ITV

Category: MAM

  • Bates 141 appoints Srijib Malik as EVP and head of Delhi branch

    Bates 141 appoints Srijib Malik as EVP and head of Delhi branch

    MUMBAI: Bates 141 has appointed Srijib Mallik as executive vice president and head of Delhi operations.

    Mallik moves in from Rediffusion Y&R, where he was the national business head, and will report to Bates 141 CEO Sandeep Pathak.

    Mallik replaces Vaasu Gavarasana, who has joined Yahoo Apac and is responsible for the company‘s global clients for the Apac region.

    Mallik has worked on global brands such as Nokia, HP, Pepsi, General Motors, and MTS both in India and overseas. Prior to Rediffusion Y & R, he was with Wieden & Kennedy and JWT in Delhi and with Saatchi & Saatchi and Publicis in Singapore.

    Bates 141 CEO Sandeep Pathak said, “We are happy to have Srijib on board to lead our Delhi operations. In him we found not only the right ambition and ability to enhance our engagement with clients, but also an exceptional understanding of business development and a desire to impact the overall output of the agency. Under his leadership we are confident that we will be able to give shape to the aggressive growth plans laid out for Bates 141 Delhi.”
     
    Malik added, “I am thrilled to join Bates 141 at this juncture of the company‘s growth. My current role will give me an opportunity to offer creative solutions that partner with clients in their mission of creating relevant customer connections that are both sustainable and defensible on the back of the uniquely integrated brand development services offered by Bates. I look forward to working closely with several industry stalwarts and play an effective role in the next phase of growth at Bates141.”

    In India, the Bates 141 offers full integrated disciplines – brand strategy, advertising, design, outdoor/OOH, retail, B2B and B2C activation, digital, CRM and event management.

  • HUL slashes ad spend by 15.74% in Q1

    HUL slashes ad spend by 15.74% in Q1

    MUMBAI: Hindustan Unilever, the Indian unit of Anglo-Dutch Unilever Plc, has slashed its advertising spend for the first quarter by 15.74 per cent, signalling a possible slowdown in the economy.

    The largest Indian household products and consumer goods maker has spent Rs 6.33 billion in the quarter ended 30 June 2011, down from Rs 7.51 billion a year ago.

    For the full-fiscal ended March 2011, the company had spent Rs 27.64 billion on advertising and promotions.
     
    HUL said that advertising spends were stepped up in the personal products and packaged foods segments, while spending on soaps and detergents was calibrated in line with industry trends.

    “Advertising and promotion spends at 11.5 per cent of sales remained competitive,” the company said.

    Return on marketing investments (ROMI) is an area where the company has stepped up focus in recent times.

    HUL‘s first-quarter net profit at Rs. 6.27 billion grew by 17.62 per cent.
     

  • McCann Erickson bags Aircel’s creative duties

    McCann Erickson bags Aircel’s creative duties

    MUMBAI: McCann Erickson has won the creative duties of telecom major, Aircel.

    The news has been confirmed to Indiantelevision.com by the agency‘s spokesperson.

    The size of the account is estimated to be Rs 2 billion.

    The mandate was awarded following a multi-agency pitch, which also involved BBH, BBDO, DDB Mudra and the incumbent, Dentsu Communications. 

    The media mandate continues to stay with Dentsu Media and Starcom Worldwide. The Outdoor advertising is looked after by US Adcom.

    McCann has lost one of its most important clients, Onida, recently, but the Aircel account is a major win for the agency. A few months back the agency had also won the GM account.
     

  • SRNH signs up Irrfan Khan as brand ambassador

    SRNH signs up Irrfan Khan as brand ambassador

    MUMBAI: India‘s leading education and skilling services provider, Shri Ram New Horizons (SRNH,) has signed up Irrfan Khan as its brand ambassador.

    Known for his films like Life in a Metro, Slumdog Millionaire and New York among others, Khan will be the face for SRNH‘s education and skilling initiatives.

    SRNH is an established name in education circles offering 360 degrees educational solutions for students and professionals across 80 locations.
     
    Speaking on the occasion, SRNH MD Ajay Sharma said, “Padma Shri awardee and film star Irrfan Khan has been signed as SRNH‘s brand ambassador. Irrfan has great faith in Indian formal and vocational educational system.Like SRNH, he firmly believes that quality education and skilling will drive India‘s super-growth. He will be the Shri Ram New Horizons face to spread the word on various education, skilling, training and placement options for the students and career aspirants in the country.”

    A graduate from National School of Drama (NSD), Khan was always keen on promoting education among the masses. “Shri Ram New Horizons in a short time of eight years has accomplished 360 degree addressal of students‘ and professionals‘ needs and also won their faith”, commented Khan.

  • TV, radio to air spots against bidi smoking

    TV, radio to air spots against bidi smoking

    NEW DELHI: Two public service announcements (PSAs) are to be aired on all major radio and television channels under the National Tobacco Control Programme as part of its mass media campaign on bidi smoking and the association with cardio-vascular diseases.

    The campaigns by the Health and Family Welfare Ministry will be first government sponsored mass media campaign anywhere in the world that links bidi smoking to CVD.
     
    The campaign has been developed with technical support from the World Lung Foundation, and the spot has been field tested in different settings. The main message of the campaign is – ‘Quitting smoking is hard, but the consequence of not quitting is harder’.

    The campaign ad comprises two PSAs – ‘Heartbreak’ and ‘Surgeon’. While heart break has 15, 30 and 45 second versions, the surgeon PSA has only a 15 seconder. These PSAs will also be supported by radio. This nationwide campaign will be aired during August. It has been dubbed in 14 regional languages for pan India coverage.
     

  • Rediffusion – Y & R elevates two at Delhi office

    MUMBAI: Rediffusion Y&R has made two elevations in the Delhi office.


    Abhik Santara is being elevated as vice president and Chraneeta Mann as executive creative director.


    Santara will head the Delhi office while Mann will head the creative function at Delhi and will partner with Santara to raise the bar of the creative product at the office, the creative agency said.


    Santara started his advertising career around 14 years ago with ‘Desh ki Dhadkan’ and ‘Ride Safe’ campaign of Hero Honda.


    Santara has left his imprint on brands such as adidas, Twinings speciality tea, Absolut Vodka, Whyte, Mackay Scotch, Hughes group and Unicef. He also managed the entire brand portfolio of Nokia including the GSM and CDMA range of phones, Airtel, LG, Himalaya and Danone at Rediffusion Y&R in the last three years, in addition to now taking the lead on MTS. 
     
    Mann has been in the advertising business for the last 15 years. She began her career as a junior copywriter at JWT and worked on Sony Ericsson, Honda car and motorcycles, Daikin air conditioners, Iffco Tokio General Insurance, GPI – Four Square, and BPL home appliances.


    Mann has also been involved in the launch of Airtel and worked for more than seven years on the brand. More recently she has left her creative stamp on LG, ‘Zoot’ campaign of MTS and the launch campaign of Tata Nano.


    As a senior creative team lead at Delhi, Mann has played a very significant role in the last two years in helping build some of the marquee brands in Delhi as also forging strong client partnerships.


    Rediffusion Y & R president D Rajappa says, “Both Abhik and Chraneeta are fine professionals with a proven track record. I am sure that they would bring infectious energy and passion and with a rejuvenated team contribute to the growth of Rediffusion Y & R, Delhi through effective and impactful communication solutions for the clients we partner in Delhi.”

  • Tom Marsillo joins to boost Zee’s ad sales in US

    Tom Marsillo joins to boost Zee’s ad sales in US

    MUMBAI: Asia TV USA Ltd, the exclusive television, entertainment and media distributor of Zee TV in the United States, has appointed Tom Marsillo as senior vice president of advertising sales for the mainstream market.

    Marsillo‘s experience with U.S. ethnic markets includes over 13 years with Univision/Telefutura, Azteca America, H.I.T.S., Vme and Spanish Television Sales.

    “Marsillo‘s 28 years of sales and management experience in both ethnic and mainstream markets will play an instrumental role in bringing more mainstream advertising to Zee TV,” said Asia TV USA CEO Suresh Bala.
     
    The South Asian market is the fastest-growing ethnic segment in the U.S. As part of his new responsibilities, Marsillo led “A Passage to India,” a South Asian marketing event and upfront presentation at the Time Warner Center’s Samsung Experience on behalf of Zee TV. A panel discussion featured representatives from Nielsen Research, the U.S. Census Bureau, DraftFCB and Vonage, each of whom spoke about the affluent, educated and expanding South Asian audience (Indians, Pakistanis, Sri Lankans and Bangladeshis) in the United States.

    “Nielsen-rated Zee TV has 14 of the Top 15 shows for South Asians in the U.S., and – in a boon for advertisers – 98 per cent of Zee TV viewing is live,” an official statement said.

    As an advertising sales professional for Blair Television, Marsillo successfully sold Independent broadcast TV in the 1980s, prior to the cable explosion. He kept pace with the times with subsequent experience in Cablevision and Rainbow advertising sales, selling national, regional and local cable nearly through the end of the 1990s.
     

  • Ipsos to buy out Aegis’ Synovate for $860 mn

    Ipsos to buy out Aegis’ Synovate for $860 mn

    MUMBAI: Aegis Group plc has agreed to sell its market research business Synovate to French market research company, Ipsos S.A, for $860 million, opening the window for speculation of being gobbled up by a possible bidder.

    The deal will make fifth-ranked Ipsos the world‘s third-largest market research company by revenue, ahead of Germany‘s GfK SE. The top two positions are occupied by Nielsen Holdings and WPP‘s Kantar.

    Aegis Group plc CEO Jerry Buhlmann called the announcement of the proposed sale as the largest structural change in the history of Aegis Group plc.

    The selling of Synovate underlines Aegis group‘s intent to focus pre-dominantly on media buying through its Aegis Media business.

    Ipsos said that the acquisition is “transformational” for it and will provide a powerful platform to better serve clients through the combination of its experienced research experts, enhanced geographic footprint and delivery of a wider suite of research tools and products.

    The enterprise value of $860 million is subject to customary adjustments for the levels of cash, debt and working capital in Synovate at the date of completion of the sale.

    The deal excludes Aztec, the Group‘s scan data services business, which will remain part of Aegis and will now be used by Aegis Media.
     
    Aztec hasn‘t entered the Indian market as yet.

    According to Ipsos, the acquisition will be financed through a new debt financing of €250 million, a rights offering of approximately €200 million to Ipsos‘ shareholders and existing facilities and available cash.

    Aegis has said that the balance of the proceeds from the sale is intended to provide increased financial flexibility to invest in value-enhancing acquisitions by the company.

    The transaction is conditional upon the approval of the disposal by Aegis‘ ordinary shareholders, as required by the listing rules for a Class 1 transaction in the UK. Aegis‘ general meeting will be convened in the coming days and is expected to be held in mid-August 2011.

    A majority of votes cast must be in favour of the transaction and Aegis has received an irrevocable undertaking from Vincent Bolloré, Aegis‘ 26.5 per cent shareholder, to vote in favour.

    Ipsos entered the Indian market in 2007 through build-operate-transfer model with Indica Research and finally acquiring the company recently. Synovate entered India in 2003 with its full acquisition of Blackstone Market Facts.

    The newly formed entity will be competing with players such as Kantar, TNS and IMRB.

    In India, Synovate has nearly 300 full-time employees and 60-70 free-lancers, four full-service offices and 14 field offices.

    “For Aegis shareholders, the offer from Ipsos provides value and certainty and enables the Group to increase its focus on delivering communications services based on media, digital and content creation. Aegis Media‘s strategy is based on capturing organic growth from the rapidly changing media market”, Buhlmann added.

    Ipsos S.A. chairman and CEO Didier Truchot stated, “This deal will meet our goals to make Ipsos brand a worldwide brand, synonymous with excellence in each of its fields of specialisation and better able to attract and keep clients. I look forward to welcoming the Synovate team to Ipsos and together creating a leading player in market research, with the best talent in the industry.”
     

  • Imagine TV fails to boost ratings sans Swayamvar

    Imagine TV fails to boost ratings sans Swayamvar

    MUMBAI: For the second consecutive week, Imagine TV has proved that its fortunes are heavily dependent on the Swayamvar franchise.

    The channel, which had crossed the 100 GRP (gross rating point) mark two weeks back with the culmination of Swayamvar season 3, Ratan ka Rishta, slumped to 65 GRPs in the immediate week after that.

    Even in the week ended 23 July, the channel remained stagnant with 66 GRPs under its kitty. 
     
    After the first and second season of the Swayamvar series, Imagine TV had also seen a drastic fall in ratings.

    Meanwhile, for the week ended 23 July the status quo has been maintained among the Hindi general entertainment channels. Star Plus continues to lead with 316 GRPs (last week 320) followed by Colors with 267 GRPs (last week 271), according to Tam data for the Hindi speaking markets.

    Zee TV, which was witnessing a fall over the last few weeks, was the top gainer in the week. The channel saw a 35 GRP jump in the week to close with 220 GRP (from 185). Sony Entertainment Television, however, is still in pursuit and ended the week with 193 GRPs (from 182 in the last week).

    Sab, meanwhile, fell to 124 GRPs from 133 in the preceding week while Star One and Sahara One were at 36 and 33 GRPs respectively.
     

  • Marico ups Q1 ad spend by 9.1% to Rs 1.02 bn

    Marico ups Q1 ad spend by 9.1% to Rs 1.02 bn

    MUMBAI: FMCG major Marico has increased its spend on advertisement and sales promotion by 9.1 per cent for the first quarter ended June as it has launched new products.

    The spend for the first three months of the fiscal stands at Rs 1.02 billion, up from Rs 937.89 million a year ago. For the full-fiscal ended March 2011, Marico had invested Rs 2.30 billion towards advertising and sales promotion. 
     
    Marico introduced Saffola Arise, low glycemic index rice last year and entered the breakfast cereals market with the introduction of Saffola oats. In March 2011, the company introduced two new varieties, a long grain and a Basmati, to cater to regional preferences.

    Marico has posted a consolidated net profit of Rs 850.02 million for the quarter ended 30 June 2011 as compared to Rs 737.35 million for the same quarter last year, reporting a growth of 15.28 per cent.

    On a standalone basis, Marico‘s net profit rose 20.7 per cent to Rs 816.1 million during the current quarter under review, up from Rs 675.6 million a year ago.