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Axis Bank seeks agency credentials
 Axis Bank is in the process of meeting up with numerous advertising agencies. This has raised many eyebrows in the industry. Sources inform afaqs! that the Axis Bank team is currently in the process of gathering credentials of several leading creative agencies to shortlist the names for a creative pitch. When contacted, Sagnik Ghosh, vice-president, branding and strategy, Axis Bank, denied any official pitch at the moment. Sources state that the team is actively approaching ad agencies, studying their current client lists and getting a general feel of the kind of creative talent available. This step closely resembles the first stage of most creative pitches. Lowe Lintas is the incumbent on the business; the agency has been handling the creative mandate since September 2009. Prior to Lowe, the mandate was with Ogilvy's sister concern, Meridian Communications. It may be recalled that in May 2010, Lowe Lintas created an ad campaign for Axis Bank that positioned the brand as a 'solution provider', that is, one which always has a solution for every problem faced by its customers. The campaign ran across TV, BTL (below the line) and outdoor media channels. In 2007, on the back of a major re-branding activity, UTI Bank was officially re-named Axis Bank. This was done by its then creative agency, Meridian Communications. The bank's new avatar was presented with a campaign that featured identical-looking people or objects to convey that nothing but the name of the brand had undergone a change. Will the current credential-seeking exercise lead to a full-fledged creative pitch process shortly? Only time will tell. |
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Amar Ujala to launch a general interest magazine, 360
 Amar Ujala is all set to spruce up its magazine division with the launch of a general interest magazine titled 360 by January 2012. It will be in Hindi and will have a cover price of Rs 5. The fortnightly will be launched with an initial print run of 4 lakh, to be distributed across the country. The distribution of the magazine will be handled in-house by the Amar Ujala Group. The new title will be on the lines of Saras Salil and the content mix will include news, opinion, and entertainment. It will initially be distributed free of cost with Amar Ujala for four weeks, after which it will bear a cover price of Rs 2. It will eventually have a print run of 1 lakh once it is a standalone. The group further plans to launch five more titles in the near future. It also plans to introduce a standalone broadsheet titled Kalp Vriksh. It will be an all-colour title with spiritual stories, similar to that of The Times of India's Speaking Tree. Kalp Vriksh will be an eight-page strong edition.
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Rajasthan Royals looks for creative partner
 Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket team Rajasthan Royals (RR) is on a hunt for a Mumbai-based creative agency for the forthcoming season of IPL. Confirming the news to afaqs!, a source close to the development has revealed that RR is already in talks with a few Mumbai-based agencies. The team's keen to have Mumbai-based creative partners as the head office of the IPL franchisee is based in Mumbai. The search for a media agency will follow on the footsteps of the selection of a creative agency. The incumbent agency for RR is Quadrant Communications. The spends on the media for this financial year could not be ascertained at the time of writing this report. This year, the team is planning to focus more on digital and on-ground activation, especially during the early stages. As the season approaches, the focus will shift to a mass media campaign. Hence the owners of the IPL team are looking for a creative partner to provide a 360 degree solution. In fact, the on-ground activation has already started in Jaipur, with RR partnering with the Jaipur-based Sanskar School in the 4th Kanni Thahryamal Tournament 2011, an annual inter-school cricket tournament (November 9-December 3, 2011), at Jaipur's Sanskar School ground. As a part of this initiative, RR stalwart Rahul Dravid will be present for the finals on December 3. The Rajasthan Royals is an inaugural member of the IPL, and the team is co-owned by Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty. The team is captained and coached by Australian cricket star Shane Warne. The team is known for its Halla Bol slogan that was initiated in the very first season of IPL. On November 8, Jaipur IPL Cricket appointed Zzebra Sports to manage all communication and public relations activities for its team RR. In the previous season, RR had appointed Chocolate, the design and digital agency, as its creative partner for its strategic design and digital duties. Chocolate is the Indian strategic design arm of the UK-based Photolink Creative Group. Following the appointment, a minor change in the logo on the jersey, as well as a re-design of the website had taken place.
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Adani Group & M2K JV hunts for a creative agency
 The joint venture (JV) company of Adani Realty Business (part of the Adani Group) and the Delhi-based M2K Group, has called for a creative pitch for its forthcoming residential projects on its 41-acre plot along the Dwarka-Manesar expressway. The pitch process is currently underway in Delhi and has seen participation from a select set of agencies (names of which could not be obtained at the time of filing this report). The size of the business is said to be around Rs 15 crore. Sources close to the development in the industry have confirmed the news to afaqs!, on conditions of anonymity. Adani Realty Business and M2K Group entered into a JV in May 2011 to develop residential projects on the 41-acre plot the latter owns in Gurgaon, near Delhi. The JV also marked Adani's foray into Delhi-NCR. As per several media reports, the real-estate arm of the edible oil manufacturer, the Adani Group, will develop two projects on separate parcels of land. The projects will cost Rs 1,500 crore, and both developers will share costs and revenues equally. Adani Realty has paid Rs 100 crore to M2K, so far, towards the cost of land, while another 100 crore will be paid in phases. The land parcels are spread over 18 acres and 23 acres along the Dwarka-Manesar expressway and are estimated to provide three million square feet of saleable space. While half the inventory in the two projects will be targeted at premium home buyers, the rest will be targeted at middle-income consumers. The company expects to launch the projects early in 2012, and complete them within four years.
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 Yahoo! India ties up with Shemaroo Entertainment for first - ever exclusive online release of kids animation film
Super k, a 3D CGI animation film, produced by Shemaroo entertainment Ltd. will premiere exclusively on Yahoo movieplex, a premium video destination of Yahoo India on November 11.This is the first ever online release of kids’ animation film in India. ‘Super K’ is a 95 –minute full-length film with an interesting mix of action, comedy & fantasy. It will be available on Yahoo! movieplex to all users in India for free. According to Vishal Maheshwari, Head –Mobile & Business Development, Yahoo, as an online premiere in the world of digital media company & a leader in online entertainment, Yahoo! is committed to offering premium video content. He adds, “Premiering a movie exclusively on the Internet is unparalleled in the Indian Film industry.” The story of the film - Dream zone, is a special world in the Galaxy, and ruled by the kindhearted King “Maximus” but unknown to him as his brother “Badmess” is plotting to overthrow him with his friend, the evil Dr. Ozox, who has his own sinister plan of taking over Dreamzone. Super K is created by Badmess. Super K and his friends, come together to protect Dreamzone from the evil clutches of Dr. Ozox but at the same time Super K has to learn to control his powers.
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 Puma ropes in Yuvraj Singh as brand ambassador
Global sports and lifestyle brand Puma has roped in Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh as its brand ambassador. Singh will now be the face of Puma's new #Love 12 campaign. Puma's #Love 12 is an eco-system in which consumers will come up with ideas, either big or small, that make a difference. Starting 2012, the brand will crowd-source one idea and bring it to fruition on the 12th of every month. Digital platforms such as Facebook and Twitter will be used to promote the campaign. Talking about his association with Puma, Singh says, "For me, joy and passion are the most important elements of cricket, and this drives me to continually improve myself as a cricketer and as a person. Puma shares these same values and I am looking forward to this alliance."
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Boutique agencies on advertisers’ radar
 Independent digital agencies are attracting big-ticket advertisers as more of them look for specialized, nimble partners with expertise in managing brands online. Even as companies rely on the larger advertising agency networks for traditional media —print, television and radio— major advertisers are turning to independent digital advertising agencies to reach audiences online. Beverage maker Coca-Cola India, Tata Teleservices Ltd and Lenovo India are among advertisers seeking the services of boutique online agencies for engaging the digital consumer. Coca-Cola India, for instance, works with major agencies such as Leo Burnett India, McCann Erickson India and Ogilvy and Mather for soft drinks brands such as Thums Up, Coca-Cola and Limca. However, it appointed SapientNitro, an integrated marketing and technology services firm, to work on the company’s online brand strategy. Lenovo, the Chinese personal computer brand, works with Ogilvy and Mather. However, to manage its social media activity on Facebook and Twitter, Lenovo hired 22feet Communications Pvt. Ltd, an independent digital solutions provider. Shailendra Katyal, head of marketing, Lenovo India, said the company spends 5-12% of its advertising budget online. The reasons for brands to rely on independent online specialists are easy to understand. For a start, “digital” is no longer just a banner ad or a website. “Digital is a world in which we connect, socialize… look for a job. Digital is not an outlier sitting on the periphery of technology: it’s at the very heart of it,” said Ramswaroop Gopalan, country manager, SapientNitro, India, the integrated marketing and technology services firm that works with some Coca-Cola brands, Seagram’sBlenders Pride and Citibank India. Secondly, digital or new media is dynamic and constantly changing. Tata Docomo, a Tata Teleservices Ltd brand, for instance, has hired Interface Business Solutions to handle its brand interaction with consumers in the digital space. “Internet is not an advertising medium but a medium to build engagement and conversation with consumers,” said Gurinder Singh Sandhu, head, corporate marketing, Tata Teleservices Ltd. The brand works with Interface Business Solutions, a full-service agency that delivers an integrated strategy across creative, media and other specialized elements of Internet marketing such as search and communities, he said. Surprisingly, network agencies often seek the assistance of independent boutique firms for their clients.
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ASCI asked to hasten review and compliance processes
 The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) recently organised a conference to discuss its role in creating the best practices through its self-regulatory mechanism and various codes of conduct in advertising content. Ambika Soni, Minister of Information and Broadcasting, and K V Thomas, Minister of State, Ministry of Food, Consumer Affairs and Public distribution, were present at the occasion. Soni urged ASCI to speed up its review mechanism on consumer complaints on misleading advertisements, thereby making the self-regulation machinery more effective. She added, "Self-regulation is an evolving system in response to the growing aspirations of the consumer or the common man. Advertising is the principal motivator of growth in consumer demand, thus making the role of a creative person extremely significant." I Venkat, chairperson, ASCI, gave an update on the various initiatives undertaken by ASCI in recent times, such as evolving a self-regulatory system and increasing the frequency of meetings of the Consumer Complaints Council to twice a month from the month of November.
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Companies plan to advertise their way out of slump
Many Indian companies will spend more to advertise in the next two quarters even as the economy slows. Company executives and consultants say more ad spending can get their brands to stand out from the clutter. Soaps and toothpaste maker Hindustan Unilever (HUL), the country’s largest spender on advertisements, its rival Godrej Consumer Products (GCPL), the third largest mobile telephone company Vodafone India and car, truck and bus maker Tata Motors will spend more on advertising as they launch new products, in contrast to when the global financial crisis struck in 2008. Three years ago, companies cut media and advertising budget anywhere between 10% and 20%. The maker of Lux brand soaps spends 12-13% of sales revenue to advertise and promote brands every quarter. The company will soon launch Kissan cheese spread and Knorr soup variants to compete with rival biscuit maker Britannia Industries and ITC Foods. Advertisers say smart companies don’t cut ad spending but try new communication channels in trying times. The Godrej Group, which acquired a string of companies in India, Latin America and Africa, will launch products made by its overseas companies in India. Last fiscal, GCPL's ad spend grew by 30% to Rs 352.16 crore and is planning to increase it further. Tata Motors will spend money to promote its existing brands and new launches. The other big spenders on advertising are mobile telephony companies, which want to attract more data users than cheaper voice customers. Ayurvedic paste and hair oil maker Dabur India will increase its ad spend by 13% in the fiscal third quarter to promote hair oil and new variants of juices and health supplements. The higher promotional spending by companies will translate into higher growth in the advertising industry.
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