MAM
Disney puts its all in the ‘Kim Possible’ contest
MUMBAI: The Disney Channel is going the whole nine yards as far as the Kim Possible Code Tod contest is concerned.
Walt Disney Television International (India) head of marketing and communications Hema Govindan describes it as the most expansive 360 degrees surround marketing that Disney has undertaken in India.
Looks like girl power sure seems to be going strong on kids’ channels lately — be it the buzz around Disney Channel’s ‘Kim Possible Code Tod’ contest or the Cartoon Network’s recent ‘Join the Powerpuff Generation’ hunt for TV hosts.
Girls go gaga over spy goggles
‘Kim Possible Code Tod’ contest will kickstart from 25 July and continue until 12 August. The channel is calling its viewers to help Kim save the world from destruction by intercepting secret codes with special code-seeker spy goggles. It has has made available over 2.2 million spy goggles to kids across the country out of which, 900,000 have been distributed in 2000 schools across 13 cities.
Disney has roped in Dabur Real Fruit Juice as the presenting sponsor of the ‘Kim Possible Code Tod’ contest. Dabur will be giving out another 1.1 million spy goggles free with every purchase of a one litre Real Fruit Juice pack. The channel has also come out with Kim Possible trading cards featuring games centered on six Disney characters and Real Juice flavours.
Kim’s Lovin’ it !
McDonald’s has been roped in as the associate sponsor. Kim Possible Happy Meals are what’s in store for kids during the term of the contest. Apart from that, signage and in-store point of sale (POS) will also be placed in 67 McDonald’s outlets in six cities.
Tushar Kapoor on ‘Disney Studio’ with the show anchors
And if that was not all, Disney has also tied up with Excel Home Video as their home video partner for the Kim Possible series. Direct mail, television promos and cross promos on Disney’s existing shows like Disney Studio, hoardings, Internet ads, guerrilla marketing among consumers and trade fraternity and activities involving participation from the cable operators is what the channel has lined up for this contest.
Elaborating on the activity involving the cable operators, Govindan says, “We will be rewarding the network that the Code Tod contest winning kids belongs to. So there’s something for everyone here.”
Bus shelter sporting the Kim Possible contest
Walt Disney Television International (India) director marketing and communications Tushar Shah says, “It is important to engage kids by encouraging active participation in a complete storytelling experience. We aim to provide an unprecedented interactive television viewing experience to our kid viewers by encapsulating all these elements in the Kim Possible Code Tod promotion.”
Queried as to whether the Kim Possible Code Tod contest was tailor made for India, Govindan says that it was carried out in the South East Asian markets of Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and Philippines, except that it wasn’t as aggressive and elaborate as it has turned out to be in India.
The mantra to survive in the burgeoning kids’ channels space in India is surely to catch ’em young! And that’s exactly what Disney Channel is doing with their other marketing initiative – ‘Disney Channel Maze Ki Class’. The channel is going to 1,160 schools across 13 cities and touching base with 800,000 kids across the country.
“It is a school contact programme of a scale that is pretty much unprecedented in the kids’ space. What we do is go into schools and take our tent pole prime time programmes such as Aladdin, Tarzan, Kim Possible and That’s So Raven outside the TV environment into the real world among the kids. We have trained emcees who facilitate games and trivia question based on the shows, wherein they can win prizes instantly,” says Govindan.
Also, one child in every school stands a chance to win a toy scooter. Amul Shakti is the presenting sponsor for the ‘Disney Channel Maze Ki Class’ initiative, which will run till September. Associate sponsors for the same are Maggi Atta Noodles, Parle, Camlin and Harvest Gold cakes.
Pre-school kids from St. Anne’s Girls High in Mumbai imagine and learn with their Mickey caps on!
Concurrently, the channel is also tapping preschoolers in an innovative preschool contact programme in a few metros. The initiative focusses on a couple of key shows on Disney Channel’s Playhouse Disney block like Jojo’s Circus and Stanley. The theme of this is ‘Imagine and Learn.’
MAM
WPP appoints Kyoko Matsushita as APAC CEO of WPP Creative
Former Japan CEO and Essence Global leader takes regional helm.
MUMBAI: Kyoko Matsushita just went from running Japan to captaining the entire APAC creative fleet because when you’ve already conquered one island nation, the next logical step is to steer a whole continent. WPP has appointed Kyoko Matsushita as APAC CEO of WPP Creative, effective immediately. She succeeds her previous role as CEO of WPP Japan, which she held since April 2022.
Matsushita brings a formidable track record in global media and creative leadership. Before joining WPP Japan, she served as Global CEO of Essence Global, having first joined the agency in 2014 as its inaugural APAC CEO. She was later promoted to global chief client officer, where she oversaw client services, satisfaction, and both organic and new business growth. Her earlier career includes senior roles at Sony, Electronic Arts and Gree UK, as well as a stint at Leo Burnett. She holds a master’s degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Announcing the move on Linkedin, Matsushita described APAC as “a hotbed of creativity and potential” and expressed her excitement about working with teams across the region “to reimagine client growth” and “collaborate, learn, and co-create the future of creativity.”
The appointment strengthens WPP’s creative leadership in one of the world’s fastest-evolving markets, where Matsushita’s blend of regional expertise, global perspective and client-focused innovation is expected to drive the next phase of growth for WPP Creative across APAC.
In an industry where creativity knows no borders, WPP has chosen a leader who has already built bridges from Tokyo to London and back tasked with turning the entire Asia-Pacific region into one seamless canvas of ideas.
