Category: Marketing

MUMBAI: Market research firm IMRS Advisory has joined hands with BMI Research of Southeast Asia to simultaneously launch AZ Research Partners across India, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Singapore and Hong Kong. 
 
AZ Research aims to go beyond traditional research and provide complete solutions to marketing information needs of companies. For this, apart from market research, it will offer a wider range of services like marketing consultancy, business category analysis, workshops on new research techniques and their applications for brand managers and other company executives.

Additionally, AZ Research will also organise brand workshops with stakeholders to analyse the current brand identity and strategise creation of the desired identity which stretch limits for brands. 
 
As a completely new activity, AZ Research will now also conceptualise and design brand identity elements for clients.

AZ Research Partners MD Sujay Misra, “With Indian companies growing beyond the Indian border, there is a need for Indian agencies providing market research consultancy across markets. BMI have traditionally had a strong presence across SE Asia while IMRS has been the fastest growing market research agency in India over the last 10 years. With the launch of AZ Research we strengthen our commitment towards the Southeast Asian market by offering a wider range of services.”
 
AZ Research Partners now has 35 offices in the region. Apart from catering to all forms of qualitative and quantitative research, it particularly specialises in social/ psychological and communication research.
 

MUMBAI: Mudra Group has promoted Ajit Menon from president to executive director, organisational development.

Menon is a member of the executive group and works closely with Mudra Group MD & CEO Madhukar Kamath. 
 
Under his new mandate, he will be responsible for leadership, learning and change (LLC), facilities management, compensation and benefits and IT.

Kamath said, “These changes are very well deserved by Menon. He has been a key member of the group, and his new designation reflects his growing potential, stature, responsibilities, and above all, performance. It is our belief at the group that technology, infrastructure and talent management need to be harnessed seamlessly to make the group more efficient and collaborative. Menon leading the common agenda will ensure that we continue to make further progress along this path.” 
 
Menon said, “Organisations need to have a common belief, and organisation culture emanates from this belief. At the Mudra group, we firmly believe in the integrated way of working and the power of people that drives it. It is going to be my endeavour to focus all the crucial support units that report into me to drive a seamless delivery model across the group, so that the group walks the integrated delivery talk.”

MUMBAI: Playboy founder Hugh Hefner will receive the PromaxBDA Lifetime Achievement Award at the group‘s 2010 conference.

The event will take place from 22-24 June 2010 in Los Angeles.
 
Hefner will be interviewed by CNN‘s Larry King about building one of the most identifiable entertainment brands in the world over the last 50 years. Hefner also will discuss how the art and design of Playboy have influenced American culture in a session on 24 June.
 
PromaxBDA president CEO Jonathan Block-Verk says, “Hugh Hefner has inspired a generation of creativity, and there is no denying that Playboy has been one of the most iconic brands of the last century.”

MUMBAI: Controversy seems to be honing the Goafest shores.

In a recent development, it has been learnt that the 2010 Creative Abbys has run into trouble as irregularities have been found in the judging process of the Abby awards.
 
The Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) and the Bombay Ad Club has taken this matter seriously and have found four parties guilty of having voted on work done by their own agencies, which is not allowed in the Abby judging process. 
 
The committee has decided to meet next week and take appropriate action which may even include withdrawing the 15 metals from the four agencies.
 

MUMBAI: With the soccer World Cup kicking off in South Africa in less than two month‘s time, Fifa partner Emirates is doing a slew of activities around it.
 
“For the 2010 Fifa World Cup South Africa, Emirates has tied up with SOTC Sports as the sole tour operator to market the Emirates Fifa 2010 packages in India,” says Emirates Airline VP India and Nepal Orhan Abbas.

Emirates is offering (through SOTC Sports) a number of tailor-made travel packages that include flights, accommodation, ground transportation and match tickets. The airline has also unveiled its ‘follow-your-team’ component in the tour package. 
 
“Supporters no longer need to wait until their chosen team qualifies, as this unique package is not only refundable if their country fails to make it but guarantees fans tickets for each of their team’s matches, right up to the final on 11 July,” says Abbas.

Emirates will be advertising through mass media such as television and print as well as outdoor and digital online media to promote the event. 
 
“Besides this, Emirates is jointly participating with SOTC Sports in travel trade fairs and exhibitions. Emirates will also be running various contests in tie-up with some FM stations to offer fans a chance to win Emirates Fifa Goodie Bags,” says Abbas.

When asked about the kind of business volumes expected from India, Abbas says it is too early to say. “We expect from India a modest increase of 10-12 per cent over the number of packages sold in the previous Fifa World Cup,” he adds.
 

MUMBAI: Mudra Connext, the integrated communications planning and implementation unit of Mudra Max, has appointed Niti Kumar as associate vice president.

In her new capacity, Kumar will head operations at Connext in North and East India and will be reporting to Mudra Connext executive VP Manas Mishra.
 
This is Kumar‘s second stint with the organisation. Earlier in 2003, she had joined Mudra Connext as business director and was with the company for five years and then took a one-year sabbatical.

Says Mishra, “Niti joins us at a very exciting juncture when our clients have major plans in the year ahead. Apart from consolidating and adding greater value to our current clients, she will also focus on new business acquisition.” 
 
Kumar specialises in media planning and has over 10 years of experience. She started her career with FCB Ulka Advertising in 1999 where she handled clients including Whirlpool and Tropicana. She has also worked with Universal McCann and clients such as ICI Dulux Paints, Gillette and Mastercard.

Says Kumar, “While many things are the same, it is undoubtedly a new and recharged attitude at Mudra Max today. My attempt will be to ensure growth through exceptional work on our existing and new client base.”

Kumar specializes in media planning and has over 10 years of experience. She started her career with FCB Ulka Advertising in 1999 where she handled clients including Whirlpool and Tropicana. She has also worked with Universal McCann and worked with clients including ICI Dulux Paints, Gillette and Mastercard.

MUMBAI: The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has released the February 2010 report on the advertisements which have either been withdrawn or modified. Six ads came under the scanner of Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) out of which one was withdrawn while the other five were modified.

The advertisements in question include that of Maruti SX4, Dabur Chyawan Junior, Shanti Badam Amla Hair Oil, Tata AIG Insurance, IMS CAT Approach Program and Mahindra Flyte Power Scooter.
 
According to the CCC, the Maruti SX4 promoted unsafe driving practices by showing reckless driving across traffic lanes. Similarly, the Mahindra Flyte Power Scooter ad shows three people on a scooter without wearing helmets. With the prohibition in place, the advertiser has guaranteed not to release the ad in future.

On the ad of Marico‘s Shanti Badam Hair Oil, the CCC felt that even as combing helps in reducing hair fall and damaged hair, the data on oil penetration and confocal microscopy do not qualify for a double benefit.
 
The Dabur Chyawan Junior advertisement implied that if children did not drink Dabur health drink, they would remain short in height (‘Bachche tingu rahenge‘).The ad was modified post the CCC‘s instructions.

The Tata AIG Life Insurance ad used the word ‘coolie‘ which could be treated offensive and hence the ad was asked to be modified. The CCC found the claims of the IMS CAT Approach Program -‘take you to the 100 percentile‘ as misleading as there is no 100th percentile. The advertiser later modified the ad.
 
Said ASCI secretary general Alan Collaco, “There is a marked increase in the number of consumer complaints since ASCI‘s campaign appealing to citizens to report misleading, dishonest and indecent ads. Our recently launched toll free number receives as many as 300 complaints per month. It‘s an encouraging indicator that consumers are becoming more aware of their rights and duties. On the other hand, there is 98 per cent compliance from advertisers on ASCI‘s decisions.”

Meanwhile, ASCI didn‘t uphold consumer complaints on the ads of Garnier Fructis shampoo, Coca-Cola, Fast Track, Lodha Aqua, Digital Radio, Axe Boost and JK White Cement. The complaints on these ads were either baseless, substantiated or within decency limits.
 

MUMBAI: Communications services organisation WPP has elevated Steve Harding as global CEO of OgilvyAction division, an unit of Ogilvy & Mather.

Harding has been a part of a five person management collective which has run the business over the past seven months. 
 
Harding had merged his activation company Tarantula with Ogilvy & Mather‘s 141 Worldwide in May 2005 and become the CEO of the merged operations. In 2007, when 141 was relaunched as OgilvyAction, he was named OgilvyAction CEO – EAME.

He became the inaugural member of the global leadership team of the OgilvyAction when it was established at the end of 2009. 
 
Harding started his career at Smith and Nephew, followed by Carlsberg Tetley – both in sales and marketing roles. He then took the decision to move to the agency side in the early 1990s, joining a sales promotion start up called USP, of which he was a shareholder before it was sold off.
 
OgilvyAction is the global brand activation network of The Ogilvy Group. The firm has 69 offices employing 1,700 people, and offers range of disciplines including experiential, shopper, trade, and promotional marketing. Supporting each of these is a capability in field marketing, digital activation, retail design and analytics.
 

MUMBAI: Quasar, the digital media and e-solutions provider company, has appointed Naveen Verma to the newly created post of national creative director (NCD).

The company spokesperson confirmed this to Indiantelevision.com.
 
Prior to Quasar, Verma was with Rediff.com.
 
Quasar is owned by WPP Digital and Smile Interactive. Based in New Delhi, Verma will take charge of the creative operations of the company.
 
Verma comes with over 15 years of experience.
 

MUMBAI: Communications services group WPP has announced the formation of a new corporate trading division to help clients secure media credits in exchange for underperforming assets.

The new company, named The Midas Exchange, will be powered by GroupM, the world’s leading media investment management company and will initially operate in the United States.

The Midas Exchange was formed at the request of clients who asked that WPP, in cooperation with GroupM, enter the corporate trading arena to complement current services, seamlessly deliver a media plan consistent with objectives and be fully accountable for the total media product.
 
The new division will be headed by Kathy Kladopoulos, who has been named president of The Midas Exchange. Most recently Kladopoulos was Carat Trade EVP, MD which she launched nine years ago.

Kladopoulos pointed out that many WPP clients already engage in corporate trading with independent companies, but prefer that transactions be implemented by the same media agency network that handles their traditional media responsibilities.

Kladopoulos says, “Independent trade companies working outside a network don’t always work toward the common goal, which is to deliver an optimal media product and use corporate trade where it is most advantageous to the client.

“The key to the process is to maintain the integrity of the media plan consistent with set objectives and use corporate trade where it can add value and efficiency. The integration of this service with the strategic media plan is critical to achieve success.”
 
 
The Midas Exchange will purchase under-performing assets from a client at up to full book value for “trade credits” or sometimes cash. These assets could include discontinued product lines, excess inventory, real estate, capital equipment, transportation vehicles and any other assets that the client cannot liquidate at book value. The client will then use the “trade credits” as a partial payment substitution to purchase media or other goods and services.

Also, because of its relationship with WPP, powered by GroupM, The Midas Exchange is in a unique position that will allow it to trade original television programming for advertising inventory, a significant difference from traditional corporate trading operations.

“We plan to work directly with WPP through GroupM Entertainment to produce and/or license TV programming to television networks in exchange for inventory access to be used by The Midas Exchange. This will provide much greater access to key inventory on the most desirable TV networks, which generally are less inclined to participate in corporate trade deals” adds Kladopoulos.
 
 
Kladopoulos also pointed out that while the new company will work for GroupM agency clients, it will remain an autonomous operation totally separate from the agencies and their buying teams. The execution of media activity funded by media credits will be managed directly by implementation personnel at The Midas Exchange and not through the traditional GroupM/agency trading groups who place traditional paid media.