IndusInd Bank, the private sector bank has appointed Ogilvy & Mather as its new advertising agency. The account is estimated to be worth Rs. 40 crore. O&M will take care of all the creatives across print, electronic, radio and digital. Prior to this, the account was handled by RK Swamy BBDO.

Other agencies who participated in the pitching process were JWT, Rediffusion, Saatchi & Saatchi and Mudra.

Speaking about the development, Mohit Ganju, Head, Marketing, IndusInd Bank, said, “We basically need fresh ideas for specific brand planning. We are impressed by the past work done by O&M.”

Piyush Pandey, Chairperson, O&M India, added further, “We are really excited about working with IndusInd Bank and are all geared up to reposition the brand and do some path breaking work. It will surely be a challenging task but we are all excited about the new mandate of transforming its image into a young, dynamic and responsive brand.”

A huge crowd of spectators at the Eden, screaming and hoping that Chris Gayle can smash Anil Kumble all over the park, Matthew Hayden coming in to bat carrying a Mongoose, high decibel music coupled with dancing cheerleaders succeeding every boundary or wicket, Saurav Ganguly using all his captaincy brains to get Sachin Tendulkar out. These statements which might have been fragments of imagination or even absurdity a couple of years back is now the reality of the Indian Premier League. The slam-bang format of the so called “Gentleman’s Game” has been further sensationalized by the IPL. In a recent interview, Saurabh Tiwary (Mumbai Indians) said “If you make a century in a Ranji match, nobody notices, but even a quick-fire 30 in the IPL makes you popular.” Although this statement raises a lot of questions, it certainly gives one clear answer – The Indian Premier League has captured the imagination of the country.

The limited version of the game began with a 60 over format. Today a 20 over format is recognized and it has earned recognition. Add to this, shorter boundaries, batsman friendly pitches, breathtaking amount of money, fashion shows, plethora of sponsors and you have the recipe for the IPL. Experts often term this format as the “death of bowlers”. When you give it a thought, 10 batsmen, 20overs with no bowler being allowed to bowl more than 4, on flat tracks does seem a tad unfair to the bowlers. People on the other side of the spectrum defend themselves by calling it a “Test for bowlers” and entertainment for the masses. One cannot deny that it is thrilling to watch a Sehwag or a Gilchrist relentlessly smashing the ball to all corners or a team getting past 200 in 20overs. It is no doubt very entertaining, but this brings us to the biggest question of them all- What is IPL? Is it cricket? Or is it entertainment?

The government has been at loggerheads with the BCCI, the issue being the imposition of entertainment tax on the IPL. Two teams battling it out on the field is just a miniscule aspect of the IPL. Terms like revenue, sponsors, franchise have become part of the game like never before. What is it about IPL that is attracting so much of star power and money power? One answer is that IPL is a sensational platform for “Brand-building”. Various brands have showcased themselves either as individual sponsors of franchises or as a franchise itself. Sponsors greatly believe in the brand building capacity of the IPL. Mumbai Indians get revenue close to 50cr from their individual sponsors (Videocon Mobile Services, Thomas Cook, Kingfisher, Pepsi to name a few). Take a look at their jersey and you’ll have a hard time counting all the logos of the different brands in there. In addition, franchises earn from gate receipts, in-stadia advertising, merchandise sales as well as media tie-ups. SetMax renegotiated a deal of Rs 8,200cr with the IPL last year. Franchises get 80% of the revenue coming in from Max this year. No wonder two new teams are eager to become part of the bandwagon even at a base price of 225 million dollars. Also, the publicity that Shahrukh Khan, Shilpa Shetty, Preity Zinta, Vijay Mallya get during the tournament is so extensive, that now even Saifeena wants to join the party. According to analysts, the smaller franchises like KKR or the Rajasthan Royals will be logical from the business point of view, if they look for a stake out. I simply ask….ARE WE STILL TALKING CRICKET?

Next year with two new teams, 94 matches will have to be covered in the allotted 45 days. So “overdose of cricket” is set to have a new definition. The BCCI sits at the top of all charts, their profits expected to touch 700cr this year. Indulging in such exorbitant finances speaks volumes of a country where children still die eating mud. A country where national hockey players have to go on strike for their 5 figure salaries boasts of buying foreign players for millions of dollars. India is getting the eyes of the world with the IPL, it remains to be decided though if the eyes are gaping in awe at this spectacle or glaring in dismay at the foolishness. As viewers, IPL is a treat to watch- action packed and fun filled, but as citizens of a developing country, I think it’s time we start looking beyond the madness…

– Sanchayan Bhattacharjee –

That night in 1999 I shall always remember,
Of a sacred fraternity I became a member.
A team trailing for the entire match,
was resilient enough for a victory to snatch!
Ole & Teddy scored in injury time,
And a man called SAF was in his prime.
These names that day I did not know,
What mattered was, Man united had won at Camp Nou.
It was love at first sight, of that I was sure,
A Red Devil I was form that moment I assure.

A club that was killed, a plane crash to blame,
Emerged much stronger, if not the same.
Today clubs there r many, 1 richer than the other.
At United, we count trophies, abut money no1 bothers!
Of the Cantona, Becks, RVN, Ronaldo…people always talk,
They all were made in United, under the guidance of a Scot!
Loyalty is something that’s alien to footballers,
Giggs, Schloes, Neville are examples to all others.
For united they live, for united they die,
When I say, “All football fans respect them” I dun think I lie.

The Scousers say that “Devils brag!!”,
Keep barking with your 17, our 18th will soon b in the bag.
Gunners play football, all of us would pay 2 c,
Last title in 2005…OMG, what misery!!
This season Man City, have become noisy,
They do have the money; but their game’s still lousy.
“Chelsea r b8r than united” is what they keep chanting,
All I remember is VDS making a save and N.Anelka panting!
A captain whose morality has gone down the drain,
Ballack, Drogba, Malouda…all brawns, no brains.

The transfer of CR7 was the talk of the town,
They said that the devils would b nothing without that clown.
People always talk, but united performs,
a new chant, a new legend..The name WAZA is born!!
Our neighbors came to OT…played well throughout,
A certain Michael Owen showed them the way out.
Gunners, Scousers etc- to conquer united they all tried,
Each of them in turn was properly fried.
Chelsea got the b8r of us on 2 match days,
On both occasions, the match officials were dreaming in a daze!

A jinx conquered, past Milan in2 the next round,
But then the difficulties started abound.
Too many tough matches…without enough pause,
Waza out for a month, not helping the cause.
However, united never cries unlike many others,
In such hard times, we devils always BELEIVE like brothers.
Carling Cup is already ours, two more still can be won,
but even without them, in our hearts..United is number 1!
We play for respect and not just mere dollars,
We alwz have the confidence and pride to raise our collars.

– Sanchayan Bhattacharjee –

Mindshare, the marketing and media network agency (part of WPP group) has won the account to handle the media duties of Dhanlaxmi Bank. The decision was made after a multi-pitching process, which included MediaVest Worldwide and TME, the media arm of Rediffusion Y&R.

The media spend is expected to be approx Rs. 30 crore.

Confirming the news, Sheran Mehra head marketing and communications Dhanlaxmi Bank said, “Strategic media planning is a must for effective communication. As we expand pan-India and venture into new areas of financial services, we have the challenging task of reaching out to a much wider group of audiences, while keeping the existing customers efficiently involved with the Bank. With Mindshare as our partners, we are confident of creating effective brand awareness and maximizing our brand visibility in a short span of time.”

Gowthaman Ragothaman, leader, Mindshare, South Asia also added, “We are delighted to be working with Dhanlaxmi Bank which is all set to enter into its next orbit of growth. We are confident that our media strategy will help the bank in reaching out to is diverse target audience amid the changing market dynamics.”

Mindshare would be responsible for designing and implementing strategies across print, electronic, radio and digital.

Kent RO Systems, the makers of Kent RO Water Purifiers have appointed Law & Kenneth as its creative agency. There was no pitching process involved. Earlier the account was handled by Glaze Ads. The account is estimated to be worth Rs.35 crore.

On the win, Mahesh Gupta, chairman, Kent RO Systems commented on the development, “We were looking for a fresh strategy. Law & Kenneth came up with a concept that was impressive.”

The campaign designed by Law & Kenneth would feature five television commercial in a series. The earlier ads would emphasize on the product and it’s USP, the unique three-stage purification process. The next series of ads will revolve around consumer stories aimed at building awareness about impure water being a major source for diseases.
Anil S Nair, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Partner, Law & Kenneth confirmed the news and added, “The product mechanism is complex and the communication needs to simplify it for the consumer. From shaping the brand, the objective now changes a bit to driving the superiority of the brand. We are moving from awareness to the advantage space in communication. The product continues to be the hero. The value addition we have done is to connect the consumer to the brand.”

The campaign will be supported by print media, along with educational programs during monsoons and digital promotions.

“Our job is to ensure that we reach maximum people. There will be a lot of on-ground activation that will educate people on the need for pure water.” concluded Nair.

Shriram Transport Finance Company Limited (STFC), India’s largest player in commercial vehicle finance has appointed Madison Media as its Agency on Record (AOR). The account is estimated to be worth Rs. 50 crore.

Confirming the news, R Sridhar, Managing Director, Shriram Transport Finance Company, said, “We have been dealing with Anugrah Madison for a very long time and have been impressed with its commitment and professionalism. Most advertisers consolidate the spends with one media agency and following the same route, Shriram has hired Madison Media, which has a sterling reputation.”

Sam Balsara, chairperson and managing director, Madison World spoke about the company and the account, “Given the size of the company and its vast influence on the fortunes of the transport sector, which in turn is critical to the Indian economy, the company has maintained a low profile and needs to increase its presence amongst all stake holders. We are confident that our substantial experience and expertise across various categories will enable us to do that in a cost effective manner.”

AOR refers to hiring a firm on an annual basis for areas particularly advertising, media and public relations.

Check out the latest Question Bank on Advertising and Marketing Research here.

Goodluck for your exams 🙂

With the Indian job market halfway out of the septic tank and the academic year being only a few months away from conclusion, it’s possible that some people have already begun drafting their resumes for the various internships and jobs that lie ahead. To guide these early birds and others who’ve just got their eyes on the worm, listed below are some guidelines to be followed while ‘constructing’ a good BMM resume/curriculum vitae. Here goes;

1. Call me!

Mention important details like contact information first.

The person reading the resume will be most likely to remember information mentioned at the beginning and the end of the document. Therefore, mention your name, address, telephone, email, and date of birth (in that order preferably) so that it’s the first thing they see on your resume (they won’t mind scrolling down a bit to see the details that matter to them, so make sure that they also register the details that matter to you).

Note: Double check your contact details for typos/outdated details. It’s very annoying for an employer to make the much awaited call only to find that they’ve called the wrong number or that it is ‘temporarily out of service.’ Remember, we are BMM students – media and communication are our forte, so all communication media (telephones/email ids/mobiles) mentioned in the resume should be up and running!

2. Do you know who I am?

The personal details must be followed by the information most relevant to the application viz. your job experience.

The first thing to remember when penning down one’s job experience is that it HAS to be tabulated. Do not mention it in bullet points (it’s not an essay). Also, make sure that you mention the most recent job’s details first (such as current position; unless it happens to be ‘unemployed’ in which case you can give that a miss) and go backwards to the least recent job.

Give a brief gist of each previous post just highlighting the employer, post held, and duration. Please do not exaggerate/mention bogus postings just because someone’s agreed to give you an experience letter. That’ll only take you as far as the interview and decrease the probability of scoring any after you’ve been rejected there.

3. I studied hard JUST for you!

Educational details are next on the list after job experience

Needless to say, this too needs to be tabulated as it saves space and is more reader friendly. Your employer/potential employer wouldn’t like to dig past your 10th results to find out you’ve done BMM, so make sure you mention the most recent course, university, date of passing, and percentage/grade first. Go backwards from there on (same format). They will read what interests them.

Note: Do add in any courses, which might be relevant to the job sought. Your having done Level Two of Ball-room dancing is unlikely to create much buzz anywhere but the course in spoken Japanese would help if the company had an affiliation with a Japanese company. So if you are a six-week, off-the-internet, so-called ‘Microsoft certified’ hardware engineer applying for a post as Dietician, it’s more likely to irritate than help. Keep it short, keep it relevant.

4. And the award goes to…

Mention any significant awards/recognitions you’ve won over the years. It helps further the impression.

First in a class running race in 3rd standard doesn’t count. 2nd in a certain event at a BMM festival does. Unless you were a remarkable scholar/athlete in school (state level/national level Olympiad/athletics champ and the like) you can omit details of those exploits. Mention any awards you may have received after the 10th grade. And make sure these are also TABULATED and arranged in an order with the most recent on top going backwards to the least recent.

5. Say Cheese!

Photographs are not mandatory but they do no harm.

Even if the mirror does crack when you look at your reflection, there’s no harm in letting your potential employer know that. If it does matter to them, they’re not going to close their eyes while interviewing you (metaphorically, and literally). Include a photograph with a light background wearing attire that contrasts with the background (formals preferable).

6. Miscellaneous Points

– Mention details about any languages known to you. You never know when it’ll give you an edge.
– Do not bluff about current salary. Someone is likely to do their homework and come up with the correct figure. If you’ve bluffed, you’ve as good as lost the job. Not because you made them work for the data, but because you’re untrustworthy.
– One page is for personal details, one page for education and experience. Long lists of research papers etc. are unlikely to be perused. It can be clumped under – ‘have contributed to numerous research papers in ‘human Psychology’ with the notation that details will be provided if asked. Believe me, if you cannot make an impression in two pages, you aren’t likely to make it in four, except as a boring pedantic loser.

7. Resume Formatting

– Format your resume well. Use page borders. Do not make it flashy. Do not use fonts such as ‘Comic Sans,’ ‘Lucida Handwriting,’ or ‘Copperplate Gothic.’

‘Times New Roman’, ‘Arial’ and ‘Calibri’ are the best picks.
– Enclose a CD with some of the projects you’ve worked on in college (if they’re good). These usually come in handy for making a good impression.
– Mention your interests and hobbies towards the end. It’s a nice way to sum yourself up at the end of your resume.

Hope this serves good enough!

– Raghav Rao –