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  • The application provides 2,50,000 minutes of free of cost content in 12 Indian languages

    Jigsee enables video streaming on common mobiles

    By A Correspondent

    Jigsee, a company with operations based in Mumbai, made it possible to view videos on the basic mobile phones with limited memory, low processing power and shorter battery life.

    What makes the service attractive is the ease of use—by downloading Jigsee with a Rs 5 per day GPRS connection any one can watch videos of their choice for a few hours. And there is 250,000 minutes of content to select from.

    Jigsee has now enhanced its content to 2,50,000 minutes coverage in 10 Indian languages — Assamese, Bengali, Bhojpuri, Gujarati, Malayalam, Marathi, Punjabi, Rajasthani, Tamil and Telugu in addition to Hindi and English.

    Jigsee’s patent-pending technology allows common inexpensive phone users to enjoy free and uninterrupted viewing experience for superior entertainment, education and informative content.

    Jigsee has 36 content partners including top tier content owners 1take media, Gypsy Videos,  Mukta Arts, Point Zero, Speed Records, Spice Digital, Soor Mandir (largest Rajasthani music label),, Manorama, Mayura (largest Rajasthani music label), UTV, UTV Bindaas, Wave Music (Vee Gee), Khan Academy (educational content, including IIT-JEE prep material),  and Yuki.

    In the first 30 days of its launch, the application has been downloaded by over 250,000 users, who don’t own smart phones, broadband and even ready access to television. If the phone has minimum data rates of 30 to 40 Kbps, videos of any length flow through Jigsee’s platform flow in a continuous stream and the content is free of cost (though internet connection is charged as per the operators’ plans).

    Jigsee Beta can be downloaded for free via http://m.jigsee.com and at half a dozen app stores, including on the Appia (Opera Mobile Store, Mobile2day, Zedge), Airtel, Getjar, Ovi and Tata Docomo.

    Jigsee was founded in Canada by Ray Newal and Areef Reza, and funded by Sequoia Capital and the Indian Angel Network. At the core of Jigsee’s products lie specialized technologies which allow video and other forms of rich media content to be delivered in a continuous and resilient manner to basic mobile devices, over low-bandwidth networks.

  • The line-up has a collection of enthralling, nerve wrecking and entertaining movies this October

    PIX brings you Dynamite Diwali

    By A Correspondent

     

    PIX is amping up the Diwali excitement with its Diwali Dynamite throughout October, 11pm onwards. Pix has planned laughter, suspense, drama and action, right from the sensuous murder mystery Basic Instinct to the outrageously funny Grown Ups.  Diwali Dynamite will include blockbusters like Social Network, Jurassic Park, Gladiator, Nacho Libre, Mighty Heart, Salt, Road Trip and Mini’s First Time.

  • Indian matrimonial industry pioneer Shaadi.com turns 15, celebrates World Matrimonial Week.

    Happy Anniversary, Shaadi.com!

    By A Correspondent

    Shaadi.com has completed 15 years of successful matchmaking and commemorated its anniversary by celebrating World Matrimonial Week from October 13 to 19. Through this week, Shaadi.com encouraged couples to pledge to do something special for their spouse. Over 1 lakh people have pledged gifts ranging from a romantic dinner to an iPad. The portal has already changed the lives of over 2 million people through successful marriages in the last 15 years.

     

    On the occasion of the company’s 15th anniversary, Mr Anupam Mittal, Founder andCEO, Shaadi.com said, “It is truly a proud moment for all of us. In these 15 years, Shaadi.com has succeeded in creating a compelling service that has touched the lives of millions of people. Constant Innovation and customer satisfaction has been the centrepiece of our strategy and as we grow, we will continue to strive to provide world-class professional matchmaking service.”

     

    Over the 15-year journey, Shaadi.com started with online business at its core and extended services to various platforms such as Mobile (through Shaadi.com Blackberry application), Television (through a show called Vivah) and on DTH (through Dish TV). In the offline space, Shaadi.com launched Shaadi Centres with a network of over 100 centres across 87 Indian cities. The ShaadiIM messenger, the first of its kind in the online matrimonial space, was launched by Shaadi.com to allow prospective partners to chat live, thus enriching the matchmaking process.

  • A week of surprises and a Diwali extravaganza airs from October 17 to October 21 at 6:30pm on Star Plus

    Diwali fun on Star Plus

    By A Correspondent

    Star Plus is treating viewers to a week-long Diwali celebration that ends on October 21, with drama, laughter and performances by some favourite television artists in Diwali Rishton Ki Mithas – Peedhiyan Anek, Tyohaar Ek.

     

    The  celebrations kick-started on October 17 with Lakshmi Pooja that showcased dance performances and aerial stunts, then for Bhai-Duuj there is shor-sharaba with some light-hearted moments between reel life siblings —Ahem-Kinjal and Ayush-Navya, and Antakshari between Suhana-Ishaan and the Kashyap family. King Khan and his chammak challo will make a special appearance with their latest track from Ra.One.

     

    The celebrations get louder as the television jodis and families get together to celebrate their happiness while commemorating the season of festivity by lightening everybody’s spirits.

  • Viewers will see Hollywood’s best in four special themes from October 3 to October 27 at 9pm

    WB to light up TV screens this Diwali

    By A Correspondent

    WB has a line-up of Hollywood movies throughout the month, packaged as a series of specials to help families celebrate the Festival of Lights. Titled Festival of Lights, the specials are running for four weeks under four themes commencing October 3 until October 27, every Monday to Thursday at 9pm. The line-up showcases Hollywood’s best in action, sci-fi, and adventure.

     

    Festival of Lights will kick off with the action-adventure genre movies such as The Tuxedo, Enter the Dragon, Blade II, Tekken and Superman II and also includes a line-up of movies in the ‘monster’ genre —Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed On, the fantasy genre — Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and action-packed films such as Torque and Speed Racer. Festival of Lights is co-presented by Nokia and Axe, in association with Airtel, Nivea, Tata Sky, Reebok.

     

    Viewers will also get to see some of WB’s best action movies featuring mind-boggling gadgets, explosions, kung fu, and adventure as part of its Diwali Heat special Fridays to Sundays at 9pm and 11pm.

     

    Ms Monica Tata, General Manager, Entertainment Networks, South Asia, Turner International India, said, “We are happy to be showcasing the best of international film content to our audiences.”

  • For a new online shopping portal, it’s critical to come up with a clutter-breaker, which Yebhi has done.

    Anil Thakraney’s Debrief: Wacky and effective!

    Apparently you can purchase many goodies at a new portal called Yebhi.com. (I like the brand name, very imaginative.) And ‘great rates’ is their USP. To communicate this promise, they have come up with a completely hilarious ad.

     

    There’s this lucky dude who’s hit a gold mine. Nearly electrocuted at an ATM machine, his daddykins goes through a magical transformation. The ol’ man now coughs out currency notes. In other words, he’s become an ATM machine himself. Naturally, his loser, good-for-nothing, wastrel son is elated. And the lad goes on a mad shopping binge, with his ATM daddy coughing away wads of rupees. Great idea. Every loser’s dream come true. To have a dad who’ll keep showering money, no questions asked.

     

    And the execution is wacko, it’s full-on entertainment. Full marks, I say. For a new online shopping portal, it’s critical to come up with a clutter-breaker, which Yebhi has done. Also, the message is single-minded: You don’t have to be a lucky son to get lucky at Yebhi. Should get the portal lots of hits.

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”300″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWpNrrImxbA[/youtube]
    Rating: (On a scale of 1 to 5): 4. I would have given it 5 if they had featured a mantri’s son. In which case the daddy works like an ATM just by winning an election. No need for electric shocks! 



  • Entrepreneur Mag flags off second season of Guru Mantra with Phaneesh Murthy.

    Phaneesh Murthy gives second Guru Mantra lecture

    iGate Patni’s CEO, Phaneesh Murthy (right) with Senthil Chengalvarayan of Network 18 group

    By A Correspondent

    Entrepreneur, a monthly magazine from the Infomedia 18 stable, in association with Client Associates, recently organised the second edition of the Guru Mantra lecture series with Phaneesh Murthy, CEO, iGATE Patni.

     

    Murthy spoke to a select gathering of established entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and corporate executives about his successful entrepreneurial stint, the challenges he faced in setting up the company, valued today at US$1 billion. He gave insightful tips on how to get the right kind of funding, the recipe for successful scaling, talent management and policymaking, and many other dos and don’ts of entrepreneurship in India.

     

    The idea behind the series is to celebrate the spirit of entrepreneurship. Planned to be organised at premium venues across different cities, the series provides a knowledge sharing forum for entrepreneurs.

     

    As part of the format, every session has a successful entrepreneur as the guest mentor who shares their entrepreneurial journey with the attendees, followed by a Q&A session where the attendees get a chance to ask questions specific to their business.

  • Extensive marketing plans for BBC Good Food as it launches on Oct 21

    BBC Good Food whets appetites

    By Akash Raha

    Worldwide Media is all set to launch BBC Good Food in India. The magazine will be on the stands on Good Food Day, October 21. The magazine will be priced at Rs 100 at newsstands and UCOs. In a conversation with MxM India, Debolin Sen, Publisher – Good Food, Worldwide Media said the expectations riding on the title were huge. “It’s an exciting brand to launch in India, especially now,” said Mr Sen. “Food is the most exciting story unfolding in the country. Experimentation with global cuisines, presence of international restaurant brands, access to exotic ingredients in the neighbourhood supermarket, 125 food shows on television, three dedicated food channels, gourmet store expansions pan India. There’s so much that’s happening. We are at a point in time in the market, when it made much sense to launch the brand. So yes, the expectations are huge.”

     

    In a recent conversation, Tarun Rai, CEO, Worldwide Media said, “We are launching BBC Good Food on Good Food Day, October 21, which we are celebrating and we are encouraging people to try something new on the day. We have huge expectations from Good Food. India is changing, food habits are changing. People are experimenting with food, both in their kitchens as well as when it comes to eating out in restaurants. We believe that the time is right for such a magazine. There are no precedents; there are no international food magazines in the country. We are going into uncharted territory and we are beating a new path. There are dangers but as I said, somebody has to do it and we believe that the potential is huge. And the response we’ve got from advertisers for the magazine is excellent and you’ll see it in the number of ad pages we’ve got in the first issue.”

     

    Speaking about the target audience of the magazine, Mr Sen said, “The magazine will appeal to a diverse mindset. From Everyday Chefs – people  who cook regularly for family, friends and even themselves, to Recreational Chefs – people who are interested in new recipes and experimentation, but don’t cook on a regular basis, to Restaurant Junkies – people who love eating out, and finally Globetrotting Foodies – people who love to experiment, sample local cuisines when they travel.

     

    “BBC Good Food is an extremely exciting magazine to launch. The brand allows you to explore new territories and create engaging properties unlike others. The launch will involve sufficient amount of marketing dollars being invested to create the required market impact. We intend having a phase-wise launch build up to Oct 21, the day the magazine hits stands, and thereafter post-launch,” said Mr Sen.

     

    Whereas marketing of the brand is concerned, it will be done through various campaigns and activations such as Good Food Survey, Good Food Day, Good Food Privilege Program, Good Food Nights, Good Food Website and Apps, Good Food Social etcetera.

     

    BBC Good Food also has an incredible legacy. It’s UK’s best-selling food magazine for the last 22 years. In fact it’s a successful food media brand with its content present across mediums: as a magazine, as a TV channel, a website which is a storehouse of over 7,500 recipes, and hugely successful iPad and iPhone apps which have crossed the 100,000 download mark.

  • MTR, which is known for its South Indian instant food mixes and spices, is entering the South Indian snacks category, one that is growing at a rate of more than 40 percent a year.

    MTR eyes Rs 500 crore by 2012

    By Tuhina Anand

    Haldirams, ITC, Frito Lays and numerous local players in the Rs 6000 crore snacks category now have competition from MTR, which is known for its South Indian instant food mixes and spices. With its rich heritage, the brand MTR has now forayed into the South Indian snacks category, which can be understood as the category is growing at a rate of more than 40 percent a year. Also MTR has been trying hard to revamp its image post its takeover by Norwegian company Orkla. The company, which was largely restricted to South India, has in the last few years gone national and has revamped its offering, packaging and has been highly visible on the mass media platform. So the move is not a surprise, considering that its arch family rival Maiyya’s too have forayed into the snacks category and at around the same time.

    If one looks at the traditional snacks market, it clocks at Rs 3600 crore, growing at 36 percent, thus clearly the biggest player in this category. South Indian snacks remains a market of small brands or unorganized, as no branded player has seriously ventured into this market. While snacking is a big habit in the South, the branded South Indian snacks is the most under-developed market at 6 per cent value share of the total national traditional branded market. Haldiram’s can be seen as the only national player offering traditional snacks but in their portfolio, North Indian snacks dominate with the South Indian traditional snack category having minimal or no presence.

    Mr Vikram Sabherwal, VP Marketing MTR Foods Pvt Ltd, explains, “While evaluating various future growth opportunities consumer research clearly pointed to a good fitment between South Indian snacks and MTR. Looking at the potential of the market there is an opportunity for MTR to play a role in the ‘South Indian traditional snack category’.”

    “Snacking is heavily entrenched in the Indian food habit and hence there is immense potential in this category. We expect that snacks will become integral to MTR’s product offering and help achieve our target of touching Rs 500 crore by 2012,” said Mr Sabherwal.

    The company will leverage MTR’s distribution strength and use it to effectively cover the snacks outlet universe. Initially the snacks range has been launched in Karnataka and at later date will be extended to other states.

    On these products having takers beyond South India, Mr Sabherwal said, “Food in India is going through many changes. We as Indians are becoming experimentative with our food, hence these product will find national acceptance. Secondly some of our products like chakli already have a national footprint.”

    The products launched under snacks category include Chakli, Butter Chakli, Spinach Chakli, Khara Boondi, Ompudi, Avalakki Mixture, Thick Sev and Cornflakes Mixture. MTR is offering its consumers the promise of crispy and crunchy snacks made with the latest technology in production and packaging. MTR is hoping that with their superior offering consumers will shift from the unbranded to the branded segment, hence expanding the market.

    Meanwhile, MTR has already started advertising the snacks category and has roped in Kannada film stars Upendra and Priyanka to advertise the range.

    Concluding, Mr Sabherwal said, “We at MTR will consistently drive our key categories like mixes, spices and masalas along with snacks. We are also constantly evaluating new products/categories to delight our consumers.”

  • Corporate image advertising up 40%; Maruti, Adidas, M&M among the top advertisers

    Marketers up self-image reinforcement

     

    By Neha Dewan

     

    Companies are working harder this year to preserve or refine their projected image, with a 40 percent jump in volumes of corporate image advertising on television over the corresponding period of the previous year.

     

    According to data released by media measurement organisation TAM Adex, Hero MotoCorp, which went in for an advertising blitz after a change of corporate identity, tops the list of advertisers in the corporate brand and image category between January and September.

     

    At a time when questions are increasingly being raised over corporate governance and corporate greed, companies are turning to advertising that focuses on their core values and contribution to society rather than just the products or services they seek to sell. Corporate image advertising seeks to reassure consumers as much as to convert them to the intended perception of brands.

     

    Maruti, Adidas and Mahindra & Mahindra are some of the other companies that figure among the top ten advertisers in the category. Aditya Birla Group and Life Insurance Corporation of India are the only two advertisers among this year’s top ten that featured in last year’s list of top advertisers as well.

     

    FMCG company Reckitt Benckiser, which topped the list last year, does not figure among the top ten advertisers this time round. Neither does any telecom company, despite the 2G telecom scam taking the sector by storm ever since it broke out last November. Just before that, however, Essar Group, a diversified conglomerate with interests in communications among other sectors, was the second biggest advertiser during January-September 2010.

     

    “With the growth in economy, companies are paying greater attention to building their corporate brand equity. Moreover, with so many brands available today, a consumer will prefer to know what he is buying and where the brand really comes from,” says Mr Madhukar Kamath, group CEO, Mudra Group.

     

    This year’s leading advertiser launched its new corporate identity with the campaign ‘Hum Mein Hai Hero’ on Independence Day across television, print, radio and cinema. “We preceded it with a period where we did not advertise at all. The result was quite effective as it led to a very smooth transition for us,” says Mr Anil Dua, senior VP, marketing and sales, Hero MotoCorp.

     

    Dua reasons that corporate image advertising is all the more necessary for companies that sell products such as twowheelers. “For a category like ours, there is more involvement on behalf of the customers. Hence, they need more assurance and tend to see the company from closer quarters,” he says.

     

    India’s biggest utility vehicles maker Mahindra & Mahindra turned to corporate image advertising early this year when it went in for an image makeover with its ‘Rise’ campaign focusing on the core values of the group. The group plans to have two-three rounds in a year of such advertising which will be a mix of mass media, digital and PR-driven communication.

     

    “Consumers are asking questions to corporates about their philosophy, practised values, stance on sustainability and contribution to the society,” says Mr B Karthik, GM- corporate brand management and business transformation, M&M.

     

     

    Source:The Economic Times

    Copyright © 2011, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved

  • Mahindra First Choice awards its creative duties to Leo Burnett India.

    Leo Burnett wins Mahindra creative mandates

    By A Correspondent

    Mahindra First Choice will now be working with Leo Burnett India as their creative agency.

    The incumbent on the business was Quadrant Communications.

    Though there was no official confirmation at the time of writing, agency sources close to the development have confirmed the news to MxM India.

    Mahindra First Choice Wheels Ltd is India’s largest multi-brand pre-owned car company which believes in selling high quality used cars to its customers with hassle-free documentation and car transfers.

    Founded in Chicago in 1935 with eight employees and three clients, Leo Burnett Worldwide, Inc. today operates a global network of over 200 operating units including a variety of specialty marketing services and 94 full-service advertising agencies in 83 countries. Leo Burnett helps build many of the world’s most valuable brands and successful marketers, including McDonald’s, Disney, Procter & Gamble, Marlboro, Kellogg, Samsung and Nintendo.

  • NCT Data Wk 41 ’11

    Source: News Content Track – A service of TAM Media Research Pvt. Ltd

    Channels: Aaj Tak, CNN IBN, Headlines Today, IBN 7, India TV, NDTV 24/7, NDTV India, Star News, Times Now & Zee News

    Period: Wk 41 – Oct 2 to Oct 8, 2011

    Note : Analysis is based on the telecast duration

     


    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.