Vikram Raizada, VP-Marketing and Digital, MTV, has put in his papers. This was communicated to the company on May 24. Raizada is going to leave the channel at the end of the month. His next destination, however is not yet known.
Vijayanand Printers Limited, publishers of Vijaya Karnataka, Vijay Times and Usha Kirana, is in talks with potential investors. Among the three bidders in the fray is Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd (BCCL), owners of The Times of India Group.
Adidas, the official partner, supplier and licensee of the 2006 FIFA World Cup, along with Coca-Cola, another long standing partner of the FIFA World Cup, has launched Adidas +Challenge, a global football tournament at the grassroot level for kids under the age of 16.
This may show the way forward for offline travel companies in India. Tulip Travel Services Pvt Ltd has launched a new travel portal Xplorz.com, touted as ‘India’s first real time online travel portal’. The portal claims to provide fully automated online ticket booking with no time lag between booking and delivery.
Mauj Telecom has tied up with Miss World Organisation as its exclusive Global Mobile Partner for the 56th Miss World 2006 to bring the beauty pageant closer to the people. The deal will see Mauj produce and distribute a range of Miss World themed mobile content via its partnership with over 50 operators and portals worldwide.
Brodeur, a unit of Omnicom Group, has appointed industry veteran Rick Allen as President of Brodeur Asia, effective August 2006. Allen will be responsible for growing Brodeur’s brand and operations in Asia. He will be based in Hong Kong and will report to Brodeur CEO, Andrea Coville.
The Electronic Sports World Cup (ESWC), brought to India by Indiatimes, is soon going to hit Mumbai and Delhi after Kolkata, Chennai, Indore. Indiatimes is expecting 20,000 gamers to register for the competition, which will see 10 winners representing India at the ESWC finals in Paris for the World Championship title.
Tennis fans across India will enjoy comprehensive coverage of one of the world’s most prestigious Grand Slam tennis tournament following Ten Sports’ successful agreement with Zee Sports to broadcast the French Open.
Kagiso Media is keenly looking at the burgeoning Indian radio industry, and is in talks with several industry players for strategic tie-ups. Kagiso firmly believes that radio players invest in the right talent base.
TTK Prestige has bagged the Superbrand title in the kitchen appliances category. The company attributes this to three years of efforts to strengthen the brand, and moving from being a ‘pressure cooker company’ to a diversified kitchen appliances maker.
While the inaugural debate at IDG’s technology symposium MERIT held in Bangalore saw speakers voice forceful opinions on advertising in the Niche Media and the Mass Media, the second debate held in Mumbai covered the effectiveness of word-of-mouth publicity versus advertising in marketing technology products and services.
Turner has rejigged its top management in India. Monica Tata, VP, Advertising Sales, Turner South Asia, will assume additional responsibilities to manage Turner’s entertainment networks in India, while Siddharth Jain will move from Zee Turner to Turner India and direct distribution related activities in India and South Asia.
IDG (International Data Group) has announced that its flagship brand, PC World, will debut in India this July. This would be IDG’s third title in India, through its subsidiary IDG India. A spokesperson said that India will be among the top three markets for IDG in the next five years.
Devendra Chawla, who was Customer Service Director, Coca-Cola India, has quit to join the Reliance group’s retail venture. Chawla, who was one of the youngest directors at Coca-Cola, is believed to be joining as ‘concept head’ for the supermarket initiative, though official confirmation on his exact designation is not yet available.
Mudra Brand Therapist, the healthcare and lifestyle specialist of the DDB Network in India, has won five new businesses. The agency has also taken on board new specialist talent including Prithviraj Sengupta as Director, Brand Communications.