MAM
Draftfcb Ulka creates a new campaign for 99acres ‘Sochna Bhi Mat’
MUMBAI: Real estate portal 99acres.com entered mainstream marketing with its maiden campaign conceptualised by Draftfcb Ulka. The TVC for the campaign is produced by Boot Polissh Films.
The focus of the campaign is on establishing 99acres.com as the one place to log on to for the best properties and deals. With a plethora of new entrants in the space the task of the next phase of communication was to showcase the various possibilities that the site offers in terms of buying, selling and renting properties.
The TVC uses the set-up of a young man meeting his prospective father-in-law. With a healthy dose of humour weaved in, the film plays up the true to life insight that a father‘s foremost concern is whether the man proposing to his daughter owns a house or not. The commercial goes on to show the protagonist winning over his difficult to please father-in-law with the help of solutions provided by 99acres.com.
All three offerings from 99acres.com have been woven into the script to highlight the gamut of services. The communication puts across the message that 99acres is the place to go to when looking for properties to rent, buy or sell. ‘Sochna bhi mat‘ is used as a punch line with variation in its connotation as the situations in the commercial change. The brand continues with the theme of ‘Sochna bhi mat‘ across other mediums as well, playing it up differently depending on the possibilities attached with each medium.
Draftfcb Ulka-Delhi creative director Sanjay Sharma said, “It‘s a topical thing. Everyone is talking about rent, buy and sell. We just took it as a tactical exercise for the brand and have done it in a more engaging and entertaining manner.”
Chief Operating Officer Draftfcb Ulka Delhi, Sanjay Tandon feels that “One of the important aspects of online brands is the need to project differentiation through brand personality. A charming insight coupled with a delightful storyline helps progress the brand 99acres.com in this short film.”
MAM
Times Group’s Vineet Jain conferred lifetime media honour
Managing India award crowns four decades of expansion, ambition and cultural clout
NEW DELHI: Vineet Jain has picked up another trophy, and this one comes with a lifetime tag.
At the 70th foundation day and 20th national management day of All India Management Association in New Delhi, the managing director of The Times Group was conferred the “lifetime contribution to media” award, presented by education minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The honour formed part of AIMA’s 16th managing India awards, themed “Transforming for tomorrow: growth with resilience”.
AIMA’s citation was expansive and effusive. It hailed Jain as a “future-ready leader and agile entrepreneur” who has turned a legacy newspaper business into a diversified media powerhouse. Since the late 1980s, it noted, he has revitalised print while pushing aggressively into television, radio, internet, movies, music, sports, events, outdoor advertising, education and investments across 35 markets.
“He did not just grow a newspaper company; he built a multifaceted media empire that dominates information and entertainment in India and shapes the nation’s political and commercial awareness,” the citation said. “From television and radio to internet, movies, music, sports, events, outdoor advertising, education and investments, his leadership has created influential brands across every platform.”
Under Jain’s stewardship, television brands such as Times Now, ET Now and Zoom have expanded the group’s broadcast heft, while their digital avatars have chased new audiences online. Radio Mirchi, Gaana, Times OOH, Times Music and Magicbricks have emerged as category leaders. Legacy titles such as Femina and Filmfare have been retooled for new generations.
The group has also ventured beyond media. Through Bennett University and TimesPro, it has pushed into higher and executive education, while a national pickleball league signals a foray into the world’s fastest-growing sport.
AIMA credited Jain with balancing mass entertainment and intellectual ambition, citing the reinvention of the Filmfare awards and the Femina Miss India pageant nearly three decades ago, as well as the launch of the Times litfest.
Accepting the award, Jain struck a collective note. “It is a huge honour to receive this award. I dedicate it to my colleagues who have worked tirelessly to make The Times Group, India’s largest multi media company.”
He reiterated the group’s appetite for scale. “The Times Group is number one in every media vertical it has launched, and we will continue striving for excellence,” he said.
Four decades on, the message is clear. In a media market being torn up by technology and attention spans, Jain is still betting on breadth, brands and being number one.
