MAM
Hutch launches regional content services in Karnataka
BANGALORE: With a view to increasing their subscriber base in the circle, Hutch a cellular service provider in India today announced the launch of content on the Voice Response platform in regional languages for subscribers in Karnataka.
Access and content on the Voice Response platform earlier available in English and Hindi will now be available in 3 more languages -Kannada, Telugu and Tamil besides English and Hindi. The regional content will include Caller Tunes, Ringtones, Jokes in regional languages and other offerings are to be launched shortly.
Hutch Essar South India operations director-south Samuel Selvakumar said, “This service is in line with the Hutch philosophy of facilitating communication in a manner that is convenient and enhances user experience.”
Bangalore and the Karnataka circle has seen some of the largest growth in percentage terms in mobile growth for Hutch. Karnataka and more specifically Bangalore has a multiplicity of languages with all the five languages offered here being popular with the respective segment. In AP, the service will be offered in three languages – Telugu, Hindi and until now the only other state where a regional language service was being offered along with Hindi and English is Gujarat. In the offing are Marathi for Maharashtra and Bengali for West Bengal revealed Selvakumar while speaking with indiantelevision.com on the sidelines of a press conference.
Around 650 music tracks from Tamil, Telugu and Kannada in addition to 1500 Bollywood and international tunes can now be played over the ringing tone when people call instead of the ‘tring tring’ they hear while they wait for an answer. To activate call tones, Hutch users can send ACT CT as an SMS to 123 or call 123 and say ‘Caller Tunes’ to select their favorite tune. A monthly fee of Rs. 30 is charged for downloading 3 tunes. For every subsequent song download, the charges will be Rs. 10.
Hutch customers can also download popular songs from Tamil, Telugu and Kannada cinema, and hear their favorite song whenever the phone rings.
To download ring tones Hutch users can dial 123 on their mobile phones, say ‘Ringtones’ and follow the simple instructions to download. Depending on the capability of the handset Singtone, Polytone or a Monotone can be downloaded at a charges of Rs 6/- per min. Singtone downloads are charged at Rs.20 per download, Polytones and Monotones are charged at Rs 10 and Rs 7 per download. Hutch subscribers having GPRS phones can also download these exclusive ringtones from www.hutchworld.co.in.
Over the past twelve months Hutch has seen customer subscriber base grow to 656,000 subscribers from around 400,000 last year. Hutch is present across over 213 towns in Karnataka. Nationally, Hutch has a subscriber base of over 8.4 million under the Hutch and Orange brand names.
Selvakumar said that their new campaign would probably include promotions for the VRS service. The new campaign would follow after completion of this campaign. O&M handles the creative and the media business for Hutch and their campaigns have won Hutch accolades such as the ‘Most Creative and Most Effective Advertiser of the Year’. Hutch and has established itself as one of the few great brands created in the country in the last decade. ‘Most Respected Telecom Company’ and the ‘Best Mobile Service in the country’ are some of the other awards in the Hutch kitty.
MAM
India wins big at the 2025 Global Best of the Best Effie Awards
The Womb and McCann India take home Global Grand Effies, putting Indian advertising on the world map
MUMBAI: Indian advertising just had its moment. At the 2025 Global Best of the Best Effie Awards, the most rigorous test of marketing effectiveness on the planet, two Indian agencies beat out campaigns from over 130 markets to claim Global Grand Effies, the sport’s equivalent of a world championship medal.
The Womb won for Piramal Finance with a campaign called “NEEYAT: India’s Real Credit Score,” a purpose-led push that took direct aim at systemic bias in the credit sector and reframed how creditworthiness is measured. McCann India won for ESAF Small Finance Bank with “Saving Her Savings,” a campaign centred on financial inclusion for marginalised women. Both wins came from a shortlist of 47 contenders, all of whom had already won gold or grand prizes in their home markets. Only 11 Global Grand Effies were handed out across seven markets. India got two.
The highest honour of the night, the Iridium Effie, awarded to the single most effective marketing campaign in the world, went to eos Products and Mischief @ No Fixed Address for “Women’s Shave.” Remarkably, it was their second consecutive year taking the top prize.
Other global winners included Oreo and Mondelez International for “Oreo Codes” in commerce and shopper marketing, Flamin’ Hot and PepsiCo for “Poker Face” in experiential marketing, and ALDI Australia for “Shop ALDI First” in retail.
The Best of the Best is no ordinary awards show. Entry is restricted to campaigns that have already won a gold or grand Effie at a national level, making it, in effect, a champions’ league of marketing effectiveness. Indian agencies are no longer just brilliant at cracking local markets. They are now setting the global standard.
The world’s best advertisers had better start paying attention.
