Creative agency FCB Group India has announced a reorganisation of its creative agencies in India, along with key elevations. The group will undertake restructuring with three full-service agency brands in India – FCB Ulka, FCB Interface, and FCB India. These three agencies will be a part of FCB Group India.
Rohit Ohri
Said Rohit Ohri, Chairman & CEO, FCB Group India: “It is imperative for us now, more than ever before, to be able to provide our clients with the strategic direction and creativity they need to navigate the new world we live in today. Our new structure allows for our best people to provide focused and dedicated partnership to our clients; to bring the disruptive creativity, agility, and fluidity that is required today to transform our clients’ businesses and create unmissable brands.”
With the new three creative agency structure, agency seniors Nitin Karkare will be FCB Ulka Vice Chairman, Swati Bhattacharya will be FCB India Creative Chairperson, Robby Mathew will be FCB Interface Vice Chairman & CCO, and Joe Thaliath will be FCB Interface Vice Chairman & CEO.
Mobile advertising tech firm InMobi has unveiled a report on second wave lockdown audience insights. According to the report, 2021’s lockdown saw users relying on their smartphones specifically around weekends, compared to weekdays in 2020. Social distancing, work from home, and lock-down regulations boosted mobile consumption.
Said Vasuta Agarwal, Managing Director, Asia Pacific, InMobi: “We have witnessed a drastic acceleration of the mobile-first consumer economy since the onset of the pandemic. With the second wave, we see that these “new normal” mobile-first consumer habits and preferences have become more mainstream.”
GroupM India has appointed Atique Kazi as President – Data, Performance and Digital Products.
Prasanth Kumar
Said Prasanth Kumar, CEO, GroupM South Asia: “At GroupM our focus is to continue evolving by offering flexible, scalable and innovative solutions. Atique joining the core team at GroupM India is the reflection of our commitment towards offering digital solutions that can create great value-add for brands in this ever-evolving market. I look forward to working closely with Atique and I am confident that he will continue to grow our digital offerings. His expertise of aiming at innovation and providing value-propositions will be key towards Digital Transformation of our clients and partners.”
Added Arshan Saha, CEO Xaxis, APAC: “The scale and speed of digital transformation and the fact that India as a market has demonstrated its leadership in this area means that we need to have our best talent to fulfil this demand. Atique is one of our very best with a proven track record locally and most recently regionally in APAC where he launched and scaled GroupM’s Influencer and content arm – INCA. Having worked with Atique for over 8 years, I can attest to his leadership, curiosity, knowledge and drive which are invaluable in defining and determining client success.”
Former Samsung marketing head Tathagat Jena has joined Redifussion as head of the Delhi branch. Jena has over two decades of experience on both the client side, and at the agency end.
Welcoming Tathagat to Rediffusion, Navonil Chatterjee, Joint President of the agency said: “In Tatha we have a good combo of a good agency man and a matured client hand, especially one who has worked in a highly competitive category like mobile handsets. He will now bring all those learnings to Rediffusion Delhi. For us Delhi was one of our most important geographies with Maruti, Airtel, Pepsi all being our clients born in that office. Tatha is tasked to bring back the effervescence to the Delhi office. We have signed up some very interesting and live-wire businesses in Delhi and we look forward to a big Rediffusion operation in India’s capital city in the days to come.”
Last week Rediffusion announced that Vivek Bahl has also joined its Delhi office as its Digital Lead. “Delhi is a big priority for us going forward,” emphasised Chatterjee.
The India Chapter of the International Advertising Association (IAA) completes thirty years in the service of the marcom industry.
Said IAA President Megha Tata: “This is a landmark year for us. The IAA has evolved into what is arguably the most prominent association in the country representing marketing, advertising and the media. We commit ourselves to remaining relevant and doing what is in the best interests of our constituents as well as our consumers. Though we are still in the midst of the pandemic we have rolled our several initiatives and you will see many more beginning this month itself. I salute all the past Presidents and members who have contributed to the growth of IAA.”
Added Srinivasan K Swamy immediate past president IAA Global: “The India Chapter has been addressed by everyone from the Prime Minister, to several Union Ministers to film and sports celebrities. It has shown its capability to host one of the biggest and best World Congresses ever held. It has a varied bouquet of initiatives and events catering to its wide spectrum of constituents and has been recognized by the IAA World Board as its Best Chapter several times. I wish the members all the very best and exhort them to evolve and face the challenges of a dynamic environment.”
Veteran mediaperson Roger Pereira, the person who brought IAA to India in the first place said: Forty years ago, I still remember reading with rapt attention Prof Theodore Levitt on Globalisation and thought to myself: How could India not possibly be part of it! Founding the India Chapter was certainly the first step. Thank you, RBI Governor IG Patel”.
Advertising investment is forecast to grow by 10.4% globally in 2021, according to the latest Dentsu Ad Spend Report. The twice-yearly report which combines data from 59 markets, anticipates US$634 billion will be spent globally with all regions enjoying positive growth.
Adspend in APAC is expected to grow by 8.0% or US$17 billion to US$229 billion. In the region, Australia and India are forecasting particularly high growth rates in 2021, with 2021 growth expected to exceed pre-pandemic levels in China.
The pandemic-induced decline in advertising spend during 2020 has proved less severe than anticipated. Some trends in consumer behaviour and spend in advertising which emerged during the past year have remained.
In APAC, the 6.2% rise in digital spend last year is forecast to grow by 12.8% in 2021 to reach US$124.5 billion, representing a 54% share of total ad spend. Forecasts for Social (33.4%) and Video (10.8%) will also rise, with Search also growing (7.8%) reaching US$23.1 billion in 2021.
Offline/Linear ad spend will see a return to growth 2.8% to US$104.8 billion, following a 15% decline in 2020, however it is predicted that spend levels in APAC will remain below pre-pandemic levels in 2021.
While regional live events such Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics Games continue to be a significant driver of growth in Linear TV ad spend in APAC (3.9% increase in 2021 to reach US$59.2 billion), the dentsu data suggests a shift towards CTV (Connected TV) and OTT (Over The Top) and audiences moving more towards digital media consumption mean Linear TV spend will remain below pre-pandemic levels until beyond 2021.
With restrictions lifting on social activity, OOH will see a bounce back post impact of the pandemic, rising 7.5% in 2021 in the region. Cinema has a slightly longer recovery, with a further decline in 2021 (-5.0%) but expected to bounce back in 2022. Radio will also see growth (4.3%) in 2021.
While most channels will return to growth in 2021 (Cinema in 2022), Print is seeing a slight decline in 2021 (–2.7%) and expected to continue declining in 2022, as it continues to evolve towards new modes of digital delivery.
Looking at the industries who will see growth in ad spend this year, it will come as little surprise that government spending remains a key growth area, supporting the Covid vaccine rollout and other related initiatives. In APAC’s key markets, the travel and transport sectors, will still be affected by the uncertainty of the past year and see a muted increase in demand (4.9%), while Media & Entertainment is forecast to see growth (9.7%).
The decline in APAC advertising spend prompted by the pandemic in 2020, has proved to be less severe than originally anticipated. While 2020 remains the weakest performing year since the global financial crisis, the decline in growth has been raised since Dentsu’s January 2021 forecast (from -8.0% to -5.2%.) In 2021, the market is seeing a recovery in growth (8.0%), an improvement (2.1% pts) on January’s predication. Looking to 2022, recovery is set to continue when spending is likely to reach US$243.6 billion and grow at a rate of 6.3%.
Ashish Bhasin
Said Ashish Bhasin, CEO APAC, Dentsu international: “It is promising to see a return to growth in the APAC region with two of our markets in the top five contributors of ad spend growth; China and Japan. While China continues to see strong levels of growth driven by Digital and OOH, Japan’s growth will be buoyed by events like the 2020 Olympic & Paralympic Games, and the House of Representative elections and the advertising spend associated with it, particularly in TV.
In addition, Australia and India are two of the top year-on-year growth markets, forecasting a surge in ad spend. Australia has had a stronger economic recovery after the pandemic particularly in TV and Digital where the government focused much of their Covid-related campaigns, while India is expected to see a resurgence in Digital advertising spend though TV is still the main contributor with a 40.9% share.”
Prerna Mehrotra
Added Prerna Mehrotra, CEO Media APAC and MD Media Singapore: “We are optimistic that the region will bounce back to positive growth in ad spend, with some channels likely boosted higher than pre-pandemic levels. The main drivers behind the growth is economic recovery, with the APAC GDP set to increase by 7.3%, and a stronger-than-ever push to digital marketing. Serving as a stimulus the pandemic has accelerated digital adoption. Digital media will continue to drive ad revenue growth this year with strong performance in social (+33.4%) and video (+10.8%) and majority of spends in mobile. We will also see more investments diverted towards addressable and the digitalisation of OOH channels. Programmatic DOOH will also be a key growth driver in the future. With the growing numbers of SSPs and DSPs partnerships and an increasing demand for location-based solutions to ad-reaching consumers in these times of uncertainty, advertisers will benefit from the speed, flexibility and the targeting capability that the medium will provide.”
Growth in global ad spend between 2019 and 2022
Year-on-year % growth at current prices (January 2021 figures in brackets)
Share of global ad spend by channel between 2019 and 2022
Pepsi has unveiled a new digital campaign kicked off by music composer – Tanishk Bagchi. The #SwagWaliPepsi campaign builds on the refreshment quotient of Pepsi .
Speaking about the campaign, Saumya Rathor, Category Lead, Cola, PepsiCo India said: “With the #SwagWaliPepsi campaign, brand Pepsi is pivoting in pop culture and giving consumers a chance to express themselves in their own unique and irreverent way. We are confident that this campaign will add fun to the lives of the consumers in an inimitable Pepsi style”
Leading edtech firm Talentedge has unveiled a new brand purpose and identity as it expands to Online Programme Management (OPM) as well as the executive-education and cohort-based-courses (CBC) space.
Commenting on the process of the discovering the brand purpose and the launch of the new brand identity, Abhinav Upadhyay, Chief Marketing Officer Talentedge said: “For us, the process of discovering our brand purpose and then evolving our new identity has been a very fulfilling journey and has been immensely gratifying for me personally. India has a low Gross Enrolment Ratio of just 27.4% which means that people who are currently unserved by the formal higher education system in India is larger than the population of Germany and Canada combined. We are solving for that and to ensure that every Indian attains the potential that he or she is capable of. Our new identity is a seemingly simple yet bold and powerful expression of our purpose to ensure no ambition goes unfulfilled.”
Dentsumcgarrybowen (DentsuMB) has promoted Indrajeet Mookherjee to the role of Managing Partner. The agency is part of the larger, newly formed DentsuMB group, which houses a cluster of creative agencies from within the Dentsu creative service line of business. Under this fresh structure, the agencies that will report into Sidharth Rao, CEO, DentsuMB Group, are Dentsu Webchutney, Taproot Dentsu, Dentsu One, DentsuMB and Dentsu Impact.
Mookherjee will now lead the agency nationally and will also report into Rao. Prior to this, he was President – South, DentsuMB where he led operations for offices in Bengaluru, Chennai, and Kochi. He joined Dentsu India as Executive Vice President (EVP) in 2016.
Sidharth Rao
Speaking on the elevation, Rao said: “As we continue to strengthen and reshape our creative offering in the Indian market, we needed a leader who is experienced, connected, and understands the nuances of the communication landscape. Indrajeet, with his experience in managing brands and categories across South and Southeast Asia, was the perfect choice to helm our operations. The DentsuMB group of agencies, which already boasts iconic Indian agencies like Taproot Dentsu and Dentsu Webchutney in our stable, are growing at a rapid pace, and I look forward to Indrajeet and his talented Dentsumcgarrybowen team, strengthening our creative offering even further.”
Speaking on his new role, Mookherjee added: “I am honoured to join the leadership team of DentsuMB India at a very exciting time where our business is seeing unprecedented change. However, the one constant is the power of ideas and how we deliver business outcomes for our client partners. And that’s where I am hugely inspired by the global legacy of DentsuMB as a creative powerhouse and develop work that wins in the world and leads to better business results for brands. I am looking forward to working with our talented team and group leaders to build and create a truly integrated agency.”
In an effort to provide women and non-binary creatives a platform for visibility in the Indian advertising & design industry, DDB Mudra Group in partnership with Indian Creative Women (ICW) is hosting Portfolio Evening 2021 on Friday, July 23.
According to a communique, DDB Mudra Group is committed to filling in five creative positions across its businesses from the initiative. This free, virtual event will provide an exclusive opportunity to meet some of the best names in the industry, and have their portfolios reviewed by a panel of senior creative talent from the industry.
It will provide an exclusive opportunity for applicants to have their portfolios reviewed and be mentored by a panel of senior creative talent from the industry. Jurors include Kainaz Karmakar (CCO, Ogilvy India), Delna Sethna (CCO, WPP Redfuse India), P.G. Aditiya (NCD, Dentsu Webchutney) and Shikha Gupta (Creative Director, Swiggy), among others. The event is open to creatives at an ACD level and below; with an average experience of 0-6 years, including recently graduated students from advertising portfolio schools. Women who have taken a career break are also encouraged to apply.
Said Sakshi Choudhary, Founder – Indian Creative Women said, “The Indian ad industry continues to lose most of its women at the mid-level. While the talk on diversity is slowly gaining momentum, there’s a need for more impactful initiatives at different levels. This portfolio evening will give the industry access to some of the best diverse talent available to hire. In addition, we hope to boost the confidence of women and non-binary creatives through constructive conversation and mentorship.”
Rahul Mathew
Added Rahul Mathew, Chief Creative Officer – DDB Mudra Group added, “We’ve been working on many initiatives within the agency to identify and groom more diversity in our creative teams and in our creative leadership. So the Portfolio Evening actually fuels and adds more power to our initiatives.”
LT Foods has launched a TVC for its flagship brand, Daawat. The Company has expanded its product portfolio in the health segment with “Daawat Sehat” – a fortified everyday Basmati rice, fortified with iron and vitamin.
Speaking on the occasion, Managing Director & CEO LT Foods Limited, Ashwani Kumar Arora said: “The government has been implementing food fortification on a large scale and it has been identified as one of the key strategies to achieve the target of ‘Kuposhan Mukt Bharat (Malnutrition Free India) by 2022’. During recent budget as well, Government has restated the importance of food-fortification through rice, which happens to be one of the key staple-foods of the 65% of the Indian population which reaches the most vulnerable and poorer section through programmes like Mid-Day Meal, Integrated Child Development Services and Public Distribution System”.
Added Ritesh Arora, Head – India Business, LT Foods: “Daawat Sehat was launched last year and it was very well received by the consumers who were looking for healthier options during the current times. The campaign that was launched last year on the digital platform talks about the nutritional benefits of fortified rice and how “Daawat Sehat” provides a solution in this regard to keep themselves and their family healthy. The launch of this TVC will tap a larger audience and further strengthen and increase the awareness of Daawat Sehat, the fortified rice.”
IDFC Mutual Fund has rolled out a new video to salute the Indian investors. The digital advert highlights the success of those who persevered even though the pandemic and the lockdown made them doubt themselves.
In the first quarter of FY21, financial markets were in turmoil and most investors were worried about the state of their current investments and how they will perform in the future. The advert especially who were resilient and disciplined in their wealth creation process and reaped rewards with positive returns for staying their course.
Said Arun Fernandes, CEO – Hotstuff Media: “We decided to create a long format film to truly let the audiences relate to every character and then celebrate their success. Our aim was to inspire investors and at the same time commend the efforts of financial advisors who braved the storm, to protect investor interests.”
Highlighting the takeaway for investors, Gaurab Parija, Head – Marketing & Sales, IDFC AMC added: “Investors who showed patience during the tough times by not redeeming from equity markets but continuing to invest via SIP significantly benefited and generated significant returns over the past one year. The focus of the advert is to let everyone know that while the pandemic may have made us reevaluate a lot of things in our lives, those who followed their passion and goals have managed to adapt and come out stronger and better. ”
