MxMIndia

Category: MARKETING

  • XCS will help clients through outcome-focused designs and customised creatives

    Xaxis Creative to bring value to brands

    By Our Staff

     

    Xaxis has launched its programmatic creative services solution, Xaxis Creative Studios (XCS), in India. With full-service in-house creative capability, XCS team of designers, producers, developers, and animators will help clients develop and deliver more relevant, more engaging creative executions to drive greater programmatic performance and insights.

     

    Said Rita Sahajpaul, National Head of Product and Marketing Science, Xaxis India: “With the launch of Xaxis Creative Studios, Xaxis will be able to provide last-mile services to the clients and address a gap in the market in integrating creatives and media for digital ads. Digital media can be quite cluttered, and our focus is to bring innovative and engaging creative solutions which allow the brand messaging to stand-out and be effective in reaching the right audience,” adding: “The co-ordination of agencies, creatives, data and programmatic strategists is essential in exploring the diversity of the digital media to help companies boost brand awareness. Xaxis Creative Studios has been helping clients in Asia Pacific, North and Latin America drive meaningful creative impact with its suite of cross-channel solutions. We hope to bring the same capabilities to the Indian market to solve our clients’ unique business challenges and needs.”

     

     

  • The trust series of ad films showcases all of the brand’s endorsers

    Kalyan Jewellers rolls out sixth edition campaign

    By Our Staff

    Kalyan Jewellers announced the launch of the 6th edition of its #TrustIsEverything campaign with a digital film starring all of its brand ambassadors. The 90-second multilingual film sees global and regional brand ambassadors come together, to celebrate their different identities, languages, cultures and traditions, woven together by the emotion of ‘Bharosa’.

    Notes a communique: “The film aims to capture the essence of different cultures, languages, traditions and values, while highlighting that trust is the basis of relationships – everywhere! Starting with the #MyGoldMyRight campaign to the latest #BharosaHiSabKucchHai, the brand has endevoured to consistently portray the principle of trust in creative ways.”

     

     

  • The ad campaign is titled Rock’In India

    Boat partners Digitas for new campaign

    By Our Staff

     

    Homegrown brand Boat (or boAt as it writes its name) announced has launched an ad campaign Rock’In India.  Conceptualised and executed in partnership with its creative partner Digitas India, the idea was to create a progressive narrative around boAt’s Make in India initiative and using their global platform to show the unique creativity that hides in our country.

     

    Speaking on the launch, Aman Gupta, Co-Founder and CMO, Boat said: “We are an extremely proud homegrown brand and we’re all geared up to take the leap towards making audio products within India. Digitas has been our partner   since some time now, we really look forward to continue doing some great campaigns with them.”

    Added Sonia Khurana, COO – Digitas India: “We are extremely proud to be a part of boAt’s exciting journey. Having become the 5th largest wearable brand globally in just five years, boAt is a brand that can celebrate home grown talent like no other. And that’s what

  • With strapline "Career Hai, Compromise Nahi"

    Masai School launches first digital ad

    By Our Staff

     

    Masai School launches its first-ever digital ad campaign, “Career Hai, Compromise Nahi”.  With the objective of creating awareness, the brand has launched three ad films as part of the campaign which talk about the constraints and fears aspirants face while making career choices, depicted through experiential stories.

    Said Ankur Kayesth, Senior Vice President of Masai School: “Our campaign “Career Hai, Compromise Nahi” is aimed at talking about the most common fears and judgements job aspirants face in their journey towards pursuing their dream careers. The ad films are also an articulation of the earnest efforts of Masai School to make a difference in the lives of those who wish to pursue a career in coding. Through this digital campaign, we hope to reach out to coding aspirants across the length and breadth of the country and emphasize that with determination and commitment, dreams do come true.”

     

     

  • Makes Akshay Kumar brand ambassador for ‘Apna Ghar, Isse Accha Kya?’ film

    Lodha launches new campaign

    By Our Staff

     

    Lodha Group’s new campaign ‘Apna Ghar, Isse Accha Kya?’ features actor Akshay Kumar as  its brand ambassador. The film has been conceptualised and created in partnership with Lodha and ANC (Alok Nanda & Company).

    Said Raunika Malhotra, President, Corporate Brand and Communication, Lodha Group: “As a consumer-centric and forward-looking brand, Lodha is compassionate towards the desires of customers and aims at delivering the best quality of life & the finest living experience. Beautifully shedding light on the significance of having an own home, the ‘Apna Ghar, Isse Accha Kya?’ campaign invigorates the sense of rootedness and belongingness that one experiences while being a part of a community. At Lodha, we believe in providing a bespoke and uninterrupted lifestyle to our homebuyers that they can cherish for times to come. The campaign video aptly brings out the essence of having a place of own – a place where one can always go back to.”

    Added Radha Ghai, Senior Partner/Creative Director, ANC: “We worked jointly with the Lodha team to come up with this concept – Isse Achha Kya which focusses on building recognition and need for your own home. We wanted the campaign to be highly emotional and for this particular film the idea was to showcase beautiful memories, heartfelt emotions and long-lasting relationships which eco the sentiments of the consumer who values relationships and rootedness as core foundation of building a family and how your own home can fulfil all. Which sits beautifully below the umbrella thought – home is the best gift you can give your family.

     

     

  • Manyavar would look to promote its entire range of men’s ethnic fashion wear

    Inox signs ad with Manyavar

    By Our Staff

     

    Inox announces a pan-India cinema advertising deal with Manyavar.  Manyavar would look to promote its entire range of men’s ethnic fashion wear.

    Said Anand Vishal, Chief Sales & Revenue Officer, Inox Leisure Ltd: “As a top national brand in the ethnic wear category, Manyavar, generates an awe in the audience with its exquisitely designed products. It is a matter of privilege for us to be a major part of their campaign and delivering every detail to our audience. The deal not only underlines our strong relationship with Manyavar, but also reflects the tremendous audience visibility we fetch for them from the right target groups. With seating guidelines relaxed, an enthralling line up of movies in sight and audience apprehensions settling down, FY22 will be a landmark year for cinema advertising. We are committed to provide the best ROIs to Manyavar and all our advertisers.”

    Added Ravi Modi, Managing Director, Vedant Fashion: “Manyavar is a brand which denotes celebrations, much like cinemas, where the environment is essentially of celebratory nature as family audiences turn up to celebrate special occasions. This unique and significant synergy excites us, and therefore we assign a very high priority to cinema as an advertising medium. Our association of more than 5 years with INOX has been one, which is underlined by reliability, transparency and quality of communications, and we are committed to strengthen it further. We strongly believe that we will start witnessing the same level of excitement and exuberance in the cinema lobbies across the country very soon.”

     

     

  • With the influencer industry maturing, brands must consider moving budgets, writes Bhuvi Gupta

    In a world full of influencers, are celeb-endorsements worth it?

     

    By Bhuvi Gupta

     

    Bhuvi GuptaIt was 2015, Diwali had just passed and Snapdeal was one of the three big e-commerce players in India with Bollywood icon Aamir Khan as its brand ambassador. A personal comment by Khan at the Ramnath Goenka Awards event launched the first boycott trend online for Khan-endorsed Snapdeal, whose Play Store ratings plummeted, orders got returned. Despite the official statement released disassociating itself from both the brand ambassador and his views, the damage had been done. Aamir Khan was soon fired from his role as brand ambassador.

     

    Khan has since learnt his lesson and kept his personal opinions to himself, a dictum closely followed by the other two Khans as well (controversy’s favourite child, Saif Ali Khan not included!). But it was definitely the first time I thought about the wastefulness of celebrity endorsements, a point of view that has only since strengthened.

     

    Why do brands turn to celebrities?

     

    The simplest reason for using celebrity endorsers is for the awareness they help generate.  For most mass market brands in crowded marketplaces and high advertising budgets, a celebrity endorser is an easy and sureshot way of getting recall. The Duff& Phelps Celebrity Brand Valuation report which came out last week, showcases the same – despite the decrease in advertising budgets, the brand valuation of the Top 20 celebrities has remained more or less consistent at USD 1 billion. To get the most bang for your buck, a brand is only limited to signing these top 20 celebrities who are neither cheap nor easily available.

     

    Going any farther down the totem pole, especially when budgets have to be devoted to ensure a purchase decision is made is just not worth it.

     

    Consumers are also well aware that celebrities do not have any brand loyalty and are not really endorsing the product. This is evident when celebs routinely jump to competitor brands and claim innocence when the brand is found not to meet safety standards.

     

    Circling back to my initial thought, in 2021, brands no longer need to be dependent on celebrities to drive awareness. A much better option is effective influencer marketing.

     

    Why Influencer Marketing?

     

    The biggest differential that influencer marketing has with respect to celebrity-focused advertising is that (the right) influencers are believable, trustworthy and authentic.  An influencer post will typically have much higher quality with longer captions and explanations, and engagement by them in the comments section.

     

    Hence, when an influencer creates content recommending a product it doesn’t feel like an advertisement but like a close friend sharing a secret about something he or she liked. Hence, a brand endorsement from them really means something and can drive sales conversions.

     

    Secondly, most influencers have a specific niche and loyal audiences.  Therefore, even though their audience is a lot narrower, it is more focused than a typical celebrity’s audience.

     

    Thirdly, the influencer marketing industry in India has matured. Influencers are no longer hired purely on the basis of their follower count but also include parameters like average engagement rates and their demographic profile. Hence choosing influencers whether to target a specific geography or a specific interest is easier.

     

    Fourthly, influencer marketing is accessible. Unlike celebrity endorsements which can only be afforded by brands with deep pockets, a successful influencer campaign can cost as low as a few lakh, if one chooses to use nano-influencers (follower counts of less than 20,000) in their campaign.

     

    Fifthly, with the influencer marketing industry maturing, Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), announced plans to roll out new norms for social media influencers to promote products on the Internet. (Link – https://www.news18.com/news/tech/guidelines-for-influencers-are-incoming-a-few-folks-and-brands-must-be-very-worried-2350469.html) While the guidelines are awaited, once in place, either celebrity endorsement campaigns will reduce drastically or become a lot more cost-effective.

     

     

    In conclusion, testimonials and endorsements have been a mainstay in marketing for many years. Influencers combine the best of the word-of-mouth recommendation with the reach of a celebrity to help brands cover the distance between awareness to action in the marketing life cycle. With the influencer industry maturing, brands must move budgets from celebrities to influencers to get the most bang for their buck.

  • Sanjeev Kotnala picks his 10 favourite commercials from the American football extravaganza held on Sunday, February 7

    10 Super Creatives from Super Bowl LV

    Representative Image from Super Bowl XXXIX (2005)

     

    By Sanjeev Kotnala

     

    The first Sunday of February holds special attention for me. It is the Super Bowl night. A day full of anticipation and compulsory follow-up viewing. I am interested in the game but the commercials aired with it. As shared by Adweek, it is of minor relevance that Super Bowl 55 Ratings Fell 15%, With 96.4 Million Multiplatform Viewers. I know IPL will never be the Super Bowl of India. In fact, we don’t have an equivalent window where brands expose their freshly minted commercials.

    Every year, a few commercials break and experiment with creative barriers and execution styles. You end up applauding their insight and many times the calibre of execution. Unfortunately, this year, maybe because of lockdown-unlock and still remaining uncertainties, there was not much excitement. However, there were a few worth mentioning in the post. Here are the 9 Brands and 10 commercial ( from some 50+ commercials) that made my list compared to 12 Commercials that made my list last year.

     

    MEET THE KING. JIMMY JOHN- TONY BOLOGNAVICH.

    I was introduced to Jimmy John’s as one of America’s fastest-growing sandwich chains. I never knew that. The spot, “Meet the King,” with Brad Garrett starring as Tony Bolognavich, the “King of Cold Cuts’. I loved the humour. It made me smile when the war became too personal because the family and the employee preferred Jimmy John’s sandwich. I always love the way such creatives explain the rational- functional differences and drive home the point.

     

    NEVER JUST ABOUT THE BEER.

    It is never just about the beer. Let’s Grab a Beer or share a beer has so many inherently active cues and hidden meaning. After all, there are moments within moments when people share a beer. Beer moments are impact moments in many ways.  This is so insightful and true across the category, that it finds a special mention. Here is the commercial from Anheuser-Busch the largest brewery and own brands like SABMiller, Budweiser, Busch, Michelob, Bud Light, and Natural Light.

     

    JEEP; THE ROAD AHEAD. MIDDLE

    Expected after the Trump era and the COVID that we all are fighting with. The impression of inclusiveness and togetherness, adventure, passion and freedom. The age of reunited states of America. The execution is brilliant. Adding one more to the ROAD AHEAD series. It’s impossible to think about where we’re going without appreciating where we’ve been. Here’s to the road ahead.

     

    HELP ALL JOB SEEKERS. INDEED.

    Simplicity always has an advantage. Today, job seekers have a different ecosystem to operate in. And INDEED simply says what it does. Help Job Seekers in a very secular way, without differentiating. So, indeed helps people with experience and people without experience, the starts and the oldies looking for a fresh start. They just help people get a job.

     

    HERE FOR SOME MOTIVATION.

    Oh, how could we have finished without some brand trying to motivate the audience? Be the source of confidence. Here is one that says #Beleive and # YouWill… of #BeleiveYouWill.

     

    If you believe you will, here is another question, will your happiness will be momentary or through the whole game. Are you happy because you win, or do you win because you’re happy? Michelob ULTRA tells you it’s only worth it if you enjoy it.

     

    TIDE TRIES HARD BUT DISAPPOINTS.

    Seems nothing can beat, it’s a tide ad. This year the TIDE Jason Hoodie commercial does not have the same impact. But just for the thought, it makes to my shortlist.

     

    MORGAN ROCKET MORTGAGE- YOU ARE CERTAIN

    Then there is this simple modular communication loaded with humour. It is where the difference is created through advertising. Just like ‘it’s different’ for Maggi. This time, it is the difference between BEING SURE and BEING CERTAIN when you use Morgan Rocket Mortgage.

     

    AND THEN THE MYSTERY.

    Films and Channels are not behind in plugging their hot properties. OLD; the new Horror Movie from M. Night Shyamalan stands out. Personally, I loved each one of his movies. Old seems to have a Stephen King touch somewhere.

     

    You can watch rest of the Super Bowl 55 commercials here. Let me know, if there is someone I missed out which should have the above list.

     

     

  • Stresses the airlines vision for regional connectivity

    Havas bags creative mandate of Flybig airlines

    By Our Staff

     

    Flybig awarded its creative communication mandate to Havas Creative India. As part of the mandate, Havas Creative will be handling integrated creative and media duties for Flybig. The agency kickstarts the brand’s journey with a communication that sends out a clear and targeted message – “it’s time to get ambitions soaring, it’s time to flybig”.

    Capt Srinivas Rao

    Said Capt Srinivas Rao, CEO, Flybig: “Flybig is committed to the vision of regional connectivity and its role and as enabler for development of the Tier 2-3 cities which represent the emerging India. For our communication mandate, we were looking for a partner who can understand what the brand stands for and then articulate it in a manner that resonates with our target audiences.  We are pleased to have found this in Havas and we look forward to their contributions in this critical phase in our journey.”

    Manas Lahiri

    Added Manas Lahiri, President – North, Havas Creative India: “We are excited to have landed the integrated communication mandate for India’s newest, most-convenient friendly airline, Flybig. It is indeed a challenging and demanding year for the airline industry given the renewed rules, and guidelines for travel due to Covid. Flybig’s unique proposition and innovative approach along with Havas Group’s combined expertise will together drive the brand journey to greater and meaningful heights. We look forward to this partnership and an exciting take off!”

     

     

  • With the message 'Give love; Gift an Instant Camera'

    Fujifilm launches digital campaign for V-Day

    By Our Staff

     

    Fujifilm India has announced the launch of its digital campaign titled on Valentine’s Day.  It will launch six short films across all their digital platforms.

    Said Kunal Girotra, National Business Manager, Instax Division, Fujifilm India:  “The series of films in the brand campaign celebrates and captures the true essence of love. With ‘Give love; Gift an Instant Camera, we wanted to depict the scenarios which most of us witness in our day to day life and encourage millions of hearts to spread the same love with our range of instant cameras. We are delighted to create and share the love not only among couples this season of love but also across other significant relationships.”

  • Ropes Genelia Deshmukh to share the perfect gift #MadeForAGentlemen this Valentine’s Day

    Yardley’s new campaign for V-Day

    By Our Staff

     

    Yardley has launched London’s Gentleman Classic Daily Wear Perfume as a Valentine’s Day Special. Actor Genelia Deshmukh will feature in the digital campaign – #GiftForMyGentlemen. The brand also roped in influencers Pria Beniwal and Sunakshi Grover to share the ideal gift for the man in their life.

    Said Manish Vyas, Vice President and Business Head of Yardley India: “The true hallmark of a Gentlemen is his definitive, awe-inspiring, chivalrous nature. This Valentine’s Day, as women look for the perfect gift to celebrate their timeless love for the gentlemen in their life, we at Yardley have the ideal gift – Yardley London’s Gentleman Classic Daily Wear Perfume. We are happy to associate with Geneila Deshmukh, who really values the Gentleman qualities of her husband and sees Yardley London’s Gentleman Daily wear perfumes to be the fitting gift for this Valentine. This campaign is an attempt by the brand to let consumers celebrate the timeless emotion of love by gifting timeless classic – Yardley London’s Gentleman Classic Daily Wear Perfume.”

     

     

  • Video campaign to connect with youth and promote condom use

    Condom Alliance targets youth in new ad

    By Our Staff

     

    Condom Alliance has announced the launch of “Kaun Dumb Hai”, a campaign directed towards the youth.

    Said Vivek Malhotra, Founding Member, Condom Alliance and CEO, Population Health Services India: “The low contraceptive use among Indian men is a matter of grave concern and will lead to an increase in the number of teenage pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the country. The idea of this campaign is to highlight the importance of using condoms to encourage the youth to accept condoms as an important method of contraception expanding their basket of choice”.

    Added Ajay Rawal, Founding Member, Condom Alliance and General Manager – Marketing, Raymond Consumer Care:  “The overall usage of condoms has increased from 7.1% to 10.2% in the last four years in 17 out of 22 states alone for which NFHS-5 data is available. To capitalize on this increased acceptance, the Kaun Dumb Hai campaign is looking to connect with the youth and align with their inherent desire to appear trendy while staying safe and healthy. Carrying, asking for, insisting on or using condoms portrays one to be intelligent and responsible; and most importantly, the women who ask for or carry condoms are not promiscuous, but smart and savvy. The aim is to ensure long-term behavioural change among the youth in the country.”