The humble taxi is fast evolving from being a mere mode of transportation to creating maximum impact in the OOH space. Radio can service provider Meru Cabs had recently tied up with the film ‘Toh Baat Pakki’, and buoyed by the association, is now further exploring the movie and entertainment space.
Media Direction has brought on board Chetan Ahuja as Media Director. He will be working on brands such as Rasna and Seimens, among others. Les Margulis, President, RK Swamy Media Group/ Media Direction, has confirmed the appointment. Ahuja will be reporting to K Satyanarayana VP and Communications Officer, Media Direction.
OOH Media India Pvt Ltd has announced an exclusive strategic partnership deal with 24-hour radio taxi service, Mega Cabs, wherein OOH Media will market advertising inventory for the latter’s fleet of 700-plus cabs pan India.
Karishma Initiative, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Lintas India Pvt Ltd, has entered into a partnership with digital marketing solutions company Media2Win. Through this partnership, the agency will further augment its focus on providing customised and holistic solutions to clients.
Real Estate company Alpha G:Corp has appointed independent agency iris to create a regional integrated campaign for its new AlphaOne mall in Amritsar. iris will be responsible for all pre- and post-launch activity for the centre, which will include press ads, radio, outdoor, POS, newspaper inserts, on-ground activation.
‘Unleashing the power of print: Kickstarting Advertising Revenues’ was the focal point of the day-long workshop conducted by INMA in Mumbai on March 10. The workshop saw industry biggies from both print and media agencies provide solutions to various issues facing the print industry.
Odyssey India, the company claimed to be behind India’s fastest growing leisure store chain, has assigned the creative duties for its new brand ‘Editions’ to Chennai-based ad agency 1pointsize. Editions sells luxury pens and a range of high-end writing instrument accessories. Odyssey India has set aside a marketing budget of Rs 80 lakh to Rs 1 crore over the next one year to promote Editions stores across the metros.
Hardly had the row over the Rin and Tide died down, when comes another ad where a brand has dragged the name of its competitor, this time, a print ad. It is Smith & Jones, which has tongue-in-cheek incorporated the name of competitor Maggi in the ad for its Masala Noodles Tadka Maar Ke.
Following a multi-agency pitch, adidas India has appointed Ogilvy India to work on its new campaign for 2010. With the upcoming ICC World Cup 2010, the sportswear manufacturer wants to create a buzz with the new campaign. Ogilvy India will be working on the current project for 2010. TBWA\India is the incumbent agency.
Imagine TV had hit jackpot with ‘Rakhi Ka Swayamvar’ and clocked a TRP of 8.4 for the two-hour long finale that was aired on August 2, 2009. In comparison, the final episode of Swayamvar Season 2 – ‘Rahul Dulhaniya Le Jayega’ – had scored a TVR of 5.6. Media planners say this is a natural phenomenon as the first season’s ratings are usually higher than the subsequent seasons. That coupled with Rakhi Sawant’s ability to pull viewers, made all the difference for the first season.
Even if the week gone was an aberration for Hindi general entertainment channels, as far as genre performance is concerned, it signifies the positive direction that the genre has been in, in the last few months. At one point, Colors and Star crossing the 300-GRP mark made news. This week, Star Plus, which has beaten Colors second week in a row, Colors and Zee TV, all crossed the 300-GRP mark. The second tier channels have also thrown consistent robust numbers.