OK Boomer’, a Social Media Campaign by Columbia Pacific Communities’ Encourages Engagement with Baby Boomers

Columbia Pacific Communities kick starts 2020 with a topical campaign titled “Ok, Boomer,” that aims to call out ageism and propagate the philosophy of “positive ageing,” the brand’s core philosophy.

"OK Boomer" is an ageist catchphrase that came to existence as an internet meme in 2015. By mid-2019, millennials and younger generations started to widely use it to dismiss or mock the Baby Boomer generation as narrow-minded and outdated. Mainstream media has covered this phenomenon widely.

To challenge the catchphrase, Columbia Pacific Communities launches a 10-day campaign by the same name to bat for the seniors and position Baby Boomers as a generation that not only made path breaking contributions and continue to do so but also remain extremely relevant.

With many decades of experience in tackling life behind them, senior citizens are the ‘go-to people’ for advice ranging from life, health, parenting, career. The campaign urges the audience to leverage the rich experience and wisdom of baby boomers and turn to them for life advise, just the way they would turn to google to answer some of their life dilemmas. 

Commenting on the social media campaign, Piali Dasgupta, VP – Marketing, Columbia Pacific Communities says, “Our campaign has been conceptualised capitalising the ageist catchphrase “OK Boomer” that came into existence as an internet meme in 2015. It is a reaction to the catchphrase. By mid-2019, millennials and younger generations started to widely use it to dismiss or mock the Baby Boomer generation as narrow-minded and outdated. We, as a brand, stand for showing the world the power of positive ageing.

The campaign was conceived to not just celebrate the contributions of baby boomers in various fields such as technology, music, art and culture, but also leverage the rich life experiences and wisdom of senior citizens to share life lessons and advise. ”

The campaign aims to redefine the term “ok boomer,” used often as an insult towards senior citizens and instead presents golden agers as a generation that has paved the way  for the current generation.

The campaign, being run on Instagram and Facebook pages of Columbia Pacific Communities, and also as search ads on Google, comes with a call to action. The audience is urged to share their worries or dilemma in the comments sections that will be answered by the expert seniors from the community.

Let's end ageism and begin a meaningful, positive conversation with boomers.

HIL Limited Embraces IIOT - Introduces First Connected Shop Floor at its Chennai Plant

HIL is betting big on Digitalization. They are introducing disruptive technologies like RPA, IoT, Predictive Analytics and many others to bring in more efficiency. Part of the of their journey on Industry 4.0 “Connected Shop Floor” is launched in Chennai plant.

CK Birla group-owned building material solutions company, HIL Ltd. recently introduced “Connected Shop Floor” in its Chennai plant that has capacity of 1.98 lakh CuM to manufacturer block and block jointing mortar. HIL’s first step towards IIOT, the new Connected Digital Shop Floor will connect all machines to single network enhancing the plant’s efficiency. The company is betting big on digitalization and industry 4.0 to bring traceability, reduce defects and improve asset efficiencies at its plants.

As part of HIL’s digitalization journey, the company is also introducing disruptive technologies like Robotic Process Automation (RPA), Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and  Predictive Analytics to bring in more efficiency.

Commenting on the development, Mr. Dhirup Roy Choudhary, CEO & MD of HIL Limited, said, “The current industrial sector including the construction sector is undergoing a fundamental structural change akin to the industrial revolution. HIL’s strategy is to leverage digitalisation and Industry 4.0 journey to augment our state of art factories’ ability to deliver quality products and to manufacture products of varying customer requirements in a timely manner. We believe a connected factory at our Chennai plant is a string start and will significantly improve the production process by enabling end-to-end product visibility. Further, predictive analytics will aid decision making and promote responsiveness.”

Real time machine parameters are being captured through digital logbooks, Sensors, Programmable Logic Controller (PLC), Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems and plant level dashboards have been created to monitor and review critical parameters. The platform generates instant alerts and same can be leveraged by the operations team for expeditious corrective actions.

“Technological Innovations are an integral part of our process to sustain quality and the Connected Shop floor at our Chennai part equips HIL with real time data to take corrective actions to increase plant efficiency. As a company, our next focus is to predict failures in Quality and Maintenance.” said Murali Raj GR, CIO HIL Limited.

The current phase of the launch, helps digitize data, trigger alerts and monitors and provide descriptive insights. The next step is to generate predictive insights by leveraging data from the current phase and eventually generate prescriptive insights, which would focus on finding the best course of action in a given scenario.

Connected shop floor at HIL Ltd. was installed through Deloitte and Altizon’s Datanois Mint platform.

About HIL

Established in 1946, HIL Limited is a flagship company of the $2.4 Billion conglomerate, CK Birla Group. The company offers comprehensive building materials and solutions since last 70 years and has achieved market leadership by developing and marketing most sustainable and relevant products which are future ready, high quality and have innovation at its core. HIL has 6 major brands- Charminar, Birla Aerocon, Charminar Fortune, Hysil, Birla HIL and recently acquired German flooring brand, Parador. The company boasts of 21 state-of-the art manufacturing facilities in India, and two manufacturing sites in Germany and Austria.  It is committed to innovation through dynamic R&D facilities in India and Germany. Having pioneered in green technology keeping in mind the paradigm shift to green building materials almost a decade ago HIL diversified into vast range of products that are environmentally viable and conducive. Given its strong emphasis on customer centricity, HIL Limited also ensures a widespread reach through an extensive sales and distribution network spread across India and 80 countries globally. Its strengths are truly its employees, loyal dealers and satisfied customers. With consistent efforts to grow the business sustainably, HIL is also certified as Great Place to Work ® and  Mr Dhirup Roy Choudhary, it’s MD and CEO was awarded as “The Most Promising Business Leader of Asia 2018 & 2019” by the Economic Times. The company also has been a recipient to the Iconic Brand Award, Asia’s Most Trusted Company Award, Best Company of the Year Award and has been maintaining the Superbrand status for many years now.

City Hosted An Industry Meet Ahead of ‘Wings India 2020’ in Hyderabad from March 12-14, 2020

Indian aviation and technology leaders gathered in Bengaluru for industry meet ahead of “Wings India 2020”, Asia’s largest civil aviation event. Pradeep Singh Kharola, Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India, Usha Padhee, JS, Ministry of Civil Aviation, Dr. S Unnikrishnan Nair, Chairman, Director, Human Space Flight Centre ISRO along with other senior government officials graced the occasion.

Addressing the event, Pradeep Singh Kharola, Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India said, ” Over the last decade, India has witnessed a robust civil aviation market, and through this event we aim to provide a congenial forum that will cater to the rapidly changing dynamics of the sector, focusing on new business acquisition, investments, policy formation and regional connectivity.”  He added, “Bengaluru being the IT capital of India, it has the potential of becoming the aviation capital of India”.

Wings India 2020, a flagship event of the Indian Civil Aviation industry will be held at Begumpet Airport, Hyderabad from March 12-15, 2020.

‘Wings India 2020’- a four-day event themed: “Flying for All’’ is an international platform focused on the new business acquisition, investments, policy formation and regional connectivity in the civil aviation industry.

Speaking at the event, Dr. S. Unnikrishnan Nair, Director, Human Space Flight Centre ISRO said, “India is set to trigger revival of the global aviation sector. The civil aviation and space industry together will have a world class training facility for pilots and astronauts. We are sure that the exhibition for aviation as well as space fraternity is a platform to develop new growth spots that can be targeted to ensure a positive curve.”

Earlier, welcoming the dignitaries, Usha Padhee JS, Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India said, “This summit aims to bring all players, facilitators, and regulators of aviation fraternity under one roof to explore opportunities together. It’s a platform for all civil aviation sector stakeholders to achieve greater synergies; learn from best practices of each other”.

Wings India 2020 is also Asia’s largest and most popular gathering in the industry. Organized by the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Govt. of India, AAI and FICCI the event is expected to attract top leaders, special invitees in foreign ministers for civil aviation and global CEOs, suppliers, strategic partners, organizations and the media.

International Exhibition and Conference on Civil Aviation sector, providing a congenial forum catering to the rapidly changing dynamics of the sector, focusing on new business acquisition, investments, policy formation and regional connectivity.

It will provide a much desired fillip to the aviation and restructured focused forums shall be instrumental in attaining the objective of connecting the Buyers, Sellers, Investors and other stakeholders at a common vantage forum ‘WINGS INDIA 2020'. Hyderabad being the hub of Aviation remains the natural host of the event.

Aakash Institute Opens Its 8th Centre at RR Nagar in Bengaluru

Aakash Educational Services Limited (AESL) launched its eighth centre in the city at RR Nagar on Saturday to cater to students from the outskirts.

Aakash Institutes train students from classes 8 to 12 and for competitive examinations such as NEET and JEE.

The centre has fully-equipped physical classrooms and video content libraries. "The admission process has started in the centre. The first batch will start on March 24," said Aakash Chaudhry, Director and CEO, AESL.  The AESL now has 13 centres in Karnataka including eight in Bengaluru alone. It's planning to open another three to four centres in Bengaluru in order to serve students near their neighbourhood. 

Aakash Institutes train students from classes 8 to 12 and for competitive examinations such as NEET and JEE.  Besides direct admissions, the AESL also admits students under its scholarship programme through the Aakash National Talent Hunt Examination and through the National Eligibility and Scholarship Test where 80% of the tuition fee is waived for successful candidates.

The AESL now has 13 centres in Karnataka, including eight in Bengaluru alone. It's planning to open another three to four centres in Bengaluru in order to serve students near their neighbourhood. 

ACT Dons the Role of Platinum Sponsors at Bengaluru Open ATP Championship

ACT Fibernet (Atria Convergence Technologies Ltd.) India’s largest fiber-focused wired broadband ISP (Internet Service Provider) has reasserted its strong connect with the coveted Bengaluru Open by donning the cap of the Platinum Sponsor of the premium event.

The Bengaluru Open, to be held at the KSLTA from Feb 10 to 16, ranks as one of the biggest ATP Challenger Tour events across the world and the biggest in Asia, offering a total prize purse of US $ 162,000. The event will showcase some of the best players from across the world and is a platform to leverage tennis as an aspiring sport in India. As many as 48 players from over 20 countries (main draw) will be vying for honours in the week-long event that promises quality action to the tennis buffs of Bengaluru.

ACT had supported the previous two editions of the Bengaluru Open which aims to portray as the next sports capital of India while keeping the image of the Silicon City intact. Thus ACT Fibernet has joined hands with KSLTA to boost the sporting culture in the city and also be a part of responsible citizens (Sponsors) who have a common target of uplifting the image of the Garden City while also promoting the sport of tennis.

“Being one of the largest indigenous companies in Bangalore, we consciously make efforts to contribute towards the prowess and progress of this City. Bengaluru Open is one such prestigious event which has grown manifold and successfully established itself as one of the biggest tennis tournaments of Asia in the last few years. It is our pleasure to be part of the event for the third consecutive year and we will provide full support to make this season a grand success”, said Bala Malladi, CEO, ACT.

“Bengaluru Open has become a coveted stop on the ATP Challenger tour which also happens to be the biggest event in Asia. This is an event that is aimed at enhancing brand Bengaluru and also provide the best possible platform for the Indian players to participate in the highest category of ATP Challenger event to better their world rankings. The city of Bengaluru looks forward for this event and is fortunate to find support from the stakeholders of the city, not just the Government but also the corporate sector. ACT, being the pioneer of high speed Internet in the country and more importantly founded and headquartered in Bengaluru, have been supporting the last 2 editions of Bengaluru Open and have shown their commitment this time too. On behalf of Bengaluru Open, I thank ACT and its CEO Mr. Bala Malladi for this continued support and partnership. Companies like ACT certainly help the event raise the bar.” said Priyank Kharge, the brainchild behind the Bengaluru Open and its Chairperson.

India-Thailand Sign Joint Statement for Trade During the Visit of Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand to Bengaluru

Thai Trade Center, Mumbai. Royal Thai Consulate-General is glad to inform you that the Department of International Trade Promotion, Ministry of Commerce, Thailand is organizing a Business Matching Event & Business Seminar Event on the 17th January 2020 at the ITC Gardenia Hotel, Bengaluru, which will be presided over by the Deputy Prime Minister & Minister of Commerce, Thailand – H.E. Jurin Laksanawisit.

We along with Crescendo Worldwide, Pune, World Trade Center, Bengaluru, Bangalore Chamber of Industry & Commerce and Indo-Thai Chamber of Commerce are happy to organize this exclusive Business Networking Event during which there will be companies from Thailand for B2B meetings with interested Indian Companies from the sectors of Modified Starch, Rubber Wood, Rubber, Fruits, Food, Construction Materials, Furniture, Interior Design, A4 Paper, Stationery, Cosmetics, Bio-Plastics, Bio-Fertilizers, Lubricants, Etc..

This is a wonderful chance to test various Thai& Indian products and an initiative to attract the Indian Companies to invest in Thailand and also do business jointly with the Thai Companies. We wish that our products will find a special place in the hearts of every Indian customer.

Deputy Prime Minister & Minister of Commerce, Thailand – H.E. Jurin Laksanawisit will also give a brief understanding on the benefits that will be given to Indian Companies by the Thailand government helping the Indian Companies in Investing in Thailand.

Welcome remarks will be given by H.E. Mr. Nitirooge Phoneprasert, Consul General, Royal Thai Consulate-General, Chennai;Mr. Bose Nair-Vice President, World Trade Center, Bengaluru; Mr. Rohit Mehta – President, Indo-Thai Chamber of MSME’s and Mr. Devesh R Agarwal, President, Bangalore Chamber of Industry & Commerce.

On the upcoming event, Mr Vineet Verma, President, World Trade Center, Bangalore, Kochi, Chennai said -‘At World Trade Centre, it is our constant endeavour to promote and further strengthen international trade and opportunities among countries.

Thailand continues to exhibit great potential and we look forward to further strengthening trade ties between the two countries. Many sectors and industries coming together from both the sides will enable us to tap into the growing business opportunities. On behalf of World Trade Centre, I take this opportunity to wish the delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister & Minister of Commerce, Thailand – H.E. Jurin Laksanawisit, Thai Trade Centre and all the participants great success. I am sure exchange opportunities will strengthen the Indo-Thailand bi-lateral trade.

There will also be a panel discussion on “Potential Business Creation & Opportunities between India and Thailand in “The Hospitality & Smart Building Solutions” focusing on sectors like Architecture and Technology Trends in 2020; Residential/Real Estate; Hotel Industry; Construction Industry & Services; Infrastructure (Urban Infrastructure).

The visit of Deputy Prime Minister is the second time after his success of trade connection in Mumbai and Chennai. The meeting led to the signing of many MoUs, namely cooperation between Indian rubberwood and Thai furniture association, and the beginning of cooperation between Bigbasket and Thailand’s Department of International Trade Promotion. This visit is also the best opportunity and initiative to build bilateral relation between South India & Thailand both in terms of mutual trade and investment.

LAVA Launches Z71 with a Dedicated Google Assistant Key Priced at Rs 6,299 and Available on Flipkart

LAVA International Limited has announced the launch of its new smartphone, LAVA Z71. Catering to the ever increasing data consumption needs of today’s millennial; the handset is being launched with a special JIO offer, where the buyer gets Rs. 1200 instant cash back and an additional 50GB of 4G data.

LAVA Z71 equipped with a dedicated Google Assistant key enables users to access a variety of apps and features, using voice command. The smartphone’s 5.7”HD+ Dot Notch display with an aspect ratio of 19:9 provides an immersive viewing experience to the users.

Coming to the camera, LAVA Z71 is coupled with 13MP+2MP Dual Rear Camera with an LED Flash and a 5MP selfie camera with soft flash that captures stunning pictures, even in low light. The smart phone’s camera is packed with premium features like professional mode and an AI studio Mode which enables users to click pictures using 6 level portraits.

The LAVA Z71 runs on latest Android 9 Pie OS and also has a face-unlock feature and a fingerprint scanner.

The smartphone offers 2GB RAM and a storage capacity of 32GB, expandable up to 256 GB to ensure enough space to store your favourite music, videos, pictures and apps.

Packed with a powerful 3200 mAh AI battery, the LAVA Z71 runs for 1.5 days in a single charge. The smartphone is powered by a 2GHz quad-core MediaTek Helio A22 16nm processor and offers dual SIM with 4G as well as VoLTE support.

“We are happy to add LAVA Z71 to our bouquet of smartphones. The data consumption of the budget smartphone users has increased exponentially and they want to upgrade to the latest smartphone with attractive features. LAVA Z71 caters to this requirement with its great collective of features, comprising notch display, dual camera, face-unlock and fingerprint scanner at a pocket-friendly price. This launch is yet another endeavour from LAVA to fulfil its commitment of making advance smartphone technology available and affordable for all,” said Tejinder Singh, Head- Product, LAVA International Limited.

The smartphone comes in two attractive colour variants - Steel Blue and Ruby Red with mirror finish design. Priced at Rs 6,299, LAVA Z71 is currently available on Flipkart.