Independent digital marketing agency AdClear has bagged the digital mandate for Value Research, an investment research company that empowers savers to invest wisely and achieve their lives’ financial goals.
As part of the mandate, AdClear will be handling the entire digital marketing duties which include Social, SEO and Performance – this with the objective of giving the brand a robust online presence that will help it conquer new markets and move younger audience towards planned investment.
Said Dhirendra Kumar, CEO, Value Research: “Value Research has been guiding Indian investors since 1990. We are embarking on an ambitious plan to reach a substantially larger investor base with our unique perspective. We have chosen Ad Clear to help us with digital initiatives encompassing brand knowledge and growth.”
Commenting on the win, Gurbir Singh, CEO, AdClear added: “Value research is the most trusted name in India when it comes to investment advice. Its opinion is rooted in deep research, 29 years of experience and an inclination towards simplifying complex financial choices. Being financially wise early reaps great benefits in the long run and we see a great potential for growth not just in the mature audience but also the young earners. We are excited to partner Value Research and help it inculcate better financial decisions in a large but not yet fully tapped market.”
Ferns N Petals, flower and gifts retailer, has recently appointed Mullen Lintas Delhi to handle its creative duties. The agency will be responsible for the brand’s strategy and creative output.
Commenting on the association, Sai Thota, Head – Digital Marketing, Ferns N Petals said: “The forthcoming campaign that we are currently working on is a landmark one in the journey of Ferns N Petals towards an accelerated growth. Since it is a very important campaign, we have partnered with Mullen Lintas, one of the best creative agencies in the country. We are very confident that this association is going to help Ferns N Petals to get into the next orbit of growth.”
Added Hari Krishnan, CEO, Mullen Lintas: “We are seeing an accelerated evolution across many traditional product categories. Business models are pivoting to keep up with the dynamic environment around us where D2C brands are emerging faster than mushrooms. At such a juncture, to partner a brand like Ferns N Petals to chart it’s future journey is an exciting challenge and we look forward to it.”
Mindshare announced the appointment of Prashant Nandan as the Digital Lead for North & East.
In his new position, Nandan will be responsible for digital strategic direction and leadership within the digital group to deliver communications plans. His role will focus on building a high growth business & driving revenue strategy for Mindshare India.
On the appointment, Gopa Menon, Digital Head – Mindshare South Asia said: “I am very happy to have Prashant join us. He comes with diverse experience in Digital Marketing, Media Planning and Trading. He will play an important role in driving the digital growth for Mindshare North and East. As Mindshare now re-orients its business around the pillars of Acceleration, Outcome and Good Growth, I am looking forward to working with him to shape the continued phase of growth and transformation for our clients.”
Added Ruchi Mathur, Senior Vice President – North and East, Mindshare India said, “ The shape of our business is changing. While we continue to partner with our existing clients in their transformation journeys, we are also seeking new clients from the brand new world. Prashant with his experience and passion will play a key role in driving this new, seamless and good growth narrative for us. Extremely excited to have him on board and look forward to getting into 2022 with a bang.”
Grapes marketing agency has appointed Partha Sengupta as the Creative Director. He will be based out of the agency’s Delhi office and will report to Shradha Agarwal, Chief Operating Officer and Strategy Head at the company. Sengupta will be responsible for the agency’s creative output for brands.
Speaking on the appointment, Shradha Agarwal, COO and Strategy Head, Grapes, said:“We are pleased to welcome Partha to the team. He comes with years of creative experience in the advertising fraternity and is a great asset to us as he holds impeccable expertise in conceptualising and executing creative ideas for brands. I am confident that he will continue to be an amazing leader, he brings not just the experience but the kind of enthusiasm and passion he entails has inspired us. I am sure he will deliver astonishing work, and I could see an exciting time for the agency.”
Partha Sengupta, Creative Director, Grapes, added: “I am extremely excited and ready for the new and exhilarating journey at Grapes. Advertising gives me the scope to solve problems for brands through design, art, and creative strategy. I look forward to working with the teams and assisting them to deliver creative solutions for our clients.”
GroupM, WPP’s media investment group, released its second annual survey on consumer attitudes toward technology in the U.S last week. The results reveal increased concern about sharing personal data, declining interest in buying the latest tech products sooner rather than later, and greater numbers of people confused by technology and its promises overall. Conducted by GroupM’s Audience Origin (formerly LivePanel) in December 2021, this proprietary research surveyed one thousand U.S. consumers on their attitudes toward technology across six general categories: attitudes toward technology, information sharing and privacy, virtual reality-based devices and services, smart appliances, mobile devices and digital services, such as visual search, streaming audio and streaming video.
Survey respondents indicated some material shifts in sentiments around privacy, with greater numbers of people concerned about the use of their data online, fewer willing to share data associated with health trackers or allow smart appliances to automatically refill consumables. Fewer households now believe it is important that they are equipped with the latest technology and greater numbers profess to being confused by new technologies – which we can see in responses to questions regarding VR and AR device access or 5G access – with more saying they will wait until technology becomes cheaper before purchasing devices. Of more direct importance for the advertising industry, a shrinking majority of respondents (73%) said that they would accept having to watch commercials in order to maintain a lower monthly bill for streaming video services versus 76% in last year’s survey.
These trends reinforce the importance of data privacy to consumers and its implications for marketers—including the need to go above and beyond in securing consent from consumers when collecting or otherwise working with their data-to ensure that consumers experience real benefits from the use of that data and to always be mindful of how third-party data used in campaigns has been aggregated. The results also suggest that marketers could benefit from creating more clarity around how their technology products work and their practical benefits for consumers.
Finally, the increasing willingness of consumers to pay to avoid advertising in streaming video services reflected in this survey strengthens GroupM’s instinct that, over time, advertising will become a diminishing feature in this channel. This highlights the challenges that marketers will increasingly face in using TV for reach and frequency-based goals in the future: it will be increasingly important for marketers to either more directly manage TV budgets alongside their spending on UGC-based platforms such as YouTube or to look at the use of TV differently, managing budgets for related campaigns more directly alongside those intended for sports, culture, music or other event sponsorships.
Highlights of the research:
1. General attitudes toward technology. 51% of respondents agree with this statement: “It’s important my household is equipped with the latest technology” versus 54% in our survey last year. 32% of the population somewhat or completely agreed that new technology “confuses me” in the new survey versus 28% last year. 73% agreed that they “wait until technology becomes cheaper before considering a purchase” versus 69% last year.
2. Information sharing and privacy.77% of respondents strongly or somewhat agree with the statement “I worry about how companies use my personal data online” in our most recent survey, up from 72% in last year’s survey. 51% of respondents believe that only they should have access to health-related data from fitness trackers. The comparable figure was 55% in last year’s survey. As with last year, only a small share of the population believes that the company that made the device or software should have access (5.4% this year versus 6.9% last year).
3. New services and devices: VR/AR, 5G and Smart Device-Based Consumables. Virtual or Augmented Reality: 32% of respondents claimed to own a VR or AR device in our most recent survey, with 15% claiming they are likely to buy such a device in the next 12 months. Consumer perceptions of what, exactly, such a device is may not be commonly shared, as last year 39% claimed to own one, with 22% planning to buy one. Looking at 5G devices, 60% of respondents said they have a 5G device such as a mobile phone that can connect to a 5G network, up from 49% last year. Among the 40% of the population without a 5G connected device, more than a third expect to acquire such a device this year. As with VR/AR, consumer understanding of 5G may not fully match the reality of the product, as third-party estimates of shipments of rates of 5G devices in the United States major U.S. carriers imply substantially lower figures. In the world of smart devices, 31% agreed that they would like a home appliance to “automatically order replacements when I am running out of related products” (i.e.: a washing machine ordering new detergent or a refrigerator ordering food). By contrast, the comparable figure was 48% last year. While it is possible the driver of this sentiment change is related to a lack of satisfaction with related products, we also note that this trend is coinciding with greater concerns around privacy illustrated above.
4. Advertising trade-offs on streaming services. Asked, “If it meant a lower monthly bill for your streaming services, how likely would you accept having to watch commercials?” 73% agreed with this statement in our newest survey versus 76% last year. Access to ad-free or ad-lite subscription services remains high, consistent with data observed through public filings made by the operators of streaming services.
Havas Group India has appointed Sumeer Mathur as National Planning Head & Managing Partner, Havas Worldwide India – the creative agency of the group with immediate effect.
Mathur will be partnering Manas Lahiri, Managing Director and Ravinder Siwach, ED & NCD of Havas Worldwide (Creative) and collaborate with key clients including Reckitt, Citroën, Dabur, Suzuki, William Grant, Tata and Harman (JBL) among many others. He will be based out of the Gurugram office and report to Rana Barua, Group CEO, Havas Group India.
Talking about this appointment, Barua said: “The last two years have been game-changer for Havas Worldwide India. We have been relentless, focused and committed. This led to exponential growth, effective partnerships, and addition of several marquee clients. We need to now build a strong integrated leadership team that aggressively takes this growth mandate ahead. With Sumeer, Manas, Ravinder, Arindam, Prashant, Geet and all the other leaders forming the core team, it will further fuel our growth and empower us to deliver meaningful, ROI-centric marketing solutions for our clients. I am confident that Sumeer will drive this mandate quite effortlessly.”
Adding further, Bobby Pawar, Chairman and Chief Creative Officer, Havas Group India, said: “The meaningful difference we make to our client’s business through our differentiated products, digital-led strategic solutions and engaging storytelling, is what led us to the top league in the industry. Sumeer will drive this further. Throughout his career, Sumeer has worked with strong business teams, delivering tangible business results. His keen interest in understanding what drives culture, what motivates consumers, and how digital technologies are reshaping brand interactions will add a tremendous value to our strategic planning function.”
Havas Media Group India has announced the elevation of Uday Mohan to the role of President and Chief Client Officer, effective immediately. Mohan will continue to report into Mohit Joshi, CEO, Havas Media Group India. Mohan has spent 14 years with Havas Media
Said Rana Barua, Group CEO, Havas Group India: “We have been consolidating the senior leadership teams of each of our agencies. Going forward, these leaders will not only drive our business growth but will further fortify our vision of integration, enhance our reputation, and help secure greater milestones and accomplishments. Uday’s experience and client partnerships make him the apt leader to drive this for HMG India with Mohit’s vision.”
Added Joshi: “I have completed 15 years with Havas Media Group India, while Uday has spent 14 years. Uday is a friend, partner and key to the resurgence of the Media Group in the last few years. He has been working closely with me and the leadership team to turn around Gurugram operations into one of the largest in India; and in scaling up the Mumbai operations by forging strong client relationships, wins with marquee clients such as Tata Motors CVBU, TVS Tyres, ACC and Ambuja Cement among others. I look forward to his continued support and leadership”.
Commenting on his new role, Mohan said: “I have spent a long innings with HMG India and witnessed the agency go through several transformations. However, the innovations, integration and collaborations in the past three years have been unprecedented and put us in the top league in the country. I thank the group for empowering with newer challenges and look forward to working with the leadership team, many wonderful clients and colleagues, launching newer expertise, to consolidate our strengths further.”
GroupM, the media investment group of WPP, has announced the appointment of Parthasarathy Mandayam (Maps) as Chief Strategy Officer – GroupM South Asia and Amin Lakhani as Chief Executive Officer – Mindshare South Asia, a position held until now by Maps.
The role of GroupM Chief Strategy Officer will be to channel data, technology, consumer understanding to chart the growth and transformation agenda. Map’s appointment into the new role is part of the strategy that envisions doubling the focus with a significant shift on new-age technologies, products and offerings that require a transformation of both GroupM and client businesses. He will report to Prasanth ‘PK’ Kumar, CEO GroupM South Asia.
Said Parthasarathy ‘Maps’ Mandayam: “I am extremely grateful to have such an amazing journey at GroupM. I think learning and change have always been a part of my career here. Furthermore, as our offerings become more specialised, we need to ensure synergy and seamless flow of expertise between the various players both internal, WPP and external to get the full benefits of both scale and specialisation. As I steer through this journey I will continue to push forward with the growth and transformation agenda to bring in significant synergies between new-age data, technology, consulting, products and offerings for our clients and internal stakeholders.”
Added Lakhani: “We want to build on this existing momentum and drive Mindshare ‘Good Growth’ for our clients. New age data, technology, creativity, research, consulting, and products will play a major role in this journey. Our industry has always witnessed change. We’ve been at the centre of it and currently, the world is also witnessing this. Hence as marketers, we need to take charge and lead this journey for our clients and brands. I am excited for this next phase of my journey, and I would like to thank the team for believing in me.”
Lakhani will report to Prasanth Kumar, CEO GroupM South Asia and Helen McRae, CEO Mindshare Asia Pacific.
Said McRae: “Both Maps and Amin are distinguished leaders who have brought energy, skill and leadership, to the Mindshare Group over the past few years in office. They have both led the agency with their invaluable expertise bringing immense value for our clients and internal teams. Mindshare’s achievements and client success journeys over the last few years narrate the business acumen of both Maps and Amin. I congratulate them both and wish them the very best for their new roles!”
Added Prasanth ‘PK’ Kumar: “We have witnessed a significant consolidation of existing businesses, with deeper penetration of our new core offerings under their tutelage. Both have been instrumental in strengthening and reinvigorating the agency as it stands today. I have the utmost confidence in their expertise and know that both Maps and Amin will continue to drive innovation and further transformations in their future roles. I wish them the very best!”
Rediffusion has announced that Kaevan Umrigar has joined its Mumbai office as Executive Creative Director. In a career spanning more than two decades, Umrigar has been both a writer and a filmmaker, and has worked with advertising agencies like Contract, Everest and Dentsu Aegis on brands such as Cadbury, Hidesign, IFB, BPL, Business Standard, Indian Navy and Fair & Lovely.
Kaevan’s documentaries on the Parsi community have been showcased at various international film festivals and won a National Award. A local history buff, he has also co-authored a book and several articles on Mumbai’s history and heritage.
Said Kalyani Srivastava, Executive Vice-President and Head of Rediffusion, Mumbai: “Kaevan is a multi-faceted personality with interests that go beyond just advertising. He is fun to work with. Has a wry sense of humour. And that reflects in his work which most times has a sense of effervescence, joy and well-being that is not easy to describe,”
Publicis Groupe India has announced the elevation and appointment of Roopesh Pujari, to Chief Technology Officer for the market effective January 2022. In this role, Pujari will steer the development of all technology capabilities across the Groupe in India including expansion of cloud solutions, platform integration, capability and capacity building and streamlining partners.
Commenting on the appointment Anupriya Acharya, CEO, Publicis Groupe South Asia said: “Given the rapidly evolving landscape around 5G, Web 3.0, Metaverse, NFTs, Blockchain, Crypto and the like, technology roadmap is central to the success of any business. The new role will aid us in futureproofing our organisation as well as enabling the right support to client strategies. And Roopesh not only brings the right experience and competence but comes in with an exemplary track-record from within our organisation.”
Havas Group India is now ready to flag off Chapter 2 of its internship programme, Havas Spark.
Last year, Havas Group India recruited 13 interns through this programme. This year the network aims to scale it up further.
Rana Barua
Said Rana Barua, Group CEO, Havas Group India: “It gives me immense joy to announce Havas SPARK 2. Effective leadership is not just about building successful businesses, but ensuring a strong future is constructed to carry forward the legacy. What began as a means to introduce fresh talent in our industry has now become a programme that sets an example across the country on identifying, mentoring and nurturing talent.”
Vandana Tilwani
Added Vandana Tilwani, CHRO, Havas Group India: “Armed with training through the Havas SPARK programme, these young millennials get the best exposure to the industry and become well-versed with its way of working. By the time they graduate, we already have a team ready to display their best skills. Our practical and structured approach ensures that the interns become much-sought-after in the industry once they successfully complete the programme. Honing these young minds during the maiden programme has also taught us the value of having the right attitude. The interns of our first batch are now firmly entrenched in the Havas Group India family as management executives, and we can’t wait to meet our new batch and again begin a journey that has been so gratifying.”
The Dentsu network released its annual digital report on Tuesday.
Narayan Devanathan
Said Narayan Devanathan, Chief Client Officer, Dentsu India: “Notwithstanding the devastation caused by Covid-19’s second wave in 2021, we have seen a dramatic upsurge in digital in ways we have not seen before. Digital advertising in India is expected to equal (if not surpass) the previously-impregnable fortress of TV advertising by 2023, clocking in at Rs. 35,809 crore out of an expected total advertising of Rs. 93,119 crore. Accelerating this trend and underscoring it, has proved that even in 2021, 75% of digital advertising spends was recorded on mobile devices – signalling mass India’s leapfrog into the digital era. With the requisite caution in the face of the varying strains of the pandemic notwithstanding, India will continue to rise in the global economy in the coming years, driven by digital. In that context, the importance and utility of a comprehensive, authoritative and trustworthy census of the digital-driven advertising landscape cannot be underestimated. The 2022 edition of the ‘dentsu Digital Report’ has been put together to act as an enabler as well as expansive assimilation of all the action in the Indian advertising landscape so that we all have one vocabulary, one source of truth to turn to in harnessing its potential.”
Key Highlights:
:: The Indian advertising industry currently stands at Rs. 70,715 crore, having grown at 18.6% over 2020. It is expected to reach Rs. 93,119 crore by the end of 2023, growing at a CAGR of 14.75%.
:: The digital advertising industry has witnessed a growth in market size from Rs. 15,782 crore in 2020 to Rs. 21,353 crore in 2021, growing at 35.3%. Digital media is expected to grow at 29.5% CAGR to reach a market size of Rs. 35,809 crore by 2023.
:: In 2021, television claimed the largest share of media spending at 42% (Rs. 29,279 crore), followed by digital (30%, Rs. 21,353 crore) and print (24%, Rs. 16,599 crore).
:: Currently, FMCG has the highest contribution of 34% (Rs. 23,736 crore) towards the Indian advertising industry, followed by e-commerce (14%, Rs. 9,619 crore) and automotive (7%, Rs. 4,745 crore).
:: The biggest contributors to the digital media industry are FMCG with 42% (Rs. 8,928 crore), e-commerce (17%, Rs. 3,607 crore), consumer durables (6%, Rs. 1,368 crore) and pharmaceutical (5%, Rs. 1,124 crore).
:: Spends on digital media are led by social media, which has the largest share of 29% (Rs. 6,218 crore), closely followed by online video (28%, Rs. 5,907 crore) and paid search (23%, Rs. 5,039 crore).
:: FMCG, education and media & entertainment verticals spend the largest share of their digital media budget on online video, while pharmaceuticals and e-commerce spend the most on paid search.
:: The rapid increase in mobile usage and improved internet infrastructure have led to 75% (Rs. 16,015 crore) of digital media spending on mobile devices. Most of the online expenditure on mobile devices goes to social media (30%) and online video (30%).
:: The changing consumer behaviour is paving the way for conversational commerce. E-commerce in India is evolving in the form of social commerce, video commerce, voice commerce and hyperlocal / Business to Consumer (B2C) commerce and expanding its realm into other media. Micropayment mechanisms will accelerate this evolution further.
:: The shift in technology is resulting in a widespread acceleration to the digital transformation of businesses and consumers. This is leading the way to media convergence with business delivery models taking a more organic form, independent of the individual medium.
