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  • Myntra.com, the largest online retailer of fashion and lifestyle products inIndia, is aiming revenue of Rs500 crores in the financial year 2012-13. The company, which entered the lifestyle and fashion retailing segment in December 2010

    Myntra targets Rs 500 cr revenue for next fiscal

    By A Correspondent

     

    Myntra.com, the largest online retailer of fashion and lifestyle products inIndia, is aiming revenue of Rs500 crores in the financial year 2012-13. The company, which entered the lifestyle and fashion retailing segment in December 2010, has registered a 10-fold growth in 2011 and is, relatively, the fastest growing company in the e-commerce space inIndia.

     

    Mr. Mukesh Bansal (Founder & CEO) said: “Myntra has undergone phenomenal growth in the last 12 months and has emerged as the clear leader in Fashion/Lifestyle space. We have now reached a scale where we ship up to 10,000 products every day. We are planning to cross revenue of Rs500 crores in FY 2012-13, which will further strengthen Myntra’s leadership position in the lifestyle category. This is an exciting category with the total market size projected to be over $100 billion in 5 years with mid-single digit portion being online, making this, possibly the largest online category inIndia.”

     

    He added: “We have built the largest catalogue in fashion & lifestyle category with over 200 brands, have very extensive supply-chain capabilities, including world-class warehouse in multiple cities and our own logistics network in large cities. We will continue to invest aggressively in our technology platform, supply-chain and the Myntra brand to rapidly scaling the business.”

     

    The e-commerce company has received overall funding of $40 million through top-tier venture capitalists like Tiger Global, IndoUS, IDG & Accel Partners.

     

    Myntra.com is among the Top 5 e-commerce companies with over 2,00,000 daily visitors to the site. The company has already reached out to 10,000 zip codes across the country and is constantly expanding its network to support the growing demand.

  • Ten Golf to be launched in India; official broadcast partner for PGTI tournaments

    PGTI, Ten Golf ink three-year deal

    By A Correspondent

     

    Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI), the official sanctioning body of professional golf in India, on Thursday announced a three-year exclusive partnership with the soon-to-be-launched sports channel, Ten Golf.

     

    The deal provides Ten Golf with the broadcasting rights for all PGTI-sanctioned tournaments within and outside the country from 2012 to 2014. Ten Golf  is India’s first exclusive golf channel.

     

    Announcing the partnership, Mr. Padamjit Sandhu, Director, PGTI, said: “Professional golf inIndiahas had strong positive growth over the last five years under PGTI. We are at a stage now where it is important for us to showcase the depth of Indian talent and their achievements with the support of a professional electronic medium. To further grow golf, and project the opportunities and the potential the sport has, it is important to have a strong broadcast partner. With Ten Golf we see strong synergies, and are confident that their expertise, knowledge and bandwidth will substantially help take Indian golf to the next level.”

     

    Mr. Atul Pande, CEO, Taj Television India Private Limited, said, “Our sports broadcast strategy of building committed viewers in specific sports, has led to the idea of the golf channel – Ten Golf. Our tie up with PGTI will help in strengthening the Indian Tour. We will be working closely with Asian Tour and European Tour to bring world class golf action for viewers inIndiaand the subcontinent.”

     

    When Ten Golf launches in March, it will broadcast a weekly show titled “Inside the PGTI”. This show will highlight the best golfing action from PGTI events and will feature golfers on the PGTI circuit. The sports channel will also air special promos and fillers based on Indian golfers and the PGTI tour.

     

    Ten Sports bouquet of channels are the leading sports channels in Indian Subcontinent. Ten Golf will be the latest addition to the bouquet of products offered by Taj Television Limited, whose portfolio includes Ten Sports, Ten Cricket, Ten Action+, Ten HD. TEN bouquet of channel reaches 100 million households acrossIndia.

     

    Formed in 2006, Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) is the recognized official body of professional golf inIndia. PGTI’s objective is to promote professional golf in the country as well as give players an opportunity to be involved in decision making for all aspects of the game.

     

  • The 10 millionth vehicle, a Red Swift Vxi, was dispatched toCoimbatoreon Thursday morning from the Company's Manesar plant

    Maruti Suzuki attains 10 mn domestic sales mark

    By A Correspondent

     

    Maruti Suzuki India Limited crossed the 10 million cumulative domestic sales mark here on Thursday. It is the only automobile company inIndiato cross this milestone. The company, which had rolled out its first car in December 1983, attained 5 million domestic sales in February 2006. The next 5 million domestic sales have been achieved in six years.

     

    The 10 millionth vehicle, a Red Swift Vxi, was dispatched toCoimbatoreon Thursday morning from the Company’s Manesar plant.

     

    While Maruti 800 and Omni powered sales for almost two decades, the Alto has beenIndia’s best-selling car for the last over seven years. In recent years, the success of WagonR and Swift, among others, has accelerated the company’s progress towards the 10 million mark.

     

    Dedicating this milestone to customers, Shinzo Nakanishi, Managing Director and CEO, Maruti Suzuki India Limited, said: “Maruti Suzuki’s success story is closely linked with the success story ofIndiain the last two decades. Even asIndiahas grown and transformed, Maruti Suzuki has evolved to meet changing demands. We will continue to drive the growth and evolution ofIndia’s car market. I thank employees, dealers and suppliers for their support and commitment.”

     

    To mark the occasion, Maruti Suzuki has unveiled a celebration edition of its SX4 sedan. The exclusive special White SX4 carries the celebration dome decal and body graphics.

     

  • The newspaper carried a 16-column colour picture with the lead story of the day, with both, the front and back pages working seamlessly together as a unified 'front' page

    Lokmat Media thanks record-breakers with innovation

    By A Correspondent

     

    In what is possibly the first instance of a broadsheet newspaper innovation, Lokmat Media Limited used the full 16 columns across the front and back pages for a lead picture to physically communicate the size and scale of a world-record-setting event. It also spread its ‘front’ page coverage seamlessly across the back page over a span of 16 columns, perhaps creating another world record for its latest media innovation.

     

    Rishi Darda, Editorial Director & Joint MD, Lokmat Media Ltd, said: “Lokmat Connect had just assembled over a lakh of people in the stadium, and another 40 to 50 thousand outside, on a mid-week working morning, to set a world record for singing the National Anthem. It seemed as if all of Aurangabadresponded to our call to set the world record. So when we had our post-event editorial meeting to plan the next day’s issue, one of our main priorities, apart from excellent editorial content, was: How do we give the readers a sense of the scale of the mammoth turnout? While a picture normally speaks a thousand words, our lead picture bespoke a lakh”

     

    “To the best of my knowledge and belief, it was a world-first: a 16-column colour picture with the lead story of the day, with both, the front and back pages working seamlessly together as a unified ‘front’ page, ” he added.

     

    Getting a lakh-and-half people, which is around 8 per cent of Aurangabad’s population to congregate on a working day morning, is no mean feat. “Lokmat’s media innovation is not just a celebration of that success, but, more importantly, our way of thanking everyone who turned up, putting their lives on hold for the hours they spent with us,” said Mr Darda.

     

    Lokmat’s innovation not just communicated the scale, but also had a clever element of surprise for the reader. When one picked up the newspaper and saw the front page, it had a beautifully aligned 8-column banner picture. The layout of the other elements on the front page looked like a normal, well designed front page. “Only when the reader opened the paper and glanced at the back page did the picture reveal itself to be a full panoramic 16-column spread, and the editorial content on the back page too merged, seamlessly, with the front page layout,” explained Darda.

     

    Explaining the world record attempt, Mr Darda said: “Media brands do several things to connect with their readers. Ours was an activation exercise driven by patriotism, and a solemn sense of our duty to the nation. We wanted to help people gift to the nation, a World Record around our National Anthem, on the eve of Republic Day. We were not only commemorating 100 years of Jana Gana Mana, but also celebrating 30 years of our solid presence in, and bond with, Aurangabad.”

     

    Fittingly, even the massive backdrop had only Jana Gana Mana on it, with a tiny ‘Lokmat’ below – like its salute to the National Anthem.

     

    The media innovation was made possible by the depth of Lokmat’s emotional and enduring connect with the people it has been partnering and serving in their day to day lives for the past 30 years. “It was a never-before connect managed brilliantly by Lokmat Connect, our Events specialist team, which has organized many mega events. This connect with the people of the city, across barriers of caste, community, gender and age groups is what empowers us to contribute to and make an impact on the life of every Maharashtrian in general and Aurangabadkars in particular,” said Mr Darda.

     

  • The main difference that triggers all other differences between Internet radio and FM radio is the platform itself. The Internet lends more room for flexibility, cost saving and personalization says Anil Srivatsa

    [MxM Radiol]: 5 reasons why internet radio scores over traditional radio

    By Anil Srivatsa

     

    1. Internet radio offers more room:

    The main difference that triggers all other differences between Internet radio and FM radio is the platform itself. The Internet lends more room for flexibility, cost saving and personalization.

     

    2. Internet Radio offers a variety of choices in comparison to FM radio:

    This is true, particularly in the Indian context. FM stations tend to follow the beaten path for a variety of reasons, but to the consumer it just spells ‘boredom and monotony’. Radio can be classified broadly into mass radio and niche radio.

     

    InIndia, mass radio is pretty much the order of the day, but it leaves a lot of content-hungry people dissatisfied. Niche radio does not justify the investment from a business point of view, but presents a vibrant opportunity to internet radio operators, who for a lot less money can create and serve these niche content seekers with better quality content in a variety of genres.

     

    3. Content on Internet radio is more personalized; FM radio caters to collective choices of masses:

    Internet radio is more amenable to personalization at a micro-listener level, with the choice of content being delivered with accuracy according to the taste of the consumer, while FM radio is not as hospitable.

     

    Of course, Internet radio is a loosely used term that could mean content delivered via the Internet in a linear fashion (non-interactive just like FM) or as an on-demand service (interactive). Linear Internet radio makes available several choices of content differentiation in one place while FM radio is devoid of choice and is, within a specific urban or semi-urban dwelling, limited to the number of frequencies in that region. This makes Internet radio more interesting choice.

     

    4. The ability to influence opinion on topics and issues on a wider scale:

    FM inIndiagenerally reaches out to the least common denominator while throwing up some specific content catering to special interest. This generally happens when the channel is omni-present in that geographical location, which makes Internet radio look even more obscure. But in reality, Internet radio’s reach is well beyond what a single FM station can do with one channel, giving the flavour of programming more room to breathe and giving it the possibility of more substance and depth.

     

    However, nothing can compete with FM for super localization en masse …even if one can create and distribute a super local internet radio station.

     

    5. Internet radio offers broader spectrum of artists and more room to showcase talent:

    Historically NAB, who was then the lobby for AM radio operators, perceived FM radio to be a huge business threat. Today they have embraced it (FM) and are now perceiving the same threat coming from internet radio. Traditionally, on either side of theAtlantic, FM radio is in cahoots with the music labels where there is a carefully orchestrated promotion plan for the labels, sidelining air play for the unsigned bands leaving FM playing the same 20 top of the hour.

     

    InIndia, too, things are not very different. Large market-leading labels restrict FM radio to play more of their music to ensure constant promotion in exchange for favourable licensing terms resulting in the same disenfranchisement on un-signed quality content. This goes against free speech and violates the anti-competitive spirit of equal opportunity to succeed in business. So, both, from a business and talent perspective, Internet radio is totally unrestricted, allowing small label artists to showcase their talent in all kinds of music and non-music content and without gate keepers.

     

    Labels today see Internet radio as a threat but in reality it’s an opportunity to discover new talent, promote unconditionally and widen their repertoire. Given the right environment, FM radio would rebroadcast on the Internet in a heartbeat and this in itself tells the whole story.

     

    Mr Anil Srivatsa is the Co-Founder, CEO Venturenet Partners Pvt. Ltd. (promoters of Spot Radio and Radiowalla)

     

  • Surender Sharma's show on 92.7 BIG FM & BIG Magic, the first time inIndiathat a daily show features simultaneously on two media platforms

    Reliance Broadcast launches ‘Kings Of Kavis’

    Reliance Broadcast Network Limited (RBNL) on Thursday announced the launch of their show with Surender Sharma – one of India’s most famous Hindi poets and humorists on 92.7 BIG FM and BIG MAGIC.

     

    For the very first time a top humorist will feature simultaneously on two media platforms through a single show titled ‘Hasya Panchayat’. The famous hasyakavi, popularly known as Sharmaji, will feature daily across 92.7 BIG FM stations in Hindi speaking regions as well as on BIG MAGIC, with his hilarious trademark one-liners to people’s queries on different subjects related to everyday life.

     

    Sharmaji, known for his straight faced, glum expression, offered fans a brilliant glimpse of his show at Shivaji Stadium Airport Metro where he, along with other eminent hasyakavis, participated in the ‘Hasya Panchayat’, and made the crowd burst into uncontrollable fits of laughter.

     

    Together with his fellow kavis, he presented a range of enjoyable poems and on a serious note urged listeners to reflect on modern-day issues such as inflation, corruption and unemployment. From the election fever in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab to popular Bollywood flicks such as Dirty Picture, the humorist took on some very hot topics and added his distinctive touch of humour and sarcasm to them.

     

    The 92.7 BIG FM show will entertain listeners for one hour every evening and will feature the best of Sharmaji’s performances on a special weekend show.

     

    The artist will simultaneously feature on BIG Magic’s daily show titled ‘Hasya Panchayat’ in a special segment, where he will present his hilarious take on different topics. People from the Hindi heartland of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Biharand Jharkhand will also get to watch shorter capsules featuring Sharmaji’s celebrated one­-liners.

     

    Speaking at the event, company spokesperson said: “Few things in life can compare to the joy one gets in making someone laugh. We’re proud to bring a much-loved persona like Surender Sharma into the lives of our consumers and trust his wittiness will give us many reasons to laugh. This double treat on 92.7 BIG FM and BIG Magic will ensure people never miss out on the King of Kavi’s rib-tickling humour.”

     

    Reliance Broadcast Network Limited is a multi-media entertainment conglomerate with play across radio, television, intellectual properties and out of home. It is part of the Reliance Group and specializes in creating and executing integrated media solutions for brands.

     

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

    Porn-happy Karnataka ministers hog TV limelight

    By Ranjona Banerji

     

    Was it naughty of ministers in Karnataka to be supposedly watching pornography when they should have been paying attention to a debate in the assembly? Undoubtedly, yes. Was it necessary for TV channels to show this almost non-stop on Wednesday morning, having already milked it on Tuesday night? Arguably, not. But the morning onslaught was relentless – for those who might imagine there was nothing else happening in the country, why, the first round of voting started in Uttar Pradesh. So far, this has been billed as the most important assembly election yet, a precursor to the next general elections. But for a while, it was the porn-happy ministers of Karnataka, who have apparently since resigned. Not happily of course. The young anchors and reporters of TV channels were very happy that these moral policers had been caught out in this manner.

     

    * * *

     

    The newspapers on Wednesday morning had the slightly more depressing if less salacious news about India’s GDP forecast being pulled down to 6.9 per cent because of the economic slowdown. This is the sort of news which neither mainstream TV news nor business channels seem equipped to handle. International news channels on the other hand run from civil unrest in any part of the world to economic recession in the west in an endless loop. The world and the west are both usually very accommodating.

     

    * * *

     

    The inquisition of former Indian Premier League head Lalit Modi on Times Now on Tuesday night was an illuminating lesson in how not to conduct an interview. Arnab Goswami, Sanjay Jha and Boria Majumdar would have done Torquemada and the Auta da Fe proud. Whatever your views on Modi, having asked him to speak to you it is usually better to let him say what he has to. Tough questions are fine, indeed necessary, but yelling at him about why he tweets what he does is ridiculous. Modi’s interview with Rajdeep Sardesai on CNN-IBN was more intelligible. Times Now sometimes overplays its role as the sole guardian of India.

     

    * * *

     

    India is pitifully short of experts, the newspapers tell us – Crest ran an excellent article on this a few months ago – and nowhere is this more evident than on TV. The same people are rounded up and herded from studio to studio where they are everywhere “exclusive” and experts on everything.

     

    It is always amusing to see senior TV anchors having to rely on senior print journalists to analyze events – why are they so frightened of doing it themselves? I know why of course but surely they should have gathered enough confidence by now to bullshit away by themselves?

     

    Good for print journalists of course and I hope they pay them for their expertise?

     

    * * *

     

    Hrithik Roshan needs to sack his publicist and take his money back from Medianet for allowing a picture of himself to be printed on the front page of Bombay Times where he looks like CGI dinosaur of some kind with an over-developed thorax.

     

  • Customers in India & China would pay 10 per cent more for socially and responsible brands, says report

    Havas Media launches Meaningful Brands study

    By A Correspondent

     

    Havas Media has come out with findings of its research that suggests that 20 per cent of brands have a notable positive impact on our sense of well-being and quality of life. Some of the findings also suggest that majority of consumers are willing to pay 10 per cent more for socially and environmentally responsible goods in India and China and 95 per cent and 85 per cent say they trust companies with a responsible or social profile more than those without in China and India respectively.

     

    This is the fourth yearly study done by Havas Media, which started initially with a study on sustainability and has evolved further to studying Meaningful Brands.

     

    What is intriguing is that for the second year running, Havas Media found that most people would not care if 70 per cent of the brands ceased to exist. Further, it argues, that the existing approaches to building and measuring brand value are out of date. As a direct response, Havas Media has launched ‘Meaningful Brands’, a global framework that offers a new index, analysis and proprietary tools to measure and build brand value in the context of today’s demanding environment.

     

    This innovative global undertaking that covers India and China in Asia Pacific enables, for the first time, to connect brands with our quality of life and well-being. It does this by measuring the perceived impact of brands on our personal wellbeing – their influence on factors such as our health, fitness, happiness, values, social relationships, financial security, lifestyles and habits – and our collective well-being, that is, how brands help to improve communities, societies and the environment.

     

    Speaking to MxMIndia, Vishnu Mohan, CEO of Havas Media Asia Pacific, said: “The findings suggest that the brands in the emerging markets like Asia have a much more positive impact and score higher on trust as compared to western market. It would have been believed that vice versa would be true but this study shows that the future of brands is higher in emerging markets like India. My interpretation is that valued brands are those that have values too. Hence those brands that are considered meaningful also have been performing well on the stock index.”

     

    The research was carried out from March to June 2011 across 14 markets – France, Spain, UK, Germany, Italy, USA, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Argentina, China, Japan and India. The research took into account the views of 50,000 consumers via online panels. Mr Mohan explained that the plan is to include more markets and consumers to make it more robust.

     

    The findings of Meaningful Brands analysis are especially relevant for marketers in Asia. It clearly shows the seriousness with which consumers in Asia look at the social, ethical and environmental aspects of a brand. As a region, which is growing at a rapid pace, the findings provide us a huge opportunity to create the context that promotes the growth of meaningful brands. Companies and brands operating in our region can play a big role in transforming the lives of millions of people and contribute to the progress of their societies.

     

    Some of the key consumer trends in China and India include:

     

    • 74 per cent and 62 per cent say they would pay 10 per cent more for socially and environmentally responsible goods in China and India (highest globally, aside from Chile).
    • Information and expense are the main barriers to socially responsible consumption, with credibility being another key issue in both markets.
    • 84 per cent in China feel it’s the responsibility of companies rather than the government to solve social and environmental issues (compared with 64 per cent in 2009) and 76 per cent in India, with a similar increase, since 2009.
    • 95 per cent and 85 per cent say they trust companies with a responsible or social profile more than those without in China and India respectively.
    • Empowerment is down in China: 64 per cent feel that they can make a difference to how companies behave and this is static in India at 71 per cent.
    • But so is cynicism: 71 per cent feel that most companies are only trying to be responsible to improve their image and only 12 per cent trust what companies say in this area.

     

    The analysis suggests that the next generation of brands will come from emerging economies. People in fast growing economies, such as Asian and Latin American markets, record a stronger and healthier relationship with brands. The proportion of brands making a notable positive contribution to our lives increases to around 57 per cent in China, 30 per cent in Latin America, compared to 8 per cent in

     

    European markets, where people tend to be more skeptical and less engaged with brands. In the US, it’s 5 per cent. By contrast, the situation in developed economies is the opposite. Brands in these regions are no longer seen to improve people’s quality of life.

     

    Meaningful Brands helps us to develop this type of relationship by understanding exactly what people expect from brands. It also helps us track how successful companies are responding to these needs by understanding how these companies are contributing to our wellbeing, both as citizens and individuals, and how they communicate these values to us. It also shows us that there’s a big business opportunity for brands which are able to satisfy consumers by creating wellbeing in the context of their new values, expectations and local market realities.

     

  • To empower consumers and enable operators to build brand equity with a 26 week campaign across print, television, out of home and digital

    Reliance Broadcast launches ‘Choose Your Set-Top-Box Wisely’ campaign

    By A Correspondent

     

    Digitization is all set to revolutionize the television viewing experience. While operators are undertaking activities to build their brand equity and ensure that they gain from the eminent shake-out, the consumers now understand that the power to enhance their television viewing experience lies with themselves.

     

    Reliance Broadcast Network, which in a little over a year successfully created a bouquet of channels through a well-crafted strategy, has conceptualized a campaign that complements its television broadcast business. Aptly titled ‘Choose Your Set-Top-Box Wisely’, the campaign is tailored to increase awareness and empower consumers with adequate information to make the right choice while choosing their set top boxes, while also enabling operators to build their brand equity.

     

    Come digitization, the discerning consumer would look for quality, variety and a strong value proposition and operators who have the potential to offer these will stand to gain significantly. Backed by the belief that ‘content is the cornerstone for success’ and a deep understanding of the discerning consumers’ demand for quality and variety entertainment, the Company has positioned its 7-channel strong bouquet to cater to a wide viewer palette:

     

    1.     BIG CBS Prime, a male skewed premium entertainment Channel (male 15+, SEC A, 7 metros)

    2.     BIG CBS Love, the first ever international women’s entertainment channel (female 15+, SEC A, 5 metros)

    3.     BIG CBS Spark, the first ever International youth Channel (4-24, SEC A, 7 metros)

    4.     BIG MAGIC, a variety entertainment Channel for the Hindi heartland (CS 4+ MP, UP,Bihar)

    5.     Spark Punjabi, the country’s first international Punjabi Channel (CS 4+,Punjab, 1mn+)

    6.     BIG RTL Channel in the action space

    7.     BloombergUTV,India’s premier Business news channel (male 25+, SEC A, 7 metros)

     

    With the latest content fromAmericathrough BIG CBS Networks, Indian homes can continue to enjoy an unparalleled viewing experience of their favorite international shows. Similarly, the first international Punjabi channel – Spark Punjabi ensures the PHCHP region also enjoys the best international content, dubbed in their local language. BIG MAGIC is the Hindi heartland’s only variety entertainment channel offering the best home grown content, which meets local sensibilities and is already a favourite amongst consumers. BIG RTL will bring with it some of the best reality and action programming from the world renowned RTL Group, which also houses Fremantle. And finally, BloombergUTV, powered by Bloomberg, the final word in business news globally, offers Indian viewers a differentiated business news viewing experience amongst the monochromatic competitive offering. The channels come together to offer both consumers and operators an excellent offering.

     

    The multi-media campaign will spread across television, radio, out of home and the digital platforms and will be one of the largest initiatives in this space by any broadcaster. The campaign will be further sustained over the next 26 weeks across all Reliance Group platforms, including BIG FM’s 45 station radio network, it’s out of home arm – BIG Street, its 7-channel television network and its digital platforms.

     

    Speaking about the campaign, Mr. Vishal Rally, Business Head, BIG CBS Networks said: “Digitization will usher a new era of television broadcasting and the Choose Your Set-Top-Box Wisely campaign has been conceptualised and designed to benefit multiple stake-holders across consumers, operators and the channels. We are excited to present the most distinctive and eclectic content mix to the Indian viewers through our bouquet of channels, and encourage them to make a wise decision so they can continue to enjoy experience.”

     

    Reliance Broadcast Network Limited is a multi-media entertainment conglomerate with play across radio, television, intellectual properties and out of home. It is part of the Reliance Group and specializes in creating and executing integrated media solutions for brands.

     

  • On an overall level, the index had peaked during the mid-months of 2011 but most months saw the index about 20 per cent lower than the July 2008 levels.

    Media hiring 9% higher in Jan than Dec

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Indian entertainment and media sector is one of the fastest growing sectors in the economy, and has witnessed tremendous growth in last couple of years.

     

    In January 2012, hiring activity in the media sector saw a growth of 9 per cent above December 2011 levels and 3 per cent above the January 2011 levels.

     

    The May 2011 index at 1025 was the highest point on the job index in three years. The last three months of 2011, however has seen some dipping hiring numbers.

     

    Hitesh Oberoi, CEO and MD, Info EdgeIndiasaid “With the beginning of the new year, the recruitment scenario seems to be moving in a positive direction. However, this year, firms will be more particular about recruiting the right talent and employees who can make meaningful contributions to the firm.”

     

    Thus, on an overall level, the index had peaked during the mid-months of 2011 but most months saw the index about 20 per cent lower than the July 2008 levels.

     

    Naukri.com, India’s No. 1 job site, is the flagship brand of Info Edge. It revolutionized the concept of recruitment inIndia. Since its inception in 1997, Naukri.com has seen continued growth while outperforming its competitors in every sphere. Info Edge is the first internet Company to be listed inIndia.

     

  • In its seventh edition, the event continues with its focus on in-store environment, but with a delivery strategy that ensures that all content needs are addressed

    Build shopper equity with In-Store Asia 2012

    By A Correspondent

     

    Inflationary trends, recessionary portents, policy paralyses and cautioned consumer sentiments were some of the phrases that defined the overall business outlook for almost every industry inIndia over the past year and retail was no exception.

     

    But going into the new-year, Indian retailers and brands are expected to focus on managing overall profitability without any significant scaling down of expansion plans. If managing profitability is the key to the success of retailing in these uncertain times, then there never was a better incentive to invest in productive store environments, in-store practices and shopper marketing programs.

     

    And any investment made to understand and make most of the current shopper zeitgeist is not only an investment that will help harness mid-term profitability but an initiative that will ensure long-term profitable shopper equity.

     

    Thus helping build shopper equity this February is In-Store Asia 2012, slated to take place from February 16, 2012 to February 18, 2012.  In its seventh edition, the event continues with its focus on the in-store environment, but with a finely honed delivery strategy that ensures that all content needs across a range of formats and practices are addressed.

     

    Talking about the change in the delivery strategy, Sachin Jante, Chief Content Planner & Marketing Strategist, VJ Media Works, said: “The transformation in approach will be evident on various levels. At the primary level, existing modules have been tweaked to enhance effectiveness like, for example, the convention has been bifurcated along product service categories, further on the creation of an exclusive designer pavilion at the Expo. Then there is the addition of new modules and programs that enhance, recognize the varied aspects of in-store environment and people, like the Material Lounge, POPAI OMA Awards, a live VM challenge module and an exclusive VM workshop for students.”

     

    There is lot more to look forward to at In-Store Asia 2012; the three days are all set to offer everything from wisdom to solutions to help build shopper equity. Standing true to its essence In-Store Asia’s seventh edition promises to be a platform for leveraging and cultivating effective sophistication in retail endeavours.

     

  • Cairn India, part of the Vedanta group, is on the lookout for creative, media and PR partners.

    Cairn India invites creative, media, PR partners

    By Shubhangi Mehta

     

    Cairn India, a part of Vedanta Group, which acquired 51-60 percent of its stake in 2010, has invited agencies to be their creative, media and PR partners. The pitch is based out of Delhi. No official confirmation could be attained at the time of filing this report but agency sources close to the development have confirmed the news to MxM India.

     

    There is no incumbent on the account.

    For the record, Cairn started its operations in 1979, when Sir Bill Gammell, the chairman, founded Cairn Energy. In 1988, the company was listed on the London Stock Exchange. Sir Bill Gammell became its first Chief Executive and has held this position for more than two decades. Cairn Energy PLC, a FTSE 100 company, was one of the first UK companies to invest in the Indian oil and gas sector.

     

    In 2010 Vedanta Resources Plc (VED.L) completed its long-delayed $8.7 billion purchase of a majority stake in Cairn Energy Plc’s (CNE.L)

     

    London-listed Vedanta now holds 58.5% of Cairn India (CAIL.NS), of which 20% is held through its Sesa Goa (SESA.NS) unit.