ITV

Category: Brands

  • News Corp’s BigDecisions.com surpasses 900,000 personal finance interactions

    News Corp’s BigDecisions.com surpasses 900,000 personal finance interactions

    MUMBAI: News Corp owned personal financial advice platform BigDecisions.com has empowered 900,000 users to make informed financial decisions.

     

    The announcement has come as the platform unveiled its full suite of new, free-to-use, data-backed personal finance advice tools, along with insightful articles and videos.  

     

    BigDecisions helps users prudently plan for their retirement, the education of their children, assessing their life and health insurance needs, and helping them to benefit from transferring their home loans. In addition, the platform also helps users decide whether to rent or buy a home, a critical decision amid a stagnant real-estate market in India. The platform uniquely uses Big Data, such as healthcare costs across India and sample household expense data over 20 years, to calculate likely inflation for retirement planning, while enabling users arrive at more realistic and actionable next steps with simple-to-use tools.

     

    In the nine months since News Corp acquired BigDecisions.com, the platform has had 700,000 different users take advantage of its tools and insights. The number of visitors per month has increased to 400,000 from under 50,000 in January.

     

    “Sources of financial empowerment based on unbiased information and smart analytics have been few and far between in India,” said Manish Shah, Co-Founder and CEO, BigDecisions.com. “The quality of content, the wealth of impartial data backed insights and the ease of use make it an engagement worthy experience for our users who see immense value in our offerings.”

     

    For example, BigDecisions allows users to figure out how much health insurance they need based on family structure and treatment costs in their city. It relies on a sophisticated, behind-the-scenes algorithm that assigns a probability to each member of the family falling ill, helping assess an appropriate amount of health-insurance coverage for the family. Users are then free to choose where and how they want to acquire such insurance, from a variety of vetted, licensed third-party product providers. All this happens online, at a user’s convenience and with full data privacy, and without the product-sales pitches that are commonplace in India with sales of such products.

     

    “We have designed tools that are easy to navigate, with information that is easy to find and act upon,” said Gaurav Roy, Co-Founder and Product Head. “Our new platform, with its improved usability on the phone, enables us to expand our user base into Tier II and Tier III towns as well.”

     

    The majority of BigDecisions.com users currently come from the top 8 cities of India.

     

    “The early response to BigDecisions.com validates our belief that Indian consumers are looking for unbiased and accurate advice, as well as user-friendly calculators,” said Raju Narisetti, Senior Vice-President, Strategy, News Corp. “A vibrant digital India needs financially empowered citizens who can rely on trusted sources in their journey to financial prosperity.”

     

    As part of its roadmap, BigDecisions plans to combine its data-backed insights with peer-to-peer shared user experiences (for instance, “people similar to you did this”) to enhance decision-making for its users, as well as work with banking, asset management, insurance and other financial services companies in India to create tailored solutions aimed at educating and empowering users.

  • 57 cities, 65k unique viewers, 40 hours of live streaming.

    57 cities, 65k unique viewers, 40 hours of live streaming.

    MUMBAI: Ogle, India’s largest premium on-demand streaming platform growing, successfully partner with the Lakme Fashion Week/Winter Festive 2015 as the official ‘Live Streaming Partners’. With more than 65k viewers across 57 cities and 24 countries glued onto their connected devices, this was a definite success story for the platform and establishes their leadership in the premium space.

     

    Here are the 5 fascinating factors that made Ogle- LFW Live Streaming a successful collaboration:

     

       1.    ‘Front Row Experience at your Convenience’ :Providing millions of people with direct and live access to the exclusive contents of the Lakme Fashion Week,Ogle thrivingly delivered ‘The Front Row’ kind of an experience through the user’s connected devices. The live streaming gave viewers the access to watch exclusive on-stage and back stage happenings, watching their favourite bollywood celebrities walking the ramp or walking down the red carpet, and also to watch the interviews of their favorite designers and models. The Ogle-LFW ‘Live Streaming Partnership’, redefined fashion altogether.

     

      2.  Not in your city, yet in your city: For all the fashion enthusiasts all over India who missed out on physically attending the Mumbai Lakme Fashion Week, Ogle made sure you are not disappointed! Exclusive live streaming of the entire event and other behind the scenes footage and interviews, anyone from any part of the country could witness the Lakme Fashion Week Winter Festive 2015 happening in Mumbai live through any connected device.

     

      3.   Increase in viewership: The live streaming attracted people from more than 50+ cities in India, who otherwise would not have access to the Fashion Week. It was the best platform offered for people across the nation and led to a drastic increase in the viewership of the prime event. The approximated number of viewers through the Ogle link was more than 60k.

     

      4.   A buffer free experience: Ogle streams almost buffer free at bandwidths as low as 0.5mbps making streaming in India a realistic and stressfree experience. Expanding this experience beyond just movies and shows, Ogle tied up with Lakme Fashion Week and live streamed the entire event and other activities at high visual quality and without any disturbances for anybody in the country and not just their subscribers.

     

      5.   Traction for the prime event through social media: Ogle’s social media efforts toward Lakme Fashion Week across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram have reached out, in total, to almost two million users. Over the course of a week, the dedicated hashtag #OgleLFW was circulated to over one million unique users online, in conjuction with Ogle’s meticulous live coverage of Lakme Fashion Week that served to further enhance their social inlfuence. Narendra Kumar, SapnaBhavnani, Ritu Kumar and other prominent designers and Lakme Fashion Week attendees were engaged, significantly expanding Ogle’s digital presence to include new audiences.

     

    Sharing his views, Chairperson, Ogle Technologies Group Pritish Nandy says,“Ogle’s association with Lakme Fashion Week has been a great initiative both from a brand and messaging standpoint.Standing for providing curated cult content, Ogle was able to provide real time packaging of content that was accessed across the nation. We are committed to this partnership and will only growfrom strength to strength in the coming months.”

     

    IMG Reliance Head Fashion Saket Dhankar said, “Lakmé Fashion Week has always been at the forefront of innovation and we continued the trend this season with our live streaming partners Ogle. LFW Winter/Festive 2015 was streamed live through 6 different cameras, capturing exciting on-ramp and behind the scenes action from the Main Show Area, Jabong Stage, Red Carpet, Model Line-up area, the Celebrity room and other areas across the venue. We are delighted to have Ogle on board as our long term partners and hope to continue creating exciting content for fashion fans across the world.”

  • LG to offer Amazon titles in HDR on webOS Smart TV platform

    LG to offer Amazon titles in HDR on webOS Smart TV platform

    MUMBAI: LG Electronics has launched High Dynamic Range (HDR) streaming on 2015 LG OLED 4K TVs, allowing consumers to enjoy exceptional HDR picture quality streaming directly via the Amazon Video app, available on LG’s webOS Smart TV platform.

     

    Amazon Video is the first to deliver HDR titles on LG OLED 4K TVs, offering the highest picture quality and most comfortable HDR viewing experience on the market.

     

    Popular Amazon Original Series Transparent and Mozart in the Jungle as well as the pilot episode of the upcoming comedy series Red Oaks are now available to stream in HDR on LG’s latest OLED 4K Ultra HD TVs, including the just-announced EF9500 Flat OLED 4K TV series and the currently available EG9600 Curved OLED 4K TV series.

     

    The EF9500 series comes with full HDR capability built in, allowing consumers to play back HDR content from both streaming content partners and external source devices. LG’s EG9600 series received a firmware update so consumers can stream content from current and future providers.

     

    “LG is committed to delivering the best viewing experience, and it doesn’t get any better than HDR content on an OLED 4K display. Amazon has played an invaluable role in helping LG bring consumers the best way to enjoy streaming content and an incredible HDR experience,” said LG Electronics USA head of new product development Tim Alessi.

     

    LG’s webOS Smart TV platform is designed to make finding and switching between content options – including broadcast TV, streaming services and external devices – intuitive and fast.

  • BBC Action Media bags FICCI Healthcare Excellence award

    BBC Action Media bags FICCI Healthcare Excellence award

    NEW DELHI: Even as social media continues to make inroads in various ways to reach out to the common man and create awareness of various facilities, BBC Media Action (India) Ltd has bagged the social media award at the FICCI Healthcare Excellence Award for 2015.

     

    The awards have been given in 10 categories and BBC Media Action shares the award in social media with Drashti Netralaya of Dahod in Gujarat.

     

    BBC Media Action in India has been using media to improve health, rights and resilience since 2001.

     

    It has a strong focus on maternal and child health. Its innovative projects in the states of Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha help increase knowledge and improve health of mothers and children using a combination of TV, radio, online, street theatre, outdoor advertising and mobile phones.

     

    Helping to decrease the incidence of bonded labour is another major area of its work. It is one of seven countries that took part in Climate Asia, Asia’s largest survey to date investigating people’s everyday experiences of climate change. 

     

  • Askme to roll out hyper-local online grocery across 27 Indian cities

    Askme to roll out hyper-local online grocery across 27 Indian cities

    MUMBAI: Online SMB marketplace Askme is planning to launch its online grocery platform top 27 cities in India in the next four to six months. The company has kick-started this initiative with Delhi NCR.

     

    With a promise that grocery is available below MRP and delivered at the doorstep, the team has brought together offline merchants to list their SKUs online.

     

    Askme group CMO & head digital strategy Manav Sethi said, “Every feature, platform and strategic relationship that Askme enters into is driven by singular motivation of adding business value to offline merchants by leveraging online platforms. The platform Bestatlowest.com is a hyper-local model that enables offline grocery retailers in neighbourhoods to come online for incremental magnetisation and building consumer loyalty. Leveraging hyperlocal model of sourcing and zero costs on inventory or warehousing brings significant advantage of pricing and portfolio. This model is also extremely flexible and rapidly scalable in adding more merchants and SKU categories as demand grows both nationally and locally. Delhi NCR now boasts of 30 hyper-local hubs with 25000+ SKUs. Askme intends to leverage its brand and infrastructure to cross sell and upsell grocery online to all its existing and potential consumers.”

     

    India is the sixth largest grocery market in the world and retail consultancy Technopak estimates that online grocery market is growing at the rate of 25-30 per cent annually in major cities of India. According to Research firm IGD predictions, India’s online grocery market, which is estimated to be less than $100 million at present, is expected to cross $25 billion by 2020 and by 2016, the Indian grocery market would overtake Japan to become the third largest market worldwide.

     

    Teams lead by Ankit Jain and Amit Nigam, founders of Bestatlowest.com, scaled this business to Delhi NCR within 60 days of working with the Askme team.

     

    Jain said, “Offline merchants were brought on board to list their SKUs and Askme team works with these merchants very closely whenever an order is executed. Functional teams and Askme brand gave us that huge fillip in covering this journey in 60 days which otherwise would have taken many more months.”

  • BrandZ to launch second report in September 2015

    BrandZ to launch second report in September 2015

    MUMBAI: Ever since coming to power in 2014, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made frequent foreign visits, and his purpose of travel was to promote a brand – “Brand India.” Be it Madison Square in the US or Allphones Arena Sydney or the recent Middle East trip, Modi was concisely making efforts to convey the message that India is a destination for business explorers and investors. The argumentative Indians argued the pros and cons of every travel of his, though the Indian diaspora welcomed him with full houses, claps and slogans, back home he earned titles like NRI Prime Minister etc.  

    A little more than one year down the line, what impact did Modi’s foreign visits have? Has “Brand India” succeeded in making a mark in investors’ mind? Has a government with absolute majority made a big difference in bringing in adequate reforms, which in turn will enhance the brand value? Where are Indian brands placed in terms of brand valuation, are they forging towards being dominators or do MNCs still stand tall in the top spot when it comes to brand valuation?

    The second edition of the BrandZ Top 50 Most Valuable Indian Brands, which will be released by WPP and Millward Brown on 9 September, 2015 will answer many such questions.

     BrandZ is a global rankings study that uses a unique brand valuation methodology that combines officially released financial data and consumer-driven brand equity measurement to calculate brand value. The valuation studies were introduced globally in 2006, in China in 2011 and Latin America in 2012 and have received an overwhelming response internationally.

    Speaking to Indiantelevision.com, Millward Brown South Asia director Prasun Basu says, “The study will reveal key insights on trends in the Indian market by WPP companies across India, insights into how brands drive financial growth, the brands with the greatest potential for growth, the elements that have led to successful brand building in India and the way forward for building valuable brands in India.”

    The study analyses brands across various key business sectors including banking, automotive, telecom, personal and household care, foods, beverages, and insurance.

    Basu asserts, “Clear and concise communication, which has a concrete purpose gives brands the wings to fly. Communication is an important aspect, which impacts a brand and now with social media proliferation, consumer insights are easily accessible. Brand communication managers need to be on top of the data and curate communications around that.”

    “We created a stock portfolio of the BrandZ Top 50 Most Valuable Indian Brands 2014 and compared its performance over the past five years with the performance of India’s Sensex. Between May 2009 and May 2014, The BrandZ India Top 50 Portfolio appreciated 201 per cent compared with a rise of 74 per cent for Sensex. The BrandZ India Top 50 Portfolio includes all the brands in BrandZ Top 50 Most Valuable Indian Brands. Sensex is a weighted Index of 30 stocks listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange,” adds Basu.

    BrandZ collates data by studying more than two million consumer insights, interviewing over 25,000 consumers directly. “In 2015 edition of the report, we will have over 500 categories and 200 brands analysed,” informs Basu.

    “Last year’s report had many encouraging factors for the Indian marketplace and brands, Banking sector’s HDFC topped list followed by telecom giant Airtel, the report subtly told the entire fraternity that there is huge potential of growth,” he adds.

    “India is at the threshold of becoming an economic superpower with evolved consumers. The process of valuing brands paves the way for growth strategies for various Indian companies in an otherwise very competitive environment. The report also consists of inputs and opinions by brand experts across WPP companies in India that highlights the dynamic nature of the Indian market and brand-building strategies. This year’s report will have a lot of positives and that’s all I can say before its launch,” concludes Basu.

  • Kokuyo Camlin reinvents digital rakhi for art lovers

    Kokuyo Camlin reinvents digital rakhi for art lovers

    MUMBAI: Stationery and art brand Kokuyo Camlin has created a new way to celebrate Rakshabandhan. The brand is promoting the tradition in an artistic way with its elaborate ‘Rakhi Maker’ that lets anyone create beautiful digital rakhis and share them virtually.

     

    Conceptualised and created by the brand’s digital agency Big I Tuna, the ‘Rakhi Maker’ is an extension of the interactive Camlin Experience App for desktop and mobile. It is modeled on the brand’s philosophy to help anyone express their artistic skills to the fullest and bring their imagination to life.

     

    Expanding on the belief, the ‘Rakhi Maker’ lets anyone virtually use the full range of Camlin products and powerful virtual tools to create endless and stunning rakhi designs within minutes. To do this, the ‘Rakhi Maker’ uses an innovative ‘kaleidoscopic effect’ that reflects every drawing action in 20 sides.

     

    Users can choose from any of the art mediums and colours, and also alter the number of side reflections. In addition to designing personalized rakhis, they can tag and share the rakhi with a loved one on Facebook within the app, or download it and share via email.

     

    Kokuyo Camlin chief marketing officer Saumitra Prasad said, “Kokuyo Camlin explores various routes to promote art and creativity amongst children. Today’s children have accepted technology very well and mastered it. We have witnessed great work from children already using this Camlin Experience App, and we look forward to world class Rakhi images created to celebrate the festival in a unique way.”

  • Jacqueline Fernandez to endorse Hardwyn’s lifestyle range

    Jacqueline Fernandez to endorse Hardwyn’s lifestyle range

    NEW DELHI: Actor Jacqueline Fernandez has been appointed as the new brand ambassador for Hardwyn for a period of two years. The actress has also shot an ad commercial that will hit the TV screens soon.

     

    Hardwyn, the manufacturer and provider of an exclusive product range that includes door, glass and kitchen fittings and accessories apart from wardrobe and furniture fittings is planning to enter the Kitchen Appliances category soon where it will be offering products like chimneys, hobs, cooktops, built-in-ovens, built-in-microwaves, dishwashers, complete cooking range and induction cooktops.

     

    The creative mandate for Hardwyn has been taken up by Promodome Communications.

  • RB India ropes in Vidya Balan as sanitation campaign ambassador

    RB India ropes in Vidya Balan as sanitation campaign ambassador

    NEW DELHI: Actor Vidya Balan has been named as the brand ambassador of the ‘Changing Behaviour: Creating Sanitation Change Leaders’ campaign launched by RB (erstwhile Reckitt Benckiser) India as part of its nationwide initiative Dettol Banega Swachh India along Pehel and State Governments of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

     

    The project, which aims to make 200 villages in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar free of open defecation was inaugurated by veteran actor and politician Shatrughan Sinha and former Cabinet Minsiter Jairam Ramesh in Patna and UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav in Lucknow along with Balan, who unveiled the mnemonic of the programme.

     

    Other dignitaries present at the event were Parmarth Niketan, Rishikesh president and founder Swami Chidanand Saraswati and World Toilet Organization founder Professor Jack Sim.

     

    Balan said, “For the past two years I have dedicated myself towards raising awareness around importance of hygiene and to stop open defecation. I am really proud to be a part of this campaign, which is taking a different route of engaging with stakeholders and creating change leaders at community level to bring about this behaviour change.”

     

    Through the initiative, the programme will reach out and work closely with 500 PRI members, 500 natural and faith based leaders, 500 ASHAs / AWWs and two lakh mothers directly to drive a positive behaviour towards sanitation practices. 

     

    Various activities like training of Panchayati Raj Institutions members using toolkit, exposure tours, Sanitation Chaupal, Capacity Building of frontline health workers through game shows and folk shows for sensitising mothers. The progress will be monitored at each step to track the progress and achievements of change leaders will be recognized across these 100 villages in Bihar covering Bhagalpur district and another 100 villages in Uttar Pradesh covering Varanasi, Kannauj and Etawah districts.

     

    RB South Asia regional director Nitish Kapoor said, “We are proud to partner with Pehel and the State Governments of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar to launch this initiative, which primarily aims towards driving behaviour change across communities. While we have a dedicated initiative targeting school children, we believe it is equally important to educate and encourage communities to adopt healthier hygiene and sanitation practices to create a positive impact on the society they live in. By the end of this campaign, we aim to help these 200 villages in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar to become Open Defecation Free.” 

     

    Pehel CEO Anand Madhab added, “To make India achieve its goal of improving sanitation and put an end to open defecation, it is imperative to change mindsets, attitude and behaviour of people towards the issue. Before installing toilets in homes, we need to install toilets in the minds of people. PRI members are local leaders as well as role models in the community and since the key driver for the issue is perception, attitude and behaviour changes we are zeroing in on the most, influential catalysing agent present on ground. Moreover, the project is targeting caregivers (ASHAs/AWWs) and mothers as they play a central role in shaping up the children, the future. The project is the initial step towards changing people’s behaviour towards health, hygiene and sanitation and shall turn into a mega campaign in the near future.”

     

    According to National Sample Survey Office and World Health Organisation, over 600 million Indians have no access to toilets. The proportion is worse in rural India – where 68 per cent of rural households don’t have their own toilets. In order to achieve Open Defecation Free status, the project ‘Changing Behaviour: Creating Sanitation Change Leaders’ will be implemented using a three pronged strategy of environment building; capacity development and changing behaviours.