Dentsu Aegis Network to launch new social platform 'India Celebrates'

While Navratri and Dussehra ended a few days ago, Diwali is around the corner. Keeping in with the mood, Dentsu Aegis Network has designed a new festive social platform called 'India Celebrates' by collaborating with social networking site Facebook as its promotional partner. Shoopclues.com, a fully managed marketplace, joins in as the title sponsor for this brand new offering from Dentsu. The platform will be launched next week.

The idea behind the launch of 'India Celebrates' is to create a unique destination for people, where they can avail direct offers from various brands to fulfil their festival needs. Also, through this plaform, people can share their festive moments and celebrate the festive season with a large network of people, brands and celebrities.

The offering intends to engage consumers in sharing memories, and to get them involved in celebrations beyond Diwali. From the media's point of view, it aims to establish a 'differential brand connect' by leveraging solutions to capture lovely moments and help reach the consumer in a clutter-free manner. Moreover, the platform has plans to make extensive use of Facebook for promotional purposes and hopes for several shares and likes.

Interestingly, the new social platform does not wish to target any particular socio-economic TG; rather, its emphasis is on targeting specific 'moments of happiness' which consumers will experience when they log on to the website,

www.india-celebrates.com

'India Celebrates' will be a content destination that will feature the coming together of high quality entertainment quotient and an interactive and convenient platform for people to enjoy the best shopping experience with customised packages.

The Facebook page of 'India Celebrates' will feature updates on deals, new brands on board, the first of them being Shopclues, and festivities that fill the air during every season. It will also feature celebrity engagements for every season, starting on Dussehra, and followed by Diwali and beyond.

A recent study displays that people are more engaged than ever on Facebook. There are more than 130 million people on Facebook in India, and 90 per cent of them use the mobile. It is therefore, the correct time to engage and connect with the masses. Dentsu Aegis Network has adapted the venture, closely linking it to Facebook, to give users a more user-friendly platform with a wide range of choices to celebrate with.

A number of retail and non-retail brands have already come forward to be associated with the platform owing to the reach it provides to prospective buyers. A number of online engagements including online games have been designed for users to have more reasons for merry making. The games give an opportunity for the players to win attractive gifts for the festivals and a wide range of discount options from various brands.

"The event is an excellent platform to bring together the synergies of India's top brands for a truly exceptional Diwali celebration. While Dentsu brings more partners on board to drive engagement to the platform, Shopclues will give out exclusive offers and the most unmatched propositions for consumers from its vast product portfolio. As the title sponsors, we will further enhance our brand salience through the massive reach and engagement of Facebook," says Nitin Agarwal, AVP, marketing, Shopclues.

"Dentsu Aegis Network in India is very happy to join hands with Facebook in this unique digital initiative. As the leading digital group in India, with over 750 digital specialists in our group companies like Isobar, iProspect, Dentsu WebChutney, and WATConsult, we feel it is our duty to encourage such digital initiatives, which will be the way of the future," notes Ashish Bhasin, chairman and CEO, Dentsu Aegis Network, South Asia.

"Facebook is the new Diwali greeting card with sight, sound and motion. In India, there are 3 times more videos and 1.5 times more photos uploaded via mobile during Diwali than the rest of the year. The platform brings together discovery, emotional engagement and fulfilment. The ‘India Celebrates’ initiative by Dentsu Aegis Network will leverage our unparalleled targeting capabilities to reach over 130 million people in India and millions across the world connecting on Facebook as they celebrate the festival season." said Kirthiga Reddy, Managing Director, Facebook India.