magicpin Goes On The Front Foot With #SavingsBachhonKaKhelNahi

A TVC that makes you sit up and take notice for its sheer chutzpah and in your face opinion

magicpin, India’s No.1 savings app has come up with a thought-provoking commercial on the merits of choosing your neighbourhood retail store over online channels for a better shopping experience and better savings, of course.

Their new TV commercial provokes viewers by highlighting aspects of online shopping vs the going out and shopping experience. From the right fit to instant delivery, to making great savings, the offline experience is second to none.

India’s no. 1 savings app, magicpin offers the best saving deals across spend categories at offline stores in your proximity. So, you do not lose out on savings even when you shop offline. 

The TVC features the inimitable Vijay Raaz as the common man who talks straight. He brings to life the smart Indian who is sick of empty promises, tall claims, millions of paper points and online deliveries that don’t fit. He wonders about the need to go through this trauma when a quick walk to the nearest shop will solve this dilemma in a jiffy.

As Karanjeet Kaur, Head of Content at magicpin puts it, “How many times can you poke a finger in the eye of giants and get away with it? That’s the question we set out to answer with our latest TVC-led campaign. After the viral success of our ‘The Bread ad’, (which, frankly, took us by surprise), we knew we had to level up. So we adopted the route of provocation once again, but focused squarely on the joy of stepping out and shopping at local brand stores. And Vijay Raaz - with his image as an everyman with a bullshit-free approach to life - was the perfect choice to deliver the message… again.”

The TV campaign has already registered a humongous response with a total of over 54,85,459 views spread across YouTube, Twitter,Instagram Post, LinkedIn and Instagram Reel and is expected to cross 6 billion views soon.

About magicpin: 

magicpin is India’s #1 savings app that covers retailers from local merchants to large brands, online and offline. We help customers through our unique magicpin rewards programme, which brings over 150k partner stores (online and local) live on the smartphone, ready to be discovered, leading to attractive savings. magicpin caters to over 5 million users who are enjoying great deals and savings on the app.

magicpin drives over $1B of annual business that covers local retailers as well ad well-known brands like Pantaloons, Lifestyle, Westside, Levis, Jockey, Titan, Fastrack, McDonald’s, CCD, KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Flipkart, Boat, Amazon, Samsung, Biba, ITC, Zandu, P&G and many more. 

Toyota Kirloskar Motor Enables Employees To Inculcate Eco-Friendly Practices At Their Homes

In its endeavor towards building a sustainable society in harmony with nature, Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) is empowering its employees to adopting eco-friendly practices in their homes. Recently, the company facilitated an eco-home audit through a virtual event in association with Thuvakkam, an NGO dedicated to creating awareness on green environment and social issues.

Enthusiastic TKM employees and their family members took part in the eco-home audit to evaluate their homes based on the criteria of how they use and manage electrical energy, water, compost, waste, and garden. Following the self-evaluation, the participants will receive guidance in making lifestyle changes to reduce their  energy usage and overall carbon footprint. The eco audit was conducted via a virtual platform as part of ‘ICARE’, an employee volunteering initiative that aligns with TKM’s commitment to sustainable community development.

Commenting on the initiative, Mr. Vikram Gulati, Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs and Governance, TKM, said, “Sustainability is a way of life at TKM, which reflects in the environment friendly practices across our entire value chain. We believe that sustainable living is also important in reducing the carbon footprint and protecting our environment. Therefore, such platforms are vital to create awareness amongst our employees and provide them the necessary tools for implementing green initiatives with the involvement of their family and friends. We are confident that the participants will  take forward the learnings from such initiative and spread the word within their communities.”

Since its inception in 2017, ICARE has grown tremendously and has had a substantial impact on society touching 57,000 lives so far. Currently, about 1,000 employees are registered with ICARE under which various activities are implemented to further support and make a difference to society while providing an enriching experience to employees. These initiatives are implemented in the domains of education, environment, health & hygiene, road safety, skill development and disaster management in line with TKM’s CSR vision. The platform empowers passionate employees who believe in volunteering for social causes during their free time. During this event employees also learnt to reuse wastepaper by creatively turning them into bags.

WinZO Partners With Kalaari Capital To Launch Its ‘Gaming Lab’, Will Co-Invest iIn Gaming

* WinZO, A Leading Social Gaming Platform Is Set To Launch Its ‘Gaming Lab’ With The Intent Of Encouraging Social Gaming Ecosystem In India and Globally

* WinZO has a strong user base of over 65 million premium quality users. 55% of WinZO’s user base prefers pay-to-play formats and spend over 60 minutes on the platform daily. 

* Kalaari is an early-stage, technology-focused venture capital firm based out of Bengaluru, India  

 India’s largest social gaming platform, WinZO is launching an investment initiative, ‘Gaming Lab’, jointly with Kalaari Capital, to encourage and support India’s gaming ecosystem. ‘Gaming Lab’ will invest across all forms of interactive entertainment apps in India with a flexible corpus starting at over half a million dollars. 

Association with WinZO, which hosts 80+ games in 12+ languages and has 80% users consuming the app in vernacular languages, will further help Gaming Studios and Gaming Companies to be culturally relevant for Bharat. WinZO will also mentor these gaming companies working towards revolutionising the gaming ecosystem by means of video streaming, game tech, innovations. The selected companies will receive support and drive effective monetization, growth and also benefit from the tech expertise that WinZO has to offer. 

The ‘Gaming Lab’ will be launched during GameCon 2021 (https://www.gamecon.in) - a conference which will witness participation of industry leaders in the gaming sector and discuss various facets associated with the future of India’s Gaming Ecosystem, trends in global and Indian gaming. The $200B+ global gaming market is ready for disruption from India. GameCon 2021 will be a platform where industry leaders will be discussing how various technologies such as Blockchain, AR/VR, NFTs can create new monetization models like play to win rewards. Ensure that we are bringing in relevant stakeholders to discuss current trends in global and Indian gaming. 

GameCon 2021 will also host India’s second community tournament by Axie Infinity, an NFT based online game. Axie Infinity is the highest revenue accruing game based on Ethereum with an expansive user base. GameCon 2021 will conduct panel discussions on emerging models in online gaming and the potential for the sector in India, host workshops on how to get started with gaming as a career in India & getting started with your Axie journey. The speakers include Vani Kola (MD, Kalaari Capital), Jeffery Zirlin (Co-founder, Sky Mavis - Axie Infinity), Harri Manninen (Founder, Play Ventures), Paavan Nanda (Co-founder of WinZO Games, Zostel & ZO Rooms), Dheeraj Shah (Host, Desi Crypto Show),  Michail Katkoff (CEO & Co-founder of Savage Game Studios) among others.  

Commenting on the new association, Saumya Singh Rathore, the co-founder of WinZO said, “We are looking to invest across all forms of interactive entertainment including but not limited to games and ancillary industries such as content creation, live-ops, security etc. We are placed in a strategically sound position owing to our understanding of tech, the real pulse of India that is at the centre of online gaming evolution that we as a nation are witnessing. These capabilities combined, we will be able to sufficiently provide requisite support in the form of capital, guidance and strategic help to further this socio-economically critical ecosystem. WinZO’s Center of Excellence will help drive growth, strategy and distribution for the selected applicant, while driving monetization in the world’s largest engagement powerhouse.” 

Towards its efforts of strengthening gaming development, WinZO recently had announced a $20 Million game developer fund III with the idea to holistically boosting the global game development ecosystem including game design, economies around gaming, content creation, live-ops, and security through Capital investment, infrastructural support and monetization support. 

About WinZO: 

WinZO is India’s largest vernacular social gaming platform which hosts 80+ Skill based games including Cricket, 8 ball Pool, Chess, Quizzes and Fantasy in 12+ vernacular Indian languages. Trusted by 65 million+ users across India, WinZO clocks 1 billion + microtransactions per month.   

Founded in 2018 by second time entrepreneurs, Paavan Nanda and Saumya Singh Rathore, WinZO is a series C funded venture backed by global gaming and entertainment investment funds such as Griffin Gaming Partners, Maker’s Fund, Courtside Ventures, Pags Group and Kalaari having raised a total capital of $98 million. 

WinZO facilitates game developers to onboard their games on the WinZO app through its self-serve console (console.winzogames.com) and provides ready access to 65 million+ users and an opportunity to instantly monetize games. It uses cutting-edge world-class technology including Machine Learning, Big Data analytics to ensure Skill based matchmaking for users and weed out any manipulators and hackers providing the best gaming experience. 

KL University Student Develops “Cyber Security App” With e-Complaint Filing Feature

* D Rahul Shashank developed the Cyber Alert App to counter the increasing risk of cyber-attacks in India 

KL Deemed-to-be University, one of the leading universities in the country for graduation and higher education, has today announced that its student has created Cyber Security app that offers features like e-complaint filing, cyber internships, Cyber Consultation etc. The Cyber Alert app is also the very first cyber security app to be available in English, and Telugu. This unique app is simple, convenient and absolutely crucial to ensure one’s digital security today. India, and world at large, has witnessed a surge in the cases of cyber-attacks and internet-borne threats since the onset of the pandemic. As 2021 created a largely digital workforce and learners, the scope for these attacks also increased manifold.  

According to the recent Kaspersky Security Network (KSN) report, India recorded 8.30 crore cyber threats in the second quarter of 2021, a staggering 80% increase from 1.67 crore threats detected in the same quarter last year. As cyber frauds and threats to cybersecurity increase, there is a need for a comprehensive source of information on the crime and the measures to take to safeguard from such crimes. D. Rahul Shashank, a final year student at College of Law, KL Deemed-to-be University, pursuing his bachelor’s degree in BBA, LLB, has recognized this need early during the pandemic. He has developed Cyber Alert to assist users in every step of their journey in safeguarding their digital identity.   

The app alerts the users before they fall victim to them. A perfect amalgamation of information, guidance and solution, the Cyber Alert app boasts several features that provide the user, a crystal-clear understanding of the cybercrime and ways to tackle it. Some of these features include: 

Cyber Complaint Filing – A user can file a cyber complaint through the E-Filing link which is provided with the disclaimers in the application. 

Cyber Complaint Tracker / Status – One can check the status of a case which has filed through the application. 

Cyber Materials – Study material on cyber security & cyber laws, I.T Act 2000 & I.T Act 2008, cyber forms and latest cyber security news etc. will be available on the app for the users. 

Cyber Police Stations – A list of the cyber police stations will be available on the app to help users find the nearest cyber police stations by Enabling the GPS / location. 

Cyber Internships – Best opportunity for internships & workshops in the cyber security can be explored on the app. 

Cyber Legal Aid – The Cyber Legal Aid is divided into the two sub modules namely Cyber Expert consultancy and Cyber Volunteers. 

The team of entrepreneurs also include Founder & CEO, D. Rahul Shashank, (student of BBA LLB, 2017-22), Co- Founder, Dr. K.I Pavan Kumar, (HoD, Department of Law, KL College of Law), Chief Technical officer, Vinay Are, (KL Alumni, 2012-16) Chairman & M.D – R. Sai Ashish Yashwanth, (student of BBA 2019-22), General Manager, D. Tirumala Tarun (student of B. Tech EEE, 2018-22). The young entrepreneurs also enjoy the strong support of prominent industry experts and thought leaders as the app’s advisory board, carefully curated by KL University’s mentors. The advisory board consists of Mr. Pavan Duggal, a renowned Indian Lawyer, among others. The app is now available for download on google play store.  

“Often, unauthorized access to your private information goes undetected by the common users. The increased number of cyber-attacks during the pandemic propelled us to launch the app. The University was quite confident in this venture and supported our journey throughout. We are grateful for the mentorship and guidance provided by the faculty”, said D. Rahul Shashank, Founder & CEO, Cyber Alert. 

Congratulating the students bold venture, Dr. G. Pardha Saradhi Varma, Vice-Chancellor, KL Deemed-to-be University, said “We are proud to witness our students undertaking entrepreneurial and leadership roles. According to industry reports, India was placed at 37th place worldwide with respect to most dangers associated to surfing the web. This app is a welcome safety measure to the now widely digital India. At KL Deemed-to-be University, we nurture the creative rollercoaster minds of our young talent to sculpt them as global leaders of tomorrow. This Cyber Alert app will surely be an inspiration to many other students who are hesitant to pursue their ideas”. 

Prof N. Rangaiah, Principal, KL College of Law said that the technological interface helps in the effective enforcement of law and to bring about the legal awareness among the commons.   

The app is available on the play store. 

KL Deemed-to-be University, Vijayawada Campus hosts state of the art R&D Labs and Centers for Innovation, Incubation & Entrepreneurship (CIIE) with an objective of creating and nurturing entrepreneurs. The CIIE mentored the creation of over 125+ startups, 300+ entrepreneurs, investment of over 20 crores and 5+ technology commercialization. The University has filed and published over 350 patents thus far.  

About KL Deemed-to-be University 

Founded in 1980 as KL College of Engineering, KL Deemed to be University brings today an academic legacy of 40 years. It became Deemed University in 2009 and was accredited by NAAC with A++ grade and Category- I Institution by UGC, MHRD, Govt. of India in 2019. It is ranked 35th in the NIRF 2021 rankings of top Universities of India. K L Deemed University is situated in a spacious 100-acre campus in Vijayawada and has another world-class campus in Hyderabad. The University boasts of its collaborations with 60+ foreign Universities across 16 countries providing students international exposure through internships and exchange programs. The intellectual resource at University includes 1,200+ faculty members, out of which 600+ faculty members are Ph.D. holders. The University also rejoices an impeccable placement track record of placing 20,000 students in reputed companies so far.  

Tata PUNCH Signs With FC Goa As Principal Sponsor For Hero Indian Super League 2021/22

* The partnership will also see the two brands work at the community level with an emphasis on the development of the Little Gaurs League. 

FC Goa is delighted to announce Tata Punch as the Club’s Principal Sponsor for the 2021-22 season of the Hero Indian Super League.  

As part of the tie-up, the Tata PUNCH logo will be seen on the back of the shirt on both match

days, training kits of the FC Goa first team and development teams.  Tata PUNCH will also be integrated across some of the most engaging digital content by FC Goa and will be doing activations for fans of FC Goa in the local markets for football fans from across the country who love to visit Goa. 

Over and above their partnership with FC Goa, Tata PUNCH will also be supporting FC Goa’s

foundation - Forca Goa Foundation for their baby league - Little Gaurs League.  

Launched in 2019, Little Gaurs League has gone on to become one of India’s biggest grass root

level tournaments. From 36 teams participating in the first year, the league has grown leaps and bounds with last season seeing 110 teams and 957 players (230 of them being young girls) participating across Goa and across four age categories (Under 6, Under 8, Under 10 and Under 12 leagues) which includes an exclusive Under 12 league for girls. In addition to the games, the tournament also serves as a platform for FC Goa to hold nutrition workshops for parents, coaches as well as the children participating. 

 The support from Tata PUNCH for the Little Gaurs League will go a long way in the development of

the game in Goa.  

According to Mr. Vivek Srivatsa, Head, Marketing Passenger Vehicle Business Unit (PVBU), Tata Motors - “We are excited to partner with FC Goa as its Principal Sponsors. FC

Goa is one of the most consistent performing ISL Teams and is doing some great work in the local community to grow the sport. Goa is extremely passionate about its football and we are very happy to be supporting the growth of this beautiful game in Goa. Just like the Punch which “Vibes with You”, Goa has its own vibe and it is our pleasure to showcase the Punch in a state which resonates the same characteristics. We wish the team the very best for their game. 

Akshay Tandon, FC Goa’s President weighed in on the development, saying, “We are

honored to have one of India’s most respected and trusted brands - TATA Motors sponsoring us. We are committed to the development of the game in Goa and making Goa proud on a national stage, having a brand like Tata PUNCH as a sponsor makes our commitment even stronger.  

 “I would like to thank Tata Motors for their support and especially

for supporting the Little Gaurs League too. It is so important that brands support football at a grass root and local level. This kind of support helps us give little girls and boys a platform to express themselves and grow their skills.  

 “It will also help us achieve our vision of finding the best talent

in Goa and nurturing them to play at the highest level for the country. We look forward to delivering great value to Tata PUNCH and growing the partnership over the years” 

ZEEL Celebrates World TV Day, Reemphasizes #TVIsFamily

* Bringing alive how TV plays a pivotal role in our everyday life, just like a family member

ZEE Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL), India’s leading media and entertainment powerhouse has today announced the launch of the second edition of its successful #TVIsFamily campaign to mark the occasion of World Television Day. This year, the company has introduced a quirky twist to the #TVIsFamily campaign by introducing peers of the television set – Radio, Mobile Phone, Laptop, Cinema, etc. highlighting the conversation between these gadgets on television’s special day.

Taking last year’s thought forward, the one-of-its-kind campaign aims to personify television and focuses on the ubiquitous role it plays in every family, be an undeniable presence through the highs and lows, the laughter and much more. The campaign further acknowledges the growing influence of other gadgets in users’ life for consuming content, before asserting that despite this, 765 million people across the country still spend an incomparable 903 billion mins watching TV every week.

Speaking on the campaign, Kartik Mahadev, Chief Marketing Officer, Content Business, ZEE Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. said, “TV isn’t just a device but a trusted companion to over 200mn households for decades now. We are delighted to roll out another edition of the #TVIsFamily campaign this year, wherein we have tried to bring to life the emotional connection that audiences have with television. Last year, the ad film received a phenomenal response from viewers who related to the bond they share with television. The introduction of television has been truly transformative and progressive for the global entertainment industry. For decades, television has provided a huge platform to creators, artists, and others by being an effective medium of taking their work to every household across the globe. With more and more mediums of entertainment and information emerging in the past few years, we wanted to bring to the fore how television will always have an undeniable chord with the viewers for generations to come.”

With the COVID-19 pandemic resulting in a nationwide lockdown in March 2020 and people being confined to their homes, the emotional connect of viewers with television has witnessed a significant surge. During such turbulent and uncertain times, with OTT players disrupting the entertainment industry, television remained the most preferred source of content consumption for Indians. The campaign is truly a tribute to television’s spirit of entertaining families, standing tall as a support system to help its family members navigate through these tough times.

The #TVIsFamily campaign aims to recognize the role of television as any family member by making it part of the family portrait picture. In line with this, ZEEL is building one of the biggest digital walls on its social media properties, sharing pictures of families recognizing television as an integral part of their lives. Along with participation from the viewers, the digital wall also includes the star cast from some of ZEE’s most iconic shows. From ZEE TV’s Kumkum Bhagya and ZEE Bangla’s Hruta to ZEE Keralam’s Neeyum Njanum and ZEE Telugu’s Rowdy Gari Pellam, the characters of multiple prime time shows have sparked social media banter around celebrating the small screen’s presence by posing for a family portrait with television.

ZEEL kickstarted this inspiring campaign on 19th November with the introduction of fellow screens such as mobile, laptop, television, cinema, radio, etc. in the comic strip format, giving unique identities to each gadget, wherein the gadgets are seen sharing their competitiveness and envy about television’s recognition, despite playing their own roles in bringing entertainment to people. Following an integrated outreach strategy, the campaign successfully highlights that television a window into an alternate universe, an escape for viewers to a world where imagination goes beyond leaps and bounds.

Recruiters Are Split Between Demand And Diversity; Tech Industry Continues To Adjust Amidst Rapid Change: HackerEarth

* Annual State of Developer Recruitment Report dives into how building tech teams has changed during the Great Resignation and provides a blueprint for success in 2022

HackerEarth, the leading solutions provider to source, assess, upskill and engage software developer talent, today released its annual State of Developer Recruitment report. The report outlines the changing priorities for hiring professionals in the tech industry and the challenges associated with recruiting qualified candidates amid the Great Resignation and ongoing war for talent.

The 2021 State of Developer Recruitment Report is based on survey data from around 2,500 engineering managers and HR professionals from 79 countries; across industries including technology, pharmaceutical, retail, automobile, construction, banking, media, finance, and insurance. The report aims to outline the best practices for hiring professionals and developer candidates and determine what the post-pandemic hiring landscape looks like.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a record-breaking 2.9% of the workforce quit their jobs in August 2021 to seek better opportunities. Many are demanding increased flexibility in their employment search—from remote and hybrid options to more work-life balance—as companies are desperate to fill roles. HackerEarth’s report suggests that 2022 will remain a candidate’s market and that the tech industry must continue to change how it assesses candidates.

Additionally, while 2021 put a spotlight on DE&I in hiring and the workplace, HackerEarth’s report found that recruiters are slightly split between wanting to hire diverse candidates and filling roles quickly based on supply and demand. An overwhelming number of engineering managers care more about shipping code than building diverse teams.

“Last year, many companies put a pause on hiring, but that has completely changed and many hiring managers report that they are looking to fill up to 100 roles in what’s already a highly competitive market. Employers seeking to hire top developer talent will be challenged to keep their recruiting practices current or risk compromising key priorities,” said Sachin Gupta, CEO of HackerEarth. “Much of what happens in 2022 will shape the post-pandemic workforce. Engineering managers should be focused on updating outdated practices to eliminate hiring silos and increase candidate engagement.”

Key findings from the 2021 State of Developer Recruitment Report include:

Hiring managers are inclined to prioritize skills over everything, but not always

* Both engineering managers and recruiters look for the best skill fit when sourcing and assessing candidates.

* However, while more than 30% of recruiters said they would never compromise on candidate quality to fill a role, 35% of engineering managers said they would compromise in order to hire faster.

* The priority for many is hiring a developer, over hiring the perfect diverse candidate. Diversity as a criterion might just be an added burden in the current recruiting environment.

Some conventional methods and mindsets persist despite the shift to remote/hybrid work

* About 28.9% of respondents who don’t use an assessment tool said that they feel their methods are effective, indicating they haven’t thought about the flaws and inherent biases of the process.   

* Of the respondents who said they do not use an assessment tool, most believe that sorting candidates via resumes or telephone conversations is enough to move them to the interview round.

* Conversely, companies that use assessment tools for their tech hiring report have a more standardized process that is objective and results in more accurate assessments.

Despite a slower change in some areas, remote work has helped reduce friction and change attitudes

* The number of recruiters and engineering managers who felt aligning on the skills required for a role was hard has dwindled from last year.

* Both recruiters and engineering managers agree that candidate quality and deadlines are important pain points of the process that need to be solved.

* Both the cohorts also seem to care about un-siloing the tech hiring process in the wake of the pandemic.

Looking ahead to 2022…

* Roughly 5 out of 10 respondents say they have organized an internal hackathon in the past year and found that it improved ideation and cross-team functioning.

* 37.9% of respondents said working from the office will be voluntary in the coming future, with about 33% saying that they plan to be completely remote. 

* 8 out of 10 engineering managers say they will continue to use coding interview tools even after in-person interviews become normalized

View and download the full 2021 State of Developer Recruitment Report here:  http://hackerearth.com/recruit/resources/insights/drs2021