Vivo Mobile partners with Viacom18 for India launch

All the marketing and brand communication activities of Vivo will be conceived and executed by Viacom18 Integrated Network Solutions

Sarmistha Neogy | Mumbai | December 3, 2014

Premium global handset brand Vivo has inked a strategic marketing and communication partnership with Viacom18 Integrated Network Solutions (INS), as part of its plans to enter the Indian market later this month. The network will help Vivo build the brand in the minds of the consumers, by using high-impact live properties and genres, such as music and comedy, catering to various target audiences, and also key broadcast properties of the network across brands.

Commenting on the role of Viacom18 in this deal, Jaideep Singh, Senior Vice-president, INS, Viacom18 Media, said, “All the marketing and brand communication activities will be conceived and executed by INS. Right from suggesting the brand, providing them insights on how they should market their product and reach out to their target group, to the properties they should use to communicate, everything will be handled by us. The association between Vivo and Viacom18 will be across broadcast and live platforms in the youth, music and comedy genres with brands like MTV, Vh1, Comedy Central and Colors.”

Speaking about the challenges in launching a global brand in India, Singh said, “INS, which was launched two years back, has steadily worked towards building large IPs and also building strategic partnerships across brands in the past year, using all network delivery points – which are now established as top notch in their categories. Yes, launching a global handset in the Indian market is not an easy task, but Vivo's product features, its great technology, gives it an edge over the others. Other than Vivo, INS is in talks with a couple of other brands for providing them with strategic brand solutions.”

Sudhanshu Vats, Group CEO, Viacom18 Media, said, “This is a landmark partnership for us at Viacom18 and especially for INS. The collaboration opens new avenues for media conglomerates to go beyond the perception of being a mere vehicle for advertisement. With a network like ours – with multi-screen, multi-platform, multi-regional presence – that caters to Vivo's core TG of 18-34 years, we make for an ideal partner to provide complete brand solutions.”

Jacky Liao, Director, Vivo Mobile India, on the association, said, “We are excited about this association with Viacom18 for our India launch. India is a vast and diverse market for us and partnering with Viacom18 is the most obvious choice, considering their deep awareness of the Indian consumer to help us create extreme experiences to Indian consumers across our on-ground and broadcast properties. Having worked with Viacom internationally, in other markets, we repose great confidence in Viacom18's capabilities and look forward to building a long and fruitful relationship together.”

Vivo is present across China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore. The company has plans to enter close to 100 markets outside China.

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