MxMIndia

Author: mxmadmin

  • To lead Investment Management, Media Trading and Content

    Dentsu appoints Saagar Sethi to lead Amplifi

    By Our Staff

     

    Saagar Sethi
    Saagar Sethi

    Dentsu India has announced the appointment of Saagar Sethi the President of its supply side management platform, Amplifi. In his new role, Sethi will lead the network’s Investment Management, Media Trading (Media Owner Services and Principal Buying) and Content (Original Partnerships & Entertainment) businesses in India. He will also have responsibility for helping drive the continued growth of The Story Lab and Posterscope, two specialist agency units within Dentsu which focus on entertainment production and Out of Home (OOH) capabilities, respectively. Sethi will report into Divya Karani, Media CEO, Dentsu – South Asia and work closely with the global Amplifi leadership.

     

    Divya Karani
    Divya Karani

    Commenting on the appointment, Karani said: “We are excited to have Saagar join our management team as we consolidate and prepare for the next stage of growth. In today’s increasingly complex media market, the experience he brings to the table will help us increase our client delivery skills in India.”

     

    Added Sethi:  “I have always been passionate about media. The timing of this opportunity could not have been better. This role complements my transformation experience and passion. I am committed to creating synergies and incremental value for all our clients, stakeholders, and partners, underpinned by the need of driving compliance and transparency. Truly, it is an exciting time to be at Dentsu India.”

     

  • Celebrates the Gen Z smart way of life

    Boat sails with new campaign

    By Our Staff

     

    Delhi-based consumer electronics lifestyle brand Boat, known for products such as earphones, headphones and smart watches,  has rolled out a new campaign promoting its Alexa built-in smartwatch, Boat Xtend, that shines the spotlight on GenZ. Titled #MoreInEveryday, the campaign brings out the various intelligent features of the watch-from setting reminders to counting calories.

     

    Speaking about the campaign, Siya Wadhawan, Brand Manager, Boat, said: “We get this generation. We know what makes them tick. The Xtend watch with Alexa Built-in has been designed to fit perfectly into their lifestyle, and we’re pretty sure that the campaign will resonate with them and make voice-enabled smart wearables mainstream.”

     

    Added Sonia Khurana, Chief Operating Officer from Digitas: #MoreInEveryday was a reminder for every GenZ, every hustler, and every doer, of all the things they can achieve with an Alexa on their wrists. It was a treat to partner with Boat to create yet another exciting campaign.

     

    Said Teena Sidana, Head of Alexa skills and voice services, Amazon India: “Customers in India interact with Alexa millions of times every day to ask for information, start their workout and manage their day with reminders, to-do lists, alarms and more. With the Boat Xtend smartwatch customers can interact with Alexa on the go, wherever they are, and continue to make the most of their day. We are sure this campaign will resonate with Gen Z and they will be able to see a little bit of themselves in the videos.”

     

    Note: The Boat brandname is written as boAt

     

  • Introduce half a million mobile gamers to web3

    Infinite Arcade and YGG Sea join forces

    By Our Staff

     

    Infinite Arcade, the blockchain platform built to launch the mobile games industry into the metaverse, and YGG SEA, the Southeast Asia subDAO of the web3 gaming community, Yield Guild Games, have announced a strategic partnership that aims to introduce half a million people in Southeast Asia to web3 gaming over the next year.

     

    Şekip Can Gökalp
    Şekip Can Gökalp

    Said Şekip Can Gökalp, Founding Contributor, Infinite Arcade:  “Everyone at Infinite Arcade is delighted to be working with YGG SEA. We’re really excited to partner and bring web3 to the masses through fun and easy mobile games. It’s amazing to find someone that is as bullish as we are in this space and we look forward to pioneering with them.”

     

    Dan Wang
    Dan Wang

    Added Dan Wang, Chief Gaming Officer, YGG SEA: “We believe this partnership will help us drive impressive growth and hit some key goals in our investment strategy. Infinite Arcade is launching more and more mobile games on their blockchain platform and we believe that scale and variety will lead to sustainable growth and engagement among our gaming community.”

     

    The partnership, notes a communique, will begin with 4,000 members of the YGG SEA community playing games in the Infinite Arcade. There are currently more than 20 games available, with hundreds more in the pipeline.

     

  • To make menstrual hygiene a priority for women

    Paree partners with Dr Kiran Bedi

    By Our Staff

     

    To mark this year’s Menstrual Hygiene Day on May 28, Paree Sanitary Pads, of Soothe Healthcare, has joined hands with India Vision Foundation, an NGO founded by Dr Kiran Bedi in an effort to make a positive impact by raising menstrual hygiene awareness.

     

    Said Sahil Dharia, Founder & CEO, Soothe Healthcare: “As a proud, young Indian brand we want to positively impact the lives of women be it through our products or our initiatives. We are thankful to India Vision Foundation, who works diligently for women reforms at grass root levels, for helping us take the message of Menstrual Health to female prison inmates.”

     

     

  • The company will be completing a decade in India

    OMD’s Annalect India rejigs top deck

    By Our Staff

     

    Annalect India, an Omnicom group company, has announced the elevation of its executive leadership team in India. Effective immediately, Vishal Srivatsava, former President, Annalect India, will be taking up the role of Chief Executive Officer. Meanwhile, Kiran Guruswami will take charge as Chief Operating Officer, Kaushik Srinivasan will take charge as the Chief Client Officer, Devya Patney will take charge as the Chief People and Culture Officer.

     

    In addition, Annalect India is launching three key organisations to drive growth and efficiency in the business outcomes and promoting leaders to take the charge of each.

     

    The company will be completing their 10-year milestone journey in India this August as Omnicom’s delivery and capability centre. Annalect India currently has four Centres of Excellence in Gurugram, Bengaluru, Chennai, and Hyderabad, with a strength of over 1200+ employees in the field of Tech, Creative Services, Marketing Science, Media and Global Shared Services.

     

    Speaking on the occasion, Steve Tobengauz, Chief Financial Officer & Chief Operating Officer, Annalect Group, said: “We will be celebrating our 10-year anniversary, this August. So far this year, we have witnessed immense growth in talent, and support from Omnicom Group partners. We are confident of our strategy given the solid results and are going to double this year and expected to quadruple in next few years.”

     

    Added Srivastava: ” I take immense pride and satisfaction in leading such an amazing group of talent at Annalect India. As I take on the role of CEO, I also believe it takes a team to get the job done and support from everyone as we work towards it. I am privileged and thankful to be surrounded by great leaders in this organization. We are excited about the great future of our organization and the business value it delivers to Omnicom agencies and their clients.”

     

  • Since our favourite team didn't make it to the play-offs, our passions didn't run very high on who should win. So we asked Dr Bhaskar Das for his response to the final of last evening for the May 30 edition of Das ka Dum. Read on…

    Das ka Dum with Dr Bhaskar Das | Your takeaway from the IPL final? And the winner GT’s road to the Cup? Also, runner-up RR’s journey… so near but yet so far?

    Bhaskar DasSince our favourite team didn’t make it to the play-offs, our passions didn’t run very high on who should win. So we asked Dr Bhaskar Das for his response to the final of last evening for the May 30 edition of Das ka Dum. Read on…

     

    If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar.

     

    Q. Your takeaway from the IPL final? And the winner GT’s road to the Cup? Also, runner-up RR’s journey… so near but yet so far?

     

    A. Both the IPL teams deserved to be in the final, as they performed at their best which demonstrated their strategic agility, grit and commitment to the game. But at the end of it, there has to be only one winner who could, on the day of reckoning, rise to the occasion and put up a performance that made them excel at the final race. For RR it was a great journey: from the bottom of the table in most of the past sessions to reach a final needs stamina and motivation. So kudos to get a place on the podium.

     

    GT deserves kudos as, in its inaugural appearance, it has demonstrated that it will be a force to reckon with in future IPLs too (provided complacency doesn’t take over). The reason of GT’s  excellence could be a typical case study in management skills: the team played with such commitment as it never appeared that this IPL season is its  first one. Hats off to the team management and the players.

     

    A team is a constellation of aspirations where a distributed aggression gets precedence over a fixated strategic formula. Distributed aggression subsumes a strategic direction of course. And don’t forget that rejection (eg Hardik Pandya  needn’t always depress people. For some it can reignite a spark).

     

    Learnings:

    1. Management by objective,

    2. Victory loves preparation,

    3. Stay in the present as how a team plays on the critical day is what matters,

    4. Great leaders must have the agility/ adroitness to navigate any twist and turn of the operating environment (read pitch or googly)

    and

    5. playing as one TEAM by combining everyone’s strength can always win the day. Star players needn’t make a difference if the team is convinced of a shared destiny.

     

    And as they say: “Everyone has the fire, but the champions know when to ignite the spark.”

  • The film is conceptualised with Ogilvy

    Titan Raga onboards Alia Bhatt for campaign

    By Our Staff

     

    Titan Raga premium watches onboards Alia Bhatt as its brand ambassador  for its new TVC campaign. The film is conceptualised with Ogilvy.

     

    Commenting on the announcement, Sirish Chandrashekar, Marketing Head, Titan said: “We are delighted to have Alia Bhatt on board as Titan Raga’s brand ambassador. Titan Raga symbolises expressiveness. Be it through product design or through advertising, the brand always expresses a definitive point of view that resonates with the contemporary young woman. Alia, being bold and expressive herself, is an ideal choice to amplify the brand’s narrative.”

     

    Added  Puneet Kapoor, Chief Creative Officer, Ogilvy South: “It is true that you don’t just match brands to your body, but to your personality and to your soul. There’s always something about a great brand that goes beyond the beautiful design and functionality and connects deeper within. Titan Raga’s tone and manner has been one such stellar voice that’s always been beautifully bold, unabashed and authentic in expression. This story is an attempt to capture that spirit with our ever-changing, ever-evolving social scenario.”

     

  • As Head of Content and Digital Media

    Snehil Dixit Mehra joins ALTBalaji

    By Our Staff

     

    Snehil Dixit Mehra joins ALT Digital Media Entertainment Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Balaji Telefilms Ltd, as Head of Content and Digital Media. Earlier Mehra worked with Sanjay Leela Bhansali as Associate Director.

     

    In her new role, Mehra will be leading the content and programming division for ALTBalaji and will be responsible for managing the upcoming original content line-up and the platform’s creative strategy.

     

    Talking about joining the team, Mahra said: “This is my second innings at ALTBalaji, a homecoming for me, however with a larger mandate now. I am looking forward to planning a roadmap for further accelerated growth of ALTBalaji as a leading digital content hub.”

     

  •  To create diverse and new age films for theatrical releases

    Fox Star Studios renamed Star Studios

    By Our Staff

     

    Fox Star Studios, the movie studio known for titles such as MS Dhoni – The Untold Story, Sanju, Neerja, Chhichhore and many more, has announced it has rebranded to Star Studios, introducing a new visual identity. With this brand refresh, Star Studios will present universal story themes with iconic characters and new-age cinematic spectacles backed by cutting-edge technology, for theatrical releases as well as direct-to-digital

     

    Said Bikram Duggal, Head of Studios, Disney Star: “With Star Studios, we aim to harbour the best creative minds and bring unique stories to audiences with an expanding entertainment palate. We are creating a diverse range of stories across genres from grand visual spectacles to family dramas and everything in between. We are delighted to create a collaborative studio environment at Star Studios, that helps create cinematic experiences across theatrical and direct-to-digital films. We have already announced a few of these films, and in weeks and months we will be announcing many more films.”

     

  • A good many of them are old repeats, some from the time when the IPL was abandoned in April, and the new ones are mostly tepid, writes Vikas Mehta

    Vikas Mehta on AdsonIPL21: Soft drinks category ads disappoint during IPL

    Vikas MehtaBy Vikas Mehta

     

    As the IPL reaches the play off stage, the excitement has mounted about the final qualifiers and who will be the Top 2 teams as they get two shots at the final. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about the ads on display during the IPL broadcast.

     

    A good many of them are old repeats, some from the time when the IPL was abandoned in April, and the new ones are mostly tepid. Safe, using celebrities, repetitive, cliched. In a world where we are inundated with breaking news, competitive attitude, new product concepts, innovative use of technology, advertising is still stuck in the mire of preachy messages which fail to communicate. Just talk down to.

     

    Take the example of the soft drinks category. Three brands which have in the past done some remarkable work, have showcased new campaigns during the IPL which are a pale shadow of themselves. Sprite specially was a disappointment. Looked like a Friday dressing ad by Allen Solly. A Friday drink? Thums Up has continued with its toofan wahi jo sab palat de thought, using Bumrah. But the execution is so predictable and tepid. For me though, the biggest disappointment was Coke. At a time when Coca-Cola globally has released an interesting “we are one coke away from each other” campaign based on gaming with a metaphor for world peace, the Coke India ad “Khud ko jaga, ek thandaa laga” was a literal interpretation of overcoming sloth. It seems to be regressive given the  classic tea brand “Jaago Re” campaign done almost a decade ago.

     

    Whitehat Jr definitely is trying to establish some credibility by using Sonam Wangchuk. But for me it’s the credibility of Wangchuk that has taken a hit. An education reformer, endorsing six-year-olds to enrol for extra coaching? Doesn’t sound right. But the surprise was the book a free music class ad with Lucky Ali. Is Whitehat Junior getting out of its coding niche? And using Lucky Ali seems to be continuing with the Cred tradition of using “forgotten stars”.

     

    From a pure marketing communication viewpoint, I did find the Oven Story ads intriguing. After a long time, someone is trying something new in the Pizza category. Less crust and more toppings claim was a good beginning but being able to order half pizzas is interesting. One may say that small pizzas are always an option but Oven Story which has been around for sometime, has definitely gained visibility with Semizza.

     

    In the past I always admired the Amazon Great Indian Sale ads for they used interesting Indian insights. My favourite being the “free dhaniya” one. But now not only are they eminently forgettable but also invisible. What a let down! In contrast, the Flipkart Big Billion day ads featuring Amitabh, Virat etc with the “poora India karega flip” thought has at least a semblance of an idea.

     

    It’s not just the quality of thinking and storytelling which is a let down during the IPL but even the quality of execution which is quite disastrous. My daughter pointed out that in one of the Homelane ads featuring Dhoni, one can see the head of someone standing behind the TV and also  hands at the bottom, one throwing objects for the protagonist to catch (purpotedly being thrown by Dhoni from the screen)!!!

     

    Let’s just hope that the last week of IPL produces not just exciting cricket but equally interesting ads. After all the shraddh period ended yesterday and consumer buying festival season is now officially on.

     

  • There is no escape from celebrities in the various ads on IPL coverage on telly, writes Vikas Mehta

    Vikas Mehta | #AdsOnIPL: Why to make a song and dance about it?

    Vikas MehtaBy Vikas Mehta

     

    As a kid when radio was the primary source of entertainment, news and advertisements, ads would resort to jingles to be memorable. Memorable was the keyword but there was another reason for the same. In a short jingle one could mention two-three brand benefits, sometimes more. Take Nirma for example. It was doodh ki safedi, rangeen kapda, sabki pasand, dher saari jhaag, Or Vicco Turmeric and many more. Of course there were some memorable ads that had singular refrain, Vicks; gale mein khich khich or Lifebuoy hai jahan tandoorasti hai wahan.

     

    With the advent of TV, the songs were accentuated with dances. The Zupee ad exemplifies this. An old song tune which resonates to Zupee has been remixed and there is a whole lot of song and dance added to it. Thankfully choreographed and executed by professional dancers.

     

    Thankful because, with the advent of film and sports celebrities we started having a cocktail; song, dance and celebrity. IPL of course started a new trend wherein sponsor brands could use many team players. Kingfisher was the pioneer of this strategy with the Ooh la la la leo campaign featuring three-four main players from almost all teams singing and dancing to the Kingfisher jingle, rather awkwardly. And then Jio took over doing exactly the same with dhan dhana dhan campaign. It does lead to some hilarious moments with sports celebrities trying their best to emote and show off their two left foot.

     

    So, I was very thankful when Meesho, having sponsored four IPL teams did not go the song and dance route. They have still used the top three-four players who are trying their best to act and say “arre wah”. And the benefit is also straightforward and simple. Unseen variety, unheard prices. I am not a big fan of using celebrities or song and dance as to me it is a reflection of lazy strategy, indeed, no strategy at all. But Meesho has done a better job than the above mentioned brands.

     

    Talking of song, Tata Neu sticks on to its lure of Neu pass coins or rewards. With a song. Of course the song very cleverly showcases the mindboggling range that the Neu app offers. From a lotta to a latte to a shoe to an air ticket to a laptop and so on. But the product, the App, still leaves me in tangles.

     

    I had spoken about Swiggy Instamart recently, lauding their quick delivery premise without getting into specifics of 10 minutes or 19 minutes, but still owning quick delivery. Dunzo has taken the route of freshness to highlight quick delivery. The execution though was not at all convincing. After all a fridge is used to do much more than just keep groceries fresh. And then it could also not escape the lure of mentioning 19 minutes. If you have it flaunt it.

     

    There is also no escape from celebrities. Just when one thought that all sports celebrities have been exhausted in the use of fantasy games brands, the quintessential Shah Rukh Khan pops up. This time for a game site called A23. This ad though is quite a change and relief from other celebrity ads. Some iconic dialogues of Mr Khan’s movies are used to illustrate that one can meet and play with many interesting people. A debateable, or at least a thought provoking angle, especially when online games are seen to make people more anti social and introvert.

     

    Talking about Mr Khan, did you see his Byju’s ad which focusses on doubt clearing? We were till now focussing on the pressure on students to deliver. But now the pressure shifts onto the Byju’s teachers. Looks like they have to be on call all the time to clear the student’s doubt. Phew! Never thought I will see the day when teachers will be available on demand too. We do live in interesting times.

     

  • Dhoni is here, there and everywhere on the IPL coverage on television, writes Vikas Mehta in his weekly review on ads around IPL 2021

    Vikas Mehta | AdsonIPL21: AI, PJ, Dhoni & an underwear brand

    Vikas MehtaBy Vikas Mehta

     

    For a few seconds I wondered if I was watching the Dhoni You Tube channel. The break between overs had a Dhoni Dream 11 ad, followed by Dhoni Yippee noodles followed by Dhoni Homelane ad. I don’t think it was a coincidence as I remember seeing such Dhoni breaks at least twice this week. And at the last count, Dhoni in IPL was endorsing CSK, Yippee, Homelane, Dream 11, Mutual Funds sahi hai, Indigo Paints amongst others with some having multiple executions. For me, with the exception of Dream 11, rest were Dhoni ads rather than a specific brand ad. I am still trying to figure out the Homelane ads. Maybe they are being different for the sake of being different.  But Dhoni surely is raking it in. Maybe with the other cricketers caught in various bubbles, and Dhoni having retired from all cricket except IPL, most advertisers are flocking to Dhoni.

     

    And then I wonder why advertisers use Ranveer Singh. Most of his ads are Ranveer Singh ads. His persona with his dress sense and hairdo is not just stand out but makes it very difficult for any brand to come out of the shadows of Ranveer. A classic case in example is the ColgateMax fresh ad. The presence of Ranvir, doing what he does best, dressing outlandishly and doing some energetic dance moves, totally dominates the brand. And I am not talking about any other brand but Brand Colgate. To me, it was all about dentist endorsement, parents worrying about child’s dental health and dollops of cavity fighter science thrown in. That was till Ranveer stepped into this sterile world.

     

    The question to be asked also is the case of brand personality. What is Colgate’s personality? If it was a person, who would it be? Ranveer or a serious dentist who knows his science? Contrast the MaxFresh ad with the Colgate smile campaign. Are the two the same personality? Is the personal relationship between the two ads and the consumer, same? Indeed, are the target segments for MaxFresh, Cavity Fighter & Smile the same? Will the real Mr Colgate stand up?

     

    Last week, I had spoken about the shraadh effect on ads. This time, I think the Dassera effect is on. What else explains the various paints ads? At last count, there were ads for JSW Paints, Asian Paints, Indigo Paints, Berger Paints. Painting is very symbolic to the cleaning we do at homes during Dassera and Diwali. But the surfeit of paint ads were all very average. No one stood out. None was having any connect.

     

    There is no doubt that automobiles category is one of the most difficult to communicate with differentiation. MG Hector since it’s launch has been trying to appropriate technological features to build a consumer connect. And I had thought I had seen it all. But to use AI to crack a PJ to make the girlfriend (or was it the wife) smile, was something I never expected. But then we do live in unpredictable times. For me, it outdid even the Macho sports underwear ad. Now you see the link. That says it all for me this week.