MxMIndia

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  • Activists upset with Flying Machine's new advertisement, others say it’s cool

    Activists upset with new Flying Machine ad

    By Rajiv Singh

     

    It was meant to transport the brand into the consciousness of India’s youth, but a new advertisement by Flying Machine has flown into a storm of controversy instead. A welcome controversy! One of India’s early home-grown jeans brands, Flying Machine, over the weekend, released a print advertisement that shows the picture of a female model wearing tight fit jeans around her buttocks, with the catchline in big, bold font screaming: ‘What an Ass!’ It was probably meant to highlight the oomph and cool quotient in an old brand, perhaps even mimic the edginess of the ‘All asses were not created equal’ tagline in an advertisement last year by larger rival Levi Strauss & Co. While the jury is out on whether Flying Machine’s latest campaign has found resonance with the cool set, the advertisement is generating heat in some quarters.

     

    Women rights activists are certainly not amused. “It’s outrageous and vulgar,” says women rights activist and director of Centre for Social Research Ms Ranjana Kumari. “Such sexually suggestive and titillating advertisements are responsible for creating the image of women as sex objects.” Ms Kumari plans to take up the matter with the National Commission for Women and the Ministry of Women and Child Development.

     

    However, Flying Machine, owned by Ahmedabad-based Arvind Mills, the world’s fourth-largest producer of denim and a supplier to some of the biggest brands in the planet, does not find anything vulgar in the ad. “There is a sensational headline,” says Ms Alok Dubey, chief operating officer of the youth, denim and sportswear division of Arvind Lifestyle Brands. “But if you read the headline and body copy harmoniously, there is humour.”

     

    Mr Dubey says the Flying Machine advertisement reflects a strong attitude of a mature and aware girl who “doesn’t care about those who mock her existence or physicality”.

     

    Mr Ankit Fadia, a 26-year-old who acquired fame and fortune after he published a book on ethical hacking at the age of 15, also can’t seem to understand why there is so much fuss around the advertisement. “This is modern India and women dress up the way they want to,” says Mr Fadia, adding that this advertisement is not at all vulgar when compared with the kind of advertisements aired on TV and what appears in movies.

     

    Mr Fadia is one of Flying Machine’s brand ambassadors along with cricketer Mr Virat Kohli and Bollywood star Mr Abhishek Bachchan. Some branding experts say the advertisement was designed to be controversial, with the ensuing brouhaha aimed at making it a talking point that could improve the product’s visibility.

     

    “Once a familiar brand, Flying Machine is now trying hard to get back into public consciousness,” says Mr Josy Paul, chairman and chief creative officer of ad agency BBDO India. “Sensationalism makes even a small-size ad look bigger.”

     

    Branding expert and CEO of brand consultancy firm Brand-comm, Mr Ramanujam Sridhar, says: “Young would love it, activists would hate it, but nobody can ignore it.”

     

    In Arvind’s case, given what is at stake – India’s denimwear market, according to Technopak Advisors, is expected to double to Rs 14,000 crore by 2015 from around Rs 7,000 crore last year – any controversy can only be good for business.

     

    In a nation of more than a billion people, over 70% of whom are less than 35 years old and fast westernising, branding experts say Flying Machine, whose tagline is ‘I’m Sexy When I Am Me’, knows too well it needs a new, edgy language if it has to connect effectively with this demographic.

     

    It’s not the only one using what can be considered provocative language. A host of marketers are pushing the envelope of decency with edgy advertisements these days, hoping to stand apart from other competing products and nursing hopes that some controversy can yield collateral benefits.

     

    A very fine line separates the sensational from the vulgar, and campaigns that fall in the latter category have found themselves on the wrong side of public decency – and with it, law. Recently, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting cracked the whip on some men’s deodorant commercials for being overtly sexual and against good taste and decency because they depicted women as sex-starved.

     

    Flying Machine must wish its latest ad is viewed as firmly in the first category, becoming the news while appearing between it.

     

    Source:The Economic Times

    Copyright © 2011, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved

     

  • Brands like Airtel, DoCoMo, Vodafone, Pepsi etc use 'friendship' for youth connect

    For Airtel, Docomo, Vodafone & Pepsi, har friendship zaroori hai!

    By Rajiv Singh

     

    What would you do when things get tough and you struggle to keep pace with your competition? Most people would turn to their friends. So did the country’s largest mobile operator. After reporting lower profits in the first quarter and failing to score with its recent campaigns, Airtel came out with Har ek friend zaroori hota hai ad, and won over several fans if not friends.

     

    Consider this: the ad has had 1.8 million views on YouTube, shared over 62,000 times on Facebook and mentioned in 10 lakh plus Tweets; more than 1.45 lakh users have set it as their hello tune, and some 1.17 lakh people downloaded the tune in August!

     

    “Airtel’s manifestation of connection in its latest ad is better than any other brand; it speaks the language of the youth and the entire concept of staying connected with friends has been executed well,” says Mr Abraham Koshy, professor of marketing at IIM Ahmedabad.

     

    It’s not just Airtel that has rode piggy on friendship to connect with the new-read Facebook-generation of consumers by either using it as a theme in advertising or as a business model. Its rivals Vodafone and DoCoMo, cola majors Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, internet giant Google and liquor maker United Spirits have all used friendship as a model for marketing or building brands.

     

    While the concept itself is not new, it has emerged a big trend of late, thanks to a modern lifestyle where people spend hours socializing, if not in pubs then on social media network sites such as Facebook and Twitter.  “The big difference today is the idea of ‘friends with benefits’. Friendship now is almost a currency,” says Mr Dheeraj Sinha, regional planning director of marketing communications agency Bates 141.

     

    FRIENDSHIP IS ‘TOUCHSHIP’

     

    Two-thirds of young people in India admit that their friends have more influence over their decisions than their families, according to McCann Worldgroup’s latest Truth About Youth global study released in May 2011. A recent survey by research firm Demographix and Know Your Mobile found that 93% participants offered advice and recommendations to their friends and families on mobile phones.

     

    McCann’s Truth About Youth revealed that connecting to a broader network of friends has replaced the singular need to belong to a tight-knit group of friends. Lyricist and McCann Worldgroup Executive Chairman Mr Prasoon Joshi calls it a friendship of convenience, which is less demanding, less taxing and suited to the mindset of consumers. “We are becoming a more self-indulgent society, and it’s reflected in the friendship and the friends that we have. To stay in touch has become the latest phenomenon; therefore, it’s no longer friendship but touchship,” says Mr Joshi.

     

    Clearly, friendship is no longer only about emotions; it’s also about the transaction that this relationship enables. And this shift from emotions to benefits has become a big playing ground for brands.

     

    FRIENDSHIP IS BUSINESS

     

    United Spirits’ McDowell’s No. 1 has been consistently celebrating the spirit of friendship in its ads and brand positioning over the last few decades. Whether it’s Golden McDowell Moments with friends or Dosti Ka No. 1 Spirit campaign, the brand has grown on the friendship plank to become the fastest growing Indian liquor brand in the world.

     

    “For McDowell’s No.1, friendship is the language of the consumers,” says United Spirits Senior Vice President (Marketing) Mr Mathew Xavier. “The brand has ensured integrating this language in all its consumer communication across all media.”

     

    The brand is now launching a Dosti Anthem composed by Vishal and Shekhar-the most successful friendship jodi (combination) in Bollywood music.

     

    Several brands, particularly internet companies, ride piggy on circle of friends to grow their business. “One of the best examples of using friendship as a business model is the way Google popularised Gmail, which was launched as an invitation-only service,” says Bates 141’s Mr Sinha.

     

    Firms are exploring friendship culture inhouse too, using employee referrals for hiring. An Infosys spokesperson said 57% of the country’s second largest IT company’s lateral hires in FY 2011 were through referrals. Intelenet Global Services hires over 30% of its staff via internal referrals.

     

    “While referral hiring has been in vogue for quite some time, it has become a widely accepted means to hire over the last 12-18 months,” says temporary staffing company TeamLease Co-Founder and Senior Vice President Ms Rituparna Chakravarty. This system helps them cut recruitment cost drastically and ensures a certain degree of reliability, she adds.

     

    Clearly, for India Inc and every brand chasing the new-age consumer, har ek friend zaroori hota hai.

     

    Source:The Economic Times

    Copyright © 2011, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved

  • Anil Thakraney loved the Tata Docomo ‘No Getting Away’ as it’s tongue-in-cheek, wicked communication

    Anil Thakraney’s Hard Knocks: No country for funny men

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    There are many reasons I quit the ad world a long time ago. One of them being there’s no place for irreverence in desi advertising. Not even fun irreverence. And that’s because Indians lack the ability to laugh at themselves, and take offence at the slightest mischief. We people take ourselves too damn seriously. Which is why most advertisers panic when wicked storyboards are presented to them. And this issue, for me at least, is just too depressing.

    It is in this context that I have been keeping a hawk’s eye on the new Tata Docomo campaign. I sort of knew this wickedly humorous stuff would sooner or later get into trouble. ThatIndiais not ready for it. This is the ‘No Getting Away’ campaign. There are many ads on air, but the one I found cutest is where a maid, while cleaning the living room, lucks upon a carelessly left cell phone instrument. Because no one’s watching, she grabs it and hides it inside her blouse. But the memsaab manages to nab her. Because the phone starts buzzing inside the blouse. Yup, no getting away! I loved it, because it’s tongue-in-cheek, wicked communication. Meant for a few good laughs.

    [youtube width=”300″ height=”225″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWsGT63dAUU[/youtube]And yes, the commercial is in trouble. Not only is the maids’ union up in arms, Raj Thackeray saab has got into the act. Saying this ad denigrates the Marathi manoos, since the maid looks like a typical Mumbai bai. And once Raj bhau raises his voice, the ad is as good as dead. There’s no getting away from him either!

    Now here’s the deal: I would have laughed equally hard if the maid was Bengali, Punjabi, Muslim, Tamil, Christian or Sindhi. And I would have laughed even harder if they had featured a corporate CEO stealing a phone at an airport (and some do!). Because the dirt, the bias, is in our minds. We want to laugh at others but not at ourselves. I don’t know who wrote the Docomo script, but am absolutely certain that dude or dudette was not out to trash any community. They were having fun, and will now have to face the music.

    And the pity is this: After this incident, the rest of the already worried advertisers will kiss irreverent advertising goodbye for many more years. And I suspect the alarmed Docomo guys will swiftly revert to their stupid Ranbir Kapoor talks shows. Sad.

    Anyway, I am glad I no longer play the game. I don’t do safe.

     

    [youtube width=”300″ height=”225″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbqBjnBy-1s[/youtube]PS: Watched the Listerine ad. And strangely, funny man Cyrus Sahukar acts so serious, it’s like Raj bhau sent him a hot memo too. What’s the point of casting the mad-cap Cyrus and running a clinical ad? It’s as corny as casting Narendra Modi in an ad where he talks of peace and brotherhood! (Peace, Motabhai, peace!)

  • The Prime Minister’s Office wants a check on misleading ads and a regulatory framework within a year

    Another ASCI in the making? PMO wants regulator for misleading ads

    By A Correspondent

     

    The government is working on framing rules for the advertisement industry to check misleading advertisements such as those promising strength, looks and sharper memory, following a directive from the Prime Minister’s Office.

    The PMO has directed the consumer affairs department to prepare a draft regulatory framework within a month, a government official said on condition of anonymity.

    A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting Prime Minister Mr Manmohan Singh’s principal secretary Mr T K A Nair held with top ministry officials. “The ministry will put in place this regulatory framework in a year’s time,” the person said.

    This is for the first time that the government has taken up the issue of misleading advertisements ranging from an actor jumping off a cliff unhurt after drinking a particular beverage to a soap or cream making one look younger and fairer to a drink that enhances one’s memory.

    At present, the country does not have a legal framework to protect consumers from such misleading ads.

    The industry, however, has a self-regulatory body, the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), which advertising professionals say is extremely effective.

    “We don’t know about the details of the new proposal, but the ASCI is doing a great job in any case. I’m not sure if two bodies are required to regulate advertising,” said Mr Colvyn Harris, CEO of JWT, India’s largest ad agency that manages the creatives of beverage maker PepsiCo and telecom services provider Bharti Airtel.

    ASCI Secretary General Mr Alan Collaco said, “We have a code for self-regulation for advertising and a robust consumer complaints council in place. This has been working very well for the past 26 years.”

    The council takes actions against advertisements, which are considered false, misleading, indecent, illegal, leading to unsafe practices, or unfair to competition, but it does not have any legal backing.

    The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India too is in the process of rolling out a set of guidelines defining an exhaustive code of self-regulation in all advertising of foods and beverages, to be implemented by the health ministry. It has been talking to the advertising council to work jointly on the guidelines.

    Industry insiders say that these guidelines will wipe out misleading claims in food and drink advertisement including health benefits. “Celebrities and prominent people who promote food should recognize their responsibility towards society and not promote food in such a way so as to undermine a healthy diet,” reads a clause of the proposed guidelines.

    While various jurisdictions around the world have specific guidelines and codes to dictate minimum standards for food ads, most of these codes are self-regulatory. In many world markets, companies such as Unilever, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Kellogg’s, Kraft Foods and General Mills have come together under the EU Pledge to self-regulate responsible advertising.

     

    Source:The Economic Times

    Copyright © 2011, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved

     

  • Lowe India’s chief growth officer Sabysachi Mishra is JWT’s boss for Vietnam and Indochina

    Sabyasachi Mishra appointed as JWT Vietnam CEO

    By Amit Bapna

    Indians are making their mark globally, in the advertising and marketing space. Close on the heels of Indians being appointed as CEOs by JWT Sri Lanka and Ogilvy Malaysia offices (Mr Himanshu Saxena and Mr Ananad Badami respectively) comes the news that JWT has announced the appointment of Mr Sabyasachi Mishra as CEO, JWT Vietnam and Indochina.

    The current JWT Vietnam CEO Mr Chris Von Selle, will be moving to Beirut to take on a new assignment with the agency’s Africa operations. Prior to this global role, Mr Mishra was working as the Chief Growth Officer for Lowe India where his mandate included driving the business growth for agency’s India operations.

    He has worked on brands that include Unilever, Nestlé, Coca Cola, Maruti-Suzuki, Gillette, ITC and Mercedes Benz amongst others. Interestingly he is not new to the region, and has had a stint as managing director of Lowe Vietnam in 2005. Vietnam is being seen as one of the fastest growing markets in the Asian region, and the dragon is waiting to unleash its full potential.

    Mr Michael Maedel, President and CEO of JWT Asia Pacific, agreed, adding, “We have big ambitions for our future in Vietnam and Indochina and I am confident Mishra, with his knowledge and expertise in the market, will be able to take the business through the region’s next growth phase.”

     

    Source:The Economic Times

    Copyright © 2011, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved

     

  • Mr Rajnish Sahay, Chief Executive Officer of Percept Talent Management (PTM), is moving on

    First on MxM: PTM CEO Rajnish Sahay quits

    By Tuhina Anand

    Rajnish SahayIt is learnt that Mr Rajnish Sahay, Chief Executive Officer of Percept Talent Management (PTM), has quit.

    Mr Sahay had come on board at PTM in July last year. He was responsible for three new business verticals at PTM including creating Intellectual Properties (IP’s) for talents, client servicing that involved creating a customized talent pool based and the traditional model of acquisitioning and managing talents across all genres.

    Mr Sahay has earlier worked with Globosport Digital, The Times of India, Rediff.com, Indiatimes.com, STAR TV and UTV. Although no one from Percept or PTM or Mr Sahay were available for comment, reliable sources have confirmed the development.

    Image: PTM website

  • ASCI needs more teeth to deal with cheeky campaigns like Tata Docomo�s �no getting away�

    No getting away for toings: Need for an agile, aggro ASCI

    By Amit Bapna

    Many moons ago the Tuff ad with the Milind Soman-Madhu Sapre duo wearing just a pair of shoes had made news for its overt nudity. A few years back, the infamous ‘Yeh To Bada Toing Hai’ Amul Macho ad had raised the hackles of feminist groups as they found it very sexist. And last fortnight, Tata Docomo’s campaign has angered some groups like doctors and maids as it puts them in an awkward situation. A maid is shown pinching a mobile phone, while a doctor forgets his cellphone inside a patient’s stomach after stitching up.

    In all these cases Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), was approached to play the role of the jury. As a self-regulatory voluntary organization of the Indian advertising industry, ASCI has a hugely important role to play, often with limited powers. Last year, 777 complaints had been received against 190 ads, of which 104 were upheld. Contrast that with the Advertising Standards Association (ASA),which is the UK’s independent regulator of advertising across all media, including marketing on websites. In 2009, ASA dealt with 28,929 complaints. The Indian counterpart has a long way to go.

    The Tata Docomo campaign is under review by ASCI, as of now, but as per sources, the maid ad is likely to be pulled back by the time the issue hits the stands. Though that would be more because of the marketer fearing damage to its brand and less because of the fear of the regulatory body. ASCI, typically, has to screen the complaints on any of three accounts – morality, legality or unethical business practices. As the Indian market has grown, the role of advertising as an important and legitimate means for the seller to awaken interest in his products or services has gained currency. But the debate on where one draws the line is something the industry is grappling with, more so in the developing economies like India.

    Self-regulation does work in an emerging market like India, feels Madhukar Sabnavis, country head -planning, Ogilvy India and also a member of the Consumer Complaints Council of ASCI. Remember India is an emerging market but those in the advertising and marketing industries have mindsets similar to developed markets and are conditioned and react according to those principles, he says.

     

    The Weak Arm

    While the mindsets of ad folk may be in synch with developed markets, the onus put on advertising to get the brand noticed at any cost makes the ‘means’ often desperate at times, requiring an external body like ASCI to step in to play the role of regulator. ASCI is trying to lay down sector-specific, pointed guidelines. The education sector, for instance, has witnessed significant advertising activity, and also some quick money making methods being adopted.In educational sector advertising, there is a lot of shortchange being done by some of the advertisers. Thus we have put up a clear stipulation for minimum size of supers (4 seconds) and disclaimer (11 pixel size),points out Alan Collaco, secretary general, ASCI.

     

    Opines Raghu Bhat, founder director, Scarecrow Communications;While on paper the Indian code is very detailed and well written, it needs to be implemented better.By the time, ASCI acts, the campaign could have most often run its course. Suvodeep Das, marketing head – Kaya, agrees that ASCI as a body needs to be given more power of enforcement over advertising which is offensive, imitative, or making false claims. There is no point in merely pulling back the campaign when it has already completed its full-run and achieved the target of creating buzz. Not just in conventional mediums but also virally through the digital media. An ad-campaign, which has a 4-6 week cycle, anyway has done its job by the time any action is taken.

     

    The newly appointed chairman of the Board of ASCI and director Eeenadu group, I. Venkat agrees,Most importantly, we have to get the fast-track complaints mechanism to work better to provide a speedy resolution. The decision should be taken within 7-10 days as against 4-6 weeks currently.Though, this would be for intra-industry complaints only and not for consumer complaints. In addition, he shares; the future plans include ASCI working more closely with the government, so that it can have more teeth. Currently while it is the only code accepted by the government, it does not have a legal standing of its own.

     

    Two things need to be done if ASCI has to perform it’s role better, says Salil Kapoor, COO, Dish TV; Firstly, the decisions have to be taken much faster than they are being taken currently and secondly stricter penal action against the errant advertisers. The code of conduct should take into account these points for it to be effective so that the marketer will think twice before repeating the act. The industry needs to decide how to penalise the errant advertiser. Das adds, The fear of consequences should be added in the marketer’s mind, which is not happening currently.

     

    So is the job of ASCI only to be a headmaster who would give a sharp rap on the knuckle once in a while to an errant advertiser, till the next complaint comes along or is there more to it? Creating a sense of responsibility in advertising should be the ultimate job of ASCI, says Gitanjali Sriram, founder-partner, Naked Communications who has been working closely with Subhash Kamath of BBH India to create an integrated communication plan for repositioning of ASCI under the platform of responsibility in advertising – keeping the young members of the industry in mind. If done well, it could set the tone to expose the young Turks of the nation to the nuances of the dos and don’ts early on in their careers.

     

    Sharing an interesting nugget Collaco says,When the largely state-controlled Chinese advertising industry decided to work on a code of regulation, they approached European Advertising Standards Alliance (EASA), an established player in creating the regulatory frameworks globally and were told that one of the two best codes suited for them would be the one being practiced in the Indian market. (The other being Brazil.)

     

    The clout and the muscle have to be added to make ASCI the big daddy. Clearly, the intent is there, the nuts and bolts need to be put in place.

     

     

    Source:The Economic Times

    Copyright  2011, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved

  • Ashwin Parthiban, Rajesh Bhargava join Dentsu

    By A Correspondent

    In the series of several senior-level appointments to be announced shortly, the Dentsu India Group has announced two key appointments. Mr Ashwin Parthiban joins Dentsu Communications, Bangalore as Executive Creative Director. Mr Rajesh Bhargava has been appointed as GM, Studio and Production, Dentsu Marcom.

    Based out of Bangalore, Mr Parthiban will be heading the creative team at Dentsu Communications for Bangalore and Chennai. Mr Bhargava will operate from Dentsu India Group’s Headquarters in Gurgaon, overseeing all studio and production related services for Dentsu Marcom offices in India.

    Mr Parthiban joins from JWT, Delhi where he was Vice President and Senior Creative Director – Global Team Ford. Mr Bhargava joins from Wieden + Kennedy, India where was Head – Production Services.

    Commenting on the new appointments, Mr Rohit Ohri, Executive Chairman, Dentsu India Group said, Both Ashwin and Rajesh bring rock-solid competencies on board. Ashwin straddles creative across disciplines and categories. While he aces mainline creative, he also understands both digital and direct; he can think creative across each of these distinct practices and this allows for great integration.

    Rajesh is known to be a proactive contributor to the creative process. His expertise and know-how of production technologies ensure flawless execution on the last critical mile.

    Mr Parthiban said,’Dentsu India is an awakening giant, and the most exciting place to be when one is around an awakening giant is perched on its shoulder. I’m really looking forward to playing a part in Rohit’s vision for the Group. I’m also very excited about the unique mix of automotive, technology and FMCG brands – and the opportunity to do some famous work!

    Mr Bhargava said, Dentsu, like a blue-blooded Japanese organization has a quest for quality which I, as a professional, have never compromised on. The Group now is almost like a new start-up with a strong portfolio of respected brands. In this new Dentsu’s journey, I see a great future. Having worked with Rohit earlier I am sure that Dentsu under his leadership is poised for even greater success and I look forward to be part of it.

     

  • Visual impact: Kyoorius DesignYatra 2011 draws to a close

    By A Correspondent

     

    There is design in everything. So two days for discussing design may seem like too little, but the seventh edition of Kyoorius DesignYatra packed a good deal into those 48 hours.

     

    The design, branding and visual communications conference featured workshops, sessions and an exclusive documentary screening of a short film, produced by Kyoorius and directed by award-winning web designer and documentary director Mr Hillman Curtis featuring an interview with Mr Massimo Vignelli by Ms Debbie Millman.

     

    Day One saw the conference begin with an opening by Mr Michael Johnson, founder, johnson banks. Anomaly London’s creative director Mr Nathan Cooper was next, and he spoke about the different ways in which his agency approaches the issue of compensation models.

     

    Independent publisher and design commentator Mr Adrian Shaughnessy spoke about his own personal journey from being a graphic designer to becoming an independent publisher, and explained how the internet had enabled him to bypass the traditional publishing model and turn into an independent publisher. Typeradio’s Donald and Liza explained what their radio show is all about.

     

    Ms Irma Boom showcased some of her most legendary work at the session and had the audience warming up to her passionate hour-long talk about her work and her convictions.

     

    Mr Jeroen van erp spoke about the relationship between the designer, the concept developer, the strategist and the entrepreneur and how they can impact each other’s work.

     

    Mr Sandeep Khosla and Ms Tania Singh Khosla showed how the duo collaborates as an architect-graphic designer team.

     

    Troika’s Ms Eva Rucki and Ms Connie Freyer explained the creative process behind some of their best work, which combined installations, exhibition and technology.

     

    The day ended with a screening of a special documentary Design is One- The Vignellis, featuring the life and times of Lella and Massimo Vignelli.

     

    Day two began with the Young Blood session featuring Ms Novi Rahman and Raw Color.

     

    Perfect Fools Mr Mark Chalmers’s talk was about how technology could be a great enabler for some brilliant creative ideas.

     

    This was followed by a digital panel discussion which questioned whether or not in the age of social media, there was a place for craft. The panel was moderated by Mr Max Hegerman, president, Tribal DDB India and consisted of Anomaly’s Mr Nathan Cooper and Mr Chalmers.

    Mr Peter Higgins drew from his experience of designing interactive spaces and walked the audience through his body of work.

     

    The Brand panel discussion focused on the conflict between design and branding and was chaired by Landor’s country head Ms Lulu Raghavan and the panel included Saffron Consultant’s Mr Bill Darling, Landor Dubai’s Mr Bengt Eriksson and johnson bank’s Mr Michael Johnson.

     

    Mr Hermann Vaske showcased some of his work and asked the audience to write on the sheet of paper provided to them on why they were creative.

     

    This was followed by the short film screening. Devilfish’s Mr Richard Holman followed next and spoke about the things that are important to him in his work, and the simple rules that have helped him internalize that in his work.

     

    Said Mr Rajesh Kejriwal, founder, Kyoorius, DesignYatra has served as a valuable meeting point for agencies from India and abroad in the sphere of design, branding and visual communications. It has been an opportunity to understand and learn from some of the finest minds in the field, delve into their creative process and be inspired by their work.

    Added Ms Bindu Nair Maitra, editor, Kyoorius Design magazine,This year, we embarked on a special initiative, which we plan to sustain the whole year. It’s our Tumblr blog, Road to DesignYatra, conceptualized by Dutch agency Addikt, where we plan to document all the special memories and images from previous editions of DesignYatra and build an online conversation about how the ways in which the conference has influenced professionals, students and speakers alike.

     

  • HUL, Titan Xylys, UB Group rope in Farhan Akhtar as brand ambassador

    By Meenakshi Verma

    Farhan Akhtar is the new star in the celebrity endorsement circuit, having cut five deals since the runaway success of his latest flick Zindagi Na Milegee Dobara released in July.
    The actor-director-producer has signed 4-5 deals with companies including Hindustan Unilever, United Spirits and Titan, two executives in the media planning industry said.
    Celebrity management firm Bling! Entertainment Solutions CMD Atul Kasbekar, who manages Farhan’s endorsement deals, said the actor has signed up with five brands, but refused to name them or share other details.
    Akhtar-who is nowadays fulltime engaged in editing of Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Don 2, which he is producing and directing, said he will be selective about the brands he endorses.
    “It is important to remember that I am not lending just my face to a brand, but my reputation as well,” he said. “It makes sense to endorse products that I use in my everyday life,” he said.
    Hindustan Unilever, the country’s largest advertiser and FMCG player, has signed Akhtar for its water purifier brand Pureit, the two media buyers said. Vijay Mallya’s United Spirits, the country’s largest alcohol firm, has roped in the actor-director for one of its liquor brands, while watchmaker Titan has signed Akhtar for its high-end Xylys range, the media buyers said. A Japanese healthcare brand is also in talks to make him its brand ambassador.
    Media buyers say Akhtar is charging an estimated Rs 4 crore per year and most deals are for two years. Hindustan Unilever and United Spirits did not offer any comment.
    The trigger for India Inc’s newfound interest in Akhtar is standout performance as a casual, chilled-out young poet Imran in Zindagi Na Milegee Dobara. Celebrity management firm Kwan Entertainment & Marketing Solutions COO Indranil Das Blah says that there is a renewed interest among brands for Farhan Akhtar after the success of this movie. “He is an actor, singer and director, which makes him unique but whether he can emerge as big as some of the other big actors on the brand endorsement space remains to be seen,” Blah said.
    Lyricist and McCann Worldgroup Executive Chairman Prasoon Joshi says the Indian youth will connect with Akhtar who is an unusual star.”He is intelligent, exceptional and effortless and very real unlike the usual Bollywood stars. I believe youth connects with stars who are real,” he said.
    Akhtar’s breakthrough in the endorsement world comes exactly a decade after the son of Javed Akhtar and Honey Irani stormed the film world with his directorial debut Dil Chahta Hai, a super hit that won the national award for the best feature film. “Farhan is someone who stops at nothing and appeals to the youth or anyone who is young at heart,” said Mayank Pareek, managing executive officer, marketing & sales, of Maruti Suzuki. The carmaker had signed Akhtar for its A-Star compact car.
    But Akhtar is choosy. “I will represent the philosophy of the brand to the consumer, so it is imperative for me to agree with it.” His criteria for choosing a deal include “aesthetic, social responsibility, my conscience and on a creative level, the clarity of the idea and its ability to be communicated as simply as possible”.

    Source:The Economic Times
    Copyright 2011, Bennett, Coleman & Co Ltd. All Rights Reserved

  • Everest Brand Solutions has hired Arnab Banerjee as Head of Creative, Art, for Delhi

    Banerjee scales creative heights of Everest

    By A Correspondent

    The Delhi office of Everest is set to see a creative shakeup with Mr Arnab Banerjee coming in as Head of Creative  Art. Mr Banerjee has had extensive experience of over 11 years in mainstream advertising with Ogilvy, Euro RSCG, Redifussion DY&R, Grey Worldwide, McCann Erickson and DDB Mudra, and his last stint was as a Creative Consultant with August Communications. He will be reporting to Rahul Jauhari, NCD, Everest Brand Solutions.

    Everest is the 2nd oldest agency in India, born in 1946. The agency is a creatively led, full-service agency with a reputation for delivering fresh, original thinking. Mr Banerjee will add to the agency’s team of seasoned professionals from diverse backgrounds. He has handled multi-national clients like Wrigley Orbit and Boomer, Philips, MasterCard, Hutch (now Vodafone) and national brands like Airtel, ITC, ONGC and others. His experience in handling media and publication clients includes The Statesman in Kolkata and the India Today Group in Delhi.

    A nature worshipper, Mr Banerjee is devotedly interested in photography, trekking, cycling, and also film studies, ancient civilization and graphic design. He was nominated for the BBC Photographer of the Year in 2006, the only Indian among twelve finalists. On his joining, Mr Jauhari, Arnab brings just the mix of talent, experience and enthusiasm that we seek to inject into our creative pool. His passion will be felt equally by our clients and people within the agency.

    Mr Naveen Saraswat COO, Everest Delhi said,Arnab is a great ideas person. He is passionate about doing good work and his excellent sense of design makes his creative output stand out visually. These abilities combined with his strong leadership skills will enhance the quality of the work that we do for our clients and add value to their brands.

     

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    Kyoorius DesignYatra returns to Goa

    Kyoorius DesignYatra gets underway in Goa today, with a line-up of speakers across diverse design disciplines, including corporate identity, branding, graphic design, digital strategy, installation design and architecture design. The conference is from September 8th (evening) to Septemeber 10th. The theme for this year’s conference is Next- what’s next in the field of design, branding and visual communications.

    This year’s speakers include legendary Dutch book designer Irma Boom; digital strategist and once described as the Godfather of Guerilla (Marketing)-Mark Chalmers, founder, Perfect Fools; bestselling author of How to be a graphic designer without losing your soul and independent publisher Adrian Shaughnessy; the founding trio of Eva Rucki, Conny Freyer and Sebastien Noel from UK’s leading experiential design agency Troika; Nathan Cooper, creative director at Anomaly, London; Richard Holman, founder and lead creative director at UK’s leading agency devilfish, the chatty Liza Enebis more popularly known as Loveliza to the loyal audience of 5000 listeners who tune in to her radio show Typeradio daily; Michael Johnson of johnson banks, often referred to as one of Britain’s foremost designers; noted creative mind Hermann Vaske, well- known British installation designer Peter Higgins and leading figure on the Indian architecture scene Sandeep Khosla.

    The organisers say what will make this year especially meaningful for delegates will be the screening of a special short film, directed by celebrated web designer and documentary director Hillman Curtis and produced by Kyoorius, featuring noted design commentator Debbie Millman in a conversation with the legendary Massimo Vignelli.

    In addition, the two-day conference will screen the edited version of a film on the life and times of one of the most iconic design partnerships in the history of design- Lella and Massimo Vignelli in the documentaryDesign is One- The Vignellis,directed and produced by Kathy Brew and Richard Guerra.

    Kyoorius DesignYatra, now in its sixth year, celebrates excellence in design across disciplines and has brought together speakers like Sir Martin Sorrell, Stefan Sagmeister, Tyler Brule, Paula Scher, Bruno Maag, Michael Ian Kay, Gert Dumbar, Wally Olins, Kyle Cooper and Neville Brody among others.

    Says Rajesh Kejriwal, founder, Kyoorius, DesignYatra has served as a valuable meeting point for agencies in India and abroad in the sphere of design, branding and visual communications. It has been an opportunity to understand and learn from some of the finest minds in the field, delve into their creative process and be inspired by their work.

    Adds Bindu Nair Maitra, editor, Kyoorius Design magazine, This year, we embarked on a special initiative, which is a property we plan to sustain well after DesignYatra this year is done and dusted. It’s our Tumblr blog- Road to DesignYatra, where we plan to document all the special memories and images from previous editions of DesignYatra and build a hearty online conversation about how the conference has influenced delegates and speakers alike.

    Incepted in 2006, Kyoorius DesignYatra is an annual design conference that has attracted a cumulative audience of 8500 delegates over the last five years. In 2008, a special edition of DesignYatra was held in Malaysia on the invitation of that country’s advertising association. Past speakers at previous DesignYatras have included names like Sir Martin Sorrell, Paula Scher, Tyler Brule, Wally Olins, Michael Wolff, Piyush Pandey, Ross Lovegrove, Erik Kessels, Stefan Sagmeister and Sir Rodney Fitch, to name a few.

    Kyoorius DesignYatra is one of India’s foremost platforms for the intersection of design, branding and visual communications. The conference has served as a valuable meeting point for agencies in India and abroad in the sphere of design, branding and visual communications; an opportunity to understand and learn from some of the finest minds in the field, delve into their creative process and be inspired by their work. Kyoorius DesignYatra is a must-attend event for anyone involved in brand communication.

    You can check http://www.designyatra.com for further details.