Category: Marketing

MUMBAI: English Premiere League (EPL) club Manchester United has signed a five-year multi-million dollar sponsorship deal with telecommunications group Telekom Malaysia (TM).

The deal will make TM the integrated telecommunications partner of the Old Trafford club in Malaysia. 
 
Manchester United enjoys a large fan base in Malaysia and this deal will help raise their profile further. TM was also an official partner for Manchester United‘s Asia Tour in 2009. Both the deals have been brokered by sports marketing agency Total Sports Asia (TSA).

Manchester United CEO David Gill said, “Anyone who went on our tour of the Far East last summer knows the strength of feeling that Malaysians have for the club. Over 40,000 attended our training session and another 40,000 came to the second match in Kuala Lumpur, despite only having 48 hours‘ notice of the fixture.”

Last summer, Manchester United signed a four-year shirt sponsorship deal with the insurance giant Aon Corporation. Aon will replace US insurer AIG, which is restructuring itself having received a $150 billion bail-out from the US government. 
 
The new sponsor will appear on Manchester United‘s shirts from the start of the 2010/11 season.

Gill also used the partnership announcement as proof that the club owners, the Glazer family, had a long-term commitment to the club in the face over ongoing fan support for a rival takeover bid by the Red Knights consortium.

“We will be around for the length of this deal and many more in addition to that. This demonstrates the strength of the club. It is a long-term partnership for five years. It doesn‘t get much media coverage but the very fact they have come in and are able to do these deals benefits us. We can reinvest that money back into the team,” Gill added.

MUMBAI: In a major goof up, an advertisement placed in newspapers by the Railways has marked Delhi in Pakistan and Kolkata in the Bay of Bengal.

In January this year, a ministry ad had made a serious goof up wherein a full-page advertisement was published in a national daily on the occasion of National Girl Child Day. It carried a photograph of former Pakistan Air Chief Marshal Tanvir Ahmed along with photos of Kapil Dev, Virender Sehwag and Amjad Ali Khan. The ad also had the pictures of the United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and the Women’s and Child Development Minister Krishna Tirath.
 
This time, the ad is one step ahead and has put the national capital in Pakistan.

The advert was published by the Eastern Railway to announce inauguration of luxury tourist train ‘Maharaja‘s Express‘. Ironically, the piece was about Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee flagging off the train on Saturday.
 
A small box inside the advertisement panel showed the train route from Kolkata to Delhi via Gaya, Varanasi, Bandhabgarh, Khajuraho, Agra and Gwalior. However, the small map of India showed Kolkata in the Bay of Bengal and Delhi in Pakistan.

After the blooper, Eastern Railway public relations officer has apologised for the ad and has suspended the advertising agency.
 

MUMBAI: Business Branding Network (BBN) International, a global federation of ad agencies, will commence its India operations with Eggfirst.

As a part of the new arrangement, Eggfirst will don a new avatar: Eggfirst BBN India.

Eggfirst, on account of the tie-up, will have access to BBN’s knowledge resources and patented communication tools, lending a global edge to Eggfirst’s communication approach. Moreover, Eggfirst’s clients can make most of the extensive global network comprising 26 agency members in 32 locations with 1,500 advertising professionals.
 
Eggfirst BBN India CMD Ravikant Banka said, “’Think global, act local’ is a cliché now but we hope to make it our underlying philosophy. We are glad to be a part of an international network. However, we will have true celebrations only when we use the network to deliver more value to our clients in terms of incisive strategies and world-class creative. We have already started work for a large medical diagnostics equipment brand.”

Jeff Wedeward, part of Executive Board of BBN International, said, “We are committed to providing successful support to global brands on local basis in terms of local execution, local understanding and most importantly, local passion. Eggfirst, its clients and prospects will be able to take advantage of 1,500 working communication specialists placed in 26 agencies in 32 locations in almost every country having a viable economy.”
 
Gudmund Semb, who heads BBN-Germany, added: “India has tremendous importance for the BBN organisation in terms of international reach, knowledge and business opportunities. I look forward to a significant presence in India through Eggfirst and its team.”

Started in 1987, BBN is a global organisation with 26 member agencies across 32 locations on the globe. It has $568 million of gross billings and $85.2 million in revenues. 
 
Founded in 2004 by Ravikant Banka, Eggfirst BBN India is a full service ad agency with two delivery centres in India. With more than five years experience, Eggfirst now has more than 55 people and has serviced over 200 clients. Some of the key clients Eggfirst has worked for include Star Group, Eureka Forbes, Oberoi Mall, 3 Global Services, Honeywell, DBS Bank and TCS.

MUMBAI: After seeking temporary refuge in South Africa last year, the return of the Indian Premier League (IPL) to India was expected to shore up ratings. But, despite reach going up, the ratings for the popular T20 format has stayed flat.
 
The IPL clocked an average TVR of 5 for the first three matches, same as last year, according to Tam data for All-India market. For the inaugural edition, the ratings were higher at 5.6.

In IPL3.0, the first match between Hyderabad and Kolkata got a rating of 5.9. The second match, which started at three in the afternoon between Mumbai and Rajasthan on 13 March, fetched a lower rating of 3.7. The third match between Punjab and Delhi on the same day got a rating of 5.4. 
 
Despite the impressive music acts and Bollywood presence, the opening ceremony only got a rating of 2.6 on 12 March.

In digital homes, the first three matches got a rating of 6.9 while the opening ceremony got a TVR of 4.2.

On the reach front, the IPL has locked in 37 million viewers for the first three matches, up from 29 million last year and 26 million in the first year. 
 
According to Tam data for the first five matches, the top advertisers were Vodafone Essar, Samsung and Videocon Industries. The top on-screen advertisers were Jaquar, Hyundai and Hero Honda.

The top brands were Vodafone Cellular Phone Service, LG Infinia Full Led, Tata Docomo, Max Newyork Life Shiksha Plus and Airtel Cellular Phone Service. On screen, the top brands were Artize, Hyundai, Jaquar, Hero Honda CBZ Extreme and Videocon Mobile Phones.

MUMBAI: Mudra Max, the integrated communications, planning and implementation agency, has appointed Vikas Bhambri as senior vice-ptresident for its out-of-home (OOH) business.

Prior to his appointment, Bhambri was with TDI International India as VP sales and marketing.
 
Mudra Max senior VP Mandeep Malhotra said, “Bhambri comes in at a time when we are getting ready to chart a new course. He will be our key resource in our pursuit of providing business solutions to our clients through OOH media. I am confident of his capability of taking outdoor to the next level of professional excellence.” 
 
Bhambri added, “I am excited to be a part of the Mudra Max Group. It is the only organisation today which provides a platform where all the client’s needs can be addressed under a single roof .”

Bhambri has over 15 years of professional experience in media. He started his career with MMT India as head operations. He then moved to OAP India as VP-sales and marketing where he was responsible for overall operations and implementation of processes.
 
He has also worked with JC Decaux Advertising and Clear Channel Communication India.

MUMBAI: Zapak Digital Entertainment has promoted Siddharth Kelkar and Vishwanath Shetty as regional sales heads.

While Kelkar will be handling new markets (Pune, Ahmedabad and Kolkata), Shetty will oversee the Mumbai region.
 
Effective today, the elevations have come in the wake of the last week exit of Chirag Shah, national sales head. Zapak has now decided to streamline the sales structure by realigning the two regions.

Kelkar who is with Zapak since the last three years, has been responsible for key accounts like Cadburys, P&G and Parle-G. He will now handle Pune, Ahmedabad and Kolkata as a region. He has been instrumental in driving revenues from these regions and will push the sector further with key accounts like Amul, Cadilla, Emami, Bajaj and Paras. 
 
Shetty, who was till now handling accounts of Idea, LIC and Vodafone, will now be responsible for the overall Mumbai region and will drive it forward.
Both Kelkar and Shetty will report directly to Zapak COO Arun Mehra.

Mehra said, “The year 2010 is crucial for us and we are ready to take it to the next level altogether. We are confident about the company’s growth with these two young go-getters in our team. Even during recession, with their determination and persistence we witnessed 100 per cent growth in key regions.”
 

MUMBAI: Big FM, the radio arm of Reliance Media World, has launched a new vertical for classified ads.

Big Impact will introduce the first-time radio advertisers to a ‘virtual’ radio classified section, allowing them to communicate concise advertising messages to their target audience, through a cost-effective format.
 
Differentiated from the regular advertising, these ads will be crisp 10 seconders with clear message given out on a bed of music and will be aired between 12 noon – 6 pm.

To ensure they are reaching out to the appropriate advertiser, Big Impact has also entered into strategic alliances with local ‘classified print depots’, which have a well connected and deeply penetrated local SME client base and work as a quasi-advertising agency to them.

Reliance Media World Sr VP– sales Praveen Malhotra said, “Through Big Impact, we offer the benefits of radio to SME’s and retailers who are looking for cost effective media options to reach out to their audiences while closely monitoring RoI, but lack expertise. Through this initiative, we are bringing in a huge advertiser community who can use this format effectively to their business advantage, while opening a new source of revenue for radio. World-over this format of advertising is milked excellently by radio, and in India, we are confident that this business format will work to our advantage.”
 
 
The company claims that the format is simple. The local classified print depots recommends radio benefits to their classified advertiser clientele and brings them on board the aural advertising experience. They will, thus, work in a format similar to that of a DSA Network. Once the client chooses to use the radio medium, Big FM’s creative team meets with the client to understand the key communication, analyses the data, produces a voice-over radio advertisement, seeks client approval and then schedules it on air, thus becoming the one stop shop for all radio advertising requirements.

“The 12- 6 pm slot will work excellently for both businesses, given that radio can offer the best rates for 10 second advertisements during this time and the advertiser can reach out to optimal audiences given that their target group, largely known to be housewives and youth, dominate this time slot,” the company said.
 
As this is a new revenue earning model involving a new set of clientele, Big Impact will ensure that adequate training and guidance is provided to the classified print depot owners so that they can ensure the optimal returns while guiding clients appropriately.

Big Impact’s local partner Unique Publicity’s Avinash Mishra added, “The trends in media are fast changing and in this the share of radio will only increase. Today’s clients need 360 degrees solutions, which deliver results. Big Impact is a sharp product that caters to this need. We are delighted to be a Big Impact partner with a radio network and a group that has a vision in developing solutions that are needed and giving practical support to partners like us.”
 

MUMBAI: As the global market steadily walks out of the slowdown crisis, the worldwide advertising industry will have to spread across new geographical areas, segment markets and localise to achieve long-term growth.

While addressing the audience at the Ficci Frames 2010 here, WPP Group chief executive Sir Martin Sorrell said, “In a bid to achieve long-term growth, media players have to understand the market capacity of each region and then locate, incentivise and maintain cosumers and people with localised strategies.”
 
 
The push will also come significantly from web as today, youth are “magnificantly”attracted to this medium – not just in terms of time spent by them on this platform but also because of their desire to work for web-based companies.

“Mobile will also act as a major slimulant gobally to propell this growth. Indian too, with its 425 million users growing at a rate of 25 million a month, will witness a positive growth in its advertising spends,” he adds.

Sorrell further notes that internal communication driven by new-age technology, global union of retailers with manufacturers and the transfer from global co-ordination to glocal (global and local) co-ordination with bring about a massive upswing across the wordwide advertising industry.
 
Meanwhile, for 2010, WPP will focus on the BRIC nations which Martin expects to constitute one-third of the company’s overall business pie in the next 4-5 years.

“Last year, India comprised 27 per cent of WPP’s overall revenue and now, we are expecting a double digit growth from the sub-continent,” he said. 
 
In 2008, WPP posted a revenue of $400 million from India. WPP saw profits fall by 11 per cent to $1 billion in 2009 as the economic downturn bit hard into its business, but India again showed a positive growth.

In january and February, while our business has returned to stability globally, our revenues are 7-8 per cent up in India,” he says.

MUMBAI: On air retail channel HomeShop 18 has launched the ‘Reebok Fangear’ combos in partnership with renowned sportswear brand Reebok. The Combos give you an option to choose from various teams such as Kolkata Knight Riders, Chennai Super Kings, Kings XI Punjab and Royal Challengers. The first show will go on air on 18 March’ 2010 (Thursday) at 8 pm.

Launched through HomeShop18’s special show, Reebok 20:20 Cricket Mania, the combo comprises a Reebok Fangear jersey, team cap and a team bat. Each jersey carries the team logo and is made of a comfortable fabric and have a soft feel to it. They can be worn with denims and pants and come in all sizes of S, M, L and XL. The cap has an official team logo in the front with an adjustable strap to fit at the back. The team bats are made of Kashmir Willow for all the four teams. All this is available at a price point of Rs 1499.
 
HomeShop18 CEO Sundeep Malhotra said, ‘There can be no better way to show your solidarity and spirit for the Indian Cricket team than to adorn your favorite team’s apparel collection. HomeShop 18 gives an opportunity to the cricket fans to feel a part of their team’s efforts and struggle to win the coveted cup. Fans across the 2750 cities, where we reach, can cheer on for their team by wearing the desirable fan collection by Reebok. “
 
Reebok India executive director sales and marketing Sajid Shamim said, “We are very happy to have partnered with HomeShop18 to capture the ongoing frenzy around the matches and the love of their fans. Everybody from a small kid to an adult watches cricket, therefore, like the previous year, we have renewed our association with HomeShop 18 to come up with the Reebok Fangear, so that everyone can support their chosen team in a special manner.”
 
HomeShop18 is the Network18 Group’s online & on-air retail marketing and distribution venture which launched the Home Shopping TV channel on 9 April 2008.
 

MUMBAI: Mahindra Holidays and Resorts India (MHRIL), a leisure hospitality provider, will sponsor Indian tennis star – Yuki Bhambri.

As per the arrangement, MHRIL will sponsor Bhambri for a period of five years.
 
MHRIL MD Ramesh Ramanathan said, “Our brand experiences and Holiday services revolve around delighting the family. To the world Yuki is World’s No. 1 Junior player; to us he represents the children in families who are one of the biggest beneficiaries of the holiday experiences that we create.

” We believe that he has the potential to dominate the Pro circuit, too. We are proud to be the first Indian corporate to have come forward to sponsor him in his journey forward.” 
 
Bhambri is the first Indian to win the Junior Australian Open in 2009. He also has won five ITF events in 2009. He won the Orange Bowl title in 2008.

A former world number one junior tennis player, Bhambri has consistently been in the top 20 since early 2008.

Bhambri says, “I am grateful that Mahindra Holidays have come forward to sponsor me. For young players like me, a serious and committed sponsor means opportunity to showcase our talent at more tournaments. I am happy to be associated with the brand. I would love to holiday at Club Mahindra resorts with my family whenever I get breaks from the circuit.”
 
For the sponsorship, Mahindra Holidays will avail of promotional and advertising rights in association with Bhambri for their brand “Club Mahindra”.