Category: iWorld

TVF, Ola Cabs & the Permanent Roommates association

MUMBAI: One of India’s popular YouTube channels and digital producers, The Viral Fever (TVF), is back with the second season of its flagship web series Permanent Roommates . And how!

Touting it as the best web series that TVF has put together so far, TFV CEO and founder Arunabh Kumar has high hopes from this ambitious project. The company is making this production in association with call taxi service Ola Cabs as of Permanent Roommates season 2.

While Kumar refused to divulge any details, a source close to the development guesstimated that Ola has shelled out an eye-popping Rs 2.5-3 crore for backing the production.

Slated to go online on TVF Play and TVF’s YouTube channel on Valentine’s Day, the new season will consist of eight 30 – 40 minute long power packed episodes.

It will take off from where season one left off — the drama in the lives of Internet’s most-loved fictional characters Tanya (Nidhi Singh) and Mikesh (Sumeet Vyas). The episodes are scheduled to air fortnightly. And the theme is “The Third Kind of Love.”

Kumar expects viewership to touch four – five million per episode, which hardly comes as a surprise given last season’s success.

Launched in October 2014, the web series grossed over 12 million views for five episodes that aired on YouTube, with every episode having more than a million views making it the (claimed) second most watched online long form content in the world.

“Our target is to cater to and retain the three million viewers who already follow Permanent Roommates and maybe expand our viewership by a couple of more million. We have weaved the content so that it is not only a youth-based love story but also has elements of interest for the entire family. We have some surprises for all of them,” adds Kumar.

What’s more, with a big chunk of sponsorship money in, the pressure is on the creative geniuses to up the ante now. Season One had CommonFloor as the brand partner; hence, the home was one of the main protagonists.

Will season 2, see them going around in taxis or make mentions of them using the service like the duo does in the promo that released today?

“We do work really hard in trying to integrate the brand’s value through the storytelling and send across the brand statement through the narrative rather than a product placement in a 10-second shot,” says Kumar.

If the guesstimated sponsorship amount of Rs 2.5 crore to Rs 3 crore is right, then TVF has a budget of Rs 30-35 lakh per episode at its disposal, which is far higher than the commissioning fees for fictional TV shows on GECS which are in the range of Rs 7 to Rs 15 lakh per episode.

“We generally take six to nine months to complete a production. We pay attention to detail and operate on a crew of almost a hundred people,” explains Kumar, adding that one can’t compare it to television as television mathematics work completely differently.

The latest teaser released by TVF has already created a buzz amongst netizens with over a lakh views in just a few hours. Fans can expect a longer promo from 4 February onwards leading up to the show’s launch on 14 February.

Surprisingly, with a scale this high, TVF continues to confidently depend on word of mouth and social buzz to increase its audience.

“We don’t have any solid marketing strategy in place. We will do what we usually do, post messages on our respective social media accounts and our ever attentive fans will spread the word,” Kumar says confidently.

Having said that, TVF is also looking at dabbling in conversational marketing by collaborating with several partners and maybe go beyond digital and make the shows presence felt offline.

In the new content ecosystem, everything goes, doesn’t it?

January 28, 2016
TVF, Ola Cabs & the Permanent Roommates association

MUMBAI: One of India’s popular YouTube channels and digital producers, The Viral Fever (TVF), is back with the second season of its flagship web series Permanent Roommates . And how!

Touting it as the best web series that TVF has put together so far, TFV CEO and founder Arunabh Kumar has high hopes from this ambitious project. The company is making this production in association with call taxi service Ola Cabs as of Permanent Roommates season 2.

While Kumar refused to divulge any details, a source close to the development guesstimated that Ola has shelled out an eye-popping Rs 2.5-3 crore for backing the production.

Slated to go online on TVF Play and TVF’s YouTube channel on Valentine’s Day, the new season will consist of eight 30 – 40 minute long power packed episodes.

It will take off from where season one left off — the drama in the lives of Internet’s most-loved fictional characters Tanya (Nidhi Singh) and Mikesh (Sumeet Vyas). The episodes are scheduled to air fortnightly. And the theme is “The Third Kind of Love.”

Kumar expects viewership to touch four – five million per episode, which hardly comes as a surprise given last season’s success.

Launched in October 2014, the web series grossed over 12 million views for five episodes that aired on YouTube, with every episode having more than a million views making it the (claimed) second most watched online long form content in the world.

“Our target is to cater to and retain the three million viewers who already follow Permanent Roommates and maybe expand our viewership by a couple of more million. We have weaved the content so that it is not only a youth-based love story but also has elements of interest for the entire family. We have some surprises for all of them,” adds Kumar.

What’s more, with a big chunk of sponsorship money in, the pressure is on the creative geniuses to up the ante now. Season One had CommonFloor as the brand partner; hence, the home was one of the main protagonists.

Will season 2, see them going around in taxis or make mentions of them using the service like the duo does in the promo that released today?

“We do work really hard in trying to integrate the brand’s value through the storytelling and send across the brand statement through the narrative rather than a product placement in a 10-second shot,” says Kumar.

If the guesstimated sponsorship amount of Rs 2.5 crore to Rs 3 crore is right, then TVF has a budget of Rs 30-35 lakh per episode at its disposal, which is far higher than the commissioning fees for fictional TV shows on GECS which are in the range of Rs 7 to Rs 15 lakh per episode.

“We generally take six to nine months to complete a production. We pay attention to detail and operate on a crew of almost a hundred people,” explains Kumar, adding that one can’t compare it to television as television mathematics work completely differently.

The latest teaser released by TVF has already created a buzz amongst netizens with over a lakh views in just a few hours. Fans can expect a longer promo from 4 February onwards leading up to the show’s launch on 14 February.

Surprisingly, with a scale this high, TVF continues to confidently depend on word of mouth and social buzz to increase its audience.

“We don’t have any solid marketing strategy in place. We will do what we usually do, post messages on our respective social media accounts and our ever attentive fans will spread the word,” Kumar says confidently.

Having said that, TVF is also looking at dabbling in conversational marketing by collaborating with several partners and maybe go beyond digital and make the shows presence felt offline.

In the new content ecosystem, everything goes, doesn’t it?

January 28, 2016
Idea expands 4G service across 39 Karnataka towns

MUMBAI: Idea Cellular has expanded its high speed 4G LTE services across 39 towns in Karnataka.

What’s more, by March 2016, the company will extend its services to three more key markets namely, Maharashtra & Goa, North East and Orissa, and by June 2016, Idea’s 4G footprints will cover 750 cities across 10 telecom circles.

Within a month, the company has expanded its 4G LTE service footprint to 24 districts, including major towns of Bangalore, Mysore, Madikeri, Karwar, Chikmagalur, Belgaum and Chitradurga; covering 20 per cent of the state’s total population.

In addition to Bangalore metro, Idea has launched its 4G services in other towns of Channarayapatna, Udyavara (CT), Harihar, Kunigal, Mulbagal, and Toranagal. Additionally, Idea is planning to launch its 4G services in Mangalore, Udupi-Manipal, Bijapur, Bellary and 18 more towns by end of this financial year, taking the total tally to 61.

It can be recalled that last year in December, Idea Cellular had launched 4G LTE services in all four telecom circles (five states) of South India, namely Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh & Telangana, and Karnataka. Earlier this month, the company launched services across three more circles (four Indian states) – Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Haryana and Punjab, expanding its 4G LTE service footprint to 7 telecom service areas.

Idea Cellular deputy managing director Ambrish Jain said, “Since last week of December 2015, Idea has rapidly rolled out its high-speed 4G LTE network to cover seven major markets in India.”

Idea Cellular currently holds 1800 MHz 4G spectrum in these 10 telecom circles, which cover 50 per cent of telecom market but over 60 per cent of Idea’s gross revenue. Additionally, Idea has recently signed an agreement with Videocon Telecommunications for acquiring ‘Right to Use’ 1800 MHz spectrum under Spectrum Trading Agreement in two of its key telecom leadership markets of Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh (West). Post completion of this transaction, 4G services will be extended to 12 service areas, covering 75 per cent of Idea’s revenue base in the country.

Idea Cellular chief marketing officer Sashi Shankar added, “Idea customers with 4G devices in these 183 towns can now start experiencing super fast speeds by simply upgrading their existing SIM cards to new 4G SIM cards. The company is also offering attractive subscription plans to digital content including a wide range of the latest music, movies and games. Idea has also partnered with leading handset manufacturers and e-commerce retailers for special data bundling offers on new 4G smartphones.”

Idea’s 4G Prepaid & Postpaid tariff plans are priced at par with existing 3G plans. The company is also offering ‘4G Packs’ starting as low as Rs 21.

Digital Content for 4G consumers

Idea, marking its first foray in the digital space, is launching an assortment of digital content in partnership with content aggregators.

For music, it has tied-up with Hungama Digital, wherein it will offer content at a monthly subscription price of Rs 99 for all its consumers. For movies and videos, Idea has partnered with Eros International, wherein content will be offered at a monthly subscription price of Rs 49 for all its consumers. Idea will also be launching ‘Idea Games Club’ powered by Opera for all its consumers from 1 February, 2016, at a monthly subscription price of Rs 150. However, as an incentive for new 4G customers, a special offer for subscription at just Rs 29 per month till 31 March, 2016 is available for these packs.

Idea will also unveil ‘Ultimate Plans,’ which provide a Bundleof 4G Data, Unlimited Voice calls and Content subscription, which is powered by Hungama.

Wide Portfolio of 4G Smartphones & Devices

Currently, 2.7 million 4G devices across these seven circles are registered on Idea’s network and growing at an exponential rate. To facilitate 4G device upgrade, Idea has launched branded 4G devices namely Idea 4G Dongles, 4G Mi-Fi (connects 10 users) and Home Wi-Fi (connects 32 users), which are now available at Rs 2,599 onwards with 4G Data offers.

Idea has partnered with Samsung for special offers on its 4G Smartphones, wherein the two companies will launch a variety of programmes to offer differentiated and significant value to customers.

The TSP has also tied up with smartphone manufacturers including Intex Technologies, Lava, Lenovo and Xolo to offer bundled 4G data plans on smartphones.

A tie up is also in place with e-commerce retailer Snapdeal for providing bundled data offers on 4G devices.

Launch of 4G website

The company has also launched its responsive 4G website -www.ideacellular.com/4G, wherein consumers can log on to get more information about 4G services, tariff plans and recharges, locate the nearest Idea stores offering 4G SIMs and much more. Idea is also rolling out a smartphone e-store on its website. Consumers can now buy 4G smartphone brands, Mi-Fi and Dongles.

The company has also rolled out its FDD platform enabled 4G LTE services on the 1800 MHz frequency band, which is the most preferred spectrum band for deployment of 4G services globally, and is supported by the majority of 4G handsets available in the market.

Idea Cellular’s 4G LTE Network will be equipped with the enhanced ‘Fast Return’ feature enabling seamless and quick toggle for consumers across Idea’s 4G, 3G and 2G networks, offering superior experience for both mobile data and voice services. While the company possesses the capability to introduce VoLTE feature, existing customers’ current 4G devices do not support this feature. Accordingly, the deployment of VoLTE will be evaluated at a later stage.

Idea is deploying state-of-the-art, ‘Single RAN’ equipment, which supports multiple technologies in a given frequency band. For every 4G site on 1800 MHz, this equipment also provides additional 2G voice capacity on GSM spectrum.

For FY16, Idea Cellular’s capex guidance is Rs 6,500 crore, significantly higher than earlier years’ annual capex spends. In this fiscal year, Idea plans to add 40,000 – 45,000 sites on 2G, 3G and 4G technology platforms, complete a cumulative roll out of 111,000 kms of Fibre, and add an incremental 175-200 million population to the mobile broadband (3G & 4G) population coverage. The 4G launch in Southern India is part of the capex guidance by Idea.

The roll out of Idea’s 4G services will be financed through internal accruals. The company recorded an EBITDA of Rs 5,739 crore in H1-FY16, a growth of 27.6 per cent over H1-FY15 and cash profits of Rs 5,085 crore, a robust growth of 32.5 per cent over H1FY15.

January 28, 2016
Idea expands 4G service across 39 Karnataka towns

MUMBAI: Idea Cellular has expanded its high speed 4G LTE services across 39 towns in Karnataka.

What’s more, by March 2016, the company will extend its services to three more key markets namely, Maharashtra & Goa, North East and Orissa, and by June 2016, Idea’s 4G footprints will cover 750 cities across 10 telecom circles.

Within a month, the company has expanded its 4G LTE service footprint to 24 districts, including major towns of Bangalore, Mysore, Madikeri, Karwar, Chikmagalur, Belgaum and Chitradurga; covering 20 per cent of the state’s total population.

In addition to Bangalore metro, Idea has launched its 4G services in other towns of Channarayapatna, Udyavara (CT), Harihar, Kunigal, Mulbagal, and Toranagal. Additionally, Idea is planning to launch its 4G services in Mangalore, Udupi-Manipal, Bijapur, Bellary and 18 more towns by end of this financial year, taking the total tally to 61.

It can be recalled that last year in December, Idea Cellular had launched 4G LTE services in all four telecom circles (five states) of South India, namely Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh & Telangana, and Karnataka. Earlier this month, the company launched services across three more circles (four Indian states) – Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Haryana and Punjab, expanding its 4G LTE service footprint to 7 telecom service areas.

Idea Cellular deputy managing director Ambrish Jain said, “Since last week of December 2015, Idea has rapidly rolled out its high-speed 4G LTE network to cover seven major markets in India.”

Idea Cellular currently holds 1800 MHz 4G spectrum in these 10 telecom circles, which cover 50 per cent of telecom market but over 60 per cent of Idea’s gross revenue. Additionally, Idea has recently signed an agreement with Videocon Telecommunications for acquiring ‘Right to Use’ 1800 MHz spectrum under Spectrum Trading Agreement in two of its key telecom leadership markets of Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh (West). Post completion of this transaction, 4G services will be extended to 12 service areas, covering 75 per cent of Idea’s revenue base in the country.

Idea Cellular chief marketing officer Sashi Shankar added, “Idea customers with 4G devices in these 183 towns can now start experiencing super fast speeds by simply upgrading their existing SIM cards to new 4G SIM cards. The company is also offering attractive subscription plans to digital content including a wide range of the latest music, movies and games. Idea has also partnered with leading handset manufacturers and e-commerce retailers for special data bundling offers on new 4G smartphones.”

Idea’s 4G Prepaid & Postpaid tariff plans are priced at par with existing 3G plans. The company is also offering ‘4G Packs’ starting as low as Rs 21.

Digital Content for 4G consumers

Idea, marking its first foray in the digital space, is launching an assortment of digital content in partnership with content aggregators.

For music, it has tied-up with Hungama Digital, wherein it will offer content at a monthly subscription price of Rs 99 for all its consumers. For movies and videos, Idea has partnered with Eros International, wherein content will be offered at a monthly subscription price of Rs 49 for all its consumers. Idea will also be launching ‘Idea Games Club’ powered by Opera for all its consumers from 1 February, 2016, at a monthly subscription price of Rs 150. However, as an incentive for new 4G customers, a special offer for subscription at just Rs 29 per month till 31 March, 2016 is available for these packs.

Idea will also unveil ‘Ultimate Plans,’ which provide a Bundleof 4G Data, Unlimited Voice calls and Content subscription, which is powered by Hungama.

Wide Portfolio of 4G Smartphones & Devices

Currently, 2.7 million 4G devices across these seven circles are registered on Idea’s network and growing at an exponential rate. To facilitate 4G device upgrade, Idea has launched branded 4G devices namely Idea 4G Dongles, 4G Mi-Fi (connects 10 users) and Home Wi-Fi (connects 32 users), which are now available at Rs 2,599 onwards with 4G Data offers.

Idea has partnered with Samsung for special offers on its 4G Smartphones, wherein the two companies will launch a variety of programmes to offer differentiated and significant value to customers.

The TSP has also tied up with smartphone manufacturers including Intex Technologies, Lava, Lenovo and Xolo to offer bundled 4G data plans on smartphones.

A tie up is also in place with e-commerce retailer Snapdeal for providing bundled data offers on 4G devices.

Launch of 4G website

The company has also launched its responsive 4G website -www.ideacellular.com/4G, wherein consumers can log on to get more information about 4G services, tariff plans and recharges, locate the nearest Idea stores offering 4G SIMs and much more. Idea is also rolling out a smartphone e-store on its website. Consumers can now buy 4G smartphone brands, Mi-Fi and Dongles.

The company has also rolled out its FDD platform enabled 4G LTE services on the 1800 MHz frequency band, which is the most preferred spectrum band for deployment of 4G services globally, and is supported by the majority of 4G handsets available in the market.

Idea Cellular’s 4G LTE Network will be equipped with the enhanced ‘Fast Return’ feature enabling seamless and quick toggle for consumers across Idea’s 4G, 3G and 2G networks, offering superior experience for both mobile data and voice services. While the company possesses the capability to introduce VoLTE feature, existing customers’ current 4G devices do not support this feature. Accordingly, the deployment of VoLTE will be evaluated at a later stage.

Idea is deploying state-of-the-art, ‘Single RAN’ equipment, which supports multiple technologies in a given frequency band. For every 4G site on 1800 MHz, this equipment also provides additional 2G voice capacity on GSM spectrum.

For FY16, Idea Cellular’s capex guidance is Rs 6,500 crore, significantly higher than earlier years’ annual capex spends. In this fiscal year, Idea plans to add 40,000 – 45,000 sites on 2G, 3G and 4G technology platforms, complete a cumulative roll out of 111,000 kms of Fibre, and add an incremental 175-200 million population to the mobile broadband (3G & 4G) population coverage. The 4G launch in Southern India is part of the capex guidance by Idea.

The roll out of Idea’s 4G services will be financed through internal accruals. The company recorded an EBITDA of Rs 5,739 crore in H1-FY16, a growth of 27.6 per cent over H1-FY15 and cash profits of Rs 5,085 crore, a robust growth of 32.5 per cent over H1FY15.

January 28, 2016
Pawan Agarwal joins YouTube as head of music partnerships – India & S. Asia

MUMBAI: Gaana.com vice president and business head Pawan Agarwal has stepped down from his post at the Times Internet owned company to join YouTube as head of music partnership for India and South Asia region.

He joined YouTube earlier this month and will be based in Gurgaon.

Agarwal was with Gaana.com for a period of three years from June 2013 to December 2015 and was responsible for the company’s business growth and profit and loss management.

An IIT, Kanpur alumni, Agarwal was co-founder & COO at Sunstone Business School before joining Gaana.com. He also had a stint with Lime Labs as head of India operations from 2006 – 2011.

January 28, 2016
Pawan Agarwal joins YouTube as head of music partnerships – India & S. Asia

MUMBAI: Gaana.com vice president and business head Pawan Agarwal has stepped down from his post at the Times Internet owned company to join YouTube as head of music partnership for India and South Asia region.

He joined YouTube earlier this month and will be based in Gurgaon.

Agarwal was with Gaana.com for a period of three years from June 2013 to December 2015 and was responsible for the company’s business growth and profit and loss management.

An IIT, Kanpur alumni, Agarwal was co-founder & COO at Sunstone Business School before joining Gaana.com. He also had a stint with Lime Labs as head of India operations from 2006 – 2011.

January 28, 2016
Crowdsourcing of ideas on social media helps Govt firm up policies: Jaitley

NEW DELHI: Information and Broadcasting Minister Arun Jaitley today said the innovative approach to crowdsource ideas from people provided government an opportunity to understand their perspective on major flagship programmes of the government.

The minister also complimented the winners of the social media contest in various categories organised by New Media Cell of his Ministry as part of 67th Republic Day celebrations for providing fresh ideas through social media platforms.

Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore and Secretary Sunil Arora were also present during the occasion.

The contests were held on the Ministry of I&B Social Media platforms – Facebook (www.facebook.com/inbministry), Twitter (@MIB_India) and a specially designed webpage (http://www.graffiti.inbministry.in) where Graffiti were invited from participants on various flagship programmes of the Government.

The competition was open for a fortnight from, 1 – 14 January, 2016. The winners of the contest were provided a unique opportunity to witness the Republic Day Parade, 2016 at New Delhi. The travel and accommodation arrangements of all these winners were sponsored by the I&B Ministry.

For the Graffiti wall, the themes were Start Up India, Stand Up India; Digital Empowerment; Entrepreneurs of Young India; Skilled India, Powerful India; Make In India; Financial Security to All and Housing For All. The graffiti contest received as many as 419 entries across all themes.

January 27, 2016
Crowdsourcing of ideas on social media helps Govt firm up policies: Jaitley

NEW DELHI: Information and Broadcasting Minister Arun Jaitley today said the innovative approach to crowdsource ideas from people provided government an opportunity to understand their perspective on major flagship programmes of the government.

The minister also complimented the winners of the social media contest in various categories organised by New Media Cell of his Ministry as part of 67th Republic Day celebrations for providing fresh ideas through social media platforms.

Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore and Secretary Sunil Arora were also present during the occasion.

The contests were held on the Ministry of I&B Social Media platforms – Facebook (www.facebook.com/inbministry), Twitter (@MIB_India) and a specially designed webpage (http://www.graffiti.inbministry.in) where Graffiti were invited from participants on various flagship programmes of the Government.

The competition was open for a fortnight from, 1 – 14 January, 2016. The winners of the contest were provided a unique opportunity to witness the Republic Day Parade, 2016 at New Delhi. The travel and accommodation arrangements of all these winners were sponsored by the I&B Ministry.

For the Graffiti wall, the themes were Start Up India, Stand Up India; Digital Empowerment; Entrepreneurs of Young India; Skilled India, Powerful India; Make In India; Financial Security to All and Housing For All. The graffiti contest received as many as 419 entries across all themes.

January 27, 2016
Twitter names American Express’ Leslie Berland as CMO

MUMBAI: Social networking site Twitter has named American Express EVP – global advertising, marketing & digital partnerships Leslie Berland as its chief marketing officer (CMO).

On her appointment, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey tweeted, “Welcoming @leslieberland to Twitter! She will join as our CMO to help tell the stories of our iconic product!”

To which, Berland replied, “Thanks @Jack! Excited to join you and the amazing teams to bring to life the power, uniqueness and magic of Twitter!”

On joining the company, Berland said, “Twitter is a service like no other. It has and continues to change the world, shaping how we communicate and connect, how we’re entertained, informed and inspired. It represents everything that’s relevant at each and every moment – to me, there’s nothing more powerful. I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Jack and the Twitter teams to bring the magic of Twitter to life, broaden its reach, and deepen its impact as the company enters this incredibly exciting new chapter.”

Berland will be responsible for the company’s global consumer, product, and sales marketing.

Having worked at American Express since 2005, she led a global team responsible for creating marketplace demand and driving commerce through differentiated and innovative products, marketing and customer experiences globally.

As a member of the company’s global management team, Berland oversaw advertising, media, sponsorships, content, brand identity and digital partnerships for the enterprise. Under Berland’s leadership, American Express forged relationships and created first-ever marketing and digital experiences with partners like Apple, McDonald’s, Uber, TripAdvisor, VeriFone, Twitter, Samsung, Foursquare, Facebook, Jawbone and Google.

During her tenure at American Express, Berland played a critical role in creating the company’s first social media strategies and presences, and led the social media partnerships and strategy for the first Small Business Saturday.

A two-time recipient of the American Express Chairman’s Award for Innovation, Berland also provided strategic guidance to the American Express executive team and was a trusted advisor to numerous corporate partners of American Express on their brand, social media and digital endeavors.

Prior to American Express, Berland led PR and online communications strategies for global brands on the agency side.

January 27, 2016
Twitter names American Express’ Leslie Berland as CMO

MUMBAI: Social networking site Twitter has named American Express EVP – global advertising, marketing & digital partnerships Leslie Berland as its chief marketing officer (CMO).

On her appointment, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey tweeted, “Welcoming @leslieberland to Twitter! She will join as our CMO to help tell the stories of our iconic product!”

To which, Berland replied, “Thanks @Jack! Excited to join you and the amazing teams to bring to life the power, uniqueness and magic of Twitter!”

On joining the company, Berland said, “Twitter is a service like no other. It has and continues to change the world, shaping how we communicate and connect, how we’re entertained, informed and inspired. It represents everything that’s relevant at each and every moment – to me, there’s nothing more powerful. I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Jack and the Twitter teams to bring the magic of Twitter to life, broaden its reach, and deepen its impact as the company enters this incredibly exciting new chapter.”

Berland will be responsible for the company’s global consumer, product, and sales marketing.

Having worked at American Express since 2005, she led a global team responsible for creating marketplace demand and driving commerce through differentiated and innovative products, marketing and customer experiences globally.

As a member of the company’s global management team, Berland oversaw advertising, media, sponsorships, content, brand identity and digital partnerships for the enterprise. Under Berland’s leadership, American Express forged relationships and created first-ever marketing and digital experiences with partners like Apple, McDonald’s, Uber, TripAdvisor, VeriFone, Twitter, Samsung, Foursquare, Facebook, Jawbone and Google.

During her tenure at American Express, Berland played a critical role in creating the company’s first social media strategies and presences, and led the social media partnerships and strategy for the first Small Business Saturday.

A two-time recipient of the American Express Chairman’s Award for Innovation, Berland also provided strategic guidance to the American Express executive team and was a trusted advisor to numerous corporate partners of American Express on their brand, social media and digital endeavors.

Prior to American Express, Berland led PR and online communications strategies for global brands on the agency side.

January 27, 2016