FICCI Frames 2006: Vijay Mallya – Bringing on La Dolce Vita
He came, he spoke and he conquered. When Vijay Mallya, Chairman of the UB Group, strode in to deliver a keynote address on ‘CEO as the Brand’, he literally brought an ongoing session to a standstill. Said Mallya, "It is very important to recognise that perhaps the CEO is the most effective hoarding of the brand... brand and companies far outlive individuals, and then it is up to the successor to carry the brand legacy forward."
He came, he spoke and he conquered. When Vijay Mallya, Chairman of the UB Group, strode in to deliver a keynote address on ‘CEO as the Brand’, he literally brought an ongoing session to a standstill. The immense interest that this 'King of good times' generates was evident from the fact that the venue was packed to capacity with no standing room left. Mallya took the gathering on a journey of the Kingfisher brand, from its inception to him becoming its brand ambassador to carrying on the Kingfisher legacy.
Taking a dig at the media, he said that the press had always played into his hands, reporting any news about the UB Group, inadvertently keeping the brand in public memory. And as if on cue, when Mallya strode out after delivering his speech he was followed and nearly mobbed by all the mediapersons present there. Not just the press, even people from the audience wanted more of the UB chief and hall all but emptied after Mallya's departure.
Here's what the UB Group Chairman had to say:
The Awakening
The brand Kingfisher and myself are heavily intertwined. In 1979, after my return from the US, I saw in UB archives the Kingfisher and relaunched the brand. During the process of relaunching, I learnt many lessons. I also did a research by going to colleges asking students on what the Kingfisher brand meant to them and what was their perception of Kingfisher beer, and learnt that it was an aspirational brand. This is when we embedded the key attributes in the brand itself and designed the marketing strategy, for which I asked a sum of Rs 10 lakh from my father but was given only Rs 2 lakh for the entire communication and marketing.
In those days when only Doordarshan existed and alcohol wasn’t allowed to be advertised on television – I learnt an important lesson that distribution was important and so was communication. We had no mass media option and were thinking of every single way to get the brand in the minds of the people and that is when I decided to be the brand myself. We tried to add value to the definition of upwardly mobile, tried to understand what aspirations meant to young people. This is where I learnt another lesson, which is to do things many people want to do, no matter if they can afford it or not. So I chose fashion, sports, and music for the brand.
Branded Appeal
Everyone wants more, to spend more basically wants betterment and that is what we latched on to. I decided to become the brand ambassador myself and since I was the youngest Chairman of a sizeable conglomerate, I immediately caught media attention and the media branded me as playboy, frivolous, spendthrift and that is exactly what I wanted and I thank the media for this. This helped us achieve penetration, and recognition. This is where I learnt the meaning of a brand ambassador. I started to throw big parties. Today, I have the luxury to advertise Kingfisher brand through Kingfisher Airlines and in less than 30 years we have created a superbrand. Today, Kingfisher has a 30 per cent market share and has a penetration in 55 countries worldwide and has achieved global scale.
Carrying on the Legacy
I have no pretence that I have become a brand, in fact, if you can put a face to the brand, touch and feel the brand, then it is going to be much better off than a completely faceless brand. I received heavy criticism when I roped in the West Indies cricket team in the advertisements and was questioned why not the Indian cricket team. But for me, it is important for the ambassador to personify the Kingfisher brand. Apart from cricket, I put Kingfisher on Formula One, which was another aspirational move. With this, I made Kingfisher global in its entire perspective. The whole idea was to achieve international presence.
A big name draws a bigger audience and thus, big brand ambassadors draw more attention. Today though Mr Bachchan is endorsing about 60 brands and doing it well, it is difficult for me to say if there is any brand which is close to his heart. Another personality, which embodies the brand itself, is Richard Branson of Virgin Atlantics. He truly lives his brand.
It is even difficult to separate Bill Gates from Microsoft, Narayana Murthy from Infosys, the Ambanis from Reliance and Ratan Tata from Tata Indica.
It is very important to recognise that perhaps the CEO is the most effective hoarding of the brand. This is especially true for the entertainment business. Having said that, brand and companies far outlive individuals, and then it is up to the successor to carry the brand legacy forward.
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E4M Our strategy is to target younger audiences through Sports: Rajiv Dubey, Dabur
The Head of Media at Dabur India spoke exclusively to exchange4media on the World Cup, associating with Indian Idol, the company’s digital spending and much more
With quirky campaigns, memes and moment marketing, timed with the ongoing World Cup and particularly the India-Pakistan matches, Dabur India has got considerable consumer attention for its popular brands – Red Paste, Cool King Hair Oil, Chyawanprash, Dabur Vita and the recently launched Bae Fresh Gel toothpaste.
The 140-year-old company is going big on key sporting events, World Television Premiere (WTP) movies and reality shows. It is now gearing up to become the title sponsor of popular talent show ‘Indian Idol’ on Sony TV for the first time, shared Rajiv Dubey, who leads the media strategy at Dabur.
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Swapan Seth's new book 'COOL' is out
The book is a reflection of the author's 'eclectic taste across categories'
Advertising professional and art collector Swapan Seth has announced the launch of his new book COOL. The book is described as "a ready reckoner to the hip and the happening, of the known and the very unknown."
The book is a reflection of the author's "eclectic taste across categories: from boltholes to exotic hideaways."
COOL has been published by Simon & Schuster India and is available on Amazon.
Seth is an ad veteran with a long and illustrious career in the industry. He became the youngest-ever Creative Director at Clarion at age 24. He was VP at 26 at Trikaya Grey. Two years later, he started his agency Equus.
He writes for publications such as The Economic Times, Hindustan Times and India Today. This is his second book and he has previously published THIS IS ALL I HAVE TO SAY.
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Disney Star signs 9 sponsors for Asia Cup PAK
Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up come on board
e4m Staff Disney Star has signed nine broadcast and digital streaming sponsors for the upcoming Asia Cup.
Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up have come on board for the upcoming tournament.
As reported earlier by exchange4media, Disney Star has sought Rs 26 crore for the co-presenting sponsorship on TV and Rs 30 crore for Disney+ Hotstar.
According to industry sources, the associate sponsorship on Star Sports has been priced at Rs 19.66 crore, whereas for the ‘powered by’ sponsorship on Disney+ Hotstar, the broadcaster is seeking Rs 18 crore.
As per the information available with exchange4media, Disney+ Hotstar has three sponsorship tiers-- co-presenting (Rs 30 crore), powered by (Rs 18 crore) and associate sponsorship (Rs 12 crore). The broadcaster is offering an estimated reach of 120-140 million for co-presenting sponsors, 90-100 million for powered by and 60-70 million for associate sponsorship.
A spot buy for 10 seconds has been priced at Rs 25 lakh for the India vs Pakistan matches, while for the non-India matches, the ad rate for 10 second is Rs 2.3 lakh. The India matches plus the final for ODIs has been priced at Rs 17 lakh per 10 seconds.
Asia Cup is scheduled to be held from 30 August, 2023, to September 17, 2023.
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Sorted 360 wins creative & social media mandate of Reliance Mall
The agency will manage offline and online campaigns for Reliance Mall
Sorted 360, an integrated creative and social media agency, has won the mandate to providing brand solutions for Reliance Malls across India.
“Sorted 360 is set to enhance Reliance Malls' market presence with their unparalleled creative prowess and strategic thinking,” read a press release.
“Sorted 360's commitment to pushing the boundaries of creative communication aligns perfectly with Reliance Malls' ethos. With a pan-India presence spanning across 19 cities and growing, Reliance Malls has consistently captivated customers by offering an array of Reliance brands and third-party fashion & lifestyle brands. The mall has established an unparalleled connection with its patrons through superior quality, a remarkable value proposition, and an unmatched shopping experience,” it read further.
"We are thrilled to welcome Sorted 360 as our trusted partner in advancing our brand presence across the nation," said the Head of Marketing at Relaice Malls. "Their proven expertise in retail, shopping center management, and innovative creative strategies make them the perfect fit for our vision."
"Partnering with Reliance Malls is a testament to our commitment to shaping extraordinary brand experiences," remarked Prerana Anatharam, Co-founder of Sorted 360. "We are excited to leverage our strategic and creative acumen to further elevate Reliance Malls as the epitome of convenience, choice, and excellence."
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KlugKlug onboards Hemang Mehta as Country Manager for Indias
Mehta was most recently Head of Agency Relationships at Network 18 Media & Investments
KlugKlug has appointed Hemang Mehta as its Country Manager for India.
Mehta will play a pivotal role in driving KlugKlug's growth and expansion within the Indian market and be responsible for Sales & GTM Strategy
Prior to that, he has also represented organisations like Exponential (now VDX.tv), India Today Digital and Rediff.com. His expertise spans various domains including digital media sales, mobile marketing, media planning, and buying, social media marketing, and more.
Hemang Mehta expressed his enthusiasm about joining KlugKlug, saying, "I am thrilled to be a part of KlugKlug, a forward-thinking platform that is reshaping the influencer marketing landscape. As much as I look forward to collaborating with the exuberant team at KlugKlug, I am super excited to interact with the brands to deliver powerful data-backed Influencer solutions that will guarantee business outcomes."
Commenting on the appointment, Kalyan Kumar, Co-Founder and CEO of KlugKlug, stated, "We are excited to welcome Hemang Mehta to our team as the Country Manager for India. His extensive experience in digital media sales and marketing will be instrumental in driving our efforts to provide influencer marketing solutions to our clients. We believe Hemang's leadership will be key in scaling our operations and expanding our reach within the Indian market."
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