Pepsico’s fruit flavoured drink Slice has launched its new initiative, ‘Aam Nahi Khaas Ho Tum’. It is a tribute to Covid heroes with voice over by actor-writer, Piyush Mishra. The brand is also changing its logo for the first time to reveal the inspiring stories of these ‘Khaas’ citizens.
Speaking on the new campaign, Anuj Goyal, Associate Director, Tropicana and Slice, PepsiCo India said: “The last few months have been extremely trying for the entire Nation. However, in these difficult times, the resilience of the people of our country has come to the forefront. We saw an army of citizens: young, old, men, women – all coming together to support each other. Today, through Slice ‘Aam Nahi Khaas Ho Tum’ campaign, we aim to recognize these COVID heroes, and in our own way salute their indomitable spirit by putting up some of their stories in place of the brand logo across platforms, thereby reflecting their moments of courage and selflessness.”
Hershey’s has launched a campaign in which it salutes and embraces children who spent the series of lockdowns patiently by staying indoors. Conceived by Lowe Lintas Mumbai, the film brings alive Hershey’s positioning of #DipthemomentinHershey’s and being #BetterTogether while being #HappyatHome.
Speaking about the campaign, Sarosh Shetty, Marketing Director, Hershey India said: “The lockdowns have been difficult for parents. It has made every parent wonder how they will juggle office meetings, household chores and their kid’s needs at the same time. To everyone’s surprise, children have proven to be a strong pillar of support throughout this challenging phase. This film is a tribute to our little champs, who not only faced every situation with a smile, but also inspired us to keep going – in their own sweet and endearing way. They have helped us create more ‘moments of goodness’ in our everyday lives, which is what brand Hershey’s stands for – it is about celebrating the simple moments of bonding with our loved ones. We hope this film brings that alive for our consumers.”
Commenting on the film, Joshua Thomas, Executive Creative Director, Lowe Lintas added: “Some of the sweetest moments in life are the ones spent with the ones we love, and the bright spot in this otherwise gloomy lockdown was just that. Hershey’s has always stood for precious moments of togetherness and this ad is another expression of that.”
Tanishq has launched its latest film to celebrate the commitment of the healthcare community, this National Doctor’s Day which falls on July 1. Written and conceptualised by Dentsu Webchutney, the film revolves around frontline doctors. Through Project Rahaat, Tanishq is providing medical equipment and infrastructure to help the healthcare workers fight the pandemic and has supported 13 hospitals across the country.
Speaking about the launch of the film, Ranjani Krishnaswamy, General Manager – Marketing, Tanishq at Titan Company Limited said: “Many of our consumers who come from the medical community have been bravely weathering the storm since last year, helping us feel safe one day at a time. While we wanted to honor their resilient and relentless spirit, we also wanted to pause and applaud the unconditional support offered by their families. It requires immense strength, courage, and selflessness to let your loved ones battle it out every single day for the greater well-being of others in need. This film is our humble salute to all such doctors and their inspiring families.”
Added Binaifer Dulani, Creative Director, Dentsu Webchutney: “The narrative spun around the medical community often refers to them as superheroes – but when we do that, we fail to acknowledge that they are also human. Through this pandemic they have constantly had to put us and our families ahead of their own, and that is an emotionally draining decision to make. This film tries to show a real relationship between a mother who is a doctor-frontliner and her daughter, and through it helps us all empathize with the medical community.”
State Bank of India launched its #KindnessIsCool campaign to address the negativity and trolling on social media platforms. The campaign is curated by Gurugram-based integrated marketing agency, Kreativ Street.
Said Rana Ashutosh Kumar Singh, DMD (HR) & Corporate Development Officer, SBI: “State Bank of India has always been at the forefront for taking up initiatives that drive innovation and societal change. With the advent of social media, many users fond a convenient way to express themselves. While many use these platforms to interact, exchange ideas and share positive vibes, some choose to misuse the anonymity that these platforms offer and communicate in a negative and sometimes abusive manner. This is what made #KindnessIsCool a timely and much-needed campaign. Executed with the simple objective of making all of us introspect if our online persona is an accurate reflection of our true selves.”
Vedanta Group has announced the launch of a digital campaign – ‘Bravehearts’ – to salute unsung heroes who went beyond their call of duty to help others during the second wave of the pandemic. Vedanta will release short videos as part of the campaign, showcasing real-life stories of such ‘Bravehearts’.
Speaking about the campaign, Roma Balwani, Senior Director, Communications & Brand, Vedanta, said: “Bravehearts is our humble tribute to the unsung Covid heroes who stepped out of their comfort zones to make a difference to the society, thereby spreading a message of positivity and hope. The pandemic has seen the world get together to help out others and we feel their efforts need to be appreciated by one and all.”
Alliance Insurance Brokers has announced the appointment of Sudeep Kulkarni, as its Vice President- Marketing, Brand, and Digital. Sudeep will lead the marketing portfolio across brand and digital for Alliance Insurance pan India.
Commenting on his appointment Aatur Thakkar, Co-Founder, and Director, Alliance Insurance said, “Sudeep comes with immense experience and knowledge in branding and marketing and is the right fit for a growing organization like ours. He will be one of the leading driving forces in popularizing the concept of Elephant Insurance across the country. We look forward to a great and fruitful long-term relationship.”
Added Kulkarni: “It is an honour for me to step in into Alliance Insurance Brokers. The role will be very exciting and challenging, as we will try to drive a new concept into the Indian consumer mindset, Elephant Insurance, which drives insurance products and serves the insurance requirements of corporate employees. Though group insurance is common across companies, the insurance products under Elephant provide unmatched benefits to employees compared to the usual group insurances. My role will be to increase consumer outreach for Elephant Insurance across companies and consumers across the country.”
Coca-Cola has announced the appointment of Devyani Rajya Laxmi Rana, as Vice President Public Affairs, Communications and Sustainability for India and Southwest Asia. Rana is a new addition to Coca-Cola’s leadership team for the region to further drive the company’s purpose driven approach.
Rana has over 25 years of work experience in government and corporate affairs, strategic business advocacy, risk management, communications, CSR and sustainability. She has developed effective strategies focused on maximizing impact in the region on infrastructure, environmental, social and governance, and trade, resulting in business profitability, increased footprint, and expanded manufacturing operations for domestic and export markets.
Commenting on the appointment, Sanket Ray – President, India and Southwest Asia, said “I am delighted to welcome Devyani on this exciting charter to deepen Coca-Cola’s engagement in the region as she joins the leadership team to spearheads the practice in the region. Devyani brings a wealth of experience in advocating for policies, legislation, trade agreements and regulations. Her contributions will augment our belief in our purpose even stronger and serve as an acceleration of the work that was already underway.”
Visa credit cards has appointed Leo Burnett India as its creative communications partner. The account will be handled by the agency’s Mumbai office.
Speaking about the appointment Sujatha V. Kumar, Head – Marketing, India and South Asia, Visa said: “The Indian payments landscape is at an inflection point with many new consumers and businesses going digital. To help execute our vision for the brand and stay relevant to our audiences, we were looking for the best-in-class innovative thinking and creative capabilities. We found the perfect fit with team Leo Burnett India and we look forward to a successful partnership and some great work.”
Dheeraj Sinha
Added Dheeraj Sinha, CEO & Chief Strategy Officer – South Asia, Leo Burnett: “Visa is one of the world’s biggest payment technology brands and is transforming the digital payments landscape in India. At Leo Burnett we always look forward to working with brands who use technology to fuel progress. Also, with Visa being aligned with the Publicis Groupe globally, this partnership helps us demonstrate and leverage our ‘Power of One’ capabilities and gives us the platform to build a seamless narrative for the brand across markets. We are looking forward to this journey.”
The Hershey Company, or Hershey’s, has announced the appointment of Geetika Mehta, as Managing Director, India. Geetika’s appointment will further strengthen the leadership at Hershey India. She will be reporting into Herjit Bhalla, VP, India and AEMEA at The Hershey Company who was recently elevated to a global role. Herjit reports directly to Rohit Grover, President, Hershey International.
Said Bhalla: “The Indian market is of significant importance to us and is critical to our long-term growth plans. In our endeavor to further strengthen the leadership and drive resilient growth and execution, we are delighted to have Geetika onboard. With a proven track record of building and nurturing small businesses and leading growth for large businesses and driving profitability and turnaround, I am confident that Geetika will successfully lead the Hershey India team into the next phase of growth, scale and evolution.”
Commenting on her appointment, Mehta added: “I am excited to start my new journey and be a part of the wonderful narrative at Hershey India. My central focus will be on the next phase of growth in developing a strong, multi-category play while strengthening positions across key growth segments. I look forward to script a strong growth story in India with the immensely talented team here.”
Quaker Oats has created a special film – ‘#SalutingOurHeroes’, a tribute healthcare heroes. The film focuses on positive stories that talk about the incredible work done by the healthcare community. The film opens with Michelin star chef and Quaker’s brand ambassador, Vikas Khanna.
Talking about the initiative Anshul Khanna, Senior Director, Marketing – Foods, PepsiCo India said, “Our healthcare heroes deserve our deepest gratitude and admiration for risking their lives to keep us and our families safe. The ‘#SalutingOurHeroes’ film is our humble gesture to salute the dedicated service, relentless efforts, and unwavering spirit of our healthcare professionals. As a tribute to our heroes, this powerful film not only showcases the feats of incredible strength of our healthcare heroes but also fills us with hope, positivity, and inspiration. Keeping true to Quaker’s attribute of being ‘Fuel for the Real Fit’, we continue to support the healthcare community and are providing nutritious Quaker oatmeals* to hospitals across the country. As a brand that represents ‘Fuel for the Real Fit’, Quaker will continue to stand with the healthcare heroes during these challenging times.”
Talking about the film, Ritu Nakra, WPP Lead – PepsiCo Foods, India said, “Putting their duty before self, our healthcare workers have risked their own lives to save countless others. The selflessness and bravery shown by them in the face of adversity is inspiring for us all. Quaker honours their courage by paying tribute to them with our short film #SalutingOurHeroes. These stories showcase the courage, conviction and perseverance of our heroes against all odds, fuelling life and health back into the nation.”
Madison TurnT, the activation a unit of Madison World, has completed one year of its virtual digital experience platform, Uplive.
Says Vikram Sakhuja, Partner & Group CEO, Madison Media and OOH: “While the pandemic brought with it challenges, the Madison TurnT team rose up to the challenge to bring alive a platform that paved the way for events to be conducted during the pandemic. Through UPLIVE, the team helped existing clients conduct product launches and interact with their customers while everyone was under a lockdown.”
Added Sunny Vohra, CEO, Madison Turnt and Anugrah Madison: “I’m proud of the team as they rose to the challenge and created a platform for clients conducting complex virtual events, while executing them with ease. Over the year, the team has worked tirelessly to ensure smooth and successful events ensuring we cater to every minute detail of a brief giving the end user a complete experience of a virtual event, while at home.”
The media arm of Dentsu international published the first in-depth review of a cookieless future in the wake of recent Google announcements and timelines. The Cookieless World: A Guide for the New Era of Digital Marketing provides a deep dive into the impact on brands due to major changes in web tracking capabilities and enhanced privacy legislation. It will explore a range of areas including Data Management, Audience Activation & First-party Data Usage, Performance Measurement and Preparing for the Deprecation of Third-party Cookies.
Last week, Google reset the clock for supporting cookies within its Chrome internet browser. The new report from Dentsu explores the knock-on implications for both consumers and brands, as well as the solutions its media agencies Carat, iProspect, and DentsuX can leverage to support the change.
On launching the report, Rohan Philips, Global Product Officer, Media, Dentsu international said: “Across the globe, 91% of consumers are concerned about the amount of data companies can collect about them and 42% have taken steps to reduce the amount of data they share online. So, it’s no wonder all eyes are focused on this fundamental change in the way we all operate on the web. We now have the time and opportunity to make sure what comes next is the best solution it can be for our clients. With such a major upheaval to the long-established status quo, we understand there’s uncertainty and a lot of questions. The Cookieless World report is there to provide answers for marketers who need to wrestle with the big challenges facing their brands now and in the coming years.”
Prerna Mehrotra
Added Prerna Mehrotra, CEO, Media, Dentsu Asia Pacific: “With the most popular browsers ending support for third party cookies and the rise of other types of tracking prevention, the ability for brands to target consumers and measure campaign effectiveness will be impacted. This, coupled with the rise of global and local privacy legislations, will significantly change the fabric of digital marketing in the coming future. Brands will now need to relook at how they engage people online, while limiting some of the most widespread digital marketing tactics, such as personalised 1:1 targeting. The time is ripe for brands to rethink the next lap of their marketing practices.”
