MAM
MTV launches a new interactive concept in the US
NEW YORK: The next paradigm shift in instantaneously gauging the popularity of music videos on music TV channels through mobile interactivity is here! Snap polls on the mobile phones will determine which videos will be aired on music channels.
MTV and Virgin Mobile USA have announced the launch of *MTV ( read as “Star-MTV”), a new wireless brand from MTV available to customers in the US.
MTV will premiere a programme called Video Clash – a new interactive series that pits one video of a popular artiste against another. Viewers vote for the videos they wish to see through *MTV by using their mobile phones. The results of the vote are displayed in real-time and the video is aired on the channel within a specified time. Fans of the two “warring video artistes” can send personal messages which will be screened on air while the video is being played.
MTV also provides Virgin Mobile users with mobile “sneak peek” updates on their favorite programmes and MTV.com games, breaking stories from MTV News, video voting, audio postcards from music and TV celebrities to send to friends, Wake-Up Calls, Rescue Rings and more.
Indian telcos and music channels can note this development, and try it here.
Digital
Kausik Misra joins BigTrunk Communications as senior vice president- strategy
Content veteran from Zee to steer strategy at independent agency
MUMBAI: Kausik Misra is switching from prime-time hits to brand playbooks. The former non-fiction content head at Zee Entertainment Enterprises has joined BigTrunk Communications as senior vice president–strategy, as agencies race to pair storytelling with hard business outcomes.
Announced in Mumbai, the hire adds a 15-year content and marketing hand to BigTrunk’s leadership as it courts brands seeking cultural relevance and measurable returns. Misra spent years shaping tentpole shows on Zee TV, helping build franchises such as Dance India Dance, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, Zee Rishtey Awards and Zee Cine Awards, and pushing them across television and digital ecosystems.
At BigTrunk, he is expected to tighten strategic planning, deepen audience insight and refine narrative frameworks for clients chasing long-term brand equity. Misra pitches the move as a chance to blend consumer insight, storytelling and commercial discipline in one shop.
Founder and ceo Akhil Nair is betting on content DNA to fuel growth, arguing that brands now demand culture-literate strategy, not just media weight.
Founded in 2013, the agency operates from Delhi and Bangalore, with outposts in the United Arab Emirates and the United States. Its client roster ranges from Warner Bros. and H&R Johnson to Unibic Foods, HPCL Rajasthan Refinery Limited, ORRA Jewellery, Saraswat Bank and Discovery Kids.
As brands hunt attention in a crowded market, agencies are raiding the content world for talent. Misra’s bet is that sharp stories still sell—and that strategy, like television, is a game of hits.
