Category: MAM

MUMBAI: Max, the official broadcaster of the Indian Premier League, has held back 10 per cent of its ad inventory for the semi-finals and final and will be charging a hefty premium on them.

The channel hopes to add a further Rs 500 million to its original target as the IPL grows in popularity this season, the third since its invention of a T20 league format.

Indiantelevision.com was the first to report that Multi Screen Media (formerly Sony Entertainment Television India), the company that owns and operates the Max channel, was targeting an ad revenue of Rs 7 billion this season.
 
Max is in negotiations to sell its remaining ad inventory at rates upward of Rs one million per 10-second spot.
 
Says MSM president network sales, licensing and telephony Rohit Gupta, “We have kept around 10 per cent of inventory back. We are negotiating with clients who want to come on board at this stage.”
 
Gupta notes that nothing else is available for advertisers. “We have completely sold out the other inventory for the IPL including Extraaa Innings,” he adds.

MUMBAI: The mascot of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Cricket World Cup 2011 is an elephant who is young, enthusiastic and determined.

Unveiled at a function in Colombo, the mascot thinks that cricket is the most fun game in the world. The elephant loves playing street cricket and would play throughout the day if he could.

Cricket-followers based in the the host nations – India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh – will be able to participate in a contest to name the mascot.

Tournament director Prof. RS Shetty says that the idea of the mascot is to crystallise the feelings and action of the sport and the fans in a graphic form that reflects the visceral tone and emotion that cricket creates in its followers, especially in an event like the CWC.
 
It also emphasises the enthusiasm of youth both in general and for cricket itself, especially on the sub-continent with its massive and dedicated following. He‘s stylised to give an instantly recognisable graphic strength so that with exposure his bold lines and strong colouring will instantly create a friendly face for the CWC.
 
The mascot is not just an animated character; it must operate without the back-story one would find in a film or show; it needs to get a personality across without speech or word balloons, and the majority of the time it needs to work in a context such as the many printed applications where the only tools are body language/pose and personality.
 
The mascot loves street cricket, playing or just hanging out with his friends, radio (to listen to the game), street cricket, television (to watch the game or play it on a console), the net (to research the stats!), going for a dip when it‘s hot, and uh, street Cricket. And oh boy, when he gets to go to the game.

Some times he gets a bit over-enthusiastic and tries to remember not to blow his own trumpet! He‘s getting better at that, though, and like his heroes he knows it‘s all about the training and these things come with time. And it all adds up to the ultimate, the big time like the Cricket World Cup, where one day he‘ll show the whole world what he can do, and how much he loves his sport! After all Cricket World Cup is ‘The Cup that Counts!’
 

MUMBAI: Kushal Sanghvi has quit Media Contacts, the digital arm of Havas Media, to join StratosHear Technologies as executive director – business development, media and alliances.

In his new role, Sanghvi will be responsible for driving alliances with telecom and media companies to grow the company‘s business in India and other markets.
 
StratosHear works closely with mobile publishers, mobile application developers and telecom companies, to develop a robust eco system and thereby help in creating media opportunities for brands.

Says StratosHear CEO Vinay Kumar, “We are happy to have Kushal with us. His extensive digital media experience will immensely help us in growing advertising revenues in the fast-growing mobile media market.” 
 
With about 15 years of experience, Sanghvi has also worked with companies like The Times of India Group, Fremantle Worldwide and Reliance ADAG.
 

MUMBAI: Following the launch of Apple iPhone-3Gs in partnership on 26 March, Bharati Airtel is now gearing up to launch HTC Smart phone 3G by the year end.

Airtel has announced its exclusive partnership with Taiwan-based smart phone manufacturer HTC. The two companies will sell the Airtel powered HTC smart phone 3G for Rs 9,990. 
 
The new HTC smart phone 3G is based on the US-chipset maker Qualcomm‘s Brew operating system.

Airtel is planning to sell 300,000 phones this year. The main attraction of this phone is that it offers easy-to-use widgets, browsing and connectivity at an affordable price. 
 
Says Bharati Airtel’s Sanjay Kapoor: “With the HTC Smart, our customers will be the first in the world to experience a revolutionary smart phone that is not only affordable but is also 3G-ready.”

The touch screen phone will be available exclusively on Airtel networks in 30 cities. The phone also incorporates the latest features and sports a 2.8-inch TFT-LCD touch-sensitive high resolution screen and a 3.5 mm stereo audio jack.
 
“HTC Smart marks our strategic focus on India, the fastest growing telecom market in the world. The demand for smartphones is also increasing fast, and in next three years it would account for around 40 per cent of the total handset sales. Our latest handset is an easy-to-use and affordable smart phone through which we aim to create a new category of smart phones,” said HTC Corp CEO Peter Chou.

MUMBAI: ESPN Star Sports (ESS) is targeting an advertising revenue of Rs 1.6 billion from the Twenty20 World Cup that kicks off on 30 April, just after the completion of the cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL) tournament.

ESS has already closed out four co-presenting sponsorship slots, according to sources. The roster includes Tata Teleservices, Hero Honda, Spice Telecom and Paras Pharmaceuticals.
 
Maruti and Intel have come on-board as associate sponsors and ESS is planning to line up four more associate sponsors. Reliance Communications, which is an official partner of the International Cricket Council (ICC), is in advanced discussions with ESS to come on board as a sponsor.

“We hope to close the deal shortly. Despite the fact that India exited early, we were satisfied with the delivery of the event last year. At the end of the day we look at TVRs and not necessarily whether India has advanced or not”, the ESS spokesperson said, while refusing to comment on any commercial details.

ESS, industry sources say, has been asking for Rs 120-140 million for a co-presenting sponsor and Rs 80-100 million for an associate sponsor.
 
Other companies negotiating with the broadcaster include LG, HP and Nokia. ESS, it has been learnt, has also roped in around 10 companies who have taken spots for the event.Philips, meanwhile, will sponsor the broadcaster’s wraparound shows for the event, branding it as Philips Cricketxtra.

ESS is also offering advertisers the freedom to choose packages for the Twenty20 World Cup, Champions Twenty20 League and the soccer World Cup. A media buyer notes that ESS has already signed four sponsorship deals for the Champions Twenty20 League. “Even though the ratings were low last year, there are clients who have faith in cricket. They feel that the event will do better this year. There is also an incremental benefit for advertisers who take multiple properties”.
 
As had been reported earlier by Indiantelevision.com Hero Honda had come on board ESPN Star Sports as a sponsor for the soccer World Cup. Tata Teleservices will now join that list, taking a package deal.

MUMBAI: Reliant Energy has launched its new advertising campaign, “Lights”, illustrating the benefits that power brings to people‘s lives and highlighting advantages it delivers to customers.
 
The 30-second TV spot is aired both in English and Spanish language TV stations.
 
Says Reliant Energy VP brand and marketing Manny Rodriguez, “Each TV and radio spot from our new ad campaign highlights the Reliant Advantage (SM) – a unique combination of tools, information and services to fit the needs of our customers. With Reliant Energy, customers get the complete package. They don‘t have to look any further than Reliant for their electricity needs.”
 
The radio spot will begin airing from 5 April.
 

MUMBAI: Chennai-based creative agency 1pointsize has won the creative duties of Pasta Bar Veneto, a chain of Italian restaurants from Fifth Avenue Hotels & Resorts.
 
The agency will be involved in the advertising and design work of the restaurant.
 
Pasta Bar plans to set up its first outfit in Chennai and then scale up to 60 restaurants over two years.

Says Fifth Avenue Hotels & Resorts MD Vinod Sharma, “There are way too many pizzerias in India and way too few Pasta Bars. Worldwide, the popularity of pastas is zooming, and we thought there couldn’t be a better time to roll out a national chain of pasta bars. At the core, The Pasta Bar Veneto is targeted at the young foodie. Our first Pasta Bar will be at Alsa Mall, Chennai, and then we plan to scale it up to over 60 restaurants in the next two years. We’ve chosen 1pointsize as our creative partner and brand guardian as they bring class and creativity to the table.”
 
Adds 1pointsize CEO Sharad Haksar, “We are very excited about The Pasta Bar Veneto as there is clearly a market for it. What impresses us most is the amount of detailing that has gone into the restaurant from day one.”

MUMBAI: The Indian Premier League (IPL) is improving its ratings on Max channel, the official broadcaster for the event.

The nine matches from 21-27 March averaged a TVR of 4.82, according to Tam data for the All-India market. This is higher than the first 14 matches from 12-20 March that had notched a TVR of 4.69.
 
Overall, the 23 matches got an average TVR of 4.74 which is slightly below what the corresponding period in the first season achieved (4.84 TVR). In the second season when the event was shifted to South Africa, the average TVR was 4.36.

This season 121 million viewers have tuned in to the event so far. In the first season, the first 23 matches got a cummulative reach of 88 million viewers, while the second season drew in 105 million viewers.
 
The highest rated match for this season got a TVR of 6.67, as Mumbai Indians engaged in a contest against Kolkata Knight Riders on 22 March. Also faring well was a match between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings that fetced a rating of 6.38. Clearly the Mumbai Indians and Sachin Tendulkar are pulling in fans from across the country.

By contrast, a match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Kings XI Punjab got a TVR of 5.28. A match between Deccan Chargers and Rajasthan Royals only got a rating of 4.25.
 
Timing is also playing a role. A match between Delhi Daredevils and Royal Challengers Bangalore got a rating of 2.57 as the match started at 4 pm.

In terms of in-stadia advertisng, the top three advertisers were DLF, Citibank and Hero Honda. The top in-stadia brands were DLF, Citi, Fly Kingfisher, Vodafone and Karbonn Mobiles. The top in-stadia platforms were Banner, Perimeter Board and Arm Sticker (On Player), according to Tam data.
 

MUMBAI: FMCG major Reckitt Benckiser India has roped in Bollywood actress Sridevi as brand ambassador for its specialist stain remover variant, Vanish.
 
Also, with an objective to generate trial amongst Indian consumers, the price of the trial pack has been dropped from Rs 35 to Rs 29. The packaging of the brand has also changed from a tub to a re-sealable pouch which is easy to use and store. 
 
Says Reckitt Benckiser India chairman and managing director Mohan Sethi, “Vanish is a high priority brand for the Indian business. The market for specialist stain removers is nascent in India and we aim to create and grow the market. Sridevi enjoys a great stature with Indian housewives – they look upon her as an all-round achiever who has excelled in almost every area of life be it acting, dancing or being a home-maker. Most importantly, consumers relate to her with a sense of warmth; her word is credible to them and they can believe what she tells them. She is also one of the few celebrities whose popularity cuts across all geographies in India. Thus, she was a natural choice for the Vanish brand ambassador.”