Category: MAM

MUMBAI: The Asia TV Ad Coalition (ATAC) networks are promoting a new trade marketing campaign, Cable And Satelllite Broadcastiong Association of Asia said.

The ATAC networks cover the majority of adspend on subscription TV across Asia, including Discovery Networks Asia, CNN, Fox One Stop Media, SPE Networks – Asia, Bloomberg Television, CNBC Asia and NBC Universal.
 
The centerpiece of the new campaign is a pair of high-value TV commercials targeted at regional advertisers and media agencies to be played out by the ATAC networks over a one-month period.

The ATAC TVCs – Illumination, demonstrating the media efficiency of pay-TV, and Fishing, signaling its media reach – have been designed to convey the benefits of subscription TV as the heart of a sophisticated media plan.
 
SPE Networks Asia VP ad sales and marketing Jack Lim says, “The core message is the unrivalled reach of Asia’s pay-TV networks. As of January 2010, one billion people in 327 million subscription TV households were connected to Asian pay-TV systems with a growth rate of 12 per cent since the end of 2008. Today, this accounts for 45 per cent of all TV households.”

The ATAC campaign is supported by a print and on-line trade marketing campaign to maximize creative impact.
 
Universal McCann MD Chris Skinner says, “Targeting regional media planners and advertisers via commercials on the ATAC networks is a strategic use of existing inventory. It continues to demonstrate how broadcasters are evolving and investing in their businesses.”
 

MUMBAI: Keeping in line with its partnership agreement with the Indian Premier League (IPL), Colors has created a new cricket entertainment campaign to craft the IPL brand into a “spicier” variety.

Christened IPL Tadka Maar Ke, the campaign, beginning tomorrow, will initiate the launch of four new properties – IPL Rockstars (a music talent hunt show), IPL Fear Factor Edition, IPL Awards and IPL Parties.

Avers Colors marketing head Rameet Arora, “IPL Tadka Maar Ke is the perfect marriage between two very strong entertainment brands – IPL and Colors. We have created this unique campaign IPL Tadka Maar Ke to signify the Colors‘ contribution in making brand IPL even spicier.” 
 
The channel has also constituted a logo for the campaign, which reflects the “energy of IPL and cricket and the ‘tadka‘ or the unique touch that Colors brings.”

The Logo communicates everything – the vibrancy, the richness, the dynamics and its mass appeal through bright orange tongues and yellow flaming tongues lapping up all the excitement.
 
Amongst the properties, IPL Rockstars will be the first of its kind music talent hunt show where the contestants will be performing inside the stadium during the IPL matches. Meanwhile, the channel is in process of finalising the IPL players for the IPL Fear Factor Edition.
 
 
Among the other properties, IPL Awards will ad a glitzy and glamorous Bollywood tadka to the event while IPL Parties will be full of fun and fashion.

The channel has decided to promote the IPL Tadka Maar Ke brand heavily across its network channels and other media platforms.

MUMBAI: The Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) and The Advertising Club Bombay (ACB) will host the 2010 Goafest from 8-10 April.

The festival, now in its fifth year, will play on the theme ‘Survival of the Freshest‘.
 
Says Goafest 2010 chairman and JWT CEO Colvyn Harris, “Goafest has grown into a multifaceted convention for the Indian advertising industry. This year‘s theme is set in the context of fast-evolving technological trends, where advertisers are being challenged to use clutter-breaking ideas and media. The eminent panel of judges will reward those who have risen successfully to the challenge and worked towards greater brand-building in the country.” 
 
Adds Industry Leadership Conclave chairman Sam Balsara, “After growing at nearly 20 per cent year on year for five years, the advertising market dipped in 2009 by as much as 10 per cent. It‘s time to grow now and make up for lost time with sharp strategies and plans to develop brands, markets, creativity, media markets and research.” 
 
A Business Conclave will precede Goafest on 8 April at 3 pm where CEOs will introspect, debate, define and arrive at plans to achieve scorching growth rates. The next two days will focus on the knowledge and learning seminars, the Media Abby Awards (9 April) and the Creative Abby Awards (10 April).
 
 

MUMBAI: The Indian Boxing Federation (IBF) has got XXX Energy Drink as the title sponsor for the fifth Commonwealth Boxing Championship 2010. 
 
The fifth Commonwealth Boxing Championships will be held at Talkatora Stadium, New Delhi from 10-18 March 2010.

The championship will see 140 boxers and 130 bouts from 17 countries. All major Commonwealth boxing nations like England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, South Africa, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Mauritius, Kenya, Samoa, Singapore, Canada (TBC) and India will be participating in this championship. Indian boxers such as Vijender Singh, Akhil Kumar, Dinesh Kumar, Nanao Singh and Suranjay Singh will be contending for India.
 
Percept was recently appointed as the marketing agent for Indian Boxing Federation for four years till 2014.

As marketing partner, Percept will be primarily responsible to promote Indian boxing talents. They will also promote the Indian Series of Boxing which would take off after the World Series of Boxing scheduled this year. Besides, it will also play an integral part in bringing bilateral, tri-nation and other international boxing events to India.
 
Percept joint MD Shailendra Singh said, “In India, sports still takes a back seat and does not get the needed recognition and applause. It’s good to see XXX Energy Drink take keen interest in supporting and partnering with Commonwealth Boxing Championship.

“As the marketing agent of IBF we will go all out to promote this sport in India and take it to another level by making it as popular as cricket or tennis,” Singh added.

The Common Wealth Boxing Championship is being supported by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, the Organising Committee of Commonwealth Games and Sports Authority of India (SAI).

MUMBAI: Rediffusion Y&R has roped in Rachana Dharia as head digital (West and South). She will be based out of Mumbai and will report to Rediffusion Y&R EVP Nisha Singhania.
 
Says Singhania, “We have divided the digital division into two separate teams, one in Mumbai and the other in Delhi. While Dharia will be heading the Mumbai division, Kiran Dhillon, who joined the agency six months ago, will head the Delhi division and look after the North and East markets. Both of them will be responsible for getting in and delivering complete digital solutions to advertisers in their respective regions.”
 
Dharia was with Tribal DDB India prior to this appointment. She has around 14 years of experience in digital media space and worked on brands that include Volkswagen, Idea Cellular and Times of India.
 

MUMBAI:Publicis India has appointed Anirban Mozumdar as senior vice president planning for North and East.
 
Based out of Gurgaon, Mozumdar will replace Neeraj Gupta. He will be reporting to Publicis India CEO Hemant Misra.
 
“Contagious conversations about brands have pulled me towards Publicis,” says Mozumdar.
 
Prior to this, Mozumdar was with DDB Mudra for close to 15 months. Mozumdar started his career at Rediffusion Y&R and then he moved to Leo Burnett where he was working for close to a decade.

He has worked on brands including Bajaj Auto and P &G including Tide, Rejoice and Whisper.
 

MUMBAI: LG Electronics India has roped in John Abraham, Genelia D‘Souza and Abhay Deol as brand ambassadors for LG mobile phones in India.

LGEIL business group marketing head mobile communications Sudhin Mathur says, “
LG Mobiles will now deliver energised experiences in an unordinary way. As part of our overall strategy to reposition LG Mobiles as a youthful brand, the brand ambassadors‘ will help us relating with our consumers.” 
 
As brand ambassadors, John Abraham, Genelia D‘Souza and Abhay Deol will play a key role creating connect for the brand with the consumers.

Deol says, “I always stand for what I believe, be it professional or personal life. Brand LG has always been a personal favourite. These phones come with the perfect bundle of offerings that any youngster would want and is a perfect fit with me!”
 
“I love the networking concept in LG phones. The new range of LG phones makes it extremely convenient by offering whatever one needs and nothing which we don‘t,” says John Abraham.

“LG mobile phones are trendy, stylish, funky and chic; just the way I am. It is an honour to be associated with LG mobile phones. The mobile phones are so conveniently designed that it makes it user friendly and simple to operate,” avers Genelia D‘Souza
 
LG has planned an aggressive multi-media campaign covering television, radio, outdoor, cinema and internet which will be supplemented by print ads released during strategic periods.

The first campaign will break in the first quarter of 2010. LG Mobiles will be targeting to gain double digits among the young Indian consumers.
 

MUMBAI: Russell Barrett has put in his papers at Bates 141 as executive creative director to join BBH India. Officials at BBH India, however, refused to comment on the development.
 
As part of his new mandate, Barrett will working closely with BBH India managing partner Priti Nair.
 
Barrett was with Bates 141 for about one year and was associated with brands including Radio City, Virgin Mobile and Tata AIG.
 
Barrett has worked with agencies including Leo Burnett, O&M and Rediffusion DY&R.

MUMBAI: Manish Porwal, former Percept Talent Management (PTM) CEO, has bought a controlling stake in HR and talent solutions company Alchemist.

Having quit PTM in January, Porwal will move into a new role as managing director of Alchemist. He is also an advisor in communications, on the board of a large infrastructure company.
 
Says Porwal, “The huge role of people in our industry and the ironic lack of investment in them, always boggled me. Where my MNC jobs gave me respect for processes and roles in an organisation, Percept prepared me in relating with the power of individuals, the needs of top end celeb talent and for thinking like an entrepreneur. Bringing these learning together, I am determined to make Alchemist the leader in talent solutions, in the entertainment, media and communication industry.

We shall start with value adding in the verticals of MARS [Marketing, Advertising (Creative and media), Research and Ad-Sales]. I believe the relationships and skills I have developed over the last 15 years will allow me to set a world class company which shall finally be run by people who work in it and are not just employees but stake-holders. Alchemist will also allow me the width to look at other avenues that I have also wanted to be a part of.”
 
Adds Alchemist founder and COO Anujita Jain: “The team at Alchemist is glad that we now have a leader and strategic driver to give shape to our dreams. We are already excelling in the area of Executive search and vocational education & training, and given Manish’s ability to incubate and execute big plans, we would be talking bigger scale and scope. I am personally excited because Manish has been my mentor early in life and I look up to him for his integrity and passion and ability to give quality product to his clients.”

While Anujita will continue to be at the helm of affairs, Porwal will play the role of a mentor and chief strategist and also have time to pursue other consulting engagements in his individual capacity.
 
Alchemist is expanding its team and offices. The company announced appointments of Sweta Jhaveri as associate managing consultant and Nidhi Thakkar, Sumita Kevalramani and Jigna Upadhyay as senior consultants.

Outside Mumbai, Alchemist will have offices/affiliates in Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore, Jaipur, Kolkata, Singapore and London.

Porwal was earlier MD of Starcom India. After his MBA at NMIMS, he started his career at FCB Ulka and has also worked with BBC World, Everest and Vijay TV. At PTM, he briefly held an additional portfolio as CEO of Bollywood Corporation. He created CelebTrackTM, which measures celeb power across genres.
 

MUMBAI: With the hockey World Cup kicking off on 28 February, Ten Sports has sold 75 per cent of inventory.

Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) chief revenue officer Joy Chakraborty says that Nokia, Coca-Cola, Seagrams, Musli Power and TVS Srichakra Tyres have come on board as associate sponsors.
 
“We are holding back 25 per cent of inventory which we will sell at a higher rate. We will price it at Rs 50,000 per 10 seconds. For the India versus Pakistan match the rate is double,” adds Chakraborty.

As had been reported earlier by Indiantelevision.com, Hero Honda is the title sponsor while MTS Mobile is a co-presenting sponsor. 
 
A media buyer notes that associating with this event is more about the values of a sport that is the country‘s national sport as opposed to watching TRPs. “Over the years many advertisers have stayed away from hockey. Now that the World Cup is in India, some brands look at this event as being a good association. It is about national pride.”

The viewership for the hockey World Cup is expected to come more from the mini metros and smaller cities like Pune and Ludhiana as opposed to the major ones.

“That is why ratings may not give you an accurate picture. Hero Honda sells more products in the smaller cities. They also talk of national pride in their campaigns. So this event is a perfect fit for them. Nokia and Coca-Cola address the youth. They want an event that is good, clean fun. The hockey World Cup fits the bill. I expect that males and youth will tune into this event the most,” says the media buyer.