The Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) are set to get what they have been waiting for nearly 50 years, that is, since their inception: Licence to operate independently.

Finally, IIMs to get autonomy

Business Standard

When Titan Industries adopted &lsquo;Be More&rsquo; as its brand philosophy in 2008, it was not simply reflecting the aspiration of the new age consumers &mdash; who wish to make most of their lives &mdash; it was perhaps quietly stating an impending shift in its overall corporate strategy. By then, Titan Industries was actively exploring new opportunities to become a lifestyle company and not just a successful watch maker.

On the fast track

&ldquo;Like everything else in India, marketing too is part logic, part gut,&rdquo; says Dheeraj Sinha, regional planning director, Bates 141, in his book, Consumer India: Inside the Indian Mind and Wallet. In his book, Sinha puts Indian consumers into three segments: partition generation, transition generation and no-strings generation, and gives an account of what marketers and advertisers need to keep in mind to draw the attention of each of these consumer segments. Taking off from his book and drawing upon facts, fiction and personal experience, he unravels the interconnections between the mind and the wallet of the Indian consumer over a free-flowing tele-conversation with Arunima Mishra.

Q&A: Dheeraj Sinha, Regional Planning Director, Bates 141

The entertainment and media arena is slowly but certainly becoming segmented. These are definitely not the times of one size fits all. Bollywood, for example, is witnessing the rising phenomenon of multiplex movies, cinema made for the multiplex audiences who are urban and relatively more discerning than the average masses.

From broadcast to narrowcast

It&rsquo;s 2:30 in the afternoon. Nine-year-old Prajal has just returned from school. No sooner he enters the house, he drops off his bag, rushes to the comp, and logs on to Facebook. He checks out comments by his friends on his new profile picture, replies quickly, and clicks on to Monster Galaxy, his favourite FB game. He finishes two levels, but the fun is only starting.

Activating pester power

Last month &ldquo;Yoga Guru&rdquo; Baba Ramdev gave Congress MP from Arunachal Pradesh, Ninong Ering, a lesson in controlling temper with the gift of a rudraksha. We are not sure if PepsiCo has taken a cue from the incident but the New York-based food and beverage company has taken up the cause of anger management with gusto and is using its clear lemon drink, 7UP, to address the issue. &ldquo;Gussa hatao, chill machao (don&rsquo;t get angry, keep your cool)&rdquo; is the theme for its latest campaign for which the company has roped in Bollywood actor Sharman Joshi as protagonist.

PepsiCo: Take a chill pill

If a recent national survey is anything to go by, 85 per cent doctors feel that building stronger immunity is the best possible preventive measure against virus attack on the human body. Healthcare is about educating consumers, and this is what fast-moving consumer goods company Dabur&rsquo;s &ldquo;Swasthya Chetna Abhiyan&rdquo;&mdash; a rural health awareness drive &mdash; is all about.

Dabur: Boosting the immunity quotient

The campus recruitment at various technical and management institutions in Berhampur by the private companies has been encouraging this year.

It's raining jobs for Berhampur colleges

Faculty members at the Indian Institute of Management-Calcutta (IIM-C) have gone on the offensive and published a paper in protest against recommendations by two committee reports for restructuring at the premier B-school.

IIM-C faculty up in arms over restructuring proposals

&ldquo;Jab tak balla chalta hai, thaat chalte hain. Warna&hellip;&rdquo; (as long as your bat does the talking, you are on top of the world. Otherwise &hellip;). When he first said this last year in a Birla Sun Life Insurance commercial that dealt with the insecurities of life, Yuvraj Singh was entirely believable.

Brand Yuvraj: The game has just begun

The sixth edition of the ad show began yesterday.

Goafest tries to exorcise the ghost of the past

Like the story of phoenix, it is also rising from the ashes.

Sulekha: Writing a comeback story

It&rsquo;s been six months since UK-based Beattie McGuinness Bungay (BMB), a creative hotshop co-founded by adman Trevor Beattie, entered into a joint venture with Sam Balsara's Madison group. The tie-up saw BMB set up shop in India - its third such after the UK and US. Beattie, who was in Mumbai recently, spoke to Viveat Susan Pinto.

Q&A: Trevor Beattie, Co-founder, BMB

In a bid to take their schools international and make them comparable to world class Business schools, more and more Indian management institutions have begun accepting the Graduate Management Aptitude Test (GMAT) as an admission criterion.

Management schools in India drive GMAT growth

One of the top 10 B-schools in the World, Stephen M Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan was in India last week to sign an MoU with CII. The MoU will help both parties implement experiential learning projects in India. Robert J Dolan, Dean, Ross School of Business tells Piyali Mandal how the partnership will work and the school&rsquo;s plans for the Indian market.

Q&A: Robert J Dolan, Dean, Ross School of Business

South Korea based coaching institute Etoos Academy will set shop in India with its first IIT-JEE coaching institute in Kota (Rajasthan) to be operational from next month.

South Korean tutorial to coach students in IIT-JEE

Besides, there is a 10-20 per cent increase in the average pay offered across the sectors.

ISB placements reach new peak

Fuji launched 12 models yesterday; Samsung is planning 10 next month and Nikon is opening retail zones in a hurry.

Digital deluge for shutterbugs

Tata&rsquo;s department store chain Westside is venturing into a new territory. The 13-year old chain, known for its private labels in fashion, has added a gourmet and chocolate section in its flagship store in Mumbai.

Westside gets into gourmet retailing

Post the termination of the joint venture with the Munjal-promoted Hero Group, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI) is set to go full throttle in the world&rsquo;s second largest motorcycle market.

Honda in search of distribution key

The battle for the Creative Abbies is a square one between advertising agencies Ogilvy &amp; Mather and the Mudra group. Ogilvy was the winner last year, while Mudra was the runner-up. So, if Mudra manages to pip O&amp;M to the post this time, it will be sweet revenge.

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