Vijay TV, a Tamil general entertainment channel from STAR India, is set to launch the Tamil version of the popular game show Kaun Banega Crorepati in February 2012. Titled Neengalum Vellalam Oru Kodi, the show will run for 80 episodes and be produced by Big Synergy. It will feature the same lifeline mechanics as the original such as phone-a-friend and 50-50. The show will air Monday through Thursday from 8-9:30pm. Channel [V] is holding its second Indiafest consumer connect event in Goa on January 27-28 to engage youth, while Star Plus is launching a new adventure reality show Survivor India on

1. January 1-15, 2012 Volume 3, Issue 1 ` 100
28
RADIO
Radio jockeys are being promoted as the
‘face’ of the station. How dependent are
the brands on these unseen voices?
12 8 45 25 PLUS
HTC
Magic of Touch 16
FACEBOOK
Sponsoring Stories 22
TATA DOCOMO
MUMBAI MIRROR PROFILE MOVIES Rewarding Loyalists 24
Speaking Up Swati Bhattacharya Playing Games IRS
Helping the readers connect Advertising was her calling, Gaming is the new tool for
with each other. says JWT Delhi’s NCD. film makers. Q3 2011 36

3. EDITORIAL
This fortnight... Volume 3, Issue 1
F or many decades, the Indian sub-continent had only one celebrity radio announcer – Amin EDITOR
Sreekant Khandekar
Sayani. The rest were simply radio announcers. Sayani was the popular host of Binaca Geet
PUBLISHER
Mala, the weekly radio countdown programme of songs from Hindi movies, on Radio Ceylon. The Prasanna Singh
programme was overwhelmingly the most popular radio show between the ’50s and the ’70s.
EXECUTIVE EDITOR
However, as TV penetration began to grow in earnest in the ’80s, radio’s popularity Prajjal Saha
began to decline. Before long it had been reduced to becoming the medium of the poor SENIOR LAYOUT ARTIST
– or those too impoverished to afford a television set or even a cassette player. In the Vinay Dominic
January 1-15, 2012 Volume 3, Issue 1 ` 100
stultifying embrace of All India Radio, the medium was left gasping for breath. LOGISTICS
28 Radio got a second lease of life after the turn of the century when a few private
Rajesh Kanwal
ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES
players were given the license to operate their radio stations on the FM band. This was Neha Arora, (0120) 4077866, 4077837
when the radio announcer transformed to become the radio jockey of today – a person Noida
RADIO
who would be the face of this faceless medium and provide a cool quotient to the radio, Khushboo Varadkar, (022) 40429702-5
something that had been sorely missing for many years. Mumbai
mktg@afaqs.com
Radio jockeys are being promoted as the
The cool quotient was required to make the medium more contemporary and bring
Marketing Office
‘face’ of the station. How dependent are
the brands on these unseen voices? in the youth, followed by the advertisers. The radio jockey didn’t just need to possess B-3, First Floor, Sector-4, Noida-201301.
a mellifluous voice, but also needed to have a sense of humour, an ability to think on Tel: (0120) 4077800.
12 8 45 25 PLUS
HTC
Magic of Touch 16
his – or her – feet and a knack of striking a conversation with the audience in these Mumbai
interactive times.
FACEBOOK
Sponsoring Stories
TATA DOCOMO
22
501-502, Makani Center, 5th Floor,
MUMBAI MIRROR
Speaking Up
PROFILE
Swati Bhattacharya
MOVIES
Playing Games
Rewarding Loyalists
IRS
24
Off Linking Road, Bandra (W),
Helping the readers connect
with each other.
Advertising was her calling,
says JWT Delhi’s NCD.
Gaming is the new tool for
film makers. Q3 2011
If there was one Amin Sayani earlier, today, there would be several radio jockeys
36
Mumbai - 400050
who are recognised by name – they are celebrities. The biggest advantage for the early Tel: +91-22-40429 709 - 712
movers has been their longevity. They have been able to build their own loyal set of Bengaluru
S-1, New Bridge Corporate Centre,
listeners over the years. A few of these radio jockeys are promoted as celebrities in marketing campaigns 777 D, 100 ft Road, Indira Nagar,
and demand a package which might rival that of the CEO of a radio broadcasting company. Bengaluru - 560038, India
Not everyone enjoys the same celebrity status. The fact is that the jockey community has also been Subscription Enquiries
Garima Agnihotri, (0120) 4077837
heavily commoditised and the bulk of them are clustered at the bottom, a bunch of names who are subscriptions@afaqs.com
unrecognisable from one another.
Printed, published, and owned by
The current issue delves into how the role of the radio jockey has evolved over the years, as well as Prasanna Singh, Publisher,
at 7-A/13, Ch. Ratan Singh Complex,
the factors that have contributed to this evolutionary process. Jawala Heri Market, Paschim Vihar,
New Delhi-110 063.
Printed at Cirrus Graphics Private Limited
B-62/14, Naraina Industrial Area,
Phase II, New Delhi – 110028.
Prajjal Saha Cover Illustration
prajjal.saha@afaqs.com Tiffin Box
CONTENTS
49 40 PLUS
SAMSUNG HERO MUSIC
EFFIES 2011 Class Disconnect? 12
Winners All
Taproot India, SONY ERICSSON
Cadbury, O&M Challenging Nokia 30
and BBDO clicked
at the event.
MOVIES NOW
Expansion Spree 35
MOMS
Dressing Up
20 18 ADBAG
Billboards that proclaim the Eco Warriors 42
onset of the wedding season.
34
MEDIA
POV Foreign Shores 45
Sports and Commerce STAYFREE TELEVISION
Will an overdose of Chasing Change In the Limelight BY INVITATION
commercialisation kill the Adopt new ideologies, exhorts Onscreen couples are Brand Tintin 46
game? this TVC. favourites with brands.
afaqs! Reporter, January 1-15, 2 0 1 2 5

4. 0DNH <RXU 2ZQ $SS
SMARTPHONES
1(:6%8//(7,1 Sponsored by
W
MARKETING
ith the growing number of to discontinue. Annual packages can
smartphones in the mar- be signed later if the customer is
ket, applications offer a satisfied. The annual package ranges
unique opportunity to keep clients between `1.2 lakh and `1.5 lakh and Pizza Hut> Pizza Hut plans to open 25 more outlets that
and customers involved, informed monthly charges are apportioned will also serve wine and beer along with food items across
and connected. So far, getting an app accordingly. The amount includes India by next year. The company currently operates 10 such
built was not only time consuming consultation design, listing on app stores in Delhi, Bangalore, Agra and Puducherry. The restau-
but was also an extremely expensive markets and also maintenance and rant brand has seen a growth of nearly 20-25 per cent in this
affair for any business. upgrade of apps. format. Pizza Hut, which is celebrating 16 years in India, also
However, now a company called The company claims that it can plans to take its casual dining restaurant presence from 131
App Me In has come up with solu- make apps for all popular mobile to 250 stores by 2015. The major thrust areas for expansion
tions that enable businesses of any platforms like Android, iOS and would be big cities.
size to get their own app made in less
than a week and for as low as `10,000
a month. The company gets Godrej Security> Godrej Security Solutions, a division of
Apps today serve better marketing 8 per cent of its Godrej & Boyce, is planning to invest `20-25 crore on R&D.
The security solutions provider, which posted a turnover of
purpose than websites because they revenues from `600 crore last fiscal, gets 8 per cent of its revenue from
sit on the potential customer’s phone,
which is a very personal device. This
international international businesses. It has three verticals - banking
means that every time one wants to businesses. solutions, home security and institutional security segments.
The company
send a special offer to customers, it
launches 20 new
can be done on a real
products a year.
time basis. BlackBerry.
The company The company The app created
(App Me In) has claims that could be a very sim-
OCM India> The textile company will invest `12-15
already built apps for ple one or complex
a beverage chain with it can make depending on the cus-
crore annually over the next three years. This invest-
ment will take its fabric manufacturing capacity to 8
just three stores in apps for all the tomer’s profile. The million metres by March 2014. The textile company’s ad
Bangalore, for a retail- popular mobile app can also synchro- spend in the next three months will be around `15 crore
er, a hotel, hospitals, nise information from as part of a national image makeover programme cur-
banks and other out- platforms like a website. rently underway. As part of that, OCM is targeting 25-35
fits. Since the company Android, iOS and To make additional year old males, mainly in Tier II and III towns across
has a non-disclosure money, a section of the the country.
agreement, the names
BlackBerry. app can also be sublet
of the compa- to other related busi-
nies could not be ascertained. nesses. For instance, hospitals can PepsiCo> The food and beverages firm has consolidated
While these are bigger than most sublet a section to a pharma company traditional packaged snacks such as namkeens for the mass
small businesses in India, even a and so on. market under a new entity - Lehar Foods - to take on regional
local grocery store today benefit with Google ads can also be integrated brands such as Balaji, Bikanerwala and A-Top Foods. Lehar
an app by sending special discounts into the apps on customer request. Foods will operate on a low, fixed cost model but will not get
through it or by allowing people to However, due to the limited num- into manufacturing. It will operate through eight third-party
select the list of items they wish to bers in which such ads would be partners. Delhi-NCR, Haryana, UP, Maharashtra and Gujarat
buy and then delivering them. While downloaded, the revenue through have been identified as the priority markets for now. Lehar
this facility is currently available Google ads will is not expected to be covers one-fourth of Frito-Lay’s distribution strength.
through a phone call, an app on their significant.
phones helps customers to actually At the same time, an individual
see the product and the price list. who thinks he has an idea for an Dr Reddy’s Labs> The
App Me In (www.appmein.com) application that - he thinks - will be Hyderabad-based drugmaker, which
makes prototypes of the app for free. downloaded by a sizeable number of has been struggling to grow in the
People can try the app for a month people can get it developed by App domestic market, has split its marketing division Acura into
for as low as `10,000 and may not Me In and look to earn some adver- Acura High Growth and Acura Sustained Growth Products to
engage long term if they wish tising revenue. push to some of its popular brands such as Omez and Nise.
DRL has been growing at 7 per cent in the last three months,
nearly half of the industry average. DRL’s revenues took a
QUOTE OF THE FORTNIGHT beating after the health ministry this year banned its popular
painkiller Nimusilide, sold under the name Nise.
‘‘There are two aspects
to our vision for the
e-choupal. It is a platform The portal pro- JewelsNext> The gems and
jewellery online sales portal
that connects rural India to vides a one-stop is aiming to sell items worth `100 crore in the next 12-15
the rest of the world. The shop for buying months riding on the e-commerce wave in India. The portal
second dimension is focussed on delivering a jewellery. offers all the major jewellery brands online and provides
customers with the option of making their purchases from a
triple bottomline outcome.’’ single place. JewelsNext has partnered with companies like
LUIS DI COMO, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT GLOBAL MEDIA, UNILEVER, ON THE COMPANY CALLING FOR A Mehrasons, OnlyGems, Jetha Bhai Zaveri among others to
GLOBAL REVIEW OF ITS MEDIA PLANNING AND BUYING SERVICES THAT BEGINS FROM JANUARY. sell their jewellery.
6 afaqs! Reporter, January 1-15, 2 0 1 2

6. KAUN BANEGA CROREPATI - TAMIL
.%& RQ 67$5 1(:6%8//(7,1 Sponsored by
V
MEDIA
ijay TV, the Tamil GEC from In the phone-a-friend lifeline, the
the STAR stable, is gearing up participant gets to phone a friend to
to launch the Tamil version help answer a question, and for the
of Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) in 50-50 lifeline, two incorrect answers Channel [V]> Channel [V] moves out of TV to connect
February 2012. The show, Neengalum from the four options are removed. with the youth, its target audience, with the second edition of
Vellalam Oru Kodi, will run for 80 epi-There will also be two safe havens at its consumer connect initiative Indiafest. The event is sched-
sodes, and will be produced by Big question No. 5 and question No. 10, uled to be held in Goa on January 27-28, 2012. The channel
Synergy. For the record, so far, Vijay assuring the contestants a minimum had launched the first Indiafest towards the end of 2010.
prize money of `10,000 The initiative involves inter-college competitions to select
and `3,20,000 respec- winners, who get a chance to participate in Indiafest and
tively. showcase their talents at a national level.
The Tamil ver-
sion of KBC will be
aired from Monday Star India>Star India’s Hindi GEC, Star Plus, is set to
through Thursday, as a launch a new adventure reality show, Survivor India on 6
90-minute slot. It will January. The tagline of the show, Jo Tikega, Itihaas Likhega
occupy the 8-9.30 pm is a testimony that only the fittest, the grittiest and the
time band. ruthless will survive to be the eventual winner of the show.
Vijay TV’s general The show, an Indian adaptation of the International series
manager K Sriram - Survivor - is being produced by Miditech and will be aired
tells afaqs! Reporter, every Saturday-Sunday at 9 pm.
TV has only shown the The Tamil version “This is truly the first
dubbed versions of the international format
first, second, and third of KBC will that will hit the Tamil So far, ESPN Star Sports> ESPN Star Sports (ESS) has launched
seasons of KBC, which be aired from television screen. The ESPN HD and its HD channels on cable networks including IndusInd Media
Communications (Incable), Seven Star network in Mumbai
appeared on Star Plus. Monday through programme will be a Star Cricket HD and UCN in Central India. ESS has signed the distribution con-
Unlike the latest game changer not only were available
seasons of KBC on Thursday, as a for Vijay TV, but also tracts with the MSOs. So far,
only on ESPN HD and Star Cricket
Sony Entertainment, 90-minute slot. for Tamil television.” DTH networks. HD were available only on
Seasons 4 and 5, which To strengthen the
underwent a touch of It will occupy the channel’s
DTH networks.
viewer-
innovative transition 8-9.30 pm ship, Vijay TV plans
in their formats, the
Tamil adaptation of the
time band. to launch two fiction
shows around the tel- Aidem Ventures> Aidem Ventures, the independent
show will continue to adhere to the ecast of KBC’s Tamil version. ITC media consulting, marketing and advertising sales company,
has been appointed the media representative for the inter-
original version. Sunfeast has come on board as the
national TV channel, KBS World (from South Korea). The
The show will give away a cash title sponsor. The channel is on the
channel is being distributed and broadcast via pay TV opera-
prize of `1 crore. As the contestants lookout for a total of 10 associate tors worldwide. In India, it will be distributed by Reliance Big
move up the money tree, the ques- sponsors. TV. This is being seen as a logical extension of Indo-South
tions will get more difficult. A total Neengalum Vellalam Oru Kodi will Korean relationships.
of 15 questions will lead to the `1 be hosted by Tamil cinema actor
crore jackpot. The 10 ‘fastest finger Suriya. This will mark Suriya’s debut
first’, will play for the whole week. on TV. Sriram says, “Suriya is one
There will be three ‘lifelines’. of the biggest stars in Tamil cinema,
IBN7 will be the Amagi Media> Amagi Media, which specialises in local
Following the original format, the and the biggest USP of this show. second news enti- TV advertising, will now handle the local ad sales for UTV
Action and IBN7. With this partnership, Amagi aims to tap
show will have the audience poll There is a great brand resonance ty to join hands into the key Hindi-speaking markets such as Delhi, Uttar
lifeline, in which the studio audi- between brand Suriya and Vijay TV. with Amagi. Pradesh (UP), and Mumbai for both clients. IBN7 will be the
ence helps the participant to answer Both believe in differentiation, and second news entity to join hands with Amagi, which handles
a question through voting pads. in being innovative.” local ad sales for the TV Today Network.
QUOTE OF THE FORTNIGHT
Fox Traveller> Fox Traveller, the cable and satellite chan-
‘‘The media is a powerful nel under the Fox International Channels (FIC) banner, has
just launched its 24-hour Bengali feed. Currently, the Bengali
tool in a democracy and feed is available from 8 pm to 12 pm. Fox Traveller will make
more so in India, which is the an attempt to infuse the Bengali feel with various audio
experimentations, including music.
world’s largest democracy. It
can be a catalyst for positive
change, by highlighting DQ Entertainment> DQ Entertainment (International),
a Hyderabad-based animation, game art and entertainment
issues of public interest that company has sold the TV broadcasting rights of its 3D ani-
involve public accountability.’’ mated series based on the legendary silent film comedian
Charlie Chaplin - Chaplin and Co - to Cartoon Network for cer-
PRESIDENT PRATIBHA PATIL, ON THE NEED TO BE RESPONSIBLE AND AVOID OVER-COMMERCIALISATION tain Asian territories, including India. The broadcasting rights
OF MEDIA. relate to 104 episodes of six minutes each.
8 afaqs! Reporter, January 1-15, 2 0 1 2

8. *HWWLQJ 5HDO
KOMLI MEDIA
1(:6%8//(7,1 Sponsored by
D
ADVERTISING
igital media firm Komli merce client witnessed 79 per cent
Media has launched ATOM, increase in its conversion rate using
India’s first real time bid- RTB through ATOM; while a soft-
ding (RTB)-enabled performance ad ware client enjoyed 71 per cent click
platform. RTB is a technology that through rate improvement.” IM Thapar Group> The business conglomerate Inder
allows media buyers to evaluate, bid, “This has also benefited our pub- Mohan (IM) Thapar Group has called for a creative pitch for
and purchase online ad inventory on lishers. We have been able to increase its real-estate business Indian City Properties Limited(ICPL).
an impression-by-impression basis. some of the publisher’s yield (rev- The multi-agency creative pitch, currently underway in
According to Komli, ATOM pro- enue per thousand impressions) in New Delhi, is in its initial stages. This is the first time that
vides access to over 10 billion ad excess of 70 per cent,” adds Verma. the company has called for a creative pitch. The pitch has
impressions per month, and more With statistics predicting a quan- been called to give the real-estate business a facelift and
than 90 per cent reach into India’s tum growth in the size of online project the division as a company that will build only high-
online audience (estimated 80 mil- advertising, both in India and glob- end properties. The real-estate division is headed by Ayesha
lion+ users). It also covers hundreds ally, Komli plans to use ATOM to Thapar, executive director, Indian City Properties.
of thousands of publishers, including increase the effectiveness of display
more than 50 per cent of the top 200 campaigns. >> ACCOUNT MOVEMENT
publishers in India. Satish Kadu, vice-
Prashant Mehta, president, products, > McCann Erickson has won the
chief executive officer, Komli Media, says, creative mandate for a new motorcycle
Komli Media, says, “We “With RTB-enabled to be launched by TVS. The win
found through several auction-based media follows a pitch process which saw
rounds of analysis that buying, the science participation from all the agencies on the TVS
the websites are not The new platform of search advertising roster. The business will be handled out of
of utmost importance ATOM, will allow is coming to display McCann Erickson’s Bengaluru office. The agency
in online advertising. advertising. Advertisers already handles the account of the Star City range of bikes from TVS. The agencies
What is significant is to media buyers will be able to selec- currently on the TVS roster are Bates, McCann Erickson, and BBH. Bates handles TVS,
reach the right kind of to bid for and tively buy audiences McCann Erickson TVS Star City and BBH handles the scooter brand Wego.
audience. Our technol-
ogy will help find the purchase online and impressions that
matter, and pay exactly
right impression that ad inventory on what the impression is > Katha Mediatix has won the creative and
will meet the require- an impression- worth.”a d q u a r t e r e d strategic brand consulting mandate for the Prabhat
ment of the client.” He Telecom-promoted brand Mobile Plus. The
Mehta adds, “With by-impression in Mumbai, Komli company intends to spend 60 per cent of its media
ATOM, advertisers basis. Media is Asia Pacific’s spends on electronic media, which will include a mix of TV and radio, of which, 20-25
and publishers can leading digital media per cent will be dedicated to print. The rest of the media budget will be utilised for
anticipate increased return on invest- technology platform. Its digital digital media, outdoor, and on-ground activation. Katha Mediatix will create the entire
ments as this technology platform advertising technologies enable mar- brand personality of the retail store, as well as visual merchandise for the brand.
will enable the advertiser to connect keters to reach out to and acquire
with the right target audience in real audiences and enable publishers to
time. ATOM will facilitate extended maximise revenues. Komli Media
access to various inventories glob- provides marketers with solutions
> Grey India has won the creative duties for
the new, yet to be named ‘green’ cement
ally.” across brand marketing, performance offering of JSW Cement. The business will be
With the promise of one-to- marketing, mobile, search, social handled out of the agency’s Mumbai office.
one marketing becoming a reality, media, and video. The win is the result of a pitch process that took place in Mumbai, in which several
Gulshan Verma, vice-president and In India, Komli Media has city-based agencies contested. The company plans to launch the ‘green’ cement by
country head, India and US, ad offices in Bengaluru, Chennai and January, 2012. The new offering is expected to be unique as the cement variant will
network, Komli Media, elaborates, New Delhi. It also has offices in be ecological and environment-friendly.
“Some of our customers are already Hong Kong, Manila and Singapore,
seeing the benefit of only paying London, Melbourne, Sydney, New
for the impression they want. For York, Redwood City, Toronto and
example: An online e-com- Des Moines.
> US-based global player in water solutions and purification,
Pentair Water solutions has appointed Scarecrow
Communications as its advertising partner. The agency’s
QUOTE OF THE FORTNIGHT Delhi office will handle this business. The mandate includes
creative, design, activation and media. Pentair Water offers
water and waste management systems, water flow (pumping)
‘‘Communication has moved and swimming pool solutions at airports and five-star hotels
from ‘one-to-one’ to ‘one-to- across India. This is third win in a month’s time for Scarecrow,
after bagging a part of DLF project and the whole of Anchor Panasonic business.
community’. Bikers, hikers,
new mothers and lovers are
examples of the interest > Energy drink brand Mad Croc has handed over its creative duties to Katha
Mediatix. As part of the mandate, the agency will work in phases to introduce and
groups marketers are talking establish the brand in the market. In the first phase, print media and BTL (below the
to these days.’’
SUSHIL KUMAR
line) activities will be used to build the brand and engage consumers. Television and
ROHIT OHRI, EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN, DENTSU INDIA GROUP, ON THE other above the line communication will follow in the next phase. The brand will be
CUSTOMISATION OF ADVERTISEMENTS, IN BRAND EQUITY. targeted at the youth.
10 afaqs! Reporter, January 1-15, 2 0 1 2

10. 1(:6$'9(57,6,1*
MUMBAI MIRROR
Speak Louder
The new television commercial created by Taproot India for Mumbai Mirror, is
based on four real stories broken by the daily. By Shibani Gharat
F
our stories, four protagonists with a mega-
phone in their hands, aggression in their
stride and anger in their expressions echo ‘I
am Mumbai’! This is what greets you when you
view the new TVC of Mumbai Mirror.
Divided by dates, and united by the slogan, the
TVC created by Taproot India explores four note-
worthy stories.
TALE OF A CITY
P age 11, October 2, 2010: Recall the angst of
author Rohinton Mistry, as copies of his novel
‘Such A Long Journey’ is burnt by the Shiv Sena oes the collective anger of those who oppose ugly
on the roads of Mumbai. “They burned my book, political posters ruining the cityscape. He thun-
they burned my words, but they never will be able ders, “This city is my home, and I will not have
to silence my voice,” cries out Mistry from the your political posters dirty the walls of my home.”
pages of MM. For some time, Mumbai Mirror has been
Page 12, September 29, 2011: The story of a bringing out a series of expose. The objective of
frustrated mother, who holds an audience captive the campaign is to underline the fact that every
with her account of milk adulteration. citizen, rich or poor, oppressed or cheated, has a
Mumbai Mirror stumbles upon a network voice that reaches out to the populace every morn-
SUSHIL KUMAR
PAVITR SAITH
of crooks who adulterate milk in tankers, which ing.
belong to the National Dairy Development Board Elucidates Rahul Kansal, chief marketing offic-
(NDDB). er, Bennett Coleman and Co, “The thought
Page 7, August 23, 2010: “Our bed is smaller Kansal and Dias: voicing concern behind the campaign is that in a city where the
than a table, and we get to eat only twice a week, common man can feel rather helpless and is at the
and excrete at the same place we eat,” says a feeble receiving end of an insensitive system, the paper
young boy to spectators in a government office.
The objective is to under- empowers the reader and gives him a voice.”
This sequence is in the light of the newspaper’s
coverage of the horrific abuse of malnourished
line that every citizen has On the black-and-white texture of the TVC,
Kansal says that it is to give the entire ad a
children at an orphanage in the city. a voice that reaches out to documentary-like feel. “The TVC depicts the
Page 2, February 12, 2011: An agitated citizen
blocks the journey of a politician, as his voice ech- the others every morning. FRQWLQXHG RQ SDJH
SAMSUNG HERO MUSIC ing of the ad is sufficient to spot
the class discrepancy between the
luxurious train setting, and a basic,
Class Disconnect? entry-level phone.
A senior creative authority at
Leo Burnett, the agency that has
An analysis of the latest Samsung Hero Music ad featuring brand worked on the ad, claims that
aspiration has nothing to do with
ambassador Aamir Khan. By Ashwini Gangal reality, and aesthetics is nobody’s
property. afaqs! Reporter finds out
T
aking the Aamir Khan series whether other creative opinions are
of ads forward, Samsung in sync with this view.
has released yet another
film for the Samsung Hero offer- ADMEN CALL IT ‘CREATIVE
ing. Centred on ‘Bluetooth Wala LICENCE’
Samsung Hero Music’ the ad fea-
tures Khan playing himself.
Set in a classy-looking train
T he creative folk are forgiving
enough in the name of creative
licence. According to Brijesh Jacob,
compartment, the ad shows Khan managing partner, White Canvas,
cheering up a sad but pretty stranger to show a premium-looking train,
by sending her songs via Samsung despite the kind of product being
Hero Music, using the Bluetooth advertised is something one must
feature. The ad ends with the VO not read too much into, as it is all
saying ‘Share karo, khushi baanto’. There is a class discrepancy between the part of basic film production to
While we are all for sharing
music and spreading joy, one view- luxurious setting and a basic phone. FRQWLQXHG RQ SDJH
12 afaqs! Reporter, January 1-15, 2 0 1 2

11. THIS
A B C
BUDGET, CHOOSE
A MEDIUM MORE
EFFECTIVE
THAN PRINT
AND TV.

14. 1(:6$'9(57,6,1*
SNAPDEAL.COM
Striking Deals Everywhere
The campaign of Snapdeal.com highlights ‘irresistibility’ as a key factor, with deals from the site
attracting even immortals like Yamraj, the God of Death. By Anushree Bhattacharyya
I
t is not every day that one gets a chance to
strike the deal of a lifetime. The new campaign
of daily deals site Snapdeal.com shows how
irresistible its deals are - even for Yamraj, the God
of Death, who ends up granting the gift of life to a
person who passes him the deal.
Conceptualised by Draftfcb Ulka, the television
commercial, shows a man whose parachute fails to
open while sky diving. On his way down, he meets
Yamraj. The man pleads for his life and is denied
the same. Resigned to the idea of imminent death,
he takes out a deals voucher from Snapdeal.com
and hands it over to Yamraj. Elated
and excited, Yamraj pulls the chord,
opens the chute, and saves the man’s ple - to predominantly talk about property with its commercials. It is hardwork-
life. The TVC then shows how the the offers from the site that nobody ing, it is relevant, and it is a fair attempt at being
God of Death gets a chance to live a can resist. So, we tried to make it funny. It also treads the thin line between macabre
new, jazzy life that transforms him a memorable experience by exag- and humour amazingly well. But, it is yet another
into a ‘dude’. gerating to the point that the deals attempt to use a much-exploited character in
Speaking about the campaign, offered by the site are not just adland. The character and the plot are not really
Sandeep Komaravelly, head, market- irresistible to humans, but also to cutting edge in execution.”
ing, Snapdeal.com, says, “Essentially, the gods.” According to Arindam Sarkar, vice-president,
we wanted to showcase the excite- The television campaign will be strategic planning, Grey, the TVC is enjoyable and
ment and the experience that we supported by outdoor and radio entertaining, but lacks freshness. He adds, “The
provide to consumers through our promotions. approach, though direct and to the point, seems
deals. While we had three or four Singh: exaggeration a bit of the 80’s cliché. Yamraj going through a
ways of showing the great experi- factor TOO HARD TO RESIST makeover with deals, a little bit of humour to hold
ence factor, we really liked this particular script
as it highlighted the irresistibility factor to a huge C
lassified as an ‘old idea in a new bottle’ by
experts, the campaign succeeds in bringing
extent by stating that the deals are irresistible, even humour home, but lacks freshness.
it together, turns out to be a classical approach
for a cyber brand. The behaviour shifts amongst
netizens has been exponential and deal hunting
for immortals.” Chraneeta Mann, executive creative director, has got much more interesting. So why go back
Shiveshwar Raj Singh, group creative director, Rediffusion-YR, says, “Yamraj grants life yet in time?” „
Draftfcb Ulka, explains, “The idea was fairly sim- again! Snapdeal has consistently the most of this anushree.bhattacharyya@afaqs.com
HTC
The Magic of Touch
HTC has launched a series of television
commercials to highlight the product benefits and
promote its newly-launched handset HTC Explorer.
By Anushree Bhattacharyya
F
or a world that always wants the consumer insight that the Indian commercials are supported by the and peers through social media web-
to stay connected, HTC has youth today is better off staying con- background song ‘Tere maafi ko mai sites, chats, and mails. Our main
launched the smartphone nected with friends and loved ones waiting waiting’. . The commercials objective is to communicate that the
HTC Explorer, to make the vir- through Facebook, chats, and mes- end with his fingers creating magic, HTC Explorer helps achieve all this
tual world a reality sages. The virtual world has replaced and help getting the girl back. Thus through the magic of fingers. It is
for today’s youth. get-togethers, meetings and phone establishing that with the new HTC a device that is an extension of its
A series of televi- chats. Explorer, the world is just a touch user, a friend and buddy that lets you
sion commercials Conceptualised by Meridian, way. access the world from your hands. It
promote the new the five commercials, titled SMS, Speaking about the campaign, is the emotional aspect that we have
handset and high- Nailpolish, Laptop, Ballet and Manu Seth, country head, market- tried to bring out in this campaign.”
light its product Bathtub, show a man trying to woo ing, HTC India, says, “The insight Explaining the idea, Krishna Mani
benefits. his angry girlfriend. He does eve- for the TVC came from the fact that and Pulak Bisht, creative directors at
The cam- rything possible to win back her the youth of today is tech-savvy and
paign is based on smile, using only his fingers. The five prefers to keep in touch with friends FRQWLQXHG RQ SDJH
16 afaqs! Reporter, January 1-15, 2 0 1 2

16. 1(:6$'9(57,6,1*
ON-SCREEN TELEVISION COUPLES
Being in the Limelight
On-screen TV couples seem to be the latest favourite for brands when it comes to endorsements. What’s
interesting is that these creative strategies are backed by effective media plans. By Ashwini Gangal
F
or more than 80 years, the lead female actor “Film stars bring their personal equity and brand It’s about integrating the values of the brand with
of each era - from Leela Chitnis to Katrina values to the table, which have little to do with a these positions, as well as integrate the values of
Kaif - has been the face of Lux except for dis- particular film of theirs. On the other hand, TV the brand with certain ‘GEC sensibilities’, or ‘TV
ruptions like Shah Rukh Khan, something which stars are all about the characters they play. Hence, serial values,’” says Dasgupta.
happens once in a few decades. the strategy will work only if their character fits in While these characters try to fit with the brand
Lux bent the rules on yet another occa- with the brands’ values.” positioning, ad film makers also try to find a fit
sion. Sharing screen space with Aishwarya Rai For instance, a certain character may be tra- with the storyline of the commercial. For instance,
Bachchan in a Lux commercial were on-screen ditional, while another may be fun-loving. Yet each hit pair has its own history, its own story.
couple Archana and Manav, from the popular daily another may be strong and empowered. Such Brands exploit this very story that the characters
soap Pavitra Rishta. characteristics may be considered while trying to bring along to the 30-second spot.
This isn’t the only example. Dulux Paints, too, fit the stars with the brand they will endorse. Explains Dasgupta, “Usually, in ads, one needs
has used two other popular on-screen television Saurabh Dasgupta, executive creative director, to write a script, build characters, define their
couples - Tej and Toasty from Sony’s Saas Bina Innocean Worldwide, agrees. “Television charac- characteristics, and get someone to play those
Sasural, and Arnav and Khusi from Star Plus’ Iss ters come with certain pre-established positions. defined roles -- all this in a few seconds. But, by
Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon. casting an already established couple,
Lately, Hyundai Eon, the newly- known and accepted as husband and wife
launched brand, has featured Toasty and by the target audiences, half the job is
Tej from Saas Bina Sasural, and Vikram already done.”
and his on-screen wife Neha from Bade We have all seen television stars
Achche Lagte Hai in its latest commercials. endorse brands in their personal capac-
So, what is drawing these brands to ity, or as characters. But, in most cases,
television couples? Interestingly, these the value of television actors remains
couples do not sell the brands as celebri- intact only if cast as a pair.
ties or actors, but portray their on-screen The star equity draws on the power
SUSHIL KUMAR
characters in the endorsements. they wield as an adored on-screen pair.
Shailesh Kapoor, chief executive This power is a function of the popular-
officer, Ormax Media, which special-
ises in television content research, says, Kapoor, Dasgupta and Nayyar: character-based stories FRQWLQXHG RQ SDJH
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18. 1(:6$'9(57,6,1*
STAYFREE FRQWLQXHG IURP SDJH
Chasing the Change
Johnson Johnson’s new campaign for the launch of its new
The Magic...
Meridian, say, “The brief was to highlight the availa-
bility of a touch phone at an affordable price. So, the
concept was to bring alive the whole idea of com-
municating with fingers in the most vibrant, playful,
variant Stayfree Advanced promotes the brand philosophy ‘It’s yet simple way. In print, the fingers were depicted as
time to change.’ By Anushree Bhattacharyya legs, and personified a typical Bollywood song and
dance to depict entertainment, or as friends to depict
Facebook and chatting, or as a cricketer to depict
gaming. In the television commercial, we didn’t do
feature-based advertising, but brought alive the idea
of using fingers to communicate..”
The company has also launched a HTC Facebook
fan page, which currently has nearly 1,70,000 fol-
lowers.
FINGERS REDEFINED
A lthough the idea is not strikingly original,
advertising professionals nevertheless, appreci-
ate the execution, and agree that the commercial is a
delight to watch.
Rohit Malkani, executive creative director, Grey,
says, “Fingers as protagonist? Haven’t we seen this
C It urges women to shed
onsumer healthcare company Johnson before? I have seen thumbs for an SMS campaign,
Johnson, in its campaign announcing and thumbs and fingers for a handset. Not terribly
the launch of a new variant of its sanitary their old beliefs and adopt original, - but the film has been well-shot and leaves
pad brand Stayfree Advanced, urges everybody, you with a fuzzy feeling. Sweet, though eminently
especially women, to shed their old beliefs new ideologies. forgettable.”
and adopt new ideologies, in order to bring a According to Sujith Sudhakaran, general man-
change in the world, and in their lives. Stayfree paign, Anshumani Khanna, creative director, ager, strategic planning, Draftfcb Ulka the TVC is
Advanced is targeted at the premium category McCann Erickson, remarks, “The company has interesting. “The track and the tone are nice and
consumers. launched Stayfree Advanced in the premium
Two television commercials, conceptualised category. The idea is to capture the modern
by McCann Erickson, have been released as a mindset of women, which go beyond issues
part of the campaign. In the first TVC, titled such as mismatched shoes or the right kind
‘Accident’, an elderly couple meets with an of dress. So, going with the brand’s belief, we
accident. While a young woman in a car points decided to show women who live a life that is
out to the callousness of the passersby, her co- beyond cosmetic changes.”
passenger promptly rushes out
to help the couple, and later, A TOUGH CHANGE
calls for action to bring about
a change.
The second TVC titled
T he campaign, howev-
er, fails to impress the
advertising fraternity, as ad
‘Morcha’, shows two office- professionals feel it fails to
going girls, having tea. They create an impact in the con-
come across a huge rally, sumers’ minds.
which leaves the road littered According to Raghu Bhat, HTC has launched a
with papers and other trash.
While one girl criticises this
founder-director, Scarecrow
Communications, the ad
Facebook fan page, which
act, the other girl clears the exhorts the audience to switch currently has nearly
litter. over to Stayfree. “However,
Neeraj Goyal, general it is a fairly conventional ad, 1,70,000 followers.
marketing manager, women loaded with ‘category codes’.
health, Johnson Johnson Not sure if the jingle is contemporary. It will definitely hold the audience’s
India, says, “The femininity Khanna: mindset issue required. A few moments of attention. Is it for the first time one is seeing an
of Indian women is changing silence would have allowed execution like this? I would say no. But, can’t take
and menstruation is a part of femininity, which the commercial to breathe,” he adds. anything away from the simple use of fingers in the
also has an impact on life. The idea is to keep Giving the planner’s perspective, Anirban context of a touch phone. Definitely entertaining.”
women comfortable and confident during those Chaudhuri, senior vice-president, Mudra, says, Sudharakan opines that the idea of a touch phone
days of the month. Therefore, “Stayfree, in the past, has often highlighted the that brings everything at a touch is generic. The
going with the philosophy of fact that the product delivers in challenging situ- advantage is that it is the fastest touch phone, and
the brand ‘It’s time to change’, ations in a straight-forward manner. This TVC hence, a better option in comparison. According to
in the new campaign, we have is an attempt to move beyond that and take the him, this feature could have been used as a strong
asked women to change and brand to a level of activism, be the change that differentiator, but seems to have been compromised.
adopt something new (in this you want to see (rather than huffing and puffing “If you made me believe that this is the fast-
case, Stayfree Advanced), if in irritation). But, the attempt fails to connect est touch phone (because of the HTC sense user
they are irritated by some- the cause naturally to the product delivery of ‘no interface, and not the processor), it would be more
thing old.” irritation’! „ compelling than anything else for me,” he remarks.„
Speaking about the cam- anushree.bhattacharyya@afaqs.com anushree.bhattacharyya@afaqs.com
20 afaqs! Reporter, January 1-15, 2 0 1 2

19. 1(:6$'9(57,6,1*
EDUCOMP SMARTCLASS
School is Now Cool
Thanks to innovative teaching techniques, school need no longer be an unpleasant experience for
children, communicates Educomp Solutions in its new campaign. By Anushree Bhattacharyya
G
etting children ready for school in the
morning is a daily challenge for most
parents, and is replete with drama and
histrionics. But, thanks to Educomp Solutions, the
scenario could now look different.
In its new campaign, Educomp Solutions talks
about the delight and the enthusiasm children
show while getting ready for school.
Conceptualised by Dentsu Marcom, the TVC,
shows a situation, in which school-going kids, in
a role reversal, are up in the morning, and pester
their parents to take them to school.
The reason for the children’s enthu- Dentsu Marcom, explains, “The the concept could have been a bit more interesting.
siasm is that they are no longer taught idea was developed from an iconic Rajiv Agrawal, executive creative director,
using the blackboard in class, but are British Airways advertisement that Percept/H, says, “If the main objective is to con-
instead, taught digitally. said ‘Children walk to school and vey the fact that kids find Educomp smartclasses
Speaking about the concept, run back home’. Consumer insight, interesting, then the TVC is a success. But, the ad
Abhinav Dhar, senior vice- presi- too, proved that children enjoy the should also explain how/why schools are now dif-
dent, Educomp Solutions, says, “The engaging format of Educomp smart- ferent. The jingle is catchy, though.”
main objective behind the campaign class, and are more than willing to Vivek Dutta, business director and nation-
SUSHIL KUMAR
was to build awareness amongst par- attend classes which were earlier al planning head, Hakuhodo Percept, says,
ents about the Educomp smartclass boring.” “Considering that the communication targets
programme, with schools having Educomp has tied up with more parents, the commercial seems to be too high-
adopted new technologies to teach Upputuru: happy life than 8,000 schools across India, paced and vague in delivering information
children. Classrooms no longer consist of old where the programme is run. about the Smartclass communication process.
blackboards. There are many schools which use Somehow, it fails to convince how and why
videos, and other digital technology in order to REVOLUTIONARY STEP children find these classrooms more endear-
make studying interesting.”
Titus Upputuru, national creative director, A
dvertising professionals feel that while the
TVC has been able to pass on the message,
ing.” „
anushree.bhattacharyya@afaqs.com
FRQWLQXHG IURP SDJH
MEDIA STRATEGY AND The ad films for the brand are SHORT-LIVED GLORY?
CHANNEL PROMOTION
Being in... T o increase the effectiveness of
these ads, their placement is
played when these serials are on
air, on customised spots on the
channel, and the treatment is not
W hether they’re used as out-
and-out brand ambassadors
or channel promoters, a general
ity of their respective characters in strategically chalked out in such a by the route of traditional brand word of caution prevails: The equi-
the serials. way that they are most viewed by endorsements. ty and brand value the couples
One explanation is that brands those very audiences who watch the It is more about a strong media come with have an expiry date.
attempt to leverage the relatability of serials. strategy that aids the promotion of Firstly, the relevance of the couples
these couples as audiences can iden- The ads are placed right before, both Sony TV and these serials as as viable brand endorsers, whether
tify with them more than they can soon after, or during that particular that is the primary goal. The associa- it is for regular brands or the TV
with traditional celebrity endorsers. serial, and appear only on that par- tion with a product, Hyundai Eon in channel, is a direct function of
“There is a certain warmth these ticular channel. Therefore, the use of this case, is a secondary aspect. their on-screen popularity, which
characters possess,” says Anita in turn, is a function of the TVRs
Nayyar, CEO, MPG, India and that the respective serial garners.
South Asia. They are people whom Thus, casting them in an ad is a
family audiences ‘meet’, almost every very topical and tactical formula.
evening for an hour, and gradually Says Navin Khemka, senior
become a part of the household. vice-president, ZenithOptimedia,
The couples are more relatable, “It is about a local connect at any
SUSHIL KUMAR
more accessible. Viewers are less in one given point in time. This can-
awe of them as they come across as not be a long-term strategy for any
more accessible when they appear Avasthi and Khemka: on strategy brand.”
on TV to endorse a product althoug Casting Rai Bachchan in a Lux
they lack the aura of film stars or these popular TV couples has to do Nayyar of MPG, (the agency that TVC is probably part of the brand’s
sportspersons. with the promotion of that specific has worked on the media strategy for long-term strategy, but featuring
Abhijit Avasthi, national creative channel. Hyundai Eon), explains that it basi- Manav and Archana in the commer-
director, Ogilvy India, says, “It all Some call this placement advertis- cally has a dual benefit as it helps the cial is a mere short-term solution, the
boils down to the bond between the ing or integration. Consider the latest brand by way of ‘subtle endorsement’ effect of which will last for a fixed
audience and the couple.” TVCs - a mix of 10, and 60-second and helps the channel to promote the period of time. „
edits, for Hyundai Eon. serial. ashwini.gangal@afaqs.com
afaqs! Reporter, January 1-15, 2 0 1 2 21