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Tag: Ajay Sharma

  • The integrated  promotion is conceptualised by Grey

    Pankaj Tripathi in Baidyanath Chyawanprash ad

    By Our Staff

     

    Grey group has launched an integrated campaign for Baidyanath Chyawanprash starring actor Pankaj Tripathi.

     

    Said Ajay Sharma, Director, Baidyanath: “Baidyanath has always put the customer above everything else. Our mission is to provide the most authentic and efficacious products to the consumer and to educate the consumer on the benefits of Ayurvedic formulations and processes. This campaign is an embodiment of our mission and a testament of our commitment to providing the most authentic and complete products. It provides the consumer with the right tools and knowledge to make an informed decision when evaluating Chyawanprash, and we felt Pankaj Tripathi, with his bonafide connect with the audience, would be the appropriate choice to deliver such a powerful message.”

     

    Added Ketan Desai, Chief Operating Officer, Grey: “Baidyanath is among the original champions of Ayurveda in India. It has been promoting this traditional wisdom much before Ayurveda became fashionable. It is only befitting for a brand with such a strong foundation in the Ayurvedic knowledge to create disruption in an otherwise low involvement and undifferentiated category. Through this campaign, we are not only promoting Baidyanath Chyavanprash but also encouraging people to check what goes inside their Chyawanprash before making a choice. Just like for other healthcare brands, we want them to make the choice of their Chyawanprash brand an informed one. And with Pankaj Tripathi, we have a credible figure of authority to drive home the message.”

     

     

  • The aim is to win hearts of the youth and become their most loved smartphone brand

    FCB executes new campaign for Obi Mobiles

    By A Correspondent

     

    FCB Ulka has crafted a new campaign for latest entrant in the smartphone market, Obi Mobiles. OBI Mobiles has ambitious plans for India and are looking at leadership position by being a one-of-a-kind smartphone player. Their aim is to win hearts of the youth and become their most loved smartphone brand.

     

    Ajay Sharma, CEO, Obi Mobiles, said, “In a market cluttered with innumerable brands offering the latest in technology, the challenge for us was to find a unique space for ourselves. While everyone is selling features we decided to create a brand the youth can relate to. With this objective in mind the current campaign projects Obi as the brand which is out there to celebrate individuality, without ever being judgemental.”

     

    If you look at mobile communication today it is largely focussed on features and product usage. Hence, Obi decided to break out of the template and let people make their own choice without being preachy. And with this in mind, FCB Ulka came up with the brand thought “Whoever you are“. A philosophy that illustrates how Obi celebrates every individual, as he/she is. And to bring it alive, FCB Ulka has created two brand films with a unique creative device. The films show people with animal heads. Why animals? Animals are simple to understand, honest, fun and always real. They don’t wear masks, they are who they are. So they were a natural fit.

     

    In one of the films, the protagonist is a black sheep of the family. A little different from the others. He does not try to fit with the crowd but acts himself around people. Instead of being bogged down, he is comfortable in his own skin of a black sheep.

     

    In the second film, the protagonist is a chameleon at her work place. The story revolves around her being her normal self. A little moody. A lot of fun, bold and proudly herself.

     

    Commenting on the TVC, Vasudha Misra, Sr. Creative Director, FCB Ulka, said “Advertising in the phone category seems like it’s all coming from the same place. With the phone at the front, back and centre of the communication. We wanted to keep our communication as distinct as our product. For Obi, more than anything, we wanted to establish a tone and a vibe that lends itself to all elements, even the logo. A unique one that people will be able to spot and recognise without waiting for the product window.”

     

    Obi is the latest entrant in the Indian smartphone market and is promoted by Inflexion Point, a globally focused IT supply chain company co-founded by John Sculley (former Apple CEO) and Neeraj Chauhan (Global Distribution Entrepreneur).

     

  • CFA Institute, a global association for investment professionals, has appointed Ketchum Sampark as its PR and social media agency

    CFA Institute awards PR-SM mandate to Ketchum Sampark

    By A Correspondent

     

    CFA Institute, a global association for investment professionals, has appointed Ketchum Sampark as its public relations and social media agency in India following a closely contested pitch. The PR mandate for CFA Institute will be managed by Ketchum Sampark’s Mumbai Office.

     

    Ketchum Sampark will manage both traditional PR and Social Media communication programmes in India for the CFA institute.

     

    Confirming the appointment, Terry Lee, Director of Marketing and Communications, Asia Pacific, of CFA Institute said, “Ketchum Sampark’s expertise in the financial services sector and its creative ideas for a holistic communication approach for CFA Institute in India were the key differentiators in awarding the mandate..”

     

    Ajay Sharma

    Ajay Sharma, Managing Partner, Ketchum Sampark, said on the mandate: “We will provide strategic counsel and work on outreach plans for CFA Institute with various stakeholders.”

     

  • Ketchum Sampark has appointed Vipul Bondal as Partner, Corporate Practice and Prasanna Ratanjankar as Senior Manager, Social Media

    Ketchum Sampark strengthens corporate practice & social media arm

    By A Correspondent

     

    PR agency Ketchum Sampark has appointed Vipul Bondal as Partner, Corporate Practice and Prasanna Ratanjankar as Senior Manager, Social Media. These appointments reinforce Ketchum Sampark’s operational strategy to further strengthen its presence in India’s integrated communication space.

     

    Mr Bondal will serve as a member of the leadership team at Ketchum Sampark, and will operate out of the agency’s Mumbai Office. Through his expertise he will be responsible for driving new business growth and delivering enhanced value to existing clients. He will also play an integral role in streamlining and enhancing the agency’s operational practices in line with Ketchum’s global standards.

     

    Prior to joining Ketchum Sampark, Mr Bondal served as Vice President and Member of the leadership team at MSL India. He had played a pivotal role in strengthening the agency’s Banking, Financial Services and Insurance (BFSI) practice in his three-year stint.

     

    With almost two decades of experience in the communications space, Vipul brings to the table vast PR experience, having worked on both sides of the spectrum.

     

    Prasanna Ratanjankar will play a pivotal role in heading and strengthening the agency’s digital media arm, and will also be responsible catering to digital and social media requirements of existing clients, in a bid to offer an integrated approach.

     

    Ms Ratanjankar has seven years of experience in digital and social media, having worked with several prominent PR and Digital Media agencies including Social Wavelength, Ignitee, Genesis Burson Marsteller and Perfect Relations. She is recognized in the industry for her competencies in delivering innovative and effective digital media campaigns for clients across diverse industries.

     

    Ajay Sharma, Managing Partner, Ketchum Sampark, commenting on these developments, said, “With Vipul on board, we look at strengthening our corporate practice and bring in business transformation by building sub-practices such as healthcare and pharma. We are confident that his strong expertise and business acumen will take the agency’s capabilities to a new level. Digital and Social media is emerging as an important communication tool with several Indian brands integrating it in their overall marketing strategies. As we continue to scale-up our PR business, we will simultaneously ramping up our digital media arm. We are confident that Prasanna’s experience and capabilities in the digital media space, will help us achieve some of these objectives.”

     

  • Deepak Mehrotra joins as the new CEO; Khaja Muzaffarullah joins as the Feature phone division head;. Ajay Sharma to lead the smartphone division.

    Micromax strengthens its core team in India

    By A Correspondent

     

    Micromax, the leading Indian mobile brand, in its endeavour to further firm up its leadership position in the market, on Tuesday announced the appointment of key positions in its management team in India.

    Deepak Mehrotra, joining as the new Micromax CEO, will now be at the helm of affairs. His last assignment was in Bharti Airtel as the operations directors- mobility business.

    The brand is already a key player in the feature phone segment and is now looking to capture the smartphone market share as well. The focus will now be on two separate divisions: the ‘feature phone division’ to be led by Khaja Muzaffarullah and the ‘smartphone division’ to be headed by Ajay Sharma.

    Commenting on the development, Rahul Sharma, Executive Director, Micromax said: “We are a brand that’s admired for challenging the conventional. The new team brings with them a wealth of experience by virtue of their long-standing association and in-depth understanding of the overall mobility market globally.”

    Considering the leap Micromax has taken in the mobile ecosystem in India and globally, the appointments are a testimony to a great future in coming times as well. Deepak Mehrotra, CEO, Micromax Informatics Ltd said, “These are exciting times, not only for the brand, but for the industry as a whole. We are witnessing technology advancements every day and that further excites us at Micromax. The Indian mobile industry is growing at a rate of 12 percent and we would like to capture this opportunity and drive the next phase of growth for the brand. We would further leverage brand’s success in this high potential Indian market and build new capabilities.”

    In the next two years, as India gears up become the largest mobile market, Micromax aims to double its reach as well and strengthen its distribution network. Leading this vision will be Khaja Muzaffarullah as the Head of sales for feature phone division. Mr Muzaffarullah, was earlier with Sony Ericsson.

    Commenting on his new role, Mr Muzaffarullah said, “The channels partners are a key to our business model and form the backbone of our strong presence in the country. We would be strengthening our distribution across the country and work towards creating a robust network that brings us closer to the customer.

    Micromax, having already established its leadership in the feature phone market in India, now aims to build a strong portfolio of smartphones for the discerning Indian consumers.

     

    Commenting about the potential of smartphones, Ajay Sharma, who will be leading the smartphones division, said, “Micromax would aspire to a 10 percent of the market share at the earliest.”

    Micromax, is the largest Indian mobile handset company, in terms of units shipped during the quarter ended March 31, 2010 and the third largest mobile handset seller as at March 31, 2010 (according to IDC’s India Quarterly Mobile Handsets Tracker, 1Q 2010, June 2010 release).

     

  • Ketchum Sampark announces entry into Digital Media with the launch of Ketchum Sampark Digital.

    Ketchum Sampark goes Digital

    By A Correspondent

     

    Ketchum Sampark, the Indian Affiliate of global communications network Ketchum Inc, has announced the launch of its digital media business Ketchum Sampark Digital. Aimed at garnering substantial market share in the emerging digital media business, Ketchum Sampark Digital will offer full-service interactive strategy, web design, video production and multimedia development to help companies tell their stories and build engagement with their audiences on digital media (internet and mobile).

     

    Commenting on the launch of Ketchum Sampark Digital, N S Rajan, Managing Director, Ketchum Sampark said, “The launch of Ketchum Sampark Digital reflects the emerging significance of engaging with consumers through prolific use of digital domains. There has been a distinct shift in usage patterns wherein consumers look beyond email and casual surfing to complete engagement and internet as the media of choice for information. We are initially launching our Digital business with a team of young social media experts and progressively build a bandwidth of skills and digital capabilities including a team of interactive strategists, digital designers and producers.”

     

    According to Jonathan Kopp, Partner & Global Director, Ketchum Digital, “Globally, Ketchum Digital has created innovative digital media solutions for clients including FedEx, Kodak, ConAgra, Absolut amongst many other industry-leading companies. With the launch of Ketchum Sampark Digital India joins other Ketchum Offices and digital experts around the globe in the Ketchum Global Digital Network bringing digital social media solutions from around the world for our clients everywhere.”

     

    As part of its foray into the digital media business, Ketchum Sampark is concluding a detailed study of 200 Indian corporates and nearly 150 brands in the Indian marketplace to track their digital footprint as well as user engagements. The study covers Corporates from across 20 different industries including Aviation, BFSI, Consulting, Diversified Large Indian Corporates, Healthcare & Pharmaceutical, Oil & energy, Software Services and FMCG. The Brands covered in the survey are from across 14 categories including Apparel, Automobile, Media & Entertainment, Personal Care and Retail.

     

    “Our study has tracked engagement of these corporations & brands with their target audiences using social media channels like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and LinkedIn,” said Ajay Sharma, Managing Partner, Ketchum Sampark.


    Key Findings of Ketchum Sampark Digital’s Indian Social Media Engagement Study 2011

     

    > Initial findings indicate that while most Indian companies (82 %) have registered a presence on at least one of the four social media channels that were surveyed, the activity is largely focused around consumer communication for their products and services.

    > LinkedIn seems to be the most preferred channel on social media with 72 % of the companies surveyed having a dedicated page on LinkedIn.
    Though Facebook is the largest social media platform in India with over 38 million followers, it lags behind LinkedIn with only 55% of Indian corporates registering a presence on it.

    > Using video and multimedia to create engagement with consumers, investors, potential employees and other audiences is still not an avenue explored by Indian corporates with barely 6% being Very Active on YouTube.

    > More than 50% of corporates despite opening up a channel or registering a page on social media are Inactive. Some Inactive corporates also tend to use the presence on a channel opportunistically during launches and other significant company initiatives.

    > We feel that with the explosion in social media users this will change in 2012.

    > Out of the 150 brands surveyed, 23% did not have any presence on social media platforms while 30% had a presence on only one channel. Only 22% of brands were present on all three social media platforms.

    > Unlike corporates, Facebook is the clear favourite for brands with 75% of these brands registering a presence on it. YouTube and Twitter followed with 42% and 28% respectively.

     

    79% of brands with a presence on Twitter were Very Active / Active on the platform as compared to 69% on YouTube and 63% on Facebook.