Indiantelevision.com Team

(21 August 2006 5:00 pm)

MUMBAI: As the industry looks for perspectives to shape thought leadership in the business of branded entertainment, Media e2e in association with Rizvi Institute of Management Studies and Research will be holding an interactive discussion forum in India on the same. The forum titled 'The Branded Entertainment Summit 2006' is pitched as an annual affair and will have industry professionals within the Indian market discussing their visions for product placements, sponsorships and brand-content integration through their experiences and case studies.

"Our television, our films and sports are seeing increasing instances of brands invading into the content. We wanted to create a forum to discuss technology, best practices and evaluation techniques through a confluence of global and local references," said Rizvi Institute of Management Studies director Dr. Khalim Khan.

"The event is India's first. And our vision is to make this summit into a catalyst for best practices to emerge in the branded entertainment space," said Media e2e chief evangelist Atul Phadnis.

"Presently, we are inviting case studies. The response has been enthusiastic to say the least. A jury constituting industry veterans are set to adjudicate the best effort," added Dr. Khan.

The last date for submitting entries is 31 August 2006.

Strategically, agencies and advertisers are looking beyond conventional medium of advertising and are eyeing entertainment products with great interest. "Creative excellence, innovation and brand integration that conforms to the brand values were the critical factors identified for evaluation of the case studies," said Media e2e vice president Deven Deshpande.