Tag: Prathyusha Agarwal

  • &TV introduces caste-free matrimony page to promote new series

    By A Correspondent

     

    Urging Indians to see beyond a person’s caste while finding a prospective partner for themselves or a family member, &TV launched a ‘Jaati-Free Matrimony Page’. In this edition, the several caste sections have been striked out. This novel idea is a part of promotions for &TV’s new show ‘Jaat Na Poocho Prem Ki’ that raises the question of whether love can manage to break down the walls of casteism that divide us all.

     

    Prathyusha Agarwal

    Said Prathyusha Agarwal, CMO, ZEEL: “Caste is invariably the first and foremost parameter when it comes to marriages in India. It’s so ingrained in our culture, we don’t even think twice about it. It’s a given that the girl or boy will be from the same caste. There are no two ways about it. While things are slowly changing, we wanted, through this innovation, to startle the readers and consider a reality where love triumphs over all. While this edition may have been a show promotion, we are looking forward to a day when a jaati-free matrimonial edition is a norm.”

     

     

  • &flix celebrates a year with new line-up

    By A Correspondent

     

    Movie channel &flix is celebrating a year with a campaign titled #EverydayLeaps, where the idea is to encourage their viewers to break out of the monotony and leap beyond what’s possible.

     

    Speaking on the anniversary, Prathyusha Agarwal, Chief Marketing Officer, ZEEL, said: “This time last year, we identified a clear gap in the category for the ever-evolving and un-satiated viewers. With the launch of &flix, we have constantly strived to bring larger than life experiences through our premieres and associations, enabling our viewers to Leap Forth and explore unlimited possibilities. We are extremely proud of the significant growth and the heart-warming response that &flix has witnessed in its first year.”

     

    Added Shaurya Mehta, Business Head, Zee English Cluster: “It brings us immense happiness to share that it’s been a year full of blockbuster premieres with &flix. As one of the leading English entertainment channels, we’ve always endeavored to carve a niche and serve as real disruptors in the category. Over the past year, our loyal viewers have truly pledged to #LeapForth into a world full of unlimited possibilities. Having witnessed a growth of over 50% in viewership between December 2017 (as Zee Studio) and December 2018, we’ve successfully moved the needle with the launch of &flix. &flix HD has increased its viewership numbers by over 200% between the same period, making a dent in the HD consumption in the genre. Having completed a year of exciting innovations truly calls for a celebration and with #EverydayLeaps, our aim is to encourage our audience to share the many leaps out of the ordinary that they take in their daily lives.”

     

     

  • Mallika Dua lends voice to Zee TV’s digital campaign

    By A Correspondent

     

    Zee TV has collaborated with actor, writer and stand-up comedy star Mallika Dua to produce exclusive content for a digital campaign to promote the launch of its new fiction offering ‘Hamari Bahu Silk’. The show highlights the story of a young girl Pakhi who signs up for a job of a voice-over artist for sensuous films so that she can financially support her family.

     

    Said Prathyusha Agarwal, Chief Marketing Officer, Zee: “Hamari Bahu Silk touches upon the subject of unconventional career choices, the judgements they draw from amongst one’s own inner circle and the filters of Log Kya Kahenge that come in the way of taking up these jobs. But with the show addressing the issue in a light-hearted manner, we took a humorous approach to build the digital surround for its launch. Mallika Dua, widely applauded for her spot-on observations and irreverent takes on social phenomena makes for a fine fit for us to collaborate with on a campaign like #KaamBadnaam where we celebrate oddly satisfying jobs like the one taken up by our protagonist of Hamari Bahu Silk.”

     

     

  • Kurkure partners Zee channels for in-show integration

    By A Correspondent

     

    Kurkure will be seen as part of shows on channels from Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL) including Zee TV, &TV, Sarthak and Big Ganga. The protagonists of eight shows will be seen delivering a thought-provoking script; enabling their families to take a step towards embracing forward-thinking through fun and intelligent humor.

     

    Expressing his thoughts, Dilen Gandhi, Sr Director, Marketing – Foods category, PepsiCo India, said: “Kurkure is an ally to the Indian homemakers, who are the center force behind every positive transformation in the household. With the unique integration with Zee TV plays, we hope to continue encouraging our consumers to take unconventional routes to help their families embrace progressive thinking, while at the back of being anchored to rich Indian values. Aided by a mood uplift through Kurkure’s crunch and chatpata taste, each of the protagonists will be seen delivering a thought provoking and entertaining storyline, and we hope that Indian homemakers enjoy this Chatpata twist.”

     

    Added Ashish Sehgal, Chief Growth Officer, Zee Network commented on the association: “ZEEL shares great thought synergies with PepsiCo India, who has been a cherished client over the years. Our brand philosophies intersect beautifully when it comes to igniting a spark amongst the Indian masses to achieve the extraordinary. Through this collaboration we are happy to amplify this message Khayal to Chatpata hai across channels through the medium of our network influencers and ensure that it reaches the largest denominator in the form of engaging television content.”

     

    Sharing her thoughts on the in-show integration, Prathyusha Agarwal, CMO, ZEEL said: “Our protagonists, be it Zee TV’s Guddan or &TV’s Angoori Bhabhi, are the Indian viewers’ most sought-after dinner table companions who they not only connect closely with but also draw inspiration from. While our flagship channel, Zee TV with its brand ethos of Aaj Likhenge Kal, has stood for inspiring viewers to take charge of their destiny and work proactively in the present to build an extraordinary future. Our collaboration with Kurkure is a mark of our continued commitment to inspire our viewers every day to be their extraordinary selves. The protagonists, through evocative scripts will bring alive the synthesis of our brand philosophy with Kurkure’s new campaign ‘Khayaal Toh Chatpata Hai’. The collaboration will have our viewers look through the lens of celebrating Indian homemakers in a new light; a message relevant for viewers across gender, age and community.”

     

     

  • ZEEL encourages India to opt for an EVM instead of a remote

    By A Correspondent

     

    To encourage and mobilize viewers to cast their vote this election, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. (ZEEL) has announced the launch of its campaign called ‘Grown Ups Go Vote’. Conceptualised by Lowe Lintas, the campaign kicked off across the network prior to election week with child stars from the network appealing to the adults to fulfil their responsibility and do the grown-up thing by voting in the upcoming Indian General Elections 2019.

     

    Said Prathyusha Agarwal, CMO, ZEEL: “As a responsible national television network, it is our duty to encourage every Indian citizen we reach to vote. #GrownUpsGoVote is a campaign to transform voting from a chore to a celebration of civic engagement. It calls out to all adult citizens to do the grown-up thing and fulfil their responsibility to the nation’s future. Pausing our content is our way of encouraging people to move out of their homes and march to the polling booths. It’s a move away from our regular messaging where we ask people to watch our shows. As part of this campaign, our artists are appealing to the audience to go vote rather than sitting and watching them.”

     

    Talking about the initiative, Sagar Kapoor, CCO, Lowe Lintas added: “It’s the era of ‘doing’ and not just ‘saying’. Zee, as a testimony to their commitment to voting, has done just that. The roadblock is a bold move to remind people of their fundamental duty.”

     

     

  • Zee promotes its English cluster offering via #WhereIsMyChannel

    By A Correspondent

     

    Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) has launched an ad campaign title #WhereIsMyChannel that encourages viewers to choose their preferred channels. The films feature Bollywood filmmaker Anurag Kashyap and the percussion maestro Sivamani as viewers of – Zee Café and &flix.

     

    Said Prathyusha Agarwal, Chief Marketing Officer, ZEEL: “The discerning urban English consumer is highly involved in their content choices. However, selecting their channel packs is new behavior that they are currently not used to. Through this communication our objective was to nudge them towards becoming more active in informing the cable operator of their channel pack choice. We also wanted to bring alive our insight that the “Cable Operator May Not Really Know You” and hence inform him of your pack choice.”

     

    The campaign has been conceptualised and executed by Zee English cluster, along with its creative partner for this campaign – Tiqui-taka.

     

    Sharing his views on conceptualising the campaign, Jigar Fernandes, Founder, Tiqui-taka, said: “We changed the lens and saw the cable guys point or view. How will he ever know what channels you like? We stayed with this for a while before we finally cracked it by bringing in the expert celeb angle – if a cable guy can misjudge a well-known celebrity, it could happen to anyone. We took a shuddh desi Hindi script for a premium English channel. And Zee was cool enough to embrace it! The one with Mr. Sivamani followed later.”

     

     

  • Zee turns activisty on HD

    By A Correspondent

     

    Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL) has launched its new campaign ‘Aankhon Ka Aandolan’ to build awareness about the benefits of a HD channel viewing experience and drive a behaviour change. With this new campaign, ZEEL aims to drive consideration to upgrade from SD to HD subscription amongst the current SD subscribers.

     

    Conceptualised by Lowe Lintas, the campaign aims to be the trigger to upgrade to HD subscription by showing the consumers, the superior quality HD viewing experience that they are missing out on. ZEEL currently offers 14 HD channels.

     

    Commenting on the launch, Prathyusha Agarwal, Chief Marketing Officer at ZEEL said “At Zee, we believe in offering ‘Extraordinary Entertainment’ to our consumers at all levels. Where we focus on offering versatile content for consumers across age groups, we are equally invested in offering them superior quality viewing experience through our best in class HD technology. We truly believe that HD viewing experience offers our viewers better clarity, and once you get hooked on to it, you just can’t do without it! We have tailor-made our two brand films in eight languages and given it legs to appeal to our regional viewers spread across the country. The benefits of the HD viewing experience has been brought alive through the lead protagonist across regional markets of the Zee network.”

     

    Sharing his views on the campaign, Sagar Kapoor, Executive Director at Lowe Lintas said: “The creative idea stemmed from the very objective of magnifying the benefits of HD over the SD experience. We just shifted the lens on looking at a very apparent yet hardly spoken about TG. The eyes in this case. Hence the idea of eyes asking for HD viewing. It just made complete sense to land the advantage via someone who will benefit the most. Not to mention the cut through we get with the visual idea of creating characters out of eyes themselves.”

     

    Added Anaheeta Goenka, President at Lowe Lintas: “In India, a better service or product does not necessarily make for adoption. Especially when the comparative does not exist. That was our strategic challenge. Getting people to see the distinct value of HD vs SD. Easy to sell the product – but we refrained and instead took another journey from the ‘viewers eyes’.”

     

     

  • &TV undertakes channel refresh campaign with ‘Hai KhaasHarAndaaz’

    By A Correspondent

     

    Zee Entertainment Television’s Hindi general entertainment channel &TV has undertaken a refresh.

     

    Said Punit Misra, CEO, ZEEL – India Broadcast Business: “As India’s No.1 entertainment network, it is our endeavour to fulfill the entertainment needs of every viewer segment. We believe &TV, the youngest GEC in the ZEEL portfolio is best suited to cater to ‘&dians’ – the multifaceted, progressive, young urban viewers who want to be more. With our unique brand point-of-view led content creation approach, the &TV team has crafted stories and characters that ‘&dians’ will fall in love with.”

     

    Added Prathyusha Agarwal, CMO, ZEEL:“The & Brand in our portfolio aims to disrupt the entertainment space with content that caters to the nonconformist ‘&dian’ mindset. Our new brand campaign ‘Hai KhaasHarAndaaz’ is pegged on a simple premise – today’s Indian is multi-dimensional in their thoughts, actions and aspirations and seamlessly traverse between their many roles in life and excel in each. It’s truly an & and not an OR world for them as theyadd meaning to and fulfil every relationship, value themselves and their work, go beyond what society expects them to and actualize all their &s along the way. Through this campaign we celebrate this ability of an &dian toexpand the canvas to accomplish their desires and the multiplicity idea captures their diverse hues in full glory.”

     

    Depicting this core proposition to the viewers, is the new channel refresh campaign created by Lowe Lintas.Bringing alive the essence of the new channel thought of ‘Hai KhaasHarAndaaz’, &TV will presentsa new line-up of shows in the coming months, starting off with the recently launched Perfect Pati, two upcoming big-ticket properties and more in the offing.

     

    Added Vishnu Shankar, Head, &TV:“As society develops and people’s ethos progress, we capture the change and reflect this sentiment in the entertainment we provide to our audience. Ever since its inception, we at &TV believe in psychographics, not demographics – targeting a contemporary blooming mindset. Our new brand campaign pays tribute to today’s ‘&dian’. As we move forward, we will present Khaas stories and engage our viewers in our unique Andaaz, in line with the brand motto.

     

     

  • Zee embraces Bollywood masala, classics channel off for now

    By A Correspondent

     

    Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL), the first entertainment network to have a 24-hour Hindi movie channel, is now launching an all-new Hindi movie channel. Zee Bollywood is the name, and it will be unveiled on August 31 in the same slot as Zee Classic.

     

    The channel has curated a roster of over 600 exclusive ‘Masalon se koot koot ke bhari filmein’. Said Prathyusha Agarwal, CMO, ZEEL: “At ZEEL, our aim has always been to fuel the entertainment space with extraordinary content that satiates the needs of our viewers. Specifically, in the Hindi movie segment we understand the viewer as someone whose mind seeks different kinds of cinema, while his heart continues to yearn for Masala Bollywood! Hence, we came up with the Big idea of Zee Bollywood – a channel that brings you the Best in class ‘Masalon se Koot Koot Ke Bhari Filmein’ that are high on Filmoglobin – the antidote to dubs and new age realistic movies, so that life is pumped up with ‘101% Shuddh Bollywood’. Zee Bollywood is our tribute to Masala Bollywood movies that excite the common man. The brand promise of 101% Shuddh Bollywood was conceptualized with rooted strengths of Timeless Bollywood movies, Larger than life expressions and Deadly dialogues. The channel’s look and communication has been created to pay homage to the principles of Masala Bollywood with original, iconic and dynamic renditions that viewers will find unique.”

     

    Added Ruchir Tiwari, Business Head, Zee Hindi Movies Cluster: “Zee Bollywood is our tribute to that purest form of cinema which stands for wholesome entertainment that defines the ultimate movie viewing experience. The charm of these movies lies in the unparalleled blend of raw emotions, intense drama, powerful action and soulful music delivered in a grand, glamorous scale. However, with the shift in focus to new age or realistic movies in the recent times, this charm is slowly getting lost.Audience of Hindi movies increasingly yearns for this genre of movies which is a strong need gap. With the launch of Zee Bollywood, we intend to wow our viewers with a platform that revels in this flamboyance of Shuddh Bollywood movies.”

     

    Said Vijay Sanil, President, Sales at Zee Network: “Our latest offering Zee Bollywood promises to appeal to the Hindi speaking markets in the heartland. The new channel will now cater to the hard-core Bollywood fan who is a loyalist of masala Bollywood movies. The strong brand proposition has helped us connect with some of the key likeminded brands across sectors garnering four channel partners even before the channel goes live. Currently we have Nerolac, Lays, Cadbury and Nirma Salt as our channel partners. The response has been extremely positive from our clients and such partnerships further validate our belief in our offering. We are hoping to drive synergies with more brands as we embark on this new journey.”

     

     

  • Ajay Piramal, Sam Balsara recognised at IAA Leadership Awards

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    The International Advertising Association’s (IAA) India Chapter presented the winners for the sixth edition of the coveted Leadership Awards at St Regis Hotel, Mumbai.

     

     

    Key highlights of the panel discussion:

    Prathyusha Agarwal, CMO- ZEEL: “TV has been the source of entertainment for every Indian household for decades and continues to be so. As the entertainment powerhouse of the country we believe only when we come together across platforms, extraordinary happens. Hence, we are here to provide the best solution to the advertisers. We are also witnessing huge growth in the regional markets and connecting with people in their own language is invaluable. Fundamentally, TV is and will always be relevant, but it is also a glorious time for marketers with digital and working together to effectively reach out to consumers”

     

    Sanjay Behl, CEO- Raymond Ltd: “Properties that are being watched in India right now are at an all-time high beating world numbers. Fundamentally, there are two questions in context of media, first being brand position and second which medium helps me build my brand. I feel brands are working towards influencing immediate purchase rather than analysing which medium helps in the long run. No doubt, that the reach of TV is high, it is also quick as product life cycles are short and TV gives you a wide reach within a 30 second Ad duration. It is also intense as TV as a broadcast medium builds passive engagement vs Digital disengagement. I also feel quality innovations have been happening in consumption of the media as TV remains the second highest return on investment after paid research. I truly believe TV is a and will remain a powerhouse medium in our country.”

     

    Shashi Sinha, CEO- IPG Media Brands India: “In the media agency ecosystem, there is a lot of discussion on ratings. I appeal that we must look at first impressions to make actual comparison and what comes easily to traditional advertisers may not appeal to the youth today. I feel TV has a long way to go and is a under nourished medium. However, for people to build brands, India still has a long way to go so one needs to advertise using TV as a medium.”

     

    Partho Das Gupta, CEO – BARC India: “TV today reaches 836 mn individuals across India, we as Indians still are TV fanatics. People are spending 4 hrs on TV in the South of India. Almost 12 hours of advertising gets telecasted in India. Hindi content is still ruling, 688 mn viewers are watching GEC serials while at a similar number 680mn are watching movies which is a higher number than people who watch movies in the theatre. Sports as a genre is also going up. Overall, I would say TV is the biggest dominant medium today and will continue to grow.”

     

    Said IAA India President Ramesh Narayan: “A unique power-packed event, we have with us advertisers, media, corporates all assembled to salute excellence in leadership. This is very inspirational.India chapter has been leading from the front to name a few initiatives #WorktoLivetoWork , IAA Mentorship for Women, IndIAA Regional Awards, Reigniting the Artist and Storyteller in you, IAA Olive Crown Awards, IndIAA national awards and for the first time in 80 years we have IAA World Congress  being hosted in Kochi in February 2019.”

     

    Before the awards were presented, a panel discussion was moderated by Partho Dasgupta, BARC India with eminent panellists –Sanjay Behl, CEO, Raymond, Shashi Sinha, CEO of IPG MediaBrands and Prathyusha Agarwal, CMO, ZEEL on television medium being a strong influencer (See box alongside).

     

    The highlight of the evening saw IAA India inducting veteran industryperson Sam Balsara into the IAA Hall of Fame for doing so much more than just founding and building a great communication company.

     

    Ajay Piramal, Chairman, Piramal Group was recognised as the IAA Business Leader of the Year. Sharing his learnings from the Bhagwad Gita he mentioned it has the philosophy that can be used to practice on a day to day basis. ” Some of the lessons I have learned are to 1. Have courage – keep fighting 2. Be fearless – take the path less travelled  3. Focus on action – results follow actions 4. Be equanimous”.

     

    The event was sponsored by Zee. Lokmat group was Associate Partner. Said Rishi Darda, Joint Managing Director and Editorial Director, Lokmat on the association: “At Lokmat as Maharahstra’s No 1 Newspaper we have always focussed on recognising individuals for their exemplary contribution across various areas. #IAALeadershipAwards  partnership compliments our organisational focus in identifying deserving marketers of today and providing a platform to create awareness on their outstanding work in their relevant area. The stellar jury also adds to the credibility of the event. The attendance of stalwarts in media, the hall of fame induction of Sam Balsara  and the motivation towards mentoring youngsters of tomorrow; all of which is focussed towards nurturing and developing the marketing fraternity. We thank industry for supporting us all through and IRS 2017 not only affirms our Maharashtra leadership but confirmed our leadership in Pune market.”

     

    Here’s a list of the prizewinners:

    Winner List – Leadership Awards 2018

     

     

  • Zee TV unveils new identify, credo & brand films

    By A Correspondent

     

    Twenty-five years after launch, Zee TV unveils an all-new ideology, encapsulated in the line – Aaj Likhenge Kal. The fresh reiteration of its brand purpose urges the audiences to curate their own extraordinary future. Two films have been created by Zee’s new creative agency, Publicis India.

     

    Said Punit Misra, CEO – Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited, Domestic Broadcast Business: “As a pioneer of the satellite broadcast space, Zee TV’s content has always highlighted values that are deeply ingrained in the middle-class audiences around the world. As we look forward to the next leg of our journey, it is important for us to continuously reflect the aspirations of the evolving viewer, and inspire them to be their extraordinary self. Aaj Likhenge Kal is a brand and content mantra which will translate into a stronger bond with viewers. We wish to walk along the life journeys of our viewers and nudge and support them to proactively take control of their destinies. Zee TV’s evolution of its brand proposition is a part of a larger brand refresh exercise for our organization.”

     

    The Aaj Likhenge Kal philosophy is brought alive with a brand new visual identity, where each element signifies the aspiration of the great Indian middle class, note a communique, adding:  “The circular logo denotes the universal appeal of Zee TV’s all-inclusive content. The orange colour represents the inner glow or radiance that emanates from within – a symbol of positivity and confidence that the brand echoes. The brand packaging will be brought alive through elements of nature such as fire, earth, water, air – the diya which represents light and hope, the blooming of an orange flower that stands for the beauty of life and evolution, gold that denotes eternal richness and mosaic which enunciates the power of synergy that stems from several fragmented pieces coming together to form a beautiful whole.”

     

    Added Deepak Rajadhyaksha, Deputy Business Head – Zee TV: “With Aaj Likhenge Kal, we are cementing the building blocks of our relationship with viewers. As we move forward, we hope to unlock the India of our dreams by serving as catalysts in transforming the middle-class into self-motivated go-getters, reaching out for the extraordinary. Our shows, be it the existing line-up or the new launches, will be in reflective of our core proposition. With them, we wish to ignite a spark amongst our viewers to fight both intrinsic and societal battles, and proactively transform their destinies to shape a beautiful tomorrow.”

     

    Said Prathyusha Agarwal, CMO, ZEEL: :As we bring alive our brand philosophy through our shows and characters, a robust marketing strategy will establish and amplify the brand POV through multiple brand assets. Our brand anthem, composed by Vishal Bharadwaj, sung by Shreya Ghoshal and Arijit Singh hums the extraordinary journeys our audiences are making and hopes to be the voice of this unwavering spirit. Our brand film captures the essence of the great Indian middle class rising and aims to spark many more to take the leap. To truly touch people’s lives with the essence of Aaj Likhenge Kal this Diwali, Zee TV will bring light to the nation’s budding future through mobile vans with LED lit installations of the new logo. These vans, strategically placed, will provide light for those who would otherwise study under street lamps.”

  • Zee to launch &Prive HD wef Sep 24

    By A Correspondent

     

    Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL) is all set to strengthen its position in the English cinema cluster with the launch of its premium HD offering - &Privé HD. The channel will go live across HD DTH platforms on September 24.

     

    Speaking about the launch, Punit Misra, CEO, ZEEL said:”We are proud to present &Privé HD to our viewers who feel the other side of cinema; audiences who have a mind of their own, who chart their own path and take the road untaken. Like the name suggests, through &Privé we wish to become your personal space for quality cinema. In the last two years, there has been a remarkable growth in the viewership of premium English movies on the HD platform. With the launch of &Privé, we wish to further accelerate this and delight our consumers. The & brand talks to the contemporary Indian who has a progressive outlook and is experimental with his/her choices. We are confident that the &Privé brand extension, with its brilliantly curated content, will find a place in the hearts of the non-conformist, discerning viewer.”

     

    Added Aparna Bhosle, Business Cluster Head – Premium and FTA GEC Channels, ZEEL: “The curated list of movies that will be aired on the channel have multiple layers and a certain depth – something that we have realized appeals to a section of non-conformist cinema enthusiasts in India. &Privé HD will boast of a line-up of movies that will cut across genres and will hopefully remain etched in the minds of our consumers, making them truly experience ‘The Other Side’ of cinema.”

     

    Speaking on the marketing strategy, Prathyusha Agarwal, CMO, ZEEL said: “For our free-thinking audience who have a fierce aversion to follow, &Privé HD will fuel the drive to think and feel different. Keeping in line with their evolved design sensibilities, the Brand & Broadcast Design delivers a signature luxury visual experience that is inspired by international magazine style and semiotics. Our communication campaign is an ode to our TG who venture beyond the obvious, celebrating those who feel the other side.”