ITV

Category: Media and Advertising

  • 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.”

  • Networkplay enters into an exclusive partnership with T3 IGI Airport

    Networkplay enters into an exclusive partnership with T3 IGI Airport

    MUMBAI: Delhi International Airport (Private) Limited and India’s leading digital media solutions company, Networkplay, have entered into a long-term partnership to create a first-of-its-kind Airport–TV Network within Terminal 3(T3) – Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), Delhi. Commissioned in the year 2010, T3 is the world’s eighth largest passenger terminal.

     

    The Airport-TV Network will air world-class HD-content to entertain, inform and relax the T3 traveller before they board their flight. Placed strategically to engage a captive audience, these TV Screens will offer world-class edutainment content to passengers, who spend between 40-90 minutes on an average, waiting to board their flights. The Airport-TV Network will air a good mix of short-form and long-form content, keeping in mind, the dwell time and content consumption habits of a premium traveller on the move. The Airport-TV Network covers over 125, 42-inch or more HD-Television screens located at ambient dwell opportunities within T3 near the boarding area, baggage reclaim area and at other captive locations.

     

    This is one of Networkplay’s biggest deals for the year and underpins its foray in managing end-to-end TV media platforms and offering advertisers an audience-centric approach to media which is platform agnostic. It is notable to mention, that Networkplay currently offers the largest online travel audience advertising solutions through its leading partnerships with India’s leading online travel portals and airlines. Networkplay plans to offer the platform to select brands, who are looking to engage audiences with engaging storytelling formats of advertising and owned media content.

     

    Commenting on this partnership, Indana Prabhakara Rao, CEO-DIAL says, “This is yet another innovation for Indian Airports, and we are pleased to be associated with Networkplay. We believe this will significantly add to our passengers’ delight, as we offer them unique and interactive content while they are at T3. This further highlights our commitment towards strategic partnerships, with the intent of continuously meeting and exceeding passenger expectations.’’

  • Carat Fresh integrated to become psLIVE

    Carat Fresh integrated to become psLIVE

    MUMBAI: To be the first in the region, Dentsu Aegis Network’s experiential marketing agency, psLive, which was recently launched in APAC, will be rolled out in India.

     

    Carat Fresh Integrated, which has built itself to a strong 95 experiential professionals, across eight offices, over the last five years, will transform to psLIVE in India, giving it a great platform to build upon.

     

    Dentsu Aegis Network South Asia chairman & CEO Ashish Bhasin will take on the additional role of chairman APAC, Posterscope and psLIVE – Asia Pacific.

     

    In India psLIVE will be focusing on experiential marketing, PR, rural marketing, branded entertainment, sports marketing, creative and consultancy as the key areas of operation in the initial phase. psLIVE India will be the first truly global experiential marketing agency, offering the entire gamut of services, which is built for the digital age.

     

    Commenting on the development, Bhasin said “We are very happy to transform Carat Fresh Integrated to psLIVE because this puts us in a unique place of having a strong ground based operation, backed by all the global knowledge and tools. All aspects of experiential marketing, particularly activation and rural, are becoming extremely important in India. Having a world class operation like psLIVE as part our offering, will give the Dentsu Aegis Network clients a unique opportunity to tap these areas, through a professional set-up.”

     

    psLIVE India will commence its operations with 95 employees, in eight offices. These offices are located in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Chandigarh and Guwahati.  psLIVE has a ground network of over 3500 people. It is expected that by end 2015 the ground network will touch 10,000 and over 1,00,000 villages would have been covered by then.

     

    R Ravi Shankar will head psLIVE India while Sidharth Ghosh, vice president, Keshav Chandorkar, rural markets national head and Ajay Rao, vice president, will form the core management team of psLIVE.

  • BJP’s manifesto most-talked on social media

    BJP’s manifesto most-talked on social media

    MUMBAI: The 2014 elections have been very different from the previous ones; never before have elections created so much buzz especially among the youngsters.

     

    Media has played a major role in creating elections the hot topic for months now with social media playing a vital role in it. With the Lok Sabha elections already underway, voters have been closely evaluating the manifestos of AAP, BJP and Congress. Conversations on social networks have been buzzing with netizens discussing the various developmental programmes promised by the political parties.

     

    To The New, an integrated digital services network, has released a report that analyses digital conversations across various social platforms such as Twitter, forums and news sites that took place within three days from the date the manifesto was released for that party. The report, powered by ThoughtBuzz, the social media analytics’ arm of the company, also tracks the sentiment around the manifesto and shares “word clouds” that highlights the key sentiments that are dominating the social platforms.

     

    To The New marketing head Irfan Khan said, “The 2014 General Elections has seen immense interest and vocal participation of the youth. The release of the manifestos by the political parties has given the young and the “first-time voters” the opportunity to evaluate and make an informed decision. The report on the buzz around manifesto enables us to understand the psyche of these voters.”

     

    The report reveals that mentions of BJP’s manifesto far outnumbered that of political rivals AAP and Congress with a whopping 76,662 mentions on the social platforms in the span of three days of the release of the party manifesto. In contrast, Congress had 45,604 mentions followed by AAP with 33,250 mentions.

     

    The report findings further revealed that the discussion on AAP manifesto had the most positive outcome amongst the three parties, 34 per cent had a positive tone, 54 per cent had a neutral tone and 12 per cent of the tonality was negative. 57 per cent of the discussion on Congress manifesto had a neutral tone, 30 per cent was negative while only a mere 13 per cent of the tonality was positive. On the other hand, 65 per cent of the discussion on BJP manifesto had a neutral tone, 25 per cent was positive while only 10 per cent of the tonality was negative. In the duration of three days of the release of BJP manifesto, the hashtag #copycatmanifesto, created a lot of buzz on the digital space receiving a total of 41,164 mentions.

  • After Congress and BJP, AAP enters ‘outdoor’ fray

    After Congress and BJP, AAP enters ‘outdoor’ fray

    MUMBAI: Barely days for the city to go to polls, and a party which had hitherto relied on unconventional methods such as word-of-mouth, foot soldiers and dharnas to gain popularity, has finally taken refuge in mainstream advertising, albeit out-of-home (OOH).

     

    Indeed, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and its most public face, Arvind Kejriwal, are the latest to find their way to a string of hoardings plastered across Mumbai in the lead-up to voting day on 24 April.

     

    In the hoardings, Kejriwal is seen asking Mumbaikars for votes, alongside slogans in Hindi which read: “Jitne Sitam Karna Hai Kar Lo, Lekin Desh ko Badal kar Rahenge”, “Is baar Imaandaar” et al.

     

     According to Global Advertisers, which has the mandate for the main political parties, while BJP and Congress are utilizing 17 to 20 per cent and 25 to 27 per cent of the total outdoor hoardings, respectively, AAP is utilizing only 7 to 8 per cent.

     

    In terms of monies spent, “If Congress is spending around Rs 50 crore and BJP about Rs 20 crore on outdoor, AAP, which does not have as much money as BJP and Congress, should be spending much less than Rs 3 to 5 crore. However, it is important to note here that unlike Congress and BJP that are creating a very strong presence through TV and print advertising, AAP’s advertising backbone comprises just outdoor and word-of-mouth,” informs Global Advertisers managing director Sanjeev Gupta.

     

     For AAP, the outdoor agency is currently focusing on Mumbai’s high-visibility regions such as Worli, Andheri, Dadar and Thane. Despite having been approached at the nth hour, the agency’s media planning and buying teams have selected some of the best sites for the party.

     

    In this election year, Indian advertising is expected to witness an overall boost of around Rs 1,000 crore from political advertising, with outdoor advertising expected to see a 10 per cent rise within that. “We at Global expect to witness as much as a 30 per cent rise in our revenues just from political advertising,” says Gupta.

     

    While TV and print exude national presence, outdoor is very important for parties to reach out to masses who stay in the country’s hinterland. “And since the 2014 elections are being considered to be one of the toughest elections of all time, parties are more than willing to dig deep into their pockets and spend on advertising, especially outdoor, since their vote bank lies within these tier 2, 3, 4 markets,” Gupta points out.

  • Red FM’s ‘Dabaa Ke Bajaa’ campaign urges to press the button

    Red FM’s ‘Dabaa Ke Bajaa’ campaign urges to press the button

    KOLKATA: Be it television or radio, everyone is playing their part in urging people to go out and vote. Similarly, with an aim to advise people to press for vote, the radio network, 93.5 Red FM has launched the campaign ‘Dabaa ke Bajaa’ across the country.

     

    “Dabaa Ke Bajaa’ is our attempt at channelising the energy of the people in all parts of India into one simple, and yet difficult act- pressing the button on the voting machine,” says 93.5 Red FM COO Nisha Narayanan.

     

    The radio channel’s RJ Praveen has been announced as Kolkata’s official youth ambassador by Election Commission for this year’s campaign – ‘Dabaa ke Bajaa’ – targeting at increasing voter participation.

     

    RJ Praveen along with other RJs also did a flashmob on the channel’s anthem for the campaign.

     

    Red FM, being the ‘Station for Expression’ has always encouraged people to come out and talk. “We are proud to have been associated with the Election Commission of India on this. The insights and associations that they bring to the campaign are invaluable,” adds Narayanan.

     

    Talking about the initiative in details, the COO further says, “Red FM RJs will continue to pledge to vote by using the ‘Dabaa ke Bajaa’ app and flashmobs in malls across the city like Avani Mall, Quest Mall and colleges along with RJ Praveen. The idea is to support the Election Commission of India in urging people, especially the first time voters, to come out on the polling day, and press the button of the voting machines.”

     

    “The initiative is likely to receive a sprawling response especially among the first time voters. It is the best marketing strategy of connecting with citizens with a motto in mind and reminding them of ‘Bajaate Raho!” concludes a city-based analyst.

  • Verizon appoints Chris Formant to lead enterprise business

    Verizon appoints Chris Formant to lead enterprise business

    MUMBAI – Verizon Enterprise Solutions has found a new president in Christopher Formant. The appointment was announced by Verizon executive vice president and president of the company’s wireline organization John Stratton.

     

    In his role, Formant will be responsible for delivering business solutions to Verizon’s global enterprise clients in key industries: healthcare and insurance; financial services; technology; manufacturing, distribution, automotive and distribution; retail; energy and utilities; and the public sector. He will also lead a team driving sales, operations and marketing of the company’s strategic solutions in intelligent networking, dynamic cloud, mobile workforce, connected machines, security and professional service engagements.

     

    Formant’s background combines a unique blend of enterprise, early-stage company and global-business consulting experience. He was most recently senior vice president and president of Avaya Government Solutions and Avaya Professional Services. At Avaya, he was also president of Global Services, where he led a major business turnaround while significantly improving customer satisfaction and loyalty.

     

    Stratton said, “Chris has the expertise and marketplace know-how to ensure Verizon brings enterprise-class value to the world’s leading companies. His dynamic approach to matching technology solutions to business problems will be a great asset to Verizon clients everywhere they do business: throughout the U.S., Europe, Asia and Latin America.”

     

    In addition to his leadership roles at Avaya, Formant has held executive positions at PricewaterhouseCoopers and MBNA, as well as serving as adviser/investor to early-stage technology companies. He has been named as one of the Top 25 Most Influential Consultants by Consulting Magazine. Formant received his Bachelor of Science degree from Washington and Lee University and a Master of Business Administration from George Washington University.

     

    Verizon Enterprise Solutions is a leading provider of advanced IT and communications services to enterprise and governments around the world.

  • UNICEF India hunts for a digital partner

    UNICEF India hunts for a digital partner

    MUMBAI: UNICEF India is currently in the process of scouting for a digital partner. Industry sources have confirmed that the multi agency pitch is underway in Delhi.

      

    The size of the account could not be understood at the time of filing the report. It can be noted that UNICEF has been working in India since 1949 and is the largest UN organisation in the country. UNCIEF India is pro-active on social platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

     

    UNCIEF India’s ‘The Poo2Loo’ video on YouTube recently caught attention of people. The digital campaign included the usage of a series of videos, online games and public announcement which actually began late in 2013. The campaign revealed some startling facts for the internet buffs. The organization has also roped in Bollywood actor Kareena Kapoor to spread awareness about Right to Education (RTE) through various videos on Facebook.

     

    It will be interesting to see how UNCIEF India will work towards promoting its thought provoking communication on digital.

  • Cadbury Dairy Milk repackages, again

    Cadbury Dairy Milk repackages, again

    MUMBAI: Reinvention is the new mantra for brands to survive in the competitive world. And some brands don’t hesitate in going under the knife over and over again to keep the buzz alive in the market.

     

    In November last year, Cadbury Dairy Milk introduced an all-new modern and playful packaging for its variants (Milk Chocolate, Fruit and Nut, Crackle and Roast Almond).  The shift to the new design has already been implemented across the globe and the new packaging has already been introduced in several countries including the UK and Australia.

     

    The new ‘say what you see’ packaging design has been developed by the global Cadbury Dairy Milk team in partnership with design agency Pearlfisher. The packing revamp is the 21st re-design for the brand’s 108 year history.

     

    Speaking on the new packaging and recipe change, Cadbury India chocolate category & media director Siddhartha Mukherjee says, “At Cadbury we are always exploring avenues to create and maintain consumer excitement. The last packaging change on Cadbury Dairy Milk happened almost five years ago, making it the right time to introduce the new global and joyful packaging in India. Additionally, our consumer research shows that inclusions like nuts and crispies are preference drivers in this category, thus making sense for us to enhance our recipes in line with consumer needs.”

     

    Brighter colours

     

    As per the brand, the move to the new packaging will further cement this positive association and build on the joy factor. As a part of the new design, product shots will be replaced by ‘imaginative, joyful expressions of each flavor’. Each of these designs have been selected in order to communicate more about the product and stay true to the ‘say what you see’ approach.

     

    The Cadbury Glass and a Half logo is retained and brighter colours have been introduced to improve on-shelf presence. The new look is more modern and joyful, while proudly keeping the identity of Cadbury Dairy Milk that has been a part of the brand’s heritage since 1905. This new packaging brings out the personality of the brand in a generous, optimistic and spontaneous design.

     

    Moulding the sweetness

     

    In addition to the packaging change, Cadbury Fruit and Nut, Crackle and Roast Almond will also be undergoing a recipe and mould change for the first time since they were introduced almost 10 years ago.

     

    To give consumers more of what they love, inclusions like nuts and crispies are going to be increased in the new recipe. Now there will be 50 per cent more almonds in the new Roast Almond. Similarly, more crispiness and nuts in Crackle and Fruit & Nut respectively will give consumers more of what they love with each bite with more almonds and increased inclusions.

     

    Additionally, the change in the mould means that the new variants will have curved or rounded edges, instead of the current square cubes, to improve the way the chocolate melts in the mouth, in an attempt to enhance the overall chocolate experience.

     

  • Mirchi Kaan Awards 2014 names Scarecrow as Agency of the Year

    Mirchi Kaan Awards 2014 names Scarecrow as Agency of the Year

    MUMBAI: The 11th edition of Mirchi Kaan Awards saw some of the big names of the ad and corporate world such Josy Paul, Pops, Sajan Raj Kurup, Rekha Nigam, Sunil Lulla, Sanjay Tripathi, Gaurav Seth and Sripad Nadkarni present at the awards as the winners were felicitated in front of a packed audience.

     

    Scarecrow Communications emerged as the ‘Agency of the Year’, with a total of 6 awards, including 5 Gold and 1 Bronze. JWT Mumbai bagged 2 gold, 2 silver and 3 bronze awards. Linen- A Lintas Group Company, walked away with a total of 11 awards, including 4 silver and 7 bronze.

     

    Last year’s agency of the year, Ogilvy & Mather, bagged 2 silver and 1 bronze award. Scarecrow Communications also won the ‘Crystal Award’ and ‘Best Radio Creative of the Year – Client’s Choice’ for the Nitco Tiles radio spot captioned ‘Pinkesh’. Kapil Tammal, Manish Bhatt, Raghu Bhat and Sarvesh Raikar walked away with the ‘Radio Writer of the Year’ award.

     

    NITCO was honored with the title of ‘Client of the Year’. Sounds Good Production won ‘Excellence in Production’ while Madison Media Pinnacle won the ‘Best use of Radio as a Medium’ for Cadbury Celebrations – Songs for Sisters campaign. At a regional level, Radio Mango won 2 bronze awards.

     

    The Mirchi Kaan Awards was introduced in 2004 to celebrate creativity in the challenging field of radio advertising. The 11th edition of the awards, centered on the theme of ‘Mute the Clichés’, attracted over 250 entries from 36 agencies across 20 categories.

     

    Commenting on the success of the event, GG Jayanta, National Marketing Head, ENIL (Radio Mirchi), said, “We are extremely delighted to see the turnout of our initiative in acknowledging the potential of radio. The surge in participation is a testament to the acceptance of radio as an important medium in creative communication. This year we have opened the way for regional entries too. We hope to continue our efforts in awarding and showcasing some of the most innovative advertising campaigns on radio. We congratulate all the winners and take this occasion to thank the jury.”

     

    This year’s jury included eminent creative personalities such as Josy Paul, Prathap Suthan, Agnello Dias, Anurag Agnihotri, Priti Nair, Amit Akali, Manohar Nayak, Tista Sen, Rekha Nigam , Prateek Bharadwaj & Tapas Sen.