MxMIndia

Tag: Ajay Kakar

  • MxM Mondays records the sentiment on the timing of Goafest and participation in the creative Abby

    MxM Mondays: Are delegates ready to face the heat at Goafest 2013?

     

    By Johnson Napier and Ananya Saha

     

    The festival that has been hailed as the Cannes of India beckons upon the advertising industry. April 4-6, 2013 are the days when the who’s who from advertising will be joined by a few from the media and marketing domains in keeping with the tradition of making it to the venue every year. The venue this year remains the same – Zuri White Sands in Goa! Like every year, the Goafest committee will be going all out to ensure that the event remains world-class, be it in the quality of speakers or the introduction of new initiatives or simply by bringing about a twist in the awards tale.

     

    But in doing their bit in raising the bar of the festival, what they have not achieved so far is holding the event in some other month in Goa – by now the biggest peeve facing delegates. The Goafest committee led by Nakul Chopra of Publicis this year, has been making attempts to actively bring it forward by a few weeks if not a month or two. But that doesn’t help solve the issue of the torrid heat that delegates have to put up with in order to enjoy a festival that boasts of being the largest of its kind.

     

    MxMIndia speaks to a few committee members and also some members from the ad and marketing fraternity and explores possibilities of whether the delegates can expect the unexpected…

     

    Nakul Chopra, Chairman, Goafest Committee

    There is a logistical issue with doing it in February from a perspective of the location. As one would know, the tourism season here starts from October right until March. The same is the case with Cannes where it is not a vacation season when the awards are held there. But we’ve tried our best by getting the event ahead in the first week of April. We do understand that the heat gets unbearable but we would make provisions to have more cooling areas in the venue.

     

    As for the non-participation dilemma, I don’t think that with Abbys and Goafest in its current avatar, anybody is staying away in protest. Probably some agencies have a principle of not participating in awards or any other personal reason but not because of some issue from our end. These were issues of the past and as an industry we have managed to fairly overcome them in recent years. Due credit should be given to the fact that Goafest is the only award of this size and stature that is being run by industry bodies. This enables us to reach out to as many agencies and delegates as possible and not be limited in our approach towards the industry.

     

    Ajay Kakar, Chief Marketing Officer, Aditya Birla Group – Financial Services

    The heat and passion of advertising industry is stronger than the heat of Goa. Whenever you have it is immaterial. On a serious note, there is an economics of the whole thing. We try to do it away from the peak season, which helps us in two ways. One, of course the economics and second, it helps us with avoiding the crowd and congestion all over.

     

    It is a democratic country but it is too early to think or know who might not be a part of Goafest. So far, we have the support of every agency. And it is too early to think anything to the contrary.

     

    Anant Rangaswami, senior editor at Firstpost.com and author of The Elephants in the Room

    On the timing, all I can say is that April first week is better than April second or third week. That they managed to get it to the first week is not a bad thing. Also, it’s not easy to get an event of this scale to be held in February/March; it could be a logistical nightmare. Whether they should hold the festival at some other venue, I don’t know what’ll be the right thing to say as they had envisaged the festival with a certain concept in mind. I think it is a trap that they are finding difficult to get out of. Goa will continue to remain the venue as long as the name remains Goafest. That is not the case with other awards like Spikes that can be held at Bali, Singapore etc. For me, it looks like a big trap that they cannot get out of.

     

    As for non-participation in the awards, the number has come down significantly. As for McCann Erickson preferring to opt out last year, it  did not opt out of the awards because of any issue with the way it was conducted. Prasoon made it quite clear that he did not think that they had a body of award-winning work. I can understand that, because the awards are an expensive business, and it makes sense not to enter unless you stand a decent chance of winning. In this industry, every sector apart from television is about scam and scam requires investment, time, energy…it’s not easy. There’s serious money that goes in the development of scam. But what the committee has done in the past two years is also noteworthy as they have managed to eradicate issues like bias in judging by the jury, favouritism, leaking of results and other such things involving the awards.

     

    Arvind Sharma, President of the Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI)

    The real challenge is getting rooms for so many delegates. With so much international tourists pouring in and domestic travel also seeing a spike it becomes difficult to arrange for rooms for so many delegates. But can it be held in early March, yes it certainly can. We are working towards it.

     

    Any awards show around the world, a few agencies will chose not to participate for a variety of reasons. We should be looking at the fact that the number of participating agencies is increasing every year at Goafest. It also means that the number of winners are increasing every year because part of the purpose of an awards show is to be a beacon of light for excellence and I am particularly excited that we are recognising excellence in more than 119 organisations.

     

    Shashi Sinha, President – The Advertising Club and Chairman of the Awards Governing Council, Goafest

    The event is a very low-cost affair and not on the scale of what one gets to see at Cannes. There is no-profit motive behind this event and the effort is to try and accommodate the youngsters by offering them subsidised rates. This whole exercise is designed on the basis of sponsorships. The goal is to ensure that we have the right balance of sponsorships and also encourage more youngsters to come and attend the event. The other point is that October-March happens to be peak season for tourism and therefore the rates are pretty expensive. To accommodate more than 3000 delegates therefore becomes a huge task. We have tried our best to bring it forward by hosting it in the first week of April. But we would be providing more cooling options at the venue like the display area that saw heavy movement last year by the youngsters.

     

    On the issue of non-participation by agencies, we have managed to successfully bring down that number significantly in the past two years. In fact last year there was only agency – McCann Erickson that did not participate. What we have managed to do is that if somebody is not participating we have made it clear that it is not because of the process; it is because of some other reason. Previously it was very convenient to blame the committee etc for the drawback but that is not the case today. One of the biggest reasons why agencies now participate openly is because of the transparency that we managed to bring in the process. That has cleared doubts that existed among agencies.

     

    Prathap Suthan, Managing Partner & Chief Creative Officer, Bang In The Middle

    I personally have not been there too many times and I did find that the heat was a torture. It is actually the old in the industry that are affected by the heat, the younger lot are not. It is a bit of summer blast everywhere in India at that time before summer actually begins. For youngsters, it implies lots of time on the beach, lots of time to run around, lots of beer, hang out in the shacks. It is going to be, let us say, 200 seniors and rest are going to be juniors. From that perspective, it does not really matter. Going to Goa, for youngsters, is the big thing no matter what time of the year. Seniors, anyway, are used to be driven around, staying in air-conditioned homes and offices. So to be outdoors, it is terrible. I am in creative, so I go for shoots, I do not complain. If I am in Goa then, I would prefer to stay in the auditorium or watch and learn rather than go out and stand in the sun. If I were young, say 25, I would be enjoying going everywhere. For organisers, to get hold of amenities is possibly a better deal at this time of the year. Since February and March are tourist seasons, availability of rooms could be a problem for organisers.

     

    For the agencies refraining from participating, I would say that everything is fair. It is all about the money at the end of the day. If I have ‘X’ amount of money and I am sure of winning a metal at international festival, I would rather put my money at Cannes rather than Goa. It is also about the fight of action between two or three groups. Personally, I do not ascribe to any awards. I do not want to be part of any awards. I am very happy doing whatever I am doing. I am not here cutting any favours. My whole responsibility is only towards the clients that I handle, and towards my juniors.

     

    I may or may not go. But boys and girls from my office will definitely go.

     

  • An ecstatic Piyush Pandey thanked the 'team and culture' as Ogilvy and Mather was 'Effie Agency of the Year' and Cadbury was 'Effie Client of the Year'

    It’s Ogilvy all the way at Effie 2012

    Click on the image for larger view

     

    By Ritu Midha

     

    As an event, one couldn’t have thought of a better way to spend a Tuesday evening than sampling the soothing breeze and top-notch refreshments at the Turf Club, Mumbai. Of course, the event was the Effie 2012, so the focus was necessarily on the awards.

     

    Piyush Pandey

    Perhaps unsurprisingly, the show was stolen by Ogilvy and Mather, who came ahead by miles, with the Man of the Moment being its executive chairman and creative director, South Asia Piyush Pandey once again. Ogilvy and Mather, with 280 points (more than 400 percent over its closest rival) was declared Effie Agency of the Year. When it came to clients, the competition was stiffer, although both Cadbury India Ltd (Effie Client of the Year) and No 2, Star India Pvt Ltd, are O&M clients.

     

    An emotionally charged Piyush Pandey said, “It is all by God’s grace. The credit completely goes to our team and culture. New blood joins with its own creative thinking and seamlessly blends with the existing creative thought process.” On being a repeat winner, he said, “It feels ecstatic to be winning again and again. To tell you the truth – the joy and thrill of winning increases every year.”

     

    The victorious Ogilvy team with Shashi Sinha (hugging Piyush Pandey) and Rajesh Iyer, Marketing Head of Colors (extreme left)

     

    Shashi Sinha
    Shashi Sinha

    The Effies themselves were enhanced in stature this year, both in participation and jury process. Advertising Club President Shashi Sinha stated, “It is special for two reasons: it is the first Effie under the aegis of the Ad Club post it becoming the Ad Club of India.” Also, he said, “This year the entire judging process has been conducted online – and the credit goes to Bipin Pandit and his team for managing it smoothly, considering that there were more than 100 jury members this year.”

     

    This year, the number of entries increased to 357. And while last year 29 agencies had participated – this year the number reached 50. Another feather in the Effie cap is that 50 percent of the jury members represented clients – best placed to judge the effectiveness of a campaign.

     

    Ajay Kakar

    Emphasizing the way the Effie is growing, Chairperson of the Organising Committee Ajay Kakar said, “This year, judging moved beyond Mumbai, and was extended to Delhi. We have also introduced two new categories – Direct Marketing and Ongoing Campaign.” He added, “It is a matter of pride that it is not a small set of agencies winning an Effie tonight; 13 agencies have contributed to the winning entries.”

     

     

     

    Ravi Rao

    Another point worth mentioning is the fact of a media agency winning two Effie trophies this year. Mindshare took away two bronzes – and considers it just the right beginning. Mindshare’s Leader, South Asia Ravi Rao told MxMIndia, “We bagged three bronzes, two for Axe Shower Gel and one for HSBC. I am really glad that we made it to the Effies. We will strive harder next time around.”

     

     

     

     

  • As Effies 2012 night draws closer, 128 entries have made it to the shortlist so far

    Final countdown for Effies 2012

     

    By Ananya Saha

     

    Effies 2012 is drawing to to a close with the second round of judging held in Gurgaon (NCR). The last leg of second round is scheduled for November 29 in Mumbai. The 12th edition of Effie has shortlisted 128 entries from 20 agencies. The 2012 edition boasts of two new categories: Direct Marketing and Ongoing Campaign apart from sharpened categories of David vs Goliath and Integrated Category.

     

    Ajay Kakar

    Ajay Kakar, Chairperson – EFFIE Committee and the Vice President of The Advertising Club said, “This year we have surprised ourselves. We received 357 entries from 50 agencies, up from 300 entries last year. We have introduced Round 2 in Delhi. Last year, we only had Round 1 in Delhi.”  Effies boasts of being known to measure effectiveness, from the viewpoint of the client and agency. “And 120 judges from who’s who from media, marketing and advertising will be judging with a bit more than 50% of judges being clients.” The judges and Effies Committee is also kicked about online judging, “It not only saves paper but also helps the judges to take their time,” Mr Kakar said.

     

    N Rajaram

    The judges were also upbeat about Delhi hosting second round of the judging process. N Rajaram, CMO, Airtel Center said, “The second round of Effies held in Delhi effectively recognizes that fact that clients based out of Delhi has increased significantly. It is a good step in the right direction.” Anil Dua, Sr VP – Sales and Marketing said, “This edition of Effies has been unique since it is IT-enabled. It brings out the efficiency as a judge, and helps us to judge efficiently.” Bipin Pandit, Chief Operating Officer, The Advertising Club, called Effies the coveted affair.

     

     

    Shashi Sinha
    Shashi Sinha

    Though shy to talk for Delhi since he belongs to the Board of Effies, Shashi Sinha, President, The Advertising Club, noted that the participation in Effies had increased significantly in the past five years with lot of marketing and senior advertising professionals becoming part of this year’s edition. Bindu Sethi, chief strategy officer, India, JWT, said, “There is a good mix of representation from from Delhi and Mumbai. The quality of entries has also got better. It is fun judging such campaigns on effectiveness.” She also remarked about how the paperless judging made it easier for the judges to refer back to the case studies to make an informed decision

     

    Satbir Singh

    Satbir Singh, Managing Partner and Chief Creative Officer of Havas Worldwide India, is judging Effies for the very first time. He said, “The Effies are purely and single-mindedly conducted to measure effectiveness of the campaigns. As a judge we have to be mindful of the strategy, the execution, the background and the effectiveness of the final campaign while judging.”

     

    Mr Kakar summed up, “Effie remains the only award that awards the effectiveness.”

     

    For the record, the Round 1 of judging was held in Mumbai on November 20 and 21, and in Delhi on November 24. The last leg of the judging process will happen in Mumbai on November 29.

     

  • Is the ground fertile in India, just as it is in the US where a PR chief was given charge of an ad network?

    MxM Mondays: Is India ready for cross-pollination between varying media functions?

     

    By Ananya Saha

     

    Harris Diamond, a true-blue PR professional, has taken charge of McCann Erickson – a creative advertising network. We spoke to a cross-section of professionals who have been through this transition and have helped facilitate it, to ask: “Is India ready for cross-pollination between various media functions?”

     

    Ajay Kakar, Chief Marketing Officer, Aditya Birla Group – Financial Services

    Let me just pull back in history, and say that cross-pollination has been a way of life for many years. I say so as a person who has been through this journey himself. In 1991, I joined O&M. I had first started in Direct Marketing and was then into advertising. When I left in 2003, I was an Executive Director of financial advertising corporate relations at O&M. In 1991, there was a shift from direct marketing to advertising and in 2003, a shift again from advertising plus public relations and I was a Country Head for that. If you look back in time, there have been opportunities for people to cross-pollinate at middle-and-senior-levels.

     

    What you are today seeing is happening at the senior-most level, which is a great endorsement of a need for a brand perspective rather than a mere advertising or public relations or digital or direct marketing perspective. In normal talking, we equate brand to advertising and advertising to brand. If you ask a marketer, advertising is one cog in the wheel. In the communication mix, you have to take a holistic perspective. And to take a holistic perspective, it is ideal if you have a holistic experience. Otherwise, typically, if you have an advertising mindset, it will never be able to think out of the ’30-sec’ mould. I think it is very important to have and support cross-pollination and I think this is a great move.

     

    Secondly, advertising has always been the sexier, the more glamorous, and more attractive profession to be in. As I said, very often advertising is synonymous to its brands. But having been there, public relations is far higher in the strategic evolution order. If you are an advertising person, you get to engage with the brand manager or on a good day, with the marketing head who only talk to you about the brand. But if you are in PR, you have the power to partner CEOs and boardroom. And therefore, get a perspective on not only the brand but also on the business. And therefore, I feel that that recognition of strategic contribution that an agency can play a role in the brand or company.

     

    It has happened for decades, but rarely and not regularly. If you ask me top-of-mind, I cannot think of a second name. Anyone else who might have cross-pollinated like I did, I cannot think of a name instantly.

     

    As far as challenge is concerned, there is a perception barrier at both ends. An employee thinks that advertising is front-end, advertising is sexy, advertising is glamorous, and as perception other functions are not considered sexy or appealing – it is seen as not a move forward in one’s professional career. On the other hand, from the company’s perspective, you need a manager for business but you also need a leader. There is two-way of thinking. One perception is if I have managed one function with people, I can manage advertising, I can manage PR, I can manage direct marketing. The people have to know the discipline, and I do not necessarily have to know the discipline.

     

    People who have shifted from advertising in O&M to direct marketing included Prita Singh and Harish Vasudevan. They did not know direct marketing but their perception was “we do not need to know and we have to manage people, clients, business, and we have to manage people who know direct marketing”. On the other hand, there is a perception by the company that you have to be a leader and not only a manager. As a leader you have to talk to the client in the language he has come to me. If he comes to me to talk about PR and I talk to him about commercials, he is not going to be very excited with me. And therefore, why cross-pollinate.

     

    From an employee’s perspective, most people think it is not a move up in life and is not glamorous and for a company, moving people is seen as leader or not a leader. There is perceptional barrier to such moves.

     

    A person who actually cross-pollinates, benefits as they take the holistic picture of a brand and business. And therefore, agencies should encourage it at mid-levels so that by the time a person becomes senior, he has already had a 360-degree perspective.

     

    O&M used to have a mantra called 360-degree brand perception. Now that normally happens with an agency that has disciplines beyond advertising. O&M has many disciplines. They used to think that instead of going to clients as an individual discipline, why don’t they combine and approach a brand rather than just advertising or PR or direct marketing. They wanted to create a cadre of Brand Team Leaders (BTL concept). The leader was supposed to be discipline-neutral and he would lead a team of people who were specialists. That did not too well because of this hierarchical brahminical order, they filled up the roles with advertising people. They could not thus get out the best benefits out of other disciplines.

     

    A true brand leader is a member who has actually experienced, learnt and benefited from all disciplines. And therefore, if it happens at middle level, by the time he reaches senior level he can command leadership and lead the thinking. According to me, BTL concept could have worked very well and much better if it was a person who had experience of two-three disciplines and was then made a BTL.

     

    Cross-pollination is very good for businesses and brands if initiated at a relatively middle level so that real benefit comes at the senior level.

     

    Abha Kapoor, Executive Director, K&J Search Consultants

    K&J is known to place seniormost professionals from outside the media industry in a media company. Forget the cross-pollination among media affiliates, we have placed FMCG and Telecom person in to media: from heading radio stations, broadcast channels and entire media conglomerate. A recent example being Amit Jain from Coke who went on to head MTV, Sudhanshu Vats from Unilever who went on to become Group CEO of ss-Viacom 18. We believe in and encourage cross-pollination because talent gets jaded and you need fresh thought, fresh blood. Anybody who has that experience at scale and understanding of business as a whole and has maturity and leadership skills, can transition into a new industry.

     

    Forget the cross-pollination within media or media vertical, we believe that someone who ideally has the intelligence and education can easily transition into a senior management role from an unrelated industry. We are very happy when we see this cross-pollination because a completely different perspective comes into play. People who have come into media have handled people at much larger scale.

     

    The intrinsic challenge is to understand the business and the sector for a person who comes into media from having good experience in handling another industry or some other media vertical. This is an obvious challenge given that they have not been exposed to a different industry earlier. Somebody from FMCG would have come from a structured set-up, and would have worked with certain processes and systems while some of our media verticals might be chaotic. Someone who is structured in their thinking might not be able to transition so easily, whereas someone more dynamic can learn and run with the ball in a couple of months. They need to understand the dynamics of media. Creative people are obviously a bit different to handle, which is not so difficult when one has the capability and track record of running a successful business and has the capability to learn and bring a new perspective to a new challenge.

     

    Anita Nayyar, CEO, Havas Media India & South Asia

    Typically at the CXO level, roles are industry agnostic. There are the challenges of industry norms, processes, core domain knowledge, nuances and network but a whole supporting team exists and CXO’s are trained to manage and navigate these.

     

    On the positive side, cross-pollination can bring innovative business ideas. This is also not the first instance in Indian industry which does see its benefits but it is far from becoming a policy anytime soon, a trend yes. A lot here will depend on the mind-set, culture, objective and present need of a company. Also an existing group with multi-dimensional media arms will be more ready to work the shift as in this case as the candidate is experienced in the group’s culture and business ecosystem.

     

    Here Harris Diamond is not from the industry yet he is of it; understands business needs across industry, knows how to bring in the revenue and handle a group of agencies. He will bring in alternate views, positively contribute and revel in the creativity. Clearly McCann believed he would provide the edge.

     

    Vikram Chhachhi, Executive Vice President at DHR International

    Yes, it has been happening in India. I do not know of the names offhand. The cross-pollination is actually health for not only media, but for any kind of industry. It brings in new ideas, thoughts and concepts. It brings in fresh insights or styles with how people see, do or approach things. The entire media and consumer space is seeing a lot of conversion that is happening. And it will continue to happen for a long time to come.

     

    The challenges are based on how people accept or reject change and how people re-align themselves. The challenges are all around the acceptance of people to the changes happening around the marketplace: are they active, reactive, and responsive to these.

     

  • New categories, sharper definitions, expanded judging and paperless judging are among the highlights of the annual awards for effectiveness in advertising this year

    Entries open for Effies 2012

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Advertising Club has let the cat out of the bag as it sets the stage open, inviting entries for the most coveted event of the Advertising Industry in India. The EFFIE Awards are back and with a bang. This year the showcase for effective marketing and creative strategies throws open new categories.

     

    While the International EFFIE Awards are hosted every year in New York, since 2001 The Advertising Club Bombay has been organizing the EFFIEs in India. Says Ajay Kakar, Chairperson = EFFIE Committee and the Vice President of The Advertising Club, “For over a decade, the EFFIEs has become the gold standard in measuring marketing and communication effectiveness in India. This is reflected both in the quality and the number of entries which the awards have been attracting every year – a startling increase from 53 in 2001 to 300 in 2011! In fact EFFIEs is the only award that is bestowed on both the client and agency, to jointly celebrate the in-market effectiveness of their campaigns,”

     

    A practice introduced last year, this year too, thought leaders of the industry were invited to share their views and suggestions on how to further enhance the stature of the EFFIE. Basis the discussions and feedback, EFFIE 2012 will:

     

    · Introduce 2 new categories i.e. Direct, in recognition of the Specialist discipline’s ability to give measurable results and Best ongoing campaign, to recognise brands that have made effectiveness a way of life, across years

    · Host the Round 1 and 2 judging in Mumbai and Delhi, while inviting coveted jury members from across the country

    · See a sharpened definition of categories like Integrated and David vs. Goliath

    · Attract specialist Jury members for specialist categories like Direct, Digital and Rural

    · Introduce paper-less judging

    · Sharply qualify the material that can be submitted in support of the entries

    · Marico uncommon Sense Award is an essential part of EFFIES.

    · Lenovo has introduced a new Award  – Lenovo Tech-Doers Award.

     

    The Advertising Club has not increased the entry fee, only the service tax component gets added as a statutory requirement.

     

    The Effies are open to all clients and agencies, be they creative, media, digital, DM and PR, to enter their work and demonstrate the effectiveness of their campaigns.

     

    “I am also happy to share with you a strengthened team at our end, committed to taking EFFIES 2012 to even greater highs. Sameer Sathpathy from Marico has come on board as the Co-Chairman and N Rajaram from Airtel as our Anchor, from Delhi. And as always, we enjoy the active guidance of our President, Shashi Sinha and the active support of the Secretariat, led by Bipin Pandit,” Mr Kakar added

     

    The last day for entries to be submitted is Monday, November 5, 2012. The award ceremony event is scheduled to be held in Mumbai, on Wednesday, December 4, 2012.

     

    In-depth details about the EFFIES 2012 are available in the Entry form, which is now up and available on The Advertising Club’s website. The advertising, media and marketing industries can visit www.adclubbombay.com or email adclub@vsnl.com, for more details.

     

  • Taareef karun kya uski, jisne tumhein banaaya… Ajay Kakar on 10 reasons why A&M needs independents like MxMIndia

    The Anchor: Ajay Kakar on 10 reasons why the A&M world needs independents like MxMIndia

    By Ajay Kakar

     

    In an era when ‘independent’ agencies are the toast and talk of the advertising, media and marketing world, I am happy to share my views on the need and importance of ‘independent’ media in our world.

     

    #1 All that you wanted to know but didn’t know whom to ask and more importantly, whom to trust:

    In a fast evolving industry such as ours, there is a critical need to be on top of the changes and developments.

     

    An independent publication like MxMIndia offers a single window to all that you need to know. And that too, without any bias or agenda.

     

    #2 In the land of data, perspective is king:

    While there is a lot of data floating around, at times conflicting, there is need for an independent perspective, that gives light to how the data should be read and understood.

     

    An independent publication like MxMIndia allows the reader to make his own view and take-home, thanks to the professional and unbiased views of industry thought leaders.

     

    #3 Dig deep, while also digging wide:

    There are so many facets to our industry, wherein advertising can end up out-shouting and overshadowing all the other key though not glamorous disciplines like PR, Direct and media like radio, et al.

     

    Independent publications like MxMIndia care to give focus to all the facets, with due visibility to the perceived underdogs too, a la MxM Radio.

     

    #4 Learning from the gurus, while giving visibility to GenNext

    The industry is blessed with a few superstars who have a wealth of knowledge to share, as the face of our industry.

     

    But independent publications like MxMIndia have taken the lead to give a face and platform to the rising stars, who would otherwise get lost as a ship in the dark.

     

    #5 The good with the bad:

    There is a lot that can and still needs to be done to fast-track the evolution of our industry.

     

    Independent publications like MxMIndia dare to remind us of these glaring gaps. Regular features from critics like Anil Thakraney, who don’t shy from calling a spade a spade are invaluable.

     

    #6 The world, at your doorstep:

    There are so many learning opportunities and industry fora, that only a few privileged get to attend.

     

    Independent publications like MxMIndia open the world and minds of one and all, by their independent and unbiased coverage of events like Ad Asia, Goafest and Cannes. They play the role of our eyes and ears, as we learn from these platforms.

     

    #7. Kal kare so aaj kar, aaj kare so ab:

    Technology now allows us the opportunity to link with one and all, on an online real time basis.

     

    Independent publications like MxMIndia provide us Conversation dashboards, Twitter link, that help us to interact with Industry gurus and even publications like HBR, etc.

     

    #8 Your own guard-book of the world’s best:

    At the end of the day, it’s all about the work. And there is so much to see and learn from, that by ourselves we will never have access to.

     

    Independent publications like MxMIndia provide an AdStrat section, which gives a strategic perspective into some of the best and greatest industry work.

     

    #9 Who is who:

    How do you keep in touch with news and views, of an industry as big as ours!

     

    Independent publications like MxMIndia offer you a News section on brands and people, giving you a ring-side view to industry happenings.

     

    #10 Predict tomorrow, today:

    He who lives in the today, will soon be the past. He who can see the tomorrow, today, the future is his.

     

    If I were to sum the role of independent publications like MxMIndia, in our lives, they empower us…by helping us to understand the today, while helping us to learn from the past and helping us to predict the future.

     

    Ajay Kakar is Chief Marketing Officer – Financial Services, Aditya Birla Group

     

    Editor’s Note:

    He’s been our lucky mascot. Yes, Ajay Kakar wrote The Anchor on Day 1 of MxMIndia (The Anchor: 8 indications when you know it’s time to bid goodbye to your agency) and he wrote on Day 100 (The ‘Special’ Anchor: Ajay Kakar offers ‘100’ pointers MxM must remember in its journey ahead). And through this period he has contributed by way of writing or offering his views. Reason enough for us to have him (and only him!) write the Anchor on our first anniv.

     

  • 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: Recurring Savings Plan by Birla Sun Life Asset Management Co Ltd

    Deepak Agarwal
    Ajay Kakar

    Lead Credits: Deepak Agarwal, Executive Creative Director, M&C Saatchi; Ajay Kakar, Chief Marketing Officer – Financial Services, Aditya Birla Group

     

    Name of the Campaign: Recurring Savings Plan (RSP) by Birla Sun Life Asset Management Co. Ltd.

     

    Brief:

    Saving via a Mutual Fund v/s other ways of saving!

     

    Everyone knows that it is important to save their earnings – but people go about saving in the manner that they are most used to. Very few people choose to evaluate newer methods of saving, other than the traditional avenues. It is not surprising, therefore, to see as low as 5 per cent of all people opting for a Mutual Fund as a means of saving.

     

    Since its introduction, the option of saving in a Mutual Fund has also been perceived as a riskier method of saving, because of the propagation of information about Mutual Funds. Namely, that Mutual Funds invest in the equity/ share market and that this market can be volatile – hence mutual funds are risky. But the other half of the story is that there are options in mutual fund that can cater to a variety of saving needs, with similar safety and flexibility as traditional avenues.

     

    Among those who are used to saving in other ways, there is also a growing sense of disappointment with traditional avenues of saving – as the rising price of fuel and other aspects of inflation eat away at everyone’s savings.

     

    Research insights: 

    A vast majority of Indians have grown up with traditional avenues of saving (bank accounts, post office etc …)

    A vast majority of Indians are not financially savvy about modern ways of saving (mutual funds, stock market etc …)

    The investors who choose avenues other than the traditional ones target for ‘increasing their income’ as opposed to ‘planning their savings’

     

    The thought process behind the creative:

    The campaign objective: Remind and inspire people with the knowledge of how to save their earnings, regularly and more smartly, via a “Recurring Savings Plan” – a regular savings method in select mutual fund schemes that offer relative safety when it comes to your hard earned money.

     

    The campaign idea: The secret to saving smarter lies in your childhood stories!

     

    As children, we have all heard fables and learnt the difference between right and wrong from their morals. The brand plays the role of a provocateur, reminding adults of the moral behind the fable of ‘The Crow & The Pitcher’ – that doing something different, regularly can actually help one to reach one’s goals.

     

    The message that the brand conveys, via its TVC, is that as adults we often use fables and morals to remind our children to approach issues in their lives in a smarter manner … but the second and more powerful message is to also remind adults to approach their savings habits in a similar, smarter manner.

     

    This creative route leverages the space that fables occupy in everyone’s life, as the morals behind fables are deep rooted and unquestionable. Additionally, morals always seek to educate the reader with valuable life learnings. Hence, the creative route uses a fable to open the minds of adults – in order to plant the thought that perhaps it is these very fables and morals that can also guide us when it comes to saving our money.

     

    Media vehicles chosen:

    The campaign uses a mix of online and mainline (TV, Print, OOH) media to bring alive ‘The Crow & The Pitcher’ fable – in order to inspire adults to try a smarter way to save regularly.

     

    The campaign is supported by a website www.recurringsavings.in where the audience can also play a game that replicates the actions behind the moral of ‘doing something regularly to reach your goal.’

     

    Does the treatment do justice to the brief?
    Commenting on the film, Ajay Kakar, Chief Marketing Officer – Financial Services, Aditya Birla Group said: “In a country that has deep rooted belief in savings and resultantly the highest savings rate (35 per cent of GDP contribution as compared to 20 per cent for the rest of the world), the challenge and opportunity is to bring a self realization among mass India, of the need to also save smartly, through Recurring Savings, through a mutual fund”.

     

    He added: “Being a Top 5 MF player, at BSLMF we were quick to recognize this opportunity and decided to remind mass India about the merits of regular savings through MFs by reminding them of the thirsty crow fable we all heard and grew to. The moral of this story is what we hope creates self realization among our target audience. And in execution, the fable route and the animation approach was chosen for its ease in understanding and to build an instant connect on our core messaging. We decided to rely on a fresh and non threatening approach, going away from what’s now expected as a typical predictable FS advertising look and feel.”
    What according to you is the differentiating factor about the ad?

    • Simple yet powerful concept of regular savings through fixed income instruments of MF- easy for investors to understand and comprehend
    • Inculcates the habit of regular and systematic savings and take advantage of power of compounding
    • Fresh look and feel using an animated approach and a fable, story – telling route, a first in Financial Services category

     

    Compiled by Shubhangi Mehta

     

     

  • Clients attend festivals like the Cannes Lions to spot inspiring ideas, particularly in the digital, social and mobile and media worlds

    Why CMOs needn’t feel guilty about going for Cannes Lions

    By Delshad Irani

     

    What does a chief marketing officer of a very large global company do when he wants to be proficient in Twitter? He asks the CEO of Twitter, Dick Costolo to provide the best resource they possess for an intensive reverse mentoring session. According to Antonio Lucio, global chief marketing, strategy and development officer, Visa, it is critically important for him as the head of a global marketing organisation to be an expert on social media and be able to build the Visa brand on platforms like Twitter and Facebook.

     

    Interestingly, he has been a marketer for over 30 years and it is his first time at Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity and the first time Visa has attended the festival as a company. The question then is why now? For starters, digital media has changed the rules of engagement. However, the cases of truly successful integration and application of digital media are few and generally set on loop. “The fact is that when people talk about social they keep using the same concepts and best cases, for instance, the Old Spice campaign. This means that there really isn’t a clearly articulated model,” said Mr Lucio.

     

    So clients like him attend festivals like the Cannes Lions to spot inspiring ideas, particularly in the digital, social and mobile and media worlds. Reasonable grounds for marketers to attend with teams of 5 to 15 senior management level employees.

     

    But, it wasn’t too long ago when if you were a client and you said you want to go to Cannes for the ad festival you might not have got permission from management to do so. However, it is due to the efforts of a few that has led to the institutionalisation of the client’s side of Cannes. Marketers like Mr Lucio can come with midsize teams and it’s no longer considered an indulgence. P&G, Unilever, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Heineken, Kraft, GM, McDonald’s and Mars, among others are just a few of the big global marketers who were present at the 2012 Cannes Lions.

     

    Some have been attending longer than others. Like Joseph Tripodi, executive vice president and chief marketing and commercial officer, The Coca-Cola Company, who is particularly impressed with the attention the festival is receiving from media owners like Time Warner, in addition to growing participation numbers from clients as well as delegates from agencies. Keith Weed of Unilever, who has come to Cannes three years in a row and has been CMO for as many years said: “We have 15 people here this year and we do a combination of workshops, meeting our agency partners and recognising and acknowledging that creativity is great. In a cluttered media world, we need creativity to cut through.”

     

    So apart from networking and opportunities to meet all their concerned parties, old and some new, in the same place, at the same time, these marketers are on the look out for inspiring work from across the world. And set creative benchmarks wherever possible. According to Cyril Charzat, senior global brand director, Heineken: “It’s very much about stimulating our marketing people to be stronger when they evaluate work from creative agencies; to define what is progressive and inventive. Our key message is to stimulate inventiveness and that’s what we try to do.” And Cannes is a part of that story.

     

    On the Indian front, however, it is not yet a vital chapter. And Cannes remains the exclusive domain of adwallahs, with a light sprinkling of some regular clients like Mr Kakar of Aditya Birla Group, who has been attending the festival for over half a decade. Then there are first-timers like Mahindra & Mahindra. The company wanted to test French waters and therefore Vivek Nayer the company’s VP-marketing for the auto division attended the festival. But he left a tad disappointed and overwhelmed by the creative clutter. Other Indian marketers in attendance were Parle Agro (with Nadia Chauhan also a jury member), Dabur and Flipkart. Clearly, Indian marketers are grappling with the big question – to attend or not to attend? Meanwhile, clients from markets on our left and right, up and down, are strategising on ways to find the best creative result during the seven days spent in the Cote d’Azur.

     

    However, the challenge for most is to put all that inspiring work to actual use. And here’s how some intend to do it. “We are not going to come in like the advertising people who get inspiration and go back home to figure it out. We will have a very structured approach with sessions of inspiration followed by sessions of perspiration, daily.

     

    It’s my responsibility during the week to ensure that Cannes becomes a truly business building program for us,” said Mr Lucio of Visa. In other words, for marketers to take Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity seriously there must be “enough perspiration to pay for the inspiration.”

     

    Fair enough.

     

    Source: The Economic Times

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

  • Awards are just another recognition for marketers and agencies to do more better says Ajay Kakar, CMO-Financial Services, Aditya Birla Group

    We’re here 2 get inspired & celebrate: Ajay Kakar

    Ajay Kakar, CMO-Financial Services, Aditya Birla Group shares his idea of the changes spotted this year at Goafest and the inspiration it has on the youth of today.

     

    What’s there for clients at Goafest?

    Goafest 2012 is a boiling pot for media, marketing and advertising industries to come together and think, discuss and get inspired. And I think 2012 was no exception.

     

    Key takeaways from sessions…

    Takeways remain the same: whatever you do, whoever you are there is so much more that you can do, there is so much work for you to get inspired and learn from. You go back thinking that whatever I have done, I have not done enough. We need to tap the real potential.

     

    Emphasis on digital…

    Digital has been given due focus for many years now. My one request or regret is that we should stop calling it digital and new medium; it is the medium of today and it will be the medium of tomorrow. How do we bring the potential upfront with the many success stories, I think that should be the focus going forward.

     

    Recognition through awards…

    Awards are just another recognition for marketers and agencies to do more better. This year, the number of entries, the number of agencies from which these entries came and the quality of entries have really done us proud. I think that’s the important part – it’s the work that we are here to get inspired by and celebrate. That’s been a great reality this year.

     

  • Ajay Kakkar lists reasons why a client should rather than not attend GoaFest 2012

    8 days to Go-Goafest: Ajay Kakar on why the client frat should not attend Goafest!

    By Ajay Kakar

     

    I do believe that as a client/marketer you should definitely not waste your valuable time attending the Goafest…

     

    …if you believe that agency partners have no role to play in the building, nurturing and success of your brand

     

    …if you believe that the output of your agency partners is mere creatives

     

    …if you believe that your agency partners do not value your presence and encouragement

     

    …If you believe that your agency is a mere vendor

     

    …If you have not certified the entries made by your agency as your work, actioned by you

     

    …if you believe that agency partners do not want to share their success and joyous moments with you

     

    …if you feel that it is ‘their’ win and you have had no role to play in it

     

    …if you do not feel a sense of ownership and pride to see your agency win

     

    …if you do not want to partake in their success celebrations

     

    …if you do not feel the need to be by the side of your agency team, holding their hand – in case they do not win

     

    …If you do not hope and aspire that some day your agency will do work that is worthy of industry recognition

     

    …if you feel that there is nothing that you have not seen, or there is nothing left for you to learn from

     

    …if you do not feel inspired by work that has won the recognition of a distinguished panel of jury

     

    …if you do not feel the need to be inspired by speakers who have proved their mettle against the best of the best – in India and abroad

     

    …If you believe that the only place for good creatives to be displayed at is the Jehangir Art Gallery

     

    …If you would not like to see all the best work done, from across the country, from across agencies, across the year, at one place – at one time

     

    …If you do not like to meet your peers from the advertising, media and marketing fraternities

     

    …If you believe that the 3000+ people who went last year have wasted their time

     

    …If you….

     

    Rather than think, procrastinate and defer the decision, come and experience the learning, the networking, the inspiration, the bonding….kuch din to gujariye Goafest men. And I can assure you that you will come back for more. Take it from a client who has been there every year, with a contingent size that could be the envy of many an agencies.

     

    Ajay Kakar is CMO – Financial Services, Aditya Birla Group

     

     

    Click here to view all Goafest 2012 stories

     

  • "100 reasons why…"? Or, "100 reasons what…"? Damn! Where do I start? says Ajay Kakar

    The ‘Special’ Anchor: Ajay Kakar offers ‘100’ pointers MxM must remember in its journey ahead

    By Ajay Kakar

     

    How time flies!

     

    It seems like just ‘yesterday’, that I was invited by MxM to contribute to its first ‘issue’ to hit the net. I was asked to write on a potentially controversial subject; “8 indications when you know it’s time to bid adieu to your agency”.  While I clicked away on the computer late at night, I was afraid of the potential backlash that I could receive, from the industry that had given me an alternate career and an identity, two decades ago, and till as recently as 2005.

     

    But I was fortunate to receive very warm and encouraging feedback from friends and till-then unknown names, alike, from both the advertising and marketing fraternities. Phew! That was a relief.

     

    And today, once again, it’s late in the night/early in the morning. And I am clicking away on my computer for the 100th issue of MxM. While I feel honoured to have the opportunity to contribute to these two key milestones in the life of this ‘new entrant’, what frightens me this time is that I have an open mandate to write on whatever topic that I like. But with a request that the piece should cover a 100 points! “100 reasons why…”? Or, “100 reasons what…”? Damn! Where do I start?

     

    Having been at the client and agency end, I know the importance of a ‘client brief’.  So here goes…

     

    100 pointers (in no particular order) for MxM to remember, as it continues on its journey towards the next many centuries…

     

    1. The Indian advertising, media and marketing fraternity is a small family. It’s as if we know everybody and all that there is to know.

    The opportunity is to widen our horizons. Introduce a fresh perspective. And increase/improve our learnings by making us realise that there is still a whole new world out there, waiting to be tapped

     

    2. Advertising. Advertising. Advertising. Our world seems skewed towards the visible and glamorous world of advertising, and more specifically the 30 seconder

    The opportunity is to make us realise that there are many powerful weapons in the communication armoury that remain untapped or inadequately used

     

    3. The same few names. All the time.

    The opportunity is to also bring to light the news and views related to the     yet unsung heroes, be they brands, agencies or people, who are blazing new trails, but are still below the radar.

     

    4. India is now being recognised as a strong potential, in the world of brands.  And still, there are miles to go, before we can be acknowledged as an undisputed force to reckon with.

    The opportunity is to bring the best of thinkers and doers from around the world to our doorstep, so that we can speeden up our learning curve.

     

    5. The media always has a pov on our industry.

    The opportunity is to not only have a pov, but to also partner the industry, actively, rather than be a mere bystander and observer.  To become a platform for transformational thinking.

     

    ….As all the loyal visitors of MxM will say, in unison, what is the purpose of my Pointers! MxM not only believes in all the opportunities listed by me, but it has been practising the same for the last 100 issues.

     

    I am a repeat and regular visitor to the site. I know that the site already believes in and practices all the Pointers that I have highlighted, above. I know that the site is addictive. And I join the site’s loyal base of visitors to salute the efforts of team MxM to remain an independent voice of the industry.

     

    The purpose of my piece is not to ‘preach to the converted’ ie. MxM. But to remind them of the path they have chosen. And successfully stuck to, so far. My aim is to remind them of the opportunity. And the need to stay with this path for the many centuries ahead.

     

    So today, let’s celebrate the century gone by, while looking forward to their journey ahead.  For, if you have set off on a path to perfection, the journey never ends. As they say, the match has just begun.

     

    PS: What happened to the brief (100 points)? I have exercised my right as a “client”, to change the brief.

     

    The client (and columnist) is always right! Lol – Ed

    Ajay Kakar is Chief Marketing Officer – Financial Services, Aditya Birla Group

     

  • The idea behind the campaign is to make the masses aware that their life, dreams and future are not necessarily in their control.

    Radio Mirchi and Birla Sun Life’s campaign to protect families

    By a Correspondent

     

    After a TVC and launch of an independent microsite, Birla Sun Life Insurance roped in Mindshare and Radio Mirchi to spread the message of their campaign, Protection Solutions. The idea behind the campaign is to make the masses aware that their life, dreams and future are not necessarily in their control. There is always an element of the unexpected – fate – and it is best that they don’t leave dreams to fate. The objective of the campaign is to inspire people to secure their families, and not to leave their dreams to fate.

     

    Mr. Ajay Kakar, Chief Marketing Officer, Financial Services, Aditya Birla Group, said: “As a brand, we believe in identifying unarticulated needs of our customers and contextualizing the role that we can play to meet these needs. It is important to play a role of a facilitator to sensitize the customer to the uncertainties of life and empower him with solutions that protect his priceless dreams. In order to communicate and effectively engage the customers, it was important for us to select an appropriate activation and media planning partner and our association with Mirchi and Mindshare best helped us to reach out to the masses.”

     

    The campaign is spread over three weeks, across eight markets and encompasses the theme of ‘safety, security and protection. Mindshare and Radio Mirchi urged people to come forward and share their stories of luck and survival.

     

    Abhishek Ray, of ‘Sahib Biwi Aur Gangster’ and ‘I am Kalam’ fame and Kavita Krishnamoorthi, the versatile singer and former actress, are said to have come together to create a song that will inspire the listeners to take the necessary steps and protect their families.

     

    Radio Mirchi also organized a massive on-ground activity in 64 housing societies across 8 metros. The activity, ‘Birla Sun Life Insurance presents My Family Day’, mixed a lot of fun activities while giving an opportunity for families to bond together. This gave most family members to display various strengths to protect their families.

     

    Birla Sun Life Insurance also gave away a maroon coloured band to individuals who pledged to protect their families. The idea behind the activities was to get the audiences to take a pledge to protect their families.