Rs 40 THE

February 1-15, 2008 The fortnightly from agencyfaqs! www.thebrandreporter.com 36 MEDIA MINDMIND THETHE

PROFILE LANGUAGELANGUAGE Sandip Tarkas The IIT-IIM alumni, talks The list of regional channels across genres is about his career moves. growing significantly. A look at the forthcoming 30 action in this space.

DEFINING MOMENTS Ravi Deshpande The CCO of Contract believes in being stubborn. 22

COMIC LEGENDS Mighty Myth A comic series inspired by the Mahabharata.

ADVERTISING Mimic Gimmick 16 DHL Flip for a Flag 18 PRINT Sound Business Sense 20 2828 STAR Kklothes and More 40

  

The fortnightly from agencyfaqs! This fortnight... Volume III, Issue 13

While the attention of the advertising and media business is focused on the new wave of EDITOR & PUBLISHER high profile Hindi channels, another tide is coming in. It is quieter but significant all the Sreekant Khandekar same – a rush of regional channels from players big and small. It is being set off for different reasons in the south of India as well as in the rest of the EXECUTIVE EDITOR M Venkatesh country. In the South, the Sun TV Group has had a virtual monopoly not just in CREATIVE CONSULTANTS broadcasting but in cable distribution as well. This discouraged new channels from PealiDezine venturing there. The political split last year within the DMK, the ruling party in LAYOUT Tamil Nadu and Sun’s home state, has given rise to Kalaignar which is challeng- Vinay Dominic ing the leader. The state government has also floated a cable distribution firm to MARKETING rival Sun’s. This is spurring a number of new channels to go south. Prasanna Singh The rest of India has been loosely described as ‘Hindi Speaking Markets’. Over the last few years, networks such as ZEE and ETV have proved that description LOGISTICS wrong in at least two states: West Bengal and Maharashtra. Viewing is increas- Rajesh Kanwal ingly shifting to the local language. ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES In the larger states with substantial consumer markets, advertisers are delighted Ashish Chauhan to talk to viewers in their local language. Advertisers range from national brands Noida: (0120) 4077800, down to local retailers to footwear marketers to manufacturers of local personal care 4077819, 4077816 Saurabh Rawal products. Mumbai: (022) 40429702-5 At another level, we are witnessing a fascinating battle. On the one hand is the [email protected] dominant Hindi genre fed by the Mumbai-based soap factories supplemented by film-based fare and national news. On the other hand is the local offering: low Marketing Office budget and less glamorous but more able to connect with the local heart. B-3, First floor, Sector-4, It is, in a sense, the same kind of tussle that Hindi films have had with Hollywood for Noida-201301. Tel: (0120) 4077800. so long - and won so convincingly. Mumbai 39, A to Z (Industrial) Premises Co-op Soc Ltd, Lower Parel, Mumbai - 400013. Tel: (022) 40429701-5. Sreekant Khandekar Subscription Enquiries Sakshi Kohli Tel: (0120) 4077837 Farewell Kersey [email protected]   The obituary on Kersey Katrak in Registered Office your last issue was quite touching. It $0;$0
(6)$35
86
6'
  was a clear reminder that we have all $0'$-,0,
0&.$8(
.$-0$0'$
(9 More Movies forgotten some of the doyens of the (.+,

 
< 
$0;$0 I was happy to read about the ad industry. I appreciate that a maga- (6)$35
86
6'
$..
4,*+65
4(5(48(' international movie channel launch zine like yours, which is dedicated 6+417*+176
6+(
914.'
!(241'7&6,10
,0 by UTV. I am a great fan of world to in-depth news on the advertising $0;
/$00(4
9,6+176
2(4/,55,10
,5
241 cinema and have to wait for seasonal and media world, is bringing out +,%,6('
4,06('
$0'
27%.,5+('
%; showcases of international movies at such pieces. "4((-$06
+$0'(-$4
10
%(+$.)
1) film festivals. This new channel will Anubha Chawla $0;$0
(6)$35
86
6'
$6
  be my big ticket to viewing good cin- via email ema from across the world. +
!$6$0
",0*+
1/2.(:
$9$.$ Avian Mendonca Surprising Makeovers (4,
$4-(6
$5&+,/
#,+$4
Mumbai I read the article on branding of (9
(.+, 
 
New Face banks and as I am from the Press and 4,06('
$6
$4$5
))5(6
86
6'
Online Space Your cover story on the makeover of Public Relations Department, we try  
$4$,0$
0'7564,$.
4($ Perfetti van Melle is doing amaz- Indian Banks was good. UTI bank, to keep track of such articles. It gave +$5(

(9
(.+,

 
ing online activities for its brand when it became Axis Bank, came with us some invaluable insights on the :&.75,8(
',564,%76145
,0
0',$
a new logo but I noticed that it is very Mentos. But I wonder how much stategy of the leading banks and the 0',$
11-
175(
86
6'
similar to the Logo of American participation they get considering logic for their re-branding exercises. (9
(.+,
 
   there are so many social networking Diabetes Association. Ofcourse the ad Jaideep Pal 7/%$,
 
  
sites, blogs and gaming websites that agency will cook up some stories to via email 1.-$6$
 
 have been launched that take up defend their creation. But the TVC with $0*$.14(

   most of the space online as well as in the twins was very good. the consumers’ minds. +(00$,
 
   Anamika Bhatt GEORGE THEKKINIYATH via email Kerala      Cover Design    
 PealiDezine

The Brand Reporter, February 1-15, 2008 5 TATA TEA  
    HCL> After the launch of Tata’s Nano, it’s now time for the cheapest laptop to hit the market. HCL recently launched its ith a The outlets range of fully functional and ultra portable laptops that start view to will also stock from a price point of Rs 13,990. The ‘MiLeap’ or ‘ Wpro- different flav- My internet Leap’ series of laptops are targeted at the mote tea among ours of coffee, masses. youth, Tata Tea is other Indian now venturing beverages and The company is Pepsi> Students of premier B- outdoors. The light snack asking B-school- schools can now jog their brains a bit company has foods. and get a chance to meet PepsiCo introduced ‘Chai “Our res- ers to scout for chairman and CEO Indra Nooyi. The Unchai’, its earch showed innovative busi- company has announced ‘Taste the chain of out-of- that the out-of- ness strategies to Success, Become Indra’s Advisors’ home beverage home beverage push demand. challenge for management students in India. As part of the outlets. segment has a challenge, the company has invited business strategies for “The outlets lot of potential. unlocking the latent demand for beverages in India. Winners are crafted in such a way that they The design of the outlets has come get an opportunity to present and discuss their case study with connect with the youth in an exciting out of a need expressed by the Nooyi in New York. and differentiated manner. The new younger generation for a place where ‘adda’ - hangout is designed like a they can just be themselves,” says Sony> Sony Computer Entertainment Europe has launched small tea parlour, with Pankaj Dant, general Buzz: The Maha Quiz game in India. The game includes over 5,000 localised questions that have been authored by

MARKETING an ambience that is manager, marketing and warm, friendly, unpre- sales, Tata Tea. quizmaster Derek O’Brien. The game was launched by jour- tentious and fun,” said The outlets The company has five nalist Rajeev Masand, actor Neil Mukesh and cricketer S  Sreesanth among others. Sangeeta Talwar, execu- are crafted in brands of tea in India and tive director, Tata Tea in such a way has presence in 40 coun- a company release. The tries of the world. that they con- The bank has Cosmos Bank> The cooperative bank will partner company inaugurated its Even though a late mobile payments company,PayMate to offer a pay by first outlet in the IIM nect with the entrant to the tea party, come up with an SMS service to its customers. The service will enable Bangalore campus. youth in an company officials are innovative alter- customers to have an SMS-based payment solution for Tata Tea plans to open gung-ho about the con- native. various transactions from purchasing flight/movie tick- more such outlets at exciting and cept. Its biggest ets, car hires to sending donations and gift vouchers. strategic locations in differentiated competitor HUL made shopping malls, colleges its way into the market The digital video solutions provider and university campuses manner. about two years back, Remote control Monsoon Media> takes on a new has launched HAVA, a wireless hardware setup that across cities over the next with Lipton T Parlours. enables users to view high-definition video on mutiple 5-7 years. Other players in this meaning. PCs and control live home TV from anywhere on a Chai Unchai outlets will serve tea field are Dolly’s Tea in Kolkata, broadband connected device. in a variety of flavours from Infinitea in Bangalore and Passion - Darjeeling, Masala, and Green tea toMy Cup of Tea by Gunjan Jindal Mango, Peach and Mint flavours. in Delhi. Euro Books> The company has launched a series of detective books for the first time in India, in graphic novels format, chronicling the fictional adventures of teenage boys - Frank and Joe Hardy and the mystery solver Nancy Drew. QUOTE OF THE FORTNIGHT We have come a long way in lifestyle> Retail store lifestyle, part of Dubai’s Landmark building communities. Our Group has changed its tagline from High on Life to Your Style. Your Store. lifestyle hopes to garner a major share of initial approach was the $330 billion (approx) Indian retail market. philanthrophy. Our BSNL> The telecom company has launched a free person- philanthrophic impulses are al accidental insurance policy for all its 34 million landline, now transiting into a WLL and post-paid mobile customers. The policy will cover accidental death, and/or permanent disability caused as a proactive and comprehensive result of any accident or disease. The insured sum will be to corporate approach. the extent of Rs 50,000. MUKESH AMBANI IN OUTLOOK BUSINESS ON HOW THE RELIANCE GROUP NOW AUDITS ITS PERFORMANCE ALONG THE GLOBAL REPORTING INITIATIVE GUIDELINES. Microsoft has Microsoft> Microsoft Hardware has launched Microsoft taken upon itself Lao, Haath Bachao, an awareness campaign that seeks to edu- cate people on the benefits of ergonomically designed to promote good hardware. The company is staging street plays in A compilationMOVEMENTS/APPOINTMENTS of some major account and people movements in the last fortnight

 hardware. 12 Indian cities as part of the campaign. > Tommy Hilfiger India has appointed Rahul Gambhir as its business head. Before this, Gambhir was the country head for energy drink brand, Red Bull Amul> The dairy major has introduced a new variety of where he served for three years. butter that it claims, has 50 per cent less salt than table but- ter. Amul Reduced Salt Butter will cater to the urban > Alok Bhardwaj, vice president, Canon India, has been promoted to senior populace that has high diet awareness levels. This variety, vice president of the company. He will continue reporting to Canon India the company claims, will benefit high blood pressure president and CEO, Kensaku Konishi. patients.

6 The Brand Reporter, February 1-15, 2008

SABSEBOLO.COM  
    The companies STAR> STAR India and Bennett Coleman & Company have are exploring partnered with a Korean company to launch a home shopping abeer ‘Hotmail’ the confidentiality of network. STAR India’s advertising sales and distribution presi- Bhatia’s latest web- conversations through newer ventures. dent Paritosh Joshi will be appointed as its chief executive. Ssite sabsebolo.com the website’s services will claims to provide India’s not be breached. “We do Close on the heels of launching a GEC, NDTV first free and reserva- not monitor any confer- Imagine> Imagine, the NDTV Group has also launched its website tion-less conferencing ence. Besides, only those www.ndtvimagine.com. The website promises to offer users facility. The website’s who know a particular a rich multimedia experience with videos and animated mast- co-founder Yogesh Patel PIN can enter a confer- heads of the shows, apart from a host of other features. explains the modus ence so there is no case of operandi, “Users just unsolicited entry,” he Bhatia: providing a Mauj> Wireless solutions company Mauj mobile has need to sign up, after new youth hangout informs. MEDIA developed downloadable mobile content for the recently which they are given a The website is in released movie Sunday. The content ranges from wallpapers conference ID and PIN talks with some of the and ringtones to animated videos. This is part of the compa- number. They need to Youth as a big social networking ny’s ongoing association with Eros Multimedia that gives dial the toll free confer-  websites to integrate Mauj worldwide rights for the film. encing number and get group makes services and generate going”. most of the greater awareness and He adds “Conf- interest. “The product Mira Nair will Discovery Atlas> telecom users. host the ‘India Discovery Channel has erencing in India today itself is very viral, so launched Discovery is expensive and time They will find awareness is bound to Revealed’ Atlas, a series on the consuming. We hope to it useful. happen. Besides, we are episode. world’s greatest and unique nations seen through the lives of change this scenario. also looking at advertis- extraordinary people. The six-part series was premiered on This is what prompted ing through the print January 26, with Mira Nair hosting ‘India Revealed’. Australia, us to go ahead with the and online media in China, Mexico, South Africa, Italy and Brazil are the other venture.” the near future,” says countries to be featured in the series. The company is cur-  Patel. rently targeting small In a release, Bhatia Outlook-SpeakOut> Outlook magazine has organised corporates and will soon said that the youth as a the Outlook Speak Out Contest - it invites people to come up move to individuals and group make up the most with short, witty, thought-provoking one-liners on subjects larger companies in its prolific telecom users, like politics, corruption and other important social issues that awareness generation especially in SMS serv- need to be highlighted. The three best entries will be printed campaign that will proj- ice. As the site is a free on T-shirts and would be given as free gifts towards sub- ect it as a ‘full-service service it will definitely scription promotions for the magazine. Winners will also take voice platform’. Patel: the product emerge as a new youth home cash prizes. Patel assures that is viral hangout. Reviving week- Radio City>Radio City 91.1 FM QUOTE OF THE FORTNIGHT has revamped its weekend pro- end listenership. gramming by introducing seven We are old friends and are new programmes to be aired from 7 PM to 1 AM. While the station confident that we can resolve will air three programmes on any difference that might have Saturday, listeners will be enter- arisen in the spirit of goodwill tained by four programmes on Sunday in the slot. and friendship. A JOINT STATEMENT ISSUED BY PETER MUKERJEA AND VIR IT city Hyderabad soon may become a Media SANGHVI A WEEK BEFORE SANGHVI FINALLY PUT IN HIS PAPERS. Hyderabad will Media City> City. The Andhra Pradesh government has proposed to earmark soon have a about 200 acres of land in and around Hyderabad for the proj- Media City. ect. Film production houses, music studios, gaming development MOVEMENTS/APPOINTMENTS

 and training academies are proposed to be built in the project. A compilation of some major account and people movements in the last fortnight The government is already in talks with FXlabs, Suresh produc- > Rohit Bansal has been promoted as the chief operating officer of tions, Gemini TV and DQ Entertainment. Independent News Service, the holding company of India TV. Bansal has been with India TV since September 2004. Prior to this appointment, he was managing dishtv> There is good news for couch potatoes who don't like editor handling integrated marketing for the company. missing their favourite soaps. They'd soon be able to watch their > Times Global Broadcasting’s chief executive officer, Sunil Lulla, has put in favourite programmes while travelling in a train as well. The his papers. When contacted, Lulla refused to confirm the news, but industry Essel Group owned dishtv is in the final stages of talks with sources reveal that he is serving out his notice period till the end of January or early Indian Railways to provide mobile TV via DTH. Dishtv also plans February. Lulla’s next destination is likely to be the joint venture between Turner to provide the service in taxis and buses. International and Alva Brothers. > Bharat Kapadia, Bhaskar Group’s executive director has quit his job due to Network18> If HomeShop18.com was not enough, the some personal reason. He will however continue as an advisor with the group. Network18 group has gone ahead and launched another e-com- Kapadia did not reveal his next destination. merce website - Storeguru.com, in the the online retail space. Storeguru.com as of now has a similar portfolio of products as ACCOUNT MOVEMENT HomeShop18. However, the new website is being positioned as > Newspaper Deccan Chronicle has roped in Maxus for taking care of its media ‘India’s safest online store!’ Both websites have different toll duties. This is the first time the company has roped in a media agency. There was no free customer service numbers - 1800 11 1718 (HomeShop18) pitch process for the account which is believed to be worth over Rs 20 crore. and 1800 20 9181 (Storeguru).

8 The Brand Reporter, February 1-15, 2008

LINTAS MEDIA REPORT 
     MetLife> Insurance firm Metlife India has undertaken a brand repositioning exercise for which it will launch a Rs 25- he recently ping by Rs 53 crore crore advertising campaign. The company has also altered its released Lintas compared to the figure slogan to Peace of Mind Guaranteed from the earlier Have You TMedia guide in 2006. Met Life Today, hoping to connect better with Indian consumers. 2008 has some interest- Paras ing findings on Pharmaceuticals and Marico> Beauty and wellness company Marico has started advertising in India for Bharti Airtel were sixth a print advertisement campaign through which the brand is 2007. Most companies and seventh with spends highlighting its achievements and specialities in a unique fash- featured in the 2006 list worth Rs 142 crore and ion. In sync with its tagline ‘Uncommon Sense,’ Marico’s latest of top 10 advertisers on Rs 137 crore respective- print ad has a word puzzle for readers to decipher. A write-up TV and print registered a ly. While Pepsico and of the company’s recent exploits follows, that also gives subtle decline in ad-spends. Hero Honda made up hints to solve the puzzle. The advertisement has been placed Spending a total of Rs the ninth and tenth posi- in leading print publications. 1,137 crore on TV and tions, companies like ACCOUNT MOVEMENT print advertising, HUL The combined Reliance ADAG and  became the numero uno Johnson & Johnson > Cheil Communications has won back the Samsung Electronics account. In August advertiser. This was reduction in were pushed out of the 2007, the company had appointed Rediffusion DY&R as its creative agency for pro- however, Rs 102 crore ad spend on top 10. moting one of its cellphone models. short of the company's The combined in Meanwhile, Rediffusion DY&R has bagged the creative duties for LG Electronics spend in 2006. Both TV and print advertising spend, on > from Lowe. The size of the account is estimated to be Rs 150 crore. This win comes Procter & Gamble and has been TV and Print, in 2007 after LG's global creative duties shifting to UK-based agency Bartle Bogle Hegarty Reckitt Benckiser has been Rs 314 crore and Young and Rubicam (Y&R) getting the global LG network business in 20 markets. retained their positions Rs 314 crore from the top 10 advertis-

ADVERTISING from 2006 as second and from the ers. But with the > Maya Academy of Advanced Cinematics (MAAC), a 3D animation and visual effects third on the list respec- top 10 adver- number of television training academy has appointed McCann-Erickson as its creative agency. MAAC is the tively. channels and print pub- education division of Maya Entertainment which is a content production company. The Cellphone maker tisers. lications on the rise, the account is believed to be worth Rs 10 to 15 crore. Akshara Advertising handled the Nokia marked its entry spend figure is expected account earlier. into the top 10 advertis- to rise in 2008. > Group M has won the creative duties for BCCI's soon-to-commence tournament, ers' club with spends to The report predicts the Indian Premier League (IPL). The agency won the account following a multi- the tune of Rs 146 crore that with increasing agency pitch in which it had applied for as a group. that saw the company media reach amongst the becoming the fourth rural masses, 2008 is set biggest advertiser on TV to offer enormous New TVCs and print; this from advertising opportuni- being absent from the ties as well as SET MAX list in 2006. Dabur fol- tremendous challenges People from various walks of life are quoting lines from pop- lowed Nokia, its for various media across ular Hindi movies both during the course of normal conversation and while trying to make a point. spending in 2007 dip- different genres. Agency: TBWA QUOTE OF THE FORTNIGHT Creative Director: Rahul Ghosh, Sean Colaco Production House: Rising Sun Productions Aamir can act - for brands, and Director: Aniket Shirke not for himself. SRK unfortunately Copywriter: Kashyap Joshi, Neville Shah cannot assume a brand’s genes. He overpowers every brand, and ING VYSYA keeps cloning himself. People face minor mishaps while celebrating their personal PRATHAP SUTHAN, NCD, CHEIL WORLDWIDE, SW ASIA, IN moments (of marriage, promotion and birth of a child). The TVC

SUSHIL KUMAR THE ECONOMIC TIMES trails off with one of the characters endorsing ING Vysya as the perfect cover for enjoying life’s experiences.

Agency: Rediffusion DYR A compilationMOVEMENTS/APPOINTMENTS of some major account and people movements in the last fortnight

 Creative Director: Minakshi Achan, Arun Kumar, Montoo Basi Production House: Footcandles Film > Meera Sharath Chandra has been appointed president and national cre- Director: Rajesh Krishnan ative director, RMG Connect, JWT’s Direct Marketing, Customer Relationship Copywriter: Arun Kumar, Kartik V Management and Digital Solutions Company. Chandra moved from Mudra Marketing Services after a two-year tenure there as national creative director AXIS BANK across Tribal DDB India (interactive and new media) and Rapp Collins India A bride is waiting for her husband on their first night. When (direct response and CRM). he comes in, the bride extends a glass of milk to him. There > Shamik Talukder, national revenue head at Times OOH, has resigned are several hands which crop up and pass the glass to him. from his post. Talukder was looking after the company’s revenue generation The tagline appears ‘If you desire your own space, we have opportunities and expansion plans. His next destination is not known. home loans to help you build it. - Axis Bank.’ > Saatchi and Saatchi NCD, Ramesh Ramanathan has quit his job to start Agency: Meridien his own venture, the nature of which, he refused to divulge. Ramanathan has 24 Creative Director: Sumanto Chattopadhyay years of experience in the advertising industry and had started his second stint at Production House: Corcoise Saatchi and Saatchi in January 2007. Director: Prasoon Pandey

10 The Brand Reporter, February 1-15, 2008

Most Debated ADS MARUTI CANARA BANK  The ad takes a typical problem solution approach, and is  All the Canara Bank ads make a wonderful emotional con- unlikely to have a good recall value. I mean even a fourth nect..... I want to watch these ads every time they play! Anil class kid could have thought of this concept. Overall, I wouldn  Good ad... but it fails to deliver the message across. the rate this such a bad Ad. Ravish Chaubey advertisements draw attention to itself and not the brand /  Nice concept and the direction shows that the villagers also product. Bijal Pandya know about all the maruti service that’s why they indicate 4  I dint like the campaign. does nothin for the brand i feel. directions..nice ad. Bhuppi Vimal Pande  Its not a good ad as one can't see in the beginning of the  Refreshingly beautiful,very very touching and slice-of- Ad the villagers are not sitting back to back. Chintu lifeish. luuuuuuuuvly!!! -Tanushree Banerjee  There's some element of surprise, message well said! ABC  Classic ad. true picture of indian culture. Ashish Rastogi

FEVICOL AMBUJA CEMENT  hey nice thought..like picking up from the daily soaps..the  The ad made an emotional appeal which was good. also con- baa-bahu soaps...but the brand has actually lost the so called veyed the message really simply. In some way, I like the fact ‘‘the fevicol’’ value wid this ad for sure...it's neither intelligent that victory of a good cause has been associated with the ADVERTISING nor simple. Lorren brand :) good going. Abhilash Dwarkanath  I dont know y fevicol want to shift its route from hilarious  Touchy AD with Good Sense of Humour!!! Aamir Hussain set to emotional approach. Chalo track change kiya toh kiya  The emotion and humour is not balanced in this ad. Taking per itne idoitic tara. Very bad. Its like shame on company for an orphanage makes it more emotional than humourous. approving the idea and ofcourse agency who did such a con- Divya Burman cept after an award winning ad of fevicol. Aarti  Cute ads.. Children and orphanage has adds an eq to it. Bindu  Sweet.. Good use of emotions. Suraj Thomas

Comments are from ‘second opinion’ of agencyfaqs! Only the TVCs which got the maximum comments last fortnight are featured here.


BRYLCREEM represent heartland India and yet have the body language and charm to carry off style unabashedly,” adds Saathi. The ad leverages the reverse Styling For All appreciation route, where the celebrity praises others for their sense of style. “The premise of the  

 


 
  
entire village 

 
  
TVC is that people want to look By Amit Sharma good everywhere and not only in discotheques. That is why the rural rylcreem’s latest TVC hopes to setting. At the same time, it high- spread the style quotient across lights the transformation in looks Bsocieties. The commercial with the simple use of hair gel,” shows cricketer, M S Dhoni arriving at Arora points out. JWT’s Dias also his village in Ranchi in his Mercedes. lets in that the film has been shot As he alights, he runs a hand over his using a fashion lens to avoid giving it styled hair, thinking that he is over- either a very glitzy or a jaded look. styled and that people in the village Popular hairstylist, Sapna would tease him for it. As he walks to Bhavnani has styled all the actor’s his house a man ploughing the fields and Dhoni’s hair in the TVC. “It was greets him. Dhoni is surprised by the hectic but a great experience. The farmer’s well-styled hair. His friends, company allowed me to go over the who also sport trendy hairstyles, offer top with the styling, a freedom that I him tea and biscuits. Subsequently, he more accessible and less extreme and Hyderabad, the TVC has been con- greatly appreciate,” says the stylist, finds everyone in the village donning intimidating. We factored the trend ceptualised by Agnello Dias, national who has long had Dhoni on her trendy hairstyles and gelled hair. The that 70 per cent of urban men visit creative director, JWT. Rajesh Saathi, clients’ list. She adds that every cast cricketer is astounded to find even his salons at least once a month,” director, Keroscene Films has execut- member diligently got their hair uncle sporting gelled hair. The ad ends explains Tarun Arora, head, market- ed it. Dias feels that the most styled during the entire shooting with the catchline, ‘Style is for every- ing, Godrej Sara Lee, the company challenging part of making the TVC schedule. Bhavnani had also worked one’, and the product shot with Dhoni that owns the Brylcreem brand. was getting the ethnicity and style on the Dove ‘Beautiful Hair’ cam- posing in a photograph. Shot over three days in Film City, perfectly right. “All the actors roped in paign last year. “Our aim was to make the brand Goregaon and Ramoji Film City, are trained ones. We wanted them to [email protected] Lowe fever mag ad fever now in kolkata.

After Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore, FEVER 104 fm launches in Kolkata. with 40 MINutes of

NON-STOP, contemporary hit music, EVERY HOUR on the hour. to deliver to you, a discerning audience of young, upper sec listeners. fever 104 fm - it’s all about the music. 
KURKURE XTREME-THUMS UP Mimic Gimmick   
  
new TVC seems to have been inspired by the action-packed Thums Up commercial. Has the cola war spilt over? 
  


f you’ve seen the new Kurkure Xtreme ad, chances are Ramesh Deo you’ll like the racy film where Juhi is seen jumping, Productions and the stunt Ichasing and flying to reach a packet of Kurkure that director was Chris Anderson, who was part of she spots in a delivery rickshaw. However, a closer look the stunt coordination team for the Tom Cruise starrer might remind you of the action-packed Thums Up com- Mission Impossible:II mercial last year, which featured Akshay Kumar. While the two brands are in non-competing cate- While the Kurkure ad is set in Jodhpur, the Thums Up gories, it is hard to ignore the fact that Thums Up is part ad was set in a big city in Australia. Both commercials of Coca-Cola’s portfolio, and Kurkure is part of PepsiCo. While the two have a number of similar shots. For example, Juhi jumps Is this a case of the cola war spilling on to other products? off a terrace chasing a rickshaw carting Kurkure packs, Chauhan of JWT adds that the chase-for-the-product brands are in while in the Thums Up ad, Akshay jumps off a building is a classic Pepsi (Kurkure’s mother brand) theme. “We’ve chasing a truck carrying bottles of Thums Up. Juhi chas- done uncountable ads about chase-for-product for brand non-competing es after she finishes her pack of Kurkure, and in the Pepsi right here in India, featuring Aamir Khan once, Thums Up ad too, Akshay chases the truck after he has Shah Rukh and the cricketers many times over the years. categories, it is gulped his last sip of the cola, except that we see the They get a taste of the product and then they want more. empty bottle of Thums Up which prompted him to Nothing Thums Up about it! Also, in the final scene, hard to ignore chase the truck, in the end of the ad. In one of the final Juhi says, ‘Zyaada, what’s that?’ not, ‘Zyaada, woh kya hota scenes, Juhi comes face to face with the Kurkure rick- hai?’ which, you have to agree, they are part of shaw, just like Akshay jumps in front of the is totally different.” truck in the Thums Up TVC. In Coming to Leo Burnett’s Coke and Pepsi’s the cola ad, Akshay spins to the side of the truck grabbing a bottle, and in portfolio. the Kurkure ad Juhi spins to the side of the rickshaw but fails to grab a pack. She runs ahead and again spins, this time snatching up a packet. The final shot is where Juhi responds to her brother-in- law’s ‘Bhabhi, zyaada nahi hua?’ with ‘Zyaada, what’s that?’. Akshay’s girlfriend in the Thums Up ad sees the empty bottle and says, ‘Last Thums Up? Main kuchh aur laati hoon,’ to which he responds, ‘Last Thums Up, woh kya hota hai?’ (Thums Is this a spoof? Anuja Chauhan, executive Up’s agency) take on the creative director and vice president, JWT Kurkure ad, Sainath Saraban, executive creative director, Delhi (Kurkure’s agency) says, “I must tell Leo Burnett says, “The Kurkure ad is definitely not a you with my hand on my heart that the coincidence. But as they say, imitation is the best compli- Kurkure Xtreme ad is not a spoof of any ad! ment. So, it’s good for me. Thanks to this ad, my ad is It’s just Kurkure’s masti-bhara, ‘housewifey’ being talked about again. So, I’m taking it in the right take on the whole adrenalin-pumping, spirit,” he smiles. shot-in-slow-motion genre of action films.” Chetna Kaur Kohli, brand associate, Leo Burnett adds, The reason the spotlight is on action here, she “The ad is clearly a copy but just gives Thums Up a pro- explains, is because Kurkure Xtreme is an motion. It only goes to show that Kurkure’s agency has extremely spicy, sensorially overloaded prod- no original ideas and that is their problem really.” uct, in two hot flavours, Risky Chilli and Chauhan of JWT feels, “As far as the cola wars go, they Electric Nimbu. “As the flavours were so were the last thing on our mind,” adding, “I don’t think extreme, the advertising had to convey an our consumer would ever join the dots about Kurkure extreme craving and chase for the product too, being a PepsiCo product and Thums Up being from the which demanded we explode onto a grand, out- Coke stable and so on. That kind of convoluted connec- door setting,” she says. tion would only be made by an extremely small section of The Kurkure ad has been directed by Abhijit marketing and advertising people, who are totally not our Chaudhuri aka Dadu of Black Magic Films. target audience.” Shyam Kaushal was the action director. The Spoof of not? Watch the ads and decide. Thums Up film was directed by Abhinay Deo of [email protected]

16 The Brand Reporter, February 1-15, 2008

 
 ’s ho Tha W t holds a degree in elec- movies like Dil Se, Taal, a number of Tamil tronics engineering. movies and has worked with composers and After completing his musicians like Anu Malik, Vishal-Shekhar and studies, he joined his Louis Banks among others. He says, “I enjoy professor’s service working with Rahman because he’s a fabulous shop where he would composer and he gives you the liberty of bring- service videos and CD ing out whatever your creative input is.” players. As a hobby, he Ask him what he enjoys more, composing for    also played in a rock films or ads and he says, “Ads are very exciting. band called Rock Everyday is a new job, a new client, a new film. Covenant. Once his But films have a different approach. For film band mate Ashley, who scores you have all the liberty of time, whereas in used to play for com- ads it has to be done much much faster.”  poser Ranjit Barot Fernandes says that he never expected ‘You asked him if he would and I’ to be such a big hit. “The only thing that like to play for Barot, still disappoints me to some extent is the recog- and he agreed. That’s nition or the lack of it. People really don’t

FOTOCORP  when Rupert got his recognise the efforts, and the respect that you first break when he would get abroad for a composition lacks here. utch has changed to Vodafone. But the played the guitar for a background score for a one When ‘You and I’ became a hit my name and jingle ‘You and I’ still lingers on. So of Coca-Cola’s early campaigns in India ‘Share even the singer’s, Sooraj Jagan, wasn’t men- Hwhen the creator of the jingle says that my dreams, share my Coke’ in 1991-92. tioned anywhere. Money is one aspect, but the ad was not planned to have lyrics orginally, it Fernandes says, “Ranjit asked me how much I appreciation is very important.” comes as a surprise. Meet Rupert Fernandes, the would charge and I told him it was my first Fernandes says that mostly his inspiration for music composer for ‘You and I’ and many such recording. So he inquired if Rs 1200 would do. I the music is the ad film itself. “I try and put memorable jingles. asked him if this was for the whole month and he down the first creation what comes to mind as Says Fernandes, “The production house said ‘no, just for this job’. At that time I was mak- quickly as possible. I don’t really think of what approached me with this ad film with the boy and ing only Rs 500-800 per month at my professor’s the client will think. I just go by whatever comes the dog. Initially, the plan was to only have a service shop.” The very next day he quit the serv- to me instinctively.” In fact people in the indus- background score. But after hearing the music, ice shop job and got into music full time. Back try regard him as one of the fastest composers. the client, production house and the agency then he was only a guitarist and he started playing He says that creating a 30 second sound piece loved it and decided to add words.” That’s how for various composers. He then bought himself a would typically take him about 3-4 hours. the ‘You and I’ jingle was born. sequencer. Soon composer Rajat Dholakia asked To keep in touch with his main passion of The 35-year old composer has also created Fernandes if he would sequence and programme playing the guitar and also to help newcomers, tunes and background scores for brands like for him. And his career took off as a composer in he teaches on Sundays. “There is so much music TVS, Santro, Coca-Cola, Nerolac, Nescafé, and 1994. He then set up his own home studio. coming out now, that it’s even difficult to classi- the more recent Reliance Power and Vodafone He has also been part of a teams that created fy it,” he says. He also loves spending time with campaigns. He is currently working on Barclays music for films like Sarfarosh, Oh Darling, Ye Hai his wife and kids and enjoys playing outdoor Bank for its upcoming campaign. India. Some years back he also started playing games like football. Born and brought up in Mumbai, Fernandes with AR Rahman. He’s played the guitar in [email protected]

DHL      
 
 
 !
 

  



 


 


 


he YoungGuns Awards is - with its reach spreading over annual awards ceremony and 220 countries and territories Tare given to inspire the best worldwide. The Ghana Flag (left), January flips to form Tajiskistan’s flag; another com- young creative minds in the world. It It was the execution of this con- bination, the Yemen Flag is based on three criteria of strategy, cept that proved to be a challenge creativity and results. while designing the annual DHL cal- flags of lesser-known countries This award encourages us to further This year’s award went to the pro- endar for stakeholders across India around the world like Bolivia, El launch unique and innovative pro- motion of DHL’s services via a and to go beyond just another desk- Salvador, Yemen, Honduras, grams and products,” he added. desktop calendar designed in the top reminder. ‘DHL Flags’ was Nicaragua and Luxembourg. DHL India has many firsts to its motif of flags of countries around the created and designed by Shirin Talking about the award, credit including India’s first and only world. The calender has been created Johari, visualiser, O&M, under the Chandrashekhar Pitre, head, market- 24-hour customer service call center, in such a way that it has three strips on guidance of Rajiv Rao and Piyush ing, DHL Express India, says, “We the first to introduce customised each page and each strip coordinates Pandey. Johari thought of the idea in feel privileged that an internationally solutions such as Jumbo Box and to a different month. Every time a a flash and took about 2-3 days to put recognised jury has highly evaluated a University Express, as well as the month (strip) is turned, a new flag is it together working out the permuta- connection that focuses on our ability first to provide track and trace servic- formed. This objective of creating this tions and combinations of the to ‘deliver anywhere’ even to smaller es in India via email, via SMS or via calender was to emphasise DHL’s core different countries’ flags. countries and territories like Burkina the Internet and WAP phones. proposition of ‘We deliver anywhere’ The ‘DHL Flag’ calender depicts Faso, Cayman Island and Liberia. [email protected]

18 The Brand Reporter, February 1-15, 2008  

 
    PRINT Sound Business Sense

business news regional space SUSHIL KUMAR 
 
 




 Chacko (L) and Sanghi: catering to the segment   

 
  
By Dhaleta Surender Kumar that is not comfortable with English

f Ajay Chacko, director, TV18 Business Media, their respective papers in the near future. Jagran Kurnool, Hyderabad and Warangal. “The business is to be believed, the circulation of English Prakashan and Network18 have announced a daily is targeted at the Telugu-speaking people. Ibusiness dailies in India is a mere 12 lakh. He 50:50 joint venture. They plan to launch a Hindi Andhra Pradesh is a vibrant state and there is a discounts some regional-language business dailies, business daily in 2008. Sources in Jagran, however, lot of investment happening; even the rural econ- saying that the numbers are minuscule, so they reveal that it is not just looking at the Hindi space. omy is good. There is a need to cater to this hardly make a dent in the total circulation. The idea is to traverse the gamut of regional lan- segment, which may not be comfortable with Take for instance, the print run of Nafa Nuksan, guages, including Marathi, Telugu, Tamil, English,” he says. the Hindi business daily in Rajasthan. It’s a mere Gujarati, Kannada and Punjabi as well. AGA His primary targets are the traders and farmers, 20,000. Ask Financial Express (FE), which has a Publications, which brings out Vaartha, a Telugu “every shop and even a transport-wala.” Sanghi Gujarati version; the print run may be far less as it daily from Hyderabad, has also planned a Telugu expects an initial print run of four lakh copies. is not ready to reveal the figures, but claims that it business daily for the Andhra Pradesh market. However, the cover price has not been decided as has a readership of about 25,000. Economic Times Gireesh Kumar Sanghi, CMD, AGA yet, as feedback is being sought from readers on (ET) too has a Gujarati version. Publications, who is also a Rajya Sabha member, what kind of package they would be interested in. However, there is a need in the regional space reveals that while Vaartha is published from 19 cen- The industry buzz is that the Jagran Group may for business dailies and media houses have woken tres, the business daily is slated for launch in back the paper, because of recently formed family up to it. ET and Business Standard (BS), both are mid-2008 from seven centres – Tirupathi, ties through a marriage. believed to be coming up with a Hindi version of Vishakhapatnam, Rajamundhri, Vijayawada, Chacko isn’t sure as yet about the prospective markets for the Jagran-Network18 venture. “There is no matrix to decide that as yet. The only afa Nuksan (NN), the six-day (Monday-Saturday) matrix we had was Karobar, which Amar Ujala Nbusiness daily published from Jaipur, goes to started in 1994 and closed down within five years. every Tehsil headquarters in Rajasthan. It is also But that was some 10 years ago; the dynamics of looking to spread its wings to other states. Jitendra the industry and readership have changed since Kothari, director, NN, reveals that the company is in then,” he says, adding, “The only parallel we have talks with some media houses for partnerships. today are CNBC Awaaz and Zee Business (both in ‘‘We’ve approached leading Hindi dailies in Madhya Hindi), and that too in the television space.” Pradesh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and other He says that when CNBC Awaaz was launched states. There’s been some positive response. We Kothari: looking ahead to in January 2005, the officials feared that the chan- have an editorial strength, which they can certainly partner with the big players nel would cannibalise the viewership of CNBC. leverage on,’’ he says. However, monthly tune-ins in the Hindi business NN was launched in 1996 as a weekly and became cent of it comes from manufacturers in the interiors of space have gone up from one crore to 3.2 crore a daily in April 2007. The paper is priced at Rs 3 and Rajasthan and from places like Udaipur, Bikaner, since then, of which 60 per cent is with CNBC caters to businessmen, stock-brokers, traders, char- Jodhpur and other business cities. As Kothari states, Awaaz. “There is a need to expand the market, and tered accountants and property dealers. Kothari states the advertisers are ‘‘people who want to reach out to it has to be different and it surely is in the region- the content is different in some ways from its English entire Rajasthan, but do not have enough budget to go al space,” states Chacko. counterparts. While one page is dedicated to local with the regular dailies like Rajasthan Patrika and He is also of the opinion that the content for news, the rest of the paper focuses on national and Dainik Bhaskar.’’ regional business dailies has to be different from international news. ‘‘But our USP is the importance we He seems unfazed about the entry of biggies like what is covered in English business dailies. give to the need of the Hindi-reading business commu- ET, BS and the Jagran-Network18 paper into the “CNBC is targeted at corporate India, while nity in terms of business and economic news and regional-language space. ‘‘We want some big players CNBC Awaaz has content that is more info-based. analysis, which helps in their decision making,’’ he to enter the market. Nobody has given importance to It has varied content, like on self- explains. this space as yet. We look at it as an opportunity to Looking at advertising revenue, almost 25-35 per partner with them,’’ he says optimistically.  >>

  MCDONALD’S COMIC LEGENDS  Rewinding Menu The Pandavas 

 
 

 

 
Lookalikes 



 


 
 
  
By Sapna Nair By Surina Sayal cDonald’s has found success in its strate- scious and also need to perceive McDonald’s as an gy of branded affordability through the affordable eating-out option. MRs 20 ‘Happy Price Menu’. Since 2004, Singhal explains McDonald’s reliance on popular campaigns like ‘What your bahana is?’, the movie-based themes saying, “Indians connect to yesteryear prices, and ‘bees mein full dhamaal’ have two things, Bollywood and cricket and group dis- communicated this very well. McDonald’s has cussions showed us that the ads relating to now taken its Happy Price Menu communication Bollywood had more top-of-mind recall.” He adds a step further. The new campaign, ‘Aap ke zamaane that though McDonald’s hasn’t done any ads mein baap ke zamaane ke daam’, consists of three revolving around cricket, it would be open to TVCs. doing so in the future. The campaign features look-alikes of yester- The current campaign has been created by Leo years Hindi filmstars and their Burnett. The ads will appear on he Mahabharata is all set to come to India sons who are superstars today. television and in print media in a new avatar. Hong Kong-based com- While the first ad features dupli- across India. There will be Tpany, Fluid Friction, plans to bring in a cates of Dharmendra and Sunny regional TV presence in South comic series called Devashard, which is influ- Deol, this will be followed by India as well. Radio and on- enced by the mythological epic. The comics look-alikes of Amitabh and ground mobile vans are part of should hit the stands by March this year. Abhishek Bachchan and Rakesh the media mix and McDonald’s Fluid Friction is the result of a partnership and Hrithik Roshan. is also launching a viral for the between Fluid, a design and marketing agency, The first film opens on a man first time. and Zero Friction, an integrated entertainment resembling Sunny Deol entering Singhal informs that corporation in Asia. Apart from the Indian a McDonald’s outlet. He strikes McDonald’s advertises on four market, the company also plans to take a pose and screams, “Ek McAloo platforms. One is the Happy Devashard to countries such as the US, the UK, Tikki!” The man at the counter Price Menu. The other is for Hong Kong and Singapore. replies that it is only Rs 20. McVeggie and McChicken, “Our attention was called to Indian Upon hearing the price, he starts where the idea is that you can get mythology by Indian partners we have worked to transform and says, “Papa?” lost in the taste of these burgers. with in the past. Our team found it so fasci- He has now transformed into an The third platform, according to nating that we did indeed decide to go ahead older man resembling Singhal, is convenience, where with a comic line that has been inspired by the Dharmendra, who says, “Maa the delivery service is talked Mahabharata,” says Spencer Douglass, business kasam, ye to hamaare zamaane ke about. Another platform is for development manager, Fluid Friction. daam hain!” The VO reiterates, kids’ for the Happy Meal. Devashard will be a 25-book series, released Aap ke zamaane mein, baap ke The restaurant chain is also over a period of 12-18 months. It is targeted at zamaane ke daam, McDonald’s ka Happy Price gearing up for the 2008 Beijing Olympics an audience in the age-group of 15-35 years, Menu, Rs. 20 only. The film closes with the (McDonald’s is the official restaurant for the but the core target would be the 15-25 age McDonald’s Golden Arches logo. event). McDonald’s will sponsor children from group. The graphic novel’s USP is high quali- Arvind Singhal, head, marketing, McDonald’s across the world to cheer for their countries at the ty artwork and focus on intricate story lines, India, says, “The insight was that prices have Olympics; the Indian campaign for this is called reflecting the difficulties and challenges of life moved up everywhere; and when you go anywhere ‘Beijing mein Cheering’. set in a time when half-Gods walked the Earth with your parents, they talk about how things were The programme will enable about 300 children next to ordinary men. so cheap when they were young. They are always from around the world to travel to the Olympic The launch of this comic series comes after grumbling about prices. So, we used this customer Games and share their experiences with their local one-and-a-half-year’s research. Targeting the insight in the campaign.” communities and hometown. He adds that Indian consumers are value-con- [email protected]  >>

 

<<  
<<   Sound Business Sense Mighty Myth development,commodities, mutual funds, and is youth with a mythological book, in an era slightly more retail-focused and aspiration-led. when there are a zillion new-age products Even the language is easy to understand and is attracting their attention, is a task Fluid relatable. The trend has to be similar in the print Friction is prepared for. The comic will be space, and the potential is far more than televi- priced at Rs 240, which perhaps, is quite sion,” he explains. expensive for a comic book. Douglass offers FEs Gujarati version was launched in 1991 and an explanation. “Although we have termed is also circulated on six days (Monday-Saturday). our product a comic, it is closer in format to a The target audience is anybody who wants to high-end graphic novel with 52 pages, a thick invest and is interested in stock markets. “The card cover and full-colour thick gloss pages paper is extremely popular across segments and within. With this in mind, the book can actu- derives its readership equally from the small ally be considered cheap in comparison to investor and trader communities,” says Aditya similar products,” he states. The comic will Tandon, senior brand manager, FE. The content initially be published in English, but the com- for the Gujarati version, however, is not very dif- pany will consider translating it into other ferent from the English version. “Our focus is on languages after the launch. stock markets, though our endeavour is to He is also of the opinion that the graphic- include critical local news. We also carry columns Gujarati and Hindi by novel industry has been growing rapidly in by local opinion leaders,” he adds. The paper com- Janmabhoomi Group of Newspapers, that prima- India, as well as worldwide, for several years. petes with ETs Gujarati version, which was rily caters to readers in Rajkot (Gujarat) and According to Pricewaterhouse Coopers, the launched in July last year. While FE has a cover Mumbai. Indian magazine market, including comics, is price of Rs 3, ET Gujarati is being retailed at Re 1. As per Lintas Media estimates, advertising rev- expected to grow at 13.36 per cent a year FE is planning to take its Gujarati version to enue for 2007, in the print media stands at about between 2006 and 2010. The general percep- Mumbai as well, which, according to Tandon, “has Rs 8,588 crore. The share of English-language tion about this segment is that comics (such as a good number of people from Gujarat.” publications is around 35 per cent, while Hindi Chandamama and Champak) are not as desir- Officials at ET refused to com- publications command around 20- able in the public eye as they used to be. ment on the developments on the 25 per cent. The rest goes into However, according to Douglass, the figures Hindi version - CEO, Ravi regional-language publications. show that the sales of these titles have Dhariwal, could not be contacted. Tandon of FE feels that there is still increased dramatically in recent years. Meanwhile, Amar Ujala is also somewhat of a skew towards The company will launch several other planning to come up with a Hindi English-language publications in titles, six more mythological ones and others, business daily by the end of this year, terms of ad share. This is likely to most of which are in the pipeline. It is in the though under a different brand change as the market for regional process of choosing suitable partners for mer- name, which Sunil Mutreja, presi- publications evolves. So, there is chandising and licensing arrangements. The dent – marketing, Amar Ujala headroom in this space, considering product will be extended to areas such as gam- refused to divulge. Its earlier busi- SUSHIL KUMAR that only 0.4 per cent of the coun- ing, animation and films. ness paper, Karobar, was published Mutreja: playing the try’s population reads business papers Fluid Friction will undertake a range of from Indore, Kanpur and Delhi, while wait and watch game of any kind. “There is a need. The marketing activities, right from pre-launch to the new one will be published from real challenge is to try and fit that post launch in India. These include building Lucknow, Kanpur, Agra, Dehradun and Delhi. need into a business proposition and see what several interactive websites including an inter- “We’ll probably be the last one to launch the Hindi works best for which newspaper – whether sub- active map, www.bhumi-world.com and business daily. We’d like to see what others are sidise on retailing and depend on ad revenue or creating a free online game, www.bhumi- coming out with and try and differentiate the vice versa. It’ll depend on the play out between world.com/risk. The company also plans to product,” says Mutreja. Amar Ujala also will be demand and advertising,” he says. launch viral marketing campaigns and build a printing BS’ Hindi version at its Noida printing Media houses have shown their intent to foray fan base across social networking platforms, facility. into the regional-language business daily space. such as Facebook, MySpace, Hi5 and There are other small players in the regional- Yet, they are either unsure or tight-lipped about MingleBox. It has also sponsored college business-daily market. Vyapar Kesari, published by how this move would work for them. Currently, events such as Malhar and Mood Indigo. In- New Delhi-based National News Service Online, all are busy gauging the market and seeking feed- store marketing initiatives with Crossword caters to people interested in commodities. back from readers. and Planet M are in the pipeline. Vyaapar is another such paper, published in [email protected] [email protected]

MEDIA MIND THE LANGUAGE  

   

  




 
  
 


 

 
 
   By Sapna Nair

in many states, it is not a language of the masses. demand from viewers for local content – what the Therefore, states like Maharashtra, Bengal are media calls ‘language affinity’. “In fact, this trend is emerging as hot destinations. Markets such as relegating national channels in both the general Orissa and Assam are not yet significant for broad- entertainment and news space into becoming only casters and media planners usually look at a Hindi-speaking option, as more and more channels such as ETV and ZEE Bangla to reach regional channels are mushrooming to whet the out to the people there. viewer appetite for local content. Localisation is the key, whether for a news channel or a kids’ t would seem that there’s no business like AN OBVIOUS STEP channel,” says Anil George, COO, Manorama TV. the broadcasting business. The year 2007 bservers - and players - are already calling this Manorama News has gone a step further to tar- saw the launch of almost half a dozen new Othe ‘next wave of television expansion’. The get sub-sets within the state. It has a distinct Hindi general entertainment channels first wave occurred with the launch of channels advantage with its three news beams, which target (GEC). The list includes ZEE Next, 9X, such as STAR, ZEE and Sony, in the national three different geographic regions of the state - IBindass and NDTV Imagine. Add to that, the space. These networks, having covered the nation- Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode - existing Hindi GECs and the number would be al space almost completely, had to look at fresher which cater to Central Kerala, South Kerala and over a dozen. pastures. And there was an audience waiting. North Kerala respectively. Children’s entertain- But Hindi is not the only attraction. STAR India’s CEO, Uday Shankar states, “All ment channel Walt Disney, gauging the potential Broadcasters are now looking closely at another broadcasters who were concentrating on the of the regional market early on, launched ‘Toon tasty pie - regional GECs. Big networks such as national arena have realised that it would be Disney’ in Hindi, Telugu and Tamil. STAR India and ZEE Network, new entrants such unwise not to move in the direction of viewer as NDTV Imagine and even publications such as preferences.” STAR already has its presence in the THE MONEY IS ATTRACTIVE The Sakaal Group and The Malayala Manorama South, West and East with channels like STAR ost national advertisers have realised that it is Group (MMG) are setting out to identify their Vijay (Tamil GEC), STAR Majha (Marathi news Mno longer possible to target regional markets slices. channel) and STAR Ananda, (Bengali news chan- through the spill that comes in from national STAR is expected to foray into Bengali (it nel). It plans to launch Bengali, Marathi, Gujarati Hindi channels. Advertisers can reach each market already has a news channel, Ananda), Marathi, and Telugu GECs, followed by launches in other on the basis of the purchasing power of that mar- Gujarati and Telugu GECs and also movie chan- genres (music and sports), this year. ket. Regional channels are becoming a gateway for nels. The MMG has plans for a GEC, business Growing cable and satellite (C&S) populations new advertisers and they are proving to be the best news channel and music channel. Bangla in the regional markets fuelled demand for region- bet in terms of offering better value. “However, Entertainment will have Channel Eight (GEC) al language programming. There is constant the purchasing power varies across states, there- and Channel Eight Talkies (Bengali movie chan- nel). The Sakal Group will have a Marathi GEC, In some places it works... Saam Marathi, and a Hindi GEC Saam Hindi. Mumbai Kolkata Broadcast Worldwide, which already has Tara (Channel shares in genres; in percentage) (Channel shares in genres; in percentage) News and Tara Muzik, is ready with Tara Talkies, a 10 9 Bengali movie channel. 3 So what really is taking them regional? Are 4 27 3 7 40 these players trying to recreate the magic of Sun 7

TV and Eenadu? The Brand Reporter tries to 7 find out. The last few years saw phenomenal growth for 8 regional channels. The South (mainly Telugu and Tamil) has been a proven ground for regional 11 9 channels for long. But the television universe was, 22 more or less, divided into two clear segments - the 13 20 South and the Hindi-speaking markets. This cre- ated a general belief that in Hindi-speaking markets it is only Hindi that dominates. Regional Mass Hindi GEC Cable Hindi Movies Regional Mass Hindi GEC Cable Hindi Movies Hindi News Kids Music Others (11) Regional News Regional Music Kids Others (11) Although Hindi is understood and also spoken

28 The Brand Reporter, February 1-15, 2008
 fore advertisers’ market priorities differ,” says ...others don’t (includes channels which telecast a programming Shyam Shanker, president, India Media Exchange mix of serials, films, music, news and also stand Gujarat (IMX), the media buying unit of the Starcom (Channel shares in genres; in percentage) alone channels in those genres in local languages). MediaVest Group and Zenith Optimedia. 10 In Bengal, 47 per cent of the audience in 3 The large number of local retail lifestyle and 6 40 Kolkata prefers regional, and about 28 per cent service brands is significantly propping up the scale 7 Hindi. The rest of the pie is shared by regional of advertising. “As these advertisers seek to target music channels, children and sports. The figures specific audiences from narrower catchment areas, are similar for the rest of Bengal. A whopping 44 their focus on regional channels increases,” says 7 per cent of the viewers prefer regional mass chan-

George. The cost of advertising on air in regional 13 nels, and about 16 per cent, Hindi GECs. channels is quite low and hence attractive for 14 Although a language-driven state, Gujarat smaller advertisers. Also, the advertisers not only Regional Mass Hindi GEC Cable Hindi Movies remains largely untapped. Apart from ETV Hindi News Kids Religious Others (11) get an incremental reach but also gain high return Gujarati and ZEE Gujarati, there hasn’t been much on investment (ROI) by including the regional action there and consumes mostly Hindi content. channels in their media plan. The viewership share enjoyed by There has been a remarkable Hindi GEC, movies and news, in growth in advertising revenue of “Advertisers will be Gujarat is 60 per cent, whereas region- regional channels in the last few years. al mass garners only seven per cent of Marathi channels that were stuck at cautious. They will viewership. The reason might be as Rs 70 to 90 crore of annual advertising Shanker cites, “Any new or old player revenue till 2006 are expected to cross not get carried away will always have at least two soaps per Rs 200 crore in 2007-08, as per indus- week based on a Gujarati family.” try estimates. The Bengal market too is with every launch. ” expected to cross Rs 200 crore this year EXPLORING GENRES from Rs 100-120 crore last year. UDAY SHANKAR hy aren’t broadcasters looking Media consultant Sulina Menon STAR INDIA, CEO Wbeyond regional GECs and says, “Many brands want to focus on news channels? It’s primarily because specific markets and minimise the maximum revenue is garnered by spillover into non-target or non-pri- channels that have a mass reach and ority markets. So exploring regional “Regional channels hence, this becomes the first option. options for that added emphasis is a Also, these are genres most consumed more cost-efficient option than rely- are experimenting by the audiences and appeal to the ing just on national channels.” lowest common denominator. But STAR’s Shankar puts in a with progressive STAR Ananda’s success prompted word of caution. He believes that other networks such as ZEE to channels from the big groups will content.” launch ZEE Chauvees Taas, a 24-hour profit much more. “In an environ- Marathi news channel. This attracted ment, where more than one player is NITIN VAIDYA, DIRECTOR, local viewers and offered advertisers a getting into every space, advertisers REGIONAL CHANNELS, ZEE different genre of mass viewers. will not get carried away by mention Shanker believes that the natural FOTOCORP of a launch; they will wait to see the extension for existing GECs was performance. When groups like news. “Generally, a brand wanting to STAR or ZEE launch channels, it will “Broadcasters will target a ‘state’ would be looking for be taken seriously,” he says. Big net- mass reach, rather than tapping niche works like STAR have an added be looking at mass audiences, so the first stage from a advantage as they can offer broadcast- business perspective would be GECs ers regional reach in a bouquet. reach, rather than and news,” he adds. Once reach and viewership is established, the next WHY THEY ARE GOING niches within.” level of foray could be music. WHERE THEY ARE? Vaidya, however, believes that it is he national space is getting crowd- SHYAM SHANKER a misconception that only news and Ted, fragmented and expensive to PRESIDENT, IMX GECs are being launched. He cites sustain. One of the reasons for this, the example of ZEE Talkies, a Marathi FOTOCORP according to Shankar of STAR, is that movie channel, launched last year. the current trend in GECs is not very encouraging been Maharashtra, Kerala, West Bengal, Tamil Shankar predicts launches in the movie genre too. as there is isn’t much variation that the players are Nadu, and Karnataka. The northern belt is dis- Recently, Channel Eight, a Kolkata-based produc- offering. Shanker of IMX points out that for the counted as it is tied up by one language - Hindi, tion house, launched a Bengali movie channel, ones who already have a national presence, with a and almost all Hindi GECs cater to them. Vaidya Channel Eight Talkies. As for music, apart from Hindi GEC, the natural extension is to launch local offers an explanation: “Marathi, Bangla and ‘Bollywood’ and ‘Tollywood’, there isn’t much language-based vehicles. “This way the ‘network’ Southern languages have a strong local connect that can be tapped. The Malayala Manorama offering allows an advertiser to tap the overall mar- associated with great element of pride. All these Group is also planning a foray in the business ket or any local pocket only,” he adds. languages are distinctively different from Hindi, news and music genres after its GEC launch. Nitin Vaidya, director, regional channels, ZEE having their own ethos, heritage, rich literature, George is optimistic that it is only a matter of Network, offers a different viewpoint. He dis- folk culture, theatre and other art forms.” The time before newer genres get explored. agrees with the theory that too many Hindi GEC regional channels offer them a good platform. “Nationally too, most of the initial efforts were in launches have impacted regional launches. “The Take Maharashtra and Bengal. In Mumbai, news and general entertainment. This then moved real reason for the renewed focus on regional is Hindi GECs with Hindi movies and Hindi news into lifestyle and other genres. Regional markets due to the increased number of advertisers - local account for 47 per cent of the cake while the region- are following the same trend,” he says. and national. This is because the regional channels al mass makes up 22 per cent. The rest is taken up This is just the beginning. As the wave gathers have tried experimenting with some strong and by children and music genres. The scenario is quite momentum and more players start surfing in progressive storylines that have helped in building similar in the rest of Maharashtra too, with Hindi earnest, the regional language television scenario a loyal set of viewers for the channels,” he says. GECs, movies and news garnering 39 per cent can expect exciting times ahead. The focus areas for broadcasters have always share and about 20 per cent going to regional mass [email protected]

The Brand Reporter, February 1-15, 2008 29 
LENOVO      “Sometimes  
 you just have The TVC is inspired by Sita aur Gita and has Soha Ali to be Khan in a double role, but with a twist. By Surina Sayal stubborn” FOTOCORP

avi Deshpande, chief creative officer, Contract Advertising, has been in the advertising industry for over two decades now. He has worked with ad Ragencies like Clarion, Ogilvy, Contract and even set up his own agency, enovo has launched the new Y510 Vishal Mangalorkar of Infiniti Films, Lemon but later returned to Contract. Deshpande shares some of the Defining Lnotebook, which is packed with using cameraman Ayananka Bose of Moments of his life with The Brand Reporter. multimedia features. A campaign fea- Tashan fame, stunt director Amar I initially wanted to be an architect and tried to get an admission in turing brother-sister duo, Saif and Shetty from Om Shanti Om and art JJ College of Architecture. It wasn’t working out. At that point, one of Soha Ali Khan, has been created for director Shruti Gupte, who has my uncles suggested that I give applied arts a shot. He even got me the the product. worked on Taare Zameen Par. prospectus for a college. I thought it was interesting though not as The TVC, set in 1970s Eastman- Malvika Mehra, group creative much as architecture. But I decided to give it a shot with the thought colour Bollywood style, revolves director, O&M Bangalore says, I’d give architecture another try after a year. After a year, having topped around Soha in a double role as ‘Rita “Since the notebook is the ultimate the class, I tried getting into architecture but again it didn’t work out. aur Nita’. entertainment and multimedia So I decided not to think too much about what I hadn’t been able to do The 45-second film opens in a machine, that comes with features as against what I could do with what I had on hand. I stuck through typical villain’s den where sari-clad like Dolby speakers, a TV Tuner Card it, topped the university and basically landed into the business of demure Nita (Soha) and touch panel, we advertising. It was a discovery of sorts. My uncle’s landing that is tied to a pillar. Her This time too, decided that the film prospectus into my hand was perhaps my first defining moment. It twin Rita, a tomboy, itself needed to be as made a difference. comes crashing Lenovo’s ad entertaining as possi- My second defining moment was when I was offered a job at Ogilvy. through a window to ble. Which is why, for Suresh Malik and Mani Iyer interviewed me and offered me the job in rescue her on a bike. revolves around the first time, we’ve Bangalore. I thought it would be a terrific idea to go to the beautiful But she suddenly used Saif and Soha as town. I liked the idea more so, because I asked them to elevate me to a goes in rewind a product film stars instead of point from where there was no one breathing down my neck and they mode, going back up offering models.” agreed. I went on as Art Director. This was when I was barely a year into the steps, only to Amit Akali, group the business. Being promoted substantially was a defining moment and come crashing back, in fast-forward creative director, O&M Bangalore I think I owe much to Iyer and Malik for having faith in me. speed a few seconds later. She starts adds that the creative idea was to The third defining moment came in 1987, when Contract was beating up the goons in Bollywood highlight the ‘control’ that the touch- being set up. I was offered a job in their Bangalore office and the idea style. She jumps up, but suddenly sensitive panel allows the viewer. “We of building something from scratch that was principally going to be pauses in mid-air. The camera moves thought of how heroines of the ’70s creative in terms of the belief in the product and not just about busi- out to reveal a control panel and we often had scenes where they were tied ness, interested me. I moved to Contract with nothing but a big hope. see the close-up of a finger on the up in the villain’s den, while the twin I thought with a very capable team we would be able to deliver a com- ‘Pause’ symbol. The action is actually sister came and saved her, like in Sita pany that the advertising industry would envy in the years to come, and taking place on the screen of a aur Gita. So, we wanted Soha to be it did that. Lenovo notebook, where Saif is con- the protagonist with Saif coming in at Another defining moment was in 1994 when the Philips audio trolling Rita through the ‘Touch the end.” account was with us (Contract). That was an era of long persuasive, Control’ panel. He presses ‘Play’ The villain’s-den scenes were shot engaging, hard working copies. But Philips was used to having just bul- again and she falls from her mid-air on sets created at Mukesh Mills in let points or sprinkles of copy. They needed to uplift their image. So we position, only to get punched by a Mumbai, while Saif ’s scene was shot wrote a longish copy and they typically rejected it. I tried very hard to goon. Saif winces at this and the while he was in Bangkok. sell it to them, but they wouldn’t budge. So we thought we’d work on voiceover explains, ‘Control your Akali also points out that all of it. They wanted it brought down to about 50-75 words from the 100 entertainment with just a touch. Lenovo’s ads revolve around specific odd words. When I later sat with my writer instead of cutting down the Introducing Touch Control on the product features. The ‘Castaway’ ad copy, we actually added more to it. The final draft was about 250 words. Lenovo Y510.’ revolved around the Face We went back to them and the client was aghast. But the good news was The TVC has been created by Recognition feature, the next one that the client realised that maybe we had a point otherwise we would- O&M Bangalore; the team includes focused on the Jog Dial and another n’t stick our neck out and be so stubborn. Grudgingly, they agreed. But Amit Akali, Malvika Mehra and Neel was built around the Audio DJ fea- once the campaign broke, it got a fantastic response. I had let my stub- Roy from creative, Vikram Menon, V ture. Hence, this time too, the born side take over. It has happened many times later too, but that I Subramanium, Sarita Raghavan and ad revolves around the product offer- think was a first and I realised that sometimes you just have to be stub- Promananda Elangbam from servic- ing. The TVC will also be backed by born and stand for what you believe in.  ing. extensive print ads featuring Saif and As told to Surina Sayal The TVC also had a ‘filmi’ team Soha. working on it. It was directed by [email protected]

30 The Brand Reporter, February 1-15, 2008

 
DLA On the Move Students and traders are free in the afternoon. That is enough reason for DLA, the afternoon tabloid to spread out. By Dhaleta Surender Kumar

LA, the 10-month old afternoon Hindi and nearly 20,000 in Noida. Dori Lal Agarwal daily, is spreading its wings and moving While the afternoon tabloid has an invitation and also stands for Daily Life Dout of its base, Agra, to Ghaziabad and price of Re 1 (cover price: Rs 2) in Agra, the three Assistance. Meerut in Uttar Pradesh (UP) and new editions will be sold at Rs 1.50. According to Mohit Anand, director, DLA, the to Delhi. While the Ghaziabad edi- Agarwal is not depending on cash paper has broken the myth that an afternoon paper tion was launched late last month, sales. The focus is on subscription cannot get national advertisers. “We’ve got nation- the Meerut and Delhi editions are and household sales. In Agra too, al advertisers across categories. For example, in the slated for launch later this month. only 15 to 20 per cent of the sales telecom category, Reliance, Idea, Vodafone and The Delhi edition will cover East revenue comes from cash sales. Nokia are with us. From the automobile sector, we Delhi and Noida (UP). As far as content is concerned, have advertisers like Hyundai, Ford and GM. While English afternoon papers Agarwal wants DLA to give hard- Among the consumer durables, Samsung, LG and in Delhi like Today pulled out last core news in a crisper form and not Onida have been advertising regularly. For a paper year (Mid-Day is the only sur- depend much on gossip, which which is not featured in the IRS, it is a big achieve- vivor), DLA hopes to create a new SUSHIL KUMAR tabloids are generally known for. ment,” says Anand. Agarwal: spreading wings market amongst the Hindi reader- “It’s a no-nonsense paper with a A S Raghunath, print analyst and consultant for ship. The other player in this segment is Sandhya totally constructive approach,” he says. DLA, says that while the paper has got confirma- Times; however, it qualifies as an evening paper. Agarwal, before launching DLA, held a minor- tions from about 15,000 households for the three Currently, the tabloid, which is published from ity stake in Amar Ujala till August 2006, when he new editions, they are not charging any upfront Agra, covers nine districts of UP – Agra, Mathura, quit after differences with Atul Maheshwari, man- money for the subscription – hawkers would pres- Itawa, Mainpuri, Ferozabad, Haathras, aging director of the paper. But Agarwal refuses to ent the bill at the end of the month as usual. Farukhabad, Aligarh and Etah. be drawn into battle with Amar Ujala. “I have an Moreover, according to Ragunath, an ongoing The print run of DLA’s Ghaziabad edition, emotional attachment with Amar Ujala. I’ve been promotion entitles subscribers to a free travel bag, according to Ajay Agarwal, editor-in-chief and associated with it for almost 30 years. So, I did not if, after three months, they can produce the cut- founder of DLA, is about 50,000 copies. Nearly want to harm it in any way. I realised that the after- tings of the paper’s masthead for that period. 40,000 copies are reserved for the city, the rest noon slot was empty and the business class is at The paper hopes to cover Central and West being sold in Bulandshahar and Hapur. Similarly, ease in the afternoon. Even the students and the Delhi by the end of the year. “The challenge for us the Meerut edition would have a print run of home-makers have ample time to flip through a is the distribution system. There is no distribution 50,000, which would cover Baghpat too. Agarwal newspaper. Hence, DLA,” he says. system for an afternoon paper,” says Agarwal. expects a circulation of about 30,000 in East Delhi DLA is named after Amar Ujala’s founder [email protected]

MIRROR     

he Times Group will launch market is the region’s slack industri- its tabloid brand, Mirror, in al growth. In the last decade, Kolkata TKolkata by June 2008. has seen slow industrial growth. But Kolkata has a few regional language things have changed in the last cou- tabloids, but Mirror will be its first ple of years with industrialisation English language tabloid. and consumerism catching pace. Sources close to the development A tabloid launch in Kolkata in reveal that the cover price for the the present circumstances could tabloid in Kolkata is most likely to prove to be a successful venture. daily from the ABP Group, has a cir- New Delhi and Bangalore and, be Re 1. Parent newspaper The Kolkata has always enjoyed a healthy culation of 12.15 lakh and a more recently, in Ahmedabad. Times of India (TOI) is also priced at ‘adda’ culture, in which gossip plays readership of 68.55 lakh as per Mirror claims to have a circula- Re 1 on weekdays. However, the an integral role. The number of cof- ABC’s January-June figures and IRS tion of seven lakh copies in Sunday cover price for TOI is Rs 4. fee houses on College Street reflects Round 2 figures in 2007, respective- Mumbai. In New Delhi and Senior media planners in the this fact. Like Mumbai, Kolkata too ly. Among the English dailies, The Bangalore, it has a circulation of 1.5 industry say that the launch of a has “on the move” readers who trav- Telegraph from the same group leads lakh copies and 1.3 lakh copies, tabloid in any market reflects the el frequently in local and the market with a circulation of 4.6 respectively. The paper is also circu- maturity of the publishing industry subterranean trains. Kolkata also lakh copies, followed by TOI and lated as a complimentary add-on to in that market. Tabloids form the enjoys a high literacy rate of around The Statesman with 3.3 lakh and 1.7 TOI in Mumbai, but in New Delhi, next level in markets where broad- 80 per cent, which exceeds the lakh copies, respectively. Bangalore and Ahmedabad, it is sheet newspapers have already made national average of 64 per cent. The Mirror is likely to use the ‘Let’s independent of the parent newspa- a mark. high literacy rate has also resulted in Cut the Gyaan – Cut for You’ brand per. The price of the tabloid in New One of the factors that could have high readership of English and positioning in the Kolkata market. Delhi and Bangalore is Rs 1.50 and played a role in holding back an regional dailies in the region. The same positioning was used for Re 1, respectively. English tabloid launch in the Kolkata Ananda Bazaar Patrika, the Bengali the tabloid when it was launched in [email protected]

32 The Brand Reporter, February 1-15, 2008

   ZAPAK.COM PROFILE I SANDIP TARKAS I FUTURE GROUP  A Comprehensive Package
   and didn’t have presence in many mar- kets. “They didn’t have a presence in The gaming site throws a Asia. India was their first launch in girls-only party. Asia,” he says. “We set it up successfully, won 13 clients in 12 months with port- By Amit Sharma folio such as Reckitt Benckiser and Mother Dairy”. apakGirls, the gaming website He quit MPG as president, South Zfrom Reliance ADAG and Asia after two years to join Media BeingGirl.in, the website from Direction (the media arm of Whisper (P&G) came together Omnicom) as CEO from 2004 to 2006. recently to sponsor an all girls party in By this time, Tarkas had become a mas- Phoenix Mills, Mumbai. The gaming ter in setting up agencies and was site had earlier too, done various mar- looking forward to launching OMD keting initiatives to create a buzz (Optimum Media Direction). But due about the site. to the ongoing squabble between its “We decided to give the members partners - Mudra, TBWA, and RK an offline space to interact with us. Swamy BBDO, the venture never took And we tied up with BeingGirl as we off. And Tarkas quit to join as head of are trying to extend our brand to media at Reliance ADAG. At Reliance niche groups,” says Arun Mehra, he headed media across all groups and CEO, Zapak. Mehra says that the was in charge of all the verticals. This company gained three-fold aims included media buying, planning and from this activity - an experiential research. Tarkas describes the two year tenure as ‘great fun’ because the scale of his portfolio was something he couldn’t have found anywhere else. Explaining his role at Future Group, Tarkas says, “Customer strategy means FOTOCORP owning the customer and cross-selling andip Tarkas, the newly to that customer. Owning the relation- appointed president, customer “People at ship involves three key areas such as Srelations of the Future Group media, research and loyalty pro- has had a multifarious career experi- the advertis- grammes.” His mandate includes ence. This IIT Mumbai alumni, making the consumer aware of the vari- started his professional career with ing agencies ous formats and concepts in which they ONGC in 1985. But quit after three sell. “There are customers who may be years to pursue the management were not aware of ‘Pantaloons’ or ‘Big Bazaar’, course at IIM Bangalore. but may not be aware of ‘Depot’ (store From IIM, he joined Leo Mattel in grounded that houses books, music and gifts) or 1990. “I was very interested in the toy lot of other concepts in which they have industry,” he says. Unfortunately that at all.” needs in. So we want to ensure that all format of the brand, creating media industry was plagued by restrictions. their retail needs are met through our properties in a 360-degree format for Tarkas was feeling uneasy with the group’s offerings,” he simplifies the core other brands to partner them and red tape formalities and even though he wanted to focus of customer strategy. giving consumers a huge interactive explore the industry he shifted to advertising. The area is not new for Tarkas, whose stints across gaming experience. He joined Mudra in 1993 in the client servicing fields, across categories throughout his career, have The company had promoted the department. But Tarkas did not think very highly of taught him enough about customer behaviour and event through website banners, agency people post his summer training at an ad agency. purchase behaviour. He perceives this job as putting to email and SMS bursts and also a “I realised that most people I met in the agency were not test all the skills he imbibed in his previous avtaars. “All radio campaign. There was a college grounded at all and had absolutely no idea of what they my previous experiences will come handy in this role. connect activity in place, where vol- were talking. Their ideas about India were restricted to My mandate is actually a unification of whatever I have unteers appointed as ‘gaming Bandra and Nariman Point,” he recalls. While at Mudra learnt so far. It is much larger than anything that I have jockeys’ went about spreading the he got interested in media and he says, “Handling clients done so far, in terms of sheer scope,” he believes. word about the event and distribut- like Disney got me interested in media”. he says. Tarkas is an avid reader and prefers non-fiction to ing participation tickets. Tarkas’ next move was Fulcrum in 1995 and he was fiction. “I like reading books that are not related to my Interestingly, girls at the party the company’s first employee. Fulcrum, he says, was field of work,” he says. Among his favourites is a book were entertained by men. Trappings one of the most defining stints for him. “It held the called Collapse, which is about civilisations that sur- include performances by music first big AOR in the industry,” he states. (It was the first vived and collapsed. He is also fond of music and is bands, magicians and tarot readers. agency to handle a single client portfolio). It was the student of classical music. A popular singer in his col- Mehra says that the company will agency on record for FMCG major HLL. lege, Tarkas has even sung a few jingles for pitches organise more such parties in He spent eight years at Fulcrum, before moving on to while in Mudra. “Those ads never went on-air Bangalore and Delhi in the near start another agency MPG in 2002. It was a little-known though,” he confesses. future. “We hope to make this a agency with reasonably small operations worldwide too [email protected] national event,” says Mehra. [email protected]

36 The Brand Reporter, February 1-15, 2008

    Looking back, looking ahead

ven though radio’s presence in cities, there were more than 50 towns limelight on the smaller cities and ity, these areas remain largely unex- India is part of the media folk- on the private FM map by the end of towns drove up the listenership in plored. The excitement on this front Elore, 2007 was the big news 2007. From Trichy to Srinagar, radio 2007, bringing in its wake advertisers can be gauged by Purohit’s prediction year for this fast growing medium, stations went wooing the listeners to right from the national brands to the for 2008, “Radio will be in the unique adding an unmistakable buzz to the the farthest nooks and corners of the local traders. While advertisers are position of being as much part of the media landscape. Whether it was the country. Tarun Katial, COO, Big 92.7 still testing waters with radio, its conventional media basket of TV and culmination of licenses given to radio FM, a channel with one of the biggest steadily growing share (at around 4 print as well as being seen as a new players, launch of new stations across networks, says, “Phase II has provid- per cent right now) in the bigger age option in conjunction with the the country or partnerships across ed a fresh lease of life to the radio advertising pie points to its potential internet, activation and mobile plat- media and other sectors, 2007 saw industry and has really taken the as a stand alone medium of choice, forms. frenzied activity in the Indian FM medium to the next level, there has competing well with television. Code of conduct – Despite the radio sector, notching up a cool 50 been no holding back! Things only Prashant Panday, deputy CEO, Radio I&B Ministry’s decision to put radio per cent growth in the second year look better from here.” His predic- Mirchi 98.3 FM, says, “As brands seek under the watch of the wider ranging running. Here’s a look back at a land- tion for 2008, “With the majority of more touch-points for their brands at Broadcast Regulatory Authority of mark year gone by and a look ahead at licenses in Phase II going operational local levels, the only medium really is India, the proactive step of AROI the opening up of an industry (Association of Radio still exploring itself. Operators of India) towards Content – Redefining the designing a self-regulatory ‘content is the king’ cliché, content code is seen as a step radio players made the most in the right direction. Purohit of the no news, no current adds, “With the setting up of a affairs regulation in 2007. high powered governing They creatively filled up the council from radio operators news vacuum with variations across the nation, we believe of ‘music and talk’ formula. the AROI will emerge as a Innovations came in the form very strong entity which will of on ground events, count- work aggressively towards the downs and interactive progress and strengthening of programming. Interestingly, Tarun Katial, Apurva Purohit and S. Keerthivasan: Predicting good times for radio this medium and industry in RJ’s from small towns the year to come.” emerged as the differentiators for by the end of this year, 2008 is going radio (adding strength to an activa- 2008 is being hailed as the year of attracting the masses. While the jury to be a very good year for radio. The tion exercise). When advertisers need consolidation and stability for radio is still out on how well the content industry will experience dramatic consumers to respond to their prod- in India. While operating multiple fared, the listener was surely treated expansion in its listener base leading ucts, they will have nowhere to go frequencies in the same city and like a king. Radio activism also to significant growth in business. I but radio. When IPOs market them- increase in FDI still remain on the played an important role in involving believe 2008 will be the tipping point selves, and target certain key but wish list of most players, Panday listeners and building credibility. for the radio industry.” dispersed markets, the only real articulates the journey and the emer- Whether it was saving a lake or or The RAM effect – The radio medium to hammer home the gence of a medium much loved by resource mobilisation for good caus- story in 2007 would be incomplete reminders is radio. 2008 surely looks the masses, “Its been a long wait, but es, 2007 saw radio take on the role of without the mention of RAM (radio like a good year for radio.” His pre- finally, the radio networks have a self-appointed crusader among the audience measurement). diction for 2008: “With RAM to back arrived! And there is a medium today masses. The big prediction for 2008 is Acknowledged by most industry the industry up, radio should grow to that challenges the national coverage summed up by S Keerthivasan, busi- players as the most important mile- becoming a 6 per cent industry soon.” that satellite TV hitherto offered ness head, Fever 104 FM, “The stone in 2007, it came with its own Add to this, FICCI’s prediction that exclusively.” industry is going to move towards share of issues around methodology the Indian radio industry will be a Rs The overall prognosis for 2008 – differentiation and come up with the and accuracy, but was by and large 1,200 crore industry by 2010 and you being part of this sunrise industry is philosophy of different strokes for welcomed by the industry. Apurva have a sure winner on your hands. going to be is a bit like sitting on a different folks and offer varied pro- Purohit, CEO, Radio City 91.1 FM Technology – WorldSpace, with roller coaster ride that is on a climb gramming innovations to its says, “RAM has been an invaluable its share of ups and downs, remained right now. The altitude is a bit dizzy- listeners.” Given the successes of the tool – both for the industry, planners the leader in the satellite space with ing for everyone; be it the advertisers, year gone by, the industry’s unani- and advertisers alike. It allows media innovations like a tie-up with MSN the corporate sector or the common mous wish for 2008 is allowing of planners to showcase the saliencies of India for streaming its content online. man. The writing on the wall is; news and current affairs on private using the medium by demonstrating While some other radio players also everybody hold on tight! The fun has FM stations. the cost-benefit analysis.” tried their hand with web portals, pod just begun... Spread – Starting with around 15 Advertising – The newfound casting and internet driven interactiv- - Meenakshi Gupta    ship permission and automatic     renewal of permission. Apart from these, a number of technical issues relating to co-channel spacing and Round three collocation of FM broadcast trans- mitters have been raised for he much awaited consultation deliberation. The international expe- Tpaper on Third Phase of Private riences have been compiled to get FM Radio Broadcasting is finally better understanding of present out. As the government considers international scenario. expansion of FM radio to other cities First launched in the country in through private agencies under 1999, FM radio broadcasting very Phase III, it sought TRAI (Telecom quickly gained in popularity and sub- announced the Regulatory Authority of India) rec- sequently 21 private channels    launch of its 42nd station in ommendations on the policy became operational. In Phase II in Jodhpur. This is the second phase of modifications for FM radio 2005 the government offered 337 launches where BIG 92.7 FM is broadcasting in Phase III. channels to be made available in a new channels for bidding by private going to several mini metros across The paper analyses issues related city, FDI cap, networking guidelines, agencies covering additional cities. the country, which will eventually to FM radio broadcasting such as allowing news and current affairs While Letters of Intent were issued take the total count to 45. In expansion of FM radio to smaller programming on FM radio, level for 245 channels, 136 channels have Jodhpur, BIG RJs Vikram, Rex, cities, including migrating from ‘city playing field between FM broadcast- become operational. It is expected Surabhi and Monika will be enter- permission’ concept to ‘district ers vis-à-vis satellite radio that FM coverage will soon be taining the city and the adjoining permission’ concept, number of broadcasters, and change in owner- extended to a total of 92 cities. areas.

      
   
   Radio is on a comeback

Sanjeev Srivastava, India Editor, BBC World Service, talks about how the world's best known media brand is adapting to the changing FM environment in India.    
My FM, Hello You have the unique distinction of having worked across all mediums FM and S FM announced the launch - newspaper, television, radio and online. What prospects do you see of their stations in various cities across India in January. Radio for radio and other media in India? Mirchi and My FM launched in All these four mediums continue to have a robust future. Radio is making a big Raipur, taking Radio Mirchi’s tally to comeback and it has a huge potential. Imagine Tata's Nano car selling by the lakhs, and 30 stations while My FM reached 15 each one fitted with a basic radio (even though there is no provision of a radio in the stations with this launch. Hello FM car right now). I strongly believe that radio is re-inventing itself in India and is headed began its transmission in Trichy

SUSHIL KUMAR for great times. Print has survived and grown despite new television channels coming making it the fifth centre in Tamil up every day. Internet as a news medium is also set to boom as computer penetration Nadu while Sun TV Network’s S FM increases. Overall I think as India is on a roll, all the media will boom, complementing each other. also launched in Trichy and Rajamundry, through its subsidiary BBC World Service is also well known for its art, culture and music content. Why isn't all the entertain- Kal Radio ment programming coming to India? We are at different stages of conversation with various FM players. But you should remember the Indian FM market is still very young. As it grows and matures, listeners become more discerning, FM stations will also need stronger differentiators. I am confident you will get to hear more of and from BBC. In this scenario, we would be very keen to bring in our programming to the FM listeners.

With satellite radio, podcasts and mobiles offering new mediums for reaching new markets. How is BBC World service tapping this market in India?     
The BBC's business development department is trying to develop products tailor made for these mediums. India is actually Hyderabad organized a fun-filled one of the few countries in the world where the BBC has a dedicated business development division headed by a manger. That evening’s Fashion and Musical tells you about our commitment to this market. Extravaganza at City Center Mall. Attended by over 15,000 of Hyderabad’s Radio Cityzens, the

What new features can the loyal listeners of BBC hope for in 2008? p event was the Grand Finale to the BBC will continue to uphold the values and strengths associated with the brand. In 2008, we will be strengthening our short station’s weeklong live broadcast wave strength and as FM spreads in India and as regulations allow we will keep expanding our menu of programming and forge through a fully functional state-of- new partnerships. the-art studio set up at the mall.

For more on radio, log on to Radio Rocks at http://www.agencyfaqs.com/radiorocks   TELEVISION Assorted News A survey indicates decline in coverage of hard news by Hindi News channels. Is the trend here to stay? By Proyashi Barua

ews channels are not about news any a mere 10 per cent. This means nearly 50 per cent more. The definition of news and the way decrease of political-news coverage in a span of two Nit is presented has undergone a paradigm years. In contrast, the coverage of sports, entertain- shift. For one, there is the emergence and estab- ment, crime and human interest stories has almost news,” he adds. lishment of genres like sports, entertainment and doubled, from 27.9 per cent in 2005 to 53.1 per cent According to Satyajit Sen, executive vice presi- crime. in 2007. The coverage of development stories, span- dent, Zenith Optimedia, “The concern facing news The findings of a television news credibility sur- ning agriculture, education, health and environment channels today is that they need to maintain neu- vey undertaken by the media lab analysis department continue to be at the same level as they were trality and objectivity with respect to the manner in of the Centre for Media Studies (CMS), Delhi, has in 2005. They comprise 2-3% of news. which the subject is presented. There is a tendency revealed that news channels are The findings are quite star- for channels to raise their TRPs by dramatising triv- increasingly focusing on tling, for a country where politics ial news in an attempt to have the most number of Bollywood and crime news. The Coverage of and development issues have breaking news.” study establishes that news con- defined news from the days pre- This probably explains why India TV and tent on television channels is no ‘news trivia’ ceding Independence. STAR News have emerged market leaders by gen- longer dominated by politics. “There is no definite meas- erating shows which are trivia-led (ghost hunting Prabhakar Singh, research has almost ure to ascertain what should and and celebrity tracking). Commenting on this, head, CMS, says, “Over the last should not come under the Prabhakar of CMS says, “The trivia-driven strate- three years, not only has the time doubled in purview of news. Audiences gy is myopic. While on the one hand, the rise of consumed by political reporting news channels. today are a mature and a dis- trivia on TV news has killed mass reality and on news channels decreased, but cerning lot and news has to be decreased the credibility of news; on the other there has also been a successive decline in the actual packaged to cater to their comprehensive informa- hand, it is important to note that channels which number of political stories being covered across tion needs,” says Arnab Goswami, editor-in-chief, thrive on trivia do not sustain viewership in the news channels.” According to the findings of the Times Now. “Editors are not judges. They have to long run.” That content is king is amply stressed survey, in 2004, the share of political stories in the provide news which is in sync with popular audi- by industry experts who feel that highlighting triv- news reported across channels was 33 per cent. This ence demand. Essentially, the editor’s responsibility ia is a short-term ploy.. decreased to 23 per cent in 2005; in 2007, it stood at is to accord the right treatment and weightage to [email protected]

STAR sion will also foray into areas such as health and beauty and food and gro- cery. An online store will be launched    


to sell apparel, books, DVDs and other products. The top six shows on TAR has extended its presence value-conscious. On the tie-up with the channel will be short-listed and from the living rooms of its Big Bazaar, she says, “Big Bazaar is mini-stores will be created within the Sfemale audiences to their known to provide fashion at realistic website to cater to each of these. dressing tables and closets. Two of and reasonable prices, right expert- In the past, STAR has tied up with the biggest mass brands in the coun- ise and a wide footprint.” garment manufacturer Lilliput to try, STAR Plus and Future Group’s A team of design specialists and launch Star Kids, a range of apparel Big Bazaar, have come together stylists at STAR have put together the for boys and girls. This was an exten- under a licensing agreement, to tar- apparel range. An innovative cata- sion of their shows such as Sonpari get their audiences with the STAR logue at Big Bazaar will showcase the and Antariksh. STAR also tied up Parivaar Ethnic Wear Collection. line, and a fashion book will also be with Funskool to launch Sonpari This is the first-ever big launch launched. STAR’s research suggests dolls. Merchandise was created of an apparel range by STAR’s mer- that viewers desire access to the fash- around Nach Baliye (2 and 3) and var- chandising and licensing division, ion and lifestyle that they see on the ious books were launched inspired under the brand ‘STAR Parivaar’. entertainment channel. from shows such as Naya Office Office This designer range comprises 250 The network has also launched and Prithviraj Chauhan. There was styles and will be made available at three books under the title Teen also a book published on the first sea- all Big Bazaar outlets across the Deviyaan, which is a popular pro- son of Kaun Banega Crorepati. country, starting with 35 outlets. gramme on its Hindi news channel, known as Teen Deviyaan. Another tie-up with Creative Targeted at women across the STAR News. This is the news chan- D’Sa informs that there are more Mobus, the makers of Portico country, especially Gujarati, belong- nel’s first brand extension. The merchandising initiatives lined up Furnishings, led to the launch of a ing to SEC A2 and B2, this designer books, based on the show, cover this year, in the areas of costume jew- bath and bedding range. collection is available for Rs 799 forecasts and predictions for 2008, ellery and accessories. The network “It is early days for brand mer- onwards. Nanette D’Sa, senior vice using three different methods - plans to tie up with jewellery chain, chandising,” says D’Sa, adding that president, STAR Licensing and numerology, tarot and astrology. Sia, to launch a range of jewellery, there is a big market gap to be filled. Merchandising, describes this target The authors of the books are Shelly bindis and sindoor, the three vital STAR has definitely taken steps group as being stylish and fashion- Gupta, Munisha Khatwani and aspects of the ‘perfect bahu’ on its towards doing that. able, and more importantly, Meera Mahajan, the trio popularly shows. STAR’s merchandising divi- [email protected]

40 The Brand Reporter, February 1-15, 2008 361-degrees/j/8 THE      Some of India’s well-known professionals write on issues that they feel passionately about INDU BALACHANDRAN Perils of Servicing

f you’ve ever been to a circus, ence room for the Monday morning you’d have seen a man going up ritual – meeting with the manager. Ito a lion. The next thing you Then you will understand why he know is that the man has put his head slogged to get his MBA degree before into the lion’s mouth! Yet he man- landing this job, because this is how ages to come out alive. the meeting will go: Another species that does such a Manager: There’s a billing short- brave act for a living is the client serv- fall of Rs 2.37 crore on your brand. icing person. Sometimes the mouth What do you propose to do about it?” is that of his client and sometimes it An ordinary client servicing per- is of the creative director (CD) - son might have replied, “Donate my another snarling beast. Despite these legs to medical science, swallow two people trying to chew off his head, he packets of Tik-20 cockroach killer, lives on, mostly fed on a diet of man- and never regain consciousness…” agement bestsellers, bought and But an MBA would reply: No consumed at airport bookstalls. problem. We’ve proactively generat- Client servicing people are also ed below the line market activity that called ‘account executives’, and their will interdict the descendancy, paral- parents often wish that their child lelly prorogating competitive had indeed joined a circus as a lion denigration with stonewalling tactics tamer, as they’d have a more definite that I’ve already apprised our client idea about what he does for a living. of and we’ll be presenting creative Admittedly, no parent is really work for all this, this afternoon… happy saying, “Our son, who studied And then off he goes to complete words like incendiary, anodyne and the leaf motif on the label design for preponderant while preparing for the a cough remedy (to ask the art direc- CAT exam, is now in the servicing tor to do so would take three more department of an ad agency.” days, and what did he learn time Somehow, ‘servicing’ gives the management for?), and while the file impression that their beloved, is opening up on the computer, writ- learned son is now overhauling cars ing an ad for a free tongue-cleaner in a garage down the road. with every deodorant (to ask the So, ‘account executive’ is the more        
copywiter to do the headline would respectable label. But, even after mean, she’d stop that other job for explaining it 2,783 times, parents can the recipe booklet, and what did he never understand that ‘accounts’         learn work management for?).

means client’s brands, and not ledgers GOGOL In between, he will rush up three that must be balanced before nightfall. floors to cajole/threaten the media Well, the main reason why agen- strategy (that often in itself deserves son: We’ve done some innovative guys for a make-good free release of cies employ servicing people is to an award), that agencies, in order to positioning for your ad here. Your his client’s ad, which appeared with- help grow business, the dress code get it bang on, usually write the brief LifeSaver ad has more impact now in out any telephone number (the ad for which is a suit. What they do after the campaign has been created. the context of the obituaries… said: Free Ice Creams To All Those grow, at a faster rate than they grow Which is completely justified, Client: Hmm, I guess so... Who Call This Number Today!), and business, is ulcers. But then, they when you think of it - where is the And the relieved servicing person after stopping by to fix an appoint- also keep an entire parallel industry time to write a brief? gets past another blunder created ment with the dentist who has to thriving - pills, medications, mantras entirely by somebody else. whiten the teeth of the pretty model and other stress busting activities. A LIFE IN THE DAY OF A After charging off to the printer’s for tomorrow’s toothpaste shoot, our However, the real purpose for SERVICING PERSON to re-check last night’s redone colour young hero will be off to the exhibi- which God created servicing people A client servicing person’s day corrections for a poster (since the art tion grounds in the outskirts of town is that they too can write something often begins with a wake-up call from director never wakes up before 10 where his client has a stall, and be called “the brief ”. the client himself. AM), and stopping by at his aunt’s to right on time to catch the awning This is the starting point of every “WHERE is my ad for LifeSaver pick up six cookery books (the copy- that collapses under last night’s rain. great piece of advertising. After col- Rejuvenator?”, the client hollers. writer has to compile a cheese recipe And it’s still 11:30 AM of the first lecting tonnes of reports and market The groggy servicing person opens promotional booklet), and charging day of the week. figures, and chewing over sales tar- his own copy of the newspaper, hold- to the bazaar to buy 12 multi- gets, competitive findings, target ing the phone between ear and coloured kites (the CD has a shoot Indu Balachandran is a travel writer and also audience demographics, the servicing shoulder, and says, “It IS here. Page 4. today and he needs a kite as a prop), runs creative workshops in advertising and person has the important task of put- Right below three obituaries…” and zooming into a store to buy bath creative writing. She secretly adores all client ting all this into a pithy, tight, smartly Mad Client: WHAT? You put my towels (his mom arrives tonight and servicing people and has a few names she’d worded, one page brief. launch ad on this page? What hap- would faint if she discovered that he like to recommend for the next Param Vir This sensational one-pager makes pened to front page solus? uses bed sheets to wipe himself), our Chakra awards. such inspiring reading and dead right Quick-thinking servicing per- servicing man dashes into the confer- © 2008 agencyfaqs! filed by Indu Balachandran

42 The Brand Reporter, February 1-15, 2008

        
 Motorola RAZR 2 picture of a model seated in a Aluxury chair and holding a Motorola RAZR 2 luxury phone. The tag line reads ‘Snakesskin feel. Golden touch.’

Toast to Beer

he ‘Here’s to beer’ campaign the bedroom of a hairy chested man. Spokespersons for Anheuser- Tlaunched by Anheuser-Busch a The creative insight for these TVCs Busch have acknowledged that the couple of years ago touts beer as is that beer is linked to people’s well- messages in these TVCs might stir Advertising Agency: Ogilvy America’s favourite beverage. As an being as it helps them stay in control controversy within the liquor indus- Beijing, China extension of this campaign, the com- unlike other drinks which if con- try and offend the sensitivities of Art Director: Nils Anderson pany is contemplating the launch of sumed beyond a measure leads to a anti-alcohol activists. The ads have Copywriter: Andrew Lok, Perry two television commercials that loss of self-control. The tag line been shown to wholesalers but no Zheng highlight the moderation effect of decision pertaining to their release has Photographer: Platon beer by juxtaposing it with the effect been taken yet. However Anheuser- other alcoholic beverages have on People actually Busch is confident that it has captured   drinkers. Both these ads play up the the right insights which make people ‘regret factor’ of a one night stand prefer beer over prefer beer over other alcoholic Bonduelle Minute which happens due to consumption drinks’. Coincidentally while this of too many cocktails. One TVC fea- other alcoholic campaign has been trying to lend a fil- egetables dressed like humans . tures a man who wanders into the drinks in US. lip to beer drinking the popularity of VThe tag line reads ‘Extreme good territory of a ‘cat lady’ and falls prey beer has actually been surging in the care makes extraordinary vegeta- to her trade. The second explores the US with Gallup polls dubbing it as bles.’ guilt factor (of throwing caution to ‘Minimise the surprise, stick with the most preferred drink and celebri- the wind after getting drunk on cock- beer’, appears on the screen as a sign ty chefs using it in their signature tails) of a woman who wakes up in off for both these TVCs. recipes.

     Adult Snack Route Change rito-Lay a PepsiCo entity, has launched a branding ini- ocial networking sites like Facebook, MySpace and Bebo Ftiative to reposition Cheetos as an adult brand in the Sare featuring high within the distributed media strategies Latin American market. Frito-Lay is setting its sights on of companies in the US today. These sites are one-stop plat- positioning Cheetos as a snack which essentially appeals forms for media, to the young and continues to remain a favourite with commerce and other them as they age. The PepsiCo entity is continuing its functions formerly han- Advertising Agency: Comm’pas, child-focused marketing operations and simultaneously dled by standalone Art Director: Roy Schellekens also beefing its presence on adult networks like TBS and websites. The rationale Copywriter: Arjan Hoekstra Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim in a bid to strengthen its of using these social net- visibility among the 18-49 fun-loving adult group. A new working sites is that they   TV campaign will present the icon Chester the Cheetah as a allow companies to tap devil on the shoulder of adults. The objective is to create into a wide and diverse Medicover an imaginary fun character which resonates with the adult audience base. CondéNet, the digital arm of Condé Nast man carrying another man. The psyche. Publications, is one such company which has wrapped up its Atag line reads ‘When one is sick, The branding effort also existing social media site Flip.com. This destination site is the other one works twice as much.’ includes the introduction of now being converted into a series of applications that will run two new limited period on social networks, starting with Facebook. In fact Flip.com flavours. already has a series of applications on Facebook. CondéNet is One flavour will target now working towards converting the core functionality of this the general market while site into applications. Companies are embarking on this route the other will target and abandoning the destination strategy as it promises high- Hispanic consumers. Frito- er margins. The shift to a Facebook-centred strategy will Lay feels that the reduce CondéNet’s overhead to 25 per cent of what is introduction of Hispanic required for a destination site. According to a spokesperson Advertising Agency: Cohn&Jansen flavours will augur well to from CondéNet the challenge essentially for all organisations Art Director: Alex Stanciu the market opportunity that are leveraging these social networking sites, is to min- Copywriter: Catalin Rusu for consumer packaged imise traction in a distributed world. goods.

44 The Brand Reporter, February 1-15, 2008      
    published recently by the Internet Society of China states that the con- Jostling for Space cept of B2C websites as departmental stores no longer holds good. Instead, ith PPG (a men’s apparel brand) B2C websites are being utilised by Whaving successfully carried the firms to consolidate their position in online direct sale model for retailing specific sectors. This explains the shirts, marketers across sectors in popularity of vertical focused web- China are vying to grab a share of the sites over comprehensive websites. online retail pie. Founded in 2005 According to China Venture (an PPG is a Shanghai based company investment consulting firm) B2C with no manufacturing facility of its websites will emerge as the most own. Today it sells about 10,000 shirts attractive investment destinations every day, challenging the nation’s within the domain of e-commerce. No. 1 shirt maker, Youngor Group With more new entrants the com- Co, owing to the sucess of its direct petition will stiffen for players. The selling model. Its success has inspired B2C websites posted a combined rev- traditional clothing makers to go enue of 5.22 billion yuan ($696 online and explore catalogue shop- million) last year which is an increase ping methods, as they already have the of 33.5 per cent over 2006. The annu- branding recognition and loyal cus- al growth rate is supposed to tomers and don’t have to spend much accelerate to 35.8 per cent this year on advertising. and 39.1 per cent in 2009. By moving According to Beijing-based into direct sales, marketers are able to Analysys International (a market make sales ahead of manufacturing All Heart research firm) manufacturers of and plan their production better, underwear, leather products com- based on firm orders. It is also cost iet Coke’s major marketing munication devices and automobiles effective as there are no overhead Dpush for the year 2008 is are among the new entrants. A report costs involved such as warehousing. women centric and will appeal to their hearts literally. Diet Coke      has launched a series of ads and boost the government coffers. events complementing ‘The Russia’s flag carrier Aeroflot Russian Heart Truth’ campaign undertak- Rechristening Airlines, Russia Generous Soul (a en by the National Heart, Lung brand owned by Nestle - Russia) and and Blood Institute, Maryland, new Russian law has come into Russian Vodka are some of the sig- US, to raise awareness about Aforce at the start of this year, nificant brands which are facing the coronary diseases, in women. banning companies from naming jolt of this new law. ‘The Heart Truth’ programme themselves after the country. A fresh rebranding exercise introduced the red dress as a According to the law, would mean national symbol for women’s only companies which unplanned budgets, Title Filter heart disease in 2002. From have 75 per cent of according to official January 22 this year the 2.5 billion government owned sources within these alMart has cut more than 1,000 Diet Coke, caffeine-free Diet shares can use the companies. Hence they Wmagazines from its list of titles Coke and Diet Coke Plus prod- country’s name. This has are hoping that they can (eligible to be sold at its stores) as ucts have started sporting the red created quite a furore in reach some consensus with part of the ongoing efforts by retail- dress in its packaging. Diet Coke the country. Incidentally, the government wherein ers and wholesalers to improve the will be leveraging TV, print and there are quite some firms they can retain their names. profitability of magazine sales. the online medium to incorporate in the private sector,which have The impact of this new law which is Victims of the cuts, first reported by their messages on ‘a healthy heart ‘Russia’ in their name. The rebrand- already in force, can best be the New York Post, include Hachette and good health of women’ in a ing exercise for all these firms will gauged when the first trial cases go Filipacchi Media’s Home and big way in February which hap- entail expenses that will ultimately to court. Metropolitan Home and Time Inc.’s pens to be America’s Heart SI Kids, along with many annual and Month. Diet Coke will be spon- small, special-interest titles. The list, soring the Heart Truth’s Red   however, includes titles like The Dress Collection Fashion Show tising, event and public relations sup- Economist that hasn’t been sold at during the 2008 Fashion Week. port to companies in the league of WalMart in some time and others like Road shows are also being Consolidating Beijing Hyundai Motors and Ford Child that no longer exist. Newsstand explored. From mid-February Motor in analyst John Harrington said the cuts through April, Diet Coke will he Omnicom China. leave about 1,150 titles on Wal-Mart’s tour ten cities with the Heart TGroup which However approved magazine list and the titles Truth road show. The exhibit will is a major adver- there will be dropped account for only about two show six red dresses previously tising no joint ven- per cent of WalMart’s sales (most of worn by celebrities and offer free conglomerate tures as per which derived only a small percentage health screenings. based in the US , this deal and of sales from the retailer). This campaign has been will take a minor- Shunya will Some publishers are trying to get inspired by the findings of a con- ity stake in a now inde- WalMart, to reconsider its cuts. Some sumer-focused research which leading Chinese marketing service pendently run and maintain all its however, interpret the move to be in revealed that women today are provider. Omnicom’s subsidiary four divisions. This is a strategic the interest of the industry. They increasingly mindful of making BBDO Worldwide, will now have a move to strengthen the Omnicom call it ‘separating the wheat from choices that positively impact 40 per cent ownership in the Beijing Group’s presence in the Chinese ad the chaff’. their lives. based Shunya Communications market which has been steadily Compiled by Proyashi Barua Group. This group provides adver- growing in the last three years.

The Brand Reporter, February 1-15, 2008 45

 
 Da Milano Da Milano, the luxury brand, has recently launched a limited edition of fur bags for women. This collec- tion comprises of day bags, satchels, shoulder bags, hand totes and evening clutches. Available in both classic and contemporary urban styles, these fur bags are designed to complement both formal and informal wear. The evening clutches are adorned with buckles and decorative pendants, while the day bags have leather-wrapped carry handles for comfort. These bags are available in different colours rang- ing from naturals to metallics. The collection ranges from Rs. 7,995 to Rs. 1,6995 and is avail- able at exclusive Da Milano outlets and large format stores in select cities across the country. Da Milano offers a range of products that include bags, stationery and home furnishings.

Frazer and Haws Frazer and Haws has unveiled a range of silver accessories and Essence de Femme artefacts for Valentine’s Day. This includes rings, bowls, paper Hugo Boss has introduced knives and bookmarks. The designs are contemporary and some of Essence de Femme, a women’s perfume range especially formu- the items, like for instance the bowls and paper knives incorporate lated for night and evening wear. design elements, which are inspired by the female anatomy.The col- The Essence de Femme range lection of rings are an interplay of silver, platinum and gold. The comes in dark colours and strong rings are priced from Rs 13,000 onwards, the bowls from Rs 3,300 fragrances. The Boss Essence de while the paper knives and bookmarks start at prices of Rs 3,840 Femme Eau de toilette Natural and Rs 1,150 respectively. All items are handcrafted and hall- Spray 50 ml bottle is priced at Rs marked and come with a guarantee of silver purity of upto 92.5 per 3,425. Recently launched in India, the range is available at select cent. The collection is available at all Frazer and Haws outlets . retail and beauty stores. Airtel BlackBerry Bharti Airtel and Research In Motion (RIM) have launched the new BlackBerry Fiama Di Wills Pearl 8120 smartphone in India. This phone comes with a 2 megapixel digital cam- The latest offering from Fiama Di era that supports video capture, and Wi-Fi connectivity. The BlackBerry Pearl 8120 Wills (ITC’s luxury and beauty offers features including Speaker Independent Voice Recognition (SIVR) for Voice brand) is an exclusive and premi- Activated Dialing (VAD), Bluetooth 2.0 support for hands-free use with headsets, um soap called SkinSense Soft car kits and other Bluetooth peripherals, a low-distortion speakerphone and sup- Green. SkinSense Soft Green is port for polyphonic, MP3 and MIDI ring tones. Further it is supported on formulated with ingredients which BlackBerry Internet Service (giving users access to ISP email accounts) as well as help in the retention of skin pro- on the BlackBerry Enterprise Server enabling advanced security and IT administra- teins. The soap’s packaging has tion within IBM, Lotus, Microsoft, Domino, Exchange, Novell and GroupWise been developed environments. The BlackBerry Pearl 8120 smartphone is priced at Rs 24,990 and is by a lead- available at Airtel relationship centres and retail outlets. ing Finewinesnmore Finewinesnmore has introduced four different varieties of hampers, each containing a bottle of Canard Duchêne Brut champagne and a collection of chocolates. Canard-Duchêne, is a famous cham- pagne brand which connotes celebration of life’s small and big occasions in France. It has an aroma of fresh fruits (characteristic of the legendary Pinot grapes) and the taste is a blend of the flavour of fresh fruits and buttered toast. The chocolates in each hamper are con- tained in classic heart-shaped boxes. The four hampers, the Canard Duchêne Classic Brut Hamper, the Canard European Duchêne Classic Rose Hamper, the Bava Bass design firm, while the fragrance Tuba Moscato d’ Asti Hamper and the has been developed by an interna- Bava Rosetta Malvasia Hamper tional house in France. SkinSense are priced at Rs 7,650, Rs 8,700, Soft Green is available in Delhi, Rs 3,800 and Rs 2,350 respec- Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengalure, tively. These hampers are sold Hyderabad, Chennai and Pune. in select retail stores and The 100 gm soap is priced at hotels. Rs 40.

48 The Brand Reporter, February 1-15, 2008 Steal-a-Deal

Where else would you fi nd in-depth coverage of the state of the media, advertising and marketing industries? Our dynamic, eagle-eyed editorial team brings you news and razor sharp analyses fortnight after fortnight.

Trends, Category news, Case studies, international summary, sales promotions, interviews, profi les… It’s all there. Small wonder then, that executives from India’s best-known companies are subscribed to The Brand Reporter.

See the schemes listed below:

News Stand Price For The Brand Reporter

Term Issue Cover Price

6 Months 12 Rs. 480 /-

1 Year 24 Rs 960 /-

2 Years 48 Rs 1,920 /-

The Steal-a-Deal Offer

Term Issue Cover Price You Pay You Save

6 Months 12 Rs. 480 /- Rs. 400 /- 17 %

1 Year 24 Rs. 960 /- Rs. 650 /- 32 %

Best Offer 2 Years 48 Rs. 1,920 /- Rs. 999 /- 48 %

YES, I WANT TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE BRAND REPORTER RIGHT NOW ! (Tick whichever is applicable)

I want a six-month subscription. I want a one-year subscription. I want a two-year subscription.

First Name Last Name

Billing Address Home Offi ce

Address 1

Address 2

City State

Postal Pin

Designation Company / institution

E-Mail Fax

Phone (Please mention one number atleast)

Mobile Number Offi ce Number

Residential Number

I am enclosing a cheque/DD (payable in Delhi) No...... dated ...... drawn on ...... in favour of ‘The Brand Reporter’ for Rs...... Cheque / DD should be in favour of The Brand Reporter and mailed to the following address: The Brand Reporter, B - 3, First Floor, Sector - 4, Noida - 201301, India. • To pay by credit card, go to http://www.thebrandreporter.com For enquiries: Mail: [email protected] Call +91-120-4077800 / 837 (From Delhi: 95120-4077800 / 837) Terms & Conditions: • Please mention your name and address on the back of cheque/DD, • Printout of this form is acceptable, • This is a limited period offer valid in India only, • Offer may be withdrawn without notice, • Offer valid for new subscribers only, • Please allow 2-4 weeks for delivery of your magazine, • All disputes subject to Delhi jurisdiction, • Subscribers to the The Steal - a - Deal Offer will also get online access to The Brand Reporter website, for the period of their subscription. 
  JOBSWITCH

Organization Name: Adlabs Films experience in client servicing and 10 years of experience ideally with a Limited (FM Radio Initiative) marcom project management. post graduation in mass Positions: Marketing Manager & Email: communication. The job would Sales Head [email protected] require the candidate to be Location: Bangalore & Baroda ...... committed and should love working Profile: The candidate would be Organization Name: Soi on tight deadlines. A definite plus required to create systems and Entertainment & Communications would be expert working knowledge process / implement current systems Ltd. of graphic software. Individuals with and processes which ensure that the Positions: Branch Managers exposure in BTL/event companies marketing teams function in a Location: Mumbai, Delhi, Jaipur, will be preferred. manner aligned to the business Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Bhopal, Email: [email protected] goals of the company. The applicant Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad & ...... must have 5 - 7 years of experience Patna Organization Name: Moddus with an MBA / PGDBM Degree Profile: The applicant would be Communications Pvt. Ltd. from a reputed institute. required to have knowledge on Positions: Creative Directors (copy) Sales Head – The candidate should Marketing & Operations in Events Location: New Delhi have prior sales experience (media & BTL activities while having Profile: The candidate should know sales preferred) with good verbal minimum 8 years of experience how to push the limits of your own and written communication skills as from relevant areas. imagination and interpret briefs well as good organizational skills. Email: himanshu@soi- correctly and crack Cracker ideas. This person would be responsible entertainment.com The applicant must be self - for hiring and supervising the sales ...... starters—highly motivated staff, reviewing the programming Organization Name: Apex individuals who want to leave his for the best sales opportunities, Advertising footprint to on rocks. The develop sales plans and goals, study Positions: Account Director incumbent would be required to and understand the station's market Location: Mumbai have 7 - 8 years of experience in and approve all sales promotion Profile: The candidate should be a reputed advertising agencies. campaigns. team player, a go-getter to pitch for Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] new business and understand ...... existing clients’ requirements Organization Name: Promodome Organization Name: R2S Group thoroughly. The applicant must Communications Pvt. Ltd. Positions: Manager Operations have 8 - 9 years of experience in a Positions: Vice-President, Business Location: New Delhi medium-sized advertising Agency in Development (Events) Profile: The incumbent would be Mumbai with Effective Location: New Delhi required to check Quality execution communication skills, both spoken Profile: The candidate must be a of the projects, organizing elements and written. team leader, who should be able to involved in the projects, Sourcing Email: [email protected] work in account planning, and managing vendors & suppliers ...... management and client servicing. on regular basis and to Execute Organization Name: Positive The job would require him/her to project cost effectively and within Communications handle existing accounts and the time frame. The applicant Positions: Senior Media develop new ones. The applicant should have 4 - 7 years of relevant Consultants / PR Managers must have worked on decent brands experience in Operations and Location: New Delhi, Mumbai & for 5 years in event management. Production in Events and Bangalore Email: [email protected] promotions with a minimum of 3 Profile: The candidate should have ...... years in leading a team. good hands on experience on Media Organization Name: Jagran Email:[email protected] Relations, useful media contacts Solutions ...... with technology, healthcare, Positions: Sr. business development Organization Name: ICG business, general and lifestyle Manager – Government & PSU (Integrated Communications publications. The successful Location: New Delhi Group) applicant should have 2 - 5 years of Profile: The candidate should be a Positions: Associate Account prior experience in a PR agency or team leader who can think To advertise, contact: Director media house while having excellent strategically and make presentations %,!. ,)%-.
 Location: New Delhi & Bangalore media relations, should be able to to clients while having the ability to Profile: The applicant must have in- co-ordinate with clients individually. translate the client requirements  ..    depth understanding of BTL Email: [email protected], into inspiring creative briefs is a $ #.%,!! ,)%-%-(*&$ communication, Experience in [email protected] must should be able to liaison with )+ . +) .
,$  ...... prospecting new business leads and the Government Department to  ..    hands-on involvement in project Organization Name: generate work. The job requirement $ #.)+ " +) %-(*&$ management and Strong Entertainment Solution Providers would include 5 - 7 years of management and supervisory skills (India) Pvt Ltd. experience in the field of Business To view other jobs in Marketing, in leading a team of dedicated Positions: Creative head Development and Client servicing. Media and Advertising, log on to: project managers. The applicant Location: New Delhi Email: [email protected] ++'!&*%-(*&$ must have minimum 8 - 10 years Profile: The applicant must have 7 – ......

50 The Brand Reporter, February 1-15, 2008

Registered with Registrar of Newspapers for India Under No. DLENG/2004/14817

25