MxMIndia

Category: Ad Agencies

  • Laqshya Media Group announces change in key leadership roles

    By A Correspondent

     

    Laqshya Media Group has announced the division of its OOH agency business into two parts namely Laqshya Solutions and Outdoor Media Integrated. The company has also announced a consolidation of  the group business with special focus on south market under the leadership of M V Sairam, who will be the new Executive Vice President (South).

     

    Among the other changes, Amarjeet Singh Hudda is the new COO of Laqshya Solutions while Naresh Bhandari is COO of Outdoor Media Integrated. Both the agencies will work independently in all the markets and will have separate teams for relevant functions.

     

    Commenting on the development, Group CEO Atul Shrivastava said: “Going by the employment records of the company we have minimal employee turnover and all over key association with the team is long term. Laqshya is proud of leaders like Sairam, Amarjeet and Naresh who have not only created strong business base for the company but have also created a strong professional equity in the market for themselves. Growth is a regular phenomenon in Laqshya for the performers and it was just natural to give the larger role and recognition to these gentlemen. Management is confident that these leaders will take the company to the next level of growth.”

     

  • The winds of change are blowing across the media agency world, and GroupM has done this to better operational efficiencies

    Business as usual for Maxus & MEC in India. For now…

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    That last bit of the headline is most critical. For now.

    Because the winds of change are blowing across the media agency world. There are huge pressures on operational efficiency – cutting costs and flab wherever necessary, combine forces whenever it’s possible and bracing oneself for a world where technology will drive business.

     

    And for WPP-owned GroupM, one of the world’s largest media agency and services conglomerates and clearly the numerouno in India, the situation is the same. And like for any smart strategy consultancy, the writing on the wall is clear. Only the fittest and smartest will survive.

     

    But the decision to maintain the status quo in India, while effecting changes across the world, means a lot.

     

    Although globally MEC is bigger, Maxus is huge in India. Sibling Mindshare may be way ahead, but Maxus has traditionally been very aggressive in the marketplace. Two years back in fact it beat Mindshare at the Emvies, the annual media agency award conducted by Advertising Club. Recently, it bagged the coveted ITC account which was earlier held by Madison and was fiercely contested that involved multiple agencies.

     

    MEC was founded in January 2002 with WPP buyingout CIA’s parent, Tempus. MEC was formed by the merger of The Media Edge and CIA. In 2010, the agency was rechristened MEC from Mediaedge:cia.

     

    In November last year (2016), MEC announced a new global CEO in Tim Castreereplacing Charles Courtier.

     

    Maxus, on the other hand was formed in 2008, though it did exist in some others before. Lindsay Pattison is Global CEO of Maxus, but last month she was also appointed Chief Transformaton Officer of GroupM. She currently holds both charges.

     

    This is what Pattison today after the announcement of last evenng:

    Transformational news from @Groupmworldwide today exciting for@Maxusglobal@MECideas and @Essencedigital Proud to be part of this

    — Lindsay Pattison (@lindsaymaxus) June 1, 2017

     

     

    Meanwhile, let’s revisit the story that MxMIndia carried on the site last evening:

    GroupM has announced a portfolio restructure which is essentially entails the merging if the global operations and teams of its agencies MEC and Maxus into a new, billion dollar revenue, media, content and technology agency under the leadership of MEC’s CEO Tim Castree.

     

    However, Maxus will continue to operate as an agency brand in India with the support of the newly formed global agency as well as the GroupM network. Ditto with MEC which will continue as is. In the near future, MEC will be rebranded to reflect the new global brand.

     

    GroupM’s portfolio will now comprise three successful global media agency networks — Mindshare, MediaCom, and the new company – each with more than one billion dollars in annual revenues, plus an innovative digital-first agency, Essence. GroupM also plans new investments across all of its agencies and its [m]PLATFORM data and technology capabilities.

     

    “We’re committed to improving our service to clients. These moves will give us greater focus, help us innovate, and improve our speed of delivery,” said Kelly Clark, Global CEO, GroupM in a statement.

     

    Since Clark became global CEO in October 2016, GroupM has made a number of organisational changes. Clark recently appointed Lindsay Pattison as GroupM’s Chief Transformation Officer to lead a range of transformation initiatives.

     

    Meanwhile, in a communique, GroupM said it is committed to the expansion of Essence, its digital-first agency, by adding traditional media capabilities and a larger geographic footprint to the agency’s existing media and creative credentials. In time, Essence will also lead several key GroupM client relationships as part of this restructure, the note added.

     

    GroupM acquired Essence in November 2015. “The leadership team at Essence is excited about the opportunities this creates for our clients and our people,” said Christian Juhl, CEO, Essence. “Our mission is to make advertising more valuable to the world; with this infusion of talent, capabilities and markets, we can do this now on a bigger stage.” Clark named Castree CEO of MEC in November 2016.

     

    “Maxus and MEC share common values and ambitions. Both networks have a strong local market presence and entrepreneurial drive. Together, we believe we can create an exciting new media, content and technology agency which we look forward to introducing soon,” said Castree.

     

    “We’ve clearly signaled our ambition to transform, and we mean business,” said Pattison. “This allows us to more meaningfully invest in each agency’s future – retaining and attracting the best talent with inspiring and rewarding workplaces, creating differentiated cultures and approaches, and sharing in a focus on helping clients win.”

     

    Bottomline:

    It’s business as usual for Maxus and MEC for now in India

    Clients of both agencies needn’t worry. Conflicts, if any, will be ironed out

    There will be rationalisation in teams, with movements from one grouping to the other. This will help populate the team of Essence

     

    The communication teams of GroupM, MEC and Maxus are tightlipped about giving out any more info, but there is indeed worry about what responsibilities some key folks in both agencies will be given once the merger happens fully.

     

    For now, Ajit Varghese, CEO APAC at Maxus will continue in his current role, but it will be interesting to see what his next role will be given that Maxus Indiia will continue as is, though for the rest of the world, things will change

     

  • The campaign has been developed based on the insight that when you work silently and reliably behind the scenes, the only recognition that you get is the ‘smile of joy’ that you bring

    Lowe Lintas Pune makes smiles count for Kirloskar

    By A Correspondent

     

    Close on the heels of the ‘Omnipresent’ campaign by the Kirloskar Group last year, Lowe Lintas, Pune has unveiled another campaign that communicates how it brings joy and enriches lives across customer segments. The campaign has been developed based on the insight that when you work silently and reliably behind the scenes, the only recognition that you get is the ‘smile of joy’ that you bring. Thus the campaign idea of ‘Reverse Chain of Smiles’ was born.

     

    Commenting on the campaign, Madhav Chandrachud, President, Kirloskar Proprietary Limited said: “This is the sixth year of Kirloskar brand campaign in India and starting from ‘Engineering High-ground’ to ‘Positive Transformation’ to ‘The Invisible Yet Omnipresent’, the agency team has handled the communication seamlessly. Especially for engineering products, it’s critical that the communication is interesting enough for everyone to relate to. Also, the viewers need to emotionally connect with the brand without being burdened with the complex product stories. And when the brand is the leader, it needs to have a tone that steers clear of chest-thumping. We are happy to have a like-minded agency, partner us shoulder the brand custodianship over the years.”

     

    Speaking on the campaign thought, Vasudha Narayanan, Executive Creative Director, Lowe Lintas said: “Kirloskar is a great brand. Very few brands command so much respect and trust from consumers. That’s why it was important for us to capture this trust and yet stand out. Tracking the source of a kid’s smile from an ice-cream to a field gave us the opportunity. The treatment might look simple, but it was quite challenging, both creatively and technically. A commercial in reverse is not something that you see or make every day. It was quite a challenge and fun to script, visualize, shoot and edit this film. Both creatively and technically.”

     

  • In his last assignment, Lahiri was at Contract Bengaluru as Senior Vice President & General Manager

    Creativeland Asia appoints Manas Lahiri to head Delhi-NCR

    By A Correspondent

     

    Creativeland Asia has announced the appointment of Manas Lahiri to lead its Delhi-NCR region business. In his last assignment, Lahiri was at Contract Bengaluru as Senior Vice President & General Manager.

     

    Srijib Mallik

    Speaking on the hire, Srijib Mallik, Board Member & Chief Operating Officer, Creativeland Asia who has recently taken on the role of leading Ventureland Asia, the investment company started by Creativeland founder Sajan Raj Kurup said: “When we met Manas for the first time a couple of years back, we were smitten by his understanding of the Creativeland Culture and were looking at the right opportunity to bring him in. Led by a passion for creative solutions, he comes with well-rounded experience in Sales & Marketing, Brand Management and Advertising. With this combination, he will accelerate our growth in the Delhi-NCR region while upkeeping the sanctity of the Creativeland Culture.”

     

    Manas Lahiri

    On joining Creativeland Asia, Lahiri said: “Creativeland Asia is a brand and a creative culture that has created remarkable work in the last decade. When I met Raj and Srijib for the first time, I was highly impressed with their vision and expansion plans. Delhi-NCR is an exciting market with some amazing brands playing big. Coupled with a great team, Creativeland Asia manages a huge equity here and my job will be to take it to the next level and grow aggressively. Exciting times ahead for us.”

     

     

    Sajan Raj Kurup

    Added Raj Kurup: “I am delighted to have Manas on board. This strengthens our plans for Delhi-NCR with a new creative leadership announcement to follow soon.”

     

  • New ad spend growth forecasts show caution in 2017 but improved outlook for 2018

    Global ad spend to hit $563.4 billion in 2017, notes latest Dentsu study

     

     

    Based on data received from 59 markets across the Americas, Asia-Pacific, Europe, Middle East and Africa, Dentsu Aegis Network’s Ad Spend Forecasts – June 2017 point to a more cautious economic outlook in 2017 than the previous year, with global ad spend growth falling from 4.8to 3.8 per cent. However, conditions are set to improve in 2018 with forecast growth in ad spend of 4.3 per cent. Events will play a key role in 2018, with events such as the Winter Olympics & Paralympics in South Korea, the FIFA World Cup in Russia and the US Congressional elections all expected to stimulate ad spend growth.

     

    Despite concerns about the economic impact of Britain’s decision to leave the European Union, UK ad spend growth held up better than expected in 2016 at 6.1 per cent. While there are signs of caution in 2017, with growth dipping to 4per cent, 2018 is forecast to see growth bounce back to 5.9 per cent. A similar picture unfolds in the United States, where a slowdown to 3.6 per cent is forecast for 2017, followed by a slight improvement in 2018 to 4.0 per cent. The United States also remains the largest market in the world, accounting for 37.7 per cent of global advertising spend in 2017. Advertising spend in emerging markets continues to outpace developed economies. For example, ad spend growth in India is forecast to grow at 13 per cent in 2017, while China is the second largest market in the world by share of advertising spend—remaining the only emerging economy to feature in the top five largest ad markets.

     

    The forecasts show how digital technology continues to disrupt and drive innovation in the way brands connect with their consumers. In 2017, we forecast that advertising spend on mobile will overtake desktop, reaching 56 per cent in terms of share of global Digital advertising spend. In 2018, mobile ad spend will grow further to account for a total of US$116.1 billion. With smartphone subscriptions set to reach 4 billion by 2025 and about a third of consumers reporting that their smartphone is their primary source of entertainment, we can expect to see this trend continue to strengthen.

     

    Furthermore, our forecasts suggest that in 2018 digital will be the top media in terms of global share of spend, taking over television for the first time. Digital’s share of total media spend is predicted to reach a 37.6 per cent share in 2018 (up from 34.8 per cent in 2017), versus 35.9 per cent for television (down from 37.1 per cent in 2017), amounting to a total value of US$215.8 billion. Reflecting the continued disruption by digital technology of the print media industry, Paid Search (advertising within the sponsored listings of a search engine) is forecast to overtake traditional print media (newspapers and magazines) in 2018. Print media has been on a downward trajectory for some years now, but will likely fall to a 13.8 per cent share of total spend in 2018 (down from 15.1 per cent in 2017) while paid search is forecast to grow to 14.6 per cent up from 13.6 per cent in 2017.

     

    While digital ad spend is growing rapidly and set to overtake television, within digital there are a number of new sources of growth that point to the future of advertising. For example, in 2017, online video is set to grow by 32.4per cent; social by 28.9per cent; and programmatic (i.e. automated ad buying) by 25.4 per cent. Looking ahead, brands will need to embrace the potential of disruptive technologies such as virtual reality, artificial intelligence and voice activation. However, research suggests that only 8per cent of brands currently intend to use virtual reality for advertising purposes.

     

    Commenting on the latest ad spend forecasts, Jerry Buhlmann, CEO of Dentsu Aegis Network, said:“We are reaching a tipping point in ad spend now as digital overtakes television, mobile overtakes desktop and paid search overtakes print. Digital and data must now be the default settings for advertisers. Evolving to people-based marketing rather than audience-based marketing and using data to increase address ability is essential for brands to manage tighter conditions in 2017 while positioning themselves for future growth.”

     

    “At the same time, the challenge for brands is to ensure that they are ready to embrace the potential of new innovation. As technologies such as virtual reality and voice activation become more prominent, brands must ensure that they remain relevant by creating new value for their consumers.”

     

    Commented Kartik Iyer, MD, Carat India: “India continues to be amongst the few countries seeing growth rates in double digits. While this may be slightly lower than past expectations owing to various market drivers like demonetisation and GST, the growth is clearly expected to continue. Driving this growth is digital with a growth rate of over 35per cent which is far in excess of that seen by other more traditional media. And with digital quickly progressing on its path of becoming the Go To media for entertainment, this trend is also expected to continue. Other media like TV and cinema are expected to grow at around 12per cent while Radio and OOH should see a growth of 10per cent and Newspapers around 8per cent. Another medium that is driving growth is that of ambient (at over 15per cent growth rates). Considering the changing retail environment, the medium, in tandem with digital is becoming pivotal for delivering quality engagement with consumers.”

     

    Figure 1: Growth in advertising expenditure 2016-2018 (selected economies)


  • The unit is headed by Sunny Vohra, who joined the agency seven months ago from GroupM with teams in Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru

    Madison World launches experiential marketing unit Madison Turnt

    By A Correspondent

     

    Madison World has announced the official launch of its experiential unit – Madison Turnt. Turnt is an oft-used word by millennialsto describe the feeling when someone is excessively excited or is high on life.

     

    The unit is headed by Sunny Vohra, who joined the agency seven months ago from GroupM with teams in Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru. The unit will provide 360* integrated plans with strategic and research-based insights to effectively bring together brands and their target audience through flawless execution.

     

    The unit focuses on events, activations, exhibitions and field marketing and will be a part of Madison Out-of-Home group.

     

    The Unit has already worked with a large number of prestigious clients likes Vivo, Nissan, Britannia, Michelin, Reebok, Roca, LinkedIn, Marico, LG, Philips, Kohler, JSW, Toyota, Raymond, Renault, Asian Paints, Dabur, CNBC, Godrej,Pidilite, Tata Motors andCroma.

     

    Said Sam Balsara, Chairman & Managing Director, Madison World:“I am delighted that under the leadership of Sunny Vohra, Madison Turnt has got off to a great start. More and more clients are discovering the power of experiential marketing, so our timing for the launch of Turnt is most appropriate.”

     

    Added Vikram Sakhuja, Group CEO Madison Media & OOH:”Experiencing a brand is one of the most immersive forms of brand engagement. I am excited to be launching Madison Turnt – Our New Age Experience Company which combines the Physical with Digital, Data and Social. Sunny Vohra who leads Turnt is a transformational marketer and in a short time has built some exciting experiences for Brands”.

     

    Said Vohra:“We started a new journey under our new identity “TurnT” six months back with a young and dynamic team. We are now truly off the block, having created meaningful experiences for a host of brands and we are truly excited about the future. It has been a privilege working under the mentorship of Sam and Vikram as they push the envelope and bring out the best in us as a Unit.”

     

  • Will be responsible for branding and communication duties for Havmor

    Havmor Ice Cream appoints Creativeland Asia to handle creative biz

    By A Correspondent

     

    Creativeland Asia has won the creative duties for Havmor Ice Cream. The account was won following a multi-agency pitch.

     

    Chaitanya Rele

    On working with Creativeland Asia, Chaitanya‘Chai’ Rele, VP – Head of Marketing, Havmor Ice Cream said: “Havmor has been on a fabulous journey of definition and redefinition over the last few years. As we continue on this path of growth, we are very excited to partner and work with Creativeland Asia. Through a tight pitch process, Creativeland Asia’s out of the box thinking and a genuinely innovative approach to the category really stood out. We look forward to working with the team at Creativeland Asia in creating real and impactful communication that really brings our brand to life.”

     

     

    Sajan Raj Kurup

    On the win, Sajan Raj Kurup, Founder and Creative Chairman, Creativeland Asia said: “Havmor is amongst the fastest growing ice cream brands in the country. They are in a unique position as the only non-dairy player in India making 100 percent real milk ice cream. We will leverage this positioning and design a communication strategy for the brand that breaks through the clutter. There is no doubt that immense competition in this category exists, but we want to make sure we stand out. We had a clear vision for Havmor when we presented our ideas during the pitch phase. They have ambitious plans for the market and the category and we are sure that together, we will be able to achieve what we have planned.”

     

  • Ogilvy & Mather will manage Somany Ceramic Limited’s operations from their Gurgaon office

    Somany Ceramics appoints Ogilvy as its ad agency

    By A Correspondent

     

    Somany Ceramics Limited has awarded its advertising mandate to giant Ogilvy & Mather. The pitch was initiated a month ago where six other major advertising agencies also participated. The estimated advertising budget for Somany Ceramics for FY17-18 is 3 to 3.5 per cent of the revenue. Ogilvy & Mather will manage Somany Ceramic Limited’s operations from their Gurgaon office and the mandate consists of the brand’s diverse product portfolio.

     

    Commenting on the association, Abhishek Somany, MD, Somany Ceramics Limited, commented,” We are interested in exploring newer ways of targeting specific groups therefore, it became essential for us to  collaborate with an agency who understand the dynamic media environment. Ogilvy & Mather comes with a fresh and progressive approach which will help us to focus on developing advertising and marketing campaigns to engage consumers with our products and brands.”

     

    Speaking on the win, Chandana Agarwal, Managing Partner, Ogilvy & Mather said: “Somany is responsible for launching many firsts in the Indian Tile Industry. Innovation has clearly been at the heart of what they do and we see a great match of values between the two organisations. We are extremely excited about this partnership and look forward to creating some memorable work”.

     

  • Yes, it will be one soon with Sonal Dabral announcing his departure, and Rahul Mathew and Brijesh Jacob taking on the creative mantle + quick chat with Sonal Dabral

    An all-new top deck at DDB Mudra…

     

    By A Correspondent

    Starting tomorrow, July 1, the offices of the DDB Mudra Group will have an all-new top deck. The process began on April 1, when Vineet Gupta, earlier the Chief Digital Officer was appointed as Group CEO (Designate) and Aditya Kanthy, earlier Chief Strategy Officer was appointed Group Managing Director (Designate). Effective tomorrow,  Gupta and Kanthy will formally take over as Group CEO and Group Managing Director respectively. Giving them company will be a new National Creative Director in Rahul Mathew and Brijesh Jacob as Chief Creative Technologist. Jacob will continue to be Joint Managing Director at 22feet Tribal Worldwide. Meanwhile, Madhukar Kamath will stay on as Executive Chairman till December 31 and Sonal Dabral will continue to be Chairman and Chief Content Officer till September 30.

     

    I still think I am 28: Sonal DabralSonal Dabral

    So what precipitated Sonal Dabral’s decision to move on from the DDB Mudra group? After all, he has been – other than Madhukar Kamath – the face of the agency, and a very celebrated creative person in the Indian advertising industry.

    Just recently present in at least two international award events, Dabral is one of the few Indian creative honchos who has had a long leadership experience at an international level. His past has seen him hosting television shows, and his interests include film direction and the finer things in advertising, honed as they have been at the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad.

    Late on Thursday, Dabral had tweeted to a contact: “Bravo! Live your dream…” So when MxMIndia spoke with Dabral hours after the story was officially out, we asked whether we could say the same to him now. He said it’s been in the offing for a while has been “thinking about it for some time”.

    Dabral is tightlipped about his plans post September and will announce them in a fortnight to a month – perhaps sooner. We then asked him the sensitive question: did the entry of the new regime at DDB Mudra lead him to quitting the group. The fact that they are much younger than him, with lesser experience and of course there’s a change of guard in the agency with Madhukar Kamath also moving on? “The new team is excellent and I have worked very closely with them – both Adithya and Vineet.” It’s got nothing to do with their taking on larger roles, he said. And when we asked the same question in a different way, he pointed to being not being fazed by these things. “I still think I am 28!”

    A mail sent to all DDB Mudra employees on Friday (today) records Dabral’s contribution to shaping the group and “bringing it to where it currently stands”, adding: “His humility and passion reflects in the work we do…. I don’t think we can thank him enough.” The next line in the mail refers to the transition: “He has been fully invested in this decision and I have no doubt that he will provide all the guidance and support…”

    Whatever be the reasons for the parting of ways, both Dabral and the rest of the DDB Mudra dispensation have ensured it’ll be smooth and happy.

    Meanwhile, what will Agra boy Sonal Dabral do next? There are some who do know what it’s gonna be. We don’t. Now will be do an ‘agracadabra’, as is Twitter handle? Watch this space.

     

     

    The fresh change  has happened with Sonal Dabral, Chairman and Chief Creative Officer, DDB Mudra Group, announcing a transition in the group’s creative leadership.  To facilitate a seamless transition, both Jacob and Mathew will be working closely with Dabral until end September 2017, after which he will pass the baton. It may be recalled as per the earlier announcement, Kamath will continue to work closely with Gupta and Kanthy as Executive Chairman of the DDB Mudra Group till end December, 2017.

    Both Mathew and Jacob will jointly lead the overall creative product of the Group and will report to Gupta.

    In his new role, Mathew will be responsible for the creative product of the DDB Mudra West while Jacob will be responsible for the creative mandate of the DDB Mudra North, DDB Mudra South, DDB MudraMax (Media, OOH and Experiential) and 22feet Tribal Worldwide. As mentioned earlier, this will be in addition to Jacob’s existing role as the Joint Managing Director, 22feet Tribal Worldwide.

    Speaking on the transition, Sonal Dabral said in a statement: “I have enjoyed my five years in the DDB Mudra Group, working with a great young team here. I’m happy that in the past few years, we were able to put together a strong creative team with able leaders in all the different entities and offices of the Group. As I move on from the DDB Mudra Group to different creative challenges, I’m excited to announce that Rahul Mathew and Brijesh Jacob will now take on the mantle of leading the creative at the Group. Both Rahul and Brij are very experienced creative leaders and will make a strong combination to lead the Group. Where Rahul brings his storytelling and advertising experience to the table, Brij’s experience with technology and new media, which comes from him leading 22feet Tribal Worldwide for over a decade; makes them a strong combination for any client’s business. I will work closely with both of them over the next few months, to ensure a smooth transition. I wish Rahul, Brij and DDB Mudra Group all the very best.”

    Dabral had joined DDB Mudra with much fanfare in March 2012.

    A little about Mathew: He joined DDB Mudra West in 2014 as the Creative Head. Since then, he has worked closely with Dabral and Rajiv Sabnis, Managing Partner, DDB Mudra West to innovate the agency’s product and to create work for the agency’s diverse client roster including brands like Big Bazaar, Century Ply, Godrej, Lipton, Johnson and Johnson, Volkswagen and Symphony to name a few

    And about Jacob: He started with Rediffusion Y&R and after being ECD at Grey, in 2009 he co-founded 22feet, which was later acquired by DDB Mudra.

     

  • The shopper marketing and activations agency will now work with all Publicis Communications agencies in India

    Arc Worldwide is back, bigger

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    Ten years after it made its first appearance in India, Publicis Communications has announced the launch of Arc Worldwide, Publicis Groupe’s brand activation and experiential shopper agency in the country. Unlike the past where it was essentially a Leo Burnett arm, Arc will work closely with all Publicis Communications India agencies – The Leo Group, Publicis Worldwide (including Marcel), Publicis Beehive, L&K Saatchi & Saatchi, and MSLGroup.

     

    Arc Worldwide specialises in creating shopper interactions with brands. It will provide clients with the same core expertise through acts and activations, events, exhibitions, shopper and rural marketing and retail design across metros and smaller towns and cities.Leo Burnett India’s below-the-line and experiential arm, Leo Burnett Experience, will now merge into Arc Worldwide. VandanaVerma, Executive Vice President at Leo Burnett Experience, will head the new entity.

     

    Saurabh Varma

    Speaking about the launch of Arc Worldwide, Saurabh Varma, Chief Executive Officer, Publicis Communications India, and Leo Burnett South Asia, said: “Arc Worldwide is a critical piece in our ambition for Publicis Communications in India. Arc will create more momentum for our ‘Power of One’ platform. With Arc Worldwide we hope to create meaningful ACTS for our clients using data and technology.”

     

    Added Bob Raidt, Global President, Arc Worldwide: “Arc’s rapid growth is a testament to the agency’s strengths and capabilities. Our expansion to India, and merging with Leo Burnett Experience, will benefit our clients even further. This expansion, coupled with the power of all Publicis Communications India agencies, ensures that Arc can continue to stay at the forefront of the industry.”

     

    Vandana Verma

    Looking forward to leading the new division, Vandana Verma, Executive Vice President at Arc Worldwide said: “Arc Worldwide is one of the biggest brand activation and experiential agencies in the world, and I’m excited about the possibilities the India launch holds for us. People and their behaviour are the key pillars for Arc to create effective and meaningful brand activations. We create programmes that inspire consumers to connect with brands in new ways. Our proprietary tools uncover unique insights into consumer needs and help create measurable actions that have a dynamic effect on our clients’ business. I believe the solutions we can create for clients across Publicis Communications will remain unmatched.”

     

    Arc Worldwide currently employs over 2,000 employees in over 37 countries, working with 400 of the world’s biggest brands, and in India takes off with several brands in the kitty already. These include Nissan, Huawei, Bacardi, Vodafone, ITC Foods, P&G, FCA, Bajaj, Cipla, Amazon, Viacom18, Netflix, Haagen Dazs, Color Plus and State Bank of India.

     

    When it launched in 2007, Arc Worldwide was headed by CVS ‘Venke’ Sharma. Later, around 2012, the focus faded away and also Leo Burnett acquired Indigo Consulting.

     

  • Under the mandate, CreateID8 will build an effective and engaging brand communication strategy along with redesigning the brand identity for the entire Proburst product range

    CreateID8 wins creative mandate for Proburst

    By A Correspondent

     

    CreateID8, a strategic brand design agency and a division of WITS Interactive, has won the mandate for creating and executing a creative, communications design and execution strategy for Proburst. Under the mandate, CreateID8 will redesign the product packaging for the entire Proburst range of products and build an effective and engaging brand communication strategy to be in sync with Proburst’s marketing and distribution plans.

     

    Hitesh Jain

    Speaking on the win, Hitesh Jain, Founder & CEO – CreateID8 and Group CEO of the WITS Interactive Group of companies said: “The fitness enabling product space is a rapidly growing and fiercely competitive segment. Moreover, with Proburst as a product range being already out there in the market with an established brand identity, It was an interesting challenge for the CreateID8 team to create a positioning for the product range to break free from the clutter. We welcomed the opportunity and worked closely with the Proburst team to redesign their brand positioning to be in sync with their growth strategy.”

     

    Added Anubhav Goyal, MD –Famcare:“After talking to several agencies, we decided to go ahead with the CreateID8 team because of their structured and balanced approach to creating brand identity and strategies which are in sync with our business requirements. Our product range, though not a very mass market, FMCG product, caters to a very niche audience of people interested in making fitness an integral part of their life. Hence, for any agency who was going to work on this account, it was critical to understand the psyche and the DNA of the fitness enthusiast.

     

    Not only did the CreateID8 team invest time in understanding about our business, but also did a consumer insight study amongst our target audience to understand how they, the consumers, perceive the brand and what do they expect from a fitness enabling product. Using these insights, they have been successful in creating a strategy which is aligned with our business objectives. Very rarely do you see an agency with such a combination of creativity, innovation and data-backed solutions.”

     

  • Designed to serve the marketing, publicity and business development needs of all B2B communications of brands across categories

    Dentsu Webchutney gets into B2B marketing

    By A Correspondent

     

    Samera Khan

    Dentsu Webchutney, the digital agency from Dentsu Aegis Network, has announced its newly established Business to Business Marketing Division. It will be headed by Samera Khan, EVP – Strategy, Dentsu Webchutney.

     

    “The line between a customer and a consumer is fading day by day. Globally, B2B brands have the largest audience on LinkedIn; they have 36 times more followers on LinkedIn than on Instagram but 20 times more engagement on Instagram than on LinkedIn. The users’ browsing and search behaviour is the same through the day and that’s what we want to own with our B2B division. We want to remove the boring from B2B,” said Sidharth Rao, CEO and co-founder at Dentsu Webchutney.

     

    The new division is poised to help businesses targeting other businesses across categories and industries. Businesses that work with Dentsu Webchutney will have specialized services available to help them with Online and Offline Marketing, Market Research, Publicity, and most importantly, a focus on Content Marketing and Distribution Strategy.

     

    Added Khan: “Our strategy is to focus on B2B with experiential content marketing across the various touchpoints that the customer already exists on. We pride ourselves on understanding what moves the Indian consumer. Now it’s just about using that same understanding for a business decision maker. Even though our starting point is B2B, our goal is to think of it as H2H (Human to Human), to humanize this crucial relationship.”