MUMBAI: Indian dancer Shakti Mohan travels from her home in Mumbai to New York to collaborate with Arab-American classical composer Mohammed Fairouz as part of the series Collaboration Culture broadcasting on the BBC?s international 24 hour news channel BBC World News. Collaboration Culture pairs fourteen creative and celebrated figures from the worlds of fashion, dance, music, food and art and invites them to collaborate on a new, innovative project including collaborations in New York, Lima, and Accra. The series broadcasts globally on BBC World News.

The New York collaboration sees these two supremely talented young artists, one a composer and one a dancer; born in the same year but on different continents, come together to create a dazzling new performance in one of the world?s greatest cities.

Shakti Mohan is a star in India. Based in Mumbai, she won a nationwide TV talent show called ?Dance India Dance? in 2010, wowing the judges with her natural and elegant style. Trained in both traditional and contemporary Indian dance, Shakti is also influenced by Western culture and performance techniques. Recently she has appeared in an Indian soap opera ? but is now solely focusing on her dance studies and Bollywood dancing after winning a scholarship.

Mohammed Fairouz is a prolific Arab-American classical composer. Aged 26, he has written numerous orchestral and symphonic works which straddle both Eastern and Western influences. He is one of the most frequently-performed composers of his generation, and his music has been received at venues such as Carnegie Hall, Boston?s Symphony Hall, the Kennedy Center and internationally throughout the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Australia. In 2008 he was honoured with a national citation from the Embassy of the U.A.E in Washington D.C. for outstanding achievement in artistry and scholarship. He is no stranger to intriguing collaborations, having worked in the past with celebrated Arabic poets and most recently, the Irish literary giant Seamus Heaney.

This episode will follow Shakti as she experiences New York for the very first time, and as she and Mohammed work closely together, sharing ideas and inspiring one another. He will compose a brand new piece of music to which Shakti will choreograph her own routine. The collaborative process will culminate in a one-off performance in front of an invited audience, with Shakti dancing backed by a top American string quartet and a Klezmer clarinettist playing Mohammed?s new composition.

Mohammed Fairouz says ?Music means the world to me, it?s the lifeblood of human connection, it?s a source of incredible energy and it?s the most immediate art form and the one in which I find my expression most naturally.? And on the collaboration itself, ?Three days to work on the music and two days to work on the choreography? Theoretically no. Practically we did it! We did it.?

?When I first heard [Mohammed?s] music I was so nervous because I couldn?t imagine dancing at that pace for long? Said Shakti Mohan, talking the day before their performance, ?But I?ve worked through it? and now I can dance it twice all the way through without getting tired. Because I?m really feeling it ? this music is magical.?

Collaboration Culture, broadcast in association with Emirates, will TX weekly on BBC World News from onSaturdays at 6.00am & 1.00pm and Sundays at 6.00pm & 12.00am

MUMBAI: AXN, Asia?s home of thrilling entertainment, has premiered its latest original production, Cyril?s Family Vacation: Hawaii Edition, to top ratings in its timeslot across English general entertainment channels in Southeast Asia. [1] Viewership was particularly strong in Malaysia where it was the highest rated program across all English language channels on Astro among PMEB[2] audiences in its timeslot.

Cyril?s Family Vacation: Hawaii Edition is a six-part magic series that was shot on location in Hawaii featuring Japan?s favourite magician and one of the world?s most illustrious illusionists, Cyril. He stars as different members of his ?family? including Grandma Magi, Uncle Richard and Cousin Tiny on a hilarious and magic-filled vacation in Oahu, Hawaii. Hidden cameras pick up on the action as Cyril?s ?family members? amaze unsuspecting holiday makers with their spontaneous magic tricks. The new series follows AXN?s 2009 original production Cyril: Simply Magic, which was seen by more than 11 million viewers across Asia and was also the top rated program in Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan.

"With the success of Cyril?s Family Vacation: Hawaii Edition, AXN has proven once again that magic is a winning formula with universal appeal. We are proud to have grown our partnership with a world class talent such as Cyril, to thrill AXN audiences once more in our second collaboration. We expect Cyril?s Family Vacation: Hawaii Edition to continue to awe and inspire audiences across Asia on AXN." said Mr Ricky Ow, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Networks, Asia, Sony Pictures Television.

The strong premiere of Cyril?s Family Vacation: Hawaii Edition comes off the back of AXN?s publicity tour which took Cyril to key cities across the region including Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Manila and Mumbai. During the tour Cyril met the local media, AXN?s partners and clients, as well as lucky subscribers of the channel who won the opportunity through a viewers? contest. Not only did attendees of these AXN events get a sneak preview of Cyril?s Family Vacation: Hawaii Edition, they were wowed by the up-close-and-personal interaction with Cyril and his live magic performances, including as Grandma Magi levitating 9 metres above ground in front of the Pavilion shopping mall in Kuala Lumpur, seen by thousands of shoppers and was widely reported in the news.

Cyril?s Family Vacation: Hawaii Edition is an original production from Sony Pictures Television Networks, Asia, Sony Pictures Entertainment Japan?s AXN Mystery, Charis Entertainment and Focus Group Limited.

MUMBAI: It?s the time to show your support for the one who has been playing your favourite tracks and taking every requests. We have loved their voices but now they don a different avatar. fbb brings your favourite RJs in a unique campaign RJ style-o-meter where they will sizzle on the ramp. This is one of a kind opportunity where the fans get to meet their idol face to face on one platform.

fbb style-o-meter will have 34 of your favorite RJs from 5 national radio channels : Radio City,Oye Fm,Big FM,Red FM,Fever FM participating. The hunt will be on for the ?Shehar ka sabse stylish RJ? from Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Kolkata. fbb style-o-meter will be a platform for fans & RJs to interact with each other and select their ?Shehar ka Sabse stylish RJ? on www.facebook.com/fbbonline.

fbb style-o-meter starts on May 28, with the pictures, videos, and information of shortlisted RJs .The fans can vote for their favourite RJ till June 8, 2012. The winner will be selected on a gala ceremony ?fbb style-o-meter Grand Finale? which will be held in each city on 9th &10th June, 2012. An online poll for RJ Style-o-meter ? a style barometer will be conducted on www.facebook.com/fashionatbigbazaar. The uniqueness of the concept is that the fans will vote for the ?Most stylish RJ? of their city by posting ?likes? and comments. These votes will account for 50% of the individual RJ?s total score. This is for the first time that the fans of the RJ?s who solely know and associate with them through their voice will be able to see their pictures on the net. Profile shoot images of the RJ?s will be uploaded along with their ?vote for me? videos. The fans will come to know about their fashion & style quotient, likes and dislikes etc

Everyday contests for fans will be conducted both in the participating radio channels & facebook page to keep up the excitement and interaction. Winners will be gratified & get a chance to meet them personally on the ground. The respective city finales for the first time will witness well known RJ?s from different radio stations come together on the same platform.

The participants will be walking the ramp wearing fbb merchandise collection. There will be 3 rounds and 2 look changes for the RJ?s followed with a Q&A. The remaining 50 % of their total score will be judged by the jury based on their on-stage performance showcasing their confidence, style sense and overall personality. 1 winner per city will be declared ?Shehar ka Sabse Stylish RJ?. Each winner gets a grand hamper worth Rs. 10,000 and an iPAD!

Percept Media, the media planning, buying and evaluation arm of Percept Limited has conceptualized & ideated this property. They did a dip stick research in compiling the favorite RJs from the respective cities & getting them on board. They media buying & planning across radio channels is been executed by Percept Media.
Speaking on this initiative, Mr. Pawan Sarda, CMO, Future Group said ?fbb is a very young and vibrant brand. RJs are not only icon for today?s youth but also someone that they relate to and aspire to be. fbb is about fashion, which is stylishly affordable and inspirational.?

Amol Mohandas, Vice President, Percept Media quoted ?We at Percept Media always endeavor in providing clutter breaking solutions for our clients, be it in media planning or execution. In this campaign we have not only tried to give a distinct platform for fbb to connect with their audience but also have brought the listeners & the RJs together. We are extremely confident that this will help the brand to crave a niche amidst its consumers, who are primarily the youngsters but also will help in maintain a strong brand recall?

Mumbai: L?Oreal Paris dominates the outdoor landscape yet again, this time with diva Sonam Kapoor. Milestone Brandcom, one of the leading and fastest growing integrated Out-of-Home brand communications agencies in India, brings the latest anti hairfall range by L?Oreal Paris out onto the city streets of India.

L?Oreal Fall repair 3x is a new range of Hair care products launched by L?Oreal Paris that reduces hair fall caused due to breakage by 90%. Its unique formula is enriched with Arginine which energizes the hair roots to help repair hair from root to tip. The triple anti hairfall action nourishes the hair root, restructures hair fibre and makes hair stronger. India was the first market in Asia to witness the launch of this product as hair fall is the No. 1 concern of Indian women across all age groups. The campaign objective was to highlight that the triple benefits of L?Oreal Paris?s Fall repair shampoo with emphasis on its action on the hair roots. The campaign targeted women who face problems of hair fall, between the age group of 25 and 45, and therefore young and vivacious Sonam Kapoor was aptly chosen as the brand ambassador of this revolutionary new launch.

The media mandate to Milestone Brandcom was to launch the brand amongst the vast consumer segment in India with a big bang by capitalizing on the beautiful brand visuals and a single minded message ?Hairfall, Get to the root of it?. In view of these objectives, we devised an all pervasive OOH media plan to tactfully target the TG ? mainly women by following their movement within a city ?along arterial roads, key junction?s, transit and congregation points right up to the last mile of purchase.

The media mix was an assortment of large format billboards and gantries to create impact, bus shelters to build reach & frequency, pole kiosks to drive saliency and mall media & female security panels to influence point of purchase. The bright and bold colors of the creative, Sonam?s captivating visuals and the right media mix helped create top of mind recall. The campaign was executed across 7 cities at about 520 total touch points said Imtiyaz Vilatra, Founder Member & Managing Partner at Milestone Brandcom.

Custom shaped pole kiosks were used to drive salience and provide continuous presence in key stretches, arterial routes & high traffic junctions across the city, building maximum frequency & TOM awareness. The ordinary 3*6 rectangular kiosks were converted into the shape of the Loreal bottles thereby assuring dominance in select target areas. The creatively cut kiosks & the vibrant layouts looked strikingly beautiful during day & night.

To further dominate the city streets of Mumbai, Loreal Paris zones were created at various key junctions across the city (Worli Naka, Cadell Road & Juhu). All the media billboards, bus shelters & kiosks at these traffic junctions were taken up to display L?Oreal Paris?s new launch thus ensuring a unique & premium positioning befitting the brand. Pankaj Sharma, Group Product Manager at L?Oreal Paris complimented Milestone Brandcom on their execution abilities and said he looked forward to working with them again. He says ?The OOH campaign was well planned and executed. Milestone Brandcom leveraged the creative very well and created a great impact. Our first consumers of Fall Repair do recall the message from the Outdoor campaign. It was a flawless execution and gave us a good mileage at the time of IPL hype?.

Mumbai: DMAi, the premier forum for integrated direct marketing in India, announced the appointment of Co-Chairpersons for its first of its kind global convention in Mumbai in August. Mr. Ajay Chandwani along with Ms. Winnifred Knight will function as Co-Chairpersons of the DMAI Convention and work with DMAi to ensure that this maiden event is a grand success. Their role will entail selection of content and speakers, overseeing strategic goals of DMAi, networking with industry thought leaders, as well as promotion for the convention.

Commenting on the selection, Mr. Sanjiv Swarup, Founder Director of DMAi says, ?We are very proud to have both Ajay and Winnifred as Co-Chairpersons of the convention, and are certain that they will bring a plethora of acclaim and stewardship to this entire event. Both are very well respected in their industries and bring an ocean of expertise, knowledge and revolutionary thinking to their ideas and execution. We are certain that the convention will reach renewed heights with their guidance and leadership.?

The global convention by Direct Marketing Association: India (DMAi) will be the first ever conclave that will feature global learning in strategic marketing with special focus on direct marketing including traditional, interactive and futuristic channels; with a participation from over 100 global and Indian companies.

On being appointed as Co-Chairman of the Convention, Mr. Ajay Chandwani says, ?I am honored to be bestowed with this new role and look forward to working with Winnifred, to ensure that this Convention reaches the great heights it truly deserves. As Co-Chairpersons of the DMAi Convention, our role will be to bring to life the knowledge and experience of top notch Indian and global speakers, who have a huge standing in their markets. These thought leaders will share their valuable insights and experience of brands handled by them. Further, my personal involvement over many years in brands and interaction with leading marketers will enable me to get access to thought leaders in Marketing, Creative and Media and get them motivated to share their knowledge. Our key objective is to make Direct marketing the next big thing that everyone is talking about.?

?My familiarity with the Awards Process will help in working with the maiden DMAi Awards event which will require the support Direct Marketing specialists, Clients who use Direct Marketing, Ad Agencies and Media Companies. The biggest challenge will lie in garnering sponsor and delegate support for the Convention.?

Commenting on her selection as Co-Chairman of the Convention, Ms. Winnifred Knight says, ?As a knowledge junkie and passionate traveler, Incredible India has been on my bucket list for many years, and this opportunity to be in the midst of business and pleasure is a dream come true. Needless to say the DMAi Team has made it easy to like and respect them for their professionalism and warmth. I?m delighted to be part of the program and content planning in advising on relevant topics and tracks, suggestions for international speakers and other specialists, networking opportunities and more. Together with Ajay?s extensive experience we look forward to present an awesome knowledge-sharing and Insightful Convention.?

The Convention to be hosted by DMAi at the Renaissance Convention Center Powai in Mumbai from 1st to 4th August, will be a 2 day event spread over 4 key tracks and several sessions and will include keynote presentations from leading practitioners from India and abroad, panel discussions of eminent professionals, expo centers for actual business, award presentations in the direct marketing industry and an opportunity to network with the cr?me de la cr?me of marketing practitioners. There will also be 2 days of Masterclasses in specialist functional areas.

Mumbai: The latest Ipsos PAX survey (Q1 2011 - Q4 2011) shows that in India, BBC World News is the top international English news channel and the news destination of both the young1 and upwardly mobile mid-level corporate managers.

BBC World News was also shown to be the most watched international news channel for mid-level income earners, women, tech enthusiasts and those under the age of 30. The channel is also the most watched news channel amongst key audiences such as potential car buyers, international travellers and consumer durable owners.

The latest PAX survey also demonstrated the power of BBC?s integrated reach across its TV and digital platforms. BBC combined platforms reach out to more young people, mid management execs, women, potential car buyers and international fliers as compared to key competitors.

Colin Lawrence, Commercial Director BBC World News says: "BBC World News and BBC.com are strongly demonstrating impact to Indian audiences-not only top management but also those with their careers on the rise. Our platforms deliver a targeted route to these discerning viewers and it?s more and more clear that our style of impartial international news and business coverage is increasingly relevant to viewers and advertisers across the country."

The Ipsos PAX study surveys international and local media consumption and product consumption among affluent adults and business professionals in the Indian cities of Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore. The latest survey covers Q1 2011 to Q4 2011.