MxMIndia

Category: ADVERTISING

  • ‘The Red Abby’ awards have been instituted to acknowledge the best creative works that address the issue of violence against women in society

    Goafest announces jury for Red Abby

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Advertising Club and the Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) announced the names of the jury for ‘The Red Abby’ award which will be presented as a part of Goafest 2020.  ‘The Red Abby’ awards have been instituted to acknowledge the best creative works that address the issue of violence against women in society.

     

    The jury for the Red Abby Awards include some of the foremost leaders from across the FMCG, advertising, media, creative and entertainment industry.

     

    The jury list for ‘The Red Abby’ 2020 (in alphabetical order)

    1. Anupriya Acharya- CEO, Publicis Groupe, South Asia

    2. Babita Baruah, Managing Partner, GTB India

    3. Deepika Warrier, CEO, Nourishco Beverages (a joint venture between Pepsico and Tata Global Beverages)

    4. Lara Balsara Wajifdar, Executive Director at Madison World

    5. Megha Tata, MD- South Asia, Discovery Communications India

    6. Mini Mathur, Acclaimed Actor and Television Host

    7. Raj Nayak, Founder, House of Cheer

    8. Tarun Katial, CEO, Zee5, India

     

    The jury meet is scheduled for March 17 in Mumbai where the jurors will test creativity and impact of the communication campaigns.

     

    Speaking about the judging process, Partho Dasgupta, President- The Advertising Club President said: “Women’s safety is a cause that needs a loud and clear voice. The esteemed jury of ‘The Red Abby’ comes from a diverse background with rich experience in their respective industries. Their collective experience will make the evaluation process robust and fair, while adjudging the works’ impact.”

     

    Speaking about the jury, Sonia Huria, Managing Committee Member of The Advertising Club and Evangelist – ‘The Red Abby’ added: “At the heart of a successful campaign is the impact it made. In case of ‘The Red Abby’ the impact will be basis the effectiveness of the behaviour change messaging of the campaign. With such an esteemed jury for its maiden edition, we are sure that the best-in-class works will find their right place in the Abby Awards Hall of Fame.”

    To nominate communications campaigns focused towards stopping violence against women click here.

     

     

  • The 'duopoly' of Alphabet and FB will take 35 cents in every ad dollar, notes the report

    Online ads to account for over half of $660bn adspend in 2020: WARC

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    Global advertising spend is set to rise by 7.1 per cent to $660 bn this year, buoyed by 13.2 per cent growth in internet investment. But traditional media, combined, are expected to record 1.5 per cent growth to $324.2bn – the first rise since 2011 – finds WARC, the international marketing intelligence service.

     

    The traditional media total is expected to be boosted by a return to growth for TV; here spend is set to rise 2.5  per cent to $192.6bn, helped in no small part by the US presidential election campaigns and the Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo. But advertising revenue for the duopoly (Alphabet and Facebook) is forecast to reach $231.9bn in 2020, having topped the TV total for the first time in 2019.

     

    Alphabet’s ad income is forecast to rise 10.5 per cent to $149.0bn worldwide, equivalent to 23 cents in every ad dollar. A full 72.4 per cent – $107.8bn – will come from Alphabet’s core Google search platform – this gives Google a 77.0 per cent share of the global search market. YouTube is expected to earn a further $18.5bn for Alphabet in 2020, a 22.1 per cent rise from 2019 and equivalent to 29.0 per cent of all online video adspend worldwide.

     

    Facebook’s ad revenue is projected to rise 19.0 per cent to $82.9bn; much of this growth is organic though the social network will benefit from the US presidential campaigns this year. Amazon’s ad income is set to rise 21.4 per cent to $17.1bn, Twitter’s 9.2 per cent to $3.3bn and Snap’s 34.1 per cent to $2.3bn. All will contribute to an overall rise of 13.2 per cent in internet ad investment this year, to a total of $335.4bn – over half (50.9 per cent) of the global total for the first time.

     

    Said James McDonald, Managing Editor, WARC Data, and author of the research: “Internet ad growth has been far stronger than the state of the global economy would suggest, rising seven times faster on average since 2015. But, regulation aside, online platforms are bound by the law of large numbers, and revenue growth is easing for key players like Alphabet and Facebook. We are yet to amend our forecasts in light of the COVID-19 situation, as we would expect – if the crisis is contained – displaced spend to be reallocated later in the year. Advertising’s relationship with GDP is strong, but a slowdown in economic output as a result of the virus will not necessarily translate into reduced advertising investment. If events such as the Tokyo Olympics and UEFA Euro 2020 tournament are postponed or cancelled, however, we would expect a notable impact.”

     

    All product categories are expected to see growth in 2020

    Adspend is set to rise across all of the 19 product categories monitored by WARC. The financial services sector is expected to lead growth, with a forecast rise 11.8% to $53.4bn in 2020. A full 53.9% of spend is directed towards online formats; banks in particular are looking to build brand resonance with youth demographics (increasingly via social media).

    At the other end of the scale, a rise of 2.6% in the retail sector is soft compared to the global rate of 7.1% but would still represent the strongest growth since 2013, lifting market value to $65bn.

    Consumer packaged goods (CPG) sectors such as soft drinks (+6.5% to $17.3bn) and food (+4.9% to $28.1bn) are expected to grow just behind the global rate this year, alcoholic drinks (+6.9% to $9.7bn) and automotive (6.8% to $57.2bn) are roughly par.

     

    Trends by platform

    • Alphabet: Alphabet’s advertising revenue – across Google Search, YouTube, and Google Network Members (third parties that host Google ads) – is forecast to rise 10.5% to $149.0bn this year – 22.6% of global advertising spend (up from 21.9% in 2019). This is before the deduction of traffic acquisition costs (TAC), which amounted to $30.1bn in 2019.

    • YouTube: Advertisers are forecast to spend $18.5bn on YouTube this year, a rise of 22.1% from $15.2bn in 2019. This gives YouTube a 29.0% share of all online video advertising spend, and a 2.8% share of total adspend.

    • Google: By far the largest service in Alphabet’s portfolio, Google’s ad income is expected to rise 9.9% to $107.8bn this year – 77.0% of global search spend and 16.3% of all adspend.

    • Facebook: Advertisers are expected to spend $82.9bn across Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram this year, a rise of 19.0% from 2019. This gives Facebook a 12.6% share of global advertising investment.

    • Amazon: Amazon is forecast to record double-digit ad revenue growth again this year, with income amounting to $17.1bn, a 21.4% rise from 2019. This gives Amazon a 2.6% share of global advertising spend.

    • Snapchat: Ad investment in Snapchat is forecast to rise 34.1% to $2.3bn in 2020, 2.2% of all social and messaging spend and just 0.3% of total adspend.

    • Twitter: Twitter’s ad income is expected to ease into single digits, with a total of $3.3bn representative of a 9.2% rise in 2020.

     

    Trends by media and format

    • TV: Spend is forecast to rise 2.5% to $192.6bn, 29.2% of all global spend this year. This only partially reverses a 4.4% dip in 2019. A third of the global TV total is transacted in the US – where, TV spend is set to rise 4.0% to $62.9bn. Just over $4bn will come from presidential campaigns.

    • Out of home: Spend across billboards, transport and retail/point of sale (PoS) locations is forecast to rise 5.9% to $43.5bn this year, the sixth consecutive year of growth. The sector is benefitting from the increasing penetration of digital sites in advanced markets.

    • Radio: Advertiser investment in radio is forecast to rise 1.8% to $32.8bn, recouping losses from a 1.3% dip in 2019.

    • Print: Spend is set to fall by $3.2bn, or 5.8% in 2020, but this is half the rate of decline recorded in 2019. Digital revenue now accounts for over a third of total ad income for publishers worldwide, though this share is closer to a half at the New York Times.

    • Social media: Spend is forecast rise 19.5% to $102.4bn this year, 15.5% of global advertising spend. Facebook (including Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp) is expected to draw 80.9% of this investment, or $82.9bn, though this share is down from 81.2% in 2019. Just over 42% – $35bn – of Facebook’s ad revenue will come from the US this year.

    • Online video: Spend is forecast to rise 21.4% to $63.7bn this year, equivalent to 9.7% of global advertising spend. YouTube is expected to account for three in ten cents.

    • Search: Spend is forecast to rise 12.7% to $140.1bn in 2020, 21.2% of global adspend. Google is set to draw 77.0% of the market, down from 79.0% in 2019.

     

    Trends by region

    • North America: Total market growth forecast at 8.4% this year – to $250.3bn – following a 4.5% rise in 2019. The US ad market is expected to grow 8.8% to $238.2bn, while Canada is projected to grow 1.9% to $12.2bn

    • Asia-Pacific: Advertising spend is expected to rise 7.5% to $205.0bn in 2020, with China (+9.7% to $98.5bn), Japan (+3.2% to $40.2bn), Australia (+2.4% to $13.3%) and India (+15.6% to $11.2bn) all set to record annual growth.

    • Europe: European adspend is forecast to rise 6.9% to $158.7bn this year, with France leading key market growth at +10.0% (to $18.2bn). The UK (+3.2% to $31.3bn), Germany (+1.3% to $24.9bn), Italy (+2.7% to $10.5bn) and Russia (7.6% to $10.5bn) will continue to see rising investment.

    • Latin America: The region is heavily susceptible to the strength of the US dollar, which resulted in an 1.1% decline in adspend last year. A further fall, of 2.5%, is forecast this year, with Brazil recording a 4.3% dip to $14.3bn.

    • Middle East: Spend is expected to fall 1.7% to $12.0bn in 2020, following on from a 3.7% fall in 2019.

    • Africa: Spend is expected to rise 5.6% to $6.9bn this year, reversing a 1.5% dip in 2019.

     

    Other new key media intelligence on WARC Data across regions

     

    Global:

    • Consumers: Ad blocking rises to all-time high of 764m people

    • Brands & Advertisers: Food, drink and automotive brands see lowest email CTR

    • Media & Tech:E-sports investment to reach $800m this year

     

    Americas:

    • Consumers:One-quarter of Americans now own a smart speaker

    • Consumers:Netflix subscriptions in Latin America top 30 million

    • Media & Tech: NFL, NBA and MLB to draw $4bn from sponsors in 2020

     

    Asia Pacific

    • Brands & Advertisers: Southeast Asian brands most active on WhatsApp

    • Media & Tech: OTT to halve APAC pay TV growth by 2024

    • Media & Tech: Sponsorship investment for Tokyo Olympics to triple

     

    Europe, Middle East and Africa

    • Consumers: 26% of 18-24 year olds use TikTok in the UK

    • Brands & Advertisers: Less than half of marketers use consumer data systematically

    • Consumers:Connected TV use in Portugal flatlines for second year

    A sample of The Adspend Outlook 2020 report can be downloaded here.

     

     

     

  • The Pitch Madison Advertising Report 2020 is more firmly rooted in the Indian media and market scenario, writes Indrani Sen

    Well-Pitched Delivery!

     

    By Indrani Sen

     

    As per the Pitch Madison Advertising Report, in 2020 adspends in India are predicted to grow by 10.4%, while GroupM’s This Year Next Year predicts that in 2020 the same will grow by 10.9%. This rate of growth is the only aspect on which both the reports have shown some similarity.

    Even while commenting on the growth rate, GroupM sounded buoyant by comparing it with the 5.1% growth rate of global ad spends in 2020 and ignoring the Indian ground realities while Madison described the growth rate as “muted” expecting the economy to bounce back only in the second half of 2020.

    PMAR 2020 is more firmly rooted in the Indian media and market scenario and has presented an excellent analysis of the ups and downs faced by the traditional media industry in 2019 and its consequences. In his presentation, Sam Balsara made an interesting observation by dividing 2019 in two halves and showing how AdEx grew very well during the first half riding on IPL, World Cup and Lok Sabha Elections, but collapsed during the second half due to economic slowdown. Balsara also showed how the traditional media suffered heavily during the second half of 2019, when compared to second half of 2018, there was a de-growth in second half of 2019.

    Balsara presented  charts showing that the Digital media grew by 32% in 2019 and projected a growth rate of 28.4% in 2020 as against traditional media which grew by 6% in 2019 and is expected to grow by 5.1% in 2020.

    He commented in his presentation that: “We also expect a wide variation of growth rates across mediums ranging from a low of 2% for Press, 5% for Radio, 6% for Outdoor, 7% for TV, to 20% for Cinema and 28% for Digital.” In 2020 TV will continue to enjoy the largest share of the advertising pie at 36% and Print may be demoted to number 3 with Digital securing a march over it. As of now, PMAR predicts 26.6% share for Digital and 27.4% share for Print in 2020. PMAR and TYNY also projects different estimates for the size of the traditional media, with TYNY estimating a value of TV AdEx almost 10000 crore higher than the value estimated by PMAR.

    The growth rates for Digital media estimated by TYNY is 28% in 2019 and 26% in 2020. Both the reports predict Digital as the main growth driver of Indian Adex in 2020, but there is again a significant differences between the estimated sizes of Digital AdEx.

    GroupM has revised their estimate for total AdEx upwards for both 2018 and 2019 while Madison revised their estimate for total AdEx downwards for 2019 due to economic slowdown and various headwinds faced by the traditional media industry. As a result of these revisions made by the two agencies, estimated sizes of Indian Ad Industry by TYNY are now 15000+ crore higher than the sizes estimated by PMAR, a difference which is not only difficult to reconcile, but also creates confusion in the market place.

    By now, we have learned to live with different sizes of the Indian Ad Industry estimated by different agencies. PMAR estimates are most acceptable by the industry at large due to its ability to link the market realities with their statistics supported by analysis of trends in Ad Spends as well as in depth analysis of individual media. Balsara also adds an icing on his presentation every year through advice to advertisers which are considered to be extremely useful and this year he has excelled himself on that score.

     

    Indrani Sen is a veteran advertising and media agency practitioner. She is now also an academician. Her views here are personal

     

     

  • Leading the INMA shortlist with finalists are News Corp; Jagran; Schibsted; Bennett, Coleman & Company Ltd.; Russmedia; and Stuff

    INMA unveils Global Media Awards finalists

    By A Correspondent

     

    The International News Media Association (INMA) announced 173 finalists for the 2020 Global Media Awards competition, which rewards innovation and excellence growing audience, brand, and revenue.

     

    This year’s competition generated 824 entries from 242 news brands in 44 countries. Finalists hail from Africa, Asia/Pacific, Europe, Latin America, and North America. India has the highest number of finalists with 29, followed by the United States with 27, Norway with 14, and Australia with 12.

     

    In terms of companies, leading the INMA shortlist with finalists are News Corp; Jagran; Schibsted; Bennett, Coleman & Company Ltd.; Russmedia; and Stuff.

     

    About 42 media experts from 20 countries judged the competition in February, focusing on breakthrough results, unique concepts, strong creativity, innovative thinking, and winning synergies across media platforms.

     

    First place winners, regional winners, and the coveted global ‘Best in Show’ will be unveiled on April 28 at the 90th Annual INMA World Congress of News Media  in Paris.

     

    All 824 entries in this year’s Global Media Awards competition are live on INMA.org in the association’s Best Practices archive. Finalists may be viewed publicly, while all other entries are reserved exclusively for INMA members.

     

     

  • The agency will handle the integrated communications mandate for the brand

    Leo Burnett Orchard wins PayNearby

    By A Correspondent

     

    PayNearby, the hyperlocal fintech network builder, has appointed Leo Burnett Orchard as its creative partner. The account was won following a multi-agency pitch and will be handled by the Leo Burnett Orchard Mumbai team. The agency will handle the integrated communications mandate for the brand.

     

    Speaking about the win Manav Ahuja Vice President & Branch Head, Leo Burnett Orchard said: “We are thrilled that PayNearby has chosen us to partner them on their journey. PayNearby is building a significant merchant network in smaller towns and empowering them with innovative solutions to make the financial transactions seamless, quick and easy. We feel the brand has huge potential and are excited to create some outstanding work together to help it achieve scale and success.”

     

    Added Jayatri Dasgupta, CMO, Nearby Technologies: “We are thrilled to be teaming up with Leo Burnett Orchard, an agency skilled at integrated communications and known for their impactful campaigns. As PayNearby grows and matures into one of the leading fintech brands in the country, we recognize the need to collaborate with an agency that understands our vision and core values and can help us communicate seamlessly with our partners and consumers. Leo Burnett Orchard brings exactly that to the table. They approached the opportunity with a lot of commitment and compelling strategic insights and creative ideas. We look forward to partnering with them to strengthen our brand narrative and drive relevance and adoption across all consumer segments, as we build momentum and scale higher.”

     

     

  • He will report directly to Chairman and CEO Prasoon Joshi

    McCann elevates Jitender Dabas to COO

    By A Correspondent

     

    Jitender Dabas

    Amidst rumours of a senior-level transition in the industry, McCann India has announced the promotion of Jitender Dabas to Chief Operating officer, McCann Worldgroup India. He will report directly to Chairman and CEO Prasoon Joshi. Dabas is currently Chief Strategy Officer of McCann India operations.

     

    Said Joshi on the development: “Jitender’s elevation would be no surprise to the McCann Worldgroup family and the Industry. We at McCann have always had home grown talent in leadership positions – those who understand our culture and have exceptional talent.  I have seen Jitu grow over the years from strength to strength. He has not only honed his expertise in strategy but also demonstrated keen Business leadership. I am sure that in the new role he will benefit our clients even more. Jitender Dabas will also be able to work more closely with our formidable leadership across geography in McCann India”.

     

    Further commenting on McCann India, Joshi added: “On every parameter that defines our industry – Business, Talent, Reputation, Awards – McCann India keeps proving that today it’s the topmost agency in India. It’s teamwork, a shared vision and focus that enables McCann as a collective to deliver on and beyond expected norms. Our belief in creating meaningful work for the brands and the culture of excellence along with the ability to reinvent ourselves is what makes McCann a powerhouse.”

     

  • In the Corporate Crusader of the Year category, Reliance Foundation won the Gold and Mathrubhumi Printing & Publishing Company the Silver

    Olive Crown awards presented

    By A Correspondent

     

    The India chapter of the International Advertising Association (IAA) conducted the 10th edition of the Olive Crown Awards celebrating excellence in communicating sustainability.

     

    In the Corporate Crusader of the Year category, Reliance Foundation won the Gold and Mathrubhumi Printing & Publishing Company the Silver. The two NGOs – People For Animals Wildlife Hospital & Rescue Centre and Chirag Rural Development Foundation – shared the Gold for their contribution to environment sustainability. Carbon Craft Design and Air Link was awarded the New Age Green Initiative Gold and Silver respectively. Earth Edition Drives bagged with the Digital Gold and FCB Interface with the Green Campaign of the Year-Gold.

     

    Maharashtra minister Aditya Thackeray was Chief Guest on the occasion, but he arrived late. Also present was Mark Read, CEO, WPP who addressed the audience.

     

    Said Punit Goenka, President, International Advertising Association (IAA) – India Chapter and MD & CEO, Zee Entertainment Enterprises: “We at IAA are extremely proud of Olive Crown Awards as an initiative. The overwhelming response received from the industry speaks a lot about the need of such initiatives in today’s era. Apart from being the pioneer in recognizing creative excellence in sustainability, Olive Crown Awards as a property has also led to a mindset change in the approach taken by the marketers and advertising agencies while crafting strategic communication campaigns. I am very glad to note that this initiative has touched the 10 year milestone. I am very proud of the entire team at IAA, for their immense amount of energy and time invested in building this initiative and all the key initiatives which bring about a positive change for the industry and the society at large.”

     

    Added Megha Tata, Chairperson IAA Olive Crown Award: “Today we celebrate a decade of communicating sustainability, a decade where we have brought sustainability to the forefront and on the agenda of both Marketers and Agencies alike. We have seen the conversation shift from doing something green to campaigns and brands vested in sustainability. We have seen this shift and are happy to have identified and led the way to acknowledge these initiatives. We have shown that we are not just custodians of our respective Brands but Custodians of Brand Earth.”

     

    Kaushik Roy, Past President IAA, expressed pride of being President IAA during the conceptualization of the Olive Crown Awards, fondly mentioned that if IAA Olive Crown was a tree it would be big today.

     

    Prasoon Joshi, Chairman of the Central Board of Film Certification and CEO of McCann World group India, reminded us of the fact that while it is a great initiative we must imbibe and live by the values. He recited a poem he had written on Water.

     

  • OkCupid is an online dating, friendship and social networking website

    Dentsu Webchutney wins digital and creative mandate for OkCupid

    By A Correspondent

     

    Dentsu Webchutney has bagged the digital and creative duties for dating app, OkCupid India. The account was won following a multi-agency pitch and will be serviced out of the agency’s Bengaluru office.

     

    Prashant Gopalakrishnan

    Commenting on the win, Prashant Gopalakrishnan, SVP, Dentsu Webchutney said: “We are excited to partner with yet another industry giant in OkCupid. Innovative ideas can help overcome challenges in the Indian online dating market. It is a phenomenal market opportunity – one that has been covered in-depth in analyst reports. On a lighter note, as the sole married employee on the account, I believe the rest of the team can truly do justice to it!”

     

     

    Shruti Gupta

    Added Shruti Gupta, Brand Manager, OkCupid India: “OkCupid is about meaningful relationships – on, and off the service. This is why the newest one we are forging with Dentsu Webchutney feels like the beginning of a long and productive journey.”

     

     

  • Sinha takes over from Sivakumar Sundaram who is tipped to be CEO of the group

    Partha Sinha quits McCann to head Response at BCCL

    Partha Sinha
    Partha Sinha

    By A Correspondent

     

    We were sworn to secrecy, so we kept our word. But it’s now confirmed and public: Senior media professional Partha Sinha is all set to join Bennett, Coleman and Company Limited (aka the Times of India group) as President, Response. Sinha is set to join the group next month (April 2020). Sinha takes over from Sivakumar Sundaram who is tipped to be CEO of the group. Sundaram is currently President, Revenue, BCCL

     

    A product of IIM Ahmedabad and IIT Kharagpur, Sinha is currently serving notice as Vice Chairman and Managing Director, McCann Worldgroup. He has earlier held senior positions at BBH, Ogilvy and Citibank.

     

    As has been reported, McCann has elevated Jitender Dabas as Chief Operating Officer. In the report we carried last week (Link), we did indicate that there is a transition likely… remember, we were sworn to secrecy.

     

    Last Monday, we also asked veteran mediaperson Dr Bhaskar Das, who does the series ‘Das ka Dum’ on MxMIndia on what would his recommendation be if he were asked by a media group on who to hire – an adsales honcho or someone from another field (Link). Once again, since we couldn’t talk about it, we just put in this teaser… but those in the industry who knew about the move had a hearty laugh.

  • While the Coronavirus scare may have stopped onground celebrations, there was no stopping digital/video messages and forwards, writes Sanjeev Kotnala

    No major impact on Brand Holi…

     

    By Sanjeev Kotnala

     

    This March 10 could possibly be recorded as the driest Holi in the recorded history.

    What governments, NGOs and schools could not do, Coronavirus did easily.

    It once again proved that the human subconscious mind works on the first directive of survival. The moment it became apparent that the enemy is unknown and contagious; it can attack from anyone; fear took over.

    HOLI THAT WAS NOT TO BE.

    The collective celebrations in societies like Holi Milan, rain dances and organised Holi parties were the first victims. The cheap pichkari and colours coming from China were missing from the market. Even if the colours and pichkari of Indian makes were available, the buyers were limited.

    People started questioning the need for family friends gathering or visiting friends and relatives for Holi celebrations. Most decided to remain confined to their private spaces for god reasons.

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that he will not be participating in any Holi celebrations. The health minister appealed for not using Chinese products. Significant events were cancelled. Talk of postponing events like IPL and Olympics was all over the media. All this further accentuated the Corona Virus fear.

    The masks and sanitisers disappeared from the market. Whatever was left was killed by the reports of rising cases in media did the rest.

     

    SOMETHINGS DID NOT CHANGE.

    The digital messages and playing fastest finger first in forwarding the forward continued. I loved the message boards by Indian Express. One could have used these Indian Express branded messages as Holi wishes. It is different that none of them landed on my timeline- but the idea was excellent.

    THE BRANDS CONTINUED WITH THEIR FILMI HOLI

    The brands and influencers rightly did not see the reason to curtail their activities to connect with audiences. Anyway, Holi dampeners started too late, and by that the time the brands were most probably ready with their intervention and did not have many options.

     

    THE 2020 HOLI ADS

    The Facebook film is an emotional pot pourri. But, the brand uses and possibilities are well-demonstrated in the film. It is an engaging story. Well done.

    Livpure leveraged the still relevant water-saving message. Here, the children talk about water-saving by not using water-balloons. The production qualities are questionable. However, the message is right on the dot.

    FBB, on the other hand, tried tackling the expected but unacceptable part of Holi celebrations; zor zabardasti in Holi.

    MP CEMENT went overboard in trying to establish durability with colours and Holi. The long film has good lyrics, but the message and brand integration is forced.

    MAX went too functional layering it with ‘Holi Hai rango waali’. Well, it does nothing. A waste of time and energies. Even Fanta with its absurd reasons to avoid Holi was a letdown.

    AUDIENCE INTERPRETATION CAN NOT BE CONTROLLED

    The video entertainers on various digital platforms continued with their Holi messages. In a few of them, there was an attempt to add the un-necessarily communal religious angle.

    Social media debate on what was right and what was layered continued. One realised that what the audience sees or interprets could be very different from the brand or communicators intent. What one controls is just the message and the media.

    It’s about this video pic.twitter.com/wqGQiX12Q2

    — Kurshi (@Kurshi) March 10, 2020

    People have seen this communication as stereotypic communities, their reactions and expectations! Hindi and Muslim polarisation. Maybe the intent was right, but the resultant forced interpretation by many is colouring it differently.

    BEST HOLI ADS

    In my last blog, I commented on the SURF advertisement as an example of reiterating communal tensions. However, I still find it one of the best Holi advertisements.

    Another one that is full of colour and an extended holi and still lays the brand promise of binding the nation is the 2013 IPL film; Koi Nahi Bachega.

    https://youtu.be/iNUx5LnJQLs

    And I must mention the spirit of Holi and a silent brand integration is well done in the Parachute Holi ad. It would have been best if the last slate with the oil bottle was subtle.

    Sanjeev Kotnala is a senior marketer and brand strategist and educator. He writes on MxMIndia on Wednesdays. His views here are personal

  • Addressing the existing absence of ad delivery verification tools for the OOH space, foodpanda will benefit from increased end-to-end visibility of campaign performance

    Aqilliz partners Moving Walls to create DOOH campaign for foodpanda

    By A Correspondent

     

    Aqilliz has partnered with Moving Walls to facilitate a blockchain-powered Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) advertising pilot for mobile food delivery player Foodpanda.

     

    Said Srikanth Ramachandran, Founder and Group CEO of Moving Walls: “For far too long, OOH has existed without an independent means of verifying ad delivery. As an industry, we tend to point at online ad fraud to advocate for greater OOH spends but there are more fundamental issues of fragmentation and a lack of transparency that need to be fixed. This campaign gives us the exciting opportunity to implement emerging technologies in order to solve these long-standing infrastructural problems to the benefit of all participating partners across the OOH supply chain.”

     

    With the use of the Zilliqa blockchain, the campaign will leverage smart contracts to provide a reliable, transparent ledger for media owners and buyers to verify the delivery of promised spots and impressions.

     

    Added Gowthaman Ragothaman, CEO of Aqilliz: “The OOH space is already much more fragmented than digital advertising and a lot of work is needed to better optimise and streamline existing infrastructures. This pilot with Moving Walls can help to demonstrate the potential of blockchain as a viable solution to address such issues in the OOH space. As a fully viewable, immutable ledger of transactions, blockchain can foster greater trust between stakeholders, be it media owners, buyers, and solutions providers, effectively repositioning OOH investments as more transparent and accountable.”

     

    Said Hasnain Babrawala, APAC Head of Marketing, Offline Channels, for Foodpanda emphasised the brand’s commitment to accountable media spends: “As we rapidly expand across key global markets, OOH has been a major channel we leverage to consistently stay top-of-mind for our consumer base. As we embark on this campaign, we’re excited to see what benefits blockchain can bring by way of providing a real-time, independent view of OOH ad delivery in order for us to better strategically plan our marketing expenditure.”

     

     

  • The world's most awarded campaigns and companies for media

    WARC Rankings Media 100 announced

    By A Correspondent

     

    The WARC Media 100, the independent benchmark celebrating the best media ideas from across the marketing industry, has been released featuring the most awarded campaigns, agencies and brands in the world.

     

    Compiled by WARC, the international marketing information company, the annual Media 100 Ranking is produced by combining the results of the industry’s most important global and regional media award shows tracked throughout 2019, as determined by the WARC Rankings advisory board and a worldwide industry survey.

     

    ‘Monty: The World’s First AI Predictive Commentator for Foxtel’, by Mindshare Sydney, is the most celebrated campaign for media excellence of 2019. Australian pay TV network Foxtel ran a game-changing campaign to encourage people to pay to watch cricket, a product they had previously enjoyed for free.

     

    To deliver more value and transform the viewing experience, Foxtel created Monty, a predictive AI commentator able to forecast when wickets would fall in live games. When Monty predicted a wicket, it triggered mobile display ads, pre-roll video and OOH to get people to watch, delivering an average weekly sales increase of 18 per cent.

     

    Said Katie Rigg-Smith – CEO, Mindshare Australasia: “As a self-respecting Aussie I love the cricket and I am thrilled to see Monty not only recognised as best in class but best in the world. It shows the power of provocation, one of our core values at Mindshare. It sees a great consumer insight married with powerful AI that delivered innovation and real outcomes. Credit to Jack Smyth and the team for dreaming it up, the Foxtel and the Fox Sports team who were bold enough to back it and our partners at Google.”

     

    In second place is ‘The First Colonel to Conquer eSports’, by Mindshare Shanghai, which strengthened KFC’s relationship with gamers in China by integrating itself in League of Legends. In third, ‘The Adaptive Data Lighthouse’ by Mindshare Mumbai for soap brand Lifebuoy, targeting people in rural India, at most risk of infections preventable by good hand hygiene.

     

    Starcom Chicago is ranked #1 media agency, having climbed up from #20 last year. Campaigns for Samsung, Vans, ESPN and The North Face, all ranked in the top 100, driving the agency to the top of the table.

     

    Added Kathy Ring – CEO, Starcom USA, Starcom: “It’s an honour to be named to WARC’s Media 100 list. It reinforces that Starcom’s Human Experience approach – putting the consumer at the forefront based on astute analytics and insights and arresting creativity – changes behavior that drives business outcomes for our clients.”

     

    Mindshare Shanghai improved its rank by one place, up to second this year, with work for KFC, Maybelline and Lay’s ranked in the top 30 campaigns. Mindshare Sydney follows in third place, up from 12th last year, largely driven by Monty, the top ranked campaign.

     

    Mindshare Worldwide claims top position as the most awarded Network, improving its rank from third last year. The media network had 27 different agencies contributing to its total points, eight of them in the top 50; and an impressive 16 campaigns ranked in the top 100. MediaCom drops down to second place and IPG Mediabrands is up one place to third.

     

    Said Nick Emery – Global CEO, Mindshare: “The best media agency the world. How cool is that? My Mum is impressed! The only reason we get out of bed in the morning is to produce great work and have some fun doing it. I could not be prouder of our whole network. Thank you to all our clients who took the risks and if anyone else wants to break some rules and share our values of speed, teamwork and provocation then you know where to come!”

     

    WPP continues its run at the top of the media holding companies ranking, driven by the strong performance of its Mindshare Worldwide network, together with a further 10 networks in the top 50. Omnicom Group retains its second position, as does Interpublic Group in third.

     

    A strong performance in Asia by KFC led the fast food retailer to the top of the brand rankings this year, with two campaigns in the top 100, including #2 campaign, The First Colonel to Conquer eSports.

     

    Foxtel improved its rank from sixth last year to second this year and Lifebuoy moves up from 13th to second place. Three brands entered the top 50 for the first time: Sport Chek / Canadian Tire goes straight in at #7, while Uber Eats and Uber rank #9 and #10 respectively.

     

    Unilever improved its rank to hit the top of the advertisers table this year. The FMCG giant has three brands in the top 50 – Lifebuoy, P/S, Knorr – with a further 25 brands contributing to its success. Yum! Brands follow in second place and Procter & Gamble in third.

     

    Added Conny Braams – Chief Digital & Marketing Officer, Unilever: “We’re thrilled to be announced as the #1 Advertiser in WARC’s Media 100 for 2020. We’re proud of Unilever’s consistent achievement in this category of media excellence. This is testament to the innovative and effective work of our media teams and media agencies across the world and we look forward to more such accolades in the future.”

     

    USA retained its top country rank for a third year with 22 campaigns in the top 100, three of which made the top 10. Australia improved its rank by one place to take second place, with 10 campaigns within the top 100. China jumps from sixth to third place with 11 campaigns.