-

Akshay Kumar matches SONIC’s brand persona – he is best known for everything that SONIC offers… speed, thrills, adrenaline pumping edge-of-the-seat excitement, 24×7. His association with the channel will help in showcasing the channel’s attributes and get audiences to experience action like never before!

Says Nina Elavia Jaipuria, Executive Vice President & General Manager, SONIC & Nick India, “Action is in Akshay Kumar’s DNA. He is the ideal brand ambassador for SONIC that will appeal to the action-loving generation. We are privileged to have him on-board and are confident that his association with us will bring us success in the weeks to come. For our young audience who thrive on action, adventure & adrenaline, Akshay Kumar will deliver all this & more!”

Akshay, who had the audience stunned & amazed with his LIVE stunts, said, “I am happy to be associated with ‘SONIC’, a channel that gets the adrenaline rush going for the action loving generation. With superheroes, power packed animation and legends for all action-lovers; SONIC has something for everyone. Watch me, ‘Akshay Kumar’ bring you thrills, guts & glory.”

SONICis fast-paced & is exclusively conceived to bridge the gap between the kids and the youth channels. It premieres with action-packed &animated shows such asShaktimaan, Kung Fu Panda – The Legend of Awesomeness, Jackie Chan Fantasia, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and Supastrikas. The channel will also showcase high octane movies such as Dabangg, Singh is King, Gladiator and others on the weekend movie block – ‘SONIC FLIX’. The evening slot ‘SONIC XTREME’ will add to the thrill with shows like The Adrenaline Project and Are You Afraid of the Dark?

And, for the generation that pings more than they talk, SONIC will go beyond television to engage its audience by driving the online community through www.sonicgang.com, whichwill be a hub of all the action on the channel. ‘SONIC GANG’ will be the ultimate destination for young adults &will offer everything from games, superheroes, gadgets to mobile interactivity and exciting updates on the Facebook & Twitter pages. The website will also showcase ‘Techno Sonic’, an exclusive digital show. These pioneering activities in the digital space promise to provide out-of-the-box experiences that will take brand SONIC to greater heights.

SONIC will launch with a massive multimedia campaign that promises to delight action lovers. SONIC will capture every screen possible to reach out to the tech-savvy Young Adults through an aggressive launch on mass media (Print, Outdoor, Television and Cinema), Digital (Gaming, website, social media), Mobile& On-ground. In addition, the Viacom 18 network channels will also gear up to support SONIC with all their might.

-

Sure Men has been launched in India by Hindustan Unilever Limited the leading anti-perspirant brand in 35 countries across the world. The product has been tried and tested at world’s highest temperature ever recorded: 580C, it comes with a technology that manages sweat. Its advanced formulation is specially designed for men and provides powerful protection against sweat and odour that is long lasting that keeps you fresh all day long.
On being the brand ambassador for Sure Men, Akshay Kumar said, “When I was approached to endorse Sure Men, I agreed to take it up as I have been an active user of the brand even before it came to India. Sure Men is the best anti-perspirant and ensures that you don’t sweat at all even in extreme weather conditions. I was happy to take up the No Paseena Challenge and recommend you take the challenge as well to experience its benefits.”

Speaking on the launch of Sure Men and Akshay Kumar as the brand ambassador, Srinandan Sundaram, General Manager – Deodorants and Oral Care, HUL said, “With Sure Men, we extend our portfolio to offer our male consumers a product that is world class and ensures personal hygiene is under check in extreme conditions as well. We are happy to have Akshay Kumar associate with Sure Men as he fits in perfectly with the brand attributes and is a user of the product.”

Sure Men is being launched in India with a comprehensive national campaign consisting of Television, Radio, Outdoor and Digital Media. The TVC will see Akshay Kumar playing himself, the star – an adventurous khiladi shooting an action sequence in a hot desert and taking up the ‘No Paseena’ Challenge.
The Sure Men range consists of 5 different variants namely Invisible Ice, Ice Cool, V8 , Quantum and Sport Defence. All these variants are available in packs of 150 ml aerosol cans at Rs. 150 and 40ml Roll On at Rs. 65, in all the retail outlets across country.
Watch out for Khiladi Akshay Kumar in the new Sure Men commercials to hit the TV screens soon!

-

Speaking on this development Rajesh Iyer, Associate Vice President Marketing, Colors, tells Adgully, “The collaboration is a good mixture of creating necessary buzz through a platform like eBay and our belief as a channel in supporting social issues. We were dabbling with this thought for sometime now and Khatron Ke Khiladi was an apt show to go ahead with this. We are targeting the online community of eBay to support this noble cause.”

After showcasing content which fought for different social causes like stopping child marriages, COLORS now intends to elevate its commitment towards the society with this association with eBay India.

Deepa Thomas, Senior Manager – Pop Culture, eBay India said, “We are happy to host the Akshay Kumar KKK4 Memorabilia charity auction on eBay India and hope we get a great response. Akshay is a firm favourite with eBayers with a Breakfast experience with him garnering over Rs. 6 lacs for the Research Society in 2010. Log ontowww.ebay.in/kkk4 to bid on the auction and support the Concern India Foundation.”

When asked about this cause with COLORS, Akshay Kumar, Host of Khatron Ke Khiladi Torchaar said, “Most of the times the gear we use usually goes back to the wardrobe or to storage. However, I am delighted that COLORS along with the KKK Torchaar team has decided to auction off my gear that I used on the show. Also, instead of a glitzy gala, the jacket is being auctioned off online where a lot more people will have access to it. The best part however, is that all proceeds from this auction will go to Concern India Foundation, an NGO that works for underprivileged. I am glad that I can do my two bits for them.”

The show will promoted across a 360 degree platform and which includes on ground activities and radio, print and robust digital campaigns. Iyer added that the channel is optimistic about the show and that for the necessary buzz the show will promoted a across social media applications. | By Prabha Hegde [prabha(at)adgully.com]

-

“Be it Akshay with a cold and ruthless attitude or the contestants taxing their limits to death, this season will astound its audience with horrendous acts. ‘Torture’ was one word that captured the essence of the show and we thought it would be a memorable way to launch this season the Torchaar way,” commented Hemant Kumar Sivan, Executive Creative Director, Orchard Advertising, Mumbai.

Every season, the show touches higher levels of daredevilry acts, unimaginable and unthinkable to the human mind. This season, the communication started with a teaser campaign, show casing the torture Akshay is going through, in preparing for this extreme show that has moved beyond the normal realms of earlier competitions. Contestants are on a war footing, defeating their deep seated inner fears and emerging as the thunderous winners. The final contestant who survives will get an exclusive opportunity to feature with Akshay Kumar in a commercial.

“This time our brief to the agency was fairly challenging as we needed to communicate Akshay’s comeback to the show for the 4th season of Khatron Ke Khiladi. Orchard came up with a very interesting concept of ‘Torchaar’ and followed up with great execution in association with MAD Films. Putting it together in record time with all special effects and CG was equally demanding”, said Rajesh Iyer, Associate Vice President – Marketing, Colors.

Rajiv Vishwanathan, Vice President, Orchard Advertising, Mumbai commented “It was great shooting with Akshay. His energy and attitude has made the commercials come alive. Having gone through rigorous training stunts, this Season Akshay will be seen in his meanest brutal avatar, stepping out of the usual levels of adventure.

Spiced with glamour and unexpected emotions, the ad is setting up the mood for the shows’ release. Along with boys, the female participants have responded to the challenge very strongly. And Torchaar has grown into a strong advertising idea. It is seamlessly working not just on Television, but on Radio, Outdoor and also in building many ideas for on-ground activation.

-

Akshay Kumar, speaking on the occasion, said “It gives me immense pleasure to be associated with an iconic brand like Eveready. As an honest actor to myself, I will only choose to be associated with a brand that I love, care and truly believe in. As a child whenever I would get a toy, I would ask my dad – ‘Where is the Eveready?’ since Eveready was equal to battery in my mind. It is a pleasure to be associated and promote a brand that is so needed and important in everybody’s lives. I believe in it. I thank Eveready for always bringing me and my toys to life.”

Referring to the association, Deepak Khaitan, Vice Chairman, Eveready said “We are happy to have Mr. Akshay Kumar as the brand ambassador for Eveready. He is a great youth icon who has a very power-packed persona. It is a very natural association between him and the brand and we are sure that this relationship will be mutually rewarding one.”

In the mid-nineties, Eveready launched its first major advertisement campaign with the famous slogan “Give me Red”. The advertising byline of the popular Red series of batteries, it is today symbolic of the empowered urban lifestyle that the brand reflects.

Eveready is India’s largest marketer of dry cell batteries selling about 1.2 billion units annually. It is also the largest marketer of torches selling more than 2 million pieces per annum. Apart from batteries and torches, Eveready offers a basket of FMCG products that find place in every household. This includes rechargeable batteries, CFL & GLS lamps and packet tea.

Eveready has one of the most extensive distribution networks in India of over 4000 distributors reaching out to more than 1 million retail outlets directly. Its products are available in more than 3 million outlets in the country.

-

After three successful seasons COLORS’ ‘Khatron Ke Khiladi – Torchaar’ reaches the wild land of ‘South Africa’ with 13 striking hunks and 13 female partners. An exciting bouquet of 13 women from different walks of life will be paired along with common heroes! The participants will be pushed off their comfort zone, the level of stunts and tasks will be extreme and intense than ever before, making this a deadly combination of drama and action on small screen! The winner will not only be bestowed with the coveted title of being the ‘Khiladi’ but also chosen as the ‘Thums Up Thunder Star’. The ‘Thums Up Thunder Star’ will get an exclusive opportunity to feature with the Thums Up brand ambassador Akshay Kumar in the brands new communication campaign.

This collaboration for KKK 4 brings a combination of COLORS’ reach and Thums Up’s distribution strength to reach out to audiences across India and marks a deeper penetration for both brands. Besides a series of unique on ground events across Hindi Speaking Markets (HSM), the show will be extended on 15 lac Thums Up & KKK 4 branded bottles.

Ashvini Yardi, Head of Programming, COLORS says, “With every season of Fear Factor Khatron Ke Khiladi, our endeavor is to present something new, exceptional and clutter breaking to the viewers. This season, KKK4 has been recreated with Thums Up as a complete integrated product for television. Both brands are synonymous with action, high-energy and ‘I will do anything’ attitude. Also, Akshay Kumar returns as the host along with 13 men attempting the deadliest stunts shot in the exotic locales of South Africa, Khatron Ke Khiladi ‘Torchaar’ making it a must watch this summer.”

Akshay Kumar who believes in performing every stunt prior to the boys has gone through rigorous training himself. Straining every muscle of his body he is back with a vengeance only to break hell loose on the boys.

Talking about his comeback on Khatron ke Khiladi ‘Torchaar’ Khilaadi of Bollywood, Akshay Kumar says, “It feels good to be back to my home ground with Khatron Ke Khiladi and it is exciting to do something which I love to do – adventurous stunts. As the name suggests it will be ‘torchaar’ to the core and the boys will be expected to perform some really edgy stunts. The girls too can shed their vanities and nervous giggles and be prepared to face challenges thrown their way. I am going to be absolutely tough and brutal with the boys and yes it will be worth watching.”

This summer, Thums Up has stormed its fans with a new ‘Taste the Thunder’ communication initiative- ‘Yeh Toofan’ featuring ‘Akshay Kumar’. In the latest campaign, the Khiladi reminiscence about the several thunder packed action stunts for his favorite bottle of Thums Up. The communication takes the ‘I will do Anything for my thunder’ attitude to the next level, where Akshay is seen, back in thick of action, performing some adrenalin pumping action such as crashing through the window of an exploding high rise, snatching a Thums Up bottle from jaws of a vicious alligator, taking on a mob of angry gangsters to swimming through strong rapids.

Talking about the association with COLORS, Wasim Basir, Director- Integrated Marketing Communication, Coca-Cola India said, “Thums Up has always believed in adding action, attitude and adventure into the lives of its consumers. The brand is all about dare devilry and a go getting spirit. Our association with KKK 4 amplifies the core creative idea and the values that the brand stands for. A key element of the association is also our aim to identify the Thums Up Thunder Star from amongst the participants in KKK 4. The Thums Up Thunder Star who will emancipate the values of the brand will get a once in a lifetime opportunity to share on-screen space with Akshay Kumar. The association is a perfect fit because a Thums Up loyalist will go to any extent – whether to grab his favourite bottle of Thums Up or make his way out of a difficult situation. We anticipate that the show will continue to set benchmarks in the reality television space

-

The exhilarating campaign shot in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia attempts to highlight a gripping tale with series of daredevil acts by Akshay Kumar for his bottle of Thums Up. In his quest for his Thums Up, Akshay uses a combination of bold action and smart thinking to outwit all the challenges, demonstrating the daredevil attitude of a Thums Up lover.

According to Bollywood Superstar and Thums Up Brand Ambassador, Akshay Kumar, “Thums Up is India’s most resilient iconic soft drink brand, and has a strong resonance with action, energy and a go-getting spirit. My association with Thums Up over the years has made me do some real exciting action and given me opportunities to push myself and indulge in extreme actions. The new campaign is packed with action, adventure and humor, where, I recollect the kind of daredevil stunts I have performed to get my bottle of Thums Up. I am sure my fans will like our new touch in the campaign and have a lot of fun watching this experience.”

Conceptualized by Sainath Saraban, Executive Creative Director, Leo Burnett and directed by Director, Marco Kalantri from MAD Films, the communication brings out the whole idea of what length does a Thums Up lover go to grab his precious bottle of Thums Up. In-addition to leveraging mass media, integrated communication plan will also be complimented by a range of on the ground initiatives – road shows and contests across all key markets.

According to Srinivas Murthy, Director – Marketing, Coca-Cola India, “The latest communication further builds on the core values of the brand and takes the whole idea of ‘I will do anything for my thunder’ to the next level. The Thums Up drinker indulges in adrenalin pumping action to get a bottle of his favorite soft drink – Thums Up because he loves to do it and not because he has to. To bring out this element, the latest campaign shows Akshay Kumar recounting all the action packed adventures he underwent to get his bottle of Thums Up. The communication showcases the journey and kind of action that Akshay took chasing his ‘Thums Up’. I am sure that this new communication will strike a chord with the Thums Up consumers.”

-

Rajesh Kamat, Group COO – Viacom18 & CEO, COLORS said: “With the launch of COLORS and MTV India in Singapore, we continue to demonstrate our commitment to serve the entertainment needs of our viewers and strengthen our distribution network in the Asian market. After our successful launches in the US, UK and the Middle -East, we are pleased to now partner with SingTel and StarHub to offer the best of entertainment to our viewers in Singapore. The launch is part of Viacom18’s aggressive growth plans to extend our flagship brand outside India.”

After successful launches in the US, the UK, Australia -New Zealand and Middle-East, COLORS now aims to entertain the widespread South-East Asian community residing in Singapore with its popular fiction series, reality shows and the latest blockbuster Bollywood movies. Viewers in Singapore will now be able to enjoy their favourite soaps like Balika Vadhu, Mukti Bandhan, Phulwa, Na Aana Is Des Laado etc in their primetime. They can look forward to an exciting line up of big ticket reality shows including Chak Dhoom- Team Challenge, Guinness World Record- Ab India Todega amongst others. Bollywood music lovers will enjoy the best tunes that Mumbai has to offer on MTV India. The channel will feature popular tunes and exciting variety shows such as MTV Roadies on the station that is a huge hit among youths in India

A Bollywood extravaganza awaits them as COLORS readies to premiere the latest and the biggest Hindi blockbuster films in the months to come. The exciting movie lineup on the channel includes Comedy like- Golmaal 3 starring Ajay Devgan; Akshay Kumar’s Tees Maar Khan; Priyanka Chopra’s Saat Khoon Maaf; amongst others.

-

MasterChef India opened at 2.6 TVRs and maintained an average of 2.8 TVRs during the season. In its finale week, MasterChef faced competition from Sa Re Gama Finale that bowed out with 2.8 TVRs and Bigg Boss Saturday episode delivered 2.9 TVRs. STAR Plus garnered a total of 368 GRPs in week 52 of 2010.

Tension, Dram & fun the elements that define the show reached their crescendo at the finale episode. While the viewers were delighted to watch the light moments between Akshay Kumar & Katrina Kaif as they jostled to make the Spanish omlette, the intense pressure amongst the contestants – all aspiring to win the title of India’s first ‘MasterChef’, kept them glued to their seats.

Launched in September 2010, the show boasted of out-of-the-box content and never seen before culinary tasks, from challenges in the kitchen set-up, to challenges at a real dhaba, a royal kitchen and even at the airport kitchens. STAR Plus wishes to bring more refreshing content for the Indian audience in India in the coming year.

-

Commenting on the exclusive partnership, Shireesh Joshi, CMO-Mobile Services, Bharti airtel said, “Today, we find customers increasingly rely on their mobile phones for almost everything they do – be it listening to music, watching videos or playing games. With the mobile device fast establishing itself as a preferred entertainment device for people across ages, airtel is committed towards improving the customer experience with innovative mobile service offerings and fresh content that help people enjoy different forms of entertainment. Today, we are proud to bring the Tees Maar Khan advantage to our customers across the country – getting them closer to their love for Bollywood and bringing them alive airtel’s brand promise of dil jo chahe, paas laaye.”

“airtel’s partnership with UTV Movies represents a promising conglomeration of telecom and Bollywood – one that will pave way for many of such strong industry partnerships in the future”, added Joshi.

Siddharth Roy Kapur, CEO – UTV Motion Pictures said, “Tees Maar Khan is poised to be one of the biggest films of 2010 and our affiliation with airtel will further enhance the TMK experience and help us reach out to a large section of masses..We are confident that the TMK value added services from airtel will provide a unique interactive experience to our consumers”.