Category: MAM

MUMBAI: In the wake of a multi-agency pitch, Starcom Worldwide Delhi has bagged the media duties of Educomp Solutions.

The agency takes on the role of a channel planning partner and will be responsible for all media planning and buying duties for Educomp. It will be activating relevant touch points that ultimately drive revenue for Educomp.
 
Says Educomp director Abhinav Dhar, “Starcom did well in the pitch process. Our brief evaluated the agencies on four counts – talent helming the account, consumer insights, ideas anchored on business goals and stretching the budget. Starcom did well in all areas. Now comes the exciting part – delivering and executing.”
 
Avers Starcom Worldwide executive director, India – North Tarun Deep Kumar, “It‘s a fantastic start to the year with the Educomp win. Understanding the realities of the education industry resulted in winning the account. Our unwavering focus on business-building ideas made our argument compelling.”

Starcom Worldwide has already commenced the work on the account.
 
Founded in 1994, Educomp Solutions is a globally diversified education solutions provider. It reaches out to over 25,000 schools and 14 million learners and educators across the world with 27 offices worldwide including an office in Canada, 20 in India, two in Singapore, one in Sri Lanka and three in the United States.
 
 

BANGALORE: Real estate developer Sunil Mantri Group unveiled its new corporate brand image and announced expansion plans in Bangalore today. The group has identified Bangalore as a strategic target for expansion.
 
The group also plans to spend around Rs.300-400 million towards media and communications, revealed Sunil Mantri Group chairman Sunil Mantri. Actors Radhika Menon and Aftab Shivdasani are the group’s brand ambassadors.

Sunil Mantri also announced 17 January as the launch of a Rs 700 million project, ‘Mantri Premero,’ in Bangalore.
 
“We are planning to spend around Rs 30 to 40 milliontowards communication for ‘Mantri Premero’, mainly across outdoor and print. You’ll see full page ads on the major newspapers of the city on the 17th,” informed Idb India (Idb)  COO Evarist Rego while speaking with indiantelevision.com.

Idb handles the media buying and the creative work for the Sunil Mantri Group.
 
Rego said that Idb is exploring various options for mass media communications and brand building including local television and local radio, but that radio communications would be event based. Rego is also not averse to sponsoring a sports event like other real estate groups have done with the Karnataka Premier League (KPL).

The title sponsor for the KPL is Mantri Developers, headed by Sushil Mantri. Mantri Developers is also a realtor with projects in Bangalore, but it is a different company.
 

MUMBAI: Rediffusion Y&R has appointed Rahul Roy as planning head, South. 
 
Prior to this, Roy was head and director – strategy planning at Lowe Malaysia. 
 
Says Rediffusion – Y&R chief strategy officer Arvind Mohan, “Roy brings with him the experience of working in Indian and international markets. His varied knowledge and understanding in marketing and communications will be an asset to our company.”
 
Prior to working with Lowe Malaysia, Roy has worked with Bates Asia, Ogilvy and BBDO. The brand on which he has worked includes J&J, IBM, ICI Paints, IKEA, Mahindra and Mahindra, Titan, Taj, Sara Lee, Britannia and Kissan.

MUMBAI: The Sahara Group brought the striking Indian hockey players back into the playing arena just days before the World Cup.

The five-day row over issue of payment has been resolved with team sponsor Sahara‘s announcement of releasing Rs 10 million. Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president Suresh Kalmadi also stepped in to resolve the crisis.

Kalmadi rushed to Pune this morning, where the base camp has been organised, after the talks between Hockey India (HI) officials and players failed to break the impasse.
 
Kalmadi announced his full support to the players and agreed with most of their demands, while Sahara actually bailed the board out by releasing Rs 10 million immediately.

Sahara issued a statement saying, “In the genuine interest of the national hockey players, Sahara India Pariwar has decided to pay immediately Rs 10 million in suspense account to Hockey India, only for distribution to the players so that they can peacefully and happily practice and play for the country.”
 
“Hockey has been our national game. It can never be a national shame. It will be our national pride. The players all feel that they want to bring up Indian hockey. I assured them of full support,” Kalmadi told reporters.

He also said that a ‘Players‘ Welfare Development Fund‘ will be created with former Indian captain Dhanraj Pillay in charge.
 
Sahara had paid Rs 7.7 million in December as advance for the quarter of 15 January to 14 April 2010. “Sahara will go through the past accounts of Hockey India and shall take suitable decision for this amount,” the company said.

The 22 probables for World Cup stopped training at the Belawadi Sports Complex in Pune on Friday over pending monies owed to them. The strike was, however, called off on Saturday after six players held a marathon meeting with Indian hockey officials here.

But the truce did not even last for a day after the players decided to resume their strike.

MUMBAI: The Kumbh Mela Administration, Government of Uttarakhand (GoU), has awarded Impact Communications, which specializes in rural marketing, the advertising rights for Mahakumbh Haridwar 2010 that begins on 14 January.

Says Impact Communications CEO Sanjay Kaul, “We won the account following a multi agency pitch. Earlier, we had won the ad rights of Mahakumbh Ujjain in 2004.” 
 
According to the terms of the agreement, Impact will have to pay the license fee in four installments for January to April.

According to a source in the company, the agency is looking at generating ad revenues worth Rs 30-40 million through this project.

The agency will earn ad revenues by selling space on four gantries, 100 entry gates, 25 parking lots, 400 kiosks, 1000 signage co-branding with social messages, 10 mobile vans and 25 air balloons. 
 
The agency is in talks with various companies including GSK, iShare, Dabur, Cadburys, Kodak along with a few telecom companies for branding the event.
 
“February is the peak time for the mela when the royal bath begins. And thus, we will begin with our on-ground activations during that period,” says Kaul.

MUMBAI: Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova, 22, has renewed her deal with Nike for eight more years. The deal is said to be worth $75 million.

In addition Sharapova will take a percentage of revenue from dresses she will design for the company.
 
The deal comes at a time when companies are struggling to battle the economic downturn. Media reports state that Nike has worked with Sharapova for 11 years.
 
Sharapova is said to be earning nearly $22 million a year in prize money and from endorsements.

MUMBAI: Channel [V], the youth channel from the Star India stable, has appointed JWT India to handle its creative duties.
 
With this win, JWT now has four channels from the Star Network in its kitty. The others xhannels are Star World, Star Movies and Star One.
 
Earlier in August 2009, Channel [V] had appointed Lowe Lintas to give it a brand facelift, thereby, helping it don its new “bloody cool” positioning.

MUMBAI: In a move to firm up its top management, Publicis Ambience has elevated Aniruddha Banerjee and Ashish Khazanchi to the newly created posts chairman and vice chairman respectively. 
 
Prior to this elevation, Banerjee was president and chief operating officer while Khazanchi was national creative director.

Said Publicis CEO South Asia Nakul Chopra, “Banerjee and Khazanchi have done an outstanding job over the past years. They are clearly our leadership for the future. Publicis is the youngest global network in India. We are already in the top three in creative rankings and now we are focused on being a top five agency.” 
 
Added Banerjee, “Khazanchi and I will certainly do our best to take up the challenge and take Publicis to its rightful place.” 
 
Both Banerjee and Khazanchi have been with Publicis since 2007. Before joining the agency, while Banerjee was with Everest Brand Solutions as chief operating officer, Khazanchi was executive creative director at Rediffusion DY&R.

MUMBAI: Dhanalakshmi Bank is shedding its navy blue look as it unveils its corporate identity makeover.

The new logo sports a purple colour that stands for wealth and prosperity. The colour, the bank believes, would act as a brand differentiator from the other pack of financial services outfits that have crowded the marketplace.
 
The bank has also changed the spelling of its name to ‘Dhanlaxmi’. Additionally, building on the eight decades of heritage, the bank has added ‘established 1927’ as part of its new identity.

Says Dhanlaxmi Bank MD and CEO Amitabh Chaturvedi, “In our endeavour to create one of the large top quality private sector banks in India, the brand transformation is a key area of focus. I am confident that the new corporate identity and communication strategy would characterize our new value proposition – relevance, convenience and clarity – for our customers.”
 
International branding and design consultancy Fitch has designed the new identity for the bank. The brief given was – ‘evolve by modernising but maintain the core value of trust’.
 
Avers Fitch MD South Asia David Blair, “With the passage of time, the context in which a brand operates changes in terms of its customers’ mindsets and values. We are delighted to be associated with Dhanlaxmi Bank at this critical stage in the bank’s history, and are confident that the new identity will continue to appeal to the existing customer base while creating excitement among future customers of all demographics.”

Dhanlaxmi Bank has appointed O&M to partner them for their advertising. The ad campaign is expected to launch in the next financial year.

MUMBAI: While the soccer World Cup takes place only in June, ESPN Star Sports (ESS) is already selling sponsorships. The broadcaster has already sold four sponsorship slots, according to information available with Indiantelevision.com.
 
While Vodafone has come on board as a co-sponsor, Nokia is an associate sponsor. Sources say Samsung has come on board as a spot buyer.

A media buyer says that the broadcaster is looking at two co-sponsors and six associates. ESS is asking for an outlay ranging from Rs 40-60 million. 
 
This time around ESS is asking for around Rs 60,000 for a 10-second spot. In 2006, the rate was much less – around Rs 25,000.