Category: Press Release

Focusing on multi-facets of the industry, Goafest 2019 announces a stellar line up on speakers

MUMBAI: The advertising & marketing industry’s apex convention, Goafest has announced its list of illustrious speakers for 2019. The 3-day convention of the best minds in the industry will see prestigious speakers from premier global and Indian advertising, smart technology, software development, entertainment, sports and others. Renowned cricketer Virender Sehwag, Bollywood actors Pankaj Tripathi, Kalki Koechlin and Siddhant Chaturvedi of the recent Gully Boy fame, global advertising maven Gordon Bowen, boxing legend Mary Kom, creative genius Madonna Badger and authors Navi Radjou and Jaideep Prabhu, will be amongst many others to address the knowledge sessions.

Nakul Chopra – Chairman Goafest said “At Goafest our aim has been to create a platform that provides learning, inspiration, collaboration and celebration. Content is the heart of the festival. Jaideep and his team have laboured from August last year to put up this stellar list of speakers. I am sure all delegates – especially the young guns – will have a lot to learn and be inspired from.”

Jaideep Gandhi – Chairman Industry Conclave and Knowledge Seminars said “Every year we try and bring an array of speakers that will provide a window to the current global perspectives in our ever-changing industry. As we do, to bring speakers, from allied fields and other arenas like sports who can inspire our young talent. I am confident that this year too the width and depth of our speaker panel will cover all of these facets.”

Here is a glimpse into Goafest 2019’s dynamic speaker list:

Knowledge Seminars

Name	Designation	Company
Madonna Badger	Chief Creative Officer/Founder	Badger and Winters
HarshwardhansinhZala	Founder & CEO	Aerobotics7
Barry Wacksman	Vice Chairman and Global Chief Strategy Officer	R/GA
Gordon Bowen	Founder and Global Chairman	McGarryBowen
Lt. Gen. DS Hooda	Lt. General – Indian Army
Virender Sehwag	Renowned Indian Cricketer
Kalki Koechlin	Indian Born French Actress and Writer	Duo Session
Siddhant Chaturvedi	Bollywood Actor & Writer	Duo Session
Phil Kemish	Co-Founder	Disrupt Media LTD
Mary Kom	Boxing Legend
Navi Radjou	Author of famous books: Jugaad & Frugal Innovation
Jaideep Prabhu	Authors of famous books: Jugaad & Frugal Innovation
Noelle LaCharite	Director, Developer Evangelism	Dev Collective- Microsoft
Matt Eastwood	Global Chief Creative Officer	McCann Health
Ambarish Mitra	CEO and Founder	Blippar
Pankaj Tripathi	Ace Actor

Industry conclave

Name	Designation	Company
Dr. A. Velumani	Creator & Managing Director	Thyrocare
Ravi Desai	Director, Mass and Brand Marketing	Amazon
Vijay Sharma	Associate Director, Brand Marketing & Heads Digital Media	Flipkart
Achint Setia	Vice President, Marketing	Myntra

Presented by the Advertising Club and AAAI the Goafest 2019 will once again see the entire advertising and marketing fraternity come together in Goa from 11thApril, 2019 to 13th April 2019.

April 1, 2019

COMEDY CENTRAL Pranks Viewers On April Fool’s With Ek Desi Surprise Of F.R.I.E.N.D.S

MUMBAI: Prepare to LOL, LMAO, LMFAO, ROFL and even ROFLMAO, as COMEDY CENTRAL celebrates April Fool’s Day with the best of F.R.I.E.N.D.S in a way never seen before. Crafting an insane laughter riot, starting 6am, COMEDY CENTRAL airs the world’s highest-rated sitcom in a new avatar, with one character in every episode speaking in the conspicuous voice of a prominent Bollywood personality, that too in Hindi.

Commenting on the quirky direction of the channel’s special-programming, Hashim Dsouza – Head of Programming, English Entertainment, Viacom18, said “Comedy Central has been the home of F.R.I.E.N.D.S and we’ve continually presented this iconic show through fresh and innovative programming that week-on-week keeps it at the pinnacle of most-watched shows in English entertainment. Delving deep into the spirit of April Fools, we’re giving viewers a unique and bizarre version of their favorite sitcom, ensuring they enjoy this ultimate prank-day. For the longest time, Indian fans could only imagine and hope for a Desi F.R.I.E.N.D.S, but now that wait is over as we give them a glimpse to a whacky Hindi-speaking avatar of the show.”

So, buckle up and binge on this wild marathon as Rachel, Monica, Phoebe, Ross, Chandler and Joey find their voice with much gusto from some of the most iconic stars of Bollywood including Sonam Kapoor, Kajol, Kangana, Amitabh Bachchan, Saif Ali Khan and Shah Rukh Khan in this string of rib-tickling episodes.

April 1, 2019
Discovery to broadcast live from egypt with unprecedented access to mysterious archaeological site

MUMBAI: Egypt remains a land shrouded in deep mystery and wonder. Discovery announced it will broadcast live from Egypt in search of ancient artifacts and open an Egyptian sarcophagus for the very first time. The 2 hours live special, ‘EXPEDITION UNKNOWN: EGYPT LIVE, will air on Monday, April 8. In India, ‘EXPEDITION UNKNOWN: EGYPT LIVE’ will be deferred live at 11:00 hrs IST with a repeat at 18:00 hrs IST on Discovery Channel and Discovery HD World.

“This is Discovery at its best, as we seek to uncover history that has been buried in the sands of Egypt for millennia,” said Nancy Daniels, chief brand officer, Discovery & Factual. “I’m excited as Josh Gates takes us on one of his most ambitious expeditions yet.”

The live 2-hour multiplatform event will be hosted by adventurer and avid explorer Josh Gates, who will be joined by world-renowned Egyptologist Dr. Zahi Hawass, and Mostafa Waziri, the secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities of Egypt. The epic event will be produced by Discovery Studios and Ping Pong Productions in association with Big Dreams Entertainment with Leslie Greif as executive producer.

Viewers will have the rare opportunity to see the inner chambers of an excavation site, where archeologists recently uncovered a network of vertical shafts leading to an underground network of tunnels and tombs with 40 mummies believed to be part of the noble elite.

The massive underground complex of chambers is a treasure trove of antiquities – all laying undisturbed for thousands of years. But there are several chambers yet to be explored – and many more discoveries to be revealed, including a mysterious limestone sarcophagus found buried deep within the complex. The identity of the mummy inside has been a mystery for 3,000 years… Possibly until now.

Followers of @Discovery on Instagram will be given a behind the scenes look during the live broadcast with additional insights and exciting moments led by our team of expert archeologists and historians. Viewers are also invited to join conversation on Twitter using hashtag #ExpeditionUnknown for a chance to be featured on-air and watch past seasons of EXPEDITION UNKNOWN on Discovery GO. Host Josh Gates can be found on Facebook: @joshgatesofficial, Twitter: @joshuagates, and Instagram: @gatesygram.

As a prelude to EXPEDITION UNKNOWN: EGYPT LIVE, Discovery channel and Discovery HD World will premiere special Egypt based series Expedition Unknown – Great Women Of Ancient Egypt, Expedition Unknown- Egypt’s Lost Queens Surviving Exodus on 7th April from 12:00 hrs IST to 15:00 hrs IST.

EXPEDITION UNKNOWN: EGYPT LIVE (w/t) is produced for Discovery Channel by Discovery Studios and Ping Pong Productions in association with Big Dreams Entertainment. For Big Dreams Entertainment, Leslie Greif is executive producer. For Discovery Studios, Sandy Varo Jarrell, Peter Isacksen and Jason Sklaver serve as executive producers. For Ping Pong Productions, Brad Kuhlman, Casey Brumels and Josh Gates are executive producers. For Discovery Channel, Howard Swartz is executive producer.

March 30, 2019
Tripoto and Singapore Tourism Board come together with ‘Trails 2 Passion – Singapore Redefined’ – An experiential exploration of Singapore

MUMBAI: Tripoto, the global travel community, has partnered with the Singapore Tourism Board, to create an innovative, fun and exciting travel web series ‘Trails 2 Passion – Singapore Redefined’. The seven-episode,web-serieswhich showcases the experiential exploration of Singapore by Naveen Kasturia and Veer Rajwant Singh, well known faces of internet web series scenario will be aired on April 1, 2019.

'Trails 2 Passion – Singapore Redefined' will take you along the journey of these two actors in Singapore, where they plan their owntrails in order to ensure the deep exploration of their true passions, fulfilled to their hearts content through this journey. Naveen Kasturia, a creative guy who is extremely busy in life and ruled by stress will indulge in well curated, local experiences, whereas Veer Rajwant Singh, a happy go lucky guy, will have ultra-luxe experiences.

Speaking about the experiences Naveen Kasturia, says, "When Tripoto approached me for this project, I didn’t give it a second thought. I said yes as I knew I had to do it. It is for the 1st time that I have done an experiential travel show and it has been quite an experience. As an actor, I had my moment of truth and got a chance to improvise and be spontaneous in front of the camera. Travel puts a lot of things into perspective and shooting for this show made me explore Singapore by breaking off the monotonous planned schedules I am used to following. Veer and I had a blast traveling through Singapore, reveling in the culture and the offbeat experiences this place had to offer. I am sure our audience too will be left awestruck following our travel trails through Singapore."

Adding to his experience Veer Rajwant Singh, says, "I have been wanting to do a travel show for some time. It is because you are not merely acting, you are living your passion and enacting as is. I explored a whole new side of me in Singapore in an entirely different light. Most of my shots were the real-time reactions to the experiences curated. Not only did I try some cool adventure activities, but I also came in touch with glocal experiences, more of which you will see in Trails 2 Passion – Singapore Redefined.”

The 6-7 minutes, 7-episode web-series will have upbeat and catchy content on Singapore, with extra worthy information and illustrated trail map of the theme at the end of each episode. Speaking on the association with Singapore Tourism Board and coming with such fun series, Michael Lyngdoh, Co-Founder, Tripoto, says, “Tripoto and STB are collaborating to showcase a different side to Singapore. It is an amalgam of exciting culinary experiences, adrenaline pumping adventures and beautifully diverse cultures packed into one city. Singapore now appeals to the global experiential traveler. Our new web series “Trails 2 Passion” is the story of two friends traveling through Singapore and discovering their passions along the way. It’s entertaining, fun and informative; just as great immersive travel content should be.”

The series will be around themes such as food, exploration, adventure, culture etc., to showcase Singapore as not only a fun and adventurous destination but also high on art and culture. The episodes intend to spark the interest in the viewer to see Singapore in a new light and to introduce them to the 6 passion tribes under the Passion Made Possible brand i.e. Foodie, Explorer, Collector, Culture Shaper, Action Seeker or Socialiser.Speaking on their association with Tripoto,Mr GB Srithar, Regional Director (South Asia Middle East and Africa), Singapore Tourism Board, says, “With a high penetration of smart phones and growing number of digital native young consuming content online, there are new, exciting opportunities to connect with them. Our partnership with Tripoto is a creative way of telling Singapore tourism stories. We are happy to have two cool millennials – Naveen and Veer showcase their recent trip. "Trails 2 Passion – Singapore Redefined" tells their stories, in their own voices. Their escapades will entice Indian travellers to enjoy our diverse offerings and live up their own passions”

The Screening of ‘Trails 2 Passion – Singapore Redefined’ will be held on 30th March with Actor Veer Rajwant Singh at DLF Promenade 5pm onwards, where he will be sharing anecdotes from his Singapore travel. He will also be engaging with the audience for a travel quiz at the event, where one winner rewarded with couple tickets to Singapore and runner ups will go home with Tripoto goodies.

March 29, 2019
Mumbai Indians announce William Lawson’s by Bacardi India their official partner

MUMBAI: William Lawson’s scotch whisky by Bacardi India, has partnered with Mumbai Indians as their official sponsor for the upcoming cricket season. The partnership will see William Lawson’s as the official partner for all the VIP pavilions at the home turf- Wankhede Stadium, including driving engagement through activities. The brand logo will also feature on cheerleader uniforms and their podium all through the season.

To bring alive the brand’s “No Rules” attitude, Mumbai Indians’ team members will feature in an edgy, topical content series on cricket under ‘No Rules – Cricket Reimagined with William Lawson’s’. Kiosks that engage with fans through challenges and games, where they could win some of the brand’s signature bold merchandise at the stadium, is another highlight to watch out for.

Additionally, the collaboration will see a host of ON TRADE and OFF TRADE promotions like free Mumbai Indians’ merchandise and tickets to Mumbai Indians matches being given away at different outlets. ON TRADE engagement will also include an exciting range of #No Rules activities, games and activations with the William Lawson’s brand mascot ‘The Highlander’.

Anshuman Goenka, India Marketing Head, Bacardi India, said, “William Lawson’s has always championed sports associations across the globe. With this Cricket tournament being one of India’s prime sporting events, we strongly feel that this association will pave the way for both, the team and the brand, to engage differently with its audience base. The team’s vigour and persona resonates well with William Lawson’s unconventional and edgy ‘No Rules’ brand personality. Our association will be a unique mix of bold branding and engagement that we are confident our audiences will enjoy. This is one of our first collaborations in India and we are extremely excited for the road ahead.”

Mumbai Indians spokesperson said, “Mumbai Indians are delighted to bring on board William Lawson’s as our official partner and look forward at creating exciting and innovative ways to connect with fans through breakthrough on-ground activations.”

Mumbai Indians began the season with a match against Delhi Capitals on 24th March, 2019, at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai.

March 29, 2019
ITC Engage ON launches 2in1 Pocket Perfumes

MUMBAI: ITC’s Engage, one of India’s top fragrance brands, has been a trendsetter in innovation and communication. Engage ON India’s leading pocket perfume launched in 2017 was a segment disruptor and introduced a new category in Engage perfumes.

This summer, Engage ON launches a unique range with the Engage ON 2in1 perfume spray, a format which combines two fragrances in one pocket perfume pack. The innovation caters to the evolving grooming needs and the basic human need for variety.

With 4 fragrances for Him and 4 fragrances for Her, Engage ON 2 in 1 is truly a game changer enabling consumers to spontaneously switch between different moods and occasions anytime, anywhere.

The Day & Night variant for Men is a refreshingly intense mix of citrus and cool spices with aromatic and rich woody notes. Work & Party for Men is a mix of mint, musk, fruity and floral which is invigorating and playful. Work & Party variant for Women is an explosive combination of sensual juicy fruits, hint of modern orientals and opulent flowers that celebrate the different avatars of a woman. The Day & Night variant for Engage 2-in-1 Men(W&P) OpenEngage 2-in-1 Women(W&P) Open women showcases the evolution with fresh, charming notes at the top, moving to playful mystery notes at the base.

Packed with 400 sprays, Engage On 2in1 is a game-changer offering a distinct immersive fragrance experience to complement the change in mood, occasion, time and company in just a quick swipe!

Mr. Sameer Satpathy, Chief Executive, Personal Care Products Business Division, ITC Limited, says, “Engage On 2in1 introduces a new dimension in grooming with the convenience of spontaneously switching the fragrance to suit different moods, occasions and time. The innovation presents India’s first occasion based matched fragrances that will help increase perfume usage and boost consumption.”

Available at just Rs. 90/- and packed with 400 sprays in each variant, Engage On 2in1 pocket perfumes will soon be available across retail stores in India.

March 29, 2019
ShortsTV best of india short film festival 2019 open for entries

MUMBAI: ShortsTV, the world’s leading short movie TV service, available in India on Tata Sky, is looking for great short movies made by Indian filmmakers to enter its 2019 Best of India Short Film Festival.

After a successful first edition last year, the competition is returning with the goal of further raising artistic awareness of Indian filmmakers to the Hollywood film community and opening doors for possible television deals and other opportunities, including qualification for Academy Award consideration.

ShortsTV will award prizes totaling $2,500 to the top five selected short films. The five top shorts will also receive a screening in Los Angeles, California for seven days and thereby gain Academy Award qualification status. Every film entered will be considered for a television broadcast deal on ShortsTV (although filmmakers do not have to accept this).

Commenting on the initiative, Mr. Carter Pilcher, Chief Executive of ShortsTV said, “At present, no Indian film festival is accredited by the Academy, making it difficult for Indian filmmakers to get their films considered for Oscar® nominations. To be considered for an Oscar®, a film either needs to win an award at an Academy accredited film festival or be screened at a cinema in Los Angeles for at least seven days, which can be prohibitively expensive for most short filmmakers. ShortsTV believes more Indian filmmakers deserve the opportunity to become Oscar® nominated and the ShortsTV Best of India Short Film Festival is one initiative we are implementing to make that happen.”

Last year, the top prize went to Mumbai based filmmaker Chintan Sarda and his short film ‘Shunyata’, featuring Jackie Shroff in the leading role.

To be eligible for the competition, entries need to be “narrative” live action short films with a total running time of 40 minutes or less where either the writer, director or producer is from India and the film’s final form is in High Definition (HD) or DCP.

March 29, 2019
Smart Shirt on Snapdeal to launch soon

MUMBAI: Snapdeal has started pre-registration for a new smart shirt on its website. The “Smart Shirt” on Snapdeal, will allow users to change the colour of the shirt through a mobile app.

Technology has come a long way. Things which were impossible to even imagine have become reality now. Every now and then, we see brands launching new products using the latest technology. Gone will be the days when you had to carry multiple shirts or bother about sweat.

This smart shirt can really do wonders for people who find it difficult to spend money on buying expensive clothes. It’ll be made with special fibre, the shirt is lightweight, comfortable and is machine washable as per instructions provided with the garment. If you are interested in getting hold of this smart-shirt, visit https://www.snapdeal.com/offers/smartshirt2019

The smart shirt is a useful and fun use of cutting-edge technology. It will allow users to switch from office mode to evening mode, without having to carry extra garments. This smart shirt can really do wonders for people who find it difficult to carry multiple clothes. We are eagerly awaiting to lay our hands on this one.

Snapdeal already has a very interesting collection of cool products such as automatic toothpaste dispensers, ninja tool kits, fruit cutters, travel tool kits, portable blenders, portable tyre pumps, USB water coolers, fans, magic balloons, mini fans.

March 29, 2019
Times Network & AMFI celebrates the culmination of Jan Nivesh

MUMBAI: Jan Nivesh, India’s largest investor education initiative, jointly conducted by Times Network and the Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI) culminated its journey of creating the World’s largest investment education initiative. Present at the event were industry stalwarts including, A Balasubramanian, CEO – Aditya Birla Sun Life Mutual Fund, N S Venkatesh, Chief Executive Officer – AMFI, Kailash Kulkarni, CEO – L&T Mutual Fund and Nikunj Dalmia, Managing Editor, ET NOW amongst others. Celebrating the impact of Jan Nivesh, a special skit on ‘Jan Nivesh and the investment journey of the common man’ was performed. The skit showcased the investment journey of 6 individuals, from different walks of life, and how they were benefitted by investing regularly into mutual funds.

Jan Nivesh, the investor awareness campaign commenced in June 2018, with a purpose to drive impactful investor education program across the country. Provoking the need of mutual funds and thereby enabling action for deep penetration of financial inclusion across all strata’s of the country, Jan Nivesh, crossed one million mark milestone by encouraging citizens to pledge their one day’s income into Mutual Funds.

Guiding the citizens to a future ready financial path, Jan Nivesh team travelled to more than 100 cities and conducted more than 150 camps to educate, inspire and encourage people to change their financial habits and create smart wealth by investing in Mutual Funds. More than 100 hours of content was curated across TV, Digital and Social mediums to empower and spread knowledge amongst Indians, through eminent investment experts.

March 29, 2019
CricPlay onboards Gautam Gambhir as the official brand ambassador for inaugural #AbIndiaKhelega campaign

MUMBAI: CricPlay, India’s newest free fantasy cricket gaming app has invited cricketing legend Gautam Gambhir as the official Brand Ambassador for its inaugural ‘Ab India Khelega’ campaign. The company is also hosting T20-themed ‘Challenger Leagues’, i.e closed group leagues for users to compete with other users on the app that will offer them the chance to win several prizes.

CricPlay Business Head, Gaurav Sarin said, “We are excited to have a legend like Gautam onboard with us in our journey to bring world-class fantasy gaming to India. His passion for the game is at the core of CricPlay, and ‘Ab India Khelega’ is aimed at pivoting fantasy games from the current transactional nature of spending money to play, to playing for the love and joy of Cricket where all fans are welcome irrespective of their ability to spend”

Commenting on his association with CricPlay, Gautam Gambhir said, “As Indians, we have been united in our collective love for cricket regardless of income and age group. CricPlay’s ‘Ab India Khelega’ has resonated with me for the same reason – it's the country’s first fantasy gaming app that breaks these barriers of entry and allows anyone and everyone to experience fantasy cricket for free. I’m confident it would emerge as a platform that validates our nation’s love for the game.”

CricPlay features three major formats – Fantasy Leagues, Super Leagues and Daily Predictions. In the ‘Fantasy League’ format, the app allows users the choice to play with other gamers across the country and win money, create private contests and invite their friends or join the ones created by them and compete with them in the same fantasy format. Every team scores points basis the actual performance of the player picked during the match, and the highest scoring teams wins. ‘Super League’ is an original gameplay where gamers can select a team per match and select power-ups like ‘Substitution’, ‘Captain Changer’ or ‘Vice Captain Changer’ for an enhanced gaming experience. In ‘Daily Predictions’, gamers leverage their cricketing knowledge to determine a winning outcome before the match starts and win cash provided they have the highest daily consecutive correct predictions.

March 29, 2019