April 16-30, 2012 Volume 3, Issue 8 `100 42

PROFILE Anita Nayyar Bennett Coleman’s new customer strategist. 14

VODAFONE Not Child’s Play The pug plays ‘Cupid’ to children now. 39

DEFINING MOMENTS The past 15 months have seen many Subhash Kamath mergers and acquisitions in the media and BBH ’s managing entertainment sector. Just why partner looks back. are companies getting together? VOLTAS Category Driven 10 STAR-BCCI What’s the Deal? 30 TAMIL GECS 28 Off the Radar 38 HISTORY TV 18 Reaching the Top 40

EDITORIAL

This fortnight... Volume 3, Issue 8

EDITOR Sreekant Khandekar ill a few years ago, Indian media companies could have been compared to the small fiefdoms that PUBLISHER T existed in the country in the pre-independence era – content in their own comfort zone, living Prasanna Singh with the misnomer that they were decoupled from the rest of the world. EXECUTIVE EDITOR Prajjal Saha For a long time, many Indian media companies, which were largely family- SENIOR LAYOUT ARTIST owned businesses, grew in their own language territory or state. But, when it came Vinay Dominic to moving on to the next level, they preferred to stay in their own comfort zone – so LOGISTICS April 16-30, 2012 Volume 3, Issue 8 `100 Rajesh Kanwal 42 much so that many of them refrained from experimenting, forget about venturing out into new areas. ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES Neha Arora, (0120) 4077866, 4077837

PROFILE Anita Nayyar Noida Bennett Coleman’s new When companies venture out to newer pastures, there is always a chance of a customer strategist. 14 merger or an acquisition. This contributes to a faster pace of growth in any industry. Khushboo Varadkar, (022) 40429702-5 Somehow, in the Indian media industry, the number of M&As were very few for [email protected] VODAFONE Not Child’s Play many years. Though there were buyers, even the not so healthy Indian companies The pug plays ‘Cupid’ to children now. 39 Marketing Office were not ready to be bought over. B-3, First Floor, Sector-4, Noida-201301. Tel: (0120) 4077800. For many of the players, this was the only family business they could think DEFINING MOMENTS The past 15 months have seen many Subhash Kamath Mumbai mergers and acquisitions in the media and BBH India’s managing entertainment sector. Just why partner looks back. of doing, while others weren’t ready to give up the political clout provided by the are companies getting together? 501-502, Makani Center, 5th Floor, VOLTAS Category Driven 10 STAR-BCCI Off Linking Road, Bandra (W), What’s the Deal? 30 ownership of media. In fact, in September 2011, we carried a story on how the TAMIL GECS Mumbai - 400050 28 Off the Radar 38 HISTORY TV 18 Reaching the Top 40 Indian media shied away from an M&A deal. Tel: +91-22-40429 709 - 712 However, there seems to be a change in the scenario since then. The last one Bengaluru S-1, New Bridge Corporate Centre, year has seen the coming together of many large media companies, be it the Zee and 777 D, 100 ft Road, Indira Nagar, STAR tie up for distribution; Network18’s acquisition of Eenadu’s non-Telugu channels; Dainik Bengaluru - 560038, India Jagran’s takeover of Nai Duniya or the UTV-Disney deal. Subscription Enquiries Garima Agnihotri, (0120) 4077837 The current issue looks at the reasons which drove the increasing number of M&As in the last 15 [email protected] months…. Printed, published, and owned by Prasanna Singh, Publisher, at 7-A/13, Ch. Ratan Singh Complex, Jawala Heri Market, Paschim Vihar, New -110 063.

Printed at Cirrus Graphics Private Limited B-62/14, Naraina Industrial Area, Prajjal Saha Phase II, – 110028. [email protected] Cover Illustration Gogol CONTENTS 47 44 PLUS

AXE BRANDS Bullish on Digital 24 Take-over Talk Do strong brands RED BULL still stand tall after Alternate Route 32 are acquired do they get lost? INDIAN SOCIAL SUMMIT Art of Storytelling 32 BARISTA LAVAZZA 47 16 FEVI KWIK Being a Teenager 49 The chain has put up story A Quick Fix boards all over the place. ERRATA POV 36 Narendra Kumar Alambara is COMEDY CENTRAL THUMS UP chief operating officer of Daily Too Bold? Thanthi and not as mentioned Is primetime content on Indian Spreading Cheer Will it Work? (afaqs! Reporter, April 1-15, 2012). The error is regretted. GECs getting too bold for Buses, coffee shops or Its old brand ambassador is Editor comfort? cinemas, the fun continues. missing in this campaign.

afaqs! Reporter, April 16-30, 2012 3 GSMA 1(:6%8//(7,1 ,QGLDDW1R Sponsored by

McCain Foods India> The maker of frozen foods is plan- ning to increase its product offerings in India. The company is looking at launching frozen food items based on paneer and soya platforms besides the frozen idli-sambar combo that it introduced recently in the Delhi and NCR region. At present, the firm claims to have 25 per cent market share in the estimated Rs 1,000 crore Indian frozen foods segment. The company is also looking to double its retail presence in the country from the current 5,500 outlets. he GSM Association transparent way for all stakeholders.” (GSMA), which represents According to the GSMA’s Wireless Tthe interests of mobile opera- Intelligence service, despite a large Garware Motors> The two-wheeler company which is tors worldwide, has announced that rural population, mobile growth in the wholly-owned subsidiary of Garware Bestretch, is all set India is all set to become the second India is being largely driven by more to launch a new bike in 250 cc category under Korean brand largest mobile broadband market in affluent communities in cities. Net Hyosung in the next three to four months. The company is the world within the next four years additions in urban areas reached 85 targetting metro and tier-II cities as potential market for the with mobile broadband connections million last year compared to 57 two-wheeler bike brand. At present the company has three MARKETING models, ST7 Royale, GT 650R and GT 650N in its product touching 367 million by the year 2016. million in rural areas, with mobile portfolio, which are sold across 16 dealerships pan-India. This will make it a larger market penetration increasing by 20 per- The company claims to have sold 611 bikes last year. than the US, which is estimated to centage points in urban areas to 161 reach 337 million connections by per cent, against a 6.5 percentage 2016; but it will still point rise in rural areas Maruti is looking Maruti Suzuki>The country’s largest car maker, is set to be second to , As LTE to 36.6 per cent. at selling 4,000- take on the multi-utility (MUV) segment the launch of Ertiga. which will have According to The company has negligible presence in the fast growing reached 639 million networks prolif- Wireless Intelligence 5,000 units of the MUV space with Gypsy and Grand Vitara. connections by then. erate worldwide the cost of an LTE new vehicle in With Ertiga it is looking at selling 4,000- Since 3G licenses and more devices (long term evolution) the first month of 5,000 units of the new vehicle in the were first awarded to smartphone, with an launch. first month of launch. The Ertiga mobile operators in become available, average retail price would be available in both petrol India in September costs will come of $500 (`25,000), is and diesel versions. 2010, mobile broad- four times the aver- band connectivity has down. age monthly per grown steadily. There capita GDP in India, Bharti Airtel> The telecom company is all set to launch are now more than 10 million HSPA and at an average of $200 (`10,000), its 4G services in Bengauluru by next month after the launch - high-speed packet access (also the retail price of an LTE USB of 4G services in recently. The company and its rivals known as 3G technology) - connec- dongle is twice an Indian’s monthly paid a total `38,543 crore to buy fourth-generation (4G) tions across the country, and this is income on average. wireless broadband spectrum in a 2010 government auction. expected to grow exponentially, by LTE is the latest standard in the It managed to win 4G spectrum in four zones including 900 per cent, to more than 100 mil- mobile network technology from Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kolkata and Punjab of the country’s lion connections in 2014. This will the producers of GSM technology. 22 telecoms zones in the auction, paying `3,314 crore for the make India the largest HSPA market LTE is often marketed as 4G. As spectrum. worldwide within the next two years. LTE networks proliferate worldwide Anne Bouverot, director general, and more devices become available, GSMA said, “To take full advantage costs will come down. Initiatives Flipkart> The e-commerce company has acquired Letsbuy. of this, we need operators to have like the introduction of the low cost com, online electronics retailer. The move reflects Flipkart’s access to spectrum and we call on Aakash tablet in India are helping strategy of growing through acquisitions. It also reiterates the Indian government to release and spur widespread access to the inter- that e-commerce in India is likely to be dominated by cash- allocate spectrum in a fair and net in emerging markets. rich companies that can leverage their financial strength for scaling up and strengthening their position. This is the third acquisition by Flipkart, which began operations in 2007. In QUOTE OF THE FORTNIGHT 2010, it acquired social book discovery tool WeRead from Lulu, a US-based on-demand publishing firm. Last year, Flipkart ‘‘In spite of facing challenges acquired Mime360. last year, LG has grown by 15 per cent in its core business Emami> The consumer products maker is reviving its of home entertainment and over-the-counter healthcare business with a slew of brand appliances. We’re expecting a relaunches along with new distribution system, packag- ing and marketing strategy. The brands being relaunched growth of around 25 per cent include digestive tonic Zandu Pancharishta, blood and in 2012.’’ skin purifier Zandu Lalima, laxative Nityam Churna, cough L K GUPTA, V-P, MARKETING, LG ELECTRONICS INDIA PREDICTING tonic Sardi Ja and even popular pain reliever Zandu Balm. GROWTH IN THE CONSUMER DURABLES CATEGORY, IN THE ECONOMIC TIMES. The company will from now onwards sell its OTC products through modern retail shops, kiranas and pharmacies.

4 afaqs! Reporter, April 16-30, 2012

PERCEPT MEDIA LAB 1(:6%8//(7,1 5HVHDUFK2ULHQWHG Sponsored by ercept has announced the is expected to register 8 per cent launch of its brand new unit increase in GRPs in this segment, as Pcalled Percept Media Lab. It compared to IPL 4 last year. will function as an independent cell Also, Percept’s statistical analysis of specialists from research, analyt- and research shows that the viewer- EXEC/Explocity> EXEC, India’s first magazine for busi- ics and marcom planning sectors. ship (GRPs) of IPL 5 in the 15+, ness travellers, is now available on iPad and Android-based Percept Media Lab will explore ana- female, SEC ABC segment is pro- smartphones and tablets. EXEC was launched by Bengaluru- lytics, forecasts and future trends and jected to grow by 17 per cent, as based media and publishing company Explocity in 2011. The concepts in the marcom space. compared to IPL 4. content of the monthly magazine will be replicated for iPad, Though the formal announce- Further, the report cautions that smartphone and tablet platforms. EXEC includes the content ment is being made now, the Percept more matches may not translate into related to commuting, hotels, travel and other topics pertain- MEDIA Media Lab team has more time spent on ing to the life cycle of a business trip, among others. been in place for the viewing matches. past three months. Percept Media Lab’s This unit will be led next initiative, which is The website has Times Internet Limited> Last year, IPL (Indian Premier by Shripad Kulkarni, already underway, is an also joined hands League) signed Times Internet Limited (TIL) as its official chief executive offic- ‘M3’ project (Message, with AIR and online broadcast partner. The agreement, worth `261 crore, er, Allied Media. Media, Market Share) stretches for four years and will continue till 2014. In the As of now, Percept that has at its core a Google for live second year of the online broadcast rights, TIL has come up Media Lab will oper- consumer study involv- commentary and with a Battleground page for the fans to fight for their favour- ate out of Mumbai and ing a sample size of YouTube stream- ite teams or players, to support the favourite or oppose the Delhi. Currently, the 20,000 individuals. The ing, respectively. rival teams. The website has also joined hands with AIR and team comprises eight study will explore the Google for live commentary and YouTube streaming, respec- tively. data analysts (based path to purchase (P2P)

in Mumbai) and four FOTOCORP for 10 product catego- strategists (two in ries in the context of Mumbai and two in This unit will be marcom challenges NDTV Good Times> NDTV Good Times, the lifestyle Delhi). While the strat- and strategies. channel offering of the NDTV Group, is all set to sign a egy function has been spearheaded This study will strategic partnership deal with A24 Media, the - divided across the two by Shripad measure the impor- based online platform, for distribution of content. The cities, the analysis cen- tance of key drivers for channel will share important programmes such as such tre is headquartered in Kulkarni (above), each of the 10 product as Guilt Free, Nirvana Travels and Highway on My Plate with A24, which will carry the programmes for a service Mumbai. CEO, Allied categories. It will also charge. As of now, the shared content comprises about In conversation analyse the perception Media. 2,000 hours of programming. with afaqs! Reporter of the top brands in about this new unit, each of these catego- Kulkarni says, “This is a support ries. “The first round of categories function or staff function. There’s no will be ready by June this year,” Max>Multi Screen Media’s channel Max has built a rep- revenue model as such.” Basically, shares Kulkarni. lica of Rome’s Colosseum as the set of Extraaa Innings. The it is an effort to raise the bar on The high point of this study, packaging of the show will be a mix of Bollywood stars, gags, stand up comedians and some cultural performances. It the 360-degree work that the agency as conveyed by the Percept team will also feature cheerleaders inside the studio. All this has does for its current and prospective in a press note, is expected to be reportedly pushed up the production cost by 25-30 per cent in clients. the unique ‘M3’ model in collabo- IPL Season 5. The channel claims that it sticks to its ‘general The first report that Percept ration with Pointlogic, a marcom entertainment’ tag with this kind of programming. Media Lab has released is a compre- planning and analytics firm that hensive statistical viewership analysis combines research, mathemati- of IPL Season 5. cal modelling and software tools to According to the report, IPL 5 is deliver optimum message and media The San EFactor>US-based social expected to continue its dominance touch-point combinations, all in an Francisco-based networking site for entre- in the 15+, male, SEC AB segment effort to maximise products’ market company has preneurs EFactor is all set and that in its opening week, it share. to launch its India opera- brought on board tions. The social networking site for entrepreneurs will be Nitesh Chandra launched formally in April. EFactor provides entrepreneurs a QUOTE OF THE FORTNIGHT as country platform to exchange ideas with experts, interact with poten- tial partners or clients, and discover funding for their start manager. ups. As part of the launch, the San Francisco-based company has brought on board Nitesh Chandra as country manager. It ‘‘No one is interested in old is currently putting together the India team. IPL content anymore and as for badminton, audiences are only interested in Saina Opera Software>Android users have something to cheer about as Opera Software announced the launch of the latest Nehwal. Even there, the TRPs version of the popular Opera Mini browser - Opera Mini 7 in a are pretty negligible...’’ final version for Android phones. The new browser promises enriched web browsing experience on phones by making it INDRANIL DAS BLAH, CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, KWAN ON THE faster and panning around sites smoother with improved FUTURE OF ANOTHER SPORTS CHANNEL TO AFAQS! hardware acceleration. Opera Mini 7 also enables the user to have more Speed Dial (Bookmark) buttons.

6 afaqs! Reporter, April 16-30, 2012

PEPPER CREATIVE AWARDS 1(:6%8//(7,1 6WDUN9LFWRU\ Sponsored by

he results of the 6th edi- Press Single Colour, Press Campaign tion of the Pepper Creative Unpublished and Press Campaign TAwards, the annual creative Colour categories. competition jointly held by The The finalist mentions received by Advertising Club Cochin and the the agency were for its work in the Amrutanjan> Headache and pain management brand Pepper Creative Awards Trust, have Media Outdoor, Outdoor Hoarding Amrutanjan is currently on the lookout for a new creative been announced. Campaign, TV Single and Press partner. The pitch is specifically for the mother brand, The competition was open for Campaign Colour categories. Amrutanjan Aromatic Balm (informally known as Yellow agencies from all over South India. TCC won a total of Balm), the company’s flagship pain relief product. The pitch The authorities received more than seven awards. Of these, two were process is underway in Chennai. Mudra South has worked 1,020 entries from 96 agencies. In gold and five were silver awards. on the creative duties for this account in the past. Recently, all, there were 104 competition cat- The agency won its gold awards in Shining Consulting revamped the brand’s identity and logo. egories. the Press Campaign Colour category Vizeum India manages the media duties for Amrutanjan. The winners were felicitated at an for the brand Prime Sharp Knives event held on March 30, 2012 at Le and in the Press Single Color cat- Meridien Hotel, Kochi. egory for the brand Striker. Ad2c> In a strategic move to establish its base in India, For Stark Malayala Manorama mobile marketing agency, Ad2c, has acquired MobiMasta, one Communications, it won the Advertiser of of the first mobile agencies in the country. The development was a repeat act; like the Year award. will provide Ad2c access to MobiMasta’s existing client base last year, this year, too, Sudeepkumar, (including Reebok, Yahoo, Adidas and NDTV) as well as to the agency was chosen president, Advertising the clients of Starcom MediaVest Group (including Samsung). as the Agency of the Club Cochin, gave Ad2c will also partner Dentsu and will work with the agency’s

ADVERTISING Year. The authorities the welcome note at digital team to create mobile solutions for its clients. This award was the function and T accorded on the basis received more Vinaykumar, secre- of maximum points than 1,020 tary, Pepper Creative >> ACCOUNT MOVEMENT received in all catego- entries from Awards Trust proposed ries of the competition. the vote of thanks. > Lowe Lintas & Partners has found a place on Coke’s creative TCC Chennai was the 96 agencies. “Our endeavour roster once again. As per the new restructuring, Coke, the flagship runner up. In all, there is to make Pepper a brand of Coca-Cola India, will have three agencies on the roster; In all, Stark globally benchmarked while McCann Erickson will continue to handle the brand, the other Communications won were 104 premium event every two new agencies include Weiden+Kennedy, which is part of Coke’s 23 awards. Of these, competition year. We hope to cre- global roster, and now, Lowe. Henceforth, the company’s strategy three were gold, six categories. ate a niche for Cochin will be to ask all three agencies to present their thoughts before the were silver sand 10 in the global crea- launch of any important marketing campaign. were bronze awards. tive space,” conveyed The remaining four were finalist Sudeepkumar. mentions. The entries were judged at > Grey has won the creative duties of low-cost airline, The agency won its gold awards Mumbai on March 17 and 18 SpiceJet. The business will be handled out of Grey’s Delhi in the Photography, Corporate by a four-member panel com- branch. The agency won the business following a multi- Brochure and Design-Logo catego- prising Agnello Dias, co-founder agency pitch. The other agencies in the fray were GIIR, ries. and chief creative officer, Taproot Draftfcb Ulka, Lowe, BBDO and Contract Advertising. The The silver awards were won in the India; Prathap Suthan, chief crea- size of the business is said to be in the range `30-35 crore. Earlier, the business Media Press Campaign, Media TVC, tive officer, iYogi and founder, was handled by Contract, before which the account was managed by Gopika Chowfla Illustration Campaign, Illustration The Advisory; Priti Nair, co- Design for three years. Single, Copywriting Campaign and founder, Curry-Nation; and Raj TV Single categories. Nair, regional creative director, The bronze awards won were Mumbai and South, Contract > DDB Mudra Mumbai has been awarded the creative in the Art Direction Campaign, Advertising. mandate for Arshiya International. The acquisition comes on Design-Logo, Direct Mailer Single, Taproot’s Dias was the jury chair- the back of a multi-agency pitch that was held in Mumbai. The Collateral-Poster Campaign, man. advertising spends are pegged at `10-15 crore. The winning agency’s duties will include increasing Arshiya International’s QUOTE OF THE FORTNIGHT brand awareness and building its brand identity. While this is the primary objective, product-related advertising is a ‘‘The greater the brand’s secondary goal. equity is established with one gender, the greater it should Draftfcb Ulka’s second agency, Interface Communications has won the creative mandate for health avoid brand androgyny. The supplement brand, Seacod, a product of Sanofi. The agency’s key principle to positioning Mumbai branch will handle this account. The incumbent on strategy is that a brand can the business is Sorento Healthcare Communications who handled the creative duties till February, after which the only stand for one ‘idea’ in account was put up on pitch in Mumbai. About three-four the mind of its customers.’’ agencies participated in the process. The upcoming campaign DICK MAGGIORE, PRESIDENT & CEO, INNIS MAGGIORE GROUP ON will be a 360 degree effort that will exploit all possible media EINSIDE.KENT.EDU HOW BRANDS ARE FOCUSING ON WOMEN CONSUMERS IN BRAND EQUITY channels and consumer touch-points.

8 afaqs! Reporter, April 16-30, 2012

1(:6$'9(57,6,1* VOLTAS ALL-WEATHER AC Category Driven The new television commercial (TVC) for Voltas All-Weather AC could work in favour of the entire category and not just the brand. By Shibani Gharat

he onset of April in India witnesses a Weather AC goes with him.” slew of ads, for products ranging from Elaborating on the idea, Pulak Bisht, creative Tair-conditioners to soft drinks and talcum director, Meridian, says, “Bosses and weather powders, all united for a common cause - to tackle affect our lives the most. Both are unforgiving the heat and battle the discomfort of the Indian and unpredictable. We decided to marry the two summer. to bring alive the idea of the ‘all-weather’ air- The new television commercial for the Voltas conditioner. This is the simple insight we used in All-Weather AC claims to tackle every extreme the commercial, through Murthy. In execution, climatic condition that the country witnesses, that we kept the films simple, honest and fun.” too at the arrival of summer. The group creative director for the ad is Ajay The TVC, created by Meridian, shows the Gahlaut. The copy is by Bodhisatwa Dasgupta, apparently hapless protagonist, Murthy, in the whereas Gour Mukherjee has taken care of the art. process of settling into a new place, yet again. His The production house is Soda Films and the TVC problem: being straightforward with a crooked in between. is directed by Rajesh Krishnan. superior who punishes these bursts of conscience Krishna Mani, creative director, copy, Meridian, Chandana Agarwal, senior vice-president, with a prompt transfer to remote places that explains, “We wanted to show a character a con- Meridian, explains that the ad was based on the invariably feature extremes of weather. And, as sumer could relate to. He had to be sweet, sincere simple insight that with an increase in mobile life- Murthy keeps telling, “it’s not my fault!” however, and passionate about keeping the best interests in styles, it becomes imperative to quickly find one’s he always manages to maintain his cool - liter- mind at work - and thus emerged Murthy. He’s comfort zone in a new place to hit the ground ally and figuratively - with the help of his Voltas sweet alright, but he isn’t completely naive. While running. “And, one way to show this is to use the ‘All-Weather AC’ that maintains the ambient envi- he accepts his fast-changing destiny, he’s also sure situation of a transfer to highlight the plight of ronment at a desired level, irrespective of whether that he always wants to feel cool and comfortable. many people who must move locations, move out it is hot, humid, muggy, freezing cold or anything So, no matter where he goes, the Voltas All- of comfort zones and yet try to ease into things as quickly as possible.” Currently, the television campaign comprises three films which are on air. The 360-degree campaign will also include print, digital, outdoor and radio.

PEAK SEASON FOR ACS he peak season for air-conditioner purchase is Tusually around April-May, when the heat is at its harshest in India. “But, the penetration for ACs is still low in India. On top of that, it is seasonal- ised,” says Deba Ghoshal, head, marketing, Voltas. “The objective was to create a differentiator which is meaningful to the consumer throughout FRQWLQXHGRQSDJH>>

HYPHEN agency that would operate in the The idea behind this innova- product design and creation space. tion is based on the global cultural Sticking to its claim, the duo insight that Indians tend to be ‘fash- recently launched a product that ionably late’ or ‘predictably late’ due Ish-isms has garnered a good deal of traction to reasons ranging from cow block- The ad agency launched a product that in India as well as internation- ades, political rallies, and poor road ally. The product is called the ‘ish’ or traffic conditions. For Indians, leverages insight that has at its core our inability watch or the ‘Indian Stretchable a common way of fixing appoint- to ever be on time… By Ashwini Gangal Time Watch’. ments is by saying, “I’ll meet you there by 6-ish”. Adding the suffix ‘ish’ after a given time has become round a year back, when commonplace. The ‘ish’ watch Alok Nanda, founder of The agency thus has no numerals; the numbers Abrand consultancy, Alok will operate have been moved from their classic Nanda and Company (ANC), perpendicular positions, and have and Prasanna Sankhe, the former in the product been tilted to an approximate point national creative director at Publicis on the dial. Further, the numbers Ambience, launched their new firm design and cre- carry the suffix ‘ish’ – the watch Hyphen, they specified that it was displays the numbers ‘3ish’, ‘6ish’ not just another creative hot-shop. ation space. Rather, it was positioned as an FRQWLQXHGRQSDJH>>

10 afaqs! Reporter, April 16-30, 2012

1(:6$'9(57,6,1* HITACHI I-CLEAN AC Clean, but Clear? The TVC created by Bates India for Hitachi iClean AC highlights its auto-clean feature and emphasises the wishful thought that if only everything in the home could clean itself. By Shibani Gharat

he biggest problem of the con- temporary nuclear household Tis to maintain hygiene and cleanliness. Addressing this issue is an offering by Hitachi, called the iClean AC, which is equipped to clean itself. The television commercial, creat- ed by Bates India, communicates this proposition. It opens with the shot of a painting that starts to vibrate, shed- ding all the dust it has accumulated. of their offering. Here, the celebrity is The dust lands on a couch below, the AC itself.” which in turn ejects the dust, along The music is by Kartik, whereas with coins and popcorn, by shaking animation and Vfx is managed by itself vigorously. All these end up on Digital Magic, Bangkok. the carpet and it proceeds to dump Ashok Ray, assistant vice-president everything on a dog snoozing on it. and sales head, precision AC, Hitachi Ultimately, the dog shakes off all the says that although the product was dust and dirt outside the house. The launched in 2011, the advertising was commercial ends with a voiceover that says, ‘If undertaken aggressively only this year. “This is a only everything in your home could clean itself... “The cleaning 360 degree campaign for this summer, with TV, as easily as the Hitachi iClean AC.’ ability of the print, outdoor and BTL activities. We will also Commenting on the campaign, Sagar concentrate on in-shop marketing.” Mahabaleshwarkar, national creative director, Hitachi iClean The campaign is targeted at SEC A and B. Bates India, says, “Breathing life into inanimate was an idea that objects to make them appear to clean themselves ACS SPEAK ABOUT EVERYTHING BUT and juxtaposing this against the cleaning ability of excited all of us.” COOLING the Hitachi iClean was an idea that excited all of SAGAR he ads for various air conditioners these days us. I’m glad we’ve delivered a product that’ll make MAHABALESHWARKAR Thighlight everything but the effective cooling everyone sit up and take notice.” of the AC. Last year, Samsung ran a campaign on In 2011, the commercial for iClean AC fea- FOTOCORP how its AC averts the possibility of H1N1 virus tured a robot which could clean itself. attacks. According to Sambit Mohanty, executive crea- “Other AC com- Panasonic came up with the proposition of tive director, Bates Delhi, the challenge was to mercials either ‘eco-navi’, a technology that senses human activity effectively highlight the unique cleaning ability in the room and cools accordingly, while Onida of the product. “The idea of things in your home feature a celebrity offered the option of pre-cooling one’s home cleaning themselves (including the dog) is some- or highlight the remotely by sending out a text message to the AC. thing that came across as quirky yet fresh,” he features. Here, adds. CUTS THE ICE? Mohanty explains that the idea was to create the celebrity is antosh Padhi, chief creative officer and co- something different from the commercials of the AC itself.” Sfounder, Taproot India feels that the whole other air conditioners. “Other AC commercials SAMBIT MOHANTY FRQWLQXHGRQSDJH>> either feature a celebrity or highlight the features SUSHIL KUMAR

<< FRQWLQXHGIURPSDJH fresh-o-matic and teaches-your-kid- tricity bills 12 months of the year?” algebraic-equations (which I’m sure On the other hand, he dismiss- will appear soon), I think it might es the issue as one that does not Category... have been a good idea to stick to concern advertising. “I must say it the year. Further, the challenge was something as basic as temperature announces the product benefit in an to make the new positioning appeal control. unexpected way. The quarrelsome to both evolved as well as the young- Victor says that staying comfort- babu who keeps getting transferred er audience,” Ghoshal adds. able in all seasons isn’t something is a character we can all relate to - the Voltas targets the 25 plus age exploited by other manufacturers. difference is, we just switch agen- group, in its campaign which will “So, while the approach is fresh, cies!” last for about three months. albeit basic, it also seems that it will Mani and Bisht: cool ideas Vaidya opines that the whole help the entire category and not just drama gets predictable by the time SEASONAL OR CLASSIC? Voltas.” Nilesh Vaidya, executive creative you’ve reached the third film. “The harles Victor, national creative However, he admires Voltas director, Rediffusion-Y&R also feels scripts could have had a little more Cdirector, Law & Kenneth feels for sticking to the basics as a way that an all-weather AC is quite a fun before getting into the product that in a market that is cluttered with to break the clutter of hyphenated radical concept. “But, the question bit,” he reasons. „ bio-sleep, virus-free, auto-clean, features. is, will people be okay with high elec- [email protected]

12 afaqs! Reporter, April 16-30, 2012

1(:6$'9(57,6,1* VODAFONE It is not Child’s Play A recent campaign for Vodafone features its now all-too-famous messenger, the pug, playing cupid to children. By Devina Joshi

hat brands across categories use the cre- TOO YOUNG FOR COMFORT? ative route of children emulating adult rand consultant Harish Bijoor of Harish Bijoor Consults is Tbehaviour is far from a new concept, but Bamong those who feel the commercials are ‘inappropriate when that adult behaviour includes romantic for Indian society’, simply because of the age group shown and undertones, one wonders if things have been the romantic subtleties involved. “Children are an innocent taken a step too far. audience and in India, they get heavily influenced by adver- The recent ‘Just you, just me’ campaign for tising of all kinds,” he says. “Advertisers should show some Vodafone has been a matter of debate on social restraint while showing such things,” he adds. media platforms and generated conversations When one does that, one may realise that this kind of offline, particularly amongst concerned moth- advertising thrusts adulthood on children a little too early, ers, as it shows the pug playing cupid to children and it would be best to prolong the portrayal of childhood in who look like they are 12-13 year olds. The such cases. ‘Instant connections’ TVC has the pug delib- To go deeper into the matter, children may think that they erately snatching the girl’s scarf and leading ought to behave like this with their friends of the opposite gen- her to the boy, so that the shy twosome gets to der and perhaps adults with children in that age bracket may not initiate conversation. The ‘Uninterrupted con- take too kindly to such communication, either. “It is the kind versations’ ad shows the pug stopping a worker of advertising that calls for ‘parental guidance,” Bijoor cautions. from climbing up the stairs of a building as the Ad guru Alyque Padamsee says, “I am usually liberal about two children enjoy private conversations on the things but here, the children are giving glances at each other staircase. The third ad, ‘Hear every second’, which clearly fall in the area of flirting, at that pre-puberty age! has the pug alerting the boy about the girl rid- It is a little roadside Romeo-ish, and attempts like these manifest ing on a cycle, on the basis of the bell which he into eve-teasing, lewd remarks, whistles and sexual harassment hears from afar, so that the boy can get to watch when children watching this grow up.” her as she passes by his home. The ‘Uninterrupted conversations’ ad, in particular, has Rajiv Rao, national creative director, privacy at its core and hence, points towards sexual innuendos, India, remarks that all along, Vodafone has spo- he feels. This may lead to boys thinking that every girl wants ken of the width of its network; this is among their attention. “Had teenagers been shown in the commercial, the first major attempts to talk of the quality of its network. FRQWLQXHGRQSDJH>>

<< FRQWLQXHGIURPSDJH some point in time either been the Art Museum in Minnesota and New victim or culprit of tardiness. York-based magazine ARTINFO is Though the watch was originally looking to do a feature on the watch Ish-isms created with the intention of finding and the team at Hyphen. traction with the Indian mindset, The only offline store it is avail- ‘9ish’ and ‘12ish’. the response it received from other able at as of now is Hyphen’s very Explaining the concept, Hyphen’s nations was a pleasant surprise. own local store called Filter located Sankhe says, “We took this life insight Buyers hail from countries such as at Kala Ghoda in Mumbai. and added some dark humour to it the USA, UK, Australia, and France. More information can be gath- to produce a great design opportuni- Soon after its launch, a design ered from Hyphen’s brand page on ty.” Isn’t openly propagatingopagat g bloggerb ogge wrote w about the Facebook as well as Filter’s web- the accusation that wewe lack watch andand the post was put page. The team is currently gearing professional punctualitytuality onon Tumblr.com.Tumb From this up for the launch of an e-commerce offensive to us Indians?dians? platform the story received site that will be focused on driving “Well,” defends Sankhe,nkhe, aroundaround 7,000 re-blogs Sankhe: better late more sales. “We’re merely observ-erv- andand re-tweetsre- in a sin- The watch is priced at `2,500 ing something that’sat’s glegle day.da Clearly, viral found a deep connect with the prod- and around 1,600 pieces have already part of ourur tractiontract is playing a uct. Some of the international blogs already been sold worldwide. On culture. We can’tt significantsig role in that have featured it in their online an average, around 70-75 watches deny it. Instead of the popularity of content include Design boom, are being sold per day, across the getting offend- the product. Design taxi, Packaging of the world, globe. ed, we ought to Design-blogs and Lovely Package. Hyphen is currently in conversa- change it.” So far, in particular The agency has been invited to tion with existing watch brands to though, people appearap to have put up the watch in the Weisman explore possibilities of taking the seem to be takingg idea forward in a big way. The it in their stride, hhee The idea behind this innovation is agency is also in talks with some informs, insisting that media agencies that are interested in since unpunctualityty is based on the insight that Indians associating themselves with certain engrained in the IndianIndian products.„ ethos, most of us havehave at tend to be ‘fashionably late’. [email protected]

14 afaqs! Reporter, April 16-30, 2012

1(:6$'9(57,6,1* THUMS UP << FRQWLQXHGIURPSDJH ‘Puppy Love’... Will it Work? it would be fine,” he opines. In its new campaign, Thums Up, a brand that stands for ‘Bold BASELESS ALLEGATIONS? Masculine Leadership’, encourages its loyalists to seize the day by ne might argue that television content, Oparticularly some children’s shows and saying Aaj Kuchh Toofani Kartey Hain. By Ashwini Gangal dance reality shows, have children performing to hip shakes and other dance moves that are clearly meant for adults. “I would take offence at those,” remarks Minakshi Achan, co-found- er and creative head, Salt Brand Solutions. “The Vodafone ads are beautiful stories about friendship between 13 year olds,” she says, but one cannot ignore that not all of India is progressive in its thinking, and orthodox families may not take to such overtures in ads too kindly. As Manish Bhatt, founder-director,

“This is among the first major attempts to talk of the quality of ne of India’s most resilient soft drink the Thums Up bottle in his hand. This is probably its network.” brands, Thums Up has rolled out its the first time that a girl is in the thick of action, RAJIV RAO Onew campaign for the summer season, along with the men. Does this mean that the brand in which the brand challenges its loyalists to push is widening its traditional masculine image to

the envelope and do something daring or ‘toofani’. include women in the brand space as well? FOTOCORP The campaign introduces the brand’s new tagline, Sainath Saraban, executive creative director, Leo Aaj Kuchh Toofani Kartey Hain. Burnett, answers, “Women comprise over 30 per Scarecrow Communications, puts it, some Through this campaign, Thums Up, which cent of Thums Up’s loyal consumer base. Despite families may even rethink giving their children still carries its iconic ‘Taste the being a masculine brand, Thums mobile phones for fear that it will be used for Thunder’ catch-phrase, urges its Up appeals to the rugged and active ‘romance’ talk at young ages. consumers to ‘Live the Thunder’ side of women through its commu- “The way the girl looks at the boy clearly and unlock what it calls ‘the new nication. We’re comfortable using signifies romantic interest in the Scarf ad, code of masculinity’. Specifically, women in the communication, but whereas the Cycle ad has the boy’s look almost this year’s proposition is ‘Live like how we portray them is what needs bordering on lusty,” he says. However, Bhatt is Thunder’. to be given careful thought in order willing to overlook these things as the popular Conceptualised by Leo Burnett to stay true to the masculine brand brand Vodafone has innocence in its legacy. the television commercial features character of Thums Up.” Rao of Ogilvy dismisses any talk of inap- South Indian actor Mahesh Babu, The thought Aaj Kuchh Toofani propriate advertising, though. To him and his who has been endorsing the brand Kartey Hain is based on the insight team, the attempt is to show conversations in Andhra Pradesh for a while. that today’s youngsters crave for the between two people - in this case, a friendship Accompanying him are Dhaval admiration of their peers and want is struck between a young boy and girl. “This Thakur (winner of Khatron ke SUSHIL KUMAR to lead the pack. “Building on this is sweet friendship and doesn’t have a ‘Mera Saraban: the next level Khiladi 2011), Sahil Shroff (actor) insight, the campaign marks another Naam Joker’ like feel to the liking shown in and Angela Jonsson (of Kingfisher milestone in the evolution of the the ads,” he shrugs. “Our attempt was never to Calendar fame). Thums Up Man - from the ‘Angry Young Man’ create a controversy,” he clarifies. A counter-intuitive break from Bollywood actor to the ‘Cool Risk Taker’ to the follower of ‘Playful The Ogilvy team feels that employing a 6-7 Akshay Kumar - a face that loyalists have grown Mastery’ and finally, to the advocate of Bold year-old age band could have led to alarming to associate with the brand and its action-packed Masculine Leadership,” conveys the brand team in questions and leveraging a teenage story would image - the current film sees these four youngsters a press note. have made the ads ‘lose their charm’. Hence, perform daredevil stunts that reflect the brand’s Saraban adds that when he wrote the copy for the 11-12 year old band is okay. This is about persona. this ad, he “simply transported the Thunder within fond liking and is real, Rao states. Brand Thums Up has always had a strong the bottle, to the Thunder within oneself.” The last word, though, belongs to soci- resonance with action, energy and a go-getter Regarding the insight, the Coca-Cola spokes- ologist Nandini Sardesai, who delves into how spirit. Also, it has always been person tells afaqs! Reporter, “This campaign such subtleties could in fact affect children. fiercely male. In its previous takes the ‘I will do anything for my thunder’ “A child may, on seeing such an ad, feel that brand films, it’s always the attitude to the next level. It’s all about inspiring something is wrong with him if he doesn’t man who performs extreme leadership and leading the pack by doing some- look at a girl that way yet,” she says. “While stunts and participates in a thing ‘toofani’.” they see adults romancing on TV, it is fine, but rough-and-tumble chase. The Besides TV, this campaign will include social this isn’t something that is expected of them. female character is more of media, outdoor, radio and on-ground initiatives. To see something like this may rob them of a bystander or someone he Does the new proposition take the industry by their childhood early on.” „ comes huffing back to with FRQWLQXHGRQSDJH>> [email protected]

16 afaqs! Reporter, April 16-30, 2012

1(:6$'9(57,6,1* SYMPHONY Heat and Thirst The campaign for Symphony promotes the new cooler, Storm, focusing on its power to cool large areas. Industry observers calls it a fresh idea but also find it a bit ‘disconnected’. By Anushree Bhattacharyya

uring summer, people are While some find the idea fresh, often left in a quandary thanks to the touch of humour, Dwhen it comes to cool- for a few, it is perplexing advertis- ing a large room, such as a living ing both in terms of idea as well as room. Symphony’s new campaign execution. promotes its newly launched cool- Sanjay Sipahimalani, executive er, Storm, with focus on its power creative director, Bates, remarks, to cool large areas, and the reason “The unexpected cheekiness of behind its positioning as the Bade the spot is a breath of fresh air in ghar ka cooler. the world of air-cooler or condi- Conceptualised by Mudra tioner advertising.” Ahmedabad, the television com- “But I felt let down at the end mercial shows a haveli (mansion) and how says, “We wanted to promote the Storm and the Thakur (lord) therefore, the whole idea of the campaign was to The company has also tries hard to battle focus on how this particular model is able to cool the heat. However, large areas, up to 1,000 square feet. Thus, it has launched a print campaign given the large size of been positioned as ‘Bade ghar ka cooler’.” and outdoor activations the room, it becomes Ravinder Siwach, executive creative director, next to impossible Mudra Ahmedabad, explains, “From an Indian across the country. to maintain a cold point of view, a ‘bada ghar’ (big house) stands for temperature. The a haveli (mansion). And, it is mainly the Thakurs - if the set-up is that of heat causing thirst, the TVC then takes a who reside in these big houses. So, we thought Thakur asking for water after he’s cooled down turn and revisits old of a plot where we could tie the two factors - big seems out of place,” he adds. Bollywood movie house and lords - and portray the USP of the Meraj Hasan, vice-president, strategic plan- scenes showing “We thought of product in an interesting manner. Also, because ning, Everest Brand Solutions call it a ‘confused’ notorious Thakurs, the cooler is very much an Indian product, it idea, which has lost the difference between thirst only to return to the a plot where we was felt that the TVC should incorporate the and cooling. present where the could portray desi factor.” He says, “It is all over the place, lacking a cen- Thakur is pacified by Apart from the TVC, the company has also tral thought. Is it about thirst? Is it about thirst the wave of cold air the USP of launched a print campaign and outdoor activa- in a big house? Is it about the water cooler? I from the Storm. the product in tions across the country. simply ’t get it. Even the execution is all over Speaking about an interesting the place, with that abrupt usage of a Bollywood the idea, Rajesh FUNNY IN NATURE? cut and an already over-used Shakti Kapoor-type Mishra, head, mar- manner.” he television commercial draws mixed voiceover.” „ keting, Symphony, RAVINDER SIWACH Treviews from advertising professionals. [email protected]

<< FRQWLQXHGIURPSDJH the target segment - the youth. “We call this the generation of ‘experience junkies’ who go to various lengths to Will it... achieve larger than life experiences,” he opines. storm (no pun intended)? afaqs! However, he doesn’t think this Reporter finds out. is the best interpretation of ‘bold For starters, starring Mahesh leadership’. “There are many more Babu in a mainstream TVC may well relatable or even aspirational inter- be a lost cause because non-South pretations of bold leadership that Indian or non-Telugu speaking con- could have been used. Also, I am not sumers of Thums Up residing in sure if this is what the youth of the metros such as Mumbai and Delhi country are looking at as the next do not recognise him for the star that tle, here, he starts with one. “That Dew that carried the tagline, Darr level of an adrenaline rush,” he adds. he is. But that’s not all, the industry used to be the greatest differentiator Ke Aage Jeet Hai. Singh predicts that On the evolution of the Thums veterans tell us. for Thums Up,” Singh observes, while the younger generation may Up Man, Talwar says, “It’s an obvi- Satbir Singh, managing part- adding, “I wish it was retained. The not be too judgmental of the ad, the ous logical move on the part of the ner and chief creative officer, Euro change is distracting.” older consumers with years of nos- brand but the real question is, ‘Is it RSCG India says that the ad is a He reminds us that taking a swig talgic baggage will. differentiated?’.” More than a new departure from what Thums Up of the drink being advertised and According to Gautam Talwar, interpretation, Talwar sees it as a advertising has traditionally been - then jumping from various heights chief strategy officer, Rediffusion- move to merely refresh the old com- while earlier, the character went to is something we’ve already seen in Y&R, the new tagline, serves to munication. „ extreme lengths to get hold of a bot- commercials for Pepsi’s Mountain successfully establish a connect with [email protected]

18 afaqs! Reporter, April 16-30, 2012 ADVT

1 3

1 Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan with her mum Vrinda 2 The star-studded audience that included Atul Kasbekar, Usha Uthup, Sophie Choudhary and Ritu Kumar 3 Kangna Ranaut applauds a winner 4 Ekta Kapoor collects her award from Dipannita 2 Sharma and Ahalya S, Rasvihar FOR ALL THE 4

WOMENWOMEN 2012 20 1 WINNERS AWARDSAWARDS 2 YOU ARE InIn assassociationociation witwithh March 22, 2012 is a dayay UUshasha UUthup,thup, whosewhose 20 women won’t forgett iimpromptumpromptu performanceperformance 6 in a hurry. That’s the dayay ppumpedumped thethe room wwithith they were felicitated forr aadrenalinedrenaline anandd got PriyankaPriyanka excellence in their line ooff and SShiamakhiamak Davar uupp on work at the L’Oréal Paris-ris- stastage!ge! TheThe eveningevening was Femina Women Awards,s, iinn hhostedosted by momodeldel DianaDiana association with Rasvihar.har. HaHaydenyden and stand-up The red carpet was studdedudded comedian Ash Chandler.Chandler. with the most glamorousus of celebrities, like actorsrs SSonaona Mohapatra’s Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan,han, ththroatyroaty voicevoice scorchedscorched , Kangnagna tthehe micmic in thethe firstfirst Ranaut and .a. pperformanceerformance of the evenevening.ing. ThingsThings The winners list was packedacked wwrappedrapped upup withwith with powerful personalities,lities, a roar, tthankshanks to like producer Ekta Kapoor,poor, a cchargedharged ddanceance fashion designer Ritu sequence byby 5 Kumar and artist Kahinini ArteArte SShiamakhiamak Davar’s Merchant; and the carpetpet IInstitutenstitute ooff PerformingPerforming 8 7 5 Sonam announces was rolled out for the nextnext AArts,rts, who brought to lilifefe the Beauty Specialist generation of champions,ns, tthehe symbol of the Awards, winner 6 Mr & Mrs like squash player Dipikaka ththee ever-changing,ever-changing, ever-ever- Tarun Rai, Worldwide Pallikal, fashion designerner fascinating tangram. Media, with Mr & Masaba Gupta and singernger Mrs Jacques Challes, Sona Mohapatra. IItt was an eveneveninging thatthat L’Oréal India cecelebratedlebrated thethe manmany,y, 7 Dr Firuza Parikh The awards were presentedented mmanyany domains in which accepts her award from by youth icons like Sonamnam wwomenomen havehave distinguisheddistinguished Satyaki Ghosh, L’Oréal Kapoor as well as stalwartswarts ththemselves.emselves. AAndnd we India 8 Queenie Singh like cricket commentatortor hhaven’taven’t even scratchedscratched with photographer Harsha Bhogle and singernger tthehe sursurfaceface yet.yet. Jatin Kampani

14 9 Natalie Gerschtein, L’Oréal ParParisis 10 AAjitjit VaVargehese,rgehese, MMaxusaxus 11 MMrr & MMrsrs MMadhukaradhukar KamathKamath,, Mudra GGrouproup 12 MMrr & MMrsrs LLutzutz KKothe,othe, VolkswaVolkswagengen 1133 Mr & Mrs MMichaelichael PerschkePerschke,, AudAudii IndIndiaia 14 Tarun Rai, Worldwide Media, presents designer Ritu Kumar her Achievement award 13 12 11 10 9

15 Priyanka Chopra dances to Darling 16 Online Influencer nominee Malini Agarwal 17 Natasha Poonawalla 18 Breakthrough Performance winner Poorna Jagannathan 19 Lara Balsara, Madison 20 Lara Dutta took home the Favourite Face Of 15 116 17 18 19 20 A Cause Award PHOTOGRAPHS BY SAMEER MANGTANI, VILAS KALGUTKER/EXCHANGE4MEDIA PHOTOGRAPHS BY SAMEER MANGTANI, 1(:6',*,7$/ CENTER FRUIT Setting Tongues Wagging Conceptualised by media agency , celebrities tweeted to make a teaser video go viral before the Mirchi Music Awards was aired on Colors. By Biprorshee Das

hile marketers have always been enthusiastic about Wriding the social bus, social media exercises have long been equated with activities on Facebook. Gradually advertisers and agencies are warming up to the significance of The activity saw the other platform, Twitter. Recently, Perfetti Van Melle’s celebrities such as fruit-filled bubble gum Center Fruit turned to the microblogging service VJ Bani tweeting to promote a branded content seg- about the video. ment in the Mirchi Music Awards. Ahead of the awards show being nently featured when Shaan held up aired on Colors over the weekend, a Center Fruit to distract his fellow celebrities tweeted to make a teaser host, singer Usha Uthup. video go viral. Shailja Vohra, national director, Conceptualised by media agency Maxus ESP, says, “The impact of Maxus, the activity saw celebrities the integration lay in executing a such as Sophie Choudhry, Eesha seemingly complicated tongue wag- Koppikar, VJ Bani and Poonam ging act in a manner that would Pandey, among others, tweeting uphold the values of the brand. The about the video. choice of the platform was dictated The video featured singer and by the fact that even the brand com- the host of the show, Shaan, being mercial showcases musicians, and interviewed just before he was about Mirchi Music Awards is among the to take stage. During the interview, trusted and established shows in the the journalist holds up a jar of genre.” Center Fruit, which promptly gets Saha adds that the activity shows Shaan to do a tongue wagging act the way for the industry to leverage that stays true to the product’s long- Twitter as a medium. held idea of tongues wagging at the Nikhil Sharma, marketing direc- bubble gum (Kaise Jeebh Laplapayee). Vohra and Saha: Twitter teases tor, Perfetti Van Melle India, agrees The video was similar to Center and adds, “The quality of innovation Fruit’s TVC where a singer competing with a Maxus. executed for Center Fruit pushes the benchmark tabla player wins the jugalbandi when the bubble Saha says that his team came up with the idea further on how to use multiple media.” gum makes the former go tongue wagging non- after spotting how top trending topics in the The agency plans to take the amplification stop. evenings in India tended to pick up what was ahead with radio. In the first week of this month, This was one of the few times a brand used the being shown on television. He says that the team contests will be held on Radio Mirchi that will sponsored tweet route to create a teaser online decided to turn the trend around using Twitter have radio jockeys asking listeners to enact the to amplify a television show scheduled later in to promote a teaser before the show went on air. tongue wagging act witnessed on TV. „ the day, informs Sudarshan Saha, client leader, During the show, too, the brand was promi- [email protected]

<< FRQWLQXHGIURPSDJH Prathap Suthan (aka Pat), chief they kept the creative to just base stories of how kids drag in all sorts creative officer, iYogi and found- level work. The ‘If only’ route is not of muck and leave them all around,” er, The Advisory thinks that it is a new.” he explains. Clean, but Clear? great product story but the creative Suthan opines that the user ben- He also does not find the anima- falls short. “In these days of me-too efits of this feature could have been tion too spectacular. Suthan says that TVC is a bit subtle. “I had to watch technology and quick-disappearing a very rich area to dig for stories. for a moment, he thought that he the TVC twice in order to know product pluses, the iClean is a defi- “Even if they wanted to keep it in the was looking at a Dulux ad. “The old what’s happening. The AC is no nite winner. Most of us know what product story, they could have kept English sheepdog has been associated longer a niche product. It is for the dust choked AC filters can do, both the story more in the real area instead with Dulux paints for a very long masses. In India, we like something in terms of cooling and the hygiene of paintings, couches and carpets time. Also, since the film began with that is loud,” he says. or pollution angle. I wonder why coming alive. Our homes are full of a painting, somewhere everything Overall, Padhi feels that it is an connected. Ideally, if they wanted to interesting product feature and you use a dog, they should not have used do not need to call someone to ser- The ads for various air conditioners these a breed even remotely connected to vice your AC. “But, it could have days highlight everything but the effective a brand. They wouldn’t have used been better had it been more obvi- a pug, would they? “ asks Suthan. „ ous,” he adds. cooling of the AC. [email protected]

20 afaqs! Reporter, April 16-30, 2012

35(6(176 &$03$,*175$,/ New campaigns across television, print, out-of-home and digital media. TELEVISION

EBAY FASTRACK TATA DOCOMO The campaign highlights the fact that eBay offers a gamut The Fastrack TVC, shot in Goa, shows a bunch of men Tata Docomo has come out with a new campaign just in of products and services that will help consumers realise playing beach volleyball while the camera focusses on their time for IPL 5, for Tata Docomo and Photon Max featuring their endless wants and aspirations. One of the TVCs sunglasses. Ranbir Kapoor playing a cranky elderly restaurant owner. shows a girl who has won a beauty pageant from her town Creative Agency: Draftfcb Ulka and now aspires to be Miss India. Agency: Lowe Lintas Creative Team: K.S. Chakravarthy (Chax), Vasudha Agency: Law & Kenneth Creative Team: Arun Iyer, Rajesh Ramaswamy, Lohith Misra Media Agency: Zenith Optimedia Chengappa, Nataraj Janardhan, Rathindra Dasgupta Copywriters: Deepika Chauhan, Varun Popli and Murtaza Creative Director: Rahul Nangia Production House: Flying Pigs Production Said Production House: Old School Films Director: Bharat Sikka Production House: Storytellers Films PRINT TUPPERWARE SAFFOLA TALWALKARS FITNESS This newspaper The campaign The print ad innovation calls attempts at promoting features the the Tupperware’s a healthier lifestyle, central character Aquasafe offering as that is full of joy jumping with a ‘sip of bliss’, when achieved from the joy, at the it comes to sipping simple things in life. prospect of her water. getting a dream figure, courtesy Talwalkars. Advertiser: Marico Creative Agency: Creative Agency: IBD India McCann Erickson, Creative Director: India Jai Singh Creative Director: Art Director: Prasoon Joshi Gautam Bardhan Sr Creative Directors: Abhinav Tripathi, Denzil Copywriter: Geevargheese Thomas Machado Creative Agency: Deepak Ad, Indore, India Art Directors: Ajay Ram, Purva Bakalkar Visualiser: Yogesh Prajapat Copywriter: Ashirwad Mhatre Copywriter: Satyavrat Sinh Jadeja OOH DIGITAL

GODREJ INTERIO BBC ENTERTAINMENT GARNIER Godrej Interio hoarding for its limited edition sofas To create awareness about BBC Entertainment’s Garnier has launched the Burst BlackHeads campaign on was placed 15 feet above the ground. The sofas were documentary series Frozen Planet, a billboard with a Facebook, with banners on major niche sites. Characters separately attached to the hoarding giving it a 3D effect. frame depicting frozen ice was separately attached to like ‘Oily Omkar’, ‘Sticky Suzzie’, ‘Don BlackHead’ and ‘Lil The highlight of the hoarding was a live fashion show that it, with a view bringing out the frozen effect at the polar Don’ have been introduced to drive home the point of the was organised over it where real models performed a regions. key causes of blackheads being oil, pollution and dust. walk, showcasing the real sofas, all on top of the hoarding. Agency: Brandcomm Agency: Milestone Brandcom Agency: Foxymoron Exposure: Mumbai Exposure: Delhi and Mumbai

Got some great campaign that has been published recently? Upload it on afaqs! for the world to see. Visit: www.afaqs.com/advertising/creative_showcase

22 afaqs! Reporter, April 16-30, 2012

1(:6',*,7$/ AXE Bullish on Digital The deodorant brand has launched a campaign on Twitter and YouTube to lead up to the mainline TVC for its new strengthened fragrance. By Nisha Menon

industan Unilever’s deo- even without people knowing dorant brand, Axe has the product. The idea behind Htaken to digital in a big a hashtag campaign on Twitter way to introduce its new vari- was to generate hype and ant, a strengthened version of its buzz before the product was fragrance. revealed. In the first phase of the cam- Commenting on how the paign, which is now live, the digital initiatives for Axe fra- brand has used a mix of Twitter grance help it to generate buzz and YouTube, along with a on mainline media, Teny adds, revamped website to lead up “By being present on digital to the mainline television com- platforms such as YouTube and mercial that premiered during Twitter, it is possible to add a the recently-concluded considerable fillip to both the Cup. overall reach and frequency of Commenting on the digital the relevant message. Owing campaign, Kedar Teny, catego- to the dynamic nature of vari- ry head, deodorants, Hindustan ous digital media, it becomes Unilever, says, “Axe has strength- possible to convey the relevant ened its fragrance to meet the message in multiple creative Indian consumer preference. The and innovative ways.” brief given to the agency was to The breaking news format bring alive the proposition (New that Axe has adopted on the Axe is so strong that...) in the digital medium (YouTube) to digital space, a medium that is convey the message of ‘New increasingly becoming the pre- Extra Strong Axe’ over the ferred destination amongst the past week has been exten- target group.” sively shared and viewed As part of the campaign, the on social media platforms. brand has revamped the Axe According to numbers pro- website to drive the point of an vided by HUL, the YouTube extra-strong deodorant. The site masthead property has deliv- promotes the brand proposition ered 5.2 million impressions of a stronger Axe for men by not overall, touching 2.36 million allowing women to ‘enter’ and unique users. browse the website. The ‘Breaking News’ TVC has also received The backbone of the first phase of this cam- As part of the campaign, 1.57 million full-video views. paign, developed by digital agency 22feet, is the the brand has revamped The brand also plans to roll out subsequent use of Twitter. The agency introduced a hashtag phases of the campaign, which will include #stronglyattractedto to lead up to the TVC pre- the Axe website to drive Facebook, the mobile platform and other inno- miere. People were asked to tweet with this vations to give the conversation another relevant hashtag. The virality of the microblogging site the point of an extra-strong channel in the digital space. „ ensured that the hashtag trended for two days, deodorant. [email protected]

GOGOL MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT WORKING TOGETHER After a slowdown in 2009 and 2010, the pace of mergers and acquisitions in the media and entertainment sector has picked up. Are media owners finally consolidating? By Sumantha Rathore

ecently, Sony Pictures Television entertainment, print, cable and satellite (C&S), “There is entered into a strategic alliance with digital and broadcasting. The big one this year recognition in -based Maa TV Network came when TV 18 acquired the Eenadu Group (MTN) to acquire a 30 per cent stake in (barring its Telugu properties) for $395 million terms of valuation. Rthe latter and try its luck in the Southern market. (`1,975 crore). Just over a year ago, not many Earlier, the national Though the financial details are yet to come in, a companies were trying to invest in another. Some players used to letter of interest has been signed. MTN operates were getting out instead - NDTV exited the GEC look at regional four Telugu channels, the flagship Maa TV (a space by selling its stake in NDTV Imagine to media as small- GEC), Maa Movies, Maa Music and Maa Gold (a Turner International. What has changed now? time players.” second GEC that focuses on urban youth). There I VENKAT, BACK STORY have also been media reports that the Aditya Birla EENADU Group is in the fray to acquire a 26 per cent stake hen Zee entered into a partnership with in Living Media India. WSTAR TV, the Rupert Murdoch-owned Strategic alliances, mergers, acquisitions and News Corp subsidiary, way back in 1994, it paved the way for the other eager-to-grow media houses. private equity deals. It is all happening in the According to the pact, STAR had agreed not to media and entertainment sector. From fiercely broadcast more than half of its shows in Hindi. In protective, family-run businesses, media owners REVIVAL OF INTEREST 1999, STAR sold its stake back to founder Subhash are opening up to work with partners. Five years 900 Chandra for $300 million. 803.16 ago (according to VCCEdge data, the financial 800 779.87 Those were the nascent days of the Indian media research platform of VCCircle), deals worth $373.2 700 industry, which was driven by the need to kickstart 560.77 million were struck. Though it jumped to $803.2 600 itself. But, today, that has changed, both in terms million in 2008, the next two years were tame. of the size and the number of companies operating 500 535.57 In 2010, the value of deals fell to $393.6 million. 400 in media. Atul Das, corporate strategy officer, Zee 393.56 There was a turnaround in 2011, when that figure 300 373.22 Entertainment Enterprises says that people now doubled. The standout deal that year was Walt Deal Value ($ mn) 200 have realised that they cannot continue with the Disney upping its stake in UTV Motion Pictures 100 business the way it is. Therefore, it is better to go by 41 per cent to own 90 per cent of the latter. for consolidation or sell out. 0 The first three months of 2012 have already 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012* History repeated itself in May 2011 when Zee seen deals worth $609.2 million (`3,050 crore). Source: VCCedge; (Deals include: advertising, broadcasting, cable & and STAR India got together, this time to focus This includes deals in advertising, movies and satellite, movies & entertainment and print) *January to March on the C&S business and accelerate the pace

28 afaqs! Reporter, April 16-30, 2012 &29(56725< of digitisation. The two fused their distribution was Sun18, a JV between Network 18 and Sun “They (the big businesses to form Media Pro Enterprise, a 50:50 TV (for distribution), Jagran Prakashan’s buyout players) needed JV between Zee Turner and STARDEN Media of Naidunia Media last month, Marathi daily strong regional Services to aggregate and distribute channels. Lokmat’s tie-up with Yahoo! for Marathi content, Digitisation has accelerated the spate of Educational Trustee’s (from the promoters of Dina properties to investments. Smaller players (LCOs and small Thanthi) acquisition of Metronation Chennai smoothen out MSOs) will need to raise capital and many will Television (an English news channel JV between any volatility in have go through the route of consolidation. “With The Hindu and NDTV) or Multiscreen Media cash flow and the need for capital going up, consolidation will buying Channel 8 in Bengal (renamed Sony Aath). profitability.” happen in the distribution space. Nowhere in the After the economic slowdown passed, regional JEHIL THAKKAR, world will you see over 60,000 players in the TV media became the hot spot and national players are KPMG distribution business,” adds Das. turning their attention to it. “They (big players) needed strong regional properties to smoothen out REGIONAL CHARM any volatility in cash flow and profitability,” reasons and so on, buyouts within one media have gained ook carefully at some of the recent media Jehil Thakkar, head, media and entertainment, momentum in the recent times. For example, Delhi Ldeals. There is a regional touch that is hard KPMG. But the regional ad market - despite the Press, a print player, took over two print titles in to miss. Apart from Eenadu TV’s buyout, there increasing reach and consumption in tier II and 2008 (Manohar Kahaniyan and Sathyakatha, both tier III towns - is still under-capitalised. Hindi) from Diamond Comics. More recently, it Regional players which have high viewership acquired two independent Kannada publications - “With the need but less ad money are likely to witness investment Nimmellara Manasa and Butti. Similarly, NDTV for capital rising, from financial investors and large players. Lifestyle Holding was acquired by Astro All Asia consolidation “Recognition in terms of proper valuation is finally Networks for $40 million last year and OLX Inc will happen in happening. Earlier, the national players used to was bought by Naspers for the same amount. distribution. look at regional media as small-time players,” Same-media deals have become popular expains I Venkat, director, Eenadu. because “media owners know the domain well Nowhere in the and a buyout serves as an extension of their core world will you find FLEXING THEIR MUSCLES? businesses,” says Thakkar. The foremost agenda 60,000 players.” hough any acquisition or merger is driven of those opting for M&As is building a national ATUL DAS, Tby strategic considerations like exposure to a presence. Though media firms have presence ZEE ENTERTAINMENT particular market or getting assets at a certain price across mediums, the scale is smaller in new businesses because the focal point is strengthening their area of core competence. 7+(%,**(5'($/6 FINE PRINT MONTH TYPE INVESTEE INVESTOR STAKE (%) VALUE ith the print industry expected to grow at Wa compounded annual growth rate of 9 $'9(57,6,1* per cent, large players are entering new markets October 2011 M&A Mudra Communications Omnicom Group Inc. 51 144.5 through acquisitions. There were a number of 79%52$'&$67',675,%87,21 significant deals in print. G+J International, a global magazine publisher, acquired a majority February 2011 M&A Kolkata Cable and Broadband Gujarat Telelinks 51 Undisclosed stake in Maxposure Media Group, BCCL bought April 2011 M&A V&S Cable Gujarat Telelinks 51 Undisclosed out the remaining 50 per cent stake held by BBC in April 2011 M&A TV18 Homeshopping Network SAIF, Network 18, GS Shopping Undisclosed 21.7 its JV, Worldwide Media (WWM), Jagran bought May 2011 M&A Star India Zee Entertainment Enterprises NA* NA Mid-Day in May 2010 and recently acquired Hindi daily, Nai Dunia Media while Asianet June 2011 M&A Eenadu Group TV 18 Network 100 395 acquired a 51 per cent stake in Kannada Prabha July 2011 M&A Sun Network Network 18 NA NA Publications (a Bengaluru-based daily). December 2011 M&A New Delhi Television Oswal Greentech 4.5 Undisclosed With pricing becoming more realistic now, there are people who are moving towards the December 2011 M&A Imagine Showbiz Reliance Broadcast Network 4.4 Undisclosed national stage. Girish Agarwal, director, Dainik April 2012 M&A Maa Television Network Sony Pictures Television 30** Undisclosed Bhaskar Group is of the opinion that a merger 029,(6 (17(57$,10(17 or acquisition has to be at a right price, at the right time and should have the potential to bring April 2011 PE UFO Moviez India Providence Equity Partners LLC Undisclosed 58.5 synergy to the business as well as inherent brand June 2011 PE Avitel Post Studioz HSBC Principal Investments Undisclosed 60 strength to sustain the change and improve on the July 2011 M&A UTV Software Communications Walt Disney Co. 90 486.4 same. “None of our acquisitions were done out of September 2011 M&A Scrabble Entertainment UFO Moviez India 26 44.4 ‘ego’, but were purely professional and business synergy oriented decisions. We allowed them (the 1(:0(',$ March 2011 PE Games2Win Clearstone Venture Partners, SVB Undisclosed 6 India Capital Partners “None of our June 2011 M&A Dimdim Inc Salesforce.com Inc. 100 31 acquisitions were done out of ‘ego’, October 2011 M&A Indiagames UTV Software Communication 30 21 but were purely 35,17 professional February 2011 M&A Maxposure Media Group India Gruner + Jahr AG & Co KG 55 1.7 and business August 2011 M&A Worldwide Media Bennett, Coleman and Co 50 10.2 synergy oriented March 2012 M&A Suvi Info (Nai Dunia Media) Jagran Prakashan 100 Undisclosed decisions.” GIRISH AGARWAL, 5$',2 DAINIK BHASKAR June 2011 M&A Timbre Media Saregama India 10 Undisclosed SUSHIL KUMAR Source: VCCedge and KPMG-FICCI Report; New Companies: Sun18, Media Pro Enterprise India; Value in $million FRQWLQXHGRQSDJH>> * In case of merger deal size is not applicable; ** Definitive Agreement is yet to be signed

afaqs! Reporter, April 16-30, 2012 29 1(:60(',$ STAR - BCCI What’s the Deal? STAR TV has paid ` 3,851 crore for the Star-BCCI deal, way above what Nimbus had paid. Evidently, STAR will have to bring in a 25 per cent hike in revenues. By Anindita Sarkar

he Star Group’s six-year deal tournaments, the Australia board, (July 2012 to 2018) with the THE DEAL IN DETAIL the England board and the domestic TBCCI, the national governing TAR Group, the Rupert Murdoch-owned Champion’s League T20. Now, with body for all cricket in India, to acquire Sbroadcast network, has bagged the media the BCCI coming in, it could be the media rights for international rights for international cricket played in India. a complete game changer for the cricket played in India is a well carved Valued at `3,851 crore, the agreement with network,” he says. out finish of the final bidding process. BCCI, the national governing body for all cricket Also, with the rights to broadcast However, one cannot deny that the in India, is for a period of six years (from July Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy and decision has come at a higher price 2012 till 2018) and covers 96 matches. Irani Trophy resting with STAR now, when compared to what Nimbus On an average, the STAR Group will pay the conglomerate could create an was prepared to cough out. Also, one about `40 crore per match to the BCCI, up from overall differentiated package which cannot overlook the fact that the latter the `32.5 crore per match that came in from could help sell such domestic events could not generate enough money for Nimbus before its contract with the BCCI was better. “This could lead to an increased the property - leading to a default on terminated last year on the claim that Nimbus viewership and thus more advertiser payments and thus termination of the had defaulted on payments. attraction,” Suriyanarayanan adds. four year deal (from 2010 onwards). The new deal stands in collaboration with Navin Khemka, managing partner, Covering 96 matches, STAR TV ESPNCricinfo and includes the broadcast, inter- ZenithOptimedia believes that the has paid `3,851 crore for the deal, net and mobile rights for the tourneys played Shankar: overjoyed deal has happened for good since ESS much above the amount that Nimbus in India. is more proficient at selling the game. Commenting on the development, Uday Shankar, CEO, STAR India, says, "BCCI had paid for the same (`2000 crore). is a great property and we are overjoyed to have an opportunity to develop it fur- On an average, the STAR Group ther. It was decided amongst ESPN-STAR Sports, ESPN and STAR that STAR would will pay `40 crore per match to BCCI, bid for the rights and if it won the rights, it would be exploited in collaboration STAR will have up from the `32.5 crore per match with ESS." that came in from Nimbus, before its While the tenders were filed by five media companies - STAR India, ESPN to increase the ad contract was terminated last year on Software, Multi Screen Media (Sony), Zee Entertainment and Times Internet - the the claim of defaulted payments. BCCI received bids from ESS; Sony; Bennett, Coleman & Co. (BCCL); and a consor- rates by at least Quite evidently, STAR will have tium involving TV-18TV 18 and Reliance.Re to bring in a further hikeike of The finalfinal bid tooktoo place only between STAR and Multi Screen Media, 15-20 per cent. 25 per cent in revenuesnues wwhereinherein SonySony emerged as the second highest bidder for an from this acquisition inn amountamount ofof `3,700 crore. “The matches that were shown order to compensate forr Meanwhile,Mea STAR acquired the rights to broadcast on Neo were too cluttered. Almost the difference. domesticdome events such as Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy every space was sold to bring in the There is almost a andand Irani Trophy. revenues and this created a viewership unanimous call that For the record, the board’s marketing committee block. STAR, on the other hand, STAR will have too sets the price for category A games at `31.25 crore is better at packaging and delivers increase the ad rates by atat per match plus `1 crore, while category B games quality viewing of the content. least 15-20 per cent to fill were set at `34 crore ($6.67 million) plus `1 crore. Therefore, it is expected that there this gap. The BCCI decided to call for fresh tenders after will be less advertising clutter on For the record, with iit cancelled its four-year (from 2010 onwards) con- the channels, making the viewership Nimbus, the BCCI propertyproperty ttract with Nimbus due to payment defaults. The deal more pleasurable and thus pushing wawas worth 2000 crore. was being sold for `2-3.5.5 lakh perper 10 ` up the ratings,” he notes. TTheh matter was subsequently referred for arbitration, seconds for ODIs. For Test matches, matches And, it’s not only the increased ad with the Bombay High Court ruling that Nimbus must deposit `305 the price varied between `40,000 rates from which the STAR Group crore with the court as security for the amount the BCCI claims it is owed by the and `75,000, depending upon the company. could gain. Many note that with the teams that played. (For ODIs, the Meanwhile, Nimbus has also made a counter-claim of `600 crore from the metros going digital, STAR’s option advertising seconds averaged between board. to earn revenues through subscription 6,000 and 6,500 seconds; while for could also go up significantly (an Test cricket, it is anywhere between estimated 15 per cent). 5,500 and 6,000 seconds a day). “The advantage with cricket is that Despite such rates, if Nimbus a substantial amount of revenues can failed to bring in the requisite be generated through subscription, monies, will STAR be able to attract and if digitisation finds its way, it could advertisers for the property coupled help STAR earn more revenues,” with an increased ad rate? says Dinesh Rathore, VP, Starcom R S Suriyanarayanan, business MediaVest Group. director, LMG says that currently, The deal also includes digital ESS controls major cricketing rights. With 3G proliferation finding countries, and with the BCCI deal more firm ground in India, STAR coming on board, the network could could leverage on it, thereby adding work on the chance to completely value to the overall revenue generating take over the cricketing business. streams of the BCCI property. „ “ESS already has the ICC (From left) Suriyanarayanan, Khemka and Rathore: revenues will come [email protected]

30 afaqs! Reporter, April 16-30, 2012

1(:6',*,7$/ RED BULL The Alternate Route The campaign is currently active on social media platforms such as Facebook and YouTube and showcases how the energy drink can enhance performance at work. By Nisha Menon

nergy drink Red Bull has exactly what our aim has been with launched a campaign to appeal the Corporate Chamcha video.” Eto the ambitious streak of peo- As part of the campaign, Red Bull ple who want to climb the corporate has also launched an online game. ladder through performance. It poses The game revolves around a typical Red Bull as a drink that helps them Red Bull character facing a num- to reach this goal, as the active ingre- ber of obstacles while collecting his dients in it enable one to give peak boss’ mail from the reception. The performance and thus rise to the top. character ridiculously rolls under, The essence of the entire campaign is smashes into and jumps over obsta- captured in the line: ‘Why climb the Singh, Bergmans and Saxena: the refreshing factor cles in an attempt to earn a possible career ladder when you can fly!’. promotion. At regular intervals, he is The campaign, which has a strong focus on performance, so one need rewarded with Red Bull, which re- the digital medium, is a tongue-in-cheek take not be a chamcha to be energises him and keeps him going on the Indian corporate culture, where a corpo- professionally successful. till he completes his task. The game rate ‘chamcha’ is ready to do anything to climb The film has been made by has been developed by Thin Martian the career ladder. As part of the Delhi-based agency, The of London. campaign, Red Bull has launched Brewhouse. Commenting on the campaign, a viral video on YouTube. Titled Describing the thought Vikaas Saxena, marketing direc- ‘Corporate Chamcha’, the film behind the video, Abhineet tor, Red Bull India, says, “With shows how ridiculous it is to be Singh and Emilia Bergmans, this campaign, we have a simple a ‘chamcha’ and presents an alter- co-founders of The message that Red Bull at work nate way to reach the top. Brewhouse, say, “The client increases performance, concen- The insight of the idea is that asked us to create a product tration and reaction speed.” drinking Red Bull keeps one that would promote drinking To further engage with sharp and enhances Red Bull at work and that is consumers, Red Bull has also introduced the Red Bull Corporate Chamcha Campaign on Facebook. Consumers can send The essence of the entire campaign is in the craziest and wackiest Corporate Chamcha lines/quotes heard at work. The post with the captured in the line: ‘Why climb the most ‘likes’ could win a year’s supply of Red career ladder when you can fly!’. Bull. „ [email protected]

INDIA SOCIAL SUMMIT Next, Johnson remarked, “Globally, ters the most to them and the social about 850 million people are con- network allows people to follow nected via Facebook, of which 425 those who they consider important. million remain connected from their And, it is here that ‘Unique Identity’ The Art of Storytelling mobiles and 500 million people log created on social networks plays an on from their computers. Facebook important role,” added Johnson. The first day of the India Social Summit saw receives 2 billion posts every day Then he stressed on how ear- Erik Johnson, vice-president, APAC, Facebook and 250 million photos are uploaded lier people lived in a more integrated every day. In India, currently it has a world, where they were aware about emphasise the need for brands to tell a story to user base of 50 million people. The their neighbours and interacted with build essential connection. News Bureau social network site is swarmed with them. With social networks, interac- information every day.” tion has now become more targeted. he first day of the India Social tators. Rather, they play a role in “People tend to listen to who mat- He explained, “It is no more about Summit held at the Leela deciding a brand’s role. A brand is blasting a message. Communication TKempinski, Gurgaon on April no longer what we tell the consum- needs to be more specific and target- 4 saw Erik Johnson, vice-president, ers but what the consumer tells us. Globally, about ed. For example, using the Facebook APAC, Facebook emphasise on the Therefore, it is important to tell a Page Post or Newsfeed, brands can need for brands to tell a story as it story so that the consumer can be a 850 million people have a natural and authentic conver- helps to build an essential connection part of that story.” are connected via sation, which the consumer would between a brand and a customer. He cited the example of how a value more.” Johnson started the session by woman called Deb was able to save Facebook, Concluding his presentation, he citing the example of Facebook her son thanks to a picture which she emphasised that while the traditional Timeline and how it encourages posted on her wall about a rash her of which 425 medium of advertising will exist, the people to tell stories by capturing little son had developed. Deb was million connect new medium will play a bigger role various moments of their lives. He later informed by the doctors that in targeted communication. „ said, “Consumers are no longer spec- her son had a rare immunity disease. from their mobiles. [email protected]

32 afaqs! Reporter, April 16-30, 2012 SAKSHI HAS ADDED MORE READERS THAN ANY OTHER TELUGU DAILY THIS QUARTER

1,42,29,000 total readership 93,000 new readers 1,42,29,000 1,41,36,000 1,39,47,000 1,39,39,000 1,34,74,000 1,29,84,000 1,25,13,000 1,33,78,000 1,32,23,000 2009 2010 2010 2010 2010 2011 2011 2011 2011 R2 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Another step towards leadership, another milestone crossed. As per the latest IRS report ,QGLDQ5HDGHUVKLS6XUYH\ ZHKDYHDGGHGUHDGHUVZKLOH(HQDGXKDVORVWVLJQLÀFDQWQXPEHU of readers. The preferred choice of Telugu readers, Sakshi’s total readership today stands at $W6DNVKLLWLVDERXWEHLQJDKHDGDQGPRYLQJWRWRPRUURZ doocreative.com

Source: TR, IRS 2011 Q4 1(:60(',$ MOVIES NOW Up with the Rates The channel will continue to stick to the commitments already made in the long-term contracts. The new rates will be applicable for the new advertisers and renewals. By Anindita Sarkar

n a bid to find the ‘right value’ for what it deliv- `3,000 per 10 seconds. Does this mean that movie genre, which had otherwise remained an ers, Movies Now, the English movie channel advertisers will have to revisit their contracts “undisturbed” territory until the foray of this new Ioffering of Times Television Network, has with the channel? “No!” says Trigunayat. “We competitor. In fact, experts note that Movies Now increased its ad rates by 100 per cent. will continue to stick to the commitments that has been averaging at a 10 GRP rank in the C&S According to estimates, the non-primetime rate we have already made in the long-term contracts. 15+ (All India) category, while for STAR Movies, of the channel will increase from an average of The rates will be applicable for the new advertisers the average GRP is around 11 points. `1,500 per 10 seconds to `3,000. The primetime For some, the move to match STAR Movies’ rate, meanwhile, is expected to move up from demands seems quite logical. According to an average of `6,000 to `12,000. The ad airtime “We thought it was Sudhir Raju Puthran, media group head, MPG, available on the channel is 12 minutes an hour. Movies Now has seen a 15-20 per cent increase When quizzed on why the channel decided time to cash in on in viewership in the last year. “If the inventory is to go for a hike, Ajay Trigunayat, CEO, English the performance expected to go full, then the channel is left with Entertainment Channels, Times Television no option but to increase its rates to generate more Network, says, “We have been delivering and correct our revenues when the choice of upping the inventory consistently but it was not reflecting in our pricing from this time remains invalid,” he says. pricing. We thought it was time to cash in on the year onwards.” Vidhu Sagar, senior vice-president, Carat Media performance and correct our pricing from this India, notes, “Movies Now has been performing year onwards.” Trigunayat adds that the channel AJAY TRIGUNAYAT well within the given genre. But it has still not did not want to increase the inventory time as that earned the status of a market leader. STAR Movies could disturb viewership. “There was no other is still the undisputed leader when it comes to option but to increase the rates,” he explains. coming on board and on deals which are ready for perception. Also, the English movie genre is used For the record, for STAR Movies, primetime renewal.” But, does a 100 per cent increase in ad in a media plan with more frequency and reach, rates range between `10,000 and `12,000 per rates find logic in the advertisers’ books? and Movies Now is not always a part of that plan. 10-second spot, while for non-primetime, the No one denies the fact that the launch of Movies It could be replaced with HBO or Pix.” „ variation could be anywhere between `2,000 and Now created significant ripples in the English [email protected]

<< FRQWLQXHGIURPSDJH happen in the West. Even in our case, we still hold “Most M&As are Telugu and some other properties,” adds Venkat. growth-driven Working Together It is not just losses that force firms to look for decisions since, investment. “Many have opened up by inviting many times, acquired companies) to maintain their original strategic investors or going public. These are businesses need to identity, primarily editorial philosophy,” he says. growth-driven decisions since businesses need to Dainik Bhaskar was one of the first movers in raise money for expansion plans,” explains Anant raise money print to have initiated the M&A philosophy in Nath managing editor and director, Delhi Press. for financing 1992, when it acquired a majority stake in Choutha expansion plans.” Sansar, a newspaper based in Indore. Subsequently, WAY FORWARD ANANT NATH it also acquired Saurashtra Samachar in 2004 (in ith the Indian M&E industry expected to DELHI PRESS Gujarat) and Divya Prabhat (Indore) in 2005 and Wgrow at 14-15 per cent year on year, there is SUSHIL KUMAR later on set up DNA in a JV with Zee Network. a lot of room for growth of the sector. Experts feel that more transactions will happen in TV. be more red ink in the balance sheets. This will THE CHALLENGE With most of the channels continuing to lose lead to consolidation,” explains Kandhari. he biggest problem troubling the industry is money and with the new digitisation policy coming The digital space has been quiet but online Tprofitability. “The industry will have to opt in, the broadcast distribution space will be buzzing gaming emerged as a strong segment for M&A for consolidation, because the companies can’t with action. “Some of the 800-odd channels will activity in 2011 as both financial and strategic afford to make losses for so long,” asserts Timmy have to opt for consolidation. So if digitisation investors tried to get a share of the estimated $280 S Kandhari, national leader, E&M and executive goes well, we will witness private equity funding million pie (FICCI-KPMG). Some major deals director, PricewaterhouseCoopers. happening. If digitisation doesn’t happen there will did take place though. PE players invested in It is not always easy to find a buyer – or a Games2Win, while UTV Software acquired the seller. According to Vikash Mantri, a senior media additional 30 per cent stake in Indiagames in a deal analyst - who tried searching for an investor for “The industry worth $20 million and G+J International, through a Hindi daily for five years, only to give up later will have to opt Maxposure Media, acquired Network2play. on - investors are still wary of media deals. He for consolidation, The industry is at an exciting juncture. Ronnie points out that valuations become a problem if because the Srewvala, managing director, The Walt Disney Co the company up for sale is a loss-making entity. companies can’t India, at the time of UTV-Disney deal, had said, The acquirer has to put in lot of effort and money afford to “With the middle-class expected to grow from 50 in reviving that entity, which is not worthwhile make losses for million to 500 million-plus by 2025, this market always. One example is that of Mid-Day shutting offers huge potential for us to deliver quality its Delhi and Bengaluru editions, a year-and-a-half so long.” branded entertainment to consumers.” Going by TIMMY KANDHARI, after being acquired by Jagran Prakashan. the action, everyone in the sector seems to agree. „ “In India, we do not see the kind of M&As that PWC [email protected] SUSHIL KUMAR

34 afaqs! Reporter, April 16-30, 2012

32,1762)9,(: Is Content on Indian GECs Getting Too Bold for Comfort? Bade Achche Lagte Hain’s 20-minute love making sequence may not have set the TRP charts racing, but its showcasing on national television has raised a new debate. By Anindita Sarkar

9,9(.%$+/ +9,6+:$1$7+ 3$5,726+-26+, 6+5,3$'.8/.$51, Chief Content Officer, Turner India National Trading Director, MEC Chief Operating Officer, STAR CJ Live CEO, Allied Media Network SUSHIL KUMAR FOTOCORP IN THE RACE TO GRAB YES, IT IS GETTING TELEVISION IS LIKE I DON’T THINK GECS EYEBALLS, ANYTHING BOLD. BUT SINCE THE MAGIC MIRROR OF ARE GETTING TOO GOES, SEEMS TO BE INDIAN VIEWERS ARE FAIRYTALES. NOT ONLY BOLD. THE SCENE IN THE MANTRA. WHILE ALSO EVOLVING, SUCH CAN IT REFLECT THE BADE ACHCHE SOME WILL WELCOME CONTENT WILL ONLY PRESENT REALITY OF LAGTE HAIN (BALH) THIS NEW ‘BOLDNESS’ BE ACCEPTED IF THE SOCIETY, IT CAN ALSO FITTED VERY WELL IN AS BEING PART OF A ROLE OR SITUATION PRESAGE WHAT LIES THE STORY. BESIDES, progressive society, others will in the serial demands it. ahead or offer plausible it could well have been a film and run it down as sensationalism. The ratio of women versus alternatives. It is challenged would have got a U certificate. We are in a country men watching such programmes by society and in its turn, Technically it didn’t cross the where TV viewing habits is very high across TGs and cit- challenges back. line either. Yes, it was a little and patterns are drastically ies. The most important reason The establishment of insti- overextended and prolonged. different from the west. What for such a trend is that they can tutions that regulate television However, the core issue we need happens when an unaware easily correlate their real life is a candid acknowledgement to look at is, whether families little girl comes across a situations to the one’s depicted - by the fraternity - that it can would have been embarrassed couple making out, while in the serial (good or bad) - for sometimes get derailed from watching it and hence whether watching her favourite soap example, a mother-in-law-daugh- the right path for a number it was appropriate for primetime along with her grandparents? ter-in-law relationship or the of reasons but is prepared family viewing. Therefore, more than relationship between sisters-in- to stand up to the scrutiny It does look like the core censorship, a self-regulated law. Channels have to be careful of a jury of peers that the viewers of BALH didn’t quite ratings system might be the with what content they choose as participants themselves have approve of it. But there was no call of the day. it can have a direct impact on the empowered with the author- real reaction or backlash. My Eventually, with more viewers’ thought process and can ity of disciplining. verdict is - "Good show Ektaa niches forming, even GEC tick them off - given that more We cannot afford to be and Virendra". But we missed channels are sure to branch than 90 per cent of the house- reactive. Remember that an opportunity. Family view- out into targeting specific holds in India are still single TV. the audience votes with the ers would have loved a ‘family’ audiences. That will inform But I don’t think regulation remote. Channels are learn- treatment to their loved couple’s viewers of what kind of con- is the solution. Channels should ing from the self-regulatory union and not a filmy one. tent they could expect from themselves understand where to systems that whenever they what channel. draw a line. Also, I don’t see a have broadcast junk or tripe, great increase in viewership due they have had to pay dearly - to these situations. through lost audiences.

36 afaqs! Reporter, April 16-30, 2012

1(:60(',$ WOMEN’S HEALTH MAGAZINE What’s the Future? The India Today Group has launched its second title in the women’s health space. But are there any takers? By Sumantha Rathore

he India Today Group has launched its have 10 issues every year, with sion of content on the web and second title in the women’s health and fit- bimonthly editions for free newspaper supplements, the Tness space after Prevention. The new title, January-February and viability of a super-niche magazine Women’s Health, is targeted at a younger profile July-August. remains a question mark. - women in the age group of 20-30 years, while The title carries the afaqs! reporter spoke to a few Prevention is targeted at 30-40-year old women. tagline ‘Fit is the new media planners. The India edition of Women’s Health will sexy’ and has cover price of According to Amin Lakhani, `100 with an initial print of head, exchange, 45,000 copies. Media, it’s a natural progression “Women’s Health Highlighting the dif- to move from general inter- is about fitness, ference between the two est to niche - be it television magazines, Mala Sekhri, or print. However, while he looking sexy and COO, lifestyle and music, accepts that magazines are staying toned, India Today Group, says, “The slowly losing relevance, he Prevention is core TG of the magazines are adds that the ray of hope very different from each other. is that niche magazines are for the older While Women’s Health is about doing better in India com- women.” overall fitness, looking sexy and pared to the rest of the staying toned, Prevention is for world. “Publications are try- MALA SEKHRI the older women who want to ing to figure a way out,” he further adds. live and eat right and look after Lakhani opines that in India, women are their parents. The latter is very health-oriented, becoming more conscious of their health and fit- whereas the new title is fitness-specific.” ness, and if the content is credible then it will add “Niche Some other key differentiators between the two to the product’s value. magazines are titles are that while there is no fashion content in R S Suriyanarayanan, business director, Lintas doing better in Prevention, Women’s Health has regular style and Media Group, says, “Though every woman’s shopping sections. Moreover, the latter addresses magazine has a health section and they generally India compared the single mindset, Prevention is for family-ori- cater to a regular reader’s requirements, it will to the rest of the ented women. Another visible differentiator is the satiate the requirements of health freaks who need size; Women’s Health has a large format (A4 size), a detailed reading on a regular basis. As a monthly, world.” Prevention has a small-format (digest size). it can sustain with sizeable numbers,” he asserts. AMIN LAKHANI At a time when overall magazines are seeing a decline in readership, mainly due to the explo- FRQWLQXHGRQSDJH>>

4+, Tamil Nadu and Chennai), to the long power cuts that the state TAMIL NADU GECS the total GRPs of the genre stood had experienced. at 8166 points in February, down The state had witnessed almost from the 10557 points registered in 8-10 hours of power cuts, starting Off the Radar January. And, as of March 17, 2012, at 9 am in the morning till late in the total GRPs of the genre stands at the night. “This could be affecting Why has viewership of GECs dropped? Is it a 4599 points. viewership and, in turn, the genre, too,” says R S Suriyanarayanan, consequence of the extreme power cut situation, or POWER CUTS? business director, LMG. are the reasons more political? By Anindita Sarkar any note that the fall in the However, according to Kavitha MGRPs could be primarily due Srinivasan, partner, client leader- ship, Mindshare, the power cuts he Tamil Nadu general are generally held all across the day entertainment genre has parts and it is generally distributed Twitnessed as much as a 17 area-wise. This means all regions per cent drop in viewership during do not experience power cuts at the the month of February, 2012 when same given time. “Also, don’t forget compared to the preceding month. that almost every household, at least The average GRPs of the genre in Chennai, has an inverter or a gen- fell from 340 points a day in January erator,” she says. to 281 points a day in February. In fact, if one considers the GRPs POLITICAL? of the current month till March 17, nterestingly, another theory is the average GRP stands at 270 points Idoing the rounds – this time a day, registering a further fall. To be precise, according to TAM (C&S (From left) Suriyanarayanan, Srinivasan and Puthran: on the reasons FRQWLQXHGRQSDJH>>

38 afaqs! Reporter, April 16-30, 2012 1(:63(23/( '(),1,1*020(176

moment in my life. While he was around, he was SUBHASH KAMATH always the father figure. We all felt orphaned. MANAGING PARTNER, BBH INDIA Nirvik (Singh) became CEO after Ravi’s death. He asked me to return and head Mumbai. All of us came close together to form a leadership team at Trikaya, which then became Grey Worldwide. I had spent 11 years in Trikaya. Everybody expected me to leave after Ravi died but we all stuck on for a few years more - we could not let The Journey down an agency that had given us so much.

UP THE LADDER has Begun owards the end, I think I was getting a lit- T tle frustrated by the dilution of the focus on creative, which somehow did happen, after Again Grey took over. I eventually moved out when I was offered the role of chief operating officer by Ambience in 2000. Ashok (Kurien) and Elsie (Nanji) had created a wonderful agency. Nakul (Chopra) was there, an ex-Trikaya hand. I spent a wonderful four years at Ambience. The next big moment came when, in 2005, WPP offered me a chance to become CEO of Bates. I had fantastic mentors in people like Ranjan Kapur, Mohamed Khan, Jeffrey Yu and

FOTOCORP Matthew Godfrey. There were mergers and acquisitions. First he commerce graduate who was more interested called Trikaya was just set- Enterprise, then David and in a creative profession, has spent 25 years in ting up office in Kolkata. I “I took to then a company called Sercon. T advertising. met Ravi Gupta, its head, and advertising It was at Bates that I came into Fresh out of college, I was keen that I start my that was the second turning my own as a leader. I learnt career in Mumbai, the Mecca of Indian advertis- point in my life. I was abso- like a fish takes what it took to drive an organi- ing. I hadn’t done my MBA, so it was quite tough lutely blown by that man. He sation’s ambition, to instill a to get in those days. I finally managed to get into taught me the value of great to water.” strong culture, to create and Ogilvy as a trainee. Piyush Pandey was my boss. strategic thinking leading to motivate teams. There was a Ogilvy was a fantastic alma mater. As young great creative work. lot of laughter in office and bachelors, we spent all the time in office. It was a I was in Kolkata for only a year though, that was an indication of the morale. I was doing lot of hard work and we enjoyed doing it. Ogilvy before Trikaya gave me a chance to go to Delhi. well at Bates and not looking for a change, till was home. And so much fun. We used to have I worked in Delhi for about four years and then I got a call from BBH, an agency I have always musical evenings, grafitti competitions and a returned to Mumbai in 1993 as client services respected since I was a trainee. A chance to work trekking club, which was headed by Josy Paul. director. Within a year, I was given the chance with legends like Nigel Bogle, Simon Sherwood We had amazing people. The late Suresh to head its branch. That, at 28, was and Sir John Hegarty was something I couldn’t Mullick was a brilliant creative director. Mani my next defining moment. I never let geography let go. Here was an agency that created work Aiyer (who, too, is no more), the managing direc- restrict my work if the role is good. I packed up that had inspired generations of professionals. tor, was awe-inspiring. The moment I joined and went off with my wife and new-born baby. Work that was real, not scam. How could I not Ogilvy, I took to advertising like a fish to water. It was a tiny branch with 10-12 people. We be a part of it, that too as a managing partner in grew to 50 people in just three years. Everything the company? YOUNG LEADER we touched turned to gold. We had Arrow So here I am. And the journey has begun all moved back to Kolkata after Ogilvy for per- (shirts), Lee and Wrigley. We won Timex, Volvo, over again. As Bob Dylan wrote, “He not busy I sonal reasons. The Kolkata market was not big MTR, Britannia Cheese. Unfortunately, Ravi being born is busy dying.” „ but as luck would have it, a very creative agency Gupta passed away. It was another significant As told to Biprorshee Das

<< FRQWLQXHGIURPSDJH monopoly in the state. But with ible in smaller pockets of the state on The dispute between Arasu Cable Arasu coming in, Sun Network got Arasu Cable but on lower bands. TV and SCV is also being viewed stuck with negotiations demanding Sun TV, the biggest GRP grosser extensively on news channels. Off the... as much as Rs 25 crore to be a part in the market (with more that 60 per The launch of Puthiya of Arasu Cable,” says Sudhir Raju cent market share), has seen a 1,500 Thalaimurai from the SRM stable it’s with a ‘magnum’ political twist. Puthran, media group head, MPG. GRP drop over the previous month - has also regenerated the news inter- According to many industry insid- Meanwhile, a few top industry from 6422 points to 4906 points. est in viewers due to its new format ers, Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa’s executives who do not wish to be and variety. Suriyanarayanan notes decision to revive Arasu Cable TV named due to political implications A SHIFT TO NEWS? that with an almost 17 per cent drop Corp to kill Sumangali Cable Vision state that the penetration of Arasu edia experts state that the news in viewership, the channels would (SCV), the cable network controlled Cable TV is steadily increasing all Mgenre in Tamil Nadu saw as have to increase the run time of ad by Sun TV, and its near monopoly in through the state. “And since Sun much as a 10 per cent increase in spots even more in a bid to deliver the state’s cable business is showing TV, which holds the lion’s share in the last two months. This is driven the same CPRP. “And this could results. this market, is being stopped from by the news coverage pertaining to eventually hurt channel revenues “Until now, Sun TV Network beaming in key centres on the prime Jayalalitha expelling her close aide since rates would be adjusted accord- was available as a free-to-air channel band, the fall in the GRPs has started Sasikala from AIADMK, along with ing to the GRP delivered,” he says. „ because it had its own cable network to surface,” they note. Sun TV is vis- her 12 relatives in December, 2011. [email protected]

afaqs! Reporter, April 16-30, 2012 39 1(:60(',$ HISTORY TV18 Reaching the Top In the short span of its existence, History TV18 has not only eaten into the pie of the top player, Discovery, but also given a tough fight to NGC for the second spot. By Anindita Sarkar

here are more than half a dozen infotain- a share of more than 24 per cent. VIEWER’S VIEWPOINT ment or special interest channels in India Although the gap between the two mong the several things that the Tbut the three channels that have made players did fluctuate during Weeks Achannel tried, the Khan-effect a mark over the years are Discovery, National 8, 9 and 10, the fight was again seems to have worked wonders. Geographic and Animal Planet. Together, they neck-to-neck, in Week 11. Many found it quite unusual claim more than 95 per cent of the genre’s viewer- To validate the above: History when Bollywood star Salman Khan ship, of which Discovery claims the lion’s share, TV18’s relative shares for Weeks was roped in as the brand ambassa- followed by NGC and Animal Planet. 8, 9 and 10 stood at 23.3 per cent dor for a channel like History TV18. However, the equation seems to have changed, (against 25.4 per cent for NGC), His on-screen persona escaped the after the entry of History TV18 in October, 2011. 24.3 per cent (against 25.4 per brand-fit of the channel. By the third week of its launch (Week 41, cent for NGC) and 21.9 per cent However, it is pertinent to note 2011), the channel share for History TV18 went (against 25.7 per cent for NGC), here that Khan did offer the chan- nel the initial sampling, which it desperately needed. His job was to get the viewer’s attention and break the clutter, and quite evidently the intention was fulfilled. Vinita Bangard, managing director, Krossover Entertainment, a celebrity management firm, notes that Khan has not only added visibility to the channel but has also pushed up the overall popu- larity of the genre. “Since he is delivering content to the consumer as a consumer, the content eas- ily gets more palatable,” she says. Apart from the Khan-effect, it also managed to attract eyeballs with differentiated and fresh content. (From left) Bangard, Sagar, Radhakrishnan and Jamuar: a good view from outside History TV18 took a relook at the very defini- tion of the word ‘History’, in an attempt to move up from zero to 7.5 per cent. By the fourth week, respectively. away from the traditional concept of history being the channel claimed a share of 24 per cent - the In Week 11, NGC’s share stood at 23.5 per about dates. And therefore, shows such as Ice Road difference between the No. 2 player NGC and cent, compared to History TV18’s 23.4 per cent. Truckers, Swamp People, Top Shot, Sliced and History TV18 was only 0.8 per cent. Discovery, albeit holding on to its No. 1 posi- IRT Deadliest Roads-Himalayas were launched to However, NGC was not majorly affected but tion in the genre, witnessed a fair fall to 36 per cent represent the core genres during the initial phase. the top channel Discovery lost its channel share by in Week 7, before clawing back to 40.3 per cent in Vidhu Sagar, SVP, Carat Media India, says, 19 per cent points and came down to 39 per cent. Week 11 (as per TAM C&S 15+). “Typically, the infotainment genre suffers from During Weeks 6 and 7 of 2012, History TV18 So what has contributed to the success that surpassed NGC to claim the No. 2 position with History TV18 has achieved in such a short span? FRQWLQXHGRQSDJH>>

ZEE NEWS minutes of ads per hour, which that calculation open,” adds Varghese. annoys the viewers. At the same Sudha Natrajan, CEO, Lintas time, increasing con- Initiative Media feels that the Ambitious? tent should also work strategy may be a follow up in its favour, as it may to the TRAI regulation of a The channel has cut ad inventory and hiked ad increase stickiness and cap over the ad slots time. reflect in the ratings.” She says, “Though we are still rates. By Raushni Bhagia “The market decides fighting it as an industry, it on the acceptance or should work for the channel he Hindi news channel has Barun Das, CEO, Zee News, rejection of the ad rate if the industry follows.” taken a bold step. It has cut its says, “Though some low-investing increase. I would leave However, some movie Tad inventory by 30 per cent, brands have opted out, it should not channels are experimenting implying that ad airtime per hour affect the revenues. You lose on the with shorter or single break will go down from the usual 12-15 viewer with five-minute ad-breaks.” telecasts and advertisers are willing minutes to 9-12 minutes. Afaqs! Reporter spoke to a few to pay extra. To compensate for the airtime media planners to discuss if the move Natrajan adds, “Another fear is loss, the channel has increased its could work in favour of the channel. that this may result in an inventory ad rates by 40 per cent. As per mar- crunch for the industry as a whole. If ket estimates, top rung Hindi news MARKET DICTATES this happens, clients will have to plan channels claim a rate of `1,800-2,000 jit Varghese, MD, Maxus, says, in advance. Clients have developed a for 10 seconds. With a 40 per cent A“Reducing inventory must be habit of planning at the last moment, increase, the new effective ad rates a very conscious move. Nowadays, due to the plethora of channels.” „ will range between `2,500-2,800. even news channels are have 12-15 Das: revenues will be stable [email protected]

40 afaqs! Reporter, April 16-30, 2012 1(:60(',$

STAR GOLD << FRQWLQXHGIURPSDJH What’s... Show Time A senior media planner, on condition of anonymity, says that not more than 10 per cent of women readers would The movies to be premiered on the channel include Dabangg 2, be serious enough to pick up a health Housefull 2, Ghayal 2 and Kaal Returns, among others. The cost of each and fitness magazine. “I’m not sure if movie ranges from `15 crore to `35 crore. By Raushni Bhagia it would make much business sense unless there is some kind of a larger tie up with the brand or the brand itself is TAR Gold is betting big on movie premieres. risk-taking business but low spending always helps. into fitness products. Women’s lifestyle The movie channel has acquired the telecast Ultimately, the channel, viewer and advertiser trio magazines have a larger appeal and are a Srights for four upcoming films.The latest movie has to be satisfied and that is the ultimate aim of the safer choice for the advertisers”, says the acquisitions include Dabangg 2, Housefull 2, Ghayal 2 acquisitions. Apart from the big hits of 2011, the planner. and Kaal Returns. Earlier, the channel purchased eight -starrer Don scored good ratings Another senior planner is of the opin- other movies from Shree Ashtavinayak Productions, for us.” In 2011, the channel screened some of the ion that the Rs 100 cover price will act as which are still under production, along with Kahaani, most successful movies such as Bodyguard, Singham, Bol Bachchan and Golmaal 4. Ra.One, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara and Rockstar, among Though the channel refused to speak about the others. All these movies generated TVRs in the range ‘The magazine is expenses on this development, the cost of the mov- of 5-10. ies are estimated to be in the range of While Bodyguard broke all records targeted at single Rs 10-35 crore. The market estimates of television premieres by clocking for the Salman Khan-starrer, Dabangg 10.08 TVRs, Singham and Ra.One women who are active’ 2, is considerably higher at about Rs registered 8.79 TVRs and 6.7 TVRs, 50 crore. The network has reportedly respectively. a deterrent. “The question is whether the spent a total of about Rs 300 crore for Speaking about the marketing urban, giggly, SEC A&B women of the these acquisitions. plan of the premieres, Jhaveri adds, metros are willing to pay Rs 100 to read The satellite rights have been “Last year, we didn’t opt for a lot health and fitness content. With smart- acquired for seven to 11 years for of marketing for the movies. This phones and social media taking up most of multiple telecasts. STAR Gold boasts time, we plan aggressive marketing the time, internet has got all the relevant of a big cluster of overseas and Indian for these premieres. Marketing this is editorial stuff.” channels and hence expects better rat- like repositioning the movie for the Meanwhile, the India Today group ings for these movies. TV audience.” is trying hard to give the magazine the Hemal Jhaveri, general manager, For the records, many channels necessary push. To increase sampling, the STAR Gold, says, “The prices of have taken to movie acquisitions for group has tied up with 25 outlets of Gold’s satellite rights for the movies have aggressive revenue generation. While Gym across the country, and other fitness increased recently. Many of the Zee recently invested about Rs 200 clinics. movies bought by the channel were crore in acquiring several movies, “These places have the perfect environ- acquired about a year and a half ago. MSM’s Sony, too, announced similar ment for sampling as well as purchase,” Even the acquisition of Kahaani was acquisitions. says Sekhri. The group plans to launch a a pre-Dirty Picture phenomenon and Among the new lot of movies, TVC to highlight ‘how it no longer mat- we could get it at a lower rate than Kahaani will be the first one to be ters if you have a very pretty face, what what it must have been after the premiered on STAR Gold. „ matters is a well-toned, fit body’. „ success of the movie. Though it is a Jhaveri: good deals [email protected] [email protected]

<< FRQWLQXHGIURPSDJH has also managed to increase the ad volume was 31,000 seconds, by be evaluated on content and reach. 10-second rate for itself. February, it went up to 1,73,000 Creating fresh content will increase Reaching... As Sagar of Carat media says, “As seconds. For Discovery, the airtime the input cost,” he says. the channel started gaining numbers, volume per month ranges between “Also, audiences today are frag- the ‘wildlife’ syndrome. At a time most of the advertisers who included 3,50,000 and 3,80,000 seconds,” mented. Consequently, unless the when viewer’s fatigue was maxi- only Discovery in their annual plan, says Vikas Khanchandani, director, excitement levels of the channel are mum, History offered freshness with also began to include History.” Aidem Ventures. high, sustainance would be a chal- a differentiated content.” As per the industry estimates, the lenge,” says a senior media observer. Kunal Jamuar, executive director, channel currently claims a prime WAY AHEAD Even Sagar of Carat feels, “If there MPG says that apart from content, time ad rate of `3,000-4,000 per 10 ontent sustainability for History is no new content introduced in the airing that content in HD format also seconds, while for Discovery, the air- CTV18 could become a challenge, near future, the numbers may drop,” added to the channel’s viewership time rates range between `4,500 and note many. According to Avinash he says. quotient. “Also, regionalisation of the `6,000, while that of NGC ranges Pillai, national buying director, However, Divya Radhakrishnan, content in six languages during the between `2,000 and `3,000. Mediacom, the channel is in a Catch managing director, Helios Media launch phase helped further increase The channel has also seen an 22 situation. “To sustain, the chan- feels that for a niche genre, the rat- the channel’s visibility amongst audi- increase in ad volumes. “If in nel will have to demand higher rates, ing trends are not much pulsed, ences pan-India,” he adds. December 2011, the channel’s total and if it demands higher rates, it will generally. “Once a critical number is achieved, it tends to hold on to it for ADVERTISER’S PATRONAGE a longer period, unlike a GEC (gen- hat is important for the chan- Khan has not only added visibility to the eral entertainment channel) which Wnel is that it has not only channel but has also pushed up the overall needs periodic boosting to even sus- managed to find a place in the con- tain numbers,” she avers. „ sideration set of the advertisers but popularity of the genre. [email protected]

afaqs! Reporter, April 16-30, 2012 41 352),/( _1(:6 ANITA NAYYAR I DIRECTOR, CUSTOMER STRATEGY I BCCL Steely Calm

ayyar got into media planning at a time when it was male-dominated. she joined Lintas (then known as Initiative Media). The agency gave a lot Now, after 20 years, hers is a much-respected name. afaqs! Reporter of importance to the ‘art of servicing’. It taught her the dynamics of how Nprofiles the outgoing CEO, India & south-east Asia, Havas Media. to service and sell a plan to a client keeping the necessary objectives of the Behind that calm exterior of Nayyar is a steely determination to con- brand as well as the client’s demand in mind. “I joined the agency during quer new challenges. Nayyar has witnessed the massive change the media the mid-’90s and it was during this time that the ‘agency-of-record (AoR) industry has gone through first-hand, in a career that spans over two process started. Lintas became the first AoR for Maruti Suzuki followed by decades. And now, in herer new role as director,director, customer strategy,strategy, LG Electronics,”Electronics, remarks Nayyar.Nayy Bennett, Coleman and Co (BCCL), she is gearinggearing up for NNayyarayyar spent - on an averageaverage - about five to six years each in the agen- another set of challenges.s. cies she had worked exceptexcep for Mudra, where she stayed for just a Nayyar who holdsds a bachelors degree in year.year. “By the time I shiftedshift to Mudra, the concept of a full service Microbiology with a backgroundackground in PathologyPathology had agencyagency had gotgot completelycomplete eroded. Media, being the lesser mortal, no connection with thehe advertising and media was left to survive on its own,” she remembers. The year 2000 industry. She says, “I dreamtreamt of becoming a doc-doc- saw a changechange when mediam planning became a serious business tor and in spite of makingking it to two colleges,colleges, proposition with ‘profit‘pro centres’ being introduced. Around the I could not get an entryry because I was not a samesame time NayyarNayyar made a shift to Mediacom. She reminis- domicile of Maharashtra.ra. SoSo I returned to Delhi and started workingng as a microbiologistmicrobiologist (in the early ’80s).” Whilele in Delhi, her desire “There is no shortcut to to go beyond the world of science led her to pursuing marketing courses.rses. success. And I’ve worked At the same time, shehe got a jobjob at one the popular agencies of thatt era, Interpublicity. The hard to achieve mine.” agency was known for handling some of the biggest businesses suchuch as Kelvinator cences,cences, “With“W the concept of a full-service agency and Coca-Cola. “I finishedhed my mas-mas- beingbeing diluted,dilu agencies now operated as standalone ters in marketing while still workingworking businessbusiness entities working on balance sheets and at the agency,” she adds.. separateseparate maintaining profit and loss accounts. Life changed forr Nayyar TheseThese yearsy saw the transition of media as a busi- after she joined Ogilvy,vy, where nessness toto the business of media.” she got an opportunityy to workwork LifeLife took another turn when she moved under Roda Mehta. It waswas from to StarcomSta in 2003. “This was an interesting Mehta that she learnt thethe sci-sci- phase because I was responsible for setting the ence of planning, “Beforefore that, NorthernNorth India branch and developing it. At the it was mainly gut feel or buy-buy- timetime ofo my joining the branch was doing busines ing media during Ramayanaayana or worthworth Rs 5 crore. By the time I left, it was worth Mahabharata (the blockbusterkbuster RsRs 12512 crore,” she recalls fondly. serials on Doordarshan) or on In 2007, she moved to MPG as CEO. the first page of the Timesmes of She was later promoted as CEO, India and India or Hindustan Times.”mes.” SoutheastSou Asia of Havas Media. “When I sit Calling Mehta a greatat influ-influ- backbac to retrospect, it gives me a nice feeling ence in her life, she feelsels that,that, as most of my journey was not all planned. today, about 90 per centt of peo-peo- LookingLo back, there is no regret as I have ple in the top rung in thehe media livedliv with one motto all my life - There is industry had worked withth Mehta no shortcut to success. And I have worked at some point in their career.areer. The reallyre hard to achieve mine,” says Nayyar. „ next phase of learning camecame after [email protected] SUSHIL KUMAR %<,19,7$7,21 Well-known professionals write on issues that they feel passionately about

ANTONY RAJKUMAR Blame it on the Beer

t a crowded pub amidst the you become one! din of music, I managed to overhear a conversa- I’D BETTER WALK BEFORE I tion from a nearby table. CRAWL ItA wasn’t entirely surprising that t the beginning of the advertising the guys were from the advertising Acareer, one does a lot of things in fraternity, what with the extended the same position (read designation) happy hours generously serving up and as time passes by, the person to drown the sorrows of our profes- does pretty much the same thing but sion. One was saying why he wants in different positions (again read des- to leave his job and his friend was ignations). When realisation dawns, telling why he left so many. they become people who drink to Eavesdropping can sometimes be drown their sorrow! But when better very amusing - almost akin to a or bitter senses prevail, they are like naughty peep through the keyhole. the ones who have been told that sor- Combined with the disadvantages rows know how to swim! of wine, it made me mistake words Fortunately, the business is evolv- for thought! But I did leave the ing, growing and taking new shapes. place musing about the similarities When you’ve had one too many, you between why people hop pubs and say bye to Captain Morgan and find jobs, and put them in words. dry land close by for another shot. The trick is to stay high if you want THE PUB HOPPER 7KHWULFNLVWRVWD\KLJKLI\RXZDQWWR to stay in the business. ome just have non stick bottoms. SNomadic by nature, their CV THE BOUNCER IS GETTING runs several pages not essentially VWD\LQWKHEXVLQHVV ME FRESH AIR with achievements but with a list ell, okay! You don’t always of agencies that can give a serious The music could be good but you not playing together, you are in the Wleave a pub on your own. complex to a directory. You are what can’t put your foot on the dance floor wrong game. Sometimes you are taken out and you are. Until the day one of the because there are already so many will not be let in anytime soon, if global holding companies acquires doing the dirty dancing. If you are in THAT ONE’S GOT BOOZE ever. This one needs no explana- every single agency and makes it a the mood to move and shake it, you here are better things in life tion. Whatever the reasons you were rule never to rehire, one can enjoy move on to where you can do it! Tthan advertising, but advertis- shown the door, you are at least very the scenery. ing makes up for not having them. clear you have to find one someplace MUSIC IS BAD Face it, some agencies can just run else that will let you in. Happy hunt- NO MORE HAPPY HOURS ou cannot be blamed if the pub out of advertising. The business is ing and hey - mind the bouncer! hen an agency environment Yis playing bad music. For the changing so much that sometimes Wresembles that of happy hours, agency it is the culture. Let’s face it, one wonders if you had signed up I’D RATHER HAVE COFFEE it’s accommodative to all kinds. businesses come and go but the cul- for an auditing firm or an advertis- lcohol is necessary for a man so However, business challenges can ture of a place is stickier and if that ing agency. Some of us are better Athat he can have a good opin- bring happy hours to an end quickly, fails to glue in people and create the off with apple pies than pie charts. ion of himself, undisturbed by the leaving the revellers to slowly fade magic, it’s time. The litany of sorrows can go on, but facts’. You’ll find many who don’t away into the night. Many agencies perhaps there are some places where know this line but live by it, sit- have seen it happen. Conventionally, CAN’T STAND THIS CROWD advertising is still your idea of what ting pretty on bar stools. Advertising, the smaller/niche agencies clamp up ou may at some point have it should be. If you find one, walk too, in many ways creates such illu- fast but again, I may be wrong. Ywalked out of a pub finding the across and sign up! sions that get us hooked. The agency However, when the going gets crowd distasteful. Don Marquis, a business is also like the line from tough, even the larger ones start to man who performed many roles with THE LEGACY BAR ‘Hotel California’; ‘you can check look at their resources more carefully the pen wrote, “I drink only to make ome pubs have a rich history out anytime you want but you can and evaluate performances. It can my friends seem interesting.” Sadly, Sand we often enjoy spending an never leave’. Not true for everybody, get difficult for the ones who stay in that’s not a viable option. People evening or two in such places. The though. Some just call it a day after the game for free drinks. Find your don’t change overnight unless you workplace is an entirely different a long night and move on to more happy hour someplace else, mate! work with schizophrenics. matter, though, if it starts resembling mundane, less frenzied jobs. The worst of moments pass by if an archaeological site crowded with Don’t worry about how it looks to DANCE FLOOR IS TOO you are part of a good team and the fossils (people who are long past the others. Remember, beauty is in the SMALL best of it is barely tolerable if you are sell by date, but no one knows how eyes of the beer holder! „ nd then, there are times when in a crowd. The advertising business to get them off the rack!). You can’t Ayou feel that you are not getting is all about people but just a handful get past them with your ideas or with The author is associate vice-president and enough of the action. You feel stifled. can make it a bad crowd. If you are your career. So you keep moving till strategy planning director, JWT Delhi.

afaqs! Reporter, April 16-30, 2012 43 1(:6',*,7$/ BRANDS Take-over Talk What happens to strong brands after they are acquired? Do they get overshadowed by the parent company’s persona, or do they stand tall? afaqs! Reporter finds out. By Shibani Gharat

hree brands - Set Wet, Livon and brand will acquire the characteristics of the Zatak - changed hands twice. In corporate brand,” says Ramadurai of MIRC T2010, these three brands, owned by Electronics. What’s important in any merger Paras Pharma, were bought over by Reckitt or acquisition is the smooth transition of & Benckiser (R&B) and 18 months later an acquired brand into the adopted set the brands were bought over once again by up. When managed gracefully, the smooth Marico from R&B. integration of a brand can play an important So what happens when brands are role in conveying a company’s corporate acquired or merged, that too so often? strategy and intent to consumers, as well as Industry observers opine that usually, in the investors. low-to-medium involvement category, the “If a company buys a brand, it can let the consumer is unperturbed by the change. brand be on its own and not force its name And, if the brand holds a strong identity, the on the brand. There is no need to force a effect is zero. Unless the company makes an company’s name on to a brand unless it adds effort to communicate the same, consumers value to it,” says Ambi Parmeswaran, execu- SUSHIL KUMAR FOTOCORP FOTOCORP SUSHIL KUMAR (From left) Ramadurai, Desai, Sinha, Roy, Parmeswaran and Basu: points of view wouldn’t even be aware of any such change. “If the tive director and CEO, Draftfcb Ulka. brand is Dettol, how does it matter who owns it?” The acquired He cites the example of DaimlerChrysler. “I asks Anand Ramadurai, head, marketing, MIRC feel that was a wrong strategy. The two brands Electronics. In case of FMCGs, the relationship brand’s image alters were never able to amalgamate into a single cohe- between the consumer and the brand ends as with the new ownership sive brand that added value from the perspective soon as it is purchased, unlike a consumer durable of the customer. Daimler only spent time and where the consumer may have to go back to the or corporate brand. resources on its core business, the Mercedes company for after sales service. brand. There were very few common points At times, when the parent company is as strong In the case of the Air Sahara-Jet Airways deal, between the two brands, which worked against the as HUL, the effect may not be directly on the the repercussion was totally different. “The latter ‘brand combo’,” he adds. consumer but it influences the mediating stake- was a much superior brand offering than its origi- On the other hand, Toyota kept the Lexus holder - the suppliers, distributors and retailers. nal mother brand Sahara. Jet leveraged it to its full brand separate and it worked. “There is always a The acquired brand’s image alters with the new potential. The brand was rechristened as Jetlite rub-off, whether cultural influence or personality ownership or corporate brand. later and today no one remembers Air Sahara,” traits,” says Kamal Basu, head, marketing, Skoda Santosh Desai, MD and CEO, Future Brands, says Partha Sinha of BBH. India. It is necessary to synergise the brand’s iden- says, “In case of a relatively strong company such Often, the acquisition may kill the competition. tities keeping value maximisation in mind. “Take as HUL taking over a brand, there is a positive In such cases, the parent company tries to push its Skoda. Many believe that Skoda is a German brand influence of the company image on the brand. The own brand aggressively and plans a slow death for because of the Volkswagen parentage. In reality, marketing, packaging and distribution of the larger the acquired brand. But things could go the other we are Czech. Being tagged as German gives us an company play a role when it comes to influencing way too. For instance, when Coca-Cola acquired advantage because German brands are known for a decision of both the retailer and the consumer.” Thums Up, many thought that the Indian brand their quality and engineering,” adds Basu. There will always be an interaction between would vanish. But the fact is that Thums Up is still “Finally, the new ‘owner’ of the product brand the parent and the acquired brand, irrespective of the No.1 brand in the Coca-Cola family. can change the image of the brand. That’s what whether a relatively strong company takes over The category also plays an important role in marketing is all about and no brand can perpetu- a brand or vice-versa. Sometimes, there could many cases. Especially in high involvement prod- ally carry the same image unless some effort is be a clash between the two. There could also be ucts, the role of the parent company is immense. made to build on that,” postulates Ramadurai. great compatibility. In the case of Air Deccan It is common knowledge that Thinkpads are not While acquiring a brand, it becomes important and Kingfisher, the two had absolutely different made by IBM anymore. “Good or bad, the image to understand at what life cycle stage it is in. As individual philosophies. Kingfisher was known to has altered,” says Shouvik Roy, director, Elephant. Devanathan puts in, “It depends on the life cycle be flamboyant and luxurious, while Air Deccan, “In a category like paints, corporate brands are of the category in which the individual brand represented the middle class. Their philosophies dominant and in such cases, if the product changes plays, and its own stage within that life cycle.” „ clashed and we know what followed. hands, it goes without saying that the product [email protected]

44 afaqs! Reporter, April 16-30, 2012 %<,19,7$7,21 Well-known professionals write on issues that they feel passionately about

ASHISH MISHRA Happy New Everyday

ew Year happened a mate realisation that was somewhat immersion of senses is emerging as relishes it. while back. But, what romanticised, ironically, by two ter- more enjoyable. Whether it is the So would the hurried race of today the hell! Here’s wishing minally ill writers - the authors of rituals of wine drinking or savouring give way to labours of love - an age of everyone a Happy New two of the landmark books of the the delights of genuine local cuisine, gardening, DIY and taking courses NDay! Why? Well, simply because that recent times - The Last Lecture and the trends are reflected in the foodie to master what we really love to do? seems to be the new mantra echoing Tuesdays with Morrie. shows, food and travel books and Aren’t we seeing the revival of rituals across the culture. The spiritual maturity being behaviour shaping the new world for slowing down - tea and coffee Sample this - Nokia, the telecom advocated by the enlightened mod- culture. Food has clearly emerged as lounges, manual devices over auto- major on the wane, is making an matic ones, long walks, and popular attempt to resurrect itself by cel- easy and fun sports of yore like bad- ebrating ‘the amazing everyday’. minton, instead of gym workouts? McDonald’s, in its turn, aims to It’s really about having less and bait the bored-with-tiffin working feeling more - a simple philoso- class through its Value McLunch phy that perhaps could only have that promises fun every day. It may been explained by a Mexican to an have been precociously heralded a American. And, this is how it was few years ago by the clarion call of told: A group of rich Americans took the cult film, 3 Idiots - “aal iz well!” a vacation to a quaint Mexican island, Today - it’s no longer a stray pro- where the homes were ordinary gramme or a movie. An entire new thatched huts and life was simple. channel on Indian television brightly They were welcoming though, and and cheerfully announces, ‘Life Ok’. treated the Americans to the most What could be the reason behind amazing fish they had ever eaten. this new phenomenon of seeking “This fish is absolutely brilliant,” happiness just like that, every day, as gushed the American, “You could get against working towards it as a goal? top dollar for it back in the States.” How come it is suddenly getting “Yeah, ok,” replied the local, “But delinked from social and professional I’m not too interested.” success, and material possessions? “Tell me, my man, how many Well, the obvious answer could boats do you have?” lie in the taming of the economic “None. I catch the fish at the ambition. Thanks to the extended pier.” downturn, we seem to be moving “Well, you should get yourself a into a phase where we feel comfort- boat. That way, you can catch more able with less. Frankly, society is left 7KHVKLIWLVIRPUXQQLQJWRVORZLQJGRZQ fish.” with no choice on this count. Since “What then?” it can’t chase big success anymore, WRVLPSO\H[SHULHQFHPRUH “You sell all the fish and make lots it has to reconcile, slow down and of money.” enjoy whatever it has. “Sounds interesting. What next?” Then, there is saturation with the ern gurus is resonant, too. Swami the new genre in today’s program- “You buy more boats. Then catch dark shades of gloom. Years have Sukhbodhanand (the name, inter- ming. more fish. And make lots of money.” gone by living under the fear of estingly enough, means realising Actually, the desire to experience “Go on,” said the local with a uncertainty. People want to be posi- happiness!), during his sterling ses- more is a deeper trend. The shift is gleam in his eye. “What then?” tive now, no matter what. The only sion at the Ad Asia Seminar held from coasting to nesting, and from “Well then, my man, it gets really way to get out of depression seems to in Delhi, spoke about experiencing running to slowing down, to simply interesting because you can retire be a conscious choice of optimism as joy in everything one does, even as experience more. rich!” a way of everyday living. one blinks the eyes. The theme for Looking back, it already feels “Oh ok... And what would I do Not surprising, then, that the the seminar wasn’t any different. It wasteful to have invested an entire then?” emerging motivations for brands are focussed on not being cagey about lifetime in juggling so many things “Nothing! That’s the best part. in the area of feeling more alive, liv- uncertainty, and to rather embrace at once. Doesn’t it feel silly to have You just retire to a beautiful island ing more fully, brightly and happily. and celebrate it. wasted one’s youth in nothing but and laze around and fish all day.” Godrej as a master brand echoes the The search to experience more is a competition to achieve that mar- “Well, what do you think I’m feeling with its persistent advocacy of evident not only in the ads or mov- ginally incremental material and doing now?” asked the Mexican. Brighter Living. The recent restage ies we see, the books we read and professional success, which matters It may not be a bad time to ask a of brand Titan sees another nuance the events we attend, but also in the precious little outside the narrowly- similar question to ourselves, too. „ of the same idea - an optimistic way we are beginning to eat. It is no focused visions of myopic zombies? exhortation to ‘live the now’ irre- longer about wolfing down grub but The hero of the future will clearly spective of anything. about relishing the authentic experi- be the individual who takes the time The author is chief strategist and head, Living positively is also an ulti- ence of eating. Food that allows true to be really great at one thing, and Water (A part of the Interbrand Network).

afaqs! Reporter, April 16-30, 2012 45 1(:63(23/(

A round up of some major people movements >> MOVEMENTS/APPOINTMENTS<< in the last fortnight MEDIA MAINLINE

nita Nayyar has ended her five-year stint with he R K Swamy Media Group AHavas Media as CEO, India and Southeast Asia. Tsaw a new arrival. Sandeep She is all set to join Bennett, Coleman and Co (BCCL) Sharma joined as president, tak- as director, customer strategy during the end of this ing over from Chintamani Rao, month. She will be based who has moved into another role in Delhi. in the company. Earlier, Sharma Meanwhile, Deepak was senior vice-president, mar- Lamba, business head, keting and sales at Times Global BloombergUTV has put in Broadcasting, where he was part his papers at the organisa- of the start-up team of Times tion, ending his 28-month Now and ET Now. SANDEEP SHARMA VIVEK DUTTA FOTOCORP stint with the 24-hour Meanwhile, in a home- SUSHIL KUMAR English business news coming of sorts, Sanjay channel. Earlier, Lamba Sipahimalani returned to Bates as execu- responsibilities will include overseeing the was associate director, tive creative director (ECD). In his second entire planning for the agency, includ- Viacom Brand Solutions at innings Sipahimalani will report to Sagar ing retail, digital and interactive planning. DEEPAK LAMBA MTV Networks India. „ Mahabaleshwarkar, national creative direc- Dutta ended his five-year stint at Hakuhodo tor, Bates and his immediate mandate will Percept as VP and national planning head. be to take care of the Colgate account. Sourav Ray ALLIED Earlier in August 2011, Sipahimalani quit has joined Bates to join Percept/H as executive crea- Euro RSCG as ohit Samarth has joined DDB MudraMax as senior tive director, West and South, where he chief strategy Rvice-president of Terra, its rural marketing arm. He was responsible for planning, conceptualis- officer replac- will report to Mandeep Malhotra, president and head, ing and implementing creative strategies, ing Narayan Mudra Max - OOH, expe- managing the creative team and handling Devanathan, riential business and retail. business development. who left Euro In his new role Samarth Madison Media has found a replacement RSCG in will look out for new busi- for Punitha Arumugam, former group chief September 2011 ness opportunities for executive officer (CEO). Gautum Kiyawat and moved Terra, while meeting cur- will replace her and join the agency’s to Dentsu rent business objectives. Mumbai office on May 1 as Group CEO. Marcom. Ray SOURAV RAY Prior to joining Terra, Kiyawat moves in from Research In Motion will report to Samarth was working with (BlackBerry), Asia Pacific. Sushant Panda, Percept Out-of-Home as Meanwhile Cheil Worldwide SW Asia CEO and managing partner, Euro RSCG. business head of its rural had taken on board Vivek Dutta as vice- Prior to this, Ray was planning director at vertical. „ president, planning. At Cheil, Dutta’s Bates 141 China. „ ROHIT SAMARTH

TATA DOCOMO Speed With Mobility Two LED screens were converted into giant laptops with the Tata Docomo Photon Plus device plugged in. By Jhumur Nandi

ata Docomo continues to Tata Docomo Photon Plus device grab people’s attention plugged in the laptop innovations. Tthrough innovative out of The ‘laptop’ screens streamed home (OOH) creatives. The lat- live videos from YouTube.com est campaign aims to establish the and live news channels to show- concept of speed with mobility in case the strength of the Photon Tata Docomo’s laptop innovation in Kolkata internet surfing, while highlighting Max device. The live streaming the signal strength of Tata Docomo’s had been enabled by a promoter high speed internet access devices, (operator), who actually surf the laptop screens were taken only Photon Plus and Photon Max. internet, sitting close to the LED The ‘laptop’ from the promoter’s laptop. A The company executed two screens in a Tata Docomo branded screens streamed team of promoters were also pre- innovations that were placed at stra- environment. sent near the location to field tegic junctions in Kolkata, wherein During the live streaming, the live videos from enquiries from the customers. two LED screens were convert- normal advertising on the LED ed to look like laptops with the was stopped and the input for the YouTube.com. FRQWLQXHGRQSDJH>>

46 afaqs! Reporter, April 16-30, 2012 1(:622+ COMEDY CENTRAL Spreading Cheer The channel has tied up with BEST buses, Cafe Coffee Day, Shoppers Stop, PVR Cinemas and Religare Wellness to increase awareness. News Bureau

iacom18’s comedy chan- nel, Comedy Central, was Vlaunched in January. The channel initiated an out of home (OOH) campaign to increase aware- ness and spread cheer. The campaign is designed in a fun and light hearted manner to reflect the channel theme. Ferzad Palia, senior vice-presi- dent and general manager, Viacom18 Media, said, “Comedy Central has Palia and Patel: rapid awareness been accepted well by the Indian Pune and Kolkata. Hanoz Patel, founder member and managing partner, Milestone Brandcom, shared, “The communi- cation objective was to create rapid and Gorai to Colaba). awareness for the newly launched The branding, with channel, and bring it in the top box consideration. creatives in bright pink The strategy adopted was to generate high inten- and purple, carried sity and high impact visibility for the brand, along the message, ‘Destress arterial routes, heavy traffic counts and congrega- with Comedy Central tion points reflecting the TG traffic pattern.” - The World’s Biggest The channel had also tied up with Cafe Coffee Comedy Channel’. Day for Comedy Central-branded lattes and cap- Small dialogue boxes puccinos, along with branded napkins, chair backs, in the creatives pointed tent cards, floor stickers, posters and standees towards the windows, across select outlets in Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, with different messages Kolkata, Pune and Hyderabad. such as ‘Laugh it off’, In another arrangement with Shoppers Stop, ‘Relationship status the channel branded shopping bags, escalators, audiences. Our distribution, right from Day One, complicated coz I’m always stuck in traffic’, ‘My elevators, trial rooms, washrooms and staircases garnered initial sampling. The advertising cam- job sucks’ and many more. at various outlets of the retail chain in Delhi, paign primarily aims to increase awareness.” The agency had also executed several billboards Mumbai and Bengaluru. Cut-out standees were Milestone Brandcom executed the campaign, featuring characters from the various shows aired placed at the outlets, where people could place which involved branding of five Brihanmumbai on the channel. The creatives were spread across their heads and take pictures. The cashiers at Electric Supply and Transport Undertaking billboards, cantilevers, gantries, multiple skywalks, the select outlets wore smiley badges during the (BEST) buses running along four routes (Dahisar kiosks, airport panels and bus shelters, with more to Worli, Mira Road to Worli, Colaba to Powai than 200 touch points in Mumbai, Bengaluru, FRQWLQXHGRQSDJH>>

BARISTA LAVAZZA ers spending more than `250. The scratch cards gave assured prizes, ranging from coffee vouchers to free international and domestic holidays. Being a Teenager Nilanjan Bhattacharya, COO, India and SAARC, Barista Lavazza, As a part of the activation, the brand has put says, “With the completion of 13 up story boards across all Barista Lavazza and years of operations in India, we have tried to reinforce the concept Barista Lavazza Crème stores. By Jhumur Nandi through activations.” The campaign aimed to take arista Lavazza, has completed 13. The activation was also carried consumers down memory lane and 13 years of its operations in out on digital media through social make them recall all the fun and BIndia. As it enters the ‘teens’, networking sites such as Facebook, frolic attached with entering their it launched a campaign to celebrate wherein consumers could post inter- ‘teenage’ phase. its 13th birthday. The campaign pays esting stories about when they were The activation was carried out tribute to the consumers, who have 13 on the website. On-ground, the at all Barista Lavazza stores across made it possible for the brand to campaign involved story boards put 25 cities in the country, includ- reach this milestone. up at Barista Lavazza and Barista wherein winners will be rewarded ing outlets at Colaba in Mumbai, The ‘Bean13’ activation invited Lavazza Crème stores, where con- with Barista Lavazza gift hampers. Camac Street in Kolkata and Defence customers to share their stories about sumers could write their stories. The The coffee retail chain also gave Colony in New Delhi. „ their experiences when they were entries will form a part of a contest, free scratch cards to all consum- [email protected]

afaqs! Reporter, April 16-30, 2012 47 1(:6(9(17 WHAT’S NXT The Next Phase of Growth The first edition of ‘What’s NXT Digital: Where is the money?’ saw a panel discussion on how digital companies can target the right consumer and generate ROI. By Anushree Bhattacharyya

“Digital companies misunderstand the meaning of content. Content can be any- thing, from news to entertainment and information.” R SUKUMAR

“News channel TV9, gets 59 per cent of its revenue from the local market. But, in case of digital, local is very challenging.” he first edition of ‘What’s NXT Digital: build a brand that people believe in and will MUKUL SINGHAL Where is the money?’ held at the Taj have to define what it stands for through the TVivanta in New Delhi on April 3 saw a kind of content it delivers, year after year. panel discussion on the type of content that will Running behind eyeballs will not help in the drive businesses, and how digital companies can long run.” target the right consumer to generate return on Next, Khandekar spoke on why there is a lack investments (ROI). of urgency in India. “In the West, the circulation “While the old set of The speakers for the session were Sanjay numbers are decreasing every day, which has publishers remains, Trehan, head, Microsoft India; Alok Mittal, forced publishers to look at digital as another the digital world is managing director, Canaan Partners India; option to generate revenues,” he said. also witnessing the R Sukumar, editor, Mint; Mukul Singhal, Khandekar gave the example of the websites, vice-president, SAIF Partners; and Sreekant afaqs! and The Mobile Indian. He remarked, rise of a new kind of Khandekar, director, afaqs!. The session was “Companies will have to recognise large com- publisher.” moderated by Shailesh Vikram Singh, executive munities and build relevant content. While ALOK MITTAL director, Seed Fund. afaqs!, which is a business-to-business (B2B) Singh started the discussion by asking that if news website, gets 10-12 per cent of traffic companies are unable to monetise digital con- from Facebook and has its own set of followers, tent, then from where does the revenue flow The Mobile Indian (TMI), on the other hand, from? gets about 20,000 to 25,000 visitors every day Content should have Mittal replied, “The nature of the publish- through organic search, that is, Google. In case quality, it should ing business has changed. While the old set of of TMI, which is a business-to-consumer (B2C) be differentiated publishers remains, the digital world is also site, the role of a search engine is larger.” and should have witnessing the rise of a new kind of publisher.” Singh next asked the panel about local con- value-adds in case of Trehan explained, “It is a misconception that tent and how to manage it. In response, Singhal digital companies are not making money. In fact, cited the example of news channel TV9, which digital in order for it one-third of the overall revenue of the Financial gets 59 per cent of its revenue from the local to work.” Times comes from digital. Content should have market. “But, in case of digital, local is very chal- SANJAY TREHAN quality, it should be differentiated and should lenging,” he conceded. have value-adds in case of digital in order for it However, Trehan provided a different to work.” insight. “I would prefer going for local portals, Sukumar of Mint, however, had a different rather hyper-local. A lot of work needs to be “COMPANIES WILL view. He said, “Digital companies misunder- done when it comes to local portals, so that it stand the meaning of content. Content can be can develop properly.” HAVE TO RECOGNISE anything, from news to enter- At the end, the panel reached the conclu- LARGE COMMUNITIES tainment and information. sion that this is an exciting time and digital will AND BUILD RELEVANT Companies need to work to surely grow. „ CONTENT.” SREEKANT 02'(5$725 KHANDEKAR SHAILESH VIKRAM SINGH, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, SEED FUND

48 afaqs! Reporter, April 16-30, 2012 1(:6%22.6 5HDGLQJ5RRP FEVI KWIK SUMEET SINGH SVP – marketing, corporate communications and Strategic A Quick Fix Alliances at Info Edge (India) Five branded vans will travel through 375 towns often read two books, at a time. I Currently, I am reading Steve Jobs’ and villages across three states for two months. biography by Walter Isaacson. The By Jhumur Nandi other book that I have my hands on, You can Heal your Life, by Louise L Hay, is based on spirituality. What I like about Hay’s book is that it talks about everyday life and a differ- ent way of looking at situations. Steve Jobs created an iconic brand, so the book is inspirational. I have just read the first few pages. I also like mys- teries because I started with the Nancy Drews and Hardy Boys and then grew up to Agatha Christie and Perry Mason. Among my favourites is The Monk who Sold his Ferrari (by Robin Sharma), which teaches you to lead your life with greater balance, strength, courage and joy. More importantly, the book tries to bring you into the “Now”. The Secret (Rhonda Byrne) is inspiring. The fact that the law of attraction works in all situations - be it work, possessions or relationships - is intriguing, though I feel that it is not very easy to practice. Another favourite of mine is Jim Collins’ Good to Great. It is based on hard evidence- and how great companies have been built on than 125 towns and villages in each strong foundations. „ state. The promoters in the vans As told to Raushni Bhagia inform consumers about the vari- ous applications of the adhesive, and highlight Fevi kwik as a convenient, versatile and instant adhesive for a << FRQWLQXHGIURPSDJH on new and different ways to com- large range of household applica- municate our message and this tions including fixing mobile phone Speed... innovation is tailor-made to high- covers, broken heels, belts, bags and light the product and its features. plates. The two 11x8 feet laptop innova- The laptops showcase the strength Nilesh Majumdar, president, sales tions were placed at Technopolis of Tata Docomo Photon Plus and and marketing, consumer products, facing Rajarhat and Karunamoyee Photon Max.” maintenance, Pidilite Industries, facing Sector-V in Salt Lake. The major challenges in execu- says, “We are trying to show more Nagananda Holla, head, mar- tion were creating the look of the and more applications of the prod- keting, West Bengal and North laptop key boards on a giant scale and uct and educate the consumers Eastern and Southern Assam, Tata synchronising the internet feed from about how Fevi kwik can help them Teleservices said, “Our efforts in a laptop to the LED screen. prolong the life of some of their the branding space are directed at The innovations will continue for household items.” garnering top of the mind recall for two months. „ Moreover, as a part of the on- our product. We intend to focus [email protected] idilite Industries has re-posi- ground activation, 150 Fevi kwik tioned Fevi kwik from an kiosks have been placed in towns Pinstant adhesive to a multi- such as Hisar, Ujjain, Hooghly and usage, cost effective product. In a Kolhapur. The kiosks also serve to << FRQWLQXHGIURPSDJH bid to promote the repositioning, explain the applications or usages of it has taken the on- the product. ground route to reach The activation will Spreading... out to its consumers continue till May. and establish it as a With the re-posi- entire campaign period to spread daily use product that tioning, the adhesive cheer among customers. is affordable and re- brand has also tweaked “The campaign also saw some usable. its tagline from Chutki unique creative executions to regis- Based on the activa- mein chipkaye to Sab ter the brand logo and to tickle the tion theme ‘Fix it and kuch chutki mein chip- funny bone of the audiences with This arrangement involve branding keep it, don’t waste it’, kaye. laughing characters delivering the across 116 Religare Wellness stores five Fevi kwik branded A television cam- message, ‘Laugh it off’ to drive regu- across the country. vans will travel across paign and print lar traffic to the channel,” adds Patel. More branding exercises were three states - West advertising will also be In addition, the channel has also being carried out at PVR theatres Bengal, Kerala and used to build on brand Majumdar: glued in tied up with Religare Wellness for across Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata. „ Tamil Nadu - and salience. „ the ‘Month of Happiness’ (April). [email protected] reach out to consumers in more [email protected]

afaqs! Reporter, April 16-30, 2012 49 -2%6:,7&+ JOBSWITCH

Organization Name: TechPlus Media Email: [email protected] Organization Name: Population Pvt. Ltd ...... Services International Position: Marketing Manager- Organization Name: McCann Position: General Manager - DIGITAL Healthcare Worldwide Communcations Location: Bangalore Position: Sr Copywriters Location: New Delhi Profile: We are looking for a Location: Mumbai Profile: The candidate should Marketing Manager who should Profile: The candidate should be be currently working in brand have at least 4 years of experience able to produce clutter-breaking management with a reputable in Digital Marketing. ideas/ campaigns for a set of consumer marketing company or Email: [email protected] brands along with art partner. She/ in a large advertising agency as ...... He must have a hunger for awards. a creative account management Organization Name: Zone Adds Around 4 years experience is person or a strategic planner or Position: Branch Head - Sales needed in any leading agency. a strategic creative person. At Location: Chennai Email: [email protected] least 10 years of total experience Profile: The candidate must have 8 ...... with at least 5 years experience to 12 years experience in sales with Organization Name: Paradigm Plus in developing mass media majority of experience in corporate Marketing Communications Pvt. communications campaigns. sales. She/He should have strong Ltd. Email: [email protected] experience in handling a large Position: Senior Copywriter ...... team independently.. Location: Pune Organization Name: Capgemini Email: [email protected] Profile: The Candidate should Position: Communications Planner ...... possess strong conceptualization Location: Mumbai Organization Name: Leading skills and a powerful copy to give Profile: The candidate would be Consulting Firm the right punch. She/He should responsible to work with BU Position: Director Sales & be highly proficient in crisp and leaders to understand messaging Marketing creative writing for myriad range and create communications plans Location: Delhi of brands and products, across accordingly. She/He will also be Profile: The candidate must be verticals. 3-5 years of experience is required cross promote messages MBA in marketing, with 14-18 needed for this role. across channels to increase impact. years overall experience, in both Email: [email protected] Email: sales and marketing, in leading ...... [email protected] companies, of which at least Organization Name: India News ...... 6 should be in the internet/ Communications Limited Organization Name: HGS Interactive e-commerce space (mandatory). Position: Creative Director Position: Sr. Visualiser Email: [email protected] Location: Noida Location: Mumbai ...... Profile: The candidate should Profile: The person requires Organization Name: Olive e-business be creative at heart and rational to develop concepts through Pvt. Ltd. at head. Words should come to innovation and create well- Position: Digital Marketing Expert him as figures, hues, contours, balanced and extremely innovative, Location: Delhi designs and layouts. 8-10 years of original designs for websites / Profile: The candidate will experience with advertising agency microsites. We are looking for a be accountable for complete is needed for the role. Graduate candidate with at least 5 operational activities and Email: years experience. promotional campaigns to generate [email protected] Email: [email protected] traffic and reach target audience ...... and to give creative ideas for Organization Name: Franchise India Organization Name: Green Apple Digital Marketing to clients. Holdings limited Design Pvt. Ltd. TO ADVERTISE, CONTACT: At least 4 years of experience is Position: Manager/ Sr. Manager- Position: Manager – Operations needed for this role. Sponsorship Sales (Events & Activations) Saurabh Sharma (Delhi) Ph: 09868919608 Email: Location: Delhi NCR Location: Mumbai Email: [email protected] [email protected] Profile: The candidate should be Profile: The job would require to ...... capable of identifying, research, ensure seamless execution of all Tejal Kantharia (Mumbai) Ph: 09619442284 Organization Name: developing and prospecting a list projects managed by the company Email: [email protected] www.fashionomical.in of potential sponsors/ exhibitors and to have a good vendor base Position: Sidharth Chittur (Bangalore) Manager/Head- Ad Sales for each conference. She/He and strong operational abilities all Ph: 09964091407 & Marketing should be able to develop and across India. We are looking for a Email: [email protected] Location: Delhi/NCR maintain relationships with Graduate/MBA with 5 - 10 [email protected] Profile: The candidate should have existing and potential sponsorship years in Production / Operation/ the ability to interact with people clients and exhibitors. 6 years of Execution in a field related to To view other jobs in Marketing, at CXO level. She/He should have experience is required for this role. BTL/ Event Management. Media and Advertising, log on to: http://jobs.afaqs.com a flair for learning and proficiency Email: Email: in MS office. 5 years of experience [email protected] [email protected] Join us on : facebook.com/jobswitch is needed for this role......

50 afaqs! Reporter, April 16-30, 2012

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