MAM
CBS, Chevrolet to create a multi-platform ad challenge around the Superbowl
MUMBAI: US broadcaster CBS and car brand Chevrolet have joined forces to create a multi-platform event about the final stages in the “Chevy Super Bowl College Ad Challenge.
The campaign includes reality webisodes to be featured on CBS.com, a presence in CBS’s primetime special Super Bowl’s Greatest Commercials 2007 where the winning team from the Challenge will be announced, and culminates with the winning commercial airing during the Network’s broadcast of Super Bowl XLI on 4 February 2007.
As part of the challenge Chevy has given students the chance to compete for the opportunity to have their idea for a Chevy ad produced for the 2007 Super Bowl which is one of the most coveted advertising spots on television with, on average, 90 million viewers tuning in to watch.
Chevrolet GM Ed Peper says, “Consumer-generated ads, in the age of the Internet and YouTube, have truly come front and center. Chevy is proud to be a leader in this area. We were thrilled to host the finalists in Detroit and are eager to share what we taught them and what they taught us that weekend with the public through this partnership with CBS”.
“TMarketers are looking to creatively engage audiences across multiple platforms, and this deal accomplishes that through online components, network television sponsorship and viewer interaction,” said Jo Ann Ross, President, CBS Network Sales. “This is a unique package that taps into many different audiences while delivering great value for the client, and is an exciting way to engage both viewers and advertisers.”
The online component of the campaign is comprised of eight Chevy-sponsored webisodes which premiere on 22 January 2007 on CBS.com. The webisodes will take viewers behind the scenes of the challenge, in which more than 820 college teams registered for the opportunity to have their ad concept made into one of Chevrolet’s Super Bowl commercials.
The webisodes, produced by Juma Entertainment, will range from three to eight minutes in length, and follow the five finalist teams as they travel from their hometowns to Detroit to make “the pitch.” The webisodes will show them driving the Chevy vehicles featured in their ads — the Aveo, Cobalt, Equinox, and HHR, refining their presentations with Chevy’s advertising agency Campbell-Ewald, and presenting their ad concepts to Chevy executives.
The challenge then goes primetime in CBS’ annual Super Bowl’s Greatest Commercials 2007 special which airs on 2, February. The winning team of the Chevy College Challenge will be revealed during the special and viewers will be able to see more behind the scenes footage of the competition. Chevy is the exclusive automotive sponsor of the special.
And two days after the winning team is revealed — their concept will be seen by roughly 90 million viewers during one of the commercials Chevy has created for Super Bowl XLI.
The final two webisodes, showing the actual process of the making of the commercial, as well as other behind-the-scenes footage from the competition, will air following the primetime show and Super Bowl, on CBS.com.
Brands
Boeing appoints Barun as head of FP&A for global engineering function
Seasoned finance leader to steer budgets and strategy across global centres
BENGALURU: Boeing’s finance cockpit has a new pilot, and he is no stranger to turbulence or transformation. Boeing has appointed Barun as head of FP&A for global engineering, placing him at the centre of financial strategy for its worldwide engineering and technology operations.
Based in Bengaluru, Barun steps into a role that is as expansive as it is critical. He will serve as the primary finance lead for Boeing’s Engineering and Technology Centers globally, working closely with executive leadership to shape financial decisions, manage complex budgets, and design scalable finance processes that support the company’s growing engineering footprint.
In a note announcing his move Barun said, “I’m excited to share that I’ve joined Boeing Global Engineering. This opportunity is incredibly meaningful to me not just from a professional standpoint, but also for what Boeing represents globally.” He added that he looks forward to contributing to an organisation that continues to shape the future of aerospace and innovation.
Barun’s mandate spans strategic financial leadership, operational oversight, and stakeholder engagement. From directing large-scale budgets and schedules to influencing long-term organisational goals, the role blends financial discipline with business foresight. He will also lead cross-functional teams and partner with finance colleagues worldwide to support engineering programmes across geographies, including India.
The appointment caps a long stint at Juniper Networks, where Barun spent over a decade, most recently as finance senior manager. There, he led FP&A for global product business units and G&A functions, driving budgeting, forecasting, and long-range planning. He also played a key role in enterprise-wide transformation, including spearheading an Oracle to SAP ERP migration and building advanced analytics capabilities using tools such as Tableau and SAP Analytics Cloud.
His earlier career includes finance leadership roles at Sony India Software Centre, Cognizant Technology Solutions, and Mphasis, where he focused on financial planning, governance frameworks, and operational efficiency across global delivery centres.
A chartered accountant from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, Barun brings nearly two decades of experience across financial planning, digital transformation, and analytics-led decision making.
His appointment comes at a time when global engineering operations are becoming increasingly complex and distributed, requiring sharper financial oversight and agile planning. With Barun at the helm of FP&A for engineering, Boeing appears to be tightening its financial playbook as it looks to scale innovation with discipline.
