ITV

Category: Digital Agencies

  • PM’s oath taking ceremony sees a mass mobile connection

    PM’s oath taking ceremony sees a mass mobile connection

    MUMBAI: On the eve of 26 May, while the nation was glued to TV sets as India’s 15th prime minister, Narendra Modi took the oath, people from every corner of the world witnessed this glorious event over television sets, radio and internet.

     

    However that wasn’t the only historic thing of that evening, the event had grandeur response on mobile as well. Over a million callers dialed in to listen live streaming of oath taking ceremony right on their mobile phone.

     

    As the ceremony was held late in the evening of working day, that was a time when millions of Indians were busy working at office, caught up in their daily commute, stranded in traffic jams, etc. which meant missing the live telecast of the ceremony. If given an opportunity to enjoy the live telecast right from wherever they are, none would give a miss to the event.

     

    Bringing this thought to reality, VivaConnect, an innovative mobile marketing company partnered with BJP to broadcast the ceremony live over a phone call. They published a phone number 022 4501 4501 as a means to connect. The service connected over a million callers with the event. The response was massive considering that event lasted only for an hour.

     

    This was the first time ever that a prime ministerial oath taking ceremony was made available live over a phone call. Considering the enormous population of the country that has 529 million mobile users in urban parts and over 364 million mobile users in rural regions, the service established an easy connect for everyone right from the urbanites of metropolis to the people living in media dark regions.

  • Tangerine Digital launches analytics driven content solution for travel industry

    Tangerine Digital launches analytics driven content solution for travel industry

    MUMBAI: With more and more sectors moving to digital platforms to engage audiences, Tangerine Digital has announced the launch of analytics driven content services to aid travel companies enhance their customer engagement across digital platforms.

     

    The uniqueness of this offering is backed by analytics that will drive a brand’s content strategy. Tangerine Digital has expanded its existing range of services across the content marketing spectrum from content creation, content management, content aggregation and crowd sourcing services to analytics for content strategy.

     

    Leisure travellers seek travel inspiration online and want to stay connected and share experiences while traveling too, according to ‘The 2013 Traveler study’ from Google and Ipsos MediaCT on US travelers.

     

    About 80 per cent of people begun researching online for their next holiday vs. the 62 per cent who took tips from their friends; 42 per cent were more likely to use their smartphone or tablet for travel- or vacation-related information while on a trip. Once at a destination, 58 per cent of leisure travellers rely on online sources to evaluate local activities.

     

     With this launch, Tangerine Digital will now enable brands in the travel industry in India with travelogues, destination guides and videos, advanced photo shoots, user generated content, expert reviews and ratings, celebrity feeds, travel blogs, itineraries, traveler reviews and hotel description.

     

     Tangerine Digital CEO Kesavan Kanchi Kandadai said, “Today companies like to be constantly connected with digitally-savvy customers at every step of their travel planning. The travel industry greatly depends on reviews, advices from other travellers and the spread of opinions on digital platforms. Content strategy backed by analytics will allow travel companies to empower their customers with customised and personal experience, driving brand loyalty and ROI. Over the content offering we ensure that all relevant metrics are pulled out from various digital platforms on the content trends that help brands drive engagement.”

     

    Having an array of clients in several sectors, Tangerine Digital is now aggressively focusing on growing the business in the travel sector. According to a new report by Waggener Edstrom Communications released in January 2014, an astonishing 97 per cent of the Indians surveyed follow their favourite brands on social media. The study also stated that Indian consumers who follow travel and tourism brands spend up to 187 per cent more on these company products per year.

  • Indian brands are still discovering the true power of digital video

    Indian brands are still discovering the true power of digital video

    MUMBAI: While social media is an important ingredient of the digital mix of most Indian brands today, many aspects like video are nowhere close to realising their fullest potential.

    Indiantelevision.com speaks to Famebox Network director Dhruvank Vaidya about this, the increasing popularity of original web content, and the latest reality show ‘Beauty and the Blogger’ that the company is working on.

    How far has video on social media evolved?

    It started with professional content (film and TV) being edited and uploaded on YouTube.  Lately, we are seeing high quality ‘made for the web’ content that is garnering a lot of viewership. More recently, Famebox is breaking new ground with its web reality shows. Thus, innovations in programming formats are drawing newer audiences and advertisers to this medium.

    What are the key elements in making videos shareable on social media?

    The most important is element of surprise.  If you see something unexpected in the video, you are more likely to share it.  Of course, what gets shared on Facebook is very different from what users on WhatsApp choose to share.

    In your opinion, how are Indian brands using video in their digital media mix?

    Indian brands are still discovering the true power of digital video. Most have been using their existing TVCs and uploading them.  Some create a video series (which again looks like a set of TV commercials) and upload it on their YouTube channel but that’s it.  What digital needs is engaging content and constant interactions with your target group. So, it is a lot more than just making videos and uploading them on your YouTube channel.  Having said this, some brands, especially in the fashion category, are using the medium very well.

    Which are the brand categories that are betting high on videos on social media?

    The categories which will benefit the most from digital videos are the ones whose target audience is not very easily available on TV.  Youth is a great example.  They are always on the web, checking social media, watching videos etc.  And brands need to create highly entertaining content to engage with them.  Fashion, lifestyle, consumer goods, phones/ telecom/ technology etc. are all doing a lot on this medium.

    Are broadcasters (channels) collaborating with your network?

    The biggest testimonial to the value that broadcasters see in networks like ours is the recent acquisition of Maker Studios by Disney for US$ 500 million.  Maker, as you know, is a digital video driven multi-channel network.

    ‘Virality’ is a term associated with videos on social media. What according to you makes a video go viral?

    While there are several elements which contribute to making a video popular – content type, editing, how well it is distributed, how many likes/ comments/ shares it gets etc. there is no way to tell which of these will make the video go viral.

    Which are the most popular video topics on web these days?

    While comedy has been getting a lot of press, there is a lot of user-generated content on cooking, fashion, lifestyle, education etc.  Famebox is a pioneer in web reality shows and we have seen a lot of viewership for our show, WebChef.

    Please tell us more about your latest web show ‘Beauty and the Blogger’.

    Fashion and beauty is a highly engaging category and has made a major impact on social media. ‘Beauty and the Blogger’ is built to leverage the high interactivity provided by social media and the excitement provided by a reality show.  The models bring in the glamour while the bloggers provide social media buzz.  This format truly leverages the power of the web and its ability to entertain as well as engage its audiences in real time.

    The reality show will feature eight shortlisted fashion models and the country’s top bloggers who team up for a unique multi-round contest. The show will be initiated through a three-day ground event at an exclusive resort. While the teams will compete against each other, they will also be buzzing on social media in real time.  This is a first for Indian audiences where the on-ground action of a reality show is brought live to audiences via social media.  The event will then be uploaded on the FameBox fashion channel on YouTube and will be available to viewers at large to watch. The winners will be chosen basis their performance in the on-ground event and the social media buzz and influence that they generate.

  • Lowe Lintas & Partners re-launches digital division as ‘LinTeractive’

    Lowe Lintas & Partners re-launches digital division as ‘LinTeractive’

    MUMBAI: After partnering with IPG’s full-service digital agency Interactive Avenues last year, Lowe Lintas & Partners is taking the association to the next level and re-launching its digital division, ‘LinTeractive’.

     

    While ‘LinTeractive’ will offer services and solutions to clients across digital platforms, what will set it apart will be its focus on brand strategy and creative throughput that will form the core of its digital strategy. The end offerings will be delivered seamlessly across multiple platforms by teams of domain specialists comprising strategists, technologists and creators.

     

    The full-service digital entity will be helmed by Lowe Lintas & Partners CMO Vikas Mehta, who has been entrusted with an additional responsibility of heading ‘LinTeractive’.

     

    Announcing the launch and sharing his vision for ‘LinTeractive’, Lowe Lintas & Partners CEO Joseph George said: “The relaunch marks Lowe Lintas & Partners’ broader vision of strengthening its group offerings and our proven ability to deliver in-market success for our clients. ‘LinTeractive’ will work closely with brand teams and Interactive Avenues in conceiving and executing ideas that consumers want to belong to and get involved with.”

     

     ‘LinTeractive’ will be managed as a part of the group Lowe Lintas & Partners India, working closely with their advertising counterparts at Lowe Lintas. According to the agency, there is a clear attempt to mainline the digital offering and approach it as an integrated offering.

     

    Outlining the agenda for ‘LinTeractive’ in India, Mehta said: “With ‘LinTeractive’, we are making a decisive move towards mainlining digital and embedding it into the core of all our offerings including advertising, PR, activation, brand consulting and so on. We believe that digital disciplines have become too crucial to brand success to be treated like a specialist-only function.”

     

     ‘LinTeractive’ will add a layer of brand and consumer engagement expertise on top of the usual capabilities offered by most digital agencies including search, social, web|mobile, technical development, analytics, campaign activation and digital media.

     

    The new division will work with existing clients of Lowe Lintas & Partners on digital integration as well as with independent clients as a full-service digital agency. Interactive Avenues would continue to partner ‘LinTeractive’ for execution in areas like SEO, SEM, technical development, and online media planning and buying.

     

    ‘LinTeractive’ would function with offices in Mumbai and Delhi with plans to open the Bangalore arm soon.

  • ‘Half Stories – The Journey of Doing Right’

    ‘Half Stories – The Journey of Doing Right’

    MUMBAI: Digital L&K Saatchi & Saatchi crafted an online campaign ‘Half Stories – The Journey of Doing Right’ for Tata Capital. The campaign aimed at connecting ordinary people with simple stories and needs to other people, and gave them the opportunity to script a happier end together.

     

    The 24×7 live online campaign has unfinished stories that would draw people’s attention due to its incomplete nature and gave them an opportunity to complete the stories through online monetary contributions or through social sharing.

     

    The Do Righter- Pankaj Trivedi undertook a 2000km bike ride across India to find and film everyday stories of everyday people living in the remotest parts of the country. These films with suggested solutions were made into webisodes that were uploaded on a dedicated website and promoted using social media, blogs and PR. The site also has a payment gateway for online donations

     

    Digital L&K Saatchi & Saatchi won the Award of Excellence (Gold) in the Integrated Campaign – Social Responsibility category at the 20th Annual Communicator Awards for Tata Capital’s ‘Half Stories – The Journey Of Doing Right.’

     

    Commenting on the campaign Anil K. Nair, CEO (Digital) & Managing Partner, Digital L&K Saatchi & Saatchi said This Campaign has been an amazing experience. It actually leverages social media for social change and proves that business can work for social good too. It was a mammoth journey across Northern India with the campaign serendipitously unfolding every day. It was actually ‘Live Creativity’ at work.”

     

    Veetika Deoras, Head Brand Marketing, Corporate Communication and Digital Vertical, Tata Capital said “The ‘Do Right’ initiative is a key initiative for Tata Capital and our aim through the initiative is to help propagate the philosophy of ‘doing right’ by inspiring people to do right, provide platforms to doing right and doing right ourselves.”

     

    Tata Capital has also launched a website www.doright.in, which will act as the main platform for all the initiatives under the ‘Do Right’ campaign.

     

  • “Use of social media is good when it adds value to communication strategy”

    “Use of social media is good when it adds value to communication strategy”

    MUMBAI: Social-mobile-video marketing is an area waiting to be explored, at least in the Indian context. However, players like Digital Quotient – which already has a presence in the field with over 70 staff across key locations in India – will continue to enjoy a first movers’ advantage over those who come after them.

     

    Indiantelevision.com’s Priyanka Nair got Digital Quotient COO Vinish Kathuria to speak at length about the changing digital ecosystem, social media and everything in between…

     

    How have the demands of marketers from the digital platform changed in recent years?

     

    The Indian digital ecosystem is changing positively over the last decade. Marketers are trying their level best to catch up with consumers’ needs in the digital world. Today, digital is a must-have media vehicle. Gone are the days when we were asked, “What can be done on digital?” The need of the hour is how to take communication to the next level on digital. Tangible and controlled experiments are what brands expect from digital agencies today.

     

    With changing consumer demographics, it is necessary for digital agencies to have a clear idea of the business objectives of various brands. At Digital Quotient, we look at campaigning for a brand from a very strategic point of view. I think that should be the approach taken by agencies today.

     

    How is social media gaining importance in a marketer’s communication plans? Are the brands getting it right in terms of social media?

     

    It can be noted that every brand wants to have a social media presence. While some brands are getting it right in terms of social media, many others need to revise their approach. The first thing that brands should stop doing is racing towards fetching more likes. The question that brands which are looking for business should ask themselves more often is: “Does it add any value to the communication strategy?”

     

    Brands should understand that on social media, timeliness is of the utmost importance. A social media user has a different mindset. Brands should ensure a strategy whereby consumers are not left with stale or outdated content. Engagement mechanism is a must for social media branding. On the other hand, there are many brands which are using social media purely for post consumer service. This is an interesting move. Social media is now definitely a medium that cannot be ignored but it is up to brands how they shape up strategies that are worthy of attention.

     

    What are the key things that brands should keep in mind to build a healthy social media conversation? 

     

    It is just like any other marketing medium that needs to be accepted first. Though social media is largely technology-driven, it is emotional connect and remembrance that matters for consumers. It can be observed that content is taking different shifts over the years. From text-heavy content, brands are today looking at making a splash on social media through videos and pictures. Humanising content is what makes any social media conversation healthy.

     

    Mobile has still not been leveraged to the best of its capabilities by Indian brands. What is your observation on this?

     

    Earlier, conversations were very telephone-led but today, marketers are jumping into the mobile fray. It is for reach that marketers are looking at mobile as a communication platform. Brands need to take a cue from how global marketers are looking at social and mobile integration. There is much learning that comes from there, which is noteworthy. One thing is clear with the current numbers: India will soon lead the charts when it comes to mobile reach.

     

    Brands are betting big on video in digital campaigning. How can brands further optimise the use of video?

     

    There are many brands that roll out TVCs on social media. TVC is the easiest replication that a brand can do but clearly, it is not an ideal one. That is what brands are getting wrong when it comes to video. It is very important that brands create videos that are shareable. Brands need to start using different formats such as Vine or Instagram. Content curation is something that brands are leveraging on while creating videos.

     

    Do brands understand the power of big data?

     

    Understanding big data needs different skill sets. It is relatively new to decode for many professionals. Numbers driven from big data are fascinating and are like an asset that marketers can put to use. Time will help marketers discover the power of big data. 

  • Digital Quotient appoints new sales head

    Digital Quotient appoints new sales head

    MUMBAI: The data driven social & mobile marketing firm, Digital Quotient, has announced the addition of Bhaskar Singh to its team.

     

    The move is in line with Digital Quotient’s aggressive move into arena of data analytics and audience marketing to provide holistic solutions to its wide customer base. Singh joins the agency as sales head for their audience marketing platform.

     

    At his current role, Singh will be heading nationwide sales strategy and revenue generation for Digital Quotient with a focus on business development, establishing contacts and creating growth opportunities.

     

    Digital Quotient digital marketing head Santosh Kumar said, “We are committed to bringing the best practices and values from the industry through creativity, technology and analytics. Our Audience Marketing platform is a key division that helps our clients to reach right target audience by mapping intent, behavior and relevance and provide effective insights in digital media buying. Mr. Singh brings sound knowledge and experience of selling digital solutions to clients which will add more value to our vision and growth.”

     

    Prior to joining Digital Quotient, Singh worked with Tribal Fusion, now known as Exponential as the interim national sales director where he was responsible for heading & managing national advertising sales. He also handled online sales for leading regional news media group Malayala Manorama, and has also worked with Infomedia India.

     

     “I am looking forward to this great opportunity of working with Digital Quotient. The energy and passion of the team here is infectious and I confident that together we will be able to deliver the best solutions to clients nationwide,” commented Singh.”

  • Rage + Metal team up to revamp AMFI’s web presence

    Rage + Metal team up to revamp AMFI’s web presence

    MUMBAI: AMFI’s web presence gets a makeover. Rage Communications, India’s leading web services company, in partnership with Metal Communications has recreated and enhanced the Internet presence of Association of Mutual Funds of India (AMFI) www.amfiindia.com. The mandate to the combine was a result of a multi-layered review conducted by AMFI to revamp and re-tool its website to state-of-the art communications and Internet technologies. Rage Communications, in association with Metal Communications, was among the several contenders for this initiative.

     

    “This re-launch is will provide a single window experience for all stakeholders in the industry – investors – current and potential, distribution intermediaries, industry members and the lay public. The digital assets created, include features and functions that educate, provide data and enable decision making for all the stakeholders.” said Vikaas Sachdeva, CEO – Edelweiss Asset Management Ltd. and Chairperson, AMFI’s Committee on Customer Engagement.

     

    Rage & Metal have extensive expertise in the BFSI sector and their clients include household names from the banking, wealth management and insurance sectors.

     

    Rage, with experience honed over the last 17 years, ensures that online visitors get a seamless user experience while intermediaries and industry members get the benefit of a robust learning and sharing platform.

    “Today’s Internet solutions are not restricted just to the world of personal computers. A range of new technologies, platforms and devices, requires delivering solutions across multiple options seamlessly. Our evolution has been congruent with the evolution of the Internet and gives us the unique skills and experience that is required in meeting the challenges involved in re-tooling AMFI’s web presence to a best-in-class consumer and business facing portal for mutual funds in India.” said Karthik Kumar, Director – Rage Communications.

     

    “With Metal’s deep understanding of Mutual Funds as a category combined with Rage’s digital expertise, we created a wining proposition for AMFI” said Kurien Mathews, CMD  – Metal Communications.

  • Cognizant acquires American digital video solutions vendor, itaas

    Cognizant acquires American digital video solutions vendor, itaas

    NEW DELHI: Digital video solutions vendor, itaas, is being acquired by Cognizant, though no details of the financial terms involved have been disclosed.

     

    The Atlanta, Georgia-based itaas assists television providers and broadcasters, particularly cable channels, to deliver live streaming and video services on digital platforms.

     

    The digital video solutions vendor has approximately 200 professionals in the United States, Canada and India.

     

    The acquisition will enable Cognizant to capitalise on the demand for interactivity, personalisation, and content delivery in the multi-screen and video market.

     

    Cognizant said that the expanded capabilities will also support other industries such as banking, retail, and healthcare, which are rolling out advanced customer and business platforms centered on video.

     

    Cognizant IT services CEO Rajeev Mehta said: “This acquisition continues our long-standing strategy of acquiring sharply focused business capabilities that complement our existing offerings.”

  • Garnier Fructis ropes in bloggers for product testing

    Garnier Fructis ropes in bloggers for product testing

    MUMBAI: In order to reposition the brand perception Garnier Fructis has gone ahead to add an improved formula to its product. The brand recently conducted a blind use test activity to get feedback on the product.

     

    The campaign was executed through an on-ground and online activation in eight cities including Pune, Patna, Guwahati, Ludhiana, Lucknow, Jaipur, Coimbatore and Vijayawada.

     

    Garnier Fructis’ campaign targeted three different groups of consumers. An activity was conducted in colleges across the selected cities for students to participate in the blind use test. Students also had the opportunity to learn fun hair styles and hair care tips in addition to winning goodies.

     

    The next group that was selected for the blind use test comprised women from housing societies. These consumers who tried the shampoo and conditioner later were asked to visit an activity area in order to find out more about the brand.

     

    Taking the consumer test online, the brand reached out to over 50 top beauty and lifestyle bloggers across India. Bloggers received a package containing the ‘Love Long Hair’ shampoo and conditioner and were asked to try it for a period of two weeks. The brand name was revealed after two weeks and bloggers were surprised to understand that the brand was Garnier Fructis. With top names like Miss Malini, Ayushi Bangur and Ritu Rajput participating in this unique blind test, Garnier Fructis succeeded in converting top online influencers in the digital space.

     

    The social media campaign was executed by Foxymoron. When asked about the key learning from the campaign, FoxyMoron, co-founder & online strategist, Harshil Karia mentioned that bringing together a large set of bloggers was a challenge and needed a lot of logistics. He also said, “By conducting such an activity using digital influencers it added great advocacy to the whole campaign.”