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Tag: festive season

  • Malabar Gold & Diamonds to invest Rs 240 crores in India operations

    Malabar Gold & Diamonds to invest Rs 240 crores in India operations

    MUMBAI: Malabar Gold & Diamonds has announced that it will launch nine stores across India and globally as part of its ambitious global growth plan. Its expansion strategy will see the company mark its footprint across all Tier-I and Tier-II cities in north and central India in order to cater to the growing jewellery market. The group currently operates retail outlets spread across ten countries in India, Middle East, Southeast Asia and the US. Internationally, the expansion will further strengthen its position in markets like Singapore, Malaysia, Oman and UAE.

    In the run up to the festive season, Malabar Gold & Diamonds has scheduled the opening of five stores across India in Lucknow, Dwarka (west Delhi), Ghaziabad, Thane and Kamanahalli (Bengaluru). While the Lucknow and Dwarka stores are located in malls, the other three are in high street locations. In addition, the brand is also scheduled to open two stores in UAE, and one each in Singapore, Malaysia and Oman.

    The move marks a major investment in expansion at a time when many gold and jewellery retailers have struggled to manage their existing operations due to the challenging global economic environment. Despite the slowdown in the market resulting from lower demand, higher price of gold and the global pandemic, Malabar Gold & Diamonds has decided to push ahead with its growth plans, which demonstrates its confidence in the golden prospects of these markets in future.

    “The opening of these nine showrooms with a world-class shopping experience in the post-Covid scenario demonstrates the faith reposed by the customers in the brand. It is only due to their encouragement and patronage that the brand continues to march forward and add to its retail footprints in various corners of the country and the world. Our retail expansion is a part of our plan to become the number one gold retail brand in the world in terms of both showroom count and sales. Accordingly, we have plans to triple the number of showrooms in the next five years”, said Malabar Group chairman MP Ahammed.

    For the ongoing festive season that typically sees an upsurge in gold purchase by consumers, the brand is focussing on their One India One Gold Rate initiative, which aims to offer uniform pricing of gold to customers across the country. Additionally, it has also launched an extensive Diwali-specific festive collection which is available at all Malabar stores and the e-catalogue is available for browsing on Malabar Gold & Diamonds website.

  • Auto industry steps on the gas to lift festive season sales

    Auto industry steps on the gas to lift festive season sales

    NEW DELHI: India's automobile industry has had a bumpy ride these last few years. Add a global pandemic on top of that and the sector was completely stalled. However, with the onset of the festive season, the industry finally seems to be on the road to recovery.

    Factors like consumers shifting to personal mobility (due to Covid risk), new product launches, increase in bookings and enquiries have raised the pent-up demand among buyers. The month of August and September has seen an improvement in retail volumes with sales picking up marginally. The rebound in auto sales is an important barometer that economic recovery is on a progressive track. The festive period has helped boost the sentiment across demographics.

    Traditionally, the industry has always been optimistic around the Diwali-Dussehra period, and this year too, car and two-wheeler makers are busy unveiling new products, giving discounts on service and older models. The recent surge in demand has led companies to focus more on their marketing strategies and get the best possible return out of it.

    Maruti Suzuki India executive director, marketing and sales Shashank Srivastava held the view that car buying is a discretionary purchase and therefore is influenced hugely by sentiment. "Festival season always brings in positive sentiment and therefore sales improve during this time. We saw that positive jump during the Onam festival in Kerala. We are optimistic about the festive season sales. A caveat here is that this time there could be headwinds because of Covid2019. So, our optimism is a bit muted because of this. But our dealers are well-prepared to take care of consumer demand and have replenished their stocks which were made possible by the improved production levels in September,” he elaborated.

    There’s little doubt that this year’s festive season will be crunch time for the auto industry, with customers looking to make big-ticket purchases post the lockdown, shares Vivek Srivatsa, head of marketing, passenger vehicles business unit at Tata Motors head.

    “Despite the slowdown caused by the pandemic, our market share has already doubled after the first quarter of this financial year to 9.5 per cent, as compared to the number at the end of the last fiscal year. Tata Motors was the only carmaker to see a visible growth of 10 per cent in passenger vehicle sales between April and September 2020, at 69,366 units,” said Srivatsa.

    Post the festive season, auto players will have to see how the demand sustains and the impact of underlying macro-economic factors. “We continue to witness a robust recovery and our supplies are being steadily ramped up to cater to the growing demand, despite industry-wide challenge in the supply chain.”

    In order to capitalise on the crucial festive period sales, a Volkswagen spokesperson said the car manufacturer has rolled out 360-degree campaigns extending customised offers to customers.

    “It is definitely a crucial spell for the industry and us. There has been an increase in the uptake for accessible individual mobility as consumers prioritise health, sanitization, and hygiene, steering them away from shared mobility,” the spokesperson added.

    Yamaha Motors deputy general manager Vijay Kaul also explains that the auto category has seen bigger growth every in this golden quarter. “We are hopeful that retails will be better in this period, primarily because of two reasons. Natural festive demand and fear of public transport due to covid19. This is seen by the upward trends in search volume for the auto category and sales numbers compared to pre-covid.”

    This year, the festive season happens to coincide with the IPL, and auto brands are keen to make the most of this golden opportunity. Since the unlock phase, they have trotted out aggressive marketing campaigns to fire up flagging consumer demand.

    For example, Hyundai’s launched a ‘thank you’ campaign with the anthem Haq Hai Hamara, “to honour the spirit of mankind.” Similarly, TVS Motor roped in Amitabh Bachchan and MS Dhoni for a new corporate brand creative. Brands like Honda (cars), and Hero MotoCorp released print ads to announce offers. Recently, Volkswagen rolled out ‘Volksfest 2020’ festive promotion to introduce the red and white edition of the Polo and Vento models.

    Srivatsa shared that before the pandemic the focus was equally spread across mediums. But given the current scenario, digital is leading the way as that is where most consumption of content is taking place.

    This year, Tata Motors is betting big on the IPL, building its marketing strategy across TV and digital medium around the cricketing extravaganza.

    “The former (TV) should help us with a wide reach amongst the audience and the latter (digital) will help us in engaging with the customers by giving them an innovative and immersive experience. We are looking at multiple engagement opportunities with the audience and players across mediums,” explained Srivatsa.

    Kaul also defines that digital has taken a leap. “We are currently betting on the two strong medium TV & Digital. Within digital, we are highly skewed towards performance. That’s the need of the hour to get the call for action.”

    Volkswagen echoed the sentiment, saying that digital and online media communication are definitely key in its media planning. “Traditionally, we have focussed 60 per cent of our ad spends on traditional mediums of TV, Print and OOH while 40 per cent on digital. Now, we are balancing our traditional and digital media spend equally and believe that the media spend on digital will increase in the upcoming years.”

    Dentsu Impact president Amit Wadhwa also agreed that the festive season should certainly be a big step towards pushing up retail sales for the industry. “In fact, we can see it happening across both four-wheelers and two-wheelers brands. The hope is that it brings the same cheer back to some other categories too,” he said.

    While on the subject, which medium are advertisers spending the most on, and is the ad revenue cycle geared up for the festive season?

     Wadhwa explained that business performance is directly proportional to the ad spends/ revenue, so this certainly will reflect on that front too. “Digital has seen a significant upswing in time spent by consumers – and hence, bucks spent by advertisers, despite the high affinity for TV. What is heartening to see is the traction that even print and outdoor is getting with life getting somewhat back on track.”

    In the past few months, digital buying has emerged as a new trend among auto buyers due to its bankability. For instance, Tata Motors launched an online portal called ‘Click to Drive’ to connect with all its dealerships across the country.  The end-to-end digital sales platform allows the customer to make the purchase from the safety and the comfort of their homes.

    However, with the gradual lifting of the lockdown, customers are once again heading back to showrooms.

    The Volkswagen spokesperson shared that the brand is experiencing an increase in footfalls at its offline locations, while online platforms are also registering strong growth and demand. When shopping for a car, it’s natural for prospective buyers to visit a showroom to touch and feel a vehicle before finalizing the purchase. However, now the brand has observed a significant shift in the buying habits of consumers, as people are learning about the product online and then setting-up virtual discussions to understand the vehicle with the salesforce team.

    Clearly, the auto industry is showing signs of recovery and banking on the festive season to deliver good cheer in the form of exceptional retail sales. While significant challenges lie on the road ahead, for now, the only mantra automakers need to follow is 'drive on.'

  • Colors Marathi to launch two new shows during festive season

    Colors Marathi to launch two new shows during festive season

    MUMBAI: As part of its Navi Umed, Navi Bharari ethos, Colors Marathi will debut two new shows during the ongoing festive season to provide viewers with wholesome entertainment.

    Sukhi Mansacha Sadara will launch on 25 October with a special episode and will air every Monday to Saturday at 9:30 pm. This will be followed by the second new show on 11 November, titled Chandra Ahe Sakshila. 

    Deepak Rajadhyaksha, programming head at Colors Marathi, said, “We have always believed in narrating stories with a touch of cultural essence which our viewers can resonate with. With the launch of these two shows, it is our earnest effort to keep our viewers’ entertainment quotient high. We are sure that the storyline of Sukhi Mansacha Sadara and Chandra Ahe Sakshila will manage to strike a chord with our audience.”

    Presented by PN Gadgil & Sons and powered by Wagh Bakri Tea, CamPure and Suhana Masale, Sukhi Mansacha Sadara highlights the importance of finding real happiness in the smallest of things in a competitive world where everyone is chasing material success. On the other hand, Chandra Ahe Sakshila is a story of love, deceit and betrayal, told from the perspective of an educated working woman whose desire to lead a happy life is destroyed when a man with hurtful intentions enters her life. 

    These two original series will join the channel’s existing primetime line-up of Raja Ranichi Ga Jodi, Balumamachya Navana ChangaBhala, Jeev Zala YedaPisa, Swamini, Sundara ManaMadhye Bharali and Shubhmangal Online. 

  • Mi teams up with Baba Sehgal for Diwali campaign

    Mi teams up with Baba Sehgal for Diwali campaign

    NEW DELHI: Smartphone brand Xiaomi ‘Mi’ has teamed up with rapper and musician Harjeet Singh Sehgal, popularly known as Baba Sehgal, for its festive season campaign ‘Diwali with Mi’.

    Baba Sehgal stars in a rap video for the mobile maker. What’s interesting about the clip is that vice president & MD of Mi India Manu Kumar Jain is seen shaking a leg and going head-to-head with Sehgal in a battle of rhymes. In the video, Baba Sehgal says, “Ye hai Manu, mai hu Baba, Bhook lagi hai, let’s go to dhaba. (This is Manu, I am Baba, We’re hungry, Let’s Go to Dhaba.)”

    Jain’s unexpected performance is what makes it for fans of Mi, who cheered the MD for stepping out of his comfort zone and sportingly participating in the video.

    In a LinkedIn post, Jain said: “What’s the role of a CEO? Building new businesses, making long term business plans, building the best possible team, motivating the team to perform the best, creating more leaders? But at #XiaomiIndia, I need to do all of the above and also sing and dance.”

    Jain added that he was convinced by his team to shoot the video and he’s glad for the experience.

    Baba Sehgal and Jain’s double act has proved to be a hit with netizens. Some hailed Jain’s “tremendous energy” and creativity by doing something different and pleasantly surprising the brand’s customers. Others said the campaign was a breakaway from “the stereotypical image of a CEO” and reflected a rich life "beyond the board meetings, PPTs and excel sheets."

    By leveraging the power of social media, Xiaomi is promoting its Diwali campaign and connecting with the masses. Already a renowned name in the Indian smartphone market, the brand clearly knows how to strike a chord with the consumers, as this ad campaign shows.

     

     

  • Festive Sale: Flipkart’s star power vs Amazon’s emotional appeal

    Festive Sale: Flipkart’s star power vs Amazon’s emotional appeal

    NEW DELHI: 2020 has been an exceptional year. After months of stress and self-imposed austerity, the festive season is here – and the people are looking to make the best of circumstances, even in the midst of a pandemic. Amazon and Flipkart, the two biggest e-commerce rivals, are all set to start to kickstart their annual festive season sales.

    Amazon’s Great Indian Festival and Flipkart’s Big Billion Day coincide every year, and both e-tailers go head-to-head to garner attention and achieve the maximum sales. To leverage this golden period of festivities, both brands rely on advertising channels, spending hundreds of crores on marketing, to reach out to the masses. This year too, they have been campaigning extensively on ATL mediums to attract more and more buyers.

    While the strategy of these rivals might differ, their purpose remains the same.

    If we look at the last few years of their marketing strategy, it is evident that Flipkart follows the celebrity-driven approach, whereas Amazon focuses specifically on social media and content generation along with its ATL campaign.

    Flipkart has been popular for its media campaigns like Big Billion Day, Kidults, Ab Mehengaai Giregi, Kidding No Worries, and Shopping ka Naya Address. Amazon, too, has some memorable campaigns to its credit: Aapki Apni Dukaan, Kitne me Mila, Apno ka Saath, and The Great Indian Festival.

    As is customary, Flipkart in 2020 has created a number of video capsules featuring celebrities like Virat Kohli, Alia Bhatt, Deepika Padukone, and Amitabh Bachchan.

    According to angel investor and business strategist Lloyd Mathias, Flipkart believes that celebrities help break the clutter and reach a wider audience for its Big Billion Sale. But Amazon has the advantage of ‘connecting’ with its customers.

    "Amazon has worked at building an emotional bond with Indian consumers with their Aapki Apni Dukaan spot highlighting the ease of shopping through the Amazon App. I think both brands' campaigns have been equally effective, though Amazon’s emotional appeals tend to stick. Also, celebrities used tactically are limiting – until they become part of the story,” said Mathias.

    Amazon this year has tried to align with the Prime Minister’s call for atmanirbharta and come up with the tag lines, 'Made by India Made for India’ in addition to ‘Your trusted store for new beginnings’ and ‘delivering smiles to homes' – all aimed at appealing to Indian families.

    Dentsu India EVP and head- strategy Vishal Nicholas feels that Amazon has ironically been baking an endearing Indian-ness into its positioning, quite consistently at that. “Their strategy seems to be to own cultural truths about India, shopping, and relationships, and most importantly to stay the course on this strategy.”

    Agreeing with this line of thought, 22feet Tribal Worldwide business head – north Vishal Mehra shares, “For Amazon, the problem was to connect with the Indian public-at-large and dispel the notions of a foreign behemoth coming in and taking away all the business. To show a softer and more local side of its personality, the Apni Dukaan campaign was launched and since then they have continued using images of family and are even branching into promoting local kaarigars in their marketing outreach.”

    As for Flipkart, its celeb approach is mainly used to bring aspirational value to product marketing, and it could be more effective. “Flipkart’s spotlight sale items are more around individual needs, whereas Amazon regularly pushes products which also involve family usage,” he explains.

    A few years ago, Flipkart launched a marketing campaign for its fashion segment India ka Fashion Capital comprising different celebrities from Bollywood and TV Industry. The videos were used in GEC channels and digital media platforms to maximize reach.

    Amazon has not opted for the celebrity path yet, and usually tries to have two-way communication with the help of social media – be it contests or shout outs – to keep the consumer engaged. The campaign #ApniDukaan focused on the core proposition of the sale: family buying a lot at lesser prices. Last year, it also came up Amazon Festive Yatra, a house-on-wheels concept that took a multi-city tour, to highlight the e-commerce brand’s offerings, especially the home-based and local products. But will it be viable for Amazon to go the Flipkart route in the future?

    Nicholas claims that theoretically, it is still possible for Amazon to go down the celeb path. “But I see no need for them to do whatsoever. Their strategy is to be seen as an e-retailer who ‘gets’ India. So, if a celeb helps them do that, they could consider an apt celebrity if it furthers their cause disproportionately.”

    Having a line-up of celebs in one campaign can potentially magnify star power like never before but only if they are united by the brand’s promise, purpose, or personality, he opines, adding: “Then the stars appear as a ‘team’ and star power works like a harmony – different instruments but a pleasing melody, else they can turn into a cacophony. Take the case of Mile Sur Mera Tumhara or some Nike all-star ads where the purpose is common – national unity in diversity for the former, whereas it’s winning in the case of Nike.”

    Mehra shares that Amazon’s usage of the Indian family has been very wise and has helped it connect deeply with consumers. “The room for family-led marketing might have been limited with Amazon, but that hasn’t made any less impact on their business performance.”

    Flipkart has been trying to woo customers in rural areas and Tier towns through its own brand of consumer products. The brand is expanding its private-label products in categories such as electronics, furniture, large appliances, and staples. While Amazon is also trying to catch up in small towns, its core strength lies in metro cities.

    According to a research firm Redseer Consulting and Unicommerce, shoppers from rural cities, towns, and regions will be the top contributors to online sales during this year’s festive season.

    Also, due to the pandemic, there has been a change in consumer buying behaviours – people are preferring to shop online frequently instead of stepping out of homes. This phenomenon has led both the companies to focus on all touchpoints of marketing. From TV spots to trending hashtags on Twitter, dropping sneak-peeks for exclusive sale items, and news articles on scoring the best deals – all to generate buzz for what’s shaping up to be an exceptional festive sale in an exceptional year.

  • Amazon Prime Video to globally premiere 9 highly-anticipated movies across 5 Indian languages

    Amazon Prime Video to globally premiere 9 highly-anticipated movies across 5 Indian languages

    KOLKATA: This festive season is an unusual one when people will mostly be confined to their homes. There are few chances of blockbusters getting released in theatres as the cinema halls will open after six months with limited seating capacity. Amazon Prime Video appears to have its plan laid out to keep users hooked as it is premiering nine movies.

    Amazon Prime Video has announced a brand new slate of 9 highly-anticipated movies that will premiere directly on the streaming service. Spanning five Indian languages, the diverse line-up features titles such as Coolie No. 1 starring Varun Dhawan (Judwaa 2, Street Dancer 3D) and Sara Ali Khan (Simmba), Chhalaang starring Rajkummar Rao (Trapped, Stree) and Nushrat Bharucha (Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety), Durgavati starring Bhumi Pednekar (Shubh Mangal Savdhaan, Toilet: Ek Prem Katha), Bheema Sena Nala Maharaja (Kannada) starring Aravinnd Iyer, Middle-Class Melodies (Telugu) starring Anand Devarakonda, Maara (Tamil) starring R Madhavan, and  Manne Number 13 (Kannada) starring Varsha Bollamma (Bigil), Chetan Gandharva (Melody) along with previously announced Zakariya Mohammed’s Halal Love Story (Malayalam)and Suriya starrer Soorarai Pottru (Tamil). The movies will premiere exclusively on Prime Video within 2020 and will be available in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide.

    The new slate follows the successful launch of the first wave of direct-to-service premieres of 10 films across five languages, which led to Amazon Prime Video expanding its footprint in India with viewership for these movies coming from over 4000 cities and towns, across the country. Viewership titles in languages such Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam received more than 50 percent viewership from customers outside the home states, with customers from Lucknow, Kolkata, Pune and beyond streaming Penguin, Ponmagal Vandhal, Law, French Biriyani, Sufiyum Sujatayum, CU Soon V and Nishabdham. The movies were also streamed and enjoyed by TV audiences in 180 countries and territories, allowing Indian filmmakers to reach a wider audience through Prime Video’s global presence. Hindi titles Gulabo Sitabo & Shakuntala Devi emerged as the two most watched movies since the launch of Prime Video in India. Gulabo Sitabo and Shakuntala Devi were also the most watched Hindi movie on Prime Video globally!

    “Gripping content transcends geographical boundaries. The audience are always on the look-out for great entertainment, and good content will always find an audience. The resounding success of our first wave of direct-to-service movie premieres is a testament to that. This further reinforces our commitment to offering our customers a selection of riveting movies, cinematically produced, across a wide range of genres and languages,” Amazon Prime Video India content head and director Vijay Subramaniam said.

    “The disruptive, pioneering format of Direct to Digital movie premieres has, in many ways, been a game changer in the way films are watched in India. Amazon Prime Video is playing a key role of not only expanding the reach & viewership of these films across the country, but also providing global customers across 200+ countries and territories access to world-class films originating from India”, Amazon Prime Video India country general manager and director Gaurav Gandhi said.

    “The fact that more than 50 per cent of viewership of our Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam Direct to Digital titles came from outside of the respective home states is representative of how digital distribution can expand the audience for great content. We are super excited to present our new slate and are confident that it will delight our customers in India and around the world,” he added.

  • Zee TV set to launch four TV shows in October

    Zee TV set to launch four TV shows in October

    MUMBAI:  With the upcoming festive season around the corner, Zee TV has a bumper entertainment extravaganza coming its viewers' way that is bound to spread cheer and bring families together over sampling a vast array of fresh content in the month of October. The channel finally let the cat out of the bag at its virtual press conference, unveiling four exciting upcoming shows that it plans to launch all in a span of a month – Ram Pyaare Sirf Humare, Apna Time Bhi Ayega, Hamariwali Good News and Brahmarakshas 2.

    Over the last one week, several popular faces of Zee TV including Sriti Jha, Shraddha Arya, Karan Jotwani, Kanika Mann, Adnan Khan, Sehban Azim, Reem Sheikh, Abhishek Kapur, Pratibha Ranta, Manit Joura received hampers at their respective homes that left them guessing about a train called the ‘Zee TV Entertainment Express’ delivering a big surprise from the channel on 28 September. They took to social media, expressing excitement about these hampers that contained delicacies from four different cities of India like Jaipur ke Ghewar, Bhopal ki Gujiya, Punjab di Chana Barfi and Agra ke Pethe, asking their fans to guess and watch out for the unveil of a special October surprise from Zee TV.

    Read more news on Zee TV 

    Through the unique device of a train called the ‘Zee TV Entertainment Express’, the channel took the media fraternity and netizens logged on to its social media handles on a virtual journey to four different destinations in India where each of its four new fiction shows is based and the intriguing new show concepts were revealed for the first time by its lead protagonists. Actors Juhi Parmar, Anushka Sen, Jyoti Sharma and Nikki Sharma spoke of how all the four shows reflect the positive change in relationship dynamics that is taking place currently and represent a contemporary picture of the emerging great Indian middle class – Aaj Ke Kirdaar, Aaj ke Kisse.

    Ram Pyaare Sirf Humare is a light-hearted situational comedy following the life of Dulari and her maryada purushottam husband – Ram. The story captures how this Bhopal-based married woman, who feels insecure because of her ideal husband being the cynosure of every woman's eyes, turns to a book of worldly wisdom and traditional ‘nuskhaas’ to keep him safe from their clutches. Ram Pyaare Sirf Humare premieres on 5 October and airs every Monday to Friday at 10:30 PM on Zee TV.

    Jyoti Sharma who plays the role of Dulari said, “I’m quite excited about essaying the role of Dulari. It seems like quite a challenge since I am very different from this saucy, sassy Bhopal-based housewife. To see her fears of losing Ram translate to the use of some hilarious nuskas from a traditional book and then landing up in an even bigger mess in the whole process will prove to be an entertaining watch for viewers.”

    Apna Time Bhi Ayega is a thought-provoking drama that debunks the deep-rooted class system and questions its unwritten rule book of ‘aukaat’ in our society – one that curtails the chances of the lower strata in taking charge of their destiny and rising above their means. The show follows the story of Rani and her father, who despite being from a modest background, has raised his daughter like a princess. Although Rani learns to dream big and becomes an engineer, unusual circumstances compel her to take on his position as the head servant in the Rajawat household. She faces many challenges owing to her social status and financial background. With the challenges thrown in her path, will Rani be able to establish her own identity, rising above her roots? Apna Time Bhi Ayega premieres on 20 October and airs every Monday to Saturday at 7 PM on Zee TV. Anushka Sen who plays the role of Rani shared, “I’m quite excited as Apna Time Bhi Ayega addresses the pertinent issue of class barriers in our society. I feel shows that talk about such issues are extremely important for society as TV holds the power to influence many. Essaying the role of Rani who breaks the shackles of her background and emerges #AukaatKeBaahar is something I look forward to.”

    Hamariwali Good News is a completely refreshing take on the evolution of the saas-bahu relationship in Indian society. The show presents the most unique role reversal between the daughter-in-law Navya and her mother-in-law Renuka to give their family the much-awaited ‘Good News’. This time around, it is the Saas who rather than pressurising or berating her bahu for not being able to conceive, will go the extra mile, brush aside considerations such as age and 'Log Kya Kahenge' by conceiving a baby with her husband to bring the 'Good News' that they collectively await. After all, who better than your own family to back you up when your chips are down and there seems to be no hope! Hamariwali Good News premieres on 20 October and will air every Monday to Saturday at 7:30 PM on Zee TV. Juhi Parmar who plays the role of Renuka mentioned, “I am always up for challenges and when Renuka's role was offered to me, I felt that this would be very different. The makers have given the Saas-Bahu relationship a dynamic and fresh twist by redefining the equation. More and more saas bahus are sahelis today and our show reflects that. The story line is very unique and for a woman to have a child for her own son and daughter in law is so different.”

    In collaboration with Balaji Telefilms, Zee TV is also set to take its audience on a trip to the land of fantasy with the second season of its immensely successful Brahmarakshas. The second season will depict the journey of an ordinary young girl, Kalindi – whose destiny gets entwined with the evil forces and a drastic twist of fate has her drawing all her inner strength to combat the evil Brahmarakshas. While the latter garners its strength from kidnapping brides of Songadh on their wedding day, and casting a dark spell over the town, Kalindi’s only source of strength is her love for her partner, Angad. Brahmarakshas 2 will premiere soon on Zee TV as a weekend thriller.  Nikki Sharma who will be seen essaying the role of Kalindi shared, “This is my debut as a lead and the fact that this opportunity comes with my first thriller fantasy show is all the more exciting. Fantasy shows are one of my favourites as they come with a lot of scope to experiment which I believe is always such a treat for an actor’s soul. The grand launch onboard the Zee TV Entertainment Express was also really unique and now I hope the audiences just love our show.”

  • Disha Patani is Myntra’s first-ever beauty brand ambassador

    Disha Patani is Myntra’s first-ever beauty brand ambassador

    NEW DELHI:  Ahead of the festive season, Myntra announces Bollywood actress, Disha Patani, as its brand ambassador to further consolidate its strong position in the massive and rapidly-growing beauty and personal care (BPC) market in India. Disha has made her mark as a household name after captivating the nation with some awe-inspiring performances both in Bollywood and International cinema. Her interactive social media presence, coupled with her dashing style quotient, will help Myntra penetrate wider geographies while driving recall for the category at scale.

    Myntra has about 400 brands and over 14,000 products in the beauty and personal care category, across makeup, fragrance, hair, grooming & appliances, skin, bath and body, making it an integral part of the overall style portfolio. The category is loaded with authentic products from the best of brands and enjoys a high repeat ratio from customers. Myntra’s unique proposition of offering a holistic range of curated fashion and lifestyle products has given a boost to cross-selling between categories among its consumers, further driving its dominance in the BPC space. 

    Disha’s upcoming, first-ever, brand campaign for the category will further emphasise the distinct value proposition of the company being a leading fashion and lifestyle destination for an entire gamut of products. Her pan-India appeal will bring to the table a holistic representation of a tech-savvy, modern-day celebrity with the appeal to connect and engage with countless enthusiasts for beauty and personal care products across various age-groups. 

    Disha said, “Beauty is an integral part of my life, even more since I became a model. Myntra has consistently pioneered the path to self-expression through fashion and beauty for fashion-forward customers, including myself. Through this association with Myntra, I hope to inspire and help people across India on their journey towards discovering their own unique fashion styles and preferences.”

    Myntra CEO Amar Nagaram said, “In a first-ever for Myntra, this association with Disha as our beauty brand ambassador represents our increasing focus on the booming   Beauty and Personal Care segment. Through our tech-based personalization capabilities, a growing portfolio, and content innovation, we are extending our superlative consumer experience to cater to the beauty needs of consumers and help them complete the look. Disha joins our illustrious list of celebrity brand ambassadors ahead of the festive season and will help us in our vision of providing a holistic fashion and lifestyle offering to our fashion-forward consumers across the nation under one roof.”

    Read more news on Myntra 

    Myntra Studio, a unique influencer led proposition, for fashion and lifestyle, helps Myntra keep high customer engagement. Myntra Studio’s 600+ influencers showcase the latest trends from the world of fashion, including beauty hacks and makeup tips. This unparalleled content-led personalisation feature, driven by influencers, has helped Myntra build brand salience and trust among its customers. 

    Disha has nearly 40 million followers on Instagram alone, and she will be a key driver of trends and styles in the beauty and personal care space for Myntra.

  • PhonePe readies to cash in on the IPL

    PhonePe readies to cash in on the IPL

    NEW DELHI: Some call it the biggest advertising festival of the Asian subcontinent; others equate it with the Super Bowl of India. Amid the raining sixes, cartwheeling stumps and crowds cheering their respective teams, the Indian Premier League (IPL)  is the perfect platform that offers humungous reach, multiple brand integration opportunities and a billion plus attentive eyeballs. Which marketer would want to shy away from this offer if he has the budgets.

    Initially, audiences were only watching the game in Hindi and English feeds but now the broadcaster is offering multiple feeds in different languages along with live streaming on Disney + Hotstar. The spectrum is wider than ever. 

    Despite Covid2019 pushing the the game to stadiums with no audiences in the UAE, the virus has not been able to deter the enthusiasm of audiences as well as marketers. This year multiple brands across categories have already signed on with team, broadcast rights owner, Star Sports and  the BCCI to cash in on the  pulsating excitement of sticky audiences, who will be witnessing a major live event after a hiatus of five to six months. The expectations in terms of viewership are huge as IPL will be a much-needed breather during these difficult times.

    Read more coverage on PhonePe

    PhonePe, a popular fintech brand, has returned as the co-presenting broadcasting sponsor of IPL 2020, repeating the association it had with the league in 2019. With reason: director of brand marketing PhonePe Richa says it has sky high ambitions. Currently, 230 million consumers conduct transitions with the app; the goal is to take that to 500 million by 2022.

    Says she: “The tournament helps to create visibility, reach, and high brand recall for PhonePe. It has also helped us create awareness around digital payments for different user segments in the country. Our IPL sponsorship will help us reach both urban and rural audiences alike.”

    In addition to IPL, the digital wallet brand has plans to digitise 25 million offline merchants across all 5,500 talukas of the country in the next 12 months with the mission to make PhonePe a household name across the country.

    The digital-first brand shared a piece of insight from its IPL 2019 data and indicated that the reach and viewership of the tournament have increased significantly with each season. During IPL 2019, the app platform launched the #DadduGublucampaign featuring Aamir Khan in an avatar not seen before; that of a doting but confident grandfather. Each TVC concentrated on a single feature of the app. For instance, one of the TVCs talked about how it serves all the payment needs of an individual. Another spot talked about the high level of protection and security that PhonePe transactions are armed with. With its smart marketing tactics, the app also took a dig at its rival brand. 

    PhonePe competes with Paytm, Google Pay, and several other players in the market. Media reports suggest that it has set aside a hefty ad war chest of Rs 800 crore to make its presence felt through a push both above the line and below the line. This will include a big advertising splash for television and digital outlets.

    The over-arching theme that PhonePe has adopted for its advertising campaign for this season’s IPL is 'KarteJaBadteJa.’It includes four TVCs shot in different states and languages earlier this year, featuring Alia Bhatt and Aamir Khan. The ads educate users about the various services availableoin the app be it booking a hotel, recharging bills or transferring money to a friend. 

    Sharma asserts that in addition to the PhonePe TV commercials, the brand will also be on other media – social and digital, which she believes is essential to help build brand recall and reach.

    “This year our campaign focuses on tapping into the large base of Indians who are all digital-savvy but for various reasons have not taken to digital payments yet. Being the category leader, it's our endeavour to handhold each and every Indian and get them to experience safe, fast and convenient digital payments through PhonePe,” she explains. “With that in mind, we launched our campaign almost a month back (18 August) with a series of messages around safety, trust, convenience to help our audiences understand the ease and security PhonePe provides for digital payments. We will continue to break new messages and going into IPL you'll see more new ads on the same creative theme. Alongside IPL on TV, we will also be utilising various social and digital platforms and the varied ad formats they offer to create a more holistic audience outreach.”

    Sharma elaborates that customer acquisition and brand recall among the target audience are a few of the metrics that the PhonePe team looks at while measuring the effectiveness any brand association. “We aim to grow the pie of digital transactors in the country, especially from tier 2, 3 markets and beyond. We aim to drive greater awareness and preference for PhonePe's features and services. The key theme will be to catalyse progress for everyone through our brand platform of ‘KarteJa. BadhteJa,” she says. .

    Last month, the brand rolled out a film titled ‘Unstoppable India’ sensitively conceptualized by Leo Burnett. The film portrays the despondency amongst all of us as we battle with the ennui and frustration of the covid2019 prompted change inour lives. But it also highlights the indefatigable, never-say-die spirit of Indians who are finding ways to get back to near normal in the new normal. And of course helping them in the journey back is the contactless payment app PhonePe which like Indians does not how to stop (Ruknatohhumeinaatanahin), which is the tagline of the brand in the film.

    According to an ASSOCHAM-PwC India study, the Indian digital payments market is currently valued at $64.8 billion. It is projected to grow at a CAGR of 20.2 per cent to reach $135.2 billion in 2023.

    Post demonetisaton, in 2016, and the government’s drive towards cash-less India, digital transactions have grown exponentially in the country. The pandemic has further accelerated contactless transactions, across income levels and geographies and amongst all age groups, but more so amongst millennials, for whom it has become a habit.

    Read more news on IPL

    “We hit a record high in June 2020 in terms of our daily user activity as well as the total payment volume processed through PhonePe. Our transaction volume for July 2020 was at 620 million transactions that surpassed the February 2020 levels (pre-lockdown),” explains Sharma. “This was driven by continued user adoption of PhonePe across core use cases such as P2P payments recharges, and bill payments as well as the opening up of offline and online merchants across the country.”

    The good thing is that Sharma is already seeing the signs of revival across industries. She acknowledges, “We are back to our pre-lockdown numbers. June and July have been our biggest month so far in terms of transactions.”

    However, she acknowledges that the last quarter of the calendar year is very crucial for every brand due to the commencement of the festive season. “Luckily this year IPL is being held amid the festive season, creating a feel good factor and brands are hoping to get on the path of recovery very soon. IPL is the biggest sporting event in the country and has a lot of mass appeal. We are sure it will help lead to a revival in overall consumer sentiment who will go out and shop,” she concludes. 

    That would be good news for the economy. And more so for PhonePe if a large part of that consumer shopping is paid for by the digital payment app. 

  • Yardley’s new TVC campaign encourages to celebrate a safe yet joyous Onam

    Yardley’s new TVC campaign encourages to celebrate a safe yet joyous Onam

    NEW DELHI – The year 2020 has witnessed its fair share of upheavals. As India continues to battle with the impact of a pandemic, a sense of fear continues to prevail. While most states continue to struggle with the effects of the pandemic, Kerala has managed to come out fairly well, however, the fear of resurgence persists. This year, as Onam begins, Yardley has released its TV campaign that encourages consumers to celebrate this harvest festival with family and friends while taking all safety precautions.

    The latest TVC by the brand revolves around a Malayali family of three, who are skeptical about celebrating Onam because of the on-going pandemic, however, the mother assures the child and talks about the precautions to take before celebrating the festival. The film showcases the latest additions of hygiene essentials to the Yardley portfolio of Handwash and Sanitizer, the goodness of Lavender oil, and its credibility being a 250-year-old brand that is now offering anti-germ properties in its products keeping in mind the current times. The campaign has been released across television and digital media platforms.

    Commenting on the new campaign Yardley India VP and business head Manish Vyas said, “As the impact of Covid2019 continues to leave our lives in a state of unrest, consumers do still hold a sense of fear when stepping out to get together with friends or even to celebrate festivals. Onam being the biggest festival in Kerala, our objective with this campaign was to encourage our consumers to bring on the celebrations, with the apt precautions. And as they prepare to celebrate in full fervor, Yardley’s Essentials range – infused with anti-germ properties and lavender oil – is here to protect them every step of the way. We at Yardley have always kept in line with the evolving times and keeping our consumers’ sentiments in mind we continue to offer them the best products to address their every need. Our latest TV campaign is a clear depiction of this promise to our consumers.”

    “The antidote to uncertainty is the reassurance that all we hold dear in our hearts…our relationships, our festivals, our celebrations…will continue to be protected. Yardley tells a story of this reassurance and resilience through a product offering that is the perfect coming together of those age-old Yardley values and the need of the hour: protection. It’s a cute little story of the little things we need to do to protect the big things. Onam is an important cultural moment in one of our key markets and this communication is a timely squeeze of reassurance that says that there’s still hope.” said Contract Advertising executive creative director & creative head Mumbai Rahul Ghosh.