David Chang, Global Sales Director, Gionee to spearhead India operations

·         In a bid to become the leading smartphone player in India, Gionee strengthens its leadership team

·         Aims to double the market share by end of next financial year

India, November 6, 2017:  Gionee India, the ace smartphone manufacturer,  announced that Mr. David Chang, Global Sales Director, Gionee Communication Equipment Co., Ltd will now lead the India operations for the brand.

The strategic announcement comes at a time when Gionee with a loyal customer base of 1.25 crore in the country is bullish on strengthening  its regional penetration. With its retail presence in over 42,000 stores and with 600 exclusive service centers, the brand targets to be in the top five smartphones of the country.

Speaking on his appointment, Mr. David Chang, Global Sales Director, Gionee Communication Equipment Co., Ltd said, “India as a nation, has been exhibiting a great deal of potential for the smartphone business. As part of our global marketing strategy, India ranks number one and the success witnessed in a span of last five years has given us immense optimism to further invest and expand our presence in the market. I am profoundly honoured to be a part of the India growth story and maximise Gionee’s impeccable trajectory advancing our customer base as well as being among the top 5 phone brands by the next fiscal.”

Gionee India has already established its leadership in the Indian smartphone market and with Mr. Chang’s skilled management the company aims to further consolidate its ranking amongst the top-selling brand in the country. Ranked at No. 10 globally, Mr. Chang has been instrumental in taking the brand to this position.

He has 13 years of robust industrial experience, and has been associated with Gionee Communication Equipment Co., Ltd for over a decade. In his earlier capacity he has been responsible for driving global sales of the organization. With his strong experience, Mr. Chang has led his team through several significant accomplishments.

In his new role, Mr. Chang will lead Gionee India’s next phase of growth in the country, wherein he will drive the overall operations and reinforce the brand positioning in the country, with emphasis on retail expansion, sales volumes and after sales establishing the connect with customers.

Sidharth Malhotra as a new brand ambassador of OPPO F5

OPPO launches the F5, a Selfie Expert with Groundbreaking A.I. Beauty technology that will ‘Capture the Real You’

• Sports an industry first Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology for selfies in India and the first full screen device from OPPO
• Appoints Sidharth Malhotra as a new brand ambassador in addition to the current ambassador, Deepika Padukone
• Announces a new brand slogan – The Selfie Expert and Leader

Mumbai, 2^nd November 2017 – OPPO, the Selfie Expert & Leader, today unveiled the OPPO F5, the brand’s first FHD+ full screen display model in India, featuring the groundbreaking A.I. Beauty technology – a technology designed to personalize beautification for subjects on a selfie image. The A.I. Beauty technology will take selfie photography to a whole new level of quality. Priced at INR 19,990 the F5 (Gold and Black Edition) will go on sale from November 9^th and will be available both online and offline. Two other models were also launched at the event, the F5 6GB edition INR 24,990 (Red and Black Edition) and the F5 Youth (Black and Gold Edition) to give OPPO fans and the youth more choices to suit their needs. These two variants will be available in December.

OPPO F5

“Our focus has always been on bringing the best photography and Selfie experience to the Indian consumers. We have been leading the Selfie industry in the Indian market with our Selfie Expert F series for which we have received immense response, especially from the youth. With the launch of F5 that offers the first A.I. Beauty technology in India, we are confident of going further ahead in this journey. Thus, the new brand slogan, The Selfie Expert and Leader, truly represents our ambition to continue being the leaders in the market.” said Sky Li, Global VP, OPPO and President of OPPO India.

OPPO also announced a new brand ambassador, youth icon and Bollywood superstar– Sidharth Malhotra in addition to Deepika Padukone. Sidharth and Renowned Photographer – Rohan Shrestha shared their own selfie experience with OPPO F5 during the event.

A.I. Beauty technology and camera

A.I. Beauty technology

OPPO F5 is the first smart phone that brings Artificial Intelligence into selfie feature in India with years R&D. It identifies shapes and facial structures based on a global database. Professional photographers and make-up artists were consulted during the R&D process, resulting in the A.I. technology having the ability to emulate those professional skills that can help selfies look more real and nature.

Global image database of human faces

With more than 200 facial recognition spots that reference the image against a global database of human faces to learn facial features, shapes and structures, F5 can distinguish each person’s face features from skin tone and type, gender, age and more.

After facial recognition, the AI Beauty technology will customize beautify based on one’s features from skin, eyes, lips, to face shape. The feature will also have personalization for specific subjects. For example, enhancements will not be soft or feminine for male subjects. Children or babies will not receive enhancements that make them look like adults.

OPPO F5 comes installed with a 20MP front camera with an ultra-sensitive F2.0 aperture and 1/2.8” sensor. Both features allow the camera to gain more information to produce better images with less noise in low light conditions. The front-camera Portrait mode also applies a Bokeh effect to the background, creating better gradation and making you the focus of the selfie shot, every time.

And for the rear camera, the 16MP rear camera is excellent for all day and night shots. Along with the F1.8 aperture in the back camera also performs brilliantly for brighter and more precise shots in darker settings.

The First FHD+ Full-Screen Smartphone with streamlined design philosophy

6.0- inch FHD+ full-screen display

The F5 will be OPPO’s first 6.0-inch FHD+ full-screen display device, giving the user a vivid visual enjoyment without the need to increase the size of the phone. It features a high-resolution 2160 x 1080 dpi screen with 18:9 aspect ratio. F5 is also the first phone equipped with FHD+ full screen display in its price segment.

Sleek unibody

The F5 follows OPPO’s streamlined design philosophy - the sleek unibody offers a visually slim appearance without any cut-offs, with a gracefully curved body that fits well in the palm, expressing a simple and elegant look. A user’s palm will not feel tired even after using the phone for a long time, either from playing games or chatting. The 0.4mm laser string is carved onto the phone – a delicate linear finish that adds detail to the phone body.

Facial and Fingerprint Unlock

The F5 comes with Facial Unlock, the new face recognition technology that will recognize its user and unlock the phone. If the user prefers to use the fingerprint unlock function, the fingerprint reader is now on the back of the phone, giving way to a full front screen.

Updated operating system with powerful hardware

OPPO’s Color OS 3.2, together with 4G RAM + 32GB ROM memory gives the operating system a much smoother user experience. A triple slot tray supports two Nano cards and one TF card simultaneously. The Octa-core CPU processor uses less energy, produces less heat while giving a higher performance speed (40% increased performance compared to the previous Color OS versions).

The F5 battery life is exceptional, thanks to the 3200Ah battery and the Continuous Optimizing technology which manages the apps running on the device, allowing the user up to 12 hours of continuous use (in a simulated test).

Other Unique Features – Simpler and Humanized

OPPO F5 also has some special features for the consumers such as Game Acceleration specially targeted at Gamers. This feature will offer a smoother game experience apart from optimizing the game display configuration to fully utilize hardware resource, This will also ensure minimal disturbance while gaming with incoming calls being shown in the form of a banner and not interrupting your game.

The O-share file sharing technology is 100 times faster than Bluetooth – 8 to 10 pictures (3MB each) can be transferred between OPP/O phones within 1 second.

Another feature that will ensure you have a smooth experience is the Split Screen feature which means easy multi-tasking – chat, listen to songs or surf social media.

The Ahimsa Festival 2017 Begins

 

26^th October 2017, Mumbai: The second edition of The Ahimsa Festival opened at St. Andrew’s Auditorium in the city. The Ahimsa Festival is the first event across India, and perhaps the world, to be based on ahimsa or compassion. The festivities will run across 18 days and create awareness about the power of compassion and inspire people towards making lifestyle changes towards health and animal cruelty-free choices.

Convener of the event Dr. Rupa Shah who–is part of the six-member Ahimsa Parmo Dharma Group (APDG)–and has co-founded the annual Ahimsa Festival series stated, “The basic meaning of the word ‘ahimsa’ is–Do no injury, cause no harm. Ahimsa means non-violence, or to put it in a positive way–Compassion. Ahimsa is a universal concept that applies to all living beings, including all animals. All living beings have the spark of the divine spiritual energy; therefore, to hurt another being is to hurt oneself. The primary aspect of ahimsa is towards oneself–in particular towards one’s health.”

Chief Guest of the Opening Ceremony, Amruta Devendra Fadnavis, wife of Maharashtra CM, Devendra Fadnavis, commented, ”As Gandhiji said - Non Violence is a weapon of the strong; it is a sword that heals. A number of resources utilized for a non-vegetarian diet are much higher than a vegetarian one. It takes about 2500 gallons of water to produce half a kg of meat whereas it takes less than 25 gallons of water to produce the same quantity of wheat. This gives an idea that by turning vegan how drastically we can reduce water footprints.  Those who cannot immediately change their lifestyles should try reducing the consumption of meat; a small step will go a long way in saving our planet and of course, add to health benefits. Our beloved Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a vegetarian at the age of 67; he works so hard and his enthusiasm is viral.”

Dr. Will Tuttle, author of the international bestseller ‘The World Peace Diet’ and Chief Guest of the festival lit the candle along with Chief Guests Amruta Fadnavis and Dr. Nandita Shah. In his talk, he shared his vision of creating a peaceful global civilization with the world peace diet. He said, “This is my first day in India and I can already see the light and positivity all around me. India has been radiating this light for centuries and the same light touched me when I became a vegan 40 years back. My message is that veganism is a philosophy and practice of radical inclusion and that going vegan is the most positive, uplifting, and transformative action any human being can make in our culture today. If you could sum my message up in a simple phrase, it would be Respect for all life. I teach that veganism is coming home into one’s true heart, and seeing beings as beings, and respecting them as equally sacred manifestations of divine life.” He mesmerized the audiences with his talk interspersed with playing the piano, while his wife accompanied him by playing the flute.

Founder of SHARAN, Dr Nandita Shah, who is the recipient of the prestigious Nari Shakti Award 2016 the highest award for women in India, for her pioneering work in the field of health and nutrition stated, “I have been a homeopath for many years - the concept of veganism brings health, environment, and animals together. A non-vegetarian person is responsible for the life of 70 land animals a year on an average; then there are sea animals as well. I believe that everyone can become vegan if they have the opportunity to make an initial connection. Over the years I have seen people go from cynics to passionate vegan advocates once they had made the switch to a plant-based diet. I think it’s because just one initial shift can help people go beyond denial and justifications to then go onto making the complete connection. Veganism aligns us with our true values, which are compassion and oneness.”

The event also witnessed Kuntal Joisher who is the first vegan to conquer Mount Everest in 2016 and Rohit Ingle who is covering 18,000+km across the country for one year, to spread awareness about animal cruelty. Rohit was flagged off after the event. Sharmila Oswal, International Water Diplomat also extended her support to the event. Moreover, PETA and FIAPO have been strong supporters of The Ahimsa Festival since inception last year.

The following 2 weeks will comprise more than 100 satellite events–ranging from film workshops, talks, webinars and seminars to treks, a run and cyclothon, and potlucks–to spark curiosity and awareness about Ahimsa and compassionate lifestyle across the city. The festival will conclude with an Ahimsa Carnival. 

KAUNIS WINS ‘COSMETIC START UP OF THE YEAR AWARD’ AT ASSOCHAM 2017

Mumbai, October 2017- KAUNIS Marketing Services Pvt ltd - a PE-backed organization impassioned about developing effective strategies for the entry of world-class brands into the Indian beauty market is proud to announce their win as ‘COSMETIC START UP OF THE YEAR 2017’ at the recently concluded ASSOCHAM forum held at Shangri-La Hotel in Delhi on 5^th October, 2017.  With a vision to be the most trusted gateway partner to India for all the world-class premium brands from across the globe, this award is a great motivation to the new start-up. It strengthens their belief to become a leading player in the business of beauty in India.

With less than a year of operations in India, Kaunis has already launched two German beauty brands - Beyu in March 2017 and Malu Wilz in October 2017. Headed by Ajay Ghooli, Kaunis acts as an anchor for these International brands in the Indian beauty market by devising and implementing strategic plans that cover all spheres of its businesses: Distribution, Sales & Marketing, Operations – and defines the road-map ahead for their development and growth. The team takes ownership for all aspects of building the brands in the Indian market.

Speaking about the much-acclaimed award by a reputed body like ASSOCHAM, Ajay Ghooli, MD, Kaunis Marketing Services Pvt Ltd added, “This award is a big boost for our efforts by the team and our partners. We aspire to revolutionize the way beauty is perceived. With a promise of high quality and exceptional price-performance ratio, Kaunis will bring brands that will endeavor to make women look more beautiful and confident.”

Ajay Ghooli received the award on behalf of Kaunis Marketing. He was presented with an award by Mr. B.K.Rao ( Chairman of Health care council - ASSOCHAM) and Mr. C.R Chaudhary ( Honourable Minister of State – Consumer affairs, Food and Public Distribution).

सहकलाकाराच्या भूमिकांना प्रतिष्ठा मिळवून देणारा चतुरस्त्र कलाकार : विजय चव्हाण !

पूर्वी नाटक-चित्रपटांमधून पुरुषांनी स्त्री-पार्टी भूमिका कराव्या लागणं ही काळाची गरज होती. सामाजिक स्थिती सुधारल्यावर स्त्रिया नाटक-चित्रपटात भूमिका करू लागल्या आणि पुरुषांनी स्त्रीवेष धारण करणं हे केवळ विनोद निर्मितीपुरतं उरलं. किंबहुना काळ असा आला की पुरुषांनी स्त्रीवेषातील भूमिका करणं कमीपणाचं लेखलं जाऊ लागलं. परंतु रंगभूमीवर आलेल्या 'मोरूची मावशी' या नाटकाने इतिहास बदलला. त्यातील मावशी ची भूमिका करणारे विजय चव्हाण यांनी वरील समज पुसून काढला. कुठल्याही प्रकारचा ओंगळपणा न करता या नाटकात स्त्रीपार्टी भूमिका करत त्यांनी प्रेक्षकांची वाहवाही मिळवली. स्पर्धात्मक एकांकिका आणि नाटकांतून अभिनय करत विजय चव्हाण यांनी 'टूर टूर' या नाटकातर्फे व्यावसायिक रंगभूमीवर प्रवेश केला. नंतरच्या मोरूची मावशी ने तर त्यांना प्रेक्षकांच्या गळ्यातील ताईत बनवले ते आजतागायत. त्यांनी ३००० हून अधिक या नाटकाचे प्रयोग केले यावरून त्यांच्यावरील प्रेक्षकांच्या प्रेमाची कल्पना येईल. या सुरुवातीच्या काळापासून ते अलीकडच्या 'श्रीमंत दामोदरपंत' नाटकांच्या दरम्यान त्यांनी अनेक नाटकांतून सुंदर-सुंदर भूमिका साकारल्या.
नाटकांबरोबरच विजय चव्हाण यांनी छोटा आणि मोठ्या पडद्यावर पण आपल्या अभिनयाची वेगळी छाप उमटवली. जत्रा, नाना मामा, झपाटलेला १ आणि २, पछाडलेला, अगं बाई अरेच्चा, जबरदस्त, सांगतो ऐका, जिगर, शुभ मंगल सावधान, नो प्रॉब्लेम, बलिदान, नाथा पुरे आता, चल लवकर, सावट, मुंबईचा डबेवाला सारख्या अडीचशेहून अधिक चित्रपटांमधून काम करत त्यांनी रसिकांचे मनोरंजन केले. उस्फुर्त विनोदासाठी प्रसिद्ध असलेल्या अशोक सराफ आणि लक्ष्मीकांत बेर्डे या विनोदवीर नायकांनंतर विजय चव्हाण या सहकलाकाराचे नाव प्रामुख्याने घेतले जाते. त्यांच्यातील सळसळत्या ऊर्जेने इतर कलाकारांच्याही उत्साह वाढायचा. त्यांनी विनोदी भूमिकांबरोबरच गंभीर भूमिकांनाही योग्य न्याय दिला. 'गोल गोल डब्यातल्या', 'वन रूम किचन' आणि नुकत्याच प्रदर्शित झालेल्या 'हलाल' याची साक्ष देतात व त्यांच्या चतुरस्रपणावर मोहोर उमटवतात. महेश कोठारेंच्या 'शुभ मंगल सावधान' मधील त्यांच्या भूमिकेमुळे त्यांच्या करियरला कलाटणी मिळाली आणि सहकलाकारांच्या भूमिकांना महत्व प्राप्त करून दिले. महेश कोठारेंच्या नंतरच्या प्रत्येक चित्रपटाचा ते भाग राहिले.
प्रसिद्धीपासून दूर राहणाऱ्या विजय चव्हाण या चतुरस्त्र कलाकाराने गेली चार दशकं प्रेक्षकांचं मनोरंजन केलंय आणि त्यांची भूमिका असलेला एक नवीन सिनेमा येऊ घातलाय ज्याचं नाव आहे 'हुंटाश' ! 'मी आजतागायत अनेक विनोदी भूमिका केल्या आहेत परंतु 'हुंटाश' या चित्रपटातील भूमिका करताना एक वेगळ्या धाटणीची विनोदी भूमिका करण्याचा आनंद मिळाला. दिग्दर्शक तरुण असल्यामुळे नवनवीन विचारांची देवाण घेवाण झाली व भूमिका साकारताना फायदा झाला. अपर्णा प्रमोद आणि अवधूत नावलेकर नवीन सारख्या निर्मात्यांचं कौतुक करायला हवं कारण मराठी सिनेमाच्या प्रेमापोटी ते निर्मितीक्षेत्रात उतरत आहेत आणि आम्हा सर्व सिनियर कलाकारांची उत्तम काळजी घेतल्याबद्दल त्यांना सर्वांतर्फे धन्यवाद देतो. माझी ग्वाही आहे की 'हुंटाश' सर्वांचं भरपूर मनोरंजन करेल' विजय चव्हाण कृतज्ञता व्यक्त करत म्हणाले.
निर्माते अपर्णा प्रमोद आणि अच्च्युत नावलेकर आणि दिग्दर्शक अंकुश ठाकूर यांचा धमाल विनोदी चित्रपट 'हुंटाश' १० नोव्हेंबर २०१७ ला महाराष्ट्रभर प्रदर्शित होणार आहे.

सई ताम्हणकरने स्वीकारला तिचा पहिला फिल्मफेर अवार्ड फॅमिली कट्टासाठी

नेसको आयटी पार्क येथे २७ ऑक्टोबर २०१७ रोजी जिओ फिल्मफेअर  अवॉर्ड्स २०१७  हा सोहळा अगदी दिमाखात पार पडला. विविध प्रकारचे परफॉर्मन्स हा सोहळ्याचा नेहमीचा प्लस पॉईंट असला तरी देखील, ह्या वेळेसचे रेडकार्पेट हि जोरदार होते. 

सई ताम्हणकरचा ब्लु गाऊन विथ डायमंड नेकलेस विशेष लक्षवेधी ठरला हे नक्कीच! या व्यतिरिक्त सईसाठी  फिल्मफेअरच हे तिसरं वर्ष विशेष ठरलं आहे! 

 ह्या वेळेस चा जिओ फिल्मफेअर  अवॉर्ड्स सई ताम्हणकर साठी नक्कीच विशेष होता. कारण जिओ फिल्मफेअर २०१७ मध्ये सईला  दोन चित्रपटांसाठी नामांकन होती - उत्कृष्ट अभिनेत्री, वजनदार आणि उत्कृष्ट सहाय्यक अभिनेत्री, फॅमिली कट्टा!  

सई ताम्हणकरला फॅमिली कट्टासाठी उत्कृष्ट सहाय्यकअभिनेत्रीचा पुरस्कार मिळाला . सईच्या सिनेमातील वाटचालीमधला हा पहिला फिल्मफेअर अवॉर्ड आहे. फिल्मफेअरचे हे तिसरे वर्ष आहे आणि  त्यामुळे तिच्यासाठी हा विशेष होता. हा अवॉर्ड स्वीकारताना सई खूप भारावून गेली होती. ह्या बाबत सई म्हणाली, 'हो हा  माझा पहिला फिल्मफेर आहे आणि मला खरंच खूप छान वाटतंय. हा फिल्मफेर आणखी खास आहे कारण मला हा अवॉर्ड फॅमिली कट्टासाठी मिळाला आहे. हा चित्रपट माझ्यासाठी अनेक पर्सनल कारणांसाठी खास होता, खूप जवळचा होता, आणि त्या चित्रपटासाठी पुरस्कार मिळणं आणि ते हि पहिला फिल्मफेर मिळणं हे तर नक्कीच फार आनंददायी आहे. पण  मी ह्या सेलेब्रेशनवर जास्त वेळ रमणार नाहीये, पुढच्या कामासाठी लगेच तयार होणार आहे. इनफॅक्ट माझा डेली रुटीन सुरु  झालंय.'

२०१६ मध्ये प्रदर्शित झालेल्या फॅमिली कट्टा ह्या चित्रपटात सईने 'मंजू' नावाची भूमिका साकारली होती.  चित्रपटातला तिचा वावर अवघा काही मिनिटांचा असला तरी तिने आपल्या उत्कृष्ट अभिनयाने कायम लक्षात राहिलं असा प्रभाव प्रेक्षकांवर नक्कीच पाडला होता. आणि या तिच्या भूमिकेसाठी  तिला उत्कृष्ट सहाय्यक अभिनेत्रीचा पुरस्कार मिळाला.  

BBC.com Named India’s Top International News Website

25th October 2017, Mumbai.  New research shows that BBC.com is the number one choice for international online news in India.

According to the latest Ipsos Affluent Survey*, the corporation’s digital news services - BBC.com and the BBC News app - are the top destinations for India’s affluent audience seeking impartial, high quality global news, sport and features content.  The independent research, which looks at media consumption amongst affluent adults in the Asia Pacific region, shows that the BBC’s online news services are used by more of this group than any other international news brand in India.

The survey also reveals that the BBC’s 24 hour international television news channel, BBC World News, is the top international English news channel for reaching influential opinion leaders on a weekly basis.**

Welcoming the results of the new research, Jim Egan, CEO for BBC Global News Ltd, said: “In an age of increasing fake news, these findings show that Indian audiences want access to the trustworthy, impartial and world-class journalism that only the BBC can supply.  Following recent investment, India is now home to our second largest bureau, after our London headquarters, and remains an important market for us.  To see our commitment here paying dividends is great news, especially with such a coveted, premium audience.”

Wipro Cited as a Leader in Everest Group PEAK MatrixTM for IT Security Services

East Brunswick, New Jersey, USA and Mumbai, India – October 23, 2017: Wipro Limited (NYSE: WIT, BSE: 507685, NSE: WIPRO), a leading global information technology, consulting and business process services company, today announced that it has been recognized as a ‘Leader’ by Everest Group, a global independent consulting and research firm, in its report titled “IT Security Services- Market Trends and PEAK Matrix^TM  Assessment 2017: Security- the Biggest Digital Insecurity”.

The report analyzed the capabilities of 17 leading global IT service providers on Everest Group’s PEAK Matrix. Wipro has been named as a Leader for its strong global delivery network with a transformational mind-set, and its ability to deliver high quality of services across regions and service segments, in terms of both execution and responsiveness.

The report highlights the trends influencing the IT security services market, focusing on the increasing complexities, size and variety of security threats. The report states that the rapid digitalization has made the enterprise IT security landscape highly complex and challenging to handle. With the proliferation in digital touch points, enterprises are now required to take a more intelligence-driven, holistic security approach to deal with this rapidly changing threat landscape.

Elaborating on Wipro's vision and focus on IT security services capabilities, Sheetal Mehta, Vice President and Global Head, Cybersecurity & Risk Services, Wipro Limited said, “Being recognized as a leader in this report by Everest Group reflects our commitment to providing world-class IT security services to our clients. It is a testimony to the trust our clients place in their partnership with Wipro and demonstrates our focus on innovation and client centricity. Our vision for IT security is to simplify digital risk management, secure information and build business resilience. We aim to achieve this by enabling digital trust, strengthening cyber intelligence, modernizing the core and collaborating to win.”

Wipro’s top-down risk-based approach to security and real-time consumption of Threat Intelligence has given it the ability to propose client-specific initiatives along with the strong technical expertise that helps in defining strategy for security roadmaps for its clients.

Making our world #ashadebetter

Kansai Nerolac launches the most innovative OOH campaign of the year at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Terminal 1

Mumbai, 23 October, 2017: Kansai Nerolac Paints Ltd (KNPL), one of the leading paint companies in India, recently launched an on-ground campaign at the Terminal 1 of the Chatrapati Shivaji International Airport to reinforce its position as one of the best Marketers in the category in India. The campaign, titled – Making our world #ashadebetter, utilizes the luggage conveyer belt at the airport as the primary media. The aim of this campaign is to present the vividness and variety of shades that Nerolac offers. One of the many conveyer belts present at the airport has been converted to a giant, moving shade card, which not only gives the passengers a break from otherwise boring airport surroundings but also allows them to select their favorite colour for their home or work. 

Nerolac, as a brand, has always believed in constantly innovating in all the facets of business; products or marketing. The airport conveyer belt was selected for this activity as its basic mechanisms allows it to act as a moving shade card (fan-deck) and the entire execution looks very natural. Even though the conveyer belt was a natural choice, to ensure that colour reproduction is as close to real colours of the paints as possible, Nerolac’s team conducted rigorous testing to avoid poor reproduction of colours, smudges on the media and hassle-free functioning of the conveyer belt. After a testing of approx four months, they arrived at an optimum solution to carry out this activity.

The colours for this moving shade card were pulled out from the colour themes of the recently launched Nerolac Colour Guides, having 7 beautifully crafted colour stories created after months of pan India research. The stories in the Colour Guides are created to cater to the ‘designers within’, offering ideas and setups to explore and get inspired with. The books (Interior and Exterior) deconstruct the décor styles into quick design tips and concepts that consumers can immediately adopt in their homes.

Speaking about this, Mr. Peeyush Bachlaus, GM Marketing - Kansai Nerolac Paints Ltd. said, “There’s a need to find the consumers where they are instead of trying to reach out to them through conventional means. It is a must to deliver key brand messages on multi-layered platforms which can’t be restrictive in nature. We have continuously endeavoured to innovate brand messaging as well as consumer connect initiatives. This unique OOH installation is a testimony to that. We want our consumers to experience their surroundings and colours in a unique way wherever we can and doing something for the Diwali time passengers seemed to be a right way to kick start the integration.”

The passengers who experienced the belt on the day of Diwali were in for a surprise as there were personalized gifts waiting for them at the Nerolac Conveyer belt. The delight on their faces cannot be expressed in words. Here’s a video of the happy passengers as they experience this unique belt https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0arL5MfNYBE “

…you can look for many such surprises in future from Nerolac, at the airport and at other places too”, Mr. Bachlaus added.

Hoichoi’s #hoyejak teaser campaign makes waves across Kolkata

                                                                                                                                                                                      

 October 17, 2017 – SVF, the largest entertainment company in Eastern India, got the whole of Kolkata talking and curious with the launch of Hoichoi, the much-awaited one-stop digital destination for accessing Bengali entertainment.

Its innovative #hoyejak teaser campaign, launched to promote Hoichoi, was the most talked about campaign of the city this Durga Puja. The faces of the campaign were none other than the Hoichoi and SVF team members themselves! #hoyejak hoardings dotted the skylines of Kolkata and were strategically placed in key locations like Science City, Howrah Station, Ultadanga, Syed Amir Ali Avenue, Ruby crossing, Rashbehari Metro, Harish Mukherjee Road, Gurusaday Road, Gariahat Flyover, Garia, B. T. Road, AJC Bose Road, Airport etc. to grab maximum eye balls.

The Bengali term #hoyejak -- which literally means “let’s do it” in English -- was preceded by some funny one-liners which created a lot of curiosity and hype amongst the Bengalis. The campaign proved to be such a hit with the audience that the latest trend includes #hoyejak in conversations and communications. All trolls and memes have either #hoyejak or #hoichoi, building an instant connect with the Bengalis.

The #hoyejak campaign, designed by Rediffusion Y&R, created a huge buzz online across social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. An integral part of the #hoyejak campaign was keeping Bengal’s biggest festival, the Durga Puja -- 9 out of 14 creatives were talking about it. This resulted in a good amount of word of mouth during the Pujas.

On the day of its official launch event on September 20, #hoichoi trended pan-India at the No.1 position, with #hoyejak at No. 2. Prominent Tollywood stars took to social media to congratulate SVF on the grand launch of hoichoi. #hoyejak and #hoichoi collectively generated over 3000 conversations and 47.9 million impressions, reaching approximately 6.8 million people within just 4 hours of the launch.

Commenting on the campaign, Vishnu Mohta, Co-Founder, Hoichoi,  said: “Going by the extremely positive initial response in less than a month of its launch, Hoichoi is set to revolutionize the Bengali entertainment industry. We are committed to telling stories which have never been told before. In line with SVF’s philosophy of breaking social taboos, the content being made for Hoichoi is differentiated and entertaining. We are delighted that the campaign has been a success."

A month into its launch, hoichoi has already captured the imagination of Bengalis with its exciting line-up of interesting and engaging content cutting across popular genres. 

Tata Capital lines up festive offers for its customers!

Customers can avail special loan offers and discounted processing charges for Personal, Two-Wheeler & Home Loans

Mumbai, October 16, 2017: Tata Capital is ramping up its offerings by introducing a slew of exciting deals for its retail loan customers this Diwali.

1. Personal Loan applicants can avail a 1% cashback on their disbursals! (up to a maximum of Rs. 5,000 per applicant)
2. All women applicants & salaried customers for Two Wheeler Loans stand to benefit from a free vehicle insurance!

As an additional benefit for both Two Wheeler & Personal Loan customers, the applicants’ names will be entered into a lucky draw and 20 lucky applicants stand a chance to win a Bumper prize – an iPhone!

3. Tata Capital is also offering Home Loans at an exclusive rate– 8.30% for women applicants & first-time buyers & 8.35% for the rest of its customers!

These offers are valid during the festive season and can be availed by calling the toll free number 1800 209 6060. Coupled with a simplified application process, minimal documentation and customized repayment solutions, Tata Capital’s festive offerings are an added attractive incentive for those looking out for cheaper financial solutions. 

About Tata Capital Limited:

Tata Capital Limited, a holistic financial services provider caters to the diverse needs of retail, corporate and institutional customers, directly or indirectly through its subsidiaries. Its range of offerings includes Consumer Finance, Advisory Services, Commercial Finance, Infrastructure Finance, Investment Banking, Private Equity Advisory, and Credit Card distribution.

 For more information about Tata Capital, please visit www.tatacapital.com.

The Red Bull Tour Bus turns four with a fantastic anniversary gig

Held at P.J. Hindu Gymkhana on 14^th October, Red Bull Tour Bus Off The Roof featured the likes of Amit Trivedi, Skyharbor, PrateekKuhad and more

October, 2017: Celebrating yet another birthday in spectacular fashion, the Red Bull Tour Bus threw a massive party at the P.J. Hindu Gymkhana on the evening of 14^th October, which featured the likes of superstar composer and singer Amit Trivedi, metal band Skyharbor, singer-songwriter PrateekKuhad, ambient electronic music artist Komorebi and indie/folk/alternative band When Chai Met Toast.

Kicking off proceedings for the night was When Chai Met Toast, a band from Cochin recognised for their infectiously happy music – and as they began their set, it became immediately apparent why. Fans danced and sang along, smiles on the faces of all in attendance.

The electronic music project of TaranaMarwah, Komorebi was up next, and played a highly enjoyable set of newer material from her recently released album, Soliloquy, as well as some older material. Her set guest featured guitarist Warren Mendonsa, who also features on her latest record.

PrateekKuhad was on next, and received a rousing welcome as he took to the stage. His set comprised largely of newer, unreleased material, interspersed with older crowd favourites such as RaatRaazi – which saw a massive cheer from fans, who sang along to every word.

The penultimate act for the night was metal band Skyharbor, who played their first show atop the Red Bull Tour Bus. This was also the band’s first gig in India following a hugely successful tour of Europe, where they also supported Deftones earlier in the year, and their fan base was out in numbers to witness it.

Closing the night in spectacular fashion was Amit Trivedi, with his live band, who played close to an hour and a half long set. The band performed some of the composer/singer’s most popular songs from films such as Wake Up Sid, Udta Punjab and Dev D, and had the entire crowd singing along with every word.

Flipkart Commits $500 Million Investment In PhonePe

One of the largest investment commitments in FinTech space in India

Investment reflects Flipkart’s strong focus and commitment towards FinTech & digital payments

Investment made to help PhonePe rapidly scale up technology, reach and offerings

Mumbai, October 13, 2017: Flipkart, India’s largest e-commerce marketplace, today announced an investment commitment of $500 million for its group company PhonePe, the fastest growing payments platform in the country. This is one of the largest ever single investment commitments in the Indian FinTech-payments space and is reflective of the opportunities, as well as Flipkart’s keen interest in rapidly scaling up the technology, reach and offerings of PhonePe. The commitment adds to the $75 million funds infusion Flipkart has made in PhonePe since acquiring it in 2015.

The FinTech ecosystem in India, especially payments, is undergoing a paradigm shift with the surge in mobile internet usage, and as vast swathes of people embrace its ease and convenience. Accordingly, market research shows India’s digital payments sector is estimated to grow to $500 billion by 2020 representing around 15 percent of GDP, up from around $50 billion last year.

“FinTech and e-commerce are among the most visible faces of a new digital India that is powered by the youth and technology, and both are set for outstanding growth. PhonePe is a critical part of our overall strategy at Flipkart to build a comprehensive ecosystem for our customers. We’re fully committed to make PhonePe the most preferred digital payments app in India,” said Binny Bansal, Group CEO, Flipkart.

Commenting on the development, Sameer Nigam, Co-founder & CEO, PhonePe said: “The investment will be used to scale up our technology platforms, and expand our merchant network and consumer base rapidly. We have been growing at over 100% every two months this year, and this investment will help us maintain the same aggressive growth rate for the next two years. PhonePe is strongly committed to helping the Indian Government in realizing its Digital India vision, and achieving its target of 25 billion digital payment transactions by next year."

PhonePe, the market leader in UPI payments continues to grow spectacularly with over 16 million transactions on the back of a successful Flipkart Big Billion Days in September 2017. PhonePe’s annual run rate, as a result, touched a new high of $ 3.5 billion in terms of Total Payments Volume (TPV) in September. This ramp up is the fastest in the Indian digital payments space.