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Category: MAM

  • Chhattisgarh Tourism to spend Rs 100 mn in promotions

    Chhattisgarh Tourism to spend Rs 100 mn in promotions

    BANGALORE: The Chhattisgarh Tourism Board (CTB) plans to spend Rs 100 million towards advertising and marketing during the next fiscal starting 1 April.

    Over the past six months, CTB has spent around Rs 700 million to this end.

    State Tourism Departments and Boards across the country have been spending money to attract the tourists. In a bid to attract domestic and international tourists and to build awareness, CTB had planned a marketing campaign – ‘I discovered…..’ . The campaign will roll out across print, television and online.

    An earlier initiative to attract tourists from the US and Germany by campaigns in those countries was quite successful, said CTB managing director Tapesh Kumar Jha.

    CTB wants to attract the HNI from India and in the first phase aims at reaching out to nine Indian cities – Delhi, Bangalore, Raipur, Kolkata, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Vishakhapatnam, Nagpur and Hyderabad. It’s ‘I discovered…’ campaign has an underlying theme that drew from the pleasure an delight of experiencing the new and the unknown. It attempts to touch an emotional chord –the ads highlight interesting facts about the state.

    CTB has been employing different agencies for its creative work across mediums and has been buying media directly or through the Chhattisgarh government‘s own internal agency.

  • Bhupal Ramnathkar, KB Vinod float creative agency

    Bhupal Ramnathkar, KB Vinod float creative agency

    MUMBAI: Two veterans of the advertising world in India have joined hands to launch a creative agency by the name of Company. While Bhupal Ramnathkar has been instrumental in starting the design agency Umbrella Designs, KB Vinod has headed Mudra West in the past.

    The new outfit is a full-service agency with digital as its integral driving component as the founders believe it is the medium of the future.

    Company has 20 employees working at present and plans to hire more in about a month. The agency already has a few projects in the pipeline, the details of which it will divulge at a later date.

    The name ‘Company’ is akin to a working title for now. As part of the launch, the duo has decided to make interested netizens part of the deal by calling for suggestions for a name for the agency. Any interested person can suggest a name for the agency along with a bid. The biggest bidder’s name will be used as the name of the agency and the money shall be donated for a good cause.

  • Suniel Shetty becomes face of World Series Hockey

    Suniel Shetty becomes face of World Series Hockey

    MUMBAI: After previously serving as the brand ambassador of the Indian hockey, actor Suniel Shetty has agreed to become the face of Indian professional hockey league, World Series Hockey, in which he also co-owns the Karnataka Lions franchise along with Sporting Ace, which is part of Zentrum Group.

    The popular Bollywood action hero, a passionate sports buff, will do extensive promotions for the hockey championship which boasts of prize money of Rs 100 million. WSH will be held from 29 February to 2 April featuring 59 matches to be played between eight teams.

    Shetty said it was a great opportunity to be part of this path-breaking event which could change the course of Indian sports.

    The actor said, “World Series Hockey is an idea whose time has come. Hockey is the only sport that has brought glory to India on numerous occasions at the Olympics, and the time has come for us to recognise and support the sport through a world-class league featuring all the global champions.”

    The eight venues for the inaugural edition of the league are Bangalore, Bhopal, Chandigarh, Chennai, Delhi, Jalandhar, Mumbai and Pune. Chandigarh Comets will face-off against Bhopal Badshahs in the first tie of the tournament on their home ground.

    Said Nimbus Sport COO Yannick Colaco, “We are thrilled to have Anna (Suniel Shetty) as the WSH brand ambassador. He is one of the few actor-celebrities committed to promoting sports and his fondness for hockey in particular is well known. We look forward to a win-win partnership and will launch an aggressive 360-degree consumer marketing campaign shortly.”

    The eight WSH teams are Bhopal Badshahs, Chandigarh Comets, Chennai Cheetahs, Delhi Wizards, Karnataka Lions, Mumbai Marines, Pune Strykers and Sher-e-Punjab.

    Nimbus and IHF, the organisers, are yet to announce the franchise owners for Bhopal Badshahs, Chandigarh Comets and Sher-e-Punjab.

  • PGTI scouts for title sponsor as Aircel pulls out

    PGTI scouts for title sponsor as Aircel pulls out

    MUMBAI: Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) is scouting for a title sponsor after telecom major Aircel pulled out of the deal.

    Aircel has decided to focus completely on the Indian Premier League (IPL) where it sponsors the Chennai Super Kings team,. The company, thus, did not go ahead with the renewal of its title sponsorship deal with PGTI.

    PGTI director Padamjit Singh Sandhu said, “We had a very healthy partnership with Aircel for three and a half years, but they have decided not to renew the deal.”

    While Sandhu refused to reveal the financials of the sponsorship agreement, the three-year agreement is believed to be in the region of Rs 150 million.

    An Aircel spokeswoman confirmed that the company was not renewing its sponsorship of PGTI without specifying any reason.

    The telecom company, which has its roots in Chennai, had last year renewed its partnership with CSK for three more years.

    Sandhu, however, affirmed that the professional golf body was in talks with three potential sponsors – two Indian business conglomerates and one MNC – to replace Aircel.

    “I can’t say anything right now but we should be able to sign-up a sponsor in two months,” Sandhu asserted.

    Sandhu also revealed that the PGTI has already signed-up two more partners which include a soft beverage partner and a magazine partner in Golf Plus. Without divulging the name of the soft drink partner, he hinted it’s between Pepsi and Coca -Cola.

    Aircel had associated with Golf to engage with consumers from the higher income socio-economic category.

  • Publicis Groupe buys back 18 mn shares from Dentsu

    Publicis Groupe buys back 18 mn shares from Dentsu

    MUMBAI: European media communications group Publicis Groupe has bought back 18 million of its own shares from Dentsu for a total price of 644.4 million euros, which translates to 35.80 euros per share.

    The transaction was completed before the opening of the Paris stock market on 17 February.

    At a meeting held on 14 February, the Supervisory Board of Publicis examined the management board‘s proposal to proceed with the buy-back and decided on the acquisition of 18 million shares and immediate cancellation of 10,759,813 shares. This step was taken within the framework of the buy-back program approved at the general meeting of shareholders of the Groupe on 7 June 2011 in the interests of Publicis Groupe and its shareholders as a whole.

    The buy-back involved a discount of 13.35 per cent from Publicis Groupe‘s closing share price on 16 February. It will have a positive effect on diluted earnings per share of approximately 6 per cent in 2012 and 7 per cent on a full year basis.

    After cancellation of 10.76 million shares, which is the maximum number that the Groupe was permitted to cancel after its cancellation of shares on 10 May, 2010, a total 10 per cent of the Groupe‘s shares have been cancelled over the past 24 months.

    The remaining 7.24 million treasury shares will be kept for use to cover incentive plans for retention shares, performance shares, stock options and acquisitions.

    The purchase was fully financed from Publicis Groupe‘s available cash.

    Additionally, the buy-back resulted in termination of the shareholders‘ agreement and the strategic alliance agreement that Dentsu and Publicis Groupe entered into in 2003. As a result, Dentsu chairman Tatsuyoshi Takashima and Dentsu president and CEO Tadashi Ishii have resigned from Publicis Groupe‘s Supervisory Board.

    Publicis Groupe chairman of the management board and CEO Maurice Lévy said, “The partnership with Dentsu over the past 10 years has been amicable and exemplary. Dentsu‘s stake in the share capital of Publicis has furthered the development of the Groupe. I wish to express my gratitude for the elegance and professionalism with which this partnership has been carried out, and to all the Dentsu executives who have taken part in this adventure.”

  • Fanta launches new campaign created by O&M

    Fanta launches new campaign created by O&M

    MUMBAI: Fruit-flavored carbonated soft drink from the Coca-Cola Company, Fanta, has unveiled its new campaign, ‘Taste that makes you jump‘.

    The campaign has been conceptualised by Ogilvy & Mather.

    Taking its ‘Zyada Fanta, Zyada Masti‘ campaign to the next level, the new 360-degree initiative christened, ‘Taste that makes you jump‘ is in line with the core brand image of Fanta – reminding consumers about its “great orangey, bubbly taste”.

    The new campaign will reach out to youth through television ads, outdoor, radio, activation and social media.

    Coca-Cola India and South West Asia VP-marketing Anupama Ahluwalia said, “Brand Fanta is known for its distinct playful imagery and its great ‘Orange‘ taste. Through the latest integrated marketing campaign, Fanta aims at inviting everyone to increase ‘Play‘ in their life. The communication also reminds the consumers to enjoy the magic of its delicious taste. Fanta has a unique place in the minds of consumers and through the launch of this campaign, we aim to further strengthen this connect.”

    As a part of on-ground activation, Fanta will also engage with consumers at select locations in 42 cities across 10 States (Maharashtra, Punjab, Haryana, Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Assam, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar). Fanta will be extending its new brand thought through a special experiential sampling initiative. As part of this initiative, consumers will get a taste of Fanta experience through interactive games.

  • Aethra joins Sahara Force India’s sponsorship roster

    Aethra joins Sahara Force India’s sponsorship roster

    MUMBAI: Silverstone-based Formula One team Sahara Force India has announced that Aethra, a leading auto parts manufacturer based in Brazil, has joined the team as an official partner for the 2012 season.

    The signing of the partnership marks the beginning of Aethra’s strategy to increase its brand awareness by taking full advantage of the global audience offered by Formula One.

    Sahara Force India Team Principal & MD Dr. Vijay Mallya said, “I am pleased to welcome Aethra to the team as we prepare for the start of our 2012 campaign. Their support is important as we seek to build on the solid foundations we have established over the last four seasons and sustain the momentum we generated last year. As an auto parts supplier, Aethra is an ideal match for Sahara Force India and their understanding and passion for cars will help ensure the success of the partnership for both organisations.”

    Aethra‘s management believes that this partnership is a significant step towards their global expansion, especially in important markets such as India and China. The relationship with Sahara Force India, therefore, offers an exceptional marketing platform for Aethra’s growing product range.

    Aethra CEO Rafael Sportelli said, “Aethra is very proud to join the Sahara Force India Formula One Team. Both companies share a long commitment to technical excellence and strive for innovation in very competitive environments. Over the last few years this has been demonstrated by Sahara Force India’s rise through the ranks, culminating in a fine sixth place in the championship last year. Aethra is delighted to be associated with a team that is hungry for success and we look forward to an exciting 2012 season.”

  • Rahul Avasthy reveals secrets of marketing to Generation Y

    Rahul Avasthy reveals secrets of marketing to Generation Y

    MUMBAI: Getting the attention of the youth segment is important as they are the opinion makers today, said Focus Circle Brands director-client servicing and digital strategy Rahul Avasthy, while speaking at the Youth Marketing Forum.

    Avasthy talked about the secrets to marketing to generation Y (youth). He said, “Brands today need to understand that content is dead without context. Content is what company makes but context is what you make for the consumers; content is what generation Y buys but context is why they buy; content starts from buying the product and end when the product ends but context starts before the purchase and stays far beyond the consumption of the product.” I

    If the youth won’t find context in the brand, he won’t go for it, he added.

    According to him, generation Y have access to more tools like mobile and technology; they have more capacity to release ideas. They can go against the government and start a Facebook page. They have more tools and, hence, they have more conviction. It’s about knowing how generation Y is changing into ‘o’ (optimisers). Marketers can help the people in transition. When you look at the long term, consumers of previous generation are not much different than that of current generation. It’s just that youth wants change.

    Generation Y is using social tool in an optimised way and they want a better social experience. “Before planning the mediums to be used, marketers should see what social tool their target group is using. This generation is not buying the design, and layouts. What matters to them is what design and retail layout is doing for them. Generation Y does not only consist of rebels;they are responsible citizens,” he said.

    A strategy called ‘secret’ is also a secret to marketing to generation Y. Youth today wants to know things before others come to know about it and they want to know everything that is popluar without being left out. Being the first one to share something on Facebook is cool for them. It becomes a measure of one’s cultural power and popularity. Kolavari Di was an opinion that others related to and made spoofs which was again watched by many.

    ‘Market your best customer first, prospect second, rest of the world later’, noted Avasthy. “If you want to catch hold of youth, you need to be on web, mobile, wherever they are. You cannot bore generation Y into buying. Fasso’s is using a secret strategy in a good way. You can tweet on their home page on Twitter and place an order. Also, they have an offer like write ‘I hate you’ on Fasso’s twitter page and get 20 per cent off. These things help brands in a way that the audience will discuss about the brand and virally it will be passed on to others. Generation Y acts as a medium and as a media as well,” he concluded.

  • Dheeraj Sinha provides insights into Indian consumers mind and wallet

    Dheeraj Sinha provides insights into Indian consumers mind and wallet

    MUMABI: Today’s India is seeing things it has never seen before – medals in Olympics, cheerleaders in cricket, kissing scenes on national television, fairness creams for men, agricultural tips on SMS and marriages arranged on the Internet. There is a cultural shift that is happening with time, said Bates Asia chief strategy officer Dheeraj Sinha who spoke at Shopper and Consumer Insights Forum here.

    Sinha is author of the book ‘Consumer India-Inside the Mind and Wallet’. At the forum, he talked about changing India. He pointed out some cultural shifts happening in the society. According to him, there is a change in morality which is happening through the Bollywood eye. What is shown in Bollywood or advertisements is what is happening in and shaping real life. Earlier when people were bothered about society more, the movies showed those values; today when people are more concerned about what they want in life without bothering about society, films and advertisements are showing that.

    He felt that the mindset of the consumer is changing. He is living more of Kshatriya kind of life. Indians are living out with a warrior kind of feeling, of getting what they want.

    “The fact that Big Bazzar and other retailers are successful is because in India shopping is like an event. In a context where everything is changing, all brands in India should remember that staying attached to the foundation would help them. Dabur has a huge market and has products like Chyawanprash. This shows that brands should stand for tradition and package themselves in that way because there is a space in the market. Reiterate the value that India has given us,” he said.

    According to him, the country is young but there are no youth brands. Being young is an easy way for brands to succeed. Virgin Mobile ads during IPL last year were learnings for the industry. “TV legitimates many things. Earlier when there was a kissing scene shown in movies, it used to be a big issue. But now even television shows that and people have accepted it. Also, abuses in beep form are used on Indian television today. They are considered to be cool,” he added.

    Sinha noted that Indian consumers buy into a ‘proven success’ rather than ‘niche experiments’. People have the tendency to follow what others do. Whenever anything big happens, it goes viral because people want to have the same experience and don’t want to be left out.

    When Docomo launched in India, it came out with a tariff that wasn’t being provided by any other network. They played with the leadership values and changed the paradigm. So, it’s essential for brands to scale up and do something that the competitors are not doing.

    Youth is not the only market. There are other people in India too. But people like Ratan Tata, Vijay Mallya, Shobha De, Javed Akhtar have found their way of change.

    Also, today the ‘bottom of the Pyramid’ wants to be ‘top in statuses’. People hesitate in buying Nano because that will show others that they can’t afford it and will question their status.

    Sinha concluded by saying that Indians have progressed more than India has. China’s growth is policy-led but India’s growth is people-led.

  • Turner appoints Glenn Bartlett as APAC creative director

    Turner appoints Glenn Bartlett as APAC creative director

    MUMBAI: Turner Broadcasting System Asia Pacific has announced the appointment of Glenn Bartlett as creative director, to lead the company‘s on-air and off-air creative direction.

    Based in Hong Kong and reporting to Lucien Harrington, VP of Branding and Communications, Glenn is responsible for managing the creative strategy for Turner‘s entertainment portfolio including Cartoon Network, Pogo, Boomerang, truTV and Turner Classic Movies, while supporting the development of key kids‘ franchises such as Ben 10 and The Amazing World of Gumball.

    “Glenn is a creative leader in its broadest sense who will inspire those he works with and take the creative execution associated with our brands to the next level”, said Harrington. “Brands no longer live on a single platform and Glenn‘s agency and digital experience will ensure that we continue to over deliver on consumers‘ high expectations of how they can engage with our brands.”

    Prior to joining TBSAP, Glenn was the senior/executive creative director at I&S BBDO/Proximity in Tokyo for four years and earlier in Shanghai for two years. There he built the creative team from the ground up, turning it into a world-class, award-winning agency in no time.

    A native Canadian, Glenn started his career in Toronto, where he spent years working his way up through various creative roles including creative director at Modem Media, from where he transferred to Asia.