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Tag: Abhishek Bachchan

  • Balaji Telefilms plans to invest Rs 350 million for movie business

    Balaji Telefilms plans to invest Rs 350 million for movie business

    MUMBAI: Balaji Telefilms plans to scale up its movie business in the next fiscal. The leading TV content company intends to invest Rs 350 million, sources say, and is tieing up with various production houses for this.

    Balaji is partnering with Popcorn Entertainment Pvt. Ltd, a company owned by Bollywood actor Suniel Shetty, for three movies. Raaste, having stars like Abhishek Bachchan and John Abraham, will be released in the next fiscal.”The revenues from our movie projects will get reflected in the next financial year. We will have the releases in various stages of the year,” says the source.

    Balaji has also joined hands with White Feather Films, a company started by Sanjay Dutt and Sanjay Gupta, for three films – Shootout at Lokhandwala directed by Apoorva Lakhia, Woodstock Villa directed by Hansal Mehta and Dus Kahaniyan. Shoot Out at Lokhandwala, estimated to cost Rs 120 million, is expected to release by the first quarter of the next financial year.

    As part of a strategy, Balaji Telefilms is venturing into co-production deals to de-risk its movie business. Besides, the production house feels that the partner will bring in its filmmaking expertise.

    Balaji Telefilms produced two films in the last fiscal and raked in a revenue of Rs 104 million, incurring a minor loss. While Kya Kool Hai Hum was a success, the second film Koi Aap Sa didn’t fare well in the box office.

    The company is adopting a cautious approach and will not be releasing any movie this year.

    Balaji Telefilms saw a robust growth in FY06 with topline increasing 43 per cent to Rs 2.8 billion. Net profit rose 44 per cent to Rs 594 million on the back of a rate revision from Star and an increase in programming hours.

  • Eros inks deal with Rose Movies

    Eros inks deal with Rose Movies

    MUMBAI: Eros International has inked a four movie output deal with Goldie Behl’s Rose Movies, which will commence with Drona, a costume drama starring Abhishek Bachchan and Priyanka Chopra in December 2006.

    Eros’ association with Rose began when it distributed Bhel’s first film Bus Itna Sa Khwab Hain.

    Following on from the association on Omkara, Eros has taken a 64 per cent stake in Big Screen. Big Screen has signed up Ajay Devgan for future projects as well as directors like Rohit Shetty, Soham and Anil Devgan, asserts an official.

    Two productions are already underway, one of which titled No Smoking starring John Abraham. The movie is expected to be premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2007.

    Eros International chairman and CEO Kishore Lulla said, “Since our flotation we have focused on pursuing our key strategic objectives as a vertically integrated group within the Indian media and entertainment arena. The success of these initiatives has contributed to strong organic growth and coupled with the phenomenal growth in the Indian media sector, we believe that Eros is well positioned to take advantage of the opportunities presented by the sector.”

    The releases that are now lined up from Eros are Salaam-e-Ishq, Provoked, Speed, I See You and Nanhe Jaisalmer.The Film Music albums and soundtrack planned for release by Eros during the financial year ending March 2007 include I See You, Kudiyon Ka Hain Zamana, Mr Black Mr White, Chinni Kum and Provoked.

    In addition to cinema distribution, the group continues to focus on expanding the home entertainment mainstream distribution network. Eros titles are now available through HMV, Virgin, Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury and Amazon amongst others channels.

    Eros plans to launch its first set of high definition titles in the near future with current box office releases and digitally remastered classic titles from the catalogue. The Group plans to focus on expanding its extensive global distribution network with special focus on syndication, new media while tapping into the growing Indian market, adds the release.

  • Motorola unveils first Indian Motostar: Abhishek Bachchan

    Motorola unveils first Indian Motostar: Abhishek Bachchan

    New Delhi, 4th June, 2006 – Motorola (NYSE:MOT) today further strengthened its relationship with consumers across India by unveiling the first Indian brand ambassador — actor, Abhishek Bachchan. As Motorola’s brand ambassador, Abhishek will support marketing and branding efforts for the entire Mobile Device product range. Motorola’s brand quotient of youthful spirit, daring to be different, being bold and smart is in sync with Abhishek’s bold and daring attitude, enigmatic looks and unconventional style. Abhishek fits in as the iconic “MOTOSTAR” who now joins tennis top seed, Maria Sharapova as a brand ambassador for Motorola globally.

    Announcing the MOTOSTAR, Mr. Allen Burnes, Corporate Vice President, High Growth Markets, Mobile Devices, Motorola Inc. said, “India is a significant and exciting market for Motorola where our relentless attention to our customers and razor sharp focus is enabling us to bring customers and consumers not only high quality products but also innovative and unique services and brand collaborations. Abhishek is a stylish and sophisticated actor who appeals to all segments of the Indian society – young and old, urban and rural, fashion conscious and the intelligentsia. With this collaboration, I am absolutely confident that our partnership will be mutually beneficial in ensuring our continued success while keeping our customer interests centre-stage. With this, I would like to extend a warm welcome to Abhishek.”

    Addressing the gathering, actor Abhishek Bachchan said, “I am honoured to be an ambassador for a truly global brand synonymous with quality, innovation and style. Helping India get more and more connected with Motorola phones is my mission for the next 24 months. It is amazing to see how we as a nation have adopted this technology and today it is pervading every sphere of our lives. Speaking for myself, I am a complete techno-geek and rely on these gadgets to keep myself organized. I absolutely love the Motorola products.
    They are really cool and stylish while offering the best applications. I am excited about making the difference, Right here! Right now!!”

    After unveiling the MOTOSTAR, Motorola announced the winners of the contest “Guess the MOTOSTAR” which was a lead up to the brand ambassador launch. The winners were representative of quintessential India, coming from cities like Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Delhi, Indore, Ludhiana, Mumbai and Pune. Each winner had the unique opportunity to spend the evening with the MOTOSTAR.

    The “Guess the MOTOSTAR” contest saw an overwhelming response of over 200,000 participants. Contestants entered the contests by sending SMSes as well as engaging through the MOTOSTAR microsite.

    Over the past few months, Motorola has launched innovative marketing and sales strategies. The company signed on Bharti Teletech Limited as its national distributor. Earlier, Motorola tied up with GE Money to offer an interest free finance option to customers buying mid and hi-end Motorola phones thereby becoming the pioneer in offering financing for mobile phones.
    The company has also been very active in its product introductions during this period—- MOTOSLVR, & MOTORAZR V3 and V3i in the first phase was followed by the MOTOPEBL and the MobileME Bluetooth accessories business.
    – Ends –

    About Motorola
    Motorola is known around the world for innovation and leadership in wireless and broadband communications. Inspired by our vision of Seamless Mobility, the people of Motorola are committed to helping you get and stay connected simply and seamlessly to the people, information, and entertainment that you want and need. We do this by designing and delivering “must have” products, “must do” experiences and powerful networks – along with a full complement of support services. A Fortune 100 company with global presence and impact, Motorola had sales of US$36.8 billion in 2005. For more information about our company, our people and our innovations, please visit www.motorola.com

  • VCL adds visual effects for Karan Johar’s latest flick

    VCL adds visual effects for Karan Johar’s latest flick

    MUMBAI: Visual Computing Labs (VCL), a division of Tata Elxsi, provided the Visual Effects (VFX) for Karan Johar’s third directorial venture -Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna (KANK)-.starring Amitabh Bachchan, Shahrukh Khan, Rani Mukerji, Preity Zinta, Abhishek Bachchan and Kiron Kher in pivotal roles.

    The movie was shot over a 90-day stint in the USA and a few on four large sets in Mumbai’s studios.

    “This is VCL’s second project for Dharma Productions, having worked with them earlier on Kal Ho Na Ho. In KANK,VCL has executed more than 45 minutes of effects work” said VCL head K.Chandrashekhar.

    Says Visual Computing Labs, Tata Elxsi Creative Director Pankaj Khandpur, “The most outstanding work in the multi starrer movie was the creation of a Computer Graphic Image (CGI) football stadium and the neighboring city in the aerial views. It is for the first time in India that the creation of thousands of stadium crowds in all the long-shots was all done in computer graphics!”

    “The creation of CGI crowds in the stadium was particularly challenging as we were combining CGI characters in the distance with existing live-action actors in the foreground. Each of the CGI ‘agents’ had to reflect the same level of movement and excitement as the live-action actors, so that both types of ‘actors’ could blend seamlessly in the same shot’s. Even the relative clothing, hair etc. had to be similar! Apart from the blending, the biggest challenge was rendering a crowd of 75,000 people in CG, each in complete 3D, with clothes, caps, shoes, and even tubs of popcorn!” he further added.

    All the environment effects like snow and rain for many of the scenes,
    including depicting the ‘changing’ of seasons in real time were created in CG by VCL An important requirement was to ensure the seamless integration from one scene to the other; this required the creation of ‘matched’ trees, as well as matching the ‘grounds’ of various shots, and the creation of freshly fallen digital ‘snow’ in the Shahrukh shot. This was challenging considering the individual shots had been shot at different locations, and at different times, weeks apart from each other.

    Apart from animation for the movie and the film logo, VCL has designed the opening credits of the film, as well as many minutes of ‘hidden’ effects: cosmetic fixes, embellishment, transitions, and day-for-night effects.

    Visual Computing Labs, a division of Tata Elxsi Ltd, is a creative facility offering animation, gaming and special effects for the global entertainment and broadcast industry. Headquartered in Bangalore, Visual Computing Labs is a unique mix of engineering and creative skills, which provides solutions from scripting, pre/post production, character modelling & Animation, VFX and Development services among others.

  • For Yash Raj, only Fanaa’s TV strategy on track

    For Yash Raj, only Fanaa’s TV strategy on track

    MUMBAI: It’s a big movie from the biggest banner in the country – Yash Raj. And while the latest Aamir Khan blockbuster Fanaa is roiled in one controversy after another, on the small screen, it is all going smoothly. Or so the studio’s representatives aver.

    Yash Raj Films VP Music and Home Entertainment Vijay Kumar rubbishes reports which appeared in certain sections of the media that the studio has demanded money from television channels to telecast Fanaa promos and songs. “For Fanaa, we have associated with all the channels, including Star World, HBO and ETC Music. The rumours that Yash Raj has locked horns with the music channels over telecast rights of these music videos are absolutely baseless. We have never demanded money for telecasting Fanaa promos and songs, and in fact, it is Yash Raj who has to pay these channels money for airing these clips.”

    When contacted by indiantelevision.com, Zee Telefilms however remained noncommittal. “No comments on the official position,” reads an SMS sent by spokesperson Ashish Kaul. Channel [V] head honcho Amar K Deb said that the channel had some spots of Fanaa. A source close to B4U also confirmed that the channel was running Fanaa promos and song clips.

    Kumar explains that the production house has in fact employed a certain promotional strategy which involves all the channels. “Yash Raj follows a certain promotional strategy when it comes to television. We shift our promos and music videos from one channel to another from time to time and this shift is strategically designed to get the maximum coverage. We are telecasting our 60 second song and promo clips on all the channels.”

    On Yash Raj’s exclusive tie up with MTV and Sony, Kumar adds, “It is true that we have exclusive tie-ups with Sony and MTV for programming and marketing activities. But that has nothing to do with providing the Fanaa content to other channels. Our association with these channels are on and there is no disagreement between Yash Raj and the channels over payment issue.”

    Agrees MTV VP creative content Ashish Patil, “What MTV has with Yash Raj Films on Fanaa is an exclusive marketing tie-up. MTV holds the tradition of being a key player in the TV promotions of all the Yash Raj Films and this continues with Fanaa also. The Fanaa music was released on MTV and we had the exclusive rights to telecast these songs for about five to seven days post the music release. Sony is our programming partner and the channel has lined up various wrap around programmes on the movie.”

    Patil adds that, MTV had lined up a series of promotional activities for Fanaa on the channel. “Tomorrow we will be telecasting an Aamir-Kajol show Fanaa for You, which will have the lead stars of Fanaa interviewing each other. Other innovations we have lined up include creating special MTV logos based on the Fanaa format,” he says.

    The Fanaa for You show is in fact shared between Sony Entertainment Television and MTV. “In a unique exercise of media roadblock, Aamir and Kajol’s candid conversation Fanaa for You will be shown on 25 May at 8 pm. The stars will have freewheeling chat about themselves and their experience of working together for the much talked about movie Fanaa,” states a Sony release.

    Interestingly, even NDTV has organised a special show with the two stars that airs on the sister channels NDTV India and NDTV 24×7 Thursday night at 8 pm and 8:30 pm respectively. It is worth noting that when Yash Raj released their blockbuster Bunty aur Babli last year, the film’s two leads Abhishek Bachchan and Rani Mukherjee had appeared on the channel as news readers in the pre-release “stunt”.

    Additionally, the Times Group’s FM network Radio Mirchi is also a part of Thursday’s 8 pm “simulcast” of the Fanaa preview. And the Net has not been left out either. The film’s preview will be web streamed on both Yahoo! and MSN.

    FANAA FACES TOTAL GUJARAT BLACKOUT, MULTIPLEX NO SHOW IN REST OF COUNTRY

    The big screen story however is entirely different. “Cinema Paradiso” it most certainly is not for the most powerful production house in the country as it squares up in an eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation with the top multiplex chains all over India.

    That the stakes are enormously high is a given. And who blinks first will determine whether the status quo is maintained in the producer distributor dynamic or the rules are rewritten in favour of big film banners like Yash Raj.

    Fanaa, which also marks the comeback of the much loved Kajol to the silver screen after a long break, is not only guaranteed (at least for the present) a politically engineered total blackout in the western Indian state of Gujarat, but also confronts a multiplex fadeout in the rest of the country.

    The crux of the issue is on how the box office collections are to be shared. According to the head of one multiplex chain, as per current norms big banners get 48 per cent of the net collections by way of distributor’s share in the first week, 38 per cent in the second week and 30 per cent from the third week on. Yash Raj is however demanding 60 per cent, 50 per cent, 40 per cent for the first three weeks and 35 per cent from then on.

    Though the matter was still at a stalemate at the time of filing this report, the head of the multiplex did point out that Yash Raj had come down a bit from its earlier stand and was ready to end the whole controversy if the exhibitors were willing to accept a 55:45 per cent revenue share in the first week.

    Fanaa director Kunal Kohli remains confident that people will get to see the movie in multiplexes as well. “We are hopeful of reaching a solution. Discussions are still going on. There is scope for a positive outcome,” he says.

    Kohli has been quoted earlier in media reports as saying: “We believe that we bring a certain value to film and that we should accordingly get that benefit. We have also conveyed to them that we are asking for better terms only if the film performs well at the box office. If it doesn’t, we are willing to go with the old terms.”

    If the matter is not settled though, the movie will open mainly at all single-screen theatres across the country on 26 May.

    LAUNCH OF MERCHANDISE AROUND MOVIE

    According to media reports, Yash Raj is launching its merchandising division with Fanaa. Three products related to the movie can be purchased. The first is a reflection cup-saucer set. The cup has a mirror finish which shows the reflection of Fanaa, when placed on the saucer. The second is a ceramic mug that has the autographed pictures of Aamir Khan and Kajol and the third is the chili pendant that Aamir Khan sports in the film.

  • ‘We expect our involvement with cricket to improve our market impact by 25-30 per cent’ : Sandeep Tiwari – LG Electronics India marketing head

    ‘We expect our involvement with cricket to improve our market impact by 25-30 per cent’ : Sandeep Tiwari – LG Electronics India marketing head

    Having been in the country for nine years now LG Electornics is for the first time using a Bollywood star as its brand ambassador. It has signed on bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan to endorse its line of consumer durables like refrigerators, air conditioners. The aim is to connect better with women. This year the company is targeting a turnover of Rs 90 billion.

     

    Indiantelevision.com‘s Ashwin Pinto caught up with LG Electronics India marketing head Sandeep Tiwari on the sidelines of a media briefing.

     

    Excerpts:

    With the signing of Abhishek, LG is changing its strategy by moving away from relying only on cricket. What prompted this?

    I won’t say that our strategy has changed. It has been enhanced. Quite a few people expect us to exit cricket. That is not the case. We realise though that two growth engines as far as the advertising fraternity is concerned will work. One is all around cricket and the stars. The other will revolve around entertainment.

     

    We are going with a double engine effect. Cricket delivers numbers and reaches masses. It however alienates women. It does not address that gender with the same amount of passion. Cricket is better for a consumer electronics television oriented effort for the male audience. It also partially delivers in the air conditioner category as men to some extent make decisions for this product. But when it comes to pushing mobile phones, washing machines, microwave ovens, refrigerators it does not deliver the full impact.

     

    We will be launching a mobile phone campaign later on. That TG is very young from the late teens. Our brand has to become younger, their generation brand. We do not want to become a brand that is for an older generation just because we have been around for several years. We have learnt from what Coke, Pepsi have done over the years to remain young. This will helps us address all sections of consumers. We want to become a consolidated consumer driven brand that also encompasses mobile and IT.

    Could you talk about LG’s brand positioning in the market and how it allows for differentiation?

    We are differentiated from the Indian and foreign brands. LG does not get classified as either. It is easy for Indians to relate to it. The brand has a multinational lineage while delivering what Indians require. We don’t show any foreign ads.

     

    Our communication language is not that of a foreigner. Emotions work a lot in India. The warmth and affection that a brand showers upon its target audience will be reciprocated. A brand may be ranked higher but if it is not relatable then it will not do well.

    Has this positioning been tweaked in any way recently?

    I would not say so. In 1997 we were represented in high end markets. We were niche. Today we sell different TV sets, refrigerators. We don’t just have SEC A+ 35+. Our target is total. So our communication must address everybody. You cannot have one for the higher end and another for the lower end.

     

    That is what we are looking to achieve with a celebrity. The sheer rub off of that celebrity will draw in masses for a high end product. It connects mind to mind. This is where a Saurav Ganguly works.

     

    This is also what Abhishek Bachchan will do for us. Even in Allahabad, Benares it will work. At the same time we do not use a celebrity for everything. For television sets our positioning has been around the eyes. We used an average child.

     

    Conventional wisdom says that television watching is bad as it causes strain. Our communication showed that with LG’s eye technology it is not harmful. The position was very different in that we showed that it will give the child a world of knowledge. The child plays a crucial role in terms of buying a TV set. We looked at the TV as being an infotainment medium and not entertainment.

    Speaking of television what are the plans in the television manufacturing area and how challenging are price points as in consumers waiting for prices to fall and then buying TV sets?

    In this area we are targeting a 100 per cent growth for flat panel displays year on year in terms of the number of units sold.

     

    It is going to be interesting to see how we fare with little penetration of plasma sets and high acceptability of that category. People want a TV that can be hung from the ceiling or mounted on a wall. The big size experience at home is an aspirational product.

     

    As far as pricing points are concerned I will give the example of mobile phones. Though prices will fall nobody waits. People cannot wait to upgrade and change. People accept that gadgets will not last a lifetime. They want what is the best option as long as the brand is delivering what it promises.

     

    The consumer has become more experimental in nature. 35-37 per cent of revenue comes from television. Electronics along with IT contribute around 48 per cent of our revenues. Appliances contribute around 36 per cent.

     

    In 1997 when we started our group turnover was Rs 125 crores (Rs 1.25 billion). In 1999 we crossed Rs 1000 crores. Last year it was Rs 7500 crores. We are looking to touch Rs 9000 crores this year.

    What is a more powerful platform – Bollywood or cricket?

    They complement each other. No brand in our position can afford to ignore one or the other. The cricketing calendar is limited. We take the time for which they are played. For a lot of the months we cannot device our season vis-a-vis the cricket calendar.

     

    But with a film star we can plan better. A cricketer is only relevant when a game is being played. His performance affects how a brand that uses him is perceived to an extent.

     

    Brands go through highs and lows. When a cricketer fails the public reacts badly to the ad featuring the cricketer. A Bollywood campaign though cannot only be attributed to the star involved. Actors do not always play themselves. They show more versatility in negative, positive roles. It offers a wider spectrum.
    ‘The 1999 World Cup in England was our first mass awareness programme right from our carton boxes to communication. It became known to everyone‘

    In what way has the brand communication for home appliances evolved and why choose Abhishek?

    Till now the home appliances communication platform had the health message. Today that platform is being adopted by a lot of me too brands.

     

    We felt that we therefore needed to break way from that by graduating to a Health Plus objective. From here came the idea of Intello. This means that the products are technologically intelligent and futuristic.

     

    We want to position the brand as being young, vibrant and premium. So we picked Abhishek as he portrays Indian values. He also exudes an aura of aristocracy.

     

    The signing of Abhishek marks the start of the second phase of our marketing strategy in India. It is the marketing of a leader phase.

    Which are your key products that will be given a marketing thrust this year?

    Mobile phones are key for us this year. Flat panel displays are also important. Laptops will be third in importance but from the long term point of view as in 2010 laptops will be second.

     

    ACs have experienced good growth and the market shares are high. The aim is to sustain AC growth.

    To what extent is the marketing budget going to rise this year? How much of this will go towards television?

    The marketing budget will increase marginally compared to last year apart from cricket due to the Champions Trophy.

     

    We expect our involvement with cricket to improve our market impact by 25-30 per cent. Media advertising constitutes 40 per cent of the marketing spend. Out of that 40 per cent is spent on television and print.

    Does LG feel that there is scope for using television in a more interactive manner to reach consumers? By interactive I mean engaging the audiences in a more active manner.

    This is going to be very important. Using a celebrity is a classical way to approach that. If you could increase market share by simply putting ads then there would be no need for marketing professionals.

     

    Wittiness and innovation play a crucial role in breaking the clutter. It is not money versus money. It is not a question of Rs 250 crores versus Rs 280 crores. The content of communication and synergies created are what the focus should be on.

    LG is one of the ICC’s official partners. How has this benefited the brand over the years?

    When we associated with them in 1999 it was a big transitional phase. This was because it was our first attempt at national penetration and visibility. From 1997 till 1999 we did not have any television commercials. We were not represented among the masses in a true sense. We were just represented in towns through hoardings, newspapers.

     

    The 1999 World Cup in England was our first mass awareness programme right from our carton boxes to communication. It became known to everyone. Subsequently the two Champions Trophies and the 2003 World Cup became a mainstay in our efforts to build the brand.

     

    The ICC association has given us the stature of a mammoth brand. This would not have been possible through regular communication. The ICC association is more to do with the LG logo as a whole rather than with simply different parts of the company like a fridge or an AC. No other medium would have given us that.
    ‘The pre purchase and post purchase experience are important towards enhancing brand value. In the long term word of mouth publicity is key‘

    How is LG looking to leverage the Champions Trophy which will be held in India?

    What is interesting is that it is coinciding with Diwali. It will be from the second week of October to the second week of November. Diwali falls somewhere in between. We have to figure out how the two communications of Diwali and cricket can work together.

     

    There will be two objectives to be achieved simultaneously. Can they be jelled to leverage the best out of the two? This is one of our biggest marketing challenges of the year.

    LG and the other ICC partners met recently. What transpired?

    There are two huge events coming up. It certainly required some getting together to figure how to leverage that.

     

    LG, Hutch, Hero Honda and Pepsi met with the ICC to discuss how we can work together to maximise opportunities.

     

    These are four large brands that do not compete or fight with each other. We discussed avenues that can be worked on together. How successful this is time will tell.

    Are below the line activities and promotions growing in importance for the brand?

    Significantly. 60 per cent of our budget is spent on these kinds of activities. It is crucial because no technology will work well until it is explained to the customer. At the ground level the product must be on display. The experience that a customer goes through on ground is equally important as using mass media.

     

    The pre purchase and post purchase experience are important towards enhancing brand value. In the long term word of mouth publicity is key. We have around 1,150 in shop demonstrators and 1,000 counters across the country. This is a force and manpower that no other competing brand has. Exhibitions play a significant role across the country. The portfolio that we have cannot be addressed with just one showroom.

     

    One showroom can only accommodate 30 per cent of our product line. Exhibitions give us the opportunity to display more products and do something meaningful. We concentrate on training our sales people and upgrading their sales skills.

     

    Mobile vans and road shows will play a crucial role going forward. We are also using malls as a place for display as a lot of people visit them. In-house demonstrations of products after purchase are another area of focus. Cookery classes for our microwave ovens tells the customer that LG does not just sell microwaves. It is also teaching him how to cook.

     

    Ladies come to learn cooking and they also learn about the other products available from the range. This activity will be strengthened over the years as India cannot be addressed by only going to 10 or 20 towns. The major growth will have in those middle markets.

    As a marketing tool what potential do you feel the mobile has?

    All our portfolio except for laptops and mobiles are in house. You can only see someone else’s Airconditioner by going to their living room. They remain inside. A mobile phone is flashed around as a personality trait. If you sell a LG phone to a school or college student you are preparing him/her to be a future LG television, washing machine, refrigerator customer.

     

    So we are catching them young. The mobile phone in the future will be the first entry product into the customers home. After that will come television sets and washing machines.

     

    It becomes a brand that a person is proud of. However we are staying away from SMS and MMS communication activities on ethical grounds.

    Are you happy with how global sports organisers have combated the threat of ambush marketing?

    I do not think that it is a very big issue. There are enough marketing opportunities for everyone.

     

    I do not think that media alienation for a certain period of time makes a big difference.

    There are lots of major sporting events this year. So how is LG splitting up its ad spend?

    We are staying away from cricket apart from the Champions Trophy.

     

    Every brand has limited resources and cricket is no longer an inexpensive proposition. Conserving of resources for better utilisation is what optimisation is all about. We will be doing activities around the Fifa World Cup though.

     

    We are yet to roll out ideas at the storyboard level. This activity will be in select markets like Goa, West Bengal.

    How do you work with your creative agencies?

    It is a partnership right from the concept generation level to how it shapes out to seeing it delivered to the marketplace. We even address the media together.

     

    The competitive business environment leaves little room for chance. It has to be a team effort.

  • LG ropes in Abhishek Bachchan in bid to appear youthful

    MUMBAI: Having been in the country for nine years electronics maker LG is undertaking a new brand identity. It is aiming to appear youthful. It has also changed its image from being just a health brand to a brand that stands for intelligence and futuristic.

    For this purpose it has come out with the new intello brand positioning. It has roped in Abhishek Bachchan in order to push its range of home aplliances.

    Five TVCs have been shot and directed by Pradeep Sarkar. In the ads, Bachchan is seen to be doing all to make his wife happy. Interestingly each ad features a different woman, a non celebrity, with the aim being to appeal to as many women as possible. In one ad, Bachchan is seen playing a guitar and singing about green freshness which is also what the LG fridge offers. The ads first shows how Bachchan does little things to please his wife. The technology is shown a little later. In this way an emotional connect is built with the viewer.

    LG Electronics marketing head Sandeep Tiwari says, “Consumer durable brands have portrayed women as the perfect wife, homemaker or a mother. Through this communication campaign we would like to break through the regular mindset and move up one level by thanking her for what she is.

    “A woman feels most delighted when the man in her life acknowledges her efforts and compliments her. Abhishek is the most elgible bachelor in the country. He fit our brief well. His contract is for two years. Interestingly, when we first came into the country in 1997, we did not use any celebrities in our communication.

    “The technology was the star of the show. At the same time we realise though that there is an emotional connect that is forged between celebrities and viewers. If used intelligently that connect shines through. That is what we have managed. This year we will spend around Rs. 350 million on marketing our home appliances products. Last year, we spent around Rs. 200 million. Overall, we will spend Rs. 270 crores on marketing activities. This is mainly because of the Champions Trophy. Last year we had spent around Rs. 225 crores.”

    Sarkar says, “It was fun working with Abhishek. He is a cool guy with charisma. The challenge was to use those qualities to enhance the brand communication. We kept rolling the cameras and encouraged him to be spontaneous like cutting an apple.”

    When LG launched in 1997 it had focused on the health platform. But as Tiwari notes, “The health platform is now being adopted by a number of ‘me too’ brands. Also the need of the hour was to graduate to a ‘Health Plus’ objective for our campaign. Thus came the idea of intello with Intellair Airconditioners, Intellowash washing machines, Intelocook microwave ovens etc. We are also looking at outdoor events with Abhishek.”

    Tiwari added that mostly LG’s campaigns do not have celebrities. An example is the LG Eye ad. Here, the communication used an average child. The conventioanl thinking is that television is bad for the eyes. However, the LG ad showed that with the eye technology, a child is not affected. Tiwari adds that as of now there are no plans to have more celebrities on board.

    Also present at a media briefing was Capital Advertising founder H.V. Subramaniam. He spoke about using celebrities as brand ambassadors. “In the US, one of four TVCs features a TVC. In Hong Kong, eight out of the top 10 most recalled ads used a celebrity. Studies show that celebrities in ads work the best when there is a psychological risk in a product.

    “A risk comes in the form of a product that defines ones self image. A celebrity takes that risk out of the equation. However, brand managers must remember that a celebrity cannot make people buy an inferior product. That tactic can at best only for people in the short term. A celebrity though can make consumers make better choices. It is also important to show the celebrity with the product in a relevant, credible manner.

    “This is where the newer, smaller brands fail the test. There must also be synergy between the brand and celebrity. If the brand is serious and mature and the celebrity is fun loving and comic the communication will not work. In fact, there is the chance that viewers will remember the celebrity and not the brand.

    “A case of credibility is the Hyundai Santro ad. It worked well because Shah Rukh Khan was playing himself. He was not playing a character. I remember many years ago doing an ad for BSA SLR bike. We roped in Kapil Dev and Vijay Amritraj. We came out with an idea of having Vijay Amritraj stuck in his car due to traffic. He wanted to reach the venue to play a tennis match. He, therefore, borrows a boys bike and reaches the venue and then goes on to win the match. The lesson here is that you always need to have a strong idea. A celebrity cannot replace that,” says Subramaniam.