MxMIndia

Tag: Ajay Gahlaut

  • As part of this exercise, Alok Sinha has been brought in as President, Planning

    Ogilvy Gurgaon strengthens leadership team

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Gurgaon office of Ogilvy has recently announced a number of additions to its senior management team.

     

    Alok Sinha

    As part of this exercise, Alok Sinha has been brought in as President, Planning. With over 20 years of experience across research, advertising, media and digital, Alok has worked with brands like IBM, Unilever and Vodafone. He has also had extensive experience across South East Asia, in a regional communications planning role at Aegis and subsequently as lead on the P&G businesses at Carat, Philippines. Most recently, he led the strategic digital mandate for Mindshare in South Asia, where his focus was on strengthening Mindshare’s planning product and the strong integration of digital thinking on businesses including futuristic projects like the Loop Room.

     

    Kapil Arora

    Kapil Arora, Branch Head, Ogilvy Gurgaon said “Over the last three years, the office has grown significantly across disciplines and we felt the need to bring in the right talent to help navigate our clients’ businesses through a rapidly changing environment.”

     

     

    Ajay Gahlaut

    Ajay Gahlaut, Executive Creative Director, Ogilvy North said, “As our business gets more dynamic and interconnected every day, we are constantly looking for leaders who can join the dots effectively and enable a better, more integrated creative product.”

     

     

    Chandana Agarwal

    Chandana Agarwal has taken on the role of Managing Partner of the Advertising function. Chandana has been with Soho Square and Ogilvy Gurgaon for over four years now and has been responsible for great work across brands like Philips, Sprite, Taco Bell, Pernod Ricard & Honda, amongst others. In her role as Managing Partner, she will work with Kapil to steward the advertising business of Ogilvy.

     

    Namrata Balwani

    Namrata Balwani has been appointed as Senior Vice President and Head of Ogilvy One, Gurgaon. Namrata moves in from Media2win, a digital agency she co-founded, where she was CEO. A graduate from MICA, she has been at the forefront of media & the digital medium in particular, leading a host of brands to success and recognition across the Abbys, Yahoo Big Idea, IAMAI, Campaign India & many other industry awards.

     

  • The campaign serves as an invitation to the Indian consumers to express themselves in a genuine and authentic way

    For Ballantine’s, it’s about ‘Staying True’ through new positioning

    By A Correspondent

     

    Ballantine’s announced the launch of a new strategic brand positioning – ‘Stay True’ and an accompanying marketing campaign. Ballantine’s has associated with Gabriel Macht, famed actor from TV series ‘Suits’ for its new advertising campaign ‘Stay True, Leave an Impression’ targeted exclusively at India market.

     

    Conceptualised by Ballantine’s, the ‘Stay True, Leave an Impression’ campaign serves as an invitation to the Indian consumers to express themselves in a genuine and authentic way. Authenticity, self-belief and conviction are at the heart of this new campaign. The video-led campaign will be integrated across print, digital and outdoor media.

     

    The entire video film is about two worlds: the world of self-belief and staying true juxtaposed by a world of sycophants with shifting loyalties. The tension between these two worlds is what brings out the brand idea of leaving a mark by being yourself, of making it to the top on your own terms.

     

    The film does this through a depiction of a ‘day in the life of’ the corporate world – the charades, the fake smiles, the pretentious jokes and the ‘yes man-ship’ that plays out every day – as seen through the eyes of our protagonist during his journey through a typical corporate office.
    Commenting on Ballantine’s new campaign, Kartik Mohindra, Head – International Brands at Pernod Ricard India said, “George Ballantine stayed true and left an impression with the whiskies that he created. With this campaign, we want to continue his legacy by creating a platform that celebrates Ballantine’s and its founder’s intrinsic values. We hope to inspire people to have conviction to stay true to themselves, to follow their passions and to remain as genuine and authentic as they can be.”

     

    Sharing his thoughts about the campaign, Ajay Gahlaut, Executive Creative Director, Ogilvy & Mather, New Delhi said, “There are the movers and the shakers who are here today and gone tomorrow. Their allegiances are based on self-gain and change with changing winds. And then there are those few who quietly go about doing what they believe in, undeflected in purpose and unswayed by criticism. These are the ones who are remembered. They are the ones who leave an indelible mark on time. They are the ones who lead by example. This film is about them.”

     

  • PCJ's brand thought Naye Zamaane Ke Heere will also be carried forward in print which will break after the film campaign

    Soho Square unveils new campaign for PC Jewellers

    By A Correspondent

     

    The campaign for PC Jeweller (PCJ) introduces PCJ’s new brand positioning of Naye Zamaane Ke Heere, a positioning that speaks both of the kind of jewellery and of the kind of woman who chooses to wear PCJ.

     

    The TV campaign comprises of three different spots, each talking about the choices a woman of today makes and the stereotypes she breaks within her everyday existence. The films aren’t just limited to women looking beautiful and wearing stunning jewellery. The core thought behind ‘Naye Zamaane Ke Heere’ is to highlight the spirit and substance of a woman while showing her in very real, present-day scenarios. The intent is to tell stories that women will relate to and characters that women would aspire to be.

     

    While one film is the story of a woman who is completely confident in her dark skin, another is that of a woman who has chosen to put food on the table even as her husband is pursuing other interests. The third in the series talks about how it’s the sons in the family that need to make an attitude shift.

     

    In an environment that is very sensitive to issues related to gender discrimination, the campaign brings to light how in her own way a woman can make an important point every time she faces bias. It is in moments like these that a woman’s true worth and confidence shines through.

     

    Ajay Gahlaut – Executive Creative Director, said, “In my favourite Classic Hindi Film, Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam, Rehmaan dismissively says about women: “gehane banao genhane tudwao kaudian khelo”. It wasn’t true then and it isn’t true now. Yes jewellery adds to the beauty of a woman, but a woman too lends her own grace to an ornament. With PCJ we have taken a brave new stand by talking about the woman rather than the ornaments.”

     

    PCJ’s brand thought Naye Zamaane Ke Heere will also be carried forward in print which will break after the film campaign.

     

  • Behind every great commercial is super strategy. Every week, MxMIndia brings you the brief and the strat as given by the client and whatever else that went into creating a winning ad

    AdStrat: Best Rice, The Perfect Match

    Ajay Gahlaut, ECD, Ogilvy Delhi

     

    Name of the campaign/ad

    Best Rice: The Perfect Match

     

    Brief

    Reposition rice from an uninvolved product for the consumer to a desirable brand. Best rice needs to be in everyone’s mouth and the brand name on everyone’s lips.

     

    Research insights

    India is a country that believes in forgiving and forgetting. They are all the more hasty when it comes to advertising of products they hardly want to waste time thinking about. And even more when it’s about everyday consumption happening within the confines of their homes. Nobody walks in to ask what brand of flour one is using. Or, what mustard oil brand you love. The same has been the case with rice, even when India is known to be a country of rice eaters.

     

    With the advent of brands into flour and mustard oil, how could rice companies be left behind? Many of them braved this uncertain market about 10 years ago. They introduced packaged rice, of course with a premium. Thus began a flurry of advertising campaigns trying to sell the white grain. They cited a better product than the unbranded, open rice that one gets at the friendly neighbourhood grocer. The claim worked and the packaged rice market started to grow at a rate of 35 percent every year. But it came with a problem. The consumer would pick any rice brand, with the thinking that any brand is better than unbranded rice. The result, in the long run, was a total absence of brand loyalty.

     

    The thought process behind the creative

    Rice is never the main dish in the menu. We cook rajma, dal, fish curry, chicken curry, sambar and take rice for granted. But if rice is not cooked well, even the perfect rajma will not taste good. Thus, we arrived at a very simple insight – that rice is never eaten in isolation. Voila! The idea: Best – The Perfect Match. In brief, rice complements the food it’s eaten with in the same way that a perfect couple complements each other.

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TMkAjn4Z3c[/youtube]

    Media vehicles chosen

    While it was principally led by television, print has been used interestingly as a reminder medium.

     

    Key issues kept in mind while executing the ad

    While all three ads were in three different languages, they were to be universally understood and enjoyed. To personify rice and the accompanying dish that belongs to a particular region, the ads had to look authentic.

     

    Does the treatment do justice to the brief?

    There are various ways of bringing the thought of “The Perfect Match” alive and several were tried. But experience shows that consumers always warm up to human stories. Specially love stories, which is where we hit upon the idea of using different couples to make our idea talk.

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifEWu_4EnVg[/youtube]

    What is the differentiating factor about the ad?

    These couples in the commercials, and the chemistry they shared with their partners, brought charm to the commercials while effortlessly communicating the brand benefit. They were definitely clutter-breaking, and the stories made people smile.

     

    Market and client feedback

    In the last few weeks, these little white grains have become the talk of the town. There was a 30 percent hike in sales in Delhi/NCR within the first week. All in all the campaign managed to fulfil its quintessence, by helping the brand capture the consumer’s eye in an age of utmost competition. We might well say that men, too, are now interested in knowing the brand of rice used in the house.

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkEJzotfgM4[/youtube]

    Credits

    Company: Best Foods Ltd

    Product: Best Rice

    Agency: Ogilvy, Gurgaon

    Creative Director: Ajay Gahlaut, Nitin Srivastava

    Writer: Umesh Grover

    Art: Jonathan George

    Client servicing team: Sharmista Dev, Vineet Kindra, Shivani Sharma, Lagun Sehgal

    Production House: Chrome Pictures

    Director: Amit Sharma

     

  • Ogilvy Delhi has created a new 'talkative' TVC for Best Rice

    Simply talking rice with Ogilvy Delhi

    By A Correspondent

     

    How often does one talk about rice? Mostly during lunch, one would guess. In the last few weeks, though, the little white grains have become the talk of the town. Thanks to the “talkative” commercials that are currently on air for Best Foods International. In consumer-speak, they are a treat to watch. But what has gone behind cooking up these tasteful advertisements is another story.

     

    It all started when Dinesh Gupta, Managing Director, Best Foods Ltd decided to rope in Ogilvy & Mather, New Delhi to design its corporate brand identity. Complete, from stationery to new packaging design. The new pack was an instant rage in the market because of its fresh and ethnic Indian look. It was a sweet start to a new relationship and somewhere in this was hidden a big idea for the commercials.

     

    Best wanted their rice to be in everyone’s mouth and their brand name on everyone’s lips. In came the requirement to create TV commercials. Dr Aayushman Gupta, Business Director, Best Foods Ltd says, “We had an interesting challenge to reposition rice from an uninvolved product for the consumer to a desirable brand. The positioning and communication had to be out-of-the-box, clear, uncluttered and keeping with the times through its cues and presentation. The entire team at Ogilvy Delhi thought wonderfully to help us plan and execute the same.”

     

    Ajay Gahlaut, Executive Creative Director, Ogilvy, New Delhi elaborates on the idea, “There are various ways of bringing the thought of “The Perfect Match” alive and several were tried. But experience shows that consumers always warm up to human stories. Specially love stories, which is where we hit upon the idea of using different couples to make our idea talk. The chemistry between the couples brings charm to the commercials while effortlessly communicating the brand benefit.”

     

    Three scripts were devised for three strategic markets. Each commercial weaved a story about a perfect couple. Nitin Srivastava, Senior Creative Director, Ogilvy New Delhi recalls, “Cracking the idea was the hard part but fleshing it out was immense fun. We enjoyed writing stories after stories before we finally rested at three. Here, I would like to specially mention the efforts of Umesh Grover and Jonathan George who behaved like the perfect match on this project.”

     

    Amit Sharma of Chrome was a wise choice to shoot these scripts. His adept handling of emotions and dialogues comes out in full glory in the series. The films showed how couples from different age groups, mindsets and geographies have something in common – the flavour. Chrome Films did thorough planning and research for two months before finalising the casting. All films were shot in a single take to bring out natural reactions from the couples.

     

    Best Foods Ltd have already begun their plans for the coming year. Ogilvy, New Delhi is gearing up to lay out a brand new, sumptuous experience of films. The consumers too, are waiting eagerly for a fresh serving.

     

    Credits:

    Company: Best Foods Ltd.

    Product: Best Rice

    Production House- Chrome Pictures

    Director- Amit Sharma

    Creative team: Ajay Gahlaut, Nitin Srivastava, Umesh Grover & Jonathan George

    Client servicing team: Sharmista Dev, Vineet Kindra, Shivani Sharma & Lagun Sehgal