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C3CUBE initiates touch-screen kiosk entertainment revolution in India

DDS Kiosk Saket

Dilli DIl Se Kiosk, DT Place, Saket

During this IPL season, if you had walked into any of the major outlets of McDonald’s or Nirulas, the DT Mall Food Courts or any of 27 prime retail locations across the Delhi NCR region, you would have seen a crowd of young people engrossed in a futuristic, interactive touch-screen kiosk. This was the Dilli Dil Se Network, part of the Coca-Cola Dilli Dil Se marketing program celebrating the Delhi Daredevils and India’s first ever network of multimedia, broadband-enabled entertainment kiosks.

The Dilli Dil Se kiosk network was conceived and developed by acclaimed multimedia producer Raja Choudhury and his digital agency, C3CUBE Multimedia for Coca-Cola India as part of its integrated marketing program to leverage its sponsorship of the Delhi Daredevils during the DLF IPL 2009. This program also included a website, www.DilliDilSe.com, designed by C3CUBE.

Traditionally, touch-screen kiosks are visible in banks, at airports, stations, museums aimed at facilitating customer transactions, information or ticketing. This is the first time a kiosk network has been created solely for the purpose of promoting a sporting event and providing entertainment in a safe, fun-filled environment. And the formula worked! During the DLF IPL 2009, over 20,000 enthusiastic users between the ages of 13 and 30 logged on to the Dilli Dil Se kiosk network to cheer and celebrate the Delhi Daredevils steady climb to the top of the league table, and into the semi-finals.

DDS kiosk home page

The cutting-edge kiosk network integrated a large 19 inch letterbox touch-screen interface and a 32 inch LCD TV and provided dynamic content such as a promotion, games, a private social network, video mail, SMS tweets, a juke box, Bluetooth 2.0 downloads, videos, ads, team player game cards, 3D virtual tours and much more.

“This is a first-of-its-kind entertainment kiosk network” says Raja Choudhury, who has been building award-winning kiosks, websites, videos and TV programs in the US, UK and Indian markets since 1993. “We believe such a network that integrates Web 2.0, flash games, a social network, Bluetooth, video mail, SMS and music over a 2 Mbps broadband connection, has not been deployed so far. Coca-Cola India believed in our vision and we were able to make this possible during the IPL.”

C3CUBE and Coca-Cola India were able to attract some key partners to this pioneering experiment during the DLF IPL event including McDonald’s, Nirulas, DLF DT Malls, Kwality Group, Pind Baluchis, Zenga Mobile Apps, Waves, INOX cinemas, Vikings Game Zone and Airtel Broadband.

DT Mega Mall Gurgaon

Dilli Dil Se Kiosk, DT Mega Mall Gurgaon

Mansoor Siddiqi, Director – Integrated Marketing Communications at Coca-Cola India said that “The Dilli Dil Se kiosk network was a fresh initiative in the marketing of a brand asset. It enabled local Delhi Daredevils fans to cheer their team on, in an involving and fun manner, and achieved engagement metrics beyond our expectations.”

C3CUBE Multimedia is a two-year old agency with offices in New Delhi and New York that has already notched up major interactive successes including 2 Webby Honoree Awards in 2008 for OurWeddingDay.com and CBCWorldwide.com as well as numerous awards for JadeNYC.com and the documentary film “Spirituality in the Modern World.” The company now plans to launch a series of public multimedia projects in the Indian market, including a new tourism, information and entertainment kiosk network for Delhi called the Delhi I-Zone in time for the Commonwealth Games in 2010.

For further information contact Kritika Singh at Kritika@c3cube.com or call +91 989984749.

DilliDilSe.com brings a fresh take on the success of the Delhi Daredevils.

DilliDilSe.com Home Page design - moveable ajax tiles provide interactive intro to exciting site

DilliDilSe.com Home Page design - moveable ajax tiles provide interactive intro to exciting site

New Delhi, 22 May 2009 – As the Delhi Daredevils make their way into the semi-finals, one website is proving a big hit with fans as it celebrates the victories in a novel and unique way. Developed by New Delhi and New York creative hotshop, C3CUBE Multimedia for Coca-Cola India, www.DilliDilSe.com takes Daredevils fans into an alternate universe with a fun game called “Get Gauti to the Match”, a multimedia team section with shareable and collectible virtual fan cards, a complete social club with friends, forums, crazy videos, a slogan contest, a 3D guide to the Ferozeshah Kotla stadium, Delhi events from Buzzintown, live scores, music, prizes and much more.

DilliDilSe.com is Coca-Cola India’s first entry in the Web 2.0 world of rich online media and social networking as part of its sponsorship and promotion of the Delhi Daredevils team during DLF IPL2 in South Africa. It partnered with Webby award-winning creative agency, C3CUBE Multimedia to design and deploy both the website and a network of 27 multimedia touch-screen kiosks at prime customer outlets such as McDonald’s, Nirula’s, DT Malls and other locations across Delhi NCR.

DilliDilSe.com takes a very different route from the regular fan community and team sites during IPL 2. The site integrates bright and cheerful design elements, cutting edge Ajax technologies, rich media flash content in the forms of games, tours and fan cards and the best of Web 2.0 technologies including a social club with friends, videos, photos, slogans, forums and short messages. Fans can interact with Gauti, Veeru, Amit, as well as each other in new and unusual ways within a safe, fun-filled environment.

In describing the vision for the site Mansoor Siddiqi, Director of Integrated Marketing at Coca-Cola India said that “we felt the Delhi Daredevils fans needed something in addition to the regular channels of communication, to share their passion for the team during the DLF-IPL season in a dynamic and interactive environment…and DilliDilSe.com is our way to help them cheer the team on.”

Raja Choudhury, Managing Director of C3CUBE Multimedia said “the partnership with Coca-Cola pushes the boundaries of what is possible in sports promotion in terms of online presence, and we are excited to see the success of DilliDilSe.com as the Delhi Daredevils shoot to the top of the league table.”

For further information contact Kritika Singh at Kritika@c3cube.com or call +91 9899847497

And the Oscar goes to….NOT INDIA

“Slumdog” was truly the star of the Oscars, sweeping 8 awards, Slum Dog Millionaire rewrote history for the Indian film industry – Not! Indian film industry! Slumdog, Danny Boyle, Oscars. What does it all fix, how does it all fit, What Indian film industry?

It is time we Indians woke up and realized how the world around us is cashing on Incredible India. While we sit, wait and watch, the world applauding the story of ghettos to glory.

After the super success of Slum Dog Millionaire it makes me wonder why we Indians never took note of the thousand gritty looking Jamal’s running around our streets, peering into our vehicles. Never thought that any such child had an untold story behind them, and a lesson to be learnt from their story. It took a Danny Boyle to tell a story of a simple slum boy roughing it out in the big bad world.

Not only Slum dog. Take for example the original novel which captured the true soul and spirit of Mumbai in its writings. A novel of love lost, battle, rage, humanity, and compromise, all of Mumbai’s characteristics wrapped into the one and only Shantaram. Once again from a population of 1 billion Indians, it was a David Mcgregory who got to tell the story of one of India’s most populous, hardworking, soulful and dynamic cities through teh script of Slum Dog.

The list does not end there. I have more.  The most accurate and gripping biographies of our legendary and colonial rulers being retold by none other than William Dalrymple and Sarah Mcdonald who tells the story of India’s over powering religious beliefs in her book, Holy Cow.

This list extends to lifestyle as well. Today the US has 15 million people practising yoga daily. While we Indians have discarded it as an ancient science left only to the mercy of the Ramdev followers.

We boast endlessly about our rich culture, heritage and ever encompassing traditions. Yet we miss out on the simplest stories, the transparent truth and the known facts.

Are we immune to sights of children begging, is it not important to tell the truth to the world even though it may be horrible and heart wrenching.  Has the time not come when we look beyond aping the west in terms of lifestyle and trends and inculcate their concept of respect for new ideas, creativity and original thoughts?

Is it not time we live up to the name of our blog and truly be “The Creative Indian”.

Creative Financing – the secret to getting the Gov to back your business plan

Every SME is looking for unsecured funding to help seed, restructure or grow their business – especially in a tight economy like today. One of the true unsung heroes of the American dream story for entrepreneurs before this current recession was the role that the Small Business Administration (SBA) played in helping small businesses get funding to grow their businesses. Microsoft, HP and Nike were all early beneficiaries of SBA loans and look where they wound up. This US Federal Government Agency underwrites a loan though a bank so that 85% of the risk is covered. This allows businesses with little or no collateral and assets to secure sizable unsecured loans from a participating bank that under normal circumstances would immediately say no. The good news is that India has its own SBA – its called the CGTMSE – and for some bizarre reason it is one of the best kept secrets around.

Welcome to the Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises. Small Indian businesses with feasible business plans but little collateral can get up to Rs 50 Lacs in funding without any security and with the government underwriting 75% of the risk. You will hardly find a bank promoting this actively as the scheme requires time and effort and the bank makes less money on the transaction. But entrepreneurs should know about it as the cost is cheaper and the risk is less. For a one-time fee of 2%, businesses can secure up to Rs 50 lacs with no collateral and no large deposits.

So what do you do now – well first find a partner bank – see the list and all related information at the CGTMSE Web Site or call 022-2564 1803/4/5 – and then go see them, discuss the scheme and push them to process the application. You never know….

Being Creative: Or how to ride out the global recession

Unless you have been hiding under a rock, you would not have failed to notice that the global economy has gone into a spiral with the collapse of major financial institutions in the US, painfully high oil prices and unstable global markets all leading to a worldwide economic recession. The Indian economy too has not been spared for, yes, we do live in a “flat world” where everything is interconnected. We can expect a reduction of growth to under 7%, a dramatic drop in US and European IT imports and outsourcing, a very high interest rate, increased middle class unemployment and a drop in consumer confidence. But is it all doom and gloom or can an SME ride it out and still survive?

While most small businesses will be tempted to button down, cut costs and visit the local astrologer, it may be worth seeing this period as an opportunity instead. Here are a few ideas of how you can thrive in this slump:

Improve your relationship with your existing customers – CRM is one of the subtle  arts that always gets neglected but is never more important than in a downturn. Invest carefully in ideas and systems that will help you keep your customer base connected and reassured. Look at tools like SugarCRM, Saleforce.com and HighRise and see how you can keep your customers near.

Outsourcing from larger players
– as the big boys slash jobs and cut costs an opportunity is created for an SME to offer efficient lower cost services for outsourcing from back office to software development and creative services.

Finding new sales channels – while one market tumbles, many more do open up. After the Iraq war started, many Indian companies found work in large subcontracts in the Middle East and elsewhere supplying US and allied troops. While the US may slow down, Europe is still buying and so are Russia and China. Also remember, that in this recession the number of government, infrastructure, and institutional and foundational contracts available for bidding will increase considerably and so a slight repositioning may open new doors.

Improving your branding – use this time to clean up your brand and position it better in the marketplace. Add substance to your website, start a newsletter, launch a Blog, attend conferences and get out there. Now is the time to build more relationships in preparation for the inevitable upturn.

Getting lean and efficient – yes getting lean is very important now but not just by cutting costs or shedding deadwood. One should consider mapping all processes and embracing workflow efficiencies like Lean Six Sigma. Look at every single one of your processes and see how you can improve efficiency, cut out fat and improve performance.

Recruiting real talent – fortunately for you there is going to be an increase in talent available in the market through layoffs and that too at a lower price. Now is a good time to find that MBA or Six Sigma Black Belt you always wanted to hire.

Never stop learning – use this time to catch up on all your knowledge. Get your staff trained in new tools, software applications, process management systems and communications methodologies. There are tons of short courses available across the country to help you improve your own knowledgebase and capabilities.

Here’s wishing you a safe voyage as we ride the waves of this recession.

Forecasting the World in 2019

A new online multi-player game has been launched by the Future Institute in Menlo Park (Silicon Valley) called SuperStruct:

….the world’s first massively multiplayer forecasting game. By playing the game, you’ll help us chronicle the world of 2019–and imagine how we might solve the problems we’ll face. Because this is about more than just envisioning the future. It’s about making the future, inventing new ways to organize the human race and augment our collective human potential.

By getting involved in a massive social networking experiment through blogs, forums, videos, wikis and other Web 2.0 tools, the games aims to get you involved in the chronicling and shaping of the world of 2019.  game starts with a doomsday premise:

The Global Extinction Awareness System, a supercomputer that accurately predicted the extinction of red squirrels several years ago, has run the numbers for our own species through the computer, and our odds of survival aren’t good. According to GEAS, Homo sapiens may go extinct by the year 2042.

According to Discover magazine this isn’t just a chance for gamers to flirt with the dark edge of disaster; they’ll also be participating in a cutting-edge experiment that tries to harness the wisdom of crowds for a higher purpose. Superstruct is what the Future institute calls the world’s first “massively multiplayer forecasting game.” The Institute for the Future doesn’t like to put it this way, but it’s essentially trying to use crowdsourcing to predict the future….visit SuperStruct.

Live Edge: Win $100,000 and save the world…

If you are a designer, inventor or environmental genius and have never heard about the “Live Edge” award then it may just change your life. This competiion offers an award of $100,000 and “to enter, your design must be original and innovative, use electric and/or electronic components, and positively impact the environment, such as by increasing energy efficiency or reducing carbon emissions.” The submission for this year’s awards start on 1 October – to find out more visit Live Edge.

Brewster Kahle: A digital library, free to the world

Brewster Kahle: A digital library, free to the world

This great video from TED shows Brewster Kahle, inventor and librarian, talking about his universal free library for everything ever written, filmed or recorded….yes, utopian open ideas can still exist in today’s consumerist word – thank god!

Mythology is Big Business in India

Sony Playstation plans to launch a Hanuman game for PS2, Ramayana on NDTV Imagine propels the network to top 3 status, Star Plus is about to launch a hip and cool version of Mahabharata and now Bollywood is about to embark on its first Mega 250cr Epic. Following in the footsteps of Lord of the Rings, Chronicles of Narnia and Harry Potter, the Indan Film industry – not to be outdone of course – is about to produce its first “Mega” mythological epic – and you should have guessed it – its going to be the Ramayana! The film, scheduled for release in 2010, is being produced by UK NRI Group Pyramid Saimira Group and directed by our very own Raj Kumar Santoshi (Halla Bol, Khakee and Bhagat Singh.) Good news is that lots of new jobs coming up for CGI experts, fashion and set designers, actors, musicians, extras and marketing types. More details here.

Kundalini Awakening Animation Video