Career Launcher presents Passion Inc.!

As Indians, one of our major obsessions has always been to crib about our country, and when we scan our brains for topics, education is something that has top-of-mind recall, if I may. And why is that? It is because each one of us has suffered through its dry, dull course as a child. Remember all those times when you were being taught about osmosis and photosynthesis in plants, when the only plant you really cared about was the one served at lunch? Or being told of the price Ashoka paid for Kalinga while all that you’re concerned with was the price you’d pay if you weren’t allowed to go to the loo at that very instant? Don’t deny it – everyone’s been there and done that!

But are these experiences an inherent part of education everywhere or does it have something to do with our education system in specific? If you think the latter argument holds more water, we have something special lined up for you here.

MICANVAS and Career Launcher presents Passion Inc., an event where you would have to come up with a business plan for the education sector. The problems, as you know, are many. Pick any one of them and tell us how you’ll go about changing the scenario. For example, an online portal for parents who are looking for the ideal school for their children would come under the purview of this competition.

Passion Inc. will be conducted over two stages. Stage I is an online submission. The teams shortlisted at the end of Stage I will be invited to the MICA campus during MICANVAS 2009 to make their final presentations to Mr. Satya Narayanan, Chairman – Career Launcher.

Stage I:

The participants (in teams not exceeding 2 members each) need to send in an executive
summary no more than 3000 words in length detailing the following:

• Industry Overview
• Need Gap Analysis
• Target Audience
• Product/Service Definition
• Financial Requirements
• Three Year Plan
• Benefits To Society
• Future Expansion Possibilities
• Anything Else Deemed Necessary

The entries must be mailed in by 11:59 PM on 15th October 2009 to passioninc.micanvas@gmail.com. This done, the six best teams will then be announced on the 20th of October, 2009 and they’ll move on to Stage II.

All interested teams are first required to register for the event by sending an e-mail with their names, university name and contact details to passioninc.micanvas@gmail.com by 11:59 PM on the 30th of September 2009.

If this unique opportunity to give shape and form to your innumerable cribbing sessions hasn’t got you all excited, then let me tell you something that surely will. The winning team will be given a Seed Fund up to Rs. 2 million (20 lakh) and incubation support from Indus World School! That’s right, we’re willing to put OUR money where YOUR mouth is.

The task is noble and the reward is high. So get down and change education as we know it!

For more about the event, click here.

For any queries, feel free to contact:

Kanika Gupta
+91 9998337468
kanika8@micamail.in

Kunj Sanghvi
+91 9558816596
kunj8@micamail.in

Airtel Presents What's Your Calling!

India. The catchword for marketing executives the world over, the country where over one billion people might choose to interact with and purchase your product and service. A goldmine just waiting to be tapped into, but is that it? What is the Indian market really all about? Even the most passionate of nationalists would agree that it’s a continent rather than a single country, a multitude of people, languages, rituals, beliefs and traditions, so diverse that it’s almost impossible to make sense of it as a whole. A veritable melting pot, one might say.

So now that we’ve established that India is about so much more than just the sum of its (many, many!) parts, here’s a key question to ask yourself as a budding marketing and advertising executive: Is a national television campaign really the key to capturing the hearts, minds and ultimately the wallet of the Indian market? Of course not!

Instead, we’ll ask you to devote your attention to something smaller, something more easily fathomable but something so much more difficult. MICANVAS and Airtel presents ‘What’s Your Calling’, an event which requires you come up with an effective advertisement for a local audience.

Here are the specifics. Participants in teams of 1-2 are required to pick a SCR (Socio-Cultural Region) and design a print ad and radio jingle for Airtel specific to that particular area. The deliverables are:

• Print Ad
o Single A4 size ad with a margin of 1.5 on each side
o The print ad can be either black and white or colour
o The print ad must be submitted in .jpg format only

• Radio Jingle
o Length of the radio jingle cannot exceed 60 seconds
o Radio jingle must be submitted in .mp3 format only

• Explanatory Document
o Font Details: Times New Roman, 12 point, 1.5 line spacing
o Word Limit: 1000 words
o The document should tell us:
_ What is unique about the SCR chosen?
_ Who is the target audience in the SCR?
_ What socio-cultural insight have you based your creative on?
_ Why do you think the ad will work?
_ What are the results expected from this ad?

And as this is an online event, everything will happen strictly in the virtual world. The submission deadline for all the above items is 11:59 PM on the 15th of October, 2009 at micanvas@micamail.in.

Oh yes, by the way, the prize money for the team coming 1st is Rs. 10,000 and for the one coming 2nd is Rs. 5,000. Ahem ahem... how’s that for motivation?

Phew! Now that you know everything about the event, it’s time to get started. Time to get down to the grassroots, baby, and discover whether marketing and advertising is really your calling.

For more about the event, click here.

For any queries, feel free to contact:

Kanika Gupta
+91 9998337468
kanika8@micamail.in

Kunj Sanghvi
+91 9558816596
kunj8@micamail.in

TCS Presents Tech-A-Tete!

Today’s world is swamped with advertisements, promotions, campaigns and just about anything to catch the consumer’s eye, with every brand looking to find its own little corner in the twisted convoluted world of marketing. IT has played a huge role in continuously helping these brands reach greater heights of brand recognition with the unlimited opportunities offered by digital media being one such opportunity. But isn’t it ironical that IT itself has remained rather aloof to something it has facilitated, unconcerned with the opportunities and possibilities it has brought to product marketing?

So far, branding for IT products has been rather minimal when compared to that enjoyed by its FMCG counterparts. But in this time of recession and consequent soul-searching for many a firm, isn’t it time that IT companies start looking at increasing their profitability by strengthening their brand?

We obviously seem to think so. MICANVAS 2009 and Tata Consultancy Services announce the launch of Tech-A-Tete, an event which, unlike ever before, seeks to bring together the likes of Ritchie and Kotler, the straight-jacketed and the flamboyant, or to put it plainly – IT and Branding. Yup, we all know how IT contributes to branding, so we thought we’d take a slightly different spin on the matter in true MICAn fashion.

For all those interested, registrations are now open. Teams (not exceeding two members) are required to register by sending an email with their names, university name and contact details to techatete.micanvas@gmail.com by 11:59 PM on the 28th of September 2009.

The event will take place in two stages. Stage I consists of writing a research paper not exceeding 3000 words on the importance of branding for an IT company. The topics to be covered include:
• Importance of Communicating Core Company Values
• Importance of Communicating Core Competencies
• Emphasis of CSR Initiatives
• Usage of Advertising Mix
• Brand Experience
• Value Proposition of Branding
• Human Resource Advantage of Branding

Be sure to mail in your entry to techatete.micanvas@gmail.com by 11:59 PM on the 10th of October 2009.

The results for Stage I will be announced on the 15th of October, after which the six best teams will be invited to MICA during MICANVAS to present their papers during Stage II. Mr. Vishal Juhunjhunwala, Assistant General Manager – Branding, will judge the event and also conduct an IT branding seminar for all finalists.

So to all the tech-savvy geeks reading this, get on board and Brand IT!

For more about the event, click here.

For any queries, feel free to contact:

Kanika Gupta
+91 9998337468
kanika8@micamail.in

Kunj Sanghvi
+91 9558816596
kunj8@micamail.in

MICA...Shela...where?

So you have decided to visit MICANVAS this year. The college is MICA, the place Ahmedabad. All in place till here.

You catch a flight to the city, and land at the Sardar Vallabhai Patel Airport. You ask the auto wala outside to take you to MICA, and he gives you a short weird glance, as if to say ‘Why the hell?’. Now if you were a MICAn and knew the auto rates around the place, about 175 is all you’ll need to pay. But bad news - you’re not, and the auto wala knows it. He asks for a mammoth 250, and after a moment’s hesitation in which you wonder whether he plans to transport you back to your home town, you foolishly agree.

250, eh? Frankly, that is a little too much. Wherever it might be, MICA stills falls within the limits of Ahmedabad city. But that said, be prepared for a marathon ride, one that at least feels worth 250, if not more.

The first half an hour would be spent making your way through the busy Ahmedabad traffic. You would probably thank the gods for the fact that it’s November and not June with the sun beating down on you. Somewhere along the way, the auto would take a turn which would lead to quite a drastic change in the landscape. The traffic would suddenly reduce and the road would be flanked with trees and small gallas on both sides. My dear reader, this is where civilisation roughly ends. You have officially entered the Bopal area. Some more distance and you would reach the Bopal market. Stay patient as the journey isn’t quite over yet. The market is the small, momentary dose of civilisation you are given before you are thrown back into the hinterland.

The final part of your journey, the road from Bopal to Shela village can be quite unsettling for someone who’s been there for the first time. The road is narrow, and really, the colour green is all you can see if you look sideways. To you, it might even appear that you’re going nowhere. You might even wonder whether the auto wala’s tricking you and want to ask a passerby for directions. The advisable thing to do in such a situation would be to stay put and stay patient.

And then, just when you’re about to lose hope, finally like an oasis in the desert - MICA. The first question that would flash in your mind is the most obvious one – why the hell does MICA have to be here, in the middle of nowhere?

Well, there must be reasons. Not that we can help you with any. We’re sure that someone somewhere has a story to tell. What is guaranteed, however, is that once you enter through the gates, the whole trouble and anxiety would prove worthwhile. Perhaps, even more than that.

Stay tuned.

-Abhinav Krishna

It's Back!

It all started that one evening in a chilled seminar hall. An entire batch of students, waiting enthusiastically in anticipation of what awaited them. Darkness…the beats of a Punjabi number reverberating through your bones…the team…the Transforming Pyramid… It all started with a whirlwind power point…and there was so much more to come…

Creativity flowing on paper…street play…games…tickets across the city…

Three days of mind boggling activities…three sleepless nights of euphoria… Colours splashed across the campus…Cerebrus…Mindspeak…Invision…BankonUs...Play Stations…Viao…Slide Rules…Salsa…Dem Clones…Indian Ocean…After Party… The end of it all… Yet the promise of another year…

Another chilled seminar hall…Another batch of students, waiting enthusiastically in anticipation of what awaited them. Darkness…the beats of a Punjabi number reverberating through your bones…the team…The Market Renaissance…

It’s back.

MICANVAS 2009