Zee launches new game show
Zee TV has launched an interactive game show 'Kam Ya Zyaada with Rs3 crore as the highest prize money. The show hosted by Hindi Film actor Manoj Bajpai is expected to go on air on December 5.

"The unique format of the show offers maximum participation and also rewards all viewers," according to Punit Goenka, Business Head, Zee TV.

Hitachi scouts for tie-ups to expand distribution network
Hitachi Home and Electronics Asia, subsidiary of Japanese consumer electronics giant Hitachi Group, said it was looking for tie-ups with Indian companies for distributing its products.

The company starting distributing its products in India two years ago and now sees huge potential in the growing plasma television market.

Tarun Jain, country head, Hitachi Home Products said, "By the end of 2006, we are aiming to have 300 outlets from the present 60. We will also increase exclusive Hitachi galleries to 12 from the present two," he said.

The demand for flat panel television in India is expected to multiply and touch 42,000 sets in 2006 and double it to 84,000 sets by 2007..

Domino's focuses on expansion, innovation
Domino's Pizza India, which specialises in home delivery is poised for expansion and innovation in the near future.

The company is investing around Rs 14 crore in the expansion. Domino's plans to open six outlets by December this year and hopes to add another 25 by next December. At present, Domino's has 105 stores in 27 cities in India. By March 2006 the company plans to have 115 outlets in the country. Domino's would be opening outlets in major tier-one towns including Jaipur, Visakhapatnam and Bhopal.

With a 40 per cent market share of the organised pizza market Dominoes is looking at introducing innovative products such as the latest `Cheese Burger Pizza' which follows the earlier successful Double Cheez Crunch Pizza.

The company is launching a Rs5 crore marketing campaign to promote the new product launch. The new campaign stars Bollywood star Paresh Rawal.

Force Motors launches news utility vehicle
Force Motors, earlier known as Bajaj Tempo, has launched the Minidor cB, a utility vehicle in the sub-one-tonne payload segment.

The company already has a presence in the higher-than-one-tonne payload segment utility vehicles and has sold over 1.3-lakh units of the vehicle so far.

According to the company the Minidor cB has a larger and more spacious driver cabin combined with the convenience of the steering wheel that will ensure fatigue-free driving. In addition, it offers a bigger earning potential with the larger loading area at a lower cost.

The vehicle comes with a hold area, powerful DI 8.8 HP engine, spacious driver cabin with comfortable seating for driver and co-driver, powerful head lamps for safer night-time driving, steering wheel for fatigue-free driving, ladder type chassis for higher load carrying, floor gear —, torsion bar-cum-independent trailing arms suspension for smooth ride on rough roads and a six months unlimited km warranty.

Micro Tech develops car security system
Micro Technologies has developed a car security system with an embedded microvehicle black box (MicroVBB), which when fitted into the vehicle, sends SMS alerts to its owner's mobile, against a break-in into the vehicle.

Micro Technologies made a presentation on the security system at the IT Innovation in India Awards 2005, highlighting its special features, such as an intrusion detection security (IDS) system, a fire alarm and gas leakage detection, remote access security and a breathe analyser (to test the alcohol level). All these can be operated through use of mobile (SMS) / E-mail / Telephone. Micro VBB is priced in the Rs12,000-Rs19,000 range.

Levi launches Signature brand, plans womens exclusive stores
Levi-Strauss has launched its Signature brand in India. Priced between Rs599 and Rs999, Signature is the company's brand in the standard segment, the fastest growing brand in the jeans category.

The company says that between 2001 and 2003, this segment grew at a compounded annual growth rate of 37 per cent; the value segment (below Rs599) grew at 17 per cent, the premium (Rs900-Rs1,349) at 27 per cent and the super premium (above Rs1,350) at 32 per cent. The overall jeans category grew at 25 per cent.

The plan is for Signature to be sold in over 200 exclusive outlets and 1,000 multi-brand outlets 18 months hence. There will be four or five exclusive outlets in Chennai.

The company is following the quasi-licensing format through which will retain control over marketing, quality and product development while production, logistics and sales will be the responsibility of the licensee.

The licensees for the South are Poshak Industries, a company that belongs to the RK Industries and PS Apparels group.

Levi Strauss is also planning to open stores that cater exclusively to women in the next one-year. The company, which is paying special attention to women customers worldwide, opened the first of these outlets, branded Levi's Girls, in Bangalore three months ago.
The company said that globally 55 per cent of jeans buyers are women. In India, however, men account for 70 per cent of its buyers and women 30 per cent. Levi wants it at 50-50.

Nestle becomes health conscious
Nestle India is taking to the health platform like a duck takes to water. After launching Maggi Atta Noodles it has rolled out "low-fat and cholesterol- and MSG-free Maggi Healthy Soups that contain vegetables". The soups available in flavours as Maggi tomato, mixed vegetable, tomato vegetable, mushroom, chicken, sweet corn chicken and hot and sour vegetable. The product is priced at Rs25 for 70gm, which makes for four to five cups of soup.

Healthy' packaged and fast foods are also a demand of the World Health Organisation (WHO), which has been asking food companies worldwide to revisit their products in order to fight the increasing obesity and other health-related problems.

Nestle's Maggi Atta Noodles have achieved considerable success in the market and seven months after its launch has contributed to 11 per cent in value to the instant noodle category.

NDTV to beam in US, UK
English news channel NDTV 24x7 will be available on the Sky platform in the UK and DirecTV, the largest direct-to-home (DTH) service provider in the US.

Dr Prannoy Roy, chairman, NDTV said, "We're very pleased to partner with both Sky and DirecTV, the largest DTH players in the UK and US. There has been a constant demand for NDTV 24x7 from the many Indians living there, who in fact are the largest single group accessing our Web site, NDTV.com. We hope that 24x7 will be an important source of information for American and British viewers and fill a gap in these markets."

Sky TV reaches out to 7.8-million homes while the current reach of DirecTV is pegged at 15-million homes.

S. Kumars to introduce six international labels in India
S. Kumars is planning to introduce six new international brands into the country. The company says it is looking at long-term alliances with international textile brands and intends bringing in about five or six brands in the country. This entails setting up manufacturing facilities to supply to the region and market the brand as a master franchise.

Currently S Kumars supplies its textiles to international retailers - like Marks & Spencers and Debenhams, and brands like Hagger, Slates, and Lord & Taylor. The company says it could bring in these brands into the country, since it is already engaged in a business relationship with them.

The company is also open to roping in more brand ambassadors for its various brands.

Allied Domecq to consolidate brands
Allied Domecq will consolidating its brands portfolio in India. The strategy involves phasing out some brands and retaining the successful ones.

This comes after Pernod Ricard and Fortune Brands jointly acquired Allied Domecq globally earlier this year.

While Teacher's Scotch whisky will remain the mainstay of the company, the fate of brands such as Old Smuggler and Long John is uncertain and the two may eventually be phased out.

According to the company with Jim Beam Brands taking over the sales and general management of Allied Domecq India it is committed to continue building the Teacher's Scotch whisky brand in India. Jim Beam Brands is the spirits and wine division of Fortune Brands. Old Smuggler is a brand under disposal since it was not acquired by Pernod Ricard, due to restrictions imposed by the European Union at the time of the global buyout.

Subsequently, Jim Beam Brands may introduce some of its brands in India through the entity. Pernod Ricard already has a presence in India through local arm Seagram India.

Nick revamps programming strategy
Kids channel Nick is revamping its programme strategy in India. The leader in its genre in the US and the UK markets for the last 10 years Nick at present occupies the sixth slot among the seven kids' channels in the Indian market.

The company is working with a renewed focus to ensure a concerted growth in the coming months. It has kicked off a series of promotional activities and is looking at extending its content to the mobile platform. Nick would be shortly launching ringtones, games and personalised images, which go with messages as well as wall papers. Also on the cards are Nick merchandise such as toys, accessories and stationery.

The channel has also tied up with 743 schools in 18 cities to promote the characters of its various shows. It also plans to a promotion titled Ada Pada Kaun Pada, which is a contest in which one of the Nick characters breaks wind and the kids are asked to find the culprit.

HLL banking on new tea variants
Hindustan Lever is introducing several variants of Brooke Bond in the market with the aim of expanding its brand platform.

Recently, Brooke Bond launched its new variant, the Red Label Natural Care Tea, a spiced-up tea variant priced at Rs53 for a 250-gram pack. Brooke Bond has four sub-brands - Taj Mahal, Red Label, 3 Roses and Taaza, of which 3 Roses is available only in the South.

Red Label Natural Care tea is available in natural flavours of ginger, ashwaghandha, mulethi, cardamom and tulsi.

Indus League to launch more Jealous, Urban Yoga outlets
Indus League Clothing plans to launch eight exclusive Jealous and four Urban Yoga outlets across the country in the summer of 2006.

The company will open two Jealous outlets in Bangalore, two in New Delhi, and one each in Mumbai, Pune and Hyderabad, taking the total to eight. Jealous is available in four fits and various shades.

The Jealous range includes cargos, cat suits, denim and corduroy jackets. Trousers are priced between Rs899 and Rs1,299, while tops are priced from Rs299 to Rs599. The brand is available at the Central Mall, Pantaloons and Globus.

By summer 2006, the company plans to have five brands under its umbrella. The company says it has created the Urban Yoga brand in consultation with yoga practitioners and teachers and features two ranges — Urban Yoga Body and Urban Yoga Soul.
It has also introduced a range of accessories such as yoga mats and bags.

Adidas kicks off "+10" 2006 FIFA World Cup campaign
Adidas India has kicked off its biggest ever global football marketing campaign which features some of the world's most celebrated football stars like Michael Ballack, David Beckham, Raúl Gonzales, Kaká, Alessandro Nesta, Juan Román Riquelme and Zinédine Zidane.

The campaign combines striking images of black and white portraits with national colours and features over 25 players, such as Kaká from Brazil, England's David Beckham, Argentinean Riquelme, France's Zinédine Zidane, Raúl from Spain, and Michael Ballack from the host nation, Germany.

— Compiled by Mohini Bhatnagar