Numero Uno Jeanswear rolls out new TVC

Numero Uno the denim brand launched its new TV commercial for its trendy collection of denims, t-shirts, jackets, and shoes. The campaign themed as Blue is Blue features the vibrant mix of energetic youth, groovy music styled with a magical concept of visual ecstasy.

Commenting on the campaign, Narinder Singh, Chairman and MD, Numero Uno, said “Our new campaign has been built on the insight of energetic and confident youth of today. The campaign is created around the style, energy, music and dance to connect the target audience with brand’s core objective of offering the stylish and coolest collection this summer. The peppy music, performance by the young artist and visual conceptualization trigger an intense urge in audience to feel stylish and energetic. The campaign highlights that be what you are and do not hesitate to flaunt the best version of you.”

Conceptualised by Hakuhodo Percept, the campaign is all about the antsy youth of today who love to max up every moment. It highlights their attribute of never shying from flaunting what they have and believing in the power of togetherness and ruling the world. The look and feel of the communication is in harmony with the brand image of being chic, international, fun and high on fashion quotient.

Speaking about the creative thought behind the campaign, Shobhit Mathur, Executive Creative Director, Hakuhodo India said, “Denim is the fabric of the youth and that is what we wanted to capture through our communication. Today, the youth have many choices in colours, brands and new trends but they always come back to the basics. Needless to say that Numero Uno is denim and denim is Numero Uno. Keeping this in mind, we have created our campaign that includes TVC, digital and social media content, retail activities, on-site activation and more. We want more and more young at hearts to indulge in experiencing the brand and start a conversation with it.”

The TVC showcases the entire range of Numero Uno’s ‘Spring Summer collection’ including jeans, t-shirts, jackets, shoes etc. The groovy music catches the nerves thus create a strong connection between brand and the concept of the campaign.  The campaign will unfold with a power-packed 360-degree outreach and engagement plan across media vehicles. The brand will have a significant presence across digital, retail, and TV.

Credits

Executive Creative Director: Shobhit Mathur

Client Servicing Director: Atul

Production House: 1st December Films

Music Ashu

Source: IndianMediaBook - Media

Godrej Hit initiates #SurvivalOfTheHittest campaign

On the occasion of World Malaria Day, Godrej Hit rolled out social media campaign #SurvivalOfTheHittest, with an objective to sensitize people about the life threatening dangers of mosquitoes and establish that Kala Hit is the ultimate solution for killing mosquitoes.

Ajay Dang, Head Marketing – Home Care, Godrej Consumer Products Limited informed that as per WHO, even today 95 per cent of Indian population resides in Malaria endemic areas. Kala HIT being a thought leader in the Household Insecticide category has taken the responsibility to sensitize people at large about the threat of Malaria.

“Kala Hit has been actively spreading awareness about malaria for past few years and on this World Malaria Day, the brand took the creative route of bringing alive 3 powerful historical characters who died of Malaria, to deliver the message that Malaria does not discriminate, so don’t take mosquitoes lightly,” added Dang.

The theme

There is so much written and said of the great deeds and acts of famous personalities like Alexander the Great, Vasco-Da-Gama and Genghis Khan, including the great wars they fought and the dynasties they built in numerous countries. But if one were to question on how these leaders passed away, there is very little written on that. The truth is that these great personalities did not die fighting a war or defending their territory, rather they fell victim to a highly ignored but deadly disease – Malaria, spread by mosquito bite.

To apprise the users of this hidden and unusual fact, LinTeractive, the digital division of MullenLowe Lintas Group executed a campaign for Godrej Hit on social platforms.

Speaking about the campaign Dang said, “The campaign was designed to maximize reach and drive engagement through clutter breaking content on digital and radio media. Kala Hit supports the vision of WHO of eliminating Malaria by 2030 by driving consumer awareness and providing potent solutions that kills even hidden mosquitoes.”

#SurvivalOfTheHittest

It began with an activity where fictional conversations between the said characters were floated online. Each character was bragging about his achievements while the others were making fun of him in an attempt to get an upper hand.

Owing to their novelty and humour, the conversations were immediately picked up on social media. People started tweeting, sharing and reacting to these. Within the first hour of the release, the content went viral and the campaign hashtag #SurvivalOfTheHittest started trending.

Commenting on the campaign, Sumanta Ganguly, Executive Vice President, LinTeractive said, “Engagement on and offline in the correct context of the brand has always been important for us. For Godrej HIT, we have managed to deliver relevant brand engagement, be it through campaigns or asset strategy in Track The Bite mobile app. An APAC Effie in 2016 on the brand is testimony to our model.”

The response

The whole activity concluded with the brand urging everyone to end the mosquito menace with Kala Hit with the message, Machachar ko halke me loge toh bhari padega.

Commenting on the creative thought process for the campaign, Parag Shahane, Unit Creative Head, LinTeractive said: “This is a great example of how small and creative engagement creates a great buzz around the brand. We delivered the campaign message in a humorous way. We brought these famous historical characters alive to make a point, do not take malaria mosquitoes lightly.”

The campaign delivered on its intended reach KPIs in a short time of 4 hours. The campaign managed to connect with users around the idea of ‘malaria doesn’t discriminate’ and especially on twitter, where 600+ unique contributors created over 3000 unique creative pieces of content. On Facebook, over 11K plus reactions demonstrated that, if given the correct context – the audience will always freely engage on brand led initiatives.

Skybags launches second season of The Skybags Canvas Project

After the success of its 1st Season, Skybags from the house of luggage company V.I.P Industries, is back with Season 2 of The Skybags Canvas Project. The campaign is a one-of-a-kind outreach, which offers creative minds a chance to create designs for a new collection of bags from Skybags.

Commenting on the launch, Sudip Ghose, Vice President, V.I.P Industries, says, “The first season of this campaign was extremely well received by the young, enthusiastic Skybags fans helping us source thousands of design submissions and in season 2 we are hoping to double the figures. As a brand we are always looking at ways to innovate and to offer something unique which truly resonates with our audience. The Canvas Project offers a great proposition not just for the audience to engage with the brand but also for the brand to understand the mindset of the consumers and to offer a quality product.”

The campaign kicks off on 29 April 2016 and will allow contestants to upload their fresh and appealing designs and generate maximum likes from their friends and followers on social media until 31 May 2016.

Varun Dhawan, the brand ambassador, Skybags and Vasant Dewaji, VP – Design and Development, V.I.P Industries will personally review all the entries and select the best design. The winner’s design will feature on Skybags’ next bag collection and also be awarded a high-performance laptop and the runner-up will win a sensational hover board. Contestants are also in for a great ride as Skybags will give away a new backpack daily to the finest design entry of the day.

Source: IndianMediaBook - Media

Telecom panel favours TRAI decision on spectrum base price

The Telecom Commission on Saturday decided to go ahead with the sector regulator’s recommendations base price for all spectrum, including 700 MHz band airwave, in the upcoming auction, according to an official source.

Going by the base price recommended by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), and the quantum that will be auctioned, the mop-up expected to be some Rs.560,000 crore, or a whopping $83 billion, payable over the tenure of the contract.

In the Delhi circle, TRAI has recommended Rs.1,595 crore for 700 MHz band, Rs.848 crore for 800 MHz, Rs.673 crore for 900 MHz, Rs.399 crore for 1,800 MHz, Rs.554 crore for 2,100 MHz, and Rs.143 crore for 2,300 MHz and 2,500 MHz.

The inter-ministerial panel has favoured that telecom companies who will win spectrum in higher frequency bands should make 50 percent upfront payment and rest over 10 years after a two-year moratorium.

Earlier, companies had option to make 33 percent upfront payment.

Source: IndianMediaBook - Media

Elephant Design completes 27years

The strategic design and brand consultancy firm Elephant Design successfully completed 27 years.The venture has consistently delivered ideas and solutions that come alive as winners in the emerging markets.

Sharing her thoughts on social media Ashwini Despande, Co-Founder, Elephant Design said, “It all began 27 years ago when there was nothing except design education and loads of enterprise. Each moment and each person who came in contact with this spirit of enterprise made it count. Thank you all.”

In past 27 years, Elephant Design has created effective brand and product experiences for leading Indian companies such as Axis bank, Britannia, Nirlep, Piramal Healthcare, Suzlon, Symphony, Titan Eye+ etc.

Source: IndianMediaBook - Media

Radio City to teach spoken English to Street Kids with Cycle Candy

Radio reaches more than 99 per cent of India where approximately 30 million children live in slums. Radio City partnered with cycle candy vendors to create pop-up English schools across Dharavi and like slum areas. Candy vendors on bicycles who visit slum dwellings daily have been provided FM receivers and megaphones and have been incentivised to park their cycles in specific localities every week at a certain time.

During these time bands, Radio City is airing specially designed lessons on spoken English. Candy being a natural draw for the kids, all the vendors have to do is tune in to Radio City on their FM receivers at the designated time slot, play the on-air English lesson and hand out free candy to every kid who sits through it.

Speaking about the initiative, Abraham Thomas, CEO, Radio City said, “Candy Class is an ambitious project and we have rolled out the first phase. Dharavi, as one of Mumbai’s largest slums, seemed to be the right place to start our efforts to give back to Mumbai in a special way under the ambit of Rag Rag Mein Daude City. Using the power and reach of radio to make a difference to the lives of these children might help them gather a lifeskill that they might not otherwise have been fortunate enough to get”.

Initiated in the slums of Mumbai, the network looks to scale the program up to 10 cities to begin with. In a country where the knowledge of English is an economic enabler, Radio City looks to use their reach to broadcast primary lessons in spoken English.

The idea for Candy Class was developed in partnership with Grey group India and looks to impact 3,000,000 children nationally. ACORN Foundation India, affiliated to ACORN International, is partnering on the activity in order to help build a sustainable model to popularise and scale up this project in Dharavi.

“What’s really interesting is the way this initiative brings together the power of radio with the cycle candy vendors for a common purpose. Candy Class is not elaborate, does not require huge infrastructure and investments, yet is incredible when you consider the economic and social implications of speaking the language in a country such as ours”, opined Sandipan Bhattacharya, Chief Creative Officer, Grey group India.

Radio City has launched a promotional campaign to stimulate this initiative and will follow up with on-ground promotions and special activities for children conducted in slum settlements by radio jockeys and other personnel.

Source: IndianMediaBook - Media

GolinOpinion wins the India PR mandate for Porsche and Lamborghini

GolinOpinion, formerly known as LinOpinion | GHwon two brands in the automobile sports and luxury sector – Porsche and Lamborghini. The agency was appointed after a multi-agency pitch and will work closely with the leadership team to provide decisive and dynamic strategy for both iconic brands.

Commenting on the appointment, Pavan Shetty, Director, Porsche India said, “A strong communication strategy is essential to achieving Porsche’s goals in India. GolinOpinion’s innovative ideas and dynamic approach resonates with our ideology and approach. We are confident that they are the right partner to build and communicate our vision.”

GolinOpinion India will lead a creative and integrated communications strategy to continue to assert Porsche as the leading sport luxury car brand and Lamborghini as the most aspired luxury car brand in India.

Speaking on the association, Sharad Agarwal, Head – Lamborghini India said, “Our choice for GolinOpinion is not only because of the fantastic credentials that it holds, but also the deep consumer insights and creative strategies that the team brings with it. Our communication in India will be in sync with our global strategy and we look forward to an infusion of their thinking for developing the next phase of the brand and all our communication seamlessly.”

In India, GolinOpinion works using a g4 model, which is one of the most innovative steps in the PR and communications industry today. This model has four integrated communities of experts that deliver the deepest insights, boldest ideas, broadest consumer engagement and real-time relevance for clients instead of the traditional PR servicing managers who are more generalist in their approach.

Commenting on the win, Ameer Ismail, Executive Director, GolinOpinion & dCell said, “We are delighted to have won this prestigious mandate. We believe that in the management, we have found a partner who understands and believes in the power of all-inclusive branding and strategy, and with whom we will achieve the path-breaking results that the brand aspires to. In this ever evolving industry, Porsche and Lamborghini are both prestigious brand legacies that believe in driving passion and taking every aspect of communication and brand value to the next level.”

Source: IndianMediaBook - Media

Ajay Mittal assumes charge as Secretary I&B

Ajay Mittal, IAS (Himachal Pradesh: 1982) assumed charge as Secretary in the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting on superannuation of Sunil Arora IAS on 30^th April 2016. Prior to his appointment, Mittal was Additional Chief Secretary, Government of Himachal Pradesh, Shimla.

During a career span of more than 33 years he has served in various capacities in his cadre state of Himachal Pradesh. He served as Additional Chief Secretary in various departments including Information & Public Relations, Finance, Vigilance, Coordination and Public Grievances to the Government of Himachal Pradesh, Shimla. He was also the Chairman of Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board.

Mittal is a Law and Economics graduate and has done Post-graduation in Rural Development. He is proficient in Hindi, English, Punjabi& Urdu.

Source: IndianMediaBook - Media

RAM Week 16: Fever FM leads in Delhi & Big FM in Mumbai

Delhi

Fever FM led the chart with 17.7 per cent of total market shares, followed by Radio Mirchi and Radio City with 12.2 and 11.6 per cent shares, respectively. Big FM stood at fourth position with 10.8 per cent of listenership pie, while Red FM occupied fifth spot with 9.6 per cent shares.

Fever FM bagged the top three spots in the list of top shows. Evening Drive with RJ Nitin stood at top, followed by Full on Punjabi with RJ Avinash and Dillike Do Dabang with RJ Manu Abhilash, respectively.

Mumbai

Big FM maintained its lead with 18.4 per cent of listenership pie, while Radio City remained at second position with 17.5 per cent shares. Fever FM occupied third spot with 14.9 per cent of total market shares followed by Radio Mirchi and Red FM with 14.4 and 11.3 per cent shares, respectively.

Big FM’s Suhana Safar with Anu Kapoor led the chart, while Radio City’s Kal Bhi Aaj Bhi with RJ Gaurav stood at second spot. Big FM’s Breakfast Show with RJ Siddharth occupied third position.

Kolkata

With 18.4 per cent of total market shares, Radio Mirchi topped the chart once again. Big FM stood strong at second spot with 15.6 per cent of listenership pie, followed by Fever FM and Oye FM with 15 and 10.7 per cent shares, respectively. Red FM occupied fifth position with 9.4 per cent of total market shares.

Radio Mirchi occupied top two positions on the list of top shows. KaaliKotha with RJ Jaganath stood strong at top spot, while Breakfast Show with RJ Mir stood at second spot. Big FM’s Khaas Adda with RJ Koushik occupied third position.

Bangalore

Radio City continued to lead with 23.5 per cent of listenership pie. Radio Mirchi stood at second spot with 18.8 per cent of total market shares, while Big FM occupied third position with 18.2 per cent shares.At fourth position was Fever FM with 14.8 per cent of listenership pie, followed by Red FM with 5.3 per cent shares.

Radio City’s City Muthu with RJ Rachna led the chart, followed by Big FM’s Big Coffee with RJ Shruti and Fever FM’s Fever Flashback with RJ Rubina, respectively.

Source: IndianMediaBook - Media

[Campaign Story] Let children decide what they want to pursue: Axis Mutual Fund

Aimed at creating awareness amongst parents on the need to plan for their children’s future, Axis Mutual Fund initiated unique campaign #DoYouHomeWork. The idea behind the campaign is to create awareness amongst parents about the need to plan investments in order to fulfil their children’s aspirations.

According to study by Axis Mutual Fund, today children have innumerable career options to choose from, which go beyond the conventional options. Not just that, today children have a strong point of view on what they want to pursue, unlike in the past when they were likely to follow their parents’ footsteps. Axis Mutual Fund therefore decided to highlight this fact that let children decide what they want to pursue in life while parents need to be prepared – emotionally as well as financially. So #DoYourHomework became the rallying cry.

Speaking about the campaign, Chandresh Kumar Nigam, MD & CEO, Axis Asset Management Company Ltd. said, “Children today are more aware about different careers, which at times go beyond the conventional choices. Children also have a strong point of view on what they want to do in life, unlike in the past when they were more likely to follow their parent’s footsteps. Our research showed that while parents are quite supportive of their children choosing their careers, more often than not, parents are not fully aware of what their children want to pursue in life. Many parents assume their children will either follow their footsteps or choose a conventional career option”.

Conceptualised by Metal Communications,with #DoYourHomework, Axis MF persuaded parents to do their homework – take the first step in terms of finding out if they are on the same page as their children when it comes to their children’s future and further finding out the costs and how they can plan their finances to meet their children’s aspirations.

Commenting on the campaign, Ambarish Ray, Metal Communications, Director & COO, said, “Gone are the days when you were either a doctor/engineer/CA/lawyer or a complete wastrel. Today, and increasingly more so as we live to see another day, a mind boggling portfolio of careers are possible for kids. If you asked about a sous chef or a deep sea diver in the family a few years back, you would have drawn a blank. Today, our campaign is based on this reality. Parents need to be not just aware of this but also be financially prepared for it. That is the backbone of the campaign and it has been brought out beautifully by the creative team at Metal, led by Gwendoline Pereira.”

The execution

This campaign was executed in two phases across 8 metros. While the Outdoor and Print campaigns ran for about 3 weeks, the digital leg will continue to run for at least a month and even beyond that.

The Experiment

Ray informed that an interesting experiment was initiated with a group of parents and their children. Children were asked to draw a picture of what they would like to become in future while parents were asked to paint what they would like their children to become in future. They were told not to interact with each other during the course of the activity.

A lot of interesting stories emerged from the experiment. At the end of the experiment, parents and children were asked to reveal their ideas. And to everyone’s surprise the pictures were contrasting. Children expressed their eagerness to pursue conventional as well as unconventional careers and their parents saw their children pursuing professions different than what their children articulated. While the video of this experiment was promoted online we also did various activations across India through crosswords and kidzania.

Are you on the same page

As the second leg was the outdoor and print campaign backed by a digital one where parents had been urged to do their homework by finding out if they are on the same page as their children about their future.

Marketing strategy

According to Ray, starting point was to change the conversation. With compelling communication in place, it was important to also prod parents to find out current and future education costs and subsequently plan their investments.

To enable all of the above, Axis Mutual Fund put together a couple of interesting calculators such as current and future education costs across various disciplines and countries and SIP calculator which gives an idea of how much one needs to invest in order to meet the future costs. This three-step process was used by financial advisors as well to talk to prospects.

The reception

Ray informed that apart from persuading parents to start their investment planning early for their children’s future, there also was a subtle social message in the campaign that of telling parents that let the children decide what they want to do in future.

“As far as the core objective is concerned, we wanted parents to be aware of the fact that education costs are rising and that the future costs will be even high. Therefore driving home the importance of planning investments at an early stage”, added Ray.

He further mentioned that the campaign thought will indeed help in carrying forward the goals planning thought that Axis Mutual Fund has propagated. Add to the fact that the brand is talking the language of the consumer vs using jargons and industry terms; it will augur well for the brand in terms of saliency and brand recall.

“Our future plan is to continue our efforts to educate investors on planning for various life goals and importance of investing in mutual funds,” concluded Ray.

Source: IndianMediaBook - Media

Leo Burnett announces the departure of Rajeev Sharma

After spending more than 23 years at the agency, Rajeev Sharma, National Planning Director, Leo Burnett, has decided to move on to explore newer avenues. He joined Leo Burnett in 1994 as Vice President based out of the agency’s Delhi office and after three years in the role he moved to Mumbai to lead Planning as National Planning Director.

Sharing his thoughts, Saurabh Varma, CEO – South Asia, Leo Burnett, said, “Rajeev set up Leo Burnett’s planning function from scratch and since then has led a robust team that has grown many brands in complex market scenarios, in the process winning many awards. Under his leadership, we produced some of the most iconic and culturally rooted campaigns by approaching consumers through a human lens. I thank Rajeev wholeheartedly and wish him the very best for his future endeavours.”

For 23 years, Sharma spearheaded strategy for many brands and partnered them in their success for years together. Some of the brands he has worked on include McDonald’s, Godrej Consumer Products, Bajaj Auto, Heinz, Complan, Glucon D, Thums Up, Maaza, Minute Maid, Limca, Reebok, Ariel, Ezee, Cinthol, Bajaj Electricals, HDFC Life, HDFC Bank, Anchor, Sony Entertainment Television, Tata Capital, Dabur, Pillsbury, Iodex, etc.

“After 23 years, it is time for me to bid a fond farewell to a fabulous organisation, amazing colleagues and equally amazing clients. I am proud of what the agency stands for, for what it has achieved and what it is in the process of becoming. The momentum we have gained recently will give us the scale and the capability to play a big role in the transformation the industry is going through. As I prepare for the next chapter of my life, I shall watch with great satisfaction, the success Leo Burnett is sure to notch up in the future,” expressed Sharma.

Sharma has played a significant role in building Leo Burnett’s reputation as India’s most trusted integrated communications company that has a sharp focus on strategy. He is also instrumental in bringing Leo Burnett’s best global practices to India.

Source: IndianMediaBook - Media

FCB Ulka appoints Saad Khan VP- Strategic Planning

Saad Khan appointed as Vice President, Strategic Planning at FCB Ulka Advertising. Khan has co-founded Marketing Unplugged with SumanSrivastava, Vice Chairman, Strategic Planning, FCB Ulka Group.

Speaking on Khan’s appointment, Srivastava said, “Saad is one of the most creative planners that I have ever worked with. Many creative people have told me that they love working with Saad because he makes their job easy. To me that is the highest compliment that a planner can get. I have worked with Saad almost continuously for the last 10 years and it is great to have him as part of the strategic planning team at FCB Ulka.”

He has also worked with Leo Burnett, Lowe Lintas, Dentsu Marcomm and Euro RSCG (now Havas Worldwide).

“Excited to be back in the business of advertising after consulting. It is like coming back to the alma mater. There is a lot of energy and fervour at FCB Ulka which is infectious, and this agency culture driven by Rohit Ohri and Suman Srivastava, will propel me to do work which is distinctive and brave and will help client businesses stand out and grow,” expressed Khan.

Source: IndianMediaBook - Media

Tarun Nigam appointed as EVP at DDB Mudra Max Media

DDB Mudra Max Media announced the appointment of Tarun Nigam as Executive Vice President (EVP). He will be based in Gurgaon and report to SathyamurthyNamakkal, Executive Director, DDB Mudra Group and President, DDB MudraMax.

Commenting on Nigam’s appointment, Namakkal said, “Tarun comes with a well-rounded experience and he is very passionate. He will certainly bring in lots of fresh thinking and energy to our clients, people and other business associates.”

In a career spanning two decades, Nigam has also worked with UTV, GroupM, StarcomMediaVest and Vivaki Partnership Unit.He was previously CEO and co-founder of PM Media Solutions and COO of Graphisads.

“I am attracted to the integrated offering of DDB Mudra Group and hope to leverage the same for the benefit of all stakeholders,” expressed Nigam.

Source: IndianMediaBook - Media

Bloomberg forms new partnership with Quintillion Media in India

Bloomberg Media announced the formation of BloombergQuint, a new partnership in India with Quintillion Media, India’s digital news venture founded by serial entrepreneur Raghav Bahl. The partnership will cover broadcast, digital and live events across India, serving business and financial news to one of the fastest-growing economies in the world.

Speaking about the association, Justin B Smith, Chief Executive Officer, Bloomberg Media, said, “At Bloomberg, we’ve set out to build the leading multi-platform global business and financial media company. Currently, almost half of our digital traffic comes from outside the United States and this figure continues to grow. Partnering with Quintillion Media in India is a game-changer for the country’s digital and broadcast media industries and for Bloomberg Media globally as we take our investment to an exciting new phase. It was clear when we met with Raghav that we shared a common vision to create India’s premier digitally-led multi-platform business media company.”

In a new agreement that commenced 1^st April, BloombergQuint will harness the unrivalled global resources of Bloomberg with Quintillion Media’s deep market experience to create a revamped business news channel and digital destination for India’s growing business audience.

Commenting on the partnership, Raghav Bahl, Founder, Quintillion Media said, “The combination of Bloomberg Media with Quintillion Media is a powerful one. It will bring a completely new brand of journalism and media experience to India’s increasingly sophisticated business consumer. We will deliver content via technology in a digital-first model that will redefine this space.”

BloombergQuint plans to launch a new business channel, a localised website and live events business in 2016, focusing on high-quality, market-moving digital business news content for India’s business and financial professionals.

The company has hired former CNBC-TV18 CEO Anil Uniyal and former CNBC-TV18 Executive Editor Menaka Doshi to serve as BloombergQuint’s CEO and Managing Editor respectively. Harsha Subramaniam, the Bloomberg Executive Producer looking after Bloomberg TV India for the past five years, will oversee the partnership for Bloomberg across platforms.

Source: IndianMediaBook - Media

MIB forms committee for content regulation; Rajat Sharma & Piyush Pandey are the members

Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (MIB) in compliance with the Supreme Court directions dated 13^th May 2015 has constituted a three member committee to address the issues related to Content Regulation in Government Advertising.

The committee would be chaired by B.B. Tandon, Former Chief Election Commissioner of India and members of the committee includes Rajat Sharma, Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of India TV and President of the News Broadcasters Association and Piyush Pandey, Executive Chairman and Creative Director, South Asia, Ogilvy & Mather.

The three member committee was selected by a three member panel constituted by MIB after obtaining advice from Ministry of Law & Justice. The selection panel for constitution of the Committee was headed by Justice (Retd.) Chandramauli Kumar Prasad, Chairman, Press Council of India. The Terms of Reference of the Committee has been prepared by MIB in consultation with Ministry of Law and Justice which includes the structure, functions and powers, duties and responsibilities of the Committee.

Supreme Court had directed to constitute the Body for ironing out the creases that are bound to show from time to time in implementation of the judgement of Apex Court on Content Regulation of Government Advertising. As per the Terms of Reference, the Committee would, inter-alia, address complaints from the general public of violation on the implementation of the guidelines set out by Supreme Court.

The Committee would also take suo motu cognizance of any violation / deviation of the guidelines of Supreme Court and recommend corrective action to the Ministry /Department. The Committee may recommend suitable changes to the Supreme Court guidelines to deal with new circumstances and situations that may arise from time to time, without making major policy changes within the policy direction of Supreme Court.

The Committee shall not be bound by any legal rules of evidence and may follow such procedure that appears to it to be fair and proper for swift settlement of grievances. For all decisions of the Committee, the view of majority would prevail.

The tenure of the members would be initially for a period of two years which shall be extendable by one year at a time, but overall extension should not be more than two times. The Committee would be operational from Delhi and Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity would facilitate day to day functioning of the Committee.

Source: IndianMediaBook - Media

India is expected to see 839 additional radio channels in 227 new cities

In this age of technological disruptions, radio continues to hold its ground – at least for now. 2015 started well with healthy ad spends. The completion of the Stage I of the Phase III auctions, migration of existing operators from Phase II to Phase III and the announcement of the hike in the foreign direct investment (FDI) cap for FM radio brought much cheer to the industry. Companies spent approximately Rs. 10.56 billion to acquire 91 new stations and will spend Rs. 39.33 billion as they migrate their existing 243 stations to Phase III in 2015.

Stage I of Phase III rollout fortifies the government’s commitment to see FM radio proliferate to more than 85 per cent of India – reaching newer cities and audiences. On the completion of Phase III, FM Radio would reach smaller towns and cities providing quality entertainment to audiences and enable marketers to penetrate a larger part of the country.

India is expected to see 839 additional radio channels in 227 new cities, most of them being tier-II and tier-III cities. Despite some key contentious issues of high reserve prices for the auctions, high license fees, the 15 per cent limit on the total number of frequencies, etc., continue – the industry is resilient.

The radio industry is enjoying a steady CAGR (2011-2015) of 14.5 per cent and grew by an estimated 15.1 per cent in 2015 – to reach revenue of INR19.8 billion. Growth has been driven by both – volume enhancement in tier-II and tier-III cities and an overall increase in ad rates.

Radio players across the country have been able to hike ad rates04. For e.g. Big FM hiked the ad rates by 30-35 per cent, Red FM increased ad rates by 35 per cent. Apart from these stations, Radio One, My FM and Fever FM also hiked rates by 20 per cent.

The sluggish economy in 2013 and stringent market conditions had compelled companies to look at internal efficiencies – this had created a strong base for profitability. Real growth in 2015 is estimated to be higher, since 2014 included the impetus given to the industry by the general elections. The positive economic climate has also given a shot in the arm to the sector. Similar to last year, the radio industry continues to have robust growth and this without Phase III.

Radio’s share in the overall media and entertainment industry pie continues at approximately 4 per cent of the total advertisement market size.

As expected, e-commerce companies have emerged as big spenders in 2015 in radio04. Internet start-up companies have been aggressive in their communication with high emphasis on tactical promotions and on customising their offers for local and regional markets.

E-commerce brands with high expenditure seek uniqueness and contextualisation in communication and content differentiation to standout. Radio has the potential to provide this very effectively and efficiently.

Other sectors like automobile, retail, consumer durables, financial services etc. also continue to drive growth in this segment. Falling interest rates have supported promotional activity by real estate companies, although the sector continued to be challenged in 2015. In fact, many of the radio players we spoke to agree that e-commerce would continue to remain a major contributor to ad revenues in the coming years.

It is estimated that approximately 10 per cent of radio advertising comes from the government and political parties. Radio is now integral part of marketing plans and marketers are acknowledging this fact.

Source: IndianMediaBook - Media

Parle Mexitos rolls out new campaign Nacho

Parle Products’ recently rolled out a new campaign for its new nacho chips brand Mexitos. The idea behind the campaign is to create a strong communication in the nacho category.

Speaking about the campaign, B Krishna Rao, deputy marketing manager, Parle Products, said, “At Parle Products, we have proudly entered a new segment in snacks with Mexitos nacho chips. Taking this pride ahead, we have strategised a strong communication for this marvellous fun brand by partnering with Thoughtshop Advertising team once again.”

Recently Parle assigned its creative mandate to Thoughtshop Advertising. Now, the agency has rolled out this a TVC for the same.

“The communication plan presented by Thoughtshop reflected to pioneer Mexitos as a brand in its category by creating a strong communication in the nacho category. Keeping in mind the brief, the agency cracked the perfect tagline, ‘Nacho nahin, bolo Mexitos’ thereby creating a strong communication base across TVC, print, radio and digital media,” added Rao.

The film opens with a college professor spotting a packet of Mexitos in a student’s bag. He calls out to the girl and says ‘Zara nacho’, meaning to ask for some of it. She thinks he’s asking her to dance, taking the Hindi meaning of the word and starts dancing. As she dances, students gather and take videos.

The video spreads and causes defamation of the teacher. Media attacks him with questions, his wife and son leave him, students throw black ink on him and there are protests too. The professor ends up in jail. The voice over tells him that instead of saying ‘nacho’ he should have used the word Mexitos instead.

Sharing his thoughts about the idea behind the campaign, VipinDhyani, Founder & Chief Creative Director, Thoughtshop Advertising & Film Productions, said, “We are proud to add another feather to our hat from Parle Products. Our strategy has been to focus on highlighting the brand ‘Mexitos’ replacing nacho, its category name and thereby, arriving to ‘Nacho Nahin, bolo Mexitos’. We take it in our stride to build the brand value and contribute to the company’s growing legacy in its premium snacking category.”

The 360-degree campaign also consists of digital in which a microsite featuring such gags will be uploaded.

Source: IndianMediaBook - Media