Video Advertising Avatars

JuxtConsult Research says that 36 per cent of the 35 million active Internet users in India share videos online. The broadband penetration in India is 3.5 million (referring to Internet speeds of more than 256 Kbps). The ever-increasing interest in Video Advertising is substantiated by the entry of online video ad agencies in India. . YouTube, which recently launched an India site due to the growing usage in the country, is another indicator of the changing habits of users as Internet connections get faster.

Some of the common formats of video ads on the Internet are pre-roll and post-roll ads, video overlays and in-stream ads. Pre-roll ads play in the form of a short video before the actual video content being watched plays, and post-roll ads refer to ads that follow at the end of the main video. Overlay ads work by providing textual information in the form of a banner at the bottom of the screen when the ad is playing. These can be clicked on for more information or turned off if desired. In-stream ads play between the video, similar to how we see ads in TV shows.

The strength of this medium is that it can cleverly combine both Video and Banner formats.

What's next Mr. Gates?

After spending almost 33 years in building and growing Microsoft, Bill Gates, an inspiration to many a wannabe millionaires, steps down as the chairman of Microsoft today.

Looks like he is going to spend the rest of his life caring for people and not bytes. Philanthropy bug has bit him some time back and he is seriously pursuing it. One of the richest in the world, Bill Gates had visited India in 2005, and announced a $1.7-billion investment.

Let's wait and watch what social changes he will aim to bring about and which part of the globe might benefit.

Presentation at Emerging Companies Forum, NASSCOM

Creating a meaningful brand experience matters to every organization whether it is big or small. The focus is on how to create brand value in today’s cluttered, saturated, and price-driven marketplace. Brand-building is often thought of as a difficult exercise that involves lots of funds. Brands may start out small, but their power and reach is only limited by your goals and creativity.

I am presenting on 'BRANDING INITIATIVES – EMERGING COMPANIES' tomorrow at NASSCOM TN Chapter. I am looking forward to the Q&A session to understand, learn and probably help other emerging companies on branding, advertising and PR challenges.

Hanuman and PR

All-India Congress Committee member Brij Mohan Bhama has organised a 11-day religious ceremony at Karol Bagh, Delhi for Obama's success in the U.S. elections.

http://www.thehindu.com/2008/06/25/stories/2008062556031500.htm

Majority of the communicators might brush this off as a cheap publicity stunt. But an in-depth look will reveal, considering the present political environment in both India and the US, that this is a powerful global PR ploy with positivity and continuity components intact.

It seems Mr. Bhama heard that Mr. Obama carried an idol of Hanuman in his pocket for luck. On hearing this Mr. Bhama decided to gift Mr. Obama a larger idol weighing 15 kg and measuring 21-inch brass idol of Hanuman. Looks like Mr. Obama will soon have a super-heavy luck charmer. Literally.

Employee Productivity & Performance

Yesterday, during a sales call when I was stressing on our improved performance management system, there was an interesting question from my client : How much does performance management of talent has a role to play in productivity and attrition?

I found shelter in the Aberdeen's benchmark report entitled "Enhancing Operational Results with Employee Performance Management.

The report says that the primary pressure driving employee performance management was the need to improve overall company performance (57%), followed closely by employee productivity (46%).

The pressures driving organizations to pursue employee performance management in 2008have shifted and reflect the stifling realities associated with the global shortage of labor and talent. Though workforce productivity still remains a Top 2 driving force cited by 27% of more than 900 organizations surveyed in Aberdeen study, the primary pressures revolve around insufficient talent pipelines, the loss of top talent to competitors, and a diverse workforce with varying needs and expectations.

Sounds familiar ??

INDIA the new LION at Cannes

Two Advertisement campaigns – the Luxor Highlighter campaign and the Lead India campaign – have changed India’s fortunes at Cannes pretty dramatically.

The Lead India campaign has already bagged a Grand Prix in the Direct Lions, which was a first for India. Now, with another Lion in the Integrated and Titanium category, the campaign has broken further records for this is the first time that an Indian entry has won a Lion or even got shortlisted, for that matter, in this category.

The Lead India campaign is the brainchild of the JWT and Times of India teams. In fact, Agnello Dias, chief creative officer, JWT, told afaqs! that while the brainstorming sessions were on for this campaign, many a time they forgot which was the client and which the agency. Both teams contributed equally to the success of the campaign, said Dias. He repeatedly attributed the success of the campaign to Rahul Kansal and Priya Gupta of The Times of India brand team.

This clearly shows that if the Client and the Agency / Consultant work with open minds, it is easy to tame even lions.

Kudos to all creative Indian brains!!

MNC Captives in India - Location Preferences

It is interesting to note that out of 502 MNC captive centers in India, more than half of them reside in Bangalore. To be exact, 275 at Bangalore, 75 at NCR, 73 at Pune, 52 at Hyderabad and 27 at Chennai.

Even though Hyderabad and Chennai have less captives centres, they are fast emerging as a preferred destination for new comers, says Zinnov.

Not far behind is Cochin, Kolkatta, Nagpur, Ahmedabad and Chandigarh.