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  • The awards will salute the business leaders whose relentless pursuit of excellence fuelledIndia’s journey to the forefront of the world economy

    NDTV Profit Business Leadership Awards to honour India Inc

    By A Correspondent

     

    NDTV is all set to honour India Inc at the seventh NDTV Profit Business Leadership Awards. The awards will salute the business leaders whose relentless pursuit of excellence has fuelledIndia’s journey to the forefront of the world economy.

     

    Announcing the seventh edition of the awards, Manvi Dhillon, Managing Editor of NDTV Profit said, “2011 was an extremely challenging year for corporate India. Despite the global headwinds and the domestic challenges, India Inc stood steady. The evidence lies in the fact thatIndiais still one of the fastest growing economies in the world. We, at NDTV, are proud to announce the seventh edition of the NDTV Profit Business Leadership Awards to recognize and honour the most resilient and the strongest business leaders of this year.”

     

    The Award ceremony will be a high powered event with the crème de la crème of corporateIndiaattending it and will be graced by Union Finance Minister Mr. Pranab Mukherjee as Chief Guest in Mumbai on January 7, 2012.

     

    Partnering NDTV for the awards, Kanakia Group’s Rasesh Kanakia, Chairman and Managing Director, said, “2011 was a year of economic challenges; some of them being of the kind that could wither the roots of any business house, as market volatility (affected by global economic slowdown) led to uncertainties, thus slowing down growth plans. Consumers became tougher to appease, investors became conservative in taking decisions and business houses got more aggressive to sustain their growth. All in all, it was a year where success got elusive, but Indian Business has shown the character and the courage to have sustained well. Having been a witness to such a strong show of character, it only makes us proud to associate with NDTV Profit in honouring some of these extraordinary business leaders..”

     

    The jury for the NDTV Profit Business Leadership Awards this year comprised leading names from the industry and the business world such as Naina Lal Kidwai, Group General Manager and Country Head, HSBC India; T N Ninan, Chairman and Editorial Director, Business Standard; Kalpana Morparia, CEO, J P Morgan, India; Shanti Ekambaram, Group Head Wholesale Banking, Kotak Mahindra Bank;  Zia Mody, Senior Partner, AZB & Partners; Prannoy Roy, Chairman, NDTV; Dorab Sopariwala, Editorial Advisor, NDTV; Manvi Dhillon, Managing Editor, NDTV Profit.

     

    After a rigorous screening process and discussion amongst the eminent jury members they have determined the winners in categories that include Automobile (Four Wheelers and Two Wheelers), Aviation, Banking (Public and Private), Consumer Durables, Consumer Product Goods, Engineering, Hospitality, Infrastructure and Insurance Life, Corporate Social Responsibility and Inclusion and Diversity Award.

     

  • Much-awaited advertising and awards festival will be held at the same venue as last year.

    Goafest 2012 to be held on April 19-21

    By A Correspondent

     

    Goafest, the much awaited yearly event from the Advertising Agencies Association of India and Advertising Club Bombay, has come out with its festival dates for 2012.

     

    This year’s Goafest will be held on April 19-21 at the same venue as last year, The Zuri White Sands resort on Varca beach.

     

    Other details of the festival will be announced following a committee meeting on January 9.

     

    Over the years Goafest has become the biggest congregation of advertising professional under the sun and sand inGoa. It is touted asIndia’s biggest advertising and awards festival.

     

    The theme for last year’s festival was ‘Ideas are all around us-can you SPOT one?’ Two of the biggest awards held during the festival include the Media Abbys and Creative Abbys.

    Click here to view all Goafest 2012 stories

     

  • SRK and Pepsodent – not working, G. Ra.One was more happening!

    Debrief: Pepsodent G: WTF, G??

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Pepsodent G takes care of your gums. Fair enough. But what does Shahrukh Khan have to do with this promise? Unless it’s about Kabhie Khushi Kabhie Gum, which is not the case out here, hehe.

     

    The commercial features King Khan as a Sikh army officer. And it involves an exchange between him and his little son, on how the brand reaches the root of a toothache, and sorts our gum problems. Or some such thing. The only slightly cute thing about the TVC is that father and son address each other as ‘Pappu G’ and ‘Pappa G’. A take off on Pepsodent G. In fact, I think someone in the ad agency got the ‘G’ brainwave, and got so excited, he/she wrote a whole script on it, just to somehow make it work.

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XNovcMh7w0[/youtube]

    Total waste of money, G. What’s the point of hiring the super expensive Khan when all he has to do is become the brand window for Pepsodent G? Where’s the idea? Where’s the entertainment? Caught up in the weak G ‘masti’, the writer hasn’t even tried to inject some life into the dialogue. The result: a maha boring ad. Despite Shahrukh doing all he can to pep things up a bit.

     

    Not working, G. Back to the drawing board, G. Make the star pay for his fat fees, G.

     

    Rating: (On a scale of 1 to 5): 1. Lifeless script. Shahrukh Khan’s Ra.One was more happening. 

     

     

  • Vipin Dhyani, founder, Chief Creative Director, Thoughtshop Advertising on the agency, its USP and future plans.

    Vipin Dhyani: We create ads that our TG appreciates

    By Shubhangi Mehta

     

    Thoughtshop is a 360-degree advertising and communication agency started by Vipin Dhyani. With more than a decade of experience in advertising, Mr Dhyani has the unique distinction of working for a diverse portfolio of brands and being involved in more than 120 ad films over the last couple of years.

     

    Thoughtshop has conceptualised and created communication films for various products for Parle which include Hide and Seek, Hide and Seek Bourbon, Milano, MonacoSmart Chips, Mango Bite, Krackjack. It has also created the TVCs for Nirma Washing powder, D-Cold Total amongst others.

     

    In the recent past Thoughtshop bagged three awards in the Big Bang Awards 2011 in Bangalore. One gold for Krackjack radio spot titled ‘Ladies tailor’, a bronze for another radio spot, ‘marriage councillor’ for the same and another bronze in TVC category for Parle Milano featuring Hrithik Roshan. In 2010, the agency has also won silver in Goa Festival for its Nirma washing powder TVC titled as ‘Splash’.

     

    Prior to this, Mr Dhyani has worked with Everest Brand Solutions and Mudra as Creative Director. He has also had stints with Lowe Lintas and Grey Worldwide in Mumbai.

     

    Q: What makes Thoughtshop Advertising different from the other advertising agencies? Why does a client choose Thoughtshop over other agencies?

    Our in-depth understanding of consumer insights, sound creative and a real good turnaround time. We are not selling ideas we like. We are not even selling ideas liked by our clients. We create ads that our TG appreciates. Pure honesty, sincerity and a very no-nonsense approach helps us whenever we approach a new client.

     

    Q: How satisfied are you with the progress of Thoughtshop Advertising since its inception? Has the outcome matched your expectations?

    I am very satisfied with the way things are shaping up. Initially it took me some time to figure out how to go about it. On one side, there was that sense of calmness which you crave in your own place and on the other side you need that aggression which is required to win business. Fortunately I could acquire both. And I am more than happy to achieve that unattainable balance. Overall, it was a plunge worth taking.

     

    The outcome has been very fruitful, I should say, but expectations are higher than what we have achieved so far. The hunger for good creative work is never ending and never satisfying in our field.

     

    Q: You have worked with some of the biggest agencies in India and then started one on your own. Could you highlight some pros and cons of working with a bigger agency and starting something on your own?

    When you are part of a big atmosphere, all you need to worry about your brand and its creative standards. You don’t actually think about the business and the ‘survival’ part of it. But when you run your own set up, you are not just responsible for your survival but for the whole team.

     

    In simple words, with bigger outfits I felt like a civilian, while on my own, it’s like an army man on a border, always on my toes, alert and responsible.

     

    Q: How much importance do you give to winning awards? Do you think that awards justify the measurement of creativity?

    I would say it is very important to win awards. If we belong to the creative fraternity, we have our moments of escalation, moments of getting admirations and moments of being known. Fair enough. But the sad part of the business is that sometimes an award-winning entry could be completely plagiarized and a genuinely beautiful work may go unnoticed at the same time.

     

    Q: These days awards focus on not only creativity but effectiveness as well. According to you which out of the two is a focus point while creating a brand communication?

    Efficacy awards basically talk about the real strategy transforming to a sound creative that is being liked and owned by the real end consumer. It is like performing a play in front of the real audience who can appreciate or completely disown you, depending on your performance. On the other hand, a creative show ‘primarily’ prefers and promotes a disruptive and innovative entry whether it is from mainstream product or a service or not. That’s where it creates a separation line.

     

    I think if we believe in creating a brand and not just one-off clever ads, we can create genuine work worth celebrating at both levels.

     

    Q: Could you throw some light on the brands you are working on?

    We are doing two new launches for Parle this year. The communication package is ready. Apart from Parle, we will be working for Nirma for at least one project while for Bayer CropScience, we are going to launch two projects (Decis & ECB) very soon. Then there is one property we have created for 9xM channel. It is going to be the first female animated character. We have got one more account recently, GET Punjabi channel. After a huge success in US andCanada, they are launchingIndia’s first GEC in Punjabi. Ekta Kapoor is going to be the producer for them in terms of providing content and we will be looking after the advertising and promotions.

     

    Q: Independent agencies are doing fairly well these days and competing with the larger agencies. What are your views about this?

    Actually it is not about smaller agencies versus bigger agencies. It has always been about a sound, feasible and appropriate idea or strategy. If a client finds an idea sensible, he will appreciate it in whichever case, whether it comes from a small agency or a bigger one.

     

    Q: What is your growth strategy for the coming year?

    Apart from 360-degree creative services, we are expanding to fulltime production and direction services both for our existing clients as well as for new ones. Expansion with one more branch is also on the cards.

     

  • TAM data Top 10 programmes on HGEC – Wk 53 ’11

    Source: TAM Peoplemeter System
    TG: CS 4+ yrs
    Market: Hindi Speaking Market
    Period: Wk 53 (Dec 25 to Dec 31) 2011

     

     

    About TAM Media Research

     

    TAM is a joint venture between Nielsen Company & Kantar Media Research. Besides measuring TV Viewership, TAM also monitors Advertising Expenditure of Television, Print & Radio through its division AdEx India. Since 2004, it extended its presence in the PR Measurement & Analysis space for Corporate/Marketing Clients by setting up a separate division Eikona PR Measurement.

     

    In 2007, the joint venture introduced RAM (Radio Audio Measurement) service to track Radio Listenership for the Indian Radio Broadcast Industry. In year 2009, TAM launched a division, called TAM Sports that specializes in monitoring Sports Sponsorship ROI.

     

    TAM Media Research’s objective is to fuel media insights that will drive the growth of the Indian Media Industry.

  • TAM Data (GRPs, Channel shares of HGECs)- Wk 53 ’11

     

    Source: TAM Peoplemeter System
    TG: CS 4+ yrs
    Market: HSM
    Period: Wk 52: Dec 18 to Dec 24, 2011
    Period: Wk 53: Dec 25 to Dec 31, 2011

     

    About TAM Media Research

     

    TAM is a joint venture between Nielsen Company & Kantar Media Research. Besides measuring TV Viewership, TAM also monitors Advertising Expenditure of Television, Print & Radio through its division AdEx India. Since 2004, it extended its presence in the PR Measurement & Analysis space for Corporate/Marketing Clients by setting up a separate division Eikona PR Measurement.

     

    In 2007, the joint venture introduced RAM (Radio Audio Measurement) service to track Radio Listenership for the Indian Radio Broadcast Industry. In year 2009, TAM launched a division, called TAM Sports that specializes in monitoring Sports Sponsorship ROI.

     

    TAM Media Research’s objective is to fuel media insights that will drive the growth of the Indian Media Industry.

  • Pradyuman Maheshwari thinks the Reliance Industries Ltd-TV/Network 18-Eenadu deal will help improve the financial health of the news media

    Mediaah!: Why Mukesh Ambani’s Network18 foray is good news for the Indian media

    By Pradyuman Maheshwari

     

    It’s a complex deal and required the financial wizardry of the accounting boys at Reliance Industries, Network 18 and their advisers.

     

    The bottomline is: Reliance is buying into Network 18 and asking it to manage its interests in ETV. Mind it, Network 18 and Television 18 are still Raghav Bahl companies with a majority and controlling stake. Also, Reliance is not going to have Mukeshbhai playing supereditor. RIL has set up a trust (Independent Media Trust) with eminent people as members.

     

    The Ambanis love affair with the media started ever since his father Dhirubhai got into the big league and had a soured relationship with The Indian Express founder Ramnath Goenka. The Ambanis bought over the much revered Commerce Weekly and turned it into a business daily called The Observer of Business and Politics. It also bought over The Sunday Observer. Both the papers shut and there have been rumours ever since of brothers Mukesh and Anil infusing funds in media ventures indirectly.

     

    There were direct ones too like Reliance Entertainment with Amit Khanna at the helm and later Rajesh Sawhney and now Tarun Katial leading the agenda. But it’s the indirect, in-the-closet funding that’s always been of interest. At least one large newspaper and one news channel are said to have benefitted from their largesse.

     

    Interestingly, Anil Ambani’s Reliance Capital had also picked up some stocks in Bahl’s enterprise a while back and more recently a sizeable chunk in Bloomberg UTV. The Bloomberg-licensed channel is now controlled by Reliance ADAG.

     

    While there could be issues of how the interests of big business companies will impact the content of the media they own, especially when there are controversies like we had with Niira Radia and the 2G scam, to my mind the entry of the Ambanis into the media is good news.

     

    The media sector – news media specifically — has been facing awful times. There have been many wrong investments and more importantly the spends are much higher than revenues. The sector is also majorly underleveraged, with airtime most often being sold at a song.

     

    On the possible clash of interests between the business dealings of the large conglomerates and the editorial independence of newsrooms, I have two points on offer:

     

    1. It’s not that all of the the current lot of media companies are squeaky clean and honest. The roster of newspapers indulging in paid news reads like a Who’s Who of Indian media. There are biases which do come in and advertisers often exert pressure and threaten to pull out ads if there are negative stories

    2. The Reliance Industries move of setting up a trust to further its interests in the media is a healthy sign and if it works and is truly independent could lead the way of other business groups entering the media.

     

    I hope the Mukesh Ambani foray sees more big business invest in the media. It will be good for the financial health, lead to more jobs and, Inshallah, better salaries.

     

    Tomorrow: More about the Media and Big Business and the Prime Minister’s speech on Monday

     

    Buzz me if you have a story to tell and gossip to share. Confidentiality assured. Andar ki baat will stay under. There are various ways you can reach me: pradyumanm[at]mxmindia.com, BBM @ 23050B5D, Whatsapp/Gtalk pradyumanm[at]gmail.com, @pmahesh, 98338 76278.

     

    Disclaimer: Although Pradyuman Maheshwari is CEO of MxMIndia other than being editor-in-chief, he chucks those hats while writing Mediaah! So, the views expressed here are entirely his own and not those of the website and the team that runs it (especially the National Sales Head!).

     

  • Beautifully stringed words that touch the heart and superb play on words are some reason when Prasoon Joshi selects his favourites

    The Anchor: Prasoon Joshi on 5 songs he wishes he had written

    1. Ye dunia agar mil bhi jaaye to kya hai
    from the movie Pyaasa. This is a legendary song and the kind of work that I like doing. The song has a philosophical bent and is almost cathartic. It reflects the feeling of people and a song that has a social impact. This is Sahir Ludhianvi at his best.

     

    2. Bird on the wire by Leonard Cohen. The lyrics present a compelling imagery. Like a worm on a hook, Like a knight from some old fashioned book… It is a brilliantly written song and I admire the whole construct of the song.

     

    3. Mora gora rang laile from the movie Bandini. This is one of the first compositions of Gulzar Sahab and the lyrics are sheer poetry. In India where fair complexion is revered, here the request is to make her dark-skinned just like Krishna so that she can hide in the darkness and meet him. Beautifully stringed words that touch the core of your heart.

     

    4. Jyoti kalash chhalke from Bhabhi ki Chudiyaan. Again it presents a powerful imagery and a superb play on words. Huye gulaabi, laal sunahare, rang dal baadal ke, jyoti kalash chhalke/Ghar aangan van upvan, karti jyoti amrit ke sinchan, mangal ghat dhalke. Writing poetry is different when it has to be set on music as one has to ensure that while the song is written well it must also sound well. This is a perfect example of such a work.

     

    5. Mr Tambourine Man by Bob Dylan. I love the lines – I’m ready to go anywhere. I’m ready for to fade. Into my own parade, cast your dancing spell my way. I promise to go under it.

     

    Prasoon Joshi is the Chairman & CEO McCann Worldgroup India, Executive Creative Director of the Asia Pacific region and Chairperson, McCann Global Creative council. He is also an awardwinning lyricist.

    Photograph courtesy Shailendra Pandey/Tehelka

  • Everest is currently in the process of undertaking an in-depth survey about the company's services and will roll out its first 360 degree marketing campaign to launch ZOOSH within the next quarter

    Everest wins Augere’s Broadband Wireless Services business in India

    By A Correspondent

     

    Everest Brand Solutions has won the strategic and creative duties for Augere’s broadband wireless services being launched under the brand ZOOSH in India. Augere is a pioneer in the broadband wireless services business and currently offers 4G services under the brand ‘Qubee’ in several countries in Asia and Africa. Augere Wireless Broadband India was awarded with BWA spectrum in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh circle under the auctions held last year and will be one of the first to launch 4G(TD-LTE) wireless broadband services in India and globally.

     

    Aiming to create a unique positioning for a new brand while competing with a host of well established brands, Augere India had initiated a rigorous pitch process for the selection of a creative partner to launch ZOOSH in India. After several rounds of presentations, business was awarded to Everest Brand Solutions.

    Everest is currently in the process of undertaking an in-depth survey about the company’s services and will roll out its first 360 degree marketing campaign to launch ZOOSH within the next quarter.

     

    Confirming the development, Mayur Tanna, Chief Commercial Officer, Augere Wireless Broadband India Pvt. Ltd said: “Augere wants to develop ZOOSH as a brand which the youth in India associate with as an enabler to fulfill their aspirations. The current broadband market in India is an extremely cluttered space with innumerable offerings that often leaves the consumer confused. Even the quality of services falls much short of the communicated promise. ZOOSH aims to be a credible Broadband Wireless Service provider that makes the Internet experience fast, reliable and easily accessible. We are very passionate about ZOOSH and wanted a partner who shares our passion and vision for a young and vibrant brand in India; Everest has created a strategy aligned with our vision.”

     

    Augere was established in September 2007 by an experienced team of global telecoms executives with the vision of delivering ‘broadband for all’. It is committed to achieving this through the delivery of fast, reliable broadband internet services in emerging markets using wireless networks.

    Augere currently has access to spectrum in Pakistan, Bangladesh, the states of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh in India, Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania.

     

    Commenting on the win, Dhunji S Wadia, President Everest Brand Solutions said: “The Augere business is a significant acquisition in terms of scope and size. We were given a very detailed and specific brief. This helped the team in working on interesting creative solutions. We are delighted to be their agency of choice. This win also marks a good beginning to the year 2012.”

     

    Naveen Saraswat, COO, Everest Brand Solutions said: “Working on the pitch was very challenging and interesting. The entire team is very excited about working on the launch of ZOOSH. We look forward to building it into a strong brand in India.”

     

    Everest is the 2nd oldest agency in India, born in 1946 and has a glorious history, a robust brand name and reputation and has built some of the biggest brands in the market place – Parle Products, CNN IBN, GoAir, EMAMI, TATA Housing, AKAI, T-Series.

     

  • The channel is expanding its reach by being the first channel in the genre to be available in six languages

    Disney XD launches Bengali and Marathi feeds

    By A Correspondent

     

    After garnering leadership status in the South, Disney XD, the quintessential action, adventure and comedy destination for boys is ready to capture attention of newer markets with the launch of Bengali and Marathi feeds.

     

    Natasha Malhotra, VP and GM, Walt Disney Television International India, said: “Disney XD, while including girls, mainly speaks to boys in the age group of 6-14 and delivers exciting stories around adventure, action, comedy while reflecting core Disney brand values of accomplishment and heroism. Disney XD has a unique content mix of live-action and animated programming. We are excited about expanding its reach by making it the first channel in the genre to be available in six languages. We will continue to build on it as we deliver great fun-filled, action-packed entertainment that is engaging and locally relevant.”

     

    Disney XD will launch a brand new show Scaredy Squirrel on January 9, 2012 (Mon to Fri 1 PM). Scaredy Squirrel is fun-filled series inspired by the popular book series by Mélanie Watt about a creative and quirky squirrel, as he tackles life’s daily challenges.

     

    “Disney XD enjoys loyalty and following from boys driven by Disney original animation shows such as Kick Buttowski: Suburban Daredevil and Marvel, the quintessential boy brand. These are wonderful examples of Disney’s on-going focus on creating great new properties with clearly defined character profiles and story patterns to position the channel as top of mind for boys,” Ms Malhotra added.

     

    The channel will also create a strong destination for Marvel branded characters and stories which have been a part of every boy’s growing up years with the launch of Spider-man on weekdays (Mon to Fri 2 PM).

     

  • Gaurav Hirey will be moving to Singapore to be a part of the GroupM Regional Talent Team and has been appointed as HR Business Partner for Maxus (Asia Pacific)

    Sonali Vaidya to head HR at GroupM India

    By A Correspondent

     

    Sonali Vaidya

    GroupM, the leading media planning and investment agency of the country has just announced the appointment of Sonali Vaidya as Human ResourcesHead,India. Sonali Vaidya takes over from Gaurav Hirey, who will move toSingaporeto be a part of the GroupM Regional Talent Team and has also been appointed as HR Business Partner for Maxus (Asia Pacific). Ms Vaidya will be based in Mumbai and will report to Vikram Sakhuja, CEO South Asia, GroupM.

     

    Commenting on her new appointment, Ms Vaidya said: “I am excited to be a part ofIndia’s biggest and best media agency. Talent management is in its formative stages. There are huge opportunities for our businesses to realize the benefits of managing talent. I am looking forward to being a part of this journey and delivering delight to our employees and customers!”

     

    Ms Vaidya has over 14 years of experience in the human resources field across companies such as ABN-AMRO Bank, GE Consumer Finance and ESPN Star Sports. She joins GroupM from Alchemy Group, a financial services group, where she was Group HR Head. Ms Vaidya’s emphases are on building an extremely intensive talent management program to engage and grow GroupM’s talent internally.

     

    In his new role, Mr Hirey will lead the HR activities for the Region including recruitment, talent management and development, corporate social responsibility and employee relations. He will also support GroupM Talent projects in addition to this. He will report to Angela Ryan, the GroupM Global Talent Head and Neil Stewart CEO- Maxus Asia Pac.

     

    Gaurav Hirey

    Commenting on his new role, Mr Hirey said: “The last three and a half years have been an intoxicating journey and it is a delight to see GroupM become, not just the best place to work, but become the place where the best work. The focus on talent by the management team, especially from Vikram Sakhuja has been phenomenal. Our success in talent management is clearly reflected in the level of satisfaction we are delivering to our clients and our employees who have made us the employer brand of choice. I am extremely excited at my new assignment as it gives me an opportunity to learn and share best practices from across the region. It is my belief that the talent function in this industry can make a significant impact on our business and hence our clients.”

     

    Mr Sakhuja said: “We are delighted to welcome Sonali on board. She brings a wealth of commercial people management experience to the role. Gaurav has done a fabulous job in the past 3 years to bring scale, structure and credibility to the GroupM talent agenda that has gone from setting HR systems, to stepping up employee engagement and communication, to scaling up recruitment and performance management. His efforts to make GroupM one of the best places to work in has been validated by the Employer Branding Awards. We’re confident that Sonali will prove to be a great asset for our organization.”

     

    GroupM is WPP’s consolidated media investment management operation, serving as the parent company to agencies including Maxus, MEC, MediaCom and Mindshare.

     

  • The campaign has been conceptualized by Ogilvy & Mather and aims to differentiate Childsurance from other methods of planning for children's education which may fall short at the last minute

    IDBI Federal’s new Childsurance “fail-safe” plan

    By Shubhangi Mehta

     

    IDBI Federal has launched their latest ad campaign to announce the launch of their child plan – IDBI Federal Childsurance(R) Dreambuilder Insurance Plan. Childsurance is unit-linked insurance plan with innovative features that ensures a perfect combination of optimum returns and safety that can help parents create a child plan that does not fail at maturity.

     

    The campaign has been conceptualized by Ogilvy & Mather and executed by Curious Films, and aims to differentiate Childsurance from other methods of planning for children’s education which may fall short at the last minute.

     

    The tagline ‘Plan jo Fail na ho’ emphasises the Childsurance plan’s positioning as “the child plan that does not fail”. The campaign taps into the insight of how most parents would not like to live with the regret that their children were not able to pursue the career of their choice, especially since they are responsible for planning their children’s education.

     

    The ads showcase people who missed their calling in life as they were unable to get admission for higher education due to lack of funds and the stories are portrayed with IDBI Federal’s trademark humorous storyline.

     

    Commenting on the ad campaign, Kawal Shoor – Head of Planning, Ogilvy & Mather Advertising said: “In a world of goody-goody child plan advertising, we wanted to ensure that IDBI Federal’s Childsurance stood out. And there’s nothing like some naked truth, well told, to set one apart in a sea of plastic emotions. Many of us have felt, sometimes very often, that had our fathers invested in a particular company stock, or bought that piece of land which was going cheap years ago, we would have been somewhere else. This uncomfortable truth became the cornerstone of our campaign. The challenge was to do it in such a way, that the campaign acts like a gentle pinch and yet land the key message of – a plan that never fails – powerfully.”

     

    Engineer
    [youtube width=”400″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpYC26i6ru4 [/youtube]

    Mr. Aneesh Khanna – Sr. Vice President, Head – Marketing and Product Management, IDBI Federal Life Insurance said: “Choosing the right plan is very critical today, given the rising inflation in education costs. Childsurance has the in-built Waiver of Premium benefit which allows the planned accumulation of funds to continue even in the absence of the provider. This will ensure that the child’s education plans are not compromised due to lack of funds. Another key feature is the Systematic Allocator Fund which gradually moves the fund value from equity-based funds into debt-based funds as the plan approaches maturity. This diminishes the effect of a sudden drop in the equity market when your plan is close to maturity, at a time when you had to pay the planned fees for your child’s education.”

     

    Doctor
    [youtube width=”400″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ksq2AEdZxuk[/youtube]

    Mr Khanna added: “Childsurance, with five unique features, can be the strong partner that parents seek to ensure that their children’s dreams come true, rather than see these dreams be compromised. This is captured humorously in our latest ad campaign.”

     

    The effort to choose the right child plan is further supported on ground by the S.T.A.R. Test, a unique test that can be done in 7-10 minutes, and helps customers understand their needs scientifically and create a customized plan to secure their child’s future.

     

    CREDITS:

     

    Advertiser: IDBI Federal Life Insurance Co Ltd

     

    Aneesh Khanna: Senior Vice President, Head-Marketing and Product Management, IDBI Federal Life Insurance Co Ltd

     

    Abhijeet Powdwal: VP, Marketing, IDBI Federal Life Insurance Co Ltd

     

    Alok Kalra: AVP, Brand, PR & Digital

     

    Creative Agency: Ogilvy & Mather India

     

    National Creative Director: Abhijit Avasthi

     

    Creative Director (Copy): Amitabh Agnihotri

     

    Creative Director (Art): Samir Sojwal

     

    Production:

     

    Film director: Vivek Kakkad

     

    Production House: Curious Films