MxMIndia

Category: ADVERTISING

  • In his new role, Shetty will oversee expansion of agency's growth plans with respect to the Indian market

    Vijeeth Shetty joins Liqvd Asia as President – Business & Services

    By A Correspondent

     

    Liqvd Asia has announced the appointment of Vijeeth Shetty as President- Business & Services. In his new role, Shetty will oversee expansion of agency’s growth plans with respect to the Indian market. He will be based out of agency’s Mumbai office and report to Rashmi Putcha, Co-Founder & Director, Liqvd Asia.

     

    Said Putcha: “I am elated to welcome Vijeeth on board. He has won many accolades and brings with him the right kind of experience. He is exactly the kind of talent we have been looking for to take the brands we work with to the next level.”

     

    On his appointment, Shetty said, “I am delighted to be part of one of the fastest growing Digital shops in Asia. It’s a very exciting phase here at Liqvd Asia, having won good amount of new business in the recent past and some big campaigns lined-up. The timing for me couldn’t have been better and I look forward to delivering great work and also to help win lot of awards in the process for our clients.”

     

    Shetty has managed leadership roles at various organisations. His last stint was at Tonic Worldwide, wherein he was Head-New Initiatives. Preceding that, he was Business Director at GroupM, Deputy Vice President – Digital Marketing at Angel Broking and with companies such as Pinstorm,  Directi, and MSLGroup in the past.

     

  • The account win was a result of a multi-agency pitch in Kolkata

    Rediff bags mandate for Presidency University makeover

    By A Correspondent

     

    Presidency University has empanelled Rediffusion Y&R for handling its creative mandate for the celebration of its 200 years. While the names of the agencies in the fray are not known, the final round included presentations from several agencies from Kolkata and Mumbai. The agencies were asked to make a strategy-cum-creative presentation on how the agency can take the legacy and heritage of the institution forward as they approach towards the completion of 200 years.

     

    The bicentennial celebration of the prestigious university will be a national as well as an international event, with seminars in India, Britain and in US. There will be academic workshops, debates, international seminars, lectures by distinguished academicians, Nobel laureates and Oscar winners; cultural events and a lot of other things. The events will start from the first week of January 2017

     

    Said Anuradha Lohia, Vice Chancellor, Presidency University: “While we celebrate 200 years, we aim to strengthen the legacy of this heritage institution in the future. Our criterion for short listing our agency was based on the enthusiasm & love displayed by the agencies for our prestigious institution. The creative concepts of Rediffusion Y&R team were insightful and passionate as befits our hallowed institution.”

     

    Added Dhunji S Wadia, President Rediffusion Y&R: “It is an honour to be the agency of choice for Presidency University which has a unique place in history.  To be able to together celebrate the 200years that have refashioned its venerable traditions and continuing strengths into a leading institution of the future.”

     

    Said Suparna Mucadum, Vice President, Rediffusion Y&R Kolkata: “Presidency University has a unique significance in history. The university boasts of several eminent scholars and Nobel laureates. We are glad to be a part of this celebration and believe that the fu0ture belongs to those who prepare for it today. Through this festival of 200 years, we aim/endeavour to support the institution as it creates a stronger foundation for the generations ahead.”

     

  • Globally, Gutenberg services industries such as technology, financial services, real estate, healthcare, education, aviation, defence, hospitality, infrastructure and not-for-profit causes

    Gutenberg Communications names Radha Radhakrishnan as Country Head for India

    By A Correspondent

     

    Strategic communications firm Gutenberg Communications has appointed Radha Radhakrishnan as Country Head for India. “I am delighted to have Radha join as part of our global leadership team to lead our India business. She brings a unique strategic perspective to communications and understands the evolving digital landscape and global nature of communications. Radha will lead our aggressive growth and expansion plans for India and will work closely with our clients across our five offices in India. Additionally, she will integrate with our US and UK teams on global multi-geography clients,” said Harjiv Singh, CEO and Co-Founder Gutenberg Communications.

     

    Radhakrishnan brings over 20 years of experience in integrated marketing communications, journalism, advertising and content development. Prior to Gutenberg, she was with Wipro Limited handling Corporate Communications for Wipro Corporate. She has also worked with the AzimPremji Foundation and AzimPremji University, leading the communications and engagement function.

     

    “I have witnessed Gutenberg’s stellar growth as a former client over the last 12 years. The communications industry is witnessing a rapid evolution, with digital at the centre of every marketing need. At Gutenberg, storytelling is at the core of our approach to being a digitally integrated communications firm. I am excited to work with our clients and teams,” said Radhakrishnan.

  • This follows a global media review with media agency conglomerate IPG Mediabrands bagging the entire media mandate including digital for Tourism Australia in India

    Lodestar UM bags Tourism Australia account

    By A Correspondent

     

    Leading media agency network Lodestar UM has bagged the Tourism Australia account. This follows a global media review with media agency conglomerate IPG Mediabrands bagging the entire media mandate including digital for Tourism Australia in India.  The ambition is to create a dynamic digital, data and tech solution for Tourism Australia and increase footfalls from India and maximise visits, notes a communique

     

    Nandini Dias

    “Tourism Australia is a prestigious account to have in our portfolio and I am glad that the client entrusted us with this mandate. Our strategy, planning and business analytics, innovative buying practices and award-winning content programmes aided us to bag the account”, said Nandini Dias, CEO, Lodestar UM, adding: “For the Tourism Australia campaign technology and data will play a crucial role.”

     

    Lodestar UM has created a dedicated team of 15 people to handle the account which will be led by Deepak Netram, Senior VP, Lodestar UM.

     

  • He has been working with the WPP group since 1988

    Kelly Clark is new Global CEO at GroupM

    By A Correspondent

     

    Kelly Clark

    Kelly Clark is the new Global CEO at GroupM. Making this announcement on Thursday evening India time, the media investment group of WPP also informed the media that Dominic Proctor was stepping down from the role to work on strategic projects.

     

    Clark most recently served as the CEO of GroupM in North America from 2012 to 2015.  He stepped aside last year to spend more time with his family. Prior to that role, he was the Worldwide CEO for Maxus between 2008 and 2012. He served as GroupM’s CEO for Europe from 2005 to 2008, and earlier he held CEO roles with Mindshare in the UK and in Asia Pacific. Clark began his WPP career at J. Walter Thompson New York in 1988.

     

    “Kelly has demonstrated inspiring leadership at every turn in his career, and he has earned the respect of our clients and our people,” said GroupM’s Global Chairman Irwin Gotlieb. “He has broad experience in North America, Asia and Europe and is focused intensely on delivering advantage to our clients.  I am looking forward to working with him to build on our momentum.”

     

    Meanwhile, Proctor will remain with WPP to work on strategic projects. His exact role has not been defined. “Dominic helped make Mindshare and GroupM the successful global businesses they are today.  It has been a great pleasure to work side by side with Dominic over many years and we all wish him the very best,” said Gotlieb.

     

    And this is what Clark said in a statement issued: “GroupM is in a great position to help our clients win in an incredibly competitive marketplace. Our investments in data, technology and most importantly, our talented people will help us achieve that ambition. It will require a lot of change and a united focus, so I can’t wait to get started with Irwin and our leadership team.”

     

  • Elevates MuddassarMemon to AVP – Creative & Social

    iProspect bags multiple new biz wins

    By A Correspondent

     

    iProspect India has bagged seven new accounts for its social media and creative mandate – namely Aditya Birla, Wildcraft, Ayurwin, ICICI Bank NRE Service, Max Fashion, Extramarks and Sunshine (Ashok Leyland) within the last one month. While the ICICI Bank NRE Service and Aditya Birla accounts will be led out of Mumbai, Wildcraft, Ayurwin and Max Fashion will be managed from the Bengaluru office. Extramarks and Sunshine (Ashok Leyland) will be serviced from New Delhi and Chennai respectively.

     

    Vivek-Bhargava
    Muddassar Memon

    Commenting on the new wins, Vivek Bhargava, CEO, iProspect India said, “Brands are increasingly becoming cognizant of the value digital can drive across all aspects of their business. Sectors which were wary of going the digital way are now embracing it readily. The growth in diversity of the client sectors in our portfolio is an indication of this. We are ecstatic to have seven new exciting brands to work with.”

     

    In line with the growing business, iProspect has fortified its talent strength to a 270-people team. This also brings with it structural changes with Muddassar Memon taking on the role of AVP – Creative & Social. Reporting into Brijesh Munyal, EVP – Operations, he will head social media and creative services for the company pan-India.

  • Flags Communications will cover end to end communication solution pertaining to marketing, creative, digital & PR services

    Interem appoints Flags Communications as its communications partner

    By A Correspondent

     

    Flags Communications has been assigned the marketing-communication duties of relocation specialists Interem International Ltd. The mandate is effective from September 2016. As a part of the mandate, Flags Communications will cover end-to-end communication solution pertaining to marketing, creative, digital and PR services.

     

    Said Rahul Pillai, CEO, Interem International Ltd. said, “Choice of bringing Flags Communications onboard was quite natural as they bring a unique approach, lots of energy, attitude and most importantly their years of experience in handling various brands. Together, we are embarking on a great journey of brand building and making it the best available brand in the category. We look forward to having a long term partnership. We trust the determination of the team led and guided by Mr.Nambiar who is a renowned marketer and we have seen him turn around businesses.”

     

    As a part of the mandate, Flags Communications will cover end-to-end communication solution pertaining to marketing, creative, digital and public relation services. Commenting on the tie-up, PKD Nambiar, MD & CEO-Flags Communications, said: “Synergies of both the companies clicked immediately as both are young and energetic brands. We are privileged to work with this exciting brand and will take it to new heights in terms of Brand building &Communication. The opportunities within Indian relocation market are plentiful and we will leverage it to the fullest.”

     

  • New appointments to the Board of Trustees

    Bruce Duckworth announced as D&AD President

    By A Correspondent

     

    Bruce Duckworth, principal at Turner Duckworth, starts his year as D&AD President. Each year, D&AD appoints a President from the Board of Trustees to lead the charge and shape the conversations for the year ahead. The job of the President is to galvanise the creative communities and bring them together to inspire and celebrate the finest in design and advertising. With D&AD Festival returning for a second year in 2017 as well as an international roster of President’s Lectures, Bruce wants to use this year to set an agenda of his own.

     

    Duckworth wants to raise the profile of designers, to elevate great design and to strengthen the relationship between D&AD and the design community. To give design a louder voice, whilst still bringing all the different communities within D&AD together under one roof.

     

    Said he: “This year I’d like to strengthen the relationship between D&AD and the design community. To bring the design community back into D&AD. And to give design a louder voice…How? We need to make D&AD a hub for our creative community. A place where the different creatives come together. One of the things I love about D&AD are the conversations I have with people from other disciplines, from different industries, people with different ways of seeing things. I find it energising, inspiring, and creative.”

     

    In addition to the new President, there have been eight new creatives elected to the D&AD Board of Trustees: Alexandra Taylor – Consultant Head of Art, Mrs. McGuinty; Bruno Maag – Chairman, Dalton Maag; Graham Shearsby – ‎Chief Creative Officer, Design Bridge; L.A. Ronayne – Creative Director, Havas London; Kath Tudball – Design Director, The Partners; PacoConde – Group Creative Director, BBH London; Steve Spence – Lecturer, London College of Communication; and Thomas Manning – Junior Creative, Havas London (New Blood Trustee).

     

    Tim Lindsay, Chief Executive, D&AD commented, “I would like to extend a warm welcome to Bruce who brings with him experience from a stellar career in the design industry. It comes as no surprise that he has big plans to bring the D&AD design community closer together and we are excited to see how his leadership will help to guide and shape D&AD over the coming year.”

     

    “September always brings change here at D&AD but this whole year has been one full of new beginnings: the first ever D&AD Festival, the launch of New Blood Shift and we are days away from the inaugural D&AD Impact Awards. I’d like to thank Andy Sandoz on behalf of all my colleagues at D&AD and the Board of Trustees for his fantastic commitment over five years culminating in a great Presidential year.”

     

  • The programme hosted some of the leading names of the communication and media industry and was a showcase of the impressive and outstanding work of organizations in this sector

    Mindshare, Maxus win big at Ad Club Bangalore’s Big Bang Awards

    ​Prasanth Kumar, CEO, Mindshare South Asia and team winning the Media Agency of the Year award of the Advertising Club Bangalore

     

    By A Correspondent

    Ad Club Bangalore successfully concluded the 21st edition of its annual awards – Big Bang Awards for excellence in communication and media on September 23, 2016 at Jayamahal Palace, Bangalore. This year, the event wasn’t just confined to awards night but was conceptualised in a manner to encourage the ideology of Connected India, which was the theme of the event. The evening commenced with Nihaal Kashinath (Founder, IOT Bangalore), S Anand (Chief Executive Officer, Gramener) and Arunabh Kumar (Founder & CEO, The Viral Fever & TVF Media Labs) sharing their opinion and views as guest speakers on Internet of Things, Connected Data, and Connected Content respectively.

    The programme hosted some leading names of the communication and media industry and was a showcase of the impressive and outstanding work of organizations in this sector. Stark Communications was named Creative Agency of the Year. Mindshare and Maxus were the biggest winners of the night bagging awards for Media, Digital, and Social Media Agencies of the year, respectively. Saatchi and Saatchi Health won the Healthcare Agency of the Year. Tata Sky won the Client of the Year Award winning across several categories.

    Commenting on the awards programme, Sanchayeeta Verma, President Ad Club Bangalore and Managing Partner, Maxus, South India & South Asia, said, “We had unprecedented interest and participation in Big Bang Awards this year and the effort was to have a meaningful and enriching event for our media, creative and marketing fraternity. I am happy that we were able to do so. Also, we had really interesting and spirited work which truly epitomised Connected India. Our heartiest congratulations to all the winners.”

    This year Big Bang awards were presented under four major categories – Creative, Media (Including Data & Tech), Digital, and Health. The awards assessment involved an online jury selection process. On the panel, 56 senior advertising, marketing, media, PR and digital industry experts and thought leaders were deployed by Ad Club. “We are the only Indian Ad Club using a sophisticated online jury process. Every jury member scores independently based on the facts presented in the entry form. No jury member knows who else is in his group and the identity of the entrant,” explained Arvind Kumar, Executive Director of The Ad Club Bangalore.


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    ​  ​

    Client of the Year

    Tata Sky

    Media Agency of the Year
    (Covers Digital, Mobile and Traditional Media)

    Mindshare

    Social Media Agency of the year

    Maxus

    Creative Agency of the Year

    Stark Communications

    Healthcare Agency of the Year

    Saatchi & Saatchi Health

     

  • Rise of design-led thinking in the realm of business having positive spillover effect on creative careers in India

    Creativity and design vital for doing businesses in India, notes Adobe study

    By A Correspondent

     

    As high as 98 percent creative professionals in India believe that creativity and design thinking are more important to business in the country. This is higher than the APAC average of 89 percent. These are numbers thrown up by Adobe’s 2016 Creative Pulse survey of more than 1700 creatives across Asia Pacific (APAC) – including graphic designers, web designers, artists, web designers and more. The report also found that Indian creatives have a higher desire to learn (83 percent) and feel motivated to finding new solutions to design led challenges (61 percent), which is higher (by 11 percent and 20 percent respectively) than their peers in APAC region.

     

    Overall, the findings of Adobe’s 2016 Creative Pulse survey highlight that creatives in India are today driving a bigger impact within their organisations. The study provides insights into the beliefs, difficulties and ambitions of the region’s creative vanguard, including graphic designers, UX/UI designers, web designers, photographers and film makers.

     

    “Adobe has always been at the forefront of the changing creative environment, and it is encouraging for us to see how changing market dynamics and the Government of India’s DICE agenda are together furthering the progress of creative professionals in the country,” said Kulmeet Bawa, Managing Director – South Asia, Adobe, adding: “Today, we are seeing businesses in India increasingly acknowledge the value of creativity in driving business results, and find several companies taking steps to involve creatives in their strategic plans as well as boardroom discussions. Going ahead, we expect more and more businesses in India embrace a design-led approach to problem solving and leverage creativity to deliver standout customer experiences. The results of Adobe’s 2016 Creative Pulse survey are a testament to this fast emerging trend and also provide an apt view into sentiment of creative professionals in India today.”

     

    Given that using design as a tool has now become a business mandate to stand apart and reach out to consumers, creatives are no longer relying on their present achievements, a communique on the study notes. To fulfil this mandate, creatives know they must automate the creative process with new skills, new tools and new digital technology. They believe that proficiency in technology and access to best-in-class tools, combined with intuitive creative excellence will be the deal breaker – with 96 percent of Indian respondents agreeing to this. Creatives in India cite that the most important skills over the next year would be to acquire UX/UI design (37 percent) and app development (20 percent).

     

    Adobe’s 2016 Creative Pulse report included 12 percent of respondents from India and reached out to some of the biggest names creative professionals in the country, of which, 18 percent are film makers and 13 percent are UX/UI designers.

     

  • The initiative was conceptualised and facilitated by Famous Innovations

    Famous Innovations gets Nestle to change packaging of Maggi, Kit Kat & Nescafe in support of Nanhi Kali

    By A Correspondent

     

    Raj Kamble with Anand Mahindra and Chandrasekar Radhakrishnan of Nestle

    Nestlé India has brought about a change in packaging of three of its iconic brands – Maggi, Kit Kat and Nescafé to support girl child education in association with Project Nanhi Kali – an initiative by K C Mahindra Education Trust and the Naandi Foundation.

     

    Said Raj Kamble, Founder and CCO, Famous Innovations: “We were thinking of ways to increase corporate engagement for Project Nanhi Kali and we found ourselves wondering – what can corporate brands contribute with, other than just money? “Taglines” was the simplest, yet the most daring of answers. The one asset that any brands holds dearest to its heart and closest to its name. We salute Nestle India and Project Nanhi Kali for this bold step towards educating girls in India, a cause that we all know needs urgent attention.”

     

    In their new avatar, Maggi has changed its tagline from “2 minute noodles” to “2 minutes for education”, Kit Kat has changed the visual of the finger snap to one without the break with the line “no break from education” and Nescafe comes with the tagline “ It all starts with a Nescafe” to “It all starts with education”. The message is further reinforced with a call to action and the URL nanhikali.org. A hundred million packs in the new avatar will hit the shelves this week, notes a communiqué.

     

    Speaking on the partnership,. Suresh Narayanan, Chairman and Managing Director, Nestlé India said: “Brands are built by earning the love and trust of consumers over time. Every time a consumer picks a pack off the shelf, the visual properties of the brand serve as symbols of the promise the brand has made to the consumers. They are therefore invaluable assets, protected and treasured by organisations. We are changing the packaging of three of our most iconic brands to sensitise and draw attention to the fact that society needs to embrace collective responsibility in ensuring that more girls have the opportunity to pursue education. Girls with access to education not only improve their own lives but also bring changes to their families, communities and economies. This is Nestlé India’s humble way of making a small yet deeply felt contribution to a cause that is important and vital to our society.”

     

    The initiative will be further amplified by TV, outdoor, print, digital and on-ground activities, the communiqué adds.

     

  • The three-day design fest took off in Jaipur

    It’s Kyoorius Designyatra. It’s where the crowds & colours are…

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    Jaipur isn’t Goa. It’s a great, fun place. But there’s no sea.  But this is Kyoorius Designyatra. The destination for all the design folk, especially those in the visual arts.

     

    Every year, for the last 11 years, Rajesh Kejriwal has been conducting the event. Pouring in top $$$s on content, and making it a classy affair.

     

    The eleventh edition of Kyoorius Designyatra moved to Jaipur this year, with the theme: “Why am I here?” The event started today at the Fairmont Hotel on the outskirts of the Pink City and is spread over a period of three days – September 29 to October 1. The theme will explore facets of creativity – whether we are chasing our passions or just doing mundane work; be it in designing, writing, shooting or exploring multiple avenues for creativity.

     

    This year, some 1300 delegates are registered to participate in the various workshops, discussion sessions and portfolio reviews providing the audience a platform for interactions.  Plus a host of speakers:

    Alex Daly, Founder, Vann Alexandra

    Greg Quinton, Executive Creative Director, The Partners

    Handsome Frank, Founder, Handsome Frank

    Michael Wolff, Founder, Michael Wolff & Co.

    Jon Marshall, Co-Founder & Creative Director, MAP

    Kate Dawkins, Founder & Director, Kate Dawkins Studio

    Michael Johnson, Founder, Johnson Banks

    NB Studio, Creative Partners, NB Studio

    Paul Austin, Founding Partner and Creative Director, Made Thought

    Tony Davidson, Global Partner, Wieden + Kennedy

    Yuko Shimizu, Illustrator, yukoart.com

     

    Read a report on Kyoorius Designyatra on MxMIndia tomorrow and on Monday, October 3