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Category: Press Release

  • Some learning, some entertainment, some fun – the secret sauce of tackling the lockdown time

    Some learning, some entertainment, some fun – the secret sauce of tackling the lockdown time

    COVID-19 has changed the way companies used to work in India and across the world. With work from home programs and remote work policy, a lot of Indian companies are determined to sail through this crisis. While building a robust technical infrastructure to continue 'business as usual' is necessary, learning and upskilling have become paramount amidst all the chaos. Taking care of our wellbeing and mental health is equally critical.

    Building talent

    According to a report by McKinsey Global Institute, by 2030, as many as 375 million workers globally will have to master fresh skills as their current jobs evolve alongside the rise of human-machine partnership. Also, another recent one 'Workplace Learning Report’ by LinkedIn suggested that 2019 was the year of the skills gap.

    The current pandemic is taking a toll on SMEs, start-ups and large corporates but some of them are going the extra mile to support their employees and adjust to the ‘New Normal’. Prasad Shejale, Founder & CEO, Logicserve Digital said, “While we all try to find our balance to navigate this crisis – whether at the global, country, organisational or individual level; we must continue to learn and upskill. It's time that the leaders adopt an agile mindset and offer an opportunity for their workforce to learn critical skills relevant in this digital age.”

    “We, at Logicserve Digital, have started virtual learning classes and our teams are trying their best to remain focussed on acquiring new skills. It gives me immense pleasure to share that a lot of logimates used the lockdown time to learn new skills while continuing their routine work and, we now have 100+ Google certified professionals in the company. I would like to congratulate all team members for their enthusiasm and continued commitment towards learning and growing in these challenging times too,” he added. 

    The 100+ Google certified professionals, which includes 107 Search Professionals and 115 GAIQ professionals, have completed 200+ certifications.

    Knowledge Sharing

    A strategic approach with a long-term outlook can result in a greater unity of purpose for organisations as well as communities. While the governments all over the world are keeping no stone unturned in helping each other dVUCAuring these crises, it’s time that the corporate industry leaders join hands as they re-draw the business playbook.

    “It is more apparent now than ever that we live in a (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous) world. This unsettling situation is impacting our personal as well as professional lives alike, and it’s time for industry leaders to act together. I do not doubt that if the entire marketing fraternity collaborates, we will emerge stronger,” added Prasad.

    Alongside this belief, Logicserve Digital has started organising Digital Marketing Masterclass with the purpose of sharing knowledge with the fraternity and clients. "After an overwhelming response of the first session, we look forward to more sessions scheduled this month on varied topics covering GCM, Advance Google Analytics, Adobe Ecosystem, GMP overview, Enhancing UI via AMP and PWA, etc. Furthermore, I am glad that out of the many strategies being included as a part of the masterclass initiative, cause-led campaign approach coupled with snackable content continues to be one of the top subjects appreciated by industry colleagues,” said Prasad.

    Reigniting Hobbies

    The lockdown time has been really stressful and challenging in many ways. It is very essential to be calm and relax while ensuring that we take care of our mental health too. One of the simplest ways to do that is to indulge in some activity that we enjoy, any hobbies that we have. Multiple researches suggest that people with hobbies have lesser chances of suffering from stress, depression, etc. Logimates have aptly used the lockdown time to do things they enjoy, reignite their hobbies, relive their passions. It feels great to see the pool of talent we have. And the fact that these activities make us feel happier in these tough times is definitely a bonus.

    Better Tomorrow

    Considering the deep internet penetration in our country with the availability of mobile phones, the new-age consumers are already very active in the virtual space. While digital offers a huge potential for companies to navigate this global pandemic, leaders must act promptly in the interest of their employees and business sustenance. Learning, upskilling and industry togetherness through knowledge sharing will play a huge role in defining the future course.

  • The Mavericks pledges to observe “Together-Apart Week” every year starting March 2021

    The Mavericks pledges to observe “Together-Apart Week” every year starting March 2021

    Reputation Advisory, The Mavericks India, has announced that it will commit to a “Together-Apart Week” every year, starting 2021. Coronavirus was declared a pandemic on the 11th of March by the World Health Organization (WHO). The week-long lockdown (Together-Apart Week) will be observed in the second week of March to commemorate the declaration and pay gratitude to the healthcare workers for their selfless service in these trying times. The world has been under siege since the outbreak with most of the countries worldwide under partial lockdown forced into compulsory quarantine and social distancing, thereby resulting in the downfall of several industries globally.

    With more than 170K fatalities across 2.48 million cases as of 21st April and a mortality rate of 6.9%, COVID-19 is the worst pandemic of the modern era. According to the United Nations (UN), the global economy is expected to shrink by 1% instead of growing at 2.5% with millions of people losing their livelihood and an impending global recession. This crisis should not be forgotten easily and definitely not without us all both individually and collectively making a commitment to lead a more sustainable and healthy lifestyle. 

    The Mavericks will encourage each of its team members to lead a more balanced, healthy and sustainable lifestyle. This lockdown has taught us many lessons, besides the fact that how we have abused the environment and encroached into the lives of many animals pushing them to the verge of extinction; ironically enough we call animals with equal rights to this plant as wildlife. With PM2.5 and NO2 levels falling by 50% and 75% respectively in India, it doesn’t host any of the top 20 most polluted cities in the world since the lockdown, it hosted 14 of top 20 just 4 months ago, as of Jan of 2020. 

    During the week-long lockdown, all Mavericks will work exactly the way we've been during this lockdown – from the 25th of March to the 3rd of May; complete self-quarantine within the confines of our homes.  In addition, post the current lockdown 10% of our team members will be working from home at all times. This will be done by rotation and our endeavour will push this rate to 25% by 2023. 

    Apart from these proactive steps, Mavericks would not ignore reactive steps like planting at least 100 trees for each of its team members and give back what we’ve usurped from other inhabitants of this planet. 
     
    Chetan Mahajan, Founder & CEO of The Mavericks said, “COVID-19 has served us the much-needed wake-up call and we’ve decided to respond to this call with action that is inspired by Mahatma Gandhi, “be the change you want to see in the world". It’s a small step but I’m confident that when we all come together to live more responsibly we can create a revolution that will make this world a better place. I urge more individuals, entrepreneurs and businesses to come together and own their responsibilities to the planet and its habitat. We also urge the WHO to announce the second week of March to be “International Together-Apart Week” in commemoration of the world’s battle against COVID-19.”

    By staying indoors as part of the lockdown, we all have coincidentally developed habits that are good for the climate and ourselves, which includes minimal travel, mindfulness, lesser wastage and overall a conscious lifestyle. If this change in habit sticks and is encouraged by organizations through permanent efforts, it can help keep the toxic emissions lower even after this lockdown is lifted. Our initiative is aimed at developing a mindful consumption behaviour amongst team members. Moreover, staying indoors for a week every year will help us critically examine the impact of our daily activities on the environment without affecting the daily routine chores as we currently do.”
     
    “While we all revise our business playbooks to navigate these unsettling times through robust technical infrastructure, digital tools, and alternate business plans, we must carry forward the valuable lesson of combined community action to deal with climate change. COVID-19 is not the first pandemic and will certainly not be the last one. Reliving the memories of the lockdown of 2020 will hopefully not let us forget the pain and loss of life we suffered and push us and the generations to come to not go back to the ignorant and selfish selves.” Chetan added.

    Today, we have all the time to find the fine work-life balance in life, more time to spend with our families and more time to pursue our lost passion albeit in the confines of the four walls. We don’t intend to bury these learnings as we get back to our so-called normal lives.

    While India and the world fight the COVID-19 pandemic, The Mavericks urges other organizations to take the pledge and join hands together to address another looming health emergency, as we all observe ‘Earth Day’ this year.
     

  • ADK Fortune and Vikalp Women’s Group fight another pandemic – domestic violence

    ADK Fortune and Vikalp Women’s Group fight another pandemic – domestic violence

    The painful and harsh reality stares us all in the face. Domestic violence cases helplines had been buzzing across the country ever since the lockdown was announced. Helpless and vulnerable people were seeking urgent and desperate help.

    Hoping to make a difference in the lives of countless domestic abuse survivors and reassure them that they are not alone in these troubled times, ADK Fortune, a WPP company and part of Wunderman Thompson South Asia Group, decided it was time to act, now. What strengthened the agency’s resolve and propelled them into immediate action was, when a colleague narrated witnessing domestic violence in her neighbourhood. 

    With an idea and unshakeable belief, ADK Fortune teamed up with renowned director Pradeep Sarkar and Vikalp Women’s Group (an NGO that works to combat domestic violence and discrimination against women) to bring attention to this burning issue.

    Proving that where there is a will there is a way, even during a lockdown, insurmountable production hassles were brushed aside by the director and his team who shot the video with his own phone. The women’s NGO were more than willing to lend their expertise and further strengthened their existing 24-hour helpline.

    A completely on the spur pro bono effort further reached millions thanks to the generous and instant support extended by NDTV.

  • Blue Dart freighters fly on international routes to bring medical equipment and essential supplies to India to fight against COVID-19 pandemic

    Blue Dart freighters fly on international routes to bring medical equipment and essential supplies to India to fight against COVID-19 pandemic

    Blue Dart Express Ltd. South Asia's premier express air and integrated transportation, distribution and logistics company recently operated its Boeing 757-200 freighter cross border on the Kolkata – Guangzhou, China – Guwahati – Kolkata route to bring critical PPE and COVID-19 related medical supplies. Blue Dart freighters with a carrying capacity of 34 tons are flying on international routes to ensure continuity of essential supply chain in India. Earlier this month, Blue Dart freighters flew on Kolkata – Dhaka – Kolkata route frequently and are scheduled to fly on Delhi – Guangzhou, China – Delhi and Kolkata – Guangzhou, China – Kolkata routes through the month of April 2020.  

    Blue Dart has been flying its 6 Boeing 757- 200 freighters across major metropolitan cities in India to ensure uninterrupted supply chain continuity of essential shipments like – medical equipment (ventilators & PPE), testing kits, reagents, enzymes, respirators, surgical masks and gloves among other medical and pharmaceutical supplies. The company is working closely with the Government of India, to ensure door-to-door delivery carrying inter-state and international supplies of essential goods through its strong air and ground express network. From a charter load to critical shipments the air express company has transported tons of cargo carrying essential supplies since the nation-wide lockdown began, fulfilling its promise to keep the mission critical supply chain running and help the nation in fighting this war against the global pandemic. 

    Ketan Kulkarni CMO & Head – Business Development said, “There are several components and ingredients that are coming from different places, whether it’s a drug, medical equipment or PPE. To ensure continuity of the global supply chain and help our nation and companies to adapt their operations during this critical health crisis, Blue Dart is flying Boeing 757-200 freighters round-the-clock to carry medical and other vital supplies in these difficult times and is firmly committed and honoured to be a part of the Government’s ‘Lifeline Udan’ initiative. Since the lockdown began, we have operated numerous cargo flights transporting more than thousands of tons of medical supplies, medicines, medical devices and other essential items for various state governments, medical and pharma companies.”

    He further added, “At Blue Dart, we are working on a 2-pronged strategy to prepare the logistics infrastructure for being future ready and ensure both lines operate smoothly – essential supplies to fight COVID-19 and all other non-essential supplies in the pipeline post the lockdown exit.” 

    In addition to this, Blue Dart is providing support with daily shipments across India for requisitioned items by State Governments, Municipalities, Hospitals and Research Centres during this challenging period. Some of these include special food for paralytic children; medicines for senior citizens residing in another town sent by their children; important and confidential papers for legal agreements; masks for cancer affected children as well as healthcare staff; temperature controlled medicines that need to be maintained at a specific temperature in order to maintain their efficacy among others.  

    Blue Dart will continue to offer unwavering support during these difficult times to ensure an uninterrupted supply chain across domestic and international markets. Our employees are motivated and eager to contribute to serve the country while keeping health and safety as a paramount.

    Blue Dart has listed itself on the dedicated Medical Air Cargo website www.civilaviation.gov.in 

  • Celebrate Akshay Tritiya during lockdown with Paytm Gold & get assured cashback

    Celebrate Akshay Tritiya during lockdown with Paytm Gold & get assured cashback

    India's leading financial services platform Paytm today announced that this Akshay Tritiya, Indians can buy gold from the safe confines of their homes and win a chance to earn 100 percent goldback. The company said that Indians do not have to miss celebrating an important festival during the ongoing lockdown to fight COVID-19, as Paytm is allowing citizens to buy gold for as little as Rs 1 which can be bought on the app itself. 

    Paytm in partnership with MMTC has announced exciting offers allowing customers to buy gold with no minimum quantity restrictions. Starting April 24, customers can avail Sweepstake offer by Paytm wherein one lucky person will win 100% goldback of up to Rs 3000 with assured two percent goldback worth up to Rs. 3000. The offer is valid till April 26, 2020.

    Paytm has recorded 90-kilogram gold purchased on its platform via digital gold during the lockdown period. The gold purchased on Paytm comes with best in class quality of 24K 99.99% pure gold from MMTC-PAMP. Customers do not have to worry about the safety of gold they buy on Paytm as it ensures 100% secure and insured storage in Gold Locker facility at no extra cost. The company said that as soon as the government allows movement of non-essential items, customers would have the option of getting the gold delivered to their homes. 

    Paytm Money Spokesperson said, "Akshay Tritiya is an important Indian festival and buying gold during this period is very auspicious. While we understand that the whole country is under lockdown and most retail stores including gold jewelry outlets are shut to fight COVID-19, we want to ensure that Indian's do not miss the chance to celebrate an important Indian festival and lift their spirits. Paytm's digital gold is the best way to safely celebrate this beautiful festival and also keep their investments safe."

  • THE CIRCUIT – MULTI GENRE COMEDY FESTIVAL PROMISES A LAUGHTER PACKED WEEKEND

    THE CIRCUIT – MULTI GENRE COMEDY FESTIVAL PROMISES A LAUGHTER PACKED WEEKEND

    The first digital edition of OML’s multi genre comedy festival The Circuit’s #SitDownComedy continues to entertain everyone with 5 days of hilarious performances by India’s best comedians. Have a perfect weekend with ace comedians coming live on your screens with a fun mix of stand-up games, roasts, a storytelling show, Punjabi showcase and a lot more. This weekend, the festival will feature comedians like Tanmay Bhatt, Naveen Richard, Varun Thakur, Aadar Malik, Urooj Ashfaq, Abhish Mathew, streaming live from their homes in a variety of different show formats, to give audiences a variety of unique digital experiences.

    Each day, 3 shows go live, each with an interesting line-up and a fun mix of formats. Tickets for the shows can be booked on Insider.in, after which a link will be sent to ticket buyers, through which they can enjoy the show. The festival is designed to give an interesting experience to various kinds of audiences, adapted for at-home consumption to give viewers a unique experience by getting up, close and personal through virtual performances. As we fight against the current uncertainty around us, the comedy festival hopes to spread some happiness and provide entertainment while you are at home.

    The Circuit comedy festival continues the trend of spreading laughter through digital live shows every night until 26th (Sunday) April 2020. The festival is brought by OML Entertainment Pvt Ltd, the creators of India’s decade-old and much-loved Happiest Music Festival ‘Bacardi NH7 Weekender.’, and is empowered by Bumble India.

    Tickets are live on Insider at https://insider.in/the-circuit-comedy-festival-2020/article. After purchasing tickets, details about how to log in to attend the digital festival will be sent over.

    Follow The Circuit on social media for updates.

    https://www.instagram.com/thecircuitcomedyfestival/

    https://www.facebook.com/thecircuitcomedyfestival

    Tickets available at https://insider.in/the-circuit-comedy-festival-2020/article    

  • Bajaj Finserv employees pledge Rs 10.15 crore to PM-CARES Fund to combat Covid-19

    Bajaj Finserv employees pledge Rs 10.15 crore to PM-CARES Fund to combat Covid-19

    Strengthening the fight against Covid-19, employees of Bajaj Finserv and its subsidiaries have voluntarily decided to contribute a part of their salary to the PM-CARES fund. The collective effort of around 32,000 employees resulted in an amount of  Rs 5,07,66,716/- (Rupees five crore seven lakh sixty-six thousand seven hundred sixteen) being contributed by employees of  Bajaj Holdings & Investments and Bajaj Finserv, along with its subsidiaries – Bajaj Finance, Bajaj Housing Finance, Bajaj Allianz General Insurance, Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance, Bajaj Finserv Direct and Bajaj Finserv Health.

    The Bajaj Finserv companies have decided to match this contribution, thereby doubling the amount to Rs 10,15,33,432/-, (Rupees ten crore fifteen lakh thirty-three thousand four hundred thirty-two) which will be donated to the PM-CARES fund.

    The Bajaj Group had earlier pledged Rs 100 crore in the fight against Covid-19, of which close to 40 crore is already operational through various projects in multiple geographies. The group along with its partners, is providing cooked meals daily to more than 40,000 homeless and underprivileged people in Pune and its immediate surrounding areas. The group has also provided more than 12,000 PPE to the government hospitals in Uttarakhand, Pune and it’s other operational areas, and is working towards procuring more. In addition to safety equipment, the group is actively working towards upgrading rural healthcare facilities, providing ventilators to multiple hospitals and raising awareness in rural pockets to fight Covid-19.

    Commenting on the initiative Sanjiv Bajaj, Chairman and Managing Director, Bajaj Finserv said “It is a matter of great pride for us that our employees have voluntarily come forward to donate a part of their salary to the PM-CARES Fund. We remain committed in the fight against Covid-19 and are supporting the government and communities in tackling this pandemic.”

  • India TV tops charts of premium viewers in three mega cities

    India TV tops charts of premium viewers in three mega cities

    MUMBAI: Leading Hindi news channel India TV is ruling the charts with 87 million viewing minutes in the genre of Hindi news channels in three mega cities of Hindi-speaking markets, Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata, according to the Prima VU individual level data released for the first time by Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) on 23 April.

    India TV also tops the chart in the six mega cities put together with 89 million viewing minutes, says the BARC Prima VU report.

    Prima VU is an audience measurement system for premium homes accounting for the top three per cent of the socio-economic strata in six mega cities of India. This audience measurement was introduced by BARC in July last year to gauge what news viewers watch in premium homes across the mega cities of India.

    In the genre of Hindi news channels, India TV has been topping the charts of Prima VU household data week after week. With a viewership of 514 million viewing minutes during the last 18 weeks, India TV was positioned number one among all the Hindi news channels, according to BARC Prima VU data collated in the 14th week of the present calendar year.

    Clearly, the data reveals that India TV is the most preferred choice for news in premium homes spread across mega cities in the Hindi speaking market. It enjoys the loyalty of elite TV audience and continues to influence the influential strata of society.

    BARC is the joint media industry body founded by Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF), Indian Society of Advertisers (ISA) and Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI).

  • DISNEY+ HOTSTAR COMMISSIONS 234 EPISODES OF COSMOS-MAYA’S SELFIE WITH BAJRANGI

    DISNEY+ HOTSTAR COMMISSIONS 234 EPISODES OF COSMOS-MAYA’S SELFIE WITH BAJRANGI

    India’s largest premium streaming platform Disney+ Hotstar has commissioned an unprecedented 234 episodes of Cosmos-Maya’s hit animated series Selfie With Bajrangi. The multi-season deal will see Cosmos-Maya produce three series of 78 x 11’ episodes for Disney+ Hotstar which has 400 million viewers, eight million paying subscribers and additional library content from Disney+, making it the most prolific OTT platform in India both in terms of subscribers and content.   

    Selfie With Bajrangi, which has been running on Disney India’s Pay TV properties since September 2018, is one of Disney India’s most popular shows with significant reach and is aired daily on primetime slots of India’s Disney Channel and Disney Hungama. It recently became the first Indian animated kids’ series to feature on a leading general entertainment channel via Star Plus.

    Selfie With Bajrangi’s launch on Disney+ Hotstar coincides with Disney+’s launch in India, and the show is being aired in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu languages. 

    Anish Mehta, CEO Cosmos-Maya, said on the development: “Bajrangi has brought together Disney+ Hotstar and Cosmos-Maya for a multi-season contract and we couldn’t be more excited. An unheard of 234 half-hours of the show spread across three seasons will be aired on Disney+ Hotstar, with Season 2 already live on the platform. This is the first highly popular kids’ domestic series that they have onboarded with a two-year vision to further increase its popularity. Selfie With Bajrangi has the ability to speak to audiences with its novel, yet relatable storytelling. It brings to the fore a very important message: that friendships built in the face of adversity last a lifetime.”

    Selfie With Bajrangi is modeled on kids’ day to day lives and beautifully captures the nuances of Indian culture with relatable storylines. In the show, the protagonist Ankush's life changes when he meets Bajrangi, the nine-year-old child version of the Indian God Hanuman in a contemporary setting, who no one but Ankush can see. Bajrangi accompanies Ankush everywhere and helps his buddy with his day to day problems. Together, they face the adversities life throws at them, in the process helping entertain and comfort the millions of kids who watch the show.

    Cosmos-Maya is Asia’s leading kids’ animation studio with 18 series on air globally and a 60% domestic market share in India.

  • NODWIN Gaming Adopts #PlayApartTogether Campaign for India

    NODWIN Gaming Adopts #PlayApartTogether Campaign for India

    NODWIN Gaming joins the World Health Organisation’s safety campaign #PlayApartTogether with a range of games to keep young India at home, safe and engaged! Global gaming industry leaders in the interactive entertainment space, including Riot Games, Twitch, Big Fish Games, YouTube Gaming etc have globally joined the #PlayApartTogether, to encourage people to practice social distancing to contain the spread of COVID-19. NODWIN Gaming urges the Indian gaming community to actively participate in the global campaign and #PlayApartTogether.

    As part of the campaign, a team of highly respected gamers from NODWIN’s community has curated a list of their recommended games for different devices – mobiles, PCs and consoles. Some of the games are listed below:

    Mobiles – Pool, Hearthstone, Last Day Cats, Marvel Super War, Roblox, Mobile Legends and Standoff 2

    PCs- Call Duty Warzone, Dead By Daylight, RIFT, Smite, Destiny 2, World Warships, and Rocket League

    Consoles – FIFA 20, Gears, Grand Theft Auto, Mirror’s Edge Catalyst, Sekiro, Red Dead Redemption II and Spiderman.

    Globally, the need of the hour is for people to stay home and help in their own way to flatten the curve. This global campaign is the gaming sector’s way of informing and encouraging the vast network of users to follow social safety norms. We have experienced a 25-30% hike in our viewership in the last few days. Gaming today has much to offer – from careful mathematical reasoning to the sheer exhilaration of walking away undefeated, and most importantly, to get our minds off the crisis.  Through games like these, we aim to share WHO’s important message of safety while letting our community know that they are not alone”, said Sidharth Kedia, CEO, NODWIN Gaming.