To celebrate the beginning of the English Premier League starting this August,B BC World News will organize a 5-A-side football tournament called ‘BBC World News Football Connect 2015’ at Cooperage ground Astro Turf field in Mumbai on Friday, 17th July at 3 pm. BBC World News Football Connect 2015 will showcase Mumbai’s biggest media agencies battling on an Astro-turf football field to claim the champion’s title. A total of 18 top media agencies will compete in this championship.Around 250 guests will attend the event from the agency along with CEOs as well as senior planners. The event, a 5-A-side football championship, will begin with league matches and conclude with a final match and an award ceremony. At the event there will also be 2 fan zones ; team dugouts which will be near the playing turf and the other a VIP box where fans can cheer the teams and even participate in a football competition or try to save Ronaldo’s penalty kick with first of kind 3D augmented reality oculus experience. 3D augmented reality,is a live direct or indirect view of a physical, real-world environment whose elements are augmented (or supplemented) by computer-generated sensory input such as sound, video, graphics or GPS data. The agencies that are participating in the tournament are; OMD-PHD Lintas Allied Media Lodestar/FCB Ulka team MADHOUSE DDB Mudra group Resultrix MAXUS Mindshare Madison Mediacom MEC Zapak Starcom-Convonix Triton Com Havas Prachar Dentsu
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GroupM ESP, the Sports & Entertainment arm of GroupM Media and IIM Ahmedabad have collaborated to provide a comprehensive analysis of factors that contribute to the success of sports leagues in an emerging market like India. The report which examines the parameters and latest trends that are shaping and impacting the sports industry worldwide also drives many inferences on sports IP’s in India. This time at EE, we list down 4 takeways from GroupM ESP-IIM Ahmedabad Sports League White Paper 2015. 1-The sports industry in both emerging and mature market is growing faster than GDP Over the years the format of the sporting leagues have changed and they are being marketed more aggressively than before. Research indicates that a better infrastructure and better governmental support has led to this change and their popularity is only expected to increase in the upcoming times. As of 2011 the size of the sporting industry was termed to be of 620 million us $ and is growing at a rate of 6%. The registered growth in India is 17% which will further lead to the rise of many more sporting leagues and IP’s 2- Spending by average household on education and recreation to go up The report also suggests that the upcoming times will be beneficial for sports marketing and entertainment as the average spending by households on education and recreation are expected to grow from 5% to 9% between 2005-2025. An added bonus to the figures is the expected average salary increase for every household which is expected to increase from 4%-41% between 2005-2025. Thus, the more entertainment served will be leading to the more profits earned. 3-Sports business growth to be driven through digital and social engagement The report also states that the latest trends in the sports business will be that their growth will be determined through digital and social engagement. As a result we will see more of technological driven initiatives and engagements and social media will also play a key role in the overall marketing and success of sporting leagues. This finding also illustrates the fact that the consumers will be more tech savvy in the future and the entertainment from television is most likely to be moving to other mobile platforms. 4-Fan acceptability of leagues to be the success measure Rather than drawing conclusions from the revenues earned in the first few editions the success measurement of a sporting league should be determined by fan acceptability instead, says the report. This finding underlines the fact that sporting leagues are going to take times to develop from their nascent stage and should not aim and expect profit chunks from the get go. With acceptability of fans attainted first, more success and revenue are likely to follow.
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Following a multi-agency competitive pitch process, Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has appointed the Cheil Network to handle its global digital and social marketing activities. Cheil is now responsible for Etihad Airways’ strategy and creative across all Digital and Social channels. The agency will also support Etihad Airways with performance-based marketing, analytics and reporting. Etihad Airways will be served by Cheil’s global network of specialisms, with its digital specialists, The Barbarian Group, taking primary responsibility for driving best-in-class digital and social marketing for the airline Shane O’Hare, Etihad Airways’ Senior Vice President Marketing, said: “Digital is at the core of our marketing and Cheil’s strong global team demonstrated a perfect blend of creative ambition and strategic thinking, with ideas that reflected our brand values and personality. They will also bring a high level of sophistication to our performance marketing through their analytical skills and understanding of the latest industry technology. That makes them the right agency partner for the next phase of Etihad Airways’ growth.” Lotta Malm Hallqvist, Cheil’s Global Vice President, said: “We want to work with innovative brands that are poised for global growth in the next decade. Etihad Airways is one of those brands. We look forward to elevating the airline to be the top digital and social brand in its category by delivering strategically informed, inspirational creative work.”
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American technology pioneer, InFocus recently made its sincere effort to penetrate into the Indian tech world with the mega-launch of an audacious portfolio of Smartphones, Tablets & LED TVs. With the technological innovations such as naked eye 3D technology, anodized aluminum body smartphones and brilliant Ultra High Definition LED displays leading the way for the brands success route, it would be rather interesting to see how will InFocus market itself, as it for the first time in 15 years tries to establish itself in the B2C category. Speaking at the launch event, Sachin Thapar, Country Head InFocus India said, “Our mission for InFocus in India is as bold as it is simple: InFocus is determined to enrich the lives of all Indians by pushing the boundaries of technology and design innovation and providing quality consumers can trust. With the help of strategic partners such as Foxconn and SuperD, we will revolutionise the mobile communication, electronics and visual display markets in India with our fantastic portfolio, and undoubtedly reach $1 billion by the end of 2016.” EE which was present at the launch event spoke exclusively to Sachin Thapar and asked about the marketing strategy the brand looks forward to executing in the near future. To the question, Mr Thapar responds by saying, “For us the our core marketing strategy is going to be the positive word of mouth that we will get once the products start selling. I do not believe and adhere to the marketing strategies being followed by other existing brands today that make their customers wait in line or click at a particular time during flash sales to market its products. For us it is going to be the experience gained by our customers that will help us to establish ourselves.” So will the brand not focus on any ATL or BTL activities to market itself at all? Sachin Thapar says, “The exact dynamics of how will we use ATL and BTL have not been decided as yet but I want to assure you that we will be present across all media platforms be it television, outdoor, digital or print to expand our reach. But as I said more than the marketing gimmicks I feel it is the astounding technology and features that I feel will be our biggest strength and once a customer starts using our products it is going to be that satisfaction which will help us more than any marketing gimmicks.” This week is very happening for Indian mobile market as not one, not two but 5 ace mobile brands with distinctive features are launching their smartphones. So was keeping the launch event in this very week a strategic move by the brand InFocus? Sachin Thapar responds by saying,”No, actually. Even though the products start selling exclusively on Amazon and Snapdeal after 3 months however, keeping the launch early was a pre decided idea and we had no idea about the other brands.”
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The 120 Media Collective, a digitally-inclined company that creates and distributes content and campaigns for audiences and brands across multiple platforms, announced today the appointment of Sandeep Naug as the Vice President, Business Development. He will be responsible for driving revenue and integrated new business including branded content and other properties, for the company and its verticals – Jack in the Box Worldwide, Sniperand Sooperfly. Naug will report to Roopak Saluja – Founder & CEO, The 120 Media Collective, and will be based out of both Mumbai and Delhi. A seasoned media professional with over eight years of experience in content solutions, Sandeep’s specialization lies in branded content and sales, strategy, planning and implementing paid, earned and owned media. Armed with an ISB&M post graduate degree, he has previously worked with CNBC TV18, Bloomberg UTV and Disney, and most recently with Culture Machine as Lead- Revenue for North and APAC through digital video content and channel management. Sandeep’s holistic exposure across sectors, namely, BFSI, Mobile, Automobile, FMCG, Information Technology/Information Technology Enabled Services (IT/ITes), Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), enables a more in-depth understanding of the dynamics of content and its implicationsfor brands. Speaking about the development, Roopak Saluja, Founder & CEO, The 120 Media Collective, said, “Entering our ninth year of existence, we’re not just creating content and communications but are now engaging with specific audiences in a strategic manner. Bringing our diverse offerings together to create integrated solutions for brands is therefore paramount. Sandeep’s broad and deep experience in Branded Content across traditional and digital media, his solutions-oriented approach towards brands and advertisers and his profound understanding of where the industry is headed, make him the perfect fit for this role, which will be pivotal in taking The 120 Media Collective to the next level as an integrated next generation media company.”
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Sticking to the promise made of keeping music alive all year round, Live Viacom18 has now made its biggest announcement for this month. Six time Grammy award winning electronic music superstar Skrillex, is all set to tour from 8th October to 11 October, 2015 in Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Delhi respectively. While India has seen some of the biggest artists in the world of dance music tour the country in the past couple of years, Skrillex is one of those few who still have to come down to the subcontinent for a tour. Vh1 Supersonic, which has grown to be a shining example of India’s ever changing dance music industry and now is all set to bring to India for the very first time, one of the most respected and loved name in the electronic dance music space -Skrillex. Sonny John Moore, better known by his stage name Skrillex has worked with the music industry’s biggest names like Lady Gaga, Snoop Dogg, Deadmau5, Chemical Brothers and most recently Diplo to form the group Jack Ü. On November 30, 2011, he was nominated for a total of five Grammy Awards at the 54th Grammy Awards, including Best New Artist and won three: “Best Dance/Electronica Album”, “Best Dance Recording”, and “Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical”. Later that year, he was also named MTV’s Electronic Dance Music Artist of the Year. Skrillex has won a total of six Grammy Awards. Commenting on the event, Mr. Jaideep Singh, Sr. Vice President and Business Head, Live Viacom18 says, “At Live Viacom18 we have always endeavored to provide our viewers with engaging and electrifying experiences. We continue to bring the world greatest music legends that music aficionados in India have been waiting to experience. This time too devout dance music fans of Vh1 Supersonic in India are in for another unforgettable experience of a life time with Grammy award winner ‘Skrillex’. We are sure that such pulsating experiences curated for Vh1 Supersonic will continue to captivate and mesmerize music lovers and ignite the collective passion for dance music in India.”
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Art is a growing field and no more an elitist luxury. With the growth of art shows, painting exhibitions, solo artist sculpture shows in the country there is an increasing number of artists who are moving out of the confinements of art galleries to more social platforms and taking art to a public domain through various DIY activities. Select CityWalk aims to create a carnival based ambiance around such art forms to capitalize on the childhood pleasures of visiting a fair or carnival, enjoying simple pleasures like getting your name etched on rice granule or getting a framed caricature done Artivity, as an event proposes to bring back the simple things of joy back with a modern and refreshed outlook. A Carnival which will showcase the rural and the urban art and crafts of India. The display zones at the carnival will be based on the following themes-Rice name etching, calligraphy, patachitra, pottery and ceramics, stone and marble carving, wood carving and modern forms like caricature, hand and foot print, wine art, bottle and sand art etc. The carnival is slated to begin from 31st July and will end on 2nd August.
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With 5 mobile brands launching the latest additions to their mobile phones in this very week, the marketing war for these brands is also about to get more exciting and ruthless than ever. Motorola is one of the 5 brands who joined the bandwagon yesterday, as it launched the third generation of the Moto G series at posh hotel in Delhi. Being a mobile brand that has previously banked heavily on Flipkart for the sale and marketing of its products, Motorola has been a player with rather limited capacities in the experiential zone too. To ask will the strategies change this time for the brand, EE got in touch with Marcus Frost, Senior Marketing Director, EMEA and APAC at Motorola Mobility. “India is one of our biggest markets globally and has been that ways since we started our journey in February last year and to prove that how important it is for us I would like to share the fact that we are having the Moto G third generation launch in India first, and countries like US and UK are on standby.”-says Marcus. When asked upon what will be the marketing strategy for the product, he says-“The heart of the marketing campaign for the newly launched product is mainly going to be digital and heavily based on social media. We teased the launch of the phone on social media and we carried the same outdoor and it became a big success. And additionally since the phone starts selling midnight today and thus you will certainly see our presence across all platforms be it television, radio, outdoor and even print from tomorrow onwards.” So what about experiential campaigns? Will Motorola invest in them? To this Marcus responds by saying-“Experiential is important to us and hence we have always aimed to have a strong backbone to provide better service to our customers. As an example we currently have 160 service centers in the country where customers can go to and we also have 10 vans driving around Delhi offering services to customers on their doorsteps on just a phone call. We are about to expand this service in 9 other cities as well. We also have an experience center in Bangalore where a prospective customer can get a look and feel of the Motorola environment and we will be expanding these too. Additionally we will be continuing our mall activations at various locations with flipkart to generate and create more awareness about the product.” Cream events executed the launch for Moto G third generation phones and Marcus seemed very happy with the overall execution of the event. When asked upon does he look forward to participating with more event agencies to execute such events? he says-“Well, we are always going to choose the best who can fit the bill and deliver our vision with absolute perfection.”
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Vodafone Business Services (VBS), the enterprise arm of Vodafone India, has collaborated with Diabetacare to launch dCare Smart™, a device that helps people manage diabetes better. An industry first, dCare Smart™, is a GSM SIM enabled wireless glucometer that empowers people to proactively monitor their blood sugar levels which is powered by Vodafone’s Machine to Machine (M2M) embedded cellular technology. The device transmits blood sugar results to a secure Diabetacare server, where they are constantly monitored by Diabetes Specialist Clinicians at the Diabetacare`s Diabetes Management Centre (DMC). In case of any abnormal blood glucose readings, both the patient and kin receive an alert/call with expert advice from the DMC immediately. dCare Smart™ is powered by Vodafone’s Machine to Machine (M2M) embedded cellular technology. It is paired with the back-end clinical servers which connect directly to the electronic medical record system, wherein access is given to patients and their caregivers to keep them informed and better manage the condition. Nick Gliddon, Director – Vodafone Business Services says, “Vodafone is renowned globally for being a leader in M2M solutions and is driving the Internet of Things (IoT) by connecting machines, devices and objects to the internet, turning them into ‘intelligent’ assets that communicate with the world around them globally for more than 20 years. Leveraging our global expertise, we are the first telecom service provider to offer the M2M service platform in the Indian market today. Vodafone’s M2M Solution for Diabetacare allows data to be securely uploaded to a central server and is then accessed remotely by multiple parties. This Diabetacare deployment is a reflection of our strong, successful and differentiated approach to M2M in India. There is a huge opportunity in this country and we have the capability to maintain over 10 billion SIMs in our platform. We are confident of growing this business further, especially in segments like healthcare.” Sharing his views on the initiative and launch of dCare Smart, Dr. Sanjiv Agarwal, Founder & Managing Director, Diabetacare said, “We looked at alternatives but, for me, Vodafone’s M2M solution is ahead of the game. Beyond the technology, Vodafone was able to demonstrate a real problem-solving attitude. Vodafone’s global M2M solutions will help Diabetacare fulfil its plans to ramp up deployments to 100,000 users across multiple locations. Diabetacare is a mainstream proposition and the service is priced to make it affordable. Vodafone’s scale and global coverage means the business needs just one supplier, fully managed from a single platform. It means Diabetacare is ready to respond quickly to growth opportunities worldwide.” Diabetes is fast gaining the status of a potential epidemic in India with more than 62 million diabetic individuals currently diagnosed with the disease. In 2000, India (31.7 million) topped the world with the highest number of people with diabetes. It is predicted that by 2030 diabetes may afflict up to 79.4 million individuals in India. According to experts the prevalence of diabetes is predicted to double globally from 171 million in 2000 to 366 million in 2030 with a maximum increase in India.
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Lufthansa Passenger Airlines, in partnership with The Leela recently announced season 2 of Star Chef contest in its new avatar, #CookandFly contest for aspiring chefs across the country. Conceived under Lufthansa’s “Non Stop You” positioning and “More Indian Than You Think” philosophy, the #CookandFly contest is the second season of Lufthansa’s unique culinary talent hunt and aims to engage with India’s budding culinary experts and give them a chance to feature their personal best recipe on Lufthansa’s Business Class in-flight menu. Lufthansa started Lufthansa Star Chef Contest in 2013, in partnership with The Leela which received phenomenal response and over thousands of recipe entries. Speaking on the contest, Sangeeta Sharma, manager, marketing communications, Lufthansa Passenger Airlines, said, “The Cook and Fly contest is a strategic engagement initiative and an extension of our More Indian Than You Think brand campaign. The Cook and Fly contest gives us another opportunity to engage with our target group with a unique platform and what better topic than ‘food’ which is one of our key focus areas and also one of the key drivers when it comes to a customer’s choice of an airline. Our brand philosophy of “Nonstop You” gets very well integrated with the contest as the winning recipe becomes a part of our inflight menu. This definitely goes on to reflect a more Indianized version of the brand. We are very pleased to partner with The Leela for the second season of the contest and are thankful to our esteemed jury members, MasterChef Kunal Kapur, MasterChef Vinod Saini, and Lufthansa’s culinary expert for the Asian region, Chef Thomas Brockenauer, for their invaluable expertise and advice in planning and putting together this contest.” Commenting on the campaign, Rajiv Kaul, President, The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts, said “We are delighted to partner with Lufthansa and extend the finest Indian culinary experiences from our signature Kitchen – Jamavar – to the skies. Our Master chefs Kunal and Vinod are excited to participate in the Season 2 of Star Chef contest in its new avatar, a one-of-a-kind campaign, that has successfully showcased latent culinary talent from around the country.” Kunal Kapur, Executive Sous Chef at The Leela Ambience Gurgaon, added, “The best of Indian food is probably home cooked food. It’s time to unlock and share your home recipes and serve it to the world. Lufthansa’s Cook & Fly contest provides the right platform for such hidden talent to emerge and shine; the entire journey is a culinary delight and I look forward to a truly exciting time ahead.” Hosted on Facebook, the contest is open to all participants, professional chefs and amateurs alike. Interested participants need to send in their original recipe for Indian main entrée (non-vegetarian and vegetarian) along with a picture between June 15th to July 31, 2015 post which the contest will close and all entries will be shared with the jury. From the submitted entries, the jury will select the 8 best recipes, and the final contestants will be invited to a live cooking contest judged by Master Chefs Kunal Kapur, of The Leela Ambience Gurgaon and Vinod Saini of The Leela Palace, New Delhi along with Lufthansa’s culinary expert for the Asian region Chef Thomas Brockenauer in the Grand Finals at The Leela in Delhi on 8th September 2015. The winning recipe will win a Lufthansa Business Class ticket to Europe and a 6 weeks internship with celebrity chefs at The Leela. Other contest prizes include a premium quality Morphy Richards blender which will be given to the Chef’s pick of the week recipe.
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