MAM
Sony launches 2nd phase of campaign for KBC
MUMBAI: Sony Entertainment Television (Set) is kicking off the second phase of the marketing campaign for its upcoming show Kaun banega Crorepati (KBC) 2011 on 15 June.
The channel will launch the campaign first on You Tube, before circulating it elsewhere.
The second phase will see five short TVCs, conceptualised by Leo Burnett. Shot by Chrome Pictures, the TVCs will be aired on the TV channels from 16 June.
Coming on Indian television for its fifth season, the KBC 2011’s first promotional campaign was launched last month, calling for registration.
The second phase of KBC campaign will have five films — each with a distinct story and a distinct character, that will engage, entertain and bring alive the core thought of this season – “Koi Bhi Insaan Chota Nahin Hota” (never underestimate anybody).
This year too, the host of the show, Amitabh Bachchan, will anchor the philosophy of KBC in all the films.
Set senior VP and marketing head Danish Khan said, “This year the challenge was to take the campaign and the thinking forward and build upon the hugely successful KBC campaign of 2010 – ‘Koi Bhi Sawaal Chota Nahin Hota’. This year also the campaign retains that distinct KBC flavor, while we take the thought forward. The thought “Koi Bhi Insaan Chota nahin Hota” is rooted in yet another popular belief of our society that ‘everybody inherently has capability to achieve something extra ordinary’. Hence don’t underestimate anybody – a right platform and a good knowledge can transform life – KBC is that platform.”
Khan added that these short films will have presence on TV channels, cinema screens as well as digital screens. “We are taking long spots as each film is of 60-75 seconds and a story in itself,” he said.
Khan noted that radio and outdoor promotions will be launched later.
Set said that there was high anticipation from this year’s account as last year’s campaign was a huge success. “It has swept all national and international awards, and walked away with six ABBY’s and four Promaxbda awards,” the company said.
Leo Burnett Set account business head Anup Vishwanathan said, “Last year’s campaign celebrated ‘knowledge’ and since the thought that ‘koi bhi gyaan vyaarth nahin hota” (no Knowledge ever goes waste) and truly ‘knowledge is the passport to a better life’ is rooted deep in our collective psyche – hence ‘Koi Bhi Sawaal Chota Nahin Hota’ was relatable to people across and received a lot of appreciation, awards, popularity and ratings. The campaign created a unique grammar for brand KBC – insightful message delivered in a punchy popular entertainment format to be consumed by people from across social spectrum.”
MUMBAI: In India’s fast-moving payments race, Visa has just swiped in a new leader. The company has named Suresh Sethi as its India country head, marking a key leadership shift as it sharpens its focus on digital payments growth in the market. Sethi steps into the role following his recent exit from Protean eGov Technologies, where he served as chief executive officer. He succeeds Sandeep Ghosh, who has moved on after more than four years at Visa to pursue an external opportunity.
The appointment comes at a time when Visa is doubling down on its expansion strategy across India and the wider region, deepening partnerships and accelerating adoption in an increasingly competitive digital payments ecosystem.
Sethi brings with him a broad, cross-market perspective shaped by decades of experience across corporate banking, retail financial services, mobile money and large-scale government technology initiatives. He began his career at Citigroup, where he spent 14 years working across India, Africa, South America and the United States, focusing on transaction banking services within the corporate bank.
His appointment signals a blend of institutional experience and market familiarity qualities that could prove critical as Visa navigates a landscape where fintech innovation, regulatory evolution and consumer adoption are all accelerating at once.
As digital payments in India continue to scale rapidly, the leadership change underscores a simple reality, in a market where every tap, scan and swipe counts, who leads the charge can matter just as much as the technology itself.
