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  • Smartphones shipments touch 7.9 million units in first nine months, growing from 2.3 million in 1Q 2011 to over 3 million in 3Q 2011

    Nokia leads at 30% of cellphone sales, Samsung at #2

    By A Correspondent

     

    The overall Indian  mobile handsets market recorded aggregated shipments of 47 million units during the second quarter in 2011, registering a 12.5% sequential growth on account of large number of new launches and higher than usual shipments by vendors, as reported in the  India  Monthly Mobile Handsets Market Review. The review was released on Wednesday by CyberMedia Research.

     

    The total mobile handset shipments during the first nine months of 2011 touched 135 million units, as the market first dipped during the first quarter and then recovered in the second.

     

    (%) by Device Type: July-August-September 2011*

    Monthly mobile handset shipments (millions of units) and Growth Trends (%) by Device Type

     

    August-September 2011*

    Number of New Models Launched in July-August-September 2011

     

    In the overall Indian mobile market, Nokia retained leadership position with 30% share in terms of sales, followed by Samsung at second position with 11.6%, during September 2011.

     

    On average the proportion of dual-SIM and multi-SIM handsets were 55.8% of total mobile handset shipments in the second quarter. Nokia, a late entrant to the multi-SIM device category, made up by having as many as five models on offer by September 2011.

     

    Smartphone shipments touched 7.9 million units in first nine months. During the month of September, smartphones sales crossed 1 million units.

     

    “Smartphones are witnessing an increased adoption in the Indian market; not only amongst business executives but also among the youth as such devices offer superior usability, entertainment and functional capabilities”, said Naveen Mishra, lead analyst, CyberMedia Research Telecoms Practice.

     

    “In the coming months the India smartphones market is expected to become even more crowded as more vendors, particularly those from India  and China, look to add these devices to their portfolio”, added Tarun Pathak, analyst, CyberMedia Research Telecoms Practice.

     

  • In the Regional Round of Employer Branding Awards for West, GroupM won five of the 10 awards in the Organisational Category

    GroupM HR Team frontrunners for 6th Regional Employer Branding Awards

    By A Correspondent

     

    Adding to an already exhilarating show on the awards front in 2011, GroupM also emerged as the frontrunner in the western regional round of Employer Branding Awards held at Indira Group of Institutes last week.

     

    The team talent from GroupM walked away with a total of five awards, making them the favourites for the finals to be staged in February 2012.

     

    The Employer Branding Institute is an organization that recognizes the best practices in HR employer branding and work of outstanding professionals who are contributing to talent development, management and innovations.

     

    Every year a Top Employer Brand list is released and in the run-up to the World HRD Congress, regional rounds are held in every metro city before the final National Round in Mumbai.

     

    In the Regional Round for West, GroupM won five of the 10 awards in the Organisational Category.

     

    Commenting on the wins, Gaurav Hirey, Human Resource Head, GroupM – South Asia, said: “The consistency at which we have been winning awards clearly reflects GroupM’s commitment to our people. We are now closer to our objective of being not just the best place to work, but the place where the best work.”

     

    The five awards that the agency bagged included Award for Talent Management, Award for HR strategy in line with Business, Award for Innovation Retention Strategy, Award for Excellence in Training, and Award for Innovation in Career Development.

  • The agency has come out with a compelling campaign for Mumbai Mirror which showcases the newspaper on a crusade giving voice to the unheard stories

    Taproot India gives voice to the Mumbaikars

    By A Correspondent

     

    TaprootIndiahas come out with its campaign for Mumbai Mirror. The newspaper had first come out with a campaign in the year 2005 during its launch. This is the paper’s first campaign after that initial launch campaign.

     

    The focus of the campaign is to showcase the newspaper as the voice of the Mumbaikars and brings to its readers umpteen, untold stories.

     

    Talking about the campaign, Rahul Kansal, Chief Marketing Officer, Bennett Coleman & Company Ltd, said: “Mumbai Mirror is a strong newspaper that looks out for its readers. In a city where the ordinary guy can feel rather helpless as he is always at the receiving end of an insensitive system, the paper empowers the reader and gives him a voice.”

     

    The campaign which is out in print, television, cinema, digital and outdoor takes four real stories from Mumbai: burning of Rohinton Mistry’s book, the milk adulteration scam, the case of remand home for children and political posters and then creates fictionalized accounts of how these affected the Mumbaikars.

     

    The objective of the campaign is to underline the fact that every citizen, rich or poor, oppressed or cheated has a voice that reaches the city every morning.

     

    Mumbai Mirror has been bringing to the forefront its readers’ unheard voices through a relentless series of exposes.

     

    Talking about what it is with TOI that has made Agnello Dias and his team come up with the countless powerful campaigns, he said: “Its trust that TOI has in us and I am scared to let them down.”

     

    Commenting on the campaign, Mr Dias said: “Mumbai has many faces. Some that evoke, others provoke. But if we were to look every one of them in the eye, we will find that all of them are the face of Mumbai. Many stories make this city and some need to be told.”

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVb01vfbVEw[/youtube]

    Credits:

    Agency: TaprootIndia

    Client: Bennet & Coleman

    Brand Team: Rahul Kansal/Priya Gupta

    Creative Directors: Santosh Padhi/Agnello Dias

    Media Agency: Lodestar UM

    Copy: Agnello Dias

    Account Management: Mandar Sawant

    Production House: RDP

    Director: Abhinay Deo

    Music: Ram Sampath

    Executive Producer: Apurba Sengupta

     

    Mumbai Mirror – I am Mumbai

  • He was the jury president for Film some years ago at ADFEST and now he will oversee the Press Lotus jury panel

    Prasoon Joshi is Jury Prez of Press Lotus @ Adfest 2012

    By A Correspondent

     

    Prasoon Joshi, executive chairman and CEO, McCann WorldgroupIndiais joining ADFEST’s all star line-up of jury presidents in 2012, overseeing the Press Lotus jury panel.

     

    As Regional ECD for McCann Erickson (Asia Pacific), Mr Joshi is one of the region’s most powerful advertising creatives. He was recently mandated with the leadership of McCann Erickson’s worldwide Creative Council, making him the most influential creative executive in the network.

     

    “I was jury president for Film some years ago at ADFEST, and today the quest for excellence remains intact. ADFEST is one of the oldest advertising communication festivals, which understands and appreciates the unique cultural fabric of Asia. It has experimented and has tried to reinvent itself and stay relevant in these changing times,” said Mr Joshi.

     

    Winner of more than 400 national and international awards, Mr Joshi also won the prestigious National Award by the President of India for his socially impactful work in 2009.

     

    “It is an honour to have Mr Joshi oversee the Press Lotus juries at ADFEST 2012. He is not just a phenomenal talent – he’s one of India’s most powerful creative executives, and we are humbled to have him accept our invitation to attend next year’s Festival,” said Jimmy Lam, president, ADFEST.

     

    The Times of India recently cited Mr Joshi amongst the nation’s Top 60 icons; while Business Today named him as one of the Top 21 Business Leaders who will shape India in the 21st century.

     

    With a postgraduate in Physics, Mr Joshi is also a prolific poet, feature film song and scriptwriter.

  • More people looking for more jobs, more positions demanding more skilled hands. Never before, perhaps, has Human Resources been of such significance.

    The Anchor: 5 things that tell you this is the Hour of HR

    By Gaurav Hirey

     

    #1 The changing industry

    The media planning and buying industry is a new industry for HR. Managing people in this industry has been highly difficult and challenging. There are still people and skill shortages, structures are still being created and talented people are in short supply.

     

    #2 Gen Y on the march

    A generation of employees who were pampered by their Baby Boomer parents have now taken our workplaces by storm. Their numbers have jumped from previous years and are growing every year. They bring pluses and minuses to our workplace. So, not only are we trying to absorb these offspring of the Baby Boomer generation, who bring special challenges, but we are also dealing with helping three generations of employees who are happily co-existing to serve our customers as a team.

     

    #3 Recruiting and networking online

    This decade has brought about the transformation of employee recruiting and social and media interaction and networking. From the big job boards like Monster we have seen a transformation in how people find each other for networking and jobs.

     

    Social media networking is the new way to find employees, find jobs, get answers to questions, build a widespread, mutually supportive network of contacts, and keep track of colleagues and friends. Social media and online recruiting bring the employer new challenges. Developing social media and blogging policies, deciding whether to monitor employee time online, and checking candidate backgrounds online, are just some of the things that we have started doing. The power of online media is something that cannot be ignored by HR.

     

    #4 Made-to-order employment relationships

    Perhaps it’s the push from the Gen Ys, and definitely it’s the availability of technology that facilitates the customization, but the made-to-order work relationship has become a dominant force for us in GroupM. Customized talent initiatives have taken workplaces by storm.

     

    Flexible anything has now become the new norm. Flexible work hours, flexible work weeks, flexible time off for appointments, and the most important trend of all: Paid time off which allows employees to take time off when they need it, as it consolidates sick leave, personal time, and vacation time into a bank of days for employees to use.

     

    As employers we don’t need to police employee time but this demands increase openness in the new way of working. We have had to make work and communication more transparent and measurable so the flexibility yields results. Our employees are more motivated and engaged, and less stressed out about family and life issues, because they have the necessary time to address work-life balance issues.

     

    #5 The Big Blur

    Online, all the time, and availability via technology, has blurred the line between work and home. Employees work at home in the evening on collaborative reports and email. They shop at work and take brief breaks by playing online games. Employees do their banking at work and their work accounting at home. Almost no one goes on vacation without their smartphone and laptop. Instant messaging is now a part of our lives!

     

    No generation has ever been this connected, and for good and bad, some employees never stop working. As employers we need to make sure this degree of connectivity does not burn them out. At the same time we too must back away from old rules about what an employee is allowed to do at work. Our policies and processes need to reflect this and that in itself is a challenge.

     

    Gaurav Hirey is HR Director – South Asia at GroupM.

  • The challenge 'Aapke paas nahin hai kya?' makes the owner of the phone feel superior, and this trick should appeal to kids who are forever looking to outwit their seniors, to go one-up on them.

    Debrief: The one-upmanship trick

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    It’s raining smart phones in the market. And they need smart ads to get noticed. Well, Samsung has found a Smart Alec way to achieve that for its new brand, Galaxy Y.

     

    The phone, as you can imagine, is targetted at the tech-savvy youth. And the core idea is that the smart phone helps the kids ‘fix’ their seniors/elders. In one ad, a suit stops his luxury car and asks some youngsters for directions to a place. But he makes the fatal mistake of addressing them as ‘kids’, and this energizes one of the spunky girls to show some attitude with her hot new phone. As she challenges the ‘uncle’ with: Aapke paas nahin hai kya? Similarly in the other ad, an angsty boss gets put in his place by a junior who plays around with his funky Galaxy.

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXTlU2kLjyg[/youtube]
    [youtube width=”400″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMUSdYSa3Qs[/youtube]

    Not a bad idea. The challenge ‘Aapke paas nahin hai kya?’ makes the owner of the phone feel superior, and this trick should appeal to kids who are forever looking to outwit their seniors, to go one-up on them. In that sense the insight is relevant and the idea campaignable. Should work.

     

    However, where the commercials falter a bit is in the execution. The treatment lacks finesse, it looks sophomoric. And the humour could have been stronger, they need wittier situations. Nothing that can’t be fixed.

     

    Rating: (On a scale of 1 to 5): 2.5. Good thought, but needs stylish play.

  • Ranjona Banerji reviews the fare on primetime news and in the papers the morning after

    Dharker & Aiyar face the heat for speaking their mind

    By Ranjona Banerji

     

    One of the differences between the spoken and written word in journalism has been highlighted in the discussions about Anna Hazare and the Lokpal Bill. Senior journalist Anil Dharker called Hazare a man of “limited intellectual abilities” on Times Now on Monday night. The panel around him exploded with outrage, with anchor Arnab Goswami reacting with his best display of inner sadness, magnanimously offering Dharker a chance to “retract” his statement. Dharker refused. Goswami made it clear that Times Now did not endorse Dharker’s views and was not in favour of personal remarks.

     

    Oddly, Goswami was not so upset when Ashok Pandit told Hamida Naeem that she “looked like a terrorist”. Clearly, being a terrorist is less offensive than being stupid.
    Now Mani Shankar Aiyar is in the dock on social media sites for saying on CNN-IBN, “We made a huge mistake in converting this Team Anna into a Frankenstein’s monster. Now they have had their say, we have thought about it… It is my job as a Parliamentarian to legislate. I had plenty of time to legislate and I hope that we get through this Lokpal Bill and can tell Team Anna to go back to flogging drunkards in Ralegaon Siddhi.”

     

    Had Dharker and Aiyar written the same words in articles or columns, the anger would have been slight. There is something about hearing such sentiments which seems to arouse us, while we can read much worse with perfect equanimity. Perhaps that is why all our panel discussions on Indian television disintegrate so fast into vulgar slanging matches.

     

    **

     

    I was at a panel discussion on paid news organised by Moneylife Foundation on Tuesday, together with journalists Smruti Koppikar and Dyanada Deshpande, with Geeta Seshu. It is sad to see the amount of despair and cynicism, but it is also clear that something has to be done. Better watchdogs, more resistance to management pressure, more public disclosures were some of the suggestions made. Ideas are welcome on what can and needs to be done.

     

    For those who have missed it, try and watch Umesh Aggarwal’s documentary Brokering News. Also, go to the Press Council website and read the report on paid news - attempts were made to suppress it by owners of media houses and the report is up with a disclaimer!

     

    Perhaps Press Council chairman Markandey Katju, in between his deliberations on who should get the next Bharat Ratna, should take on owners and managements?

  • GRP Channel shares of HGECs- Wk 51 ’11

    Source: TAM Peoplemeter System
    TG: CS 4+ yrs
    Market: HSM
    Period: Wk 50: Dec 4 to Dec 10, 2011
    Period: Wk 51: Dec 11 to Dec 17, 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 Top 10 programmes on HGEC – Wk 51 ’11

    Source: TAM Peoplemeter System
    TG: CS 4+ yrs
    Market: Hindi Speaking Market
    Period: Wk 51 (Dec 11 to Dec 17) 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.

  • Starcom win Novartis worldwide, India office unaware if it will also get business. Meanwhile, it has won media biz of Caratlane.com

    Starcom win Novartis worldwide, Caratlane in India

    By A Correspondent

     

    Novartis has awarded Starcom with its $600million global media account, reports Advertising Age. The review apparently started earlier this year.

     

    On Tuesday, the Starcom India spokesperson said the offices here weren’t aware of the win. Novartis, the AdAge report adds, is one of the 100 largest advertisers in the world.

     

    Meanwhile, what the India office did inform MxMIndia was about being awarded the mandate by Caratlane.com, an online portal offering a selection of diamonds and diamond jewellery. Starcom will handle all the media investments for Caratlane.com from its Chennai office.

     

    Confirming the appointment, Narendra Alambara, Vice President, Starcom Worldwide, Chennai said, “We are extremely happy to partner with the pioneers of online diamond jewellery business. Caratlane.com has a superior business model that ensures quality of the product, with better prices for the consumer. Their decision to work with us will help them accelerate visibility. Starcom’s solid research and strong consumer data will help Cartlane.com achieve higher business returns and become a name to be reckoned with in the diamond jewellery business.”

     

    Caratlane.com is one of the first and few online businesses that offer a range of diamonds and diamond jewellery. They also have offline operations and diamonds are available at select stores. The diamonds have a Jaipur quality stamp and the automated manufacturing system and quality control processes ensure that jewellery is made exactly to specifications. This is especially to ensure trust and uniform quality as the customers buy a piece of jewellery based on specifications rather than look-and-feel.

     

    As to whether the India office will also handle Novartis, guess one will have to watch.

  • The agency will handle all aspects of Pentair's communication including creative, strategy, design, activation and media

    Scarecrow Communications bags Pentair water solutions account

    By A Correspondent

     

    Pentair Water solutions has appointed Scarecrow Communications, Delhi as its advertising agency. The agency will handle all aspects of Pentair’s communication including creative, strategy, design, activation and media.

     

    Pentair Inc, based inMinnesota, USA, is one of the global leader in water solutions and purification in the world. It is known for cutting edge technology and unmatched range of products that are used in industrial applications, commercial installations, municipal requirements and residential water solutions.

     

    The company has a pan-India presence and employs over 600 people. Some of its projects include providing filtration solutions at IGI Airport, New Delhi, Taj Presidency, Mumbai, Pump packages at Gautam Buddh International circuit (F1 track), GMR Aerospace project in Hyderabad, Michelin Factory, Pepsico, and pool equipment installations at ITC Maurya, Delhi and Taj Hotel, Bangalore.

     

    “We look forward to work with Scarecrow not only to build our brand in the Indian Market, but also increase overall awareness for water-related issues,” said Mukund Vasudevan, Managing Director & Country Head, Pentair.

     

    “Pentair is a global brand. Yet inIndia, as far as branding goes, it is almost starting from scratch. So there is no baggage and we can roll out the brand experience in India with maximum freedom,” said Manish Bhatt, Founder Director, Scarecrow Communications.

     

    “Most of us have used Pentair products and yet, may not be aware of it. This association Pentair gives us an opportunity to do some great work in the B2B as well as B2C space,” said Raghu Bhat, Founder Director, Scarecrow Communications.

     

    Scarecrow Communications is one ofIndia’s fastest growing full-fledged advertising agencies providing every solution under one roof, including creative, media, PR, digital as well as design. Scarecrow, headquartered in Mumbai, already handles many Delhi-based brands such as DLF, Nestle, MVL Mobiles, Religare and BPCL.

  • Users can now access local information on the go with the app on Nokia smartphones

    timesPoynt now preloaded on Nokia Lumia 710 and Nokia 800

    By A Correspondent

     

    Nokia smartphone users inIndiacan now enjoy a world of convenience and information at their fingertips with the launch of Nokia’s latest smartphones, the Nokia Lumia 710 and Nokia Lumia 800, which come preloaded with the timesPoynt application.

     

    The new app, timesPoynt, has been developed in partnership with Times Internet Limited (TIL) -India’s leading mobile and internet venture, and Poynt Corporation, a leading provider of mobile local search and advertising services.

     

    The free application powered by data from Timescity.com, allows users to click-to-call businesses, get directions, browse listing websites, send details to a friend or add listings to their device calendar or address book. The Nokia smart phones preloaded with the timesPoynt app enter the market just two months after the application was launched earlier this year.

     

    The Nokia preload marks timesPoynt’s second distribution agreement with a handset manufacturer inIndia. The app is already available in India on iPhone and Android devices, along with BlackBerry smartphones.

     

    “Preburning timesPoynt on Nokia Smartphones augments our reach in the savvy-mobile audiences. With this, we hope to see significant uptakes in our search queries and consequently more contextual and location-based advertising”, says Rishi Khiani, CEO, Times Internet Limited (TIL).

     

    “We have seen tremendous uptake and retention with each preload we have launched and we anticipate that the Indian market will be no different,” said Marco Hunstad, SVP, Business Development & Global Distribution, Poynt Corporation.

     

    As part of its initial plans, the partnership between TIL and Poynt Corp will leverage TIL’s relationships in Indiawith advertisers, agencies and merchants in order to monetize the app. It plans to market and promote timesPoynt through all its media vehicles such as radio, television, magazines and newsprint.

     

    OEM or original equipment manufacturers’ preloads are key to targeting more than 858 million mobile subscribers inIndia(TRAI estimates). They allow users of specific devices, such as the Nokia Lumia 710 and Nokia Lumia 800, to discover the best apps for their device, with the least time spent searching.