MxMIndia

Tag: Yuvraj Singh

  • The new commercial is sunny, bright, happy, and it features Yuvi making his comeback statement, as he talks about moving on from suffering to victory.

    Debrief | Birla Sun Life: Good timing, but…

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Yuvi is back in action, and Birla Sun Life decided it’s time for another TVC. I totally back this move. Readers might recall that earlier this year, I had suggested that Birla must pull the ad they were running at the time. The one which many people felt was insensitive and exploitative, as it appeared to be feeding on the cricketer’s misery. This is what I wrote at the time: ‘Here’s a suggestion for Birla: Drop the ad immediately. And wait. Sooner or later, Mr Fighter will recover and he will be back on the cricket field. It is THEN that the advertiser and its ad agency should swing into action. And create an ad where Yuvi speaks of his ill health, the fears he experienced, and the subsequent joy and relief on recovery. No one will object to that. We all like happy endings.’

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”220″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1sDQOUHAEU[/youtube]

    Well, it’s clear these guys listened to me. J. The new commercial is sunny, bright, happy, and it features Yuvi making his comeback statement, as he bonds with children. And he talks about moving on from suffering to victory. This is obviously correct. The TVC celebrates rather than exploits, packs in insecurity, hope and success… the key ingredients for an insurance company’s ad. So all that’s great.

     

    I have just one complaint, and it’s to do with the execution. The commercial ought to have been powerful, emotive and should have left the viewer with that flags-flying feel. This would also have made the ad entertaining to watch. Currently, it’s kinda boring, you wouldn’t want to watch the ad a second time, even if you are the cricketer’s diehard fan. And yes, Yuvi’s continuous drone doesn’t help matters much.

     

    Rating: (On a scale of 1-5): 2.5. Good idea, average execution.

     

  • A feel-good response to the 3-part series on cricketer Yuvraj Singh's inspirational journey to be aired on Colors soon

    Thumbs up to Yuvi’s can-do story…

     

    By Meghna Sharma

     

    Where there’s a will there’s a way is one proverb that everyone of us have heard about and have even implied in our lives. However, there is one man who fits the proverb to the T and its none other than the country’s favourite cricketer – Yuvraj Singh.

     

    Ajay Kakar, CMO (Financial Services), Aditya Birla Group, Yuvraj Singh, Raj Nayak, CEO, Colors

    An icon for many and someone who’s always in limelight made recently headlines not for the sixers or catches but for being diagnosed with a disease which is still spoken about in hushed tones – cancer. But he survived it and is back in the country and in the Indian cricket squad for the upcoming T20 matches.

     

    It is this determination of the player which Colors, Viacom18’s flagship channel, wants to showcase to the world. The channel in partnership with the cricketer’s foundation YouWeCan wants to create awareness about the disease in the country.

     

    “We all know about Yuvi’s fighting spirit and he’s an inspiration to many. Therefore, we wanted to tell the world his story… a story of hope,” says Raj Nayak, CEO of Colors, while explaining the unique partnership the general entertainment channel has gotten into.

     

    Indian Cancer Statistics
     

    > Cancer is the second largest cause of death in India

     

    > In 2010, 5.56 lakh people died of cancer, and 71 percent of these deaths occurred in people aged 30-69 years

     

    > Most fatal cancers in men - Oral, Stomach and Lung

     

    > Most fatal cancers in women - Cervical, Stomach, Breast

     

    (Source: Study by Tata Memorial Hospital, Lancet, Centre for Global Health Research and University of Toronto)

     

    The three-part series – Zindagi Abhi Baaki Hai – will showcase the cricketer’s journey through pain, struggle and victory over cancer. “The show is about my life and I want people to know how one feels after being diagnosed with it and can lead to denial and depression. But I want them to fight and live again instead of giving up,” says Yuvraj Singh.

     

    Jai Lala

    According to media planners, it will difficult to say how much TRPs the show will be able to generate but it will definitely create a lot of buzz. “When Satyamev Jayate was launched, everyone thought it will score high on ratings but it didn’t. However, it did create a lot of awareness which might be true to these series as well,” predicts Jai Lala, Mindshare’s principal partner.

     

    “The programme is a special initiative. Such initiatives being one off in nature will appeal to different sets of people. If we look at overall TV scenarios it seems a large proportion of viewership is garnered by popular programs which essentially means viewers are looking for entertainment. The particular programme cannot be looked in the same light as standard soaps. Therefore TVRs might not be necessarily very high compared to standard soaps,” feels Kartik Sharma, Managing Partner, Maxus.

     

    Kartik Sharma

    But the people working for cancer awareness programmes aren’t worried about how many eyeballs the show will be able to garner. They feel that even a little communication can lead to some amount of change. Namita Shibad of the Pune-based Prashanti Cancer Care Mission is elevated about the show. “Even today, there is very less awareness about the disease. People don’t want to talk about it, so what Yuvraj has done is seriously commendable. The show will be able to generate awareness about the deadly disease and decrease the stigma associated with it. We and others like have been trying to do so for years now, but a celebrity can make a difference. If people can watch his survival story, I’m sure they will also believe that ‘if he can, then even I can’ which will open new perspective about it and give strength to millions to fight it rather than feel dejected.”

     

     

    Namita Shibad

    “There is no dearth of social relevant shows on television today but many take notice of them when big hoardings are put up or celebrities hosting them but that’s not our plan. We are not doing this for ratings. I recently lost a relative to cancer, so know the agony and turmoil surrounding it. And in our country where cancer is the second largest cause if death, the disease is still treated at a taboo. It is important to tell people that it can be cured. All one needs is the will to fight it,” adds Mr Nayak.

     

    Aditya Birla Sun Life Insurance is the tittle sponsor of the show and feel that the association is not about endorsement but a partnership of philosophy. “We want Yuvraj to be the ambassador of teaching people how to live your life even when in dumps. When the going is good, no one thinks about the tough times. And when they face it, one question which most of us ask is ‘God, why me?’. However, this was not the case with Yuvraj who chose to fight back to live the life he loves. We are proud to associate with him and the channel in this venture as it tells the story of highs and lows of life,” said Ajay Kakar, chief marketing officer – Financial Services, Aditya Birla Group.

     

    Pratap Bose

    “Yuvraj has a great fan following and this might be a major reason apart from the concept that advertisers might want to get associated with it,” feels Pratap Bose, COO, DDB Mudra Group.

     

    Mr Sharma adds, “As far as advertisers are concerned decisions on a programme buy is never an isolated case and always has a larger context of their overall campaigns. Some advertisers will find it worthwhile and some will not as is the case with any programming.”

     

    Mr Lala too feels that brands which have the similar message as the show wants to showcase will be glad to associate with it, but others wont be attracted towards it because of the impact and GRPs it will be able to generate.

     

    The channel hasn’t decided the time-slot for the series or when it will be aired as it is still being shot. However, the channel hopes to succeed in creating awareness and inspire people. All the proceeds generated through the show will be given top the cancer foundation.

     

    The series might be aired on other channels under the Viacom18 banner as well to make a stronger impact.

     

  • By Invitation: Mahesh Murthy on the Pinstorm list of the most influential Indian individuals and brands in the social media

    India’s Most Influential

     

    If you’ve been in the Indian media and are active on social networks, you just can’t ignore Mahesh Murthy (~5500 Facebook followers, ~18500 Twitter followers, 11600+ Linked-in connections!). On Saturday, he tweeted about the new Influencers rankings that his company Pinstorm produces, and the last time he did that, we noticed it was pretty well-received. However, we thought it would be a good idea to wait a bit and let the system get more robust. So when chanced upon his tweet on the Influencers 2.0, we checked out the list and invited him to write this piece for MxMIndia readers. And slipped in a request to send it the next day. That would be an impossible suggestion for most people, but we knew that Mr Murthy can will deliver. The Pinstorm founder and Seedfund managing partner is online nearly 24×7. Plus he understands the needs of our site and the profile of our readers: he has had first-hand experience of working with brands – now at Pinstorm and earlier with Ogilvy, Grey etc in advertising. He headed Channel [V] for a bit in the mid-1990s and a slew of media/onlne properties his companies PassionFund and now Seedfund have backed, including afaqs.com. – Ed

     

    By Mahesh Murthy

     

    Imagine you were a brand that bought a spot on Satyamev Jayate, or on one of the many IPL matches that we just got done with. Depending on the deal you struck, your placement must have cost you between Rs 2 lakh and Rs 10 lakh for every 10 seconds of airtime. Not counting the Rs 1 crore or so it must have cost you to produce the ad and pay the agency.

     

    Now both these programs got TRPs of around 3. That means around 3 per cent of India’s 121 million cable and satellite homes had tuned in. That’s 3.6 million households.

     

    Now imagine you were interested in the youth audience – and let’s keep it broad – say anywhere between 14 and 30 years of age. That would be about 1 such person per household – or 3.6 million people. And now let’s imagine you were interested in SEC A/B and not so much in C/D/E. So you have to cut that 3.6 million youth down to around 1 million at the most, that is if you’re feeling generous

     

    So it cost you around 500,000 or more rupees to reach 10,00,000 upscale youth once, for 10 seconds. On the programmes with the greatest reach in India. Most other TV programmes will have a fraction of this reach – where you’d be lucky to get 100,000 upscale youth watching your ad.

     

    Youth online

    Now let’s turn our attention to an entirely different medium. Let’s say that for some reason, Farhan Akhtar mentions your brand on a tweet. Or on his Facebook fan page. Or on a blog. Guess what your direct reach would be? About 10,00,000 people – mostly all upscale youth. Now let’s say just 1 per cent  of those re-tweet it. That’s 10,000 people. And if each of those re-tweeters has an average of around 150 followers, it’s now gone out to another 15,00,000 people. Even adjusting for duplication, that’s a total reach of 20,00,000 or more people. That’s more youth than the biggest TV shows in India can get you to.

     

    Now imagine that all of it is for free. Or, at best, for a teeny-tiny budget.

     

    And now imagine other people also talk of you online.

     

    Shashi Tharoor, our parliamentarian from Kerala directly reaches 13,00,000 people. Amitabh Bachchan reaches twice as many. Keeping showbiz aside, Yuvraj and Dhoni both directly reach more than Shashi Tharoor does. And the Dalai Lama, from his remote outpost in Dharamsala, directly reaches out to an amazing 44,00,000 people. The Delhi and Mumbai editions of The Times of India together don’t do that.

     

    But it’s not all celebs. Kiran Bedi reaches 4 lakh people online – mostly SEC A/B folks. That’s more than any show on MTV can get you across to. My friends Mehul Patel and Vishal of Pentagram can each get you to over a lakh people apiece, directly. More than any English business programme can.

     

    A section of the Pinstorm India Influencers 2.0 rankings of resident Indians (Please click to be taken to the live page)

    Mankind is the medium

    In this digital world, people don’t necessarily get their news and information from websites or TV channels. They get it increasingly from other people. The new medium isn’t digital: it’s you and me – and the places we talk.

     

    Facebook has 50 million Indians on it. That’s more people than watch Star Plus in the country. And 7 million of those are on Tata Docomo’s Facebook page. Approximately 7 times the monthly reach of MTV’s TV channel. So who needs who – does Docomo need MTV? Or is it the other way round?

     

    Once a Shahrukh Khan needed Filmfare and its circulation of 25,000. Today @iamSRK has a circulation of 25 lakh and a reach of twice as many. One would imagine a single tweet from him could double Filmfare’s newsstand sales if he chose to be gracious.

     

    Potential influence, not just reach

    But the power of different people on social media isn’t just that of their Facebook fan base or Twitter followers. That would be as silly as saying Doordarshan has a reach of 135 million just because every set in India can receive it.

     

    Social influence is measured based on many factors. How often do you talk – is it the notoriously taciturn @Aamir_Khan who has tweeted all of 90 times in the last few years? Or is it the motormouth @Agnivo who has tweeted over 2 lakh times in the same period?

     

    How often are your tweets forwarded or re-tweeted? What is the reach of those re-tweets? How often do people act on your tweets by replying to you – and how often do you engage back in conversation?

     

    All of these are factors that go into measuring one’s potential to influence online.

     

    The Pinstorm India Influencer Rank

    At Pinstorm we track the online influence of almost 5,000 Indian people and brands every day.

     

    We first created this list of social media mavens -and we add to it every month. Then we use scores from three different international measurement services – Klout, PeerIndex and Kred which look at an entity’s strength on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Quora and blogs – and then apply our own algorithm to these scores to arrive at a consolidated score and rank.

     

    Our scores are graduated out of 100 – and you can see them live at Pinstorm.com/ii. As at the time of writing this – and things can change every single day, Aamir Khan leads the individual influencer rankings with an II score of over 80 out of a possible 100. The only other entity with a similar 80+ score is NDTV, who heads our influencer rankings on the organisational or brand side.

     

    As you can imagine, Bollywood and sports personalities dominate the individual rankings, with 15 of the Top 20 individual rankings. The five exceptions being Rajdeep Sardesai, Shashi Tharoor, The Dalai Lama, Kiran Bedi and ex-adman and now comic tweeter Ramesh Srivats.

     

    Surprisingly, media properties don’t quite dominate the brand influence rankings, with just 8 of the top 20 positions. But cricket leads with 10 of the top 20: with CricInfo, CricketNext, IPL and 7 IPL teams holding top ranks.

     

    The best-ranked consumer brand in online influence terms is Samsung, followed by IndiaGames, Ixigo, Vodafone, Flipkart, Airtel and HCL.

     

    A section of the Pinstorm India Influencers 2.0 rankings of Indian brands (Please click to be taken to the live page)

    The purpose of maintaining these lists wasn’t just so social celebs could boast of their rankings to each other.

     

    Truth is that the vast majority of the 5,000 people we track aren’t celebs in the traditional media world. Perhaps you’ve not heard much of Madhavan Narayanan, Malini Agarwal, A R Karthick, Jaydip Parikh, Rahul Banker, Kaveri Ahuja or Sundar Raman. These people (and, I must somewhat embarrassingly add, myself too) appear in the Top 75 influencer list for India. With online influence scores greater than that for Viveik Oberoi, Shabana Azmi or the online avatars of The Economic Times, MTV or Star Plus.

     

    In India’s online world where there are more people on the net than there are TV sets – and where more people already access the net from their mobile phones than do from their desktops and laptops – where would you put your marketing rupees?

     

    At Pinstorm we suggest to marketers that a well-thought-through group of online evangelists, people who are interested in your product category and have credibility – should be lovingly tended and cared for. New announcements and launches should be shown to them first – because if they like what they see, they might talk about it online.

     

    And that combination of reach and credibility could do you a lot more good at lot less than a Rs 1 crore TV commercial shown repeatedly for Rs 10 lakh every 10 seconds.

     

    The Pinstorm India Influencer List is live and visible online at http://www.pinstorm.com/ii  We maintain lists across brands, residents of India, Indian non-residents and politicians. Mahesh Murthy is the founder of Pinstorm, India’s leading digital-first brand management firm.

     

  • Most people find it galling to hear about Yuvi's chemotherapy sessions on the news channels, and watch this particular commercial during the break. In the light of such a strong backlash, I think the advertiser must pull the ad.

    Anil Thakraney: Why Birla must pull the Yuvi ad

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    I have always appreciated Birla Sun Life’s campaign, the one which has cricket players speaking out about their insecurities, much like we ordinary mortals do. The ads look real and they find the mark. It’s quite scary to watch celebs worry about their future. Because this means we aam aadmis and aurats should be really alarmed over what lies ahead, given our meager resources.

     

    However, things have changed a bit with the new Yuvraj Singh commercial in which the player worries about his career in the context of the cancer scare. Many have called the ad opportunistic and insensitive. I agree with that view point. But I have a slightly different take, and I mentioned that when I reviewed this particular TVC for mxmindia. Which is that if Yuvi does not have an issue with the use of his tragedy for commercial reasons, that should be fine. I mean, if the man at the center of the whole issue is cool, then so should we be.

     

    Having said that, it’s abundantly clear that many people don’t agree with my view. I have read and heard many negative reactions on Birla Sun Life’s ad. Most people feel it is deeply insensitive and off-putting, and find it galling to hear about Yuvi’s chemotherapy sessions on the news channels, and watch this particular commercial during the break. In the light of such a strong backlash, I think the advertiser must pull the ad. Because while it’s good to be an aggressive, cunning brand manager, one has to know where to get off. Being perceived as insensitive is too much of a risk to take for an insurance company. Or for any brand for that matter.

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kl1ujzRidmU[/youtube]

    Here’s a suggestion for Birla: Drop the ad immediately. And wait. Sooner or later, Mr Fighter will recover and he will be back on the cricket field. It is THEN that the advertiser and their ad agency should swing into action. And create an ad where Yuvi speaks of his ill health, the fears he experienced, and the subsequent joy and relief on recovery. No one will object to that. We all like happy endings.

     

    Net net: Drop the ad, dear Birla Sun Life. It’s not worth it.

     

    ***

     

    PS: Funny and dark at the same time. This video is an example of how Facebook has strained the relationship between parents and their deviant teenage children. This guy’s reaction is rather extreme… still, a must-watch for today’s parents.

     

  • Happy days are here again for the Indian cricket board. The Board of Control for Cricket in Indian and Sahara India Pariwar have concluded their discussions and, as they say, kissed and made up

    All’s well as BCCI gets back its Sahara

    By A Correspondent

     

    Happy days are here again for the Indian cricket board. The Board of Control for Cricket in Indian and Sahara India Pariwar have concluded their discussions and, as they say, kissed and made up. Here are the terms of endearment… specifically, the BCCI “took note” of the various requests put up by Sahara and has agreed to the following:

     

    1. To extend the trading window, which was due to close on Friday, February 17, until Wednesday February 29 to give Pune Warriors India the opportunity to have successful negotiations with other franchises as it looks to strengthen its squad.

     

    2. Reactivation of the Auction Purse of Pune Warriors India so that it can take a number of players, subject to the squad composition regulations.

     

    3. BCCI and Sahara have agreed to start the arbitration proceedings initiated by Sahara through appointment of an arbitrator to address Sahara’s claim for a reduction in franchise fee for 74 matches.

     

    4. BCCI does not have any issues with Sahara seeking a strategic partner in the Pune Warriors India franchise, subject to terms of the Franchise Agreement.

     

    5. In respect of their request to sign overseas players who were not included in the Auction Register, subject to the relevant player regulations, BCCI agrees to the request subject to the views of all other franchises.

     

    6. Sahara has requested for one of the play off matches scheduled to be played in Bengaluru to be played in Pune. The right to host the Play Off matches is awarded to the finalists from previous edition, in this case Royal Challengers Bangalore. BCCI, in principle, is agreeable to hold one of the Play Offs in the new Pune stadium, subject to the consent of RCB.

     

    7. Sahara has requested to furnish the Bank Guarantee against the Franchisee fee in two instalments; BCCI will consider it at the next available opportunity.

     

    8. Notwithstanding the recent working committee’s decision of rejecting five foreign players in the playing eleven, in consideration of the exceptional circumstance and the non-availability of Yuvraj Singh, Sahara has offered to obtain the consent of all the franchises for the submission to the BCCI.

     

    The joint statement signed by Messrs N Srinivasan, BCCI President and Subrata Roy Sahara, Managing Worker and Chairman of the Sahara India Pariwar adds that Sahara confirms that it will continue sponsorship of the Indian team adding Sahara may want to exercise its right to assign the sponsorship as per the agreement.

     

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

    BJP suffers the wrath of young India

    By Ranjona Banerji

     

    It was wishful thinking on my part that Porngate would slowly lose currency on television. Quite the opposite happened, in fact, as emotions in TV studios ratcheted up as the day progressed. By the evening, this was the worst transgression ever committed. Bad as it was, it is still open to question whether it deserved quite so much rage. It usually seems that TV channels inIndiaare quite sympathetic to the rightwing – except of course those which are seen as open Congress supporters.

     

    But even those with saffronish tinges – or especially those with saffronish twinges – were the angriest with these porn-watching Karnakata ministers. A humble theory could be that the extreme Hindutva rightwing in Karnataka has been making life miserable for young people and this was revenge time for the young people in television.

     

    The Times of India in its editorial took a sober tone but was no less damning of the behaviour of these MLAs. Nor did it fail to rip into the moral hypocrisy of the Hindutva rightwing. The Hindustan Times decided to take a more jokey tone, which seems as inappropriate as TV’s relentless coverage. Hindustan Times kindly informed us that the minister was mistaken in thinking he was watching a rape when it actually was a “bukkake”. One could thank the newspaper for increasing our knowledge of terms used in pornography but one is not sure if this has any connection to the case in point.

     

    One has to agree with author and columnist Shobhaa De when she said on Times Now that this was one of the rare times that she actually felt sorry for BJP spokesperson Nirmala Seetharaman, in having to defend her party’s action (or inaction) against the three ministers.

     

    * * *

     

    It was heartening to read Shailaja Bajpai in her TV review column in Indian Express asking whether such intrusive coverage was necessary about cricketer Yuvraj Singh’s cancer. It is also intriguing that the cricketer tweeted that he had not spoken to any newspapers since his latest treatment started. So where did all those “interviews” come from?

     

    * * *

     

    The Economic Times has front-paged (I’ve decided this is a convenient noun to make into a verb!) a story about how Indian companies are now trying to be kinder to employees who are being laid off. The usual tendency is apparently to be as insensitive as possible. Citibank, for instance, is now looking for jobs for the 100 people it “let go” of. Does this give heart to people who think their jobs are on the chopping block?

     

    * * *

     

    Pranab Mukherjee, Union finance minister, is losing sleep over the size ofIndia’s subsidy burden. I suppose that in itself is good news.

     

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

    Yuvraj cancer news first lead?

    By Ranjona Banerji

     

    The unveiling of Justice OP Saini’s verdict on the petition filed by Subrahmaniam Swamy to make P Chidambaram a co-accused in the 2G spectrum case on Saturday was fascinating. Times Now gave us second by second coverage about nothing at all happening outside Patiala Court. The other channels thankfully limited themselves to studio panel discussions about the possible implications of this verdict.

     

    The BJP was very cocksure that Swamy would succeed. The Congress was largely invisible, relying on a few of its friends to state its case. The old telecom companies were part of the discussion. The new ones (and now licence-less) were invisible.

     

    As Navika Kumar talked about the butterflies in her stomach waiting for the verdict (why?), she conceded that Chidambaram may have bigger airborne insects inside his digestive organs. This waiting outside this courtroom was apparently the most exciting journalistic assignment ever! Wow!

     

    Anyway after hours of pointless speculation and some interesting debates on other channels, the judge then called Swamy for a private discussion and cleared the courtroom. Immediate outrage at this ill-treatment of the media! But then someone pointed out that the judge wasn’t in the courtroom at all. More inconsequential details followed. Then the judge just said the petition was dismissed.

     

    Suddenly, we were told that actually Swamy looked deflated when he came out of the private discussion with the judge. This, however, was not noticed before the petition was dismissed, a sort of after the fact observation.

     

    As expected the BJP tried to put up a brave face and then vanished and the Congress, to its credit, did not go too far in its victory dances. Swamy appeared “first” on Times Now but refused to answer who finances his penchant for litigation. By Sunday his bravado was back and in Monday morning’s papers he was saying the judge was good but his judgment was bad (damned with faint praise?) and Swamy would be going higher up the judicial ladder.

     

    * * *

     

    Sad as the news of cricketer Yuvraj Singh’s cancer is, am not sure whether it is first lead news, but most Indian papers seem to think so.

     

    * * *

     

    The divorce between Sahara and Indian cricket also appears to have come as a surprise to our intrepid sports journalists and here again Yuvraj Singh’s health seems to be have been an issue. Some further investigation here may be a good idea but whenever a big money player is involved, the media’s newsgathering resources seem to shrink.

     

    * * *

     

    Press Council of India chairman Markandey Katju is apparently on twitter with the handle (@mark_katju. There is some speculation on twitter whether this is a genuine account or not but today’s newspapers seem to think it is. I’m following it anyway just to check.

     

  • Brand Ambassador Yuvraj Singh's real-life story to inspire India on the need for Wealth with Protection Solutions.

    Yuvraj continues to tell Birla Sun Life story – with added confidence

    Birla Sun Life Insurance (BSLI) continues on its committed strategy to provoke massIndiainto realizing and appreciating the many critical and relevant roles that insurance can play in their life.

     

    With a new campaign for their Wealth with Protection Solutions, BSLI and Yuvraj have come together, once again, to play the role of agent provocateur for massIndia, by provoking them to insure their lives through the highs and lows that life can have in store for them.

     

    The TV commercial has the ace cricketer not only discuss his personal triumphs, but also his trials and tribulations, candidly, by taking a recent leaf from his own life.

     

    Ajay Kakar, Chief Marketing Officer – Financial Services, Aditya Birla Group said: “Today’s Indians have tasted never-before success in the early years of their working life. This unprecedented material success gives them the confidence and belief that the good times will continue, uninterrupted, and they will live and enjoy all their ambitious dreams, one by one.”

     

    He adds: “We have used Yuvraj Singh as our Philosophy Ambassador to share his personal belief and experience – also a reality of life – that ‘Jab tak balla chaltha hai, thaat hain. Jab balla nahin chalega to…’  (‘You rule, only till your bat rules’). We aim to provoke and inspire massIndia with the personal triumphs, trials and tribulations of Yuvraj, who just keeps working to combat the challenges that life and cricket have thrown his way, to bounce back.”

     

    The campaign is inspired by an actual conversation that Yuvraj had with the senior team of BSLI, soon after India’s momentous win at the World Cup. Yuvraj had shared his regret that despiteIndiawinning the World Cup, the nation’s dream for 28 years, and him being declared the man of the series, he didn’t even have the time to sit back and enjoy this enviable success. He was back on the training grounds, with the IPL round the corner. And then, due to unforeseen and totally unexpected health reasons, he had to sit outside the team. All of this within a span of few months – but rather than sitting back and becoming prisoner of an ailment, he is prepared to once again fight against all odds.

     

    There is a lesson in Yuvraj’s story for all of us. Even the “Gods” have reason to feel insecure. The message provokes us to take action against our fears and ensure our dreams. It reminds us that life is uncertain and we should be financially prepared at all times for any eventuality.

     

    Speaking on the new communication campaign, Nandita Chalam, Vice President & Executive Creative Director, JWT said: “Over the years people have started associating the BSLI brand strongly with the concept of “Balla”.  The ad is set within a stadium, with Yuvraj sharing his story, talking to massIndiathrough the camera, conversing in a real, true, down-to-earth manner. The tonality of the ad is candid, honest and more importantly, it connects.”

     

    The campaign’s TVC features Yuvraj in a fresh avatar while he shares his story which will instantly strike a chord with audience reminding them that even the stars are vulnerable to the vagaries of life and environment.

     

    The TVC will go on air by January, 30th and will be seen across all leading television channels. One will witness a surround effect that will reflect a collective effort of integration and innovation leveraged through communication platforms. BSLI aims to provoke, surprise and delight the customer and eventually persuade them to take action with the power of sheer creative chemistry.

     

    Creative Agency: JWT (Mumbai)

     

    Production House: Chrome Productions

     

    Birla Sun Life Insurance Company Limited (BSLI) is a joint venture between the Aditya Birla Group, a well known Indian conglomerate and Sun Life Financial Inc, one of the leading international financial services organizations fromCanada. With an experience of over a decade, BSLI has an extensive distribution reach over 500 cities through its network of around 600 branches, over 139,057 empanelled advisors and over 200 partnerships with Corporate Agents, Brokers and Banks.

     

  • Ace Cricketer Yuvraj Singh is now Puma’s Brand Ambassador

    From bat to cat: Yuvraj is Puma ambassador

    By A Correspondent

     

    Puma, the global sport lifestyle brand, has announced the dashing all rounder of the Indian cricket team Yuvraj Singh as their brand ambassador. The flamboyant yet fashionable blue eyed boy of Indian cricket will now be the face of Puma’s new #Love 12 campaign launched especially for Puma and Yuvi fans.

    At the press conference held in Mumbai, Yuvraj interacted with the media present. The unique digital press conference was in a chat show format, where the media had an interactive Q&A session with Yuvraj Singh and Rajiv Mehta, MD, Puma, India while Mandira Bedi played the perfect host. As Yuvi bowled over the media with his charm and wit, he also connected with his fans and media from other cities through Twitter. This digital platform helped Yuvraj reach out to his fans and the media in a never-been-done before manner. Yuvraj broke the news about his new association with Puma and what #love12 stands for to his fans on twitter at noon today through a video announcement.

    Speaking on the occasion, Rajiv Mehta, MD, Puma, India said, “Yuvraj Singh is the quintessential athlete for Puma. He epitomizes the youth of today with his forthright personality, which exuberates confidence. He is an all rounder and his versatility allows the youth to connect to him instantly. With his talent and charisma, Yuvraj is an aspirational personality and an ideal choice to represent Puma.”

    Talking about the association, Yuvraj Singh said, “(Smiles) A strong brand like Puma needs no introduction; it gives me immense pleasure and satisfaction to be associated with a leading sports lifestyle brand like Puma which embodies style, fun and passion. For me, joy and passion are the most important elements of cricket and this drives me to continually improve myself as a cricketer and as a person. Puma shares these same values and I am looking forward to this alliance.”

    #love12 is an eco-system for Puma, Yuvi and fans to come up with ideas that make a difference, small or big. 2012 is the year of #love12. Every month, starting next year, #love12 will crowd-source one idea and bring it to fruition on the 12th of every month.

    Those who want to know more about Yuvraj and Puma can join #LOVE12 on twitter.