MxMIndia

Category: ADVERTISING

  • Be realistic about economic climate, global OOH consultant John Ellery tells Indian outdoor

    Innovation and OOH are synonymous: John Ellery

    Having studied to become a Chartered Surveyor, working in property management and sales, Mr John Ellery joined the outdoor contractor London and Provincial in 1968 and trained in all aspects of the outdoor medium from billposting to backlight development. L+P was at the forefront of the outdoor advertising industry at that time and led many industry initiatives.

    Specifically Mr Ellery was involved in the birth of the street furniture medium, developing acceptable designs and working with local authorities to integrate outdoor within modern town centre developments, and the street scene.

    From there on it was an upward progression as Mr Ellery went on to become Marketing Director of Smiths and Masons, Board Director of L+P Group and Adshel, Managing Director, Dennis Sullivan at Portland, and formed the International Division of Poster Publicity. He opened their offices worldwide, providing a global network with 18 offices outside the UK, producing over half of the groups annual billings of US$400 million. PP opened their 19th office, in Sydney, early in 2005.

    PP and WPP formed a joint company, with Portland, called Kinetic Worldwide, to continue to develop the outdoor specialist function globally. Since 2006 Mr Ellery ceased his connection with the company and is now an international OOH consultant.

    In an exclusive interview with Nibha, John Ellery shares his views on tackling the economic slowdown, global consolidation, work ethics, global OOH guidelines and much more.

     

    Q: Do you think that the current economic slowdown will give out-of-home advertising an edge over other media, across the globe?

    This will vary market by market. In the main I believe that OOH has many advantages over other media, but as several advertisers believe that OOH so often only accounts for a small percentage of total media spend, in difficult times, it is sometimes the first part of a media schedule to be cancelled. However with the right marketing and enthusiastic, well connected sales force, many outdoor owners can provide advertisers with some more reasonably priced advertising alternatives to their regular media choice. There is still an education job to be carried out on many advertisers. All sectors of media are suffering at this time, but from what I am seeing, a medium that can offer a specific and well targeted audience is enjoying a better sales ratio, than a medium that is broader in its audience appeal.

     

    Q: The current economic slowdown is affecting the OOH media owners’ businesses across the world; as a result a number of major advertisers are cutting back on their advertising spends. What according to you is the key to win back advertisers to the OOH arena?

    It must be a continuing effort to provide a well positioned OOH medium with top quality servicing and display performance. Of course this costs money, but we have such a public medium which is only as good as the last site that was seen. In the UK and US the number of outdoor sites displaying paper and glue displays is reducing quite dramatically. In the US it is proposed to have no further paper and glue sites by the end of this year. I know traditional panels in India are now almost all vinyl, but with “dry posting” recyclable materials are being used. Good qualitative research is playing a growing role in outdoor, and is important to be able to demonstrate “eyes on results”’ rather than simple opportunities to see.

     

    Q: What advice would you give to the Indian Outdoor fraternity, both in terms of marketing and pricing of their media’s so that they don’t face the heat of the global economic slowdown?

    Be realistic about the economic climate. It will help if the OOH business was to work in concert as a proper industry. I know that it is easy to say, and it is a difficult dream to realise, but OOH is one of the more minor media choices, and we should work together to demonstrate its strengths and advantages. Each individual company will want to maximise its share of any budget. That often leads to reducing price. Of course an advertiser wants to achieve good value for money, but OOH must hold its head up! We cannot be turned off, or ignored like TV and press. Both TV and press have seen dramatic reductions in their advertising income over recent years, due to a reducing audience. The Outdoor audience is generally increasing, and that should carry an equivalent increase in value. The growth in the online sector is generally to the detriment of TV and press, not OOH.

     

    Q: Is the OOH industry doing enough to foster new formats and has the global consolidation of media owners helped this?

    There have been a number of new formats over the recent years, and OOH is all about the position of the site and audience. I have seen several new formats fail because they have not reached the awareness of the client. All very traditional and simple. But we are seeing successful new formats – LED, plasma screens, mobile phones.  The current financial conditions are not really supportive of these sorts of formats, but we need to encourage advertisers to really appreciate the positives that these new formats provide.

     

    Q: Out of Home is in the spotlight more than ever for its variety and breadth of offering. What new OOH media types have impressed you and why?

    LED enables so many clients to present their advertisement in the key locations where the opportunities exist. However, the success of LED is very dependent upon the programming and creative expertise utilized. Similarly, the same applies to plasma screens. The escalator plasma panels on the London Underground have been well used by several advertisers. The angle of the escalators provide a truly great creative programming opportunity, which a number of advertisers have taken full advantage of, to provide a very memorable advertising campaign.  To see products jump from screen to screen in time with the movement of the escalator is very eye-catching and absorbing.

     

    Q: What role do you think innovation plays in OOH media? And in the recent past can you name any campaign which you could call really innovative?

    Innovation and OOH are synonymous, whether the innovation applies to the creativity of the artwork/programming, the location in relation to the audience, the timing of the event, or the combination of media used. However it must be said that many and indeed most OOH campaigns simply work because they advertise a product or brand in a simple and clear way on a campaign of well placed outdoor sites. It would be inappropriate, I think, to name one or two “really innovative” campaigns as there are, and have been, so many.

     

    Q: How does one justify the cost of innovations in terms of both the recall value and the rise in the market share especially when we in India, don’t have any posting technology at place, wherein one can justify the effectiveness of the OOH campaign?

    This is a difficult question to answer. The simple answer is that since its origins, many hundreds of years ago, OOH has been proven to work in many, many markets. Justification of “innovation” can be measured by research, and by sales and ROI. The research work that has been going on in our industry world-wide has been immense. The India market can benefit from it, and I do hope that it is at this moment. In Europe and the US we have been working on global guidelines for OOH research which I have encouraged the market to consider and accept, and I believe this is happening. Where you don’t have a particular technology in place I think you need to look at other markets and share their experiences to your advantage.

     

    Q: How do you rate the change in the Indian OOH industry, especially in the past 3-4 years? And according to you, what is it that will make OOH media more than just a “reminder” medium?

    One of the obvious changes, probably in more than the past 3-4 years, is the reduction of hand-painted, and the growth in “PVC” or “vinyl” on large scale panels. This has really improved the presentation and appearance of the medium in India. Also the growth in the Street Furniture sector, and the huge improvement in the Airport Advertising offerings, is helping the medium to become a force to be reckoned with. The “negative” that I have heard from a number of people on the buying side of the business is the clutter that appears in a number of locations in most of the cities in India. OOH is seen in conjunction with the environment, and this is a matter for improvement by all the players that are in the business.

     

    Q: According to you is accountability the factor that is keeping clients at a distance from OOH, when it comes to the Media Plan? And do you think that the clients are ready to experiment with realtime innovations and not just cutouts and neons?

    Accountability is extremely important in the OOH business. Lack of accountability has held the medium back in many markets around the world, over the years. It’s a difficult factor to achieve when there are many players in the business, and all very keen to maximise income. But without it, as you say, it will keep clients at bay. In a market with many landlords controlling site locations, who are only interested in their financial returns it is difficult to establish a trusting, level OOH business which is accountable. But overall it is the contractors that can bring accountability. They need to work together for the benefit of the OOH Industry, by establishing a code of conduct, that all will adhere to. The research programme that is currently ongoing will go a long way towards helping out. I am sure that clients are ready to experiment with real time innovations which will become more apparent as time moves on.

     

    Q: How important is building up relationships with Agencies, Advertisers and Associations? And what sort of difficulties have you faced in the recent times across the globe?

    Very important! I am not the first person to state that the most important relationship is with the client, and the agency. It’s more straightforward to tell clients and agencies about a TV commercial – time of transmission, and potential audience etc, than it is to explain the locations and potential audience of a group of outdoor sites. We are back to accountability and trust again. Explaining the way in which the message can be delivered directly to the target audience is all important. In some markets there have been questions asked when it appears that not all sites booked appear. Double bookings have also caused questions to be asked. If we do not play our business in a straight and honest way, then the future will not look good.

     

    Q: Your site mentions the steering board of a new group, responsible for providing global guidelines for OOH research. What is the current progress on this?

    FEPE – the “Federation of European Publicite Exteriure” was formed in 1959 by the legendary Jacques Dauphin. This year we celebrate FEPE’s 50th Birthday at the World congress in Sardinia 3-6 June (www.fepe.com). FEPE represents the European OOH industry, along with many other OOH countries who are members.  Back in November 2007 FEPE met with ESOMAR – the global media research body and agreed that global guidelines for OOH research should be produced. This would help agencies and clients to compare the OOH medium globally, to compare apples with apples. A number of bodies were invited to join, and in addition to FEPE, and ESOMAR. These are:

    EACA – The European Association of Communication Agencies

    Chairman of the Technical Committee – Neil Eddleston JCDecaux

    WFA – The world Federation of Advertisers

    OAAA – The Outdoor Advertising Association of America

    AAAA – The American Association of Advertising Agencies

    MRC – The Media Ratings Council

    CANA – The China Association of National Advertisers

     

    Q: What sort of challenges and opportunities do you see, when you look at a market like India?

    There is a notable improvement in the way OOH is handled and marketed in India. New developments into the street Furniture domain, the modern treatment of airport advertising concessions show how more aware operators have become.  Improved accountability always helps generate a greater trust in the medium. A closer and more trusting relationship between the site operators can also improve the way OOH is perceived.

    Clients do not wish to be associated with clutter, so a continued drive to improve the environmental landscape will be to the advantage of the OOH Industry.

    Support the research guidelines and generate “eyes-on” figures will create more credibility for the medium. So, continue the move towards standardisation of panel sizes and the investment in backlights, MUPIs etc. Move towards using recyclable print substrates, and improve awareness of green issues.

  • Honda Brio: Not a Love Story (with apologies to Ram Gopal Varma!)

    Anil Thakraney’s Debrief: All you need is…

    The Honda guys have finally realized there’s an aam aadmi in the Indian market. So they’ve launched a hatchback called Brio, and it’s affordable. (Jazz, their other hatchback, is much too ridiculously priced… one can buy a nice sedan at Jazz’s price point.)

     

    The positioning for Brio is rather interesting… ‘Brio loves you back’. The commercial features a guy and his girl romancing. At the same time, the bugger also romances his Brio. This love-all saga goes on till the poor guy discovers his lover has been cheating on him. But instead of burying himself in booze, he returns to his car. Why? Well, because as the ad says, Brio loves him back!

     

    Despite the fact that the desi middle class doesn’t buy cars for love… they buy them mainly for economy and resale value… I think the concept of love does have potential. But the execution messes things up, because it’s a convoluted tale. The ad has to establish love between the two human beings. Simultaneously runs the story of the chap’s love for his car, and this requires many car shots to be showcased. And in this dual love story, things get rushed through, the cutting is too fast, and the victim is emotion. And what’s love without emotion?? You only see a mish-mash of many visuals. To make things worse, the video don’t sync well with the languid, easy paced background score.

     

    Bottom-line: Promising idea let down by a not-very-smart script.

     

    [youtube width=”450″ height=”250″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQJ4OOupGHE[/youtube]
    Rating: (On a scale of 1 to 5): 1.5. Didn’t feel the love.

     

    Anil Thakraney’s ad review column DeBrief appears twice a week.


     

     

     

     


  • Corporate image advertising up 40%; Maruti, Adidas, M&M among the top advertisers

    Marketers up self-image reinforcement

     

    By Neha Dewan

     

    Companies are working harder this year to preserve or refine their projected image, with a 40 percent jump in volumes of corporate image advertising on television over the corresponding period of the previous year.

     

    According to data released by media measurement organisation TAM Adex, Hero MotoCorp, which went in for an advertising blitz after a change of corporate identity, tops the list of advertisers in the corporate brand and image category between January and September.

     

    At a time when questions are increasingly being raised over corporate governance and corporate greed, companies are turning to advertising that focuses on their core values and contribution to society rather than just the products or services they seek to sell. Corporate image advertising seeks to reassure consumers as much as to convert them to the intended perception of brands.

     

    Maruti, Adidas and Mahindra & Mahindra are some of the other companies that figure among the top ten advertisers in the category. Aditya Birla Group and Life Insurance Corporation of India are the only two advertisers among this year’s top ten that featured in last year’s list of top advertisers as well.

     

    FMCG company Reckitt Benckiser, which topped the list last year, does not figure among the top ten advertisers this time round. Neither does any telecom company, despite the 2G telecom scam taking the sector by storm ever since it broke out last November. Just before that, however, Essar Group, a diversified conglomerate with interests in communications among other sectors, was the second biggest advertiser during January-September 2010.

     

    “With the growth in economy, companies are paying greater attention to building their corporate brand equity. Moreover, with so many brands available today, a consumer will prefer to know what he is buying and where the brand really comes from,” says Mr Madhukar Kamath, group CEO, Mudra Group.

     

    This year’s leading advertiser launched its new corporate identity with the campaign ‘Hum Mein Hai Hero’ on Independence Day across television, print, radio and cinema. “We preceded it with a period where we did not advertise at all. The result was quite effective as it led to a very smooth transition for us,” says Mr Anil Dua, senior VP, marketing and sales, Hero MotoCorp.

     

    Dua reasons that corporate image advertising is all the more necessary for companies that sell products such as twowheelers. “For a category like ours, there is more involvement on behalf of the customers. Hence, they need more assurance and tend to see the company from closer quarters,” he says.

     

    India’s biggest utility vehicles maker Mahindra & Mahindra turned to corporate image advertising early this year when it went in for an image makeover with its ‘Rise’ campaign focusing on the core values of the group. The group plans to have two-three rounds in a year of such advertising which will be a mix of mass media, digital and PR-driven communication.

     

    “Consumers are asking questions to corporates about their philosophy, practised values, stance on sustainability and contribution to the society,” says Mr B Karthik, GM- corporate brand management and business transformation, M&M.

     

     

    Source:The Economic Times

    Copyright © 2011, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved

  • For a new online shopping portal, it’s critical to come up with a clutter-breaker, which Yebhi has done.

    Anil Thakraney’s Debrief: Wacky and effective!

    Apparently you can purchase many goodies at a new portal called Yebhi.com. (I like the brand name, very imaginative.) And ‘great rates’ is their USP. To communicate this promise, they have come up with a completely hilarious ad.

     

    There’s this lucky dude who’s hit a gold mine. Nearly electrocuted at an ATM machine, his daddykins goes through a magical transformation. The ol’ man now coughs out currency notes. In other words, he’s become an ATM machine himself. Naturally, his loser, good-for-nothing, wastrel son is elated. And the lad goes on a mad shopping binge, with his ATM daddy coughing away wads of rupees. Great idea. Every loser’s dream come true. To have a dad who’ll keep showering money, no questions asked.

     

    And the execution is wacko, it’s full-on entertainment. Full marks, I say. For a new online shopping portal, it’s critical to come up with a clutter-breaker, which Yebhi has done. Also, the message is single-minded: You don’t have to be a lucky son to get lucky at Yebhi. Should get the portal lots of hits.

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”300″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWpNrrImxbA[/youtube]
    Rating: (On a scale of 1 to 5): 4. I would have given it 5 if they had featured a mantri’s son. In which case the daddy works like an ATM just by winning an election. No need for electric shocks! 



  • In no particular order – from the dancing girl on the cricket field to Sehwag’s Ma – there’s something about Indian ads and sports that hits the spot.

    The Anchor: 7 ads that star sports and sportsmen

    By Hemant Kenkre

     

    In no particular order – from the dancing girl on the cricket field to Sehwag’s Ma – there’s something about Indian ads and sports that hits the spot

     

    #1 Palmolive Da Jawaab Nahi:The Haryana Hurricane, as Kapil Dev was known, endeared himself to millions of Indians (not just cricket fans) with the line from the Palmolive Ad – ‘Palmolive Da Jawaab Nahi. ’ Kapil’s earthy personality and toothy smile in the ad will always be remembered as much as the “Kitne Aadmi The” dialogue from Sholay.
    #2 Cadbury – Asli Swaad Zindagi Ka:Can anyone forget the Cadbury TVC where the lady friend of the batsman prances out on the field and dances her way into the arms of her hero, who has just hit a six? Kucch Khaas Hai Is Ad Main!
    #3 Josh Ka Rang – Coca-Cola 1996 World Cup:In 1996 when Coca-Cola won the pouring rights for the ICC World Cup (India. Pakistan & Sri Lanka), they announced their return into India with a super TVC – Josh Ka Rang –that ‘played’ around the colour red, showed youngsters from the Indian sub-continent playing on the streets, on the banks of the Jamuna, with the Taj as the backdrop, running among red-chillies laid out to dry. All peppered with the awesome ‘Dum Mast Kalandar’ track by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
    #4 Nothing Official About It – Pepsi 1996:While Coca-Cola’s TVC and strong PR campaign for the 1996 ICC World Cup was going great guns, rivals Pepsi  pulled the rug from under their feet by launching their campaign ‘Nothing Official About It,’ which featured most Indian and international cricketers who were playing the World Cup and cocked a cheeky snook at Coca-Cola’s ‘Official beverage of the Cup’ status
    #5 Aila Plane – Pepsi  2003 ICC World Cup:This Pepsi campaign, where Shane Warne and Carl Hooper kidnap Sachin Tendulkar – ostensibly to put him out of action from the tournament – is hilarious. Especially Warne and Hooper mouthing Hindi words like ‘Iski Toh Gayee’ and when Sachin sees an aircraft and says ‘Alia Plane’
    #6 Nike 2007 Cricket:The 2007 edition of the ICC World Cup saw Nike, the official apparel sponsor of the Indian team produce a superb TVC where young cricketers atop a bus stuck in a traffic jam, playing the game with passion, smashing tea cups from the hands of innocent bystanders all spiced with the Goan folk song ‘Yo Baile Yo’ playing in the background.
    #7 Karlo Duniyaa Mutthi Main, Sehwag Ki Maa – Reliance Mobile:This TVC was probably inspired by a Bollywood blockbuster where the Najafgarh’s hero (Virendra Sehwag) cannot connect bat to ball and gets a call from his Mother who tells him ‘Karlo Duniyaa Mutthi Main.’ Our hero tosses off his helmet and the ‘villainous’ bowler is promptly whacked out of the park by Viru!


    A communications professional, Hemant Kenkre played cricket for Bombay University and has captained the Cricket Club of India.
  • Mahindra First Choice awards its creative duties to Leo Burnett India.

    Leo Burnett wins Mahindra creative mandates

    By A Correspondent

    Mahindra First Choice will now be working with Leo Burnett India as their creative agency.

    The incumbent on the business was Quadrant Communications.

    Though there was no official confirmation at the time of writing, agency sources close to the development have confirmed the news to MxM India.

    Mahindra First Choice Wheels Ltd is India’s largest multi-brand pre-owned car company which believes in selling high quality used cars to its customers with hassle-free documentation and car transfers.

    Founded in Chicago in 1935 with eight employees and three clients, Leo Burnett Worldwide, Inc. today operates a global network of over 200 operating units including a variety of specialty marketing services and 94 full-service advertising agencies in 83 countries. Leo Burnett helps build many of the world’s most valuable brands and successful marketers, including McDonald’s, Disney, Procter & Gamble, Marlboro, Kellogg, Samsung and Nintendo.

  • Broadly speaking, the Indian media is run by proprietors and not by editors. So however honest and diligent the editor might be, the control room is really run by the owner of the publication or the TV channel.

    Hard Knocks: Katju’s unreal expectations

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    The Chairman of the Press Council of India, Justice Markandey Katju, reminds me of a very strict uncle. You don’t mess with the guy. You quietly listen to him and obey his orders. Or else get ready for some nice punishments. Katju thinks the Indian media tends to be irresponsible, that it’s not doing its job, which is to serve the people. That there’s too much of celebrity journalism. And yes, he gets really riled on the issue of paid news. And yes, he wants to change things around. By carrot or by stick… whatever it takes.

     

    Of course the man’s heart is in the right place, and he means well. And good luck to him in his mission to clean up the desi media houses. But am afraid it’s not going to work. This issue is too complex and layered to be solved by Katju’s simplicity and good intent. And even threats of punishment won’t work. Here’s why.

     

    Broadly speaking, the Indian media is run by proprietors and not by editors. Let’s be clear about that. So however honest and diligent the editor might be, the control room is really run by the owner of the publication or the TV channel. And these people are businessmen. They don’t worry about public service, they are focussed on return on investment. They are not in the game to make India a better place, they are here to liven up their own balance sheets. They are not saints, they are suits. In this scenario, dodgy practices is a sad but logical outcome. Because there is too much competition in the mass media. Hundreds of channels and thousands of print brands are chasing the same ad pie. In how many ways can you divide one cake? Mouths have to be fed, no? This then results in excessive celebrity coverage. What to do, everyone wants a piece of SRK! And irresponsible journalism. How can you get eyeballs by following boring rules in the news room? And yes, paid journalism. If the advertisers aren’t gonna entertain me, I have to find other revenue channels, thank you very much.

     

    Anyway, good luck to Mr Katju. He deserves no less than a Nobel if he can clean things up out here.

     

    ***

     

    PS: It’s common sense to me, but I don’t understand why the TV chiefs don’t get it. The ONLY reason some goons hurl chappals and rain punches on important people is to get noticed, to get their 15 minutes of fame. And beaming their actions on screen is playing right into their hands. Just don’t feature these incidents, simply report them. Is that so difficult to understand? There are other ways to get TRPs. Try SRK!

  • Dainik Jagran is on the lookout for a creative partner, sources close to the development said while confirming the news to MxM India.

    Dainik Jagran calls agency to handle its creative business

    By Shubhangi Mehta

    Dainik Jagran, the Hindi daily has invited agencies to handle its creative mandates, some of the agencies participating in the pitch are Grey, McCann, Percept H.

    Though no official confirmation could be attained at the time of writing this report, industry sources close to the development have confirmed the news to MxM India.

    Dainik Jagran was founded by Puranchandra Gupta in Jhansi in 1942. In 1947 Dainik Jagran shifted its headquarters to Kanpur, where it launched its second edition on 21 September 1947. The Rewa and Bhopal editions were added in 1953 and 1956. In 1975, publication of Gorakhpur edition started, followed by Varanasi, Allahabad and Lucknow in 1979. In 1984, Meerut edition was launched, followed by Agra in 1986, Bareilly in 1989 and Delhi in 1990. Between 1997 and 2006,

    Eighteen new editions were added, and through 2007-08, six new editions were launched.

    More than 55.7 million people read Dainik Jagran making it the largest read daily in India. Currently, Dainik Jagran’s 36 editions are published across eleven states of India.

  • I wonder if the carpet bombing of the media that SRK and some other producers do really makes a difference to a movie’s fortunes.

    Hard Knocks: Do movies need so much hype?

    By Anil Thakraney

    There are two things I will do this Diwali for sure. One is to try my best to make my house soundproof in order to escape the deafening cracker explosions. And two, avoid the other mega explosion: Mr Shahrukh Khan. The man is leaping out at you from every single media vehicle, whether it’s old media or new media. I even fear going to the loo these days, the star may creep up on me there too.

    On a serious note, I wonder if the carpet bombing of the media that SRK and some other producers do really makes a difference to a movie’s fortunes. Khan has, of course, gone ballistic in his marketing and has even done brand promo tie-ups, gaming, merchandise… the works. Not to speak of the PR machinery on overdrive. I am not sure how much the marketing budget for ‘Ra One’ is, but it would be safe to assume it’s at least 30% of the cost of the film, and that’s many serious crores of expenditure. When you consider ‘Rang De Basanti’ scored big with zero marketing and SRK’s own ‘Chak De, India’ made no noise and still went on to be a big hit, you wonder if movie makers are wasting their money. It’s Diwali, a long holiday weekend, and there’s no reason why the janta won’t fill up the multiplexes anyway, especially with Shah Rukh in the house.

    There’s another thing: This level of marketing raises expectations to dizzying heights. And if the movie doesn’t live up to those, it comes crashing down even harder. Recall some of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s more recent films. As it’s often said, nothing kills a bad product faster than brilliant marketing. So perhaps it makes sense to cut out the marketing expenditure, and invest it into the film’s production. Keep the expectations low, and then surprise and delight the audiences with great cinema. Guess SRK is destined to learn this lesson at a huge price.

    As for me, this 360 degree blast for ‘Ra One’ ensures I keep 180 degrees away from the multiplexes. I can only handle that much noise. Good luck to SRK!

     

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    PS: One media ‘innovation’ I totally detest is the half-page cutout ads in the newspapers. Where the front page of the newspaper arrives half. This makes it very unwieldy and painful to hold the newspaper. Perhaps the new press council head, Mr Katju, should clamp down on this malpractice. Paid news I can live with (it’s easy to smell it out). But not deformed newspapers that are a struggle to deal with.

  • Mindshare promotes R Gowthaman to chief client officer for Asia-Pacific as Ravi Rao will take his position as head of Mindshare South Asia wef Jan 1

    APac beckons Gman as Ravi Rao to be new Mindshare South Asia boss

    By A Correspondent

     

    Media agency major Mindshare has appointed Mr R Gowthaman as Chief Client Officer for the Asia Pacific region, effective January 1, 2012. Mr Ravi Rao, who has been leading the South Asian operation for Team Unilever since 2009, will succeed Mr Gowthaman in the position of Leader, South Asia effective Jan 1.

     

    Mr Gowthaman will be based in Singapore and will report to Mindshare APac CEO, Mr Ashutosh Srivastava.  According to a press communiqué, he will lead a team of regional client leaders who provide strategic direction and coordination for Mindshare’s work on key regional and global accounts across all Asia Pacific countries.

     

    Mr Vikram Sakhuja, GroupM CEO for South Asia said, “Gowthaman has done a fine job of laying the architecture of the new Mindshare in India, by re-shaping the organization into one capable of delivering business planning, integrated communication solutions and robust media implementation for its clients via highly customized offerings. In the process he has re-enforced Mindshare’s supremacy in India as being not only India’s largest Media Agency, but also the best.”

  • How do I gift stuff to anyone if all my savings have been burnt on getting KLPD*? Still, three ads caught my attention.

    Debrief: The Diwali Special

    By Anil Thakraney

    Diwali special

     

    Not much Diwali themed ad action this season. Guess because the sentiment is a bit dull in the market place, thanks to the heavy inflation. How do I gift stuff to anyone if all my savings have been burnt on getting KLPD? *(For the one-track mind wallahs, that’s Kerosene, LPG, Petrol, Diesel.)

    Still, three ads caught my attention. The Cadbury’s ad I have already dealt with earlier. The other two are from Coke and Big Bazaar.

    `

    [youtube width=”320″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfH9hm9Ea7o[/youtube]
    Rating: (On a scale of 1 to 5): 2. Only for the jingle. Watch this commercial with your eyes shut, and it works rather nicely!

    Coke: Great audio, poor video

    To begin with, there’s no direct connect between a soft drink and Diwali. No one gifts a cola on D-day. Unless, of course, very subtly the Coca Cola guys are asking us to do just that, since we are all so bloody broke! Coke’s ad wants us to light ‘two extra diyas’ this Diwali. I suppose this is an extension of their ‘open happiness’ idea. And the execution involves kids lighting diyas at their regular haunts. College canteen, girls’ hostel, on the wall that serves as ‘stumps’ for their cricket matches, etc.

    I think it’s a nice idea wasted on juvenile imagery. Coke should have taken the ‘share happiness’ route and come up with situations that are touching and emotional without being heavy. ‘Khushiyaan baanto’ as a concept lends itself to emotion very well. Even the jingle is warm and tugs at the heart. But the silly visuals leave you cold and detached. I suspect this is what happens in the desperation to feature kids at all costs. Even accepting that, surely there’s more to youngsters than canteen and cricket.

     

    Rating: (On a scale of 1 to 5): 3.5. For the advertiser’s deep empathy with the target consumers. 

    Big Bazaar: Relevant and thoughtful

    It’s a simple, no-frills Diwali commercial. And you know what? It works perfectly well for me. Because the idea and the execution reflect a clear and sharp understanding of Big Bazaar’s core target market.

    The TVC features a teenage girl inside her home. She looks fed up of her regular salwar kameez, and yearns for a stylish one she spots in a magazine. The setting and the casting clearly tell you this is a lower middle class household. However, her dad, who’s decorating the house, smiles and tells her: ‘Diwali aa rahi hai’. And yes, it’s time to hit Big Bazaar and get hold of that salwar kameez, and more!

    Good one. I like the fact that Big Bazaar is totally clued in on their key customers, which is the middle and the lower middle class segment. And this results in an engaging, warm, and very relevant communication. Big Bazaar and the ad agency will definitely not win any awards for this effort, but the store will surely get many footfalls this festive season. And in the end, that’s what really matters.

  • From making your communication work better, to building a dedicated core team.

    The Anchor: 6 mantras when starting your own agency

    By Shanawas K A and Karun Venugopal

    #1 Client focus, innovation & transparency: In a world of clutter, making your communication work better is quite a challenge. If you focus on the right chord and develop it into the right strategy, it can work wonders. How differently you think and develop has been the key focus for us. A client-agency relationship is just like a doctor-patient relationship, If you diagnose the issue right, you can solve it in the right manner. If the patient doesn’t open up, the wrong solutions get parked.

     

    #2 Business model: There are multiple ways to start a business set up. Be absolutely clear on the Dos and Don’ts in your business. Have clear demarcation. Build a corpus to expand and, most importantly, think long-term.

     

    #3 Dedicated team/personalized service: Often, great presentations happen, promises are made, dreams are shown but the question is- are you able to fulfil them? Are you present and equally involved when some crucial decisions are taken? The values have to be embedded into your core team and have to flow till the last string. The team should have a belief and buy in to make a business successful. Also it is critical to have stakeholders involve in the business in the best possible manner.

     

    #4 Option of suppliers/partners: Multiple clients have varied needs from time to time. Hence, it is critical to have choices and result-oriented suppliers and partners.

     

    #5 Accountability: While being on your own, it also means that accountability is at its peak. Since you run it, you and your team are totally responsible and accountable. Unlike in a profession where someone else makes the mistake and a different person gets blamed. There is no scope for error here – if there is an error, you pay for it!

     

    #6 Liability and risk: Take the right risk, be steady, be consistent. Don’t take on any liability unless you are ready for it. If you are here to stay, think long-term and choose the right resource, partner the right associates.

     

    Most of all, the learning from being on your own is tremendous. There are newer areas into which you would not have ventured, which can be tapped. Its helps you as an Individual too, as it completes you as a true professional. Truly, the sky is the limit!

     

    Shanawas K A and Karun Venugopal are Directors at ThoughtBox.