ITV

Category: Marketing

  • Mudra Max appoints Anwesh Bose as branch head-North & East

    Mudra Max appoints Anwesh Bose as branch head-North & East

    MUMBAI:Mudra Max has appointed Anwesh Bose as its branch head for North and East.

    Prior to this appointment he was with the Dentsu India Group as chief growth officer-media.

    Said Mudra Connext EVP and country head Manas Mishra, “With Anwesh we have a seasoned media professional with experience in the Delhi market. His experience with the many national and international brands, the partnerships he has built with media and clients will all help us in further strengthening our operation in Delhi and Kolkata. We welcome him on board and wish him a long and successful inning.”

    Bose added, “I am delighted to be a part of the Mudra family and excited with the prospects of Mudra Max. Mudra Max is now at a very exciting stage in its journey and I look forward to being part of it at such a momentous time.”

    Bose has been in the media planning and buying industry for over 13 years. He started his career in 1998 and has worked with brands such as Yamaha, Honda, Suzlon, Canon, Grasim, Jaypee, Daikin, Raymond, Toyota, Panasonic, FedEx and Thomas Cook.

  • Gautam Talwar to replace Arvind Mohan as chief strategy officer for Rediffusion – Y & R

    Gautam Talwar to replace Arvind Mohan as chief strategy officer for Rediffusion – Y & R

    MUMBAI: Rediffusion Y&R has promoted Gautam Talwar as its chief strategy officer He takes over as head of the strategic planning function from Arvind Mohan who has decided to move on.

    Talwar joined Rediffusion – Y&R in April 2010 as executive vice president–new business development and special projects. He brings to the table more than 14 years of experience in the advertising and entertainment space.
     
    Rediffusion – Y&R president D. Rajappa said, “Gautam has been instrumental in leading the new business mandate at Rediffusion – Y&R. He is a Thinker and a New Media proponent who is well versed in brand strategy across different markets, with cross category experience amongst varied consumer segments.”

    On his new assignment Talwar said, “Rediffusion – Y&R has always been respected for its commitment to building great brands. With this opportunity I hope to leverage my strategic strengths and build further on this legacy by creating meaningful communication that will deliver on brand objectives and create campaigns that will work for our clients and the agency.”

    Prior to joining Rediffusion, Talwar was the creative and business head for Kaleidoscope Entertainment where he set up the mobile content division, developed original concepts and content for television and the mobile space. He was also the executive producer on two full length feature films.

    Starting his career with Grey Worldwide, Talwar then moved to Lowe in account management and strategic planning.
     
     
    At Grey, he worked on cross category brands like Johnson & Johnson, Cadbury Schweppes, Tropicana, Diageo, Emirates Airlines, Akai TV, TataTetley, Elf Lubricants and The Bombay Store.

    He spent three years with Lowe & Partners – Middle East and North Africa (Dubai) as the regional account director on the Unilever business. At Lowe Dubai, he worked on Fair & Lovely, Lifebuoy, OMO, Rexona & Axe, Lux Progress, Signal and was the strategic planner for the juice brand in MENA – Almarai juices.
     
    In his five years at Lowe Mumbai, he was the strategic planner on the skin and hair franchise for Unilever, planning on brands such as Fair& Lovely and Clinic franchise. He was also the planning force behind the very successful Balbir Pasha campaign for Population Services International.

     

  • The biggest revolution is happening in mobile apps

    The biggest revolution is happening in mobile apps

    VARCA: The biggest revolution is happening in mobile commerce, said Wunderman chairman and chief executive officer Daniel Morel.

    Adding leverage to his thought, he said: “In Kenya almost 20 per cent of financial transactions are through mobile commerce.”

    Morel was speaking in a session at Goafest 2011.

    Sharing his ideas about the development on the mobile front, Morel amplified the advantage of emerging devices and service applications in this field. He advised, “These mediums let near limitless real-time data be transferred. In the end, we are left with tons of data, which should be used.”

    Morel also presented his thoughts on the evolution of community marketing in the age of new media.

    To underline the effects and gravity of the current revolution, he shared an anecdote: “When I asked the Chinese premier about his opinion of the French Revolution, the Chinese leader replied, ‘It‘s too early to comment‘. Despite 250 years having lapsed since the landmark movement, the Chinese president is finding it too early; now I wonder–can we say the same about our current media revolution?”

    He titled the revolution of Marketing 3.0 as ‘The revolution that changed the world‘ and found this still at its infancy stage. The impact can be concluded in many years to come, he said.

    Morel affirmed that the main difference between the present and past revolutions is the speed at which they are becoming obsolete. As a marketer, one needs to be ready for change, adapt and evolve.

    Morel also said that the recent revolution in the Arab world was mainly fueled by the social media. He stated that in the current scenario the “virtual world is inseparable with the real world”. In fact, some people are more active in the virtual one, he pointed out.

     

  • Hegarty shows how the ad world has evolved from ‘Super Bowl to Super Social’








    VARCA: BBH worldwide creative director Sir John Hegarty‘s session at Goafest 2011 witnessed the highest turnout.


    In his presentation termed ‘Super Bowl to Super Social‘, Hegarty started off by declaring that a technological storm has hit the creative industry.


    “It would be incorrect to assume that this blizzard is destroying creativity. The problem is that creative people get nervous with technology. They should understand one fact: technology is an aid to creativity. Without an electric guitar, we‘d all be still singing folk songs,” he said.
     
    Throughout his talk, Hegarty continually presented various television commercials created by his agency.


    He smashed another common sentiment: digital change has given the consumer full control. Hegarty argued that customers were always in control. “They had the money, and didn‘t spend it on anything they didn‘t like. Now what has changed is that they can switch you off.”


    Hegarty also mentioned that fame has become a powerful force in the market place, “because it protects margins, resists competitive pressure and shortens the decision making process”. 
     
    Talking more about digital advantages, Hegarty said it “has huge potential as long as you have got the context right. Customers need to see value and return on their investments.”


    After showing an ad his agency created for Levi‘s hero brand, Hegarty presented an ad created for the launch of Xbox in Europe. The ad was responded by a round of applause by everyone in the seminar hall (all his ads received similar admiration). “The client was absolutely against the ad. We told him we‘d try making it viral, and if the TVC gets good response, we‘ll take it into broadcast. It got nearly 15 million hits around the world.”
     
     These two ads were followed by another five spots for Barclay‘s credit card, Barnardo‘s, Axe, Johnnie Walker and Yeo Valley.


    Talking about the Johnnie Walker ad Hegarty said, “The client had asked us to make a corporate video for journalists and other people who came to their office.” This ad with the brand tagline ‘Keep Walking‘ has received more than 100,000 views on YouTube and has become immensely popular.


    Hegarty proudly declared that after the Yeo Valley ad was shown in the first break of X Factor, it had out-tweeted the show for the next 14 hours. “So do something we believe in at BBH–be bold in one media, it‘ll be picked up in something else.”


    He advised, “Do something amazing and daring and something that‘ll cut through and get the kind of response you want.”
     

  • Hero Cycles in retail tie-up with Planet Sports

    Hero Cycles in retail tie-up with Planet Sports

    MUMBAI: Bicycle manufacturer, Hero Cycles, announces a strategic tie-up with Sports Division- Pantaloon Retail India Limited, part of Future Group, to market and sell their new range of premium bicycles.

    This association would enable Hero Cycles to display their merchandise and make their new range of premium bicycles available across Planet Sports, and its Shop-in-Shop formats within Central, Pantaloons, Brand Factory and Sports Warehouse across all metros and Tier I cities.

    Hero Cycles MD SK Rai said, “The tie-up is aligned with Hero Cycle‘s strategy to address the premium bicycle market, while continuing to be the market leader in the mass segment through its established brand loyalty. Owing to changing trends in retail and the evolving profile of consumers, our attempt is to expand our product line, by offering quality products, sound in technology and engineering, thereby enhancing the overall shopping experience for customers.”

    Pantaloon Retail India CEO sports division Ravdeep Singh said, “We are pleased to partner with Hero Cycles; this is sure to enhance the shopping experience for our consumers and reinforce our commitment to encourage an active lifestyle amongst our audience. The new bicycles by Hero are truly a class apart, sleek and stylish in their design and completely in line with the quality of products we display in our stores.”

    The new range of Hero Cycles boasts advanced features, cutting across all socio-economic segments. The premium range will be marketed through selective retail outlets of Future Group. Specific details on the alliance are to be confirmed; the timeline of the final unveiling is scheduled to be around May 2011.

  • Fali Vakeel is Lowe Lintas India vice chairman

    Fali Vakeel is Lowe Lintas India vice chairman

    MUMBAI: Lowe Lintas India has elevated its chief operating officer, Fali Vakeel, to vice chairman.

    Vakeel will continue to be based in Mumbai and his new role comes into effect immediately.

    Lowe Lintas CEO Joseph George said, “Fali was an obvious and easy choice. His personality, experience and fierce bias for the agency‘s well being will now play an even more pivotal role in helping us chart the future of this agency.”

    Prior to joining Lowe Lintas, Vakeel worked in London at JWT and McCann for over eight years and has now been with the organisation for over two decades. He has worked out of the agency‘s Mumbai as well as Bangalore offices.

    Chairman and chief creative officer R Balakrishnan (Balki) adds, “Fali introduced me to Lowe Lintas and he is one of the prime reasons why I am here. At Lowe Lintas, the combination of wisdom, irreverence and commitment means Fali.”

     

  • IPL’s value down 11% to $3.67 bn as honeymoon period is over: BrandFinance

    MUMBAI: As India‘s cricket board is trying to clean up its biggestcricket-entertainment property, there are still questions looming over the business model of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The addition of two teams has only added to the financial woes as the overall brand value of the IPL has eroded.


    The IPL is valued at $3.67 billion, down 11 per cent from $4.13 billion a year-ago, as there are dark clouds raised over governance policies, according to BrandFinance India, the company which specialises in brand valuations. 
     
    “The IPL juggernaut has hit a speed breaker with an erosion of $460 million of its long-term value. As costs like players‘ wages rise, the early commercial success of IPL will be tested and the honeymoon is well and truly over,” BrandFinance India MD M Unni Krishnan said.


    The IPL branded ecosystem’s long–term sustainability is being subjected to a “stress test” from various forces. IPL’s sustainability will, thus, largely depend on infusing governance policies to align all the stakeholders towards win–win relationships and thereby preserving the value in the long run.
     
    The BrandFinance report noted that much of the brand’s initial value was built through a range of attention getting activities, which now needs to be consolidated through values driven patronage across all stakeholders.


    The report chalked out various factors on which the business model as a whole will be dependent. These are:



    • Ability to institutionalise governance processes to safeguard IPL’s ability to inspire trust flows across stakeholders which will sustain the business model’s cash flows.

    • Prudent financial management and corporate discipline to ensure commercial success at an individual franchisee level as costs like player’s wages shoot up.

    • Nurture and establish new, or improved, revenue streams so that franchisees can leverage their popularity through more diverse merchandising or new income streams.

    • Retaining the engagement levels with current and potential fan bases even as young Indians get exposed to new game formats and interest in other sports.

    • Stickiness of sponsors who may have more options. Initial enthusiasm could wane in the light of IPL’s own economic performance.
      The report, however, conceded that despite all the challenges, the IPL has remained a robust asset. “Its owners face a choice. Either they can reform the system inside out or face a meltdown in the not so distant future,” the report cautioned.

    At a broader level, the IPL is emblematic of Indian commercial and sporting prowess to the world. Oddly enough, the IPL also represents the dark microcosm of an epidemic of corruption and short–term frenzy to make a fast buck which has swept India like an avalanche over the last year,” the report added.


    IPL Franchises:
    The combined trademark value of all the eight franchisees for 2011 is pegged at $355.22 million, slightly higher than $333.35 million in 2010.
     
     
    BrandFinance, which took the eight original eight teams into consideration, categorised the teams into three brackets. The ‘breakaway brands’ consisted of Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers. BrandFinance said that these franchisees seem to have worked out the secret sauce of sporting success. “Consistency and coherence across various dimensions of cricketing and marketing excellence along with governance holds the key,” it said. (For valuation, see the table).




    Mumbai Indians has made significant gains due to meticulous focus on nurturing a core team under Sachin Tendulkar, strong fan engagement efforts, sponsorship and merchandising. What makes it stand out is also the strong commitment to use the platform for the larger good like “Education for All’. It is not a mere coincidence that all the three ’breakaway brands’ are owned by large business houses, the report noted.



    Meanwhile, Kolkota Knight Riders, Delhi Daredevils and Deccan Chargers are the “middle of the road brands”. They are in a state of flux and seem to have lost their balance in key areas of cricketing excellence aka the product.


    The third in the category are the “Stragglers” and consist of Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI who have their work cut out in getting their houses in order.
     

  • OMD bags Guthy-Renker’s media duties

    MUMBAI: Direct response marketing company, Guthy-Renker, has roped in OMD as its media agency-on-record (AOR) for digital and print Media.
     
    OMD India MD Jasmin Sohrabji said, “We are excited with this win and the opportunity to work with an established global brand. We look forward to strengthening Guthy-Renker’s presence and visibility in India.”
     
    The appointment is across all Guthy-Renker brands including Proactiv and other future brand launches.
     
    OMD will be taking over the company’s media responsibilities with immediate effect.
     

  • ‘Break-even year for first eight IPL teams” : GroupM ESP managing partner Hiren Pandit

    ‘Break-even year for first eight IPL teams” : GroupM ESP managing partner Hiren Pandit

    The Indian Premier League (IPL) has seen an erosion in brand value due to governance issues. Two franchises got termination notice from India‘s cricket board but are still alive in IPL 4.0 as the court has come to their rescue.

    In an interview with Indiantelevision.com‘s Ashwin Pinto, GroupM ESP managing partner Hiren Pandit talks about how the IPL can still be a revenue earner for the franchises as new advertisers take to the sport.

    Excerpts:

    Will there be revenue pressure for the IPL franchisees to break even now that two teams have been added?
    The first eight teams that came in have done well for themselves – and will continue to do so. They will operationally break-even this year.

    The two new franchises, however, will have to have a serious ace up their sleeves to achieve their numbers. It is a tight situation and will take at least eight to nine years for them to break-even.

    Is it a good time for a franchise to sell a stake?
    At any point in time, people will be in the market trying to find the value that they can get. The question is whether they need the money or if they can hang on. Now a lot of feelers have been in the market. Kings XI Punjab was nearly sold at one of time, but then issues came out.

    Deccan Chargers were in the market after the first year, but now they have Saina Nehwal with them. They seem to have a sports strategy in place. They are trying to have a play in sports by building sporting properties and icons.

    What about Sahara?
    Sahara picked up Pune and it could be related to Amby Valley. They might try to make each property feed of each other. Otherwise, they should have chosen Lucknow. Obviously, the play goes beyond owning a cricket team. It makes sense for them to leverage the IPL across other properties.

    Can Kochi run a smooth ship given that there are so many owners?
    My first take has been that the strength of a team is as good or bad as the strength of a franchise. If the people who are there cannot run and act like a team, then the players will not fare well. This could be an internal problem and if they have resolved it then good for them. Team owners buy a team and give to a professional body or a professional set of people to run.

    They are responsible to deliver for the team. In Kochi‘s case it is the team owners who are trying to run it. The scary part here is that the glamour element that is so huge and you can‘t hobnob with the team. If this is not managed properly, then it can become a problem. I have a feeling that Kochi still has to get its act together.

    They came into the market with serious sponsorship numbers which they are not getting. This is going to have an impact on their cash flows.

    How has off-the-field controversies impacted the IPL?
    The off-the-field activities affected the IPL itself. It impacted when the auction was held. All this is behind us. However, certain issues will have to be addressed after IPL 4 is over. It is not that the off-the-field issues have disappeared; it is just that they are on the backburner.

    With India lifting the World Cup, what viewership gains do you expect?
    IPL should get a boost from the World Cup. Viewers will want to see more of the Indian players. But I don‘t see a dramatic change in viewership. Keep in mind the fact that team compositions have changed drastically – except for Mumbai and Chennai.

    How is GroupM ESP involved with the IPL this time around?
    Maxus is the agency of IPL. In the first year, we did the deal with Citibank, which continues this year. GroupM ESP has got in Volkswagen as car partner for the IPL.

    We also went outside GroupM and did deals with outside clients who wanted to be associated with the IPL franchises. It could be awareness tracks, helping a client taking on competition or helping them form an association. We have also done licensing and merchandising deals that help the brand.
    ‘The Champions Twenty20 League is a great initiative that happened may be a little too early. It will become serious five years from now. But I am not so sure if it will be as big as the IPL‘

    What growth in revenue will franchises see this time around?
    Two new teams coming in means that the central kitty will be distributed among eight to 10 teams. The franchises will see growth from stadium income.

    Some franchises went to the market with high sponsorship price points. They then had to reduce their prices. Good marketing and good performances have helped.

    Mumbai and Chennai have done well and will see substantial revenue growth. Then you have Kolkata and Delhi in the middle. I have a feeling that Pune will pull through while Kerala will struggle.

    In terms of ticket revenues, the Wankhede Stadium will make a big difference to Mumbai. It is in the heart of the city. It is also possible that Mumbai will make more money on licensing and merchandising than any other team.

    The key to success is to reduce the heavy dependence on the central pool. Do you this happening this year?
    While some franchises may manage to up their local revenues, the Central pool may stay stagnant. But Chennai and Mumbai, and perhaps Kolkata, may manage to change the percentage ratio between central and local revenue in favour of the latter.

    The World Cup meant that franchises could not carry out activation with sponsors in the lead up to the IPL. What has been the impact?
    Every sponsor was aware of this problem. But if sponsors are smart enough, they will look at it from the longevity point of view so that they can build an association. Some companies like Luminous are doing activities. It is a tight situation, though, with players not being available. Sponsors will do such things during the IPL.

    Also, with the team structure changing, the task of building a fan base becomes that much more harder. Chennai and Mumbai are, of course, better positioned to strengthen their existing fan base.

    Rajasthan brought in Floriana which is a company that has never advertised in cricket. Are we going to see more of new advertisers taking to the sport?
    You will see a lot of newcomers as there is a churn happening. Some sponsors got in due to the glamour of the IPL without understanding what their objectives were; their relationship with the franchise owner may not have been good.

    In years four and five, you will see this settling down. Sponsors now have a clearer idea of what they want; franchises also realise that you cannot have a revolving door policy where you take money and not do anything.

    Which brands have done a good job?
    Nokia and Aircel are some of the companies that have stayed on with the franchise. Vodafone has benefited with the Zoozoos as its idea. Those sponsors who only looked at it as a piece of real estate for a logo are the ones who got screwed.
     

    Will we see more advertisers this year?
    The number of advertising opportunities on clothing will stay the same. This year, though, we will see advertisers coming in as partners and doing on-ground activation. An entrepreneur in a city like Hyderabad could decide to open two restaurants and bars named after the Deccan Chargers. The logo part is static, but the number of partners can increase.

    You will see more people moving in to the licensing and merchandising space. The franchises also have to look at this more seriously. At the same time, it is a slow burner.

    Wearing the team colour is the starting point; you will see clothes, watches, etc. But a pub or a shop like what Manchester United has is still a long way off. However, licensing and merchandising will still be a small part of a team‘s revenue.

    Two more teams mean more ad clutter. Is this going to be a major challenge for brands?
    Clutter was there with eight teams. Anybody who wants to break this, must do something different.

    Of all the brands that were associated with the ICC World Cup, the one that stands out is Pepsi. The whole creative concept that they did like the ‘helicopter shot‘ gave it a different flavour. The viewers saw something different, which stood out.
     

    Some feel that having two groups was the BCCI‘s way of trying to solve a problem of 10 teams. Do you agree?
    This is a format issue. You would have had 94 games. This is a lot of games. I remember traveling the first year with the Deccan Chargers. I wasn‘t even playing, but I was still tired. If you expect people to play so many games, it is unfair.

    The BCCI has tried to fit things in the best possible manner. They will review the current situation. But the window available is 45 days; this is not going to increase.
     

    What we have seen so far over three years is loyalty to the IPL and not so much for teams. Will this situation change this year?
    This has changed. In the Mumbai versus Chennai match, the yellow and blue colours were very dominant. People were talking about teams. This time it might get affected due to a new team structure. But over a period of time, the relationship will build. Team loyalty should grow for certain franchises.
     

    Some franchises were thinking of forming alliances with clubs globally. Will this concept work?
    It is great to have a relationship. The question is what is that relationship built on? Rajasthan went abroad to play matches in the first year. It cannot just be a piece of paper, though; both parties must benefit. How many franchises have built a school to develop cricket and build a base that will feed into their team? These things need to happen. Just tying up with a foreign club is not the solution. Not enough has been done during the ‘off season‘. At the same time, money must make money.
     

    Can the Champions Twenty20 League be declared a dud?
    It is a great initiative that happened may be a little too early. It will become serious five years from now. But I am not so sure if the Champions Twenty20 League will be as big as the IPL.

  • Titus Upputuru joins Dentsu Marcom as ECD

    Titus Upputuru joins Dentsu Marcom as ECD

    BANGALORE: The Dentsu India Group announced today the appointment of Titus Upputuru as executive creative director, Dentsu Marcom.

    In his new role, Titus will lead the agency’s creative efforts on Honda (cars and bikes), Sharp and new businesses.

    Based out of Delhi, Upputuru will report in to Dentsu Marcom CEO Hiroshi Omata.

    This assignment marks the return of Upputuru Dentsu. Earlier, Upputuru was executive creative director at Saatchi & Saatchi where he worked on brands such as Harley Davidson and Ranbaxy.

    Starting with Madhyam DMB&B (now, Publicis India) as copy trainee, Upputuru in his 15-year career has worked with Trikaya Grey (now Grey Worldwide), TBWA Anthem (now TBWA India), Delhi based Ushak Kaal and Ogilvy & Mather India. His brand expertise includes campaigns for Afghan Telecom, the Hutch Delhi Marathon, Sprite (Seedhi Baat No Bakwaas), Kinley (Boond Boond Mein Vishwas), Kentucky Fried Chicken (especially, Institute of Lickonomics), Fanta, Grasim Suitings, WWF and Dabur to name a few.