With the recent release of the Kurkure Xtreme and Kinetic Flyte commercials, it seems that the trend of spoofs in advertising has taken off again. Several ads in the past have had reasonable success in quickly grabbing consumers’ attention. The industry consensus is that such spoofing strategies usually failed in building brands of quality, and that such commercials communicated the lack of creative ideas.  more...

The listener base is there and so is enough scope for innovative content, however, setting up radio stations in smaller towns is not all that easy. FM radio broadcasters have put forth their views on the problems that have faced and the probable solutions.  more...

Telugu daily ‘Andhra Jyothi’ has become the first language newspaper in Andhra Pradesh to introduce all pages colour for its Kakinada edition. The daily is investing Rs 100 crore towards making all of its 19 editions all page colour, and for developing the infrastructure in order to facilitate its expansion plans.  more...

Percept Knorigin, the media arm of Percept Holdings, has acquired Searchize, a search engine marketing company based in Mumbai. Searchize offers search-related marketing and analytics services like organic search optimisation, contextual paid advertising on popular search platforms like Google, Yahoo! and MSN.  more...

The CNN-IBN Indian of the Year 2007 will be held in partnership with Hindustan Times on January 29, 2008 in Delhi. The award recognises Indians whose contributions during the year have strengthened the foundation of our society and helped build brand India.  more...

Sify Technologies Ltd has unveiled a new visual identity of its corporate brand. The new logo is a reflection of Sify’s outlook and nature of business: a fresh, vibrant and eco-friendly green signalling a new, paper-free world, counterpoised by a business-like, dependable grey.  more...

Radio One Chennai is turning one on January 10. In order to celebrate the first anniversary, the station has lined up some interesting and entertaining activities for its listeners. The first anniversary celebrations will conclude in early February with an on-ground event titled ‘Radio One Nite’.  more...

Zoom TV has launched a show ‘Director’s Cut’ that features Kabir Bedi in one-on-one interactions with eminent directors of Indian cinema. It celebrates their journey as filmmakers who have shaped the face of film entertainment. The show will premiere on January 20 in the prime time slot of 8 pm.  more...

Venke Sharma, Senior VP & Director, Arc Worldwide, holds that while many in India still look towards London or the US for solutions to retail design, one needs to understand that the purchase path of Indian consumers is quite unique. About Internet marketing, he says that information architecture, user-centric design, secure site backend and a robust content updation process are the four pillars for maximising web presence.   more...

Interpublic Group of Cos.' Initiative has won media duties for Hyundai Motor America's Hyundai and Kia brands following a review, according to executives familiar with the matter. Initiative beat out incumbent Aegis Group's Carat and Havas Media for the massive account.  more...

LAS VEGAS (AdAge.com) -- The scene felt as if the president of the U.S. was speaking, from the heavy security presence complete with bomb-sniffing dogs to a line wrapped around two levels of the hall at the Venetian Palazzo Ballroom here two hours before a keynote speech was to take place.  more...