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  • Five brands riding the Raksha Bandhan wave

    Submitted by ITV Production on Aug 28

    Come any festival and brands are quick to jump the ?special promotion? bandwagon of how to colour themselves in light of the occasion. And the unique Indian festival Raksha Bandhan that celebrates the bond between a brother and sister gives brands that perfect opportunity. 

    From special product launches on online shopping portals, to coupons, limited edition offers, free gifts and hampers to marketing on special concepts for the season, brands have gone all out this year to make Raksha Bandhan a special affair.

    While this is a common practice, there are many brands who stepped above the noise and used a sensible and thoughtful approach to their promotions. Here are a few of them:

    1. Cadbury: When it comes to special family occasions there is no product better placed than Cadbury in bringing out the festival?s flavour, especially for Raksha Bandhan. Time and again, Cadbury Celebrations, has been the saviour for those forgetful brothers, who remember to buy a gift for their sister in the very last minute. This year, the brand has focused on the ?khatta meetha? or love hate relationship between brothers and sisters.

    The new Cadbury Celebrations TVC from Contract Advertising sheds light upon the fact that the aim of the festival has shifted from just being about protecting sisters, to deepening the bond between brother and sister through playful banter.

    2. Blue Dart: For those brothers and sisters who are separated by distance and cannot reach each other physically, Blue Dart has come up with a unique service called the ?Rakhi Express.? With a wide network of 34,285 locations across India and 220 countries and territories worldwide, every sister can now send Rakhis anywhere in India or internationally and be assured of timely and secured delivery. What?s more, apart from their return gift from their brothers, they can now expect exciting gifts from the delivery service provider as well. Lucky girls can win an iPhone 6 and 50 Titan Wrist Watches on domestic shipments and Rs 1000 worth talktime for two winners daily on international shipments. All they have to do is fill a slogan form that makes them eligible for a lucky draw.

    3. Best Deal TV: The home shopping channel, which is known for getting popular actors on board as brand ambassadors, has stressed on the time factor this Raksha Bandhan. Understanding how busy lives get post childhood, and how little we get to spend with our sibling, this Rakhi, the channel encourages its viewers to treasure the time they get on the day with their sibling. To reinforce the idea, Best Deal TV launched their special offer on the theme ?Rishton Ki Ghari, Ghari Ke Saath.? The channel is giving away wristwatches from the house of Tim Berto with every purchase of over Rs 1999 from their channel or site.

    4. Foodpanda: Food is an intricate part of any festival and Raksha Bandhan is no exception. In fact, Rakhi would be incomplete without the delectable dishes and sweets that are associated with the festival. In order to make your gastronomical experience better this Rakhi, online food delivery portal Foodpanda has come up with several offers, wherein customers can avail of discount up to 30 per cent from eating outlets across cities if they order via Foodpanda.

    5. When everyone is cashing in on this festive occasion, why should social networking giant, Facebook be left behind? This Raksha Bandhan, Facebook has come up with a shopping festival with a ?Tied Together? initiative that works perfectly for the occasion. According to a media report, Facebook has set up a website in association with GroupM, wherein Facebook would use its subscriber base and platform to drive traffic to the shopping site. While not entirely thoughtful, it is a clever way to launch the shopping festival at an appropriate time.

    indiantelevision.com Team
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  • Weekend Watch

    Submitted by ITV Production on Aug 28

    Exec Lifestyle?s Weekend Watch recommends and previews television shows, films and live events that you simply cannot miss! Check out our recommendations for this weekend (28 to 30 August).

    About Town:

    A popular Malayalam proverb goes like ?Kaanam Vittum Onam Unnanam? which means that one must have the Onam lunch even if he is forced to sell his property. And an Onam lunch is incomplete without Onam Sadya, a grand feast which is traditionally served on a Banana leaf. Now if you are a world removed from kerala and still have the desire to not miss this feast, check out these speciality restaurants in the heart of Mumbai.

    If you prefer a fine dining experience, South Of Vindhyas - The Orchid in Mumbai would be the perfect place to unwind on this festive day. Famous for their Malayali cuisine, there pocket heavy menu totally makes up with the tasty and authentic south indian food. If you want to experience a more cosy and laid back environment where you can bring a gang of friends and rave away, check out Kerala House in Vashi in Mumbai.The average you will spend there for two will be less than Rs 500.

    Live Act:

    blueFrog brings back theater owing to popular demand but in  a new redefined style, this time featuring Vickram Kapadia?s Bombay Talkies. Join them in an evening of memorable stories, told by people we see around us in the city of Mumbai, once known as Bombay. It wonderfully articulates and celebrates the diversity in this city. The cast includes Mansi Multani, Ratnabali Bhattacharjee, Rasika Dugal, Ajay Jayram, Utkarsh Mazumdar and Vickram Kapadia. So come grab some food and drinks and watch this play take you on a nostalgic trip at blueFROG in  Mumbai this August 30 at 7.30pm

    Entry : Rs. 350

    Television

    Zee TV


    The festive fervour for Raksha Bandhan has not left the tele-world untouched. In fact, Zee TV's popular show Neeli Chhatri Waale are dedicating a special episode to the colourful bond between brothers and sisters. The episode will also see TV actor Prachi Thakker, who was on a break for a while, making her come back. Watch the Raksha Bandhan special episode of Neeli Chatri Waale this Saturday at 8 pm on Zee TV.
    indiantelevision.com Team
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  • Quirky socks, skydiving & marathons

    Submitted by ITV Production on Aug 28

    ?To know what life is worth, you will have to risk it once in a while? ? Jean Paul Sarte. These exact words define Sunil Lulla?s feisty, yet grounded personality. Skydiving may be a daunting foolhardy stunt for many, but for the chairman and managing director of Grey Group India, it is just another tick mark on the list things he enjoys doing.  

    Plummeting thousands of feet in a free fall towards the earth, with the wind roaring around him, followed by a slow drift downwards after his parachute opens, is something that gives Lulla the much needed excitement to keep him going.

    Clearly fond of taking risks and trying out new experiences, Lulla?s recent comeback in advertising after nearly two decades proves that he has the zest for treading where few have gone before.

    Having graduated in commerce from the University of Mumbai with a management degree from SP Jain Institute, Lulla?s early years were spent in sales at Forbes, Forbes & Campbell. He then hopped onto advertising, as an associate account director with Hindustan Thompson Associates (now J Walter Thompson India). Clients such as Hindustan Lever (now Unilever India) loved him and it was not too long before he was promoted and sent overseas to work as the client service director at JWT Taiwan. 

    When the offer came to spearhead the music channel MTV India, which was a late entrant in the Indian satellite television space, he took up the challenge most willingly. Once again, his savvy marketing skills ensured that MTV India zoomed its way to becoming the numero uno in its category, ahead of the much older and well entrenched Channel V.

    Lulla?s experience spans across communication, media, consumer goods and the digital space with companies like Diageo, Microland, Sony Entertainment, Miditech, the Turner joint venture Real Broadcasting as well as the Times of India?s television venture ? Times Television Network where he was MD & CEO.

    A people?s person to the core, folks in the industry are not surprised that he takes the trouble to greet almost everyone on their special days, whether it is their birthdays or anniversary or the passing away of a relative. Some special ones also receive gifts or a special condolence card. And this includes juniors, seniors and peers alike.

    Just like his professional portfolio, his diverse set of pastime includes cooking, playing squash and possibly the most unusual of the lot - collecting socks. Lulla unarguably has one of the wackiest collections of socks. It was in the mid 90s that he got into the habit of collecting feet innerwear and today he is the proud owner of almost a hundred pairs.

    Totally defying the safe dressing habits of executives, Lulla takes pride in his sartorial sense, and is sporting enough to show off his multicoloured, multi-patterned socks to those who wish to see. He enjoys spending time with wife Vinodini, who is active in the social services space and his daughter Ayesha, who recently graduated in Psychology from the University of Mumbai.

    As someone who loves sports, for Lulla there are no lulls in life. He can often be seen running marathons locally and internationally ? testing his limits time and again. The zeal to strive tirelessly in life?s long race and to be doing exactly what you envision is not everyone?s cup of tea. But Lulla has made that a fine art: continually strive for excellence.

    Beat the clock, get your time down is something he constantly endeavours to do at every outing when he beats the roads pounding away at the tarmac in long strides. Running the half marathon just as 2014 dawned, he managed to clock a time of 1 hour and 54 minutes, his best so far. Recently, he completed the Goa River Half Marathon of 21 km despite being injured. He even ran the Norway marathon in late-June, a few days before he announced that he was going back to advertising and leading Grey in India.

    Clearly, Lulla is a man who likes going the distance.

    indiantelevision.com Team
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  • Lakme Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2015 day 2: Anita Dongre?s new line reconnects with ?Grassroot?

    Submitted by ITV Production on Aug 28
     

    The second day of India?s biggest fashion extravaganza, Lakme Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2015 saw celebrated designer Anita Dongre give a tribute to the glorious craftsmanship of Indian handlooms with the launch of her new line ?Grassroots?.
     
    The collection was as pleasing to the eye as was the stage decor, which was marked by a decorated tree that stood on the stage. It reflected Dongre?s dream to revive the precious crafts of the country like Ahir embroidery from Gujarat, Ikat from Karnataka and Hyderabad, Gotta Patti from Rajasthan, weaves of Banaras, intricate Warli and hand block prints turned into a reality with ?Grassroot.?
    Featuring the beautiful weaves of Banaras, ikat, khadi and hand spun silk, Dongre added the beauty of block printing, Warli and embroidery to highlight the apparel. The opening of the show was a dramatic entry of five white cropped tops with varying sleeves, teamed with black Samurai pants.
    The final mirror work line moved from smocks and jackets to gowns, floor length front open maxi, printed peplum blouses and sparkling kurtas matched with orange cropped jackets on indigo, orange and black long lean dresses.  Anita?s premiere collection of eco-conscious bags were functional and displayed the craft of miniature paintings of The Flora Fauna, The Mughal Garden and the Desert Craft Series, which are part of the ancient tradition of Jaipur. The Kashmir Motif series had Persian, Mughal and Indian influences with Aari work; while the Canvas of Thread Line paid homage to the craft. The natural line of jewellery included the Rabari Collection of semi-precious stones on silver. The Copper Craft Collection in wood, jute and copper and the Bargello Line, was a mix of jute and silver hues.
     
    When it came to the finale, Dongre invited 26 master craftswomen from Gujarat to walk the ramp, making them the stars of Lakme Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2015.
    When fashion meets craft revival, then the result is the fabulous ?Grassroot? brand by Dongre, who has worked for decades to bring traditional heritage fashion to centre stage.
    indiantelevision.com Team
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  • Music Junkies

    Submitted by ITV Production on Aug 28

    A personas taste in music speaks tons about them and their personality. There are many who prefer the tried and tested classics and then there are those who seek the odd and experimental

    This week exec lifestyle caught up with several top media honchos to find out who they listen to and what music sets them free

    indiantelevision.com Team
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  • ?The key to success is to live in the present:? Dr. Subhash Chandra

    Submitted by ITV Production on Aug 21

    The 4th Indian International Model United Nations saw Essel Group and Zee chairman Dr. Subhash Chandra address over 3000 student hailing from 30 different nations as part of a mega episode for Dr. Subhash Chandra Show.

    Dr. Chandra took the audience by awe as he strongly pointed out ?There is no shortcut to success.? ?All of us want to become capable enough to give back to society. To do that, we need to work with passion, purity and patience. Purity, for me, is living in the present. If we do this, our actions are dynamic and we get a positive reaction. Often, when we are working, our minds are distracted by either the past or the future, with the result that the action at that moment is neither pure nor dynamic. Hence, the first key to success is to live in the present,? he said.

    Elaborating on the topic, Dr. Chandra said, ?Sometimes, in our lives, despite our best efforts, we meet with failure. However, failure is a part of success. We feel failure only when we accept it and make it a part of our lives. At times, we need to realize that certain things are not going to be successful and just move on with our lives. Failure, in fact, teaches us more than success.?

    A self-made man, Dr. Chandra has consistently demonstrated his ability to identify new businesses and lead them on the path to success. From trading goods, setting up a packaging industry to opening up theme parks and multiplexes, and creating India?s largest and most profitable TV media group, Dr. Chandra has travelled a long way. It was Dr. Chandra's vision that helped give birth to the satellite TV industry in India with the launch of Zee TV in 1992.

    Hinting upon the subjectivity involved with the concept of ?success,? Dr. Chandra further observed from the lives of successful individuals that there are certain qualities like happiness, dedication, alertness alertness, positivity, honesty and humility that we all possess. ?When these important qualities work together, they make the person successful in every sphere of life,? he said.

    Dr. Subhash Chandra (DSC) Show is aired every week on Saturday at 10 pm on Zee News and 7 pm on Zee Business and on Sundays at 11 am on both Zee News & Zee Business. This show is also aired on other channels of Zee Media Corporation Limited.

    indiantelevision.com Team
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