Tag: brand

RED FM may campaign in more cities after ‘Best of Bengaluru’ Thappa

MUMBAI: India’s most awarded and largest private radio network, 93.5 RED FM, is back with its iconic campaign Thappa with the tagline, ‘Thappa Ka Shor Hoga Once More’. This is a campaign where the brand celebrates the Best of Bengaluru! This year the brand has welcomed eight new categories that will create an impact under Book stores, Tattoo Parlours, Bakeries, Micro-Breweries, Best Thaali/ best meals, Fitness centers, Best Biryani and Juice Junctions. This marks the 5th year of the Thappa campaign, where RED FM celebrates and splashes around 27 cities across India.

The nominees in Bengaluru are as follows: (Winners highlighted and pictures attached.)

Best Thaali/ best meals:
Nagarjuna – Known for its iconic Andhra meals, chicken biryani or kebabs of all kinds (won the Red FM ka Thappa for Best Thaali/meal)
Rajdhani Thali Restaurant – A must visit for its Rajasthani thaalis
The Great Indian Thaali – The pure vegetarian heaven

Book stores:
Blossoms (Church Street) – The charming bookstore with heaps of second-hand books
Gangarams (Church Street) – One of the city’s favourite bookshops
Sapna Book House (Residency Road) – India’s largest book mall (won the RED FM Ka Thappa for Best Bookstore category)

Juice Junction:
Cool Joint (Jayanagar) – Bengaluru’s favourite sandwich joint
Juice Junction (St. Marks Road) – The one stop shop for fruits and juices
Sreeraj Lassi Bar (Shivaji Nagar) – Popularly known as the oasis of all things cooling (won the RED FM Ka Thappa for Best Juice Parlour)

Tattoo Parlour:
Dark Arts (Koramangala) – One of the earliest tattoo parlors with a database of over 1 lakh + designs
The Pumpkin Patch (Kalyan Nagar) – Known for its loyal customers all the way from Koramangala to Kanchipuram
Skin Deep Tattoo Studio (Indiranagar) – The only place to offer computer generated stencils (won the Red FM ka Thappa-for best tattoo parlour category)

Categories in progress :
Bakery
Thom’s Bakery (Frazer Town) – The iconic bakery for fresh breads, flaky samosas & sweets!
V.B. Bakery (Basavanagudi) – Known as the “Khao Gully” of Basavanagudi
Variar Bakery (Rajajinagar) – Known for its coconut biscuits, this is one of the oldest & best

Micro Brewery:
Biere club – Bengaluru’s first craft brewery known for their quality beer
Toit Brewpub – A guaranteed crowd puller due to the ambience, concept & brews
Arbour Brewing Company – Well known for its craft beer, 90s music and chilled vibes

Best Biryani:
Meghana Biryani – Serving authentic Andhra style food since 2006
Nandhana Palace – Known for its authentic cuisines prepared with the age-old practices of Southern India by the traditionally schooled Cooks of Andhra
Hyderabad Biryani House – For those of us who crave for a spicier and fiery menu!

Best Fitness Centers:
Gold’s Gym – Multiple ‘Best Fitness Chain’ award winner
Cultfit: The workout station – From yoga, boxing, Zumba to even MMA, they have it all
Talwalkars – Known as the best fitness center since 1932

Nisha Narayanan, COO, Red FM said, “We are excited to explore more cities this year and will be covering eight different categories. It is our constant endeavor to engage and strengthen our connect with our listeners. The attitude of the people of Bengaluru, who chased big dreams in small ways and became the pride of the city is recognized by the listeners themselves, since it happens through a voting mechanism. We look forward to felicitate the talents who have been clutter-breaking in their services and won our listeners’ hearts- ‘Bajaate Raho!”

Red FM’s campaign Thappa is a people’s choice award where the listeners from the cities vote for their favorite places and services; the most voted in the city is honoured with RED FM’s approval stamp ‘Thappa’. The Thappa campaign is a four-week long activity that brings a lot of excitement across all 27 cities. Listeners will get a chance to win the biggest fan contest of the newest trends by voting.

June 14, 2017
National Geographic Channel to undergo major rebranding

MUMBAI: Come 14 November and the National Geographic Channel will have a new shortened sobriquet. The word channel will disappear from its name and it will be simply known as National Geographic and a new tagline “Further.”

The change is expected to take place simultaneously across all the 445 million households in 171 countries it is telecast in. The channels are expected to have a new distinctive on-air look, brand IDs, packaging and talent IDs.

A new web series by the same name is expected to launch around the same time.

Almost every property associated with the National Geographic – the magazine, nationalgeographic.com, its social and digital platforms, and its global Hq in Washington DC – will be part of the rebranding exercise. The “Further” tagline embodies “the aspirations of the National Geographic audience and serves as a rallying cry for its employees, explorers, photographers, producers and other constituencies as well as a promise to advertisers, affiliates, educators and other external partners.”

NatGeo has been under the Twenty First Century Fox umbrella after it took majority control of its joint venture National Geographic Partners with the society.

“This rebrand marks a significant turning point in the realization of our transformational new vision for National Geographic Channel,” said National Geographic Global Television Networks CEO Courteney Monroe to World Screen. “As a new brand positioning statement, ‘Further’ aligns perfectly with our new premium programming strategy, which is built on quality, distinctiveness and the relentless pursuit of creative excellence. The new visual design is sophisticated, contemporary and cinematic, and lives up to the promise of the National Geographic brand.”

October 28, 2016
National Geographic Channel to undergo major rebranding

MUMBAI: Come 14 November and the National Geographic Channel will have a new shortened sobriquet. The word channel will disappear from its name and it will be simply known as National Geographic and a new tagline “Further.”

The change is expected to take place simultaneously across all the 445 million households in 171 countries it is telecast in. The channels are expected to have a new distinctive on-air look, brand IDs, packaging and talent IDs.

A new web series by the same name is expected to launch around the same time.

Almost every property associated with the National Geographic – the magazine, nationalgeographic.com, its social and digital platforms, and its global Hq in Washington DC – will be part of the rebranding exercise. The “Further” tagline embodies “the aspirations of the National Geographic audience and serves as a rallying cry for its employees, explorers, photographers, producers and other constituencies as well as a promise to advertisers, affiliates, educators and other external partners.”

NatGeo has been under the Twenty First Century Fox umbrella after it took majority control of its joint venture National Geographic Partners with the society.

“This rebrand marks a significant turning point in the realization of our transformational new vision for National Geographic Channel,” said National Geographic Global Television Networks CEO Courteney Monroe to World Screen. “As a new brand positioning statement, ‘Further’ aligns perfectly with our new premium programming strategy, which is built on quality, distinctiveness and the relentless pursuit of creative excellence. The new visual design is sophisticated, contemporary and cinematic, and lives up to the promise of the National Geographic brand.”

October 28, 2016
‘Chill,’ says DDB Mudra to Pan Bahar-Pierce Brosnan ‘bond’

MUMBAI: There are some things you can hate, or you can love, but you cannot ignore. For example, the fact that agent 007, James Bond, aka Pierce Brosnan, is actively promoting a pan masala brand in India.

When India woke up to a white haired Brosnan, peering intensely out from a full page ad on The Times of India, holding a jar of Pan Bahar, the nation did a double take. Soon enough, Twitter and Facebook was flooded with a wide range of mostly polarized reactions — from mildly amused to some outright offended.

Social influencer and writer Anjali Alappat‏ tweets “The names Bond, James Bond. I have a license to spit? #PanBahar #PierceBrosnan”

And then there were those who went into denial, doubting if it really is the real Pierce Brosnan, or a doppelganger of his, with a good use of make-up and photoshop, or CGI for the video spot that invaded Youtube and Facebook next.

Needless to say funny James Bond memes in a desi avatar trolled the Bond actor, with masters of roasting, All India Bakchod giving a blow in their own signature style

There were also a few who raised a valid question that led to a proper discussion

Harsha BhogleVerified account ‏@bhogleharsha 6h6 hours ago
Can advertising and brand experts tell us if going viral but becoming a laughing stock is good brand strategy? #PanBahar

While most agreed that the brand has scored high on brand recall and customer mindshare, there was a general discomfort to the idea of an international star endorsing a homegrown pan masala brrand.

To those who went ‘why on earth?’ DDB Mudra creative head Sambit Mohanty said, ‘why not?’

Mohanty and his creative team at DDB Mudra take full credit for causing this daylong mayhem on the social media, and proudly so.

Of course, the client too was quite the daredevil to have gone ahead with this ‘audacious’ idea. “It was pretty balsy on the part of the client, but being a pioneer in the category, they know the pulse of their audience. The brand’s TG is the aspirational 30 plus who easily associate with James Bond, aka Pierce Brosnan, with class, style and statement. Therefore they upped the ante by actually getting him on board. And it has paid off, as you can see from the conversation around the brand that the campaign has generated.”

“The decision to bring Pierce Brosnan on board as Pan Bahar’s brand ambassador speaks volumes about our vision and ambition. We always have been focusing on a structured and quality brand promotion aligning with our product quality. As Pan Bahar stands for class, success and sophistication, we see our association with Brosnan as a natural fit,” said DJ Group CEO Dinesh Jain.

No matter which side of the spectrum one lays on this debate, the question that everyone has on their mind is how did the brand convince Brosnan to get onboard?

“We tend to complicate things most times by over speculating about something, and let that negativity get the better of us. How do you know if it won’t work out without even trying it? We simply went ahead and asked Pierce if he would do it, and he agreed. It is that simple. We explained to him what Pan Bahar was, and what it meant for the people who consumed it, and we liked the concept and the scripting,” Mohanty simply stated.

The idea, Mohanty explained, was to bring out the product from everyone’s pocket and have them consume it with pride. “These days pan masala is not just a ‘massy’ thing, several corporate and boardroom tables have pan masalas kept on the table. Moreover we live in a world where Indians are globally successful thanks to their creativity, audacity and entrepreneurial attitude. That’s why, when it came to assigning a new brand ambassador for Pan Bahar, Pierce Brosnan was a great choice. We wanted to give a classy image to the brand and who better to drive that brand statement than James Bong himself?”

Citing the brand’s earlier campaign ‘Pehchan Kamiabi ki’ with Saif Ali Khan, Sambit added the thought remained the same, though it definitely graduated to the next level with Peirce Brosnan as the brand ambassador.

“We easily get starry eyed when we think of Bollywood and often restrain ourselves from thinking far and widen our horizon. The truth is there are several home grown brands that cater to a large enough audience who resonate with an international personality. By restricting ourselves to just Bollywood celebrities we are doing ourselves and our clients a disservice. We should let the possibility to sign on an ambassador who can deliver a far better brand value,” Mohanty added on the use of an international star as opposed to the Bollywood celebrities.

While Mohanty refrained from giving any details, he admitted Brosnan has been well compensated for his year-long deal with the brand, subject to extension based on the brand and the Hollywood star’s wishes.

Shot in Austin, the film begins with Brosnan stopping his sports car in front of a grand entrance. His lady wishes him luck. He has a look of destiny on his face. As he enters the building, he is welcomed by a no. of obstacles waiting for him. He must win over these hurdles to get to the chair, his rightful prize. The film ends with Brosnan saying, “Pan Bahar, class never goes out of style.”

The brand released a teaser on its social channels to create buzz about the film. A series of smartly crafted print teasers were also released, to create anticipation in the market about the campaign. To create a further relevance with 007, the film has been released on 7 October, 2016.

But, the fact remained that several had raised an eyebrow at the actor’s decision to endorse a pan masala brand that is thought to be harmful by many.

To them, Mohanty says, “It is an advertisement! No one has died! If Brosnan himself doesn’t have an issue, I don’t see the harm in him endorsing this brand. People can take it up with him if they are that concerned, or they can chew on some pan masala, and take a chill pill.”

October 7, 2016
‘Chill,’ says DDB Mudra to Pan Bahar-Pierce Brosnan ‘bond’

MUMBAI: There are some things you can hate, or you can love, but you cannot ignore. For example, the fact that agent 007, James Bond, aka Pierce Brosnan, is actively promoting a pan masala brand in India.

When India woke up to a white haired Brosnan, peering intensely out from a full page ad on The Times of India, holding a jar of Pan Bahar, the nation did a double take. Soon enough, Twitter and Facebook was flooded with a wide range of mostly polarized reactions — from mildly amused to some outright offended.

Social influencer and writer Anjali Alappat‏ tweets “The names Bond, James Bond. I have a license to spit? #PanBahar #PierceBrosnan”

And then there were those who went into denial, doubting if it really is the real Pierce Brosnan, or a doppelganger of his, with a good use of make-up and photoshop, or CGI for the video spot that invaded Youtube and Facebook next.

Needless to say funny James Bond memes in a desi avatar trolled the Bond actor, with masters of roasting, All India Bakchod giving a blow in their own signature style

There were also a few who raised a valid question that led to a proper discussion

Harsha BhogleVerified account ‏@bhogleharsha 6h6 hours ago
Can advertising and brand experts tell us if going viral but becoming a laughing stock is good brand strategy? #PanBahar

While most agreed that the brand has scored high on brand recall and customer mindshare, there was a general discomfort to the idea of an international star endorsing a homegrown pan masala brrand.

To those who went ‘why on earth?’ DDB Mudra creative head Sambit Mohanty said, ‘why not?’

Mohanty and his creative team at DDB Mudra take full credit for causing this daylong mayhem on the social media, and proudly so.

Of course, the client too was quite the daredevil to have gone ahead with this ‘audacious’ idea. “It was pretty balsy on the part of the client, but being a pioneer in the category, they know the pulse of their audience. The brand’s TG is the aspirational 30 plus who easily associate with James Bond, aka Pierce Brosnan, with class, style and statement. Therefore they upped the ante by actually getting him on board. And it has paid off, as you can see from the conversation around the brand that the campaign has generated.”

“The decision to bring Pierce Brosnan on board as Pan Bahar’s brand ambassador speaks volumes about our vision and ambition. We always have been focusing on a structured and quality brand promotion aligning with our product quality. As Pan Bahar stands for class, success and sophistication, we see our association with Brosnan as a natural fit,” said DJ Group CEO Dinesh Jain.

No matter which side of the spectrum one lays on this debate, the question that everyone has on their mind is how did the brand convince Brosnan to get onboard?

“We tend to complicate things most times by over speculating about something, and let that negativity get the better of us. How do you know if it won’t work out without even trying it? We simply went ahead and asked Pierce if he would do it, and he agreed. It is that simple. We explained to him what Pan Bahar was, and what it meant for the people who consumed it, and we liked the concept and the scripting,” Mohanty simply stated.

The idea, Mohanty explained, was to bring out the product from everyone’s pocket and have them consume it with pride. “These days pan masala is not just a ‘massy’ thing, several corporate and boardroom tables have pan masalas kept on the table. Moreover we live in a world where Indians are globally successful thanks to their creativity, audacity and entrepreneurial attitude. That’s why, when it came to assigning a new brand ambassador for Pan Bahar, Pierce Brosnan was a great choice. We wanted to give a classy image to the brand and who better to drive that brand statement than James Bong himself?”

Citing the brand’s earlier campaign ‘Pehchan Kamiabi ki’ with Saif Ali Khan, Sambit added the thought remained the same, though it definitely graduated to the next level with Peirce Brosnan as the brand ambassador.

“We easily get starry eyed when we think of Bollywood and often restrain ourselves from thinking far and widen our horizon. The truth is there are several home grown brands that cater to a large enough audience who resonate with an international personality. By restricting ourselves to just Bollywood celebrities we are doing ourselves and our clients a disservice. We should let the possibility to sign on an ambassador who can deliver a far better brand value,” Mohanty added on the use of an international star as opposed to the Bollywood celebrities.

While Mohanty refrained from giving any details, he admitted Brosnan has been well compensated for his year-long deal with the brand, subject to extension based on the brand and the Hollywood star’s wishes.

Shot in Austin, the film begins with Brosnan stopping his sports car in front of a grand entrance. His lady wishes him luck. He has a look of destiny on his face. As he enters the building, he is welcomed by a no. of obstacles waiting for him. He must win over these hurdles to get to the chair, his rightful prize. The film ends with Brosnan saying, “Pan Bahar, class never goes out of style.”

The brand released a teaser on its social channels to create buzz about the film. A series of smartly crafted print teasers were also released, to create anticipation in the market about the campaign. To create a further relevance with 007, the film has been released on 7 October, 2016.

But, the fact remained that several had raised an eyebrow at the actor’s decision to endorse a pan masala brand that is thought to be harmful by many.

To them, Mohanty says, “It is an advertisement! No one has died! If Brosnan himself doesn’t have an issue, I don’t see the harm in him endorsing this brand. People can take it up with him if they are that concerned, or they can chew on some pan masala, and take a chill pill.”

October 7, 2016
Adform appoints Zirca Digital as exclusive India partner

MUMBAI: Adform, the independent and open full stack ad-tech platform serving media agencies, trading desks, advertisers and publishers globally, today announced a strategic partnership with Zirca Digital Solutions, an independent digital media and brand solutions company.

With this partnership, Zirca Digital Solutions has been selected as the exclusive partner and reseller of Adform’s products and services in India with a focus on offering Adform’s third-party ad server (TPAS) and rich-media offerings to agencies, advertisers and publishers in the market.

Although digital advertising is still comparatively small, the Indian market represents a significant opportunity for the industry. With 277 million active Internet users, India has more digitally connected people than the US, and is second only to China. Mobile internet adoption continues to climb, giving national and global advertisers an attractive option for reaching and engaging India’s consumers. India also has a strong culture of innovation and entrepreneurship, which will contribute to the growth of the digital advertising ecosystem.

As an established and respected partner to local and global publishers, advertisers and platforms in India, Zirca is uniquely positioned to offer Adform’s buy-side and sell-side platforms. As Adform’s exclusive full-service partner, Zirca takes full responsibility for sales outreach, contracting, campaign management, creative services, as well as local invoicing and collection.

“The Indian economy has significant upsides, and the potential to become one of the biggest and most interesting online advertising markets in the world,” said Adform SVP of Corporate development Christian Duus. “This partnership is strategic to our global expansion plans, in that we are eager to build a business foundation and the Adform brand before the market takes off. We selected Zirca as our partner because of their track record, local market knowledge and because they align closely to our values. Like Adform, Zirca is highly service-oriented, believes in longstanding business relations and is a strong advocate of transparency, which is critical for building trust in the industry.”

For Zirca, the partnership represents an opportunity to offer a unique and leading ad tech platform to a market which has a huge need for innovative advertising technology in order to support the growth in digital advertising for a true mobile first country.

“Adform has embarked on a continuous path of innovation, introducing a dazzling array of high-impact ad formats and fully streamlined and automated technology. The company has moved the whole industry forward in exciting ways, and we’re delighted to bring this amazing breadth of technology to the Indian digital advertising ecosystem,” said Zirca CEO Neena Dasgupta.

“We are excited to work with one of Europe’s leading Ad tech companies. Through our comprehensive partnership strategy we are confident that together we will be able to establish Adform’s business in the Indian market with the same global execution standards that have garnered Adform such a distinction in the industry,” said Zirca MD Karan Gupta.

August 5, 2016
Adform appoints Zirca Digital as exclusive India partner

MUMBAI: Adform, the independent and open full stack ad-tech platform serving media agencies, trading desks, advertisers and publishers globally, today announced a strategic partnership with Zirca Digital Solutions, an independent digital media and brand solutions company.

With this partnership, Zirca Digital Solutions has been selected as the exclusive partner and reseller of Adform’s products and services in India with a focus on offering Adform’s third-party ad server (TPAS) and rich-media offerings to agencies, advertisers and publishers in the market.

Although digital advertising is still comparatively small, the Indian market represents a significant opportunity for the industry. With 277 million active Internet users, India has more digitally connected people than the US, and is second only to China. Mobile internet adoption continues to climb, giving national and global advertisers an attractive option for reaching and engaging India’s consumers. India also has a strong culture of innovation and entrepreneurship, which will contribute to the growth of the digital advertising ecosystem.

As an established and respected partner to local and global publishers, advertisers and platforms in India, Zirca is uniquely positioned to offer Adform’s buy-side and sell-side platforms. As Adform’s exclusive full-service partner, Zirca takes full responsibility for sales outreach, contracting, campaign management, creative services, as well as local invoicing and collection.

“The Indian economy has significant upsides, and the potential to become one of the biggest and most interesting online advertising markets in the world,” said Adform SVP of Corporate development Christian Duus. “This partnership is strategic to our global expansion plans, in that we are eager to build a business foundation and the Adform brand before the market takes off. We selected Zirca as our partner because of their track record, local market knowledge and because they align closely to our values. Like Adform, Zirca is highly service-oriented, believes in longstanding business relations and is a strong advocate of transparency, which is critical for building trust in the industry.”

For Zirca, the partnership represents an opportunity to offer a unique and leading ad tech platform to a market which has a huge need for innovative advertising technology in order to support the growth in digital advertising for a true mobile first country.

“Adform has embarked on a continuous path of innovation, introducing a dazzling array of high-impact ad formats and fully streamlined and automated technology. The company has moved the whole industry forward in exciting ways, and we’re delighted to bring this amazing breadth of technology to the Indian digital advertising ecosystem,” said Zirca CEO Neena Dasgupta.

“We are excited to work with one of Europe’s leading Ad tech companies. Through our comprehensive partnership strategy we are confident that together we will be able to establish Adform’s business in the Indian market with the same global execution standards that have garnered Adform such a distinction in the industry,” said Zirca MD Karan Gupta.

August 5, 2016
Patanjali continues TV ad blitz in Feb 2016; spends Rs 20 crore

MUMBAI: It’s got ambition: turn Indian prime minister Narendra Modi’s dream of ‘make in India’ a reality. The Swami Ramdev-Acharya Balkrishna-founded Patanjali Yogpeeth & Divya Mandir Trust has launched a slew of fast moving consumer goods products over the past couple of years, set up vast and deep distribution channels reaching them into every nook and corner of rural – and now spreading into urban – India. Beginning first with ayurvedic products, it moved into cateogries like toothpaste, ghee, oil, noodles, soap, shampoo, biscuits and what have you dominated by multinationals like Hindustan Lever, Prctor and Gamble, Colgate Palmolive. And it has been making the big boys nervous, slowly chewing away impressive market shares in almost every category. Revenues are slated to touch Rs 5,000 crore this year and Rs 20,000 crore over the next three years.

It is backing its onward march with a massive advertising warchest over the past year, emerging as the top spender on television, a position it continued to retain in the period 11 February 2016 to 11 March 2016.

According to data that indiantelevision.com has obtained, the brand gave out out checks of close to Rs 28 crores on television ads in this period, without considering the discounts it has enjoyed on individual deals. As per several industry experts, if one were to take these discounts into account, the guesstimated figure is close to Rs 20 crore.

What is interesting to note is that unlike most of its rivals, the genre that Patanjali spends most on is news channels, be it regional or national news, instead of Hindi GECs. The brand used 65.5 percent of its total television advertising spends on news channels, followed by Hindi GECs with 29.89 per cent and 3.89 percent on regional entertainment channels. The brand also shells out 0.76 per cent or Rs 15 lakhs of its advertisisng spends on its in-house spiritual channel Aastha TV.

“Going by its advertising spends in the media, Patanjali is going with media differentiation as a strategy. A lot of FMCG brands invest in soft programming which mostly comes down to the GEC sector. When everyone is in one sector, it is good to differentiate oneself and take another positioning,” explained veteran brand consultant and business strategist Harish Bijoor.

“Secondly”, Bijoor noted,” news is the new entertainment. As a genre, it has changed from simple reporting of facts to what we call news entertainment. If you look at the television debates today, they are often pitted against highly rated entertainment shows, and therefore have larger audiences these days. Not only do you have the men watching, but women also enjoy this new variation of entertainment. Therefore I think Patanjali is playing smart by being visible on the news space.”

In the Hindi GEC space, it spent close to Rs 1.8 crore on Star Plus, followed by Rs 1.5 core on Sony Entertainment Television and Rs 1 crore on Zee TV approximately. However, the brand buys inventory from most number of channels under Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL).

Patanjali has a good presence in the regional entertainment market as well, with Zee Kannada leading others in the genre in terms of Ad EX from the brand.

As per Broadcast Audience Research Council India’s ‘Top 10 Brands’ report, the Patanjali brand has bagged as many as 21,751 insertions in week 10, followed by Colgate with 15,553 television ad insertions. One can easily see the clear lead that Pantanjali commands over the second in the list. While the brand’s investment is definitely a leading factor for its growing visibility on both TV and the shelves, careful and strategic media buying is also to be credited for its continued domination of television space. The Patanjali group has given part of its media buying mandate to Delhi based agency Vermillion Communications, and if reports by industry insiders are to be believed, there are two other local agencies that work with Patanjali.

A late entrant to India’s Fast Moving Consumer Goods market with a wide number of retailable products, Patanjali has quickly moved on to go head on with market leaders such as Parle. The brand’s quick rise to fame, at least can be attributed to its aggressive direct marketing strategy and strong distribution reach, thanks to its retail deal with the Future Group.

Patanjali branded products were already selling well before it decided to invest heavily in TV ads. A media expert close to the development said, “The products were selling a lot already, even before the brand was well known in the media space. But for sure this strong media presence has given the brand a very good exposure, and its sales must have augmented as well. It clearly shows that the brand is aiming for a multi-fold growth.”

Lauding Patanjali’s effort in going aggressive with its TV buying, Bijoor cautioned, “I think other brands need to be worried of this late entrant. Not only does it have a very hard working product and an excellent distribution network, its recent entry into advertising spends clearly shows it is reaching for the top.”

Several industry veterans however beg to differ. Dentsu Aegis Network South Asia CEO and chairman Ashish Bhasin said, “I don’t think Patanjali poses a serious worry for other players in the category. In the FMCG business, they have plans for every competitor. Hypothetically, if there were five competitors for an FMCG brand earlier, now they have one more to consider and marketers will plan accordingly. ”

When asked if spending huge advertising money will work in the brand’s favour in the long run. Bhasin replied, “The brand has definitely spent a significant amount on television in the past few months. Whether it will sustain the same throughout the year is hard to say. It is understandable for a brand launching itself and trying to build a quick presence for itself to spend in the tried and trusted media. It is too early to say how long its continued dominance of the television space will work out for it.”

Bhasin isn’t the only one who voices uncertainty about Patanjali continuing with its chart topping spending spree in the coming months. A veteran media player under condition of anonymity opined, “I think Patanjali’s current trend of buying TV ad slots aggressively will go down in a month. It had the gall when it entered media marketing with its aggressive strategy, the brand has achieved that, and I don’t think it has a reason to continue the same spends on television.”

Other media observers state that the Patanjali group is working to a plan. “The foot on the advertising pedal is not going to be eased,” sas a source very close to the group. “Patanjali’s marketing mavens are going to move into more clever and refined media buying as it starts rolling out its products in even more kirana stores and large outlets in urban and suburban India. Both Swamiji and Acharyaji want to create a mutli-product giant competing with long established players, and for that aggressive marketing, distribution and advertising will have to continue.”

Whether Patanjali continues to spend tens of crores per month or not, the presence of such an aggressive spender among the advertisers definitely augurs well for TV advertising as a whole – and news channels in particular.

March 21, 2016
Patanjali continues TV ad blitz in Feb 2016; spends Rs 20 crore

MUMBAI: It’s got ambition: turn Indian prime minister Narendra Modi’s dream of ‘make in India’ a reality. The Swami Ramdev-Acharya Balkrishna-founded Patanjali Yogpeeth & Divya Mandir Trust has launched a slew of fast moving consumer goods products over the past couple of years, set up vast and deep distribution channels reaching them into every nook and corner of rural – and now spreading into urban – India. Beginning first with ayurvedic products, it moved into cateogries like toothpaste, ghee, oil, noodles, soap, shampoo, biscuits and what have you dominated by multinationals like Hindustan Lever, Prctor and Gamble, Colgate Palmolive. And it has been making the big boys nervous, slowly chewing away impressive market shares in almost every category. Revenues are slated to touch Rs 5,000 crore this year and Rs 20,000 crore over the next three years.

It is backing its onward march with a massive advertising warchest over the past year, emerging as the top spender on television, a position it continued to retain in the period 11 February 2016 to 11 March 2016.

According to data that indiantelevision.com has obtained, the brand gave out out checks of close to Rs 28 crores on television ads in this period, without considering the discounts it has enjoyed on individual deals. As per several industry experts, if one were to take these discounts into account, the guesstimated figure is close to Rs 20 crore.

What is interesting to note is that unlike most of its rivals, the genre that Patanjali spends most on is news channels, be it regional or national news, instead of Hindi GECs. The brand used 65.5 percent of its total television advertising spends on news channels, followed by Hindi GECs with 29.89 per cent and 3.89 percent on regional entertainment channels. The brand also shells out 0.76 per cent or Rs 15 lakhs of its advertisisng spends on its in-house spiritual channel Aastha TV.

“Going by its advertising spends in the media, Patanjali is going with media differentiation as a strategy. A lot of FMCG brands invest in soft programming which mostly comes down to the GEC sector. When everyone is in one sector, it is good to differentiate oneself and take another positioning,” explained veteran brand consultant and business strategist Harish Bijoor.

“Secondly”, Bijoor noted,” news is the new entertainment. As a genre, it has changed from simple reporting of facts to what we call news entertainment. If you look at the television debates today, they are often pitted against highly rated entertainment shows, and therefore have larger audiences these days. Not only do you have the men watching, but women also enjoy this new variation of entertainment. Therefore I think Patanjali is playing smart by being visible on the news space.”

In the Hindi GEC space, it spent close to Rs 1.8 crore on Star Plus, followed by Rs 1.5 core on Sony Entertainment Television and Rs 1 crore on Zee TV approximately. However, the brand buys inventory from most number of channels under Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL).

Patanjali has a good presence in the regional entertainment market as well, with Zee Kannada leading others in the genre in terms of Ad EX from the brand.

As per Broadcast Audience Research Council India’s ‘Top 10 Brands’ report, the Patanjali brand has bagged as many as 21,751 insertions in week 10, followed by Colgate with 15,553 television ad insertions. One can easily see the clear lead that Pantanjali commands over the second in the list. While the brand’s investment is definitely a leading factor for its growing visibility on both TV and the shelves, careful and strategic media buying is also to be credited for its continued domination of television space. The Patanjali group has given part of its media buying mandate to Delhi based agency Vermillion Communications, and if reports by industry insiders are to be believed, there are two other local agencies that work with Patanjali.

A late entrant to India’s Fast Moving Consumer Goods market with a wide number of retailable products, Patanjali has quickly moved on to go head on with market leaders such as Parle. The brand’s quick rise to fame, at least can be attributed to its aggressive direct marketing strategy and strong distribution reach, thanks to its retail deal with the Future Group.

Patanjali branded products were already selling well before it decided to invest heavily in TV ads. A media expert close to the development said, “The products were selling a lot already, even before the brand was well known in the media space. But for sure this strong media presence has given the brand a very good exposure, and its sales must have augmented as well. It clearly shows that the brand is aiming for a multi-fold growth.”

Lauding Patanjali’s effort in going aggressive with its TV buying, Bijoor cautioned, “I think other brands need to be worried of this late entrant. Not only does it have a very hard working product and an excellent distribution network, its recent entry into advertising spends clearly shows it is reaching for the top.”

Several industry veterans however beg to differ. Dentsu Aegis Network South Asia CEO and chairman Ashish Bhasin said, “I don’t think Patanjali poses a serious worry for other players in the category. In the FMCG business, they have plans for every competitor. Hypothetically, if there were five competitors for an FMCG brand earlier, now they have one more to consider and marketers will plan accordingly. ”

When asked if spending huge advertising money will work in the brand’s favour in the long run. Bhasin replied, “The brand has definitely spent a significant amount on television in the past few months. Whether it will sustain the same throughout the year is hard to say. It is understandable for a brand launching itself and trying to build a quick presence for itself to spend in the tried and trusted media. It is too early to say how long its continued dominance of the television space will work out for it.”

Bhasin isn’t the only one who voices uncertainty about Patanjali continuing with its chart topping spending spree in the coming months. A veteran media player under condition of anonymity opined, “I think Patanjali’s current trend of buying TV ad slots aggressively will go down in a month. It had the gall when it entered media marketing with its aggressive strategy, the brand has achieved that, and I don’t think it has a reason to continue the same spends on television.”

Other media observers state that the Patanjali group is working to a plan. “The foot on the advertising pedal is not going to be eased,” sas a source very close to the group. “Patanjali’s marketing mavens are going to move into more clever and refined media buying as it starts rolling out its products in even more kirana stores and large outlets in urban and suburban India. Both Swamiji and Acharyaji want to create a mutli-product giant competing with long established players, and for that aggressive marketing, distribution and advertising will have to continue.”

Whether Patanjali continues to spend tens of crores per month or not, the presence of such an aggressive spender among the advertisers definitely augurs well for TV advertising as a whole – and news channels in particular.

March 21, 2016
Reebok India new brand ambassador Kangana Ranaut salutes #FitToFight women

MUMBAI: Continuing its global mission to change how people perceive and experience fitness, Reebok India just ‘raised the game’ with its new #BeMoreHuman campaign, featuring its newly appointed brand ambassador Kangana Ranaut. The fully integrated marketing campaign, releasing today on International Women’s Day, aims to inspire women. It is a tribute to the modern day Indian woman, telling her that she is fit to rise above stereotypes and carve out her own destiny.

The pan-India campaign centres on a TV commercial that will unveil Ranaut’s inspiring life story through the lens of fitness. In the new campaign, Ranaut will be seen challenging herself with various fitness activities including functional training, dance, yoga, kick-boxing and others, thereby communicating the overarching brand message – ‘how fit you are defines how far you go’. Her call is an encouragement for all women, asking them to raise their game in the face of challenges while being calm and composed when a storm hits.

Commenting on this launch, Reebok and Adidas India MD Dave Thomas said “Reebok in India is strategically focused on winning in fitness in 2016 and beyond. This inspiring campaign helps to cement Reebok as the leading fitness brand in the women’s category and we are delighted to partner with Kangana Ranaut, who is not just a Bollywood superstar but an achiever in every sense of the word. Being as rebellious as she is, Kangana has broken all stereotypes and has never been overwhelmed with the many challenges that have been thrown at her. We salute her spirit and the spirit of all women who have faced obstacles and continue to challenge themselves daily in search of greater rewards. Digital activation #FitToFight is at the centre of this campaign and we are confident that consumers will relate to this strongly. We are certain that Kangana’s powerful personal story and fitness journey will inspire many – women and men – to embark on their own fitness journey and become better version of themselves.”

Sharing her excitement about the association, Ranaut said, “I have always been a Reebok fan. Their products and campaigns have always inspired me. When they came to me, it was a natural fit and I was extremely excited to be associated with them. I feel that anything in life can be accomplished if we believe in ourselves. Today’s women should stay fit in all aspects, be it physically, socially or mentally. This ideology echoes with Reebok’s overall positioning and I am delighted to be the face of the brand, helping them push this message further. I look forward to encouraging millions of other women to take a plunge with me and not just become fitter, but stronger and better versions of themselves. I hope this campaign will be able to inspire not just women but also men.”

The ad campaign will be supported by an extensive 360 degree marketing approach including TV, Digital, Print, Radio, OOH & Retail. In addition, the creative visuals featuring Ranaut will be in the primary windows at 184 Reebok stores across India. The new collection is available at Reebok stores, shop4reebok.com, Myntra, Jabong and Amazon. The advertisements will be aired nationwide starting 8 March 2016.

March 8, 2016