MxMIndia

Category: MARKETING

  • As a call to action, Durex is releasing a short film which follows the stories of several couples who have become distracted by the lure of a screen

    Durex opts to ‘reconnect’ during Earth Hour

    By a correspondent

     

    Leading sexual wellbeing brand, Durex, will be celebrating Earth Hour this March by encouraging people to take the opportunity to reconnect with each other whilst the lights are out.

     

    The wonders of technology help to bring people together, but is it also a key factor in keeping them apart? With today’s couples interacting with their devices more than each other, could gadgets and gizmos be the main reason behind the fact that people are having 20 per cent less sex than in 2000?

     

    As a call to action, Durex is releasing a short film which follows the stories of several couples who, like most of us, have become distracted by the lure of a screen.

     

    Nitish Kapoor, General Manager – RB India said, “Technology is helping us stay connected with friends and events across the world, but it is also eating into our personal time. This year on Earth Hour, when the lights go off for an hour, Durex is encouraging couples to turn off their gadgets and rekindle the spark in their relationships by turning off to turn on.”

     

    Ukonwa Ojo, who leads Global Brand Equity Marketing for Durex says: “Earth Hour provides the perfect opportunity for couples to switch off for an hour and focus exclusively on reconnecting with each other. What else is as much fun to do in the dark that is as energy efficient as it is energetic?!”

     

    Earth Hour will be celebrated on 29 March 2014 between 8:30 – 9:30pm.

     

  • Dentsu Communications was awarded the business after a multi-agency pitch

    Dentsu Communications bags creative duties of TVS Housing

    By a correspondent

     

    Dentsu Communications has bagged the creative duties of Emerald Haven Realty Ltd. (EHRL), housing business of the TVS group. Dentsu Communications was awarded the business after a multi-agency pitch.

     

    Rohit Ohri

    “We’re delighted with this opportunity to work with TVS Housing. This win not only strengthens our relationship with the TVS Group, but also our Southern network. We look forward to creating some distinctive and memorable communication on the brand,” said Rohit Ohri, Executive Chairman, Dentsu India Group and CEO, Dentsu APAC South.

     

    After bagging the creative duties from the automobiles to realty major, Simi Sabhaney, CEO, Dentsu Communications said, “We will strive to provide impactful communication solutions in this category, which is otherwise so undifferentiated and cluttered.”

     

    Samrat Chengapa, Vice President, Dentsu Communications said, “Emerald Haven Realty, rooted in the values of the TVS group, is committed to creating homes that will bring joy to their consumers. It gives Dentsu great pride to be partnering them in this journey. We look forward to creating some impactful work for them in the near future.”

     

    R. Chandramouli

    “We are happy to have Dentsu partnering us in creating value to our customers through their processes of deep customer understanding, well established creative development and global expertise,” said R. Chandramouli, President and CEO, EHRL on awarding the creative duties to Dentsu Communications.

     

  • On the happy occasion of Gudi Padwa, Ugadi, Cheti Chand, Navreh, Shajibu Cheiraoba & Chaitra Sukhladi, we look at what works for happiness as a theme in ads

    More khushi when there’s gham

     

    By Shobhana Nair

     

    Advertising and marketing have always been in a happy state in India. It’s an emotion that combines joy and delight of consumers, thereby creating a happy environment for consumption.

     

    Lloyd Mathias

    Before going for a macho refrain, soft drink Thums Up had embraced its tagline of ‘Happy days are here again’ nearly four decades back. In fact as one brand manager told us, it’s an evergreen emotion and always works magic for a brand. “Happiness is a very positive emotion with most brands wanting to build messages around it as it is a primary emotion,” says Lloyd Mathias, director Green Bean Ventures who was head of marketing at Tata Docomo, Motorala and Pepsico India.

     

    Indeed it is. From Thums Up to Domino’s Pizza with Khushiyon ki Home Delivery and from Khushiyon ki Planning at Max Life Insurance to Khushiyon ki Chaabi for Tata Nano and Khushiyon ka Khazana wali Maggi for Maggi, it’s khushi-ness all over. In fact the same line – Khushiyon ki Diwali – was used in the ads of brands Airtel and Asus.

     

    The recent Coca-Cola campaign with Deepika Padukone and Farhan Akhtar talks about the little moments of happiness. The entire sequence of missing the bus, chasing it and boarding it. “It makes a lot of sense to be associated with a positive emotion. Products like beverages and food are consumed by people in a positive frame of mind,” reasons Mr Mathias. “Another commercial by Nestle about a family adopting a girl child and how the boy makes up with her over food is a good campaign. There’s a lot of joy in the food category.”

     

    K V Sridhar

    Khushi, when there’s Gham: Although happiness is an emotion that has been used by marketers for decades, in times of a slowdown and a liquidity crunch, it’s often the possible solution to keep buyers happy. Says K V ‘Pops’ Sridhar, Chief Creative Officer India subcontinent, Leo Burnett: “When society is depressed, it needs something which is optimistic or makes people happy. Unemployment, corruption, politicians, etc add to this state. Therefore, brands are showing optimism and presenting a picture that not everything is going wrong. Today, it has become important for big brands to not talk about the values their brands have, but the values that the brands will bring.”

     

    Santosh Padhi

    According to Santosh Padhi, Chief Creative Officer & Co-Founder, Taproot, happiness is an emotion that’s employed by most brands. “If I want to sell something, I would rather do it in a positive way. In general, brands talk positive unless it is a category like insurance where you need to make your point in a negative way where it gets hammered and more understood. Otherwise, life is all about positivity. Happiness is one part of it; humour is another. And then there is hope and simply being positive.”

     

    Happiness is of course not a phenomenon that works only in India. It’s a global sentiment. Adds Mr Padhi: “In China, Pepsi released a big campaign on Happiness. There’s a man who’s offering happiness to people who are in need like education, shelter, umbrella, spectacles. Pepsi is running it for the past 20 years in China. So when Coke came a few years back with ‘Open Happiness’ as part of a global mandate, Pepsi China didn’t stop. In a huge market like China, two competitors are ‘doing’ happiness.”

     

    The Coca-Cola brand launched the campaign internationally in 2009 – around the time of the slowdown – and the ongoing  Deepika-Akhtar commercial is a part of the five-year-old activity.

     

    Bobby Pawar

    Over-used concept: Says Bobby Pawar, Director and Chief Creative Officer, South Asia, Publicis Worldwide: “I think in tough times, brands want to hold out people to heart. Happiness has a gravitational point for that. But it is such a broad concept unless you try to find true meaning in it. ”

     

    Mr Pawar believes not all advertisers are doing it right. “Happiness as a term is getting over-used. Coke has nailed it internationally. They do create happiness with their world machines,. Only Coke has got it right. Rest of them are like whatever.”

     

    Anand Halve, brand consultant and a veteran ad professional and Co-Founder, Chlorophyll adds on to Pawar’s sentiment:  “Not only happiness, all emotions are being over-used. Brands have started to use this term that aapki zindagi badal jaayegi. Just look at the number of brands that use the word ‘life’. Brands should aim to do beyond just the functional thing. You have to be careful about not going overboard and sounding incredible.

     

    “Coke is doing really well through Coke Studio. Music makes people happy and that to me is genuine happiness. Just hanging a line at the end of an ad doesn’t mean anything… agar mujhe khush karna hai toh, take me out for dinner…don’t just send a voucher,” says Mr Halve.

     

    But Mr Mathias believes, happiness is here to stay. “It can never go out of style. It is a very basic emotion and in a typical day one has a lot of happy moments. It is very logical for brands to show people in a happy frame of mind especially categories like beverages or food which are driven by this. It is an important emotion to build your brand on.”

     

  • Zippo has rolled out a global integrated campaign designed to reach its target audience in a unique and compelling way

    Zippo unveils global integrated campaign to reach out to its TG

    By a correspondent

     

    Iconic American windproof lighter manufacturer, Zippo has rolled out a global integrated campaign designed to reach its target audience in a unique and compelling way. Leveraging the insight that consumers turn to social media channels such as Twitter to complain about the loss of their Zippo lighter, the campaign will enable the Zippo brand to respond to these consumers and allow them to #ShareThePain, encouraging a personal dialogue with fans.

     

    The #ShareThePain campaign is fronted by a Zippo character, Jax ‘No Pain’ McFlame, the toughest guy in the world. He is so tough he feels no physical pain, but when it comes to losing a Zippo lighter, the pain breaks him. Jax and the campaign is introduced to consumers via a hilarious short film seeded out across key video sharing sites targeting Zippo’s 18 to 24 year old audience. This is supported by traditional media relations, blogger and influencer outreach, and further social media support.

     

    Jax will be on hand throughout the campaign on Twitter to commiserate with all consumers and influencers who post about their lost Zippo lighters, providing personalized responses and words of wisdom to help consumers through this tough time. The entire campaign is crafted with humour at the heart of it, purposefully over-dramatizing the “unbearable” pain consumers feel when they lose their Zippo lighters.

     

    The campaign crescendo, a few weeks into the campaign, will see an interesting twist in Jax’s dialogue with consumers. An exciting campaign element, set to ignite further engagement and conversation across social media channels amongst the target audience.

     

    All phases of the campaign will be supported by traditional PR activity and the utilization of Zippo’s social media channels including Twitter, Weibo, Facebook, YouTube, Tudou, Instagram and Pinterest where we will feature content from Jax McFlame and also consumer generated content. The #ShareThePain campaign will be activated in nine markets including UK, USA, Germany, France, India, Hong Kong, China, Japan and Korea, where Jax will be multilingual and responding to consumers in all of these languages.

     

    David Warfel, global marketing director Zippo said: “#ShareThePain will be one of Zippo’s first truly integrated global marketing campaigns to engage Zippo’s target audience. A Zippo lighter is considered by many owners to be a precious and sentimental personal belonging, and it is little wonder so many feel devastated if they lose one.

     

    “Until now, there has been no support group for those who have lost a Zippo lighter, but this is all about to change. We have launched the Share the Pain campaign so that our global community can come together in solidarity and mourn their losses. We’re always trying to be innovative in what we do with our marketing and digital experiences and through this campaign we hope it really connects with consumers all around the world.”

     

  • Cheil India's latest television commercial for Samsung's Galaxy Grand Neo in partnership with Enormous Brands sets in a refreshing trend on creative collaborations

    Cheil, Enormous Brands co-create TVC for Galaxy Grand Neo

    By a correspondent

     

    The era of creative collaborations may well have made a landfall on the Indian advertising industry. Cheil India’s latest television commercial for Samsung’s Galaxy Grand Neo in partnership with Enormous Brands sets in a refreshing trend on creative collaborations.

     

    The seamless co-creation both at a strategic and creative level is seen in the Galaxy Grand Neo TVC where it takes the thought ‘Make everyday Grand’ to yet another level. This is ably demonstrated through the surreal space that showcases the remarkable features of the phone through special effects, the experiences of a young couple whether at a restaurant or enjoying an almost live music performance, all to tell the story of how one can be ready for a life less ordinary to ‘Make everyday Grand!’

     

    Nima DT Namchu

    Nima DT Namchu, Chief Creative Officer, Cheil Worldwide SW Asia said of the collaborative creative campaign, “While the news of this collaboration might raise some eyebrows, collaborating with the best talent available at a given point in time is one of the ways to deliver the best possible product for our clients. And as agencies, we have all been doing it for decades – with directors, painters, musicians, sculptors… Of course, working with another creative agency is relatively a new thing.”

     

    Ashish Khazanchi

    Ashish Khazanchi, Managing Partner, Enormous Brands shared, “Advertising is always co-created. Be it client – agency, agency – filmmaker or even a creative and media agency collaboration. However, today, with the surge in numbers of non-network pedigreed creative agencies, alliances like this have not just become possible but also desirable. They simply bring a larger talent pool to the table.”

     

    Kundan Joshee

    According to Kundan Joshee, Sr. Vice President, Cheil Worldwide SW Asia, “Samsung’s Galaxy Grand is all about making the everyday grand. With the Galaxy Grand Neo we decided to take on a new way to look at this opportunity; we do believe we’ve succeeded.”

     

  • The principal concept of the campaign captures how there are many walls around us and not all of them are made of cement and concrete

    Ambuja Cement takes the social awareness route

    By a correspondent

     

    The brand’s been away from media limelight for a while but Ambuja Cement is back with a new TV campaign after four years that focuses on social awareness. The principal concept of the campaign captures how there are many walls around us and not all of them are made of cement and concrete. There are walls of the metaphysical kind, the kind that infuse disrespect and disharmony among people.

     

    This is the first time that Ambuja Cement has brought an exciting campaign on social awareness. The commercial subtly focuses on strength to break the walls of disparity and disharmony. Strength is one of the key elements of the Ambuja brand.

     

    Speaking about the campaign, Ajay Kapur, Dy MD & CEO of Ambuja Cement said, “Strength is the key aspect of Ambuja Cement and hence the TVC gels very well with our tag line ‘Giant Compressive Strength’. It is the responsibility of the good people to break the barrier of all such social stigma,” he reiterated.

     

    The 60 second campaign is already doing the rounds on television channels to coincide with the run-up to the general elections due later this month and next month and the recently concluded T20 Cricket World Cup. The approximate total spends of the campaign is pegged in the region of Rs 60 crores.

     

     

  • Contract Advertising replaces FCB Ulka after a successful 5-year stint while Mediacom comes in place of Lodestar UM

    Tata Docomo awards creative biz to Contract, media AOR to Mediacom

    By a correspondent

     

    Tata Docomo, the unified telecom brand of Tata Teleservices Limited (TTL) has awarded the creative responsibility of Tata Docomo and Tata Photon brands to Contract advertising while media responsibilities for the brand will now be handled by Mediacom. The new partnerships come into effect starting 1st May 2014.

     

    Contract Advertising replaces FCB Ulka after a successful 5-year stint while Mediacom comes in place of Lodestar UM. The estimated value of business is pegged in excess of Rs.175 crores.

     

    Gurinder Singh Sandhu, Head – Marketing, Tata Teleservices said, “We are really excited with Contract and Mediacom coming on board with a promising set of new ideas especially in the area of brand strategy and communication planning which we are confident will further accelerate the momentum behind the Tata Docomo and Photon brands. We have had a very successful association with our outgoing agency partners for the past five years and would like to thank them for their unstinting contribution towards building this brand.”

     

    Rana Barua

    Commenting on the win, Rana Barua – CEO, Contract Advertising said: ‘We are elated with this win and truly appreciate that Tata Docomo has seen the true potential that Contract can bring on board as a communication partner. We stand committed as a company to create outstanding work and partner them to deliver effective solutions which are path-breaking in the category.”

     

    Commenting on the new business acquisition, Debraj Tripathy, Managing Director, MediaCom said, “We are delighted with the opportunity to work with Tata DoCoMo. My team and I are excited with the win and look forward to adding value to their business.”

     

    Both agency changes are a result of a two-month long multi-agency pitch process including the incumbent partners.

     

  • Cadbury 5Star Chomp's new campaign emphasises on the 'eat state' as its core message

    Cadbury emphasizes on ‘eat state’ with new 5Star variant

    By a correspondent

     

    Cadbury India, part of Mondelez International, has unveiled a new TVC to announce the launch of Cadbury 5Star Chomp. A new entrant under the Cadbury 5Star umbrella, Cadbury 5Star Chomp will offer consumers an irresistible combination of chocolate, caramel and nougat of Cadbury 5Star, along with the crunchiness of peanuts.

     

    Targeted at chocolate-loving enthusiasts across the country, Cadbury 5Star Chomp’s new campaign emphasises on the ‘eat state’ as its core message. The campaign is designed to encourage consumers to enjoy the caramel, chocolate, nougat and peanut bar with inhibited gusto. The TVC seeks to celebrate the manner of consumption of the product and give the consumer a very engrossing eat experience.

     

    Speaking on the launch of Cadbury 5Star Chomp, Siddhartha Mukherjee, Director – Chocolate Category & Media, Cadbury India, said, “As category leaders we see a market making opportunity with Cadbury 5Star Chomp. The product has been developed keeping in mind the evolving consumer palette. Cadbury 5Star Chomp will introduce consumers to a completely new eat experience. Moreover, this launch is an important milestone in the journey of Cadbury 5Star and is expected to widen the brand’s play in the category. We therefore see the launch of Cadbury 5Star Chomp expanding the repertoire of Cadbury 5Star.”

     

    Conceptualized by Ogilvy & Mather, the 42 second commercial is a conversation between a human and a ghost to highlight the heavy engrossing eat. The high-voltage launch rolls out across the country, through a combination of commercials across TV, digital and social media platforms to drive awareness and encourage consumers to bite into the goodness of Cadbury 5Star Chomp.

     

  • Ranbir will endorse Lenovo's range of smartphones and will feature in various television and online commercials for the brand in India

    After endorsing Tabs, Ranbir extends Lenovo association to smartphones

    By a correspondent

     

    Lenovo has announced its association with Bollywood actor Ranbir Kapoor as the brand ambassador for smartphones in India. As part of this association, Ranbir will endorse Lenovo’s range of smartphones and will feature in various television and online commercials for the brand in India. In Lenovo’s earlier association with Ranbir, he was endorsing both PCs and Tablets and will continue endorsing Tablets in this partnership too.

     

    Sudhin Mathur, Director-Smartphones, Lenovo India said, “Ranbir Kapoor is a multi-talented and popular actor, who is admired across the nation. We are delighted to be associated with him, as he is an extremely versatile, endearing and stylish performer just like our range of Lenovo smartphones. We believe that this partnership will expand our reach into the consumer space and enhance the preference for Lenovo smartphones in India.”

     

    The stylish range of smartphones comprise, industry-leading devices suiting every need of the user right from the best camera experience to extra long battery life. Bundled with powerful multi-core processors, access to the latest apps through Android™, and peerless display technology, Lenovo smartphones are poised to enhance a user’s experience.

     

    Lenovo will soon launch a series of TV and online commercials featuring Ranbir Kapoor.

     

  • The win happens close on the heels of the agency winning the Tata Docomo and Paytm accounts

    Contract wins Amira Pure Foods account

    By A Correspondent

     

    Close on the heels on winning the creative mandate for Tata Docomo and Paytm, Contract will now handle the creative responsibilities for Amira Pure Foods Private Limited.

     

    Confirming the appointment of Contract as the new agency, Karan A. Chanana, Amira Group’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer said, “We are extremely happy to announce the appointment of Contract as our new creative partner. Contract has a reputation of building memorable brands. We want Amira to become a leading and the most preferred food brand in India in the next 18 months. We felt that Contract understood our imperatives and sees an opportunity to create yet another memorable brand. We look forward to having a long, productive and professional association with Contract.”

     

    Contract’s Delhi office will handle the account that will require work across TV, Print, Radio and the digital media.

     

    Announcing the win, Rana Barua, CEO, Contract Advertising said, “It was an honour to get the business on the basis of our credentials and Amira’s faith in our team. Amira is a global leader in packaged rice and it is exciting for us to build the brand within a category that has a strong legacy of established brands.”

     

    “The fact that Amira has shown great faith in us as an agency puts a huge responsibility on our shoulders to create some exciting communication and lay the foundation of an exciting brand. The challenge for us is to not just create a new brand but also develop a unique creative language for Amira in the foods business,” said Ashish Chakravarty, National Creative Director, Contract India.

     

    While Amira, was considering other agencies as well, the business comes on the basis of the agency’s strong credentials. Contract has a legacy of long standing relationships – more than two decades of creating brands like Shoppers Stop and NIIT; and over 10 years of partnering brands like Dominos, Dabur, Cadbury and Asian Paints.

     

    Contract’s Delhi office has been buzzing with a great team and exciting work. On the back of the recent wins of Tata Docomo and Paytm, the team has been extremely confident in taking on newer challenges.

     

  • Havas Media Group India has won the integrated digital duties of Xolo, part of Lava International

    Havas wins integrated digital duties of Xolo

    By a correspondent

     

    Havas Media Group India has won the integrated digital duties of Xolo, part of Lava International, in a multi-agency pitch.

     

    With a stronghold in the mid to high-end smartphone segment, Xolo’s premium smartphones and tablets with fresh design, new platforms and technologies focus on performance and customer experience.

     

    Anita Nayyar

    Anita Nayyar, CEO, Havas Media Group, India and South Asia said, “We are delighted with the Xolo win close on the back of Yepme.com and a successful last year. It further establishes digital as our core capability. Mobile is the future for India and a required essential we are delighted to work with the team and brand.”

     

    Xolo has many first to its credits, that includes tying up with Intel® to launch the world’s first Intel processor powered smartphone, the first brand to launch NVIDIA® TEGRA® 4 powered tablet in India, first regional marketing partner for Liverpool FC club in India and many more.

     

    The size of the digital business is estimated to be upwards of INR 60crores.

     

  • The idea behind the campaign was in keeping with Samsung's legacy as an innovator and leader in the category

    Cheil delivers a unique positioning for Samsung Joy Plus TV

    By a correspondent

     

    Cheil India’s new television commercial for Samsung’s Joy Plus TV changes the positioning for a television. Where other brands have concentrated on just viewing and picture aspects, this demonstrates how the consumer can actually benefit from a TV that offers them with the advantage of capturing both screen and sound. The TVC went on air on March 29, 2014.

     

    The idea behind the campaign was in keeping with Samsung’s legacy as an innovator and leader in the category. This was critical as the entry level LED TV market is flooded with alike offerings with all of them playing on picture quality as the key benefit. Samsung as a brand believes in being a differentiator and this has been always visible in its unique consumer offerings.

     

    When the Samsung Joy TV was launched in 2013, it came with features such as Ultra Pix (Best in class Picture quality) along with unique value added benefits including USB to USB transfer and Triple Protection Warranty. The Samsung Joy Plus TV comes with added features of Screen Capture and Sound Capture, allowing the consumer to save and store both Picture and Audio content for later viewing or use. These unique offerings make the Samsung Joy Plus TV “Much More than just a TV”.

     

    The central idea of the TVC for the Samsung Joy Plus TV was built around the thought Like It? Keep It! The unique Screen Capture and Sound Capture features and benefits are ably demonstrated through engaging father-daughter stories. One storyline shows how a zebra is captured whilst being chased by predators in a wildlife programme, for the daughter in need of an image of a zebra for her school project.

     

    Commenting on the campaign, Nima DT Namchu, Chief Creative Officer, Cheil Worldwide SW Asia, said: “With Like it? Keep it!, we have been able to communicate the product feature and benefit very effectively without losing out on the intrigue and entertainment quotient. Besides balancing the product demo with engaging storytelling, sourcing just the right footage of the animals from different sources and making it all look like one seamless sequence (within a tight deadline) was quite a challenge. But our creative team and Razy came through.”

     

    Said Kundan Joshee, Head Integrated Services, Cheil Worldwide, SW Asia: “Samsung leads the category by innovation and consumers look up to a novel offering in every new launch. In Joy Plus, the product has the amazing never seen before features of Screen and Sound Capture and the task was to bring them alive in a memorable, clutter breaking execution.”