MxMIndia

Tag: Vivo

  • It's our third 'big story' on Republic, but then it's perhaps one of the biggest media launches in the last decade

    Can Republic TV kill Competition?

     

     By Pradyuman Maheshwari [updated]

    For a television channel that’s determined to fight for the need for transparency in public life and government, its launch date appears to be a closely guarded secret. But now it’s confirmed: Tomorrow, May 6. Why a Saturday, one may ask. Because that’s the first day of the week (Week #19 of 2017) as per BARC measurement. And Goswami, as he must, keeps a close watch on his viewership numbers.

    Before we had  confirmation on the date, we did have word from the Star India Corporate’s PR agency that Republic TV would start streaming on the OTT platform with effect from tomorrow. No time stated.

    Having said that, Republic is on a roll in terms of marketing across media. It has a healthy set of advertisers: Vivo, Jio, Renault, Hike, Yes Bank, Microsoft, Ravin, Nestaway, Future Group, Havell’s, Gionee, Lloyd, Raymond and Ola. Star India, we are told by sources, will continue to be an advertiser, though its logo is missing from today’s Mint ad.

    We asked ChromeDM, specialists in research on connectivity to give us a report on the availability of Republic TV, for, distribution along with content and revenues will eventually speak about the success of the channel.

    And this is what Pankaj Krishna, Founder & CEO, Chrome DM said: “Currently, on an average, an English News Channels has an availability of 45.1% among Urban Homes in India. With its soft launch, Republic has 18.4% Urban India availability (as per Chrome OTS or Opportunity to See, 3rd May 2017). In Mega Cities, Republic is currently available in 32% of the Households.”

    Note this is for data as of May 3. A distribution industry expert we spoke with said that the availability will leapfrog once the channel goes on air, as even though the deal is inked, some discerning networks do not like to air test signals. So the expert we spoke with said the ChromeDM data as of now may not be the right measure to look at right now.

    However, MxMIndia is a neutral observer and it’s important that you know facts as they are. Also, according to the ad, distribution deals have been inked with all platforms. Other than Hotstar, Republic will be available on Jio, Ditto and we are sure other platforms too.

    “There’s a buzz around Republic TV, and even if deals aren’t inked, viewers will want to watch it and will ask for it… at least for the first few weeks. Moreover, it’s free-to-air, so the pull factor increases,” said one distribution network owner.

    A media buyer and marketer we spoke with requested to speak on anonymity. Here’s what both echoed.

    1. That the buzz around Arnab Goswami has increased after he quit his previous employer.
    2. The legal notice which Goswami spoke about making an emotional appeal touched a chord, and there is a certain amount of sympathy for him.
    3. The issues with Pakistan are raging, and that’s a topic Goswami is passionate about
    4. There are enough inefficiencies across the country which Goswami will definitely dwell on

    Meanwhile, other channels are also getting their act together. Both India Today and CNN-IBN have launched shows at 7pm and also relooked at the rest of the primetime programming. Extension of primetime to 7pm will expand the viewership in all.

    As per BARC ratings for Week 17 (April 22 to 28), Times Now was the leader followed by India Today, CNN-News18, NDTV 24×7 and BBC World News. NewsX and WION didn’t figure in the Top 5. This data is for urban and rural viewership from amongst males of 22 years and above.

    MxMIndia also spoke to industry captains and while all of them wish Republic TV and Arnab Goswami the very best, they do acknowledge that it’s not going to be an easy ask. There are comparisons made to how CNN-IBN (now CNN-News18) scored a march over NDTV 24×7 when Rajdeep Sardesai started the channel, but those were early in the history of English news television in India. Times Now didn’t exist and Headlines Today (now India Today) was near-inconsequential.

    And what is our view? Well, who doesn’t like a David outwits/ outshines/ kills Goliath story. We all love it. But then we are going to be as neutral as it’s possible. We report on the business regardless who gives us business.

    However, there are issues which are beyond just R&R… in this case ratings and revenues. It’s the kind of journalism we will see on Republic TV. And hence across all channels. Will channels talking about the noise be contributing to the noise in their own way? Will the new style of television journalism – nationalism and raising questions against it – actually damage situation on the ground, even though the viewership of English news channels is limited.

    It’s our third ‘Big Story’ on Republic. Or fourth? We’ve lost count. But, then, it’s possibly one of the biggest media launches in the last decade.

    The last question to ourselves (and as in the headline): Do we see Republic TV killing Competition?

    Our response: We don’t know. Yes, we do care and we will be delighted to report on the numbers. We will await the BARC ratings over the next few weeks quite how in the old Hindi films the old parents would wait for the ‘daakiya’ for an update.

    Our normal end-line would’ve been: May the best channel win.

    But here, we will say: May good (and smart) journalism win.

    Now don’t say who cares!

     

     

  • Partners with youth-oriented TV shows to increase the brand recall amongst the younger audience

    Vivo gears up for youth shows across channels

    By A Correspondent

     

    Continuing with its focus to tap youth of the country, Vivo has partnered with various youth oriented TV shows of different genres across channels. With more than six different channels and seven different shows targeted towards youth, Vivo aims to increase its brand recall and consumer base amongst the youth of the country.

     

    Vivo has partnered with leading channels for different prominent shows such as Indian Idol Season 7 on Sony, Yaroon Ki Baraat on Zee, Dil Hai Hindustani on Star Plus, Voice Adults on and TV Roadies X5 and Love School 2 on MTV. Sharing his views on the strategy, Vivek Zhang, CMO, Vivo India said: “Vivo is a young brand and has a strategy that focusses on the youth of the country because we believe that youth are the trendsetters. Our associations with different channels and properties is to ensure that we continue tapping the new and existing customer base in India.”

  • Spends close to 50% of budget this yearon various ATL & BTL marketing activities in 22 states across India during this VivoIPLseason

    Vivo unveils high-impactintegrated marketing campaign

    By A Correspondent

     

    After the launch of its latest smartphones V3 and V3Maxin Mumbai, Vivo has launched a 360 degree marketing campaign to promote the brand amongst the consumers. With aggressive marketing plan chalked out, Vivo India is geared up to capture the hearts of millions of customers across India.

     

    Riding on the IPL bandwagon, Vivo started with the first ever Vivo IPL trophy tour to six cities in India, where thousands of fans got the first-hand experience of VivoIPL trophy. With the new brand ambassador Ranveer Singh, Vivo has recently launched its first ever TVC shot by renowned Bollywood director and filmmaker Dibakar Banerjee. The TVC has been launched during Vivo IPL for its latest devices V3 and V3Max.

     

    Sharing his excitement on launch of various marketing initiatives, Jerome Chen, DGM, Vivo India said, “We are a young brand in India and our association with IPL as title sponsor, brings us to the forefront of our consumers. We have spent close to 50% from our year’s budget on our ATL and BTL marketing campaigns this VivoIPL season. Vivo signifies youth and enthusiasm therefore we signed Ranveer Singh as our brand ambassador. Our new TVC with Ranveer,showcasedduring the V3 & V3Max launch, will be on air across channels.

     

    In a unique initiative, Cricket lovers and VivoIPL fans can also watch matches from the Vivo Hi-Fi box in each stadium during the season. This time in VivoIPL, fans who don’t visit the stadium can experience the stadium-like environment at VivoIPL fan parks in 34 cities across India as compared to 16 fan parks last year.

     

     

  • China cos like Vivo, Oppo riding on cricket to build brand and make presence felt

    Banking on Cricket!

     

    By Ravi Teja Sharma

     

    The Chinese seem to have big designs for cricket even though they don’t have a national team for the sport. After Chinese mobile handset maker Vivo signed a two-year title sponsorship deal with Indian Premier League (IPL), replacing PepsiCo, its fierce competitor Oppo, which is part of the same parent company BBK Electronics, is close to signing a four-year, about $34 million (Rs 225 crore, approx) global partnership deal with the International Cricket Council (ICC).

     

    The only other time Oppo was involved with cricket was as the title sponsor for the 2014 edition of Champions League T20 tournament.

     

    Japanese car maker Nissan Motor Company had last month signed an eight-year, $10 million-a-year global partnership deal with the ICC, which was its first significant venture into cricket.

     

    The deal with Oppo is expected to be worth about $8.5 million a year for four years.

     

    In response to an email questionnaire, an ICC spokesman said: “We have no comments to make on this at this stage.” An email questionnaire sent to Oppo Mobiles did not elicit any response till the time of going to press.

     

    Several brands have in the past used cricket as a platform to build their presence over the years.

     

    Basabdatta Chowdhury, chief executive at Platinum Media, part of Madison Media Group, said that instead of going the discount route and fighting a price war, these Chinese companies are actually trying to build a brand through cricket, which is an investment.

     

    “When you are targeting male audiences, which is what 70 per cent of mobile audience still is, nothing works like cricket. They are investing in building the brand. It is very encouraging that Chinese are also investing in building brands,” Chowdhury said. When Samsung came to India, it invested in cricket in the late 1990s and early 2000s to build its brand that yielded rich dividends, she said.

     

    More recently, ecommerce platform Paytm bagged the title sponsorship rights of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) till 2019 by committing to pay Rs 203 crore, or Rs 2.42 crore a match. Incidentally, Paytm, too, has a Chinese investor — Jack Ma’s Alibaba Group holds around 20 per cent in it.

     

    Brand consultant Harish Bijoor said Chinese brands today want to be relevant, original and innovate for the entire world at large. “Cricket is a game and sport that attracts the largest amount of eyeballs in India and in the Indian diaspora spread all across the world. It makes sense for Oppo and Vivo to dominate cricket — in the global game played in whites as well as in colours, and also in the IPL format,” he said.

     

    Both Oppo and Vivo are relatively new brands but are stepping up their presence in the country. Vivo had recently said it will spend Rs 100 crore a year on advertising and marketing to leverage the deal with IPL. This is over and above the Rs 150-160 crore that it is estimated to have committed for the two-year IPL deal with the BCCI.

     

    Other Chinese companies such as Baidu, Alibaba Group and Tencent Holdings are also keen on India and are looking at Indian startups to invest in.

     

    Source:The Economic Times

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