Young creatives in India looking to break into the industry or find a new job can now get tickets for The One Club for Creativity’s global Portfolio Night 2024, hosted once again in person and virtually by BBDO India, DDB Mudra Group, and TBWA\India. This is close on the heels of Portfolio Evening hosted by Miami Ad School last week.
Established in 2003, Portfolio Night 2024 will be held virtually on October 10, followed by an in-person version in Mumbai on October 11.
Notes a commuPortfolio Night has also become a crucial tool for agencies in recruiting top young talent, providing a platform for recognition from local industry peers, and giving agencies a place on the global stage as the ad world tunes in to this one-of-a-kind event.
The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) appointed Partha Sinha, President and Chief Brand Officer of Bennett Coleman & Company Limited, as Chairman of the ASCI Board of Governors for 2024-25. Sudhanshu Vats, Deputy Managing Director, Pidilite Industries Limited, was appointed Vice-Chairman, and S Subramanyeswar, Group CEO & Chief Strategy Officer-APAC, Lintas India Private Limited was appointed Treasurer.
Sinha expressed a compelling vision for ASCI. “Being the chairperson of ASCI is both an honour and a profound responsibility, especially as our industry is under greater scrutiny by our stakeholders. With rapid changes in the digital environment and the emergence of new challenges. ASCI is committed to not just keeping up but to staying ahead. Deploying technology and AI to monitor errant advertising as well as putting our might behind preventive measures will be our focus in the days to come. This will ensure that creativity and responsibility coexist, creating an ecosystem that values consumers and encourages innovation.”
Reflecting on his term, outgoing Chairman Saugata Gupta said: “Leading ASCI through a period that witnessed significant development and change has been a privilege. This year has been marked by historic milestones, including the formation of the ASCI Academy, which has become a cornerstone in promoting responsible and progressive advertising. Our commitment to training and capacity building, creating new direction via our thought leadership work, reflects a culture of responsibility from the ground up.”
You usually do not go and tell the supply chain team which model they should use for forecasting. Or the CFO what type of accounting she or he should do.
Or question a tech guy on why python and not, say, C++.
Or a management consultant why this framework?
Because intuitively we tend to take whatever they say as the truth, cast in stone.
Cometh marketing meetings on brand and media, everybody including the one whose job is to only ship couriers in office seem to have a view.
They tend to tell you what should happen in your ad, where you should play the ad and why you should use the giant-sized billboard on some highway because you pass through it daily.
In my experience on promoting a commercial on IPL, the common question in the office is, “is it worth promoting in the IPL.”
“There’s so much of clutter.”
“Will people notice us?”
And so on. Yet, when you go ahead and promote, the questions changes, “I saw the ad, but not sure if it will register.”
Why? Because there’s clutter. And how much can we remember?
This persists within the marketing and advertising teams as well.
Many are non-believers in going for big-ticket items to promote your advertising. If it is a question of lack of funds, then fine. But if you can stretch the budget, then clutter SHOULD NOT be the reason to AVOID.
Lack of Research Usage
The whole point of my grouse was this- we do not use enough research in advertising and media from let us say psychologists or neuroscientists.
Why? Because we tend to dismiss it as ‘subjective.’ FYI, when Bill Bernbach says it took a million years for man’s instincts to develop. It is fashionable to talk about the changing man, but we must be concerned with unchanging man.
Let us explore that.
The Traditional Advertising View
That an ad must make the person take notice, command attention and then, land the message about the most brilliant features of your product.
Assumption: Lack of attention = No Impact. So, the one who watches the ad, should be conscious.
Does the human brain work like that?
Yes. Only if you believe our brains, all the time, make conscious decisions.
That is not true. Only 5-10% of decisions the brain makes are conscious. The rest without our conscious brains realising that.
Come to IPL. Please.
#1 Yes, a moment. Dr Robert Heath study and research says advertisement, unlike the popular opinion, is a LOW INVOLVEMENT PROCESSING.
Watching an advertisement, with our attention elsewhere, can still lead to us absorbing the advertisement. So, an ad playing in the background can bypass our conscious mind and be sub-consciously taken inside without you knowing.
How? By associations. A neuroscientist’s definition of branding would be something like advertisement is an exercise in designing associations.
If you are a Coke–Happiness
If you are a Nike–Athletic Motivation
If you are Rebill–Thrill & Adventure
#2 Research by Ipsos in the Brand Immortality Study assessed 97K subjects with 512 commercials from 47 companies, the results were interesting.
7.3 % brand uplift in people who were attentive to ads.
2.7% brand uplift in people who could only recall the ad when described.
1.2% brand uplift who could not recall the ad.
So even with low recall, there is a brand uplift of 1.2%.
#3 What if people Skip or Fast Forward the ad?
Research by Innerscope assessed people who watched the advertisement live, who fast forwarded and people who didn’t.
Result? The fast-forwarded group recalled and recognized twice as many as the group who had not seen. Obvious, is not it. The point is despite fast-forwarding, they saw the ad.
Why? Because our brain captures, connects and stores visual information in eighty milli-seconds!
Showing the advertisement, even in a cluttered environment, can make your brand recognize (during the buying process or buying situation. You will end up feeling familiar).
Finally, why does that happen?
A famous experiment uncovered a phenomenon called Blindsight. A blind person with pupils unharmed was put in a room full of obstacles and asked to go to the other end of the room. He did so without touching the obstacles. And the experiment was repeated.
When asked how, he said he had no idea. That is because the eyes picked up the stimuli and navigated without making his rational side of the brain recognise.
These visual cues are linked to amygdala that processes fear and emotions. Now can you connect RedBull with thrill and adventure, Coke with happiness?
The connection will happen even if we do not see the entire ad of Coke. Our brain subconsciously picks up a family sitting around, laughing faces, food on the table, and bottle of coke in hand. That is all.
The onus is on us. How good can we associate the things that will make the brand quickly noticeable and store information in the brain?
It is not the media clutter in IPL. It is how good are you at hacking the subconscious part of the brain!
Cheil India has appointed Sudhir Das as senior Executive Creative Director (ECD). He will be responsible for overseeing the creative output of a segment of Samsung mobile business and Samsung exclusive stores.
Das will report to Vikash Chemjong, CCO, Cheil India and will be based out of agency’s Gurugram office.
Said Chemjong: “Sudhir when you meet him, seems alike a misfit in advertising. He doesn’t drink! Is not trying to run off to the hills/beach every chance he gets because he hates travelling! And he is a little anti-social, preferring the company of his cats more than the company of most people [but seeing the type of people surrounding us most days, I have begun to see the wisdom in it.”
Added Sanjeev Jasani, Group COO, Cheil SWA: “I am happy to welcome Sudhir to Cheil India. He has a much-deserved reputation for being a creative maestro with a penchant for everything that is tech. His repertoire of work is amazing and eclectic in equal measures. I look forward to the unique perspective and ideas that Sudhir brings to the table, which will positively inform our campaigns.”
Dentsu has published a study of B2B buying behaviour globally for the fourth consecutive year. The research provides a diagnostic platform that addresses the real drivers behind B2B buying decisions, where to improve the B2B buyer journey and the business impact of experience.
The Superpowers Index, originally published in 2021, uses a single metric that captures overall brand experience and provides a comprehensive, single index to help brands assess their performance against key criteria that drive success. This index offers insights, enabling businesses to fine-tune their strategies and achieve superior outcomes.
“Five years ago, Merkle B2B was launched to provide integrated solutions to B2B customers across media, customer experience and creative. Today’s expansion into dentsu B2B marks a real opportunity for the team to drive further innovation for our clients, creating real business outcomes for our clients that help their growth and generate real impact,” said Kiaran Geen, President APAC, Dentsu B2B, adding:“Every company in the world is a B2B company in some capacity and we can harness that opportunity to be a true innovation partner for clients, leveraging our globally connected capabilities across business transformation, media, creative, CXM, commerce, data and technology to drive impact,” he added.
Added Patrick Hounsell, President dentsu B2B: “The Superpowers Index provides a framework for driving client growth by benchmarking performance across the 30 decision drivers, pinpointing improvement opportunities and measurement and gives a comprehensive look at the evolving landscape of B2B marketing year over year. The research allows us to target and refine our dentsu B2B capabilities to the needs of global clients across markets. Our goal is to provide B2B brands with the tools and insights they need to connect their marketing, IT, and sales efforts more effectively and these solutions represent a significant leap forward in our commitment to driving B2B success.”
OML Entertainment, the content, advertising and entertainment firm, has elevated Tusharr Kumar as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Kumar brings over 15 years of experience across new-media, automotive and FMCG industries. He has been associated with OML Entertainment since 2012 in various capacities across different businesses.
Said Rajesh Kamat, Managing Director of Emerald Media and investor in OML Entertainment: “Tusharr’s elevation to CEO is a testament to his exceptional leadership and his unwavering commitment to excellence. Under his guidance, OML Entertainment has achieved remarkable milestones, and I have no doubt that he will continue to build on this momentum. Tusharr’s vision for OML Entertainment aligns perfectly with our goals as investors, and we are thrilled to support him as he leads the company to new heights.”
As reported earlier, Miami Ad School conducted Portfolio Evening on August 30 Over 65 young creatives were shortlisted to meet the following senior creative leaders (in no specific order): Raj Nair, Garima Khandelwal, Kainaaz Karmakar, Ramanuj Shashtry, Viren Noronha, KV Sridhar, Kartik Smetacek, Hetal Ajmera, Naila Mateen and Sameer Sojwal, Tista Sen, Pallavi Chakravarti, Raj Kamble, Manish Bhatt, Agnello Dias, Bobby Pawar, Parixit Bhattacharya, Ashish Chakravarty, Amit Akali and Vikram Gaikwad
Said Raj Nair Chief Creative Officer Garage Worldwide: “Helping put Portfolio Evening together for Miami Ad School and Garage Worldwide has been one of the most fulfilling moments of my advertising life. Young, enthusiastic aspirants showcased their abilities to an amazing, inspiring bunch of creative leaders. A sincere thank you to all the legends who accepted my invitation to attend by contributing their time and feedback to the young ones who came seeking their inputs.”
Added Prabhakar Mundkur, Miami Ad School Advisory Director: “It was a fantastic evening. So many creative people on our campus. A fusion of young and experienced creative minds interacting with each other.”
Havas Worldwide India, the creative arm of Havas India, has strengthened its strategy team with three key appointments. Dhananjoy Ray, Aniruddh Subramanian and Jahan Nargolwala have joined the agency as Associate Vice President – Planning & Strategy. All three will report to John Thangaraj, Chief Strategy Officer, Havas Creative Network India, and will be based out of Gurgaon.
Said John Thangaraj: “I am thrilled to welcome Dhananjoy, Aniruddh and Jahan to the Havas family. The world is changing and so are we. Strategy needs to be more business forward, digital first and data driven than ever before and our journey towards creating a more converged, multi-disciplinary team begins now. Each of them brings a deep and divergent level of expertise and experience to the table. Dhananjoy brings a deep passion and excitement for all things tech and auto. Aniruddh’s understanding and experience on the CPG category is second to none. And Jahan’s digital-first expertise across multiple categories nicely rounds out the team. Their hires underscore Havas’ deep commitment to delivering insight & data backed strategic solutions that focus on keeping our clients ahead of the curve. That said, we’ve only just begun – watch this space!”
BrandMusiq, the audio and sonic branding agency, has created the sonic identity for Jio BP, a brand that symbolises the collaboration of two industry giants: India’s Jio from Reliance and the global petroleum leader, British Petroleum (BP). The sonic identity, meticulously developed by BrandMusiq, captures the essence of this powerful partnership.
“The Mogo will build on the core emotions of empathy, dynamism, and innovation, while expressing the confidence in leadership in the mobility solutions market. The sonic identity will become a valuable trademark overtime. It will reinforce trust and inspire loyalty among customers,” said HC Mehta, CEO of Jio BP.
Added Rajeev Raja, Founder and Soundsmith, BrandMusiq: “It was truly a privilege to create the sonic identity for Jio BP. We recognized the fact that it was the coming together of two giants, India’s very own Jio from Reliance and the global leader, BP. The Sonic Identity created by BrandMusiq was very optimistic and future-forward even while building in the core emotions of empathy and caring. The sonic graph of the longer MOGOSCAPE®️ expressed the scale, stature, and the soft power of the brand, while the Mogo or ‘musical logo’ summarized the confidence of a leader.”
Dentsu India has launched its Fresher Accelerator Program (FAP), an initiative tailored to equip fresh graduates with the cutting-edge skills and expertise essential for success.
Commenting on the launch, Unmesh Pawar, Chief People Officer, South Asia, Dentsu said: “I am thrilled to introduce our Fresher Accelerator Program. At dentsu, learning never stops! This programme provides fresh graduates with continuous learning and adaptation opportunities in our fast-paced industry through rigorous training, mentorship, and hands-on experience. We are committed to fostering a diverse, dynamic workplace that promotes creativity and innovation. By investing in great talent to support our clients’ transformation journeys in the marketing space, the FAP program is our way of building talent density at dentsu. This program is designed to unlock the potential of this industry’s next generation of talent. We strongly encourage fresh graduates to apply for this challenging and rewarding programme.”
Havas Media Network India, the specialised media division of Havas India has announced the elevation of two of its senior leaders to even more senior roles within the organisation. While Uday Mohan steps into the position of Chief Operating Officer of Havas Media India, R. Venkatasubramanian assumes the role of Chief Operating Officer of Havas Play. They will continue reporting to Mohit Joshi, CEO, Havas Media Network India.
Commenting on the elevations, Rana Barua, Group CEO, Havas India, South East Asia and North Asia (Japan and South Korea) said: “Uday and Venkat’s elevations come at an important juncture for Havas Media Network India, as the agency experiences remarkable growth. Their strategic prowess and dedication have been instrumental in driving our agency’s success over the years and their elevation reflects our confidence in their vision and ability to continue fostering innovation, collaboration, and client satisfaction. I wish them all the best.”
Added Mohit Joshi, CEO, Havas Media Network India: “With Uday and Venkat at the helm of their respective business divisions, Havas Media Network India has made significant strides, evident in the agency’s expanded client portfolio, new acquisitions, and strategic partnerships. This elevation underscores our unwavering dedication to fortifying our organizational framework by nurturing our in-house capabilities. Leaders like them are key to our goal of making media meaningful for our clients and the industry at large as their exceptional industry acumen is pivotal in leading a team as diverse as ours. I extend my sincerest congratulations to Uday and Venkat on their new roles and look forward to our continued trajectory of growth and success together.”
Anupama Ramaswamy, Chief Creative Officer, Havas Worldwide India, Ashish Chakravarty, Executive Director, and India Head of Creative, for McCann Worldgroup and Rajdeepak Das, Chief Creative Officer Publicis Groupe, South Asia and Chairman, Leo Burnett, South Asia, join as Jury Chair for Still Digital category, Audio category, and Film (below 1 minute) category respectively, at The Abby Awards 2024 powered by One Show.
Said Ajay Kakar, Chairperson, Awards Governing Council, Abby Awards 2024: “I have always believed that an award is as good as its jury. This year too, the Abby Awards powered by One Show have a stellar line up of both domestic and international luminaries as Jury Chairs, across 23 categories. Over the last two years the number of women jurors have been significant, and this year, with over one-thirds being women masters of their craft. To win recognition from such respected Jury Chairs is a matter of immense pride for the AdClub, the participating agencies and brands.”
