ITV

Category: MAM

  • TV ad spend in sports grows to $10.9 bn in the US: Nielsen

    TV ad spend in sports grows to $10.9 bn in the US: Nielsen

    MUMBAI: National TV sports in the US generated $10.9 billion in advertising expenditure last year, compared to $10.3 billion one year prior, according to Nielsen’s State of the Media: Year in Sports.

    Measuring ad spend during sporting events on network and cable TV from Q4 2010 through Q3 2011, Nielsen also saw that cable has an increasing share of those ad dollars—growing 37.3 per cent year over year compared to 5.9 per cent for sports ad spending in general.

    TV sports advertising is dominated by a few big spenders, with the top 10 led by AT&T, Bud Light, Verizon Wireless, McDonald’s and DirecTV—accounting for roughly a quarter (26 per cent) of the total spend during that time period.

    The increase in TV ad spend mirrors a similar increase in the amount of live TV sports content available on TV and cable. There were more than 42,500 hours of live sporting events on national broadcast and cable TV in 2011, a five per cent increase over 2010.

  • Rajesh Rai is McCann Healthcare ECD

    Rajesh Rai is McCann Healthcare ECD

    MUMBAI: McCann Healthcare has appointed Rajesh Rai as Sr. VP and ECD.

    Rai moves in from Sorento Healthcare Communications where he was working as EVP and Chief Creative Officer.

    McCann Worldgroup India executive chairman and CEO Prasoon Joshi said, “Healthcare and wellness is a strategic focus for McCann Worldgroup and I see tremendous potential for growth in this area. To further empower McCann Healthcare for robust growth and pioneering, game-changing work, Rajesh Rai will be joining as the ECD. I know him since my very early days in advertising. I have great memories of him as a professional and a person who led, motivated and guided. Rajesh will be a catalyst towards raising the bar of our creative product across Medical, Pharma and Consumer Healthcare marketing communication. And I see Rajesh and Sohan becoming a formidable team in the healthcare space”.

    McCann Healthcare India Sr. VP and GM added, “Rajesh is a proficient leader driven by clear thinking that translates into effective creative solutions. I look forward to partnering with him to set new benchmarks for integrated healthcare communication in our industry.”

    Rai brings in almost three decades of experience in the communication industry. He has been in the healthcare communication space since 2004.

    Prior to this he has also worked with Ogilvy One as NCD and Everest Integrated Communications Ltd. (DY&R Agency) as VP and Sr. creative director.

  • Hindu wants to stay ahead of ‘The Times’

    Hindu wants to stay ahead of ‘The Times’

    MUMBAI: In a classic media ad war, The Hindu has hit indirectly against The Times of India to protect its turf in Chennai. With its ‘Stay Ahead of The Times campaign‘, The Hindu has declared that it is a force in print journalism which may not be so easily put down by the popular trend of trivialising news.

    The campaign, conceptualised by Ogilvy and Mather, broke on the back of the launch of Times of India’s Kerala edition.

    The 360 degree campaign aims at raising the issue of commercialisation and ‘bollywoodisation’ of print journalism today.

    Speaking to Indiantelevision.com, The Hindu Group vice president advertising, Suresh Srinivasan said: “In a globalising knowledge-driven economy, it is vital that readers are well informed about the world at large. And yet, over the last few years, news from the media industry in India has increasingly focused on serving up a steady diet of trivia and shied away from the national and international issues that matter. It is the kind of news that equates to junk food and results in a steady dumbing down.”

    Srinivasan maintains that the aim of the campaign is to set the agenda for raising concern about the type of news disseminated by the media and the need to report news on issues that really matter.

    The campaign kicked off with a tongue-in-cheek TVC. It has followed it up with an equally in your face print campaign with copies like “Also has pages 1,2,4,5,6,7..” and “Sense. Not Sensational”. The social media has been utilised as well with dedicated Facebook and Twitter accounts. Plans are on for an extensive outdoor campaign along with some on ground activations as well.

    Srinivasan added, “The goal here is to start a debate and get the readers involved. Having been in the print media for so long, we decided to put into use the newspaper’s credibility and heritage in the business to voice this concern. Yes, there is a fun side to it, and it may seem we are answering a rival newspaper through this campaign, but there is no such intention to take on any competitor.” He goes on to add that the responses in the commercial are real answers and not rehearsed ones.

  • Multi Screen Media ropes in early sponsors for IPL at 10% higher rates

    Multi Screen Media ropes in early sponsors for IPL at 10% higher rates

    MUMBAI: Aiming at growth in a slowing economy, Multi Screen Media (MSM) has roped in early sponsors for the IPL at rates that are 10 per cent higher than the previous year.

    Vodafone, Pepsi, Tata Photon and Idea are the four advertisers who have returned, indicating faith in the Indian Premier League (IPL) despite the brand value of some of the Indian cricketing icons being eroded due to their poor performance in Australia.

    Co-presenting sponsors are coughing out around Rs 680-700 million and associate sponsors Rs 480 million each, according to sources.

    The fifth edition of the IPL is obviously gaining from a lean cricketing calendar year. The cricket World Cup was also there last year, just preceding the IPL.

    According to a media buyer, telecom companies are looking at this event in a big way this year. “Last year, you had the cricket World Cup just before the IPL which affected interest. This year there is no such issue. The Asia Cup which takes place just before the IPL is a much smaller event,” he explains.

    The IPL that kicks off on 4 April will still have to counter a tough economy when companies are cutting down on their ad spends. While not revealing any client names or targets, MSM president networks sales, licensing and telephony Rohit Gupta is hopeful of managing some sort of growth. At the same time, he concedes that it is a challenge managing to do this level of revenue.

    The IPL, which saw a dip in ratings last year, will be marketed heavily this year. Says Gupta, “At the franchisee meeting in Goa, the stakeholders were clear that there is a need to push up the ratings. You will definitely see more buzz around the event. A bigger push will be made compared to last year, not just by Max but by all the stakeholders. With no World Cup, the IPL will also have have a clearer run this year.”

  • Ekta Kapoor emerges as ‘Entertainment Industry Icon’ in Ormax’s survey

    Ekta Kapoor emerges as ‘Entertainment Industry Icon’ in Ormax’s survey

    MUMBAI: Balaji Telefilms’ joint managing director and soap queen Ekta Kapoor has been voted as the Entertainment Industry Icon of 2011, in a Decision Makers Survey conducted by Ormax Media, as a part of their year-end report Front Page 2011.

    The survey was conducted amongst decision makers and influencers in the media business – senior advertisers, media planners and media journalists.

    The respondents were asked to choose one person from the entertainment industry who, according to them, made the maximum impact in 2011. A staggering 46 per cent of them voted for Kapoor. She was chosen for experimenting with unconventional genres in films like The Dirty Picture, Shor In The City and Ragini MMS, and also for providing Sony a much-awaited fiction hit in Bade Achhe Lagte Hain.

    Balaji Telefilms’ winning streak continues with her film The Dirty Picture also emerging as the clear leader in The Most Trendsetting Film of 2011 in the survey. The film dominated this category with a 45 per cent share. It was followed by Delhi Belly and No One Killed Jessica on the second and third positions, with 28 per cent and 12 per cent share respectively.

    The Dirty Picture was chosen as the most trendsetting film for its bold portrayal of a sexually explicit theme, including the lead actress breaking the norms set for conventional Bollywood heroines.

    Speaking about the survey, Ormax Media CEO Shailesh Kapoor said: “The Decision Makers Survey was done to understand the views of senior industry experts on the best of 2011. Balaji Telefilms had a remarkable year in 2011, and it is not surprising that they take the top position in two categories.”

    Detailed results of the Decision Makers Survey will be available in the Front Page 2011 report, which be released in the first week of February 2012.

  • O&M crafts the perfect match for Best Rice

    O&M crafts the perfect match for Best Rice

    MUMBAI: Ogilvy & Mather has conceptualised the latest TVC for Best Foods’ rice brand based on the concept of ‘the perfect match’.

    The TVC is an effort towards establishing the brand’s corporate identity and is produced by Chrome Pictures.

    The agency started by designing things like the stationery and new packaging design. The new pack was an instant rage in the market because of its fresh and ethnic Indian look.

    Best Foods Ltd business director Aayushman Gupta said, “We had an interesting challenge to reposition rice from an uninvolved product for the consumer to a desirable brand. The positioning and communication had to be out-of-the-box, clear, uncluttered and keeping with the times through its cues and presentation. The entire team at Ogilvy Delhi thought wonderfully to help us plan and execute the same.”

    Ogilvy Delhi deduced an insight that rice is never eaten in isolation and came up with the idea of ‘The Perfect Match.’ Three scripts were devised for three strategic markets. Each commercial weaved a story about a perfect couple.

    Ogilvy New Delhi executive creative director Ajay Gahlaut said, “There are various ways of bringing the thought of ‘The Perfect Match’ alive and several were tried. But experience shows that consumers always warm up to human stories. Specially love stories, which is where we hit upon the idea of using different couples to make our idea talk. The chemistry between the couples brings charm to the commercials while effortlessly communicating the brand benefit.”

  • Naukri.com launches TVC for mobile services

    Naukri.com launches TVC for mobile services

    MUMBAI: Job portal Naukri.com has launched a TVC to introduce its mobile application.

    The mobile app and site will allow jobseekers to search and apply for jobs from their cell phones.

    The three TVCs run for 25 seconds and have already been launched on YouTube. It has been conceptualised by Draftfcb Ulka while Bang Bang Films has produced it.

    The new Naukri on mobile commercials displays the frustration of the boss in many ways towards the medium which allows his employee to seek better opportunities stemming from the creative thought that ‘your boss will hate it‘.

    The company said that the commercial lived up to the benchmarks set by the previous Naukri commercials; it continues with the theme of boss-employee friction and show an empowered employee. Above all it had to include the product feature which ties in all of the above in a tongue-in-cheek manner which Naukri.com commercials are known for.

  • Sunil Gadgil is Nivea India director- marketing

    Sunil Gadgil is Nivea India director- marketing

    MUMBAI: Skin care brand Nivea India has appointed Sunil Gadgil as the marketing director of the Indian Operations.

    Gadgil joins in from Bausch and Lomb India where he was heading the marketing function.

    Nivea India MD Rakshit Hargave said, “We are delighted to welcome Sunil to the Nivea family. Sunil is a respected member of the marketing industry and his expertise combined with our insights will help us take Nivea to the next level in the coming years”.

    On his new role Gadgil added, “NIVEA has immense potential and a great image. As kids we all have used Nivea products and have sentiments attached to the brand so the moment I got an opportunity to be a part of Nivea I had to take it. I am very excited to be a part of the team for more than one reason and would want to contribute in Nivea‘s journey to the next decade.”

    Gadgil comes in with over 14 years of experience of which over 10 years have been spent in the marketing function across hair and personal care, vision care, household care and credit cards.

    Prior to this he has worked with Asian Paints, Marico, Godrej Sara Lee and GE Money.

  • Changes in key leadership at LMG

    Changes in key leadership at LMG

    MUMBAI: Lintas Media Group has announced promotions at the Mumbai, Kolkata and Cochin offices. Also, Himank Das, Joydeep Raha and S Muthukumarasamy, who head the Karishma Initiative, LMG Bangalore and Chennai offices respectively, have put in their papers.

    Confirming the news to indiantelevision.com, LMG‘s yet-to-be named brand agency CEO Suresh Balakrishna said, “Yes, the exits of Joydeep, Muthu (Cochi), and Himanks are confirmed. We are in the process of restructuring and as a result some of these were planned exits and some due to some change in HR strategy.”

    Mahesh Motwani has been promoted to executive vice president of the Kolkatta office and will develop new markets as well while Premjeet Sodhi has taken over as COO at LMG.

    Patrick Gomes has been elevated to head of the agency‘s Mumbai business. Having been at LMG for the past one and a half years heading prestigious financial accounts and the Bajaj Group, Gomes has a total of 14 years experience. He was previously with Starcom, Mediacom, TME, Madison.

    Dhirendra Singh who has been with LMG since eight years now has been promoted to head of planning for the Mumbai Office. He has been overseeing planning for accounts like UBI, Jyothy Laboratories, Bombay Dyeing etc and now takes on a larger responsibility for the entire office.

    Also, Vidya Nandakumar has returned to the agency as head of Cochin office and has taken charge of Manappuram and other businesses. She has come in from Madison, Bangalore and has over 12 years of experience in the industry, handling businesses like Britannia Industries Ltd., ITC Ltd., Hewlett Packard, and Muthoot Finance.

  • Emery to succeed Proctor as CEO Mindshare Worldwide

    Emery to succeed Proctor as CEO Mindshare Worldwide

    MUMBAI: Nick Emery will be taking over as Mindshare Worldwide CEO, overseeing operations across 112 countries including India.

    Emery succeeds Domonic Proctor who has been elevated to the new position of GroupM president.

    Emery currently leads Worldwide strategy, client service and product development for Mindshare and is also the chief strategy officer for GroupM worldwide.

    Mindshare has over 5,000 employees and billings in excess of $27.8 billion.

    Emery and Proctor have been partners since working together to establish Mindshare as a global network in 1997.Emery will now focus solely on Mindshare and its clients.

    The focus of the company will remain on innovation, data and technology, preserving Mindshare‘s global network.

    The announcement was made by GroupM Global CEO Irwin Gotlieb who has been promoted to the position of GroupM chairman. Proctor will continue to report to Gotlieb.

    On his new role Emery said, “I‘m delighted to be taking on this role at this exciting time in the agency‘s evolution. Mindshare‘s agenda continues to focus on innovation, technology and added value to our clients and we want to build on the successes of recent years. The success of Mindshare has always been built upon our network, teamwork and willingness to embrace change. We will continue to increase investment in a diverse and talented team across a global network that is second to none. We have created an organisation with strong management and our work has been recognized with a string of prestigious awards during the last 12 months. We‘re confident that our clients and staff will prosper as a consequence of these changes – our rate of growth and the complexity of our business require that we constantly evolve.”

    Proctor added, “I am delighted that Nick has agreed to take over. Nobody has done more than him to help build Mindshare and I know that the agency will go from strength to strength under his leadership.”