ITV

Tag: more

  • Cartoon Network Enterprises lines up birthday bashes, home videos and more

    MUMBAI: Kids are in for a treat this Diwali. From Cartoon Network, to Disney Channel to Hungama TV; channels are out there in full force to woo and seek the attention of capricious kids.

    With Diwali crackling in the festive season, Cartoon Network Enterprises (CNE) – the licensing division of Cartoon Network – is going the whole hog by making available more merchandising and fun things for kids this quarter.

    One of the things that CNE has up its sleeves is the Cartoon Network Birthday Blast. As of now, Cartoon Network provided kids with the opportunity of having their birthdays flashed on the channel. Now, it has gone a step further in order to leverage the equity of Cartoon Network Birthday Blast on ground too.

    Cartoon Network and Clockwork Events (a Mumbai based event management company) will be organising birthday parties for kids wherein the complete background and theme of the party will be strewn with the characters such as the Powerpuff Girls, Dexter and Johnny Bravo.

    Apart from this, the crockery, theme games, return gifts and the Emcee will also be stamped with the Cartoon Network branding. A party that has a minimum number of 30 guests will only be organised by CNE and Clockwork Events for a cost of Rs 13,000.

    Speaking on the same, Cartoon Network Enterprise director India and South Asia Jiggy George says, “If the number of guests increase from 30, then we will charge accordingly. But as of now, this is the price we have zeroed on. We will be starting these birthday parties in Mumbai from December and will eventually take it to Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad early next year.”

    Apart from this, the network is also ramping up merchandising aroundPowerpuff Girls, Dexter and Beyblade. CNE has tied up with stores like Lifestyle, Pantaloon and Shopper’s Stop, wherein a shop-in-shop experience will be created. The existing Powerpuff Girls and Dexter merchandising will see the addition of skipping ropes, scooters and skateboards.

    CNE has also tied up with Bombay Dyeing for Powerpuff Girls, Dexter and Johnny Bravo bed sheets, pillow covers, linen etc. While the Powerpuff Girls and Dexter range will be available by the end of November, Johnny Bravo products will make a splash in the market in summer next year. A notable fact here is that earlier this year, Nick had also tied up with Bombay Dyeing for SpongeBob SquarePants and Blue’s Clues linen.

    Liliput, which is a kids’ retail brand with a strong presence in Mumbai, Gujarat, West Bengal, Jammu & Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh and Rajashthan, will be pushing the apparels featuring Cartoon Network’s characters.

    On the other hand, Pyramid Plastics will be rolling out a range of plastic products like Buckets, dust bins, mugs, soap boxes, bath stool with Powerpuff Girls and Dexter branding.

    “All our deals are for a minimum of two to three years. We look at partners who can create a fantastic product and at the same time be able to distribute it widely. The focus is to look at the big licensees who can be our long term partners and also be sustainable,” said George.

    Speaking on the price of these new products, George said that while the products are premium, the prices are moderate and hence made accessible to as many people as possible.

    While the Beyblades have been a sold out success, CNE is now encashing on its popularity by introducing puzzles and board games around the property. When queried as to whether the spurious Beyblades (especially those from China) were impacting the sales of the original Funskool Beyblades, George said, “Yes, there are a lot of spurious Beybaldes in the market but that has in a way helped grown the market for Beyblades and has not impacted our sales. Kids today want the original product and are smart enough to recognise the fake ones.”

    And if that was not all, CNE will also be rolling out home videos of Pogo’s live action show – M.A.D. CNE has tied up with Excel Video for the same. The VCDs will be priced at Rs 199 and the DVDs at Rs 299. “The home videos of M.A.D.will be available at Planet M, Music World, Crossword, Lifestyle and Landmark. The concept of the show is such that it fosters creativity among kids. It is a show that can be watched over and over again because kids can learn a lot while watching it. So it seemed like a perfect fit to launch it on home video,” said George.

    He also informed that advertising campaigns by Bombay Dyeing and Liliput towards the end of the year will push the new range of merchandising that is going to be launched.

    Speaking on the revenue growth that CNE has seen since it launched new merchandising in May this year, George said, “We are expecting a growth of at least 30 per cent by the end of December. On the other hand, if we talk about the one property that has seen a 30 per cent month on month growth in sales, it is Beyblade.”

    What one has to look out for in the new year is apparels, linen and toys’ range from the Johnny Bravo property and also merchandising for the pre-schoolers from the CNE kitty.

  • Work your shoes to watch more TV

    MUMBAI:An interesting innovation in the US might just change the kids viewing patters in America. A final year student at the Brunel University has come about with a unique way of incetivising children to get kids to stay fit

    The idea being the shoe dubbed through ‘square eyes’ which is linked to a base station, which transmits to the TV how much exercise the child has taken over the day, in terms of steps taken.
     

    The base station inturn converts steps to TV time, hence in effect this specialised shoe will control the amount of TV the kids watch.

    While one button on the shoe records the amount of steps taken by the child over the day, another transmits this information to a base station connected to the TV. Interestingly, the TV will automatically switch off once the time earned has expired.

    The whole idea stems from the thought of children being exposed to varied television offerings and kid’s channels. While a decade ago, children entertained themselves by playing outdoor games, now its the television that dictate their lives.

    Square-eyes will be an endeavour to help children to include exercise in their daily routines from an early age.

    Pedometers, which measure the number of steps taken are becoming popular, and it’s hoped that the Square eyes shoes will have a similar appeal.

    However, the target of the Shoes is a little higher than the recommended average on the pedometer, 12000 steps a day for girls and 15000 steps for boys, equating to a maximum of 2 hours TV time a day.
     
     
    Obesity is on the increase in the UK. In 1995, 9.9 per cent of two to 10-year-olds were classified as obese. This figure further grew to 13.7 per cent in 2003.

    Square-eyes will be showcased alongside the other work of Brunel graduates at the University’s School of Engineering and Design next week.

    This project is viewed as an excellent example of realising a concept and creating a wholly feasible future project.

  • Marketing whiz Shunu Sen no more

    MUMBAI: Corporate India is that much poorer today with the passing away of ace marketer Shunu Sen. The CEO of marketing consultancy Quadra Advisory passed away early this morning (3 January) following heart failure. Sen has been a guiding hand to many a senior marketing and sales professional during his 35-year plus career.

    Born in 1940, Sen started his career as a management trainee in 1960 with Hindustan Lever when the concept of professional marketing was still new to India. Shunu, as he was known to all, handled assignments of various products like detergents, personal products and foods. He later graduated to become the Head of the Personal Products business and Marketing Director-Detergents. He was responsible for the legendary Lalitaji and Liril advertising campaigns.

    In 1990, he was appointed vice-chairman – Lipton India. His last assignment with Hindustan Lever was as group marketing advisor for the Unilever Group of Companies in India. Later, he did an international assignment for Unilever plc., London.

    Subsequent to his retirement from Hindustan Lever, he worked as president, marketing services, RPG Enterprises and group marketing advisor.

    In 1998, Shunu set up Quadra Advisory in partnership with advertising professional Suhel Seth and one of the world’s largest ad and marketing conglomerates WPP Group to provide consultancy in marketing and sales in the areas of marketing strategy, distribution and sales, branding and positioning and marketing training. Speaking to agencyfaqs.com a couple of years ago, he had said he had done this reluctantly: “I had taken retirement and I just wanted to sit at home, read books and listen to music. But Sir Sorrel got me quite interested and so I decided to invest in it. Both Suhel and I also invested as original investors,” he had said.

    But there was no looking back after that. Some of the clients he consulted include: Reckitt & Colman, Dabur, Wrigley’s, Kimberly Clark, Henkel, Ranbaxy, Parle Agro, Rasna, AP Diary, TetraPak, Royal, Enfield, Eicher Tractors, JK Tyres, Castrol, HPCL, Philips Domestic Appliances, Godrej GE, Borosil, Usha International, Baron Electronics, ICI, Max Health Care, Sun F&C, Lifespring, Nirulas, CII, Indbazaar.com, Gottaswitch.com, shaadionline.com, everythingaboutwater.com.

    And even the government. When the information and broadcasting ministry wanted to inject some marketing savvy into its moribund DD and All India Radio it turned to Shunu. He was appointed chairman of a high power committee recommend the best practices in the marketing of airtime.

    Sen was also a member and officer bearer of various professional institutions such as Advertising Club-Bombay, ABC, ISA, AND MRSI.

    For Sen’s views on the history of branding, click here
    Can ‘Made in India’ become a brand?

    For a Shunu Sen interview with ‘The Week’ which appeared in www.agencyfaqs.com in October 2001, click here
    “Companies often do not have a consumer focus”

    To view the website of Quadra Advisory, click here http://www.quadraadvisory.com/index.htm