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Category: MAM

  • Online ad spend overtakes print for first time

    Online ad spend overtakes print for first time

    MUMBAI: In the US, the Internet is vanquishing print. The sale of Businessweek and Newsweek, two mighty magazines, has highlighted the fragile health of print publications as advertisers have shifted monies to the online medium. And now the inevitable has happened.

    For the first time marketers have spent more on online advertising than newspapers in the US, according to the New York-based researcher eMarketer. Digital ad spending will finish the year with a rise of 13.9 per cent to reach $25.8 billion. On the other hand, newspaper spending, which includes advertising in print and online editions, will fall to $25.7 billion in 2010, a decline of 6.6 per cent.

    Ad spends on newspapers alone will decrease to $22.8 billion. eMarketer predicts that in 2011 this gap will be broadened. According to the forecast, spending on ads in newspapers will fall again to $24.6 billion (including $21.4 billion for print) while online will climb to $28.5 billion. Said CEO of eMarketer Geoff Ramsey, “It‘s something we‘ve seen coming for a long time, but this is a tipping point.” The findings predict the ad spends in newspapers to continue its slide downwards.

    The company says that since 2006, spending in print newspapers has been slashed by half. In 2014, the US online ad spending will surpass the $40 billion mark as it continues with its double-digit growth.

  • ASCI upholds complaints on 5 ads

    ASCI upholds complaints on 5 ads

    MUMBAI: Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has pulled the plug on five advertisements from Prabhat Khabar, DNA, Naidunia, FMCG brand Sprite and Liquor brand McDowell’s No.1, finding them misleading.

    ASCI‘s Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) pulled up newspaper Prabhat Khabar, which claimed No 1 position in Jharkhand by citing data from Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC) July-December 2009.

    The CCC’s findings show that the ABC July-Dec’09 results do not reflect Prabhat Khabar as the numero uno newspaper in Jharkhand as the claim is not substantiated by ABC report taking into account the circulation of Jamshedpur. After ASCI upheld the complaint, he advertiser has discontinued the advertisement.

    Similarly, CCC found that the DNA newspaper’s advertisement claims of being “The No1 Daily for the independent people”, “The No.1 daily for the new Indian”, “The No.1 daily for the people’s voice”, “The No.1 daily for tomorrow’s leader” are not substantiated with any data or research from any independent organisation. The advertiser did not did not state any source or explicit study conducted before making these claims. The said advertisement was suspended by the advertiser.

    In case of Nai Dunia newspaper, the advertiser’s assurance of compliance was still awaited by ASCI. The advertisement of Nai Dunia stated, “This remarkable growth rate of Nai Dunia can perhaps be an indication of the future, as much as that of current value”.

    The advertisement is considered misleading by CCC as per Chapter I.4 since although the growth rate of NaiDunia and Dainik Bhaskar may have been correctly depicted, the absence of a base index renders the advertisement misleading.

    In the Sprite TVC, which shows ‘two explorers captured by a tribe who are, apparently, cannibals and appear, quite distinctly, African’, CCC concluded that the ad projects negative stereotype of Africans and hence violates Chapter III, 1 (b) of ASCI which doesn’t permit derision of race, caste, colour, credd or nationality. This led to the TVC being withdrawn by the advertiser.

    In case of McDowell’s No1 Platinum CD ad having slogan, “Get inspired by the rare and legendary”, the CCC concluded that the ad was a surrogate ad for a liquor product – McDowell’s No. 1 and hence contravened Chapter III.6 of the Code. As the ad appears in the middle of a live cricket match, it is not distinguishable from the programme and hence, it also violates The Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994. Subsequently, the TVC was withdrawn.

    CCC also received complaint against Manforce Chocolate Flavoured Condoms. However, ASCI concurred that the TVC was not likely to cause grave or widespread offence, but found that it was not suitable for family viewing and, hence, the advertiser has been advised to air the TVC after family viewing hours – between 11 pm to 6 am.

     

  • Grey acquires Yolk

    MUMBAI: WPP‘s operating company Grey, the global advertising network of Grey Group, has acquired a majority stake in Yolk.


    Yolk‘s digital offering includes digital strategy, social media, rich media, online advertising, viral marketing, interactive marketing, search marketing, e-marketing, e-customer relationship management and web-based capabilities.
     
    Said Grey Group chairman and CEO Jim Heekin, “The acquisition of Yolk is another clear signal of Grey‘s commitment to place digital at the core of our business and deliver powerful, seamless offline and online marketing solutions. The digital services space is growing exponentially and this move adds to our competitive advantage in the marketplace.”


    Yolk‘s service offering will be integrated into the operations of Grey Asia Pacific with immediate effect.
     
    Stated Yolk director Prakash Somosundram, “We are excited to be joining Grey in Asia Pacific at this time of dynamic growth, energy and success. With our multifaceted digital services offering, there is no doubt that we will contribute positively and achieve great synergy together. We look forward to working with the numerous talents across the network to lead the industry in digital innovation, creativity and effectiveness.”


    According to Grey, the acquisition will boost its presence in Asia Pacific‘s rapidly growing digital marketing sector as well as enhance Grey‘s total communications capabilities. 
     
    The latest acquisition exhibits the agency‘s expansion plans of its capabilities in the Asia Pacific region. In September, G2, the brand activation arm of Grey Group, acquired DPI, Greater China‘s leading shopper marketing consultancy, adding on to other premier investments by the company including G2 Star Echo in China and G2rams in India.


    Averred Grey Group Asia Pacific chairman and CEO Nirvik Singh, “Yolk is a digitally creative, innovative and daring agency, and at the same time, results-oriented. The team brings a wealth of knowledge and experience, and comes with an outstanding track record. By combining Yolk‘s best-in-class digital and interactive capabilities with Grey‘s proven expertise, I am confident that we can provide our clients with a new level of excellence in integrated marketing solutions.”

  • RK Swamy wins Shriram Capital media duties

    RK Swamy wins Shriram Capital media duties

    MUMBAI: RK Swamy Media Group has won the media duties of Shriram Capital, a holding company for the Shriram Group‘s financial services entities, following a multi-agency pitch.

    The size of the account is pegged at around Rs 100-150 million.

    “We perceived RK Swamy‘s strengths in the areas of understanding their clients‘ unique needs and drawing up a positioning framework that appropriately reflects these, thereby creating an excellent platform for distinctly differentiating them in their respective industries,” said Shriram Capital MD GS Sundararajan.

    Shriram Capital is seeking to enhance its brand image. RK Swamy will manage the Shriram Capital campaign across multiple media including print, airport displays, online and television.

    RK Swamy Media Group president Chintamani Rao said, “The main objective is to establish Shriram as the forerunner in building a very successful business based on financial inclusion. The group is a clear leader in its businesses, and it is our objective to communicate its unique business philosophy to the public.”

    RK Swamy Media Group comprises Media Direction, Digital Direction, Hansa Media Services and Hansa Outdoor.

  • Param Saikia quits iris to join JWT Malaysia as CEO

    Param Saikia quits iris to join JWT Malaysia as CEO

    MUMBAI: Param Saikia is replacing Subhendu Mukherjee as CEO for JWT Malaysia and will be taking charge in January 2011.

    Saikia confirmed about his new career movement to Indiantelevision.com. In his new role, he will be partnering with Edwin Leong, Deputy Chairman/ ECD.

    This will be Saikia‘s second stint with JWT as he had started his career in the industry with JWT Delhi in 1987 as an associate account director.

    Mukherjee, on the other hand, is relocating to JWT Indonesia as strategic planning director.

    Earlier Saikia was working with iris Worldwide as CEO in India. He has also been on the executive committee of Grey, McCann, Euro RSCG and Publicis. He has dealt with clients such as Nestlé, Coca-Cola, HP, Intel, MasterCard, Perfetti, Bacardi GM, Gillette, and Sheraton.

  • IDBI Federal launches new ad campaigns

    IDBI Federal launches new ad campaigns

    MUMBAI: IDBI Federal Life Insurance has rolled out new advertising campaigns for its product brands, Wealthsurance and Incomesurance.

    The campaigns break to catch up with the telecast of the current India-South Africa cricket series.

    The new campaign for IDBI Federal‘s Wealthsurance Milestone Plan talks about the effect of this multi-faceted product without going into its details. Ogilvy & Mather is the creative agency for the ads.

    Recently the company changed its name from IDBI Fortis Life Insurance to IDBI Federal Life Insurance and revamped its website.

    Says IDBI Federal Life Insurance MD and CEO G V Nageswara Rao, “Wealthsurance has been our flagship product and is power-packed with benefits and options. Trying to explain all its benefits in less than a minute doesn‘t do justice to it. So we decided to create an intrigue about the product. With Ogilvy as our partners, we were sure to get clutter-breaking commercials”.

    The campaign for Wealthsurance revolves around the strength of the products and conveys the message: Anyone who hears about it opts for it. The story board revolves around very unexpected people in the most unexpected situations, who hear about the product and opt for it.

    The second campaign for Incomesurance revolves around a plot of a suitable boy coming to a girl‘s house seeking her hand in marriage. The base line “Guaranteed Income ki Bhavishyavani” sums up the entire story of how, in most investment options, it is hard to predict the exact returns that a customer gets in the long term, but that‘s not the case with Incomesurance.

    Averred IDBI Federal Life Insurance national head – marketing and product management Amish Tripathi, “The critical objective for us is name recognition and a strong differentiator. Each of our products is designed to be unique and offer great value to our customers. Incomesurance is a unique product, now with a unique and charming proposition.”

    IDBI Federal Life Insurance already has a distribution network of over 1494 branches through their parent banks, in addition to a sizeable network of advisors and partners.

  • MRUC inks pact with Roy Morgan Research to bring Single Source research to India

    MRUC inks pact with Roy Morgan Research to bring Single Source research to India

    MUMBAI: Media Research Users Council (MRUC) has joined hands with Australia‘s oldest independent market research company, Roy Morgan Research (RMR), to launch the country‘s first national ‘Single Source‘ survey.

    The survey will enable advertisers, advertising agencies and media companies with an authoritative source of market and media measurement across media metrics, media research and consumer market information across a range of industries on a continuous basis.

    Said MRUC CEO Joseph Eapen, “The insights it (Single Source) provides will revolutionise the way we reach out to consumers. Targeting based on socio-demographics only will become history, psychographic segmentation will soon be here; overlay that with usage (brand, product and media) and lifestyles.”

    While Hansa Research Group (HRG) will continue to conduct the Indian Readership Survey (IRS) for MRUC, MRUC-RMR will roll out the ‘Single Source‘ study across the same geography. The RMR tenure as of now is perpetual but may be revisited after five years.

    The survey directs all the questions to each individual; the questions asked relate to lifestyle and attitudes, media consumption habits (including TV, radio, newspapers, magazines, cinema, catalogues, pay TV and the Internet), brand and product usage, purchase intentions, retail visitations, service provider preferences, financial information and recreation and leisure activities.

    Averred Roy Morgan CEO Research Michele Levine, “Roy Morgan Research is delighted to be working with the MRUC of India to create the world‘s largest Single Source Survey that will be the ‘authoritative‘ source of market and cross-media research for India. The Indian market with its large diverse population is an exciting challenge for many companies. It represents huge growth potential for many products and services, and Roy Morgan Research believes that access to solid market and
    cross-media data will facilitate this growth.”

    Roy Morgan Single Source users will soon be able to subscribe to marketing and advertising planners (MAPs) of their choice ranging from finance, automotive, telecommunications, tourism, utilities, FMCG, QSR, packaged foods and snacks, beverages, retail, media, direct marketing and sponsorship, among others.

  • ESS kicks off 3-phase marketing campaign for cricket WC

    ESS kicks off 3-phase marketing campaign for cricket WC

    MUMBAI: With the cricket World Cup kicking off on 19 February, ESPN Star Sports (ESS) has kicked off a marketing campaign with the overarching theme being ‘The Cup That Counts‘.

    The campaign is being done in three phases and will stress on the fact that the World Cup is the cricket event that matters the most.

    Says ESPN Software India senior director marketing Nirmal Dayani, “We are working closely with the ICC on various initiatives. The first phase of our campaign has started. Hoardings have gone up in the metros. One of the messages is Lords 1983 Mumbai 2011. History will repeat itself. Cricket lovers want the World Cup to come back. We will also be doing an on-ground initiative for school students. It will allow them to get involved with the World Cup in a unique way.”

    The broadcaster will also be using online and on-air mediums to educate students about the other teams and players.

    The second phase of the campaign kicks off later this month through television. Some creatives will see Kapil Dev, Imran Khan, Sir Viv Richards and Arjuna Ranatunga; they will talk about the experience of winning the World Cup and why it was the pinnacle of their careers.

    The broadacster will also use print, radio, cinema among other mediums to get the message across.

    The third phase kicks off closer to the event early in February. Various modes of activation are under discussion. It could take the form of meet and greet events with players.

     

  • American Express to acquire Loyalty Partner

    MUMBAI: In a $660 million deal, American Express Company is acquiring Loyalty Partner, a Munich-based marketing services company known for its loyalty programmes in Germany, Poland and India.


    The deal is part of the U.S. credit-card issuer‘s drive to build and diversify its fee service revenues and grow internationally. It will add more than 34 million consumers and expand the company‘s range of rewards and loyalty marketing services. 
     
    Said American Express vice chairman Ed Gilligan, “The loyalty coalition model is growing rapidly in many parts of the world. Increasingly, consumer decisions about where to shop and how to pay are based on loyalty offerings, and Loyalty Partner is a premier player in this space.”
     
    The agreement, which is subject to regulatory approval, is expected to close in the first quarter of 2011 and consists of an upfront cash purchase price of $566 million and an additional $94 million equity interest that will be held by Loyalty Partner‘s management. American Express will acquire that interest over the next five years at a value-based on business performance.


    Averred Loyalty Partner founder and chief executive officer Alexander Rittweger, “Loyalty Partner has a ten year history of success and continuous, impressive growth. Joining American Express helps us to accelerate further our expansion into new, international markets and will allow us to drive even greater value to consumers and help our coalition partners grow their businesses.”
     
    Loyalty Partner will become a subsidiary of Amex and will be part of the company‘s International Consumer and Small Business Services group, led by its president, Douglas Buckminster. Alexander Rittweger will continue as chief executive officer of Loyalty Partner.


    UBS Investment Bank acted as sole financial advisor and Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen and Hamilton LLP acted as legal advisor to American Express.

  • Kobe Bryant is Turkish Airlines global brand ambassador

    MUMBAI: Turkish Airlines has announced that basketball star Kobe Bryant has been named as global brand ambassador for the airline for the next two years.


    Turkish Airlines, the fourth biggest network carrier in Europe, has expanded its US presence in recent years and will be launching its first non-stop flight from the West Coast.
     
    A global ad campaign featuring Bryant is planned for next year. The first television advertisements with Bryant are slated to run in the US and the Middle East in the first quarter of next year, after which it will be broadcast globally to more than 80 countries.
     
    In addition to the US, the campaign will focus on the Middle East and the Far East where the basketball player has a large fan base. The campaign also will include billboards, print and online components. 
     
    Bryant is scheduled to make several appearances on behalf of Turkish Airlines in the coming year, including for the planned Los Angeles launch.