ITV

Category: Brands

  • Myntra introduces ‘Alterations’ as a new value-added service for its consumers

    Myntra introduces ‘Alterations’ as a new value-added service for its consumers

    MUMBAI: Myntra, the country’s leading destination for fashion and lifestyle announces the launch of ‘Alterations’ as a new value added service for its customers. The first of its kind feature enables shoppers to opt for alteration services at their doorstep for apparel purchased on Myntra.  The company has partnered with tailors for providing this service, enabling them to earn an additional income and grow their business. The feature is being rolled out ahead of Myntra’s End of Reason of Sale in December to make online shopping more convenient for its customers and attracting a cohort of offline only customers to try online shopping.

    In the initial phase, the service is being launched in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Kolkata, offering length alterations for jeans and trousers for men. In the next phase, the service will extend to size alterations for women including products such as kurtas and kurtis.  Myntra has so far tied up with 200 tailors, located in zones that have a large number of Myntra customers in these cities. Customers will be able to opt for alteration service once the product is delivered. The tailors will pick up the product from the customer’s residence after taking necessary measurements and deliver them to the customer, within 24 hours to 48 hours. The alteration service is being offered at no extra cost to customers.

    Speaking on the launch, Myntra Jabong head Amar Nagaram said, “Launching alteration services on Myntra replicates a key offline phenomenon that further bridges the gap between online and offline shopping experiences for customers. It is aimed at making online shopping more convenient while reducing returns due to size and fit issues. As an organization, we are committed to strengthening the small and medium businesses within our ecosystem and this service provides us an opportunity to work with tailors across the country and provide them an opportunity to augment their income while also enhancing their business and customer interaction skills through training. We have introduced this service in 4 cities ahead of our End of Reason Sale and will extend this to 80% of our customer base over the next one year.” 

    The basic criteria for tailors to associate with Myntra include, a tailoring shop with the necessary equipment, at a convenient location and the expertise to execute the alterations as per predefined standards. Myntra’s on-ground team will train tailors on using the platform to cater to requests from the neighbourhood and the necessary customer engagement skills.

  • Mindshare India creates India’s largest audio-conferencing bridge solution ‘mSamvaad’

    Mindshare India creates India’s largest audio-conferencing bridge solution ‘mSamvaad’

    MUMBAI: Mindshare, India’s largest full-service media agency and part of GroupM, collaborated with Cosmic Information and Technology Ltd to launch a new voice-driven platform called ‘Audio Conferencing Bridge’ called ‘mSamvaad’. The solution helps connect leading brands of the country to the audience in media-dark areas on the largest voice conferencing infrastructure with a capacity of 25,000 concurrent calls.

    A large segment of Indian audiences cannot be reached through the traditional or the new-age digital mediums. This problem of low penetration coupled with low levels of literacy makes it difficult for brands to surpass the barriers of communication in remote areas. However, the rural centres of the country have been recorded as driving the telecom growth in the nation. In the Indian ecosystem, about 450 million active SIM cards are resting on feature phones, the highest across the world. This renders telecom as the medium with the largest penetration in the markets that have low access to data.

    Mindshare devised a solution that uses the power of telecom as the key channel to engage, educate and create awareness through SMS, chat rooms and voice calls for one-on-ones as well as conference connections. It also enables a two-way communication on a selected basis. The key differentiator of the platform is that it operates independent of the internet and can be used with any voice-supported device, even landline and feature phones.

    In its first venture, Mindshare rolled out a high-scaled engagement program for Horlicks to reach out to mothers in the media dark areas of Bihar for its new variant that improves nutrient absorption among children. The aim of the program was to generate awareness on the brand's scientific credentials through an audio message recorded in the voice of legendary Bhojpuri star, Ravi Kishan.

    Mindshare’s approach to deliver the brand message via a 2-way dialogue bore great results. The Horlicks nutrient absorption communication reached 4 million unique users. The 10-minutes conference bridge saw a breakthrough of 29 percent completed listenership. Through the campaign, Mindshare answered the call for nutrition with resounding effect, 81 percent recalled the new variant for its emphasis on nutrient absorption in children. Horlicks observed an impressive increase of 33 percent TOM and 12 percent of L3M usage.

    With carrier grade infra, the alliance is one of the largest in-house telecom infrastructures in India on a single location from all leading telecom operators, managed in a high-tech data centre. It has advanced servers, big-data platform, cloud backups, secured firewalls, high speed primary and backup Internet leased lines, and 24×7 power backups under the supervision of team comprising network engineers, data scientists, and engineering minds. The bridge enables massive outreach in minimum time in the most cost-effective way.

    Sharing his thoughts on the innovation, Mindshare India national head – mobile Niraj Ruparel said, “Since the past decade, our efforts have enabled number of top brands to engage their end-consumers with the most advanced and innovative voice-based solutions. Our solutions are aimed at penetrating the fragmented consumer segments of India and surpassing the barriers of communication due to low literacy rates and lack of access to data and connectivity. "mSamvaad" is one of our most successful voice product which we plan to take to the next level in the near future. We look forward to extending this platform to all prospects that are looking at customer engagement in rural India.”

    “Cosmic Information & Technology Limited is committed & will continue to leverage its large & robust Voice Infrastructure and in-house innovation lab, to co-create quality solutions, which addresses brand challenges and help them to have a simple, yet targetted delivery of message as well as meaningful conversations with their brand audience, resulting into deeper level of engagements.”, said Cosmic Information and Technology Limited CEO Nilesh Bhagat.

    Speaking about the success of the campaign, area marketing lead, nutrition, GSK Vikram Bahl, said, “This is a laudable initiative by Mindshare India along with Cosmic Infotech and we are glad to have been a part of it. We have always undertaken efforts to create awareness around holistic nutrition, especially in rural areas and this was a great opportunity for us to achieve our objective. We look forward to many such innovations in technology that can help us deliver intended message to rural markets.”

  • Times of India & Healthians celebrate National Health Check-up Day with free health check-ups on

    Times of India & Healthians celebrate National Health Check-up Day with free health check-ups on

    MUMBAI: To celebrate India’s first National Health Check-up Day, instituted by the Times of India in association with Healthians, people across seven major Indian cities got free health check-ups to educate them about the importance of periodic check-ups.

    As a part of the observations, TOI and Healthians instated a total of 11 checkup camps across seven major locations – Delhi, Gurgaon, Pune, Bangalore, Mumbai, Thane, and Noida. The activity looked to impact and enable more than 500 families to consider preventive healthcare measures.

    As of now, only 9.6 per cent of the overall healthcare expenditure goes towards preventive healthcare. The National Health Check-up Day is a constituent of the Healthy India Fit India (HiFi) movement organised, a joint undertaking by TOI and Healthians, that aims to encourage people to adopt preventive healthcare as a lifestyle choice to help them avoid significant repercussions to their health and wallets.

    Speaking on the initiative, Healthians founder and CEO Deepak Sahni said, "The idea of dedicating a day for health stemmed from the behavior of millennials, both men and women in the age group of 29-40 years. They are so busy in their careers and improving the quality of their lives, that health is often ignored. It’s only when they cross a certain life stage, or when someone close suffers a health problem they realise what they have lost in terms of health. We want people to realise that before it’s too late, their health needs their attention to be able to avoid illnesses.”

    The HiFi initiative was commenced with a pilot campaign that saw over 3 lakh people from across the country pledging to undertake health check-ups on 1 December, signifying its impact on raising awareness about healthcare.

    Multiple celebrities including famous Indian boxers Mary Kom and Vijender Singh, cricketer Sushma Verma, Table Tennis player Manika Batra, Bollywood actresses Sameera Reddy, Chavvi Mittal, and Nisha Rawal had also pledged to undertake health check-ups to celebrate the National Health Checkup Day.

    Times Internet COO Puneet Gupt said, “We firmly believe in supporting causes with initiatives that truly matter. Observing an annual National Health Day is a part of our mission to help India grow stronger by enabling every Indian to pledge for a healthier version of themselves through preventive health checkups. We are excited to partner with Healthians to be a part of this journey to call for a healthier and happier India.”

  • Feature-based advertising won’t work with tier 2, 3 consumers: itel mobile’s Goldee Patnaik

    Feature-based advertising won’t work with tier 2, 3 consumers: itel mobile’s Goldee Patnaik

    DELHI: Working towards democratising technology in India with its range of sub-5k smartphones with all the latest technology led to itel being named as the number 1 smartphone brand in the less than Rs 5K price segment for offline channels in the Counterpoint Research report for Q3 2019. The brand, which is just three years old in the Indian market recently touched the 5-crore user mark in the growing segment, as well.

    Indiantelevision.com got in touch with itel business unit head of marketing Goldee Patnaik to understand the strategy that is driving this magnificent growth of the brand, the prime TG for which resides in tier 2 and tier 3 cities.

    Patnaik shared that the brand diversifies its target audience in two major chunks—the minimalists, who are feature phone users and are looking towards buying their first smartphone, and the aspirers, the existing smartphone users willing to upgrade to a better version to have an advanced experience.

    “In both groups, the aspiration quotient is quite high. They want to look good when holding a mobile. It has become a status symbol,” he elaborated.

    The brand is trying to satisfy those aspirations of the new smartphone users who expect to enjoy the experience of HD screens and AI-enabled cameras within their budget.

    “The entire brand philosophy is based on democratising tech. For example, our A46 flagship model has a full HD screen, AI dual camera, text translation, etc., all premium features below Rs 5000. We are taking care of the trends and technological advancements at affordable prices,” Patnaik explained.

    But the brand is not using these features in its marketing collaterals to drive sales. Patnaik shares the target audience they are catering to do not always understand what the technical terms mean and therefore while creating ads, they focus on the benefits of these technologies.

    “Feature-driven communication is of no use. Our current tagline is ‘Har Haath Mein Jaadu’ (magic in each hand). For our consumers, AI is almost like magic. Facial recognition and fingerprint sensor are magical to them. That’s why we market the benefits of these features.”

    The brand is focusing on reaching out to the regional audiences in an emotional manner as well. itel is working on a robust localised marketing strategy. They are advertising in 9-10 regional languages including Marathi, Tamil, and Kannada. There is a keen interest in utilising all the regional festivals for promoting the brand.

    “At itel, the brand emotional quotient is very high. We invest in a lot of BTL and on-ground activations. We advertise during local festivals and events. For example, earlier this year, during the Kumbh Mela we created watch towers and kiosks. And this was done with not just the intent of branding. It was to help people and avoid stampedes,” Patnaik said.

    He added that all the festivals like Pongal, Ganesh Utsav, Bihu, Durga Puja, etc., are opportunities for itel to increase brand awareness as these are the times when people look for good products as well as value deals.

    itel is also very particular about its in-showroom experiences and out-of-home on-ground activities. Patnaik notes, “The consumer in our segment doesn’t come to a showroom with a brand or features in his mind. He is completely reliant on the experience. He looks at the models, the packaging, and also trusts the salesperson, maybe. So, it is important for us to maintain a strong presence within the showrooms.”

    Another important aspect of itel’s marketing strategy is its focus on sports and entertainment. It was the official sponsor for UP Yoddha in Pro Kabaddi League and has run two successful campaigns on TikTok that collectively gave the brand more than 11 billion video views and helped it reach more than 197 million people. Another campaign on content app Helo led to traffic of 3.5 lakh people landing on the official site within a day.

    Patnaik thinks that this is because consumers are attracted to content-driven marketing. “Consumers, irrespective of tiers, are looking out for differential content,” he said.

    He is looking forward to using the same trend to the brand’s benefit in the coming year as well. He sees his consumers as the next generation of influencers for itel. The brand will be running more consumer engagement programmes.

    Patnaik elaborated, “In 2018 when we came to the market, our messaging was ‘Full Hai Wonderful’ as we were equipping the user with all the latest technology. In 2019, we moved to enable them with ‘Har Haath Mein Jaadu’. In 2020, we are looking forward to moving a step further and give them the ambition to lead the change, use the magic in their hand to express themselves better.”

  • Myntra presents world’s only virtual Comic Con

    Myntra presents world’s only virtual Comic Con

    MUMBAI: After the roaring success of the first-ever online Comic Con launched in May this year, Myntra has returned with a bigger, more immersive and engaging edition of one of the country’s greatest pop cultural celebrations. The second edition of this adventure-loaded virtual convention is being held in association with Comic Con India between the 25 and 27 of November, offering millions of fans, especially those living beyond Tier 1 cities, experiences similar to the offline Comic Con held in metros.

    The in-app immersive comic experience from Myntra, offers six different universes for fans including, Justice League, Avengers, Star Wars, Cartoon, Earth and Time Travel. The event has a range of engagement activities, including, quizzes, crosswords, spotting the difference and more, to challenge the true fan’s knowledge of the universe. There is rich content for comic fans to explore and interact with, alongside the biggest fanboy inventory ever, comprising 10,000 styles across apparel, footwear, accessories, super hero action figures, comic books, Game of Thrones collectible books, superhero bobble heads, posters, mugs, home furnishing and even a chance to win passes for the San Diego Comic Con. Another interesting aspect of this edition is the personalized scorecard which is displayed on users profiles and helps them track their progress as they explore the multiverse.

    Over 80+ brands, including Myntra’s ‘Kook n Keech’- the go-to brand for comic star studded merchandise which houses the largest collection of licensed products from Marvel, DC, GoT, Cartoon Network, Star Wars and Disney, will be available along with YK, Bioworld and others. Some of the popular superheroes and characters include, Superman, Batman, Iron Man, Captain America, Hulk, Deadpool, Harry Potter, Mickey Mouse, Spiderman and Wonder Woman. In the second edition, Myntra has also on-boarded key brands like The Entertainment Store, giving people across the country access to their merchandise.

    Speaking on the occasion, Myntra Jabong head Amar Nagaram said, “Myntra is focused on providing its customers new and unique experiences and the virtual Comic Con is the latest in our efforts to engage our customers and give them access to the best of brands and comic merchandise. Pop Culture is catching up rapidly across the country and that is where the concept of an online Comic Con makes absolute sense, as it not only helps us reach and engage with a large fan base, but also underscores the brand’s culture and proposition.” 

    The current edition is also being promoted extensively on social media with themed content- like a superhero chatroom, engagement contests, influencer promotion and more. Myntra has also partnered with Comic Con India to have a shoppable kiosk with self-checkout in the offline Comic Con events in key cities. The most popular superheroes on Myntra over the last one year, across genres were, Captain America, Avengers, Iron Man, Deadpool & Punisher.

  • Snapdeal crosses 100 million app downloads

    Snapdeal crosses 100 million app downloads

    Gurugram: Snapdeal, India’s leading marketplace, has crossed 100 million app downloads on Google Play Store.

     Snapdeal’s growth, built basis a sharp focus on serving India’s vast and growing value-conscious segment, is reflected in the rapid growth in its app downloads, which have grown rapidly in the last 12 months – climbing from 73 million in October 2018 to crossing 100 million in October 2019, a gain of 37%.

    “The 100 million android app downloads are a reflection of our leadership and granular understanding of Bharat-focused e-commerce. We are delighted that our efforts to improve access, convenience and value for millions of users across India continues to grow and deepen the e-commerce market in India”, added Snapdeal.

    Snapdeal has made several additions in its app to cater to the comfort and convenience of those starting their online journeys. This includes a continuous feed that is personalized for each user, allowing users to discover relevant products in an engaging way. In addition, the app features SD TV – which has thousands of short product videos highlighting the functionality and salient features of popular products.
     
    Based on feedback from users, Snapdeal has added various fun and engagement activities on its app. More than a million sessions of Spin the Wheel, Scratch Cards, Daily Visits Recorder, Timer-based challenges etc are unlocked every day on the Snapdeal app. These gamification initiatives incentivize users in a variety of ways through instant rewards, special deals etc.

    Snapdeal’s growth is also evident from its growing traffic. In October 2019, the monthly traffic to Snapdeal crossed 240 million visits – recording an all-time high.

    As per SimilarWeb data of September 2019, Snapdeal with its 848 million visits to its web & mobile sites in the last 12 months is the third-largest e-commerce platform in India after Amazon and Flipkart.

    It is more than four times the size of the Chinese e-commerce platform, Club Factory –  which with its 205 million visits in the last 12 months is a distant #4 in the Indian market.

    Snapdeal is now eight times the size of Paytm Mall, which recorded about 106 million visits to its web and mobile sites during October 2017-September 2018.

    Snapdeal’s growth is based on a strategy of pursuing growth basis healthy unit economics while simultaneously maximizing the operating efficiency of the marketplace. As per audited financials for the FY 2019-20, Snapdeal’s consolidated revenues grew by 73% (from Rs 535.9 Cr in FY 18 to Rs 925.3 crore in FY19). Simultaneously, it also reduced its loss by 71% (from Rs 611 Cr in FY 18 to Rs 186 Cr in FY 19).

    Pursuant to its Snapdeal 2.0 strategy unveiled in August 2017, Snapdeal has sharpened its focus on the needs of the value-conscious buyers in India. This market of 400 million potential buyers is the fastest-growing segment in Indian e-commerce. In the recently concluded Diwali season, Snapdeal saw growth not just in terms of traffic and app downloads but also witnessed 52% increase in order volumes this festive season, with 90% of its orders coming from non-metro users.

    Snapdeal’s growth in traffic and increase in volumes is also due to the deepening of its focus on value-priced merchandise. In the last two years, Snapdeal has added 60,000+ new seller partners, who have added over 50 Million new listings aimed at building a deep assortment of products relevant for value-savvy buyers. Snapdeal now has more than 500,000 registered sellers, who have more than 200 million listings on the marketplace.

  • Red Chief ropes in Vicky Kaushal as Brand Ambassador

    Red Chief ropes in Vicky Kaushal as Brand Ambassador

    MUMBAI: Leayan Global Pvt. Ltd., has roped in Vicky Kaushal, the iconic Bollywood actor, as the Brand ambassador for its leading leather footwear brand Red Chief. Red Chief has been consistently providing best quality, comfortable and stylish footwear for over 21 years now to its nationwide base of loyal customers. Today, Red Chief has robust distribution network and is available through 3000 plus multi-brand outlets, over 170 exclusive stores and all leading e-commerce platforms.

    Manoj Gyanchandani, Managing Director, Leayan Global, said “We are delighted to have Vicky Kaushal as the Brand Ambassador for our leading leather footwear brand Red Chief. Vicky gels very well with our Red Chief brand image, which is rugged, tough and confidently stylish. We are quite confident of taking our brand to next level of growth and expansion across the country, with better penetration among the youth.”

    “It feels great to be associated with Red Chief, a home-grown footwear brand that enjoys mass appeal” Vicky Kaushal said.

    Rahul Sharma, General Manager – Marketing, Leayan Global, added “To continue leveraging our association, Vicky Kaushal would be part of our campaign ‘Khel Gaye Chief’ which will be launched very soon through mass media and digital platforms. Thereafter, many more brand campaigns have been planned back to back for the next few seasons.”

    Vicky Kaushal is one of the most celebrated actors in Indian cinema and is renowned for his powerhouse performances in films such as Masaan, Raazi, Sanju and Uri, which became one of the biggest hits of 2019.

  • Skincare brand Namyaa ropes in Swara Bhaskar as brand ambassador

    Skincare brand Namyaa ropes in Swara Bhaskar as brand ambassador

    MUMBAI: Skin and intimate care brand Namyaa Skincare has roped in actress Swara Bhaskar to endorse its range of products. The brand, which makes skincare and intimate hygiene products, holds up the bold and sensational actress as a representation of beauty, femininity and candidness.

    “Swara Bhaskar has justified roles that break stereotypes and the vicious circle of sealing lips about life’s realities. Her style, boldness and attitude is what the brand wants to leverage,” Namyaa Skincare director Karan Gupta said.

    Bhaskar, sharing her excitement, noted in a statement, “I’m excited to be the face of Namyaa. I think it’s great that the brand is taking skincare beyond beauty and skin lightening to hygiene and health taking into account the practical life conditions of numerous young women in India today- most of whom are studying or working and are often travelling or in transit.

    I’m glad to be the face of a brand which is working in its own way to empower girls. I’m looking forward to connecting with the young and fearless Indian girls who will be able to advance their life with hygienic intimate conditions and fly their way to healthier living.”

  • How PVR is revolutionizing community movie-viewing in India

    How PVR is revolutionizing community movie-viewing in India

    MUMBAI: India is often the land of contradictions. For everything that is true about India, its opposite is also equally true. It’s no wonder then that despite producing the highest number of movies in the world, India’s screen density remains one of the lowest in the world. 

    As per FICCI Frames Report 2018, India only has 9,600 cinema screens compared to over 40,000 in both China and the US. This despite the fact that in the year 2017, India produced over 1807 films, more than the combined output of China (944) and the US (789), put together. To put it in perspective, India has an abysmal screen density of 8 per million in comparison with 117 per million in the US.

    This anomaly was first noticed by Ajay Bijli, CMD PVR Ltd, more than two decades ago when he forayed into the cinema business with the opening of the first PVR Cinema in Delhi in 1997. Today, PVR commands 821 screens, at 172 properties, in 70 cities (including India and Sri Lanka). On Monday, PVR also launched its first 12-Screen Superplex at Vegas Mall, Dwarka, New Delhi.

    Unveiling the property, PVR Cinemas CEO Gautam Dutta said, “In FY 19-20 we have been successful in crossing the 800-screen milestone and are now looking forward to expanding further. With this we are bringing the city’s first LUXE; designed to offer an unparalleled experience.”

    From four to 821 screens: PVR journey so far

    PVR Cinemas launched India's first Multiplex Cinema PVR Anupam, a four-screen cinema, at Saket, New Delhi, in 1997. In 2004, PVR launched India’s then-largest multiplex cinema PVR Bangalore, with eleven screens. This was also PVR’s first property outside the Delhi NCR region.

    Two years later, PVR was listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and in 2008 it achieved the target of 100 screens in India. All this while, PVR also invested in enhancing the movie-viewing experience and in 2011, it launched PVR’s Director’s Cut, a 7-star movie viewing experience.

    Around 2012, PVR went into an acquisition overdrive and bought Cinemax that helped the multiplex chain cross 200 screens. In 2016, PVR acquired DT Cinemas from DLF for Rs 433 crore, adding 32 more screens operating under DT Cinemas to its portfolio. Just two years later, it acquired SPI Cinemas, a leading cinema player in South India with 76 screens operating under brand names like – Satyam Cinemas, Escape, Palazzo, The Cinema and S2. The deal, worth Rs 850 crore, helped PVR Cinemas cross 700-screen milestone and established it as a dominant player in South India.

    Speaking on the acquisition, PVR CEO Gautam Dutta said: “It was a natural course of progression for PVR to strengthen its standing in different regions of the country. South is an extremely important market and SPI Cinemas had a magnanimous hold over the region. The acquisition proved to be a profitable investment, with PVR being able to consolidate its position in the country and also in reaping the benefits of making a well-established entry into the region.”

    With the addition of 12 Screen Superplex, PVR now commands 821 screens in India, including a 9-screen property in Sri Lanka.

    Digitising the movie screen

    From opening India’s first multiplex in 1997 to launching India’s biggest multiplex in 2004, PVR has maintained its leading position by constantly investing in new technologies to enhance movie-viewing experience. The multiplex chain has been at the forefront of scaling up premium cinema formats to offer a mix of “exhibition” and “hospitality” experience with deep audience engagement.

    PVR has now various movie viewing premium screens in its portfolio like – Gold Class, Directors Cut, Imax (both in 2D and 3D), 4DX (launched in 2015 in partnership with CinemaCon), PVR PXL, (home-grown large screen format), PlayHouse (Kid’s Auditorium), PVR Onyx (India’s first LED screen cinema), and PVR Utsav (catering specifically to Tier-II and Tier-III cities).

    In 2018, out of the total 73 new screens opened by PVR Cinemas, 20 were premium screens (Gold Class, IMAX, 4DX, PXL, Playhouse).

    At present, PVR operates 4 screens of Director’s Cut, 37 screens of Gold Class, 9 of IMAX, 16 of 4DX, 08 of P[XL], 12 of Playhouse and 1 of PVR Onyx across the country.

    Apart from these, PVR is also investing in a host of new cutting-edge technologies. PVR Cinemas and CJ 4DPLEX, the world’s leading cinema technology company; signed a deal at CinemaCon 2019 to open 10 ScreenX theatres in India by 2021. Screen X is the world’s first multi-projection immersive cinematic platform which provides moviegoers a 270 degrees viewing experience by expanding the scene onto the side walls.

    In October, PVR unveiled India’s first D-BOX motion seats across five screens in Mumbai. It is also managing PVR Audit-Air-Ium: a clean air theatre format.

    Strategy for Tier-II, Tier-III cities: PVR Utsav

    India’s screen count remains low primarily due to lack of cinema penetration in tier II, tier III and tier IV cities. This presents a large untapped potential for multiplex chains and belatedly businesses are shedding their exhibitions in entering smaller Indian cities with premium movie viewing formats.

    UFO Moviez has launched NOVA and opened properties in smaller cities in Punjab, Maharashtra, Andra, MP and Chattisgarh. Ajay Devgn’s NY Cinemas is eyeing 250 screens in the next 4-5 years with a primary focus on smaller cities. PVR has responded with PVR Utsav.

    Dutta describes PVR Utsav as the “culturally and socially sensitive arm of PVR whose main objective is to provide hygienic, safe and secure cinematic experience to the aspirational audiences in tier II and tier III cities across the country. We are planning to enter into markets for the very first time such as Jaipur, Ajmer, Ambala, Patna, Bhubaneshwar and other cities.”

    Future Course

    The domestic theatrical market grossed Rs 102 billion in 2018. In addition, there are substantial earnings from F&B revenues which are estimated at around Rs 20 billion by FICCI Frames report. This growth in movie business means that PVR’s financials are in a strong position and its profits are increasing y-o-y.

    Last month, PVR reported 35 per cent year-on-year growth in its consolidated net profit at Rs 47.67 crore for the second quarter ended September 30, 2019. Its consolidated revenue jumped by 37 per cent to Rs 979.40 crore as compared to Rs 714.65 crore in the year-ago period. PVR’s surging revenue and profits will give the company plenty of room to expand and invest in newer movie-exhibition formats.

    There is also a huge untapped potential for expansion in smaller Indian cities and foreign markets as well. The overseas theatricals market for Indian films has grown to $30 billion in 2018.

    PVR has just launched its 9-screen property in Sri Lanka and will add a 7-screen in Colombo soon. However, its domestic rival Carnival Cinemas has made significant inroads in foreign markets. In July 2018, it signed the largest overseas acquisition deal for any Indian multiplex. The company entered into a definitive agreement with Elan Group to acquire Novo Cinemas, which operates 104 screens in the UAE and Bahrain.

    While for PVR, the next natural target would be to touch the milestone of 1000 screens, its nearest rival, INOX, is determined to close the gap with PVR. INOX already has over 600 screens in India and boasts of maximum new signings (around 900). INOX is a key challenger to PVR in metro cities and PVR’s expansion plans in smaller cities will face stiff competition from players like UFO Moviez and Devgn’s NY Cinema.

    While expansion is key, PVR has to tread carefully and be mindful of its huge debt burden. As of September 30, 2019, the company's debt increased to Rs 1,282.52 crore from Rs 1,247.17 crore in March.

    The company, however, is optimistic about its future, and rightly so. Dutta says the future growth looks very exciting.

    “We are on course to achieve the annual target of opening more than 100 screens in the coming months. The expansion will not only happen in Tier I cities but in Tier II and Tier III cities as well. We plan to introduce new concepts in India which the Indian movie-going audience hasn’t heard of. Apart from the opening of cinemas in new cities, with our enhanced offerings, we wish to increase the market size in the developed cities as well,” he added.

  • How brands are leveraging Children’s Day for moment marketing

    How brands are leveraging Children’s Day for moment marketing

    MUMBAI: Gone are the days when marketing only used to target adults with disposable income. Now-a-days, kids are an important constituent of marketing eco-system for brands, as they understand that kids can influence a lot of buying decisions of their parents. It’s no wonder then that 14 November is an important day for brands, not only for boosting sales through product-specific discounts but also for brand placement and building brand recognition and brand loyalty through ethical, moment marketing.
    We take a look at the marketing strategies of brands for this Children Day, to understand better how brands are leveraging November 14 for their products and brand image.

    Google

    Every year Google organises a doodle contest for school children in India and the doodle submitted by the national winner of the contest is featured on the Google homepage on Children's Day.
    The theme for this year’s contest was 'When I grow up, I hope….’ The contest was held in five class groups. Four entries from each group were finalised as the national finalist. Each finalist entry was put up for voting from 25 October to 6 November.
    "A cumulative score based on public voting, scores by guest judges and panel of Google executives will choose one of the five group winners and announce the National Winner on 14 November 2019," says the official Doodle for Google website.
    The winner of the contest, apart from their doodle being placed on Google India homepage, will receive Rs 500,000 college scholarship, Rs 200,000 technology package for their school, a certificate / trophy of achievement, and a trip to the Google office.

    SBI

    Every year, on the occasion of Children’s Day, SBI Life Insurance releases inspiring real life videos of people who strive towards child development. Over the years, SBI Life has associated with various institutions like Parikrma Humanity Foundation’s founder, Maneka Stephen, who rose from slums to become a beacon of hope for underprivileged kids, NGOs like Canshala – CanKids…KidsCan, Freedom 4U Foundation, Smile Foundation, etc. to encourage the cause and awareness of children’s rights, care and education.
    This year SBI has associated with Muskan Foundation’s founder Dipti Gandhi to support the cause of ‘equal education’ for children having multiple disabilities with visual impairment (MDVI) under SBI Life’s digital property #DilBacchaTohSabAccha.

    McDonald’s! #ImKiddinit

    McDonald’s is trying to market itself as the ultimate family outing destination for the whole month and celebrating November as #ChildrensMonth2019. For the same, McDonald’s has launched #ImKiddinit – under which it will offer discounts on Family Meal plans from 12 November to 24 November. Besides, the restaurants will also get a kiddie makeover as the menu boards will be changed to display doodle sketches (like children’s drawings). There will also be cute toys, doodle mats, kiddie menu boards and amazing offers at its outlets.

    Parle-G

    Parle-G, the iconic biscuit brand by Parle, has launched #BackToBachpan challenge for this Children’s Day. It asks Twitter users to recreate a moment from one of their old childhood picture and share both pictures after tagging Parle-G and one or more friends, asking them to accept the same challenge. The initial response from Twitter users has been encouraging with hundreds of young people recreating a moment from their childhood picture and sharing it on social media.

     

    The fact that it’s mandatory to tag friends and ask them to accept and participate in the challenge, is ensuring that the campaign goes viral and increases its reach with every new participant. The result – hundreds of people tagging Parle-G along with their personal pictures, in the process enhancing Parle-G’s brand recognition in urban markets.

    Vodafone

    Vodafone has come up with #LookUp campaign for Children Day. The telco has also launched a 15-second supporting video for the campaign. The video exhorts mobile-users to ‘Sush Your Phone, Not Your Kid’ this children day. It encourages parents to give the most precious gift to the kids this Children Day, their time by looking up from their phones. The campaign also asks parents to share their thoughts on how they want to spend this 14 November with their kids.

     

     

    The campaign is an attempt to communicate to Vodafone users that the company cares for their family lives and their emotional well being, at the same time, increasing brand recognition and loyalty.

    GrabOn


    Brands understand kids influence the buying decisions of their parents, and a day like 14 November could be leveraged for marketing products in kids’ category. Thus, GrabOn has curated many Children’s Day-specific discount offers and coupons at one place. It says that this savings’ special is for everyone and not just kids, as everyone loves saving. Many of the discount coupons are in children-specific products and services like – First Cry, Kids Carnival, Simplilearn, etc.

    Adani

    Adani Group has tried to stand out from other Brands by sharing a warm message for India about its aged population on this Children’s Day. The message is supported by a heart warming video that reminds the nation – home to the world’s largest young workforce – that our elderly need as much care as our children.
    The campaign aims to shed light on this novel thought and bring forth the idea of becoming parents to our own parents and raise awareness amongst the youth who tend to overlook the needs and aspirations of their parents and highlight the importance of making them feel loved and needed in our fast paced lives. The campaign video highlights the innocent and compassionate relationship between a young couple and their parents along with the little things they do to take care and make him happy.
    Sharing a statement with the media, the conglomerate said: “Adani Group believes in the growth of goodness and this campaign has brought in a new perspective of celebrating the special occasion of Children’s Day with our aged.”

    Ford 

    Ford India has launched several unique initiatives on the Children’s Day – including a specially created Comic Book titled Discover More with Ford.

    A unique content initiative, the comic book inspires readers to be the change they wish to see in making travel safe – for drivers and pedestrians.

    With Ford EcoSport as the narrator, the story highlights a day in the life of Dia – the lead character -and how she never fails to follow traffic rules. Her courteous behaviour throughout the story makes her a role model not just for the kids travelling with her, but also the readers.

    “From providing the best of safety technology in Ford cars –to– encouraging drivers to be courteous to others while driving and follow rules, we believe in making every effort possible to ensure that every family travel safely,” said Kapil Sharma, Director, Communications, Ford India. “With the Comic Book, we look to put an influencer in each car, persuading others to be courteous and drive safe.”

    Besides the Comic Book, Ford dealerships will organize special on-ground engagement zones to sensitize kids on the significance of road safety with games like Spot the Hazards, Kaun Banega Safety Champion and Ditches & Bridges.

    Children visiting the dealerships will also be given the tour of the service area, wearing safety gear specially made for them, and play the technician. In return of their participation, children will be given a gift hamper of safety kits including a safety champion badge, Discover More band and a board game on road safety.