MxMIndia

Tag: Indranil Das Blah

  • The agency will take charge of the mainline, digital and content creation duties for the brand

    Gozoop retains Mumbai City FC’s integrated marketing duties

    By A Correspondent

     

    Gozoop has retained the integrated marketing mandate for the Indian Super League (ISL) franchise Mumbai City FC for the third time. As part of the mandate, the agency will take charge of the mainline, digital and content creation duties for the brand.

     

    Commenting on the win, Ahmed Aftab Naqvi, Gozoop CEO & Co-founder said: “We have been helping top sports brands reach, engage and delight their fans across the world for a decade now with our best-in-class digital and creative capabilities. Throughout our association with Mumbai City FC, our focus has always been on pushing the boundaries and exceeding expectations to create a multi-dimensional plan for marketing the brand across new-age channels. We are looking forward to give our best to the team once again. Mumbai City FC is very special for us especially since we are based out of Mumbai. We have a team which specialises in sports and will be giving in their best to make this season a successful one in every way possible.”

     

    Added Indranil Das Blah, CEO of Mumbai City FC: “Gozoop’s understanding of our Team, category, passion for sports coupled with their understanding of the sports fans from Mumbai, made them the perfect partner for us. This is the third year of our association and we believe that our work will be able to better our relationship with fans even further across all touch points.”

     

     

  • Founding partners Indranil Das Blah and Vijay Subramaniam appointed as Co-CEOs

    Kwan realigns management team

    By A Correspondent

     

    L-R- Vijay Subhramaniam, Founding Partner and Co-CEO , Indranil Das Blah, Founding Partner and Co-CEO, Anirban Das Blah, Founder and Dhruv Chitgopekar, Founding Partner

    In a major management reshuffle, Kwan Entertainment has announced the appointment of its founding partners Indranil Das Blah and Vijay Subramaniam as its Co-CEOs. In the new role, the duo will manage the day-to-day operations and the agency business at Kwan. The move is aimed at leveraging their combined extensive experience in the fields of entertainment, media, sports, and music to drive the company to the next level of its growth.

     

    The latest development will also see Blah take on a more evolved strategic role, in which he will guide the firm’s long-term vision, strategy, and growth as its promoter. The move will additionally give Anirban, a prominent name in the entertainment and media landscape, the opportunity to diversify his professional interests to other business ventures such as Mojostar (cofounded with Jiggy George) as an investor, promoter, and mentor.

     

    Other members of the KWAN senior leadership team will continue in their current roles. Co-founder Madhu Mantena will continue to drive the evolution of Kwan into a diversified media and entertainment company, along with Anirban. Founding partner Dhruv Chitgopekar continues to spearhead its brand and consumer incubation initiatives.

     

    Speaking on the management rejig,Blah said: “Having helmed Kwan for almost a decade now, I feel the time is right for me to hand over the reins of its day-to-day operations to Indranil and Vijay. They’re both extremely talented individuals who’ve been associated with Kwan from Day One, and have proved their business management acumen time and again by driving exponential growth for their respective verticals. With them spearheading Kwan’s business operations as Co-CEOs, I have no doubt that the firm will continue to grow at a rapid pace, evolving and expanding in sync with the rapidly-changing entertainment and media ecosystem of the country.”

     

    Added Subramaniam: “For me, the Kwan journey has been nothing short of a dream fulfilled. I feel honoured and privileged to be able to continue the good work that we have achieved as a team over the years. I am confident that, with Anirban guiding the company’s strategic vision, Indranil and I will add more milestones to Kwan’s ongoing success story by leading the company into the next phase of its growth.”

     

     

  • "I have not received any notice yet. So I cannot make any comment. If it (notice) is received, my lawyers shall attend to it. It would be inappropriate to comment on a matter that is subjudice," said Amitabh Bachchan

    Is it right to indict celebs for endorsing FDA-approved products?

    By Nandini Raghavendra & Ravi Teja Sharma

     

    With a Bihar court directing police to file an FIR against Maggi brand ambassadors Amitabh Bachchan, Madhuri Dixit and Preity Zinta, celebrity endorsers are in a tizzy.

     

    Many celebrities refused to comment on record, but said that they have become a soft target in this fiasco. “It’s sad and true that known faces get targeted for the wrong reasons and agendas just to seek attention. It’s unfortunate because it becomes like a cry wolf syndrome; the day there will actually be someone with a justified reason and cause, it will not be given the importance it possibly deserves,” said actor Arjun Kapoor, who recently faced public ire over his participation in the AIB Roast. “Fame is a double-edged sword,” said actor and singer Ayushmann Khurrana.

     

    Madhuri Dixit’s lawyer Anand Desai, who is managing partner at DSK Legal, said the actor had not received any Food and Drug Administration (FDA) notice. Asked if a star could be arrested for such an offence, Desai said that an arrest is made only to prevent a star from not co-operating or not perpetuating the crime further. Custodial investigation definitely reveals more than non-custodial, but what are the stars going to contribute here, he asked.

     

    “I have not received any notice yet. So I cannot make any comment. If it (notice) is received, my lawyers shall attend to it. It would be inappropriate to comment on a matter that is subjudice,” said Amitabh Bachchan.

     

    So have stars really become soft targets? The fact that such a big MNC has been accused does not seem as important to people as discussing the brand association with film stars, said social commentator Santosh Desai. “The primary responsibility lies with the FDA, who have still not been able to figure out what is wrong. Then how do you expect the stars to do it?” he asked.

     

     

    “If a product has been passed by the FDA, why would a celebrity not believe that all is in place? Yes, it merits an investigation but in the case of anything being amiss, the primary responsibility lies with the FDA not the stars. It is a completely irrelevant fact, it is just that everyone feels important by association with the stars,” Desai added.

     

    “Celebrities are protected by their contracts,” said Indranil Das Blah of celebrity and sports management firm Kwan. He found the situation grossly unfair. “You cannot hold a celebrity responsible or liable for something that’s not in their hands, they are not in charge of the product development in the first place. They are not going to get into the R&D of a product or the brand promises that it makes,” said Blah.

     

    Bunty Sajdeh, CEO of Cornerstone Sport and Entertainment said that it is unfair and opportunistic and the stars are being targeted just because they are celebrities. “If it’s a reputed brand, if it is FDA approved, legally approved and legally in the market, we will take it on its face value. Besides, we protect our celebrities very stringently in our contracts, wherein we are completely indemnified from any such untoward incidences and we also have the right to terminate,” says Sajdeh.

     

    Source:The Economic Times

    Copyright © 2015, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved

    Licensed to republish

     

  • Continuing with our World Cup previews, we look at how the Indian team's form is impacting broadcast sponsorship

    Is the form of Dhoni & Co keeping advertisers at bay?

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    Is the Indian team’s cricketing form a worry for advertisers? We spoke to a few sports marketing specialists and this is their analysis: While the likelihood of India entering the quarter-finals is very high,    let’s take a close at look at the India fixtures and the time at which each of them is going to be aired (all timings in Indian Standard Time).

     

    Sun, Feb 15 v/s Pakistan, 9am

    Sun, Feb 22 v/s South Africa, 9am

    Sat, Feb 28, v/s UAE, 12 noon

    Fri, Mar 06  v/s West Indies, 12 noon

    Tue, Mar 10  v/s Ireland, 6.30am

    Sat, Mar 14  v/s Zimbabwe, 6.30am

     

    The first two matches will have much bearing on how India fares in the Cup. While the UAE and Ireland matches are India’s unless there is a major upset, the West Indies and Zimbabwe could not be taken too lightly. The last two matches start at 6.30am on Tuesday and Saturday so could see a beating in viewership and Feb 28 is Budget Day and will clash with Finance Arun Jaitley’s speech.

     

    And this is how the last seven fixtures are scheduled:

    Quarter-finals 1-3 March 18-20, 9am

    Quarter-final 4 March 21, 6.30am

    Semi-final 1 March 24, 6.30am

    Semi-final 2 March 26, 9am

    Final: March 29, 9am

     

    The likelihood of India reaching the quarter-finals is a near-certainty unless there are some major upsets, the likes of which we have seen in the group. But India has to play really badly to make way for the UAE, Ireland and Zimbabwe in the final four.

     

    Is India in really bad form? Could the performance of Dhoni & Co in the recent past have been caused due to some experimenting with the mix of the team?

     

    So what explains the lukewarm interest in the Cup? That’s more because every advertiser and media agency wants to beat the broadcaster on ad rates, which some advertisers told us was on the higher side. The later you sign up, the better the negotiations.

     

    Image: Nike publicity material of the unveiling of tge One Day International kit that the Indian Cricket team was to starting January 18 in Australia

     

    Rs 25 lakh for 10 seconds?!
     

    Ads get expensive as Star India seeks Rs 25 lakh for 10-sec slots during India-Pak ICC World Cup tie

     

    By Ravi Teja Sharma & Pritha Mitra Dasgupta

     

    Diehard cricket fans will remember the memorable India-Pakistan battles of the past World Cups. The tense standoff in Bangalore in 1996 when Ajay Jadeja went on a rampage and Venkatesh Prasad showed Aamir Sohail the way to the pavilion after sending his stumps clattering; that glorious Saturday seven years later in Centurion Park when fiery Shoaib Akhtar’s missiles were smacked by Sachin Tendulkar to all parts of the stadium, in the process delivering a huge win for India and a big confidence boost after a demoralising loss to Australia early in the tournament.

     

    This World Cup, the old enemies meet again. Not in the final as many fans would hope for or in the semi-finals like in 2011, but in the opening league match on February 15.

     

    Well ahead of that epic India-Pakistan encounter, a different kind of a battle is being fought behind the scenes. On one side are the advertisers who want to exploit the big viewership numbers that this match promises to deliver, and sitting tight on the other is Star India, the official broadcaster, who wants to milk the match by jacking up the advertising rates.

     

    More than 70 brands, including some regional brands and first-time advertisers, have booked slots for the game, which is 50% more than the count for 2011 World Cup final, said a spokesperson for Star India. At Rs 25 lakh per 10 seconds, this is going to be the most expensive advertising opportunity ever in cricket, but one that not many advertisers would want to miss. The match will see Amitabh Bachchan making his debut as commentator.

     

    Star India had sold the match between the two nations in the 2011 edition – the semi-finals – at Rs 20 lakh per 10 seconds but the final between India and Sri Lanka had come close to Rs 25 lakh per 10 seconds. “From a business and brand perspective, very few events can match the potential of an India-Pakistan match. I can understand paying a premium for this match, but Rs 25 lakh is too steep,” said Basabdatta Chowdhuri, chief executive at Platinum Media, which is part of the Madison Media Group.

     

    Media planners and agencies contest that number. According to them, Star has sold around 75% of its inventory for the India-Pakistan match and about 70% for the entire World Cup so far.

     

    Clearly, Star India is going for the kill, seeking Rs 25 lakh per 10 seconds from those who want to advertise across all its feeds during this match, according to people in the know. But top advertisers and media planners say they would rather wait and watch, as they feel prices will dip closer to the game

     

    Speaking on the condition of anonymity, a senior executive at a large advertiser said there is enough inventory available at the moment and they are waiting for rates, even for the India-Pakistan match, to correct closer to the tournament beginning

     

    A spokesperson for Star India said the ad slots for the match have been sold out much in advance.

     

    “No other game of cricket draws as much passion, emotion and following as an India versus Pakistan World Cup game,” he said.

     

    The channel has packaged the India-Pakistan match in several ways. There are advertisers who have bought combined airtimes across several matches, including the most talked-about match. For them, though, the average airtime rate is working out to between Rs  4.5 lakh and Rs 5 lakh per 10 seconds. Floating inventory for the match, however, have been categorised and priced according to the feeds.

     

    An advertiser that wants all the feeds including English, Hindi, South Indian feeds and high definition will have to pay Rs 25 lakh per 10 seconds. This means an advertising spot of 30-40 seconds would cost anywhere between Rs 75 lakh and Rs 1 crore. If an advertiser wants only English and HD feed, then it will have to pay Rs16-18 lakh per 10 seconds.

     

    “This is by far the highest rate that has ever been charged for a cricket match by a channel and I think it is a huge risk for advertisers,” said a top GroupM official, who didn’t wished to be named.

     

    Another media planner from the Dentsu Aegis Network said it doesn’t make sense for an advertiser to pay this kind of money when there is enough cricket happening in the country with both ICC and IPL matches.

     

    According to Indranil Das Blah, chief operating officer of sports management firm Kwan, this is undoubtedly the most high-profile match of this World Cup. “I don’t know if the ad rates are justified or not, but it can’t get bigger than this and no advertisers would risk missing it,” said Blah.

     

    For the larger World Cup, though, Star has signed up the likes of Sony, Airtel, Gaana.com, Hero and Karbonn as sponsors, alongside Maruti, Nestle, Raymonds, Marico, Pidilite, Yepme-.com and Paytm. To cater to a wider audience, it is broadcasting the tournament in Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and Bengali alongside Hindi and English that it hopes will bring in a large number of new advertisers to the World Cup as it will become more affordable for smaller advertisers.

     

    But media planners say there is some level of concern around the Indian team’s performance as well and also the timing of the matches, but these concerns will not matter if India begin the World Cup journey with a big win over Pakistan.

     

     

     

  • These firms are signing up a bunch of cricketers as young as 14 years of age to nurture them and up their game, with an eventual eye on an India cap and the commercials that usually follow

    Sports management firms bat for young cricket talents like Prithvi Shaw

    By Ravi Teja Sharma

     

    Prithvi Shaw, Indian cricket’s latest boy wonder, is a hot commodity among sports management firms. In his short career, the 14-year-old batsman has already been represented by two sports management firms – first by former spinner Nilesh Kulkarni-run- firm, NSE, and now by Professional Management Group.

     

    Prithvi is not the only one. Firms like Rhiti Sports and Gaames Unlimited, in addition to the Professional Management Group, are signing up a bunch of cricketers as young as 14 to nurture them and up their game, with an eventual eye on an India cap and the commercials that usually follow.

     

    “It’s like a venture capital fund investing in a bunch of ambitious startups not knowing which one will succeed but even if one makes it big, their returns are made,” says Indranil Das Blah, CEO of sports management company Kwan.

     

    Rhiti Sports, which manages India captain MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja, Pragyan Ojha and Suresh Raina, is close to signing up 17-year-old wicketkeeper-batsmen Ankush Bains, who has played for the India Under-19 team and also works with 17-year-old Mohammad Saif from Varanasi. It also represents KL Rahul, 21, who plays for Karnataka and IPL team Royal Challengers Bangalore and is also vice-captain of the India Under-23 side.

     

    “We build their brand for the future, training them on media interface, public relations and also helping them connect with the right kind of people,” says Arun Pandey, owner of Rhiti Sports, and a close friend of Dhoni. Rhiti Sports aims to sign up at least five talented players in their teens and nurture them. Gaames Unlimited which manages R Ashwin, Ajinkya Rahane and Umesh Yadav, works with 17-year-old all-rounder Tanay Tyagarajan from Hyderabad, 20-year-old Siddhesh Lad from Mumbai and 19-year-old Baba Indrajith from Chennai as well as his twin brother Baba Aparajith who played a big part in the India Under-19 team’s World Cup victory in 2012.

     

    PMG’s Chief Operating Officer Melroy D’Souza says the idea is to identify the next big thing in Indian cricket and hope that the player can one day represent the country. In the deal with Shaw, PMG gives him a monthly stipend and puts in certain amount of money in a separate savings account that the 14-year-old can access for his future when he turns 18. Alongside Shaw, the company is currently in talks with a host of other players.

     

    Atul Srivastava, managing partner at Gaames Unlimited says for his players, his agency is like a troubleshooter for everything, be it personal or professional. “We help them with everything on the personal front as well so that they are stress free. We are also their personal wealth managers,” says Mr Srivastava.

     

    Gaames Unlimited assigns a manager to each player who takes care of all their needs and over the years gives him media exposure and the right kind of advice and treatments that will help the player move to the next level.

     

    Internationally, there is a concept of scouts in many games and sports management companies have strong ties with these scouts. As more and more professional companies emerge on the scene, the concept with emerge in India as well. The job of the scout at the moment is fulfilled by coaches and managers across the country with whom these companies have close ties.

     

    Source:The Economic Times

    Copyright © 2013, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved

    Licensed to republish

     

  • To gain the maximum out of the pointers, a proper road map needs to be charted out that will help build the talent's brand persona, says Indranil Das Blah

    The Anchor: Indranil Das Blah on 5 essentials in talent mgmt

    Indranil Das Blah

    By Indranil Das Blah

     

    Create a Brand

    It’s crucial to create and maintain distinguishing individual brand images while managing talent. On that basis, we plan and execute a plan that will help project that brand and communicate a certain persona/image. There may be times when certain attributes maybe similar but the job of an effective brand custodian is to find that one USP that helps create that distinction and makes the individual stand tall in a crowd.

     

    Identify the Appeal

    Appeal is another very important factor to be kept in mind while managing talent. The idea is to find out not just what TG he or she appeals to but also to find out what makes them so appealing. You can work to create brand that works on the marketable appeal.

     

    Word of mouth

    Even if a talent is considered to be a good brand and has a desirable appeal, the word of mouth around him/her is what makes or breaks a talent. It’s important to protect the talent’s image from negative perception – be it via the media or via industry whispers. And as a brand custodian, our role also includes an advisory aspect where we share our inputs with our talent to ensure that they help us protect them from the negative backlash and make them a formidable entity in the business.

     

    Image building road map

    To gain the maximum out of the aforementioned pointers, a proper road map needs to be charted out that will help build the talent’s brand persona. The core thought needs to filter down through various audience touch points – be it endorsements, public appearances, media interactions, films and so on to create the desired consumer and audience mindset and thereby attain the goals you set out to achieve with your talent.

     

    Visibility

    Visibility is a very key aspect of managing talent and building their brand. We need to ensure that we expose talent to the various touch points and create a strong, positive buzz around them. More the visibility, better the quality, more is top of mind recall. Recall is what changes the game for talent as it helps them consistently build and enhance their positioning in a competitive environment.

     

    Indranil Das Blah is the COO at KWAN Entertainment and Marketing Solutions