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  • Communication can include local flavouring but the core idea remains and finds cohesion when it comes to execution.

    The Anchor: 5 reasons it’s good to be part of an international agency network

    By Alok Agrawal

    #1 Global exposure: There is an opportunity to interact and learn from the various offices of the network spread across the world. Especially in the times we are operating in, it is imperative that we have knowledge of how markets are operating in different parts of the world, and a global network makes this possible.

    #2 One network one brand: With many international brands finding a foothold in India and and Indian brands going International, a network handling the brand helps in creating seamless communication across the world. While communication can include local flavouring, the core idea remains and finds cohesion when it comes to execution.

    #3 People experience: One gets to interact with people from various geographies and learn from them. There is an opportunity to exchange ideas which helps in coming out with better communication solutions.

    #4 New practices: As the business of advertising is undergoing transformation with changing times, being part of the network helps in anticipating those changes, learning from markets that have undergone such changes earlier or anticipate changes and be better equipped to meet those challenges.

    #5 New experience: Besides, it helps in giving an opportunity to travel across the various offices across the world and be part of new experiences.

     

    Alok Agrawal is the Chief Operating Officer of Cheil India/Southwest Asia Regional HQ.

  • Behind every great commercial is super strategy. Every week, MxMIndia will bring you the brief and the strat as given by the client and whatever else that went into creating a winning ad. AdStrat is compiled by Shubhangi Mehta.

    AdStrat: Vrooming ahead

    The Campaign:
    Apache RTR 160 – Scarily Fast

     

    The Client:
    TVS

     

    The Agency:
    McCann Erickson

     

    The Brief:

    The objective was to differentiate Apache RTR 160 from all other bikes – especially in the area of performance. Keeping this in mind, the brief was to create a communication that singularly emphasizes the speed and performance of the Apache RTR 160.

     

    Any specific advisory from the client:

    Highlight the speed of the bike.

     

    Research insights:

    When the consumers and bike enthusiasts were met, they all had much to say about the bike’s daunting speed and pick-up.

     

    [youtube width=”300″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNILY9EoUmA[/youtube]

    The thought process behind the creative:

    Anil Thomas, Regional Creative Head, McCann Erickson, says, “The Apache RTR is not meant for everyone, but only for those who can conquer their fear of speed. When the agency got the brief, the first reaction was that of being fearful of the Apache RTR’s speed. Thus, the proposition of ‘Scarily Fast’.”

     

    Media vehicles chosen:

    “TV and Digital. While the main campaign was on TV, the digital platform was used to give an insider’s peek into what went into the making of the film through behind the scenes.”

     

    Key issues kept in mind while executing the ad:

    “The slick, dizzy treatment is intended to keep audiences on edge.”

     

    Does the treatment do justice to the brief?

    “Absolutely. The commercial is produced by Future East which is one of the top production houses in India known for their collaboration with international directors. Acclaimed automotive director Nick Piper who has made spots for brands like Chevrolet, Toyota, and Kawasaki directed the TVC and his treatment gave the film its international look and feel.”

     

    Differentiating factor:

    “What makes this film so unique is that the proposition of the bike is woven in very well with an interesting story. It has an intrigue in the beginning that continues with exhilarating bike shots in the middle that leads up to the reveal in the end. The music too we’ve chosen is hard hitting that goes very well with fast pace of the film.”

     

    Market and client feedback and follow-ups:

    “The communication has been much appreciated and awed by all. This commercial is the first of its kind from TVS Apache RTR and the response indicates demand for similar films in the future too. Kudos to our team and Future East.”

     

    Campaign credits-

    Creative Agency – McCann Erickson
    Production House – Future East
    Director’s Name – Nick Piper
    Producer’s Name – Priyanka Bangia
    Creative Director – Anil Thomas, Mansoor Jamaal and Neel Roy
    Dop – Volker Schellbach
    Music – Samiruddin
    Edit – Meghana Manchanda

     

  • Niira Radia has paid the price for doing her job while those on either end of her intermediary role are sitting pretty.

    Freaking News: Media ethics just hogwash?

    This is surely the best story about journalistic arrogance and insouciance. A newspaper reports that Mr X has the “manners of a pig”. Mr X sues and wins the case and the newspaper is directed to retract the remark. The next day’s edition declares: “Mr X hasn’t the manners of a pig”.

    Basically, you can’t win.

    For years, the media has got away with this and everything else. But now, in these days of social media and public clothes lines, nothing is secret and certainly nothing is sacred. The hippies wanted to let it all hang out but even they may not have envisaged the extent to which they were taken seriously.

    There are three issues at hand here. The first is about paid news – which specifically in the Indian context refers to politicians and political parties buying editorial space to win elections. This is not a seedy arrangement with a crooked reporter. This is money paid to the owners and managers of media houses.

    The election commission had taken up the issue but seems more concerned with punishing the politicians rather than the media houses. Both, surely, are culpable.

    The second is the new chairman of the Press Council of India and his contempt for journalists. The contempt may well be justifiable and freedom of expression as a fundamental right applies to all of us. How his views have anything to do with the activities of the Press Council are another matter. Markandey Katju may have forgotten that he is not longer a judge on the Supreme Court but head of a toothless, spineless and rather redundant body. Or probably he knows that, which is why he trying to get a little more for himself.

    The third is the strangest of all. Just before public relations diva Niira Radia quit the profession, NDTV elevated Barkha Dutt to the post of editor-in-chief and has set up an ethics committee under another editor, Sonia Varma. One of all journalists’ favourite proverbs is about bolting the stable door after the horse has fled. Well, maybe it doesn’t fit here. The horse has been promoted and is in fact running the stable. What exactly will this ethics committee achieve now, over a year after the Radia tapes damned Dutt and Vir Sanghvi? Sanghvi lost his popular Hindustan Times column ‘Counterpoint’ and for many, his reputation, for agreeing to Radia’s suggestions and demands. Dutt stonewalled and badgered her way through all criticism and appears to be have been rewarded for similar interactions with Radia. Her column in the Hindustan Times remains, however.

    From all appearances, Radia has suffered the most. She was the messenger acting for her clients, the Tatas and the Ambanis. It was the telecom industry, as revealed in Radia’s conversations, who wanted the DMK’s A Raja to become telecom minister. Radia has paid the price for doing her job while those on either end of her intermediary role are sitting pretty.

    Under such circumstances, it does feel that the breast-beating about media ethics is just hogwash. No one wants to take on the big names and too many within the media are obviously willing to be compromised. The current story in Goa about a sting operation revealing paid news has hardly created the storm it should.

    Right now, many of us are just happy fooling the public and few of us have the manners of a pig.

  • The News Broadcasters Asscociation asks the Prime Minister to ask the Press Council of India chief to mind his own business

    Mediaah! Katju ko bolo katli maaro, says NBA

    Pradyuman MaheshwariPardon the forced usage of Bambaiyya, but with a name like Katju and this being the season for mithai, one couldn’t help the play on Kaaju Katli. With apologies to the lovers of the Kaaju Katli. I am not too concerned about how Mr K reacts… in any case he finds journalists irresponsible and unintelligent.

    There’s been a lot of song and dance about the Press Council of India chief Markandey Katju’s outbursts to all and sundry. Yesterday, the News Broadcasters Association asked the Prime Minister to ask the Press Council of India to mind his own business and stop effing around with the news TV wallahs.

    The Prime Minister is in Cannes attending the G20 summit and I won’t be surprised if he does precious little about it.

    There have been various reports on the News Broadcasters Association asking the Prime Minister to restrain the Press Council of India chairman to not comment on areas that are beyond his jurisdiction. I found the one on former friend and benefactor Anil Wanvari’s Indiantelevision.com the most exhaustive. Here goes: http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k11/nov/nov28.php

    But before you slam the man any further, as our editor-at-large Anil Thakraney writes, there is a point that Katju is making. There are scores of occasions when you do have our news channels transgressing all lines of decency. I have stopped some of the channels – especially a few in Hindi – because of the trashy content that’s there on them. Even on Big News Days, these guys don’t seem to get over their obsession with the Occult. And the Inane.

    Former Aaj Tak CEO and also bossman of a dozen industry associations G Krishnan would often argue for the trade about this with a “We are like this only refrain”.  Whoever says news has to be only current affairs. And whoever said current affairs shouldn’t include who Ranbir Kapoor was in bed with last night.

    (aside, these days channels could also do similar stories about mediapersons, but we’ll come to that some other time… or perhaps will never do it.!)

    (aside 2: the last time, Mediaah! tried to write on the private life of a mediaperson, we had to kill ourselves).

    I am not armed with the stats, but the fact of the matter is that all news broadcasters aren’t members of the NBA. And it’s impossible for the NBA to coerce channels to turn members. There’s nothing out of the ordinary about this. In other trade associations too, large players don’t become members.

    So, as the NBA has said, let its self-regulation policies rule over all news channels. In fact the uplinking and downlinking policies must make it mandatory for all news channels broadcasting out of India to subscribe to a self-regulation code of the NBA.

     

    Should the Press Council be made the Media Council?

     

    First, do we need a Press Council. The newspaperwallahs have their INS, the magazine guys have an AIM, internet and mobile dudes have IAMAI, the ad folk have their AAAI and ASCI, so why the Press Council.

    It’s a body with no teeth. It can’t do a thing to police newspapers. I remember receiving a few letters from the Council in the ‘90s asking my paper to apologise for some flimsy reason. I was advised by my publisher to ignore the notice, and when one realised there was no need for the paper to issue an apology, I trashed the missive. It’s not that the newspaper lost its licence or was penalised. We went about our business peacefully only to trash the next letter that came in.

    I am a little surprised that the Press Council didn’t have news channels under its jurisdiction all these years. When it was set up in 1966 (with the Press Council Act taking coming into existence only in 1978), we only had the government-owned Doordarshan and All India Radio so I guess no one found the need for policing the airwaves.

    Para 1 of the ‘about us’ section of its site says:

    The Press Council of India was first set up in the year 1966 by the Parliament on the recommendations of the First Press Commission with the object of preserving the freedom of the press and of maintaining and improving the standards of press in India. The present Council functions under the Press Council Act 1978. It is a statutory, quasi judicial body which acts as a watchdog of the press. It adjudicates the complaints against and by the press for violation of ethics and for violation of the freedom of the press respectively.

    There is a self-regulator for news and non-news television and advertising and there is none for print and digital media. So I guess there is merit for a self-regulator, but ideally it should be done by an industry body and not someone set up by the government. As for ensuring the freedom of the press, we surely don’t need a Press Council of India to police that.

    Our democratic set-up will ensure that governments can’t get away with stifling the press. As for media owners muzzling their own employees, I don’t think the Press Council or any minister or Parliamentarian can do anything about it. The owners almost always have the final say.

     

  • No faces, no pictures – maybe that’s why radio captures minds so engagingly.

    The Anchor: 6 reasons a listener can never fall out of love with radio

    By Ashit Kukian

    #1 Radio gives listeners different genres of music and a fresh playlist all through the day. And that is further packaged with warm and friendly RJs, topical banter, guest appearances and lots of surprise elements to keep listeners wowed every minute of every day.

    #2 Radio is credited with being the ‘Theatre of the Mind’ since it engages one’s imagination more actively than a visual medium does.

    #3 The level of engagement and interaction that Radio enjoys with its listeners is incomparable to any other medium.  From conversing with listeners on a daily basis, to celebrating their joyous occasions of life, Radio touches the lives of all its listeners.

    #4 Radio provides listeners with Infotainment – relevant and topical information presented in as entertaining a way as possible. Radio then serves as a mood-enhancer by catalyzing one’s mood and uplifting the spirit of the listener who tunes in.

    #5 Listeners can relate to the medium in a very personal and intimate way. It can be a loyal friend to some and a confidant to others. So much so that you’ll often find listeners confiding in RJs about their deepest fears and problems.

    #6 Being a local medium, Radio fits seamlessly into the fabric and framework of the city. It serves as a lens through which listeners can get a glimpse of the pulse of the city.

     

    Ashit Kukian is COO, Radio City 91.1 FM.

  • For the new generation ‘new’ is disposable. New keeps changing every moment and what matters to them is ‘now’.

    AdAsia: Big Ideas in the Age of Now

    By Akash Raha

    Emerging from the real-timeness of the ‘anytime, anywhere’ economy, the ‘present’ has never been so dominant in the life of business / marketing professionals and consumers. There is a surfeit of ‘so-called’ ideas but there is always a short-supply of the ‘big’ idea that results in creative disruption. Robert Senior, Creative Chairman, Saatchi & Saatchi in the ‘The Pursuit of Big Ideas in the Age of Now’ showcased some of the big ideas that have made a difference and also highlighted the taxonomy of pursuing big ideas.

    The word ‘new’ has lost its significance in today’s world. For the new generation ‘new’ is disposable. New keeps changing every moment and what matters to them is ‘now’. There has been a movement of era of ‘new’ to age of ‘now’. With the change of this era changes the shift from attention to participation, inform to inspire, interruption to interaction, return of investment to return of involvement and local to global.

    It’s a volatile world we live in, and in all spheres – from political to financial. Also, the future is uncertain, complex and ambiguous. In such a scenario, it is very hard to plan for the future, because the future is so dynamic. So the question one asks is, we are uncertain about the future… what do we do next? The creeping in of fear at such a point is inevitable. The creative mind isn’t immune from fear. But the creative mind deals with fear. A creative mind loves problems and loves to solve them. With the problems, also come possibilities of creating newer things, newer ideas, and better ideas. Ideas like these can be the prism of hope. Amazing things can happen when you have ideas and are innovative. The essence is to capture the moment and be creativity.

    Creativity in a way, said Mr Senior, is like science, it’s meant to be experimented with. It has to be tried and tested in order to get to the desired result.

    One of the biggest clichés of the advertising industry, he said, was the concept of ‘Big Idea’. The question one asks is, how big is the idea, and is the idea really that big? There is no such thing as a big or small ideas, it all about having ideas in general and then nurturing them. Anyone can kill an idea, even a moron can. But the essence is to find value in a idea and then make it big. Nurturing a tiny idea into a so-called ‘big idea’ is the key.

    One of the things important in today’s world is speed. The world is moving so fast that by the time you nurture your idea, the time when the idea could be implemented is gone. Hence, speed, agility and being nimble are essential.

    He urged advertisers to believe and trust in the strength of ideas. Ideas that can create a difference, ideas that can make an impact. Talking about the current world scenario, he said it is of the essence that we try and make a difference, however small. It is okay to be a little enraged, a little angry; it is okay to dream and do something crazy. Ideas have a lot to do with emotions, and an upsurge of emotions causes action.

    Talking about the Israel and Palestine issue he gave example of how an idea (a campaign) tried to make a difference in the war-inflicted area. He went on to say that ideas are nice and creating ideas is nice, but the next step is more important. It is important to bring some action to it. It’s good to be enraged and angry with something you feel passionately about. Such anger and resentment often appeals to the heart. “Let’s give some context to the world which is fast losing its plot.” Let our heart work wonders and then we should do something that might not change our world, but do something that our children can be proud of. The speaker brought the power of ideas and connected it with emotions, and touched everyone’s heart.

  • Volatility is not a part of our life any more, it is our life, says the PepsiCo chief. Hence, make volatility an intrinsic part of the plan.

    AdAsia: Indra Nooyi’s answer to uncertainty, creative adaptability

    By Akash Raha

    In the current times of volatility managing business and brands is no easy task. Yet, we have the example of PepsiCo which has thrived in the New World Order though thick and thin. The final session of AdAsia captured Ms Indra Nooyi’s perspective Chairman and CEO, PepsiCo who stimulated the delegates with her ideas on how to manage business with de-averaged realities.

    She said that it is indeed a difficult task for CEOs to navigate an enterprise when uncertainty is the only certainty. Especially when we have not seen such volatility that one has not seen in the last few decades, what does one do?  At such a framework, prediction is very difficult, especially when it is about the future. But the question is, hasn’t the future always been as such, as unpredictable as it is right now? But no, I do believe, she said, that there is something unnerving about the uncertainty we feel today. Be it financial sphere or the political sphere, these are the times of immense upheaval and turmoil.

    At such times, it was inevitable that creativity gave way to fear and risk. There are several crises that we have faced in the recent times and from which we need to learn a lot. The first challenge she mentioned was the crisis of leadership. “One of the great tasks of leadership is to prepare when the storm comes.” And it won’t be wrong to say that several leaders of reputed companies failed to avert the tension. Hence, one of the most important things for most companies is to build strong leadership base over a long period of time. Another crisis that we faced in the recent times was the crisis of government failure. Governance of several countries around the globe failed so much so, that it has caused a crisis of expectations. Many of us don’t know or have forgotten what success looks like anymore. Financial, social and political failure all at the same time hasn’t helped the cause of anyone.

    Yet there are several positives that has emerged in recent times, one of them is that of emergence of the women force in the emerging market – more than twice the size of India and China together. There are plenty to reasons to give cause to optimism. The only certainty today is, that the world is uncertain. So the question is, how can we survive and thrive in such situation? Darwin’s theory of evolution still holds good and they key in such a scenario is that to adapt. It’s not the strongest that survive, but the fittest.  As a CEO of PepsiCo, said Ms Nooyi, I have seen so much change since I joined. “All of us have to explicitly realize that we are in a new reality… I don’t think that we can plan in the way we used to plan. Volatility is not a part of our life any more, it is our life.” Hence, when you plan, make volatility an intrinsic part of the plan. “We need to plan the next plan while the ink on our first plan is still drying out”, she added.

    Another important thing is that leaders have to lead for today. It’s important that the leaders and institution give something back to the society and stay relevant. Having a vision for the future is essential. Also, leaders should know about the element of uncertainty beforehand and keep it always as a variable in their scheme of things.

    We see how growth is elusive in many parts of the world. This is not a time for small changes; we need big changes in to big things. There must be seamless and borderless innovation to make something big happen. “Disrupt yourselves deliberately, otherwise competition will disrupt you.  The usual way of working will not work anymore.

    Lastly, it is essential to get new talent in the business and nurture them. Experience of the quality people and leaders we have in our company are invaluable. But also essential is training leaders, creating young leaders. In our company, said Ms Nooyi, we are trying to give the knowledge of East and West, about various ethnicity and cultures to all our budding upcoming leaders. Companies across boards need to rethink the whole process of leadership development.

    Leaders of today have to be super visible to the organization and to the outside world. Interaction with the outside world is absolutely necessary at times such as these. One should be transparent, truthful and open. Because, if the leader does not tell them, someone else will and then there will be speculation and rumours which is absolutely detrimental to the cause of any company. Have an open door policy. It is always a good advice always, but now it is imperative. The answer to uncertainty is simple, it is creative adaptability.

  • Asian women are different from women across the globe and so are their buying habits. The session ‘Marketing to Women Consumers in Asia’ emphasized the importance of marketing to women, which is often ignored.

    AdAsia: Why market to women consumers?

    By Akash Raha

    Does being a man or a woman define shopping habits? Moreover, are Asian women different from women across the globe and hence, are their buying habits different? The session ‘Marketing to Women Consumers in Asia’, discussing these and other points, examined typical traits of the Asian woman consumer. The speakers at this session were Abheek Singhi, BCG India and Yeonhee Kim, BCG Korea.

    The speakers talked about the significant political and financial changes that are happening around the globe, and women are not alienated from these changes. As a matter of fact, significant changes are happening in the behavioural aspects of women in general and women consumers per se. Research by BCG on women consumers, the speakers noted, has highlighted the necessity of marketing to women consumers. Apart from the revolution that we see around the globe, they said, a revolution is happening with women too. With the change of time, the aspirations and wants of women have changed too. According to the study, women are showing their dissatisfaction and are not happy with what they are getting.

    Women around the globe work, and share their household responsibilities with their spouses, but the case is a little different in Asia where they are entrusted with the bulk of the household chores. The chief challenge for women is Asia today therefore is the challenge of time. There is too much demand on time and too much to do. All this compounded by responsibility for the vast majority of household chores. The cultural DNA of Asian women is such that they perform a bulk of the household work far more than in western countries. On a graph, the speakers showed how the happiness and stress level follow a ‘V’ curve for women in Asia where the troughs are quite low.

    Yet, women remain a very important segment in terms of spends per year, albeit ignored by marketers. Women control US$12 trillion of annual discretionary spends which is two-thirds of the total pie. And if women are seriously dissatisfied with what is on offer, it is essential to innovate for them. But relevant significant products are more important to women consumers than mere innovation. Hence the mix should be of innovation and significance (value for money spend). Women consumers are more conscious of the price that they are paying and the value they get for it. Considering the amount of money that exchange hands from this segment, it is but ironical, pointed out the speakers, that marketers aren’t focusing on them enough.

    That said, it would be a fallacy to generalize, and moreover generalize about all Asian women. There is no one Asian woman but multitudes of them. And marketers will have to cater to them separately. A one-size-fits-all strategy will not work. But there are some of the features in Asian women that remain same upon which marketers can look into. The challenge of time is their main constraint. Yet, Asian women are optimistic about their future, community, life, family and country. In Asian countries, women are comparatively more dependent on their spouses (in terms of money) as compared to global figures. Even in Asia, there are so many countries with so many different ethnicities, motivation, per capita income, GDP etc. The one point remains, that women in general have a high quotient of influencing buy. Hence it is important that they are kept in mind while planning a marketing strategy. Moreover, the psyche of woman in each of the Asian countries have to be researched upon to truly understand how, what and when they buy and then these research data can then be leveraged upon.

  • Celebrating its 250th anniversary this year, Faber-Castell has reason to rejoice. A conversation with Count Andreas von Faber-Castell.

    Writing, Faber-Castell style

    By Insiyah Rangwala

     

    Celebrating its 250th anniversary this year, Faber-Castell has reason to rejoice. In the last 15 years it has seen extraordinary growth and an expansion that has taken it from being a ‘German company that exports’ to a globally familiar brand. But for the company which has seen eight generations, it was not all smooth sailing. With the two World Wars and the Depression, it was disowned by several countries and lost a lot. It was bought back and it fought back, though.

     

    Count Andreas von Faber-Castell Director, Asia-Pacific Region Faber-Castell Group, and his wife Countess Virginia are on a tour all of this year celebrating 250 years of the company and talking about the company’s legacy and heritage. They have already visited Indonesia and Singapore. There was also a massive celebration in Germany in July where they had a multi-vision show and showcased the company in context of its history. This was attended by 5,000 guests among which 120 were Indian but they still hoped for more.

    Count Andreas told MxM India that Faber-Castell is completely decentralized, and in that spirit has set up in the Indian market which is run by Indians for the Indians, as it believes in using local expertise. India was a very obvious expansion especially since it is so well connected to South America.

    He talked about being a family company means that it can challenge any public company. “As a family company we make ideal partners as we care just a little bit more. We have the freedom to make a long-term decision which might pay off only in 100 years.”

    When asked about his view on digital art and how it might hurt the company he said it only complements the firm, and he has no fear. “All sports can be played on video games now; does it replace the real thing? There is a magical feeling to writing.”

    While talking about this expectations from India as a market he stated that for India to become a well saturated market   is still in the future and will probably happen after his time, though he is heavily involved with the process and visits India almost once a month and works closely with the Indian team.

    Faber-Castell has set up its manufacturing units in India itself as it gets into new markets with long-term interests, and it is always better to be present within the country as this makes it more flexible and reliable.

    It wants the Indian customers to have an experience that can be remembered when they use their products. “Any product is completely safe for kids. I can go in and drink a glass of my ink without any worries that I might fall ill.”

    As for the luxury range, this has just been started and the company will set up its own shops in India to build the brand over time, as has been done in other countries. To mark the 250th anniversary, Faber-Castell has introduced Graf von Faber-Castell luxury range and Faber-Castell Design range of Pens.

    When asked what he would personally like Faber-Castell to be known as, the Count replied, “I just want people to smile and say this is nice.”

  • AdAsia 2011 scored high on style and presentation but could’ve done a little better with content, writes Ajay Kakar

    AdAsia wrap-up by Ajay Kakar: Memories from a distant past

    By Ajay Kakar

    Having just attended the AdAsia 2011 in New Delhi, I was reminded of the multi-starrer movies that prevailed through the 1980s. Many top-notch actors and actresses, all together. Many, for the price of one. Wow! These movies caught the fancy of the generation and the very presence of the mega stars assured the movie a great opening.

    AdAsia 2011 has been no different. Post a gap of eight years, the prestigious forum was back in India, with a line up of mega-stars from the world of advertising, media and marketing; Ram Charan, Michael Roth, Harish Manwani, Piyush Pandey, Prasoon Joshi, Sanjay Kapoor, Joseph Tripodi, Bob O’ Leary, Simon Bond, Chris Thomas… Indra Nooyi. The list just went on and on. And for good measure there was song and glamour too… our very own SRK doing a dance number, with Diana Hayden adding to the glamour quotient. With a batting order like this how can one go wrong! So not surprisingly, there were over 1200 registered participants from all across the region.

    But once the initial euphoria of multi starrers settled, the audience became discriminating and demanding. A winning cast was appreciated. Great production values and style was expected. But the demand to have a strong story line became the differentiator between a winning multi starrer and a loser.

    While AdAsia 2011 could be a learning for the Goafest on its speaker line up, it could arguably give a run to Cannes for it’s star speaker quotient. It could also boast of a classy and world-class execution. Be it the event, the infrastructure, the meals or the entertainment.

    But what about the content?

    One heard many in the audience lament ke naya kya suna aur naya kya seekha? Who were the speakers actually targeting? The theme had a slant towards the future – “Uncertainty: the new certainty”. But the audience comprised most of the stalwarts of the industry. Very few of the new generation torch-bearers. And as always, we had some good, some bad and some not-so-good presentations. Some highs like the Contagious and Coke presentations. And some disappointments – a no show by David Droga – due to visa problems.

    The halls were full, with people standing in the aisles. But within the crowd I would have loved to see more clients. And more than just the very few creative people who made it. Surprisingly, not many of the Delhiwallahs from the fraternity made it.

    Now for the rating of this multi-starrer. Net-net, I would give this extravaganza a 5 on 5, as far as the ‘cast’ and style is concerned. And on content, a 3 out of 5. Kudos to the organizing team (the event was supported by all the key industry bodies) for doing India and the industry proud.

    And to end with a confession – the demands of being on the client side….I sneaked out at the end of Day 2 – needed to be back at the workstation in Bombay.

     

    Ajay Kakar is Chief Marketing Officer – Financial Services, Aditya Birla Group

  • MSM appoints Ms Smriti Krishna as Sr Vice President & Head of Human Resources for the network.

    Smriti Krishna is MSM’s Sr VP, HR Head

    By A Correspondent

    In their continuing efforts to get the best talent on board MSM, the network has announced the appointment of Ms Smriti Krishna as its Senior Vice President and Head of Human resources.

    Ms Krishna recently relocated to Mumbai from Singapore where she was Vice President and Head of HR for NBC Universal Asia Pacific. Prior to Singapore, she has worked in New York, Tokyo and India with the General Electric Company (GE) and its affiliates in significant HR leadership roles.

    Ms Krishna has a rich background in Human Resources and has been recognized for her work on driving many leadership-based, talent development practices and establishing HR as a strategic and integral part of the organization.

    She started her career with Xerox India before joining GE in 2000. She has an MBA from IMI, New Delhi and is a BA in Psychology Honours from Lady Shri Ram College, New Delhi.

    Commenting on Ms Krishna’s appointment, Mr Man Jit Singh, CEO MSM said, “We are glad to welcome Smriti Krishna to the MSM family. We are confident that Smriti’s experience in Human Resources and her global perspective will contribute to the growth of our network and our people. We wish her all the best for her new role.”

  • We need to once again take a hard look and check if what the Press Council chairman says is entirely wrong. Some-soul searching would actually do us good, and perhaps we’ll hire better personnel in the media.

    Hard Knocks: Sadly, Mr Katju may have a point

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    The Chairman of the Press Council of India, Justice Markandey Katju, is determined to sort the Indian media out. Some days back I expressed skepticism on whether he’ll succeed in his noble endeavours. Here’s the link to that piece.

    http://www.mxmindia.com/2011/10/hard-knocks-katju%e2%80%99s-unreal-expectations/

    It appears Mr Katju read my post (hehe), and perhaps out of frustration, has lashed out at the Indian media. He’s basically questioning our skills, integrity and competency levels. Naturally, there’s collective outrage in the media frat, and an angry desi media is a dangerous beast, you don’t mess with it. I would be quite surprised if Katju remains for very long in his chair.

    Having said that, and having been sufficiently offended, we need to once again take a hard look and check if what the man says is entirely wrong. Some soul-searching would actually do us good, and perhaps we’ll hire better personnel in the media. So let’s examine Katju’s critique and his three key problems.

    He says the Indian media divides people on religious lines and is anti-people. A sweeping generalization, no doubt. But there IS a section of the media that caters to specific communities and their respective communal biases. A section is even aligned with political parties. And this ideological bias comes to the fore during riots and elections. So what Katju says isn’t entirely wrong.

    He says TV channels focus on cricket and other celebrities. And Katju doesn’t like that very much. Well, that’s true. We do pay too much attention to entertainment and celebs, and I am guilty of that too. And often hard news gets buried somewhere. Yes, we do need to worry about excessive flooze in the media, for sure. But I don’t know how this will ever get sorted out. Because the truth is: Advertisers are more interested in Katrina Kaif’s fashion mantra rather than the survival plans of the family members of that RTI activist who got killed. That’s the sad commercial reality.

    He believes journalists have not studied economics, politics, literature and philosophy. Is he entirely wrong? Switch on the news channels and you’ll notice the general knowledge skills of most anchors and reporters. Yes, it needs a lot of beefing up, we have to admit that. Most journalists are too busy chasing celebs to find time to read Shakespeare, that’s another fact of media life.

    Bottom line: It’s easy to get offended by Shri Katju’s crazy generalizations. And dismiss them as outbursts of an angsty uncle. Still, it will serve us well to pay attention. He isn’t entirely inaccurate.

     

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    PS: Watch this show as Barkha Dutt interviews a Google chief. You’ll notice what a struggle it is for her to have a meaningful conversation with a new media specialist. It’s not her fault, really. Most of us old-world journos would find it tough going. A glaring example of the schism between the old media and the new media. Also, hope Mr Katju didn’t watch this one. Else he’ll accuse us of being zero on media, apart from literature and philosophy!

     

    Link: http://www.ndtv.com/video/player/news/in-the-google-of-things/215082