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Category: Brands

  • Digital-first brands bet big on Dream11 IPL

    Digital-first brands bet big on Dream11 IPL

    NEW DELHI: Cricket is the by far the best media vehicle for any brand if it intends to connect with masses at a pan-India level. The game cuts across all socio-economic boundaries, age-groups, geogrpahies and reaches to 196 million households with television sets. The brand can further amplify its reach by connecting with its audiences on the mobile screens. Be it IPL, T-20 leagues, one day matches or ICC World Cups, all of them have been able to deliver great results for the brands.

    Currently, we are in the first week of IPL season 13 and going by reports, more than 200 million people tuned into watch the game on day one. The tournament has created  history and is already delivering reach for brands. While the bandwagon of the teams, BCCL, and the broadcaster has a large number of traditional players, an equal number of digital first new age brands are also on the roster.

    The count of the latter is growing year-on-year. These brands are spending big money around IPL to get more downloads, website visits, referals, impact, and what not. Spokespersons of many of these brands have mentioned that the viewership and reach of IPL is increasing year-on-year and the tournament helps them increase their brand recall and reach. IPL, which is also known as the advertising festival of the Asian subcontinent pushes the brand saliecy to the next level. It is important for these brands to strengthen their community and engage with newer audiences that sample its products or services

    Read more news on IPL.  

    Brands across edtech, fintech, food delivery, fantasy sports, financial accounting, and healthcare are advertising across IPL season 13. 

    Here are some of the campaigns released by the digital first brands that are running during IPL. 

    Dream11

    The fantasy app brand has taken the title sponsorship for the tournament. It has released a campaign #YeApnaGameHai that urges people to download the app, sample the game and continue with it. The brand leads the fantasy sports category with over 90 per cent market share. 

    Policybazaar 

    The fintech brand has launched its new television campaign “AapKiSideHai” that features its brand ambassador, Akshay Kumar highlighting the brand's promise of embracing a holistic customer-centric approach while helping to bridge the insurance protection gap in India. The new ad series also highlights the brands unparalleled support to customers, while providing them with the ease of comparing and buying term and health plans online with guidance at each and every step. 

    Swiggy

    The online food discovery brand is urging people to order more during the IPL times and is offering discounts around it. The brand is running a strong media plan and is known for coming up with interesting ads during the IPL.

    PhonePe

    The Bangalore-based digital payments company is running TVCs featuring Bollywood stars Aamir Khan and Alia Bhatt. It has released five 20-second ads that tied together made one complete story: The guide to PhonePe. The ads tell us the story of Alia Bhatt who’s at the police station for her brother Tyson who’s behind bars because of an ambiguous road mishap. Inspector Desai (Khan) instructs her to pay a fine and she uses the PhonePe app to do so; the conversation from Desai’s instruction to Bhatt’s action is the sum of the five ads.

    Khatabook

    Khatabook, a business app that helps MSMEs streamline business transactions online has released it ad on the IPL. The ad features M.S Dhoni in different attires from Sharmile Sharmaji to Techno Tawde in the ads and showcasing distinct features of the app.

    OkCredit

    The brand has partnered with Delhi Capitals and running TVCs with the tagline – ‘Digital India ka Digital Bahi Khata’. It is a free-to-use accounting and ledger app that helps small businesses in India keep track of their digital transactions. The brand aims to engage with small, local brands and entrepreneurs for its expansion.

    Byju’s

    Byju’s is pushing its new offering – Byju’s Classes – to parents across the country through their IPL campaign spearheaded by its long term brand ambassador Shahrukh Khan. The ad highlights the key features of the product and Khan plays the role of a teacher to a group of parents and discusses the common worries they have regarding their children’s after-school tutoring needs. The campaign aims at redefining the concept of tuitions in an otherwise fragmented after-school tutoring market.

    Great Learning

    This IPL Great Learning released its first ever multi-film ad campaign featuring brand ambassador, Virat Kohli consisting a series of films titled, ‘Power Ahead – Jo Seekhta Hai Wahi Aage Badhta Hai’. The ad focuses on the importance of lifelong learning, and showcases how upskilling is a necessary step for students and professionals to move ahead in their careers.

    MyTeam11 

    Their IPL campaign “India Ki Apni Fantasy App” aims to promoting the message of “Indian Brand for Indian People”. It aims to bring more people to commuinty and sample the game. The ads emphasize on taking pride in playing one’s favorite fantasy cricket game on a homegrown application which promises to bring the users closer to the experience of the actual matches of the league. The films witness several cricket experts recommending and creating their own teams in the MyTeam11 app.

    Jio

    Mukesh Ambani owned fiber brand Jio released its latest ad in the Jio Dhan Dhana Dhan series. This time it features Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh with several cricketers such as Virat Kohli, AB De Villers, among others. The Jio Dhan Dhana Dhan tune first arrived on the IPL advertising scene in 2017.

    White Hat Jr 

    The edtech app that teaches coding to children is in vogue. People have been talking about it on the internet and the brand was recently acquired by Byju's for 300 million dollars. The online learning brand is running a TVC campaign across IPL to increase awareness and create brand saliency. 

    MediBuddy

    The digital healthcare platform has launched its first TV campaign – ‘Aapka Health Buddy’ to communicate that MediBuddy is a friend that everyone can trust to address any healthcare need – 24*7, for the entire family. The TVC encapsulates the lives of families and seeks to impart the important message of not neglecting one’s health. 

    My11Circle

    The fantasy sports app endorsed by former Indian cricketer and BCCI president Sourav Ganguly is asking people to come on the platform. The campaign is aimed at increasing the size of the community and getting more and more people to sample the product.

    Amazon

    The online shopping portal has started its festive season campaign with IPL. Their campaign #HarPalFashionable is focused towards pushing people to start their festive shopping from the platform. Over the years, the brands has been clocking massive GMVs during this time. It will be interesting to see how people reach to this years festive season.

    Myntra

    One of the biggest online fashion brands of India has joined the IPL bandwagon for the first time and partnered with Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, and Chennai Super Kings.

  • Saregama plots Carvaan’s post-Covid journey

    Saregama plots Carvaan’s post-Covid journey

    MUMBAI: ‘Who buys a transistor radio in the times of iPods and apps?’

    Well that was the narrative until 2015. Then came Saregama’s Carvaan which shattered that myth by launching what looked like a classical retro transistor radio, the kind we see in antique stores. But within the box was housed silicon, which stored oodles of songs, an easy to use digital dial and radio player, and good sounding speakers. The Caravan went on to become a runaway hit, selling more than a million units in just 16 months of its launch and has become a case study in management courses worldwide.

    To its credit, it also managed to bring back the publicly listed firm from the brink. Part of the RPG SanjivGoenka group, Saregama had a solid back catalogue of 120,000 songs (from 1903 to 1983), but was not able to monetise it well enough. And the company was struggling with low revenues.  Caravan allowed its classic songs in various languages – – including Hindi, Tamil, Punjabi, Bengali, Malayalam and Marathi – and genres based on artistes and moods to be bundled with it and make more money for the company than it ever did from music publishing and licensing.

    The product portfolio today consists of: Carvaan (priced at Rs 6,000), Carvaan Premium (Rs 6,990), Carvaan 2.0 (Rs 7,990), Carvaan Gold (Rs 10,900), Carvaan Gold 2.0 (Rs 12,990),  Carvaan Go (Rs  3,990), Carvaan Go 2.0 (Rs 4590),  Carvaan Gold (Rs 5590) Carvaan Mini (Rs 2,490)  and Carvaan earphones (Rs 1199). The basic models have blue tooth, USB, AM/FM radio, while the more premium 2.0 models have wifi and some of them even sport fancy Harman/kardon speakers. Owners of a few of the models also get access to the Carvaan app on the App Store and the Google Play store and can access numerous podcasts online.

    Saregama MD Vikram Mehra says that the entire ethos of Carvaan is a leaned back listening experience. Mehra describes it as a physical product in a world where everything is moving digital. “After dedicated research we came out with Carvaan that was indeed a marriage of the digital with the physical. It was more like a portable digital player, similar to an older generation transistor that operated with just pressing of a button. It had pre-loaded songs and could also be tuned in to FM Radio, without any operational complications ideal for people who just wanted to sit back and relax,” shares Mehra.

    Read more news on Saregama

    The genesis of Carvaan began when Mehra – who had come in from Tata Sky in 2014 – and his team refused to accept feedback that associates and consultants were giving them: no one was interested in old Kishore Kumar, LataMangeshkar songs that Saregama had. Mehra, a retro music lover, believed that there surely must be others like him for whom the only sense of relaxation comes from listening to old classics.

    He then commissioned a qualitative study across 23 different cities nationwide to find what kind of music people are listening and the issues they faced accessing its catalogue. One of the key findings was that some music lovers believed that Saregama was hoarding its music and not releasing it for them to consume.

    “The moment we went out of the four metros, a very dramatic picture revealed that the people who loved Saregama music told us that we were not sharing our music with them, although we were present on all digital platforms like Gaana, Saavn etc. This was the reality we faced in 2015, ”reveals Mehra.

    Saregama decided to sack the consultants, and bid them goodbye. Further probing revealed that retro music lovers 45 years and older were put off by the complicated music apps on their mobile phones, one of the reasons they could not listen to the songs they had grown up with.

    Read more news on Vikram Mehra

    “They were worried that money would be deducted at the press of a button on their mobile phones. Most of them thus used it for free apps like Facebook, WhatsApp or for calling only,” recalls Mehra.

    What could Saregama marry its retro catalogue with to help these older music aficionados between the ages of 45 and 70  to enjoy their music?

    The answer was:  create a simple piece of hardware which could serve the songs digitally and would appeal to them as it looked and was easy to use.

    In brainstorming meetings with their boss SanjivGoenka, a team member pointed to an old Murphy transistor radio, saying the older audience would identify with that. “This is how we came with the look and feel,” Goenka has been quoted in media reports.  “Then there was a campaign which was very targeted, focused and emotional. It was about gifting a product to your parents. It worked.”

    Mehra asserts that in 2014 when he joined the company, experts had been very clear that nobody would pay for music in India.  And that’s been disproved by Saregama’sCarvaan. “We have sold two million units till January 2020 whereas, the total amount of paid subscriptions for the nine music apps in India is less than 1 million.”

    Amid the lockdown, when economies and businesses came to a standstill, Saregamawas inundated with requests from buyers wanting delivery of a Carvaan, and from users who narrated how it helped them through the ennui and fear by entertaining them in the confines of their homes.

    It gave the Saregama team a good insight into to how much the older generation has come to depend on their Carvaans, almost like a companion.

    “We got so many requests to deliver Carvaan directly to homes since shops and online deliveries were closed. The moment restrictions were lifted, our online sales picked up heavily.  Though the trade did suffer as expected but things are coming back on track,” says Mehra.

    The company has cut back on ad spends and is working hard to service the bottled-up demand, for now, at least.

    Its focus currently is on increasing the online content available to Carvaan 2.0 – which can hook up to wifi  – owners. Currently, they have access to 282 different streams of podcasts – across genres like food, travel, Bollywood, news, music. Content creators make money through revenue share deals the company has signed with them. Mehra believes that opportunities lie in placing adverts too.

    Apart from further extending Carvaan, Mehrahe is milking the catalogue that Saregama owns. It recently entered into a licensing deal with Facebook which allows its members to use its songs in the videos which they upload to their profiles. Says Mehra: “It’s a great time to partner with Facebook, Sharechat, and Moj. These are huge platforms and used widely to create content. We have seen a great usage of our content on these platforms across age groups. Our entire catalogue has been made available across these social media platforms for users to create interesting content.”

    Mehra’s belief is that “Saregama houses a treasure in its song catalogue, which is a national treasure which must be passed on from generation to generation.”

    Under his stewardship, Saregama has done well for the current older generation, at least.

  • Online fantasy sports platforms & their IPL romance

    Online fantasy sports platforms & their IPL romance

    NEW DELHI: Ten years ago, if someone told you that you could create your own virtual sports team and win money, you would have laughed off the idea. However, a handful of techies believed in the possibility. They have not only turned it into a business but have developed an entire new category called online fantasy sports (OFS).  What seemed a laughable proposition a decade ago is now a passion for many consumers.

    The OFS category seems to be having a great run in India; there were just 10 players in 2016 today that have ballooned to 150. And there’s optimism all around especially in terms of advertising, funding, hiring, consumer sampling, and what not.

    There is no doubt that the front end of this revolution is Dream11’s founder Harsh Jain who saw the huge possibilities and opportunities in the western world and decided to implement the same in India. Once the brand tasted success several other players also emerged in the market such as MPL, My11Circle, MyTeam11, BalleBaazi, FanFight, Cricplay, Gamezy, Howzat and others.

    A Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports (FIFS)/KPMG report released earlier this year revealed that the OFS sector has been registering rapid growth for the past four years. The user base increased from just 2 million in 2016 to 90 million in 2019. Operator revenue almost trebled from Rs 924 crore in 2018-2019 to Rs 2,470 crore in 2019-2020. The report also estimated that the industry clocked contest entry amounts (CEA) of over Rs 6,000 crore in FY19, which more than doubled to about Rs 16,500 crore in FY20.

    Read more news on fantasy sports

    Even as the lockdown led to mainstream live sports dying, the OFS apps started tracking smaller leagues all over the world, and fans too followed. But not with the same frenzy or at the same scale as cricket. Now, with the return of the IPL, the action is becoming red hot. Some of the OFS platforms have opted for team and tournament level sponsorships while many others have simply opted for spot buys during the matches.

    The IPL attraction

    Most of the big guns have been training their sights on consumers, spraying them with ads promising to give them an opportunity to win big money in the hope that they will engage more or sign up to try their luck.

    For instance, the baton holder of the category, Dream11 took the title sponsorship of IPL for a whopping Rs 222 crore. A 2019 report by the Indian Federation of Sports Gaming (IFSG) and KPMG suggests that Dream11 dominates 90 per cent of the domestic fantasy sports market. It is also associated with several teams and has already released its IPL campaign.

    The Virat Kohli-endorsed MPL, another big player that offers fantasy cricket for its audiences has associated with the Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore as a sponsor. The online gaming brand is saluting the spirit of Covid2019 warriors and telling their stories to people.

    Mobile Premier League senior VP – growth and marketing Abhishek Madhavan defines IPL  as the biggest television property in India. “The way fantasy sports companies are heavily involved in the IPL this year will surely help grow the market. We want to grow our brand even more among the masses and give MPL a mass appeal and recognition. It is also a great way for us to take our unique features and offers to existing as well as new users.”

    Delhi-based e-sports platform BalleBaazi has also got into the game with  #DumHaiTohYahanKhel and its BalleBaazi Fantasy Festival that offers users a chance to get heavy discounts on its reward stores and play more leagues.

    MyTeam11 has unleashed a campaign ‘India Ki Apni Fantasy App’ for the IPL season to promote the message of ‘Indian Brand for Indian People.’ It consists of a series of videos wherein cricket experts can be seen recommending and creating their own teams in the MyTeam11 app. And it also features MyTeam11’s brand ambassador Virender Sehwag along with other cricket experts like Jatin Sapru, Sanjana Ganeshan, Mayanti Langer, Suhail Chandhok. 

    My11Circle promoter Games24x7, which is endorsed by Sourav Ganguly, is going the whole hog on promotion. The company’s director – brand & marketing strategy Avik Das Kanungo explains that cricket remains the highest participated sports format in fantasy space in India. Thus, IPL comes out as the strongest event simply because of the viewership and interest it generates over 60 days. 

    He adds: “My11Circle has bought spots during matches both on Star Sports on television as well as on Hotstar. We plan to effectively utilise these inventories to put across the right communication to the cricket-loving the audience that helps us establish our brand proposition of 'Play With Champions'. In that regard, we have shot multiple interesting commercials to bring alive the fun and thrill of our core proposition, and we hope it will resonate with all fantasy lovers across India.”

    Why Advertise

    Playerzpot, an OFS platform established in 2015 avers that an IPL partnership’s effectiveness is not measured over a single season, rather the association is computed in terms of the long term impact and recall it has on viewers and users. “Each fantasy brand is trying to lure new players, bring back the old ones, and retain both in the longer run. A marquee tournament like IPL brings that possibility of moving a notch higher for the whole year. For us, our work the calendar starts with IPL,” says Playerzpot co-founder Mitesh Gangar.

    Fantasy Akhada founder Amit Purohit echoes this saying that the platforms particularly use cricket properties to build brand awareness and to get top of the mind recall with fantasy sports players. RoI is measured by the improvement in user acquisition and engagement per user before, during, and after the IPL.

    Read more news on IPL

    He explains that cricket in India is a religion and most sports fans believe they know the game well. “If there is a seamless way to leverage this knowledge of cricket and skill of selecting a team to beat your friends or make money, most fans would latch on to this opportunity.”

    Estimates are that the only 15 per cent to 20 per cent of the fantasy app players are paying to be on them. The platforms would like that paid subscriber base to increase; hence the marketing blitzkrieg around a high reach property like the IPL even though it is super expensive.

    The OFS sector is having a beneficial rub off: the FIFS-KPMG report says that over 55 per cent of fantasy sports players said that they ended up consuming more real-life sports on the telly. That can be called a great symbiotic relationship. 

  • CarDekho focuses on personal mobility in its new spot

    CarDekho focuses on personal mobility in its new spot

    NEW DELHI – CarDekho has launched its newest TV campaigns ‘The everyday hero’ championing the cause of personal mobility.

    As people have got accustomed to the new normal after the Covid2019 induced lockdown, there is a growing preference for personal mobility. An owner-driven car offers a more controlled environment and limited exposure to the outside world. The new campaigns reiterate this by showing how a vehicle keeps a frontline worker safe as he responds to the call of duty and at the same time provides peace of mind to his family members.  CarDekho aims to partner in people’s journey towards personal mobility.

    The campaign has been created by Leo Burnett India. 

    The film depicts a safe commute for all those who are leaving the safe haven of their homes for duty. It is a heart-warming story depicting a retired doctor who decides to resume his duty against the wishes of his family. The family soon realizes that while they cannot challenge the doctor’s invincible spirit; they can definitely help him stay safe by buying him a car that limits his exposure to public transport thereby underlining the message of safety and security. The new campaign will be released across digital and electronic media. This will be followed by a festive campaign, which will further showcase the brand offerings. 

    The film captures how the frontline worker, be it a doctor, police, or delivery support perform their duties in such trying times with their trusted two-wheelers partner. At BikeDekho, consumers can compare the prices, get expert reviews about the bikes and avail the best offers and discounts, thus making them the trusted personal mobility partner in their journey.

    Read more news on CarDekho

    Furthering its aim to become the country’s trusted personal mobility partner, CarDekho has associated with Rahul Dravid, the legendary former Indian cricketer, and captain. Also known as The Wall, Rahul Dravid will testify the ease and simplicity of buying a new car through CarDekho. Consumers can compare cars, check expert reviews, and get best offers, suitable to their preferences. The teaser is live on Hotstar and the campaign is all set to be launched during the week of Diwali.

    CarDekho CMO Gaurav Mehta said, “Consumer behavior has shifted and personal mobility and a trusted mode of transportation have taken center stage. Since commuting is unavoidable, everyone wants a trusted and secure means of personal mobility.

    Rahul Dravid embodies Trust and Security for all Indians and constantly motivates us to dig in for a long and successful inning, despite overwhelming odds. His team-centric performances inspire us to collectively push towards success. We are honored to partner with him and inspire people to take their destiny in their own hands. CarDekho aims to become a personal mobility partner to every Indian in their journeys ahead.”

    Read more news on Gaurav Mehta

    Speaking about the campaign, Leo Burnett MD – India & chief creative officer, South Asia  Rajdeepak Das said “With the current situation dictating personal mobility as one of the key measures for safety. And online car buying has seen a major boost. The good news is with the new behavior CarDekho is becoming the first choice for most buyers. Having one of the finest Indian cricketing legends, Rahul Dravid on board as our brand ambassador further cements our relationship with the audiences.

    We are working with CarDekho and Rahul to create a new blueprint for the car buying process and establish itself as the most trusted and preferred partner for new buyers. We can’t wait to create some magic with both these powerhouse brands.”.”

  • Policybazaar’s new spot pushes health & term life insurance

    Policybazaar’s new spot pushes health & term life insurance

    NEW DELHI: Policybazaar.com has launched its new television campaign “AapKiSideHai”. The ad campaign features Policybazaar’s brand ambassador, Akshay Kumar, highlighting the brand's promise of embracing a holistic customer-centric approach while helping to bridge the insurance protection gap in India.

    “While we continue to highlight the importance of Health & Term life Insurance through our marketing campaigns, with the brand promise of Policybazaar AapKiSideHai, we also intend to position Policybazaar as a customer-centric brand, that is committed to stand by its customers, both pre and post-purchase”, said Policybazaar.com. head of brand marketing Samir Sethi.

    Read more coverage on Policybazaar

    The new brand campaign reinforces Policybazaar’s core value of putting the customer first by delivering on its promise of providing a trusted platform for all types of insurance products. The brand is committed to guiding the customer throughout the insurance journey, starting from recommending the right products at affordable pricing, ensuring that the policy issuance process is smooth and fast, and, to providing services and claims assistance when needed.  

    The new ad series highlights Policybazaar's unparalleled support to customers while providing them with the ease of comparing and buying term and health plans online with guidance at each & every step.

    Speaking about the TVC launch, Policybazaar.com COO Sharat Dhall said, “Our ultimate aim is to provide 360-degree assistance to customers that start from when the policy is bought, to provide assistance when the claim is paid out, should such a situation arise. Winning and maintaining customer trust is a strong ethos within the company and this campaign reflects that. At a time when the world is grappling with a crisis like no other, the brand intends to instill confidence in the customers’ buying decisions by assuring them the protection of their futures with the right insurance products & thorough assistance throughout the journey.”

    The new brand campaign in its series displays moments of indecision that people may have while investing in protection products. It addresses these queries & emphasizes the importance of nurturing a bond with the consumers thereby creating customer delight.

  • PhonePe readies to cash in on the IPL

    PhonePe readies to cash in on the IPL

    NEW DELHI: Some call it the biggest advertising festival of the Asian subcontinent; others equate it with the Super Bowl of India. Amid the raining sixes, cartwheeling stumps and crowds cheering their respective teams, the Indian Premier League (IPL)  is the perfect platform that offers humungous reach, multiple brand integration opportunities and a billion plus attentive eyeballs. Which marketer would want to shy away from this offer if he has the budgets.

    Initially, audiences were only watching the game in Hindi and English feeds but now the broadcaster is offering multiple feeds in different languages along with live streaming on Disney + Hotstar. The spectrum is wider than ever. 

    Despite Covid2019 pushing the the game to stadiums with no audiences in the UAE, the virus has not been able to deter the enthusiasm of audiences as well as marketers. This year multiple brands across categories have already signed on with team, broadcast rights owner, Star Sports and  the BCCI to cash in on the  pulsating excitement of sticky audiences, who will be witnessing a major live event after a hiatus of five to six months. The expectations in terms of viewership are huge as IPL will be a much-needed breather during these difficult times.

    Read more coverage on PhonePe

    PhonePe, a popular fintech brand, has returned as the co-presenting broadcasting sponsor of IPL 2020, repeating the association it had with the league in 2019. With reason: director of brand marketing PhonePe Richa says it has sky high ambitions. Currently, 230 million consumers conduct transitions with the app; the goal is to take that to 500 million by 2022.

    Says she: “The tournament helps to create visibility, reach, and high brand recall for PhonePe. It has also helped us create awareness around digital payments for different user segments in the country. Our IPL sponsorship will help us reach both urban and rural audiences alike.”

    In addition to IPL, the digital wallet brand has plans to digitise 25 million offline merchants across all 5,500 talukas of the country in the next 12 months with the mission to make PhonePe a household name across the country.

    The digital-first brand shared a piece of insight from its IPL 2019 data and indicated that the reach and viewership of the tournament have increased significantly with each season. During IPL 2019, the app platform launched the #DadduGublucampaign featuring Aamir Khan in an avatar not seen before; that of a doting but confident grandfather. Each TVC concentrated on a single feature of the app. For instance, one of the TVCs talked about how it serves all the payment needs of an individual. Another spot talked about the high level of protection and security that PhonePe transactions are armed with. With its smart marketing tactics, the app also took a dig at its rival brand. 

    PhonePe competes with Paytm, Google Pay, and several other players in the market. Media reports suggest that it has set aside a hefty ad war chest of Rs 800 crore to make its presence felt through a push both above the line and below the line. This will include a big advertising splash for television and digital outlets.

    The over-arching theme that PhonePe has adopted for its advertising campaign for this season’s IPL is 'KarteJaBadteJa.’It includes four TVCs shot in different states and languages earlier this year, featuring Alia Bhatt and Aamir Khan. The ads educate users about the various services availableoin the app be it booking a hotel, recharging bills or transferring money to a friend. 

    Sharma asserts that in addition to the PhonePe TV commercials, the brand will also be on other media – social and digital, which she believes is essential to help build brand recall and reach.

    “This year our campaign focuses on tapping into the large base of Indians who are all digital-savvy but for various reasons have not taken to digital payments yet. Being the category leader, it's our endeavour to handhold each and every Indian and get them to experience safe, fast and convenient digital payments through PhonePe,” she explains. “With that in mind, we launched our campaign almost a month back (18 August) with a series of messages around safety, trust, convenience to help our audiences understand the ease and security PhonePe provides for digital payments. We will continue to break new messages and going into IPL you'll see more new ads on the same creative theme. Alongside IPL on TV, we will also be utilising various social and digital platforms and the varied ad formats they offer to create a more holistic audience outreach.”

    Sharma elaborates that customer acquisition and brand recall among the target audience are a few of the metrics that the PhonePe team looks at while measuring the effectiveness any brand association. “We aim to grow the pie of digital transactors in the country, especially from tier 2, 3 markets and beyond. We aim to drive greater awareness and preference for PhonePe's features and services. The key theme will be to catalyse progress for everyone through our brand platform of ‘KarteJa. BadhteJa,” she says. .

    Last month, the brand rolled out a film titled ‘Unstoppable India’ sensitively conceptualized by Leo Burnett. The film portrays the despondency amongst all of us as we battle with the ennui and frustration of the covid2019 prompted change inour lives. But it also highlights the indefatigable, never-say-die spirit of Indians who are finding ways to get back to near normal in the new normal. And of course helping them in the journey back is the contactless payment app PhonePe which like Indians does not how to stop (Ruknatohhumeinaatanahin), which is the tagline of the brand in the film.

    According to an ASSOCHAM-PwC India study, the Indian digital payments market is currently valued at $64.8 billion. It is projected to grow at a CAGR of 20.2 per cent to reach $135.2 billion in 2023.

    Post demonetisaton, in 2016, and the government’s drive towards cash-less India, digital transactions have grown exponentially in the country. The pandemic has further accelerated contactless transactions, across income levels and geographies and amongst all age groups, but more so amongst millennials, for whom it has become a habit.

    Read more news on IPL

    “We hit a record high in June 2020 in terms of our daily user activity as well as the total payment volume processed through PhonePe. Our transaction volume for July 2020 was at 620 million transactions that surpassed the February 2020 levels (pre-lockdown),” explains Sharma. “This was driven by continued user adoption of PhonePe across core use cases such as P2P payments recharges, and bill payments as well as the opening up of offline and online merchants across the country.”

    The good thing is that Sharma is already seeing the signs of revival across industries. She acknowledges, “We are back to our pre-lockdown numbers. June and July have been our biggest month so far in terms of transactions.”

    However, she acknowledges that the last quarter of the calendar year is very crucial for every brand due to the commencement of the festive season. “Luckily this year IPL is being held amid the festive season, creating a feel good factor and brands are hoping to get on the path of recovery very soon. IPL is the biggest sporting event in the country and has a lot of mass appeal. We are sure it will help lead to a revival in overall consumer sentiment who will go out and shop,” she concludes. 

    That would be good news for the economy. And more so for PhonePe if a large part of that consumer shopping is paid for by the digital payment app. 

  • Medimix partners with KKR

    Medimix partners with KKR

    NEW DELHI- Medimix has joined as Official SkinFit and Hygiene Partner of Kolkata Knight Riders for IPL 2020.

    Medimix will be taking up hygiene and the health of the cricketers and fans as a matter of primary concern and will be supporting the Kolkata Knight Riders team by providing hand hygiene products from their recently launched hand washes and hand sanitizers range. The brand will be providing hand sanitizer dispensers to ensure a safe environment to help protect the team from the spread of the virus.

    The team’s trouser will feature the logo of Medimix in all the 14 matches this season.

    Read our coverage on IPL 2020

    Commenting on the same, Cholayil Private Limited chairman & MD Pradeep Cholayil said: "We are thrilled to partner with Kolkata Knight Riders as their Official SkinFit and Hygiene Partner for IPL 2020. This partnership with the Kolkata Knight Riders is a key milestone as this would give us an opportunity to improve awareness by leveraging the fan following the power of KKR as a team. Cricket is a religion in India and we see a great fit with it especially after getting into Hand Wash and Sanitizer segment. I am sure this association will also offer us an opportunity to expand our awareness in East India.”

    Cholayil Pvt. Ltd. head of marketing Ashish Ohlyan’s said “Cricket is celebrated in India by everyone irrespective of their gender and age across all geographies and demographics. After the COVID-19 pandemic hit the nation we as a brand deeply rooted in Ayurvedic principles wanted to spread the word about the goodness of Ayurveda to fight the deadly virus. This is the first time that Medimix is associating with the Indian Premier League and we believe that our partnership with Kolkata Knight Riders as their ‘Official SkinFit and Hygiene Partner’ will give us an opportunity to reach out to the masses and spread awareness on the benefits of Ayurveda and its use in the day to day life.”

    Speaking of the partnership, Kolkata Knight Riders marketing head Kaustubh Jha “We are proud to have Medimix, a homegrown Indian ayurvedic brand as our hygiene partner. This year hygiene and safety have been of paramount importance and we believe in providing our players with a product that is not only known for its quality but is also safe to use. We look forward to a successful partnership with Medimix on board this year.”

  • Design Dereliction: Vi’s new logo could have been much more than it is

    Design Dereliction: Vi’s new logo could have been much more than it is

    NEW DELHI: A little more than two years after the Vodafone and Idea merger on 31 August 2018, the brand finally announced a new integrated brand identity for itself on Monday noon. The new brand named ‘Vi’ comes with the promise of “Together For Tomorrow”, ensuring users that the company will play a bigger role in the consumer journeys. In the press interaction, the senior management also indicated that the merger will move ahead with a sharp focus on augmenting digital experiences for the user.

    The branding exercise has attracted a lot of attention within the industry and started many discussions across platforms.

    Sideways co-founder Abhijit Avasthi pointed out that there was great anticipation surrounding the new brand identity when two of the biggest telecom companies in India merged two years back and this new entity is signalling the beginning of a new journey for them as an integrated entity. It’s a launch of ethos and a new persona.

    “I am keen to see how the new company will behave going forward as in their initial avatars, the two were very different companies; one was far modern, contemporary, young and the other one was a little bit more earthy.

    Abhijit Avasthi

    AVASTHI THINKS IT IS A LAUNCH OF A ETHOS
    AND A NEW PERSONA

    Almond Branding founder & director Shashwat Das said, “If I come down to the logo for what is the largest telecom integration in the world, I am a tad disappointed. While there has been an attempt to retain the equity of both Vodafone and Idea logos- the red colour and the exclamation respectively, the end outcome could have been a lot more exciting.”The new elements of the brand identity, the logo, the moving lines of the animation, and the bold mustard dot of I, has initiated a series of discussions on various media. But the industry is not mighty impressed with the new design.

    He added, “I have already seen people mistaking it for the Roman numeral six and am sure that the circular dot jutting out at the bottom will be making a lot of people uncomfortable. To some it looked like a medal. But I am also a bit concerned about the uncanny chiseling of the V at the base. The way I decode it, the bold mustard dot will be a dynamic element of the identity showcasing the amazing possibilities and also symbolizing focus – bringing back the focus on the consumer. So while the concept is good, the execution leaves us wanting for more.”

     

     

     

     

     

    Shashwat Das

    DAS IS DISAPPOINTED WITH THE NEW LOGO

    Elephant co-founder, director Ashwini Deshpande said that it is a bit premature to respond to a logo when one hasn't seen the visual language or communication around it but it doesn’t look like a mobile first logo that the company might want it to be. She quipped that the finesse that Vodafone was famous for, in its language and script, is missing in the new brand identity.

    “In the absence of a full picture, it reminds one of solid logos from the industrial era except the falling yellow penny that is out of scheme for those times. It doesn't look like a 'mobile first' logo. Also wondering how the app icon will pan out since the yellow penny will reduce the size of V & I in the app icon enclosure. Considering the exposure & choices of Gen Z & millennials, it is a bit disappointing. It neither conveys communication nor technology,” she elaborated.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Ashwini Deshpande

    DESHPANDE IS ALSO DISAPPOINTED AS THE NEW LOGO
    NEITHER CONVEYS COMMUNICATION NOR TECHNOLOGY

    Deshpande further commented, “This would have been the perfect time to liberate the visual identity from the regimented colour scheme borrowed from previous identities of Vodafone and Idea. But the design has stuck to predictable red & yellow. Looking at how the Jio logo has several colour versions (even Docomo did this earlier and Go Air too) that still look ownable due to the font and container, V! (Vi) seems to have passed that opportunity.”

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Das disagreed a little from Deshpande as he pointed out, “The digital-age modern identities have to be dynamic, flexible and fluid. I am sure that the new Vi identity will live upto it. I visited the new website and it did look fresh and elegant. The design is indeed minimalistic and the identity is fluid enough to transform itself into various forms and environments. The mustard dot can be seen everywhere from radio-buttons to the chatbot animations. So I believe the dynamism and fresh look can help hook the attention of the young consumers.”

    He added, “I also like the tagline “Together for Tomorrow” which captures both the aspects of the two companies coming together for a brighter tomorrow as well as WE (the company and the consumer) are in this together to build a better tomorrow. There is a lot of power in the inclusiveness and collaborative feel of Vi (read We). Hence the brand storyline has immense potential.”

  • Jeep India celebrates Ganeshotsav with a 162 feet long, 185 feet wide, Ganesha made of 122 Jeep Compass SUVs

    Jeep India celebrates Ganeshotsav with a 162 feet long, 185 feet wide, Ganesha made of 122 Jeep Compass SUVs

    Mumbai, September 5th 2020 – This year’s Ganesh Chaturthi festival – the pride and joy of Maharashtra was scaled down due to the pandemic and to avoid large crowds. The height of the idol for public pandals was not to exceed four feet and physical distancing would be compulsory. Despite all the restrictions, Jeep India and Leo Burnett decided to pay a tribute to Lord Ganesha in a unique way, keeping the spirit of the festival alive.

    Staying true to the brand pillars of Authenticity, Passion, Freedom and Adventure, Jeep was paying homage to the idea of overcoming obstacles. The idea was to create a larger-than-life, ode to the ultimate remover of obstacles using Jeep Compass SUVs. To make this a one-of-a-kind initiative, 29,970 sq. ft. of space, 48+ hours, 8 professional drivers were required. This would result in a 162 feet long, 185 feet wide, Ganesha made of 122 Jeep Compass SUVs!

    Commenting on the campaign Rahul Pansare – Head of Marketing and PR, FCA India said, “Lord Ganesha symbolises the beginning of auspicious times, transcends class, age and social status. Ganesh Chaturthi is amongst the most loved and fervently celebrated festivals in India that brings people together, spreads positivity and imparts strength. We, at Jeep India, couldn’t bring ourselves to let this festival go without a celebration. We decided to do something adventurous but it had to be authentic; something that would touch peoples’ hearts, induce positive vibes and bring cheer. Making a 162-feet tall, 185-feet wide Lord Ganesh from 122 Jeep Compass SUVs was Jeep’s way to say that we can decimate every challenge if we channel our passion in the right direction. I was delighted to see our effort going viral on social media in no time!”

    Adding further Rajdeepak Das, Managing Director India & Chief Creative Officer, Leo Burnett South Asia said “Lord Ganesha is known as a conquerer of all obstacles and this year even with all the restrictions we wanted to create an act befitting to this deity’s eminence. Brand Jeep is known to take any challenges head-on and our campaign does the same. Our endeavour resulted in a one of its kind Ganesha Idol using 122 Jeep SUV’s with the same scale of an idol in a pandal. This campaign is a perfect example of our Humankind philosophy which revolves entirely around people and purpose.”

  • Samarpita Samaddar joins Bumble as India PR director

    Samarpita Samaddar joins Bumble as India PR director

    KOLKATA: Former Zee Studios PR lead Samarpita Samaddar joins Bumble as India PR director. Based in Mumbai, she will lead the brand's communications strategies in India. She will be working closely with the global communications team.

    Samaddar drove corporate communications and outreach for the Zee Studios along with leading PR for all its film campaigns, establishing the brand as one of India's leading film studios.

    She has over a decade of experience in building brands across several sectors including entertainment, the arts, lifestyle, sports, among others.

    She has worked on a diverse portfolio of campaigns including Khaali Peeli, Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari, Dhadak, Aligarh, Newton (India's official entry to Oscars in 2016), Hotel Mumbai, Nil Battey Sannata, Bajirao Mastani, Good Newwz, Manikarnika-The Queen of Jhansi to name a few.