MxMIndia

Category: Ad Agencies

  • The account, which was won as a result of a multi-agency pitch, will be handled by the agency's Mumbai office

    L&K S&S wins Muthoot Pappachan mandate

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Muthoot Pappachan Group has appointed Law & Kenneth Saatchi & Saatchi as the creative agency on record. The group encompasses several businesses, including wide-spectrum Financial Services, Hospitality, Automotive, Realty, IT Services, Healthcare, Precious Metals, Global Services and Alternate Energy., among others.

     

    The account, which was won as a result of a multi-agency pitch, will be handled by the agency’s Mumbai office. The agency will be responsible for the ATL (Above The Line) as well as BTL (Below The Line) creative mandates.

     

    Anil S Nair

    Commenting on the agency appointment, Anil S. Nair, CEO & Managing Partner at Law & Kenneth Saatchi & Saatchi India said: “It is particularly exciting to be chosen as Muthoot Pappachan Group’s consolidated AoR. It is rare to see a group who adds so much value to the customers’ lives and creates life enhancing impact.”

     

     

    Sanjeev Shukla

    Added Sanjeev Shukla, Chief Marketing Officer at Muthoot Pappachan Group:“The agency has demonstrated a deep understanding of the categories, with offline and online integration. We have faith in their ability to do justice to our mandate and more importantly, in their passion, involvement and commitment.  Our Group’s credo is Believe in Blue and we look forward to partner with Law & Kenneth Saatchi & Saatchi in our journey to take Blue Muthoot beyond the blue skies.”

     

     

  • … And the advertising market in India is forecast to grow by a further 12.5 per cent in 2019

    Dentsu Aegis forecasts 12.5% adspend growth for 2018

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    Dentsu Aegis Network’s latest Ad Spend Forecasts, based on data received from 59 markets, puts global growth at 3.6 per cent in 2018, up from 3.1 per cent in 2017. And the estimated growth for India for 2018 is 12.5%.

    Events will play an important role in 2018, Winter Olympics, Commonwealth Games, Asian games and state elections are all expected to stimulate ad spend growth. However, a slowing of growth in markets like Australia and China can be attributed to multiple contributing factors such as a naturally maturing market, ad fraud and data accuracy issues on top of a general economic slowdown.

    Speaking on the Indian context, Kartik Iyer, President Media Brands and Amplifi – Dentsu Aegis Network India, said: “India is forecast to grow by 12.5 per cent in 2018, up from 9.6 per cent in 2017, reflecting its solid economic growth trajectory. Digital media spend is forecast to increase by 30 per cent in 2018 with 43.6 per cent growth in mobile spend, which will account for 47 per cent of total digital spend in 2018. The advertising market in India is forecast to grow by a further 12.5 per cent in 2019. 2018 is expected to be a growth year considering the stabilisation post GST. Another driver of growth would be the fiscal policies of the government which are expected to be pro spending and supporting the middle income groups. In India, the significant improvement in availability of high-speed networks at a lower cost is making a huge impact in the efficiency metrics of digital media. This will continue and therefore will support the faster growth of Digital advertising. As marketers, we need to be prepared to harness this change and maximise engagement with our customer and thereby deliver higher returns for our brands. As an agency group, DAN has overinvested in this area and today has the largest, most experienced group of companies which are harnessing this rapidly changing area.”

    Trends include:

    • Digital media channels will continue to power ad spend growth, growing globally by 12.6 per cent in 2018, versus 15 per cent in 2017, to reach US$220.3 billion
    • Mobile will go from strength to strength, reaching US$121.1 billion having overtaken desktop as a share of total digital spend in 2017. Desktop will continue to lose global share (-1.5 per cent since 2016), versus mobile’s gains (8.2 per cent since 2016)
    • Digital overtakes TV, by a margin now exceeding previous forecasts. Digital ad spend will account for 38.3 per cent share of total ad spend and TV 35.5 per cent
    • Paid search accounts for the lion’s share (40 per cent) of digital ad spend, with voice-activated devices helping to power its growth. Amazon’s Alexa app was the top app for Android and iPhone on Christmas Day 2017, with the company claiming its devices enjoyed the best holiday season yet
    • Video (24.5 per cent) and social (23.5 per cent) will also drive growth within digital ad spend, powered by smartphone take-up and mobile-video in particular

     

    Commenting on the latest forecasts, Jerry Buhlmann, CEO of Dentsu Aegis Network, said: “The latest ad spend forecasts show a market in transformation, but not recession. The challenge for brands is to navigate an uneven economic outlook alongside a rapidly evolving tech & innovation landscape. In many markets, disruptive innovation – from mobile, voice activation and new ad tech players – is still providing new sources of growth and we forecast this trend will continue into 2018.”

     

    “Succeeding in this environment requires global consistency through appropriate platforms and systems, while also the flexibility and agility to work with a wider ecosystem of tech-enabled solutions. It demands a relentless focus on understanding the consumer, using data to reach real people, driving relevance, addressability and business growth.”

     

    Nick Waters, CEO of Dentsu Aegis Network Asia Pacific, added: “Asia Pacific continues to lead the growth in digital ad spend. With the region’s fast adoption of technology and innovation, there will be a substantial shift towards mobile and smart devices. As a result, mobile online video ads will be the main drivers of growth within digital ad spend across the region.”

     

    “Data continues to be central to our business in Asia Pacific and with better understanding of new technologies, structures and models for business growth, agencies must help brands move from being disrupted to disruptor.”

     

     

    JAN 2018 Ad Spend

  • The account will be handled out of Triton’s Mumbai office

    Triton Communications bags creative mandate of Ambuja

     

     

    Triton Communications has been awarded the strategy, creative and digital mandate for Ambuja Cements. The account was won in a multi-agency pitch. The account will be handled out of Triton’s Mumbai office.

     

    Said Ali Merchant, Founder Director, Triton Communications: “Ambuja is a truly prestigious win for us. With many firsts to its credit, Ambuja is India’s foremost cement company with strength etched firmly in every Indian’s mind. The company has some great plans and we are privileged to be a part of this journey with them.”

     

    Added Ullas Chopra, NCD, Triton: “Ambuja has always stood for high creative standards with standout work that connects with small-town India. The pitch brief was a challenging one that tasked us with extending Ambuja’s iconic “Giant” strength to new products and propositions. We are happy that our creative solutions resonated with the Ambuja team and it is our pitch work that’s now under production. We look forward to partnering with the brand in its plans for growth focused on a diversified products and services strategy.”

     

     

  • Meanwhile Chuck Brymer has transitioned to role of Chairman

    Wendy Clark takes charge of DDB as Prez & CEO

    By A Correspondent

     

    Wendy Clark

    Omnicom Group President and CEO John Wren announced the appointment of Wendy Clark as President and CEO of DDB Worldwide. Clark succeeds Chuck Brymer who will assume the title of Chairman. Both roles are effective immediately.

     

    “After 12 terrific years as the head of DDB, I am excited to hand the baton to Wendy,” said Brymer, adding: “She is passionate about our business and clients, and has proven to be an inspiring leader for our company. I look forward to helping Wendy continue to foster an environment where our people can do their best work.”

     

    Under Clark’s leadership as CEO of DDB North America, the agency, notes a communique, has grown by enhancing existing relationships such as State Farm, Mars, and Johnson & Johnson, as well as a strong new business track record. Most notably, Clark was instrumental in winning the consolidated US creative account for McDonald’s in 2016 that led to the formation of a dedicated agency unit, We Are Unlimited.  In addition to leading her approximately 2,000-plus team across 17 offices, Clark launched “DDB Flex” – an operating model that creates bespoke, cross-agency, integrated teams based on clients’ businesses.

     

    Commenting on her new position, Clark said, “I’ve loved every minute of the last two years with our DDB North America team and clients creating the resurgence of this majestic, important agency. To now have the opportunity to follow Chuck’s legacy of leadership and work with our global teams and clients is both humbling and exciting.”

     

    In his new role of Chairman, Brymer will continue to serve the company while taking on added responsibilities within Omnicom. Said Wren, President and CEO of Omnicom, added: “During his tenure as CEO of DDB, Chuck has successfully grown DDB as not only one of the most creative agencies in the advertising industry but also a leading network for CRM, retail activation, branding, and digital services around the globe. At Omnicom, we recognize the importance of succession planning, and Chuck and I knew that Wendy would be the right person to take the helm of DDB. Her experience leading DDB North America coupled with her expertise as a leading marketer makes this a seamless leadership transition that will build upon DDB’s capabilities and reputation as a leader in the business.”

     

    Clark joined the agency in 2016, from Coca-Cola North America, where she was President, Sparkling Brands and Strategic Marketing. Previously, she served as Senior Vice President, Global Sparkling Brand Center, where she was responsible for the global leadership of all Coca-Cola’s Sparkling brands. Before joining Coca-Cola in 2008, she was Senior Vice President, Advertising for AT&T.

     

     

  • The campaign has been created and executed by the DDB Mudra Group

    Muscle Blaze launches its protein bars with #HumariBhookhAlagHai

    By A Correspondent

     

    To create awareness about its new products, MuscleBlaze and DDB Mudra Group have launched a digital film titled ‘Humari bhookh alag hai’ (our kind of hunger).

     

    Speaking on the campaign, Amit Tandon, Business Head, Muscleblaze, said: “With the launch of our Protein Bar, we are extremely thrilled to extend the Muscleblaze canvas to active fitness seekers who are looking for on the go protein-rich nutrition. Initial response to the protein bar launch and “Hamari Bhookh Alag Hai” campaign is phenomenal and we are already trending at #1 on all e-commerce portals. We aim to make our protein bars omni-present and quickly gain leadership in this fast growing category.”

     

    Added Preeta Mathur, Senior Creative Director, DDB Mudra North: “MuscleBlaze knows the grind a serious fitness seeker goes through. It knows that they are made different and in a market that is full of candy protein, there is a product that’s different. It is from this insight that we brought our idea to life. They are different and so is their hunger. MuscleBlaze protein bar is that voice in the fitness enthusiast’s mind that proudly declares to the world that ‘humari bhook alag hai’.”

     

     

  • Television will be the largest media, as Print growth declines with Digital leading the table with 30% growth

    GroupM forecasts AdEx to grow 13% in 2018

     

    By Rohit A

     

    GroupM, in its annual marketing forecast, predicts 13% growth (vs 10% in 2017) in India advertising expenditure (AdEx). The Indian AdEx in 2018 is estimated to be at INR 69,346 crore ($10.8 billion) compared to INR 61,263 crore ($9.6 billion) in 2017, as per This Year, Next Year (“TYNY”) report released by GroupM.

    As per economic experts, India is well poised with growth outlook of between 7.3% to 7.8% in 2018, giving India the fastest growing economy tag among developing countries. With demonetisation behind us and GST having implemented, a recovery in consumer demand and private investment is expected.

    “As consumer sentiment stabilizes and spending increases, we estimate 2018 to be a relatively better year from an ad spend perspective. Growth in digital media will continue to outstrip other media but unlike most markets”said CVL Srinivas, Country Manager, WPP India and CEO, GroupM South Asia.

    Between 2015 and 2017, Indian AdExgrew at a CAGR of 11% (expenditure of $9.4 billion in 2017 vs $7.7 billion in 2015), compared to World Ad spend, which grew at a CAGR of 3.5% in 2015-17.

     

    Digital continues its dominance

    While digital share of India AdEx is estimated to be ~18% in 2018 (vs 15.5% in 2017), however this space is expected to grow at a rate of 30% YoY (followed by cinema’s estimated growth of 20%). Digital witnessed the same growth rate in 2017 too.

    In 2018, AdEx in digital is estimated to be at INR 12,337 crore ($1.9 billion) compared to INR 9,490 crore ($1.5 billion) in 2017.

    GroupM estimates, Video advertising on digital is estimated to grow at 54%, as bandwidth improves and data and mobility device become more economical for the consumer.

    As digital becomes 18% of the overall advertising spends in India, measurement and transparency become paramount. Last year, GroupM globally led the conversation on measurement and transparency in digital media, and released viewability standards that are higher than those stipulated by the Media Rating Council in the US. In India too, GroupM is working with industry bodies, brands and publishers to adhere to a standard viewability index that would become integral to the digital ecosystem. Along with viewability, GroupM also held knowledge and training workshops for client teams, on mitigating ad fraud and assuring brand safety.

     

    Traditional media role in India

    Given diversity in India, Television continues to be the largest medium, with its contribution remaining ~ 45% share in 2018 (same as 2017) and will see a growth of 13% YoY. AdEx in TV is estimated to be at INR 31,596 crore ($4.9 billion) in 2018, compared to INR 27,961 crore ($4.4 billion) in 2017.

    Parliamentary elections in H1 2019 will stimulate advertising from the back half of 2018, says GroupM. Print will see a slight uptick in 2018 from the elections, with key markets in demand. The growth rate for newspapers is estimated at 4.2% with English papers growing slightly slower than Hindi and regional languages. However, print share of AdEx is expected to decrease from 29% in 2017 to 26.6% in 2018.

    Other media such as OOH will continue having a share of 4.9% in overall AdEx and is expected to witness a good traction of 15% growth from premium transit sites (vs 7% growth in 2017).

     

    Radio with a share of 4% in overall AdEx, is expected to grow at 15% in 2018 (vs 8% growth in 2017). This growth is predominantly due to the launch of new radio stations across the country

     

    Cinema will continue to grow at 20% in 2018, as the infrastructure investment made last year will attract a larger audience to theatres for a blockbuster experience. The share of Cinema although continues to be approx 1.2% of overall AdEx.

     

    Digital continues its dominance

    While digital share of India AdEx is estimated to be ~18% in 2018 (vs 15.5% in 2017), however this space is expected to grow at a rate of 30% YoY (followed by cinema’s estimated growth of 20%). Digital witnessed the same growth rate in 2017 too.

     

    Gamechangers

    As per GroupM, 3Vs will be the key drivers for consumption in 2018 – Video, Voice and Vernacular.

    Voice can have large impact on Indian consumers specially when voice enabled products can accept instructions in regional languages. Currently, the disruption is only at a high-level (Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple Siri) and it will be interesting to see how Indian consumer and developers adapts to this new change.

    Esports will be a game changer in the sports space, says GroupM. The Olympic Council of Asia recently announced that it will include esports in the 2018 Asian Games and make it a medal sport in 2022.

     

    Indian ranking in Global AdEx

    India is among the top 5 global contributors of incremental AdEx in 2018 and has a share of 5% (vs 4.7% in 2015).

    India is set to become 10th largest adspends market in 2018 compared to 11th largest in 2017.

     

    Summary:

    :: The overall India AdEx in 2018 will grow by 13% (vs 10% in 2017)

    :: Digital will lead the growth with a 30% growth rate (~$1.9 Billion ad investment expected in 2018)

    :: Things to look out for – Consumption of video contents; platforms having Voice connectivity; regional contents; e-sports participation; OTT content

    :: India is a unique market where all media have headroom to grow.

    :: India is the fastest growing ad market in APAC and among the fastest  growing markets in the world (amongst Top 5 contributors of incremental AdEx in 2018).

     

    About TYNY:

    This Year, Next Year (“TYNY”) is part of GroupM’s media and marketing forecasting series drawn from data supplied by holding company WPP’s worldwide resources in advertising, public relations, market research, and specialist communications. The TYNY report is the most comprehensive understanding of the estimated media spends by advertisers in the current year. It also highlights some of the industry sectors that will have a major effect on advertising spends across media.

    TYNY 2018 PC presentation HANDOUT- 13218 – MM

     

  • Branded content is the first space the Effectiveness Lab will explore

    Wavemaker and Ogilvy launch Effectiveness Lab in India

    By A Correspondent

     

    Wavemaker has partnered with Ogilvy to create an Effectiveness Lab in India. This collaboration between the two WPP agencies will develop data-validated points of view on creating effective communications across consumer interaction platforms.

     

    Branded content is the first space the Effectiveness Lab will explore, probing how consumers respond to different content strategies, creative approaches and formats.

     

    As marketers increase spends on the creation and deployment of content, it is crucial to bring intelligence to what drives effectiveness in the content space.

     

    Said CVL Srinivas, Country Manager, WPP India and CEO, GroupM South Asia said: “At WPP, our focus is to provide Horizontality across our agencies and create a seamless structure to provide effective solutions. While we have a wide range of services on offer, the focus of our agencies is on creating efficient solutions to help our brand partners strengthen their engagement with the audience. Launching the Effectiveness Lab as a combined initiative by Wavemaker and Ogilvy is a great example of

     

    Added Kartik Sharma, Managing Director, South Asia -Wavemaker: “At Wavemaker, we connect media, content and technology to drive growth for clients and we understand how effective marketing can be.  By being able to better understand how content moves consumers to action along their purchase journeys, we’ll be able to help our clients to make informed decisions on how and when to create engaging content and therefore drive growth for them across their consumer journeys.”

     

    Said KunalJeswani, CEO, Ogilvy India: “The Effectiveness Lab will bring the best minds at Ogilvy and Wavemaker together to throw light on creative effectiveness across new age platforms. With digital communications across multiple platforms becoming core to any integrated campaign strategy, the industry needs new thinking on effectiveness. Ogilvy has always stood for Great Work That Works. The more informed we are, the better we will get at delivering creative effectiveness.”

     

  • The Centre brings together capabilities and skills of teams at Sapient Razorfish, DigitasLBi and Indigo Consulting

    Publicis Communications sets up customer experience centre

    By A Correspondent

     

    Publicis Communications has announced the launch of its customer experience centre of excellence in India. Three Publicis Communications agencies – Sapient Razorfish, DigitasLBi and Indigo Consulting – have come together to consolidate their top-end user experience and user interface capabilities to form the experience centre.

     

    The centre will be led by Hemant Bhagia, Customer Experience Director at Sapient Razorfish. Speaking about the new development, Himani Kapadia, CEO – India, Sapient Razorfish and DigitasLBi said: “This strategic shift is in line with our vision of creating client-focused best-in-class solutions. It made sense to create connections between our immense ‘for India’ and ‘from India’ CX capabilities spread across brands, so that the sum of the parts is greater than the whole. Each brand will continue to have teams under their roof, thus ensuring insulation for clients, while being part of a platform that gives them access to thought leadership, best practices, talent and infrastructure to deliver new age experience solutions.”

     

    Added Rajesh Ghatge, CEO, Indigo Consulting: “The voice of the customer is demanding best-in-class, best-in-category, immersive CX solutions. This ask can only be addressed by getting in the best talent that is supported by distilled insights and collective experience. The centre is aimed to build a competence in UX and UI, in depth and scale, which is unmatched in the country. The benefit to our clients is going to be immense, helping them win bigger and win faster in the marketplace.”

     

     

  • Ventes Avenues is mandated to look after ShareIt’smobile branding inventory in India

    ShareIt appoints Ventes Avenues as monetisation agency

    By A Correspondent

     

    Content sharing platform ShareIt has appointed Ventes Avenues (Moca Technology) as its exclusive sales partner agency. Ventes Avenues is mandated to look after sales of the mobile branding inventory in India.

     

    Commenting on the partnership, Jason Wang, Managing Director, ShareIt India said: “For ShareIt, India is a major market as it has 30% of its total user base from India and over 400 million downloads in the country. With the ever increasing internet penetration, India is the second largest online market and digital advertising is growing to leaps and bounds and is set to grow even further. Ventes Avenues as our partners will help us reach and engage with our audiences and meet our performance and brand solutions objectives in the mobile branding space”.

     

    Added Fauzan A Rahim, Co-Founder Ventes Avenues: “We at Ventes Avenues are delighted to partner with ShareItin India, having watched the phenomenal growth of ShareIt; the huge organic numbers are very impressive so is the content line-up and their unique position to target and be the first app on new devices makes this an interesting mobile branding opportunity for brands in India. Together we look forward to creating new benchmarks and milestones.”

     

     

  • Shemaroo continues to redefine itself to respond to the disrupting consumer environment

    Ogilvy Mumbai wins creative mandate for Shemaroo Entertainment

    By A Correspondent

     

    Shemaroo Entertainment has awarded its creative duties to Ogilvy Mumbai. Said Hiren Gada, Director – Shemaroo Entertainment Limited: “We are delighted to have Ogilvy on board. We met multiple advertising agencies and while all of them had their own strengths, we were impressed by Ogilvy’s holistic thinking. We also found two very strong similarities between Shemaroo and Ogilvy and that is, the zeal to continuously innovate and value long term partnerships. We are really looking forward to an effective partnership.”

     

    Added Kunal Jeswani, CEO, Ogilvy India: “All brands go through cycles of evolution. Today, Shemaroo is perfectly poised to leverage its market insight, domain expertise and fantastic array of content to build its next cycle of brand value. Ogilvy is proud to partner with Shemaroo on this journey as a new age agency, building real brand value for our clients.”

     

     

  • Digitas is also introducing an evolved, inspiring global brand proposition: Creating better ways to connect with people through Truth. Connection. Wonder

    DigitasLBi to now be called Digitas

    By A Correspondent

     

    Five years after the merger between Digitas and LBi, DigitasLBi has announced it will drop the LBi from its name, returning to the name Digitas. Since 2013, the two agencies have integrated to form a global network focused in mission, purpose, and culture, notes a communique.

     

    Said Michael Kahn, Global Brand President, Digitas: “Digitas is a brand of unrivaled passion and diversity of talent, all under one roof. We now take the world stage united in name, in belief, and in the unique value we bring to our employees, to clients, and to Publicis Groupe. With ‘Truth. Connection. Wonder.’ as our strategic guidepost for the work we do, the people who do it, and the culture that enables it, we believe we’re positioning Digitas for sustainable growth in 2018 and beyond.”

     

     

  • The move is intended to help Mindshare expand its offerings and grow its presence in the industry

    Mindshare India solidifies leadership team to drive business

    By A Correspondent

     

    Mindshare has announced further organisational restructuring.

     

    Ruchi Mathur who was responsible for growth with Mindshare – North now has an expanded remit as Senior Vice President, Client Leadership, Mindshare North & East. Mathur will work with Amin Lakhani, President – Client Leadership India in her new role.

     

    Meanwhile, Saket Sinha will work with Prasanth Kumar, CEO, Mindshare South Asia, and lead m/six India as Senior Vice President, Client Leadership, m/Six India, focusing exclusively on growing and leading the brand.

     

    Speaking on the elevations, Prasanth Kumar, CEO, Mindshare South Asia, said: “Ruchi and Saket are both dynamic leaders with strong networks in the market, as well as with consumers and clients. We are very excited with the opportunities across the landscape and we are sure that the army of leadership we have in the organisation will produce great results to our clients and therefore a successful journey for us.”