Thought of the Day

" Never allow your mind to be a garden for negative thoughts. If you do, you will only harvest tears."

An Alternate to Savings Accounts - Liquid funds

Almost all of us have surplus money parked in a bank savings account waiting to be used for some unforeseen expense or the other over an uncertain time frame. It is also one of the safest places to put your money. You are more than happy cause your principal is safe and liquid and it is at least earning 4% interest.

Since the expense is unknown and so is the timeframe need we suggest an option where your money works harder for you and gives you the same benefit, plus a little more yield than what you will earn in a savings account.

Enter liquid funds also known as cash funds. They have more potential than a savings bank account or fixed deposit for that matter. They offer returns slightly higher than fixed deposits apart from offering the same level of security. In short, liquid funds can be used as substitute to your savings bank account.

What makes the cash funds liquid? These funds invest primarily in money market instruments, such as commercial paper, certificate of deposits, treasury bills, and call money market for a shorter duration. They are extremely low-risk and very liquid, meaning that you can change it into cash assets at any time. Their aim is to secure returns that are better than bank savings account and more liquid than term deposits. Hence when the uncertainty over your expense ends i.e. you know when and how much you are going to need all you need to do is redeem the units which will give you the desired funds, Liquid funds are mandated by SEBI to process the redemption proceeds within 24 hours. Investors are advised to do provide for three to four days to receive clear funds in their bank accounts.

Carbon finance fund: potential and benefits

Climate change is being described as the most important environmental challenge before humankind today. The mitigation of climate change, by drastically reducing GHG emissions and stabilizing the carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere has become a prerequisite to avoid a strong alteration of the climate system. With its vibrant economy and a growing population, India has become a major energy consumer. Access to reliable, affordable electricity is a prerequisite for socio-economic development. In terms of GHG emissions, the trends are rising rapidly as well. The historical share in cumulative emissions, measured over the period 1900-2005, amounted 2% for India. This pattern changes radically during the period 1900-2030, when the emissions rise to 4%. Nonetheless, per capita emissions in India still represent a fraction of those of industrialized countries.

The Kyoto Protocol, which was adopted in 1997 pursuant to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, represents an agreement that international efforts are required to reduce anthropogenic GHG emissions that contribute to global climate change. In accordance with the principle of ‘common but differentiated responsibilities’, the industrialized countries, which are responsible for the vast majority of historic GHG emissions, agreed to collectively reduce GHGs by an average of 5.2% as compared to the 1990 levels between 2008 and 2012.

Business Quiz

1. Classmate, Paperkraft & Saathi all are stationery brands from whom?

1. ITC
2. Dabur
3. 3M
4. Staedtler                                                                       

2. Anne M Mulcahy was the chairman & CEO of which famous US corporation?

1. EBay
2. CISCO
3. XEROX
4. Yahoo                                                                          

3. Who says always low prices?

1. Walmart
2. Metro
3. Spencers
4. K Mart                                                                         

4. Steve Ballmer is the head of which company?

1. Pepsi
2. Coca Cola
3. Apple
4. Microsoft                                                                     

5. Who makes James Bond Cell phones?

1. Nokia
2. Samsung
3. Motorola
4. Sony Ericsson       

Thought of the Day

“The human mind is constructed to always move forward
Hanging on to the philosophy of ancient people
is a great stumbling block to the modern world.
One leg in the past, one leg in the future,
always pissing on TODAY.”

Recent Advertising Trend: Celebrity Parents and Kids as Brand Ambassadors

Celebrities featuring in advertisements by no means counts as a recent trend; it has been around for a very long time now.  Lately however, a look at some of the prominent advertising campaigns shows a clear shift in the way celebrities and their families are being projected in advertisements.

From the celebrity himself or herself to his or her spouse advertising campaigns have shown love, affection, bonhomie and what not among popular couples.  As the Lux campaign featuring Aishwarya and Abhishek and the D Décor advertisements featuring Shah Rukh and Gauri among other campaigns cashing in on the celebrity couple popularity factor gave a new twist to celebrity advertising campaigns, companies turned their attention towards the other most important relationship in life…parents and children.

For some time now our print and audio visual advertising campaigns have had celeb parents and kids at the centre.  One reason why this trend has picked up is that today most celebs who have been media darlings themselves have kids who are equally if not more successful and in the public eye. 

The earliest advertising campaign to cash in on the “Celeb Parents and Kids” factor is Kent Purifiers.  In the running for some years now the advertising theme has remained the same with the dream girl Hema Malini and her daughters Esha and Ahana Deol, both accomplished dancers, with Esha being an actor and Ahana behind the camera now ready to move in front of the camera.

Old Monk takes a new route

The world's largest selling dark rum is ready to enter the 'premium' price segment.

Facebook has innumerable number of pages and groups devoted to it, one of them being COMRADE, an abbreviation for the Council of Old Monk Rum Addicted Drinkers and Eccentrics. While some of the pages describe it as the 'Scotch' of Rums, others are more effusive in their praise: for them, Old Monk is the "beautiful brown liquid in a unique square bottle that sets it apart from any other booze in the world".

To be sure, none of these have been created by Mohan Meakin, the producers of Old Monk. The Ghaziabad-based company in fact hasn't spent a single rupee on advertising ever since it was launched in 1954. The largest selling dark rum brand in the world with 8.4 million cases, followed by UB's Celebrations at 6.5 million cases, has also not altered its branding, bottling or packaging even once.

But that is set to change soon, with Old Monk getting ready for a makeover. The bottles will soon don a new avatar by flaunting fancy sticker labels meant to enhance their look. The purpose: a shift in positioning from a product targeted just at middle-income group customers to a more premium one. The initial sampling of the new variant has already hit wholesale points and distributors across the country.

The premium variety would be available at a price point of Rs 600 per quarts (full bottle). Mohan Meakin says the product will be available all across India within seven months. The Rs 600 price tag is steep, considering that its other variants cost much less - Old Monk Regular (Rs 225 per quarts), Old Monk Gold Reserve Rum (Rs 300 per quarts) and Old Monk Supreme (Rs 420 per quarts), which are made of seven year-, 12 year- and 18 year-old spirit respectively. The premium variant will be made of Signature whisky.

S N Maingi, deputy general manager - marketing and sales, Mohan Meakin, says the company aims to corner about 70 per cent market share in this price zone within a year of its launch. "Our strategy is to launch Old Monk variants in maximum price segments to tap consumers of all income groups. The premium brand is a part of this initiative. We will soon launch another variant at a much lower price point. But we want to position our brand as a premium dark rum brand and not just a mass brand," Maingi says.

Old Monk is growing at 15 per cent every year. With the launch of the premium variant, the company targets to ramp it up to 22 per cent in this fiscal. The rum presently contributes 25 per cent to the company's total turnover. "Its contribution to total turnover will shoot up to 35-40 per cent by 2013", according to B.N Varma, regional marketing manager, Mohan Meakin. The target is to sell 9.9 million Old Monk cases this year.

Business Quiz

1. Which global giant acquired Daksh a BPO dervice Firm?

1. IBM
2. TCS
3. EDS
4. HP 

2. Which company says where Beauty meets Power?

1. Mercedes
2. Audi
3. Toyota
4. Skoda                                                                        

3. Intelligence Everywhere is the punch line of

1. Motorola
2. Nokia
3. Samsung
4. Sony                                                                            

4. A lot can happen over coffee says who?

1. Coffee Day
2. Nestle
3. Costa Coffee
4. Barista                                                                          

5. Which company owns Atom brand of Air Conditioners?

1. Voltas
2. Hitachi
3. Samsung
4. Onida                  

Thought of the Day

“A person who is nice to you,

but rude to the waiter,

is not a nice person.”

Bharti Retail appoints Lowe Lintas for Easy Day

JWT and Draftfcb Ulka were in the fray for the business.

Lowe Lintas & Partners has won the creative duties for Bharti Retail's Easy Day. The agency won the business following a multi-agency pitch which was held in New Delhi. The other agencies in the fray were JWT and Draftfcb Ulka.

The size of the business is said to be in the range of Rs 10-15 crore.

A reliable source in the company has confirmed the news to afaqs! on grounds of anonymity.

The retail chain had initiated the pitch process in December, 2011. The incumbent on the business was JWT.

Bharti Enterprises and global retail chain Walmart formed a joint venture in 2008 to launch their first store in Ludhiana under the brand name, Easy Day. In its first phase of operations, Bharti Retail has opened 59 Easy Day stores in the states of Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and New Delhi.