Monday, 28 November 2016

Tata Sons' shareholders discord may hit group cos: S&P

NEW DELHI: S&P Global Ratings today said the continuing discord between the shareholders of Tata Group holding firm Tata Sons Ltd, has created uncertainty at the board level for group companies and could lead to slow decision-making in these entities. 

Expecting the group companies to be all professionally managed, the US-based firm said that it hoped that all these firms will continue to deliver on their business and financial plans as they are "currently unaffected by the developments". 

"The continuing discord between the shareholders of Tata Sons Ltd (unrated), the holding company of the India-based Tata group, has created uncertainty at the board level for the group companies," S&P Global Ratings said. 

The Group companies which S&P rates are Tata SteelBSE 1.42 % UK Holdings Ltd, Tata Steel, Tata PowerBSE 0.27 %, Tata Motors, Jaguar Land Rover Automotive PLC and Tata Consultancy Services Ltd. 

"We will review our assessment if we see greater control of Tata Sons over the board, strategy, and cash flows of individual companies," S&P said. 

S&P said it "notes" the sudden removal of Tata Sons Ltd. chairman Cyrus Mistry on November 4, and some independent directors, and allegations and counter-allegations on various matters raise corporate governance issues for various group companies. 

"These developments could also affect investor confidence in the group, which is generally well-respected for its corporate practices. 

"We believe the timely appointment of a new and well-respected chairman combined with strong independent directors can provide clear direction to individual companies and help restore the group's credibility, and restore investor confidence in the group's corporate governance practices," S&P said. 

The recent events at Tata Group could lead to slow decision-making at some of these companies, it noted. 

"However, we believe that the companies are all professionally managed and will continue to deliver on their business and financial plans, despite the recent developments," it said. 

It also said that the ratings on group companies Tata Steel Ltd., Tata Power Ltd., and Tata Motors Ltd already factor in the weakness of the European operations, of the Mundra plant, and of the India operations, respectively. 

"In our assessment, we consider Tata Sons as an unlisted investment holding company for the promoter group and do not factor in any direct support in assessing the credit profiles of individual ratings. 

"We expect the Tata group to continue to manage and run the rated group companies independently with professional management, without intermingling funds," it added. 

S&P said that some Tata group companies such as Tata Steel and Tata Power have high leverage and are pursuing strategic measures for deleveraging; which may probably get delayed. 

Unrelated to the recent developments, we have not built the success of some of these initiatives in our assessment of the credit profiles of these companies, it said. 

"We also expect Tata Motors to benefit from the good operating performance of Jaguar Land Rover, and Tata Consultancy Services to build on its business position and maintain its robust financial performance," S&P said. 

Resource: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/
Resource: http://grandiose.org.in/

25th annual Delhi Christmas parade Dec. 3

The Delhi Business Association’s 25th annual Christmas Parade steps off at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 3, at Greenwell Avenue and Delhi Pike.

This year’s chairman is Tavis D. Curd, vice president of the Delhi Business Association. He is a financial advisor with Edward Jones Investments. Other parade contributors include business association members Russ Brose, Gary Schroeder, Marty Schultes and Tony Cappel.

Grand marshal of this year’s Christmas Parade is Robert “Bob” Sanker.

He’s been a Delhi businessowner since 1960, operating “Sanker’s Service & U Haul” at the corner of Delhi Pike and Pedretti Road. Every Christmas, Sanker supplies trucks to carry “Giving Tree Gifts” to lower income parishes.

Sanker served with the Delhi Township Fire Dept. for 43 years .In May, he was in attendance, in uniform, along with current Fire Chief Doug Campbell at the groundbreaking for the new Delhi Fire Station on Greenwell Avenue. Retired Assistant Chief Sanker was one of the volunteers who helped build the 1956 Greenwell Fire Station and he worked out of it for many years.

Sanker, 80, and his wife Joan were nominated for the Delhi Press feature “Neighbors Who Care” in 2014. They still live in Delhi, where they raised seven children. He is a member of St. Dominic Church where he is president of the St. Vincent de Paul Society. He also volunteered as a driver for Meals on Wheels.

This year’s parade will feature more than 60 units, including the Oak Hills High School Band; the Delhi Township Fire Department; non-profit groups, including the Delhi Civic Association and the Delhi Historical Society, and local businesses.

Regardless of how many units are in the parade, youngsters along the route are waiting for the guest of honor. Santa Claus is traditionally the last entry in the parade. When the parade ends, Santa will be at Remke market for photos with youngsters.

The parade route travels Delhi Pike, starting at Greenwell Avenue and following the Pike to Anderson Ferry Road.

The parade opened Delhi Township’s bicentennial celebration last year, is the first of two closing events on Saturday. The celebration is bookended by the traditional Christmas parade, sponsored by the Delhi Business Association. The bicentennial ends with the Bicentennial Gala in the evening Saturday, Dec. 3, at The Farm, 239 Anderson Ferry Road, beginning at 6 p.m. The gala features full buffet dinner, dancing to the Pete Wagner Band, and live auction. WKRC/Local 12 personality Bob Herzog will emcee the event.

Major sponsor of the event is Mount St. Joseph University with corporate sponsorships by Bayley Community and Buckeye Land Title Co. All proceeds from the event go toward a permanent bicentennial project to benefit the Delhi community.

Reservations are required. Peg Schmidt, gala coordinator, says it’s important to remember that tickets will not be sold at the door. To reserve online or for more information, visit the website at www.Delhihistoricalsociety.org or call 513-451-4313.

Delhi Business Association president Tony Cappel says the parade is one way for Delhi businesses to give back to the community.

“I think all the Delhi businesses appreciate what the community does for us,” he said. ‘It would be difficult to stay afloat without the loyalty they show when they shop locally. This is one way we can show our appreciation.”

Resource: http://www.cincinnati.com/
Resource: http://grandiose.org.in/

IMI New Delhi hosts National Alumni Meet 2016; launches Connexion '16-Corporate Symphony

New Delhi based International Management Institute (IMI), one of India’s leading B-schools, hosted its annual alumni event, the National Alumni Meet, 2016 on Saturday, November 12, 2016, at its campus. The day was marked as a congregation of sorts, as it created a reminiscence of the years spent under the ever-guiding shadow of the institute.

The event began on a high note with a mellifluous performance by Enthral, the music society of IMI, New Delhi which set the ground rolling for a truly rhapsodic evening. This was followed by the lighting of the lamp by the dignitaries namely Dr. P K Bhaumik- Acting Director, Dr. Arvind Chaturvedi- Dean Academics and Alumni relations, Dr. Pinaki Dasgupta- Dean Placements and Corporate Relations, Dr. Arun K Rath- Dean International Relations and Executive Education and Mr Rajiv Dhawan- President, National Alumni Association. The dignitaries also addressed the gathering with some thoughtful insights.

IMI, New Delhi has always expressed profound gratitude to its Alumni community for their support and recognition they have brought to the college. Carrying forward the appurtenant tradition, the event unfurled further by the unveiling of the NAM video, acknowledging the alumni community for their support to the events like Conventus and Kritva. This was followed by another video, providing the viewers with a glimpse of how IMI, New Delhi progressed through the years. The event moved forward with the launch of the Alumni Portal, developed in tandem with AlmaConnect, which has already seen more than 1400 registrations.

Moving further, the flash mob dance performance by the IMI, New Delhi students energized the evening. This was followed by the Jubilee celebration, wherein the 1991 batch and the 2001 batch were felicitated for the completion of Silver and Crystal Jubilees respectively.  The event saw launching of yearly Alumni magazine- “Connexion’16- Corporate Symphony” which aims at providing a connecting link to the institute’s ex-student community. Mr. Rajeev Dhawan awarded the Bangalore Chapter of IMI, New Delhi’s Alumni chapter meets for the highest percentage attendance under the Footprints Premier League. Comedian Rajneesh Kapoor tickled the audience with some amusing humour. Following the uproarious act, the stage was made open for karaoke as the guests proceeded for dinner.

The alums were provided with IMI, New Delhi merchandise as a parting gift. With this, the National Alumni Meet-2016 came to a close. An event that will forever will be remembered by all its attendees as an ardent manifestation of the time they spent and the memories they gathered at the Institute.

Established in the year 1981, IMI New Delhi was India's first corporate sponsored business school. Mr Sanjiv Goenka, Chairman of the RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group, is the Chairman of the IMI Governing Committee. IMI New Delhi is one of the seven B-schools in India to have received an accreditation from the international accreditation agency, Association of MBAs (AMBA).

Resource: http://www.mbauniverse.com/
Resource: http://grandiose.org.in/

HOW SPORTS RIGHTS HOLDERS PROTECT AGAINST IP INFRINGEMENTS IN INDIA: PART 1 - OVERVIEW OF IP LAWS

Rapid changes in technology, media and the pattern of consumption of content have paved the way for a growing range of unauthorized uses of intellectual property rights ("IP”) in India. In particular, the barriers to the illegal reproduction and retransmission of copyrighted content on the Internet are so low – with easy access to relevant software, huge distribution, unlimited broadband, and perceived negligible risks of prosecution – that piracy of content has become pervasive. This represents an enormous challenge for content owners, especially in a globally important sports market such as India.

While revenues are the major draw for sports rights owners, the intangible benefits gained from association with a sporting event or team such as brand recognition in the market and goodwill generated cannot be overlooked. IP infringements and freeriding by unaffiliated parties have a negative impact not only on the integrity of the sports rights owners’ rights but also on the sporting event as a whole. It is understandable that entities want to associate with major sporting events and teams to promote their business interests. While some of these are acceptable and fair uses, a majority of them can be considered IP or other infringements, and need to be addressed.

This article provides a step-by-step guide for sports rights owners to address IP infringements in India. The article is split into two parts. 
  • Part 1, below, explains the IP regime in India, looking specifically at:

Types of IP - the IP assets that are protected by law in India, namely: copyright, trade marks, design rights, publicity/personality rights, and data rights;
Registration requirements - the registration steps (if any) that need to be taken to ensure that IP assets are fully protected under the law; and
How to establish a comprehensive rights protection programme - for sporting events, a rights protection programme is a systematic plan of action to protect the investment of and the exclusive rights granted to the sponsors, partners and licensees of an event

  • Part 2, available here, moves on to considers how rights holders can protect their rights, looking specifically at:
  • How to engage with infringers – the action that can be taken to try and stop a breach prior to commencing official legal proceedings;
  • The legal remedies available to rights holders looking to enforce their rights - how to initiate legal proceedings against consistent infringers; 
  • Conclusion – authors’ comments on addressing IP infringement in India’s sports industry


UNDERSTANDING THE IP THAT NEEDS PROTECTION

In the context of this article, it is imperative to understand the stakeholders or sports rights owners whose IP is being infringed. The primary sports rights owners are evidently the event organisers or the governing body of the sport. Event organisers often contractually or otherwise grant rights in specific properties in the event to other entities, most notably: broadcasters, franchise/team owners, sponsors, partners and service providers. Further, the sportspersons participating in the event can also be considered sports rights owners in certain circumstances relating to the use of the sportspersons’ name, image or persona without licence or authorisation.

In the context of sports and sporting events, the following properties are protected under the existing IP regime in India:

COPYRIGHT
Original literary, dramatic, musical and artistic works, cinematographic films and sound recordings are classes of works in which copyright subsists under the Copyright Act, 1957.1 In addition, copyright law protects broadcasting and performers’ rights. Copyright can exist, with respect to sports, in recorded visual images or commentaries of sports events, photographs of events, teams, athletes, materials used in administration and promotion of the sport and the team/franchise. In respect of the event itself, the fixtures, programs, published results, and computer programs may be subject to copyright protection. Logos and mascots may be protected as “artistic works” whereas slogans may be protected as “literary works”. 

TRADE MARKS
The Trade Marks Act, 1999,2 protects registered marks such as names, logos, brands of the event and each individual team/franchise. Trade mark lies at the heart of branding and the branding elements are critical for creating value for the event in the market. Event names, team names, their respective logos, tag-lines, colour schemes, emblems, and similar elements relating to the branding and merchandising can be the subject of trade mark registration.

DESIGN RIGHTS
Registration of a design gives the owner protection for the visual appearance of the product, not over the functionality of the product. Examples of products which can be registered under the Designs Act, 2000,3 in the context of sports are merchandise, equipment, footwear, and apparel.

PUBLICITY/PERSONALITY RIGHTS
Publicity rights are generally defined as the right of an individual to commercialise his/her persona for commercial purposes. The concept of personality rights is generally understood to mean the rights an individual retains over the use of his/her persona, and includes the right of privacy as well as publicity rights within its scope. Although not granted specifically under any law, Indian courts have upheld cases under Article 21 of the Constitution of India4 (the Right to Protection of Life and Personal Liberty) where the infringement of personality rights of sportspersons due to unauthorized usage by entities of such sportspersons’ name, fame, image, and other facets of their personality were called into question. However, in ICC Development (International) Ltd. v. Arvee Enterprises and Anr,5 the High Court of Delhi unambiguously stated that non-living entities are not entitled to the protection of publicity rights in an event. 

DATA RIGHTS
The centralized collection and effective marketing of sports data (in the form of live score updates, SMS score updates, fantasy sports, etc.) have emerged as niche parts of the business of sport. However, the law regarding the ownership and commercial exploitation of sports data in India is still unsettled. Event owners, therefore, must rely on other proprietary rights and supplementary contractual measures to establish their rights over event-related facts and information.

Apart from the protections afforded under intellectual property laws as discussed above, rights granted by event organisers to their partners, broadcasters, sponsors, teams and other entities contractually or otherwise may be protected through a contractually obligated comprehensive rights protection programme (as described in detail in Step 3). 

Resource: http://www.lawinsport.com/
Resource: http://grandiose.org.in/

Tata Sons seeks IHCL shareholders' nod to remove Mistry

The company said notice is given on the requisition of Tata Sons which holds 28.01 per cent of the share capital of the company.

New Delhi: Tata Sons has asked shareholders of Indian Hotels Co Ltd - the firm that runs Taj Group of Hotels, to remove Cyrus P Mistry as director of the company as he has caused "enormous harm" to the group as well as IHCL and its stakeholders.

In a resolution moved by the holding company of the Tata Group for consideration of an EGM on December 20, it said Mistry after being removed as Chairman of Tata Sons had "made certain unsubstantiated allegations, which cast aspersions not only on Tata Sons Ltd and its board of directors, but also on the Tata Group as a whole, of which IHCL is an integral part".

Alleging that Mistry had made confidential communication public, Tata Sons said his "conduct has caused enormous harm to the Tata Group, IHCL and its stakeholders, including employees and shareholders".

Attributing the abrupt October 24 removal of Mistry as head of Tata Sons - the holding company of the over USD 100 billion salt-to-software group, to a combination of several factors, it said the removal was "absolutely necessary for the future success of the Tata Group".

"IHCL, of which Tata Sons Ltd is a promoter, forms an integral part of the Tata group and enjoys the right to use - 'A Tata Enterprise' by virtue of the Tata brand equity and Business Promotion Agreement entered into between IHCL and Tata Sons Ltd. "Substantial goodwill and benefits accrue to IHCL by such usage and association with the Tata group," it added.

In a filing to bourses IHCL today said an Extra Ordinary General Meeting (EGM) would be held on December 20, 2016 to consider removal of Cyrus Mistry as director of the company.

The company said notice is given on the requisition of Tata Sons which holds 28.01 per cent of the share capital of the company.

The EGM will meet to consider and if thought fit pass the resolution for removal of Cyrus P Mistry from the office of the director of the company with effect from the date of the meeting. Mistry continues to be the chairman of IHCL.

The Ratan Tata-led interim management of Tata Sons is seeking to oust Mistry from his positions in the operating group firms. The EGM comes after the company's board of directors on November 4 supported Mistry's leadership and continuance as chairman of the company.

In a sudden and dramatic turn of events last month, Mistry was unceremoniously removed as the chairman of Tata Sons and replaced by his predecessor Ratan Tata in the interim, triggering a confrontation between the single-largest shareholder and the Tatas.

Resource: http://www.deccanchronicle.com/
Resource: http://grandiose.org.in/

Thursday, 24 November 2016

Sonakshi Sinha launches New Balance brand in Delhi

Sonakshi Sinha recently launched the country's first store of the global athletic brand, New Balance, at India's largest mall, DLF Mall of India, in Noida. Speaking at the launch, Pushpa Bector, EVP & head, DLF Mall of India, said, "We are delighted to welcome New Balance to the country at DLF Mall of India. It is a brand with great energy which is well suited to the destination positioning of the mall. Here, 330 chosen brands offer the best retail experience in India for customers."

In my everyday life, I'd rather wear sneakers and sportswear because it's just so much easier and more comfortable - Sonakshi Sinha...

Resource: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/
Resource: http://grandiose.org.in/

Paytm to spend Rs 500 crore on brand promotion in sports events

Mobile commerce firm Paytm will invest Rs 500 crore over the next four years for branding and promotion across sporting events.

One97 Communications, owner of Paytm, has already acquired the title sponsorship rights for India's matches at home for a period of four years for about Rs 203 crore.

"Sports, and especially cricket, is an important category in India. Branding and promotion during important sporting events is a great way to connect with the audience and we are committed to this.

"In four years, we plan to spend about Rs 500 crore," Paytm Senior Vice President Shankar Nath told PTI.

The rights include sponsor branding of series with the title sponsor logo, designation as the title sponsor of the series, visibility at the stadium, and broadcast sponsorship rights.

"With nearly 84 matches scheduled over the next four years with all major countries playing in India, we are hopeful that Paytm will be able to build a strong and strategic association with cricket," he said.

He added that apart from BCCI, Paytm has also taken the on-air co-presenting sponsorship TV rights on Star.

"This will entitle Paytm to a significant on-air presence on the channel's SD & HD feeds through ad seconds, push-backs etc, all of which enhance the brand's awareness during the course of the series," he said.

Paytm offers mobile recharge, utility bill payments and mobile wallet services.

The company saw 2-3 times jump in both traffic and transaction volumes after the promotion during World Cup and IPL.

Nath said the company is also exploring sponsorship opportunities in other sports like football, kabaddi and badminton.

Resource: http://www.dnaindia.com/
Resource: http://grandiose.org.in/

Brands and Bloggers Meet, first of its kind event in Delhi

New Delhi, May 27 (ANI-Businesswire India): Team Lamhe, in association with Neuz Saloon, hosted the Brands and Bloggers Meet on Thursday (May 26) at Ardor Lounge, Connaught place. The best of both worlds - Fashion and Lifestyle - graced the event, with 17 brands showcased in the presence of Delhi's top 30 fashion and lifestyle bloggers!

Powered by Perch and sponsored by QuirkyBytes, this event was a great opportunity for bloggers to gain some valuable insights, listen to some honest reviews, get a low-down on current trends as well as solve all their queries. To add icing on the cake was hospitality partner, Ardor, Connaught Place which provided sumptuous food of the culinary excellence.

From spotting the latest trends, to understanding the intricacies of the industry, the event gave many choices to the bloggers. With so many blogs constantly filling up the digital world, it can be a bit difficult for bloggers to make their mark. This event not only helped them in finding the right direction, but also gave them a chance to interact with other bloggers and brands across various categories which proved to be a useful medium for creating valuable and engaging content.
Talking about the event, Amrapali Singh, Founder, Kamaali Couture, one of the participating brands, said, "These kind of events are required to bridge the gap between brands and bloggers. Nowadays, word of mouth is the best source to generate sales and revenue for your business and such events are one step closer to that."

Brands that made their mark in the event included Perch by Akriti (their nightwear makes lounging around fun and comfortable), Studio Tishya (their Home Linen collection captures the brilliance of various Indian fabrics, weaves and crafts, bringing them to life with elegant design sensibilities), Ministry of Designs (known for creating ethnic silhouettes in a modern avatar), Nandeetas (handcrafted shoulder bags, sling bags, and leather bags), Daisy Behl (a contemporary fashion brand that integrates rich fabrics with ethnic elements), Krasns Couture (whether you're in search of a classic black dress or that stunning evening gown, Krasns Couture has something for every occasion), BirdWalk (the answer to every fashion connoisseur's dream), Secret Dresser (an affordable online portal that brings together the best designers from around the world), Rekinza(India's first social marketplace that allows users to shop, sell and share pre-owned fashion items) and Kamaali Couture (focused primarily on cocktail couture, their designs are perfectly tailored, with just the right amount of colours and comfortable fabrics).

Hathi (the classic shapes and elementary designs of their clothes are super versatile), Adaah by Ankita (a jewellery brand, is known for creating pieces that look stunning, edgy, dramatic, and very classy), Jaipur Rugs (a brand that is god sent for an handloom addict), Mod Squad (for cool footwear pieces that very few people can walk away from), QuirkyByte (an online platform that is giving many budding writers an opportunity to fulfil their dreams), Neu Salonz (with a range of international beauty products and in-house treatments) and Ardor - a popular haunt among many people for their amazing dishes and impeccable services. PHEW!

With so many credible brands and bloggers taking part, there was something for everyone here. (ANI-Businesswire India)

Resource: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/
Resource: http://grandiose.org.in/

Wednesday, 23 November 2016

Businesses invited to make the impossible possible at Wednesday event

BUSINESSES are being invited to join high profile speakers for "making the impossible possible" at the next Worcestershire Innovation Wednesday event.

The interactive session, titled "Six impossible things before breakfast", will take place on November 30 from 5pm – 8.30pm at the University of Worcester Arena.

Zeke Abry of cordless power tool specialists Gtech and Rob Draper, a talented local artist and designer are just some of the speakers who will be sharing their stories on how they used innovation to make the impossible possible. The event will include a Mad Hatters Tea Party, with complimentary food and the return of the popular mock-tails.

The WINN programme is designed to bring together networks of innovation communities and like-minded individuals to form successful collaborations, provide a vibrant and creative environment to inspire ideas and opportunities and assist in launching new concepts.

Businesses are also being asked to save the date for future WINN Wednesday events, taking place next year on February 8 and April 5.

Gary Woodman, chief executive of Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “Innovation really is crucial for allowing businesses to boost their productivity and expand their business’ presence in existing markets or potentially into new markets, and this can only be good news for our local economy.

“WINN Wednesdays really are a fantastic opportunity for local companies to discuss new ideas and network with industry experts in an innovative business environment.”

A limited number of spaces are available for the free event and businesses are encouraged to register at the earliest opportunity via the Worcestershire Innovation website, www.winn-hub.com.

Resource: http://www.worcesternews.co.uk/
Resource: http://grandiose.org.in/

Downtown bakery opening event space, adding food truck

Koko Tea Salon & Bakery, open for business in downtown Columbus for several months, now is opening to business.

Owner Ava Misseldine took over an 1,800-square-foot space on the ground floor of the revived Seneca Building at 361 E. Broad St. this summer and, with her business feet steady, she’s ready to expand the shop by targeting businesses.

“We’ve been testing things, finding out what people like, what they don’t,” she said.

She sees a few opportunities. In addition to its ground floor, Koko has a 1,200-square-foot mezzanine, to be called the Mezz at Koko, that Misseldine will begin marketing for corporate functions and special events. The event space can accommodate more than 100 guests.

Being a short hop from the Columbus College of Art & Design, she plans to pitch the space for school showings and events.

It also can come in handy for the Gahanna arm of her business. Misseldine, a chemical engineer by trade, launched her first bakery – it was named Sugar Inc. – in 2009 in Dublin before relocating to Gahanna three years later and renaming it Koko in a nod to her Hawaiian roots.

The shop, at 116 Mill St., is in the heart of old Gahanna.

“There, I’m used to being part of the community, to having that connection,” she said. “But that’s harder to do here (downtown), so you have to reach out.”

But the Gahanna shop is in a 115-year-old former house, and while it has a spacious backyard for entertaining, she has been limited on the events she can host.

“We can bring some events from there to here,” she said of the Columbus site.

In another play for the business trade, Koko will make a greater push for boxed lunch catering sales from downtown.

Expected to help is the addition of a food truck.

“Before I moved to Gahanna, I had a food truck,” Misseldine said. “I miss it.”

Though it will be driving around, serving up cupcakes, bubble teas, baked goods and coffee, the later supplied by her brother’s coffee plantation in Hawaii, Misseldine sees it more as a marketing tool than a sales vehicle.

“We want to let people know we’re here,” she said. “We want that driving around town, advertising us.”

Misseldine jumped at the chance to expand the bakery to a second site when her broker, Bryan Savage of Savage Real Estate, showed her the space. “It’s a beautiful space with great bones. I see the potential here,” she said.

The site also afforded her a larger kitchen that enables Misseldine to expand her baked goods offerings and should be a boost to her catering business.

“We can do things here that we just couldn’t do in Gahanna,” she said. “I want to make more French pastries, eclairs.”

In its opening months, Koko expanded its menu to include more wraps to play for a lunch time crowd.

“We came to the conclusion that we need to do what we do best, what’s unique to us – and that’s baked goods,” she said. “We make good wraps, but we’re not a deli. So we’ll be doing more hand pies, quiche, salads, some more healthy options.”

Koko is a weekday business, but Misseldine plans to launch weekend hours soon that will feature brunch and a high tea.

“I’ve always wanted to host high teas, but there isn’t enough space in Gahanna,” she said.

Resource: http://www.bizjournals.com/
Resource: http://grandiose.org.in/

Tuesday, 22 November 2016

Exclusive: Marketplace for luxury brands vClusive raises funding

vClusive, an omni-channel marketplace for luxury brands, has raised its first external round of funding, the company’s founder and CEO told Techcircle.

Vinu Sundaresan said vClusive raised Rs 42.6 crore ($6.3 million) in a round led by venture capital firm Hunch Ventures. A clutch of angel investors also took part in the round.

vClusive, operated by California-based direct marketing company vMobo, will use the capital for technology development. A part of the money will also go toward marketing and branding campaigns.

vMobo rebranded its main product vCloud, a cloud network for multi-brand rewards and privilege programme, into vClusive this year after the acquisition of fintech startup Binge and merger with Mumbai-based styling startup Dapper Don.

Sundaresan said vClusive assists retailers in customer acquisition, retention and engagement. It also helps consumers to access products and brands from any device.

The platform claims to be hosting more than 120 brands and 85,000 users. It ties up with labels such as Montblanc, Café Noir, Bally, Davidoff, L’Occitane, Ravissant. The network has reported almost $7 million in net sales till date. Sundaresan said the size of the luxury market in the country is estimated to grow to $18 billion by the end of 2016 from $5.7 billion in 2012.

vClusive has presence in Bengaluru, Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Chennai. Sundaresan said the firm, which also operates in Dubai, is planning its international expansion during the second quarter of 2017. However, he didn’t divulge any details.

Hunch Ventures is a private investment firm floated by Karanpal Singh. Singh was associated with Essential Resources Pvt. Ltd and KJS Concrete before launching this venture last year. The firm primarily targets companies in the technology and education sectors for investment. It normally comes in the angel round and backed entertainment technology platform TalentNext earlier this month.

A few other companies in the broader luxury products marketplace category have raised funding over the past year. In September, Mumbai-based online beauty essentials retailer Nykaa raised $12 million (Rs 82 crore) in a round led by Hero Group’s Sunil Munjal. The online marketplace sells luxury products for both women and men.

Last year, Mumbai-based Armoire Lifestyle Pvt Ltd, which runs an online platform for women’s luxury wear Envoged.com, raised seed funding.

Resource: http://techcircle.vccircle.com/
Resource: http://grandiose.org.in/

Ansal relaunches flagship shopping mall in South Delhi

New Delhi, Nov 9 (PTI) Realty firm Ansal Properties and Infrastructure Ltd today announced relaunch of its 17-year-old shopping mall Ansal Plaza in South Delhi and has signed 16 new brands, including French sporting goods retailer Decathlon as its anchor brand.

The company has invested Rs 10 crore to renovate this shopping mall spread over 1.78 lakh sq ft and will relaunch it from the first week of December, the companys Vice Chairman Pranav Ansal said.

"We opened Ansal Plaza in 1999 and it was the first shopping mall in the North India. It was not doing well for the last few years. So, we are relaunching this mall. People have lot of strong memories which they would like to relive," Ansal told reporters here.

"The mall will be repositioned as Delhis one stop F&B and sports hub. We want to leverage with great location and over 1,000 car parks," he added.

Ansal said Decathlon would be the anchor store in the shopping mall with over 20,000 sq ft of area.

Ansal API Head (Retail) Amit Phull said the average footfall in this mall was 12,000 in the beginning and then peaked to 18,000 in 2005 before falling to 4,000 last year. It had housed top brands such as Shoppers Stop, Adidas, M&S, McDonalds and Music World among others.

After the relaunch, the company is now targeting 25,000 visitors on weekends, he added.

Caroline Mulliez, Expansion Manager, Decathlon Sports India said this would be companys 40th store in India.
The company will have 50 stores by early 2017 spread across 30 cities, she added.

Ansal Group is looking at Ansal Plaza to set the pace for the revival of its portfolio of nine existing malls spread across five different states within North India -- Rajasthan Punjab, Haryana, Delhi-NCR and Uttar Pradesh.

"We will also be relaunching our shopping mall in Ludhiana," he said, while adding other malls were performing well.

Ansal Properties and Infrastructure (Ansal API) operates in a range of business verticals such as integrated township, condominiums, group housing, malls, shopping complex, hotels, SEZs and IT Parks among others. PTI MJH RKL SRK ABI

Resource: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/
Resource: http://grandiose.org.in/

Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group announces expansion plans

NEW DELHI: At the Hotel Investment Forum India (HIFI) 2016 held on Thursday, hotel chain Carlson Rezidor announced a strengthening of its leadership position in India through its strategy of increasing the company’s presence in state capitals and key cities. 

The Group’s India portfolio comprises of 140 hotels in operation and under various stages of development across 60 cities in India, including 16 state capitals. This year, 14 are on pace to be signed and eight are anticipated to .. 

“Our growth story is complemented by strong operating performance. Despite pressure from increased supply, we have made gains in market share, improved profit margins and raised Net Promoter Score (NPS), all indicators of achievements we are proud of. This sets us on pace to have 170 hotels within our India portfolio by 2020,” added Raj Rana, chief executive officer, South Asia, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group. 

Resource: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/
Resource: http://grandiose.org.in/

Sunday, 20 November 2016

Retailers: Stop Playing the Promotion Game

Today's best retail strategies are less about by having the best discounts and more about devising smart ways to avoid them. Going against the promotional grain and avoiding sales is a powerful, brand equity-building strategy. Waitlists work better as brand-boosters than sales alerts. Limited inventory works better for brand affinity than overstock. "Sold out" works better for brand loyalty than "70 percent off."

Discounts and promotions are lazy retail marketing, aimed at achieving short-term gains within the old-fashioned retail model. A consumer-centric, data-driven, iterative retail approach is much harder to adopt and implement, but it is infinitely more rewarding.

'Veblen goods'
In order to protect their competitive advantage, modern retailers need to turn their merchandise into so-called "Veblen goods." Outlier to the established economic link between supply and demand, a Veblen good is one whose demand and sales increases with its price.

A product's value is higher if it comes with superior customer service and a targeted, hand-crafted personal message. Shopping aggregator Lyst's data-driven and culturally plugged-in email program makes its brand more desirable from a customer point of view. Consequently, Lyst's has a better conversion rate than most fashion retailers.
A small "welcome" discount -- practiced by high-end fashion aggregators like Farfetch -- doesn't hurt brand equity and makes consumers feel appreciated and welcomed.

Gentle, timely, and well-written reminders of items left in the shopping cart don't need to have a promotional prompt to be effective. More important is that the message comes in at the right time, with the right copy.

Invite-only, extra-limited-time sales work well for VIP customers. A high-end digital retailer like Net-a-Porter knows who their best customers are, where they are, and what they like, and so rewards their loyalty via a special, private, occasional sale.

Value-adds vs promotions
Having a tiered inventory and a distribution strategy is a value-add that helps to avoid discounts. A brand like Burberry, which has different retail touchpoints -- a physical store, an e-commerce website and partner retailers -- can select the cadence of releasing merchandise across all its brand channels in a manner that caters to consumer demand.

The iterative approach to merchandise design as practiced by Everlane enables this direct-to-consumer retailer to sell products that its customers want and are willing to pay the full price for. Classic pieces that don't have a fashion expiration date never need to go on sale.

Everlane also combines social listening data, e-commerce and in-store sales data and search data to gain insight into the patterns of consumer demand across their merchandise. It informs decision as to when and where to make different products available, depending on when consumer demand is the highest.

Behavioral economics
Thanks to the behavioral economics of shopping, smart retailers like Acne Studios can, under veneer of an exclusive, limited-time sample sale, successfully get rid of last year's merchandise. Everlane resorts to similar demand-boosting tactics. In 2012 and 2013, this direct-to-consumer retailer shut down its website on Black Friday. In 2015, it offered shoppers a choice between three discount options, each of which contributed to health insurance of Everlane's factory workers to a different extent.

Waitlists and "back in stock" email sign-ups not only provide an organic email capture tool for brands, they cater to consumer psychology. Waiting for something makes us want it more, and value it more, when it finally arrives. Just ask Everlane fans.

Consumers today are so primed for deals that they won't even consider anything that's full-priced. According to NPD Group, two-thirds of all consumers are off-price buyers. In fact, many intentionally abandon their shopping carts on a regular basis in the hopes of triggering discounts by email.

According to research, it makes sense: Getting a good retail deal makes us happy -- and we prefer many small discounts to a few large ones. Tyranny of choice plays a role, too: Faced with an overwhelming number of choices of nearly-identical merchandise, price has become our go-to decision-making tool.
But there are many other ways to steer consumers toward purchase. It is up to retailers to explore and employ them.

Resource: http://www.adageindia.in/

Spykar to step into footwear segment in 2017

MUMBAI: In a bid to strengthen its portfolio, fashion apparel brand Spykar plans to launch its range of footwear next year and will invest Rs 90 crore in the category by 2020.
"We plan to launch the Spykar footwear by 2017. We will invest what's needed and we estimate... Rs 90 crore by 2020," Spykar Lifestyle Chief Operating Officer Sanjay Vakharia told PTI.

"We will be starting with men's wear. The categories we will cater to is flip flops, slippers, shoes. The pricing will start from Rs 599," he added.
The company is aiming to clock a turnover of Rs 325 crore this year, a growth of over 30 per cent from last year's figure of Rs 242 crore.

"We saw a growth of close to 30 per cent in 2015-16 and the consumer segment is quite exciting and is expected to do better in times to come," he said.

Predominantly perceived as a men's wear brand, Spykar expects its women's division to contribute to 30 per cent of sales by 2020 from 15 per cent now.
Launched in 1992, Spykar, which gets 60 per cent of its sales from smaller towns, has 210 franchise stores, which it plans to increase to 400 by 2020.

With e-commerce fast emerging as a preferred mode of shopping, the company expects a sizeable contribution from the online segment in coming years.
"Currently, 6 per cent of our revenues come from online channel. Going ahead, we see 20 per cent of revenues from online," he said.

Resource: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/

Brand Sports, a subset of Brand Promotions, to manage India's 1st Extreme Nationals

Skateboarding and BMX have been in the country for around a decade now but have been extremely slow in their growth. It was only with the advent of Holystoked that it picked up the pace and now with Brand Sports and XSAI, it has reached a new milestone. 

Happening in Mumbai on the 19th and 20th of November, this will bring out the best athletes from all over the country. Only the best would pass this test and would get a chance to be a part of the Indian team for other international extreme sport competitions.

To give the event an internationally reputable scale, the ramp created by Brand Sports for this event ascribes to AXF standards and has all the opportunities that athletes would need to perform.

The event will be presided over by a panel of judges headed by Warren Stuart, the Vice- president of the Hong Kong Federation of Extreme Sports and also the Head Judge of the Asian Extreme Sports Federation along with big Indian names such as Shashank Somanna, Abhishek and Darius Barucha. 

Brand Sports has undertaken numerous such endeavours for its vision of a future where sports are parallel to one’s lifestyle and not a minimal add on. One such platform is Freespirit, where national and international professional athletes tutored children and young adults the basics of skateboarding and BMX while giving them inside tips on how to excel at it.

Brand Sports also created the X-Bus, the first ever mobile skateboarding platform to spread the vibe of extreme sports with events in multiple cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Pune. 

Extreme Invasion, another IP by Brand Sports was the first attempt to familiarise the Indian audience with the international class of athletes. Ten international athletes were called in who educated the audience about BMX, skateboarding and inline skating. This show went to Mumbai and Bangalore and was a resounding success with about 4000 audience members.

This wave of popularity was extremely helpful in creating the first ever Indian team to participate in an International extreme sports festival; the Chuncheon Action Sports Championship. Travelling all the way to South Korea, it was visible how important it was for the athletes to perform on that high a platform and to be finally applauded for their struggle in life.

Resource: http://everythingexperiential.businessworld.in/

Friday, 18 November 2016

Far East Organization acquires stake in Aussie restaurant group

Private property developer Far East Organization has acquired a 65 per cent stake in Vue Group, the Australian restaurant group by celebrity chef Shannon Bennett.

Bennett, 41, is best known as the head chef of his flagship Vue de Monde in Melbourne's Rialto Towers.

The Australian is also a guest chef on the reality cooking competition, MasterChef Australia, and a cookbook author.

He retains a 35 per cent stake in Vue Group and will continue to play a "key role" as its creative director, said the joint press statement issued yesterday by Far East Organization.

Bennett will also oversee the group's operations with its chief executive Michael Gray.

Vue Group started in 2000. Besides Vue de Monde, its portfolio of restaurants includes Jardin Tan and The Lui Bar in Melbourne; Burnham Bakery and The Piggery Cafe in Sherbrooke, Victoria; and Benny Burger at Sydney Airport, Bennett's latest venture.

For Far East Organization, this partnership marks its first investment into a food and beverage group in Australia.

Since 2013, the company and its listed unit Far East Orchard have invested A$1.8 billion (S$1.9 billion) in Australia and built a property portfolio there which spans multiple sectors.

In Singapore, Far East Organi- zation's food and beverage arm, Kitchen Language, was established in 2008. In 2014, it acquired a majority stake in home-grown F&B company The Big Idea.

The combined group operates under the umbrella of Refinery Concepts, which owns restaurants such as Kinki Restaurant + Bar at Customs House, Fat Cow at Camden Medical Centre and Oriole Coffee + Bar at Pan Pacific Orchard Serviced Suites in Somerset.

This year, Refinery Concepts launched its newest brand - gin bar Cin Cin in Peck Seah Street - and its first e-commerce platform with gourmet cafe chain Dean & DeLuca.

It also runs a catering arm, Kitchen Language Catering, and oversees the operations of three hotel restaurants - Saltwater Cafe at Village Hotel Changi, Straits Cafe at Rendezvous Hotel Singapore and Katong Kitchen at Village Hotel Katong.

Bennett, who had told The Straits Times in an interview two years ago that he would pick Singapore as the country for expansion, says: "I am looking forward to growing the group brands... working within both organisations to expand in Australia and Asia - something that the Vue Group has not been able to fully achieve without this partnership.

"The investment speaks volumes about Far East Organization's confidence in the Vue Group and our ideas to deliver innovative dining experiences."

Resource: http://www.straitstimes.com/

Idea Booth Continues Expansion With Jessica Zweig's Personal Branding Agency

CHICAGO, Nov. 16, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Idea Booth is proud to announce a new partnership with SimplyBe, a personal branding agency out of Chicago that will strengthen their existing offerings and capitalize growth.

Since 2008, Idea Booth, the disruptive think tank from the University of Chicago, has become the go-to creative solution transforming top brands like Nike, Walgreens and Viacom. They are now making a strategic bet on personal branding and the future of advertising.

SimplyBe is the venture of CEO, Jessica Zweig, the serial entrepreneur and lifestyle influencer who co-founded one of Chicago's top digital magazines for women, CheekyChicago.com in 2008.

After building head-turning ROI for over 100 global powerhouses such as Skinnygirl Cocktails, BMW and Nike, she set out to redefine the traditional agency and vibe, founding SimplyBe in 2014.

Zweig has received tremendous value from her own personal brand, sharing her self-made wisdom to convey authenticity to CEOs, entrepreneurs and company owners.

Individuals can hold just as much market value as a product or business.

"When you walk into a room, you want people to know who you are," Zweig said. "When people seek you out, you don't have to sell yourself, you simply just be." According to Zweig, having a personal digital footprint is a necessity and one of the most valuable things you can invest in right now.

The partnership comes at a time of major momentum and growth for Idea Booth, which has established itself as a creative leader in the industry, most recently after launching BGO (Blinding Glimpse of the Obvious) with former Digitas creative leader Mark Beeching at the helm, and acquiring UI/UX design firm, Pixl.

"After 20 years, I can confidently say there is an evolution taking place and the future in both public relations and marketing is personal branding," said Ron Gibori, Idea Booth's head of creative. "By teaming up with SimplyBe, we will be at the forefront of it to service our clients with disruptive ideas."

Zweig will continue to oversee the personal branding efforts of SimplyBe, in addition to the Idea Booth family of agencies.

Building a personal brand means building an audience to capture attention – and attention is the new currency.

Resource: http://finance.yahoo.com/

How third-party apps are transforming brand partnerships

When marketers partner with complementary brands, they're often seeking greater value and a larger reach than either party could achieve alone. The "strength in numbers" strategy makes tremendous sense during crunch times like the holidays, where a synergy of resources can make for blockbuster promotions. 

In today’s mobile-first world, these types of deals are increasingly inked with third-party apps: Absolut vodka, Lyft and Gratafy, an e-commerce platform, all banded together at the beginning of November for a "bot bartenders" and free ride promotion. IKEA similarly teamed up with Lyft competitor Uber to deliver 200 free "Friendsgiving" meal-planning kits just last week.   

The real-time marketing value of third-party app partnerships is proven — Uber successfully partnered with Hershey's to deliver Kisses last Valentine's Day — and can also help brands overcome some mobile obstacles.

"[A]s digital advertising continues to run into major headwinds due to ad blockers, consumer distaste and rampant fraud [...] marketing and ad dollars are increasingly being used to build out more effective, longer-lasting and durable brand partnerships that marry technology and marketing," said Mike Dudas, the co-founder and CRO of Button, a service that connects apps with commerce brands.  
And "durable" brand relations of this type are on the rise, per Dudas, especially as time spent on mobile devices increases — a trend that's made new brand discovery and continued engagement a challenge. Honing a focus on apps in particular is the smart move given that recent comScore research shows in-app commerce increasing 70% year-over-year.

“There is tremendous value leveraging the benefits of third-party marketplaces found through these apps," Charlie Lang, VP of product at Koupon Media, told Marketing Dive. "[Marketers] are able to insert their brand and associate their brand with the value provided by the third-party marketplace or app. Through this tactic, they are able to advertise value to a targeted audience.” 

Why third-party partners make sense

Dudas explained that brand partnerships have historically been best used in the co-marketing campaign sense or for the long-term strategic marketing found in things like sports sponsorships. 

"These partnerships between brands can be highly effective [...] and can provide exposure to new users, complementary experiences for existing users and, at times, a revenue opportunity,” Dudas said.

Lang added that apps in particular provide a fresh avenue for marketers to insert their brand into day-to-day consumer habits. For mobile marketing, app integrations are fast becoming essential, as recent comScore research finds apps consume 50% of time spent on devices.  

Dudas pointed to a number of cases where brands have been able to integrate their products directly into partner services: Facebook Places partnering with Uber, OpenTable and Fandango; Condé Nast Traveler sharing a common audience with Hotels.com, OpenTable and even Refinery29; and Ibotta establishing loyalty programs with Airbnb and Hotels.com.  

API integration and data matching is part of what makes these partnerships possible, according to Dudas. And even though building these bonds can take time and resources, Lang said the marketing advantages are numerous, including a greater value-add for the consumer due to the deeper integration of the two brands. 

“When consumers use the app again, they will remember the [brand] experience,” he said. 

Dudas agreed that melding complementary services is a key advantage, allowing for long-term mutual value and easier management over the long run thanks to automated interactions. 

However, any third-party partner should fit naturally into a brand's overall mission and vision. Dudas cautioned that marketers risk turning off a partner’s base if tie-ins seem inauthentic or irrelevant to the service provided.

Finding a marketing match

Brands should be proactive in searching out key complimentary services for their product. One way to figure out what those services might be is to study existing customers and to learn what they want more of.​

And beyond finding an app that's the right fit for a partnership, marketers should examine how they will fit into that app's media landscape.  

“[Marketers] need to think through the marketplace they are buying into — what is the deeper value your brand can provide the marketplace?" Lang said. "Marketers should also be thinking about how the partnership will be different than a media buy. Many media companies provide a network of apps to insert the brand into — in some instances, this might be a more efficient approach.”

Both experts agreed that technology-driven brand partnerships are an effective marketing tactic, with Dudas adding that they can open doors to new sets of consumers across industries. However, connecting with new consumers is just the first step in what should be an ongoing process to build loyalty and a coherent message. 

“How a brand continues to nurture relationships with new users is the most important part," Dudas said. "Brands must be cognizant of presenting clean and high-quality experiences to their customers in an often cluttered mobile world [...] too many ads and poorly targeted messages can intrude on a user’s experience."

Coca-Cola and Dollar General: A partnership in practice

Two brands successfully incorporating mobile elements and an in-store customer experience are Coca-Cola and the Dollar General app.

Greg Chambers, the group director of digital innovation at Coca-Cola, told Marketing Dive that Dollar General was chosen for a partnership because of its shared values, namely that a great user experience is a simple one.

“We do a lot with customers to evangelize our best ideas because we know that Coca-Cola is successful when our retail partners are successful," Chambers said. "They take these new ideas to their mobile teams and collaborate with other technology partnerships."

Their promotion works as such: When Dollar General app users are near a Coca-Cola end cap equipped with a designated "beacon," they receive a notification to their mobile device letting them know about any offers, or custom content such as games, sweepstakes or video via DestinationCoke.com.

“Before there was any talk of a business arrangement, there was a deep concern with the customer experience,” said Chambers. “We got that right first, showed it to Dollar General and everything flowed very naturally from there. Both teams share a deep love for the user experience — it’s the guiding light to be able to do any marketing initiative well.”

Now that the promotion is up and running, Chambers added that real-time visibility into data collected by the partnership has lead to a “great impact on how Dollar General and Coca-Cola operate.”

As for advice for marketers looking to form a technology-driven partnership of their own?

“Focus on the customer experience first. If it’s not something somebody wants to do, it doesn’t matter what brand it’s from or what partner you use," Chambers said.

Resource: http://www.marketingdive.com/

Thursday, 17 November 2016

Samsung Galaxy Note 8 news: Galaxy S7 owners can get the unit for half the price upon release

The market has grown hesitant about its upcoming Samsung Galaxy Note 8 offering, but the company is offering the device at 50 percent off for those who wish to trade their existing Samsung Galaxy S7 upon release of the new device next year.

Samsung has become one of the trusted brands in mobile phones in the past years but, this year, the company figured in a controversy with its most recent Samsung Galaxy Note 7 release. The recalled units can either be refunded or traded for the Samsung Galaxy S7 units.

Reports reveal that Samsung has another offering for its loyal patrons. Those who own Samsung Galaxy S7 units may be able to acquire the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Note 8 for half the price when it is released next year through an upgrade program.

As of the moment, the offer is only true for customers in South Korea. The upgrade program is said to depend on the situation in each country, but no elaboration on the condition has been released yet.

Meanwhile, a similar device or model name was released in 2013 and, to avoid confusion, the upcoming mobile phone will be called Samsung Note 8. The unit is rumored to run on either Snapdragon 830 or Exynos 8895 processor. It will either come with a 6 GB or 8 GB RAM.

Prior to the controversy, Samsung Galaxy Note 7 boasts of advance features such as the Always-On display, which is believed to be applied to the Samsung Note 8 as well. For now, the controversial unit has stopped production and selling. The said model has been banned in almost all airlines because of the multiple reports about exploding units.

Will Samsung be able to regain consumer trust? It is too soon to tell but, as of the moment, consumers are torn between being excited or not in the coming of Samsung Note 8.

Resource: http://ecumenicalnews.com/

Spike Lee and His Agency Just Made This Film About Brooklyn the Brand Sorry hipsters, this is big business now By Patrick Coffee

Maybe it was the 2014 Wall Street Journal article about how Parisians refer to everything from men's hats to Big Macs as "très Brooklyn." It could have been the subsequent New York Times trend piece about a Dubai-based clothing company that chose to name itself Brooklyn Cotton Company in the interest of authenticity. Perhaps it was the CNBC piece that attributed "a rare form of capitalist magic" to the very word Brooklyn.

At any rate, one thing is clear: New York City's most populous borough is now an international brand ... and a very valuable one at that. 

No man has more effectively served as an unofficial spokesperson for the city within a city than director Spike Lee. And so, his ad agency, Spike DDB, which is based in Brooklyn's Dumbo neighborhood, was the perfect shop to work on a project summarizing lessons marketers can draw from the city's rise. 

Brooklyn Made is an effort by the borough's Chamber of Commerce to certify goods produced in the area, and Spike DDB collaborated with the group on the 10-minute film. 

AdFreak spoke to Victor Paredes, managing director of Spike DDB, about how the project came together and what marketers and entrepreneurs can learn from it.

AdFreak: How did this project come about?
Victor Paredes: I recently attended an [Association of National Advertisers] conference, and the exit survey asked what sort of content we could see ourselves creating in the future. This came at a time when we [at Spike DDB] were considering how everything we see happening in Brooklyn is central to our agency's DNA, just like our connection to DDB. When you have a name that's being co-opted by brands wanting to call themselves "Brooklyn," from Tokyo to Dubai ... 

Brooklyn is a brand in a real way. If we were to explore the development of that brand, what could marketing at large learn?

What role did Spike himself play in developing the work?

As CEO of our company, Spike was intimately involved in our conversations about what we were designing and the types of businesses we wanted to speak to; he also participated in the film. Spike was also instrumental in reinforcing the ideas of cultural competence and the importance of community.

What do you mean by "cultural competence"?

Brooklyn has been incredibly diverse for decades, if not centuries. It has constantly been home to an influx of different immigrant groups and religous groups, all of whom learned to live alongside one another while also maintaining their identities. In Brooklyn, you can see something as interesting as an African American man walking into a Chinese fast-food place to order tostones ... and getting the order right!

Sometimes when marketing tries to address matters of diversity, we do so by overall vitrue of inclusion. But that's only surface-level; the future is about seeing things through different lenses in the interest of greater connectivity and innovation.

The press release also mentioned "growing with a community versus selling to a community." Is that an elaboration on the same theme? 

When speaking to the people at Brooklyn Brewery, we learned how they maintained their image while reaching the quintessential scale we all talk about in marketing. They developed their brand with a focus on respect for their community and the space they were occupying. Brewing has a rich history in Brooklyn prior to Prohibition, and they used these legacy processes to develop what became Brooklyn Brewery. 

When we asked them about expanding internationally, they spoke about how they don't just show up and say Brooklyn has arrived ... they learn and understand where they can contribute. This led them to open another brewery in Stockholm as they grow into an increasingly global brand.
How closely is Brooklyn tied to the spirit of Spike DDB?
About eight years ago, Spike decided that the headquarters of the agency should be Brooklyn, because it's near and dear to him. We developed a sense of home in the borough, and we get to see it day in and day out, at work and with our friends. When we have agency events, Spike often takes us to Junior's off the Flatbush Extension. 

With this film, we found an opportunity to tell a story to our industry, and it's educational for brands to see this: Be clear, focused and concise if you want to build your brand in a real way. From there, positioning and other claims will quickly follow.

In the video, Peter Shapiro of Brooklyn Bowl mentions a potential backlash for brands trying to jump on the Brooklyn bandwagon. What's your take? 

When brands are really good at what they do, others will want to co-opt that or somehow rub up against it. ... People will get themselves into trouble if they start to overuse the Brooklyn name when there's nothing behind it, as opposed to creating things of lasting value.

How did you collaborate with the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce on this project?

They have also been paying attention to this [co-opting] trend as it's a bit of a threat to local businesses, so they designed the "Brooklyn Made" certification process. We exposed them to the idea, they helped connect us to area businesses, and we interviewed them for research purposes while maintaining creative and content control over the piece.

What are your ultimate goals with Brooklyn Made?

Our primary motivation was to bring thought leadership to the industry on matters of brand building. Moving forward, we are working with the Chamber to host a roundtable and a "viewing" with many area businesses, including the ones that participated in the film, in order to further that discussion.

We also do our part to live by the creed ourselves. We want to be real members of the community, learn from it and contribute back to it.

Resource: http://www.adweek.com/

Facebook enables advertisers to exclude users by 'ethnic affinity'

Facebook's features let advertisers limit which users see their material, ideally those who will be more interested in their products. But currently included in the "demographics" section of their ad-targeting tool is the ability to select which users see material based on their "ethnic affinity," which the social titan began offering two years ago to aid its multicultural advertising. Facebook automatically lumps users into these categories based on their activity and interests -- categories which advertisers can choose to exclude or specifically target.

Since the social network doesn't ask users to racially identify themselves, Facebook collects activity data and then assigns each user an "ethnic affinity." This is basically a preference for stories, events and organizations that coincide with those the social network believes are also held by a certain ethnic group.

At this year's South by Southwest, a Facebook entertainment executive and Universal Pictures' EVP of digital marketing held a panel explaining how the studio harnessed the social network's "ethnic affinity" ad targeting tools to show different trailers of the movie Straight Outta Compton to different ethnic groups. The preview shown to Facebook-assigned "non-multicultural" (non-African-American, non-Hispanic) users showcased the film's characters wielding guns, driving tricked-out cars and clashing with the police. The trailer shown to African-American-affinity users seemed to be from a wholly different film, a memoir about real performers' historical impact.

Targeted advertising isn't new, especially for Facebook, but targeting or excluding ethnic groups is dangerous legal territory. In a report released this morning, ProPublica suggested that the "ethnic affinity" preferential advertising potentially violates the Fair Housing Act of 1968, which makes it illegal to print or publish, or allow to be printed or published, any housing advertisement that indicates preference or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin. That was a specific elaboration of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which legally forbids any ads from listing prohibited preference, limits or discrimination when recruiting employees.

Facebook's policies forbid using its ad-targeting tools to "discriminate against, harass, provoke, or disparage users or to engage in predatory advertising practices." If advertisers do use Custom Audiences, they have to abide by its terms, which were updated September 30th, and comply with local laws. "Ethnic affinity" seems as close to targeting a racial group as Facebook can get without running aground of the above laws, though Ars Technica points out that the "affinity" group definitions resemble ethnic makeup far more than shared interests.

ProPublica noted that they created an ad seeking housing hunters on Facebook that excluded anyone with an "affinity" for minority groups, which they note was approved 15 minutes after submission. When they showed prominent civil rights lawyer John Relman their options to exclude minority-affinity users from seeing their Facebook ad, he said it was a blatant violation of the Fair Housing Act, and would be therefore illegal. When asked for comment, Facebook said that ProPublica's ad was for an event about housing but not seeking individual renters or buyers; Thus its targeting applied to potential attendees, not customers.

But it's unclear whether Facebook's digital advertisements would be bound by the same laws prohibiting racial discrimination in ads appearing in print publications. Is publicly broadcasting an ad saying "whites only need apply" the same as only showing certain advertisements to certain ethnic-interest-aligned groups?

In a blog post, Facebook's head of multicultural Christian Martinez stated that the social network expressly prohibits so-called "negative exclusion," like advertisers listing ethnic or gender preference for tenants or employees. Exclusion targeting, however, is a common tactic in the ad industry to show material only to people for whom it's relevant -- or who have the right cultural context. As Martinez writes: "This prevents audiences for community-specific ads from seeing a generic ad targeted to a large group and helps avoid the offensive outcome that traditional advertising can often create for people in the minority."

Facebook said a business used the "ethnic affinity" filter to target the US Hispanic community during the 2014 World Cup; Likewise, companies could use it for marketing hair products for African-Americans or for Spanish beer. This targeted delivery of material catering to certain ethnic groups is common to the advertising industry.

"All major brands have strategies to speak to different audiences with culturally relevant creative. Just for purposes of illustration, a car company will run creative for one of their vehicles, but will have one creative execution targeting the Hispanic affinity cluster in Spanish. They may create a different creative for the African American affinity cluster featuring black actors and stressing another insight that is specific to that group. All major brands do this because they know that audiences respond better to creative that speaks to them specifically, " Facebook said in a statement.

Resource: https://www.engadget.com