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Tag: Adidas

  • Taproot was Indian Agency of the Year and wins a Grand Prix for 'Adidas Odds' along with McCann for 'Immunity Charm'

    Taproot tops Spikes Asia

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    There was much disappointment when the Adidas Odds campaign did win big at the 2017 Cannes Lions. We expected it to, just as we were certain the Bajaj V would also earn back rich laurels.

     

    But then these things happens at all jury-led events and for Taproot, accolades (and metals) at D&AD, OneShow, Adfest or Cannes on the international arena have meant some satisfaction. And now the Adidas Odds campaign has bagged the biggest award at Spikes Asia – the Integrated Grand Prix. Taproot Dentsu has also named as the Indian Agency of the Year Award on the back of 10 metals.

     

    Says Santosh Padhi, Co-founder and Chief Creative Officer with a smile: “Though I was bit disappointed with Cannes results, as I felt it was under rewarded with just three lions at Cannes, but this has made up for that,” adding: “Spikes Asia is one of the reputed Advertising Award Shows of Asia, We are happy to got two of the greatest honors at Spikes Asia this year in form of a “Integrated grand Prix” and “India Agency Of The Year” awards.

     

    And his comments on topping the country at Spikes? “This is not the first time we have fetched this title of Agency Of The Year on global forum… Last year at Clio we were the India Agency of the Year.  In 2012 we were Adfest Agency of the year, at many occasions at various awards shows we have topped the table for India nothing gives us more high than to represent the nation at such international forums”

     

    The other Grand Prix bagged by an Indian Agency was in the ‘Good’ category. And it was presented to McCann for “The Immunity Charm” for the Ministry Of Public Health, Afghanistan

     

    Meanwhile, the 2017 edition of Spikes Asia closed with the Spikes Asia Awards last weekend where members of the creative industry from across Asia-Pacific gathered to celebrate and honour the best work from the region.

     

    This year, Spikes received 4,301 entries from 23 countries. In addition to the 20 award categories announced at the Spikes Asia Awards, the ceremony also announced the recipients of: Media Agency of the Year, Independent Agency of the Year, Network of the Year, Asia-Pacific Agency of the Year Award the Spikes Palm Award, the Grand Prix for Good and the Country Agency of the Year Award a new award that celebrates agency performance at a national level.

     

    Said Terry Savage, Co-Chairman of Spikes Asia on how this year’s crop of winning work was a shining example of how the Asia-Pacific region was embracing new creative trends: “There’s been a growing movement of brands and their creative partners producing a new kind of work that goes beyond advertising. The ideas being recognised at Spikes this year show brands breaking out of traditional channels, impacting culture and delivering business results.”

     

    This year’s winners were:

    Creative Effectiveness
    2 Spikes from 19 entries were awarded including 1 Creative Effectiveness Spike
    The Creative Effectiveness Grand Prix went to Colenso BBDO, Auckland, New Zealand for their campaign ‘Brewtroleum’ for DB Breweries/Heineken

    Design
    39 Spikes from 350 entries were awarded including 3 Gold Spikes, 14 Silver Spikes and 21 Bronze Spikes.
    CJ WORX, Bangkok, Thailand won the Design Grand Prix for ‘The Unusual Football Field Project’, AP Thailand

    Digital
    44 Spikes from 407 entries were awarded including 4 Gold Spikes, 17 Silver Spikes and 22 Bronze Spikes.
    Clemenger BBDO Melbourne, Australia, won its first Grand Prix for ‘Meet Graham’ for the Transport Accident Commission Victoria

    Digital Craft
    17 Spikes from 131 entries were awarded including 2 Gold Spikes, 5 Silver Spikes and 9 Bronze Spikes.
    The Grand Prix was awarded to R/GA Sydney, Australia for its campaign ‘Through the Dark’ for Google

    Direct
    37 Spikes from 291 entries were awarded including 2 Gold Spikes, 14 Silver Spikes and 20 Bronze Spikes.
    Clemenger BBDO Melbourne, Australia won its second Grand Prix for ‘Meet Graham’ for the Transport Accident Commission Victoria

    Entertainment
    13 Spikes from 126 entries were awarded including 2 Gold Spikes, 4 Silver Spikes and 6 Bronze Spikes.
    The Grand Prix was awarded to Hakuhodo Inc., Tokyo, Japan for their campaign ‘Gravity Cat’ for Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.

    Film
    37 Spikes from 379 entries were awarded 6 Gold Spikes, 12 Silver Spikes and 18 Bronze Spikes.
    Colenso BBDO, Auckland, New Zealand won the Grand Prix for their campaign “Hard Man to Impress”, “Scared” and “Treehouse” for Pedigree

    Film Craft
    43 Spikes from 441 entries were awarded including 6 Gold Spikes, 14 Silver Spikes and 23 Bronze Spikes.
    There was no Grand Prix awarded

    Healthcare
    25 Spikes from 188 entries were awarded including 4 Gold Spikes, 6 Silver Spikes and 14 Bronze Spikes
    Clemenger BBDO Melbourne, Australia won its third Grand Prix of the evening for ‘Meet Graham’ for the Transport Accident Commission Victoria

    Innovation
    3 Spikes from 32 entries were awarded including 2 Innovation Spikes. The Grand Prix was presented to Dentsu Inc., Tokyo, Japan for ‘Smile Lock Outlet’ for Toyota

    Integrated
    6 Spikes from 43 entries were awarded including 1 Gold Spike, 2 Silver Spikes and 2 Bronze Spikes.
    The Grand Prix was presented to Taproot Dentsu, Mumbai, India for ‘Adidas Odds’ for Adidas

    Media
    37 Spikes from 333 entries were awarded including 7 Gold Spikes, 14 Silver Spikes and 15 Bronze Spikes.
    McCann Melbourne, Australia won the Grand Prix for ‘Made Possible by Melbourne’ for the University Of Melbourne

    Mobile
    20 Spikes from 173 entries were awarded including 3 Gold Spikes, 5 Silver Spikes and 11 Bronze Spikes
    The Grand Prix was awarded to MediaMonks, Amsterdam / Google Asia Pacific, Singapore / Lenovo, Singapore / Marina Bay Sands, Singapore / WWF Singapore, The Netherlands for ‘Arts Science Museum: Into the Wild’ for Google, Lenovo and WWF

    Music
    7 Spikes from 56 entries were awarded including 1 Gold Spike, 2 Silver Spikes and 3 Bronze Spikes.
    Host Sydney, Australia won the Grand Prix for ‘Summer Wonderland’ for Air New Zealand

    Outdoor
    28 Spikes from 293 entries were awarded including 4 Gold Spikes, 13 Silver Spikes and 10 Bronze Spikes.
    CJ WORX, Bangkok, Thailand won its second Grand Prix of the evening for ‘The Unusual Football Field Project’, AP (Thailand)

    PR
    26 Spikes from 264 entries were awarded including 4 Gold Spikes, 8 Silver Spikes and 13 Bronze Spikes.
    The Grand Prix was awarded to Clemenger BBDO Melbourne, Australia for ‘Meet Graham’ for the Transport Accident Commission Victoria

    Print & Outdoor Craft
    17 Spikes from 177 entries were awarded including 3 Gold Spikes, 6 Silver Spikes and 7 Bronze Spikes.
    Ogilvy & Mather Japan, Tokyo, Japan won the Grand Prix for its campaign ‘Flounder Fish’, ‘Octopus’, ‘Lotus Root’, ‘Mackerel’, ‘Onion’, ‘Mushroom’ and ‘Okra’ for Sagawa Shoyu Inc.

    Print & Publishing
    10 Spikes from 148 entries were awarded including 3 Gold Spikes, 4 Silver Spikes and 2 Bronze Spikes.
    Ogilvy, Bangkok, Thailand, were awarded the Grand Prix for ‘Build the Future 1’ for Dksh (Thailand) Ltd.

    Promo & Activation
    26 Spikes from 346 entries were awarded including 4 Gold Spikes, 6 Silver Spikes and 15 Bronze Spikes.
    The Grand Prix was awarded to CJ WORX, Bangkok, Thailand for ‘The Unusual Football Field Project’ for AP Thailand

    Radio
    12 Spikes from 104 entries were awarded including 1 Gold Spike, 4 Silver Spikes and 6 Bronze Spikes.
    Bashful, Sydney / Kind Agency, Sydney, Australia were awarded the Grand Prix for ‘Smartwig’ for The Star Sydney

     

    The Grand Prix for Good was presented to McCann India, Mumbai / McCann Health, Mumbai, India for “The Immunity Charm”, Ministry Of Public Health, Afghanistan

    Younghee Lee, Chief Marketing Officer of Samsung Electronics and Head of Global Marketing for Samsung’s Mobile Business accepted the Spikes Asia Advertiser of the Year Award.

    Network of the Year was presented to BBDO with Dentsu coming second and Ogilvy & Mather in third place.

    Dentsu Inc., Tokyo, Japan received the Asia-Pacific Agency of the Year, Clemenger BBDO Melbourne, Australia took second place with Colenso BBDO, Auckland, New Zealand in third.

    The Independent Agency of the Year was awarded to CJ WORX, Bangkok, Thailand, Fred & Farid Shanghai, China came second and Enjin, Tokyo, Japan came third.

    Media Agency of the Year was awarded to PHD, Auckland, New Zealand, OMD Singapore, Singapore was second with Dentsu X, Makati, The Philippines in third place.

    Tohokushinsha Film Corporation, Japan received the Spikes Palm, Revolver/Will O’Rourke, Australia came second and Joinery, USA in third.

    The Country Agency of the Year, a new award for 2017 saw the agencies below receive the honour of the most awarded agency in their respective countries.

    Japan: Dentsu Inc., Tokyo
    Australia: Clemenger BBDO, Melbourne
    Singapore: Ogilvy & Mather, Singapore
    China: Fred & Farid Shanghai
    India: Taproot Dentsu, Mumbai
    Thailand: CJ WORX, Bangkok
    The Philippines: Dentsu Jayme Syfu, Makati City
    South Korea: Cheil Worldwide, Seoul
    Hong Kong: Cheil Worldwide, Hong Kong
    Malaysia: Isobar, Kuala Lumpur
    Indonesia: Hakuhodo Indonesia, Jakarta
    New Zealand: Colenso BBDO, Auckland

  • This was the result of a multi-agency pitch in July

    Scarecrow wins the creative and digital duties for Skechers

    By A Correspondent

     

    Skechers, the American lifestyle and performance footwear company has assigned its creative duties to Scarecrow Communications. This was the result of a multi-agency pitch in July.

     

    Said Soumen Das, Senior Manager Marketing, Skechers: “We are very thrilled to partner with Scarecrow Communications as our creative agency. The work done by them in the industry has been very promising, effective and innovative which gets an ever-expanding brand like ours super-excited. We believe their advertising knowledge will be of great advantage and we look forward to doing some incredible work with them.”

     

    Added Joybrato Dutta, Creative Director, Scarecrow Communications: “Skechers is an aspirational brand. The product is fantastic and the category is something my team and I would love to work on. Work has already begun and they are launching quite a few cool products. I am sure together we can create some memorable campaigns and take the brand to newer heights.”

     

    Said Raghu Bhat, Founder Director, Scarecrow Communications: “I was always intrigued by how Skechers overtook Adidas and become the No. 2 brand in America. I got part of the answer by trying the shoes – they are the most comfortable sneakers ever. Also, they ‘understood’ a basic truth – that millennials want to dress up like they work out, even if they don’t. Really looking forward to co-creating the India journey of a brand that knows its consumers so well”

     

  • Taproot also wins two bronzes for both their Adidas films

    Taproot Dentsu wins sole integrated gold lotus at Adfest for Adidas

    By A Correspondent

     

    We had predicted that that the work done on the Adidas Odds campaign by Taproot Dentsu will be big winners in the awards circuit this year.

    And like we said, Taproot Dentsu bagged the sole integrated gold awarded for Adidas Odds campaign which also won two golds in the Promotion and Film Craft categories at Adfest 2017 held last week. It also bagged three bronzes two for films and another for Promo integrated again for Adidas

    Said Santosh Padhi, Chief Creative Officer and Co-founder, Taproot Dentsu: “This campaign is and will remain close to my heart for the simplicity and honest of the campaign and approach, I’m happy to win this biggest honour for India and us, this is only integrated gold Lotus which was awarded in the whole of Asian region and I’m glad Indian has won at this global/ Asian forum…India is still seen as a traditional advertising country and to win a big honour like this will certainly help us /Indians seen as a new age player in the global advertising market.”

  • Future Group, Arvind Brands, Adidas to cut offer days, discounts as sales dip substantially. FMCG sales down too in JFM 2014

    Summer Blues: Sales dip for retailers, FMCGs

     

    By Writankar Mukherjee & Rasul Bailay

     

    Top fashion retailers in the country plan to cut down on discounts and sale durations this year, after resorting to extended discount season last year to clear inventory pileups and create demand.

     

    Retailers such as Future Group, Arvind Brands, DLF Brands and Adidas say they have rationalised their buying patterns and inventory management to reduce dependence on discount sales.

     

     

    FMCG market growth dips during January-March quarter

     

    By Ratna Bhushan & Sagar Malviya

     

    Global consumer companies, which consider India as one of their last bastions for growth, saw demand taper off during the January-March quarter despite a low base last year. Top multinationals including Unilever, Yum Brands, L’Oreal, SABMiller, Nestle, Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Co have all reported slower growth in India in the quarter ended March compared to a year ago period, as Indian consumers remained cautious about spending amid high inflation and a slowing economy.

     

    While most of these firms had reported slower growth in every quarter last calendar year too, it was against a relatively high growth of 2012. “What we were experiencing in terms of the FMCG market growth slowing down has continued this quarter, both in terms of volume and value,” R Sridhar, Hindustan Unilever’s CFO, said while announcing the firm’s quarterly performance on Monday.

     

    “Premium segment and discretionary categories were really under pressure. The markets are still growing, but the pace of growth is slow,” he said. The overall FMCG growth has come down to 6per cent in the quarter ended March from 18per cent a year earlier. Experts said continuing slowdown in formerly fast-growing emerging markets such as India has dimmed multinationals’ prospect at least for the next few quarters. Yet, India is better than developed markets.

     

    “The India growth story is muted but it (India) is still growing faster than developed markets,” Debashish Mukherjee, partner at consulting firm AT Kearney, said. “There are structural headwinds in some sectors and downtrading across categories, but the overall macro outlook is steady,” he added.

     

    In the Jan-March quarter Yum! India, which owns KFC and Pizza Hut quick-service restaurant (QSR) chains, saw its same-store sales growth decline 1per cent. While consumer demand continues to remain subdued, top QSR players such as Yum! have maintained a high level of promotional intensity to enhance customer footfall.”Understanding the market sentiment, we have doubled our efforts to increase variety in our menu and hence increase ‘relevance’ to attract new customers,” a Yum! Restaurants India spokesperson said.

     

    Coca-Cola has reported 6per cent volume growth for its Indian operations in the quarter, impacted to some extent by a prolonged monsoon season, while its rival PepsiCo India delivered high single-digit organic revenue growth for its India operations. Companies’ performance also indicated that growth has been harder to achieve with most of them focusing on high-margin premium products even as consumers downtrade to lower prices products.

     

    Some companies feel that support from India is fading. For instance, Nestle SA in its Q1’14 sales release highlighted that trading conditions in India remained weak due to the weaker economy and consumer sentiment. Nestle India will announce its first quarter result next week. World’s second largest brewer SAB Miller also noted that India group revenue declined by 3per cent due to a volume decline of 7per cent, partially offset by robust realisation growth of 4per cent. “Volumes were impacted by regulatory changes made in the earlier part of the year in several key states, coupled with the prolonged monsoon season during the year,” said SABMiller in its investor update.

     

    Source:The Economic Times

    Copyright © 2014, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved

    Licensed to republish

     

    “Last year, retailers went overboard and the discounts went really deep. This year, the retailers are having a re-look at the strategy and might cut back on the discounts,” said Dipak Agarwal, chief executive at DLF Brands, which markets global brands such as Mango and Mothercare in the country. “Last year was best for consumers but this year will certainly be not going to be like last year,” he said.

     

    Some retailers have already taken the lead. Adidas AG, which used to run four-five weeks of discount sales in January, restricted it to just two weeks this year.

     

    According to Tushar Goculdas, brand director for Adidas India, the firm plans to have only short duration season discount, not exceeding two weeks, this year.

     

    “We support our partners to ensure a more effective merchandise mix and sharper demand planning. As a result of these measures, our need to clear inventory at discount has been steadily declining,” he said.

     

    Over the years when consumer spending soared in a booming economy, most fashion retailers started stocking heavy in anticipation of even higher demand. But an economic slowdown hit consumer sentiment in late 2012 and suddenly retailers were saddled with piles of stocks. To clear that inventory, retailers resorted to extended discount season last year.

     

    Industry insiders say fashion retailers are now working hard on managing their inventory to avoid such a fate this year.

     

    “Most of the retailers have become very smart and careful in terms of stock they hold and they currently hold very lean stocks,” Kumar Rajagopalan, chief executive of the Retailers Association of India, said. “It is also a matter of maturity of retailers. As they become mature their buying becomes more careful,” he said.

     

    According to Rajagopalan, till some three-four years ago retailers would start the spring-summer discount season only in August; but more recently many retailers have been going on sale as early as in June and the discounts went on all the way till August.

     

    Retailers say that such extended discount season hurt their businesses as sales have gone down substantially post-discount months.

     

    “The sales seasons have stretched from four weeks to six weeks to eight weeks, so the actual season for fullprice is coming down, particularly the spring-summer which is a shorter season,” said J Suresh, chief executive at Arvind Brands, which sells various global brands including USPA and Gant here.

     

    “There is a consciousness among everyone today that we should not unnecessarily get into too much discounting, but what happens (is that) if someone has extra stock they start (discount sales) and how the whole thing spreads,” he said.

     

    Future Group, ITC Wills Lifestyle and Woodland too have decided to cut down the number of discount days and margin of discount they offered. “The problem of discount-led demand generation has been a self-created problem of the retail industry and the industry is now trying to solve the problem together,” said Rachna Aggarwal, CEO at Future Lifestyle Fashions. She said Future Group has decided to reduce the number of discount days and discount mark-up, and also to finish the discount period at least two weeks before main buying seasons.

     

    “We are also placing fresh merchandise alongside the discounted products which has spurt sales of the fresh merchandise to almost 30% of the total sales during the last end-of-season sale in January,” Aggarwal said.

     

    ITC-owned Wills Lifestyle has decided to reduce the discount markdowns by 5%-10% this year and will also put less number of stock keeping units or SKUs up for sale, said Atul Chand, ITC’s lifestyle retailing business chief executive. This will help ease the pressure on margins, he said. “We are rolling out six collections this year as compared to four collections before to drive sales without promotions,” Chand said.

     

    Harkirat Singh, MD at Woodland, said the shoe and apparel retailer wants to reduce the share of discount-led sales on its total revenues to 15% this fiscal from 22% last year by cutting down on discount days as well as merchandise put on sale. “However, it is not possible and neither is it desirable to completely eradicate discount sales since in the fashion industry it is the best way to clear out old stock,” Singh said.

     

    What gives retailers confidence to reduce discounts and improve sales of fresh merchandise is that many of them clocked double-digit growth in March-April without offering any discount. Also, consumer demand is expected to pick up once a new government takes office later this month.

     

    Source:The Economic Times

    Copyright © 2014, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved

    Licensed to republish

     

  • Aviva, Coca-Cola, Adidas and Toshiba plan strategic campaigns on Sachin Tendulkar's 200th Test

    Sach an opportunity!

     

    By Ravi Teja Sharma, Ratna Bhushan & Vijaya Rathore

     

    Sachin Tendulkar’s 200th Test match is set to become a mega marketing event with his sponsors planning special campaigns to celebrate the milestone in the hope of reaping rich dividends from all the hype and hoopla.

     

    That this Test could be played in the master blaster’s home town of Mumbai and might possibly be his last, make the match even more of an occasion.

     

    “This is a national event. I don’t think people have been able to gauge the importance of the event until now,” says Shailendra Singh, joint managing director of media agency Percept.

     

    Tendulkar, who will become the first cricket player in the history of the game to play 200 tests, has repeatedly refused to specify a date for his retirement from Test cricket. But the cricket’s board decision to invite West Indies to play a special two-Test match series in November, ahead of a scheduled South Africa tour has given rise to speculation that India’s greatest cricketer will bid farewell to the game at the end of this series. The decision to award a Test match to Mumbai, ahead of Ahmadabad which should have hosted a game in the series, as per the board’s policy of rotating Test centres, has added fuel to the fire.

     

    Sensing one last opportunity to drum up some visibility in these depressing times, brands such as Aviva, Coca-Cola, Adidas and Toshiba, which are associated with the master blaster, are planning strategic campaigns and initiatives, which could translate into incremental sales in the festive season.

     

    Pune-based real estate developer Amit Enterprises is working on launching Sachin branded 200-apartment projects in Mumbai, Pune and Nashik. “The real estate market is slow but Sachin will sell. We have also asked JWT to work on a brand campaign,” says Kishor Pate, managing director of the company, which had signed up with the right-handed batsman in 2010, when Sachin had played 175 Tests.

     

    Aviva Life, the life insurance company, is planning a digital media campaign featuring Sachin to connect with the Facebook and Twitter generation. “We are looking to celebrate the 200th test by launching an effective campaign in social media and digital media since he has a lot of following in that space too,” says Rishi Piparaiya, director marketing at Aviva Life.

     

    Television-maker Toshiba has created a special television series with the cricketer and will be launching it by mid-September. “The new product is especially created with Sachin’s contribution and will be dedicated to cricket fans,” says Sanjay Warke, country head for Toshiba India (DS Division).

     

    Sportswear maker Adidas was drawing up a marketing plan for January. “But there seems to be a change of schedule now,” says Tushar Goculdas, the company’s brand director. “The exact plan is being worked out, but we have a few things on mind like creating a memento for Tendulkar himself and roll out some product for fans commemorating his 200th.”

     

    Swiss watchmaker Audemars Piguet and Coca-Cola, whose brands Sachin endorses, are working on smaller initiatives. While the watchmaker plans to roll out a bunch of congratulatory messages if Tendulkar breaks or makes any new records, Coca-Cola, which had invested heavily in a campaign surrounding Sachin’s 100th century only to see it bomb, is playing it safe. A spokesperson of the beverage maker said the firm will leverage Tendulkar’s achievement to amplify its CSR activities and projects.

     

    Two years ago, sponsors had seen their marketing campaign fizzle as Tendulkar’s 100th century took much longer than anticipated. Coca-Cola had planned to release 6.5 million special ‘Sachin’ cans in the summer of 2011 to mark the occasion. But Tendulkar’s poor form meant that the company had to release most of these cans before he reached the landmark.

     

    Similarly, Aviva had planned to fly contest winners to London to meet Sachin as he was expected to score the 100th ton during India’s four match test series against England in 2011.

     

    This time however, barring a freak incident, the date and venue of the milestone will be known well in advance. Brands associated with Sachin would certainly use this opportunity to leverage their association with him,” says Ajit Varghese, managing director at media buying firm Maxus South Asia, a part of Group M. Adds ad filmmaker Prahlad Kakkar:”Today, all brands are suffering because of the slowdown. The smart ones will ride on Sachin and in the bargain push their products, keeping the post Diwali festivities going.”

     

    According to Forbes magazine, Tendulkar’s earnings, including his match fees and endorsement money, stood at $22 million as of June 2013. He has played 198 Tests has scored 15,837 runs and has 100 international centuries to his name, the most by any player so far.

     

    For the record, BCCI refuses to admit there is a plan to help Tendulkar go out on a high. “Who said he will play? We haven’t selected him as yet. No one is picked just because he is playing his 100th or 200th match,” was a terse response from Ratnakar Shetty, a top official of the cricket board.

     

    The joint secretary of the Mumbai Cricket Association, Nitin Dalal, however, says every effort is being made to get the match to Wankhede. “We will request the BCCI. He is a Mumbai boy and the crowd will be thrilled to watch him play on the home ground. The MCA management committee believes that it is going to be a big event and we will have to make it very special not only for the cricketer but also the public,” he says.

     

    After undergoing a surgery on his left palm, Tendulkar recently started practising and has confirmed that he will be available for the Champions League T20 later this month on behalf of Mumbai Indians.

     

    Source:The Economic Times

    Copyright © 2013, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved

    Licensed to republish

     

  • Sportswear brand Adidas has signed up Mahela Jayawardene, captain of the Delhi Daredevils cricket team, as brand ambassador. To kickstart this partnership, he will be part of Adidas' latest digital and retail campaign for the IPL, 'Lose the heat, keep the fire'

    Adidas signs Mahela Jayawardene as brand athelete

    By A Correspondent

     

    Sportswear brand Adidas has signed up Mahela Jayawardene, captain of the Delhi Daredevils cricket team, as brand ambassador. To kickstart this partnership, he will be part of Adidas’ latest digital and retail campaign for the IPL, ‘Lose the heat, keep the fire’, based on Adidas’ new apparel range, ClimaCool+.

     

    Mr Jayawardene said, “I am excited and raring to step on the field in the three stripes. Adidas supports some the greatest athletes in the world today and have continued to develop revolutionary products to help cricketers like me outperform. The ClimaCool+ technology in the New Delhi Daredevils team jersey certainly brings the cool, the minute you put it on, and I am all in to face the heat this season.”

     

    Tushar Goculdas, Brand Director, Adidas India said, “Jayawardene is one of the greatest cricketers of the current era- a natural leader, a fantastic batsman and an outstanding fielder. He has had a tremendous impact on the game, making Sri Lanka a dominant force in world cricket. We are excited to support him with our incredible sportswear innovations and believe this partnership will empower him further to deliver match-winning performances.”

     

  • Retailers say early signs are encouraging than the same season last year, although these are early days and total actual sales numbers cannot be predicted yet

    Good news! End-season sales lure shoppers back to malls & high streets

    By Rasul Bailay, Sarah Jacob & Sagar Malviya

     

    After a lull of more than two months, Indian shoppers are thronging malls and high streets once again, lured by the end-of-season discount sales, and bringing some relief to nervous retailers.

     

    Retailers say early signs are encouraging than the same season last year, although these are early days and total actual sales numbers cannot be predicted yet. “So far it has shaped better than last year,” said Kailash Bhatia, chief executive of Pantaloons department chain.

     

    Dipak Agarwal, chief executive of DLF Brands, that markets products of brands including Mothercare, Mango, DKNY, Alcott among others, said the average sales at the brands under the company’s portfolio doubled in the first week of July compared to the same period in June when the discount sales had not started.

     

    Retailers have been nervous about whether shoppers would open their wallets amid a slew of negative news on the economic front such as increasing fears of below-normal monsoon rains, slowest GDP growth rate in nine years, US President Barack Obama expressing concerns about India’s investment climate, increasing food prices and prevailing high interest rates.

     

    After lukewarm sales in May, many brands including Arrow, French Connection and Puma advanced the start of their end-of-season sales to the last week of June instead of the traditional July.

     

    Now, with a whole host of other retailers joining in with discounts, consumers are back in the street in large numbers, causing traffic jams in main shopping areas this weekend.

     

    At the Noida Sector 18 market near Delhi, for example, hundreds of shoppers were driving up and down this weekend looking for a parking space.

     

    “It seemed I was shopping in the US. The sale looked genuine. I bought two Lee and two Wrangler T-shirts, two pairs of Albatross leather shoes and five pairs of sandals for my six-year old from Lifestyle and I paid just Rs7,500,” beamed a shopper holding a clutch of shopping bags at The Great India Place, the largest mall in Noida.

     

    DLF Brands’ Mr Agarwal says many retailers were apprehensive of the slowdown and through early sales they were trying to avoid an inventory build-up. And he expects consumer spending to remain high in the coming months.

     

    Jitendranath Patri, head of marketing at Central, a department chain owned by Future Group, shared Mr Agarwal’s optimism. “There is a long festival season starting from August and consumers will have something to celebrate each month during Ramzan and Diwali,” he said.

     

    Others such as Arvind Lifestyle Brands CEO J Suresh and Indus League Clothing CEO Rachna Aggarwal, however, warn that the positive response to discount sales need not necessarily mean that the good run will continue post August when most of the sales are over. “End-of-season sales never gives the true picture,” said Mr Suresh. “It is more important to see if sales will stabilize after the discount sales period or if a slowdown will continue,” he added.

     

    Mr Bhatia of Pantaloons said more and more customers now wait to shop during the sales seasons. Almost 30 per cent of Pantaloons’ revenues are generated during the discount seasons for the last four-five years.

     

    While the footfall has grown this discount season, Mr Patri of Central said the average ticket size of a Central customer too has increased to 2,500 this from 2,300 last year, making it a double whammy.

     

    A spokesperson for German sportswear brand Adidas AG said the company was expecting double-digit growth at its like-to-like stores during the sales season and it has achieved that target.

     

    Lavina Rodrigues, marketing manager at Metro Shoes Ltd, which sells multi-brand footwear through 175 outlets across the country, said the company is yet to gauge the sales records for the two-day flat 50 per cent sale this year, but indications are it is same as July last year. She says Metro is generally able to sell almost 60 per cent of the old stocks during the sales periods. In some cities like Rajkot, where consumers are more receptive of the discount season, the company would get rid of almost 85 per cent of the old stuff.

     

    Source: The Economic Times

    Copyright © 2012, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved

     

  • Brand marketers/campaign creators to present their entries LIVE before judges and audience via a unique interactive '4-6-10' format

    APPIES 2012: 100 best marketing campaigns to be presented LIVE

    By A Correspondent

     

    Fierce competition is expected at APPIES 2012 where 100 of the top marketing campaigns from 16 countries in Asia Pacific will vie for 10 Gold Medals. An annual two-day festival of the best marketing ideas, APPIES brings together the brightest minds in the industry from across 16 countries to celebrate excellence, network and exchange knowledge. Now in its third year, APPIES 2012 brings the audience up close and personal with some of the most compelling campaigns through its unique live presentation format.

     

    APPIES 2012 enables brand marketers/campaign creators to demonstrate their stellar ‘Show, Share and Sell’ skills, thanks to the unique ‘4-6-10’ format. Each presentation will begin with a 4-minute showreel video summarising the entire campaign, followed by a live 6-minute exposition of the campaign’s key highlights by the brand’s marketers/ campaign creators. Then comes the interactive 10-minute session where each campaign will be cross-examined by the judges and audience members.

     

    Building on last year’s list of campaigns by companies and brands such as P&G, Nestle, Pepsi, McDonald’s, Fonterra, Singapore Tourism Board, Bacardi, Adidas and Vodafone, APPIES 2012 will continue to showcase the best campaigns from various industries that span across highly-diverse markets in Asia Pacific region.

     

    The 100 selected marketing campaigns will cover a broad range of six product/service categories that include Consumer Durables, Consumer Services, Food & Beverage, Non-Food FMCG, Business Services and Government, Cultural, Social & Environmental campaigns.

     

    APPIES 2012 will also host special keynote sessions and panel discussions on The Future of Industry. Marit Kievit, Global Brand Director (Lux) at Unilever and Chris ter Steege, Director (Digital Integration), Integrated Marketing & Communications at Philips Asia Pacific have been announced as keynote speakers at APPIES 2012. With advisory and assessor panels comprising top marketers in the region, APPIES 2012 is designed to offer excellent networking and knowledge sharing opportunities for industry professionals.

     

    Marit Kievit is the Global Brand Director for Lux (Unilever). The multi-cultural team led by Marit has developed breakthrough and award-winning integrated campaigns. She was also a permanent member of Axe’s global brand team, setting the global innovation agenda for one of Unilever’s most successful brands. Most recently Marit joined the global leadership team for Lux as a global brand director, based out of Singapore.

     

    Chris Ter Steege is a communication professional with an obsession for innovation and creativity in marketing, brand communication, digital and social media, and leading the creation of impactful experiences through integrated communication strategies and tactics. With 10 years experience, Global to Local, B2B and B2C, at Philips, Chris now leads regional cross-sector digital programs in Asia Pacific, co-leads the region brand campaign, works with sector marketers to deliver award-winning campaigns, and manages the digital team in one of the most diverse and fastest growing regions in the world.

     

    Leanne Cutts is Vice President, Marketing for Kraft Foods Asia Pacific Region, based in Singapore. She is responsible for driving the growth of the gum, candy, and powdered beverages categories as well as leading consumer insights & analytics and driving marketing excellence in the region.

     

    The Institute of Advertising Singapore (IAS) was founded in 1990 with the aim to position Singapore as an internationally recognised “centre of excellence” with world class advertising professionals, international best practices and industry leading creative output. The IAS has several highly successful business platforms for the advertising and marketing communities to meet, collaborate and raise the standards of the industry as well as encourage continuous education. The IAS has also organised the Singapore International Advertising Congress since 1998.