MxMIndia

Category: ADVERTISING

  • The move is in line with the groups’ ambition to emerge as a major player in the fast-growing gigital marketing segment

    Laqshya Media group acquires Digitalabs

    By A Correspondent

     

    Laqshya Media Group has announced the acquisition of Digitalabs, a digital marketing agency based out of Noida.

     

    Said Rakesh Tulsiani, COO of the new division: ”For years, Digitalabs has facilitated brands with conceptualising and implementing fully integrated digital marketing strategies which stem from nothing but data and numbers. We plan to continue the same mission as part of Laqshya Media Group. Sharing the same set of values, partnering with them will not only strengthen our base, it’ll add to the diversity of customers we’ll serve”.

     

    Added Agam Chaudhary, Co-founder of Digitalabs and now CMO of the division: “At Digitalabs we’ve always been a technology-driven digital marketing solutions company and with Laqshya, while we strengthen that, our clients will now reap the benefits of getting serviced by a much bigger agency with further specialized and integrated solutions. Digitalabs as part of Laqshya will now go on to define the next generation of digital marketing.”

     

    Commenting on the acquisition, Alok Jalan, managing director of the Laqshya Media Group said: ‘‘This is a natural corollary to our expansion into all communication platforms that help our clients engage with the Millennials.  Technology will be at the center of all our offerings to our clients & Digitalabs’ first mandate is to look at convergence between OOH, Experiential & Digital”.

     

     

  • A panel of eminent creative personalities will evaluate the entries for Pepper-2018

    Pepper Creative Awards to be held in April 2018

    By A Correspondent

     

    Pepper Creative Awards Trust has announced the 12th edition of the Pepper Creative Awards. The call for entries has been sent to all ad agencies, production houses, printers, and photographers in South India. A panel of eminent creative personalities will evaluate the entries for Pepper 2018.

     

    “We are expecting more than 1,500 entries for the competition which has become a stepping stone for the creative fraternity from this part of the world to take part in other major peer-reviewed national and international competitions,” said K Venugopal, Chairman, Pepper Trust.

     

    Added Prathap Suthan, the Pepper jury chairman and Co-founder & CCO of Bang in the Middle, New Delhi:”The content that’s now getting created from the south, thanks to better tech hardware and easier media platforms, is indicative of the creative quality and power of this region. Advertising and Communication that are born here, ideally should have ideally stepped up both into terms of idea and execution. It ought to be a natural progression and expectation. I am really looking forward to seeing the next stage of our region’s potential at Pepper 2018”.

     

    Apart from him, other jury members for this year’s awards are: KS Chakravarthy, Co-founder & CCO, Tidal 7 Brand & Digital; KV Sridhar, Founder & CCO, Hypercollective, Raj Nair, CEO & CCO, Madison BMB, Meera Sharath Chandra, CEO & CCO, Tigress Tigress and Atul Kattukaran, First December Films Partner and adfilmmaker. The keynote address at the Pepper 2018 awards ceremony will be delivered by adperson-turned-filmmaker R Balki.

     

     

  • The campaign is being supported through Print, Outdoor, activation and an extensive digital leg

    Ogilvy highlights what’s really good with Cake Up

    By A Correspondent

     

    Ogilvy India, in association with Ogilvy Pakistan, has crafted a heart-warming story for the launch of Peek Freans ‘Cake Up’. English Biscuit Manufacturers (EBM), Pakistan’s leading brand of biscuits has stepped into a new food category with launch of Cake Up.

     

    Said Sukesh Nayak, Chief Creative Officer, Ogilvy West: “Our products are filled with real goodness and so is our life. To launch the ‘Real Goodness’ platform, we chose to tell a story of a working mother who finds a unique way to create real a connection with her son. A connection that leaves a lasting impression.”

     

    Talking about the collaboration on this particular ad and how it came to be, Nayak added: “Ayesha Janjua, the marketing head of EBM (promoter of Peek Freans Cake Up), was the marketing head at Shan Foods when we made two very successful ads for them and when she moved to EBM, we just wanted to continue the relationship. We are really glad that we did.”

     

    Said Janjua, who is Head of Marketing, EBM: “With this thematic campaign, we will establish our position in the consumer’s mind as being bigger than just a sweet snack. Peek Freans Cake Up will become the catalyst for starting real conversations with the people we love, who sometimes in our busy lives, we forget to appreciate or communicate with, in a meaningful way. Every moment counts, and when it comes straight from the heart, that moment becomes a lifelong memory to be cherished.”

     

     

  • Isha Foundation, Reliance Foundation, Vodafone-Ogilvy & Ola-Happy win big at presented

    Big night for green advertising

     

    The eighth edition of the Olive Crown Awards, the International Advertising Association (IAA) India Chapter’s awards for excellence in communicating sustainability was held in Mumbai on Tuesday, March 6. Isha Foundation, Reliance Foundation, Vodafone-Ogilvy & Ola-Happy McGarryBowen bagged the top awards.

     

    Said Ramesh Narayan, President – IAA India: “The response was heartening with more than 100 per cent increase in the number of entries being received. Entries have come from nine countries in total. The Olive Crown is truly a pan-Asian award now.”

     

     

    The Gold Corporate Social Crusader Award was presented to Reliance Foundation and the Silver to Vodafone. While accepting the award on behalf of foundation chair Nita Ambani, Kaushik Roy spoke of how Jamnagar in Gujarat, once with just 83 trees, today has 2500 acres of man-made green patch. They were proud of being the world’s largest mangrove and started at a time when the government hadn’t mandated CSR. Ogilvy & Mather bagged the prestigious Campaign of the Year for their Vodafone campaign. Shankar Mahadevan and children from his academy entertained the audience with a performance that had people asking for more.

     

    The Corporate Green Crusader award was presented to Isha Foundation for their Rally for Rivers initiative. Reading the citation, Megha Tata mentioned said: “The IAA is privileged to present Isha Foundation the Green Crusader Award for its unique and far-reaching initiatives for a sustainable environment and spreading the seeds for a greener future.”

     

    The highlight of the evening was a conversation of Jaggi Vasudev of the Isha Foundation, better known as Sadhguru, Viacom18 Group CEO Sudhanshu Vats. “This is Bharat – on small issues we may fight but we come together when there is a real problem,” he said on the Rally for Rivers project, adding: “When we get to a certain pace of activity in life, we have a fundamental responsibility to positively impact the life around us.”

    Olive Crown Winners- 2018

  • The Media Agency, not the Consultancy now threatens the Creative Agency, writes Prabhakar Mundkur in his AdBuzz column

    Will Media Agencies ‘Kill’ the Creative…?

     

    By Prabhakar Mundkur

     

    I remember that back in 1996 when I was with JWT South Africa, Burt Manning the then global CEO of JWT made a trip to meet us.  In his informal speech at the office pub, he said that he would like to see a day when the traditional ad agency presentation started with a media presentation rather than a creative presentation.  If that is not already happening I am sure it will happen soon.  So, Mr. Manning might have just predicted the future very early on.

     

    Ever since media and creative separated, it’s the media agency that has made large strides forward.  I was lucky to be working at JWT Shanghai where the second Mindshare in the world was formed in 1998, thanks to Kelly Clark, the now Global CEO of GroupM who entirely supervised the transition. The media agency has embraced digital, activation, events, sponsorships, content distribution, sports and entertainment, and the rest of the integrated marketing puzzle. Making it far more attractive and qualified compared to the creative agency. Whereas the creative agency has remained what it always was… largely the producer of TV commercials and print ads.

     

    The acquisition of a digital agency called Glitch by GroupM may be a signal of where the future lies. After all there is nothing to stop the media agency from also acquiring a creative agency save the obvious conflict at a group level.  In fact, acquisition of a creative agency might well bring us full circle to the integrated agency of the future.  Today’s media agency has the Big Data, has the client relationships, has the research, is making large investments, unlike the creative agency that is just bumbling along trying hard to survive. I know creative freelancers who already work with GroupM.  I am sure it saves GroupM the bother of having to ask their WPP creative agencies for help.  And the informality of relationships with these creative shops prevents any obvious conflict of interest at a corporate level.

     

    But the press release did make GroupM look a like a bunch of bean counters.  Because the Glitch CEO said they were bringing right-brained thinking to the left-brained GroupM.  That is certainly not how GroupM should see itself in the future.

     

    McCann vilified on Social Media

    When McCann put a self-congratulatory ad in The Times of India last week, suddenly the professional side of the advertising business woke up almost like Rasputin awakening from his slumber.  As the saying goes, professionals typically don’t advertise themselves and professionals generally means chartered accountant, lawyers etc. An old code of conduct says that professionals shouldn’t advertise, but I guess that is long forgotten.  After all we see plenty of ads for doctors and clinics these days.  When it suits the ad industry folks,they like to think of themselves as professionals.  So, the industry took to social media to denigrate McCann. The taunts included the creativity of the ad.

     

    But I am sure it is Prasoon Joshi, the CEO of McCann, who is having the last laugh.  In the just released Gunn Report 2017, McCann was named the No 1 agency in India.  Leaving behind the likes of Taproot Dentsu, BBDO, Ogilvy, Leo Burnett, L & Saatchi & Saatchi and Weiden+Kennedy.

     

     

    Advertising catches up with the Indian parent’s obsession for children’s studies

    While there may be no formal research to validate this, the Indian’s parent’s obsession with children’s studies is well-known.  We are the only country that indulges our children in the extra classes, the private tuitions, and other academic additions to regular school.  This either poorly reflects on our education systems, our children or our parents, I am not sure which.  But the insight triggered a few commercials both from Mirinda and Horlicks.

     

     

    What is questionable of course, in spite of trying very hard, is the rather loose connection between the product and exam time which has little to do with each other. The Horlicks claim of ‘emotional nutrition’ remained largely emotional with no real ‘reason why’. But with children’s nutrition categories being threatened by serious pharma companies like Abbott with products like Pediasure, its exam time for Horlicks as well which has seen its market share take a beating in recent years.

     

     

    But in balance, advertisers might have hit upon a good thing. After all Prime Minister Narendra Modi is addressing 10 crore students on February 16, on how to deal with the stress of exam time. Besides our PM has also written a book on the subject, which was released on February 3.

     

    It’s time to add Exam Time as another special day along with Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.  I am sure the theme will attract more advertisers in 2019.

     

     

  • With the launch of Deloitte Digital in India, the debate is sure to hot up, writes Prabhakar Mundkur

    Ad agencies vs Consultancies debate gets real

     

     

    By Prabhakar Mundkur

     

    So far, the debate on advertising versus the consultants was a theoretical one because it was not affecting the Indian market yet in any significant way. Companies like EY, KPMG, and PWC have been very active in digital marketing overseas but this capability was still not very active in India.  But with the launch of Deloitte Digital in India on January 12, the landscape is likely to change.  One will have to wait and see how the launch of Deloitte Digital willaffect  competitionlikrGroupM, Dentsu-Aegis and IPG Mediabrands.  Rakesh Barik – Technology Consulting, Deloitte India told the press, “Unlike existing creative agencies, we understand the business also.  We will help companies digitize their core”.  By implication it does mean that creative agencies don’t understand the business of their clients, something that has been troubling the advertising industry for some time now.  What’s more contrary to popular opinion ,the consultancies have been acquiring  talent in creative, designing and research, making up for their traditional lack of skills in this area.

     

    Hotstar’s Employer Branding Campaign

    Hotstar is a live streaming app that lets you watch your favourite shows, movies, sports and live news on-the-go. Most often its funny how we are able to see brands only as consumers of it.  So strong is our consumer perception of brands that often we may not even consider them as employers.  In fact, so strong is the value proposition to consumers that companies have to take a special effort to make a value proposition to its future employees and this is exactly what Hotstar has managed to do in its latest employer branding campaign.  The latest campaign from Hotstar positions it as a tech player to attract the best tech talent, which no doubt has several competitive options in the country today.

    The campaign makes you see Hotstar in a new light.  As a tech company that could offer the youth an interesting challenge.  The ‘Dare or stay there’ baseline is provocative enough for young techies to seriously consider Hotstar.

     

    Amazon Go 

    No wonder Amazon is being referred to as the ‘tech giant’ these days in the press. It’s no longer just the ‘online store’ or ‘e-commerce giant although its immediate competition might love to see it that way to serve their own purpose.

     

    With Alexa becoming the preferred personal assistant and taking giant strides forward, Alexa is not just a home assistant but is also taking control of cars (Ford has just adopted Alexa) and our other devices and possessions.

     

    Amazon now takes the pain out of shopping – no queues and no checkouts in their Seattle store. Just pick what you want from the store and get charged to your Amazon pay card on the way out. That’s the experience that Amazon offers at Amazon Go. The faqs on amazon.com had this to say about Amazon Go.

     

    What is Amazon Go?

    Amazon Go is a new kind of store with no checkout required. We created the world’s most advanced shopping technology so you never have to wait in line. With our Just Walk Out Shopping experience, simply use the Amazon Go app to enter the store, take I the products you want, and go! No lines, no checkout. (No, seriously.)

    I  liked the commercial because it made the concept of the new store really clear. It was really functional advertising which is a great way to launch a new brand.

     

    Indian men are not the only ones to touch their junk?

    For a long time now, there has been some public criticism of how Indian men touch their junk. A dermatologist friend of mine explains it away as tropical climate with a lot of heat and dust which could create conditions that justify this despicable Indian habit, especially amongst some classes of people.  But a new TVC from Columbia may imply that the habit is not unique to India.  The Colombian League against cancer has found a hilarious but gross way to make men aware of testicular cancer.

     

    This is an insight that is waiting to be used in the Indian market.  Everybody is going to identify with it.  In fact, I am wondering why no one has exploited it yet.

     

     

  • The account was won following a direct pitch and will be handled out of the agency’s Delhi office

    Snapdeal assigns affiliate marketing duties to Columbus India

    By A Correspondent

     

    Columbus India, the digital agency from Dentsu Aegis Network, has been appointed as the affiliate marketing agency for Snapdeal. The account was won following a direct pitch and will be handled out of the agency’s Delhi office.

     

    As per the mandate, Columbus India will manage Snapdeal’s affiliate marketing programme which includes managing publishers globally. The agency will assign over 10 digital experts across offices in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore and will support Snapdeal in growing its affiliate programme.

     

    Said Anurag Gupta, CEO, Columbus India: “We look forward to this new engagement with Snapdeal and are putting all efforts to make this a success. With our performance marketing capabilities around e-commerce, we are confident of being able to help Snapdeal further strengthen its brand & business by increasing site visits, engagement and conversions.”

     

     

    Added Nitin Sabharwal, CBO, Columbus India: “For ecommerce companies, leveraging the affiliate channel is one of the most cost effective channels to achieve one-to-one performance marketing at scale. We are deploying the best in class solutions for Snapdeal to achieve their goals.

     

     

  • Ventes Avenues is mandated to look after ShareIt’smobile branding inventory in India

    ShareIt appoints Ventes Avenues as monetisation agency

    By A Correspondent

     

    Content sharing platform ShareIt has appointed Ventes Avenues (Moca Technology) as its exclusive sales partner agency. Ventes Avenues is mandated to look after sales of the mobile branding inventory in India.

     

    Commenting on the partnership, Jason Wang, Managing Director, ShareIt India said: “For ShareIt, India is a major market as it has 30% of its total user base from India and over 400 million downloads in the country. With the ever increasing internet penetration, India is the second largest online market and digital advertising is growing to leaps and bounds and is set to grow even further. Ventes Avenues as our partners will help us reach and engage with our audiences and meet our performance and brand solutions objectives in the mobile branding space”.

     

    Added Fauzan A Rahim, Co-Founder Ventes Avenues: “We at Ventes Avenues are delighted to partner with ShareItin India, having watched the phenomenal growth of ShareIt; the huge organic numbers are very impressive so is the content line-up and their unique position to target and be the first app on new devices makes this an interesting mobile branding opportunity for brands in India. Together we look forward to creating new benchmarks and milestones.”

     

     

  • The agency has been mandated as the agency for their differentiated campaign the 'League of Cricketkars' ad campaign

    Young Creative Services appointed as creative partner for T20 Mumbai League

    By A Correspondent

     

    Young Creative Services, a Mumbai-based full services agency has been appointed as official creative partner for the T20 Mumbai League by league manager Probability Sports.

     

    The agency has been mandated as the agency for their differentiated campaign the ‘League of Cricketkars’ ad campaign and the ‘AamhiMumbaikar, AamhiCricketkar’ positioning strategy for the T20 Mumbai League.

     

    Said Anup Kotekar, Co-founder and Director, Young Creative Services: “The campaign has been created very interestingly by integrating the ethos of Mumbai, its passion for cricket and Sachin Tendulkar who is the league ambassador. The concept of Mumbaikars being Cricketkars forms the central pillar of the entire campaign. Apart from being a very believable statement given Mumbai’s dominance of the game the unique thought and the campaign will ensure that the T20 Mumbai League is able to differentiate itself and carry forward the positioning through the coming years.”

     

     

  • He joins from Ogilvy & Mather and will report to Bobby Pawar, MD & CCO-South Asia, Publicis India

    Publicis India appoints Ramakrishnan Hariharan as Head of Creative

    By A Correspondent

     

    Ramakrishnan Hariharan

    Publicis India has strengthened its creative function with the appointment of Ramakrishnan Hariharan as the Head of Creative. He will be based out of Mumbai and will report to Bobby Pawar, MD & CCO – South Asia, Publicis India. He joins Publicis from Ogilvy India where he was the Senior Creative Director.

     

     

     

    Bobby Pawar

    Commenting on the appointment, Bobby Pawar, MD & Chief Creative Officer – South Asia, Publicis India said: “Creatively, the Mumbai office has been on a roll for a while, with great work on Ambuja Cement, Nerolac, HDFC Mutual Funds, Skoda, Zee and more. Ram comes to bat at the right time. He is not just a great creative guy who is adept at traditional and non-traditional ideas, he is also the kind of leader people rally behind. I am sure he will help us raise our game a few

     

    Srija Chatterjee

    Welcoming Hariharan on board, Srija Chatterjee, Managing Director, Publicis India added: “Ram has been the face behind some memorable campaigns in the recent past, and it will be great to see him bring that creative spark across most of our work at Publicis. We are certain that under his leadership, the teams will imbibe a great creative culture and churn out an enviable body of work that will end up winning multiple laurels. We welcome him to the agency and look forward to seeing some great work from him soon.”

     

     

  • The main objective of this association would be to build affinity via brand advocacy on digital and creating distinct brand personalities

    FoxyMoron bags digital mandate for Aditya Birla Capital

    By A Correspondent

     

    Foxy Moron has been awarded the digital mandate for Aditya Birla Capital and its Home Finance, SME Finance, Corporate Finance, Personal Finance, Wealth Management and Life Insurance businesses. The account was won following a multi-agency pitch.

     

    Ajay Kakar

    Speaking on this appointment of FoxyMoron, Ajay Kakar, Chief Marketing Officer, Aditya Birla Capital Limited said: “Our brand purpose is to provoke people for them to self-realise their needs. We are here to empower individuals to protect what they value; to invest so they can live a life they aspire to live; and to finance their dreams, needs and desires. And we see the digital medium as a huge enabler that can help us achieve this. Having worked with FoxyMoron during our brand launch, we have found them to be a perfect fit for the ABCL brand, in our digital journey towards being a brand synonymous with empathy, simplicity and top performance.”

     

    Pratik Gupta

    Discussing the alliance, Pratik Gupta, Co-founder, FoxyMoron added:“It is amazing to be able to work with India’s leading financial services company that has a clear vision to consolidate, communicate and simplify money for the common man. With ABC, we are reshaping the way finance is perceived in the digital spectrum. We’re excited about the work we’re doing and have in the pipeline with all seven brands. Additionally, to be able to consolidate a brand like ABC across our content and technology verticals validates our quest to do more and build long-term relationships with our clients.”

     

     

  • Shemaroo continues to redefine itself to respond to the disrupting consumer environment

    Ogilvy Mumbai wins creative mandate for Shemaroo Entertainment

    By A Correspondent

     

    Shemaroo Entertainment has awarded its creative duties to Ogilvy Mumbai. Said Hiren Gada, Director – Shemaroo Entertainment Limited: “We are delighted to have Ogilvy on board. We met multiple advertising agencies and while all of them had their own strengths, we were impressed by Ogilvy’s holistic thinking. We also found two very strong similarities between Shemaroo and Ogilvy and that is, the zeal to continuously innovate and value long term partnerships. We are really looking forward to an effective partnership.”

     

    Added Kunal Jeswani, CEO, Ogilvy India: “All brands go through cycles of evolution. Today, Shemaroo is perfectly poised to leverage its market insight, domain expertise and fantastic array of content to build its next cycle of brand value. Ogilvy is proud to partner with Shemaroo on this journey as a new age agency, building real brand value for our clients.”