MUMBAI: Bipin Pandit needs no introduction; the COO of The Advertising Club is an extraordinary individual with an ocean of knowledge, not only about the lucrative ad world but also about sports, culture and most of all music. His love for music is so intense and his passion to bring alive some of the best numbers from Bollywood movies and albums, so deep that the adman started a property called ‘Khumaar’ seven years back which is an extremely talented group of musicians, singers and composers that perform live shows.

Having performed for 23 years Mr. Pandit comperes and does mimicry acts. ‘Khumaar’, a Hindi word that means intoxication, is Mr. Pandit’s biggest property; the distinctiveness of this property is the segmentation of the programme in the form of solo acts, duets, classical acts, qawalis and sufi performances.

Taking inspiration from music itself Bipin Pandit started writing a book which he has fondly titled ‘Khumaar’, about music, but not only did he write about his favourite musicians, composers, lyricists and vocalists but also requested Industry stalwarts and encouraged his friends to write articles about their favourite artists, composers, singers, etc. to include in his book.

After putting in colossal efforts the book was launched on the same day as his show ‘Khumaar’ on Friday 19th April, 2013 at the Savarkar Hall, Shivaji Park 5.30pm onwards. The melodious evening saw Mr. Pandit in a trance, reminiscing the good old days as his soulful voice and charm was met with thundering applause. On this evening he also paid tribute to romantic legends like Rajesh Khanna, Shammi Kapoor, Dev Anand and Yash Chopra with his poignant voice. The show was telecasted live on his personal website: www.bipinpandit.com

Prior to the intermission of the festive evening, Mr. Pandit’s book was launched by the Shenshah of Melody the legendary music composer Shri. Pyarelal Sharma and the launch was attended by eminent professionals like Sunil Lulla, Shashi Sinha, M.G. Parameswaran, Bharat Dhabolkar, Paritosh Joshi, CVL Srinivas, Subhash Kamath, Pratap Bose, Ramesh Narayan, Maulik Kotak, Ajay Kakar, Sanjay Tripathi, Priti Nair, Pratap Bose from the Ad, Media and Marketing world and personalities like Chaitanya Padukone, Rajiv Vijayakar and Narendra Kusnur from the world of Journalism. Actor Dilip Tahil and singer Jassi also attended the show.

‘Khumaar’ is an excellent coffee table book that contains articles by well-known head honchos from the Advertising, Media, Marketing and Journalists fraternity some of whom are Piyush Pandey, Pradeep Guha , Bharat Dhabolkar, Ayaz Memon, M.G.Parameswaran, Ajay Chandwani, Charulata, Gokul Krishnamurthy, Narendra Kusnur, Rajiv Vijayakar, Chaitnya Padukone, Nandkishore Desai, Madan Sanglikar, Arjit Ray, Andee Hyderabadi, Dipen Sheth and many more. The book also has a fine blend of never before seen black and white and coloured pictures of yesteryear stalwarts and two interviews with the Music maestro Pyarelalji and Ruhan Kapoor, son of the great singer Mahendra Kapoor. With only limited editions of the book available music buffs must get a copy soon before they run out.

Upon this momentous occasion Bipin Pandit said, “I am thankful to God for having given me this bright concept which is unique and never tried before. I am extremely humbled by the appreciation of my talents along with the talents of the people behind the success of ‘Khumaar’. It is an honour to have worked with such brilliant minds that have humbled me with their contribution towards my book. This book represents the enthusiasm that we possess towards the art of music, being known in the professional world as task-masters it will bring some surprise that we are well acknowledged with the nuances of the subject as well. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the people that have so graciously contributed valuable content to this book.”

A very special thanks to all the Advertisers who happily supported this project and all my well wishers I must say without their help it would have been difficult to fulfil my dream.

A special thanks is due to Mitrajit Bhatacharya, Jaydeep Gandhi and Chaitanya Padukone for their sterling contribution.

Mumbai: Encompass, India?s leading experiential marketing agency that offers integrated solutions to the most admired brands in India won 10 metals at the recently concluded WOW awards here in Mumbai.

Encompass, took home 3 Golds, 4 Silvers and 3 Bronzes for their stellar work on their brands P&G, HSBC, Microsoft, Airtel, Petrotech and Radio Mirchi to name a few.

?We have the most diversified win across categories. The awards recognize our work across Brand Activation, Best Convention, Brand Connect, Education Tours, and Best Launch event for our clients?, says Roshan Abbas, Managing Director, Encompass.

WOW Awards is the industry benchmark for excellence in brand experience creation. It is a platform established to acknowledge the rising importance of the Live brand experiences industry. The 2012 edition of WOW Awards saw 784 entries in 27 categories ranging from WOW Promos to WOW MICE, WOW LIVE, WOW Media and new additions such as Brand Experience of the Year and Integrated Marketing Campaign of the Year.

The WOW Awards Jury consists of marketers from varied sectors; chairing the jury this year, was Anisha Motwani, Director and Chief Marketing Officer, Max Life Insurance.

Mumbai: FINO PayTech Limited, the company that enables financial inclusion, has launched its first ever television commercial. The commercial, which is on air at present, talks of how the company has brought the benefits of access to banking services to the doorsteps of the poor. This has been done through an animation film which uses characters like FINO Man, Kanhaiya and Bandhu, whom one can relate to easily. The essence of the commercial is its simplicity.

?As the pioneers in the space of financial inclusion, it is has been an eventful journey so far for FINO PayTech. As we push for greater inclusive growth, we believe it is important for all the stakeholders to know what is happening and what is possible in this space. The story we are trying to communicate is not merely about a product or a company. It actually tells you about the ills of informal credit channels prevalent across the country to the advantages of access to formal banking services that can change the financial landscape in rural and unbanked India. The FINO bandhu is not merely an agent of the company but a catalyst for social change,? said Ms. Shweta Aprameya, Vice President, FINO PayTech Limited.

The audio visual commercial, titled FINO ki Kahani Kanhaiya ki zubaani, has been created by Climb Media.

Kireet Khurana, Creative producer of Climb Media said, "The fascinating success story of FINO PayTech and its impact on the entire country is something that was entreating to be told. We are happy and privileged to have been given this opportunity to weave an emotionally connecting story with FINO‘s empowering cause and achievements in the financial inclusion domain, bringing it to the fore. Animation has been created in a way to convey the message in a simple yet effective manner."

The commercial is on air from April 23 to May 5, 2013 and will be telecast across TV channels such as CNBC-TV 18, NDTV 24x7, Aaj Tak, Dilli Aaj Tak and Tez.

FINO PayTech enables sourcing, acquiring and servicing of micro customers at their doorstep. The model is built to offer bouquet of products to clients and their customers at affordable prices across channels as compared to traditional infrastructure based delivery models. It has a comprehensive product suite ranging from savings bank accounts, loan products, recurring deposits, remittances, insurance products, government disbursements etc. The advantage of FINO PayTech solutions is that of a complete package - end to end technology and Business Correspondent services. These solutions enable seamless delivery at scale through secure transaction mechanisms that reinforce trust and enhance user experience.

FINO PayTech solutions are anchored around using biometric smart card and hand-held devices known as POT (point of transaction) machines for field operations and biometric authentication. The widely reported Government welfare scheme payments through Unique Identification Project ? Aadhaar ? linked bank accounts is made possible through FINO PayTech technology expertise and Business Correspondent network. Since its inception in 2006, the company has built a customer base of 61 million people with 45000 service points and a presence in 460 cities across India.

Bangalore: Strengthening its reach in Karnataka, AOC Televisions today announced its exclusive partnership with Navaratna as distributors for Karnataka State. The company’s television sets in Karnataka will be exclusively distributed through Navaratna Distributors and also will be sold by Electronics Retail giant in Karnataka – Pai International which has a colossal presence all over Karnataka.

At the occasion of this announcement, Ms. Seema T Bhatnagar, Director Televisions, AOC India & SAARC, said “We are working with partners across the board to take the AOC TV experience to more and more consumers faster. We are happy to take our range of televisions to Karnataka. Apart from Navaratna Distributor’s strong distribution network, retail giant Pai International has also a massive presence in Karnataka with their 31 multi brand large format electronics stores. The partnership will allow the people of Karnataka to have a choice and experience of what they are looking for. AOC TVs are designed with international quality. They are a combination of elegant style, excellent display, superior sound qualities and extremely affordable price”.

AOC TVs have a classic design with a wide range of features, including slim profile. With its aim to deliver the best products the partnership will make it easy for the consumers to purchase the television, as the Pai International acquires the top position in Karnataka’s retail industry and are also spread across the city.

Mr. Rajkumar Pai, Managing Director, Pai International & Navaratna Distributors, said “AOC TV is the first to bring new technology and products to the consumer and we are very proud & excited to be the first one in Karnataka to bring the range of AOC TV’s to our consumers. We firmly believe that this initiative of bringing the AOC TV’s to Karnataka will strengthen its position. Being the distributor partners of AOC TV, we will make sure to reach maximum number of customers through our retail chain, Pai International”.

AOC TVs are ultra slim, loaded with excellent features like Dream Surround Sound, Real Colour engine, multiple connectivity and many more. The TVs are designed in a very smart way that enhances the look of the entire room. Priced at economical price-points, AOC TVs come in all desired sizes ranging from 22inch to 42 inch.

Mumbai: Ketchum Sampark, one of India’s leading PR agencies, has announced two significant developments. The company has appointed Vipul Bondal as Partner, Corporate Practice and Prasanna Ratanjankar as Senior Manager, Social Media. These appointments reinforce Ketchum Sampark’s operational strategy to further strengthen its presence in India’s integrated communication space.

Vipul will serve as a member of the leadership team at Ketchum Sampark, and will operate out of the Agency’s Mumbai Office. Through his expertise he will be responsible to drive new business growth and deliver enhanced value to existing Clients. Vipul will also play an integral role in streamlining and enhancing the agency’s operational practices in line with Ketchum’s global standards.

Prior to joining Ketchum Sampark, Vipul has served as Vice President and Member of the leadership team at India’s leading communication agency, MSL India. He had played a pivotal role in strengthening the agency’s Banking, Financial Services and Insurance (BFSI) practice in his 3 year stint.

With almost two decades of experience in the communications space, Vipul brings to the table vast PR experience having worked on both sides of the spectrum. He has also held Senior Corporate Communication roles for Roche Diagnostics and Siemens India. Vipul has also worked with top PR agencies like Genesis Burson-Marsteller and Weber Shandwick and his diverse exposure to various industries.

Ketchum Sampark has appointed Prasanna Ratanjankar as the Senior Account Manager, Social Media. She will play a pivotal role in heading and strengthening the agency’s digital media arm. She will also be responsible catering to digital and social media requirements of existing Clients, in a bid to offer an integrated approach.

Prasanna has 7 years of experience in digital and social media, having worked with several prominent PR and Digital Media agencies including Social Wavelength, Ignitee, Genesis Burson Marsteller and Perfect Relations. She is recognized in the industry, for her competencies in delivering innovative and effective digital media campaigns for Clients across diverse industries.

Mr. Ajay Sharma, Managing Partner, Ketchum Sampark, commenting on these developments said, “With Vipul on board, we look at strengthening our corporate practice and bring in business transformation by building sub-practices such as healthcare and pharma. We are confident that his strong expertise and business acumen will take the agency’s capabilities to a new level.”

Mr. Sharma further added, “Digital and Social media is emerging as an important communication tool with several Indian brands integrating it in their overall marketing strategies. As we continue to scale-up our PR business, we will simultaneously ramping up our digital media arm. We are confident that Prasanna’s experience and capabilities in the digital media space, will help us achieve some of these objectives.”

New Delhi: Jagran Solutions, India?s leading new age marketing agency that provides solutions for Brand Activation, announced that it has won four awards at national WOW Awards 2013 held in Mumbai. JagranSolutions has won three gold awards for Brand Experience of the Year, Sports Event of the Year, On-ground Promotion of the Year for Sales Volume and a bronze award for Contact Program of the Year. It was the only nomination in the Sports Event of the Year category.

Jagran solutions has won the following awards across categories -

? Brand Experience of the Year ? Gold for Red Bull X Fighters

? Contact Program of the Year ? Bronze for Castrol Smiles

? Sports Event of the Year ? Gold for Red Bull X Fighters

? On-ground Promotion of the Year for Sales Volume ? Gold for Castrol CRB Plus Aashirwad

The WOW Awards were launched in 2008 as the industry benchmark for excellence in consumer marketing & brand experience creation. Endorsed by over 800 brands since their launch, WOW Awards today enjoy patronage of over 400 advertisement, promotion, media, event and entertainment agencies around the country. The WOW Awards Jury consists of brand marketers from varied sectors.

Commenting on Jagran?s overwhelming success at the award ceremony, Mr.Pawan Bansal, COO, JagranSolutions said, "It is a great honor for us to win at WOW Awards and be under the spotlight for fifth consecutive year. It truly encourages and motivates the team to receive these awards among many other important names in the business. WOW Awards is a great platform to showcase excellence in the business of events and experiential marketing. Winning such awards is a result of our sincere efforts put over the years to deliver the perfect brand experience in a measured manner to our clients.?

Jagran Solutions won WOW Awards in the face of stiff competition. The fifth edition of WOW Award 2013 saw 720 entries through 260 entrants and 416 brands. This year the process and categories for the WOW Awards included 28 categories and the entries were graded across four criteria: Concept, Activity, Amplification and Results. The entries were judged by an esteemed panel of marketing professionals from across industries.

The 2013 edition of WOW Awards had seen categories ranging from WOW Promos to WOW MICE, WOW LIVE, WOW Media and new additions such as Brand Experience of the Year and Integrated Marketing Campaign of the Year.

The Awards were instituted by Eventfaqs in association EEMA (Event & Entertainment Management Association), the Advertising Club of Mumbai and IPRS (The Indian Performing Right Society Ltd.).