MxMIndia

Tag: Lodestar UM

  • The account moves out from Mindshare who have been handling it for more than a decade

    Lodestar UM wins Media AoR of Century Ply

    By A Correspondent

     

    Century Ply, one of India’s leading and most trusted name in branded plywood, laminates and veneer category has moved its entire media AoR to Lodestar UM. The account moves out from Mindshare who have been handling it for more than a decade.

     

    The current mandate for Lodestar UM spans across all products of Century Ply.

     

    Talking about this shift Amit Kumar Gope – Group Marketing Head, Century Ply said, “It was not an easy decision to part ways with our existing agency. However Lodestar UM opened a whole new chapter in front of us through their understanding of the plywood market. Their media solution was focused on an alloy of strategy, basis sound consumer insight and portfolio management. We are confident with this partnership looking at our massive expansion in the near future.”

     

    Nandini Dias

    Nandini Dias – CEO, Lodestar UM added, “We went ahead with a simple yet compelling strategy rooted in consumer insight. Lodestar UM always believes that strategy lies at the heart of understanding the consumer and that solutions should connect with the audience being media agnostic.”

     

    Century Plyboards in a very short span has created a niche for itself and is the market leader in this sector. CPIL today manufactures the entire range of commercial, marine, shuttering and decorative plywood. It has also started manufacturing and marketing laminates under the brand name ‘Century Laminates’ and pre-lam particle boards named as ‘Century Prelam’.

     

  • The WPP media agency network bagged 28 metals as IPG Mediabrands agency won 3 Golds, the highest amongst all winners

    GroupM maxes Media Abby as Lodestar UM wins 3 Golds

    All smiles: CVL Srinivas and Shashi Sinha at the Media Abby on Day 1 of Goafest 2015. Picture by Shailesh Mule/Fotocorp

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    “It’s all in the family,” said CVL Srinivas, CEO South Asia, GroupM on his network of media service agencies in India winning 28 metals at the Media Abby last evening. Held as part of the ongoing three-day Goafest, behind held in Goa, the Media Abby is conducted by the Advertising Club for excellence in use of media. Goafest is jointly organised by the Advertising Agencies Association of India and the Ad Club.

     

    According to Pratap Bose, President of the Ad Club and also Chairman of the Media Jury, as many as 70 leading professionals constituted the judging process which was held over four days. There were 674 entries as against the 619 of last year from 53 agencies. “This year we attracted the best possible response in the Media category over the years,” added Nakul Chopra, Chairman of the Goafest Organising Committee. There were a total of 74 metals awarded – 12 Golds, 23 Silvers and 39 Bronzes.

     

    “The quality of entries was more or less similar to that of last year with nothing really very outstanding and hence there was no Grand Prix awarded,” explained Bose.

     

     

    Commenting on the overall trends in the entries, Bose said that with the pressure on margins and the bottomline, getting creative in media is possibly taking a backseat.

     

    Meanwhile, Shashi Sinha, CEO, IPG Mediabrands India is happy to see his network of agencies winning 14 metals. The maximum number of golds won by an agency this year  – three – was from his network’s Lodestar UM. “It speaks for the splendid work put up by our teams from across all our offices,” Sinha said.

     

    The Advertising Club does not award a title of Media Agency of the Year at the Media Abby and also does not rank agencies in any specific order of metals.

     

    Along with the Media Abby, the Publisher Abby category of the Creative Abby was awarded on Day 1 of the Goafest.  There were 62 entries in all from across 10 publishers and 17 metals were awarded. There were four Golds, six Silvers and seven Bronze metals. Bose admitted that the awareness for the Publisher Abby needs to be raised to generate more entries from across the print media.

     

    Result

     

     

  • The images for the contest are required to capture Mumbai’s mood

    Jury announces the winners of Mumbai Moments 2015

    By A Correspondent

     

    The judging process for the photo contest – Mumbai Moments 2015, came to a close on December 4, 2014 by a three-member jury comprising of Mahesh Bhat, film director, Nandini Dias, CEO, Lodestar UM and Mukesh Parpiani, Senior Photo-journalist and Head of Piramal Gallery, NCPA.

     

    The images for the contest are required to capture Mumbai’s mood – the memorable moments that make the city what it is. About 70 photographers submitted their entries with photographs numbering nearly 800.

     

    The following entries have been judged as the best 13 that will be included in the Mumbai Moments 2015 calendar:

     

    Cover Swapnil Sakhare – DNA
    January Ashish Rane – Mid-Day
    Februry Amay Kharade – Mumbai Samachar
    March Ashish Raje – Mumbai Mirror
    April Shadab Khan – Mid-Day
    May Nimesh Dave – Mid-Day
    June Raju Shinde – Mumbai Mirror
    July Indranin Mukherjee – AFP
    August Nimesh Dave – Mid-Day
    September Anshuman Poyrekar – Hindustan Times
    October Shadab Khan – Mid-Day
    November KK Choudhary – Times of India
    December Sanjay Hadkar – Times of India

     

    The winners will receive a certificate, trophy and cash prize when the calendar is formally released later this month.

     

  • Labour ministry moots mandatory approval for engaging children in audio-visual shows

    Kids wanting to star in TV shows/ads may soon need permission from Labour min

    By Yogima Seth Sharma

     

    Are you grooming your child for a career in show business? Perhaps she has a chance of getting picked for a spot on a talent show, or he could land a role in a TV ad. But you may soon need the government’s permission before seeking to achieve such ambitions. The ministry of labour and employment is planning a legal clause to make such clearance mandatory for children engaged in any form of audio or visual entertainment, which covers advertisements, films, television serials and sports among others. Officials argue that the government needs to step in to prevent the exploitation of children.

     

    “We have requested the legislative department to draft an appropriately worded clause to permit children to be engaged for performance in any form of audio or visual entertainment after obtaining written permission, the conditions for which can be prescribed in the rules or regulations of the Child Labour Act,” a senior ministry official said.

     

    The official said there is a need for regulation as the involvement of children, including adolescents, in the entertainment industry has risen exponentially and there have been several instances in which they’ve been unable to cope with the physical and mental trauma associated with the rigorous routine. The ministry will draw up the detailed process for obtaining permission once the proposal is vetted by all stakeholders.

     

    According to the 2001 census, the total number of working children aged between five and 14 was 1.26 crore. The National Sample Survey Office survey of 2009-10 put the figure at 49.84 lakh. While there is no official estimate of the number of children employed in the audio-visual industry, experts peg it at 1-2% of the total children employed across the country and feel that the number is rapidly growing.

     

    Children’s entertainment is the second-largest genre on television after general entertainment channels and is expanding fast, especially in regional languages because production costs are relatively low and viewership is assured.

     

    As a result there’s been a surge in the number of shows featuring children, whether it’s music, dance or stand-up comedy, while some serials even have them as the main characters. The government feels that the participation of children in reality shows puts immense pressure on them, with some parents pushing them too hard, which can have an impact on their mental and physical wellbeing.

     

    Experts though are concerned that such a move could act as a deterrent to producers who are working on wafer-thin margins as the category doesn’t attract much advertising.

     

    Nandini Dias

    “Most producers are already sensitive and alert to child actor needs, circumstances etc. Also, since they are on broadcast media, it is not a hidden activity. Now, with one more permission needed, I just hope it doesn’t become a determent. Since many a time kid movies and programmes are not as profitable, with this impediment, the few who are willing to pick up these projects will also reconsider,” said Nandini Dias, CEO of Lodestar UM.

     

    Source:The Economic Times

    Copyright © 2014, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved

    Licensed to republish

     

  • Contract Advertising replaces FCB Ulka after a successful 5-year stint while Mediacom comes in place of Lodestar UM

    Tata Docomo awards creative biz to Contract, media AOR to Mediacom

    By a correspondent

     

    Tata Docomo, the unified telecom brand of Tata Teleservices Limited (TTL) has awarded the creative responsibility of Tata Docomo and Tata Photon brands to Contract advertising while media responsibilities for the brand will now be handled by Mediacom. The new partnerships come into effect starting 1st May 2014.

     

    Contract Advertising replaces FCB Ulka after a successful 5-year stint while Mediacom comes in place of Lodestar UM. The estimated value of business is pegged in excess of Rs.175 crores.

     

    Gurinder Singh Sandhu, Head – Marketing, Tata Teleservices said, “We are really excited with Contract and Mediacom coming on board with a promising set of new ideas especially in the area of brand strategy and communication planning which we are confident will further accelerate the momentum behind the Tata Docomo and Photon brands. We have had a very successful association with our outgoing agency partners for the past five years and would like to thank them for their unstinting contribution towards building this brand.”

     

    Rana Barua

    Commenting on the win, Rana Barua – CEO, Contract Advertising said: ‘We are elated with this win and truly appreciate that Tata Docomo has seen the true potential that Contract can bring on board as a communication partner. We stand committed as a company to create outstanding work and partner them to deliver effective solutions which are path-breaking in the category.”

     

    Commenting on the new business acquisition, Debraj Tripathy, Managing Director, MediaCom said, “We are delighted with the opportunity to work with Tata DoCoMo. My team and I are excited with the win and look forward to adding value to their business.”

     

    Both agency changes are a result of a two-month long multi-agency pitch process including the incumbent partners.

     

  • Lodestar UM wins Samsung business from Starcom Mediavest

    IPG Mediabrands’ Lodestar UM bags Samsung biz

    By A Correspondent

     

    The end-of-the-year has brought in glad tidings for the IPG Mediabrands media services conglomerate in India. Earlier this month, the group’s Initiative bagged the coveted Reckitt Benckiser account. And now comes the news that the Samsung Media Agency on Record will be Lodestar UM.

     

    Samsung has been with Starcom MediaVest Group, but a multi-agency pitch process saw Lodestar UM win the business. MxMIndia could not reach anyone at Samsung and Lodestar to get a confirmation on the development. IPG Mediabrands runs Lodestar UM, Initiative and BPN as its three media agency networks in India.

     

    Meanwhile, it is rumoured that IPG Mediabrands could well be earning itself yet another prized account before the year ends.

     

    Watch this space.

     

     

  • Shashi Sinha & M G Parameswaran pay tribute to Anil Kapoor who will be presented the Life Achievement Award by the AAAI

    Anil Kapoor: An ‘Outsider’ who was more than an ‘Equal’

     

    All roads lead to the Trident at Nariman Point today (Sept 27) as the Advertising Agencies Association of India felicitates and awards Anil Kapoor, Chairman Emeritus, Draftfcb+Ulka with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

     

    A little about Mr Kapoor, courtesy the Draftfcb+Ulka website: His love for challenges saw him taking charge of Draftfcb+Ulka (Ulka Advertising, at the time), turning it into the fastest growing agency in India and taking its rightful place as one of the ‘Big Five’. With the formation of Draftfcb in 2006, Mr Kapoor was appointed as Draftfcb President with responsibility for Asia-Pacific region and Africa.

     

    He was appointed Chairman Emeritus of Draftfcb + Ulka, after a 22-year stint with the company and its other associated agencies. As one who is known to make things happen, his role expanded naturally into industry bodies. He is a Past President of the Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI), the Chairman of the Audit Bureau of Circulation of 2007-08 and was also on the Management Board of the National Readership Survey and the Television Audience Measurement Research. He was also on the Editorial Advisory Board of The Economic Times. In May 2002, Mr Kapoor was also inducted into the Foote, Cone & Belding’s Worldwide Board.

     

    Before joining Draftfcb+Ulka, Mr Kapoor was with the Boots Company, India, for 14 years, where, as the Marketing Director, he launched a string of brands, all of which went on to become No. 1 in their markets. At Boots, he also set up two field forces, one for consumer products and the other for ethical pharmaceutical products. Before that, he was with the legendary agency MCM and though not the cause, he says he had to preside over its closure – quite a learning experience! Now a confirmed Mumbaikar, Mr Kapoor grew up in Delhi and graduated with a BA in English Literature from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi and then did his MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.

     

    Dr M G Parameswaran

    Executive Director and CEO, Draftfcb + Ulka

    I have worked with Anil Kapoor for over two decades and I have seen him in various roles, as Head of Marketing of a large British multinational, as a CEO of a pioneering media company and as a CEO of a struggling ad agency. One thing that defines him is his ‘Never Say Die’ attitude. When he joined Ulka no one thought he had a chance of saving an agency that was fast sinking. In fact someone who is revered in advertising world even told me that I was mad to join Anil Kapoor in his mission of saving an ailing Indian agency. Anil proved all his detractors wrong though his passion, attitude and commitment to the cause. He also showed the industry how to build a strong team and keep it together for two decades. How to build an agency group entirely from within, and without the help of international experts and hand-me-down accounts. He demonstrated how to partner clients at senior levels to launch one successful brand after another,  in tough market conditions. As Ulka became FCB Ulka and later DraftFCB Ulka, his managerial and leadership skills got recognized on the global stage, many times over.

     

    Anil Kapoor, who was seen as an outsider in the Industry, was soon accepted as an equal and may be as a ‘more than an equal’. He went on to play leadership role in various industry bodies such as AAAI and ABC. He was instrumental in setting up the independent NRS survey in the mid-’90s.  He also played a very vital role in helping the formation of IBF as a body that could work with AAAI to create norms and processes on how agencies work with television.

     

    We don’t have too many people in advertising industry today who can fill his shoes.  While Anil Kapoor continues to serves as the Chairman Emeritus of Draftfcb Ulka Group and continues to play the role of an advisor to the Group which he built,  he has not been involved with industry affairs for almost a decade. I am sure it is the industry’s loss that he decided to move on. But then, all things have to change, and that is not an entirely bad thing after all.

     

    Shashi Sinha

    CEO, IPG Mediabrands and Lodestar UM

    They don’t make people like Anil Kapoor these days.

     

    I have had the good pleasure of working with Draftfcb+Ulka a few years before he joined the agency from a strong client background. In fact that possibly ensured that he was very focused on deliveries.  As someone who helmed the agency for many years and even now as Chairman Emeritus, we and our clients included have always known him to be a no-nonsense man. Forthright, never into any frivolous conversation. He was always focused on the task on hand.

     

    He had a keen eye on the business and would actively engage with all his clients.  Even now when some of us meet him, his observations are pertinent to the business and may I say: bang-on.

     

    Anil Kapoor has always been an excellent people manager considering his team has been together for so long.

     

    I have always had an excellent rapport with him and have found in him a Guru whom I admire and respect.

     

  • DDB Mudra COO Pratap Bose takes charge from Shashi Sinha, CEO, IPG Mediabrands & Lodestar UM

    Continuing education, not awards to be focus of new Advertising Club prez

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    DDB Mudra Group Chief Operating Officer Pratap Bose was unanimously elected President of the Advertising Club. He replaced Shashi Sinha, CEO, Mediabrands India and Lodestar UM, who held the post since 2011.

     

    Speaking on his priorities, Mr Bose said that while awards (like the Abby, Effies and recently held Emvies) are important activities of the Club, his priority will be continuing education programmes for the industry.

     

    Mr Bose and 14 others would constitute the office bearers and managing committee of the Ad Club, the country’s premier advertising club constituting members of the advertising, media and marketing fraternity.

     

    Other officebearers include Ajay Kakar, Chief Marketing Officer – Financial Services, Aditya Birla Group (Vice President), Raj Nayak, CEO, Colors (Secretary), Ajay Chandwani, Director, Percept (Joint Secretary) and Umesh Shrikhande, CEO, Taproot India (Treasurer)

     

    The managing committee members are:

    in alphabetical order of last names: Punitha Arumugam (Google), Bhaskar Das (Zee Media), Kunal Jeswani (Ogilvy & Mather), Harit Nagpal (Tata Sky), Rohit Ohri (Dentsu), Josy Paul (BBDO India) and Ravi Rao (Mindshare).

     

    While outgoing president Mr Sinha (IPG Mediabrands, Lodestar UM) continues as Immediate Past President for a period of two years, Sunil Lulla (Times Television) and Prasanth Mohanachandran (AgencyDigi) have been co-opted on the committee.

     

    Said Mr Kakar on the constituting of the Ad Club’s top deck: “This year we are fortunate to have a very senior and strong committee comprising people who are not only committing their names but also their invaluable time to the common good of our industry,” Mr Bose too is happy with the core team. “It’s a good mix of people from across the spectrum,” he said.

     

    The Advertising Club annual general meeting was held in Mumbai on Wednesday (September 11) and the managing committee and officebearers were elected for the year 2013-14. The committee members can seek re-election next year.

     

     

     

    If processes are clear, there will be no problems with Creative Abby: Pratap Bose

     

    The new Advertising Club President’s has a day job that possibly has him work beyond 24×7. As Chief Operating Officer of the DDB Mudra Group and a member of the agency’s operating board, Pratap Bose joined DDB Mudra from Ogilvy & Mather in 2008, where he worked for 15 years in various capacities, and went on to become its youngest CEO in 2006.

     

    Excerpts from an interview with Bose where he speaks on his priorities, a problems-free Abby and how he hopes to drive the Ad Club forward.

     

    What will be your priorities as president of the Advertising Club:

    For a long time, the perception has been the Advertising Club is the purveyor of awards. While awards are important and they recognise the best in class, for me the focus is going to be on continuing education programmes. Giving back to the community in various forms - by not just awards, but also education, seminars and learning via interacttion with personalities.

     

    Speaking of awards and the Creative Abby specifically, while a lot has been cleansed, it touched a new low this year.

    Remember, the Emvies and Effies go without a hitch. It’s only with the Creative Abby. Mind you, there were no issues the year before. Last year, there were a couple of things that sprung up but we realise that these issues can easily be fixed. What I am looking to do is to institutionalise a very transparent and frank discussion on what needs to be done with all stakeholders well before Goafest. I am a strong believer that if you have a process that has a buy-in from everyone and it’s not a diktat, things will sort themselves out. If the processes are clear and there are no ambiguities, we should have no problems whatsoever.

     

    Some agencies have had reservations about going to Goa. Any thoughts of shifting the awards back to Mumbai?

    It’s not a Goa versus Mumbai debate in my mind. As long as the process is clean and you are fair, rational and honest, I don’t think there’s any issue about Goa and Mumbai

     

    The Bombay has been dropped from Advertising Club, how successful has the move to go national been?

    I think we’ve made a start. I believe the local ad associations - whether in Delhi, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Chennai should co-exist. We are happy to have them on board… at the end of the day, we are one community. The whole idea is to be inclusive and work for the betterment of the industry. We have made some progress by having the awards judging of Effies and Emvies in Delhi. And there’s no reason why it can’t go beyond Delhi. We could extend to Kolkata, Bengaluru…

     

    What else in the next two years?

    Well, we are going to looking at all forms of communication. We are talking of a two-day workshop for the entertainment industry and looking at people to help us on film production. So, it’s not just talking to creative guys or planners. We are also looking at developing a new website, a new logo, be relevant on Twitter and Facebook. All in all, lift the image of the club and not just an awards club.

     

    All this is going to take a fair bit of time… how do you take care of your day job at DDB Mudra?

    (laughs) Well, that’s the reason why I have picked a nice mix of people. I am going to entrust each of them with a responsibility that’s clearly defined and they will all take things forward.

     

    		  

    Abby should continue in Goa: Shashi Sinha

     

    IPG Mediabrands and Lodestar CEO Shashi Sinha on his two-year term as Ad Club President, the Creative Abby controversy and the demand to bring the Abby back to Mumbai

     

    The IPG Mediabrands and Lodestar CEO Shashi Sinha is widely regarded as ‘Mr Consensus’ in the Indian advertising and marketing industry. Known to take the industry along in whatever he does which may require wielding the stick at times, Mr Sinha is credited with cleansing Ad Club’s Creative Abby awards process a few years back. In a short interview with MxMIndia, Mr Sinha speaks on on his two-year term as Ad Club President, the Creative Abby controversy and the demand to bring the Abby back to Mumbai

     

    How do you feel relinquishing charge after an eventful two years as Ad Club President?

    Mixed feelings, frankly. We successfully moved from Advertising Club Bombay to Advertising Club, and making it more national in character. We’ve done well financially. Goafest and the Creative Abby was a problem last year, though my first two years were excellent

     

    Any unfinished agenda?

    We started with other markets very well, but I wish we had done more on continuing education. I think we got stuck with awards and the plan to go to smaller towns couldn’t be done.

     

    And the Creative Abby controversy. Any solutions, as you look back?

    We discussed that in the meeting. The solution is that there are rules, put them down clearly, publish them and let there be no deviation.

     

    There is a demand for the Abby to be held in Mumbai and not in Goa

    Goafest brings the industry together, and I think we should continue to have the Abby in Goa. We are one industry and it shouldn’t be a divided house.

     

    Do you think the Abby should be given to a private operator like it is at the Cannes Lions?

    Right now, the Abbys are for the industry and by the industry. While we make profits that’s not our primary objective. I think when you hand it over to a private player, the entry and delegate fees will go up dramatically.

     

    What next?

    I am already actively involved with BARC, heading the technical committee. In fact the last two months that has taken priority over most other things, but I am happy with the way things are going on that front.

     
  • A team of Lodestar UM team wins Young Spikes Media Competition 2013, India

    Lodestar team wins Young Spikes Media Competition

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) declared that the team of Lokita Rathod and Vivek Salunke of Lodestar UM, Mumbai, was winner of Young Spikes Media Competition 2013, India.

     

    This competition was organised by the Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI), and supported by The Times of India group to encourage young advertising professionals in the country and providing them with an opportunity for international exposure. This year the theme for the competition was “VOTE for a strong INDIA”.

     

    The winning team will  participate in the Spikes Asia’s Media Competition to be held in Singapore next month. This would be an all-expense-paid trip.

     

    The two-phased judging was with participation of senior industry members. Jury members for the final phase of judging were : Sam Balsara, Chairman & Managing Director, Madison World, CVL Srinivas, Chief Executive Officer – South Asia, GroupM; Jasmin Sohrabji, CEO – SouthEast Asia and Nandan Srinath, Director, Times group.

     

  • Maxus, Loderstar UM and Lintas Media Group are rank third, fourth and fifth respectively in the RECMA billings report

    Mindshare continues to be India’s #1 media agency, Madison is at #2: RECMA billings report

    By A Correspndent

     

    The much-regarded billings report for India has been released by RECMA. The Indian media agency business grew 12 percent in 2011 with a total billings of US$ 5644 million.

     

    Group M’s Mindshare media agency tops RECMA’s India billings report for 2011 with US$ 1055million, growing 10 percent over its 2010 billings. Madison Media is second 630mn, growing 15 percent. Maxus, Loderstar UM and Lintas Media Group are rank third, fourth and fifth respectively.

     

    ZenithOptimedia saw the highest growth with 40 percent over the previous year, as per the RECMA report. At least three agencies saw a degrowth. Media Direction went down 29 percent, MPG down 20 percent and TME dropped 15 percent.

     

    The combined billings of Dentsu and Aegis agencies Carat and Vizeum would put the new entity at #11 with US$ 250 million.

     

    Last week, MxMIndia had reported RECMA’s global billings data and rankings (see Link: http://www.mxmindia.com/2012/07/starcom-tops-recmas-global-billings-rankings-omd-is-2/).

     

     

  • Being the official sponsor of the Indian team at the London Olympics, Amul stands to gain much from the biggest sporting event in the world

    Taste of India backs Hope of India

     

    By Meghna Sharma

     

    Think of Olympics, and the one word that comes to mind is ‘glory’. With only a few weeks left for the mega event to begin, all eyes (and hearts) will be on the Indian contingent, which is the biggest by far that is being sent to the Games. While that increases India’s chances of bagging more medals, what it has also done is turn the attention of brands towards the aspirants with the obvious intention of improving awareness and possibly, even sales of products.

     

    One brand that is taking the lead in associating with the mega event is Amul. The Anand-based Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation’s (GCMMF) Amul has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) for sponsorship of the Indian contingent.

     

    With this, Amul has become the official sponsor of the Indian team. For Amul, this association would work in two ways: first, allowing it to push its multiple products that have been positioned for the purpose of building stamina and strength and, second, enabling it to encourage aspirants to go out and deliver their best performance at the event.

     

    RS Sodhi

    Speaking on the association, RS Sodhi, managing director, Amul, “Amul is committed to strengthening the Olympic movement in India and encourage young generation from all corners of the country to take up sports in a big way.”

     

    With milk being Amul’s core ingredient, the brand believes that milk is nature’s original energy drink and plays a pivotal role in building the physical and mental strength of the athletes.

     

    “India is the largest producer of milk in the world and Amul is not only India’s, but Asia’s, largest milk brand. This association, and activities around it, will help in engaging the youth so that they can enjoy a healthy life,” he added.

     

    In fact, this is not the first time that the milk major has stepped up to push for the cause of promoting sports. In 2011, Amul sponsored the Nether lands cricket team in the ICC Cricket World Cup and Switzerland-headquartered Sauber F1 team at the inaugural Indian Grand Prix. “We use the opportunities available on local and global scale to associate,” explained Mr Sodhi, on the brand’s recent decisions to associate itself with sporting events. “It is a good and positive association to connect with the youth.”

     

    Helping the brand in its mission is media agency Lodestar UM, which is the media agency on record for the company and has helped the brand associate with sporting events at a global level in the recent past.

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”225″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Qafz4YDG1A[/youtube]

    According to Lodestar UM, such associations will help the brand as India is a young nation with over 60 per cent of the population being below the age of 35 years and sports is a high interest area for them. “Amul has always been involved in raising the bar. The Olympics association has helped place Amul on the global map of international sporting events. We saw a great fit…Amul’s dairy products stand for high energy and complete nourishment and Olympics stand for values like strength, determination, vigour and winning which every person aspires to, and wishes to imbibe and practice in his daily life. We also saw this as an excellent platform for Amul Milk to assert the positioning of ‘World’s original energy drink’,” said Dhruv Jha, business head, Lodestar UM Content & Experiences.

     

    Although the brand has come up with a special campaign on the event for the medium of television, it doesn’t plan to come up with any more. “We are continuing our advertising, but no special Olympics focus has been planned during the Games,” said Mr Jha.

     

    Another motivator, that has always done its bit in raising the awareness levels of Amul with its consumers, will be at it around Olympics too. The eye-catching hoardings that figure the polka-dotted Amul Girl will continue disseminating messages as they always do.

     

    Rahul da Cunha

    According to Rahul daCunha, MD and creative head of daCunha Comminucations which created the Amul Girl, one should keep a catch-out for interesting and tongue-in-cheek hoardings during the period. “We have already started the build-up and there is a scope for many more as the Games have so many aspects and characters to it.”

     

    Mr DaCunha is proud to be associated with the brand and now its association with the world-class games. He added: “What can be more Indian than to support the Indian contingent in the Olympics. It’s a very ‘cool’ and prestigious moment for the brand. In the last year and a half, the brand has been getting allied with activities and events which will help it globally too.”

     

    And the attempt doesn’t end with Olympics. Amul plans to keep associating itself with such major events in the future too. “We will like to associate with any good event/series. Our focus is on the domestic market. But yes, Olympics will help in better brand recognition around the world,” said Mr Sodhi.

     

    Mahesh Ranka

    Mahesh Ranka, founder & CEO, Indus Sports and Sponsorship, feels that since it’s a home-grown brand, such association will help it create a buzz. “During and after the Olympics, when people will read or see about the games, hopefully, Amul as the brand will be on people’s minds. It’s a very good move by the brand and hopefully other corporates will also learn from it.”

     

    Not just the brand recognition, Amul hopes that the Indian contingent will get the country recognized in the world with a good medal tally as well. “Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate. Participation in Olympics is the aspiration of every athlete and with the kind of investments made by our country in this arena to select, nurture and train the best athletes, we are confident that Indian contingent will deliver the best ever performance in the London games and make our country proud.”

     

    So, let’s hope the players take India to new heights at the games while the brand would manage to do its bit and bask in the success as well.

     

  • As a large population of this country continue to swear by the usage of the national language – Hindi, it is no surprise that newspapers and magazines in this language have seen moderate growth in IRS 2012Q1

    IRS 2012Q1: Hindi readership sways its way towards +ve growth

    By A Correspondent

     

    As a large population of this country continue to swear by the usage of the national language – Hindi, it is no surprise that newspapers and magazines in this language have seen moderate growth in IRS 2012Q1. In the Top 10 Hindi dailies, Dainik Jagran dominates with AIR of 16,412 versus 16,410 that it reported last quarter. At second place is Dainik Bhaskar that recorded an AIR of 14,553 as against 14,602 in 2011Q4.Hindustancomes next with an AIR of 12,157; Amar Ujala at fourth with 8693 and Rajasthan Patrika at fifth with an AIR of 6807. Punjab Kesari has posted positive growth with an AIR of 3,386 compared to 3,330 in the last quarter. Navbharat Times is next with an AIR of 2588. Prabhat Khabar is the best placed with an AIR of 2,437 compared to 2,187 reported last quarter – an 11 per cent growth. Patrika is next at 1,946 (growth of 9 per cent) and Nai Duniya at 1,688.

     

    (AIR numbers; all figures in ‘000)


     

    Among the magazines, there has been a moderate effect that has been witnessed in the Hindi readership. Pratiyogita Darpan has seen a drop of 5.4 per cent with an AIR of 1,893 compared to an AIR of 2,001 in last quarter. SamanyaGyan Darpan has posted an AIR of 1,644 versus 1,678 recorded last quarter. At three is Saras Salil that has seen a big drop with an AIR of 1,601 versus 1,768 recorded last quarter – a drop of 9.5 per cent. Meri Saheli is steady at fourth with an AIR of 1,259 and Cricket Samrat is next with 1,176. India Today is next with 1,051 while Grahlakshmi follows with an AIR of 958. Completing the list is Grihshobha with an AIR of 860, Champak at ninth place with an AIR of 811 and Nirogdham with an AIR of 747.

     

    (AIR numbers; all figures in ‘000)


     

    Dinesh Rathore, Vice President, MediaVest Worldwide said: “The population of people who speak Hindi and English is seeing a rise and that explains the overall rise in readership of these language editions. Also, a lot of players are moving out of their markets and launching in other states leading to newer set of readers. Players like Dainik Jagran, Dainik Bhaskar, Rajasthan Patrika are launching in many new states. So this explains the rise in the readership of their papers.”

     

    Adding inputs, Anamika Mehta of Lodestar UM said: “By launching in newer markets you are creating specialists products to cater to those markets and therefore, language readership will see a rise to an extent. Also, as explosion of business happens in small towns and markets the regional media will follow suit and grow too. That is what we have seen in television too. For SMEs and business houses, print will continue to be an important medium for them.”