ITV

Category: MAM

  • Mudra West prez Arijit Ray sees a buoyant 2011

    MUMBAI: The year 2011 will see a strong rebound in the advertising economy as retail, insurance, telecom, auto, aviation and food sector advertisers are going to spend heavily on promotions, says Mudra West president Arijit Ray.


    The fashion and boutique industry will also be getting very aggressive in the coming years.


    “The economy is booming. Advertising in all these sectors will be consumption-driven,” says Ray.
     
    Fuelled by a fattening in ad spends from these verticals, the advertising sector is expected to grow by 9-12 per cent in 2011. “Around Rs 24 billion is spent on advertising in the country. Our estimate is that ad growth will be up by 9-12 per cent in the coming year,” says Ray.


    For Mudra West, a part of Mudra India which is a special business unit of the Mudra Group, 2011 will be “very important” in terms of “revenue collection.” In the current year, it won seven businesses and one project.
     
    “We have many new projects in the pipeline,” says Ray, while declining to reveal the revenue targets.


    Mudra West‘s prize catch in the current year has been Huawei Telecommunications, a China-based telecom solutions provider. The account size is estimated at Rs 2 billion. The other wins are Emirates, Philips, Electrolux, Kalpataru, L&T Mutual funds and Emami Edible Oil and Chyawanprash. It also did a project for VIP Alfa.


    “We won all the projects on the basis of our continuous value delivery. The feedback by our existing clients has been great, which encourages companies to award their mandates to us,” says Ray.
     
    Mudra West currently handles 16 clients including Future Group, Godrej, HPCL, Lic, Union Bank of India, Bank of Baroda, Air India, HCC, Lavasa, Lonely Planet, The Economic Times, Incredible India, Femina and World Gold Council.


    “They are all medium and large scale businesses. We have experienced a lot of organic growth in the last three years,” avers Ray.


    Ray takes pride in announcing that Mudra West has not lost any business in the current year. “Our existing clients are continuing to invest with us,” he says.
     


     

  • Neo Cricket ropes in Tata Docomo as co-presenting sponsor for Pak-NZ series

    MUMBAI: NEO Cricket has roped in Tata Docomo as the co-presenting sponsor while IDBI Federal Insurance and Maruti have come in as associate sponsor for the Pakistan-New Zealand series.


    Neo acquired the rights from Multi Screen Media and the live and exclusive telecast on the channel will be from 26 December. 
     
    Says Neo Sports Broadcast VP marketing Ashish Bahl, “To entertain our viewers with non-stop live and exclusive cricketing action, Neo Cricket will telecast the exciting NZ- Pak series. This will be an exciting series as both the teams will fight it out on field to win back their lost pride.”
     
    Neo Cricket has taken many initiatives to promote the series including mailers, promotions and contests on the channel and social media platforms, syndicated columns, sms push and print advertising. The channel is promoting the event as the “redemption series.”
     
    The property will be aired on Neo Cricket across Asia, Middle East, Singapore and Hong Kong. The event consists of two Test matches, three Twenty20 Internationals and six ODIs.

  • Volkswagen first German car brand to be official partner of IPL

    MUMBAI: Volkswagen has come on board as the Official Partner for the fourth and fifth seasons of the IPL, becoming the first German car brand to be associated with the cricket‘s hottest property.
     
    Earlier, BCCI had invited tender for the Official Partners’ slots.


    “We are extremely happy to commence what will certainly be a fruitful association with Volkswagen. It is appropriate that two organizations that epitomize dynamism, enterprise and excellence have joined hands,” IPL chairman Chirayu Amin said.
     
    Volkswagen Group Sales India member of board and director, Volkswagen Passenger Cars Neeraj Garg said, “IPL stands for the people’s game in India and what better way to associate our brand which literally means ‘people’s car’. We look forward to a prosperous team play.”
     
    Volkswagen Group Sales India head of marketing and PR Volkswagen Passenger Cars Lutz Kothe added, “It is a great honour and huge pleasure to become part of the Indian Premier League. Being the official automotive partner will be an enormous asset as it will foster Volkswagen’s bond with India”.

  • Sony’s waltz continues as Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa performs

    Sony’s waltz continues as Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa performs

    MUMBAI: Occupying the centre stage after the exit of Amitabh Bachchan’s Kaun Banega Crorepati, noted Bollywood actress Madhuri Dixit has waltzed Sony Entertainment Television into the third spot in the Hindi general entertainment space for the second straight week with record openings for the dance-reality show in which she takes part.

    Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa has opened with 5.5 TVR, bettering its earlier three opening performances which had posted ratings of 2.86, 3.09 and 2.05.

    Sony with 215 GRPs (prior week 200 GRPs) is still away from Colors‘ tally of 265 GRPs (273 GRPs) for the week ended 18 December, according to Tam data for the Hindi speaking market (HSM). Star Plus maintained its leadership position with 346 GRPs, despite a 16-GRP drop from the previous week.

    Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa’s premiere on Sunday, which ran for two hours and 45 minutes, scored a TVR of 4.1. The show averaged 5.4 TVR from its two-day run (Monday 5.5 TVR and Tuesday 5.3 TVR) and contributed 52 GRPs for the three days.

    Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa will have competition from Zee TV’s Dance India Dance which debuts on 31 December.

  • Mobile ad spend set for significant growth

    MUMBAI: During the next five years, mobile marketing expenditure is set for a significant expansion worldwide, according to a latest report by research firm Berg Insight.

    The Sweden-based company has predicted that the overall mobile marketing could increase by 41 per cent annually from ?1.4 billion in 2009 to ?11.5 billion by 2015. These figures are possibly underestimated, as this year the ad market was worth over USD $12 billion in just the first half of the year alone.

    Organisations such as Google, Yahoo and Microsoft, capable of serving both audiences are in a gainful position, while Apple‘s App Store has a considerable edge over others.

    Going by the predicted figures, mobile advertising will be equivalent to 15.7 per cent of the entire digital advertising market and will account for 3.4 per cent of all media ad spend in 2015.

    Said Berg Insight Telecoms analyst Rickard Andersson, “Handsets are extremely personal devices which people tend to always have within reach and most often switched on. This enables marketing opportunities which other channels lack.”

    “Brands do however have to establish mobile strategies in order to spend wisely and capitalise on the potential the channel brings,” added Andersson.

    According to Berg, the new media space will be dominated by a “convergence” between traditional web and mobile advertising.

  • World Sport Group partners ISM to represent Shiv Kapur in Asia

    World Sport Group partners ISM to represent Shiv Kapur in Asia

    MUMBAI: Indian golfer Shiv Kapur will now be represented in Asia by World Sport Group, a sports management company, which also manages the likes of Arjun Atwal and Daniel Chopra. WSG has inked an agreement with player management company ISM, the original rights holder to manage the 28-year-old former Asian Games gold medalist.

    ISM has partnered with WSG to oversee Kapur‘s affairs in Asia. Said Kapur, “I feel it is an appropriate time to work on the huge opportunities that exist in Asia and I think World Sport Group, with their vast experience in the region, are the ideal company to be associated with.” Apart from managing players like Jennifer Rosales and Marcus Both, WSG also promotes the Barclays Singapore Open, the Hero Honda Indian Open, the Thailand Open and the Australian PGA Championship among others.

    Averred World Sport Group vice president Golf Patrick Feizal Joyce, “Shiv Kapur is one of the most exciting Asian golfers in the game and has an extremely bright future. As his career goes from strength to strength, World Sport Group will work in tandem with ISM to ensure he has full support in Asia.” ISM‘s clientele includes Jeev Milkha Singh, Lee Westwood, Rory McIlroy, Ernie Els, and Louis Oosthuizen.

  • Google and Myspace renew advertising contract

    Google and Myspace renew advertising contract

    MUMBAI: Myspace‘s dropping traffic and decreasing popularity as compared to Facebook hasn‘t deterred Google from extending its long-running advertising contract with the site.

    The financial terms or duration of the contract between Google and Myspace‘s parent company News Corp. is not disclosed. However, the contract reportedly has been renewed for several years. News Corporation chief operating officer Chase Carey mentioned that the new agreement is performance-based.

    The social networking site reported a loss of $100 million in 2009 as it failed to reach traffic commitments in accordance to the 2006 deal. As per the agreement, Google will now handle display marketing on the social media site, an area that Google is increasingly getting more interested in. Also, for the first time advertisers will be able to buy display ads that will appear on MySpace through Google.

    The deal also enables Google to offer search advertising, web search and full display-ad solutions. As MySpace continues to struggle with its balance sheet, the extended deal will no doubt go a long way in addressing the social media site‘s problems.

  • Online ad spend overtakes print for first time

    Online ad spend overtakes print for first time

    MUMBAI: In the US, the Internet is vanquishing print. The sale of Businessweek and Newsweek, two mighty magazines, has highlighted the fragile health of print publications as advertisers have shifted monies to the online medium. And now the inevitable has happened.

    For the first time marketers have spent more on online advertising than newspapers in the US, according to the New York-based researcher eMarketer. Digital ad spending will finish the year with a rise of 13.9 per cent to reach $25.8 billion. On the other hand, newspaper spending, which includes advertising in print and online editions, will fall to $25.7 billion in 2010, a decline of 6.6 per cent.

    Ad spends on newspapers alone will decrease to $22.8 billion. eMarketer predicts that in 2011 this gap will be broadened. According to the forecast, spending on ads in newspapers will fall again to $24.6 billion (including $21.4 billion for print) while online will climb to $28.5 billion. Said CEO of eMarketer Geoff Ramsey, “It‘s something we‘ve seen coming for a long time, but this is a tipping point.” The findings predict the ad spends in newspapers to continue its slide downwards.

    The company says that since 2006, spending in print newspapers has been slashed by half. In 2014, the US online ad spending will surpass the $40 billion mark as it continues with its double-digit growth.

  • ASCI upholds complaints on 5 ads

    ASCI upholds complaints on 5 ads

    MUMBAI: Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has pulled the plug on five advertisements from Prabhat Khabar, DNA, Naidunia, FMCG brand Sprite and Liquor brand McDowell’s No.1, finding them misleading.

    ASCI‘s Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) pulled up newspaper Prabhat Khabar, which claimed No 1 position in Jharkhand by citing data from Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC) July-December 2009.

    The CCC’s findings show that the ABC July-Dec’09 results do not reflect Prabhat Khabar as the numero uno newspaper in Jharkhand as the claim is not substantiated by ABC report taking into account the circulation of Jamshedpur. After ASCI upheld the complaint, he advertiser has discontinued the advertisement.

    Similarly, CCC found that the DNA newspaper’s advertisement claims of being “The No1 Daily for the independent people”, “The No.1 daily for the new Indian”, “The No.1 daily for the people’s voice”, “The No.1 daily for tomorrow’s leader” are not substantiated with any data or research from any independent organisation. The advertiser did not did not state any source or explicit study conducted before making these claims. The said advertisement was suspended by the advertiser.

    In case of Nai Dunia newspaper, the advertiser’s assurance of compliance was still awaited by ASCI. The advertisement of Nai Dunia stated, “This remarkable growth rate of Nai Dunia can perhaps be an indication of the future, as much as that of current value”.

    The advertisement is considered misleading by CCC as per Chapter I.4 since although the growth rate of NaiDunia and Dainik Bhaskar may have been correctly depicted, the absence of a base index renders the advertisement misleading.

    In the Sprite TVC, which shows ‘two explorers captured by a tribe who are, apparently, cannibals and appear, quite distinctly, African’, CCC concluded that the ad projects negative stereotype of Africans and hence violates Chapter III, 1 (b) of ASCI which doesn’t permit derision of race, caste, colour, credd or nationality. This led to the TVC being withdrawn by the advertiser.

    In case of McDowell’s No1 Platinum CD ad having slogan, “Get inspired by the rare and legendary”, the CCC concluded that the ad was a surrogate ad for a liquor product – McDowell’s No. 1 and hence contravened Chapter III.6 of the Code. As the ad appears in the middle of a live cricket match, it is not distinguishable from the programme and hence, it also violates The Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994. Subsequently, the TVC was withdrawn.

    CCC also received complaint against Manforce Chocolate Flavoured Condoms. However, ASCI concurred that the TVC was not likely to cause grave or widespread offence, but found that it was not suitable for family viewing and, hence, the advertiser has been advised to air the TVC after family viewing hours – between 11 pm to 6 am.

     

  • Grey acquires Yolk

    MUMBAI: WPP‘s operating company Grey, the global advertising network of Grey Group, has acquired a majority stake in Yolk.


    Yolk‘s digital offering includes digital strategy, social media, rich media, online advertising, viral marketing, interactive marketing, search marketing, e-marketing, e-customer relationship management and web-based capabilities.
     
    Said Grey Group chairman and CEO Jim Heekin, “The acquisition of Yolk is another clear signal of Grey‘s commitment to place digital at the core of our business and deliver powerful, seamless offline and online marketing solutions. The digital services space is growing exponentially and this move adds to our competitive advantage in the marketplace.”


    Yolk‘s service offering will be integrated into the operations of Grey Asia Pacific with immediate effect.
     
    Stated Yolk director Prakash Somosundram, “We are excited to be joining Grey in Asia Pacific at this time of dynamic growth, energy and success. With our multifaceted digital services offering, there is no doubt that we will contribute positively and achieve great synergy together. We look forward to working with the numerous talents across the network to lead the industry in digital innovation, creativity and effectiveness.”


    According to Grey, the acquisition will boost its presence in Asia Pacific‘s rapidly growing digital marketing sector as well as enhance Grey‘s total communications capabilities. 
     
    The latest acquisition exhibits the agency‘s expansion plans of its capabilities in the Asia Pacific region. In September, G2, the brand activation arm of Grey Group, acquired DPI, Greater China‘s leading shopper marketing consultancy, adding on to other premier investments by the company including G2 Star Echo in China and G2rams in India.


    Averred Grey Group Asia Pacific chairman and CEO Nirvik Singh, “Yolk is a digitally creative, innovative and daring agency, and at the same time, results-oriented. The team brings a wealth of knowledge and experience, and comes with an outstanding track record. By combining Yolk‘s best-in-class digital and interactive capabilities with Grey‘s proven expertise, I am confident that we can provide our clients with a new level of excellence in integrated marketing solutions.”