LG is South India’s Most Trusted Brand followed by Sony & Samsung Mobiles

Bangalore, 26^th February 2015 : India’s much anticipated and most rigorous brand evaluation, The Brand Trust Report, India Study, a comparison of the trust held in brands, has been released for 2015. LG leads South as the Most Trusted Brand as well is first in All-India rank, followed by Sony which secures 2^nd rank in South up from one place from All-India rank. Samsung mobiles ranks 3^rd in South, down one place from its All-India rank. Dell is South India’s 4th Most Trusted brand, up four places from All-India ranks and Hewlett Packard secures South India’s 5^th position, up five places from All-India rank. Apple is South India’s 6^th position up seven places from its All-India rank and Bata is at 7^th in the South is up four places. Bajaj at 8^th position is down by two places from its All-India rank, Axe is the 9th Most Trusted Southern brand, improving its national ranks by  nineteenth places and Nokia is at 10^th in the South India down by five places as compared to All-India ranks. Last year the 5 Most Trusted South India brands Samsung, Sony, Nokia, Hero Motocorp and LG.

The Brand Trust Report, the fifth in its series, is the result of a comprehensive primary research conducted on the proprietary 61-Attribute Trust Matrix of TRA (formerly known as Trust Research Advisory). This year’s study involved 13000 hours of fieldwork covering 2373 consumer-influencers across 16 cities in India and generated 5 million datapoints and 19,000 unique brands from which the top 1000 brands have been listed in this year’s report. The 190 page, hardbound report is available for Rs. 14000/-. The South zone cities include Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Cochin and Coimbatore covering nearly 26.17% of all the respondents.

N.Chandramouli, CEO, TRA, said on the occasion of the report’s launch, “South India’s preferences have always been distinct and do not tow the All-India line. While a comparison of the top 50 in the zone shows small differences, these differences become stark as we study the entire group of 500 brands.” Also, South India has shown its unique preference with several brands across sectors namely Aachi Masala, Amazon, Aavin Milk, MTR, Mercedes Benz, Hamam, Santoor, Close up, Tata Docomo, TCS, Wipro, Fila, Vatika, Eva and Microsoft features in 100 Most Trusted of South India are not seen in the 100 Most Trusted of the other three zones, he also added.

Across India, some of the important category leaders in Brand Trust are LIC (BFSI), IIT (Education), Hindustan Petroleum (Energy), Colgate (FMCG), Amul (F&B), Dabur (Healthcare), Amazon (Internet), Hawkins (Kitchenware), Asian Paints (Manufacturing), Bata (Personal Accessories), Amitabh Bachchan (Personalities), KFC (Retail), Airtel (Telecom) and Air India (Transportation).

– MAYURI.V

FIAT Chrysler Automobiles India Organizes Free National Check-Up Camp

Bengaluru, 25^th Feb 2014: FIAT Group Automobiles India Pvt. Ltd (FGAIPL) will organize free mega check up camp at its exclusive dealerships for 3 days starts from 26^th – till 28^th Feb 2015. FCA organizes these “free check-up camps” in an effort to increase customer engagement at its workshops during seasons and special occasions. FCA will reach out to its wide base of customers across India to undergo the preventive check for them. 

Speaking about the initiative, Mr. Kevin Flynn, President and Managing Director, FIAT Chrysler India Operations said, “FCA India is rapidly taking strides to reach out to incumbent and prospective customers and reiterate its commitment to the Indian market. We have seen a very positive response to all the checkup camps in the past. FCA’s national check up camp is a promising way to connect with our existing customer base and conduct the preventive check for them to let them know that FCA highly cares about their safety.”  

FCA exclusive dealership executives will contact existing customers through text messages and e-mails to inform them about the camps. The three day checkup camp will be set up at all the 122 FCA workshops in 104 cities of the country. FCA will provide an extensive 50 point check up for all FIAT customers with free top wash, variable discount on labour and car parts to the customer for mechanical repairs and also providing them with a free wind shield liquid washer bottle. 

FIAT vehicles with delivery date on or after 1^st January 2011 have 15% discount on labour billing and 10% discount on parts whereas vehicles with delivery date on or before 31^st December 2010 have 25% discount on labour billing and 12% discount on parts. FCA has a special offer for the Punto Alloy Wheel (Alloy Wheel 15”) whose current MRP is INR 6990/- and offered price to customer is INR 4990/- which is a discount of INR 2000/- per alloy wheel. This particular offer is valid till 31^st March 15.

FCA has strengthened its presence in India by opening 131 exclusive dealerships in 104 cities across 27 states, which provides world class service to the customers. The company also provides a customer relationship manager to every owner of a FIAT car under its Amico program. 

Sr No	Address 1	Address 2	City	Dealership contact Nos
1	VECTO MOTORS (A Div of Trade Horizon Pvt Ltd.)	# 58/1 A Singasandra, Hosur Main Road, Pincode- 560068	Bangalore	080-25743544/45,
2	no.6, survey no.140,	MTB Cpmpound,Hoody village, mahadevpura post, opp. Prestige shantiniketan, whitefield, Pincode- 560048	Bangalore	080-28410124 / 8494920044
3	No 76/1,	Behind  Munsehwara Temple,  Near ring Road, Veeranna  palya, Arabic College Post, Pincode- 560045	Bangalore	080 – 32011844
4	Site no 36/2A,Near R.V.college,	Pattanagere Main road Off Mysore Road, Pincode – 560059	Bangalore	080-2860 6339,2860 6353,2860 6375

Grover Zampa Vineyards in association with Bhartiya City, Event Capital & Invision hosted ‘The Great Grover wine festival’, at Bhartiya City

Bangalore, 25^th Feb 2015:  Grover Zampa Vineyards in association with Bhartiya City, Event Capital & Invision introduced its first annual wine fest – ‘The Great Grover Wine Festival’ with a roster of fun events. The Great Grover wine festival had an exciting mix of music, wine and much more held at Bhartiya City was a huge success. 

The event which took place at the scenic lawns of Bhartiya City became an instant triumph with guests, with an array of fun activities. All the wine & food lovers exchanged great conversations over wine. The guests enjoyed great music, wine, drinks, food, shopping and grape stomping. The Flea market was buzzing with people who flocked to the stalls. There were a wide range of charming items for sale. That’s not all! The day long festival was complimented by various captivating performances by renowned artists like Swarathma, Ananth Menon & Trio and MadOrangeFireworks.  

The festival was attended by a bevy of glamorous personalities and many others who joined in festival celebrations, mingling over wine, music and delectable delicacies.  

Commenting about the festival, Mr. Sumedh Mandla, CEO, Grover Zampa Vineyards said, “We are delighted to create this grand; wine and performing art festival and to show case our award winning wines to the wine lovers.“The Great Grover Wine Festival” gives us an opportunity to celebrate our success with our patrons and provide a relaxed day out with an array of fun filled activities aimed at rejuvenating and providing a learning experience with wines.” 

It was an absolute experience for wine and food lovers from the city, who enjoyed a relaxing day at the picturesque venue along with some marvelous wine and fun activities.

– MAYURI.V

Mr. R S Subramanian, SVP & MD, India, DHL Express

The entire country is looking forward to the Union Budget 2015 as the government has already made it clear that they will push for reforms in every sector. What will be interesting to see is the execution and roll out of all the major initiatives announced by the government, may it be ‘Make in India’ or ‘Ease of Doing Business’.

We are optimistic and see a renewed confidence among FIIs and MNCs towards India. This is a welcome change, as it will boost India’s economy and transform the business landscape entirely. We expect strong thrust on logistical infrastructure, a commitment to implement GST and major trade facilitation initiatives in this Budget. A specific deadline on GST combined with clear guidelines on the implementation mechanism will positively impact investor confidence in the logistics sector. A strong commitment to create single-window e-biz portal for all clearances and payments related to regulatory compliance is a very positive move towards transparency and procedural simplification and will go a long way in reducing transaction costs in the country. Implementation of 24/7 customs clearances in all major airports and ports announced in the last budget and a roll-out of the single-window electronic clearance that integrates customs and other agencies is another big step towards making India world-class in terms of the doing business.

– MAYURI.V

 

 

CREDAI puts forth pre-Budget charter before CM

Bangalore, February 23, 2015: CREDAI Karnataka met the Karnataka Chief Minister Mr Siddaramaiah recently in response to the invitation from the State Government for a pre-budget interaction with various Industry bodies, to present the industry body’s pre-Budget charter to the government. The meeting was chaired by Hon’ble Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. 

The CREDAI delegation, which met the CM, was led by Mr Nagaraj Reddy, President – CREDAI Karnataka, Mr C.N. Govindaraju, President – CREDAI Bengaluru, Mr Suresh Hari, Secretary – CREDAI Bengaluru, Mr Anil Nayak, CEO – CREDAI Bengaluru, and also included a few member builders. 

The meeting was also attended by the State revenue department officials including the Inspector General of Revenue – Stamps. 

According to Mr Suresh Hari, the main submission to the CM was regarding stamp duty being levied on joint development agreement. “Due to high stamp duty on this instrument without any cap on maximum, which was there earlier, it is becoming more and more difficult to do projects on joint development. We have requested the Hon’ble CM to bring back the cap on maximum so that more projects can be done with the available resources,” he explained. 

Pre-Budget charter 

The CREDAI delegation also requested the Chief Minister to have proper checks and balances in place to protect customers from being cheated by unscrupulous elements on multiple registration. “We have also requested that the sub-registrar’s office be modernised with better facilities for both customers and officials, and better working condition. Overall, we have requested the Hon’ble CM to look into the multiple taxations on the real estate sector which is ultimately borne by the buyers,” added Mr Suresh Hari. He said that the Hon’ble CM was requested to facilitate meeting with various departments on a round table discussion to address issues affecting the real estate industry. “After hearing to the representation, the CM assured us that he will look into the charter and do his best,” he added.

– MAYURI.V

Selva Ganesh & Pete Lockett along with Niladri Kumar gripped Bengaluru with their performances at Idea Jalsa “Music for the Soul”

Bengaluru, February 22, 2015: ‘Idea Jalsa – Music for the Soul’ is back with a new season, offering a wide variety of Indian music presenting over 20 genres of Indian Music, featuring more than 150 Performing Artistes across its 12 city Concert Tour. Idea Jalsa has always provided Music lovers worldwide, with high quality Music performances across diverse genres and has also formally entered the Limca Book of Records 2014 for being the ‘Largest Platform for Indian Music’ featuring the largest number of artistes across the most genres of Music. In its successful ninth year, this unique property reached Hyderabad with invigorating performances by Selva Ganesh & Pete Lockett along with Niladri Kumar.

Commenting on the property Durga Jasraj, Founder and Director, Art And Artistes said, “Idea Jalsa is a journey which goes beyond the proverbial “Dream come True”, it’s a “Blessing”. Its entry into the Limca Books of Records for being the largest platform for Indian Music is an acknowledgement of the phenomenal journey it has taken along with Idea Cellular. Today, Idea Jalsa is truly a celebration of Music for the Soul. We are sincerely grateful to audiences across the world, our performing artistes and Idea Cellular for this.”

On the success of the event, Artist Quote. Leading telecom brand, Idea Cellular has been a part of Idea Jalsa since its inception in 2006. Over the years, Idea Jalsa has grown from strength to strength across all mass mediums, viz.

• Television programming on DD and Zee TV (Idea Jalsa now reaches to over 165 countries worldwide through Zee TV International)
• Live Concerts across the Country in metros and many other cities & towns – the only National Indian Music Project
• FM Radio programming
• In-flight Entertainment programming – currently on more than 15 International Airlines
• CDs of special performances compiled for music lovers to purchase at Concert Venues
• Unique Mobile VAS content for Idea Cellular subscribers
• A vibrant Social Media presence highlighted by the largest dedicated Indian Music YouTube partner channel

Commenting on this occasion, Mr. Siva Ganapathi – Chief Operating Officer, Karnataka, Idea Cellular, said, “Idea Cellular has always considered music to be one of the important avenues to connect with our customers across the country. Idea Jalsa is one such platform which brings together legends, maestros, stars, and rising stars from the Indian music fraternity, to present a rich & diverse showcase of Indian culture for all music enthusiasts across the country and champion Hindustani classical music. We are happy to bring these unique performers and musicians to Bangalore and are hopeful that our customers will join us in this celebration of music.” 

For details of the special Concert in Bengaluru and the following cities log onto http://ideajalsa.artandartistes.com

http://www.facebook.com/artandartistes and http://www.facebook.com/durgajasraj

http://www.plus.google.com/artandartistes

http://www.twitter.com/artandartistes and http://www.twitter.com/djasraj

http://www.youtube.com/artandartistes to watch your favourite Musicians’ performances across the years 

Notes to the Editor

Idea Jalsa Concert Tour Schedule

27^th February 2015 – Chennai

07^st March 2015 – Kozhikode

14^th March 2015 – Patna

21^st March 2015 – Jodhpur

27^th March 2015 – Jammu

– MAYURI.V

Unisys Announces Winners of Cloud 20/20 Version 6.0 Technical Project Contest

Bengaluru, February 20, 2015: Unisys India today announced the winners of Cloud 20/20 Version 6.0,the latest edition of one of India’s largest online technical project contests. The contest recognizes innovative thinking by students across India in addressing the technical challenges of the latest disruptive IT trends.

Following several rigorous rounds of evaluation, including technical project submissions, telephone interviews, and remote project demonstrations via video conference, project ‘3D Geo-Data Management in Geo-RDBMS in Multi-User Access and Creation of Web Based Environment for Semantic Query Execution’ submitted by Poorvak Kapoor, Dhruv Bajpai, Akshay Bhasin, and Abhinav Bhadoria from IMS Engineering College, Ghaziabad, won the first prize. Nisha O., Pavithraa P., and Sujitha G. from Pondicherry Engineering College, Puducherry, bagged the second prize for ‘V-SHARE’ Project. ‘Railway Incident Recovery System’ by M. Venkata Sunil Babu, N. Sai Babu, B. Siva Kumar, and M. Ravi Kumar from V R Siddhartha Engineering College, Vijayawada, won the third prize. 

Working in teams of four, supported by project guides from Unisys and their institute, the contestants showcased projects on application development for the cloud; security issues in the cloud; big data in the cloud; cloud based testing; system programming; and potential future technologies, open source technologies and disruptive technologies. In addition, this year, UnisysIndia introduced a new category called ‘Targeted Innovation Projects,’ wherein students had the opportunity to work on project ideas proposed by the Unisys Technical team on topics of relevance to Cloud 20/20. 

Unisys India will offer the finalist teams employment opportunities within the company, subject to their eligibility and availability within the organization. 

Kumar Prabhas, Managing Director, Unisys India, said, “Emerging technologies are rapidly changing the way we live and work. They also present numerous challenges and opportunities for businesses and customers alike. It is imperative that we get the next generation, who have grown up with these technologies, involved in finding creative solutions to these challenges and that’s precisely what Cloud 20/20 aims to do.” 

More than 1,400 teams from colleges across India participated in Cloud 20/20 Version 6.0. Unisys received about 530 project submissions, up more than 34percent from the prior year’s competition. 

“Unisys has always been committed to investing in supporting the next generation of innovators,” said Jim Thompson, Chief Engineer and Engineering Vice-President, Engineering and Supply Chain, Unisys. “This year’s winners prove that with the right education, resources, and guidance, young people can indeed use their creativity and ingenuity to solve some of our most critical technology challenges.” 

For further information on Cloud 20/20, visit:http://utfi.co.in/ or 

http://www.app3.unisys.com/common/about__unisys/Cloud20_20V6/index.html

-MAYURI.V

Rotary International District 3190 announces 38th Dist. Conference – “UDDIPANA” in its 110th year of Rotary Worldwide.

Bengaluru, February 20, 2015:  Rotary District 3190 today announced its “38^th Rotary District Conference” that will be held at NIMHANS Convention Centre, Bengaluru on February 21 & 22, 2015. It is closely aligned with Rotary’s mission, which includes peace across the planet, & polio eradication. India is now declared ‘Polio Free’ and we are 99% close to eliminating polio from the planet. In keeping with Rotary’s support and care for the Envirosnment, the entire event will be plastic free, a zero garbage event, and further, all the 1400 delegates will take a ‘Swachh Bharat’ pledge, to do their bit for the environment. The keynote address will be delivered by Smt. Jaya Row, Vedanta Vision, Mumbai. The conference will also feature speeches by inspiring speakers such as R I Representative PDG Anil Agarwal, Columnist and Journalist Madhu Purnima Kishwar, K. Jairaj IAS, Saina Nehwal, Sujit Lalwani, and Ha Pa Nagarajaiah. Renowned artist Mantap Prabhakar, and the Radha Kalpa Troupe, will be performing at the cultural event.

District Governor, Rtn. Manjunath Shetty said “The Conference which attracts 6000 foot falls in over two days of presentations and deliberations, will also honour eminent philanthropists, and change makers Rtns. Arjun Menda and Rtn. Dr. Sunder Ram Shetty, for their services to society, and the community at large. World renowned sportsperson Saina Nehwal will be honoured, felicitated, and presented a purse of Rs. 1 lakh on the occasion”. While explaining the various initiatives undertaken by RI Dist. 3190, District Conference Chairperson Rtn. K. Vijayakumar said “The proceeds of the Conference add to the coffers of the Global Rotary Foundation, in support of their continuing fight to eradicate Polio, and similar global epidemics worldwide”. For Rotarians, District Conference is an opportunity to network, listen to inspiring presentations, work collectively, and enhance their reach and impact in the community around them.

– MAYURI.V

Kellogg’s replicates popular rice dish ‘Pongal’ in the savoury oats segment, with Simply Pongal

Mumbai, February 2015:  Kellogg India, the world’s leading producer of ready-to-eat cereal and leader of the breakfast cereal category in India, launches a new savoury oats variant in the breakfast market –Simply Pongal. In tradition with its commitment to nutrition and constant endeavour to Indianize its offerings with relevant taste options, Kellogg delves deeper into the Indian palate with this new flavour that is customized for South Indians and those who enjoy South Indian cuisine.  

Addressing the increasing relevance of healthy foods, based on the lifestyle demands of Indians, Kellogg aims at providing the perfect combination of health and taste with this new variant. Simply Pongal replicates the popular, regional dish ‘Pongal’ of South India with the primary component as oats, including moong dal and indigenous flavours of cumin, pepper and curry leaves. Commenting on the launch, Sangeeta Pendurkar, Managing Director, Kellogg India said, “The endeavour at Kellogg’s has been to drive innovation that helps us provide consumers with food that delights them, without compromising on nutrition. Consumers today are keen to experiment and adopt new food habits which have been triggered by urbanization and increasing disposable incomes. Lifestyle choices amongst Indians have aligned towards healthier options which promise taste and health. In our constant endeavor to Indianize offerings, Kellogg India has taken the onus of customizing an Indian recipe and replicating the popular rice dish ‘Pongal’ to offer a unique oats flavour- Simply Pongal.”

She added, “The size of the oats category in India is about Rs. 200 Cr. and the savoury oats segment within oats has seen double digit growth in India. Leveraging this opportunity, we decided to launch Simply Pongal, which is an addition to our earlier flavours of Tomato Salsa and Green Pudina.”

Oats has long been recommended by doctors to patients with heart conditions; however taste was a significant barrier which restricted consumption of the grain amongst Indians otherwise. While people desire healthier options, they are not keen on compromising taste and hence they seek options that promise both taste and nutrition. Kellogg recognizes the diversity of the country and has taken this step to deliver a region specific flavour. Oats are high in fibre and provide the heart-friendly soluble fibre beta glucan that is known to help manage cholesterol. Kellogg’s Oats Simply Pongal has 69.2% oats as the primary ingredient. 

The product will be supported by above-the-line promotions as well as in-store promotions and sampling. 

Kellogg’s Oats- Simply Pongal variant is now available in sachets of 39gm priced at Rs. 15 per pack.

 – MAYURI.V

Triveni’s ethnic makeover for corporates

Bangalore, February 19^th , 2015: Corporate fashion will get more Indian with Triveni ethnics pre-launching Triveni’s Corporate Partnership, name Sang, across India in the month of February. It involves individual to experience, explore cultures for which Triveni Sang with Corporate will allow its employees to maintain a relationship fostering ethnic awear in the western business work culture. 

Triveni believes that there is something paradoxical about Corporate wear in India equating to Westernwear, both in practical realities of its suitability to Indian climate, and in terms of larger notion of companies looking at Indian problems, and Indian solutions to them. 

As part of is special launch scheme, Triveni is offering corporates upto 35% discounts on MRP on garments available on Triveni’s website till June 2015. On a regular basis, if an employee orders are placed from the company ID, with a minimum purchase of Rs.10,000/-qualifying the criteria, will get a flat 30% discount. The employees receives a special 5% discount coupon, on Triveni’s website, even gift coupons online discounts and rewards are offered to the employees on Triveni’s products. Triveni’s team is working with HR of various companies to enroll them Sang, which allows the above additional benefits to the company’s employees.

Interested ones can visit the following link to register for Triveni Sang: http://www.triveniethnics.com/triveni-sang. Speaking of which Mr. Arvind Saraf, Director, Triveni said, “We believe every corporate should at least have a day celebrating Indian wear, and even propose calling it the Ethnic day. The trend and fashion in the corporate reflects the cultural ideology in the working circumstances.”  

-MAYURI.V