ITV

Category: Brands

  • OYO survey reveals ‘safety’ as determining factor for women travellers

    New Delhi: OYO, India’s largest hotel network, recently conducted a survey among its women customers to unearth trends on how Indian women like to travel. The data is based on research conducted among 400 women in the age group 18-60+ across different locations in India, including Delhi, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Odisha, Telangana and Madhya Pradesh.

    The survey threw up some interesting findings:

    ● 37% respondents reported travelling only for leisure, while 53% travelled for both work and leisure.

    ● Women appear to be more conscientious workers, or at least those with less disposable time on their hands as only 51% reported clubbing a work trip with personal break, while 23% claimed they had never considered it

    ● 27% respondents said they preferred travelling solo – of this, 36% said they enjoyed it but 33% said they had to opt for it because it was “difficult matching schedules with friends or companions”

    ● Friends (57%) rank higher than Family (51%) as “preferred travel companions” for women, but partners reign supreme at 62%

    ● Personal research via internet and magazines ranks higher (78%) than recommendations from friends & family (51%) while choosing a travel destination. Social media came third (32%) and movies trailed the last (12%) when it came to sparking travel inspiration. Kuch Kuch Nahee Hota?

    ● “Safety” ranked as the #1 factor followed by “cost of trip” when it came to selecting a travel destination

    ● Contrary to expectations, 69% women opted for budget hotels over five-star hotels (18%) while 6% preferred to stay in a hostel while travelling

    ● 10% respondents had never stayed with friends or family while travelling, but all had “often” or “sometimes” stayed at a budget hotel!

    ● While 10% women totally shot down the idea of impulsive trips, accommodation (52%) was the biggest concern followed by expense (29%) due to booking at short-notice

    ● Budget hotels (35%) topped the choice of accommodation for women travelling solo, followed by staying with friends or family (25%)

    Commenting on the findings, Abhinav Sinha, COO – OYO said, “Technology has brought about paradigm shifts in the way we live and work. Nowhere is this more evident than travel. From buying tickets to booking hotels and renting home-stays – the balance of power and choice has shifted to the customer. Businesses that keep a pulse on their customers to identify their expressed and evolving needs are able serve them better. Women are a significant set of travellers – undertaking travel for both personal and business reasons. Not surprisingly, 80% women reported that they take charge of their travel plans, often in consultation with friends or family. 52% reported that they liked taking impulsive trips – but interestingly more than half listed accommodation as their biggest concern. As service-providers it is important that we equip ourselves to serve the needs and expectations of this growing cohort.”

    OYO is the pioneer of affordable, predictable accommodation in the Indian hospitality sector. It offers several consumer friendly touch-points such as the OYO App which enables guests to control every aspect of their experience – from booking hotel and cabs, to ordering food – all from their smartphone. Recently, the company introduced OYO Captains, a unique concierge service to ensure smooth travelling and on-stay experience. OYO currently operates over 70,000 rooms in 200 cities in India and Malaysia.

  • Vivo supports #BeBoldForChange

    MUMBAI: Vivo, a premium global smartphone brand, aims at inspiring women to #BeBoldForChange with a tribute video starring popular celebrity Bani J which lends support to the International Women’s Day 2017 campaign. The video focuses on breaking stereotypes and symbolizes a woman’s individuality and her bold side. It highlights how every woman has her own story and she should be bold enough to stand for what she believes.

    Vivo India encourages women to be proud of their individualistic identity even in a mere selfie. A #PerfectSelfie is not about how the world wants to see you but it’s about who you are, so let your picture speak your identity.

    Vivo India CMO Vivek Zhang said, #BeBoldForChange is the campaign that not just breaks the stereotypes that have been prevailing in the society, but also celebrates womanhood and encourages them to take pride in their distinctive identity and embrace their bold side. Bani J is a popular celebrity who has broken the stereotype surrounding women. Her flamboyance, well-built muscular body and popularity among the youth made her an ideal choice for this campaign.”

    Bani J shared her excitement for the campaign and said, “This has been one of the most kickass campaign that I could be a part of and the tagline #BeBoldForChange truly stands for it. I had an absolute blast shooting for this campaign and it stands for everything that I had believed in which is to not really care about other people and how they want you to behave because they judge you no matter what. All women in general when they watch this will feel empowered and do what they wish to do and whatever makes them happy. And at last, I would wish all the women out there a very happy Women’s Day.”

    The campaign further resonates the brand’s belief towards a woman’s individuality and her potential that must be acknowledged and deeply cherished in every society.

  • Womanhood: Lokmat celebrates with Divya & Sonalee

    MUMBAI: To recognise the efforts and contribution made by women in their respective fields, Lokmat, one of Maharashtra and Goa’s leading newspapers, celebrated womanhood with its Lokmat Sakhi members on 7 March 2017, at Mithibhai College in Mumbai inviting women achievers from various walks of life.

    The event was graced by the renowned Bollywood actress and writer Divya Dutta, WhiteSwan Consulting founder director and CEO Anjali Nigam, Pinkathon ambassador Sharmila Munj, and noted actor and dancer Sonalee Kulkarni who is currently anchoring Comedy Chi Bullet Train on Colors Marathi and actress Mayuri Wagh who plays Asmita on Zee Marathi.

    Lokmat Sakhi has become a platform of unifying women of Maharashtra and a forum of their self-expression covering wide range of topics.

    Dutta, who has written a book on her mother – ‘Me & Ma’ published by Penguin, said, “This event is unique as it helps me share some of the wonderful free and memorable moments I had shared with my mother and I wish every woman can become a friend to her child. This unique bonding and friendship lasts forever and helps you have faith in yourself and sail through the challenges in life. I owe my life to my Mom and I have dedicated this book to her.”

    Nigam said, “Self-defense is very important for women and being alert helps. I have worked in this area and I sincerely feel as parents and mothers we have a great role to play.”

    Munj said, “I am an avid runner, and health is the most important aspect of my life and on this eve of International women’s day celebration I would like to convey the message to all the women in the world that, please be aware about your health and stay fit.” Lokmat Media vice president – brand and communication Shalini Gupta said, “Lokmat Sakhi is a forum of self-expression and bonding.”

  • IndiGo, Bose’s ‘Poorna’ salute women

    MUMBAI: On the occasion of International Women’s Day, IndiGo celebrates the historic feat of Poorna Malavath, the youngest girl in the world to climb Mount Everest, by collaborating with Actor and Director Rahul Bose for his second directorial venture – Poorna. Through this association, IndiGo aims to honour the achievements of Poorna Malavath and many other women champions who defy odds to scale.

    Poorna, releasing on 31 March 2017 is based on the life story of Poorna Malavath, an Adivasi from Telangana, who in 2014, at the age of 13, became the youngest girl in history to climb the Mount Everest. It powerfully encapsulates all the lessons of empowerment of the socially marginalized, gender equality, the importance of education, and last but not least how with courage, determination, and hard work, a child can achieve anything! The movie features Aditi Inamdar and Rahul Bose in lead roles.

    ‘Poorna’ director and producer Bose said, “It was just a perfect fit to partner with a brand like IndiGo that consistently recognizes and respects the incredible achievements of women. I hope this partnership turns into a lifelong friendship of shared values.” The co-producer of ‘Poorna’, Amit Patni, Founder of RAAY Media, said, “When Rahul suggested we tie up with IndiGo airlines we immediately agreed. Their professionalism, commitment to excellence and ‘Girl Power’ initiative left us in no doubt that this would be a natural, mutually productive partnership.”

    IndiGo president Aditya Ghosh said, “It is indeed an honour to be associated with a movie such as Poorna that reminds us of a young girl’s extremely difficult yet courageous journey. Her exemplary display of determination, self-discipline and physical fitness is an inspiration for all of us. I would like to congratulate Rahul Bose for creating such a masterpiece and I am confident that the movie will receive love from the audience.”

    Ghosh further added, “At IndiGo, we believe that women have the power to change any industry and with this belief we have endeavoured to empower women (both employees and communities outside). Our collaboration with Poorna aligns naturally with our ongoing programmes – #GirlPower and #FitToFly that believe in empowering everyone inside and outside the organisation with better opportunities.”

    Empowering women has been core to IndiGo. It is evident from the data as 43 percent of the entire workforce and also 25 per cent of the leadership team comprises women workforce. The company also has dedicated women empowerment and education programmes under IndiGoReach – company’s CSR programme.

  • HDFC Life to use Haptik chatbot to create awareness

    MUMBAI: HDFC Life, one of India’s leading private life insurance companies, announced the launch of India’s first life insurance chatbot in collaboration with Haptik, India’s largest chatbot platform. The chatbot will act as a financial guide to help users choose the most suitable life insurance plans and solutions.

    This chatbot aims to assist the customers with insurance advice – ranging from Health to Tax Planning & Retirement, based on a simple 60-second quiz which enables it to compute their Insurance Quotient. Calculated using different parameters under each insurance category, the Insurance Quotient is an indicative score for each individual, based on which, HDFC Life can recommend the best suited insurance plans for the user. The chatbot not only works as a personal financial advisor, but also brings to the forefront the universal need for life insurance.

    HDFC Life CDO Suresh Badami said, “Many of us in our country, particularly the millennials, are under-insured and need a simple platform to access relevant information about insurance. We have invested heavily in the adoption of cutting edge technology to offer insurance solutions across customer segments through multiple touch points. One such initiative is to pilot the use of artificial intelligence to act as personal assistant to the discerning new age customer. Haptik’s chatbot enables us to do this and reach the millenials through the medium that they are most accustomed to and are comfortable with.”

    Haptik CEO Aakrit Vaish added, “We are extremely excited to partner with HDFC Life to build the India’s first Life Insurance chatbot. We believe chat as an interface simplifies tons of complex everyday experiences, and nothing gets more complex than the process of understanding Life Insurance. HDFC Life was the ideal partner who understands the value a bot could bring, and timing it the financial year end made a lot of sense.”

    The chatbot will be live for only two weeks from the date of its launch on the Haptik app, which is available on both iOS and Android.

  • Femina salutes women achievers

    MUMBAI: Femina, a leading women’s brand in the country, has always realised and celebrated the astounding prowess of women from different walks of life.

    Femina Power List North 2017 felicitated nine winners namely, the gorgeous actress Kriti Sanon who made a smashing debut with Heropanti followed by the blockbuster movie Dilwale alongside Shah Rukh Khan, Riddhima Kapoor Sahni, a successful fashion and jewellery designer, Bhavana Reddy, an acclaimed Kuchipudi dancer, Neeti Palta, one of the few English stand-up comediennes, Karuna Nundy, supreme court lawyer and champion of women’s rights who helped draft the Womanifesto, Sharmistha Mukherjee, a Kathak exponent and daughter of Pranab Mukherjee, Lakshmi Rana, one of the best ever faces to have walked the Indian ramp, Namrata Joshipura, India’s leading designers and Tania Sachdev, Arjuna Awardee Grand Master who currently holds a world ranking of 43. She also holds the record of being the youngest to win a Gold Medal at an International event, the British Chess Championship, 1993.

    Femina editor Tanya Chaitanya said, “Femina’s association with powerful women forms the core of the brand. Being the most widely read women’s brand in the country, we feel it is essential to honor and celebrate the undying spirit of women from all walks of life. We look forward to more such initiatives and keep up with the essence of the brand.

    Sanon said, “I would like to dedicate this award to my parents.”

    Sahni decided to take the reins of her career and create her own identity. She said, “I launched my own jewellery brand exactly a year ago from today. Throughout the journey, my mom (Neetu Kapoor) has been my biggest inspiration and my husband, a guiding force.”

    Rana said, “Recognition of women power is the first step to building a healthy progressive society.”

    Sharmistha Mukherjee said, “I believe if a person is passionate and has conviction, they can achieve anything.”

  • Stop judging #SheForHer

    MUMBAI: “#SheForHer” is about letting the women be comfortable in what they identify with. A digital video campaign launched on Women’s Day drives a positive message to uplift the gender towards a brighter tomorrow. Before the acceptance from the entire world, we need to accept each other. The film ridicules the judgment we pass on to each other and gives us a perspective to think differently. 

    The campaign is launched by Gypsy Moth, a creative agency based in Bangalore as its first in-house film and produced by Green Apple Films. Gypsy Moth is founded to story tell the brands in the most engaging form.  

    Gypsy Moth founder & creative director Priyanka Chugh expresses her excitement releasing the film on International Women’s Day, “We happen to have an all women crew to work on the film which made it a very interesting journey. Launching an occasion driven film, is our first step to create in-house content and a YouTube channel to engage viewers online. We believe if our stories trigger emotions in our viewers, we consider our job is done. In future, we would like to associate with brands who want to send out a strong message through the art of storytelling.”

    Film writer & director Diksha Grover talks about the story and screenplay being the integral part of the film, “The film celebrates the joy of valuing the woman in front of you and supporting her in the simplest of manner. Every character & situation tries to highlight the point that the fight isn’t against each other. Its only when we stand by each other, do we bring out the best of being a woman.”

    DOP Preetha shares her experience of shooting the film’ “We captured every scene in its purest form to make it look real so everyone can easily relate to the situation. When I read the script, I knew this was a simple yet powerful film and I would love to be associated with something like this. I hope the message reaches the audience and triggers a change.”


     

  • ‘#ConnectedSheCan’ with Voda on International Day

    MUMBAI: Armed with a key focus of building a diverse and inclusive work culture, Vodafone India will celebrate the International Women’s Day with a week-long series of exciting events lined up from 6- 10 March, 2017. The theme #ConnectedSheCan is aimed to bring a positive change to the lives of millions of women worldwide by enabling financial inclusion, improving health and wellbeing and building skills and entrepreneurship abilities in them.

    Over the years, Vodafone India has consciously worked to build an inclusive work environment and acknowledge the role that women play within the organization and society at large. It has also focused on increasing the representation of women in its 13,000+ strong countrywide workforce.

    Expressing his views on the organization’s future ambitions for women empowerment, Suvamoy Roy, Director – Human Resources, Vodafone India said, “We are an equal opportunity employer. Our diversity journey is built on the foundation of creating an ecosystem that is attractive to women professionals and enables them to succeed at the workplace. We are delighted to host a series of engaging initiatives as a part of #ConnectedSheCan to celebrate our women colleagues and their contribution to the workplace during this week.”

    Vodafone India’s Diversity Journey: Quick Overview

    •         Discover Graduates hires: over 50% women hires vs. 38% in 2013. In 2016, we have on-boarded 120 students through this programme. Out of the total, 52% are women hires.

    •         The gender ratio at our mid to senior level management positions is at about 16% (135 women out of 836 senior management positions) up from 10% in 2013.

    •         Vodafone India currently operators 40 Angel Stores (women only stores) across India

    BOLTRED is Vodafone India’s flagship program – aimed at offering an accelerated leadership development journey for high potential women, who undergo 10-months of training based on three primary pillars – Functional and Business Acumen, Leadership and Change and most importantly Personal Impact.

    RECONNECT

    Vodafone India aims to become the best employer for women, supporting them at the workplace in every stage of their lives.

    CONNECTING WOMEN – Aiming to connect 50 million women by 2025

    1.       Vodafone India has introduced ‘Vodafone Sakhi’, a unique proposition empowering women in rural India.  ‘Vodafone Sakhi’ allows women to make a Private Recharge through an OTP code, without mobile number sharing.

    2.       Smart Snehidi programme is India’s first targeted women centric proposition under the global ‘Vodafone mWomen’ initiative. The objective of the programme is to digitize rural women by overcoming their barriers to Internet usage to enhance their livelihoods. Launched in November 2016, 1000 ‘Snehidis’ have been enrolled across 3 districts in Tamil Nadu.

    WOMEN OF PURE WONDER

    Vodafone is committed to helping women compete on an equal footing across India. On the occasion of International Women’s Day, the Vodafone Foundation will release the 4th edition of its Women of Pure Wonder book that further reinforces this vision.

    INTERNAL ENGAGEMENTS

    A series of exciting events have been planned for Vodafone’s women employees, with multiple training sessions and inspiring discussions with renowned women speakers across the globe.

     

  • Orange City has ‘Best Practices’ among 63 global companies

    MUMBAI: Orange City Water (OCW) has brought laurels for the city of Nagpur as well as added another feather in its cap when it was rewarded with two most coveted “Best Water Management Practices Award” for their Water Management of Nagpur 24×7 project and ‘Best Peoples Initiative in the Year” by World Water Leadership Congress and Awards at the World CSR Day programme at Mumbai.

    Both the awards “Best Water Management Practices” & ‘Best Community Water Project” recognizes the contribution of every member of OCW team in implementing 24×7 Water Supply Project in Nagpur, as well as managing water supply to almost 3.25 lakh connections (27 lakh population) of the city and integrating information of various divisions and communicating with key stakeholders.

    OCW CEO Sanjoy Roy & Director (HR/PR) KMP Singh received the awards. Water Management Companies from almost 63 countries across the world participated in the Congress for various awards. World Water Leadership Congress and Awards recognizes outstanding work done by organisations in Water sector and also innovations and excellence in technology of water projects.

    The “Best Water Management Practices Award “identified specialized Water Sector companies who have brought extraordinary changes in the water sector as well as bear the responsibilities and expectations of the various stakeholders. Orange City Water’s (OCW) is known for its successful implementation and progress towards NMC’s ambitious 24×7 Water Supply Project in Nagpur, which provides water to almost 3.25 lakh HSC’s (27 lakh population) of the city and progressing towards providing uninterrupted, pressurized supply of water at every tap.

    Initiated by the Nagpur Municipal Corporation, Nagpur was the first city of its size in the country to outsource water supply to a private operator under the PPP model. Under the scheme the main objective was to provide 24-hour 100% safe drinking water to everyone including slum dwellers within five years.

    “This is biggest ever her achievement for Orange City Water and our people who are committed to provide clean, sufficient water to all citizens,” said Roy. “Nagpur’s 24×7 Water Supply Project on PPP model is now has become a case study for the smart water management and entire World is looking towards its success. This project is not just technical projects, he added: “it is more of a socio-economic project involving change in the mindsets, habits and lifestyle of people. People participation has to be ensured right from project development phase to ensure transparency in the contracting process. People representatives endorsing the project provide much needed confidence to the citizens.”

    Nagpur 24×7 Water Supply was earlier recognized as the ‘National Best Practice in Urban Water Supply’ in India by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at launch of AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) and Smart City initiative in June 2015.

    It must be mentioned here, OCW has undertaken various initiatives to spread awareness on the important subject of 24×7 water at every tap like Mohalla Sabhas (community interaction), Consumers as ambassadors (Water Friends), School and College awareness programmes (Jal Samvad), toll free consumer helpline, NGO networking and health check-ups. These innovative initiatives have helped OCW in establishing a strong bond with the people. OCW has also joined hands with UPAY- Under Privileged Advancement by Youth, an NGO working for education of underprivileged children by starting its first Reach & Teach Center at Laxmi Nagar Zone.

    Earlier, OCW has earned various prestigious accolades in the past like Special Recognition in SAP, Special Achievement in GIS, Best Practice Award at IUKAN 2013 for ESR Cleaning, Utility Best Practice Award, Global Water Intelligence’s Water Deal of the Year 2013 and, most importantly, the Best PPP Operator Award by The Water Digest. ‘National Award for Excellence in Corporate Communication’ by 6th World CSR Day & National level Award for its social communication initiatives at the 6th Parivartan Sustainability Leadership Award 2016

    At the launch of AMRUT mission, Modi declared the project as a National Best Practice in presence of 500 mayors and municipal commissioners from across the country.

  • DataWind retains leadership as per CMR and IDC reports

    MUMBAI: DataWind Inc., a leader in delivering Internet access to emerging markets, retains the top slot selling35%of overall tablets in India, during 2016, according to CMR’s India Tablet PC Market Review.CMR Study also shows that DataWind has dominated the sub-Rs. 5,000 tablet segment (approximately $75) with 70% market share, in the largest and fastest growing market segment in India.

    DataWind continues to maintain its leadership position with 32% market share in the fourth calendar quarter of 2016, leading both Samsung (third place with 17% market share) and Apple (fifth place with 7% market share). DataWind’s strength is despite the demonetization of currency in India which had a direct impact on entry level customers.

    A research report by IDC for the same period also confirmed that, Datawind retained its leadership position in Indian tablet market, with low average ASP of around $52 and free internet access. The report indicated that Datawind has been gaining market share catering to the untapped first time buyers from deeper pockets of India. The report also mentioned that DataWind had the highest growth in 2016 with annual growth of 70.6%.

    DataWind CEO Suneet Singh Tuli said “Both CMR and IDC reports have again confirmed that Datawind is India’s premiere tablet brand chosen by a greater portion of the population than any other brand.. The factors that work in our favour, have allowed us reach to the consumers in the remotest of areas include devices bundled with free internet browsing; local manufacturing, patented technology supported by our strong and committed team.”

    The CMR study also shows that DataWind is the only company, which has maintained leadership position for five quarters in a row.

    Tuli further added “Our target for 2017 is to launch new 4G enabled ultra low cost devices. We will be soon launching Rs 199 a year tariff for unlimited Internet browsing across any site.”