MensXP - India’s biggest online men’s lifestyle brand is launching its first ever brand campaign.

Today, the site reaches over 15 million young urban Indian Millennials every month around topics that help them navigate their daily lifestyle needs.

With over 150 Million monthly content views across all platforms, over 30 Million monthly video views, it’s increasing set of key advertisers and partnerships, a strong editorial voice, recognisable IPs and a solid social presence, MensXP, a brand by Times Internet, today enjoys top of mind recall in it’s category. It’s been the leading men’s lifestyle digital destination for several years.

It is a multi-media campaign led by TV, print and digital, being launched nationally. It hosts 5 films for TV & Digital talking about different sections on the website like – Fashion, Grooming, Relationships, Career & Tech. These are light hearted humorous films, talking about the danger of making a fool of yourself, if you don’t stay updated with the trends in the men’s lifestyle space.

Speaking about the campaign, Pratik Mazumder, CMO, Times Internet, says: “Our first campaign ‘WELCOME TO THE NEWHOOD’ celebrates the man you chose to become. Role of a man in the society has evolved with time. From just being an alpha and brute sect, the definition of being a man is broadening. There is no one way manhood can be defined. Its codes are ever changing. We aim at positioning MensXP as the lifestyle destination for this new-age man.”

The campaign has been jointly conceptualised & executed by a leading, creative and digital agency, From Here On communications (FHO) and Times Internet’s in-house creative team. The campaign’s insight was derived from the thought that Masculinity today has moved away from its conventional definition. Being a good man is more important than just being a man. More than just being an alpha, macho, hero or a leader. Men today are choosing their own manifestation of manhood. It is driven by their desire to seek beauty, truth, wisdom, justice, being kind, honest, and true.

Angad Bhatia, COO, Indiatimes Lifestyle Network & Founder, MensXP, says, “We at MensXP explore the codes of manhood and pursue the most interesting stories of and around men. From the ones who break stereotypes to the one who make new ones, we engage them all. And it isn’t about redefining Manhood. It is about giving Manhood an expression, most relevant today.”

Rajesh Aggarwal, CEO, FHO, says, “The team was thrilled about the brief because here was a product/brand that was all about relooking the stereotypical codes and labels associated with manhood and relaying the ethos in a way that portrays the realities of new age manliness, this is a clutter breaking campaign amidst the cacophony.”

Credits:

1. Creative agency – From Here On Communications (FHO)
2. Account Management – Mukul Angral
3. Creative Team – Devdas Nair, Jerin George & Yogita Sharma
4. Production House – Uncommonsense Films
5. Directors – Pratik Mazumder & Diksha Grover
6. Executive Producer – Ashutosh Joshi
7. Producer – Amit Tripathi

Watch the TVC Here

New York Festivals® International Television & Film Awards has announced the 2018 Grand Jury.

The TV & Film competition jury recruitment process is still underway, with a jury member increase and an increase in the percentage of women by double digits to just under 40 percent.

Known for its powerhouse jury comprised of prominent international broadcast and film industry executives, the New York Festivals 2018 TV & Film Grand Jury of 198 members to date represents 32 countries on 6 continents. These jurors, who are award-winners themselves are passionate about excellence and innovation, and their reputation in diverse areas across all platforms provide each entry with the utmost of attention.

The power women on NYF’s Grand Jury are prominent directors, producers, journalists, filmmakers who are respected within the industry amongst their peers and honored globally in broadcast and film competitions. At the helm of cutting edge organizations from Australia to United Arab Emirates, these women demonstrate dedication, inspiration and creativity in their body of work.

Each industry executive recruited to the Grand Jury has expansive industry experience and exceptional achievement within their field. The men and women of the Grand Jury represent worldwide leaders in news, sports, entertainment, the arts, promos, film and brand/corporate image. They lead, develop, write, direct and edit, creating content on behalf of such broadcast and film giants as: ABS-CBN, BBC, Globo TV, ESPN, The Edge Picture Company, FOX, NFL Media, Media Corp, Channel NewsAsia, Discovery, Scripps, Telemundo, Deutsche Welle TV, GMA, NBC Universal, Al Jazeera, Interspot Film, Red Bull TV, Radio Television Hong Kong, NHK, Sundance Channel, NZ TV, Fuji, KBS, MLB Network, The Walt Disney Company LATAM, Showtime, and ZDF.

“NYF’s Grand Jury provide a 360 perspective of the industry with a globally informed voice,” said Rose Anderson, VP & Executive Director of the New York Festivals International Television & Film Awards. “They volunteer their time to review submissions from 40 countries around the world and these deliberations ensure fairness based on their understanding of creative excellence today.”

Grand Jury members evaluate entries, viewing and scoring each entry based on industry-accepted standards of excellence using a 1-10 scale using the following set of criteria: Production Values, Creativity, Content Presentation, Direction, Writing, achievement of Purpose and Audience Suitability.

Based on the medal-round scores determined by the Grand Jury, winners receive one of the following: Gold World Medal, Silver World Medal, Bronze World Medal, or Finalist Certificate. The highest scoring entries receive the Grand Trophy, honoring the “Best in Show.” Nominated Finalists are judged by a selected panel at the United Nations for the UNDPI Awards.

Every year New York Festivals honors the highest performing teams with special recognition: Broadcaster of the Year, Production company of the Year, and Program Promotion Team of the Year.

The 2018 competition is open for entries.To view the complete list of categories, please click: Here

A picture says a thousand words. Will B2B marketers use them for meaningful connections?

It is estimated that around 1.2 trillion photos will be taken in 2017. The proliferation of the smartphone and growth of sites such as Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Snapchat have altered the way in which we interact and communicate with our environment. Pictures have become the means to evoke emotion, tell stories and drive people to action.

For advertisers, this represents both an opportunity and a challenge. According to the Creative Research team at Getty Images, digital perfection is declining. The global population is becoming increasingly accustomed to a diverse range of aesthetics in the visual landscape. A beautiful picture is no longer enough. For that image to stand out, it must resonate with its target audience, irrespective of whether that audience is a member of the general public or a FTSE 500 CEO.

At Kantar we have found that both B2B and B2C consumers are increasingly looking beneath the surface of a brand to establish a more meaningful connection. Last year, a video of Robert Downey Junior delivering a bionic arm to a 7-year-old boy born without his right forearm became the ninth most shared ad of all time, according to data from Unruly. The two-minute clip highlights the work of Limbitless Solutions, a student-led effort to create affordable prosthetics for children’s missing limbs empowered by Microsoft’s OneNote. Technology companies, once the antithesis of emotional connectivity, now seek to differentiate themselves from their competitors by appealing to their buyers’ human side.

In 2017 and beyond, the success of businesses will increasingly depend upon this ability to convey that their brand stands for: more than just a product range. As the desire to connect to what Getty terms ‘something bigger than ourselves’ continues to drive mindful consumption, the message is clear: get your audience to invest in your story and they will invest in your brand.

Source: Kantar Millward Brown

Midas Jurors include Financial Advertising Experts from 6 Continents

The Midas Awards® for the World’s Best Financial Advertising℠ has announced its 2017 Grand and Executive Juries and, due to overwhelming demand, has extended its final deadline until November 17th. To date, this year’s Midas Juries represent 45 of some of the world’s most respected and influential minds in financial advertising from 13 countries on 6 continents.

The Grand Jury’s stellar reputation and diverse areas of expertise across brings together the world’s foremost advertising agencies, as well as internationally recognized experts in financial policy and communications from prominent companies around the world. Companies include, but not limited to: AML United Kingdom; Caixa Economica Montepio Geral Portugal; CPB Group, USA; Havas WorldWide Germany; First Bank USA; Mercerbell Australia, Old National Bank USA; Pi Communications India; Publicis Germany, Quicken Loans USA; RGA USA/Brazil; Saatchi & Saatchi Australia; TBWA Sri Lanka; Verizon USA; and Wunderman USA.

Midas expanded their world-class jury in 2017 to include the addition of the Midas Executive Jury. This elite global panel is comprised of founding officers, ceo’s, and executive creative directors, from global advertising agencies, in addition to prominent internationally recognized experts in financial policy and communications. The Executive Jury will review the Shortlisted entries selected by the international Midas Awards Grand Jury and will provide an even more comprehensive evaluation of global creative work entered into the competition.

2017 Midas Awards Executive Jury

Kaydee Bridges, VP, Digital & Social Media, Goldman Sachs, USA
Augusto Correia, Senior Integrated Art Director, NBS / Dentsu Aegis Networks, Brazil
Dana Cullinan, Founder and Creative Partner, Cullinan, South Africa
Tom Cullinan, Founder and Creative Partner, Cullinan, South Africa
Tamar Dorsey, Editorial Director, Charles Schwab, USA
Mike Gipert, Executive Creative Director, Wealthsimple, USA
Bill Girouard, SVP Creative Director, Arnold Worldwide, USA
MinYen Hsieh, Head of UX, OnePlus, USA
Maya Karanouh, CEO, Tag Brands, Lebanon
Devin Kennedy, Executive Creative Director, King James Cape Town, South Africa
Ken Muir, Founding Partner, Mohawk, United Kingdom
Erik Norin, Creative Director, Wieden+Kennedy, USA
Tahaab Rais, Director of Insights & Strategic Planning FP7/DXB (Part of McCann Worldgroup), United Arab Emirates
Jenny Rooney, Editor of the CMO Network, Forbes.com Inc, USA
Ian Schwey, Executive Creative Director, Tag Agency Canada
Dylan, Founder, The Dylan Agency Australia
Mengwen Xiang, Art Supervisor, CDM Group, USA

“The Midas Jury, an impressive panel of award-winning experts recruited from the world of financial advertising, are dedicated to thoughtfully evaluating entries and awarding only those entries worthy of the title of the World’s Best Financial Advertising,” said Scott Rose, Executive Director of the Midas Awards.

The Midas Jury offers their perspectives not only on how well a message is delivered, but how it is received. Midas awards Gold and Silver Ingots to the highest scoring entries, and presents the Grand Midas to the entry considered “Best in Show.” The results of the juries are parsed in an annual rankings brief, The Midas Report, —a veritable who’s-who in the world of financial services advertising that includes the 3 individual reports: Agency, Brand and Network.

The final deadline to enter the 2017 Midas Awards is November 17, 2017. Entry details, including competition categories and rules and regulations can be found on the Midas Awards website. To enter please visit: HERE.

Keeping their promise to showcase stellar performances and never-seen-before stories, Star Movies Select HD will air the inspirational true story - Queen of Katwe for the first time on Indian Television.

A film directed by the legendary Mira Nair, starring an Academy Award winner in Lupita Nyong’o and based on the inspiring story of one of Uganda’s highest rated chess players, Phiona Mutesi, Queen of Katwe is as brilliant a movie on screen as it looks on paper! Viewers in India will get their chance to watch this masterpiece on Star Movies Select HD on the 11th of November at 9 PM.

One of the most celebrated directors in India and abroad, Padma Bhushan awardee Mira Nair has made a name for herself with her gritty and powerful films and Queen of Katwe is no different. Nair, who made her mark with the National Award winning film ‘Salaam Bombay,’ has raised the bar even higher with this true-life story.

The film is the story of Ugandan Chess Champion Phiona Mutesi; a grounded individual who comes from a rough, poverty-stricken childhood and yet teaches us that anything is possible if one is willing to learn. Based on a true story, the film is a depiction of Mutesi’s constant battles against the odds and her eventual triumph that puts her at the forefront of her nation.

From start to finish, Queen of Katwe keeps the viewer engrossed and creates an everlasting impact. As A.O Scott from the New York Times puts it, "If there is anyone out there capable of remaining unmoved by this true-life triumph-of-the-underdog sports story, I don’t think I want to meet that person."

For a movie that focusses so much on chess, a game looked at as dull and slow-paced at times, Queen of Katwe is an absolute breeze. If you’re looking for a story that will leave you inspired, then Star Movies Select HD has just the thing for you.

Queen of Katwe will premiere on Star Movies Select HD on November 11 at 9 PM