MUMBAI: At a time when global warming is a burning issue, the Indian multinational conglomerate Mahindra Group has launched a new digital campaign that builds a case for tree plantation encouraging people to #RiseAgainstClimateChange. The entire film which has been uniquely created using recycled waste paper revolves around the idea of celebrating the tree.

The eco-friendly digital campaign goes live today across all the digital channels of Mahindra Rise. Various other activities including social media engagements, contests, felicitation of environment champions will be taken up to spread the word. Moreover, select NGOs will enable people to take action on ground also.

Mahindra Group group corporate brand CMO Vivek Nayer said they not only want to do good in the community, but also aim to inspire others to do good in order to drive positive societal change. According to him, there is a significant impetus on the cause of environment across the world and this film is aimed at driving the message on environment conservation.

“With the #RiseAgainstClimateChange campaign, we’re bringing to the forefront the issue of environment degradation and seeking people’s collective power to address it through the act of planting trees. In fact, to make our message more impactful, we built the sets for our film using only recycled waste paper, ensuring that every aspect of the communication reinforces the cause of conservation,” Nayer added.

A detailed social media listening exercise on social causes in India has been conducted by the Mahindra team where climate change emerged as the second biggest concern for millennials that accounted for over 22 per cent of the conversations online.

“The Mahindra Group has extensive experience in addressing climate change through various initiatives including our Hariyali program that has planted over 15 million trees in the last 12 years. Together we can make a real difference to the environment, and we hope that this film will not only promote better understanding of this cause, but also inspire action from others,” Mahindra & Mahindra group CSR vice president Sushil Singh commented.

MUMBAI: Clean & Clear foaming face wash is celebrating teenage girls’ varied personalities and encouraging them to ‘UnbottleApna Swag’ with its latest campaign.

Conceptualised by DDB Mudra, the marketing campaign brings to life a few such personalities featured on the My Swag Bottles. Clean & Clear foaming face wash has introduced a funky and colourful limited edition My Swag Bottles featuring teen personalities –Fun, Bakbak, Bindaas, Foodie and Padhaku.

Unbottle Apna Swag will engage with teenage girls across TV, digital, in-game and in-store advertising. Teenage girls can “Unbottle Their Swag” on TikTok with their own personality rap.  Or simply Show Apna Swag by sharing their proud personality stories and participate in a fun contest.

Clearn & Clear GM marketing, beauty Sameer Lal said, “Clean & Clear believes that teenagers should express themselves proudly, whoever they are. With the Unbottle Apna Swag campaign, we want to enable teens to express their unique personalities and we want to give them every chance of doing so across platforms.

Shagun Seda, DDB Mudra said, “We needed to find a powerful form of self - expression which would resonate with teens. And we believed rap best brought alive our idea, injecting the brand with attitude while leveraging its philosophy. The commercials have gone on air at the start of a wave of interest in the genre, aided by Bollywood's latest blockbusters, increasing the social capital of this campaign.

The 6 weeks campaign goes live from February.

MUMBAI: Vanesa Body Deodorants, the premium fragrance brand for the stylish and confident modern Indian women, has recently signed Kareena Kapoor Khan as its brand ambassador. The brand will also launch a TVC featuring Kareena to underline the resonance between its premium range of fragrances and the Bollywood superstar.

The partnership is based on the values of style, beauty, and confidence shared by brand Vanesa and Kareena. Its choice of Kareena Kapoor Khan – one of the most graceful, stylish, and confident celebrities in the country – as its ambassador is in line with its core value proposition and is aimed at driving greater brand salience on a pan-India level.

Speaking on the association, Kareena Kapoor Khan said, “Women want to feel confident, stylish, and glamorous whenever they go out, be it to an evening soirée or a mid-day brunch with friends. Vanesa is designed to perfectly cater to this need of not just smelling good, but also feeling good from deep within. Brand Vanesa suits my own personality, which is why I recommend it to modern Indian women who love themselves and also love to express themselves in a self-assured manner.”

Mr. Saurabh Gupta, Director, Sales and Marketing – Vanesa Care, added, “Kareena is one of the biggest movie stars and youth icons in India, and exudes an aura of grace, style, and refinement that enraptures her fans. She is the perfect choice to represent Vanesa, our range of premium fragrances for new-age Indian women, as its brand ambassador. We are confident that this resonance between brand Vanesa and Kareena will also ring true with our target audiences across the country, and will give a big boost to our brand salience within the Indian market.”

Established in 2007, Vanesa Body Deodorants is a premium fragrance brand designed for the evolved sensibilities of the modern, confident, and glamorous Indian woman. The brand currently offers contemporary and fashionable feminine personal grooming products under its three ranges: Shero, Queen, and Babe. 

MUMBAI: World’s largest producer of high quality and performance bicycles – ‘Giant’, enters Indian retail cycle market with its first flagship store in Mumbai in association with Element Retail Pvt Ltd. Founded by two young and vibrant entrepreneurs Aditya Bafna and Varun Bagadiya in 2013, Element Retail has been steadily growing their portfolio and has become category leaders in swimwear and sports shoe segment. Element Retail has a license to distribute Giant bicycles Pan India. Catering to a large community of cyclists, fitness enthusiasts and athletes, Giant will bring together high-quality craftsmanship, technology and innovative designs under one roof.

Sharing his thoughts on the new showroom launch, Aditya Bafna, Managing Director, Element Retail Pvt Ltd quoted, “The athleisure and fitness sector in India has gained tremendous popularity in recent years as more and more people have become fitness enthusiasts giving a huge scope for Giant to grow in India. According to "India Bicycle Market Outlook, 2021", bicycle market size crossed INR 5000 crore mark in 2015. There is a huge demand and great potential for international bikes that are a perfect blend of innovation and technology.”

Aditya Bafna further added, “Based on the growth figures, we foresee new opportunities and continuous growth in the Indian retail cycle market. Giant Bicycles offers a wide range of on-road, X-road, off-road and youth cycles, along with LIV, an in-house woman oriented brand. Serving as an “all-under-one-roof” outlet, the brand also offers protective gears, bike gears, service gears, and components to address every biking need. An increase in demand for quality bicycles also caters to the ‘Go Green’ initiative in the country and could assist in curbing down pollution issues.”

MUMBAI: Over the course of eight seasons, SUITS has established itself as one of the best legal drama shows to air on television. The gripping storyline complimented by exhilarating cases through the years have kept viewers hooked on to find out what lies ahead.

The finale of the series’ penultimate season is nearly here and fans couldn’t imagine a more thrilling climax to the season’s rollercoaster ride. Viewers can ‘Watch with the World’ the season 8 finale of SUITS at 12:00PM on Thursday, with a prime-time repeat on Saturday at 8:00PM only on Comedy Central!

Here’s how the season unfolded;

1) TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN – SAMANTHA WHEELER

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Following the departure of Mike Ross (Patrick J Adams) and Rachel Zane (Meghan Markle), the show witnessed the arrival of the most cutthroat lawyer in the city – Samantha Wheeler played by Katherine Heigl. Locking horns with Harvey, Louis and Donna all within the first week of joining the firm, will come Robert Zane's right-hand man, Samantha means business. Competing with Alex Williams for the honour of getting her name up the wall, she’s carved the reputation of a dependable ally and ferocious foe who no one wants to mess with.

2) THE ULTIMATE SHOWDOWN BETWEEN HARVEY SPECTER AND DANIEL HARDMAN

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Harvey Specter has his way of getting things done but is he a victim of his own approach this time? Having broken the attorney-client privilege by disclosing information, Harvey finds himself threatened by none other than arch-nemesis Daniel Hardman. The firm’s co-founder at a time when it was simply called Pearson Hardman is out to destroy the firm and seeks that Harvey be banished from practicing Law. Harvey has never lost against Hardman in the past but will that change with his mistake?

3) KATRINA AND BRIAN: SOMETIMES IT ISN’T HAPPILY EVER AFTER

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Episode 15 titled ‘Stalking Horse’ came as a major shocker for fans worldwide. The bonding between Katrina and Brian seemed to be only increasing and it was causing major problems for the latter’s marriage. Brian then decided it was time to leave the firm and left. The finale episode will finally reveal to us what is next for Katrina and whether there is a possibility of Brian returning? Fans have been rooting for this relationship, the finale hopefully will give us some insights

4) LOUIS LITT IS A CHANGED MAN

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Louis Litt earlier this season was held at gunpoint by Maurice and since then had trouble sleeping with nightmares of Maurice shooting his pregnant girlfriend. With support from Samantha, Louis was seen confronting the bully. It was a powerful moment. Yelling at the man that he wasn’t scared of him diminished the power the attacker was holding over Louis. Robert Zane had warned Samantha and Louis that things can take a bad turn and this would not be the end. Will this be the end or will Maurice retaliate? The finale will tell us more!

5) IS IT THE END OF DONNA AND THOMAS?

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Sometimes things are too good to be true and that’s exactly the scenario with Donna and Thomas. They soon became the favourite couple of viewers and fans were keen on a wedding! Harvey too approved of Thomas and went out of his way breaking certain rules to get Thomas a great business deal. Donna spilled the beans to Thomas who backed out of the deal in the right time but it doesn’t end there. Thomas looked rather upset that Donna knew about the complex nature of the deal and still went ahead with Harvey’s proposition? Their bond seemed to have hit a rough road and this maybe the end of it. Thomas feels Harvey and Donna have always confined in one another and he has no place in her life. Will Donna and Thomas end their relationship? Tune into Suits Season 8 Finale to know what happens.

MUMBAI: Indiantelevision.com on Wednesday wrapped the third edition of its popular event The Content Hub in presence of some of the biggest names from the TV, digital, and the movies industry. Spanned across several panel discussions and fireside chats, this edition of The Content Hub discussed ‘the new era of content creation’ with a focus on the digital boom, need of good content creators, the synergy between creators and producers, and creating properties that can travel globally.

Starting the day was a panel discussion on ‘The TV Production Story: Reality, Not Fiction’, moderated by Bodhi Tree Multimedia co-founder and director Mautik Tolia. In discussion were some of the most successful and prominent names in the TV industry - Contiloe Pictures Pvt Ltd founder and producer Abhimanyu Singh, Endemol Shine India CEO Abhishek Rege and SOL India – Banijay Group founder and MD Fazila Allana.

The distinguished panel discussed the opportunities and challenges fiction and non-fiction formats today face in the TV and digital world. They also shed some light on the prospects premium content has in the Indian industry.

The panel agreed that non-fiction producers face bigger challenges in creating content as compared to those investing in fiction and dramas. Allana noted that while earlier people were chasing formats, now they are chasing stories. However, she quipped that there is a vast opportunity for non-fiction shows on OTT platforms citing examples of TV shows like MTV Troll Police.

Singh reflected the same sentiments as he noted that this is a very good time for the content creators. He said, “I feel it is a great time to tell stories. I think we as an industry haven’t delivered premium content because the nature of delivery has always been daily content. So, this is an opportunity to deliver premium content.”

Rege mentioned, “Scripted becomes a little easier to tell stories more across TV, OTT or across multiple platforms. The challenge here is making attractive content for the viewers and targeting the right people. With OTT I don’t think it’s easy to do as many talent shows that we do on linear.”

The second session was a fireside chat between Indiantelevision.com founder, CEO and editor-in-chief Anil Wanvari and Swastik Productions & One Life Studios founder and chief creative officer Siddharth Kumar Tewary.

Tewary, based on his extensive experience of industry work, reflected upon many aspects of content creation and production including formats, IP rights, and disruptors in the industry. He noted while most of the people believe that longer formats don’t work internationally, the reality is not the same.

Speaking about IP rights of content, Tewary made some relevant points saying, “IP creation is a scientific thing related to the socio-political situation in the country and the world. We need to know where the world is heading. If you are going to add value and bring something unique for the TV, then you will get the IP.” He also announced the foray of his group in the animation category at the platform.

The next session was a discussion on the animation industry with an esteemed panel of Discovery Kids head Uttam Pal Singh, Golden Robot Animation head of business development RK Chand, Paperboat Animation co-founder and chairman Soumitra Ranade and Bioscopewala Pictures managing partner Nishith Takia. The session was moderated by Kinsane Entertainment Inc chief marketing officer Pranab Punj.

The panel highlighted the vast opportunities OTT platforms are offering them right now. Takia shared that his company is in talks with several big digital players to create content for them. Another point that the panel highlighted was that Indian audience is not very keen to visit theatres to consume animated content and that closed their avenues of creating content for a wider audience and not just the kids.

Answering a question on why there aren’t more female-led animated shows in India, the panel shared a similar tone as they mentioned that in most of their shows, the female characters have an equal prominence as the mail lead, they are inclusive to the storyline. They added that male-led shows are doing well in the market and from a business perspective they are focusing on that aspect as well.

The next session was an interesting and insightful chat on ‘The Syndication Opportunity’ between Sony head networks—licencing Malvika Prabhu, Go Quest Media Ventures MD Vivek Lath, Swastik Productions and One life studio producer and managing director Rahul Kumar Tewary, MX Player head of content acquisition Mansi Shrivastav and ANM Global co-founder partner Nidhish Mehrotra. Moderating the panel was Wanvari.

Wanvari started the discussion by asking the panellists whether the demand for Indian content in the global market is going up or declining. To this, the panel stated that it has probably reduced over time. However, the Indian creations are performing well at markets like Thailand and Sri Lanka.

The panel mentioned that genres like romance, drama, horror, and good animation has a lot of markets overseas. They also added that premium content will also attract a lot of traction towards Indian creations. Kumar stated that we need to relook at the type of content we are creating and invest more in subjects that have the potential to travel. He also said that Indians do not value their content enough.

Lath said, “We have to think like a programmer and not from a sales perspective,” as he elaborated on the right approach to sell content overseas. He predicted that India has the potential to make around Rs 400-500 crore with content syndication (minus the movies) because it is still young in the market and has a lot of potential to improve in the coming times. Kumar added that in the next few years Indian premium content will find a lot of audiences globally.

Taking the insightful day ahead was the next panel of digital producers including Addatimes Pvt Ltd managing director Rajiv Mehra, The Viral Fever (TVF) global head of business and content Rahul Sarangi, Viacom18 EVP and head content Monika Shergill and One Digital Entertainment COO and co-founder Gurpreet Singh. The panel was moderated by industry veteran and Hungama Digital Media Entertainment executive producer Sanjeev Lamba.

While the panel agreed that there is a great influx of male-oriented and sexually-oriented content performing on OTT platform, they all are looking beyond that. They all mentioned that the industry is currently focusing on good writing talent and meaningful stories. Sarangi said that TVF is not looking towards creating violent or sexual content at all, at least for the next four to five years. Its focus is on stories like Pitchers and Yeh Meri Family that touch the hearts of the people.

Shergill shared that Voot is looking at ideas that bring new and original voices to the stories. Unless platforms experiment, she believes they will lose their audience.

Talwar shared that the focus of recently launched MX Player is on creating content that can be watched on a 5-inch phone screen rather on a 50-inch TV. The TG for the player is 18-30-year-old male and it wants the platform to be genre-agnostic.

The next event was a fireside chat between Wanvari and Applause Entertainment CEO Sameer Nair. The duo discussed ‘The New Studio Model’.

Nair started with launching an amazing showreel of upcoming programmes from the Applause banner. They included a wide variety of content ranging from humour to political to drama. It also included the Indian version of the very popular The Office series.

Nair stated that he did not want to start a company which goes on to become just a production house but he rather wanted to invest in good content. He thus worked with some amazing directors, writers, and actors like Ronit Roy, Pankaj Tripathi and Swara Bhaskar to create the first instalment of the Applause shows. One of the flagship series, Rasbhari-starring Swara Bhaskar and written by Shantanu Shrivastava—has in fact already been selected for ‘Series Mania’ festival in France. Warning them of slacking in content, he said, “If the content industry is not careful right now, it will end up becoming a replica of TV.”

The day continued with a panel discussion on how new Hindi film producers are making their mark and what business models they are drawing up. Part of the discussion were Essel Vision (Zee Studios) CEO Shariq Patel, Viacom18 Studios chief operating officer Ajit Andhare, Alliance Media and Entertainment owner Sunil Doshi and Fox Star Studios India CEO Vijay Singh. Moderating the panel was film reviewer at Film Companion Suchitra Tyagi.

The panel was a light-hearted but with insightful discussions on the current trends of the Indian movie industry, the need for well-written scripts and content that performs. The panel agreed that today is an amazing time for good storytellers and content creators. They forced upon the fact that literature is the sibling of cinema. The panel also discussed on creating avenues to make the system more approachable to the budding writers who want to reach out to the studios.

The evening was concluded by an overview of the MIP platform by MIP China Hangzhou director of market development Ted Baracos, who in an interactive session apprised the gathering of various opportunities this global content-sharing platform brings and how they can leverage on that.

MUMBAI: Viacom 18’s digital venture Voot is upping its original content game significantly since last August. Now, the over-the-top (OTT) platform is all set to launch its new original The Sawaikar Case, a thrilling family drama.

The Sawaikar Case will see renowned Marathi actor Atul Kulkarni’s debut on Voot who has acted across multi-lingual films. Other than Kulkarni, the new series will also feature Ashwini Bhave, Parul Gulati, Neil Bhoopalam and Lalit Prabhakar.

Directed by the celebrated Marathi director Aditya Sarpotdar, famous for his latest hit Mauli starring Ritiesh Deshmukh, the show will start rolling by the end of February this year.  Set in Goa, The Sawaikar Case promises to be the next binge-watch and hook-worthy series.

Last August Voot announced 17 new originals as well as expansion into UK market. Recently in an interview with Indiantelevision.com, Viacom18 digital ventures marketing and partnerships head Akash Banerji said it would double down efforts for blockbuster content this year.

MUMBAI: Content creators today cannot rely on daily soaps to attract viewers. With OTT looming large, production houses have to broaden their content nexus. Indiantelevision.com’s The Content Hub hosted a session – ‘The TV production Story: Reality, Non-fiction’, with the panellists Contiloe Pictures producer and founder Abhimanyu Singh, Endemol Shine CEO Abhishek Rege, SOL India - Banijay Group founder and MD Fazila Allana. The session was moderated by Bodhitree Multimedia co-founder and director Mautik Tolia. 

The panel discussed the hot topic of IP rights, whether it should be given to the broadcaster or kept with the creator. To this, Singh said that it is valuable for every production house to hold its IP rights, where one can syndicate and get certain revenues on a recurring basis. "If the ecosystem thinks of it then I think the law needs to protect creators just as the musicians are protected," he said and Allana agreed with him.

Rege said that retaining IPs means financial risks for the producer. He further explained, "If we have commissioned a show in Hindi, why would you have the IP of all the languages go with the network? But while we think all this to happen, are we ready to take all the risk?”

Discussion on the potential of content, Rege said that scripted shows are platform-agnostic. He said that the challenge here is making attractive content for the viewers and targeting the right TG. "With OTT, I don’t think it’s easy to do as many talents shows that we do on linear," he added.

The new tariff order will bring about a change in content creation, according to Rege. With customers choosing individual channels, broadcasters need unique content to attract people. “This fight is based on non-scripted or premium scripted property," he said.  

Allana said that non-fiction producers have a bigger challenge as opposed to fiction producers because there has been a saturation of ideas. But she added that non-fiction content is going to evolve in the OTT platform but the future belongs to scripted shows. “On OTT there will be a lot of social experimentation as well as lifestyle programming.  Earlier we all used to chase formats now we chase stories,” she said.

The deluge of daily content has thwarted premium content from growing. Rege said, "In creating premium content, you will have to spend time in writing. Apart from that, as far as production is concerned, you will have to have the discipline of pre-producing the series and this doesn’t exist on our television. The whole ecosystem needs to move in this direction." 

MUMBAI: The Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board unveiled the new look for discoverlosangeles.com on the back of twelve month long planning, research and development. Built by the tourism’s digital team, the mobile-first design ensures faster response, enhanced search and better accessibility.

Some of the most talented writers and photographers in the LA area have been tapped by the tourism to create a fun, robust library of content, ranging from guides on hidden neighborhood gems to favorite beaches by playlist and places to visit based on astrological signs. Newly created content will focus on the rise of the millennial parent, neighborhood experiences and quick-read guides throughout the coming months.

“We know that the previous version of our site was one of the highest trafficked tourism sites in the United States of America and we look forward to serving travelers’ needs with our latest mobile-first version, which is packed with user-friendly attributes,” Los Angeles Tourism digital marketing vice president Bill Karz said.

Other highlights of the site include interactive maps, personalisation, events-calender, multi-lingual feature. The interactive maps allow site visitors an in-depth look at LA’s distinct neighborhoods while f the events calendar is a ‘go-to’ source for events in the city.

MUMBAI: Castrol Activ, the engine oil for two-wheelers, announced the launch of its new marketing campaign titled, #NonStopDemocracy. Set against the backdrop of the upcoming general elections in India, the ad film encourages the young audience of India to ‘Give a Ride, Help Cast a Vote.’

The renowned creative agency Ogilvy India has conceptualised and developed the campaign which was rolled out on 22 February across multiple channels.  The campaign is an extension of the brand’s marketing philosophy, focused on showcasing young riders as changemakers for today’s society.

“Young voters will define the elections in 2019. By showing them a very easy to execute idea of converting their own motorcycles or scooters into a vehicle to ferry people to polling booths, we have hopefully shown them a way and encouraged them to think differently to do their bit,” Ogilvy chief creative officer Sukesh Nayak commented.

“Today’s youth is self-aware and responsible. This campaign is our salute to the youth who want to make a difference to society and are driving this positive change. In this journey, we hope that Castrol Activ will be their trusted partner. We see this communication as a catalyst for change to shape thoughts of the young generation and encourage them to keep protecting what they love,” Castrol India marketing vice president Kedar Apte said.

The setting at the beginning of the film implies a low voter turnout during the general elections because of difficult weather conditions. But youngsters on their bikes protected with Castrol Activ, ensure they individually visit various households, urge adults to cast their votes, and ferry them to the polling booth.

“I’m happy that the much-loved Castrol Activ brand has once again been able to come up with an impactful message around protecting what you love. We hope this message resonates with India’s youth just like the previous campaigns and ignites a spark towards making a positive difference in whichever sphere of life they may choose," Castrol India Limited managing director Omer Dormen commented.

MUMBAI: The cash-rich Indian Premier League has witnessed tremendous growth over the years from its inception in 2008. The growth is in terms of different aspects like advertising revenue, sponsorship revenue, number of eyeballs and brands attraction etc.

According to TAM data, commercial ad volumes grew by 61 per cent in IPL 11 compared to IPL 1 i.e. from 31 hours in season 1 to 50 hours in season 11. Total of 151 brands advertised across 64 different categories during the last season.

To make the data comparable, one channel each of the respective broadcasters is taken into consideration for both the seasons. Sony Max is for IPL 2008 and Star Sports 1 Hindi for 2018 season.

Recently, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced that the 12th season of the cash-rich league will commence from 23 March 2019. Franchises, brands, broadcaster and most importantly the fans were left delighted when the board announced that the 2019 edition will be played entirely in India.

The 11th season of the cash-rich league enjoyed humungous reach both on TV and OTT platform of Star India. Brands have long recognised the power and popularity of cricket in India and IPL with its undisputed reach and combination of cricket and entertainment is a zero risk property for brands.

On-screen advertising, the digitally embedded elements fed by broadcaster during the live telecast of match saw a good spike in the number of brands and categories. Total 51 brands advertised in IPL 11, which is 38 per cent more than IPL season one’s 37 brands. There was a 67 per cent rise in categories from 18 in IPL 1 to 30 in IPL 11.

Top three categories which dominated the top 10 list across the last three years in cricket genre are perfumes/deodorant, cellular phones-smart phones and cellular services. Experts believe that the event by itself is both a massive opportunity for brands and equally a challenge of sorts to stand out in the storm of brands advertising in it. The shorter format further pushes the challenge.

Some of new brands that associated with the IPL last season were AMFI, Asian Paints, Berger Paints, Blue Star, Ceat Tyres, Crompton, Dollar, Ford, Haier, Luminous, Pedilite, Sleep Well, Vanessa, Vimal Pan Masala and Voltas joined the existing ones like Vivo, Colgate, Amul, Dream11, Elica, Kent, Parle Agro, Polycab to name a few.

The season witnessed 21 hours of on-screen advertising with action replay, pull-through and push back the top three on-screen branding units during the play.

Talking about in-stadia advertising, 441 hours of in-stadia advertising was registered during IPL season 11. Top three on-screen branding units during the season were t-shirt, backdrop and perimeter board. Compared to the first season, in-stadia ad volumes increased almost by twofold from 224 hours to 441 hours in IPL 11.

Instadia advertising saw a growth of 8 per cent in the number of brands i.e., 106 brands in IPL 1 to 114 brands in IPL 11.

To appreciate the spike in brands and advertisers for IPL, Star India in its first year introduced the Re.imagine Awards to recognise and encourage the creativity and innovation in the use of integrated media in advertising campaigns aired during Vivo IPL on Star Sports and its OTT platform Hotstar.

Not just cricketers on the pitch but brands, marketers and advertisers have gradually upped their game to keep the viewers engaged during the sporting extravaganza.

In the upcoming season of IPL, a lot of diversified brands will be seen participating. The important thing is how they weave the story into a much more deeply integrated marketing plan. Now, it is about integrating the storyline through both ATL and BTL campaigns.

MUMBAI: Spotify, the world’s most popular music streaming service with over 207 million active users, launches today in India on mobile, tablet and desktop, offering brands a new platform to connect with consumers in an exciting, targeted and impactful way.

Available for free to all in India today, Spotify lets people discover the right music for every moment, across hundreds of  devices, allowing them to soundtrack their lives. When music fans stream in these moments, they reveal who they really are, the moment they are in, and even their moods; this first-party data and insights comprises Spotify’s Streaming Intelligence. For brands and marketers, this presents an unparalleled opportunity to serve the right message, to the right person, in the right context.

Upon launch, OnePlus, Brand USA, and Anheuser-Busch InBev will have exclusive rights to launch their advertising campaigns on Spotify India. Through Spotify, these brands will be able to reach out to highly engaged, passionate and socially active users.

Advertising on Spotify

Today, consumers are streaming music through various devices from the time they wake up to winding down at night and everything in between, putting music front and center of their daily lives. These new habits are creating massive shifts in the consumer journey, prompting a renewed focus on the role of audio in people’s lives.

Fully localized, the Spotify experience in India brings to brands an incredibly engaged audience. Globally, Spotify Free users spend an average of 2.5 hours each day listening to music on the platform through multiple devices.

Brands will benefit from:

Premium content environment: Spotify prides itself on being a premium environment that celebrates culture and creativity by bringing artists, fans, and brands together. The content on the Spotify service is licensed from our partners or created by our in-house team.

Multimedia ad experiences: Compelling audio, video, and display ad formats available that help brands tell their story to the right audience in the right context. 

Just as music is social, so is Spotify. Music fans can create and discover playlists, and share instantly with friends on Spotify, Facebook, Twitter, Line, WhatsApp, text and email. This is especially significant for advertisers, who are constantly seeking insights for what is popular and share-worthy by their core target audience.

Sunita Kaur, Vice President of Advertising Sales at Spotify, APAC said, “Spotify’s connection to culture and understanding of how music is consumed allows us to build personal relationships and trust with our fans. The Indian advertising industry is thriving as brands target active internet users. We are thrilled to launch in India with three incredible, diverse brands and we are exploring more opportunities to bring other advertisers on board in this market, creating a new playground for them to reach audiences through the power of audio and our streaming intelligence.”

“We are extremely excited to be the launch partners for Spotify in India! We are core believers in the power of music and its ability to unite individuals across boundaries; with this collaboration, we further solidify our pursuit of building and shaping communities centered around this space.  We are positive that this partnership will result in newer avenues of genre exploration and sharing, with consumers becoming more receptive to and appreciative of the intricate nuances of the soundscape, through the large bank of music available on the portal. Looking forward to what’s in store for both, Spotify and us”, Kartikeya Sharma, VP Marketing - South Asia, ABInBev.

Tracy Lanza, VP, Integrated Marketing, Brand USA, said, “We are thrilled that our partnership with Spotify will now extend into India, which is one of our top markets. Music is a universal language that transcends cultural boundaries and we continue to use it as an instrument to engage with international travelers. Through this launch, we look forward to bringing the unique and powerful sounds of U.S. destinations to a new music-loving audience.”

Spotify comes to India offering the best listening experience in local and international music, with the Spotify app available to download for free or with an upgrade to Spotify Premium for only INR 119 per month. The Spotify app is now available on mobile, desktop, and tablet and can be played on a wide range of speakers and home devices.

MUMBAI: Wavemaker India has won the duties to manage both online and offline media for Acko General Insurance  - touted as one of the most promising fin-tech start-ups in the country.

Wavemaker vice president Kishan Kumar MS said, “Brands like Acko are disrupting categories in which they operate in. In a fast-growing insurance category, they’re the first online-only general insurer in the country. At Wavemaker, we strongly believe that by helping such disruptor brands win, we get better at what we do. I am looking forward to applying our media, content and technology expertise on Acko and more importantly keen to create some new codes of brand building in the process.”

Acko CEO Varun Dua commented, “We are excited to partner with Wavemaker. They bring in years of experience and expertise in building brands. Team Wavemaker impressed us with their approach and on the ground diverse team support. Our focus will be to learn from best practices while driving innovation through multiple experiments across different media avenues and formats of communications.”

Acko head of business Jagjeet Harode said, “We are delighted to partner with Wavemaker in the journey to create brand Acko. They bring in the required balance of buying expertise and adaptability to support us. Looking forward to some industry-first innovations to reach consumers in a more personalised manner.”

MUMBAI: Joining the league of Bennett Coleman and Company Ltd (BCCL) and All India Digital Cable Federation (AIDCF), multi system operator (MSO) JPR Channel has challenged the landing page directives of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) as per its new tariff order. The MSO is worried that the decision might impact its revenue.

TRAI, in December last year, had barred all broadcasters and distributors of TV channels from placing any registered TV channel whose rating is being measured on the landing page or the boot-up screen. BCCL and AIDCF had challenged the order in Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT), a few days after the announcement of the order.

TDSAT has listed all the three matters for hearing on 12 March 2019. It has also asked TRAI to provide a copy of the reply in the other appeal to JPR. JPR can then file a rejoinder within 10 days.

MUMBAI: Grapes Digital, the full-fledged digital and marketing agency, has won the digital mandate of two leading brands of Kolkata-based RSH Global. Grapes Digital will be involved in the strategic approach of the digital activities for two of RSH Global’s leading brands - Joy Personal Care and X-men.

The agency will manage the social, creative and media aspect of these two brands. The mandate was awarded to it after a multi-agency pitch and will be handled by its Delhi team.

Speaking on this win, Grapes Digital founder Himanshu Arya said, “We are glad to add Joy personal care and X-men from RSH Global to our client list and the entire team is looking forward on building innovative and exciting campaigns. FMCG brands always have greater challenges as their target audience is vast, and we are glad to take this challenge and deliver it.”

Speaking on the partnership with Grapes Digital, RSH Global CMO Poulomi Roy said, “We were looking out for a digital agency that could creatively take our brand though forward in the digital space. In the pitch process Grapes digital’s approach made them a clear choice to partner with. They have done some really good work in the past for various brands. We are looking forward for a lot of cross category learning for them and hoping that as a team we deliver some interesting work in the FMCG sector.”

Earlier, in an interview with Indiantelevision.com, Poulomi Roy had revealed that RSH Global is planning to go big on digital with the latest range of its products releasing. The brand is looking towards targeting a slightly younger consumer base with its Revive range and has web sensation Mithila Palkar as one of the brand ambassadors.

MUMBAI: Rainmaker Ventures-backed YAAP has announced the appointment of Smriti Shadra as director-content. She will be based out of the Mumbai office and will report directly to YAAP chief creative officer Deepak Singh.

Speaking on her appointment, Singh said, “Smriti is one of the young and upcoming talents in the industry; with a rare body of work spanning across multiple mediums. We are happy to have her on board; as she is a perfect fit for an offbeat culture that we are looking to create with a team of people having diversified skill sets. I am confident that she will play an integral role in raising the bar of our creative output while leading a team of people from varied backgrounds.”

Commenting on her new role, Shadra, added, “Deepak is very clear about the vision that he has for YAAP, and I am more than happy to be a part of it. Advertising today is continuously changing, so the need of the hour is to evolve with the times. This will surely be an interesting move, as it’ll help me explore a dynamic medium like digital in combination with the design. I'm certainly looking forward to pushing the boundaries and creating some path-breaking work with Deepak.”

Smriti has worked with agencies such as Grey Worldwide, JWT, Leo Burnett, Dentsu India Group, and The Social Street. During her previous tenures, she has worked on brands like DHL, Star, MRF, Britannia, Maruti Suzuki, Max Healthcare, Airtel, The Indian Express, Fortis Healthcare, Madhya Pradesh Police, SBI Cards, Twinings, MOHAN Foundation and Alzheimer’s and Related Disorders Society of India.

She has around 190 Indian and International awards to her credit; across various categories and has been a jury member at The MAA Worldwide Globes, The ABBYS, and The EMVIES. In 2017, Smriti was chosen as an Adobe Young Lantern, acknowledged and judged by the finest jury in the country.

The YAAP Group works with brands like Dubai Tourism, ITC Hotels, Lufthansa, Coca Cola, American Express, SBI Cards, SHRM, NPCI, Assam Tourism along with more than 50 other brands.

MUMBAI: In a key restructuring decision, Mediacom’s Priya Choudhary has been elevated as the head of Mediacom West. In her new role, Choudhary will be leading Mediacom’s Mumbai office.

Choudhary joined Mediacom in 2014 as national director – media buying. In 2016, she was chosen as the team lead on one of their key portfolios – P&G. With a successful history of working in the FMCG marketing and advertising industry for over 18 years, Choudhary is highly skilled in brand management, media planning & buying, consumer insights, digital marketing and market research.

Mediacom South Asia CEO Navin Khemka said, “I am glad to see Priya being elevated as the head of Mediacom West. She is a passionate leader and under her leadership, team P&G has achieved the highest rating ever. Her vast experience on both the client and agency side  will help in growing Mediacom’s existing and potential clients and will add immense value to our media offering.”

Excited on her new role, Priya Choudhary said, “It is an absolute privilege to take on the new role as head for Mediacom West region. My immediate tasks would be to lead strategy, insights and driving growth for Mediacom West. I hope to bring in more value for all our existing clients as well.”

An MBA in marketing communications from MICA, Choudhary has worked with at Ogilvy & Mather, Madison World and Mindshare in the past. She also had stints with Unilever and Kraft Heinz, prior to joining Mediacom.

MUMBAI: Viacom18, today, announced the appointment of Mahesh Shetty as the Head – Network Sales. Mahesh will be reporting to Sudhanshu Vats, Group CEO & MD, Viacom18. 

Speaking about his appointment, Sudhanshu Vats, Group CEO & MD, Viacom18 said, “Amidst market shifts, we continue to make strides across platforms and geographies as we build brand solutions powered by analytics and insights. The way ahead is to work more closely with our partners and identify customised whitespaces with an eye on delivering consumer centric ad solutions across platforms. Mahesh’s multi-industry experience will be an asset to Viacom18 as we accelerate our journey to integrate and dial up revenue.”

Mahesh Shetty, currently serving as the COO of Entertainment Network India Ltd. (popularly known as Radio Mirchi), has over 2 decades of experience in marketing, sales and general management across geographical regions, in the media and FMCG sectors. Mahesh started his career with PepsiCo to lead the beverage major’s marketing outreach in Maharashtra and Gujarat and over his decade long stint grew within the organization to become the General Manager, National Sales - Organized Trade. He, thereafter, joined Radio Mirchi, where over the course of 12 years, Mahesh has donned many hats and has led Radio Mirchi’s network expansion to 66 stations, expanded its presence in international markets and started and scaled up multiple revenue streams. Mahesh has successfully led his team to achieve dominant leadership in listenership and revenue market share in the highly competitive radio business.

Mahesh Shetty will be joining Viacom18 in April, 2019. 

MUMBAI: Pocket Aces’ food channel Gobble won Gold at Talent Track 2019 for the Best Digital Content – Food for their web series ‘You Got Chef’d!’ in association with Dewar’s by Bacardi India

The show features some of India’s most popular digital faces: Rannvijay Singha, Mithila Palkar, Shibani Dandekar, Sumeet Vyas and Dhruv Sehgal cooking street-style versions of their favourite dishes against celebrity chef Kelvin Cheung’s gourmet versions. All this over some banter and delicious food, topped with a perfect cocktail pairing, made by Ernest Reid – Dewar’s brand ambassador and celebrated mixologist.

The show, across 5 episodes, amassed ~4,448,289 with an impressive 111:1 like to dislike ratio. As millennials move from celebrating gigantic occasions to celebrating everyday rituals like binge watching a web series or watching a sports match together, Gobble and Dewar’s conceptualized this series to ignite fun conversations through #DoubleIsBetter.

Mr Anshuman Goenka, Marketing Head, Bacardí India said, “Dewar’s is heavily invested in enabling elevated experiences for millennials which are relatable. With ‘You Got Chef’d!’, we are experimenting with a new quirky platform which encourages them to pair gourmet food with whisky cocktails to enjoy simple occasions like bingeing, sports night etc. in a more effective manner. Both the award and the response that we have received will help us in expanding our efforts in this segment.”

Commenting on the award, Sonalika Mehra, Head of Gobble said, “You Got Chef’d is our first-ever food web series and we’re ecstatic to have won a Gold! Our partnership with Dewar's is a perfect fit for the show, both in terms of audience and narrative. It’s an interesting time to be creating content because the digital audience is clearly open and receptive to new and interesting formats.” “We've got lots of interesting things lined up in 2019, so this has kicked off our year in great style,” she adds excitedly. 

Talent Track awards recognize India’s digital content achievers each year. In its third edition held at Mumbai on 8th February this year, over 500 industry players including Hotstar, ALT Balaji, Viu, Zee5, Voot participated.