TV18 and CNN will be successfully concluding their 10-year licensing arrangement in January 2016 for CNN IBN.

The conclusion of the arrangement will enable each company thereafter to chart its own growth trajectory independently in one of the most dynamic, complex and fast growing markets in the world.

A.P. Parigi, Group CEO, Network18 said “The last decade has seen a lot of momentum in the Indian media industry and has been particularly exciting for us. During this time we witnessed two media houses coming together to redefine the way news is presented to a demanding audience; we at TV18 have benefited from this relationship with CNN. At the launch of the channel, TV18 was a relatively small organization; that has changed now.  Network18 has grown from 2 news channels in 2005 to 17 news channels in 2015. Today, we have the largest footprint in the current affairs, regional and business news space in India.  The TV18 line-up of channels today are well established and highly regarded in this dynamic, complex and challenging environment.”

Rani Raad, Chief Commercial Officer, CNN International said, “We are very proud to have created CNN IBN in our decade long partnership with TV18. The channel was a pioneering initiative that combined the best of CNN’s global expertise with TV18’s journalistic and newsgathering capabilities. We have truly valued this long standing partnership.”  He further adds, “As the number one international news brand in Asia Pacific and the rest of the world, and the winner of multiple prestigious awards, CNN International, continues to lead and serve consumers in India with the best of global news content across multi-platforms.

High fives as WPP scores “un quintuplé” in Cannes

For the fifth consecutive year, a winning performance from its agencies has handed WPP the title of Holding Company of the Year at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

Cannes Lions is the world’s biggest celebration of creativity in a commercial setting, and a Lion trophy is the highest accolade in the advertising and marketing services industry. The holding company award is based on the total number of points won by each group’s agencies during the week of the festival.

Agencies from more than 50 different countries contributed points to WPP’s total. WPP finished first ahead of Omnicom and Publicis respectively. Ogilvy & Mather won Network of the Year for the fourth time in as many years.

Earlier this year WPP was also named – for the fourth time in row – the world’s most effective holding company by the Effie Index, which recognises the effectiveness of marketing communications.

Winning work from WPP agencies included: Grey London’s “Life Paint” (Volvo); Ogilvy Beijing’s “Great Chinese Names for Great Britain” (Visit Britain); “Red Light App” by Y&R Team Red Istanbul (Vodafone); “Abla Fahita” by J. Walter Thompson Cairo (CBC Egypt); “Interception” from Grey New York (Volvo); David Miami’s “Proud Whopper” (Burger King); “Melanoma Likes Me” (Melanoma Patients Australia) by GPY&R Melbourne and Brisbane; Grey New York’s “Gun Store” (States United to Prevent Gun Violence); “House of Mamba” from AKQA London (Nike); “The Marathon Walker” by Ogilvy Paris (Water for Africa); Grey Germany’s “The Berlin Wall of Sound” (Soundcloud); “It Happens Here” (28 Too Many) by Ogilvy London; “Microsoft Collective Project” by POSSIBLE Seattle; “Coke Thirst” by J. Walter Thompson Brazil; “The Last Shot” from AKQA San Francisco (Jordan Brand); and Prolam Y&R Chile’s work for UNICEF.

Sir Martin Sorrell, founder and CEO of WPP, said: “We are delighted to have made it a quintuplet (or should I say quintuplé?) of wins in Cannes. The holding company award is special because it is a shared achievement, reflecting the hard work, passion and commitment of every member of the WPP family. A big thank you to our agencies and all the hugely talented and creative people within them.

“However, this week of celebration has been overshadowed by loss and sadness for many people after the untimely deaths of two colleagues and friends during the festival. On behalf of WPP I would like to extend our deepest sympathy to everyone affected by these tragic events.”

John O’Keeffe, Worldwide Creative Director of WPP, said: “Anyone who doubts the transformational power of creativity need look no further than the Palais this evening. Of course it’s wonderful to be named Creative Holding Company of the Year, but each individual winner tonight, from wherever they came, is testament to an amazing industry full of incredibly talented people. My congratulations to them all.

“Regarding the sad events here in the past few days, I would, of course, wish to echo the sentiments expressed by Martin.”

Havas Media has won the Digital Mandate of Turtle Limited. One of India’s fastest growing menswear companies, the Turtle mandate includes media planning and buying and digital solutions including social, search and mobile.

The account will be lead out of Havas Media’s Kolkata office.

Turtle has a pan India presence with its own Turtle Stores as well as TurtleOnline.com. It also retails through leading online and store-in-store outfits which also includes the large format stores. Set up in 1993 Turtle is today a force in the apparel industry providing a complete range of dressing across Shirts, T-shirts, trousers, Suits, Jackets and accessories for men with a reputation for delivering value and international style. In short they provide complete men’s range from head to toe.

Shitanshu Jhunjhunwalla, Director Turtle Limited said, “Turtle is young and ambitious. We are on a high growth path and looking to expand our pan India footprint. At our core is delivering value, variety, quality and a great experience to our customer. Havas Media shares the same passion and philosophy of being meaningful. Their understanding of the category and customised digital strategy are in line with our growth plans and we look at them as long term partners.”

Anita Nayyar, CEO, Havas Media Group India and South Asia explained, “Turtle is in a fast growing, interesting and challenging category. Today’s Indian male is always on the move, has a sense of style, likes choice and dresses for the occasion. We look forward to partnering with Team Turtle to scale their offering to the digitally engaged mobile Indian male.”

Mohit Joshi, Managing Director, Havas Media India, continued, “This is a good win - a great brand and team to work with. Havas has been on a winning spree of mandates with digital focus. We are glad that clients find us as the go-to brand keyed in on their marketing plans. The win further boosts our Kolkata operations.”

- Partners Biggest Live Global Sporting Event with Leading Global Media Company

- All Rights on All Screens Reaching Over 700 million People Across Europe

- More Games coverage than ever before across Free-to-Air, Pay-TV, Online and Mobile

- Reinforces Eurosport as the #1 European Sports Platform and pan-European Home of Olympic Sports

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) today announced that all TV and multi-platform broadcast rights in Europe for the four Olympic Games in the 2018–2024 period have been awarded to Discovery Communications, the parent company of Eurosport.

Today’s announcement kicks off a long-term partnership between the biggest global sports event, the Olympic Games, and leading global media company, Discovery Communications. With an average of 10 channels in every market and the #1 European online and OTT sports offerings, Discovery and Eurosport will deliver more coverage across more screens than ever before to over 700 million people across Europe.  Discovery and Eurosport’s coverage will be augmented by strong free-to-air access and innovative partnerships with broadcasters and distributors to bring the Games to life like never before.  In a world of increasingly “anytime, anywhere” viewing, the Olympic Games are an unparalleled live event that aggregate enormous audiences and capture the world’s attention in a way that continues to become more valuable for marketers, distributors and fans.

IOC President Thomas Bach said: “This is a significant agreement for Discovery and the IOC, and we are excited to have Eurosport, the pan-European home of Olympic sports, as a partner. This agreement ensures comprehensive coverage of the Olympic Games across Europe, including the guarantee to provide extensive free-to-air television coverage in all territories. Discovery and Eurosport have demonstrated a major commitment to the Olympic Games, to Olympic sports and to the future of the Olympic Movement. The revenue generated from this long-term partnership will be redistributed by the IOC across the Olympic Movement to support the development of sport around the world. Discovery and Eurosport have also made an exciting commitment to partner with the IOC to develop the new Olympic Channel across Europe. Above all, this agreement ensures that sports fans in Europe will be able to enjoy excellent coverage of the Olympic Games and Olympic sports, both during and outside Games time, on their platform of choice.”

Discovery Communications President and CEO David Zaslav added: “Today is a historic day as we proudly add the Olympic rings to Discovery Communications’ portfolio of offerings. The long-term programming commitment with President Bach and the IOC reaffirms Eurosport’s position as the leader in sports across Europe, and will significantly enhance Eurosport's presence on all platforms. With Eurosport’s proud and long-standing tradition of broadcasting many winter and summer sports showcased during the Olympics, adding the Olympic Games, the greatest live event in the world, is a perfect editorial and strategic fit. But most of all, this new partnership is an exciting win for European sports fans as we will deliver record amounts of content across platforms to ensure the Olympic flame burns bright all year long.”

Discovery acquired the exclusive rights, valued at EUR 1.3 billion, across all platforms, including free-to-air television, subscription/pay-TV television, internet and mobile phone in all languages across 50 countries and territories on the European continent.  Consistent with IOC and local market requirements, Discovery has committed to broadcasting a minimum of 200 hours of the Olympic Games and 100 hours of the Olympic Winter Games on free-to-air television during the Games period. Discovery will sub-license a portion of the rights in many markets across Europe.

Discovery’s 30-year history of being the global leader in non-fiction content makes the company uniquely positioned to capture and deliver the remarkable stories and characters associated with the Games not just every two years, but every year and throughout the year. With almost half of Eurosport’s existing programming being Olympic sports, the combination of its strong legacy in winter sports, cycling, tennis and athletics, and now the Olympic Games, will allow Discovery and Eurosport to engage passionate fans around these key sports 365 days a year.  Discovery and Eurosport will have access to the Olympic emblems and the rich Olympic video library and archive to help solidify Eurosport’s position as the pan-European home of Olympic sports.  The partners have also agreed to cooperate closely on the rollout of the IOC’s Olympic Channel, taking advantage of Eurosport’s #1 online sports destination – Eurosport.com – and leading OTT service, the Eurosport Player.

Juan Antonio Samaranch, IOC Executive Board Member and delegate IOC Member for European broadcast rights said: “We are delighted to have reached this agreement, which we believe will bring fantastic coverage of the Olympic Games and the Olympic values to the largest audience in Europe across all media platforms. Discovery and Eurosport will ensure the exposure of the Olympic Games through their own TV channels and media platforms, and, where relevant, by reaching sublicensing partnerships with other broadcasters in the various territories. Olympic fans will also benefit from comprehensive digital coverage on Eurosport’s leading pan-regional digital platforms.”

JB Perrette, President of Discovery Networks International, added: “We took control of Eurosport a year ago and embarked on a long-term mission to reinvigorate and strengthen its networks and brand.  Today’s announcement is an incredibly exciting step forward on that journey. Eurosport’s unmatched technical prowess and ability to deliver the Olympic Games to 50 countries in 20 languages across multiple platforms is an important win for sports fans. We are thrilled and humbled to partner with one of the most recognised and powerful global brands, that not only delivers the biggest global event but also shares our company’s DNA of engaging and inspiring people in addition to entertaining them.”

The agreement covers the XXIII Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang in 2018, and the Games of the XXXII Olympiad in Tokyo in 2020, as well as the Olympic Games in 2022 and 2024, the host cities of which have yet to be elected.

Discovery and Eurosport boast unique assets and capabilities to bring the Olympic Games to more fans on more screens than ever before. With an average of 10 TV channels in every market, local infrastructure and teams on the ground across the region, and a 30-year legacy of developing great characters and stories, Discovery and Eurosport will bring the greatest sporting event to life like never before.  Beyond free-to-air and PayTV channels, Eurosport Player, DPlay, Eurosport.com and Eurosport 360 will deliver more coverage and immersive experiences to passionate fans across all screens.

When the Creative Marketer of the Year at Cannes Lions 2015 speaks on creativity, you better sit up and listen.  When the speakers are global marketing heads at Heineken, a company with a legendary history of award winning creativity (41 Lions including a Grand Prix) you dare not look elsewhere.  When they share their principles and beliefs that have guided them in this path, start taking notes.

Gianluco Di Tondo, Senior Brand Director, Global Heineken Brand and Soren Hagh, Executive Director, Global Marketing shared the brand’s journey of using creativity as a tool to network with its consumers, right since 1864 – at a time when there were no likes, posts or follows.

They attributed this success to 3 principles – the right partner, the right culture, the right leadership.

All three of three principles have been followed diligently at Heineken. The founding fathers of Heineken made a conscious decision to be creative from the time of the company’s inception. They made bold creative decisions, starting from selling their beer in green colored bottles which was unusual in those times.  They produced a premium beer, because good quality is at the very heart of creativity,  and made it stand out from competition by labeling it as ‘the gentleman’s beer.’

Today a Brand Building Forum governs creativity in the company.  They also run Creative Leadership Master Classes where hundreds of their partners - both internal and external are trained on a regular basis.  A specially created Creative Council also meets regularly to monitor the work.

In order to set standards they have come up with a unique – universal language of creativity.  This helps them differentiate a good advertisement from an okay advertisement to a bad advertisement. (Refer the chart) This chart ensures that their advertisements meet their stringent standards of creativity by being - Legendary, project a cultural phenomenon, contagious and ground breaking. A fantastic example of this is - if we made it .com.

An advertisement which is merely a Cliché is not accepted.

Another bold step taken by company was to have a single global positioning and identity across its presence in 192 countries.  In 2009, Heineken unified the brand with a global campaign – Entrance.  While maintaining the global positioning, they also encourage diversity by encouraging local talent and work.  This has resulted in an entire body of outstanding work.

Today they lay stress on moderation in drinking and are trying to change drinking behavior with their zany advertising.