MAM
Bajaj Allianz salutes COVID-19 warriors with a compelling video
MUMBAI: The current global COVID-19 pandemic has affected each individual at multiple levels and in various ways across the world. People are seen battling it in hospitals, through self-isolation and in quarantine. But there is an army of people working selflessly to keep them safe – the doctors, nurses, policemen, medical workers and government professionals. These heroes are risking their lives and labouring at the forefront to help control the situation.
With an aim to salute these heroes, Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Company and WATConsult, a hybrid digital agency from the house of Dentsu Aegis Network (DAN) India, have released a new video, #CareWillOvercome. The video aims to bring in ‘hope’ and ‘care’ in the world amidst the COVID-19 outbreak. This riveting short video showcases stirring images of people from around the world. It includes doctors, medical workers and citizens who are bravely doing their bit to help to leave no stone unturned in fighting this global crisis.
The music that accompanies the video is a rendition of the renowned song ‘We Shall Overcome’ popularly known as ‘Hum Honge Kamyaab' in India. The lyrics of the song are in different languages from across the world. It expresses the borderless unity and togetherness we are all witnessing during this pandemic. Listening to the same positive message sung out in different languages like Mandarin, Spanish, Italian, Farsi, German, Hindi and English is indeed motivating. The music too is an amalgamation of cultures. For example, the strings are from Russia, percussion from Nigeria and the vocals are from Italy, Germany, China, America, Spain and India.
Link – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaksYGn7OIw
Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Company MD and CEO Tapan Singhel said, “Care has always been at the core of Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Company. And with the current situation, it has become more important than ever to be caring. Through this video, we wanted to send out a global message of solidarity and positivity, giving a ray of hope to each one of us. It is only through care – for ourselves, for our loved ones and for the people who are at the frontlines – that we can come out of this stronger and rise. Hence, the message of caring enough to be brave, informed and responsible.”
Commenting on the same, WATConsult CEO Heeru Dingra added, “In such a grim situation like this a word of ‘HOPE’ and ‘CARE’ means a lot. While this pandemic has gripped all of us, it has also brought in a severe effect on one’s mind and soul. We should not forget the fact that there is a huge lot outside battling for us, risking their lives as well as emotions just for ‘us’. This video is an ode of salute to them and has been conceptualized keeping in mind the importance of bringing in a positive feeling that we are ‘in it together’ and ‘we will overcome this together’.”
Doing its part in the wake of social distancing, the brand intends to create the longest virtual human chain on its Instagram profile as amplification for the campaign.
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Abhay Duggal joins JioStar as director of Hindi GEC ad sales
The streaming giant brings in a seasoned revenue hand as the battle for Hindi television advertising heats up
MUMBAI: Abhay Duggal has a new desk, and JioStar has a new weapon. The media and entertainment veteran has joined JioStar as director of entertainment ad sales for Hindi general entertainment channels, adding 17 years of hard-won revenue experience to one of India’s most powerful broadcasting operations.
Duggal is no stranger to big portfolios or bruising markets. Before joining JioStar, he spent a brief stint at Republic World as deputy general manager and north regional head for ad sales. Before that, he put in three years at Enterr10 Television, where he ran the north region for Dangal TV and Dangal 2, two of India’s leading free-to-air Hindi channels. The north alone accounted for more than 50 per cent of total channel revenue on his watch, a number that tends to get attention in any sales meeting.
His longest stint was at Zee Entertainment Enterprises, where he spent over six years rising to associate director of sales. There he commanded the Hindi movies cluster across seven channels, owned more than half of north India’s revenue across flagship properties including Zee TV and &TV, and closed marquee sponsorships across the Indian Premier League, Zee Rishtey Awards and Dance India Dance. He also handled monetisation for the English movies and entertainment cluster and the global news channel WION, a portfolio that would stretch most sales teams twice his size.
Earlier in his career Duggal closed what was then a Rs 3 crore single deal at Reliance Broadcast Network, one of the largest in Indian radio at the time, before that he helped launch and monetise JAINHITS, India’s first HITS-based cable and satellite platform.
His edge, by his own account, lies in marrying data and instinct: translating audience trends, inventory signals and client demands into long-term partnerships built on cost-per-rating-point discipline rather than short-term deal chasing. In a media landscape being reshaped by streaming, fragmented attention and AI-driven advertising, that kind of rigour is increasingly rare and increasingly valuable.
JioStar, which blends the scale of Reliance’s Jio platform with the content firepower of Star, is doubling down on its advertising business at precisely the moment the Hindi GEC market is getting more competitive. Bringing in someone who has spent nearly two decades doing exactly this, across some of India’s most watched channels, is a pointed statement of intent. Duggal has spent his career turning audiences into revenue. JioStar is clearly betting he can do it again, and bigger.
