ITV

Category: MAM

  • P&G cuts ad spend by 11%

    MUMBAI: FMCG major Procter & Gamble Hygiene and Health Care has cut its spend on advertisement and sales promotion by 10.82 per cent in the quarter ended 30 June.


    The spend on advertising stood at Rs 453.1 million for the quarter ended 30 June compared to Rs 508.1 million a year-ago.


    For the full accounting year ended 30 June, P&G had invested Rs 1.85 billion towards advertising and sales promotion, as against Rs 1.61 billion in the previous fiscal.


    The company has posted a consolidated net profit of Rs 356.3 million for the final quarter of its accounting year, compared with Rs 101 million for the same quarter last year. However, for the full accounting year, the net profit has dropped 16 per cent to Rs 1.51 billion, from Rs 1.80 billion in the previous year.


    The net sales for the quarter under review jumped 23.63 per cent to Rs 2.45 billion, from Rs 1.98 billion.

  • WPP’s billings up 5.2 per cent at ?21.4 billion

    WPP’s billings up 5.2 per cent at ?21.4 billion

    MUMBAI: WPP, the world’s largest advertising company, has reported a strong first-half financial performance.

    WPP declared revenue growth of 8.1 per cent in the first half (organic growth of 6.1 per cent), gaining from a robust advertising environment across the world. North American sales increased 5.4 per cent, and growth in the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) improved 15 per cent in the first half.

    The company‘s operating margins augmented to 11 per cent from 10.3 per cent in the first half of 2010, with higher profitability in all geographic regions.

    Billings were up 5.2 per cent at ?21.4 billion, while reportable
    revenue has increased by 6.1 per cent at ?4.7 billion.

    The Board of WPP announced its unaudited interim results for the six months ended 30 June 2011. “Despite recent uncertainties, these results continue the post-Lehman bounce-back seen in 2010 and the Group has now achieved levels of pro-forma revenues and profitability beyond 2008,” said an official statement.

    For the remaining 2011, the company states that slowdown in the growth rate in the United States should be compensated geographically by faster growth in the United Kingdom, Western Continental Europe, “from admittedly low levels”, and faster escalation in Asia Pacific, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East and Central and Eastern Europe.

    “Functionally, any slowdown in traditional media spending, is similarly forecast to be covered by increasing digital spending and, in our case, by continued growth in media investment management,” an official statement stated.

  • Ogilvy India retains Lenovo account

    Ogilvy India retains Lenovo account

    MUMBAI: Ogilvy India has retained the Lenovo India account as its creative agency on record.

    This is the first time Lenovo called for a pitch, since its launch in 2005. Ogilvy launched the brand in India and has been handling the account since then. The other agency that participated in the pitch process was Saatchi & Saatchi India.

    This is one of the most critical accounts for Ogilvy India, a senior official said.

    The outcome was a combined effort between the Ogilvy‘s Mumbai office and its global hub in Bangalore, which already handles global assignments for Lenovo. The account will be jointly handled by both the branches.

    According to the agency, “This is demonstrative of Ogilvy‘s ability to build powerful communication campaigns that connect strongly with the youth, which is the primary focus for Lenovo India.”

    Ogilvy South Asia executive chairman and creative director Piyush Pandey said: “I have been very proud of the work we have done in the past for Lenovo India. I see this placement of faith in Brand Ogilvy as the way forward for creating even better work. I applaud the teamwork of our colleagues across offices. Lenovo is a great client that deserves great work; we will spare no efforts in making that happen.”

    Lenovo India director – marketing Shailendra Katyal said, “Lenovo aims to be the No.1 personal technology brand with a strong youth connect. We therefore want to work with partners who are best in class and share our hunger for growth. We chose Ogilvy as our brand custodians as we believe that with its strong creative track record they can deliver the breakthrough work needed for supplementing our brand‘s growth.”

    “India is one of the biggest key focus markets for Lenovo globally. We are delighted to be a part of the Lenovo India success story. Lenovo India has great ambitions, we are very excited to be appointed,” said Ogilvy India Bangalore Hub president Poran Malani.

  • Beam unveils new corporate branding

    Beam unveils new corporate branding

    MUMBAI: Beam Global Spirits & Wine, Inc. will start using a new logo upon the separation of Fortune Brands‘ businesses, which is on track for completion early in the fourth quarter.

    The company has unveiled the new corporate branding as it is en route to become an independent publicly traded spirits company, to be renamed Beam Inc.

    As a standalone spirits business, the company will trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol BEAM.

    The new logo features the single word “Beam” in the signature script of fourth-generation distiller James B. Beam, whose namesake Jim Beam Bourbon is the company‘s flagship spirits brand.

    The red script logo underscores the centuries of entrepreneurial spirit, and family-driven heritage behind Beam‘s portfolio of premium spirits throughout the world.

    Beam president and CEO Matt Shattock said, “Our new corporate identity is simple, authentic, and memorable and is the perfect reflection of our commitment to the Beam family‘s pioneering vision established more than 216 years ago. The Beam signature will now be on every aspect of our global business, serving as a powerful and enduring endorsement of our dedication to quality, innovation and authenticity as we enter an exciting new era of growth as a leading pure-play spirits company.”

  • OMG India appoints Bharat Malik as its country manager

    OMG India appoints Bharat Malik as its country manager

    MUMBAI: Performance marketing company, Online Media Group (OMG), has appointed Bharat Malik as country manager of OMG India.

    Malik moves in from travel portal Yatra.com, where he was head of online marketing. He was instrumental in launching the affiliate program for Yatra.com.

    His mandate will be to familiarise more Indian clients with the concept of affiliate marketing. According to the company, currently, 80 per cent of Indian travel brands don‘t use affiliate marketing and similar patterns exist across all sectors.

    OMG Group CEO Richard Syme said, “Bharat Malik has extensive affiliate experience, particularly in the travel industry. We know over 75 per cent of Indian e-commerce is in the travel sector, but only 20 per cent of these brands currently utilise affiliate marketing – there is a massive potential for growth. Bharat is an extremely important and strategic hire for OMG. We‘re fast expanding in the Asia-Pacific region and we believe he‘ll play an important role in introducing the travel sector and all other sectors to the possibilities open to them with performance marketing at OMG India.”

    Malik added, “With the growth of Indian e-commerce, now is the time for industry to harness the power of online performance marketing. Affiliate marketing with its performance driven results, helps online marketers achieve impressive RoI. It‘s been over four years since affiliate marketing started in India – we need to educate the market about the possibilities it opens up to them to increase sales and customer interaction. OMG India has developed robust technology platforms to make powerful affiliate campaigns a fast, affordable and exciting option for every Indian brand.”

  • KBC helps Sony sprint ahead of Colors

    KBC helps Sony sprint ahead of Colors

    MUMBAI: Amitabh Bachchan, the grand old man of Bollywood, has helped Sony Entertainment Television (Set) sprint ahead of Colors to grab the No. 2 position.

    Set has added 50 GRPs (gross rating points) to take its total to 245 points in a week that saw the return of Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) on the channel.

    As per TAM data for the week ended 20 August, KBC opened in the Hindi speaking market (HSM) with a 5.24 TVR, making it the biggest non-fiction launch of the year. Though the opening of KBC this season is lower than that of last year (6.2 TVR), it is important to note that the telecast time of the show has been lengthened to 90 minutes per episode.

    KBC 5 (2nd season on Sony) averaged 4.54 TVR during the week.

    KBC also lifted the ratings of other fiction shows. Bade Achhe Laggte Hain, Set‘s biggest fiction show, has grown to a TVR of 3.7, while Saas Bina Sasuraal touched 2.4 TVR. CID continued to thrill the audience with an average rating of 3.5 TVR while Crime Patrol clocked 3.1 TVR.

    Set senior EVP business head Sneha Rajani said, “KBC 2011 has been the only non-fiction show to open above 5 TVR this year on any Hindi GEC. We are delighted at the performance of all our shows and over the next 4 to 5 weeks we will further consolidate our position. We are confident that fiction will be the main growth driver on the channel. With a slew of promising new shows, Set will be a channel to watch out for.”

    Colors has slipped to No. 3 position with 232 GRPs (preceding week 236), while Star Plus continued to be on top of the ladder with 297 GRPs (277 in previous week).

    Zee TV is in fourth place for the second consecutive week with 194 GRPs (190 in trailing week), according to TAM data. Interestingly, Sony had managed to edge out Zee TV after the launch of KBC last year, though for a short time.

    The rest of the pecking order remains unchanged. Sab in fifth position collected 128 GRPs (last week 127) while Imagine TV earned 76 GRPs (last week 71), followed by Star one (32 GRPs) and Sahara One (31 GRPs).

  • DHL is Manchester United’s first official training kit sponsor

    DHL is Manchester United’s first official training kit sponsor

    MUMBAI: DHL has become Manchester United‘s first official training kit sponsor.

    The new four-year-agreement sees the DHL logo included on the clubs‘ training kit worn by all first, reserve and youth team players during domestic competitions and builds on DHL‘s relationship behind the scenes at the club.
     
    DHL has been the club‘s Official Logistics Partner for a year and played a key role supporting United‘s pre-season tour of the US and will continue to work hard to help deliver success on and off the pitch.
     
    To mark the extended partnership, and as part of United‘s celebrations of its record-breaking 19th top-flight championship win last season, the logistics company will be delivering the Club‘s gift to its fans attending this evening‘s match against Tottenham Hotspur – 73,000 specially-commissioned commemorative scarves.

    DHL Express (Europe) CEO John Pearson said, “We‘re delighted to be extending this strategic partnership which will see DHL getting more involved in the behind the scenes operations of Manchester United and supporting the club in its continued success Building on our current relationship with the world‘s biggest football club reflects our ability to provide unparalleled logistics services for customers across the globe”

    Manchester United CEO David Gill said, “This deal breaks new ground in the English game. We are delighted that DHL has extended its partnership with the Club to include the training kit. DHL‘s global presence and international standing are a perfect fit for the world‘s most popular football club.”

    Commercial Director Richard Arnold said, “This is a deal that continues to demonstrate the Club‘s position as the most innovative and successful in the game. DHL have been a great partner to work with and have integrated with the Club‘s operations seamlessly. The work they did around this summer‘s US tour was striking and we are looking forward to developing a broader relationship in the future.”
     

  • AETN18 ropes in Salman Khan for History channel

    AETN18 ropes in Salman Khan for History channel

    MUMBAI: AETN-18, a joint venture between A+E Networks and TV18, has associated with actor Salman Khan for its upcoming factual entertainment channel, History.

    In a first and yet-to-be-revealed format of association, Hustory brings on board an actor and star whose popularity cuts across all age groups and gender, and who will play a pivotal role in helping change the perception of History in India.
     
    A+E NetworksITV18 JV president Ajay Chacko said,”Salman symbolizes the brand personality of History perfectly. He is stylish, trendy, versatile, fun and his all encompassing popularity makes him the perfect fit for our brand. History has always been associated with the past, but with the new History channel, we hope to change people‘s perception of HISTORY. The channel today is contemporary; it is about action & adventure. It is about people making history every day. And through this unique and exciting partnership with Salman Khan, we hope to make this genre as popular in India as it is around the world.”
     
    Khan said,”The Indian TV audience today has evolved. They are very demanding and look for a mix of differentiated programmes for their daily dose of entertainment. HISTORY channel, with its unexpected take on the subject, is sure to whet the audience’s appetite for more of its kind. I was bowled over by their content, it’s nothing like I expected it to be!”

  • Starcom appoints Rajendra Dwivedi as VP

    Starcom appoints Rajendra Dwivedi as VP

    MUMBAI: Starcom Worldwide has appointed of Rajendra Dwivedi as vice president. He takes charge on 25 August and will lead Starcom Worldwide, Mumbai.

    Dwivedi will report to Starcom MediaVest Group India CEO Mallikarjunadas CR.

    Along with the other branch heads of Starcom Worldwide and MediaVest Worldwide as well as the heads for Insights & Research, Digital and Business Impact functions, Dwivedi will be part of the National Leadership Team at Starcom MediaVest Group India.
     
    Dwivedi comes with an experience of over a decade in media, having worked at Mudra, Universal McCann and Group M. His last assignment was as general manager, Maxus Mumbai. He has led large teams managing significant businesses of leading brands in his previous stints.
     
    Says Mallikarjunadas CR, “Rajendra has proven himself as a reliable leader with a robust background in business development and client relationship management. We are sure he will continue his successful run with us.”

  • Padmanabhan joins Neo Cricket as national ad sales head

    Padmanabhan joins Neo Cricket as national ad sales head

    MUMBAI: Manoj Padmanabhan has joined Neo Sports broadcasting as Neo Cricket national head of ad sales.

    Padmanabhan will report to Neo Sports Broadcasting executive VP – network sales Raju Udupa.

    He moves in from Somerset Entertainment Ventures (Singapore), where he was senior sales advisor for nearly 10 months. During his stint there, he was instrumental in setting up and creating a business model for the Sri Lanka Premier League.

    Padmanabhan said,”Neo is in an interesting growth phase. With the best cricket content for the next few years, I look forward to creating value for the advertisers and maximising revenue for the organisation.”

    Before Somerset, Padmanabhan was working at Bloomberg UTV as VP sales for a period of 10 months. Prior to that, he worked at Ten Sports for a period of over four years as director of ad sales.

    Udupa added,”We have an action packed season lined up and I am glad to have Manoj on board. He is known for his sharp acumen and sales expertise and I am confident of Neo achieving greater heights.”