MxMIndia

Category: ADVERTISING

  • JWT and McCann Erickson India six Pencils as Ogilvy wins three as BBDO, Grey, DDB Mudra and Handloom Picture Company bag one Pencil Each

    JWT, McCann star in India’s tally of 19 @ D&AD 2015

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    Okay, so we don’;t know the colours of Pencils won, but we do know that Indian entries have brought back 19 ‘Pencils’ at the D&AD international awards for creativity, the judging for which concluded yesterday. JWT and McCann Erickson India six Pencils as Ogilvy wins three as BBDO, Grey, DDB Mudra and Handloom Picture Company bag one Pencil each (see table below).

     

    Overall, there are two sets of joint winners. Assuming they continue that way given the Pencils won, India would be ranked at #9, else at #12. As manyas 848 Pencils were awarded with UK topping the country table, followed by the US (2nd) and Brazil, German and Japan being the Joint Third. AMV BBDO top awarded agency In the region, Pakistan gets three Pencils and Sri Lanka one. Indian entries had won 25 Pencils in the previous edition of the D&AD awards.

     

    The 53rd D&AD Judging Week saw 85 countries were vying for a coveted Pencil, with 197 of the world’s top creatives debating the toughest prize in the industry.

     

    At the judging, India was represented with six creatives, including one jury foreman: Jury Foreman: Piyush Pandey, Executive Chairman and Creative Director at Ogilvy & Mather Mumbai (Press Advertising); Meera Sharath Chandra, Founder & Chief Creative Officer at Tigress Tigress (Digital Advertising); Preeti Vyas, CEO at Vyas Giannetti Creative (Crafts for Advertising); Senthil Kumar, Executive Creative Director at JWT Bangalore (Film Advertising); Sonal Dabral, Chief Executive Creative at DDB Mudra Group (Outdoor Advertising); Ektaa Aggarwal, Creative Director at Landor Associates Mumbai (Branding).

     

    Entrants can visit www.dandad.org to see if they’ve won a Pencil, but they will have to wait until the Ceremony on May 21 to see what kind - Wood, Graphite, Yellow, Black, White.

     

    As mentioned earlier, the Top 5 ranking countries for Pencils won are:

    :: UK – 240 Pencils
    :: US – 145 Pencils
    :: Brazil, Germany & Japan – 44 Pencils (Joint 3rd)

     

    The Top 10 ranking agencies by Pencils won are:

    :: AMV BBDO – 21 Pencils
    :: R/GA – 18 Pencils
    :: BBDO New York – 13 Pencils
    :: adam&eveDDB and Grey London – 11 Pencils (Joint 4th)
    :: Leo Burnett Canada Toronto – 11 Pencils
    :: Droga5, Kolle Rebbe and Wieden+Kennedy London – 9 Pencils (Joint 7th)
    :: AlmapBBDO and Leo Burnett London – 8 Pencils (Joint 10th)

     

    Said D&AD CEO Tim Lindsay: “It’s been a very special year for D&AD Judging. We’ve flung open the doors of our new home at the Truman Brewery in East London so members of the public can come and see how D&AD makes its decisions. A Pencil is the toughest creative award on Earth to win, and we’re proud of the rigour the judges apply to their decisions. After all, their names end up in The Book along with the winners.”

     

    He added: I’m pleased that the White Pencil has had a record number of entries this year. Creative people have the resources at their disposal to engender major changes to the way we behave – and applied to good causes there can be no better way to use our industry’s talents. With our new Pencils (Wood and Graphite in addition to Yellow, Black and White) we have simplified the Awards system this year. Entrants can find out if they’ve won a Pencil by logging on to the D&AD website, but they’ll have to wait until the Ceremony on the 21st May to find out which one.’”

     

    There are no quotas for awards at D&AD. Therefore the number of awarded entries fluctuates year to year. Some years no Black Pencils are awarded: the record currently stands at just six. Traditionally the toughest of the awards shows, the judging process is famously rigorous, with the juries only selecting work they believe is truly exceptional.

     

     

  • Next week, all jury members for the Advertising & Digital Awards will gather in Mumbai-India to review, discuss and elect the best

    Kyoorius Awards gets 1419 entries across ad & digital

    By A Correspondent

     

    The final tally at the 2015 Kyoorius Advertising & Digital Awards has been revealed. 1419 entries have been submitted by Indian agencies and studios, at the second session of the Kyoorius Advertising & Digital Awards. This is a jump of over 40 per cent from last year’s total tally of 988 entries from Advertising & Digital Awards.

     

    Participating agencies include DDB Mudra, Ogilvy & Mather, Madison Group, Grey Worldwide, Contract Advertising, Creativeland Asia, Scarecrow Communication, Linen Advertising, Itsa Brand Solutions, Webchutney, Isobar, Rediffusion Y&R, Ideas@Work and BBH, to name a few.

     

    Rajesh Kejriwal

    Rajesh Kejriwal, Founder CEO of Kyoorius said, “This number has been very encouraging, and a sign of acceptance by the industry. Kyoorius thanks all agencies for their support. We look forward to a packed jury session next week as these entries battle it out for Blue and Black Elephants.”

     

    Next week, all jury members for the Advertising & Digital Awards will gather in Mumbai-India to review, discuss and elect the best of the best over an intensive four-day session. To make the judging process as transparent and open as possible, members from the industry are invited to see the jury in action at Nehru Centre from 29th April to 1st May. This is amongst the very few open to public jury sessions around the globe.

     

    Visitors can come in and watch the jury debate the entries, checkout some of the best in Indian creativity and attend four FYIdays conducted by the jury members themselves. This promises to be a source of inspiration for the young blood in the industry as they can witness in person the debates on how juries think, why some works are voted and why some do lose out in the end.

     

  • While Dentsu Aegis Network's iProspect Communicate 2 was named the Most Admired Agency in 'digital marketing', Carat Media Services India/psLive was named the Most Admired Agency

    Dentsu Aegis Media steals the show at Asian Customer Engagement Forum Awards 2015

    By A Correspondent

     

    Dentsu Aegis Network exhibited good dominance at the Asian Customer Engagement Forum (ACEF) Awards that was held on April 25 at Taj Lands End, Mumbai.

     

    While Dentsu Aegis Network’s iProspect Communicate 2 was named the Most Admired Agency in ‘digital marketing’, Carat Media Services India/psLive was named the Most Admired Agency in ‘events & promotions’. Posterscope India was named both the Most Admired Agency in ‘out-of-home media’ as well as the most admired customer engaging agency in ‘retail touch points & merchandising’.

     

    Haresh Nayak

    Also, Haresh Nayak, Regional Director, Posterscope APAC, was honoured with the Outdoor Advertising Professional of the Year award.

     

    Posterscope India bagged a total of 27 awards including 8 golds, 12 silvers and 5 bronze metals along with the agency titles. It was their work for clients such as Mother Diary, Philips, Nissan, Disney, Mattel, beam Suntory, Datsun and Movies Now  that brought home the awards in the following categories – effectiveness, creativity and successful use technology in retail, outdoor and ambient spaces.

     

    Carat was awarded a total of seven wins- 5 Gold and two Bronze. The Philips Aquatouch “New way to shave is here” campaign was awarded Gold for Promotion using Events. Philips LED lights “Change karo save karo” won Gold for successful use of technology. The overall activation was done in tandem with their sister concern PSLive which is into all things activation. Philips Trimmers bagged another Gold for “Best use of Celebrity Endorsement”. The Philips Airfryer campaign added yet another Gold to the tally under “Creativity on Television” category. The fifth Gold came in the form of “The Most Admired Agency for Events and Promotions”. Carat also won two Bronze for Philips Kerashine Range and Preethi Blue Flame Gas Stove launch campaign respectively.

     

    iProspect Communicate 2 picked up a total of four metals across various categories. The Big Bazaar ‘Everything for Nothing’ campaign was awarded a Gold metal for ‘Promotion using Digital Marketing’. The agency also picked up two awards in the ‘Successful Use of Technology’ category, a silver and a bronze for their Cleartrip and Koovs campaigns, respectively. In the Online Media category, iProspect Communicate 2 picked up a bronze medal for their ground-breaking work for HDFC Bank.

     

    Amongst the other DAN agencies, Isobar India went on to win a Silver in the promotions category for ‘Digital Marketing’ for the work done on Microsoft Lumia. Vizeum won a Gold for Viacom 18’s MTV Campus Diaries under the events category.

     

    Ashish Bhasin

    Commenting on the wins, Ashish Bhasin, chairman and CEO, South Asia, Dentsu Aegis Network said, “I am thrilled to know that the Dentsu Aegis Network has been able to achieve such recognition at a pan-Asia level. Sustaining customer engagement in this competitive market is a key task for our clients and I am happy that all our Dentsu Aegis Network companies have worked together to achieve this. It is a further testimony to our unique one P&L operating model, whereby we are able to provide our clients all the benefits of specializations without the hassles of dealing with silos. Heartiest congratulations to iProspectC2, Posterscope, Carat, psLive, Isobar, Vizeum and to Haresh Nayak for their respective wins. This further strengthens our position as the only network in India that can provide all marketing communications and media services, of world standards, under one umbrella.”

     

  • The advertisement of Idea Cellular shows the practice in Haryana of girls not being allowed to step out of homes to study, is defaming Haryana and tends to bring this State into disrepute, notes an Advertising Standards Council of India communique

    ASCI frowns at Ullu-Banoing, finds Idea ad defaming Haryana

    By A Correspondent

     

    In February 2015, the Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) of the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) upheld complaints against 125 out of 167 advertisements. Of the 125 ads against which complaints were upheld, 73 belonged to Personal and Healthcare category, followed by the Education category with 29 advertisements, followed by others.

     

    Says a communiqué on the Idea ad: “The advertisement of Idea Cellular shows the practice in Haryana of girls not being allowed to step out of homes to study, is defaming Haryana and tends to bring this State into disrepute.  Also, the TVC is misleading by implication as the product/service promoted (Idea Internet Network) is shown as a substitute to and equating to college education.”

     

     

  • Pranav Harihar Sharma started his career with a small advertising agency in Indore as a summer trainee

    Grey appoints Pranav Harihar Sharma as ECD

    By A Correspondent

     

    Pranav Harihar Sharma

    GREY group India has appointed Pranav Harihar Sharma as the new Executive Creative Director who will lead the creative team in Delhi. Pranav joins GREY with over one and half decades of advertising experience. His last stint was with Linen Lintas as Group Creative Director where he was responsible for working on brands such as Dabur, Cardekho.com Tupperware, Oppo Mobiles, DLF, Panasonic India, Volvo cars, Yebhi.com etc.

     

    “We are delighted to have Pranav on board. The momentum that we have achieved in last one year, will only get accelerated with his sharp creative approach. He is going to lead and mentor a talented creative team and contribute immensely to Grey creating Famous and Effective work for our clients”, said Samir Datar, VP and Branch Head, GREY group Delhi.

     

    Malvika Mehra

    Malvika Mehra, National Creative Director and EVP said, “I already have a very talented bunch of creatives in Delhi; what was missing was a leadership…the most precious piece of the jigsaw. With Pranav coming on board, I think the final picture is indeed looking good. And I have no doubt that he and the teams at Grey Gurgaon will totally rock it.”

     

    Pranav Harihar Sharma started his career with a small advertising agency in Indore as a summer trainee in his final year of a management degree. After exploring nearly six years of advertising experience in Indore, he moved to Mumbai to be an independent film-maker. After having written and directed few television commercials, he started working with Rediffusion Y&R in Mumbai. After that, he worked with agencies such as DDB Mudra, JWT and Linen Lintas, having handled brands like Godrej, Future Group(BigBazaar,Fashion@Bazaar),Emami, Femina, LIC, Star News at DDB Mudra ; Nokia, Pizza Hut, Wal-Mart, Hero, Sony, Timex at JWT; Tata Motors, Bank of Maharashtra, Taj Group, MTS, Amway at Rediffusion Y & R.

     

  • The initiative, developed by Havas Media Group's OOH and activation brand Havas Media Active, seeks to take forward Parle's anti-littering message in an outdoor setting

    Parle Products takes the Outdoor route to promote Litter Free initiative

    By A Correspondent

     

    Parle Products has extended its countrywide ‘Litter Free’ CSR project and launched an out-of-home campaign in Delhi-NCR on the back of its nationwide TV campaign rolled out earlier this January.

     

    The initiative, developed by Havas Media Group’s OOH and activation brand Havas Media Active, seeks to take forward Parle’s anti-littering message in an outdoor setting. The outdoor push seeks to amplify the powerful messaging by creating a live, interactive, community experience increasing the chances of its successful adoption as a day-to-day habit. It aims to encourage citizens – namely the youth, to dispose garbage in a correct manner – in the Dustbin!

     

    The high decibel awareness campaign is buzzing all over Cyber City and Cyber Hub. Key components include OOH TV screens in buildings playing the three variations of the Parle Litter Free TVCs with the Corporate Boss, the Class Monitor and Lady in the Shopping Mall looking for Mr. Clean. Backlit scrollers, a series of snap posters and digital pods urge Delhites to stop littering. They chide and explain at the same time with captivating messages like – “Apne ghar ko saaf rakhna sabko ata hai. Toh sadkon ko kyo nahin?” and “Yeh kachrewala ka kaam hai. It’s everyone’s responsibility” making it impossible to simply walk past.

     

    Pravin Kulkarni

    Commenting on the campaign Pravin Kulkarni, GM Marketing, Parle Products Ltd. said, “Indians are habituated to consuming products and thoughtlessly pitching wrappers adding to the volume of littering in public places. Our Parle products have disposable wrappers, so we wanted to talk to people, to our youth – to educate and create awareness about this irresponsible behaviour. The OOH campaign is aimed at capturing our youth’s attention, in their environment, with peers and passers-by; prompting conversations and driving them to take responsibility and stop littering. We are already seeing that littering has reduced in targeted locations.”

     

     

    Anita Nayyar
    Mohit Joshi

    Anita Nayyar, CEO, Havas Media Group India, explained “We are glad to take on and execute this ‘meaningful’ initiative with Parle Products. Dirty surroundings are unhealthy, unsafe to society and allowing littering to continue is akin to saying, it’s acceptable. Parle has taken a stand to go Litter Free and wanted to talk to our sharing youth generation in their everyday surroundings. We decided to take the OOH route and zeroed in on Delhi-NCR to catch en-mass this audience. To give a sense of scale, only Cyber City has 4 Lakh working professionals and 50,000 visitors every day which this campaign is addressing.”

     

    “Parle is a great brand and we have grown up eating Parle G. This initiative connects with the new age audiences in a very meaningful and engaging manner and further enhances the relevance of Parle among the new age audience and in the community at large”, continued Mohit Joshi, MD, Havas Media India. The TVC and poster campaign was created by Vipin Dyani, CCD, Thoughshop Advertising and Film Productions.

  • Volkswagen, one of Europe's leading carmakers has been synonymous with its world renowned German Engineering. Volkswagen in India too has constantly innovated to launch best-in-class offerings that are high on build quality & have unmatched driving dynamics

    AdStrat: Volkswagen Jetta says it’s ‘Worth Everything’ for new offering

    Volkswagen, one of Europe’s leading carmakers has been synonymous with its world renowned German Engineering. Volkswagen in India too has constantly innovated to launch best-in-class offerings that are high on build quality & have unmatched driving dynamics

     

    Campaign Brief

    Post its launch in 2009, the Volkswagen Jetta has earned a reputation of being a luxurious sedan built to enhance the driving experience. With the launch of the New Jetta, Volkswagen aims to set a new benchmark when it comes to product superiority, sophistication & overall safety.

     

    Objective

    The objective of the campaign was to improve awareness and consideration for the New Jetta by heightening the desirability for the car & making it aspirational in nature.

     

    Campaign Idea

    The new-age Jetta buyer seeks & appreciates top-notch quality and well-crafted design, with a desire to stand apart from the ordinary with the choices that he/she makes.

     

    The campaign built on the obsession platform used a couple of years back, amplifying the great lengths one would go to achieve something extraordinary. An idea that would make both, the car and its buyer, distinguished. Thus, was born the idea of ‘Worth Everything’.

     

    Creative Execution

    The media rollout consisted of a clutter-breaking 45-second TV commercial, along with print innovations in leading dailies. This was supplemented by OOH, digital & other interactive initiatives

     

    The sharply executed TVC is a tale of obsession. The key protagonist; in this case the chameleon develops an obsession for the new Jetta upon spotting it drive by. The narrative portrays how the chameleon changes his colours to match the contours of the car; much to the amazement of his peers. Undeterred he keeps at it and the end reveals him get on the Jetta, cleverly camouflaged & perched on the front grill.

     

    Rahul Mathew, Creative Head, DDB Mudra West said, “In Volkswagen commercials we always try to capture simple emotions that our cars evoke. And then tell it a charming and refreshing manner. For the new Jetta the emotion was a no-brainier – desire. And then used a chameleon to bring out the different shades of this desire, quite literally.”

     

    Kamal Basu, Head – Marketing & PR, Volkswagen Passenger Cars said, “Volkswagen advertising has a unique tone and the brand always tries to set new benchmarks with its campaigns. We wanted to do something unique for the New Jetta, and the DDB Mudra team has worked on the brief very well. We believe that the final outcome has been fantastic and the team is excited with how the new Jetta campaign has shaped up, and with the overwhelmingly positive response that we have got for the new campaign.”

     

    Agency Credits

    Agency: DDB Mudra West

    Chief Creative Officer: Sonal Dabral

    National Head Planning: Aditya Kanthy

    President, DDB Mudra West: Rajiv Sabnis

    Creative: Rahul Mathew, Ferzad Variyava, Karunasagar Sridharan, Preeti Verma, Sagar Moriye, Manuja Patil

    Account Management Team: Anurag Tandon, Giridhar Bhat, Shivavrata Sarkar, Hemant Joshi

    Strategic Planning Team: Mou Roy, Deboleena Chatterjee

    Films Team: Vishal Sane, Vishal Agarwala

     

  • It runs on the VSocial platform that reads environmental signals in real-time and keeps the agency and its clients one step ahead of the curve

    Maxus rolls out dialogue engine MESH

    By A Correspondent

     

    Ajit Varghese

    Ajit Varghese, CEO, Maxus Asia Pacific announced the launch of Marketing Command Centre “MESH” by Maxus in partnership with Vocanic. Maxus MESH is a dialogue engine which runs on the VSocial platform that reads environmental signals in real-time and keeps the agency and its clients one step ahead of the curve.

     

    Said Ajit Varghese, “Since the beginning, marketing has always started with understanding people. And as practitioners in marketing, there’s no better source for understanding people than social. Maxus MESH is an initiative which underlines our belief of making Social central to our business as we lean into this changing environment.” He continues, Maxus MESH is based upon the core philosophy that technology underpinned by people and driven by process can drive exponential business growth for our clients. This will not only help Maxus represent the consumer voice to marketers better, but also develop communication plans with richer insights, meaningful content and lead it into more conversations/ conversions.”

     

    Martin Shaw, Maxus APAC digital head said, “For us it is critical to put the consumer at the center. And once we truly understand her, we are then able to develop communications that are smarter, more relevant and that cuts to the heart of her needs.Maxus has collaborated with Vocanic, GroupM’s in-house social media agency to build 9 robust MESH installations in our Philippines, India, Australia, Vietnam and Hong Kong offices. The scale of these installations will be astonishing. In each office we will have 10 large HD screens powering numerous data sources ranging from brand social buzz, competitor tracking, social influencers, contextual, to owned and paid.”

     

  • Sanju joins Leo Burnett from Rediffusion Kolkata where he worked as the Branch Head

    Sanju Menon appointed VP @ Leo Burnett, Mumbai

    By A Correspondent

     

    Sanju Menon

    Leo Burnett has announced the appointment of Sanju Menon as Vice President based at its Mumbai office. Sanju will lead the Bajaj business nationally, taking charge of both strategy and account management.

     

    Sanju’s appointment reinforces the agency’s talent philosophy of handpicking best professionals to serve clients.

     

     

    Saurabh Varma

    Welcoming him on board, Saurabh Varma, CEO, Leo Burnett India, says, “Sanju is extremely passionate about strategic thinking and providing business solutions. His ideology is in sync with that of Leo Burnett’s (HumanKind) philosophy that is to delight clients with integrated ideas that are based on human truth. Apart from leading the advertising mandate, Sanju will deliver solutions for Bajaj across functions, namely – shopper & retail, activation, branded content, website development & maintenance, social and search. He will play the role of an integrated lead managing all these functions to build the strong narrative. In addition to this, he will lead a multidisciplinary team and manage the newly established communication centre called ‘Play’ for Bajaj.”

     

    Sanju joins Leo Burnett from Rediffusion Kolkata where he worked as the Branch Head. He joined the agency as a brand Associate in 2007 and grew to the position of Business Head in 2011 before moving on to head the operations from 2013.

     

    He started his advertising career with SN Design in 2005 and a year later joined Bates 141 as Brand Executive. In a career spanning more than ten years, Sanju has worked on brands across categories, namely, Eveready, Lafarge, Berger, AnandabazarPatrika, PC Chandra Jewellers and Spencer’s Retail.

     

  • The Deputy Executive Creative Director at Grey London and the Jury Foreman at the Kyoorius Advertising Awards got the audience to sit up and take notice when she said: "Don't ever have a Plan B

    Don’t get into advertising, get into culture: Vicki Maguire

    Vicki Maguire

    By Dyanne Coelho

     

    “Don’t ever have a Plan B,” Vicki Maguire begins, prompting everyone in the audience to sit up straight waiting for her next words. The Deputy Executive Creative Director, Grey Advertising, London is Jury Foreman at the Kyoorius Advertising Awards. Ms Maguire has worked with clients like Nokia, Hamleys and Ford Fiesta among others. She has also been listed among the 20 most influential women in advertising.

     

    As part of the FYIday organised by Kyoorius, Ms Maguire spoke on ‘The 10 things I wish someone had told me.’ Her first point, ‘Don’t have a plan B’. She went on to tell a personal story of when she was a fashion designer. “I was London’s worst fashion designer,” she explained, “I’ve been sacked from Paul Smith, Vivienne Westwood and French Connection.” When my original Plan A fell apart, I didn’t have a Plan B, Ms Maguire said. It’s all about having another Plan A, not a backup Plan B, but a new Plan A. “I decided to make advertising my new Plan A, and if I ever give up advertising, I’ve got to find another Plan A.”

     

    Do love your clients – Ms Maguire stated her second point. “I used to hate clients. It was their job to ruin our ideas, and we used to sit in big offices and bitch about them.” She highlighted the importance of maintaining a satisfactory client-agency relationship, especially with the creative department of the agency. Clients like to interact with the creatives, she said, because they see the passion in them and are inspired to open up, which helps to create better content.

     

    Ms Maguire went on to point out that having an office doesn’t necessarily assure good work. “Don’t have an office,” she said. It’s not about the status, the leather sofa, the mac, the watch or anything else she explained, it’s merely about the work. “Just do your shit and stuff comes to you.”

     

    “Don’t get into advertising, get into culture. The best kind of advertising is that which has lifted out of 30, 60, 90, digital and that has got into culture,” Ms Maguire said. It’s when something hits hard, that it gets shared and does the job that advertisers wanted to do, she pointed out. Get into the culture of things, don’t just advertise she advised.

     

    Stressing upon the idea of believing in oneself, the Deputy ECD at Grey London Vicki added: “Do kill your idols.” Vicki went on to tell us the story of how once she got to work closely with the people in the industry that she idolised, she realised that they were human too and made mistakes, and had stupid ideas, and got drunk and puked, just like everyone else. “They’re not Gods. Meet your idols, then kill them, then aim to be better than them,” she advised.

     

    “Don’t take any shit,” Ms Maguire said, explaining the time when she was forced to work on ad campaigns of shampoos, feminine hygiene etc., because she was a woman. “If you’ve given an agency your best and you’re still getting that work, it’s them not you; move.” I’ve been sacked so many times now, that I think failure is something I really do well, she said, but now I know it’s not my fault. “Every time that happens to me I don’t think oh I’ve lost my job. I simply think oh, another few months to do a personal project. Fuck ’em, don’t take any shit.”

     

    “I’m not afraid to fail,” said Ms Maguire pointing out the importance of striving to succeed. “The more you fail, the less power failure has over you,” she said. It’s fate telling you to move on, highlighting the importance of being strong and never giving up. “Even good people fail and have shit ideas,” she said, “Go a little further, push a little harder.”

     

    “Don’t put your happiness in other people’s hands, they’ll drop it,” Ms Maguire continued. We all work in agencies and expect to be taken places. Sometimes you get stuck on a brief for six months only to see it die in research, she said. There will always be disappointments, don’t let that be the be all and end all. . It hurts, but give it your all. Be responsible for your own creative fulfilment. “Find a therapy brief,” she said. “If you don’t find fulfillment in your job and can’t leave it for some reason, go find another avenue to find fulfilment in.” And then shared the story of a young gent she worked with who wasn’t happy with his job. Suddenly one day the man walked into the office requesting leave. When asked the reason for it, he said that he had been making concrete trainers as a sideline and was taking 12 pairs to Pharrell who paid him a quarter of a million pounds for it. “He had another little thing on the side, not a Plan B, but a Plan A+,” Ms Maguire explains. “Find something that makes you happy, find a plan A+.”

     

    “Don’t be an arsehole.” You get good and you start winning awards. Highlighting the importance of being humble and maintaining relationships for mutual benefit, she said: “Advertising has got its own karma.”  And spoke about the importance of being generous with your time and being helpful. “It pays.”

     

    Ms Maguire concluded with her last pointer, ‘Don’t listen to anyone else, they might be wrong.’ If you respect someone and their opinion listen to them, go back and see them, keep in touch, but if someone doesn’t like your stuff, trust your gut first, for they might be wrong… It was someone I admire who told me that I was a horrible fashion designer and that I should write down my ideas instead. That’s how I got into advertising.” And then added on an energetic note: “Keep your friends tight, find somebody who loves you.”

     

  • Creative and client services hires continue to strengthen agency's ability to meet growing client demand for integrated creative and technology services

    SapientNitro announces senior-level appointments

    By A Correspondent

     

    Surjo Dutt

    SapientNitro, part of Publicis.Sapient, expanded its leadership in the India market with two senior appointments. Surjo Dutt joins SapientNitro as Creative Lead for the Northern region, and Sharan Sabhachandani Sharma joins as Client Services Lead for the Western region.

     

    The new additions strengthen the agency’s ability to serve the growing demand among brands for its integrated creative and technology services.  Recent new business wins for SapientNitro in India include Taj Hotels, Godrej, William Grant, DBS Bank and DHFL.

     

    “SapientNitro’s connected capabilities across business, creative and technology enable brands to answer the needs of today’s always-on consumer,” said Rajdeep Endow, Managing Director, Sapient, India. “We are delighted to add two supremely talented professionals to the team, who I know will have a strong impact on our clients’ businesses.”

     

    Based in Delhi, Surjo has more than 16 years of experience in the industry, and a reputation for creating engaging brand stories for clients including Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Slice, Tropicana, Frito Lay, Nokia, Airtel, Hero Motocorp and UNICEF. In his last role he was Vice President and Executive Creative director at JWT and was the youngest Executive Creative Director in the South Asia region.

     

    Sharan Sabhachandani Sharma

    Sharan Sabhachandani Sharma comes to the agency with almost a decade of industry experience. Prior to joining SapientNitro, Sharan was business head for P&G’s Fabric & Home Care brands, Tide & Bonux, at Leo Burnett. She has worked in India, Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore and well as in Toronto, where she handled Gain (P&G’s $1 billion laundry brand) for the USA & Canada markets.

     

  • We asked this question to Vicki Maguire and six other international biggies who were in India to judge the Kyoorius Awards

    What international creative gurus think of Indian advertising

     

    When we met her over a drink on Saturday evening, Vicki Maguire, Deputy Executive Creative Director, Grey Advertising, London, seemed ecstatic about what she saw in the four days as Foreman (chairperson) of the Kyoorius Advertising Awards jury. In fact, she said in jest, some of the ideas she saw were very replicate-able internationally. The jury sessions saw Ms Maguire and her team of jurors having a long day at work. Little wonder we could get the responses to our questions only on Friday, the second-last day of the jury meet. The responses were received via mail to questions from Pradyuman Maheshwari

     

     

    How does Indian advertising compare with that abroad? What can we do to improve our awards tally at international fests Cannes Lions and the D&AD? As the jury for the Kyoorius awards concluded their work on Saturday, Dyanne Coelho asked the international jury members gathered for the advertising and digital categories to weign in on the scenario in our country.

     

    Melanie Clancy – Creative Director, BBDO Proximity, Singapore

    There’s been a lot of really interesting work across a lot of different digital touch points. There have been some great social concepts in particular, which I am quite excited to come across. Advertising is such a diverse space, it would be difficult to compare. Based on what I’ve seen, I would advise India to focus more on case study videos, keep the ideas very telescopic, and come up with concepts that you can share in a second. Not ideas that take too long to explain.

     

    Tim Doherty – Chief Creative Officer, Isobar, China

    In China, because of the political situation, there was a long time when there was no advertising. That’s a market that still is catching up. India, on the other hand, has had a long history of advertising. There’s amazing film and print work coming out of the country. China is still sort of coming of age; it’s just the first 15 years of advertising there. It’s my first time looking at so much Indian work, but I think that digital creative isn’t yet as ambitious as traditional creative in terms of craft, production quality, and I think a lot of that has to do with budgets. But the work I’m seeing here is definitely on par with that in China. Great work is always something that connects with your emotions. There’s no faking it. But simplicity takes a lot of effort. You’ve got to push the work and refine it over and over. That’s my advice.

     

    Andy Greenaway – Executive Creative Director, Sapient Nitro APAC

    I think India is very good at storytelling, and that shows. It has found its own voice, and that voice is a part of the things India is known for. That’s the strength of Indian advertising. I think it’s very different. Indian campaigns are bigger and more brand-oriented. Singapore is small, much more retail-focused. Singapore, where I work, is a smaller, but has invested heavily in technology, unlike India. If you look at TV advertising, India is far ahead of Singapore, whereas in digital, Singapore is ahead. D&AD is a very British show, and the Brits are well-known for their innovation and design, animation and graphics. I don’t think India’s known for that. India’s DNA is in words, storytelling and narrative. So it’s just two very different markets. The fact that India has won 19 awards at D&AD is good. But it’s not a numbers game. If you get in, you’re actually doing a good job.

     

    Joji Jacob – Group Executive Creative Director, DDB Group, Singapore

    The process of judging was really refreshing. The organisers at Kyoorius seem determined to set a benchmark with the quality of the work. I think the tie-up with D&AD makes it even better. The awards are big in stature. I was a bit disappointed with the quality of work. I’ve seen a lot of great work come out of India in the last couple of years, but I haven’t seen that this time. The quality of work at Cannes, where also I’ve been a judge, is much better. Here, there is a lot of work that has not been entered, and some work here has been entered just for the sake of entering. A bit of advice would be to provide a proper explanations for your entry. A lot of the entries that were in Hindi, were not properly subtitled. I think it’s important to spend a little more time in preparing the entry.

     

    Juhi Kalia – Executive Creative Director, JWT Singapore

    The work I’ve seen till now is very good, very emotional. Personally, I was happy to see a lot of work that is very positive for women. There was some funny and some well-written work, in Hindi too. I’ve come back to India after a long time, and I enjoyed watching the Hindi pieces. At the same time, like most shows, there were some work that made us say, ‘really, why?’. Indian advertising is at a great level. We’ve done really well internationally, and it’s getting better and better. It’s interesting to see that there is a digital session now as well. India is quite at par with its international counterparts in most categories. As for the D&AD, I think you have bad years and good years. If your work is genuine and authentic, and it comes from a place of honesty, then it will get recognised.

     

    Farrokh Madon – Creative Director, Independent, Singapore

    I started my career in India, but I’ve been out for 22 years. A lot of the advertising in the country has local insights and local backdrops, which is good because there is enough confidence in one’s own culture to do work that’s relevant to the people, and not blindly ape the West. Within that format, it would always be nice to experiment a bit. Things like music, to me, seem very formulaic – like I’ve heard it many times before. So even when one focusses on one’s culture, one cannot lose sight of innovation. One has to try and experiment and do things differently. Also, don’t worry too much about awards; focus on doing work that is fresh and original, and awards will come naturally. Originality should be the Holy Grail, and not the award.

     

    Tim Malbon – Co-founder, Made by Many

    We’ve looked at a number of entries and some of them really stand out. A lot of them are, however, the same. Some of the entries that we didn’t quite like have been talking about what advertising could do for you rather than the original idea and concept. But on the whole, we’ve seen some really strong work. If I had to compare India from a few years ago to the US and UK, I might have said that the US and UK are much farther ahead. But today, I feel that the gap is closing, and there’s no reason it shouldn’t completely disappear over the next few years. One bit of advice is that from what I see, a lot of the entries today seem to be made for the wrong awards. Try and think about entering your ad for the right award, and the right category, so that it gains the right recognition.

     

    Andy Sandoz – Creative Partner, Havas Work Club/ Deputy President of D&AD

    There is an interesting social commentary in Indian advertising, about the role of women in society or how women are perceived or even how men or women should act. Advertising should be a good social product. In digital there isn’t quite the same level of execution in India as it is in the UK. There is some strategic thinking and some good ideas, but not quite the same polish of execution that you might see elsewhere. That simply means they haven’t yet reached their potential. My advice to India from a digital perspective would be to continue to use digital to make the world better. Use digital to create tools of utility and engagement for people to empower themselves, improve their lives and their work. That’s the kind of work that is winning. That’s the kind of future we all want to see. Embrace the craft. Embrace the beautiful ability that digital has, to surprise people.

     

    There’s much anticipation for the second D&AD-Kyoorius Awards. Were there any broad rules – Do’s and Don’ts that you are set out for your jury?

    I’ve just come from judging D&AD in London, I got straight on a plane, so the experience is fresh in my mind. If D&AD and Kyoorius share any rules it’s:  “Good isn’t good enough”

     

    That sentiment holds true here as it does around the world. We’re not just here to celebrate work from the region , we are here to protect standards and champion brave work, talent and clients. To that point there is no room for scam work or for tactical voting. It’s all about the work. the idea. the execution and the relevance.

     

    How familiar are you with advertising in India? Your views on our advertising?

    I’ve worked on global accounts for years so I have a fair idea what’s happening across the world. I’m  also familiar with the Indian  work that has made its way out of advertising and into wider culture. That’s the beauty of the internet and the generosity of the creative community to share ideas that excite them. I’m looking forward to seeing local work that I’m not aware of from the local independent shops.

     

    While India has a rich past of storytelling and our advertising industry has attracted top draw talent, we don’t do very well at the international awards. In fact at the 2015 D&AD Awards, India has bagged only 19 Pencils, down from 25 last year. What would you attribute as the reason for this?

    Yeah, interesting question. I don’t believe it’s down to talent, or the lack of it. My guess  is it isn’t the work, D&AD was tough this year. A lot of work I rated didn’t pick up. I think work that is strong locally has to do itself justice when it’s presented.  If we have no cultural reference it’s hard to judge. So make sure your case studies  do your idea justice and explain  its relevance in your market. I’m seeing work already that I expect to do very well internationally but I’d tweak the case study or take a little more time on the  background set up. I think Tim Lindsey did a talk here last year… could your bronze be a gold. He’s spot on.

     

    I asked this question also to the Foreman last year: what are the values that D&AD brings to an ad award? And what would you say should the winner at the Kyoorius Awards be proud of (given the standards)?

    D&AD and Kyoorius share the same values. they come from the same place. They have the good and the future of the industry at their heart.

     

    A Pencil or Elephant brings a standard and an integrity. Creatives globally strive to reach these standards and  perhaps even more important clients can trust that creativity can be a driving force for their business and not just an agency vanity piece. All my fellow jurors have won at D&AD and want to give picking up an Elephant that same sense of achievement.  But we shouldn’t just see Kyoorius as a D&AD me-too. In many ways it’s faster and more directional than  D&AD. Three out of Eight of my fellow jurors are women. More than any jury I have ever sat on, including Cannes and D&AD.  That says  a lot. If you  win an Elephant, congratulate yourself. They can’t be bought and they are not given lightly.

     

    As the jury foreman of an Indian awards, did you prepare yourself in any way or would you say creativity has no language?

    When you are part of a global network you are used to looking at and interpreting ideas from many countries and many languages. Yes, creativity is universal. The crucial thing is to judge every piece in its context. Our local juries are invaluable. And vocal. Which is good.

     

    One of your jury members is Arun Iyer, who represents Lowe Lintas. The agency doesn’t participate in creative awards. What would be your message to agencies who do not participate in awards like D&AD-Kyoorius?

    A D&AD-Kyoorious award is no vanity piece. They can’t be bought.  The set the standard. They are also recognised by clients locally and globally. Creativity does have a value, great creativity adds value. It can have a dramatic effect on a business’s bottomline.  Of course it’s an agency’s choice, but it’s a no-brainer as far as I’m concerned.

     

    One last question: In India, we don’t have multiple national awards. This is only the second year we are having Kyoorius. Does the existence of multiple awards impact the participation of some agencies because of limited budgets for spends on entries?

    I’d urge any agency to look at quality, not quantity when it comes to carving up their awards budget. I’m a champion of Kyoorius because it is good for the industry. From championing brave work to education. I see a need for another award that does this, but I’ve also found an appetite amongst younger creative and agency folk here. I gave a talk  to some younger members of India’s creative community at Kyoorius, and at the end of the talk I told any member of the audience  they could take my email and keep in touch. I expected a couple to email me in a couple of week’s time. No. I’ve been inundated. How cool is that!