ITV

Tag: KV Sridhar

  • NTO ambiguity resulting in ad rev drop for small broadcasters, niche channels

    NTO ambiguity resulting in ad rev drop for small broadcasters, niche channels

    MUMBAI: Just when it felt like the dust on the NTO had settled, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) came out with yet another consultation paper reviewing the order, seeking more fundamental changes in channel pricing and bouquet formation. As clarified by TRAI chairman RS Sharma, while the regulatory body does not plan to revise the pricing framework, it is surely looking at fine-tuning the existing parameters as consumers are facing certain issues because of the current set of rules.

    This has once again left a big question mark on the fate of broadcasters and might have a bigger impact on advertising revenues as well.

    Y&A Collective co-founder S Yesudas told Indiantelevision.com that this uncertainty over the tariff order and channel pricing will impact nice channels the most, resulting into a dip in their revenue.

    He said, “The biggest sufferers will be niche channels, particularly those which are mid and bottom-rung. Even as the power to choose rests with consumers and the general mindset of sensitivity for the paid-for options resulting in those always taking precedence, the snacking-in viewership will reduce.  Between the two time periods, pre-new tariff order to July 19, there’s apparently already a drop of approximately 7 per cent of the total TV impressions. This will consequently mean revenue reduction.”

    HyperCollective founder and CCO KV Sridhar (Pops) also agreed that the past few months have seen a dip in the revenues for broadcasters, barring a few big ones, because of many reasons like the economic slowdown and growth of digital bouquets, along with the NTO.

    “The NTO is putting a lot of pressure on the broadcasters and some easing out is required, maybe not so suddenly but definitely. The bigger groups like Star and Sony can survive in the turmoil, but it is difficult for smaller groups, especially independent channels and some regional channels,” he said.

    TheSmallBigIdea CEO & co-founder Harikrishnan Pillai shared that this ambiguity over the tariff might result in advertisers taking their money to digital platforms than spending on television.

    He said, “One needs to reckon that any industry with fluttering policy fuels questions on its stability. While TV broadcasting is the most robust of all mediums, the effect of such policy-based tremors cannot be ignored. Especially by smaller TV channels, which already are fighting for eyeballs. It is likely that they might be ignored by the advertiser for other lucrative digital options. Investment into fresh content might take a back seat, which might further make it difficult for certain channels to attract advertisers on the back of new shows."

    Sridhar also noted that the loyalty of the consumer is with the content and not the channel. If they can access the same content on OTT platforms or other media, they will not want to spend on purchasing the channels.

    He further elaborated, “Advertisers are interested in viewership only. Also, they would play their ads during the content that is relevant to them. They are not going to place an ad on your channel even if you offer cheaper slots, or guarantee greater reach. Every advertiser is looking for relevant content now. If the content is not good, your channel will drop. OTT, therefore, is a big hindrance for the broadcasters in getting revenue.”

    While the tariff order seems to be generating problems for the broadcasters, Yesudas feels that it will be beneficial for the marketers and advertisers. He said, “Marketing and adverting industry will only stand to gain from this as there will be further consolidation of the viewership pie.  While the top-rung channels will find a place in almost all media plans (with reduced  cost per contact) the mid-and bottom-rung channels which no longer can only stay focused on transactional and passive advertising time selling will also embrace true innovation in helping clients solve certain marketing challenges within a segment of consumers, they can influence.”

  • Hypercollective brings up an BBG’s emotional short film on this Father’s Day

    Hypercollective brings up an BBG’s emotional short film on this Father’s Day

    The short film is created by Hyper Collective, an collaborative communication, technology and marketing company headed by KV Sridhar aka Pops.

    Hyper Collective head KV Sridhar Pops said “At the heart of Building Blocks Group are core values of Transparency, Integrity, Growth, Unity, and Excellence. We created a vision and purpose that would reflect exactly that. Your true wealth is not your money. Your true wealth is the happiness and growth of your children. With the context of Father’s Day, the film not only shows a father choosing to empower his daughters. But also where the new India is heading. Progress and change are the long term dreams of not just Building Blocks but all of India.”

    Building Blocks Group chairman and managing director Mallikarjun Reddy says “We are not in the business of selling land, we are in the business of helping people progress. We want to be people’s financial progress partners and the brand philosophy Your True Wealthstems from the same belief system. In a world driven by materialism, we want to emphasise the importance of investing in true wealth and that is your children’s future. This campaign will strengthen our vision as a brand and a company even more. I’m delighted to have Nitesh and Pops’ team create this iconic film for us.”

    The short film is directed by Nitesh Tiwari, one of the biggest film makers in the country. On the film, Nitesh shared, “The story and the message truly moved me, the subject of girl empowerment is very close to my heart and coming from partners like BBG & Pops, I simply couldn’t resist. As a filmmaker, I hope that the message reaches masses and they relate with it.”

    The short film is all about how a father chooses his daughter’s education over their marriage and decides to empower his daughter.

  • DHFL unveils new campaign with Shah Rukh Khan

    DHFL unveils new campaign with Shah Rukh Khan

    MUMBAI: With an aim to reinforce the founder’s vision of the company of enabling every Indian to own a home of his own, private housing finance company – DHFL is leaving no stone unturned to make this true.

     

    The company has launched an integrated marketing campaign ‘Ghar Jaisa Loan’ featuring Shah Rukh Khan. This will be DHFL’s largest ad campaign, since its inception in 1984.

     

    The campaign centers around how DHFL has been encouraging the lower and middle income segment in India to dream of owning a home. It further describes how the company has been helping customers realise their dream of home ownership through product innovation and deferential service.

     

    DHFL chairman and managing director Kapil Wadhawan said, “DHFL has been fuelling the dreams of thousands of Indians of owning a home of their own. Through our new campaign ‘Ghar Jaisa Loan’ with Shah Rukh Khan we envisage reaching out to a wider audience and leveraging our consumer connect.”

     

    The film shows Khan talking to people about how it’s important to dream, not necessarily big. He says if flying high is not realistic, it’s okay to be grounded. If owning a big house is difficult it’s okay to dream of a smaller one. But it’s important to dream of owning a home, because whether it’s a palace or a nest, one’s own home is one’s own.

     

    The commercial ends with Khan looking into the camera and telling people that for the past 30 years DHFL has given a home to lakhs of dreams. He signs off saying, ‘DHFL home loans. Ghar jaisa loan.’

     

    Khan said, “I am happy to be associated with DHFL and I personally believe that DHFL’s mission of enabling home ownership for every Indian is as relevant today, as it was 30 years ago when the company began operations. I especially connect with the tag line ‘Ghar Jaisa Loan’, which voices every man’s innermost desire for stability and protection.”

     

    Giving his views about the campaign, SapientNitro, India chief creative officer KV Sridhar said, “What’s important is to own a home, it doesn’t matter if it’s big or small. Purchasing a house is an emotional event in everyone’s life and we often tend to delay it to the day we can afford that dream home. Through this campaign we are trying to communicate that it’s better to realize smaller dreams on the way to the ultimate one.”

     

    The campaign includes 35-second TV spots featuring in six languages – Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada – in more than 36 channels. It will be further leveraged in the digital, press and outdoor media.

  • KV Sridhar joins SapientNitro

    KV Sridhar joins SapientNitro

    MUMBAI: World is surely moving towards digital, maybe that’s why KV Sridhar (Pops) decided to join digital agency SapientNitro.

     

    Very excited to join this new breed of agency which is redefining storytelling, he wrote on his facebook page. He will join the agency as chief creative officer in India, starting 1 July.

     

    After spending 17 years in Leo Burnett, his exit left everyone shocked. A t the time of leaving the agency Pops had said, “It has been a purposeful journey for me at Leo Burnett, growing with and having a chance to play a key role in shaping the agency’s creative prowess. I have had the opportunity to work with and get to be friends with some of the brightest creative minds in the world, work on some of the most exciting campaigns, with some of the most amazing clients. I wish Saurabh Varma (CEO of the agency in India) and Leo Burnett great success.”

     

    His current move has left everyone surprised as well. On his appointment, he said, “I am excited about joining SapientNitro, it allows me to connect with the new generation. This is something completely future facing, there are very few senior guys actually embracing new media today.”

     

    Leo Burnett recently replaced Pops with BBDO’s RajDeepak Das, who will head the agency’s creative function across India.

     

    SapientNitro, part of Sapient, is a USA-based agency with interests in what it calls integrated, omni-channel commerce. The agency has offices in 31 cities spread across The Americas, Europe and Asia-Pacific.

     

    Globally, the agency has over 1,000 clients including names such as Chrysler, Citi, The Coca-Cola Company, Lufthansa, Target and Vodafone.

  • KV Sridhar quits Leo Burnett India

    KV Sridhar quits Leo Burnett India

    MUMBAI:  KV Sridhar (Pops) has finally decided to move on. Leo Burnett India and subcontinent chief creative officer will be hanging his boots on 4 May, after spending 17 years in the agency.  

     

    Pops has over 30 years of working experience in advertising and has now decided to take the leap to reinvent himself and pursue other interests.

     

    “Pops has always been a young man at heart and once again his nomadic spirit has led him to look at things afresh and follow his heart to pursue new adventures. We want to thank him for his tremendous contribution over the years, building Leo Burnett India into the creative powerhouse it is today. The agency and I will continue to build on the creative trajectory he has set,” said Leo Burnett Group India CEO Saurabh Varma.

     

    He started as a Bollywood film billboard painter and became the CCO  India  sub continent  of  Leo Burnett.  Over  the  years,  he helped the agency gain recognition at international awards shows including Cannes  Lions,  New  York  Festival,  and  local  Indian  awards.  Under his creative leadership, Leo Burnett India went on to win agency of the year in the Leo Burnett global network, twice. He also led the agency to be ranked by Creativity magazine to be among the top 20 creative  agencies  in the world.   Sridhar   has   also represented   the agency   on  many  Indian  and International award juries.

     

    “It  has  been  a  purposeful  journey  for  me  at  Leo  Burnett, growing with and having a chance to play a key role in shaping the agency’s creative  prowess.  I have had the opportunity to work  with and get to be friends with some of the brightest creative minds in the world, worked on some of the most exciting campaigns with some of the most amazing clients.

     

    For now, I would like to take a break to reinvent, rediscover and rededicate myself. I wish Saurabh and Leo Burnett great success,” said Sridhar

  • Now, health on call!

    Now, health on call!

    MUMBAI: What if you called a friend and heard a celebrity sharing health tips instead of the usual caller tune? Would you get annoyed, give a good ear or better still, make it your own to spread awareness.

     

    Well, Leo Burnett and World Health Organisation (WHO) certainly seem to think you will change your caller tune. Which is why the duo has created a campaign titled ‘Donate your Caller Tune’ which lets you hear health advice from a celebrity and activate the same on your mobile phone in a bid to keep up the good work.

     

    The initiative, being promoted on digital platforms, covers 12 diseases with 12 celebrities talking about them, including the likes of Amitabh Bachchan, John Abraham, Cyrus Broacha, Parineeti Chopra and Shankar Mahadevan.

     

    Easily the world’s biggest mobile health campaign, ‘Donate your Caller Tune’ has been kicked off in India and will travel to other countries only after strengthening base here.

     

    So why was India chosen as the launch pad? Because non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are presently the leading cause of death across the globe and in 2008, India alone accounted for 53 per cent of all such deaths worldwide. Also because India has a record 600 million mobile phone users and WHO aims to reach all of them through this campaign.

     

    WHO India representative Dr Nata Menabde says: “Donate Your Caller Tune is an idea where people take responsibility and ownership to spread awareness of health concerns voluntarily. To us, this simple idea of using a caller tune to create mass awareness appealed a lot when presented by Leo Burnett. Caller tunes are very popular in India and it made perfect sense to leverage the power of the mobile phone to create awareness about health issues.”

     

    Leo Burnett NCD K V Sridhar who himself suffers from diabetes, believes the campaign will benefit millions. “Diabetes runs in my family so when I got a chance to educate people, I jumped on it,” he says, giving the example of actor Imran Khan who chose to become an ambassador for cancer awareness because he lost his near and dear ones to the disease. “I usually get 40-50 calls in a day and I’m sure others do too. So, instead of hearing a song or a joke, wouldn’t it be better if we created awareness about various health related issues by donating our calling tunes for the cause?” he questions.

     

    Apart from roping in 12 celebrities, the other herculean task for Leo Burnett was to get all mobile service providers on board. The campaign was launched in November last year with just two service providers VSNL and Airtel and it is only now that others have joined the fray.

     

    People interested in participating need to SMS their service provider to activate the caller tune for the cause they wish to support and spread awareness about. Charges vary as per the service provider.

  • 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.

  • Ad creatives react to Star Plus’ 3D innovation

    Ad creatives react to Star Plus’ 3D innovation

    MUMBAI: Star India is coming up with its one of the most expensive show – Mahabharat – and it is surely spending a lot of moolah in promoting it.

    When you have a mega property, you probably have to think mega-plus while trying to communicate its scale to your consumer. That‘s something many a company follows. And that‘s the tack even Star India took today to announce the launch of its epic Mahabharat which is slated to air on its Hindi GEC Star Plus from tonight.

    A four page false cover ad adorned today’s Bombay Times  (an advertorial, entertainment, promotional  supplement of The Times of India). It featured the epic show‘s characters (Arjun, Draupadi and Duryodhan) of Mahabharat. And to top it all, it was all in 3D! Yes, you read it right.
    KV Sridhar and Viral Pandya feel that the 3D effect was unnecessary

    In fact, the network is leaving no stone unturned to create enough and more buzz related to it.   From 3D innovations on  OOH platforms across cities to promos on 25 other channels apart from the Star network, the channel wants to make sure that people don’t miss out on its blockbuster epic.

    The show is estimated to have a budget of  Rs 100 crore and out of this, 20 per cent has been allotted to marketing.

    The innovations which have been conceptualised by Contract Advertising, however seem to have failed to dazzle other creative heads. Leo Burnett NCD KV Sridhar feels that there is nothing new in the so-called innovation. “It’s an old concept and will only attract small children’s attention especially today when 3D is a common phenomenon,” he says while emphasising on the fact that innovations today have moved up a notch with augmented reality.  

    He’s not alone.  Even Out of the Box CCO Viral Pandya feels that there was no need for a 3D effect when the message would have been effective enough in  2D which Star did with the Mumbai morninger Mid-Day and The Hindustan Times Café did. “If one looks at the Volkswagen Talking newspaper (again TOI and The Hindu) innovation which appeared three years back, this is just plain blah! There is no idea in it expect for showing that one has enough money to spend.”

    The two innovations most can’t get over are the ones created for the German automaker (Volkswagen) which got everyone talking. As per reports, the Das Auto company spent close to Rs 6 crore on that exercise. The other one (2011) was the integrated 3D campaign for Audi A8 L.

    However, there are a few who feel that the innovation did encourage them  to pick up and try on the 3D glasses. “It did manage to create a little bit of noise,” says Lowe Lintas & Partners NCD Arun Iyer who adds, “It surely would have cost them a bomb!”
    Whereas Arun Iyer and KS Chakravarthy say that it did manage to create a little bit of noise

    Draftfcb Ulka NCD K S Chakravarthy (Chax) too believes that Star‘s innovation – something which no other channel has attempted before – is bound to have had an impact. “It‘s not as if 3D hasn’t been done before but the scale at which at which it has been done by Star could have worked in getting it noticed,” he says.

    One just hopes that for Star‘s (it has been pushing the pedal on marketing and has been showing chutzpah just like Levers or P&G or Coke ) sake that 3D translates into TVT.

  • HDFC Life’s new ad campaign targets youth

    MUMBAI: HDFC Life, India‘s leading life insurance company, has launched a new advertising campaign to increase awareness about early retirement planning among country‘s youth.

    The campaign follows the launch of HDFC Life‘s two pension plans – HDFC Life Pension Super Plus (a regular premium unit linked plan) and HDFC Life Single Premium Pension Super (single premium unit linked plan).

    HDFC Life EVP and Head Marketing, product and direct channels Sanjay Tripathy said, “Our new campaign talks to a younger audience, to help change their mindset that retirement planning is an exercise which one needs to take up only when he is 40-45 years old and all other financial planning objectives have been met.”

    Created by Leo Burnett, the communications concept of HDFC Life‘s retirement campaign is ‘a solid back-up plan,‘ which signifies that ‘you will enjoy the fruits of your labor without any worries, when your future is secured‘. The creative expression is,?Retirement plan karo taaki aapka kal bilkul aaj jaisa ho‘.

    Leo Burnett national creative director KV Sridhar said, “Young professionals think retirement is too far away to worry about it today. This campaign taps into the insight that these people, all of whom grew up in a liberalized economy, prize their current lifestyle a lot and would like it to continue post-retirement.”

    HDFC Life plans to take its new campaign through different platforms and intensify the brand experience. Apart from television, this film will be supported by other mediums such as print, OOH, and digital will have significant focus.

  • Pops and Amir Kassaei on New York Festivals 2013 jury

    MUMBAI: Leo Burnett India chief creative officer India Sub Continent KV Sridhar, fondly called Pops, and DDB Worldwide Chief Creative Officer Amir Kassaei have been selected to be part of New York Festivals International Advertising Awards. The announcement was made after the second round of appointments to the 2013 Executive Jury. Since 2011, NYF has assembled a group of worldwide creative officers brought together to select the world‘s best advertising.

    The second round of the 2013 Executive Jury Members includes:

    • Leo Burnett, India chief creative officer India Sub Continent KV Sridhar,
    • JWT US president, chief integration officer Mike Geiger
    • DM9 Jayme Syfu, Philippines chairman, chief creative officer Merlee Jaymee
    • DDB Worldwide Chief Creative Officer Amir Kassaei,
    • Havas Worldwide US chief creative officer Jason Peterson
    • Y&R Asia, Singapore Chief Creative Officer Asia Marcus Rebeschini

    Additional executive jury appointments are forthcoming. International Awards Group/New York Festivals president MichaelO‘Rourke said, “The 2013 Executive Jury will evaluate only the Shortlist selected by the NYF‘s Grand Jury. This process of the Executive Jury evaluating entries during five rounds of judging allows each entry to be given the utmost attention. To have your work seen by a jury with this much combined experience makes earning an award in the New York Festivals International Advertising Awards a testimony to the creativity and originality of the entry.”

    The NYF Executive Jury will convene in New York City from 27 April – 1 May, concluding with the New York Show awards presentation on 2 May.

    The executive jury evaluates every shortlisted entry selected by the online grand jury, comprised of 400+ international executive creative directors, making it the most diverse jury of any advertising competition in the world.

    New York Festivals will host the 2013 celebration of the World‘s Best Advertising with The New York Show, a two-day series of creative events held at the New York Public Library‘s Beaux-Arts building in New York City. Festivities will be held on 1 and 2 May 2013 and includes the Executive Jury Press Conference, keynote speakers, creative panel discussions, networking events, and exhibits of the shortlisted work. Thursday evening features the 2013 New York Show awards ceremony and after-party to honor the winners in New York style.

    New York Festivals International Advertising Awards receives entries from 70 countries, recognizing work in all media in the following competitions: Avant-Garde, Branded Entertainment, Creative Marketing Effectiveness, Design, Digital, Direct & Collateral, Film, Integrated, Outdoor, Print, Public & Media Relations, Public Service Announcements, Radio, and Student.

    The deadline for the 2013 competition is 27 January 2013, entries received after this date are subject to a 15 per cent rush fee.