Raj Thackeray’s diktat against the Bachchans: Idea hoardings bear the brunt

It has taken an off-the-cuff comment to further stoke the fires of the Marathi-North India tension in Maharashtra. And bearing the brunt of this latest fracas are hoardings and OOH displays featuring the Bachchan family. exchange4media takes stock of the situation and speaks with some leading OOH players on the unfortunate development.

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Sep 10, 2008 8:39 AM  | 4 min read
Raj Thackeray’s diktat against the Bachchans: Idea hoardings bear the brunt

This is something that Idea might have never taken into consideration while spending mega-rupees on it outdoor advertising blitzkrieg. Veteran actress and Samajwadi Party MP Jaya Bachchan had recently said at the music launch function of her son Abhishek’s forthcoming film ‘Drona’: “People of Maharashtra, please excuse me. I am from Uttar Pradesh so I will speak in Hindi”, followed by a giggle.

This off-the-cuff comment was enough to further stoke the fires of the Marathi-North India tension in Maharashtra. Reacting to this comment, Raj Thackeray issued a diktat, putting a ban on all promotional campaigns featuring the Bachchan family in Mumbai and other parts of Maharastra. Following this diktat, activists of Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) have gone on a rampage pulling down or defacing all hoardings and outdoor displays with even a hint of Bachchan on them.

The worst sufferer has been Idea. Hoardings, displays, bus shelters featuring Abhishek Bachchan have been vandalised in Mumbai, Nasik, Thane, Beed, Latur, Ahmednagar, Sangli and Nanded. Other campaigns that have faced the MNS ire include Binani Cement and Parker Pen, both of which are endorsed by Amitabh Bachchan. Posters of Big B’s forthcoming film, ‘The Last Lear’, have also been vandalised.

exchange4media spoke to the advertising fraternity and OOH players to get their reactions on the latest fracas. While all of them felt that it was time for the Maharashtra Government to bring the situation under control, others came up with solutions and questioned the right to speech in a cosmopolitan city like Mumbai, the commercial capital of India.

Praveen Vadhera, Country Head, OOH, 141 Bates, the OOH agency for the Idea campaign, said, “It is a wait and watch situation for us and we shall decide our next course of action by the end of the day. At this hour, it’s a great loss for our client Idea, in terms of visibility of the campaign and of course, there is a huge monetary loss too.”

Indrajit Sen, CEO, Stroer Media India, had a word of advice for media owners. He said, “For media owners, it is an occupational hazard. I would suggest that from now onwards, the affected media owners can cover such unforeseen losses by getting their properties insured under the riot, fire and malicious damaging insurance policy. As far as the client is concerned, I feel that Idea officials should take up the case in the court of law against the political party involved.”

Vijay Cavale, Vice-President, Infinity Media, a 360-degree media agency, said, “Such actions are driven by vested interests and mar the industry in a big way. They have to bear unnecessary losses for no fault of theirs. It is a pity that even after 61 years of Independence such instances keep happening in cities like Mumbai, which is not only a cosmopolitan city, but also the financial capital of India. Actions such as these by political parties does not justify their act by dismantling the OOH property of the outdoor media owners, rather the party workers should have resolved the case in the court of law.”

Kalpesh T Vora, Director, Creation Publicity, said, “The rules against the use of language should be laid down properly by the State Government so that the industry per se should not be a victim of the actions and reactions of a third party. Already, media owners are facing a lot of monetary burden as we need to upgrade our sites and comply to new rules and regulations that are imposed by the BMC, and now with such unforeseen instances, it seems that the problems of a media owner in Mumbai are never ending.”

Satish Singh, CEO, Outdoor Media Integrated (a division of Laqshya Outdoor Media), also condemned the move. He said, “It is unfortunate to see such things happen in a country which is regarded to be the world’s biggest democracy. The right to speech is now a question that can be debated in the court of law. As of now, the Government officials who are responsible for the law and order in the State, should take up this issue with the political party concerned and prevent the outdoor industry from such uncalled for and unforeseen losses.”

At the time of filing this report, Mumbai Police had stepped in and issued a prohibitory order preventing Raj Thackeray from making provocative speeches and holding press conferences for a month till October 7. However, the MNS chief ridiculed that and said, “It seems that the Government has extra stationery... they keep on issuing me notices. Let them issue notices, I will keep on expressing my views.”

With such an impasse, what remains to be seen is whether how the outdoor industry can safeguard itself in future.

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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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