Category: Brands

Superdry signs up Idris Elba as brand ambassador

MUMBAI: SuperGroup is making Idris Elba, The Wire actor, the face of a new premium range of clothing, following a difficult few months in the US.

Unveiling a new strategy, the company behind the fashion brand Superdry said that Elba would be designing the new line alongside the brand’s founder and design director, James Holder.

The premium range will be available online and in shops from autumn/winter 2015. SuperGroup CEO Euan Sutherland said that he hoped Elba’s profile would help re-launch the Superdry brand in the US, where it had a difficult start.

Sutherland said Superdry still appealed to the 18- to 24-year-old market but many shoppers had “grown up with the brand” and Elba, 42, would appeal to that older generation as well.

“He epitomises what we are: British, grounded and cool. Idris Elba is a big man in the US and he will automatically reposition Superdry in people’s minds,” said Sutherland.

The brand, known for its heavily logoed T-shirts, expects to open a handful more stores in the UK and will focus on expanding in mainland Europe in the year ahead. Eleven more stores will open in Germany, taking the total to 30, and the company is also looking to expand in Austria, Poland, Spain and Italy in the next five years.

Elba has starred as Detective John Luther in the BBC One series Luther, and Nelson Mandela in the biographical film Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom. Elba has been nominated for three Golden Globe Awards for Best Actor in a Miniseries or Television Film, winning one, as well as earning four Primetime Emmy Award nominations. Elba has appeared in films such as American Gangster,Takers, Thor, Prometheus, Pacific Rim and Thor: The Dark World.

March 31, 2015
Unilever and Cannes Lions partner to search 50 marketing tech start-ups

MUMBAI: Unilever Foundry and Lions Innovation have partnered to launch “Foundry 50 at Cannes” – a search for the world’s top 50 marketing technology startups that are innovating to help brands better connect, engage and relate with people.

The Foundry 50 will be chosen by a panel of experts, including Founders Forum serial entrepreneur and co-founder Brent Hoberman, start up accelerator Collider co-founder Rose Lewis, Lions Innovation head Rob Dembitz, Karmarama group executive and creative director Caitlin Ryan, Unilever Ventures head Olivier Garel and Unilever senior VP global marketing Marc Mathieu.

Each winning startup will receive a ticket, including accommodation, to the inaugural Lions Innovation – a unique, new two-day event that brings together the worlds of data, technology and ideas during the 62nd annual Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

At the event, to be held on 25 – 26 June, startups will have the unique opportunity to speed-date with industry leaders, pitch on the Unilever demo platform and introductions to organisations attending Cannes Lions Innovation.

“Through working collectively with startups, we can supercharge the transformation of our industry, and that’s good for consumers, for brands and for entrepreneurs. By partnering with Lions Innovation, a fellow leader in fostering innovation in the creative space, we’re raising the profile of these startups amongst industry leaders with the ambition of catalysing new partnerships,” said Mathieu.

“The Festival was created because of the incredible alchemy that happens when innovative tech is partnered with the right brand and the right idea, and Foundry 50 is dedicated to kick-starting those kinds of relationships – ones that we believe will be instrumental to the future of the industry,” said Cannes Lions CEO Philip Thomas.

To be chosen for the Global Top 50, startups need to meet the following criteria:

1) Be innovative and truly disruptive, clearly differentiated from competitors already in the market

2) Be relevant and interesting to the Brand & Marketing industry

3) Incorporation within the last five years

4) Raised less than $ 10 million in equity funding.

Startups can apply from 31 March at foundry.unilever.com/top50. Entries will close at 23:59 GMT, 30 April, 2015. The final Foundry 50 will be revealed on 25 May, 2015.

Unilever Foundry is Unilever’s global platform for innovation through collaboration. It provides a single entry point for startups and scaleups to connect with its 400 brands and champions their role in the industry. Its unique Pitch-Pilot-Partner approach dramatically cuts the time it takes to get a new initiative to market, with the average project going from brief to pilot in nine months.

March 31, 2015
Lapcare ropes in actor Manish Paul as brand ambassador

NEW DELHI: Actor and anchor Manish Paul has been appointed brand ambassador for smartphone, tablet and laptop accessories and peripherals brand Lapcare.

The move is part of the company’s overall strategy to reach out to younger customers, tap newer markets and build a solid brand recall in the smartphone and tablet accessories segment.

The actor would be promoting Lapcare and Lapcare Yo! series’ entire range of products including Bluetooth speakers, headsets and powerbanks among others. A national campaign starring Paul will be kicked off in the first week of April across print, digital and various other mediums.

Paul, who starred in the movie Mickey Virus, has a slate of movie launches lined up this year, including the sequel to Tere Bin Laden. As anchor, Paul has hosted India’s Got Talent, Jhalak Dikhla Ja and multiple award shows.

According to Lapcare officials, Paul packs fun, style, and youth appeal; just the right attributes that Lapcare as a brand wants to associate with.

Paul said, “It is indeed a matter of great pleasure to be associated with Lapcare, a brand that is synonymous with innovation, style and functionality. I am a gadget buff and very selective about the products I use .So, when I came across the funky products of Lapcare, I felt they fit my technology related needs, style, and personality very well. I now use them every day for various purposes and really glad with the association.”

Lapcare chief operating officer Sandeep Popli added, “Our association with Manish is a milestone for us and our first major endeavor to grow Lapcare as a national brand in the mobile and tablet accessories market. We wanted someone who embodied youthful zest, has a unique style and most importantly a connect with the masses. Manish fit the bill perfectly for us, as someone who is popular across the country, yet adds a dash of much needed freshness to the campaign. It helps us to break the clutter and position Lapcare as a unique, innovative and stylish brand geared towards the youth. We believe it will be a great association and benefit Lapcare immensely.”

March 30, 2015
Godrej Properties launches on-ground marketing initiatives for customer connect

KOLKATA: With an aim to stay connected with clients after they buy their home, Godrej Properties Ltd (GPL), the real estate arm of the Godrej Group, is reaching out to its customers through various innovative on ground brand activations and sponsoring shows that are in synergy with the company’s broad engagement objectives.

The company has introduced numerous customised consumer engagement programs to connect with customers from various backgrounds, cultures, demographics and regions. In its quest to enhance brand recall, Godrej Properties has defined few platforms, which they will associate themselves with like golf, theatre, and art, music, corporate engagement and use these mediums to reach out to their audiences.

“The company will continue to foray into these spaces across cities and associate itself with key events based on these –initiatives,” said Godrej Properties EVP – marketing & sales Girish Shah told Indiantelevision.com.

“We regularly invite customers with their families to various events, movie premiers, theatre plays and create multiple platforms to engage with customers. This goes a long way in cementing the bond of trust that Godrej Properties as a brand has built over the years with its customers,” he added.

GPL operates in both residential and commercial segments and has customers from both these segments. “The company has a two pronged approach to cater to its different set of customers, which helps in providing all our customers a more personalized experience,” he said.

GPL has an annual golf property called the Godrej Properties Golf Challenge with multi- city chapters and an international finale in Bangkok. Some of the notable participants last year included Aditya Puri from HDFC Bank Ltd, Vijay Chauhan from Parle Foods, and Harsh Mariwala from Marico.

Similarly, to reach out to its corporate customers, GPL associates with relevant business award functions, conferences and forums, which set a platform to increase customer engagement in the commercial space, Shah said, when asked about how the company connects with corporate clients.

“Our on-ground events footage and extension is carried across different media promotion like radio spots and social media for force multiplier effect – there are on-ground and online contests, contests on radio, posts on YouTube and Facebook amongst others,” he said.

Even at the event, there is a high level of engagement with consumers. A kiosk is placed with a GPL sales person who interacts with consumers. On-the-spot contests are also held, where the winner gets a gift hamper.

“We build relations with our customers and channel partners by inviting them to theatre events/movie premiers etc with their family – a small gesture that goes a long way in building relations,” he added.

As was reported by Indiantelevision.com earlier, in view of the evolving digital scenario, the way people search and research for property has changed and GPL has taken steps to keep in touch with its customers. The company aims to fully integrate offline events with social media through apps connected to all its channels.

March 28, 2015
Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon 2015 raises Rs 24.71 crore

MUMBAI: The Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon (SCMM) continued its record breaking streak not only with regards to the participation of 40,000 individuals in the 2015 edition but also in successfully raising funds for charity. Among the biggest charity events in Asia, SCMM, once again surpassed all previous charity records with the highest number of donors, donations and participants supporting a cause of their choosing, this year. The 12^th edition of SCMM saw 292 NGOs participate, raising a record Rs 24.71 cr.

This figure was possible through the support of 152 Corporates and their employees, 684 fundraisers and thousands of individual donors who came forward to support a host of social causes. Cumulatively, SCMM has been able to augment over Rs 134.5 crore for charitysince its inception in 2004.

As the philanthropy partner for the SCMM since 2009, United Way of Mumbai (UWM) is committed to building and growing the charitable aspect of the marathon in order to give voice, whilst generating funds for the various causes represented by hundreds of credible non-profit organizations. All funds raised through the SCMM are channelized through UWM, which is responsible for receiving, accounting and disbursement of funds while providing tax exemption receipts to all donors.

Gracing the occasion was the Hon’ble Governor of Maharashtra, Ch. Vidyasagar Rao,Shri Nand Kumar, Principal Secretary, Education & Sports, John Abraham, the brand ambassador for the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon along with representatives from various sponsors and partner to the event.

Speaking on the occasion Jayanti Shukla, Executive Director, United Way of Mumbai, said “Over the years, the SCMM has only grown in magnitude – be it the participation of the city in the race, or its giving spirit towards charitable causes. Since 2009, participating charities have consistently raised the bar at putting in dedicated efforts and raising the maximum number of funds for their causes. At United Way of Mumbai we have the privilege of witnessing the most remarkable stories of human generosity towards the wellbeing of others lesser privileged. The SCMM is over within a few hours in the morning of a very exciting thirdSunday of every January but the life altering impact of the event reverberates in the improved lives of the beneficiaries long after the event.”

“On the behalf of Procam international I convey my heartfelt gratitude to the participants and donors who came forward this year to support the cause and raise Rs 24.71 crores in Charity. I am very delighted with the way Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon has revolutionized running as a sport in India successfully completing 12 editions”, said Vivek Singh, Jt. Managing Director of Procam International, the Promoters of the event.

This year 292 NGOs will benefit monetarily from the fundraising effort associated with the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon 2015, with Shrimad Rajchandra Love & Careemerging as the highest fundraising NGO for the fifth year running, having raised Rs 1,66,87,596 this year for their cause. Care Foundation – Anybody Can Jump was the second highest, generating Rs 1,65,94,011, while Isha Education was the third highest fundraising NGO, having raised Rs 1,25,23,333.

The Corporate Challenge comprised of 267 teams running from across 152 participating corporate who together managed to raise Rs 9,78,00,000, which amounted to a major chunk of the total funds raised. The highest fund raising company in the Corporate Challenge wasNirmal Lifestyle Ltd. with seven teams raising Rs 82,00,000 for Care Foundation – Anybody Can Jump.

Godrej & Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd. was Highest Employee Fundraising Corporate who stood tall and along with their employees raised Rs 70,26,000 for Republican Sports Club, Vasantha Memorial Trust and War Wounded Foundation. Kotak Mahindra Bank was the second highest employee fundraising corporate by raising Rs 61,21,855 in support of NGOs SOPAN, Cancer Patients Aid Association and Kotak Education Foundation.

K V S Manian, Highest Individual Fundraiser – Corporate who raised Rs 13,81,116 for Cancer Patients Aid Association & Shanti Ekambaram was the Second Highest Individual Fundraiser – Corporate to raise Rs 10,21,000 for SOPAN, both the fund raisers are fromKotak Mahindra Bank.

This year, all fundraisers raising above Rs 1.5 lakh were classified as theChange Team. Together the Change Teams raised a total of Rs 6,77,79,906.Dharmesh S. Jain was the highest fundraiser among the SCMM Change Icons (those who raised above 25 lakhs), raising Rs 81,13,011 for Care Foundation – Anybody Can Jump, followed by Mihir Doshi who raised Rs 77,64,973 in support of the organizations Save The Children India and The Research Society for the Care, Treatment & Training of Children in need of Special Care.

Jayanti Shukla was the highest fundraiser among the Change Investors(those who raised between 5 – 9.99 lakhs), raising Rs 8,22,342 for United Way of India. Lastly, Girish Borkar was the highest fundraiser among theChange Makers (those who raised between 1.5 – 4.99 lakhs), raising Rs 4,75,821 for Yoga Prabha Bharati (Seva Sanstha) Trust.”

This year, two pairs of individuals formed a super team of fundraisers. The first, a husband-wife duo, Sankara Raman and his wife, Ramani Sankara Raman together raised a formidable sum of Rs 79,96,211 for Amar Seva Sangam. Both of them have been fundraisers for the SCMM since 2010.Ramani Sankara Raman is also the highest fundraiser among the Change Leaders (those who raised between 10 – 24.99 lakhs), by raising Rs 21,62,706. The second was a mother-daughter duo, Dr. Bijal Mehta and her daughter Meera Mehta, who together raised Rs 20,65,000 for Shrimad Rajchandra Love & Care. Since SCMM 2012, this duo has raised over Rs 73 lakhs (including 2015 edition figures), for the same NGO.

Abhay Jasani, Anand Mahindra, Kabir Lumba, Sadashiv Rao are the Change Icons who have played vital role in raising more than Rs 25 lakhs.

Shrimad Rajchandra’s Love & Care is the NGO with highest number of corporate runners and even second highest fundraising NGO with highest number of fundraisers who have raised more than Rs 1,50,000.Among them, students from Shrimad Rajchandra Love & Care together raised 25 lakh rupees. While, ISHA Education is the NGO with the highest number of online fundraisers.

March 28, 2015
Ola Cabs gets aggressive in Kolkata, to add 3,500 new taxi sign-ups

KOLKATA: Indian online car rental aggregator firm Ola Cabs is looking at expanding its operations in Kolkata. The company is planning to increase its driver sign-ups in Kolkata from the current 1,500 to 5,000 in the coming three months, informs Ola Cabs head of strategic initiatives, Puneet Singh Arora.

Ola Cabs has also switched its primary payment gateway to PayU from Zaakpay as the startup competes with Uber and Meru to offer customers the facility of seamless mobile payment transactions.

Arora said that the company does not own the cars but signs-up with the drivers who are the actual owners of the cars. The company operates its services on a revenue sharing model.

It also has an auto-rickshaw rental service in seven cities.

“Nationally, we have over one lakh driver sign-ups, of which 80 per cent are cars including sedans and hatchbacks and the rest 20,000 comprises auto rickshaws,” he said.

Arora said the organised car rental market in India is still at a nascent stage and comprises only 10 per cent of the car rental market.

When asked if the company is considering launching auto-rickshaw rentals in Kolkata or expand to other cities, Arora said, “We consider introducing new services based on the city’s requirements.”

The company is growing by 40 per cent on a month-on-month basis and wishes to retain the momentum, an official said.

The company also announced the extension of its ‘Ola Pragati’ program in Kolkata in association with Shriram Transport Finance Company, SBI and Mahindra Finance.

March 26, 2015
OgilvyOne launches 5 Star’s Ramesh Suresh cricket videos on Vine

MUMBAI: After delighting unsuspecting movie-goers in PVR Cinemas and commentating live for the India-South Africa match, Ramesh and Suresh, who feature in the ad for Cadburys 5 Star, have a new job up their sleeves.

Responding to requests made by Cadbury 5 Star fans, OgilvyOne made the duo India’s unofficial cricket coaches, who were on a mission to teach everyone, including our boys in blue, a thing or two about cricket.

All through the day, the brothers kept eating Cadbury 5 Star, kept getting lost and giving coaching tips to the teams, umpires, audience and their fans. Understanding youthful demands of constant entertainment, the brand decided to leverage Vine by creating real time video content.

With 20 Vine videos that ranged from fielding instructions, to dealing with sledging, from a booty shake celebration to a special message to Virat Kohli, they found a way to make the match even more enjoyable.

OgilvyOne senior creative director worldwide George Kovoor said, “This is the first time a brand has used Vine to create real time video content during an event as big as the Cricket World Cup. It is also one of a series of social media innovations and ideas that Cadbury 5 Star created to start conversations during the World Cup and amplify the promise of Jo Khaaye Kho Jaaye.”

Twitter:

· Impressions: 526K

· Tweets: 4375

· Mentions: 2029

· RTs: 2080

· Favorites: 1031

Vine:

· Loops: 86,561

· Top Vines:

o Running Between the wickets:

o Victory Dance:

o Umpire:

Facebook:

· Reach: 1,987,200

· Views: 50,884

· Likes: 53,725

· Comments: 290

March 21, 2015
CEAT hops on as segment sponsor for IPL 2015

MUMBAI: CEAT has hopped on board as one of the central sponsors for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2015.

CEAT will be the prime sponsor for the Strategic Time Out segment in Pepsi IPL. CEAT and Pepsi IPL association leverages on common values between both the brands i.e. premium and dynamic. The association also acts as a perfect marriage between two brands that are youth centric.

CEAT as a brand has always been associated with cricket, which includes CEAT Cricket Ratings amongst others and recently launched CEAT Cricket gear. The tie up with Pepsi IPL will make CEAT’s association with cricket even stronger. The partnership with Pepsi IPL will leverage CEAT as a global brand, increasing its brand awareness in key markets.

CEAT will also be leveraging the partnership with Pepsi IPL through multiple on-ground and digital activations during the upcoming season. For its Facebook and Twitter followers, CEAT has planned contests around Strategic timeout. The contest will comprise tricky questions around strategic timeout creating buzz around this segment for cricket enthusiasts.

Additionally, this property will also allow the brand to be actively visible on various platforms for entire IPL period. CEAT will also be launching an app on cricket that will have elements of the IPL theme.

CEAT managing director Anant Goenka said, “We have signed a three year deal with BCCI by picking up the sponsorship of Strategic Time Out for Pepsi IPL. Pepsi IPL has emerged as the biggest cricket property in India and given CEAT’s long term association with cricket this became the perfect platform for us to come on board. This property allows us to bring saliency around the brand through which we hope to build value for our customers over the next three years. Further, this allows us to be synonymous with Pepsi IPL in the tyre category and bring excitement to both our internal & external customers.”

March 20, 2015
HUL emerges as numero uno employer of choice for fourth successive year

MUMBAI: As per the latest Nielsen Campus Track-B School Survey, Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) has emerged as the No. 1 Employer of Choice across all sectors for the 2015 graduating batch of B-School students, across functions for the fourth year in a row.

In addition, HUL retains the ‘Dream Employer’ status for the sixth year running and continues to be the top company considered for application by B-School students. HUL has also been ranked No. 1 for marketing as well as No. 1 FMCG in finance. This is the 15th year of the Nielsen Campus Track B-school study.

This achievement is recognition by students of the consistent actions HUL has taken over the years to build mutually beneficial relationships and engagements with the student and academic community.

HUL’s strong employer value proposition is rooted in its unique positioning as a “Leadership Factory” – offering big jobs early on in career to groom for functional and business leadership responsibilities. With its robust talent systems and processes, HUL identifies talent early and invests to build capability.

The company also offers a rigorous Summer Internship Programme, where interns go through an enriching learning experience by managing live projects that have a direct and huge impact on the business. In 2014, over 51 per cent interns completed projects at international locations in Unilever. HUL is also one of the first to announce Pre-Placement Offers (PPO) for interns across campuses.

HUL has a clearly defined career philosophy, which revolves around job rotation and diversity of experiences at all stages of the individual’s career. Internationalisation is also built in and currently around 200 HUL managers have been expatriated to other Unilever countries.

India offers an incredible opportunity. The sheer size and the growth prospects make it an exciting place for HUL. Growing incomes and the changing attitudes to consumption will mean that India is likely to see strong growth for several years to come. In that situation, HUL is very well positioned. Its current leadership positions, size, scale and strong brands position HUL perfectly to leverage this opportunity and make a real difference in this country.

The company also has a rigorous and transparent people planning process, which is owned by leaders at each level who review and assess talent on both the “What” and the “How’” of performance through an objective process. Capability building and career plans for talent form an integral part of this process.

Leadership development at HUL is about building leaders through a combination of disciplined routines and processes, and something not always evident from outside: a collective expertise, honed through practice, in recognizing and developing talent. This has established HUL as a source of leadership talent, both for Unilever globally and in industry in general.

Recognizing the importance of leadership in the larger communities, HUL has also been extending its role in building and harnessing leadership amongst the student community. Senior leader campus interactions with students to share leadership perspectives and insights and leadership development program and intervention for student leaders are part of this larger initiative, which has created great visible impact on students.

March 19, 2015
Vatika ties up with PVR for multiplexes; to invest Rs 300 crore

MUMBAI: Real estate firm Vatika Group has tied up with multiplex operator PVR to open and operate 26 multiplex screens in three townships – Vatika India Next, Vatika Infotech City and Vatika City Central in Gurgaon, Jaipur and Ambala respectively.

The estimated investment in the project will be approximately Rs 300 crore by both the companies.

The three multiplexes, which will have a capacity to house 5,000 people, are expected to be operational by the fourth quarter of 2018-19.

According to the Vatika Group, once operational, these will be the first PVRs in Jaipur and Ambala and will also be the largest multiplex in Gurgaon with 14 screens.

Vatika Group head sales and CRM Vikas Sahdev said that the multiplexes will make the townships attractive from an entertainment standpoint.

PVR chief development officer Ashwani Handa said, “We are excited about our partnership with Vatika Group for such a vast geographical project, spread across three cities – Jaipur, Ambala and Gurgaon. The locations in all these cities are very promising in terms of developing infrastructure and being a hub of the real estate sector.”

Currently, PVR operates 462 screens in 104 properties in 44 cities across India.

March 18, 2015