MxMIndia

Category: ADVERTISING

  • While Lyle Schwartz will be incharge of the investment group, Phil Cowdell will oversee platform services

    GroupM divides central operations into 2 groups – investment & platform services

    By A Correspondent

     

    Media services conglomerate GroupM has announced that it is consolidating its central resources and dividing them into two groups—investment and platform services.

     

    The investment group, which includes the network-level ad-buying team that negotiates with ad sellers and houses buying resources like research, will be overseen by Lyle Schwartz (more on him later), while Phil Cowdell, CEO of Mediacom North America, will move into a new role overseeing platform services. The platform services group will incorporate most digital operations, including GroupM’s search and social group Catalyst, data and analytics resources, and the network’s programmatic buying group that offers disclosure on agency and media costs.

     

    The new regime at WPP PLC’s GroupM is indeed making big changes to its central ad-buying group as it prepares for a future in which more media is consumed digitally and ad deals are more reliant on data and technology than handshakes. Rino Scanzoni, the GroupM ad-buying veteran, said to influence tens of billions in media spending each year, is moving out of his role as North America chief investment officer. He will become Executive Chairman and CEO of GroupM’s addressable TV group, Modi Media, as well as its barter group, Midas Exchange, which essentially helps companies trade distressed assets for media inventory.

     

    Schwartz, GroupM’s managing partner for research and marketplace analysis, is becoming president of investment in North America, taking on media buying and negotiation responsibilities across TV, digital, radio, print and local media. Schwartz has worked closely with Scanzoni, but is known more for his experience in research and analytics than TV network negotiations, notes a communiqué.

     

  • Introduces a first-of-its-kind innovation, engaging children, to induce behavioural change

    Savlon unveils ‘Savlon Swasth India Mission’

    By A Correspondent

     

    Leading hygiene brand Savlon has unveiled Savlon Swasth India Mission, a programme designed to encourage behavioural change towards washing hands amongst children through various engaging and entertaining educational initiatives in schools.  In line with Savlon Swasth India’s proposition of ‘Healthier Kids, Stronger India’, the programme introduces interactive activities including a series of storytelling and visual engagement that educate and encourage children to adopt good hand hygiene practices.

     

    On the eve of Children’s Day, Savlon Swasth India Mission introduced an engagement with Savlon Healthy Hands Chalk Sticks – a set of unique chalk sticks infused with cleansers like soap. The chalk sticks are designed to engage children in primary schools and emphasise the importance of washing hands before eating.

     

    Sharing his thoughts, Sameer Satpathy, Chief Executive, Personal Care Products Business, ITC Limited, stated: “Hand hygiene is a critical issue. We believe, to induce behavioural change among children, the process of communication and education has to be fun, engaging and memorable. In that context, Savlon Swasth India’s ‘Healthy Hands Chalk Sticks’ is a simple yet interesting innovation. It is an engaging way to educate children on the importance of washing hands especially before eating. This is one of the various educational tools deployed by the Savlon Swasth India team to help initiate children into the habit of washing hands.”

     

    Commented Harshad Rajadhyaksha, ECD Ogilvy Mumbai, on the initiative:  “Before anything else, I would like to really thank the client who partnered us to make this happen. It wasn’t easy but they never made us feel it was impossible. Savlon is on a great path and we intend to take the brand from strength to strength.”

     

    Added Kainaz Karmakar, ECD Ogilvy Mumbai: “If we can use our skills of ideation to make a difference to not just the brands but the lives of people, it’s a special kind of joy. The ‘Healthy Hands Chalk Sticks’ initiative sets out to do just that. Even if one kid is saved from an illness because of this initiative we will all go home happy.”

     

  • The icon has been created by Dentsu, Tokyo. Inspired by the roots of a tree or plant, the identity tells the story of Adfest's evolution over two decades and brings to life next year's theme, '20 Years of Diversity'

    Adfest 2017 unveils Dentsu-designed identity

    By A Correspondent

     

    The 2017 edition of Adfest, one of the first international advertising festivals, has unveiled its identity. The twentieth anniversary edition of Adfest will be held in Pattaya in Thailand from March 22 to 25, 2017.

     

    The icon has been created by Dentsu, Tokyo. Inspired by the roots of a tree or plant, the identity tells the story of Adfest’s evolution over two decades and brings to life next year’s theme, ‘20 Years of Diversity’.

     

    “In 1998, a seedling named Adfest was planted in one of the most diverse continents in the world. Its purpose was to nurture and celebrate creative talent across Asia,” explains Yoshihiro Yagi, Group Creative Director at Dentsu Inc. in Tokyo. According to Yagi, the idea of comparing Adfest’s origins to the roots of a tree came from interviewing farmers in Japan. “I spoke to some very interesting farmers who grow apples that do not seem to go rotten, even for as long as a year. It became apparent to me that to grow a good apple – while it is important for the leaves, branches, and trunk of the apple tree to be strong – the roots actually have an extremely important function. Similarly, when we talk about the growth of people and businesses, we tend to look at their appearance. But I learned how elements that can’t be seen from the outside are absolutely vital for growth. I thought about this in connection with ADFEST, and kept this idea in mind over the course of the project.”

     

    Adfest 2017 is scheduled to hold two separate programmes: Craft@Adfest, which runs on March 22 and 23 and Creative@Adfest will run on March 24 and 25.

     

  • UK will see eighth successive year of adspend growth – from 6.3% to 7.2% in 2016 & 5.8% to 7.2% for 2017, forecasts GroupM

    Brexit notwithstanding, Britain on growth path, reports GroupM

     

    – UK advertising is set to see the eighth successive year of growth, despite the short-term effect of the EU referendum (aka Brexit), with predicted growth up from 6.3% to 7.2% for 2016, and from 5.8% to 7.2% for 2017. This increase in spending takes the industry to an investment of £18.8 billion in 2017, according to the latest media and marketing forecast figures from leading media services conglomerate GroupM.

     

    GroupM’s outlook for traditional media advertising has deteriorated slightly, from -1.1% to -2.6% for 2016 and from +0.5% to -1.4% in 2017. The predicted ad market share for pure-play digital has consequently risen by a point to 52% in 2016 and then up 3 more points 55% in 2017. The UK remains among the most digital-centric advertising markets in the world, notes a GroupM  communiqué.

     

    GroupM has found that digital display demand continues to rise strongly with a +15% rise predicted for 2017, particularly into social media, and, within digital, from static to video. The largest driver is paid search which is accelerating again. It benefits from rising automation, geo-targeting capabilities and the point of sale immediacy of mobile for performance-minded advertising.  GroupM’s forecast for the year ahead is continued strong growth in search, which maximises automation and technology. ‘Search’ embraces YouTube’s substantial AdWords trade.

     

    For the first time, GroupM offers an analysis of the aggregate digital advertising investment it manages for its UK clients. This includes paid search which differs to the IAB’s analysis which only includes details on display. GroupM now invests approximately the same amount in digital advertising as in TV (linear and VOD), and half of GroupM’s digital investment is automated, up from 40% in a year.

     

    GroupM UK’s digital investment by venue in Q2 2016 vs Q2 2015:

     

    Today, five advertising categories stand out as being important for TV but relatively light on digital.  These are: Cosmetics & Personal Care; Food; Retail; Household Equipment & DIY; and Leisure Equipment. These five together comprise a third of UK TV ad investment, or £1.5 billion. Pure-play online advertising is by contrast approaching £10 billion. GroupM predicts that pure play digital vendors will target these categories more aggressively in future.

     

    “The effect of the future EU exit on the UK economy is unknown, but the short-term impact was negligible. To our own surprise, we are revising UK advertising growth up from 6.3% to 7.2% for 2016, and from 5.8% to 7.2% for 2017,” said Adam Smith, Futures Director, GroupM.

     

    “The main driver that we have seen is paid search accelerating again. It benefits from rising automation and the immediacy needed for mobile and performance-minded advertising. We expect digital display advertising to continue growing by 18% in 2016 and 15% in 2017. The ambition of pure play digital vendors to conquer TV territory and categories will be hard-won, but today’s undisputed winner is pure-play digital”

     

     

    “We continue to support advertiser investments in digital campaigns by investing in the data and technology resources needed to inform and efficiently execute these campaigns. Of course, this is crucial as more media become digital, addressable and available in real time,” said Nick Theakstone, CEO, GroupM United Kingdom.  “However, it is also important that advertisers not abandon top of the marketing funnel activities for creating brand awareness, like TV, with over-investment in digital. We are advising careful consideration in balancing investments to ensure support of long-term brand growth.”

  • Mukherjee, a resident of Dallas, USA, has been Global Chief Marketing Officer of S. C. Johnson & Son, Inc. since October 2015

    Kolkata-born Ann Mukherjee is 25th Most Innovative CMO

    By A Correspondent

     

    You’ll see her make it to the covers of the business magazines very soon. She’ll even be chief guest at some of the three dozen award events or conference. Whatever.

     

    But the news is here for us to celebrate. SC Johnson CMO Ann Mukherjee is #25 in Business Insider’s 50 Most Innovative CMOs list. Here’s a link to the list – ranking-wise: http://www.businessinsider.in/The-CMO-List-Ranked-1-to-50/articleshow/55446196.cms. And here’s the list in alphabetical order: http://www.businessinsider.in/The-CMO-list-From-A-to-Z/articleshow/55446216.cms

     

    Ann or Anindita Mukherjee lives in Dallas, Texas with her husband Dipu and their teenage twins.  Notes a profile on Bloomberg.com: “Mukherjee, has been Global Chief Marketing Officer of S. C. Johnson & Son, Inc. since October 2015. She served as President of Global Snacks Group and PepsiCo Global Insights of Pepsico, Inc until 2015. She served as the Chief Marketing Officer and Senior Vice President at Frito-Lay North America, Inc. She joined Plano-based Frito-Lay North America in 2005 as Vice President of Marketing. She has extensive experience in consumer marketing, having worked on programs for chip-brands Doritos and Cheetos… Prior to PepsiCo, Mukherjee worked in Brand Management and Marketing at Kraft Foods Group, Inc. and Citibank.”

     

    She has done an MBA in Finance from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and has undergraduate degrees in Economics and Religious Theology from the the University of Chicago.

     

  • Introduces Active Account mobile app to help Indians earn from surplus savings

    Birla Sun Life Mutual Fund urges Indians to activate idle savings with ‘Active Account’

    By A Correspondent

     

    Birla Sun Life Asset Management Company Limited has launched its latest TV commercial, Active Account across national television. BSLMF Active Account is a Liquid Fund-based mobile application which could help investors earn from their surplus savings. Directed by Shimit Amin, the TVC is created by Taproot Dentsu.

     

    “Historically Indians have the mindset of keeping majority of their hard-earned money in low-yielding vehicles. Seldom do they realize that with taxes and inflation, their idle savings remain in a state of erosion. Our attempt is to awaken Indians to this realization, and provoke them to make the right saving choices. With Active Account, consumers can now use the power of technology to activate money with a single swipe,” said Ajay Kakar, Chief Marketing Officer – Financial Services, Aditya Birla Group.

     

    A. Balasubramanian, CEO, Birla Sun Life Asset Management Company Limited said, “BSLMF Active Account has been developed using customer-first design thinking. Conveniences such as ease of use, ease of login, ease of transaction, ease of access are structurally embedded into its architecture. This new offering from us is poised to change the way India saves, and I am confident that it will add immense value to savers and investors across the Indian diaspora.”

     

    Speaking about the campaign, Pallavi Chakravarti, Executive Creative Director, Taproot Dentsu said, “The bank account is India’s default parking lot, when it comes to money. But is this traditional saving habit optimal? While attempts have been made in the past to urge people to “make their money work harder”, the launch of the Active Account App is a game-changer. In this commercial, we’ve used India’s other favorite activity – protesting – in an interesting way, to drive home the message that the days of “lazy money” are numbered. Because the Active Account is not yet another app, it’s a revolutionary tool.”

     

    Directed by Shimit Amin, the Active Account campaign is created by Team Taproot Dentsu, led by Umesh Shrikhande, Agnello Dias, Santosh Padhi, Pallavi Chakravarti and Neeraj Kanitkar. Red Ice Films is the Production House, and Lisa D’Costa, Executive Producer. The digital elements are managed by Foxy Moron, Mumbai.

  • He will report to RajDeepak Das, Chief Creative Officer, Leo Burnett, South Asia

    Arjuna Gaur joins Leo Burnett as Executive Creative Director

    By A Correspondent

     

    Arjuna Gaur

    Leo Burnett India has brought on board Arjuna Gaur as Executive Creative Director. In his new mandate, Arjuna will be based out of the New Delhi office and lead the creative function of the North operations. He will report to RajDeepak Das, Chief Creative Officer, Leo Burnett, South Asia. Gaur joins the agency from M&C Saatchi Kuala Lumpur.

     

    Welcoming Gaur on board, Das said: “I have met a multitude of creative people in my career, but Arjuna is one of those few people who personifies ‘creativity’. We have worked together for seven-eight years at BBDO India, and I love the energy he brings to the table. I love that he is a geek, I love that he understands human behaviour, applies it to his craft, and makes the ad-meet-the-tech-meet-the-idea. And most of what he knows is self-taught. He is truly an all-rounder, and I am happy to have him on board the Leo Burnett ship.”

     

  • Publicis India will work on the strategy and creative deliverables of Shop CJ

    Shop CJ appoints Publicis to handle creative mandate

    By A Correspondent

     

    Shop CJ has appointed Publicis as the advertising agency following a multi-agency pitch. Publicis India will work on the strategy and creative deliverables of Shop CJ spearheading the next phase of growth for the brand.

     

    Confirming the news, Dhruva Chandrie, COO, Shop CJ said: “The market environment today requires Shop CJ to collaborate with the best agencies and engage with consumers 24/7 through all relevant touch points. Publicis in its commitment to bold, brave ideas, brought on the table their years of experience in the allied sector and business. Their global capabilities in advertising and digital media make them uniquely equipped to bring innovative, integrated solutions to what we’re trying to achieve. With their appointment, I look forward to extremely progressive and innovative marketing and consumer engagement campaigns. This would further strengthen our brand equity, and help make great impact on the people we serve.”

     

    Commenting on the development, Paritosh Srivastava, COO, Publicis Ambience, says, “CJ is a huge conglomerate in Korea. We are privileged to partner them in India. They are already on a terrific growth trajectory. Our task is to help them hit escape velocity even faster. We are offering them an integrated solution across mainline, digital and PR leveraging the Publicis Power of One to deliver their India ambitions. ”

     

  • Grauer & Weil India Ltd. has retained IBD as its communication agency for managing the integrated communications portfolio for Growel's101

    IBD retains 360 degree mandate for Grauer & Weil

    By A Correspondent

     

    IBD India, a Percept Company, has retained the integrated communications mandate of Grauer & Weil India Ltd.   Grauer & Weil India Ltd. has retained IBD as its communication agency for managing the integrated communications portfolio for Growel’s101.

     

    IBD’s scope of work encompasses developing a holistic marcomm plan in tune with the vision and marketing objectives for Growels. This includes brand campaigns across ATL and BTL mediums, B2B campaigns targeting the ATL and associated media, tactical campaigns to increase footfalls and trading density, environmental graphics and designs within the mall, print campaigns, brand campaigns and trade centric (B2B) campaign redefining the imagery of the brand and event identity communication andcollaterals throughout the year.

     

    Commenting on the account win, Rahul Gupta, Managing Director, IBD said, “Grauer & Weil India Ltd, is one of our most prestigious associations and we take great pride in being the agency of choice for the fourth consecutive year. This comes with a lot of responsibility and we are committed to do good work that creates more value for the brand.”

     

  • The spot captures the mischievous relationship that we see between parents and children these days

    Grey executes new campaign for Britannia Cake

    By A Correspondent

     

    Grey Bangalore has launched a new TVC for Britannia Cake that sees a father-son duo caught in the most important question of the hour: Who gets to eat the cake? Who deserves it more? We see the father narrate a tale where he is recounting an incident when the child was much younger. He claims that when the boy’s Britannia Cake pack was stolen by a monkey, he undertook great risks to bring it back to the child. That, according to the father, is a jolly good reason why the cake pack should be all his.

     

    Just when we think that the child is convinced and the father has gotten away with his fibbing, we realise that the child is not as gullible as we had presumed him to be. After all, he is also his father’s son! With a sign off that reads, “Yummy waali shararat”, this spot nicely captures the mischievous relationship that we see between parents and children these days.

     

    Said Vishal Ahluwalia, Vice President and Business Head, Grey Bangalore: “The challenge for Grey was to capture the magic between parents and kids through the lens of a delicious Britannia Cake and tell the story in a disruptive form. All credit must go to team Britannia who were bold enough to accept a new storytelling format and believe in a film which was conceptualised on a wide fantastical canvas”.

     

    “Britannia has positioned bar cakes as the perfect treat for kids, both in terms of health and delight. However, with this campaign we have refreshed the positioning to bring out the more universal appeal of cakes. With “Yummy Wali Shararat” we want to talk about how this category brings out the child in each of us. What better way to bring this to life than good humoured leg pulling between a father and a son”, said Manjunath Desai, Vice President Strategy & Business Development, Britannia Industries Limited. The TVC has been released across 10 languages, nationally.

     

  • Concept & Creation by OgilvyOne Worldwide Mumbai

    Marriott’s wedding offering tells a heart-warming story

    By A Correspondent

     

    As the big fat Indian wedding becomes an area of focus for luxury hotel chains, Marriott India takes a refreshing route on clichéd wedding promotions. OgilvyOne Worldwide Mumbai creates a film that highlights the beauty of its properties against a moving story that explores the emotional bond between a bride and her father.

     

    With branded video content being churned out faster than one can blink, the film is a timely reminder that few things are as moving as raw human emotions.

     

    Commenting on the campaign, Khushnooma Kapadia, Director – Marketing & Communications, Marriott International, said: “The Marriott brand has been built on a philosophy of utmost thought and care towards our customers. And nowhere is this attitude more evident than when we host weddings. This film isn’t merely about showcasing our properties and services. It is about helping customers realise the occasion means as much to us, as it does to them.”

     

    Burzin Mehta, Group Creative Director, OgilvyOne said: “Very few occasions in life are as emotionally charged as weddings. And that’s what drove the creative thinking behind this piece of work. The film uses the magnificence of the Marriott as a backdrop to capture the special relationship between a bride and her father. And in doing so, brings alive the values of the brand in a subtle but memorable way.”

     

  • The Rediffusion Y&R Chairman and Managing Director has written an open letter to former Tata Sons chairman Cyrus Mistry asking him not to misrepresent facts about his agency

    Bandh karo bakwaas, Rediff boss Arun Nanda tells Cyrus Mistry (well, almost!)

    By A Correspondent

     

    The indefatigable Arun Nanda is at it again. The Rediffusion Y&R Chairman and Managing Director has written an open letter to former Tata Sons chairman Cyrus Mistry asking him not to misrepresent facts about his agency.  “Please do not place selective facts about us to suit your narrative before the media and the public,” he writes, adding: “Our reputation has been built over 43 years and I will not allow it to be tarnished in any manner whatsoever.”

     

    So Arun Nanda ko gussa kyun aata hai? What irks the big boy of adland? Well, there have been a few reports that have appeared recently mentioning him. Like this one in The Economic Times: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/55435946.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst