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Tag: HDFC

  • HDFC Life, Amole Gupte join forces for ‘Hawaa Hawaai’

    HDFC Life, Amole Gupte join forces for ‘Hawaa Hawaai’

    MUMBAI: It isn’t uncommon for brands to piggyback cinema as the medium with arguably the greatest mass outreach.

     

    HDFC Life is no stranger to this strategy; having co-promoted the franchise Spiderman in 2007 and in 2010, followed it up with an association with the Hindi film, Patiala House. This time round, the brand has gone a step further with in-film placement and theme integration with director Amole Gupte’s upcoming film, Hawaa Hawaai, about the triumph of the human spirit in the face of insurmountable odds.

     

    Through this collaboration, HDFC Life wants to send out the message that strong determination and sound planning (pakka iraada and pakke plans) go a long way in helping you fulfill your personal and financial goals.

     

    Of the association, HDFC Life marketing, product, digital and e-commerce senior EVP and head, Sanjay Tripathy says: “As a brand, HDFC Life has always propagated ‘independence and self respect’ or ‘Sar utha ke jiyo’ as a way of life and the film’s core message is a perfect fit with our brand philosophy. Through this film, we are celebrating people who help fulfill others’ dreams through their efforts and live life with their head held high.”

     

    Gupte’s team has gone so far as integrating the line, Sar Utha Ke Jee, in a song from the film to bring out the strong thematic and philosophical connect.

     

    Associating with films is not new for brands across FMCG, banking, financial services, and insurance (BFSI), what with marketers constantly searching for newer and better ways to reach out and connect with customers. HDFC Life has consistently launched marketing campaigns that bring out the relevance of life insurance for consumers.

     

    “Our core brand thought – Sar Utha Ke Jiyo – is about ‘financial independence’ and ‘self respect,’ which has always been a core value for all Indians. We stand for and celebrate achievement of every individual’s dreams and aspirations, being triumphant against all odds, and thereby, living life with the head held high,” says Tripathy.

  • GroupM crowned ‘The Dream Company to Work For’

    GroupM crowned ‘The Dream Company to Work For’

    MUMBAI: GroupM India, the country’s largest media investment conglomerate, was honored with the ‘The Dream CompanyTo Work’Award for in the Media and Entertainment sector. GroupM is also in the overall list of ‘Dream Employer of the Year’in India. The awards have been conferred by the World HRD Congress 2014 in Mumbai.

    The ‘Dream Companies To Work’ is an annual event organized by the World HRD Congress to reward and recognize People and Talent initiatives of organizations across various sectors. Over 100 companies participate at the World HRD Congress 2014event including Accenture, Angel Broking, Citibank, HDFC, Infosys, Samsung, SBI, Cavin Care,Reliance, Novartis,TCS and many more.This was the first time that GroupM participated at the ‘Dream Companies to Work For’ Awards.

    CVL Srinivas, CEO, GroupM South Asia said, “GroupM is extremely proud to receive the awards from the World HRD Congress. The awards reaffirm that investing in our people is the best way to ensure cutting edge product quality and superlative customer delight. Talent management remains a critical focus area for us at GroupM South Asia.”

    Added Gaurav Hirey, Chief Talent Officer, GroupMSouth Asia, “GroupMand its agencies have pioneered some of the best Talent practices in the South Asia markets. We are investors in people and in the last year, we have aggressively pursued a people transformation agenda. We have worked on various capability-building initiatives like the Youth Executive Committee (YCo), The New ME Initiative for digital orientation and looked at getting in fresh ideas and talent through an engaging Campus Connect effort. This allows us to provide huge value to all our stakeholders, especially our clients and our employees.”

    Over the last 11 plus years, GroupMIndia has cemented its position as an innovator and thought leader in the media industry. GroupM also has a distinction of having invested in a full fledged talent management team the only one in the media and entertainment industry. Over the last year, GroupM has made a paradigm shift in the way it operates in South Asia, keeping in mind the ever changing media landscape. With digital at the heart of their processes and planning, it has resulted in the conglomerate winning over 82 new businesses across its agencies and specialist units.

     

     

  • HDFC Life’s ‘Birthday’ gift

    HDFC Life’s ‘Birthday’ gift

    MUMBAI: “Not today but surely tomorrow,” is something we all say even though tomorrow never comes. And if it does, it’s usually because someone or something triggers us into action.

    Similarly, HDFC Life’s new campaign ‘Birthday’ to promote its long-term financial plan to secure the future of a child tries to inculcate among young parents the habit of disciplined and systematic investment planning by using their kid’s birthday as trigger.

    HDFC Life didn’t want its campaign to be labelled as something that simply lures people but as an informative ‘trigger’ that would help them secure their child’s future.
    Watch the video: YoungStar Plans from HDFC Life

    Drawing a parallel with the Cadbury ad which uses the tagline ‘Shubh Aarambh’ telling people to eat something sweet before starting something new, HDFC marketing, product, and direct channels senior executive vice president Sanjay Tripathy says: “Previously too, brands, especially FMCG brands, have used trigger-based communication successfully. Hence, we thought of using the same thought.”

    “Birthday seemed the best option because as parents, one can plan a long-term and every b’day will act as a reminder for the payment of the premium. Timing and the context plays a very important part. We did this by showing in our film a younger kid and young parents and one of our contextual ads also shows age for buying the product, which is between 3-9 years so that parents can have a long investment horizon of 10-15 years for a bigger corpus available when the child turns 16, 18 or 21, ready to take up under or post graduation.”

    Won’t the economic slowdown impact the plan and in such a scenario, will the trigger work?
    Child plans are some of our major plans and close to 15% of our business comes from this, says Sanjay Tripathy

     “Child plans are some of our major plans and close to 15% of our business comes from this. And when we did research, we found out that the parents are very involved in the planning of birthday celebrations, the other part that came out was that the mother is very involved in the planning of the financial future of the child. And lastly, people are not very clear about when to take the step? So we thought this a nice way to convey the message of when is the right time for the parent to start investing,” replies Tripathy.

    The 360-degree campaign covers TV, print, radio, OOH and digital and will run for six weeks. Asked about the spend break-up, he says: “Television and print by nature are costly, and the amount I’m spending on digital might be less compared to them but it might be sufficient for that medium so I won’t be fair to break it down.”

    With Leo Burnett having done the ATL (print, TV and radio), NCD KV Sridhar talks about campaign execution as: “Most of the times, the important parenting decisions are overshadowed by urgent ones. Through our campaign, we’ve tried to communicate to parents that investing in a child plan at the right time is equally important. And we thought what better day than a child’s birthday to remind parents to start investing for their future. After all, only when they invest on time will their children get the support they need to fulfil their dreams when they grow up”.

    Digital agency Propaganda has handled the campaign’s digital side.

  • McCann Erickson gets Dhiren Amin as group planning director

    McCann Erickson gets Dhiren Amin as group planning director

    MUMBAI: Dhiren Amin has joined McCann Erickson as group planning director.

    Amin will be heading the planning function in Mumbai at McCann. He will report to McCann Erickson senior vice-president and general manager Loveleen Raina.

    Amin‘s earlier stint was with BBH Mumbai as brand partner.

    Amin is a BE (electrical) from Mumbai University. He joined AC Nielsen as a client services executive after completing MBA from Utah State University in 2004. He then moved on to join Euro RSCG India as strategic planning director. At Euro RSCG, he was inducted to the agency‘s APAC strategic council and worked on accounts such as Sony Entertainment Television, Dainik Bhaskar, Divya Bhaskar, Radio One, HDFC Bank, Emirates and Grand Hyatt.

    He joined BBH India in 2009 as brand partner and played the role of a senior planner and worked on brands such as Vaseline, Lakme Beauty Salon, World Gold Council and Movies Now.

  • Hero Cycles renews sponsorship of India Cyclothon

    Hero Cycles renews sponsorship of India Cyclothon

    MUMBAI: Cycling manufacturer Hero Cycles and Sport18, the sports marketing division of the Network18 group, have renewed their association for the Hero Cycles India Cyclothon. Three editions of the event – Delhi on 11 September, Chandigarh on 25 September and Pune on 26 February – will be held.

    The India Cyclothon is a movement to promote the culture of cycling among the citizens and is built on the dual planks of environment conservation and fitness.

    The event in Delhi would feature an International cycling race spanning 105 km. Two Indian teams will feature in the international race.

    Hero CyclesMD Pankaj Munjal said, “It is an event that allows families to enjoy a day out together. We believe that these days there are not too may occasions for families to come play and participate together and this one, with its carnival like atmosphere is designed to make it a memorable day. Away from the confines of the home, away from television and computers, we aim to bring the outdoors alive, cut across age and economic barriers and let families sweat and shine to their heart’s content.”

    Sport18 CEO Satish Menon said, “It is an honour to hold the Cyclothon event for the second time in the Capital, We expect a big turnout for the Hero Cycles India Cyclothon. We have been conducting the India Cyclothon in different parts of the country and believe that in these times of global warming and economic slowdown, cycling is an ideal sport to adopt. It serves the dual purpose of staying healthy and being ecofriendly.”

    India Cyclothon has seen support from the likes of HDFC Standard Life, Hindustan Times, Parle –G. ,Lotto, RedFM, Café Coffee Day, Taj hotels and Bookmyshow. The fund-raising partner for the event is Wishberry.

  • HDFC Life unveils campaign featuring Rajasthan Royals Players

    HDFC Life unveils campaign featuring Rajasthan Royals Players

    MUMBAI: Private life insurance company, HDFC Life, has unveiled a new campaign featuring Rajasthan Royals players such as Shane Warne, Rahul Dravid, Ross Taylor, Shaun Tait, Ashok Menaria, Faiz Fazal and Abhishek Raut.

    The two television commercials have been conceptualised and scripted by Leo Burnett and directed by Sanjay Shetty from Opticus.

    The advertising would be on air across major television channels from this week.
     
    The theme of the campaign is ‘to promote and propagate self respect, or living life with head held high’. It also attempts to blend the common values of both HDFC Life and Rajasthan Royals‘ self-pride — the youngsters redefining self-respect through conviction v/s highly experienced international players.

    HDFC Life plans several activities in the coming months along with Rajasthan Royals. Some of them include financial planning sessions for the young players in the Rajasthan Royals team and other on-ground initiatives.
     
    The promotion also attempts to capture the essence of self belief, pride, and conviction by showcasing the team spirit among the highly experienced international players with the fresh but confident young lot.

    Said marketing and direct channels EVP and head Sanjay Tripathy, “HDFC Life recently refreshed our brand look with a more youthful approach. Our association with Rajasthan Royals fits perfectly with our Brand communication to draw inspiration from the highly experienced parentage and applying this to redefine Self Respect for today’s youth… Sar Utha Ke Jeena Ka Naya Andaaz. That’s what the new HDFC Life symbolizes. The Rajasthan Royals team this year is a heady mix of youth, experience, emerging talent, innovation and professionalism.”
     
    In this association with the Rajasthan Royals, HDFC Life will reward excellence in the field with the “Sar Utha Ke Jiyo”- Most Valuable Player of the Match award.

    The Rajasthan Royals coaching staff along with the team captain, Shane Warne, will select the most valuable player of the day from the Rajasthan Royals team, who will receive this honour along with a cash incentive of $ 1000.

    HDFC Life is the principal associate sponsor of Rajasthan Royals for the third consecutive year in the Indian Premier League 2011.
     

  • Euro RSCG stages management reshuffle in India

    Euro RSCG stages management reshuffle in India

    MUMBAI: Euro RSCG India has announced a restructuring of its management team with immediate effect.

    Euro RSCG Delhi director Sushant Panda has been elevated to the role of managing partner and CEO of Euro RSCG India.
     
    Chief creative officer Satbir Singh has been promoted as managing partner and CCO of Euro RSCG India. Also, stepping up is Shavon Barua from director of Mumbai to the newly created position of president, west and south of Euro RSCG India.

    Said Euro RSCG Asia Pacific chairman Juan Rocamora, “Between Satbir, Sushant and Shavon we have brilliant talent that are poised to step up and lead us on our next phase of growth. During their time with us, Satbir and Sushant have worked closely as partners and we look forward to carrying this energy on to the next level. In the past two years we have doubled in growth in India and our aim is to continue to outpace market-growth.”
     
    Panda has over two decades of experience, having worked in Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Bangalore as well as a stint in Colombo. He has worked at agencies such as Trikaya Grey, JWT, TBWA, Bates and has been at the helm of Euro RSCG Delhi for five years.

    Singh joined Euro RSCG six years ago, first as ECD of the Delhi office. Following a series of successes on the creative front and a string of new business wins, he was promoted to ECD and then made CCO of India. He has worked at agencies such as Trikaya, Leo Burnett, Contract, Equus, Ulka and Ogilvy.
     
    Barua has been leading the Euro RSCG Mumbai office since January 2010. This is her second stint at Euro RSCG; she was previously in the Delhi office running the Reckitt Benckiser business–one of Euro RSCG’s largest global accounts.

    Barua brings over 15 years of experience to the role and has led global brands such as Pepsi, Nestle, Colgate, Palmolive and Lakme Lever (Unilever) at various agencies such as JWT, Publicis, Y & R, and SSC&B Lintas.

    Euro RSCG India works with a range of clients, including IBM, Baskin Robbins, Max New York Life and HDFC Bank.
     

  • HDFC Standard Life gets a brand makeover

    HDFC Standard Life gets a brand makeover

    MUMBAI: Ten years into existence, private life insurance company HDFC Standard Life has gone for a brand makeover to make it more ‘relevant‘ and ‘connected‘ with today‘s youth.

    The company has rebranded itself as ‘HDFC Life‘ and its brand philosophy ‘Sar Utha ke Jiyo‘ has taken a generation leap.

    In the new three dimensional logo, red stands for vibrancy, youthfulness and exuberance, blue for dependability and financial expertise, and dark red for (vermillion) long life.

    Says HDFC Standard Life EVP marketing & direct channels Sanjay Tripathy, “India is a young nation. Majority of our population is now below the age of 25 and to continue to be successful, it is imperative to be relevant to the changing lifestyles, values and ambitions of the young Indian consumer. Our new corporate identity is in tune with the changing consumer behaviour. It reflects vibrancy and dynamism, uses colours that resonate the ‘new age‘ values for life insurance, weeds out irrelevant clutter, and adds more clarity and sharpness to the logo. The new identity shares higher synergies with our parent – HDFC Ltd. Inspired by the form and colours of the HDFC brand, our new logo and brand name – HDFC Life – is a symbol of assurance, protection and pride of a life well lived.”

    HDFC Life has also launched a new brand campaign, conceptualised by Leo Burnet, to convey its new identity.

    Says Leo Burnet National Creative Director K V Sridhar, “Ambition must be rooted in reality. The single largest equity the brand has is, ‘sar utha ke jiyo‘ and the challenge to the team was to refresh that emotion and make it contemporary and young.”

    The company‘s new brand campaign is directed by E Niwas. The creative team includes KV Sridhar (Pops), Nitesh Tiwari and Rupesh Kashyap.

    Elaborates Leo Burnett ECD Nitesh Tiwari, “Emotions are universal and timeless but every passing generation interprets them differently. Similarly, self respect is as important to me as it was to my father or even his father but our ways of demonstrating them are different. And it is this change that we have attempted to capture in the film.”

    Apart from television, the new campaign will be supported by other mediums such as print, radio, OOH, Internet, mobile, and on-ground initiatives.

  • Star looks to give mobile users a Plus experience

    Star looks to give mobile users a Plus experience

    MUMBAI: In an effort to tap into the burgeoning mobile sphere, Star India is launching the platform Plus by the end of February.

    Star is hoping this initiative will help users go beyond using the mobile for text and voice. It is being positioned as a solution for consumers to catch up on television, sports, movies, shop and bank on the go.

    Speaking on this, Star Mobile Entertainment senior VP Viren Popli says, “The mobile service is a particularly valuable tool for those who do not have access to the net. They can access the digital world. You do not need to change your phone. You need GPRS to download the application for free. There will be a monthly fee of around Rs 2 for the content. Of course ringtone downloads or purchases will be billed separately.

    “Once a user downloads the application he will see nine buttons. These are TV, Sports, Music, Movie, Lifestyle, Community, Downloads, Info Services and Help. TV has a TV guide. We also offer mobisodes of our shows. This is basically a summary of the episode that has just aired. You can also get wallpapers. As far as information services are concerned we have a few partners. For banking we have tied up with HDFC. It allows you to access your account, ask for a cheque book.”

    Popli adds that in the travel, segment there are two partners – Travelguru and makemytrip.com. One can buy tickets and make hotel reservations. Star has also tied up with Infomedia for the Yellow Pages service. Here you can search for phone numbers. For astrology there is a tie-up with Dinesha Speaks. The sports section has a news desk for cricket, hockey, golf, tennis etc. One can also get ball by ball updates.

    In the movies section one gets clips, news and reviews. For music the firm has tied up with Universal Music. One can get information on new releases, classics etc. One can listen to clips before deciding whether or not to make a purchase. Popli adds that as of now five to 10 per cent of mobile phones in India have GPRS. Hopefully in two years time with services like this launching 30-40 per cent of phones will have GPRS.

    He says that the service took six to seven months to set up. One criteria was that the user should not have to change his/her phone. Also the interface needed to be easy to use. Right now the interface is in English but Star is looking at making it available in other languages as well. Going forward Plus’ aim will be to add to the depth and breadth of the services it offers.

    For instance, in TV in the future one might get other channels’ schedules and have clips from there besides the Star bouquet. That is one reason why Popli says the name Plus was given to the service to separate it from the Star brand name. The firm is also examining the possibility on introducing mobile blogs, mail as time goes on.

    In the Lifestyle section one can get information on cars courtesy a tie up with Overdrive. Then there is a tie-up with T3 for gadget news. Computing information comes courtesy Chip. Design tips will be provided by Better Interiors. Fans of audio can learn what is happening thanks to a tie up with AV Max. If one wants to buy a car for example one can put in a price range and then see what is available. A review will be there and then one can ask for a test drive.

    The Community section will offer Midnight Chat on Channel [V] as well as shopping. One can also blog here.

  • Pyramid Saimira plans Rs 3 billion film funding, ties up with banks

    Pyramid Saimira plans Rs 3 billion film funding, ties up with banks

    MUMBAI: Financial institutions are structuring film financing in innovative ways. Chennai-based cinema chain operator Pyramid Saimira Theatre Ltd has tied up with banks, an insurance company and a film completion bond firm to provide an annual corpus of Rs 3 billion for funding film producers.

    IDBI Bank and HDFC have taken the lead and the guarantees from Infinity Film Completion Services (IFCS) will be re-insured by General Insurance Corporation (GIC). IFCS is a division of Infinity India Advisors Pvt Ltd.
    Pyramid Saimira plans to produce 25 movies through this route. “Our company will act as the guarantor to the banks for funding the producers. We will own all rights of exploitation including theatrical, satellite TV and international. This will provide a content pipeline of 25 films for our theatres. As we are also in film distribution, this will complete the value chain in the movie business,” says Pyramid Saimira managing director PS Saminathan.

    Pyramid has entered into an MOU with IFCS which will issue the completion guarantee for films to be procured by the company in the languages of Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam. These guarantees are fully re-insured by GIC. This agreement is a major step towards creation of film content supply chain for us and in effect indirectly funds close to Rs 3 billion of working capital as off balance sheet funding,” says Saminathan.

    The company will, thus, be able to build of library of movies while feeding the supply chain to the theatres and the distribution business. “Besides, film producers will get access to cheaper and organised finance. The banks will be charging around 14 per cent interest as against the unorganised charge of 40 per cent,” says Saminathan.

    Pyramid Saimira recently raised Rs 844.4 million through a public float to part-finance its expansion plans. This included refurbishing theatres after taking them on long term lease and installing digital systems of delivery.