Category: Brands

Virat Kohli forays into kids category with PUMA one8

MUMBAI: India’s leading athlete Virat Kohli launches his first collection for kids with global sportswear brand PUMA. Catering to a new generation of fitness enthusiasts, PUMA one8 Kids introduces athleisure wear for boys between the age of 4 – 14 years.

Encouraging children to lead an active lifestyle, the collection has been developed keeping in mind the needs of the younger generation. Designed by Virat himself, the collection includes a range of sneakers, tees, shorts, active pants and accessories like backpack and beanie. It demonstrates his bold and dynamic personality with colours and silhouettes reflective of his personal style.

On the launch of the collection Virat Kohli said, “Sport holds a very important place in my life. It has helped me become who I am today. I urge every parent to encourage their children to play more and remain physically fit. It’s fun, relieves stress and helps them stay healthy. The launch of the kid’s collection is my way of calling out to our future generations because feeling fit and looking active is a simple step towards leading a more active lifestyle.”

“Virat is a great inspiration and role model for children. Ever since we launched the PUMA one8 collection, we had many kids come to our stores eager to buy merchandise designed by him. We are thrilled to extend our range to all his young fans,” said PUMA India MD Abhishek Ganguly. “Kids is a key category for PUMA. With this launch, we look to further build this segment and enhance the collection for our younger consumers,” he added.

September 23, 2019
A boom in content-led ads in the nominations for Big Bang Awards 2019

MUMBAI: The Advertising Club Bangalore president Laeeq Ali is positive about the growth of the advertising industry in the country given the boom in technology, and creativity. He also said that government policies are going to pave the way for a good future for the industry.

“It is heartening to see several small niche boutique agencies mushrooming in the country, specialising in various aspects like AI, VR, and mobile-centric advertising,” said Ali in an exclusive interaction preceding the Big Bang Awards 2019 on 20 September.

It is the first set of Big Bang Awards happening after Ali became the president of the club.

He mentioned, “I am looking forward to it as we are into an exciting phase at the club, where we are trying to change a lot of things in terms of the roles that we play. The Big Bang Awards 2019 is a starting point to that.”

Ali further added that they have tried to make the awards more exclusive by dividing it into two parts. “After listening to the whole fraternity and taking ideas for them to make Big Bang Awards more inclusive, we tried to have them into two parts: one for creative & content and the other for media & health etc. The second set of awards will be taking place in the month of November.”

Speaking about the nominations that the club received for the first set of awards, Ali noted that more than 100 agencies from across 13 states have sent some “hatt ke” (offbeat) entries to participate.

“This is for the first time that we have taken the whole nomination and judging process online and it was heartening to see the response we have got in terms of nominations. 20-25 high-profile judges have gone through these entries to select the winners for Big Bang Awards 2019,” he said.

On being asked what some of the key trends were, which the club observed from the nominations, Ali replied that there has been a boom in content-led advertising.

“The challenge for any creative agency is to actually strike a balance between content and creativity, and how do you come with interesting content properties for brands to engage with their consumers,” he said elaborating more on the concept.

He asserted that agencies are trying hard to find this balance and have come out with a lot of interesting campaigns.

September 23, 2019
Two arrows and limitless brand messages: the new trend taking Instagram by storm

MUMBAI: While Twitter has been a playground for brands to connect with their consumers in a fun and personal manner, new age platforms (if we may still call them so) are catching up fast. One such platform is Instagram, which was once used as an extension of Twitter, as brands shared the screenshots of their tweets on their handles, but today has become a great marketing and engagement tools for the brands.

This eagerness of brands to stay connected with their fans and followers on every medium possible is now reflecting in an uber creative Instagram trend started by @thefakeadco, using two arrows and instagram tools in a very intelligent manner to put quirky messages across.

@thefakeadco, which creates fake advertisements for brands on their Instagram handle, shared this for Marlboro cigarettes

Quickly following the suite was food-aggregator and the new video-service provider, Zomato India, who used Pizza as the new element in the creative.

Create Collage:

After Zomato’s take on the creative slides, a number of brands took the opportunity to showcase their creative genius on Instagram.

Tata Nexon

Comicstaan

Netflix India

Amazon Prime India

Porsche India

September 23, 2019

Colgate Dental Cream rises as top brand in BARC week 37 rankings

MUMBAI: The Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India has released its data for top advertisers and brands for the period between 07 September 2019 and 13 September 2019.

The data reflects top 10 advertiser and brands across genre on Indian television, including OOH screen, (U+R): 2+, Individuals NCCS All, demonstrating ads that were inserted the most in week 37 of 2019.

Top Advertisers:

Minor changes were noticed in the BARC ratings in week 37. Hindustan Unilever Ltd and Reckitt Benckiser (India) Ltd remained in the top two slots with 143015 and 109810 ad insertions, respectively.

Godrej Consumer Products Ltd and Procter & Gamble interchanged their last week’s position to rank third and fourth, respectively. They had made 45585 and 37797 insertions. ITC Ltd climbed up three ranks to stand fifth with 34665 insertions.

Rank	Advertiser	Insertions
		Week 37
1	HINDUSTAN LEVER LTD	143015
2	RECKITT BENCKISER (INDIA) LTD	109810
3	GODREJ CONSUMER PRODUCTS LTD	45585
4	PROCTER & GAMBLE	37797
5	ITC LTD	34665
6	BROOKE BOND LIPTON INDIA LTD	29381
7	CADBURYS INDIA LTD	27401
8	COLGATE PALMOLIVE INDIA LTD	24225
9	PROCTER & GAMBLE HOME PRODUCTS	19898
10	SMITHKLINE BEECHAM	18757
*TOP 10 Advertiser Across Genre : All India (U+R) : 2+ Individuals.**

Top Brands:

Colgate Dental Cream was the top advertiser on television in week 37, with 11797 insertions. Policybazaar.com came second with 10817 ad insertions.

The third and fourth spots were acquired by Kalyan Jewellers and Trivago, as they made 9946 and 9673 insertions, respectively. Last week’s top performer, Lizol came in fifth with 9645 insertions.

Rank	Brands	Insertions
		Week 37
1	COLGATE DENTAL CREAM	11797
2	POLICYBAZAAR.COM	10817
3	KALYAN JEWELLERS	9946
4	TRIVAGO	9673
5	LIZOL	9645
6	OLX.IN	9530
7	DETTOL LIQUID SOAP	9525
8	HARPIC BATHROOM CLEANER	8896
9	HARPIC 10/10	8768
10	DETTOL ANTISEPTIC LIQUID	8703
*TOP 10 Brands Across Genre : All India (U+R) : 2+ Individuals.**

September 21, 2019

ASCI to improve social media presence, strengthen monitoring of digital advertising: Rohit Gupta

MUMBAI: The newly appointed Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) chairman of the board of governors Rohit Gupta will be putting a strong emphasis on the process of improving the digital advertisements. He made his thoughts known to Indiantelevision.com moments after his appointment was formally announced at the board meeting following the 33rd AGM of the council on Thursday in Mumbai.

“We will be bringing in a very strong process for monitoring digital advertisement as we did for traditional media, as digital today is the fastest growing medium in India,” he said.

Rohit Gupta is the president of Sony Pictures Network India (SPNI) and is also a director at several industry bodies in India like the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IFB), Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC), and Media Research Users Council (MRUC).

Gupta also shared that the council is going to continue working towards increasing consumer awareness about the advertising norms. He hailed the government for introducing the Consumer Protection Bill and showed positivity that the brands and endorsers today are being more responsible towards the advertising process.

“I want to continue increasing consumer awareness towards ASCI. Last year, I am proud to say, that the council did a great job in doing that. We saw a 30 per cent rise in the overall complaints filed at ASCI, crossing the 6000 mark. We want to keep building on that,” he mentioned.

Gupta added that for this, he will be putting a strong emphasis on strengthening the social media presence of the council on channels like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

ASCI did a commendable job last year in raising consumer awareness. As highlighted at the board meeting, the council saw a 37 per cent rise in complaints received on its GAMA portal, and a 30 per cent rise in the total complaints received. The council is receiving more than 50 complaints every day on WhatsApp after the rollout of ASCI complaint scroll on TV channels, a handbook issued by it reveals.

After getting the compliance of TV partners, Gupta is now willing to get INS on-board to curb the menace of misleading and fake advertisement. He also wants the brands to monitor their own ads and be responsible for their conduct.

September 20, 2019

Orissa Tourism top TV advertiser in travel & tourism category during Jan-July 2019: TAM AdEx

MUMBAI: Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation recorded an indexed growth of 297 times in ad insertions on TV during January-July 2019, as compared to the same period in 2018, a TAM Ad Ex India data revealed. The data comprises of the names of top 10 state advertisers in the travel and tourism category on Indian television.

Two other states which witnessed growth in ad volumes were Jharkhand and Uttarakhand. They saw 118 times and 3.2 times indexed growth respectively. Also, Uttar Pradesh Tourism and Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation were not advertising in the period during 2018 but made an entry into the top 10 list this year, the data showed.

While these states made an upward stride in the ad volumes on TV, there was a minor 1 per cent indexed drop in the ads from travel and tourism category in January-July 2019.

Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation witnessed a dip of 85 per cent in ad volumes, Orissa of 62 per cent, and Kerala of 26 per cent.

Despite the dip, Orissa remained the top advertiser in the list followed by Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka.

Jan-Jul'19
Rank	Top 10 Advertisers (State)	Indexed Growth
1	Orissa Tourism Devp Corp.	38
2	Up Tourism	–
3	Karnataka State Tourism Devp Corp	297 (Growth Figure in times)
4	Kerala Tourism Devp Corp	84
5	Assam Tourism Devp Corp	91
6	Jharkhand Tourism Development Corp	118
7	Uttarakhand Tourism Devp Board	3.2 (Growth Figure in times)
8	Rajasthan Tourism Development Corp	15
9	Tourism Corporation Of Gujarat	85
10	Maharashtra Tourism Devp Corp	–

September 19, 2019

Snapdeal partners Jharkhand govt to promote bamboo products

MUMBAI: Snapdeal, India’s leading value-focused marketplace, has launched hand-made bamboo products from Jharkhand on its platform. The products were launched in partnership with Mukhya Mantri Laghu Kutir Udyog Vikas Board (MMLKUB), an initiative of the Department of Industries, Government of Jharkhand.

The selection will include a curated range of home and kitchen accessories and furniture made by the Kalindi and Sabars tribes from Jharkhand. Daily use items like baskets, racks, and stands are expected to be fast-moving items.

In line with the emphasis on reducing the use of plastic, there is also bamboo cutlery and kitchen range that includes straws, spoons, forks, bowls, mugs, tray, bottle cover, boxes, coasters and glasses.

Home decor items like lamps, sofa sets, tables, chairs, beds, showpieces, mats and vases made in warm tones of traditional hardwood are also part of the selection.

The artisans have also made unique fashion accessories like bangles, hair clips, earrings, necklaces, bags that depict the distinctive culture of the region. Kanshi grass, palm leaves, and beads made in eco-friendly material are also used in making the products.

Snapdeal has conducted a “train-the-trainers” program that will help officials of MMLKUB train artisans to sign up and list their products on the Snapdeal platform, using a simple 4-step sign-up process, which needs only bank details, phone & email and a GST number.

With the partnership, Snapdeal aims to make the indigenous bamboo industry mainstream outside Jharkhand.

“Jharkhand has high-quality bamboo in abundance. The tribes of this region are also skilled to make aesthetically appealing and functional items for Indian households. We are delighted to bring these fun yet eco-friendly bamboo items on our platform,” says Snapdeal spokesperson.

“Snapdeal's close connect with buyers from all over the country, including in the smaller cities, is a valuable opportunity to take the indigenous bamboo craft of Jharkhand deeper in India. Also, the training provided by Snapdeal to officials of the Department of Industries, govt of Jharkhand will help drive greater impact for this joint initiative," Government of Jharkhand secretary, industry K. Ravi Kumar.

Snapdeal enables small businesses to sell online. Its product assortment includes value merchandise which is available in the bazaars of India. Currently, Snapdeal has over 200 million SKUs from 5 lakh sellers on the platform. The platform has 70 million monthly users.

September 18, 2019
Tanishq is India’s favorite jewelry brand reveals SEMrush study

MUMBAI: SEMrush, in its recent study on jewelry found that Tanishq experienced the maximum traffic on its website with average volume count of 1,197,149 From Jan-Aug 2019. Other two competitors in the league are Malabar Gold and Diamonds and Kalyan Jewellers with average website traffic of 736,656 and 702,791 respectively.

An amusing result revealed in the case study is that Kalyan Jewellers witnessed a tremendous 189 per cent increase in its website traffic in 2019 as compared to 2018. Wherein Tanishq got 113% per cent boost in its website traffic. Along with the website traffic stats, this report also discovered that ‘Jewelry’, ‘Jewelry Design’ and ‘Gold Jewelry’ have been the most searched keywords in two consecutive years.

Moreover, Indians are more inclined towards earrings, rings, and necklaces as they are actively searching for these jewels. Other two prominent jewels mentioned in the report are bracelet and engagement rings.

SEMrush head of communications Fernando Angulo states, “Jewelry is a possession that fascinates everyone but the Indians certainly. Indian jewelry brands experience a cut-throat competition in the market and Tanishq has managed to be the most favourable brand of Indian consumers. It is also good to see the progress of Kalyan Jewellers as a healthy competition has been maintained in the market which somehow gives an added edge of quality and variety to the customers.”

September 18, 2019
Havells announces Vicky Kaushal as brand ambassador for its men’s grooming range

MUMBAI: Further deepening connect with style-savvy, quality conscious consumers, Havells India Limited today announced Vicky Kaushal as the Brand Ambassador for its male grooming products. The Company also announced newest additions to its male grooming portfolio with its patented BT 9000 series of Havells Trimmers.

Vicky Kaushal, one of the most popular celebrity of today, has quickly become an enduring favourite with his acting skills, magnetic personality and a distinctive panache. The association with Vicky Kaushal further enhances Havells commitment to infuse freshness and style in its personal male grooming products and cater to the evolving tastes of young consumers. The male grooming category has seen a dynamic growth with increasing awareness of latest trends, self-grooming culture. Havells new range of BT 9000 trimmers complement these aspirations beautifully with their unique ergonomic design, capture trim technology and advanced features such as LED displays.

Ravindra Singh Negi, President – Electrical Consumer Durables, Havells India said, “We are proud to welcome Vicky Kaushal, one of the most promising and talented stars of this generation, into the Havells family. With the rise of grooming culture, men seek for a quick, hassle-free experience and products that render them with an impeccable style. With the new brand campaign #breadkyuhowierd and Vicky as a face, we want consumers to take charge of their looks and own their style with confidence. Trimmers have emerged as one of the fastest growing product categories today with the young, urbane consumers seeking a superior trimming experience. The BT 9000 series of trimmers are sleek in design and performance oriented, with uniquely designed zoom wheel, 20 lock-in-length settings, extra wide mouth opening to ensure 2x faster cutting and will appeal to the discerning buyers.”

September 18, 2019
PhonePe goes live across over 1 mn offline stores in Delhi-NCR

MUMBAI: PhonePe, India’s fastest growing payments platform announced that it is now live as a payment option across 1 million offline merchant outlets in Delhi-NCR. This milestone reflects PhonePe’s phenomenal acceptance across large organised retail stores as well as small and mid-size retail stores in the region.

Speaking on reaching this milestone, PhonePe head – offline business growth Yuvraj Singh Shekhawat said, “Our offline business has seen phenomenal traction in the last one year in Delhi-NCR and customers can now transact seamlessly using PhonePe at both small Kirana stores and larger retail outlets. The entire payments process on PhonePe is extremely fast and seamless ensuring consumers have a convenient experience. We are now live at most organised retail outlets across grocery, fuel, medicines and account for 6 -10 per cent of all non-cash transactions.”

Head – offline business development Vivek Lohcheb added, “We are excited to reach this important milestone in Delhi-NCR. PhonePe has always adopted a partnership model with all its merchants and gone beyond being just a payments service provider. PhonePe's QR allows merchants to accept consumer payments from any UPI app and not just PhonePe alone. For the merchants, this makes the digital payment acceptance process simple and reconciliations seamless. All a merchant needs is a feature phone to get started. We also provide them with visibility on our app where over 150 million users can discover merchants in the vicinity that accept PhonePe, effectively increasing footfalls to their business.”

PhonePe has been rapidly expanding its reach across India and today it has a presence in 150+ cities in India. PhonePe continues to expand into newer geographies enabling even local kiranas to accept payments from consumers through digital payment mediums like UPI, Credit Cards, Debit Cards and Wallets.

PhonePe recently introduced a ‘Stores' tab on the app enabling hyper-local discovery of partner merchants for users. Keeping in mind the daily working capital requirements of merchants PhonePe offers instant settlements along with zero processing fee on UPI transactions. PhonePe has a merchant app as well that facilitates end-to-end control on the payment process for merchants including transaction confirmation and reconciliation.

September 17, 2019