Authors

Volkswagen has been making news with its innovative campaigns, be it the roadblock in The Times of India or creating a stir with the talking newspaper for the launch of its sedan Vento. This time, the automaker has got the ‘blues’ for its Passat and TOI is once again the vehicle for the campaign.

Tuhina Anand Apr 1, 2011 10:00 AM

IRS 2010 Q4 results show further decline in the average issue readership numbers in the Kerala market, even as some gains are seen among the top 10 dailies.

Tuhina Anand Mar 24, 2011 9:41 AM

The Business Enterprise magazine has plans to launch in 11 Indian languages in a span of 24 months.

Tuhina Anand Mar 21, 2011 9:07 AM

IRS 2010 Q4 data for Karnataka shows growth for dailies. Among the top 10 dailies all except one have shown growth. Vijay Karnataka leads the market. <br /> &nbsp; &nbsp;

Tuhina Anand Mar 17, 2011 8:37 PM

IRS 2010 Q4 results show that among the 10 dailies in the Chennai market, five have seen decline, four have seen growth, while for one there is no change.

Tuhina Anand Mar 17, 2011 9:35 AM

Rajiv Gopinath, COO, Madison Media Infinity is expected to join MediaCom in China.

Tuhina Anand Mar 15, 2011 8:59 AM

Millward Brown, a global research company specialising in advertising, marketing communications, media and brand equity research, held a captivating session on Worldwide Mesh - Weaving the Context into Content.

Tuhina Anand Mar 4, 2011 7:21 AM

Tata Photon Plus has refreshed its branding and is now riding on the popularity of the Metro in Bangalore to add some spice to its communication.

Tuhina Anand Mar 3, 2011 7:39 AM

&lsquo;furs, fins and feathers&rsquo; magazine has turned a year old and with its March 2011 issue, is turning quarterly. The cover price has been increased from Rs 50 to Rs 75.

Tuhina Anand Mar 1, 2011 2:54 PM

Base Corporation, a key player in the battery industry, has signed on OMD to handle its media duties. The officials at Base Corporation has put the overall size of the account at Rs 40 cr.

Tuhina Anand Mar 1, 2011 10:37 AM

In a short span of time, Bangalore-based ThoughtBox has bagged businesses worth over Rs 20 crore.

Tuhina Anand Mar 1, 2011 7:11 AM

PerceptH has brought on Ryan Menezes as Chief Creative Officer. He moves from McCann Erickson, where he was Executive Creative Director.

Tuhina Anand Mar 1, 2011 7:08 AM

E-commerce company Myntra.com has roped in Maxus Bangalore to handle its media duties. There was no formal pitch for the business.

Tuhina Anand Feb 28, 2011 7:35 AM

It is learnt that Push Creatives has bagged the creative duties of IPL Kochi. The agency is planning to blend cricket with Kalaripayattu as part of the campaign.

Tuhina Anand Feb 25, 2011 8:06 AM

Kannada news channel Samaya 24x7 is reportedly is being bought by politician HD Kumaraswamy, sources close to the development have said.

Tuhina Anand Feb 25, 2011 8:02 AM

LeadFormix, a cloud based Marketing Automation 2.0 platform for enterprises, has come up with solution that can help the advertising agencies and the marketers in lead generation.

Tuhina Anand Feb 23, 2011 7:27 AM

Janasri, the Kannada news channel from politicians and miners Reddy Brothers of Bellary, is ready to make its debut on February 18, 2011.

Tuhina Anand Feb 16, 2011 7:23 AM

It is learnt that Vishweshwar Bhat has joined as the Editor-in-Chief of Kannada Prabha, the Kannada daily from The New Indian Express Group.

Tuhina Anand Feb 9, 2011 7:32 AM

News9, the English news channel from ABCL, which is completing two years, has attributed its success to the simple mantra of being &lsquo;Glocal&rsquo;.

Tuhina Anand Feb 9, 2011 7:26 AM

GNT Infrastructure is foraying into the publishing business with their first offering, a wedding and lifestyle magazine &ndash; &lsquo;Wedding Vows&rsquo;.

Tuhina Anand Feb 8, 2011 8:03 AM

Telecom player Uninor rocked Bangalore with a unique musical initiative to promote its offering of Unlimited Music.

Tuhina Anand Feb 4, 2011 7:23 AM

Vijay TV, the Tamil GEC from Star Network’s stable, is on a roll with new initiatives in terms of marketing plans and new shows.

Tuhina Anand Feb 3, 2011 7:19 AM

February 14, 2011 will be the launch date for The Times of India in Coimbatore and the existing dailies in the market are pulling up their socks.

Tuhina Anand Feb 2, 2011 8:33 PM

The Indian advertising industry had some big surprise moments in the last three months when high-profile and long serving agency heads announced their exits. e4m takes a closer look at why these decisions were taken, and what it means for the industry.

Tuhina Anand Jan 31, 2011 7:08 AM

DNA and Scarecrow Communications have partnered to infuse a dose of positivity with the latest initiative, which will see spends of close to Rs 10-15 crore in the first phase itself.

Tuhina Anand Jan 28, 2011 7:59 AM

Real estate company Mantri Developers has come up with an eye-catching OOH initiative to promote its high end luxury tower project, Mantri Pinnacle.

Tuhina Anand Jan 13, 2011 9:15 AM

Following a multi-agency pitch, Scarecrow Communications has bagged the 360-degree communication mandate for Future Capital.

Tuhina Anand Jan 13, 2011 8:57 AM

The IDG Group&rsquo;s Tech Marketing Hub seminar in Bangalore highlighted key points like digital transition, digital marketing, and the role of online in today&rsquo;s marketing mix.

Tuhina Anand Jan 12, 2011 8:12 AM

Cleartrip.com&rsquo;s latest campaign is a series of 80 personal stories from travellers and neatly ties up with the travel portal&rsquo;s proposition of &lsquo;Every trip has a Purpose&rsquo;.

Tuhina Anand Jan 12, 2011 8:10 AM

Citizen Watches is on the lookout for an agency. It is learnt that both creative and media duties are under review.

Tuhina Anand Jan 12, 2011 7:50 AM

It is learnt from sources close to the development that Acer India is currently reviewing its creative duties. A few leading agencies have already made their presentations.

Tuhina Anand Jan 11, 2011 7:30 AM

The print market in Coimbatore is seeing lot of action. Deccan Chronicle has just launched, TOI is waiting in the wings and established players like The Hindu and The New Indian Express are gearing up for the competition.

Tuhina Anand Jan 7, 2011 7:40 AM

Dentsu Communications Bangalore has won the creative duties of Top Ramen Noodles. Hakuhodo Percept is the incumbent agency. The media duties will continue to be handled by Madison Media.

Tuhina Anand Jan 4, 2011 7:35 AM

For any marketer creating customer loyalty is a big priority, and this is where a start-up called Revu steps in. Revu is a mobile loyalty and consumer engagement platform and is currently focused on small and medium industry to develop a mobile based loyal community for each business.

Tuhina Anand Dec 31, 2010 7:51 AM

News9, the English news channel from The Associated Broadcasting Company Pvt Ltd (ABCL), plans to foray into the Delhi market by early 2011. Although their exact plans could not be ascertained, Mahendra Mishra, Director of News9, has confirmed the news.

Tuhina Anand Dec 31, 2010 7:50 AM

Manish Bhatt and Raghu Bhat led Scarecrow Communications is giving the finishing touch to their plans of giving the industry and art lovers a platform where they can showcase their work and also participate and learn from industry leaders by means of discussions.

Tuhina Anand Dec 28, 2010 7:26 AM

Bangalore-based Amagi Media Labs has been on a roll and plans to expand from its current eight cities to 20 by March 2011. Amagi works on the premise of bringing city-specific advertising on a national platform. This apart, Amagi does media buying and selling, besides creating and customising creatives to cater to the local clients.

Tuhina Anand Dec 24, 2010 7:32 AM

Even as Maa Television Network is gearing to launch new channels, it has lost its Director and CEO Sharrath Marar, who has put in his papers, according to sources close to the development. It is not known where Marar is headed next. He has been with Maa Television Network for close to four years. When contacted, Marar declined to comment.

Tuhina Anand Dec 22, 2010 7:38 AM

Maa Television Network Ltd is gearing up to launch two new channels &ndash; Maa Junior for kids and Maa Movies. These new channels will be launched by the end of December this year or early January 2011. Maa Television Network currently has in its stable Telugu entertainment channel Maa TV and music channel Maa Music.

Tuhina Anand Dec 17, 2010 7:23 AM

ThoughtBox, a media consultancy specialising in media planning and buying, has set up shop in Bangalore. The agency also provides creative solutions through its associates. The agency has two business verticals &ndash; namely, RadioBox and ITBox, which specialise in radio and IT solutions, respectively.

Tuhina Anand Dec 14, 2010 8:10 AM

J Shekar has been roped in as Chief Operating Officer of Maa Television Network Ltd. He will be reporting to Sharrath Marar, Director and CEO, Maa TV Network Ltd. Shekar will be based in Hyderabad. He was earlier Business Head of Zee Kannada. He has confirmed his appointment to exchange4media.

Tuhina Anand Dec 13, 2010 7:32 AM

Vishweshwar Bhat, Editor of Vijay Karnataka, has quit the organisation. Replacing him is E Raghavan, who has taken over as Consulting Editor for Vijay Karnataka. Raghavan also continues to be the Consulting Editor for Vijaya Next.

Tuhina Anand Dec 11, 2010 6:52 AM

The IRS Q3 2010 results bring no cheer to publications in the Tamil Nadu market. The figures show decline for both dailies and magazines among the top five in terms of readership. While Daily Thanthi leads among dailies, Kumudam tops among magazines.

Tuhina Anand Dec 10, 2010 11:00 AM

As per the IRS Q3 2010 results, four of the top five Gujarati dailies have seen growth, while of the three Gujarati magazines, two have recorded growths. Chitralekha, the most read Gujarati magazine, has seen no change in its Average Issue Readership (AIR) in the third quarter.

Tuhina Anand Dec 9, 2010 10:55 AM

Both dailies and magazines have put up a good show in Gujarat. Three of the top five dailies have seen growth, while all five top magazines in the state have recorded growth in AIR. Gujarat Samachar leads among dailies, while among magazines, Chitralekha is the most read.

Tuhina Anand Dec 9, 2010 10:52 AM

Three of the top five dailies in the Rajasthan market have recorded growth in the Average Issue Readership (AIR) as per the IRS Q3 2010 results. Magazines have, however, seen a dismal performance with just one out of the top five recording positive growth.

Tuhina Anand Dec 8, 2010 12:00 PM

The IRS Q3 2010 results bring good news for Kannada dailies and magazines, with both showing growth in Average Issue Readership (AIR). Among the top five dailies, all have shown positive growth, while among the top five magazines all except one have shown growth.

Tuhina Anand Dec 7, 2010 8:11 AM

The business of distribution came up for some intense scrutiny on the concluding day of the two-day FICCI Media &amp; Entertainment Business Conclave (MEBC), held in Hyderabad on December 1-2, 2010. What emerged from the discussions was that there was need f or attractive content at compelling cost and compelling content at attractive cost.

Tuhina Anand Dec 3, 2010 7:56 AM

Day Two of the FICCI Media &amp; Entertainment Business Conclave (MEBC), held in Hyderabad on December 2, 2010, saw an interactive session on the topic &lsquo;Rethinking content: The Holy Grail of a TV channel&rsquo;s success&rsquo;. Panelists discussed the ways to grab and retain audience attention and what kind of content will help achieve this objective.

Tuhina Anand Dec 3, 2010 7:53 AM

An interesting debate cropped up in the panel discussion on &lsquo;Is Regional TV the &lsquo;New&rsquo; National TV&rsquo; on Day One of the FICCI Media &amp; Entertainment Business Conclave (MEBC), being held in Hyderabad. While some panellists were all for regional TV flexing its muscles, others maintained that Hindi channels brought in the revenues.

Tuhina Anand Dec 2, 2010 7:35 AM

The two-day FICCI Media &amp; Entertainment Business Conclave (MEBC) got underway in Hyderabad on December 1, 2010 with the stalwarts from the media and entertainment business sharing their thoughts and concerns of the industry. The theme of the Conclave this year is &lsquo;Regional is the &lsquo;New&rsquo; National&rsquo;.

Tuhina Anand Dec 2, 2010 7:33 AM

Charles Cadell, CEO, Lowe Lintas India, is completing his term with the company on December 31, 2010. Following this, Cadell will exit the agency and take another assignment overseas. Joseph George, who has been Deputy CEO with the company for some time now, would step into Cadell&rsquo;s shoes. Cadell has confirmed the development to exchange4media.

Tuhina Anand Nov 30, 2010 7:42 AM

Woodland, the brand which stands for the outdoor and adventure along with close association with nature and environment, has chalked out a host of plans for 2011. The immediate being the launch of an e-commerce store by January 2011 and getting into the social media space in a big way.

Tuhina Anand Nov 25, 2010 7:50 AM

J Shekar, Business Head of Zee Kannada, has put in his papers. He has been with Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd for more than a decade. It is not known where Shekar is headed next, but he will continue to operate in the same space. He is currently serving his notice period and will be with Zee till the end of January 2011.

Tuhina Anand Nov 23, 2010 8:44 AM

airtel has taken the leap and revamped its logo, and the brand is on media overdrive to drive home the point about its new avatar. But the question is how well has the new logo been received? There has already been vocal opinion on how the logo is so much similar to its competitor Vodafone and thus seeming to be a ‘me too’, and failing to create a distinct identity.

Tuhina Anand Nov 22, 2010 7:26 AM

The Advertising Club of Bombay is gearing up for the big night of Effies 2010, which promises to be much bigger this time. In its tenth year, Effies 2010 has received 276 entries, which is almost double that of last year (148 entries in 2009) and has also introduced new categories numbering to 15 from seven last year.

Tuhina Anand Nov 19, 2010 7:38 AM

Radio One, which has turned four in the Bangalore market, has been busy leveraging its Bollywood content. While the going has been good for the FM station, it is only too aware that the competition is not too far away from breathing down its neck. Moving forward, Radio One is looking at extracting more value from the Bangalore market.

Tuhina Anand Nov 16, 2010 7:36 AM

Nandu Narasimhan, National Creative Director of Solution Digitas, passed away on the morning of November 12, 2010 following a heart attack. Narasimhan had had a prolific advertising career, where he did some memorable work for clients, including Dabur, Domino&rsquo;s Pizza, Maltova, Maruti, Xerox, Casablanca and Steel Authority of India (SAIL), among others.

Tuhina Anand Nov 15, 2010 7:32 AM

TCL Corporation, a Chinese electronics and appliance manufacturer, has plans to strengthen its presence in India. It plans to do so by launching an impressive line of products as well as expanding into new markets in the country. TCL also plans to invest Rs 133 crore in a bid to increase its share in the Indian consumer electronics market.

Tuhina Anand Nov 15, 2010 7:30 AM

Discovery Networks has had an eventful 2010 with a series of new shows, new channels, revamping the old ones (TLC) and expanding the reach of Discovery Channel by launching it in Tamil, and then in October this year, in Telugu too. exchange4media catches up with Rahul Johri of Discovery Networks, who was in Bangalore to launch the channel&rsquo;s new series, called &lsquo;Ecopolis&rsquo;.

Tuhina Anand Nov 12, 2010 7:07 AM

Planman Stars, the sports marketing company from Planman Group, has tied up with Zee Group to use virtual advertising on Zee TV&rsquo;s flagship programme &lsquo;Sa Re Ga Ma Pa&rsquo;. There ads are set to be unveiled around December this year. Planman Stars had recently brought to India the concept of virtual advertising in association with US-based company Brand Magic.

Tuhina Anand Nov 3, 2010 8:33 AM

Ravi Joshi has joined DNA Bangalore as its Resident Editor. Joshi moves from The New Indian Express where he was the Deputy Resident Editor based in Bangalore.

Tuhina Anand Oct 26, 2010 8:49 AM

Nirlep, a name to reckon with in the non-stick cookware segment, has revamped itself after a period of 27 years.

Tuhina Anand Oct 25, 2010 8:28 AM

It is learnt from sources close to the development that Prathap Suthan, National Creative Director at Cheil Worldwide, SW Asia has put in his papers. Suthan has been with Cheil for the past three years.

Tuhina Anand Oct 23, 2010 9:22 AM

It is learnt from sources close to the development that Prathap Suthan, National Creative Director at Cheil Worldwide, SW Asia has put in his papers. Suthan has been with Cheil for the past three years.

Tuhina Anand Oct 22, 2010 2:58 PM

The Kannada news broadcasting space is heating up. Now, politician and miners Reddy Brothers of Bellary have also joined the race as they plan to launch their own news and entertainment .

Tuhina Anand Oct 22, 2010 8:41 AM

Marketing consultancy firm AZ Research Partners firmly believes that research is moving very fast towards social media platform and that online research will be the next big thing.

Tuhina Anand Oct 11, 2010 8:19 AM

Suvarna TV has recently launched a dedicated time slot catering to Tulu speaking viewers. The channel is upbeat about its latest move and there are plans to expand this time band and also air some Tulu movies in the days to come.

Tuhina Anand Oct 11, 2010 8:13 AM

The grand spectacle of the CWG opening ceremony has silenced all critics and has garnered praise from all quarters. So, does this mean that CWG as a property has now suddenly turned attractive to many advertisers, or is it status quo and the property remains as &lsquo;thanda&rsquo; as it always has been?

Tuhina Anand Oct 6, 2010 8:02 AM

The advertising and media industry never ceases to surprise, says Tuhina Anand, Assistant Editor, exchange4media, as she recounts some of the major developments of the week gone by in advertising and media and their implications in the times ahead.

Tuhina Anand Oct 4, 2010 8:32 AM

To get people online, using the strength of offline cannot be undermined. That’s what Google seems to convey with its full page print ad for Chrome.

Tuhina Anand Sep 30, 2010 8:11 AM

The latest international campaign, titled ‘Your moment is waiting’, for Kerala Tourism has evinced some extreme reactions. While some have loved it, there’s an equal number who found it appalling. Then there is talk of strong similarity with the campaign for Mexico Tourism, Estrellas del Bicentenario. exchange4media gets the reactions from a cross-section of India’s advertising industry.

Tuhina Anand Sep 28, 2010 8:09 AM

Kundan R Vyas of Vyapar-Janmabhoomi Group has been elected as President of the Indian Newspaper Society (INS) for the year 2010-11 at its 71st Annual General Meeting held in Bangalore on September 24, 2010. He succeeds T Venkattram Reddy of Deccan Chronicle. India Today Group’s Ashish Bagga takes over as Deputy President, while KN Tilak Kumar of Prajavani has been elected as Vice President.

Tuhina Anand Sep 25, 2010 8:06 AM

News9, the English news channel from The Associated Broadcasting Company Pvt Ltd (ABCL) that debuted last year, is on an expansion drive. After making a mark in the Karnataka market, the channel is now positioning itself as a complete south channel and gearing to include content catering to the Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh markets.

Tuhina Anand Sep 23, 2010 7:57 AM

Volkswagen has done it again. After creating a much talked about roadblock to announce its launch in India, the German auto major came out with what has been termed as ‘world’s first talking newspaper’ innovation for its sedan Vento. DDB Mudra is the agency behind this innovation.

Tuhina Anand Sep 22, 2010 7:06 AM

The Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) has advised its members to take advance payment from Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) for all the telecom major’s advertisements running on their channels due to inconsistencies in payments by the telecom major.

Tuhina Anand Sep 20, 2010 8:18 AM

Continuing with its exercise to redefine and restructure its brand architecture, Taj Hotels Resorts & Palaces has launched a new brand, Vivanta by Taj. Targeted at the cosmopolitan global traveler, Taj will be making extensive use of digital media to promote Vivanta.

Tuhina Anand Sep 15, 2010 7:55 AM

Amitabh Bachchan’s towering presence and booming voice are seen and heard in the ads for the Champions League T20 and KBC 4. While the ads for the two properties have deluged TV channels, will they be able to create a separate brand identity or just create confusion? exchange4media finds out.

Tuhina Anand Sep 14, 2010 7:45 AM

It is learnt that The Times of India is seriously considering to launch a Kochi edition and is exploring various options. Sources in the know even say that The Times of India has put together a team in place to launch the Kochi edition.

Tuhina Anand Sep 8, 2010 7:39 AM

Mindshare Bangalore has bagged the media duties of real estate player Mantri Developers. The business was won following a multi-agency pitch. In another development, Chirantan Chandran has moved as Principal Partner, Client Leadership, Mindshare, South and East.

Tuhina Anand Sep 7, 2010 7:58 AM

Vyas Giannetti Creative (VGC), the specialist design and communication agency, is on an upswing in the Bangalore market since its foray here earlier this year. The agency has been having a busy time and has recently bagged the design mandates for Aditya Birla Group’s Madura Fashion & Lifestyle, SAB Miller’s Fosters, Nitesh Estate and The Park Bangalore.

Tuhina Anand Sep 6, 2010 8:52 AM

Sports marketing company Planman Stars, a part of the Planman Group, is quite upbeats about the new technology called Virtual Advertising. They had entered into a partnership with US-based Brand Magic sometime in July 2010 to bring this technology to India. Since then, they have used Virtual Advertising during the MicroMax Cup in Sri Lanka and have reported a huge success.

Tuhina Anand Sep 2, 2010 8:20 AM

The news of Trevor Beattie’s BMB venturing into India had been around for a while, and now, has been formally announced, in partnership with Madison World. exchange4media spoke to several ad honchos to gauge their reaction to the advent of the new entity and found that all of them are quite excited about BMB Madison. All are looking forward to the same radical work that Trevor Beattie is well-known for in India as well.

Tuhina Anand Sep 1, 2010 7:51 AM

The Bangalore market has seen good numbers, giving some much needed hope to the print industry. What is interesting to note is that as per the IRS Q2 2010 results, magazines have seen tremendous growth in the Bangalore market. The Week has seen the highest growth among magazines, while among dailies, Prajavani has seen the most growth in average issue readership (AIR).

Tuhina Anand Aug 27, 2010 8:25 AM

Excitement is in the air with the stage set for Ad Club Bombay’s Emvies 2010 awards on August 27, 2010. In its 10th year, Emvies received a record 397 entries. While creative fraternity has its fair share of awards, Emvies recognises the innovative and outstanding media initiatives.

Tuhina Anand Aug 27, 2010 8:19 AM

The IRS Q2 2010 results have brought some cheer to the publications in the Karnataka market. Six of the Top 10 dailies and four of the top five magazines have seen positive growth in their Average Issue Readership (AIR) in this quarter. Vijay Karnataka leads among dailies.

Tuhina Anand Aug 26, 2010 8:26 AM

The AAAI President’s elections may have ended with a cliff-hanger verdict in favour of Nagesh Alai, but the aftermath of this closely fought contest has just about begun. It is believed that the newly-elected Executive Committee, which was convened on August 13, was restrained from taking any decisions at its first meeting by the Mumbai Civil Court. However, AAAI has clarified that the Court has asked that decisions taken should not be implemented till the Court passes its order in this case. Now, all eyes are on August 23, when the court will pass its further orders, though it might be sometime before a final order sees the light of day.

Tuhina Anand Aug 18, 2010 9:48 AM

With new corruption allegations surfacing every day, Commonwealth Games 2010 is fast deteriorating into ‘Con Wealth Games’. However, the situation is still salvageable, according to the three leading brand consultants that exchange4media spoke to. Here’s what they had to say…

Tuhina Anand Aug 16, 2010 8:22 AM

It is learnt from sources close to the development that Praveen Sharma, the COO of Madison Media Plus has quit. It is also learnt that he will be replaced by Ashish Singru who moves from Microsoft, USA.

Tuhina Anand Aug 12, 2010 3:08 PM

Biscuits manufacturer Unibic India has appointed MediaCom to handle its media mandate. There was no formal pitch for the business. Industry sources peg the account to be in the vicinity of Rs 10-12 crore. The win comes close on the heels of MediaCom Bangalore winning the Royal Orchid business. Grey Worldwide handles the creative duties for Unibic India.

Tuhina Anand Aug 9, 2010 7:28 AM

Given the hoopla over the Indian Premier League, ESPN is seeking to give the Champions League T20 a fresh positioning. Saffron Brand Consultants has been tasked with refreshing the positioning for the T20 tournament. A detailed study has been carried out in major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, and Kolkata, among others.

Tuhina Anand Aug 3, 2010 8:37 AM

Hover.in, a start-up set up in 2008 that builds ‘user engagement’ platforms that deliver the best of web using tooltips, has now launched a new product, called HasLaunched. HasLaunched aims to revolutionise intext marketing, where using Hover technology the marketer can gain an edge over just having a text highlighted as has been the case in the past.

Tuhina Anand Jul 29, 2010 8:47 AM

The first part of the report took a look at the recent additions from foreign shores and how they have been faring and thriving in a challenging market like India. In the second and concluding part, exchange4media finds out from the expats who are working in India or had worked here, how they view the Indian advertising industry.

Tuhina Anand Jul 28, 2010 8:40 AM

Expats working in India is not a new phenomena, what is new is the increasing presence of expats in the Indian advertising industry. exchange4media takes a look at the recent additions from foreign shores and how they have been faring and thriving in a challenging market like India.

Tuhina Anand Jul 27, 2010 8:38 AM

In an exclusive conversation with exchange4media, Piyush Pandey shares his views on the AAAI’s decision to confer the Lifetime Achievement Award 2010 on him, what this Award means to him, why he thinks he has been chosen for this Award, and what next…

Tuhina Anand Jul 23, 2010 8:35 AM

Recently few companies, mainly MNCs, have pledged to responsible advertising to children below 12 years of age. This might be a significant move, considering the brouhaha over comparative advertising, wherein a surreptitious manner or even blatant comparison happens in the name of advertising. However, it is not clear now how this pledge will manifest itself in reality as it is still early days. exchange4media delves deeper into this development.

Tuhina Anand Jul 22, 2010 8:49 AM

It is learnt from sources close to the development that Ayan Chakraborty has joined PerceptH as its Chief Growth Officer. He will be based out of Mumbai. Chakraborty moves from Saatchi & Saatchi, where he was Executive Vice President.

Tuhina Anand Jul 22, 2010 8:25 AM

Wynn Telecom Ltd is looking at investing close to Rs 100 crore in the financial year 2010-11, which will be used on distribution and service network development, product and brand development and advertising. The company has aggressive growth plans and is aiming at being among the top three Indian handset brands within a 12-month time span.

Tuhina Anand Jul 15, 2010 8:32 AM

Vertebrand, a turnkey business consultant, has expanded its turf and now has its presence in Chennai. It has roped in Rinku Mechery as the head, who will be overseeing the operations in Chennai.

Tuhina Anand Jul 15, 2010 8:30 AM

MTR Foods is aggressively looking at shedding its image of being a regional player and be a national brand. In keeping with its growth strategy the company has recently revamped its packaging and brought a semblance in its portfolio. MTR Foods is also planning to increase its spends on media.

Tuhina Anand Jul 14, 2010 8:13 AM

Xebec Communications has won advertising duties of Clubfox Apparels and Pashmina Realty. The cumulative size of both the businesses is estimated at Rs 15 crore.

Tuhina Anand Jul 13, 2010 8:36 AM

MillwardBrown India held a seminar in Bangalore on July 7, 2010, where it gave insights into neuroscience based research and how marketers could leverage that. Titled ‘Link: What lies beneath’, the seminar also looked at the concept of ad transference and its various facets.

Tuhina Anand Jul 8, 2010 8:41 AM

Considering that alcoholic beverages have too many restrictions while advertising in India, this compels the companies to think out of the box to communicate. Foster’s, the premium beer brand, has been trying to reach out to its consumers with its innovative and ‘international standard’ communication, and this time has come up with the ‘F-row’ initiative.

Tuhina Anand Jul 5, 2010 8:49 AM

It is learnt that real estate developer DLF Ltd and Larsen & Tourbro (L&T) are locked in a legal tussle over the use of the word ‘Building India’. DLF has been using the tagline ‘Building India’ for almost five years now. Now, the real estate major has sent a legal notice to L&T on the latter’s misuse of these words.

Tuhina Anand Jul 1, 2010 9:27 AM

It is learnt from sources close to the development that Devraj Sanyal has returned to the Percept Group. Sanyal had joined Desi Hits Inc as CEO following his stint as CEO of Percept D’Mark (PDM).

Tuhina Anand Jun 28, 2010 8:41 AM

Close on the heels of bagging the MaxWorth Realty account, Pune-headquartered full service agency Xebec has won two more businesses – DC Design and Weiner Berger. The cumulative size of the business is pegged at Rs 4 crore. While Weiner Berger and MaxWorth Realty will be handled out of Bangalore, DC Design will be handled out of the Mumbai office of Xebec.

Tuhina Anand Jun 23, 2010 9:15 AM

The Kannada news channel space witnessed quite some activity with the launch of Samaya 24x7. The channel, which had long been awaiting takeoff, was formally launched this Sunday by Dr Devi Shetty. The channel is the brainchild of industrialist and politician Satish Jarakihole.

Tuhina Anand Jun 22, 2010 9:04 AM

There is a lot of talk on how digital is the medium for the future even for those in the media agency business. Taking a cue from this, GroupM has created a separate unit within CTG that focuses on Digital Buying.

Tuhina Anand Jun 22, 2010 9:03 AM

Having tasted success in India, Bubble Motion, the Sequoia-Capital backed audio social networking company, has now chalked out big plans for the country. It has recently launched the next generation of its popular voice-blogging platform, Bubbly 1.5, and is also in the process of launching the service in half a dozen other major countries throughout Asia.

Tuhina Anand Jun 1, 2010 8:21 AM

Financial advertising has been witnessing a change in approach over the years. With a plethora of financial instruments available in the market today, it has become imperative to break through the clutter. How has advertising in the financial sector been coping with the changing rules of the market? exchange4media spoke to some financial industry players and ad agencies to find out what they think could be the way ahead.

Tuhina Anand Jun 1, 2010 8:18 AM

The media industry is bullish on the new Kannada weekly Vijaya Next, recently launched by The Times Group, though there are few reservations. The paper caters to the upwardly mobile Kannadiga population. While most in the industry agree that the paper looks fresh and lively, there are mixed views as to how it will be accepted by a TG that is already exposed to so many other avenues.

Tuhina Anand May 31, 2010 8:30 AM

The Times Group has launched a weekly called Vijaya Next, which will be catering to the upwardly mobile Kannadiga population. The 24- paged weekly priced at Rs 6 will be out every Friday, 28th May onwards and will be available all over the state through a phase-wise roll out.

Tuhina Anand May 29, 2010 9:06 AM

For many technology clients, the buzzword now is to simplify tech jargon in their communication and talk to their customers in a language they understand. In the first part, we had looked at why and how the companies were going about simplifying their communication. In the second part of the report, we look at the trends and provide the agencies’ and industry players’ views on how this is working out.

Tuhina Anand May 29, 2010 9:03 AM

Close on the heels of the Neo Sports win, Maxus India has now added the media duties of Kerala-based Manappuram Finance to its kitty. The business was hitherto handled by Lintas Media Group. Manappuram Finance had recently appointed Nethra Advertising as its creative agency.

Tuhina Anand May 28, 2010 8:47 AM

For many technology clients, the buzzword now is to simplify tech jargon in their communication and talk to their customers in a language they understand. Be it Intel, AMD, Lenovo or even Cisco, all have been simplifying their communication and speaking to consumers in a language they understand, which makes perfect marketing sense, say industry experts.

Tuhina Anand May 28, 2010 8:41 AM

Close on the heels of the Neo Sports win, Maxus India has now added the media duties of Kerala-based Manappuram Finance to its kitty. The business was hitherto handled by Lintas Media Group. Manappuram Finance had recently appointed Nethra Advertising as its creative agency.

Tuhina Anand May 27, 2010 2:28 PM

AMD (Advanced Micro Devices), world’s second largest chipmaker, has been aiming to simplify tech jargon to communicate with its consumers, and to fulfill this, had adopted the philosophy of ‘Vision’ in September 2009. Now, AMD has revamped this platform in a bid to further simplify and connect with its consumers.

Tuhina Anand May 21, 2010 8:31 AM

It is known from sources close to the development that Anjana Sharma has been brought in to head Percept Talent Management (PTM). It may be recalled that earlier Shailee Sanghvi, who was the AVP, was elevated to COO, after the exits of CEO Manish Porwal and COO Vinita Bangard. Sharma replaces Porwal though her exact designation could not be ascertained.

Tuhina Anand May 19, 2010 8:05 AM

It’s been over 10 days since Ad Club Bombay President Bhaskar Das’s official statement about informing the agencies that had indulged in self voting at the Creative Abby this year. However, the erring agencies are yet to receive any intimation from the Ad Club as the draft of the letter is still in the process of being prepared.

Tuhina Anand May 17, 2010 8:28 AM

Big FM, the radio arm of Reliance Media World Ltd, has launched its latest television commercial to promote its show, ‘Big 30 Countdown’, endorsed by actor Hrithik Roshan. The television commercial sees Bollywood and radio coming together for the first time ever to promote the station and the movie in a truly unique way.

Tuhina Anand May 14, 2010 8:54 AM

Vasudev Prabhu, who has been a creative entrepreneur for the past eight years, has now started a new venture called NewClue Innovation Pvt Ltd. The venture, co-founded with Hema Hattangady, is described as a creative company in the business of building brands through strategic thinking.

Tuhina Anand May 13, 2010 8:25 AM

The Pops-Bobby Pawar ‘spat’ over the Creative Abby Awards at GoaFest 2010 is threatening to snowball into a messier story with Mudra now sending a legal notice to Leo Burnett. It is perhaps now time to put a lid on this fracas and reach an amicable settlement – for the sake of the festival and for advertising itself...

Tuhina Anand May 12, 2010 8:50 AM

It is learnt from sources that Karnataka will soon have another 24 x7 Kannada news and current affairs channel, called Samaya TV. Based out of Bangalore, the channel will operate in a space that already has players like Udaya Varthegalu, Suvarna News 24x7 and TV9.

Tuhina Anand May 12, 2010 8:20 AM

Kannada publications have reason to smile with most of them registering growth in AIR as per the IRS 2010 Q1 data. Four of the top five Kannada dailies have seen growth, while among the top five magazines, three have registered growth and two have witnessed decline in AIR.

Tuhina Anand May 8, 2010 8:47 AM

According to IRS 2010 Q1 data, Gujarati magazines have had a good run in this round, while for Gujarati dailies, the case is again of more gains and some losses. Chitralekha (Gujarati) leads among magazines, while among dailies, the leader is Gujarat Samachar.

Tuhina Anand May 7, 2010 8:50 AM

The IRS 2010 Q1 data for Bengali publications shows that four of the top five magazines have seen a decline in AIR (Average Issue Readership). For Bengali newspapers, it has been a mixed bag.

Tuhina Anand May 7, 2010 8:48 AM

First came the news of some agency heads erring while sitting on the jury of GoaFest, followed by allegations and counter allegations. It was then time to wait and see how the GoaFest Managing Committee manages the issue. Now, comes an official statement of Bhaskar Das, President, Ad Club Bombay, which has kind of thrown a googly.

Tuhina Anand May 6, 2010 8:58 AM

Radio Indigo 91.9 has been on a drive to reinvent itself. The station is looking at being more interactive, and to achieve this, it is offering to its listeners a 360 degree platform to reach Radio Indigo. Also, the positioning of Radio Indigo, which was earlier the Colour of Music, has been now tweaked to Bengaluru’s Colour of Music.

Tuhina Anand May 4, 2010 8:37 AM

There seems to be no end to the controversy surrounding the Creative Abbys held during GoaFest 2010. While there have been reports of the GoaFest Committee mulling action against the agencies whose judges voted for their own work, there is no concrete plan in place yet. Now, a verbal duel is on between two ad honchos – Pops and Bobby Pawar.

Tuhina Anand May 3, 2010 8:06 AM

With IPL Commissioner Lalit Kumar Modi suspended and the huge controversy around the League, one wonders what the future for brand IPL would be. exchange4media speaks to a cross-section of the industry to find out whether Modi’s fall from grace would take down brand IPL with it.

Tuhina Anand Apr 27, 2010 8:39 AM

After a successful stint with India’s leading IT giants Wipro and Infosys, Jessie Paul got on the entrepreneurial role and is now Managing Director, Paul Writer, a marketing advisory firm that she founded in early 2010. In an exclusive conversation with exchange4media, Paul shares her views on global brands.

Tuhina Anand Apr 23, 2010 8:56 AM

Lenovo’s World Wide Marketing Services has launched a new Master Communication Platform (MCP) to enable the company accelerate recent success and stimulate further growth worldwide. The MCP implements a single, worldwide marketing communications strategy to position Lenovo’s brand and products.

Tuhina Anand Apr 15, 2010 8:27 AM

Besides the beach and the bubbly, the knowledge sessions are a big draw at GoaFest. Richard Pinder, COO, Publicis, during his session talked about ‘contagious’ ideas that change brand conversation. He talked about the changing world that we are living in, which is a new world of digital, mobile and viral marketing. Because of this, the way conversations transpire around brands seems to be a totally different landscape.

Tuhina Anand Apr 10, 2010 8:41 AM

GoaFest 2010 got off to a start on April 8 with the Business Conclave discussed some key issues related to the topic of ‘growth’ and brought to fore the point of relooking the way advertising is being practiced in India in the session titled ‘Time to Grow - Brand and Creativity’.

Tuhina Anand Apr 9, 2010 8:51 AM

Creative Abby Awards at GoaFest have been marred by leakage of the results. While a large section of the advertising fraternity feels that the leakage doesn’t dampen the collective effect of inspiring work, there are also quite a few who say that the result leak does make them re-think about the whole idea of bringing Abbys to GoaFest and that it does reduce the stature of the awards show.

Tuhina Anand Apr 1, 2010 8:39 AM

It seems there is no going away from the Cavelossim Beach for GoaFest organisers, which has been the usual home for the fest. A month after announcing Utorda Beach as the new venue for the festival this year, there is another announcement that GoaFest 2010 will finally be held in its usual venue of Cavelossim Beach. exchange4media caught up with Festival Chairman Colvyn Harris to find out more on this.

Tuhina Anand Mar 30, 2010 8:34 AM

There is a lot of talk about social media, but the truth is that it boils down to just talk, unless one knows how to leverage this medium. The Social Media Marketing (SMM) Bootcamps held by Digital Vidya in Bangalore managed to successfully drive home this point and gave the participants hands-on experience of various SMM tools.

Tuhina Anand Mar 27, 2010 8:26 AM

Bangalore based Redwing Solutions (RWS) that specialises in comprehensive digital solution has added the digital mandate for Anand Bazaar Patrika (ABP) Group’s newly launched Bengali movie portal `www.anandamovies.com’ to its kitty. Redwing Solutions would be looking after the portal’s digital branding and promotions.

Tuhina Anand Mar 26, 2010 9:21 AM

Niranjan Tadanki has joined Mantri Developers as Head of Marketing. Mantri Developers is a leading name in the real estate industry in South India with several landmark properties. Prior to joining Mantri, Tadanki was with Madison Media as CEO of Madison Outsel Promotions and had been with the agency for the last three years.

Tuhina Anand Mar 25, 2010 8:31 AM

Lenovo has recently expanded its turf with the launch of its ThinkPad Edge series targeting the SMB (Small to Medium Businesses) segment. The move is significant as it marks a change in the playground, which the laptop maker has been playing in for the last 17 years, that is catering to the large enterprise.

Tuhina Anand Mar 23, 2010 8:23 AM

With the launch of Gatorade Sports Mix, PepsiCo India has entered into the powder category here. Gatorade, which is a bottled sports drink, has been quickly gaining popularity with the sport and fitness loving Indian youth. The launch of its powdered variety is the brand extension of Gatorade, which has been in the offing for a while.

Tuhina Anand Mar 18, 2010 8:44 AM

It is learnt from sources close to the development that TBWA\India has bagged the duties for integrated communication for NewsX. The win comes on the back of a multi-agency pitch that involved incumbent agency McCann Erickson and Lowe, besides TBWA\India. The size of the business is pegged at approximately Rs 15 crore.

Tuhina Anand Mar 12, 2010 8:09 AM

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.

Tuhina Anand Mar 11, 2010 7:47 AM

The Public Relations Consultants Association of India (PRCAI) brought together an interesting mix of industry people to discuss on ‘Young India: The 600 million magnum opus in search of the right communication formula’. The discussion ranged from the story behind the successful Tata Tea Jaago Re campaign to iconic youth brands.

Tuhina Anand Mar 6, 2010 6:23 AM

It is learnt from sources close to the development that PR Satheesh, President and COO, TAG Media, has put in his papers and will be joining Telibrahma as its President. Headquartered in Bangalore, Telibrahma Convergent Communications is a leading mobile solutions company.

Tuhina Anand Mar 4, 2010 7:01 AM

It is learnt from sources close to the development that ING Vysya Life Insurance (ING Life) is reviewing its creative duties. The size of the business could not be ascertained, though an earlier news report on ING Life puts the size to be approximately Rs 20 crore. Currently, the creative duties are being handled by Rediffusion Y&R.

Tuhina Anand Feb 27, 2010 7:54 AM

Day Two of CII Brand Summit 2010 saw an interesting mix of speakers present their view points on the core topic ‘Marketing Disruption: How will brands woo consumers in the age of discontinuity’. One of the panel discussions saw Jonathan Howlett, Director Airtime Sales, BBC Worldwide, UK speak at length on the topic ‘Media Convergence: friend or foe?’

Tuhina Anand Feb 22, 2010 7:24 AM

Sunday morning saw ex-colleagues and friends of SR Mani Ayer coming together in Bangalore to celebrate the life and quirks of the advertising legend. All present had some special experience, learning or anecdote to share. Delhi had held a similar ‘remembrance meet’ last week, that saw the Capital’s ad frat pay their tributes to Ayer.

Tuhina Anand Feb 22, 2010 7:08 AM

The two-day CII Brand Summit 2010 got underway in Bangalore on February 19, 2010. The focus in the fifth edition of the Summit is on ‘Marketing Disruption: How will brands woo consumers in the age of discontinuity’. Adi Godrej held the audience’s attention with his three keys to building a successful brand strategy and rejuvenation of brand Godrej.

Tuhina Anand Feb 20, 2010 6:02 AM

Kavita Bagga has joined SAB Miller as Head of National Key Account. She is responsible for SAB Miller’s forays in large format outlets, which are both image builders and volume drivers for the company. These include large format stores, hotels, and clubs, among others.

Tuhina Anand Feb 5, 2010 7:19 AM