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  • Ranjona Banerji on how the exploitation of every last drop of drama from a news event is practically an art form

    Paraphrasing Fareed Zakaria

    By Ranjona Banerji

     

    It was a joy to watch Time international editor Fareed Zakaria on CNN-IBN being interviewed by Sagarika Ghose. Zakaria talked about both the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the US as well as India’s somewhat dismal record when it comes to pre-empting or even solving terror attacks. Zakaria was also candid about the demonisation of Muslims in India and called our policing  pathetic  and indeed, non-existent. Harsh words, but no less significant or true for that. The anchor, who is often loud and combative, only asked questions and then paraphrased Zakaria’s answers, presumably for us viewers who are short on understanding. Or perhaps cannot comprehend what is going on when sundry guests are not shouting at the same time.

     

    And the award goes to Arnab Goswami!

    The exploitation of every last drop of drama from a news event is practically an art form and the award has to go to Arnab Goswami and Times Now. The fact that the Supreme Court sent back a petition by riot victim Zakia Jafri on the culpability of Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi in the Gujarat riots to a local court was presented as one woman’s lone battle and so on. Indian TV began the story with its distinct sense of speculation a day before the Supreme Court decision. No TV channel has so far taken the time to explain the context of this petition and has behaved  together with the BJP  as if this is the last legal word ever to be spoken on the riots. Nor has anyone called the BJP on its needless victory marches over nothing.

    As ever, I admire and applaud our potential for stupidity.

    RIP, Gautam Rajadhyaksha

    The death of glamour photographer Gautam Rajadhyaksha, who imparted much beauty to our stars, was given fair play. The black money stashed abroad by Indians was in focus again as German and Swiss whistle blowers talked about their findings. It’s not all about politicians though — many rich Indians are involved.

     

    9/11

    The anniversary of the 9/11 attacks was commemorated with sombre dignity by the United States and this was reflected in the TV coverage. The anchors and reporters did not behave as if they were part of a travelling jatra troupe re-enacting some tragic melodrama and the focus was on the victims and their families. The politicians did not try to hog the limelight either and nor did TV channels look to them for that.

     

    More newsgazing…

    >> Fareed Zakaria was in the newspapers as well, looking at America after the 9/11 attacks in an edit page piece for Hindustan Times. In The Times of India’s edit page, Union law minister made a reasonable plea for consensus on the Lokpal bill but sadly, the Congress has lost so much ground here is that everything is too little too late.

    >> The Telegraph, Calcutta gives the Supreme Court-Modi story a little twist by pointing out that Modi’s rise is causing maximum fear within the BJP itself and especially amongst other prime ministerial candidates.

    >> The Deccan Chronicle’s Hyderabad edition headlined its Modi story God is great, tweets Modi but then went on to discuss how the Gujarat CM was not in the clear a feat well beyond Indian television. Meanwhile, Modi has decided to go on a fast for national unity, whatever that may mean.

    >> Most newspapers also concentrated on the death at a French nuclear site, Jackie Kennedy Onassis’s observations on Indira Gandhi (prune bitter!), the critical condition of cricketer Mohammed Azharuddin’s son after a motorcycle accident, the blow up by Serena Williams at the US Open final which she then lost.

    >> Websites were full of Novak Djokovic’s US Open win over Rafael Nadal, which finished early on Tuesday morning India time. Undoubtedly, tomorrow will see more on a brewing controversy between the ICC and BCCI and an awards ceremony. Let the drama continue!

     

  • ASCI needs more teeth to deal with cheeky campaigns like Tata Docomo�s �no getting away�

    No getting away for toings: Need for an agile, aggro ASCI

    By Amit Bapna

    Many moons ago the Tuff ad with the Milind Soman-Madhu Sapre duo wearing just a pair of shoes had made news for its overt nudity. A few years back, the infamous ‘Yeh To Bada Toing Hai’ Amul Macho ad had raised the hackles of feminist groups as they found it very sexist. And last fortnight, Tata Docomo’s campaign has angered some groups like doctors and maids as it puts them in an awkward situation. A maid is shown pinching a mobile phone, while a doctor forgets his cellphone inside a patient’s stomach after stitching up.

    In all these cases Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), was approached to play the role of the jury. As a self-regulatory voluntary organization of the Indian advertising industry, ASCI has a hugely important role to play, often with limited powers. Last year, 777 complaints had been received against 190 ads, of which 104 were upheld. Contrast that with the Advertising Standards Association (ASA),which is the UK’s independent regulator of advertising across all media, including marketing on websites. In 2009, ASA dealt with 28,929 complaints. The Indian counterpart has a long way to go.

    The Tata Docomo campaign is under review by ASCI, as of now, but as per sources, the maid ad is likely to be pulled back by the time the issue hits the stands. Though that would be more because of the marketer fearing damage to its brand and less because of the fear of the regulatory body. ASCI, typically, has to screen the complaints on any of three accounts – morality, legality or unethical business practices. As the Indian market has grown, the role of advertising as an important and legitimate means for the seller to awaken interest in his products or services has gained currency. But the debate on where one draws the line is something the industry is grappling with, more so in the developing economies like India.

    Self-regulation does work in an emerging market like India, feels Madhukar Sabnavis, country head -planning, Ogilvy India and also a member of the Consumer Complaints Council of ASCI. Remember India is an emerging market but those in the advertising and marketing industries have mindsets similar to developed markets and are conditioned and react according to those principles, he says.

     

    The Weak Arm

    While the mindsets of ad folk may be in synch with developed markets, the onus put on advertising to get the brand noticed at any cost makes the ‘means’ often desperate at times, requiring an external body like ASCI to step in to play the role of regulator. ASCI is trying to lay down sector-specific, pointed guidelines. The education sector, for instance, has witnessed significant advertising activity, and also some quick money making methods being adopted.In educational sector advertising, there is a lot of shortchange being done by some of the advertisers. Thus we have put up a clear stipulation for minimum size of supers (4 seconds) and disclaimer (11 pixel size),points out Alan Collaco, secretary general, ASCI.

     

    Opines Raghu Bhat, founder director, Scarecrow Communications;While on paper the Indian code is very detailed and well written, it needs to be implemented better.By the time, ASCI acts, the campaign could have most often run its course. Suvodeep Das, marketing head – Kaya, agrees that ASCI as a body needs to be given more power of enforcement over advertising which is offensive, imitative, or making false claims. There is no point in merely pulling back the campaign when it has already completed its full-run and achieved the target of creating buzz. Not just in conventional mediums but also virally through the digital media. An ad-campaign, which has a 4-6 week cycle, anyway has done its job by the time any action is taken.

     

    The newly appointed chairman of the Board of ASCI and director Eeenadu group, I. Venkat agrees,Most importantly, we have to get the fast-track complaints mechanism to work better to provide a speedy resolution. The decision should be taken within 7-10 days as against 4-6 weeks currently.Though, this would be for intra-industry complaints only and not for consumer complaints. In addition, he shares; the future plans include ASCI working more closely with the government, so that it can have more teeth. Currently while it is the only code accepted by the government, it does not have a legal standing of its own.

     

    Two things need to be done if ASCI has to perform it’s role better, says Salil Kapoor, COO, Dish TV; Firstly, the decisions have to be taken much faster than they are being taken currently and secondly stricter penal action against the errant advertisers. The code of conduct should take into account these points for it to be effective so that the marketer will think twice before repeating the act. The industry needs to decide how to penalise the errant advertiser. Das adds, The fear of consequences should be added in the marketer’s mind, which is not happening currently.

     

    So is the job of ASCI only to be a headmaster who would give a sharp rap on the knuckle once in a while to an errant advertiser, till the next complaint comes along or is there more to it? Creating a sense of responsibility in advertising should be the ultimate job of ASCI, says Gitanjali Sriram, founder-partner, Naked Communications who has been working closely with Subhash Kamath of BBH India to create an integrated communication plan for repositioning of ASCI under the platform of responsibility in advertising – keeping the young members of the industry in mind. If done well, it could set the tone to expose the young Turks of the nation to the nuances of the dos and don’ts early on in their careers.

     

    Sharing an interesting nugget Collaco says,When the largely state-controlled Chinese advertising industry decided to work on a code of regulation, they approached European Advertising Standards Alliance (EASA), an established player in creating the regulatory frameworks globally and were told that one of the two best codes suited for them would be the one being practiced in the Indian market. (The other being Brazil.)

     

    The clout and the muscle have to be added to make ASCI the big daddy. Clearly, the intent is there, the nuts and bolts need to be put in place.

     

     

    Source:The Economic Times

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

  • Part 1 of MXMIndia's look at marketing for the festive season, and how it has been impacted this year

    Fireworks less bright, but not media players outlook

    By Ritu Midha & Dhara Salla

     

    Picture this:

     

    – As per a recent survey India’s wholesale price index (WPI) likely rose an annual 9.6 percent in August
    – As per Government data released recently, India’s food price index rose 9.55 percent while the fuel price index climbed 12.55 percent in the year to Aug. 27
    – As per a Paris based think tank OECD, India, China and most of the developed world are witnessing strong signs of economic slowdown
    – August domestic car sales are down 10.1 percent. Total passenger vehicle sales are down 5.9 percentA recent AC
    – Nielsen study talks about the reducing consumer sentiment in India in the Q2, 2011
    – FICCI and CII have expressed concern on falling business sentiment

    And it is almost time to wish Happy Diwali!

    The point to ponder here is that, in this backdrop, would the consumer be in a mood to delight the marketers, and would marketers in turn be in a mood to delight the media owners? Or, would they rather use a big chunk of their promotional budget on directly delighting the customer, through special offers and discounts.

    As is known, the festive season in most years sees a remarkable increase in ad spends. Ms Punitha Arumugam, CEO, Madison Media Group, explains,About 30 to 40 percent of ad spends come from FMCGs spends in this category are, by and large, not too influenced by festivals. It is the balance 60 percent that spends more during festive season. Keeping that in mind, I would say spends in Q3 of the year would usually be higher by 20 percent or so as compared to the other quarters.


    Media players: optimism unlimited


    If one looks at print in isolation, spends during festival season increase even more due to the increased spends by categories like autos. Q3, as per Mr Peter Suresh, Head Strategy, Dainik Bhaskar Group typically accounts for almost 35 percent of the annual ad revenues.

     

    As for this year, stresses Mr Shantanu Bhanja,Vice President – Marketing, Hindustan Times Media Ltd,There will be an upswing during the season.

     

    But would the cash registers ring that loudly for media companies this year? Perhaps not.

     

    As per a few experts, ad budgets have already been cut down and the heat is being felt by print media first. To quote Mr Harish Bijoor, CEO, Harish Bijoor Consults, Ad spends are already affected. Marketers have reduced ad spends, and in many cases cut their spends on print altogether. Television is gung-ho as yet though, he adds, For the moment.

     

    And gung-ho it is. Mr Rohit Gupta, president, network sales, licensing and telephony, Multi Screen Media emphasizes, Even when we witnessed the biggest global slowdown a couple of years back, the television industry was not affected to that extent. Television is one of the most accountable advertising media, and therefore, slowdown if any, will not have much effect on advertising trends. Overall marketing budgets might be cut down but not the spends on television.As for his own network, he expects growth in ad spends to be to the tune of 30 to 35 percent.

     

    Mr Gupta has an ally in Mr Rahul Johri, Senior Vice President and General Manager – South Asia, Discovery Networks, Asia Pacific. He too is very positive that television is all set to gain this Q3 as is the norm every year, As the consumers gear up for the festive season, we can see a positive curve across a category of brands. Year-on-year we have witnessed growth in advertising during festive season on our channels and we anticipate the same trend this year as well.

     

    Do the television channels, then don’t need to be worried about ad budget cuts? The opinion here is divided. While a few television players believe there would be no impact, others have a difference of opinion. Mr Bavesh Janavlekar, Deputy VP Marketing, Zee Marathi and Zee Talkies simplifies the predicament, There is a huge splurge on the spends at the customers end during the festive season starting off with Ganpati, Diwali etc. The spike is for the simple reason that consumers are in a mood to spend, and advertisers amplify that opportunity. However, low GDP growth will definitely have an impact on festive ad spends to what extent, remains to be seen.

     

    The general feeling, however, is that the festive season just might bring the cheer back in the marketplace . Mr Bhanja explains, Advertisers want to make the most of this increased propensity to spend coupled with increased discretionary income that the festival time brings…This is also a great time for advertisers to launch new products, and capture the general positivity of the Indian consumer during the season.

     

    Mr Suresh too states that though there is a slowdown at the moment, festivities just might help in lifting the spirits all around. He states with cautious optimism, We have also been impacted with this slowdown along with other media players. It is quite difficult to issue a forward-looking statement in the current scenario. However, we do remain optimistic.

     

    Media experts: festivals have lost a bit of sheen

    The optimism of media owners, at this juncture, is not mirrored by media planners and buyers.We had predicted approximately 17 percent growth in ad spends this year, but by looking at the current scenario, in my view, it would be closer to 10 percent, states Ms Arumugam,Most marketers were expecting exponential growth this year however, nothing very dramatic happened in January to June 2011 quite a few companies saw single digit growth, and it has directly influenced ad spends.

     

    Does that effectively mean that one would not see any increase in ad rates this festive season. Explains Mr S Yesudas, Managing Director – Indian Sub-Continent, Vizeum Media Services,There is usually no increase in ad rates during festive season. And this year, due to market dynamics, I do not see this happening at all.

     

    As per the media experts, though, both TV and print would not see any noteworthy growth in ad revenues, print would be hit more. Ms Arumugam comments,Though both television and print would be affected by the slowdown, impact on print would be far more pronounced.

     

    But don’t the categories that spend more during festive season, also spend largely on print? Yesudas takes pains to explain, Categories that are print-centric like automobiles and traditionally advertise more on print  will continue to do so. Specially those which are under pressure due to falling sales will need to reach out to the consumers with their special offers. It is the categories which are not heavy spenders on print that would cut their print budgets further.

    The scenario does not look too festive at the moment. However, marketers definitely are getting ready to woo the consumer in a myriad different ways. In media too, one might see a lot of innovations and innovative offers to enable the marketers to reach the consumer in a more impactful way.

     

    Photograph: Fotocorp (www.fotocorp.com)

  • Tribal DDB India president moves on with effect from October 1.

    Max Hegerman quits Tribal DDB India

    By A Correspondent

    It’s log-out time for Tribal DDB India President Mr Max Hegerman. He has held the top job at the digital arm of the Mudra group since July 2009. While sources close to both Hegerman and Mudra have confirmed the development, there is no official confirmation of the move. His last day at Tribal DDB India will be September 30.

    Says his summary on his LinkedIn profile: For roughly twenty years, I have worked in advertising, marketing and communications planning for brands like Saturn, Nike, Oakley, Pizza Hut, Land Rover, Volvo, Scion and Apple. My experience includes a wide range of media and integrated creative solutions to solve for new brand launches, product line introductions/extensions, specific targeting and re-engineering brand positioning.

    His experience has been transnational. Prior to overseeing Tribal DDB operations in India, he was:

    • Regional Managing Director  Beijing at TBWA\Media Arts Lab
    • an automatic contract consultant with Initiative, USA
    • SVP, Client Service Director with Energy BBDO, USA
    • Managing Director, Euro RSCG, USA
    • Vice President, Account Director, GSD&M, USA
    • Account Director, Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, USA
    • Marketing Communications Director, Oakley, USA
    • Global Account Supervisor, Wieden + Kennedy, USA
    • Senior Account Executive, Hal Riney & Partners, USA

    At the time of writing, there was no confirmation of where Mr Hegerman was headed, though industry rumours suggest he may be headed to global interactive giant, Sapient. It is also not known who is likely to take over from Mr Hegerman at Tribal.

     

  • United Breweries launches Heineken beer

    After much speculation on its launch, United Breweries has finally launched locally brewed and bottled Heineken beer from their brewery in Taloja, near Mumbai. The locally brewed Heineken is positioned as a super-premium lager beer that will target the discerning beer drinker in India. Kingfisher from UB’s stable is the most popular among beer brands in India and the company leads the Indian beer market in terms of volume sales followed by SabMiller India Ltd.

    Commenting on the launch, Mr Kalyan Ganguly, President & Managing Director, United Breweries Limited said, Heineken, the world’s favourite super premium beer brand will appeal to affluent, sophisticated and discerning consumers in India. We will leverage our deep understanding of the Indian beer market, and complement that with robust marketing programmes and the strength of our nationwide distribution network, to bring to Indian consumers this truly iconic global beer brand. This is a significant and exciting consumer experience that United Breweries has brought to India.

    Heineken is looking at gaining a market share of 5 percent in its category; considering that the market for beer has been growing by 15-20 percent in India, the figure set by Heineken seems achievable.

    Mr Samar Singh Sheikhawat, Senior Vice-President (Marketing), United Breweries Limited, added, The taste and quality of Heineken brewed and bottled out of India is true to the original time-honoured recipe handed down the generations. The brand has been well received in Mumbai and Pune and we now invite the rest of India to Open Your World to Heineken!

    Heineken has been launched in world-class packaging, with imported green embossed bottles and clear plastic labels, a first for any beer brand in India. The bottles feature a unique curved embossment on the neck and back, with a distinctive embossed logo mark which acts as a stamp of quality and authenticity. The visual identity includes the iconic brand elements like the racetrack label, the Heineken typeface with the smiling es and the red star. Available in pack sizes of 650 ml and 330 ml sizes, Heineken is priced at Rs 150 and Rs 80 respectively, in Delhi.

    Across the world, Heineken connects with consumers through marketing activation campaigns based on its global sport, music and film platforms. These include the UEFA Champions League Football and the Rugby World Cup. Heineken also partners some of the world’s most premium and high profile music festivals, such as Coachella and Ultra in the USA, Rock in Rio in Brazil, Oxegen in Ireland and the Open’er Festival in Poland. The brand has also been James Bond’s preferred beer for some time now.

    In India, Heineken will initially focus on activating the brand at premium pubs, bars, lounges, restaurants and retail outlets to drive awareness and trial, and will leverage the brand’s global proposition, Open Your World across all marketing executions. Digital Activation and Social Media in particular, will be used extensively to ignite conversations and connect with its consumers. Wieden + Kennedy (W+K), the agency handling creative duties for Heineken globally also handles the mandate in India and Mindshare does the media duties.

     

     

  • Communications consultant and cricket analyst Hemant Kenkre pays tribute to his friend, ace photographer Gautam Rajadhyaksha, who passed away in the early hours of September 13.

    Through the lens, sadly: Remembering Gautam Rajadhyaksha

    By Hemant Kenkre

    The last message from my friend Gautam Rajadhyaksha, a few days ago, said: I will be heading the School of Photography at the Symbiosis International University; we are launching soon. He was planning to head to Pune for the launch on September 16 (his birthday) with his dear friend, ace makeover artist Mickey Contractor.

    As I write this, the events of the last ten hours have yet to sink in. Gautam’s gone to the great studio in the sky, without saying farewell to his many friends and (very unlike the propah man that he was) not letting the institute know. As one walked up the winding steps, dotted with posters from classic operas, all the way to his quaint, artistically done second-floor apartment on Hughes Road, memories of an association of more than 25 years flashed by.

    The many shoots that one witnessed of Gautam clicking away  making superstars of hopeful actors. The high notes of operatic arias immortalized by the likes of Luciano Pavarotti and Placido Domingo (Kiti Chintu [Rishi Kapoor] sarkha disto na? he used to say to me) or the dulcet tones of his favourite muse, Asha Bhosle.

    Much has been written about his photographic skills  inspired by the late Wilas Bhende, whom he considered his guru. Gautam was also passionate about music  operas, Marathi natyasangeet and RD Pancham Burman. When Pancham went for a photoshoot at Gautam’s residence cum studio, the duo started to discuss the finer points of opera, leaving a bemused Ashaji wondering when the shoot would start. This was probably one of his favourite shoots. The other, undoubtedly, was when he shot a live (and rare) concert featuring sisters Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle at the Salt Lake Stadium to commemorate Calcutta’s tercentenary. His work, while he sat hunched on the round stage for more than four hours, perfectly depicts the versatility and class of the two divas.

    It was one of his pet dreams to get Ashaji to sing operas  selected by him  in Hindi. Gautam would certainly have known which operas would suit Ashaji as he has the second largest collection of operas in India. In the early 1990s Gautam co-scripted the film Bekhudi which saw the birth of Kajol as an actress. I will never forget the many discussions we had as to who should be the music director. Pancham, alas, had just passed away.

    One feels sad that Gautam could not live to see the birth of his baby: The School of Photography in Pune. He was hell-bent on passing on the tricks of his trade to Gen Next and this school would have brought him immense pleasure and satisfaction. Gautam was not just a connoisseur of art, music and culture but was, in the words of ace lensman Shantanu Sheorey, one of the many photographers he mentored, a complete giver.

    And, as his mortal remains were being carried down those steps on the final journey, the high notes of Pavarotti rang out, bidding goodbye to one of music’s fondest devotees.

    Farewell my friend, we will all miss you.

     

    Hemant Kenkre is a senior communications consultant and cricket analyst.

     

     

  • Zombie Talkies, coming to a comic book near you

    India’s first ever zombie movie, Shaadi of the Dead, starring Abhay Deol and Genelia D’Souza, is being promoted via an apt medium  the graphic novel.

    The film is to be launched in April or May next year, and the buildup starts with the precursor novel, Zombie Talkies: BloodFest In Bollywood, being released at the Comic Con Express in October at the World Trade Centre, Mumbai.

    The movie is produced by iRock Films along with Balaji Telefilms Ltd, and the novel is being published under the Pop Culture Publishing label of Twenty Onwards Media as part of their licensing agreement with iRock Media.

    Mr Jatin Varma, Founder, Comic Con India and Twenty Onwards Media, said, We are extremely happy that Pop Culture Publishing in association with iRock Media is coming out with this first of its kind horror graphic novel for Indian audiences.It has amazing artwork and great writing.

    We are very excited to partner with PCP. We created this novel and film keeping the young Indian audience in mind. We are confident that the zombies are here to stay and will soon become an integral part of India’s pop culture, said Mr Sidhartha Jain, CEO, iRock Films.

    The film development and production company, iRock Media, has been working on graphic novels in the fun-horror genre as part of their overall film genre development strategy. Earlier this year iRock released India’s first found footage horror film, Ragini MMS, and next year their vampire film Bloody Veer goes into production.

     

  • Reliance Trends takes the toons to the tots

    Kiddie TV’s cartoon characters are set to come to life during Reliance Trends month-long Toon Fest at its stores across India. The event began with a meet-and-greet with Spiderman at the Reliance Trends Mantri Mall outlet.

    Reliance Trends Toon Fest is a gala event dedicated to the kids of the country, which gives them a chance to meet cartoon characters on the weekends, including, besides Spidey, Doraemon, Power Puff Girls, Ben Ten and Chhota Bheem.

    Mr Arun Sirdeshmukh, Chief Executive, Reliance Trends said, Children are an integral part of our customer base. Toon Fest is yet another endeavour towards making the kids shopping experience at our stores a memorable one. The Reliance Trends Toon Fest, held in about 35 stores across India, is one of the biggest children’s activities we organise. A special range of kids clothing featuring their favourite cartoon characters is also available at all stores at a starting price of Rs 199. I am sure our young customers will thoroughly enjoy the various activities and our new range of outfits for them.

  • Coming clean with the tooth, Listerine’s challenge

    Mouthwash is a global hot seller, but not so in India where the traditional toothpaste is the preferred mode of oral hygiene. On the occasion of World Oral Health Month in September, Listerine launched its 21-Day Challenge, encouraging consumers to include mouthwash in their daily preventive oral care routine.

    Indians do have an issue with dental and oral hygiene in the last one year itself 25 percent of Indians have complained of bad breath and 13 percent have suffered from cavities, show findings from a recent survey by Listerine. However, oral health experts estimate the actual numbers to be higher because a lot of people do not realize that they are suffering from oral health problems. According to the survey findings, 50 percent of Indians feel their oral care routine is incomplete with just brushing, and are looking for more advanced products like mouthwash.

    In light of this changing consumer trend in oral care products Listerine has launched its challenge to encourage consumers to experience the benefits of the product for themselves, or get their money back. After using Listerine for 21 days, says the company, 90 percent of people felt their mouth was healthier and 86 percent said they cannot get the same feeling from brushing alone. Apart from the fresh feeling that lasts through the day consumers also used mouthwash to kill germs and prevent yellow teeth.

    The company’s statement said that according to Dr Gopalakrishnan, a periodontology professor and Secretary General of the International Clinical Dental Research Organization,In India people are waking up to the importance of preventive oral care to protect the mouth and teeth from germs. While brushing was considered enough till a few years back, we are now seeing a growing need for products like mouthwash. For a complete oral care routine and to reduce the incidence of oral problems it is essential to use mouthwash along with brushing.

    Mr Ajay Rangaraj, General Marketing Manager, Oral Care, Johnson & Johnson Ltd, India, said, Through this challenge we want to encourage people to include mouthwash in their daily preventive oral care routine in order to achieve higher standards of oral health and prevent problems like tooth decay, gum problems and bad breath. We are confident that after using Listerine for just 21 days consumers will experience healthier gums and teeth.

     

  • MTV’s Roadies goes Hero-ic with rebranding

    With the rebranding of Hero Motor Corp, dropping Honda from its name, the show MTV Hero Honda Roadies has also taken the new name for its ninth avatar this season. The cult reality show is now knowb as MTV Hero Roadies.

    In July the Indian two-wheeler giant, known for many years as Hero Honda, was formally renamed Hero Motor Corp Ltd with their new logo being unveiled in August. The Hero Group has been the official sponsor of Roadies for all eight seasons and will continue to do so in the ninth season this year as well, said a release from the company.

    Season 9 of MTV Hero Roadies with its new theme of Everything or Nothing will hunt for the toughest, strongest Roadie in the unexplored territories of the US. More about MTV Hero Roadies is at mtv.in.com/roadies/

     

  • The anchor: Shailendra Katyal on 5 ways to never get your media plan wrong

    #1 Adherence and application of past learning in developing an effective plan

    To get your future campaigns right, one has to learn from past campaigns. Your past experience to a large extent encapsulates elements that worked, helped the company achieve growth and let the brand establish its prominence over the competition. So, think about the future but don’t forget the past, because there may be valuable insights you can draw from previous successes and failures.

     

    #2 Consumer-centric rather than media-centric planning

    There is a tendency to ride with the popular and that is true in life too. Word of caution here, the flavour of the season just might not be meant for you. Even while drawing up the media plan, one has to understand the target group and the objective of the campaign. A media vehicle could be popular but may not address the need of your company, and brand and you will just end up wasting your money. Hence, target right with the specific tool.

     

    #3 Differentiate between short-term vs long-term campaign objectives

    There has to be a clear vision on the short-term and long-term objectives from a campaign. The short-term objective could vary from driving a festive promotion, to increasing footfalls at the shopfront. Long-term objectives could be to build brand awareness, connect with the TG, create customer loyalty and have a competitive edge. The long-term objectives cannot be clubbed with the short-term ones, which leads to losing focus and frustration at not achieving goals in a short span of time which was not possible at all in the first place.

     

    #4 Frequent monitoring of the plan and course correction

    The strategy should never be to chart a plan and then just adhere to it. This discounts the dynamic nature of the market. Constant tracking ensures that you can accommodate market changes, for example competition activity, media events affecting mid-level deliveries, etc. Periodic tweaking ensures that you are on track and gives serious thought to the brand map that one has created.

    #5 Make digital an integral part of the marketing plan. Only if digital is an integral part of your marketing plan, will it feature in your media plan

    The irony is that digital media is an after-thought and not a part of the media plan for many companies. Unless serious thought is given to digital, this medium, even though seen as a potent vehicle to reach its target group, will just be all talk and not yield anything tangible. To see results, adopt digital in its entirety and make it part of the media plan as one does for any other vehicle be it television, print or the other so-called conventional mediums.

     

    Shailendra Katyal is Director-Marketing, Lenovo India

  • In Mediaah! today: RIP, Gautam Rajadhyaksha * Great expectations fm AKB & SD * NYTimes launches India-specific site

    RIP, King of Soft Focus

    Mediaah! is updated three to four times a week. What you read here is a set of posts put up on September 13:

    We still remember his soft focus pictures of Rekha on Filmfare covers. One of the best known film and glamour photographers in the country, Gautam Rajadhyaksha passed away this morning due to heart attack. His photographs have adorned several magazine covers and newspaper supplements.

    Some tweets that we noticed since morning. They kind-of say it all.

    Shobhaa De: My darling Gautam Rajadhyaksha no more.Saddened beynd belief.Farewell confidante-cousin.Thank u 4 your generous love nd soft focus memories.

    Amitabh Bachchan: Gautam Rajadhyaksha the most gentlest of humans, and one of the finest photographers in the Industry, a friend,family favorite ..RIP

    Atul Kasbekar: My Guru n Mentor, Gautam Rajadhyaksha passed away this morning. my principal influence n a truly wonderful, gentle, kind n talented man

    Karan Johar: Gautam rajadhyaksha was one my most favourite people in the fraternity…funny,sensitive and always positive..I love you gautam and I miss u

    Sneha Rajani (Sony/MSM): RIP Ace photographer Gautam Rajadhyaksha. Thank you for the memories.

    If you had a great face and reasonable acting skills, a portfolio by Gautam was sure to land you a reasonable role. While he has also written the story and screenplay for a few movies, he would be best remembered for his contribution to film journalism. Mediaah! and the media will miss him.

    If you have an interesting Gautam Rajadhyaksha story, email us at pradyumanm[at]mxmindia.com (we’ve a Mediaah! address soon).

     

    Also read:

    NDTV story: Photographer Gautam Rajadhyaksha, 60, dies of heart attack

     

    Wikipedia infosheet on him

    Twitter feeds on him (may ask for a username and password)

     

     

    Great expectations from AKB and SD

     

    Our messenger hasn’t stopped buzzing. There have been many reactions to the two Business Standard appointments we reported yesterday. Just two reactions to Shailesh Dobhal’s appointment. So let’s get them out of the way.  Hope Shailesh is able to bring in some buzz to BS. Something that he didn’t have to do in ET and couldn’t do in FE. There’s another that said:It is interesting to see Ninan adopting a news features guy to this job.

    There is another reason why Mediaah! is happy to record Dobhal’s appointment. He is the second advertising and marketing journalist in the recent past after Rahul Joshi who covered the beat and who has moved mainstream. Ad and media beatwallahs are generally not considered pinkblooded journos by the economy, markets and corporate guys. In the good old days when business was called commerce in newspapers, even corporate was kind-of pariah, but when the news on Reliance meant more than just the business group’s fight with the Wadias and others or its rise on Dalal Street, the companies or corporate beat took centrestage.

    BS was incidentally one of the few papers which was very strong on corporate stories. It still is, but the big boys almost always grant the exclusives to Eco Times. That’s a challenge that AKB and Shailesh and the captains of other editions will achieve.

    On AKB, well, we must admit that there’s a past (between Mediaah! and him) when we had alerted him about a plagiarism case in the paper.But that’s the past. We spoke to a cross-section of current and former employees to find out, and while there’s some optimism given that he will give, others are a little more cautious. The consensus of course is that while they want the emphasis on hard news to increase, the need for a contemporary feel plus an open and fresh approach to business journalism are needed.Baru ensured that as he was very receptive to new ideas and not living in the past.

    Watch this space for more.

     

     

    New York Times starts an India-specific site

    This has been reported by Medianama before, but needs a quick mention. Thanks, Srinivasa Prasad (Professor, Manorama School of Communication, Kottayam) for sending us the link, it would’ve slipped a mention.

    The New York Times has started a section called India Ink, its first ever, country-specfic site for news, info, culture and general chatter. It’s got a pretty large team of writers and a coordinator, so if you are interested in the NY Timesy-kind of intellectual writing, go there. We will.

    There’s also a Twitter handle: @nytindia. And the site’s at: http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/

    PS: Don’t know what you think, but we thought that a bit of J&K was lopped on the India map? True or are we imagining things? Let us know at any of the following coordinates: pradyumanm[at]mxmindia.com, 23050B5D, Gtalk: pradyumanm[at]gmail.com, @pmahesh.