Category: MAM

Infosys, Tata top brands in India ahead of Google

MUMBAI: IT giant Infosys is the lead brand in India while salt-to-software conglomerate Tata occupies the second spot, according to a survey.

In fact, seven out of the top ten brands in India are native firms. Though global conglomerate Google is ranked third, Maruti-Suzuki and Larsen & Toubro walk away with the fourth and fifth positions, ahead of Nokia. State Bank of India is ahead of Facebook, which ranks eighth.

The surprise is that global giants such as Microsoft, Apple and GE fail to make it to the list of top 20 brands in India.

The research that was conducted by research consultancy firm GlobeScan for TLG‘s Index of Thought Leaders 2011 says, “India has greater conviction about the leadership credentials of indigenous companies than in the UK; over half of the companies are privately owned or listed in India.”

The research also underlines that the value of joint ventures (JV) to foreign entrants hoping to crack emerging markets, such as India, is very apparent. Of the foreign firms in the top 20, half of those can be viewed as JVs, such as Maruti-Suzuki (4), Hindustan-Unilever (9), and Hyundai Motor India (20).

Moreover, the study claimed that ‘Thought Leaders‘ in India are not confined, or defined, by sectors; the Index covers everything from ICT to ‘heavy‘ industry to pharmaceuticals, to financial services.

The respondents to the survey were asked to identify corporate brands with the power to change the attitudes and behaviour of consumers, employees or politicians — defined as “Thought Leaders”.

GlobeScan Inc Top 20 List for Indian Market:

1.
Infosys Technologies
2.
Tata Group
3.
Google India
4.
Maruti-Suzuki
5.
Larsen & Toubro
6.
Nokia
7.
State Bank of India
8.
Facebook
9.
Hindustan-Unilever
10.
Mahindra
11.
Hero-Honda Motors
12.
LIC of India
13.
Bharti Airtel
14.
ONGC
15.
Aditya-Birla Group
16.
The Oberoi Group
17.
HDFC Bank
18.
Dr. Reddy‘s Laboratories
19.
Ranbaxy Laboratories
20.
Hyundai Motor India

June 21, 2011
Day 2: 51 nominations for Indian agencies

MUMBAI: The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has announced the second set of nominations in the categories of Outdoor, Media, Radio, Press, Cyber and Design.

Indian agencies got a total of 51 nominations. However, none was chosen in the Cyber Lions.

In terms of total number of nominations, Mudra Communications led the pack with twelve nominations, followed by McCann Worldgroup and BBDO with eight recommendations each — sprinkled across disciplines.

Mudra Communications dominated the Design and Press categories with six recommendations each . Three nominations came for its campaign — Dwarf Depression created for Loving Hands Ministry.

McCann Worldgroup‘s different campaigns created for its lost love, Onida, got a total of five nominations in various categories.

Moreover, 19 nominations came from the Press group alone, followed by 11 in the Design and the Outdoor Lions categories. In Media Lions seven campaigns were chosen worthy.

The Outdoor category saw Taproot and Joshbro Communications getting three nominations each.

In the Radio Lions, only McCann, for three of its campaigns, was found creative enough to be chosen.

BBDO dictated the Media Lions category with three nominations, including one for the hit Shave Sutra campaign, in the best consumer engagement sub-category.

With fresh nominations, Indian shortlists at Cannes Lions 2011 now stand at 67.

June 21, 2011
Cannes 2011: Indians begin winning, wait for gold

MUMBAI: India begins it winning account in Cannes, but is yet to reap a gold metal. Among the first bag of winners in three categories at the Cannes Lions Festival 2011, BBDO has won two silver, followed by Mudra Communications with 1 silver and two bronze.

Celebrating the 58th International festival of Creativity, BBDO bagged two silver metals in the PR Lions category for its Shave Sutra campaign. The two minute long viral video was a spoof of Kama Sutra — created for Procter & Gamble’s men skincare brand, Gillette. The video’s relativity with the ancient Indian art, with a punch of aesthetic wit, has done the trick.

Mudra Communications’ Silent National Anthem won silver in the PR category and picked two bronze in the Promo & Activation group. The Indian national anthem was shot in sign language and enacted by children with hearing/speech impairment.

Interestingly, both the campaigns had very strong Indian culture influence.

No awards were won by the six finalists in the Direct Lions category.

June 21, 2011
Ormax Media eyes 100% growth in FY’12

MUMBAI: Media research and consulting firm Ormax Media aims at doubling its revenues in FY‘12 as it looks at the regional markets and plans to launch new products across categories.

The company had achieved an 80 per cent growth in 2010-11 over the earlier year.

“We saw almost 80 per cent growth from 2009-10 to 2010-11. In fact, the plans for 2011-12 are for an even higher growth rate, of about 100 per cent. We believe that we are still a young company and while we are now firmly established and positioned as media and entertainment experts, there are still many frontiers to cross,” said Ormax Media co-founder & CEO Shailesh Kapoor.

Kapoor claims that his firm has no competition at present as there is no research company investing in creating media and entertainment knowledge the way Ormax Media is. “If anyone were to start attempting this today, it would take them at least 2-3 years to reach to our level of data and products,” he said.

The company has invested in creating products and tools over the last three years that can be used across the industry. Ormax boasts of 18 trademarked products and believes that there are many other needs that can be addressed.

“We have done extensive work in the news genre, but I believe we have a lot more to contribute in that area. Regional channels is another area I‘m extremely keen on, especially down South. We have made several breakthroughs in Bollywood, and today, eight leading film production companies are working with us. However, I believe that the potential of film research in India is several times bigger than what is being explored currently. So, as you can sense, there is so much to do across categories. It should keep us busy for a while,” Kapoor added.

At present, Ormax Media is working with 35 TV channels and has worked on 18 films. It is also targeting media agencies to widen its reach. It is working with Mindshare, Maxus and Lintas.

“There have been two areas in which we do work relevant to media agencies. One of them is evaluation of media associations. For example, if a brand has invested heavily in sponsoring a programme, we will help them measure the actual impact of the association. We have done several such studies now, and have a very powerful index called Branding Effectiveness Index (BEI) to measure the success of such media associations. The second area is cricket. Our syndicated study, Day After Cricket (DAC), tracked ad recall and likeability during World Cup and IPL this year. In fact, we are coming out with a consolidated report on the two events, which will be enormously useful for advertisers and agencies for taking more informed cricket buying decisions,” Kapoor elaborated.

June 21, 2011
Outdoor advertising underutilised

MUMBAI: The outdoor advertising industry is not growing at a pace it should, said Bates 141 Asia regional executive creative director and Indian chairman Sonal Dabral at the seventh edition of Outdoor Advertising Convention.

Bates 141 NCD Sagar Mahableshwarkar presented Dabral‘s video clips talking about the various aspects of outdoor ads. “It is not just billboards, but live shows and activation too form a part of outdoor advertising. Outdoor advertising should engage people and should not be considered as a reminder medium,” Dabral added in one of his clips.

The examples of outdoor advertising happening around the world were shown and Dabral insisted that India takes inspiration from innovative ideas. He also feels that outdoor advertising is restricted and the potential is not fully tapped.

Various other aspects of outdoor advertising were discussed in detail and the drawbacks were addressed.

Innovation was one aspect of outdoor, which was on every speaker‘s mind.

Vodafone VP marketing Anuradha Agarwal informed that it‘s just innovation that will create buzz. She established this fact by showing simple and innovative outdoor advertisements around the world and how it is remembered even today.

While it was agreed that outdoor medium is not given its due importance, Cheil India COO Alok Agarwal believes that the business of outdoor advertising needs ‘re-thinking‘. He said, “OOH is a giant stage. The cost of an innovative idea may be high, but ROI, when measured in life-time value, will be much higher.”

Agarwal also maintained that to a large extent, mobile is taking over OOH and one of the drawbacks of OOH is lack of measurability. “Apart from innovation, we need to work on connection and engaging the population. Innovation is restricted due to infrastructure and law but investing money in measurement will tell us how bright the future of OOH is,” he affirmed.

Talking about the future of outdoor and how innovations can contribute to the growth, Times OOH MD Sunder Hemrajani spoke about “Signs of Tomorrow”.
Hemrajani stated, “Not all innovations are expensive. We are an efficient economy which is moving towards the era of innovation and we must continue to keep monetising the economy.”

Hemrajani underlined that we live in the era of innovation and outdoor advertising should go from OOH to WOW experience! “It‘s not just awareness that is important, experience is what will make outdoor advertising stronger and impactful.”

Hemrajani concluded by saying, “There will be a better urban transport infrastructure over the next 20 years. There are digital innovations and technology too has taken a leap.”

June 20, 2011
Disney launches new merchandise

MUMBAI: The Walt Disney Company‘s Disney Consumer Products has launched new merchandise for its various properties including, Disney.Pixar Cars 2, Mickey and friends and Winnie the Pooh.

The range of accessories themed back-to-school include water bottles, stationery, lunch boxes and back packs.

The products feature Disney franchises such as Disney.Pixar Cars 2‘s stationery, crayons, felt pens and water colours in the price range of Rs.59 to Rs. 249. Lunch boxes, sippers and water bottles are starting from Rs. 139 to Rs. 599. The back packs priced between Rs. 345 to Rs. 945 will have the character Lighting McQueen.

The Mickey Mouse accessories will have crayons, sharpeners, compass boxes and pencils starting from Rs. 25 to Rs. 249, water bottles and lunch boxes from Rs.69 to Rs. 499. The backpacks for young adults range from Rs.750 to Rs. 890 and the backpacks for nursery and pre-primary children are between Rs. 395 to Rs. 550.

Winnie the Pooh stationery start at Rs. 25 to Rs. 329 while the water bottles and lunch boxes available in various sizes range between Rs. 129 to Rs. 569. The backpacks with the Pooh image are priced at Rs.275 to Rs. 565.

The Disney Princess stationery will be priced between Rs. 24 to Rs. 329. Lunch boxes and water bottles are available in different sizes staring from Rs. 129 to Rs. 169 and the backpacks will range between Rs. 475 to Rs. 795.

The Phineas and Ferb stationery will be available for Rs.25 to Rs. 329, lunch boxes and sippers between Rs. 129 to Rs. 569, while the backpacks will range from Rs. 445 to Rs. 895.

The products will be available across retail outlets like Lifestyle, Landmark, Big Bazaar, Staples and Reliance Time Out.

June 20, 2011

Indians off to a good start at Cannes 2011

MUMBAI: The Indians innings at the weeklong advertising event has seen an upright start.

There are seven Indian nominations in the promos and activations category – and six finalists in the Direct Lions category at the 58th International festival of Creativity.

Besides four entries from Mudra, there is one entry each from Grey India and Contract Advertising in the Direct Lions. While in the promo and activation category, BBDO India has three nominations – and Mudra India and CreativeLand Asia have two each.

What started in 1954 with just 130 delegates has grown into a behemoth festival with approximately 10,000 delegates expected to attend the festival this year. The event will hold 57 seminars and 20 workshops.

Direct Lions

Sub-category	Agency	Title	Advertiser
Flat Mailing	Mudra Communications, Mumbai	Disappearing discounts	R I Ayurveda Research Labs
Flat Mailing	Mudra Communications, Mumbai	Bouncing Mail	Union Bank ofIndia
Traffic & BrandBuilding	Mudra Communications, Mumbai	Disappearing discounts	R I Ayurveda Research Labs
Best Low Budget Campaign	Mudra Communications Mumbai	Silent National Anthem	Reliance Media Works
Corporate Image & Information	Contract Advertising, Gurgaon	Soles with Souls	J.K. Tyre & Industries
Ambient Media & Print Collateral, Non-Mail (Small Scale)	Grey Worldwide, Mumbai	Magic Drain Opener	Procter & Gamble

Promo & Activation

Sub-category	Agency	Title	Advertiser
Best Use of Experiential Marketing in a Promotional Campaign	BBDO Mumbai	Shave Sutra	Procter & Gamble
Best Sponsorship or Partnership Campaigns	BBDO Gurgaon	Cops on Oats	PepsiCo
Financial Products & Servcies	BBDO Gurgaon	Call from the future	Aviva life Insurance
Best use of Social Media Marketing in a Promotional Campaign	Creativeland Asia, Mumbai	Plan-T	Parle Agro
Food and Non-Alcoholic Drinks	Creativeland Asia, Mumbai	Plan-T	Parle Agro
Corporate Image & Information	Mudra Communications, Mumbai	Silent National Anthem	Reliance Media Works
Best Use of Broadcast in a Promotional Campaign	Mudra Communications Mumbai	Silent National Anthem	Reliance Media Works

Cannes 2011 has received an impressive 28,828 entries from an estimated 90 countries, including 1,177 entries from India. There are 13 categories this year, including the latest addition — Creative Effectiveness.

Consequently, in terms of participation the numbers are rising: while the US has sent a group of 1,400 delegates, the Indian total stands at nearly 170, China almost 250 and Brazil approximately 700.

June 20, 2011

Social Wavelength to manage Kama Schachter’s social media presence

MUMBAI: Social media agency, Social Wavelength, has been appointed by manufacturers and exporters of diamond jewelry, Kama Schachter, to manage its social media marketing activities.

Kama Schachter’s foray into social media is part of the brand’s overall strategy to use digital media to connect with multiple stakeholders such as global B2B customers, jewelry retailers in India and outside India, retail customers, industry personnel and business partners.

Kama Schachter intends to use its social media initiatives to create multiple interactive touch points to reach out to its target audience, and sharing with them, thoughts and ideas arising out of their experience in the jewelry business.

Kama Schachter not only aims to use social media as marketing and brand building tool, but the company also looks forward to simultaneously creating conversations in the space of jewelry, with prospects and customers.

Kama Schachter owner and MD Colin Shah says, “We understand the growing significance of the digital space, to reach Indian as well as global customers and influencers, and with that in mind, we chose to make a start in the Social media space.”

June 20, 2011
Zee sports new look in changing media landscape

MUMBAI: India’s biggest television media company, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (Zeel), is turning “cool”, in a major rebranding exercise that aims to reflect the progressive outlook of its channels.

The need for change has come after a gap of six years, a period in which the television landscape has changed dramatically and the reach has exploded.

Zeel has coined the tagline ‘Umeed Se Saje Zindagi‘’ for all its channels (barring the sports channels) and sported a new corporate brand identity.

Behind the new look is the company’s objective to take forward a progressive outlook.

Unveiling the new brand identity for flagship Hindi general entertainment channel Zee TV, Zeel MD and CEO Punit Goenka said he believes that the time is right to “infuse renewed freshness into the brand and reflect an identity that truly articulates our spirit.”

The essence is captured in the new tagline. “The new positioning is about a celebration and vindication of a woman’s emerging beliefs and a reflection of her changing hopes, dreams and optimism,” said Goenka.

The new logo is designed by the in-hose team at Zeel, based on the creative inputs from its agency Draft FCB-Ulka.

The aqua blue colour new logo features a stylish font. Zeel said that the new age design with its upward flourish signifies the upward movement of desires and wishes.

The abstract form of the ‘Z’ and vibrancy of aqua blue bring in modernity and freshness to the brand.

“The unshackling of the ‘Z’ from the box symbolises today’s woman’s zest for life and confidence to go out in the world beyond her home. The overall design has a progressive feel and reflects the idea of looking into the future with hope and depicts a more dynamic and spirited outlook. The rainbow of hope is a very important element of the new packaging. It is colourful, ethereal and symbolically emphasizes the promise of ‘Umeed Se Saje Zindagi’… celebrating hope and life,” said Goenka.

Draft FCB-Ulka has also developed the new corporate brand TVC. Produced by Equinox, the TVC captures “the sky” in “our canvas”. This was brought through by the protagonist in the TVC—the girl-child—and her desire to succeed. It’s a metaphor for the woman, echoing the emerging paradigms with fresh beliefs and a zest for life.

The film is directed by ad film-maker Ram Madhvani while the music is composed by Rajat Dholakia.

The new logo, packaging and positioning was unveiled in the event ‘Umeed ka Naya Chehra’ on 19 June at 9 pm.

Zeel is also kicking off a 360 degree advertising campaign to promote the new brand identity.

June 20, 2011

IPL4 fails to impact GEC viewership

MUMBAI:The biggest monster for the Hindi general entertainment channels – Indian Premier League (IPL) – has been tamed this year.

One may call it overdose of cricket or better programming on GECs or the charm of IPL wearing thin, but the fact of the matter is that for the first time in the last four years, the GEC genre did not see any fall during the IPL and, indeed, has seen a healthy growth.

As per data provided by TAM for C&S, 4+ years, in the Hindi speaking market, the overall genre share of the Hindi GECs has actually gone up compared to its share in the two weeks prior to the IPL.

Also, with the new shows post IPL, the GEC genre has actually stepped up the ladder.

Last year, Star Plus had released a research report noting that Hindi GECs had seen over 10 per cent drop in the genre share during the IPL period. However, the top three channels – Colors, Star Plus and Zee TV- were the least affected, while the second rung channels like Sony Entertainment Television, Sab and Imagine TV had lost more share.

This year, despite adding two more teams, the IPL was a below average tourney compared to the standards it had set in the previous seasons.

The only highpoint this season was that the total IPL viewers grew to 160.2 million, according to the All India market data from TAM Sports. In the last season, 143.7 million viewers had tuned in to the event.

June 18, 2011