MxMIndia

Tag: DDB Mudra

  • A four-year extension to Group CEO & MD Madhukar Kamath gets the DDB Mudra COO to quit

    I worked my butt off… I wasn’t willing to wait for 4 years: Pratap Bose

     

     

    The news that Pratap Bose had quit DDB Mudra has been doing the rounds for a few weeks. In fact there have been murmurs of differences between him and Madhukar Kamath, Group CEO and Managing Director, DDB Mudra Group for a while.  Mr Kamath was due to retire this year, and Mr Bose was the frontrunner for the position. But then came the news of a four-year extension given to Mr Kamath. MxMIndia first learnt about it on the sidelines of the conference unveiling the Big Bazaar campaign on March 14, but we were asked to keep it under wraps and wait for a formal word. Since we don’t specialise in breaking news of people movements, we waited for the news to come in officially, even as it was evident that it would lead to a conflict given Mr Bose’s aspirations for the Top Job.

     

    There is no denying the contribution that Mr Bose made as DDB Mudra Chief Operating Officer. From essentially a traditional creative agency, he grew the OOH and BTL businesses in a big way. The contribution of the non-core advertising business to the overall turnover is in the region of 50 percent.

     

    MxMIndia spoke to Pratap Bose early this morning. Mr Kamath was unavailable for comment as he was travelling and in meetings. Excerpts from an interview with Mr Bose:

     

    The news of your quitting has been doing the rounds for a few weeks. So what’s next?

    There isn’t a next rightaway. There are offers. I haven’t decided. I am in dialogue with people, so I will take a decision that’s right for me in time.

     

    In this day and age, people don’t quit until they land themselves a definite job. But you didn’t do that?

    There’s clearly no insecurity at my level. It’s not going to be difficult to get another job, if that’s what you mean. Once I had decided, there was no point serving a three-months notice. So I took the step. However, Madhukar and I have agreed that I will be available for the next one or two months.

     

    So was yesterday your last day at the office?

    No, I will be going there for the next few days.

     

    We read your comment that you quit since Madhukar Kamath was given a four-year extension. Quite a bold statement to make…

    Well, everyone knows I was looking at the Top Job. There were promises made. I am not the kind of guy who will wait for four years.

     

    Are you happy with your stint at Mudra?

    Oh, yes, very. It’s been a happy, satisfying journey. When I moved from Ogilvy to Mudra six years back, the brief was to building an empire that was a lot more than advertising. Mudra wasn’t the hottest agency in the business six years back. Then the partnership with Bobby Pawar happened, we built Mudra Max to what it is today. The forays into everything other than advertising – outdoor, analytics, digital, youth, trade marketing… I help build all that, and am happy that we much achieved much success.

     

    While it’s true that you lost out to Madhukar on the captaincy, isn’t it a fact that most creative ad agencies are almost always headed by suits or creatives from the traditional advertising side of the business?

    Well, yes, traditionally agencies have been headed by suits and creatives. But that’s the past and things are changing. The person who has taken over from Shiv at TBWA is a digital guy. Clearly, whoever heads an agency must have a vision for the future.

     

    You have a loyal bunch of people in the teams you’ve built. Will they move with you wherever you go?

    To be honest, and as I said earlier, I haven’t decided on anything about where I am going. What’s clear is that I want to join an organisation that has great vision and strategy. Yes, people look at me as a rainmaker and I am good at winning businesses…

     

    It’s true that there is a loyal bunch of people running Max, but they are really free to do what they want.

     

    Your next job will naturally be that of the CEO of any agency?

    Not really. The title doesn’t matter to me. I was CEO at Ogilvy and COO at Mudra. I am a person who needs to enjoy the work and do good work for clients.

    My cv doesn’t have five agencies that I have worked at. It’s been two agencies in 25 years. The next job has to be meaningful.

    I very much enjoyed myself at Mudra, but it’s just that I have reached a point of having been there, done that. But more than the slot, it’s the people and work which matter.

     

    At DDB Mudra, the slot did matter, right?

    Yes, because I believed in natural progression and had worked my butt off. But going forward it doesn’t really matter. I know I am contradicting myself, but that’s the honest truth.

     

    Are you looking at starting out on your own?

    There are many possibilities. It could be a big agency or a small one which will require to build it. I am open to an equity with a large group, and am not closed to starting something in my individual capacity. All options are open, and I am going to take my time in deciding.

     

    What are immediate plans? Wildlife photography?

    Oh,yes, travel at bit. Do some photography.

     

    So who’s wilder… people in advertising or the animals?

    That depends on your definition of wild… (laughs)

     

  • Move over, Bollwood. Big Bazaar is going to spend Rs 120 crore around 52 TVCs over 52 weeks

    And now the Sau Crore ad campaign

    The Big Bazaar and DDB Mudra teams while announcing the campaign to the media. Sonal Dabral was travelling

     

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    If their offices aren’t buzzing with business cards from television adsales folk, they will do so now. Future Group’s Big Bazaar and its Media AOR Allied Media (of the Percept group) will see budgets for television adspends zooming from 10 to 40 percent. Printwallahs needn’t despair: while the allocation will go down from the current 70 taka to 40, in value terms the moolah isn’t going to go down.

     

    The purse of Rs 200 crore on adspends is going to expand by another Rs 75 crore. Rs 100 crore is going to be spent on the TVCs alone, with another Rs 20 crore on allied activities around the expanded purse of Rs 275 crore now earmarked for TVCs.

     

    Inspired by Swedish homestore Ikea’s 365 ads in 365 days campaign, the Big Bazaar bosses commissioned its creative agency DDB Mudra to craft a strategy which the agency’s Group CEO and Managing Director Madhukar Kamath says is the biggest ever marketing campaign he has seen in his near four-decade-long career. “We were commissioned five weeks back, and produced the commercial within days,” said Kamath.

     

    For Future Group CEO Kishore Biyani, the attempt is to adapt to changing times. He isn’t fazed by the extra marketing spends with Rs 120 crore on this year-long blitz. “The increase in sales will take care of the enhanced spends,” he told MxMIndia. Added Sandeep Tarkas, President, Customer Strategy (Future Group) and CEO (Future Media): “We hope to see sales grow by 20 per cent on the back of this campaign.” Until now, the hypermart thinktank’s strategy has been on tactical advertising, but this 52-TVC campaign which goes on air on March 24 takes one product every week from Big Bazaar and through them demonstrate how these products are making the lives of Indians more beautiful. The campaign will be backed by outdoor, radio and in-store visual merchandising. Print will not be a part of the campaign, though.

     

    Each TVC is a light-hearted commentary on the changes that are happening in Indian society, and make for interesting stories of the role that products play in making people’s life more beautiful and enriching. Added SonalDabral, Chairman & CCO, DDB Mudra Group: “In terms of tonality, we have kept it real because that’s the voice of Big Bazaar. These are not ad films they are closely observed 52 sparkling stories of the small changes Big Bazaar and its products are bringing to everyday India.”

     

    Added Mr Kamath: “It is a unique, never done before and a brave campaign which can only come from a leader like Big Bazaar. The brand has been at the forefront of innovation and leading change. This campaign redefines the step-change that Big Bazaar is making in its relationship with its current and prospective shoppers. It will further establish Big Bazaar as a company that sells products which enable and inspire every Indian to make their world look beautiful on the outside, as well as on the inside.”

     

  • The 5-yr-old digital media firm will merge with Tribal and its core team will manage the joint entity + comments from an M&A consultant & Prasanth Mohanachandran

    Flying high! 22feet sells out to DDB Mudra [updated today]

    L-R 22feet co-founders Deepak Nair, Vineet Gupta, Brijesh Jacob and Vinod Moolacherry

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    One more Indian digital major gets gobbled up. Bangalore-headquartered 22feet has been acquired by media and marketing services conglomerate Omnicom Group.

     

    On Monday, Omnicom’s DDB Group announced the acquisition of 22feet. The five-year-old digital marketing firms in India will merge with nine-year-old Tribal Worldwide India creating a new entity known as 22feet Tribal Worldwide which will be a part of the DDB Mudra Group.  22feet has in its roster brands such as Café Coffee Day, Fastrack, Lenovo, Heineken, Kingfisher, Red Bull and Axe.

     

    Madhukar Kamath

    The new entity – 22feet Tribal Worldwide – will be spearheaded by the core team of 22feet and not that of Tribal. Vineet Gupta will be Managing Director, Brijesh Jacob is Joint Managing Director and Deepak Nair will be Chief Operating Officer. The three will report directly to Madhukar Kamath, Group CEO and Managing Director, DDB Mudra Group. They will also work closely with Tribal Worldwide network in APAC and across 42 countries.

     

    The fourth 22feet co-founder Vinod Moolacherry will take charge of White Canvas, the Bengaluru-based full-service agency set up by the foursome. White Canvas has not been acquired by Omnicom as part of the deal on 22feet. Meanwhile, Venkat Mallik, president of Tribal India and RAPP, the marketing and CRM agency, will now move to look after RAPP, with what a spokesperson told us is an expanded and new global vision for that business.

     

    Said Mr Kamath on the acquisition: “With digital at the heart of DDB Mudra Group’s agenda, we are extremely happy about joining forces with 22feet. In just five years, 22feet has grown leaps and bounds. With this energy and Tribal Worldwide’s global reputation and reach, I’m excited to see what this magic of mergers can create.”

     

    John Zeigler

    Added John Zeigler, Chairman and CEO, DDB Group Asia Pacific, India and Japan: “We see this as a strategic move to continue evolving our capabilities in the fast-moving Indian market. DDB Group has accelerated its capabilities to offer clients the best-in-class local digital expertise at 22feet, coupled with best-in-class global knowledge of the Tribal Worldwide network. I believe this is a game-changing event for the DDB Mudra Group in India.”

     

    According to a financial advisor to many media M&A deals who requested anonymity, the acquisition is a win-win for DDB and 22feet. For digital media entrepreneurs who have sold out to advertising majors, the scale of a large network and international clients is a huge pull. And for ad firms, who have not been very strong on digital, acquiring smaller firms and thereby talent, legacy and clients is a sureshot way of getting digital prowess that clients seek. The added advantage, said the M&A specialist, is that networks could also look at converting a part of these digital shops to delivery hubs for offices elsewhere in the world.

     

    According to Prasanth Mohanachandran, CEO of AgencyDigi, who sold his agency eDeltaC Communications to Ogilvy in 2001, the 22feet buy will do a world of good for Tribal in India. “It’s an excellent agency worldwide, and the acquisition will help leapfrog the operations here,” Mohanachandran said

     

    Meanwhile, there is excitement amongst the 22feet co-founders who will now steer 22feet Tribal. Said Vineet Gupta on the announcement: “We are extremely excited to be a part of the DDB Group family. At 22feet, we share DDB’s passion for innovation and technology and look forward to delivering best in class digital solutions to our clients across markets as 22feet Tribal Worldwide.”

     

    Brijesh Jacob and Deepak Nair echo similar sentiments. “We are extremely happy with this opportunity to operate on a global canvas,” said Nair.

     

  • A new TVC from Livon Hair Gain Tonic attempts an emotional connect with consumers

    DDB Mudra revitalises Livon Hair Gain’s hair promise

    By A Correspondent

     

    A new campaign from Livon Hair Gain Tonic created by DDB Mudra attempts to work at an emotional level with men. The endeavour of the campaign is to help men overcome the cynicism and establish Livon Hair Gain as a credible solution to address the problem. The TVC “Kyun yeh zindagi” shows a young man facing hair loss holding back from enjoying and participating in everyday situations.

     

    According to a Marico spokesperson, the TVC “engages the audience with a realistic portrayal of moments in their life. Combined with activations in the digital space and on-ground in the chemist channel, we are looking at growing this recently acquired brand with the new campaign”.

     

    Sonal Dabral
    Sonal Dabral

    Commenting on the campaign, Sonal Dabral, Chairman & Chief Creative Officer, DDB Mudra Group, said, “Hair loss is an extremely sensitive issue. It was crucial therefore to communicate our offering with honesty and a high degree of empathy. We are happy that we have been able to create a campaign that is insightful, authentic and most importantly speaks straight to the heart of our target audience.”

     

  • He joins DDB Mudra West from McCann where he was ECD. He will report to Sonal Dabral

    McCann’s Rahul Mathew joins DDB Mudra West as Creative Head

    By A Correspondent

     

    Rahul Mathew

    DDB Mudra West has roped in Rahul Mathew as Creative Head. He will lead the agency’s creative output for clients including Future Group, Volkswagen, Johnson & Johnson, Kalpataru, Hindustan Unilever, Union Bank, Marico, Emirates, Gulf Oil, Godrej, Lavasa, Arvind, Adani Group, CenturyPly and Raj Petro among others. Mr Mathew will partner Rajiv Sabnis, President, DDB Mudra Group, West and will work closely with Sonal Dabral, Chairman & CCO, DDB Mudra Group, who he will be reporting in to.

     

    Mr Mathew joins DDB Mudra from McCann Erickson where he was Executive Creative Director. With over 15 years of experience, Rahul has worked with Ogilvy, JWT, Leo Burnett, Y&R (in Kuala Lumpur and India).

     

    Commenting on his new role, Mr Mathew said, “Few agencies, the world over, can boast of a creative culture the likes of DDB. And to be appointed a custodian of such a celebrated culture is both exciting and frightening.  But with the talented bunch at the agency, Sonal and I hope to make DDB Mudra West one of the brightest stars in the DDB constellation.”

     

    On the appointment, Sonal Dabral, Chairman & CCO, DDB Mudra Group, said, “I’m very excited to welcome Rahul to the DDB Mudra Group family. I’ve known Rahul for a while now and have followed his career across countries and agencies, seeing him build brands and win multiple awards along the way. A new age creative thinker equally adept at traditional and non traditional media,Rahul is just the talent to lead the creative teams in DDB Mudra West.”

     

    Added Rajiv Sabnis, President, DDB Mudra Group, West: “With Rahul coming on board, our ability to provide creative business solutions to our clients gets a strong fillip.”

     

     

     

  • DDB Mudra gets in Arun Sharma from Contract to head planning in Delhi

    DDB Mudra appoints Arun Sharma as Head of Planning, Delhi

    Arun Sharma

    By A Correspondent

     

    DDB Mudra has roped in Arun Sharma as Head of Planning, DDB Mudra Delhi. He will work on clients including Wrigley’s, Bata, Carrier Midea, India Yamaha Motors and Dabur among others and will report in to Aditya Kanthy, Senior VP, DDB Mudra.

     

    Mr Sharma joins DDB Mudra Delhi from Contract Advertising where he was VP, Strategic Planning.

     

    Vandana Das

    On joining DDB Mudra, he said: “DDB Mudra has a well-known culture of planning and it’s an opportunity for me to partner Vandana and Aditya in implementing the bold planning vision for the agency.”

     

    Commenting on the appointment, Vandana Das, President, DDB Mudra Group, Delhi, said. “I welcome Arun to the DDB Mudra Group family. He has vast experience across categories and I’m sure with his experience, he would be able to add value to all our current businesses and also towards our new business initiatives.”

     

    Aditya Kanthy

    Adding to this, Aditya Kanthy, Senior VP, Planning, DDB Mudra, said, “Arun is a bright, ambitious and full of energy – just the kind of person we were looking for to lead our terrific young planners in Delhi. His experience is a good match for our client profile. He should have no trouble easing into our culture. I’m sure he’ll enjoy it.”

     

  • DDB Mudra COO Pratap Bose takes charge from Shashi Sinha, CEO, IPG Mediabrands & Lodestar UM

    Continuing education, not awards to be focus of new Advertising Club prez

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    DDB Mudra Group Chief Operating Officer Pratap Bose was unanimously elected President of the Advertising Club. He replaced Shashi Sinha, CEO, Mediabrands India and Lodestar UM, who held the post since 2011.

     

    Speaking on his priorities, Mr Bose said that while awards (like the Abby, Effies and recently held Emvies) are important activities of the Club, his priority will be continuing education programmes for the industry.

     

    Mr Bose and 14 others would constitute the office bearers and managing committee of the Ad Club, the country’s premier advertising club constituting members of the advertising, media and marketing fraternity.

     

    Other officebearers include Ajay Kakar, Chief Marketing Officer – Financial Services, Aditya Birla Group (Vice President), Raj Nayak, CEO, Colors (Secretary), Ajay Chandwani, Director, Percept (Joint Secretary) and Umesh Shrikhande, CEO, Taproot India (Treasurer)

     

    The managing committee members are:

    in alphabetical order of last names: Punitha Arumugam (Google), Bhaskar Das (Zee Media), Kunal Jeswani (Ogilvy & Mather), Harit Nagpal (Tata Sky), Rohit Ohri (Dentsu), Josy Paul (BBDO India) and Ravi Rao (Mindshare).

     

    While outgoing president Mr Sinha (IPG Mediabrands, Lodestar UM) continues as Immediate Past President for a period of two years, Sunil Lulla (Times Television) and Prasanth Mohanachandran (AgencyDigi) have been co-opted on the committee.

     

    Said Mr Kakar on the constituting of the Ad Club’s top deck: “This year we are fortunate to have a very senior and strong committee comprising people who are not only committing their names but also their invaluable time to the common good of our industry,” Mr Bose too is happy with the core team. “It’s a good mix of people from across the spectrum,” he said.

     

    The Advertising Club annual general meeting was held in Mumbai on Wednesday (September 11) and the managing committee and officebearers were elected for the year 2013-14. The committee members can seek re-election next year.

     

     

     

    If processes are clear, there will be no problems with Creative Abby: Pratap Bose

     

    The new Advertising Club President’s has a day job that possibly has him work beyond 24×7. As Chief Operating Officer of the DDB Mudra Group and a member of the agency’s operating board, Pratap Bose joined DDB Mudra from Ogilvy & Mather in 2008, where he worked for 15 years in various capacities, and went on to become its youngest CEO in 2006.

     

    Excerpts from an interview with Bose where he speaks on his priorities, a problems-free Abby and how he hopes to drive the Ad Club forward.

     

    What will be your priorities as president of the Advertising Club:

    For a long time, the perception has been the Advertising Club is the purveyor of awards. While awards are important and they recognise the best in class, for me the focus is going to be on continuing education programmes. Giving back to the community in various forms - by not just awards, but also education, seminars and learning via interacttion with personalities.

     

    Speaking of awards and the Creative Abby specifically, while a lot has been cleansed, it touched a new low this year.

    Remember, the Emvies and Effies go without a hitch. It’s only with the Creative Abby. Mind you, there were no issues the year before. Last year, there were a couple of things that sprung up but we realise that these issues can easily be fixed. What I am looking to do is to institutionalise a very transparent and frank discussion on what needs to be done with all stakeholders well before Goafest. I am a strong believer that if you have a process that has a buy-in from everyone and it’s not a diktat, things will sort themselves out. If the processes are clear and there are no ambiguities, we should have no problems whatsoever.

     

    Some agencies have had reservations about going to Goa. Any thoughts of shifting the awards back to Mumbai?

    It’s not a Goa versus Mumbai debate in my mind. As long as the process is clean and you are fair, rational and honest, I don’t think there’s any issue about Goa and Mumbai

     

    The Bombay has been dropped from Advertising Club, how successful has the move to go national been?

    I think we’ve made a start. I believe the local ad associations - whether in Delhi, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Chennai should co-exist. We are happy to have them on board… at the end of the day, we are one community. The whole idea is to be inclusive and work for the betterment of the industry. We have made some progress by having the awards judging of Effies and Emvies in Delhi. And there’s no reason why it can’t go beyond Delhi. We could extend to Kolkata, Bengaluru…

     

    What else in the next two years?

    Well, we are going to looking at all forms of communication. We are talking of a two-day workshop for the entertainment industry and looking at people to help us on film production. So, it’s not just talking to creative guys or planners. We are also looking at developing a new website, a new logo, be relevant on Twitter and Facebook. All in all, lift the image of the club and not just an awards club.

     

    All this is going to take a fair bit of time… how do you take care of your day job at DDB Mudra?

    (laughs) Well, that’s the reason why I have picked a nice mix of people. I am going to entrust each of them with a responsibility that’s clearly defined and they will all take things forward.

     

    		  

    Abby should continue in Goa: Shashi Sinha

     

    IPG Mediabrands and Lodestar CEO Shashi Sinha on his two-year term as Ad Club President, the Creative Abby controversy and the demand to bring the Abby back to Mumbai

     

    The IPG Mediabrands and Lodestar CEO Shashi Sinha is widely regarded as ‘Mr Consensus’ in the Indian advertising and marketing industry. Known to take the industry along in whatever he does which may require wielding the stick at times, Mr Sinha is credited with cleansing Ad Club’s Creative Abby awards process a few years back. In a short interview with MxMIndia, Mr Sinha speaks on on his two-year term as Ad Club President, the Creative Abby controversy and the demand to bring the Abby back to Mumbai

     

    How do you feel relinquishing charge after an eventful two years as Ad Club President?

    Mixed feelings, frankly. We successfully moved from Advertising Club Bombay to Advertising Club, and making it more national in character. We’ve done well financially. Goafest and the Creative Abby was a problem last year, though my first two years were excellent

     

    Any unfinished agenda?

    We started with other markets very well, but I wish we had done more on continuing education. I think we got stuck with awards and the plan to go to smaller towns couldn’t be done.

     

    And the Creative Abby controversy. Any solutions, as you look back?

    We discussed that in the meeting. The solution is that there are rules, put them down clearly, publish them and let there be no deviation.

     

    There is a demand for the Abby to be held in Mumbai and not in Goa

    Goafest brings the industry together, and I think we should continue to have the Abby in Goa. We are one industry and it shouldn’t be a divided house.

     

    Do you think the Abby should be given to a private operator like it is at the Cannes Lions?

    Right now, the Abbys are for the industry and by the industry. While we make profits that’s not our primary objective. I think when you hand it over to a private player, the entry and delegate fees will go up dramatically.

     

    What next?

    I am already actively involved with BARC, heading the technical committee. In fact the last two months that has taken priority over most other things, but I am happy with the way things are going on that front.

     
  • DDB Mudra has appointed Subhasis Chatterjee as AVP, Mumbai. He will report in to Shally Mukherjee, Senior VP, DDB Mudra, Mumbai.

    DDB Mudra appoints Subhasis Chatterjee as AVP, Mumbai

    By A Correspondent

     

    DDB Mudra has appointed Subhasis Chatterjee as AVP, Mumbai. He will report in to Shally Mukherjee, Senior VP, DDB Mudra, Mumbai.

     

    Mr Chatterjee joins DDB Mudra from Contract Advertising where he was Group Account Director. With over 12 years of experience, he started his career at Hutchison Essar and then switched to the agency side. He has worked with some well-known agencies including Bates, Publicis Ambience and Triton, on brands such as Google, Piramal Realty, Tata Photon, Set Wet, Papa John’s Pizza, Parachute Aftershower and ICICI Debit and Credit cards among others.

     

    Commenting on joining DDB Mudra, Mr Chatterjee said, “I started my career working with a great brand – Orange, where I saw how a brand was more than just what we see in the ATL space. While the lead task of brand building may still depend on mass media, the Indian consumer wants much more from brands today. The multi-domain expertise of DDB Mudra Group, offers great potential to deliver such comprehensive and true brand solutions. And I am excited to lead this effort for my businesses.”

     

    On his appointment, Shally Mukherjee, Senior VP, DDB Mudra Mumbai, said, “Subhasis comes with cross-category experience and a great ability to partner clients and grow business. He will be partnering me on driving the DDB Mudra Group agenda while adding value to our clients’ businesses and growing with them. He is a great addition to the team and we expect him to help further the confidence that clients have in DDB Mudra. We extend a very warm welcome to Subhasis and wish him a rewarding career with the organization.”

     

    Rajiv Sabnis, President, DDB Mudra Group, said, “Subhasis is a welcome addition to the DDB Mudra West talent pool. He comes from a strong creative and planning culture and we look forward to his contribution in the organization. He arrives at a time that DDB Mudra has upped the ante in the country and we are looking at consolidating and providing strong growth in the coming years. We expect Subhasis to deliver senior counsel to our clients and ensure communication integration across our group specializations. We welcome Subhasis to the DDB Mudra Group family and wish him a long and successful innings here.”

     

  • DDB Mudra Group has been awarded the first India Innovation Award 2013 under the Enterprise Mobility category

    DDB Mudra bags India Innovation Award for Enterprise Social Networking

    By A Correspondent

     

    DDB Mudra Group has been awarded the first India Innovations Award 2013 under the Enterprise Mobility category for Enterprise Social Networking initiative.

     

    The award was received by Sebastian Joseph, Chief Technology Officer, DDB Mudra Group from Milind Deora, Minister of State for Communications & Information Technology and Shipping, Government of India. India Innovation Day 2013, a joint initiative of NetApp & Network18, mobilizes India’s leading CIOs, and CXOs to felicitate their innovation, determination and pursuit of business excellence using technology.

     

    The main objective of the first edition of the NetApp Innovation Awards 2013 was to recognize organizations that are leveraging technology, innovatively, to improve the efficiency levels of the organization and to enhance business value. The award serves as a benchmark for the industry to identify leading innovative practices implemented by Indian organizations through the use of IT products, services, projects, processes, procedures or methodologies.

     

    Commenting on this, Sebastian Joseph, Chief Technology Officer, DDB Mudra Group said, ¿Our mission is to create infectious ideas that influence behaviour.  In today’s social media world, we use creativity, to develop ideas, people want to play with, participate in and pass on. We call this ‘Social Creativity’, ideas that connect people with people, not just people with brands.  Our Enterprise Social Networking initiative helps address this. It is a great honor receiving the first India Innovation Award 2013.

     

  • DDB Mudra used crowdsourcing via social media to get readers to develop and execute the editorial and design content for the entire issue

    Made By You issue makes Femina a crowdsourced hit

    By A Correspondent

     

    Crowdsourcing, a technique being increasingly employed by marketers, has been used to create logos, movies, books, etc. Femina’s ‘Made by You’ issue is a move to get readers to develop and execute the editorial and design content for the entire issue.

     

    Marketing is inbuilt into the publishing of this issue, and every author is a potential word of mouth marketer. Femina Made by You is thus a bridge in terms of being able to merge the world of publishing and marketing.

     

    Tarun Rai

    Tarun Rai, CEO, Worldwide Media, said, “Worldwide Media has grown at a furious pace. From just four magazines four years ago, we now have 13. And as a publishing house we have been leading from the front. Femina Made By You is another first for the magazine industry. A crowd-sourced issue, at the scale we have visualized it, is unprecedented. And it is only appropriate that it is Femina that is bringing it out as there is no other English women’s magazine with the stature and readership that Femina has.”

     

    Tanya Chaitanya, Editor, Femina said, “Femina Made by You is exactly what it promises to be. An issue made by the real women who have always been our core focus. A Mumbai reader’s take on relationships, a Delhi girl’s hunt for the latest It bag, a Kolkata woman’s expertise in the kitchen, a Chennai career girl’s tips on being a 9-to-5 ninja – it’s all trending here.”

     

    DDB Mudra used simple techniques for crowdsourcing and keeping the technology in the background while developing this issue. The techniques included Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest. To start with, a Facebook app – “Made By You Issue” – was created on the Femina Facebook page. The app focused on a simple idea that ‘If you’ve got a story, we’ve got the space’.

     

    The second initiative was to introduce the contributors to the Femina India editorial team. The team ‘met’ select authors via Google Hangouts. The objective of this meet was to bring women from different corners closer and give them a single platform to discuss and share their ideas. Finally a filtering process was used for the entries that would finally get featured in this magazine. Here the Femina India editorial team led by the editor, Tanya Chaitanya, was involved.

     

    Besides receiving entries from metros in India, there was participation from non-metros as well including Dehradun, Panchkul, Jalandhar, Pune, Hyderabad, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Ludhiana, Indore, Guwahati, Jalandhar, Bhopal, Kanpur, Nagpur, Amritsar and Surat.

     

    Statistics:

    Facebook

    1.Daily people talking about Femina: 1,20,394(total)

    2. Daily total reach: 2.97 million (total)

    3. Daily total impressions: 12.1 million (total)

    4. Friends of fans reached: 40 million

    5. Fans added: 41, 435

     

    Twitter

    1. Total followers: 10,650

    2. Tweets done: 1578

    2. Re-tweets received: 688

    3. Potential impressions: 17 million

    4. Potential reach: 12 million

    5. Mentions: 4,320

    6. Followers added: 692

    7. Blogger coverages: 30

     

  • The challenge was to get corporate India away from their desks. For DDB Mudra the solution was window washers, a campaign they executed for Adventure 18

    DDB Mudra Mumbai & Adventure 18 urge Corporate India to step Outdoors

    By A Correspondent

     

    While the rest of the world works 50 to 60 hours a week, corporate India clocks in 80 hours a week, leading lives that revolve around their desks, with time away from work defined by time spent surfing the internet.

     

    DDB Mudra Mumbai and Adventure 18 saw this as an opportunity to urge corporate India to get away from their workstations and step out for an adventure. Apart from this, the other challenge faced by the team was execute the campaign in a cost-effective way.

     

    The team used a surprisingly overlooked, yet effective medium of communication – window washers – to do the job.

     

    Window Washers, dressed up in adventure gear, were sent down office buildings located across the city of Mumbai. In a sight worth a watch, mountaineers, rock climbers and para gliders descended on buildings across the city.

     

    The result was overwhelming. There were a few who were scared, some were amused, but everyone took note of the men in adventure gear. And when the window washers had the attention of the office they revealed their message: “Don’t you wish you were outdoors?” The message went on to give the website address of Adventure 18.

     

    Speaking about the activity, Louella Rebello, Executive Creative Director, DDB Mudra Mumbai, said, “Sometimes you are at work, you look out of the window and wish you could be in the great outdoors instead. We decided to actually put a guy out there telling you to do just that. Adventure 18 was a great partner in making this happen.’”

     

    Mohit Oberoi, Owner, Adventure 18, added, “It’s a great concept. More importantly, it’s brought attention to what we do and stand for as a company. That is to give people an unforgettable experience of the outdoors”

     

  • Sanjay Panday, Senior VP, DDB Mudra Mumbai, takes on additional responsibility as Head – Gutenberg Networks India

    Sanjay Panday to head Gutenberg Networks India

    By A Correspondent

     

    Sanjay Panday, Senior VP, DDB Mudra Mumbai, takes on additional responsibility as Head – Gutenberg Networks India. Gutenberg Networks is a global integrated marketing production organization with expertise in developing communication campaigns in broadcast, web, press and print.

     

    Mr Panday has been associated with the DDB Mudra Group for over five years and spearheads some of the largest clients of the Group, out of Mumbai. With over two decades of experience, he has worked across major agency networks and handled renowned brands such as Cadbury, ITC, Emirates, Videocon, Emami and Asian Paints, among others.

     

    On his taking charge of Gutenberg Networks India, Mr Panday said, “The global trend of consolidation of artwork, digital studio and pre-production services is now in India. I’m looking forward to help make Gutenberg Networks India one of the best pre-media production services companies in the region.”

     

    Madhukar Kamath, Group CEO & Managing Director, DDB Mudra Group, said, “I am confident that Sanjay, with his vast experience across a spectrum of clients and agencies, will lead Gutenberg Networks India to its goal of becoming a strategic business hub for digital studio and pre-media production services.”