MxMIndia

Category: Ad Agencies

  • A path-breaking software to measure Reach and other key parameters for OOH campaigns

    Laqshya Media launches tool to measure OOH

    By A Correspondent

     

    Laqshya Media Group (LMG) has launched SHARP (Strategic Hyperlocal AI-powered Reach Planner), a planning tool for measuring the effectiveness and media value of outdoor campaigns.

     

    The OOH tool uses machine learning to deliver AI-optimised metrics and recommendations, notes a communique. The system is fed with data received from more than 50,000 geo-tagged sites comprising of billboards, BQS sites, mall facades, pillars and poles across 26 cities.

     

    Said Alok Jalan, Managing Director, Laqshya Media Group: “As an Industry leader, it was but natural that we had to resolve client concerns about the lack of measurement metrics in the OOH Industry. SHARP has been the outcome of months of hard work & is unmatched in its ability to give a scientific rationale for an OOH campaign.  A massive immersion of data and technology has been done to generate the right algorithms for Machine learning. In addition, APIs of numerous consumption economy platforms have been integrated with the software to have a dynamic tracking of consumer interest points. While planning marketing budgets for a campaign, OOH usually gets a lower share of the pie; SHARP is set to change this. With better data and targeting, brands will be better assured of return on OOH investment, which in turn has the potential to alter the share of wallet for the medium.”

     

     

  • The evolved logo was created internally by the DDB North America design team

    DDB introduces new visual identity

    By A Correspondent

     

    Ad agency network DDB has introduced a new visual identity that captures the essence of who it as an agency including an outward symbol of its thinking, work and its people.

     

    Highlighting the creativity and interconnectivity of the worldwide DDB team, the evolved logo was created internally by the DDB North America design team.

     

    Speaking on the new visual identity, Wendy Clark, CEO, DDB Worldwide said: “Great brands have a foot in their past and a foot in the future. This visual identity perfectly captures our heritage and legacy, the contemporary thinking and work we’re known for now, and positions us for the future we intend to claim.”

     

     

  • Both Gururaj and Durgesh will report to Mayur Hola, National Creative Director, Havas Creative

    Havas strengthens creative team with two senior hires

    By A Correspondent

     

    Havas has further bolstered its creative offering with two senior hires in its Mumbai office. Gururaj Rao joins as Executive Creative Director and Durgesh Singh as Associate Creative Director – Copy. Both Rao and Singh will report to Mayur Hola, National Creative Director, Havas Creative.

     

    Commenting on the appointments, Hola said: “Guru brings an infectious energy that Bobby and I are sure will light up the Havas Mumbai office and give it purpose. His interaction with people is at a granular level and he’s just a straight up solid guy who puts his head down and gets work done. We’re very happy to have a kindred spirit such as him on-board. Durgesh is a bright spark. His ideas are just what we need as we add creative muscle to the Mumbai office. We’re sure that Durgesh and Guru will create a powerful alliance and work with the rest as part of a great team.”

     

     

  • The report evaluated nine media agencies and assessed them across 26 criteria

    Dentsu X scores high on Forrester report

    By A Correspondent

     

    Forrester has recognised Dentsu X as one of the most significant media agencies in The Forrester Wave: Full-Service Media Agencies, Q1 2019. The report evaluated nine media agencies and assessed them across 26 criteria grouped into three categories; current offering, strategy and market presence.

     

    Divya Karani

    Said Divya Karani, CEO, Dentsu X: “This is an acknowledgment of our client-centric, data-driven solutions, carefully crafted as brand immersive experiences.”

     

     

  • Soumitra Karnik has been assigned with the additional charge as Chief Creative Officer (CCO)

    Samarjit Choudhry takes charge of Happy mcgarrybowen, Soumitra Karnik takes additional charge as CCO

    By A Correspondent

     

    Happy mcgarrybowen, which was hit by complaints of sexual harassment of its founders and their eventual ouster, has elevated Samarjit Choudhry to the role of President while Soumitra Karnik has been assigned with the additional charge as Chief Creative Officer (CCO).

     

    Samarjit Choudhry

    Speaking on his appointment, Choudhry said: “mcgarrybowen has a strong philosophy of solving real problems. They truly operate as a media-agnostic agency. In India the foundation for this is already there and the agency has been operating as Happy mcgarrybowen for over two years now. My mandate is to take it to the next level. Other than communication, we already have a strong design practice and in conjunction with the other offerings from DAN, today we offer our clients a one stop solution for whatever their needs might be. I look forward to taking the opportunity to take the legacy forward. And all we ask is, ‘Give us your biggest problem’.”

     

    Soumitra Karnik

    Speaking about the role, Karnik added: “Happy mcgarrybowen is a phenomenal creative brand and has an enviable body of work to prove it. All these years, I have greatly admired them from a distance and I count my blessings for being given this opportunity to be a part of their creative trajectory.  I assume this role with utmost confidence only because the culture of HMB will not have it any other way. I shall take my mandate from Gordon Bowen, our Global CCO, in the coming days and will talk about it soon. Personally, I’d like to build a collaborative creative culture where everyone works with everyone and everyone learns from everyone. There is so much talent out there in the world and sometimes all it takes is a simple call to say, ‘Hi, I have this idea and I need you to make it even more amazing’. Most clients deserve a spectacular package. Anything less is just plain misfortune.”

     

    Ashish Bhasin

    Said Ashish Bhasin, CEO Greater South, Dentsu Aegis Network and Chairman & CEO India: “With its new leadership in place, I am more than confident that the agency is now in extremely able hands. Happy mcgarrybowen has always been a brand to reckon with and I have no doubt that Samarjit and Soumitra, together, will further fuel this brand legacy and help Happy mcgarrybowen scale new heights.”

     

     

  • A singing Mary Kom, CSR and the social sector bring down curtains on Goafest 2019, reports Rahul Chandawarkar

    Day3 Goafest 2019: Mary Kom, CSR and social sector rule conversation

    By Rahul Chandawarkar

     

    Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and the social sector was the common thread that bound most presentations together on the final day of the third day of Goafest which concluded at the Grand Hyatt hotel in Bambolim, Goa on Saturday, April 13.

     

    Matt Eastwood, global chief creative officer, McCann Health who spoke in the National Geographic knowledge seminar in the afternoon said that while the world was going through tough times, it was also a time for advertising professionals across the world to be agents of positive change.

     

     

    Day3@Goafest2019: Key Takeaways

    :: Increased involvement by corporates in CSR projects had given rise to the concept of ‘return on doing good’ (RODG).

    :: Hi-end technology platforms like Artificial Intelligence (AI) were helping creativity reach new heights.

    :: The United Nations were keen that 50 per cent of its sustainability development goals (SDG) should emerge out of India.

    :: One of the speakers redefined the four Ps of marketing as purpose, people, passion and physical.

     

    Rahul Chandawarkar, a former newspaper editor, is a communications strategist and active triathlete based in Goa. He has been covering the Goafest for mxmindia.com since 2017. 

    Eastwood said that in a competitive world, business enterprises had realised that if they made a positive impact on society though the corporate social responsibility route, their brands stood to gain. Eastwood went on explain how increased involvement by corporates in CSR projects had given rise to the concept of ‘return on doing good’ (RODG).

     

    Citing an India example, Eastwood explained how the Kwality Dairy milk company had chosen to address the problem of Vitamin D deficiency among Indian school children through a very innovative CSR project.

     

    Kwality Dairy had managed to convince 50 schools in the Delhi region to shift their open-air assembly timings to 1130am, so that children could be exposed to peak sunlight for at least 20 minutes of the day. Several hundred more schools had shown interest in implementing this idea. According to Eastwood, this innovative initiative on the part of Kwality Dairy would directly benefit the brand, as the brand would have top-of-the-mind recall when parents made a decision to buy milk for their children.

     

    Among the several, international CSR examples that Eastwood shared with the audience, was the one initiated by Microsoft where, they created an information technology supported game which enabled physically disabled children to play video games. According to Eastwood, this ‘let everybody play’ philosophy of Microsoft would positively impact the brand.

     

    Earlier in the day, Ross Jauncey, Head of Create at Google spoke along similar lines in the Google keynote address and said: “The best time for creativity was now.”

     

    Jauncey was of the opinion that hi-end technology platforms like Artificial Intelligence (AI) were helping creativity reach new heights. Demonstrating this through a video clip, Jauncey showed how the recently launched Kupu app was helping people shoot photos on their android phone and learn the aboriginal, Maori language in New Zealand.

     

    Similarly, Jauncey pointed out to a Nike advertisement campaign on multiple digital platforms which supported the anti-racism movement by featuring several sporting champions across the various continents of the world.

     

    Society and the social sector once again resonated in the joint presentation made by Navi Radjou and Jaideep Prabhu, co-authors of the popular books, Jugaad and Frugal Innovation. Radjou and Prabhu who spoke in the Lokmat Knowledge Seminar maintained that while the spirit of ‘jugaad’ or innovative business practices was ingrained in the Indian business person’s psyche, the concept of doing business with less had spread across the globe.

     

    Citing some examples, the authors said that a major consumer clothing brand like Levis had recently launched their ‘wasteless jeans’ created from plastic waste. The company had also promoted their ‘go water-less’ campaign where they recommended that their jeans did not have to washed regularly and that you could even shower in your jeans, the next time you want them washed to drive home the recycle-reuse mantra.

     

    Turning their attention to India, the authors said that the United Nations were keen that 50 per cent of its sustainability development goals (SDG) should emerge out of India. The authors were confident that this was completely possible as they discussed chapters from their latest book, ‘Do better with less!” which showcased many an example of Indian innovative entrepreneurship (jugaad) across India.

     

    Later in the early evening, Phil Kemish, co-founder of Disrupt Marketing speaking at the MTV knowledge seminar redefined the four Ps of marketing as purpose, people, passion and physical.

     

    Exemplifying some of these Ps, Kemish stated how UK’s new chocolate brand, Tony’s Chocolonely had launched their product by pointing out that they were against all cocoa farms in Africa which employed children. Kemish pointed out that the brand had mentioned their values and beliefs on their wrappers and had launched their product solely on the basis of word of mouth publicity.

     

    Finally, Ambarish Mitra, co-founder of Blippar who spoke at the Jagran Knowledge Seminar had the audience in awe as he introduced them to the relatively new, hi-tech concept of augmented reality (AR). Mitra did this by virtually creating a retail store on stage complete with garments etc which he could literally sift through. According to Mitra, AR and visual reality (VR) were the fourth and latest stages in the evolution of computing interface.

     

    The final day also stood out with India’s boxing icon, Mary Kom surprising everyone by giving a near-professional rendition of the popular, Alanis Morissete song, “What’s going on!”. Likewise, Bollywood singer Mohammed Irfan and actor Pankaj Tripathi entertained everyone with their songs and anecdotes respectively.

     

  • Goafest veteran Sanjeev Kotnala reviews the three-day annual festival of creativity held last week

    Goafest2019: What You Missed & What They Messed

     

    By Sanjeev Kotnala

     

    On Day 2 of Goafest2019, I tweeted ‘This is best Goafest Day ever’. Few have asked me as to what made me say so? Honestly, it has nothing to do freely availability of cold beer, lovely breakfast at Grand Hyatt or that the unfinished story had a new beginning. I will answer it at the end of this article.

    What was important was something entirely different.

     

    BLURRING OF LINES AT GOAFEST2019.

    Goafest2019 awards reflected reality. The lines defining the roles and expectations in the industry are blurring. The only relevant definition is being ‘creative solution contributor to growth’. The pseudo-line of controls like digital, creative, craft, print, traditional are no longer relevant.

    It surprises me when some industry stalwarts fails to recognise the new reality.

    What is there to be shocked of, if a digital agency wins PR Agency of the Year, a digital agency is the Direct Marketing Agency of the Year and a TV station is the Creative Agency of the Year. If you look at the second row of awards, you will find more such surprises.

    You can’t limit the scope of any organisation by the charter and contract. The festival itself has moved away from a sharply focussed singularly stated theme (Like Brand Dharma) to a broader eclectic mix of sessions.

    However, when Viacom18 won the top creative award, there was no point in rechristening it as ‘Company of the Year’. The era of brand purpose and growth, instead of relooking at redefining who can enter or who is an agency or a company, we should move to purpose-agnostic ‘Organisation’ terminology.

     

    MORE REAL WORK WINNING AT GOAFEST2019.

    The scam quotient is under control. The awards juries have been phenomenal. More Real Work Is Winning, as said by Shashi Sinha, Chair, Awards Governing Council GoaFest2019.

    The displaying of the Abby Shortlist for people to file objection seems to be working. I wish they displayed not just a list but also the complete entry. For example, how would anyone know what is the creative associated with ‘Meri Doosri Country’ campaign by Sony Ten 2’s for the FIFA World Cup 2018, until it is accessible?

    If the full entry is displayed at the Shortlist level, it will solve my second demand automatically. I have voiced it many times. At Goafest2019, I personally spoke with people managing the show. We must make available full winning entries for the public. It can quickly be done digitally.

    It will help demonstrate that genuine creative is winning at the festival. And students and practitioners who could not make to Goafest2019 will have access to this precious information.

     

    SCAM PREVENTION IS NOT JUST GOAFEST’S RESPONSIBILITY.

    No awards body can control and check a scam winner. They rely on the client and the agency collectively signing an undertaking about creation, inspiration, originality and exposure.

    If a scam does happen after this, we must look inwards and question our inaction. To stop scam winners, we have to act like a professional vigilance team. Just like citizen vigilance helps stop terrorism, only professional vigilance can stop scam entrants.

    So, for a moment think about how you can contribute. Pledge that next time when anyone seeks help to stop such scams, you will find the time to raise objections if any.

     

    KNOWING EVERYTHING DOES NOT COUNT.

    Day 1- started with Dr A Velumani of Thyrocare shaking up delegates. Presenting his story of struggle and hardship, dedication, passion and nothing to lose approach.  Ravi Desai of Amazon followed it with ‘7 seminal shifts’ in marketing.

    I sat through Ravi’s presentation with a bored expression. I know all this. What are you adding to my knowledge?

    Later at night, I was discussing it with dear friend Sumit Roy of Univbrands, he questioned my reaction. I realised where my bias was creeping in. There is a huge gap between  ‘I know Vs. I think Vs. I act’. Our knowledge has changed, but behaviour has not seen a shift. There is a need for individual behavioural change and attitude re-referencing before we can expect industry level shift.

    By the time we had Phil Kemish, Co-Founder, Disrupt Marketing and Brandtrepreneur, speaking about the four Ps (Purpose, People, Passion and Physical – bringing the brand to life) of marketing attitude. I was a different listener, a different delegate.

    Once, you realise and want to bridge the gap between  ‘I know Vs. I think Vs. I act’, your reaction as a delegate will change.

     

    THINGS REDEFINED AT GOAFEST2019.

    Overall, there is a tremendous change. We are getting better at time management. I still do not subscribe to Chairman or anyone extending any session. It happened during Unplugged and few knowledge sessions.

    The shifting of live entertainment to just after lunch slot worked. It eased the pressure on the evening schedule. It helped in starting post-lunch sessions and the evening awards on time. It also ensured that in the after-party, there was enough time to serve drinks before the 1 am closure deadline.

    The festival delegate average age is sharply falling. There is a shift towards smaller organisations and digital companies participating. Suddenly, it felt as if I was in some other industry do.

    However, there is a significant change in the number of delegates visiting display areas. I am sure they are interested, but the tight schedule of sessions and awards leave no time. May be we can make them available on a pen drive as part of the festival kit. I am not sure how does this impact sponsorship, or it opens space for further activities.

    One understands and appreciates the magical sponsor slot. However, it needs to be monitored and curated in terms of straight plugging and content. The way Google launched Google Creative was absolutely understandable and appreciated. However, everyone was not like Google. Some brands overtly pushed their agenda masquerading as knowledge.

     

    GOAFEST2019. DAY-2. THE BEST DAY EVER.

    The Day 2 had an absolutely fantastic set of speakers in the knowledge session. Madonna Badger opened the day with talking about ‘Women are not objects’. She made her case with examples – Women are equal, but their objectification makes them less than equal. Gorden Bowen made a strong case for creativity. He pointed out the need to be Creativity Lead, data-driven and tech-supported way of working.  Barry Wacksman empathised on the need to be proactively being a disruptor.

    Harshvardansinh Zala, Founder and CEO Aerobotics, topped this with an exciting session. He is just 16. His inspiring talk made the delegates look inward. It at least made me re-evaluate my journey. Lt Gen Hooda spoke of training and values defining the work ecosystem in armed forces. More than talking of the Uri attack, he sensitised delegates sitting in the comfort of an AC, the hardship frontline soldiers face at the border in extreme positions.

    Cricketer Virender Sehwag batted all questions upping the run rate. Part of the leadership series, he differentiated three leadership styles with relatable examples. Saurav Ganguly; creating the team, Anil Kumble; setting the target and keeping focus, and MSD- getting work done by the team.

    The only blip on Day 2 was Sidhant Chaturvedi and Kalki Koechlin talk. It went nowhere in spite of the interviewer Kubbra Sait trying her best. Jonita Gandhi’s unplugged session was nice. She got the crowd involved and moving with her.

     

    GOAFEST2019. CHANGE AND STRUGGLE THE NEW CONSTANTS.

    Change is a constant. The struggle is another constant in life. Without it, even the change does not make sense. Struggle in life happens at multiple fronts. In a multi-dimensional festival like GoaFest, it’s a churn towards the better.

    This time round there was so much learning in what is loosely called celebrity slots. Harshwardansinh Zala, Lt Gen Hooda, Virender Sehwag, Pankaj Tripathi and Mary Kom. You could have them as entertainment and/or as an inspiration. The choice is yours. But do put your filter through the test of the filter of ‘I know Vs. I think Vs. I act’

    Unlike the Mumbai roads that are repaired just before the monsoon, I hope Goafest management committee will visit the challenges now, much in advance. And we will have a brilliant Goafest 2020 on 10-11-12 April, the second Thursday-Friday-Saturday of April.

     

     

    TOMORROW: GOAFEST2020. Unsolicited advice to help make it better.

     

    Sanjeev Kotnala is a senior marketing and strategy consultant. His columns appear on MxMIndia every Wednesday and on special occasions. The views here are personal

     

     

  • Senior advertising professionals from across the globe reiterated the fact that creativity still ruled the roost despite the advent of high technology in the making of advertising commercials, notes Rahul Chandawarkar

    Day2@Goafest2019: Creativity takes centrestage

    By Rahul Chandawarkar

     

    BAMBOLIM (Goa): Creativity took centrestage on Day 2 of Goafest 2019. Senior advertising professionals from across the globe reiterated the fact that creativity still ruled the roost despite the advent of high technology in the making of advertising commercials.

     

    Gordon Bowen, founder and global chairman of McGarryBowen was of the opinion that creativity would always outlast data. Bowen who was speaking in the morning session of the Knowledge Seminar sponsored by Colors Marathi said that contemporary advertising was creativity led, data supported and technology driven. Driving home his point, Bowen said: “Even the Bible says that God is the creator. Creativity will always remain relevant.”

     

    Day2@Goafest2019: Key Takeaways

    :: Creativity would always outlast data

    :: Majority of the Fortune 500 companies were stagnating and losing the battle to smarter, swifter, digitally savvy companies.

    :: Speed was of essence in the transformation process.

    :: The three key stages of transformation were business transformation, experiential transformation and marketing transformation.

    :: The #Women Not Objects campaign initiated by Badger and Winters agency had made a positive impact in the USA.

    :: The youth in metro and non-metro India no longer thought differently.

     

    Rahul Chandawarkar, a former newspaper editor, is a communications strategist and active triathlete based in Goa. He has been covering the Goafest for mxmindia.com since 2017.

     

     

    Bowen shared several video clips of award winning advertising campaigns designed by his company for United Airlines, Chrysler, Hallmark cards and Chevron where the common thread clearly was the high level of creativity.

     

    Bowen, an unabashed fan of the Indian advertising world, complimented it for its ‘three-pronged’ strengths of being collaborative, humane and passionate.

     

    The same thread was carried forward by Barry Wacksman, vice chairman and global chief strategy officer at R/GA in the afternoon session of the Knowledge Seminar sponsored by MX Player. Pointing out how majority of the Fortune 500 companies had stagnated as they had lost the marketing battle to smaller, more digitally savvy companies, Wacksman said that transformation was the need of the hour for all of them.

     

    Wacksman, who stressed the need for speed in the transformation process, said that it constituted three stages, namely, business transformation, experiential transformation and marketing transformation. He further explained each stage with an advertising intervention created by his company which had helped the client manifold.

     

    For business transformation, Wacksman gave the example of how a banking app (Next Bank) was created in Brazil to encourage the younger generation to use banking services. In the example on experiential transformation, Wacksman explained how his company had used a video of basketball ace Michael Jordan taking a dunk shot wearing a particular model of Nike shoes. This resulted in record sales within two hours of the video being uploaded on the Android platform. Similarly, by introducing a gaming character called ‘Galaxy Skin’ on the Samsung Galaxy Note Pad 9 mobile phone, sales of over 240% was achieved for consumers in the 18-24 age group.

     

    Earlier in the day, Madonna Badger, Founder and Chief Creative Officer, Badger and Winters grabbed everybody’s attention when she spoke of her company’s highly visible, #Women Not Objects campaign across the USA. Badger who showed the audience multiple, contemporary product advertisements in which women have been portrayed as mere objects said, “This is an unacceptable situation. Women cannot be portrayed as mere objects.”

     

    Badger also shared a video survey undertaken by her company across the USA which showed how this advertising was having a negative impact on school-going children. Badger has even taken her campaign to the Cannes Lions International festival of creativity to reach out to the advertising fraternity at large.

     

    In the afternoon session, Navin Shenoy, marketing head, youth, music and English entertainment at Viacom 18 made a presentation on the topic of ‘MTV Youth Insights’ giving the audience a peep into MTV’s research wing.

     

    Quoting research figures, Shenoy pointed out the youth in metro and non-metro India no longer thought differently. A significant takeaway of Shenoy’s presentation was that youth from non-metro India was increasingly comfortable living and working in his/her hometowns.

     

    According to Shenoy much of this transformation was because of the reach of television, the internet and social media across the length and breadth of India.

     

    Day 2 at Goafest 2019 was also highly entertaining owing to some very interesting sessions like the one featuring Bollywood actress, Kalki Koechlin and emerging actor, Siddhant Chaturvedi of ‘Gully Boy’ fame and cricketer Virender Sehwag, who had the audience in splits with his easy-going humour.

     

    Child prodigy Harshwardhansinh Zala, all of 16 years old and founder of the Aerobotics 7 technology company had the audience awestruck, while Lt Gen DS Hooda ( retd), the Northern Army commander during the 2016 surgical strikes into Pakistan occupied Kashmir (POK) stirred patriotic emotions and Bollywoood singer Jonita Gandhi had everybody tapping their feet and clapping their hands with her peppy music.

     

  • Most recently, Kishore was EVP and General Manager at McCann Mumbai, and National Planning Head at Truth Central, McCann’s global thought leadership unit

    BBDO India appoints Suraja Kishore as CEO

    By A Correspondent

     

    BBDO India has announced the appointment of Suraja Kishore as CEO. Most recently, Kishore was EVP and General Manager at McCann Mumbai, and National Planning Head at Truth Central, McCann’s global thought leadership unit. He joined BBDO yesterday (Tuesday, May 21).

     

    Prior to McCann, Suraja worked with Publicis Worldwide, Lowe Lintas and Mudra DDB. He has 21 years of rich experience developing creative strategies, building partnerships and establishing exciting approaches to developing campaigns. His client list includes major brands such as Unilever, Marico, P&G, Nestle, Godrej, Tata, Idea Cellular and Citibank, to name a few. He has been at the helm of some of the most memorable campaigns including ‘What an Idea, Sirji’ for Idea Cellular and ‘Tata Tea- Jaago Re’.

     

    Said Jean Paul Burge, Chairman and CEO, BBDO Asia on the appointment: “We welcome Suraja Kishore to BBDO as we start a new chapter of great Indian creativity – BBDO India 2.0. This is what will make our clients’ businesses stronger as we continue to build BBDO India into one of the most influential agencies in the world. Suraja is all that we are looking for in a leader. His appreciation and passion for creative cultures will mesh well with our focus on The Work. The Work. The Work.”

     

    Speaking about his appointment and his new role, Kishore said: “What got me really excited about this role is that JP (Jean Paul Burge) and Josy were not trying to fill a particular position; they were looking for someone who can transform and grow BBDO India. I felt that the last ten years have been a great run for BBDO India, but what got us here won’t get us there. In fact, I believe it’s our focus on share of the future rather than just share of the market that will drive growth for clients and us. One of the most important ingredients for success is ‘chemistry between key stakeholders’ and that is what I discovered with JP and Josy. Shaping the future is very much like love; you have to have deep faith together to make it happen.”

     

    Added Josy Paul, Chairman & CCO, BBDO India: “It has taken us more than nine months to find Suraja. In our journey to find a suitable partner, we met some outstanding candidates. With Suraja, it was love at first sight. When JP (Jean Paul Burge) and I first met Suraja, we knew he had the emotional energy and strategic depth that comes with great leadership. His clear vision about the future of brands and demand in an age of evolving media and tech interface is so attractive. It felt like he is not just a CEO, he is also our ‘chief evolution officer’. I am delighted to welcome Suraja Kishore as CEO as we embrace this exciting change together.”

     

     

  • Madison Media and Hiveminds, the digital specialist agency of Madison World

    Madison’s HiveMinds wins Domino’s digital biz

    By A Correspondent

     

    Madison Media and Hiveminds, the digital specialist agency of Madison World, have won the digital media mandate for Domino’s in a multi-agency pitch. The scope of work includes all forms of digital marketing including digital strategy, programmatic buying, digital media buying, performance and SEO marketing campaigns.

     

    Said Anand Thakur, Chief Digital Officer, Jubilant FoodWorks Ltd: “We believe that HiveMinds’ innovative digital approach in the online marketing space will help Domino’s to address it’s current and long-term business goals. Their insightful understanding of present-day India’s digital landscape and efforts on delivering the best to clients are a great fit as we collectively aim to achieve scale and growth.”

     

    Added Vikram Sakhuja, Partner & Group CEO, Madison Media & OOH: “Our relationship with Domino’s goes back 15 years and we are delighted that Domino’s has now entrusted us their Digital mandate. Digital will play a key role in their business growth and HiveMind’s team will work along with Madison Media team to provide a holistic solution to Domino’s.”

     

    Said Jyothirmayee JT, Founder & CEO, Hiveminds: “HiveMinds is arguably one of the strongest performance marketing agencies out of India. We are confident that we will be able to add a lot of value to Domino’s and contribute to their growth.”

     

     

  • Kulshreshtha is a seasoned media professional with 25+ years of experience across leadership roles in advertising

    Rajul Kulshreshtha to join Madison Media Plus as CEO

    By A Correspondent

     

    Rajul Kulshreshtha

    Madison Media has just announced the appointment of Rajul Kulshreshtha as Chief Executive Officer, Madison Media Plus. Kulshreshtha will look after the agency’s Delhi operations and will join from June 3, 2019.

     

    Kulshreshtha is a seasoned media professional with 25+ years of experience across leadership roles in advertising, media and outdoor agencies, consulting, sales and entrepreneurship, across India, Indonesia and Singapore. His past assignments include Managing Director of Motivator India (part of GroupM), Managing Director of Kinetic, (GroupM’s Outdoor agency), General Manager, Team LG (GroupM, India), 11 years at Universal McCann, setting up the media practice for Zenith Optimedia in Indonesia and CNBC Asia as Sales Head based in Singapore. He has had 2 entrepreneurial stints, one of setting up Xposure, a media agency that handled clients like Gionee, Mobikwik, Cardekho, Shopclues, amongst many others; and a consultancy business, The Consilium.

     

    Said Vikram Sakhuja, Partner & Group CEO Madison Media & OOH, “I am delighted to have a dynamic leader like Rajul join our team. Am confident that Rajul will be able to add tremendous value to both our clients and our team in Delhi.”

     

    Added Kulshreshtha on his appointment: “I have always been an entrepreneur at heart and building businesses has been a passion. I will continue to pursue that passion here at Madison. Working with Sam, Vikram and the team is a great privilege and one that I will value and learn from. Having met the team here, I do believe that there is a lot that we can achieve together and add huge incremental  value to our clients ”.

     

     

  • He will additionally work closely with the management on various brand integrations as the Head of Integration Mumbai

    Himanshu Saxena joins McCann Worldgroup as EVP & Mumbai Head

    By A Correspondent

     

    Himanshu Saxena

    Himanshu Saxena has joined McCann Mumbai as Executive Vice President and Head of its Mumbai operations. Saxena will additionally work closely with the management on various brand integrations as the Head of Integration Mumbai.

     

    Said Prasoon Joshi, Chairman, McCann Asia Pacific and CEO & CCO McCann Worldgroup India: “I am really happy to have Himanshu back in McCann family again. This is the testimony of the fact that culture of McCann India is unique and conducive to nurturing great talent. Himanshu comes with a wide range of experience, his passion for creative solutions that drive effectiveness will add a new dimension to our valued client relationships in our Mumbai operation.”

     

    Added Saxena: “I am absolutely thrilled to be part of McCann’s highly respected leadership. McCann is the most respected, awarded and recognized creative communication agency in India. McCann’s rich client portfolio and talent pool is ripe with opportunities to take its game to the next level of creative excellence and effectiveness through integrated solutions delivered by the McCann Worldgroup specialist practices across advertising, Digital, CRM, Experiential and Healthcare.”