MxMIndia

Category: Ad Agencies

  • She will report to Amit Wadhwa, President, Dentsu Impact

    Dentsu Impact ropes in Megha Jain Sadhwani as VP

    By A Correspondent

     

    Dentsu Impact has strengthened its account management team by roping in Megha Jain Sadhwani as Vice President. She will report to Amit Wadhwa, President, Dentsu Impact.

     

    This is Sadhwani’s second innings at Dentsu Impact. She worked with the agency for four years before moving to Australia last year. Prior to joining Dentsu Impact, she worked with Saatchi & Saatchi in Sydney, where she was responsible for the Mondelez business – Cadbury chocolates, The Natural Confectionery Company and Sour Patch Kids.

     

    Commenting on her new role, Sadhwani said, “Coming back to Dentsu is like coming back to family for me. The agency houses some of the best minds in the industry and working with such people is always exciting and inspiring. Adding to that is the fact that this is probably the most forward thinking agency in the industry right now, one that has evolved its brand solutions for clients in the most innovative and integrated manner. I’m really looking forward to be part of this evolution and also applying my learnings from the Australian market here.”

     

    Talking about the new addition to the team, Amit Wadhwa, President, Dentsu Impact said, “Megha is valuable asset wherever she works. What sets her apart is her passion towards brand building and people. With Dentsu Impact growing at a rapid pace we certainly need the right people around to ensure we don’t loose momentum and that’s why the moment she decided to come back to India, getting her back in the team was an easy decision.”

     

  • He will be based out of the Mumbai office of the agency

    Rohit Malkani joins Law & Kenneth Saatchi & Saatchi as ECD

    By A Correspondent

     

    Rohit Malkani has joined Law & Kenneth Saatchi & Saatchi from Minority Brand Creation and Management. He has over 22 years of experience across agencies like Rediffusion DY&R, JWT, Grey Worldwide, Planetasia.com, Publicis Ambience Advertising, Bates 141, Publicis Singapore & Minority Brand Creation and Management. He will be based out of the Mumbai office of the agency.

     

    He has worked on brands like Kingfisher, Van Heusen, Unilever, Sony Music, P&G, Reliance Telecom, Killer Jeans, Parle, Virgin Mobile, ICICI Bank, Citibank, Legrand, Siemens amongst others

     

    Said Anil S Nair – CEO & Managing Partner, Law & Kenneth Saatchi & Saatchi on the appointment: “Rohit is a fantastic addition to our creative leadership team. His expertise and energy will be a great asset for Law & Kenneth Saatchi & Saatchi clients.”

     

    On joining Law & Kenneth Saatchi & Saatchi, Malkani said: “These are exciting times at Law & Kenneth Saatchi & Saatchi. The agency is at yet another inflection point with an agenda that promises one heck of a ride. We have brands that would make any agency envious, a team that is hungry, a vision that is inspiring and audacious and the ammunition to fire us into the next level. To me it was an irresistible offer and I can’t wait to bring my brand of infectious energy to the organization.”

     

  • Ignition is promising a new realm to creative integrated marketing campaigns for brands in India

    Jaideep Singh appointed Chairman of Ignition’s APAC and Middle East Board

    By A Correspondent

     

    Ignition creative announced the development of its Asia Pacific operations, launching first in India and led by the newly appointed Chairman of Ignition’s APAC and Middle East Board, Jaideep Singh.

     

    Ignition creates culturally relevant entertainment, offering: strategy, print, audiovisual, digital, social, motion design, music, post-production, sound, computer generated (CG) visual effects and physical production, notes a communiqué. Clients include: 20th Century Fox, Sony Pictures, TNT, Universal Pictures, Warner Bros., Amazon, A&E, AT&T | U-verse, Cirque du Soleil, HBO, Paramount Pictures, Netflix, Nike, Mattel, Yahoo and many more.

     

    Entertainment marketing professional Jaideep Singh has been appointed the Chairman of Ignition’s APAC and Middle East Board. Singh will develop, launch and guide Ignition’s expansion in to the APAC and Middle Eastern markets opening its first office in Mumbai, followed by branches opening in Delhi and Bengaluru.

     

    “We have experienced rapid growth thanks to Ignition’s proprietary creative process, Ignite360, which led us to become recognised globally for our ability to help clients unleash new revenue streams while also meeting their marketing needs. As we’ve gained organic momentum, we have seized the opportunity to expand our international footprint, bringing the agency’s diverse talent-pool and full-service offering to more markets,” said Martin Kistler, founder, CEO and Chief Creative Officer of Ignition Creative.

     

    “We feel fortunate to have found a perfect partner in Jaideep Singh whose relevant experience of India and solid understanding of global media industries will help us grow our international operations. His extensive knowledge of international partnerships and expertise in cultural and social trends make him an invaluable addition to Ignition’s leadership team,” added Kistler.

     

  • The account will be handled by the agency's Bengaluru office

    Dentsu Webchutney bags digital mandate for Swiggy

    By A Correspondent

     

    Dentsu Aegis Network’s digital agency, Dentsu Webchutney, has won the social and digital marketing mandate for food ordering and delivery start-up – Swiggy, following a multi-agency pitch. The account will be handled by the agency’s Bengaluru office.

     

    Said Srivats TS, Vice President – Marketing, Swiggy: “By bridging the gap between restaurants and consumers, it’s our mission to completely change the way India orders and eats food. We’ve always put consumers first, bringing benefits such as fast deliveries, innovative product features like live tracking of your order and ordering without a minimum price cap. Now, with Dentsu Webchutney on board, we aim to move the graph forward on the brand side by communicating our proposition strongly to our consumers.”

     

    Commenting on the news, Gautam Reghunath, Senior Vice President and Branch Head, DenstuWebchutney – Bangalore, says, “Here’s a great home-grown product competing in an exciting category and a team with an ambitious vision for it. Swiggy is ubiquitous in our everyday life, almost a habit to us. We’re thrilled at the opportunity to create some truly memorable work for them and help establish Swiggy as a passion brand across India. Both sets of teams have discovered great synergies over the last few weeks and now we go forward together – full steam. 2017 looks exciting already.”

     

  • Madison which had successfully steered BJP's media spends for the 2014 general elections has bagged the mandate for the forthcoming UP, Punjab and Goa polls

    Madison to handle BJP’s poll spends in UP, Punjab & Goa

    By A Correspondent

     

    According to information we have received and as confirmed via Twitter by Chairman Sam Balsara, Madison Media has been mandated to handle the media planning and buying activity of the Bharatiya Janata Party for the Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Goa elections that are scheduled for early 2017.

     

    The value of the account is said to be in the region of Rs 150-200 crore, though the number could see up to a 25 per cent increase or decrease in the last few weeks of the campaign.

     

  • Dentsu One captains Harjot Singh Narang will lead the office as General Manager, Anand Murty will be Head of Strategy as Titus Upputuruwill be Head of Creative

    Taproot sets up office in Gurgaon with Dentsu One as a division

    By A Correspondent

     

    Taproot Dentsu may have always had prized clients in New Delhi NCR ever since it was set up in 2009, but now it has formally commenced operations in Gurgaon.It’s the new year, and a big year for the Dentsu Aegis Network in the country. So Dentsu One (earlier Dentsu Marcom) has now been turned into the Delhi office of Taproot, though officially it will be a division of Taproot Dentsu.

     

    Harjot Singh Narang will lead the office as General Manager, Anand Murty is Head of Strategy and Titus Upputuru will be Head of Creative. Talking about this development, Agnello Dias, Chairman and Chief Creative Officer, Taproot Dentsu said: “We are excited with this development. Delhi NCR is a high growth market and we are looking forward to working with a host of interesting new clients and brands. Almost since inception, we have been working with some very important and iconic brands in this market like Airtel, Times of India, Marico and more recently with Dulux and Coca Cola India.  So we have been more than familiar with this geography. By opening up a strong new front here, we are building further on that experience and strength.”

     

    Added Santosh Padhi, Chief Creative Officer, Taproot Dentsu: “Working with a new bunch of energetic and talented people will only add strength and lustre to our capabilities and bandwidth. Beyond television, Taproot has strengths in design and digital too. We are looking to build on those fronts too. This is an important market and we are most happy to be here,” said Umesh Shrikhande, Chief Executive Officer, Taproot Dentsu: “In the ideas business, it takes a lot of doing to replicate a creative culture. So to build on our collaborative work ethic, the Gurgaon office will work closely with the Mumbai office. Aggi, Paddy and I will remain involved in a hands-on manner. We will do what it takes to add sparkle to the brands entrusted to us.”

     

    And this is what Narang had to say in a communique: “We are all set to roll with a talented team of more than 50 people and a clutch of strong clients like Airtel B2B, AkzoNobel and Coca Cola India among others. We are looking forward to building on this foundation.”

     

    According to information we have received, Messrs Narang, Murty and Upputuru will continue to hold their old charge at Dentsu One. It is not a merger, we were told, though if all goes well,  the two entities could well be one.

     

  • Munro replaces Nathan Cook, the former Maxus APAC Head of Trading

    Maxus APAC appoints Anita Munro as Head of Trading

     

     

    Maxus Asia-Pacific has appointed Anita Munro as Maxus Asia Pacific Head of Trading. Munro replaces Nathan Cook, the former Maxus APAC Head of Trading who moves to Australia as GroupM Deputy Trading Director.

     

    Munro has an excellent track record in Maxus over last three years and has been working with Nathan Cook and eaMunro replaces Nathan Cook, the former Maxus APAC Head of Tradingrlier with Simon Porter, overseeing the investment and negotiations for key accounts including Loreal, Huawei, Jetstar, Unicharm and working closely with countries to drive trading practice to deliver client KPIs at a local level.

     

    Munro has 15 years of experience across both Australia and APAC, based out of Hong Kong for the last five years. Her career has focussed on trading and tactical planning across all key industry segments. She has also gained strong experience in planning and team leadership, and multiple facets of the digital landscape giving her a unique versatility in the role.

     

    In the new role, she will be working closely with Nick Binns, CIO GroupM APAC and will lead the trading and investment product for clients across the APAC market, supported by Scotty Ho (Associate Trading Director), bringing the best in class capability of GroupM trading to Maxus’ client base.

    Said Binns: “Anita joined the regional trading team over five years ago and immediately took to the then position naturally; injecting immense passion, dedication and energy into the role and local trading teams. Anita’s style being consistently to get the job done, whilst delivering unprecedented media value and new thinking to advertisers, and at the same time being a pleasure to work with. I very much will continue to enjoy working with Anita in this new role, and I know she will succeed and deliver winning results for Maxus and their clients.”

    Added Maxus APAC CEO Ajit Varghese: “Anita has been a great asset to the Maxus regional team already since few years and giving her the opportunity to lead the practice for entire APAC is a natural and well deserved promotion. She is a great leader of people and teams, goes beyond just looking at buying as a silo and integrates the knowledge of planning, buying, data, content and digital and that’s gives her the extra edge to lead client conversations and KPI. Am sure she will be taking it a notch higher for the clients in the new role and help Maxus grow the business further.”

     

  • Lowe Lintas Delhi won the agency mandate for all consumer brands under Cargill Foods India

    Cargill Foods appoints Lowe Lintas as creative agency

    By A Correspondent

     

    Leading FMCG company Cargill Foods India has appointed Lowe Lintas for the creative duties for consumer brands – from edible oils to atta.

     

    The pitch was announced for Cargill Foods India’s brands, such as the Leonardo range of Olive Oils, Nature Fresh range of edible oils, Nature Fresh Sampoorna Chakki Atta, Sweekar Refined Sunflower Oil, Gemini Refined Cooking Oil, Sunflower Vanaspati and Rath Vanaspati. Out of the 11 agencies, Lowe Lintas is said to have brought it alive in the form of creative advertising ideas and communication with a 360 degree integrated approach.

     

    On this new journey, Neelima Burra, Chief Marketing Officer at Cargill Foods said, “Edible Oil is a highly fragmented and regionalised market. Cargill India follows multi brand approach and micro-marketing strategy to win in market place. Looking at the business dynamics, in last two years we have rejigged our portfolio and brand positioning. We thank our earlier agencies Leo Burnett and FCB Ulka, who helped us to re-position and re-launch our brands. I really appreciate their efforts in helping us evolve our campaigns and make them noticeable. We are extremely choosy of our approach to businesses and marketing. While our products and brands are doing well in top league, we believe customized campaign approach is pivotal for success in Edible Oil Market. The brief we shared and the ideas proposed by Lowe Lintas were in complete sync with the ethos of the brands which were pitched for.  We are excited on this association to lead all our brands to a leadership position in consumer’s hearts and minds“.

     

    Said Naveen Gaur, President, Lowe Lintas, Delhi: “We are truly excited about our partnership with Cargill. At Lowe, we have a tradition of building brands which not only enjoy mass support but also become a part of everyday conversation. And that’s exactly been the crux of our conversations with Cargill. Looking forward to create some great pieces of work!”

     

     

  • Launches first phase of the campaign to highlight the sentiments behind food ordering

    Motivator launches digital campaign for Mangaaoo in Mumbai

    By A Correspondent

     

    GroupM media agency Motivator has launched the first phase of the ‘Mangaaoo Dil Se’ digital campaign for food-tech startup Mangaaoo. The ‘campaign is aimed towards highlighting the sentiments behind food, and how Mangaaoo understands them better than anybody else.

     

    Commenting on the success of the campaign’s first phase,Akash Shetty, CEO A D Founder of Mangaaoo, said: “It is exciting to see that our brand is getting quick recognition in an extremely cluttered digital space, and we would like to thank the entire Motivator team for a splendid first phase. The idea ‘Dil Se’ crafted by our Brand Mentor &Strategic Advisor MrParag More highlighted the real sentiment behind food as an experience was an interesting take, and it instantly struck the right chord with the target group.”

     

    Speaking about the campaign Parag More, Brand Mentor and Strategic Advisor of Mangaaoo said, “The Idea is to create Mangaaoo Dil Se a food anthem of India”. The objective to shed light on the most important aspect about the food experience has been brought out effectively by Motivator through their innovative campaign. The idea has been received well by our consumers. We couldn’t have asked for a better start, and we look forward to a much bigger response to our second phase.”

     

    Commenting on the success of the first phase of the campaign, Trishul Bhumkar, General Manager, Motivator West said, “In continuation of our approach to work with entrepreneurs in nascent stages, we have partnered with Mangaaoo.Mangaaoo solves a unique problem for food lovers and that fuels the traction. Being a new brand in the food tech was not an impediment but a fresh offering. Backed with close collaboration with our specialist performance and technology units the current initiative has already surpassed the success measures. We intend to deploy deeperconsumer insights married with data & technology in the 2nd stage of the campaign.”

     

  • Famous activist Harrish Iyer is the first gueston the show

    Indus Vox Media celebrates journey of the LGBT community in new series

    By A Correspondent

     

    Digital audio content creator Indus Vox Media has launched a new show titled ‘Keeping it Queer’ to celebrate the life and journeys of the Indian LGBTQ community. They have invited Harrish Iyer, known for being a strong spokesperson for LGBTQ rights and child abuse survivors in India, as the first guest.

     

    Hosted by comedian Navin Noronha, this show welcomes members of the LGBTQ community who are out and proud. Guests on the show discuss everything from their first love, the quirks of their sexuality to the prejudice they face and how their lives evolved as queer individuals, in the context of India’s misplaced morality and the constitutional battle against Section 377.

     

    Some of the other guests include gay rights advocate Vivek Patil, bi-sexual activist Sonal Giani, filmmaker Sridhar Rangayan and transgender rights activist Urmi Jadhav among many others.

  • MÃ¥nsTesch comes on board in the newly created role of Chief Strategy Officer for Grey Group Asia Pacific

    Grey Group strengthens its Singapore and APAC leadership teams with new hires

    By A Correspondent

     

    Grey Group has unveiled a set of triple hires in a move to bolster its leadership core in Asia, with a special focus on Grey Group Singapore. The trio will play an instrumental role in deepening Grey Group Singapore’s creative offerings and creative processes, as well as drive the ongoing digital transformation of the company, across the region. The senior appointments demonstrate Grey’s commitment to design a path for repositioning and expanding its services, in order to focus on growth as well as meet clients’ needs.

     

    MånsTesch comes on board in the newly created role of Chief Strategy Officer for Grey Group Asia Pacific in order to lead the strategy teams and set the strategic direction across the region and to oversee Grey’s continued immersion into the areas of innovation, mobile and social.

     

    MarthinusStrydom has been appointed to the role of Global Creative Leader, Team GSK, Grey Group Singapore.  He will work closely with Ali Shabaz (Chief Creative Officer, Grey Group, South East Asia) to set the overall creative direction for Grey’s GSK operations. In line with the agency’s reputation for creative excellence, he will be responsible for fostering an even-deeper culture of creativity and accelerate Team GSK’s digital transformation. Over the span of his much-lauded career, Marthinus’ work has been recognized at the D&AD, Webby, Cannes, One Show, Effies, and has been featured on the Gunn Report and other prominent industry publications.

     

    The two appointments follow that of key senior hire, Neil Cotton, who has joined in the dual role ofGlobal Strategy Director for GSK and Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) for Grey Group Singapore.His career has seen him collaborate with many exciting brands such as Coca Cola, Johnson & Johnson, Heineken, Audi, IBM, and Nokia, amongst others.

     

    On the hiring for Grey Group Singapore, Nirvik Singh, Chairman & CEO, Grey Group Asia Pacific, Middle East, & Africa said: “In order to enhance Grey’s core leadership team, we continue to hire world-class talents in Neil Cotton and MarthinusStrydom. They have deep knowledge and proven track records in their specific areas of expertise and their roles are directed towards delivering our very best for our clients.”

     

  • We are now living in the customer-driven economy, notes the report

    Retailers achieve steady growth despite challenges: Deloitte

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Top 250 global retailers generated aggregated revenues of US$4.31 trillion in fiscal year 2015, representing composite growth of 5.2 percent, according to the Global Powers of Retailing 2017: The art and science of customers global report from Deloitte.

    “Slow economic growth in major developed economies, high levels of debt in emerging countries, deflation or low inflation in rich countries and a protectionist backlash against globalization were among dynamics which contributed to a challenging economic environment for retailers,” explained Dr Ira Kalish, Deloitte Global Chief Economist. “And yet people still need to shop, so the industry carries on. In some places and with some cohorts of shoppers, the outlook for retailers is favorable.”

    Commenting on the India market, a Deloitte India spokesperson mentioned that “Despite policy hurdles and other operational challenges, Global retailers consider India as one of their key markets and want to grow as India grows. While growth has surpassed most of other Global markets, India’s Retail market is young and promising.”

    The rapid shift to e-commerce is quite literally transforming the retail landscape in India. With ecommerceforming an integral part of the overall growth of retail sales, retailers are rationalising their physical footprint and intensifying their e-commerce presence. “Use of technology and social media is going to be one of the critical factors among the retailers operating in a young, vast and fragmented market like India,” Deloitte India spokesperson said

     

    Global Powers of Retailing Top 250

    For the third year in a row, revenue growth for the Top 250 apparel and accessories retailers outperformed other product sectors. Historically, this category of retailers has also been the most profitable, and fiscal year 2015 was no exception. However, retailers of fast-moving consumer goods¹ (FMCG) are, by far, the largest companies (average retail revenue of nearly US$21.6 billion) as well as the most numerous (133 retailers accounting for just over half of all Top 250 companies and two-thirds of Top 250 revenue).

    The level of retail globalisation appears to be at the same level as the previous year. Two-thirds of Top 250 retailers operated outside their home country borders and on average, they had retail operations in more than 10 countries and derived nearly one-quarter of their composite retail revenue from foreign operations.

     

    The art and science of customers

    Global Powers of Retailing 2017 also discusses the art and science of customer engagement to help retailers design fresh experiences, enabled by the right technology, and strengthen customer loyalty. What was once considered futuristic is now table stakes. Retail innovators know technology is no longer supplemental to the shopping experience, it is fundamental. Technology alone, however, is not enough. Customers are seeking new and surprising products and experiences.

     

    The five trends identified in the report are:

     

    • Less is more. Customers are defining themselves less by how many things they own and more by how curated their lives are in terms of possessions and experiences.
    • “Following” economy. Customers are seeking experiences and products that reflect the personal brand they promote on social media.
    • “Retailisation” of the world. The maker movement, the sharing economy, and other factors have made it increasingly difficult to define what a retailer is and does – non-traditional retailers are developing new business models to serve customer needs, such as subscription services and flash-sales.
    • On-demand shopping and fulfillment. Relevancy will be determined by the ability of retailers to meet the on-demand mindset of the modern customer.
    • Exponential living. Exponential technologies, like artificial intelligence, robotics and virtual reality are changing how we live and how we will shop.

     

    “Over the last 20 years we have seen a seismic shift in retail and the customers that retailers serve” says Vicky Eng, Consumer Business Retail Sector leader, Deloitte Global. “We are living in an era where customers are in the driver’s seat more than ever before and they are craving authenticity, newness, convenience, and creativity. We are living in the customer-driven economy.”