ITV

Tag: Akash Chawla

  • Zee TV offers free mobile recharge to audience in return for DID votes

    Zee TV offers free mobile recharge to audience in return for DID votes

    MUMBAI: Not very long ago, the television audience were charged when they voted for their favourite contestants on a reality show, then it was made free in order to get more audience in to voting, now the audience are set to get returns too when they vote.

    In an interesting campaign for its reality show Dance India Dance season 4 that is about to enter an exciting leg with the Top 10 contestants battling it out for the much coveted ‘sunehri taqdeer ki topi’, Zee TV has gone one step further and joined hands with FreeCharge.com and would be ‘freecharging’ the phones of all those who give a missed call to vote for their favorite contestants. Last year, the channel to make votes cost free had come up with the idea of “missed calls for vote”, this time its target seems to be to lure more viewers to the show.

    The voting phase will begin on Sunday, 22 December and audiences will have as much power to vote for their favorite contestants as the judges on the show. 

    The mechanism for voting is simple – on placing a missed call to vote for their favorite contestant, the viewer will receive a promo code. The voter can then log on to www.freecharge.com and get free talk time worth Rs 10 on a minimum recharge of Rs 20 with the use of the promo code. The consumer will get only one promo code per week which means that they can vote only once per week for their favourite contestant. However, they can cast their vote for all contestants but receive only one promo code.

    Talking about the initiative, ZEEL marketing head national channels Akash Chawla said, “Voting is an integral part of any reality show. We made voting free last year by way of the ‘Missed-Call Voting’ mechanism. We received an overwhelming response in the form of record-breaking vote counts from our viewers. With this initiative of ‘Freecharging’ our voters’ phones, the idea was to take one step forward and gratify our viewers for sharing their valuable vote with us and helping us in our journey of identifying India’s biggest dancing star. The mechanism is effective as a consumer is allowed to vote only once for their favorite contestant each week through their registered number…thereby, not allowing any duplication of votes.  Freecharging will prove to be a fair mechanism to identify a winner based on public opinion as well as the judge’s scores.”

     

  • Zee TV offers free mobile recharge to audience in return for DID votes

    Zee TV offers free mobile recharge to audience in return for DID votes

    MUMBAI: Not very long ago, the television audience were charged when they voted for their favourite contestants on a reality show, then it was made free in order to get more audience in to voting, now the audience are set to get returns too when they vote.

     

    In an interesting campaign for its reality show Dance India Dance season 4 that is about to enter an exciting leg with the Top 10 contestants battling it out for the much coveted ‘sunehri taqdeer ki topi’, Zee TV has gone one step further and joined hands with FreeCharge.com and would be ‘freecharging’ the phones of all those who give a missed call to vote for their favorite contestants. Last year, the channel to make votes cost free had come up with the idea of “missed calls for vote”, this time its target seems to be to lure more viewers to the show.

     

    The voting phase will begin on Sunday, 22 December and audiences will have as much power to vote for their favorite contestants as the judges on the show.

     

    The mechanism for voting is simple – on placing a missed call to vote for their favorite contestant, the viewer will receive a promo code. The voter can then log on to www.freecharge.com and get free talk time worth Rs 10 on a minimum recharge of Rs 20 with the use of the promo code. The consumer will get only one promo code per week which means that they can vote only once per week for their favourite contestant. However, they can cast their vote for all contestants but receive only one promo code.

     

    Talking about the initiative, ZEEL marketing head national channels Akash Chawla said, “Voting is an integral part of any reality show. We made voting free last year by way of the ‘Missed-Call Voting’ mechanism. We received an overwhelming response in the form of record-breaking vote counts from our viewers. With this initiative of ‘Freecharging’ our voters’ phones, the idea was to take one step forward and gratify our viewers for sharing their valuable vote with us and helping us in our journey of identifying India’s biggest dancing star. The mechanism is effective as a consumer is allowed to vote only once for their favorite contestant each week through their registered number…thereby, not allowing any duplication of votes.  Freecharging will prove to be a fair mechanism to identify a winner based on public opinion as well as the judge’s scores.”

  • &pictures beats Movies OK on the digital platform

    &pictures beats Movies OK on the digital platform

    MUMBAI: The promise of &pictures being India’s first interactive Hindi movie channel is strengthened with the unique strategy adopted for the premiere of Chennai Express. The Chennai Express mania refuses to die garnering a staggering 5949 TVTs and propelled the channel to zoom ahead of competition. The Week 47 data issued by TAM reveals the following key highlights:-

    &pictures zooms past competition with 112609 GVTs on CS4+, HSM levels

    Source: TAM, wk 47, Cs4+, HSM

    On the digital platform, &pictures has beaten Movies OK garnering 80129 GVTs

    Source: TAM, wk 47, Cs4+, HSM

    Chennai Express garners higher Time Spent than that of Boss on Colors


    Source: TAM, wk 47, Cs4+, HSM

    &pictures garners highest Time Spent in the Hindi Movie genre.

    Source: TAM, wk 47, Cs4+, HSM

    Chennai Express on &pictures also zips past popular primetime GEC shows like Big Boss, Nach Baliye, CID, KBC, Crime patrol Comedy Nights with Kapil


    Source: TAM, wk 47, Cs4+, HSM

    The channel had lined up an extensive and innovative marketing campaign including TV, Radio, Print, Outdoor, OOH and Cable for this big ticket premiere that aired on November 23rd. Putting across a differentiated digital strategy helped the channel touch the pulse of the youth through Facebook, Twitter and the blogging community.

    The initiative of sending a reminder calls in Shah Rukh Khan’s Voice received a record breaking 153357 unique callers. Selecting four IndiBloggers to relive the journey that SRK and Deepika Padukone had done in the film is clearly a case of achieving success through customer-driven marketing innovation. The bloggers recreated the entire Chennai Express journey which engaged the audiences online. The same was supported by @AndPicturesIN to drive more conversations around the movie premiere. The activation which began on 18th November had four IndiBloggers (Karishma Rawat, Nandini Deka, Arvind Passey & Ramit Narang) travel via Chennai Express train from Mumbai to Rameshwaram. It proved to be an effective medium of getting the audience engaged with the blogging community who kept throwing them challenges enroute their journey. The link www.indiblogger.in/chennaiexpress had live updates from the 4 bloggers and they created record breaking conversations on twitter & Facebook.

    Talking about the marketing strategy, Akash Chawla, ZEEL, National Channels, Marketing Head, said, “The rise of social media and the increasingly connected customer makes us continuously think out of the box to engage them in newer and interesting ways. By allowing our viewers to experience a film in person before they see it in their own homes, we ensured that &pictures is synonymous with quality and a channel that puts their viewers first. This innovation in the online space has reaped us the benefit across platforms. It has helped us to overcome existing and emerging challenges and set benchmarks which we look to break again in the near future.”

    He adds, “Remarkably, the campaign saw an additional 500 tweets with #chennaiexpressandyou even after the film had premiered. The campaign successfully reached out to a whopping 1.4 unique Twitter users and received over 14 million impressions on Twitter. The impressions via IndiBlogger network was a staggering record 1 Million + and including the impressions generated by four bloggers traveling it comes to a whopping 6.6 million. Owing to the phenomenal response received by this activation, #chennaiexpressandyou was the most talked about topic on Twitter so much that we broke Twitter.”

    &pictures marketing strategy for the premiere of Chennai Express was a unique blend of traditional and digital mediums with innovation and differentiation.

  • ‘Chennai Express’ halts on &pictures

    ‘Chennai Express’ halts on &pictures

    MUMBAI: Did you get a reminder call from Shah Rukh Khan to watch Chennai Express on &pictures? Following the success on Zee TV which garnered 19,541 TVTs, Shah Rukh Khan and Rohit Shetty’s gigantic blockbuster, Chennai Express will now halt on &pictures on 23 November at 8:00 pm.

    The new Hindi movie channel is pulling all stops to make this premiere an even a bigger success than Zee TV. The channel has devised an interesting digital mechanism to promote the premiere of this blockbuster film.

    “It is the first of its kind initiative on Hindi movie genre space,” asserts Zeel marketing head (national channels) Akash Chawla. “It is a challenge now for &pictures. When there is a platform as big as Zee TV and when there is a movie as big as Chennai Express and the ratings are as big as what they had come when it was last aired, it makes it that very important for the newly launched &pictures. The challenge for us it to come up with a strategy that is new and different from what was used the last time it was telecast on Zee TV.”

    “But in terms of the way in which we are building Chennai Express on the channel is aggressive and different. While we are very aggressive on the traditional medium, a lot of hoardings are up in Bombay and for print we are digging deep into the markets also. The brand &pictures is very different as compared to Zee TV so the tonality of the promotion is extremely different as compared to what you saw on Zee. A complete blend of mass media and digital in a big way.”

    The brand &pictures is very different as compared to Zee TV, says Akash Chawla

    So what are the innovations? Breaking new ground, a unique IVRS (Interactive Voice Response System) model has been created. Through this, viewers can just give a missed call on this toll free number 18001035515 and get a reminder about the movie on their phones in Shah Rukh Khan’s own voice. It works like an alarm clock wherein one can set a reminder about the telecast of the movie and receive a call on the D-Day. The channel is promoting this number on-air as well as on social media.

    Interestingly, Brandlogist, a digital creative agency based in Delhi has been roped in for these innovations.

    There’s more good news for all movie bloggers and travel freaks! Tapping again into the digital media, the channel is sending four lucky bloggers on the actual Chennai Express train. The group of bloggers will take the train from Mumbai and will go to Chennai and while they travel, they will tweet and write on various forums with regards to their actual travel experience happening on the Chennai Express with the &pictures hashtag. This is another novel way that the movie is going to be promoted via blogging community. Actual experiences and pictures will also be uploaded real-time.

    With the help of the blogging community associated with Indi Bloggers, these bloggers from Mumbai and Delhi will get to win this experience on the Chennai Express train.  A page on Indi Blogger will track the entire journey from start to finish in real time. There will also be a live feed of their tweets, blogs and pictures on social media.

    Over and above the digital initiatives, an aggressive marketing strategy has been initiated on other mediums including TV, Radio, Print, Outdoor, OOH and Cable.

    At present, the new channel has its official Twitter page with twitter handle @AndPicturesIN and boasts of more than 4,300 followers. The page is buzzing with tweets and re-tweets related to Chennai Express with hashtags #chennaiexpressandyou. It has also launched its official Facebook page which has more than 57,000 likes.

  • Social media hashtags work wonders for ‘Chennai Express’ premiere

    Social media hashtags work wonders for ‘Chennai Express’ premiere

    MUMBAI: Zee TV’s social media strategy to promote the world television premiere of Chennai Express on 20 October saw an unprecedented response on Twitter. The twitteratis went ga-ga rooting this year’s biggest blockbuster.

    It was a time for Shah Rukh Khan fans to show their loyalty and they were not disappointing at all. The fans received the contest with awe and excitement and supported all the hashtags – #ChennaiExpressAt8, #BiggestBlockbusteronZee, #ChennaiExpress #ThePowerOfACommanMan – created to endorse the premiere last Sunday. A first of its kind, this integrated promotional strategy on the digital platforms for the premiere of a movie on television, made people sit back and take notice.

    The well thought out integrated strategy by the team encompassed platforms like mobile, social media and TV to create an unparalleled and first of its kind campaign experience which took the digital platforms by storm. At the core of the campaign was a contest that started six days prior to the premiere of the film.

    The campaign had a virtual ticket window, which allowed all fans to ‘book’ tickets of Chennai Express. All the users after filling in a few details received a digital version of a ‘un-confirmed’ ticket. This was a contest whereby the fans received a PNR number (like the one received while booking a train ticket) and were asked to check the status of their tickets (whether confirmed or waitlisted) on television while the movie was on.

    A live ticker was run during the telecast of the movie where the winners PNR Numbers were flashed. This ensured that all participants watched the movie on the D-Day. Fifty lucky winners were given gift hampers autographed by Shah Rukh Khan as gratification.

    Right from its start and including the day of the telecast, the activity trended daily on social media. All activities and platforms converged resulting the following that were a first in India:

    Zeel head of marketing, national channels Akash Chawla exults: “We’re incredibly proud of this digital campaign that was built around the world television premiere of Chennai Express. Breaking all records is also the fact that #ChennaiExpressAt8 trended continuously for nine hours. This strengthens our belief to deliver path-breaking reach and resonance in an efficient and organic manner.”

    The campaign managed to reach out to more than three million Indians.

  • Oops! &pictures forgets Ghanchakkar or does it?

    Oops! &pictures forgets Ghanchakkar or does it?

    MUMBAI: Right from the very first phase of the channel’s launch, &pictures has pulled out all stops and taken the offbeat and innovative communication route while interacting with its target audience.

     

    For the upcoming movie premiere of Ghanchakkar at 9:00 pm on the channel’s primetime property, ‘Saturday First Show’; the channel plans on taking the storyline of the film to promote the World Television Premiere of Ghanchakkar.

     

    While initial plans and promotions a few weeks back had Ghanchakkar slated to air on 5 October, &pictures now plans to air the film on 12 October instead. In keeping with the essence of Emraan Hashmi’s character who forgets everything, the pitch being used for the world premiere of Ghanchakkar too, is that “We forgot that we were to air the film on 5 October!”

     

    Promos for the premiere of the film went on air on Saturday, 5 October, and feature a montage of Emraan Hashmi’s character from the film Sanjay Atre spouting his now familiar line “Mujhe kuch yaad nahi aa raha hai.”

     

     “As a channel that engages with new India, we always seek to take the unconventional route which appeals to and grabs the attention of our audience,” says Zeel marketing head – national channels Akash Chawla.

     

     “The initial censor certification for the film during its theatrical release was ‘U/A’. However keeping in mind the fact that TV audiences watch films in their homes, we have further edited the film to make it suitable for viewers of all ages,” says Zeel cluster programming head (Hindi movie channels) Ruchir Tiwari, about the special considerations that have been taken into consideration while premiering the film.

  • Zee’s digital plan: Apps for all

    Zee’s digital plan: Apps for all

    The title of Zee TV’s latest primetime offering – Connected Hum Tum – inadvertently spells out the predicament most general entertainment channels (GECs) find themselves in today.
    Indeed, be it a Sony Entertainment Television, Star Plus, Colors or Zee, given the increasingly competitive TVT scenario, every channel today faces the continual challenge of staying connected to stay in the minds of its audience.

    Zee TV has differentiated its digital presence based on the kind of shows on air. Right from religious, musical, self-help to horror programmes, says Akash Chawla

    So, how do channels go about cracking this rather tough nut? How do they perfect the science of understanding viewer habits amidst the growing clutter of GECs? Apparently, they’ve found the perfect solution in social media.

    True. From being just an informal platform for friends to chat and share pictures, social media has evolved into the most preferred medium to stay connected and TV channels are no exception to this norm.

    In fact, indiantelevision.com kick-started its digital series in a bid to understand the individual digital strategy of each television channel within our purview. After a close look at the digital strategies adopted by the likes of Sony Entertainment Television, Star Plus and Colors, we now take a sneak peek at the digital approach of Zee TV.

    With a slew of social media initiatives including mobile apps and missed call theory incorporated into its reality shows, Zee TV has tried to stay on top of its game as far as remaining connected with its audiences. Let’s take a look at what’s on offer…

    A finger in every digital pie

    Zee TV’s tryst with the digital space began in 2009 when it launched its official channel on YouTube.

    Today, the YouTube channel boasts 613,650 subscribers, with over 428 million views of the 30,950 videos, making it one of the most viewed channels on YouTube.

    Episodes of daily soaps like Qubool Hai, Pavitra Rishta, Jodha Akbar and Punarvivaah as well as reality shows like Connected Hum Tum and Dance India Dance Super Moms are regularly uploaded on the YouTube channel. These apart, “Episodes of previously aired popular soaps like Chhoti Bahu, Star Ya Rockstar, DID Li’l Masters 2 and Yahan Main Ghar Ghar Kheli are also made available on it,” informs Zee marketing head, national channels, Akash Chawla.

    The mainstay platform of Zee has web exclusive content, photo galleries, polls, full schedule of the shows and much more

    Apparently, “Qubool Hai – the sweet, light-hearted love story of Asad and Zoya and their families leads the pack on the Zee YouTube channel,” reveals Chawla, adding, “We get an average of 1,60,000 views per episode of Qubool Hai uploaded on our YouTube channel.” Pavitra Rishta follows suit with an average of 50,000 views per episode

    Apart from the YouTube channel, Zee TV keeps its viewers updated about the cast of its shows, teasers of upcoming episodes, and show launches through its official Facebook page that boasts 422,915 likes and more than 23,500 fans in constant discussion.

    “Even our shows have a huge following with pps that engage the audience. Dance India Dance for instance has 503,700 likes with 13,000 plus active followers,” gushes Chawla, adding, “The last season of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa attracted 0.15 million likes, and the number of active users went up to 8,000 while the show was on-air.”

    Hum, tum aur social media

    Zee’s latest primetime offering Connected Hum Tum is the latest in its endeavours in the digital space.

    Even before the show premiered on television, Zee created original parallel online content to promote it.

    Short comic videos were created with the central theme of ‘Men Who Understand Women’ Society. They all had a crew turning up during scenarios where the man is clueless about what has upset his woman and provide him with remedial measures. Parodies of real-life situations, the videos all but left the audiences in splits.

    A month prior to the show launch, Zee created a wave of curiosity around it through daily teaser posts on Facebook and Twitter. These built intrigue around the show’s novel concept and the identity of its celebrity host.

    Ultimately, “When Abhay Deol was revealed as the host, the social media space kept buzzing with pictorial posts of the actor with his tongue-in-cheek commentary about women and how he just cannot understand them! The title song of the show – a fresh, catchy video featuring the actor, was launched on YouTube and all other video platforms alongside its on-air launch,” Chawla informs about Zee’s social media strategy during the launch of this show.

    He points out that on the anvil are live chats with Abhay on Twitter, Google hangouts with the participants and live tweeting during the telecast of an episode with an on-air twitter feed – all to drive increased viewer interactivity and participation.

    Zee TV has also created a YouTube gadget, which serves as the primary engagement platform for audiences to consume Connected Hum Tum online. It has episodes, uncut videos, a discussion forum on the themes of daily episodes, and video biographies of the six protagonists – all updated on a day-to-day basis.

    Going a step further, Zee TV has differentiated its digital presence based on the kind of shows on air. “Right from religious, musical, self-help to horror programmes, we have apps for all,” informs Chawla. “When Ramayan was first telecast on Zee, the channel launched a virtual Ram Mandir app on Facebook. This helped people to perform virtual aarti. We got an impressive 10,000 page views for this app, within the very first week,” he says.

    Similarly, when Sa Re Ga Ma Pa 2012 was launched, Zee TV introduced the Call and Sing app, allowing fans to record their songs and post their recording either on their own walls or friends’ walls. “This was a way to engage people, as they could now showcase their singing prowess to their friends and Zee TV followers alike,” Chawla reveals.

    It doesn’t end there. Zee TV’s Twitter handle, @ZeeTV, has nearly 73,233 followers. Interactions are usually driven by the channel and picked up by followers. Fans who are interested in behind-the-scenes gossip are kept updated through live tweets.

    Exults Chawla: “Our comprehensive digital presence is further topped by the official website www.zeetv.com. This being our mainstay, we use all other platforms to drive traffic towards the website, which is complete with a picture gallery, video uploads, trends, show trivia, news and discussions and much more.”

    During the audition of Dance India Dance 3, Zee TV went to the extent of allowing online entries. “We recorded a whopping 50,000 participants registering for auditions with votes reaching a cumulative figure of 1.75 lakh,” says Chawla.
    Mobile’s the way to go

    With Ditto TV, users can watch movies, television shows, sports and latest news and updates, at their own convenience, even when away from home says Manoj Padmanabhan

    The launch of Ditto TV on 29 February 2012 marked the channel’s foray into the mobile space. Ditto TV was unveiled as an Over-The-Top TV (OTT) distribution platform offering live TV channels and videos-on-demand (VOD) to consumers on their mobile phones, tablets, laptops, desktops, entertainment boxes and connected TVs.

    About Ditto TV, Zee business head, new media, Manoj Padmanabhan, says: “With Ditto TV, users can watch movies, television shows, sports and latest news and updates, at their own convenience, even when away from home.”

    The platform has a Movies-on-Demand section with close to 500 Hindi, English and regional movies, and a vast library of videos-on-demand from popular TV shows such as Hum Paanch, Saath Saath, MTV Coke Studio, MTV Bakra and Comedy Nights with Kapil as well as online content. 

    “What’s exciting is that users can watch missed episodes of their favourite on-air shows from Zee TV, Colors and other regional channels on Ditto TV within a few hours of their telecast on television,” Padmanabhan informs.

    With a presence across mobile platforms such as Android, iOS, Symbian, Windows 8 and Blackberry, Ditto TV has 65,210 likes on Facebook and 1,420 active followers on its Twitter handle – @ditto_tv.

    Padmanabhan reveals that they recently launched an innovative teaser campaign on the Zee YouTube channel comprising interactive videos to give a fresh twist to the concept of ‘anytime viewing’. He is quick to point out that though currently, most of their traffic is from India with only 10 per cent of their base being international users they plan to expand their international presence this year.

    Zee’s YouTube page has all the popular shows and gets more than 40,000 average video views per episode

    Zee’s next big initiative in the mobile space came with the launch of the Dance India Dance (DID) mobile WAP site and mobile app, which coincided with the third season of the show. This made DID the first ever reality show on Indian television to be present as an application on all mobile and digital platforms.

    In March 2012, within three days of unveiling it, the app reported more than 10,000 downloads and rated 4.5 out of 5 on the Android app store – a very competitive score, considering the Android store is an open platform and the reviews therein are all user-generated.

    About the overwhelming response, Chawla says: “The interactions with popular judges and contestants of the show made the mobile application go viral in the digital space, setting new benchmarks with 2,12,852 WAP site page hits, 18 lakh page views and 14,642 comments in the ‘live comments’ section within months of its launch.”

    Not only did the DID 3 app become a major hit in India but also in 25 other countries including the US and the UK. “It reinforced the fact that mobile marketing is the best way to capture the youth and the tech-savvy generation of smart phone and feature phone users,” points out Chawla.
    Riding on the success of the DID 3 app and following the overwhelming response to the initial episodes of DID L’il Masters, the app was converted to its DID l’il Masters avatar in May 2012. This actually made users come back for more.

    Zee TV constantly updates its Facebook profile with pictures, polls and snippets

    “Features like live chats and personalised dance tutorials with masters and skippers were introduced along with regular updates. A built in missed call feature allowed users to vote for their favourite contestants,” says Chawla, adding, “There was an increase in the number of users with the official download count crossing three lakh downloads across all four platforms.”

    To top it all, the app won accolades from the marketing fraternity when it won a Gold and a Bronze at the Smarties 2012 and MMA Global for being the best mobile app and the missed call feature, respectively.

    “The missed call feature recorded a landslide 56.1 million votes just through DID Li’l Masters 2,” informs Chawla. Overall, Zee recorded a one million download mark among Hindi GECs for its non-fiction shows, demonstrating the success of its mobile app revolution.

    While it may be safe to say Zee has been pressing all the right buttons digitally speaking, let’s see what does the channel comes up with next considering creativity never ends in this space

  • Never-Ending Movie generates more than a million impressions!!

    Never-Ending Movie generates more than a million impressions!!

    MUMBAI:Whoever said ‘Too many cooks spoil the broth’ would never have thought that India’s first interactive movie channel ‘&pictures’ would take that quote and turn it around. In just two days of the digital film going live, the country’s first crowd-sourced film has already sent the digital audiences into a frenzy, engaging around 15,000 users! Of these more than 30% of them have accessed the film through their mobile phones. The specially created Twitter hashtag #GiveMovieNamesWithAnd trended organically on the very first day of the never ending film going live in cyberspace.

    With the vibrant campaign page andpictures.in bringing in the most traffic, engagement levels are phenomenal with users who access it from desktops staying on the microsite for 5+ minutes, mobile net users staying on the site for 4.2+ minutes and page views reaching over 4 views per person. Though users have the option to participate through Twitter and Facebook, there is maximum fun on the campaign micro site which has led to exceptionally high stay time per user.

    Debashish Ghosh, Chief Knowledge Officer – EsselGroup, Technology and Digital Strategy while talking about the high user engagement on ‘the never &ing movie’ says “All innovative campaigns do well for obvious reasons. But this one has really surpassed even my expectations. Counting all social shares, mentions, tweets etc, exposure for the Brand ‘&Pictures’ as a result of the ‘never &ing movie campaign’, has gone to several hundreds of thousands, possibly crossed million. All of this essentially drives home the point that the initiative is perhaps tending to become one of the better case studies of Ideation Led Digital initiatives in India and perhaps even the world. The fact that there is almost 50% mobile engagement proves that people are constantly following the campaign and engaging at will. This is PURELY because of the power of the idea and digital execution. “

    He further added, “The compelling part of the idea is that it hands control to consumers … and consumers love it! Especially when brands recognize that consumers are cognitive and intelligent in their approach. In my opinion – that’s what made consumers align so easily with the concept. They felt ONE with it and a part of it. And most importantly – it is a TOTALLY FUN experience which is yet serious and non-frivolous. It lends a sense of fulfillment to consumers in co-creating that ultimate ‘Junta Scripted’ movie. This innovative idea is in sync with the brand ethos and helps showcase &pictures as being significantly different from all existing movie channels. The results have proven that we were right in our choice – so far – and the participation by consumers have been phenomenal.“

    Talking about the phenomenally high response to the digital film, Mr. Akash Chawla, Marketing –Head, National Channels, ZEEL, says “The digital film has been extremely successful in reaching out to the right kind of audiences and creating a huge buzz for ‘&pictures’ as a brand. As a movie channel, it has been the perfect medium to engage users with the brand through the creation of a film that is ‘for the people and by the people’. We have urged users to get their creative juices flowing and there have been over 2200 responses for the script and dialogues with thousands liking and following dialogues through the day.”

    “Our data on the campaign has shown us that we have gained a large group of loyal followers who have been following the progress of the film from the stage of inception. These users follow the campaign as they leave their places of study and work leading to a huge spike in traffic between 7-11 PM. Though digital trends in the past show that people have been averse to the idea of signing up, it is encouraging to see that they haven’t resisted the process or let it stop them from participating in the campaign.”

    Join us as we premiere the film that YOU made possible! The film premieres on Monday, August 12 on andpictures.in. Stay tuned!

  • The inside dope on Zee’s &pictures

    The inside dope on Zee’s &pictures

    MUMBAI: Zeel marketing head (national channels) Akash Chawla is used to doing things differently and even pioneering initiatives in the broadcasting space. Being part of a very entrepreneurial organisation like Zee he says: “Our challenge is to keep re-inventing.”

    Some are calling the upcoming movie channel from the Zeel’s stable &pictures – Sapnon ki Udaan that is slated to go on-air on 18 August as a bold step. The network already has a couple of Hindi movie channels in the crowded and competitive genre. But Zeel chief content and creative officer Bharat Kumar Ranga is not worried as there is a clearly thought out strategy behind the new launch.

    Says he: “As new mindsets are emerging in India and Indians worldwide, there is a need to cater to that. Zee very successfully caters to certain mindsets, beliefs, values very effectively. There was a need to come up with a parallel brand in order to cater to the young audiences that we noticed. So, &pictures is an effort to come out with a brand that can speak to them and delight them.”

    The movie labeled as India’s first interactive movie channel has already made waves by buying out broadcasting rights for upcoming blockbusters like Chennai Express, Zanjeer and Besharam. Nonetheless, it will also telecast movies which the youth can relate to like Andaaz Apna Apna, Joh Jeeta Wahi Sikandar, ABCD, Kai Po Che and many more.
    The real difference lies in Zee’s approach to the new movie channel says Akash Chawla

    But the first question that comes to one’s mind is how different it is going to be from Zee Cinema? There is a big difference between the channels describes Chawla. He further says that Zee Cinema has been a market leader for a very long time now. “The real difference is going to be how Zee approaches the movie channel. The movie channel is far more experimental, interactive and adventurous in spirit,” he points out, adding, “Zee cinema will continue to cater to the family audience at home in a way that they want to watch real cinema. But that doesn’t mean that the two channels don’t cater to the same audience. It is just that sometimes one is in a mood to watch more adventurous films and interact with the movies and sometimes we just want to lay back and just watch a movie. Let the audience choose what they want to watch. And as part of the philosophy the two channels are very different.”

    Creative mantra

    What’s surprising is that this time there is no ‘Zee’ prefix in the name. Chawla explains why. Says he: “If we look at the consumer point of view, brand creation view, the two brands are different, they cater to different mindsets but they carter to the same families. If we don’t come up with such products someone else will. They accepted Zee Cinema earlier, they will accept the new channel as well.”

     

    Bharat Ranga says that there was a need to come up with a parallel brand in order to cater to the young audiences

    The real germ of an idea to come up with a non-Zee branded channel started around two years ago, but the actual work started around eight-10 months ago. After scanning through about 1000 logos the current one was finalised.

    “Using a symbol as a logo has been done for the first time in India and will have multiple connotations.” adds Chawla.

    Breaking down the logo, the network explains that the ampersand sign in &pictures signifies Udaan (flight) and Neev (rooted) and celebrates the duality of contemporary Indians. Where, Udaan signifies that one wants to go higher and ambitious in life whereas Neev is rooted with the network’s values and beliefs that Zee always promises its audiences. The color red similarly radiates its bold ambition as well as the richness of traditions, Chawla points out.

    The movie channel has appointed Scarecrow as its creative agency. The agency has worked on the strategic process for &pictures, giving the channel its name and logo. Scarecrow will be involved in all aspects of the brand from creating the corporate identity, brand guidelines, to internal communication to ATL and BTL communication but only for a year as that is time frame the agency has signed the contract with Zee.

    Speaking on the initiative, Scarecrow Communications founder director Raghu Bhatt asserts, “We will be working closely with the brand team to ensure that the business and marketing targets are achieved. The Indian media space is very competitive but this is an opportunity to offer a differentiated proposition based on differentiated content.”

    Chawla explains that the potential watcher of &pictures is: experimental, ambitious yet rooted, young at heart, reinvents oneself, is the right blend of modernity and tradition, is exploratory, goes off the beaten track and is energetic and spirited. “It is not just a youth channel”, adds Chawla. “We believe the fact that this is the channel which the entire family will watch. And we hope that like people patronise Zee TV and Zee Cinema, they would patronise this channel as well.”

    Differentiating factor
    Our plan is to anlayse every content before acquiring it reveals Ruchir Tiwari

    In terms of presentation and marketing of the channel, Zee is going to indulge in two-way communication with the audiences. “It’s true that today, a lot of traditional film concepts are not going to work. But it is also true that films, which explore the off-beaten path and are presented in a manner that is acceptable to the consumers and families of today, are also working”, clarifies Chawla.

    For the initial six months, the channel is going to be free to air, after which it will turn pay. Currently it is available across cable TV networks in testing mode, and will be on almost all DTH networks when it launches. And will spread its footprint overseas, later.

    “In the world of TVT, we have audiences across the world, so where ever the Hindi speaking people are, the channel will reach out to them,” adds Ranga.

    As for the movie library the channel’s main focus will be to aggregate the right kind of content which blends with its philosophy.

    “We always deeply anlayse before picking up and acquiring any content, All acquisitions will dovetail the philosophy, the DNA of &pictures,” says Zeel cluster programming head (Hindi movie channels) Ruchir Tiwari. “We are here just at the right time, with digitisation going on,” asserts Tiwari.

     
    Deepak Netram is optimistic about the new entrant in the genre

    With the 12 minute per hour ad cap becoming effective from 1 October, is this Zee’s way of getting more ad revenue? “We had started thinking about the new channel 20 months back, we were just waiting for the right time, and to pick up the right library. But of course it will help us with 10+ 2; however that is not the sole reason. We believe that there is a space in the market which is not tapped. If you will look at youth of today, they don’t just watch TV but are on other social platforms – they want to chat, tweet etc. and we think that space hasn’t been captured and hence we want to be the 1st movers in that space.” clarifies Chawla.

    Zeel’s new launch has got the applause of media professionals. They believe that &pictures is likely to do well. “Going by the recent success of other entrants in the Hindi movie genre, it certainly seems there is good potential,” says Lodestar UM vice-president Deepak Netram. “A new offering in the genre definitely will help the network to widen its basket.”

    “Success ultimately will require the ideal combination of the many ingredients like marketing, content, programming and distribution coming together. In these areas, it is also critical to continue sustained efforts even post launch. A lot depends on how the offering translates to viewers and to advertisers and this will define how the channel performs. The promos on the test signals revolving around new titles are inviting and this could create viewer interest.” Netram adds.

    What’s next to your kitty, Zee?

  • Clash of the Titans

    Clash of the Titans

    Sony, on the other hand, is all geared up to strike a chord with family viewers through Indian Idol Junior (IIJ), which will be running for 14 weeks. Title sponsor being Nissan Micra and powered by Horlicks, this new kids singing reality show has Real Fruit, 99acres.com, Kellog’s Oats and Alpenliebe as other associate sponsors. According to the channel, over 6,000 promos spots have been played for IIJ.

    “IIJ has one thing going for it,” says a media observer. “It is commencing at 8:30 pm, half an hour before the rest. This could well work in its favour in terms of it getting viewers tuning into it Whether it will manage to make them sticky will depend on the show’s content.”

    Indian Idol Junior judges Shekhar, Shreya & Vishal will be innovating while dealing with kids on the show

    That is a legacy story, says Sony Entertainment Television (SET) marketing head Gaurav Seth. But what sets IIJ apart from the rest is its brand positioning, he adds. He further elaborates: “It is a brand extension of the very popular Indian Idol format on SET. We believe children have a lot of potential and talent on offer and hence, we wanted to explore this segment and showcase it to pan Indian audiences. We conducted a massive nationwide hunt to search for these kids through our eminent judges and we believe our viewers are going to be stunned with the talent on display through the rounds. Kids have a lot to offer in terms of their innocent, spontaneous and completely endearing actions which makes for compelling television viewing.”

    Sony’s Seth has marketing for Indian Idol Junior covered from all angles

    Launching an extensive campaign revolving around kids, Sony is comprehensively promoting the newest branch of its much loved franchise. Seth explains: “We have executed a huge national communication roll-out to inform TV viewers across India about the show and what to expect. This has been across all major media platforms and has succeeded in building immense recall for the show prior to launch. As it progresses, we believe that the talent on display will continue to attract loyal viewers interested in following the fortunes of their favourite contestants.”

    Sony plans to sustain viewer interest through city concerts, activation and celebrity episodes designed to keep highlighting the high-points in the show throughout the current season. Says Seth: “It has been one of the most popular talent shows on television and we hope to keep the success of its past editions alive with this new and fresher avatar. Indian Idol is a profit maker and the latest offering has received a favorable response from our advertising partners.”

    Zee TV is counting on its all new concept of DID Super Moms derived from one of its most successful properties – Dance India Dance (DID) to do the trick for it. For the first time, mothers, who always have been seen supporting their children in DID, take center-stage in this unique dance reality show focused on moms.

    DID Super Moms team are looking at replicating DID’s success

    Zeel marketing head Akash Chawla asserts: “With DID Super Moms we wanted to capture the emotions of the audiences where a mother is a very important part of our lives and she always played a crucial role in our success. Our communication revolved around the fact that now it’s time for mothers to be in the spot light and we should cheer them and support them helps them to fulfill her dreams.”

    Coming back to JDJ, one of the innovative strategies launched by Colors exclusively for the show is a promotional tie-up with YRF’s upcoming Ranbir Kapoor- Deppika Padukone starrer Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani. “We will be running JDJ promos during YJHD. We have targeted 900+ screens in over 40 cities. While in terms of amplifying the campaign with the help of cable TV, we have planned a 10 Day activity in 130 cities and have bought over 1,000 spots,” adds Rajesh Iyer.

    Movie promotions are what IIJ will be banking on too to rope in celebrities and also heighten viewer engagement. Seth reveals: “There will be movie integrations at a later stage once gala rounds begin. We will also form strategic tie-ups with news channels to promote content and/or activation and concerts.”

    Season six of JDJ is being lauded for its aesthetically beautiful promos directed by Colors’ in-house team led by Monica Nair. JDJ is being heavily promoted on the channel with promos not only seen during the ad breaks but within shows as well. “In order to increase the recall value of the viewers, we’re trying this different mode of in-show promotion wherein we show a JDJ promo even before the advertisement break – between the show and the coming – up of the next segment,” asserts Iyer.
    Creatives

    Colors- Marching Ants

    Sony- Leo Burnett

    Zee TV- Draft FCB Ulka

    Sony’s IIJ also has commendable creatives designed by Leo Burnett, with a strong positioning- Gaanon ka wohi jaadu ab bachchon ki awaaz mein. The promos, directed by the creative team at SET along with Fremantle Media, depicting young kids singing old classics have become quite popular. It has been an immensely clutter breaking campaign on all media especially TV with the spots getting high salience and recall,” says Seth.