Essence perfumes unveils its new brand TVC. The campaign is conceived and executed by Shreyansh Innovations.
Said Nidhi Gupta, CMO, French Essence: “French Essence is the epitome of luxury fragrances, embodying the essence of France in every drop. The TVC, shot amidst the grandeur of a palace in Europe, resonates with the brand’s commitment to delivering an experience that is nothing short of extraordinary. The opulent backdrop perfectly complements the essence of French fragrances, allowing viewers to be transported to the blooming fields of France, even from the comfort of their homes. This TVC is not just a visual delight; it is an olfactory escapade. As the aromatic notes unfold, viewers can immerse themselves in the romance and the craftsmanship of France. French Essence’s TVC serves as an ode to the seamless amalgamation of cultures, fragrances, and the shared elegance of both nations.”
Shreyansh Baid, Founder & Director, Shreyansh Innovations, added: “The task at hand was to revamp the brand’s positioning while preserving its playful and carefree essence, with a greater emphasis on the product line. That is when we introduced ‘Very Very French’ as the new tagline. Our launch includes a brand-new film that is fun and fresh. It transports you to a quintessential French night, evoking the imagery we all associate with the charm of France.”
WPP, veteran adperson Sam Balsara and his daughter and adperson Lara Balsara Vajifdar have announced that WPP has purchased the remaining 26 per cent stake in MediaCom Communications Private Limited in India from Sam Balsara and Lara Balsara Vajifdar.
Following WPP’s decision to merge Essence and MediaCom globally, Balsara and Vajifdar entered into a discussion with WPP agreeing to exit MediaCom in the interest of MediaCom clients to enable the merger.
The initial agreement between WPP and Balsara and his family dated back to 2008, under which the Balsara family owned 51%. In 2017, the Balsara family sold 25% to WPP.
Said Balsara said: “This innovative partnership we invested in nearly 15 years ago has been a great success for all parties. It has established MediaCom in India as a fast-growing and highly respected agency by advertisers.”
Added Nick Lawson, Global CEO, MediaCom: “It has been a pleasure working with Sam Balsara and Lara Balsara as we grew this successful business in India. We will build on that legacy to deliver the agency model our clients want for the future – founded on brilliant strategy and brand-building capabilities, with pioneering digital expertise running throughout.”
It may be recalled that on April 26, 2022, WPP announced that global agencies MediaCom and Essence would merge to form EssenceMediacom.
Essence, the data and measurement-driven media agency of GroupM, has announced that it has been selected as the integrated media agency of record by beauty brand Plum in India. Led out of its Mumbai office, Essence will manage strategy, media planning and media activation for Plum’s brand marketing activities.
Shivani Behl
Said Shivani Behl, Chief Marketing Officer at Plum: “Consumer behaviour is ever-evolving, and reaching out to the new-age digital consumer is a process that involves constant learning and feedback. With this context, it is imperative to keep a keen eye on data, and expand our reach to newer audiences and cater to the ever-changing demands of our existing ones. Hence, collaborating with Essence to leverage their expertise in technology, media and marketing was a logical next step. We are looking forward to this association and we hope it helps us in achieving the business vision we have chalked out for ourselves.”
Sonali Malaviya
Added Sonali Malaviya, Managing Director, India, at Essence: “Plum is an exciting, fast-growing and purpose-driven beauty brand, which shares Essence’s commitment to data-driven growth and marketing that adds value to people’s lives. Leveraging our cutting-edge use of analytics and technology, we are looking forward to collaborating with the team at Plum as its strategic partner, to help create new growth opportunities for the brand and the business,”
Essence, GroupM’s data and measurement-driven media agency. today announced new leadership appointments to strengthen its services and presence in India. Based in Bengaluru, Bharati Joshi will lead the agency’s product offering as Vice President, Product, India. Kunal Danda will head the agency’s Mumbai office as Vice President, Client Services, India. Based in Delhi, Vinish Mathews will lead the agency’s partnership with key client Google as Vice President, Client Services, India and Southeast Asia. They will report to Sonali Malaviya, Managing Director, India, as part of Essence’s leadership team in the market.
Said Malaviya on the appointments: “Bharati, Kunal and Vinish’s appointments are key in strengthening Essence’s India leadership team. I am delighted that we are able to attract exceptional talent who share and are excited about our vision to reimagine what is possible for India. I am looking forward to partnering with Bharati, Kunal and Vinish in their new roles, and driving continued growth for our people, capabilities, clients and business across India.”
GroupM agency Essence has unveiled its first social commerce report which investigates the rapidly growing trend of consumers buying products and services directly on social platforms.
The report illustrates the significant opportunity brands have in social commerce, with three out of four people surveyed saying they are likely or highly likely to buy through social media in the future. Social commerce is forecast to account for 13% of total ecommerce sales in China this year.
According to the Essence survey, 41% of respondents worldwide made purchases or intend to make purchases involving social platforms. While social media platforms have always provided an environment for buyers and sellers to interact, the survey demonstrates a shift towards organised commerce on platforms. Increasingly, social commerce enables discovery, browsing and purchasing to take place on one platform without the need to interact with any external websites or applications. Ultimately, it creates a seamless experience with fewer clicks and higher potential revenue and conversion rates.
China, unsurprisingly, is the leader in social commerce, which is forecast to account for 13% of total ecommerce sales in 2021. According to the Essence survey, almost 80% of consumers in China purchased items on social media. Singapore, India and Indonesia followed with 50%, 49% and 48%, respectively.
France, Germany and Japan showed the lowest purchasing intent via social platforms at 22%, 27% and 24%, respectively. But despite that low percentage, interest in social commerce is growing in Germany. Almost half (44%) of Gen Z customers in Germany indicated that they purchased or intend to purchase using social platforms.
In most countries, the average transaction value on social commerce is higher than the average transaction value on ecommerce transactions. Respondents in Japan recorded the highest average transaction value, between JPY11,001 and JPY55,000 (USD96.74 to USD483.67) for social commerce, followed by the United States, which had an average transaction value between USD101 and USD200. China, on the other hand, had a lower average transaction value between CNY201 and CNY500 (USD31.48 to USD78.30).
The higher value transactions look to be driven primarily by men (35%) and by millennials in the 25 to 44 age segment (72%). Both the male and the 25 to 44 age segments are skewed towards the purchase of higher value categories such as hardware, home cleaning, luxury and furniture.
Social innovations have propelled the growth of virtual shopping. Live shopping and conversational commerce experiences increase the propensity to buy on social media. Four out of five respondents are likely to buy on social media if they have watched a livestream or participated in conversational commerce. Livestreaming has emerged as a major factor in luxury social ecommerce.
While the use of livestreaming in ecommerce was primarily centred in the Asian market, it is now commonplace worldwide. Luxury brands including Hermès, Louis Vuitton and Burberry all launched their Fall or Winter 2021 shows by livestreaming worldwide. Brands such as L’Oréal are also driving growth in the luxury beauty segment, partly because social media enables the brand to interact with consumers, influencers, beauty advisers and salespeople on the same platform. These innovations and collaborations are driving sales of luxury items both online and offline.
The research indicates that most consumers enjoy the livestream shopping experience, with almost half (43%) of respondents claiming to have enjoyed it and 39% of respondents highly enjoyed it. These statistics held up not only in China, but also in other markets where social commerce is still in its infancy. Globally, 85% of the respondents who watched shopping livestreams report that they are more likely to purchase via social media.
Aniket Basu
Said Aniket Basu, Senior Director, Technology and Ecommerce, at Essence: “We expect that the future of online shopping – and not just social commerce – will be discovery-driven. Customers tend to be exposed to new and innovative products as they browse more on social media or encounter algorithmically mediated recommendations from friends and family on social platforms. Ecommerce is maturing as a field, with social media giving brands and retailers new ways to reach audiences and new growth opportunities. In this environment, social commerce serves as a key future-proofing method for the next five years and beyond.”
GroupM’s Essence has announced the introduction of its Essence Data Health Check consulting service, developed to help brands achieve effective business outcomes from their digital marketing activities by advancing their audience data strategy.
Vincent Niou
Said Vincent Niou, Vice President, Data Strategy, APAC, Essence: “Data has never been more integral to more aspects of marketers’ businesses, but the space has never been more confusing and uncertain. With Essence Data Health Check, we are excited to help marketers navigate these shifts, while applying our best practices to drive campaign impact and business growth from their audience data, as well as provide the best possible brand experience for their customers across both paid and owned channels.”
Shane Dewar
Added Shane Dewar, Vice President, Advertising Operations, APAC, Essence: “With consumer sentiment, public policy and the advertising industry as a whole moving towards an ecosystem that puts privacy at the forefront of how it operates, brands and advertisers will be challenged to ensure that the people, processes and tools they have are capable of navigating the new privacy-first world. Essence Data Health Check is designed to help marketers evaluate what they are doing well in, provide a roadmap to improve their data strategy, and ultimately, enable brands to achieve their goals.”
Kunal Guha
Said Kunal Guha, Executive Vice President, Essence, who oversees the strategic direction and delivery of Essence Global Ventures’ research and development efforts,: “We are now at the dawn of a new era of marketing – one that is defined by consumers’ expectations around their data and privacy, and an industry looking to bring more personalised experiences to their consumers. Essence Data Health Check will underpin the foundations for this privacy-first world, where the ethical compass on consumers’ data is paramount. Through Essence Global Ventures, it is our ambition to continually innovate solutions that will ensure marketers globally can lead with new strategic advantages, today and in the future.”
Essence, the GroupM agency for data and measurement-driven media investments, has announced the appointment of Sonali Malaviya as the agency’s Managing Director for India. Anand Chakravarthy, previously Managing Director for Essence India, has moved on from the agency to pursue new opportunities. Malaviya will be responsible for leading continued client-centric innovation in data, analytics and technology, as well as business growth and company culture for the agency in the market.
Based out of Delhi, Malaviya will report to Essence APAC CEO, T. Gangadhar (Gangs) and GroupM South Asia CEO, Prasanth Kumar (PK). She will join Essence’s APAC leadership team and GroupM India’s executive committee as part of her role.
Joining Essence in 2018, Malaviya most recently led the agency’s Google business in India and Southeast Asia as Senior Vice President, Client Services. Previously, she served as Chief Operating Officer at Colorbar Cosmetics and Country Marketing Lead at Twitter in India. With over 20 years of industry experience, she has also held senior roles at Mindshare, PHD, Roy Morgan Research and MediaCom in India, the United Arab Emirates and Australia.
Said Gangadhar: “Sonali comes with rich experience in management, marketing and media across industries and markets, as well as a deep understanding of Essence’s business, work, people and culture. In addition to building strong, collaborative partnerships with clients and employees alike, she is an advocate of diversity and inclusion in the workplace. India continues to be a priority for Essence in APAC and globally, and with Sonali at the helm, I am very excited about our next phase of growth and development in the market,” We would also like to thank Anand for his efforts in helping to establish our business in India over the last three years. We greatly appreciate his contributions and wish him the best in his future endeavours.”
Added Kumar: “We are glad to see Sonali take over the role of Essence India Managing Director. With her background and significant achievements, she will add to the capabilities of Essence and work with our teams to improve the client experience. As we continue to develop leaders internally, Sonali is also part of our growing pool of talent taking on various leadership roles across GroupM India. I look forward to working with Sonali and leveraging her expertise.”
Said Malaviya: “I am truly honoured to have the opportunity to lead Essence in India. Over the past three years, I have witnessed and been part of our incredible growth story in this market, and am very proud of what our agency, clients and employees have achieved together. I am looking forward to partnering with our highly talented teams and leveraging our industry-leading capabilities to help even more brands in India achieve data-driven growth and transformation, as well as valuable connections with consumers.”
Since Essence’s entry into India in 2016, the agency has rapidly expanded to three offices across Bengaluru, Delhi and Mumbai. Essence’s diverse portfolio of clients in the market includes Airtel, Britannia, Flipkart, Games24x7, Google, Honda motorcycles and scooters, Livspace, Melorra, Purplle, Vedantu, Wakefit and Zee5.
Essence, the data and measurement-driven media agency which is part of GroupM, has announced the introduction of its Essence Media Health Check service, developed to help marketers achieve effective business outcomes from their digital media campaigns by delivering measurable performance improvements over current baselines.
Said James Smyllie, Senior Vice President, Head of Media, APAC at Essence: “Now, more than ever, marketers are under pressure to deliver the maximum from their media budgets. With Essence Media Health Check, we are excited to help marketers leverage our best-in-class digital best practices and proprietary tools to optimise their media investment and unlock value in their campaigns, in a fast, effective, efficient and actionable way. Through our pilot Media Health Checks across categories, we found at least 30 to 40% improvements in media efficiencies and potential business growth – numbers that would be hugely appealing to any marketer.”
Added Kunal Guha, Executive Vice President at Essence: “We consistently observe swathes of missed opportunities for marketers and believe this is immediate ‘money on the table’ that can be unlocked for diverse business scenarios from margin improvements to volume growth. Essence Media Health Check can be an invaluable tool for marketers to turbocharge their digital transformation journeys, and in partnership with EDB, we are committed to helping brands, in Singapore and globally, unlock value from their programmes.”
Essence, GroupM’s data and measurement-driven media agency, announced that it has been awarded integrated media agency of record duties for beauty and personal care ecommerce platform Purplle in India. Led out of Mumbai, Essence’s mandate will include strategy, analytics, media planning, media activation and content innovation for Purplle’s brand marketing campaigns offline and online.
Said Manish Taneja, Co-Founder and CEO, Purplle: “As a key player in the online beauty and wellness segment, it is essential to connect effectively with the burgeoning consumer base in the ever-evolving beauty landscape. Essence’s expertise in the media ecosystem will help us reach the right set of audiences, and engage with them through both new age and traditional mediums. This strategic partnership will help drive the next phase of transformation and growth for Purplle,”
Added Atrayee Chakraborty, Vice President, Media Planning, India, Essence: “The team at Purplle has been building an impressive online space and shopping destination for beauty and wellness needs. With our new partnership, we are looking forward to helping Purplle further scale its efforts and accelerate its business growth. Leveraging Essence’s expertise in data, analytics and measurement, as well as experience with fast-growing, technology-driven direct-to-consumer brands, we are excited to create even more valuable experiences for Purplle’s existing and future customers,”
Essence, a global data and measurement-driven media agency that is part of GroupM, has announced that it has been selected as the integrated media agency for personal care brand Mamaearth in India. Managed out of Essence’s Delhi office, the agency will be responsible for media planning and activation for Mamaearth’s brand building and awareness campaigns.
Said Varun Alagh, Co-Founder and CEO, Mamaearth: “As a digital-first brand, we are constantly connecting with millennials on a product and brand philosophy level. With ever-evolving consumers and the way they consume content, it is important to be present across new age media platforms to be able to speak to them. Our partnership with Essence will help us achieve this goal by identifying the right media mix and expedite the next phase of our growth journey,”
Added Yoginder Jain, Vice President, Client Services, India, Essence: “In a market where there is increasing consumer consciousness towards personal health, the environment and cleaner living, brands with the right purpose are set to win. Mamaearth has created a distinct space for itself and is perfectly placed to ride this growing opportunity. Our team at Essence is delighted to help scale Mamaearth’s business with our pioneering approach to data and analytics. We strive to make brands valuable to the world and are looking forward to delivering this for Mamaearth.”
Essence, GroupM’s data and measurement-driven media agency, has been awarded integrated media agency of record duties for jewellery brand Melorra in India. Led out of Bengaluru, Essence’s scope of work includes media planning, media activation and content innovation.
Said Saroja Yeramilli, Founder and CEO, Melorra: “Melorra is well-poised to address the growing demand in the daily wear and lightweight jewellery segment. Having built a strong foundation as we seek to expand our customer base, we were looking for a media agency partner who has a deep appreciation for data and key metrics that drive a direct-to-consumer business like ours. Essence was able to amply demonstrate this and more, and we are happy to have the team on board as a partner in our growth,”
Added Anand Chakravarthy, Managing Director, India, Essence: “Melorra is a progressive brand in an exciting category. The lightweight jewellery space is set for tremendous growth, as we see more women from across India opting for such jewellery. Melorra is at the forefront of maximising this opportunity with its wide range of fashionable jewellery for everyday wear. The smart use of data signals, analytics and creativity combined is essential to driving acquisition for Melorra – this is one of Essence’s key areas of expertise and we are looking forward to helping accelerate business growth for Melorra,”
Essence, GroupM’s data and measurement-driven media agency, has announced the appointment of Monica Bhatia as the company’s Managing Director for Singapore. Bhatia will be responsible for driving continued client-centric innovation in data, analytics and technology, as well as business growth and company culture for Essence in Singapore. As part of Essence’s APAC leadership team, Bhatia will report to APAC CEO T. Gangadhar (Gangs).
Alongside her new position, Bhatia will continue in her current role as Essence’s Senior Vice President, Client Partner, APAC, leading the agency’s Google business across the region and reporting to Dave Marsey, Essence’s President, Global Client Partner. Prior to joining Essence in 2017, she headed the digital practice for GroupM’s Maxus in APAC, building its product proposition across 14 markets. With over 17 years of experience in the industry, Bhatia has worked on the brand side at L’Oréal and Godrej Group in India, and Dabur in Nepal. She has also held client services and strategic planning roles at creative and media agencies in Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam and India.
Said Gangs: “Monica’s impressive experience in marketing, advertising and media, and her deep understanding of Essence’s business, clients and culture, make her the best person to lead our Singapore office. A believer in true partnerships as well as diversity and inclusion in the workplace, she constantly strives to nurture strong collaborative relationships with both clients and employees. I am really excited about our next stage of growth with Monica’s steady strategic leadership and direction, as she continues to champion our clients, work and people in Singapore.”
“It is a privilege to have the opportunity to lead the highly talented, entrepreneurial and dedicated team at Essence in Singapore. Having worked closely with the team over the past three years, I am truly proud of the industry-leading capabilities we have built in data, analytics and technology. Brands today are increasingly looking to achieve transformational data-driven growth, and I am looking forward to leveraging our unified approach to media and creativity to deliver breakthrough work for our local, regional and global clients in Singapore,” said Bhatia.
