MxMIndia

Category: NEWS

  • Contract Advertising has brought on board Abhishek Chaswal and Rupesh Sahay as VP and Senior Creative Directors on the Tata Docomo business

    Contract hires Senior CDs, beefs up Tata Docomo team

    By A Correspondent

     

    Contract Advertising has brought on board Abhishek Chaswal and Rupesh Sahay as VP and Senior Creative Directors on the Tata Docomo business. Both Abhishek and Rupesh will be reporting to Mayur Hola, Executive Creative Director, Contract Delhi.

     

    “Rupesh and Abhishek together bring a unique blend to Contract. Chaswal has his own special blend of madness and indeed an unfettered, entrepreneurial spirit. His approach to communication is unique and media agnostic. Rupesh on the other hand is a multi-talented and supremely gifted individual. A national award-winning documentary film maker, he is also a brilliant art director and one of the most responsible leaders I have come across. I am sure that together they will make Contract proud and enjoy their time here as much as Contract will enjoy having them,” says Mayur on their joining Contract.

     

  • ZenithOptimedia CEO Satyajit Sen has joined Samsung India as Head of Media

    Satyajit Sen joins Samsung India

    By A Correspondent

     

    It’s now official. Satyajit Sen has joined Samsung India as Head of Media. He assumed office yesterday (Monday, June 2). Confirming his exit from ZOG, Group CEO Anupriya Acharya said: “After putting in eight years with ZenithOptimedia, Satya has decided to embrace a new challenge. We thank him for all his contributions to ZO and wish him all the very best.” Acharya also announced the appointment of Dnyanada Chaudhari as Managing Partner, ZenithOptimedia. Dnyanada will be incharge of trading and media management nationally and joins from Madison World where she was COO incharge of Mumbai operations.

     

    Meanwhile, Acharya also informed that Navin Khemka, who has also been with the group for eight plus years, has put in his papers as Managing Partner.

     

    According to Acharya, Prasanna Kulkarni has joined the ZO group as Chief Creative Officer and will oversee creative and content marketing solutions across ZenithOptimedia, Performics, Resultrix and Newcast.

     

  • PFT's Play-out Monitoring Service will input reliable data in to BARC's Audience Measurement System for monitoring content, promos and TVCs across channels

    BARC appoints Prime Focus Technologies for Play-out Monitoring Service

    By A Correspondent

     

    Prime Focus Technologies (PFT), the technology subsidiary of Prime Focus Limited has announced that the Indian Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) has contracted it to offer Play-out Monitoring Service to power one of the world’s largest audience measurement programs. PFT’s globally proven CLEARTM Media ERP platform bolstered with next generation content identification technology and Digital Services will help automatically generate play-out monitoring reports on a daily basis.

     

    Audience measurement data is the de facto currency for media industry, being widely used by all stakeholders for planning, pricing, selling and buying advertising inventory on the medium. PFT will offer a robust play-out monitoring service which will check the actual telecast of each channel, capture the content at every point in time, and help link it back to the rating piece of the audience measurement system.

     

    “It is a great honor to be selected by BARC, and we consider it equally a great responsibility towards the industry,” said Ram ki Sankaranarayanan, Founder & CEO, Prime Focus Technologies. “India has one of the largest TV ecosystems in the world and the audience measurement system ought to be highly credible. We look forward to working with BARC to help build India’s very own, trusted rating service.”

     

    “With PFT on board we are one step closer to our mission of indigenously building a television audience measurement system that is better than the best in the world,” said ParthoDasgupta, CEO, BARC. “PFT’s world class technology, deep understanding of Indian broadcast and advertising industry, and across the board relationships with broadcasters and advertisers as a neutral partner made them the perfect choice for this critical role.”

     

    India has 154 million TV households making it the third largest TV market in the world, next only to China and the US. This will be the first fully digital play-out monitoring service employed directly by the Indian broadcast industry and is scheduled to commence operations in October 2014.

     

  • Mr. Maheshwari takes over from Roshini Bakshi who has resigned from the company to pursue other interests

    Abhishek Maheshwari to lead Disney Consumer Products in India

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Walt Disney Company India has announced the appointment of Mr. Abhishek Maheshwari as Vice President and Head, Disney Consumer Products. Mr. Maheshwari takes over from Roshini Bakshi who has resigned from the company to pursue other interests.

     

    “Abhishek has been a key member of our management team since 2012. Over this time, he has worked closely on the integration of Disney and UTV, on identifying local growth initiatives for the company and on formulating our long-term strategy in India,” said Mr. Siddharth Roy Kapur, Managing Director, The Walt Disney Company India. “Abhishek brings to this role a deep understanding of our businesses along with a diverse set of leadership skills, and he is well placed to help us continue to grow our consumer products business in India.”

     

    In addition to focusing his energies on leading Disney’s Consumer Products business, Mr. Maheshwari will continue to oversee Corporate Strategy and Business Development for the Company in India.

     

    Before joining Disney, Mr. Maheshwari worked in various management roles for Kubera and prior to that with McKinsey & Company at their Mumbai and Stamford, Connecticut offices. Abhishek received a Master of Business Administration (MBA) with distinction from Columbia Business School and a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi.

     

  • The account will be handled by the agency's Mumbai branch

    Metal wins mandate of Medimix Soap

    By A Correspondent

     

    Metal Communication has been appointed as the creative AoR for India’s largest selling ayurvedic soap and personal care brand Medimix, the flagship brand of Cholayil Pvt. Ltd. The account will be handled by the agency’s Mumbai branch.

     

    Metal Communication will provide brand positioning and advertising support for the brand. The scope of the assignment will cover TV, print, digital, video and out-of-home. Medimix has a range of products under its umbrella including soap in four variants, face wash, talc, with a slew of new launches being planned in the year ahead.

     

    Commenting on this development, VS Pradeep, Managing Director, Cholayil Pvt. Ltd. said, “Given our aggressive plans for the future, we had called for a pitch and ultimately chose to go with Metal Communications. We liked their breakthrough approach, the quick understanding of the category and our brand that they demonstrated. Metal offers a younger, fresher perspective. And we believe they can partner us very well in our effort to reach our intended audience in the most effective and integrated way.”

     

    Kurien Mathews, Chairman & MD, Metal shared, “Medimix is one of India’s heritage brands with a long legacy. Naturally, we are delighted with this new win. Given the ambitious plans Cholayil has going forward not just building the brand in India but also extending its franchise in global markets, makes it even more exciting and challenging. We are confident of building on solid foundations of the Medimix brand and taking it to greater heights.”

     

    Cholayil has very aggressive plans in the personal care market and is looking at building on its already strong equity in the Indian market besides the four southern states. Further, the Medimix brand has been very well received in markets like Taiwan, South Korea and the Middle East. The company is now looking at foraying into the North American market.

     

  • The account will be handled from the agency's Delhi office

    Grey pockets Fenesta; Mark Flory appointed as Art Head and Senior CD

    By A Correspondent

     

    Grey India has won the advertising duties for Fenesta, a leading windows and doors company. The account will be handled from the agency’s Delhi office.

     

    Samir Datar, Vice President & Branch Head – Grey Delhi said, “We are delighted to partner Fenesta in building an all new category. Alex and his team have already done fabulous work in building a strong platform for the brand in terms of product and national reach. The strategy discussions leading up to being the partner were extremely interesting and have helped in creating a communication blue print. We are sure that we will achieve the ambitious objectives set by team Fenesta & team Grey for the brand.”

     

    Alex Murphy, President and Business Head at Fenesta Building Systems said, “After months of searching for a new creative partner, we are delighted to have Grey as our partner going forward. The team at Grey showed great flair and innovation during our discussions along with a clear understanding of our market and our growth desire. They have a most refreshing approach to business.”

     

    In another development at the agency, Grey Bangalore has brought on board Mark Flory as the new Art Head and Senior Creative Director. Mark has about 13 years of experience in the industry. He started his career with McCann Erickson in Bangalore as Art Trainee. His last stint was with Dentsu Communications where he was Creative Director. The other agencies he has worked with includes Orchard, JWT and Happy Creative Services.

     

    Speaking on Mark’s appointment, Malvika said, “Mark has an innate sense of design and I absolutely loved some of the work he has done for brands like Diesel and Lee in his earlier agencies. With him coming on board, the last jigsaw of the Bangalore Creative structure is in place and the picture is looking very good. Am sure he will be a great asset to our Bangalore team and a very strong support to Ram who he will be reporting to”

     

    Mark has worked on a wide range of brands that include Levis, Diesel, Lee, Nike, Van Heusen, Toyota, TVS, Wipro, Air Deccan, Nissin, MRF, Black Dog & Kingfisher. He has won awards at Cannes and Asia AdFest including winning the Young Creative Awards at both these forums in the earlier years.

     

  • Advertisements in Personal and Healthcare sector category again emerged as the category which accounted for a majority of Advertisements (44 out of 68) against which complaints were upheld

    ASCI upholds complaints against 68 erring ads

    By A Correspondent

     

    In March 2014, ASCI’s Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) upheld Complaints against 68 out of 108 advertisements. Advertisements in Personal and Healthcare sector category again emerged as the category which accounted for a majority of Advertisements (44 out of 68) against which complaints were upheld.

     

    The CCC found the following claims in health and personal care product or service ads of 44 advertisers, released in the press to be either misleading or false or not adequately / scientifically substantiated and hence violating ASCI’s Code. Some of the health care products or services ads also contravened provisions of the Drug & Magic Remedies Act. Some of the ads that were upheld include: Hindustan Unilever Ltd: Vaseline Healthy White Lotion showing exaggerated claims of ‘instant whitening’ on skin; Wipro Ltd. (Glucovita Bolts): claims that ‘Glucovita has iron &glucose which gives energy to the body & brain in 10 seconds; Zydus Wellness Limited: claims that Everyuth Fairness Peel off to be India’s first intelligent delivering whitening technology that targets melanocytes to give unmatched fairness; Hamdard Laboratories India (Hamdogen Herbal Revitaliser for Men): the product claims to be a Herbal Vitalizer for men; Deemark Health Care Private Limited – Deemark Quit Addiction claims that ‘Now addiction towards intoxication won’t remain because Deemark has brought an Ayurvedic medicine, ‘Quit Addiction’, etc.

     

    In the education sector, the CCC found following claims in print ads by 14 different advertisers were not substantiated and thus, violated ASCI Guidelines for Advertising of Educational Institutions and hence the complaints against these ads were upheld. Some of them include Infinity Educare: claims that it is ‘No. 1 in India’; Institute of Fire Engineering & Safety: claims to be ‘India’s No. 1 Fire & Safety Institute’; Shyam Institute: claims that ‘10,000 people got jobs from our coaching classes’; ECC Academy: ‘within 45 days Bank/Government job’; etc.

     

  • The winner will get an opportunity to collaborate with the leading brand and to showcase his/her work on their social channels

    Talenthouse India partners with Max for video contest

    By A Correspondent

     

    Talenthouse India, SEA’s leading creative crowdsourcing platform has joined hands with Max to invite aspiring film makers for creating 30-sec or 60-sec videos that tell stories of life that viewers will want to and love to share. Titled ‘Moments called life’ this contest invites filmmakers to remember one priceless experience of their life and express it through a 30-60 seconds video by using Max brand ideology i.e. emotional, thoughtful, humorous that has heartfelt connect and acts that drives mindfulness, commitment and hope.

     

    The winner will get an opportunity to collaborate with the leading brand and to showcase his/her work on their social channels along with cash prize money of Rs. 100,000. While 30 additional winners will receive a cash prize money of Rs 3,000 each.

     

    Commenting on the launch of the contest, Mr. Arun Mehra, CEO, Talenthouse India said, “At Talenthouse India, our core focus is providing unmatched opportunities to budding artists.

     

    Through this initiative with India’s leading brand, we aim to encourage creativity and talent and provide right platform to the amazing talent pool available in our country.”

  • FCB Ulka Advertising chief M G Parameswaran is set to be the next President of the Advertising Agencies Association of India. A formal announcement of this is to be made soon

    MG ‘Ambi’ Parameswaran to be AAAI president

    M G Parameswaran

    By A Correspondent

     

    Author and Adviser, FCB Ulka M G Parameswaran is set to be the next President of the Advertising Agencies Association of India. Ambi, as he’s popularly known in the fraternity, and is currently vice-president of the apex association of advertising agencies. A formal announcement of this is to be made shortly, MxMIndia learnt at Goafest 2014 last week.

     

    Former Leo Burnett Chairman and CEO Arvind Sharma has been President of the AAAI since 2012 and his term is expected to end next month. Mr Parameswaran will be the 44th head of the body (48th if you include those who held mulitiple, non-consecutive terms).

     

  • The outgoing Indian Express editor-in-chief will Vice Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of all of the India Today group's news, business publications and news TV, digital brands. He will report to Mr Purie

    Shekhar Gupta to join India Today as Vice Chairman and Editor-in-Chief

    By A Correspondent

     

    It’s now official. Shekhar Gupta, who announced his exit from the Indian Express group with effect from June 15, returns to the India Today Group as Vice Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of all news, business publications and news TV, digital brands

     

    Announcing the appointment today, ITG Chairman Aroon Purie said: “This is a homecoming for Shekhar. He joined India Today in 1983 and was here for 12 eventful years during which he was an outstanding journalist. Shekhar is by far the best reporters’ editor in Indian journalism today. Because of his fierce independence and integrity, he attracts and inspires the finest talent, and I look forward to him bringing an entire ecosystem of excellence on editorial as well as corporate platforms.”

     

    Mr Gupta will also, in association with Mr Purie, launch a series of unique new editorial products that will showcase, 24 by 7, the finest in investigative reporting and interpretative commentary.

     

    “At a personal level, our friendship has grown as we have bounced ideas off each other about the rapid changes in our business,” said Mr Purie. “So Shekhar’s return is a moment of deep satisfaction and vindication of my belief, our shared belief, in the power of good journalism to help make sense of the noise rather than to add to it. Shekhar has also promised to liberate me from day-to-day operations so that I can work to guide the Group into a future of great promise, growth and excitement.”

     

    “It’s a privilege to have the opportunity,” said Mr Gupta, “to return to the India Today Group to work with Aroon and his fine teams and nurture the most trusted news brands. ITG, with its commitment to excellence and credibility, is best placed to meet the biggest challenge in our business today: to earn the trust and respect of our readers and viewers.”

     

    Mr Gupta will report to Mnr Purie and will be responsible for the editorial quality of all news and business brands. He will work closely with Ashish Bagga, Group CEO, and enable him to effectively grow readership and viewership profitably.

     

  • The campaign highlights Axis Bank's journey as a customer centric bank

    Axis gets Deepika Padukone to take its brand philosophy ahead

    By A Correspondent

     

    Axis Bank has announced the launch of the third phase of its advertising campaign around its brand philosophy of ‘Badhti ka naam zindagi…’ or ‘Progress On’. With a new cut on the philosophy articulated as ‘Badhne ke kai naam hai…’,the bank, for the first time in its evolution has got associated with a celebrity and has announced Deepika Padukone as its brand ambassador.

     

    The campaign, that has been designed by Lowe Lintas revolves around the thought that progress has many dimensions and talks about the ‘holistic’ nature of progress and highlights Axis Bank’s journey as a customer centric bank. The new campaign has been directed by ad film director Gauri Shinde.

     

    Speaking on the launch of the campaign, Rajiv Anand, President – Retail Banking, Axis Bank said, “The new film takes our brand positioning of Badhti ka naam zindagi… or Progress On… ahead. The campaign is based on the insight that Progress means different things to different people and can also be defined differently for the same individual at different times. This insight is captured in our new communication which brings to life the ubiquitous and multidimensional nature of progress.”

     

    Arun Iyer, National Creative Director, Lowe Lintas and Partners said, “Badhti ka Naam Zindagi’ or ‘Progress on’ is the essence of brand Axis. In our earlier campaigns, we have explored this philosophy from various angles, be it an individual’s progress or the progress of the collective. The objective this year was to explore a new dimension of progress while showcasing the range of products, which brings us to the idea behind the campaign ‘Progress has many meanings’. It is not just material but also emotional and personal. While growing monetarily is important but it is also important to have value-system in place and that’s the whole thinking behind the philosophy of ‘Badhti ka Naam Zindagi’.”

     

    About Axis Bank

    Axis Bank is the third largest private sector bank in India. Axis Bank offers the entire spectrum of services to customer segments covering Large and Mid-Corporates, SME, Agriculture and Retail Businesses.

     

    With its 2,402 domestic branches (including extension counters) and 12,922 ATMs across the country, as on 31st March 2014, the network of Axis Bank spreads across 1,636 cities and towns, enabling the Bank to reach out to a large cross-section of customers with an array of products and services. The Bank also has overseas offices in UK, Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Colombo, Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

     

    The Bank’s website www.axisbank.com offers comprehensive details about its products and services.

     

    For further information please contact:

    Axis Bank Index PR
    Suresh Warrier | Parminder Panesar

    +91 22 2425 5601 | +91 22 2425 5619

    suresh.warrier@axisbank.com  parminder.panesar@axisbank.com

    		 Tayyab Imadi | Shruti Muddup

    +91 99672 12492 | +91 98206 51056

    tayyab@indexpr.in | shruti@indexpr.in

     

     

     

  • The awards show has received over 37,400 entries from 97 countries across 17 categories

    Cannes sees record number of entries from across the globe

    By A Correspondent

     

    Cannes Lions entries have reached an all-time high with a total of 37,427 entries submitted from a record 97 countries across 17 awards categories – Branded Content & Entertainment (1,178 entries), Creative Effectiveness (80), Cyber (3,660), Design (2,624) Direct (2,676), Film (2,838), Film Craft (2,073), Innovation (206), Media (3,127), Mobile (1,187), Outdoor (5,660), PR (1,850), Press (5,007), Product Design (194), Promo & Activation (3,241), Radio (1,448) and Titanium & Integrated Lions (378).

     

    The top ten entrant countries include USA (6,213), Brazil (3,321), United Kingdom (2,757), Germany (2,376), France (1,838), Australia (1,543), Japan (1,146), Canada (995), India (976) and China (952). Countries that have entered for the very first time include Albania, Ghana and San Marino.

     

    The work will be judged by 17 international juries made up of 327 top-level industry peers from 44 countries who will vote, deliberate and finally award the coveted Lions to the entries worthy of the honour which will go on to inspire and shape the industry in the future.

     

    “Overall entries are up close to 5 per cent on last year, and we’re delighted with the response to the inaugural Product Design Lions category as we bring into the Cannes Lions mix a whole new sector,” observed Philip Thomas, CEO of Lions Festivals.

     

    “Some interesting analysis from these entries figures include: the astonishing leap in Cyber Lions, now the third largest category at the festival (+39 per cent) which we attribute to the restructure of the category to bring it in line with current digital trends to embrace Social, Branded Technology and Branded Games. PR Lions has also increased dramatically (+43 per cent) as the category is embraced by agencies around the world as the definitive and much acclaimed honour for the PR industry. Other awards categories that have equally seen a significant growth are Branded Content & Entertainment now in its third year (+22 per cent), Design (+11 per cent), Mobile (+12 per cent) and Promo & Activation (+9 per cent).

     

    Interestingly entries into some of the traditional categories have dropped as the industry yet again changes shape; Film (-9 per cent), Press (-12 per cent) and Radio (-7 per cent). And for the first time ever, Outdoor entries have overtaken the number of Press submissions.

     

    Cannes Lions will take place from 15-21 June 2014 in Cannes, France.