Noorings: Bringing an eventful year to a close

The year 2009, despite all its rough twists and turns, still managed to go down as an eventful year for the Indian media and advertising industry. Noor Fathima Warsia recounts the major developments of 2009 and what to look out for in 2010.

e4m by Noor Fathima Warsia
Published: Jan 4, 2010 6:40 AM  | 4 min read
Noorings: Bringing an eventful year to a close

The year 2009, despite all its rough twists and turns, still managed to go down as an eventful year for the Indian media and advertising industry. The kneejerk reactions that were taken by many companies to the economic slowdown in 2008 was either changing or becoming an accepted order of the day – normalcy in that sense, though with a different definition, was the order of the day. It was Dinesh Rathore from Mediavest Worldwide, who had put it succinctly in a conversation with me once that ‘caution is the new normal’. The good thing – at least 2009 was beginning to be normal again.

For exchange4media, it was another year of recognition and a year of being present on various international forums to cover the Indian perspective on the global media landscape or the global perspective on India. CASBAA was one such forum and the discussions there, though limited to Pay TV, were both invigorating and reiterating of the role that India is expected to play in the global scene. For me personally, it was a high of a different kind when Subhash Chandra, who was honoured at the event, referred to exchange4media in his conversation with Steve Marcopoto.

And the conversation with Bernhard Glock, in his new avatar as an entrepreneur, just added to the experience there. Just like any conversation with him, the P&G pitch report carried in impact magazine in 2008 was discussed again, and again we did not tell him the various sources behind that report, and again he complimented us for the kind of work that the Group was doing. Always good to hear such things – we know we must be doing something right.

Looking back, just about every big development of the industry brings back some fine memories. The exchange4media Group was the first to break the news of the NRS-IRS merger. That said, at least Bharat Kapadia won’t let me forget that we had also reported that Hansa Research was going the NRS way. Yes Bharat Bhai, that, in fact, didn’t happen, but who knows what would have happened had the NRS-IRS merger not taken place.

When we had first reported in June 2009 that Time Warner was in conversation with NDTV for NDTV Imagine, many from the industry thought it was a laugh – NDTV was in a steady relation with NBC at the time and Time Warner’s broadcasting arm Turner had a relation with Alva Brothers for Real. A few months later, all kinds of speculation were floating on the subject, and well, the conversations were not so funny anymore – the deal clinched, now we are also looking forward to what this new partnership brings.

The one report, however, that I will remember from this year was the STAR India restructuring and the change in powers that the restructuring had meant for Uday Shankar. Shankar stays high in my list of Indian media professionals that make an impact on our industry and even on what India stands for in the international scene. Much has been written and said against STAR in the year gone by, but with my limited knowledge and view of the industry, STAR still knows what it is doing. Colors and Zee are formidable opponents, but if there is anyone who knows how to throw the ball out of the park, just when everyone is concentrating on the pitch, it is Uday Shankar. So that, and what dear Rajesh Kamat does this year, knowing that all eyes are on him more than ever before, are other areas that I am watching out for in the year.

The last thing on the list that has kept me eager to get the ball rolling in the New Year is the Unilever pitch and the manifestation of the impact of Nokia and Vodafone global pitches. It was interesting how the trade media published different versions of the development on Nokia and Vodafone and 2010 will clinch the ending once and for all.

So, there goes the list of my personal watch-out for, and needless to say, some of the areas that we would be writing more on in the year to come... In the meanwhile, Happy New Year!

(And for our readers to know, these musings do not end with the year – these notes from the Diary would be a weekly feature on exchange4media.com every Monday, beginning January 4, 2010. For feedbacks, comments or just ‘exchanging notes’, please write to noorw@exchange4media.com.)

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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

e4m by e4m Staff
Published: Oct 27, 2023 6:15 PM  | 1 min read
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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'

e4m by e4m Staff
Published: Oct 27, 2023 6:07 PM  | 1 min read
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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 by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 26, 2023 11:48 AM  | 1 min read
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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

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 26, 2023 10:54 AM  | 1 min read
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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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e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 25, 2023 4:39 PM  | 1 min read

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e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 25, 2023 4:38 PM  | 1 min read

KlugKlug onboards Hemang Mehta as Country Manager for Indias

Mehta was most recently Head of Agency Relationships at Network 18 Media & Investments

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 24, 2023 3:35 PM  | 1 min read
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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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