MxMIndia

Category: ADVERTISING

  • The campaign aims at bringing positive change to Mumbai and its infrastructure

    Digital L&K Saatchi & Saatchi conceptualises social campaign on online medium

    By A Correspondent

     

    This Independence Day, one message that was trending on the internet was the one conceptualised by Digital L&K Saatchi & Saatchi in association with Mumbai based NGO, Free A Billion. Titled ‘The Boy Who Will Not Stand For The National Anthem’, this simple video caught attention with it’s unique title and also it’s message. It was the touching story of Prakash, the young 16 year-old who lost his life last year because of a pothole.

     

    The aim of Free A Billion is to turn India’s commercial capital into the city it should be. The NGO aims to mobilise the Municipal Corporation, the State Government and the Central Government into taking action to halt the rapid decay of the city.

     

    Free A Billion’s strategy to rebuild the broken system is the Swatantra vote bank, and the film ends with urging citizens to unite and vote and therefore take the first step towards bringing positive change to Mumbai and its infrastructure.

     

    Aarti Samant, Associate Director – Planning & Strategy, Digital L&K | Saatchi & Saatchi said, “Free A Billion approached us with a clearly defined problem that of basic civil rights. We all face these issues in our day to day lives but more often then not fail to pay heed. We wanted this to become a peoples movement and therefore it was imperative to tell a true story. The campaign is not just meant for shares and hits but to give every mumbaikar a reality check. A reality check that would appeal to his conscience and drive him to take action.”

     

    For this purpose, the two organisations got in touch with Mr. and Mrs. Bilhore, the parents of Prakash. Via a simple, but hard hitting video, Digital L&K Saatchi & Saatchi along with Free A Billion decided to tell the story of how he will not stand up for the National Anthem this year along with the rest of us.

     

    Anoorupa Bose, Associate Creative Director, Digital L&K | Saatchi & Saatchi said, “This Independence Day, when people stand up for the national anthem, we wanted them to remember victims like Prakash who would not be standing with us. To realise that it’s not just government inefficiency, but our indifference that contributes to our broken system.”

     

    Charles Victor, National Creative Director, Digital L&K | Saatchi & Saatchi said, “We were very clear that we needed to be sensitive, not sensational. With communication like this, it’s easy to make it unecessarily dramatic and emotional. We didn’t need to. The theme and the story of Prakash were emotional enough. We were glad his parents actually held themselves together on this emotional shoot without breaking down like they did the previous day. In the end, we do hope we’ve helped in some small way to move people into action.”

     

  • WATConsult, which is currently in its 10th year, and now a part of Dentsu Aegis Network and is headquartered in Mumbai with branch offices in Delhi and Bangalore

    WATConsult launches a new research division – Recogn

    By A Correspondent

     

    WATConsult, which is now part of the Dentsu Aegis Network, has launched a new research division – Recogn.

     

    Recogn is a speciality research unit which provides research based consulting solutions in areas of marketing, brand, product and consumer strategy. All these services are provided in-house using primary research tools (qualitative and quantitative) along with secondary desk research and social media analytics.

     

    WATConsult now enters the space of Market Research with Recogn. The launch of this division directly is in accordance with their understanding of the digital audience, providing marketers with deeper insights into the minds of digital consumers and helping them create more focussed digital strategies.

     

    The agency has already bagged their first assignment under Recogn wherein they have partnered with National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) to contribute a chapter on ‘Digital Marketing Practices’ among the food services sector for NRAI India Food Services Report 2016 (NRAI IFSR 2016).

     

    Commenting on the launch of Recogn, Rajiv Dingra, Founder and CEO, WATConsult said, “Recogn will serve as a starting point to build stronger creative and media strategies for brands keeping consumer behaviour at the core. With the base of Internet users in India increasing 50% Year over Year (YOY), digital has become the preferred screen in terms of time spent and information sought. This presents brands and marketers with a pressing need to understand the new age digital consumer and align the digital media strategy according to consumer behaviour and prevalent trends. With Recogn we look forward to provide the same to them.”

     

    WATConsult, which is currently in its 10th year, and now a part of Dentsu Aegis Network and is headquartered in Mumbai with branch offices in Delhi and Bangalore.

     

  • Anjali Hegde, formerly chief executive of Reprise Media, the second digital agency of IPG Mediabrands, has been appointed as the CEO of Ansible India

    IPG Mediabrands launches mobile marketing firm Ansible in India

    By A Correspondent

     

    Media services major IPG Mediabrands has launched its global full-service mobile marketing company Ansible in India. The services of Ansible India will include mobile strategy, mobile media planning and buying, mobile marketing and analytics, creative, technology and enterprise solutions. Anjali Hegde, formerly chief executive of Reprise Media, the second digital agency of IPG Mediabrands, has been appointed as the CEO of Ansible India.

     

    Headquartered in New York, Ansible came into existence in 2007 starting with operations across North America. To rapidly grow Mediabrands’ mobile footprint, in 2013, Mediabrands acquired mobile solutions agency Mnet in Australia and in early 2016 acquired Mubaloo in the UK.

     

    Ansible’s global footprint now includes 18 offices across 11 counties globally, with each providing the full breadth of mobile capabilities; extending from media, sites and apps into mobile commerce, mobile content, and broader technologies such as wearables, beacons, connected cars, augmented reality and virtual reality.

     

    With this Mediabrands clients in India get access to cutting edge global technologies, tools, expertise and research, a communiqué notes, adding: “Specifically, Ansible India’s clients will enjoy access to global publisher ratecards, exclusive technology partnerships, proprietary mobile media planning tools, and patented technologies such as “HARK™”, which is the technology that powers “Kia Game On” tennis – an Ansible mobile app campaign that won “Best In Show” and three other awards at the 2014 Mobile Marketing Association APAC Awards and “Most Innovative App” and “Best Mobile Marketing” at the 2015 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.”

     

    Said Travis Johnson, Global President of Ansible: “Mobile is the most personal media channel – statistically it’s no more than a metre from you for 90% of your day. As such, Indian consumers have high expectations and will quickly reject brands with poor mobile experiences. Ansible India is created to provide end-to-end mobile capabilities to optimise the entire user experience and ensure our clients are ahead of their competition. It’s not just about mobile media, it’s about optimising the creative, mobile site, app and every element that will soon include wearables and in-car experiences. We are thrilled to enhance IPG Mediabrands India with this breadth of expertise”.

     

    In India, Ansible would operate out of Gurgaon, Mumbai and Bengaluru offices of Interactive Avenues and is currently in the process of building the teams.  “We had been watching the mobile space with great interest.  It was evident that in order to create great brand experiences on mobile, we need to have top class tech and development skills of scale.  Today, Ansible is perfectly poised to provide the best of media and the best of technology solutions on mobile to brandsin India”, says CEO Anjali Hegde.

     

  • The event was held at their operations space at the iconic Bombay Stock Exchange Building at Dalal Street

    Publicis Drugstore targets real estate sector

    By A Correspondent

     

    Publicis Groupe’s innovation initiative – Drugstore has started its India operations with the first of its initiatives targetting the real estate sector. Publicis Drugstore is an innovation incubator, which incubates innovation ideas/projects on behalf of the Publicis Groupe clients around the world in collaboration with the startup sector. These innovation incubation programs range from supper chats with CXOs, to hackathons and long format innovation projects.  ‘Meet The Makers’ is one such format which allows for an evening of intimate interaction between large  companies and curated start ups in their respective sector. This experiential event was designed and created in partnership with Zone Startups, an organisation that incubates and accelerates start-ups in the Indian ecosystem. The event was held at their operations space at the iconic  Bombay Stock Exchange Building at Dalal Street.

     

    Key speakers at the event included Anil K Nair who leads the Publicis Drugstore initiative in India and Ajay Ramasubramaniam, Director, Zone Startups India. Anil K Nair, the ‘entrepreneur -in-residence’ for Publicis  Drugstore believes that the biggest business disruptor and saviour going into this decade will be an attitude of inside out innovation within large traditional organisations that will need to be encouraged & cultivated. This and a symbiotic relationship building between these organisations and the start up sector. “It’s a win-win for both. And we at Publicis Groupe are determined to make these dialogues happen for the overall good of the market place and the consumer at large”. Speaking at the event, he added: “The start-up space has been responsible for some of the biggest market disruptions across the world. Be it Uber or Air Bnb, they have all gone to redefine the space they were conceived in. We could have gone the traditional way and approached the fin-tech or other sectors which have such interfaces all the time. We however, have focused on real estate as it is one industry that needs the kind of innovations that start ups bring with them.”

     

    Ajay Ramasubramaniam added further, “The start-up scene is well ahead in terms of infrastructure, support and finance. It is only recently that the Indian scenario has started catching up. There is still some time when crowdsourcing and crowd-funding will become the norm for our nation, until then we are focused on creating the right kind of environment with the assistance of the Publicis Groupe to incubate, accelerate and facilitate the transition of the start-ups to their relevant industrial sector.”

     

    Some of the notable  startup pitches that came up were Phynart, a home automation start-up that incorporates Artificial Intelligence and data mining in traditional automation systems and  Enso Immersive, a R & D establishment driving research in technologies like Augmented Virtual Reality for developing applications and platforms across industries like real estate.

     

    The real estate industry was represented by leading players like Omkar, Tata Housing, Kalpataru , Godrej properties & Puranik.

     

  • The agency is set to establish digital media presence and social media marketing for the group's signature brand RR Kabel

    Liqvd Asia to handle digital & marketing for RR Kabel

    By A Correspondent

     

    LIQVD ASIA has won the digital mandate for RR Global in a multi-agency pitch. LIQVD ASIA will take care of all its digital media and marketing mandate. The multi-agency pitch was held over a period of two months with nine different agencies meeting the managing team of RR Group and presenting their respective strategies.

     

    The agency is set to establish digital media presence and social media marketing for the group’s signature brand RR Kabel. A leading wire & cable company in the world, RR Kabel is the pioneer of wire design, technology & application. RR Kabel has flourished being a part of RR Global, in the manufacturing of wires & cables & other electrical consumer durable products business.

     

    Kirti Kabra

    Kirti Kabra, Director, RR Kabel said “Our requirement for bringing a digital agency on board was driven by our desire to be digitally right. We realized that with our purpose across 73 countries, we had to keep not just the products but the business as well relevant to the changing times. Among the various agencies that we met, LIQVD ASIA provided the most germane approach that met our business objectives. LIQVD ASIA has impressed us with their experienced core senior members and the youthful team that will support our aspirations.”

     

     

    Arnab Mitra

    Speaking about the development, Arnab Mitra, Managing Director, LIQVD ASIA says, “RR Group has been one of the most flourishing business houses in the country and a brand that touches almost every household. For us, associating with a brand having penetration as wide as them is certainly a matter of pride.  We are here to ensure digital media gives the much needed last mile connect with the consumer which until now has been missing.”

     

    Rashmi Putcha, Co-founder, LIQVD ASIA says “Winning the account for RR makes a very interesting case for us as we are looking forward to the digital amplification of the brand over next few months.”

     

  • Ujjivan is now continuously building the railroads for developing a powerful 360 degrees communication campaign for its launch which will span multimedia efforts

    Ujjivan Fin mandates DDB Mudra for integrated comms

    By A Correspondent

     

    In another decisive move aimed at building a powerful Small Finance Bank Brand, Ujjivan announced that following a highly competitive multi-agency pitch, DDB Mudra Group has won the mandate to be its integrated communications agency to work on the transition to becoming a Small Finance Bank.

     

    Taking full cognizance of the brand and marketing challenges in this competitive space, Ujjivan is now continuously building the railroads for developing a powerful 360 degrees communication campaign for its launch which will span multimedia efforts.

     

    Speaking on this development, Vijay Balakrishnan, Chief Marketing Officer, Ujjivan Financial Services said, “After a very intense and hard fought competitive pitch lasting over two months, which saw India’s finest advertising agencies vying for the account, we are absolutely thrilled to have DDB Mudra on board as our Integrated Communications Partner”.

     

    DDB Mudra’s granular understanding of the category during their pitch and strategy presentations, their innovative approach to category creation combined with a highly committed leadership team and deep understanding of financial inclusion and social values is reassuring. We are confident they will ably partner us to launch the small finance bank.”

     

    “DDB Mudra’s past track record of creating powerful Indian brands from scratch and their powerful Integrated Advertising & Marketing Services offerings coupled with DDB’s global brand building repertoire will help Ujjivan create a distinct and stand out brand identity in the competitive SFB space.” he added.

     

    The account will be managed from the agency’s Bengaluru office and will be spearheaded by Sujay Ghosh, Executive Vice President & Business Partner, DDB Mudra South and East.

     

    Madhukar Kamath

    Madhukar Kamath, Group CEO & MD, DDB Mudra Group remarked, “The Ujjivan Financial Services pitch process was perfect. Not just exciting, but professionally conducted.  The interaction with Mr. Sumit Ghosh and his leadership team were truly insightful and educational.   My colleagues and I, are truly excited.   The partnership will be one to cherish.”

     

    Ranji Cherian, President, DDB Mudra South and East added, “We are extremely privileged to be chosen by Ujjivan Financial Services as their integrated communications partner. To us this is both exciting & challenging. We will leverage all our strengths as a Group to build a dominant position for the brand in the marketplace. We look forward to working closely as a team.”

     

    Ujjivan started operations in Bengaluru in 2005 and serves over 32.79 lakh active customers through 469 branches and 8,258 employees spread across 209 districts and 24 states in India, making it the largest MFI (Micro Finance Institution) in terms of geographical spread.

     

    It also undertakes robust financial literacy program and community development & disaster relief programs for customers in collaboration with Parinaam Foundation which is a non-profit organization.

     

  • Baseline MD & Co-founder Tuhin Mishra says he was sure PV Sindhu would shine. And so will K Srikanth

    Shining Star Sindhu. Endorsement agent knew she had it in her…

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    Baseline Ventures managing director Tuhin Mishra has a request.  Yes, Pusarla Venkata Sindhu is our client, but we wouldn’t like to have any photograph of her with us being put on MxMIndia. In fact that’s the reason why we just have a solo file picture of Sindhu and not one sent by her endorsement agents. Some others would do that, to cash in on the success.

     

    Baseline is a full-service sports marketing, entertainment and brand licensing firm with multiple bases – Gurugram, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Los Angeles and Singapore and has been representing Sindhu for around two years.

     

    Mishra, who was to be in Rio to witness the match, couldn’t make it as he has other commitments. But he’s sure of the bond with his client, and in fact he spoke with Sindhu after yesterday’s win.

     

    So while he’s delighted with her win, he doesn’t show it in his conversation with MxMIndia on phone on earlier today (Friday).  Will we now have sponsors making a beeline for her? Will her endorsement fee leapfrog 10x? Will she chuck her earlier sponsor (Yonex) who must’ve got her for a song ?

     

    No way, is what he seems to say to the last question. “We realise that there were sponsors who came on board when she wasn’t up there.” There’s no way Baseline will increase the endorsement fee for a Yonex which has been backing Sindhu for a while now.

     

    But there are a couple of other big announcements coming up soon, he said. As early as next week, he hinted. Was the deal inked before the Olympics success? Yes, says Mishra, and doesn’t get drawn into whether the stakes will be increased now that Sindhu is a shining star.

     

    The fee will of course increase, he does indicate, but the question is not about monies but what else the brand will do.

     

    Will Baseline and Sindhu accept just about any sponsor… a Parag Sarees or Rajnigandha Pan Masala, for instance?  “We don’t want people who want to throw money at her,” responds Mishra emphatically. “We would prefer fewer brands, but who will do something [meaningful].”

     

    So how did Baseline decide on managing Sindhu’s endorsement two years back, we asked Baseline. “When we started out we were looking at various sports. Badminton was in the radar and we found a coach like P Gopichand doing some great work. And he was doing that without any media spotlight. That suited us well as we also like to do our work quietly.”

     

    Saina Nehwal was already big, and had someone representing her, and that’s when Baseline decided to look at managing Sindhu and K Srikanth.

     

    But with Srikanth losing out in the medals race at the Olympics, will he still be relevant for endorsements. “Oh, he’s amazing. He’s a world champion and we are having some nice announcements for him too. It was just a matter of chance that in the quarter-final he faced the World #1 – who’s like the Roger Federer of badminton.”

     

    Mishra believes that Srikanth has a good five-six years ahead of him. “He’s just 20 and the average age in which men play badminton championships is 25-26.” And what about Sindhu? “She too has age on her side.” Sindhu is 21 and the average age women play until at international tournaments, Mishra informed, is 24-25 years.

     

    Will Sindhu’s help get more $$$s to badminton?  “It’s never an easy thing to get companies to look at sports outside of cricket in India,” he rues, but adds:  “Thankfully things are looking better.” Sponsors are getting good a return on their investments from other sports as well, avers Mishra.

     

    Even though Mishra doesn’t reveal what a sportsperson like Sindhu earns from a sponsor citing confidentiality clauses in the contract, industry sources estimate it is in the region of Rs 50 lakh to 1.5 crore. And that will increase as our sportspersons do well, thereby increasing viewer and spectator interest.

     

    Photograph of PV Sindhu is from the Premier Badminton League 2016 held in Mumbai in January 2016. Photograph by Jafar Khan/ Fotocorp

     

  • The global awards are aimed at recognizing and rewarding the brands and agencies who #GoLive best

    Twitter announces first annual Twitter Awards

    By A Correspondent

     

    Twitter has announced the first annual Twitter Awards to recognize and celebrate the amazing creative work of ad clients all over the world. The current advertising landscape is thriving with various innovative, imaginative, and exciting activities on Twitter. The Awards are an attempt to recognize the advertisers who have risen above the competition over the past year.

     

    Twitter will be capturing the awesome work in six categories- with one gold, two silvers, and three bronze prizes handed out for each category:

    :: The #Live award recognizes the campaigns that best used Twitter to connect with people live during events, television, and global moments. Because everyone wants to talk about what’s happening now.

    :: The #Impact award recognizes the campaigns that rode their thoughtful strategies all the way to sweet ROI results.

    :: The #Creativity award recognizes the boundless creativity and shoot-for-the-moon innovation that flourishes on Twitter.

    :: The #Scale award celebrates the campaigns that generated worldwide awareness and engagement, and had major cultural impact. In other words, the campaigns that rocked the globe.

    :: The #Customer award celebrates businesses that excelled at using Twitter for customer service and made loyal friends for life by treating their customers like, well, family.

    :: The #Growth award recognizes small businesses that used Twitter Ads to grow, expand, and spread their wings.

     

    In addition to major bragging rights, award winners may receive a coveted award perfect for mantels or glass cases, recognition on Twitter and/or marketing.twitter.com, Twitter Flight School, as well as a special digital presence at Twitter headquarters. The panel of judges includes industry experts and executives from agencies, brands, and other esteemed professionals who are pioneers in the arena of advertising.

     

    The submission deadline is 23th September 2016, and the results are scheduled to be announced on 10th November 2016

     

  • These entries were judged by 133 media professionals across 35 categories on 27th & 28th July, 2016 in Mumbai & 2ndAugust, 2016 at Delhi

    Emvies 2016: Shortlisted case studies to be showcased

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Advertising Club received a record number of entries at EMVIES this year. The aggregate of 971 entries is the highest ever received by the Ad Club in sixteen years of organizing EMVIES.

     

    These entries were judged by 133 media professionals across 35 categories on 27th & 28th July, 2016 in Mumbai & 2ndAugust, 2016 at Delhi.

     

    Based on the aggregate scores assigned by the judges, the EMVIES Committee at the Ad Club has shortlisted 177 case studies that will be presented from Monday, 22nd August to Friday, 26th August, 2016 at Manik Sabhagriha Auditorium, Vishwakarma, M. D. Lotlikar Vidya Sankul, Opp. Lilavati Hospital, Bandra Reclamation, Mumbai from 2.00 pm to 6.00 pm. The entry to this function is free for all.

     

    The case study presentation is a final round of judging and the Jury comprises of big names from the Marketing fraternity. An added attraction is that the audience will also get an opportunity to exercise one vote everyday if and only if they are present before 2.00 p.m.

     

    The EMVIE trophies will be presented at the Grand Gala Awards Ceremony on Friday, 2nd September, 2016 at the Ball Room, 9th Floor, The St. Regis (Hotel Palladium), Lower Parel, Mumbai at 6.30 p.m.

     

    The event is powered by Colors and supported by Google.

     

  • Aims to plug gap in the digital content arena

    Firki Productions enters branded content space

    By A Correspondent

     

    Firki Productions announced commencement of operations to provide digital content for brands based on their ethos and positioning. Firki Productions will provide multi-format content based around brand insights and human truths. Firki, a tongue and cheek name, is the collaborative brainchild of five experienced professionals with diverse backgrounds. Ramanuj Shastry and Nisha Singhania who run the advertising agency Infectious, Sujay Shetty who owns Whodunit Films and has to his credit over 250 advertising films, Tanya Pathak a film and television writer and Yateesh Srivastava a marketer with a great interest in all things digital.

     

    On the launch of the company, Ramanuj Sastry, Partner – Firki Productions, said, “Digital content is more often than not a hugely hyped and misunderstood phrase. While a lot of content is being created a lot of it is actually just long form advertising or pure product placement. The opportunity lies in telling consumer-relevant stories that engage digital audiences and subliminally deliver the brand message. That is our mission and we are passionate about delivering upon it!”

     

    Firki Productions is headquartered in Mumbai but is working on briefs from clients from all over the country. According to Yateesh Srivastava – Partner Firki Productions “Since our soft launch some time back we have already been commissioned for one assignment and are actively working on a number of briefs from some very well recognised brands. Story telling in a digital age is a very different ball game and more and more mature marketers understand that the rules of engagement are changing very rapidly. The key challenge remains in creating shareable and relevant content and still remain true to the ethos of the brand. Having production in-house will allow us to deliver a better product and deliver it quicker to the market.”

     

    One of the large advantages that Firki Productions has is that is has the story telling & screen writing and production skills in-house. This coupled with a strong handle on communications strategy and creative as well as digital marketing makes the offering from Firki Productions holistic and differentiated.

     

  • With Ikea set to launch in India next year, it had undertaken an elaborate, three-month pitch process with many agencies participating

    Dentsu Impact bags Ikea’s India creative mandate

    By A Correspondent

     

    Dentsu Impact, the recently rechristened creative agency of the Dentsu Aegis Network, has bagged the creative mandate for Ikea.

     

    With Ikea set to launch in India next year, it had undertaken an elaborate, three-month pitch process with many agencies participating.

     

    Ulf Smedberg
    Amit Wadhwa

    Commenting on the association, Ulf Smedberg, Country Marketing Manager, Ikea said, “We are happy to sign up Dentsu as our creative partner in India after a long pitch process involving the best agencies in the country. We have high expectations on ourselves and Dentsu to build a strong partnership in India and use our collective knowledge, creativity and experience to launch IKEA in the most successful way. “

     

    Having bagged the mandate, Amit Wadhwa, President, Dentsu Impact said, “Putting the feeling of getting an opportunity to work on this brand is even more difficult than winning the business. We at Dentsu Impact are delighted to work on brand Ikea and can’t wait to get started on this….Time to get down to producing some amazing work.”

     

  • nNext's media solutions take advantage of technology to deliver transparent and more efficient campaigns for advertisers

    SVG Media unveils nNext Media Solutions for advertisers

    By A Correspondent

     

    SVG Media announced a new advertising media solutions offering for direct advertisers under its brand nNext. nNext, launched six months ago as a performance marketing platform, now offers end-mile results as the sole campaign goal.

     

    nNext’s media solutions take advantage of technology to deliver transparent and more efficient campaigns for advertisers. The platform is able to offer live dashboards on media spends, automated hourly reporting and other significant enhancements. The technology stack at nNext is also developed in-house and is customizable to client’s needs.

     

    nNext solutions are tailor made for branding, performance, programmatic media buying, remarketing campaigns on desktop, mobile and many other innovative digital platforms.

     

    Nitin Sabharwal, Founder of nNext business said, “The biggest problem advertisers face is the lack of transparency when it comes to media spends. It is only when the invoice is raised that the clear picture emerges. nNext bridges this gap by giving a real-time access to advertisers. They know where and how their campaign is performing.”

     

    Yashasvi Vats, Business Head, nNext said, “I have been an advertiser for the past few years and understand the pain problem to integrate end to end. At nNext, we educate our clients about various technology solutions available to bring down costs to increase customer engagement. We integrate the marketing campaigns into the client’s CRM or Dialers to offer real time analytics and lead generation when it comes to performance.”

     

    nNext currently has mandates on a variety of product lines and channels from clients like Max Bupa Health Care, IndusInd Bank, Iffco-Tokio Life Insurance, Aegon Life and others.