ITV

Tag: FMCG

  • Watch Screen Awards on Life OK

    Watch Screen Awards on Life OK

    MUMBAI: Barely days since it completed two years on 18 December, Life OK has acquired the telecast rights of one of film and television’s biggest properties – the Screen Awards – currently in its 20th year. 

    With this development, one of Bollywood’s most credible and prestigious awards have come a full circle. Aired on Star Plus for a good 11 years to begin with, they were later telecast by Colors for two years and now, will be seen on Star Plus’ sister channel Life OK.

    To be aired on 26 January, 2014 at 8pm, this year’s Screen Awards, themed ‘Commemorating heroes’, will celebrate excellence in over 30 categories across the entire sweep of filmmaking in the Hindi and Marathi film industry.

    Life OK general manager Ajit Thakur exults: “While it may have been aired on other platforms earlier, Star network has always had this unique proposition. On Life OK this year, the Screen Awards will have much more of a natural effect. But having said that, we will also scale up since it is the 20th year of the awards plus two years of the channel, and we want to add a lot more inspiration to it. We will create more categories for honouring good cinema. We’re also looking at honouring the heroes of our cinema. We will build it around that platform, adding more to the credibility and inspiration for viewers.”

    The Indian Express Group CEO George Varghese opines: “The Screen Awards are known for their credible and unbiased approach towards celebrating excellence in Indian cinema, and are the most respected in the entertainment fraternity. For the 20th edition of the Screen Awards, we are proud to be associated with Life OK, and are committed to making it bigger and better than before.”

    The idea behind acquiring the telecast rights of the Screen Awards was very simple for the channel. They want to create an impact on the masses with popular properties. “We completed two years and we were at a good run for the last 12 months. It was important for us to now go to the next level. And when we say next level, one of the things which we want to do is create an impact by acquiring some big properties,” explains Thakur. “We were very clear about acquiring this award show which we have never done before, keeping in mind our criteria in programming that is very clear. We wanted a show which stands out in terms of entertainment and some amount of credibility and inspiration also.”

    And so far, the channel has enjoyed working with Screen for the award ceremony. “It’s been wonderful. When we met the CEO of Indian Express George Varghese and the Editor of ScreenPriyanka Sinha Jha, initially, they had a lot of questions about Life OK since the awards used to air on the top two channels earlier and we are at number four. But we shared our plans with them and told them that how we were aiming to grow the channel. They loved our programming philosophy, our belief in social causes and our airing inspiring content. Because of these things, they were finally convinced about going ahead with the partnership,” says Thakur.

    The on-ground will be handled by Cineyug and though sponsors haven’t been confirmed yet, many new categories such as FMCG, automobiles and telecom are interested in coming on board.

    We will build it around that platform, adding more to the credibility and inspiration for viewers, says Ajit Thakur

    Marketing-wise, Thakur informs they are doing a nomination night one week before the awards’ night, which will be one of the biggest marketing campaigns for Life OK. In the pipeline are activities across 150 TV channels; a 10-day city outdoor starting first week of January that will cover buses, malls and cinema halls; cinema advertising; radio and mobile activations; and a road show that will take the Screen Awards trophy to different cities across the country.

    An industry source pegs the value of the Screen Awards property at around Rs 25 – Rs 30 crore but adds, “Because it is coming on Life OK, the value will come down a bit.”

    Probed further, the source says: “It would be about Rs 10 – 12 crore. The channel is trying to invest in programming to get and buy the viewer out. Possibly, they might have paid Rs 25 – 30 crore for it, knowing that though they will lose Rs 10 – 15 crore in the first year, in two or three years’ time, it will start making money and make their channel larger. Typically, you can’t make much money on the property in the very first year though it also depends on the scale and execution.”

  • Cheil Worldwide SW Asia ropes in Atishi Pradhan as chief strategy officer

    Cheil Worldwide SW Asia ropes in Atishi Pradhan as chief strategy officer

    MUMBAI: Cheil Worldwide SW Asia has appointed Atishi Pradhan as chief strategy officer.

    At the agency, Pradhan will lead the integrated strategy function, encompassing traditional, digital, retail and experiential divisions. She will also be spearheading the agency’s proprietary category/consumer knowledge initiatives and guide both current and potential clients on brand marketing strategies.

    On the appointment, Cheil Worldwide SW Asia chief operating officer Hari Krishnan said, “We are delighted to have Atishi on board to lead our integrated strategy function. As Cheil exponentially continues to grow business and capability, the need is to establish thought leadership. Atishi brings the much-needed mindset and experience for us to focus and succeed in this area. Her ability to create engaging, strategically-led ideas will be invaluable to Cheil.”

    Prior to this, Pradhan was with Mogae Media, which she joined in February 2012 as chief strategy officer. She has over two and a half decades of experience in diverse categories ranging from FMCG to technology, education and health under her belt.

    Talking about her new role, Pradhan said, “I am really excited about working at Cheil. I believe there are many exciting opportunities ahead as it is an era where technology and new media are transforming everything around them. I look to bring about transformations that drive brand solutions and create brand opportunities.”

  • Havells eyes 11% growth in FY14

    Havells eyes 11% growth in FY14

    KOLKATA: FMCG and electrical company, Havells India is looking at a growth of 10-11 per cent in the current fiscal 2013-14.

     

    The company is investing a whopping Rs 50 crore for new home appliance facility at Neemrana – Rajasthan, said Havells associate director Y K Gupta in Kolkata on Thursday, on the sidelines of launching a range of products including, new air-fryer.

     

    Tollywood actress Rituparna Sengupta launched a new range of home appliances.

     

    The company said the total debt in the books of London based Havells Sylvania, subsidiary of Havells India, has come down to close to € 80 million and the loan had been rescheduled this year.

     

    “The initial loan was € 220 million when we acquired it in 2007 and that has been reduced to € 80 million now. The repayment will be done through internal accruals of Havells Sylvania and there is no stress in that,” Havells officials said.

     

    The company already has a large scale lighting fixture plant at Neemrana and is now expanding into new products. The plant is expected to be operational from February next year. Home appliances business which stood at Rs 200 crore is projected to jump to Rs 500 crore by 2015, the company said.

     

    The company’s revenue accounted for Rs 7,248 crore while Rs 3,000 crore was the turnover came from overseas during the last fiscal.

     

    “We are happy to launch two of our topline products during the festive period of Durga Puja. Food has always been an integral part of our celebrations and this Puja one can enjoy healthy food with the newly launched airfryer,” ended Gupta.

  • Anatomy of the top 100 brands 2013

    Anatomy of the top 100 brands 2013

    MUMBAI: This year, Apple has re-written history by replacing Coca-Cola, the number one brand for the past 13 years, as the new numero uno in the coveted top 100 global brands announced by brand consultancy, Interbrand.

    Interestingly, it’s not as if Coca-Cola got it wrong this time round. Rather, the FMCG brand has been on a successful spree; winning awards, launching brilliant campaigns, and engaging people in popular initiatives like Coke Studio. Just that technology and new media have emerged leaders this year.
    Ashish Mishra says the report tries to find an answer to who really leads the brand the marketer or the consumer, or both

    Says Interbrand India managing director Ashish Mishra: “If we look at the top five or ten, its technology and new media which is leading the pack and this is the trend all across.”

    The top 10 brands convey a message: A brand today has got to be all about the people. And how anticipation, co creation, conversation, innovation, investment in people & big data, strategic CSR and new leadership is the new way ahead. Mishra goes on to say that Apple has climbed the charts because of the Apple culture is has fashioned across the globe.

    East is East, West is West

    What emerges from the list is that most of the top 100 brands belong to the Western world. So is it to do with our white fixation or the fact that brands from the US, UK, Germany or France have made a name for themselves globally?

    “A brand needs to be where the top 10 GDPs are,” says Ashish, adding that apart from the brands’ financial performance, their role in influencing consumer choice, the strength they command as also recognition across the globe are important factors while determining their value.

    What is more unfortunate is that no Indian brand figures in the top 100. The consultancy reasons it’s all about diversification.

    Mishra explains that post Independence, India grew at a fast clip while business grew in various directions. For example, Tata today means different things i.e. Tata Steel, Tata Motors, TCS etc. to different people. Ditto for other Indian conglomerates, which diversified into different brands and sub-brands, which in turn grew bigger than the mother brand in some cases.

    “An organisational structure is important and somewhere down the line, custody of sub-brands was handed over to people (CEOs, CMOs, CFOs etc) who took charge but forgot to work towards the mother brand,” says Mishra of the irony of the Indian market.

    The agency is helping many companies in India to bridge the gap and be part of the global brands. And to achieve it, the agency feels the companies need to have an inside-outside perspective wherein they need to go to the right markets after creating a name for themselves here as well as compete with the global counterparts on the same parameters.

    Media not so savvy

    Of the top 100, the only media brands are Disney, Thomson Reuters, Discovery (new entrant this year) and MTV. Implying that while media may be the most influential opinion maker for readers and viewers, it somehow fails to impress brand creators.
    While the consultancy does evaluate media brands excluding publishing houses, very few made it to the list. Also, the consultancy made an exception for India and China by taking into consideration government-owned brands because of their sheer number in these countries.

    “The names in the list are the most influential brands globally. But if you look at the media in a broader context, then many other brands too would be included. For example, Facebook,” says Ashish. Incidentally, the top 30 brands evaluated by the consultancy in India did not have a single name from the media.
    Whatever may be the case, the names that figure on the list demonstrate that these brands have indeed managed to deliver meaningful and seamless experiences across all platforms and touch points.

  • Anatomy of the top 100 brands 2013

    Anatomy of the top 100 brands 2013

    MUMBAI: This year, Apple has re-written history by replacing Coca-Cola, the number one brand for the past 13 years, as the new numero uno in the coveted top 100 global brands announced by brand consultancy, Interbrand.

     

    Interestingly, it’s not as if Coca-Cola got it wrong this time round. Rather, the FMCG brand has been on a successful spree; winning awards, launching brilliant campaigns, and engaging people in popular initiatives like Coke Studio. Just that technology and new media have emerged leaders this year.

     

    Says Interbrand India managing director Ashish Mishra: “If we look at the top five or ten, its technology and new media which is leading the pack and this is the trend all across.”

     

    The top 10 brands convey a message: A brand today has got to be all about the people. And how anticipation, co creation, conversation, innovation, investment in people & big data, strategic CSR and new leadership is the new way ahead. Mishra goes on to say that Apple has climbed the charts because of the Apple culture is has fashioned across the globe.

     

    East is East, West is West

     

    What emerges from the list is that most of the top 100 brands belong to the Western world. So is it to do with our white fixation or the fact that brands from the US, UK, Germany or France have made a name for themselves globally?

     

    “A brand needs to be where the top 10 GDPs are,” says Ashish, adding that apart from the brands’ financial performance, their role in influencing consumer choice, the strength they command as also recognition across the globe are important factors while determining their value.

     

    What is more unfortunate is that no Indian brand figures in the top 100. The consultancy reasons it’s all about diversification.

     

    Mishra explains that post Independence, India grew at a fast clip while business grew in various directions. For example, Tata today means different things i.e. Tata Steel, Tata Motors, TCS etc. to different people. Ditto for other Indian conglomerates, which diversified into different brands and sub-brands, which in turn grew bigger than the mother brand in some cases.

     

    “An organisational structure is important and somewhere down the line, custody of sub-brands was handed over to people (CEOs, CMOs, CFOs etc) who took charge but forgot to work towards the mother brand,” says Mishra of the irony of the Indian market.

     

    The agency is helping many companies in India to bridge the gap and be part of the global brands. And to achieve it, the agency feels the companies need to have an inside-outside perspective wherein they need to go to the right markets after creating a name for themselves here as well as compete with the global counterparts on the same parameters.

     

    Media not so savvy

     

    Of the top 100, the only media brands are Disney, Thomson Reuters, Discovery (new entrant this year) and MTV. Implying that while media may be the most influential opinion maker for readers and viewers, it somehow fails to impress brand creators.
    While the consultancy does evaluate media brands excluding publishing houses, very few made it to the list. Also, the consultancy made an exception for India and China by taking into consideration government-owned brands because of their sheer number in these countries.

     

    “The names in the list are the most influential brands globally. But if you look at the media in a broader context, then many other brands too would be included. For example, Facebook,” says Ashish. Incidentally, the top 30 brands evaluated by the consultancy in India did not have a single name from the media.
    Whatever may be the case, the names that figure on the list demonstrate that these brands have indeed managed to deliver meaningful and seamless experiences across all platforms and touch points.

  • DY Works appoints Lakshmi Iyer as VP marketing

    DY Works appoints Lakshmi Iyer as VP marketing

    MUMBAI: DY Works, one of India’s oldest and largest brand strategy and design firm announced the appointment of Lakshmi Iyer as vice president – marketing.

    Prior to joining DY Works, Lakshmi served as VP – marketing and group account head at Better Communications and has worked on clients across financial services, entertainment media, retail, and FMCG sectors among others.

    Lakshmi Iyer believes that this was her next logical step and she looks forward to building a good client portfolio

    A postgraduate in marketing with over 15 years of experience in the communication business, she believes that with the plethora of media available for creating branded experiences currently, it is all the more imperative for branding and communications to not operate in silos, and stay on the same continuum.

    Welcoming Lakshmi, DY Works president Alpana Parida said, “Our nature of work requires people from a strong branding and communications profile and Lakshmi has a combination of both. We are very pleased to have her join the DY Works’ family.”

    On her new role at DY Works Lakshmi Iyer, said, “This exciting role is a logical next step for me. I look forward to working with the team and building the client portfolio further.”

  • BoroPlus ropes in Bollywood diva Bipasha Basu

    BoroPlus ropes in Bollywood diva Bipasha Basu

    MUMBAI: One of India’s leading FMCG major, Emami has roped in Bollywood actor Bipasha Basu for BoroPlus. The sultry diva will be endorsing a new face wash range of BoroPlus which is going to be launched soon.

    The glam quotient of the brand BoroPlus has got a major shot-in-the arm with the joining of Bipasha Basu to its brand wagon of celebrities. The brand endorsers’ list already boasts of star power of legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan and Kareena Kapoor Khan.

    On the occasion of this announcement, Emami director Priti A. Sureka said, “Emami has been associated with Bipasha Basu for its Vasocare brand. Now, it is our privilege to get associated with her for another – the power brand BoroPlus. Bipasha is synonymous with beauty, glamour and talent and we feel that her personality will complement the brand image of BoroPlus.  It is also a big boost for the brand to have on board two Bollywood divas Kareena and Bipasha along with the star power of the legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan.”

    BoroPlus Antiseptic Cream is backed by the combined star power of Amitabh Bachchan and Kareena Kapoor Khan, while Kareena also endorses BoroPlus Advanced Moisturising Lotion.

    The Rs 400 crore Boroplus portfolio currently comprises brands-for-all-seasons:  BoroPlus Antiseptic Cream, Boroplus Advanced Moisturizing Lotion and BoroPlus Prickly Heat Powder.  

    BoroPlus is India’s largest selling antiseptic cream with 74 per cent market share and is also the highest selling antiseptic cream in Ukraine, Russia and Nepal. BoroPlus Antiseptic Cream has grown at a healthy CAGR of 12 per cent in last three years.

  • Mogae launches mobile couponing ecosystem

    Mogae launches mobile couponing ecosystem

    MUMBAI: Mogae Media today announced that its MoCoupons business vertical has signed up over 2000 grocers and general merchants in Delhi in its very first month of operation. MoCoupons is Mogae’s mobile couponing ecosystem by which mobile subscribers receive discounts. Hitherto, while mobile discount coupons could be originated by different brands, the encashing of the discount, or the offer was limited to company owned outlets which are very few in numbers.

    MoCoupons is a major step forward in the last yard connectivity between consumers and brands,” says Tanya Goyal, Executive Director, Mogae Media. “We at Mogae have invested a lot of time and money in creating an end-to-end solution for FMCG brands which have a large number of retail outlets that they need to reach across dispersed geographies. We can now target not only the desired customer profile for FMCG companies, but more importantly fulfil the redemption of the coupons through on-ground tie-ups with the local kiryana stores”.

    The MoCoupons couponing system not only serves, tracks, validates and encashes coupons delivered on the mobile to consumers, but also gratifies the trade in one complete transaction loop. The entire system has been developed in-house by Mogae Digital, the sister company of Mogae Media.

    “We have a large field force out in Delhi signing up grocers, general merchants and OTC pharmacies. In the first month we have crossed 2000 signups. We are currently testing the coupons of two of our partner FMCG companies. In the month of September we will cross 4000-5000 signups in Delhi and NCR,” adds Tanya Goyal.

    Mogae Media plans to cover all the metros by end of 2013. In the next 12 months thereafter, MoCoupons will extend to top 20 cities across India.
    Mogae Media, co-promoted by Sandeep and Tanya Goyal, former India JV partners of Dentsu, raised Rs 100 crores in private equity earlier this year from Multiples. Mogae Media are the sole and exclusive partners of India’s largest telecom operator, Airtel for mobile monetization. Today Mogae Media handles over 120 brands for mAdvertising.

  • Emami opens first ayurvedic clinic near Kolkata

    Emami opens first ayurvedic clinic near Kolkata

    KOLKATA: Kolkata headquartered, Emami has opened ‘Zandu Ayurvedic Clinic’, its first ayurvedic clinic near Kolkata.

    The fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) company said the clinic was opened at the Nature Cure and Yoga Centre at Konchouki on the southern fringes of the city.

    It should be noted that Emami has a number of branded FMCG products with ayurvedic ingredients.

    The clinic with a panel of practitioners of traditional medicine is part of a long-term promotional plan leveraging Emami and Zandu brand’s connection with ayurvedic way of treatment.

  • abm communications completes 10 years in advertising; dons new look

    abm communications completes 10 years in advertising; dons new look

    NEW DELHI: abm communication, which has completed 10 years in the field of communication, has unveiled its new logo that encapsulates its core mission of ‘Raising the brand value of its Clients‘.

    The new logo design marks a new beginning for the agency whose mandate is to focus on growth, diversification and pan-India operations.

    Over the years, the Gurgaon-based agency promoted by its MD Abhijit Basu has focused upon building integrated marketing solutions for the brands that it handles. Today, ten years since its inception, abm commands a large footprint both as a communication agency and a marketing solution provider.

    Commenting on the occasion Basu said, “This moment, as we complete 10 years, the memories of the challenges, the efforts and the victories instill a sense of pride for the entire team because of which abm has grown by leaps and bounds. Today, abm represents a team of people with a fanatic‘s faith in the power of advertising. The confidence that our clients repose in us is also exhibited by the new business acquisitions which come mostly as references from our clients. In the coming years, we aim to further this association and consolidate our market presence”.

    This decade old communication agency started with a team of two people and one client. Today, the count at abm communication has grown to include a 50-member team serving 19 clients.

    At abm, the intent is to create result-oriented and clutter-busting pieces of creative communication that command attention. The accent is on solutions that profoundly affect consumer thinking and behavior.

    The company offers sharp, integrated and cost-effective solutions and consistently provides strategic solutions based on the understanding of the target. The intent of the Agency is to create ideas to fill the need of the brand and use every single element of communication, so that every penny spent is worth more to its clients. The methodology is simple, yet effective. Beginning by identification of the core idea, the Agency goes on to implement the core idea into every possible communication element and ties it all together in the appropriate medium.

    “The next thrust area for business that the Agency has identified is the communication in the digital medium, new activation domains etc. Now, the Agency is concentrating to work towards real, solid growth and recognition”, Basu further added.

    abm today enjoys a client portfolio across industry verticals like Fashion, Interior, Healthcare, Telecom, FMCG, Consumer Durables, Finance, Retail and Real estate. Some of the clients that abm handles are Dr Lal PathLabs, Axiss Dental, Dalmia Cement, SBL, Guardian Pharmacy, Muthoot Group, Evok, Oxigen, Pearl Academy, Urban Country, Aspiring Minds, SG, Manohar Lal Jewellers, Khaaja Chowk, and Moen.