ITV

Tag: Ravi Santhanam

  • JioCinema welcomes record 18 sponsors for TATA IPL 2024

    JioCinema welcomes record 18 sponsors for TATA IPL 2024

    Mumbai: JioCinema, the official digital streaming partner of TATA IPL 2024, has reported a record number of 18 sponsors and over 250 advertisers for the upcoming season. Notably, this season has not only witnessed advertiser interest for TATA IPL from conventional, digitally-inclined categories like automobiles, mobile handsets, banking, online broking & trading, credit card payment, and construction but also categories that typically invest in traditional mediums such as FMCG, evidencing shift in advertising dynamics in India. Last year, JioCinema booked a record digital ad revenue compared to that of any other live-streamed event previously.  

    JioCinema’s list of digital streaming sponsors for the 2024 TATA IPL season includes Dream11 as a co-presenting sponsor, while Tata Motors, PayZapp by HDFC Bank, SBI, Cred, AMFI, Upstox, Charged by Thums Up, Britannia, Pepsi, Parle products, Google Pixel, Haier, Jindal Steel, Vodafone, Dalmia Cements, Kamla Pasand and Rapido have joined hands as associate sponsors. Additionally, JioCinema is in advanced discussions with multiple other brands and more are expected to join before the first ball is bowled this TATA IPL beginning on 22 March.

    With the online fantasy gaming category leading the charge yet again this season, Dream11, MyTeam11, and My11Circle have put their faith in the power of live sport on digital streaming yet again to engage with the sports fans. In a striking shift, brands from the FMCG sector like Britannia, Parle products, Mars chocolates, Tata Consumer Products, and Havmor Ice Cream – typically known for their reliance on traditional channels, have enthusiastically embraced the digital wave as advertisers.

    Other major brands from the automobile category such as Maruti, Apollo Tyres, Ashok Leyland, and JK tyres are also driving in with JioCinema to maximize mileage on their advertising spend. In the competitive arenas of banking, payments, online trading, and credit card payments, brands like PayZapp by HDFC Bank, SBI, Cred, AMFI, ICICI Mutual Fund, and LIC are strategically placing their investments with JioCinema, leveraging the platform to connect with audiences in real-time.

    This year also marks the resurgence of the premium mobile handset category with upmarket brands like Google Pixel, Apple, Motorola, and Vivo, all poised to dial up their marketing endeavours to unprecedented heights. In the beverage category, the platform has witnessed increased spend this year with Coca-Cola taking the energy drinks category and PepsiCo locking out the cola category.

    The sharp increase in interest for advertising on digital not only stems from increased efforts by JioCinema to remove major barriers to advertising, but also its world-class presentation of the marquee T20 league through a 12-language presentation, including Haryanvi joining the line-up this year. Apart from this, JioCinema will continue offering the league for free to viewers, thus creating a mouth-watering proposition for advertisers to access the length and breadth of the country, especially smaller towns which are now adopting digital as a primary viewing medium.  

    “While last year showed us digital came of age, this season of the TATA IPL is telling us a story that digital is going to be everyone’s primary choice, be it for viewing or advertising. It is beyond doubt that India now prefers watching the TATA IPL on their mobile devices and Connected TV’s and advertisers have skewed their spends towards where the consumers are,” said a Viacom18 spokesperson. “The aggressive innovation that we are bringing to the TATA IPL viewing experience, coupled with the efforts we have invested in removing barriers to advertising on digital and democratising it, promises digital ad spending to only head on an upwards trajectory from here every season.”

    Speaking on the association with JioCinema, Parle Products VP Mayank Shah said, “TATA IPL on JioCinema is a fabulous opportunity for brands like ours to drive unprecedented awareness in India. With a significant shift that’s happening towards digital consumption, and Cricket consistently staying the most engaging content in the country, this partnership will help us take our brands to consumers when they’re most receptive to our message. Our strategy is to delight viewers with our creatives and embed the habit of celebrating their favourite sport with our offerings.”

    Commenting on coming on board with JioCinema, HDFC Bank group head, CMO, head-direct to consumer business Ravi Santhanam said, “HDFC Bank is planning to launch an integrated campaign for its digital payments app, PayZapp in the upcoming IPL season. Cricket is a religion in India with extremely high levels of engagement with customers and JioCinema has played a key role in enhancing the reach of TATA IPL through its platform. PayZapp in its new avatar is a very strong offering in the payments space providing consumers the choice to pay in the way they want, in the place they want, with the type of payment they want and it is backed by the trust & reputation of HDFC Bank. JioCinema offers its viewers multiple choices in the way they want to watch the IPL, be it camera angles, languages, or more and hence we feel it is an ideal match to deliver our brand promise. It does offer huge reach across handheld, web and Connected TV which along with our presence on traditional channels will ensure that we reach the consumers across multiple touchpoints in their TATA IPL followership. Together with JioCinema, we intend to deliver an innovative campaign that not only resonates with fans but also establishes PayZapp by HDFC Bank as the best payments offering in the market.”

    Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Ltd COO Sameer Nagpal added, “We are thrilled to partner with JioCinema as an associate sponsor for the TATA IPL 2024. The TATA IPL is a national phenomenon, uniting millions through their love for the game. This massive platform provides us with a unique opportunity to educate crores of aspiring home owners in India, about the importance of RCF (i.e. roof, column, & foundation) in ensuring that their dream house lasts for generations to come.”

    Sharing thoughts about their partnership with JioCinema, Haier Appliances India president N S Satish said, “We are delighted to return as an associate Sponsor with JioCinema for the TATA IPL in 2024.  The tournament’s unmatched viewership and energetic atmosphere provide an ideal platform to connect with cricket fans across India. We are excited to come back for the second year of our partnership, to tap the power of TATA IPL on Connected TV, a rapidly growing viewing platform. This targeted approach allows us to create a truly engaging brand experience for the fans and further strengthens our commitment to innovation in the Indian market.”

    “As the excitement of TATA IPL electrifies the nation, Britannia is proud to be a part of this exhilarating journey. Our partnership celebrates the shared passion for excellence and enjoyment of all sports lovers,” said Britannia CMO Amit Doshi. “Through this collaboration, we are excited to showcase our latest campaigns, like ‘Hungry For Gold’, reaching audiences far and wide on JioCinema.”

    TATA IPL 2024 will commence on JioCinema with the southern derby as MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings face off with Royal Challengers Bengaluru on 22 March 2024. Viewers will be able to catch the latest season for free in 4K across 12 languages introducing Haryanvi for the first time, multi-cam options including the much-hyped Hero Cam, and many more fan-engagement features including Jeeto Dhan Dhana Dhan.

  • JioCinema introduces brands for JioCinema brand spotlight at TATA IPL 2024 Opener

    JioCinema introduces brands for JioCinema brand spotlight at TATA IPL 2024 Opener

    Mumbai: JioCinema, the official streaming platform for the TATA IPL 2024, has announced the first-ever set of brands that will feature on its newly launched advertiser innovation, JioCinema Brand Spotlight. Charged by Thums Up, Parle, Britannia, Dalmia Cements, and PayZapp by HDFC Bank will debut their respective campaigns for the TATA IPL 2024 during the first five overs of the opening game between MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore, on March 22. As the nation aggregates to catch the start of the opening season of the TATA IPL, the five brands will be a part of this golden moment by showcasing exclusive spots of their campaign within the first five overs of the match on the opening day.

    In addition to having a priority spot to launch their engaging TATA IPL opening day blitz, JioCinema Brand Spotlight will facilitate a first-of-its-kind marketer’s moment for the five brands with the campaign makers and the brand custodians sharing exclusive insights and stories about how the campaign and brand film showcased on JioCinema Brand spotlight was conceived and built. These campaign stories will be available to viewers on an exclusive JioCinema brand spotlight rail on the JioCinema App.

    Brand Spotlight is one among a slew of innovations for advertisers around the upcoming TATA IPL season. The packages and offerings have been specifically designed to help advertisers across the board, no matter what the objective, category, and scale of business. Each proposition from JioCinema has been carefully curated to enhance the brand’s proposition and increase the potential of scale and targeting possibilities they can extract digitally.

    “The mood around the opening day of the TATA IPL has evolved over the years to become a moment where fans don’t just anticipate thrilling match action but also eagerly look forward to brands putting their best creative foot forward,” said Viacom18 Sports head of revenue, Anup Govindan. “With digital, it is possible to harness this euphoria into an actionable moment for advertisers and that is where Brand Spotlight comes to the fore. We are delighted to have Charged by Thums-Up, Parle Products, Britannia, Dalmia Cements, and PayZapp by HDFC Bank on board with us. The first five overs of the TATA IPL 2024 are going to be historical with the spotlight on these brands, and we believe Brand Spotlight is going to be an anchor offering in the coming years.”

    Speaking about partnering with JioCinema, HDFC Bank group head, chief marketing officer and head direct to direct-to-consumer business Ravi Santhanam said, “Our PayZapp campaign for the TATA IPL is built on the idea that customers can pay anyone, anyhow, anywhere and we felt this proposition synchronises almost perfectly with JioCinema’s vision for digital, which is to make digital omnipresent. Introducing this communication right at the beginning of the season under Brand Spotlight is going to help us give it the platform it deserves by taking it far and wide in the country.”

    Speaking about partnering with JioCinema, chief marketing officer, Britannia Amit Doshi said, “With Hungry For Gold, we aspire to instil pride in every Indian and inspire a nation hungry for victory in all areas. By partnering with six remarkable athletes and integrating an engaging gaming promotion, we are not only showcasing their incredible journeys but also fostering a deeper appreciation for various sports. We are excited to partner with JioCinema for Brand Spotlight to make this message reach millions.”

    On being part of the Brand Spotlight stable, Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Ltd COO Sameer Nagpal said, “We have tried to make our communication highly distinctive from the norms of the cement category. We have a differentiated consumer proposition and have presented it in a unique style using engaging visuals and music, along with one of the most unique stars of this generation, Ranveer Singh. We truly feel that JioCinema’s Brand Spotlight will do justice to our creative efforts by giving our campaign the kind of reach and scale that only TATA IPL on JioCinema can.”

    Commenting on being a part of Brand Spotlight, Parle Products VP Mayank Shah said, “The objective behind our TATA IPL 2024 campaign is to further our cause started in 2017-18 of positioning ‘Parle’ from ‘House of Brands’ to a ‘Branded House’ while building an emotional connect with consumers. Our TVC is packaged to deliver the message with classic elements of wit and humour but underscores the core thought of positioning Parle as a top corporate brand. We took that finished product to JioCinema’s Brand Spotlight, as in addition to giving us unprecedented reach and customization options, the Brand Spotlight rail on the app is a great platform to take viewers behind the scenes to talk them through this campaign in a never-been-done-before manner.”

    Fans will be able to catch the latest season of the TATA IPL for free in 4K across 12 languages introducing Haryanvi for the first time, multi-cam options including the much-hyped Hero Cam, and many more fan-engagement features including Jeeto Dhan Dhana Dhan.

     

  • HDFC Bank and FCB Kinnect scam to save

    HDFC Bank and FCB Kinnect scam to save

    Mumbai: If something seems too good to be true, it probably isn’t. To highlight this and remind people of the harsh reality of the growing online frauds, HDFC Bank, together with FCB Kinnect decided to ‘scam to save’ with their new campaign EOSS: End of Scam Sale!

    To warn people, who are likely to get swayed by the number of discounts and end-of-season sales they come across, HDFC Bank’s anti-fraud influencer Vigil Aunty upped her game, by morphing herself into the Bollywood actress, Nora Fatehi. With the increasing number of deepfakes shocking the world, they decided to take the audience for a ride.

    Knowing that a lot of people would fall prey to this, Vigil Aunty posed using Nora Fatehi’s

    deepfakes, for a glamorous, but ‘unheard’ fashion brand called ‘Lulumelon’.

    Fatehi’s pictures and videos were plastered around the brand’s Instagram page, showcasing

    unbelievable discounts that had everyone talking about the brand’s EOSS.

    However, when an excited but ignorant user ended up on the brand’s landing page, they got

    a reality check. They were SCAMMED. Sorry, SAVED from being scammed!

    HDFC Bank created a fake brand from scratch and had audiences believe its legitimacy by creating an Instagram page and choosing the brand’s name, making it sound like ‘Lululemon’ – a genuine apparel brand which made it hard for users to spot the difference between the two. They also ran ads targeting people and used AI and Machine Learning to morph Nora’s face on Vigil Aunty.

    What’s special about this campaign is the fact that a reputed brand like HDFC Bank risked its regard temporarily, all to safeguard people from falling prey to scamsters by letting them live through their worst nightmare for a few moments.

    Not forgetting our AI partner, Gan.ai who helped us bring the real Nora to life in the form of Vigil Aunty.

    Acknowledging that scamsters always try to be one step ahead of a smart consumer, HDFC Bank together with FCB Kinnect did scam people, but only to save them!

    The campaign went live on 20 January, starting with the offers on the fictitious brand Lulumelon’s Instagram page. Nora Fatehi revealed the idea behind the campaign in the reveal video which she put up on her Instagram page on January 23.

    FCB Kinnect national creative director Kartikeya Tiwari said, “Discounts are a big part of the Indian psychology, which makes it so easy for AI to give an illusion of something genuine just by throwing a couple of mind-blowing offers around. This coupled with optimism bias, which is the perception that nothing wrong could happen to oneself was what led us to create a convincing fake brand called ‘Lulumelon’ and we hope that it bursts people’s bubble of invincibility. We had a lot of fun getting our creative and media teams to think like that of a scamster.”

    HDFC Bank senior vice president and head of digital acquisition, website, social media and content marketing Jahid Ahmed added, “Many people fall victim to scams because of a false sense of security, believing it could never happen to them. We used deepfakes since they have been rampant in our society of late, with celebrities like Rashmika Mandanna, Sachin Tendulkar, and Alia Bhatt, among others also falling victim to it. Yet, people are still missing the extent to which they can cause real harm to us. Knowing how fraudsters use End of Season Sales as a window to lure shoppers with deals that are too good to be true, we defrauded people, to raise awareness and educate them about real fraud. However, we kept in mind that this must be done responsibly and ethically. To give this initiative a real and impactful meaning, we went a step further by investing time and resources in creating authentic deepfakes using advanced machinery. This allowed us to simulate realistic scenarios and demonstrate the potential risks associated with falling for deceptive practices, ensuring that all red flags can be seen and understood by the public.”

    HDFC Bank group head, CMO, head-direct to consumer business Ravi Santhanam said, “With ‘people’ at the core of our values, we believe in taking initiatives that educate and equip people for their safety. We have gone to great lengths with Vigil Aunty to spread awareness about financial fraud entertainingly, and with ‘End of Scam Sale’, we wanted to challenge people’s optimism bias and show them how susceptible they are to fraud.”

    Our efforts in creating awareness against online fraud were also acknowledged and appreciated by the government.

    Speaking about the campaign, Mayank Jain, scientist-e/director to Govt. of India, digital economy division, Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY), said, “I am happy to see this initiative of HDFC Bank. In my opinion, this will help in disseminating the awareness of public awareness about Deepfakes, and rising negative use cases of AI (Artificial Intelligence) apart from curbing the Cyber Financial frauds.”

    Government of India, I.T.S, assistant director General (AI & DIU), Artificial Intelligence & Digital Intelligence Unit, Department of Telecommunications, Ministry of Communications, Naveen Jakhar added, “I have seen the video and information conveyed through the conversation of Nora Fatehi and Vigil Aunty is so meaningful to the citizens wherein they can easily correlate it to the new age crimes like deep fake, fake videos, fake audios which might be misused in carrying out cyber-crimes and financial frauds also. Sincerely appreciate the efforts of HDFC Bank in thinking out of the box to keep the citizens informed and aware of the subject matter.”

  • HDFC Bank launches star-studded PayZapp campaign

    HDFC Bank launches star-studded PayZapp campaign

    Mumbai: HDFC Bank announced the launch of a PayZapp campaign. The campaign features actors Tiger Shroff, Prabhu Deva and Kapil Sharma utilising their immense popularity for a wide consumer connection.

    The tongue-in-cheek campaign, conceptualised by Wondrlab India, a martech network, includes three films featuring the three actors wherein each showcases a range of payment choices that PayZapp offers. The campaign came from the insight that some people live their whole lives without having choices, but now they do not have to, at least when it comes to payments.

    HDFC Bank group head, chief marketing officer and head direct to consumer business Ravi Santhanam said, “With PayZapp, we have revamped the payment experience for all consumers extensively, making the journey smoother and easier – be it via UPI, cards or PayZapp wallet. It is not just a payment app; it is a lifestyle enabler. We want to reach every part of the country aiming to be the preferred choice of payment app for consumers. The three films on PayZapp have beautifully captured the essence of our brand message.”

    Wondrlab India the CCO and co-founder Amit Akali said, “We took a contrarian approach while conceptualising the campaign. We explored how we can drive the point of unlimited choices by showing the viewers what happens when they don’t have a choice in life. That is why, we cast the celebrities most known for something, tired of only being seen in those specific roles and wishing for more choices.”

  • HDFC Bank, Firstpost give unique twist to Raksha Bandhan

    HDFC Bank, Firstpost give unique twist to Raksha Bandhan

    MUMBAI: HDFC Bank has associated with digital newsroom Firstpost, to make this Rakshabandhan an agent of social change with its #RakshaMatlabRokNahi campaign.

    The ad campaign shares a unique take on the cherished Raksha Bandhan ritual. It signifies that the much loved and celebrated sibling festival is not only limited to protecting one’s sister but should also expand to protecting the dreams and aspirations of every woman.  

    Women’s emancipation is a continuous process of unlearning and rethinking the decisions we are traditionally used to making. To manifest our thoughts into action we just need that small but important nudge to make a difference. This was the key insight which leads to the concept.

    In the touching video created by Firstpost Studio, a brother informs his sister that his wife won’t be taking up an excellent career opportunity as it involves travel and wouldn’t be safe. To which the sister patiently explains that protection does not mean setting limits. The stirring message hits the audience when she asks her brother for her Rakhi gift – to protect not only his sister but the dreams and aspirations of every woman he meets.

    HDFC Bank CMO Ravi Santhanam says, “We have noticed women get more financially independent than they were and make decisions about their own money. That being said, there still exist social norms which keep some women from being decision makers. We wanted to address this in our video. The #RakshaMatlabRokNahi campaign creatively reinforces HDFC Bank’s core messaging encapsulated in our tag-line – ‘We Understand Your World.’ We are delighted to have found the right partners in Firstpost, who in turn delivered on our expectations for the campaign.”

    Network18 Digital business head for English general news cluster Azim Lalani adds, “We are glad to have associated with HDFC Bank to bring an offering that resonates with the audience and effectively drives the message of the brand. Our platform consistently strives to deliver progressive content that deeply connects with the audience, and the team has made a sincere effort to bring that forward with the #RakshaMatlabRokNahi campaign.”

  • FIRSTPOST nails it yet again with a contextual video on Mother’s day, created with HDFC Bank

    FIRSTPOST nails it yet again with a contextual video on Mother’s day, created with HDFC Bank

    MUMBAI: On Mother’s day, HDFC Bank and Firstpost collaborated to release a video that has since then clocked millions of views on our social media channels and has recorded high engagement numbers. The video captured the nuance of how millennials celebrate the occasion with their mothers on a single day, and tend to forget them through the rest of the year. The relatable content combined with the heartfelt message broke through the clutter, while promoting HDFC Bank’s PayZapp and banking app.

    The video was conceptualized tailored to fit the requirements for HDFC Bank. Keeping it simple, the video had in its essence a heartfelt message that was bound to tug at the heartstrings of the viewers. The content highlighted that with offerings such as HDFC Bank’s digital wallet and banking app with intuitive features, it’s never too late for parents to adopt new technology. The youth can do a role reversal and educate their parents about the changing digital eco-system. The information will empower the elders and seniors in the family and allow them to enjoy their dreams independently right at their fingertips. 

    The video has been widely accepted/appreciated garnering over 3 million views across social media platforms. In addition to that, the video recorded a reach of over 10 million, with more than 3 lakh engagement across platforms. 

    Speaking about the collaboration, HDFC Bank – CMO, Ravi Santhanam said, “We are extremely delighted with the way the utility of HDFC Bank’s PayZapp and banking app has been seamlessly integrated into the story-line. Our engagement with Firstpost to create compelling stories has been very good.”

    Commenting on the success of the video, Azim Lalani, Business Head, Firstpost said, “Firstpost has firmly set its sights on delivering high-quality content and value to its audience through innovative formats.  Firstpost Studios along with bringing compelling content to the fore, magnifies the synergy between the brand/client onboard and the audience to highlight the brand message.”

    Firstpost Studios constantly strives to innovate and has plans to launch multiple small and large scale content initiatives in the coming months. With Firstpost’s wide reach, compelling content and a robust distribution strategy it’s not wrong to say they have nailed it yet again.