Super 9 Winners - Vodafone Gujarat

From : DNA

From : Rajasthan Patrika

From : Sandesh

From : Standard Herald

From : Western Times

A Grand Garba Revelry

From : The Times of India

More Brands get into Navratri Groove

From : The Times of India

AHMEDABAD: Money is back into the Navratri business as more and more companies come forward to sponsor events during the upcoming festival.

Organizers said that there is a sudden boost in sponsorships this year as compared to the last few years. "We received over Rs 12 lakh from sponsors this year as compared to about Rs 6 lakh last year. The economy is in better shape and Gujarat has a feel-good factor courtesy the efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. All these factors will attract many global visitors and business delegates at venues and this has led to an increase in sponsorship," said Chiranjiv Patel, a garba organiser. Patel has invited 150 delegates from around the world, out of which about 80 are foreign nationals.

Telecom companies, which had refrained from sponsoring major events last year, are making their presence felt across venues. "Navratri is an important festival for us as part of our marketing and customer engagement activities. This Navratri, we are associated with 18 major Navratri events across Gujarat like United Way - Baroda, Karnavati, YMCA Club, Friends Garba and HL Garba in Ahmedabad," said Brajesh Bajpai, Business Head - Gujarat, Vodafone India.

Vodafone Ban Jao Star Contest Awards

Presenting Awards to "Vodafone Ban Jao Star" Contest Winners with Aditi Rao Hydari

Aditi Rao Hydari dazzles garba revelers in Ahmedabad

From Times of India


Dhwani Shah (Vadodara), Ashish Doshi (director, ticketplease.com), actor Aditi Rao Hydari, Brajesh Bajpai (business head—Gujarat, Vodafone India)

The celebratory cheers this Navratri got a roaring thumbs up from the garba revelers this year. For this Navratri, Vodafone's 'Become a Star with Vodafone Mobile Internet' contest that aimed at adding joy to customers' excitement for the longest dance festival in the world has proven to be yet another unique initiative for customer connect.

The contest witnessed an overwhelming response from customers in Gujarat. On the eighth day of Navratri, Vodafone felicitated 10 lucky winners of the contest and the announcement of winners became more exciting with the presence of Bollywood diva Aditi Rao Hydari. The 10 lucky winners of the contest got once in a life time opportunity to live the life of a 'star' including red carpet welcome to stay at a luxury hotel.

Commenting on Vodafone's innovative data strategy for Gujarat, Brajesh Bajpai, business head — Gujarat, Vodafone India said, "Data is foreseen as the next big thing for the telecom industry in India and the growing number of data enabled smartphones will certainly increase the demand for mobile internet. We see immense growth potential and are looking to be an integral part of this opportunity by helping accelerate mobile internet adoption through penetration, consumption and value addition. We constantly come up with unique campaigns and exciting offers, to drive data adoption. Navratri is an important festival for us as part of our marketing and customer engagement activities. As an undisputed market leader in Gujarat, we constantly aim to stay connected with our large base of customers in Gujarat and this Navratri also we came up with this interesting contest that was well appreciated by our customers."

All in all this was a glam studded evening which saw high octane festive fervour at its best during the Ban Jao Star with Vodafone mobile internet contest.

Meet The Festive Rockers

(L-R ) Pritesh Vakhariya (Ahmedabad),Prachi Patel (Ahmedabad),Shruti Shah (Surat),Pooja Gajera (Rajkot),Dhwani Shah (Vadodara),Ashish Doshi (director,ticketplease.com),actor Aditi Rao Hydari,Brajesh Bajpai (Business Head -Gujarat,Vodafone India),Pratik Bhatt (Ahmedabad),Zankhana Thakkar (Ahmedabad),Kaushal Ramani (Ahmedabad),Nupur Barot (Ahmedabad),Aashini Pandya (Anand)


The celebratory cheers this Navratri got a roaring thumbs up from the garba revelers this year.For this Navratri,Vodafones Become a Star with Vodafone Mobile Internet contest that aimed at adding joy to customers excitement for the longest dance festival in the world has proven to be yet another unique initiative for customer connect.

The contest witnessed an overwhelming response from customers in Gujarat.On the eighth day of Navratri,Vodafone felicitated 10 lucky winners of the contest and the announcement of winners became more exciting with the presence of Bollywood diva Aditi Rao Hydari.The 10 lucky winners of the contest got once in a life time opportunity to live the life of a star including red carpet welcome to stay at a luxury hotel.

Commenting on Vodafones innovative data strategy for Gujarat,Brajesh Bajpai,business head Gujarat,Vodafone India said,Data is foreseen as the next big thing for the telecom industry in India and the growing number of data enabled smartphones will certainly increase the demand for mobile internet.We see immense growth potential and are looking to be an integral part of this opportunity by helping accelerate mobile internet adoption through penetration, consumption and value addition.

We constantly come up with unique campaigns and exciting offers,to drive data adoption.Navratri is an important festival for us as part of our marketing and customer engagement activities.As an undisputed market leader in Gujarat,we constantly aim to stay connected with our large base of customers in Gujarat and this Navratri also we came up with this interesting contest that was well appreciated by our customers.

All in all this was a glam studded evening which saw high octane festive fervour at its best during the Ban Jao Star with Vodafone mobile internet contest.

Go Starry This Navratri

From The Times of India  page 31


B.P Singh,Operations Director West Zone and Brajesh Bajpai, Business Head-Gujarat for Vodafone enjoy the garba at a popular Navratri venue

Giant 30 feet dandiya put up by Vodafone


As Navratri continues to gain momentum,Vodafone India,one of Indias leading telecom service providers,brought an opportunity for its customers in Gujarat to become a star with its mobile internet to add more to the festive celebrations.Vodafone had launched Ban Jao Star contest that gave a chance to 10 customers to become famous and treated them to a day of stardom.This was a part of customer connect initiatives and aimed to add excitement to the festivities of the season.

This year the contest made it more special by choosing 10 winners during the festival and for a day all the winners got to live the life of a star including red carpet welcome to stay at a luxury hotel and also a once in a life time opportunity to feature in the Vodafones print ad.

Vodafone had put together an array of 360 marketing activities like print,radio,digital,tie ups with premier garba venues like Rajpath Club,Karnavati Club and many more across the state.For on-ground activation they had put up stalls,giving an opportunity to customers to upload their photographs on spot. Also they had put a giant 30 feet dandiya at Rajpath Club which was much appreciated by the garba revellers.

Commenting on Vodafones efforts to take the fun and excitement quotient to new heights with these exclusive offers, Brajesh Bajpai,Business Head,Gujarat,Vodafone India,said "At Vodafone,we adopt a customer first motto,where customer and his requirements become the core of all that we do.We constantly try to come up with innovative ways and means to become more relevant to the special needs of our customers.With this Vodafone Ban Jao Star contest we aimed to make Navratri an unforgettable experience for the people of Gujarat."

To participate in this contest Garba lovers had to simply upload their photographs on www.vodafone.in/navratri or could also send their photographs on +919825000009 via Whatsapp.

Garba venues escape slump wrath in Ahmedabad

From DNA 


Scared of negative sentiment, slowdown and inclement weather, Navratri organisers were almost down and out. Suddenly, telecom companies, which had been silent on this nine-day festival for the last two years, stepped up as saviour for the organisers of garba nights beginning Saturday.

Since 2008, the garba organisers have been complaining of difficulties in getting sponsorships.

But, every year, they somehow managed to get sponsorships either through branding or barter system. This year, too, the trend is pretty much the same.

“Like every year, even this year, it was difficult for us to attract sponsors till Saturday,” said Jaydeep Mehta, director of True Events. “After two years, the telecom is back again. Not only the telecom operators. Even the mobile phone companies have shown interest. Not the big companies, the domestic brands,” he said.

Every year, the garba organisers keep two associate sponsors and four co-sponsors, said Mehta.

“Owing to the slowdown, the sponsors have slashed their budget. In that case, we have got four associate sponsors and eight co-sponsor instead of two. This fulfils our motive,” he said.

Companies have budgets earmarked for events. But they want to get maximum mileage out of it, said Arvind Singh, the business head of Expertz. While Shiv Corporation is organising garba nights at Rajpath Club, Expertz is conceptualising them.

“Our cost of organising such events has increased with revenue being 50% of the total cost.

Suddenly, telecom has become the saviour. Now, we hope not to incur losses this year,” said Singh.

The telecom sector has increased its scale of spending this year compared to the previous year, said Brajesh Bajpai, the Gujarat business head of Vodafone.

“Navratri is an important festival for us as part of our marketing and customer engagement activities. Being the undisputed market leader in Gujarat, we constantly aim to stay connected with our large customer base in Gujarat and this Navratri, too, we have allocated strong resources for the event. Our scale of activity is actually much larger and wider than last year whereas the budget allocation is similar to last year,” said Bajpai.

The unexpected rain has also played spoilsport. “A few clients even backed out last week.

Probably in the name of rain, they withdrew their sponsorships. So, we had to manage sponsorships from other groups and companies. And, with the budget having shrunk, we will have to rely more on the sale of tickets instead of bartering of tickets,” said Meghal Shah, a garba organiser and event manager in Ahmedabad.

According to Shah, sponsorship from automobile, finance and education sectors has been minimal. “For automobile, it is like recession. While educational institutes crib about the fall in number of students, finance sector believes that garba events are just not their cup of tea. In such a situation, food and beverages and telecom have helped garba organisers to a great extent,” he said.

Every year, organisers face difficulty in attracting sponsors for the nine-night event, said Anand Doshi, director of Sharda Communications. “With the grace of god, event management companies organise the event. Like every year, it was very difficult to raise money this year, too. But we do it by hook or by crook,” asserted Doshi.

Navratri extravaganza in Ahmedabad!

From : The Times of India

Navratri celebrations came packed with a helicopter ride, hot air balloon ride, LED dandiya sticks and fun-filled moments

The 'Fly to Ambaji in a helicopter during Navratri' contest drew unprecedented participation this year. Customers just had to dial *121#, choose their best offer and become eligible for the on-air contest on a popular radio station. All correct answers assured them a helicopter ride to Ambaji for a special darshan.

In addition to the helicopter contest, Vodafone Gujarat also came out with many first-of-its kind innovations this Navratri. Vodafone sponsored hot air balloon ride that took Vodafone customers 80 feet in the air for a joyride. Not only did it give them a panoramic view of the garba celebrations at the picturesque Karnavati Club lawns, but also a fantastic opportunity to capture lifelong memories in their cameras.

Brajesh Bajpai, Business Head, Gujarat, Vodafone India says, "Our helicopter ride to Ambaji during Navratri is an activity that people are well aware of, now. But we wanted to take Navratri activities and the festive spirit to newer heights this year. So we brought the hot air balloon ride for the first time to Ahmedabad, offering a bird's eye view of the city and garba celebrations to our esteemed customers. Offering such once-in-a-lifetime chance is our way of delivering something innovative every year."

Another innovation was the introduction of Vodafone branded LED dandiya sticks for the first time in Ahmedabad. Khelaiyas had a gala time as they matched their steps with the flashing of the LED dandiya sticks.

Besides Ahmedabad, Vodafone also associated with all the prominent garba venues in all major cities of Gujarat and engaged with its customers.

Dhol Baaje

From : The Times of India

Navratri Celebrations with a Hot Air Baloon Ride

From : The Times of India

The Navratri festive spirit was in full swing as dance enthusiasts watched a hot air balloon go up in the sky at the 'Adani Shantigram presents The Times of India Shanku's Dandiya 2012'. Almost 15000 entries were registered at the event, and the organizers were happy that for the first time ever they gave Gujaratis an opportunity to view garba from a gigantic hot air balloon — 80 feet above ground level. Manoj Chaudhary, director, Shanku's Water Park says, "For the first time, this was truly an interesting innovation for the people of Ahmedabad as they sat in the lit hot air balloon."

The idea was sponsored by Vodafone and powered by Shanku's Water Park and XPERTZ events conceptualized this event at the Karnavati club. The TOI Shanku's Dandiya had garba dancers enjoying their garba and from the response, the organizers have promised to wow the audiences again every year like this. Devang Shah, director, XPERTZ, Advertising, Events & Promotions says, "We always believe in getting innovations to our events that brings the best mileage to our sponsors. Shanku's Dandiya has a great recall value and last Sunday, our idea of hot air balloon ride mesmerized the crowds on SG Highway. And Karnavati Club became the ideal platform for this activity."

Navratri Fever Catches On

From : The Times of India

From Boardroom to Garba Classes

From : The Times of India

AHMEDABAD: Corporate house employees are on a festive high. Firms are packing off their staff to garba sessions after work hours to hone their dancing skills before the big day.

While some companies have hired choreographers for teaching basic and advanced steps to their employees, others have ensured that their staff joins classes a fortnight before the revelry begins.

For instance, Vodafone Gujarat has engaged a professional choreographer to train its employees a few steps of garba in a known environment before stepping out. "We organize garba for our customers and employees across all our branch offices in Gujarat. We engage professionals to teach garba to them during work hours," says Brajesh Bajpai, business head-Gujarat, Vodafone India.

Practice sessions and the event that follows creates an all round atmosphere of engagement. "People of Gujarat love this festival. We have many non-Gujaratis as well in our organization," says Bajpai.

Cadila Pharmaceuticals has gone a step ahead by hiring a choreographer from the Gujarati film industry to train its staff in new dance techniques. "A garba and dandiya raas competition is organized at all our branches. Employees, including senior officials, join in the celebration with their family members. Prizes are also awarded to the best dressed and the best dancers," says a company official.

Cadila also organizes a separate garba competition for the kids of its employees at the corporate campus. They are imparted dance training by veterans of previous garba events to prepare them for the contest. Though Airtel may not be sponsoring public events this Navratri, it has grand plans for its employees. Anant Arora, chief executive officer, Bharti Airtel, Gujarat, says, "Navratri is one of the key festivals of Gujarat which is celebrated with a lot of fanfare by Airtel. We have our own in-house talents who choreograph the entire show and also teach employees new garba steps. The festivities including the garba sessions are held after office hours, ensuring participation from the family members of the employee."

Depending on the training sessions, choreographers charge anything between Rs 1,000 and Rs 3,000 per session. Ankit Panchal, who has taught many managers sway to garba tunes, says, "There is a lot of interest among non-Gujaratis to learn advanced garba steps. While earlier, employees used to request for basic steps, now the trend is to learn innovative steps using props like matkas, diyas and chairs."

And the bosses are not complaining while their staff has fun at work. "It's a great concept that helps employees break away from the monotony at work and makes the atmosphere stress free. It also energizes employees and increases engagement and team work," explains Arora.