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US giant Burger King Corporation has lost a 13-year-old legal battle against Pune based eatery after a district court dismissed a suit filed by the company alleging trademark infringement. 

Pune district judge Sunil Vedpathak, in the order on August 16, said the city-based eatery 'Burger King' was operating even before the US burger joint opened shop in India and that the latter failed to prove the local food outlet had infringed its trademark.

The court dismissed the 2011 suit filed by the Burger King Corporation, seeking a permanent injunction restraining infringement of trademark, passing off (the trademark as theirs), as well as monetary damages. The suit, filed against Anahita Irani and Shapoor Irani, owners of the Pune-based Burger King food joint, also sought Rs 20 lakh as damages.

On the plaintiff company's demand for permanent injunction, the court said the Burger King Corporation started to provide services through restaurants under its trademark Burger King in India particularly in the year 2014, whereas the city-based eatery was using the trademark 'Burger King' to provide restaurant services since 1991-92.
"Defendants have been using the trade name for their restaurant since about 1992. The pleadings put forth by the plaintiff are totally silent about how customers have been confused due to use of trade mark Burger King by defendants to their restaurant," it said.

The court said the Burger King Corporation has "miserably failed" to prove that the eatery here had infringed its trademark Burger King while running the restaurant in Pune.


Pune eatery wins legal battle against US based Burger King

Virat Kohli is a name that resonates with cricket fans worldwide. From his audacious stroke play to his fiery on-field demeanor, Kohli has redefined the game with his sheer passion and commitment. However, Kohli’s is a story of controversy and confrontation, a narrative that has shaped his journey to greatness. Whether it's his heated exchanges with fellow cricketers or his outspoken nature off the field, controversies are no stranger to him. 

Clash with Gautam Gambhir: One of the most memorable incidents involving Virat Kohli occurred during the 2013 IPL match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore. As the captain of RCB, Kohli engaged in a heated argument with Kolkata's skipper Gautam Gambhir, resulting in a tense standoff that was eventually diffused by umpires and players.

Middle Finger Incident: During his early days in international cricket, Kohli courted controversy during a tour to Australia when he was seen showing the middle finger to the Sydney crowd. Kohli later explained that his actions were in response to abusive language directed at his family, highlighting his fiercely protective nature off the field.


Outburst at Journalist: The 2015 Cricket World Cup saw Kohli embroiled in another controversy when he lashed out at a journalist whom he believed had written an unfavourable article about him and his then-girlfriend, now wife, Anushka Sharma. 

Umpiring Controversy: In a Test match against Australia in 2017, Kohli accused Australian captain Steve Smith of seeking illegal assistance from the dressing room for a review.


Sunil Gavaskar Controversy: During the 2020 IPL, Sunil Gavaskar made a comment about Kohli’s performance, suggesting that he only practiced batting during the lockdown with Anushka Sharma bowling to him. Sharma’s public response underscored the challenges of being a public figure in the age of social media scrutiny.


As Virat Kohli continues to etch his name in the annals of cricketing history, his journey serves as a reminder of the complexities of success. While controversies may have punctuated his career, they have also been a testament to his unwavering spirit and fierce determination. Kohli's story is not just about cricket; it's about resilience, passion, and the relentless pursuit of excellence. As he continues to push the boundaries of the game, Kohli remains a symbol of inspiration for aspiring cricketers and sports enthusiasts around the world. His legacy is not just in the runs he scores or the matches he wins, but in the indelible mark he leaves on the hearts of fans everywhere.


Virat Kohli: A brief history of controversies and confrontations

Microsoft owned LinkedIn was down for a brief period, impacting thousands of users on Wednesday after a brief outage.


According to outage tracking website Downdetector.com, there were 48,000 reports of outages related to LinkedIn in the US.


March 5 saw the global outage of social media platforms Facebook and Instagram. Following the outage, as per multiple reports, parent company Meta’s chief executive officer Mark Zuckerberg net worth declined by $ 2.79 billion, in a day, to hit $ 176 billion on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.


However, he continued to maintain his position as the world’s fourth richest person.


The global outage of Meta-owned apps Facebook and Instagram sent users rushing to Twitter now known as X to check about the outage. The apps were not working for users across the globe who experienced problems with Meta's popular apps. #InstagramDown started trending.


Elon Musk, the owner of X (formerly known as Twitter) and Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg’s rival, shared a series of tweets about the outage stating, “we know why you’re all here now”.


Read More: <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/digital/metas-facebook-instagram-down-for-thousands-of-users-worldwide-25534.htm">Elon Musk reacts to Instagram and Facebook outage</a>

After Facebook and Instagram, LinkedIn sees brief outage

Note to readers: Our latest column Marketing Mocktail breaks down and explains the big ideas, new disruptions and old concepts and marketing practices that matter in the modern age.


The creative brief is one of the most integral parts of advertising.


Yet, of late, briefs have become griefs - sterile and unimaginative.


We keep indulging in the over optimism of giving a bland brief and hoping for exciting creative work in return. Garbage-in, garbage-out.


Putting together a good brief is a dying art which needs to be revived.


From logic to magic


A brief is the inflection point in creating advertising and communication.


It’s the point where logic (the strategy) starts turning into magic (the idea).


It’s where planning ends and creativity begins.


Re-energising the brief


Definition of the brief should read, ‘The most insightful, inspiring, and igniting point in the creation of advertising’.


Insightful - Packed with gems and nuggets that bring the strategy to life.


Inspiring - Makes the creative team go ‘Wow!’ and take ownership of the brief.


Igniting - Triggers the creative to buzz with ideas that they can’t wait to get cracking on.


In fact, a good brief is like ‘an ad for creative people’.


What makes a great brief


While most agencies have their own briefing formats, based on their conceptual frameworks and creative philosophies, the basics of a great brief remain the same.


Here are a few key ideas that can help re-energise creative briefs.


Keep it simple and sharp


Don’t try to impress with mumbo-jumbo or jargon. Make it simple.


Rather than saying, ‘Increase TOM (Top-of-mind awareness) and brand salience’, it’s much better to say, ‘Make the brand famous.’


Instead of ‘Enhance width and depth of consumption’, why not ‘Get more people to use more’.


Also, never overload - stay focused, sharp and crisp. A brief should not be more than a page or two (that’s why it is called a brief).


Pull out little nuggets


Don’t dwell on information, instead dive for gems that bring your strategy to life and tell a story. Embed your brief with evocative and powerful nuggets.


When Taj Mahal tea bags were being launched, the nugget in the brief was to position them as ‘The Walkman of Teas’ to encapsulate the mobility, convenience and modernity of the format.


When Dabur honey was being repositioned as a health food from a home remedy, the brief summed up the challenge as moving the brand from ‘the medicine chest to the dining table’.


Bring your target person to life


One of the biggest sacrileges in briefs is the vague and rather generic definition of the target audience. You really can’t get a handle of who you are talking to until you bring that person alive.


This is how a bland brief will define the target audience for Axe deo:

Young men aged 16-25, who are concerned about their appearance and how they attract the opposite sex. They buy deodorants to smell fresh and feel confident. Axe with its masculine fragrance is the perfect choice to be attractive to girls.


Here’s an inspiring definition of the Axe target person:
Imagine Benjamin… he thinks about women a lot. A lot, a lot. But he’s not dreaming of romance, he’s a dirty boy who can’t stop thinking about sex with extraordinarily welcoming women. Yet in the real world, women are a completely different country - it’s somewhere he’s never been, it may be a while before he gets to go there, and you’re guaranteed he won’t be able to speak the language when he does. 
Deep down he wishes he could just be himself around girls and that it wasn’t so complicated, that he didn’t have to try so hard. What he wants isn’t deodorant at all, but a secret babe-magnet.


Which one do you think created the ‘Axe Effect’?


Dramatise it


A brief is more than just a piece of paper. It’s a piece of theatre.


Once, a bunch of creative people were packed like sardines into a cramped car and were told they were being taken to the client’s office for a briefing. Midway, they were intercepted by the account supervisor, driving a Maruti van (a move that was engineered). 


They were immediately transferred into the more spacious confines of the van and as they sprawled themselves, someone exclaimed, “Guys, this is the brief - travel in space.” How’s that for a powerful demonstration?


Here’s what a leading creative director told me, “I once had an account executive give me a brief with a hole burnt into it. That got me curious. Then I noticed it was for a fiery hot pizza. Right there, she got me.”


It’s time we changed the way we look at briefs, because great advertising is born out of great briefs. It may be a good idea for the industry to introduce an annual award for the best briefs as an incentive to encourage and reward great briefs. 


Can we bring the glory back into briefs? Can we have more briefs than griefs?


Yes, we can!


Anand Narasimha is a corporate turned academician with over three decades of experience spanning Brand Marketing, Advertising, Consulting, and Teaching. He writes the column Marketing Mocktail for Storyboard18. Views expressed are personal.

Marketing Mocktail: Brief or Grief - the creative brief explained

Most brands divide their advertising budget between creative development and media buying in a ratio of 1:10. However, when recalling famous advertising campaigns, it's likely that people remember the creative teams behind the ads, rather than the media planners and buyers who ensure that the ads reach the right audience with the right frequency.

In the past, when advertising was limited to one or two mediums such as TV and print, media planning and buying were relatively straightforward. However, with media becoming increasingly segmented, this is no longer the case. The role of media in the success of any campaign has therefore increased significantly. Without proper alignment between the creative campaign and media plan, the chances of failure are high.

Traditionally, advertising campaigns were conceptualised by establishing business objectives, which were translated into marketing objectives, and then communication objectives. Based on these, a brief was created, and the creative agency would uncover consumer/category insights and develop a core campaign idea. This idea would be presented alongside the TV commercial script, which formed the centrepiece of the campaign. The campaign idea would also be extended to other media such as print, digital, and OOH.

Although media objectives and planning would also be carried out concurrently, they were often not considered inputs or constraints for the creative agency.

Now, there are three problems that happen with this approach:

1. This leads to some campaign ideas/scripts which are not native to the primary platform as per the media plan. Because of a digital native TG, you might have a media plan which is heavily skewed towards Youtube to build awareness. And the best way to build awareness on Youtube is by using the 15-second non-skippable ad. Now if your hero creative is a 30 sec one and impossible to tell a coherent story in the 15-second cut, the campaign will fail.

2. Sometimes you have a wonderful clutter-breaking script, but it is not going to be registered by consumers when they watch it only once/twice. You might have a budget constraint which will limit the input GRPs in your markets. That would mean that at best you can optimize your plan to maximize reach at a three-plus frequency instead of 5/6. Now if your hero creative is witty/difficult to understand easily, your campaign will fail because of lack of enough number of exposure.

3. You might have a media plan which is skewed towards a certain region, but the core insight/communication might not resonate with that region. For Example, 50 percent of your sales might come from the five Southern States, but your campaign idea/core insight resonates more with the Hindi belt. If the TVC is also conceptualized in Hindi and only translated later to regional languages, the chances of the campaign failing will be higher.

All of these problems could be solved by making only a single change in the approach to rolling out a campaign. Include a tentative media strategy/plan, and the constraints that come with it as part of the brief that goes to the Planning team of the creative agency. This will ensure ideas and creative outputs which fit like a dream with our media strategy and plans.

If you want to use Meta in your media plan, your creative agency will ensure that vertical videos that seem native to the platform( Reels) are part of the creative output. If you have a reach plan to maximize reach at three plus frequencies, your creative agency will ensure that the communication is simple enough to understand in one go. If Kerala is a major market for you, your creative agency might recommend creating a separate campaign altogether conceptualized and taught in Malayalam using insights from the Kerala market.

The real magic happens when creative and media teams work together on a brief right from day one. This used to happen few decades back. Maybe it's time to go back to the same practice to ensure that brands get the highest RoI from their marketing spends.

The writer is the founding member and chief business officer of Atomberg. Views expressed are personal.

The power of collaboration: How including media planning in briefs can improve RoI

MAST

Brand: Oakley

Campaign: Be Who You Are

Agency: Brandmovers India

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Growing up, we were constantly asked to fit into the mould of societal expectations. Somewhere, amongst the increasing noise, doubts, aspirations and constant chatter, ‘being ourselves’ took a backseat. We forgot to focus on ourselves, be comfortable with making mistakes, and taking risks.

The latest commercial by Oakley stays true to its value of “Be Who You Are.” As the ad film rolls on, right from the hopes of 1.3bn people being shouldered by cricketer Rohit Sharma, to the doubts and noise surrounding him, the commercial shows how Sharma does not let the people’s uncertainties stop him from always giving his best. The ad film conveys the message of being your authentic self, and the importance of knowing “Who you are", where every frame of the film radiates courage and confidence. Overall, the ad film gets a thumbs up for its realism on a crucial subject.

MEH

Brand: NutriGlow

Campaign: NutriGlow

Agency: In-house

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For years, most of the ads that touched upon the subject of beauty have either been explanatory in nature, or had a pair of girls dancing to stress upon the brand, and convey positive effects. NutriGlow’s latest campaign follows the same unsatisfactory pattern. Actor Genelia Deshmukh along with a bunch of girls are portrayed as ‘GlowGirls’ who are moving to a beat to highlight NutriGlow’s varied range of products. However, Deshmukh, who serves as the brand ambassador for the brand and is known for her bubbly and fun loving nature could not save the commercial from being a dull and disappointing one to watch. An engaging and different storyline could have prevented a Meh.

Mast 

Brand - Thums Up

Agency - Ogilvy India

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From sitting on tree-tops, listening to radio commentary to gathering around paan shops, Indians have found many unique ways to tune in to their favourite cricket matches. Cola brand Thums Up, plans to provide cricket fans in India with a never seen before, innovative experience through in its feature. The ad featuring Jasprit Bumrah, Umran Malik and Brett Lee, showcases an option that allows you to experience watching an ICC T20 World Cup match through a camera fitted in a wicket. Fans will have to scan a QR code on the Thums Up bottle to get access to the camera feed and become part of this immersive experience. That is as close as one can get to being present at the actual game. If this works, it is bound to leave all cricket fans stumped!

Meh

Brand - Casio India

Agency - In-house

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Are you an over-thinker? Yes? Then Casio’s latest ad is definitely one for you. The film opens with a student, who asks his father to buy him a Casio calculator. When his father asks if he can get any other calculator if he doesn’t find one by Casio, the son starts to overthink a series of probable events and scenarios that might impact his life, all due to the repercussions of using an ordinary non-Casio calculator. While the concept works well on paper, the execution doesn’t translate well onto screens. A great concept, poorly planned and executed resulted in us providing this spot, a meh. 

Mast

Brand: Tata Motors

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Festive ads can seem too filmy and over the top with all the songs, dances and unnecessary drama around festivities. However, sometimes there are ads that truly have a feel good factor to it. The Durga Puja TVC from Tata Motors is a perfect example. The ad features the most celebrated actor of Bengali cinema, Prosenjit Chatterjee for the spot but not in a way you’d normally expect. His presence is subtle. His role is of the narrator who acts like a catalyst, adding a slight hint of glamour to the ad without being completely involved in it. The narrative is clean and well packaged with the integration of car features that seamlessly blend in. In true festive fashion, there is a sweet story, a great song and a product that is being rightfully celebrated. All the fun elements work perfectly in unison which makes this new TVC from Tata Motors a good one to watch. A definite Mast in our books. 

Meh

Brand: Hindware

Agency: In-house

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Hindware has a new TV campaign – ‘Go Larger Than Life’ starring actor Tamanna Bhatia and The Great Khali. This is the first ever TVC from Hindware Italian Collection since the company forayed into the tiles segment. The tiles shown in the spot look beautiful and appealing for sure but unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the spot itself. With an inane narrative and an unnecessary objectification of a tall man being compared to huge tiles is unimpressive and doesn’t leave a good lasting impression. A very poor concept and even poorer execution awards this spot a MEH 

MAST

Brand: Cadbury Dairy Milk

Campaign: Cadbury Dairy Milk Bodyguard – Kissi aur ki Khushi mein shaamil hokar dekhiye

Agency: Ogilvy India

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Tigmanshu Dhulia never fails to impress viewers with his performances. In this spot, his appearance as a politician paints him as a ‘larger than life’ character. Dhulia, who is seen making his way towards the dais along with his bodyguards amidst the cheering crowd, to celebrate the success of one of his guard’s daughters who cleared the medical entrance exam is warm and comforting to watch. He is seen feeding the daughter a piece of Cadbury Dairy Milk as a token of appreciation and celebration. The ad film stays true to its message “Kissi aur ki Khushi mein shaamil hokar dekhiye.” A ‘Mast’ watch in our opinion. 

MEH

Brand: Myntra

Campaign: Myntra Big Fashion Festival

Agency: In-house

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The absence of any fun factor for an ad that aims to be comical is very evident right from the start. The campaign, which aims to promote Myntra’s Big Fashion Festival does not really generate any curiosity to check out how interesting the fashion festival might be. Even the presence of celebrity couple Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma, does not seem to add any drama to the dulness. Ironically, Myntra’s idea of using ignorance to draw attention not only tanked on screen but also failed to attract audiences in real life. An interesting build up to the story along with some festive cheer to promote the fashion festival could have prevented a Meh.

Mast

Brand: Coca Cola

Agency: In house

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Durga Puja for Bengalis is like a five-day long party. Like any party, food and soft drinks are an important part of this celebration. So if you are telling a Durga Puja story and you add food and soft drinks to it, you definitely make for a good storyteller. This new puja anthem from Coca Cola is a perfect spot for the pre-festive weeks. Casting the OG cool guys of Bengal (read members of Bengali band Chandrabindoo) and the catchy song add to the festive mood and cheer. The ad comes with its share of glam factor too, with Bengali superstar Dev adding spark and being a part of the 39 second screenplay. Overall, Coca Cola has done a great job with capturing the mood of the Bengal market right now with everyone preparing for the upcoming celebrations. 

Meh

Brand: Pantaloons

Agency: Production: KITCHEN, Concept: Ogilvy

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Rap songs and hip/hop as a genre are very popular with millennials and Gen Z. However, when used in an ad, it resonates only if executed and performed well. Unfortunately, this new Durga Puja spot from Pantaloons banks on a below average rap jingle that pulls down the overall vibe of the piece. Moreover, the Bengali voice overs are heavily accented. It could’ve been done on purpose to go with the background score but doesn’t help the tune in any way. It stands out as a noticeable blunder. The song, the script and overall performance of the cast makes this a wannabe number desperate for attention. We’re still on the look out for an ad that captures Gen Z mentality correctly and executes it well. 

MAST

Brand - The Body Shop

Agency - In house

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Breaking the popular notion that young citizens are becoming increasingly apathetic towards societal issues, The Body Shop launches a campaign calling upon policy makers to evaluate lowering the age of candidacy in the Lok Sabha from 25 to 21 years of age. The goal is to get greater youth representation in the Lok Sabha. To spread the message, the brands video campaign features young leaders from across the country including Sudhanshu Kaushik, founder, Young India Foundation (27), Jalandhar High Court lawyer Inderpreet Kaur (24) and Sachin Rathod, independent panch ingalangi (29) talking about their efforts in bringing change in society thereby inspiring others. The ‘Be Seen Be Heard’ initiative is being rolled out through a partnership with Young India Foundation. The WHY25 drive has been launched across India at all The Body Shop stores in September 2022 and will run till end 2024 in over 25 states with offline and online petitions to support the cause. Now, that's what you call a brand with a purpose. A mast ad, definitely a great watch. 

MEH

Brand - Levi’s India

Agency - Spring Marketing Capital

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Levi's India’s series of ads with Deepika Padukone follow a pattern that has become repetitive and boring. In the new ad Padukone is seen in a space that needs to be set up and decorated. The camera follows her doing various chores like pushing a sofa into place, sticking a poster on a wall while ambling around with her friends, etc dressed in a new baggy Levi’s jeans of course. The spot ends abruptly leaving viewers confused. While Levi's baggy collection might be in vogue, its advertising seems really last season! It’s time for a refresh. 


MAST

Brand – Bombae Fuzz Off Trimmer | Painless hair removal for women

Agency/Production House – Talented, StudioFry

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This 30 seconder is an edgy one. It’s probably the only hair removal brand that has shown body hair before women shave/wax/trim it off. Bombae says #FuzzOff to societal expectations. It shows the pain women go through to go hairless and attempts to normalise never-seen-before body hair imageries. An empowering ad that breaks boundaries. It’s a mast watch because it is changing the narrative of the category.


MEH

Brand – Manyavar | Taiyaar Hokar Aaiye

Agency - Shreyansh Innovations

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The hyperactive actor Ranveer Singh for the new commercial of Manyavar is featured as a spunky wedding photographer. For a change, he is dressed perfectly fine. However, he singles out a suit-clad ‘mausaji’ by saying he is ruining the perfect family photo in his western outfit. Okay, we get it, this was all supposed to be in good fun and maybe for the sake of advertising. However, we think the brand could have picked a better line of thought to stitch the script. After all, isn’t fashion a personal choice? Shouldn’t Singh know that better than anyone else?

Mast & Meh: Oakley, Thums Up, Tata Motors, Myntra, Levi's India

The biggest test Indian girls face in their school years is the "beauty test", says Unilever-owned beauty brand Dove in its latest campaign released on International Daughters Day 2022 (25 September). The ad has been viewed by millions of netizens, garnering over 12 million YouTube views in four days. 

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While the campaign gained appreciation for starting a conversation about deeply ingrained beauty biases, a section of audiences also criticised the company for double standards. Unilever sells Glow & Lovely (earlier called Fair & Lovely) which largely hinged its communication equating fair/light skin with success. However, in 2019 Unilever changed the product name and also its advertising strategy to be more inclusive and conscious. 

This is reflected in the new Dove ad as well. 

Made by advertising agency Ogilvy India, the ad shows how young girls are subjected to socially accepted standards of beauty which drastically impact their confidence and self-esteem. The Stop The Beauty Test 2.0 is an extension of its previous campaign that was focused on beauty judgements faced by women during marriage. 

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To be sure, Unilever said that Dove launched a study which stated that 80 percent of Indian school girls have faced unjust beauty tests as a teenager. Hence, this year the conversation has shifted focus from prospective brides to the stage where it all begins – adolescence.

 In an exclusive conversation with Storyboard18, Harman Dhillon, vice president, hair care, Unilever talks about the backlash on its new campaign, changing ideas of beauty and how Dove is striving to stay relevant among Gen Z consumers.

Edited excerpts:

There is a certain set of audience that have criticised the new campaign. How does the brand deal with the negative feedback?

Our intent with #StopTheBeautyTest campaign was clear - to make society aware of a prevailing issue faced by young girls on a daily basis. To bring about a tangible impact with the Dove Self-Esteem Project, we are training teachers to deliver educational modules around body confidence and self-esteem to young minds. Our purpose of the campaign is to create awareness regarding when these beauty biases start, and the impact it has on women. We respect everyone's point of view and hope they see that our objective is to redefine the scope of beauty - celebrating it in its authentic and diverse form.

What kind of research went behind picking the theme for this edition of the campaign?

At Dove, we’re constantly working towards making beauty a source of confidence and not anxiety. Last year, we brought to light beauty-based judgements women especially faced during marriage and the impact it had on their confidence. However, during our research we uncovered a key moment of truth wherein societal standards of beauty are imposed on women much earlier on - as young as adolescence. Capturing this sentiment, we shifted our focus on the root of the problem - moving our communication from prospective brides to teenage girls. At a time when these girls should be concentrating on education, they are being unknowingly subjected to beauty biases by society. We felt that this was a crucial stage of intervention and wanted to bring about a tangible change. Thus, with #StopTheBeautyTest 2.0, we aim to raise the self-esteem of these young girls and break through beauty led stereotypes. 

Where did the inspiration for the execution of the campaign come from?

As always, we wanted to share real stories enacted by real girls and feature the real-life implication beauty judgements have on their self-esteem. So, the brand film is a portrayal of exactly that. We want to highlight how family and peers, in the guise of guidance, are pressuring young girls to fit prescribed beauty standards and how this can lead to body image issues in their young minds - eventually stunting their confidence. The #StopTheBeautyTest movement is an attempt to bring awareness about this issue so we can stop subjecting young girls with beauty-based report cards and grading them on external appearances. The focus instead should be on building their self-esteem so that they can be comfortable in their own skin and realise their potential to the fullest. 



<blockquote>While Dove’s global markets may be slightly more evolved, we’re not far behind where customers are demanding equal representation and opportunity. Brands no longer can superficially support progressive social movement but need to be actively engaged and be true drivers of change.</blockquote>



What is Dove doing to stay relevant among the Gen Z? How do they define beauty and is it different from older consumers?

The Dove Self-Esteem Project is aimed at the Gen Z with a vision to empower 8 million young minds by 2025. As part of the initiative, we partnered with experts in the fields of psychology, health and body image to create educational modules around body confidence and self-esteem which will be delivered by teachers under the life skills curriculum. Through this we will be reaching girls and boys in grades 6, 7 and 8 in selected schools across 8 states.

The ultimate goal is to change ‘beauty’ from its conventional lens and redefine and realign what it means to be beautiful. In comparison to the older generation, the younger audience is demanding an ethical, inclusive and diverse representation of beauty in media and Dove’s Real Beauty motto stands tall to deliver on the ask - ensuring beauty is not defined by shape, size or colour but being beautiful is to be the best version of yourself.

Any unique trends in terms of advertising or consumption you are witnessing among your TG in India? How's it different from Dove's global markets?

The Indian woman has gone through a complete metamorphosis in the recent time, especially when it comes to her portrayal in advertising and media. We’ve come a long way from women being conditioned to believing their self-worth is dictated by the perception of others, to now where they are seen taking charge and having a voice of their own. At Dove, we’re proud to have been one of the leading contributors to this change and are glad that brands across categories are following suit.

Today, our TG makes their own choice and has the spending power. Beyond expecting brands to deliver high-quality products, they also demand the brand drive a thought-provoking dialogue. While Dove’s global markets may be slightly more evolved, we’re not far behind where customers are demanding equal representation and opportunity. Brands no longer can superficially support progressive social movement but need to be actively engaged and be true drivers of change.

How do you measure the success of a campaign now? Has the benchmark changed over the years?

Today, the success of a campaign, especially when it comes to the type of campaigns Dove has been leading, is very different from the benchmarks traditionally set in place. The impact is no longer purely number driven. The campaigns of the current era are heavily driven by the impact they have on people and the type of change we can drive through the efforts of the campaign. 

Are the days of big splash TV campaigns long gone? What works for new gen consumers?

Television is a relevant medium even now, in my opinion. There is still a large set audience in the deeper pockets of our nation who yet rely on television for entertainment as well as information. Thus, given that our target isn’t just the metro markets but pan India, TVC’s are a prime medium for us to bring our narrative alive. On the other hand, speaking about the new generation of consumers, social media has emerged as a stronger medium of communication than most others since it allows a two-way communication unlike TV. Thus, it is essential for us to keep the balance while strategising our media plan.

Exclusive: Unilever’s Harman Dhillon responds to feedback on viral Dove ad

Two years ago, YouTube introduced Shorts in India. Today, Shorts are generating 30 billion views per day, which is four times more than one year ago. Ajay Vidyasagar, Regional Director, APAC, YouTube Partnerships, says the language platter and the content genre is only growing in the market and Shorts is fueling the growth. He also talks about monetization on the platform and more. 

Edited excerpts.

Shorts completed two years in India. How has it been? And what has the growth story been like from where you started to where you are now? 

YouTube as a platform is over 14 years old in India. When we got started, our primary mission was to democratize video creation. Until that point, the world really saw storytelling as being the forte of a few. Our goal was to really, truly, truly democratize this in a manner that anyone who is interested in sharing a story should be able to share it. Our role in that was to use technology to take out all the friction in the operationalization of it and help good stories to be discovered, consumed and engaged with. That is really what we’ve been able to do in scale over these many years.

YouTube Shorts was announced two years ago; we flagged that off in India. The YouTube Partner Program (YPP) program was only available and enabled for long form and mid form content. So, we launched a YouTube Shorts fund, in which we worked closely with content creators to help them see a line of revenue for their work.

While we see a lot of entertaining content on the platform, what is the kind of interest you have seen brands? Are brands using Shorts like they are using other UGC platforms for integrations? Help us understand with some examples.

YouTube has enabled so many different formats to co-exist and speak to one another: long form videos, snappy Shorts, livestreams and deep dive podcasts. Advertisers can, therefore, choose to talk to their target audiences- in as many forms of stories, across as many devices, as many languages and as many times a day - effectively and at scale. 

YouTube Shorts are generating 30 billion views per day globally. India was the first country where we launched Shorts and we’re proud of how quickly YouTube Shorts have become popular in India. Brands are starting to see results too. For instance, Oreo, which started its very first Shorts Challenge in Tamil Nadu with 10 of our top creators in the market to launch Oreo Double Stuf during Pongal last year. With 8 million views on their content, the brand was able to build salience in the market, improving branded searches and household penetration in a key market for them. 

How important is India as a market for YouTube when it comes to Shorts? How does it compare to other markers?

We saw the great potential and engagement short form content has for today’s increasingly mobile viewer. That’s why two years ago, we introduced YouTube Shorts, first in India, to make it easier to watch and create short-form content on YouTube. It was where our journey began, and it’s encouraging to see the adoption and excitement the product brings to both creators and viewers. 

We truly believe that what moves India, has the potential to shape the world. Digital video has become a gateway to the world for millions of Indians. In particular, short form video, which is easy to consume and create, represents opportunity like no other - to be entertained and inspired, to learn and earn, to connect and grow. 

When we introduced Shorts, we knew that we were bringing an important new format for creators and that our creators are leveraging Shorts to help breathe new life into their existing channels or inform a new content and engagement strategy is testament to their creativity.

We’re constantly impressed that creators are getting really innovative with how they use the full breadth of video formats that YouTube offers to meet their personal and business goals: from growing views and subscribers, reaching out to new audiences and growing their earning potential. 

Shorts has helped capture the interest and imagination of mobile-first creators and viewers who from whom a smartphone is a window to a world of opportunity. In India, Shorts is lowering the barriers for under-represented voices to come to the fore and pursue their passions; many of whom may otherwise have not had a platform to do so. We’re seeing creators across languages, socio-economic backgrounds and even India’s hinterlands turn to Shorts to share their passions, grow their channels and build successful careers.

Shorts has introduced a new monetization format. Please help us understand how it will benefit the platform and the creators?

We recently unveiled the next chapter in rewarding creativity on the platform by expanding the platform’s monetization system, YPP, to allow more creators to join the program, introducing new ways for creators to earn revenue through Shorts, and re-imagining the music industry and creator dynamic by opening up ads monetization for those who feature music in their videos. 

Starting in early 2023, Shorts-focused creators can apply to YPP by meeting a threshold of 1000 subscribers and 10 million Shorts views over 90 days. These new partners will enjoy all the benefits YPP offers, including ads monetization across Shorts and long-form YouTube videos. This is another option to the existing criteria where long-form creators can still apply to YPP when they reach 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours. Creators can choose the one option that best fits their channel while YouTube maintains the same level of brand safety for advertisers. To support creators who are early in their YouTube journey, YouTube will also introduce a new level of YPP with lower requirements that will offer earlier access to Fan Funding features like Super Thanks, Super Chat, Super Stickers and Channel Memberships. 

To reward the new creative class, beginning in early 2023, we’ll be moving away from a fixed fund and doubling down on a unique revenue sharing model for Shorts for both current and future YPP creators. Because ads run between videos in the Shorts Feed, every month, revenue from these ads will be added together and used to reward Shorts creators and help cover costs of music licensing. From the overall amount allocated to creators, they will keep 45 percent of the revenue, distributed based on their share of total Shorts views. The revenue share remains the same, no matter if they use music or not. 

YouTube Shorts came to India at a very opportune time. It came right when UGC was becoming very popular and the market was expanding beyond metros. Throw some light on how you managed to gain footing in the Bharat market?

When you look at all of the digital platforms in the country, YouTube is fueled by voice, video and vernacular. So, because of that, the innate ability for the platform to go to every nook and corner of the country, and be understood, be loved, and be engaged, is very natural. It actually is the easiest form of communication that somebody can get on the digital connected platform.

We started off with a predominantly English language journey and then Hindi language content started to take off from India’s metro cities. If you remember, back in the day a lot of our creators were comedy centric and from urban centers.

Now in the last five to seven years, two very big things have happened with YouTube. The content creation has gone into the heartland of Hindi speaking markets. Hindi has become far more reflective of the evolving user base that has happened. Now it’s no longer a metro phenomenon.

We’re also seeing a host of other languages also doing very well on YouTube. Telugu and Tamil continue to be heavy-use cohorts for us. The richness of the language space has been unbelievable for us. From Punjabi, Haryanvi, Bhojpuri, Bengali, to Marathi, Gujarati, there is just an extraordinary breadth of languages. Shorts has helped these markets as well. We have seen extraordinary volume from these language markets.

Ours is a journey that is really about going wider and deeper and Shorts is helping us fuel that in even more in a significant manner.

Platforms that offer both long form and short format content often see the latter stealing all the limelight. Have you noticed any such pattern?

No creator says that I want to be a short-form creator or a long-form creator. They want to be storytellers and they want to express themselves and tell their stories in different forms. We might think about telling a story today that may need 10 or 20 minutes but tomorrow, we may have a story that may shine in 30 seconds.

Our role as a platform is to give a very versatile toolkit that can help a creator succeed in every format. That’s the core of what we do. When you think about video creation, our job is to give a toolkit that helps any video creator, do what they want to do, and express themselves with the least amount of friction. We do believe that both creators and users do not ever say that I’ll only consume a story, if it is, of this size or this form. They actually want a powerful story. The ability to have that sort of freedom with scale and the best technology is really what we do. That’s what we’re focused on. That’s what we’ll always be focused on.

What are your future plans for the offering? What are the top priorities when it comes to new plans for Shorts in India in FY-23?

Shorts is a natural evolution for us: YouTube Shorts is a new way to create and watch short, mobile videos. If you think about YouTube’s earliest days, we launched with a short 18-second video, ‘Me at the Zoo’. What changed since then is how easy it’s become to create and watch short-form videos. We wanted to make it even easier for people to create short videos on YouTube using their phones, so Shorts is a natural evolution for us. 

We’re building features that are unique to YouTube. We’re bringing all short-form video to YouTube, and all of YouTube to short-form video in a really significant way. There are billions of videos on YouTube - by unlocking those videos for features like remixing so people can sample from those in their own Shorts, we’re creating a real playground of creativity like never before. We have the ability to connect multiple ecosystems - YouTube as we know it today, YouTube Music, and now YouTube Shorts. You can imagine what this might look like in the future - it will allow people to connect more deeply with the content, creators, and artists they’re most interested in. This truly is just the beginning.

EXCLUSIVE: What moves India has the potential to shape the world, says YouTube's Ajay Vidyasagar

Leo Burnett and Jim Beam

Publicis Groupe-owned Leo Burnett has been appointed as the global agency-of-record (AOR) for Beam Suntory’s Jim Beam, an American brand of bourbon whiskey. The account, which was won following a multi-agency pitch, will see the agency develop a new global positioning and creative platform. This is the second time Leo Burnett has been appointed as the AOR for Jim Beam. 2016 marked the year when the agency was first selected as the AOR for the American brand. Recently, Beam Suntory announced that it would invest $400 million in renewable energy systems while boosting bourbon production. 

Hashtag Orange and Signify India

Digital marketing company Hashtag Orange has won the creative mandate for Signify Innovations India, erstwhile lighting division of Philips Eindhoven of Netherlands. Their responsibility would include ideation, development, and execution of the company’s creative campaigns for both online and offline channels. As per a media report published in June, Signify was looking to grow by 18-20 percent during 2022 in India. Last month, Hashtag Orange appointed Shraddha Iyer as the branch head of its Hyderabad office. Further, the agency bagged mandates across several key accounts. They include GMR Hyderabad International Airport, Monte Carlo, Rock-It, Hype Ryno, EDGE by Pearl Academy, HOUSR co-living and Tulips Hygiene.

Carat India and TimesPro

Marketing agency Carat India has won the integrated media mandate of TimesPro, an edtech initiative of Times Group. The responsibility of the agency would include managing TimesPro's omnichannel media services, and this will be handled by the agency’s Mumbai office. The account was won following a multi-agency pitch.

Bharat Media Group and Newell Brands

Newell Brands has appointed Bharat Media Group, a 360 degree marketing agency to handle its brands - Reynolds and Sharpie's strategic and creative duties. The mandate includes co-creating the growth roadmap for both businesses in the Indian market. Three weeks ago, Bharat Media Group was appointed as the Agency-Of-Record (AOR) for Super4, Indian fantasy sports platform. The role of the agency will include overseeing the integrated strategy and media mandate which includes creative, performance and experiential marketing, media planning and buying (across medium, traditional and digital), OOH, and cinema. Bharat Media Group has recently made key hirings including Unilever’s former head of Trading and Partnerships, Rohin Desai, who joined as national buying head in August. Desai will head the group’s entire media buying activities across India. He will be based out of the Mumbai office and will report to Anand Charles, CEO, Bharat Media Group. In May, Debarghya Mitra joined as national head of planning. Mitra was VP of client services and head of South at WPP-owned Essence.

Option Designs and CFS Vision

Creative and digital marketing agency Option Designs won the creative and digital mandate of CFS Vision, an optical retail chain of Center for Sight Group of Eye Hospitals, which is backed by Mahindra Partners. Their responsibility would include developing creative digital branding strategies for the company. By 2027, CFS Vision aims to create 500 retail locations. In the coming years, the brand will also begin manufacturing frames and lenses under the Make in India initiative.

Compiled by Kashmeera Sambamurthy

Biz Moves: Bharat Media Group gets cracking; Carat India, Hashtag Orange and Option Designs win accounts

Dating app Tinder, in a recent survey, reveals that most young adults in India have little or no confidence in navigating consent and find it hard to have conversations on the subject. Amongst those surveyed in Mumbai, more than 64% of young adults are hesitant to give consent, ask for it, and to withdraw consent when dating someone.

When asked about situations when their consent was violated, 65% of young Mumbaikars chose not to speak to their date/partner about it and turned to a friend and looked for resources online, illustrating the need for continuous dialogue on this subject. In fact, 83% of these young adults in Mumbai believe that consent should be discussed more openly with partners.

The findings are based on research conducted by YouGov which surveyed  1,018  young adults (18-30 years) across  Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Pune, Kolkata, Chennai and Hyderabad.

Young Indians want to learn and discuss consent with 1 in 2 recognizing themselves as the biggest channel for normalizing conversations around consent.

Around 8 in 10 young adults in Mumbai believe that consent should be discussed more openly with partners, 76% want it to be even taught formally in schools and colleges, and 72% have taken steps to personally understand the concept of consent.

More than 7 in 10 young adults in Mumbai seek more resources and safe spaces (both physical and online) on consent to be more educated and aware in their personal settings. Amongst a broad group of stakeholders potentially responsible for normalizing conversations on consent, young people identified parents (55%), themselves (44%), and schools and colleges (39%) as the top three influencers responsible for that conversation.

Across various aspects of consent education, most of the young Mumbaikars are most interested in learning about how to give consent (44%), understanding their own boundaries and limitations (41%),  followed by how to ask for consent (40%), emphasizing the need for consent education in the city.

The survey highlights that there are a myriad of factors that prevent young adults from communicating consent or the lack thereof to their dates or partners. The most frequent reasons include: afraid of hurting the date/partner’s feelings (41%), themselves are awkward having such conversations (36%), not knowing how to say no (33%) and anxious about not being liked (30%).

Young adults in Mumbai also have clear categorisation of widely understood metaphors for warning signs.They listed top three red flags include making fun about your interests/beliefs, asking for personal/intimate pictures, and not being empathetic towards others.

Yet putting them into practice proves harder than imagined: 3 in 5 young Mumbaikars say that they would hesitate to say no to a kiss and an almost equal number say they would hesitate to dismiss intimate advances even though it might make them uncomfortable.

Young adults in Mumbai believe that consent extends beyond intimacy and includes a larger concern for privacy and emotional boundaries.
 
The survey was a part of Tinder’s effort to create awareness around the importance of consent.  The platform is bringing back ‘Let’s Talk Consent’, its initiative to encourage conversations around consent and safe dating. This year, the campaign launches with “We Need To Talk”, a short film that explores the nuances of consent in interpersonal relationships amongst young Indian adults.

This will be followed by a Consent and Safe Dating curriculum, developed by experts and available online and in person in select universities, to give young adults access to appropriate information and a safe space to have a healthy discourse on the subject.
 
''Our Let’s Talk Consent initiative aims to give young adults the tools and resources to understand how consent equates freedom in making choices, mutual agreement and normalizes open discussions on tough topics. Coupled with safety products in the app and initiatives such as these, we are committed to working towards creating a healthy dating ecosystem in the country,” says Taru Kapoor, GM, Tinder & match group, India.

Young adults don’t know how to give, ask or withdraw consent while dating, Tinder study

Advertising and marketing conglomerate Omnicom acquires post production studio Coffee & TV. The move is aimed at strengthening the newly formed Omnicom Content Studios and its offerings. The move will also fuel international expansion for Coffee & TV, stated a report.

Through this acquisition, the first step would be the studio’s London HQ and roll out Creative Studios in New York, Los Angeles and Austin. On the United States expansion, chief executive officer Derek Moore is leading the charge.

Supported by managing director Leonie Moreton, both of them will work with Dave Colon, president, Omnicom Content Studios. They will ensure that Coffee & Table is able to ‘scale its unique culture, empower creativity and deliver exceptional craft.’

The acquisition includes Coffee & TV’s long-form picture finishing facility, Residence Pictures. Coffee & TV and Residence Pictures management will continue to serve in their current roles, stated a report.

Read More: <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/quantum-brief/omnicom-media-group-bags-ubers-global-media-business-15004.htm">Omnicom Media Group bags Uber’s global media business</a>

Omnicom acquires post production studio ‘Coffee & TV’

Through this acquisition, the first step would be the studio’s London HQ and roll out Creative Studios in New York, Los Angeles and Austin.

Hiring activity in the Media and Entertainment industry witnessed a 14% increase YoY in August 2024, talent platform Foundit revealed.

In the M&E industry, job roles such as 'content creation & strategy,', 'digital media management', 'video production and editing,'' PR7 communications,' and 'social media management,' were key roles in demand last month.

According to foundit data, "Emerging technologies like AI, VR, and data analytics are opening new opportunities, with gig roles in graphic design, writing, and video production making up 26% of the gig market".

<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-marketing/amazon-india-creates-over-1-1-lakh-seasonal-job-opportunities-ahead-of-festive-season-42239.htm">Amazon India creates over 1.1 lakh seasonal job opportunities ahead of festive season</a>

Additionally, marketing and IT roles also saw an uptick in hiring. Despite a 2% monthly dip, marketing and communications (22%) witnessed a strong annual growth, driven by the need for digital expertise. The retail hiring grew by 23 YoY in August 2024.

Notably, 'Performance analytics and AI-driven strategies are particularly in demand, with significant hiring seen in Delhi/NCR (above 20%), Jaipur (above 11%), Kolkata (above 9%), Mumbai ( above 8%), and Pune (above 13%), respectively.


Foundit data also mentioned that the online hiring activity sustained an upward growth trajectory with a 15% annual growth.

<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/how-it-works/festive-season-fuels-e-commerce-boom-meesho-enables-over-8-lakh-jobs-41407.htm">Festive season fuels e-commerce boom: Meesho enables over 8 lakh jobs</a>


The job outlook in India is promising, with a strong focus on innovation and sustainability across various sectors, bolstered by recent government initiatives, the talent platform said.


"The recent surge in recruitment across sectors signals a period of economic recovery. We see significant job growth in Healthcare, Construction & Engineering, and Information Technology, indicating renewed confidence among employers. As businesses rethink their hiring needs, we are optimistic about more job openings in the coming months. The challenges of recent years have driven rapid technological changes, transforming how we work. To thrive, professionals need to not only adapt to these changes but also lead the way in driving them," Sekhar Garisa, CEO of Foundit (previously Monster APAC & ME), a Quess company, said.

Media and Entertainment industry sees 14% increase in hiring activity YoY in Aug 2024

Accel and cricketer Virat Kohli-backed men’s apparel brand Wrogn’s revenue has dropped by over 29% in the fiscal year ending March 2024. Its revenue from operations stood at Rs 243.75 crore during FY24 as compared to Rs 344.3 crore in FY23. In the same period, its losses surged by 28.2%, nearing the Rs 57 crore mark.

Earlier in June, the brand had raised Rs 125 crore ($15 million) from Aditya Birla Group-owned TMRW House of Brands. Overall, it has raised around $90 million till now from the likes of Accel, Flipkart, Kohli, and Sachin Tendulkar since its inception in 2014. 

In November 2020, Flipkart invested an undisclosed amount in Wrogn’s Series F round.

According to the company's financial statements, Wrogn generated Rs 21 crore from interest and gain on financial assets which took its overall revenue to Rs 264.8 crore in FY24.

The brand, founded in 2014 by Anjana and Vikram Reddy, operates through both online and offline retail channels. 

Wrogn targets men aged 18-30, offers casual clothing, footwear and accessories.

The U.S. e-commerce giant Amazon and Walmart's backed Flipkart have been found to have violated local competition laws by giving preference to select sellers on their shopping websites, according to the Indian antitrust investigation.

In 2020, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) ordered an investigation into Amazon and Flipkart for allegedly promoting certain sellers with which they had business arrangements and giving priority to certain listings.

According to confidential reports seen by Reuters, a 1027-page report on Amazon and a separate 1,696-page report on Flipkart- both dated August 9, the CCI investigators said the companies were found to have created an ecosystem where preferred sellers appeared higher in search results, elbowing out other sellers.

The two companies will now review the report and file any objections before CCI staff decide on any potential fines.

The investigation was triggered by a complaint from Delhi Vyapar Mahasangh, a group of brick-and-mortar retailers.

It is to be noted that e-commerce giants including Amazon and Flipkart both have en facing criticism for their business practices in India from smaller retailers.

Recently, Piyush Goyal, India's Minister of Commerce and Industry has questioned Amazon's predatory pricing strategy which is a risk for smaller retailers. Referring to the company's Rs. 6000 crore loss in India, he said, “If you make Rs 6,000 crore loss in one year, does that not smell like predatory pricing to any of you?”

The Centre is likely to release the draft rules under the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023 within the next two weeks. 

According to the sources close to the development, the compliance or transition period under the same will likely be kept between six to eight months only, with provisions for up to Rs 250 crore penalty for any data breach. 

This is said to be a major setback for social media companies and telecom operators who have been lobbying for a transition period of 18-24 months at least to fully comply with the Act, because of the technological complexities and complete overhaul of the present consent manager framework. 

Many of these companies use legacy systems to store data and hence are likely to struggle while aligning data management processes to the Act. 

According to another source familiar with the matter, the transition period could be more stringent for established bigger players as compared with smaller entities. 

It is to be noted that data privacy laws including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Singapore's Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA)- from where the DPDP Act has taken inspiration, gave companies around two years to make the transition, change business practices and then were levied with the penalty violation.


Read more: <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/how-it-works/breaking-dpdp-rules-will-soon-be-released-for-public-feedback-says-ashwini-vaishnaw-37725.htm">BREAKING: DPDP rules will soon be released for public feedback, says Ashwini Vaishnaw</a>


"The compliance aspect will be challenging because the Act is going to create a complete overhaul in business operations and the industry has not yet fully understood it. Tech giants will have it comparatively easier because they've been complying with the procedures of other countries but Indian corporates are going to face a lot of challenges. Companies haven't fathom the amount of resources and time which will be required to comply with this law," pointed out Akshayy S Nanda, Partner, Saraf and Partners.

In fact, mar-tech agencies will be amongst the most impacted. 

"Companies who already have existing marketing databases but don't have consent, will now have to delete the data from the database. Neither you can use it nor you can store it under the new Act. Companies have to figure out different ways of to actually gather, collect and build database for marketing purposes from the scratch," Nanda explained.

However, early-stage startups are likely to be given 3-6 months as the grace period to test their products during which they will be exempt from certain stringent provisions

The Act has seven critical guiding principles. One is lawfulness, fairness and transparency of processing personal data- one can only process personal data in a lawful manner by having the consent, while all processing has to be done in a fair manner. Meanwhile, providing adequate information to the individuals regarding what is the personal data that is being collected and for what purpose. The second guiding principle is purpose limitation- the law provides that if one collects the personal data for a particular purpose, it can not be used for any other purpose.

Third is data minimisation. For years, companies have been collecting personal data and storing for future monetisation purposes. With the new Act, once the purpose for which the personal data was collected is completed, one can't hold on to that data for perpetuity. Fourth guiding principle is accuracy, which is the obligation on companies to ensure that data is kept accurate and correct.

Fifth is data minimisation, which means that companies can only collect personal data which is necessary for them to provide the services. Sixth is integrity and confidentiality, ensuring that personal data is protected and there is no personal data breach. And lastly is accountability.

DPDP Act basically aims at data minimisation, purpose limitation and storage limitation and once implemented, all digital platforms will have to take the consent from each of their users- for the consent, purpose or future usage. Additionally, companies with large volume of data will also have to appoint data protection officers, who will be the point of contact for the grievance redressal mechanism. 


Read more:<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/digital/is-indias-dpdp-act-a-blueprint-for-global-data-protection-standards-40631.htm"> Is India’s DPDP Act a Blueprint for Global Data Protection Standards?</a>


However, the stakeholders have been raising objections regarding the notification of personal data breaches. The law provides that in case of a personal data breach, one will have an obligation to notify the regulator, which is going to be the Data Protection Board. 

Also, there is no risk threshold. "Under the global laws, there is a risk threshold regarding notification to the regulator because there can be several data breaches where there is no risk. In DPDP, there is no risk threshold and the penalty for not notifying the regulator can go up to Rs 200 crore," Nanda highlighted.

The Act carries the obligation for the companies/entities to provide a privacy notice to the individuals- which will consists the purpose of the collecting the personal data, kind of data collected and the rights that the individuals have under the law. The is to be drafted in a simple language, with no legal jargon, and in 23 different languages.

The DPDP Act was passed by Parliament on August 9, 2023 — about six years after the Supreme Court upheld privacy as a fundamental right. Despite being announced last year, the Act has not yet taken effect since its rules and regulations are still have not been released or finalised.

Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. (ZEEL) has officially withdrawn its composite scheme of arrangement with Culver Max Entertainment and Bangla Entertainment Private Limited (BEPL), following a settlement. The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) approved the withdrawal. The decision follows a settlement between the parties involved.

The NCLT passed an order inter alia allowing the withdrawal of the Scheme and recall the sanctioned order dated August 10, 2023 passed by the NCLT in respect of the Scheme. 

In August 2024, Zee and Sony announced that they have arrived at a comprehensive non-cash settlement, amicably resolving all disputes related to the Merger Co-operation Agreement and the Composite Scheme of Arrangement.

In its filing with stock exchanges, ZEEL explained that the merger, initially sanctioned in August 2023, has now been terminated due to mutual consent. 

As part of the settlement, the companies have mutually agreed to withdraw all respective claims against each other, in the ongoing arbitration at the Singapore International Arbitration Centre, and all related legal proceedings initiated in the NCLT and other forums.

The NCLT, Mumbai, approved the recall of the merger order on 5th September 2024, allowing Zee to withdraw the scheme.

<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/how-it-works/breaking-zee-and-sony-resolve-all-disputes-over-failed-merger-40702.htm">Read more: ZEE and Sony resolve all disputes over failed merger</a>

Panasonic has announced to end of its 37-year-old partnership with the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Both have agreed to not extend their Olympic Partner (TOP) Programme agreement after the expiration of the current contract term at the end of December 2024.

The Panasonic Group first became an official Worldwide Partner of the Olympic Games in 1987 and expanded its partnership to the Paralympic Games from 2014 onward. As an Official Worldwide Partner, the Panasonic Group has supported the Games with its technologies, products, and services.

The decision to end the sponsorship has been made as the Group continually reviews how sponsorship should evolve with broader management considerations, it said in the official statement. 

"As a result of this review, and after extensive consultation with the IOC, the parties agreed to refrain from renewing the Olympic and Paralympic Partner Agreement," it added.

IOC President Thomas Bach, said “The IOC understands and fully respects that the Panasonic Group has to adapt its business strategy. Therefore, this partnership is ending in a respectful and friendly way. The IOC would like to thank Panasonic and its Group CEO Yuki Kusumi, for over four decades of close partnership. Panasonic was a founding member of the Worldwide Olympic Partner (TOP) Programme and has been a great support to Olympic Games’ organisers, National Olympic Committees and athletes around the world. The appreciation of the IOC for Panasonic will continue.”

Panasonic Group CEO Yuki Kusumi said, “Over the past 37 years, we have gained many valuable experiences through our TOP sponsorship activities and deepened our bonds with sports fans and athletes around the world. We would like to express our gratitude to President Bach and the IOC, who have been our partners over the years in building a better world through sport. We are very honored to have supported the world's premier sporting event once again this year in Paris with the Group's cutting-edge technology, products, management personnel and other operational services.”

Panasonic to end 37 year partnership with International Olympic Committee

Advertising volumes in the first half of 2024 (i.e. January to June) have increased by 3% on radio, as compared to the first half of 2023. 

Compared to the same period in 2022, there was an increase in ad volumes of 9% this year, according to the latest report by TAM AdEx.

The report also highlighted that the advertising volumes in the first half of 2023 increased by 6% over the first half of 2022. TAM AdEx monitors more than 110 radio stations.

In terms of the sectors that are advertising on the medium, services topped the list with a 31% share of ad volumes in the first half of the year. Meanwhile, auto had a share of 10%, followed by BFSI, retail, food and beverages, and education with an 8% share each, among the rest.

The report also noted that in terms of categories, properties and real estate had a 16% share of the total ad volume in the given period, whereas hospitals/clinics and cars had a 7% share, followed by retail outlets/jewellers with 6%.

Among the top advertisers who advertised on the radio medium in the first half of 2024, LIC topped the list, followed by Maruti Suzuki, LIC Housing Finance, Reliance Retail, Amul, SBS Biotech, Tata Motors, Alishan, Renault India and Hyundai Motor India.

Six out of ten were new entrants in the top 10 advertisers’ list on radio.

The report further shared that cars among categories saw the highest increase in ad secondages with a growth of 57% followed by retail outlets-jewellers with 29% growth during the first half of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023.

Also, evening was the most preferred time-band for advertising on the radio followed by morning and afternoon time-bands. Meanwhile, evening and morning time bands together added a 69% share of ad volumes.

Ad commercials with 20-40 seconds were the most preferred for advertising on the radio during both periods. 20-40 seconds ad and <20 seconds ad collectively added 94% share of ad volumes on the radio in the first half of 2024.

In terms of states, Gujarat and Maharashtra held 20% and 19% shares of ad volumes respectively during the first half of 2024. Meanwhile, Jaipur was the leading city among the 18 cities on radio followed by Nagpur in the first half of 2024.

Ad volumes on radio increased by 3% in H1 2024 YoY

A PIL has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking a direction to the Centre to set up an autonomous body to monitor and filter content and regulate videos on over-the-top (OTT) and other platforms in India. 

Filed on September 10, the PIL referred to Netflix series IC 814:The Kandahar Hijack to highlight the need for such a regulatory mechanism as the OTT platform claimed it was based on real-life incidents, according to a PTI report.

The petition has been filed by advocate Shashank Shekhar Jha and Apurva Arhatia. 

It contended that digital platforms including OTTs operate without the checks and balances that traditional media are subjected to.

"However, (what) the series have shown is a vile attempt to rewrite history, downplay the terror inflicted by the actual hijackers, and subtly glorify their actions...by reducing the tragedy of IC 814 to a farcical narrative, the series tried to promote the insidious agenda that seeks to whitewash the brutality of terrorism and vilify the Hindu community," said the plea.

It further said there exists a statutory film certification body- Central Board of Film which is tasked with regulating public exhibition of films under the Cinematograph. The same law outlines a strict certification process for commercial films shown in public avenues but no such body is available to regulate the OTT content. As a result, OTTs are only bound by self-regulations which are not complied properly and the controversial contents are shown to the public at large without any checks and balances.

Plea in SC seeks autonomous body to regulate content on OTT, other digital platforms

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, on September 10, introduced amendments to the Private FM Radio Phase-III policy guidelines. The key updates include new reserve prices- based on the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India's recommendations for the annual fee structures.

It is to be noted that recently, the Union Cabinet approved the proposal for the conduct of the third batch of ascending e-auctions for 730 channels in 234 new cities with an estimated reserve price of Rs 784.87 crore under the Private FM Radio Phase-III Policy.

According to the latest amendments, the reserve price for FM channels in uncovered new cities will be 2% of the gross revenue for the private FM stations, excluding GST.

The order said, "The Permission holder in the uncovered new cities in the States of North East i.e., Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura; Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir; and island territories (i.e, Andaman and Nicobar islands and Lakshadweep) under Batch-III FM Phase-III auction will be required to pay an Annual Fee to the Government of India charged @ 2% of Gross Revenue excluding Goods and Service tax for each year for an initial period of three years from the date from which the annual license fee becomes payable and the permission period of 15 years begins. Other Clauses of these policy guidelines for such permission holders shall be read accordingly.”

For the other uncovered new cities, under the Batch-III FM Phase-III auction, the private players will be levied 4% of the gross revenue, excluding the GST.

This also follows the radio stakeholders' consultation meeting with Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister for Railways, Information and Broadcasting, Electronics & Information Technology, in July, which sought GST reduction. 

Read more:<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/how-it-works/radio-sector-demands-de-linking-notef-gst-revision-and-mandate-for-radio-on-mobile-37232.htm"> EXCLUSIVE: Radio sector demands de-linking NOTEF, GST revision, and mandate for 'radio on mobile</a>'

Auction charges eased for private FM radio in uncovered new cities

Recently, Meghalaya introduced an Over-the-Top (OTT) platform designed to support and showcase the state's creative talent to promote local culture, languages, and artistic expression. “Unlike global streaming giants, this platform is deeply embedded not only in the promotion of content but also, resultantly, the promotion of Meghalaya’s language, culture and identity. This distinctive approach enables Hello Meghalaya to resonate with the community in a way other platforms may not,” Bah Paul Lyngdoh, Minister of Department of Tourism and Department of Arts & Culture, Government of Meghalaya, told Storyboard18.

There is also hoichoi, a subscription-based OTT platform focused on Bengali content launched in 2017 which continues to grow, with a 50 percent year-over-year increase in the current year.

Regional OTT content volumes exceeded Hindi language content in 2023 for the first time. YouTube has beaten traditional TV in terms of audience reach in some Hindi-speaking states of North India and the North East, as per the FICCI EY report on the media and entertainment industry, as per the FICCI EY report on the media and entertainment industry.

YouTube is the largest OTT player in India with around 467 million users and a reach of 90 percent. It has overtaken traditional TV in reach in Bihar, Jharkhand and north-east. In Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Delhi, TV and YouTube are at par, the report revealed.

YouTube viewership has increased because of the increase in high quality and niche content on OTT platforms. Also, connected TV is being rapidly adopted across India.

In Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, TV still remains the dominant choice. As per the report, YouTube has 61 percent of TV’s reach across India.

The share of regional language OTT titles increased from 47% in 2021 to 52% in 2023. Content has started to travel across language barriers;
industry discussions indicate that between 20% and 50% of consumers now consume content in more than one language using sub-titles and dubbed versions
OTT platforms desirous of a national reach will require focusing on at least eight to nine languages, and each language will require at least eight to ten pieces of content across film and episodic, as per the report.

Of the titles analyzed, over 60% belonged to the drama, crime or action genres. The number of reality shows was lower, but they pulled in very large audiences, and we expect these to increase in 2024. A surge in demand for mythologies and documentaries was also noted in 2023.

No doubt, the growth of regional OTT platforms highlights the increasing demand for localised content, posing a potential challenge to global giants. 

The global platforms declined to comment on the rise of homegrown regional OTT platforms and its perceived threat towards them.

Regional OTTs: Revenue opportunity for India?

Raghav Anand, Partner, EY-Parthenon for M&E points out that the smart TV universe, which is 22 million now and projected to be 70-80 million in the next three years, leading to the Internet TV & OTT industry growth. While addressing how regional content can contribute to revenues globally, he said, “Sometimes OTTs don't like to be called regional; Punjabi OTTs have primary markets like Canada and the US, Telugu OTTs’ primary market is Southeastern USA."

Anand added, “Global OTTs have differentiated strategy, some follow a trend of picking a homogenous user base and trying to create that homogenous layer among 100 countries. They are just picking 1 percent of the population.”

"Some others like to go slightly deeper, they penetrated the first 20-30 million, there is a lot of gap, there are about 550 million plus video users in the country, there is a huge gap in the 200-300 million need to get served, that's where regional content and OTT comes in," he further said.

Dhruv Aggarwal, Partner at Bain & Company, believes that partnerships with other regional players will be crucial for scaling and enhancing offerings, building local scale, and innovating revenue models like combining subscription and advertising, especially premium options, to scale OTT platforms in the price-sensitive Indian market. While global players are excelling in advertising, regional players need to differentiate themselves by attracting dedicated content. Europe has shown that even with global content originating in the US, youth still appreciate regional content.

Regarding pricing strategies, Aggarwal emphasized the importance of sports content. Unbundling can help lower prices, catering to the price-sensitive Indian market. 

The rising affordability of smart TVs and smartphones, driven by the young and growing population, will continue to accelerate as a macro change. However, the phase-out of Google cookies will complicate data privacy for OTT players, he says.

Aggarwal believes that high-quality regional content can travel across markets. Examples like Korea and Spain demonstrate the success of regional content on a national scale. He anticipates similar trends emerging from the Indian market.

If you look at the regional landscape, mainstream OTTs differentiate themselves primarily through their content. Viewers are drawn to Malayalam or Telugu series because they offer unique and distinctive content. These OTT platforms leverage this by offering pricing points that are optimised for regional audiences," says Chandrashekhar Mantha, Partner, Media & Entertainment Sector Leader, Deloitte India.

“The third aspect to consider is collaboration. How can these platforms create an ecosystem to maximise their reach? Can they enhance their user experience? Amazon Prime and Netflix are way ahead in terms of personalisation. If regional OTTs can catch up in this area, they have a significant advantage,” he says.

“Bundling is another strategy to maximise reach. By combining content with other services or products, these platforms can offer more value to their subscribers,” Mantha adds.

The Southern onslaught

While addressing the role of regional content, especially Southern India’s content in ZEE5’s growth, Manish Kalra, CBO, ZEE5, says, “ZEE5 has focused on regional content which still remains steadfast.” He said, “Not only have the titles performed exceptionally well, but they’ve also won critical acclaim and recognition. For example, Ayali won accolades from the Tamil Nadu government last year, he says.

‘Manorathangal,’ a series that heralds a new epoch in Malayalam cinema, premiered on August 15th on the platform. “We have also been strengthening our existing markets with the upcoming launch of the Bangla crime thriller 'Kaantay Kaantay.' This commitment has resulted in over 50 percent of consumption on the platform stemming from regional languages,” says Kalra.

Then there is SonyLIV, ZEE5’s competitor who also seems to be betting on Southern content to increase market penetration. Saugata Mukherjee of SonyLIV, says, "We have just started our regional journey in terms of first originals. We have been buying films in three languages specifically: Malayalam, Telugu, and Tamil. We have acquired films like 'Maanadu.'”

SonyLIV’s first film called Trisha was launched in Telugu.

There is a great ecosystem of makers and storytellers in the South. Many South Indian films are performing better than regular Hindi films, says Mukherjee.

“Our original content is behind the paywall. We started the year with 'MasterChef' in Tamil and Telugu, the first time we were bringing unscripted shows in these languages. We will have more focus on Southern states and aim to be as local as possible. We want our advertisers to see that our shows are not just another Hindi show but unique and hyper-local,” he added. 

Talking about SonyLIV’s strategy to attract local advertisers, he says, “Many of our shows' feature makers, actors, or casts are from different languages. We want to foster this osmosis of talent both behind and in front of the camera, giving the greater Indian audience a chance to watch these storytellers on our platform."

Omnicom acquires post production studio ‘Coffee & TV’

Through this acquisition, the first step would be the studio’s London HQ and roll out Creative Studios in New York, Los Angeles and Austin.

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