MxMIndia

Category: NEWS

  • To create awareness about the brand’s range of bottles and tiffins

    Posterscope & Milton launch campaign

    Milton, the home and kitchenware brand, in association with Posterscope, the out-of-home (OOH) agency from Dentsu India, has aunched a campaign titled ‘Milton Liya Kya?’ The campaign aims to create awareness about the brand’s range of bottles and tiffins. The campaign is executed by Posterscope.

    Imtiyaz Vilatra
    Imtiyaz Vilatra

    Speaking on the campaign, Imtiyaz Vilatra, Managing Director, Posterscope India, said, “We are proud to have partnered with Milton to bring this impactful campaign to life. With our in-house creative and strategic planning aid, we have been able to reach millions and reinforce Milton’s position as a leading brand in the homeware industry.”

  • As the National Head, Cheil India – Samsung Business

    Cheil India hires Mandeep Sharma

    Mandeep Sharma
    Mandeep Sharma

    Cheil India has appointd Mandeep Sharma as the National Head, Cheil India- Samsung Business. Mandeep will report to Sanjeev Jasani, COO, Cheil SWA.

    As a part of Sharma’s remit, he will be responsible for identifying, and crafting innovative strategies and systems that will help Samsung face the ever-changing dynamics of marketing landscape. He will be driving the integrated marketing campaigns for our key client Samsung India, weaving together the capabilities which Cheil offers.

    Commenting on the appointment, Carlos Limseob Chung, MD, Cheil SWA, said: “Cheil is leading the advertising mandate for Samsung -one of the most well-known brands in the country, with a portfolio of products that straddles across multiple categories. We wanted to hire someone who is able to harness data and digital alongside the brand marketing so as to deliver gold standard work. Mandeep, with his stellar record of providing integrated marketing solutions to multiple brands is a perfect choice and I am elated to welcome him to Cheil India.”

  • Featuring a vast library of over 600 HTML5 games

    ABP Network expands into online gaming with GamesLIVE launch

    ABP Network has announced its expansion into the world of casual online gaming with the launch of GamesLIVE, under the flagship of ABP LIVE. This platform offers the ultimate free online gaming experience, featuring a vast library of over 600 HTML5 games. GamesLIVE promises endless fun and entertainment, making high-quality games accessible to everyone, anytime, and anywhere.

    Commenting on the launch, Avinash Pandey, CEO of ABP Network, said: “We are delighted to launch GamesLIVE, our new gaming platform under ABP LIVE, which represents our dedication to expanding into the digital entertainment landscape. Our goal is to provide a seamless and enjoyable gaming experience for our users, both at home and on the go. As we look to the future, we constantly strive to expand our offerings to our stakeholders and provide them with an unparalleled experience. Our reputation as a trusted network is well-established, and we aim to achieve the same level of excellence with this gaming platform.”

  • Appoints Shashank Lanjekar as National Strategy Head

    DDB Mudra Group boosts strategic leadership

    Shashank Lanjekar
    Shashank Lanjekar

    DDB Mudra Group has onboarded Shashank Lanjekar as its National Strategy Head. Lanjekar brings over 25 years of experience in advertising, brand management, and strategic planning to the role and will work out of the Group’s Mumbai office. He will closely work with Rahul Mathew, CCO of the Group, to focus on advancing the agency’s strategic offerings across disciplines to further solidify it with strong creative fundamentals.

    Rahul Mathew
    Rahul Mathew

    Said Rahul Mathew, Chief Creative Officer, DDB Mudra Group: “We believe in strategy that has the power to move the work and the consumer. Not a strategy that merely sits pretty on PowerPoint slides. Shashank embodies the same belief. He will also help us strengthen many of the rigours needed to have a strong strategic backbone. Really excited to work with him again.”

  • To curate premium sports & entertainment IPs

    Havas Play inks strategic partnership with Mahesh Bhupathi

    R. Venkatasubramanian and Mahesh Bhupathi
    R. Venkatasubramanian and Mahesh Bhupathi

    Havas Play, Havas Media Network’s global brand dedicated to earning consumers’ attention and creating enduring business impact through experiences at the intersection of entertainment, sports, technology, and fandom, has entered a strategic partnership in India with SG Sports, Media and Entertainment (SGSE), an arm of the APL Apollo Group. SGSE is helmed by tennis icon Mahesh Bhupathi as Chief Executive Officer.

    As part of the strategic partnership, Havas Play will assist SGSE in executing premium entertainment and sports IPs spanning football, squash, hockey, chess, table tennis & tennis.

    Said Mahesh Bhupathi, CEO, SGSE: “We have always had a clear vision on building a comprehensive and sustainable sports and entertainment story and believe it is the right time to do this at scale in India. We look forward to working closely with Havas Play and tapping into their extensive network to make this happen.”

    Added R Venkatasubramanian, Chief Operating Officer, Havas Play: “Embarking on this strategic journey with SGSE, a visionary in the sports and entertainment realm, is a testament to Havas Play’s commitment to elevating meaningful experiences and fostering innovation in the country’s cultural landscape. With Mahesh Bhupathi’s leadership and our shared vision, we’re poised to create immersive fan engagements through premium IPs, reshaping India’s sports and entertainment ecosystem for generations to come.”

  • Of Havas Creative Network India

    Havas India appoints John Thangaraj as CSO

    John Thangaraj
    John Thangaraj

    Havas India has appointed John Thangaraj as the Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) of Havas Creative Network India and his remit will include Havas Worldwide India (creative), Havas CX India (customer experience), Conran Design Mumbai (brand design), Ekino (technology), and Havas People India (employer branding). Thangaraj will be responsible for driving the strategic mandate of the creative network and will also work closely with Havas Village India leaders to drive integration. He will be based out of Gurugram and report to Rana Barua, Group CEO, Havas India, South East Asia and North Asia (Japan & South Korea).

    Speaking about the appointment, Barua said: “Havas Creative Network India has gained tremendous scale and size over the last six years. One of the agencies which has seen unprecedented growth, new leaders, tremendous business traction is Havas Worldwide India and therefore John will work closely with Anupama Ramaswamy and Kundan Joshee to further drive the growth of the agency. In addition, he will also work closely with Geet Nazir (Conran Design Mumbai), Prashant Tekwani (Havas CX India) and Arindam Sengupta (Havas People India) to further strengthen the strategic vision.  He will further consolidate our client relationships and drive thought-leadership to ensure meaningful business growth and establish Havas Creative Network India as the most future-forward and progressive creative network conglomerate. I wish him all the best.”

  • At Dentsu Creative Webchutney

    Dentsu Creative promotes Surjo Dutt to CCO

    Surjo Dutt
    Surjo Dutt

    Dentsu Creative India has promoted Surjo Dutt to the position of Chief Creative Officer (CCO) at Dentsu Creative Webchutney.

    In his new role, Dutt will spearhead the creative vision of the agency, ensuring the delivery of innovative and integrated solutions that foster business growth for clients. Additionally, he will mentor and guide the creative teams, cultivating a culture of collaboration, experimentation, and excellence. Dutt will continue to report to Amit Wadhwa, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Dentsu Creative India.

    Amit Wadhwa
    Amit Wadhwa

    Said Amit Wadhwa: “We have reimagined our creative business to align with the evolving needs of our clients. Dentsu Creative India now encompasses three portfolio brands: Dentsu Creative Webchutney, Dentsu Creative Isobar, and Dentsu Creative PR. Dentsu Creative Webchutney delivers creative solutions across both traditional and digital media. Meanwhile, Dentsu Creative Isobar focuses on enhancing digital experiences, and Dentsu Creative PR handles public relations. The common thread that binds them is the ‘X factor’ – the extra edge, value, and impact that Dentsu Creative brings to its solutions. This is what makes us the preferred partner for our clients in an ever-evolving and competitive market.”

  • Mandate will cover corporate communication

    Juniper Green Energy partners One Source

    Juniper Green Energy, a renewable energy power producer, has partnered with One Source. The mandate will cover corporate communication for Juniper Green Energy.

    Said Indranil Roy Choudhuri, Head of Corporate Communications, Juniper Green Energy: “We are delighted to partner with One Source as we embark on our journey to amplify awareness about renewable energy solutions and our commitment to sustainability. Their proven track record in delivering impactful communication strategies aligned perfectly with our vision to create a greener, more sustainable future.”

    Added Sandeep Rao, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer, One Source: “Our focus as a consultancy is on growing our clients’ businesses and we see partners’ business objectives as our own. We are excited to collaborate with Juniper Green Energy and are eager to craft compelling narratives that resonate with audiences and drive meaningful change. We are committed to help elevate Juniper Green Energy’s brand and champion the cause of sustainability.”

  • Self-awareness is not amongst the right-wing media’s dominant traits, writes Ranjona Banerji

    Ranjona Banerji: Journalism of Courage? Really???

    Ranjona BanerjiThe Indian Express calls itself “journalism of courage”. For many years, we believed this pat on the back because as long as the Congress Party was in power, and at some points even when the BJP was in power, the Indian Express showed a lot of courage. It took on Indira Gandhi, India’s most powerful prime minister – present company excused – and did it fearlessly. It took on Dhirubhai Ambani – who was soon to become India’s most powerful industrialist, present company excused – and did it fearlessly. It even managed to cover the Gujarat riots of 2002, held in the domain of then chief minister Narendra Modi, with some level of courage.

     

    It even did a most remarkable investigation into how the Indian Army in 2012, under then General VK Singh (now in the BJP and until lately a minister in the Modi Cabinet) had possibly planned a military coup on Manmohan Singh’s government. The investigation was done by Shekhar Gupta and Ritu Sarin.

     

    https://indianexpress.com/article/news-archive/web/the-january-night-raisina-hill-was-spooked-two-key-army-units-moved-towards-delhi-without-notifying-govt/

     

    Since Modi became PM in 2014, the Indian Express has remained extremely courageous, one cannot deny that, but largely when it comes to the Opposition, Sonia/Rahul Gandhi and so on. Taking on the ruling BJP, Modi, Amit Shah, er, not so much. It has practically handed over its column space to the BJP fan club, with a mere nod to the other parties.

     

    But this is not actually about the Indian Express. This is about the statements it has carried by Mohan Bhagwat, the RSS chief or sarsanghchalak as they call their boss. Bhagwat, who has got elevated status from Modi with a dedicated Doordarshan spot for his Dassera speech, was apparently somewhat contained in that space by Modi and Amit Shah. JP Nadda, now Cabinet minister but former president of the BJP, had even said during the election campaign that the BJP did not need the RSS or words to that effect.

     

    Bhagwat has spoken to the Sangh about how arrogance in a “sevak” is wrong, that Manipur was neglected for a year and now had to be dealt with immediately and that “decorum was not maintained” during the election campaign. Is this a return to “journalism of courage” where elliptical criticism of Modi – albeit from the BJP’s boss organisation the RSS – is given prominence?

    Who knows, eh?

     

    There is a short clip of a podcast going around social media. It shows, amongst a group of senior BJP/right wing “thinkers”, one self-declared Congress supporter, and Smita Prakash, the editor and owner of ANI, which is apparently Asia’s largest multimedia news agency. This growth and reach is no mean feat, especially given that of all the various legacy media RW/BJP TV channels and journals, hers is the most efficient and at the forefront of BJP/Modi propaganda.

     

    Prakash declares in the podcast that the RW content from the BJP was “minuscule” unlike the Opposition which had trucks broadcasting videos from Youtuber Dhruv Rathee and TV journalist Ravish Kumar. This claim is ludicrous in itself and even more so when it comes from the editor of ANI. Prakash herself went out of her way to promote Modi. As did every major mainstream TV channel, from India Today and News18 to Times Now, NDTV and the Hindi channels. Modi gave “interviews” to some of these where no one questioned or corrected his absurd claims that he was not biological but divine origin and that no one had heard of Mahatma Gandhi until Richard Attenborough’s 1982 film.

     

    And let us not forget Modi himself. His election campaigning – as Bhagwat politely pointed out – was brazen, Islamophobic and filled with falsehoods. No one in the India gets more prominence or publicity than Modi. If he did not do well enough in these elections, which has upset these sections of the RW, it is not because the RW did not do enough.

     

    Maybe Prakash and others might ask themselves why they did not do enough to represent the people of India. Many of whom did not vote for Modi and the BJP precisely because the media’s endless propaganda did not reflect ground realities.

     

    Naah, I joke. Self-awareness is not amongst the RW media’s dominant traits. Otherwise, why would they…

     

     

  • India shining at 9.5% growth….

    India shining at 9.5% growth….

    GroupM has released the 2024 Global Midyear Forecast for its annual This Year Next Year forecast and study. As per the study, advertising revenues (spends) in 2024 will touch $18.5 billion in India, which points to a 9.5% growth in the year. The forecast for 2024 is 8.7%. It may be recalled when GroupM had released its TYNY numbers in February this year (2024), the forecast growth for 2024 was 10.2%.

    “We estimate that global advertising revenue will grow 7.8% in 2024 to $989.8 billion. The industry will surpass one trillion in revenue in 2025, increasing 6.8% to $1.1 trillion, one year earlier than we forecast in December of 2023. We have also revised estimates for the US, which we now expect to reach $365.9 billion in ad revenue, up 5.8% over 2023’s $345.9 billion (excluding the impact of political advertising in both years). The great economic engines of the U.S. and China, which together make up 57.1% of global ad revenue, are clearly the largest drivers of growth, adding $44.5 billion to their totals in 2024 (excluding U.S. political spending) — nearly 1.5 times the cumulative $27.4 billion in incremental revenue for all other markets combined. They are also home to 22 of the top 25 global media sellers and account for more than 40% of global GDP.

    Indis is third highest in growth rates as per the GroupM data. China is at 14% growth in 2024 and Brazil is at 11.3%. In 2025, China growth is estimated to be 10.8% while Brazil will top the list at 12.4%. In absolute terms, China ad revenues for 2024 is 199.4 bn and Brazil stands at 21.3 bn. All figures are in US dollars.

    The GroupM TYNY 2024 Global Midyear Forecast also adds: “The marketing ecosystem over the next few years will face potential impacts from governments and regulatory bodies across the world — impacts that have the potential to upend forecasts and alter even the most sound projections. On top of that, such projections can be skewed by two major players, China and the U.S. Their governments and their major companies have the power to shape vast aspects of the global economy.

    “Artificial Intelligence also has the potential to reshape the industry — as do regulations put in place to guide (or control) its growth. Those regulations, of course, depend on politicians, which in turn are determined by upcoming election cycles.

    “Despite some reactionary moves toward protectionism from some of those politicians, we can see the power and enduring appeal of shared experiences brought by globalisation, whether it be a Korean series rocketing to the top of the Netflix charts, or Rema bringing Afrobeats to Spotify’s top songs list. You can see it, too, in increasingly global fan bases for sports.

    “With increased globalisation – of financial systems, commerce, and media – can come a level of resilience as interconnected systems such as coral reefs tend to be very adept at recovering from multitudinous small shocks. Innovation, the exchange of ideas, and a shared goal to make the advertising industry work better for everyone will help ensure a bright future.

  • Marketing Lessons from the Polls

    Marketing Lessons from the Polls

    Avik ChattopadhyayThe dust has settled down. The celebrations and cribs are over. The oaths have been administered. And the machinery is getting into action once again.

     

    More or less, the country at large is pretty pleased with how things have emerged. Democracy clearly demonstrated who calls the shots. For some, it has been a fresh lease of life while for others it has been a wakeup siren. All in all, the utopian idea chosen by us close to 80 years ago seems to have been the right decision. Conceptually, India could never have been a monarchy of one or an amalgam of principalities like the 16 Mahajanapadas. With all our imperfections and paradoxes, democracy seems best placed as the individual impoverished and ignored voter does have the power to shake up comfort zones.

     

    For a marketer, in any industry and from any part of the country, a gargantuan event like the parliamentary elections, in its implementation and outcome, has important lessons to learn and remember in one’s own professional life.

     

    None of them are new revelations. All are one more round of reinforcing and reiterating deep ground truths that we sometimes tend to forget.

     

    1. Never underestimate your target segment. S/he she is far more intelligent and mature than what marketers typically would like them to be. S/he can spring surprises at the most unexpected of situations to drive home a point.

     

    1. What was very good for yesterday is not good enough for tomorrow. You need to consciously stop charting strategies for the future based on what you did in the past. You are where you are today based on what you did day before yesterday. The day after tomorrow depends on what you do today.

     

    1. Numerical targets are meant for internal communication. They are never to be used to communicate to your external stakeholders. Slip a little and they will hold you to them or even have a good laugh at your expense. And competition will definitely find ways of using them against you.

     

    1. Local leaders are needed for local issues. Your regional leaders are to be brought to the forefront to connect better with the local populace or potential customers. They speak the language the locals understand and know what specific buttons to press. The national level CEO or MD has to be selectively used and not overexposed.

     

    1. Nobody is an untouchable. In the market, you have no permanent enemies when it comes to channels of trade, regional collaborators and technology partners. While long-term relationships are always helpful, sudden reality checks may require you to reach out to facilitators tomorrow whom you has severed ties with yesterday.

     

    1. Never ever abuse competition. That is a sure sign of anxiety before both network partners as well as the potential customers. a minimum level of professional decorum requires you not to concoct lies about competition or be derogatory towards specific competitors.

     

    1. Mere edifices do not convert prospects. The target needs personalised experiences and promises. S/he is not enamoured by large showrooms or display zones just by themselves. S/he expects to be catered to one-on-one.

     

    1. Appeal to both left and right brains. Always try to maintain a healthy balance in your narratives and ownership experiences. While raising emotional issues, support them with ground level demonstrations of your intent and abilities. Those actually help create unique emotional bonds.

     

    1. Focus on yourself. Do not obsess with competition. Make sure your target knows all the right things about you, your offerings, your promise and your capabilities. Wasting time over discussing competition actually shifts the narrative towards them and the target spends more time researching your competition than you.

     

    1. Never sell fear. Whether you are selling a water tank or a luxury automobile, do not make the mistake of stoking the target’s inner fears and apprehensions as your route to success. Fear leads to unexpected reactions of the reptilian brain and rapid negative word of mouth which will be much beyond your control.

     

    Market well. Sell wise.

    Jai Hind. 

     

    Avik Chattopadhyay is a Gurugram-based business strategist and commentator. He is currently also working along with XLRI to set up the Indian School for Design of Automobiles. He writes on MxMIndia every other Thursday. His views here are personal.

  • Conceptualised by Bombay Design Centre

    Kokuyo Camlin unveils high-powered brand campaign

    Camel, from the house of Kokuyo Camel, has launched its latest ad campaign Camel ki Colourful Duniya, Meri Duniya. Conceptualised by Bombay Design Centre, this campaign includes a series of six films.

    Commenting on the campaign, Rishi Kakar, Chief Strategy & Marketing Officer, Kokuyo Camlin Limited, said: “This campaign throws an interesting light on the world we live in, where parents strive to fulfil their duties as a provider often at the cost of their duties as a caregiver. Every child’s art gives a glimpse of their feelings and brings the family together.  #CamelKiColourfulDuniya captures the role of art in a child’s world as the language of the heart. In other words, Camel brings out the language of the heart.”

    Added film-maker Amole Gupte (of Taare Zameen Pe fame): “My childhood is dipped in vibrant Camel Water Colours! I brought my childhood to life by making the new Camel advertisement films.”

    Said Nandana Nair, Head, Digital Marketing at Kokuyo Camlin Limited: “This campaign underlines the place of Camel and Camlin in every Indian household. Cherished across generations, #CamelKiColourfulDuniya highlights the unifying role of art in bringing families together. These films beautifully portray every child’s joy of engaging with colours and the innocence of their view of the world.”