MxMIndia

Category: Top Stories

  • For Branded Content & Entertainment and Film Cinema Digital OTT categories

    Abby 2024: Jon Austin & Kate Stanners appointed as Jury Chairs

    Jon Austin
    Jon Austin
    Kate Stanners
    Kate Stanners

    From now to at least three to four weeks more, get set for announcements on jury chairs of the Abby One Show 2024. We would’ve loved to have all the announcements in one go, but remember this is the Ad Club. And no one knows better the art of sustained publicity and being top-of-mind. Right?

    Jon Austin, Co-founder of Supermassive, Sydney Australia, and Kate Stanners, Chairwoman and Global Chief Creative Officer, Saatchi & Saatchi have been appointed as Jury Chair of Branded Content & Entertainment category and Jury Chair of Film Cinema Digital OTT (above 1 min duration) category respectively, at The Abby One Show Awards 2024.

    While Austin will chair the Branded Content & Entertainment category, Stanners will be Chair of Film Cinema Digital OTT (above 1 min duration) category

  • Or the Abby One Show Awards, as they are called now

    Awards Governing Council announced for for Abby 2024

    The Advertising Club and Advertising Agencies Association of India have announced the Awards Governing Council (AGC) for the 2024 edition of the annual awards.

    Representing Advertising Club:

    1. Ajay Kakar, Chairperson, Awards Governing Council, Abby One Show Awards 2024 and Managing Committee Member, The Advertising Club
    2. Dheeraj Sinha, Group CEO – India and South Asia, FCB, and Co-chair Awards Governing Council, Abby One Show Awards 2024
    3. Ajay Chandwani, Managing Committee Member, The Advertising Club
    4. Alok Lall, Executive Director, McCann World Group India
    5. Sonia Huria, Head Communications – APAC, Prime Video
    6. Subramanyeswar S., Group CEO, MullenLowe Lintas Group & Chief Strategy Officer – APAC, MullenLowe Global

     

    Representing Advertising Agencies Association of India:

    1. Prasanth Kumar, President of the Advertising Agencies Association of India and CEO of GroupM, South Asia
    2. Jaideep Gandhi, Chairperson, Goafest 2024
    3. Mohit Joshi, CEO, Havas Media
    4. Sam Balsara, Chairman, Madison World
    5. Rohit Ohri, FCB Global Partner
    6. Anupriya Acharya, CEO South Asia, Publicis Groupe

    Speaking on the AGC, Rana Barua, President of The Advertising Club, said: “Over the years the Abby One Show Awards has not only honoured creative excellence but has helped strengthen South Asia and especially India’s position in the global arena. It is imperative that we turn the spotlight on work that is deserving, innovative and socially and culturally relevant with creativity at its heart. The awards has encouraged talent and brought to light work that was impossible to even imagine. We are excited for this edition and are certain that the Awards Governing Council has a tough task at hand given the level and amount of work showcased over the last year.”

    Added Prasanth Kumar, President of the Advertising Agencies Association of India: “The Abby One Show Awards has evolved, becoming a level playing field not just for India but the entire South Asian region. We have witnessed agencies and brands of all sizes put their best foot forward, and have been humbly surprised with the kind of work that this region is home to.  We are confident that the awards will continue to empower the creative community and provide them with a global stage to showcase innovation and insight behind their creative communication.”

    Said Ajay Kakar, Chairperson, Awards Governing Council, Abby One Show Awards 2024: “The Abby One Show Awards continue to bring the spotlight on great ideas that manifest into great work. I am humbled by the opportunity to Chair the Awards Governing Council, that comprises stalwarts of our industry. An award, I believe, is as good as the Jury that judges it. So, the AGC is committed to have a stellar line-up of jury chairs and jury members, who have earned their spurs at a global and local level. They will help identify and recognise the best of best that the industry has created, this year. The Abby One Show Awards 2024 will continue to encourage, empower and accredit work to find its rightful place at a domestic level, and as a stepping stone to the global stage.”

    Added Kevin Swanepoel, CEO of The One Club for Creativity: “It is with great enthusiasm that we continue our association with The Advertising Club for the Abby Awards. What The One Show brings to the Abby ABBY Awards is a legacy of integrity, a reputation that resonates worldwide. Last year’s collaboration with the Abby Awards has pushed the creative envelope further, setting new benchmarks in recognising and celebrating creative excellence. We are delighted to be a part of this property that fosters a culture of excellence in the creative industry and are excited to witness deserving campaigns being honoured with an Abby.”

    Said Jaideep Gandhi, Chairperson, Goafest 2024: “Goafest and the Abby One Show Awards have over the years crafted a premiere position bringing together the industry to learn, unlearn and celebrate. Like past editions, this year too we are confident of witnessing work that goes on to set new benchmarks of their own. While we are looking forward to a diverse creative showcase, we are confident that the task won’t be as easy for our jurors and AGC given the level of competitiveness.”

    Jointly organised by Advertising Agencies Association of India and The Advertising Club, Goafest 2024 will be held on May 29 to 31, 2024 at Grand Hyatt hotel, in Bambolim, Goa.

  • To give back 50% of entry fees at the Kyoorius Creative Awards 2024

    Kyoorius & Zee together again for KCA 2024

    Kyoorius has announced the twelfth edition of the Kyoorius Creative Awards and is going to be presented by Zee. Notes a communique: “The directive for 2024, is to galvanize the community to GiveBack to the industry that has given them so much. To kickstart the initiative, Kyoorius GivesBack, for every entry that does not make it into the first list (that is, beyond the first round of judging), Kyoorius will pay back 50% of the entry fee to the entrant.

    “A deep dive into the global awards ecosystem revealed that over 75% of all entries in any award show go unrewarded or are literally, rejected in the first round of judging itself.”

    Rajesh Kejriwal
    Rajesh Kejriwal

    Said Rajesh Kejriwal, Founder and CEO of Kyoorius: “Beyond recognising excellence, Kyoorius also stands to recognise obstacles,” adding: “Addressing the pain points of our entrants and the award ecosystem has always been our mission.”

    Punit Goenka

    Added Punit Goenka, MD and CEO, Zee: “We’re proud to continue our support for the Kyoorius Creative Awards and its newly launched ‘GiveBack’ initiative, building upon our longstanding commitment to fostering creativity and supporting the advertising fraternity.”

    The deadline for entries to the Kyoorius Creative Awards 2024 is April 19, 2024.

    Details at: kca.kyoorius.com.

  • Moloco, a player in operational machine learning

    Moloco announces partnership with Viacom18 for ad serving on JioCinema

    Moloco, a player in operational machine learning (ML) and advertising technology, has announced a strategic partnership with Viacom18 and JioCinema.

    Said Sunil Rayan, Moloco’s Chief Business Officer: “As the streaming media industry continues to focus on monetization, we’re excited to partner with leading players such as JioCinema to develop their performance advertising engine. We have leveraged Moloco’s deep experience in advertising technology over the last decade to build an ad serving solution for JioCinema that ensures stability at scale and improves user experience during peak times. Looking ahead to Tata IPL 2024, we anticipate an even bigger opportunity to engage millions of viewers while also creating measurable value for advertisers,” he added.

    Added Akash Saxena, CPTO, JioCinema: “By using Moloco’s advanced algorithms and highly optimized ad serving infrastructure, we were able to deliver ads to 32M viewers concurrently during Tata IPL 2023 and offer new monetization opportunities to our advertisers.”

    Speaking on the announcement, Siddharth Jhawar, Moloco’s General Manager for India, said, “India’s 700 million digital population has shown a growing preference for consuming video content online. As streaming platforms scale and look for more monetisation opportunities, Moloco Streaming Monetization can help them grow profitably.”

  • The lifestyle technology ‘weartech’ brand

    Nu Republic campaign stars Farhan and Shibani Akhtar

    Nu Republic, the lifestyle technology ‘weartech’ brand, has announced its new brand campaign today, featuring actor-film-maker Farhan Akhtar and his wife Shibani.

    Commenting on the launch, Ujjwal Sarin, Founder, Nu Republic: “Farhan Akhtar and Shibani Akhtar embody the ethos of Nu Republic through their multifaceted accomplishments.”

  • Part of the ROI & Performance Marketing agency to take new steps in its transformation

    Zeus Maia Media unveils new identity

    Zeus Maia Media, formerly known as Relier Media, has announced rebranding and expansion plans. Notes a communque: “By merging the strengths of Relier Media with Zeus Maia Media, the agency aims to solidify its position as a best-in-class performance marketing agency, leveraging design excellence, AI technology, and cross-channel expertise to drive innovation and deliver superior results.”

    Said Anoushka Adya who is set to lead Zeus Maia Media as its CEO: “We are deeply passionate about leveraging technology to empower our clients in navigating dynamic market landscapes and realising their growth aspirations. In today’s marketing landscape, success hinges on outcome-driven strategies, grounded in audience-centric planning and AI-driven performance metrics. At Zeus Maia Media, alongside our agency partners, we are pioneering a tech-enabled future that prioritizes accountability to our client’s growth objectives and fosters an advertising ecosystem that benefits all stakeholders. Our relentless commitment.”

  • Ogilvy’s Shagun Agarwal and Chaitali Mane announced winners

    AAAI announces Young Lotus Contest winners

    The Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) announced the winners of the AAAI Young Lotus Contest, 2024. The winning team comprises  Shagun Agarwal and Chaitali Mane of Ogilvy. Their work stood out among more than 40 entries received from talented young professionals across India, a comunique informs.

    Said Rohit Ohri who spearheaded the 2024 edition of the AAAI Young Lotus Contest: “The AAAI Young Lotus Contest provides a platform for young minds to use their creativity to make our world a better place. This year, it’s been encouraging to see the participants’ enthusiasm to tackle one of the burning issues of our time – the need for clean air.”

    Notes a communique: “Under the theme ‘Breath of Change: Innovating for Clean Air in India’ contestants were tasked with conceptualising integrated campaigns advocating for cleaner air and environmental sustainability. Shagun Agarwal and Chaitali Mane’s winning entry demonstrated ingenuity and a profound understanding of the theme, earning them the opportunity to represent India at the Young Lotus Workshop during Adfest 2024.” The jury members for the contest were Romit Nair, NCD, FCB Ulka, Moumita Pal, Creative Head, Enormous and Kartikeya Tiwari, NCD, FCB Kinnect.

    The Young Lotus Workshop at Adfest Pattya happens from March 19 to 21. The duo will also participate in Adfest 2024 from March 21 to 23.

  • Retail media's upper-funnel, brand awareness capabilities are growing stronger as advertisers demand similar opportunities in commerce led verticals like travel and finance, notes the study

    Criteo study says 83% of publishers eye retail media investment

    Brands, agencies, retailers, and publishers worldwide are embracing retail media and the larger world of commerce media to drive meaningful outcomes. Criteo, the commerce media company, has conducted a global study of more than 1000 brands, agencies, retailers and publishers in a report titled ‘The Great Defrag: how commerce media will unite advertising in 2024’, bringing together perspectives from all players and all regions into one cohesive story of how to advance retail media to the next level.

    The study revealed that 83% of publishers globally are open to tap into retail media adspend by embedding products on their web pages, opening up more inventory opportunities for offsite campaigns. The data also illustrates how retail media has evolved beyond purely sponsored product ads. Overall, 85% of brands and agencies agreed the ability of retail media to drive upper-funnel brand awareness is growing stronger.

    Said Brian Gleason, Chief Revenue Officer, Criteo: “Advertisers, publishers and retailers want to make full use of this new media and our mission is to make it as simple as possible. The easier it is for all parties to successfully buy and sell retail media, the faster we reach the potential of this $100 billion market opportunity.”

  • The MIB Secretary pointed out that there were over 60 OTT platforms in India out which 30 per cent OTT Originals were operating in regional languages. The number is expected to go up to 50 per cent this year

    OTT Originals Growing Significantly in Regional Languages: MIB Secy Sanjay Jaju

    OTT platforms are growing significantly in various regional languages across India, said Sanjay Jaju, Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, at the India Digital Summit (IDS) 2024, in Mumbai, on Wednesday. In his keynote address, he pointed out that there were over 60 OTT platforms in India out which 30 per cent OTT Originals were operating in regional languages. The number is expected to go up to 50 per cent this year. The session was moderated by Vivek Malhotra, Group CMO & COO, Consumer Revenue, India Today Group.

    Jaju also said that the media and entertainment sector was a huge sector and played a pivotal role in the Indian economy. “It’s been growing phenomenally at a rate of 20 per cent and is approximately Rs 2 lakh crore. In that, the digital media segment is the second largest sub-segment, and has been showing a growth of approximately 30 per cent — around Rs 60,000 crore — and the film segment has a 25 per cent growth rate,” he said. Sharing data he added that over 200 films were released on the digital platforms in the last year, including 75 films which were released directly on the digital platform without a theatrical release.

    Regarding the growth of the digital gaming industry, Jaju said: “The online gaming industry has been growing by 34 per cent and animation and VFX have close to around 30 percent growth rate, expected to become a $2 billion industry by 2025.”

    Jaju also announced some new initiatives that the government is taking to provide a boost to the media and entertainment sector in India. These include the setting up of a National Centre of Excellence in Maharashtra to create world class media talent and an incentive scheme to attract international projects. He pointed out that, this would help the industry undertake a lot of co-production treaties with multiple countries and create a number of audiovisual co-productions.

    IDS 2024 was being organised by IAMAI in partnership with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB), the Union Ministry of Tourism, UIDAI, Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C), Government eMarketplace, In-Space and Skill India Digital.

  • The discussion centred around the challenges for digital marketers lies in navigating personalisation and measurement in a post-cookies era

    IDS24: Optimising campaign impact is key challenge

    At the IAMAI’s India Digital Summit 2024 held in Mumbai earlier this week, a panel discussed the challenge for digital marketers lies in navigating personalisation and measurement in a post-cookies era. Those on the panel included Shuvadip Banerjee, Chief Digital Marketing Officer, ITC; Shashank Srivastava, Senior Executive Officer, Maruti Suzuki India; Arnaud Frade, President, Commercial – (Asia), Nielsen and Mohit Joshi, Chief Executive Officer, Havas Media Network India. The session was moderated by Vivek Malhotra, Group Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Operating Officer – Consumer Revenue, India Today Group.

    Highlights of what the panelists said:

    Srivastava: “In earlier times, this understanding of the customer relied on sampling, market research, and analysis of demographics and psychographics. However, the abundance of data and advanced technologies now allow for a significantly more personalised approach to customer insights. Maruti Suzuki’s sustained market dominance, holding approximately 45% market share over four decades, stems from aligning with evolving consumer behaviours and processes. Extensively researched, the car purchasing journey involves 26 touchpoints, 24 of which Maruti Suzuki has seamlessly digitised. Aspects like test drives and delivery are transitioning to digital.”

    Frade: “Technological advancement also generates vast amounts of data, which must be leveraged more effectively. The challenge lies in obtaining precise, high-quality data that empowers marketers, brand owners, and other stakeholders to make informed decisions. In this rapidly evolving landscape, understanding the changing dynamics of the shopper journey is paramount. The proliferation of mobile technology and diverse forms of commerce has fundamentally altered how consumers engage with brands. We are witnessing a transition from discrete ‘moments of truth’ to a continuous journey, where decision-making occurs at various touchpoints. Marketers must excel not only at the final interaction but throughout the entire marketing funnel.”

    Banerjee: “The marketing landscape has evolved, with real-time multi-touch attribution and market mix models becoming commonplace, aiding investment allocation. Despite lacking a unified media measurement standard, metrics like scroll depth on owned assets and engagement within communities offer insights into consumer behaviour. Additionally, distinguishing between always-on and start-stop campaigns and measuring baseline improvements helps gauge campaign effectiveness. Despite the abundance of data, the challenge lies in harnessing it effectively to inform decision-making and optimise campaign impact across different funnel stages and mediums.”

    Joshi: “At Havas, we’re addressing this challenge of misinterpreting data head-on. We aim to refine our approach to a market mix model and ensure clients receive accurate input-output assessments. While data is invaluable, we must ensure it guides us in the right direction. By striking a balance between bottom-of-the-funnel optimisation and top-of-the-funnel investment, we can sustainably drive acquisition and growth. The key is to navigate the complexities of data and maximise its potential to drive client success.”

  • Price Band fixed at Rs 270 to 288 per equity share of face value of Rs 5

    R K Swamy IPO to open on March 4

    The much-awaited IPO R K Swamy Limited will open Monday, March 4, 2024. The Initial Public Offering (IPO) of up to equity shares of face value of Rs 5 each (Equity Shares) for cash at a price band from Rs 270 to Rs 288 per equity share. Bids can be made for a minimum of 50 equity shares and in multiples of 50 equity shares thereafter.

    The bid/offer will  close on Wednesday, March 6, 2024.

    As per a communique, the net proceeds from the issue are proposed to be used as follows: Funding working capital requirements of the Company Rs 540 million; Funding capital expenditure to be incurred by the company for setting up a digital video content production studio: Rs 109.85 million; Funding investment in IT infrastructure development of the Company, and Material Subsidiaries, Hansa Research Group Private Limited and Hansa Customer Equity Private Limited: Rs 333.42 million, and funding setting up of new customer experience centres and computer aided telephonic interview centres of the company: Rs 217.36 million. And general corporate purposes.

  • Prior to joining Kotak, Kotian led corporate communications for Visa across India and South Asia

    Kotak gets Prasanna Kotian to head corp comm

    Prasanna Kotian
    Prasanna Kotian

    Kotak Mahindra Bank Limited has announced the appointment of Prasanna Kotian as the new Head – Group Corporate Communication to oversee and drive external and internal communications for the Kotak group of companies. Prior to joining Kotak, Kotian led corporate communications for Visa across India and South Asia.

    Said Rohit Bhasin, President – Retail Liabilities Product and Chief Marketing Officer, Kotak Mahindra Bank: “We welcome Prasanna Kotian to the group marketing and communication team. His experience and leadership will be instrumental in strengthening our brand and fostering effective communication with all our stakeholders.”

    Added Kotian: “I am excited to join Kotak at an interesting time when the company is focussed on transformative change across the Group. I look forward to collaborating with the talented team here to enhance our corporate communication strategies and stakeholder communications helping strengthen the organisation’s reputation across our key stakeholders.”