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Thus helping you build your shopper equity this February is In-Store Asia 2012. Slated to happen from 16th February’ 2012 to 18th February’ 2012. In its 7th edition, the event continues with its focus on the in-store environment but with a finely honed delivery strategy that ensures that all content needs across a range of formats and practices are addressed.

Talking about the change in the delivery strategy Sachin Jante, Chief Content Planner & Marketing Strategist, VJ Media Works, says “The transformation in approach will be evident on various levels. At the primary level, existing modules have been tweaked to enhance effectiveness like, for example, the convention has been bifurcated along product service categories, further on the creation of an exclusive designer pavilion at the Expo. Then there is the addition of new modules and programs that enhance, recognize the varied aspects of in-store environment and people, like the Material Lounge, POPAI OMA Awards, a live VM challenge module and an exclusive VM workshop for students.”

A lot more awaits you at In-Store Asia 2012; the three days are all set to offer everything from wisdom to solutions that help build your shopper equity. Standing true to its essence In-Store Asia’s 7th edition promises to be a platform for leveraging & cultivating effective sophistication in retail endeavors.

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As the region’s must-attend learning platform and awards for effectiveness, the Festival will bring together a top panel of 34 renowned industry experts from across the region, led by this year’s Jury Chair, James Thompson, Chief Marketing Officer, Diageo Asia Pacific. Jury members will judge entries into the 17 awards categories before announcing and revealing the winners at the Awards Ceremony on Friday 27 April at the Grand Ballroom, Pudong Shangri La in Shanghai, China.

“We’re delighted that we can bring together such a great mixture of professionals from the communications industry. The Asian Marketing Effectiveness Festival is important in setting the benchmark for the region’s marketing strategies and deciphering those that are leading the way in delivering results and transforming businesses. It’s important that we have the right calibre of people debating which entries should be taking home the prestigious awards and with this line-up we’ve certainly achieved that,” says Myriam Coupard, Festival Director of the Asian Marketing Effectiveness Festival.

The 2012 jury are:

James Thompson, Chief Marketing Officer, Diageo Asia Pacific, Singapore – Jury President
Wasim Basir, Director – Integrated Marketing Communications, Coca-Cola India
Stephanie Bell, Regional Media Director, L’Oreal, Thailand
David Brain, President & Chief Executive Officer Asia Pacific, Edelman, New Zealand
Charles Cadell, Regional Managing Director, McCann Worldgroup, Singapore
Pully Chau, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Greater China, Draftfcb, China
Barry Cupples, Chief Executive Officer Asia Pacific, Omnicom Media Group, Singapore
Jonathan Daly, Regional Planning Director, Asia Pacific, Saatchi & Saatchi, Singapore
Mathilde Delhoume-Debreu, Director, Brand Building Integrated Communication, EMEA & Asia, Procter & Gamble, Switzerland
Rupen Desai, Regional President, Lowe + Partners Asia Pacific, Singapore
Matt Fanshawe, Managing Director Asia Pacific, EuroRSCG, Singapore
David Glass, Vice President Regional Marketing Asia Pacific, Wrigley, Hong Kong
Justin Graham, Executive Planning Director, Droga5, Australia
Matthew Godfrey, President Asia, Y&R, Singapore
Pete Heskett, South East Asia Planning Director, JWT, Singapore
Paul Hu, Executive Vice President, Land Rover China
Neil Hudspeth, Chief Digital Officer Asia Pacific, Leo Burnett Group, Singapore
Sheena Jeng, China Chair & Chief Creative Officer, Publicis China
Julie Lyle, Chief Marketing Officer, Prudential Corporation Asia, Hong Kong
Anthony Lau, Head of Marketing, Pacific Credit Card Centre, Bank of Communications, China
Andrew Meadon, Regional Director, GroupM Asia Pacific, Hong Kong
Paolo Mercado, Head of Marketing Communications, Greater China Region, Nestle China
Joanna Mobley, Group Director of Ingredient Marketing, Innovation & Business Ventures, Fonterra, New Zealand
Leonardo O’Grady, Director ASEAN Integrated Marketing & Communications, Coca-Cola Asia Pacific, Singapore
Tracy Ren, Head of Marketing, Pricing & Customer Analytics, Standard Chartered Bank, China
Dona S Arcilla, Group Head Marketing & Communications Group, Philippine Savings Bank, The Philippines
Nirvik Singh, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Asia Pacific, Grey Group, Singapore
Mark Sinnock, President, Strategy & Planning, Ogilvy & Mather Group Asia Pacific, Singapore
Chris Thomas, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer BBDO Asia, Middle East & Africa, Chairman Proximity Worldwide, BBDO/Proximity, Singapore
Ian Thubron, President, TBWA/Greater China, Hong Kong
Mei Wai, Head of Marketing, Asia Pacific Breweries Singapore
Haiyan Wang, Marketing Director China, Kraft Foods Corporate Management (Shanghai) Co, China
Charles Wigley, Chairman Asia, BBH, Singapore
James Wong, Managing Director Taiwan, Hong Kong and Korea, Unilever, Taiwan
John Zeigler, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, DDB Group Asia Pacific, India, Japan, DDB Worldwide, Singapore

The entry deadline for the Asian Marketing Effectiveness Festival has been extended to Thursday 16 February. A late entry fee will be applicable, details of which can be found at www.ame.asia along with further information on entering the awards.

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“Indonesia’s news media is in exciting phase given the country’s resilience, economic development and plurality of expression,” said Agung Adiprasetyo, the Chief Executive Officer of Indonesia’s leading national newspaper group, Kompas Gramedia. “We feel very proud of this achievement and it is therefore an honour and a great pleasure for us to welcome this prestigious newspaper convention in Indonesia for the first time.”

For its 12th edition, Publish Asia will take the theme, “Shaping the Future of News Publishing” and focus on case studies showing how media companies across the globe are defining and implementing innovative strategies to secure their future. Over 600 newspaper executives from Asia Pacific and the Middle East are expected to attend the three-day event.

First confirmed speakers include: Jack Matthews, the CEO of Fairfax Metro, Australia; Dipankar Das Purkayastha, Managing Director & CEO at ABP Pte Ltd, India; Paul Jansen, Chairman & Founder, aSpecialMedia, Singapore; Mike Savage, VP Content and Editor of the Asia Media Journal at Media Partners Asia, Hong Kong; Soren Sorensen, Senior Consultant and Owner, Soroso Strategy & Advice, Denmark; Grig Davidovitz, CEO, RGD Media, Israel; Muk Kwong Meng, Senior Production Manager (Engineering), Newspaper Services, SPH, Singapore; Ross Dunkley, CEO, Myanmar Times and Phonm Penh Post; Sanjoy Narayan, Editor-in-Chief, The Hindustan Times, India; and Juan Señor, Partner, Innovation Media Consulting, UK.

“Indonesia is a very young country,” said Azrul Ananda, the President and Director of Jawa Pos, Indonesia’s largest newspaper group with over 180 dailies spread over the country. “Half of the population is actually below 29 years old. This means that there is a lot of enthusiasm and energy flowing in our society and in our newspapers. I have no doubt that Publish Asia’s delegates will feel and get inspired by this positive energy.”

WAN-IFRA’s Asia Pacific Committee chose Bali for its easy accessibility and the excellent flight connections with all major Asian cities. Additionally, Bali also boasts of world-class conference facilities at the newly opened Convention Centre, where the APEC and ASEAN summits were held. “Bali is well known for its beautiful beaches and natural beauty,” said Satria Naradha, the President and Director of Bali Post. “We are eagerly looking forward to welcome our peers from across the region and extend our Balinese hospitality!”

Publish Asia 2012 will cover the management, advertising, newsroom and production aspects of the newspapers and news publishing business. It will include the following:

The CEO Conference will look at how the media landscape is changing and how publishers can adapt and define their strategies to ensure a successful future.

The Newsroom Summit will tackle the problems and challenges facing Editors, Managing Editors, News Editors, Chief Reporters and all those who are involved in leading and managing newsrooms in a multiple media environment.

The Printing Summit, aimed especially at technical and production directors, prepress and plant managers as well as IT heads who are tasked with managing the publishing and printing operations, will concentrate on new technologies and trends with a special emphasis on cost-saving tools and techniques in production.

The Advertising Summit aims to cover the latest trends that are currently transforming the relationship between media companies, advertisers and agencies.

The Expo will showcase the latest technology and service offerings for optimizing newspaper production on print as well as on new media platforms, while one-day learning seminars will offer in-depth insights on specific topics.

Winners of the much awaited Asia Media Awards 2012 will be presented during the Asia Media Awards Gala Dinner on 11 April. Two new award categories will honour this year the best publications in newspaper marketing and in community service. There is still a few days to enter: the deadline for entries submission is on 10th February 2012. (http://www.wan-ifra.org/ama).

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Princess Rym, whose journalism career included stints at CNN, BBC, UPITN, Bloomberg and Radio Monte Carlo, is the founder of the Jordan Media Institute, which is affiliated with the University of Jordan and offers a Masters Degree programme in Journalism and New Media.

She joins regional and international media experts at the annual WAN-IFRA event, which presents best case studies and examines successful strategies for media companies. Full details can be found here.

The two-day conference is built around five big themes that are essential for media companies in the modern age: social media; leadership and human resource management; innovations in newsrooms; advertising revenue generation; and the power of print.

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Better Photography’s contest, currently in its seventh year declared S L Shanthkumar as the rightful winner by the final judge, the legendary photojournalist and Magnum photographer Raghu Rai.

Working with a leading newspaper, S L Shanthkumar was extremely excited after the win. “I am extremely grateful to Better Photography. Being judged by the best in the industry that appreciates and recognizes your talent is an extremely humbling experience. It was hard work and dedication that persuaded me to concentrate on photography. Achieving a title as the ‘photographer of the year’ is completely priceless. I am thrilled and honoured.”

As the grand prize, he has won a Canon EOS 7D, among other exciting prizes and earned the title , Canon-Better Photography Photographer of the Year 2011 on a national platform.

The competition was organized by Better Photography India’s No.1 photography magazine in sponsorship with title partner Canon along with Associate Partner Canvera and Television Partner CNBC TV18 and the win was celebrated at the gala awards ceremony on 1st February 2012. The award night saw a large presence from both sides of the photography fraternity, the photographers as well as the manufacturers.

Seiji Hamanishi, Group Head, Image Communications Products Group, “Canon is delighted to support the Better Photography in this endeavor. Opportunities like these assist people to share their thoughts and ideas through photography and Canon salutes these outstanding minds.”

The contest submissions closed on December 31, 2011 and the magazine received a whopping 66,782 entries. The entrants were allowed to participate in multiple themes with a maximum of four entries per theme. For the photo essay, participants could send up to two series of images-each containing a minimum of six and maximum of 12 images.

The chosen eight contestants were from different cities and were flown to Mumbai and each of the eight categories was selected by an esteemed panel of judges.

The winners of the eight categories are as follows:

The Joy of Colour- S L Shanthkumar, Still Life: Obvious Things- Nilesh Bhange, Portraiture: I, Me, Myself- Nirvair Singh, Reflections- Gokul Mudambile , Landscapes: Play of Light-Neelima Vallangi,Wildlife: Animal Behaviour- Baiju Patil ,Life on the Streets- Sudipto Das, Photo Essay: Song of the Road- Vinit Gupta.
The eight contestants had to fight it out in a decisive final face-off that took place from 29th- 31st January 2012 wherein they had the opportunity to shoot the city of Mumbai through their lenses.

According to Raghu Rai, “These awards are a great platform for young photographers. For them, it is important to realize that their photographs must exude freshness, instead of simply duplicating the kind of work they have seen before. The talent India has is spectacular. All we need to do is to channelize it in a better way, and focus our energies to make pictures that are shot straight from the heart.”

Better Photography editor, K Madhavan Pillai said “The number of entries was unbelievable. It’s the seventh year for the contest and we are going strong. During the category judging we realized that there is so much untapped talent in the country. We plan to conduct many more opportunities through photography to explore the talent and capabilities of the people of India.”

The curtain raiser of Photographer Of the Year 2012 would be telecasted on CNBC TV18 and would be featured on 18th February 2012 at 3:30pm and the final awards show would be telecasted on 19th February 2012 at 5:30pm. The contest was promoted on a large scale through television promotions on CNBC TV18, CNN IBN, Awaaz, CNN IBN, IBN Lokmat, magazine advertisements in Better Photography, Overdrive, T3, Chip, AV Max, Better Interiors, Entrepreneur, Burrp, Noise Factory along with banner ads across web18 sites including In.com , Moneycontrol.com , Ibnlive, Ibn khabar, Cricketnext.com and e-mailers to the vast Network 18 database.

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The 23rd edition of the record book was launched at a special event by Pandit Ravi Shankar, legendary sitar maestro, along with Ahmet C Bozer, President, Eurasia and Africa Group, The Coca-Cola Company, Atul Singh, President & CEO, Coca-Cola India & South West Asia, and Vijaya Ghose, Editor, Limca Book of Records .

Speaking at the launch event, the Chief Guest and world renowned sitar maestro, Pandit Ravi Shankar said, “I congratulate Limca Book of Records for completing 23 years of showcasing India’s best. By bringing out the 23rd edition as a music special and honoring some of the country’s most acclaimed artists, the book will inspire many more people to take up music. Music runs in the veins of every individual, and it is the thread that binds us all together. I am humbled to have been chosen to felicitate these great musicians on behalf of the Limca Book of Records for their outstanding contribution to the world of music. I thank Limca Book of Records for dedicating this edition to music, and spreading the message of India’s rich musical heritage.”

Applauding the unparalleled contribution of the music maestros to the field of music, Ahmet C. Bozer, President, Eurasia and Africa Group, The Coca-Cola Company said, “ Limca Book of Records is a truly remarkable platform that, every year, brings to fore astounding achievements by Indians across various fields. But like most of our brands and trademarks, its owners are the millions of people and not the Company. The value that people attach to this record book is unparalleled and that is what keeps us honest and motivated. I am privileged to share this platform with such luminaries of Indian music and on behalf of the Company I thank them for being here with us today.”

With 20 refreshing and informative chapters, the 2012 edition of the record book celebrates over 10,000 remarkable achievements out of which 6,000 are new records, all showcasing extraordinary feats of Indians across the globe.

According to Atul Singh, President & CEO, Coca-Cola India & South West Asia, “Limca Book of Records is now an iconic platform to showcase the special talents of unknown, unheard and unsung Indian heroes. It has been the consistent endeavor of the team behind the Limca Book of Records to scout for and include unique records that would never have otherwise seen the light of day. The book truly catalogues India at her best and provides us with the opportunity to acknowledge and applaud these inspiring efforts.”

Speaking about the 23rd Edition of the Record Book, Vijaya Ghose, Editor, Limca Book of Records said, “The Limca Book of Records has, since its inception in 1990, been a book with the aim to seek out, encourage and applaud efforts of Indians surprising the world with their treasure trove of talent. In its 23rd year, Limca Book of Records salutes Indian maestros from the field of Music, thus continuing its endeavor of encouraging talent and achievements par excellence. The Limca Book of Records is proud to pick up these10 talented musicians to honor and applaud”.

Quotes from Limca Book of Records ‘People of the Year’ 2012:

Asha Bhosle: “I am honored to be sharing this platform with such an illustrious set of musical stalwarts, and also for being included in the Limca Book of Records with so many inspiring Indian achievers from all over India. I am very happy that this year, LBR is acknowledging the efforts of musicians. This gesture is very motivating for every individual to showcase their talent.”

Ustad Zakir Hussain: “I am humbled by this recognition. The Limca Book of Records is a one-of-a kind book of achievements and to be a part of this is, indeed, a great honour. I am hoping that this Music Special inspires more and more people to take to music as an art and further enrich our culture and tradition.”

Teejan Bai: “I thank Limca Book of Records for bestowing this honour upon me and for dedicating this year’s edition to Indian music. The fact that I am sharing the stage with such illustrious and popular artists will continue to motivate me and further popularize Pandavaani.”

Dr. Yesudas: “I compliment Limca Book of Records for completing 23 glorious years. It is amazing to see the record book becoming an institution in itself by encouraging every Indian from different sector to do their best in their respective fields. This felicitation is indeed special and I would like to thank the team of Limca Book of Records for conferring the honor on me.”

Dr. L Subramaniam: “I thank the Limca Book of Records for showcasing the success of Indian music and for honoring me on this platform. I also want to acknowledge the presence of Pt. Ravishankar Ji who has travelled an enormous distance to be with us today.”

Shubha Mudgal: “Indian music is as diverse as the land itself, and for me, it is a matter of great pride that the Limca Book of Records has acknowledged my humble efforts in this special edition.”

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The new competition will see teams of two briefed to work on a special project on behalf of the client, either a charity or non-profit organisation. Given just 24 hours, teams will be required to deliver a brand identity for the project which may be fictional or real depending on the appointed client. Within the allotted time competitors must produce a logo/brand identity, a 150-word description of how the brand identity fits the brief and a 150-word description of how the brand would evolve.

Steve Latham, Cannes Lions Director of Talent & Training, commented, “Cannes Lions prides itself on providing unrivalled opportunities, experiences and training for the rising stars of the industry. With the introduction of the Design Lions category in 2008 it makes sense for us to recognise and encourage the young design community, allowing them to showcase their talents on the global stage at Cannes.”

The competition is open to young designers holding positions such as graphic designer, web designer, retail designer, product designer and other specialised design roles. Competitors will be welcomed from design agencies and advertising agencies and should be aged 28 years and under.

The Young Lions Design Competition will see competitors briefed on Sunday 17 June, with the competition running on Monday 18 June. Entries will be judged by the Design Lions Jury. The winners of the competition will be announced and presented with their medals at the Press, Design, Radio and Cyber Lions Awards Ceremony taking place on Wednesday 20 June in Cannes, France.

The Young Lions Design competition will sit alongside the existing Print, Cyber, Media, Film and Marketers competitions. With a dedicated Young Lions Zone providing networking opportunities, other Festival activities for the young in Cannes include a series of master classes given by high-profile speakers, The Cannes Creative Academy for Young Marketers and the newly-launched Young Creative Academy, details of which will be released soon. For information on how to take part, those interested should contact their local Festival Representative for details: www.canneslions.com/representatives/

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In keeping with the ambience of a rock show, Percept Activ creatively gave the whole atmosphere a rustic look. Set against the backdrop of LED walls, Dhanush, the lead actor of the movie and the ‘Kolaveri’ star, took center stage for a live performance. The song ‘Why This Kolavari Di’, which instantly became viral on social networking sites for its quirky Tanglish (Tamil-English) lyrics, rocked the audiences throughout the evening. This time, the audio launch of the movie ‘3’ was innovatively done by choosing 6 lucky fans from the audience who came up on stage with the entire cast of the movie and launched the music.

Commenting on the successful execution of the event, Sameer Sethi, Business Head – South, Percept Sports & Entertainment said, “3 was a multi agency pitch, which was turned around by Percept within 6 days. We were instrumental with not only the ideation of the launch but also to set the logistics and venue in place.”

Elaborated Sanjay Shukla, Chief Operating Officer, Percept Activ, “In the last three months, it’s the second time we were doing a movie audio launch, following the music launch of ‘7aam’ of Superstar Surya. We had very little time to create a befitting launch pad of the much hyped track Kolaveri Di. Not only did we manage the venue and the logistics, we comprehensively put together an effective buzz plan to ensure maximum participation within the short span. Experiential marketing is diversifying as an independent and possibly the most effective communication medium today. Whether it’s a product or a film, given our bandwidth, at Percept Activ we ensure to get the right message to the right set of target group at the right time.”

Percept Activ’s flawless planning & execution undeniably made the music launch of the upcoming Tamil movie ‘3’ a grand success.

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Coutinho was awarded the citation and trophy during a gala event at the 5th Indira International Innovation Summit held at Pune recently which was attended by several professional and luminaries from various companies in the information & technology sector.

These awards based on a structured selection procedure seek to honour the best in Technology, Innovators and Entrepreneurs for his or her Innovative contribution to the industry & the fraternity. It also aims to develop an insight into developing a mindset for innovation. The Indira International Innovation Summit is governed by an Advisory Council which guides the strategic intent of the congress to its logical success.

On receiving the award, Coutinho said, “I am honoured to receive this award from the INTERNATIONAL INNOVATION SUMMIT in recognition of our efforts in eCommerce and Digital Marketing innovation at Jet Airways. The award is testimony to our commitment to constantly innovate and use leading edge technology to enhance guest experience. We have been successful in creating world-class eCommerce and digital solutions which have gained immense popularity and we will persist in our endeavor to exceed guest expectations and create benchmarks in service standards for others to follow.”

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Their great Indian adventure starts in Mumbai where they give the local dabbawallas a hand at delivering lunch boxes. Will Mumbai traffic get the best of them? The verdict lies in the hands of the dabbawallas. Next stop is Jaipur, where the boys host a rally to test the mettle of Indian vehicles against their British wares. From a tuk-tuk or auto-rickshaw, to a Nano, an elephant and even the local policemen, the Jaipur dash has a array of racers all set to win the inaugural Top Gear India Hill Speed Climb Event. In Delhi, the boys host a gala with the who’s-who of town in attendance. In typical Top Gear fashion, nothing goes as per plan! With their trade mission going downhill, the boys head uphill to the mountains of Shimla. Will the boys finally get lucky and accomplish what they’ve set out to do? A game of ‘Straight Six Cricket’, a reinvention of cricket by Jeremy, might do the trick!

The world’s biggest car show comes to India for the first time, and you can catch all the action first and exclusively on BBC Entertainment.