MxMIndia

Category: Ad Agencies

  • Divya Gupta talks about the road ahead for the media industry.

    Change is the biggest challenge, says Divya Gupta (now @ Dentsu Media)

    By Tuhina Anand

     

    Divya Gupta, who has joined Chief Executive Officer, Dentsu Media is back in the media agency side of the business after a gap of almost seven years. She has been away from the agency set up but not really away from the industry as she was gaining experience being on the other side of the fence. First with Reliance ADA Group as Media Advisor to the Chairman’s Office providing strategic advisory on media investments for the group; later at Hindustan Times Media as Business Head – West with the mandate of building the business. Just before joining Dentsu India, Ms Gupta was an independent consultant advising and consulting marketers, media agencies and owners in the media business.

     

    In seven years, a lot has changed in the media landscape and MxM India deicided to catch up with Ms Gupta and find out what changes in the industry she can outline. She puts it concisely, that the changing environment presents both challenges and opportunities for the industry.

     

    Ms Gupta says, “First, I think the changing environment allows for having meaningful dialogues with consumers, almost on a one-on-one basis. Media today allows us to actively engage, build and nurture rich relationships with our consumers. And both the message and the medium can be tailored and served to each consumer.” For example she cites that the advertisements that are served to the consumers while accessing mail, search, etc, is basis their past interests and behaviour. Hence, the targeting goes beyond the demographics and makes a marketer’s and media professional’s job much more exciting.

     

    “Second would be about harnessing collective media synergies, seamlessly, in real time. Media roles are changing and no single medium, even TV, will be self-contained. The opportunity lies in media blending; combining and harnessing each medium in a digital chemistry that delivers across all, paid, owned and earned media,” continued Ms Gupta. “Centered on the brand engagement idea, the focus will be to get better “earned” dividends and the ultimate goal being allowing our consumers themselves to carry forth our crusade.”

     

    Also she emphasized that today’s landscape allows for realtime, instantaneous consumer feedback. If on the right track, one can march forward or do some quick course correction if need. No more waiting for months to understand the impact of advertising that used to happen some two decades ago, as now the response is instant.

     

    “Lastly, it is about tightening ROI from computing mere eyeballs to an engagement metric. Reach that is layered with engagement, in both planning and pricing, is a step forward in computing actual ROI. Today, computing eyeballs alone is sub-optimal. Think about it, how often do we check our mobiles while supposedly viewing TV? Dual screens are here to stay. Or how often do we read and register (keep click aside for the time being) all advertisements that get served to us on a search page?” said Ms Gupta.
    Concluding she said, “To encapsulate, it is exciting times, with media posing huge challenges and opportunities in building engaging consumer connections, experiences and nurturing relationships.”

     

    Talking about her task at Dentsu Media, she shared that it is to first stabilize and deliver to their current clients and then harness their global experience, to the way they work and their suite of media tools to deliver an integrated, multi disciplinary, channel solutions to their clients.

  • The advantages of thinking outside the media box.

    The Anchor: Lara Balsara’s 5 reasons media agencies should attract talent from outside

    By Lara Balsara

     

    #1 Thinking beyond numbers and objectivity. A typical media planner tends to think very objectively and tends to opt for plans and media that are supported by numbers and makes only data-based decisions. Whilst this is a basic necessity, you have to use your imagination based on quality of content, its appeal to different target audiences, etc for your plan to be a holistic media plan that is based on rigour and discipline but does not lose out on the soft factors. If you look only at hard numbers, most media plans would look exactly the same and that would not serve the brand’s purpose.

     

    #2 To come up with innovative and comprehensive solutions. Media in India has now been a specialist discipline for over 15 years and therefore there is a certain sameness in thinking that has come about among professionals. To counter this, you need people who are better with lateral thinking capabilities as they would balance a plan supported only with numbers. When you have a diverse talent pool working together, each individual brings in their own unique perspective and their area of expertise; as a result you come up with a brilliant strategy, idea and execution. At Madison Media, we have experts in analytics, account planning, creative and content integrated in the core media plan and we have seen this diversity work magically for our clients.

     

    #3 Scope of media is very broad. Today anything and everything is a communication medium, and the biggest challenge for media agencies is to come up with new and interesting ways to reach out and engage with audiences. Increasingly with so much noise in the marketplace, there is a need not just to expose your target audience to the message, but to affect them in a deep and engaging manner. If you look at media awards, which are a barometer of good media thinking, you will see some outstanding examples.

     

    #4 There isn’t enough talent available. It’s a simple issue of demand versus supply. Media professionals are in huge demand and there is a huge shortage of good talent available. Media agencies have no option but to look outside.

     

    #5 Media professionals rock. Having said all the above, you can’t underestimate the skill sets of media professionals; they are the most equipped to handle almost any job in communications, but the same can’t always be said of other communications professionals’ ability to handle a core media planning job.

     

    Lara Balsara is Director, Madison World.

  • On the occasion of Big Bazaar's 10th anniversary, Mudra has created a new campaign where Big Bazaar claims to be 'Naye India Ka Bazaar'.

    10 years of ‘Naye India Ka Bazaar’

    Since heralding the birth of modern retail in India in 2001, Big Bazaar has adapted to varying consumption needs over the past decade. It has not only catered to the Indian consumer’s inherent search for value, but also attuned itself to his emerging aspirations. Big Bazaar’s offerings were amongst the first to address these dual needs.

     

    On the occasion of Big Bazaar’s 10th anniversary, the challenge was twofold. They had to narrate the brand journey and also recast Big Bazaar’s promise – “Iss se sasta or accha kahin nahin” with a new and relevant meaning. They  needed to craft a promise which would mark Big Bazaar’s commitment to continual evolution.

     

    India of today was different from that of 10 years ago, and so was Big Bazaar. There was an existing symbiotic relationship between the two, which became the inspiration for the new tagline and logo.The promise of continuously evolving and keeping pace with the consumers was captured through the new logo and tagline – “Naye India Ka Bazaar”. The word “Naya” connoted an embrace of modernity while “Bazaar” re-instated the brands belief in rootedness and Indian values

     

    The journey of Big Bazaar would then be captured in the same way.

     

    The reason is simple; they are changing with their consumers. And in this journey of 10 years they accept the mistakes of the past, because Big Bazaar believes, ‘only when we accept and acknowledge our mistakes’ can real improvement occur.

     

    They have expressed their willingness to evolve through one simple word – “sorry”. A bold stance for any advertiser. And they express our gratitude towards our consumers by saying – “Shukriya” – Thank You.

     

    Credits:

    Mudra India (West)

    Office Head: Arijit Ray

    CCO: Bobby Pawar

    Creative Copy: Anil Bhardwaj

    Creative Art: Vinayak Nayak, Ninad Gharat

    Films: Vishal Sane, Mahen Solanki

    Production House: Red Carpet Entertainment

    Director: Rajkumar Gupta

  • The much-awaited Effie Awards will recognize the best and most effective advertising of the year

    It’s the Effies tonight

    By Tuhina Anand

     

    The stage is set for Effie Awards 2011 which will be held at Race Course, Mahalaxmi in Mumbai, tonight. The awards are much respected and coveted as they recognize effective advertising – ie, an award for advertising that has worked in the market. The client of the year and agency of the year are the Effies most watched for.

     

    The Effies 2011 were different even in judging as there were four sessions altogether, three in round one including one in Delhi which was for the first time and then round two. It is learnt that there were 60 judges in round one and 20 in round two and out of this number 75 per cent comprised the clients’ side who were involved in judging. The plan is now to take Effies case studies, a popular segment, toDelhinext year.

     

    Ajay Kakar, Chairman Effie 2011 Committee and CMO – Financial Services, Aditya Birla Group, on what the fraternity should expect from the Effies tonight, said, “The judges have cast their votes. When 60 luminaries from the advertising and marketing fraternities put their collective minds together to evaluate the work that has worked in the market place, you can expect nothing short of the ‘best among the best’ to gain its rightful recognition.”

     

    Work that has rightfully left its mark in the sands of 2010-11 will be unveiled at the gala awards night.

     

    “Effie 2011 has a host of records/firsts, to its credit be it the number of entries received (300), the number of judges (60), the number of clients in the jury, the judging in Delhi and the number of agencies (20) that contributed to the short listed entries. I am sure we can expect a few more pleasant surprises at the awards night,” concluded Mr Kakar.

     

    Also read:

    All set for Effies on Dec 14

    http://www.mxmindia.com/2011/11/edging-towards-effies/

  • Anil Nair on 6 things to keep in mind when hiring at mid-level in an advertising agency

    The Anchor: 6 things to remember when hiring mid-levels in an agency

    By Anil Nair

     

    I believe that these qualities are required at any level in our profession. While at senior level one would look at few more qualities and at junior there would be some less expectation, but largely these qualities are what I look for in an advertising professional.

     

    #1 Imagination: There has to be an ability to look beyond the obvious. Imagination is not just required for creatives but it’s a requirement for the industry. Our job poses challenges every day and if one is content to follow the prescribed method then there can be no growth. One has to have a rich and interesting imagination to build compelling communication.

     

    #2 Hunger: It is not just hunger to scale to the next level in the hierarchy. There has to be hunger for knowledge, insight and for better work. When a person believes that his appetite is satiated, that’s practically the end of his career. There has to be hunger to take things to the next level in all aspects of life.

     

    #3 Perspective: This is a rare quality among many people today. There is a tendency to follow things as they are given. Being perceptive helps in thinking beyond the obvious which is a requirement for everyone, be it creative, servicing or planning. This will be an important tool to help in growing the business.

     

    #4 Clarity: Whatever the point of view, if one has coherence in thought it will take a mid-level person to greater strengths. They are involved in building a communication platform for the client and there is a need to have logic and clarity in thinking to help the clients do better.

     

    #5 Emotional stability: By this I mean there has to be strength of character and ability to handle situation under duress. There is pressure from the person you report to, people whom you look up to and people who report in to you. I have seen many people crack under pressure and many times good talent become an emotional wreck. Again this is a rare quality and difficult to find in today’s times.

     

    #6 Anticipation skill: In this profession, if you do things now it will only lead to crushing you. You need to keep an eye on the ‘next’ and this can be developed by way of knowledge and interactivity with the industry. This is a complex world with cut-throat competition and the need is for the ability to anticipate and be prepared to face it.

     

    Anil Nair is the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Partner of Law & Kenneth.

  • It's the oft-asked question, whose answer is obvious, as creative and marketing honchos tell us

    What’s more important? Creativity or Effectiveness? Or both?

     

    By Shubhangi Mehta

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”250″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6dEI6D_rcI[/youtube]

    Regardless of how ‘simple’ the end product may seem, creating advertisements for a brand has never been child’s play. It’s a task which only a creative mind can understand. And the complexities have grown over the years. When we spoke about campaigns 20 years ago, expectations were not as high as they are today.

     

    Today, it is the age of numerous and congregating media. While advertisers have many opportunities to reach to their desired audiences, the muddle can cause them to lose out. A beautifully executed campaign may not make its audience reach for their wallets, while an average one, creatively speaking, may end up garnering better results.

     

    What is the most important element, then, for the campaign of today? Is it creativity? Or effectiveness? Or a magic mix of both?

     

    MxMIndia posed the question to practitioners – people who create the campaign and people for whom the campaign is created.

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”250″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odmcmnWjK10&feature=fvst[/youtube]

    Abhijit Avasthi, NCD, Ogilvy&Mather, said, “We only believe in creating effective communication. According to me people who separate the two cannot be called creative. If we look at the past 3-4 years’ trend, most of the campaigns that win at the Abbys are the ones winning at the Effies as well. A brand communication is complete only when it is an effective creative.”

     

    According to Ajay Kakar, Chief Marketing Officer, Aditya Birla Group – Financial Services, “What is the use of a knife that does not cut, or a gun that cannot fire? Similarly there is no use for a creative which isn’t effective. Such a creative work is only meant for Jehangir Art Gallery and not product promotion. According to me each and every creative needs to be effective and only then does it fulfil its very purpose”.

     

    The IPA/Gunn Report published in June 2011 examines the link between creativity and effectiveness. The original 2010 report had analyzed 257 campaigns over a period of ten years (1998-2008). The 2011 version of the report has been expanded to examine 435 campaigns over 16 years, from 1994 to 2010. The main aim of the report was to examine both effectiveness (a campaign’s ability to drive business like sales, profit and loyalty) and its efficiency for campaigns that have been awarded for their creativity and those that have not been.

     

    Some of the findings of the report include: creatively-awarded campaigns were seven times more efficient than non-awarded ones; between 2003 and 2010 creatively-awarded campaigns were 12 times more efficient; there is a pronounced time trend – creatively awarded campaigns are becoming more efficient over time, while non-awarded campaigns are becoming less so; the much greater ‘buzz’ effects of creatively-awarded campaigns appears to be why they are becoming more effective: in the multichannel world creativity is becoming more closely associated with buzz, leaving non-awarded campaigns struggling.

     

    Agnello Dias of Taproot said, “It is effectiveness that plays a key role. If the effectiveness is backed by a great creative it’s icing on the cake but if a particular campaign is effective for a brand then even mediocre creative can be accepted”.

     

    KV (Pops) Sridhar, NCD, Leo Burnett India, said, “One cannot really separate creativity and effectiveness in a brand communication. Both of them are two sides of the same coin. If one of these two elements is missing then it does not fulfil the purpose of an advertisement for a brand. There has to be an insight, entertainment, cut-through idea and it must break barriers. Hence it is impossible to choose between creativity and effectiveness. A creative is created for effectiveness of the brand.”

     

    Abraham Alapatt, Head – Brand & Corporate Communication at Future Generali India, said, “Neither the client nor the ad agency, have the luxury any longer, to choose one over the other. Given the growing media clutter, it is now more critical than ever to be creative and different to stand out and get noticed by customer prospects. I qualify ‘creative’ by using a phrase used by the Effie organizers – creative ‘work that works’ for real customers, in the marketplace. So put differently, both clients who are facing increasing competition, media clutter and tight budgets and agencies that are operating with these client constraints are now being called on to deliver marketing communication (which I don’t call advertising) that actively amplifies, complements and makes a tangible difference to the client’s pre-determined marketing efforts”.

     

    The debate may well rage on, but the market reality is that effective communication is the child of a creative mind. Both creativity and effectiveness are, thus, essential when creating communication for a brand.

  • Palasa, the creative workshop has added two new accounts to its kitty, Housefull and Rawwar

    Palasa obtains the creative mandates for Housefull and Rawwar

    By Shubhangi Mehta

     

    Palasa is on a roll, having bagged two businesses back to back, one for a low-cost furniture brand called Housefull and the other for a young fashion brand to be launched in February, named Rawwar. Palasa is a creative workshop formed by Sandeep Bomble, better known as ‘Bomble’ in the advertising circuit.

     

    The account size for both the businesses is estimated around Rs 20 crore. Palasa won the Housefull account by just recommending a communication strategy and a defined path to make Housefull a reliable furniture brand in the industry. For Rawwar the communication strategy gives a lift to the catalogue advertisement. They are also designing the T-shirts and the exclusive retail outlets for the brand.

     

    On the win, Sandeep Bomble, Director, Palasa, said, “Palasa as a creative place is different from other advertising agencies as we do not have any ATL and BTL barrier. No job is small or big; a visiting card or packaging or even merchandizing is as important as a television commercial. Both require idea and thinking. For Houseful we’ll be doing creatives across mediums from ATL to BTL.

     

    The approximate media spent is about Rs 12 to 15 crore. Housefull are on an expansion spree and plan to open maximum number of stores across India in the year 2012. “We saw this as a great opportunity to make Housefull ‘the’ household furniture Brand of India,” he added.

     

    The second account Rawwar, a young fashion brand to be launched in February, was recommended by Palasa. Mr Bomble explains their communication strategy, “To survive in this ever-evolving fad, being raw isn’t good enough. To overcome, situation demands a reverse in trend or to announce a fashion war. The idea is in the name itself the mirror reflection of RAW is WAR. And with Rawwar, it’s a Win-Win situation.”

     

    Mr Bomble had spent nine years at Ogilvy from where he moved to JWT and stayed for three and half years. The mix of creative sparks in Ogilvy and strategic strengths from JWT initiated Palasa’s birth. Palasa believes that as long as the clients are happy they do not need to come out and create any buzz.

  • He was the jury president for Film some years ago at ADFEST and now he will oversee the Press Lotus jury panel

    Prasoon Joshi is Jury Prez of Press Lotus @ Adfest 2012

    By A Correspondent

     

    Prasoon Joshi, executive chairman and CEO, McCann WorldgroupIndiais joining ADFEST’s all star line-up of jury presidents in 2012, overseeing the Press Lotus jury panel.

     

    As Regional ECD for McCann Erickson (Asia Pacific), Mr Joshi is one of the region’s most powerful advertising creatives. He was recently mandated with the leadership of McCann Erickson’s worldwide Creative Council, making him the most influential creative executive in the network.

     

    “I was jury president for Film some years ago at ADFEST, and today the quest for excellence remains intact. ADFEST is one of the oldest advertising communication festivals, which understands and appreciates the unique cultural fabric of Asia. It has experimented and has tried to reinvent itself and stay relevant in these changing times,” said Mr Joshi.

     

    Winner of more than 400 national and international awards, Mr Joshi also won the prestigious National Award by the President of India for his socially impactful work in 2009.

     

    “It is an honour to have Mr Joshi oversee the Press Lotus juries at ADFEST 2012. He is not just a phenomenal talent – he’s one of India’s most powerful creative executives, and we are humbled to have him accept our invitation to attend next year’s Festival,” said Jimmy Lam, president, ADFEST.

     

    The Times of India recently cited Mr Joshi amongst the nation’s Top 60 icons; while Business Today named him as one of the Top 21 Business Leaders who will shape India in the 21st century.

     

    With a postgraduate in Physics, Mr Joshi is also a prolific poet, feature film song and scriptwriter.

  • Palasa has managed to win the creative mandates for KG Beverages, RESTLESS and BUZZ

    Palasa now creative partners with KG Beverages

     

    Sandeep Bomble
    Nitin Gupta

    By Shubhangi Mehta

     

    Palasa has managed to win the creative mandates for KG Beverages, RESTLESS and BUZZ. Along with creative mandates, Palasa will also be involved in the packaging and marketing of both the products.

     

    RESTLESS is an action drink which will be competing with the likes of Red Bull and Cloud 9. KG Beverages will also be launching range of carbonated drinks like Lemon Clear drink,Orange, Green Apple Cola and Jeera Masala. BUZZ is premix alcoholic beverage which will be available in three exciting flavours.

     

    Sandeep Bomble, founder, director, Palasa, said: “We have been associated with KG beverages since 8 years and we have created this product range together. Many others wanted to be a part of it but no one else could win it, as it is our baby”.

     

    Nitin Gupta, CEO/founder, said: “I have worked with Sandeep for almost eight years for SYKZ and having seen his work, there was no question of calling other agencies to pitch. Sandeep’s work has always impressed me and we are already quite happy with whatever they are doing for the brand.”

     

  • The challenge is to build unique brand loyalty for Delhi Daredevils and make it a powerful fan motivator, says Alok Agrawal, COO Cheil WW SW Asia

    Cheil WW SW Asia pockets Delhi Daredevils

    By A Correspondent

     

    Following a multi-agency pitch, Cheil WW SW Asia has won the creative mandate for the GMR Sports-owned IPL team Delhi Daredevils. The pitch was for both creative and digital communication.

     

    Confirming the development, Alok Agrawal, COO Cheil WW SW Asia, said, “This is extremely exciting and passions are running high. Taking into account the rigorous pitch process and the competition, we are truly delighted. This win is also testimony to Cheil’s integrated expertise and its global sports marketing capabilities. The challenge is to build unique brand loyalty for Delhi Daredevils and make it a powerful fan motivator. Our approach centered around engaging the fan online and on ground. We truly understand that a brand like Delhi Daredevils is built with engagement and not advertising.”

     

    Speaking on the appointment of Cheil WW SW Asia as Delhi Daredevils’ creative communication partner, Amrit Mathur, Vice President – Head Operations, GMR Sports said: “Cheil’s understanding, strategy, ideas and passion for Delhi Daredevils clearly resonated the next-level thinking required for brand engagement and fan loyalty. We are looking forward to our partnership with Cheil and building our engagement with our fans in keeping with our overall strategy.”

  • Six months after finalising a creative agency, Skoda has again called for a creative pitch, with the account size estimated to be Rs 10 crore.

    Skoda on lookout for creative partner

    By Shubhangi Mehta

     

    Six months after finalising a creative agency, Skoda has again called for a creative pitch. Industry sources close to the development have confirmed the news to MxMIndia.

     

    The account size for the same is pegged to be Rs 10 crore. It may be recalled that Skoda had awarded its creative mandates to Saatchi & Saatchi post a multi-agency pitch in May this year.

     

    Prior to Saatchi & Saatchi, the account was handled by Saints & Warriors. Before that Law & Kenneth was the sole creative custodian of the Skoda brands in India since 2007. It handled the creative duties for Fabia, Octavia, Laura and Superb.

     

    The creative duties for some of the Skoda brands were also handled by iB&W earlier; but these also went to Law & Kenneth.

     

    Skoda had entered the Indian premium car market in 2001 and set up a plant at Shendra, on the outskirts of Aurangabad.

  • After moving out of Saatchi & Saatchi, Kamal Basu will now be working with Skoda as a client.

    Kamal Basu to head marketing @ Skoda

    By Shubhangi Mehta

     

    Not long after quitting Saatchi & Saatchi as CEO, Kamal Basu is now said to be joining Skoda. Though no official confirmation could be attained at the time of this report, sources close to the development have confirmed the news to MxM India.

     

    Mr Basu was unavailable for comment. He had put in his papers in November 2011 at Saatchi & Saatchi where, as India CEO, he oversaw the agency’s Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru offices. Mr Basu had been with Saatchi & Saatchi India for nearly eight years after spending close to 14 years in agencies including O&M, DY&R and BBDO. He has been involved with multiple consumer categories and a rich set of global and local brands