ITV

Tag: Focus

  • JioStar Study reveals live cricket streaming on mobile outperforms other platforms for long-format ads

    JioStar Study reveals live cricket streaming on mobile outperforms other platforms for long-format ads

    MUMBAI: Media planners and buyers who are sharpening their teeth before going in for the kill over unsold inventory during the cricket coming up in the next few months, pay attention to this piece of information being put out by JioStar.  

    A neuroscience-backed study conducted by its team in collaboration with Neurons Inc has revealed that advertising during live cricket streaming on mobile drives superior audience engagement, focus, and brand recall compared to other digital platforms, making it the most effective medium for long-format advertising.

    The study evaluated identical advertisements across JioStar’s mobile streaming platform and three other digital platforms, including a user-generated video service, an image-centric social media platform, and a community-driven network. The findings demonstrated striking differences in cognitive and behavioural responses. Ads during live cricket on handheld devices achieved 1.7x higher viewer focus compared to user-generated video platforms, 4.1x higher focus than image-centric platforms, and 7.8x higher than community-focused platforms. 

    Engagement rates were 2x, 2.7x, and 8x higher compared to user-generated, image-centric, and community-focused platforms, respectively. The platform drove a 2.2x increase in both brand favourability and purchase intent, alongside a 2x rise in daily active users and a 4.5x spike in app downloads.

    JioStar  head of business, sports revenue, SMB & creator Ishan Chatterjee said: “Cricket is more than a sport in India — it’s an emotion that brings millions together. This study underscores how this passion translates into an immersive advertising environment, providing brands with unparalleled opportunities for compelling storytelling. With upcoming marquee events such as the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy and Tata IPL, advertisers can achieve impactful results.”

    Neurons Inc Asia  MD Shikher Chaudhary added: “Our research confirms that the dynamic nature of live cricket significantly enhances engagement, setting a new standard for digital advertising. The heightened focus and superior recall during live matches make it an ideal platform for impactful long-format ads.”

    With the Tata 2025 set to begin in March, JioStar’s OTT mobile platform offers advertisers access to millions of passionate cricket fans. Beyond Tata IPL, brands can leverage high-profile events, including the India-England series, ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025, and Tata Women’s Premier League 2025, to deliver powerful, narrative-driven campaigns that resonate well beyond the final ball.

  • Unacademy launches new ad film ‘Focus | First Law of Learning’

    Unacademy launches new ad film ‘Focus | First Law of Learning’

    Mumbai: Unacademy has released a new ad film ‘Focus | First Law of Learning’ to highlight another life learning from the cricket pitch of the IPL. In keeping with precedent, the film draws an interesting correlation between cricket and education and the need to stay focused.

    The ninety-four-second long clip begins with the quintessential question, “Is baar IPL se kya seekha?.”

    The film intersperses memorable match moments from IPL consisting of catches, run-outs and other on-field moments to deliver the importance of focusing to achieve one’s goals. As the film narrates through these highlights, it drives the message that emphasises the importance of ‘Focus’ and having a persistent and determined mind towards learning.

    The film also showcases key shots of the players focusing on their catches and runs outs, despite various on-field distractions.

    A key highlight of the film is the original soundtrack produced to further reiterate the message that focus is the first law of learning. The soundtrack has affirming lines like ‘Chahe Imtehaan ho Ya Khel ka maidaan ho Saara game focus ka hai’ and more to emphasise that whether cricket or academics focus makes or breaks a path.

    Speaking about the launch, Unacademy chief marketing officer Karan Shroff said, “At Unacademy, we work with a central vision keeping the Learner at the core of all our decisions and especially our marketing campaigns are driven to empathise further with them in their strenuous journey of cracking goals. This year’s IPL campaign is also produced keeping a relevant life learning of focus of which we saw multiple instances during the game, helping Cricketers crack their goals. Learners go through multiple hurdles during their journey and through this film, we aim to motivate them to remain focused and determined towards their goals.”

  • Saatchi & Saatchi Focus rechristened to Publicis Health & Publicis Business

    Saatchi & Saatchi Focus rechristened to Publicis Health & Publicis Business

    MUMBAI: Building on the Publicis Groupe philosophy of Power of One, with customers at the centre of everything they do, Saatchi & Saatchi Focus, an award-winning; specialist knowledge-based communication agency has officially been rechristened to Publicis Health & Publicis Business. Its B2B, IT, Talent and Healthcare communication expertise over the last 20 years will add to Publicis Groupe’s comprehensive offerings to clients, which include creative, digital, PR, activation and production services, as well as media and digital transformation.

    Publicis Health will support the health and wellness verticals for the agency and would function out of its offices in Mumbai and Bangalore. It currently services an array of clients including Novartis, Sanofi, Abbott, Wockhardt, Clinton Foundation among others. Meanwhile, Publicis Business will cater to the B2B, IT and Talent space and would operate out of its office in Bangalore. It manages clients such as Bosch, AIS, ICICI Bank, Coats, thyssenkrupp, Sonata Software, Infosys among others.

    Speaking on the development Publicis Worldwide India managing director Srija Chatterjee said, “This initiative is an indication of our focus on being seen as an integrated solutions provider offering full-service capabilities under one roof. In keeping with the Power of One philosophy, the new entities will work seamlessly across our offices and assist in enhancing brand advocacy and growth of our Healthcare and B2B clients in India.”

    Saatchi & Saatchi Focus has been around for over two decades catering to the communication requirements of B2B clients who understood their business processes and were able to provide sales support. It later branched out into talent branding and healthcare verticals. The agency works with several IT, engineering, and pharma & healthcare majors across the country and overseas.

    Publicis Health is one of the four critical pillars as part of the Groupe’s core global strategy. Its goal is to create attitude-changing dialogues around health & wellness. Further, its mission is to deliver ideas of purpose that compel positive actions by the target audience towards better health. The unit comprises a diverse talent pool that thrives on relevant insights and remains intellectually curious to put out life-changing communication in the marketplace.

    Publicis Business works across Publicis Groupe clients to offer specialised solutions that are category-leading in the marketplace. The unit has been steadfast in its purpose of providing relevant, original, and impactful communication to its clients over the years.

  • Focus on data brings remarkable growth to Aircel in Karnataka

    Focus on data brings remarkable growth to Aircel in Karnataka

    MUMBAI: As a result of strong focus on data driven products and services, Aircel, one of India’s leading telecom operators, has become the fastest growing telecom operator in Karnataka in the last quarter ending September 2015.

    Aircel grew in gross revenue by a good 3.1% while the industry de-grew by 0.9% with data contributing a whopping 27% to the overall revenue. Aircel has been buoyant in its Karnataka operations and the company’s  growth is attributed to the success of innovative data products and services such as Combo 196, Free Basic Internet for all, Unlimited 3G Packs starting at Rs 9 to name a few.

     Aircel Karnataka circle business head Kanwarbir Singh said, “Karnataka is one of the key markets for us and we have grown remarkably in the market. We provide the best ‘value for money’ products to our customers to suit their needs. There has been a dramatic increase in the sales of smartphones and this has led to a widespread need of data, especially for the youth. We’re confident that our products will not only greatly ease the pockets of our new customers, but also help to fuel internet adoption in the country for those who still aren’t online. It is a known fact that with each passing day, the need of our customers to have access to seamless data connectivity on their mobile phones is increasing manifold. With increasing frequency and hours of time spend on being online; there is a customer fear of probable bill shock due to perception of high charges. Unlimited 3G packs starting at as low as Rs 9, erases all such worries and gives confidence to use 3G and Stay Online. We are extremely committed to the Karnataka circle and will constantly strive to provide simple and innovative products and services to our customers”

     Also, in its aggressive mode to spearhead the data growth in the country, Aircel, recently launched an affordable range of industry first Unlimited 3G packs ranging from Rs.9 to Rs.397 for all its customers. With this trend setting move, Aircel hopes to encourage its existing and potential customers to stay connected online with Aircel.

    Aircel’s industry first offers of unlimited 2G/3G data packs of Rs.9, Rs.84, Rs.249 and Rs. 397 are intended to redefine the way mobile internet is consumed in India. With an USSD recharge of Rs.9 per day, subscribers can enjoy 100MB 3G and thereafter unlimited 2G for a day. Subscribers can also enjoy 1GB, 3GB and 7.5GB of unlimited 3G/2G data for Rs.84, Rs.249 and Rs. 397 respectively.

    The 1GB, 3GB & 7.5GB ETOP packs, with validity of 10 days, 30 days and 15 days, are in line with the growing data consumption.

    Aircel Karnataka circle marketing head Karthik .V  said, “We have witnessed an increasing demand for data especially for entertainment and productivity purposes. Being a data focused company, constantly innovating with data products is the only way to stay relevant for our consumers. Aircel sees a huge opportunity to get more first time internet users on board as well as help graduate existing data users to faster technologies like 3G.”

  • ESPN US to focus more on content, technology, intl business with restructuring

    ESPN US to focus more on content, technology, intl business with restructuring

    MUMBAI: ESPN US and ABC Sports president George Bodenheimer has announced the reorganisation of ESPN’s business functions and executive management into six specific areas.

    The aim is to pursue the company’s primary mission to serve sports fans and for future growth in the areas of content, technology, sales and marketing, the international arena, finance and administration.

    The executive management team reporting to Bodenheimer includes John Skipper, who has been promoted to executive VP content; Chuck Pagano whos is now executive VP technology; Sean Bratches who is executive VP sales and marketing. Christine Driessen continues to serve as ESPN executive VP and CFO. Ed Durso contnues to be ESPN executive VP, administration; and Russell Wolff stays in his position as ESPN Intl executive VP and MD.

    Bodenheimer says, “Changes in our management ranks presented an opportunity to redefine our structure. Aggregating all our creative energies in one division; placing all sales and marketing in one area to sell our growing menu of services; consolidating oversight of all technology; and affirming the centralised management of all international businesses are powerful statements. I am excited about the prospects of this realignment and the people leading these areas. Not only does this reaffirm ESPN as the leading sports media entity, it will strengthen our commitment to serving sports fans.”

    Skipper will now oversee content in all its forms for all ESPN and ABC Sports television, radio, Internet, publishing, wireless, broadband and Enterprises operations. Skipper joined ESPN in June 1997 after several years in the publishing business, including the Disney Publishing Group, which he joined in 1990. He oversaw one of the most successful magazine launches, ESPN The Magazine in March 1998.

    Wolff, along with the support of Driessen, has led initiatives around the world increasing the financial success of ESPN’s international operations. Wolff, who joined ESPN in 1997 managing ESPN’s business interests in the Pacific Rim, is responsible for all of ESPN’s international business initiatives across television, radio, publishing, wireless, broadband, and ESPN Enterprises operations.

  • Focus sets Ryan Reynolds sci-fi thriller Selfless for winter 2015

    Focus sets Ryan Reynolds sci-fi thriller Selfless for winter 2015

    As part of the October deal that saw FilmDistrict being absorbed into Focus Features, the latter has taken over distribution of two more titles and announced a new release date for one of them.

     

    The sci-fi thriller Selfless, starring Ryan Reynolds, originally had been set for September 2014 but now will see day of light on 27 February 2015. It centers on a terminally ill billionaire who buys a chance for eternal life through an experimental underground medical procedure. Focus also will handle the  Zac Efron flick That Awkward Moment, which was  retitled  from Are We Officially Dating? a few months ago. Its release date remains 31 January. Focus  said last month that it will release the former FilmDistrict title Insidious: Chapter 3 in April 2015.

  • Ten Sports readies to dribble with Junior Hockey World Cup

    Ten Sports readies to dribble with Junior Hockey World Cup

    MUMBAI: Right now, the nation is moaning about the retirement of Indian cricket great Sachin Tendulkar. Clearly, the focus is on cricket and punters are betting that his farewell test is going to notch up never before heard of ratings.

     

    But wait, here’s a channel which is hoping to take the viewership of hockey – another national passion  (until cricket took over) –  up a few notches as it readies for a blast which is going to hit the air waves in the next 10 days. Ten Sports, which is the official broadcaster of the Hero Junior Men’s Hockey World Cup 2013 says it is going to unleash a promotional blitzkrieg for it. To be held in Delhi from 6-15 December, it features 16 national teams and will be played out at the Major Dhyanchand National Stadium, New Delhi.

     

    “We are building up a strategy to make hockey really big. We know that the sport has huge potential to catch up with cricket as it has the same energy and vigour,” says Ten Sports CEO Rajesh Sethi, adding that the promotional strategy includes going big on social media to build the buzz for the tournament.

     

    Commentary is going to primarily be in English unlike rival Star Sports which normally telecasts hockey with Hindi commentary.

     

    In fact it’s not just Junior Hockey World Cup, the channel, which also has a right to broadcast the Hockey World Cup that will be played in Netherlands in May-June 2014, the Commonwealth Games, Glasgow (23 July- 3 August, 2014), and 2014 Asian Games (September-October 2014) scheduled to be held in South Korea, is planning a huge build up for all these spectacles from now onwards.

     

    “Hockey forms a big chunk of all these games. With the telecast of the Junior World Cup, we will start building up an environment for the sport,” says Sethi, who is closing on some “big advertising deals” for the tournament very soon.

     

    According to sources, the channel is also planning to rope in a well-known person as the brand ambassador to promote the tournament.

     

    Rival channels are not too disturbed by Ten Sports push.

     

    Says one of them: “Ten Sports has a long term agreement with International Hockey Federation (FIH) and the way we try to make all our events big, even they will do that. There’s really no need for us to be troubled because of that. The sport has its loyal audience; hopefully Ten Sports’ push will expand the viewership. The entire sports industry in India wants other sports to develop viewership so that our dependency on cricket can reduce.”

     

    All league matches featuring India will be played in prime time slot at 8:00 pm, beginning 6 December. Should the GECs be worried?

  • Focus creates online edutainment platform for kids

    Focus creates online edutainment platform for kids

    MUMBAI: While kids are increasingly spending time online there aren‘t many platforms that offer content tailor made for them. It is to fill in this need gap that advertising and digital media agency Focus Circle Group is looking to fill.

    Focus has launched Worldoo (worldoo.com), a unique platform that offers a blend of entertainment and education from the most popular content from a kid‘s world of interest, through an interactive experience.

    Worldoo, according to Focus, is an ‘Ever-evolving Online Ecosystem‘ for kids in the 6-12 age bracket. The aim of Worldoo is to offer kids an interactive experience.

    Worldoo has around 16 content partners including ZeeQ, Cartoon Network, Shemaroo, Sony Pictures and National Geographic. Kids can consume the content from their world of interests and earn virtual currency (Stars) by doing so. Stars are earned depending on the amount of content they consume.

    Focus Circle Group MD Monish Ghatalia reveals that the site took two and a half years to create. The company has invested Rs 90 million and is hoping to achieve a break-even in three years.

    “Our promise is to deliver something new, always. So far 600 kids have registered. We have invested Rs. 90 million and expect to breakeven within three years. We have a revenue sharing arrangement deal with our content partners for ads. Worldoo is an audience focused engagement platform for brands on the internet. With conventional activation mediums, it is challenging for brands to reach out to a large chunk of target audiences at a single point, and even more difficult to sustain the engagement,” he explains.

    Ghatalia adds, “We are confident that Worldoo will provide an edge for brands, to engage with the right target audience. It offers the right platform for brands to achieve much more than just impressions and clicks. Worldoo creates engaging experiences for kids as it offers activities, interaction and content, all in one place. Our aim in doing content deals was to have content that imparts both excitement and education, all in a single platform.”

    There are seven content sources (landmarks) in the site including Game Den that has games segmented by genre. Companies like ZeeQ and Cartoon Network have their own landmark within Worldoo.

    Ghatalia adds that the second phase for the company starts in a few months time. That is when it will look to be available on digital devices like the mobile as well. It will also have regional content. By the end of the year it could have 50 content partners. “We are looking to create content on our end as well. There will be comics, stories, games. The vision for us is long term and we want to touch upon diverse aspects that concern kids.”

    Turner International India VP ad sales South Asia Juhi Ravindranath commenting on the content partnership with Worldoo said, “At Turner, our aim has always been to push the boundaries and deliver innovative and entertaining content/experience across various platforms. Worldoo is a unique idea and we are happy to partner with Focus in a bid to create the right brand experience for consumers.”

    ZeeQ programming head Aparna Bhosle noted that technology is central to consumption of content. “content consumption is becoming increasingly multi-platform. TV, internet and the mobile phone should together allow greater opportunities to watch your favourite show at any time in any place and on any device. It is keeping this in mind that ZeeQ are excited about partnering with an innovative concept like Worldoo. It is a mechanism through which our shows can be sampled via the internet.”

    Shedding light on the ad strategy Worldoo head experience and brand Harsh Wardhan Dave said, “Advertising for kids online has always been restricted to banners, contest pages, micro sites. There is no innovation in this space in terms of customer engagement. The launch of Worldoo is a very proud moment for us, as we fill this gap for brands to think out of the box and create a real life engagement with kids through our digital platform. With all of this we are about digital engagement and not just digital marketing.”

    He adds that since Worldoo has a blend of social and engagement, brands can live with kids in Worldoo. Kids can follow brands, make friends with them, get tips from brands etc. Also creatively, they can seamlessly become a part of a user‘s journey as the brand can be present while kids spend their time in their world. For example a breakfast brand can place a bowl of cereals in a Kids Home at Worldoo or a car brand can be driving through the roads of Worldoo and more such tailor made innovations.”

    He added that the aim of Worldoo is to reassure parents who are unsure of what their kids are looking at online. “The pre-launch research conducted by IMRB gave us immense confidence that what we are creating is the need of the hour. Kids research told us liked the website as they get so many things in it. They are excited about the various types of games that are there. According to mothers the site has everything that a child needs and so there is no need for their children to go anywhere else. Mothers also feel that it the site is good as only kids will be there.

    “So children will interact with other children of their age. Mothers also feel that the point system will give children some business sense, about how to earn for themselves and then spend wisely. 1/3rd of mothers feel that the site is for 13-15 year olds. More than 80 per cent of mothers surveyed feel that Worldoo is an edutainment site. Our research also showed that Google is favourite site for kids followed by Cartoon Network, Facebook, Yahoo and National Geographic”.

    What is interesting about this survey is that two iconic kids brands Disney and Nickelodeon both ranked below National Geographic.

    The content that Worldoo offers includes:
    – Games from miniclip, the gamebox, zapak.
    – Cartoons from Cartoon Network and Chota Bheem
    – Animals and Environment and Conservation from National Geographic and JeffCorwinConnect.
    – Movies and Trailers from Warner Bros., Shemaroo, Sony Pictures, Reliance Big Flix.
    – Edutainment from ZeeQ,
    – Books and Comics include Amar Chitra Katha, Crosswords, Landmark, Dreamland, Britanica Books, Robinage, Champak.
    – International destination includes Sentosa.

  • Prime Focus enhances partnership with deltatre

    Prime Focus enhances partnership with deltatre

    MUMBAI: Global digital media and technology firm, deltatre, and, Prime Focus Technologies (PFT), the technology arm of media and entertainment industry services leader Prime Focus, have engaged in a partnership agreement after successfully delivering their first joint project in India, the launch of starsports.com.

    PFT‘s award winning Clear Hybrid Cloud technology platform and digital content services can now be integrated with deltatre‘s digital media technologies including their market leading CMS, Forge, and world renowned data integrated video application, Diva.

    PFT Founder, President and CEO Says Ramki Sankaranarayanan said, “Our customers have been urging us to develop a solution that effectively addresses their need for Over The Top (OTT) platforms and an enhanced consumer experience. We are thrilled to join hands with deltatre to offer our customers a solution that will allow direct consumer outreach and enhanced viewer experience. In this area we are targeting a business of Rs. 100 crore in the next three years.”

    PFT and deltatre have shared local human resources to ensure both teams understand the technologies and have the expertise across the relevant platforms, allowing the best possible coordinated solutions for clients.

    “This new partnership with PFT and our successful Starsports.com project marks our entry in to the Indian market. By working so closely together, our companies benefit from sharing international experiences and knowledge while providing local manpower and expertise to our clients,” says deltatre CCO Paul Bristow.

    The working relationship between the two media companies will provide clients with the most innovative digital solutions using an efficient global workflow at competitive local rates.

  • Focus creates launch campaign for Dalmia Cement with Mary Kom as brand ambassador

    MUMBAI: Focus has been recently awarded with the creative duties of the cement major ‘Dalmia Cement‘ for the entire North-East region.

    The mandate involves the entire integrated brand and communication strategy which includes ATL and BTL initiatives. The agency has begun work on the project and launched its first campaign for the brand recently. The brand has also brought on board Olympic bronze medallist boxer Mary Kom as brand ambassador.

    Focus Circle (creative arm of Focus) national creative director Rahool Talukdar said, “This association has given us the opportunity to not only work for a heavy weight cement brand like Dalmia but also associate with the iconic Mary Kom. Sometimes brand ambassadors seem force fit for brands, that wasn‘t the case here. She had the perfect brand fit for Dalmia in North East that stood for attributes like Performance, Victory and Commitment. As communication strategists, the challenge now remains in making Dalmia a ‘prominent brand‘ in the region. And our initiatives planned for Dalmia in the coming phase will prove to be efficient in penetrating the same; enhancing its national presence furthermore.”

    Dalmia Bharat Cement senior executive director group marketing and corporate communication B K Singh said, “Given our reputation as a leading player in the cement industry with a very strong brand of Dalmia, the challenge was to combine the experience of 70 years and the experience of the local team. The team felt we needed a strong brand ambassador to connect with the people of the region. So, choosing Mary Kom was very critical to establish the connection. In Focus we found a team with rare combination of rich experience in the region and knowledge of the industry. This helped us to leverage the strength of both team and come up with a robust and innovative marketing campaign.”

    Dalmia has recently taken over North East based Adhunik cement and Calcom cement (76 per cent stake) and the group stands as one of the top five largest cement manufacturer in the country. Being the incumbent communication partner of Calcom, Focus has been considered as the preferred agency (with its Kolkata branch operations) for Dalmia Cement in the region.

    The agency has demonstrated its expertise and deep understanding of the North Eastern markets through its past projects, with established leading brands.