Category: MAM

MUMBAI: Bigg Boss under Salman Khan has got bigger. The three-hour debut episode of the fourth edition on 3 October clocked an average TVR of 6 in the three HSM Metros (Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai), a new high so far as openings go.

The other data is equally startling. Bigg Boss 4 touched a peak TVR of 9.15 at 10.04 pm while the time spent on the show stood at 55 minutes and the reach at 20.3 per cent, a substantial increase over the previous year.

Season three of the show, where Amitabh Bachchan had donned the hat of ‘Pop Philosopher’, had a time spent of 47 minutes and a TVR of 5.4 in the HSM Metros.

As per Tam data for HSM metros, Bigg Boss season one (on Sony entertainment TV) had clocked an opening TVR of 3.61. The subsequent seasons on Colors saw a debut rating ranging from a 2.79 TVR (with Shilpa Shetty) to 5.42 (Bachchan) and now 6.01.

Even among the three metros, it was Delhi which topped with a 8.5 TVR, followed by Mumbai (5.8 TVR) and Kolkata (2.8 TVR). 
 
Said Colors programming head Ashvini Yardi, “The encouraging mid-week Tam rating of 6 is a testimony to the show‘s popularity. With Salman Khan as the host and an exciting mix of contestants, the show offers double fun… both inside and outside the house. Viewers can look forward to more surprises and excitement on the show in the coming days.”
 
Sustaining such high ratings is the challenge. “The curiosity of finding out the final contestants of the show always helps in grabbing eyeballs for the debut show. However, subsequently, the ratings go down. This is the pattern you will see every season,” a media observer said on condition of anonymity. 
 
The Salman Khan anchored show, however, trailed behind Priyanka Chopra-hosted Fear Factor – Khataron Ke Khiladi x3, which had garnered a TVR of 6.9 on the debut day in the same demographic.

A possible reason behind the lower ratings of Bigg Boss 4 compared to KKK3 can be attributed to the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games against which the show was pitted, a media analyst said.
 

MUMBAI: Amid the dirt and muck of scams, the Commonwealth Games has deliveerd in ratings.

11.6 million viewers in the Metros tuned in to the Opening Ceremony of the Commonwealth Games across DD National and DD Sports.

Tam data c&s4+ across six Metros shows that 7.4 million viewers watched the show on DD National while the remaining came from DD Sports on 3 October.
 
By comparison in 2006, only 4.1 million viewers had tuned in for the event which took place in Melbourne. This time the ceremony got a rating of 1.63 on DD National and 1.03 on DD Sports. In 2006, the ceermony got a rating of 1.16 on DD National and 0.01 on DD Sports.
 
The opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in 2008 was watched by 7.8 million viewers across the two channels. The ad volume has also shot up. An hour‘s worth of ads was aired during this year‘s Commonwealth Games opening ceremony compared to 20 minutes inn 2006. During the Olympic Games opening ceremony in 2008, 40 minutes worth of ads aired.
 
With all this, it is not surprising that some companies are looking to take part through on air spots. Pepsi and Dabur are said to be evaluating opportunities especially for the closing ceermony.

LG and Samsung, however, are not taking part. For LG the budget has already been fixed while a Samsung spokesperson says that the company is more interested in the Olympic Games and Asian Games.

A sports marketing expert expresses dissatisfaction at how the ads have been managed. “A long interval of 10 minutes runs the danger of putting viewers off. It spoils the viewing experience. Also as of now, I have not seen any private companies advertising beyond the on-ground sponsors like Tisco. They got some airtime. Apart from that, companies like Indian Railways have been seen. The question is whether they want to advertise or if they have been made to do so by the Government,” he said.

It is not just on-air though where the event is doing well. Online from 3-5 October, the Commonwealth Games site had over 4.2 million unique visitors, with over 30 million page views. With the gold tally rising everyday, so is the record number of visitors on the Commonwealth Games website.

The site, www.cwgdelhi2010.org, aims to be a one stop digital destination for all information for the world event. The site highlights and facilitates key information in the most effective and seamless manner for all its visitors. The traffic on the site has already gone up and this number is expected to grow more with each passing day event.
 

MUMBAI: Ignitee Digital Solutions added a new account to its kitty, grabbing Leaping Windows, an online library exclusively for comic books.
 
Ignitee will be responsible for all the online marketing duties for Leaping Windows.
 
Ignitee Digital Solutions will make available online services to Leaping Windows in a manner in which user experience is made easy and convenient. The website works on a simple 3 step process – become a member, place an order for the book you want from the catalogue available online, and the book will be delivered to you within 24 hours.
 
Ignitee Digital Solutions COO Shankar B commented, “With the talents back at Ignitee, we ensure that our clients are well-positioned in the online space, which in turn will add value to their business.”

MUMBAI: Wealth Management company The ASK group has announced the appointment of MEC as their media partner for all the businesses under the group.

ASK Group head marketing Salil Vaidya said, “MEC with its excellent track record and all round capabilities is the right partner for our business needs. Given the challenges we face in reaching our prospects who are some of India’s richest individuals and families, we needed a partner who can also offer unconventional and media neutral customer engagement solutions.”
 
The company offers a range of Wealth Management solutions including wealth advisory, portfolio management, real estate advisory and investment advisory services.
 
MEC Mumbai and Bengaluru Managing Partner, GM Manjiri Kamat says, “It’s a real pleasure to have a prestigious brand like ASK on our client roster. The company has aggressive growth plans for the future and we look forward to adding value through our unique Active Engagement approach. We look forward to exciting times ahead”.
 
With four offices across India employing over 130 people, MEC’s clients include: LG Electronics, Colgate, Reliance Communications, Nivea India, Mercedes Benz, Zee Network and HDFC Standard Life Insurance.

MUMBAI: G M Pens International, a licensee of Reynolds, France, has launched a new television campaign with four new commercials for the Reynolds Trimax Pens featuring Sachin Tendulkar.

One of these would be broadcast nationally. 
 
The TVC has been conceptualised by Karishma Advertising and has been produced and directed by Bappaditya Roy Pictures, Mumbai. It has been shot in a manner the youth can easily identify with.
 
The commercial revolves around a young student topper who receives an award for his excellence in academics by Tendulkar and reveals Reynolds Trimax as the core contributor. To this Tendulkar retorts – “The more you write, the better you remember.” Reynolds Trimax pen has been clearly depicted as a new mantra to produce maximum results in academics.
 
Said GM Pens assistant general manager marketing B Karthik, “The association with the brand ambassador, Sachin Tendulkar, is favorable as he is an ideal youth icon. The campaign addresses youth’s biggest challenge of having to produce maximum results all the time.”

Reynolds Trimax offers 3 times more writing with a micro-tip in comparison to a regular pen. It is available at the price of Rs 35 per pen.
 

MUMBAI: Mudra Connext, a part of Mudra Max (the Integrated Engagement and Experiential Agency), has been selected to handle the media mandate for Eastern Spices.

The size of the business is estimated to be over Rs 100 million and will be handled out of the Kochi office.
 
Eastern Condiments vice-chairman and CEO Navas Meeran says, “Eastern as a spices, seasonings & ready to cook brand, has a unique distribution & a strong retail presence with an equally strong equity amongst the consumers. To build on & to enhance the brand equity, Eastern has decided to partner with Mudra Max to provide brand Eastern, the right mix of marketing communication & media vehicles”.

Eastern Condiments (ECPL) started originally as a family-managed business and has since transformed into a professionally-run company operating throughout the length and breadth of the country. 
 
Currently, ECPL sells packaged spices (pure and mixed), seasoning products, dessert & snack mixes, ready to cook staple food that have a 12 per cent share of the organized spice market brands. Eastern has also made profit each year, through the last decade and grown at 25 per cent in the last 3 yearrs.
 
Mudra Connext executive VP, country head Manas Mishra says, “Eastern has shown faith in who we are and what we bring to the table. We are confident this partnership will be mutually beneficial. Over the past year, we have had major wins across offices, and this win tells us we are doing many things right.”

MUMBAI: Bollywood actress Kareena Kapoor has been appointed as the brand ambassador of Mahindra Two Wheelers’ PowerScooter range, which includes Rodeo, Duro and Flyte.

Kapoor will soon feature in a 360 degree multimedia campaign, encompassing print, electronic and online media. The first campaign will be for the Mahindra Rodeo which will appear later this month. 
 
“We are delighted to have Kareena on board as brand ambassador for our entire range of PowerScooters. She has a strong connect with the youth, who are inspired by her hard work, discipline and natural acting talent,” said Mahindra & Mahindra president two wheeler sector and group executive board member Anoop Mathur.

“My experience with Mahindra Scooters dates back to two years ago, when I rode a Mahindra PowerScooter in 3 Idiots as Pia. Mahindra is a strong, well reputed brand and is known for its customer centric approach. I am delighted to be working with Mahindra Two Wheelers,” Kapoor said. 
 
The two wheeler sector of Mahindra aims to design and market a full range of scooters and motorcycles for the Indian and global markets, thus establishing a robust and end-to-end two-wheeler business,” the company said in a release.

Mahindra Two Wheelers sells 0.15 million units of PowerScooter range in the last 12 months.
 
Recently, Mahindra Two Wheelers announced entry into the motorcycle segment with the launch of Mahindra Stallio and Mahindra Mojo. Aamir Khan is the brand ambassador for Mahindra Stallio.

BANGALORE: Value fashion retail chain Max from the Dubai based Landmark Group’s Lifestyle International (P) Ltd stable will run a campaign to promote its Autumn Winter collection 2010.

The campaign, created by JW, includes screening of audio-video clips in multiplexes and point of sales, radio jingles, advertisements in the print media as well outdoor billboards and BTL initiatives that help connect with the youth.
 
“Max is the brand that is synonymous with international fashion and has a youth cult following in the country,” said Max Executive Director Vasanth Kumar while speaking with www.indiantelevision.com at a conference to announce Max’s association with a beauty pageant-The Max Miss Bangalore 2010 which will be held on 15 October.
 
“We spend around 4 per cent of our annual revenues on campaigns, promotions and brand building,” revealed Kumar.
 
With 35 stores in India, and each having an average revenue of about Rs 80 million, the brand spends over Rs.110 million annually, according to industry sources. Max plans to double its store count to 70 in the country over the next 12 months, said Kumar.
 

MUMBAI: Global market research company Synovate has made a senior appointment and promoted a key staff.

The company has promoted Tamer El Naggar to the position of chief executive for the Mena region, while announcing the appointment of Klaus Paur as Synovate Motoresearch MD in Greater China and Korea.
 
Paur will be joining Synovate on 1 January 2011 from TNS. Based in Shanghai, Paur will be responsible for leading automotive market research in Synovate Greater China and Korea.

Paur brings over 20 years of experience in marketing and market research, of which 15 years have been spent specifically in the automotive industry.

“Having Paur joining Synovate is one of the strategic moves of the upcoming structure for Greater China. He is going to be one of the key members of our senior management team,” said Synovate Greater China CEO Eliza Wong said. “He has proven record in the North Asia region and his international expertise will be a priceless addition to our automotive research business in Greater China and Korea.”
 
Meanwhile, Naggar, who was managing director for Synovate North Africa before this elevation, has been with Synovate since 1993. He began his career with Synovate in the Middle East, managing key client accounts for the Arabian Peninsula. He was then promoted to country manager of Synovate Morocco (1996-1999) and then became country manager of Synovate Egypt (2000-2006).

He has over 17 years of experience in market research for top client accounts including overall research design, championing key research solutions and overall strategy and business development. His research experience also spans various sectors across the Middle East and North Africa regions including FMCG, telecom, real estate, automotive, tourism and aviation, financial, consumer electronics, healthcare, and social and developmental research.
 
“Tamer’s vast research experience across sectors in the Middle East and North Africa make him the natural choice to lead our business units in these regions,” said Synovate CEO for Geographies Michael Spedding. “His knowledge and experience in this area and our focus on the Middle East and North Africa business will provide value to our clients in this important region and accordingly enable us to continue the growth trajectory in this region and globally.”

All of these changes will seamlessly service Synovate’s clients doing research projects in these regions as well as maximise the company’s continued growth opportunities.
 

MUMBAI: Kwan, the entertainment and marketing agency, has roped in Preeta Sukhtankar to spearhead celebrity and entertainment initiatives including celebrity management.

Sukhtankar comes with over 13 years of experience and knowledge in the fields of luxury, brands and fashion. She started her career at The Sunday Observer in 1996 serving as editor of their youth supplement. She was the part of the “earliest” teams of India‘s first ever fashion magazine – Elle.
 
Kwan MD Anirban Blah said, “As an organisation that is just a year old in the entertainment and media industry, it is essential for us to forge relations with like-minded individuals with the vision and the capability to drive the agency. Preeta‘s skillset, her network and her goodwill in the industry matched the level of expertise that KWAN was looking for to spearhead our entertainment businesses.”
 
Sukhtankar has also served as director at MTV India and launched properties such as the Lycra Style Awards and shows such as MTV Style Check, Loveline, Big Picture, Select and Most Wanted. She was also Business Head – Fashion at Percept D‘Mark. 
 
Under her leadership and direction, the division acquired rights to FDCI Fashion Week and executed properties such as Pantene Elite Model Look, Mrs India World ‘04 and Mrs World ‘04. As VP and publisher of the Apricot Group of magazines, she sustained magazines such as Seventeen and L‘Officiel.