The Board of Directors of Zee News Ltd at its meeting held on July 5, 2010, inter alia, accepted the resignation of Laxmi N Goel as Managing Director of the company. Goel has also stepped down as a Non-Executive Director on the Board of the Company.
Mercedes-Benz has announced its partnership with MaXposure Media Group to launch the ‘Mercedes’ magazine for the first time in India. With up to eight existing international editions already, ‘Mercedes’ magazine now hits the Indian market through private circulation. Poised to serve as a coffee-table book, the magazine seeks to have considerable reach in the dynamic and young affluent sections of society. Published quarterly, the magazine will be circulated to the exclusive clientele of Mercedes-Benz in India and to the ever-growing group of people who aspire to be a part of the Mercedes-Benz family.
Leading Indian companies with direct and allied interests in the non-alcoholic beverage industry have come together to form the Indian Beverage Association (IBA). These companies include Dabur India Ltd, Red Bull India Pvt Ltd, Tetra Pak India Pvt Ltd, Pearl Drinks Ltd, Bengal Beverages Ltd, Jain Irrigation Systems Ltd, Coca-Cola India and Pepsico India Holdings Pvt Ltd.
Following a four-way pitch, Star Health and Allied Insurance Company has appointed TBWA\India as its creative agency. McCann Erickson, DraftFCB Ulka and incumbent Network Advertising were the other agencies involved in the multi-agency pitch process. The size of the business could not be ascertained, however industry sources informed that Star Health had spent about Rs 7-8 crore in different types of media last year and this year, the company was planning to increase spends due to increased domain competition.
Lloyd Mathias, President & Chief Marketing Officer of Tata Teleservices, has been elected Chairman of the Media Research Users Council (MRUC). Mathias takes over from Andrey Purushottam, who had resigned from the post. The MRUC Chair is rotated every two years.
Kaati Zone, a chain of restaurants specialising in Indian quick service foods, is on a drive to further strengthen its presence in South India. The restaurant chain has kept aside 4-6 per cent of its budget for marketing activities.
The Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) has invited technical and financial bids from private sector firms for displaying advertisements through different media formats such as billboards, hoardings, back-lit kiosks, etc., along the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass.
Bajaj Herbals’ Veola Hair Oil seeks to stand out in a cluttered hair care market. The brand has recently unveiled its new TVC, conceptualised by Triton Communications, which takes the tried and tested route. While the ad does speak about the ‘Stimulate+’ formula that enhances hair growth, it doesn’t help the brand much in terms of breaking through the clutter.
Continuing with the report on some well-known names like Microsoft, Tanishq and Domino’s venturing into the e-Commerce space, Part 2 of the report delves on the various initiatives taken by the companies to drive traffic and boost online sales.
Harvest Gold had caught the attention with its witty ads under the ‘Bakwas Advertising, First Class Bread’ campaign, which continues till this day. Conceptualised by Equus, the campaign helped Harvest Gold hold its own against and surge ahead of players like Modern and Britannia and sundry local brands.
Anish Srikrishna has quit SpiceJet as Senior VP, Marketing. He is joining Pearson Education as Chief Marketing Officer. Pearson Education deals in integrated education and publishes titles spread across a wide spectrum of subjects, including business, technology, sciences, law and the humanities.
The AAAI has not had a President election for the longest time, and now the Association is gearing to choose between two candidates – Sandeep Goyal, Dentsu India’s Chairman, who decided to “break conventions” and stand for elections this year, and the current AAAI Vice President, Nagesh Alai, Executive Director, Interface Communication, who has to fight the poll game to become the President. In exclusive conversations with exchange4media, Goyal speaks on the rationale behind his decision and Alai explains the AAAI logic behind electing a President.