MxMIndia

Category: ADVERTISING

  • The online home store has appointed Bang in the Middle as its communication partner

    FabFurnish appoints Bang in the Middle as creative agency

    By A Correspondent

     

    Online home store FabFurnish.com has appointed Bang in the Middle as its communication partner. Appointed after a multi-agency pitch, Bang in the Middle has commenced work on the brand leveraging both online and offline communication mediums.

     

    Said Vaibhav Aggarwal, Co-founder, Fabfurnish.com: “We are poised for the next phase of growth. Till now, we have been very successful in building a wide consumer base for ourselves. Today, we are the largest player in this space.And, in due course, we want to become even larger. Our new communication will ensure that we become an even stronger leader in the furniture and furnishings market.”

     

    Naresh Gupta

    Added Naresh Gupta, Managing Partner, Bang in the Middle: “FabFurnish is a great brand to be associated with. Our understanding and expertise across digital and mainstream medium is what helped us win the mandate. FabFurnish.com is a very challenging brief. Our new work will make the brand stronger.”

     

  • The Effie 2013 awards night will be held on Wednesday, January 15 in Mumbai at the Turf Club.

    177 case studies shortlisted for Effie 2013

    By A Correspondent

     

    As the date for the 2013 edition of the Indian Effie gets closer, the Advertising Club has released the details of the 177 case studies shortlisted for Round 2 of the judging held in Mumbai and Delhi.

     

    The Effie 2013 awards night will now be held on Friday, January 17 at the Taj Lands End and not January 15 at the Turf Club as announced earlier.

     

     

  • Platinum Media won the account of Lafarge India in Kolkata in a multi-agency pitch. The account will be handled out of the agency's Kolkata office.

    Madison’s Platinum wins Lafarge Cement Media AOR

    By A Correspondent

     

    Platinum Media, a part of Madison Media Group, has started 2014 with a bang by winning the account of Lafarge India in Kolkata in a multi-agency pitch. The other agencies that participated in the pitch are Mindshare, Dentsu and incumbent agency Havas. Lafarge’s mediaspend is estimated to be pretty sizeable and will grow substantially over the next year looking at its expanded market in North India. The account will be handled out of the Kolkata office.

     

    Commenting on this development, Aniruddha Sinha, Assistant Vice President, Lafarge India, said, “Madison Media has extensive understanding of the Indian media scenario and their approach and innovative media solutions will enable us to drive impactful media presence across our audience segments. ”

     

    Says Basabdatta Chowdhuri, CEO, Platinum Media, “We are delighted with this new win and are confident that we can add strategic value in making the Lafarge brand, a household name across the country.”

     

  • Canaan Partners has led a Rs 35-crore investment into Bengaluru-based digital media technology company SureWaves MediaTech

    SureWaves bags Rs 35-crore deal to hire talent, innovate

    By Peerzada Abrar

     

    Canaan Partners, a multi-billion dollar global venture capital firm, has led a Rs 35-crore investment into Bengaluru-based digital media technology company SureWaves MediaTech. Existing investors, India Innovation Fund and Accel Partners, also participated in the round.

     

    SureWaves which provides advertising technology to customers such as food company Nestle, healthcare products maker Johnson & Johnson and consumer goods company Hindustan Unilever will use the funds to hire talent, tap global markets and support innovation.

     

    “We will be targeting several emerging and developed countries,” said SureWaves MD Rajendra Khare, who believes their technology is first of its kind, as even in developed markets like United States, an automated centralised solution for insertion and real-time monitoring of ads across multiple television channels is not available.

     

    Source:The Economic Times

    Copyright © 2014, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved

    Licensed to republish

     

  • The Chief Marketing Officer – Financial Services, Aditya Birla Group and Head of Effie Awards India 2013 has been invited to be a Head of Jury at the APAC Effie 2014

    Ajay Kakar is Head of Jury at APAC Effie Awards 2014

    By A Correspondent

     

    Ajay Kakar, Chief Marketing Officer – Financial Services, Aditya Birla Group and head of Effie India has been appointed as Head of Jury at the Asia Pacific Effie.

     

    The APAC Effie has announced the first two of the four heads of jury who will form the Judging Committee for its 2014 Awards. Mr Kakar and Ben Lightfoot, CEO, McCann Worldgroup Singapore are the two names announced.

     

    On his appointment as a Head of Jury, Mr Kakar said: “Having chaired the Effie India Awards for the last three years, I am indeed honored to now be invited as a Head of Jury for the APAC awards. In recent years, the need and demand for work that works in the market place, have given the Effie award a pride of place on the shelves of both agencies and marketers. As a Head of Jury I do look forward to the exciting opportunity to review the most insightful and impactful campaigns from across the region.”

     

    Said Mr Lightfood, who also helms the role of a committee member of the APAC Effie and is Chiarman of Effie Singapore: “We have seen so much great work come out of our region, both in terms of creativity as well as effectiveness. I am really excited to see how the strategies developed led to innovative integrated creative solutions. Strategies unique for Asia Pacific, that broke away from category norms and delivered exceptional results.”

     

    Commenting on the appointments, Connie Chan, 2014 Awards Chairman said: “We’re delighted to welcome the Heads of Jury on board the Judging Committee. The rich experience and expertise of these heads make up a powerful composition for the judging committee, with a good mix of industry leaders from different backgrounds across APAC. We look forward to the great dynamics arising from the interaction and tapping on their perspectives in the judging sessions.”

     

    Finalists will be announced in end of February 2014, with the Awards Gala set to take place in Singapore in April 2014. More info at www.apaceffie.com.

     

  • A new TVC from Livon Hair Gain Tonic attempts an emotional connect with consumers

    DDB Mudra revitalises Livon Hair Gain’s hair promise

    By A Correspondent

     

    A new campaign from Livon Hair Gain Tonic created by DDB Mudra attempts to work at an emotional level with men. The endeavour of the campaign is to help men overcome the cynicism and establish Livon Hair Gain as a credible solution to address the problem. The TVC “Kyun yeh zindagi” shows a young man facing hair loss holding back from enjoying and participating in everyday situations.

     

    According to a Marico spokesperson, the TVC “engages the audience with a realistic portrayal of moments in their life. Combined with activations in the digital space and on-ground in the chemist channel, we are looking at growing this recently acquired brand with the new campaign”.

     

    Sonal Dabral
    Sonal Dabral

    Commenting on the campaign, Sonal Dabral, Chairman & Chief Creative Officer, DDB Mudra Group, said, “Hair loss is an extremely sensitive issue. It was crucial therefore to communicate our offering with honesty and a high degree of empathy. We are happy that we have been able to create a campaign that is insightful, authentic and most importantly speaks straight to the heart of our target audience.”

     

  • Aidem's recently launched digital brand solutions arm Zirca has appointed Anand Thakur as National Sales Head

    Anand Thakur joins Aidem’s Zirca as sales head

    By A Correspondent

     

    Anand Thakur

    Aidem’s recently launched digital brand solutions arm Zirca has appointed Anand Thakur as National Sales Head.

     

    Mr Thakur comes with more than 8 years’ experience in the digital media space. He will be heading the sales function for Zirca Digital Solutions and will also look into data and technology partnerships and sales strategy.

     

    Before joining Zirca, he was Account Manager for BBC Worldwide and earlier with Star India’s interactive division.

     

    Speaking on his new responsibility, Mr Thakur said: “On the back of rising internet penetration and content consumption, the online advertising market has emerged as one of the fastest growing segments in the Indian Media. With its distinct product differentiation, Zirca will add value to brands through engagement.”

     

    Neena Dasgupta

    Said Neena Dasgupta, Senior VP, Zirca: “We are extremely excited to have Anand on board, as a part of our leadership team to spearhead the Sales function. He comes with a rich experience in the digital medium and we are confident that his addition will strengthen our leadership team.”

     

  • The Festival of Media Asia-Pacific (FOMAP) has announced its agenda for the 2014 conference scheduled to be held from March 16 to 18 in Singapore.

    Starbucks’ Manmeet Vohra to speak at FOMA APAC

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Festival of Media Asia-Pacific (FOMAP) has announced its agenda for the 2014 conference scheduled to be held from March 16 to 18 in Singapore. The fest hopes to bring together media owners, agencies and brands for three days of networking, celebration and speaker sessions.

     

    Highlights of the 2014 event include a session hosted by Charlie Crowe, Founder of Festival of Media and Chairman of C Squared in conversation with Steve Mosko, President, Sony Pictures Television. In another session, Professor Jerry Wind, Wharton Future of Advertising Program, and Rose Tsou, Senior Vice-President, Yahoo! APAC, will explore native advertising via the results of research exclusive to the Festival. Scott Lamb, Vice-President International, Buzzfeed, a pioneer in native advertising, will also talk about shareable content and the opportunities it affords advertisers. This year’s event will feature Peter Vessenes, Founder and CEO, CoinLab and Chairman, Bitcoin Foundation, who will address the impact of Bitcoin on the future of the media buying industry.

     

    Other highlights include a session with Manmeet Vohra, Marketing Director at Tata Starbucks on the US coffee giant’s joint venture with the Tatas and the attempt at turning the massive tea-drinking nation into a country of latte sippers. Among other confirmed speakers are  Lakshmi Pratury, Host & Curator, The INK Conference and Vipul Chawla, Vice-President and CMO, Yum! Asia.

     

    Charlie Crowe, Founder of Festival of Media and Chairman of C Squared said, “Asia-Pacific continues to be a global hub for media innovation and excellence, and this year’s event will see some of the region’s pioneering media leaders come together to offer a unique perspective on the challenges and opportunities faced by businesses in Asia Pacific. As always, we pride ourselves on offering the latest research, fascinating industry case-studies and educated commentary on the industry issues making the headlines, to provide our delegates with an educational and above all else, enjoyable event.”

     

    For more information on the 2014 agenda and delegate registrations, visit the Festival of Media Asia Pacific 2014 website here.

     

  • The session titled 'Broadcast Branding with DixonBaxi' will feature the minds behind leading London-based brand agency DixonBaxi – co-founder Aporva Baxi and Tim Watson, Head of Strategy

    Kyoorius announces second edition of FYIdays with DixonBaxi

    By A Correspondent

     

    Kyoorius, a not-for-profit initiative by Transasia Fine Papers has announced the second edition of the Kyoorius FYIday series of workshops and knowledge sessions (*See Disclosure).

     

    Tim Watson

    The second edition titled ‘Broadcast Branding with DixonBaxi’ will feature the minds behind leading London-based brand agency DixonBaxi – Aporva Baxi- Co-Founder and Tim Watson, Head of Strategy, share insights on the work they do to help clients find their brand purpose and build brand fame.

     

    The firm has also done work for like Star India, Movies Now, Formula 1, Viacom and Nokia in their refresh and/or brand-imaging alignment.

     

     

    Aporva Baxi

    The Kyoorius FYIday with DixonBaxi will be flagged off in Delhi on January 23, Bengaluru on January 24 and Mumbai on January 25.

     

    Said Aporva Baxi, Co-Founder, DixonBaxi: said, “Building a brand can be daunting and stressful. It is important to first understand what is the vision of the brand you want to create.”

     

     

    Rajesh Kejriwal

    Rajesh Kejriwal, Founder and CEO, Kyoorius said, “India is becoming a place where the best of design in Asia is coming alive and it is imperative to nurture this talent. After an overwhelming response at the launch of FYIday last year, we began working more closely with D&AD to extend this knowledge sharing platform to a wider audience.”

     

    Over a period of time, the Kyoorius FYIday will features speakers from specific disciplines – Typography, Broadcast Design, Publication Design, Strategic Planning, Strategic Branding, Retail design, Architecture, Product Design, etc. conducting seminars, workshops and training sessions throughout the year and across the nation – leading up to the annual design conference – Kyoorius Designyatra.

     

    Registrations opened yesterday (Jan 14) and close on January 21 at www.kyoorius.com/fyiday/

     

    *Disclosure: MxMIndia is a media partner of Kyoorius FYIdays

     

  • European frozen foods major Iglo Group has hired Havas Media as its global media buying agency

    Havas awarded global media buying role for Iglo group

    By A Correspondent

     

    European frozen foods major Iglo Group has hired Havas Media as its global media buying agency. This follows the appointment of Havas Worldwide as the group’s global brand positioning and advertising agency in Q4 of 2013.

     

    Havas Media was selected after a competitive pitch process which included Iglo Group’s incumbent agencies. Havas Media presented a compelling proposal that best met the Group’s selection criteria.

     

    Commenting on the appointment, Iglo Group’s CEO, Elio Leoni Sceti said: “After a highly competitive pitch process, I am delighted to announce the appointment of Havas Media as our global media buying agency. The appointment will give us the ability to have a fully joined-up approach to our creative and media communication. This new approach to our marketing and the Iglo brand is central to our new growth strategy that aims to double the size of the business by 2020.”

     

    Said Marc Schader Global Chief Commercial Officer, Havas Media Group added: “We are honoured to become Iglo Group’s partner across Europe and look forward to helping them achieve their exciting and ambitious targets.”

     

    Iglo Group products are available in 11 countries and distribute across a number of other countries in Central and Eastern Europe.  The core brands are Birds Eye, Iglo and Findus and the range of products are from frozen foods and ready meals to bakery products and desserts.

     

  • The Chairperson of Ad Club's Effie 2013 on the 20 percent increase in entries and how effectiveness, more than just creativity, is what clients seek

    Clients want works that work: Ajay Kakar

     

    A quick chat with Ajay Kakar, Chief Marketing Officer – Financial Services, Aditya Birla Group who is also Chairperson of Effie 2013 on the eve of the annual advertising effectiveness awards. Effie 2013, which is is scheduled to take place tomorrow, Friday, January 17 at the Taj Lands End, received 419 entries, a 20 percent hike from last year. Excerpts from an interview with MxMIndia…

     

    We’ve had a tough 2013 for marketing and adspends given the slowdown. So did that have an impact on the entries for Effie this year?

    Well, whether the times are good or bad, marketers always wish to have more budgets. The pressure on budgets is always there. And therefore the demand and the need for measurable results that work for either the brand or the business will stay high. In current times, where there is a cautious optimism, people will want to know what they can expect for their rupee. Therefore, going forward, effectiveness is going to be the primary measure of success for an agency.

     

    But for a creative agency, the ultimate high continues to be a creative award.

    So that’s why I said for agencies tomorrow and for marketers and brands today. A creative agency loves to do creative work. A client wants works that work. The ideal from a brand perspective is creativity that works in the marketplace.

     

    Given that we’ve had problems with the Creative Abby last year, what is it that seems to be happening right at the Effie and not so at the Abby?

    I can’t comment on what’s not happening at the Abby, but there are two clear distinctions with the Effie. This is the only award that recognizes work that works in the marketplace. Two, it recognizes both the client and the agency.

     

    According to me, clients are very keen to be aligned to the need for effectiveness. And when you have a client who’s aligned, the agency alignment becomes much easier. So I can see that Effie has a common alignment of clients and agencies. Both are agreed that effectiveness is good. Or effectiveness should be good. Creativity, by clients at large, is yet seen as an indulgence of the advertising fraternity but effectiveness is something clients expect, demand, appreciate and therefore agencies are becoming more and more proud that they have campaigns that are working in the marketplace. For the key agencies will soon say my work works in creativity and in effectiveness.

     

    Also, in the case of the Effie, you don’t have cases of proactive work or plagiarism, right?

    First, as I said, it’s a common agenda. Second, we have clients, planners and the numbers guys judging. Three, yes you’re right, the “scams/ plagiarism/done-for-the-sake-of-an-award” entries aren’t possible drivers of this award. Also, if you look at the constitution of the jury, we aspire to have a 70-30 ratio in favour of clients and within agencies we’ve brought in creative and media agencies. We’ve brought in business heads or planning heads and we have electronic voting.

     

    And…

    Before you ask the next question, I must also say that we announced the shortlists only a day after the final judging was done. We were being overcautious, and didn’t want people allege that there was any influencing. In fact when the jury came in for the second round of juding, they didn’t know entries they would be required to look at.

     

    You also have Lowe Lintas and Ogilvy participating!

    We have 50 agencies participating and the excitement isn’t just restricted to the big agencies. All agencies want to do effective work for all their clients. We’ve had a 20 percent increase in entries with as many as 419 entries this year. The entry fee is Rs 21,000 so it’s not like a free thing or a case of ‘jeetega toh jeetega, haarega toh harega’. Every entry and client sends is the best of the best. They are backing it with money.

     

    Any changes from last year?

    Every year we have a meeting of all the thought leaders of the industry for feedback and improvements that need to be taken. So that’s how I think we refined the awards this year. For example, people said that we should sharpen our definition for the ‘David versus Goliath’ category. Similary for CSR etc.

     

    Last year, we saw Mindshare shortlisted. This year, only creative agencies appear and only few others appear to be in the final shortlist.

    Yes, that’s a coincidence, but the fact is that anyone is allowed to enter. It’s not just creative agencies. You can even have clients entering, and they did. For example, there is a Marico entry from its agency and there’s something, the company entered directly.

     

    One final question: why such a delay in holding the Effie this year. In 2008, you had it on November 26, the day the terror strike happened. And this time, it’s on Jan 17, with a last-minute change in the date… all well?

    The delay happened because of the holidays that came in. We had one round of judging – in Delhi, before the holidays, and the second after that. Also, on the last-minute change in the date and venue, it happened because of a problem with the venue and the contract they had. In fact we are lucky, we got the Taj Lands End.

     

    Even luck is favouring effectiveness!

    (Laughs)

     

  • Arijit Ray will lead New Business Development at Dentsu India Group as Simi Sabhaney, former President (Bengaluru and Chennai) at Ogilvy India moves into his role

    Arijit Ray moves to group role as Simi Sabhaney joins Dentsu Comm as CEO

    By A Correspondent [updated]

     

    Simi Sabhaney
    Arijit Ray

    Dentsu India Group announced the appointment of Simi Sabhaney as Chief Executive Officer of Dentsu Communications.  Ms Sabhaney, former President (Bengaluru and Chennai) at Ogilvy India, has spent over 23 years at the agency and will be based in Bengaluru (given some key Dentsu clients based there).

     

     

    Rohit Ohri

    Welcoming her, Rohit Ohri, Executive Chairman of the Dentsu India Group, said: “It’s been great going for us at Dentsu Communications. I’m looking to Simi to now lead the agency into it’s next phase of growth. Simi’s vast experience on diverse categories will truly add value to our client’s brands and businesses.”

     

    Meanwhile, Arijit Ray, who headed the agency, will now lead new business development across the group. Commenting on Mr Ray’s move to the group role, Mr Ohri said: “Arijit has been a great partner to me in Dentsu’s new exciting journey in India. I now wish to leverage his strengths in new business development for the entire group. I wish him all the luck in his new role. “