MxMIndia

Tag: DNA

  • DNA's VP Marketing tells MxMIndia about the new team running the ship, how the half-marathon benefited the paper, and coverage by other media…

    Jaldi 5 with Sorbojeet Chatterjee: Events like half-marathon deepens bond with readers

    It’s been a hectic fortnight for DNA’s vice-president – marketing, Sorbojeet Chatterjee. The women’s half-marathon was a show of strength for the newspaper and one wrong move could lead to much embarrassment. But, as those who visited the event tell us, there is much reason to cheer for Sorbo, as the CMO is better known as, since not only was the event a big success but it also offered reason to cheer as a positive rub-off to the newspaper brand and as a successful sports-cum-cultural property. He took some time off to respond to MxMIndia’s questions a day after the event.

     

    01.  It’s been an all-new team at the helm at DNA… organizing a successful event like the half-marathon must be a marathon effort?

    A new team also brings in some fresh thinking and added dynamism…This year the mandate was to scale up on all fronts.

     

    Since the event has been fully sponsored, wouldn’t it have been nicer for the entire entry fee to have gone in to the charity cause selected?

    We are the only half-marathon of stature that contributes 50% of the registration fees to charity. Going forward we plan to make the scale bigger by adding more NGOs and a larger corpus

     

    02.  From the point of view of the benefit to the brand, would you say DNA benefitted?

    A newspaper brand needs to be a relevant and integral part of the local milieu. Marquee events like a women’s half-marathon allow us to create special engagement opportunities that deepens the bond with our readers. Besides differentiated and innovative offerings are the best way to widen the reader family. Thus a one-off women’s half marathon will add some value to the brand, but the larger objective is to create a steady flow of events and engagement platforms that will strongly seed the brand in the “DNA” of our readers.

     

    03.  We’ve seen events run by publications becoming big and standalone properties of the publishing company (eg Filmfare, Femina awards). Do you see the Stayfree I Can Women’s Half-Marathon also becoming that?

    ‘I Can’ is an extremely powerful ethos and the long-term strategy is to extend it to various round the year engagement opportunities for women across multiple interest areas. There will be always be a finite limit to how much one standalone event can grow. However, the moment we create a strong umbrella brand the opportunity to scale up is infinite

     

    04.  We know it’s too early, but a couple of things that you would like to do to make it bigger and better next year?

    We would definitely like to grow in scale in terms of participants in the existing market as well as expand to newer markets. While we have almost doubled the registrations this year – there still exists a tremendous potential that can be tapped. Besides, every year we have been looking at ways of bettering the “runner experience”. We need to continue to innovate to further broadbase participation.

     

    05.  DNA is also published from other cities. Will you take this to other publishing centres (like Bengaluru, Pune, Ahmedabad etc)?

    This is only the second year. This year the focus was in terms of scaling up the event in Mumbai. The integration with Zee TV helped get national awareness. The logical step is to take it to the other ‘DNA’ markets in due course.

     

    It’s unfortunate that other media vehicles do not report on what their competition is doing… even if it’s for a good cause. Your comments?

    This year the media coverage for the event has been fantastic. Every news channel has covered it extensively. They realize that if an event is an integral part of the city – they must be true to their consumers and cover it.

     

  • The three runs (21km, 10km and 5km) of the Stayfree Women For Change DNA I Can Women's Half Marathon saw over 3800 women participating

    Over 3800 participate in DNA’s women half-marathon

    By A Correspondent

     

    Actor Akshay Kumar with radio jockey Malishika and fitness expert Mickey Mehta

    All roads in India’s new corporate district of the Bandra Kurla Complex led to the flag-off of the DNA women’s half-marathon on Sunday. It was the festive day of Mahashivratri, but that didn’t deter the 3800+ women who participated in the three runs (21km, 10km and 5km) which were part of the Stayfree Women For Change DNA I Can Women’s Half Marathon.

     

    Just the second edition of the event, the half-marathon drew participation from regulars in the running circuit as well as first-timers. Actor Akshay Kumar led a committed showbiz contingent at the event. While cheering participants, he said his key to fitness was getting to early to bed and rising early.

     

    Uttarakhand’s Kiran Tiwari from Western Railway won the Half marathon in 1 hour, 24 minutes. Ms Tiwari won a bronze medal in 2009 Asian Championships in China in the 3000 metre staple race. The others who followed Ms Tiwari were: Nilam Rajput (1:28:3), Nikite Nagpure (1:29:1), Rashmi Gurnule (1:33:6) and Sunite Wasghmode, (1:36:2).  In the 10 km run, the winners were: Supriya Patil (38:35:7), Heena Mali (39:10:9) and Priyanka Patil (40:43:0). And in the 5 km run, the winners were:  Teja Naik (21:22:7), Mrudula Bhande (24:37:5) and Rekha Haldipur (25:25:0) (Info source: DNA news report)

     

    Johnson & Johnson’s Stayfree was presenting sponsor along with a host of partners and associates. SportzConsult executed the event.

     

  • Mr Rao was recently assigned a corporate role after Dr Bhaskar Das took charge of news cluster at Zee

    DNA’s KU Rao joins HT as consultant

    By A Correspondent

     

    KU Rao has joined Hindustan Times as a consultant. Mr Rao had joined DNA in October 2006 as CEO. In November 2012, he stepped down as CEO and was assigned a corporate role in the Zee Group as incharge of the Siti Cable business after former Times of India group President Dr Bhaskar Das took charge of the Zee’s news business late last year.

     

    Mr Rao, who joined DNA from Shell, helped the transition from the paper’s management by the Dainik Bhaskar group to Zee in 2008. An MBA alumni from Andhra University, Mr Rao commands a varied experience of 30 years in media and management.

     

    Mr Rao joins HT at a time when it has also engaged Sujoy Ghosh, former Director at Bennett Coleman & Co Ltd as a Consultant.

     

    Although MxMIndia couldn’t reach HT for a comment, it is learnt that while Mr Rao will work full-time with the HT Media, Mr Ghosh’s engagement is restricted to that of an external consultant for sales.

     

  • Aditya Sinha quit DNA as editor-in-chief last week amidst rumours that the move had linkages with the Zee News controversy. While he denies the coincidence theory, do read the between the lines to figure what could be the reason

    Jaldi 5 with Aditya Sinha, former editor-in-chief, DNA: Coincidence that quitting timed with Zee News controversy

    When Aditya Sinha announced his decision to quit DNA as editor-in-chief last week, the move surprised especially since he was rumoured to be getting along well with Zee group chief Subhash Chandra. On Saturday, he tweeted: To those who asked: I have resigned DNA to focus on writing novels. First book being reworked, second just started. For wishes, many thanks.”

     

    When asked to reconfirm this, he told MxMIndia that he had submitted his resignation on December 6 and has moved on from immediate effect. “I have been hanging around, however, merely to drag out my goodbyes,” he said.

     

    On when his first book is going to be published, he corrected us. “My first book, non-fiction, was published in late 1995. My first novel will be published once we find a publisher, so I cannot currently give you a date,” he said. Indeed: Death of Dreams: A Terrorist’s Tale was a book on a Kashmir youth’s ascent as the head of a terror outfit.  He also wrote a biography of Dr Farooq Abdullah in 1996 and as he mentioned in a column in the DNA, he has ghostwritten a 1994 book by Salman Khurshid.

     

    When asked on his replacement, Mr Sinha also informed us that: “Ravi Joshi, the recently appointed Mumbai RE, suddenly finds himself incharge. Bhaskar Das may find an alternative if he can convince someone from his old place of employment to join.”

     

    It may be remembered that DNA has seen a rehaul of its A-team in the recent past, and Mr Sinha’s exit completes that. CEO K U Rao moved out last month to join parent Zee group as CEO of WWIL (SitiCable). In September, it hired Sorbojeet Chatterjee, as Vice-President – Marketing from Neo Sports (and marketing head at the TV Today network prior to that). Earlier, it appointed Varun Kohli, chief monetizing officer with Mogae Media, to head revenue (as Executive VP – Sales).

     

    Since there has been much speculation about Mr Sinha’s reasons for quitting, given that it comes in the wake of the controversies around the arrest of two senior Zee News executives and his strong defence in his column last week, we asked him a few questions. While he denies the coincidence theory, do read the between the lines to figure what could be the real reason:

     

    01. Your resignation happens at a time when the Zee group is embroiled in a controversy, with the chairman Subhash Chandra also subjected to questioning and the pressure on the arrested editors to name him. Coincidence?

     

    Coincidence.

    a. Couldn’t you have pushed your decision to some other time?

    It could have been done at some other time, but why should I follow other people’s timelines?

    b. Your decision to move is also untimely because DNA’s CEO has moved to Zee and the new regime under Dr Bhaskar Das is just about settling in. Couldn’t you have stayed on more?

    Please see answer to 1a.

     

    02. You’ve been very candid in your columns. Last week saw you defend Zee and present the group’s standpoint? Could your resignation also be construed as that you are against carrying pro-Zee reports, or should one say: compelled to carry?

    I have never been compelled to carry reports. If a family member is accused of something, it is natural for a person to speak of their point of view, not to condemn them. I believe in what I write, and no one has ever forced me to hew to a particular line.

     

    a. Just to clear the air on the Zee-Jindal controversy. Since you would know the real story, and since one knows that you will not fudge things:

    – Are the Zee editors really innocent?

    – Was there no quid pro quo?

    Innocence or guilt, I do believe, are established by courts of law. And whatever the Zee News Editors may be, it is laughable to think that my resignation is a quid pro quo for them.

     

    03. Your highs and lows as Editor-in-Chief of DNA? Something that you would’ve not liked to see happening if you had to relive your tenure.

    My two-plus years as an Editor-in-Chief  have been great. Each day was a learning experience. The greatest satisfaction was when colleagues did work that was notable, which was often. Of course, it is a stress-filled job and each morning begins with some irritation or other. The only lows were realizing that people working in the company did not even read your newspaper! It shows you that most non-journalists in the media industry have zero passion for their jobs.

     

    04. We’ve heard that the paper is going through a redesign? And the edit page may be back?

    The paper is going through a slight redesign because Bhaskar Das wants to change the look-and-feel of the paper to a template that is familiar to us all. He is keen on an edit page, so I guess my departure strengthens his hands in some ways.

     

    05. What next after your books? Writing isn’t really a financially rewarding vocation. Are you going to continue to stay on in Mumbai?

    I honestly don’t know what the future holds. If I could, I would write books for the rest of my existence. Mumbai is an expensive place to live, but I do like living here.

     

  • Long-serving DNA CEO KU Rao moves to a corporate role at Zee, as Group CEO Dr Bhaskar Das to take charge

    Bhaskar Das takes charge of DNA as CEO KU Rao to moves to corporate role @ Zee

    By A Correspondent

     

    Bhaskar Das

    After serving as CEO of the six-edition Daily News and Analysis (DNA) for six years, K U Rao is moving to the Zee group in a senior corporate role. It is not known if and when his position will be replaced, but Dr Bhaskar Das, who joined Zee recently as Group CEO, will be in charge of the newspaper.

     

    Mr Rao, who joined DNA from Shell, helped consolidate the paper and weather slowdown storms, ensured a smooth transition from the paper’s management by the Dainik Bhaskar group to Zee in 2008. His move was disclosed internally last week.

     

    Zee is learnt to be launching an English news channel and recently appointed Dr Das from The Times of India group with a specific task of consolidating its news offerings. The Zee group is reportedly in advanced level discussions with Amar Ujala to pick up a significant stake. There could be other acquisitions in the offing.

     

    Although Zee News pioneered independent news bulletins on television and the company has had a reasonable financial statement, it has not fared too well in ratings in recent years.

     

  • Ranjona Banerji on how Hindustan Times' efforts to carve a niche for itself is paying off. The edit page though has far too little analysis or informed opinion

    Ranjona Banerji: Why HT scores in Mumbai

    By Ranjona Banerji

     

    For Mumbai, The Times of India has to be the primary English newspaper. But seven years ago, a very serious challenge was mounted by the Hindustan Times and DNA. For at least five of those seven years, DNA was well ahead of Hindustan Times in circulation and readership and for a while, even had the Old Lady of Boribunder worried. But since then, Hindustan Times has overtaken DNA and left it behind as a third contender. The difference between the two papers is not much in terms of numbers – a few thousand copies, not hundred thousands – but it represents how much DNA has lost, its recent rise in IRS calculations notwithstanding. I’m not counting Mumbai Mirror in this race since it is not a standalone newspaper.

     

    So far it has seemed that DNA’s loss was HT’s gain – through no major effort of its own. But lately, HT’s efforts to make a niche for itself seem to be paying off. Unable to compete with the TOI for blanket coverage of city news – and severely hampered by the no-poaching pact between their managements – HT had specialised in packaging and focused campaigns. Now it seems to be taking a surer route – re-introducing the city to its readers.

     

    Monday’s newspaper has an excellent exploration of changing trends in the Girgaum area by senior journalist Smruti Koppikar. It’s good to see Ayaz Memon’s insightful and incisive column on “So Bo” (how I hate that phrase!) back in HT, shifted to Monday’s city pages from its earlier Sunday slot. HT Cafe is clearly trying to be less PR-driven than its competitors and ruffling a few feathers with its stories. And HT sports section – although this has little to do with Mumbai – is one of the better ones.

     

    That leaves HT’s edit page, which for my money is too skewed towards India’s TV stars and has far too little analysis or informed opinion – in my humble opinion!

     

    There are many ways for a newspaper to gain ground and many of those have to do with circulation, branding and management. But for editors, you have to grab the hearts and minds and HT Mumbai seems to be working that out for itself after seven years.

     

    **

     

    Mohd Junaid Ansari asks in what passes for the humour column on The Times of India’s edit page: “Aren’t we all a little bit in love with Hina Rabbani”. This takes off from the gossip that Pakistan foreign minister is involved in a love affair with the Pakistan president’s son and putative heir, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

     

    Attractive as Rabbani is, I would contend that only men and lesbians are likely to be in love with Rabanni. Even accounting for female foeticide, dowry deaths and accounting for same-sex selections, roughly half the human race might prefer to not to be in love with a woman. Some might even pick Bilawal over Rabani. We do count you know, even in a male-dominated world!

     

    **

     

    Arvind Kejriwal and Prashant Bhushan and other members of the new un-named political party and what’s left of India Against Corruption are bound to be disappointed with the media’s reaction to their allegations against Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law Robert Vadra.

     

    Although TV has given the story playtime, newspapers have been tepid. The main reason is the allegations are unsubstantiated and it requires some work to find out just how the connections between Vadra and DLF work. It looks as if Kejriwal and friends just threw a pebble into the pond to see how many ripples it would create.

     

    Now instead of taking it further, the anti-corruption crusader and politician is encouraging people in Delhi to break the law.

     

    Ranjona Banerji is a senior journalist and commentator based in Mumbai. She is also Contributing Editor, MxMIndia

     

  • Set to take charge as Vice President – Marketing of DNA today, Sorbojeet Chatterjee talks on how and why he's looking forward to the switch from TV to print

    Jaldi 5 with Sorbojeet Chatterjee: Quality editorial is core for any news brand

    A disclosure: he’s our quizmaster and hence part of the MxMIndia family.

    But he’s a professional first and as he sets out to make a dramatic switch from television to print, we thought it would be good to do a ‘Jaldi 5’ with him. For the record, Sorbojeet Chatterjee assumes office today as Vice President – Marketing at Diligent Media, publishers of the multi-edition DNA newspaper.

     

    01. From the No 1 Hindi news channel network to a challenger sports network to a challenger newspaper brand… you could”ve been sitting pretty with the leader at Aaj Tak. So why change?

    The answer lies in the question… as a marketing professional it’s critical to get varied exposure and not get too comfortable. After a fantastic stint in television news, the scale of sports was indeed tempting. I have been quite fortunate working across strong leader and challenger brands with some of the sharpest minds in the media industry. The momentum continues with DNA.

     

    02. You don’t hear of too many people switching from television to print. As a media marketer, do you see fair amount of action in print?

    There is no denying that the relevance and more importantly the impact of newspapers are constantly growing… especially in India.

     

    For me it completes the proverbial ‘circle’ in media…television, radio and now print. The complexities of building a strong newspaper brand are quite different from what I have done so far and I am looking forward to a new set of marketing challenges.

     

    03. What’s the first big thing that one can see on you joining DNA? Will there be more synergies with the parent group’s media offerings?

    Too premature to say anything. Will be suitably poised to answer this after a few weeks of rolling up my sleeves and getting my hands dirty.

     

    04. There are various views on it, but we would like yours: what’s more important for a newspaper’s success – quality editorial or great marketing?

    This is hardly a debate. Quality editorial is the core product for any news brand and is the solid foundation. Aggressive marketing is essential to create consumer awareness and overall buzz. A strong product without strategic marketing or a struggling product with cutting edge marketing yield the same result – a failed attempt!

     

    05. How’s Mumbai been for you at work? Pardon our putting you into a spot on this, but a quick Mumbai v/s Delhi analysis?

    Ah, this is a toughie! As a professional in this dynamic environment, one can’t afford to get attached to any particular location… it’s not the city that matters, but the culture in the workplace. How’s that for diplomacy?

     

  • Four leading media agency heads pick their top print ads of last year… in an extract from Dainik Bhaskar's Mosaic 2011

    The Best of Print Ads – 2011

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    You may have seen only a few of them and probably even forgotten the underlying message that the campaigns had to tell. But now you could make a dash to have a hard copy of MOSAIC, a compilation of the Best in Print (campaigns) to have hit India n shores in 2011. The compilation has been put together by 23 creative agencies who have submitted their best pieces of work for the category in 2011. Conceptualised by Sanjeev Kotnala and team from the Dainik Bhaskar Group, the initiative has been made special through the “insights” and “personal favourite” sections that have been provided by Media agency bosses. These include Lynn de Souza of Lintas Media Group, Mallikarjun CR, CEO, Starcom MediaVest Group, PM Balakrishna, Chief Operating Ofiicer, Allied Media and Punitha Arumugam, Director – Agency Business, Google India.

     

     

    Lynn de Souza, Chairman and CEO, Lintas Media Group, Chairman, Aaren Initiative and Director, Karishma Initiative

    “An excellent idea to recreate interest and remind all about the power and impact of the print medium. My only reservation is that there were too many submissions of ‘pretty pictures-pithy headlines’ work that may or may not have been published and did not appear to fully grasp how the medium must be used effectively.”

     

    TOP 5 Choices:

     

     

     

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    1) DNA – ISKCON (Scarecrow India)

    Reasons for choosing: The intelligent use of the cigarette-turned-food visual immediately targets the smoker and invites him/her to contribute in a very simple way to a cause that benefits both beneficiary and the giver – something not easy to achieve. I like the simple, clean look of the ad and the directness of the headline and copy.

     

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    2) Flying machine “What an Ass” (Lowe)

    Reasons for choosing: This is my idea of perfect ad! One that has used all the elements of the print medium – headline, visual, copy to present a bold, modern attitude through a perfectly harmonised contribution of all three. It’s an unmissable ad whether you are a guy or a gal.

     

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    3) Parker – Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards (Lowe)

    Reasons for choosing: A stark headline supported by the simple bottle of ink that says it all. An attention grabbing reminder of the power of the pen to influence the world. Perfect synergy for the subject – Journalism awards and the ‘always memorable’ image of a gold Parker fountain pen.

     

     

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    4) The Times of India – A day in the Life of India (Taproot India)

    Reasons for choosing: Fantastic art direction – great visual appeal that hooks you into reading the whole ad. The contemporary feel, using India n kitsch, with attention to detail, is riveting. (Check out the dog lifting his leg to pee on the bed of nails!) Bright, colourful, crowded yet not messy. I could read it again and again!

     

     

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    5) Vaseline ‘Dear Mr. Vaughan’ (BBH India)

    Reasons for choosing: The kind of ad that every Creative Director who woke up to it that morning would have said: “I wish I had written this”. There are some things you can do impactfully in a topical yet ‘permanent’ medium like print that you can’t do anywhere else, and this ad fits the bill. Nose-thumbingly outstanding!

     

     

    Mallikarjun CR, CEO, Starcom MediaVest Group

    “This is a fantastic initiative. As media agency professionals, our lenses to view the world are different. However, what comes across is that great creative work is universal. Really enjoyed it.”

     

     

     

    TOP 5 Choices:

     

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    1) Audi – World Cup (Creativeland Asia)

    Reasons for choosing: Great connect with the Champion’s Trophy ’85 win. Most of the target audience that can buy an Audi will connect immediately with that moment. For a lot of us India ns, that was the first moment of connect with Audi.

     

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    2) DNA ISKCON Food Relief Foundation (Scarecrow)

    Reasons for choosing: A nice calculus linking smoking to food relief. Very innovative, eye catching visuals.

     

     

     

     

     

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    3) Indigo Campaign (Weiden+Kennedy)

    Reasons for choosing: Stark, consistent visuals. The colours, space everything reflects the qualities of the airlines. Nice word play that grabs your attention and makes you read the copy. The reference to price is as value and not cheap.

     

     

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    4) Nissan Micra (TBWA\ India)

    Reasons for choosing: Simple stark visuals. Driving home the relevance of a small car without talking price, affordability etc. Great, understated use of a celebrity.

     

     

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    Reasons for choosing: Great expedient use of Michael Vaughan’s comment. Superb cut through and great visuals.

     

     

    PM Balakrishna, Chief Operating Ofiicer, Allied Media

    “I think this is a wonderful initiative and exposes the fantastic creativity. It is a very different platform as it is more an appreciation of great work rather than a competition as I believe each creative is great on its own.”

     

     

     

    TOP 5 Choices:

     

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    1) Bajaj Fans (Leo Burnett)

    Reasons for choosing: The best part of this creative is the way it has integrated everyday common issues and weaved them into the core communication of the product. The creative is also very well crafted visually using the very cause of the product making it very effective.

     

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    2) Birla Cellulose (Salt Brand Solutions)

    Reasons for choosing: The sheer aesthetic treatment to the communication draws you and I like the beautiful and colourful way the creative has used nature and the human body (woman). It brings out the environmental friendly nature of the product in a very soft and appealing manner.

     

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    3)Fuji(Grey)

    Reasons for choosing: Colour and background are intrinsic material for any great creative and nothing better than drawing inspiration from Mother Nature and wildlife. The beautiful use of the animals brings the message home effectively and creatively and connects with any photographer or photo enthusiast.

     

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    4)NipponPaints (JWT)

    Reasons for choosing: They say a great picture is worth a thousand words and the effect is breathtaking when it is beautifully woven into the message making the communication very compelling and effective. In this case the product USP, a central factor in the category has been brought home very beautifully for correct impact.

     

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    5) Zee 24 Taas (Draftfcb Ulka)

    Reasons for choosing: Ganpati Bappa has a significant connect with the India n diaspora and especially with Maharashtrians who revere the elephant God. I like the way the creative has beautifully engaged the viewers in an innovative and personal manner and makes it unique and different.

     

    Punitha Arumugam, Director – Agency Business, Google India

     

    “This initiative continues the long tradition of Dainik Bhaskar – breaking boundaries and setting new trends in the industry.”

     

     

     

     

     

    TOP 5 Choices:

     

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    1) DNA Mumbai Marathon (Scarecrow)

    Reasons for choosing: The power of long copy. It brings back memories of the old era, which was marked by a great headline and the power of long copy. It inspires and bonds with its audience.

     

     

     

     

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    2) Murphy Richards epilators (Contract)

    Reasons for choosing: The power of a picture. The visual intrigues, makes you pause, demonstrates the benefit and brings a smile – all this without a single word.

     

     

     

     

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    3) MTR Spicy Pickle (Ogilvy)

    Reasons for choosing: The power of insight. A true South India n like me will see this ad and can only say “How true!” Equating spicy with ‘tears’, the way the ad captures the cultural nuances – awesome!

     

     

     

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    4) Parker – Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards (Lowe)

    Reasons for choosing: The power of words. While most entries used the power of the picture, this ad stands out because it uses print for what it does best – leverage the power of words and intriguing headlines.

     

     

     

     

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    5) Saffola Healthy Heart (McCann)

    Reasons for choosing: The power of an innovation. A great collaboration between the creative agency, the brand team, the media agency and the publication to convey the brand message interestingly and inclusively so as to trigger an action from the reader.
    Best of Print in Dainik Bhaskar Group’s MOSAIC
     

    Some may see India’s performance of bagging just four Press Lions at Cannes out of the 30 that were shortlisted as a drab effort, but then there are some who would like to think of it as being otherwise. After all, Press Lions as a category managed to get India its largest tally of four metals versus any other category at the awards – a valiant effort considering that India finished 2012 with just 14 metals in its kitty.

     

    While the category may have received its fair share of fame at the pinnacle of creative awards, many would agree that Indian adland has failed to laud the finesse that stems out from Print creatives over the years. While such is not the case in some large international markets where creative works across categories gets noticed and rewarded that gesture seems to be missing when it comes to India. Luckily for the creative frat in India, an opportunity to showcase their best works – besides the awards shows – were given a fillip by the Dainik Bhaskar Group that released the first of its kind creative compilation of the finest works produced in Print in the form of MOSAIC 2011.

     

     

    Elaborating on the initiative, Sanjeev Kotnala, VP & National Head, Dainik Bhaskar Group said, “This has been a first year for MOSAIC, which is a rich collection of 150 creative units part of 77 campaigns that have been submitted by 23 agencies.” The creative showcase has been made special through some individual comments and insights that have been posted by creative leaders of individual agencies.

     

    Elaborating on the thought process behind the compilation, Mr Kotnala said: “As a group, we believe that the Indian creative across mediums and media is of international standards, in its thinking, relevance and in its execution. Unfortunately there has been no single reference point for the same. MOSAIC bridges this gap and we would want it to be referred by the creative, clients, media and trade.”

     

    As for the method that was adopted in getting the agencies to submit their campaigns, Mr Kotnala said that it began with Dainik Bhaskar requesting the creative heads at the agency to send their best Print work. “They know better than us – as by placing it in MOSAIC affirms it to be their best work. Though we did have constraints on the number of campaigns we could place in Mosaic from a single agency. This has all been a by-invitation. On the other side, there were few agencies that sent lesser number of creative units as they felt others were not up to the standard to feature in such a compilation. So it was created and evaluated by the creative teams themselves.”

     

    On how print has evolved over the years as a medium, Mr Kotnala said: “Today print ads are working on all fronts of communication. They are not just for the purpose of awareness building or as a source of providing tactical information; they engage and involve the readers and are very result-oriented in their approach. We always held that the idea is more important than the medium. And it will automatically find its right medium for better efficiencies and effectively delivery of the message.”

     

    In fact, the compilation has been made special with the involvement of four media agency heads who’ve provided their assessment of the campaigns. They include Lynn De Souza, Chairman and CEO, Lintas Media Group, Chairman, Aaaren Inititative and Director, Karshma Initiative; Mallikarjun CR, CEO, Starcom Mediavest Group; PM Balkrishna, Chief Operating Officer, Allied Media and Punitha Arumugam, Director- Agency Business, Google India.

     

    With the first edition already finding appreciation within the industry, the Dainik Bhaskar group have their task cut out for the next year too. On his plans for a sequel, Mr Kotnala said, “We would want to see more regional and language work in the collection – and they still should meet the standards set. We would and could try getting clients and media owners also picking their favourites and definitely may wish to incorporate a section on media innovations. Though we have taken the task and brought out the book, in our mind it is an industry level initiative and we would want to keep it that way.”

     

    Mosaic 2011 can be accessed and downloaded at http://i10.dainikbhaskar.com /dainikbhaskar2010/books/ Final_Book.PDF

     

  • In Freaking News, Ranjona Banerji reviews the fare in the morning papers and the nightly news. And sometimes the afternooners, the newsmags and all that's on the Web

    Ranjona Banerji: Media double faults in Paes-Bhupathi match

    Ranjona Banerji

    By Ranjona Banerji

     

    After years of working with city reporters, I accepted the fact that many grappled to understand the concept of “presumption of innocence”: If the police made an accusation against someone, why then it had to be true. But, of course, every accused has the right to defence. And while reporting a story, journalists are supposed to be objective. If they cannot provide both sides of a dispute, they must explain to the reader why they have failed.

     

    But in the initial rounds of this rather unfortunate fight in Indian tennis, where Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna have refused to partner India’s top tennis player Leander Paes in the 2012 London Olympics, the media started out batting for Bhupathi alone. In what appears to be a well-thought-out campaign, the doubles pair of Bhupathi and Bopanna sent out a series of letters and emails signalling their refusal to play with Paes even before the All Indian Tennis Association decided on the Olympic team. Several newspapers and news channels did not even make a willy-nilly attempt to contact Paes.

     

    The exceptions are possibly DNA and Headlines Today, who got in touch with Paes’s father. But for the most part, it was about the terrible wrong that was about to be done to Bhupathi and Bopanna – being forced to play with Paes for the Olympics. Mail Today and The Times of India seemed like they had stakes in Bhupathi’s career.

     

    These pressure tactics appeared to have failed and the AITA decided to pair Bhupathi with Paes. This is where objectivity completely failed India’s sports journalists. Bhupathi came on air and was quoted in print making all kinds of allegations against Paes. The Times of India at last informed us that they could not contact Paes. Therefore, the story remained one-sided.

     

    Bhupathi and Bopanna meanwhile, perhaps emboldened by this out-and-out media support stated firmly that if either had to partner Paes, they were willing to forgo the Olympics. Despite the media’s usual pattern of extreme jingoism, even this display of lack of country love, did not deter the pro-Bhupathi-Bopanna journalists. One cannot state that sports journalists are less jingoistic than the rest – we see what they do to cricketers regularly. In fact I can guarantee that any top cricketer who refused to play for India because he did not like his team members would be hung, drawn and quartered by the media. By the way, cricket is not even an Olympic sport and technically, when Indian cricketers play, they represent the board. Not so for tennis, where professional players put aside career considerations to play Davis Cup and the Olympics.

     

    However, as the week of allegations by Bhupathi and Bopanna came to a close, the media slowly started to turn. Paes may have contributed to that by issuing a statement that he was willing to go by the AITA’s decision. The Indian Express and Mid-Day started to look at being fair to all concerned. The Hindustan Times later also presented a larger picture. The Times of India came to the party last – but more on its edit pages than its sports pages.

     

    Where a reader should have been given perspective on this battle and information to negotiate through this unseemly fight, he or she got a minefield of accusations from only one side. Now the villain of the piece is apparently the AITA as Bhupathi has approached the sports ministry to step in. Bhupathi has accused the selection committee of being a bunch of bureaucrats who know nothing about tennis. To me they appear to be former players – perhaps not of the stature of Bhupathi but tennis players nonetheless, a fact which needs to be pointed out in the media.

     

    Monday night saw Times Now’s Arnab Goswami ask Mahesh Bhupathi some tough questions – some of which he struggled to answer. This is the first time that Bhupathi’s accusations were questioned. Later, the fathers of Paes and Bhupathi were on Times Now, where Paes Senior pointed out that Bhupathi was not blameless in this battle, while Bhupathi Senior tried to shrug that off and say the Olympic riddle had to be solved not the mistakes made by the boys.

     

    Appalling as this ego battle between India’s top tennis players may be, the media’s partisan stand has been as appalling.

     

  • This edition of DNA Wheelocity Auto Expo which showcased cars from the every price level

    DNA drives 10,000 visitors to Wheelocity Auto Expo 2012

    By A Correspondent

     

    Over 10,000 visitors visited DNA Wheelocity Auto Expo on May 12 and 13 at theBombayExhibitionCenterto enquire about sedans, hatchbacks, SUVs and bikes, which were being exhibited. From Maruti to the brands like Toyota, Mahindra, Honda, Renault, Hyundai, Ford, Nissan, GM, BMW, Land Rover, Volkswagen were amongst others on display. The expo also saw some vintages on display – a Ford Mustang 1969 model, a Dodge 1954 and Avon SS 1933.

     

    This edition of DNA Wheelocity Auto Expo which showcased cars from the every price level turned out to be a winner as there were interested buyers gathering information on their choice. Gautam Dalal, Vice President Marketing, DNA said: “The ability of a newspaper to deliver over 10,000 footfalls is an absolute testament to the response generating power of DNA. The clients present have ensured that working with DNA was indeed a fruitful relationship. They now want us to commission the next one at the earliest.”

     

    DNA had begun their campaign just 15 days prior grabbing the attention of their 6 lakh readers.

     

    In 6 years, DNA has become India’s 6th largest and the fastest growing English daily. Targeted at a young readership, DNA is the voice and soul of its readers intertwined with honesty. Through news, views, analyses and interactivity, DNA provides readers with a composite unbiased picture of their city and the world. Its interactive platforms seek to bring the reader and surfer at the centre of its news activity.

     

     

  • The Brand Trust Report 2012 has ranked DNA as India's second most informative newspaper, India's second most read newspaper and third most trusted newspaper brand

    DNA scores high in Brand Trust report

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Brand Trust report 2012 has mapped trust scores on the basis of 61 primary components & has ranked brands accordingly. The 2,718 respondents to this survey were influencers of society, all SEC AB, proficient in English and salaried. Besides trust scores, these influencers ranked the media that influenced them.

     

    On the basis of these factors, DNA has been ranked India’s second most informative newspaper, India’s second most read newspaper and third most trusted newspaper brand.

     

    Gautam Dalal, VP, Marketing, DNA said: “A lot has happened in the last year, leading to these trust scores. The Mumbai edition has ramped up to 6 lakh copies a day, ensuirng reader-centricity by quality journalism, path breaking engagement initiatives. The survey has ranked us well and placed us on a national pedestal.”

     

    “At the core of every brand lies trust. A seasoned marketer would agree that increased trust in a media brand leads to growing readership/viewership and eventually high response. Advertisers in DNA over the last year have experienced this already,” he added.

     

    According to the report, DNA was present in just 6 of the 15 cities surveyed, yet it managed to overtake some of oldest regional and national players. In an overall ranking of 17,000 brands, DNA was India’s 3rd most trusted newspaper brand.

     

    “Principles always came first to DNA. Under the platform of ‘Principles First’, DNA has recently published its journalistic code of ethics, followed shortly by its business principles. The trust scores are really an echo of the brand’s principles,” said Mr Dalal.

     

    The Brand Trust report survey is conducted by the Trust Research Advisory. The data was analysed by the Indian Statistical Institute, a government body founded in 1931.

     

  • DNA T20 has always positioned itself as a non-professional cricket carnival that brings with it a month-long dose of entertainment

    High five in DNA T20 season V @ New Delhi

    By A Correspondent

     

    With four successful seasons in the past, DNA gears up for its fifth season of what is popularly known as ‘DNA T20’ amongst top media agencies, at the Jamia Hamdard
    University grounds, New Delhi from March 31.

     

    DNA T20 has always positioned itself as a non-professional cricket carnival that brings with it a month-long dose of entertainment for the participating teams as well as their families, who come to cheer them up.

     

    The tournament offers to be a platform for DNA’s business associates, to know each other better beyond the boundaries of their offices, indulge in friendly banters over food and beverages, share spaces in pictures together and display their passion for the game on-field. It is that time of the year when ‘celebrating together’ is top priority on everyone’s mind and not trade, which is generally a routine throughout the year.

     

    With 12 participating teams facing against each other at an entirely different echelon, one need not be as talented as Tendulkar or as dedicated as Dravid. The DNA T20 raises the spirit of Cricket.

     

    Furthermore, lofty passions and the excitement of experiencing something ‘live and unrehearsed’ during the T20 matches spices up the game to a whole new level.

     

    Supported by Citibank and Frito Lays, with Carlsberg as the beverage partner, Crystal Mirage as the trophy partner, DNA T20 – Season V promises to be one fascinating event.