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Tag: Amin Lakhani

  • Star Sports reveals IPL 2020 sponsors in promo

    Star Sports reveals IPL 2020 sponsors in promo

    Mumbai: The Disney Star India (read: Star Sports sales) team seems to have done it again: breasted the broadcast sponsorship tape for the IPL 2020 in good time, even as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has yet to close many of its deals.

    The roster of sponsors, which was revealed in the first IPL promo look pretty healthy, clearly showing the confidence that brands have in the success of the tournament which is slated to flag off on 19 September in the Dubai International Sports Stadium in the UAE.

    It’s digital first brands, as expected and predicted, that have come on board as co-presenting broadcast sponsors. This includes fantasy sports app Dream 11, online shopping major Amazon, digital payments company PhonePe, and edutech unicorn Byju’s.

    Amongst the associate sponsors figure some old sports backers and some new ones: Cadbury Dairy Milk, Sunfeast, Coca-Cola, Polycab, Rummycircle, Kamla Pasand Masala and  McDowell’s.

    For this year, Star Sports claims to have already sold out 75 per cent of the IPL inventory. There are over 60 advertisers, including FMCG, auto, BFSI, online shopping, edutech, and other new-age brands, for spot buys, PPL shows, and features. Some of the brands in this list include Coca Cola, ITC, Mondelez, P&G, Nestle, Colgate, Britannia, GSK, and Reckitt. Star has also indicated that the number of advertisers and the amount of ad spends is higher than the usual. The network claims to have witnessed heavy demand from brands as Dream11 IPL cuts across gender and ages

    The broadcaster reveals that brands from BFSI categories have shown great interest in this season of Dream11 IPL. They are seeing it as a unique combination of festive and a high impact opportunity to engage and influence consumers whose buying behaviour has been disrupted.

    On the programming front, Star Sports has increased its content for pre-shows thus making more inventories available for this popular asset for brands that want to participate in this high impact property during the festive season.

    IPL is the biggest live sporting event happening in the subcontinent after a hiatus of nearly five months. People are keenly awaiting the tournament to begin. It is expected that the viewership of the game will be higher as audiences have sorely missed live sports. As per BARC, currently, TV consumption is higher over pre-Covid2019 times as people are restricted to their homes. The matches, this year start at 7:30 pm and will increase audience availability by more than 20 per cent, as per BARC.

    Over the years, the league has been regarded as the biggest platform reach and engagement for brands as it has continued to set viewership records across demographics year-on-year. The twelfth edition of the league witnessed 613 million viewers (consolidated + PPL + Surround). The broadcaster will continue with its focus on regional channels. IPL 2019 also saw some record-breaking numbers through women viewership. Nearly 175 million women viewers aged 15 years and above watched Vivo IPL across India between 23 March and 12 May 2019. As per the data from the broadcaster, the top 50 shows among women include cricket and IPL dominates primetime with 3.5 per cent leadership margin.

  • Gear up to witness Live Sports Virtual round-table today at 3 pm

    Gear up to witness Live Sports Virtual round-table today at 3 pm

    NEW DELHI: Every sporting event in India and across the globe was cancelled, moved or postponed due to the novel coronavirus, there has been a major upheaval on the sporting calendar. But with Indian Premier League (IPL) making a comeback, cricket fans are now eagerly waiting for the game to kickstart from 19 September in UAE.  

    If reports are to be believed, online gaming and sports firms are all set to spend big on television and digital platforms. With live sports back in action, Indian Television decided to get together brands, agencies, marketers & sports platforms over a virtual round table to discuss how the business of live sports would pan out especially in the wake of the current pandemic.

    Live sports action be it football, cricket, etc. They have already started in other countries as the unlock was announced in a staggered manner. The discussion will explore the current problems faced and the best opportunities available to the industry. From broadcasting to sponsorship (Athlete & team), the round table will understand the value of true sports partnerships which will benefit both the brand and the sport to grow together.

    The virtual round table will witness crème de la crème of the industry. Mindshare South Asia, chief operating officer Amin Lakhani; Dentsu Aegis Network CEO APAC & Chairman Ashish Bhasin; Byju’s head of marketing Atit Mehta; Future Group’s group CMO (Marketing, digital, and e-commerce) Pawan Sarda; IPG Mediabrands CEO- India Shashi Sinha; Group India business head (Entertainment, Sports & Live Events) Vinit Karnik. The discussion will be moderated by IndianTelevision.com Group Founder, CEO & Editor-in-Chief Anil Wanvari.

    The virtual round-table will go live on 21 August 2020 at 3 pm. You can register here for the discussion. 

    Watch this space for more developments! 

  • Ad agencies expect reallocation of budgets post TRAI tariff order implementation

    Ad agencies expect reallocation of budgets post TRAI tariff order implementation

    MUMBAI: Since the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has announced its new tariff order, making it mandatory for TV channels to keep a transparent display of the rates of its channels and bouquets and providing the viewers the liberty to pay only for those channels that they want to see, there has been quite a turmoil in the worlds of those associated with the industry.

    While channels, MSOs, and LCOs are busy ensuring a smooth transition to the new regime, the advertising world is looking at a cloudy sky that only offers a lot of uncertainty towards the impact of this order on their planning.

    Speaking about the same at a recent press meet, Mindshare chief operating officer, South Asia Amin Lakhani had said, “As an industry, we have seen a lot of volatility and uncertainty in the past 4-5 years. This is also an interesting one.” He added that the industry will have to follow a wait and watch approach to see the impact of the new order on the advertising world. But he was also certain that people will not change their habit of watching TV.

    Indiantelevision.com talked to some more industry insiders to understand what the new order will mean for TV, digital and the advertising world.

    Mindshare chief digital officer South Asia Vinod Thadani reflected same thoughts as Amin and said, “Any call on the way the TRAI order will impact TV viewership would be too early. The various scenarios are yet to play out and once there is clarity on the impact on TV distribution and viewership, we will be able to take any calls on its impact on digital.”

    Isobar group MD-South Asia Shamsuddin Jasani on the other hand was sure that this new order is going to help the advertisers as they will now have a better idea of which channels are popular and thus, where to invest.

    He said, “I don’t think it will impact the ad-spends on TV drastically but will lead to re-allocation of fund by the advertisers. Now, we have an even better data of premium channels and we can thus improve the way we spend.”

    Shamsuddin is of the view that OTT might gain because of the order, “With OTT, you can track the number of users from day one. So, if advertisers use the right science (to understand these numbers), it will definitely help OTT players.”

    Update Advertising MD Sharad Alwe affirmed that the new TRAI tariff order is definitely going to impact the viewership of pay channels. He said, “The TRAI ruling will perforce make the viewer carefully select his pay channels of choice (appointment viewing) and create or select his package so that his cable subscription does not go higher than what he was paying currently. On certain channels, where he watches programming based on specific events, be it sports or reality shows, he may buy these channels only during that specific period. FTA channels & MSO/LCO based cable channels with better and relatable content will attract higher viewership.”

    But he doesn’t see this affecting the ad spends made by the brands on any of these TV channels. “These changes will impact channel rates but we do not see any negative impact on ad spends,” he says adding, “OTT offerings of the various media networks like Hotstar, SonyLiv, ZEE5, Voot might see an uptake for their selective content.”

    Mobclixs Technologies founder and CEO Dushyant Jani was very positive about the new regime making the entire broadcast framework transparent and fair. He said, “I think 50 per cent of the viewers watch not more than 30 channels but they are sold a bundled pack of 300 channels, which cost roughly between Rs 250 and Rs 450 depending on whether it is a cable connection or DTH service. When consumers select their channels, the ones that don’t meet their expectations get dropped out in the process.”

    Talking about its impact on advertising, Dushyant contended, “The drop in channels will impact the advertising revenue. For advertisers, it is wise to bet on the popular channels and obviously, the lesser popular channels will lose big on advertising revenue. However, the impact on the advertisers due to this will still be much higher as they need to cater to and capitalise on the top-selling channels but may not have enough time to plan their advertising budget.”

    Bijoor Consults Inc founder and brand guru Harish Bijoor feels that the new tariff regime is definitely a ‘jolt’ point for TV as well as the advertising industry. According to him while there are differentiated views on what impact this whole scenario will have on TV ad spends, one thing is certain that OTT is surely going to benefit in the long run.

  • GroupM announces new leadership structure for South Asia team and Mindshare

    GroupM announces new leadership structure for South Asia team and Mindshare

    MUMBAI: GroupM South Asia announced a restructuring in its leadership, to continue delivering the advantages of global operations and learnings with local expertise and sharp market insights.                      

    Effective immediately, Prasanth Kumar is named chief operating officer, South Asia, and Tushar Vyas is named president growth and transformation, South Asia, the brand new roles in the organisation.

    In addition, Parthasarathy Mandayam is named Mindshare’s CEO for South Asia and Amin Lakhani is named Mindshare’s chief operating officer in South Asia.

    Prasanth Kumar, who was handling the post of Mindshare CEO till now, will now be responsible for operational excellence of GroupM and will lead the teams across OpCos, trading and specialised units.

    Tushar Vyas, who was responsible for the launch of digital media agency business unit (interaction) for GroupM India, in his new role will drive digital transformation and focus on building GroupM capability focusing on digital, data, analytics and content.  

    Speaking on the new appointments, GroupM South Asia CEO Sam Singh said, “Prasanth and Tushar are passionate leaders with high integrity and proven ability to envision and deliver successful outcomes in a challenging environment. As we become a more data-centric organisation, there is a need to drive transformation and build future capabilities with a focus on digital, data, analytics, and content. We must work across GroupM to drive organisational transformation and operational excellence. The new team structure is another step in this direction.”

    He added, “I am also sad to announce that Lakshmi Narasimhan our chief growth officer for GroupM South Asia has decided to step down from his current role effective 31 January 2019, to pursue personal interests. I thank him for his contributions over the years and wish him all the best. We will miss him as we continue to build upon his hard work and passion. Lakshmi was instrumental in building our strong trading community with solid practices”.

    Parthasarathy Mandayam will take over the role of chief executive officer (CEO) of Mindshare, South Asia from Prasanth, effective 1 February 2019.  He has spent 10+ years with Mindshare in various leadership roles – data, insights, analytics, strategy, client leadership and business unit leadership. He will report into Sam Singh, CEO GroupM, South Asia, Prasanth Kumar – COO – GroupM South Asia and Amrita Randhawa, CEO Mindshare Asia Pacific.

    Going forward, Amin Lakhani will take on the role of chief operating officer (COO) for Mindshare South Asia. Amin has over 20 years’ experience in various roles in Mindshare and GroupM and is currently leading client leadership at Mindshare.

    Talking on the latest developments, the new GroupM COO Prasanth Kumar said, “Our industry is an ever-mutating one, so we have to also continue to evolve and adapt. With Maps and Amin now at the helm of Mindshare, we have leaders with a proven track record of consistently achieving clients’ business goals. They will continue cultivating client relationships at the highest level and delivering great results.”

  • Mindshare teams trained to be media neutral: Vinod Thadani

    Mindshare teams trained to be media neutral: Vinod Thadani

    MUMBAI: Excited about handling the complete integrated media directive for Hindustan Unilever Ltd , after the big digital mandate win in August last year, Mindshare Fulcrum is all pumped up about serving the best possible media solutions to the brand.

    Highlighting the key strategies behind handling HUL’s digital media presence, Mindshare chief digital officer, South Asia Vinod Thadani said, “The overall approach to digital investments for HUL shall entirely be based on the need of the brand. With the consumer and the brand ambitions at the centre, specific media neutral investment strategies will give shape to the overall digital presence for HUL.”

    Mindshare Fulcrum hopes to do some pioneering work across platforms and lead the industry in the evolution of digital media.

    Earlier, Mindshare India president, client leadership Amin Lakhani had revealed that the whole team at Mindshare Fulcrum underwent an extensive training program to run a successful integrated media campaign as per the unique requirements of HUL. Talking about the role of digital in the whole mix, Thadani noted, “The larger team at Mindshare managing the HUL media investments has already proved its capability in managing the broadcast media (TV, print, radio, etc); but, digital media due to its addressable nature has a different manner of planning, buying, and evaluation. Hence, it’s this addressable media skillset that has been the focus for the recent training. The teams at Mindshare now are media neutral and hence work across all forms of media. During the recent training, the focus on digital training has been primary.”

    On another note, Thadani also shared his thoughts on the impact of new TRAI tariff order on TV viewership saying that reaching onto any conclusion regarding this will be too early. He added, “The various scenarios are yet to play out and once there is clarity on the impact on TV distribution and viewership will we be able to take any calls on its impact on digital.”

  • Mindshare Fulcrum upgrades skillset for HUL’s integrated mandate

    Mindshare Fulcrum upgrades skillset for HUL’s integrated mandate

    MUMBAI: Handling the complete integrated media mandate for the largest advertiser in the country is surely something that most agencies aspire to achieve. Imagine the glory of WPP’s Mindshare Fulcrum  when it was awarded  the digital media mandate of Hindustan Unilever Ltd in August last year. From 1 January 2019, the agency has also become the integrated media buying partner for the company and has been working closely with HUL to leverage this in a mutually beneficial setup.

    As revealed by Mindshare India president, client leadership Amin Lakhani, the agency has been conducting intensive training programs for its teams at Mindshare Fulcrum for the past three months, equipping them with all the skillsets required to run a successful integrated media campaign. “Every person working at Fulcrum is going to contribute to this entire integrated media mandate. We did a mega talent program; right from acquiring specialists wherever we need one,” he said.

    Mindshare CEO South Asia, Africa, and MENA Prasanth Kumar added, “From the last 90 days, there has been a long, strenuous digital training, as well as, integrated training for our people is being organised. We have been looking at an integrated purpose and thus introduced a number of programs, intensified training, and brought in a perspective from HUL itself, along with best practices across the world. There has been a lot of learning we have taken from HUL. The team keeps a close look at all the activities we are taking up.”

    Mindshare Fulcrum senior vice president Premjeet Sodhi mentioned, “Right from the beginning, it was clear to us that whatever brand we are working with, we have to work in an integrated fashion. It was, in fact, the desire of the team. That was the outlook that we had and the whole training program had been designed according to that. We developed the digital aspect for the current team through rigorous training. That happened in two stages: first instilling a mindset into each employee that one can manage all parts of the media, and second developing the required skillsets, which was rather easier.”

    Highlighting the key aspects around which the training was scheduled, Amin noted the ever so important video, voice, and vernacular. He noted that it is not only digital that is at the core of Fulcrum’s future strategies towards HUL but the team is looking at providing the “best possible media solution” irrespective of the platform it will be put on.

    He added, “We followed bottoms-up approach, keeping the customer at the heart of everything. We decoded the consumer; we decoded the consumer behavior and patterns, and then developed the relevant skillsets. It was a phase of discovery for the whole team.”

    Speaking on HUL's perspective of the integrated planning, Unilever general manager- Media (South Asia) GauravJeet Singh said, “We are constantly looking at the key levers of what will drive our messaging rather than what will drive our business. First of all, we need to increasingly look at the effectiveness of media deployment. Secondly, data is becoming very critical. And with that happening, you need to have people who have deep skills in utilising this data effectively to drive brand growth.”

    Highlighting the changing paradigms of the media industry following events like demonetisation, GST, and the latest being the tariff regime, GauravJeet added, “The biggest learning for us has been that it is a highly evolving industry. You just can’t take things for granted in terms of media deployment. You need to be super agile, fine-tuning your efforts on a yearly and monthly basis. Every single medium is important to grow. Also, the consumer is evolving. We, at HUL, have quarterly been changing our parameters based on readings of what the consumer behaviour is at a particular moment of time and how it is changing.”

  • Lux Golden Rose Awards’ 3rd edition supports #HeForShe campaign

    Lux Golden Rose Awards’ 3rd edition supports #HeForShe campaign

    MUMBAI: The third edition of the Lux Golden Rose Awards (LGRA) was recently concluded in Mumbai, congregating Bollywood stars to extend their support for UN’s #HeForShe campaign. Actors across eras attended the event and stood in solidarity for gender equality.

    The event was anchored in collaboration with Mindshare India and Star TV network. Star TV and Hotstar were responsible for content creation and broadcasting of the main award ceremony. Hindustan Times, Fever 104 FM, Pinkvilla, Facebook, and BeBeautiful were also roped in as partners for ancillary content creation.

    Mindshare India president – client leadership Amin Lakhani said, “With LGRA in its third consecutive year, we take immense pride in saying that with each passing year it has not only turned out to be a stronger but an even more successful association with brand Lux. In our three years of being associated with this project, we have only seen it grow in terms of grandeur and scale and what better than supporting the UN initiative HeForShe for an even more purposeful cause.”

    Hindustan Unilever Ltd GM – skin cleansing Harman Dhillion quoted, “For 90 years, Lux has been the beauty secret of iconic Bollywood superstars. This year, we used the grand stage of the Lux Golden Rose Awards to celebrate these women, and it was done in great style by the men of Bollywood paying an ode to their ladies. It was truly a pleasure to witness the Lux divas across generations being celebrated and a once in a lifetime experience.”

     Mindshare Fulcrum South Asia senior vice-president Premjeet Sodhi said, “LGRA has always been a project that we at Mindshare hold in high regard. We feel extremely honoured by the fact that over the past three years we have been able to bring Lux’s grand vision to life, with each edition being even more well-received than the last. This year, in particular, has been a matter of extreme pride, with a purpose-driven association in the form of HeForShe. The incredible success of this project would not have been possible without the tireless work and dedication of our Content+, Exchange, and Client Leadership teams, who performed extraordinarily, and delivered excellence."

  • Tiger Shroff joins 6 Pack Band 2.0 for mental disability awareness

    Tiger Shroff joins 6 Pack Band 2.0 for mental disability awareness

    MUMBAI: Being differently abled is not a choice, however, acceptance certainly is. And the youth film studio of Yash Raj Films, Y-Films, launched India’s first ‘Isspeshal band’, the Red Label 6-Pack Band 2.0 comprising of six teens between the ages of 13 to 18 with special needs but incredible music skills, drive and passion in partnership with Brooke Bond Red Label with exactly that as an agenda – to build awareness and acceptance on mental health and disability.

    Bollywood actor and youth icon Tiger Shroff has joined hands with them to get the message out there to as many people as possible.

    Commenting on this, Shroff says, “Children are our future and it was so inspiring to get to know and perform with the 6-Pack Band. I love how each one of them takes each day as it comes with a smile. I think all of us can learn how to be more patient, understanding and accepting of all our differences and make this world a more inclusive place.”

    The ad urges people to open their minds against biases, prejudice and accept people irrespective of their differences. The music video featuring Shroff has actually been inspired by a real-life incident involving a differently abled person who was bullied; an experience that most special needs people and their parents have been through at some stage.

    Hindustan Unilever Brooke Bond Red Label general manager adds, “Brooke Bond Red Label believes in urging people to question their prejudices and open their minds to the possibilities that a more accepting world open up. We are delighted about the launch of Brooke Bond Red Label 6 Pack Band 2.0’s next song which is yet another call for a more inclusive world.”

    Mindshare president of client leadership Amin Lakhani mentions, “Changing mindset is a steady and gradual process and with this number we strive to get closer to doing just that. Having a personality like Tiger Shroff on board, embracing, motivating and loving these kids with sheer genuineness is just what we needed to drive our message even more strongly.”

  • Mindshare elevates Ruchi Mathur & Saket Sinha

    Mindshare elevates Ruchi Mathur & Saket Sinha

    MUMBAI: Mindshare, India’s largest media agency, part of GroupM, has announced further organisational restructuring, in order to strengthen its focus on clients within each cluster, drive new capabilities and services, and strengthen operations. 

    The move is intended to help Mindshare not only improve and expand its offerings but also grow its presence in the industry, through a precision-based approach towards customer satisfaction.

    Ruchi Mathur has been instrumental in the growth of Mindshare North and her perseverance has led to the delight of clients, acquisition of several hero projects, and accolades from the industry. She has held pivotal roles leading the entire Mindshare PepsiCo team and collaborating with the larger advertising ecosystem to deliver great innovation for their brands. 

    In her expanded remit as senior vice president of client leadership, Mindshare North and East, Mathur will take on the responsibility of leading an additional region, and will be leading Mindshare North and East. Under her guidance, Mindshare North and East is looking forward to boosting its operational efficiency and delivering greater outcome-based business results for existing and future clients. She will also work closely with promising startups in the region that are exploring newer models of consumer engagement, by bringing together technology, insights and platforms as they grow. Mathur will work with the president of client leadership India Amin Lakhani.

    Saket Sinha will work with Mindshare South Asia CEO Prasanth Kumar and lead m/Six India as senior vice president of client leadership, focusing exclusively on growing and leading the brand. Under Sinha’s leadership m/Six in the last one year has acquired key clients across a variety of consumer product categories. M/Six today has offices in three zones – west, south and north.

    Speaking on this development, Kumar says, “Ruchi and Saket are both dynamic leaders with strong networks in the market, as well as with consumers and clients. We are very excited with the opportunities across the landscape and we are sure that the army of leadership we have in the organisation will produce great results to our clients and therefore a successful journey for us.”

  • MAM round up of the week

    MAM round up of the week

    MUMBAI: The world of media and advertising never seems to have a dull day with another action-packed week coming to an end. Amid the yo-yoing fortunes of the industry, the newsmakers held their sway. Indian Television Dot Com brings to you a round up of the most important news events over the past seven days: 

    Mindshare South Asia’s organisational restructuring

    Media agency, Mindshare, part of GroupM announced the organisation restructure this week by elevating Amin Lakhani as the new president of client leadership at Mindshare India. In his new role, he will manage core client capabilities across all offices in the country. 

    Additionally, Anita Kotwani has been promoted from her existing role to senior vice president of new business and Premjeet Sodhi will join Mindshare South Asia as senior vice president of Mindshare Fulcrum, South Asia and will lead Team Fulcrum across South Asia. Premjeet’s new role is effective March 2018.

    Madhusudan Gopalan takes over as P&G India MD and CEO

    P&G India elevated Madhusudan Gopalan who as the new managing director and CEO who will take over from 1 April 2018. Madhusudan is currently leading the P&G business in Indonesia and will take over from Al Rajwani, who is set to retire from the company after 37 years of service after the end of the financial year. Until his retirement, Al will help in on-boarding Madhusudan on the India business and enable a smooth transition.

    Gopalan has over 18 years of experience working for the company across business units and diverse geographies like India, US and ASEAN countries.

    Google Pay launches in US, UK

    Globally, in an attempt to become a hit in the vast payment space, Google launched its payment system, Google Pay in US and UK markets where users can pay for public transport in London, Portland and Kiev. 

    In India, Extending its Google Tez option, the Indian payment app will now enable bill payments for electricity, gas, water, DTH as well as postpaid mobile. You just have to link your biller accounts once and directly pay from your bank account. Tez supports Bharat BillPay and doesn’t add any transaction charges.The app is supported in English, Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Marathi, Tamil, and Telugu languages. 

    The bill paying feature would include major utilities like Reliance Energy, BSES and Dish TV and would cover all states and major metros. The app supports all major and small scale banks in India for payment.

    GroupM, Ogilvy unveil Effectiveness Lab

    Wavemaker, GroupM’s media, content and technology agency partnered with creative powerhouse Ogilvy, to create a first of its kind Effectiveness Lab in India. This unique collaboration, between the two WPP agencies will develop data-validated points of view on creating effective communications across consumer interaction platforms.

    Branded content is the first space the Lab will explore, probing how consumers respond to different content strategies, creative approaches and formats. As marketers increase spends on the creation and deployment of content, it is crucial to bring intelligence to what drives effectiveness in the content space.

    ABBY Awards announces 2018’s jury chairs 

    The week also saw Advertising Club and AAAI’s ABBY Awards announcing the illustrious Jury Chairs for the Media, Broadcaster, Publisher, Branded Content & Entertainment, Specialist and Craft Categories. Chairing the jury for each of these categories are stalwarts and veterans who have played an instrumental role in leading the respective categories towards new echelons of growth. The Media category will be judged by Madison World chairman Sam Balsara, Branded Content and Entertainment category will be judged by BIG FM CEO Tarun Katial. 

    ABBYs 2018 will be a highlight at the leading advertising convention, Goafest, where once again the entire advertising and marketing fraternity is expected to come together in Goa, between 5th April, 2018 and 7th April 201 at The Grand Hyatt, Bambolim, North Goa.