MxMIndia

Tag: Republic Day

  • Why have the desh-bhakti ads feature only Independence and Republic Day, Why not for the whole year? ask Avik Chattopadhyay

    The Festival of Freedom

     

    By Avik Chattopadhyay

     

    We are a land of festivals. There is a phrase in Bengali that goes like “12 months, 13 festivals”.  Just the Bengali ones, mind you. If one were to add up all the festivals across all faiths and occasions, we would end up with probably 10 times that. We just love celebrations, of all types, shapes and sizes. And most brands around us surround us with their specific pieces of communication for each festival. Wishing us health, prosperity, happiness and most of all, spending money.

     

    Two such festivals fall end-January and mid-August.

    The “feeling nationalist” festivals.

    Tomorrow is one.

    When as a nation we shall see a surge of nationalism and being Indian.

     

    Over the last one week many of us would have bought the national flag.

    Ones for our car dashboards. Ones for pasting on our windows.

    Ones for placing on our work-desks. Ones for our verandahs and rooftops.

     

    We will wear traditional clothes and gather at parks and community centres to hoist the national flag, sing the national anthem, exchange pleasantries, hear out a few speeches, and then carry a little box of a samosa and a laddu back to our world of WhatsApp, Twitter and Instagram, passing judgments, drawing conclusions, pouring vitriol and acting holier than thou.

     

    Brands also have this seasonal booth of national pride.

    We actually have multiple “freedom sales” going on.

    Amazon simply calls it the “Freedom Sale”.

    Flipkart says “it’s all about your freedom…”

    Snapdeal promises it is #AzadiKeFayde.

    While Spar encourages you to “Celebrate India. Strength of Many. Power of One.”

    How utterly ridiculous can the entire thing be!?

    First, you misuse the sanctity of an occasion like the Independence Day to push out a commercial activity. And then you wrap cheeky communication around it that makes you think you look smart! What about my freedom does Flipkart really deliver? And what “fayde” [benefits] of freedom does Snapdeal promise me? The Spar one actually goes one step further by saying things that are totally inane. The marketing heads behind these exercises need some brain scanning.

     

    Then we have lots of brands espousing national pride and the spirit of unity on television. Liberty Shoes. Benetton. Manyavar. Times of India. Lava. And so on. There are some truly ridiculous ones that you can watch on YouTube in collections called “Independence Day Ads” part 1, 2, 3 and so on. I found one by Oyo featuring actors Manoj Bajpayee and Raveena Tandon totally demented. And there is one by PayTM that claims that a cashless India will be corruption free, even if you may give people in kind. The mind boggles. Then there are quite a few that are forcing you to be misty-eyed. But then there are ones by Ambuja and Bajaj that strike the right chord.

     

    I have three observations to make on all the advertising that is specially prepared for occasions like Independence Day [or even Republic Day].

     

    Why not for the whole year?

    The values of freedom and being part of a nation cannot be restricted to only 2 weeks of a year, like any other festival. They need to be communicated through the year, in all languages, to reinforce the true meaning of being an Indian, in its inclusiveness, openness, progressiveness and the responsibility that lies in each of us to preserve, nurture and propagate these values. Only then can the message register and resonate. Otherwise we will continue to have one week of cacophony and then slip into yet another festival.

     

    Why always feel good and not feel disturbed?

    Every piece of communication wants to tug at your heart, create a lump in your throat and leave you misty-eyed. Like a television soap. Freedom entrusts us with the responsibility of not just sharing the good stories but also highlighting the issues of concern. The nation need not be sung to sleep but also woken up rudely with uncomfortable truths staring us in the face. Communication needs to provoke the recipient into thought, debate and positive action. Brands can take up a cause that is close to their heart and wake people up, beyond shares on social media.

     

    Why not encourage people to give instead of buy?

    Do not make people buy. Instead, teach them to give. To a cause. To specific sections of society. To the underprivileged. To the exploited. To the deserving. We Indians are terrible philanthropists, bordering on being downright inconsiderate and selfish. Let all the e-commerce platforms encourage their members to move beyond the donation boxes in the places of worship onto the streets where millions of our brothers and sisters could benefit from our little contributions.

     

    Wish brands accord the occasion its due respect and stop treating every national holiday a shopping spree. Also try to resist the temptation of melodrama in your communication as that quite ridicules the sacrifices of our forefathers for the cause. As Netaji had said, “Freedom is not given. It is taken.” Jai Hind!

     

     

  • It showcases Godrej’s contribution to safety and security for people in the country

    Godrej promotes safety its own way with #AllSafeHere

    By A Correspondent

     

    To mark Republic Day, Godrej launched its campaign, ‘All Safe Here, featuring a video highlighting Godrej’s contribution to safety and security for people in the country.

     

    Commenting on the film, Tanya Dubash, Executive Director and Chief Brand Officer, Godrej Group said: “Godrej’s journey is intertwined with that of our country and we feel passionately about keeping India and our citizens safe. From Goodnight mosquito repellents to critical parts of Brahmos missiles, Godrej has contributed towards providing the nation with products and services that instil a feeling of protection in our consumers. On this Republic day, we reaffirm our commitment towards the nation and will continue innovating and creating products in line with this nation building philosophy.”

     

    Sharing his thoughts on the film, Anil Verma, Executive Director & President, Godrej & Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd., added: “At Godrej & Boyce, our mission has always been about enriching the quality of life every day, everywhere and a key element of this is that people feel safe and secure. It is a matter of pride to see so many of our businesses contributing to the wellbeing of Indians in so many different ways; we are truly privileged and blessed to be able to serve our country and our countrymen. On this Republic Day, we would like to renew our commitment to making all residents of India feel safer and, hence, more free than ever before.”

     

    Said Anu Joseph, Chief Creative Officer, Creativeland Asia:“Putting together Godrej’s list of contributions to the nation and how the company touches and safeguards so many million lives every day, is both an enriching and a humbling experience. It’s also poetic in a certain sense. The effort was to say the story in a simple and yet evocative way. That’s what we’ve done.”

     

     

  • The video has been conceptualised and developed by Ogilvy, Mumbai

    Tata Salt uses salt art to bring out true spirit of Republic Day

    By A Correspondent

     

    Tata Salt has partnered with a salt artist to create art that celebrates the true spirit of the Indian constitution. The brand released the video of ‘Salt Art’ on eve of Republic Day. The video art captures the essence of the Republic Day by depicting various features of the constitution such as equality, secularism, freedom of expression, fundamental rights and duties of the citizen etc. The video was conceptualised and developed by Ogilvy, Mumbai.

     

    Speaking on this occasion, Sagar Boke, Head – Marketing, Consumer Product Business, Tata Chemicals Ltd. Said: “Tata Salt aims to create relevant conversations on the days of national importance. For this Republic Day, our communication idea is to let the citizens know the privileges of being part of the world’s largest democracy and the importance of 26th January as the date that officially made us the republic. Our rights and privileges are more like Salt in our food. They often go unnoticed and we realise their importance when missing. We have used salt art as a medium to communicate this message.”

     

     

  • The campaign will be replicated across Radio City stations in Punjab, Haryana, Bihar and Jharkhand

    Radio City’s ‘Jal Thal Vayu’ campaign pays tribute to unsung heroes

    By A Correspondent

     

    On the occasion of Republic Day, Radio City announced the launch of its latest campaign, ‘Jal Thal Vayu’ to honour the legacy and bravery of the Indian armed forces. Through this two-week long campaign, Radio City’s RJ Ginnie, RJ Divya, RJ Yuvi, RJ Aadi and RJ Manav will highlight emotional and inspiring stories of India’s brave sons across all three pillars of the armed forces – Navy, Army and Air-force.

     

    The campaign will be replicated across Radio City stations in Punjab, Haryana, Bihar and Jharkhand.

     

    Commenting on the launch of the campaign, Kartik Kalla, Chief Creative Officer, Radio City said: “Radio City’s #JalThalVayu is a tribute to all our soldiers, and our way of showcasing an undivided support for the armed forces. Over the years, radio has been instrumental in bringing about a positive change in the society. At Radio City, we constantly believe in innovating content which is best suited for the citizens and the essence of the city. In tandem with the patriotic spirit, we have specially created a stationality jingle for the campaign that will be played on air. I would like to wish everyone a very happy Republic Day. “Rag Rag Mein Daude Patriotism, Rag Rag Mein Daude Radio City.”

     

     

  • Prasanth Kumar is COO – S Asia, Tushar Vyas, President Growth & Transformation, S Asia , MAPS is CEO, Mindshare & Amin Lakhani, COO, Mindshare

    On R-Day eve, GroupM rejigs top deck

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    Okay, the Republic Day reference was just for effect. It’s just a coincidence. Also, the news has been doing the rounds for a bit.

     

    After announcing a new CEO in Sameer ‘Sam’ Singh last year, GroupM South Asia has announced a significant restructuring in its leadership. Effective immediately, Prasanth Kumar (PK) is named Chief Operating Officer, South Asia, and Tushar Vyas is named President Growth and Transformation, South Asia. Both are new roles in the organisation, notes a commuique.

     

    Meanwhile, Parthasarathy Mandayam (Maps) is named Mindshare’s CEO for South Asia and Amin Lakhani is named Mindshare’s Chief Operating Officer in South Asia.

     

    Now here’s what the communique adds:

     

    As Chief Operating Officer, PK will be responsible for operational excellence, i.e. ensuring client expectations are reliably met by continuously improving processes ensuring clients are successful today. He will guide and lead the teams across OpCos, Trading and Specialised Units to execute the same more consistently and reliably to drive client delight while fortifying partnerships.

     

    Most recently as Mindshare’s CEO, PK oversaw Mindshare’s rapid expansion in the market, bringing it to a market-leading position and winning numerous global awards. During his tenure, he developed a record for the most number of new business wins by a single market and created a tradition of external accolades, including a Glass Lion at Cannes, a Grand Prix at WARC and an average of over 250 external awards per year. Mindshare India was also recognized globally as #2 in the Gunn report. Prior to Mindshare, he led the GroupM Central Trading Group across South Asia and championed exciting partnerships in digital and traditional media.

     

    Tushar Vyas will take over the role of President Growth and Transformation. In his new role, Tushar will drive digital transformation and focus on building GroupM wide capability focusing on Digital, Data, Analytics, and Content, and working across GroupM to ensure our clients are ahead of the curve for tomorrow.

     

    Before taking over his current role of the Chief Strategy Officer at GroupM, Tushar launched the Digital Media Agency business unit (Interaction) for GroupM India and built a 600+ member team by expanding services in areas like content, search, programmatic buying, mobile, digital activation, social insight and digital analytics. Today, GroupM’s digital media practice is the largest digital media solution provider with more than 500+ active clients. Under his leadership, the digital practice was a regular at all the major digital and media awards. He was also part of SureWaves start-up team focused on Media technology.

     

    Speaking on the new appointments, Sam Singh, CEO, GroupM South Asia said: “PK and Tushar are passionate leaders with high integrity and proven ability to envision and deliver successful outcomes in a challenging environment. As we become a more data-centric organization, there is a need to drive transformation and build future capabilities with a focus on Digital, Data, Analytics, and Content. We must work across GroupM to drive organizational transformation and operational excellence. The new team structure is another step in this direction.”

     

    He added, “I am also sad to announce that Lakshmi Narasimhan, our Chief Growth Officer for GroupM South Asia, has decided to step down from his current role effective January 31, 2019, to pursue personal interests. I thank him for his contributions over the years and wish him all the best. We will miss him as we continue to build upon his hard work and passion. Lakshmi was instrumental in building our strong trading community with solid practices”.

     

    Parthasarathy Mandayam (Maps) will take over the role of Chief Executive Officer(CEO) of Mindshare, South Asia effective February 1, 2019. Maps takes on the role from PK, who will be moving to his new role within GroupM.

     

    Maps has spent 10+ years with Mindshare in various leadership roles – Data, Insights, Analytics, Strategy, Client Leadership and Business Unit leadership. He will report into Sam Singh, CEO GroupM, South Asia, Prasanth Kumar – COO – GroupM South Asia and Amrita Randhawa, CEO Mindshare Asia Pacific.

     

    Going forward, Amin Lakhani will take on the role of Chief Operating Officer (COO) for Mindshare South Asia.

     

    Lakhani has over 20 years’ experience in various roles in Mindshare and GroupM and is currently leading Client leadership at Mindshare. He will continue to be based out of Mumbai.

     

    Talking on the latest developments, Prasanth Kumar, the new GroupM COO, said: “Our industry is an ever-mutating one, so we have to also continue to evolve and adapt. With Maps and Amin now at the helm of Mindshare, we have leaders with a proven track record of consistently achieving clients’ business goals. They will continue cultivating client relationships at the highest level and delivering great results.”

     

    With investment in data, technology, and diverse talent, GroupM aims to shape the future and transform business challenges into opportunities for clients.

     

     

  • Proudly Indian’ is a hashtag that Lava started about a year back

    Soho Square partners Lava Mobiles for a film on Republic Day

    By A Correspondent

     

    Lava Mobiles has released a new film which is a part of its ongoing ‘Proudly Indian’ campaign. This film has been created in celebration of India’s 70th Republic Day which falls tomorrow (January 26).

     

    Said Sumanto Chattopadhyay, Chairman & Chief Creative Officer of the soon-to-be-rechristened Soho Square: “Republic Day is when the Indian constitution came into effect, completing our long journey to independence. Let’s shake off our apathy to honour the tremendous effort that went into making us who we are as a nation.”.

     

     

  • Our offices will be closed tomorrow, January 26, on account of Republic Day. There will be hence no scheduled news updates and newsletters

    Republic Day: We’re closed tomorrow

    By A Correspondent

     

    Our offices will be closed tomorrow, January 26, on account of Republic Day. There will be hence no scheduled news updates and newsletters.

     

    We’ll back with all of it on Monday, January 29. See you then.

     

    Our greetings to all on R-Day. Enjoy responsibly.

  • The song will be launched on Colors’ digital and social media platforms reaching out to over 13 million followers and subscribers on 26th January, 2016

    Colors partners Equal Rights Music for new Republic Day anthem

    By A Correspondent

     

    On the occasion of India’s 67th Republic Day, Colors, in association with Equal Rights Music Project, seeks to spread a message of goodwill and amity with the launch of Kabootar – A Peace Anthem. The song will be launched on Colors’ digital and social media platforms reaching out to over 13 million followers and subscribers on 26th January, 2016.

     

    Speaking about this initiative, Raj Nayak, CEO – Colors says, “As a brand, Colors has always showcased the different hues of human emotions, feelings and sentiments. However, as we drive global development to accomplish personal goals and ambitions, peace is something that the world has lost touch with. As a nation, India has always led the fight for global harmony and brotherhood, making the country’s 67th Republic Day the perfect launchpad for ‘Kabootar – A Peace Anthem’. We are happy to have partnered with the Equal Rights Music Project for this initiative and hope that it unites the nation to achieve peace.”

     

    Conceptualized and written by Manish Bhatt – Founder Director, Scarecrow Communications and composed by Eddie T Avil, the song uses Kabootar as a metaphor for peace. The song’s insightfully written lyrics asks the dove the one question that mankind has been eternally pondering over – ‘When Will Peace Finally Grace the World / Kab utrega dharti par, ein kabootar’. The video, aesthetically shot by Riju Samanta, also symbolizes the cause and is a nostalgic reminder of the diversity and similarities we share as Indians. The song and the video builds upon the fact that we really don’t care about the minor differences we have, but the one thing we genuinely care about, is to ensure harmony and peace for our coming generations.

     

  • This month-long multimedia campaign will be executed majorly through television, outdoor, radio, online and print

    MFCS unveils first TVC themed around ‘Free ke baad

    By A Correspondent

     

    Mahindra First Choice Services (MFCS) launched its first television commercial – Free ke baad First Choice.

     

    “We are delighted to announce that we have scaled our Multi Brand Organised service network to 100 workshops across 15 states with a robust spare parts and service supply chain. This campaign is to take the unique positioning of ‘Free ke baad First Choice’ – MFCS being the destination for car service post free service period,” said YVS Vijay Kumar, CEO, Mahindra First Choice Services Ltd.

     

    “The campaign is based on the customer feedback received through various market research conducted in last three years. Set in a humorous undertone, the TVC brings out the key message which every car owner is familiar with – the pains and perils of getting your car serviced once the paid service period is over. The consumer gets the feeling of behaviour change and implied costs of car maintenance. The customer looks for honest advice and assured quality of service. With this campaign we hope that the customers will be able to relate to the concept which is straight out of a real-life situation,” said Alok Kapoor, Head- Marketing and Franchise Development-Mahindra First Choice Services Ltd. “This month-long multimedia campaign will be majorly through television, outdoor, radio, online and print. The approximate spends are to the tune of Rs.10 crore and the campaign will break in the coming week, post Republic Day,” he added.

     

    “We understood the concerns and saw an opportunity to create a humorous campaign addressing them. The TVC establishes a contrast between two scenarios, during free service period and paid service period – how the behaviour of the customer and service advisor (workshop) changes towards car maintenance. During free service period the customer is king, he has the upper hand, asking service advisors to do work which might not be required since there is no cost. The contrast is during the paid service, when the service advisor starts behaving like a king, and tries to oversell things which might not be required , thus creating a doubt in the mind of the customer,” said Rajan L Narayan, Founder and Principal Consultant, The Lonely Cloud Consulting Company.

     

  • We are shut on Republic Day. So no updates and newsletter, unless there's something major. We'll be back on Tuesday, January 27

    We’re closed for Republic Day. See you Tuesday

    By A Correspondent

     

    Before you read further, please call your local baniya/kirana store and order some popcorns, Bingos, whatever. Or visit the supermarket and carry stuff back. Witness the Republic Day parade with Barack Obama and all our Indian biggies. It’s loooong, gets monotonous, but there’s no better crash course in what our great country is all about.

     

    So wake up early.  Even if you are out on vacation.

     

    And, yes, we are shut on Republic Day. So no updates and newsletter, unless there’s something major. We’ll be back with our usuals on Tuesday, January 27.

     

    Have a great weekend!

     

  • In Freaking News, Ranjona Banerji reviews the fare on primetime news and in the papers

    Media gets it wrong on Republic Day

    By Ranjona Banerji

     

    Republic Day is not about freedom from colonial rule, it’s about the Constitution and the way we rule ourselves. How did the media respond? After 63 years, maybe they feel that there’s little left to say, even though we have, in 2011, suffered a number of crises that examine or question our schedule of rights, responsibilities, freedoms and systems.

     

    Even the advertisers got it wrong. Bank of America, for instance, talked about some medieval version of the Panchatantra that they had helped restore. Wonderful news though that is, it has nothing whatsoever to do with India becoming a Republic. The Google doodle was some very cute cavorting elephants – but cute does not quite cover what Republic Day means.

     

    Anna Hazare used the opportunity to declare that “gram sabhas” are more important than the Lok Sabha. Luckily Mumbai is newspaper-free on January 27 or Hazare’s urban supporters would have been really confused. He was not, you see, talking about a sprouted moong salad or any other health food. What he means is that village assemblies are more important and should be more powerful than the elected representatives chosen by systems laid down in our very carefully constructed Constitution. As The Times of India’s Hyderabad edition put it, “Struggling to stay relevant amid signs of growing public indifference, Anna Hazare…” The Deccan Chronicle’s Hyderabad edition, it must be pointed out, did not bother to front-page Hazare archaic notions.

     

    But what the DC does have is an interesting story about how Nitin Gadkari, BJP party president, has changed his tune a bit about Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi for prime minister. Now he says Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley are in the race too. Perhaps the BJP, which is so enamoured of the US presidential system, now wants to internally implement the US political party system for choosing presidential candidates. It will be great fun if they do it – Modi, Swaraj and Jaitley locked in public fights with each other for the privilege of running for prime minister. Can you imagine the amount of fodder for our TV anchors?

     

    * * *

     

    Talking of TV (as I ran through the channels on Republic Day), the terrible story of a battered baby at New Delhi’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences dominated the headlines, together with the Indian cricket teams continuing travails in Australia. Virat Kohli’s century in Adelaide got some accolades but it was mainly doom and gloom. The battered baby got front page lead in the Delhi edition of the Hindustan Times, so can I forecast a more “people-friendly” 2012 in the media?

     

    * * *

     

    For the first time in several years, the Republic Day awards did not cause media hysteria. If Sachin Tendulkar had got his 100th 100th, the fact that he did not get a Bharat Ratna may have been a matter of huge melodrama. As it happens, no one got a Bharat Ratna.

     

    My only observation here is possibly a very visible parochialism where newspapers were happiest about awards given to local people. Now not only do you have to be jingoistic about India as a media person, you also have to fall prey to all the foibles of regional identity politics. I hope that’s not a prediction!

     

  • In Freaking News, Ranjona Banerji reviews the fare on primetime news and in the papers

    Time for media to not get jingoistic

    By Ranjona Banerji

     

    After all the tears and threats, Salman Rushdie appeared on NDTV and said whatever he wanted – including praising his controversial Satanic Verses – in an interview with Barkha Dutt. So that’s a lot more potential viewers than at a literary festival – so much for fears of riots and violence.

     

    It is amusing to see that “liberals” are now a legitimate attackable category of people in India. Religious and social fundamentalists on television have a field day since liberals uphold the Constitution and other wishy-washy stuff like that. In print, several Muslims, prominent and otherwise, have said that this whole “ban Rushdie” idea is unacceptable – The Times of India has a report – but these presumably “liberal” Muslims do not usually find their way on to TV. The reasons are clear – they may not provide enough provocative drama.

     

    While Rushdie was calling Deobandi’s “dreadful people” on NDTV, Rahul Singh wondered on Times Now whether many Sikhs in the UK were not former Khalistanis! Everyone now in the mood to call spades shovels? TV has got needlessly exercised about this whole Jay Leno-Golden Temple fracas; today’s newspapers tell us that Sikhs in the US are not bothered by it. We also learn that Vylavar Ravi, Union minister for Indian overseas affairs, had not even seen the Leno show and did not know exactly what offence had been committed.

     

    The media needs to stand up and take a call about not getting all jingoistic about perceived insults. I have to side with Markandey Katju here – surely we have other things to worry about?

     

    **

     

    Republic Day tomorrow and I fear it is my cynicism, long years and grey hair which makes me feel like newspapers are really paying lip service and doing nothing new. The last week told us that our children are educated, our babies and young mothers are dying and we have no sanitation or hygiene systems to speak of. But we have to periodically be told what a great and wonderful country India is. The marketers and the believers in “good news” will get upset otherwise. O dear, I sound like Katju again.

     

    **

     

    The upcoming assembly elections are taking up newspaper space but not TV time. The reasons for this are obvious – TV in India thrives on sensationalism, so unless Mayawati sends another aeroplane to Mumbai to buy shoes, we will have to read not hear what she’s up to.

     

    **

     

    Mid-Day turned into a broadsheet for the day, for marketing reasons, but it actually looked quite nice.

     

    **

     

    India’s run in Australia has clearly upset our media so much that cricket is now restricted to the sports shows and pages. This is some change from the usual. Having said that, some very good daily cricket analysis from Ayaz Memon in Mail Today – he doesn’t hold his punches but given his experience, doesn’t fall into our current
    mood of patriotic funk! Insightful and scathing both.

     

    While on sports, it’s good to see tennis and the Australian Open sharing news space with everything else. (Go Federer!)

    Ranji matches have also been getting a fair run in newspapers.

     

    **

     

    And, Happy Republic Day!