MxMIndia

Tag: agnello dias

  • Bindass will present itself in a new and refined avatar to the world with a focus that’ll be even more skewed towards the youth of today. The new change would read: Bindass – Rest Less

    Bindass goes Rest Less, for good

    By A correspondent

     

    It’s perhaps a brand that’s far ahead of its time and is known for taking generational leaps to adapt to new market dynamics. It was thus natural on its part to undergo a makeover exercise once again what with the youth of today having undergone a radical transformation in their habits.

     

    Being the third such makeover for the company, youth brand Bindass has announced yet another repositioning exercise that’ll see them don a new garb in everything that they do. Effective April 16, Bindass will present itself in a new and refined avatar to the world with a focus that’ll be even more skewed towards the youth of today. The new change would read: Bindass – Rest Less.

     

    Elaborating on the proposed switchover, Keith Alphonso, Business Head, Bindass said: “April 16 is the switch-on date where you’ll see Bindass in a new packaging, new promos, new music, new logos & graphics, new shows and every other touchpoint as well.”

     

    Delving into the specifics of the makeover exercise, Mr Alphonso said that the entire exercise kicked off in October 2011 where a few important points were taken up for analysis. “The first was we took a long hard look at our business and committed to our stated business intent that we wanted to broadbase Bindass into a youth brand and not just exist as a television channel. The idea was to get Bindass to a position where it was relevant to young people and fulfil a very visible need-gap. We thus went back to the market and for three months did a fair amount of research with Ormax and MarketGate and we zeroed in on a position which we are going to craft Bindass as a brand to occupy.”

     

    Explaining the positioning that the brand sought to occupy, Mr Alphonso said: “The position is something that celebrates success and was based on two trends that we observed over a period of time. One trend was the super-confidence that the Indian youth of today boast about where they see opportunity in everything that they do. But if you scratch a little below the surface, you will notice a certain amount of fragility as well. That’s because of the kind of competition that has been created in the marketplace. As we put it, it’s called ‘fragile invincibility’ – as confident and invincible as they seem they are also plagued with problems and they look for a brand as a touchstone. So what we are doing now is to craft Bindass as the brand that gets you there. The brand that holds your hand on that journey and not to be confused with a career and competition brand, so to speak. That’s because for the young person, success has many connotations. This was the value proposition that we latched on to.”

     

    Having shortlisted on the value proposition, the next move was to get help on the communications front and search for options on how to sell the concept to the desirable TG. That’s where they approached Taproot co-founder Agnello Dias, who has been associated with the brand in its previous makeover exercise as well. Mr Alphonso affirmed: “We got Agnello Dias of Taproot onboard who suggested the tagline Bindass -Rest Less. The idea was that it celebrates constant perpetual energy of the youth of today. So the brand value is about celebrating the people who rest less and succeed. As for the communication, it will happen across multiple mediums, including mass media, print, and so on, but importantly, however we are perceived we will ensure that the spirit of Bindass – Rest less will be embedded there.”

     

    Mr Agnello Dias, Chairman and Co-founder, Taproot India, added: “A key trait that marks youth behaviour today is a sense of constant motion; everyone is either going somewhere or doing something all the time. This non-stop motion, well-channelized is the new objective ideal. Settling down is fast going down the priority list. The bubbling undercurrents of discovery, exploration, invention, challenge, action seem to top that list. The new brand campaign for Bindass captures precisely this, that the youth today are ‘Rest Less’ and actually rest even lesser. We had earlier worked on Bindass’ immensely successful ‘What I am’ campaign as well which really caught on with the youth and this time around with Rest Less we hope to continue connecting with them yet again.”

     

    On how these changes would be reflected on the channel and other properties,  Mr Alphonso stated: “We will be launching two new shows – Live out Loud and Fear Less – in April and July, which will reflect the new change that we are talking about. LOL will let individuals say the one thing they always wanted to say with 250 people from Bindass supporting them in their stance. Fear Less is a gang of friends coming together to help one of their own overcome a debilitating fear. With these shows and more we are moving to a stage where we want to aid in transformation.”

     

    In fact that’s not all, as part of its efforts to be seen as an integrated brand Bindass would be tapping the medium of YouTube in a big way. “We would be launching a new channel on YouTube where we will be releasing short-form programmes only for that space. That medium has its own unique consumption patterns and parameters. We will be creating exclusive content for users on YouTube and not rehash content from somewhere else. Even our Facebook page will go under a radical new layout where you’ll have newsletters giving you information on movie deals, contests, tickets for matches, and so on. The idea is everything that we do is going to be about helping young kids get to their goal faster,” assured Mr Alphonso.

     

    When asked on the need for undertaking continuous makeover exercises, Alphonso reverted: “It has been a deliberate move to undergo repositioning again. When we launched in 2007 we were about Bindass – TV, Web,Mobile- that was a time when other channels were yet to discover multiple content. From there to 2010, we came out with a very attitude-based positioning which was Bindass – What I Am. There was a prevalent thought among young people at that point in time that they just wanted to be themselves. We reflected this non-judgmental spirit of theirs by saying it is an attitude. That was successful for us because it pushed us into a branded play. As of today, because we wanted to broad base our brand, because we wanted to be seen as more than a television channel, to become a new touchstone so that new business opportunities can be explored – for that to happen, brand Bindass had to have a call to action. And, therefore, the new positioning of Rest Less.”

     

    While the first two repositioning exercises did wonders for Bindass in terms of acceptability and attracting GRPs, the idea going forward would be to move beyond being just a channel and move into a space where it could become a huge brand by itself. Affirmed Mr Alphonso: “Probably in a year or two, I could launch Bindass range of jeans and get into doing other such activities; that is what our focus would be going forward. At the end of 18-odd months, you will see the emergence of umbrella youth brand Bindass that will also have a television channel, an events division, branded services, digital, and so on.”

     

  • 2011 has been a year to make us believe 'the smaller, the better'. Independent agencies fair well as the founder brings in loads of experience

    Independents rule adland in 2011

     

    By Shubhangi Mehta

     

    Looking at 2011 and how well the independent agencies have performed this year, it can be said that this has been the year of independence for the independents who have managed to attract some big ticket clients.

     

    Law & Kenneth has excelled this year in terms of business wins, Anil Nair, CEO and Managing Partner, Law & Kenneth, said: “As an independent agency, we have everything and give appropriate solutions to our brand. Our services are not restricted to just creative campaigns for a brand. We can offer all that a bigger agency can do. The advantage that we have over them is that we focus on the task in hand without any bias. Bigger agencies need larger income, hence the client has to spend big. For us honesty and integrity are high currencies, hence we have the courage to call a spade, spade.”

     

    Most of the independent agencies these days let their work talk for them. Ideas@work won the creative mandates for Big Rock, Gelusil, Rustomji and managed seven awards at Goafest.

     

    Saints & Warriors and Scarecrow have done equally well and bagged some good businesses. Ditto with Creativeland Asia which has excelled.

     

    Mahesh Chauhan, Salt Brand Solutions, said: “In my opinion 2011 can actually be known as the year of independence for smaller agencies. Larger agencies offer infrastructure, whereas we, as independents, go to a client and say we’ll work for them, which a bigger agency cannot do. We partner with our clients and this has motivated the transition. As for me, working as a founder of an independent agency means being a player of the team and not the captain.”

     

    SALT has won the creative mandates for Kaya Skin Clinic, BSE and Big RTL this year.

     

    Early this year ‘Hum mein hai hero’ came across as a clutter breaker. Similarly Pepsi ‘Change the Game’ and the Airtel’s latest ‘Har friend Zaroori hota hai’ have made one feel that there is a change in the thought process of the client as well.

     

    Happy Creative, a creative boutique, managed to cull out a name for itself in terms of awards and has done some great work for Flipkart.

     

    Rahul Kansal, CMO, Bennett & Coleman, said: “As a client, we are looking for less of strategy and more of creative input, hence we want to deal directly with the creative person who is more readily available in smaller/independent agencies. We no longer want to work with middlemen. Second, if we are comfortable working with a particular individual, then we prefer working with him, it doesn’t really matter if it his own startup.”

     

    Agnello Dias, Taproot India said: “This year has been reasonably good for independent agencies. Clients are looking for a fresher take, hence they are moving towards agencies who can give them personalised service as they have lesser work.”

     

    It can be said that when we sell something, even if it is an idea, there has to be a personal touch. And that’s exactly what these boutique agencies are offering to their client. Right from suggesting a brand name to designing and packaging, a lot of these agencies are providing services beyond the creation of a brand communication for a brand.

     

    Sandeep Bomble, founder director, Palasa said: “The business we won this year was Iball mobile phones, Housefull Furniture and Rawwar Fashion. We also won 3 Goafest awards last year for different categories like Best Packaging, Best Art Direction and Best Direct Marketing Event. One-to-one client interaction, cost effective and lesser process driven are the primary reasons for survival of independent agencies. The people working in the agencies will come and go, but in a small set up, the head that drives remains forever. Which is why, a client enjoys personalised attention without losing out on quality in the long run”.

     

    The bigger agencies have always been big, but it is a striking fad to see that creativity more than anything is getting the utmost importance in India, just like it is in other countries.

     

    What we can figure out from the views of the experts is that in the end, it isn’t about being big or small, instead it’s more about being ingenious and impeccable.

     

     

  • The agency has come out with a compelling campaign for Mumbai Mirror which showcases the newspaper on a crusade giving voice to the unheard stories

    Taproot India gives voice to the Mumbaikars

    By A Correspondent

     

    TaprootIndiahas come out with its campaign for Mumbai Mirror. The newspaper had first come out with a campaign in the year 2005 during its launch. This is the paper’s first campaign after that initial launch campaign.

     

    The focus of the campaign is to showcase the newspaper as the voice of the Mumbaikars and brings to its readers umpteen, untold stories.

     

    Talking about the campaign, Rahul Kansal, Chief Marketing Officer, Bennett Coleman & Company Ltd, said: “Mumbai Mirror is a strong newspaper that looks out for its readers. In a city where the ordinary guy can feel rather helpless as he is always at the receiving end of an insensitive system, the paper empowers the reader and gives him a voice.”

     

    The campaign which is out in print, television, cinema, digital and outdoor takes four real stories from Mumbai: burning of Rohinton Mistry’s book, the milk adulteration scam, the case of remand home for children and political posters and then creates fictionalized accounts of how these affected the Mumbaikars.

     

    The objective of the campaign is to underline the fact that every citizen, rich or poor, oppressed or cheated has a voice that reaches the city every morning.

     

    Mumbai Mirror has been bringing to the forefront its readers’ unheard voices through a relentless series of exposes.

     

    Talking about what it is with TOI that has made Agnello Dias and his team come up with the countless powerful campaigns, he said: “Its trust that TOI has in us and I am scared to let them down.”

     

    Commenting on the campaign, Mr Dias said: “Mumbai has many faces. Some that evoke, others provoke. But if we were to look every one of them in the eye, we will find that all of them are the face of Mumbai. Many stories make this city and some need to be told.”

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVb01vfbVEw[/youtube]

    Credits:

    Agency: TaprootIndia

    Client: Bennet & Coleman

    Brand Team: Rahul Kansal/Priya Gupta

    Creative Directors: Santosh Padhi/Agnello Dias

    Media Agency: Lodestar UM

    Copy: Agnello Dias

    Account Management: Mandar Sawant

    Production House: RDP

    Director: Abhinay Deo

    Music: Ram Sampath

    Executive Producer: Apurba Sengupta

     

    Mumbai Mirror – I am Mumbai

  • It's the oft-asked question, whose answer is obvious, as creative and marketing honchos tell us

    What’s more important? Creativity or Effectiveness? Or both?

     

    By Shubhangi Mehta

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”250″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6dEI6D_rcI[/youtube]

    Regardless of how ‘simple’ the end product may seem, creating advertisements for a brand has never been child’s play. It’s a task which only a creative mind can understand. And the complexities have grown over the years. When we spoke about campaigns 20 years ago, expectations were not as high as they are today.

     

    Today, it is the age of numerous and congregating media. While advertisers have many opportunities to reach to their desired audiences, the muddle can cause them to lose out. A beautifully executed campaign may not make its audience reach for their wallets, while an average one, creatively speaking, may end up garnering better results.

     

    What is the most important element, then, for the campaign of today? Is it creativity? Or effectiveness? Or a magic mix of both?

     

    MxMIndia posed the question to practitioners – people who create the campaign and people for whom the campaign is created.

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”250″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odmcmnWjK10&feature=fvst[/youtube]

    Abhijit Avasthi, NCD, Ogilvy&Mather, said, “We only believe in creating effective communication. According to me people who separate the two cannot be called creative. If we look at the past 3-4 years’ trend, most of the campaigns that win at the Abbys are the ones winning at the Effies as well. A brand communication is complete only when it is an effective creative.”

     

    According to Ajay Kakar, Chief Marketing Officer, Aditya Birla Group – Financial Services, “What is the use of a knife that does not cut, or a gun that cannot fire? Similarly there is no use for a creative which isn’t effective. Such a creative work is only meant for Jehangir Art Gallery and not product promotion. According to me each and every creative needs to be effective and only then does it fulfil its very purpose”.

     

    The IPA/Gunn Report published in June 2011 examines the link between creativity and effectiveness. The original 2010 report had analyzed 257 campaigns over a period of ten years (1998-2008). The 2011 version of the report has been expanded to examine 435 campaigns over 16 years, from 1994 to 2010. The main aim of the report was to examine both effectiveness (a campaign’s ability to drive business like sales, profit and loyalty) and its efficiency for campaigns that have been awarded for their creativity and those that have not been.

     

    Some of the findings of the report include: creatively-awarded campaigns were seven times more efficient than non-awarded ones; between 2003 and 2010 creatively-awarded campaigns were 12 times more efficient; there is a pronounced time trend – creatively awarded campaigns are becoming more efficient over time, while non-awarded campaigns are becoming less so; the much greater ‘buzz’ effects of creatively-awarded campaigns appears to be why they are becoming more effective: in the multichannel world creativity is becoming more closely associated with buzz, leaving non-awarded campaigns struggling.

     

    Agnello Dias of Taproot said, “It is effectiveness that plays a key role. If the effectiveness is backed by a great creative it’s icing on the cake but if a particular campaign is effective for a brand then even mediocre creative can be accepted”.

     

    KV (Pops) Sridhar, NCD, Leo Burnett India, said, “One cannot really separate creativity and effectiveness in a brand communication. Both of them are two sides of the same coin. If one of these two elements is missing then it does not fulfil the purpose of an advertisement for a brand. There has to be an insight, entertainment, cut-through idea and it must break barriers. Hence it is impossible to choose between creativity and effectiveness. A creative is created for effectiveness of the brand.”

     

    Abraham Alapatt, Head – Brand & Corporate Communication at Future Generali India, said, “Neither the client nor the ad agency, have the luxury any longer, to choose one over the other. Given the growing media clutter, it is now more critical than ever to be creative and different to stand out and get noticed by customer prospects. I qualify ‘creative’ by using a phrase used by the Effie organizers – creative ‘work that works’ for real customers, in the marketplace. So put differently, both clients who are facing increasing competition, media clutter and tight budgets and agencies that are operating with these client constraints are now being called on to deliver marketing communication (which I don’t call advertising) that actively amplifies, complements and makes a tangible difference to the client’s pre-determined marketing efforts”.

     

    The debate may well rage on, but the market reality is that effective communication is the child of a creative mind. Both creativity and effectiveness are, thus, essential when creating communication for a brand.

  • Agnello Dias represents the new face of adland and has done some terrific work, writes Pradyuman Maheshwari

    Mediaah!: Aggie – well-deserved Impact Person of the Year

    By Pradyuman Maheshwari

     

    So it’s Agnello Dias as Impact Person of the Year. For the first time in the seven-year history of Impact Person of the Year, an adperson has won the coveted accolade. Guess there have been times when people have come very close, but given the way the selection is done whoever is top of mind in the second half of the year, generally forges ahead (see disclosure).

     

    Deserving choice, and in every way echoes the sentiment of the industry. Aggie, with his Airtel ad, has been the toast of adland. I did a quick dipstick on Tuesday asking for names of the top creative folk in the country. The sample: 11 people from three metros. And this is what 90 per cent of the people said: Piyush Pandey, Prasoon Joshi and Agnello Dias.

     

    Feel sorry for the rest of the immense creative talent that India has, but guess these things happen and I don’t think anyone minds it. While Piyush is around, there is a laaarge creative pool at Ogilvy. Ditto in JWT, Mudra and the mom-and-pop shop based in Patna and Panjim.

     

    Should it have been one of the others?

     

    Haresh Chawla, outgoing Group CEO, Network18 and Viacom18

    Madhukar Kamath, MD & CEO, Mudra Group and Chairman, AdAsia

    Man Jit Singh, CEO, Multi Screen Media

    Rajiv Verma, CEO, Hindustan  Times

    Ronnie Screwvala, CEO and Founder Chairman, UTV

    Sandeep Goyal, Non-Executive Founder Chairman, Dentsu India

    Vineet Jain, Managing Director, Times Group

     

    Guess since it’s the fraternity who decides on who the award should go to, I think the question should be asked to each of us and not the exchange4media group management. For me, Agnello Dias represents the new face of Indian advertising. He is young, dynamic and has done some super work when with JWT and now as an entrepreneur running Taproot.

     

    What you can ask them (and the editorial team) is why they chose Haresh Chawla as Editorial Choice and not Vineet Jain, Sandeep Goel, Ronnie Screwvala, Man Jit Singh, Rajiv Verma and Madhukar Kamath? I think Haresh Chawla deserved it awesomely and since he’s moving out of the Network/Viacom/Web/etc 18 group, there can be no nasties like he was given the award to get more ads.

     

    So just as you may ask as to why cricketer x wasn’t selected for the Australia series, there will be questions asked as to why Haresh and why not Vineet Jain or Ronnie or Madhukar or Rajiv Verma or Sandeep Goel or Man Jit Singh?

     

    Pointless discussion. Many congratulations to Agnello Dias and Haresh Chawla.

     

    (Disclosure: I worked with the exchange4media group until May this year and ran the Impact Person of the Year for the last three years)

    Photograph: Bharat Kapadia

     

    The PR Channel

    Must mention here that I have been think of a specialised PR publication ever since Hanmer & PR founder-bossman Sunil Gautam asked me a question of whether it would work here in India. I didn’t think it would as a standalone, but in a broadbased site like MxMIndia, it should.

     

    SRK: India’s biggest endorser

    His Ra.One may not have worked as well as he would have, but the publicity around it was phenomenal. Clearly the biggest we’ve seen in India. Little wonder that an Economic Times report says that SRK emerged as the most visible celeb on TV followed by Katrina and Kareena. I missed reading it in the Mumbai edition of ET, but here’s a web link: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/services/advertising/shah-rukh-khan-fmcg-cos-lead-tv-advertising-charts/articleshow/11041079.cms

     

     

    Buzz me if you have a story to tell and gossip to share. Confidentiality assured. Andar ki baat will stay under. There are various ways you can reach me: pradyumanm[at]mxmindia.com, BBM @ 23050B5D, pradyumanm[at]gmail.com, @pmahesh, 98338 76278.

     

    Disclaimer: Although Pradyuman Maheshwari is CEO of MxMIndia other than being editor-in-chief, he chucks those hats while writing Mediaah! So, the views expressed here are entirely his own and not those of the website and the team that runs it (especially the National Sales Head!).