Week at a glance: Brands on the dock for 'Olympian' moment marketing moves

PV Sindhu, Mirabai Chanu – When moment marketing gets mired in newsjacking

It has happened again. Brands are riding the euphoria over Indian athletes winning medals in the Tokyo Olympics 2020, and not all of them have sponsorship deals with the sportspersons. Such instances were pointed out in the aftermath of weightlifter Mirabai Chanu’s Silver win and now after shuttler PV Sindhu winning her second Olympic media – a Bronze. 

Newsjacking the Olympians’ feats: ASCI slams brands for violating its code

The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has censured brands that have been using the Tokyo Olympics medal winning athletes in their marketing communications while congratulating them on their feat, without permission from the said athletes. ASCI has said that this amounts to violating its Advertising Code. 

Brand Sindhu ushers in a new era for sportswomen as brand endorsers

PV Sindhu has emerged as a strong face for brands with her blazing performance on the badminton court. Winning a Bronze in the Tokyo Olympics 2020 and a Silver in the Rio Olympics 2016 makes Sindhu the only Indian woman double Olympic medallist. This has increased her brand valuation, which according to Duff & Phelps’ Celebrity Brand Valuation 2018 report stood at $21.6 million. 

Times Now Navbharat is our effort to usher in a new India: MK Anand

Times Network has forayed into the Hindi News broadcast space with Times Now Navbharat HD, which went live on August 1, 2021. With its positioning of ‘Ab Badlega Bharat, Banega Navbharat’, Times Now Navbharat HD aims to be the new and clear voice propelling change through an inclusive movement for a New India. 

Dr Subhash Chandra plans to venture into the digital video space leveraging AI/ML 

Dr Subhash Chandra, Chairman, Essel Group, has unveiled his plans to set up a venture in the video space in the digital ecosystem. He revealed this in a second Open Letter issued this week. In his letter Chandra also shared the details of the debt resolution process and the steps taken to pay off the lenders. He revealed that over 91% of the debt has been settled to 43 lenders, and the remaining dues are in the process of being paid. 

News portals’ plea against new IT Rules: Delhi HC adjourns hearing to August 20

For digital news publishers who are challenging the Information Technology (Guidelines For Intermediaries And Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 in the courts, the wait has become longer as the Delhi High Court has adjourned hearing in the case till August 20, 2021. The digital news publishers who have moved the court include The Quint, The Wire, AltNews, among others. 

NTO 2.0 case: SC asks petitioner to file a concise compilation and not 51 volumes

The petition filed by a petitioner in the TRAI mandated New Tariff Order (NTO) 2.0 case has run into 51 volumes, prompting the Supreme Court to reprimand the petitioner and say that, “You are terrorising us by filing 51 volumes in a single case”. At a hearing in the case on Friday (August 6, 2021), Chief Justice of India, NV Ramana, said the Court would not hear the lengthy petition and asked the petitioner to file a concise compilation. 

Madras HC quashes entire amendment to Tamil Nadu Gaming Act banning online games

On Tuesday (August 3, 2021), the Madras High Court passed a judgment striking down in its entirety the amendment to the Tamil Nadu Gaming Act, which banned online games, including online rummy and online poker and other skill-based games which involves stakes. The Madras HC said that this Court is not against these games, and added that nothing in this order will prevent the government from introducing appropriate legislation on the issue conforming to Constitutional principles of propriety. 

ZEEL reports lower ad revenue & higher costs in Q1 FY22 as COVID-19 impacts margins

Domestic ad revenues of Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) for both Q1 FY22 and Q1 FY21 were impacted by lockdowns. However, the impact this year was much lower, reflected in the 127.9% YoY growth. Compared to Q1 FY20, domestic ad revenues were lower by 22.7%. On the subscription front, the embargo on pricing change due to NTO 2.0 litigation continued to hurt domestic television pay revenue growth. The 2% growth over Q1 FY21 is driven primarily by digital business. 

Gaming has become 2x the size of film & music combined, say experts

The burgeoning gaming industry in India is creating an all new ecosystem with various industry reports that show the tremendous growth potential of this industry. To understand this sunrise industry further, Adgully’s premier #TwitterChat #GullyChat property on Friday, July 30, turned the spotlight on ‘Gaming: A new career opportunity for the youth?’. 

Booming gaming sector sees investors queuing up

Given the growth potential of the gaming industry, venture capital firms and investors from all over the world are showing interest as well as pumping in money into India’s gaming industry. According to industry reports, venture capital funding for the Indian gaming start-ups stood at $350 million between 2014 and 2020 and it is growing at a CAGR of 22%. 

YouTube top publisher with 13% share of digital advertising in Jan-Jun’21: TAM AdEx

Ad insertions on Digital rebounded in Jan-Jun’21, with a strong growth of 55% over Jan-Jun’20. Ad insertions on Digital had seen a drop of 41% in Jan-Jun’20 over Jan-Jun’19 due to the pandemic. YouTube was the top Publisher with 13% share of Digital advertising in Jan-Jun’21. This was revealed by TAM AdEx in its overview of digital advertising in H1 2021. 

Radio ad volumes rebound in Jan-Jun’21, record 22% growth over last year: TAM AdEx

Ad Volumes on Radio saw a drop of 42% during Jan-Jun’20 over Jan-Jun’19 primarily due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, Ad volumes on Radio rebounded in Jan-Jun’21, with a growth of 22% over Jan-Jun’20, though still not reaching the Jan-Jun’19 level. This was revealed by TAM AdEx in its half-yearly analysis of Radio ad volumes. 

Data does the storytelling in BARC India’s latest campaign

BARC India has rolled out its latest campaign, #MeasuringMoments, through which the TV audience measurement company wants to tap into the varied emotions and experiences that viewers go through while consuming content. The campaign reaffirms the importance of Television in Indian households, and it also showcases the accuracy in viewership trends via a series of narratives backed by data and insights. 

Ovenstory Pizza is a disruptor in the pizza category: Rahul Goyal

In conversation with Adgully, Rahul Goyal, General Manager, Ovenstory Pizza, Rebel Foods, take us through the remarkable journey of the brand, the innovations and media strategies that were crafted for effective branding during the pandemic, emerging trends in consumer behaviour, the importance of offering a cohesive brand experience to customers, and more. 

We work with the vision of touching 1.6 bn Indian lives with HRX: Afsar Zaidi

HRX, India’s first home-grown fitness brand, which is owned by Bollywood star Hrithik Roshan and Exceed Entertainment, recently forayed into the category of sports and fitness equipment for home workouts. In an exclusive interaction with Adgully, Afsar Zaidi, CEO (Chief Everything’s Officer), HRX speaks about the partnership with Noise, HRX’s performance in FY2021, creating experiences and engagement in pandemic times and much more. 

Kent RO is expecting 20% growth in turnover at Rs 1,200 cr this fiscal: Dr Mahesh Gupta

In an exclusive interview with Adgully, Dr Mahesh Gupta, Founder & Chairman, Kent RO Systems Ltd, shares his journey and future roadmap for the company, which has today become synonymous with water purification and is continuously introducing new products through strong R&D and innovation. 

Credibility is a strength that PR lends to any communication campaign: Swati Bhattacharya

In conversation with Adgully, Swati Bhattacharya, Chief Communications & Brand Officer, Bajaj Group, sheds light on the growing use of digital and technology in communications, the important role of trust and credibility in today’s business landscape, using influencer marketing effectively and much more. 

Seed funding continues to be a major concern for the start-up ecosystem: Himanshu Gandhi

In conversation with Adgully, Himanshu Gandhi, CEO & Co-founder, Mother Sparsh, speaks about the journey of Mother Sparsh, need of solutions to meet the day-to-day needs of babies and mothers and much more. 

During the pandemic, Sportradar invested heavily in e-sports: Mona Motwani

To further understand how Sportradar can expand a League’s global footprint through their technology-based, data-driven approach to rights distribution, and helping the League unlock new commercial partnerships and opportunities off the back of that increased engagement, Adgully spoke to Mona Motwani, Director - Sports Content & Partnerships, India at Sportradar. 

How AR technology is enhancing consumer buying experience in pandemic times

In conversation with Adgully, Kanav Singla, Founder & CEO, Adloid, speaks about how AR technology is enhancing consumer buying experience, as well as reducing return rates on e-commerce platforms, and much more. 

Mullen Lintas Group CEO, Virat Tandon in Rediffusion Ad?

A recent ad released by Rediffusion features Mullen Lowe Lintas India’s Group CEO, Virat Tandon. In fact Tandon is the hero of the ad. Why? Because Rediffusion is starting its ‘50 Years’ celebration, 24 months in advance. And every month over the next 24 months, Rediffusion will release an ad celebrating a former employee who has gone on to achieve success and fame in advertising, and beyond. Virat Tandon, who joined Rediffusion in 1993 as an Account Executive in their Delhi office and worked on Caltex, AT&T, Sony, Shell and Atlas Cycles, is the first to be featured in his alma mater’s celebratory campaign. 

Omnicom Media Group Appoints Bharat Khatri as CDO for APAC

Omnicom Media Group (OMG) has appointed Bharat Khatri as Chief Digital Officer for its operations across APAC. With over a decade of experience under his belt, Khatri is tasked with leading digital marketing operations, productization, commercials and governance efforts for the network in this region. 

Zee Digital ranks second in a row with 229 million unique visitors in June 21

Zee Digital has secured sixth position among top 20 internet websites in India standing tall amongst Google sites, Facebook,  Amazon Sites,  Flipkart Sites etc. Witnessing a substantial leap Zee Digital has witnessed strongest growth among top media publishers in the country. From Jan’21 to June’21 period, Zee Digital achieved 1.4x growth leaving behind its competitors. 

After Deepika Padukone, Rapper Raftaar Invests In FrontRow

Leading learning and community platform, FrontRow has secured an undisclosed amount from music tycoon Raftaar and entertainment and music conglomerate AK Projekts, the fundraise coming six months after the firm secured seed funding of $3.2 million from Lightspeed Venture Partners, Elevation Capital (formerly SAIF Partners) and global Indian icon, Deepika Padukone.