MxMIndia

Category: Ad Agencies

  • Gupte, who is currently COO of Wavemaker India, takes over from Kartik Sharma who steps down to pursue other opportunities in the industry

    Kartik Sharma quits. Ajay Gupte is new Wavemaker CEO

    By A Correspondent

     

    Ajay Gupte

    Wavemaker has announced the appointment of Ajay Gupte as Chief Executive Officer for Wavemaker, South Asia. Gupte, who is currently COO of Wavemaker India, takes over from Kartik Sharma who steps down to pursue other opportunities in the industry.

     

    Gupte will continue to be based out of Wavemaker Gurugram and will report into Prasanth Kumar, CEO – GroupM South Asia and Gordon Domlija, President Wavemaker Asia-Pacific and China CEO.

     

    Said Prasanth Kumar, CEO – GroupM South Asia: “I would like to take this opportunity to thank Kartik for his contribution over the years and wish him all the very best.”

     

    Commenting on Gupte’s appointment he added, “At GroupM we always believe in building on the hard work and passion of our people and it gives me great pleasure to see Ajay take over as the new CEO of Wavemaker South Asia. He comes with vast experience working in multiple markets and categories. He is a well-rounded professional, and I see him bring in distinctive and increasing value for our clients and the overall ecosystem. I am confident that he will continue to grow Wavemaker as an agency of the future.”

     

    Added Domlija: “India is a hugely important market for Wavemaker, and we’ve got a very successful team here. I’ve gotten to know Ajay as a strong client and team leader, and I’m convinced he is the right choice to help Wavemaker to future sucesss and, ultimately, to keep looking for better ways to unlock growth for our clients, our agency and our people.”

     

    Said Gupte: “I am humbled and very excited to take over the role of the CEO of Wavemaker South Asia. It is an exciting time for the Indian market as the Indian advertising industry is also having a global impact, and I see lots of opportunities for growth.”

     

     

  • Calls for the industry’s creative minds to design inspiring behavior change campaigns

    Goafest to highlight women’s issues with Red Abby

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Advertising Club and the Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) have come together to launch a communication programme that will address the issue of violence against women in society. The special campaign will be a part of the upcoming edition of Goafest 2020. The winning campaign will be crowned with the newly instituted special award ‘The Red Abby’ that celebrates the woman and her spirit.

     

    Speaking about the initiative, Ashish Bhasin, President – AAAI, said: “Violence against women is an issue that has been a significant area of concern. It is critical that we as an industry that is responsible and renowned for driving awareness and building perceptions, use our collective capabilities for the betterment of society. We hope that this initiative will help us put together a high impact campaign that will empower women and help change mindsets.”

     

    Added Partho Dasgupta, President  – The Advertising Club ” I strongly believe that it is imperative that everyone from the industry comes together and leverages our circle of influence to bring about positive social change. “

     

     

  • The position was created after Harish Shriyan’s exit was announced in July 2019

    Omnicom Media Group Kartik Sharma to helm Omnicom Media Group in India

    Caption: Photo Montage: Rafiq Barak. It may be noted that Kartik Sharma will join OMG only in mid-2020.

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    It’s now confirmed. Omnicom Media Group has appointed Kartik Sharma as CEO for its operations in India. Sharma joins the Omnicom entity from GroupM’s Wavemaker, where he was most recently CEO for South Asia. He is slated to join the network mid-year. His exit from Wavemaker was announced on Wednesday (January 29). The position was created after former OMG CEO Harish Shriyan’s exit was announced in July 2019.

     

    With over 25 years of media experience under his belt, Sharma has served in a leadership capacity at some of the largest agency networks, including Mindshare, Lintas Media, Madison Media and Maxus and managed clients such as L’Oreal, Mondelez, Netflix and Vodafone. In his new role, Sharma will work closely with Priti Murthy, CEO of OMD India, and Jyoti Bansal, CEO of PHD India, on chartering the continued growth of the agency brands in India.

     

    Speaking on the appointment, Tony Harradine, CEO of Omnicom Media Group Asia-Pacific, said in a statement: “A revered leader with an impressive track record, I am thrilled that Kartik has joined us. I have the utmost confidence in his ability to steer our business to even greater heights in one of the most important markets in Asia.”

     

    For those not in the know, Omnicom Media Group is the media agency network owned by Omnicom, the global. advertising services conglomerate. According to a report in Campaign, OMD occupies the top spot by projected billings in the COM vergence 2019 global billings rankings report. GroupM’s Mindshare is second in the ranking and Carat is #3. In India, GroupM occupies the top slot amongst media agency networks, and OMG is as of now perhaps at #5.

     

    Clearly, Sharma has his role cut out for him. He took charge of Maxus from Ajit Varghese in January 2014 and there has been no looking back since. Sharma has led both Maxus and Wavemaker to winning the coveted Agency of the Year title at the Emvies.

     

     

  • The DMC helps in establishing greater control of client data in one place

    DAN Data Sciences announces global launch of Dentsu Marketing Cloud

    By A Correspondent

     

    In an effort to provide data-driven solutions to clients, the Data Sciences Division from the house of Dentsu Aegis Network (DAN) India, has announced the global launch of the Dentsu Marketing Cloud (DMC). The announcement was made at an exclusive DAN client event at Facebook’s Thailand HQ earlier this month.

     

    The DMC brings together a slew of Dentsu proprietary ecosystems such as the Facebook Marketing Partner (Ad-Tech) Badged DAN Data Labs Product Suite, Dentsu Explore and other proprietary mar-tech tools. It also has advanced analytics solutions such as the Dentsu Pixel and the Dentsu DSP to help clients plan, buy, measure, analyse and optimise campaigns. Additionally, the DMC helps in establishing greater control of client data in one place.

     

    Commenting on the launch, Sarnchatt Chansrakao, CEO, Dentsu X Thailand said, “On the backbone of cutting-edge technology, Dentsu Marketing Cloud provides us with the necessary resources to deliver more relevant and effective marketing solutions for clients. Through DMC we will be able to provide bespoke services to clients such as multi-touch attribution and market mix models; consequently, helping us deliver the full strength of planning and optimising digital campaigns – all whilst ensuring privacy and providing clients with greater control of their data.”

     

    In an attempt to promote greater collaboration across teams and share insights, the DMC will promote a customer-centric approach to marketing by equipping teams to deal with modern client structures. It has been built on integrations between the DAN Data Labs Facebook Product suite and Advanced Analytics products. DMC has already been a great success in 30 global markets and has won numerous client awards.

     

    “The DMC revolutionises the way modern and future-focused advertising agencies operate. With the launch of new products and solutions such as the Dentsu Ad-server (D-Serve), the Dentsu Pixel, etc., the DMC will present to clients more control over their data and allow them to analyse their cohorts. This enables clients to create better segments for sharper targeting. The Dentsu Marketing Cloud is just the first step in our platform’s story. As an organisation, we are committed to enabling marketers in achieving their goals as we promote greater transparency, control and the best of technology,” added Gautam Mehra, CEO, DAN Programmatic & Chief Data Officer, DAN – South Asia.

     

     

  • As per the This Year, Next Year report, digital will secures #2 position in adspends in 2020

    10.7%: GroupM forecast for AdEx 2020

     

    By A Correpondent

     

    GroupM formally announced its advertising expenditure (AdEx) forecast for 2020.  As per the GroupM futures report ‘This Year, Next Year’ (TYNY) 2020, India will continue to top the list as the fastest-growing major ad market in the world. TYNY forecasts India’s advertising investment to reach an estimated Rs. 91,641 crores this year. This represents an estimated growth of 10.7%, for the calendar year 2020.

     

    India will continue to be the third-highest contributor to the incremental ad spends, only behind UK and USA while China drops to the fourth spot and the eight fastest-growing country with respect to ad spends across the globe.

     

    Commenting on the TYNY 2020 report, Prasanth Kumar, CEO – GroupM South Asia said: “We expect the global AdEx to grow by 5.1%. The Indian media landscape is constantly evolving, will continue to witness the fastest growth of 10.7% to reach Rs 91,641 crores. While we expect sustained and stable investment across media in India, Digital to garner 65% of incremental ad spends in 2020. In 2020, India faces challenges and uncertainties across sectors just like other markets. However, this also brings opportunities for brands to innovate because of which we see an evolving media stack. This will be propelled by greater use of technology and better content across media.”

     

    Digital secures #2 position as the most used media vehicle and is estimated to reach 30% of adspend in 2020 with growth coming from 3Vs (video, voice, vernacular-Indic) and advertising on e-commerce. The growth of digital is set to soar high because of changing consumer habits.

     

    Added Tushar Vyas, President Growth and Transformation – GroupM South Asia: “There are multiple advancements happening in technology which is transforming digital advertising and other mediums. India being a diverse country, digital will keep growing, especially with the rise of content platforms and its availability in multiple languages powered by the growth of 3Vs. From a predominantly ‘at home’, ‘urban’, ‘English print’ & ‘TV’ consuming market, the Indian media consumer evolved to include ‘on the move’, ‘rural’ & ‘regional’ counterparts, experimented with digital media in the early 2010s’, adopted social media in middle of the decade and started consuming digital videos voraciously after 2016.”

     

    Even with an overall slowdown in the global economy Indian media spends are expected to be between low to moderate in H1, with robust growth anticipated in H2 2020.

     

    Said Sidharth Parashar, President – Investments and Pricing of GroupM India: “The format of print storytelling is changing but the content is still the strongest. With print media organizations undergoing transformation across India. Publication houses have invested heavily in promoting digital subscriptions and have started limiting access to digital versions of epapers. We believe that this would pave the way for newer business models. Print will continue to remain relevant to advertisers wanting to build credible brands. Television will continue to grow at a steady pace. This year, the growth rate for TV is estimated to be 7% and Radio is expected to grow at 6%. While cinema and OOH will grow at 15% and 6% respectively in 2020.”

     

    OTT has seen a faster evolution in India, which is now complementing television. OTT hybrid models looking at both advertising and subscription will continue to be an effective model.

     

    Speaking on the trends for the year, Ashwin Padmanabhan, President – Partnerships and Trading of GroupM India said: “While there are challenges and uncertainties in the market, it is a world of abundant opportunities in the content eco-system. This gives us vibrant options to reach and engage with consumers. It necessitates us to be agile, invest in new-age talent and technology while keeping an eye on the future. The key is to be always prepared while we are shaping the media landscape.”

     

     

  • Praveen joins Publicis Groupe from Interspace Solutions, where he was the CEO

    Praveen Vadhera to head newly created Publicis In-Motion

    By A Correspondent

     

    Publicis Groupe India announced the creation of Publicis In-Motion, its specialist entity focusing on building brand salience and creating experiences and a strong engagement with consumers. The entity will see the coming together of Arc Worldwide, Solutions and Ecosys OOH and will be powered by data and tech-enabled insights to deliver execution at scale across the Groupe.

     

    Praveen Vadhera

    Praveen Kumar Vadhera has been onboarded in the newly created role of Head of Publicis In-Motion, South Asia. In this role, all the teams in Arc Worldwide, Solutions and Ecosys will report into him and he will work closely with Sejal Shah, Head of Publicis Media Exchange and the Executive Sponsor on Ecosys.

     

    Vadhera joins Publicis Groupe from Interspace Solutions, where he was the CEO. During his stint at Interspace, an entrepreneurial venture, he helped deliver media-agnostic business solutions for brands.

     

    Said Shah: “With fragmenting consumer attention and reducing attention spans, there is a growing need to connect with consumers at every touch-point in an engaging manner. With strength of 150 people and capabilities spanning across activation, shopper marketing, retail design and strategy, OOH and ambient marketing, without doubt Publicis In-Motion will provide our clients unmatched ambient and experiential capabilities. And Praveen brings in excellent and demonstrated credentials across this entire gamut of services. Delighted to have him on board.”

     

    Anupriya Acharya

    Added Anupriya Acharya, CEO, Publicis Groupe, South Asia: “Publicis In-Motion is an effort to make our Power of One offerings even more impactful and substantive for our clients where they can leverage all experiential capabilities at one go. We have highly specialized teams under each capability but the synergized structure will make it simpler and speedier for the clients to leverage it. We expect much momentum in this space as clients move to create more impactful engagements with their customers on the ground.”

     

     

  • DAN Innovation Lab will work on open data, develop prototypes and intellectual property

    Gurbaksh Singh to lead DAN Innovation Lab

    By A Correspondent

     

    Dentsu Aegis Network (DAN) India has announced the launch of DAN Innovation Lab in an attempt to foster, access and accelerate innovative learning. Led by Gurbaksh Singh, earlier chief creative technologist at Dentsu Webchutney, DAN Innovations Lab India will drive solutions for clients keeping creative and tech at its functional core.

     

    Singh will work with teams at Dentsu Webchutney, Isobar India and Posterscope India on emerging technologies to drive tech-led innovations for all the three agencies. However, eventually Dan Innovation Lab will also support all DAN brands and service all DAN clients across India.

     

    Anand Bhadkamkar

    Commenting on the launch, Anand Bhadkamkar, CEO, Dentsu Aegis Network India said: “I am extremely proud to announce the launch of DAN Innovation Lab. The facility will function as a central faculty between Dentsu Webchutney, Isobar and Posterscope to bring together the network’s expertise in strategy, technology, design and creativity from across the Group. Keeping creativity at its core, DAN Innovation Lab will focus on generating ideas and fresh business tactics to help drive greater efficiencies and deliver the best possible outcomes for our clients.”

     

    Gurbaksh Singh

    Commenting on his new role, Singh added: “I am deeply honoured to take up this new role. This has opened a whole bunch of opportunities on a much larger playground. Working with multiple creative teams across agencies will only strengthen the creative output. I believe in embracing new makers and sparking curiosity that can lead to incubating a new culture of innovation in the group. Developing new solutions on this new front will be exciting and equally challenging.”

     

     

  • He has previously worked with McCann Worldgroup where he was Head of Creative, South

    Puneet Kapoor joins Lowe Lintas as Regional Creative Officer, South

    By A Correspondent

     

    Lowe Lintas has appointed Puneet Kapoor as its new Regional Creative Officer. He has previously worked with McCann Worldgroup where he was Head of Creative, South.

     

    Puneet Kapoor

    Talking about his new role, Kapoor said: “Lowe Lintas Bangalore has been such a stellar office for many years spewing out one great campaign after the other. It’s a great challenge to add thunder to the impressive repertoire of work and I am really looking forward to collaboration with the teams and clients to do some iconic work.”

     

    Amer Jaleel

    Added Amer Jaleel, Group CCO and Chairman, Mullen Lowe Lintas Group: “We have had a legacy of great creative people from Bengaluru. We have also had the best of brand work originating out of Bengaluru. The connection is more than obvious. We had been on the lookout for someone who was both entrenched in solid brand work and had the more recent portfolio of engaging and contemporary digital conversations. In Puneet we found that and more. A really great team guy and intuitive leader. We are blessed and bonussed!”

     

    Sagar Kapoor

    Commenting on Kapoor’s appointment, Sagar Kapoor, CCO, Lowe Lintas said: “Besides his experience Puneet gets with him truly infectious energy. He is excited about making brands bigger and more popular. He has shown considerable expertise in the Southern region, again working on brands that have a national footprint. We are looking forward to taking the office and our brand partners to the next level.”

     

     

  • But digital media is galloping ahead. It grew 32 in 2019, forecast: 28.4%

    Traditional media grew 6% in 2019. Forecast for 2020: 5.1%: Pitch Madison report

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    The annual Pitch Madison Advertising Report 2020 was released on Thursday in Mumbai with the message that didn’t need much spelling out: traditional media grew only 6% in 2019 and actually degrew in the third and further quarter. The forecast for growth in 2020 is down to 5.1%. But digital media is galloping ahead. It grew 32 in 2019, and the forecast for 2020 is 28.4%.

     

    Said Sam Balsara, Chairman, Madison World: “Whilst 2019 has been a tumultuous year for AdEx, I believe Adex will grow dramatically over the next five years given that we are one of the larger growing economies of the world and already growing at twice the rate of global AdEx (11% vs 5.4%). Despite this India’s contribution to global AdEx is under 2%, which is bound to go up. Advertisers need to experiment more with media and do things differently to harness the power of media for Brands.”

     

    Key findings of the report:

    A. Overall:

    1) In absolute terms, AdEx has grown from Rs. 60,908 crore to Rs. 67,603 crores, an addition of 6,695 crores or 11%. This makes it the 2ndhighest addition to AdEx in a single year in the entire last decade.

    2) The growth rate of 11% in 2019 is lower than the PMAR mid-year projection of 13.4% and last year’s growth of 15%.

    3) 56% of this growth has been contributed by Digital, which has expectedly grown by as much as 32%.  Traditional media has grown by mere 6%

    4) TV still continues to be the largest contributor to AdEx with 37.4% share, followed by Print at 29.7%, Digital at 22.9%. Outdoor at 5.2%, Radio at 3.3% and Cinema at 1.5%. All mediums except Digital and Cinema have lost share.

    5) A quarter-wise analysis shows that unlike in most years, when Quarter 4 shows a blip because of the festive season, this year Quarter 2 showed a blip on the back of IPL, World Cup and General Elections and in fact Quarter 3 and Quarter 4 show a de-growth of 3% and 7% respectively.

     

    B. TV:

    1) After a rocking 2018 when TV AdEx grew by 19%, TV grew by only 8% in 2019.

    2) TV lost 1% share point and its share in the total AdEx stands at 37%, demonstrating that it is vulnerable.

    3) FMCG continues to rule the roost in TV AdEx, contributing 49% although its contribution came down by 1% share point in 2019. Telecom and Auto follow with 12% and 7% contribution respectively. Ecommerce category also gained dramatically during the year by as much as 20% and has reached Rs. 1,320 crore.

    4) The main categories that have fueled the overall growth of Rs. 1,860 crore in 2019 is FMCG (Rs. 740 crore), Telecom (275 crore) and Ecommerce (Rs. 220 crore). Predictably contribution of the Auto sector to the overall growth is negative in 2019 at -4%.

    5) There is a marginal decline in total FCT that has been telecast in 2019, perhaps because of disappearance of the FTA channels, unlike in most previous years when FCT has gone up year on year.

    6) In terms of revenue, Sports genre has grown the highest by as much as 47% and Hindi GEC by about 7%, which leads us to conclude that despite a soft market, these two genres have been able to command a rate increase.

     

    C. Print

    1) Print grew by 3% in 2019, lower than PMAR’s mid-year projected rate of 5%. Whilst this is the 3rdconsecutive year Print has grown less than 5%, it continues to be the 2nd highest contributor after TV with a share of 30%.

    2) Print share in AdEx has gone down from 42% in 2011 to 30% today.

    3) FMCG, Auto, Education, Real Estate and Retail continue to be the main cash cows and contributed almost 50% to Adex in 2019. Ecommerce is fast emerging as an important category for Print and grew 14%, over 2018. Political Parties are estimated to have contributed Rs. 200 crore on account of  Lok Sabha Elections.

    4) Nearly 65% of Print’s growth of Rs. 588 crore is accounted for by 4 categories – Education, Ecommerce, Real Estate and Retail.

    5) In terms of volume there is a 3% decline in 2019. Hindi publications continue to maintain the lead over English Publications, contributing 35% followed by English at a distant 25%.

     

    D. Digital

    1) Digital Adex made impressive gains during the year and achieved a growth rate of 32.1% in 2019, the highest growth achieved by any medium in the year taking Digital AdEx to Rs. 15,467 crore.

    2) Digital has grown at a compound annual growth rate of more than 30% over last 5 years and now contributes 23% of AdEx, an increase of 4% share points over last year.

    3) Search, Social, Video & Display have all equally contributed to the growth of Digital AdEx, with each contributing between 20% to 30% to the total.

    4) Consumption of video is going up year on year and in 2019 video spends grew by as much as 59% beating the Digital AdEx growth of 32%. Almost all of Digital AdEx (94%) is on mobile.

    5) 52% of Digital AdEx came from “classical advertising” ie display banners (22%) and online video (30%).

    6) If we were to combine TV+ Online Video, TV growth of 8% would increase to 16%.

     

    E. Forecast

    1. The PMAR Forecast for 2020 for AdEx is muted. In arriving at the projected growth figure for the whole year at 10.4%, the report is guided by the expectation that the economy should bounce back in the 2ndhalf of 2020 as indicated in the government’s Economic Survey published on January 31, 2020. PMAR therefore sees a subdued H1 for AdEx and a buoyant H2, specially Q4.

    2. We also expect a wide variation of growth rates across mediums with Digital medium leading the growth at 28.4% and ending the year with 27% share of AdEx at Rs. 19,854 to be precise.

    3. TV will continue to be the largest medium with a 36% share of AdEx, but will have a subdued growth rate of 6.8%.

    4. Print will lose 3 percentage points in terms of share of AdEx and end up with a 27% share registering a 2% growth.

    5. Radio and Outdoor are expected to grow at 5% and 6% respectively and maintain their share at 3% and 5%.

    6. Cinema, amongst traditional media should grow at a high growth rate of 20.1% taking its spend to Rs. 1255 crore.

     

     

  • The campaign typifies the ‘locked door’ metaphor to build the campaign narrative – ‘A lock screen isn't dull anymore’

    Glance partners with DDB Mudra to launch TVC

    By A Correspondent

     

    Glance, a subsidiary of InMobi Group, has unveiled a campaign titled ‘Lock It To Rock It’ that’s crafted by the DDB Mudra and launched to communicate the possibilities of a locked screen. The campaign typifies the ‘locked door’ metaphor to build the campaign narrative – ‘A lock screen isn’t dull anymore’.

     

    Said Vishnu Srivatsav, Regional Creative Head – Advertising & Digital, DDB Mudra South, who led the campaign: “Glance as a product is so unique and so unlike anything that’s out there. It’s a combination of content, technology, innovation and beautiful design. To communicate such a differentiated specific proposition is quite challenging, because this amounts to a fundamental behaviour change. But we hit on this great metaphor of locked doors that helped us communicate the lock screen coming alive in a disruptive visual manner.”

     

    Added Bikash Chowdhury, Chief Marketing Officer of Glance: “Being locked out is typically associated with being deprived of something valuable. Glance by design, works on the lock screen and transforms it into a source of entertainment and information. By showcasing Glance in the most unexpected of moments and places, and delivering delight to users, the campaign brings to life the idea that with Glance, locked isn’t dull anymore.”

     

     

  • The agency is based in Ahmedabad

    Zero Gravity bags digital mandate for Red Hunt

    By A Correspondent

     

    Zero Gravity Communications has bagged the national digital media duties for Red Hunt post a multi-agency pitch.

     

    Said Khushboo Solanki Sharma, Founder of Zero Gravity Communications: “We are indeed delighted to find an opportunity to work with such an experienced team at Adjavis Venture Limited. Red Hunt is an up-and-coming brand in the fast-growing FMCG men grooming category. The challenge is to explore new opportunities that digital media platforms can provide to brands in India and the International market. We have outlined a creative strategy, best media mix, and are looking for ROI driven digital action plan that helps the brand portfolio within the targeted audience – youth. We will be closely looking at behaviour economics in the target audience that helps connect with sales and larger brand building. Let’s #gethunted.”

     

    Added Shail Patel, Director at AVL is the brain behind this new brand Red Hunt: “Having launched the men’s range nationally with a communication targeting the youth of today, it was observed that in the men grooming category it’s important to tap the digital space. Digital space is where the youth of today spends a considerable amount of his time. This is the place to tap the potential target audience at one to one. We were looking at various agencies who can help the brand to tap this space. An agency that understands this space, the consumer mindset and subsequently takes this understanding to this consumer most effectively. In this connection, we felt Zero Gravity Communications run by a team of young and energetic people could deliver better and together we can build brand Red Hunt. We are really looking forward to a fruitful association in creating brands which are our DNA.”

     

     

  • Developed by BBDO India, the campaign is being promoted through TV, radio and digital media

    ‘Not working? Try networking’ says BBDO’s new campaign for Idea

    By A Correspondent

     

    Vodafone Idea may be in the news for various other reasons and as a company needs some fresh new ideas for survival, but its brand Idea is moving ahead with a high blitz campaign under the ‘What an idea’ theme to address the issues of unemployment and underemployment. Titled ‘Not working? Try Networking!’, the campaign – developed by BBDO India – showcases the myriad opportunities that internet throws open to people from different age groups and socio-economic backgrounds, across India.

     

    Said Suraja Kishore, CEO – BBDO India: “Brand Idea has been consistent in creating a distinct tone of voice in the category by inspiring imaginatively simple solutions to large complex problems, this campaign is topically relevant in amplifying how connectedness can unlock new possibilities for everyone.”