Tag: Viacom 18 Media Pvt Ltd

By Anuka Roy

It was a memorable night for Viacom 18 Media Pvt Ltd at the 2016 PromaxBDA India awards held on Thursday in Mumbai.  Awards across 51 different categories were presented with Viacom 18 winning 28 awards, with Colors Infinity alone winning 12 of them. Star India was second with 17 awards. Zee and Sony settled for 11 and 7 awards respectively. Doubtlessly, the  conference hall was bustling with unparalleled energy as winners from each category were welcomed with much cheer. In total, 43 gold and 43 silver Muse trophies and eight each of gold and silver Isis trophies were awarded.

In the morning, the PromaxBDA India kicked off with an opening address by Conference Chair and Colors CEO Raj Nayak. “The biggest change in our industry is that time is fleeting,” he said, adding: “With each passing day the most precious commodity in our industry is time”.

Lee Hunt, Founder of Lee Hunt LLC, began the morning session on an engaging note by talking about the Dynamic Branding. He explained the paradox of dynamic branding through various videos and examples. According to Hunt, television brands, whether linear, on demand or any other form are different from consumer product brands. They change from season to season, show to show and click to click, so, they cannot be static. They have to be elastic, to be able to grow, to change, to evolve with programming, audiences and platforms. He explained the strategies, tactics and creative principles of television’s most successful brands, and suggested ways in which you can apply them in your branding strategies. MxMIndia asked Hunt how one can break the clutter given that most channels have the same content and a similar pattern of presentation. “If you think about it, there are only a dozen different kinds of content on television. But there are scores and hundreds of channels now. Even though each channel may have similar content scheduled at different times, in viewers’ minds it becomes all confused. So, having your brand be a filter, why we as channel chose this particular programme, scheduled at this particular time and for this particular audience, and trying to find what is that one thing you stand for that can connect all this different audience. So when the viewer looks at the way you are promoting a show,  it feels, sounds and looks different from how one of your competitors might be promoting that same content. It is a hard thing to do, but in India, where the market continues to grow and there is a lot of confusion about these brands it becomes more important.” Hunt’s post-lunch session was about ‘Death of the channel brand?’ He discussed that as content moves off-channel to on-demand platforms, the viability of a channel brand comes in to question. Hunt also explored the threats and opportunities created by Netflix and other platforms and showed how a handful of networks are changing their brands to stay relevant in the new world of television.

The first afternoon session was taken by Graeme Newell, President of 602 Communications, on ‘The next generation of viewer connection’. Newell emphasised that these days’ viewers don’t just want a good show, but a good relationship with the networks that share their values and priorities. The emotional marketing expert revealed some of the key points that are driving the next generation of viewer connection. Right after this session, it was time for the audience to experience some creativity as Steve Brouwers’s took a session on ‘Creativity is an option: fake it till you make it’. There was creativity from the word go as Brouwers’ introduction was done through a video of two infants communicating to each other in their own language about how to introduce him. “It is all about creativity. Everything starts with an idea and a way of making stuff,” said the Creative Director at SBS Belgium. The session focused on getting inspired and the techniques to enhance it. It is not about where you take things from but where do you take them to.

The panel session on ‘State of art’ was moderated by Sheetal Sudhir, Creative Director and Co-Founder of Dynamite Design. Suresh Eriyat, Creative Director and Founder of Studio Eeksaurus and Roopak Saluja, Founder & Chief Executive Officer at The 120 Media Collective were the panelists. In the beginning of the session. the moderator announced that instead of speaking on the topic, she would like the panelists to discuss about the passion that drives them towards the art they are associated with. Through the session, both the panelists shared their professional and personal experiences in the creative industry. Eriyat showed some of the best and award winning animation work that he has done. “People are the inspiration for me. I observe how they behave and try to incorporate it in my work” he said. Saluja who currently is enjoying his role as an entrepreneur, before explore different options including DJ-ing said, “I believe in managing creative talent for creative output.”

The two-day Promax conference ended with the awards presentation.