Category: Marketing

MUMBAI: The ODI format is still alive, at least when it comes to bilateral series featuring India. However, it is also subject to the law of diminishing returns.
 
Tam data c&s4+ shows that the first five matches in the recently concluded series between India and Australia gave a rating of 5.5. This is a decline over the 2007 series between the two teams which had delivered a rating of 6.7. It is, however, more than the IPL ratings of 4.2 this year and 4.8 in the first edition.
 
The fifth match on 5 November, which went down the wire where Tendulkar scored 175 run,s got a TVR of 7.1. In fact, ratings increased as the series progressed.
 
The first match on 25 October got a rating of 3.6. By contrast, the Champions Trophy only got a rating of 1.6. In the 2007 series, the highest rating was for the sixth match which got a rating of 9.3.
 

MUMBAI: DDB Worldwide has bagged the creative rights for Unilever‘s Flora/Becel brands including Flora pro.activ, in Western Europe and North America in a multi-agency pitch. 
 
A Unilever spokesman said, “We look forward to working with the DDB team on developing a TV/print campaign for 2010 that will strengthen the brand‘s positioning as a heart healthy spread.”
 
Commented DDB UK chairman and CEO Stephen Woodford, “Flora/Becel is one of the most significant food brands in the world. We are delighted to have been chosen to be Unilever‘s partner in building on its success.”

MUMBAI: Credit card major Visa, a Worldwide Olympic Games sponsor for more than two decades, has announced the global launch of its Olympic-themed marketing campaign for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

Themed Go World, the global campaign, which features television, digital and out-of-home advertising along with hosting market merchant activation programmes and usage promotions, will enable Visa to connect with cardholders and Olympic and Paralympic Games fans to drive preference for and usage of Visa products worldwide.
 
This launch follows the recent extension of Visa’s Olympic Games sponsorship for another eight years – through 2020 – enabling Visa’s financial institution clients and merchant partners to continue to build strong relationships with their customers through unique Visa marketing programmes.

Visa CMO Antonio Lucio says, “Go World builds on the concept that ran so successfully in the United States during the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. To connect with Olympic fans globally, we’ve taken this platform and created a campaign that transcends borders, resonates with fans’ sense of national pride, builds our own business and that of our clients, and advances the spirit of the Olympic Movement”

The Go World campaign celebrates athleticism and human triumph through unique athlete stories. It features a wintry blue tone throughout all creative executions and will be customised to maximize local relevance in key markets. The campaign also includes merchant offers, enhanced social media applications and a deeper focus on Visa-sponsored athletes.
 
US Television Advertising and Customization: Recently Get Closer, the first of several television commercials, aired in the US. Get Closer looks to reinforce Visa’s history of supporting Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls and connects directly with fans through a new Olympic-themed usage promotion. When US cardholders use their Visa card till 31 December, 2009, they will be automatically entered for a chance to win a trip for four to the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

The second spot, Anthem will air in the coming weeks to build anticipation for the games with images of a burning Olympic Cauldron and a montage of iconic Olympic Games moments to remind viewers of global commonalities and the power of the Olympic Spirit.
 
“When we introduced More people go with Visa earlier this year, we focused on people taking action – and the role of Visa in that action. No group embodies this concept of empowerment more than the thousands of Olympic and Paralympic athletes chasing their Olympic dreams” adds Lucio.

Upcoming creative executions of Go World will feature Olympic and Paralympic athletes of the past and present – including a series of television commercials during NBC’s broadcast of the 2010 Winter Games in the United States, where Visa will enjoy category exclusivity for the duration.

Similar to More people go with Visa, elements of the Go World campaign will be localized in Canada, Russia, Japan, Korea, China and Latin America to strengthen the campaign’s relevance in those markets.

US Go World Web Site : Visa’s efforts in the digital space also put the athletes at the center, offering cardholders and Olympic and Paralympic Games fans a unique glimpse at the personal journey of these hopefuls. By providing this behind the scenes access, Visa reinforces its role in the Olympic Movement and strengthens its relationships with millions of Olympic and Paralympic Games fans worldwide.

The campaign will also include a site which contains exclusive merchant offers, behind the scenes Team Visa – Vancouver training videos, downloadable photos of athletes in action, and athlete training playlists with songs available for purchase.

Athlete widgets will be available for download and posting on social media networks such as Facebook and Twitter. Visa has also worked with its network of merchant partners to provide offers to Visa cardholders as they prepare for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

The Go World online content will also be customised for Olympic and Paralympic Games fans in Canada and Russia.
 

MUMBAI: Film actor R Madhavan is the brand ambassador for the Dubai-manufactured Spark mobile phones which are aimed at being ‘fashion phones wrapped in toughness’.
 
Madhavan said he never agreed to endorse any product without first believing in it, and he had checked the mobiles himself before agreeing to be the brand ambassador.
 
Elaine Ester who is chairperson of the Spark Group of Companies based in the United Arab Emirates said five models of the phone priced between Rs 2,200 and Rs 10,000 would be out by the end of the year. 
 
She said the entire manufacturing had been done in Dubai, though some parts had been imported from Korea and China. She also claimed that the entire research and development had been done in Dubai by her company.

She said Spark Mobiles had commenced finding distributors for the product in India and will supply the phones by December this year.

MUMBAI: Taking advantage of the economic slowdown, advertisers have worked out a new formula in what they term as a roadblock strategy.

Television channels were the first to benefit from this with HUL blocking out all ads on Star and Zee network channels so that its brands maximise their exposure and, hence, impact.

The print is catching on to this trend as advertisers pay a premium to let only their brands find commercial space on that “roadblocked” day.

The Times of India (TOI) has created the first print roadblock for German car manufacturer Volkswagen across its edition of 11 November.

Volkswagen has spent around Rs 100 million for the one- day roadblock, as per industry estimates.

As part of the roadblock, all Volkswagen brands including Jetta, Passat and Touareg have been advertised on all editions of TOI today. 
 
This is Volkswagen‘s first India campaign which MediaCom, the media agency for the car brand, has crafted for the region.

TOI claims that the idea behind the roadblock is to co-create a single-engagement proposition for Volkswagen, thereby creating a huge impact.
 
Earlier in September, FMCG major Hindustan Unilever (HUL) blocked an entire day on Star and Zee networks and consumed the entire advertising airtime.

Ads of 20 HUL brands ran across 10 channels of the Star network including Star Plus, Star One, Star Gold, Star Utsav, Star Movies, Star World, Channel [V], Star Jalsha, Star Pravah and Star Vijay on 17 September.
 
On 24 September, a similar exercise was repeated on the Zee network with HUL running ads across 25 Zee channels.

HUL repeated the roadblock on the Star network channels on 29 October.

MUMBAI: Creativeland Asia has roped in Paul Menacherry as its executive creative director. Based out of Kochi, Menacherry will head the company‘s South India operations.

Prior to this Menacherry was Quadrant national creative director.
 
Says Creativeland Asia founder and chief creative officer Sajan Raj Kurup, “Menacherry is a fabulous creative guy. And he is blessed with a good business acumen – a combination we really value at Creativeland, necessarily in that order. Menacherry coming on board will also give our Labs a great momentum.”
 
About his new role, Menacherry avers, ” In my interactions with Creativeland Asia, I found the culture to be a unique combination of freedom and responsibility.

“Kurup has instilled a relentless focus on building brands through fresh, unexpected and innovative ideas which I find truly inspiring. Tired, old ideas don‘t stand a chance here. And it reflects in the work. I hope to add to that culture in every which way I can.”

MUMBAI: MTV has partnered with Ballarpur Industries Limited (Bilt) to launch an exclusive range of ‘MTV‘ and ‘Roadies‘ notebooks. 
 
With over 25 designs, the notebooks are designed to match the style and persona of the contemporary youth. 
 
The range is priced between Rs 17- Rs 130 and is available at all small and large retail stores across India.

MUMBAI: Rediffusion – Y&R has launched the toolkit PlayDo that aims to deliver ‘brand conversations‘ in a bid to recognise that the brand is not just what resides in the consumers head but is actually co-created with them.
 
Conceived by Group CSO Arvind Mohan and TME president Divya Radhakrishnan, the toolkit removes any preconceived notion of choice of medium and focuses on a thorough understanding of the business case, arriving at an agenda for the brand and then delivering it through the ‘conversation idea‘ and ‘conversation neighbourhood‘.

Says Arvind Mohan, “The role of branding and communication needs to be re-imagined today. Our world view is built out of a broadcast model, where the marketer is in charge and the primary mode of communication is one way – from one to many. In the many to many two-way world, the consumer talks back and what consumers are interested in talking about is far more important that what brands want to talk about. The question no longer is ‘did I deliver the message to the right address‘ but ‘what conversation did that message start‘.”
 
Adds Radhakrishnan, “The key challenge is to identify the right neighbourhood, that is, the appropriate environment where it is best for the consumer to have a conversation with the brand.”

Rediffusion – Y&R has also collated its group offerings as 1Rediffusion. 1Rediffusion is the umbrella term for their collective offering of brand solutions, ranging from creative, media, outdoor to direct, event and public relations. 1Rediffusion will function as a cohesive, collaborative unit using a combination of communication tools to address the brand‘s specific requirement. 
 
Explains Group CEO Mahesh Chauhan, “Brand Conversations ensures that 1Rediffusion solutions face client business and directly impact the brand‘s value, values and valuation.”
 

MUMBAI: Mudra Group has elevated Jude Fernandes, until now executive director, to chief executive officer of Mudra Advertising. 
 
In his new capacity, Fernandes will oversee Mudra West (Mumbai), Mudra North & East (Delhi & Kolkata), Mudra South (Chennai, Bangalore & Kochi), and Water ( brand strategy and design consultancy unit) and Maatra (Mudra‘s communication group).
 
Meanwhile, chief knowledge officer (CKO) Sandeep Vij has been made the CEO of DDB Mudra Group. He will also continue with his present role. 
 
As DDB Mudra Group CEO, Vij will handle responsibilities for DDB Mudra, Rapp India, Tribal DDB India and Mudra Health & Lifestyle.

MUMBAI: Global technology leader IBM has named EuroRSCG 4D as its lead digital agency worldwide.
 
The appointment spans web and digital brand experiences, including the development of strategy, technology, design, usability, editorial and production, and social media strategy. 
 
Said IBM corporate marketing John Kennedy, “Euro has deep digital expertise, a broad global footprint and a strong track record working with IBM on e-mail and relationship marketing. Our current agency partners are teaming with IBM to do great digital work in advertising, demand generation and events and we are confident that adding Euro to the mix in a lead role will further enhance our digital capabilities and presence.”
 
Added Havas Worldwide and Euro RSCG Worldwide David Jones, “We‘re delighted to start this new strategic relationship with IBM. We‘re excited to work with them on their ‘smarter planet‘ vision and help show various audiences how one of the most important companies globally is committed to changing how the world works. It‘s an honour to have been chosen as their lead digital agency and validation that our ‘digital at the core‘ model is working.”