MAM
Aegis Media India launches Carat Fresh Rural
MUMBAI: Aegis Media India has launched Carat Fresh Rural, a professionally run, international rural communications agency. Carat Fresh Rural, the rural division of Carat Fresh Integrated, will provide comprehensive rural marketing and communication solutions to clients, which include rural planning, implementing outreach campaigns in rural areas, route planning, monitoring, van operations, haat and mandi contact programs, wall paintings, melas and any other marketing communication activities that may be required in small towns and villages.
Interestingly, it has already bagged assignments from clients like Mahindra & Mahindra, Godrej Consumer Products, Escorts, Godrej, GPI, SONY MAX, Pidilite, Force Motors, Bayer Crop Science, and others. Carat Fresh Rural will be starting with a team of 30 rural marketers and a network of 1500 operators, across seven offices and 20 operation bases, led by the famous rural expert, Keshav Chandorkar, who will report to Carat Fresh Integrated head, Ravi Shankar.
Before launching, they have already carried out activities in over 18000 villages across 21 states.
“Rural Marketing Communications is the holy grail that no agency has successfully cracked in India, thus far. I believe that there is a universe at least equal to the size of the entire advertising industry available to agencies to explore in the rural marketing communications field. Carat Fresh Rural will, in many ways, pioneer that. We are developing, for the first time in India, state-of-the-art rural management tools. The Carat Fresh suite of Rural Tools will have the country’s only real time Rural Planning Tool, enabled by 3G connectivity and linked to a host of data sources including the rich census data, media data and 16 other sources of data. Since implementation in rural is key, every one of the Carat Fresh Rural operators will have an App on their GPS enabled trackers that will automatically monitor and relay data without human intervention. Several Tools and Apps are being developed to revolutionize rural communications in India” said, chairman India & CEO South East Asia Ashish Bhasin.
Carat Fresh Rural aims to have a network of 10,000 people and 100 rural experts, across 26 states, by mid-2015. By 2015 Carat Fresh Rural expects to have covered over 100,000 villages throughout India. In the second phase of expansion, which will span from 2016 t0 2018, it is anticipated that the network will grow to 20000 people, employees to 200+ and over 200,000 villages would have been covered.
Brands
KKR sixes to power EV charger rollout under VIDA campaign
Cricket meets clean mobility as big hits spark India’s charging growth
NEW DELHI: VIDA, the electric mobility arm of Hero MotoCorp, has teamed up with Kolkata Knight Riders to launch a campaign that turns cricketing flair into real-world impact.
Titled ‘6 for 6’, the initiative promises to install a 6kW fast EV charger for every six hit by KKR during the ongoing Indian Premier League season. The idea is simple but powerful, as each big hit on the field contributes directly to expanding India’s fast-charging infrastructure.
The campaign builds on VIDA’s growing network, which already spans over 5,300 fast-charging points across more than 430 cities. With EV adoption gaining pace, the brand is using cricket’s mass appeal to accelerate both awareness and infrastructure growth.
Explaining the thinking behind the move, Hero MotoCorp emerging mobility business unit chief business officer Kausalya Nandakumar said, “Cricket has an incredible ability to unite and inspire millions across the country. With the ‘6 for 6’ campaign, we are turning every big hit on the field into a step towards a cleaner and a more accessible mobility future.”
She added that VIDA’s expanding fast-charging network and removable battery technology are designed to make EV ownership more convenient and practical for everyday users.
From the franchise’s side, the campaign is also about giving on-field moments a larger purpose. Kolkata Knight Riders chief executive officer Venky Mysore said, “The ‘6 for 6’ campaign exemplifies the potential of sport as a platform for meaningful, real-world impact. By linking every six to the expansion of EV charging infrastructure, this partnership transforms fan excitement into tangible progress.”
As part of the rollout, VIDA has introduced co-branded charging stations in KKR’s signature colours, with a flagship installation unveiled alongside team players. The chargers are designed for quick top-ups, powering VIDA scooters from zero to 80 percent in about an hour, while also being positioned along key highways to support longer journeys.
The initiative also taps into VIDA’s removable battery system, which allows users to charge using standard household plug points, adding flexibility to the charging ecosystem.
By blending the thrill of cricket with the urgency of clean mobility, VIDA and KKR have found a neat way to make every six count twice, once on the scoreboard and again on India’s road to an electric future.
