MxMIndia

Tag: Sanjeev Bhargava

  • #KeepLearning will offer educational content in video, audio and article formats

    Times of India joins Byju’s #KeepLearning campaign

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Times of India, in association with edtech major Byju’s, has announced the launch of the #KeepLearning campaign. The initiative intends to empower students, parents and educators with information and the best practices of online learning.

     

    Speaking about the initiative, Sanjeev Bhargava, Director – Brand, TOI said: “The pandemic has brought about several drastic changes in the way we live our lives. One of the sectors that have seen sizeable change is the education sector, which has swiftly transitioned and adopted a digital approach. As a media platform, we have consistently been drivers of effective change in society, building and supporting movements; with this legacy, we bring an endeavour to empower parents and educators while providing them with the best guidance and knowledge in association with Byju’s. Bridging the gap between the knowledge of how to leverage the various digital learning tools that have been developed for us, #KeepLearning will help children, parents and educators alike.”

     

    Added Sudha Natrajan, Director – Response, TOI: “Covid-19’s prevailing impact has forced people to live life indoors. The education sector has also moved from blackboards to digital screens, affecting the life of the students and forcing them to adapt to the digital way of learning. With TOI’s and Byju’s – #KeepLearning initiative, we aim to edify the parents and educators about how they can adapt to these changes and also help students adapt to the changing times for a better future. By using different approaches and digital tools we intend to create a bridge between the parents and teachers to drive them towards a better future for the students.”

     

    Said Mrinal Mohit, Chief Operating Officer, Byju’s: “Learning and education are an important part of our lives. With the advancement of technologies and availability of several tools, it is necessary to expand the scope of learning at every stage and educate ourselves on how we can harness the presented opportunity. With the #KeepLearning campaign, in association with TOI, Byju’s hopes to enlighten students, parents and educators about the ‘how-to’ of e-learning and bring about a change in the education sector.”

     

     

  • The print-linked digital game is called Times Housie Plus

    TOI’s housie gambit for readers

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Times of India (TOI) has launched a print-linked digital housie game called Times Housie Plus for readers to celebrate the festive season.

     

    Said Sanjeev Bhargava, Director, Brand – TOI: “Newspapers have always been a beloved companion for tea/coffee time breaks. Our games and puzzles have always found favour with our readers. Times Housie Plus is a re-interpreted version of the classic game of Housie, that all of us have played at some point in our life with our friends and families. We are making our newspaper more interactive and informative with this game. The clues will tell the readers more about their own city and country, and the entire family can play together to hunt and solve the clues.”

     

     

  • The film depicts the TOI reader’s relationship with the newspaper

    Gulzar celebrates #NewspaperMornings for Times of India

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Times of India has launched an ode to the morning newspaper habit of many/most Indians with a poetry penned by celebrated lyricist and poet Gulzar.

     

    Speaking about the campaign Sanjeev Bhargava, Director, Brand TOI said: “Across the world, newspapers are the most trusted source of news, and our readers already know that.  Reading a newspaper is not merely flipping through pages. We all have our unique way of reading our newspapers – some sit on a table, some lounge on floor, some start from front page, some go reverse and so on. The charm of reading a newspaper is an intimate and uninterrupted immersion into news, that is both relaxing and intense depending on the pace of its reader. The poetry narrates this experience from the eyes of the reader. During uncertainty, access to accurate information is critical. And, we stay committed to our readers to bring them unbiased and authentic news to ensure our relationship with our readers strengthen further.”

     

     

  • The campaign created by Wunderman Thompson India captures the need for empowering senior citizens to live happy in the new-normal with social distancing norms

    ‘Reverse Parenting’ is the need of the hour, says TOI campaign on Father’s Day

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Times of India is doing a content series under ‘Unlocking Diaries’ that chronicles how different sectors are opening up post the lockdown.

     

    Speaking about the campaign, Sanjeev Bhargava, Director, Brand, TOI, commented, “As the world comes to terms with the new-normal, the older generations will find it increasingly alien and the younger ones will find ways to adapt. In this scenario, it become incumbent upon the younger generations to help their elders acclimatize to the new reality. This Father’s Day, TOI recognises this shift and helps create awareness for this new dynamic in old parent-child relationship.”

     

    Talking about the video, Joy Chauhan, Senior Vice President & Managing Partner, Wunderman Thompson, Gurgaon, added: “Curating such a thought-driven and purpose-led campaign for an iconic brand like TOI reaffirms the faith that we have in them towards making a difference to society. Our long-standing association with them has seen us contribute our creativity towards the cause in creating a host of impactful and compelling initiatives. Coupled with a sense of urgency in these testing times, the concept of #ReverseParenting film was one that needed to reach out to the audience at the very earliest. It drives forward the message and reiterates the fact that it is now time for the children to help their father ease into the new normal. Having made such a telling campaign, we look to make more of the same for them in the near future.”

     

     

  • 290 million eligible voters were unable to exercise their right to vote, due to migration

    TOI’s ‘Lost Vote’ campaign propels EC to finally act

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Times of India had launched its largest-ever collective campaign, Lost Votes, aimed at getting the right for voting for those who have moved away from the address where their vote is registered. Drawing nation-wide attention, the publication with each step in the campaign parsed awareness to millions of migrated voters and concerned citizens on the importance of casting their vote and urgency of addressing the gap.

     

    As per the insights gained during the campaign roll-out, 290 million eligible voters were unable to exercise their right to vote, due to migration without a permanent local address. TOI launched th Lost Votes campaign, urging the Election Commission to find an effective, immediate and permanent solution. Following the year-long campaign, the Election Commission recently announced that they are working on a technology-led solution that will address the issue so that there are no more lost votes.

     

    Speaking about the impact of the campaign, Sanjeev Bhargava, Director The Times of India said: “We launched the Lost Votes campaign last year. Powerful and simple thought: people temporarily not living in the place where their vote is registered are unable to vote. And the number of such eligible voters is close to 30 crore. This campaign demanded tech solutions to enable these lost votes and give back the fundamental right to these citizens of India. More than a million-people pledged support to this campaign. And less than a year later the election commissioner has announced the start of this journey. We are proud to be instrumental to the strengthening of our democracy!! Not surprisingly at TOI we say: “Change Begins Here”.

     

     

  • The initiative will feature the finest minds in the world of marketing come together to discuss the future of marketing

    Second edition of ‘Star Flow’ to be held in New Delhi

    By A Correspondent

     

    We aren’t invited for it, but the line-up looks interesting and has been very heavily promoted by The Times of India group publications. The second edition of Flow – The Change Festival is scheduled to be held on February 19 and 20 in Gurgaon.

     

    Sanjeev Bhargava

    Said Sanjeev Bhargava, Director – The Times of India, TIMS and Mirror Brands and Co-Curator of Flow: “Flow – The Change Festival is a unique initiative that brings cutting edge marketing theories, practices, trends and technologies to marketing leaders and practitioners alike. The speakers and panellists have been carefully curated to deliver the highest value for the time the marketing fraternity chooses to spend at this festival. Last year, this event was extremely successful going by the feedback of the delegates. We hope to make this edition even bigger and better.”

     

    Santosh Desai

    Added Santosh Desai, MD and CEO FutureBrands India and also Co-Curator of the event: “The overall intent of The Flow Festival is to make sense of all the change that we see around us with both depth and freshness. In its second year Flow is focusing on bringing to the Indian marketing community perspectives that challenge long-held conventional beliefs. New concepts, provocative ideas, deep-dives into emerging themes- these are what the marketing practitioner can hope to hear at this year’s event.”

     

     

  • Recognised as a symbol of sisterhood, the annual campaign will run with the endeavuor to make inclusive sindoor khela celebrations a part of tradition

    TOI unveils third edition of #NoConditionsApply – Sindoor Khela

    By A Correspondent

     

    Two years ago, The Times of India reinterpreted a 400-year-old tradition with the award-winning campaign #NoConditionsApply – Sindoor Khela. Conceptualised to promote gender equity, the campaign calls attention to the issue of inclusion of women in celebrations and combats the discrimination that they face in terms of their caste, creed, marital status, sexual orientation etc. In its third year, #NoConditionsApply – Sindoor Khela initiative aims to reach the corners of the nation and beyond spreading this message of inclusive celebration that celebrates the womanhood sans any discrimination based on labels and societal barriers.

     

    Commenting on the launch, Sanjeev Bhargava, Director, Brand TOI, said: “The #NoConditionsApply – Sindoor Khela campaign is extremely special to all of us, owing to the change that it has fostered across the various communities in India. While it is contextualized to a Bengali cultural event, the message of inclusive celebration and sisterhood resonates with everyone. We have always left no stone unturned in spreading the message across the various strata of society. Our success lies not in the awards that this campaign has garnered but in the fact that the initiative has grown from strength to strength and is rapidly becoming a symbol of inclusiveness.  We are grateful for the overwhelming response we have received from women across the country who have shared their celebrations with us. The fact that it is back for the third time is testament to the widespread movement that the campaign is now. I thank everyone who has supported us in making the change happen.”

     

    Speaking about the campaign, Swati Bhattacharya, Chief Creative Officer, FCB Ulka added: “This piece of work has been a big emotional milestone for me personally. This bloodless coup of a campaign shows the world that joy love friendship and beauty can help break down walls an inclusive Sindoor Khela shows us that sisterhood is one of biggest ideas that can change the world we live in.”

     

     

  • The 2019 General Elections are on the anvil and TOI took up the challenge to launch a nationwide campaign to generate conversations

    TOI espouses cause of ‘Lost Votes’ in latest social initiative

    By A Correspondent

     

    Given that the general election are coming up in a few months, The Times of India has launched a nationwide campaign to generate conversations and make a real difference. The ‘Lost Votes’ movement calls for policy and electoral reforms to bring in the vote of Indian migrant into country’s general elections.

     

    Commenting on the campaign, Sanjeev Bhargava, Director, TOI Brand said: “We are the largest democracy in the world. But are we the most robust? To strengthen our democracy, it is important that the right to vote and the facility to vote both be made available to the entire voting population.”

     

    Added Senthil Kumar, Chief Creative Officer, J Walter Thompson: “The idea of the film is to evoke the voice of the lost vote. A voice that amplifies the angst and echoes the emotion of over 20 crore Indians losing their vote. To play the voice of the lost votes on loud speakers and yet feel the voice being drowned by the distance, lost in the middle class multitudes out there. Losing your right to vote is like that fading homing signal. It’s like missing the last train home and losing the hope of making a difference in your hometown from your distant work station. Mera Haq Kahin Pe Kho Gaya,”

     

     

  • The Times of India’s flagship property becomes the longest running platform for young collegians to showcase their talent

    Times Fresh Face announces launch of its 11th season

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Times of India has bought on board Livon to partner for the 11th season of its talent-hunt platform – Livon Times Fresh Face powered by Set Wet.

     

    Commenting on the contest, Sanjeev Bhargava, Director of Brand TOI said: “The Times of India is not only a chronicler of change but an enabler of positive change. We attempt to impact positive change in many different ways through initiatives that empower the citizens of this country to impact the environment, the health issues facing the country, improving the economic and political awareness in the country. One of the key areas we have identified is to empower the upcoming generations of Indians with self-confidence and recognition, opening the doors to new opportunities for them. Livon Times Fresh Face is one such initiative. We believe that by reaching out to ambitious and talented youth in colleges around the country, and encouraging them to recognize and showcase the power of their talent and personalities, we are not only giving these bright future stars a big platform but also inspiring thousands of other fellow students through our events and amplification in media. The change their talent can bring about is what will contribute to defining the future of this country.’’

     

     

  • TOI’s City Supplements celebrate cities of India with a series of unique City Anthems

    Flirt with your city, says new TOI campaign for city pull-outs

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Times of India has launched a brand campaign for its metro supplements (TIMS) – Bombay Times, Delhi Times, Gurgaon Times, Chennai Times, Bangalore Times and Calcutta Times – titled ‘Flirt with your City’. The campaign aims to communicate its strengthened content and reinforce its positioning as the one-stop-destination for all news and gossip of city’s bustling social life and everything related to city’s popular culture.

     

    Conceptualised by JWT India, the brand campaign is set to communicate the spicier, buzzier, trendier content proposition to its readers.

     

    Commenting on the launch, Sanjeev Bhargava, Director, Brand TOI said: “TOI’s Metro Supplements (TIMS) creates affinity in a hyper local way like no other media – building conversations, highlighting happenings and hangouts, bringing alive engaging platforms and collaborations, all leading up to your City’s pop culture. Through its evolved content, the brand encourages motivates and excites the readers to explore their own city like never before! TIMS as a supplement brings its readers just that-right from fashion to culture to the popular to the unexplored. It helps you flirt with your city. Our product Bombay Times, Delhi Times, Gurgaon Times, Chennai Times, Bangalore Times, Calcutta Times and other supplements captures this social buzz like no other media. From the latest cinema review to newest cuisine in the town, from latest gig update to best fitness regime for you, from the newest earworm music to hottest celebrity gossip, our newspaper keeps one updated on the trending topics in and around the city. Our ‘Flirt with your City’ campaign is built around this key thought. So, pick up the newspaper, and stay updated with the social chatter of the city. Plan your weekdays and weekends, go out and explore the city. We have packed more fun, color, youthfulness in the paper and strengthened the content around movies, food, fitness, fashion, campus and music. With more engaging content, new exciting IPs and integrated activities, we intend to bring readers closer to their respective city, and reinforce the thought that it is one-stop shop of everything one needs to stay connect with the buzz in the city.”

     

    Added Senthil Kumar, Chief Creative Officer, JWT India: “To bring the TOI’s Metro Supplements (TIMS) essence to life, we have created a face-off, a musical city versus city rap battle between different cities, where people, icons, characters, rappers and even objects of each city are extolling the values of their city, the city as seen through the Times. The name of the city itself becomes an audio device.  For example, Kolkata is not just Kolkata, it’s also Goal-Kata, as football is the most popular religion here. The local music and local lingo leela is the vocal veins of this film, a binding factor, replete with city specific instrumentation and lyrics. It’s your City’s Daily Rap versus Another City’s Daily Rap. The visual style is mixed media brought alive from various elements of the city. It is an amalgamation of the slice of life, Stop Motion Animation, Hyper-Lapse captures, 2D Flash Animation, Compositing within Times Newspaper and Traditional Cell Animation and of course Times Newspaper headlines and snapshots from a day in the life of your city. The ambition for this campaign is to create a dynamic anthem for each city driven by its unique pop-culture with the City Times at the center of it all.”

     

     

  • The winners of “Shop with the Stars” campaign will win chance to go on an all-expenses paid shopping trip with their favourite celebrity and Calcutta Times

    Calcutta Times launches campaign for Puja shopping

    By A Correspondent

     

    On the eve of Durga Puja, Calcutta Times has launched a new campaign: shop with the stars, to add to the festive cheers in Kolkata. Fashion Launched as an interactive campaign on multimedia, the audience must answer a series of questions, to win this shopping trip.

     

    Speaking about the initiative, Sanjeev Bhargava, Director, Brand TOI said: “Durga Pujo is one of the biggest festival of the year, especially in West Bengal. Shopping is the fun part of preparing for celebrations where friends, family, everyone ardently exchanges notes. We publish a lot on trends, new fashion styles, style bloopers and continuously track celebrity fashion tips. This year, we are taking it a notch higher by giving our readers a complete experience of Shopping with the Star, like a Star and be a Star. The way only Calcutta Times can. But, yes one must earn this opportunity through engaging in multiple tasks on print and our social media handles. It is indeed a money-cannot-buy opportunity that we present. And, we wish to make our readers feel special this Durga Pujo.”

     

  • TOI’s refreshed What’s HOT page will serve up all the latest happenings in the city with its crisp snippets and quirky layout

    TOI revamps What’s Hot page

     

     

    The Times of India’s metro supplements will sport a new What’s Hot section, informs a communique. Interestingly, the comment on the refurbished page comes to us only from the recently appointed brand head and not the editor, as one would expect of any announcement of an change in the content of a newspaper. Guess the times indeed are a-changin.

     

    So here’s what Sanjeev Bhargava, Director, Brand TOI said in the communique: “The refurbished look of What’s Hot should appeal to our readers because of a more reader-friendly look-and-feel and a stronger local connect. Keeping in mind the hyperlocal sensibility of our metro supplement as a brand, we believe that introduction of the city-specific logo is a perfect fit for our readers. Making the city pages specific, innovative, and brief, will aim to offer our readers, information of all the latest happenings in a fun yet informative manner.”

     

    Since the metro supplements (Bombay Times, Delhi Times etc) are tagged ‘advertorial, entertainment industry promotional feature’ and carry some content that’s paid for, we aren’t sure what the criteria for the selection and highlighting of items on the page will be.