Category: Marketing

MUMBAI: The Steel Authority of India (Sail) will be the presenting partner for the Hero Honda FIH World Cup 2010, to be hosted by India in March 2010. 
 
The hockey event will now be referred to as the Hero Honda FIH World Cup, presented by Sail.
 
An agreement was signed by International Hockey Federation (FIH) chief Leandro Negre and Sail director (Personnel) G. Ojha in the presence of Union Minister for Steel Virbhadra Singh and Union Minister of State Sai Prathap in Delhi.
 

MUMBAI: BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of UK pubcaster the BBC, has appointed ZenithOptimedia as its sole global media agency to deliver media buying and planning for the UK and international markets.
 
ZenithOptimedia will deliver media campaigns around BBC Worldwide’s key brands such as Top Gear, BBC America, BBC Knowledge, Planet Earth and Doctor Who.

The appointment of ZenithOptimedia as the sole global agency is part of BBC Worldwide’s ongoing strategy to reduce its volume of suppliers and develop high-quality marketing campaigns to drive significant growth outside the UK.
 
BBC Worldwide global director of marketing Helen Kellie says, “We are delighted to appoint ZenithOptimedia as our new global agency.

“Through this partnership we aim to focus on building greater awareness, presence and revenues for the BBC and our unique portfolio of brands around the world.”
 
ZenithOptimedia International business development director Nico Guiridlian said, “We are really looking forward to working with BBC Worldwide to build effective marketing campaigns around the world.”

MUMBAI: Pan Asian action broadcaster AXN has announced AXN Big Breaks, in association with travel search engine Wego.
 
AXN Big Breaks allows AXN viewers to enjoy exclusive travel deals to the destinations featured in shows that air on the channel. These deals are sourced by Wego from the hundreds of travel providers integrated into their search engine.

AXN Asia VP Yan-Jong Wong says, “With AXN Big Breaks, we have extended the entertainment experience beyond the television screen and made it possible for them to follow in the footsteps of their favourite characters. At the same time, it allows advertisers to engage AXN viewers online in an environment that is themed with both travel and entertainment”.
 
“We love to filter the breadth of the internet and deliver instant relevance to travel shoppers. With AXN Big Breaks, viewers who are inspired by a program can see great deals to that show’s destinations in a single click,” says Wego COO Gary Lipkowitz.

AXN Big Breaks will initially focus on one programme at a time. The programme environment will be updated every two to three months, allowing for different themes and destinations to be featured. The first edition will focus on AXN’s brand new Original Production Cyril: Simply Magic.
 
This is a three-part TV special starring cutting-edge magician Cyril, who will be making his international TV debut for the first time out of Japan. Spanning across Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Taipei, Cyril will not only share the marvels of his magic, but continue to captivate unsuspecting passers-by with his incredible illusions and disarmingly fun personality, while making a positive impact on the people he comes in contact with.

The broadcaster is hoping that fans of Cyril: Simply Magic will be inspired to retrace his magical journey across Asia, especially with the easy convenience of sourcing great travel deals at their fingertips with AXN Big Breaks.

AXN Big Breaks can be viewed at www.wego.com/axn.

MUMBAI: Bates 141 has roped in Shubhabrata Sarkar as chief operating officer for its Indonesian business.

Prior to this, Sarkar was with JWT Indonesia as general manager. 
 
In his new capacity, Sarkar will handle clientssuch as HSBC, Ford, Unilever, Shell, Mazda, Nokia, Hero Honda and Extra Joss.
 
Said Bates 141 Asia Pacific CEO Digby Richards, “Sarkar is the ideal candidate for this important role. He is highly experienced, not only owing to his years spent at top agencies, but also because he has held numerous leadership positions in creative, strategic planning, activation and management. With his diverse background, he is the best candidate to lead our agency to deliver integrated solutions that help our clients succeed.”
 
At JWT, Sarkar was in charge of operations. He also headed the account servicing and strategic planning division for the agency.

MUMBAI: OMD India has bagged the media duties of Visa Inc, following a global alignment.
 
The account size is pegged at Rs 500- 600 million, according to industry sources.
 
Media Direction was the incumbent agency.

MUMBAI: STC Associates, the New York-headquartered global brand management firm, has roped in Swati Katakam as regional director for the Indian subcontinent. The company established its India presence with the acquisition of the VSNL International account.

In her new capacity, Katakam will report to STC Associates CEO Sophie Ann Terrisse and will be responsible for leading and building the organization across the India market. He will also play a pivotal role in representing the firm for India clients in and outside of India to help them build their global leadership.
 
Says Terrisse, “Her appointment affirms our ongoing commitment to invest in this region and in senior resources who will add superior value to our clients businesses.”
 
Adds Katakam, “My decision to move to STC Associates came with the clear realisation that clients must leverage every facet of their brands to strategically create and integrate brand experiences that drive business. I look forward to spearheading the growth of STC India to expand the integrated services proposition for marquee clients across this region.”
 
Prior to this appointment, Katakam was vice president of Grey PR cell. Some of the accounts on which she worked include Rolex, Spencer‘s Retail, CavinKare, MetLife, and the IPL Team Rajasthan Royals.
 

MUMBAI: Film and entertainment magazine Filmfare has awarded its creative duties to Mudra West, following a multi-agency pitch. The account was earlier with Lowe.
 
“Very few magazines have covered Indian cinema with the flair that Filmfare has. Our understanding of the brand and the suggestions that we made helped us win the account. We now look forward to working closely with the Filmfare brand team towards building a distinctive communication strategy for the brand,” says Mudra West EVP and head Arijit Ray.
 
“Keeping in mind the newly launched website and the revamped magazine, we specially liked Mudra‘s understanding of the brand and the communication approach they recommended for Filmfare,” says Filmfare chief publisher Anupama Bhalla.
 
In August, Mudra West had won the creative duties of Femina, the women‘s English magazine.Both Filmfare and Femina are publications of the Worldwide Media Group, a joint venture between BBC Worldwide and Bennett, Coleman & Company Ltd.

MUMBAI: Bharti AXA General Insurance has rolled out its new mass media campaign that revoles round the company‘s health offerings.

Beginning 18 November, the campaign will run across television, Internet, outdoor and on-ground. 
 
As part of its television campaign, the company has launched a new television commercial (TVC), conceptualised by Contract Advertising, and has also booked spots across major national channels in prime time slots. 
 
Said Contract Advertising creative director Ravi Raghavendra, “Anyone who has bought Health Insurance will tell you that the experience was anything but healthy. The ‘conditions apply‘ really gets to you. This experience is the basis of our commercial, where the heart starts beating faster with every exasperating condition/demand. But at Bharti AXA, it‘s really easy, a point driven home by an even rate of the heartbeat.” 
 
Adds Bharti AXA General Insurance CEO Amarnath Ananthanarayanan, “With the launch of our new TVC, we want to showcase the entire health range to establish Bharti AXA as an even stronger health player. The use of animation is to depict our simple, fast, fair and friendly approach to meet our customer‘s needs.”

MUMBAI: Kansai Nerolac has launched a new television commercial for its premium exterior paints, ‘Nerolac Excel Total‘.

Playing on the theme, ‘Na papdi utre, na surat badle‘, the TVC has been conceptualized by McCann Erickson. 
 
Directed by Pradeep Sarkar, the ad revolves Papdi Priya, who acts as a metaphor and puts on layers of make-up to look stunning from far. However, the moment she‘s exposed to hard sunlight, her make-up peels off making her unrecognizable to her own husband. 
 
Similarly, a paint brand that is “not so good” can make a house look stunning from the outside, but the moment it is subject to even the rain or the sun, it peels off and looses it‘s beauty, rendering it unrecognizable to the very people who lived within. 
 
Says McCann Erickson Asia Pacific executive chairman and regional executive creative director Prasoon Joshi, “The basic premise is that of a house whose paint peels off like ‘papdi‘. What we‘ve basically done is humanized the problem. What would you do if your skin began peeling off like paint? Hence, the concept of Papdi Priya.”

MUMBAI:Palasa Creative House has bagged the creative duties of Kidzee and Zee School that form part of Zee Network’s education arm Zee Interactive Learning Systems.

The account size is pegged at Rs 100-120 million and is expected to go up further.
 
Palasa won the account in a multi-agency pitch. The incumbent agency was Ignitee India. 
 
“We will start with understanding the parents and how the school can be unique for each child. We have already started working on the creative of the campaign and it would break in a few months across India. For this account, we will have 360 degree approach and have both above the line (ATL) and below the line activities (BTL). However, ATL will be at a macro level and we will have a lot of on-ground interactive sessions, seminars and counseling,” says Palasa Creative House founder and creative director Sandeep Bomble.
 
The agency has already started with the campaign for Zee School. “We broke the campaign in the South with seminars in Bangalore, Salem and Coimbatore and we were very happy with the response we got. Next is to take the Zee School campaign to other parts of the country. We will also be revamping their website soon,” adds Bomble.