Rs 40 THE March 1-15, 2008 The fortnightly from agencyfaqs! www.thebrandreporter.com 16 ADVERTISING WATCH IPL-SONY Beaming Smiles SET plans a major blitz IT! before and during the IPL. 40 EBAY Selling an Experience Bidding for thrills and spills. 38 AD FILMMAKING The Finer Nuances Two film makers share There is more objectionable creative in some secrets. automobiles than in any other category. Are BPL MOBILE auto marketers giving advertising a bad name? Outdoors Fun 12 PROFILE Bhawana Somaaya 18 WHO’S THAT Rajesh Laikh 20 34 RELIANCE MPAY Dial M for Credit 44 The fortnightly from agencyfaqs! This fortnight... Volume III, Issue 15 Automotive advertising has come a long way since David Ogilvy came up with his now- EDITOR & PUBLISHER famous line, “At 60 miles an hour the loudest noise in this new Rolls-Royce comes from the Sreekant Khandekar electric clock."Today, amid the roar of the exhaust and the screech of brakes, what stands out in the constant clutter of television commercials is one astonishing fact. Advertisers and mar- EXECUTIVE EDITOR keters seem to have thrown caution to the winds. And mind you, the creative isn’t great M Venkatesh either: auto advertising is largely unimaginative. CREATIVE CONSULTANTS In the cover story for this fortnight, we analyse if that is true. Fourteen of the 52 PealiDezine complaints upheld by the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) - which LAYOUT came up with its judgement last year - had to do with cars or bikes. Shockingly, Vinay Dominic 63 per cent of the objectionable automotive ads were for two-wheelers.The bike MARKETING advertisements (mainly those that treat traffic regulations with impunity) are prob- Prasanna Singh ably a reflection of the fact that the audience is growing younger and younger. Also, as the consumer moves up to a more powerful machine, the demonstration too LOGISTICS should show off power. And power, the ads suggest, is not just speed, but danger- Rajesh Kanwal ous driving as well. Daredevilry on wheels is okay but not at the cost of ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES endangering other lives.To be fair to the automakers and ad agencies, not all the Ashish Chauhan ‘sentenced’ ads deserved a reprimand. Maybe the ASCI could loosen up a bit and Noida: (0120) 4077800, treat the complaints in a more evolved manner. Advertisers, on their part, can cer- 4077819, 4077816 tainly think up better ways of communicating their clients’ wares.Meanwhile, Gaurav Prabhu Mumbai: (022) 40429702-5 Sony Entertainment Television is getting ready to beam out Indian cricket’s show- [email protected] piece event. As the dust settles on the buyouts and auctions for IPL’s Twenty20 league, big money is being spent to get viewers to watch the circus. Sony, the BCCI and the Marketing Office IPL team owners have teamed up for a tournament-long campaign. They are about to spend B-3, First floor, Sector-4, Rs 250 crore to get the audience hooked. Noida-201301. Tel: (0120) 4077800. Mumbai 39, A to Z (Industrial) Premises Co-op Soc Ltd, Lower Parel, Mumbai - 400013. Tel: (022) 40429701-5. M Venkatesh Subscription Enquiries Sakshi Kohli Tel: (0120) 4077837 you cannot have illustrations, beyond [email protected] the cover. The Brand reporter has always maintained a serious image. Registered Office But there is no harm in having some $0;$0(6)$35 866' fun with trying to incorporate $0'$-,0,0&.$8(.$-0$0'$(9 Surprise in Store quizzes, crosswords, and some fun (.+, < $0;$0 The write-up on Storeguru.com elements as well. (6)$35 866'$..4,*+654(5(48(' is nice one. It brings out the distinc- Manish Verma 6+417*+1766+(914.'!(241'7&6,10,0 tion between the two shopping Noida $0;/$00(49,6+1762(4/,55,10,5241 related properties HomeShop 18 and +,%,6(' 4,06('$0'27%.,5+('%; Storeguru.com from the Network 18 "4((-$06+$0'(-$410%(+$.)1) group. Before reading the piece I was Marathi and Beyond wondering why Network 18 has The regional print category is $0;$0(6)$35 866'$6 rolled out one more shopping related really taking the upward trajectory. +!$6$0",0*+1/2.(:$9$.$ site especially when online version of Your story, 'Marathi and Beyond' on (4,$4-(6 $5&+,/#,+$4 HomeShop 18 is also available. Sakaal just proves that. There is so (9(.+, Isha Jalani Profiles much happening in the regional 4,06('$6 $4$5))5(6 866' Nagpur Just today I went through the story on space, and it just proves that India is $4$,0$0'7564,$.4($ agencyfaqs on Mr Tarkas covered by coming of age and taking pride in its +$5((9(.+, More variety the Brand Reporter It was a good read languages. In another story 'Getting :&.75,8(',564,%76145,00',$ and covered his professional journey I am a student of advertising in Tech-savvy', IBN7's managing 0',$11-175( 866' well.I had a chance to work with Mr Amity. I'm a regular reader of The editor just summed up the feeling (9(.+, Brand Reporter, and I just love the Tarkas during my stint at Reliance that we have to get out of the "colo- 7/%$, detailed coverage and Communications Limited and was with nial mindset". And that's showing up. 1.-$6$ analysis.However, what I feel strong- him during one of the client pitches to MeghanRandhwa $0*$.14( ly is that you do not give justice to RCOM. Such articles are a good way of Pathankot pictures. Most of the pictures of peo- keeping the industry updated about +(00$, ple are passport type of photos. people who have risen to prominence. Why can't your photographers get HIMANSHU AGARWALL creative? Also, I see no reason why The Brand Reporter, March 1-15, 2008 5 SURVEY Taco Bell is the Taco Bell> Better late than never. Mexican second largest QSR (quick serve restaurant) chain, Taco Bell espite a growth tal friendliness in their too will be in India as early as mid 2008. At in eco-friendly shopping decisions and QSR format out- present, the QSR is conducting a consumer Dliving, only 21 what aspects of packag- let next only to research study to understand the Indian mar- per cent of Indian con- ing they would give up if McDonald’s ket and the customer palate. Last month, Taco sumers consider a shop’s it would benefit the Bell called for a pitch, and Ogilvy and JWT environmental friendli- environment. were asked to make presentations. JWT has already been ness - using recycled The Indian consumer entrusted with Taco Bell’s launch duties. bags/packages - as the was willing to trade off determining factor to convenience in the form Dave of the Nielsen Marlboro>US tobacco giant Philip Morris International is spend money, a survey Company of ‘reusable’, ‘stackable,’ in talks with its Indian joint-venture partner Godfrey Phillips conducted by Nielsen and ‘easily transportable India to manufacture and sell its Marlboro brand here. The found out. But 61 per packaging’. And were move will cut down import taxes and bring down prices and cent of the Indian con- more likely to trade-off duplication worries for the company. sumers give highest The hygiene most aspects of packag- regard to value for perception ing than consumers in Fortis Healthworld> money. offered by other countries in the Pharmacy in rural India is all Conducted in mid Asia-Pacific region. Ten set to get branded, with the 2007, the study surveyed packaging is percent would not think company deciding to tie up 26,486 internet users in still not a of giving up any aspects with Godrej Adhaar – to pro- MARKETING 47 markets from Europe, of packaging. vide all encompassing health Asia-Pacific, America driver. “The Indian con- care under one roof. To start with, Fortis Healthworld Aadhaar and the West Asia, on the sumer is quite used to Pharmacies will be launched at the key Aadhaar centres, at factors that influenced buying open and Taran Taran, Batala and Amritsar in Punjab. their choice of gro- unpackaged fresh cery store. products and other The centre is to Indian Trade and Exhibition Centre> Besides hosting While Indian con- commodities. The be built over an Indo-Pak cricket matches, Sharjah would also now be known sumers give hygiene perception for India's first trade exhibition centre outside the country. importance to price, offered by packaging area of 20,000 sq The centre will hold regular exhibitions of Indian products product quality, con- is still not a well- ft having a base- and services, organise meetings and conferences for the venience and established driver of ment, a ground Indian business and professional community, lease office and location, when deter- choice for buying exhibition space to Government of India enterprises and floor and two Indian corporations, as well as provide all information about mining where to packed products,” floors. shop, environmental friendliness is says Rajshree Dave, director, Client Indian business and services. the last thing on their mind. But 44 Solutions, The Nielsen Company, You won't be booked by the law for this. If percent were willing to sacrifice adding, “Indian shoppers place less License 2 Flirt> you are in a mood to flirt, United Spirits' White Mischief packaging for hygiene, if it’s envi- priority on packaging that help them Vodka along with MTV has come up with a seven week flirt- ronmentally harmful. to store food, because we still shop ing campaign to engage consumers across thirteen The survey gauged consumers’ more frequently and don’t tend to cities in select pubs, night clubs and discos.