March 16-31, 2016 Volume 4, Issue 19 `100 18 PROFILE Nitin Karkare FCB Ulka’s CEO on his 30 years at the agency. 14 DABUR GULABARI Look Beyond Dabur tries to break gender stereotypes. 20 REPORT Buzzy Brands The 11th survey of India’s “The appetite for buzziest brands from afaqs! TITAN RAGA No Product 8 INTERVIEW risk is in our DNA” Anuradha Aggarwal 12 Three successive weeks at the top is a good way to begin INTERVIEW a year. What does Colors - led by its formidable Partho Chakrabarti 19 CEO Raj Nayak - have up its sleeve now? AD TECH 2016 16 Leveraging Content 29 editorial This fortnight... Volume 4, Issue 19 EDITOR leven months back, around the time BARC’s TV ratings began pouring in, our Sreekant Khandekar E television correspondent warmed up to the otherwise dull task of filing her weekly PUBLISHER Prasanna Singh March 16-31, 2016 Volume 4, Issue 19 `100 report on the performance of Hindi general entertainment channels and shows, a section 18 we call ‘GEC Watch’. It’s the kind of section that, by her own admission, ranks low- EXECUTIVE EDITOR Ashwini Gangal to-medium on the excitement scale. But all of a sudden GEC-gazing was fun; it was PROFILE PRODUCTION EXECUTIVE Nitin Karkare FCB Ulka’s CEO on his 30 interesting to see the performance of these channels as per the then new ratings system. years at the agency. Andrias Kisku 14 Colors was doing markedly well. ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES Shubham Garg 81301 66777 (M); 0120-4077819 (O) DABUR GULABARI Look Beyond Post October, after rural ratings were introduced, Colors faltered a bit, then quickly got Dabur tries to break gender stereotypes. Apoorv Kulshrestha 20 its mojo back. Its most noticeable streak was between the third week of December and the 9873824700 (M); 0120-4077833 (O) last week of January; it was No.1 for five consecutive weeks. Noida REPORT Pradeep Hegde Buzzy Brands The 11th survey of India’s “The appetite for buzziest brands from afaqs! (022) 40429702-5 TITAN RAGA And the fun continues. Our correspondent still holds her breath each time the weekly No Product 8 Mumbai INTERVIEW risk is in our DNA” Anuradha Aggarwal 12 Three successive weeks at the top is a good way to begin INTERVIEW ratings come in. Will Star Plus top? Will Colors top? The success of Colors’ weekend a year. What does Colors - led by its formidable Partho Chakrabarti 19 [email protected] CEO Raj Nayak - have up its sleeve now? 16 AD TECH 2016 Leveraging Content 29 fiction show Naagin has a lot to do with this. Our interview with the show’s protagonist MARKETING OFFICE Mouni Roy, first published in January, continues to gather digital moss everyday, as her B-3, First Floor, Sector-4, Noida-201301. fans tweet and re-tweet the piece. For this Cover Story, we were this close to getting Raj Tel: (0120) 4077800. Nayak, CEO, Colors, to pose with a snake around his neck, a la Lord Shiva. MUMBAI 501-502, Makani Center, 5th Floor, Off Linking Road, Bandra (W), Raj, Mr. Congeniality of the television industry, whose Twitter handle, @rajcheerfull, Mumbai - 400050 has become something of a brand in itself, spoke to us about Colors’ non-fiction grammar, Tel: +91-22-40429 709 - 712 tough programming decisions (Comedy Nights With Kapil has gone off air), his appetite SUBSCRIPTION ENQUIRIES Akhilesh Singh for risk, his focus on profitability and his competition (Star is way ahead of Colors in (0120) 4077837 terms of programming hours). [email protected] Owned by Banyan Netfaqs Pvt Ltd and By the way, Raj has been named Media Person of the Year at The International Printed and published by Prasanna Singh, Advertising Association’s recently held Leadership Awards. What’s more, Colors has at 7-A/13, Ch. Ratan Singh Complex, topped the Media and Entertainment category at our very own Buzzy Brand Awards. Jawala Heri Market, Paschim Vihar, New Delhi-110 063. Printed at Cirrus Graphics Private Limited B-61, Sector 67, Noida (U.P.), 201301 Ashwini Gangal [email protected] CONTENTS 26 13 CRAZY GRANNIES Young at Heart They are cool. They are crazy. Meet ad-land’s most recent arsenal - the grandmother. ADVERTISING Sweet Overdose? 10 8 Meet the 5 Star duo - Ramesh and Suresh. POINTS OF VIEW 12 Eleven Minutes CRAFTSVILLA.COM SA RE GA MA 6 OLX What lessons does a A Thousand Hues Singing a New Tune No more Waiting 11-minute no-smoking ad The online store’s new video The reality show is back with Some more encouragement with Sunny Leone teach? is awash with colour. an innovation in the format. for those not willing to sell. afaqs! Reporter, March 16-31, 2 0 1 6 5 media SA RE GA MA PA Singing a New Tune The reality talent show which first aired in 1995 on Zee TV is back with a tweak in the format. By News Bureau fter a gap of four years, Zee TV’s ‘Sa Re Ga Ma Pa’, the reality show which is based on Aidentifying India’s singing talents will be back on the channel on March 26. It will air on Saturdays and Sundays at 9.30 pm. Amul is the title sponsor for the show while Flipkart is the powered-by sponsor. Hyundai, too, has joined the show as a sponsor. Singers will be picked to compete in the new season of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, after screening 50,000 entries over eight (L to R) : Akash Chawla, Aditya Narayan, Sajid, Pritam Chakraborty, Wajid and Mika Singh weeks of auditions across 14 cities. Sa Re Ga Ma Pa first aired on Zee TV in 1995 Kunal Ganjawala, will have in its forthcoming strength with each successive season.” and the last season was telecast in 2012. The season, singer Mika Singh, and music directors Through its brand extensions such as Li’l show’s version for children titled ‘Sa Re Ga Ma Pritam Chakraborty and Sajid-Wajid as mentors. Champs, the platform has also nurtured the vocal Pa Lil Champs’ was aired in 2014. The show has Aditya Narayan will be the host. talents of gifted, young children. “With its presence evolved its format over the years, from episodic Commenting on the launch of the new season, of over 21 years, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa’s upcoming winners to a pyramid structure. Zee TV business head Pradeep Hejmadi says, season promises to be younger, refreshing and The new season will see a format innovation “Having pioneered the space of talent-based reality more entertaining,” says Hejmadi. with the selection process split into three levels. television since 1995 and served as a beacon of Essel Vision Productions business head Aspiring singers will go through a jury round, the hope for countless singers across the country, Sa Akash Chawla says, “This season marks a strong mentor level, and finally, public voting. The jury Re Ga Ma Pa continues to grow from strength-to- differentiator for Sa Re Ga Ma Pa as we introduce at the first level will be a panel of 30 experts across a new format. We have enlisted the support of the music industry, including playback singers, 30 music connoisseurs who will aid the selection musicians, and technicians, who will assess the process right from the outset. This will be the first contestants right from the audition stage, and help The selection process of time that a singing reality show will have a jury of the mentors in the selection process. the new season will be split experts beyond its mentors to arrive at the finest The show, which has produced over the last talent.” n two decades, singers such as Shreya Ghoshal and into three levels. [email protected] THE ADVERTISING CLUB Well-deserved Swamy is the sixth recipient of the award in the last twenty-two years. By News Bureau he Advertising Club, Murali congratulated Swamy Madras, has in its diamond for his outstanding achievement. Tjubilee year, conferred Drawing a parallel between his father the Distinguished Service Award R K Swamy and him, Murali said, (DSA) to Srinivasan K Swamy, “Both worked for the industry in (L-R) K R Kandaraaj, R V Rajan, Srinivasan K Swamy receiving the citation chairman and managing director, R different economic environments. and memento from N Murali and P Siva Prasad. K SWAMY BBDO. The award was Swamy worked at a time when conferred on March 3, to Swamy for advertising was seen as a necessary (Srinivasan) Swamy. R K Swamy He may have been unwelcome to his leadership qualities and service evil, but a wasteful expenditure. BBDO today is probably the only Mumbai in the late ‘90s, but he is to the Indian advertising industry. By sheer dint of his abilities and agency of its size that is full-service today most popular there.” Swamy is the sixth recipient of this fighting spirit, he (R K Swamy) under its own umbrella, and the Commenting on being given the award in the last 22 years, with R K breached that bastion when he took credit for that should go to Swamy award, Swamy said that to him, the Swamy being the first recipient of on the leadership role at AAAI. He and his team.” Distinguished Service Award (DSA) the award in 1994. The award was was the first person from this part of Ramesh Narayan, former from the Advertising Club Madras presented by chief guest N Murali, the country to do that. The second president, AAAI said, “Goafest was was the most coveted.