Advertising & Marketing
FCB-Ulka has retained the creative duties of durables maker Whirlpool, India.
The account went up for review end of October and the pitch was held in the second half of
last month. In the fray were Leo Burnett, Ambience Publicis and St Luke's, besides
incumbent FCB-Ulka. The total size of the FCB-Ulka business is estimated at Rs 50 crore.
For the record, the media duties continue to be serviced by FCB-Ulka's media arm Lodestar.
Source: www.Agencyfaqs.com, Dec.6, 2003
BPL Ltd, which is completing a prolonged financial restructuring exercise, has
budgeted Rs 60 crore for advertising and marketing expenses to support its colour
television business in the next calendar year. This is expected to help the
domestic major match the marketing blitz of chaebols such as LG and Samsung, which
dominate the CTV market now. BPL topped the pecking order of CTV brands in the country
till two years back when the company's financial restructuring prompted by mounting debts
resulted in serious marketing and production constraints. Source:
The Hindu Business Line, Dec.6, 2003
T.V. Media
Anshuman Misra, managing director, Turner India, will take on additional
responsibilities to manage Turner's distribution and content sales in South East Asia.
In his expanded role, Anshuman will continue to serve as managing director for Turner in
India, while also assuming the title of Senior Vice President, Network Distribution, South
East Asia. "Anshuman's extensive knowledge of the local and international broadcast
industry, and his successful track record in overseeing Turner businesses in South Asia
and managing key corporate relationships in India, makes him the ideal choice to take on
the dual responsibilities of handling the South-east Asian and South Asian
territories," said Steve Marcopoto, president and managing director of Turner
Broadcasting System Asia Pacific. In this newly created position, Anshuman will be
responsible for overseeing the development and expansion of network distribution, as well
as manage interactive and wireless content sales activities for Turner's stable of brands
including CNN International, CNN Mobile, Cartoon Network and TCM in Philippines, Malaysia,
Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand and other markets in the region. Source:
www.Agencyfaqs.com,
Dec.6, 2003
The world
This weekend on BBC World, Panorama goes hunting for Saddam Hussein's
weapons of mass destruction, with exclusive access to the secret and controversial work of
the Iraq Survey Group. The Group consists of 1,000 experts from the United
States, Britain and Australia, brought together to search for the arsenal that US
President George W Bush insisted threatened to be a "grave" danger to his
country. Now the credibility of the American leader's claim is being questioned, along
with the declaration by the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, that Saddam had chemical
and biological weapons which "could be activated within 45 minutes". In
Panorama: Still Chasing Saddam's Weapons, scientists and officials give their assessment
of whether Saddam really did pose a threat to the West. Among those interviewed are Dr
David Kay, an inspector with the Iraq Survey Group; Dr Hans Blix, the former chief weapons
inspector of the United Nations; and the Leader of the Iraqi National Congress, Dr Ahmad
Chalabi. Source: BBC News, Dec.5, 2003
Print Media
Newspaper readers in Mumbai prefer sports news to business, while the front page
is surer to get more eyeballs than any other section in a daily, points out SPARR,
short for Sections, Pullouts and Attitudinal Readership Research, conducted by Media
Research Users Council (MRUC) and presented in Mumbai earlier this week. The front page
readership of the 11 dailies that qualified for the study in Mumbai ranged between 82-88
per cent, while that of the business section was the lowest at 15-42 per cent. The survey,
which aimed to go "beyond demographics for sensitive reader analysis to facilitate
more informed selling and buying", was conducted between July and August 2003 in
Mumbai with a sample size of 1,920 (12-plus years, all SECs). The 11 dailies surveyed
included The Times Of India, Loksatta (Marathi), Maharashtra Times (Marathi), Mid Day,
Gujarat Samachar (Gujarati), Saamana (Marathi), Lokmat (Marathi), Mumbai Samachar
(Gujarati/English), Indian Express, The Economic Times and Sakal (Marathi), with 50
pullouts included in the purview of the study. MRUC is expected to release a study on FM
Radio in the first quarter of next year. Source: www.Agencyfaqs.com, Dec.6, 2003
Radio Media
It's hardly a secret that radio is back in fashion. In line with the trend, even
the government is talking of bringing a radio revolution in India soon. Industry
is already there, with the privatisation of FM radio, and is now set for growth in a more
liberalised regime. But, FM is just a part of the big radio story. Digital technology,
some say, is the key to completing this story board. This is despite digital terrestrial
radio not taking off in a big way anywhere yet. BBC, for instance, introduced digital
radio in the UK several years ago, but the listener response is still quite mixed to the
offering. However, a three-day seminar on digital radio, which was organised by the
Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) in New Delhi recently, focused on how digital was
the way forward. Whether its Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB), Digital Radio Mondiale
(DRM) or In-Band-On-Channel (IBOC), there's no way that one can escape the digital wave,
participants at the ABU meet opined. Source: Financial Express,
Dec.1, 2003
Web Media
An international press freedom group has accused some of the world's leading
technology firms of aiding the Chinese Government in censoring the Internet.
Reporters Without Borders said some of the companies supplied China with sophisticated
spying products. Others simple turn a blind eye to Beijing's actions, the group says. It
says 46 people are in prison in China for setting up independent news websites or
criticising the government on the Internet. In a letter sent to the heads of 14 companies,
it said they should feel responsible for the plight of what it called China's embattled
Internet users. Source: BBC News, Dec.4, 2003
Films & Cinema
Subhash Ghai tied up with Hero Cycles, Pass Pass and Coca-Cola before shooting Yaadien.
Now, J.P. Dutta seems to be doing exactly the reverse. Just a few weeks before his Rs
35-crore mega-starrer LOC Kargil is set to hit cinema halls, the producer is looking for
potential advertisers and brand associations.
Competitive pressures and the
involvement of high risks have brought to the fore an unusual format of brand associations
in films and LOC Kargil is setting a new precedent of sorts. Shringar Films, the
distributor of LOC Kargil, has begun sending out mailers inviting interested ad agencies
and corporates announcing `opportunities to associate' with the movie. `Sponsorship
opportunities available for associating the brand with LOC Kargil,' announce the mailers.
The `options' available for corporates and agencies, according to Shringar Films, include
pre-film screening of the ad film or featuring the brand commercial just before the
interval; television promotions, which include co-branded film promos on TV stations;
outdoor activity in the form of co-branded creatives announcing the promos; press
advertising inclusive of sales linked promotions; presence at theatres; and merchandising.
Source: The Hindu Business Line, Dec.5, 2003
Compiled by: Saurabh Marya (B.A. Mass Comm’, Level I, Semester
I)
Assisted by: Kumar Gandharva Mishra (B.A. Mass Comm’, Level
I, Semester I)
