ITV

Category: MAM

  • Asian Tour in 12-year deal with IMG

    MUMBAI: The Asian Tour and IMG Media, a division of global sports and media company IMG Worldwide, will join forces in an initial 12-year agreement designed to propel professional golf in Asia to greater heights.


    This partnership follows on from the success of IMG’s global representation of the Asian Tour’s media rights since January, 2009, which has resulted in worldwide distribution of the Asian Tour’s television packages to over 40 countries and 400 million homes.


    The Asian Tour-IMG joint venture will emulate the foundation behind the success of European Tour Productions – a joint venture between IMG Media and the European Tour – which will inevitably fast track the live broadcast of all Asian Tour events through the combined resources of both organizations. 
     
    The new JV company will manage all television production and global distribution, enhancing tour-wide sponsorship agreements for the Asian Tour beginning from January, 2011. This will ultimately benefit partners, sponsors and key stakeholders in the burgeoning area of Asian golf.


    The parties state that an expanded Asian Tour Schedule from 2011 will also greatly benefit from consistent, high quality pictures being delivered to its broadcast partners using the latest HD and future 3D broadcast technology via television, broadband and mobile. 
     
    Asian Tour executive chairman Kyi Hla Han said, “This is a milestone development for the Asian Tour. We remain fully committed to establishing playing opportunities and increasing prize funds for our elite players in Asia, and a solid television platform will help the Asian Tour to achieve these goals. Given the strength of this landmark announcement, the Asian Tour is committed to staging a minimum of four new tournaments in 2011.”


    Key to the Asian Tour’s strengthening of its existing partnership with IMG is the latter’s proven track record in representing major golf events over the last 40 years including The Open Championship, US Open Championship, PGA Championship, Ryder Cup and World Golf Championships. IMG also has invaluable Tour experience with the LPGA and European Tour.
     
     
    IMG Media president Michel Masquelier said, “IMG Media hopes this new joint venture with the Asian Tour will mirror the success of European Tour Productions (ETP), the joint venture between IMG Media and the European Tour, formed in 1992. ETP is now the largest producer of golf programming in the world, with more than 700 hours of original programming per year. ETP also successfully delivered the largest single event Outside Broadcast ever attempted at the recent Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor.


    “It is clear that Asia is on the verge of an explosion in interest in both amateur and professional golf. Asian Tour event promoters, partners and sponsors will benefit from IMG Media’s turnkey solution – delivering high production values and consistent commercial presentation though it’s experienced and specialised golf production team to a worldwide audience via its unrivalled global sales force.”

  • Dabur acquires US firm Namaste Laboratories for $100 mn

    Dabur acquires US firm Namaste Laboratories for $100 mn

    MUMBAI: FMCG major Dabur India has acquired US based Namaste Laboratories, maker of organic root stimulator, for $100 million in an all-cash deal.

    The deal signed through Dabur’s US-based wholly owned subsidiary Dermoviva Skin Essentials is expected to close by the end of 2010.
     
    It will enable Dabur to gain greater foothold in the Asian and African markets.

    “This acquisition is in line with our strategy to build a global presence in the international consumer goods market,” said Dabur chairman Anand Burman.
     
    “It will serve as a gateway to the US market for our portfolio of consumer products. This transaction will also enhance our profitability, increase stakeholder value and substantially add to Dabur‘s already strong presence in Africa, serving as one of the key pillars in strengthening our position in the African continent,” Burman added.

    The current management team, led by Namaste founder and CEO Gary Gardner, will continue to run the operations of the Namaste business. Namaste will continue to operate in its current facility in Blue Island, with business as usual.
     
    Namaste founder and CEO Gary Gardner said, “In Dabur, Namaste has found a strategic partner that can help accomplish its goal of becoming the hair care brand of choice for people of African descent worldwide. This partnership offers synergy in mission, as both companies focus on healthful, holistic offerings, and in market platforms with Namaste‘s stronghold in the US and Dabur‘s strengths outside North America. We know our employees, customers, distributors and retailers will benefit from this great growth opportunity.”

    Houlihan Lokey served as a financial advisor to Namaste.

  • Oxytocin increases sensitivity to ads: Study

    Oxytocin increases sensitivity to ads: Study

    MUMBAI: Oxytocin, the cuddle-hormone, casts its influence on the people’s mind when it comes to response to advertising.

    According to a new research, Oxytocin increases sensitivity to advertising among humans. The research was tabled during the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, in San Diego.

    The researchers, led by Claremont Graduate University, California PhD Paul Zak, found that people treated with Oxytocin donated 56 per cent more money to causes presented in public service announcements.

    Study participants who received Oxytocin also reported that the advertisements made them feel more empathetic. Oxytocin is produced naturally in the body and can trigger labour contractions and lactation in women.

    The research has proven that Oxytocin is linked to happiness and well-being. It also revealed that women who showed the greatest increase in Oxytocin were also more satisfied with their lives, resilient to adverse events, and less likely to be depressed.

  • Effies adds 3 categories to roster

    Effies adds 3 categories to roster

    MUMBAI: The Ad Club Bombay has received 276 entries for the marketing and communication awards – Effie Awards 2010. Ad Club claims that this is the highest ever since Effie became part of the India Advertising Festival.

    Last year 148 advertising agencies had sent their entries for the awards.

    One of the main reasons behind the surge in entries might be the fact that for the 2010 edition, Effie has introduced three new categories and various sub-categories for three of the existing ones.

    “These changes enlarged the scope for the players, which might have led to the rise in the number of entries,” says Lodester Universal CEO Shashi Sinha.

    Retail, Healthcare and David v/s Goliath are the new categories added to the Effie 2010 roster.

    David v/s Goliath has been introduced to recognise new or emerging brands and companies who moved into a new product and service field with large, well-established competitors.

    For consumer products the sub-categories are Cosmetics and toiletries, Beverages / drink, confectionary and food and Others, which include apparel / textiles, personal gift items, tobacco, personal hygiene, footwear books and periodicals, stationery and accessories.

    Similarly, for Consumer Durables the sub-categories are automobiles and auto parts, two wheelers and auto related and Others, which include television, stereo and other musical equipment, audiovisual equipment, calculators and computers.

    The new sub-categories for Services are telecom and related products, Financial services, including banking and insurance etc., and Others including public utilities, marketing communications, services, media, entertainment and customised software.

    The Ad Club Bombay will organise the Effie Awards on 7 December in Mumbai.

  • Ormax Media predicts bumper opening for Gulaal, modest for Pratha

    Ormax Media predicts bumper opening for Gulaal, modest for Pratha

    MUMBAI: The media research and consulting firm, Ormax Media, has predicted a bumper opening for Star Plus’ Gulaal and a modest opening for Colors’ Pratha.

    As per Ormax’s awareness tracking product Showbuzz, Star Plus’ new fiction show Gulaal, which is launching today at 9 pm, is likely to average about 4.8-5.2 TVR in its first week.
     
    The company has noted two primary reasons for such high viewership numbers. Firstly, Gulaal is replacing Bidaai, and hence has a slot with ready audiences waiting for it. Secondly, the awareness scores for Gulaal have been quite healthy, touching 21 per cent ‘Unaided Awareness‘ and 84 per cent ‘Total Awareness‘ on the Friday before launch.

    Meanwhile, on Colors, Rishton Se Badi Pratha is likely to open at an average first week TVR of about 1.9. Ormax said that the programme’s awareness scores were exceptionally good, at 36 per cent ‘Unaided‘ and 91 per cent ‘Total Awareness‘ on Friday. However, weak viewer base for Colors in the 7.30 pm slot would come in the way of a higher opening.
     
    The show is replacing Thoda Hai Bas Thode Ki Zaroorat Hai, a 1-TVR show. Pratha seems set to double the slot performance because of its successful campaign.

    Showbuzz tracks awareness of new programmes across six markets. Data over the last 20 months has been used to create a predictive model for fiction shows. The model predicts the opening week reach of the launches, which can then be used to arrive at indicative TVR, assuming a certain level of content.
     
    The model takes into account the marketing buzz created by the show, the performance of the slot, competitive scenario and overall channel performance. Ormax claims that the error margins have been less than 15 per cent in most predictions done using the model so far.

  • Rediffusion creates a new TVC for Nutrilite

    Rediffusion creates a new TVC for Nutrilite

    MUMBAI: Rediffusion Y&R has created a new TVC for one of Amway‘s key products in the nutrition & wellness category, Nutrilite.

    The 40-second video has been created by the Delhi team of Rediffusion Y&R, headed by creative director Ambika Nehru.
     
     The TVC has been directed by Lloyd Baptista and produced by Milestone Films, Mumbai.

    The TVC follows a question-answer format. After giving various facts of the brand, it attempts to engage the customers by asking to guess the name of the brand.
     
    Through these questions, the film reiterates the fact that Nutrilite owns 6000 acres of organic farms and actually controls the process from seed to supplement.

    The commercial starts with a young 6-8 year old boy in the scene playing atop an apple tree and asking a question related to the product. This is followed by various other scenes where the characters are unveiling various facts about the brand and asking a question.
     
    The TVC concludes with a unanimous response by everyone saying “Nutrilite”.
     

  • Amaron Pro-Racing launches 3rd season of Amaron Karting Challenge

    Amaron Pro-Racing launches 3rd season of Amaron Karting Challenge

    MUMBAI: Amaron Pro Racing, a corporate motorsport initiative of automotive and industrial battery maker Amara Raja Batteries, has announced the launch of the third season of its karting challenge ‘Amaron Karting Challenge Season 3’.

    The winner will be rewarded with a scholarship of up to Rs 1 million. The winner will also be nurtured by Amaron Pro Racing Academy with Meco Motorsports to race in the Rotax Max National Karting Championship. Amaron scholarship programme will further support the winner to get into international racing.

    AKC Season 3 will target top 300 schools in India with over 150,000 students from 12-16 years inviting them for the action on the track. The entire process of registration and bringing the amateur participants on the tracks will be supported via sustained online contact programme throughout the season including an elaborate school contact programme wherein kids would be educated on the sport.

    The company says that this event is the only talent hunt in India that scouts and discovers talent at the grass root level. Amaron Karting Challenge Season 3 will span across 9 locations – Coimbatore, Goa, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolhapur, Chennai, Chandigarh, Bengaluru and Hyderabad. Six participants from each region and a total of 54 racers from across India will compete in the grand finale to be held on 7th February 2011 in Hyderabad.

    Amara Raja Batteries MD Jayadev Galla said, “We are extremely proud to bring Amaron Karting Challenge Season 3 to all motorsports enthusiasts of India. Motor sports have always been the bastion of the cr?me de la cr?me but with Amaron Karting Challenge we expect to reach out to masses and see many more winners in times to come. We will strive to discover and support the budding race enthusiasts in scaling national and international motor racing events.”

    Amaron Pro Racing head motorsports Mackinlay Barreto commented, “India is all set to arrive as a global motorsports destination. With F1 arriving in India next year, the timing is most appropriate for all young racing enthusiasts from India who dream to make it big in the world of motorsports”.
     

  • Religare launches corporate brand ad campaign with O&M

    Religare launches corporate brand ad campaign with O&M

    NEW DELHI: Religare, a global financial services group, has launched a new corporate brand advertising campaign on the theme ‘Global Financial Services Growing with You Everyday.’

    The campaign will be shown on Hindi and English news channels, movie channels and leading GECs during prime time showcasing Religare‘s complete portfolio of financial services.

    The theme of the campaign is designed with the objective to communicate to the world at large about the products and services offered by Religare. “We are happy to have a creative partner like Ogilvy & Mather that has been able to successfully convey the message in a warm, engaging and endearing manner,” said Subhrangshu Neogi, director, brand and corporate communications.

    The campaign will also be supplemented by cinemas, outdoors, online and will be punctuated and underpinned by various product and business specific campaigns such as broking, lending, Mutual Fund and Life Insurance.

    The new campaign underscores the transformation that has taken place over the past few years, by communicating who Religare is and what Religare does in the realm of financial services by showcasing the same in an engaging yet warm and endearing manner the multiple lines of business under the Religare brand umbrage.

    “We have been a large corporate brand however for most part of our history, our company‘s brand was defined by few businesses,” said Neogi. “This campaign gives us an opportunity to showcase width and breadth of our product and services. We could have issued this campaign earlier as well however we wanted the businesses to reach inflexion point by attaining a certain size and scale.”

    Consumer focus groups and quantitative research showed that the new campaign effectively communicated the range of Religare businesses, and increased the likelihood that consumers would consider a broader range of Religare products and services. The corporate brand campaign helps highlight the depth and width of the Religare brand and will be punctuated and underpinned by various product and business specific campaigns such as broking, lending, mutual fund, life insurance etc.

    Commenting on the creative approach of the ad, Sanjay Thapar, group president, north & east, Ogilvy & Mather said, “Religare is a strong Brand, the challenge was in how to tell the consumers that Religare was more than what they think, in the financial space. There were many facets and businesses that came together to make the company what it is and that had to be communicated in a humane and simple way. It was our pleasure to be able to take on this task and are sure that this will help elevate the level of awareness about the brand with consumers across India as a financially strong company.”

  • ESPN Star Sports ropes in five sponsors for WC

    ESPN Star Sports ropes in five sponsors for WC

    MUMBAI: With the buzz building around the cricket World Cup, ESPN Star Sports (ESS), has roped in five sponsors for the event that kicks off on 19 February 2011.

    Sources say that Sony and Pepsi are the co-presenting sponsors. Maruti, Nokia and Phillips are the associate sponsors.

    ESS is looking for six more associate sponsors, the source adds.

    Indiantelevision.com had earlier reported that ESS could land up with an advertising revenue in the region of Rs 3.5 billion to Rs 4 billion from the ICC World Cup.

  • Ignitee Digital Solutions signs up with E18

    Ignitee Digital Solutions signs up with E18

    MUMBAI: Ignitee Digital Solutions, has entered into a strategic alliance with E18, an experiential marketing, brand activation and entertainment division of Network18.

    Ignitee Digital Solutions will be responsible to promote activations for E18 and in return E18 will promote digital marketing for Ignitee.

    E18 CEO Farhad Wadia said, “With the Internet penetration in India on a rise, this partnership couldn‘t have come at a better time. I am sure that our partnership with Ignitee Digital Solutions will signify the next step towards growth in a dynamic and fast growing market.”