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Tag: Musafir.com

  • Musafir.com appoints Vijay Kesavan as CEO India Operations

    Musafir.com appoints Vijay Kesavan as CEO India Operations

    MUMBAI: Last year, the Indian hospitality industry welcomed one more entrant – Musafir.com – and it is all ready to face the fast–growing Indian online travel agency (OTA) market by strengthening its team.

     

    The online portal has appointed Vijay Kesavan as the new CEO for its Indian operations. In this new role, Kesavan will be responsible for driving Musafir.com’s business strategy which is aimed at capturing the brand’s position among the top five OTAs in India.

     

    Oh his new role, Kesavan said, “With the ever increasing demand in Travel and Tourism Industry, India offers tremendous business opportunities for a new brand like Musafir.com. Having proved its credibility in the UAE, Musafir has already made an impact in the Indian segment. I look forward to the new challenges and great experiences that the brand has to offer.”

     

    Prior to this, Kesavan ran operations for Thomas Cook as the senior vice-president and head of online sales and distribution. He comes with extensive experience in the travel industry having worked across the sector with akbartravelsonline.com and Indigo Airlines. He has in-depth knowledge of the e-commerce industry having started his career with the Interglobe Technology Quotient.

     

    Commenting on the announcement, Musafir.com MD Sachin Gadoya said, “We are delighted to welcome Vijay to Musafir.com, he has a wealth of experience in the travel and tourism sector, which will greatly benefit the organisation.  Being a young and innovative brand, we aspire to be among the top 5 OTAs in India by 2018. To achieve this ambitious goal, we continue to add talent and expertise to the organisation. Vijay’s appointment is an example of the high calibre team we continue to build. We are positive that his rich pool of knowledge would contribute towards strengthening our base and accelerating growth in India.”

  • The OMG! brand associations of 2013

    The OMG! brand associations of 2013

    MUMBAI: What’s common between Amitabh Bachchan, Katrina Kaif and Sachin Tendulkar? Well, apart from their popularity in their respective fields, they are also the most sought-after ambassadors for an entire sweep of brands ranging from FMCG, electronics, automobiles, housing, telecom, banking and what have you.

    With most products and services opting to play safe and going with ‘tried and tested’ names as brand ambassadors, the list of favourites’ doesn’t quite end with these three names.

    However, the flip side to this kind of predictability is that not only viewers can’t take it anymore but also one cannot connect the dots between the brand and its ambassador.

    For example, while Deepika Padukone’s endorsement of Vogue Eyewear was palpable, when Bachchan Sr – who sells everything from hair oil to chocolates to banking services with as much panache – endorsed Maggi Noodles, it surprised many who thought him too old to flog a product catering mainly to children and youngsters.

    However, with 2013 ticking to an end, indiantelevision.com decided to take stock of a select few brands which flew in the face of inevitability with their unlikely choice of ambassador. Here’s listing them…

    Hugh Jackman for Micromax

    This one could easily be the shocker of the year, with the Indian smart phone company getting the Hollywood actor of ‘Wolverine’ fame to sell its full HD screen device, Canvas Turbo. Are the Khans reading?

    Sachin Tendulkar for Musafir.com

    While the master blaster has been one of India’s most celebrated icons both on and off the field, after his retirement from active cricket not so long ago, there was a huge debate about whether ‘Brand Sachin’ would take a beating. Whatever the answer to that question, seeing him in a handlebar moustache, showing travellers ‘a new way to go ghoomne’ in an advertisement for a travel portal is certainly not what the audience expected.

    Mary Kom for Vodafone

    From the cute pug who follows his kid master everywhere to the equally lovable Zoo Zoos, celebrities are certainly not what one associates this telecom giant with. However, starting next year, Indian boxing champ and Olympic Bronze Medallist Mary Kom will feature in Vodafone’s new social media-led campaign ‘Vodafone Firsts’ to be activated across nearly 30 countries.

    Abhi-Ash for Prestige

    Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan were last seen in an advertisement for a bathing soap. While one can relate to the high-profile couple selling a lifestyle product, the latest commercial which sees them endorsing a kitchen appliance typically meant for the aam aadmi doesn’t strike a chord with viewers.Virat Kohli for Border Security Forces

    It’s well known that after Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli is the face of several ‘youth’ brands. But designating him brand ambassador of the Border Security Forces (BSF) is taking his popularity a bit too far. We can’t connect the dots… can you?

  • Musafir.com pays tribute to Sachin in style

    Musafir.com pays tribute to Sachin in style

    MUMBAI: The whole of India is soaked in Sachin fever today. So of all the offers available, Mumbaikars today can also get a free drive to Wankhede Stadium. The online travel portal Musafir.com in association with TABcabs has been offering free cab rides for those heading towards Wankhede Stadium, since 7:00 am today.

    Musafir.com has engaged 200 TABcabs to provide free rides to the stadium from 14 November to 18 November. In order to avail this first come first serve service, fans need to display their match tickets at designated pick up points spread across various locations in the city. The cabs would also drop the fans back to the designated points from where they are picked up.

    The service is in line with the recently launched brand campaign where Musafir.com brand ambassador Sachin Tendulkar is seen playing a Rajasthani photographer, Shekhu Shekhawat who invites travellers to witness a new way to go ‘Ghoomne’.

    Apart from the interiors and the exteriors of all the 200 cabs being branded with the Shekhu look, the chauffeurs will also be seen sporting the signature Rajasthani turban and moustache to add to the signature appearance of Sachin’s character through this initiative.

    En-route to Wankhade Stadium, fans will enjoy the ride with peppy jingle of Musafir.com and radio voiceovers being played. A total of 800 seats are available in the AC chauffeur driven cabs for Sachin’s fans travelling to witness the iconic match at Wankhade stadium. 
     

    Musafir.com managing director Sachin Gadoya said, “Sachin Tendulkar has entertained sports enthusiasts across the globe for the last 24 years and this initiative is a small effort from our end to salute the legendary cricketer for his exceptional contribution to the sport. With the aim to promote ease in travel, we have associated with TABcabs to provide a comfortable travelling experience to the fans of the iconic cricketer on this momentous occasion of his 200th test match.”

    “We at Musafir.com are proud to be associated with Sachin and aim to establish our brand with a through-the-line media campaign built around trust and exceptional performance that Sachin Tendulkar stands for. Together we plan to #shekhufy the world and embark on a journey of encouraging people to ‘stop dreaming and start travelling’ with Musafir.com,” added Gadoya.

    The 200 TABcabs will carry fans to and fro from designated junctions across the city to the Wankhede stadium from 7:00 am onwards with the drop time as 5:00 pm onwards. The junctions on the routes of the cabs are as follows:   

    This activity will also help to decongest roads and reduce traffic concerns that the city faces whenever an iconic match is played. Pooling will also help in reducing the pollution and parking issues that fans normally face.  

  • Musafir.com set to ‘ghoomao’ Indians along with Sachin

    Musafir.com set to ‘ghoomao’ Indians along with Sachin

    Mumbai: Sachin Tendulkar may be all set to hang his boots, but there’s no dearth of opportunities for him. Now, the master blaster is on-board with Musafir.com – a new travel portal that has just made an entry in the Indian market. The cricketer has a 7.5 per cent stake in the company.

    Founded in the UAE by Sachin Gadoya, Albert Dias and Mohammed Al Thani in August 2007, the site has roped in Sachin Tendulkar as its face. The portal chose the cricketer for the fact that he is a champion and a global citizen.

    We understand the travel market well, says Manu Monga

    “One doesn’t associate Sachin to a particular state or a region but to India. He is a global citizen and a champion and that’s what we want to establish here.” says Musafir’s marketing vice president & head Manu Monga empahsing that they have enough experience about the sector and despite of being new in India, they are not scared of the already established names in the market. “We understand the travel market well,” says Musafir’s marketing vice president & head Manu Monga empahsing that they have enough experience about the sector.

    The UAE based travel portal launched in the country recently wants to be seen on the top of the hospitality sector. Universal Travels, which is the parent company of the portal, has been around for a long time in the middle-East and believes that the travel industry has boomed in India in the last seven years. “We don’t think any market can mature in such a short period of time and there is more than enough space for growth,” says Monga.

    The USP of the portal will be its ability to help people plan their holidays. It wants to be known for complete travel solutions provided to the Indian travellers with exceptional customer service and several product innovations.

    The site has already allotted its various duties – Publicis will handle creative duties, while Maxus will be in charge of the media planning and buying.

    The company has spent around Rs 20-25 crore during its launch period. In the first leg of their promotion, Musafir.com has branded all the charging points at all major airports in the country. Apart from this, Tendulkar will be seen showing the travellers “a new way to go ghoomne” wherein Musafir.com is a new enabler encouraging “people to stop dreaming and start travelling”.

    It plans to have a 360 degree marketing campaign that includes radio, television and outdoor media and will soon be launching a second phase of marketing campaign with festival and holiday season approaching.

    The company plans to invest Rs 100 crore in the first year of its launch. By 2018, it aspires to be among the top five OTAs (Online Travel Agent) in India leveraging on its strong investment capability and expertise in the travel sector.

  • Publicis Ambience to handle Musafir.com’s creative duties

    MUMBAI: Publicis Ambience has won the creative mandate of UAE’s travel website Musafir.com following a multi-agency pitch.

    The account will be handled out of the agency’s Mumbai office.

    Publicis Ambience executive vice-president Paritosh Srivastava said, “We will start working on the account in the first quarter of 2013. We will be launching an integrated campaign for the client.”