ITV

Category: MAM

  • Scarecrow wins Core Projects & Technologies biz

    MUMBAI: Global education company, Core Projects & Technologies, has appointed Scarecrow Communications as its advertising solutions agency.


    Scarecrow will handle all aspects of Core‘s communication including creative, strategy, design, activation and media. There was no pitch process involved.


    Scarecrow Communications founder director Raghu Bhat says, “Education is one of the fastest growing sectors in the Indian economy. Core is the most cutting edge education company in India. Working with a market leader like Core is an opportunity to address multiple target audiences in India and abroad, with an array of exciting strategic and creative solutions.”



    The official spokesperson from Core Projects & Techologies also confirmed this development.


    Scarecrow Communications founder director Manish Bhatt added, “Education is one of the most meaningful category to work on. It is more like associating with a cause when we are associating with Core Brand. Coincidently, parents of all 3 of us (me, Raghu and Joy ) being teachers, working on Core going to be special and dear to our hearts. Another reason for us being proud regarding this association is Core‘s international client list, which includes the world most respected entities like US & UK Governments, NASA and Oxford University.”


    Scarecrow handles clients such as BPCL, Religare, Future Capital and Nestle.

  • Omega, PGA of America sign 5-year sponsorship agreement

    Omega, PGA of America sign 5-year sponsorship agreement

    MUMBAI: Omega, the Swiss maker of prestige watches, and The PGA of America have announced a strategic marketing and sponsorship agreement that will carry through 2016.

    The five-year agreement, which provides for multiple “Official Timekeeper” designation, marks a major breakthrough for Omega in the sport of golf in the US.

    The deal also enhances the brand’s rich history in sports timekeeping and aligns Omega with the world’s largest sports organisation consisting of 27,000 men and women PGA Professionals who are recognised for their expertise in teaching the game, promoting the game, and managing golf facilities.

    The new partnership will be launched at the 2011 PGA Championship that takes place from 8-14 August at Atlanta Athletic Club in Johns Creek, Ga, and will extend through The PGA of America’s Centennial in 2016.

    Omega president Stephen Urquhart said, “With our tournaments in Europe and Asia, Omega has long supported the growth of golf as a global game and we are looking forward to being involved in the great events organised by The PGA of America. This partnership also gives us a fantastic platform to develop the brand in the important American market.”

    With The PGA of America conducting two of golf’s premier events enjoyed by global audiences – the PGA Championship and the Ryder Cup — Omega is committed to elevating its mutual brand presence in a global marketplace while expanding its public awareness. That commitment includes advertising on golf telecasts of PGA championship events, marketing support for the PGA’s player development efforts and extending benefits to PGA members and their facilities.

    PGA of America CEO Joe Steranka said, “The PGA thanks OMEGA for its excitement in promoting the game and our brand, as well as OMEGA’s recognition of the important role PGA Professionals play in the growth of the sport. We are delighted that OMEGA will become the Official Timekeeper, delivering quality service and technical support at our premier spectator and member championships.”

    Through the multi-faceted partnership agreement, Omega will commit support to a member-benefit Omega timepiece programme and a facility clock programme, both exclusive to PGA Professionals.

    Further, Omega has committed support to the PGA Professional National Championship, as one of three Presenting Sponsors and support of the Championship telecast on Golf Channel. Omega will also commit to having corporate hospitality at all PGA major championships, and Omega clocks will be positioned at PGA Golf Properties — PGA Golf Club, the PGA Center for Golf Learning & Performance, PGA Country Club, and Valhalla Golf Club.

    Omega adds that it has long supported the sport of golf internationally, serving as title sponsor of the Omega European Masters, the Omega Mission Hills World Cup of Golf and the Omega Dubai Desert Classic.

    Omega’s roster of brand ambassadors includes a number of current golf stars and one of the game’s all-time greats, Greg Norman.

  • Hindi GEC genre expands on back of fiction

    Hindi GEC genre expands on back of fiction

    MUMBAI: The Hindi GEC genre has expanded 41 GRPS (gross rating points) for the week ended 2 July.

    Also, the genre leader Star Plus, No. 4 in the ladder Sony Entertainment Television (Set) and Imagine TV saw major gains (almost 20 GRPs) each.

    Star Plus crossed the 300 GRP mark once again as it added 19 GRPs to its previous week‘s tally to close with 311. All the primetime shows of the channel saw a jump in viewership, which resulted in Star Plus‘ gain.

    Meanwhile, Colors and Zee TV, the second and third ranked Hindi general entertainment channels, dipped. Colors shed 10 GRPs to end the week with 253 GRPs. Zee TV lost 23 GRPs to close with 205 GRPs.

    Zee TV‘s Pavitra Rishta is still ruling the shows chart with 5.1 TVR while Colors‘ Balika Vadhu is in hot pursuit with 5.06 TVR.

    Set, meanwhile, saw a 23 GRP jump as its biggest fiction property, Bade Acche Lagte Hain, gained from 2.4 TVR in the last week to 3 TVR in the current week. The channel got 173 GRPs in the week as per data from TAM for the Hindi speaking markets (C&S, 4+).

    Imagine TV, which aired the Sangeet episode of its Swayamvar season 3 – Ratan Ka Rishta, added 26 GRPs to pocket 107 GRPs (from 81 GRPs in the week ago), a coup achieved after a long time. However, it remained lower than Sab, which is stable at No. 5 with 134 GRPs (last week 137).

    Star One, meanwhile, collected 41 GRPs (from 38) while Sahara One was at 34 GRPs (from 29).

  • JWT snaps up Indian ad firm, eyes acquisitions

    JWT snaps up Indian ad firm, eyes acquisitions

    MUMBAI: JWT, the wholly owned operating company of WPP Plc, is acquiring a majority stake in Hyderabad-based Mindset Advertising for an undisclosed amount.

    Speaking to Indiantelevision.com, JWT India chief executive officer Colvyn Harris said the agency is eyeing further acquisitions in the digital space that would bring in a range of services, skills and capabilities.

    “We are taking a majority stake in Mindset Advertising, the leading agency in that market. We will have management control,” said Harris, while declining to specify how much stake JWT would hold in the Indian agency.

    With the buyout, JWT will have Hyderabad as its sixth office in India, helping it to tap into the growing IT, real estate, education and healthcare sectors.

    “The deal will open up new avenues for us. The ad market in Hyderabad is growing at 25-30 per cent. The acquisition is made with an eye towards future growth potential. We look at the right scale and balance when we make acquisitions,” said Harris.

    Mindset Advertising, which offers creative services, strategic planning and campaign execution in digital, print and television, had posted a revenue of Rs 51 million for the fiscal ended March 2011, with gross assets of Rs 43 million.

    Harris said, “Hyderabad figures as one of the most promising cities in JWT‘s growth plans and the integration of Mindset into our global operations gives clients in the city access to the best of what JWT has to offer worldwide. It also gives them access to the services of our family of specialist companies in various communications-related fields, including media planning and buying, digital communications, activation, public relations and market research.”

    JWT has worked closely with Mindset on several clients including Bharti Airtel.

    Santha John, who founded the agency, will head the JWT Hyderabad operation, which has a number of blue-chip clients, especially in Hyderabad’s key sectors of IT, education, health-care and infrastructure.

    JWT Hyderabad will continue with its leadership team of CEO Ram Gedela, director creative Anvar Alikhan, AVP and senior creative director Mark Samuel.

    JWT Hyderabad consists of a team of 44 people and offers a
    full-service range of creative services, strategic planning and
    execution in digital, print and television. Major clients include ADP, Airtel, and Pepsi.

    JWT President Michael Maedel stated, “With the acquisition of Mindset, JWT is represented at a level that allows us to further capitalise on the opportunities developing in the market along with our clients, and to offer more advanced advertising and marketing solutions that meet clients’ needs.”

    Added John, “We are proud to be part of JWT. We have been reputed to be ‘the best advertising brains in Hyderabad, under one roof’. With full access to JWT’s global resources, we now look forward to being able to offer our clients in Hyderabad an even higher level of service.”

    India is one of the fastest growth markets for the WPP Group, with revenues of around $450 million, including associate firms‘ earnings.

    “The group has five of India‘s top 10 agencies and collectively employs around 9,000 people,” WPP said.

    In 2008, JWT had acquired majority stake in Encompass Events, an independent events and promotions agency.

  • Interface, Lodestar to handle ad duties for Mahindra Genio DC

    Interface, Lodestar to handle ad duties for Mahindra Genio DC

    BANGALORE: Automobile major Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. announced the national launch of a variant of its pickup – Genio – the Genio DC (or Genio dual cabin) in Bangalore.

    Interface Communications will handle the creative duties for the brand and Lodestar the media buying.

    While Mahindra is using television as one of the mediums for promoting the single cab Genio that it had launched earlier this year, there are no plans at present to have a specific TVC for the dual cabin, revealed Mahindra’s Automotive Division Vice President for Marketing Vivek Nayer.

    “While we do have a campaign planned out once the Genio DC has been rolled out across the country by August, there are no plans for television advertising for the DC at present. The campaign that is on currently for the Genio brand which includes television will continue,” he added.

    The market for the one tone capacity pickup in India is about 85,000 units and Mahindra is eyeing to grow the market with a new subcategory as well as its market share. Automobile sales have reduced in India over the past few months – Mahindra’s Automobile division has seen volume growths of about 29 per cent last fiscal and 23 per cent during the last month.

    Nayer further said, “Being the leader in the pick-up segment with a 73 per cent market share, the onus is on us to offer superior products to our customers to elevate their status and lifestyle. The Genio DC is a high end premium double cabin pickup designed to match the evolved needs of businessman, both as an efficient cargo mover as well as to provide premium comfort for passengers.”

  • Big Street appoints Bagai as national sales head, Saxena is regional business head, west

    Big Street appoints Bagai as national sales head, Saxena is regional business head, west

    MUMBAI: Reliance Broadcast Network (RBNL) is strengthening its out of home vertical Big Street with new key appointments.

    The company has appointed Vivek Bagai as national sales head, while Naveen Saxena has come on board as regional business head west. Both Bagai and Saxena will report to Big Street business head Ashwin Padmanabhan.

    As part of his new portfolio, Bagai will be responsible for sales and revenue generation for the company’s out of home business. An IIM – Calcutta post graduate, Bagai comes with over 17 years of experience in the areas of business operations, sales & marketing, customer relationship management and distribution management.

    Prior to big Street, he was Bharti Airtel GM sales for the Lucknow and Gorakhpur zones. He has also worked with Reliance Infocomm as cluster head in West UP and ExxonMobil Lubricants as regional manager (East).

    Saxena, on the other hand, comes with 13 years of experience in marketing and sales in leadership positions.He was with Peacock Media, an out of home and multi-platform lifestyle media agency.

    Padmanabhan said, “Vivek comes with a rich experience in sales working with organisations with expanding inventories across geographies, enabling him to drive teams in a synergised fashion to achieve desired results. Naveen will be a huge asset to our business with his excellent track record and deep know-how of the industry. We are confident that they will lead the teams into the new chapter of BIG Street’s growth.”

    Bagai added, “I am looking forward to this new assignment and am excited about joining RBNL. I believe the organisation is on the fast track to success and I would love to be a part of this growth as an active participant. They are looking at new horizons of growth and I hope that through my knowledge and experience, I will be able to contribute to this growth.”Saxena said, “It is a great opportunity to work with Big Street and I am thrilled about my new role. I believe I can use my experience for the expansion and growth of the business and look forward to a great innings with the company.”

  • Rediffusion – Y & R appoints Venugopal Chandrasekhar business head, Mumbai

    Rediffusion – Y & R appoints Venugopal Chandrasekhar business head, Mumbai

    MUMBAI: Rediffusion – Y & R has appointed Venugopal Chandrasekhar as the business head, Mumbai.

    Chandrasekhar moves in from Bates 141 and has also worked with Contract Advertising and Brand David.

    Chandrasekhar has worked on brands such as Amul, Camlin, Philips Lighting, Bajaj Sunny Zip, Bajaj Auto, Asian Paints, ICICI Bank, VIP, Bharat Petroleum, Heinz, Shoppers’ Stop and LG Mobile Phones.

    Chandrasekhar was also involved in the launch of the English News channel CNN-IBN of the Network 18 Group. At Bates 141, he had been actively working on AIG Corporate, Tata AIG Life Insurance and AIG Mutual Funds. He also led the successful transition of Colgate into Bates and led the team on the Unilever Brand, Ayush.

    Rediffusion – Y & R Mumbai VP Neville Medhora said, “Venu has handled a varied set of clients and brings a lot of experience to the table. He has exceptional strategic and relationship skills and I am looking to him to deliver that across our clients and within the agency.”

    Chandrasekhar added, “The thought of being a part of the next stage of consolidation and growth of an iconic agency like Rediffusion – Y & R truly excites me. There is a whole bunch of extremely talented guys out there hungry to do sparkling work on some fascinating brands. Heading a business unit which has a lethal combination of experience and exciting young talent is what motivated me to sign up.”

  • Euro RSCG 4D Matrix bags TI Cycles’ digital mandate

    Euro RSCG 4D Matrix bags TI Cycles’ digital mandate

    MUMBAI: Murugappa Group‘s TI Cycles of India has roped in digitalagency Euro RSCG 4D Matrix to handle its digital business.

    ePagemaker was the incumbent agency for the brand.

    TI Cycles of India is aiming to promote cycling and fitness through the fun and fitness platform on ground as well in the digital world and hence has partnered with Euro RSCG 4D Matrix.

    The agency will manage the company‘s website, social media marketing, search engine marketing, mobile marketing and other digital.

    Euro RSCG 4D Matrix COO said, “This is a great win for us considering the extent of work we can do for them. There have been instances where digital has helped drive not just sales, but more importantly, consumer engagement in a similar segment. The team looks forward to this challenge.”

    TI Cycles of India and BSA Motors GM-Marketing, Rajesh Mani said, “Euro RSCG 4D Matrix showcases a promise of fresh creative talent and a solid digital backend, which will help us enrich the audience‘s digital experience. We look forward to an enriching and exciting partnership.”

  • JCDecaux Advertising appoints Duggal as GM, sales

    JCDecaux Advertising appoints Duggal as GM, sales

    MUMBAI: JCDecaux Advertising India has appointed Alok Duggal as general manager, sales.

    Duggal will oversee the media offerings of the company that includes a property base of bus shelters and Street Furniture in New Delhi and Mumbai, and an exclusive advertising concession with Bangalore International Airport.

    Duggal moves in from ING Bank of India, where he was head of marketing.

    Duggal said, “This will be a new experience for me as the role
    involves interacting with multiple brands. The focus is to provide complete solution to the brands in terms of visibility and brand salience, be it in Delhi and Mumbai (Street Furniture) or at Bangalore International Airport.”

    JCDecaux India MD Pramod Bhandula said, “Duggal has full understanding of brand marketing and appreciates the importance of outdoor. He will be instrumental in bringing on board all the brands which have been missing the potential that OOH offers.

  • Hungama Digital Media appoints Indranil Sengupta as marketing & brand GM

    Hungama Digital Media appoints Indranil Sengupta as marketing & brand GM

    MUMBAI: Hungama Digital Media Entertainment has roped in Indranil Sengupta as general manager, marketing and brand management.

    Sengupta will be replacing Ashish Shah, who resigned nearly two weeks ago.

    Sengupta moves in from Zee Enterprises as AVP marketing and brand management for Zee Café and Zee Studio. He was responsible for creating brand identity, framing strategies for creating awareness about the brand, and implementing pre/post launch promotional activities for brand building and market development.

    Sengupta will report to Hungama Digital Media Entertainment chief operating officer, consumer business and allied services Siddhartha Roy.

    At Hungama, Sengupta will have a corporate role and work closely with the products team. He will take care of all the above the line (ATL) and below the line (BTL) activities for the interactive firm.

    Sengupta has nearly 11 years of marketing experience and has previously worked with Hungama as account manager, client servicing for two years (2002-04). He has also worked with Rediffusion – Dentsu Young & Rubicam (now Rediffusion-Y&R).