Mumbai: 92.7 BIG FM, India?s No. 1 Radio Network and Radio Broadcaster of the Year at the Golden Mikes, is proud to be selected amongst the 100 most successful brands of the nation, in Power Brands 2012, making it the only radio network to get on the prestigious list this year.

A Planman Marcom Initiative, the ?Power 100? exemplifies the 100 most successful brands of India. The brands were selected through one of the most extensive surveys conducted pan India over a research base of 20 centers and 5000 respondents. Encompassing parameters to establish a brand?s credibility on the pegs of survival, revival, growth and revolution of the brand - for 92.7 BIG FM - a 6 year old brand, making it to the ?India?s 100 Most Powerful Brands? list is no mean feat! This only goes to prove, that 92.7 BIG FM which reaches out to over 4.3 crore listeners across India through its extensive 45 station network, covering 1200+ towns and 50000+ villages, has its stakeholders express absolute conviction and faith in the brand!

In addition to 92.7 BIG FM, the mega launch of the 2nd edition of Power Brands at the Kingdom of Dreams saw brands like Apple, IPL, LUX, Sunsilk, Hero Motocorp, McDonalds, Airtel, HP, SBI BANK being honored as part of the 100 Power Brands. The Power Brands Hall of Fame ceremony also took place along with the book launch. It was a salute to icons and leaders who have carved a niche for themselves with their remarkable strategies and vision. The awardees included corporate like Mr. Y.C. Deveshwar (Chairman, ITC), Mr. M.B. Parekh (MD, Pidilite), Mr. C.S. Verma (Chairman, SAIL), Mr. Venugopal Dhoot (Chairman, Videocon Group).

Speaking on the achievement, Mr. Rabe T. Iyer, Business Head, 92.7 BIG FM said, ?This recognition speaks volumes of the efforts put in by our associates across the country over the years in living the promise of ?Life Banao? i.e., to truly enrich and positively impact the lives of our listeners & customers.. This is the first time that a radio brand got into the power-brands, which highlights the power of the medium and its effectiveness. We are humbled by this honor and would like to thank Power Brands for this credit, as we stay committed to offering value to our stakeholders.?

POWERBRANDS is a research-driven Power Book of India?s 100 Most Powerful Brands. It is a first of its kind initiative that acts as a strategic tool in reinforcing the supremacy, legacy, sustainability & credibility of brands. The second edition of Power Brands provides a larger pedestal, a bigger platform for the brands to stamp their authority. The ?Power 100? exemplifies the 100 most successful brands of the nation.

MUMBAI: Amrita TV‘s Sandhya Deepam, Malayalam‘s leading spiritual programme that had been bringing the essence of ancient Indian scriptural wisdom to its viewers over its previous 1200 episodes, will present Shrimad Bhagavatham from June 30th .

Coming in place of Narayaneeyam, the recital of which had proved to be an enriching experience for devotees world wide, the Bhagavatham will be telecast every day of the week, Monday to Sunday at 6.30 pm.

The sacred verses of the greatest of all Maha Puranas , will be recited by Priya R.Pai and Rajashree Warrier and its interpretation or saramsh narrated by Brahmashree Kandamangalam Parameshwaran Namboothiri.

Widely believed to be the last spiritual work penned by Bhagavan Vyas, the compiler of all Vedic literature, Bhagavatham is a massive tome of around 18,000 Sanskrit slokas compiled in story format and recited by Suha to his father Pariksith who is on his death bed.

Though it touches upon all the incarnations of Maha Vishnu, the major part of this most popular Puranic text in Sanskrit literature is devoted to Lord Krishan, especially his early years. The Bhagavatham is the source of most tales of his endearing boyhood antics that have been part of the Indian psyche for thousands of years and it is the eloquent lines of the divine testament that have traced those mystic images in our imagination: the toddler who steals butter and ghee, the boy who lifts up the Govardhan mountain on his little finger , the strip of a lad who danced on the head of Kaliya and subdued him, the cowherd who charms the young gopikas with his melodious flute and so on.

Chanting the hymns of most scriptures is auspicious, but reciting the incantations of the Bhagavatham, with its emphasis on the practice of bhakti is considered to be the most beneficial.

Regular reading of this Purana which contains the essence of Vedantic philosophy, is believed to free us from fear, help overcome miseries and purify the soul. The ‘literary incarnation of God‘, Bhagavatham is especially relevant in Kaluyug, helping to fortify against evil, in this age of vice and depravity.

MUMBAI: It?s that time of the year again! EMVIES 2012 ? India?s most prestigious and coveted Media Award is just round the corner! Celebrating the greatest breakthrough innovations in Indian media, EMVIES 2012 is here once again, to recognize and award the most outstanding media initiatives developed over the year gone by. Organized by The Advertising Club Bombay EMVIES, now in its 12th successful year will be held on Monday, 3rd September, 2012 at the Ball Room, Hotel Taj Lands End, Bandra, Mumbai at 6.45 pm.

The Presenting Sponsor is TIMES TELEVISION NETWORK.

The EMVIES have gone from strength to strength in these years with the very active and enthusiastic support of the entire media fraternity. Not only have these Awards become a matter of honour for media planning and buying houses, but are today receiving tremendous support from media marketers and clients as well.

The EMVIEs Committee at the Ad Club after consulting the media industry thought leaders has introduced the following new categories/changes at EMVIEs 2012.

Media Client of the Year, Best Ongoing Media Campaign & Young EMVIE of the Year have been introduced as three new categories.
Display and Video has been added as additional sub categories under Best Media Innovation ? Digital.

The Round I judging will be judged by the top notch media professionals that will be spread over for three days i.e. 7th to 9th August, 2012 and the Round II will happen on 23rd to 25th August, 2012 in the popular format of Case Study Presentation at Welingkar Institute will be judged only by the heavy weights from marketing fraternity.

MUMBAI: Cheil Worldwide achieved its best performance ever at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity by winning 12 Lions - 3 Gold, 4 Silver, 5 Bronze, including the first of the Promo & Activation Lions ever awarded for Samsung Electronics Insight Exhibition.

Highlights of the agency‘s performance are listed below:

1. Samsung Electronics Insight exhibition Two Gold Lions / both Promo & Activation category

2. Emart Sunny Sale One Gold Lion / Direct category Three Silver Lions / Media, Mobile and Outdoor category One Bronze Lion / Direct category

3. Samsung Minus One Project One Silver Lion / media category

4. Dunkin‘ Donuts flavor radio Two Bronze Lions (both media category)

5. CJ Minewater One Bronze Lion (Direct category)

6. S-Oil "Here" Balloon One Bronze Lion (Promo & Activation category)

The Insight Exhibition won two Gold Lions in the Promo & Activation category. The exhibit shows Samsung Electronics‘ philosophy ? ?technology makes people happy." For the exhibition, visually impaired students were taught to take photos using their other senses. They took pictures relying on sounds, smells and textures. They captured on film everything they felt and imagined, and their photos were brought together in a special exhibition.

Numerous visitors were moved and inspired by the students‘ photos, which reached beyond what we see with our eyes. A $50,000-fund was created with the proceeds from the sales of the works, exhibition catalogues and the donation application. The money will be used for the next photography class for the visually impaired.

Cheil also took home a Gold Direct Lion for its Emart Sunny Sale campaign. In a bid to lift sales during lunchtime, the agency installed a shadow QR code using the sunlight and shadow, which works only from 12pm to 1pm. When the sun is at its zenith, the shadows line up, and it allows the code to be scanned for access to coupons.

As a result, over 12,000 coupons were issued. New membership increased by 58% and in-store sales increased by 25% during lunch hours. Also, the most notable result of the Sunny Sale is that it made people ?Sunny? for the day.

Commenting on Cheil?s success, Terry Savage, Chairman of the Festival, said, ?The fact that Cheil Worldwide won three golds, four silvers and five bronze is probably a better achievement than last year, because it wasn?t one piece of work Cheil won it with. Cheil won it on several pieces of work. It means a consistent level of excellence running through the work in the Festival, which is important to Cheil and important to its clients.?

MUMBAI: Reliance Home Video and Games is releasing Blu-ray 2D and DVD of Martin Scorsese‘s, critically acclaimed film Hugo.

Incidentally, Hugo is the winner of five Academy Awards including those of best cinematography, best art direction, best visual effects, best sound editing and best sound mixing. The film has also won the Golden Globe for best director. In addition to this, the film was also named the ‘Best Film 2011‘ by the National Board of Review.

This adventure drama, based on Brian Selznick‘s novel The Invention of Hugo Cabret, is about a boy who lives alone in a Paris railway station.

Written by John Logan, it is a co-production of Graham King‘s GK Films and Johnny Depp‘s Infinitum Nihil. The film stars Asa Butterfield, Chlo? Grace Moretz, Ben Kingsley, Sacha Baron Cohen, Helen McCrory, Ray Winstone, Emily Mortimer, Jude Law and Christopher Lee.

While the Blu-ray disc (2D) will include special features consisting of special elements like the feature film in high definition, Shoot the Moon (The Making of Hugo), The Cinemagician, Georges M?li?s, The Mechanical Man at the Heart of Hugo, Big Effects, Small Scale and Sacha Baron Cohen: Role of a Lifetime, the DVD will include the feature film in standard definition and Shoot The Moon (The Making of Hugo).

The Blu-ray 3D is priced at Rs. 1499, Blu-ray at Rs. 1299 and DVD for Rs. 599. These DVDs will be available across all major home entertainment stores in India.

MUMBAI: Myntra.com, in yet another first of its kind initiative, organised its Annual Brand Meet ? ?Brick and click of Fashion? on 22nd June 2012 at their campus in Bangalore.

Myntra?s Annual Brand Meet witnessed over 60 partner brands, with CEO/MD?s of over 20 brands present along with VP?s and Business Heads from rest of the brands coming together to discuss the basic essentials on Brand Partnerships and Offline & Online Retail. The keynote speaker at this event was Rajan Anandan, VP and MD, Google India.

Mukesh Bansal, CEO and Founder of Myntra.com kick started the ?Brand Meet? which brought together its strategic partners who believed in the online platform and worked with Myntra over the last 18 months.

Myntra has the largest online catalogue of over 350 international and national brands currently available on its website and the ecommerce portal is home to more than 400,000 visitors daily.

Speaking at the opening session, Mr. Mukesh Bansal, Founder and CEO, Myntra.com said, ?We are pleased to have hosted first brand summit among all e-commerce players. This was our way to thank our brand partners for the role they have played in Myntra?s growth and share our future roadmap and vision with them. Brands universally applauded Myntra?s commitment to the current season, full catalogue model and healthy business practices. We will continue to strengthen our relationship with the leading brands that have helped us become the #1 player in Fashion category.?

In an intriguing and insightful discussion, Mr. Bansal took the guests through Myntra?s journey since 2010 and also shared future plans and projections of the leading Indian ecommerce retailer.

Myntra plans to reach $1 billion in revenues within the next 5 years and firmly cement its place as the largest online retailer in the fashion and lifestyle space.

Reciprocating Mr. Bansal?s view on the tremendous potential of the e-commerce industry, Mr. Rajan Anandan, VP & MD, Google India said, ?Globally, the e-commerce industry is expected to be worth 900 billion USD by the end of the year 2012. Compounded at the current growth rate, in the next decade the e-commerce industry is expected to be worth 3 trillion USD.?

He also spoke about the rapid growth of e-commerce and technology in India. ?E-commerce in India is at a tipping point. The number of search queries related to shopping has gone up 18 times? he said. Mr Anandan explained that there will be about 3.5 billion internet users in 2012 (45% of the entire world?s population will be on the internet).

?Online apparel market will grow to $2 billion by 2015. Not having access to brands is definitely going to attract users to transact online. E- Commerce is just the beginning.? says Mr. Anandan.

The first panel discussion focused on brand partnerships and the challenges faced in e-commerce. The panel included Rajiv Mehta (MD, Puma South Asia), Gaurav Dublish (Promoter & Director ? Wildcraft), Chakor Jain (Business Head for LEE), Rajiv Bajaj (CEO, Fila India and South Asia) and Ganesh Subramanian (CMO, Myntra.com) moderated the discussion. This discussion focused on the 4 stages of partnership between Myntra and the brands, various collaborative marketing initiatives, forecasting demand, e-commerce strategies and understanding consumer trends. The key take away from the session was the pressing need to standardize body sizes across brands sold in the country.

This was followed by the second panel discussion which focussed on the best offline retail practices. This panel included Asif Merchant (MD, Catwalk worldwide), Sandeep Mukhim (CEO, Proline India Pvt Ltd), Abhishek Ganguly (Executive Director- Sales & Retail, South Asia Puma), Ashutosh Vaidya (Director Sales - SAARC Region, Luxottica India Ltd (Rayban)) and Moderator: Vikas Bagga (Enterprising Practitioner). This discussion focused on best offline retail practices that can be implemented in the online space. The panel also discussed about doing exclusive brand launches and first look?s with Myntra.

The event concluded with a tour of Myntra?s warehouse followed by a special fashion show put together using merchandise sold on Myntra.com