MxMIndia

Tag: Bobby Pawar

  • This is the network’s second buy in 2019. But there’s more coming, we hear

    Havas on shopping spree. Buys Langoor

    L to R – Venugopal Ganganna, Chief Executive Officer, Langoor, Ruchir Punjabi, Founder & Chair, Langoor, Vishnu Mohan, Chairman & CEO, Havas India & South East Asia, Bobby Pawar, Chairman & CCO, Havas Group India, Girisha Gowda, Chief Operations Officer, Langoor, Kishore Karumbaiah, Chief Creative Officer, Langoor and Rana Barua, Group CEO, Havas Group India

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    When the Havas group announced the ‘acquisition’ of two veteran industry persons last year, it was clear that it had huge plans for India. After Rana Barua and later Bobby Pawar joined to helm the group in the country, the message sent out was that the advertising agency-led conglomerate is not going to sit pretty on its existing lines of business.

     

    If it were to match the big girls or boys in the business, it had to broadbase its line of businesses. The Dentsu Aegis Network (DAN) experiment in India had been a huge success. Acquire, Grow and Shine.

     

    In May this year, Havas gobbled up Think Design, a strong player in user experience and design advisory in India. And today (September 18), it announced the acquisition of Langoor, an eight-year-old tech-led independent agency with presence across India, the Middle East and Australia. The deal size has not been disclosed.

     

    With a team size of 170 people, Langoor has earned its stripes as an agency that’s not in the mould of a typical digital advertising agency. It’s driven by technology, and it’s hence different from many others.

     

    Langoor will be rebranded Langoor Havas and be led by its co-founder – Venugopal Ganganna – who will take on the newly-created position of Chief Digital Officer, Havas Group India, reporting to Barua who is Group CEO, Havas Group India. Langoor Havas will have three key focus areas – health, business and vernacular – and will expand these services to markets outside of India in the coming months. The deal itself took over a year to fructify and was inked earlier this month.

     

    The agency has been growing 30 per cent and some of its key clients include Unilever, Fossil, Wipro, Emami, Epson, Adobe, Infosys, Moneygram among others.

     

    While an exponential growh new business continues to be something that Havas in India is seeking to fructify, according to industry and Havas insiders, the inorganic DAN-like growth path is clearly on the agenda: there are many domains that are still need Havas’s presence. For instance, activations, public relations/communications and perhaps more in digital. The appetite is to acquire another four to five agencies, an executive told us requesting anonymity.

     

    To a pointed question from MxMIndia, a Havas spokesperson said: “Our acquisition approach is distinctively not a multiplier approach but one of relevant expertise building. You will be hearing from us soon on the acquisition front, in line with this approach.”

     

    A communique was issued by the group bearing the following statements:

    Yannick Bolloré, Chairman and CEO Havas Group: “Digital business is booming in India and bringing Langoor on board is an important new step to further strengthening our digital skills locally. Through their unique blend of data, creativity and technology, Langoor enables brands to engage their customers meaningfully and drive growth. Earlier this year, we acquired the leader in user experience and digital design in India, Think Design, making Langoor our second acquisition in the country in 2019. The combined expertise of Think Design and Langoor boost Havas’ digital offer in the world’s fastest growing ad market. India continues to be a priority for the Group, we aim to triple our presence there by the end of 2019 and have put in place a solid new management team to lead this expansion.”

     

    Vishnu Mohan, Chairman & CEO, Havas Group India & South East Asia: “The acquisition of Langoor complements our aggressive growth strategy that we started last year with the creation of Havas Village India that brought together different disciplines under a unified, client-centric leadership structure. Langoor adds an enviable strength to Havas Group with its distinctive approach of Creative Technologists who challenge marketing every day with their expertise in balancing, data, technology, strategic thinking and the power of creative.”

     

    Rana Barua, CEO, Havas Group India: “The Langoor acquisition also demonstrates Havas Group’s commitment to expand its scale and expertise in India with a focus on exponential growth, new business momentum, and building & leading future-ready teams. The acquisition will reinforce our integrated offering and digital expertise in India and complement our existing capabilities.”

     

    Ruchir Punjabi & Venu Ganganna, co-founders of Langoor: “We pride ourselves in having created an agency focused on digital brand thinking – which is the future. The integration with Havas Group will add scale to the depth of our services and help us to grow even further. This acquisition is an incredible opportunity for Langoor and the team and we are excited to be part of this new journey towards further success.”

     

  • The film promotes the Mutual Climax condoms launched by Durex

    Havas unveils Durex’s #ComeTogether campaign

    By A Correspondent

    Durex India has launched a new brand campaign which aims to create awareness about orgasm inequality, the film highlights the fact that sex is great when you #ComeTogether. The campaign has been conceptualised and executed by Havas Creative.

     

    Said Pankaj Duhan, Chief Marketing Officer, RB South Asia Health:  “We are very excited about launching our latest innovation Mutual Climax condoms. Our ongoing campaign #ComeTogether along with this new solution aims to create awareness on the issue of orgasm inequality, thereby encouraging couples to have a discussion on the issue. With Mutual Climax, we want to empower couples and make equal pleasure and sexual equality a reality in India.”

     

    Commenting on the creative strategy, Bobby Pawar, Chairman & Chief Creative Officer, Havas Group said, “Orgasm is still considered as a tabooed topic in Indian society, to come up with a film talking contextually and visually of orgasms was no easy task and needed to walk a fine line. We have conceptualized the film keeping in mind the sensitivity around the topic, by creating a film in a fun and engaging style by using indirect metaphor. The idea behind the film was to create awareness and to build conversation around the topic. The driving force behind the campaign is the philosophy that sex & pleasure are great when equal, fair & mutual.”

    The campaign is currently on air.

  • Dasgupta will lead strategy across all disciplines

    Havas Group India appoints Shivaji Dasgupta as Chief Strategy Officer

    By A Correspondent

     

    Shivaji Dasgupta

    Havas Group India has appointed Shivaji Dasgupta as Chief Strategy Officer. In his new role, Dasgupta will lead strategy across all disciplines, which includes – creative, media, health and digital and will report to Rana Barua, Group CEO, Havas Group India.

     

    Commenting on the appointment, Barua said: “The appointment is a critical step forward for the Group in India towards the evolution of its ‘Together’ strategy that brings together all the verticals under one roof known as Havas Village. Shivaji will further strengthen our integrated product offering and help further strengthen the collaboration between Havas and Vivendi companies in India.”

     

    Commenting on the appointment, Bobby Pawar, Group Chairman & Chief Creative Officer, Havas Group India added: “Shivaji’s vast experience and planning expertise will help clients in building an integrated approach which will aim to create a unique and valuable brand experience. His appointment is a step forward in our endeavor to provide clients with a more agile and holistic approach to deliver a seamless experience cemented by a deep strategic understanding of brands that will further elevate our creative offering.”

     

     

  • A media professional with over 14 years of experience in the media and marketing arena, Mehra’s last stint was at Creativeland Asia as Editor-in-chief – Content Marketing. Prior to that, she was Associate Editor at exchange4media.com

    Havas appoints journalist Priyanka Mehra as Director Marketing and Communications

    By A Correspondent

     

    Priyanka Mehra

    Havas Group India has appointed Priyanka Mehra as Director Marketing and Communications. Her appointment is in line with unifying communications across all disciplines under the Havas Group umbrella, notes a communique, adding: “Her remit includes working with the senior leadership in India and the regional communications team to elevate brand reputation and awareness.”

     

    A media professional with over 14 years of experience in the media and marketing arena, Mehra’s last stint was at Creativeland Asia as Editor-in-chief – Content Marketing. Prior to that, she was Associate Editor at exchange4media.com.

     

    Bobby Pawar
    Rana Barua

    Said Bobby Pawar, Chairman & Chief Creative Officer, Havas Group India: “The sheer length and breadth of communications at Havas collaborating with Vivendi entertainment and content platforms provide us with great marketing ammunition and Priyanka’s appointment is a step forward in showcasing our strength as a Group in the Indian market.” Added Rana Barua, Group CEO, Havas Group India: “Given Priyanka’s understanding of content and communications, her appointment is part of a management structure that brings together all communication disciplines – creative, media, healthcare under the Havas Village umbrella. Part of her mandate will be overall communications and going forward key strategic tie -ups and initiatives given Havas Group India’s future-forward vision.”

     

    Said Mehra on her new role: “What makes Havas Group India an exciting place to be is the integrated offering across media creative and healthcare. Added to this is the collaboration with Vivendi which includes Universal Music, GameLoft and Daily Motion, which in turn creates a unique narrative and a unique marketing force “

  • Meanwhile, Publicis Worldwide has issued a statement that it has finalised Pawar’s replacement and will be announcing the key appointment soon

    Bobby Pawar exits Publicis. To join Havas as Chairman & CCO

    By A Correspondent

     

    Had it been another day, it would have made way for the Big Story. But, then, Bobby Pawar would agree, the merger of J Walter Thompson with Wunderman calls for the top slot in our newsdeck.

     

    But the move is a clear indicator that the Havas group intends to boost its play in India. In early October, Havas appointed Rana Barua as Group CEO. Now Pawar has been appointed Chairman and Chief Creative Officer. Notes a communique: “The appointment is in sync with an aggressive growth strategy that will further integrate the management structure of Havas Group’s India operations to create a simple, unified and client-centric organization in line with the Group’s “Together” strategy.” Also, in October, Havas announced the elevation of Anita Nayyar as CEO of Havas Media Southeast in addition to her role as CEO of Havas Media India.

     

    Pawar will report to Vishnu Mohan, Chairman & CEO of Havas Group, India & Southeast Asia, and work closely with existing leadership teams, including recently-appointed Havas Group India CEO – Rana Barua. The appointment is effective in January 2019. Nayyar, as per the October 23 communique, will also report to Mohan.

     

    Pawar joins Havas Group from Publicis Worldwide where he is Managing Director and Chief Creative Officer for South Asia. Publicis has confirmed the development and informed the media that Pawar, will be moving on from the agency after a five-year stint, and will leaved after serving his notice period which ends in January 2019.

     

    Said Saurabh Varma, CEO, Publicis Communications, India & South Asia: “Over the last five years, Bobby has played a key role in transforming the creative output of Publicis Worldwide India. Under Bobby’s leadership we’ve created some truly fabulous work for our clients. We’ve enjoyed working with Bobby and will miss his sense of humour and the raw energy he brings with him. We wish him the best of luck for his future.”

     

    Commenting on the appointment, Mohan said: “Collectively, as a network, we are focused on providing clients with great work by investing in the best talent. We hire for the future, not the past and we believe that Bobby is a timely and critical hire for Havas Group. Bobby’s work has made him one of the most awarded Indian creatives in the industry and he is known for transforming agency culture and reputation on the strength and quality of the creative product.  Additionally, his experience across traditional, digital, experiential, and media agencies will bolster our overall integrated product. Bobby’s appointment will fuel our ambition for India and herald a new chapter of success and I am delighted to welcome him to the team.”

     

    “It’s a great time to be in the advertising industry as data and technology has added depth and breadth to the creative product. Havas Group provides the perfect platform to reinvent our industry by blending the best of both worlds: relentless creativity and smart media accountability. Additionally, by being a part of Vivendi, Havas Group has a huge opportunity to make tangible in-roads into the entertainment industry. The prospect of leveraging the assets of Universal Music, Dailymotion, Gameloft (Vivendi companies) to solve a business problem is extremely exciting and I am delighted at the opportunity and looking forward to my new role,” added Pawar.  On his exit from Publicis Worldwide, Pawar added: ““I’ve had a blast working with Saurabh, Srija and the incredible creative talent as Publicis Worldwide India. But as they say, all good things do come to an end. I’m the kind of person who has always been excited about trying new things and broadening my horizons, and that’s exactly what I’ll be doing. I am fully confident that Publicis will continue to rise and make stellar work for its clients. I would like to thank the Groupe for the great memories and work we’ve created over the years.”

     

     

  • ‘Dil Se Desi’ announces the arrival of Zee5 in APAC, Africa and MENA

    Zee5 kicks off global launch with new brand campaign

    By A Correspondent

     

    Zee5 has launched its global campaign ‘Dil Se Desi’, officially marking the digital platforms’ entry into the International market. An ode to Indians and South Asians around the world, ‘Dil Se Desi’ announces the arrival of Zee5 in APAC, Africa and MENA and very soon, in Europe, Canada and Caribbean.

     

    Commenting on the launch, Amit Goenka, CEO, Zee International and Z5 Global said: “In the first leg of our international foray, we intend to capture the hearts of South Asians across the globe and I think our campaign, ‘Dil Se Desi’ does this beautifully.“

     

    “Interestingly, both this campaign ‘Dil Se Desi’ and the ZEE5 India launch campaign we rolled out in February 2018, ‘Apni Bhasha Mein Feel Hai’ have their genesis in the same insight; that Indians and indeed South Asians today, irrespective of where they live or how globally connected they are, are fundamentally rooted in their culture and feel a strong sense of pride and belonging. Being ‘Desi’ today has moved from being just cool to being an intrinsic part of one’s identity; and that’s what Zee5 taps into. The emotion that whoever or whatever I am on the outside, on the inside I am ‘Dil Se Desi’ and I not only embrace, but celebrate who I am,” said Archana Anand, Chief Business Officer, Zee5 Global.

     

    It is this celebration that is brought alive in the campaign that’s been jointly crafted by the teams at Zee5 and Publicis Capital, notes a communique.

     

    Added Bobby Pawar, Chief Creative Officer & Managing Director, Publicis Worldwide (India): “There is something that happens when people from South Asia move abroad. We become one vibrant community that is united by what we all have in common, and this community is known as ‘Desi’. The ‘Dil Se Desi’ idea celebrates what we love about being ‘desi’, the quirks, the attitude, the culture, the coolness, the togetherness and the content we can’t do without.”

     

     

  • Bassi will be based out of the agency’s New Delhi office

    Publicis appoints Neeraj Bassi as Managing Partner & Chief Strategy Officer

    By A Correspondent

     

    Neeraj Bassi

    Publicis India has announced the appointment of Neeraj Bassi as Managing Partner & Chief Strategy Officer. Bassi will be based out of the agency’s New Delhi office.

     

    He joins Publicis after a brief stint as an independent consultant where he provided strategic guidance and brand solutions for multiple clients across various categories. Bassi has worked with leading market research networks such as TNS, IMRB and NFO and led the Strategic Planning function in advertising agencies including Cheil, Ogilvy, JWT, McCann in India and abroad.

     

    Saurabh Varma

    Announcing the new appointment, Saurabh Varma, CEO, Publicis Communications, South Asia said: “In Neeraj, we found a partner with a shared vision of driving a deeper level of integration within the Groupe by leveraging the Power of One model. Neeraj’s vast experience and media neutral planning approach will help clients in building a holistic brand experience which will aim to create one-to-one consumer engagement, at scale. I look forward to working with Neeraj and wish him the best of luck.”

     

    Srija Chatterjee

    Welcoming Bassi to the Publicis family, Srija Chatterjee, MD – Publicis Worldwide, India said: “Neeraj joins at a time when the Groupe is implementing a profound transformation which puts our clients front and centre of everything that we do. His wealth of experience of working across diverse sectors and with cross-functional teams, will help build a narrative around our clients’ business and marketing transformation that connects data, content and technology in an omni-channel world. I’m excited to welcome Neeraj to the Publicis Groupe family, and we look forward to him riding the next strategic wave at the agency.”

     

    Added Bobby Pawar, MD & CCO – Publicis Worldwide India: “I’ve always believed great work is born out of a strong partnership between strategy, creative and clients. Neeraj Bassi has a history of creating strategic platforms that killer ideas can springboard from. His cross-platform approach to planning will also be a huge asset to our march towards the future of creativity. It also helps that he is fun to be around. I can chat with him for hours; the chemistry is very important when you are going to be more or less living out of each other’s metaphorical pockets.”

     

     

  • The campaign is targeted towards the youth of the country who are extremely free and open-minded

    Vivo celebrates free spirit of the youth, in latest campaign for Y Series phones

    By A Correspondent

     

    Vivo has launched their a brand campaign promoting the newly launched Y Series smartphones.

     

    Conceptualised & executed by Publicis India, the integrated campaign comprises two TVCs.  Said Nipun Marya, Director, Brand Strategy, Vivo India: “2018 has been a very successful year for Vivo owing to great consumer response for our innovative smartphones. We want to continue and further enhance the customer experience by kick-starting the festive season with the new Y-Series models that are designed to provide an immersive experience to our consumers.”

     

    Added Bobby Pawar, Managing Director and Chief Creative Officer – South Asia, Publicis India: “The brief was to find an insight for Vivo Y-Series which is specifically targeted to the youth. The youth of this country is extremely free and open-minded. And from this attitude of theirs stemmed our main idea of – Apna Y Hai Na. Also in both films, we’ve established the product truths i.e. Portrait Mode and Octa-core processor and Faster RAM through relevant social contexts.”

     

     

  • The erstwhile agency on the brand was Karma, part of the DDB Mudra Group

    Brand Factory appoints Publicis Ambience to handle creative mandate

    By A Correspondent

     

    Brand Factory, a Future Group concept chain, has announced the appointment of Publicis Ambience as its creative Agency on Record (AoR). The mandate was won following a multi-agency pitch.

     

    The erstwhile agency on the brand was Karma, part of the DDB Mudra Group.As its creative partner, Publicis Ambience would offer complete integrated communications solutions including branding, advertising and marketing solutions. These would stretch across the traditional mediums comprising television, print, outdoor, ATL/BTL, etc.

     

    Roch D’Souza

    Expressing his views on appointing a new agency, Roch D’Souza, Chief Marketing Officer, Brand Factory said: “In Publicis, we saw lot of enthusiasm and hunger for the category we are operating in. Our intent was very clear; we weren’t just looking for a creative agency but a business partner who understands the category, business aspects, markets we are operating in and the customer of Brand Factory. To which, Publicis did a good job. Also, having Bobby Pawar on board makes a lot of difference. He brings in lot of experience on table and has understood the potential of the Brand. We are hoping to see path-breaking ideas in this partnership.”

     

    Bobby Pawar

    On winning the new mandate, Bobby Pawar, CCO & MD – South Asia, Publicis Worldwide commented: “We are honoured that Brand Factory has placed their faith in us. I look forward to partnering Suresh Sadhwani, Roch D’Souza and their teams in exceeding their lofty ambitions for the brand and the business. Brand Factory disrupts the category and our efforts will be to engage with consumers in disruptive and effective ways. This win comes on the heels of many wins over the last few months. You will hear of some more wins very soon.”

     

     

  • As part of his remit, Ishrath will manage the creative mandate and drive the next phase of growth for a host of brands under Publicis India

    Publicis India appoints Ishrath Nawaz as ECD

     

    Publicis India has announced the appointment of Ishrath Nawaz as Executive Creative Director. Ishrath joins Publicis India from McCann Worldwide where he was Senior Creative Director. He will be based out of Mumbai and report to Bobby Pawar, CCO & MD – South Asia, Publicis India.

     

    Welcoming him to the agency, Pawar said: “We’ve been on this journey of upping our creative game for the last three, four years. It’s resulted in some landmark campaigns. Ishrath adds to our talent pool, leadership pool and our drive. He’s a bright guy with a body of cool stuff in his bag, and I’m confident he will help us raise our game even more. Plus, he shares my love for poetry.

     

    Commenting on the appointment, Srija Chatterjee, MD – Publicis India said: “Ishrath comes with a rich creative background having handled a host of brands across multiple agencies. His knack to come up with quick and customisable solutions on any given creative brief is what makes him a talent to watch for. Not to forget the many laurels his works have won across multiple award shows. We are happy to have him in our fold and look forward to a creative transformation on the brands that he will handle.”

     

     

  • He joins from Ogilvy & Mather and will report to Bobby Pawar, MD & CCO-South Asia, Publicis India

    Publicis India appoints Ramakrishnan Hariharan as Head of Creative

    By A Correspondent

     

    Ramakrishnan Hariharan

    Publicis India has strengthened its creative function with the appointment of Ramakrishnan Hariharan as the Head of Creative. He will be based out of Mumbai and will report to Bobby Pawar, MD & CCO – South Asia, Publicis India. He joins Publicis from Ogilvy India where he was the Senior Creative Director.

     

     

     

    Bobby Pawar

    Commenting on the appointment, Bobby Pawar, MD & Chief Creative Officer – South Asia, Publicis India said: “Creatively, the Mumbai office has been on a roll for a while, with great work on Ambuja Cement, Nerolac, HDFC Mutual Funds, Skoda, Zee and more. Ram comes to bat at the right time. He is not just a great creative guy who is adept at traditional and non-traditional ideas, he is also the kind of leader people rally behind. I am sure he will help us raise our game a few

     

    Srija Chatterjee

    Welcoming Hariharan on board, Srija Chatterjee, Managing Director, Publicis India added: “Ram has been the face behind some memorable campaigns in the recent past, and it will be great to see him bring that creative spark across most of our work at Publicis. We are certain that under his leadership, the teams will imbibe a great creative culture and churn out an enviable body of work that will end up winning multiple laurels. We welcome him to the agency and look forward to seeing some great work from him soon.”

     

     

  • Kansai Nerolac also attempts to dispel the notion of emulsion paints being more expensive than distemper

    Nerolac takes on distempers in ad by Publicis

    By A Correspondent

     

    Kansai Nerolac has relaunched its popular interior paint, Nerolac Beauty Emulsion, positioning it as a more discerning choice of paint in the long run.

     

    The TVC, conceptualised and executed by Publicis India makes for a more discerning choice that actually turns out cheaper.

     

    Speaking about the campaign, Anuj Jain, Director – Decorative and Industrial Sales & Marketing, Kansai Nerolac Paints said: “With this campaign, we are addressing a consumer need for better finish and value from the paint. There is a common perception that emulsions are expensive as compared to distemper and this campaign aims to demystify that myth. Our beauty emulsion offers a great finish with longer life and the coverage is much better than distemper, hence, making it a right choice for people looking to paint their homes.”

     

    Adding his views, Bobby Pawar, Managing Director & Chief Creative Officer – South Asia, Publicis India said: “Nerolac Beauty is a popular emulsion. The idea therefore needed to be rooted in the notion of discernment amongst masses. And that’s how the peculiar situation of the parents’ judgement and acumen about the choice of their daughter’s groom came about.”

     

    Said Paritosh Srivastava, Chief Operating Officer, Publicis Ambience: “Our attempt here is to bust the myth that emulsion paints are more expensive than distempers, in a manner that’s humorous and entertaining. It’s almost a sales pitch that’s weaved in an engaging storyline with proven actors. We’re confident that the strategy will lead to disproportionate upgrades from distemper and help deepen the category penetration.”