ITV

Category: MAM

  • WPP to outsource finance jobs to India

    WPP to outsource finance jobs to India

    MUMBAI: Cut and snip. That‘s what global advertising agency group WPP is resorting to in the midst of rising costs and a tough economy.

    It is proposing to outsource the jobs being done by those being chopped from its North American operations – mainly in the finance and billing area — to India, reports Ad Age. And the likely Indian beneficiary: Genpact.

    The report in Ad Age stated that all together around 100 professionals will be eased out of the agency network in the US in the coming months, and it covers Ogilvy & Mather, JWT, Grey, Y&R and Wunderman.

    Ogilvy is expected to drop 85 professionals in the next 18 months; Grey as many as 30 people beginning in mid-2012, while JWT could dunk 16 people or fewer.

  • Seventymm launches Chhota Bheem merchandise

    Seventymm launches Chhota Bheem merchandise

    MUMBAI: Online shopping portal Seventymm has launched Chhota Bheem merchandise for all his little folks.

    The collection will include range of Chhota Bheem mugs and photo frames by Seventymm.

    Seventymm CEO Mudit Khosla said, “The idea behind coming up with this collection was basically to be able to cater to the kids and bring to them something exciting and unique. I am sure the kids are going to love the collection and we‘ll be getting very good reception for the same.”

    One has to log on to www.seventymm.com portal, and choose from the different options, make payments and get the delivery done.

  • Sudipto Chowdhuri joins as SVP — national sales for TV9 Kannada and News9

    Sudipto Chowdhuri joins as SVP — national sales for TV9 Kannada and News9

    BANGALORE:TV9 group has appointed Sudipto Chowdhuri as SVP — national sales and brand positioning for TV9 Kannada and News9.

    Chowdhuri will be reporting to the TV9 Kannada and News9 director Mahendra Mishra.

    In his two decades of experience, Chowdhuri has worked with brands such as Tata Yellow Pages, India Today, Zee Network, 9X and Star News.

    Chowdhuri‘s last assignment was with Star News network based in Mumbai. He has worked across all markets in the country and is equipped with knowledge of corporate and retail advertising in both TV and Print.

    Mishra says, “As TV9 Kannada and News9 continue to grow as South India‘s most powerful media brands, we will look to Sudipto to take these channels to even greater heights.”

  • Turner Broadcasting sets up internal agency for connect with clients

    Turner Broadcasting sets up internal agency for connect with clients

    MUMBAI: Turner Broadcasting System Asia Pacific, Inc is restructuring its sponsorship and promotions department to Turner Media Solutions, a full-service in-house agency designed to create customised marketing solutions.

    Turner Media Solutions will aim to develop holistic campaigns to connect advertisers with audiences across Turner‘s 12 entertainment brands, the company said.

    Coinciding with this announcement is the launch of TurnerMediaSolutions.com, an online creative hub showcasing Turner‘s entertainment portfolio as well as a library of campaign innovation and case studies.

    “As a leader in kids‘ and entertainment content creation we‘re well placed to offer our clients this core expertise, crafted exactly to their business needs. Whether partners want to engage with kids in India, families in Australia or affluent travelers in Japan, TurnerMediaSolutions.com provides immediate insights into how we can help create something truly unique that will deliver on their objectives,” said Turner Media Solutions director Con Apostolopoulos.

    From animation and customised game development in the kids‘ space to original programming throughout Turner‘s portfolio of channels, Turner Media Solutions intends to integrate brands with its programming and characters across TV, web, mobile and live events.

    Leveraging the expertise and broader reach of Turner‘s research and communications team, and retail specialists across the region, the in-house agency aims to add significant value to company‘s partners.

    “Through Turner Media Solutions, we aim to establish close connections with clients and agencies and hope they‘ll find our new online creative hub an invaluable resource. We‘re committed to creating a very fluid conversation with our clients and TurnerMediaSolutions.com is a great springboard for new ideas,” stated Apostolopoulos.

  • Sony targets Rs 2 bn from KBC

    Sony targets Rs 2 bn from KBC

    MUMBAI: It’s hoping to hit the jackpot itself. Sony Entertainment Television (SET) is looking at more than doubling its advertising revenues from its flagship reality game show, Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC), even as it is lengthening the telecast time of each episode and its seasonal run.


    The Hindi general entertainment television channel is expecting to reap an ad revenue of Rs 1.80 to Rs 2 billion from the fifth edition (second on Sony) of the show, according to market estimates.


    This time the show will run for 14 weeks in 1 and a half hour long episodes. In the previous edition, KBC ran for seven weeks in one-hour episodes.


    “Sony is looking at more than doubling its ad revenues as the inventory has gone up. Besides, the channel‘s ratings have improved as well,” said a media analyst.


    The channel is spending an estimated Rs 800-100 million on marketing the game show, which will be hosted by Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan. Last time SET spent Rs 110 million on marketing the show.


    “We had to spend more on marketing the show last time because we had to stress on the fact that KBC was shifting from Star TV to Sony. Also, Bachchan was returning to the show after a gap of six years,” said SET senior vice president and marketing head Danish Khan, while declining to comment on the actual spends this year.


    Placing the show at 8.30 pm every Monday-Friday, Sony is using the flagship show as a gateway to its primetime programming. The channel plans to launch a fiction show at 8 pm in mid-September.


    “We have two fiction shows which are doing well at late primetime. This is a good time band to attract audiences from smaller towns and metros. KBC is going deeper this time,” stated Khan.


    KBC was aired at 9 pm in the previous edition.


    Sony is expanding the role of KBC from just a game show to a “show that reflects the transformation of lives in India”.


    “Our entire marketing premise is built on this. Our five set of TVCs will reflect this message,” Khan commented.


    The themes chosen for the television commercials aim to highlight the country‘s identity: inflation, corruption, old age, relationships and hedonistic.


    The show‘s positioning has been amplified from “Koi bhi sawaal chota nai hota” to ‘Koi bhi insaan chota nahin hota‘.


    “This year‘s thought of ‘Koi Bhi Insaan Chota nahin Hota‘ is rooted in a popular belief of the society that ‘everybody inherently has the capability to achieve something extra-ordinary‘. Hence, all stories stem from the big idea – ‘do not underestimate anybody‘. KBC is not just a game show but it leads to information. It is rooted to India‘s culture that knowledge is power”, averred Khan.


    With a broader positioning, Sony has changed its promotional plans as well with television staying as the frontier medium. “Television and cinema will convey the message of the changing India. Print, radio and outdoor will act as reminders for appointment viewing,” Khan said.


    Conceptualised by Leo Burnett and produced by Chrome Pictures, the campaign has five TVCs, each with a distinct story and character. It reiterates the power that lies with the average middle-class man.


    “The hot seat is a great leveler. It transforms lives. The whole auditioning process is done in such a way that every contestant has a story to tell. Each of the 52 episodes will tell a story of the common Indian,” asserted Khan.


    The reliance on TV has also extended the spots‘ duration to 60-seconds.


    “Since the previous year was a very successful one for KBC, we are hoping that this one does even better. We have received fabulous response from our digital promotions as well. Our main objective was to create the most memorable campaign,” Khan concluded.

  • Suzlon powers a new brand initiative – p.a.l.s.

    Suzlon powers a new brand initiative – p.a.l.s.

    MUMBAI: Wind power company, Suzlon, has launched a new brand campaign called p.a.l.s. – the Pure Air Lovers‘ Society.

    The company has roped in radio jockey Malishka; model and actor Milind Soman; actor, social worker, and author Gerson da Cunha; and writer and columnist Anil Dharker, as the first p.a.l.s. champions.

    P.a.l.s. aims to emphasise that clean air, green open spaces and proper channels of garbage disposal all lead to an improved quality of living. With a national print and TV campaign, the movement aims to gain traction through online registrations at www.pals.in.

    Suzlon Group global head of brand Dharini Mishra said, “At Suzlon, we want to go beyond our corporate duties and dispel apathy to create social consciousness on environmental change. Working towards this, we initiated p.a.l.s. – a group of environmentally responsible individuals, who not only voice their opinions against the constant threat to our environment, but follow through in their actions. We believe that p.a.l.s. will create a change in attitudes, and eventually actions, to make our air cleaner and environment healthier.”

    Lowe Lintas chairman R Balki said, “We are proud to partner with Suzlon to create a campaign that is critical and relevant to the times we live in. We believe that the p.a.l.s. movement will resonate with the people of India, educating and empowering them to make choices that have a direct impact on our planet.”

  • JK Cement signs Virender Sehwag as brand ambassador

    JK Cement signs Virender Sehwag as brand ambassador

    MUMBAI: Cement manufacturers J.K. Cement has roped in Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag as its brand ambassador, and has launched the first spot featuring him.

    The television commercial is the brainchild of Basic4 – a Delhi-based advertising agency.

    The concept of the TVC revolves around situations wherein Viru or Phodu goes about his habit of smashing cricket balls so hard that the surroundings are under threat of getting decimated; thankfully, there‘s Jodu or J.K. Cement around, to keep buildings intact.

    Moreover, J.K. Cement is planning to promote the campaign with all-round television, radio and BTL activities.

    For brand building, this would be a 360-degree campaign encompassing consumer promotions, online support and public relations, and would be unveiled in a phased manner over the next two years.

    J.K. Cement brand manager Nitish Chopra said, “We also plan to involve Sehwag in ground-level activation, engagement, customer outreach programs and various BTL activities like consumer and dealer meets, Point of Purchase material etc.”

    Sehwag said, “I‘m happy to be associated with J.K. Cement. It‘s very interesting to see how they have related my strengths with their product attributes and conceptualized an ad that strikes a connect with the audience.”

    Chopra added, “Having been in the industry for over 35 years, the company has built its credentials with a never say die attitude and a penchant for smashing challenges ruthlessly. That, when given a human persona, had to be a person who would be both experienced and aggressive and at the same time be both dependable and unique. Keeping this in mind, while deciding on our brand ambassador, Virender Sehwag was the obvious choice, to be the face of J.K. Cement.”

    Basic4 creative director Mayank Gaur said, “Among all the smashers of the cricket ball (or phodu‘s, as they are popularly referred to across India), Sehwag is unique in that he combines brute power with staying power. His two triple centuries and 13 odd 150+ test scores conclusively settle that argument. We thought countering this phodu‘s onslaught with our jodu – J.K. Cement, another champion of staying power, would be an engaging way of getting across our brand promise – ‘Vishwas hai, isme kuch khaas hai‘.”

    Chrome Pictures is producing the TVC.

  • IFB is ZenithOptimedia’s first Kolkata client but to service western region

    IFB is ZenithOptimedia’s first Kolkata client but to service western region

    MUMBAI: ZenithOptimedia has won the media buying and planning duties of home appliances brand IFB for the western region.

    The account size is estimated to be Rs 150 million and was awarded following a multi-agency pitch.

    Until now the media duties were handled by IFB‘s in-house agency.

    “But ZenithOptimedia came up with their interesting proposal, and we thought why not go ahead with it. So for now it‘s only in the western region and if things worked out, we can start working on the national level”, a representative from IFB‘s marketing team said.

    Incidentally, this is ZenithOptimedia‘s first win in Kolkata. The agency‘s new office is still being set up.

  • Tarvinderjit Singh joins Rediffusion Y&R as creative head – copy

    Tarvinderjit Singh joins Rediffusion Y&R as creative head – copy

    MUMBAI: Rediffusion – Y & R has appointed Tarvinderjit Singh as creative head – copy at Delhi.

    Singh joins from TBWA, where he was the creative head. He will report to Rediffusion – Y & R, Delhi ECD Chraneeta Mann.

    In his 11 years of experience, Singh has worked for brands such as Perfetti, Coco-Cola, Nescafe, Mastercard, Thums-up, Unicef, General Motors (Chevrolet), LG, Samsung, Wrigley, Microsoft, Gillette, Metlife, Motorola, Airtel, Videocon, Dabur and Moser Baer.

    Singh has also worked as part of international teams on MasterCard, Gillette, Hitachi and Adidas.

    Mann said, “Tarvinder is a welcome addition to our creative team in Delhi. He is a seasoned writer and has a vast experience across many brands. He has done some particularly insightful work in the past and we hope to have him bring that same understanding of human insights into the work he does on LG. I am sure he will contribute hugely to taking the brand to greater heights.”

    Rediffusion – Y & R, Delhi vice president Abhik Santara added,
    “Rediffusion Delhi office is going through a very interesting phase. We are not only growing with our existing clients but also looking at new prospects. LG is one of our most prestigious clients and we have very strong relationship across all verticals. With Tarvinder on board we hope to further strengthen the Rediff-LG engagement and raise the creative bar.”

  • C K Krishniah Chetty & Sons to spend Rs 50 mn on campaign

    C K Krishniah Chetty & Sons to spend Rs 50 mn on campaign

    BANGALORE: South India jewellery player C K Krishniah Chetty & Sons (CKC) plans to spend Rs.50 million on its campaign to promote a new gold savings scheme, ‘The Gold Standard 1869 The Rate Protection Plan‘.


    Earlier the plan was for CKC‘s exclusive customers only. The tagline of the new savings scheme is Say ‘No to Rising Gold Prices with the CKC Gold Standard 1869 Rate Protection Plan.‘


    The company will be using a 360 degree approach to promote the campaign.


    “We will be using outdoor, newspapers, magazines, television channels, radio, mailers and the internet for the campaign. We are looking at garnering at least Rs 500 million over the next 6 to 12 months from the scheme this year and a lot more as we expand from our current four stores chain based in Bangalore and Hyderabad to a larger presence across India,” said CKC MD C Vinod Hayagriv.


    Over the last 11 years since the 142-year-old jeweller launched the scheme for its exclusive customers, CKC has serviced around 15000 clients with an average ticket size of Rs 100,000, revealed Hayagriv.


    “Creative work for ads and promotion of our jewellery products is highly specialised. We have an in- house team of people for that function. In the case of video, we hire out outside agencies to create the films for us. Also, we buy and plan media ourselves,” said Hayagriv.