MxMIndia

Tag: Diageo

  • To help women, non-binary individuals back into the workforce

    DDB Mudra joins hands with Creative Equals

    By Our Staff

     

    Creative Equals, a UK-based non-profit global inclusion consultancy, has launched #CreativeComeback in India. With successful editions in London and New York, the programme starts with Mumbai to help women, non-binary and gender non-conforming individuals, who’ve taken a career break come back into the workforce. This two-week bootcamp aims to destigmatize career gaps and turn them into an advantage by retraining this creative talent. In association with D&AD as training partners and Diageo, a brand committed to gender equality, the mission is to #BreakTheBias in advertising creative departments of art, copy and design. DDB Mudra Group will provide mentoring support and potential job opportunities to participants at the end of the program.

     

    Said Deepika Warrier, CMO Diageo India: “At Diageo, inclusion and diversity is central to our purpose of celebrating life, every day, everywhere and we’re committed to creating a working culture in which our people feel like they belong and can bring their authentic selves to work. Today for example, 22% of Diageo India’s overall workforce (as against 7.5% in 2015), 4 of 8 executives in the Excom are women. In our brand & creative side, over 45% of our content work has been led, directed or portrayed by women creators, and over 10% of our work by creators on the gender identity spectrum. We will continue this focus on gender equality and equity throughout the globe, specifically at the creative table, as we know gender equality makes for better, more representative advertising. We know women ‘are 11 times more likely to not work after COVID job loss,’ (The Times Of India, 2021) & also step out during certain life stages and then find it difficult to hit their stride when they return. This is particularly true of the creative industry sector. Creative Comeback helps the industry #BreakTheBias by changing the view on CV gaps to being ‘gifts’. We know when women take a career break, their life experiences bring them back with a deeper perspective.”

     

    Speaking about how Creative Equals’ mission and actions resonate with their own, Aditya Kanthy, CEO & MD, DDB Mudra Group added: “A lot of the work we have been doing at the DDB Mudra Group aligns perfectly with Creative Equals’ mission. Through the Phyllis India Project we are training women to take on leadership roles and lead creative mandates for the company and the industry. Over 20 women, some of whom are our most talented creative voices, have been through this project. Similarly, the Open Pride initiative is directed at promoting a fair representation of the LGBTQIA+ community at DDB, and also in the creative work we produce. DDB Transit is India’s first internship program for trans individuals, that we have been supporting since last year.”

     

  • The Linus Adventures will assist Promoters and CXOs scale their business and become leader brands

    Post-BARC, it’s Linus and more for Sunil Lulla

    By Our Staff

     

    As CEO Sunil Lulla said his final goodbyes at the BARC India headquarters in Central Mumbai, he was all set to make a switch from an ‘Employee Life’ to a ‘Portfolio Career’.

     

    The entrepreneurial journey includes:

    • The Linus Adventures which will assist Promoters and CXOs scale their business and become leader brands.

    • Being co-founder of a UAE-based EdTech start-up focussed on India and the MENA region

    • An active angel investor in early-stage start-ups across multiple domains.

     

    In addition, he will continue his support to the Children’s Movement for Civic Awareness (CMCA and hopes to learn a new way of running (known as Maximum Aerobic Function / Low Heart Rate whereby he can breathe smarter to successfully complete many a marathon and staying more refreshed).

     

    An MBA from SP Jain Institute, Lulla has spent long and successful years in advertising, broadcast and digital before he took charge at BARC in October 2019. He spent 11 years in JWT in India, China and Taiwan, three years at HMV (now Saregama), three years at MTV India which he turned around, a year at Diageo, two years at Indya.com, three years at Sony Entertainment and then eight years as CEO and MD of the Times Television Network. Later he spent nearly four years as CMD of Grey Group India before making the switch to Balaji where he was there for a year-and-a-half.

     

    It may be recalled that Lulla had announced his decision to move on from BARC last week. Fellow advertising agency captain Nakul Chopra took charge at the television audience measurement company today (August 25).

     

  • She was head of corporate communications at the alcohol major

    Former ASCI secy-gen Shweta Purandare quits Diageo

    By Our Staff

     

    Shweta Purandare
    Shweta Purandare

    Shweta Purandare, who was until last year Secretary General of the Advertising Standards Council of India, has decided to leave Diageo, which she had joined as Head of Corporate Communications in September 2020. Although there is no official word from Diageo or Purandare, according to our sources, Purandare is serving notice will exit by the month-end.

     

    After a pharma masters and an MBA, Purandare worked for several years at P&G, L’Oreal and her own consulting practice  before an eight-year stint at ASCI.

     

  • The film discusses the role of advertising in shaping culture

    Diageo shines spotlight on gender in advertising on eve of International Women’s Day

    By A Correspondent

     

    Diageo India eleased a short film about gender balance in advertising on the eve of International Women’s Day. The film discusses the role of advertising in shaping culture, the misrepresentation of women in advertising and strategies and partnerships to support more progressive gender portrayal in content.

     

    The film also focuses on the importance of diversity in the advertising industry itself –highlighting the organisations working to address imbalances behind the camera and in creative departments.

     

    Said Diageo CMO Syl Saller: “Through the millennia, culture has been shaped by the stories we tell and if you think about it advertising is telling stories that are backed by billions of dollars to have them heard. I am convinced we can normalize gender equality with what we choose to show in our ads, and who we choose to make them. We strongly believe that diverse teams create all kinds of different stories, stories which portray men and women as they really are, stories that are eminently relatable.”

     

    Said Julie Bramham, CMO at Diageo India: “India is continuously evolving, and it is the diverse and vibrant voices of the nation that are driving progress. Hence it is important to tell authentic stories which celebrate the connection that not just men, but also women have with our brands. We are committed to showcasing a progressive and gender-balanced world in our communication and also drive parity behind the camera because equality is for life, not just for International Women’s Day.”

     

     

  • The platform has now launched their second TVC featuring the celebrity chef Nikhil Chib

    Celeb chef Nikhil Chib affirms why it is never too late to follow one’s passion

    By A Correspondent

     

    Diageo has launched an online platform Signaturestartup.in – My Mark, My Signature to inspire talented individuals to convert their passion to a paycheck. It houses a series of ‘Signature Start Up’ stories of real life individuals who driven by their dreams, passion and commitment have made their mark in various fields.

     

    The platform has now launched their second TVC featuring the celebrity chef Nikhil Chib, who started off as an Investment Banker on the Wall Street and later went on to find his passion in cooking, thus starting his first restaurant Busaba in 2001. With the launch, he gave Mumbai’s culinary curious lot a taste of the most authentic Southeast Asian cuisine. Chib also runs the smaller chain of SE Asian restaurants called Busago.

     

    Commenting on this initiative, Amarpreet Anand, Executive Vice President & Portfolio Head, Marketing, Diageo India:“Today, we have a generation who is very keen on following their passion and turning it into a successful career but they just need that one extra push or encouragement and a right platform. As a brand, Signature Start Up is trying to achieve what no other platform has done before. The brand wants to empower and inspire the millennials to follow their passion and make their mark in their chosen areas of interest or professions through these inspiring stories. Nikhil’s is one such real story and we hope it will strongly resonate with everyone who wants to make a mark.”

     

     

  • Point of purchase and BTL are the key marketing drivers for United Spirits both on trade and off trade, says Nitesh Chhapru, Head of Marketing for luxury and premium core portfolio of United Spirits

    BTL Baatein: Nitesh Chhapru, United Spirits India… Powered by VISCOMM

    With 16 years of experience spanning across commercial, brand marketing, category management and new product development, Nitesh Chhapru joined Diageo in 2006 and was responsible for brand marketing on the Johnnie Walker portfolio.  In 2010, he moved to the Diageo South East Asia business in his innovation role, managing markets like Thailand, Indonesia and Philippines, where he led the creation of the Ready-To-Drink Innovation pipeline and turnaround of Smirnoff ICE.  Nitesh Chhapru is the Head of Marketing for the luxury and premium core portfolio of United Spirits (USL), a Diageo group company. We present to you the ‘BTL Baatein’ of the week which is powered by VISCOMM with Santosh Jangid speaking to Nitesh Chhapru about Below The Line (BTL) advertising for Distilled Spirits, challenges, government regulations and the balance between ATL (Above The Line) and BTL.

     

    How important is BTL to your overall marketing plan?

    Point of purchase and BTL are the key marketing drivers for United Spirits both on trade and off trade as it helps to maximise visibility.

     

    Can you also specify the range of activities that you undertake as part of the below-the-line advertising and promotion?

    The two major channels explored for various BTL activities are On trade and Off Trade. Under On trade various outlets, keys accounts are targeted, where the brand extends price and product discounts, merchandise and various offers to the consumers. The brand also partners with these outlets exclusively organising a brand specific event at the venue. One such activity is “Art of Blending”. An interactive tasting session between the guests as the Diageo brand ambassador takes his guests through the journey of blending various scotch, whiskeys. Under off trade various price and product discounts are given to consumers at the retail outlets specially during the festive season.

     

    Can you give a broad idea of your spends pie of ATL v/s BTL? 

    Our spends are equally divided between ATL and BTL.

     

    Do you prefer to do this through BTL agencies directly or via your existing creative/media agency?

    In the designing of a campaign, multiple agencies are involved and we use the expertise of both BTL and the existing creative/media agency we have on board.

     

    Since there are various rules and regulations attached with promotion or displaying alcohol publicly in India, how challenging is it to advertise and market spirits in public spaces since alcoholic brands are only allowed to advertise and market in pubs and clubs?

    As mentioned earlier, due to government regulations, we majorly explore the BTL route. The brand believes in responsible advertising and ensure that all rules and regulations set out by the government are complied with, thereby restricting all advertising and marketing activities to pubs and clubs.

     

    In terms of generating results especially from consumers and in B2B, do you find BTL a more sure shot avenue than ATL?

    As both these are two very different way of communication, we don’t have any research backing us to say that one is more effective or successful than the other. Especially the kind of communication that goes out through these channels in terms of alcohol is very varied and hence we can’t attribute that one is better than the other.

     

    While sales and salience are good indicators of its success, what are the attributes you look at to measure the success of a BTL campaign?

    Diageo follows an extremely robust M&E [Monitoring and Evaluation] mechanism for any activation that takes place. Depending on the scale of the campaign, M&E is designed, which differs from case to case. As globally the brand follows the next generation marketing principles we use tools like top line, market share, mind measures and spent awareness are taken into consideration to measure the success of a campaign. Apart from this we also track brand equity scores across all our brands, and the basic movement of these various measures in a campaign give us the success rate of the same.

     

    There are many organisations that often do new launches almost entirely on BTL aided with an outdoor and/or digital blitz? Your views on this. Given rising media costs, do you see BTL managing on its own, without ATL?

    We ensure that all our brand activations are undertaken in a holistic manner through all channels of communication ensuring that our message reaches all our consumers, not alienating BTL or ATL. We prefer communication through targeted traditional and digital media as opposed to broadcast media of ATL. Given the rising media costs we do see an increased spend towards BTL in comparison to ATL.

     

  • The awards honour the best in journalism across six categories, spanning a range of mediums from print and broadcast to online and photography

    Diageo awards winners of Women’s Empowerment Journalism Awards

    By A Correspondent

     

    Diageo has announced the winners of the Women’s Empowerment (WE) Journalism Awards 2015, recognising exemplary work in women’s empowerment reporting at an Awards Gala Dinner held in Hong Kong recently.

     

    The award recipients of the WE Journalism Awards 2015 included:

     

    • Print Story of the Year: Ruhi Kandhari, Tehelka (India)

    Entry: How Women Pay The Price For Population Control

    • Broadcast Story of the Year: Pearl Maria Forss, Channel NewsAsia (Singapore)

    Entry: Women Fight Back

    • Online Story of the Year: Bec Zajac, Freelance (Australia)

    Entry: Power And Gender: How Schools Are Taking A Lead In The Campaign To End Violence Against Women

    • Photo Story of the Year: Altaf Qadri, Associated Press (India)

    Entry: She Sought Good Life In Delhi, But Found Trash

    • Journalist of the Year: Bec Zajac, Freelance (Australia)
    • Media Title of the Year: Vogue India (India)

     

     

    The WE Journalism Awards was established to recognise and honour outstanding achievements in the reporting on women’s issues as part of Diageo’s ‘Plan W: Empowering Women through Learning’ community initiative. The awards honour the best in journalism across six categories, spanning a range of mediums from print and broadcast to online and photography.

     

    “Journalists are a powerful force whose reporting can compel people to sit up, take notice and create change. Through the Awards, we honour and express our heartfelt gratitude to this brave group of individuals who work tirelessly to uncover stories about prevailing women’s empowerment issues in our society which must be told. Congratulations to all our winners,” said Sam Fischer, President Greater China and Asia, Diageo.

     

    The winners were selected by three luminaries of journalism and social-activism including Monique Villa, CEO of Thomson Reuters Foundation, award-winning independent journalist, Shaili Chopra, and Yan Mei, one of China’s leading media women and Senior Partner at Brunswick Group.

     

    Submissions came from a range of local, regional and international media platforms across 18 participating markets; Australia, Cambodia, China (including Hong Kong), India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Lebanon, Malaysia, Nepal, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam, over the past year.

     

    Each winning journalist received a cash prize of US$1,000, while the winning media title received a cash prize of US$3,000 to support reporting of a women’s empowerment initiative.