Mumbai: Marking the celebrations for the auspicious harvest festival of Pongal in Tamil Nadu, 7Up has unveiled its all-new limited-edition festive packs featuring the quirky, curly-haired mascot Fido Dido.
Pongal is widely celebrated in Tamil Nadu with people across the state marking the end of winters and expressing gratitude for a good harvest. The limited-edition 7Up packs are a tribute to the spirit of Pongal and take inspiration from the various elements that define the festival in its true essence. Right from the intricate art of Kolam to the use of sugarcane and pot to cook delicacies – the packs are a multi-faceted representation of all things Pongal.
PepsiCo India senior marketing director Naseeb Puri said, “7Up is privileged to have been part of the rich Tamil Nadu culture, and this time, we really wanted to celebrate Pongal in a special way. The limited-edition packs are our endeavor to bring alive the festive spirit and add some freshness to the celebrations as people continue to stay home to mark the occasion this year.”
The vibrant new Pongal-inspired labels will be used across 600 ml, one liter and 2.25-liter packs of 7Up and will be available across all modern trade outlets and select e-commerce channels. In a bid to spread the festive cheer across the state, the celebratory branding will also be showcased across hoardings and posters across public spots in select cities to engage the audiences, said the brand in a statement.
December: People’s lives were impacted by the Covid-19 epidemic, particularly those who owned small businesses. Enormous’ new animated Christmas film for Winkies is dedicated to all individuals who have suffered at work in the past year, as well as those who have helped them get through it.
The three-minute animated film shows how a barbershop faced closure due to the pandemic. The film reflects the struggles people had to undergo during the pandemic and celebrates how small actions helped save businesses. #BoroDinBoroMonn which is about sharing joy and cheer during Christmas is also the essence of the brand.
Switzindia brand manager Rahul Deb Saha said, “The movie demonstrates how Covid-19 affected small business owners, but that as things began to normalise, they were able to celebrate the holiday season. It’s part of a wider idea known as Boro Din, Boro Monn, which is about sharing joy and happiness throughout the holidays and is also the brand’s soul.”
Enormous managing partner Ashish Khazanchi said, “We thought of dedicating a Christmas film for Winkies to the people whose lives were impacted by the epidemic and to all those who helped them get through it when we were producing it. We are ecstatic to be able to conceptualise this film, and we hope to provide joy and happiness this holiday season, as well as hope and optimism for 2022.”
Mumbai: Kick-starting the Christmas celebrations, FreshToHome, a fully-integrated online brand in fresh fish and meat e-commerce has launched its ‘Merry Feastmas’ campaign extending the festive warmth to consumers.
The brand has introduced specially re-created traditional Christmas dishes from noted chefs for its discerning consumers. The resultant spread uses the freshest meat and seafood with real spices and ingredients to give authentic Christmas dishes.
The newly launched range includes herb roast chicken – a fragrantly spiced whole chicken, prawn gambas – a Spanish styled juicy prawns in a melange of olives, sun-dried tomatoes, and roasted garlic, lamb meatballs – the traditional Swedish meatballs in a tangy gravy, smoked chicken breast – the traditional Christmas meal must have, in addition to other dishes, said the brand in a statement.
Conceptualised and executed by the Creative Agency Action & Co, the films aim to make consumers reach out and order these sumptuous dishes online.
The films showcase the beauty of products in action, filmed in slow motion as they leisurely get cooked. The crackle and swell of a sumptuous whole chicken getting roasted, the flip of the stuffed chicken onto the pan, the glorious curl of the prawns as they cook, the melting butter on the reef cod as it sizzles- all make for glorious visuals which wow and warm the heart and belly.
“During the holiday season, consumers are open to try new dishes and love a great spread on their table. Since European and Continental dishes are difficult to find, we launched our special ‘Merry Featmas’ range which has popular Christmas specials from around the world and consumers can really go forth and conveniently feast to their heart’s content,” said FreshToHome co-founder Shan Kadavil. “We intend to add to the festive cheer and provide our customers with an authentic and chemical-free spread of delicacies that they wouldn’t have otherwise been able to source.”
The campaign has multi-pronged execution which includes digital films, social activation, and contests.
Mumbai: The Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI) has released a set of two new films for the festive season. Created by Mirum India, these take a slightly different course from other communications in the category. The narrative is around relationships, something that is relevant not just from a festive season point-of-view, but also from an investment one.
Speaking on the creative lens of the campaign, Mirum- ECD Naila Patel said, “When Mutual Funds Sahi Hai campaign launched, it almost seemed like an oxymoron. The only thing people knew or recollected about Mutual Fund communication was the disclaimer that said ‘It’s risky, be careful’ in a complicated way. But the campaign changed it all and now Mutual Funds and Sahi Hai seem to have become synonymous with each other. Hence this reiteration of ‘Sahi Hain’ to other walks of life becomes very relevant and fluid.”
The campaign looks to harp on ‘unspoken’ relationships that go beyond our normal circle of family and friends, even as they give joy, peace, hope, strength and goodness. These stories are woven around celebrating and maintaining those relationships while making us realise their importance by imploring us to say ‘Sahi Hain’ to all these relationships as well.
“When you look at any relationship, you understand that making it work isn’t easy. There is a certain amount of commitment, dedication and patience required. Just like investments in Mutual Funds,” says Franklin Templeton India director for products & marketing and member of the digital committee at AMFI Juzer Tambawalla.
Elaborating further, director (brand strategy & client services) Mohit Ahuja said, “All investment communication typically speaks to the mind, as is logical. AMFI’s long-running Mutual Fund Sahi Hai campaign has beautifully simplified the logic. With this new ‘Rishtey Nibhaana Sahi Hai’ spin, we aim to speak to the heart and make MFs be seen in an endearing light too. This secondary campaign also gives us another umbrella to use as and when required and adds back to the original thought. And what better way to start than the festive season.”
Los Angeles: The global box office is accelerating. Revenues in 2021 could hit 21.6 billion, according to a revised forecast from the research firm Gower Street Analytics. The estimate has been revised from a previous estimate of $20.2 billion with a potential additional upside that could see the current year finish closer to $22 billion globally.
“The $1.4 billion gain to the global prediction since our previous estimate, which was based on eight months of actuals and estimates for the final four months of the year, is primarily due to the blockbuster boost brought about by October,” said the firm.
The reason for the shift is driven primarily by the strong performance of October titles including China’s ‘The Battle at Lake Changjin’ ($845 million through the past Sunday), MGM/Eon/Universal’s “No Time To Die” ($605.7 million) and Sony’s “Venom: Let there Be Carnage” ($395.8M). Warner Bros/Legendary’s “Dune” is also coming out of a strong, expanded release frame with a global total of $296.4 million.
The $21.6 billion estimates would put 2021, 80 per cent ahead of 2020, but still 49 per cent behind 2019’s record global tally. This is the final estimate the firm plans to publish for 2021 before actuals are announced in early January.
According to Gower Street, the market share of global box office represented by North America (aka the domestic US) held relatively unchanged, down from 21.8 per cent to 21.6 per cent. Likewise, Latin America held steady, down from 4.9 per cent to 4.6 per cent. These markets are expected to remain relatively unchanged between 2020 and 2021. The Europe/Middle East/Africa (EMEA) dropped from 23.1% to 21.6 per cent.
In contrast, the Asian-Pacific (APAC) market is expected to expand its share from just over 50 per cent in 2020 to 52.2 per cent in 2021. However, the APAC gain is entirely due to China, which has made its own further encroachment within the APAC region, with a reduced market share of the worldwide box office in the region’s other key markets: Japan, South Korea, and Australia. China is expected to represent nearly 34 per cent of the global box office in 2021, compared to just over 28 per cent in 2020. Japan, meanwhile, sees its market share halve from 12.2 per cent to just six per cent. Korea drops from 4.1 per cent to 2.4 per cent, and Australia from 2.7 per cent to 2.1 per cent.
Hollywood, in general, is still feeling the fallout from the pandemic. Despite US theatres being mostly back in full operations, there has been hesitation on the part of audiences to return to filling seats to full capacity. However, Hollywood studios and theatre owners are beginning to entice a return to the big screen with persuasive marketing campaigns and exclusive in-theatre movie releases.
Likewise, the Indian Box Office took a hard hit due to the coronavirus pandemic. Bollywood had a banner year in 2019 and heading into 2020, according to Statista, the box office revenue for the Indian film industry was valued at about Rs 139 billion. This figure was estimated to drop to only Rs 30 billion a year later due to the pandemic impact. However, hope remains high as theatres begin to reopen. Movie theatres in the entertainment capital of Mumbai reopened on 22 October after 18 months of closure due to Covid-19.
Overall, the global estimate for October has risen nearly 30 per cent from an original estimate of $2.5 billion to $3.2 billion. This would put October business just 4 per cent behind the average of the three pre-pandemic years (2017-2019) for the month. No previous month in 2021 has performed better than 40 per cent behind the three-year average.
“The Battle at Lake Changjin” tops the 2021 worldwide box office chart with more than $845 million in ticket sales to date. China’s blockbuster “Hi, Mom” which was released in February, follows at number two with $822 million. Universal carries the number three spot with “F9: The Fast Saga” with $721.1 million. China’s “Detective Chinatown 3” is number four worldwide ($686.3 million).
Mumbai: Havells India, a Fast-Moving Electrical Goods (FMEG) major has launched a new version of the marketing campaign – ‘Saath ki Life, Sukoon ki Life’ focusing on its heavy-duty mixer grinder Hexo series.
The campaign has a refreshing take in addressing the additional preparation work required when extended families visit unannounced. It aims to establish the product superiority and reliability of the Hexo series over other mixer grinders making additional chores seem less intimidating.
The key messaging of the campaign is to convey ‘no matter how many guests arrive they will always feel small in number when you have Hexo mixer grinder by your side.’ The campaign shows a young couple entertaining a large number of family members visiting unannounced. But from Hexo’s perspective, the crowd seems small which is further creatively exaggerated by portraying them as small individuals, ultimately driving home the point of the series’ heavy-duty performance effortlessly.
Havells India’s president-electrical consumer durables Ravindra Singh Negi said, “The home appliance industry is a constantly evolving one with new products being launched to address the evolving consumer needs. The Hexo series is a heavy-duty mixer grinder range aimed to provide finer mixing, grinding, and food processing in the kitchen. With this campaign, we aim to further elaborate the essence of togetherness and family bonding with the ongoing messaging of ‘Saath ki Life, Sukoon ki Life’. It showcases that family time can be hassle-free and fun, with the help of the Hexo range.”
This campaign is a South-first campaign targeted at Southern markets to establish a deeper connection with the target audience. Launching the campaign during the T20 World Cup, Havells aims at capturing a larger crowd across all mediums – television, digital and social.
MUMBAI: The festive revelry of Diwali has kicked off with Dhanteras, the first day of Diwali. The occasion is an anticipated affair for both brands and consumers alike, considered auspicious for buying gold and silver in some form, apart from other big-ticket purchases. Keeping that in mind, brands across categories are leaving no stone unturned in going all out to woo the masses with special campaigns and attractive offers to ring in the festivities with an added sparkle.
This Dhanteras, the demand surge for precious metals witnessed a significant QoQ 20 per cent jump, with demand for gold remaining high, almost three times of silver during this festive season, according to the latest Just Dial Consumer Insights study. The hyper-local search engine reported higher demand for the precious metals in Tier-II cities vis-à-vis Tier-I cities.
Gold prices have fallen since reaching the peak in August 2020 and this festive season it remained the most searched precious metal on the search engine, as per its latest report. Silver too saw the highest QoQ growth in demand of 30 per cent while demand for both gold and diamond saw a growth of 18 per cent.
Just Dial CMO, Prasun Kumar said, “Correction in gold prices and strong demand triggered by the festive season across the country, have made the yellow metal the most sought after. On Just Dial, demand for gold in Tier-1 cities remained high but it was also interesting to witness faster growth in demand in Tier-II cities led by Lucknow, Jaipur, and Coimbatore. With volatility in the market, we will see more and more consumers investing in gold for security reasons. Besides, the rise in demand for other precious metals such as silver and diamond is also encouraging.”
This year on Dhanteras, jewelry brand Reliance Jewels paid homage to India’s rich heritage by launching Kaasyam, a collection inspired by Banaras. The collection is inspired by the architectural marvels of the holy city and seeks to represent the confluence of rich Indian culture and the charisma of modern India. Keeping this in mind, the entire campaign, conceptualised by Scarecrow M&C Saatchi is strategised around the central theme of ‘Dive into divinity’.
The film has been shot by Shamik Sengupta and is produced by Tandem Media.
During Dhanteras, digital gold and investment through Exchange Traded Funds have also gained momentum.
To leverage the auspicious occasion, Digital payment platform Paytm has announced the launch of its #YehDiwaliGoldWali offer ahead of Dhanteras, through which users will be able to win Goldback or additional gold worth up to ₹5,000 for the digital gold that they buy on the platform.
Paytm Gold enables users to create their own gold saving plans by opting for weekly or monthly auto payments, while also offering the option to redeem the digital gold into coins or bars, the brand stated.
Amazon Pay has also announced offers of cashback on digital gold to all its customers ahead of Dhanteras. The e-commerce giant announced its ‘Dhanteras Store’ for a wide selection of specially curated products ranging from gold and silver coins, festive jewelry, electronics, pooja items, home décor, large appliances, smartphones, accessories, Amazon Devices, digital gold, and much more.
Italian confectionery company Ferrero Rocher celebrated the onset of festivities with #MakeDiwaliGolden campaign highlighting ‘golden moments of togetherness.’ The campaign builds on the idea of connecting with your precious ones, coming together, and creating golden memories, further emphasised through digital and on-ground activations.
Gold loan company Muthoot Finance has launched its ‘Diwali Dhamaka Campaign’ offering ‘one of the best ever gold loan schemes offered by the brand’ in recent times.
The purpose of this campaign, the brand stated, was to get maximum first-time loan seekers to avail gold loans and help them meet their objectives. The campaign aims to encourage everyone, particularly hesitant first-time loan seekers to avail gold loans convincingly.
The Muthoot Group general manager, marketing & strategy, Abhinav Iyer said, “In these resurgent times post-Covid, when individuals, families, and businesses are picking up speed to regain their lost momentum, we at Muthoot Finance strongly believe that we can be the harbingers of change and a great festive offering like ‘Muthoot Finance Diwali Dhamaka’ can hugely help fellow Indians realise their dreams and become self-reliant.”
“With +25000 tons of Gold stocked in Indian households and less than five per cent of this being monetised by way of gold loans; I feel there is tremendous opportunity to unlock the latent potential of this emotional currency to turbocharge economic growth and realise our Government’s vision of making an Atmanirbhar Bharat,” Iyer further added.
There is optimism about rising consumer confidence this festive season, said the brand. With gradual improvement in the economic situation, much can be attributed to pent-up demand after almost 18 months of the pandemic-led lull.
Mumbai: FMCG major Hindustan Lever Ltd was the top advertiser in Broadcast Audience Research Council (Barc) week 41 (from 9-15 October) delivering ad volumes of 5025.96 (‘000s), higher than last week’s 4779.73. With 3501.67 (‘000s) Reckitt Benckiser (India) Ltd was at the second position and Cadbury India Ltd (960.27) latched on to the third spot.
Godrej Consumer Products Ltd, Brooke Bond Lipton India Ltd, Amazon Online India Pvt Ltd, Ponds India, ITC Ltd, TVS Motor Company, and Procter & Gamble bagged the remaining positions.
Among the brands, HUL’s Horlicks with 489.37 (‘000s) was most advertised in week 41. It was followed by Amazon.in, Dettol Toilet Soaps, Harpic Power Plus 10X Max Clean, Lalithaa Jewellery, Dettol Antiseptic Liquid, Clinic Plus Shampoo, Lizol, Nykaa, and Moov Pain Balm, in that order.
Lalithaa Jewellery and Nykaa were new entrants to the list.
Mumbai: With the ongoing festive season, the sales of smartphones have significantly jumped, with more and more discounts available on e-commerce platforms. The smartphone industry in India is expected to earn more than half of its sales during the festive quarter, with approximately 49.9 million sets worth Rs 1,252 billion projected to be sold during the October-December 2021 quarter, according to a combined analysis by Techarc & mScanlt tech. The quarter’s sales contribution by revenue and volume is estimated to be 56 per cent and 32 per cent, respectively, as per insights revealed by the ‘Smartphone Festive Season Insights’ study.
The e-commerce platforms have become a trusted source for customers to acquire gadgets, and online sales are increasing in the mid and premium categories this season. The revenue contributions will be led by premium range (Rs 25,000-50,000) of mobiles contributing 51.7 per cent of the total revenues during the festive quarter, while mid-segment (Rs 12,000-25,000) will drive the contributions by volume sales with 42.1 per cent smartphones selling in this segment, reveals the analysis. This is a departure from past years when the basic segment drove most of the online sales.
“Bringing up the unique insights, the upsurge in the sale of smartphones reflects the growing Indian economy in the post-pandemic era,” said mFilterIt co-founder & director Amit Relan. “Smartphones worth Rs 1252 billion are projected to be sold online in this quarter and this is an improvement from what the scenario was last year. mScanIt delivers unique proposition, helping online brands to get a holistic view of the online channels, be it marketplaces, or individual sites.”
According to multiple surveys, consumer purchasing habits in India have significantly improved and increased after the pandemic. The study by the new age technology market research firm, techarc is unique to the industry with mScanIt tech incorporated into this analysis. mScanIt, powered by mFilterIt is a state-of-the-art digital platform that provides an in-depth and focused understanding and insights into what happens online.
“With the talks around 5G network launching in India, the consumer buying preferences have considerably shifted to the 5G smartphones lately,” said Techarc founder Faisal Kawoosa. “Currently, Amazon and Flipkart, the two largest online marketplaces, both offer more than 50 5G smartphone models and Samsung remains at the top followed by Realme and Xiaomi, with the maximum number of 5G smartphones in all the price segments.”
Mumbai: Viacom18’s portfolio of entertainment channels is targeting double digital growth this festive season. According to Viacom18, head – network sales, Mahesh Shetty, the broadcaster expects to beat 2019 festive revenues with two marquee properties to capitalise on.
2020 was an outlier for the media industry because of the impact that Covid-19 had on the industry. Advertising spends that are closely correlated to the GDP and the business economy was depressed for several quarters. “The way the industry bounced back after the second wave was phenomenal. The last quarter results of most companies have been good and that has had a positive impact on ad spends. As we enter the festive period it is just getting better. Most broadcasters are dealing with a problem of plenty i.e., we’re full up on inventory,” remarked Shetty.
The volume of advertisers is yet to recover to the 2019 levels but the values have significantly increased over the past two years. The recovery of ad rates has been driven by the strong demand that the media industry is seeing during the festive period. This is having a positive impact on pricing, observed Shetty.
The broadcaster has invested in big-ticket properties to take advantage of the traction from advertisers. This year its mainline Hindi general entertainment channel (GEC) Colors will telecast two marquee shows during the festive season namely – ‘Bigg Boss 15’ and ‘The Big Picture’.
“Bigg Boss 15 has signed 18 brands and 75 per cent inventory filled at the time of launch” noted Shetty. “We’ve already signed six brands for ‘The Big Picture’ whose launch is two weeks down the line and are confident that this number will go up.”
Hosted by actor Ranveer Singh, the quiz show is all set to hit the airwaves on 16 October and will be aired on weekends at 8 p.m.
The network has roped TRESemme, Lotus White Glow, Dabur Red Toothpaste, Knorr, Jeevansaathi.com, JK Smart Tyre, Hershey’s Kisses, Garnier Men, Wow Skin Science, Spotify, Moj App, Fogg Deodorant, and Haier Washing Machine for ‘Bigg Boss 15’ on TV and additional five exclusive sponsors on their OTT platform Voot.
For ‘The Big Picture’ the sponsors include BYJU’S, Bikaji, LIC, and Haier Refrigerator on TV and two exclusive sponsors for Voot.
New category advertisers who have become active post-Covid-19 are driving ad volumes and spends, according to Shetty. These advertisers have changed the advertiser mix for entertainment channels and have significantly grown in terms of contribution.
“Looking at a three-year horizon (2019-2021), FMCG which used to contribute 72 per cent to the total ad revenue pie for mainstream entertainment channels, has come down slightly to 70 per cent. Categories like telecom, handsets, apparel have also dropped from about two per cent to one per cent,” said Shetty.
The e-commerce marketplaces which used to be two per cent have grown to four per cent. The contribution of social media apps and OTT platforms which used to be around one to three per cent has jumped to six per cent. “Ed-tech which is a new category that has emerged post-pandemic and now contributes about one per cent to revenues. E-wallets also contribute one per cent. The entire contribution for internet brands which used to be around 12 per cent has now grown to 18 per cent. That’s where the advertising mix has seen a change,” he added.
New categories like e-commerce, fintech, crypto, and ed-tech are investing heavily on TV to change consumer behaviour and drive adoption of their brands. The festive period is the best time to drive preference for their brands when the consumer is usually in a buying mindset and wants to engage with brands.
Apart from GEC, the network’s portfolio of movies, music, youth, and regional channels are also performing well, shared Shetty.
The movie genre is seeing advertising traction with inventories filling up. Restrictions on cinema exhibition halls have been relaxed in several states including Maharashtra and producers have announced the release slate for the next six months. “This will also add to the bank of our movie channels,” he added.
Similarly, the broadcaster has made critical investments in its regional portfolio of channels that will drive growth during the festive period. Apart from Kannada, Tamil, and Bangla channels, the kid’s genre has been going steady and youth and music channels under MTV brand have attracted interest by offering bespoke solutions to advertisers.
The broadcaster is also poised to ride the enthusiasm for fresh sports content with its upcoming Abu Dhabi T10 that will telecast on its movie channel COLORS Cineplex towards the third week of November.
