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Tag: Micromax

  • Airtel & Karbonn launch affordable smartphones for aspiring India

    Airtel & Karbonn launch affordable smartphones for aspiring India

    MUMBAI: In order to strengthen its presence in the ongoing telecom battle, Bharti Airtel will launch two new Android-powered 4G smartphones in partnership with Karbonn Mobiles.

    Airtel has also tied-up with Amazon to sell the handsets online. One handset, the A40 Indian, has become available on Amazon from 16 November, A1 Indian and A41 Power will be available on the platform starting next week.

    Telco-handset tie-up is a common practice in the West but the phenomenon has hit the Indian market only this year. For telecom companies, such strategic tie-ups with India handset makers may help them take on Reliance Jio. By August 2017, Jio claimed to have 133 million subscribers. At September end, Bharti Airtel has over 282 million subscribers while Vodafone and Idea had 207 million and 190 million subscribers respectively.

    Domestic handset maker Micromax, on Wednesday, said it was tying up with Vodafone India to offer a smartphone at Rs 999 if the buyer retains the device for three years. Karbonn had formed a similar partnership with Bharti Airtel for its previous smart feature phone A40, priced at Rs 1399 when Reliance Jio launched a smart feature phone at a starting price of Rs 1500.

    Data from Counterpoint Research show that both Micromax and Karbonn have lost market share in the handset category over the past six quarters while Chinese firms Intel and Xiaomi have climbed the charts. The market share of Micromax and Karbonn in India fell to 7.1 per cent and 3.2 per cent respectively, in the April-June quarter this year from 10.2 per cent and 6 per cent in July-September the previous year.

    The launch is part of Airtel’s ‘Mera Pehla Smartphone’ initiative, which is aimed at enabling every Indian to buy a 4G smartphone and get on the digital superhighway. The handsets come bundled with a monthly pack of Rs 169 from Airtel.

    The A1 Indian 4G smartphone will be available at Rs 1799 which otherwise would cost Rs 4390 and the A41 Power at Rs 1849 with an MRP of Rs 4290. The 4G smartphones, which are Google certified, run on the latest Android 7.0 Nougat OS and offer full access to all apps on Google Play Store, including YouTube, Facebook and WhatsApp. In addition, both smartphones come preloaded with MyAirtel App, Airtel TV and Wynk Music.

    Bharti Airtel director of consumer business and CMO Raj Pudipeddi said, “We are delighted to deepen our partnership with Karbonn to fulfil the smartphone aspirations of India. We saw very strong demand for our first offer under the ‘Mera Pehla Smartphone’ initiative, which validates the broad appeal of this innovative proposition.”

    Karbonn Mobiles MD Pardeep Jain added, “The immense response we got for our offer with Airtel helped us add 70 per cent new feature phone users to our existing portfolio. We feel that this partnership will be even more fruitful as it brings more competitively priced 4G smartphones to the market, especially with Amazon India on board.”

  • Vodafone India modernises for IoT-ready future

    Vodafone India modernises for IoT-ready future

    MUMBAI: Internet of Things (IoT), the technology that connects any digital device to your phone, is one of the hottest buzzwords in the technology industry this year. Telecom operator Vodafone India has marked itself as the first brand to undergo this evolution in India by asking consumers to be future ready.

    Vodafone has repositioned itself as a modern, contemporary, inspiring and future-fit brand with its new tagline, “The future is exciting, Ready?’’. It is a significant metamorphosis for one of India’s most iconic and loved brands from its earlier ‘Power to you’ tagline, which was introduced in 2009. This new positioning, part of Vodafone’s global rebranding exercise across 36 countries, is designed to underline Vodafone’s belief in new technologies and digital services playing a positive role in transforming society.

    Although the repositioning is a part of its global campaign, Vodafone wants Indian consumers to understand technology by showcasing Indian characters and Indian scenarios in its campaigns. The new visual identity will place greater emphasis on Vodafone’s iconic ‘speech mark’ logo that will now appear as the central graphical focus overlaid on all marketing and marketing communications collateral in a new 2D design in place of a skeuomorphic 3D approach.

    Vodafone India managing director and chief executive officer Sunil Sood said that the telco has marked a 180 per cent growth in SIM cards used for IoT devices in India. Although the numbers are small, the market is still emerging and with government’s smart cities initiative, a lot of IoT solutions would be used, making it an exciting time to reposition itself. Globally, 60 million SIM cards have been sold for IoT solutions.

    “India is entering a new exciting era of digital, convergence, big data, IoT, cloud, augmented realities, robotics and AI. The real and virtual worlds are converging at an unprecedented pace to create a bold new future. Our new brand positioning emphasises Vodafone’s mission and purpose to help customers and communities adapt, navigate and prosper from the remarkable new trends reshaping the world,” he adds.

    The company recently tied up with various smartphone makers like Intex, Micromax, Lava and Nokia to encourage current non-users of 4G to upgrade and use internet. Vodafone India chief operating officer Balesh Sharma mentioned that the company has a well distributed network in India and now wants to make feature phones more affordable in rural India.

    The telecom corporation will invest only selectively in print media but its digital spends will increase. “Our media spends will evolve over the next few years and we will invest heavily in digital and social media as that is where the opportunity lies,” he adds.

    It remains to be seen whether Vodafone can replicate its success of earlier campaigns, such as its evergreen Zoozoos, into the unknown territory of IoT.

  • Guest column: Ads that didn’t work!

    Guest column: Ads that didn’t work!

    The advertising sector is expected to be a sophisticated and creative one. Creative heads spend hours ensuring the advertising is ‘done right’. Yet, year after year, we come across ads that fail to make any mark and instead end up being called as dunce.

    These ads lack engaging storytelling, creativity and in most cases are poorly executed with actors overdoing the act.

    The small and local brands deliver such howlers as they only have a small amount to spare on advertising and limited creative counsel. But at times we come across deep-pocketed household name that create bad advertisements.

    If it all becomes too much to bear, please cheer yourself up with our listicle on best animated ads in India and ads that rapped with consumers.

    Inspiration exists at both ends of the creative scale.The higher end has fewer options to engage with. So, here are five gems according to Publicis India head of creative Nitin Pradhan who was talking to Indiantelevision.com’s Santosh Jangid.

     

    Bangur Cement – Godzilla.

    You’ve got to give it to this one for the sheer confidence and nerve with which it attacked the air waves.

    The plot is to die for and the CG scary. Godzilla rises from the shallows of the Arabian Sea and brings down our very own Bandra Worli sea link only to bang its head and lose its tail (you read that right) to a skyscraper. A white-bearded foreigner and a few flying birds usher in a rainbow.

    I’m sure they thought of it on the way to the shoot.

    JK Super Cement

    It has graced Indian Advertising’s Hall of Fame for long now. A skimpily clad girl rises from the sea and threateningly walks towards us before breaking into a smile. A deep voice in the background interprets the metaphor, “Vishwaas hai. Isme kuchh khaas hai.” Subtle!

    Pan Bahar

    Pierce Brosnan walks into a casting coup and trips. An idea which will be remembered for eons, for reasons unintended.

    When in doubt cast a white man. When in more doubt cast a famous white man. And it will work. It did. And so did many Bhojpuri films.

    Micromax  – Nuts, Guts, Glory.

    The white man fascination continues and gets scaled up. There are many white men. And women. Quite sure the idea was to appeal to the ‘youth’.

    The brand attempts to climb several rungs of the ‘aspirational’ ladder. Taking potshots at an icnoic fruit-logo brand definitely needs guts.

    Not sure why they had to replace this piece so soon, then. Maybe, the boring small towners preferred reality.

    MDH Spices – Flight of Taste

    It’s a flight full of Indians. With a pinch of white skin added to taste. Words like ‘Khushbu’, ‘Swaad’, ‘Taste’ and the three magical letters are thrown in generously in a modest attempt to self-garland the brand multiple times along with its veteran creator. Life saving spices are dropped on to flavour starved regions of the world along with parachutes. Imagination takes a jump without one.

    public://Nitin Pradhan.jpg

    The observations made in this piece by Nitin Pradhan, in the pix, are with no malice at heart or high-handedness in the head against any individual or organisation. There’s always a good reason behind every piece of not-so-good work. And, how can one judge good from bad when one has been a partner in crime, some time or the other. Good sense prevails only when we look back and analyse. May be, this is that moment, according to Pradhan. However, Indiantelevision.com may not subscribe to his personal views expressed here.

     

     

  • ALTBalaji starts mid-Apr, ties up with Micromax & Mobikwik

    MUMBAI: The digital platform of Balaji Telefilms, ALT Balaji has announced a strategic partnership with a mobile brand Micromax to help its users get access to exclusive ALTBalaji content and mobile wallet Mobikwik.

    The global on entertainment platform ALTBalaji, will offer 250 hours of original content and subscribers can now avail 25 per cent cashback while paying for the service using MobiKwik wallet. The partnership will provide an easy payment facility to MobiKwik’s 55 million registered users to enjoy ALTBalaji.

    Speaking on the partnership, ALT Digital Media Entertainment limited CEO Nachiket Pantvaidya said, “With the partnership of Micromax, we will take our repository of original shows, exclusively available on ALTBalaji to the urban masses. Our ALTBalaji app would be bundled on Micromax devices for frictionless download experience, for them to enjoy over 250 hours of original, exclusive content. Micromax will distribute these original shows to its 30 million users via its digital properties. This collaboration makes ALTBalaji the only original digital content generation platform to reach viewers on such a massive scale.”

    He further added on partnership, with Mobikwik, “With a vision to create a better consumer experience, the partnership with MobiKwik will facilitate frictionless connection between our subscribers and ALTBalaji. This convenient payment option will allow our consumers to subscribe to our original and exclusive content with ease. We are glad that MobiKwik which is a pioneer in the wallets business will open a new consumer base to our service.”

    ALTBalaji, the subscription based digital entertainment platform, will be commercially available from mid-April. The app will be launched with six new shows and will be followed with a new show every 15 days for its viewers to binge watch. The content is created by some of the best talents of Indian Entertainment industry including critically acclaimed directors and actors. The long illustrious list of artists comprises of Nagesh Kukunoor, Juhi Chawla, Nimrat Kaur, Rajkumar Rao, Hansal Mehta, Sakshi Tanwar, Ram Kapoor, Atul Kulkarni, Sameer Soni, Yudhishtar Urs, Dipannita Sharma Atwal, and more.

    By joining forces together, ALTBalaji and Micromax are attempting to change the way digital content is consumed in India. Created to provide an alternative to mainstream Indian entertainment & TV content, ALTBalaji will bring fresh & interesting stories to audiences in varied genres. The platform will offer more than 250 hours of original content in the first year of it’s launch.

    MobiKwik also powers payments for the IRCTC service and can target the users based on the long­ distance rail tickets that they have purchased, allowing ALTBalaji to offer the service to these customers who are otherwise starved of entertainment or must consume the same content available elsewhere.

    MobiKwik business head Bikram Bir Singh said, “This association is in line with our endeavor to make MobiKwik payments ubiquitous.”

  • Corning uses Micromax Vdeo to narrate tough dabbawalas’ story

    MUMBAI: Corning Gorilla Glass has unveiled a global marketing communications campaign, Incredibly Tough, highlighting incredibly tough people, doing incredibly tough things using devices that are equally tough. The campaign will be promoted across social media channels, on regional online TV platforms and through multiple language influencers including Marathi.

    The Incredibly Tough campaign highlights stories of extraordinary people using devices that feature Corning Gorilla Glass in some of the toughest ways imaginable, including a parkour athlete training and taking on tough city streets; an adventurer trekking one of China toughest roads and, in India, the incredibly tough Dabbawalas of Mumbai.

    Corning Gorilla Glass has been used on nearly five billion devices worldwide, including more than 1,800 product models across 40 major brands.

    In India, the campaign kicked off with an online story based on Mumbai’s Dabbawalas. Done in collaboration with Micromax’s new Vdeo series for the value segment, the Incredibly Tough Dabbawala story begins with the Dabbawala’s morning early on a working day, sees him travel across Mumbai, collect, deliver and re-collect the lunch boxes before heading home on Mumbai’s local trains where he uses his phone to send messages to his family and watch a video clip. The featured Dabbawala comments on the importance of his device and how technology has changed how they work every day.

    This real-life story accentuates Corning research in India that highlighted the importance of a mobile phone to consumers. In a recent poll, nearly 58% of consumers polled in India said that their smartphone is the most expensive thing that they carry with them daily, and their single biggest worry is damaging their device.

    The campaign includes promotion of the video, development of a microsite dedicated to the Dabbawalas and other marketing assets to highlight the lives of a Mumbai institution. Uniquely for the Dabbawalas, the promotion will be featured in India, the United States and China.

  • Publicis Media India adds Rs 1000 cr-plus business in nine months

    Publicis Media India adds Rs 1000 cr-plus business in nine months

    MUMBAI: The last nine months have been action-packed for Publicis Media India which has added over Rs.1000 crore in billings. Publicis Media India, through its brands — Starcom, Zenith, Performics.Resultrix and Performics.Convonix, will now handle a number of new accounts which includes — Parle Products, Mars, Fiat Chrysler, Citibank, OnePlus, Singapore Tourism Board, Fox Media, amongst other.

    Publicis Media also won multi-agency pitches to retain its two key accounts, Micromax and Sun Pharma. Sun Pharma has, in fact, added to the mandate, digital duties.

    Publicis Media India group CEO Anupriya Acharya said, “It‘s a great beginning for the Publicis Media proposition in India. Under the new structure, we have a great team of very energetic and highly talented leaders that run very motivated teams. We have been able to also focus our product and services to better serve our clients’ requirements and priorities. Our refreshed narrative on scale and added synergies on best in class data, tools and insights have all been well received by our clients. And I believe that these account wins are also a testimony tothe same. As we move ahead in 2017, our focus will be on scale, and future ready services like Performance marketing, Data and Analytics, Content, that provide business transforming solutions. We are already some of these services to markets like the US and the UK and this international hub helps us to scale up talent in these areas quite quickly.

    Publicis Media India has also won many awards in year 2016 such as the Festival of Media Asia Pacific (FOMA) Gold for Tata AIG, Grand Prix at Campaign India Digital Crest Awards for work on Nestle India,Gold at Asia Pacific Customer Engagement Forum Awards for McVitie’s (United Biscuits), Innovative Agency of the Year at the Media Ace Awardsfor Performics and Radio Advertiser of The Year at Golden Mikes.

  • Publicis Media India adds Rs 1000 cr-plus business in nine months

    Publicis Media India adds Rs 1000 cr-plus business in nine months

    MUMBAI: The last nine months have been action-packed for Publicis Media India which has added over Rs.1000 crore in billings. Publicis Media India, through its brands — Starcom, Zenith, Performics.Resultrix and Performics.Convonix, will now handle a number of new accounts which includes — Parle Products, Mars, Fiat Chrysler, Citibank, OnePlus, Singapore Tourism Board, Fox Media, amongst other.

    Publicis Media also won multi-agency pitches to retain its two key accounts, Micromax and Sun Pharma. Sun Pharma has, in fact, added to the mandate, digital duties.

    Publicis Media India group CEO Anupriya Acharya said, “It‘s a great beginning for the Publicis Media proposition in India. Under the new structure, we have a great team of very energetic and highly talented leaders that run very motivated teams. We have been able to also focus our product and services to better serve our clients’ requirements and priorities. Our refreshed narrative on scale and added synergies on best in class data, tools and insights have all been well received by our clients. And I believe that these account wins are also a testimony tothe same. As we move ahead in 2017, our focus will be on scale, and future ready services like Performance marketing, Data and Analytics, Content, that provide business transforming solutions. We are already some of these services to markets like the US and the UK and this international hub helps us to scale up talent in these areas quite quickly.

    Publicis Media India has also won many awards in year 2016 such as the Festival of Media Asia Pacific (FOMA) Gold for Tata AIG, Grand Prix at Campaign India Digital Crest Awards for work on Nestle India,Gold at Asia Pacific Customer Engagement Forum Awards for McVitie’s (United Biscuits), Innovative Agency of the Year at the Media Ace Awardsfor Performics and Radio Advertiser of The Year at Golden Mikes.

  • CNN’s new weekday programme to start with Micromax CEO

    CNN’s new weekday programme to start with Micromax CEO

    MUMBAI: CNN is all set to put the spotlight on one of the world’s fastest growing economy, India. Starting 17 November, a series of vignettes will be featured in a show titled “India 20 Under 40.” The show will see 20 young Indian entrepreneurs who are re-shaping how India does business. 

    A new entrepreneur will be featured every fortnight commencing with Micromax CEO Rahul Sharma. It will air within CNN Money with Maggie Lake airing from 7:30 pm to 8:30 pm every Monday to Friday.

    A week of special programming will be broadcast from 28 November on the channel. India 2020 will take viewers to meet some of the entrepreneurs who are overcoming various obstacles and bringing their ideas to life in India. These include visionaries and innovators across diverse industries. 

    An iconic motorcycle brand

    Royal Enfield is one of the world’s oldest motorcycle manufacturers with die-hard fans, who gather for weekend rides and huge festivals. The company was struggling when Siddhartha Lal took the helm back in 2000, at the age of 26. Now the Chennai-based company is expanding sales in the U.S. and Europe, and building a third manufacturing facility.

    The future of manufacturing

    The robotics industry is expected to double in India over the next 3-4 years. Hi-Tech Robotic Systemz is an up-and-coming company based in Gurgaon whose innovations include India’s first indigenous driverless car. The world’s first production brain controlled wheelchair, “Manav” is completely made in India by A-Set. As cutting-edge research continues to push the industry forward, CNN meets A-set’s Head of robotics and research Diwakar Vaish who is helping to lead the way. 

    Innovating from ancient tradition

    Indian innovators are finding new inspiration from old ideas. Take turmeric: an ancient, and common spice in Indian cooking is a hot commodity thanks to its applications in medicine and beauty products. The Himalaya Drug Company has a long tradition of creating products ranging from facewash to toothpaste, supplements to shampoo by applying scientific research to Ayurvedic principles. CNN catches up with CEO Philipe Haydon, who has helped transform the company, reaching consumers in 92 countries.

    Brighter businesses

    In India, two out of 10 people do not have access to electricity. Orb Energy manufactures and distributes solar energy systems with more than 100 branches across eight Indian states and employing about 500 people in the field. It’s opening a new factory to produce solar modules in Bangalore and aims to provide 2 gigawatts of solar energy by 2022, or 5 per cent of the national total. 

    Creating new opportunities

    India’s animation and VFX industry grew nearly 14% in 2015, and is projected to be a US$1.6-billion industry by 2020. One such leading studio is Makuta VFX. It’s working on the sequel to Baahubali, one of India’s highest grossing movies. Makuta is based in Hyderabad, which is trying to position itself as a hub for gaming and animation. The government has broken ground on a new facility to house more than 200 startups in multimedia and entertainment, and recently launched an initiative to connect those emerging companies to the global marketplace. 

    India 2020 half hour special airs at:

    http://www.indiantelevision.com/sites/drupal7.indiantelevision.co.in/files/styles/large/public/cnn_0.jpg?itok=pNoHnKRn

    November also marks the launch of a fully dedicated CNNMoney India subpage devoted to covering business and economic news coming out of the country. The launch of CNNMoney India underscores the company’s commitment to bringing global audience the latest economic developments from India and will highlight the most exciting young innovators from the region, and the successes and challenges of doing business here.