MxMIndia

Tag: Abhijit Avasthi

  • … as Chief Growth Officer

    Malcolm Raphael quits TOI, joins Sideways

    Abhijit Avasthi’s Sideways is set to take its offerings to the market even more aggressively and to do this, it has on-boarded Malcolm Raphael as Chief Growth Officer. Raphael was last Senior VP and Head, Creative Strategy, Brand Content, Innovations and Trade Marketing at the Times of India group.

    Speaking on the appointment, Abhijit Avasthi, Founder, Sideways, said, “Till now we have grown only organically, by word of mouth, without participating in pitches, solely on the basis of our work and reputation. While we have worked with over 100 companies till date, I believe we can add exponential value to a lot more businesses  – it’s just that we have been very quiet about what we do and most companies are unaware of what all can Sideways do for them. Malcolm is the perfect person for taking the Sideways story to the world. Because of his varied experiences, he intuitively gets what Sideways does.”

    Commenting on his new role with Sideways, Raphael said: “What attracted me to Sideways is its unique approach to solving a business or brand problem. They are unlike any other agency or consultancy I have come across. I subscribe to their belief that in today’s environment, solutions to complex problems lies at the intersection of disciplines. They are able to provide these thanks to an eclectic team of strategists, technocrats, writers, product designers, management consultants, UI/UX and graphic designers and many others. I am looking forward to telling their story to the world.”

    At the Times Group, Raphael spearheaded initiatives like the Power of Print IP, Brand Equity Times Ahead, Innovation Roadshows and BrandScope, where he created consumer brands from scratch. He also led the Cannes Lions relationship and drove the Young Lions and Young Spikes competitions in India. He is part of the Advertising Club managing committee and has been part of the Effies, Emvies and Abbys juries.

  • Announces a new brand campaign, 'Engineered for More'

    Sideways Consulting promotes Ninety One bicycles

    By Our Staff

     

    Ninety One active lifestyle brand has announced the launch of its new campaign ‘Engineered for More’.  Millennial and Gen Z consumers today are adopting cycling as a lifestyle choice and are looking for differentiated and well-engineered products.

     

    Ninety One’s newly launched campaign – ‘Engineered for More’ has been conceptualized in partnership with Sideways Consulting and will be promoted across TV, Digital and OTT mediums.

     

    Talking about the flagship launch of Ninety One, Vishal Chopra, Co-founder and Managing Director said: “Ninety One represents the aspirations, dreams and vision of a modern, young, confident India that is looking to claim its rightful place in the world order. As we look to scale higher peaks, we are excited to bring alive our brand vision through the “Engineered for More” campaign. To new age India, a cycle represents more of an active lifestyle choice than just a means to travel; this helps make life’s small moments worth cherishing.”

     

    Added Abhijit Avasthi from Sideways Consulting: “Cycling is one of those simple pleasures of life that offers so much more than just going from point A to point B. Each ride is never just a ride. Ninety One understands this connection that cycling enthusiasts have with their bikes and through our film we hope to bring alive this emotion in a refreshing manner. And of course, we will continue to build on this in our efforts further.”

     

  • Created by Sideways Consulting

    VistaPrint digital printing unveils new ad

    By Our Staff

     

    VistaPrint digital printing, an online customization company, has launched an ad campaign, ‘Mera Naam, Meri Shaan’ (My Name My Pride) to help strengthen the business-customer relationship.

     

    Said Bharath Sastry, CEO of VistaPrint India: “When a small business is appreciated by its customers, when an owner has created a legacy, when an entrepreneur is just starting up full of hope, when any individual just wants to create and display an identity, there is a sense of pride. We are attempting to celebrate this emotion”

     

    Added Abhijit Avasthi, Founder of Sideways Consulting, who has created the ad.”Besides monetary benefits, for an entrepreneur or an owner an important outcome of running a business is establishing their identity and the respect that comes from doing so. The film we have created aims to capture this feeling that Vistaprint understands very well and provides services that bring it alive.”

     

  • Elevates Sameer Sojwal and ropes in Nilay Moonje to jointly lead the creative team

    Sideways strengthens creative leadership

    By Our Staff

     

    Sideways Consulting has announced strengthening its creative leadership. It has elevated Sameer Sojwal and roped in Nilay Moonje to jointly lead the creative team.

     

    Said Abhijit Avasthi: “The last six years have set the stage for Sideways’ next growth phase. Sameer and Nilay are from that rare breed of creative folks whose work moves the market place and inspires the industry too. They are adept at traditional and new age businesses, and think beyond advertising in areas like product design and tech dev which are important to Sideways. Sameer and Nilay will be ably supported by our other creative group heads such as Misht, Viraj, Ninad, Vaibhav and Namaah.”

     

  • Targets different consumer segments

    Sideways shoots 12 films for Meesho online

    By Our Staff

     

    Meesho, the online shopping marketplace,  has launched its latest campaign – ‘Arrey Waah!’

     

    Said Lucky Saini, VP & Head of Brand-Meesho:  “The inspiration of this campaign is Meesho’s mission to democratize internet commerce for everyone in India and the joy every shopper experiences when they can own what they desire”. IPL is India’s favorite sports entertainment event that presents an opportunity to tap into a newer and larger customer base, by showcasing how Meesho is driving accessibility and elevating customers’ online shopping experience. The objective of the campaign is to create an ‘Arrey Waah’ moment in the minds of the consumers by showcasing the discovery of the desired products at unheard of prices. The campaign underlines how Meesho is solving for the value seeking aspirational India.”

     

    Added Abhijit Avasthi, Co-founder, Sideways: “Meesho has set out to delight Indians across geographies and pop strata in an unprecedented manner. They truly want to democratize ecommerce. With the ‘Arrey Waah!’ campaign we hope to capture this joy that millions of people will experience thanks to Meesho. I believe the simplicity, the relatability and the level of localisation will build affinity with people everywhere. I think this is also the first time when a trio of A- list Directors – Rajesh Krishnan (Soda Films), Prashant Issar (Tubelight Films) and Ryan Mendonca (Bang Bang) – have come together as a team to partner with a brand and an agency to execute something at this scale.”

     

  • For strategic guidance and creative development

    Meesho moves (to) Sideways for brand-building

    By Our Staff

     

    Meesho, the online shopping site and e-commerce platform, has announced its partnership with Sideways for strategic guidance and creative development of their brand campaigns through the year.

     

    Said Abhijit Avasthi, Co-Founder, Sideways: “Meesho will be doing for a billion Indians what the incumbent e-commerce players have not been able to do even after many years – truly democratize the power of ecommerce for a billion Indians. We are excited about the opportunity and hope to build one of India’s most loved brands in the very near future.”

     

    Added Lucky Saini, VP & Head of Brand: “We are absolutely delighted to go Sideways. In Sideways, we have found the right partner during this hyper-growth phase of our journey. They truly are a different kind of agency with an integrated team of strategists, creative folks and technologists who understand internet businesses and the pulse of Indian consumers. Together we aim to build Meesho as one of the largest internet companies in India and a brand that people love.”

     

  • Stars brand ambassador and investor Shraddha Kapoor

    Sideways launches TVC for MyGlamm

    By Our Staff

     

    Beauty and personal care brand MyGlamm has launched its first TVC ‘Tell MyGlamm What You Want’ created by Sideways. The campaign features newly appointed brand ambassador and investor Shraddha Kapoor.

     

    Commenting on the campaign, Apratim Majumder, CMO, MyGlamm said: “I am super-excited about this campaign. This gives us an opportunity to take our platform to more people and positively impact, in a small way, their beauty journey. In a world that is getting polarised by the day, we want to tell our story of inclusiveness and hope to inspire people to tell their stories.”

     

    Added Abhijit Avasthi, Co-founder of Sideways: “MyGlamm is an amazing example of what technology and data can do for women and their beauty needs. It’s philosophy of understanding from women what they want and crafting products for them is what has made them much-loved by their users. With this film we hope to get many more people to enjoy their products and share their beauty wishlist. Sideways started partnering with MyGlamm in 2017, right from the product/packaging development stage, and hence it is extremely fulfilling to see this journey to their first TVC release.”

     

  • Features existing brand ambassador Janhvi Kapoor

    Sideways Consulting films new campaign of Nykaa

    By Our Staff

     

    Nykaa Cosmetics and Fashion has released a new campaign with its brand ambassador, actor Janhvi Kapoor. The campaign will debut on Nykaa’s social channels and will be further amplified across digital and mainline media.

     

    Commenting on the campaign launch, Shalini Raghavan, Group CMO, Nykaa, said: “At Nykaa, a shared love for beauty has underpinned our relationship with consumers. By listening to them closely and consistently bringing their beauty desires to their doorstep, we have become a much-loved part of their lives and we greatly value this position. With our All that you love campaign we want to acknowledge their emotional connection with us and invite many more women to experience the joy of discovering Nykaa’s limitless world of beauty that cuts across categories and choices.”

     

    Added Abhijit Avasthi, Co-Founder Sideways: “Sideways has conceptualised and brought to life the All that you love campaign keeping in mind that there is something for everyone at Nykaa; where the girl-next-door can play, explore and experiment, looking and feeling beautiful, in a safe judgement free environment.”

     

  • Features OTT stars Ayush Mehra and Radhika Mehrotra

    Fintech Niyo rolls out two new ad campaigns

    By Our Staff

     

    Digital banking fintech Niyo has launched two ad communications to introduce, Niyox, a savings and wealth account aimed at millennials and Generation Z. The ad communications was launched on Hotstar website and mobile app at the just-suspended Indian Premier League (IPL).  The campaign has been conceptualised by Sideways Consulting and executed by Picturewali, featuring OTT stars Ayush Mehra and Radhika Mehrotra.

     

    Said Niyo Chief Marketing Officer Vineet Sethi: “We launched NiyoX, a full-suite banking app, to transform the way the Millennials and GenZ bank. With digital innovation at the heart of everything we do at Niyo, we decided to empower them further and boost their banking experience. We know this generation #JustCantWait to get their hands on things they desire and for experiences they want to live. They don’t just want everything in an instant, they also #WantMore out of everything! So we teamed up with our creative partners, Sideways Consulting, and launched these cool, quirky films to encapsulate the essence of Niyo.”

     

    Added Abhijit Avasthi, Founder, Sideways Consulting: “Niyo is setting the ground for neobanking in India. We believe NiyoX’s offerings are going to delight the youngsters and so all we need to do is to bring them alive in a charming manner. Hence, the creative idea was to pick moments from one such relatable, endearing couple’s life and link them to the product offerings. While Niyo is an efficient, tech-enabled finance offering, we don’t want to behave like a stodgy old-school bank. Instead, we want to build a cool and confident brand.”

     

    Said Sharmista Nag, Director and founder, Picturewali: “Shooting during the pandemic especially at a time when the cases were rising was risky. Hence, I asked myself, is it worth the risk? The interesting scripts and an agency with whom I always wanted to collaborate with tempted me. However, when you run a company, one can’t just think about oneself, one has to think about the whole team. Keeping safety our top priority, myself and my producer decided to take the challenge. We ensured that the entire cast and crew followed all safety measures. With a responsible team, a supportive agency and client it was a risk worth taking.”

     

  • Launches a new TVC to urge learners to upskill

    Virat Kohli films for Great Learning

    By Our Staff

    Edtech company Great Learning has released a new TVC featuring their brand ambassador Virat Kohli. The ad film is the third in the series of the multi-film campaign titled Power Ahead – Jo Seekhta Hai Wahi Aage Badhta Hai. It showcases how upskilling is a necessary step for students and professionals. The ad film will air across 40+ national channels of varied genres starting mid-April. The campaign has been conceptualized by Sideways and directed by Cornerstone.

    Said Aparna Mahesh, Chief Marketing Officer, Great Learning: “In today’s volatile world, constant learning and upskilling will increasingly be the main source of stability for professionals. Great Learning has always been focused on providing professionals with access to top-notch programs from the world’s best academic institutions. Virat embodies Great Learning’s philosophy of lifelong learning and disciplined effort in his game. His ethos of pursuing excellence is exactly what we follow at Great Learning while delivering our programs across domains to our learners.  We believe his passion to stay at the top of his game will inspire our learners and audience to uplift their careers through mentored learning.”

    Added Abhijit Avasthi, Co-founder, Sideways: “Great Learning’s stance of ‘Jo seekhta hai, wahi aagey badhta hai’ is true of any sphere of life or career. Virat is an embodiment of this philosophy. And the results are there for all to see. We have seen a lot of traction ever since we launched this thought last August. We hope to continue and build on the momentum.”

     

  • To launch overhead storage water tanks

    Sideways makes new film for Ashirvad Pipes

    By Our Staff

     

    Ashirvad Pipes has announced its foray into a range of overhead water storage tanks with a launch film that has a tagline ‘Ashirvad chahoge toh Ashirvad milega’.

     

    Said Abhijit Avasthi, Founder, Sideways: “I loved the challenge of making Ashirvad synonymous with Water Tanks in a cluttered category that is overly dependent on celebrities rather than ideas. The team at Ashirvad encouraged us to push the limits of entertainment to start the journey towards make it an endearing brand.”

     

    Added Deepak Mehrotra, Managing Director, Ashirvad: “Ashirvad is known for innovation and high-quality products that last a lifetime. We aspire to offer end-to-end water management solutions to our valued customers. Our research indicated unmet customer expectations from existing Water Storage Tanks available in the market. Our portfolio of Water Storage Tanks will not only fill the gap in the market but also deliver unmatched technical features and benefits to our customers.”

     

    Said Ashim Chatterjee, Chief Marketing Officer of the tank-maker: “We seek to leverage Ashirvad’s strong equity in the piping segment and build consideration for our new range of water storage tanks among influencers and end customers. In a crowded category that suffers from low involvement, the communication task was to build salience and drive engagement among a diverse audience. The message had to be simple and instantly endearing to build memorability and drive intent.”

     

  • It has been conceptualised and directed by Abhijit Avasthi from Sideways Consulting and Prasoon Pandey from Corcoise Films

    Great Learning launches its first TVC

    By A Correspondent

     

    Edtech firm Great Learning has launched its first television campaign titled ‘Power Ahead’. The campaign has been conceptualised and directed by Abhijit Avasthi from Sideways Consulting and Prasoon Pandey from Corcoise Films.

     

    Said Hari Krishnan Nair, Co-founder, Great Learning: “Lifelong learning is the new normal for all knowledge workers today. One cannot hope to grow in their careers without learning new skills on a regular basis. In fact, the willingness to learn and upskill is a key parameter that companies are looking for when hiring professionals today. With ‘Power Ahead’ we intend to encourage professionals to aim high, upskill regularly and keep themselves prepared for the big opportunities. Through this TVC, we are engaging in a dialogue with our customers, in a language and context that they will relate to – while communicating our core mission to make professionals proficient and future-ready.”

     

    Added Abhijit Avasthi, Sideways Consulting: “I am really excited to lay the foundation for the Great Learning brand story. With the world changing so rapidly, in the coming years upskilling is going to be crucial for India and its workforce. Our story brings alive an absolute truth – ‘growth only comes from learning’ – in a relatable manner that most of us have encountered at some point. I believe in an inward looking, degree-obsessed category, this film is a breath of fresh air.”

     

    Said Prasoon Pandey: “It was deeply satisfying for me to work on this film because it is a really sensitive story about a great friendship in the backdrop of Career Enhancing Programmes that could actually propel friends into very different orbits.”