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Speaking on the win, Amarnath, the business head of Gutfeel says, “This win is a fallout of the great work we had done on a one-off project about 2 months ago. Our task is to get Hello FM top of mind amongst the listeners and the advertisers, thereby improve listenership and in turn advertising revenues”

Commenting on the win, Rajeev Nambiar, CEO, Hello Fm said ‘ The team that is currently at Gutfeel were the ones who launched Hello FM while they were at TBWA. We believed their guts in the earlier stint and now in its new avatar, will takes us further as a brand to reckon with”

Remy, the head of content at Hello FM, adds “The team at Gutfeel are fun to work with. They perfectly understand the medium and more importantly are good at understanding the nuances of the Tamil market, which is very critical for us”

Josie, the creative head at Gutfeel sums up the win “The opportunity to do edgy vernacular work is rare. But with Hello FM it’s an everyday opportunity. Our gut is raring to go.”

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Superstar, Rani Mukherjee who was in Abu Dhabi for the launch pushed the launch button, making the station go live across the UAE.

The business partnership also represents Abu Dhabi Media’s first extension into the lucrative south Asian broadcasting sector and the first ever international association for Entertainment Network (India) Ltd. and the Radio Mirchi brand.

Radio Mirchi is the first radio station of its kind in the Emirates to offer nationwide coverage, with three exclusive frequencies- 97.3FM Abu Dhabi, 88.8FM Dubai & northern emirates, and 95.6FM Al Ain- catering to the country’s extensive south Asian expat population.

Prashant Panday, Executive Director & CEO, Entertainment Network (India) Limited, commented: “In India, we are proud to have over 40 million listeners who swear by our brand. Radio Mirchi is known as the gateway to Bollywood and our UAE launch brings the best of the brand and our unique programming innovations to the people of the Emirates. From the biggest heroes, heroines and directors, to the most popular music composers, lyricists and singers- the station has it all. Our first foray overseas is a significant step in the evolution of the Radio Mirchi brand and a landmark event for the company, and we are happy to partner with such a well-known and reputed company like Abu Dhabi Media.”

Malcolm Wall, CEO of Abu Dhabi Media, commented: “The addition of Radio Mirchi to the Abu Dhabi Media portfolio is a significant step for the company. Through this partnership, we have introduced a new target demographic for Abu Dhabi Media that will complement our existing Arabic and English language radio brands. The south Asian community is an important audience here in the Emirates, and Radio Mirchi provides a powerful platform for brands to reach this large and rapidly growing consumer group.”

With international and community news, the hottest music and unrivalled access to Bollywood- all broadcast in a mixture of Hindi and English with a unique flavor from home- Radio Mirchi is sure to inject sunshine and energy into its listeners’ days.

“Abu Dhabi Radio Network is continuously striving to serve the needs of all our communities in the UAE, and the launch of Radio Mirchi will cater to a new audience for the company,” commented Abdul Rahman Awadh Al Harthi, Director of the Abu Dhabi Radio Network. “We are thrilled to bring such a premium brand to the UAE for the first time – the addition will be a real asset to our suite of radio brands and will once again extend Abu Dhabi Radio Network’s reach across the all of the Emirates with its nationwide frequency.”

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The citizens of Bangalore face a host of civic problems, but the issue which is most prominent is the bad condition of the roads in the city, with more than 36 lakh vehicles plying every day. People unanimously voted bad roads as worst problem they face in the city. 92.7 Big FM asked the listeners to call in to vote for the worst roads in Bangalore, giving a list of the top 10 worst roads of Bangalore.

Subsequently, the Breakfast Show was hosted from one of these roads every day. In conjunction with the Corporator of the area, the RJs Harsha and Shruti spoke with the people of the area and discussed the bad roads of the area. They also selected the worst potholes in the area and filled them, with the RJs and Corporator pitching in themselves. This massive on-ground initiative was televised on Suvarna News every day. Some live shows also involved the contractor responsible for asphalting that particular road.

In the current phase of the campaign called “Jail the Jock”, the RJs go to an artificial jail created at Garuda Mall as they are unable to find a solution and are flustered at the state of the bad roads. The RJs will come out of the jail only if 5 worst potholes in Bangalore are filled with the help of the people of Bangalore and the intervention of popular actor Upendra. The popular kannada actor would also host a BIG debate on getting to the core of the problem & roles of administration & the society in minimizing this issue. The event would take place on 29th January, 2012 at Garuda Mall, Bangalore.

The citizens are invited to the jail premises to pledge their support to do their bit to improve the roads of Bangalore. The RJs will be bailed out with 927 signatures. Upendra will be involved during the event to bail the jocks out of jail.

To support the campaign “Eddelu Bengalooru,” in order to improve the roads in the city, the number to SMS is 55454 and the facebook page is www.facebook.com/927bigfmbangalore. To raise your voice against the bad roads in Bangalore, join us at Garuda Mall on 29th January, 2012.

The daily segment of the show continues to monitor the progress on the roads till this March end.

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Followed by a thought provoking TVC and launch of an independent Microsite, Birla Sun Life Insurance roped in Mindshare and Radio Mirchi for their campaign that needed a further 3600 media extension; given the critical role that Protection solutions can play in the customer’s dreams and lives.

Says, Ajay Kakar, Chief Marketing Officer, Financial Services, Aditya Birla Group, “As a brand we believe in identifying unarticulated needs of our customers and contextualizing the role that we can play to meet these. It is important to play a role of a facilitator to sensitize the customer to the uncertainties of life and empower him with solutions that protect his priceless dreams. In order to communicate and effectively engage the customers, it was important for us to select an appropriate activation and media planning partner and our association with Mirchi and Mindshare best helped us to reach out to the mass Indian populace.”

In a unique campaign support, Mindshare and Radio Mirchi urged people to come forward and share their stories of luck and survival. In an extensively launched on-air and on-ground activation, thousands of listeners enlisted their support to the campaign on Mirchi airwaves, shared their unique stories of brave survival, luck and pledged to protect their families and their dreams. Spread over 3 weeks, across 8 markets; the campaign encompassed the theme of ‘safety, security and protection.

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First time in the history of the radio industry, an FM channel has come out with a novel jingle which has many differentiators to its credit: different compositions, different lyrics for different time bands to go with the moods of listeners at different times of the day and different singers for Hindi & Non-Hindi markets. This is radical, considering that most radio stations have had standard lyrics and tunes with slight modifications in tempo to suit the time band.

92.7 BIG FM has bought together some of the finest musicians and singers to bring originality and life to this jingle to make it an unforgettable experience for its listeners. Each singer sang for different time bands and for different languages. For instance Shaan has positive punch in his voice that spells happiness and thus makes his voice perfect fit for drive times and works as a great stress buster. Karthik’s voice is undisputedly the voice of the new generation in south and offers a lot of variety. Suraj Jagan has a refreshing voice that makes it perfectly suitable for early morning time band. Kavita Sheth has an exclusive raw voice with a sufi touch again perfect for a blissful early morning start while Suzanne D Mello has soft, easy, sensual voice that makes evenings pleasant.

Through this launch 92.7 BIG FM reaffirm and bring to light the ethos of its platform as a source of entertainment and not just another destination for Bollywood music. This new avatar will reinforce the stations engagement and bond with the listener and help in delivering greater levels of entertainment to listeners. The new jingle is a reflection of 92.7 BIG FM’s new identity as a brand that truly celebrates life by partnering people and their varied passions.

The credit of this new jingle goes to the hard-work and expertise of music composer and creative director Rochak Kohli, music producer and project head, Ravi Singhal, lyricist Rochak and Ravi Singhal. Eric Pillai from The Future Sound of Bombay executed phenomenal results as the mix and mastering engineer. Vijay Dayal & Murali were the recording Engineers for this new jingle. To add flovour to this exceptional tune 92.7 BIG FM brought together live musicians from the industry including Sivamani (Drums and percussions), Naveen (flute), Kalyan Baruah (Guitars), and Raja (Tabla and other percussions).

Commenting on this initiative Company Spokesperson, 92.7 BIG FM said, “We are delighted with the response to our new jingle across the country. We are glad to have some of India’s best musicians on board who have brought a very fresh appeal to the brand in bringing alive our promise of celebration. This new year, we vow to bring many more enchanting experiences to our listeners.”

The tune has a universal appeal but the primary target audience is all SECs – 25+ audiences. There will be a month long celebration of the new tune both online & on ground. Also the making of the jingle will be aired on leading television channels. The tune has been recorded in 14 different languages including Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada, Marathi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Dogri, Kashmiri, Oriya, Bengali, Assamese and Konkani.

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New Year “resolution” is the most talked about topic around New Year, we asked the leaders what is their ‘Business resolution’ for 2012. If we look back, 2009 was a tough year and 2012 if the economic scenario progresses the way it has been moving in the last six months may be testing times for all of us.We found leaders across in cautious mode and ready to talk the language the tie demands.

Ashish Bhasin, Chairman India & CEO South East Asia, Aegis Media says, “The best time to grow and invest in talent is when nobody else is doing it . I look forward to continuing that winning formula in 2012, which has worked brilliantly for Aegis Media India this year. Profit is paramount and hence my resolution continues to accept only that business which makes commercial sense, as well as has a financially credible client on the other side. Entrepreneurial ability is part of both Aegis Media’s and my DNA and hence the resolution to continue building an agency that encourages and grows every employee to become an entrepreneur.

Prashant Panday, chief executive officer of Radio Mirchi,

Ashish Bhasin

Prashant Panday

Alok Sanwal COO & Editor, I next says, “Publications, in the existing contours of business environment, are facing a stiff challenge of staying relevant to the readers as well as the advertisers. The need is to explore platforms allowing more interaction and engagement between the three; Publications, readers and advertisers. This could be done by manifesting into allied business channels that could provide multiple platforms to the stakeholders to interact with the targeted segment. From company’s point of view,

Alok Sanwal

Well!! Nisha Singhania, GM – Saatchi & Saatchi, Mumbai says, “My resolutions for 2012 are: Quality over Quantity,

Nisha Singhania

Arpan Chatterjee, Chief Sales & Marketing Officer, NaiDunia Media says: With the current economic scenario, GPD forecast going down, rupee depreciation against US dollar, Industrial production Index showing a sharp decline, – Cost Consciousness will drive our ability to

Arpan Chatterjee

Whereas as per Ramesh Chembath, Asst V.P – Head – Marketing & LFR sales , Godrej Appliances, their business resolution is to increase our engagement levels more with the

Ramesh Chembeth

Anil Sathiraju, Mudra Max Media-South Head says, “Am looking at 2012 as a very exciting year, I don’t believe in resolutions as such, but we will have to ensure we achieve

Anil Sathiraju

Shashank M Joshi, MD, My Mobile Payment Limited says, “With the growing penetration of mobile phones in India, we at My Mobile Payments Limited (MMPL) believe that mobile payments have huge potential in both urban and rural areas. For the year ahead, we want to empower all the mobile phone users across sections of the society with MMPL’s m-wallet which offers services in simple, easy and secured methods. Aiming at revolutionizing the payment system and creating a convenient mode especially for the

Shashank M Joshi

It seems that the industry leaders welcome the year with lot of ‘Enthusiasm’ and motivation. 2012 has been a year with lots of ups and downs. There were lot movements in the industry. But let’s hope 2012 brings in a lot of healthy, wealthy and prosperous time. | By Aanchal Kohli [aanchal(at)adgully.com]

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Fever 104 FM aims at garnering support and getting the Delhiites to cheer for Sachin with vigour so as to persuade MCD in naming a road in Delhi after the great Indian Master Blaster. Listeners can sms at 54242 (Sachin- space- their name). They can also log on to Facebook page (http://on.fb.me/sachinmarg) and extend their support by voting for the initiative. – Dilli ka haq, Sachin ke naam pe sadak. Sachin Tendulkar, who started his cricketing career when he was only 16 yrs old, has now evolved to rule the game. Completing 23 years in international cricket, he has the most number of runs and hundreds in Tests and ODIs in International cricket.

Players from the Indian cricket team are also personally requesting the Delhi Mayor to consider the concept. Supporting the initiative Shanthakumaran Sreesanth says, “I am very happy and excited about this movement, agar koi aisa samman deserve karta hai to woh Sachin Paaji hain. It’s a great Initiative and would love to extend support in every way possible. Yeh Dilli ka hi nahi poori India ka Haq hai yeh”.

The radio station has also roped in Sudhir Kumar, the die hard Sachin Fan to canvass for this campaign. He along with Fever jocks will drive this movement in the whole of Delhi over the coming week.
Commenting on the initiative, Sudhir Kumar Gautam says, “As soon as I came to know that Fever 104 FM is seeking to name a road in the capital after my god Sachin, I got on to a train to Delhi and will appeal to the mayor in every way possible and make sure this road becomes a reality”.

Harshad Jain, Business Head, Fever 104 FM, proudly adds, “Sachin Tendulkar has been India’s favourite sportsman for nearly two decades now. Everybody loves him and this is just our way of showing him the huge fan following and affection he commands. At the same time this is also an opportunity for us to show our respect and gratitude for his achievements.”

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The year began on a high note as Sony Music acquired the music rights for movies like 7 Khoon Maaf, FALTU and Shor in the City. The music company also inked a worldwide digital audio and video distribution deal with of Yash Raj Films’ 3 upcoming blockbusters- Mere Brother Ki Dulhan, Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl and Mujhse Fraandship Karoge. With this alliance Sony Music leveraged its entire digital delivery bandwidth for offering audio and audio visual music content of these films on mobile devices and other mobile platforms.

Adding on Sanujeet Bhujabal, Marketing Director Sony Music India says, “It has been a golden year for us here at Sony Music. We have worked with all major production houses and our movie releases this year have been great. Our strategic planning with each and every music release has helped us achieve this feat. We are also ending the year on a high note with our global viral rage song Why This Kolaveri Di, that has crossed 30MN views and has become a never seen before concept in the music industry. Our latest addition Chikni Chameli that also taken the nation by storm and also already become a party anthem. Some of the best hits and most popular numbers have been under our label and we are confident that 2012 will be just as successful.”

With focused music promotions and innovative concepts, the nation was swaying to the beats of super hits like ‘Darling,’ ‘Gal Mithi Mithi,’ ‘Saibo’ and ‘Chaar Baj Gaye, which also ranked in the list as the top most played songs on Indian Radio on Stations 2011. Chikni Chameli from the much awaited movie Agneepath, has already become a no 1 song on youtube, LIVE streaming and digital downloads as well as a huge hit amongst all radio stations, dominating the charts !

As per AirCheck, Sony Music clearly tops the list of most popular songs played on radio in India. AirCheckTM India, the radio monitoring service provided by RCS, has analyzed airplay of popular songs for the year 2011 and has condensed the results into a chart of the Twenty Most Popular Songs in India. AirCheck India has compiled the Top Twenty high rotation songs in this year on 92 radio stations across 18 cities.

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Prior to joining Reliance Broadcast Network, Vivek served as the Sr. Vice President – Marketing, PR and Research at Bloomberg UTV. He played an integral role in setting up the entire marketing system and repositioning the product to new brand values, along with the additional responsibilities of distribution planning and coordination.

Vivek’s earlier stint was with STAR News Network, where he not only led their trade engagement and research unit but also acquired valuable experience around regional products like STAR Majha. He was also instrumental in evolving within TV18, an independent resource centre of Creative solutions, media research and scientific pitching which he later led as a national intelligence unit called ‘The Edge’.

Vivek worked across diverse business environments with brands in sustenance mode to new business ventures and was awarded the Best CMO of the year – News category at the World Brand Congress, he was also recognized as one of the Star Youth Achievers at The Youth Marketing Forum.

Reliance Broadcast Network said in a statement, “We are delighted to have Vivek on board. He brings with him vast experience across marketing, media research, trade management, sales support, AFP solutions, distribution and corporate strategy. With a strong understanding of business and tremendous creativity, we are confident Vivek will play a key role in leading the team to continue the development and growth of the radio business.

Commenting on his appointment as Head of Marketing, 92.7 BIG FM, Vivek Malhotra said, “I am really excited about my new role at RBNL, an organization poised to take giant leaps towards success. The team here breaks away from traditional media strategies and processes which would fascinate anyone who’s striving to think of fresh ideas. With RBNL’s culture and leadership one cannot but eagerly look forward to a tremendous learning experience.”

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Ooh La La Khas Peshkash is on its way to become the first organic Bollywood video viral as it has generated 27,000 hits on Youtube in just 5 days. The numbers don’t come as a surprise because the popularity of Khas Peshkash is growing not only among listeners but also in Bollywood. Stars like Shah Rukh Khan and Ranbir Kapoor have been a part of Khas Peshkash productions of “Chammak Challo” and “Sadda Haq” versions of Khas Peshkash. “Today social media is important to any media brand, the strength of a radio property can be judged by how fast it can travel on the internet and how much likes and shares it can generate, this is not the power of the internet it’s the power of good content” said Vehrnon Ibrahim, Nation Programming Head.

Khas Peshkash comes as a breath of fresh air and listeners are responding to it across Delhi and Mumbai. “Radio humor was for long all about mimic voices of Sunny Deol, Dharmender and Sanjiv Kumar” said Virag Mishra, National Content Head “Khas Peshkash is simple and rooted in Indian reality. Its ease and simplicity is what works for it and of course it is better than original”. Another example of the success of Oye! 104.8 FM’s comedic styling is the phrase ‘Bhat’s my name?’ from the Shiela Ki Jawani Khas Peshkash TV ad.