Tag: MS Dhoni

Sports lead Google searches in India; Sindhu most searched

MUMBAI: Sports stood at the podium in terms of searches in India, according to a survey released by the US based-search engine. While PV Sindhu made a lot of inroads into people’s hearts with her heroics at Rio Olympics, Sultan and MS Dhoni – The Untold Story were both the among the highest grossing movies in 2016.

Based on different forms of sports, MS Dhoni made Sushant Singh Rajput and Disha Patani household names in the second half of the year while Sultan ruled the roost in terms of earnings.

According to a report released by Google Analytics, Sports was the leading property in terms of searches in India in 2016. Rio Olympics was the most trending item in India, with Pokemon Go standing second. The Olympics was also No. 1 on the list of most-searched news events.

Amongst personalities, Indian Olympic silver medallist PV Sindhu has been the second most searched personality in India, also being the most-searched Indian personality. The badminton ace was beaten by controversial US President Donald Trump, who led the personalities chart. Athlete Dipa Karmakar, MS Dhoni actress Disha Patani and Wrestler Sakshi Malik also feature in the top 10, giving sports the bragging rights over other genres.

Looking at the most searched Bollywood male celebrities, MS Dhoni actor Sushant Singh Rajput was the top trending star of 2016. Disha Patani heads that list in the female category, featuring in the same movie. In the movies category, Sultan, a film based on wrestling, was searched the most number of times in India. US Elections was the most searched news event after Rio Olympics, garnering great attention.

Indian Premier League 2016 and Euro 2016 also feature on the list of the most trending searches, with the football tournament standing at the third spot and IPL getting the sixth spot on the list. It is quite clear that for Indian audiences, Sports has been the most searched beat against other genres and the industry can always capitalise on that front.

December 15, 2016
Star Plus salutes Moms through Dhoni, Kohli and Ajinkya in promos

MUMBAI: Moms are what make each one of us who we are. That’s something we all acknowledge in private, and sometimes in public. The Twenty First Century Corop subsidiary Star India has roped in India’s cricket superstars MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane for a TV campaign for Star Plus in which the trio has dropped their surnames or their own names from their jerseys, replacing it with their respective mom’s names.

The campaign (part of the Nayi Soch initiative) – sure to warm the cockles of many an Indian heart and possibly bring a lump to our throats – rolled out on TV screens just as the one day series between India and the Kiwis commenced.

The intent: Star India says is to push forward the agenda for Indian women, something which it has been doing through its entertainment TV shows and promos. A press release issued by Star India says that the three promos are supported by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and that it (as the Indian cricket team’s sponsor) along with the cricket board is seeking to break the stereotypical societal notions around lineage and identity and the role of women in all our lives.

In the promos, Dhoni, Virat and Ajinkya proudly acknowledge that they derive their identity as much from their mothers as their fathers.

“We at Star India are very happy to partner with the BCCI for an iconic brand initiative of Nayi Soch. Star Plus has been a lighthouse brand for women,” says Star India managing director Sanjay Gupta. “We have always put women first, told their stories and are now set to take it to the next level by challenging orthodoxy and stereotypes that come in the way of progress for women.”

In the MS Dhoni short film, a journalist questions him about the fact that he has put the name of Devki on his jersey. Dhoni responds with the usual calmness and smile on his face:
“Main itne saal se, apne pita aka naam pahen raha tha, tab to aap ne kabhi nahin poocha, ki koi khaas vajaah.”
(“For so many years, I wore my father’s name on my jersey, you never asked me if there is a special occasion.”)

Ajinkya Rahane, in his film, says
“Log kahante hain, baap ka naam roshan karo, lekin mere liye ma (Sujata) ka naam roshan karna itna hi important hain.”
(People say make your father proud and renowned, but for me making my mother proud and well known is as important)

The Virat Kohli film has him saying:
“Aaj mein jo bhi hoon, Mummy ke vajaah se bhi hoon. To zaher si baat hain meri pehachaan bhi, sirf papa ke naam se kyon? Mein jitna Kohli hoon, utna Saroj bhi hoon.”
(Whatever I am today is because of my Mummy. Then the question is why I am known only by my father. I am as much a Saroj as I am a Kohli)

October 16, 2016
Star Plus salutes Moms through Dhoni, Kohli and Ajinkya in promos

MUMBAI: Moms are what make each one of us who we are. That’s something we all acknowledge in private, and sometimes in public. The Twenty First Century Corop subsidiary Star India has roped in India’s cricket superstars MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane for a TV campaign for Star Plus in which the trio has dropped their surnames or their own names from their jerseys, replacing it with their respective mom’s names.

The campaign (part of the Nayi Soch initiative) – sure to warm the cockles of many an Indian heart and possibly bring a lump to our throats – rolled out on TV screens just as the one day series between India and the Kiwis commenced.

The intent: Star India says is to push forward the agenda for Indian women, something which it has been doing through its entertainment TV shows and promos. A press release issued by Star India says that the three promos are supported by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and that it (as the Indian cricket team’s sponsor) along with the cricket board is seeking to break the stereotypical societal notions around lineage and identity and the role of women in all our lives.

In the promos, Dhoni, Virat and Ajinkya proudly acknowledge that they derive their identity as much from their mothers as their fathers.

“We at Star India are very happy to partner with the BCCI for an iconic brand initiative of Nayi Soch. Star Plus has been a lighthouse brand for women,” says Star India managing director Sanjay Gupta. “We have always put women first, told their stories and are now set to take it to the next level by challenging orthodoxy and stereotypes that come in the way of progress for women.”

In the MS Dhoni short film, a journalist questions him about the fact that he has put the name of Devki on his jersey. Dhoni responds with the usual calmness and smile on his face:
“Main itne saal se, apne pita aka naam pahen raha tha, tab to aap ne kabhi nahin poocha, ki koi khaas vajaah.”
(“For so many years, I wore my father’s name on my jersey, you never asked me if there is a special occasion.”)

Ajinkya Rahane, in his film, says
“Log kahante hain, baap ka naam roshan karo, lekin mere liye ma (Sujata) ka naam roshan karna itna hi important hain.”
(People say make your father proud and renowned, but for me making my mother proud and well known is as important)

The Virat Kohli film has him saying:
“Aaj mein jo bhi hoon, Mummy ke vajaah se bhi hoon. To zaher si baat hain meri pehachaan bhi, sirf papa ke naam se kyon? Mein jitna Kohli hoon, utna Saroj bhi hoon.”
(Whatever I am today is because of my Mummy. Then the question is why I am known only by my father. I am as much a Saroj as I am a Kohli)

October 16, 2016
Marriott India partners Rising Pune Supergiants for IPL Season 2016

MUMBAI: The digital campaign #MarriottForRPSG, conceptualized in partnership with MindShift Interactive amplifies the Rising Pune Supergiants and Marriott India association for IPL 2016.

With the #MarriottForRPSG campaign, the agency wanted to highlight the association of Marriott India as the official hospitality partner of Rising Pune Supergiants. The campaign began with over 40 Marriott India properties – Marriott, JW Marriott, Courtyard by Marriott, Fairfield Inn by Marriott and Renaissance. They came together for a holistic campaign to cheer for the first season of the Rising Pune Supergiants. The month long campaign focused on the common ground between cricket and Marriott – passion. Building on that idea, the campaign started off with profiling the team members – MS Dhoni, Steven Smith, Ajinkya Rahane, Kevin Peterson, Faf Du Plessis amongst others whilst highlighting JW Marriott Pune being the official hosts to the team throughout the series.

An flash mob conducted by the JW Marriott Pune staff was created and captured through a video that received high outreach digital platforms. Keeping the insight behind video content being a key to leveraging engagements, a fair share of videos were created around the associates of Marriott and the teams. A cricket playoff between key players from RPS and students from the Mahindra Pride School, a cause dear to Marriott India was conducted capturing the true essence of two worlds colliding, shared through all the Marriott properties across India. The entire campaign was aptly led by content focusing on the cricket fever through the hashtag #CricketOnMyMind, in the form of rich media such as GIFs and videos presenting the subtle ways cricket is seen .

The month long campaign had an overall outreach of 60,00,000 organically, owing an outreach of over 5,00,000 on Facebook and more than 55,00,000 on Twitter. Instagram was leveraged as a secondary platform for properties that were present too.

MindShift Interactive CEO Zafar Rais commented, “This was an exciting opportunity for MindShift to partner with not just a few Marriott India properties but with each and every one of them to leverage their association with Rising Pune Super Giants, making it the first of its kind. Leveraging the association on social media was the apt route to take given the level of engagement IPL receives digitally.”

May 24, 2016
Marriott India partners Rising Pune Supergiants for IPL Season 2016

MUMBAI: The digital campaign #MarriottForRPSG, conceptualized in partnership with MindShift Interactive amplifies the Rising Pune Supergiants and Marriott India association for IPL 2016.

With the #MarriottForRPSG campaign, the agency wanted to highlight the association of Marriott India as the official hospitality partner of Rising Pune Supergiants. The campaign began with over 40 Marriott India properties – Marriott, JW Marriott, Courtyard by Marriott, Fairfield Inn by Marriott and Renaissance. They came together for a holistic campaign to cheer for the first season of the Rising Pune Supergiants. The month long campaign focused on the common ground between cricket and Marriott – passion. Building on that idea, the campaign started off with profiling the team members – MS Dhoni, Steven Smith, Ajinkya Rahane, Kevin Peterson, Faf Du Plessis amongst others whilst highlighting JW Marriott Pune being the official hosts to the team throughout the series.

An flash mob conducted by the JW Marriott Pune staff was created and captured through a video that received high outreach digital platforms. Keeping the insight behind video content being a key to leveraging engagements, a fair share of videos were created around the associates of Marriott and the teams. A cricket playoff between key players from RPS and students from the Mahindra Pride School, a cause dear to Marriott India was conducted capturing the true essence of two worlds colliding, shared through all the Marriott properties across India. The entire campaign was aptly led by content focusing on the cricket fever through the hashtag #CricketOnMyMind, in the form of rich media such as GIFs and videos presenting the subtle ways cricket is seen .

The month long campaign had an overall outreach of 60,00,000 organically, owing an outreach of over 5,00,000 on Facebook and more than 55,00,000 on Twitter. Instagram was leveraged as a secondary platform for properties that were present too.

MindShift Interactive CEO Zafar Rais commented, “This was an exciting opportunity for MindShift to partner with not just a few Marriott India properties but with each and every one of them to leverage their association with Rising Pune Super Giants, making it the first of its kind. Leveraging the association on social media was the apt route to take given the level of engagement IPL receives digitally.”

May 24, 2016
Hansa Research releases IPLomania – a syndicated 9 season study on team loyalties

MUMBAI: IPLomania reveals interesting correlations between team loyalties and its impact on the recall value of the sponsoring brands. The study which started in 2008 (IPL – Season 1), completes 9 years, covering 11550 F2F CAPI Interviews, panning 10 towns covering SEC ABC, hard-core IPL viewers, of age group 12+, this season, threw up some interesting data.

•Not all cities are ardent supporters of their respective teams
•Team’s Performance plays a significant (if not crucial role) in enhancing loyalty
•Marque players are a vital cog in any team’s fan following

There are exceptions though.

Transient Loyalties

For every fanatical supporter of CSK, there is a very fickle supporter of DD. But, even this might change in the next season. KXIP realized that when they found tremendous support in the latter stages of 2014, while they were consistently dominant, only for the support to fizzle out in the next edition when they bombed. So can DD count on an increased fan base during IPL-10?

Amongst the latest entrants, GL are increasing the fan base with their performances, while RPS is struggling even with MS Dhoni at the helm.

Top Performers

CSK and MI have emerged as the most consistent in garnering loyalties, and not just from their respective cities, so has KKR and RCB.

Masterstroke

CSK, MI, KKR and RCB have more or less kept a consistent pool of players, giving their supporters ample time to identify themselves with the team. With a consistent core, their performances have been consistent and that has led to a consistent, loyal fan base.

In teams that are yet to settle their squad, marquee players play an important role in establishing a connection with the audience. Fans of SRH swear by their captain David Warner, whereas Glenn Maxwell rouses the fervour for fans of KXIP.

Lead Sponsor Mentions

IPLomania reveals a stark difference in the manner in which these sponsor brands are recalled by the audiences. Let us take an example of the ‘lead’ sponsors (whose logo appears on the jersey chest for each team).

8% of audience mentions the ‘lead’ sponsor on a average for any team
27% of audience mentions ‘lead’ sponsor when it comes to the top 2 teams CSK and KKR
2% of audience mentions ‘lead’ sponsor in case of KXIP and DD

In fact the brand recall for the CSK sponsor was as high as 42%.

Team Loyalty and brand recall

Team loyalty also plays a huge role on the recall value for a brand. Teams that have managed to consistently garner a loyal fan base, also manage to repay their sponsors in terms of a better brand recall.

Bringing it all together

With a captive audience the IPL provides a tremendous opportunity for brands to be associated with the franchise, and more importantly recalled by their audience. The formula is to be consistent whether it comes to the squad or performance and strategic – like having a marquee player and giving him time to build a loyalty fan following.

May 20, 2016
Hansa Research releases IPLomania – a syndicated 9 season study on team loyalties

MUMBAI: IPLomania reveals interesting correlations between team loyalties and its impact on the recall value of the sponsoring brands. The study which started in 2008 (IPL – Season 1), completes 9 years, covering 11550 F2F CAPI Interviews, panning 10 towns covering SEC ABC, hard-core IPL viewers, of age group 12+, this season, threw up some interesting data.

•Not all cities are ardent supporters of their respective teams
•Team’s Performance plays a significant (if not crucial role) in enhancing loyalty
•Marque players are a vital cog in any team’s fan following

There are exceptions though.

Transient Loyalties

For every fanatical supporter of CSK, there is a very fickle supporter of DD. But, even this might change in the next season. KXIP realized that when they found tremendous support in the latter stages of 2014, while they were consistently dominant, only for the support to fizzle out in the next edition when they bombed. So can DD count on an increased fan base during IPL-10?

Amongst the latest entrants, GL are increasing the fan base with their performances, while RPS is struggling even with MS Dhoni at the helm.

Top Performers

CSK and MI have emerged as the most consistent in garnering loyalties, and not just from their respective cities, so has KKR and RCB.

Masterstroke

CSK, MI, KKR and RCB have more or less kept a consistent pool of players, giving their supporters ample time to identify themselves with the team. With a consistent core, their performances have been consistent and that has led to a consistent, loyal fan base.

In teams that are yet to settle their squad, marquee players play an important role in establishing a connection with the audience. Fans of SRH swear by their captain David Warner, whereas Glenn Maxwell rouses the fervour for fans of KXIP.

Lead Sponsor Mentions

IPLomania reveals a stark difference in the manner in which these sponsor brands are recalled by the audiences. Let us take an example of the ‘lead’ sponsors (whose logo appears on the jersey chest for each team).

8% of audience mentions the ‘lead’ sponsor on a average for any team
27% of audience mentions ‘lead’ sponsor when it comes to the top 2 teams CSK and KKR
2% of audience mentions ‘lead’ sponsor in case of KXIP and DD

In fact the brand recall for the CSK sponsor was as high as 42%.

Team Loyalty and brand recall

Team loyalty also plays a huge role on the recall value for a brand. Teams that have managed to consistently garner a loyal fan base, also manage to repay their sponsors in terms of a better brand recall.

Bringing it all together

With a captive audience the IPL provides a tremendous opportunity for brands to be associated with the franchise, and more importantly recalled by their audience. The formula is to be consistent whether it comes to the squad or performance and strategic – like having a marquee player and giving him time to build a loyalty fan following.

May 20, 2016
LAVA launches its new brand campaign with Mahendra Singh Dhoni

MUMBAI: Lava International Limited, one of the leading players in the Indian mobile handset industry, launched its latest multi-channel marketing campaign featuring its brand ambassador and India’s most successful national ODI cricket team captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni. With this campaign, Lava aims to strengthen its brand identity as the most trusted and reliable mobile handset brand in the mobile handset industry. The integrated 12-week long, 360 degree marketing campaign comprises three different television commercials along with out-of-home, retail and digital marketing initiatives.

Thrilled with the launch of Lava’s new brand campaign, Lava International Limited vice president & head – Marketing & Communications Solomon Wheeler said, “We are very excited to launch this campaign with Mahendra Singh Dhoni on board as our brand ambassador. We, at Lava, believe that to build a truly endearing brand one cannot rely on just tactical differentiators; it has to be based on core values which in our case are – Integrity, passion for excellence and adaptability. Put together these values create a culture that ensures we deliver reliable products and services to our customers every time. Also, various industry reports bear testimony to our excellent product quality and after sales service which are unmatched amongst Indian mobile handset brands.”

Lava recently brought on board Soho Square, part of the WPP group, to take on Lava’s creative mandate. This is their first campaign for the brand.

On conceptualizing the campaign for Lava, Soho Square SVP & head of Advertising Dip Sengupta said, “The story of Lava is the story of reliability. It is something that is hardwired in the DNA of the organization and the great products that come out of its R&D facilities and manufacturing centers. When we delved deep into the products, we realized that the rigour and the drive for excellence that goes into each Lava phone was a story waiting to be told. The campaign with MS Dhoni was therefore a natural next step. We wanted the code of reliability to come across in an endearing manner and MS Dhoni’s interactions with the Lava representative does that effortlessly.”

April 25, 2016
LAVA launches its new brand campaign with Mahendra Singh Dhoni

MUMBAI: Lava International Limited, one of the leading players in the Indian mobile handset industry, launched its latest multi-channel marketing campaign featuring its brand ambassador and India’s most successful national ODI cricket team captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni. With this campaign, Lava aims to strengthen its brand identity as the most trusted and reliable mobile handset brand in the mobile handset industry. The integrated 12-week long, 360 degree marketing campaign comprises three different television commercials along with out-of-home, retail and digital marketing initiatives.

Thrilled with the launch of Lava’s new brand campaign, Lava International Limited vice president & head – Marketing & Communications Solomon Wheeler said, “We are very excited to launch this campaign with Mahendra Singh Dhoni on board as our brand ambassador. We, at Lava, believe that to build a truly endearing brand one cannot rely on just tactical differentiators; it has to be based on core values which in our case are – Integrity, passion for excellence and adaptability. Put together these values create a culture that ensures we deliver reliable products and services to our customers every time. Also, various industry reports bear testimony to our excellent product quality and after sales service which are unmatched amongst Indian mobile handset brands.”

Lava recently brought on board Soho Square, part of the WPP group, to take on Lava’s creative mandate. This is their first campaign for the brand.

On conceptualizing the campaign for Lava, Soho Square SVP & head of Advertising Dip Sengupta said, “The story of Lava is the story of reliability. It is something that is hardwired in the DNA of the organization and the great products that come out of its R&D facilities and manufacturing centers. When we delved deep into the products, we realized that the rigour and the drive for excellence that goes into each Lava phone was a story waiting to be told. The campaign with MS Dhoni was therefore a natural next step. We wanted the code of reliability to come across in an endearing manner and MS Dhoni’s interactions with the Lava representative does that effortlessly.”

April 25, 2016
Google adds new search features for ICC World Cup T20 in India

NEW DELHI: Google has launched two two new experimental features in Search with the ICC World Twenty20 in full swing to make keeping up with all the cricket news easier — fresh content directly from cricket players, personalities and commentators, and a new live sports commentary panel.

Some of the subjects being dealt with are Captain Cool MS Dhoni’s latest match reflections or what Virat Kohli’s been up to on and off the pitch. During the ICC World T20, people will now be able to hear from their favourite cricketers more easily. For example when searching for Ravindra Jadeja, there will be posts, match photos, or videos directly from him in addition to the news articles, tweets and links you’re used to seeing in Google Search.

Google is also making it easier for webbers to find commentary from a wide range of players, commentators and experts from Search. When one searches for cricket and ICC World Twenty20 related queries like “T20” or team names during and after matches, one can see real-time commentary on the match from a range of cricket stars will be available.

These commentary panels have been launched in time for the highly anticipated Indian matches and will be available for the ICC T20 games.

These new Search features are experimental and will run only during the ICC World T20 2016. They follow on from the launch of score updates and match schedules in Search last week.

March 16, 2016