Tagged 'media'

Indian media tycoon tells rivals to unite behind Commonwealth cause

toi-7-8-101Delhi will host its biggest sporting event yet, the 2010 Commonwealth Games, in October, but nothing seems to be going right. With news channels ferociously digging up every real or potential issue related to the Games—from exposes about corruption within the Indian Olympic Association to the city’s unpreparedness for the mega event—Delhi citizens are braving a series of anxiety attacks. Enter the tycoon Subrata Roy Sahara of Sahara Samay, a national news network, who wrote what he called an “Emotional Appeal,” carried on the front page of a leading daily.

Sahara, who’s synonymous with the Sahara brand, charges that while the media “has done its duty,” his fellow news networks and media owners have also “overdone it,” causing “absolute negativity” among Indians and leading to bad PR for India. He asks the media to withhold further negative coverage until after the Games, “for the pride of our beloved country.” It could be argued that his patriotic-sounding appeal is an effort to cover up his network’s inability to come up with an expose to match that of his competitors. But either way, through this well-managed PR exercise, Sahara succeeded in building his own reputation as well as that of his news channel. Sahara Samay comes off looking mature and nationalistic by choosing to allay public anxiety at a time when other brands have been fueling it.

Saudi hardware retailer spotlights groom’s burdens

help-mousaedIn Saudi, where grooms are expected to pay the bride’s family a dowry for her hand in marriage, many young men are asked to bear financial burdens they cannot hope to shoulder. Saco Hardware, in collaboration with JWT, created a social media promotion that spotlights the financial challenges facing young people and positions the retailer as a tool for helping them.

We came up with a simple concept/story: A video clip shows young Mousaed making the traditional visit to his future father-in-law, who demands 28 items from Saco as a dowry. Returning home, Mousead finds the catalogue is ripped to shreds, and the young man is left to guess the names of the items he needs to buy. Photos of torn pages were posted to the Saco Facebook page, and people were encouraged to identify the products to help Mousaed get one more item toward his marriage. Correct guesses won items.

The campaign is doing well with minimal support, and the hope is to evolve the effort into a commitment to sponsor newlyweds who need to furnish their apartments. For more social media case studies, see our Social Media Checklist.

Photo Credit: http://www.facebook.com/sacoksa?v=app_7146470109#!/sacoksa?v=app_7146470109

A green radio station proves a respite for Israeli listeners

Last year, Israeli radio station 99fm was relaunched and rebranded as a green channel, eco99fm. The objective was to promote awareness of issues such as carbon emissions, water pollution, endangered wildlife and recycling. The effort seems to be more than greenwash. In addition to offering useful tips on solar energy, eco-gardening, greening the kitchen and water efficiency, the station produces talk programs covering global green topics, news and so on. Eco99fm has also initiated campaigns to promote its goals, such as partnering with the Environment Protection Ministry for the One Less Plastic Bag campaign, which urged shoppers to reduce their use of plastic bags.

Israelis are constantly anxious about geopolitical tension, complex internal political issues and the possibility of war, and eco99fm has become the one station providing content that’s out of the ordinary yet surprisingly normal. It deals with global issues from a lens outside the local bubble, conveying a sense of belonging to the global village for a country that’s becoming more concerned about issues beyond the Middle East.

Tapping into the desire for normalcy has proved a big success: After years of mixed results, the rebranded station has achieved a 60 percent increase in ratings.

eco99fm

Photo Credit: http://www.eco99.fm/


AGA gives Japanese men a forum to share anxieties

While there are plenty of sites for women to share health concerns and opinions, it’s rare to find one for men. Now Banyu, a Japanese pharmaceutical company best known for its AGA division of hair-loss treatment products and services, has launched a portal site called “AGA 30s Opinion” to collect questions and let men vote on male-specific dilemmas and anxieties on topics ranging from health to love, money, work and more.

In Japan the topic of hair loss is a particularly uncomfortable subject (until recently, a Japanese word for “bald” was prohibited from use on TV). With many of AGA’s products needing prescription, a key for the brand is to get men in their 30s—when the first signs of hair loss generally appear—who may still be in denial or reluctant to talk about the issue to consult with their doctor.

By leveraging broader anxieties and providing an interactive and anonymous tool to give men a glimpse into the concerns of their peers, the site is a clever way to decrease the sensitivity and stigma around the problems that AGA proposes to solve, showing men they are not alone in their anxieties.

aga30

 

 Photo Credit: http://aga30s.jp/flash/

Social media, information scarcity and the Chilean earthquake

social-mediaWe’ve heard plenty about information overload and how we simply don’t have enough time to keep up with everything in the 21st century. In this respect, social media can certainly be a villain—just take a look at your Facebook or Twitter page to see how much fresh information your friends are sharing right now. Recently, however, I learned firsthand that Facebook, Twitter and the other social media sites that are seen as sources of information overload are heroes in situations of information scarcity.

This happened two months ago, after Chile’s deadly earthquake. After learning about it on TV from my home in São Paulo, I immediately tried to reach my relatives in Concepción, which is just a few miles from the earthquake’s epicenter. Much of my family is there, including my grandmother, who lives alone. I used all means at hand—land line, mobile phone, e-mail—but nothing worked. So I decided to try Twitter and Facebook. I got some vague but encouraging information from someone who replied to me on Twitter. Then, after browsing through Facebook profiles of my relatives, I learned from a friend of a friend that my family was OK. Six hours after the earthquake, I was able to rest easy and to call my parents with the good news. It was four days before we had any phone contact with Concepción.

Photo Credit: webtreats

Nescafé Australia champions old-fashioned face-to-face time

“Get a little closer” is a brand campaign recently launched in Australia by Nescafé instant coffee. Spotlighting the difference between catching up online and face-to-face, Nescafé calls on people to “turn off the gadgets, turn on the kettle and enjoy a cup of coffee together.”

Given that Australians are still recovering from recession-related anxiety, championing “good old-fashioned quality time” is a strong strategy for Nescafé. It’s reminiscent of other efforts we saw during the downturn, such as a Coca-Cola campaign from Germany that showed Coke at the center of a family meal. Nescafé is also leveraging some backlash against social media, a phenomenon I wrote about on JWTintelligence. And the brand is tapping into the Savoring Simple Pleasures trend we spotlighted in our 2009 forecast.

While the strategy and idea are interesting, at the executional level the campaign stumbles. I’d argue this is because while it shows the reality of “catching up” face to face, it fails to capture the emotion and feeling of connecting. This is also exacerbated by the disconnect between the message and the media—because if “Profile pics are funnier live,” then static outdoor posters are slightly oxymoronic media choice. But Nescafé nails it with direct mail. I received a card containing multiple coffee samplers with the message “When was the last time you had a real conversation? Take time to share a coffee moment with someone special. Our treat.” Right message in the right place.

Spanish reality show portrays a generation stranded by recession

In Spain, unemployment—currently at 18.8 percent—is the main public concern, and we aren’t seeing the light at the end of the tunnel yet. This situation has hit one generation more than any other: youngsters who are neither studying nor able to find work. A recent study showed that 15 percent of 16- to 24-year-olds aren’t active. University degrees are no longer a guarantee of a job, and Spanish youth are apathetic and unmotivated. Their parents lack strong arguments to push them forward.

Naturally, a TV channel saw this as an opportunity for a reality show: Eight of these ninis (which stands for “no job, no studies”) live in a house where they’re learning everything from social skills to math, home economics and handy jobs. The results are not too promising so far. The kids don’t seem to be learning much from the experience, and the content aired so far is surely not making parents any less anxious than they already are.

Media conglomerates in India and Pakistan promote peace

love-pakistan-print-adThe two biggest media conglomerates in India and Pakistan have joined forces in a novel initiative: to campaign for peace between the two countries. Indians are anxious about terrorism in general and Pakistani terrorists in particular, according to JWT AnxietyIndex research conducted last May—not surprising, given that the November 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai were carried out by Muslim terrorists based in Pakistan. Aman Ki Asha (Hope for Peace)—touted in a TV spot and this print ad—will see the The Times of India Group and the Jang Group honestly explore issues such as terrorism and the Kashmir dispute that have resulted in hostilities and mistrust between the two countries; the initiative will also promote cross-cultural exchange.

In India, trust in media has been declining—Edelman’s Trust Barometer Survey recently confirmed this—and so the promise of honest communication is a positive step toward changing negative perceptions of the media, which is known for sensationalism. All the better if the two brands can make some genuine progress in bringing about more goodwill.


Photo Credit: The Times of India Group Print Ad

Bollywood tackles Indian anxiety

My Name Is Khan is a big Bollywood production that’s trying to leverage Indians’ anxiety and religious sentiments to get attention and ticket sales. The movie, which comes out today, features Indian megastar Shah Rukh Khan as Rizwan Khan, a Muslim with Asperger syndrome. Some of the challenges he faces are related to his being Muslim, especially post-9/11, when Khan is living in the U.S. In fact, one of the lines heavily used in the movie’s promotion is “I am Rizwan Khan, and I’m not a terrorist.”


Islam and terrorism is a subject that dominates the news as well as the hearts of every Indian. And most of us believe that the entire community cannot be damned by a few evil men who are trying to destroy humanity. So seeing the film’s protagonist being discriminated against is something we can’t stand—we want to see him succeed in his fight to get justice. The movie is a great example of leveraging our emotions on this sensitive issue.

Is the recession turning Gen Y into lifelong pirates?

pirate1In the past year, younger generations (including myself) have had their first experience of a recession. In Australia, AnxietyIndex.com research revealed that for Gen Y, levels of anxiety have been disproportionate to the downturn’s actual impact—clearly, a generation pessimistic about the future and fearing the unknown.

Economic and environment instability are among the big-picture trends that will shape and define Gen Y in the long term. In the near term, I’m concerned about the negative impact on our local music, film, and software industries. Online piracy is certainly nothing new to Gen Y, the first “digital natives.” But a recent study from Nielsen reveals that almost two-thirds of respondents say they are more tempted to obtain pirated products in tough financial times. Accordingly, this year has seen significant increases in visits to BitTorrent and peer-to-peer Web sites.

In response, Sony Pictures Entertainment CEO Michael Lynton has said the Internet has “created this notion that anyone can have whatever they want at any given time … and if you don’t give it to them for free, they’ll steal it.”

This has certainly come to the fore during the recession, and the impact is interesting to think about as we watch digital natives form their lifelong consumption habits.

Photo Credit:   theimpressionist.co.uk