MxMIndia

Tag: Farhan Akhtar

  • The Bank has inked the deal with Farhan Akhtar as part of a well-structured brand strategy which intends to position the bank as a 'high street' brand

    Farhan to endorse multiple features for IndusInd Bank

    By A Correspondent

     

    IndusInd Bank has signed up Bollywood personality Farhan Akhtar to endorse the brand. The association with the multi-talented actor kicks off with a new advertising campaign designed to communicate the bank’s latest innovative proposition ‘Video Branch’. The Bank has inked the deal with Farhan Akhtar as part of a well-structured brand strategy which intends to position the Bank as a ‘high street’ brand.

     

    The Bank will be adopting a 360 degree integrated marketing approach to propagate the service message. The new advertisement has been directed by Gajraj Rao, a noted ad film-maker. R K Swamy BBDO, New Delhi is the creative agency for the campaign and Lodestar UM, New Delhi is the media agency of the Bank. While television takes the main lead, there will be strong presence of campaign on digital channel including social media through interesting virals, video content and user generated posts. The advertisement will be on air for duration of 6-8 weeks. Estimated media spend for the campaign is around Rs. 15 crore.

     

    The launch of IndusInd Bank ‘Video Branch’ is in line with the bank’s ingrained theme of Responsive Innovation. Video Branch allows IndusInd Bank customers to perform banking transactions via a video call without visiting the branch. The service is a purely video-based channel connecting customers on mobiles and desktops to staff representatives for face-to-face communications. Currently Video Branch is available for Android (2.3 and higher) and Apple mobile devices (iOS 6, 7 and higher) in the respective App Stores.

     

    Commenting on the proposed campaign, SumantKathpalia, Head – Consumer Banking, IndusInd Bank said, “Video Branch is yet another extension of IndusInd bank’s theme of ‘Responsive Innovation’ and a further reinforcement of our commitment to offer best-of-class services and convenience to our customers. This service is an outcome of extensive consumer research and a clear need-gap that was identified over a period of time. Digitisation is the future of banking and we are hopeful that the new service will be immensely useful to our customers.”

     

    Commenting on the upcoming ad campaign, Mohit Ganju, Head, Marketing & Communications, IndusInd Bank said, “The latest advertisement campaign incorporates strong consumer insights and we have used interesting – a bit humorous situations to deliver the service message. Our association with Farhan as a brand endorser is set to strengthen the bank’s communication towards its core philosophy of Responsive Innovation, reinforcing the bank’s brand statement ‘You desire, We Deliver’. Farhan personifies sincerity, new-age thinking and dynamism and is a great fit to the brand. We look forward to synergizing with him in the bank’s journey to establish itself as a high street brand.”

     

    In the recent past, IndusInd Bank has launched a host of innovative services like My Account My Number, Choice Money ATMs, Check-on-Cheque, Cash-on-Mobile, Direct Connect, Quick Redeem Service and 365 Days Banking. All these unique services have been widely publicized and have been well appreciated by the customers.

     

  • The ratings for Shaadi Ke Side Effects went from two to three, but mostly hovered at 2.5, notes Deepa Gahlot

    Reviewing the Reviews: Critics divided on Shaadi Ke Side Effects

    By Deepa Gahlot

     

    Shaadi Ke Side Effects

    Directed by: Saket Chaudhary

    Starring: Farhan Akhtar, Vidya Balan, Vir Das, etc

     

    About Saket Chaudhary’s Shaadi Ki Side Effects, most critics were divided. They were also disappointed that an idea with potential was frittered in a plot that is so callously misogynistic and most unfair to the woman. Farhan Akhtar’s performance as the reluctant dad was appreciated by most; Vidya Balan seems to have been given a dead-end part with hardly any redeeming features.

     

    The ratings went from two to three, but mostly hovered at 2.5, and that too because the subject of an urban marriage coming apart by parenthood is relatively novel for Hindi films.

     

    Shubra Gupta of the Indian Express rued, “Till the half-way mark, Saket Chaudhary hits things right on the mark. Post-interval, the film is all over the place. Sid’s mentor ( Kapoor) takes him down a dodgy path which involves ‘me time’ carved out of a bunch of white lies. Out comes the tired homily : for a happy marriage, a few untruths are necessary. To stay consistent to this very guy thing, Sid is made to experiment with a change of image. The film, which was moseying along with sure-footed lightness, even if it was from an exclusionary male point of view, starts becoming forced.”

     

    Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV.com commented, “White lies, some harmless subterfuge and an occasional return to the joys of a “carefree single life” are offered as a way out of marital drudgery.  Sure enough, the side effects of that formula are far too many for comfort and they boomerang many times over on Sid. Shaadi Ke Side Effects isn’t exceptionally engaging fare. It is essentially a single idea stretched to the very end of its tether. Yet, the sheer ordinariness of the circumstances that the story hinges on helps the film retain its amusing core.”

     

    Rediff.com’s Prasanna D. Zore ranted, “Shaadi Ke Side Effects (SKSE), written and directed by Saket Chaudhary, who also helmed Rahul Bose-Mallika Sherawat starrer Pyaar Ke Side Effects, opens on this contrived note and meanders for an over-stretched 145 minutes, full of twists and turns, that one has come to so famously associate with soaps produced by Balaji.  Chaudhary has, at times, over-simplified the complex issues married couples face (sharing of parental responsibilities) and, at times, over-amplified the way these strange creatures (read married couples) react to facts of married-life, like pregnancies.

     

    Anupama Chopra of Hindustan Times had fun in the first half, “But post-interval, another film begins,” she wrote. “One that is curdled and contrived. New characters are introduced but instead of being organic to the narrative, they seem like an afterthought – tacked on simply to keep a movement going.

     

    Saket creates flashes of genuine insight into marriage and parenting – toward the end, Trisha finally gets a moment to articulate how overwhelming motherhood can be for a woman – but these get lost in the clumsy, overstretched plot.”

     

    Rajeev Masand of CNN-IBN had the same opinion. “Unfortunately, the steady stream of laughs from the first half more or less dries up post intermission, when the writers struggle to come up with dramatic plot-points for a film that frankly has no story. Sid’s mid-life crisis – he buys a motorbike, and begins partying with his new “bro” Vir Das – feels far-fetched and contrived, as does a subplot involving a helpful maid (Ila Arun) who subsequently oversteps her boundaries. Even a half-baked attempt at a twist in the film’s final act can be guessed from a mile away.”

     

    Deepanjana Pal of Firstpost commented, “If you’ve seen Chaudhary’s first film, Pyaar Ke Side Effects, and the trailer to Shaadi…, which shows a cool husband and his nagging wife, then the expectations would be different. It turns out that Shaadi… falls smack in the middle. It has some genuinely quirky moments, but it’s also half-baked, juvenile and completely lacking in insight.”

     

    Nandini Ramnath of Mint wrote, “Chaudhary’s debut, released in 2006, had endearing characters, several nicely executed gags, a consistently comic tone and empathy for the female lead even though the story played out entirely from a male point of view. Shaadi Ke Side Effects continues with the male POV, has the same exasperated voice-over and similar sense of shock at the responsibilities foisted by marriage on the male gender. The second film has gained gloss and glamorous leads but at the expense of variety and tonal consistency. Early-reel wackiness is jettisoned for heavy-handed sermonizing, Sid’s suffering enters masochistic territory, Trisha begins to look less like a misunderstood mother and more like an uncaring hausfrau.”

     

    Anuj Kumar of The Hindu quite liked it. “Apart from conjuring up funny moments around seemingly serious issues, Saket’s storytelling keeps you engaged even when you know the obstacles on the way are not entirely novel. The arrival of the child, the presence of a handsome neighbour, the emergence of a marriage guru in the family, we know the basic tropes but still Saket manages to keep us in good humour with witty lines and a couple of foot-tapping party numbers. He has a knack for making you feel complacent and then surprising you with a little twist in the treatment.”

     

    Sarita Tanwar of DNA was also kind. “Shaadi Ke Side Effects is a romcom that begins with a married couple indulging in some role play on a night out. Right off you know, this is the kind of Hindi film that you haven’t seen before. It deals with the situations - comical and ironical - that follow once Trisha (Vidya Balan) and Sid (Farhan Akhtar) realize they are expecting a baby. The arrival of the tot brings with it challenges that neither anticipated. Sid grapples with how to be a good husband and father while being financially and emotionally supportive. Trisha worries constantly about her baby, her weight gain and giving up a career. It is an unknown territory for both and it throws up new situations and complicates their life to the point they don’t recognize it, or each other. Lies and deceit follow.”

     

  • The alliance is to cultivate the aggressively expanding mobile business of Intex which is expected to be the key revenue driver during the current fiscal

    Intex ropes in Farhan Akhtar as brand ambassador for its smartphones

    By A Correspondent

     

    Intex Technologies, a mobile phones, IT accessories and electronic products company, has announced Bollywood actor-director Farhan Akhtar as its brand ambassador for its range of Smartphones.

     

    The alliance is to cultivate the aggressively expanding mobile business of Intex which is expected to be the key revenue driver during the current fiscal.

     

    Announcing the association with Farhan Akhtar, Sanjay Kumar Kalirona, GM-Mobility Division, Intex Technologies (I) Ltd, said, “Farhan, as a versatile actor with youthful zeal and positive influence, will distinctly bring forth shared synergies, values and beliefs and help Intex further expand its customer reach. Being one of the most multi-talented actors around, we believe he will best fit with our brand. He is a tech enthusiast himself, and we look forward to his refreshing ideas and are confident of a successful partnership that will take the Intex mandate to another height.”

     

    The one-year association will see the Bollywood star promoting Intex smartphones through a holistic 360-degree marketing campaign which will entail print, outdoor and a TVC. The TVC is expected to be on air by June 2013.

     

  • Where I feel a little let-down is in the execution. The thought is there, the passion is missing

    Debrief: Dulux: Needs a dose of passion

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    So, it appears that the ad world having finally discovered young Farhan Akhtar, it’s time for this ‘new cool’ actor/director to strike it rich. He’s all over the place these days. However, I must say the Dulux guys, for their Velvet Touch brand, have used Akhtar a little more effectively in their new ad.

     

    The commercial equates an individual’s ideology and attitude with the colour he/she chooses for the wall. Akhtar plays the anchor and delivers the voiceover as poetry, and this he does well. So there’s a rock-star wannabe who opts for the red shade. An environment-friendly architect settles for green. And so on.

     

    I like this approach. Because it strikes at the core of what a consumer really wants from his/her paint, after the tangible factors are in place (reliability, durability, wash-proof paint, etc). Which is that the colour on the wall must in some way reflect the resident’s personality. (I, for one, am very serious about painting my walls deep black, the only thing that stops me is I am may not be able to spot a visiting cockroach!) In this context, Dulux is on the right track.

     

    Where I feel a little let-down is in the execution. The creative hasn’t done justice to the idea of a shade matching the person’s desires and ambitions. They haven’t been able to take the concept to a higher emotional plane, this looks like half-baked creative. The thought is there, the passion is missing. I can visualise stunning, engaging ads using the play of human beings and colour, with or without the services of Farhan Akhtar.

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”220″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMrvbl6oEbo[/youtube]

    Rating: (On a scale of 1-5): 2.5 Good idea, needs to be fleshed out.

     

  • Telling the story is what advertising is about; and a story well told is a product well sold. So does the narrative style work or is it better to be direct?

    The Magic of Narrative

     

    By Tuhina Anand

     

    In advertising it is about finding an emotional connect. If you have managed to do so, you hit a home run. Hence it’s no surprise that one finds many advertisements today that rely on a narrative style which is sometimes no less than poetry, and instantly strikes a chord with the viewers. The focal point is that the words should express the emotions and bring out both the joys and the trials and tribulations.

     

    Take for example the recent Visa Debit campaign. It has the best talent from the industry that has worked to craft the concept and the result is a fabulous example that blends a narrative style with human aspirations thus bringing out what Visa can do for a common man. End result – a narrative that resonates with common man and an ad that aligns well with the brand and its offering.

     

    VISA DEBIT

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”220″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T44lW5FIq2g[/youtube]

    Shubhranshu Singh, Marketing Director, Visa, said, “The TV commercial that launched our ‘Dream to Advance’ campaign was visualized to deliver the core message that Visa Debit empowers people to achieve their dreams no matter where they reside. The integral human truth about an aspiration to achieve was brought alive in an authentically Indian setting. The narrative written by Gulzar engages and connects not only from an emotive point of view but also from the message delivery perspective. The music by Shantanu Moitra amplifies the beauty of the quest set against the majestic canvas of Kashmir’s landscape. Directed by Amit Sharma of Chrome Pictures, our latest TVC has ensured that the end result is a seamless blend of creativity and brand positioning.”

     

    Intel has launched its campaign on the theme – go do something wonderful. The campaign uses a narrative style similar to Visa. It talks about Intel helping in realizing dreams, and the powerful narrative only makes it more convincing.

     

    INTEL

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”220″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0QJc_rPYY0[/youtube]

    Sandeep Aurora, Director of Marketing, Intel South Asia, said, “Today’s youth are optimistic about what the future holds, but there is an underlying anxiety about tomorrow. Things around them are changing so fast that they know there are opportunities out there, but they don’t always know how to grab hold of them. The new Intel campaign maximizes relevance to this audience by showing stories that don’t focus on the technology that Intel makes, but what that technology makes possible. Based on the famous quote from Intel co-founder Robert Noyce, the ‘Go do something wonderful’ campaign the narrative aims at shining the spotlight on the partnership between consumers and PCs with Intel inside – that personal passion , big ideas and creativity can come alive when they meet a Intel Powered PC.”

     

    Then there is the recent ad for Xylys that uses the voice of Farhan Akhtar, who has also been featured in the ads.

     

    XYLYS

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”220″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DEbak91UeQ[/youtube]

    Giving his take on the narrative style of the ads, Harish Bijoor, brand expert & CEO, Harish Bijoor Consults Inc, said, “These ads are aspirational, hope-filled and hope-fuelling pieces of advertising that find their way into our advertising culture when times are tough. When the times are tough, one needs positive strokes. These pieces attempt these positive strokes. To an extent I would call them “economopause advertising”! When the economy hits its andropause moment, it needs advertising such as this.”

     

    After taking a look at these ads, Rahul Jauhari, National Creative Director, Everest Brand Solutions, opined, “This narrative style is tried and tested. Yes, it works. Given the right choice of voice and rendition, it can add magic to a film. It can raise the level of a film. Of the three, the narrative in the Intel and Visa one suit the film. The Visa narrative adds charm to the story. The one in Xylys? I think Farhan’s voice lets it down. Yes it’s his voice since he is in the film. But his voice, per se, is not a great one for narratives, and falls flat for me.”

     

    Opinions will vary but there is no denying that the narrative style definitely packs a punch.

     

  • By Invitation: Mahesh Murthy on the Pinstorm list of the most influential Indian individuals and brands in the social media

    India’s Most Influential

     

    If you’ve been in the Indian media and are active on social networks, you just can’t ignore Mahesh Murthy (~5500 Facebook followers, ~18500 Twitter followers, 11600+ Linked-in connections!). On Saturday, he tweeted about the new Influencers rankings that his company Pinstorm produces, and the last time he did that, we noticed it was pretty well-received. However, we thought it would be a good idea to wait a bit and let the system get more robust. So when chanced upon his tweet on the Influencers 2.0, we checked out the list and invited him to write this piece for MxMIndia readers. And slipped in a request to send it the next day. That would be an impossible suggestion for most people, but we knew that Mr Murthy can will deliver. The Pinstorm founder and Seedfund managing partner is online nearly 24×7. Plus he understands the needs of our site and the profile of our readers: he has had first-hand experience of working with brands – now at Pinstorm and earlier with Ogilvy, Grey etc in advertising. He headed Channel [V] for a bit in the mid-1990s and a slew of media/onlne properties his companies PassionFund and now Seedfund have backed, including afaqs.com. – Ed

     

    By Mahesh Murthy

     

    Imagine you were a brand that bought a spot on Satyamev Jayate, or on one of the many IPL matches that we just got done with. Depending on the deal you struck, your placement must have cost you between Rs 2 lakh and Rs 10 lakh for every 10 seconds of airtime. Not counting the Rs 1 crore or so it must have cost you to produce the ad and pay the agency.

     

    Now both these programs got TRPs of around 3. That means around 3 per cent of India’s 121 million cable and satellite homes had tuned in. That’s 3.6 million households.

     

    Now imagine you were interested in the youth audience – and let’s keep it broad – say anywhere between 14 and 30 years of age. That would be about 1 such person per household – or 3.6 million people. And now let’s imagine you were interested in SEC A/B and not so much in C/D/E. So you have to cut that 3.6 million youth down to around 1 million at the most, that is if you’re feeling generous

     

    So it cost you around 500,000 or more rupees to reach 10,00,000 upscale youth once, for 10 seconds. On the programmes with the greatest reach in India. Most other TV programmes will have a fraction of this reach – where you’d be lucky to get 100,000 upscale youth watching your ad.

     

    Youth online

    Now let’s turn our attention to an entirely different medium. Let’s say that for some reason, Farhan Akhtar mentions your brand on a tweet. Or on his Facebook fan page. Or on a blog. Guess what your direct reach would be? About 10,00,000 people – mostly all upscale youth. Now let’s say just 1 per cent  of those re-tweet it. That’s 10,000 people. And if each of those re-tweeters has an average of around 150 followers, it’s now gone out to another 15,00,000 people. Even adjusting for duplication, that’s a total reach of 20,00,000 or more people. That’s more youth than the biggest TV shows in India can get you to.

     

    Now imagine that all of it is for free. Or, at best, for a teeny-tiny budget.

     

    And now imagine other people also talk of you online.

     

    Shashi Tharoor, our parliamentarian from Kerala directly reaches 13,00,000 people. Amitabh Bachchan reaches twice as many. Keeping showbiz aside, Yuvraj and Dhoni both directly reach more than Shashi Tharoor does. And the Dalai Lama, from his remote outpost in Dharamsala, directly reaches out to an amazing 44,00,000 people. The Delhi and Mumbai editions of The Times of India together don’t do that.

     

    But it’s not all celebs. Kiran Bedi reaches 4 lakh people online – mostly SEC A/B folks. That’s more than any show on MTV can get you across to. My friends Mehul Patel and Vishal of Pentagram can each get you to over a lakh people apiece, directly. More than any English business programme can.

     

    A section of the Pinstorm India Influencers 2.0 rankings of resident Indians (Please click to be taken to the live page)

    Mankind is the medium

    In this digital world, people don’t necessarily get their news and information from websites or TV channels. They get it increasingly from other people. The new medium isn’t digital: it’s you and me – and the places we talk.

     

    Facebook has 50 million Indians on it. That’s more people than watch Star Plus in the country. And 7 million of those are on Tata Docomo’s Facebook page. Approximately 7 times the monthly reach of MTV’s TV channel. So who needs who – does Docomo need MTV? Or is it the other way round?

     

    Once a Shahrukh Khan needed Filmfare and its circulation of 25,000. Today @iamSRK has a circulation of 25 lakh and a reach of twice as many. One would imagine a single tweet from him could double Filmfare’s newsstand sales if he chose to be gracious.

     

    Potential influence, not just reach

    But the power of different people on social media isn’t just that of their Facebook fan base or Twitter followers. That would be as silly as saying Doordarshan has a reach of 135 million just because every set in India can receive it.

     

    Social influence is measured based on many factors. How often do you talk – is it the notoriously taciturn @Aamir_Khan who has tweeted all of 90 times in the last few years? Or is it the motormouth @Agnivo who has tweeted over 2 lakh times in the same period?

     

    How often are your tweets forwarded or re-tweeted? What is the reach of those re-tweets? How often do people act on your tweets by replying to you – and how often do you engage back in conversation?

     

    All of these are factors that go into measuring one’s potential to influence online.

     

    The Pinstorm India Influencer Rank

    At Pinstorm we track the online influence of almost 5,000 Indian people and brands every day.

     

    We first created this list of social media mavens -and we add to it every month. Then we use scores from three different international measurement services – Klout, PeerIndex and Kred which look at an entity’s strength on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Quora and blogs – and then apply our own algorithm to these scores to arrive at a consolidated score and rank.

     

    Our scores are graduated out of 100 – and you can see them live at Pinstorm.com/ii. As at the time of writing this – and things can change every single day, Aamir Khan leads the individual influencer rankings with an II score of over 80 out of a possible 100. The only other entity with a similar 80+ score is NDTV, who heads our influencer rankings on the organisational or brand side.

     

    As you can imagine, Bollywood and sports personalities dominate the individual rankings, with 15 of the Top 20 individual rankings. The five exceptions being Rajdeep Sardesai, Shashi Tharoor, The Dalai Lama, Kiran Bedi and ex-adman and now comic tweeter Ramesh Srivats.

     

    Surprisingly, media properties don’t quite dominate the brand influence rankings, with just 8 of the top 20 positions. But cricket leads with 10 of the top 20: with CricInfo, CricketNext, IPL and 7 IPL teams holding top ranks.

     

    The best-ranked consumer brand in online influence terms is Samsung, followed by IndiaGames, Ixigo, Vodafone, Flipkart, Airtel and HCL.

     

    A section of the Pinstorm India Influencers 2.0 rankings of Indian brands (Please click to be taken to the live page)

    The purpose of maintaining these lists wasn’t just so social celebs could boast of their rankings to each other.

     

    Truth is that the vast majority of the 5,000 people we track aren’t celebs in the traditional media world. Perhaps you’ve not heard much of Madhavan Narayanan, Malini Agarwal, A R Karthick, Jaydip Parikh, Rahul Banker, Kaveri Ahuja or Sundar Raman. These people (and, I must somewhat embarrassingly add, myself too) appear in the Top 75 influencer list for India. With online influence scores greater than that for Viveik Oberoi, Shabana Azmi or the online avatars of The Economic Times, MTV or Star Plus.

     

    In India’s online world where there are more people on the net than there are TV sets – and where more people already access the net from their mobile phones than do from their desktops and laptops – where would you put your marketing rupees?

     

    At Pinstorm we suggest to marketers that a well-thought-through group of online evangelists, people who are interested in your product category and have credibility – should be lovingly tended and cared for. New announcements and launches should be shown to them first – because if they like what they see, they might talk about it online.

     

    And that combination of reach and credibility could do you a lot more good at lot less than a Rs 1 crore TV commercial shown repeatedly for Rs 10 lakh every 10 seconds.

     

    The Pinstorm India Influencer List is live and visible online at http://www.pinstorm.com/ii  We maintain lists across brands, residents of India, Indian non-residents and politicians. Mahesh Murthy is the founder of Pinstorm, India’s leading digital-first brand management firm.