Category: Marketing

MUMBAI: Madame has signed former VJ, singer and Bollywood actress Sophie Choudry as its brand ambassador.
 
Choudry will feature in the upcoming promotions and campaigns. She will also be involved in various philanthropic activities of the brand. 
 
Following the association, she will also launch her album- Sound of Sophie (SOS) in celebration of the tie-up.

Madame MD Bipan Jain says, “Sophie was an obvious choice to endorse because of her multi-faceted persona. We share the same philosophy and so boast of our wardrobe which can dress a woman five times a day.”
 
Madame is present in more than 45 cities including Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Ludhiana, Indore, Jaipur, Jallandar, Hyderabad, Surat and Silliguri.

MUMBAI: At the Media Agency of the Year 2009 awards held on 9 December in Singapore, OMD India MD Jasmin Sohrabji bagged the ‘Agency Head of The Year – National Category.‘ Ogilvy South Asia executive chairman and NCD Piyush Pandey was a finalist in this category.

The award for best creative agency of the year went to BBH India, Singapore and China. The judges were impressed by the business wins of the agency and also the number of breakthrough campaigns done by it in 2009.

Ogilvy Mumbai won the award for ‘Office of the Year- India & Sub-continent‘. Ogilvy Mumbai president Hephzibah Pathak was present to accept the award. Meanwhile, the
‘Office of the Year-India & Sub-continent‘ runner up went to Publicis Communications Mumbai.

Also, Ogilvy Mumbai Advertising VP Kapil Arora won the runners up for ‘Account/Business Development Person of the Year.‘ Additionally, Ogilvy Advertising, Mumbai SVPs Navin Talreja and Deepika Tiwari were finalists in the ‘Account/Business Development category.‘

MUMBAI: Leo Burnett has roped in Hemant Jain as executive creative director. He will be based out of Mumbai. This is Jain‘s second stint with the agency.
 
Jain comes to India from Wieden+Kennedy, London. Earlier, he was with Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam office.His earlier stints in India include O&M and Rediffussion Y&R.
 
Says Leo Burnett India national creative director K.V. Sridhar, “Hemant comes in at the right moment. His global perspective on creative output will strengthen and add visibility to the strategic initiatives we have chalked out for our clients, for the coming year.”
 
Jain is also a writer, director and illustrator and has won international awards including Cannes Gold and Clio to One Show, D&AD, Abby and AAAI.

MUMBAI: Fever FM Bangalore has tied up with Kannada movie Maleyali Jotheyali. The radio station is organising a mix of on-air and on-ground activities, to create listener delight and promote the film.

As part of the on-air activity, Fever 104 FM has planned an exclusive interview with Ganesh and Shilpa Ganesh, the producer of Maleyali Jotheyali on the day of the release and a chance for the Fever FM listeners to meet both of them at the FM station studios.

The radio station will also be giving away outfits worn by Ganesh in the movie through a special on-air contest, in which the listeners will be asked to complete a line from the movie.

Also, the on-ground initiative ‘Mall-alli Ganesh Jotheyali‘ has been conceptualized to give the city a chance to meet Ganesh. It was held in malls over two consecutive weekends where activities were conducted.

Says Fever FM Bangalore station head Anjali Paul, “We are proud to be associated with Maleyali Jotheyali. It is always our endeavour to create exciting opportunities for our listeners. We hope the movie gets great response from all over South India.”

MUMBAI: Following a multi-agency pitch, Black Swan Life has bagged the creative duties of Crusoe, a brand from the Coimbatore-based Jagannath Textile Company.

Crusoe, will be launched by end of January next year in South India, parts of West Bengal and Maharashtra. By the end of the year, it will be launched in all other parts of the country.

The ad spends for Crusoe has been earmarked at Rs 40 million for 2010.

Says Black Swan Life founder Sukumar Menon.”We are not only handling the ad duties but also involved in steps before advertising actually begins.

“We will design the brand‘s premium range of innerwear and also take care of in-store design, exhibition design, website design and product catalogues. We have also redesigned the logo.”

Print media will be the mainly used for the campaigns followed by outdoor promotions. “These kind of products are very print intensive. Hence, print will be our main focus,” adds Menon.

A television commercial will also be launched.

MUMBAI: Milestone Brandcom has roped in Krishnendu Ghosh as regional head (North India) and core member of the steering committee. It has also appointed Prashant Mishra as manager supervisor.

Both will be reporting to Milestone Brandcom founder Nabendu Bhattacharyya. Currently serving their notice period, they will assume office in the first week of January.

“Ghosh will be looking after the North India region, exploring the different opportunities and making a visible change in the company’s growth. He will also be one of the core members of the steering committee,” says a source in the company.

Prior to this, Ghosh and Mishra were with MOMS, Madison’s out-of-home (OOH) unit. While Ghosh was deputy general manager (North and East) and was working with MOMS for eight years, Mishra was senior manager and was associated with the company for five years.

Ghosh has been associated with the launch of Tata Docomo in different parts of India and Mishra assisted him in the project.

MUMBAI: Synovate Business Consulting (BC), the consulting arm of global market research firm Synovate, has elevated Karthik Ramamurthy as India head.

Prior to this, Ramamurthy was responsible for Synovate BC Mumbai business.

The company has appointed Suheil Murgai to manage its Delhi operations. Murgai was previously associated with SmartAnalyst. He will report to Ramamurthy.

The core India team now comprises Ramamurthy, Murgai and Amit Naikare, who will take care of the Mumbai operations.

Synovate Business Consulting head India Karthik Ramamurthy said, “We have been advising clients on market entry strategy, market sizing and positioning, value chain analysis, pricing analysis and corporate benchmarking. As with 2009, we foresee an exciting year for our consulting business in 2010 with our operations expected to expand to other markets.”

MUMBAI: Nielsen, the US media research company, has announced that it will begin measuring television viewing in Puerto Rico.

Clients that have signed up for Nielsen’s new ratings service include the island’s three largest television providers: WKAQ-TV, the owned and operated Telemundo station; WLII-TV, the Univision affiliate; and Wapa-TV (Independent).

TV ratings will be collected from a sample of chosen 500 homes using Nielsen’s rigorous random area probability sampling techniques to accurately represent all demographics and regions of the island of Puerto Rico.

These homes will have electronic push-button meters called People Meters installed on each television set in their homes.

Nielsen will use targetted monetary incentives to reach segments of the population, particularly younger homes, which historically have been difficult to recruit in Puerto Rico. Recruitment has already begun, with the first TV ratings expected to deliver to subscribers early next year.

WKAQ-TV (Telemundo) president, GM Hilary A. Hattler says, “Nielsen has the global expertise and knowledge in sampling to ensure this new TV ratings system will be a more accurate representation than we’ve had in the past”.

Nielsen’s new TV measurement system will be led by Nielsen executive director Victor Vazquez. He says, “We are proud to offer a new TV ratings service to the Puerto Rico advertising community. Nielsen’s global expertise will provide advertisers with valuable insight into TV viewing behavior on the island.”

Nielsen currently reports television audience measurement in more than 30 countries worldwide, including the US.

MUMBAI: JK Helene Curtis, a wholly owned subsidiary of JK Investo Trade India, has awarded its media duties to MediaVest, a division of Starcom MediaVest Group (SMG).

According to industry sources, the size of the Raymond Group company account is around Rs 300 million. Several agencies pitched for the account.

The entire planning and buying for JK Helene Curtis will be handled by MediaVest.

The product portfolio of JK Helene Curtis include Premium, a range of personal care products for the family, Park Avenue‘s men’s toiletries, and Tru-Tone, a range of hair dyes.

MUMBAI: Zee TV USA, has announced its sponsorship of several California bridal events in 2010.

By throwing its Tiara into the bridal ring, the broadcaster has committed its full support of the International Wedding Festival, an unique celebration that caters to women all around the world.

Many brides currently look to South Asians for inspiration on decorations and wedding themes and this is the first time that Zee TV USA has represented South Asian culture for non Indian Americans.

Said California Bridal Events executive producer Kimberly Vaughan, “The International Wedding Festival is a bridal show that encompasses fashion designs, wedding providers, and entertainment from around the world. The announcement of Zee TV’s sponsorship is exceptional news, as it ensures a well represented presence for the South Asian community.”

Adds Zee TV USA head of marketing Vibha Chopra, “We are proud to be a part of this year’s International Wedding Festival and look forward to working with California Bridal Events to take part in this inaugural years’ festivities.”

California is a major component to Zee TV US’s expansion and commercial success. Earlier in the year, Zee TV US launched on cable platforms in several key markets including Time-Warner, San Diego and Comcast Northern California.

In partnership with California Bridal Events, Zee TV USA will be showcased on all marketing and promotional materials including print, radio, television and websites and will have a physical booth presence at upcoming shows.