Author
EE News Desk
Every car should be well prepared to outfox risks, and insurance company Coverfox aims to empower customers to be “Faster than Disaster”. Towards this objective, in the first week of March 2016, Coverfox provided roadside assistance to everyone who took an ETC tag from its camp set up at the Bandra Worli Sea Link. The activity was executed by Blaq. At the Bandra Worli Sea Link, instead of waiting to hand over cash at the toll booths, car owners could get an ETC tag on their car and recharge it online via Citrus Pay. Coverfox and Citrus Pay got together to offer cars at the Bandra Worli Sea Link free Coverfox Get Going Cards worth Rs. 1000 on buying ETC tags. These Get Going Cards provide 24X7 roadside assistance to customers free for a year. Coverfox extended this service to non Coverfox customers too because it want every car to be safe on the roads. With this campaign it set out to provide more customer service to the people of Mumbai. Their objective was to ensure maximum registrations for the Get Going Card so that no car is stranded on Mumbai roads without timely assistance. On buying a pre-loaded ETC tag worth Rs. 1,000 customers got a Coverfox Get Going Card worth Rs. 1,000 free, which entitled them to free 24X7 roadside assistance for a year. The overall benefits were as follows: • ETC tag worth Rs. 100 free • Get Going Card worth Rs. 1000 free • Additional Rs. 60 recharged on their ETC tag The camp was run for 5 days and more than 1000 people availed of this offer. The campaign was called “Get Going, Mumbai” – an endeavor to make Mumbai faster and safer.
Read More
Worli Festival 2016 received a great response of over 2 lakh people, keeping the Worli Sea Face Promenade and Mahalaxmi Race Course (RWITC) abuzz. Shree Sankalp Prathisthan and OMCPL were presenters of the Worli Festival 2016 that witnessed Aditi Singh Sharma, Shibani Kashyap, Tochi Raina, Kavita Seth, Rodney, Taufiq Qureshi, Vipin Aneja and many others enthrall audiences with the picturesque seaside setting. The EDM stage curated by Submerge set the mood to the city’s first Sundowner party on the Sea Face. Classical singer Devaki Pandit and global leading holistic health Guru Mickey Mehta were a breath of fresh air to the health conscious morning walkers at the Promenade. While at RWITC, Indiva, Band of Boys, Harish Moyal & Charu Semwal, celebrity bartenders and many others entertained audiences. It was the city’s largest music, food and shopping festival and promises to get bigger next year from 20th – 22nd January, 2017. Mrs. Sangeeta Ahir, founder of SSPL said, “We are thankful to the Worli Festival for bringing life and culture with the amazing performances over the weekend that brought together all citizens.” Mr. Rahul Gomes, MD, OMCPL thanked all the supporters of the festival saying, “I am thankful to a lot of people who have supported, blessed and worked towards making this a success and I look forward to 2017 where I invite the citizens of Worli to co-create the festival with us. Tweet or write to us with your suggestions and we hope to make this a world renowned showcase of our Worli.”
Read More
Eemagine, the annual convention of the Event and Entertainment Management Association, is scheduled across three days at Hotel The Grand, Vasant Kunj, in New Delhi. Perhaps the biggest confluence of the event and experiential marketing industry in India, the event attracts agencies and planners from across the country owing to its illustrious guest speakers and panelists. If you’re contemplating registering for it here’s a look at the agenda to help you decide: Day 1: 01 May, 2016 03:00 pm: Registration | Tea & Coffee 03.45 pm: All guests need to be seated 04:00 pm: Welcome Address Mandeep Singh, General Secretary, EEMA 04:05 pm: Keynote Address Kapil Mishra, Minister of Tourism, Govt of Delhi 05:00 pm: Special Address: Media, Entertainment, Sports – The New Frontiers Anurag Batra, Chairman & Managing Director, Business World Group 05:15 pm: The Business of Sports: It’s time to play HU TU TU In a country of a billion plus cricket is the unanimous favorite sport and draws a disproportionately large investment with the other sports struggling to survive, until recently. Over the last five years, following on the heels of the IPL, premier leagues have emerged for hockey, tennis, football, badminton, kabaddi. Interestingly, large corporate organizations are helping spur this change along with media houses and visionary-entrepreneurs. Do we see these investments deepening? What are the challenges and the possible solutions to broad base these sporting events to give the desired return on investment? How can we get a balanced sports economy. Harish Krishnamachar, Sports Guru and Founder, Sportsoid Dhiraj Malhotra, Tournament Director - ICC World Cup, Mentor to HIL, ISL, Pro-kabaddi League and IPTL Gautam Bhimani, Sports Anchor Saba Karim, Former Cricketer and Indian Selector Zafar Iqbal, Olympian, Captain of India’s Hockey Team Moderator: Syed Sultan Ahmed, Managing Director, Edumedia Pvt. Ltd. 06.15 pm: Tea & Coffee 06:45 pm: General Body Meeting of EEMA commences (To be attended by Platinum/Primary members only) 07:30 pm: Entertainment: Mame Khan Cocktails & Dinner Day 2: 02 May, 2016 09:00 am: Registration | Tea & Coffee 10:00 am: National Anthem Merlyn D’Souza - Vivienne Pocha - Rhys D’Souza 10.10 am: Welcome Address Sabbas Joseph, President, EEMA 10:20 am: Inaugural Address: The India of my dreams Arnab Goswami, Editor-in-chief, TIMES NOW and ET NOW * 10: 50 am: Special Address: Skilling India The skilling initiative of the Government of India is perhaps its tallest agenda and definitely the most needed. With an objective to enable and mobilize a large number of Indian youth to take up outcome-based skill training making them employable and earn a livelihood, this could result in unparalleled growth for the Indian economy. This session highlights the vision of the initiative and the aggressive role that the experiential industry can play in achieving a Skilled India. Dr. A. Didar Singh, Secretary General, FICCI 11:00 am: Innovation - The key to growth Innovation ups the game for any business entity as it changes the business and also redefines the market place. Sometimes it provides better products and services, while at other times it could simply change the costs paradigm. Welcome to lessons from an innovator, who changed the game in the automobile business, redefining the market place for SUVs and the small car. Here is a winner’s story on how innovation became the key to growth for Renault India Sumit Sawhney, Managing Director and CEO, Renault India Innovation – Change the game Changing the game of play and making it a successful run requires grit, focus and limitless energy to get to the top of your game. Moving away from the traditional, venturing into the unknown in a country that refused to buy online, Makemytrip used technology to service its global customer base and offer personal advisory and holiday planning services using technology as the backbone of its delivery. In this session we learn how innovation and “perception changing paradigms” were used to change the game and grow business. Deep Kalra, Chairman and Group CEO, Makemytrip Moderator: Brian Tellis, Member, National Advisory Council and Former President, EEMA 12:00 am: Tea & Coffee 12:15 pm: Global Creativity: India Inspires The land of storytellers from mythical times to forever more, India today draws eyeballs for its indigenous culture, spirituality and creativity, while keeping pace with the ever-changing technology and global market conditions. Can India inspire and create that big idea that makes global waves, like never before? Sonal Dabral, Chairman & Chief Creative Officer, DDB Mudra Group Moderator: Sushma Gaikwad, Vice President, EEMA 12:40 pm: FICCI FRAMES Media & Entertainment Report 2016 Predictions for the way forward Girish Menon, Director- Deal Advisory, KPMG Moderator: Jaideep Singh, Member, National Advisory Council, EEMA 12.55 pm: Growing Business: Scaling Heights Making a business scale new heights despite environment and stiff competition from diverse market players is what makes winning a joy. Innovation in distribution, human resource management, and focus on the core values has defined Gionee mobile’s growth in India. The co-founder of Gionee mobile shares their India story. Arvind Vohra, Managing Director, Gionee Moderator: Sameer Tobaccowala, Member, National Advisory Council, EEMA 01:25 pm Lunch Break 02:30 pm: Mind reader Live in action 03:00 pm: EDC - International festival The Indian youth has tasted blood with our homegrown festivals having hosted some of the best names from across the world in different genres of music and the experience gets better with each year. And yet there is a thirst to emulate the international festivals. The Electric Daisy Carnival or EDC as it is popularly known is the pioneer and the holy grail of festivals. What does it take to create a festival that draws global locomotion towards it? And steps up the pace with every edition. John Boyle, Chief Growth Officer and Interim CFO, Insomniac Moderator: Vijay Nair, National Executive Committee Member, EEMA 03:45 pm: Tea & Coffee 04:00 pm: Emerging Trends in Social Events The social events industry has left all other event-genres behind in the area of creativity, technology, execution as well as content and experience. The trends in Social events could be the trends that define the events and activation market place…watch this space. This session takes us through some great experiences, the challenges and the victories while dealing with a client who initially doesn’t know what he wants… but in the end simply wants “More”. ‘Aur batao aur batao’ the ironic lyrics were never more relevant than today in the social events industry of India. Priceless Memories: Case studies Geeta Samuel, Founder Director, Q Events Pvt. Ltd. Vijay Arora, Managing Director, Touchwood Events Pvt. Ltd. Samit Garg, Founder Director, e-Factor Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. Neelabh Kapoor, Founder Director, Studio Neelabh Moderator: Rajeev Jain, Vice President and Treasurer, EEMA 05:00 pm: Emerging Rights Paradigm: Copyright & Licensing Who owns the music? Who owns the lyrics or who owns the composition? Who is the publisher? Who does this voice belong to? Who is the producer? Everyone believes it belongs to them. Is it legal – is it not, should we take a license – should we not; the guessing game that has driven all stakeholders of the industry round the bend and back. Here is a session that offers a never-before dialogue that puts several pieces of the puzzle on the table. This is a dialogue to pave the way for a solution. The Copyright Law & Rights Licensing - The lay of the land: Abhishek Malhotra, Founder, AMT Law Panel Discussion: Abhishek Malhotra, Founder, AMT Law Atul Churamani, Managing Director, Turnkey Music & Publishing Pvt. Ltd. Mukesh Bhatt, Renowned Film Producer, President Film & Television Producers Guild Sanjay Tandon, President, ISRA Pradeep Jaiswal, Director - Legal, Novex Moderator: Sabbas Joseph, President, EEMA 6.00 pm: Kabir Khan, Director, Bajrangi Bhaijaan Moderator: Roshan Abbas, Member – National Advisory Council, EEMA 07:00 pm: Fireside Session: EEMA & the Copyright Law: The Way Forward Ankur Kalra, Secretary, EEMA Abhishek Malhotra, Founder, AMT Law 07:30 pm: Entertainment: EEMA’s Got Talent Sajid-Wajid Cocktails & Dinner Day 3: 03 May, 2016 09:30 am: Registration | Tea & Coffee 10:00 am: National Anthem by School Choir 10:05 am: IP Valuation Paradigm Ashish Pherwani, Partner Advisory Services – Media & Entertainment, Ernst & Young LLP 10:15 am: Priceless Experiences: Case studies Priceless experiences always make great stories to hear starting from the birth of an idea, its challenges and its final victory lap. Here are a few of India’s Intellectual Property success stories. Time to set an evaluation paradigm for future investors. - Sunburn: Karan Singh - Femina Miss India: Rohit Gopakumar - Jaipur Literature Festival: Preeta Singh - Mumbai Marathon: Vivek Singh Moderator: Vijay Nair, Secretary, EEMA 11:00 am: India Unimagined in a Connected World: A view into tomorrow A world of Apps, communication messaging that awaits you as you travel; solutions that present themselves automatically when you face challenges… the impossible seems completely possible. On another front, the wireless framework of our country is re-imagineering itself. 4G, Jio and unlimited bandwidth that connect the metros, rural and hinterland are the emerging new order. Google is connecting us everywhere and to every piece of information or experience that exists. Where do events find themselves in this new “always connected” world? How can one make life in the connected world eventful? How can one use the connected world for brand engagement? What can the new India be? Google’s VP and Managing Director- South East Asia and India, shares with us his insights on India Unimagined… Welcome to the future! Rajan Anandan, Vice President & Managing Director of Google, South East Asia & India Moderator: Mandeep Singh, General Secretary, EEMA 11:30 am: Tea & Coffee 12:00 am: Integrated Marketing: Making it Eventful First there was traditional advertising, which everyone called ATL. Then came Below the Line… and everything that the ATL masters didn’t understand such as events, brand activation, promotions, digital, retail, exhibitions etc. was bunched under this term. Now, there is no ATL or BTL… every aspect needs to be integrated. Marketing besides incorporating events needs to be “eventful”. What are the new mantras that will help marketers to approach brand communication as an integrated whole … learn from the gurus! Manu Seth, Senior Director, Marketing, HTC Jaideep Singh, Sr. Vice President & Business Head, INS- Viacom18 Moderator: Atul Nath, Executive Vice President, EEMA 01:00 pm: Lunch 02:00 pm: FUN QUEST - by Siddharth Basu 02:45 pm: Smart Cities – Art Cities Enhanced quality of life defines truly international cities be it London, New York, Singapore or Hong Kong. A key ingredient is access to arts and entertainment which defines the live-ability of a city… the happiness quotient of a city. As India moves forward with an ambitious plan to create a series of Smart Cities – Infrastructure & opportunities for Arts and Entertainment has to form an integral part in city planning. Four of the finest minds come together in a conversation with EEMA Keynote Address: Amitabh Kant, CEO NITI Aayog and former Secretary, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) – Government of India Panel Discussion: Amitabh Kant, CEO NITI Aayog and former Secretary, DIPP, Govt of India Arun Maira, Former Member of Planning Commission of India Malvika Singh, Advisor to CM of Rajasthan for Arts and Culture Valsa Nair Singh, Secretary, Tourism and Culture, Govt of Maharashtra Moderator: Michael Menezes, Member, National Advisory Council and Former President, EEMA 03:30 pm Tea & Coffee 04:00 pm Blockbuster Ideas…making them real Simple ideas are made real…on reel. How do you conceive them, give them body and then breathe life into them…..Mammoth-like research, a clear story, impeccable performances, tight editing, emotional and joyous music….applause greets the story on reel, Housefull boards go up at theatres…and the box office jingles! What is the science and methodology? How does one create a blockbuster while others fail….how can one ensure that one always succeeds, or at least have the best chance to succeed. Aanand L. Rai, Award Winning Producer & Director - Raanjhanaa, Tanu Weds Manu, Tanu Weds Manu Returns, Nil Battey Sannata etc. Moderator: Mandeep Singh, General Secretary, EEMA 04.30 pm Health / Safety / Risk Mitigation The best of ideas and sleepless nights go down in vain if an event manager has not paid heed to the essentials of health, safety, risk mitigation, evacuation procedures. We work in a challenging world, where technicians have very often only learnt on the job; due to non-availability of technology are working with outdated equipment; “earthing” of electrical connections is often done only after someone experiences a shock…..the list is endless. Can we get better? How can we improve our situation? Can we commit to the basic dos and don’ts that are needed for health and safety of our technicians, staff, guests, clients and the property that we occupy? Keynote: Event Safety in India: What stops us? Viraf Sarkari, Director, Wizcraft International Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. Panel discussion: Viraf Sarkari, Director, Wizcraft International Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. Sean Norris, Security & Risk Consultant, ICC Mohomed Morani, Director, Cineyug and Morani Fireworks Avishkar Tendle, Director, Natura Rigging Warren D’Souza, Managing Director, Sound.com Shibu Chellappan, Director, Pavilions & Interiors Rajiv Sud, Director, New Variety Decorators Moderator: Sanjeev Pasricha, Former General Secretary, EEMA 05:30 pm Inspirational Icons: Finding inspiration Sanjay Dutt on Sanjay Dutt Sanju for most and Baba for many – here is a chat with the man who is loved by all! Blockbusters, action roles, hero, anti-hero, and humanitarian work; all come easy to Sanju, as he lives his life from the heart. Real stories and Reel stories have presented to the world two different persons… today, they come together. Sanjay Dutt, Award-winning Actor, Indian Cinema Moderator: Roshan Abbas, Member, National Advisory Council, EEMA 06:30 pm Conference session concludes at The Grand 06:30 pm GUESTS LEAVE FOR SPOTLIGHT HONOURS AT VEDA 07:30 pm Spotlight Awards & Entertainment at Veda Presentation of EEMA President’s Honour Presentation of EEMA Spotlight Honours Entertainment Cocktails & Dinner * invited to be confirmed The session moderators may be changed nearer the event.
Read More
What happens when Udaipur meets Jodhpur? It results in a spectacular wedding with a royal vibe. Lokesh Agarwal who belongs to the reputed family of Udaipur’s GR Infra Projects Ltd. and Riya Agarwal of Jodhpur’s Suncity Group of Companies tied the knot recently. It was among the most grand destination weddings Udaipur has hosted. The pre-wedding parties were organized at Balsamand Lake Palace, Jodhpur located beside the beautiful lake and at Taj Hari Mahal with a very graceful décor. The Mehendi function was held in specially made large AC dome on Pichola lakeside. Later, famous singer Charu Semwal mesmerized the guests with her music. Folk artist and singers entertained the guests and kept them moving to their beats. Sangeet function was held at Ananta Resorts which is surrounded by beautiful mountains. Famous singers Rahul Vaidya and flute player Baljinder Singh performed for the guests. Riya looked gorgeous as famous make-up artist Ojas got her ready for the functions. Laadi choreographed the dances for the family. The wedding was held at Shouryagarh, Udaipur. Drummers from Ahemdabad welcomed the royal baraat. Before the Varmala, there were grand fireworks with the backdrop of specially designed logos. There was a performance by an international symphony band. Lastly, a popular Sand Artist gave an emotional farewell to the bride. The entire wedding was organized by Anil Bohra, MD, Perfexion Events.
Read More
Amsterdam Dance Event in collaboration with Percept Live hosted the former’s touring creativity platform ADE Global Sessions on April 7th to April 9th at Tote On The Turf in Mumbai. This debut joint initiative aimed at formulating, building and sustaining the potential business prospects between India and the world, highlighted growth prospects within the rapidly evolving electronic music business. The three day conference brought to the country by Shailendra Singh, Joint Managing Director, Percept Live acted as a catalyst for collaboration, exploration and expansion of the electronic music industry in India. Spread across three days, ADE Global Sessions played host to over 50 international delegates, 30 speakers and over 100 Indian delegates. The showcase presented an exclusive and intimate program with industry meetings, market trends, strategy sessions, top-notch Q&A's, pop-up parties and more with a special focus on the exploding electronic music markets in India and all across Asia. The first day of ADE Global Sessions commenced with a short introduction by Shailendra Singh (Sunburn/Percept Live) & Richard Zijlma (Amsterdam Dance Event) with a keynote from electronic artist, Arjun Vagale who touched upon the rise of electronic music in India and the ripple effect globally. Adding a dash of fun were DJ Sa, Me & HER, Dualist Inquiry, DJ Shaan who participated in the ADE Cook Off. Stellar performances were delivered by PerfectTiming as the day progressed, giving the global delegation a taste of the Indian independent music circuit. Day two started off with a screening of ADE documentary Resonate followed by a serious discussion moderated by Shilpi Gupta (Red Bull Music Academy) on the dynamics of the Indian electronic music diaspora and the industry insides with the likes of Brandon Bakshi (BMI), Rahul Kukreja (Livescape Asia), Jaideep Singh (Sr VP and Head Live Viacom18), Mahesh Narayanan (Global COO Saavn), Jonathan Waller (Strikeforce 360). As the day progressed, an amazing set of discussion moderated by Saul van Stapele (ADE) on how music festivals will be in 2026 was discussed by Peter Martin (Valis). Continuing into the discussion Megan Miller (Burning Man), Artur Mendes (Boom Festival), Peter Martin (Valis), Shailendra Singh (Sunburn Festival) engaged in a lively debate on growth, opportunities, implementation and innovation strategies for the electronic music festival market development. The Tech Lab enabled fans to get professional advice from global electronic music professionals with its intimate networking session while the Networking Lounge gave fans access to Asia's booming electronic music scene with its speed dating sesssion. The Master Class Session saw Andrew T. MacKay (Bombay Dub Orchestra/Bohemia Junction) Shaan, Lost Stories, Sartek, Joshi, Ash Roy, Ashwin Mani Sharma discussing their career in-depth.. Official Pioneer India DJ's Tuhin Mehta and Mash gave a demo of the brand new CDJ Nexus 2 system and Rekordbox software. Day 2 came to a close with Devraj Sanyal (Universal India), Jonathan Christiansen (HTGR), Andrew T. Mackay (Bombay Dub Orchestra/Bohemia Junction), DJ Chetas, Nucleya talking about the Hollywood-Bollywood crossover, moderated by : Saul van Stapele (ADE). The discussion threw light upon the increasing influence of electronic music in the Bollywood and Hollywood movie industries, monetising electronic music and copyright acts in Hollywood and Bollywood, the international boom of music from Bollywood and synching the two industries. The last day kickstarted on a social note with keynote speaker Speaker: Shailendra Singh (Sunburn, Percept Live) talking about how dance music can bring social classes together and can initiate positive change and development. The session moderated by Saul van Stapele (ADE) was the highlight of the event as it opened up a brand new avenue of thought. Speakers: Ritnika Nayan (MGMH), Dev Bhatia (Unmute), Karan Singh (Percept Live), Jaideep Singh (Senior VP & Head Live - Viacom18) threw light upon the festival market in India in the Business Q&A moderated by Vijay Nair (OML). Towards the latter half of the day, subjects as monetisation and marketing of digital content saw Ashish Hemrajani (Bookmyshow), Pratiksha Roy (Twitter), Mahesh Narayanan (Saavn). Moderator: Dhruv Jagasia (Big Bad Wolf) in full swing and building and managing international careers saw Speaker: Blaise DeAngelo (general manager, OWSLA). Moderator: Saul van Stapele (ADE) take control. Tech Lab enabled fans to get real time feedback on their music by ace professionals while the Networking Lounge gave fans access to the global booming electronic music scene. The Master Class Session saw What So Not + Kill The Noise, Wiwek giving an insight in their professional journey dishing out a few good old tricks of the trade. Arjun Vagale and Kohra presented an impromptu 30 minute track live while Ankytrixx & Friends featuring Jehan Johar, Sandy Singh, Riyaaz Amlani, Vicky Ratnani, Rajeev Samant hosted a workshop titled Mind, Body, Soul & Creativity" The affair ended with a discussion on how India can make a difference with electronic music markets in other continents making a profit from successful initiatives planned in the booming market in India & Asia, and vice versa. The closing panel saw Speakers: Vijay Nair (OML), Manuj Agarwal (Percept Live), Karsten Ter Hoeven (Amsterdam Dance Event). Moderator: Brandon Bakshi (BMI) In a mood to celebrate, all participants headed to Kitty Su for a round of drinks!
Read More
Mondelez India Foods Private Limited announced the launch of its new biscuit brand, Cadbury Bournvita Biscuits in India. Bournvita Biscuits is the company’s second brand in the biscuits category after Oreo, which was launched in 2011. With this Mondelez India expands its category footprint from creams to cookies. Bournvita Biscuits with its ProHEALTH Vitamins™ and signature chocolatey taste will offer a perfect balance for the morning snacking occasion. Candid Marketing, a Strategic Brand Activation Agency organized the Cadbury Bournvita Biscuits launch for the leading media and blogger community at Shangri-La's - Eros Hotel, New Delhi on Tuesday, 19th April 2016. The thematic launch was planned with the idea ‘Fresh Out the Oven’. The entry to the ballroom resembled a bakery and the registration desk as bakery display unit. Press, upon entering the ballroom experienced the aroma of freshly baked biscuits, which was formed using aroma diffusers. Bakers hat were distributed with the communication, ‘We are about to bake the new product- Fresh Out The Oven’ to create excitement & generate curiosity amongst the attendees. Mr. Chandramouli Venkatesan, MD, Mondelez India, addressed the Media post ‘Bournvita Biscuits’ was unveiled to the audience through a large oven. The media & bloggers appreciated the exclusive launch event. Amrita Kumar, Managing Partner, Candid Marketing, says, “ We as an agency always enjoy going beyond clichéd ideas & doing things differently. The thematic press launch has been well appreciated by the press and the client.”
Read More
Two opponents face each other, poised to strike, keenly watching the other’s moves. They circle the ring and at the first sign of a skillful move, the crowd erupts in excitement. This scene could well have been played out in an ancient Roman amphitheater or at the Hellenic games, but continues today in mixed martial arts shows around the world. Indeed, the human addiction to suspense, danger and entertainment never dies. In India, combat sport has its history noted in the ancient texts, beginning with the Dhanurveda, and the epics like the Mahabharata. The oldest form of organized unarmed fighting in South Asia is malla-yuddha, also known as kusthi or wrestling. There are many narratives describing the gods engaged in duels, and even boxing has been mentioned in the Vedas. Southern India’s most popular contribution to Asian martial arts is kalaripayattu, which involves strikes, kicks, grappling, preset forms, healing methods and also weaponry. Organized combat culture – some even involving women – survived through the Middle Ages, the Mughal Era and the Maratha period, but underwent a decline under colonial rule. However, it persisted in the back lanes and continues in various traditional styles across the country. With western influence came borrowed styles of combat, including karate, taekwondo, judo and others that are fairly popular among a sub-culture of martial arts enthusiasts. Despite the required skill level and global competitions involved, all have failed to entice the masses in a way the ancient Roman gladiator duels did. Only 25 years ago, mixed martial arts (MMA) began taking over the US through the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Influences and references have appeared in pop culture from as far back as Bruce Lee’s film ‘Enter The Dragon’, and continued to the Mortal Kombat video games franchise, and the Academy Award nominated ‘Warrior’ a few years ago. Combat Cage Fight (CCF) is a unique venture in India, which brings together the technicality of various self-defense skills with the pulsating vibe of a world-class nightclub experience. It is a safe, regulated, competitive sport that involves a combination of martial arts techniques within the restrictions of a confined space. In the first year, I took on this marathon task of launching and organizing the now-successful Fight Nights with no investor support or help from an entertainment/sports management company. It proved a roaring success, not only in terms of entertainment sport for the spectators, but also in terms of a platform for India’s fighters to showcase their skills. Now we have completed 4 shows in one year on a small scale with about 1500 attendees each show, with the support from the Goa Tourism & The Tourism Department of Goa we were able to home grow this in Goa not only as a product of tourism but of sport. Also with changing the format slightly to other MMA events and adapted the rules so that its more appealing to a family audience that tourism of Goa appreciates. Over the course of 12 months, CCF organized and hosted four thrilling shows, featuring international fighters and women’s bouts. Each Fight Night consistently succeeds in holding the attention of the fans, maintains quality and ups the ante in entertainment. The regularity of its occurrence gives India’s best fighters added reason to follow their passion and train hard to showcase their skills at a successful MMA league in the country. Leading companies are looking to associate with CCF to gain momentum among the young, upper-middle class who are discovering this new entertainment sport. Currently, CCF is planning on going Pan India working in association with Percept Live and is looking forward to high-octane entertainment and thrilling bouts in 2016. About the Author Sinead McManus is the CEO and Founder of Combat Cage Fight. She is Irish and is settled in Goa for over a decade.
Read More
Regarded amongst the top-selling luxury automobile brands in the country BMW has suddenly put the pedal to the metal and gotten aggressive with its marketing strategy. With arch rival Mercedes and Audi fighting in the same segment to get a bite of the niche pie, BMW is trying its best to tap the Indian luxury automobile market by associating itself with some world class events and launching its own experiential properties.
Read More
L’Oreal Professionnel, a competitor in the global professional hair care market, recently launched its latest innovation called Profiber. L’Oreal’s Research laboratories have developed this hair care technology to address damage, by customizing the solution for women consumers down to the very end details on the basis of their hair analysis hence curating a different brand and consumer relationship altogether. Sussan Verghese, GM, L’Oreal Professionnel says “this is the first time that any brand has customized hair care solutions for end customers planning sharply, down to the very last detail”. In conversation with BW APPLAUSE she talks about the brand’s marketing strategy and the importance of experiential for it. Talking about the development of ‘Profiber’, Sussan says, “Being a part of L’Oreal Professional I can proudly say that we are one of the few companies who invest a large amount of our resources into research and development to bring end satisfaction to our consumers through our products. Hence, when we came to know about Profiber which is such a technologically advanced product and is certainly going to be the next big thing in hair care we, decided to go for a high integration of technology in the launch event as well which thus involved a laser show and laser entrance too.” But what forms the overall marketing strategy of L’Oreal Professional? Answering this question Sussan comments, “We are not the consumer products division of the L’Oreal brand as we do not directly engage with consumers. Yes, consumers are an important part of our overall marketing strategy but ours is a B-B-C sort of a marketing model. So we are not present on the ATL advertising front but we heavily use BTL mediums to market ourselves and events like these are an important part of it. We do activations at colleges and malls with salon tie-ups, we also use digital to connect with our TG and a large part of our marketing budget goes to establish a support system at our salons.” When asked what are the challenges of this marketing model Sussan responds, “One of the most prominent challenges is educating the salon and the staff there about the use of our products and ensuring that the overall experience for a consumer as they walk into a L’Oreal Professionnel salon and spend their 30-45 minutes is enjoyable.” One Soul Productions executed the launch event for the brand and Sussan could be seen elated with the positive responses she received on its concept and execution. However Susan establishes that she likes working with different event agencies for different events. She comments, “For the Indian Hair Dressing Awards we worked with the Seventy Event Media Group. The parameters of how we select an event agency are based on the budget of the event, its overall concept and what we want to create. We would want to work with different event agencies in the future too.”
Read More
While most brands would use experiential as an accessory to its larger marketing arsenal, IDBI Federal Life Insurance, a private life insurer, has on the contrary made experiential the epicenter of its marketing strategy and has built its brand premise by engaging its TG in sport related on ground properties. The finance brand claims to have two Bowling Foundations, one with Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) and the other with Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) and has also associated itself with ‘Young Heroes’, a 15 city inter-school football talent hunt. Additionally, IDBI Federal sponsors two marathons, one in Kochi and the other in Kolkata. Also to boost the overall cricket landscape in Bengal, the brand supports the endeavors of The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) and most recently has launched a cricket property called the IDBI Federal Life Insurance 12th D Y Patil T20 Cricket tournament. In conversation with Vighnesh Shahane, CEO & Whole Time Director, IDBI Federal, we explore the brand’s objectives behind its alternate marketing strategy and how it is working for them. Shahane says, “We tried doing the conventional ATL marketing like others in the market but that did not lead to any significant results for us. And hence, BTL and experiential marketing seemed like the next best alternative to us. We experimented by launching a few initial campaigns that scored a better response for our brand and hence decided to follow the strategy all through. We always wanted to take a contrary route to connect with our audiences and considering the concept of insurance is interrelated with health, fitness and sports, experiential engagements were the way to go.” Shahane reveals that the brand’s marketing strategy is actually inspired from another prominent brand in the country. He added, “MRF has been a pioneer in its field. It was and continues to be known for its on-ground engagements and drawing inspiration from it we too decided to move towards this direction.” In yet another endeavor, IDBI Federal Life Insurance recently concluded the IDBI Federal Life Insurance Spice Coast Marathon. Certified by USA Track & Field (USTAF), the marathon gave runners a chance to participate and qualify for the prestigious Boston and London Marathons. Over 2,300 spirited runners participated for this destination Marathon and the race also saw more than 19 blade runners led by Kargil war hero, Major D P Singh and his group, The Challenging Ones (TCO). Commenting further on the brand’s tie-ups, Shahane says, “As an organization we wish to bring about a positive change that helps us shape a better future. Sports have always empowered people to develop into disciplined, responsible and mature winners who make a real difference around them. What can be a better opportunity for us than to partner with a wide variety of sports and fitness events – events that range from discovery and nurturing of talent to running as a community that add to the well-being of the society at large. Being a sportsman myself, I understand the pivotal that sports and fitness initiatives can play in an individual’s life. Many of our employees also participate for various long distance running events. It gives us immense pleasure to contribute to India’s sports and fitness culture.” So how much does the brand invest annually towards these experiential associations? Shahane responds, “Our marketing budget is not restricted by any numbers. If we see an on-ground initiative worth supporting we join hands with it and that becomes the crux of all our marketing endeavors. Overall 60%-70% of our marketing budget is what we spend on BTL initiatives and the rest goes to ATL and Digital.” He commented on the execution of the partnerships and stated, “Many of these properties are managed by sport associations and for many of them we take help of different event agencies as well. However, before giving an agency the mandate to execute our campaigns we look for past works of the agency and their experience in managing sports properties.”
Read More
