ITV

Category: MAM

  • Lowe Lintas wins creative duties of Matix Group

    Lowe Lintas wins creative duties of Matix Group

    MUMBAI: After a multi agency pitch that involved agencies like JWT, Ogilvy and Mega Vision, Lowe Lintas has won the creative duties of Matix Group‘s Matix Fertilisers & Chemicals.

    Linterland, the agency‘s specialist rural communication and marketing arm, has bagged the media duties and the rural marketing account. The account size pegged at Rs.50 million would be headed by Lowe Lintas Executive Vice President D.K. Guha.

    The Matix Group, a subsidiary of the Datamatics Group is building a path-breaking Greenfield fertilizer complex. This multi faceted project that will create direct and indirect employment as well as introduce farmers to world-class fertilizers and agro products will be a boon to rural sector in Eastern India.

    Lowe Lintas‘ clients include Unilever, Idea, Tata Tea, Bajaj Auto Ltd, ICICI Life Insurance, BPCL, Britannia, ET Now and BBC World News.

  • Dentsu bags creative mandate for Maruti’s Kizashi

    Dentsu bags creative mandate for Maruti’s Kizashi

    MUMBAI: Automobile major Maruti Suzuki has awarded its sports sedan Maruti Kizashi‘s creative mandate to Dentsu Creative Impact. Interestingly, Maruti‘s roster agencies like Lowe, Dentsu and Publicis Capital were called to pitch for the business last month.

    Said Maruti Suzuki chief general manager marketing, Shashank Shrivastava, “Dentsu has won the creative mandate for Maruti Kizashi while the media duties will be handled by Lintas Media Group. We are expecting the launch of Kizashi in March next. The account size cannot be determined right now.”

    Though the price of the car hasn‘t been decided as yet, however industry experts say that the car would be priced in the region of Rs 10-12 lakh.

    Maruti had displayed the production model of the sports sedan at the Auto Expo held in Delhi this year. Suzuki Kizashi is currently sold in the US and Japan by Suzuki, the Japanese auto major and parent company of Maruti India.

    With the launch of this car, Maruti Suzuki will be making its foray into the luxury sedan segment and by offering more features for the price of a Honda Civic, Maruti expects a good response for Kizashi.

  • Brands need to build sustainable power: Anita Nayyar

    Brands need to build sustainable power: Anita Nayyar

    MUMBAI: The biggest brand message in today‘s tough marketplace is to focus on sustainability as consumers, crowded with choice, tend to be punitive.

    Brands not nursed well have perished. The only way to stay in the race is to build an endurance capability and invest in the brand power.

    “Sustainability is the capacity to endure. The question we should constantly ask ourselves is whether our brands can sustain in the long run,” said Havas Media CEO India & South Asia Anita Nayyar.

    Drawing example from the Xerox brand, Nayyar pointed out that its strong sustainable power is evident from the fact that people never ask for a photocopy but the xerox copy. “The Xerox brand has become powerful over the years and is one of the best examples of sustainable brands.”

    Speaking at the World Brand Congress here today, Nair said only one-third of brands are considered meaningful to consumers. While sustainability is a key issue for consumers worldwide, few brands live up to increasing expectations.

    Nayyar discussed about Havas Media‘s second annual Brand Sustainable Futures Analysis survey that was conducted via online to 30,000 consumers in nine countries: Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Mexico, Spain, UK and the US.

    The study of 150 brands across 10 different industries revealed that there is a strong corelation between a brand‘s ‘‘meaningfulness‘‘ and its perceived sustainable performance. The outcome also suggested that the more sustainable a brand is perceived to be, the more meaningful it becomes to consumers.

    The vast majority of mainstream consumers wouldn‘t care if two thirds of today‘s global brands disappeared in the future, according to the report. “Only 29 per cent of respondents believe that brands are working hard to resolve sustainability issues while 68 per cent think companies only act responsibly in order to improve their image,” Nayyar said.

    Organisations need to listen to their customers and act responsibly to make their brands more sustainable. “Consumers punish brands that do not embrace sustainability,” Nayyar warned.

  • Baywatch babe Pamela lifts Bigg Boss’ ratings up

    Baywatch babe Pamela lifts Bigg Boss’ ratings up

    MUMBAI: Pamela Anderson’s entry into the Bigg Boss house has raised the ratings – some people say even the temperature – of the primetime reality show that has caught the government attention for its raunchy content.

    The day the Baywatch babe made her appearance, dressed in a saree (India‘s traditional attire), the show got a boost. Bigg Boss earned a rating of 4.72 compared to the previous day‘s TVR of 3.46, as per Tam data for Hindi speaking markets (4+, C&S homes).

    Next day, the busty babe did the cleaning up in the house, wearing a sarong. And, as expected, neither the ratings nor her sarong fell (4.69 TVR).  

    Hindi general entertainment channel Colors decided to heat things up further by making Anderson dance to the tune of “Dhak Dhak Karne Laga”. And voila, ratings were up again, this time to 4.72 TVR.

    Even the day when Anderson bid the show adieu, viewers flocked to catch a last glimpse of her. The Saturday show clocked a TVR of 4.28.

    For the week ended 20 November, Bigg Boss enjoyed an average TVR of 4.21. In the two trailing weeks, when Anderson was not there, the show clocked average TVRs of 3.22 and 3.61.

    Colors has reportedly paid Anderson Rs 25 million for her four-day guest appearance, which it has recovered in the form of publicity and ratings.

    Many media observers debate if the decision of spending big monies on one international celebrity was a wise one. Some say it will not help the show and it is a bad decision, while some counter by saying that the publicity itself was worth millions of rupees.

    “The rating of Bigg Boss was falling, which is normal for a show like this. So Colors would have had to put money in promoting the show. Instead, it has invested in Anderson and got a spike in ratings,” a media observer said.

    The show also helped Colors consolidate its second position in the Hindi general entertainment space. The channel added 11 GRPs (gross rating points) during the week ended 20 November to end at 291 GRPs. 
     
    The genre leader Star Plus dropped marginally to 354 GRPs (from 373 GRPs), while Zee TV was at third spot with 208 GRPs (from 205 GRPs in week before).

    Sony Entertainment Television shed 20 GRPs during the week and remained in fourth position with 169 GRPs. The threat it may have is from its sister channel Sab, which is steadily growing and has reached 145 GRPs.

  • Castrol renews sponsorship for ESS’ football show

    Castrol renews sponsorship for ESS’ football show

    MUMBAI: ESPN Star Sports (ESS) has announced that Castrol will continue its association with the show Football Crazy as title sponsor for the 2010/2011 football season.

    The programme airs across Asia every Thursday at 8 pm on ESPN. 
     
    Hosted by two new Malaysian presenters, the radio disc jockeys Jason Desmond ‘JD‘ Chin Yoon Onn, and Adam C, the locally produced Castrol Football Crazy will continue to combine football, humour and entertainment into a fun mix. This season, the show will take to the streets to bolster the theme of engaging fans and football enthusiasts looking for entertainment on the lighter side of sports.

    ESS senior VP, advertising and digital media sales Charles Less said, “Castrol recognizes the importance of being associated with one of the region‘s most popular football entertainment programmes and the opportunities it offers to further establish their association with football in the market. The partnership aims to continue building a strong connection with football fans across the region, enabling Castrol to reach out to viewers across multiple platforms.”
     
    Castrol regional marketing director for Asia and Pacific Lubricants AS Ramchander said, “We are delighted to be the title sponsor for Castrol Football Crazy. As the official Fifa World Cup Sponsor till 2014 in Brazil, we are also gearing up for our next sponsorship of Uefa Euro 2012T by building our association with the Beautiful Game. We are confident that Castrol Football Crazy is the ideal broadcast platform to communication to football fans and to strengthen our brand‘s association with football.”

    Castrol Football Crazy‘s light-hearted format takes an approach different from existing “serious” football shows, and allows football fans the opportunity to have fun and express their point of view.

    In addition to commercials and on-air billboard branding, Castrol will get very specific customised content on the programme, including a weekly ‘Hot Topic‘ segment as well as analysis of Castrol‘s proprietary ‘Player Rankings‘ system.
     
    Castrol Football Crazy is accompanied with multi-platform engagement. Followed by fans who want more than just live football matches, the broadcaster says that the show drew a viewership of 1.8 million in Malaysia last season, primarily cable male audiences 25-34 years old and 25-49 PMEB and other white collar segments. In India, Castrol Football Crazy attracted 2.6 million viewers, predominantly younger male viewers 15-24 and those with digital cable connections.

    In addition to Castrol Football Crazy, ESS also produces close to 1,500 hours of original football programming a year, including programmes like Monday Night Verdict, Goals, Chang World of Football, Scorecast, BPL Express, Maxis Football Extra, catering to a range of audiences from the serious football fan to the armchair spectator.

  • Grey stresses on bold ‘cut’ for youth in new campaign for Killer Jeans

    Grey stresses on bold ‘cut’ for youth in new campaign for Killer Jeans

    MUMBAI: Grey Mumbai has created a new ‘three ads‘ campaign for Killer Jeans (Kewal Kiran Clothing).

    The campaign – ‘What’s your Cut?’ – reaches out to the youth by reflecting their own image of themselves and their attitude.

    Kewal Kiran Clothing VP marketing Sandeep Verma says, “The advertising for our brand has always been as international, slick and as youthful as our fashion style. In our new campaign, ‘What’s your Cut?’, we have gone a step ahead in keeping with the bold attitude of the youth and come up with communication which is even more engaging and involving for today’s generation.”

    The campaign reflects the evolved mindset of this generation, their changing opinions and states it with a devil-may-care attitude. It covers issues like live-in relationships, unusual career choices and environmental consciousness.

    Grey Mumbai ECD and copywriter on the campaign Rohit Malkani adds, “There are so many young people today who seem destined to sail through life without an opinion on anything. They are content to just go with the rest of the herd. Yet this is also a restless generation who live in a brave and tough world. It isn’t easy forming an original opinion. Killer is a brand that has always encouraged originality and stood for unique styling. The attempt of the campaign is to encourage and exhort young people to stand up and have their own opinion, no matter how warped.”

    The campaign has a grungy and stylised treatment with lines that unabashedly declare one’s unique opinion. The campaign is spread across print ads, hoardings, bus wraps and panels.

    Grey Advertising ECD and art director Karan Rawat says, “I have handled this brand for 10 years now and in the course of time, I’ve seen the changing nature of fashion. From being a quick-fix solution, to looking good, to making it your attitude statement, fashion today has come a long way. About five years ago when the fashion industry spoke of a new cut or a wash, it quickly became a trend. People took notice immediately because it was fresh back then. But today every specific trend isn’t specific anymore. Styles are obscure because everyone offers the same bouquet. Every denim brand is showcasing their entire range as opposed to a particular ‘pick of the season’. So, to make a larger than life statement for killer, we provoke our target to seek ‘their cut’. We urge them to go with ‘their interpretation’. We appeal to them with ‘their attitude’ and not ours. In short, the latest Killer campaign is a brand campaign that is about ‘their take’ on various topics.”

     

  • Volkswagen’s campaign for Beetle aims at wedding season

    Volkswagen’s campaign for Beetle aims at wedding season

    MUMBAI: With the beginning of the wedding season, Volkswagen has launched a marketing campaign for its new Beetle, positioning the small car as the perfect wedding gift.

    The new campaign comes with a tagline, “Marriage does come with its rewards”. It says that the Beetle is an ideal gift for this special occasion. 

    Volkswagen Group Sales India Head of Marketing & PR, Volkswagen Passenger Cars Lutz Kothe said, “The Beetle has been able to trigger emotions like no other car has been able to for decades and it continues to do so across the globe. It is more than a mere car, it is a timeless gift that anyone would love to give to their loved ones and what better occasion than marriage. The New Beetle campaign tries to draw exactly that.”

    The campaign will hit print, online, digital and out of home media across six major cities: Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Pune, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad. It will run until middle of January next year.
     

  • Education sector ads come under ASCI scanner

    Education sector ads come under ASCI scanner

    MUMBAI: The recent introduction of guidelines for the education sector advertisements by the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) seems to have made an impact among the masses.

    As per ASCI, the apex self-regulatory body for advertising content of the Indian advertising industry, the number of complaints against education institutions’ ads has gone up.

    Out of total 12 complaints received, six were against ads of education institutes and the rest from FMCG, travel, realty and appliances companies in the month, ASCI said in a statement.

    Complaints against three advertisements of Career Launcher India were upheld as ASCI’s Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) found that their claims could not be substantiated. The complaints pertained to claims of highest success rate, number of students taking tests, and being the most successful trainer in Mumbai. The company could not substantiate any of the claims with data and hence, the CCC asked for the ads to be withdrawn which was done.

    In a similar case, ads by Time Institute were asked to be withdrawn as the institute did not substantiate its claim of being no 1 institute for GMAT at the time. A claim by Education Matters on its website about its association with the British Deputy High Commission was unsubstantiated and hence it was directed to withdraw the claim from its website.

    ASCI Secretary General Alan Collaco said, “The recent introduction of education sector guidelines seems to be showing visible effects. The guidelines were much debated and well received by industry and citizens alike. Over 50 per cent of the complaints this time around were against educational institutes. The growing awareness and increased complaints is a good sign for the self regulated ad content guidelines of ASCI in India.”

    Among other ads, the TVC of Colgate Sensitive toothpaste was found to be misleading from the aspect of its visual showing “other” toothpastes having only one out of four dentists’ recommending them when the figure was actually more. The company was asked to modify this aspect of the TVC. However, the company was able to substantiate its claims of “relief from pain for sensitive teeth” and “3 out of every 4 dentists recommend Colgate Sensitive” with supporting data. Colgate-Palmolive has assured appropriate modification of the TVC.

    The implication that Dabur Pudin Hara’s does not contain any chemicals was found to be misleading by ASCI. The ad was instructed by the CCC to be modified appropriately. On the other hand, the company could successfully substantiate the claim of “relief from pain and acidity” with supporting data.

    In a case of comparative advertising, an icecream brand of Supreme Food Industries – MeriiBoy Ice Cream – was found to be misleading the consumers by claiming that the contents of competitor’s products were artificial. The CCC found the comparison between MeriiBoy Icecream and Medium Fat Frozen Dessert as unfair and misleading.

    As per the CCC decision, the leaflets were withdrawn from the market and website content modified by the advertiser. The complaint against Nirali Appliances of claiming savings on electricity and several power related claims was found to be unsubstantiated by any proper or relevant authority on energy. Upon CCC’s ruling, the advertiser assured that such claims will not be repeated in leaflets and on the website.

     

  • Godrej joins MSM’s sponsorship roster for IPL 4.0

    Godrej joins MSM’s sponsorship roster for IPL 4.0

    MUMBAI: Multi Screen Media (MSM) has added Godrej as an associate sponsor for the 2011 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
     
    That brings the number of sponsors to 10, keeping one associate sponsorship slot vacant. It is talking to companies like Airtel for the last sponsorship slot.
     
    The broadcaster will then start the process of selling spot buys.

    MSM president network sales, licensing and telephony Rohit Gupta says that as was the case earlier, there is no category exclusivity for spot buys. “A spot buyer can take 80 per cent inventory of what the sponsor has if they are in the same category,” he adds.
     
    As had been reported earlier by Indiantelevision.com, MSM is targeting revenues of Rs 9 billion from the event.

  • Siegel+Gale to set shop in India

    MUMBAI: Siegel+Gale, Omnicom Group‘s global strategic branding company, is planning to set foot in India, one of the fastest growing economies in the world.


    The New York-based company, which has offices around the world, is scouting for clients in India.


    “We are actively looking at setting shop in India soon. We are in talks to rope in clients here and see this as a growth market for us,” Siegel+Gale managing director Middle East Tarek Sultani tells Indiantelevision.com. 
     






    Tarek Sultani


    For starters, Siegel+Gale will be setting up an office in India. “There is a huge untapped market in India. We should be establishing an office here very soon,” avers Sultani.


    A weak global economy does not trouble Sultani who will also be handling the India operations. “Economic crisis was a speed breaker and not a roadblock. Our plans for India have remained unaffected by the recession,” he says.
     
    Started in 1969 by Alan Siegel and Robert Gale, the firm was acquired by Omnicom Group in 2003.


    Siegel+Gale specialises in conventional media forms and in digital mediums. “We focus mainly on four sectors – telecom, oil and gas, financial services and government,” Sultani adds.
     
    The Middle East experience has been positive for Sultani, throwing up opportunities for a brand strategist in a region which has seen transformation of companies who, amid growing competition, have been keen to engage in brand building exercises.


    Siegel+Gale‘s most noted work is the makeover of the global image of Master Charge to MasterCard.