AUGUST ⁄ SEPTEMBER 2014 VOLUME 02, ISSUE 11 PRICE RS. 100 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING MAGAZINE AUGUST ⁄ SEPTEMBER 2014
ALL THE WORLD'S A STAGE NOW FOR INDIAN CORPORATIONS
VOLUME 02, ISSUE 11 RNI registration MAHENG / 2010 / 35733
ALSO FEATURED EEMA set to Re-EEMAGINE the Experiential Marketing Space | 24 MARKET PULSE Rural Marketing Experts Decode the Union Budget 2014 | 68 The stage is set for a large Corporate event at the Malta Fair & Convention Centre, Ta'Qali - Malta
EVENTS ENTERTAINMENT PROMOTIONS MICE BTL SPONSORSHIP SPORTS
FROM THE EDITOR It’s all happening here!
E
VENTFAQS and ExM Magazine have both undergone a make-over on the occasion of their 7th Anniversary. While presenting a new look for both of our flagship brands, there's also a fresh approach to the presentation of content on each platform.
This issue of ExM magazine is the first in the series of updated offerings, and is dedicated to you, our reader! A result of the feedback and reverb we get from the industry and a few most dedicated partners and well wishers (you know who you are!), we wish to consistently evolve. So, please keep the criticism and compliments coming. It helps us customise and cater to an ever-evolving experiential marketing industry better. We are after all, a mere representation of the businesses and industry you all so passionately drive. karishma@eventfaqs.com
ExM is a bi - monthly magazine by EVENTFAQS Media, India’s only platform for events and experiential marketing - www.evenfaqs.com For subscription enquiry : exm@eventfaqs.com
EDITOR AND HEAD - BRAND & CONTENT KARISHMA HUNDALANI karishma@eventfaqs.com +91 9821 80003 PUBLISHER AND BUSINESS HEAD VISHAL NAGDEV vishal@eventfaqs.com +91 98212 24987 GENERAL MANAGER SWAMINATHAN R. swamy@eventfaqs.com +91 9916 96980 EDITORIAL TEAM DHARM PATEL dharm@eventfaqs.com +91 9916 96980 R. VASUNDARA vasundara@eventfaqs.com +91 75061 10117 MARKETING SERVICES TEAM JIMMY CHOUDHARY jimmy@eventfaqs.com +91 9916 96980 KANIKA MEHTA kanika@eventfaqs.com +91 98337 17789 SHAHEN HANSOTIA shahen@eventfaqs.com +91 96195 75562 CLIENT SERVICING LIZANN PINTO lizann@eventfaqs.com +91 97689 90660 PARUL MALHOTRA parul@eventfaqs.com +91 98337 17789 DESIGN PRASAD KARAMBAT CIRCULATION & MEDIA MANAGEMENT RAMESH PATIL ramesh@eventfaqs.com ACCOUNTS & ADMIN PURVESH BHATT accounts@eventfaqs.com +91 2633 0674 ADMIN SAMIT ILKAR Printed by : Vishal Vashulal Nagdev 202, Brooke Ville, Near Magnet Super Market Mogul Lane, Matunga - West Mumbai 400016, Maharashtra, India Published by : Vishal Nagdev on behalf of (or owned by) EVENTFAQS Media Pvt. Ltd. and printed at VSSU Graphics, Unit # 36, Ideal Industrial Estate Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel - West Mumbai 400013, Maharashtra, India and published at EVENTFAQS Media Pvt. Ltd. 112, 1st Floor, Embassy Centre 207 Nariman Point, Mumbai - 400021, Maharashtra, India Editor : Karishma Jamnu Hundalani. This issue contains 98 pages including covers. JULY - AUGUST 2014 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING
3
Introducing... Introducing...
3DAUGMENTED AUGMENTEDVIDEO VIDEOMAPPING MAPPING 3D Immerseinto intothe the3D 3DEnvironment Environmentwith with Immerse ournew newState-of-the-Art State-of-the-Art our AugmentedReality RealityTechnology Technology Augmented
Concerts Concerts
Conferences Conferences
Weddings Weddings
CONTENTS
08
Industry Watch BRIEFS 08 ExM PROMOTION
50
IN FOCUS – Two encompass offshoots merge to grow ‘Radical’ ‘Brandwidth’ 16 – Out of the box ideas Lavina Thakur 17 – Solutions to make great ppt presentations Payal Shah 18 – Technology, Social media & Amplification Nick Hill 19
MARKET PULSE
22
– "The industry owes it to themselves to be passionate" Suresh Madan 20
Brand Activation BRIEFS 22 ALSO FEATURED – Social causes in customer engagement campaigns 26
ExM PROMOTION – EduMedia India Pvt. Ltd. 30
MARKET PULSE – "We'll target rural masses via mobiles and India Post" Sanjay Kaul 32
36
Stakeholder Engagement BRIEFS 36 MARKET PULSE – 5 reasons to look at Bahrain Aman Aditya Sachdev 39
COVER STORY – All the world's a stage now for indian corporations 40 –
BRIEFS 50 IN FOCUS – Mental about Mentalists 52 – What's new @ Sunburn Season 8 57
– SALT Experiential Marketing 12
GUEST COLUMN
Entertainment
ExM PROMOTION E-Positive Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. 60
62
Sport Marketing BRIEFS 62 ALSO FEATURED – Brands kick, dribble and slam dunk to engage corporates 65
68
Conventions & Exhibitions BRIEFS 68 ALSO FEATURED – EEMA set to RE-EEMAGINE the experiential marketing space 72
82 92
Sponsorship Marketing BRIEFS 82 ALSO FEATURED – Brands cash in on FIFA fever 85
Glimpses
SAUMYA TANDON )-. 5*)*/& ,5. & 0#-#)(5-")1-5&#%
DANCE INDIA BOURNVITA QUIZ CONTEST DANCE
COMEDY CIRCUS
5 5
2 &/-#0 &35' ( ! 5 35hh( 5 0 (/ 5 5 9
"#$#.5 ! 95‰og5oglmokgimm55 55 "#$#.8hh( 0 (/ H!' #&8 )'
INDUSTRY WATCH | DESTINATIONS | BRIEFS
NIALL GIBBONS CEO Tourism Ireland
Tourism Ireland widens passage from India to Ireland
keeping with their desire to increase Indian tourists inflow into Ireland, the Irish government too has recently announced a British Irish Visa Scheme between Ireland and the United Kingdom which will commence this autumn starting with India and China.
T
This will mean that tourists, business visitors etc. will be able, for the first time, to visit both Ireland and the UK, including Northern Ireland, on a single Visa. To drive this new scheme, TI will also be commencing on several on-ground promotions shortly. TI will conduct marketing activities around the new scheme.
So far, over 100 travel agents and tour operators have enrolled for the Ireland Specialists travel trade training program. In
Niall Gibbons, CEO, Tourism Ireland, said: "The launch of the British Irish Visa Scheme is really good news, making it easier than ever before for visitors from India to visit the island of Ireland. It is a significant step in helping us to grow visitor numbers from these markets - whether they wish to travel to Ireland for sightseeing, golf or as business tourists."
ourism Ireland (TI) is aggressively promoting the Indian tourists inflow to Ireland to increase it from the current 21,000 per year. The Irish government-affiliated company has recently introduced a special incentive program for Indian tour operators. This specialist programme will help agents to design better itineraries as well as help them garner better knowledge of the tourism products being offered in Ireland.
EMILIA KUBIK Project Leader - Department of Marketing & Planning Polish Tourist Organisation
P
olish Tourist Organisation (PTO), the national tourism agency of Poland, along with the Poland Convention Bureau, recently organized a three-city road show in India, conducted in Mumbai, Bengaluru and New Delhi.
Poland focuses on boosting MICE arrivals from India
Emilia Kubik, Project Leader - Department of Marketing & Planning, Polish Tourist Organisation, said: “India has a vast population with an ever increasing disposable income, and this is a huge advantage to any country whose focus is promoting tourism. We recognise the importance of this market and want to position ourselves as a must-visit business and leisure destination. The road show is a part of PTO's product marketing and branding campaign, ‘Polska - Come and Find your Story', and is targeted towards promoting business and leisure tourism."
also announced the vast potential of Poland in the sector of MICE tourism. She added: “Although the country is famous for its heritage and culture, the added infrastructure, including the new upcoming additions - the two multi-functional conference and exposition venues this year, namely ICE Krakow and Expo Krakow in the heritage city of Krakow - will add a modern edge to the country and help in increasing MICE arrivals.”
Kubik further stated that Poland is expecting a significant rise in the number of tourist arrivals from India by 2015, which will bring the total number to 100,000 arrivals from Asia. Kubik
With Emirates and Qatar Airways beginning their operations to Warsaw, PTO witnessed a major improvement in inbound tourism from India.
8
JULY - AUGUST 2014 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING
INDUSTRY WATCH | DEVELOPMENTS | BRIEFS
WARREN D’SOUZA Founder, MD SOUND.COM
S
OUND.COM has now come up with the first online sound rental in India and decided to re-brand as well. Warren D’Souza, Founder, MD, SOUND.COM, said: "It was always on my mind and it finally happened this year as we just can't sit back but will always keep inventing ways to engage our customers and bring them closer to our products and services. The way forward is to do business in the digital medium just like the way people are moving towards digital marketing and the youth working out of their smart-phones. Even the older generation knows that the time is near to shape digital or shape out." He said: "Our biggest development now has been our musical instrument rental division and this has helped us to empower our customers and reduce the amount of time it takes to procure them on our festivals and events. We feel that the maximum number of bookings will come from instrument rentals. The response has been academically great and has boosted our brand value and shows our vision and direction into the digital realm." Adding further, he said: “A few people have adopted this method of business transaction. It will surely happen with
SOUND.COM comes up with the first online sound rental store in India a few direct customers, but it will help us be able to evolve this platform and stay ahead of time. Whenever we adopt a new system or process we learn immensely from that and this keeps us spearheading new technologies and transaction methods in the entertainment rental business. What will really help out is that our customers will get to know our catalogue better and travelling musicians and event promoters will easily find us through the internet." Most of the company's SKUs are available except for a range of products that can only be manned by the staff and also products that are unique to its service provision.
SHIV SETHURAMAN CEO Percept One
Percept restructures its marketing communications, creates Percept One
P
ercept recently consolidated its three marketing communications service verticals into a single business entity – Percept One. Shiv Sethuraman has been appointed CEO, Percept One, with effect from July 14. Previously, the marketing Communications Services business of Percept spanned three separate verticals, namely Creative Services, Media Services and Other Marcom Services. He is responsible for leading business development and integration of all marcom services, creating opportunities for synergy within and across the group, attaining profitability
and revenue growth organically and inorganically, as also paving the roadmap for the overall marcom business of the group. Sethuraman has a challenging mandate of driving a 30% year-on-year growth with a target of achieving revenues totalling INR 2,750 million by 2017. Sethuraman said: "Percept has been a pioneer in the entertainment, media and communications space and has set many benchmarks over the decades. With the creation of Percept One we are now bringing together the very successful individual businesses to create an integrated entity. This entity is already 700 people strong and has over INR 1250 million in revenue, making it one of the leading companies in its space. The mandate and the challenge is to use this size and scale to propel us to a faster growth trajectory. I look forward to working closely with the team at Percept to ensure that Percept One reaches its goals." JULY - AUGUST 2014 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING
9
,FFMBO DPOWFSUT CSBOE JEFBT JOUP DPNQFMMJOH DPOUFOU BOE JT BO FOUFSUBJOFS UISPVHI BOE UISPVHI 3PTIBO "CCBT .% &ODPNQBTT &WFOUT 8PX TPNF TNPPUI TUVò GSPN ,FFMBO #SJBO 5FMMJT $IBJSNBO 'PVOUBJOIFBE 5IJT JT B GBOUBTUJD BDU 4JNPO $PXFMM 1PQVMBS #SJUJTI 5FMFWJTJPO QSPEVDFS
i:PV BSF 3&"--: WFSZ WFSZ HPPE 1SJODF $IBSMFT
5)& *1"% ."(*$*"/
,&&-"/ -&:4&3 ,&&-"/ -&:4&3 IBT QFSGPSNFE JO PWFS DPVOUSJFT PWFS UFMFWJTJPO TIPXT IBT PWFS NJMMJPO :PV5VCF WJFXT XBT WPUFE UIF #SJUJTI .BHJD (SBOE 1SJY $IBNQJPO 5IF BDU JT DVTUPNJTBCMF BDSPTT EJHJUBM EFWJDFT JODMVEJOH UBCMFUT TNBSU QIPOFT 5SJDLT DBO CF DVTUPNJTFE UP TFBNMFTTMZ JOUFHSBUF XJUI ZPVS CSBOE PS QSPEVDUT
XXX JQBENBHJDJBO DPN 'PS RVFSJFT DPOUBDU 3BK #IBOVTIBMJ SBK!CMBDLIBUUBMFOU DPN
XXX CMBDLIBUUBMFOU DPN
&YDMVTJWFMZ NBOBHFE JO *OEJB CZ
INDUSTRY WATCH | EVENTS | BRIEFS
‘High Hospitality’ Nights launched! - Vivanta by Taj partners EVENTFAQS
V
ivanta by Taj, Gurgaon has partnered EVENTFAQS to build and promote the ‘High Hospitality' Nights. A weekly affair, wherein every Monday night at the Tease bar, Vivanta by Taj, Gurgaon, is dedicated to the hospitality industry. The objective is to create a networking platform for the larger hospitality industry comprising Corporates, Hotels, Agencies, Airlines and Tourism Boards/Destinations. The initiative was launched on July 14, the first of the 'High
Hospitality' nights, which saw close to a 100 top hospitality industry professionals in attendance. The launch event was presented by European Cities Marketing (ECM), a group of Convention and Tourism Bureaus of 110 cities across Europe, with 6 such destination representatives present at the launch event. Barcelona Turisme Convention Bureau, Bilbao Turisma & Convention Bureau, Vienna Convention Bureau, Berlin Convention Office, Zagreb Convention Bureau and Tourismus Salzburg were the city representatives as part of ECM that were present at the event. The launch event for 'High Hospitality' nights also had a rib tickling performance by stand-up comedian Vasu Primlani. These evenings will continue every Monday at the Tease bar and will include special deals for everyone present from the hospitality industry!
SANAT SOLANKI Director Tantraa Events
G
oafest 2014 managed to surprise the advertising industry again this year by surpassing itself. This year, however, the fest was held indoors at the Grand Hyatt, which changed the entire colour and flavour of the event, posing exciting new challenges for Tantraa Events - the agency that executed the entire fest. Sanat Solanki, Director Tantraa Events, said: “Unlike every year Goafest 2014 was planned to be indoors and not outdoors which came with a lot of challenges to our team in terms of planning, restrictions from the hotels, timeline, climatic conditions etc. But we at Tantraa Events have overcome all the obstacles and hurdles faced in planning and executing the event." The theme of the fest decided this year was Brand Baaja Baarat, an idea conceived by Dentsu and executed by Tantraa. Warm, vibrant colours, indicative of a Punjabi wedding were put up. The setup was like that of wedding with separate seats
Tantraa Events executes three-day long Goafest 2014 for the bride's side and groom's side. A dulha-dulhan seat set was created where winners could take photographs in their special ‘varmaala’ t-shirts. Engaging activities were organized, like beach and adventure sports, foam and rain dance, after dinner parties, etc. The dance parties were spiced up with music by DJs Suketu and Akhtar. An awards night was held every evening and was hosted by partners like Colors, Star, Google etc. The evening saw performances by All India Bakchod, Beat Breakers and Sona Mohapatra. JULY - AUGUST 2014 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING
11
INDUSTRY WATCH | EXM PROMOTION
19 MONTH OLD WITH 32 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE! A 19-MONTH YOUNG AGENCY AND ALREADY THE PREFERRED PARTNER TO TOP BRANDS IN INDIA AND THE RECIPIENT OF MULTIPLE AWARDS ACROSS WOW AND EEMAX! Key Milestones
spectacular lighting effects, aerial launches, aerial performances all leading to a unforgettable experience. The event was highly appreciated by the client and lapped up WOW Gold for Best Marketing Convention and the gold at the prestigious EEMAX awards for the Best dealer convention program.
Hero MotoCorp Dealer Meet 2013, MACAU The brief was to create a never before seen spectacle for the 700+ Dealer community, to launch 15 new bikes, to showcase new technologies and to motivate them to give outstanding “With hero's own ethos being the philosophy results in future – at & spirit of one super-duper family, talking an international about salt is actually very simple. its can do & will destination.
Hero MotoCorp: Sunburn Activations It was important to create do spirit, it’s terrific trustworthiness and a platform to engage its genuine care & concern for hero indeed makes The result, The H Men students on a larger salt a favourite hero family member. salt, go – The Extraordinary scale. SALTxp decided out and make us all feel proud of your work & League, theme. It was on VISUAL JOCKEY achievements...the best!” an offshoot from the championship as a part of SANJEEV SHUKLA cult series “X men” the build up to Sunburn. general manager & head - national marketing with a futuristic set Not only were thay hero motocorp ltd. complete with a larger engaging the students on than life showcase, a newer musical based platform , but also creating a possible IPR for Hero. Basis Hero MotoCorp Dealer Meet 2013, MACAU the idea , HMC gave SALTxp the mandate to execute a 80 college activation VJ Championship. They created the first ever live visual mixing competition pan India in 80 colleges two winners were finally gratified with an all expense paid trip to sunburn Goa and a Meet and greet with world renowned DJ Axwell
12
SALTxp executed the event with a grand set up which reflected the huge scale of BMW’s vision with an opulent stage with a huge screen. The stage was inspired by the famed BMW Welt building at Munich, Germany and had a giant screen. A huge hanger was transformed into a vibrant indoor space with meticulous detailing of walls, flooring and chandeliers. BMW 7series Launch
TATA Motors National Dealers Conference BMW 7series Launch SALTxp executed the Annual Dealers Conference held ‘Sovereignty beyond Words’ fuelled the ambitious in Pune. With MICE management of over 1500 dealers BMW 7series launch in India for an ultra niche market. coupled with a breathtaking event that used the latest Justifying the car’s positioning, the launch event was technology techniques, this event was one of its kind planned and executed in a for the dealers. The stage was manner in which the new BMW 7 “SALT team did a good job and helped created with a ramp ascending series features such as Elegance, us achieve our objectives in the drive to the skies that turned the Sophistication & Comfort were experience at Bhutan. The team had awards show into a glittering showcased through the overall professional approach in delivering ceremony with dazzling content setup and unique experience. The services.” playing across a 60' wide LED elegance of this car’s design in screen on a two level stage. BMW INDIA terms of its exteriors and interiors were projected through timeless and exclusive art Tata Motors launched a marketing strategy to focus on a pieces installed in the pre-function area. Sophistication complete revamp of the brands philosophy to coincide and unique character of this class was showcased with the launch of new products and services .The through a stunning ballet performance. A perfect campaign was termed as “Horizonext” and this philosophy harmony of comfort and driving pleasure in new BMW was extended into all touch points of the event. 7series was reflected through minimalistic yet elegant setup and the concept of sit-down dinner. BMW Training Centre Launch One of the biggest event for BMW Group in India, this event was a celebration of the BMW training center, the launch of the Gran Coupe and Dealer Awards night all rolled into one. The theme of the event was Inspire: Excellence, Innovation and Leadership which reflected BMW’s vision of imparting high quality training to their employees and retail partners for the brand to emerge the undisputed leader in the automobile industry in India. BMW Training Centre Launch
TATA Motors National Dealers Conference
GM RAC Conference Macau 2013 The brief SALTxp received was to hold a Rewards Annual Conference that would be unlike any other and deliver an unforgettable experience. They zeroed in on destination Macau, the Las Vegas of the east with the theme Big Believe in Growth. An experience of House of Dancing Waters Act, a customized aqua circus story board on water, a welcome dinner on 61st floor of the famed Macau tower, a glitzy awards ceremony and sight seeing were the high points of the event which the client believed was the best ever held by GM.
Audi Q Drive Experience
Audi Auto Expo
Audi Q Drive Experience The Genesis SALTxp executed the Q Drive event for Audi in which SALTxp is the result of an inner voice which kept telling participants got an opportunity to get a hands on Hemant Dahiya, of a larger vision and a dream which he experience of the Q range and test the SUV features could turn into reality by starting his own company. And on real terrains. The activity was carried out in over 30 so, the beginning of 2013 saw the birth of an organization cities and contacted over 3000 customers. Audi was full of passion and zeal. able to achieve a sales growth of almost 15 % through the Q Drive Activation. Armed with a Hotel “Audi india has had a long lasting relationship SALTxp identified Management degree, with salt. they’ve impressed us with their deep and established the Hemant felt he had more understanding of the brand. they have come up right tracks for all capabilities and they could with innovative progressive ideas and efficient these cities along be better utilized in the execution on ground. it’s comforting to be with briefing setups associated with an agency that thinks and delivers event industry, which was at showrooms, to at its nascent state then like a partner!” deliver a breathtaking and growing rapidly. He KSHITIJ SAXENA experience to saw an opportunity in it deputy head of marketing participants that would let him grow as audi an individual. Audi Auto Expo SALTxp managed the stall management for Audi at the Joining hands with him was Sumit Chandhoke, a man Auto Expo 2014 with more than 100000 fans visiting driven by a passion to create experiences that will the stall every day. The main focus for this year was the endure and prove memorable. In 2012 when Hemant reveal of the new Audi A3-The Next Big Thing. approached him and spoke about SALTxp, he discovered that Hemant’s hunger to do bigger and better things Both the sedan and the cabriolet versions of the model matched his and inspired him to get back into the job were displayed and launched by Ravi Shastri and Ileana of handling a large group of talent, grooming young D’Cruz while singer and actor, Monica Dogra and the colleagues, and creating quality productions. parkour group from UK- called 3Run charmed the guests. In addition to the stall management and the The Journey launch, SALTxp also designed and built a merchandise From ATL directed sales to experiential led marketing, segment where Audi displayed all it accessories. consumers have come a long way in making their purchase decisions. SALTxp believed right at the stage The Recognition of its inception that doing things differently is the key WOW Awards 2014 to success for brands. The passion for innovation, rich Conference of the Year - Hero Marketing Convention experience, brand understanding, a deep knowledge of Macau 2013 – Gold the industry and what works and what doesn’t, brought Event of the Year - Hero Marketing Convention Macau a team of professionals together to create a cutting edge 2013 – Silver agency that would re-write the rules of innovation and EEMAX Awards 2014 create a deep impact on the minds of TG for brands. Best Dealer Activation Program - Hero Marketing And that belief seems to be validated in just 19 months Convention Macau 2013 – Gold of their existence.
Be it a 35-city, pan India activation; more than 500+ pax MICE event to international destinations; spectacular and spell binding, innovative technology led large events, there’s hardly anything left that they have not touched and excelled in this journey. This is reflected in growing client delights, their testimonies and the awards that they have won in this short period. And it is something the industry will acknowledge readily. In 19 months SALTxp has extended its operations from Gurgaon and opened its 2nd office in Mumbai . With Sameer Misra heading the Delhi/NCR branch & Viveck Pande heading Mumbai, both come with a wealth of experience.... SALTxp's existing portfolio of clients necessitated a full fledged service office in Mumbai to offer the same level of detail and attention as its Delhi wing. The Key Drivers Hemant Dahiya: Managing Director Hemant Dahiya is a veteran of the event industry with over 17 years experience. He started his career with RAMS relationship and became COO of G2 Rams a WPP Brand. During his tenure he was responsible for business generation and operations. He serviced accounts like Nestle, Coke, General Motors, GE, Genpact, World Bank, Cipla & Hero MotoCorp. Hero Honda Marketing Convention Dubai, Hero Marketing Convention 2011/12, Jindal Steel Customer Event, Rolex PGTI Awards, M3M Golf Estate Launch, Lanco Logo Launch are some of the big events he has conceptualized and executed impeccably. Under his guidance company has bagged the EEMA and WOW Awards and created a 20 km long string of balloons in a 350x400 feet area for Future Generali activation to enter the Guiness Book of World Records. Sumit Chandhoke: Chief Executive Officer Sumit has been in the events industry for over 15 years. Having worked with top event companies such as Wizcraft, 360 Degrees, Encompass at a leadership position for a number of years, he has been involved with conceptualizing and producing some of the biggest special and corporate event productions in India – Filmfare Awards, Femina Miss India, IIFA London, Screen Awards and also many concerts for artists like
Sting, Air Supply, Deep Purple, Deaf Leopard and many more. He produced the first fully automated show in India 40,000 sq ft of manmade island over a lake for a corporate showcase with fully automated and synchronized effect technologies, fireworks and over 240 running feet of panoramic seamless projections in a customized venue, 6 way surround sound AV track effect in a live event showcase. Top Management Dilip Ramachandran : Heads Creative, Communication & Strategy . Ex drummer of Parikrama, he brings in seasoned experience from over 19 years experience in the visual, performing arts and live entertainment space having headed creative at CNN-IBN, UTV and Mooz Entertainment. Rachit : National Creative Director . Trained as an architect, he leads a team of over 20 creative designers and as an industry veteran is known for his total brand understanding and tight grip on deadlines. The Philosophy “It is about thorough professionalism, backed by passion, knowledge and experience. I have always believed that to break all rules and create stunning innovation, you must know all the rules in the first place. And being great on logistics help us foresee so many things which others miss out. So all our extraordinary ideas are grounded in reality which is why we are able to pull off the most complex events, flawlessly.” – Hemant Dahiya “We understand the importance of hard work and teamwork, appreciate that rewards that come with commitment to excellence, and are dedicated to imparting professionalism to the industry. The infusion of professionalism, emphasis on team-work and on a culture of hard work has bred dramatic results. Moreover, the experience of working in a company that prides itself on its professionalism has enthused 80 passionate colleagues in Mumbai and Delhi to believe that dreams can come true and that they too will head and run companies one day.” – Sumit Chandhoke
EVENTS & PROMOTIONS, MICE, CONFERENCE AND INCENTIVES, RETAIL AND EXHIBITIONS
www.saltxp.com
INDUSTRY WATCH | IN FOCUS
From left to right: Himanshu Anand, Shashank Gupta, Deepak Pahwa, Ranjit Raina, Shantanu Goyal
The power of collaboration TWO ENCOMPASS OFFSHOOTS MERGE TO GROW ‘RADICAL’ ‘BRANDWIDTH’
all worked together for such long time makes this more like a reunion than a merger." While Brandwidth is an established agency serving experiential needs of corporate clients, Radical is a new agency founded by Ranjit Raina, Ex-COO of Encompass. Both agencies will work in independent experiential verticals, but collaboratively to provide maximum value to their clients. Radical aims to create, curate and produce bespoke experiences that will allow brands to move people. Radical seeks to go beyond the client brief and focus on creating value by building owned IPR. Supported by a multi-disciplinary team of creative thinkers, digital strategist and experiential producers, Radical experiences will be a fusion of live engagements, digital and social media.
Experiential agency, Brandwidth co-founders Deepak Pahwa, Shashank Gupta and Himanshu Anand formally announced their decision to merge with Radical, an agency recently founded by Ranjit Raina and Shantanu Goyal.
Brandwidth on the other hand will continue to service the experiential needs of its clients, with creative and innovative, on-ground and engagement programmes.
Commenting on the merger Brandwidth co-founder Shashank Gupta said, "After nearly 5 years of increasing brandwidth for our clients we felt the need to increase our own brandwidth. A little more than a year ago Himanshu joined us and now we are looking to start a new chapter with our merger with Radical".
"Even post our merger we will continue to operate both brands. Brandwidth will continue to focus on building its presence and reputation as an agency that services experiential needs of brands while Radical would focus its energies in creating IP and providing experiential consultation" explained Shantanu Goyal, co-founder of Radical.
Co-founder Deepak Pahwa added "We have a long association with Ranjit and Shantanu. It made a lot of sense, both professionally and personally for us to join hands". The founders of both companies have worked together at Encompass Events some years ago, for close to 5 year, and working together is certainly not a new experience for any of them. Himanshu Anand commented, "The fact that we've 16
JULY - AUGUST 2014 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING
Both agencies would be managed and operated by a joint board of directors comprising of the original promoters with Ranjit Raina being appointed as Managing Director. "I am most excited by the fact that we'll all be working together again. The opportunities are endless, I believe this will be the beginning of the most exciting time in our careers," said Raina.
GUEST COLUMN Out of the box ideas LAVINA THAKUR
Lavina Thakur is the founder of Boot Box Ideas –Literally spelling out to ‘Bringing Out Of The Box Ideas’, it is an exclusive idea consultancy service for the events, marketing and activations industry. Write to lavina@ bootboxideas.com if you would like to use our extensive ideation & trend hunting expertise to develop an out of the box experience concept for your brand.
attention demanding innovation, the QR
The Silent Branding: This one takes
code cookie literally puts your brand
your brand directly to the consumer
on every consumer’s lips. A simple
without having to shout out loud. In a
and cost effective idea – your brand’s
trade show environment where you can
app or imagery and communication is
expect high decibel levels, this idea
QR coded; the code is then recreated
reaches out to the audience in a silent
using edible icing or marzipan on a
and elegant manner with the consumer
deliciously flavored cookie or cupcake.
all ears for your brand. Simply hook up
The uniqueness of the idea encourages
some cheap wireless headphones to
and attracts more people to scan the
your system and give it out to everyone
code and therefore take your messaging
in the audience. They wear it and tada!
deas to creating high recall at expos
directly to their smartphone. The code
All they hear is your communication,
and trade shows.
can deliver an invitation to visit your
your celebrity address or maybe even
stall or can even download an app or
a special live unplugged music set
The Virtual Presenter: By far the
play a song. A sweet way to connect
integrated with brand communication
coolest idea doing the global rounds!
with the thousands of audience at the
to keep them connected with your stall
A virtual mannequin is essentially
expo!
at all times. Of course the headphones
I
a pre-recorded video of a person
themselves are branded and become
played on an acrylic cutout to give a
Break A Guinness World Record: Yup
a fantastic giveaway to take home and
3D holographic impression. You can
you read that right. An expo offers a
retain.
have a celebrity, the company CEO or
large captive audience to facilitate
simply a gorgeous model to be your
the Guinness World Record. And who
Consumer Retention Activities: Here
virtual presenter. The technology
wouldn’t like to hang that coveted
are a few unique consumer retention
has the capacity to deliver preset
certificate on their walls to brag about?
activities to keep people at your stall.
presentations, and also has interactive
A Guinness World Record offers a
What some brands have been doing
opportunities. For example a client can
chance at pride, at aspiration and at
globally – Augmented reality games,
select which product they would like to
achievement. There are a thousand
Handwriting analysis, Shoe shining
know about and the virtual presenter
records to be broken and it gives back
service, Onsite spa, Virtual makeovers,
simply presents the selected content.
to the consumer something that money
Digital Graffiti walls, Twitter Powered
It also greets everyone with a polite
can’t buy. It’s involving, engaging and
Free Gift Vending Machines – All of
welcome and attracts huge number of
also collects a database of the audience
these ideas ensure time to chat with the
eyeballs and high brand recall! Time to
who participated. But bear in mind
consumer while they enjoy the activity.
create is about 6 days and the best part
- Choose your record carefully and
is now there are vendors in India for the
ensure the guidelines are met so that
Let’s hope these ideas prove useful
product!
everyone who visited your stall can
when you plan your next trade show or
participate and receive a certificate at
expo.
The QR Code Cookie: Another fun
the end of the day.
JULY - AUGUST 2014 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING
17
GUEST COLUMN Solutions to making quick, great looking ppt presentations for a pitch! PAYAL SHAH KARWA It’s the Kaliyug – or the Tech Age. From Social Media to a larger than life 3D Mapping projection, the Event Industry has lapped up technology like a kid to a fancy toy. So let’s explore some interesting aspects, the pros and cons of using technology in Events and unique stories about this love-hate relationship between Events and Technology.
I
have in the last 10 years of my communications career, created over a 1000 PowerPoint presentations
– I have realised that the impediments to making kickass PPTs are Nth hour deadlines, lack of visual telling skills and generally a lack of interest. In the process I discovered that while the most beautiful Presentations are those which are art-directed or have a strong storyline, one simply does not have the time to sit and get every PPT designed. So what is the solution to making quick great looking presentations for a pitch which was due yesterday? It’s quite simple – those dream-easy apps and online softwares are the way to go! Have you heard of this thing called Visualbee, eMaze or the Powtoons? Time to check these out: Visualbee: One of the best in-built softwares by Microsoft which you can install within your PowerPoint 2007.
18
Just follow those instructions on www.
requirement. Insert your own images,
visualbee.com and download it. Once
use voice commands to control your
you restart the computer you will see an
PPT, and add nice transformation
additional button on the extreme right
effects for a professional looking PPT.
of the menu ‘Visualbee’.
The only issue I found with it is you don’t have an option of downloading
So take any PPT you got – even the
it if its a free account. If your company
simplest black on white template would
can invest a few thousand, you can
do. Now hit the Visualbee button and
download them all. It’s worth the buck.
you will see an option called ‘Enhance your Presentation’. Click on it , wait
PowToons.com goes a step further
while it updates and it will give you
as it helps making animated videos
ready, visually beautiful template
and presentations online. It works
options.
pretty much the same way as emaze. com, just that this one animates the
Choose the one which suits your theme
slides and the transitions. Also it
the best and click on ‘Enhance’. It will
has the option of adding a voiceover
automatically place your text neatly in
for the additional effect. You would
the pre-set formats with the visual –rich
have to upgrade it to download your
templates. Voila, your PPT is ready like
ppt. Till then it only allows you to
ready-to-cook meals. Of course, but you
share it on a social channel. So here;s
might have to do certain modifications
what I did – I uploaded it on Youtube
of your own later. I had 20 minutes
and downloaded it using Youtube
to send a PPT to a client, before the
downloader. Cheeky, but worked.
deadline. I clicked Visualbee, enhanced
However the visual quality wasn’t the
the PPT, modified it and before the
best, so if you are going to use this
meeting could start the proposal was
software more than once a week, it
ready to go.
would make sense to invest in upgrading the membership.
Emaze.com: It literally spells, making amazing presentations online. A
So I guess you can say good bye to
user-friendly online software which
time consuming, badly made and
asks for a signup and you can make
boring presentations for now. Use the
great looking presentations in minutes.
technology to tighten the quality. So
Choose from the designer templates,
even if you leave it to your junior most
select the best layout and edit the
person to do it, you know your PPT
pre-existing content as per your
would be good enough to pitch it.
JULY - AUGUST 2014 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING
GUEST COLUMN Technology, Social Media and Amplification NICK HILL
Nick Hill is Sales Director with SpaceandPeople, London, UK.
differentiate themselves and create a
There are a number of ways that brands
more memorable experience.
use social media for experiential activity. This can range from a tweet
Using Technology to Enhance Brand
or Facebook post to a fully integrated
his article explores the
Experiences
marketing campaign. Mobile phone
effectiveness and potential reach
The Internet has become an integral
companies commonly incorporate
of word-of-mouth and the impact
part of people’s lives but in this
social media elements into their brand
social media has on brand engagement
information age, it takes some
experience campaigns. Sony Xperia Z1
activity.
creative thinking to breakthrough and
recently placed an underwater tank
communicate messages effectively.
with a scuba diver into shopping malls
The Power of Word-of-Mouth
Creating content from experiential
to promote its underwater camera.
Brands, agencies and venues are
activity can now reach millions
Pictures were taken by the divers and
increasingly realising that face-to-face
of people in a matter of seconds.
posted on social media for individuals
interaction with people can be very
Strategically considering the syndication
to tag themselves. Similarly, in India, the
effective in generating word-of-mouth.
and amplification of content can
new Nokia Lumia phone functionality
Brand experience works particularly
increase ROI significantly. One brand
was demonstrated through a shopping
well in high footfall venues such as
embracing this concept is ASICS
mall tour to bring the strapline “you
shopping centres where shoppers are
with “Support Your Marathoner”, an
don’t just record memories, you relive
typically in a relaxed frame of mind.
innovative way to let friends and family
them” to life. Shoppers were able to
They also work well in travel hubs
send personalised messages directly
request their favourite song be played
as was demonstrated by Zappos, an
to runners participating in the LA
by a live guitarist/band. This was
American online retailer, at Thanksgiving
Marathon. Runners are given an RFID
recorded on the phone and could be
last year. As part of their strategy to
tag to attach to their shoe so that as
posted on Facebook or any other social
reduce television and print advertising
they go past certain sections of the
network.
and instead focus on live stunts
course, their personal messages appear
and experiential programmes, they
on a large screen, giving every runner
The use of technology and the rise
surprised consumers travelling home
a virtual cheering section. In addition,
of social media have had a significant
for the holiday period with a “Wheel
Ford India’s Time Machine Booth
impact on our daily lives and, if used
of Fortune” style giveaway game,
enabled participants to take a 3D virtual
strategically, can be leveraged to
promoting the activity on social media
reality, 360° walk-through tour of the
increase the reach of experiential
and generating word-of-mouth. As
Ford Pavilion which had been on display
activity, support the amplification of
technology companies are looking to
at the recent Auto Expo 2014, enabling
brand messages and can be used as
generate word-of-mouth by interacting
people who were unable to attend the
a measurement of campaign ROI. In
with consumers and enabling them to
initial event to still gain the experience.
the next installment, I’ll be discussing
T
how agencies, brands and venues
engage with the brand in a tangible way, consumer brands are tying in
Integrating Social Media into Brand
can work effectively together and the
technology with brand experience to
Experience Activity
key fundamentals that need to be considered for this. JULY - AUGUST 2014 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING
19
INDUSTRY WATCH | MARKET PULSE
“The industry owes it to themselves to be passionate.” SURESH MADAN CHIEF TECHNOLOGIST, DYNAMIX MEDIA
is of any immediate benefit to the Indian consumer. Not all innovations are perceived as valuable by consumers, and consequently, they don't believe in making compromises for intangible benefits. For instance, just because a new fixture draws less energy, does not make it a coveted item for clients, because they believe that saving power does not provide any real benefit to them as individuals. Moreover, manufacturers today are looking at their own needs more than those of vendors. The price we pay for growth
How many can truly say that they are passionate about creating one-of-a-kind, unique, awe-inspiring experiences?
We're definitely aspiring to reach newer heights with bigger
Not just a passion to be in business or make money, but to
and bigger events with more people, technological equipment
create an understanding of every element that goes into an
and funds. Nonetheless, in this process, we tend to look at it
experience creation, and respect it for the potential it has to
only from a macro-view, without paying any attention to smaller
make or break an event.
details like safety, power, planning, proper programming and efficient systems. We may be growing rapidly from a holistic point
In conversation with Suresh Madan, Founder and Chief
of view, but we are not progressing equally in the minor details.
Technologist, DynaMix Media (winner of the Best Video Rental
One reason for this is the tight budgets, and the unwillingness
Company of the Year at the Palm Awards). ExM discovers,
of customers to spend too much. Today, a customer will pay to
that the word ‘vendor’ proves to be too generic and bland a
set-up lights, but not to enable power distribution.
term for certain professionals (not all, mind you!) that could well be technology evangelists if so accepted. And to include
The effect of increasing competition
and take advantage of the immense passion and knowledge of application these individuals can bring to any experience
The technical production business has seen massive growth
creation.
in the number of industry players, since the entry point has become low. New players need very little investment to
Benefits of technological innovations
enter, and when they do, they cash in on their strengths. The customers now have more options and more vendors to choose
There are several ways to look at this. If you look at it from
from, and therefore they differentiate between vendors on
perspective of fixtures (physical), then yes, innovations are
the basis of first impressions or pricing. So contrary to popular
abundant. The question here is, whether the improvement
belief, budgets have become tighter, with demands for newer
20
JULY - AUGUST 2014 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING
Madonna performs at the Super Bowl 2012 halftime
ideas, concepts, design and ideation within the same spend. Customers are understandably cashing in on this massive supply, where one player looks as good as the next, and the ‘look' seems like the only differentiating factor. Unique strengths together with standardization to fuel growth It's not really a one-size-fits-all approach, because every technical production has its own strategy. Strengths may lie in
Stage set-up in 8 minutes at the Super Bowl 2012 during halftime
ideation, volume of services or pricing points. Strategies may differ, but a solid foundation needs to be set first. There needs
A great example of painstaking planning and organizing is the
to be some common ground on the basic hygiene elements,
music concert that takes place at half-time during the US Super
particularly safety, in both operational and technical systems.
Bowl. The game is aired live on television, with a commercial
In international markets, it a standard requirement for workers
break of only a few minutes. Within this time, in the presence
working at heights to be put on safety harnesses. That isn't the
of a live audience, an entire Madonna or Bruce Springsteen
case here. For an industry that's growing erratically now, this
production setup is put together every year. Once the concert
can be a great way to stabilize and standardize things. Unless
is over, the entire setup is broken apart, again in only a few
that happens, I foresee an overall downtrend in times to come.
minutes. In this process, the field or the grass can't be ruined, because the players have to come back out to play. The stage
Passion will deliver perfection
set-up is done by a team of 100 volunteers, each of whom is assigned only three simple tasks. As soon as their tasks are
The biggest difficulty that I face is a lack of knowledge and
completed, they walk away. Such a build up only works with
interest in the field, by both employees and clients. The live
dedicated and systematic planning!
events business is now similar to a pizza delivery service. You place an order in five minutes and expect quick delivery.
My biggest grouse is that we aren't trained to be systematic
A lot of time, engagement and understanding goes into the
and meticulous with our planning and execution, especially in
services in this industry, and it's shocking how uninformed
this industry. People pay more attention to the ‘yes' and the
and disinterested clients can be. The kind of projects that are
‘no', rather than the ‘how'. On the flip side, this lack indicates
demanded for are drawn from YouTube links of international
that there is great scope for growth, if we begin to move in
shows, without giving any thought to the months of planning
the right direction. Huge improvement is possible, if industry
and money needed to execute successful projects. If you're in
stalwarts drive the change and lead from the front, but it's a
this profession, you owe it to yourself to gain an understanding
slow process. Once we gain momentum along the right path,
and most importantly, to be passionate.
there's no stopping us. JULY - AUGUST 2014 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING
21
BRAND ACTIVATION | BRIEFS
AMAR SHETH Managing Director Shaman Wheels
also visited Karnal, Chandigarh, Ludhiana and Jalandhar to celebrate the excellence of the Three Pointed Star.
Mercedes-Benz travels across country in a convoy of gold
A
s a part of its ‘Year of Excellence’ campaign, MercedesBenz India embarked upon a cross country road trip to celebrate their label of being the ‘most-awardedluxury-car-brand-in-India'. The convoy of cars, masked in gold foil, visited 23 cities across India in 45 days. It was flagged off by Eberhard Kern, MD and CEO of Mercedes-Benz India. The motorcade comprised of A-Class and B-Class hatchbacks along with the E-Class premium sedan and GL-Class luxury SUV. What's more, Mercedes paraded the cars themselves as the awards, instead of showcasing the silverware. The convoy
When the convoy reached Mumbai, Shaman Mercedes Benz celebrated the brand's accolades with a live art-and-dance show by Dolna, an initiative by Mithu Basu. Unlike the convoy, this show was exclusively for its customers and dealers. The event, conceptualized by Basu, saw Dolna's artist Subodh Poddar, capturing live on the canvas a riot of colours inspired by the spirit of contemporary dance forms choreographed by Nikhil Anand. Poddar created six vivid canvases depicting dancers twirling silky florescent ribbons in the air with their free style moves. There was skate dancing and also a high-energy glow dance where costumes glowed when the lights went out. Amar Sheth, Managing Director, Shaman Wheels, said: "It gives us great pride to announce that Mercedes-Benz has emerged the Most Awarded Luxury Car Brand in India. It has won 16 awards in the last year which is higher than any other luxury car brand."
RUCHIRA JAITLY Senior Director - Marketing (Social Beverages) PepsiCo India
T
he latest season of 7UP DanceUP, one of the biggest dance contests in South India, saw more than 10,000 participants from 2,800 teams across 49 cities in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala. DDB MudraMax, which executed the campaign, was given the brief to re-enter the core market with a strategy which was in line with the brand's philosophy. The grand finale was judged by 7UP brand ambassadors Puneeth Rajkumar and Simbu. In the final round, the top three winning teams received cash prizes worth a total of INR 21 lakhs. The winner, Fictitious Group, also got an opportunity to perform at the finals of Pepsi IPL in Bangalore on June 1 besides getting cash prize of INR 11 lakhs and feature on the 7UP label. Ruchira Jaitly, Senior Director - Marketing (Social Beverages), PepsiCo India said: "7UP embodies fun, excitement and youthful spirit and has always kept alive its brand philosophy
22
JULY - AUGUST 2014 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING
DDB MudraMax executes the 7UP DanceUP competition ‘I Feel UP' by using dance as the ultimate form of expression. We have provided a new and refreshing platform to talented dancers residing in the smallest of cities, and helped them exhibit their talent. We wanted to give our participants an experience that makes them feel really special, on the biggest stage available in India today. There can be nothing as rewarding for a dancer to be able to perform at a platform as huge as the Pepsi IPL to crowds of thousands of people which only spreads 7UP's philosophy of UPtimism via making a positive move."
DENISE FERNANDES Project Head 70 EMG
T
he Axe Boat Party ads drew a lot of attention in India these past few months, resulting in the brand hosting its first successful boat party in Goa. The maiden edition was held at the Deltin Royale Sundeck in Goa with 70 Event Media Group (70 EMG) handling the event. The concept of Axe boat parties has been running internationally for over a decade, but this is the first time it was brought to India. The winners of the brand’s engagement programme, ‘The Most Wanted Indian Men' were flown to Goa to attend the event. They were taken to a jetty in BMWs, and then transferred onto speedboats which transported them to the party boat. The neon themed affair saw around 200 guests, who were welcomed on-board by the Axe Angels. The party was hosted by Archana Vijaya, with celebrities like Evelyn Sharma, Surelee Joseph, Ash Chandler, Malini Agarwal and international models in attendance. DJ Candice Redding and DJ duo Electrovertz (Nina Shah and Malika Haydon)
70 EMG executes the first Indian edition of the Axe Boat Party kept the entertainment at an all time high, along with special performances like bartending acts, a mermaid in a martini glass and a dance-off by international and Brazilian dancers. Denise Fernandes, Project Head, 70 EMG, said: "As the venue was in the middle of the river, a lot of logistical planning was required to keep up with planning timelines, be it production or artist related, like transferring materials or bringing talent in for rehearsals.Maintaining the high standards set by Axe boat parties across the globe was very critical.”
AMAR THOMAS Country Marketing Manager BlackBerry, India
BlackBerry plays out a 360 degree campaign to launch the Z3
B
lackBerry recently embarked on a 360-degree campaign for the launch of its new phone, Z3, that cleverly played on customer habits and needs. The campaign began a week before the Z3 was launched on June 25. On June 19, BlackBerry put up billboards encouraging people to tweet with the hashtag #BeOnBB by which consumers stood a chance to win gifts plus a BlackBerry Z3 device, which however, was yet unknown to them. The billboards also came with a digital meter that ran a countdown over five days. Only consumers were curious as to what came at the end of it.
When the countdown ended, social media and billboards revealed the new Z3. "This was phase one," said Amar Thomas, Country Marketing Manager, BlackBerry, India. "On June 23, we started activations across 300 colleges as well as corporate contact programs. The idea was to play upon BlackBerry's image as a phone ideal for students and corporates." The next leg of their campaign highlighted the special features of the phone, beginning from July 7 for 45 days. This leg was largely an OOH campaign, whose creation and execution was done by Starcom Media. "We zoned in upon two main features, the priority hub and the 2500 mAH battery power, the highest in its class,” said Thomas. “These were featured in Delhi and Mumbai mainly in strategic places. So commuters in the morning in Mumbai, for instance, saw billboards depicting the priority hub, where only the most important messages and mails are filtered through. In the evening when everybody's phone's battery power is running low, a lighted up billboard depicting a phone talked about the phone's long lasting battery charge."
JULY - AUGUST 2014 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING
23
SANDEEP MEHTA Vice President Wizcraft International
Wizcraft creates Revotron Labs in run upto Tata Motors' new car launch
T
ata Motors launched an innovative, nation-wide campaign on July 4 to showcase its new Revotron engine as a prelude to launch of new cars, Zest and Bolt. Wizcraft International was chosen to deliver an exciting consumer campaign across 15 cities. The Revotron Lab rolled out on a five leg 14-city journey and touched cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore as well as cities like Ludhiana, Jaipur, Kolkata, Pune, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Chennai, Indore and Cochin amongst others, finally culminating in the 1st week of August.
Sandeep Mehta, Vice President, Wizcraft International said: "So far, nobody in India has done anything dramatic on the engine of a car, with regard to promoting it. With the Revotron Lab, we will reach the masses with an exciting new format. We hope to exhibit a first of its kind Binaural sound experience to bring alive the Revotron 1.2 Turbocharged MPFi petrol engine. This endeavor will also be supported with other interactive digital engagements.� The Revotron Lab, a concept created by Wizcraft International has a futuristic design with interactive elements for customers to experience dedicated zones, which brings alive the engine benefits in an evocative manner. The Binaural Sound Zone offers the virtual sound experience of driving the Revotron powered car. As part of the activation, Wizcraft brought out the Revotron Challenge Game - a futuristic 3D game which allows a participant to travel in a Zest where they can experience the first-in-class multi-drive mode features i.e. Sport, Eco and City. Players need to beat the other players by switching to the right mode at the right time and picking up fuel drives.
NINA ELAVIA JAIPURIA EVP & Business Head, Kids Cluster Viacom18 Media
S
onic, the channel by Nickelodeon, has gone all out to promote its line-up of new shows by using all platforms in a month-long campaign titled the ‘Sonic Action Mania'. The 360-degree marketing campaign spanned cross channel promotions, print, radio and ambient. The comprehensive on-ground activation plan included month-long gaming championships, all-India van activations and meets with famous Sonic action heroes. The summer campaign engaged lakhs of children through various mediums. The Sonic Action Mania Vans travelled to 19 2-tier cities, allowing kids to participate in games like foosball and win prizes by answering simple questions around the channel's three popular shows. Since summer holidays and gaming consoles go hand in hand, Sonic had also planned an exciting gaming championship in partnership with Funcity in various cities and winners won TMNT and Power Rangers goodies. Kids at home also participated in contests by watching the channel, answering simple questions and winning prizes like
Sonic engages lakhs of children during a month-long activation mobile phones, cycles and watches. Nina Elavia Jaipuria, EVP & Business Head, Kids Cluster, Viacom18 Media said: "Summer is all about fun and excitement. We have left no stone unturned in engaging the kids at a time, place and screen convenient to them. For the action loving generation, Sonic packs the summer with the best of action, sports and adventure. Be it a football game, biking adventure or sheer good over evil action, Sonic is the ultimate destination where kids will experience real action this summer." JULY - AUGUST 2014 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING
25
BRAND ACTIVATION | ALSO FEATURED
Social causes in customer engagement campaigns 5 BRAND STORIES THAT TELL HOW IT’S DONE!
Indigo airlines introduced stair lifts for passengers with limited mobility
From road safety and support cancer campaigns to financial aid for four child actors, these brands have much to feel good about this month. When the government made CSR mandatory for companies, news media and the public greeted it with cynicism, adjudging that this would be a priority for only a few old industry players like the Tatas, for instance, who have been doing this right since this 90s. But not only have many Indian companies taken to it like a duck to water, they have followed through with some pretty interesting campaigns, enhancing their customer engagement and loyalty altogether! What’s more, many have discovered that brand recall is just as good whether it’s promotion of a product or promotion for a cause. The months of June and July have evidenced several such smart campaigns that are definitely worth a read.
facility. While wheelchairs are available dime-adozen to go through the airports, boarding is still a difficult matter, especially where there is no ramp or aerobridge. To combat this problem, IndiGo has brought in this new stair lift feature. The new feature was launched on June 14, a Saturday, when flight traffic is definitely on the higher side. The technology and equipment for this endeavor was supplied by Vin Grace, an Indian company specializing in equipment for people with special needs. "IndiGo is proud to be the first airline in India with dedicated stair lifts for passengers with special needs," said a company spokesperson. "At airports around the country that do not use ramps, we will be introducing these motorised chairs that enable passengers to board and deplane in complete comfort!" HDFC Life makes reel life real for Hawaa Hawaai boys
Indigo lifts conditions for passengers with reduced mobility Indian airline major, IndiGo introduced stair lifts for passengers suffering from reduced mobility at the Indian airports which do not have ramp 26
JULY - AUGUST 2014 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING
It's not often that films transcend the barrier from celluloid to reality. But HDFC Life attempted to do so, for a good cause. The life insurance company extended its association with Hindi Film ‘Hawaa Hawaai' by sponsoring
Volkswagen reminds drivers to keep eyes on the road
HDFC Life sponsors education for four financially disadvantaged child actors from Hawaa Hawaai film
the education of the four financially challenged children featured in the movie. Two months ago, HDFC Life, had associated itself with the movie directed by Amol Gupte, leading to the penning of the song of the Sar Utha ke Jee for the movie, reflecting HDFC Life's brand philosophy, Sar Utha Ke Jiyo. Taking cognizance of the poor financial condition of the four child actors in the movie, the sponsorship would include all educational material, school uniform, participation in co-curricular activities such as art, sports, computers, etc., extra classes and remedial help, counseling if required and a nutritious meal in school every day. Announcing this sponsorship, Sanjay Tripathy, Senior Executive Vice President and Head, Marketing, Products, Digital & E-Commerce, HDFC Life said, "As a brand, we have always propagated ‘Independence and Self respect' or ‘Sar Utha Ke Jiyo,' as a way of life. In line with our brand philosophy, we were very keen to ensure that the four children featured in the movie receive quality education and any other vocational or co-curricular training required to help them build a sound foundation. We, in association with Aseema Charitable Trust, a Mumbai based NGO, are sponsoring their school education."
One of the biggest anathemas to traffic police around the world is how to drive home the message against texting while driving. Despite that cautionary signs put up everywhere on the road, motors just pass them by in a blur. But in June Volkswagen with Ogilvy & Mather came up with a innovative safety campaign called ‘Eyes on the road’, that simply grabbed eyeballs (no pun intended). It was first done in a movie theater in Hong Kong and the video of the entire exercise was released online. Before the film started, a clip by Volkswagen was shown as a trailer. The video shows a point-of-view (POV) account of a person getting into their car and going for a drive. The broadcaster has the capability to send a mass text to everyone in the room at once, and does so. It causes many to look away from the big screen for a quick glance at their personal screen. While audience members are busy checking their phones, the vehicle on-screen crashes, making the crowd realize their mistake. The message then reads: ‘Mobile use is now the leading cause of death behind the wheel. A reminder to keep your eyes on the road.'
Volkswagen's new road safety campaign titled 'Eyes on the road' highlighted the evils of texting while driving using a virtual reality medium at a movie theatre JULY - AUGUST 2014 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING
27
TVS creates a Traffic Unjam Keeping in line with their brand promise of “Ride smart with Road Sense”, TVS Tyres held a ‘Road Sense’ campaign in Ahmedabad from July 9-11 and Lucknow between July 10 -12. The idea was conceived and executed by Axiom Gen Nxt India.
Red FM takes up cause for cancer under 'Bajao for cause' with The Max Foundation
Red FM Chai For Cancer Tea seems to have suddenly become a popular means of brand engagement. After Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s smart use of it during election campaigns with his Chai Pe Charcha sessions, Red FM suggested that now we again get together to drink tea, only this time for a social cause. For their CSR initiative ‘Bajao for a Cause’, 93.5 Red FM associated with The Max Foundation this time. It aims to help people undergoing expensive treatment for cancer, by hosting Chai Addas, wherein a cup of tea costs Rs. 100, and the proceeds go towards the welfare of cancer patients. Accordingly, Red FM organized one of these Chai Addas at their office, with RJs and listeners. To amplify this exercise, Red FM put up hoardings across the city. The channel’s RJs also talked about the unique concept of Chai Addas and asked people if they would like to sip a cup of chai for the cause. Speaking on the initiative, RJ Malishka of Red FM says, “I particularly empathise with Chai for Cancer, because it is such a simple means of supporting patients through their walk to treatment and , hopefully, recovery.”
The activity involved teams of 10 volunteers holding up placards at red signals at strategic points in the city. Three more volunteers distributed road safety booklets to the awaiting traffic until the light turned green. P. Vijayaraghavan, on this occasion said, “Over 30 years, we’ve leveraged our expertise to ensure your every ride is as safe as it is sensible. Since tyre care and road safety go hand in hand, we decided to look at a campaign that would benefit, not just the riders, but the society on the whole.” “The activity was extremely successful covering 81 signals, 65,000 commuters across the two cities in a period of 3 days,” said Amogh Yenagi, Sr. Executive - Planning & Client relations at Axiom. vasundara@eventfaqs.com
TVS Tyres volunteers display their messages at traffic signals when the light is red and vehicles stationary
JULY - AUGUST 2014 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING
29
BRAND ACTIVATION | EXM PROMOTION EduMedia enriches the lives of children through progressive initiatives using media, can you please elaborate? Education is a very serious matter and our society takes it very seriously. The problem is that with all the seriousness we have made education a very serious matter. Most children don’t like schooling because it is so boring and uninteresting. We at EduMedia have consciously tried to address this aspect of education and we have tried to make it fun and engaging through our various initiatives. We organize events through Krayon, we make films through our School Cinema project, we have our monthly print magazine Mentor that aims at reaching out to educational leadership and through Activity, our research and training division, we do some very interesting projects empowering children across several states. EduMedia
“Children don’t like schooling because it is so boring and uninteresting” SYED SULTAN AHMED MANAGING DIRECTOR, EDUMEDIA
through its 4 verticals is striving to enrich the lives of children and make a meaningful contribution to their growth.
How did Krayon come about? Krayon came about as a very conscious effort to engage children in activities and competitions that add to their overall development. Life Skills education is very critical for children and there is no better way to learn then by experiencing. By participating in events children learn skills like self confidence, creativity, innovation, interpersonal skills, etc. which no text book can teach. Krayon was started back in 2005 with a specific aim of organizing events that not only address the needs of the sponsoring brand but also add value to the lives of children. We were clear from day one that we will only do kids events and we have stayed true to our focus.We have over the past 9 years developed some of the biggest children's properties for some of the biggest brands of India; we also have our own IP in Wizkids which is one of the biggest kids events of India. This has
EduMedia has been enriching the lives of children through
helped us establish an unique positioning in this domain that is
progressive initiatives using media for over 15 years. With
very difficult to replicate.
creative methodology and extensive research, EduMedia has continuously created inspiring and innovative offerings that
What is its main area of focus?
are benchmarks in the Indian education space. ExM spoke to Syed Sultan Ahmed to know more about EduMedia and its
Krayon is very clear about its focus – children, large format/
other initiatives in the children’s education arena
scale, big brands and meaningful brands & interesting concepts. This clarity helps us in remaining focused while doing good
Tell us about the genesis of EduMedia?
quality work that is highly appreciated by clients and industry at large.
EduMedia as an idea evolved while I was studying engineering in the late 90’s. Schools focused too much on math & science and gave very little importance to overall development of
What have been the recent activations that you have concluded?
students; the idea of ‘Activity’ the organization that was started first was to help students grow into ‘fine human beings’ thereby
Horlicks Wizkids our IP event that is sponsored by GSK in its
making them an asset to society.
12th year kicked off a 29 city event early July. The event will
have a reach of over 2 million students and participation in
National Film Awards and have featured in over 30 International
excess of 200,000 Dell Champs a unique IT quiz SCP that
Film Festivals like IFFI - Goa, Chicago International Children’s
has one parent and one child in each team took off in July. The
Film Festival, Buster Copenhagen International Children’s
event will be held in 15 cities over the next 2 months. Apart from
Film Festival, Little Big Shots Australia, Kid’s First!, Indian
these 2 big events we have a lot of other events lined up for the
Film Festival of LA amongst others. Four research papers
coming months.
on the impact of School Cinema have also been published in international educational journals.
What would you say has been Krayon’s best work so far? Mentor Magazine Krayons biggest achievement so far has been to bring children’s events and School Contact Programs at par with
Mentor is EduMedia’s initiative focused on School Leadership,
other mainstream events. Krayon has established itself as an
Principals and Educators. Over the past 5 years, Mentor has
undisputed leader in children's events and school contact
established itself as India’s most respected monthly print
programs in India that clearly is its biggest achievement.
magazine. It is a platform for everyone involved in the well being of students to share best practices, concerns and innovative
What according to you is the key to success when it comes to
educational practices. Mentor is a voice of school education
engagement with kids?
and it aims to be a resource of contemporary methods of learning that will enable educators to learn and grow.
Knowing children and understanding their world is key to
Mentor reaches over 15,000 schools with a readership of over
working with them. Krayon is very fortunate to have access to
300,000 educators in 100 cities across India. Mentor Conclave
very valuable research from EduMedia, and it’s phenomenal
is an annual event organized by Mentor Magazine that attracts
reach to over 20,000 schools across India. This combination
eminent educators from across the globe to come together and
makes our engagement with kids very different from what any
share their experiences, knowledge, innovations and trends in
other company can achieve. Principals/ Management are gate
education.
keepers to projects with kids, we need to design communication that appeals to them and helps in furthering their cause of
Activity
overall development of children. Finally, making sure that every event we do with kids is genuine and is good for their holistic
The training arm of EduMedia, Activity pioneered organized
growth. This approach has helped us to make a huge difference
life skills learning as part of the school curriculum in India in
while working with kids.
1997. Activity specializes in designing & delivering need-based training programs to private and government school students,
What are your plans for Krayon's future?
teachers and principals. Activity creates research-based content on issues related to the psycho-social development
Krayon is presently active in 4 countries of South Asia, we look
of students and empowers them to secure a better future for
to expand our base to the middle east in the near future. In
themselves. It has partnered with organizations like Akshaya
addition adding more brands to portfolio and creating a couple
Patra Foundation, Manipal Foundation and Janaagraha to
of big kids IP event are in the anvil.
deliver innovative life-skills and citizenship programs for students of government schools across India. Activity has over
Tell us briefly about Mentor, School Cinema and Activity.
1 million hours of training to its credit impacting the lives of
School Cinema is a learning module on life skills, values &
almost 500,000 students and teachers over the past 15 years.
attitudes, developed through research and taught using short films and thought-provoking workbooks.
Decoding Kids
School Cinema is creating a positive impact on children using
Decoding Kids from EduMedia, is a knowledge-sharing platform
the powerful and enjoyable medium of cinema. The program
for people who want to effectively and responsibly engage
aimed at students from Kindergarten to class 10, covers
with Kids. Through this medium, research insights are shared
different aspects of a child’s holistic development and character
on a regular basis, consultancy services are provided and an
building. The topics range from improving communication
annual Conclave is conducted. The Decoding Kids Conclave is
to building confidence to dealing with academic pressure to
a theme-based event that aims to give domain-based insights
cultural sensitivity. Over 500,000 students in more than 700
about kids to professionals working in this sector.
schools across India, Nepal, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates use School Cinema as part of their life skills learning curriculum. School Cinema films have won 3 President of India’s
BRAND ACTIVATION | MARKET PULSE would also be organizing a workshop on mobile technology in coming months. On an annual basis, RMAI will conduct syndicated research projects with other partners to help the members and industry at large. Monitoring and measurement of various activities is a huge challenge for large scale activities. We also have plans to develop common and affordable tools for the industry to address this challenge. My other effort would be to work with various industry bodies and government. We would be jointly working with India Post to help them design workable models to leverage their vast rural network. This will in turn help our members to use this vast network to reach rural sector. Towards November we will also be organizing a government-focused event to explore the
“We’ll target rural masses via mobiles and india post” SANJAY KAUL CEO, IMPACT COMMUNICATIONS
scope of working with other government bodies like Health, Census, Railways, Rural Development etc. My long term vision for RMAI is to have consultative role in policy making. Our membership has an equal representation from corporate and agencies. Another priority that I have is to make RMAI more inclusive to stakeholders. My endeavor would be to increase the frequency of meaningful interactions with all stake holders. On our anvil is the information piece for members decoding ‘Impact of Union Budget on Rural’ covering Auto, Agriculture, Telecom, Infrastructure, FMCG, Durable, Rural development sectors. I am excited by the response and valuable inputs of the industry veterans on this initiative. We have also taken steps to enhance the reach of RMAI
Earlier this month, the entire general body of the Rural
activities; we have appointed two Zonal Heads for West and
Marketing Association of India sat in for a unanimous vote
South. These chapters have their game plan ready and RMAI will
where Sanjay Kaul, CEO, Impact Communications was
increase its activity in these regions. Their other mandates are
declared the new president of RMAI for a tenure of two years.
to increase the reach of our training courses to more B Schools
No stranger to the duties and responsibilities that go with this
and membership drive. RMAI has also has a huge knowledge
stop, Sanjay Kaul had previously served as vice president of
and talent capital. I only need to energize this resource to meet
RMAI under the leadership of Pradeep Kashyap, a founder
our objectives.
member and now a former president. ExM caught up with the new president on his plans for RMAI and the rural marketing
Will there be any new properties or changes in existing
sector during his tenure.
properties, like for instance in Flame Awards?
What are your plans for RMAI during your tenure?
Flame awards is very popular now, we are extending the same to our other award properties e.g. Ayurvet Flame Students
RMAI is already an established knowledge body, so my first
Awards. We will be introducing two new properties this year.
priority would be to further strengthening this positioning. I
One among them is an interactive workshop where clients
have laid down a detailed road map for RMAI for next two years.
and agencies come together to unlock fresh and differentiated
We have already firmed up a series of activities and initiatives
ideas in rural marketing and communication. This will also
for the calendar year in our EC meet. In sync with the changing
enable youngsters to showcase their talent and help agencies
needs of the industry we would be organizing roundtables and
to capture client perspectives and need. There would be
conferences on topics relevant to various industry segments.
parallel mentoring sessions by industry experts. We are also
For instance, 45 percent of 700 million mobile users are from
redesigning our Rural Immersion Programme which we will
rural areas, mobile would be a game changer for rural. We
re-launch this year as a new RMAI property.
32
JULY - AUGUST 2014 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING
Consumption and buying patterns in rural areas have
GOOD TIMES FOR RURAL FOLK
undergone a change and rural marketing as a sector is fast picking up pace. How do you intend to harness this
From now on, a budget will not do the dirty work anymore.
phenomenon to further the growth impetus?
Instead of one mega budget, expect small little seismic shakes for both the urban and rural market, month on month. The
The industry is abreast with this changing phenomenon in rural.
budget therefore becomes less of a watershed event. This
Increase of income, good monsoons, Government spending
year, the budget means good news to the rural person although
etc has helped spur this growth over the years. Unlike in past,
much still remains to be improved upon. Fertilizer subsidy
educating corporate on-going rural is no more a challenge for
reigns. There is just no talk of including the agriculturist under
RMAI. However access and reach still remains a big challenge.
Agricultural income tax and
Our endeavour would be to help corporate sharpen their
environmental
marketing efforts and strategies to keep in pace with changing
which topped with farm
dynamics of rural market.
loan waivers that exist, the
subsidy,
rural milieu needs to be one What is the primary challenge that you expect to deal with
where prosperity reigns.
as the president of RMAI, in context of the current market
The times are indeed good
scenario?
to be a rural person. Harish Bijoor, Brand
As a President I don’t see this as a challenge but an opportunity
Expert & CEO, Harish
as RMAI is much more relevant in current scenario.
Bijoor Consults Inc
Shortly upon assuming office, the new president of RMAI, Sanjay Kaul, had commissioned an analytical piece, ‘Decoding
SOIL HEALTH CARDS FOR FARMERS
the Union Budget-2014’. This document, which is a compilation of entries by senior industry leaders, analyses various aspects
Quite rightly, it has been announced that MNREGS will now be
of the budget that affects rural sector. Given below is an
substantially linked to agriculture and allied activities. Shortage
excerpt of that document. For the full copy, please write to
of labour during the peak agricultural operations has been a
secretariat@rmai.in
major problem for the farmers so far. It is also good to see the Government’s commitment to restructure FCI, and improve the
UNION BUDGET 2014 - IMPACT ON RURAL SECTOR
efficiency of food grain management in the country. Perhaps the most important announcement related to agriculture in
TECHNOLOGY DRIVEN SECOND GREEN REVOLUTION
the Budget is the scheme to provide to every farmer
Setting itself a target of sustaining a 4% growth rate in
a soil health card in a
agriculture against the odds posed by the deficit monsoon, the
Mission mode. This will go
budget has proposed several measures for rural development
a long way in scientifically
such as Shyama Prasad Mukherji Urban Mission, Neeranchal,
rationalising the fertiliser
and Start up village Entrepreneurship programme. It visualises
usage and reducing the
a strong and vibrant India with digital revolution, jobs for youth
subsidies.
and overall skill development. Allocation of Rs 500 crore
S. Sivakumar, Chief
is the first step to initiate broadband network in villages and
Executive - Agri
promote local manufacturing of Indian hardware and software
Businesses, ITC Limited
products. The new Government wants to replicate Gujarat RURBAN model thereby making
available
urban
GOVERNMENT EXTENDS LONG TERM RURAL CREDIT
amenities in rural parts of the country, the budget
The share of long term investment credit in agriculture is going
also allocates 8,000 crores
down as compared to short term crop loan. This is severely
for rural housing scheme.
hampering asset creation in agriculture and allied activities.
S Neelamegham,
In order to give a boost to long term investment credit in
President, NIILM Centre
agriculture, the government has proposed to set up Long Term
for Management Studies
Rural Credit Fund in NABARD for the purpose
JULY - AUGUST 2014 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING
33
of providing refinance support to Cooperative Banks and
enhance the penetration of packaged foods in FMCG, the
Regional Rural Banks with an initial corpus of Rs. 5,000
segments that is already witnessing a boom. Basic Customs
crore. In the agriculture produce creates uncertainties and
Duty reduction on Ethylene and Propylene, optimization of
hardship for the farmers. To mitigate this, a sum of Rs. 500
transportation networks and costs may lead to some input
crore for establishing a Price Stabilization Fund has been
cost savings for FMCG companies which again may benefit end
allocated. The farmers
consumers. I believe that sectors like FMCG will be the early
and consumers’ interest
winners with the increasing
will be further served by
disposable
increasing competition and
driving greater adoption
integrating markets across
of branded goods in rural
the country.
terrain and premiumisation
M J Saxena, Managing
of
Director, Ayurvet Ltd and
urban markets.
Dr. Anup Kalra, Executive
George Angelo, Executive
Director, Ayurvet Ltd
Director-Sales, Dabur
incomes
consumption
in
the
India. FM TARGETS FISCAL PRUDENCE ROADS AND HIGHWAY GRANTS TO KEEP RURAL SECTOR Fiscal prudence is a necessary condition for sustained high
GOING
economic growth in the future. Finance minister, Arun Jaitley has accepted this objective and his targets for fiscal deficit
I feel that this time around there is going to be money generated
cannot be faulted by any one. But he has not spelt out in his
in the hands of rural consumers because there is Rs. 37, 800 Cr.
speech as to how the income would be adequately enhanced.
that will be spent on national highway roads, and Rs. 14, 389 Cr
However, divestment of PSU shares, allowing banks to augment
on Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana on village roads. These
capital by selling shares to the public, a more targeted and
roads will be built by aam aadmi of rural areas generating fresh
effective use of subsidies and a reduction of expenditures on
employment and increased spending power on FMCG products.
the basis of the report of
Aspirational products like television sets, mobiles, etc. will gain
the proposed Expenditure
from increased spending by consumers below 30 years of age.
Management Commission
The older generation looks for food, housing, etc. Products will
are what appear to be in
get bunched based on age profile. Monsoon impact has little to
the FM’s mind. He probably
do with government spending on infrastructure like roads. The
expects higher economic
biggest flow of money is to
growth to also result in
come from construction
better tax revenues.
of roads and additionally
RC Bhargava, Chairman,
the government has not
Maruti Suzuki India
withdrawn
MNREGA
Limited
subsidies.
It is already
taking
steps
on
or
food
inflation. PACKAGED FOOD INDUSTRY TO BENEFIT
Sunil Alagh, Founder & Chairman, SKA Advisors
The proposal for setting up warehousing facilities is likely to create additional storage capacity of one million tones of agri-commodities. This will create infrastructure for scientific
TELECOM- THE NEW RURAL DRIVER
storage - cold storages and cold chains for fruits and vegetables and milk, which will help the rural economy significantly. The
Strong economic growth in the last decade and a half has
likely increased earnings for the rural agri producers could
led to villages turning into towns and towns into cities. This
mean greater disposable incomes and will positively impact
phenomenon has been accompanied by waves of migration
consumption across FMCG categories. Arun Jaitley has
to large cities. More than the physical movement, however,
proposed incentives for food processing capacity expansion in
there has been unprecedented telecom and media outreach in
the country through reduction in excise duty on specific food
this period. Interestingly, for telecom, rural India is the growth
processing and packaging machinery. This can help further
driver, at least in numbers. The mobile services subscriber
34
JULY - AUGUST 2014 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING
base in rural India stood at 377.7 million in March 2014 versus
no tax benefits, it attracted many investors. The popularity
a lower 374.9 million in February. We are looking at an
was due to the investors beings allowed to invest in cash.
interesting situation. The factors that drove rural consumption
This announcement should boost rural infrastructure as well
in the last decade thus may not be the same as those that
as private rural markets. Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti
will be at play in the next. The good news is that aspirations
Yojana for feeder separation will be launched to augment
are high, particularly among young India. The desire to stay
power supply to the rural areas and for strengthening
connected and consume media will continue to grow. Will we
sub-transmission and distribution systems. Its long term aim
see sharp consumption shifts in coming years? To some extent,
is to provide 24×7 uninterrupted power supply to all homes.
yes. Products and services linked to basic infrastructure,
A sum of Rs. 500 crores
including, for instance, galvanised sheets for homes or tractors
has been set aside
for farming, will continue
for this scheme. This
to gain traction. These
scheme will replicate the
growing aspirations,
Gujarat model of rural
combined with the
electrification.
potential creation of new
Pradeep Kashyap, CEO,
opportunities, will also
MART and Immediate Past
lead to new markets being
President, Rural Marketing
created and potentially the
Association of India
demise of some old. Govindraj Ethiraj, Founder of Ping Digital Broadcast
RADIO MEDIUM SIDELINED IN THE BUDGET There is an announcement to introduce a Television
NEEDS A ROADMAP FOR FINISHING HELD UP PROJECTS
Channel dedicated to the interests of the agriculture and allied sector. This is expected to disseminate real time
Given that this Government has been in office for less than
information to farmers regarding new farming techniques,
two months, no big bang reforms were anticipated. The Union
water conservation, organic farming etc. The success of this
Government recognizing the need for revival of investment
is largely dependent on its content being relevant to the
cycle had already extended the Excise Duty Cut on Capital
target area and a provision of only Rs.100 crore is grossly
Goods for another 6 months in June, 2014 itself. The Budget’s
inadequate to achieve the same. Effective Communication
focus on infrastructure sector, encouraging banks to lend long
is the key to the success of any development programme.
term funds to infrastructure sector, extending the benefit
Already technology is playing a big role in the way we can each
of investment allowance to Small and Medium Enterprises
rural folks. Radio, one of the cheapest mass media available to
and emphasis on manufacturing growth should help revive
reach rural folks even in the remotest power starved corners
the capital goods sector. While PPP in relation to many
of the country has not received the attention it deserves in
new projects has been
the budget. There is no mention in the budget of how the
announced, however, a
government is planning to use the Common Service Centres
roadmap for execution of
– the internet based facility started under the ambitious ICT
existing held up projects
project of UPA to reach all
could have helped turn
the villages of the country
things quickly.
more effectively.
Vipin Sondhi, Managing
R V Rajan – Ex Managing
Director & CEO, JCB
Director, Anugrah
India Ltd.
Madison Advertising and Past President, Rural Marketing Association of India
FIND A HOME FOR UNBANKED MICRO SAVINGS The Kisan Vikas Patra scheme has been re-launched as it was once a very popular instrument among small savers. This scheme will encourage people who may have banked and unbanked savings to invest in this instrument and despite
vasundara@eventfaqs.com JULY - AUGUST 2014 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING
35
STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT | BRIEFS
CHANDA SINGH VP & Business Head (Mumbai) Encompass
Apart from envisioning strategies for the future, the efforts for the previous financial year were also recognised and rewarded.
Encompass takes the Asian Paints’ Classic Privilege Club to Switzerland
I
n an effort to strengthen the brand-dealer relationship, Asian Paints felt the need for a platform that recognises and rewards the efforts of those dealers that have helped the brand grow in the last financial year. Thus was born the Classic Privilege Club, which toured for a fortnight in Switzerland. Encompass, which executed the event, delivered the ‘Trendsetters - Reaching New Heights' theme. The tour's locations within Switzerland included Zurich, Lucerne, Interlaken and Jungfrau. The dealers were incentivised for the business generated last year and for the next year to come.
Chanda Singh, VP & Business Head (Mumbai), Encompass said: "The brief was to conceptualise, plan and execute a series of events and engagements in the country of Switzerland for 510 key dealers of Asian Paints. The same was to be done over five days and several locations for three groups of 150 to 200 people each. The experience needed to be unique and one that would only deepen the relationship with the brand." With the base as Zurich, dealers were welcomed in a community hall and treated to a gala at the Movenpick Regensdorff. Hosted by Danish Sait, the gala's highlights included a theatrical performance showcasing the cycle of life, an ultra-violet flag dance, a dramatic pyro performance and an international troupe performing the famous Tron act. One of the highlights of the tour was when the dealers danced to their favourite Bollywood music at the highest point of Mt. Titlis.
DEEKSHA SHARMA ARORA Sr. VP and Branch Head - North Fountainhead Entertainment
T
he three-day Oriflame Directors Seminar concluded at the Hyatt Regency in Manesar recently. Fountainhead Entertainment executed the event, which saw 1100 attendees including the brand's consultants, directors and managers. The premise of this event was the London Dreams Gold Conference 2015, a future vision of Oriflame where it will award its top performers.
Fountainhead executes a London-themed Oriflame seminar
The event saw the launch of new products, entertaining performances, awards for achievements and inspiring testimonials. The seminar was opened with introductions of next year's conference. An old school rock tribute to London's music legends was done by Oriflame's team members and later by a dance group.
Qureshi, who addressed and interacted with the audience. The gala night saw a performance by Manasi Scott, who brought top performers to the stage to commemorate their achievements. Speed painter Vilas Naik, a couple of aerial dancers and a royal band also performed mesmerizing acts.
The second day saw two new products being launched with the help of theatrics/gimmicks and also a fashion show, followed by dance performances by the management team. The third day saw presentations followed by the announcement of its brand ambassador - actress Huma
Deeksha Sharma Arora , Sr. VP and Branch Head - North, Fountainhead Entertainment, said: "The best features of this seminar were the audience engagements and MC interactions. Apart from the photo-opportunities and pledge wall, there were loads of activities where the audience could take part in and feel more associated with the event."
36
JULY - AUGUST 2014 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING
GAURAV THAKKAR Founder & Director Mantra Events
M
antra Events executed The Mahindra Dealers Excellence Program at Bali on July 15-16. MDEP conference is hosted once a year with dealers across India. The meet was about introspection on the year gone by, planning for the future, together with hosting awards and recognizing performing dealers. This was the fourth consecutive year that Mantra handled the event. The agency won the mandate to handle MDEP through a multi-agency pitch. This year, MDEP was hosted in Bali, Indonesia. The theme of the event was a mix of beachfront culture and Malaysian traditional art. For the welcome dinner, the agency zoned in on Taman Bhagawan, a culturally inspired beachfront destination with a beautiful lawn against the backdrop of famous Rama Shinta sculpture and nicely lighted for a perfect evening. The evening was further enhanced with a local fire act with 11 dancers per forming on various fire props like - Fire Nail, Fire Hula hoop, Fire Sword to name a few. The main conference was hosted in ‘The Stones' Kuta Bali
After Barcelona and Capetown, Mahindra chooses Bali for dealer meet for 350 persons. Gaurav Thakkar, Founder & Director, Mantra Events said: "As we had a long term relationship with Mahindra, and we had also done the earlier MDEP conferences, we understood their expectations and accordingly planned the event. We used 42x13 ft LED for the conference which gave the pixel presentation far more impact and made it visually appealing in the presentation slides. We also designed the evening award theme, based on football as it was on top of everybody's mind due to the recently concluded football world cup."
MANDEEP MALHOTRA President DDB MudraMax OOH
Anchor appoints DDB MudraMax for its dealers meet in Australia
A
nchor, which was been acquired by electronic giant Panasonic, appointed DDB MudraMax to execute its dealers meet at The Star Sydney Casino & Hotel in Sydney on June 12. Mudra had to win a multi-agency pitch to manage this event for the second consecutive time. Around 700 attendees comprising dealers and their families, visited not just Sydney but Gold Coast and Melbourne for sightseeing as well. Mudra chose ‘Game Changers' as the theme and designed the logo and collaterals (throughout the event) in a country-centric manner so that dealers could get the local flavor.
The day-long event saw guests engage themselves with activities including aboriginal art tattoos and nail paint. The pre-function area also had the animals of Australia (kangaroos, koala bears and pythons) and human statues. The event started with a local aboriginal dance act to welcome the guests, bringing the Australian culture alive. The show witnessed dramatic VIP entries for the MD and Joint MD, who launched six different products via 3D mapping. In between the award segments, acts by Electron, singer Shalmali Kholgade, standup comedian Surendra Sharma, Bollywood actress Maryam Zakariae and contortionist Bendy Em entertained the guests. Mandeep Malhotra, President, DDB MudraMax OOH, Experiential and Retail, also commented: "I'm extremely happy to be partnering with Anchor and to help the team in developing the thematic communication, experience, design, logistics and execution. We love creating unique ideas and experiences for our clients and the team at Anchor encouraged us to do so." JULY - AUGUST 2014 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING
37
HEMANT DAHIYA Managing Director Salt Experiences & Management
Salt takes PNB MetLife’s annual rewards conference to Greece
T
he Olympics took a corporate turn this year, as PNB Metlife's sales team gathered in Athens, Greece for its annual rewards and recognition program. Salt Experiences & Management handled the event experience at Divani Apollon Palace & Thalasso in Athens, Greece on June 20. The concept decided for the event was based on ancient Greek characteristics, drawing inspiration from Greek architecture, sculpture and mythology. The theme, League of Olympians - Faster Higher Stronger, was finalized to mark the first Olympics held in ancient Greece. Within this model, the
achievements of the PNB MetLife team were celebrated, their ambitions fueled and new benchmarks created. PNB MetLife's brand name stood out at the venue with branded pylons, backdrops and tent cards. About 150 sales employees and agents who fulfilled the business criteria laid down under the sales program were flown to Greece, where they were taken on sight-seeing tours, besides the main conference. Coffee with Tarun Chugh - MD & CEO, PNB MetLife India Insurance, started off the evening, which was followed by the awards function, a motivational session by Pawan Girdharilal Agrawal of the Mumbai Dabbawala Association and an interactive session by Illusionist Roy Zaltsman. Hemant Dahiya, MD, Salt Experiences & Management said: "Salt participated in a multi-agency pitch with three other agencies and won. We had 20 days from the pitch to the execution stage, and we flavoured every possible deliverable as per client's requirements, keeping in mind the theme of the event. It is our endeavour to give nothing but the best in terms of quality and overall experience. I am glad the way my team executed this prestigious event for one of our key partners, PNB MetLife."
ROHAN SALVI Vice President - Business Development and Client Servicing (Events) Fountainhead Entertainment
T
he Aditya Birla Financial Services Group (ABFSG) represents seven companies, so an annual event is held to bring employees across these companies together. The 6th anniversary of the ABFSG took place at the Hyatt Regency in Gurgaon. Attended by 700 employees, the two-day event was executed by Fountainhead Entertainment. Rohan Salvi, Vice President - Business Development and Client Servicing (Events), Fountainhead Entertainment, said: "We have been working on the ABFSG account since the past three years. We were in charge of design, fabrication, show running, permissions, artist management, stay, travel logistics, etc." The main objective of the event was to design an experience that made the employees feel valued and appreciated for their efforts. The idea was to create an engagement that emphasized the value of working together and to inspire and encourage a professional yet personal approach to forging relationships. The tone for the year and future goals were also set.
38
JULY - AUGUST 2014 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING
Aditya Birla FSG celebrates its 6th anniversary with Rahul Dravid The event typically sees conferences and an awards program, but this year also had a play at Kingdom Of Dreams. The play, called Zangoora, was followed by drinks and dinner at Culture Galli. The next day started with a conference, which had Rahul Dravid on board as a business speaker. The day-long conference concluded with a photo session. The awards ceremony then began, with a standup comedy act by Kunal Rao and Asim Banatwala. A couple of dancing/singing performances by the brand's internal team also took place between the distributions of the awards. The night concluded with dinner and a DJ set.
STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT | MARKET PULSE travelers in business as well as leisure segments from India. In early 2014, a business delegation from Bahrain had visited India and successfully explored opportunities across various sectors such as infrastructure, banking, training and so on. This also further showcases Bahrain’s focus towards India to strengthen bilateral ties, which could further enhance tourist numbers to Bahrain in the future. 3. Infrastructure Rotana has just announced its second hotel in Bahrain- the ART Rotana, a 311 room luxury property located on Amwaj Islands which has been signed in agreement with Ossis Property Developers. ART Rotana offers extensive banqueting and conference facilities including a spectacular ballroom and eight fully-equipped meeting rooms with the latest audio-visual
5 reasons to look to bahrain! AMAN ADITYA SACHDEV SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT- SOUTH ASIA AND SOUTH-EAST ASIA FOR ROTANA
equipment, making it a sure favorite with discerning MICE organizers, for weddings, social events and much more. 4. Accessibility. Ease in Visa. In addition to the development of new properties in Bahrain, what works to our advantage are the new relaxed visa norms. A new visa on arrival policy has been extended to Indian nationals as well, and this should work towards encouraging MICE business from India. As mentioned above, India and Bahrain have had a longstanding bilateral economic relationship strengthened by growing trade.
Aman Aditya Sachdev, Senior Vice President - South Asia
Bahrain’s ideal location within the GCC, also presents Indian
and South-East Asia for Rotana, in conversation with R.
businesses with the ideal platform to access the Gulf market.
Swaminathan,
This promises to sustain the number of Indian travellers in the
highlights
five
prominent
developments
in Bahrain, making it more suitable for Indian M.I.C.E.
business segment to Bahrain.
programmes. 5. Focus on M.I.C.E. 1. Increase of Indian visitors Bahrain offers a fascinating blend of eastern and western According to the latest statistics a significant number of Indian
cultures as high-rise buildings vie for space with more traditional
outbound travelers have visited Bahrain recently. In 2013, a total
dwellings and ancient traditions and historical sites mix with
of 440,709 Indians in both segments traveled to the country
modern developments and cosmopolitan living. Another
(source: Bahrain Aviation Authority). Furthermore, the Bahraini
highlight of the destination includes the Bahrain International
government has been making concerted efforts towards
Circuit, which brings in thousands of visitors every year for the
increasing international tourist numbers into the kingdom over
Formula One Gulf Air Grand Prix. Bahrain is well equipped
the last few years, supported by the various infrastructure
with attractions and facilities that MICE planners and travellers
projects underway.
would look for – varied landscape, pleasant climates for most part of the year as well as easy visas.
2. Focus on India Aside from the many infrastructure projects of the government, Bahrain is an upcoming leisure destination, which is slowly
the state-of-the-art Expo City project is aimed to attract MICE
rising to attention. So far, trade relations between the two
business in the kingdom in the future. To be built next to the
countries have consistently been strong and hence the number
Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, it will enable Bahrain to
of business travelers has been higher. There is certainly a
host various large-scale events and internationally position it as
change in the trend, with interest from Indian outbound
a preferred MICE destination in the region. JULY - AUGUST 2014 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING
39
STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT | COVER STORY
ALL THE WORLD'S A STAGE NOW FOR INDIAN CORPORATIONS
GLOBAL DESTINATIONS LOOK TO RIDE ON THIS WAVE!
C
Ambuja Cement’s R&R Conference for Distributors in Seatle, Vancouver, including an Alaskan Cruise!!
orporate India is increasingly realizing the advantage, and unearthing the potential benefits that engagement with stakeholders brings. Be it motivating sales teams, rewarding dealers, incentivizing distributors, or knowledge-sharing with management, Stakeholder Engagement or M.I.C.E. as it is technically termed by the industry, is perceived to be an important productivity tool.
Phillips’ R&R for Dealers in Amsterdam, Brussels and Paris…
Besides large corporations coming to this realization, an increasing number of companies
Asian Paints’ R&R Dealer Meet in Vegas and San Francisco over 10 days… Aditya Birla’s 5-day incentive trip for top management in Prague…
40
JULY - AUGUST 2014 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING
both medium-sized and small are also joining in the belief of this tool. It’s well established now that India’s industry, economy and business is on a steady rise, and with this, a renewed energy has trickled through to corporations, brands and SMEs that are all bullish and geared for new growth stories.
cities in India. Further, there is a need felt to engage at every level within the organization, giving birth to multi-level MICE programmes. As a clear result of this, outbound corporate M.I.C.E. is also on the rise, and it’s these groups of travellers that are setting the trend for newer destinations and one-of-its-kind experiences.
What’s more, these corporations and brands are waking up to the potential of MICE programmes to trigger growth and productivity. This realization is pan-India, even amongst companies and offices based in smaller, tier two
It’s no wonder then that global destinations are out there promoting their features and facilities to corporates and their planners, all with the objective to ride this wave, to their own advantage! JULY - AUGUST 2014 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING
41
16 INTERNATIONAL DESTINATION REPRESENTATIVES SHOWCASE TO 320 EXPERIENTIAL PLANNERS IN INDIA
42
JULY - AUGUST 2014 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING
Keeping in line with the increasing interest of Global destinations showcasing to India, 14 destination representatives partnered the ‘Experiential Planner Business Luncheons’, which took place in Delhi, Mumbai and Ahmedabad. An initiative of tmf dialogue marketing India, the Experiential Planner Business Luncheons are a one-of-a-kind platform where planners from across corporate and MICE, Travel, Wedding and Destination-led event agencies meet one-on-one in their own cities with new, exciting and highly equipped destination representatives to enhance business. Partners included National Tourism Offices, Convention Bureaus, Destination Management Companies, Hotels and Venues. Each of 16 international destination representatives were available through the day in each of the three cities for pre-scheduled and one-to-one meetings with planners. During the luncheons, tmf India and EVENTFAQS hosted parallel ‘campfire sessions’.
Similar to round table discussions, but in a more informal, approachable format, to encourage more participation, these sessions were led by industry stalwarts and had participation from amongst attendees as well as partners. Topics of the campfire sessions revolved around the nuances and insights given the increasing trend of destination-led events in India…
Glimpses from the Campfire sessions
In the interest of the client and the success of the wedding, we must learn to collaborate. SAMIT GARG DIRECTOR & CEO, E-FACTOR
Delhi In Delhi the business luncheon took place on July 15 at the Shangri-La’s Eros Hotel. There were two campfire sessions that took place as part of the luncheon. The power of collaboration for success in Destination Wedding planning The first of the campfires, led by Samit Garg, Director & CEO, E-Factor, turned out to be a rather healthy dialogue between wedding planners and European destination representatives. It was apparent that with 95% of international destination weddings by Indian wedding planners being done in South East Asia, (mainly Thailand), the region had reached a saturation point. Hence, this offered a huge potential to host higher-end / exclusive Indian weddings in Europe. Though, Western Europe may not be as affordable a wedding destination for many as compared to Eastern Europe. Establishing a future-ready model, and the way forward for successful destination wedding planning, Garg explained, "There is some amount of mistrust amongst planners in India when getting quotes, especially hotel rates 44
JULY - AUGUST 2014 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING
from a DMC for instance, they feel they must go directly. On the other hand, DMCs may feel disheartened when the planner goes directly to the hotel for a quote. The reality is that both the planner in India and the DMC or the Convention Bureau brings differentiated value to the client. So in the interest of the client and the success of the wedding, they must learn to collaborate. Even when pitching, go together and showcase the power of both parties working hand in hand.” Chetan Vohra, Founder & CEO - Wedding Line, agreed saying "The evolved client today knows the need for collaboration with local partners from a destination; therefore if the planner and convention bureau collaborate when making the pitch, it would give the client more confidence and reassurance." The value a Destination representative can bring to the corporate The second campfire session was led by Ashish Jaitly, Vice President & Head Sales PromotionDistribution, Max Life Insurance. Drawing an understanding on Rewards and Recognition in an insurance company, Jaitly explained, “Insurance is a tough product. There are broadly five revenue channels, and therefore incentive or R&R programmes for each channel. We roughly run 20 such programmes at varied levels through the year.”
Have the same objective shared with all partners/ service providers. ASHISH JAITLY VP & HEAD - SALES PROMOTION-DISTRIBUTION, MAX LIFE INSURANCE
As the person looking into each of these programmes Jaitly has the ability to pre-plan budgets, levels and also the kind of destinations for each of the programmes. Therefore when collaborating with a destination’s official tourism, convention representative, there is an ability to plan perhaps more than one programme in the destination in the year. This may allow the destination to offer added value to the corporate. “The most important criterion is to work in partnership. This is the case for the agency, destination and client. Have the same objective shared with all partners/service providers. Even smaller touch points. Any disconnect at any point can hurt the end participant ” added Jaitly. Jaitly also stressed on the fact that the corporate depends on their agency for the execution and planning, entirely. Even if an understanding maybe established with the destination representative or hotel or venue, that information / deal is passed on to the agency for servicing and applying their expertise. He concluded, “We already have a tough job of selling insurance, we’re not experts of planning events.” Mumbai In Mumbai the business luncheon took place on July 16 at the Taj Lands End. There were two campfire sessions that took place as part of the luncheon. The benefit corporates / planners derive from MICE industry platforms The opening session was lead by Kashyap Biyani, MICE Head, Cipla, with Rajeev Kale, Head – MICE, Thomas Cook and other travel and event company representative also participating. This session highlighted a very interesting aspect, on industry platforms that
Platforms to exchange knowledge and learn about newer destination grows the business. KASHYAP BIYANI MICE HEAD, CIPLA
showcase destinations, to relevant decision makers being an impetus to the growth of the MICE industry in India. Biyani elaborated how with the inclusion of corporates in such engagements, they learn about newer destinations and also can create impressions of destinations and make the right contacts through such initiatives. Both Biyani and Kale admitted how beneficial it is to meet with the right representatives of destinations and opportunities to exchange knowledge and insights on the industry. Decision-making criteria for destination selection of MICE programmes
The eventual participant has to be excited about the destination. ALOK KALRA HEAD MARKETING, RELIANCE LIFE INSURANCE
JULY - AUGUST 2014 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING
45
The theme of this session, led by Alok Kalra, Head Marketing, Reliance Life Insurance, was ‘Factors that determined the choice of a destination for corporate MICE programmes’. Birju Gariba, CEO, Platinum Worldwide also participated in the discussion along with the partner destination representatives as part of the show. The discussion threw up some interesting facts. It was felt that awareness of a destination, strong word of mouth, personal experience, travel time, connectivity, entertainment on offer and places of tourist attraction were all equally important in the finalization of a destination for any R&R programme. Needless to add that availability of Indian cuisine and familiar language of communication was also important. It was however felt that the eventual participant of the given MICE programme, as the consumer, had to be excited about the destination that he or she would go to. The decision maker in the organization or the MICE planner has to factor this in before deciding on the destination. Here, peer influences, word of mouth, and the overall glamour quotient of a place come into play. Thus highlighting the need for destinations to both market to corporates, to build stories around their destination, and also focus on information dissemination to planners, to be
Co-create the brief and push the client for answers. MANEET JOLLY GM - MARKETING, CASTROL
able to facilitate and implement programmes to the desired degree of aspiration and expectation of the client. The importance of a clear brief for a successful MICE programme The second of the two sessions as part of the Mumbai luncheon was led by Maneet Jolly, GM – Marketing, Castrol. In a unique case, contrary to the usual enquiry of what the client wants, Jolly allowed for all the participating agency representatives to present what they would want from their clients. One of the best-attended sessions, agency heads from across MICE, event and travel companies participated, while hotel and destination partners to the show were also present. It was quickly established that the biggest grouse an agency has with its client is the clarity in the brief and the fact that the brief changes across stages of the project and also through levels of management in the client’s side. Jolly patiently unraveled important considerations like, one-line briefs, lack of stating objectives, approaching hotels / venues directly for quotes, amongst some others as part of the challenges when working on a MICE programme. Jolly also revealed the client’s perspective, highlighting that in case there is a gap in the information / brief provided, it’s probably because the information is not yet available with the client. It was concluded that it is important to push the client to provide the information required and co-create the brief, to ensure the successful execution of the programme. Participants in the session included, Vinod Janardhan, MD, Team Rustic; Navneeth Mohan, CEO, Lakshya LIVE Experiences; Hari Iyyepan,
46
JULY - AUGUST 2014 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING
Director, Archers Entertainment, and Zelam Chaubal, Director, KMICE amongst others.
Gujaratis are wealthy and they like to travel!
Ahmedabad In Ahmedabad the business luncheon took place on July 17 at the Novotel. There were two campfire sessions that took place as part of the luncheon.
JAIDEEP MEHTA DIRECTOR TRUE EVENTS
Gujarat: a fast growing and unique market for MICE and Destination Weddings Ahmedabad being a new destination for the show, and also an upcoming / growing market for both destination MICE programmes and weddings. Each of the two sessions made an enquiry into the market situation for MICE and weddings respectively, while also unearthing the unique potential and requirements of the market. The destination wedding planning session was led by Jaideep Mehta, Director, True Events and Raj Batra, Director, Mosaic Events. It revealed the huge spending potential and budget of Gujarat weddings. Notwithstanding the fact there was the stress on the availability and flexibility of the destination and its hotels / venues related to Indian food; more so because amongst the Gujarati community there are even more stringent requirements in terms of ingredients, the preparation methods and its authenticity. The session on the MICE industry in Gujarat, revealed a very interesting potential amongst pharmaceutical and industrial brands, since many of these are based in Gujarat. Participants in this session included representatives from large travel companies including Cox and Kings and Kuoni with regional office in Ahmedabad and also Gujarat-based event companies. Many of the MICE programmes from this market involved planning the participation of stakeholders to pharmaceutical companies in
and around an existing exhibition / trade event in Europe or America. This revealed a different, logistic-heavy and tour-heavy requirement for the industry in Gujarat versus the more experiential and events heavy requirements of corporate MICE programmes in markets like Mumbai and Delhi. What’s next? The Experiential Planner manifests in a newsroom online, dedicated to the destination events and wedding planning community in India, amongst many other services for the planning community to connect with destination representatives and service providers. The Experiential Planning Business Luncheons has also made an agreement for a three-year association with the European Cities Marketing (ECM). ECM members’ cities will therefore make for a prominent part of the luncheons in the years to come, with exciting destinations from across Europe coming to India to showcase their facilities and offers to planners.
JULY - AUGUST 2014 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING
47
We are EEMA... We are the Change...
New Vision Renewed Vigour EEMAGINE 2014 witnessed a sea change in the Event & Experiential Marketing Space The key focus across the task forces is: Re-eemagineering the ecosystem in which we operate: employees, clients, supply chain, artistes and inter-agency Future proofing: learning, funding, etc. Inclusivity: Reaching out and connecting with the event management resources, companies and operations across the regions EEMA standards: a definition of standards, standardization, classification and certification Globalization, Technology + Digital Dimension Knowledge
Award Winners
Delegates
Task Forces
Thanks to OFFICIAL HOST
MEDIA PARTNERS www.eventfaqs.com
ENTERTAINMENT PARTNERS
TECHNOLOGY PARTNER
Pro I n d i a Mumbai
P r i v a t e Pune
Goa
L i m i t e d
Bengaluru
OFFSITE HOSPITALITY PARTNER
ONLINE REGISTRATION PARTNER
D K Photography www.dkphoto.in +91 9885483683
vasundhara SAROVAR PREMIERE kerala - vayalar A S A R O VA R H O T E L
DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY PARTNER
PHOTOGRAPHY PARTNER
MOBILE APPLICATION PARTNER
SPECIAL SESSION PARTNER
ENTERTAINMENT | BRIEFS
DHARAM SARAVIYA Production Manager NH7
India in 2014.
Puma Loves Vinyl returns with The Sound of 2014
Headlined by post-hardcore band Scribe, the gig saw four young artists - indie-pop project Your Chin, young alt-rockers Unohu, Chennai's WMD Skrat and mellow singer-songwriter Prateek Kuhad. A few installations at the event featured a mini Puma store, which showcased branded merchandise.
A
Dharam Saraviya, Production Manager, NH7, said: "We're official co-conspirators of the property, so we help with conceptualization of the gigs and assist Puma with the direction of the property. We handled production, booked artists and the venue as well. This edition was heavily promoted through digital and social media, including Youtube ads."
Cream Events, which executed the two previous editions of the gig, came on board to execute this one as well. The event saw some of India's most relevant musicians - people that are championing for a sound that is highly-listenable, wholly contemporary and captures the spirit of independent music in
Karan Kapoor, Manager - Operations, Cream Events said: "Like the previous editions, we had to again ensure that execution was done seamlessly and the show was extremely smooth. The design elements also needed to be looked into. We coordinated well with the NH7 team to ensure that everything was on track."
fter its previous gig at Mackichan Hall that featured stellar acts from names in the EDM circle, Puma and NH7 returned with the third edition of Puma Loves Vinyl - The Sound of 2014. Attended by around 1800 people, the gig took place at Bandra Amphitheatre in Mumbai.
SUMELI CHATTERJEE Head - Marketing and Insights MTV India
M
TV India is launching Splitsvilla season seven with a new format. The show's old host, Nikhil Chinapa is returning to this edition, with Sunny Leone as his co-host. Launch events with the media were held at Villa 69 in Mumbai on June 4 and at The Oberoi Hotel in Delhi on June 5. About 120 media members were present at both launches to get a first-hand view of the ‘Fairy Tale' themes set. This included a giant ink pot with a feather pen, magic mirror, frog prince and a fairy tale book. Nikhil Chinapa was welcomed by martial arts performers from Manipur, whereas Sunny Leone stepped out of the fairy tale book in a red princess gown and angel wings. Snowflakes drizzled upon the audiences. Sumeli Chatterjee, Head - Marketing and Insights, MTV India, said: "Splitsvilla is the longest running romance reality series with a wide appeal across TV and digital. It has been successfully extended to independent web series like Splitsvilla Battleground through several years now. Break
50
JULY - AUGUST 2014 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING
MTV launches Splitsvilla 7 with an extensive marketing campaign Up Diaries is another digital extension which captures the experiences of the contestants." MTV carried forward the ‘Fairy Tale romance' as a theme for the extensive media campaign which covered various regions including 15 small towns. Radio was an integral part of the plan with interviews, special features, talk shows, etc. The plan also covers multiplexes, hangouts and outdoor ads. This year, Rajasthan as been chosen as the location. The show, sponsored by Killer Jeans, Manforce, Fogg and Karbonn Smart, went on air from June 14.
ROHAN SALVI Vice President Business Development and Client Servicing (Events), Fountainhead Entertainment
I
dea Rocks India, a marketing initiative by brand Idea, concluded its 6th season recently. The music IP roped in Fountainhead Entertainment to plan and execute the tour across 17 cities. With Mika Singh and Sunidhi Chauhan performing at eight cities each, the concerts saw an average of 30,000 people in each city. Karthik-Andrea were also brought on board to perform in one city. This edition also featured a nation-wide musical talent hunt competition. At the concerts, stand-up comedians Vijay Pawar (aka VIP) or Rajeev Thakur entertained the audiences followed by a high-energy performance by the artists. The three talent hunt winners were felicitated on-stage. The winner then performed on one or two songs with the celebrity artist on stage. A ‘quadcopter' at every concert conducted aerial photography and videography for the concert, creating excitement amongst the audience. Rohan Salvi, Vice President - Business Development and Client Servicing (Events), Fountainhead Entertainment, said: "After successfully executing the previous season, we were
Sunidhi and Mika rock the 6th season of Idea Rocks India allotted the mandate for this IP again. The activations teams travelled to 68 towns and cities for promotions and all entries were uploaded on a micro site for judging centrally." An expansive campaign was held, including mall activations, radio plan (Radio Mirchi's fortnight plan had free merchandise, exclusive meet and greet for contest winners), outdoor hoardings, in-theatre promotional videos, POS promotions, digital and mobile platforms. A canter plan was also laid out to connect with different parts of the city with fun music related games and props developed to engage the audience and distribute merchandise. Those who participated in the games and auditions were given passes as gratification.
LUCKY MORANI Managing Director Lucky's Music Club
Lucky Morani conceives a winner in Provogue Studio Bollywood Nights
C
ineyug, Provogue, Lucky's Music Club and Hard Rock Cafe (HRC) brought to music lovers the first edition of Provogue Studio Bollywood Nights on July 11, presented by Sansui. The nights, to be held on a Friday every month, will showcase the best of Bollywood artists and their existing hit tracks in their signature styles. The event was conceived by Lucky Morani, Managing Director, Lucky's Music Club, who commented: "I wanted people to get
a chance to experience music in its purest form. This brings the celebrity artists to interact with the audience in close proximity and provide their fans a power packed evening of fun and entertainment." The tone of the night was set with the opening act of Ankit Tiwari. The singer belted out his popular hits like ‘Sun Raha Hai Na Tu' and ‘Galliyan'. Other Bollywood artists like Shraddha Pandit, Aishwariya Majumdar, Antara Mitra, Sukriti, Prakriti and Sonu Kakar also pumped up the house with sensational performances. The night concluded with a performance by DJ Chetas, who is known for his mashups. Provogue held a contest called the Provogue Voice Contest on its Facebook page where interested candidates could upload their voice recordings with details. The winner, Sukhjinder Singh, who was chosen by Tiwari, got to perform with the singer at the gig. This contest was held in context with the brand's tagline ‘Make Your Mark'. JULY - AUGUST 2014 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING
51
ENTERTAINMENT IN FOCUS
MENTAL ABOUT MENTALISTS? There’s good reason why Experiential Marketers are drawing power from Mentalists at their events.
Left: Asi Wind reads the mind of the mother of Miss Portugal, Sara Matias Silveira over the telephone at an event in Lisbon Bottom: Lior Suchard at the Aditya Birla Financial Services Group Annual Event
E
xperiential marketers in India who are constantly looking to innovate in terms of the e-quotient (entertainment) in any engagement activity seem to have discovered Mentalism in a big way. If we just look at the last three months, there have been quite a few who have included mentalists in their events. Ultratech Cement recently organized a Meet and Greet event with the Rajasthan Royals team of the Indian Premier League 2013. Fountainhead Promotions and Events brought on mind readers Mohit Rao and Lior Suchard to engage top performing stockists of Ultratech. Aditya Birla Financial Services Group recently held the fifth edition of its annual event to award its employees. Titled 'Financial Services Day 2013' and also conceptualized and executed by Fountainhead Promotions & Events. The international 'supernatural entertainer' Lior Suchard, performed his 'acts of mentalism'. Internationally acclaimed mentalist and entertainer, Lior Suchard often performs ticketed shows as well, across cities in India.
Last month he performed a show for the Rotary and Inner Wheel Club of Bombay Central and The Hindu group. At Lisbon recently, for a MICE group from India, Platinum Worldwide had the audience enthralled by New York-based, award winning magician and master mentalist, Asi Wind. Bubble Communication conceptualized and organized a full-day workshop called “The Secret To Master Your Mind� with Renowned Mentalist Ehud Segev and Ad Genius, Prahlad Kakar at The Leela Palace followed by an evening show in the presence of Bollywood actress Sushmita Sen. JULY - AUGUST 2014 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING
53
Know the audience and customize the mentalist's performance for the brand. ROHAN SALVI FOUNTAIN HEAD
3. Keep Innovating
3 great advantage of integrating Mentalist into an engagement 1. Customizable communication Rohan Salvi of Foutainhead agreed that there has been a spike and quickly pointed out that Fountainhead has been a pioneer in this and had worked with Ehud Segev as far back as 2004. He added that the critical part was to know the audience and customize the mentalist's performance for the brand/ communication. He felt that a lot of people assume mentalists to be magicians and that misconception needs to be cleared.
Having worked with Lior Suchard, Roy Zaltsman, Ehud Segev, Salvi cautioned “Overkill of any one genre will never work. Innovation is the key and that is what will need to happen else the regular mentalist performance fad will just fade away”. Wadhwa added, “I feel in life everything is a passing fad! The corporate sector wants new ideas. Currently Mentalists are the new idea...2 years down the line the same client will want a new idea. But there may be new clients who will use Mentalists. I feel for the next couple of years there will be a slew of Mentalists who will come to perform, but only a handful of good ones may last longer”.
2. The One-Man-Show Sushil Wadhwa of Platinum World Group said that Mentalists make for some very engaging entertainment. They're usually a 'One Man Show' and also the cost of production is not very high. “What I have particularly liked is that they can integrate the message of the event whether it’s a brand launch/company launch into their acts seamlessly which leaves a better impact on the audience and a good benefit for the brand using them. At the end they do have a 'WOW' effect on the audience”, he opined. 54
JULY - AUGUST 2014 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING
They're usually a 'One Man Show' and also the cost of production is not very high. SUSHIL WADHWA PLATINUM WORLD GROUP
Left: Roy Zaltsman has the BIG B intrigued at The Olive Crown Awards Bottom: Ehud with Prahlad and Sushmita at 'The Secret to Master Your Mind' workshop
From the Mind of the Mentalist To understand better the experience of these artists in the shows they perform, specifically in India, and the acceptance of their craft, ExM spoke with Roy Zaltman, Lior Suchard and Ehud Segev. Excerpts below: Roy Zaltsman I have performed in India many times during the last year. It was all amazing for me, because a ‘Mentalist’ is fairly new concept in India and the audience simply love it! I cannot fully explain it, but every time I come to India to perform, it fills my heart with happiness and joy. I have had some great shows in India. I believe that my latest unforgettable show was at the IIT Bombay where I performed for over 2000 students, who cheered with excitement and joy. I literally felt like a rock star. Also performing a few months ago at the Olive Crown Awards ceremony in the presence of Amitabh Bachchan was an awesome experience. Lior Suchard I have performed about 70 shows in India during the past two years, all with ecstatic audiences. I have performed to audiences who were left with one-word ‘WOW' and mesmerized, thinking-- "how does he do it?" I
have a great desire to perform more in India in the future. I have done several memorable shows the world over as well; the birthday of Barbra Streisand and Nita Ambani, Being on the Jay Leno show; For Tony Blair, Bill Clinton, Novak Djokovic and many others! Ehud Segev Others call it intuition. I don't. I call it connections. The more you are connected, the bigger the miracles you can perform in your life. My powers are so natural that they are super natural. Though I got recognition from the international TV show 'The Successor' that broke all records of ratings, connecting live with audiences gives me a separate high all together. I love India and always wanted to do something very special here and when Bubble offered me this opportunity with Prahlad Kakar, I could not help but grab it. Though I have earlier done shows for the IIT’s in India – this day long workshop for the coporate big wigs was a completely different experience and I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to more. swamy@eventfaqs.com JULY - AUGUST 2014 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING
55
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE CONVENTION
MEDIA PARTNER
Registrations are open for ICWF 2014 & GIWA 2014. Contact: Bhavika | Phone: +91 9799422223 | Mail: bhavika.icwf@gmail.com
ENTERTAINMENT IN FOCUS
WHAT'S NEW @ SUNBURN SEASON 8? It’s time for Percept Live’s Sunburn to go again, with its flagship Goa edition all set to take place from December 27 to 29 at Vagator Beach. Read on to find out more…
Axwell closing Sunburn Goa 2013
Early bird gets the worm Sunburn introduced a savings package, where early birds could save upto 35% on the tickets. The ’Planet Sunburn - Member Reward Program’ is a new loyalty program that is extended to Sunburners as a token of appreciation for their support through all these years. Those who bought these tickets were automatically registered for a membership to the program. This program will allow members to have special offers on camping, access to all the after parties at zero cost and they will also find out the phase 1 line-up first via email. A Guinness World Record? This year Sunburn is leading its audience to do something for society, to make a difference with ‘Sunburners for Change’. At the fest , 50,000 Sunburners will congregate on the grounds of Vagator to create the Sunburn logo as one unified force. The early evening event will last approximately 45 minutes with a grand celebration following top dance music artists taking centre stage. Guinness Book of World Records has been 58
JULY - AUGUST 2014 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING
contacted for this and the organization has officially shared that the previous record was for a logo made in Lisbon, Portugal by 34,309 people to create the Portuguese Logo for Euro 2004. The true inspiration behind Sunburn’s efforts, however, is something more meaningful than just getting together as a logo. Therefore, the proceeds from this activity will go to prominent charitable organizations. The entry to this early evening activity will be free of cost. Commenting on the initiative, Karan Singh, CEO of Sunburn and Percept Live said: “We want to promote respect for all people, an appreciation for diversity, and place an emphasis on serving the community and society. The record-setting gathering is all about Sunburn leading inclusion of harmony and celebration as well as giving back to the society.” Renewed partnership with Viagogo Building on a successful partnership in 2013, Viagogo has extended its relationship with the festival. Said to be the world's largest online ticket marketplace for buying and selling live event tickets, the company will continue to be Sunburn Goa's official ticket partner for another
Left: Axwell setting the stage on fire Bottom: Sunburn's popular Dance Temple stage
season, offering safe, secure and guaranteed access to overseas fans in particular. Viagogo connects people wanting to buy tickets with people who have tickets to sell. Commenting on the partnership, Singh said: “In 2013, with Viagogo's support, we attracted new fans from as far afield as the UK, the US, Russia and Israel. We're proud to extend our partnership with Viagogo as we continue our growth internationally and look to reach fans in even more new markets in 2014." A Viagogo spokesperson also added: “Viagogo is all about enabling fans to buy any ticket for any event anywhere in the world and thanks to Viagogo all global events are now local. We’re delighted to be working with Mr. Singh and his colleagues at Percept Live for another year to expand the international reach of Sunburn Goa.” All set to grow bigger Percept Live claimed it will be an experience that will see big artists, massive stages and experiential zones, a spectacular production and a whole host of fun activities spanning the entire length and breadth of the massive Vagator venue. Visitors can look forward to a diverse range of adventurous activities during their three-day stay at Goa spanning exotic Sunburn Cruises, flea markets, activity zones, open air theatres,
libraries, artist villages, on-site camping and the famed Sunburn Afterparties spanning over 50,000 sq.mts. of Vagator. Percept has plans to increase the global fan footprint further in 2014 with a range of innovative marketing promotions and strategic alliances with international partners and associates, thereby creating a heightened spike towards global tourism for Goa. dharm@eventfaqs.com
We want to place an emphasis on serving the community and society. KARAN SINGH CEO OF SUNBURN AND PERCEPT LIVE
JULY - AUGUST 2014 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING
59
ENTERTAINMENT | EXM PROMOTION Tell us how did it all start? During my days of making TV commercials, music videos and also television serials, I had made friends with models, performers, singers and so forth. At that time, it was a logical step for me to enter the talent management business – which was not even an organized sector at the time. What made you abandon the more glamorous Bollywood to pursue what you are doing now?
“Is your blood group e-positive?” NAUSHAD KHAN DIRECTOR, E-POSITIVE ENTERTAINMENT
You know what they say, we all get our calling. In my case I was faced with the real prospect of building a company that professionally catered to the needs of the live entertainment space. I wanted to balance the demand and supply quotient by attracting the best of talent and promoting this talent in the live entertainment space. What was the inspiration behind the name E-Positive? It’s a blood type you see. I wanted to create a company where E-Positive, i.e. Entertainment Positive is everyone’s blood type. With so many talent management outfits mushrooming today, what in your view is the key factor for success? E-Positive is no different from any other organization. We strive to build lasting relationships through our
It has been a very interesting journey for a man who today is synonymous with the world of live entertainment. Although from an affluent and politically affiliated family, he wanted to carve a niche for himself and came to Mumbai in the early 90s. He has been an assistant director with various production houses and has made a number of ad films. But destiny drove him to the live entertainment space. In his words, “People who are in this industry, must and have entertainment in their blood.” He started his own outfit 10 years ago and appropriately named it E-Positive. Till date, he has been instrumental in providing over 15000 shows with the best entertainment talent. In addition to managing talent associated with his company, he engages with the who’s who of the live entertainment industry. In fact, he is the go-to-man, if you need any talent, be it an actor, singer, performer, you name it. The quiet and self-effacing Naushad Khan spoke to R. Swaminathan about his journey, his views on celebrity or artist management and more…
Neeti Mohan
Shruti Pathak
Yana Gupta
deep domain knowledge, extensive experience and professionalism. Over time, we have earned the trust of not only the talent that we manage but also the corporates that we serve. It is a very fluid and complex business that is tricky to handle. It takes time to build and consistent and intelligent effort to maintain.
Alisha Chinai
Tell us about the talent you manage now and about your new acquisitions? We have quite a few celebrities with us. Actor/performers, singers, television celebrities and DJs as well. Sameera Reddy, Yana Gupta, Claudia Ciesla, Neeti Mohan, Shruti Pathak, Krishna Beura, and Ash King are some of them. As far as new sign-ups are concerned, we have just signed on Alisha Chinai and are in talks with several known brands and they should be finalized shortly and then the announcements will be made at an appropriate time. Where does Naushad go from here? I envision taking E-Positive to the next level. I plan to sign up international talent for representation and promotion, both domestically and globally. I’m looking at the world at large. As it can be seen, to be a successful talent manager or engager and most importantly, to be respected by the entertainment fraternity, you need more than spare time and a smart phone! In case you want to get in touch with Naushad, you may reach him via e-mail – naushad@epositiveentertainment.com or call him on +919821359614 / +919766959614
SPORT MARKETING | BRIEFS
Red Bull Flugtag to come to India this September
R
ed Bull's global, homemade, human-powered flying craft competition, Red Bull Flugtag, is all set to make its debut in India this year. The aeronautics contest will see amateur flyers maneuver their handmade flying machines to see who can soar the furthest. First started in Austria in 1991, this global event is coming to India for the first time this year to engage aspiring aviators. The entries received will be shortlisted and grouped into 40 teams of four members each, to take a flying leap off
a 20-foot-high flight deck into the water at Sankey Tank, Bengaluru on Sept. 28. The criterion for participation is a passion for aeronautics, which is showcased in the creative questions posed in the admission form. Participants are required to design and build their own flying machines, in any style they desire, as long as it stays off the ground. At the final event, crafts will be judged on three parameters - flight distance, creativity of the build and showmanship. As a promotional feature for the upcoming event, Red Bull has released a Flugtag music video in collaboration with comedy troupe, All India Bakchod. Entries were open to both organizations and individuals until July 23.
MILIND SOMAN
M
aximus Events, led by fitness enthusiast Milind Soman together with Reema Sanghavi, announced its partnership with Crowd Strings Events & Exhibitions to launch Bluemix.net Monsoon Marathon - Bangalore's first of its kind run in the rain. The legendary track and field sprinter Milkha Singh will flag off the inaugural Bluemix.net Monsoon Marathon Bangalore 2014 on the August 31, with around 5000 participants expected. The inaugural edition of Monsoon Marathon is co-organised by IBM. Bluemix, the new cloud-computing platform introduced by IBM, is the event's title sponsor. The run targets runners of different kinds that include beginners and seasoned runners alike with categories of the 21K half marathon, 10K and 5K. The focus of the one-of-a-kind running event is to encourage individuals to run in the rains and break the myth that one has to take up indoor fitness regimes during the monsoon season. Milind Soman said: "After organising the immensely successful
62
JULY - AUGUST 2014 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING
Maximus Events launches Monsoon Marathon Pinkathon International Women's 10K run across India, we are thrilled to bring to you the exciting Bluemix.net Monsoon Marathon, a first of its kind run that encourages people to go on with their outdoor fitness regimes regardless of the season and weather. We are here to take running to the next level by bringing in the understanding that running outdoors is not hazardous to health. Running in the rains has some benefits which include, improved blood circulation, lesser exhaustion and it is definitely a very therapeutic experience. I am confident that Bangaloreans will support the cause with full vigour, helping us spread awareness about monsoon running."
UDAY SHANKAR CEO Star India
T
he Indian Super League (ISL) has entered into a strategic partnership with the English Premier League (EPL) to bring its best practices to India under the exchange program. The Co-operation Agreement is promoted by IMG-Reliance and Star India with support from All India Football Federation (AIFF) and the EPL will allow the ISL to leverage the league's expertise. The ISL, scheduled for September 2014, will receive strategic support, advice and assistance from Premier League to further the development of the League and its clubs. The EPL will also assist in club governance, shaping the brand, fan engagement, defining anti-corruption and anti-doping policies for the ISL, as well as joint promotion of ISL and Premier League Football in India. ISL will also help Premier League and its clubs in staging football matches and in other business development initiatives in India. Former Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish has already signed up to be one of the managers. Several foreign marquee players too including Arsenal legends Robert
Reliance’s Indian Super League ties up with English Premier League Pires and Freddie Ljungberg have already been signed to play in this new league. Uday Shankar, CEO, Star India added: "The partnership puts belief in Star's Sports philosophy ‘Believe'. From a game that hobbled about on the fringes of Indian sports, there's promise that this partnership will lift and reinvigorate football. Through this tie-up Star India will cross promote coverage of the Indian Super League and the Premier League to the growing base of Indian Football followers."
PRIYANKA ROY KAPUR Director – Business Relations Livewire Events & Promos
Vodafone and GFDC celebrate the spirit of football in Goa
H
eld in Goa, the Vodafone GFDC Football Fiesta began on June 21 and concluded with a screening of the FIFA World Cup Final on July 13. The fiesta, a joint initiative of Vodafone and GFDC (Goa Football Development Centre), aimed at celebrating the spirit of football around the World Cup in Goa. Livewire Events & Promos, which has been associated with Vodafone for previous events, was appointed to execute this one as well. Priyanka Roy Kapur, Director – Business Relations, Livewire Events & Promos said: "We bagged this deal over
our experience and ability to execute multiple parallel setups. This activity has reached out to rural areas and focused on development and engagement. Everyone has been doing pubs and club screenings, but not too many do these!" The idea was to promote the sport across 18 GFDC Centers, using various engaging activities and also screenings of match highlights. This included merchandising, branding and entertainment at all centers, which were widely spread across locations such as Moira, Arpora, Devbhag, Canacona, Pernem, Aldona, Parra, Khandepar, Benaulim, Canacona, etc. An hour-long capsule was created every week to summarize the highlights of all the matches that took place within that week, while the entire final match was screened live. An emcee would engage the audiences, interacting and playing games with them. Multiple contests were run every week, like best football snack, canvas painting competitions, quizzes and other football related activities. Merchandise, props and prizes were given to the weekly contest winners. JULY - AUGUST 2014 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING
63
SPORT MARKETING | ALSO FEATURED
Brands kick, dribble and slam dunk to engage corporates SIX BRAND STORIES THAT DISPLAY SPORTS AS A GREAT TEAMBUILDING ACTIVITY AND HENCE A GREAT FORMAT FOR CORPORATE ENGAGEMENT.
Winners of the Red Office Football league (ROFL)
SMAAASH & SARAN SPORTS Previously sponsored by Standard Chartered bank, the Corporate Soccer 5s now has Smaaash on board as its title sponsor. Conceived and managed by Saran Sports, this on-going championship will see a total of 200 teams battle it
Sports and games have always been effective methods
out by February 2015. This championship is registered in the
to engage employees and help in team-building. With the
Limca Book of Records as the largest and longest running
recently concluded FIFA World Cup (June 12 to July 13) being
corporate indoor soccer championship.
the flavour of the season, numerous companies capitalized on the football frenzy. Here is how a few companies engaged
Apart from Smaaash, companies like Castrol, Franklin
its employees through sports:
Templeton, HDFC Bank, Cadbury, HDFC, Star Union Dai-ichi and Budweiser have also lent their support to the event
RED FM
as partners and sponsors. About 700 participants from corporate houses like Vodafone, Bank of America, Standard
The Red Office Football League (ROFL), an inter-corporate
Chartered Bank, Citi Bank, HDFC Bank, Cathay Pacific, Group
football tournament by 93.5 Red FM (Pune), engaged and
M, Ernst & Young and Mckinsey have already signed up for
entertained close to 5000 people across corporates. The event was executed by Livewire Events & Promos in Pune in July. The event involved 10 corporate houses (with seven players in each team) in
this edition. The first tournament of
“The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team.”
a head to head battle on the football
PHIL JACKSON
turf. The league matches were played
the series was held in June at the Western Railway Sports Ground in Mumbai.A special highlight will be an exhibition match between some of India's most renowned corporate professionals. Speaking about this new edition,
on the first day whereas the next day saw the semi-finals and
Sanjiv Saran Mehra, CEO and Founder, Saran Sports, said:
finals. At the event, an emcee engaged the employees through
"The three-year contract with Standard Chartered bank
multiple games (with foosball tables) and sponsor integrations.
ended last year, and hence, this year we have Smaaash on
All participants were treated to a FIFA World Cup match
board. Next year, we're going to extend this tournament to
screening at Four Points Sheraton.
other cities in the country.Apart from this tournament, two other such championships are lined up this year. We have
Commenting on the event, Raghav Roy Kapur, Director,
Corporate Soccer Open League in November and Corporate
Livewire Events & Promos, said: "We have an ongoing
Soccer Industry Specific League in February 2015. In industry
relationship with 93.5 Red FM (Pune) and the fact that they
specific leagues, there will be separate league matches for
were looking for a well established agency which could turn
various sectors like banking, marketing and so on. With that,
around corporate tie-ups in a short span of time worked well
the number of participating teams this year for soccer will
in our favour.”
cross 200."Targeted at company executives who nurse a JULY - AUGUST 2014 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING
65
Women participating in Smaaash and Saran's Corporate Soccer 5s
love for soccer, the event is Smaaash's way of reiterating
90BIDS.COM
its commitment to engage working professionals in the city through active entertainment.
90bids.com, a unique play-to-bid auction site for flights and travel products, launched the ‘5-a-side Corporate Football
HERSHEY’S
League 2014' in association with the Hindustan Football Club. Football enthusiasts from 32 corporate houses crossed swords
The brand treated its staff to football at the Hershey's Head
in this 16 day long football tournament, which took place at the
Office & Sales Annual Conference 2014 which concluded in
Tyagraj stadium in New Delhi in July.The winners were given
June in Mumbai. Hexagon Events, which has been working regularly with the Hershey's team over the years, was appointed to execute this event. The event included a friendly football match, a conference and also a
“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.” MICHAEL JORDAN
Masterchef cooking activity. The
cash prizes of upto Rs. 5 lakhs at a gala celebration at the Radisson Blu. Speaking about the initiative, Kunal Mittal, Founder and CEO of 90bids.com said: “Though India is undoubtedly a cricket crazy nation, there is also no denying the fact that
venue for the football games, Kick, which has two football
the FIFA World Cup extravaganza is the flavour of the season
turfs, was host to matches with branded t-shirts and even a
and football does command a huge fan-following. After all, it's
‘World Cup trophy’ for the victors. Keeping up with the FIFA
a sport that we have all played while we were in school and
World Cup fever, each team represented one country and one
college. Through this action packed league, our attempt is to
of the Hershey products. Special time slots were defined in
further build up the revelry and reach out to the soccer addict
the game schedules where the players would be treated to a
youngsters working with corporate organizations."
special foot spa session.
Winners of Hershey's football match at the brand's annual conference
Celebrations for the winners of 90bids.com's football league
Sofitel's Smart Commute Cycle2work initiative
SOFITEL It may not be an outright employee engagement initiative, but it sure taught corporates how to commute to work in an environmentally friendly manner. On the morning of June 6, cyclists and environment lovers congregated at Sofitel Mumbai, after participating in a cycling race initiated by the hotel to celebrate ‘World Environment Day'. A part of the hotel's Planet 21 campaign, the ‘Smart Commute Cycle2work’ initiative promoted the use of bicycles as an easy and cost effective way of commuting in the city. Raymond, SBI Mutual Fund, Firefox Cycles, Camelbak and Enerzal partnered with Sofitel to show their support for this UltraTech employees get to meet Rajasthan Royals stars
ULTRATECH While UltraTech employees may not have had sport events recently, they sure did hang out with sportsmen. The brand organized three meet & greet events between the Rajasthan Royals team and UltraTech channel partners at Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai, at JW Marriott in Chandigarh and at Marriott Courtyard in Ahmedabad.
initiative. Although the event was open to every citizen of Mumbai, Sofitel saw this as a great opportunity to attract local corporate employees, since the hotel is located at corporate park BKC. Registrations were also open for Sofitel's employees and in-house guests. Four routes were identified for all 200 cyclists, as they cycled to Sofitel from different parts of the city. Guests were treated to a hearty breakfast after the event, to celebrate their participation and contribution to the initiative.
UltraTech wanted its channel partners to feel special by giving them an exclusive evening where they got to meet star players like Rahul Dravid, Shane Watson and others. The brand appointed Fountainhead Entertainment to execute the same. With nearly 350 attendees in each city, the evening saw emcees like Manish Paul, Sunil Grover and Cyrus Broacha in Ahmedabad, Chandigarh and Mumbai respectively. They moderated the show and create an interactive platform between the partners and the players.
dharm@eventfaqs.com JULY - AUGUST 2014 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING
67
CONVENTIONS & EXHIBITIONS | BRIEFS
MEGHNA GHAI PURI President Whistling Woods International
Whistling Woods celebrates cinema with an extravaganza
M
umbai celebrated films, music, fashion and more at Whistling Woods International's ‘Celebrate Cinema' extravaganza. The two-day event, in its third edition, was inaugurated by Rekha and Subhash Ghai. It was also attended by Vidya Balan, Terence Lewis, Alka Yagnik, Mohit Chauhan, Govind Nihalani, Hansal Mehta, Divya Dutta, Bharat & Dorris, Shibani Kashyap, Neeta Lulla, Shalmali Kholgade, Shruti Pathak, Tulsi Kumar, Umesh Kulkarni, Batul Mukhtiar, Ravi Gupta, Amole Gupte and many others. All of them were part of panels, workshops or other discussions, giving their professional insights to around 5,000 attendees.
A special treat for cinema enthusiasts, the event featured celebrity panel discussions, free interactive workshops, a visual journey of rare exhibits, posters and artifacts, special screenings of award winning student films and a musical grand finale on each day. It also featured tributes, masterclasses, screenings, installations, etc. There were workshops on screenwriting, dance, stop motion filmmaking, VFX, advertising, acting for screen, anchoring, broadcasting, 3D stereoscopic filmmaking, song picturization, digital surround film mix, film editing, mobile filmmaking, music mixing, still photography and fashion. Meghna Ghai Puri, President, Whistling Woods International, said: "Whistling Woods International is one of the first institutions to commence the centenary celebrations of Indian cinema. This fest is completely organized by our students and faculty, they are enthusiastic about sharing the opportunities they have with others. It is an amazing opportunity for students, film enthusiasts and children to interact with renowned names from the film and entertainment industry through the numerous activities."
NEHA CHIMBULKAR AGM - Marketing Forbes India
I
ndia's freshest entrepreneurs are now taking the concept of social value to a whole new high, and Forbes India decided to encourage them in the process. Forbes India unveiled its ‘30 under 30' list, which recognizes 30 of India's top change-makers under the age of 30. Although the list is an international property, this is the first year that the brand brought it to India. Percept executed the felicitation event at Cheval in Mumbai on June 2. Throughout the planning and short-listing process, Forbes India's objective was to look for those whose efforts have just begun to see the light of day. Rajkummar Rao (actor), Pooja Dhingra (Founder-Chef, Le15 Patisserie), Suhail Yusuf Khan (vocalist), Deepika Kumari (archer) and Kabir Chadha (Founder & CEO, Epoch Elder Care) were among those felicitated that evening. Besides a panel discussion with select winners, guest speaker John Abraham was invited to talk about his journey through early fame and about giving back to society.
68
JULY - AUGUST 2014 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING
Forbes rewards young Indian change-makers Neha Chimbulkar, AGM - Marketing, Forbes India, said: "The list is our attempt to celebrate the creativity, power and influence of young entrepreneurs and achievers who have already created benchmarks in their respective fields. Whether they were musicians, international cricketers or social entrepreneurs, members of our 2014 ‘30 Under 30' cohort shared many common traits. They all spoke about the spark that drives them and the sacrifices it takes to achieve success at a young age. Most exciting were the friendships and networks that these high achievers from different fields struck up; the thought of them collaborating is truly exciting."
JEET AHUJA Managing Director E-Square Eventz & Promos
T
he Indian automobile sector is poised at the start of an exciting phase of growth, with numerous automobiles being sold through BTL activities and promotions. In order to derive the maximum benefit from this proposed growth, E-Square Eventz & Promos (ESEPPL) has identified a need for regular recall and visibility for automobile brands. To fill this need, the agency is launching its very own property, Auto Circuit - A Multibrand Auto Showcase. Auto Circuit will serve as a platform for automobile buyers and sellers to view cars and bikes, compare products, gain information about industry trends and make informed decisions. The IP basically helps brands reach out to their audience directly, and helps the audience choose the automobile that fits their requirements. From August to the end of the year, the expo will go to Delhi, Mumbai, Pune and Bengaluru. Other cities like Chandigarh and Aurangabad are also in the plan.
Auto industry to welcome a new showcase platform in its midst Jeet Ahuja, Managing Director, E-Square Eventz & Promos, said, "E-Square has been working with its clients in the automobile sector for a very long time now. We understand how our clients have to pay heavy rentals for buying space in malls for their promotions and other elements. We have been pondering over the creation of a property so unique, that it creates opportunities for all the actors in it. This resulted in Auto Circuit, which will be beneficial to automobile brands, the audience and the participating venues, besides acting as a catalyst for brand building for ESEPPL."
ASHISH IYER Director NeoNiche Integrated Solutions
The HDS India Partner Leadership Summit goes paperless
T
he Hitachi Data Systems (HDS) India Partner Leadership Summit 2014 concluded at the Taj West End in Bengaluru on June 19. The day-long event is an annual leadership meet of the HDS executive team with its Partner Ecosystem. NeoNiche Integrated Solutions was appointed to execute the event after winning a multi-agency pitch thanks to comprising cost and creative representation. The agency was responsible for end-to-end execution of the event, including creation of the communication, RSVP management of the partners, arrangement of partner travel, stay logistics, etc.
Ashish Iyer, Director, NeoNiche Integrated Solutions said: "Keeping in mind the concerns of global warming, the plan was to make the event completely paperless. In this quest of ours and the client, everything from the feedback capture mechanism to the collection of collaterals of the event was digital." The aim of the summit was to discuss and develop pioneering enterprise solutions to face the ever changing technological world, subsequent data changes and hence the dynamic customer needs. The agenda of the event was built towards transforming opportunities into success stories and hence was themed as ‘Transform'. The format of the event comprised knowledge sessions as well as entertainment. The event was host to over 80 attendees including partners and employees. After a day of conferences and sessions, the award presentations took place in the evening. The cocktail dinner served as a good networking session amidst a soothing musical performance by Benny Dayal.
JULY - AUGUST 2014 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING 69
RAHUL SHARMA Associate Account Manager Client Service Fountainhead Entertainment
Economic Times awards the 'best companies to work for' in 2014
T
he Economic Times recently awarded the 'Best Companies to Work For' at a ceremony which took place at June 27 at Four Seasons in Mumbai. The event was executed by Fountainhead Entertainment. The event, attended by around 300 CEOs and HR Heads, started with a welcome address by Ravi Dhariwal (CEO, BCCL) followed by a speech by China Gorman (Global CEO, GPTW) and a keynote address by R. Gopalkrishnan (Executive
Director, Tata Sons). The awards were then distributed to the top 50 companies. A standup act by Anubhav Pal and an HR vs HR panel discussion moderated by author Ravi Subramanian also took place. The event culminated with a photo session for all the winners. Rahul Sharma, Associate Account Manager - Client Service, Fountainhead Entertainment, said: "We have been associated with ET for over 10 years, executing their Corporate Excellence Awards every year. We were briefed to conceptualize and execute the awards with some light entertainment. We developed an effective stage design for the venue sticking to ET's standard of elegance and simplicity. The setup consisted of a center LED wall with lycra panels on either sides and two edge-lit wings with backlit logo units providing prominence to the logo and depth to the set. Since the venue was not very wide, we complemented the venue layout by using the ultra slim K-Array Redline speakers.”
RAJESH KEJRIWAL Founder CEO Kyoorius
G
reat ideas begin by asking ‘What if?' And that's exactly what Kyoorius wishes to play upon. This year, Kyoorius Designyatra, to be held from September 11-13, will explore what it takes to create something new and unprecedented. Likely to be attended by 1,300 delegates over three days at the Grand Hyatt in Goa, Kyoorius Designyatra brings radical and divergent ideas into focus through formats ranging from talks and workshops, breakout sessions to portfolio reviews, allowing the audience multiple levels of interaction. Now in its ninth year, Kyoorius Designyatra is among the biggest annual conferences on creativity and has been voted as the best curated conference in the world on creativity by Creative Review magazine. The theme ‘What if?' brings together speakers from around the world who redefine conventions and use radical approaches that push people to think beyond the cliche. Rajesh Kejriwal, Founder CEO, Kyoorius, said: "If you are looking to discuss the latest trends in digital, design and brand strategy or simply expose yourself to the most radical
Kyoorius Designyatra to usher in its ninth edition in Goa thinkers today, Designyatra is the platform to do just that. Here the barriers between young and old, senior and junior are dissolved, and interaction between designers, marketers, brands as well as young professionals and students is welcomed and encouraged." Designyatra creates a pool of diverse creative minds from India and around the world, engaging in stimulating discussions, creative collaborations and interactions. It offers the opportunity to expand professional networks, meet the most innovative entrepreneurs and mingle with industry professionals. These interactions are also a chance to scope out new talent and meet the future stars of Indian creativity. JULY - AUGUST 2014 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING
71
CONVENTIONS & EXHIBITIONS | ALSO FEATURED
EEMA SET TO
RE-EEMAGINE THE EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING SPACE
A NEW VISION, 20 TASK FORCES AND NEC
T
he 7th annual convention of EEMA EEMAGINE 2014 was held in Kochi at the Le Meridien from July 18 - 20 with over 300 delegates from across the country in attendance. Vision 20:20 The Annual General Meeting was held on the opening day, July 18 and saw the election of Sabbas Joseph as the new President of EEMA. The meeting featured discussions and saw plans get chalked out for the way forward for EEMA. A new vision was outlined to take EEMA to newer heights, with 20 task forces and a working committee, along with the election of a new National Executive Committee (NEC).
72
JULY - AUGUST 2014 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING
On that occasion, Sabbas Joseph, President of EEMA, outlined a peep into the future of the association with Vision 20:20 to drive the industry forward. He compared the state of the industry currently to a hang or freeze of a computer or mobile phone and called for a ‘reboot’ of the events and experiential marketing business with industry colleagues in EEMA to lead the future path. On behalf of EEMA, the new president said that the focus will be on improving the industry’s engagement with the government, policy makers, clients, artistes, supply chain and also the relationship between member-agencies. While setting the agenda for EEMA’s growth, he charted out an aggressive plan that has 20
task forces working simultaneously guided by mentors including industry stalwarts - Michael Menezes, Brian Tellis, Roshan Abbas and Sameer Tobaccowala. The task forces will work cohesively along with knowledge companies and domain experts. The task forces are largely geared to the re-engineering and redefinition of the entire Indian experiential marketing and event management industry at one end and globalization at the other end. EEMA standards would be established and gradation and certification of agencies would be undertaken. Industry standards would be set to global benchmarks. The task forces include owners of EEMA member agencies from across the
country experienced in verticals such as corporate event management, experiential marketing, digital experience creation, social events, weddings, public events, sports, international projects and mega spectaculars. Welcoming the new approach to growth of EEMA and the experiential marketing industry, founder-president, Michael Menezes of Showtime Events said, "I believe the experiential marketing industry desperately needed a farsighted visionary like Sabbas at the helm to take it to the next level and set in motion an ambitious roadmap to make it a force to reckon with in an integrated marketing environment". Menezes will continue to serve as patron and National Executive Committee advisor. JULY - AUGUST 2014 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING
73
Speaking about the new approach, patron and National Executive Committee advisor, Roshan Abbas of Encompass said, “Sabbas has years of invaluable experience and brings to the office of the President, a dynamic energy and a vision that can catapult us to the next level. While handing over charge, past –president, Brian Tellis of Fountainhead Events and Promotions said, “EEMA has grown organically over the last 7 years into an association that truly embodies the spirit and aspiration of the live entertainment and experiential industry. It is now time for it to morph into a juggernaut that further delivers on its promise. And deliver it will”. Tellis would continue to serve as patron and National Executive Committee advisor. Patron and advisor to the NEC, Sameer Tobaccowala of Shobiz said, “EEMA needs to be inclusive and their efforts to engage with the entire ecosystem with a mandate to set standards will revolutionize the delivery system”. In a major development, the President appointed a 20-member National Working Committee comprising the Chairpersons 74
JULY - AUGUST 2014 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING
of the task forces. While terming the entire effort as Mission Critical, EEMA is focused on the future with mantras that can be best described as: growth, inclusivity, globalization, respect, nation-building with major focus on accountability, integrity, providing value to customers and respecting values. An added feature that was discussed for this year is the addition of new categories of memberships in EEMA and hikes in the enrollment fee and annual membership fee. Explaining the move, Joseph said, "Although the need of the hour for EEMA is to attract more representation from the industry to render itself useful, mediocrity will not cut it. To achieve high aspirations setting high standards and stringent enrollment criterion are a must." While the strength of the NEC has reduced in numbers since past years, the effectiveness only seems to have multiplied. While the most pertinent positions as part of the National Executive Committee remain, the interesting layers that's been added this year is that of the NEC Advisors and a National Working Committee that comprises more than 25 active EEMA leaders.
The EEMA National Executive Committee (2014-16) who were elected unanimously comprises of: President : Sabbas Joseph NEC Advisors: Michael Menezes, Roshan Abbas, Brian Tellis, Sameer Tobaccowala Executive Vice-President: Atul Nath General Secretary: Rahul Gomes (Mentor: Harjinder Singh) Treasurer: Mandeep Singh (Mentor: Rajeev Jain) Secretary: Harish Babu
EEMAGINE 2014 Conference Day One of EEMAGINE ended with a networking dinner, featuring a first-time concept called Bolly Youth (including Aditi Singh Sharma, Armaan Malik, Divya Kumar, Mohommed Irfanand Supriya Joshi); Debut Performance by Sunny M.R. and a heartwrenching performance by Arijit Singh, all artistes under the Tarsame Mittal Talent portfolio. The second day, opened with a colorful and vibrant representation of the Kerala Culture with a song and dance act. This was followed by a keynote address by the outgoing President, Brian Tellis and his introduction of Sabbas Joseph as the new President.
Secretary: Ankur Kalra VP-South: Sagar Pingali VP-West: Sushma Gaikwad VP-North: Rajeev Jain VP-East: Omer Haidar
Accepting the new responsibility, Sabbas announced that from the next year on, EEMAx and EEMAGINE will be two separate events, with EEMAGINE happening each year in Delhi in January. This will also house a general body meeting each year. And EEMAX will happen in Mumbai with added efforts to make the show larger in scale and size. During EEMAX, the JULY - AUGUST 2014 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING
75
key points that came from his research with CMOs was - a) Event agencies must think brand and not just the event, b) They should increase the use of the digital tool and bring about its integration in the events they plan and execute and finally, have a better understanding of sports.
Handing over charge - Brian Tellis to Sabbas Joseph
annual general meeting will be held each year. Meanwhile, the opening session on the second day of EEMAGINE-2014, this year, was a very insightful presentation by Harish Bijoor, Brand Expert and CEO, Harish Bijoor Consults Inc. Through his presentation titled, Biryani or Tejpatta, Harish urged the event industry to think like an industry and not act as a subset of the advertising industry. He stressed upon the need for event agencies to create a brand for themselves and rise above being seen as a commodity. He requested the industry to embrace research and understand consumer insight and evolve on the face of rapidly changing environment. The next session saw Raj Kumar Jha, National Creative Director, Ogilvy Action and Vice President, RMAI take the audience through the entire evolution of the BJP campaign for the recently concluded Lok Sabha polls. He illustrated how a series of small but imaginative events along with the bigger ones created awareness and traction for the party in areas that was poor in media reach. The events also netted great airtime on national television. Jha urged the industry to shift their metrocentric thinking and look beyond. Creation of properties was very important and said the industry must resist being just implementers. Next was a presentation by Ashish Pherwani, Partner, Ernst & Young & Industry CEOs. The
This was followed by a panel discussion that was moderated by Ashish. The panelists were Atul Nath of Candid, Brain Tellis of Fountainhead, Sabbas Joseph of Wizcraft, and Roshan Abbas of Encompass. The discussion revolved around greater brand orientation to be exhibited by the event agencies, need for digital integration as part of their proposal and the better comprehension of sports as a medium. The session saw a lively debate on the pros and cons of the client expectation and ended with an agreement that event agencies must try and evolve and match client expectations. The panelists were joined by Vineet Karnik of Group M who shed light on sports as medium and how other sports are slowly catching up with cricket in terms of popularity. He stressed on the need for event agencies on the need to understand a sport in detail from all dimensions and cautioned against getting carried away with wanting to create new IPs. He also shared newer trends where a broadcaster was investing in an IP. The post-lunch session saw an interesting presentation from Kile Ozier, an ex-Universal
The New President - Sabbas Joseph JULY - AUGUST 2014 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING
77
Studio Creative Director and now a Creative Consultant in the event space. He spoke about Creative Concept Development for Event Experience. This was followed by a review of the Digital Invasion and its role in the success of BJP in the elections. This was a joint presentation by M A Parthasarthy, Chief Client Officer, Mindshare and Arvind Gupta, Head, IT Cell, BJP. Another networking dinner over a performance by Adnan Sami marked the wrap of day two, and the third morning saw the much-debated issue of ROI being discussed thread bare by a group of audit practitioners. They presented various models that allowed scientific evaluation of events, in terms of ROI, setting benchmarks and also being able to predict the kind of event and its success based on normative parameters.
A rich haul of 11 awards for Wizcraft
The presenters were Ashish Pherwani, Vineet Karnik, Tabassum Modi, event professional, Tarannum Fareed of Thinking Hats and Geetanjali Bhattacharjee, CEO, Spatial Acesss. The presentations ended with the conclusion that clients demanded accountability and therefore an evaluation system needs to be put in place. This also necessitated the collection and sharing of data among the members of the industry to create a repository that could be processed to create industry benchmarks. Encompass bags nine awards
After the sessions, the delegates had the opportunity to participate in the famous boat race in the backwaters and lent their hand turning the oars.
EEMAX 2014 EEMAX (the awards ceremony at EEMAGINE) was held at the end of the convention at Le Meridien in Kochi. The night saw 85 wins across 25 categories, where Showtime and Encompass each struck the highest number of golds – three, while Wizcraft took home maximum
Showtime takes home 7 awards JULY - AUGUST 2014 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING
79
Adnan Sami
Arijit Singh
metals. The awards were interspersed with powerful performances by KK, Usha Uthup, her daughter Anjali Uthup, her granddaughter Ayesha Uthup, Shankar Mahdevan and his son Siddharth Mahadevan. Encompass' golds came for Fortis Memorial Research Institute Launch under the category ‘Best use of Technology in an Event', Gillette Soldier For Women under ‘Best Integrated Communication Program' and Hyundai Fan Park under ‘Best Mall Promotion'. All of Showtime's three golds came for Mini Countryman Launch, under the categories Best Product / Service Launch Event, Best Space Design and Best Space Décor. Wizcraft bagged the maximum number of awards at the convention - 11. This ranking was followed by Encompass with nine and Shankar Mahadevan and his son Siddharth Mahadevan
Krishnakumar Kunnath (Kay Kay)
Showtime with seven. Showtime was closely followed by E-Factor Entertainment and DDB Mudra Group with six awards each. While Communique was the only agency to win four awards, there were five agencies to score a ‘hatrick' - Candid Marketing, Cineyug, Madison IES, Studio Neelabh and Krayons. Other agencies who scored a gold were E-Factor Entertainment, Communique Marketing Solutions, Candid Marketing, Jagran Solutions, DDB Mudra Group, Cineyug Entertainment, Krayons (a division of Edumedia), Madison - IES, Phase 1 Events and Entertainment, Salt Experiences & Management, The Innuendo Communications, Mosaic Events, Brand Promotions, BEEP Experience Management, Gobananas and Momentum Group.
Usha Uthup, her daughter Anjali Uthup and her granddaughter Ayesha Uthup
SPONSORSHIP MARKETING | BRIEFS
ARJUN RANGA Managing Partner NR Group
Lia partners with IPL finalists Kings XI Punjab
L
ia Agarbathies, one of the leading brands from NR Group, recently announced its association with IPL finalists Kings XI Punjab as the official team partner. A long standing supporter of the game, the tie-up will cement the group's position as a top brand associated with cricket and also will re-enforce its commitment to Indian cricket. Through this association, Lia received branding through loop branding on digital boards, perimeter boards, entrances, tickets, a special Lia fragrance zone (for sampling and distribution), newspaper inserts, radio spots, hoardings, poster, standees and contests.
T
he grand finale of the 3rd season of Dance India Dance Lil Masters took place at Balewadi Sports Complex in Pune on June 21. A property of Zee TV, DID Lil Masters was telecast live on the channel. The show, which saw the attendance of 10,000 people, was executed by Fusion Events which also managed the show's auditions in the previous months.
It also allowed Lia to have a meet and greet (between the brand's dealers and the team players), digital signatures and team memorabilia (signed bats, T-shirts, etc) for contest purposes, player AV bytes for digital/social media activation with special mentions about the brand and mall activations/ on-ground campaigns in Chandigarh where the winners could avail IPL tickets for home ground matches. The association permits Lia to use images of select Kings players in various advertising campaigns, limited edition product packaging, contests, activations and marketing activities (ATL and BTL) till February 2015. Arjun Ranga, Managing Partner, NR Group, said: "It is an honour for Lia to be associated with Kings XI Punjab. IPL is more than a tournament in India - through its innovativeness and vibrancy it has caught the attention of the entire nation and captured the imagination of the youth. Lia is a youthful and vibrant brand, hence the association with IPL and especially with Kings to enhance the brand values of Lia."
Lifebuoy and Cadbury Gems sponsor Dance India Dance Lil Masters
This platform for talented young dancers was sponsored by Lifebuoy and powered by Cadbury Gems. Teriya Magar, who is just 11 years old, was announced the winner and took away the trophy along with Rs. 10 lakh. The finale saw various performances amongst a crowd that included Varun Dhawan and Bharti Singh, with judges Mithun Chakraborty, Geeta Kapoor, Ahmed Khan and Mudassar Khan.
varied rooms for technical teams (like the live edit room with particular specifications) and also 20 green rooms for 400 dancers. Since we've handled the previous editions of the grand finale as well, we were very well versed with the venue and client requirements. The only challenge was the lack of time, but in the end it all panned out perfectly."
Team Fusion said: "Winning the mandate to manage the event for the third time shows the trust that Zee TV has in us. Our role included entire ground management, security, crowd management, branding, hospitality, etc. We had to set up
It took about nine days to complete the entire setup for the event. The show was promoted using hoardings, electronic and print media. This season's finale saw a record footfall for the show, hence proving its increasing popularity.
82
JULY - AUGUST 2014 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING
R S SODHI Managing Director Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (Amul)
A
mul announced its sponsorship of the Indian contingents to the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games and Asian Games, Incheon, South Korea by signing a MoU with the Indian Olympic Association. The MoU was signed by Rajeev Mehta, Secretary General, IOA and R S Sodhi, Managing Director, Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (Amul). Sodhi said: "Amul is committed to strengthening the support to sports in various forms and encourage young generation from all corners of the country to take up sports. I take great pleasure and pride in announcing our sponsorship of the Indian contingent to the XX Commonwealth Games and the XVII Asian Games." Amul will launch a series of advertising campaigns for milk and various dairy products to promote this association in the coming months. The XX Commonwealth Games will be held from July 23 to Aug. 3 and the XVII Asian Games are scheduled for Sept. 19 to Oct. 4.
Amul to sponsor Indian contigents to Commonwealth and Asian games Explaining the rationale of this association, Sodhi said that milk is nature's original energy drink and plays a pivotal role in building the physical and mental strength of the athletes. Amul has already embarked upon an ‘Eat Milk with Every Meal’ campaign to highlight the importance of milk and dairy products like cheese, yogurt, butter, ghee, paneer etc. in the daily diet.
SIRISH VISSA Head Volkswagen Motorsport
Volkswagen Polo R Cup races through the fifth season
V
olkswagen Motorsports India concluded round 2 of its fifth season of the Volkswagen Polo R Cup on July 12 at the Coimbatore Kari Motor Speedway.
"The first four races were held in Coimbatore, which concluded on July 12," said Sirish Vissa, Head, Volkswagen Motorsport. "Now the next six races will be held at the Buddh International Circuit in Delhi with the last one race to be held in November." An annual property that began in 2010, Volkswagen conducts
pre-season testing sessions along with driver selection. Of these, a total of 12 drivers were selected by the selection committee who would join the previous seasons' drivers to fight it out for the series. The champion of the season this year also gets to participate in international motorsport at the Volkswagen Scirocco-R Cup in Germany. The cars for the race are modified Polos provided by Volkswagen, to include added international safety features for racing and a different engine gear box. JK Tyres is the principal sponsor for the event. Some of the other sponsors include MAN Trucks India, Castrol Edge, Woodland, Monroe, Jet Airways, Honeywell, British Nutritions, GoPro and Red FM. "Apart from conventional branding, all sponsors have been given booths at the venue to sell their products," added Vissa. "We have also been doing college activations in Coimbatore so far and will conduct them in Delhi too. Dealers too have been giving out passes." JULY - AUGUST 2014 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING
83
RAJESH RAVANI Director Zion Unlimited
Chevrolet, Bajaj and MTS celebrate Chartered Accountants Day
T
he ICAI (Institute of Charter Accountant of India) celebrated Chartered Accountants Day at University Convention Hall in Ahmedabad earlier this month. The extravaganza was attended by around 2300 people, comprising ICAI students, chartered accountants and their families. Zion Unlimited was appointed to execute the event. Rajesh Ravani, Director, Zion Unlimited, said: "The president of ICAI
called upon three agencies for the event before trusting us with the project. We were appointed just six days before the event and gave them a solution for entertainment in a good budget. Celebrating the day every year with just dinner and housie, this year they wanted to include some entertainment as well." The event saw Chevrolet (GM), Bajaj Auto, MTS Mobile, Club O7, Radisson Blu Hotels and Narayani Resorts as sponsors for event. They were provided branding (stage, backdrop, etc.) at the venue, they could showcase their products (Chevrolet cars and Bajaj bikes, etc.) and some of them also gave prizes to the housie winners. The prizes included bikes, mobile phones, i-pads, club memberships, hotel vouchers, etc. With Radio Mirchi RJ Megha hosting the event, the entertainment acts included Charu Semwal and Charit Dixit from Indian Idol, Kuldeep Dubey from Laughter Challenge and dance troupe Aura.
ATUL GUPTA Executive Vice President Suzuki Motorcycle
S
alman Khan will once again be seen riding Suzuki bikes in his upcoming movie ‘Kick'. The motorcycle manufacturer is the official bike partner for the movie released on July
25.
As a part of the association, Suzuki launched a digital contest built around the movie. To engage the actor's fans across the globe, the contest was promoted on the social media network and on Suzuki's website. Suzuki also took up co-branded promotion across media channels such as print media, electronic channels and virtual space. Atul Gupta, Executive Vice President, Suzuki Motorcycle, said: "Salman has a remarkable persona and his larger than
84
JULY - AUGUST 2014 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING
August films 'Kick' and 'Singham Returns' get into nifty sponsorships life on screen presence complements our products featured in the movie. The action and the thrill which come packed with Suzuki's products complement the tone and style of the movie." Meanwhile, news channel, Aaj Tak too has taken movie partnerships to the next level with a tie-up with ‘Singham Returns' starring Ajay Devgn. This tie-up features an animated Singham promotion of one of Aaj Tak's shows.
SPONSORSHIP MARKETING | ALSO FEATURED
BRANDS CASH IN ON FIFA FEVER 5 MOST ENGAGING BRAND STORIES THAT RODE THE FIFA WAVE TO THEIR OWN SUCCESS
Brands went the grassroots route, cashing in on the fanbase and frenzy around the FIFA world cup. While global sponsorships and official broadcast rights is surely one way of engaging the fans of football, in India some brands activated audiences in their own unique and innovative ways. Here are five of our favourites: Coca-Cola spreads cheer at City of Joy Football fanatic Kolkata was finally rewarded when Coca-Cola who is a partner for FIFA World Cup chose to begin their India activations with the City of Joy. The cola major launched ‘Happiness Canters' across Kolkata and Howrah on June 17 which gave consumers a chance to win exclusive Coca-Cola FIFA merchandise. Starting from July 4, Coca-Cola, for the first time ever, created Fan Parks in two major locations in Kolkata and Howrah. The two mega carnivals included not only large format LIVE screening of select FIFA matches but also games, food stalls, fan art, Coca-Cola
refreshment counters and an opportunity for fans to win more Coca-Cola FIFA merchandise. The company also tied up with 92.7 BIG FM for regular updates about Coca-Cola FIFA activations across the city. Speaking about their activations, Debabrata Mukherjee, Vice President, Marketing and Commercial, Coca-Cola India said, "The FIFA World Cup at Brazil 2014 provides Coca-Cola - an opportunity to help celebrate football as a 'force for good'. Our programs and initiatives around the football World Cup will leverage our existing partnerships in the arena of grassroots football as well as our global scale and local activations. While our association with football in India and across the world has been long standing, the month long carnival of football, will give us another opportunity to bring people together just like we did during the Coca-Cola FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour in December last year".
JULY - AUGUST 2014 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING
85
Over 13,200 Indians are featured on this FIFA Happiness Flag, the world's largest digitally produced photomosaic flag by Coca Cola as part of World Cup promotions
McDonald’s FIFA Player Escort Program Burger baron McDonald’s association with FIFA has been really long, almost dating back to 20 years. But for the first time in their football sponsorship history, the fast food major decided to come to India with the FIFA Player Escort Program. To participate in McDonald's Player Escort Program, children between ages 6-10 had to purchase a Happy Meal (from April 1 to 30) and give a missed call to a dedicated number. They were required to punch in the provided code, answer a FIFA related question correctly and be shortlisted for a lucky draw. The program allowed one child, accompanied by a parent or guardian, a chance to travel to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to participate in FIFA World Cup. In all, 1,408 children from across 70 countries were provided with the exclusive
One child from each country leads s football player out into the stadium at Brazil as part of the McDonald's player escort program 86
JULY - AUGUST 2014 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING
opportunity to walk hand-in-hand onto the pitch with their football heroes. Besides this, McDonald's also had football matches and sight-seeing tours lined up for the children. Speaking about the association with FIFA, Rameet Arora, Senior Director, Marketing, Communications and Menu Management, Hardcastle Restaurants (the company that operates and manages McDonald's restaurants across West and South India), said: " The association with FIFA and the Player Escort program is aimed to fuel kids' passion for the game and inspire a healthy balanced lifestyle, while also giving one lucky winner a chance to live their dream and be a part of this extraordinary journey." Pepsi ties up with IndiGo to give passengers a surprise. As part of their ongoing football campaign, Pepsi partnered with IndiGo to Change the Game when they surprised 1500 IndiGo passengers with a Pepsi Change the Game Football Kit across six airports -Bangalore, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Goa and Bhubaneswar. The kits came as extra bags along with their checked-in baggage and included a
Indigo passengers hold up their surprise world cup merchandise that came with their baggage on the conveyor belt
These six children have been selected via NGO Dream-A-Dream to be a part of a special program for disadvantaged kids at Brazil during the World Cup
cool bag, football, t-shirt and a sipper. Talking about the initiative, Homi Battiwalla, Category Director – Colas, Hydration & Mango Based Beverages, PepsiCo India said: “Pepsi, as a brand, is known for creating clutter breaking campaigns. Our latest football campaign stands for all this and more.We are delighted to have associated with IndiGo Airlines to create this surprise, which showed that you need not be a fan to indulge in some football fun.” FIFA Football for Hope Festival Football fever is does not merely affect the upwardly mobile with their numerous electronic devices and deeply-lined pockets. Interest also trickles down to the slums. Keeping this in mind, Dream A Dream, an NGO helped six disadvantaged children from Bengaluru get to Brazil to participate in a special event meant for children from disadvantaged communities. The FIFA Football for Hope Festival (FFH Festival), held from July 2-10, saw 32 international teams represent the power of football for social change. Three boys, three girls, a young leader, a team manager and a coach from the NGO flew to Brazil to participate in a youth forum for them to share inspiring life stories, football sessions, festival games, cultural presentations, musical workshops and sight-seeing. Vishal Talreja, Co-founder and CEO, Dream A Dream, remarked: "Dream A Dream is proud to represent India at the FIFA Football for Hope Festival. It is a dream-come-true for these young people who have been developing their
A young mall-goer does a header during a Sony FIFA promotion at Inorbit Mall, Mumbai
life skills through Dream A Dream interventions over the last few years." Sony Six hits malls with FIFA Maze Sony Six, as the broadcasting partner for FIFA in India took to malls for their promotions. The promotions kick-started in Bangalore on June 28 at Phoenix Market City, Whitefield and then moved onto other parts of the country. A FIFA World Cup Fan Zone was set up, with international flags of various national football squads and FIFA themed activations. The zone was fabricated to resemble a Brazilian carnival. The fan zone also featured a FIFA Hair Styling corner and a Fan Face Painting zone. Here adults and kids alike could don the look of famous international football players by getting personal stylized hair-cuts. Locals queued up as they eagerly waited for their turn to get a complete makeover. Other games at the mall included the FIFA Maze. The Maze was an interactive FIFA based trivia activity zone where the participants had to answer 16 questions related to FIFA World Cup to win exciting gift hampers. Every right answer by the contestant leads them towards the hamper by directing them towards the correct door, while every incorrect answer misleads the participants through the wrong door. Participants were also given the chance to show off their dance moves at a special Limbo dance competition.
vasundara@eventfaqs.com JULY - AUGUST 2014 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING
87
ec.eventfaqs.com/badsalsa
T H E
V O I C E
T H A T
W O N
A
B I L L I O N
H E A R T S !
" 130%*(*064 +063/&: '30. */%*"/ *%050 -&/%*/( )&3 406-'6- 70*$& 50 1016-"3 #0--:800% '*-.4 -*,&
GLIMPSES
AGE ERASE LAUNCH Bollywood diva Shruti Hassan and Jackky Bhagnani along with other celebrities from the field of fashion, film and TV came together to launch the book ‘Age Erase’ by Dr. Rashmi Shetty in Mumbai on July 11.
BIG LIFE OK NOW AWARDS Life OK and 92.7 BIG FM presented the June edition of the monthly award function on June 23 at Reliance Media Works in Mumbai. It was attended by Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan, Prabhudeva, Himesh Reshammiya and Arunoday Singh among others.
92
JULY - AUGUST 2014 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING
PROVOGUE STUDIO BOLLYWOOD NIGHTS Cineyug, Provogue, Lucky's Music Club and Hard Rock Cafe brought to music lovers the first edition of Provogue Studio Bollywood Nights on July 11 at Hard Rock cafĂŠ in Mumbai. Headlined by Ankit Tewari, there were performances by DJ Chetas, Shraddha Pandit, Aishwariya Majumdar, Antara Mitra, Sukriti, Prakriti and Sonu Kakar. Singh among others.
DADA LIFE INDIA TOUR Dada Life kicked off its debut Indian tour with Bangalore on June 6 at the Royal Orchid, went to Delhi on June 7 at I Kandy and finished off in Mumbai on June 8 at Kitty Su's Pleasure Dome. The duo was booked by music entrepreneur Nikhil Chinapa who engaged with Submerge Entertainment to execute the event.
JULY - AUGUST 2014 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING
93
GOA WEDDING SHOW LAUNCH Goa Tourism, in partnership with Satyug Gold, announced the launch of the Goa Wedding Show at a press conference in Mumbai on July 25. The event featured Dilip Parulekar (Minister of Tourism, Government of Goa) along with Shilpa Shetty Kundra and Raj Kundra of Satyug Gold.
MUKESH CHABBRA CASTING COMPANY LAUNCH Mukesh Chhabra's studio was launched on June 10 at an event attended by Bollywood ace directors Rajkumar Hirani, Anurag Kashyap, Imtiaz Ali and others. It was also attended by stars like Suneil Shetty, Sidharth Malhotra, Aditya Roy Kapur, Shraddha Kapoor and Aditi Rao Hydari among others.
94
JULY - AUGUST 2014 EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING
STAR PARIVAAR AWARDS The awards show was held at NSCI Stadium in Mumbai on June 22. Executed by Cineyug, the show saw the attendance of Aamir Khan and Parineeti Chopra among numerous TV celebrities.
TALENT CENTRAL
Design Matrix
C S Direkt Events & Exhibitions Pvt. Ltd.
Positions:
Positions:
Fountainhead Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. Positions:
Mail CV to
Location: Gurgaon Mail CV to
Mail CV to
rakhee@csdirekt.com
rakhee@csdirekt.com
hr@fhevents.com
EventSol Pvt. Ltd.
Cineyug Group of Companies
BOI Media & Entertianment Pvt. Ltd.
Positions:
Positions:
Business / Project Head Sales & Marketing Head Talent Manager Wedding Planner
Business Development Manager Creative Communication Visualizer (Creative Designer) Client Relations
Location: Mumbai
Location: Mumbai
Location: Mumbai
Mail CV to
Mail CV to
Mail CV to
vinod@eventsol.in
hr@cineyug.com
hr@boimedia.com
Manager – Projects (Interior) Asst Manager/Manager – Design & Client Servicing Manager/Sr Manager – Procurement Manager – Factory Production (Furniture) Telemarketing Executive 3D Visualizer –Exhibitions
Location: Gurgaon
Business Development Executive Client Servicing Executive Accountant Creative Designer Operations Senior Executive Client Servicing Executive (Corporate Gifting)
Asst Manager/Manager – BD & CS ( Wedding Events) Manager – BD & Sales (MICE) Asst General Manager / General Manager BD (Govt Business-BTL) ACD/Studio Head- BTL Sr. Manager- Operations (Events & Activations)
Group Account Manager – Client Service (Activations) (Mumbai) Associate Creative Director (Bangalore) Account Director – BD & CS (Events & Activations) (Bangalore & Delhi) Associate Account Manager - Client Service (Activations) (Mumbai) Group Account Manager – CS & BD (Events & Activations) (Delhi) Sr. Visualiser - 2D & 3D (Creative) (Delhi)
Positions:
Meeting planners are the real stars in Berlin. We know all there is to know about arranging meetings.
convention.visitBerlin.com
Do you need to arrange a meeting, convention or any other type of event at short notice? If so, the Berlin Convention Office is on hand 24/7 to give you all the support you need. We work closely with local partners across the city and can quickly provide you with relevant advice, help and information. With the Berlin Convention Office, you can rest assured that your event is in good hands. convention.visitBerlin.com Member of