Category: Media and Advertising

  • Maldives to woo Indian tourists with ad campaign across PVR Cinemas

    Maldives to woo Indian tourists with ad campaign across PVR Cinemas

    MUMBAI: The Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) has tied up with PVR Cinemas across India for a two-week video campaign that will run in all major cinema halls of the PVR auditoriums.

     

    The promotion has been timed around the beginning of the summer holiday season in India to catch the attention of the holidaymakers; and during the release of films like Piku and Bombay Velvet.

     

    The Maldives clip will be shown across PVR properties in New Delhi, Gurgaon, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai and Kolkata.

     

    MMPRC deputy managing director Mohamed Adam said, “India remains one of the largest source markets for us and we are confident that this new video campaign in PVR cinema halls will enable us to reach out to the target audience. Maldives is a destination that offers a complete experience be it gourmet food, water activities, relaxation on the beach or world-class spa experience. So whether it is for a honeymoon, a family holiday or just an extended weekend getaway – there is something for everyone.”

     

    Indians made up 3.8 per cent of the visitors to the Maldives up to December 2014. A total of 45,587 visitors from India visited Maldives last year, which is a growth of 19.9 per cent compared to year 2013. Maldives offers free visa on arrival for all nationalities, which is a further incentive for the Indian traveler to visit Maldives.

     

    2015 will see a focus from MMPRC to participate in more consumer driven activities designed to reach out to all segments of the Indian traveler and will see a continued focus to jointly working with all other partners to further increase the number of Indians visiting Maldives. 

  • Maxus and Metalworks buoyed about inaugural Melt 2015

    Maxus and Metalworks buoyed about inaugural Melt 2015

    MUMBAI: It’s that time of the year when professionals will congregate to celebrate the first edition of Melt 2015, a two day festival of creativity, advertising, media, digital and marketing industry.

     

    Marketing and communications brand Maxus along with Metalworks, (the global R&D division of Maxus Global) is participating at the festival. Media professionals will witness effective and new age sessions by Maxus South Asia head of digital Unny Radhakrishnan, Metalworks strategist Alex Jasper, Provolv CEO Nick Martin and Maxus India director creative technology Harish Shankaran.

     

    At their booth Metalworks will display state of the art technological innovations and products, which would bring about a revolution of change in the field of modern technology.

     

    Some of the products and services include:

     

    Provolv Sens: A batting cage so that people can try it out and compete with others to get a demo of the technology.

     

    Provolv Stumpshot: Demo of the casing and app.

     

    Playground Project: Showcased on screen and table, this is something that Metalworks is trying to achieve.

     

    VR technologies: A showcase of Zeiss VR, Google Cardboard, Samung Gear VR to showcase VR.

     

    Apart from displaying their newest technologies, Maxus India and Metalworks will work closely to conduct sessions and workshops with demos for prospective clients.

     

    Maxus South Asia managing director Kartik Sharmasaid, “It is a fantastic opportunity for Maxus to be a part of this excellent event. With expectations of a large footfall and the presence of marketers, advertisers, students and the fraternity, Maxus will be very successful to create an impact along with Metalworks by showcasing the newest and most innovative products and services that have been developed. We would be showcasing an interesting mix of innovations and new tools that our enablers for brands in India to truly be future ready.”

     

    Shankaran added, “We are excited to be a part Melt and give a glimpse into what we really do. We expect a healthy reaction from the crowd and are looking forward to build a good standing in the industry. With state of the art technologies that we have, we are sure the response will be encouraging. We aim to bring about a tremendous change in how technology is used, perceived and executed and have thus decided on live demos which will help enhance the experience.”

  • TO THE NEW consolidates digital agencies; eyes Europe, US markets

    TO THE NEW consolidates digital agencies; eyes Europe, US markets

    MUMBAI: Internet products and services company TO THE NEW Ventures has consolidated its specialized service businesses namely Ignitee Digital, Intelli Grape Software, Tangerine Digital and Techsailor under one brand called TO THE NEW Digital.

     

    Additionally, the agency is also planning to expand its global footprints from its current eight offices in six countries (India, Singapore, China, Malaysia, Indonesia and Philippines) to markets like Europe and US. By 2017, the agency aims to triple its current manpower strength of 600 people to 2000.

     

    Headquartered in Singapore, TO THE NEW had set up its foundation in Asia including India, Singapore and China in early 2011 by acquiring a Delhi based content management company called Tangerine Digital. In December 2011, TO THE NEW acquired Delhi-based Intelligrape, a technology company that develops web and mobile applications using cutting edge technologies. In 2012, the company acquired Mumbai-based digital marketing services company Ignitee Digital. This was followed by the acquisition of Techsailor in China and Singapore in 2013.

     

    Disrupting the digital landscape, the company has been strategically investing to further strengthen the innovation and resources in order to integrate them under a single digital brand.

     

    Through this consolidation, TO THE NEW Digital is now uniquely placed to combine the power of technology, analytics, creative and content for digital transformation. The consolidation gives TO THE NEW Digital a competitive edge and a bigger playfield with more than 300 clients spread across 30 countries.

     

    TO THE NEW Digital CEO Deepak Mittal said, “Our clients will benefit through our extended service offerings for the next-generation digital experience. We already have a large portfolio of clients, which boasts of Fortune 500 companies as well as Silicon Valley start-ups including Time Warner Cable, Sony, Procter & Gamble, Castrol, Airbus, Citi Bank, Samsonite and Mat.se. We look forward to serve our global client base while exploring new opportunities to drive innovation and global growth.”

     

    TO THE NEW Ventures co-founder and CEO Puneet Johar added, “TO THE NEW Digital positions itself as a premium digital services company providing full spectrum of digital solutions. This is a significant step forward and enables us to execute on our long-term vision of value creation for our clients as a strategic partner. We aim to further accelerate digital disruption in the global market.”

  • WPP acquires sports marketing agency Two Circles

    WPP acquires sports marketing agency Two Circles

    MUMBAI: WPP has acquired a majority stake in London based sports marketing agency Two Circles.

     

    Following the deal, Two Circles will become part of ESP Properties, GroupM’s newly launched company serving rights holders from the worlds of sports and entertainment.

     

    Founded in 2011, Two Circles employs 55 people and works with leading sports rights holders across 10 markets internationally, enabling them to deliver the right messages to the right customers at the right time and in doing so, deliver commercial growth across all key revenue streams.

     

    The agency’s clients include England and Wales Cricket Board, Valencia CF, Liverpool FC, Lawn Tennis Association, Ascot Racecourse, Harlequins, Bath and Wasps Rugby.

     

    Two Circles will continue to operate as a stand-alone business within ESP Properties and be led by CEO Matt Rogan and managing director Gareth Balch. The agency’s consolidated revenues for the year ended 31 August, 2014 were ?2.7 million, with gross assets of ?1.0 million as at the same date.

     

    This investment continues WPP’s strategy of developing its services in fast-growing and important markets and sectors and strengthening its digital capabilities. WPP’s digital revenues were $6.9billion in 2014, representing 36 per cent of the Group’s total revenues of $19billion. WPP has set a target of 40-45 per cent of revenue to be derived from digital in the next five years.

  • Standard Chartered ropes in Philips’ Cummings as global head of digital marketing

    Standard Chartered ropes in Philips’ Cummings as global head of digital marketing

    MUMBAI: Standard Chartered Bank has appointed Damien Cummings as global head of digital marketing.

     

    He will join the Bank in June 2015 and be based in Singapore, reporting directly to Standard Chartered Bank group head of brand and chief marketing officer Sanjeeb Chaudhuri.

     

    Cummings is currently vice president and chief marketing officer at Philips ASEAN and Pacific. He has over 20 years of experience in digital and marketing transformation. He is currently responsible for brand, communications and digital marketing across Philips Consumer Lifestyle, Philips Lighting and Philips Healthcare.

     

    Prior to joining Philips, he was the regional marketing director, digital and social media at Samsung Asia. Cummings has also worked at major global corporations in Australia and Singapore including Dell, Ogilvy, Citibank, Coca-Cola, NRMA and McKinsey & Company.

     

    Chaudhuri said, “I am delighted to welcome Damien to Standard Chartered. As a strategic hire for the marketing team, Damien will drive innovation and transformation in all aspects of digital and mobile marketing. I am confident that the appointment of an executive of this caliber will further strengthen the Bank’s brand and marketing leadership capabilities in the digital era.”

     

    Cummings will be responsible for providing digital and mobile marketing thought leadership as well as strategy formulation and execution. He will work with business partners to achieve our business aspirations across the Bank.

  • GroupM ventures into sports and entertainment rights under brand ESP

    GroupM ventures into sports and entertainment rights under brand ESP

    MUMBAI: GroupM is expanding its sports and entertainment offering under a new global agency brand, ESP, which will comprise two separate businesses: ESP Properties and ESP Brands.

     

    Both businesses will be part of WPP’s media investment management company GroupM, but remain independent of its media-buying operations.

     

    ESP Properties will be GroupM’s first company dedicated to serving rights holders from the worlds of sports and entertainment, including federations, leagues, events, teams, publishers and venues. It will offer a thorough assessment of their commercial programs, and advise how to grow the revenue they generate through a full range of services across data, digital and content development. It will also offer global partnership sales on behalf of rights holders, both to existing WPP brand clients and beyond.

     

    ESP Properties will be formed through new hires, the integration of existing GroupM business units including leading sponsorship agency IEG, and the acquisition of data-driven sports marketing agency Two Circles. It will collaborate with specialists from the WPP network to deliver a full range of marketing services. It will also work with GroupM Entertainment on new programming concepts and, where mutually beneficial, provide direct finance for new projects.

     

    ESP Properties will launch with over 150 staff in hubs across New York, Chicago, London and Singapore, plus additional teams in Los Angeles, Sao Paulo and Dubai amongst others. It launches with a roster of globally recognised clients including the All Blacks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Valencia CF, England and Wales Cricket Board, Pele, and City Football Group.

     

    WPP CEO Martin Sorrell said, “There is significant and growing demand on the part of clients to invest more in content and sports but few in our industry have had a serious response to this. Our new ESP Properties will bring creative power and commercial insight to rights holders for the first time, providing unmatched opportunities to better tailor their offerings to the needs of today’s brand sponsors. ESP will also work hand in hand with our recent investment in Bruin Sports to provide our clients with access to many high-value media and sponsorship opportunities.”

     

    GroupM is also expanding its support for brands to plan, negotiate and activate sports and entertainment partnerships by growing the specialist teams in its individual media agencies. These specialist teams will be underpinned in key regions by the second business within ESP, ESP Brands. ESP Brands will be an evolution of the former partnerships consultancy GroupM ESP.

     

    GroupM Global president and ESP chairman Dominic Proctor added, “The global launch of ESP Properties brings leading commercial and creative capabilities to some of the world’s most celebrated names across sports and entertainment. Sport is a driving force in media and we want to serve the market better by assisting rightsholders in optimizing their properties and creating more winning partnerships with leading brands. At the same time we will ensure we work more efficiently on behalf of brands by providing even more resources for the specialist sports and entertainment practices that are embedded in our GroupM agencies, underpinned by a central team in key regions, ESP Brands.”

     

    GroupM ESP global CEO John Kristick will lead the new ESP Properties as CEO. Kristick is a senior sports marketing executive with nearly two decades of international experience, including being appointed managing director for the USA Bid Committee to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, and previously working for more than ten years in Europe serving as an executive director for Infront Sports & Media from its inception.

     

    The business will be led regionally by Jonathan Hill (EMEA), Laren Ukman (North America) and JinWei Toh (APAC). ESP Brands will be managed regionally in North America by Bryce Townsend and through the individual GroupM agencies in other regions.

     

    Kristick said, “ESP Properties’ offering is truly unique in meeting the changing needs of the world’s leading federations, events, leagues, teams and other rightsholders. We have brought together a range of experts from across GroupM, such as IEG with over three decades of experience in sponsorship consulting, and our new partners Two Circles who have been leading the way in data-driven sports marketing. By combining this strategic expertise with unmatched understanding of how to navigate potential brand partnerships, we can uncover new revenue opportunities for rights holders worldwide.”

     

    It may be recalled that WPP recently invested in Bruin Sports Capital and this move is part of the agency’s growing commitment to content.

     

    Bruin Sports Capital founder George Pyne said, “ESP Properties provides rights holders around the world with a very powerful combination of strategic services and sales expertise. The ability to access the group’s unmatched global resources and corporate client base will be very helpful as we create value for the relevant businesses Bruin operates. We also anticipate collaborating with ESP Properties to jointly deploy capital and create new businesses as opportunities arise.” 

  • UEFA Europa League ropes in FedEx as main sponsor for 3 seasons

    UEFA Europa League ropes in FedEx as main sponsor for 3 seasons

    MUMBAI: FedEx Corp and the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) have signed a three-season agreement in which FedEx will take the main sponsor position in the UEFA Europa League.

     

    The sponsorship will commence with the start of the 2015/2016 season and will extend for three seasons through to 2017/2018. A major European cup competition, the UEFA Europa League spans 192 teams across 54 European nations, which aligns with FedEx presence and network in the region.

     

    “As one of the most important European football Cup competitions, the UEFA Europa League is a perfect sponsorship for FedEx, which has a strong commitment to doing business across borders throughout the European region. The UEFA Europa League is an elite competition based on a foundation of grassroots football. It has a great mix of famous clubs and local teams, and reflects the genuine passion of fans across Europe. It is a great way for us to reinforce the commitment and passion that our employees demonstrate every day in all our markets across the region,” said FedEx Express Europe vice president, marketing and communications Andrew Self.

     

    Passion, inspiration and performance will be key themes across all marketing activation and will be reinforced through pitch side, stadium and press conference branding. The sponsorship also extends into UEFA’s digital channels across desktop and mobile platforms. In addition, FedEx will deliver the trophy to the stadium for the final, where it will be hand-delivered to a UEFA delegate before making the journey to pitch side.

     

    The sponsorship builds on FedEx’s extensive history of sports partnerships, including sponsorship of the ATP World Tour, 2014 Ryder Cup, PGA TOUR, and NFL.

     

    “We welcome FedEx into the UEFA sponsor partner family, and we are looking forward to collaborating together throughout the duration of the sponsorship. It is very suitable to have a global brand such as FedEx securing the Main Partner sponsorship for the tournament’s new commercial concept,” said UEFA Events SA marketing director Guy-Laurent Epstein.

  • Kyoorius unveils debut line up for Melt 2015

    Kyoorius unveils debut line up for Melt 2015

    MUMBAI: Kyoorius has unveiled the event line up its two day festival Melt 2015.

     

    Kyoorius founder and CEO Rajesh Kejriwal said, “With Melt 2015, we’re pioneering an exciting new model where our partners co-curate content with us. Together, we have created opportunities to learn and interact in myriad ways, always keeping our partners’ brand goals and vision in mind. Melt 2015 is a chance for them to showcase what they do best.”

     

    As the knowledge partner, GroupM will empower the event with international speakers, workshops and seminars. GroupM agencies will also showcase new technology in advertising at ‘FutureReady’ in the Hall of Knowledge. Participants of Melt can expect to see the Loop Room by Mindshare, Moribus- the Behavioral Economics Lab by Maxus, great global work by Mediacom and MECFresh by MEC Global.

     

    The festival has a packed schedule of events including conferences, seminars, workshops, showcases, exhibitions and installations catering to a variety of audiences and disciplines.

     

    On 21 May, the HT Osmosis Conference will offer insights into advertising as it exists today and a glimpse into what it could be in the future. Speakers include Chris Sanderson (Future Laboratory), Daniele Fiandaca (Creative Social), Bo Hellberg (Brave and HeyHuman) and Hugh Macleod (Gaping Void). It will be followed by a IAA debate where industry stalwarts will battle it out on whether mobile has taken over TV as the default screen for viewer. Other events for the day include a series of seminars with consumers titled Kinetic Future Citizens.

     

    Zee MindSpace on 22 May will host a stimulating conference for industry leaders to discuss, debate and reflect on issues and challenges facing the industry. Speakers include Sir Martin Sorrell (WPP), Tom Goodwin (Havas Media), Adam Ostrow (Mashable) and Joshua Black (GroupM).

     

    The second day also features THiNK BARC India, a seminar developed by Broadcast Audience Research Council of India that will have global industry leaders presenting key insights into measuring content consumption.

     

    Delegates can get a first hand experience of augmented reality with Happy Finish global chairman Stuart Waplington and go behind the lens with him to create stunning 360-degree visual experiences on screen. A host of augmented and virtual reality tools will also be on display at Nehru Centre during the festival.

     

    YouTube will take over the Hall of Vision at Nehru Centre with a series of presentations hosted by YouTube India’s Satya Raghavan along with a select group of YouTube creators, who will go in-depth into developing a successful YouTube strategy for brands and creators. The seminar also gives room for delegates to sign up for a one-on-one consultation with a YouTube expert on how to develop compelling online content.

     

    Other events and discussions include invite-only workshop for brand managers explores mobile-first branding.

     

    Madhouse India will host a Mobile Masterclass with marketing consultant Tomi Ahonen. Hands-on workshops on branding and idea generation by D&AD Trainers Bo Hellberg of Brave and HeyHuman, and Alex Lampe of A+B Studio will also be held.

     

    Hyper Island Master Class speaker Daniele Fiandaca will lead two workshops discussing the most disruptive trends in digital and the challenges that the changing nature of work holds for modern creatives

     

    The festival will also have The Other Bookstore display its extensive collection of design and advertising books and publications.

  • Five agencies to pitch for Dabur’s Rs 350-400 crore media AOR

    Five agencies to pitch for Dabur’s Rs 350-400 crore media AOR

    MUMBAI: As many as five top media agencies are gearing up to pitch for Dabur India’s beefy media account, which is pegged in the range of Rs 350-400 crore.

     

    According to highly placed industry sources, media giants like Dentsu, Starcom, Lodestar and Maxus are speculated to be a part of this multi-agency pitch.

     

    Top level executives from two agencies that are going to take part in the pitch, confirmed the news to Indiantelevision.com.

     

    Dabur India is looking at consolidating its media duties under one agency. Currently, Maxus and Starcom Mediavest handle the brand’s media planning duties, whereas media buying is handled by Dabur’s in-house agency Adbur.

     

    The Rs 350-400 crore media business has opened up for a pitch across all categories of Dabur India and is expected to close in about a month or two.

  • FY-2015: Emami marketing spends up 41%, PAT up 21%

    FY-2015: Emami marketing spends up 41%, PAT up 21%

    BENGALURU: Emami Limited spent 41.3 per cent more towards its Advertisement and Sales Promotion (ASP) in FY-2015 (year ended 31 March, 2015, current year) at Rs 391.19 crore (17.7 per cent of Total Income from Operations or TIO) as compared to the Rs 277.41 crore (1.5 per cent of TIO) in the previous year.

    The company’s profit after tax (PAT) increased 20.6 per cent in the current year to Rs 485.45 crore (21.9 per cent of TIO) from Rs 402.27 crore (22.1 per cent of TIO) in FY-2014. Emami’s TIO in FY-2015 at Rs 2217.25 crore increased 2.18 per cent from the previous year’s TIO of Rs 1820.77 crore.

    Note: 100,00,000 = 100 lakh = 10 million = 1 crore

    Among the brands in Emami’s portfolio are Zandu, Zandu Balm, Himani Navratna, BoroPlus, Fair and Handsome, Emami Vasocare, Emami Mentho Plus, Himani Fast Relief, Zandu Sona Chandi Chyawnprash Plus, Zandu Kesari Jivan, etc.

    Historically, Q3 (the festival season in India) of a financial year has been the best quarter for Emami in terms of TIO and PAT, which peak in Q3. The next best quarter has been the fourth quarter of a financial year before sales and profits dip to the lowest in a year in Q1 (the summer and the beginning of the educational holiday season in India) followed by a rise in Q2.

    Refer to Fig A below for ASP during the 16 quarter period starting Q1-2012 until the current quarter.ASP in Q4-2015 was 66.5 per cent more at Rs 82.47 crore (14.9 per cent of TIO) as compared to the Rs 49.53 crore (11.1 per cent of TIO) spent in the corresponding year ago quarter but 30.8 per cent lower than the Rs 119.25 crore (17.2 per cent of TIO ) in the immediate trailing quarter.

    During the 16 quarter period under consideration in this report, Emami’s ASP was the highest in absolute rupees in the immediate trailing quarter (Q3-2105) at Rs 119.25 crore (17.2 per cent of TIO), while in terms of percentage of TIO, it was 21.3 per cent (Rs 102.84 crore) in Q1-2015. The lowest ASP by Emami in both in absolute rupees terms and as percentage of TIO was in Q4-2013 at Rs 36.6 crore and 9.2 per cent respectively during the period under consideration.

    In Fig A, the slope of the graph represented by the broken maroon line indicates that ASP in terms of percentage of TIO shows a slight increasing trend, and intercepts the Q4-2015 ordinate at 16.26 per cent, as opposed the 14.9 per cent actually spent by the company. The slope of the broken maroon line indicates that the ASP in terms of absolute rupees intercepts the Q4-2015 ordinate at Rs 94.3336 crore as compared to the Rs 82.47 crore actually spent by the company.

    As mentioned above, the company’s TIO is generally the highest in Q3 and lowest in Q1 of a financial year. In Q4S-2015, Emami reported TIO of RS 553.66 crore, which was 24.2 per cent higher y-o-y as compared to Rs 445.71 crore, but declined 20 per cent as compared to the Rs 692.26 crore in Q3-2015. Please refer to figure B below, in which the quarter on quarter percentage change of TIO is indicated by the red line with yellow markers.

    During the 16 quarter period under consideration, Emami TIO was highest in Q3-2015 at Rs 692.26 crore and lowest in Q1-2012 at Rs 299.91 crore. The black broken trend line shows that the company’s TIO is increasing linearly. The slope of the trend line intercepts the Q4-2015 ordinate at Rs 574.948 crore, indicating that the company’s performance at 553.36 crore was lower than that indicated by the trend line.

    The company’s PAT follows the same trend of being the highest in Q3 and the lowest in Q1 during the period under consideration in this report. PAT in Q4-2015 at Rs 138.33 crore (25 per cent of TIO) was 21.9 per cent more than the Rs 111.15 crore (24.9 per cent of TIO) in Q4-2014, but declined 24.7 per cent from Rs 183.70 crore (26.5 per cent of TIO) in Q3-2015. Please refer to Fig C below.

    During the 16 quarter period under consideration, the highest PAT both in terms of absolute rupees as well as percentage of TIO was in the previous quarter at Rs 183.7 crore and 26.5 per cent respectively.The lowest PAT in terms of absolute rupees and percentage of TIO was in Q1-2012 at Rs 41.5 crore and 13.8 per cent respectively.

    The slope of the pink broken trend line indicates its intercept of Q4-2015 at 23.52 per centof TIO as compared to the actual 25 per cent of TIO achieved by Emami. The slope of the broken blue line shows its intercept with Q4-2015 atRs 134.6008 crore as compared to the Rs 138.33crore PAT actually achieved by the company. Both trend lines inclinedlinear increments.