A Catch up plateau by  samsung and LG combined with a year of slow growth in durabkles means the twins Samsung and LG have been separated in most actegories to at least one #3 positionas Voltas and Videocoan have finally caught up with the latest mass technologies. S o till LED Displays become mandatory in the next 2-3 years don;t be surprised at people adding Videocon CTVs and Voltas A/cs. 

DTH subscribers are up to 45 mln, Dish TV having sold 20 mln of those ( and I have two wasted boxes lyng in the penthouse storage somewhere, so you now the counting) Tata Sky with 9 mln and Airtel 8.5 mln no doubt caught up by the big bang in CBS viewership and 18 prime (CNBC). 

Somehow, I am wondering why this population is not going to be 90 mln when there is more people with TV knowledge than the number of mobiles floating around! Anyone get there yet? This year will be more marketing start ups with image bazaar watermarked images as that is yet an untapped market, but aren;'t one of those handhelds or tv remoters spiked . Maybe you could spike teenagers sunglasses to recover the rest what market research cannot fnd in urban or rural fand from someone who actually wins more than a mirror in popularity contests. 

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India's own Marketing Wars may not reach the IPL in this case as botht he Hindu and the barter driven Times of India could stay away from expensive IPL truf wars even as they open a slugfest for each others readers in Chennai

stay ahead of the Times stirkes a chord as today's Times generation stays snug in malls and theaters without a clue, eh?

Wake up to The Times of India

Stay ahead of the Times

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Even though Ramesh Sobti's Indusind bank may be a bit early with its new market positioning on the Direct connect platform, its ad campaign "Kabaddi ki kya zaroorat hai" is likely to impress a few prospective customers and even industry thought leaders with a direct call to your Relationship Banker replacing all the mobile, internet and telecalling customer service modes that are so flailing around in terms of delivering any value to the banks' service blueprints.

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The Indian Auto Expo has Tata JLR ditching Detroit to jump into its Asia home with the Ssangyong  M&M combination readying the Korando launch in the country and the GM reintroducing the Sail as a Chevy brand and the Wuling Vans from its Asia portfolio

The Wuling vans from Chevy, will be competing with the old Omni and O2 from Maruti Suzuki and also the Force ABS model launched tomorrow

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Ford has scored a great win with its hybrid Compact SUV in its home markets as the Ford Escape in October and November ( head over to advantages.us to check out today's Auto sales announcements in the US ) Its market share in December, likely to cross 15% with more than 171,000 in sales. It has planned to expand Indian capacity with a similar compact SUV here titled the Ford EcoSport ( WSJ India ) 

 

Ford has planned a second factory in Sanand in Gujarat ( next to the Nano plant) for a cost of $660 mln ( INR 40 bln) and is upgrading its Diesel Engines capacity in Chennai by 33% to 330,000 for another $72 mln, while it has a current capacity of 200,000 petrol units in Figo, Fiesta and its Endeavour SUV specification 

The Indian hybrid targets its earlier JV partner in India M&M which has bought a SUV company in Korea and could well face immediate competition from GM which has started doing better than Ford in India as also VW which is almost caught up without support from Suzuki the hybrid SUV is planned for $142 mln at current exchange prices. Ford will likely spend much lesser dollars on this project if it is indeed enacted thru 2012

 

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Worldwide Auto sales are expected to go to 77.7 mln units in 2012 with US a just under 20% market share and China a over 20% share of the market. Indian business would be up to a little below 4% of the global market according to our conservative estimates . news of Indian auto industyr global market share rising to no.3 is still starting to do the rounds as sar sales recover from a bad low in Mid 2011. 

Daimler is introducing a new series of 17 launches from August-September 2012 to late 2013 with its first Indian built truck going on display tomorrow

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State Bank of India has nearly 22,000 ATMs and another 5,000 from its associates, ICICI Bank has 7000 ATMs of its own. Foreign banks are in fact recognised in many parts of the country by their ATM locations, as the logo and slogan heavy ATM kiosk, though treated by a utility as many creates and builds the bank brand and shows it for reach than the bank.

However, as ATM operations can be more easily run by a third party with the omnipresent Brink's Aryas money truck delivering cash to each machine, bankers have been rooting for a white label ATM operation like the Tower companies in Telecom, with their own revenues and necessitating elimination of free ATM transactions as once the model has been approved, charging fees and paying for the location become mandatory for the consumer and cheaper for the bank

Apart from communalisation of costs to all banks for location , it will also mean that operators charge lesse r fee on a larger base and thus a committee of the MOF has been recommending the deed as public Sector ATMs including those of larger Indian private banks ICICI, Axis and HDFC total nearly 100,000 and probably these few do not want to be caught spending on the brand anymore.

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Indian Media and Entertainment posted a string of positives though listed bullionaires like Eros and PVR continued to struggle to prove their worth on a perceived high cost base, being measured against some unreasonable expectations.

While Ra.One was a blockbuster but fell on being second to Sallu's antics, The Don 2 and Mission Impossible concurrent successes of this month are being compared on equally tenuous marks despite $3 mln of daily business as Indian enterepreneurs in their bid to fund the global majors have set a high watermark for profiting from the success of this entertainment.

To a funny bone it might aseem its corporatisation is a s much a dud as that of Foreign banks like Stanchart to harness the Indian Capital markets, with IDRs that do not have the rights for ibnvestors to enjoy the company's performance.

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Entrepreneur Sanjana Reddy cottoned on to the Big race weekend idea and roped in Sachin Tendulkar for a new racing league for India's newly converted sport afficionados as consumption lifestyle catches on in urban mobile India

The new league has already sold 4 of the 8 franchises roping in SRK and Dabur's Mohit Burman from the obvious inspiration (though different cash flows, Mohit sld his Kings XI/RR stake partly) More bollywood/tollywood stars have been lined up with Nagarjuna teaming up for Hyderabad

The racing league, owned by Machdar Motor Sports Company, will have eight city-based teams with two cars forming a 16-member grid. Sachin and Sanjana Reddy together have bought a 26% share in the league.

The cost of a franchise-for a contractual term of 15 years-will be around $20m with investors having to pay $5m upfront and the remaining in $1 million tranches during the ownership period. The races will feature F1 and upcoming Indian drivers and will be held in Delhi, Abu Dhabi, Kuala Lumpur, Doha and Bahrain.

Shah Rukh, along with business partners Juhi Chawla and Jai Mehta, will own the Mumbai franchise, while Dabur's Mohit Burman is on the verge of buying the Delhi franchise. Malaysian business tycoon and Air Asia boss Tony Fernandes along with UK-based hedge fund manager S G Srinivas is set for the Chennai team.

It remains to be seen however how many drivers will turn up for the teams and if there will be bidding for driving scalps at this juncture. Sponsors may not get the luxury to wait for a trial edition of the league to complete

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Entrepreneur Sanjana Reddy cottoned on to the Big race weekend idea and roped in Sachin Tendulkar for a new racing league for India's newly converted sport afficionados as consumption lifestyle catches on in urban mobile India

The new league has already sold 4 of the 8 franchises roping in SRK and Dabur's Mohit Burman from the obvious inspiration (though different cash flows, Mohit sld his Kings XI/RR stake partly) More bollywood/tollywood stars have been lined up with Nagarjuna teaming up for Hyderabad

The racing league, owned by Machdar Motor Sports Company, will have eight city-based teams with two cars forming a 16-member grid. Sachin and Sanjana Reddy together have bought a 26% share in the league.

The cost of a franchise-for a contractual term of 15 years-will be around $20m with investors having to pay $5m upfront and the remaining in $1 million tranches during the ownership period. The races will feature F1 and upcoming Indian drivers and will be held in Delhi, Abu Dhabi, Kuala Lumpur, Doha and Bahrain.

Shah Rukh, along with business partners Juhi Chawla and Jai Mehta, will own the Mumbai franchise, while Dabur's Mohit Burman is on the verge of buying the Delhi franchise. Malaysian business tycoon and Air Asia boss Tony Fernandes along with UK-based hedge fund manager S G Srinivas is set for the Chennai team.

It remains to be seen however how many drivers will turn up for the teams and if there will be bidding for driving scalps at this juncture. Sponsors may not get the luxury to wait for a trial edition of the league to complete

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financial markets showed some of their short sightedness when LG and Samsung swung forth 10% on news of Steve Jobs' passing away. A legend, Steve Jobs created an almost new space for his products every other year with a trail of user design led victories in iPod, iPhone and iMacs followe d by the most illustrious iPad in 2009/10.  

Though tim cook and the non Jobs leadership of the company will face significant challenges in maintaining the pace the existing products are likely to conitnue their stamp of leadership on the new generation and me toos will continue to face the same uphill task catching up with the technology and the make up

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F1 comes to India this month with much anticipation. Indian logistics teams have a brilliant opportunity to manage the crews and the cars with the equipment which has already started making its way to the Buddh international circuit soon to find permanent sponsors and Moto GP customers at the track. The Airtel India Grand Prix that is slated for the Diwali weekend ( Oct 26 , really) would spend apparently $40 mln only on the logistics of the teams apart from the suspenseful last minute redevelopments inevitably proposed in our last minute nation of sport fanatics looking for a release after the big fall of the World champions in cricket to the measly English lads. 

And the headline is borrowed from a friend who is also a subscriber to the Post

CLT 20 of the IPL fast cricket family comes first also gets Airtel as the global sponsor ( Lead) and has managed a 5.5 TVR on its own last year. Seeing that stars come out only for airtel, maybe the English will look for Airtel sponsorship next time, and maybe Airtel will let me hook them up ( or should I say conference them in..) In Finance terms though, the balance in Sports events and Marketing expenses is very delicate and the Indian Franchise would have many watcvhing from the sidelines waiting for the inevitable bankruptcy of the promoters/ investors involved as for F! itself of late, un;less the hype is balanced with real time efficiencies in production and even Celebrity management. The potential for glitches in man managers falling along with this ultra new destination are probably 3-4 times our new Asian partners in Korea and Bahrain and even 8 times more than the not so succcessful night grand prix in singapore suffering from the cultural shock in an otherwise ultra efficient tourist friendly island. 

the one in Kuala Lumpur. is a faint hope. Happy Petronas would become Happy Airtel for Asia in a few years, something we Indians n the fringe would have always cherished!

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The Samsonite Campaign by JWT Shanghai won the GrandPrix in the Press Lions, with P&G USA winning Gold Lions alongwith Perfetti India for their Fusion Ecoglide razors

The contingent from Brazil and others from Latam like Chile and Argentina had a very happy break ahead of the weekend with 52 citations in Silver and Bronze Press Lions for Brazil, including Fiat, Kia , Volkswagen and other auto campaigns all winning metals. Gold Lions also had 5 citations for Lady Gaga, Madonna and other Billboard Press ads for Brazil

Cyber and Design Lions were also announced before the finale on Sunday when more metals are due. The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas and Digital Kitchen of Chicago walked away with the Design Grand Prix while P&G shared Grnand Prix honors for its Old Spice (body Wash)  Response Campaign in the USA

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Perfetti's campaigns keep running a metallic campaign at the French Riviera, its Sour candy campaign from Ogilvy, winning one of the two Silvers in the Press Lions. The other Silver went to McCann for Onida's Campaign

Two bronze lions snagged in the Press Lions include P&G's Downy from Grey and UBI with the help of Mudra's "Blueprint" campaign design

In the Radio Lions, 3 Merc Campaigns in South Africa won the Grand Prix and a surpring Paint shop campaign from Singapore won 1 Gold and 4 silver Lions

Onida picked up two Bronze Lions in the only winnings for India, while The Economist snagged 6 Bronzes for Singapore and McDonalds , 3 for South Africa

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Lodestar and Maxus seemingly rode Tuesday night Broncos well at Cannes revelry. Lodestar was among the 10 winners of the Gold Lions in Media Lions, with the Grand Prix going to Tesc's Subway Virtual Store in Korea. Lodestar and Maxus walking away with no. 1 and no. 2 in the Media Lions menas some serious metals for the 89 Indian nominations. The Grand Pix was for the Garnier Media plans ( THE WORLD'S FIRST NEWSPAPER ON 100% RECYCLED NEWSPRINT) and the Silver for Maxus India came for the exceptionally gifted Tata sky plan. 30 Silver Lions were awarded. In all, 30,000 entries for the Ad festival still mean many walk away with nary a metal)

In the Media Lions, P&G, Volkswagen and Kraft won Bronze Lions for their China campaigns. 

Duracell in Puerto Rico and Fidelity's Green Line in the US won Gold Lions as well

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Here's another industry sregment CMO that has never seen advertising and marketing seminars by the "nature of the industry" Usually we put the quotes around "industry" itself for that place called loosely IT sevices * Product Engineeri (from the CMO tweets) or Outsourcing, Onesourcing and Offshoring

But surely innovation and pioneering spirit has to be appreciated, wherever it lights up your heart..

Almost two years ago, MindTree “kicked the tires” on a brand re-launch initiative. For a variety of reasons, it did not make past a discovery (exploratory) stage. However, we decided to hit the reset button and try again.

What will be different this time?

For starters, everyone is behind it, right from our CEO Krishnakumar Natarajan to our board members. Just as important, we are not going to put limitations on our partner. Everything will be on the table such as what’s in scope this time around. This is both exhilarating and frightening at the same time.

I plan to use this blog as a vehicle for you to journey with us and hope to get some advice along the way. From partner selection (which will happen in the weeks to follow) to the start of the project, I will share whatever I can without jeopardizing the success of this very strategic initiative.

Recently, research network and advisor Horses for Sources (“HfS”) wrote in a blog posting “We’d love to see someone, anyone, in this industry be bold with their brand.” I think there’s a real opportunity for a services company to claim a brand positioning that is both desirable and unique.

Why not us?

Dear Jo,

That is really good news from a place which is still tentative about being an industry. 

Pioneers can be different in each generation and for a youngster like MindTree that new generation can be spawned every year. The brand afficionados can really learn if MindTree can rediscover its journey

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