MAM
International Watch Exhibition in Mumbai 18-21 September
MUMBAI: Indian consumers can get a glimpse of the latest trends in wrist watches and timepieces under a single roof. The International Watch Exhibition 2003 will be held between 18 and 21 September 2003 at Mumbai’s World Trade Centre.
Watch Market Review, that claims to be India’s and probably Asia’s oldest horological trade magazine, will be organising the exhibition. The publishing company had organised three Swiss Watch Fairs in the early 1990s.
The International Watch Exhibition will attempt to feel the pulse of the Indian economy and understand the mindset of the Indian consumer. The organisers claim to be in advanced stage of talks with prominent Indian and MNC watch companies for enlisting their support for making the exhibition a grand success.
“This exhibition will provide industry, trade and consumers to experience first-hand an event of international standards and scale. Every aspect design, décor, ambience, presence of the who’s who in the horological industry, class of visitors, commercial negotiations makes the International Watch Exhibition 2003 a ‘must-attend’ event,” says organiser and managing director of Watch Market Review Sunil Karer.
A note says that the exhibition is being held in Mumbai, which is home to 15 million people and the financial and commercial capital of India. “Mumbai also has the advantage of a burgeoning higher middle class and a large percentage of the affluent upper class. The city’s purchasing power and its role of trendsetter in fashion and lifestyle makes it the ideal choice for such a premium event,” adds Karer.
While talking about the timing, the organisers say that some of the salient features of this market, especially for products like premium watches are:
* The size of the higher middle class and upper class economic segments.
* The steady increase in disposable income; truly a buyers’ market.
* Many foreign watch brands are already available in the country after QRs were removed. This is a continuing process with many more brands poised for entry.
* The consumer is getting savvier by the moment; be it fashion, design, technology, after sales service or pricing.
* Freedom to buy a watch whenever the consumer chooses without worrying about forex.
Looks like watch connoisseurs are in for the time of their lives!
MAM
India wins big at the 2025 Global Best of the Best Effie Awards
The Womb and McCann India take home Global Grand Effies, putting Indian advertising on the world map
MUMBAI: Indian advertising just had its moment. At the 2025 Global Best of the Best Effie Awards, the most rigorous test of marketing effectiveness on the planet, two Indian agencies beat out campaigns from over 130 markets to claim Global Grand Effies, the sport’s equivalent of a world championship medal.
The Womb won for Piramal Finance with a campaign called “NEEYAT: India’s Real Credit Score,” a purpose-led push that took direct aim at systemic bias in the credit sector and reframed how creditworthiness is measured. McCann India won for ESAF Small Finance Bank with “Saving Her Savings,” a campaign centred on financial inclusion for marginalised women. Both wins came from a shortlist of 47 contenders, all of whom had already won gold or grand prizes in their home markets. Only 11 Global Grand Effies were handed out across seven markets. India got two.
The highest honour of the night, the Iridium Effie, awarded to the single most effective marketing campaign in the world, went to eos Products and Mischief @ No Fixed Address for “Women’s Shave.” Remarkably, it was their second consecutive year taking the top prize.
Other global winners included Oreo and Mondelez International for “Oreo Codes” in commerce and shopper marketing, Flamin’ Hot and PepsiCo for “Poker Face” in experiential marketing, and ALDI Australia for “Shop ALDI First” in retail.
The Best of the Best is no ordinary awards show. Entry is restricted to campaigns that have already won a gold or grand Effie at a national level, making it, in effect, a champions’ league of marketing effectiveness. Indian agencies are no longer just brilliant at cracking local markets. They are now setting the global standard.
The world’s best advertisers had better start paying attention.
