TALKING POINT
Kevin Vaz on Bigg Boss in Tamil and Bhavik Rathod on Ubereats, Uber’s food delivery business in India BIGG BOSS IN TAMIL REITERATES STAR VIJAY’S COMMITMENT TO INVEST IN TAMIL NADU: KEVIN VAZ International reality format show Bigg Boss is being introduced for the first time in the Tamil market on Vijay TV. Kamal Haasan will be the host and this marks the actor’s first foray into Television. Bigg Boss will air on prime time on weekdays at 9 pm and on weekends at 8.30 pm. Smartphone manufacturer Vivo is the title sponsor. Kevin Vaz, CEO, Star South tells us more... WHY BIGG BOSS IN TAMIL?: The people of Tamil Nadu have always had a fascination with celebrities and how they live. We saw Bigg Boss as an interesting opportunity to tap into that consumer base and increase their appetite by showcasing celebrities in a different setting than they are usually seen. Consumers in Tamil Nadu have always been receptive to new shows and innovative formats and this is the right time to bring Bigg Boss into this market. ON KAMAL HAASAN AS THE HOST: We were looking for the biggest and the most credible voice of Tamil Nadu to be the host of the show. Getting actor Kamal Haasan as the host was like a dream. He was excited by the creative possibilities of the show and we are thrilled to have him on board. ON ADVERTISER INTEREST: There has been a tremendous excitement for the show both in the national and the local markets. We have tied up with a series of sponsors which we will announce soon but we can confirm that Vivo is the title sponsor. ON AD RATES: This is an extremely high investment property for us, therefore costs are much higher than conventional programmes, but this property adds tremendous value for advertisers. ON MARKETING INITIATIVES: We are kick-starting the promotions with a six-film campaign produced by Kadhai films and OPN Advertising. A massive Outdoor campaign covering Tamil Nadu with more than 400 sites will commence from June. Full page ads in all leading dailies would add impact to the launch. The Digital space is already abuzz with conversations on the show. Talks are on with Google to come on board as an exclusive partner for voting. IMPACT ON VIJAY TV: Bigg Boss with Kamal Haasan reiterates Star Vijay’s commitment to invest in Tamil Nadu and to bring in innovative and disruptive formats. Bigg Boss will spur the growth of Vijay TV and we are confident that it would be a massive success. Uber launched its food delivery business UberEATS in India last week. Despite the fact that food delivery platforms such as Swiggy and Foodpanda are struggling to stay afloat, UberEATS India head Bhavik Rathod tells us that he is confident of the new venture’s success and that it will set itself apart from competitors ABOUT THE APP: We have introduced this app in Mumbai to begin with and have partnered with over 200 city restaurants. The UberEATS service has been made available in four Mumbai locations so far – Lower Parel, Andheri, Bandra and Powai. There is no minimum order size and we will have a delivery fee of Rs 15 on each order. Our app will allow you to schedule orders, personalize taste preferences and customize drop offs to even locations such as public parks and hospitals. LEVERAGING TECHNOLOGY AND DATA: We believe that UberEATS does have an edge in this business since the app will apply the data and learnings from our existing rides services to provide a seamless experience for customers and partners alike. The app brings the perfect pairing of amazing restaurant partners, innovative technology, and the efficient Uber delivery network at the tap of a button to people in India. THE SAME DNA AS UBER RIDES: The same DNA and creativity used to promote the Uber rides app will be used in marketing UberEATS as well. One campaign we started on the day of the launch was delivering chocolates to consumers in the city through their dabbawalas. We will also run promotional campaigns through our rides app and will be leveraging our existing riders to promote UberEATS. ON THE FOOD DELIVERY MARKET IN INDIA: We plan to make UberEATS available in other big metros in the country. Overall, India has a very large, unorganized food delivery market; so there is massive potential for our food delivery business. But these are still early days and our focus at the moment will remain on the experience of the app, for our consumers, restaurant and delivery partners.
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