MAM
Essel Group launches PlayTV; marketing blitz to follow
MUMBAI: Essel Group’s 24-hour interactive and gaming channel PlayTV, managed by Dakshin Media Solutions, is now on air. The channel, which was soft-launched on 1 April, has become a fully functioning channel since 18 April.
Channel concept: Your phone is the new remote
Along with music programmes, PlayTV provides gaming news, contests, bidding and shopping. The channel runs on real time basis through SMS, emails and chats.
Essel Group is scheduled to formally announce the channel’s launch in two weeks time. The group’s director Amit Goenka, who is heading PlayTV, has told indiantelevision.com that the announcement would be followed by elaborate promotional and distribution campaigns.
“We chose this strategy because we wanted to know if any last minute changes were required prior to the announcement. And also, we felt this would help us to drive our distribution plans,” explains Goenka.
PlayTV has simultaneously launched on cable and Essel Group’s DTH offering Dish TV. In Dish TV, the channel is part of the Welcome bouquet which is priced at Rs 156 per month.
Goenka says the free-to-air channel is available across the country on Siti Cable. Efforts to get the channel in other networks are currently on, he adds.
“In Mumbai, more or less all the cable operators are carrying the channel now. Presently, we are focusing on the national distribution front, trying to get the channel onto other networks as well,” says Goenka.
Essel has launched PlayTV with an eye to cashing in on India’s growing gaming industry. Globally, gaming as an industry is a $30 billion business. At the time of the launch announcement recently, Goenka had said that in Asia, PlayTV is a new concept, while globally gaming, with a dash of entertainment and lifestyle, is a huge market.
PlayTV is supported by state of the art technology from Cellcast, a UK based company, which will help to set up TV SMS technology and also undertake training and developing of manpower in India.
MAM
Coca-cola launches ‘Har Meal Aaaah’ campaign with Mamitha Baiju
Hyperlocal film turns parotta into ‘Parotaaaaaah’ to celebrate meal moments
MUMBAI: One sip, one sound and suddenly, every meal gets its moment. Coca-cola has unveiled its latest campaign, ‘Har Meal Aaaah’, aiming to turn everyday dining into something a little more memorable and a lot more refreshing. Fronted by Mamitha Baiju, the campaign leans into Coca-cola’s iconic “Aaaah” mnemonic that unmistakable expression after the first sip reimagining it as a cultural thread that ties together food, flavour and feeling across regions. The film, rooted in Tamil Nadu’s culinary culture, spotlights the beloved parotta, playfully stretching it into “Parotaaaaaah” to capture the joy of the perfect pairing.
Conceptualised by Ogilvy and extended regionally by Studio X, the campaign blends local insight with global brand cues. It reflects Coca-cola’s ongoing strategy of embedding itself into everyday rituals, this time, not through grand occasions, but through the quiet, familiar moments around food.
The idea is simple but sharply executed: position Coca-cola not as an add-on, but as an essential companion to meals. By tapping into hyperlocal food habits while retaining a universally recognisable brand cue, the campaign aims to deepen emotional recall across diverse audiences.
Early traction suggests the approach is resonating. The campaign has already sparked organic engagement online, with memes and user reactions amplifying its reach proof that sometimes, the smallest ideas travel the furthest.
At a time when brands are competing for attention in increasingly fragmented markets, ‘Har Meal Aaaah’ takes a different route zooming in rather than out. Because in the end, Coca-Cola’s bet is clear: if you can own the moment after the first sip, you can own the meal.
