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EE News Desk
Cinépolis India, an international exhibitor in India, will exclusively showcase Viacom 18 film festival across 5 cities in India. Scheduled from June 11th to June 17th, 2016, the week-long festival will bring back the memories of few handpicked Bollywood movies such as Kahaani, Gangs of Wasseypur 1 & 2 across 5 cities in Cinépolis Andheri in Mumbai, Cinépolis Viviana Mall in Thane, Cinépolis Seasons Mall in Pune, Cinépolis Royal Meenakshi Mall in Bangalore and Cinépolis Shahdra in Delhi. To bring the best of the movie viewing experience to their audience and to celebrate the successful completion of 5 years of Viacom’s existence, Cinépolis India has exclusively partnered with Viacom 18 for the upcoming film festival. The festival will kick-start with the Bollywood mystery thriller movie “Kahaani” on Day 1 at all the megaplexes and will conclude with Gangs of Wasseypur 1 & 2 on Day 7. The tickets for the festival will be available at all the respective cinemas at their lowest price points. A mix of other inspiring, intense and entertaining movies such as Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, Special 26, Pyaar Ka Punchnama 2, Manjhi The Mountainman and Queen will be screened at all multiplexes. Sharing his views on this strategic partnership, Mr. Devang Sampat, Director – Strategy, Cinépolis India, said, “Cinépolis India has always been at the forefront in promoting and offering a seamless cinema experience for its audience in India. In our endeavor to offer our consumers and movie enthusiasts their favorite Bollywood movies in the theatres once again, we have associated with Viacom 18 to showcase the best of their movies. We are confident that our patrons will enjoy this experience.” Cinépolis India currently operates in 39 cities across India and has total of 240 screens running at present. The company has plans of rolling out 400 screens by 2017.
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Ratan Tata, one of India’s top business leaders and investor has invested in Kyazoonga - a ticketing company that is making impressive strides. Kyazoonga owns its own IP and ticketing technology and platform. In addition to creating and growing the ticketing market in India, Kyazoonga has ticketed international events including the ICC Cricket World Cup in three countries, the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers, SAFF Cup, bilateral international cricket matches and domestic tournaments such as the Indian Premier League and the Pro Kabaddi League, Nehru Cup and others. Most recently it was adjudged a close runner up in the ticketing bid for the Rio 2016 Olympics beating global ticketing majors to reach that position. Kyazoonga now has ticketing operations around the world – in the UAE, U.S., and the Caribbean. It tickets tournaments such as the Caribbean Premier League and the Pakistan Super League. Speaking about the investment, Neetu Bhatia, CEO and co-founder of Kyazoonga said, “We are delighted to have Mr. Tata on board. As we scale Kyazoonga into a global enterprise, glad to know he shares in the excitement of our mission of ‘Tickets made simple for everyone, everywhere’. We continue to focus our efforts on the large potential for paid access that India represents and pushing the envelope on significant global opportunities. Personally, as a lifelong fan of his work that has included building several Tata companies into global majors, and as someone whose early world view of business was shaped by interactions with the Tata Group and Bombay House and his office, it is an honor and a privilege to get his validation for our team, product and market.” For Neetu Bhatia, the investment from Mr. Tata has come full circle – as a young engineering student at the College of Engineering, Pune, Neetu had interned at Tata Motors. When she was accepted as a graduate student into MIT and as a research student at the world-renowned International Motor Vehicle Program at MIT, Mr. Tata had written her a personal note encouraging her to come back to India and change the world. Neetu is also a Tata scholar.
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Euro16 is here- so what should brands expect from it? Onspon.com dissects a few research reports published and learnings to bring across some facts that can make their brands' engagement effective. A study conducted by RadiumOne has derived key findings in a sample group of 1,000 people interested in the tournament. Their findings show that TV rules the roost, but it also suggests there are opportunities for brands to branch out in how they connect with fans watching football. While 82% will watch games live on TV, 58% will talk about the Euros with friends or family face-to-face, 56% will follow news about the tournament and 50% will follow a team. In addition, 22% will listen on the radio, 21% will consume content on social media, 20% will share UEFA Euro ‘16-related content with friends or family using email, text or instant messaging and 19% will share content via social channels. Team from Onspon.com further analysed the research details. The research also shows that engagement with the Euros is high, as 45% of those surveyed would describe themselves as fanatics, 36% as enthusiasts and 19% as followers. Fanatics are mostly male – 59% versus 41% of females – while the split for enthusiasts swings the other way, with 45% of men classing themselves as such, versus 55% of women. There are also more female followers (67%) compared to men (33%), but while men are perhaps more obsessive in their love of football, there are a significant number of very interested women that brands should be looking to engage. What does it mean ? So what about the gender divide ? Almost three in five fans suggest that they will watch the Euros at home on their own, more prevalent in male fans (71%) than female fans (45%) who want to devote their time to the game. Female fans are significantly more likely to plan a party or barbecue (21% compared to 11% of men) or watch the games at a family member’s house (43% of women versus 27% of men). Further detailing on the mode of viewing ; the data clearly indicated that most fans will watch matches live on TV, talk about games with friends or family, and watch highlight shows on TV. Fanatics are significantly more likely to participate in any UEFA-related activity, while female fans are more inclined towards supporting a team in the Euros. Hitesh Gossain, CEO of Onspon.com derives an interesting conclusion, “While those described as followers will be more likely to focus on the game, fanatics and enthusiasts will be multi-tasking and actively engaging with the match by reading, chatting and sharing content. Reading online comments or chatting via instant messaging are the top two activities done while watching the game, illustrating that brands should consider different tactics to reach their target audience.” The above study also unveils that about 87% of the people will be sharing content in ‘dark social’ mode which indicates to online chats and emails and not social platforms. This means that their content will be bypassing the analytics programs for web measurement. Among the type of shared content, scores turned out to be the favorite with 53%, and goals being the next in line with 47%. News and pictures take up 42% each, followed by controversial decisions by referees, which stand at 41%. Team news sharing will be done by 35% of the respondents. In terms of devices used for sharing, smartphones lead the way with 38%. This will be followed by 24% using laptops and 18% using tablets. Hitesh sums up by saying - 'The above stats clearly point out that the Euro 2016 is all set to be a second-screen experience providing Indian brands with a series of sustainable opportunities regarding ‘moment marketing,’ if they are able to establish a connection of the usage of second-screen with the key moments.' The key moments can also be synchronized to ads that can be directed to a number of connected devices holding a profile similar to that of TV audience. The focus of advertisers will be on making the use of technology to take up a key moment from TV, and use that to expand the reach of their audience base for relevant real-time ad in order to gather better ROI and higher engagement. Hitesh Gossain, CEO Onspon.com says 'Its a perfect opportunity to communicate with a highly engaged gender agnostic IP where a brand can be creative and drive massive engagement across all platforms.'
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Experiential marketing agency, Vibgyor Brand Services, specializing in brand activations, events and consumer outreach programs with its corporate headquarters in Delhi, has created a specific division for Exhibitions by the name of Vibgyor Exhibits. As the company is focusing its strategy on continuous growth and expansion, its new division Vibgyor Exhibits will offer clients a bouquet of exhibition services both in the domestic as well as and international space. Vibgyor has roped in RK Yambungchou as the Business Head of Vibgyor Exhibits. He has more than 20 years of experience in the field of exhibition management & consultancy that encompasses sales, corporate communications, client relationship & team management. Prior to joining Vibgyor, he has held responsible roles in well-known Exhibition firms like Pico International Exhibitions India & Milton Exhibits India, both multi-nationals pioneering in the field of International Events & Exhibitions, as Operations & Business Development Head & Director Business Development Head respectively. He has rendered exhibition services to most of the prominent trade bodies, private agencies & councils and associations like ITPO, EEPC, AEPC, APEDA, Thailand Embassy, JETRO, GJEPC, Dentsu, Honda, etc. to name a few. Speaking about joining Vibgyor RK mentioned – ‘Vibgyor is best known for managing the large scale activations & events in the industry and works with some of the best brands. My focus would be to leverage the goodwill that the company has created over the last 14 years and establish it as a leading name in the domestic as well as international exhibitions industry. The new exhibition division starts with an independent head count of over 10 people and would be supported by the existing creative and operations verticals of Vibgyor. There are plans to begin a separate production facility to cater to Vibgyor Exhibits specifically in the near future. Speaking about the announcement of Vibgyor Exhibits - Ankur Kalra, Managing Director, Vibgyor Brand Services: While Vibgyor has been doing several exhibition projects for its clients over the past few years, our core focus area has always been activation & events. With the launch of Vibgyor Exhibits as a separate SBU under the able guidance of RK I am confident that this will be a growth driver in the years to come. We have made considerable investments in people, resources and facilities and with a specialised division hope to make a name in this market as well. RK is a seasoned professional with more than 20 years rich experience in the exhibition industry – I look forward to him greatly contributing to the teams capability to deliver in this space.
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Madison Outdoor’s unit, Platinum Outdoor, continuing its association with Tiago, the new hatchback from Tata Motors, has created an experiential outdoor innovation in Mumbai. After its successful launch in OOH a few months ago, the agency put up an actual real size 3D model of the car on a hoarding in prime location in Mumbai. The agency also used sky-tracker high intensity lights to build curiosity from a distance and give the hoarding an iconic feel. The hoarding was on a heavy traffic route of Western Express Highway in Bandra. Executing the innovation was a real challenge, it took about 50 days to fabricate a 20 foot 3D model of the car, put it up on the hoarding and getting regulatory approvals. This is the first time something of this scale has been put up on a hoarding. In the past, some brands have put up shells of their cars, but nothing to this scale. Says Dipankar Sanyal, CEO, Platinum Outdoor, “We are really excited with this new innovation done for Tiago on the back of a very successful launch”.
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Isuzu, the vehicle manufacturers from Japan, inaugurated their manufacturing facility at Sri City, Andhra Pradesh. Their first vehicle roll-out had the Chief Minister, Shri Chandrababu Naidu, in the driver’s seat of D-Max V Cross – their first Made-in-India product, a proud step ahead. Aura was entrusted with the conceptualization and protocol management of the event. Committed to India was the theme of the day keeping the company’s strategy in clear view. Aura’s on-ground team ensured the management of the event and entire flow of activity. Commenting on the flawless execution Siddharth Ganeriwala, CEO, Aura remarked, “We’ve been executing protocol events across the country, hosting not just Indian but international Heads of State as well, for over one and a half decades now. I think our domain expertise in this category is pretty much established,” he added. The inauguration was in the presence of Masanori Katayama, President, Isuzu Motors Limited, Japan, His Excellency Mr. Kenji Hiramatsu, Ambassador of Japan to India, Mr. Kazushi Okawa, Executive Vice President, dignitaries from the Government of Andhra Pradesh, Senior Officials from IMI, and Isuzu business partners. Apart from Aura making strategic accommodations for the CM’s army of Z+ security men who were fail-proofing the venue constantly, we managed to orchestrate the roll in of the vehicle to the minutest detail to catch and hold the media's attention.
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Gaana, popular music broadcasting service and Uber, the smartphone app that’s transformed the way people move around in cities, have announced a partnership to enhance the rider’s Uber experience. Uber riders will be able to listen to songs of their choice while riding the cab. The pilot project will begin in Mumbai, across Uber Brands – Uber Black, Uber Go, Uber WiFi, and Uber SUV. Riders will be offered 2 months Gaana+ subscription as part of this activation pilot. Prashan Agarwal, COO, at Gaana said, “Music lovers want to experience uninterrupted music of their choice & with this partnership we aim to give the rider this experience on Gaana. In-car entertainment is an important segment in our audience and we have once again demonstrated Gaana’s brand message of music everywhere – jo bhi situation Bas bajna Chaiye Gaana with this partnership.” Said Shailesh Sawlani, General Manager, Uber Mumbai, “At Uber we look at the rider’s experience from end-to-end, which begins with a push of a button and getting your ride and ends at rider’s destination. The time in between which is spent in the car, plays a crucial role in enhancing the rider’s Uber experience. We look at different ways to engage with riders to ensure they have a great holistic Uber experience.”
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Experiential marketing agency, Fountainhead MKTG, has been conferred with the ‘Outstanding Agency of the Year’ award at the 6th edition of PALM Sound and Light Awards 2016, recently held in Mumbai. PALM Sound & Light Awards, as part of the PALM Expo 2016, recognizes and honors outstanding service in the field of stage, sound and light. With over 22 technical categories manifested this year, the awards ceremony honored individuals and organizations for their contribution to the industry by rendering remarkable services in the live events arena in the Indian market. Fountainhead MKTG, a 21-year old experiential marketing agency which is now a part of Dentsu Aegis Network, has over 250 employees with the offices in Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru. The agency has witnessed a rapid growth driven by strong financial performance. The agency recently conceptualized and managed some of the prestigious events such as Royal visit to India of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the global programme ‘Shakespeare Lives’ featuring Sir Ian Mckellen’s Masterclass with Aamir Khan, Mint Luxury Conference, Hello Hall of Fame Awards and many others. In addition to the Agency of the Year award, the agency has also bagged 4 Golds at the Indian Brand Convention's BAM awards for the projects - Mahindra Imperio campaign, Piku and Kayam Churan association, Microsoft Knockout Café and Philips - Lakme Fashion Week. Commenting on the achievement, Neale Murray, Co-Founder & Group COO of Fountainhead MKTG, said, “It’s been a dream run for us this year with a stream of accolades that recognize our effectiveness in experiential marketing. This award reaffirms our philosophy of building brands by creating memorable experiences using state of the art technology and out of the box creative inputs. I thank the PALM officials for the trust they showed in our work and also our clients who’ve partnered us in making this achievement possible.” Brian Tellis, Co-Founder and Group CEO of Fountainhead MKTG, said, “Being a creatively-driven agency, we always believe in building brands through cutting-edge experiences and setting benchmarks in delivery. This achievement is indeed a testament to our strengths in producing innovative experiences at the events. I congratulate each and every member of the team for all their hard work and commitment.”
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Polycom was named the ‘Video Conferencing Equipment Vendor of the Year’, at the 2016 Frost & Sullivan India ICT Awards banquet held on June 2nd at Hyatt Regency, Mumbai. Polycom has been growing progressively in the Indian video conferencing market over the last few years and has provided superior video collaboration solutions for business use. Understanding customer demands and delivering a superior experience enabled the company to capture customer delight. The company catered to every enterprise segment with its unique offerings and enhanced value proposition. Its commitment to constantly innovate was visible through its new product launches, leading to its growth journey. Speaking on this occasion, Mr. Minhaj Zia, Vice President India SAARC and South Korea for Polycom said “Work has drastically changed from a place we go to - into something that we do, irrespective of time, location and devices we use. In order for collaboration and teamwork to thrive in the workplace of the future, organizations need the right tools. Our solutions help unleash the power of human collaboration across any distance, device, or timeline to help not only save costs and meet company objectives, but to create a true Workplace of the Future. For the past several years, Polycom has focused on changing our customers’ experience of video collaboration and enabling the workplace of the future. We make sure the solutions we bring to market are simplified for an improved user experience and easier adoption and today we are proud to be the recipient of this award” Extending hearty congratulations to Polycom on winning the 2016 Video Conferencing Equipment Vendor of the Year award, Mr. Benoy CS, Director, Digital Transformation Practice, Frost & Sullivan said, “Polycom is a key innovator in the video conferencing market in India and has achieved exemplary revenue growth of 22%. The company’s continued investments in technology backed by a strong go-to-market strategy have given it a competitive edge. The vendors focus on enhancing the end user customer experience has been instrumental, leading to acquisition of many new customers. Through strategic partnerships with leading unified communication solutions provider it offers cloud-based collaboration solutions leading to seamless communications for the enterprise.” The award recipients were judged on a variety of parameters that included revenue growth, market share growth, product portfolio diversity, key achievements, and Go-to-Market strategy. It involved in-depth primary interviews of various industry participants and secondary research conducted by Frost & Sullivan analysts. An elite panel of jury members comprising prominent CIOs/CTOs from the industry evaluated the compiled data and incorporated the end-user perspective. Frost & Sullivan then presented the Awards to companies that received the highest industry rank in each category.
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“The Smart Commute 2016” powered by Raymond concluded today at Sofitel, Mumbai – BKC. The Cycle2Work (C2W) initiative saw over 900 cyclists participate from 8 different start points from Mumbai. This initiative, held on World Environment Day inspired, encouraged and motivated Mumbaikars to take to the streets and cycle2work for a healthy lifestyle. This initiative urges one to look beyond the health and environment benefits and take this ride to reduce the carbon footprint, making our city a better place to walk, bike, live and breathe! The endeavor is to create awareness and educate the citizens of Mumbai about the benefits of cycling to work. The Cycle2work initiative, designed by a group of environmentally aware cyclists urges one to look closely at the health and environmental benefits of cycling and make it a way of life. Firoza, Founder, Cycle2Work, said, “I am extremely happy with the tremendous response from the people of Mumbai. We are here for the betterment of our society as well as individuals. I would like to thank everyone who has supported this initiative and come along for the ride that'll make the difference.” We would also initiate cycle to work fridays in 17 business hubs starting from June 2016 Sri Ajoy Mehta, Hon Sec, Municipal commissioner, said, "I am glad to see such initiatives coming up for the betterment of the society. I am amazed to see so many participants who came forward and cycle on World Environment Day with an intent to experience and adopt cycling as a way of life". The Smart Commute Foundation is a team of like-minded cycling enthusiasts and environmentalists, led by its Founder, Ms Firoza Suresh, a cyclist herself. They believe this will help the city reduce its carbon footprint, making it a better place to walk, bike, live and breathe.
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