Real Estate TV, a dedicated channel for real estate and infrastructure, has appointed Prem Kumar Menon as CEO. The channel has also appointed Anil Nair, formerly with Indian Express, as News Head.
Mukesh Ambani, Chairman & Managing Director of Reliance Industries Ltd, was declared the Chitralekha Person of the Year for 2007 by Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi at a ceremony in Mumbai on May 21. Earlier recipients include former President of India Dr APJ Abdul Kalam and Modi himself.
In a bid to further strengthen its brand presence in India, the NGC Network is introducing four new channels in India – Nat Geo Wild, Nat Geo Adventure, Nat Geo Music and Nat Geo HD. NGC plans to launch these channels within two weeks of getting the license from the Information & Broadcasting Ministry.
Avinash Kaushik thinks one of the reasons why so many websites ‘suck’ today is because of the hippo -- as in the “highest paid person’s opinion”. And, yes, you’re likely a hippo -- a successful advertising executive, CMO or brand manager, pulling in a six-figure income, often found pontificating about what does and doesn't work online.
Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates has said that the future of search would not only include simple, intuitive user interfaces and results based on rich semantic data, but it would also reward consumers for their engagement. Microsoft’s first iteration of that reward? Underwriting rebates for consumers searching for e-commerce deals on Live Search.
Cochin is witnessing some FM action this week. Close on the heels of Mathrubhumi Group’s Club FM going on air in Cochin, Radio Mango, the FM venture of Malayala Manorama Publications, has also launched its operations there. Radio Mango is already present in Kozhikode, Thrissur and Kannur – all in Kerala.
NetXcell, one of the pioneers in providing telecom application services, is launching Ad Axis, a comprehensive platform to enable delivery of targeted contextual advertisement on mobile phones. Ad Axis will be launched in India and the US in October 2008. NetXCell will be the player between the advertisers and mobile operators.
Tyroo Media has launched a unique gaming channel as part of its fast expanding inventory bouquet. The inventory names like Miniclip.com, UltimateArcade.com, and Cheatcodes.com, among others, and targets an age group of 13-25 years having high speed broadband connections and good spending power.
Everest Brand Solutions Delhi has been assigned the creative mandate for telecom solutions provider Clay. Clay is a global provider of wireless telecom solutions, catering to both B2B and B2C market segments.
The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has won a Silver award in the 5th edition of the EASA Best Practice Award, an annual event that awards self-regulatory organisations that best follow the EASA Best Practice Model. Belgian self-regulatory organisation Jury de l’Ethique Publicitaire (JEP) was awarded the Gold, while Spain’s Autocontrol bagged the Bronze.
Parveez Shaikh has been appointed as Senior Vice President and Executive Creative Director at M&C Saatchi India. He will be providing creative leadership to the M&C Saatchi business and would be based in Mumbai.
Discovery Networks International on Wednesday announced the integration of its India and Asia businesses. Effective July 1, Rahul Johri, SVP, Advertising Sales, Discovery Networks India, will assume management responsibility for India as SVP and Country Manager, reporting to Tom Keaveny, EVP and Managing Director, Discovery Networks Asia. Following this transition, Deepak Shourie, EVP and Managing Director, Discovery Networks India, will move into a new role as Advisor, Corporate Affairs, India for the company.
DDB Mudra has been assigned the creative and media duties of IL&FS Investsmart following a two-stage multi-agency pitch. From an initial round of 15 agencies, five had made it to the final round. Other agencies in fray included Leo Burnett, Ambience, Rediffusion DYR and Lowe. The account size is pegged at around Rs 20 crore.
Shankar Rao Shinde, Marketing Head of the Indian Express Group, has put in his papers. Shinde could not be contacted at the time of filing this report, but sources close to this development have confirmed the news. Though it couldn’t be ascertained where he is headed next, it is known that he is moving on from the media industry.
There seems no end to the woes of print research, and neither do the complaints from the print industry. At a time when nothing definite is forthcoming on the NRS, and the IRS is bereft of too many votes, the Media Research Users’ Council (MRUC) has approached the Indian Newspapers Society (INS) to recommend a joint task force that can develop a white paper for contemporary print research. The INS is yet to revert to MRUC on this.