Bajaj Allianz Life Ropes in Ayushmann Khurrana As Its Indian Brand Ambassador

Bajaj Allianz Life, one of India’s leading private life insurer, today announced the appointment of youth icon and thought-leader Ayushmann Khurrana, one of most talented and versatile Bollywood artists, as its brand ambassador to promote its products and digital services across offline and online mediums. Ayushmann will feature in the life insurer’s next campaign “Smart Living” that encompasses its Term Plan – Smart Protect Goal and the new digital service – Smart Assist.

Commenting on the new campaign and signing up Ayushmann Khurrana, a first for the life insurer, Chandramohan Mehra, Chief Marketing Officer, Bajaj Allianz Life, said, “The refreshed brand narrative, relevant to new customer risk-mitigation mindset, is anchored on Ayushmann, who embodies our brand ethos of trustworthiness, innovativeness, authenticity and responsibility.  The pandemic has infused smartness in our lives, and it is reflected in how we are embracing remote ways of living or acquiring new skills. Our smart products and secured digital services are aimed at securing and enabling our customer’s Life Goals, in these uncertain times.

Ayushmann Khurrana, Actor and Brand Ambassador for Bajaj Allianz Life, said, “I am delighted to partner with Bajaj Allianz Life in its journey towards enabling Life Goals of India.  A trusted and Smart Life Insurance plan is a reliable back up to your family’s Life Goals. Amongst several innovative offerings, its differentiated Term Insurance Plan and the innovative digital service – Smart Assist, precisely answers the needs of protection and contactless yet assisted transactions.”

In addition to the campaign on Smart Protect Goal, Ayushmann Khurrana will also feature in an ad film on Smart Assist, the revolutionary tech-enabled service the company has launched to ensure customers who are purchasing the company’s product are guided in a smart, transparent and a secure manner by a Bajaj Allianz Life expert, keeping all the social distancing norms in mind, and being with the customer at the same time. Bajaj Allianz Life’s Smart Protect Goal, one of the most comprehensive term insurance plans offers return of premium at maturity, 55 critical illness coverage and cover till 99 years of age for limited premium paying term as less as 5 years.

The latest Bajaj Allianz Life latest campaign will run on major TV channels and will be rolled out on all major digital platforms.

YouTube Link - https://youtu.be/s1GQuXY9pIc

About Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance

Bajaj Allianz Life is one of the leading private life insurance companies in India. The Company is a partnership between two powerful and successful entities in their own right – Bajaj Finserv Limited, one of India’s most diversified non-banking financial institution and Allianz SE, one of world’s leading asset manager and insurer.

Commencing its operations in 2001, Bajaj Allianz Life has in less than two decades expanded its presence across the country. It serves millions of customers through its 556 branches, 80,000+ agents (as on 31 March 2020), comprehensive set of trusted partners and via its online sales channel. The Company’s brand promise of Life Goals.Done. drives it to launch innovative insurance solutions, including the revolutionary RoMC (Return of Mortality Charges), a feature in some of its new-age ULIPs, and thereby becoming the first company to do so. Bajaj Allianz Life has constantly transformed to offer tech-enabled state-of-the-art services to enhance customer delight. The Company continues to engage with customers through several unique platforms, and has secured a place in the Guinness Book of World Records with the Bajaj Allianz Life Plankathon 2020.

Mosambee Receives India’s First Certification for Contact and Contactless Card Payment Transactions on Smartphones and Tablets

UL, a global safety science company, announced that Mosambee, a payment solution company, is the first company in India to have their software-based personal identification number (PIN) entry product, commonly known as PIN on Glass, certified for compliance with the Payment Card Industry (PCI) standard. PCI allows for contact and contactless card transactions with PIN entry on merchants’ mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets, using a secure PIN entry application. In earlier point of sale (PoS) solutions, the PIN was entered on the payment terminals only. Mosambee’s solution supports all payment schemes including RuPay, Visa and Mastercard. This ‘Made in India’ solution will be a plug-and-play option for many of the banks and acquirers already connected to Mosambee. Ensuring product compliance following certification may help to fuel opportunities for businesses and institutions to expand and accept payments. It also helps enable small businesses to compete more effectively while enhancing overall customer service.

Commenting on the certification of the new solution, Mr. Sameer Chugh, Co-Founder of Mosambee, said, “The certification strengthens security and builds trust in digital payments acceptance on smartphones and tablets. The PIN on Glass solution allows a merchant to now download an acquirer application from the Android or iOS app stores instead of focusing on hardware terminals. With its rich experience in the payments industry, UL was an instrumental advisor in our commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) device from a concept to product launch.”

A wide network of subject matter experts from various geographies at UL’s PCI SSC recognized laboratories performed the PCI Security Standards Council’s (SSC) Software-Based PIN Entry on COTS (SPoC) testing requirements for the Mosambee solution.

Mr. Suresh Sugavanam, Vice President and Managing Director of South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa at UL, said, “We are proud that this certification enables India’s vision of a cash-lite society through expansion of payment acceptance infrastructure in India. The PCI certification helps local companies to develop innovative and smart payment devices and build trust in the security of payments. At UL, we continue to focus on building best-in-class testing platforms and compliance solutions to help bring more secure digital payment products to the market.”

About UL

UL helps create a better world by applying science to solve safety, security and sustainability challenges. We empower trust by enabling the safe adoption of innovative new products and technologies. Everyone at UL shares a passion to make the world a safer place. All of our work, from independent research and standards development, to testing and certification, to providing analytical and digital solutions, helps improve global well-being. Businesses, industries, governments, regulatory authorities and the public put their trust in us so they can make smarter decisions. To learn more, visit UL.com. 

Hero Motocorp Volumes Now Surpass Pre-Covid Levels with Robust Sales of 584,456 Units in August ‘20

* CLOCKS DOUBLE-DIGIT GROWTH OF 13% OVER JULY 2020

* REGISTERS GROWTH OF 7.55% OVER AUGUST 2019

Sprinting ahead with the fourth consecutive month of growth in volume sales, Hero MotoCorp, the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles and scooters, has continued to lead the revival of the automotive sector.

Signaling a positive turn-around for the two-wheeler industry, which is a strong driver of the domestic economy, the Company sold 584,456 units of motorcycles and scooters in the month of August 2020, a growth of 7.55% over the corresponding month of the previous year (August 2019) when it sold 543,406 units.

Sequentially, this translates into a growth of 13% over the month of July 2020, when the Company had sold 514,509 units.

Hero MotoCorp’s latest addition to its range of premium motorcycles – the Xtreme 160R – has received very positive feedback from the market and has led to an increase in the company’s premium segment market share.

The Company is also witnessing strong retail off-take and is currently operating in pull-market with rural and semi-urban centers driving demand.

With August marking another step forward in the market's recovery, the Company cautiously anticipates sales to continue their upward trajectory with favorable factors such as the upcoming festive season, increasing consumer confidence and continued government policy support.

Now operating at nearly 100% production capacity with almost all customer touchpoints open, the Company remains committed to the health and safety of everyone in its ecosystem, including its customers.

Highlights of August’20

* Reiterating to its commitment towards society, Hero MotoCorp donated 10 unique First Responder Vehicles (FRVs) to the government and health authorities in Gurugram, Rewari and Dharuhera in Haryana and Halol in Gujarat. These special and versatile vehicles will help to reach out to patients in rural and remote areas and transfer them easily to closest hospitals. First Responder has been custom-built as an upgrade on Hero MotoCorp's powerful Xtreme 200R motorcycles.

* Hero MotoCorp announced the return of the Twenty20 cricket format in the ‘New Normal’ with the commencement of Hero Caribbean Premier League 2020. In a first for a cricket premier league, the matches are being played in stadiums without any spectators, with the objective of maintain social distancing.

670 Professionals Got Hired; 2,399 Shortlisted Through TimesJobs & Mirchi’s ‘Baat Baat Pe Jobs’ Campaign in Just 27 Days

Hiring is back

* ‘Mirchi Par Baat Baat Pe Jobs with TimesJobs’ campaign uplifted the careers of more than 3,069 job seekers whose job search was hit due to COVID-19 

* 670 professionals found a suitable job in 21 companies through this campaign in 27 days straight 

* 2,399 candidates were shortlisted at various companies and were on the anvil of being hired 

* TimesJobs had roped in 164+ companies and recruiting partners to help job seekers get hired quickly 

IT professional Anurag Jana’s dream tech career crashed when his company let him go a few weeks ago. Like most other employees, he was working from home amid the COVID-19 pandemic, but the company lost its business and Anurag lost his job! Just then, Anurag applied at the ‘Mirchi Par Baat Baat Pe Jobs with TimesJobs’, a CSR initiative to help those professionals whose job has been hit by COVID-19. 

This was the second season of a hugely popular CSR initiative hosted jointly by Mirchi and TimesJobs in 2019 called ‘ReadySteadyJobs’, where 1,065+ professionals were hired in 21 days. 

“I got hired as a PHP developer in a Delhi-based company recently. I have joined a few days ago,” said Anurag beaming with joy. His only advice for jobseekers is that one should be optimistic and very thorough with the basics. Like Anurag, 669 more professionals got hired and 2,399 were shortlisted through this massive CSR campaign facilitated jointly by TimesJobs and Mirchi.  

Sandeep Grover’s Placewell Careers was one of the prominent recruitment agencies participating in this campaign. He helped more than 40+ candidates get jobs in various companies. “This is a fantastic initiative for both jobseekers and companies alike. The COVID-19 induced lockdown has caused a panic among companies and jobseekers. People are facing job loss or an abrupt salary cut. In such a situation, the ‘BaatBaatPeJobs’ campaign brought hope to many. I placed 40+ candidates in health and life insurance companies, and I feel happy that I was able to help so many people in the pandemic time”.  

Kaushik Sen, owner of Three Dots recruitment agency from Kolkata described this campaign as ‘the best thing to happen in the present time’. “I got very good candidates - from freshers to middle management level – through this campaign. ‘BaatBaatPeJobs’ is bringing in hope in a time when everyone is concerned about their jobs,” he said.  

‘Mirchi Par Baat Baat Pe Jobs..with TimesJobs!’ was launched on July 16, 2020. TimesJobs had roped in 164+ companies and recruiting agencies to facilitate recruitment via this campaign. Participating companies include Capgemini, Mastercard, LTI, Icertis, VOIS, HPE, Salesforce, DBS Bank, UiPath among others. The recruiting partners include seasoned recruitment consultancies such as G Gheewala, Global Talent Pool, The Real Placements and others.

Mirchi Delhi’s popular RJ Naved, RJ Sayema, RJ Vidit, RJ Rochie and RJ Leen anchored the campaign on radio and urged people to apply for relevant jobs. Alongside, they were interviewing recruiters, recruitment agencies and jobseekers to understand the skill requirement in the present employment scenario. 

Sanjay Goyal, Business Head, TimesJobs and TechGig described this campaign as ‘remarkably successful’. “The metrics of any campaign being successful aren’t always a handful of numbers and stats. More than fulfilling its desired targets, this campaign transformed the lives of 3,069+ jobseekers amid pandemic - which to me, is the biggest mark of it being successful,” he added. 

Shivangini Jajoria, Regional Director-North & East, ENIL (Mirchi), said, “Mirchi has always been very close to its listeners, we as a brand align ourselves to them and as the current pandemic resulted in a huge number of jobs, we decided to come back with season 2 of our Jobs’ campaign. We aim to put forward ideas and campaigns that directly address social concerns. Seeing the success of this campaign gives the team immense pleasure not because we have millions of views and reach but because we could reach to the hearts of our listeners, helping them when they were in need and emerging not just as a Radio brand but as a friend also.”

About TimesJobs:

TimesJobs is India’s leading career portal, with a sharp focus on helping companies and businesses connect with competent professionals. With over 25 million registered jobseekers across the board and more than 60 million page views every month, it is the most preferred career portal among the ambitious professionals who want to make smarter career decisions and accelerate their career progression. 

About Mirchi: 

 Entertainment Network India Limited (ENIL), popularly known as Mirchi, owns 73 frequencies and is advertising partner for another 3, across 63 cities in India, making it India’s largest private FM radio broadcaster. Launched in 2001, Mirchi now operates across the country with 4 distinct brands - Mirchi, Mirchi Love, Kool & Ishq (for which it is the advertising partner of TV today network). With the highest radio listenership in India (approximately 40 million people- all 4 brands included) and a track record of developing innovative content, Mirchi has been expanding and retaining its audiences and advertisers through the years. Mirchi also has the digital strength of having the biggest radio website, throbbing social media handles & 170 powerful RJs across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and the biggest YouTube channel called Filmy Mirchi in the independent Bollywood space.

Toyota Kirloskar Motor Sells 5555 Units in the Month of August 2020

* Announces ‘opening of bookings’ of the much awaited Urban Cruiser, Toyota’s all-new youngest urban SUV in India

Toyota Kirloskar Motor today announced that the company sold a total of 5555 units in the month of August 2020, thereby exceeding sales volumes as sold in July 2020(the company had clocked 5386 units in the month of July 2020). For reference, the company had sold a total of 10,701 units in the domestic market in August 2019 and had exported 843 units of the Etios as well.

Commenting on the month’s performance, Mr. Naveen Soni, Sr. Vice President, Sales & Service- TKM said, “We began August with a lot of apprehensions due to the skewed rise in Covid positive cases in Karnataka state and throughout the country. It had a resultant impact on both the demand & supply scenarios. Fortunately, August witnessed an increase in demand for most of our models akin to pre-Covid times, including customer enquiries and orders. However, supplying vehicles from our end (to dealers) posed as a challenge due to the rising number of Covid cases in Bangalore and its surrounding areas, where most of our workforces reside. This even lead us to ramp down production to a single shift so as to be able to ensure that we are taking all measures to safeguard the health and safety of our employees first, and of the community at large. Thankfully, more than half the Covid infected workers at TKM have recovered completely and are reporting back at work, after having completed all necessary protocols as laid down by the state health authorities. This has helped us immensely in inching up supplies so as to be able to cater to the increasing demands of our customers.

August had also witnessed a steady rise in retails (sales from dealer to customers) and thanks to ‘Toyota pull system’ of operations, we are happy that we could squeeze the system inventory to sell much higher to customers despite the production constraints. Thereby helping us clock 25% higher retails when compared to the wholesales (sale from TKM to dealers) this month and also resulting in better inventory management at dealerships.

We also announced the opening of bookings for the much awaited Urban Cruiser in August. The upcoming launch model has generated a lot of interest, from our customers and the market alike. We are grateful towards our loyal customers who have pre-booked the Urban Cruiser as this reiterates their trust and faith on brand Toyota. We are humbled to receive such loyalty from our customers and would like to thank them by offering them some early movers benefit,” he concluded.

Big B is Back! TECNO Recreates Magic with SPARK Go 2020 in India

* The blockbuster smartphone makes a comeback in a newer avatar with bigger display, better battery and superlative camera.

* The all-new SPARK Go 2020 is set to shake up the sub-7k segment of smartphones and is available for sale on Flipkart starting 12 noon on 7th September 2020.

TECNO, the global premium smartphone brand, today launched a new product from its iconic SPARK series – SPARK Go 2020. Designed with premium features at an affordable price of INR 6499, SPARK Go 2020 will cater to the entertainment needs of Aspirational Bharat and is expected to replicate the success of SPARK Go Plus which was launched in January this year.

SPARK Go 2020 has once again gone BIG on entertainment – in fact Bigger – with a 5000 mAh battery, 6.52 inch display, and a 13 MP AI dual rear camera. And this time, the device sports a unique audio-sharing feature that enables users to connect two Bluetooth Earphones or three Bluetooth speakers simultaneously – in effect amplifying the entertainment quotient that will make times with family and friends a truly memorable one.

Commenting on the launch, Arijeet Talapatra, CEO of TRANSSION India said, “TECNO’s achievement of 5 Million happy customers is an attestation of our popularity among category consumers across the country. We know we have delivered the right products and met the right demand requirements. We are confident that SPARK Go 2020, with its strong play in the battery, display and camera departments at an unmatched price point, will continue SPARK series’ stellar run and live up to our consumers’ expectations. The launch of the SPARK Go Plus earlier changed the game in the entertainment department, and SPARK Go 2020 will keep this momentum going.”

Key USPs of SPARK Go 2020 which makes it a real ‘Big B’ of budget smartphones

* BIGGER 5000mAh Battery that lasts long

Housing a 5000 mAh battery, the SPARK Go 2020 provides a standby time of 36 days, calling time of27 hours web browsing for 19 hours, music playback for 145 hours, video playback of 21 hours and game playing 14 hours.

* BIG Entertainment on 6.52” Super Big Screen in the segment

The SPARK Go 2020 sports a BIG 6.52” Dot Notch Display with 20:9 aspect ratio. Complemented with 480 nits brightness, 89.7% Screen to body ratio and 720x1600 HD+ resolution, the device provides for a seamless visual and immersive video viewing experience. 

* BIG 13MP Dual rear camera for enhanced photography experience

The SPARK Go 2020 is equipped with an AI Dual Rear Camera with a 13MP Primary Camera with F1.8 aperture, 4XZoom, PDAF, Dual Flashlight and AI lens for an enhanced smartphone photography experience. The camera is also equipped with 18 Auto Scene Detection Modes, Bokeh Effect, AI Beauty Mode and AI Portrait Mode. The 8MP selfie camera with a F2.0 aperture and a micro slit front flash with adjustable brightness is perfect for selfie lovers.

* BIG Security for safe user experience

The Smart Security features of Face Unlock and Smart Fingerprint with 0.2s fast unlock enables one to be armed with a robust smartphone security. One can perform functions like accepting and rejecting calls, clicking pictures and dismissing alarms with smart fingerprint sensor. The Face Unlock prevents the phone to get unlocked with eyes closed. The device houses a 2GB RAM and 32 GB internal storage and runs on a  Helio A20 1.8 Ghz processor.

* BIG Sharing with Audio Share

Spark GO 2020 comes with a unique audio-sharing feature that enables users to connect two Bluetooth Earphones or three Bluetooth speakers simultaneously – in effect amplifying the entertainment quotient that will make times with family and friends a truly memorable one

* Value for money

In line with the brand philosophy of ’Expect More’, TECNO has been consistently pushing the envelope to deliver to the customers a complete ‘Smartphone experience’.  TECNO SPARK Go 2020 is a complete ‘Value Package’ priced aggressively at just INR 6499. The ‘All-rounder’ smartphone brings in the unique brand promise of free 1-time screen replacement, and 1-month extended warranty (12+1 month). The new device is available in two colour variants - Ice Jadeite and Aqua Blue

About TECNO Mobile

TECNO Mobile is a premium smartphone brand from TRANSSION Holdings. Upholding the brand essence of “Expect More”, TECNO is committed to giving the masses access to latest technology at accessible prices, allowing the consumers to reach beyond their current limitations and uncover a world of possibilities. TECNO understands the needs of consumers from different markets and provides them with localized innovations across a product portfolio. TECNO is a major global player with presence in around 60 emerging markets across the world. It is also the global Official Tablet and Handset Partner of Manchester City Football Club.

Dettol Banega Swasth India Partners with Plan India to Support Frontline Workers, Doctors, Govt Health Institutions and Community

* Under this initiative, Dettol, BSI will reach out 5,00,000 most vulnerable community in four states named Bihar, Maharashtra, Telangana and Uttarakhand, with PPE kits for the Nutrition Rehabilitation Centers and District Hospitals, accessibility of food and hygiene to the migrants families of high risk pregnant women and malnourished children 

Reckitt Benckiser, under its flagship program, Banega Swasth India has partnered with Plan India to support the frontline workers and medical practitioners amidst the raging spread of COVID-19. During this crisis, the vulnerability of frontline workers and medical practitioners has come to the fore. The worst-hit has been the communities that are remotely placed with less access to public health, humanitarian assistance, and government facilities. Through Plan India, Dettol BSI will facilitate distribution of Motorized hospital beds, and infection prevention kit comprising, Personal Protection Equipment’s (PPE), N95 mask, triple-layered mask, alcohol-based hand rubs and infra-red thermometers to the health institutions in the impacted communities of India.

Further, One Community Health Centre, two Nutrition Rehabilitation Centers, forty-two Anganwadis will be retrofitted with state of the art facility to equip the public health system to serve the community better.

Additionally, through this collaboration, will also distribute food and hygiene kits to the vulnerable migrant’s families of high risk pregnant women and malnourished children. 

Commenting on the partnership initiative, Gaurav Jain, Senior Vice President, South Asia, Reckitt Benckiser Health, “We, at Dettol, committed to supporting the government and various NGOs in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic. At RB, our social impact strategy focuses on investing in areas where we can make the most impact as a business, and where we identify the greatest unmet needs. Through our programmes, we promise to help empower communities with products, education, and skills they can use to change their everyday lives – to spark progress not measured year-on-year, but over lifetimes. We are working on several fronts to provide relief and support measures across various parts of the country. With Plan India and their on-ground partners, we plan to support health institutions and families across states.”

Acknowledging this support Mohammed Asif, Executive Director, Plan India, said, “The fight against COVID-19 is only possible through a collaborative approach and joining of forces including the government, corporate and civil society. Thus, the on-boarding of Reckitt Benckiser is not only encouraging but also serves as a good example of corporate and civil society partnership, which is a critical need of the hour.”

“We are thankful to RB for the solidarity and partnership towards ensuring timely access to life-saving and preventive measures by the community.” He added.

The partnership between the two leading organisations aiming towards ensuring good health, proper hygiene and adequate nutrition for mother and child. Dettol BSI will be providing the technical support for infection prevention, as well as the best health and hygiene practices, while Plan India will be involved to reach to 5 lakh people on the ground with a focus distributing hygiene kits and personal protective equipment (PPE) for medical staff safeguarding them from infection while serving the community.

About RB:

RB* is the global leading consumer health and hygiene company. Driven by a purpose to build healthier lives and happier homes, RB has operations in over 60 countries. From the foundations of wellness and infant nutrition to the fundamentals of a hygienic home, its global brands help people live healthier, happier lives. RB has world-leading Power brands which include household names such as Dettol, Harpic, Lizol, Veet, Durex, Strepsils, Mortein, Vanish, Air Wick, Enfamil, Nutramigen, Nurofen, Strepsils, Gaviscon, Mucinex, Scholl, Clearasil, Finish, Calgon, Woolite. RB’s unique culture is at the heart of its success. Its drive to achieve, passion to outperform and commitment to quality and scientific excellence are manifested in the work of over 40,000 RB employees worldwide.