MAM
redRail from redBus gets platform naming & brand promotional rights of New Delhi Railway Station
Mumbai: redRail, the authorised IRCTC partner and rail ticketing app from redBus, is one of the few brands that have obtained platform naming rights, including other brand promotional rights, at platforms no. 8 and 9 of New Delhi Railway Station.
The pilot programme launched by the railways is the first of its kind, allowing brands to utilise the vast stretch within platforms of the New Delhi railway station to promote themselves in innovative ways, such as naming a platform after the brand and putting up extensive displays with promotional content, among others.
The unique engagement approach that offers a high-end experiential connection between brands and customers is poised to garner over 20 million eyeballs monthly, captive for a minimum of 30-45 minutes. This is achieved through the sheer volume of footfalls at New Delhi Railway Station, one of the busiest in the country, elevating brand connection a few notches.
redRail has obtained the rights to various elements on platforms 8 and 9 at New Delhi Railway Station.
Brand name on platform signage, platform colour scheme, wrapping or painting on seating benches, branding on the fence of the potted plants, branding on the 3D gantry – exit/entry of foot over bridges or escalators on the platform – and branding on pink cubicles for women seating on each platform and product display are among the key offerings.
This initiative also comes against the backdrop of redRail successfully completing its first year of operations. To celebrate the anniversary with all rail travellers, the enterprise is rolling out special offers and a contest to make it memorable. The three main offers are free tickets, a coupon for 50 per cent off up to Rs 100 and a flat Rs 50 off for all customers. These offers can be availed of by participating in an exciting “Spin the Wheel” contest, where users spin a wheel on the redRail app between 3 to 17 November.
Speaking on the new initiative from the Railways and redRail’s participation, redBus senior vice president & head of brand marketing Pallavi Chopra said, “New Delhi Railway Station caters to more than 400+ trains every day, with about five lakh passengers using the facility on a daily basis, allowing us to engage with an audience that matters. We are confident that with extensive brand visibility at the station, we will receive 30 minutes of confirmed attention from travellers. We greatly appreciate this novel approach from the Ministry of Railways, which would allow brands to engage with their audiences in powerful ways and is a win-win for both. We are also celebrating the first anniversary of redRail and are delighted to announce exciting offers on tickets for our travellers.”
MAM
Sameer Nair shares heartfelt note as he exits Applause Entertainment
After nine years building the streamer’s content engine, one of India’s best-known TV men is moving on
MUMBAI: Sameer Nair is out. The chief executive of Applause Entertainment, the content studio backed by Kumar Mangalam Birla’s media empire, has announced his departure after nearly nine years at the helm, closing the chapter on one of Indian entertainment’s more quietly consequential careers.
Nair, who built Applause from the ground up in its current avatar, oversaw a slate that spanned Indian originals and international adaptations, threading together a hub-and-spoke business model that partnered with streaming platforms, broadcasters and production houses alike. The results were uneven, as they always are in content, but the ambition was not.
In a post on LinkedIn, Nair was generous to his outgoing patron. He thanked Birla for being an “inspirational boss and a great patron of the arts,” and signed off with a cheerful “Au Revoir” and a promise to remain Applause’s biggest cheerleader. Whether that sentiment survives the next chapter remains to be seen.
No successor has been named. Applause Entertainment did not immediately comment.
Nair built the machine. Now someone else has to run it — and in a streaming market that is simultaneously consolidating and convulsing, that is no small ask.
