Percept receives ‘India’s Most valuable Brand 2012’ award

Asia’s biggest leadership event, the ‘3rd Annual India Leadership Conclave & Indian Affairs Business Leadership Awards 2012’ declared Percept Limited as ‘India’s Most Valuable Brand of the Year 2012’. The illustrious award ceremony hosted by Indian Affairs in association with leading Industry Associations took place on Friday, 6 April, 2012 at Hotel Lalit, Bangalore, India. Percept beat out other big contenders including Microsoft, Nokia and Revital to win this prestigious award. Percept attained the maximum number of votes to bag the title and trophy in 2012. Intellectual Properties from the Percept stable including the hugely popular ‘Sunburn Electronic Dance Music Festival’ that has changed the music & entertainment scene in Asia, and the fact that Percept is the only 360-degree Entertainment, Media & Communications conglomerate spanning a range of products, assets and services in the field of Advertising, PR, Traditional & Digital Media, Sports, Entertainment and Movies helped them to garner a phenomenal share of popular votes from the public. The theme of the 3rd Annual India Leadership Conclave 2012 was ‘Brand India: The Emerging Super-Power. Limitless Leadership, Limitless Possibilities’. This was followed by the gala ‘Indian Affairs Business Leadership Awards 2012’ which was graced by renowned music artist - Lucky Ali, business leaders from the Middle East, Europe & South East Asian countries. More than 200 industry tycoons, social entrepreneurs, diplomats, bureaucrats, policy makers and political leaders attended the prestigious event.

Mumbai totally Sunburnt! Get ready Delhi!

Moving from the shores of Goa for the first time, Sunburn gave Mumbai an unforgettable experience with the finest DJs and their mesmerizing music. Asia's largest music festival got underway at Tulip Star, Juhu on 6 | 7 | 8 April 2012. To magnify this experience for every music lover, high-tech gizmos such as Liquid nitrogen bursts, CO2 canons, Cryoborgs, Pyrotechnics and LED effects were being used.All three days of Sunburn Mumbai saw Mumbaikars flaunt their best summer wear – shorts, tees, caps, sunglasses, day dresses and flip-flops! The Sunburn merchandise shop had a snippet of Goa right here in Mumbai. On day 1 the crowds were enthralled by the music of Nawed Khan, Lost Stories and Mat Zo till the headliners for the day Growling Mad Scientists (GMS) started spinning. The psychedelic trance duo, Riktam Matkin and Bansi Quinteros, totally set the stage on fire! The perfect end to the first day was the After-party, aptly named Afterburn. Ankytrixx, Boombaba and Electrypnose kept the celebrations going until midnight.Vipul Angirish kick started the second day of Sunburn Mumbai with his set. Rohit Barker, Jitter, Wire Framez and Brute Force enthralled the audience all noon. Music lovers grooved to the beats of Arjun Vagale, Shapeshifters and Fergie until late evening. Later, Skazi electrified the stage with his LIVE performance, leaving the crowds totally awestruck and hungry for more. At Afterburn, Riktam & Bansi, Karan ‘Third Eye’ and Janux ensured that people danced until their feet couldn’t take it anymore. The third day saw India’s youngest DJ, Shaan, who killed the scene through the afternoon. RayG, Bay Beat Collective and B.R.E.E.D enthralled music lovers. Vachan Chinnappa, Clement D’souza, Sultan & Ned Shepard and Paul Thomas got the crowds raging to their beats. Pearl rocked the stage all evening while John Dahlback brought the ‘House’ down. Gareth Emery closed the festival with an unreal set that kept the crowd going right till his last beat was dropped. Afterburn was where the partay of the year continued till the wee hours of the night, Sunburn style, and saw performances by Sanjay Dutta and Aly & Fila.

Mumbai’s hottest made it to Sunburn. Arjun Rampal came along with his wife Mehr while Yash Birla was joined by wife Avanti. Sussane Roshan, Arshad Warsi, Shweta Salve, Pia Trivedi, Prateik Babbar and Amy Jackson also joined in the revelry. The response was overwhelming with a whopping 16000, Sunburn Mumbai was clearly not only for EDM loyalists, as it created a whole new set of fans right here in Mumbai this past weekend. This was just the start of the mayhem that lies ahead. Before hitting the shores of Goa, Sunburn is all set to hit the Capital. All that we ask is, ‘Is Delhi ready to get SUNBURNT?’

Avani Shah exhibits her unique art work at Percept Art Gallery – Mumbai

Percept Art along with Art curator Soketu Parikh hosted the internationally acclaimed artist Avani Shah at the P2 Art Gallery on Saturday, 31 March 2012. Entitled ‘Path to Purpose’ from the Buddha Series, the eclectic collection of paintings, sculptures and installations, including some pieces of art outsourced from monasteries, wowed the audience. This collection expressed the artist’s elucidation of the peace and divinity of the Buddhist teachings. Having spent some time in Buddhist monasteries, Avani’s work was centred around the mantra ‘Om Mane Padme Om’.The elegant Wine n Cheese evening witnessed an eclectic turnout of socialites, artists, industrialists, celebrities, media and art aficionados as they admired Avani’s solo exhibition.

Percept facilitates endorsement deal for Toyota with Virat Kohli

The automobile giant Toyota Kirloskar Motor announced its recent association of an endorsement deal with the vivacious Virat Kohli to be the face of Brand Toyota in India’s Toyota Kirloskar Motor. A leader in market share, Toyota Kirloskar Motor has been diligent in choosing and specifically placing a face of the fastest emerging youth icon of the country.The endorsement deal was facilitated by Percept who played a critical role in shaping the elements of this association. Percept – Hakuhodo, the creative agency, worked closely with Percept Talent to bring important insights to the table and contributed to the process of formulating the brand strategy. The newly signed ambassador Virat Kohli will play an integral role across Toyota’s forthcoming campaigns. The promising young cricketer has endorsed the Toyota brand as it enters a new phase of its growth in India.Commenting on the association, Cricketer Virat Kohli said, “I am excited to be a part of Toyota’s drive to connect with India’s youth. Toyota inspires the spirit of success and that is an emotion that is close to my heart.“

Prabhakar Mundkur – CEO, Percept/H said, “Virat Kohli is a perfect fit with Toyota’s new corporate campaign strategy of connecting with the youth. He epitomizes the passion, drive and exuberance that is an intrinsic part of the youth psyche.” Talking on the association and the strategies involved, Mr. Joji George, CEO, Percept Sports and Entertainment said, “Being in the industry for over a decade now, Percept Talent has helped in identifying and representing celebrities for blue chip brands based on strategic fitment. We are proud to assist Toyota Kirloskar Motor in this association with Virat Kohli."Toyota (India) as a corporate brand will be associating with its new representative and presenting its loyalists with startling introductions that can be enjoyed by all who love their drives.   

Nana Patekar to get an image makeover

Hardcore Marathi manoos Nana Patekar is all set to re-invent himself. We've reason to believe that he has hired the services of a leading endorsement and marketing company (Percept Ltd) to work on what is secretly being referred to as 'Brand Nana'. There's a soft gentle refined side to Nana that has never been tapped. The endorsement and marketing company has taken upon itself the responsibility of re-inventing Nana. For the first time Nana would be projected in the media in well-tailored tuxedos and designer clothes that would contour his lean leonine physique in a Western avatar.Two of India's leading clothes designers Rafiq Gangjee and Manish Malhotra are being roped in to work on Patekar's metrosexual look. Nana would also doing endorsements for the first time-something that he has typically shied away from doing as a sign of selling the soul to the devil. The devil, we now hear, is ready to wear Armani and Gucci. While Nana refrained from comment on his new image-makeover we contacted Shailendra Singh- JMD of Percept Limited who admitted the actor was all set for a radical leap in public perception. Says Shailendra Singh, "We love the rugged earthy side of Nana. But the image has played itself out. There's another side to Nana that needs to come out now. We've seen the sharp shooter long enough. Now we'll see the poet and the artiste." Singh reveals how Nana is a consummate painter. "He has learnt to paint at the J J School Of Art. In the two hours that I spent talking with him last week he painted six canvases for me. Believe you me, they're world-class. We keep reading about Nana the cook. What about Nana the artiste? We seriously think we can change his image even at this late stage." Apparently Percept's head honcho spent a couple of hours discussing image-makeover plans with Nana who in his typically brash away, refused the offer initially. "But we finally convinced him. We're going to project Nana as India's Al Pacino. And that's a compliment to Pacino," shoots Singh, adding that the Rajneeti, Tirangaa star has already signed two endorsements for very high-profile upmarket products. A film based on the life of Jinnah with Patekar is also on the cards.

Arjun collaborating with Percept for ‘Lost’

Arjun Rampal, who got international pop icon Lady Gaga to perform in India last year, is collaborating with Percept Ltd to create a music festival in major cities, sources say. The ambitious venture is called Lost. "Arjun and Shailendra Singh of Percept have brainstormed over months, working out the details of the music festival property. It will be modelled on the Glastonbury Festival in Somerset, UK. Artists and musicians of the stature of Elton John, U2, Madonna and Prince and Britney Spears and Rihanna are expected to come to India for the Lost festival," said a source. Why Lost? "Because Arjun and Shailendra felt that music lovers in India need a platform where they are lost to gain a sense of musical liberation," said the source. Lost is expected to kickstart in the second half of the year. The music festival is being planned on a sprawling 30-acre stretch of land. "Arjun and Percept want to create the largest most keenly-attended music festival in India. They start with the first concert in Mumbai and then proceed to have three festivals each year in different cities of the world… "The idea is to bring the best musical talents from the world to India. Arjun has already started creating a bank of potential performers. The success of the Gaga concert last year has truly encouraged Arjun. He feels it's time India acquired a global image for cultural and musical events," said the source.

Percept Activ executes ‘We love Uninor’ market connect rally for its employees & channel partners

Percept Activ planned & executed a ‘We love Uninor’ themed market connect rally on April 5, 2012 at Nirnaynagar, Ahmedabad - a high footfall area in central market location with many POS outlets. The themed rally that included 600 people along with Mr. Sigve Brekke, Managing Director of Uninor was planned during the evening hours when the crowded is at its peaks, to generate enough buzz and a strong positive word of mouth. Percept Activ turned the market blue with “We Love Uninor” branding on the entire route of the rally. Post the PIL judgment, Uninor worked across touch points to ensure that they assure customers, employees and partners that their business will continue unaffected and they are here to stay. This focused activity generated energy amongst the employees and the market (channel partners & customers) and also positioned them as a different company versus competition who has no face in the market. Percept Activ organized a series of activities ranging from a coffee session of Uninor employees with Mr. Sigve to addressing the press and flagging off a rally for field visits so that the right communication is passed on to the stakeholders. The rally included road show floats, 120 ft long human banner, police band, a band playing nasik dhol, a garba troupe, branded placards and hand flags over and above the 500 employees of Uninor to be able to create a huge buzz in a target market area of Uninor and make it one of the biggest commercial rally in Gujarat.

Commenting on the successful execution of the rally, Sanjay Shukla, Chief Operating Officer, Percept Activ said, “It is interesting the way Indian marketing landscape is shaping up. In the age of fast paced consumerism, brand equity holds the key to customer retention which obviously translate into the bottom-line of the brand. Post PIL judgment, it became imperative for Uninor to put an end to even an iota of speculation across the stakeholder bandwidth. Having enjoyed a fruitful relationship with Percept Activ, Uninor came back to us to design an agenda big enough to communicate the message vividly and strongly as well, in Ahmedabad. Being as unique as Uninor, we conceptualized a comprehensive capsule involving the top officials and took the core messaging across through this Rally. This event reinstates our core strength of profound brand understanding backed by clinical execution”.

FedEx graduates to delivering solutions in new ad campaign

FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp, has unveiled a new ad campaign in India that places strong emphasis on it being a trusted global brand when it comes to delivering solutions for all customer requirements. The new campaign, entitled ‘Solutions Delivered’, was launched on April 20 in markets across India. The television ads highlight the brand’s ability to deliver a complete range of reliable shipping services to, from and within India.

“At FedEx, we go beyond delivering packages to provide solutions that bring joy – this is the essence of our latest ‘Solutions Delivered’ advertising campaign. We serve the diverse needs of customers across the country through our robust domestic network, and global connectivity with 31 weekly flights,” said Rakesh Shalia, Managing Director, Marketing and Communications, FedEx Express Middle East, Indian Sub-Continent and Africa. The ads take inspiration from India’s fascination with movies and music, leveraging humour to engage with customers. Designed to reflect how FedEx understands the requirements of the Indian market, the ad campaign showcases two TVCs that use a mix of Hindi and English. One of the ads features an emerging rock group, Shor Bazaar, and includes a full-length rock song created exclusively for FedEx that can be accessed on Facebook. The film features a humorous situation that emerges when the band needs special merchandise to be delivered to their fans across India for an upcoming concert tour. The other film, which is reminiscent of a popular blockbuster movie, features a character who is trying to save the world from a crashing asteroid. The character is depending on complicated solutions, when he could simply use FedEx. The commercials have been made under the creative leadership of Ryan Menezes, Chief Creative Officer, Percept/H. “FedEx delivers hope, happiness and joy. We wanted the advertisements to do the same, and I believe we’ve succeeded,” he said.The ads have been directed by film maker Raj Kaushal while Prime Focus has developed the computer graphics.

Percept bags 5 Awards at the WOW Awards 2012