Rs 40 THE May 1-15, 2008 The fortnightly from agencyfaqs! www.thebrandreporter.com CHENNAI THETHE WARWAR BEGINSBEGINS A fascinating battle is all set to unfold. Can The Times of India successfully challenge The Hindu in its stronghold? 28 SOCIAL NETWORKING Differenting 20 How networking sites are CANCAN BRANDSBRANDS looking to move ahead. DEFINING MOMENTS MOVEMOVE UP?UP? Pranesh Misra 36 The Lowe man looks back over 31 years. PROFILE Shiv Sethuraman 38 TBWA’s CEO designate is 32 coming back from Paris. ADVERTISING Could brand Deccan have been rejigged to survive? Cool and Confident 42 Horlicks finds itself a Madhukar Sabnavis speculates. celebrity brand ambassador. The fortnightly from agencyfaqs! This fortnight... Volume III, Issue 19 ndia is a more exciting print market than any other in the world. As proof we have this fort- EDITOR Inight’s cover story about Chennai which The Hindu has ruled in near-solitary splendour. Sreekant Khandekar Deccan Chronicle came along in 2005 and created its own market. And last month, The Times of India (ToI), joined the fray. Nobody blinked an eyelid when ToI said that it is PUBLISHER starting off with a circulation of nearly two lakh copies. Prasanna Singh Starting with a big circulation is a relatively new game, just over a decade old. EXECUTIVE EDITOR This approach was first employed by a then little-known Hindi daily as it ventured M Venkatesh into a neighbouring state: that was Dainik Bhaskar entering Jaipur. Bhaskar con- ducted a door-to-door survey and, in an Indian first, launched with a large, CREATIVE CONSULTANTS PealiDezine guaranteed subscriber base. To return to Chennai, it says something for Indian print that a city with just two LAYOUT major English dailies (The Hindu and The New Indian Express), is witness- Vinay Dominic ing two more within three years. The local market will expand hugely but with LOGISTICS newsprint prices being the way they are, this could turn into a bruising battle. Rajesh Kanwal he other article on the cover is Madhukar Sabnavis’ take on whether low-priced ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES brands can move up in life. The provocation is Air Deccan’s imminent eclipse. Hansika Koli T Noida: (0120) 4077834 True, stratospheric oil prices plus overcrowded airports did it in. But rivals faced the 4077837 same odds. Gaurav Prabhu Did Deccan overemphasise the fact that it was the common man’s airline to a Mumbai: (022) 40429702-5 point where it could not command the prices necessary to even survive? At the end, [email protected] the airline needed to raise its revenue per passenger from Rs 2,800 to Rs 3,100 to break even – but consumers wouldn’t pay that little extra. In their minds, the Deccan Marketing Office experience wasn’t worth it. Sabnavis runs through different categories and the Indian class- B-3, First floor, Sector-4, Noida-201301. obsessed mentality to conclude that once a cheap brand, always a cheap brand. Tel: (0120) 4077800. I feel sorry about the way the Air Deccan story ended: the airline gave rise to a revolution in air travel which in the end consumed it. Mumbai 39, A to Z (Industrial) Premises Co-op Soc Ltd, Lower Parel, Mumbai - 400013. Tel: (022) 40429701-5. Sreekant Khandekar Subscription Enquiries Sakshi Kohli Tel: (0120) 4077837 India's foray into Chennai was arrest- [email protected] ing. Needless to say because of the visuals. The Times Group has really Registered Office gone all out to get the branding in $0;$0(6)$35 866' place. Readership is a matter of spec- $0'$-,0,0&.$8(.$-0$0'$(9 Moving with the Consumer ulation at the moment but it does (.+, < $0;$0 The profile on Bobby Pawar in seem that Chennai is saying (6)$35 866'$..4,*+654(5(48(' the last issue was interesting because "Vanakkam" to the Times Group in a 6+417*+1766+(914.'!(241'7&6,10,0 it gave the reader an understanding big way. $0;/$00(49,6+1762(4/,55,10,5241 of how this man has developed his Radhika Sharma +,%,6(' 4,06('$0'27%.,5+('%; unique take on creativity. What came Mumbai "4((-$06+$0'(-$410%(+$.)1) through was that Pawar is an avid observer of life and has not restricted $0;$0(6)$35 866'$6 his creative growth within advertis- What Clients Want +!$6$0",0*+1/2.(:$9$.$ ing jargons. I particularly liked The article on what marketers feel (4,$4-(6 $5&+,/#,+$4 reading about the bit where he had about the fact that some of the ads (9(.+, started appreciating low brow enter- Super Sam! which win awards do not exist in 4,06('$6 $4$5))5(6 866' tainment in New York. It once again The cover on Sam Balsara's recent mass media was thought provoking. I $4$,0$0'7564,$.4($ goes to show that creative genius media acquisition made interesting think it is high time that the policies +$5((9(.+, stems from one's understanding of read. Every media personnel who for creative entries are to be revised. :&.75,8(',564,%76145,00',$ aspires to turn into a major player what defines entertainment for the Or creative agencies have to convince 0',$11-175( 866' someday has loads to learn from average masses. So true that perhaps their clients to run these ads. (9(.+, the best creative solutions come if Balsara (and from this piece). A mav- Whether clients bite into their logic 7/%$, they are conceived in the mind by erick in his own terms, Balsara knows will actually determine the relevance 1.-$6$ being media neutral. what he wants despite not being of these ads in the practical context. Rishita Bhatt unnaturally aggressive. He truly is a Sushmita Pali $0*$.14( +(00$, via email super Sam, a source of inspiration, Bangalore and a role model for many. Mahesh Garg Cover Illustration Activating Change via email Gogol The writeup on The Times of The Brand Reporter, May 1-15, 2008 5 AUTOMOBILE Envisioned to be TimesofMoney> TimesofMoney, a Times Group Company, in association with Barclays a leading global financial he Indian automobile industry for the new company was issued by an aspirational services provider has launched TimesCard, India's only has witnessed unprecedented the Indian government this year in card it offers entertainment co branded credit card. It gives an opportunity Tgrowth in the last few years. March. Daimler Hero Motor some exclusive to customers to attend premier events like Filmfare Awards, Liberal government policies, presence Corporation will initially produce benefits. Femina Miss India and blockbuster movie premieres. It also of multinational players, line light, medium, and heavy-duty offers 25 per cent discount on movie tickets across some of extensions by established brands and commercial vehicles for the Indian the best multiplexes across the country and a slew of gift rising disposable market under a new vouchers from leading brands across categories. income of the average brand name. The population have all search is currently SugarFree> The leading sugar substitute in the Indian contributed towards under way for a suitable market SugarFree has come up with an innovative marketing achieving this. production location. tieup. It has recently shot a promotion ad (already on air) and According to a report Negotiations are being music video to promote the movie ‘‘Hope and a little Sugar’’, by the Indian Brand conducted with three which has been directed by Tanujaa Chandra. Apart from this Equity Foundation Indian states. Once a a radio activity and some multiplex promotions are also being (IBEF) the Indian Road transport decision is reached in planned. The brand had associated itself with the movie automobile industry this matter Cheeni Kum in the recent past where in-film product is expected to be placement had been carried out. would reach the 10 construction will begin million mark by 2010. a blue eyed on a plant that will start And much of this manufacturing LG> LG Electronics has sector of the announced a Mobile Theft Insurance MARKETING growth will come from commercial vehicles in Plan for its customers. LG has tied the commercial Indian economy 2010. up with United India Insurance to vehicles division. This The new company offer this benefit at no extra charge. All LG GSM handsets is because the is aiming to achieve a bought on or after April 1st 2008 will be insured against theft burgeoning scale of localization rate of up for a period of one yea. In the event of handset theft, the goods which require to to 80 per cent in order buyer is required to lodge an FIR within 24 hours, block the be transported from to optimally utilize cost SIM card with the respective service provider and send the one state to the other is advantages. In this information to the insurance company within seven days of creating an urgent Indo German joint the loss. The customer will be paid back according to the requirement for more venture both the market value of the mobile phone once all the documents are commercial vehicles. groups will invest around 700 million submitted as explained in the claim form. The recent joint venture signed euros (approximately Rs 4,400 crore) between the Hero Group and over the next five years. In addition, BPL Mobile> In an era when mobile banking and mobile Daimler AG for the manufacture of Daimler will contribute 220 million commerce are the buzzwords, BPL Mobile has gone a step commercial vehicles is a significant euros (approximately Rs 1,386 crore) ahead to bring to its customers mobile entertainment at their step in this direction.