GECs
SET bids to extend positioning as events platform with LIFW
MUMBAI: One of the most important events in the calendar of the Indian fashion industry, the fourth Lakme India Fashion Week (LIFW) will kick off in Mumbai next month. The event showcasing the work of 58 designers will take place from 18-24 July at the NCPA.
The event was conceived in 2000 by the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) in order to create business relationships and facilitate lines of dialogue between designers and trade buyers. As reported yesterday on indiantelevision.com, Sony will be the host broadcaster of the event for the next three years.
SET’s executive VP Sunil Lulla said, “Sony has created a strong platform for made for TV events whether it is IIFA or Femina and Gladrags. We are constantly on the look out for events that are unique and marquee in nature. LIFW fits the bill. This will air as a series starting sometime towards the end of August.”
As has been the case in the past IMG is handling all commercial aspects as well as management of the event. When asked why the switch was made from Star World (which had aired the event the previous couple of years) to SET IMG-TWI South Asia MD Ravi Krishnan said that in addition to being able to strike an excellent deal with the broadcaster, the Sony network offered greater depth in penetration. “We are looking at taking the aspirational positioning of the brand to a mass audience.” He also pointed out that while IMG was mainly known for sports events, fashion was an extension of that. IMG works with fashion industries in LA, Britain, Sao Paulo.
LIFW 2003 is expected to have over 15,000 visitors including those from buying houses and retailers both here and abroad. In addition to seeing the latest collections from leading Indian designers attendees will see make up trends, hairstyles and accessories for the upcoming season. The event will see 35 shows, exhibition stalls, workshops and symposiums. The venue will contain the main show area, an exhibition area, seminar room, the DHL Buyer lounge, the Lakme Beauty Salon, an onsite media centre and cafe, and a section for other sponsor driven events.
While Lakme is the title sponsor Seagram, DHL and Hyundai are associate sponsors. Like SET, the last two corporates have signed on for three years. DHL in association with FDCI will organise a series of seminars on the business of fashion. They will focus on issues affecting the industry such as its future, corporatisation of fashion brands, prt retailing in the country, the role of the fashion media.”
Lakme Lever business head Anil Chopra said, “This year Lakme will have Hemant Trivedi and Wendell Rodericks as its designers who will present the creative interpretations of Lakme’s Summer 2003 statement. This year our Summer statement is based on water – “WaterColours”. It is the most most refreshing range of water based makeup for the Indian Summer. While our statement for last year ‘Think brilliance think Lakme’ received a tremendous response we are confident of exceeding the expectations of consumers and the trade this year as well.”
“During LIFW Lakme will also bring in internationally renowned beauty experts to organise a series of workshops at its Lakme Beauty Salon. We are also looking to take out fashion roadshows to other cities in the country once LIFW is over.”
Hyundai has come on board as it sees a great deal of synergy between LIFW and the Sonata. The event showcases beauty and form like the car. The car and fashion have international appeal. Both brands appeal to the connoisseur. In addition Hutch and Orange have also partnered for the event. Hutchison Max Telecom’s VP corporate marketing Harit Nagpal said,” A sense of fashion is a very human quality. It defines our own image as well as the way we want to be seen by others. For us LIFW is a celebration of individuality and creativity which are values we hold dear.”
Seagram is using LIFW to push its Blenders Pride. Seagram VP marketing Summet Lamba said,” LIFW sits well with the communication of Blenders Pride. Fashion is contemporary, vibrant, aspiration led and compliments the perfection of Blenders Pride. Our involvement provides a pivot to our lifestyle platform for Blenders Pride. Fashion is about confident living and Blenders pride stands for this good taste and verve.”
GECs
ZEEL overhauls sales structure to chase growth across TV and digital platforms
New structure sharpens digital push as viewing habits fragment fast
MUMBAI: Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. is reshuffling its sales playbook as it looks to keep pace with a fast-changing media landscape, where audiences are scattered, screens are multiplying and advertisers are following the data.
According to media reports, the rejig is anchored in the company’s push to build a more integrated, data-led monetisation engine, one that can straddle both traditional television and fast-growing digital platforms with equal ease.
At the heart of the move is a reworked sales architecture designed to deliver cross-platform solutions. With connected TV gaining ground and digital consumption surging, ZEEL is aligning its teams to move quicker, think broader and sell smarter.
The restructuring is being led by chief operating officer, advertisement revenue, Sandeep Mehrotra, at a time when the company says it is seeing tremendous growth. The idea is simple: match the right talent to the right opportunity in a market that is anything but static.
As part of the overhaul, several long-serving executives have been elevated to chief sales officer roles across regions and content clusters. Sanjoy Chatterjee will head the east market, while Gunjarav Nayak takes charge of the west along with high-margin verticals such as hmg, brand works, intellectual properties and digital sales. Rajnish Gupta will oversee bengaluru and chennai markets alongside the kannada and tamil clusters.
In other key moves, Divjyot Dhanda will lead hyderabad and kochi markets and manage zee tv, zee keralam and the telugu cluster. Roshan Vasu Kotian will supervise a diverse portfolio including Zee Marathi, &tv, Zee Punjabi, Zee Anmol, Big Magic and Zee Biskope.
The company is also strengthening its bench, appointing national sales heads across retail, regional clusters, digital and brand solutions. Ankur Kapila’s appointment to lead digital sales signals a sharper push into a segment that continues to outpace traditional formats.
Behind the scenes, dedicated strategy and operations roles have been carved out for both linear and digital businesses. Nitin Shetty, Rajkiran Shrivastav and Priya Nambiar will take on key responsibilities to ensure the new structure runs with precision.
The broader aim is clear. ZEEL wants a bigger slice of advertising budgets that are steadily drifting towards digital and connected TV ecosystems. By integrating its offerings, the company hopes to deepen client relationships while unlocking new revenue streams.
The new structure takes effect immediately, with Mehrotra continuing to report to chief executive officer Punit Goenka and steer the company’s advertising revenue strategy. Senior executive Laxmi Shetty will support the transition, with her revised role expected to be announced soon.
In a market where content is everywhere but attention is scarce, ZEEL’s latest move is less about rearranging the org chart and more about staying in the game.
