Tag: Mona Jain

  • Industry leaders remember their Moms

    Industry leaders remember their Moms

    MothersMoms.They are the most wonderful people in the whole world. From our victories to our failures, mothers are always besides us.

    She is our first friend, our first role model, our first inspiration. The memories that are closest to our hearts are the ones with our mother. Whether it is a ragpicker or a billionaire, when it comes to Maa, they are no different.

    Indiantelevision.com decide to chat with head honchos, editors, CEOs and owners alike from the media, advertising, broadcasting and television industry to get you their fondest ‘Mom memories.‘ Catch a rare glimpse of a never-before-seen side of these highly influential and top notch individuals.

    "I always have my mother beside me and I think almost everything you learn in life has a little bit of your mother in it. Every aspect of life has her undertones."

    Raghav Bahl 
    Network18 founder-MD

     

    "My mother is an inspiration to me and has always been. Her self-discipline, her high standards, her self-motivation are values that I really look up to and I have tried to inculcate these values in myself."

    Tarun Katial
    RBNL CEO

     

    "The only memory that I have of my mother is of her dying in the hospital. I was very young when she passed away. She was in a lot of pain and we really couldn‘t do much for her. She used to write very good poetry depicting her pain. I still have those handwritten copies of her poetry. Today, all the writing skills and abilities that I have is all thanks to her. The way she expressed her pain in poetry… she is my inspiration."

    Rajat Sharma
    India 
    TV chairman and editor-in-chief

     

    "My mother has been my only inspiration and she still works harder than anybody else. She has been very loving, caring and has brought me up to be the independent woman which I am today. She hails from a small city Hardoi in UP and was a graduate even in those times but she is modern in the way she thinks. I was a laid back, lazy person but she encouraged me and pushed me to work harder and whatever I am today, its because of her."

    Mona Jain
    Vivaki Exchange CEO 

     

    "According to me, my mother is the world‘s best cook. I fondly remember the day my mother was experimenting while preparing a cake for me. We were so engrossed in talking to each other that the cake was on fire! She has always been there for me. She was the one who packed my bags when I was going to Oxford. I talk to her everyday on the phone. My mother is an integral part of my life."

    Sagarika Ghose
    CNN IBN deputy editor

     

    "I always feel that the journey I am enjoying in life has been entirely because of her sacrifices, prayers and belief in God. God is rewarding her by keeping us healthy and happy. While a doctor does cut the umbilical cord between mother and child, in real life, the cord only gets stronger and stronger as we grow. My mom and I share the same bond and she is the heart of my body. We share a great bond like friends. We care, we respect, we love, we fight, we pray, we share."

    Ajit Varghese
    Maxus South Asia MD

     

    "Every day I spend with my mother is special. I would not say I cherish Mother‘s Day specially, because for me, I love my mother each and every day and she is an integral part of my life. One of the most vivid memories from childhood with Mum is when she threw my entire collection of marbles out the window, quite literally. I used to love playing with marbles as a kid and I had a huge collection. I would start playing, and in the process create a racket with the marbles, in the morning. One day my Mum lost it. That was when she entered my room and just threw the entire bag away!"

    Pratap Bose
    DDB Mudra Group COO

     

    "A mother is often the first example of unconditional love that a child experiences. For many mighty girls, their relationship with their mothers is a very special one, and my mom is a role model for me. She has been extremely influential and supportive throughout. I share a wonderful relationship with her… more like a friend than a daughter. I always call her ‘from Shakespeare to samosas‘, as she has done her master’s in English literature and has also sold samosas. She is a fantastic lady and I owe my success to her. My mother is a diligent and determined woman who has guided me with the right direction. More importantly, she has taught me to appreciate this life as a precious gift."

    Monica Tata
    HBO India MD

     

    "Ever since my childhood, I have been greatly influenced by my mother. Right from childhood, my mother used to create plays at home and this is how I developed a love for this field. She holds a very strong and influential position in my life. She has motivated me a lot to act in plays in schools and colleges and that has helped me in building my career today to this success. There are many special moments and memories I have spent with her and it is very difficult to pin-point any one. My mother actually is an ordinary woman but in her tiny appearance lies an extraordinary fortitude, perseverance, an altruistic soul and a very kind heart."

    Anooj Kapoor
    Sab EVP and business head

     

    "When I was growing up in Uttar Pradesh in the seventies and eighties we didn‘t know of a thing called Mothers Day, but we practised it by giving her the day off on her birthday. My dad , my sister and I would pamper her and the day would end with us taking her out for a meal. Incidentally, my mother‘s birthday is on teacher‘s day, so it was very poignant. The current tradition of Mothers Day is a great one as it brings our dear moms in the spotlight and they deserve this extra day of being serenaded. May be we should have more mothers‘ days in a year. Happy Mother‘s Day Amma !"

    Atul Pande
    Zeel Sports Business CEO

     

    "Whatever I am now, I owe it all to her. She used to narrate a lot of stories to me in my childhood and that has helped me become a good ‘storyteller‘. When she would narrate stories to me, the very next day I used to narrate them to my school mates and soon I became a popular ‘storyteller’. Since the past five years I have the same caller tune dedicated to my parents. She has always guided me to the right path in every step of my life. She has taught me discipline, manners, and the sense of duty towards others in the family and in society."

    JD Majethia
    Hats Off Productions owner & actor/director

     

    "At 93, she is a fountain of Wisdom, wit and positive energy… My biggest inspiration #unconditionalLove #Mother" (on his facebook profile)

    Raj Nayak
    Colors CEO

  • VivaKi Partnerships Unit bags Lovely Professional University’s media biz

    MUMBAI: VivaKi Partnerships Unit (VPU) has bagged the media duties of Lovely Professional University, following a multi agency pitch.

    The mandate will include print in the first go, followed by digital media and television.

    Lovely Professional University deputy director Aman Mittal said, “VivaKi Partnerships Unit understood our business and the sector thoroughly. They also have some of the best practices in offline as well as online media strategy and thus, suited our needs the best. We are sure that this alliance will help us achieve our brand objectives”.

    Vivaki Exchange and VPU CEO Mona Jain said, “Education category is on a growth path especially in the emerging markets in India. With the perspective of VPU focussing on emerging markets, and working with Lovely Professional University, the largest university in this sector is surely going to be an exciting journey.”

    VPU COO Tarun Nigam added, “We are excited and thrilled to handle Lovely Professional University. Our combination of insight led media planning coupled with scale and skill in media buying will help LPU in accelerating their visibility with increased accountability.”

  • Multi Screen Media firms up three sponsors for IPL 6.0

    MUMBAI: Multi Screen Media (MSM) has already roped in three sponsors for the sixth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). It has been learnt that Vodafone and Pepsi have come on board as co-presenting sponsors, while Tata DoCoMo is going to be an associate sponsor.

    While not talking about specific deals, MSM president revenue, licensing and telephony Rohit Gupta said that the broadcaster is looking at selling out its entire ad inventory for the IPL this year, unlike the previous edition where it held on to ad rates to let go a small portion of its commercial airtime. “We have rationalised our rates by 10 per cent. While last year we had sold out 85 per cent, this time we want to sell out everything. Our revenue will not be affected.”

    MSM is looking at two co-presenting and seven to eight associate sponsors. “Sponsors will take up around 60 per cent of the ad inventory. For ‘Extraaa Innings‘ we will have seven sponsors,” Gupta added.

    Vivaki Exchange CEO Mona Jain believes the IPL ratings have stabilised. “They are not zooming but neither are they falling dramatically. The rationalisation of rates makes the IPL more affordable. I don’t think that the recent poor performance of the national Indian team will have a negative effect on the IPL‘s viewership. The IPL is a different ballgame where you have city based loyalties,” she says.

    In terms of companies likely to come on board, Jain points out to consumer electronics companies and telecom. Auto is also expected to come on board, though that sector has been facing a tough time. “They may come in at lower outlays, but I still expect them to participate. The economic slowdown could have an effect in terms of the outlays that different companies are willing to commit. It is, however, too early to talk about that possible impact,” she points out.

  • India ad spend to grow 9% in 2013: Warc

    MUMBAI: Advertising spends in India are expected to grow 9 per cent in 2013, according to the International Ad Spends 2012 report released by advertising data research service Warc.

    The report says that global ad spends will grow at 4 per cent in 2013, which is a downgrade of 1.5 per cent from the previous prediction released in June. The forecast for 2012 has been downgraded by 0.5 per cent to 4.3 per cent. Taking into account forecast inflation, the report predicts that global ad spend will rise by just 1.8 per cent and 1.6 per cent this year and next. The reduction in the forecast has been attributed largely to a shaky global economy.

    The report is based on Nielsen figures for global ad spend in 2011 which is $498 billion. Applying Warc‘s growth estimates to this base sum, 2012‘s ad spend is expected to be around $519 billion and 2013‘s to be nearly $540 billion. The study took into account ad spends in 12 major markets across the globe (US, UK, Australia, Russia, India, Japan, China, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany and Italy).

    The BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) countries are expected to lead the race for ad spends growth in 2013 with Russia growing at 14.6 per cent, China at 12.5 per cent, Brazil at 9.5 per cent and India at nine per cent.

    Australia, China, India and Japan are in Asia-Pacific. For these markets, Warc expects China to lead in 2013 with growth of 12.5 per cent, followed by India with 9 per cent. Ad spend in Australia is seen growing 2.6 per cent and Japan just 1 per cent in 2013.

    The US which was predicted to garner ad revenue to the tune of $153 billion in 2012, is expected to expand at 2.5 per cent next year (as opposed to predicted growth of 4.1 per cent this year). The main drivers for this year‘s ad growth were the US Presidential Elections and the Olympics, the absence of which next year will hit ad revenues hard. UK shares a similar fate with predicted ad spend growth at four per cent.

    In another study conducted by Warc which researched inflation in cost of television media, it reported that India is pegged to see media inflation (in television) at seven per cent.

    According to Vivaki Exchange CEO Mona Jain, “The critical inflation is coming in the general entertainment channels wherein there could be increased demand. Also, there is fragmentation in television. You have more no. Of channels and the channels are expanding their programming time slot, genres, there are more viewing options now hence it is influencing the price hike. However, the inflation is curbed because of the low market sentiments otherwise it could have been 10-11 per cent. The brands which spend premium have been more conservative.”

    MPG India MD Mohit Joshi said that Havas anticipates inflation of 10 per cent. “Inflation is largely a result of fragmentation (around 7 per cent) and the balance due to actual price inflation,” he added.

    The report shows that looking to 2013, television and online were expected to yield double-digit increases in China, India and Russia.

  • Mobile marketing should be more interactive: Media experts

    MUMBAI: In an expanding digital universe, media agencies have to make the organisational shift to tailor to the diverse consumer needs.

    Mindshare, WPP‘s leading media agency, has consciously made this shift as it lives online, offline and on mobile.

    Mindshare‘s Asia Pacific Digital Lead Nick Seckold believes the nature of new age audience demands a new approach to mobile marketing communication. “In the past, advertisers merely wanted a mobile presence but at Mindshare, our mantra is to adapt to consumers‘ needs, making the campaigns memorable and hard-hitting. Here the missing piece to the puzzle is not “why” advertisers should use mobile but “how” they should use.”

    This sentiment is echoed by senior executives of other media agencies. Says Vivaki Exchange CEO Mona Jain, “Mobile marketing can‘t be generalised. There should be different proposition, different ideas and different formats; one should tailor the campaign for different categories. It is very important that mobile marketing campaign should be targeted to relevant audience and should be engaging. Also, the purpose for which the brand wants to use the medium should be solved.”

    The demand for media agency professionals to change their mindsets is growing as mobile is slated to stay on the uptrend. According to Portio Research‘s latest report, there will be 6.5 billion mobile subscribers worldwide by end-2012, while annual handset shipments will reach 2.15 billion by 2016. So as mobile technology continues to evolve and significantly influence culture and the lifestyles of consumers, the impact mobile devices are having on daily life is almost unfathomable.

    Says Seckold, “In an age of ‘always on‘, people are always on the move and are socially connected through their mobiles 24/7. Hence, there is no doubt that mobile represents a growing opportunity for brands, but penetration alone is not the best reason to convince advertisers to use mobile. The engagement portion through seamless, fun and addictive user interface is key to the success of a mobile campaign.”

    Seckold, thus, urges marketers to put themselves in their target audience‘s shoes and truly understand where they live – online, offline and on mobile.

    Carat Media SVP West Himanka Das believes mobile marketing has to be integrated with the digital campaign. Nothing works in isolation. Also, the companies should develop WAP enabled websites and there should be some form of interactivity so that people can give their feedback.

    “In mobile marketing what is being seen is that professionals need to segment the database to get the right audience. That should be done so that the campaign reaches to the relevant audience,” says Das.

    There are examples across the globe reflecting the gains brands have made through mobile application campaigns. Seckold narrates the example of Ford‘s “Drive Smart” mobile application campaign in India to advertise the new Ford Fiesta this January. The application launch was in sync with the Auto expo, providing the car manufacturer a unique platform to catch auto enthusiasts at the expo. While every car manufacturer was distributing freebies in form of physical product catalogues, merchandise, calendars, Ford distributed this utility cum entertainment application to its users at the expo via handy QR code cards.

    “Through social integration (Facebook and check-in), conversations around Ford increased to 2.5 times more than its competitors. An app called “Drive Smart” was developed to engage prospects and customers, with a popular maps feature and traffic updates. The app has had 43,000 downloads and is still counting,” says Seckold.

  • Tarun Nigam to lead VivaKi Partnerships’ operations

    Tarun Nigam to lead VivaKi Partnerships’ operations

    MUMBAI: Publicis Groupe’s VivaKi Exchange has appointed Tarun Nigam as COO for Vivaki Partnerships.He will be based in New Delhi and report directly to VivaKi Exchange CEO Mona Jain.

    Vivaki Partnerships is the special unit housed under VivaKi Exchange that pursuses partnerships with local full service agencies and media agencies in Tier 2 & 3 markets across the country.

    Nigam has over eighteen years of experience. The first four years were in pioneer TV production and marketing house United Television [UTV] and next eight in WPP Media [Mindshare, Maxus and MediaCom]. Most recently he was at Starcom MediaVest Group.

    In his stint at WPP‘s various agencies, he worked on accounts such as Gillette, Ranbaxy, Hero Honda, LG Electronics, American Express, NIIT and Monte Carlo. Before he moved as office head for MediaCom Delhi earlier this year, he led several clients at Maxus, including the large and complex Hero Honda AOR. At Starcom, he has serviced Samsung, Aircel, Educomp and many other clients. Most recently, Tarun played a key role in streamlining SMG India’s operations by taking on the additional responsibility of National Director Business Impact.

    VivaKi Exchange CEO Mona Jain said, “Our game is changing. To write the next chapter of VivaKi Partnerships, we were looking for someone who has the right mix of maturity and hunger, someone with a broad exposure to communication and marketing and who comes with a business, not just media, bias. Tarun fits the bill nicely.”

    Nigam said, “I really liked the model of VivaKi partnerships and felt that the role is the right fit for me. I am looking forward to taking VivaKi partnerships to the next level”

    VivaKi India country chair Srikant Sastri, said, “Over the past two years, we have achieved tremendous success in building a viable model for Tier 2&3 markets, as well as small advertisers. We are now moving from a start-up phase to a growth phase by putting a stronger organization in place.”

    The partnerships that Vivaki Partnerships deals with are in the form of exclusive relationships to support the agencies on their strategic product, and provide value-added services. Additionally, VivaKi Partnerships also works with small size advertisers to help them achieve better pricing value on their media spends.

  • SMG Delhi reshuffles senior management team

    MUMBAI: Starcom MediaVest Group (SMG) has reshuffled its senior management team.

    As a part of the restructuring, Starcom North executive director (ED) Tarun Nigam is moving to a role with VivaKi Exchange by January 2013. He is currently in the process of transitioning from the SMG role to a full time role with the group outfit VivaKi. In his new role, Tarun will report to VivaKi Exchange CEO Mona Jain.

    Sulina Menon who is ED and head of team Samsung and Dabur will be taking charge of Nigam’s client portfolio in Delhi, in addition to overseeing the Dabur account.

    Meanwhile, Starcom South VP Sriram Sharma is moving to Delhi to head team Samsung.

    There would be a three-month overlap between Menon and Sharma on Samsung before they take independent charge of their roles in January 2013.

    In their new roles, both Menon and Sharma will report to SMG India CEO Mallikarjunadas CR.

    Mallikarjunadas CR said, “After a good run in the past 2 years, we are gearing up for an even more action packed future. Tarun, Sulina and Sriram have done exceedingly well in their respective assignments and have been great ambassadors of SMG. Their new roles with enlarged responsibilities are a testament to their performance. We wish them the very best in their new assignments”.

  • VivaKi Exchange creates CEO post, elevates Mona Jain

    VivaKi Exchange creates CEO post, elevates Mona Jain

    MUMBAI: VivaKi Exchange has elevated Mona Jain to the newly created position of chief executive officer.

    Prior to this development, Jain held the position of COO at VivaKi Exchange.

    In her new role, she will continue to report to VivaKi Exchange chairman Ambika Srivastava.

    Jain has over two decades of marketing communications experience. Previously, as COO, she witnessed the expansion and growth of VivaKi Exchange.as well as new client portfolios both at Starcom MediaVest Group India and ZenithOptimedia India.

    Jain has worked with agencies such as Hindustan Thompson, Contract, Mudra Communications, FCB, ZenithOptimedia and Cheil Communications. She also did a short stint to gain clients’ side experience with Glaxo Smithkline Beecham. She has worked with clients such as PepsiCo, Horlicks, McDonalds, Whirlpool, Frito Lays, Hyundai, Hewlett Packard, Nokia, Nestle and Samsung.
     
    Srivastava said, “I am extremely pleased to announce Mona’s appointment as the first CEO for VivaKi Exchange. She is highly respected by the industry, our clients and media partners as well as the teams of Starcom MediaVest Group and ZenithOptimedia for her integrity, passion and most of all for her ability to add and create value. Since her joining in 2005, Mona has ensured phenomenal growth for the Groupe and has played an extraordinary role in upping the service and delivery quotient for clients and teams alike.”

    Speaking on her new role Jain added, “It is indeed a momentous occasion and I am honoured and humbled on my appointment as the first CEO for VivaKi Exchange. Once again I would like to thank the leadership team for their faith and confidence in my abilities. I see us continuing to create innovative, distinct and aggressive advantages for VivaKi Exchange, driving client vision and nurturing further collaboration and integration with media owners and our superlative team.”