MxMIndia

Category: ADVERTISING

  • TSL, which operates in 16 geographies including India, will work with brands to innovate their supply chain of storytelling and thereby help them invest in the most engaging and effective content solutions for their media ecosystem

    Dentsu Aegis launches The StoryLab in India, Sunil Kumaran joins as country head

    By A Correspondent

     

    Sunil Kumaran

    The StoryLab (TSL), the specialist content agency from Dentsu Aegis Network, has expanded its footprint into India with a slew of product offerings in the area of content partnership, curation, original content and content investment, Dentsu Aegis Network has roped in Sunil Kumaran to head TSL in India. Based out of Mumbai, Kumaran will be guided by Carat India Managing Director Kartik Iyer who also bears the title Executive Sponsor for TSL.

     

    TSL, which operates in 16 geographies including India, will work with brands to innovate their supply chain of storytelling and thereby help them invest in the most engaging and effective content solutions for their media ecosystem, notes a communique

     

    Prior to this, Kumaran was Chief Strategy Officer at Reliance Broadcast. There, Kumaran comes with over 20 years in strategy, media planning and buying and has worked with agencies including JWT, Lowe Lintas and Rediffusion.

     

    Commenting on the launch, Ashish Bhasin, Chairman and CEO South Asia – Dentsu Aegis Network said, “Content is an exciting space for us to be in. Clients are increasingly looking at how they can ‘influence’ the consumers more effectively than just increasing their ‘reach’ through traditional forms of advertising.”

     

    Added Iyer, “An entity like TSL is the need of the hour as brands look to accelerate the effectiveness of their ecosystems through innovative content solutions that can deliver scale, engagement and advocacy.  We are very happy to have Sunil Kumaran on board who brings with him years of strategic media planning experience and deep understanding of this space.”

     

    Said Kumaran, “I’m very excited about this new initiative which is based on the philosophy of providing a superior value proposition to clients. Media convergence has disrupted the traditional advertising-led marketing communications model and ‘Content’ is one of the most valuable assets within media companies’ and brands’ ecosystems.  I am looking forward to doing some exciting work across brands within the Dentsu Aegis Network Group.”

     

  • The event is scheduled for 21st January 2016 in Mumbai at AAAI's Training Centre at Lower Parel

    Madhukar Sabnavis to lead ‘Mining for Insights’ workshop in Mumbai

    By A Correspondent

     

    Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) under the aegis of the AAAI Prowess initiative has announced a one-day Consumer Insights workshop titled ‘Mining for Insights’. The event is scheduled for 21st January 2016 in Mumbai at AAAI’s Training Centre at Lower Parel. This workshop will be led by Madhukar Sabnavis.

     

    Insights and ideas are the most popular words in the world of advertising. Madhukar will share with participants what an insight is, why is it important in communication, where do you find them and how do you unearth them. He will use real life examples of successful communication to illustrate the same. Five types of insights will be covered- Product, Human, Social, Cultural and Digital and is targeted at young leaders with 5-10 years of experience.

     

    The workshop will be in two parts – In the morning, it will be a class room session explaining the concepts with illustrations; In the afternoon, it will be a workshop- fun and learning- to actually unearth insights using some data. The participants will work in groups to uncover some insights. This will be a learning-by-sharing session. While Madhukar will share his views, he will also encourage the participants to share their experiences so that learning is enhanced through sharing.

     

    Madhukar Sabnavis is Vice Chairman and Director- Client Relations at Ogilvy and Mather India. He has over 30 years of experience in advertising – 27 of them with Ogilvy. He has championed some innovative techniques to understand brands and consumers – Media ethnography, social listening and semiotics decoding of advertising- to name a few. His interests include teaching and writing. He has taught in many business schools and has contributed columns for many business publications.

     

  • He joins the GroupM agency from Percept Media

    Motivator motivates Mohandas to move in as Client Leader

    By A Correspondent

     

    Amol Mohandas

    Motivator, a media agency from the house of GroupM, has appointed Amol Mohandas as the Client Leader on all businesses. He will be based in Mumbai and will oversee all businesses of Motivator in the city.

     

    With over 15 years of experience, Amol joins Motivator from Percept Media where he was responsible for heading the west region business and identifying and acquiring leads for new business developments. He was also successful in initiating and acquiring the ISO 9001-2008 Certification, a first for a media AOR in the country.

     

    Prior to joining Percept Media, Amol established his own venture, Weave Through Communications. The company provided multi-platform communication solutions to its clients. He has also been a part of Mediacom as the General Manager for the UAE region, Starcom MediaVest Group as the associate Media Director and Mindshare.

     

    Commenting on the new addition to the team, Trishul Bhumkar, General Manager, Motivator said, “All our clients have had a fantastic 2015 and the momentum is only going to increase. We are getting ready to deliver on their business ambitions going forward. To do this we found the right senior leader in Amol. With a deep understanding of communication planning and having been an entrepreneur himself, Amol will be able to deliver on our client’s business results. Under him, Motivator’s Mumbai client leadership team is fully strengthened.”

     

    On his new assignment, Mohandas said, “It is a happy feeling to be a part of an organisation where the objectives – the individual and the organisation – match! Looking forward to a long and exciting journey ahead where I can leverage my 360-degree experience across diverse work environments and contribute to the success of our client’s businesses.”

     

  • Bang in the Middle has already started work on the identity and campaign for the launch

    The agency came first! Chicken major SH Group catches Bang in the Middle for retail venture

    By A Correspondent

     

    Hyderabad-based chicken breeder SH Group has brought in Bang in the Middle on board with the aim of creating a world-class brand of foods. Set up in 1978, SH Group has ambitious growth plans that includes setting up retail brand in the foods business.

     

    SH Group’s upcoming retail venture will start with a range of chilled, processed and packaged chicken and over a period of time will also have eggs, fresh veggies and goats. The launch is slated towards the early part of 2016. Bang in the Middle has already started work on the identity and campaign for the launch. As a part of buildup to the launch SH Group engaged with the top B Schools of India through a case study competition called StirFry Challenge.

    (www.stirfrychallenge.com)

     

    Said Sambit Chakraborty, CSO, SH Group: “Basic Foods is a very large category in India and as the leading breeder of chicken, we want to bring to our audience a brand of world class quality and experience. Bang in the Middle has been tasked with the creation of brand. As we prepare to launch our retail venture of chilled, processed and packaged chicken we reached out to the brightest minds in business schools to seek how the young upcoming managers will approach the issue. Response to StirFry tells us that we are on the right path”.

     

    Naresh Gupta

    Bang in the Middle, the Gurgaon-based communication agency has won the mandate after extensive review by SH Group. Said Naresh Gupta, Managing Partner: “SH Group’s new retail venture is a bold move from a home grown successful corporation to enter the retail market. We are thrilled with the mandate. We are confident that the new brand that is created will challenge the best of the brands globally and will create space for itself”

     

  • We needed a strong and credible face who could help people understand the role of supplementation in addition to balanced diet and exercise as part of leading a healthy lifestyle, says Anshu Budhraja, CEO, Amway India

    Amway India signs Farhan Akhtar as brand ambassador for Nutrilite

    By A Correspondent

     

    Direct selling FMCG company Amway India has signed Farhan Akhtar as brand ambassador to promote the Nutrilite range of the products.

     

    Speaking on the occasion, Anshu Budhraja, CEO, Amway India, said, “We needed a strong and credible face who could help people understand the role of supplementation in addition to balanced diet and exercise as part of leading a healthy lifestyle. Farhan Akhtar was an obvious choice.”

     

    “In India, Nutrilite has firmly established itself as the leading brand in the vitamins and dietary supplements category. The brand contributes more than 50% of Amway India’s turnover. We are confident that Farhan’s association will provide a further fillip to the Nutrilite brand in the country. We plan to launch a high decibel 360 degree campaign in early 2016 to leverage the association of Farhan Akhtar with Nutrilite,” added Budhraja.

     

    Talking about Farhan Akhtar as Brand Ambassador for Nutrilite, Sundip Shah, Chief Marketing Officer, Amway India, said, “Besides being talented and versatile, Farhan is physically fit with a stature and youth appeal that resonates well with Nutrilite’s world class image offering the best of nature and the best of science for optimal health. Consumer response to the association of Farhan with Nutrilite has also been very positive.”

     

     

  • A whacky in-house video highlights the CarDekho app as the best proposition for car purchase

    CarDekho’s Monu-mental’ TVC to ‘Feel the Car’

    By A Correspondent

     

    Automobile buy-and-sell platform CarDekho has released a quirky new TVC campaign that highlights the new ‘Feel the Car’ feature available on the CarDekho app.

     

    Speaking on the TVC, LK Gupta, CMO, CarDekho, said, “We know how attached Indian consumers are to their cars, and we know how crazy our own employees are to develop product features to really bring alive a virtual car experience. This new TVC is the perfect way of defining the new feature, explained and demonstrated by the actual mavericks behind the development. Additionally, all aspects of the production were taken care of by our in-house team to maintain the integrity and clarity of the messaging. We are confident that our new feature will enhance user experience and allow consumers to make the most informed car purchase decisions.”

     

    With a full 360 degree interior and exterior view, recreation of the sounds such as horn, ignition or revving, and embedded video and text pop-ups to explain various car features, CarDekho’s ‘Feel the Car’ feature is a high-functionality development, notes a communiqué.

     

  • Ariel, Best Rice, ICICI and PayTM were the four brands associated with the film

    ESP Properties executes four brand associations for Diwale

    By A Correspondent

     

    ESP Properties, the entertainment, sports and content arm of GroupM, executed four brand tie ups- Ariel, Best Rice, ICICI and PayTM, the recent Shah Rukh Khan-Rohit Shetty film Dilwale. The PayTM association is an industry first with a ‘digital only’ campaign to be tied-in with the movie, notes a communiqué.

     

    ESP Properties has been actively involved in tandem with Red Chilies Entertainments in the ideation, planning and implementation of the project ‘Dilwale’ and has been on top of the execution from the beginning.

     

    “It’s no more about only ‘in-film’ or media deals in the changing breadth of brand possibilities and entertainment avenues. The number of platforms available to help establish clients as a true “brand” is growing by the day and ESP is helping them create custom solutions basis their unique positioning and identity.  For Dilwale, the associations are unique in a manner beyond the conventional integrations which are well thought of and executed and will hit the right chords with the consumers as well as viewers.” said Vinit Karnik, Business Head, ESP Properties.

     

    Venky Mysore, CEO, Red Chillies Entertainment said about the association, “It is great associating with and an agency like ESP for Dilwale. They brought in brand integrations to the film, which were rather unique and facilitated the process of touching the sentiments of the audiences. Dilwale is a family entertainer and ESP made sure the families were connected.”

     

     

  • Making allowance for the holiday season, the Club has relaxed the last date for enrollments and payments under the existing structure till January 7, 2016. Individual Life membership to the Club stands valid at Rs 5,000 upto December 31, 2015

    Ad Club restructures fees, to make membership mandatory for entry to marquee events

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Advertising Club has announced the restructuring of its fee structure effective from January 1, 2016.

     

    The new structure for membership fees will be as follows:

    1. Life membership: Rs7500

    2. Corporate membership

    a) Rs100,000 for 10 members for 15 years

    b) Rs250,000 for 25 members for 15 years

    c) Rs 500,000 for 50 members for 15 years

    3. Annual membership Rs 2500 for 3 years with Renewal fees of Rs.500 every year

    4. Student membership Rs1000 for 12 months

     

    Making allowance for the holiday season, the Club has relaxed the last date for enrollments and payments under the existing structure till January 7, 2016. Individual Life membership to the Club stands valid at Rs 5000 upto December 31, 2015. That’s today!

     

    Going forward, the Advertising Club also intends to make membership mandatory for industry professionals participating in ad club events such as Effies, Emvies etc. Guest per member will also be restricted to two each.

     

  • Anita Bose will head Madison Media's Delhi office

    Anita Bose joins Madison Media Plus as COO

    By A Correspondent

     

    Madison Media has announced the appointment of Anita Bose as its Delhi office head. Bose joins the agency from today (January 4) as COO, Madison Media Plus and will be responsible for driving the Delhi office and servicing its existing clients.

     

    Bose is a seasoned media agency professional with a rich and diverse media experience of over 20 years, of which she has spent 13 years at WPP media/GroupM agencies (Business Director at Mindshare, General Manager on Team LG and General Manager, MEC North). She has also worked for StarcomMediaVest as Exec Vice President of Vivaki Exchange and FCB Ulka and McCann Erickson. She regularly teaches at management institutes and is a Guest Faculty at Indian Institute of Mass  Communication.

     

    Said Vikram Sakhuja, Group CEO, Madison Media & OOH on the appointment, “I am delighted that Anita Bose will be leading Madison’s Delhi office. I have known her to be a very able administrator with a consistent track record of delivering Client delight. Today, business cycles have shortened, Brand plans are more fluid, and the media environment is in a much greater flux. A person like Anita has the unique skills to lend stability to chaos. I look forward to Madison Media Plus rising to new heights under her leadership.”

     

    Added Bose: “It is an honour to be associated with Madison Media and  work with accomplished industry veterans like Vikram Sakhuja and  Sam Balsara together. I am looking forward to empower the Delhi team so that we become an unbeatable winning team – committed & united, driven by client and industry needs – known to provide services that set industry standards.”

     

  • The former Dentsu India chief is now Group Chairman and CEO at FCB Ulka

    Rohit Ohri takes charge at FCB Ulka

    Rohit Ohri

    By A Correspondent

     

    As you read this, Rohit Ohri has taken charge as Group Chairman and CEO of FCB Ulka. The former Dentsu India CEO was until recently serving a cooling off period. Ohri is scheduled to address employees at a town hall later this week.

     

    As may be recalled, in July 2015, Carter Murray, Worldwide CEO of FCB, had issued a confirmation on Ohri’s appointment and that he succeed Nagesh Alai who, after 25 years with FCB who was scheduled to move into the role of Global Vice-chairman at FCB, working on special initiatives for Murray.

     

    “I want to thank Nagesh for dedicating his career to our FCB operations in India and for helping FCB Ulka become one of the strongest agencies in the country. I look forward to working with him on special global initiatives,” said Murray.

     

    On Ohri, Murray said the following in a communiqué: “When Nagesh and the Board introduced me to Rohit as someone they felt fitted the culture of the company, I was struck by his passion for what we do, his focus on great work and strong client relationships, and his natural gravitas. If you add his track record in the industry, Rohit is someone whom I think will lead FCB Ulka forward with vision and energy, and keep the flame strong.”

     

    With FCB’s newly restructured global company, Ohri will serve as a member of the global operating committee and report directly to Murray in New York.

     

    “FCB has gone back to its roots and is reigniting its brand essence under Carter’s leadership. The opportunity to partner with him, in what could be the most defining time in the history of FCB convinced me to quit my regional assignment and come back to India,” said Ohri in a statement.“FCB Ulka has a rich legacy of creating solid brand-building work. It’s a company that values partnerships, people and culture. The opportunity to build on this legacy and to take a great agency to greater heights is truly exciting. I’m delighted to be at the right place at the right time and with the right people.”

     

  • Here's a look at what will trend in the world of advertising and marketing in 2016

    16 buzzwords that will trend in A&M in 2016

     

    1. Content marketing, native content

    Yes, there may be a thin dividing line between advertorials and paid content being passed off as the regular thing, but in the digital domain, care is being taken to tag sponsored content and not devalue the brand. Other forms of content marketing will also gain ground, especially for products and services that need to promoted by editorial-like offerings

     

    2. Programmatic buying

    The large media agency networks and clients are talking of this already, but as the year progresses, programmatic will be the way to go on digital. Will it work for television and print? Not anytime soon.

     

    3. 4G boom

    Airtel, Idea and Vodafone already have their 4G offerings, and Reliance Jio recently launched it for its employees. Expect loads of action on the advertising and promotion front on this. But the real difference will be after the service becomes operational pan-India. Digital devices will boom.

     

    4. Start-ups, e-commerce

    We won’t get into the statistics of how many start-ups are launched every few hours in the country, but more than ever before, the start-up culture will proliferate. Not just in dotcoms, but also towards service-providers in the field of A&M

     

    5. Digital media advertising

    The smartphone is ubiquitous, not just in the towns and cities, but also in the hinterland. Once 4G becomes a reality — and with the government figuring that it is its telecom infra that will drive the nation — expect digital media advertising to finally take off.

     

    6. Social Media

    Social media just cannot be ignored when it comes to reaching out to the connected generation. There are already a category of goods and services whose primary medium is social. This is only going to increase as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter start doing their damnedest to reach out.

     

    7. Integrated marketing (aka The Rise of PR)

    Thanks to the rising costs of traditional media with doubts being expressed on its efficacy, there is a greater emphasis on integrated marketing. For instance, while public relations was always considered important by organisations, with social media around, it is now being actively integrated into the marketing function

     

    8. Influencer marketing

    While at one level it’s the way to go, given the rising influence of social media, reaching out to influentials in the environment they inhabit, also becomes crucial.

     

    9. App-ify it!

    Apps are everywhere, and a surer way to reach out to consumers and prospectives. In 2016, more and more consumer-facing organisations will app-ify their interactivity.

     

    10. Branded content and product integration

    With direct media costs becoming prohibitive, product integration with content – especially in films, television and print — is going to the order of the day.

     

    11. Think Visual, Videos

    With attention spans decreasing, the emphasis is on engagement and what better way to achieve this than with a visually-appealing presence. Digital is going to boom with videos. Okay, this was set to happen two years ago, but with 4G around, it’ll just become simpler.

     

    12. Personalisation

    It’s easier done in digital, and that’s the way it will be for websites and apps on all platforms. Give the consumer what s/he wants, goes the adage.

     

    13. Think Regional, Think Local

    With the growth of the digital medium, and digitally-served traditional media, the growth in going local will increase. With strong regional play, digital can leapfrog ahead. Shall we say, only with strong regional play…

     

    14. Television micro-targetting

    This isn’t new with geo/micro-targetting already on in television, and tried out much earlier in print. In digital, too, it’s easily done. More and more marketers will seek that in 2016.

     

    15. Rural Focus

    This is not just because of the recent introduction of rural audience measurement by the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC). Rural consumption is growing, and with better mobile connectivity, even media-dark pockets will see consumption of content and services.

     

    16. Storytelling

    With all the emphasis on technology and forms of delivery, remember what’s most important is the craft of telling a story. Often, strategy and the creative message are thrown out of the window, and it’s all considered a waste of time and money. Perhaps not.

     

    This first appeared in dna of brands dated January 4, 2016

     

  • The innovative campaign was being developed by L&K Saatchi and Saatchi and was shot by MagicBox productions

    Hamdard unveils latest TVC for ‘Hamdard Roghan Badam Shirin’

    By A Correspondent

     

    Hamdard Laboratories has launched a new campaign for its brand Hamdard Rogan Badam Shirin. The campaign would span the mediums of TV, Print, Outdoor, and Digital.

     

    Thisnew campaign for Hamdard Roghan Badamaims to make a serious effort to talk to the upwardly mobile working class of people who do not have time to take care of their health. From the communication point of view, the emphasis is clearly laid on highlighting the fact that Hamdard Roghan Badam is an 100 per cent pure almond oil which has remarkable benefits.

     

    The innovative campaign was being developed by L&K Saatchi and Saatchi and was shot by MagicBox productions.

     

    The campaign is launched with the creative idea of ‘Expect more with multiple benefits of this oil’,andit looks very well grounded as it stems from a very significantinsight relevant in modern times – ‘Duniyaaapsebahutkuch expect kartihai’. The film highlights the daily struggle and how people are expected to deliver more. How people stretch themselves in their respective roles from being an efficient professional to a responsible and caring family member. Or how a kid is expected to work hard towards being an all rounder and then in addition, be a help to the parents.  And in this fight to meet ever-increasing expectations, Hamdard Rogan Badaam helps us, as it does more than it is expected to do.As a creative strategy, the communication pokes the audience and makes this point by asking, ‘Par koi haijisseaapkareinexpect …more?’

     

    Commenting on this campaign, Mansoor Ali, Chief Sales & Marketing Officer said, “We are happy to see the of the new Hamdard Roghan Badam TVC. It is in line with our vision of communicating with the young, urban and upwardly mobile people; and in bridging the classical generation gap. The campaign is fresh, uncluttered and touches a very basic human insight that “The world expects so much from you…is there anything from which you can expect more? “With this TVC, we expect Hamdard to become even more of the trusted brand name that it has been for years, especially with the urban youth”.

     

    Ankit Garg & Abhishek Misra, creative directors from L&K Saatchi and Saatchi remarked,“While creating the campaign, the challenge was two-fold.  We had to make the brand relatable to the aspiring, multi-tasking people of modern cities along with highlighting the multiple benefits of the oil both in terms of imagery and relevance. It was clear that we wanted to pick up small moments from life that would highlight the ‘extra effort’ we are expected to put in, in an very realistic manner. Pick up situations that show the daily struggle but not often seen in commercials. That would bring the freshness and warmth to the brand.”