

     

    The French connection is everywhere: now you got to say haute. You can’t call anything ‘high fashion’ now; it has to be haute couture. There’s nothing like ‘fancy cooking’ anymore. It has to be haute cuisine. Take the word cuisine, itself. In English we had the perfectly serviceable word ‘cooking’. But no, that was not good enough – too easy to pronounce and maybe smelt of boiled cabbage or something. So it’s all about cuisine now.  Even if it’s good old dahi-bhaat or taair-shadam, you’re serving Maharashtrian or Tamil ‘cuisine’.

     

    Remember when your ma used to dye her hair? Now we colour, or even more obliquely, we ‘treat’ our hair. We never dye. If you ask for your hair to be dyed in a fancy beauty salon (not beauty parlour, that word’s out and used only by aunties who will wax and pluck – oops, I mean ‘exfoliate’ – in their balcony-turned-into-a-parlour), they’ll look at you as if you’ve crawled out from under a flat stone. You must say: I want to colour my hair. And if you want to clarify that you’re not looking for red and gold tints or anything, but stuff that covers that tell-tale inch of white at your scalp,  then you can say airily: “I’m looking for ‘grey coverage”. And oh ya, salon is so yesterday, it’s spa now. Even a hole in the wall with only a glass door is a ‘spa’, no less.

     

    And these spas now refer to everything, mysteriously, as ‘product’. So it’s never shampoo, conditioner, moisturizer (god forbid you use really ancient and doddering words like vanishing cream or snow or lotion or hair dressing or that pre-historic word ‘pomade’); remember, it’s always ‘product’. And no one’s skin is ever called ‘old’ or ‘ageing’ or ‘sagging’ in ads and in spas. The right word is ‘mature’ skin.

     

    There are two phrases that seem to have no meaning whatsoever, but are such a hit with interviewers and journos. One is ‘personal favourite’. A celeb shares his ‘personal favourite’ recipes with you. A singer plays us his ‘personal favourite’ song. My question is: What other kind of favourite can there be? A favourite is a personal choice in the first place.

     

    The other phrase that defies logic but is a ‘personal favourite’ of so many journos and corporate types is ‘leading from the front’. The last I knew, there is only one position from which you lead – which is the front. Only cowherds and shepherds lead from the back, shouting halyaaa, thirrrr as they direct their flock forward.

     

    But then what do I know? I’m just a mature type who needs to use some product for grey coverage.

     

  • Either because of old age or because of blind love for his son, Thackeray Sr has allowed the Sena brand to depreciate very badly

    Anil Thakraney: How Brand Thackeray has got devalued

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    The Mumbai civic elections are scheduled for tomorrow. No, I shall not vote, I never have and never will. That’s because when I stare at the candidates list, my first thought is to migrate to Qatar or Bangladesh or Yemen. The names are that depressing. But this post isn’t about my allergy to the Indian democracy, it’s about political parties as brands.

     

    In that context, I want to deal with Brand Shiv Sena. Whether the netas like it or not, their parties have to follow the principles of brand management. They have to market their parties, create the right image amongst the target audiences and then nurture that image for a long period of time. And I must say, Thackeray Sr has turned out to be a rather poor brand manager. Either because of old age or because of blind love for his son, he has allowed the Sena brand to depreciate very badly.

     

    Saheb broke the fundamental rule of branding: Stick to your core values. If you deviate from those, it creates serious dissonance in the minds of your consumers.

     

    Brand Shiv Sena’s appeal for all these years has been parochial aggression and exclusivity. Loyal consumers have, for decades, bought into that brand value. Their hardcore fans connect with the ideology of violence and street justice. The moment

     

    Thackeray Sr, the brand custodian, delegated decision making to his son, and looked away when the brand values were being tinkered with, Saheb allowed the brand to move away from its core strengths. His son, the ‘junior’ brand manager, has been talking non-violence, inclusiveness and development. And in the process, he’s converted Brand Shiva Sena into a me-too to Brand Congress and Brand NCP. Thus losing the brand’s only USP, its source of power in the target market.

     

    This massive shift in the positioning has already had a huge impact. The brand appeal has eroded in the last seven years or so, and the vacant slot has been usurped by Brand Raj Thackeray. And therefore I would be very surprised if in the current elections, Brand Shiv Sena’s market share doesn’t erode even further. No rocket science this, it’s basic marketing logic.

     

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

    Moral of the story: It’s not enough for political parties to launch election campaigns and run promotional drives. They have to run their parties like brands. Here’s Brand Shiv Sena’s latest promo. Notice how confused, jaded and uninspiring it is.

     

    Good luck to them anyway!

     

    * * *

     

    PS: A bit long, but it’s worth a read. This hilarious incident very accurately describes the state of the media today:

    A biker is riding by the zoo inWashington,DCwhen he sees a little girl leaning into the lion’s cage. Suddenly, the lion grabs her by the cuff of her jacket and tries to pull her inside to slaughter her, under the eyes of her screaming parents. The biker jumps off his Harley, runs to the cage and hits the lion square on the nose with a powerful punch. The lion, whimpering because of the pain, jumps back letting go of the girl, and the biker brings her to her terrified parents, who thank him endlessly.

     

    A reporter has watched the whole event. The reporter addressing the biker says, ‘Sir, this was the most gallant and brave thing I’ve seen a man do in my whole life.’ The biker replies, ‘Why, it was nothing, really, the lion was behind bars. I just saw this little kid in danger and acted as I felt right.’

     

    The reporter says, ‘Well, I’ll make sure this won’t go unnoticed. I’m a journalist, and tomorrow’s paper will have this story on the front page… So, what do you do for a living and what political affiliation do you have?’

     

    The biker replies, ‘I’m a US Marine and a Republican.’ The journalist leaves.

     

    The following morning the biker buys the paper to see news of his actions, and reads, on the front page:

    US MARINE ASSAULTS AN AFRICAN IMMIGRANT AND STEALS HIS LUNCH

     

    The views expressed here (in Para 1) are Anil Thakraney’s and not necessarily those of others in the MxMIndia.com team. Certainly not mine :-). If you are in an area where there’s polling tomorrow (or in the future), please do go out and vote. – Ed

  • The growth will be primarily driven by MNCs investing inIndiaand stronger MCG sector, and there could be upward revisions made in the second half of 2012

    Indian adspends to see +8.7% growth in 2012: MPA study

    By A Correspondent

     

    Media ad sales will grow by 8.7 per cent in net terms this year, against the background of a slowing economy (~7 per cent real GDP growth versus historical range of 8-9 per cent) and the high first half of 2011 base last year resulting from the Cricket World Cup (which happens once in four years) plus an extended IPL season according to Media Partners Asia.

     

    The growth will be primarily driven by MNCs investing inIndiaand stronger MCG sector, and there could be upward revisions made in the second half of 2012. The outlook for advertising growth across key categories is mixed.

     

    Some of the highlights are:

    • FMCG 

    Media buyers expect robust growth from the FMCG sector, which is the largest advertising category, contributing 30-35 per cent to total ad spend. MNCs are expected to report robust numbers, while a few large MNC accounts (with annual ad budgets in the region of Rs2-3 billion) are looking to increase spends by 50-70 per cent for the coming year. Domestic FMCG companies are expected to see only marginal growth as the profits of these companies have deteriorated due to rising input costs.

     

    • Auto 

    Traditional companies such as Maruti and Hyundai have reduced their spends; but global car manufacturers investing inIndiaare driving the overall growth for the sector. As suggested in the recently held Auto Expo 2012, the sector will benefit this year from new launches in the two-wheeler and utility vehicle segments in subsequent quarters.

     

    • Life insurance

    The forecast is for a steady growth, a prevailing trend seen in this category since 2008. A reversal of interest rates will be the underlying factor influencing consumption and ad spend across sectors. The rising interest rate cycle seems to have peaked out. After raising interest rates by 13 times since March 2010, RBI (Reserve Bank ofIndia) may shift its approach towards the country’s monetary policy. Inflation is likely to fall considering the high base last year, and in order to bring the country’s economic growth back on track, the RBI is likely to reduce interest rates gradually in 2012. This will encourage investments and spending, in turn benefiting the ad market.

    Consumption demand has held up reasonably well though rural demand may be a concern, highlighted by a recent slowdown in sales of two wheelers and durables.

     

    Other key factors that will have an impact on the ad marker include:

    • Competition in Hindi GEC

    Competitive intensity in the Hindi GEC space is nothing new, though new competition is accelerating amongst second-tier channels. There has been a change in the pecking order of top three Hindi GECs, with Sony climbing up to the No. 2 spot while incumbent Zee TV has now slipped to No 4. Based on discussions with some of the major media buyers, the genre currently has limited supply of inventory, which should keep ad rates healthy.

     

    • Digitalization to create new niches

    Before the first phase of digitalization is implemented in June 2012 (it may be delayed to December 2012), broadcasters are already rolling out new niche channels in various genres like action and comedy. This will attract advertisers who are willing to target and segment their audience, not just from demographic but also psychographic parameters.

     

    • FDI in single-brand retail

    Opening up of FDI in single-brand retail (precursor to opening up multi-brand retail) will benefit regional print companies.

     

    • State elections

    In the near to medium term, print media will benefit from the upcoming closely contested elections to be held in five states: Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab,Goaand Manipur.

     

  • In Freaking News, Ranjona Banerji reviews the fare on primetime news and in the papers

    Need to relook at aid

    By Ranjona Banerji

     

    In a total break from television, let’s look at today’s newspapers and some thought-provoking opinion pieces. On The Times of India’s edit page, Ramesh Thakur looks at the conundrum of foreign aid which helps the donor more than the recipient. The issue has popped up again with the British media replaying Union finance minister Pranab Mukherjee’s year-old comment that the aid which India gets from Britain is “peanuts”.

     

    Thakur discusses how aid can often be crippling to a country trying to pick itself out of a crisis and what is most required is not handouts but forcing governments to perform. The Africa experience with aid has been much discussed and certainly no continent has suffered as much. Pakistan is also paying the price of too much and not even home-grown development.

     

    When India tried to stop aid from Britain, it was the British agencies which asked for the aid to continue. The call in Britain is to use that money internally, needed in times of cutbacks. It would make good sense perhaps for the governments of India and Britain to relook at aid to India. If we don’t need it and they do, why should we still take it?

     

    **

     

    In the Business Standard late last week, Mihir Sharma argued that contrary to popular belief, Indian governments give too many handouts to the rich and middle classes (“Handouts for the well-heeled”). It’s a well-argued piece, bolstered by facts, which should prove a shocker to middle class thinkers and people who usually see the poor as some undeserving, greedy, grasping lot who are a burden to the exchequer.

     

    **

     

    Sundeep Sengupta on the Hindu’s edit page puts into perspective how far India has strayed from its earlier stand on climate change and the consequences of conceding so much ground in Durban. Climate change no longer seems to be a hot ticket as far as the Indian media is concerned but that doesn’t make it any less important!
    Another subject which hasn’t perhaps been adequately discussed is the situation in Syria, especially from the Indian point of view. Krishnan Srinivasan, former Indian foreign secretary, has a look at the war-like situation in Syria and examines the role of UN sanctions.

     

    **

     

    Since it is Valentine’s Day, the Deccan Chronicle has looked at it seriously. Novelist Charu Nivedita questions whether India can know real love, hampered as it is by convention!

     

    On which note…

     

  • Ogilvy & Mather launches new cross-discipline social media practice called Social@Ogilvy

    Flashed y’day: O&M launches Social@Ogilvy

    By A Correspondent

     

    Ogilvy & Mather announced today the launch of Social@Ogilvy, a worldwide practice connecting all of the agency’s social media experts to deliver solutions across all areas of business.

     

    What was once a specialty offering within Ogilvy Public Relations has now expanded across all marketing disciplines into a dynamic, global network of social media experts from the complete Ogilvy family. Social@Ogilvy connects marketing, communications, CRM, sales enablement, shopper marketing experts and more to deliver seven big social solutions. In addition to Social Media Marketing and Communications, these solutions now include Social Shopping, SocialCRM, Social Care, Social Business Solutions, Listening and Analytics, and our measurement model, Conversation Impactâ„¢.

     

    Social@Ogilvy enables the firm to more efficiently and effectively serve the complex needs of clients, as social solutions become true business solutions.

     

    “Now, no matter which door clients walk through at Ogilvy, they will connect with the Social@Ogilvy team to deliver agile and measurable solutions. That’s access to social experts deep in every marketing and communications discipline,” says John Bell, Global Managing Director of Social@Ogilvy. “We have worked hard over the last seven years to define and apply ‘best practice’ use of social media to business. The real power of social media for business in 2012 and beyond lies in fully integrated solutions, not stand-alone social programs.”

     

    With over 550 dedicated social media experts around the world – and another 4,000 digital experts – the Social@Ogilvy team is the largest network of social media strategists delivering global and local solutions. Headquartered in New York, the team is led by John Bell, Global Managing Director, Tom DeLuca, Chief Operating Officer and Thomas Crampton, Director of Social@Ogilvy in Asia-Pacific.

     

    In Asia Pacific, Social@Ogilvy extends to 23 cities in 15 territories.

     

    “The demand for world-class digital and social media solutions across Asia Pacific is growing rapidly. Social media has been the fastest growing discipline over the last two years,” said Paul Heath, Chief Executive Officer, Ogilvy & Mather Asia Pacific. “Social@Ogilvy brings our social media specialists from all disciplines into an integrated team that supports clients at every stage of the game.”

     

    (based on a press communique received from Ogilvy India)

  • The new design stays with the traditional team colours of purple and gold, but incorporates a striking new logo unit, created by Lambie-Nairn

    KKR announces new marketing campaign

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Kolkata Knight Riders [KKR] on Monday announced the launch of their new marketing campaign, “New Dawn, New Knights.” At the centre of the campaign is the unveiling of a new and refreshed logo. The new design stays with the traditional team colours of purple and gold, but incorporates a striking new logo unit. Created by leading global branding agency, Lambie-Nairn, the new identity is modern, vibrant and unique.

     

    Team owner Shahrukh Khan said: “The new team we put together last year made us proud with its refreshing approach, winning attitude and professionalism they brought to KKR. Add to that our new coach and players this year, I am excited about the upcoming season and our new campaign, New Dawn, New Knights.”

     

    The KKR CEO, Venky Mysore said: “We have been fortunate that the KKR brand has become the leading brand in the IPL. We are working very hard to add value to our sponsors, grow our fan base and build a profitable business. I am confident that our new logo and our new campaign will help us achieve our objectives.”

     

    “The KKR identity had a lot of equity but it was not designed for use across the wide range of platforms that are used today. We wanted to retain the existing heraldic imagery and purple and gold colours, as these features differentiate the team from the competitors and ensure they are instantly recognizable. However, we needed to refine the logo and ensure that it would work across every touch point, from the screen to merchandising” added Sophie Lutman, Creative Director at Lambie ­Nairn.

     

    The new look has been polled out across a wide range of applications, including the team kit, online, social media applications and merchandising.

     

    The Knight Riders represent the city of Kolkata in the Indian Premier League. KKR is one of the most trusted Sports brands in the country. The team is owned by Shahrukh Khan, Juhi Chawla and Jay Mehta and headed by CEO and managing Director, Venky Mysore.

     

    The Knight Riders are led by Gautam Gambhir and the squad includes some of the finest players in international cricket like Jacques Kallis, Brett Lee, Yusuf Pathan and Manoj Tiwary.

     

    For the last thirty years, Lambie-Nairn has been pioneers in the world of branding and identity. They have launched some of the biggest brands in the world, winning awards and redefining genres along the way.

     

  • 'Unprecedented response from leading brands proves that digital is where marketing wars will be fought'

    Delegates from 15 countries to attend ad:tech New Delhi 2012

    By A Correspondent

     

    With less than ten days remaining, ad:tech, the world’s No.1 digital marketing, media and advertising event, is on its way to be oversubscribed again. ad:tech New Delhi 2012 has been registering an unprecedented number of entries from delegates, exhibitors and sponsors from all over the world, to make it even larger than last year.

     

    The event is being held over three days instead of two days as last year, and has an agenda full of insightful keynotes, panel discussions, workshops and networking opportunities. To be held between February 22 and 24 at Hotel Leela Kempinski Gurgaon, the first day of this conference and exhibition will be dedicated to in-depth master-classes on social media and search techniques for marketing professionals.

     

    The Master Classes will comprise of a hands-on, interactive workshop to provide in-depth learning on developing a web presence, digital brand building, SEO 2.0, evolution of technologies in PPC, social media monitoring, and imbibing search and social into an organization’s DNA. Leading experts from Google, Communicate2, Simplogy, Quova and Value Pitch will be conducting sessions during these pre-registered master classes.

     

    Rammohan Sundaram, Event Chairman, ad:techIndiaand Founder, CEO & Managing Director, Networkplay Media Pvt. Ltd. said: “This year is going to be a big game-changer forIndiain the digital marketing arena, and ad:tech is proud to be at the forefront in bringing the very best of minds together on one platform. We have global digital heads of top brands like Nestle and Pepsi are among the over 90 expert speakers fromIndia, APAC and the world.”

     

    Commenting on the people coming down to India to attend ad:tech, Mr Rammohan said: “Apart from India, we already have confirmations from delegates and speakers of as many as 15 countries, including USA, UK, Singapore, Australia, Japan, Indonesia, Singapore and Korea”.

     

    As the largest gathering of online marketers, the event also promises to showcase leading Indian and global brands, including Pepsi, Coca-Cola, Nestle, Hindustan Unilever Limited, Facebook, Dell, FordIndia, IBM, Nokia, Sony Entertainment Television, Bharti Airtel, LG Electronics, MTV, Linkedin, Homeshop18, Godrej Appliances, comScore, Ogilvy, Avaya, mydala.com, Yatra.com, Kotak Mahindra Group, Tata Teleservices, MotorExchange, and Domino’s Pizza.

     

    Mr Rammohan said: “We see a renewed energy among brands this year. Such an unprecedented response from brands puts to rest any doubt on the future of digital media in India, and proves that digital is the new arena where real marketing wars will be fought, and probably much sooner than we expect.”

     

    Besides the master classes, this year’s ad:tech will also feature an exclusive exhibition area for start-up companies in the digital space, which is almost full booked already.

     

    ad:tech, world’s No. 1 digital marketing ,media & advertising event made its successful debut inIndiain April 2011, withNew Delhi being the first city to host the two day event. With 10 shows in 7 countries, ad:tech has been providing media, marketing and technology professionals with the tools and techniques required to succeed in a changing digital world for over a decade.

     

  • The channel, #1 in affluent India, is fastest growing amongst all international news channels

    BBC World News is the No 1 international English news channel

    By A Correspondent

     

    The latest Ipsos PAX survey (Q4 2010-Q3 2011) shows that BBC World News is the top international English news channel in India, and the fastest growing across all international news channels.

     

    BBC World News is also shown to be the most watched international news channel (35 per cent) amongst the evolved, upmarket audiences, including the affluent, business decision makers and top management consumers. The channel is also the most watched news channel amongst key audiences – thought leaders, international flyers and car owners. BBC World News viewers also have combined investments of US$8 bn.

     

    Sunita Rajan, Senior Vice President, BBC Advertising at BBC Worldwide News said: “This study shows that BBC World News is going from strength to strength acrossIndia. With such an amazing year ahead for international news, we’re pleased that the channel continues to reach so many audiences throughout the region.”

     

    The Ipsos PAX study surveys international and local media consumption and product consumption among affluent adults and business professionals in the Indian cities of Mumbai,DelhiandBangalore. The latest survey covers Q4 2010 to Q3 2011.

     

    BBC World News, the BBC’s commercially funded international 24-hour news and information channel, is owned and operated by BBC World News Ltd, a member of the BBC’s commercial group of companies. BBC World News is available in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide, and over 300 million households.

     

  • We found in M&C Saatchi a partner who has the strategy, market analysis, creative expression all figured out just right for W, says Anant Daga, CEO, TCNS Clothing Company Pvt. Ltd.

    M&C Saatchi bags creative mandate for W

    By A Correspondent

     

    The year has begun on an exciting note for W – the leading Indian contemporary ready-to-wear brand for women. The brand appointed M&C Saatchi to carry out their creative duties.

     

    Speaking on the creative association, Anant Daga, CEO, TCNS Clothing Company Pvt. Ltd. said: “We were impressed by M&C Saatchi’s in-depth understanding of the women’s apparel market and the target consumer. We found in M&C Saatchi a partner who has the strategy, market analysis, creative expression all figured out just right for W. Indian women’s wear market is large, unorganized and untapped. Being a leading women’s wear brand, W is well positioned to capitalize on this opportunity and with M&C Saatchi we look towards achieving greater successes for the brand.”

     

    The advancement was confirmed by Anjali Nayar, CEO, M&C Saatchi: “It was a great start to the year. And we are excited about having added W to our portfolio. With retail growing at this pace, we see a lot of scope to do some interesting work together.”

     

    Commenting on this advancement, Richa Sinha, Executive Creative Director, M&C Saatchi, said: “We are happy to have got W as it is a brand that’s close to our heart. What makes W so special is the fact that the brand truly embodies the true spirit of the modern Indian woman and doesn’t believe in slotting women in their clichéd roles.”

     

    Rupin Jayal, Head – Strategy & Planning, M& C Saatchi said: “W is a brand that is unique in representing the aspirations and identity of contemporary Indian women. With its blend of international influences framed within Indian silhouettes, W has the potential of becoming an iconic brand.”

     

    W, a part of TCNS Clothing Pvt. Ltd, designs, manufactures and retails fashionable garments for the Indian women. It is the pioneer in introducing the concept of ‘Mix-n-Match’ in retail and has long been known for its fits and exotic inspirations. W is present in 40 cities across the country with 100 exclusive stores.

     

    M&C Saatchi Communications is one of the world’s youngest and fastest growing global advertising agency networks, with offices in 22 cities across 15 countries. It is founded on the principle of Brutal Simplicity of Thought, with all offices grounded in an entrepreneurial spirit. With offices in Mumbai andDelhi, M&C SaatchiIndiais now an agency of choice for leading entrepreneurs.

     

  • From offering love tips to motivating a husband to lose weight for his wife, radio stations are leaving no stone unturned to celebrate V-day

    FM stations celebrate Valentine’s Day

    By A Correspondent

     

    In case you don’t remember what’s special about today,  just tune into any FM radio station and you will know that love is in the ‘air’. And when television channels, newspapers & magazines and the internet have something to offer this Valentine’s Day, can FM radio be far behind?

     

    Here are some of radio stations and their big plans for the day:

     

    • Big FM

    Big FM will be playing love songs or romantic songs throughout the day. Big FM Hyderabad station has been running an on-air contest – Jodi No.1 since the last four days wherein listeners share their love stories with the RJ. On February 14 – Valentine’s Day – actors Siddharth and Rana Daggubati will select the best stories, announce the winners and reward them during the morning show.

     

    Big FM’s Delhi station will air ‘Big Love Meter’ which will test how well the listeners know their partner. In addition, an RJ will travel across the Delhi city in a ‘Mobile Big Booth’ conducting ‘Love Meter’ tests on married and unmarried couples. Big FM Delhi will also have ‘Club 927’ which aims to engage housewives by conducting a quick ‘Love Meter’ tests on their husbands over the phone.

     

    Big FM Mumbai station has roped in Rajeev Khandelwal and Mugdha Godse to co-host the morning show with RJ Ankit to promote their movie ‘Will You Marry Me?’

     

    • Red FM

    For Red FM Delhi it all began with one phone call from the Delhi Traffic Police Head Constable, Ramesh Kumar who wanted to lose weight as his wife constantly complained about him being overweight. This conversation was followed by a nine day activity wherein Red FM Delhi RJs Swati and Peeyuush decided to make head constable Kumar lose some weight and get fit before Valentine’s Day. Red FM Delhi is calling it ‘Ek Moti Si Love Story’.

     

    The Delhi station also roped in Bollywood celebrities like Kareena Kapoor and John Abraham who gave tips to lose weight. It is also said that people of Delhi also stepped in to help Mr Kumar lose weight by lending him their old treadmill, waking him up in the morning, taking him out to jog and so on. A run was organized at Hindu College where 300 students ran with Ramesh Kumar to boost his morale and support him in his endeavour to lose weight. The event is said to have been attended by Joint CP Traffic Satyendra Garg and Former National Hockey Captain Rajpal Singh. On February 14, Red FM will send Ramesh Kumar and his wife Raj Rani for a date to Le Meridian to reminisce about 27 years of their marriage.

     

    • Radio Mirchi

    On Valentine’s Day, Radio Mirchi’s late night show, ‘Purani Jeans’ aims to become a love messenger for its listeners. RJ Anmol will read out the love letters that were penned down by listeners for their loved ones. The listeners were given an entire week to send in letters for their loved ones to RJ Anmol.

     

    • Radio Misty

    Radio Misty will play love songs the entire day, along with live shows, centred around Valentine’s Day. It started with Love Forever week where the music and shows focused on the Valentine theme. The station will air live shows with listeners in-studio sharing their real life stories. Beside this, Radio Misty will have OBteams in different part of Siliguri to have live connect with listeners. The entire week listeners will be given the opportunity to win gifts, including candlelit dinner with their loved ones.

     

    • Indigo 919

    Radio Indigo 919, Bangalore will launch Heartline 919 on Valentine’s Day. Heartline 919 has been packaged for the young Bangaloreans. Over the last decade Bangalore has burgeoned to a global city with a significant part of the population being under the age of 25 and living away from home. Given the stress factors in corporates today, the need to maintain a work-life balance and to handle relationship and other personal issues, which is usually neglected gain significant importance. Heartline will address issues such as this every Tuesday between 10 pm and 11 pm starting the February 14.

     

    Heartline 919 has been edited and co-conceptualised by Sophia Purushotaman, a UK national and an Indian resident, and hosted by Dr Shyam Bhat and Teja.

     

  • Celebrity love gurus, special sitcom marathons, music, channels have something special lined up for their viewers this Valentine's Day

    Television channels on Valentine mode

    By a Correspondent

     

    It’s Valentines Day today – a day celebrated by many, abhorred by some and perhaps overlooked by others. And some of the television channels, too, have tweaked their content to suit the Valentine mood.

     

    Zee Cafe

    Zee Cafe will broadcast back-to-back episodes of the popular romantic sitcom ‘Better with You’ from 1:30pm to 5pm on February 14. In addition to this, Zee Cafe has designed an application for Valentine’s Day called ‘Which Is Your Cafe Couple’ where users answer questions about their favourite song, ideal date and so on and based on their answers the app shows them which ‘Cafe Couple’ they’re most like. The result then shows up on the users’ wall with a link to the Cafe fan page and app.

     

    zoOm

    Bollywood celebrities Kareena and Imran will play Love Gurus for fans on zoOm. Katrina Kaif will give a style makeover to a lucky fan. Not only that, celebrities like Ritiesh-Genelia, Prateik-Amy Jackson will be a part of the four day lineup to celebrate the Valentine week on zoOm. The channel has lined up many other activities such as a Bollywood celebrity stylist giving tips for the perfect ‘Valentine’s Day Look’. zoOm has also put together a special music selection for Valentine’s Day.

     

    Big CBS Love

    Big CBS Love will broadcast a special series on romance, love and relationships from February 14 to February 17 from 10am to 10 called “Valentine’s Week Special – Crazy in Love”.

     

  • Every week, Deepa Gahlot casts a critical eye over media reviews of Bollywood releases… in Reviewing the Reviews.

    Reviewing the Reviews: Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu

    Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu

    Key Cast: Imran Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Boman Irani, Ratna Pathak Shah

    Directed by: Shakun Batra

    Produced by: Karan Johar, Hiroo Yash Johar, Ronnie Screwvala

    Screenplay by: Ayesha Devitre, Shakun Batra

     

    After the very violent Agneepath two weeks ago, Karan Johar’s production house has produced newbie Shakun Batra’s Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu, what is now known as, a typical Karan Johar film- a big-budget, empty-headed romance shot with lavish production values on a glamorous foreign location Still, some critics have found merit in this otherwise formulaic rom-com, because of an atypical ending.

     

    On the whole the film got positive reviews with 3 stars, with a few 4 and 2.5s thrown in for variety. The public inIndiawas, going by initial reports, not as kind, but the film got a better reception abroad, according to trade reports.

     

    Avijit Ghosh of The Times of India kept on with the 4-star tradition. “With only the faintest trace of theHollywoodhit, What Happens in Vegas (2008), Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu shows what first-rate direction and a cute but brave script can do to the done-to-death story of opposites getting attracted to each other. EMAET has heart, charm and an enviable lightness of being. And it certainly helps that the lead players are in fine form. Like quality wine, Kareena seems to improve with every passing year though you find shades of Geet (Jab We Met) in her part. And Imran brings just that right amount of balance to the difficult part of an uptight, gawky individual who evolves with every passing day. The movie is essentially his journey from boy to man. With its neon lights and flash,Las Vegastoo is an important character adding to the film’s mood and melody.”

     

    Aniruddha Guha of DNA also gave it a 4 star rave. “Director Shakun Batra shows rare deftness for a first-time filmmaker in Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu (EMAET). It is full of honest, warm moments that – to their credit – work without the manipulation most directors resort to in films belonging to this genre. Instead, Batra relies on sharp dialogue, and some well-etched out characters. I’d go a step further and say that the film is the best you would have seen recently in the two genres it melds together – a romantic comedy and a coming-of-age-drama, something Wake Up Sid just about fell short of.”

     

    Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express gave it 2.5 and was left a bit cold. “Ek Main aur Ekk Tu is a half and half: it gets where it needs to with flair, but not enough surprises. The film passes by, pleasantly enough, all its expected roadsigns, providing a smile and an occasional chuckle (and one of the most rousing songs-and-dances I’ve seen in a while) but making you wish for more newness, both in its characters and in the way it wends its way onward.”

     

    Sukanya Varma of rediff.com went with 3 stars too. “EMAET is neither on the epic side like Dharma Productions’ great, grand ancestors nor weighed down by an overload of pop culture references of those that define the genre. Instead the confection’s appeal lies in its underplayed wit, quirky within plausibility protagonists and a refreshing disregard for conventional conclusions. Almost like a big studio flick with an indie mindset. Almost.”

     

    Taran Adarsh also gave it 3 and commented: “For those who swear by sentimental movies and are die-hard fans of rom-coms, who fervently wish Valentine’s Day is prolonged eternally, Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu is akin to an answer to this yearning. Rom-coms relaxing in the splendour of harmonious compositions, a creative and innovative take on present-day romance, pulsating images and timed during the Valentine week… aah, you can’t ask for more!”

     

    Rajeev Masand with 3 stars found it light and breezy. “It’s fairly typical stuff, and first-timer Shakun Batra adds all the usual ingredients. If you’ve seen even three decent rom-coms, you know where this is headed. Yet these characters feel real, and they grow on you gradually despite their standard-issue problems – he has controlling parents, she only lives for the moment. But it’s the curveball that the writers throw at you in the end that displays a rare maturity about relationships that films in this genre seldom possess.”

     

    Komal Nahta of Film Information and koimoi.com gave it three stars and pinned the problem down from the trade point of view. “Ayesha Devitre and Shakun Batra’s story is quite new for the Indian audience because here, a girl and a boy get married and then come close to each other during the period needed to end the marriage. Their screenplay is designed to appeal mainly to the youngsters in the cities. In other words, the drama, like the thought, is very urbane and while it will be enjoyed by the multiplex and city audiences, it won’t quite be lapped up or, in some cases, even understood too well by the audience in the smaller centres and of the single-screens.”