ITV

Category: Factual

  • Discovery Channel partners to organise MTB Shimla 2014

    Discovery Channel partners to organise MTB Shimla 2014

    MUMBAI: Discovery Channel has partnered with Himalayan Adventure Sports and Tourism Promotion Association (HASPTA) to organise MTB Shimla 2014, one of its kind ever – evolving mountain biking races, in Shimla. 

     

    MTB Shimla is scheduled from 12 to 13 April 2014 and will cover 58 kilometers in two days with a competitive design of 43 kilometers, traveling through villages, small towns and forests. Through this association Discovery Channel and MTB Shimla aim to promote mountain biking and inspire cycling enthusiasts across the nation. The promotional partnership will be leveraged through press, on-ground events, digital and social media platforms.

     

    Commenting on the association, Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific executive VP & GM, South Asia and head of revenue, pan-regional ad sales and Southeast Asia, Rahul Johri said in a statement: “Discovery Channel’s partnership with MTB Shimla 2014 complements our brand promise to offer our consumers an experience of thrill, adventure and entertainment.”

     

    MTB Shimla has come up as one of the pioneer events in India in a very short span of three years. Like the past two editions, it will take participants around routes, most of them undiscovered and some specially earmarked for maximum thrill to the riders. The race track consists of river bed sections, speedy downhill and gut wrenching uphill stretches with ninety percent of the track being off road which will allow riders to experience the real adventure of mountain biking in the soothing ambience of nature.

  • TLC strengthens content library with the launch of fresh series this quarter

    TLC strengthens content library with the launch of fresh series this quarter

    MUMBAI: The Discovery Communications owned television network, TLC, is gearing up to amplify the entertainment experience of its viewers with a fascinating line-up of 18 new series this quarter.

     

    Cuisine, high-life and fashion, are some of the lifestyle themes that will be presented in TLC’s distinct and inimitable style to its viewers. Some of the new series that will be launched this quarter include Cake Boss, Celebrity Style Story, Epic, Heston’s Fantastical Food, Madhur Jaffrey’s Curry Nation, and Jamie & Jimmy’s Food Fight Club amongst many others.

     

    The thing to look out for in each of these new series will be the fact that it will be presented by world-renowned hosts such as accomplished fourth generation baker buddy Valastro (Cake Boss), passionate cook and author Lorraine Pascal (Lorraine’s Fast, Fresh and Easy Food), culinary wizard Heston (Heston’s Fantastical Food) and one of the world’s most loved television personalities Jamie Oliver (Jamie & Jimmy’s Food Fight Club).

     

    Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific senior VP & GM – South Asia and head of revenue, pan-regional ad sales and Southeast Asia Rahul Johri said in a release, “TLC has been the pioneer in presenting differentiated and aspirational lifestyle content in the country. We will continue to invest and bring in the finest quality programs from across the globe. Spread across a variety of themes and hosted by celebrated chefs, the new programming line-up will make for a splendid viewing experience.”

     

    Taking a closer look at the series, Cake Boss will take the viewers behind-the-scenes to witness the process of creating edible art out of flour and sugar in the form of remarkably modern cakes. Celebrity Style Story delves into the world of fashion uncovering the style secrets of celebrities like Jennifer Lopez, Sarah Jessica Parker, Angelina Jolie, the Oslen twins, Cameron Diaz, Halle Berry, Hudson, Nicole Kidman and Lindsay Lohan among others.

     

    In the show, Heston’s Fantastical Food, he will bring back the wonder and excitement of childhood days by creating supersized versions of meals and treats. Madhur Jaffrey will explore the curry nation of Britain in Madhur Jaffrey’s Curry Nation to uncover how Indian food has been transformed and embraced in the UK from restaurants to places of worship to homes of British South Asians.

  • JB Perrette to step into Hollinger’s shoes at Discovery Networks International

    JB Perrette to step into Hollinger’s shoes at Discovery Networks International

    Mumbai: Discovery Communications today announced that JB Perrette will become the next President of Discovery Networks International. Perrette takes over for 23-year Discovery veteran Mark Hollinger, who announced his resignation in September.

     

    “JB is one of the smartest and most versatile executives I have worked with in the media business.  Since his time at NBC as a leader in business development, distribution and digital to all the success and value he has built at Discovery, JB has it all — strong strategic vision, operational expertise and exceptional team-building skills.  This is a demanding role like no other, which I believe requires a corporate executive with a broad background to oversee all aspects of the business across 220 countries.  Having spent half his career internationally, and with a unique mix of distribution, digital, strategy and business development experience, JB is the perfect fit to lead Discovery’s international operations,” said David Zaslav, President and CEO of Discovery Communications. 

     

    Perrette will oversee the company’s international business with current regional and functional leaders Dee Forbes, President and Managing Director, Discovery Networks Western Europe; Kasia Kieli, President and Managing Director, Discovery Networks Central & Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa; Henrik Ravn, President and CEO, SBS Discovery Media Nordics; Henry Martinez, President and Managing Director, Discovery Networks Latin America/U.S. Hispanic; Arjan Hoekstra, President and Managing Director, Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific; Doug Baker, EVP and Chief Financial Officer, Discovery Networks International; Luis Silberwasser, EVP and Chief Content Officer, Discovery Networks International; Tom Keaveny, President, International Affiliate Sales; and John Honeycutt, EVP and Chief Operating Officer, Discovery Networks International, reporting to him.

     

    “Discovery’s regional leaders are simply the best global operating team in all of media,” said Perrette. “Through strong organic growth as well as selective strategic acquisitions and partnerships, Mark and the team have built Discovery Networks International’s unrivaled footprint with powerful brands that are valued by viewers, advertisers and distribution partners around the world. I look forward to working closely with the world-class DNI team and fantastic collaborators as we capitalize on that momentum and chart the next phase of growth for Discovery.”

     

    Discovery’s international business has been growing rapidly for the past several years. In 2013, Discovery completed the acquisition and integration of SBS Nordics; acquired a 20 percent stake in Eurosport, the largest pan-European sports platform; launched TLC in the UK; and grew international ratings by 25 percent – all solidifying the company’s position as the No 1 pay-TV programmer in the world. Today, profits from the DNI business have grown to a level that matches Discovery’s overall profits just seven years ago.

     

    Since joining Discovery in October 2011, Perrette has built best-in-class digital and technology organizations helping to establish Discovery’s industry-leading presence in the digital media field. With Perrette at the helm, Discovery has become a leading provider of high-quality nonfiction media across all screens. Perrette and his team led the successful acquisitions of Revision3 and DeFranco Creative, strategic investments in Lumosity and Learnist, the launches of digital/online networks Animalist and TestTube, and the implementation of innovative live online experiences such as SKYWIRE LIVE and Animal Planet L!VE. Sean Atkins will serve as the acting head of Discovery’s Digital business as the company performs an internal and external search for its next Chief Digital Officer. In addition, the IT/EOS teams, led by Kevin Loftis and Larry Laque, will now report to Andrew Warren, Chief Financial Officer of Discovery Communications.

     

    Prior to joining Discovery, Perrette spent 11 years with NBCUniversal, where he most recently served as President, Digital and Affiliate Distribution, and Content Distribution Strategy, leading North American distribution of television and film content across platforms. He also helped launch new digital channels Sleuth (now Cloo), Chiller and Universal HD and played a leadership role in developing the industry-leading digital venture, Hulu. Perrette’s previous roles at NBC Universal included CFO of NBC Universal Cable, CFO of Bravo Media, and VP of NBC Business Development. Before joining NBC in 2000, Perrette was a member of General Electric’s top leadership development program based in London, and at CS First Boston in London and Toky

  • ‘All parties need to come together to take home grown leagues to another level’

    ‘All parties need to come together to take home grown leagues to another level’

    Star Sports presented a unique series of Knowledge Sessions – the India Pro Leagues Forum 2013 in New Delhi. STAR India President – Sports Nitin Kukreja delivered an engaging and insightful keynote address at the inaugural session of the summit, elaborating on the growing appetite of the Indian sports fans and the enormous growth potential of sports in the country.

    Does ‘sport’ in India really begin and end with ‘Big Boys’ Cricket’? Or do we just see it that way? Across the length and breadth of India, there are strong communities and pockets of interest where people are passionately engaged with local sports and local players – football in Bengal, hockey in Punjab and Orissa, badminton in Hyderabad, basketball played in schools and table tennis played in clubs, colleges and offices across the country.

    But if a tourist landed in India and turned on the television or turned to the sports page of a newspaper, we could forgive him for thinking that India cares only about international cricket when Team India is playing.

    Why then, has this rich diversity of interest and talent not been harnessed? Why is it that in the media, on television and in the public mind-space, sport equals international cricket? How is it that the English Premier League enjoys such a phenomenal following within the UK when the English national football team has not won an international competition since 1966! Why is it that an average 18-year-old in South Delhi or Bandra is more emotionally connected to the fortunes of Manchester United or Chelsea than say the Mumbai Ranji side (40-time winner of Ranji trophy) or the Indian National Kabaddi team (winner of all 4 World Cups played so far)? You may argue that not many nations play Kabaddi other than India and Pakistan; well – you could say the same about Baseball! The US is the best example of a country that thrives on local sports and leagues – some of their sports are played in no other country – yet they call it “World Series Baseball” and Babe Ruth is an American hero and legend.
    When you watch a badminton match live, it is astounding to see the speed of the game and the agility of the players

    Americans follow their city and college teams with a passion – across baseball, American football, basketball and ice hockey; Italy, Spain, Turkey – all follow their local soccer teams with a fanaticism; tourists visiting Galatasaray are advised not to wear rival team colours while visiting! And note that all these nations consume their sport in their own respective languages.

    In the last 15 years in India, entertainment and movie channels have gone local with a vengeance; the number of regional channels has gone up from just a handful pre-2000 to over 300 today; while Hindi accounts for 55 per cent of TV viewership; regional language content accounts for 30 per cent of viewership share; and it’s not just about language; a Bengali, Marathi or Tamil show is rooted in the local culture and ethos with participation from the local creative fraternity.

    It is only the Sports genre in India that has remained aloof from localisation – until 2008 there was no IPL, and until 2012, telecast of cricket was limited to English, a language spoken by less than 10 per cent of India.

    In India then, how can we take local sports and leagues to the next level? Broadcasters have a big role to play in this but more importantly the entire ecosystem – the sports federations, the government and the news media and advertisers need to come together to ensure that our home grown leagues get the money, resources, infrastructure and coverage that they deserve.

    Look at the quality of television coverage for International Cricket over the years – the evolution has been amazing – the production quality, the camera work, the graphics, the slow-motion replays and the immensely talented people who narrate the action – all these elements really take the television viewer closer to the game; it is immersive, engaging and a pleasurable experience even for casual viewers who are not dyed-in-the-wool fans; television coverage has played a huge role in growing the fan base and support for Cricket; this is despite the fact that for all these years, all coverage was in English.

    But even in Cricket – the more local forms of the game – be it Ranji trophy, Irani Cup or university cricket have so far been treated as the poorer cousin – the benchmark for coverage that has been set for international cricket needs to be duplicated in the local forms of the game. The fact remains all the international heavy weights – from Tendulkar to Yuvraj Singh to Kohli – have cut their teeth on and emerged from these local level tournaments.

    The task is even greater for other sports – where even the national level game has not got the coverage it deserves. Consider the coverage that an average Hockey or Football match gets – you see some indifferently placed cameras and a disinterested narrative; there has been no attempt to make the viewer experience the thrills, the speed or the skill involved; when you watch a badminton match live, it is astounding to see the speed of the game and the agility of the players. The current standard of television coverage does not even begin to capture that excitement and skill.

    In a pre-digitised world with limited bandwidth, TV broadcasters were forced to follow a one-size-fits-all approach and therefore focused on only saleable national-level content at the expense of local content and language; but in a digital world the consumer has ability to access a variety of content in multiple languages and on multiple platforms; broadcasters would be doing a great disservice if they continued to use a cookie-cutter approach and did not use this opportunity to go deeper and serve the interest of all pockets of interests whether by sport, region or language.

    Great production values are not enough, the on-ground event also needs to be organised and mounted like a spectacle – this is where the sports federations have a key role to play. They must enable and nurture talent, and promote and market the game at least in the locales of affinity if not in the whole country. They must do their part to ensure that the Sports pagecarries interesting stories and coverage of the game and the players– and not only controversies! But most important, they need to partner with the other stakeholders in the ecosystem with the long term vision of growing the sport – without the spirit of partnership and the vision; the league or the sport will not grow.

    The government has a huge role to play – by allocating adequate monies, developing stadiums and infrastructure and putting in enabling policies in place. The government allocates around Rs 1000 crore to Sports (and Youth Affairs) which is the budget for the current year. That number is less than what we will be paying only for one tournament -the ICC T20 world cup – that number is less than the number that Star invests in sports each year. It means that Star is a bigger investor in sports in India than the government of India itself!
    It can be argued that Kabbadi is not popular because only few nations play the sport but the same can be said for Baseball as well

    The scale of magnitude of the government’s investment should be at least 10x of that number! Why do you ask? More than half of India’s population is below the age of 25 and 65 per cent below 35; Sports has a crucial role to play in youth development and can even be a huge generator of employment. IPL has opened up career options for 120 players; not just 15. Hockey players can now make up to 60 lakhs for one month of play in the HIL; Badminton players can make 50 lakhs for 3 weeks of work; not to mention the production, support and service staff that works on these leagues. When the hockey union went on strike in Canada a while ago, the prime minister of the country got involved because his fear was that a prolonged strike would have an adverse impact on the GDP of Canada! More than anything, it showed the power of sports and its ability to be a huge economic growth engine.

    Forget about investment, even simple hygiene factors such as easing procedures can go a long way – it cannot take 38 different permissions just to host a hockey match in a certain venue; increase venues and the number of permissions multiplies!

    It’s a vicious circle, since there is no investment, there is no growth and no popularity for local leagues and sports – therefore they attract no money! The common man (or woman) in India does not view “sport” as a viable career option or life choice; it remains a “hobby” to be pursued in free time;

    Star has thrown its weight behind building an enduring viewer proposition around local leagues and sports– and in the language of the people. Our tryst with these local sporting leagues has thrown up some interesting results: We partnered with Calcutta Football League, one of the oldest leagues in Asia and in the world with 157 Kolkata based clubs and units to air their league matches on our Bengali movie channel. In the core national male audience, the TV viewership is 4-5 times higher than your average EPL match! Even with the current quality of football and coverage, an East Bengal-Mohan Bagan match attracts crowds up to 70000 in the stadium!

    We also partnered with Hockey India League the first edition of which was held in January 2013. The excitement on grounds was to be seen to be believed. For e.g. grounds in Ranchi were completely packed to support their Ranchi Rhinos team which went on to win the league; there was a lathi-charge two days before the match when demand for tickets got out of hand and in fact when the match was on – even the neighbouring stadium that simply had a big screen projecting the match – was full! The excitement rivalled that seen in Wankhede stadium or Eden gardens during high-octane international cricket.

    University cricket is another great example – during the Jamia vs Bangalore’s Jain university match, stadium was so packed that it took 40 mins to enter; and the crowd was chanting – not “Sachin Sachin”, not “India India” but “Jamia Jamia”! The pockets of passion exist; it is on us collectively to harness and magnify them.
    There has been no attempt to make the viewer experience the thrills, the speed or the skill involved when you watch a Hockey match

    The IPL has shown the way in how to mount a successful local league; granted that it was built on an already popular sport – but all the stakeholders have done a great job in coming together to mount it like a spectacle – it is no longer a game but entertainment and a serious alternate to any other movie or television show. Clearly, a “manoranjan ka baap”.

    There is a lot more to be done and many challenges to overcome. It will take a spirit of partnership with federations and people with vision to get there – for the benefit of sports, for the benefit of the country and for a healthier and fitter society! I’ll leave you with a small snapshot of the passion of local sports; as I mentioned before, it is for us to build upon them.
     
  • Ms. Asha Gupta to head Tupperware Asia Pacific Region

    Ms. Asha Gupta to head Tupperware Asia Pacific Region

    MUMBAI: Ms. Asha Gupta, presently Managing Director, Tupperware India and Area Vice President, Tupperware Brands – Asia Pacific has been appointed as Group President, Asia Pacific with effect from January 1, 2014.  She will now be responsible for driving the growth and expansion of the entire of Asia Pacific region.

    Ms. Gupta took over the reins of Tupperware India in late 2004 moving from Europe where she was the Marketing Director for Tupperware Nordics. Under her leadership, the Indian business has posted stellar growth and the brand Tupperware is now virtually a household name in India. 

    Asha has also won several awards and accolades, both internal and external because of her achievements. She has been recognized among the 50 Most Powerful Women in Indian Business by Business Today in 2013.  Ms. Gupta has been featured in the prestigious Fortune India Magazine’s list of the ‘50 most powerful women in Business’ in both 2012 and 2013.  She has also been the recipient of the ‘Woman Leadership Award’ by CMO Council Asia in 2013. 

    Following her move, Mr. Puneet Narula has been appointed as the Managing Director for Tupperware India. He has been associated with Tupperware seven years and has been working closely with Ms. Asha Gupta in the capacities of CFO and more recently as Deputy Managing Director. In 2011, he led entry of Tupperware in Bangladesh which is considered among the new emerging markets for Tupperware.

    Prior to Tupperware, Mr. Narula worked in GlaxoSmithKline India for 10 years in various capacities in Finance and Business Development.

  • Blockbuster nights this December on MOVIES NOW!

    Blockbuster nights this December on MOVIES NOW!

    MUMBAI: MOVIES NOW, this month is all about getting your groove on. Kick-start your entertainment in December with the biggest, most popular hits of all time! Starting 1st December 2013, Blockbuster Nights will enthrall one and all every Sunday at 11pm.

    Presenting its fans with simply the best, Blockbuster nights will showcase movies that have done exceptionally well across genres at the Box Office. Be it thrillers, sci-fi, suspense or animated action fun, MOVIES NOW presents the widely popular hits ranging from $25 Million-481 Million at the Box Office! Featuring X-Men first class, Karate Kid, Kung Fu Panda, The Last Air bender, Salt, Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Dead Man Down, Blockbuster Nights is sure to leave every adrenaline lover at the edge of their seat.

    The channel is all set to leave no stone unturned in setting the year end party and action mood with hits that have topped charts all over and bagged innumerous awards. So don’t miss the entertaining and electrifying line-up on MOVIES NOW every Sunday.
    This December, strap on your boots because it will be a party to remember on MOVIES NOW – Hollywood in HD!

  • What you see is what you GET with Tata DOCOMO Mobile Advertising

    What you see is what you GET with Tata DOCOMO Mobile Advertising

    MUMBAI: Tata DOCOMO, the Mobility and Business Services brand of Tata Teleservices (TTL), today announces the launch of its unique mobile advertising service platform – GET (GetEasyTalktime). It is in partnership with mAdcall Pvt Ltd, a sister concern of Astute Systems– a leading player in On Device Portal, mobile video advertising solution and managed services. The application enables video advertising on mobile and is christened GET EASY TALKTIME (GET). GET allows mobile users to choose when or where they want to view a video commercial on their phone, and get gratified with one free voice minute for local or national calling to landlines or mobiles for each advertisement that they choose to view.

    This is the first time in India that such an innovative service offering is available on the GSM as well as on CDMA network and is currently compatible with Android, Java, Symbian and Blackberry. This can also be accessed over Wi-Fi. Users are offered free voice minute, per advertisement viewed to both prepay and postpay customers using data enabled handset. This application has scored well with the mobile users, which is evident from the Google Play Store Rating of 4.

    “As advertisers seek newer avenues to communicate with their target audiences, the mobile device offers very ubiquitous, highly measurable and focused engagement platform. Tata DOCOMO is known for providing innovative and new services that appeal to our rapidly growing customer base. In an increasingly cluttered advertising environment the GET service will provide our customers targeted opportunities and facilitate brand engagement possibility at personal level. With the ever-increasing rate of adoption of mobile internet and rapid change in user preferences, we are confident that mobile advertising will very soon complement the traditional forms” said Mr. Harsh Saxena, Head – Marketing Non Voice Services, Tata DOCOMO.

    “Advancements in handset technologies, coupled with the proliferation of sophisticated applications has grabbed everyone’s attention these days. By putting people at the center of everything it does, HTC pushes the boundaries of design and technology to create innovative and personal experiences for consumers around the globe. We are proud to be the first ones to be associated with Tata DOCOMO GET that has offered so much ,to so many, in such short a time.” said Mr. Manu Seth, Head Marketing – HTC India.

    In addition to the benefits of traditional media, Tata DOCOMO GET mobile advertising service presents a unique opportunity for brand advertisers to engage with customers on a personalized level, which can be measured in transparent manner. Mobile users opting for the service will not incur any data usage charges while using Tata Docomo 2G, 3G connection. This facility works in Wifi environment as well. The advertisement will play on the handset without buffering on 2G, 3G or CDMA network. Users will be instantly rewarded with one minute of local or national talk-time for each advertisement viewed.

    “Fastrack is a consumer brand and it makes ample sense for us to be on the medium that our consumers associate themselves with- their mobile phones. Since we look at a user group of 16-24 as our consumers, the decision to reach out to them through their phones is a step in the right direction. With Tata DOCOMO GET we will be able to reach out to users in a lot more targeted, efficient and cost effective way” said Ms. Simeran Bhasin – Head Marketing – Fastrack
    Using a more personalized medium like the mobile phone platform, is interesting as compared to print, electronic or digital platforms, as the messages are controlled, efficient and measurable. It is a double benefit for advertisers as well since it provides accuracy of data as to who watched the video and when! Importantly, the mobile users are not offered any ads if they are trying to make emergency calls, given the nature of the call being made. Also no ads are offered while making calls to toll free numbers, international calls or while in roaming in off-network locations.

    To activate ‘GET’, Tata DOCOMO users using data enabled handsets can send an SMS with keyword “GET” to 52323 or by simply giving a missed call to 52323 post which a download link is sent to the customer through SMS, which needs to be clicked upon to download GET. Tata Docomo customer can also download GET from Google Store Play on Android phones, from Ovi Store on Nokia Symbian S60 phones, or using Opera browser.

  • Launch TVC of Gionee in India

    Launch TVC of Gionee in India

    MUMBAI: Launch TVC of Gionee in India.

    1. Company Background: 
    Established in 2002, Gionee is a technology driven company engaged in mobile device Design, R&D and Manufacturing. In 2005 Gionee adopted the forward integration strategy to do business in its own brand in markets across the globe. Gionee is known for bringing quality, innovative products with world class standards which have today helped them to be no 2 in mainland China by selling over 23 million units annually. The brand has a strong presence in the Middle East, Northern Africa, Vietnam, Taiwan, Myanmar, Thailand and they recently entered the Indian market.

    2. Creative Strategy:
    Living Life and Enjoying Life.
    Technology makes us experience wonderful things in life and the ELIFE E6 takes it to a whole new experiential level. With its own research and development facility, Gionee leverages top notch engineering skills to constantly innovate and manufacture one of its kind hardware. Thus, in a marketplace saturated with every company harping upon its software features, Gionee takes the leap with hardware that excites and engages the user. Features that enable us to experience the joy of life and help us do more with less.

    The TV commercial encapsulates various unique hardware features in an interesting visual story. Each of the sequences is designed to inspire Awe, Wonder and a sense of Discovery. It takes the viewer beyond reality and takes them into a surreal wonderland. Unfolding a larger than life picture. Be it the One Glass Solution, DTS Sound, 1.5 GHz Quad Core Processor, Unibody design or the never before 5MP front camera. The Elife E6 enables us to experience beyond normal, beyond the ordinary. Living much more than usual. Enjoying life to the hilt.Doing more. With less.

    According to Mr.Arvind.R. Vohra, Managing Director, Syntech Technology India, the whole idea behind this launch TVC is to go and talk about the hardware supremacy of the product. Our objective for Gionee was clearly to reach to the consumers at the national level so strategically we decided to push the phone through the hardware route. Because to enjoy the software features we need to have the right hardware to blend and give a world class experience.
    The Partner & Director of Brand Curry Communication Mr.Ratno Rudra, who worked on this massive campaign said that the creative strategy was to set up the user pay off arising out of hardware – unique life experiences that the handset promises, an empowerment that allows a sense of discovery, uninhibited. Mobile phone market is witnessing high –decibel advertising where every brand is trying to outshout the next one with new promises and different value propositions. We attempted a freshness in execution strategy away from the cluster of hard working propositions and hence this communication with symbolism. Our team believed that Surreal in the world of ultra -real should stand out and make consumer notice the communication.

    4. Date when TVC is going on air and for how long
    23 October and is a 5 week campaign

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsA67z_qucs
    3. Agency team credits/Production house/Name of film director
    TEAM BRAND CURRY /Kiss Films / Juan Jaramillo

  • Gudville announces Rs 60 lac Ripple Rewards for NGOs

    Gudville announces Rs 60 lac Ripple Rewards for NGOs

    MUMBAI: Gudville today announced Ripple Rewards for non-profit charities in which charities could win grants worth INR 5 lacs every month over next 12 months. Gudville hopes this will encourage charities to use Gudville’s ripple campaign platform to take their cause campaigns directly to individuals and through them to their social networks.

    Gudville uses power of social networking to build mass awareness and mass ownership for causes as campaignsripple through social networks of those who care to support them. As people offer their support, Gudville builds a personal social responsibility profile for every supporter. Gudville adds points for support and influence to these profiles as token of recognition of their contribution. This helps people track how their supported campaigns survive, grow and make a difference.

    Gudville Ripple Rewards will be awarded to charities that secure maximum number of individual support for their campaigns. The contest will be run monthly and is designed in a way that will enable new winners to emerge each month.

    “We believe each one of us has a cause that we are willing to support. But for most of us it is not very easy to do that. Gudville is an attempt to capture that offer of support, as small as it may be and use that to offer newer opportunities to capture more support until we eventually make a difference. Ripple Rewards incentivizes charities to participate in this initiative to offer easy-to-engage opportunities for individuals and build a mass base of supporters for their cause in the process” said SubhashDhar, Founder Gudville.

  • King Koil Ties Up with Real Innerspring, as a Sole Licensee for India

    King Koil Ties Up with Real Innerspring, as a Sole Licensee for India

    NEW DELHI: King Koil, an internationally acclaimed and magnificent mattress brand has signed a sole licensee agreement with Real Innerspring Technologies Pvt. Ltd, India.  At the pinnacle of being the fourth largest mattress brand in the world, the licensing has accrued from the authenticity of the fact that Real Innerspring Technologies Pvt. Ltd. Mattresses is India’s first manufacturer of Patented Spring Mattresses and is opined as a recognized brand name in the Indian Retail and Hospitality markets through a decade of intensive domestic and international exposure.

    Drawing from its experience of manufacturing high quality sleeping solutions, the company plans to target the Mid and High end mattress market and focus on delivering classy, exotic and upscale alternative to the existing mattress line. King Koil India has plans in the next five years of spanning into market expansion and investing INR 400 Crores in varied fields like Facilities, Human Resources, Channel Management, Indigenous R&D etc. While envisaging strategic expansion, the company would also look at strengthening its presence nationally through distributorships, tie-ups with multi-brand outlets, opening of exclusive outlets and aggressive brand awareness. By next year, it aims to make an overwhelming impact on the mattress industry and create a large consumer base.

    According to Mr. Archit Gupta, Managing Director, Real Innerspring Technologies Pvt. Ltd., “We are enthralled with the licensee-deal, as King Koil is known for designing innovative and high-end intricate mattresses in over 80 countries across the world. Our forte is providing Innovative Design & Superior Mattress Technology in our product line. I am sure being the sole licensee of King Koil in India, will help us to redefine the sleep solutions for our valued consumers, based on comfort and support offered by the world’s  most trusted mattress company.”
    “Starting from North India, with our presence in the markets of Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Gujrat & Punjab we plan to focus in Southern India also. We are having a production capacity of approximately one hundred thousand mattresses per annum, which we wish to increase in future”, added Mr. Gupta.

    Talking about its foray, Mr JP Ledoux, VP of International Business at King Koil, reiterates that, “We are contented to influx the Indian market, which is a paradigm shift for us, initially with our two products that will be available in the Indian market. The move comes as a part of our strategic expansion plan to reach out to the burgeoning mattress market in India. The two major products that King Koil has introduced in the domestic market are, Posture Sense and Dr. Mattress.

    Posture Sense by King Koil is most widely available, balanced coiled support system with a unique dual hard and soft feature with a differential appeal that prolongs the life span of the mattress to be introduced for the first time in Indian Mattress Market.
    Dr Mattresses, as the name amply suggests is a unique mattress range for back support which uses chip size REBOND form of high density as a core, providing therapeutic value to the user.