By Our Staff
InsuranceDekho, one of India’s leading Insurtech players, has roped in Farhan Akhtar as its brand ambassador and will be seen in their upcoming ad campaign – Sukoon. The campaign captures the delicate emotion behind ensuring the security and well-being of one’s family.
Commenting on the association and campaign launch Ankit Agrawal, CEO and co-founder of InsuranceDekho said: “We are thrilled to be associated with Farhan. We at InsuranceDekho, believe that Sukoon does not come from materialistic things like having a swanky car or owning a big house but from seeing the people in one’s house at peace. It comes from watching one’s family share little moments of laughter, from seeing them full of life, from knowing that their health is secured. These tiny activities make way for the idea that Sukoon is in knowing your family is happy and healthy. And that even when times get tough, this feeling is taken care of by your health insurance partner.”
By A Correspondent
Kool 104, Hyderabad’s first international radio station, announced its launch in the city at an event that was attended by film director and actor Farhan Akhtar. The launch event saw Farhan take to the stage to unveil the logo of Kool 104 in front of the audience.
Said Tapas Sen, Chief Programming Officer, ENIL: “We are very happy to be launching an international radio station in Hyderabad. With this new station, we now cover all three languages in the city, Telugu with Mirchi 98.3, Hindi with Mirchi 95 and English with Kool 104. As with all our stations, the product was devised after a lot of research and we hope that people love the content on Kool as much as we loved coming up with it!â€
By A Correspondent
Dulux, the paints brand from AkzoNobel India, has unveiled a new TVC for its flagship brand, Dulux Velvet Touch. The campaign titled ‘The Glow of Success’ features brand ambassador Farhan Akhtar.
Said David Teng, Cluster General Manager, Decorative Paints, South Asia, Akzo Nobel: “We all work hard to achieve our dreams and celebrating them with our loved ones is equally important. With this new Dulux Velvet Touch TVC, we hope to motivate our consumers to not just decorate their walls, but to cherish their well-deserved accomplishments and success.â€
Explaining the rationale behind the brand campaign, Titus Upputuru, National Creative Director, Dentsu One added:“There are many milestones on the path to success and Dulux Velvet Touch celebrates their arrival. The protagonist, played by Farhan Akhtar bares the walls of all the conventional success symbols, choosing instead to portray it through the unique glow offered by the brand. The poetic expression of the voice over is something that we thought would go well with the celebrity’s surname.â€
By A Correspondent
Piaggio India’s Vespa launched the Red edition in India in the month of October this year as an extension of its existing global collaboration with Red, an organiation that partners with global brands to create awareness and support the fight against HIV/AIDS. The sale of each Vespa (Red), which was presented by actor and UN Women Goodwill Ambassador, Farhan Akhtar, at the launch event, contributes to financing to a global fund to fight AIDS in India.
Said Ashish Yakhmi, 2W Business head at Piaggio India: “Piaggio has successfully created the premium positioning in the 2 wheeler segment with its iconic Italian brand Vespa and the racing brand Aprilia. We have built a strong connect with the youth through the digital medium. Webchutney is a highly creative agency and we believe that they are the best fit to manage our brands. The initial campaigns they handled for Aprilia and Vespa on the digital, creative and media side are full of creative genesisâ€
Added Nishi Kant, EVP and Branch Head, Dentsu Webchutney– Mumbai: “The team couldn’t keep calm since the day we received the brief. Our pitch was one of the finest that we have produced so far. We had great fun working on these two campaigns as the brand that appeal to a young, sporty, fun-loving audience and have a tremendous heritage value as well. This is going to be a great ride and here’s to many more such campaign.â€
According to Gaurav Soi, Executive Vice President, Growth, Webchutney said: “Aprilia has great racing heritage, while Vespa is an iconic brand. To get the opportunity to be part of the pitch process was exciting in itself, but to have the brands on our roster and to create communication that resonates with the audiences is the icing on the cake.â€
By A Correspondent
Farhan Akhtar tests the strength and durability of Dulux Weathershield Powerflexx against extreme conditions of nature and its ability to protect consumers’ homes. In the latest TV commercial by Dulux – ‘Nature Challenge’, the premium exterior emulsion Dulux Weathershield Powerflexx was shown to offer unbeatable exterior wall protection that stays intact for up to 10 years thus protecting your homes against extreme conditions of nature for a longer time.
Conceptualised and created by Taproot Dentsu Communications, the TVC encapsulates the brand’s ability to protect home exteriors from nature’s fury, owing to its double defense technology. The campaign shows a house mounted on a trailer truck travelling through various terrains while exposed to extreme weather. It also emphasizes how the walls protected by Dulux Weathershield Powerflexx withstand challenging weather effectively and remain unblemished.
Social media and popular online video platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter will be leveraged to maximise reach and educate consumers about the product.
Said Rajiv Rajgopal, Director-India and South Asia Cluster, Decorative Paints, AkzoNobel: “We are dedicated to creating everyday essentials to make people’s lives more liveable and inspiring. Innovation sits at the heart of what we do. Whether we are developing new products or services, we are focused on making life easier for our customers, as well as contributing to their success. This campaign stands as a befitting testimony to the superior value proposition of Dulux with best in class and international quality. In a country like India that faces extreme weather conditions, Weathershield Powerflexx enables homes to withstand the harshness of weather extremities. With the latex of the paint stretching up to seven times more than any other premium exterior paint; this technological wonder enables exceptional performance and benefit to the consumer.â€
Added Mayuresh Dubhashi, Creative Director, Taproot Dentsu: “To just make a claim is not as difficult as proving it. In the world of exterior paints, where every second player claims to provide all-round protection, So we chose the difficult path, and decided to prove that it is the best exterior paint in the market. And that is why the regular demo was made hyper, a house painted with Weathershield Powerflexx was mounted on a trailer truck, and the trailer driven across the country. ”
By A Correspondent
Direct selling FMCG company Amway India has signed Farhan Akhtar as brand ambassador to promote the Nutrilite range of the products.
Speaking on the occasion, Anshu Budhraja, CEO, Amway India, said, “We needed a strong and credible face who could help people understand the role of supplementation in addition to balanced diet and exercise as part of leading a healthy lifestyle. Farhan Akhtar was an obvious choice.â€
“In India, Nutrilite has firmly established itself as the leading brand in the vitamins and dietary supplements category. The brand contributes more than 50% of Amway India’s turnover. We are confident that Farhan’s association will provide a further fillip to the Nutrilite brand in the country. We plan to launch a high decibel 360 degree campaign in early 2016 to leverage the association of Farhan Akhtar with Nutrilite,†added Budhraja.
Talking about Farhan Akhtar as Brand Ambassador for Nutrilite, Sundip Shah, Chief Marketing Officer, Amway India, said, “Besides being talented and versatile, Farhan is physically fit with a stature and youth appeal that resonates well with Nutrilite’s world class image offering the best of nature and the best of science for optimal health. Consumer response to the association of Farhan with Nutrilite has also been very positive.â€
By A Correspondent
Chivas Regal announced the launch of its new, India specific brand communication themed on the brand tagline ‘Live with Chivalry’, with ‘Win the Right Way’ as the latest expression. Chivas has signed up Farhan Akhtar, multitalented Bollywood actor, producer and director, as the brand ambassador for this campaign.
Win the Right Way communicates Chivas Regal’s brand values, and aims to inspire a new generation to achieve success whilst making a positive impact on the lives of others. It also stands true to the brand’s philosophy of “succeed as gentlemenâ€- how success is beyond material gains and is about enriching lives of others. It emphasizes that true success lies less in its clichéd symbolism and more in its impact on the world.
Speaking on the association, Kartik Mohindra, Business Head – International brands, Pernod Ricard India, said “We are very excited to launch the new India centric Chivas campaign that is aimed to provoke the desire of the new generation to make a difference and take people along in their journey of success. For the campaign we have brought on board Farhan Akhtar as the brand ambassador for Chivas. Farhan truly embodies the brand values and philosophy as he is not just a successful individual but he has steered numerous social initiatives to make a difference in society.â€
On becoming the new brand ambassador, Farhan Akhtar stated, it’s very important for him to find synergies with his brand associations and he truly believes that it’s difficult for success to be just a single person’s journey and it’s important to respect and recognize the contribution of people across the board.
The new 360 degree marketing and advertising campaign will be integrated across electronic, print and digital media on November 05, 2015.
By A Correspondent
Featuring Farhan Akhtar, Publicis conceptualized a fresh TVC for Park Avenue’s new range of deodorants, which breaks the monotony of passé deodorant ads featuring scantily-clad women getting fascinated with the guy who uses these deodorants. Park Avenue decided to swerve away from the much-exploited ‘get the girls swooning’ plot and, instead in its new campaign, focuses on the benefit of Park Avenues new deo range- ‘Freshness Lock Technology’ which overpowers body odour, thus ensuring fragrance to last longer.
The commercial shows two young office pals, full of enthusiasm, making ambitious plans, in the morning, to watch a cricket match at the stadium after they get off work. By the time it’s 6 p.m., we see that these youngsters have turned into drooping, depleted old men and have compromised their plans to instead watch the match on TV at home. At this point, Farhan interjects to talk about the benefit of Park Avenue deos offering daylong freshness that enables the user to continue to stay fresh and enjoy the day beyond the work hours. The commercial ends with Farhan himself enjoying the match at the stadium.
Commenting on the campaign Bobby Pawar, Managing Director, CCO, Publicis South Asia said “The ‘Shaam ka budhaapa’ idea springs from what happens to a person and his deo; they start the day full of zest but become ‘thakela’ come evening. It is a fresh take in a category that is littered with chicks and wannabe chick magnets. And it will start a new conversation about long lasting freshness. That said, what I liked most about it, when Jigar Fernandes and his team shared it with me, is its potential to create engaging social content and conversation.”
Raja Chakraborty, Marketing Head, J. K. Helen Curtis, said “The deodorant category is struggling for relevance in consumers mind as a daily wear product. Role of brands is to introduce consumers to newer roles of the same category and back it up with perceptible product performance. That’s the journey we have undertaken with the new campaign for PARK AVENUE. Publicis have played a key role in developing life insights that has gone into the communication. We are quite confident that this communication should generate new trials for the brand”
The film portrays the reality and irony of daily life – we begin our day full of freshness, but in the evening, when we have time, there’s no freshness / life left in us. An all-day freshness of Park Avenue deo ensures that you have the freshness whenever you need it, which is not only through the day but also in the evening.
By A Correspondent
Askme has announced Farhan Akhtar as new brand ambassador for its online marketplace Askmebazaar.com. As per the terms of the contract, the actor will endorse the company’s products and services through advertising campaigns, which will be unveiled soon. The brand, known for its effort to recreate the great Indian shopping experience online identified Farhan as someone who continues to redefine the boundaries of success with his originality and enigmatic persona.
As the brand ambassador, Farhan will be featured in a new integrated 360-degree campaign for Askmebazaar.com which will run across TV, print and online channels rolling out from August 2015. The actor will be seen endorsing the range of products offered by AskmeBazaar where consumers can buy products from multiple stores with great value offers.
Commenting on the association, Manav Sethi, Group CMO, Askme said, “We are delighted to have multi-talented Farhan Akhtar on board as this association will help build a strong connect between the brand and consumers. Farhan Akhtar who wears different caps of a singer, lyricist, actor and director, truly exemplifies our brand philosophy which is defined by simplicity, great design and ease of use with contemporary Indian features.â€
AskmeBazaar was launched last year and has become India’s premier online marketplace where sellers from across India can open their online store and list their products for free. With zero upfront investment, the seller can now sell their products online by just paying fixed fees for processing every transaction on the platform. It has 35,000 storefronts with 700,000 SKUs (excluding movies & books) available on the platform.
By Dyanne Coelho
They stole the limelight recently with a song ‘Mutant Macha’ licensed to Star Movies for the television premiere of the the film X-Men: Days of the Future Past. We are talking of Faroutmedia , a music rights management and talent development company, co-founded by Farhan Akhtar, Anurag Rao and Excel Entertainment. The song is a collaboration between Chennai-based indie band Skrat, Akhtar and Vishal Dadlani.
“Mutant Macha is a classic example of integrating, licensing and monetizing a song with a massive marketing push at the time of song creation itself,†says Anurag Rao, co-founder of Farout Media. The company has provided for 100,000 free downloads of the song on their website after which downloads will be monetised. Farout Media is a talent solutions company that is focused on digging out indie talent in the music sphere and bringing it out onto mainstream platforms. The company essentially plays middleman between event management firms, television channels, radio networks and music talent, to bring offer the best experience to both. Farout organises talent for events like the FilmFare awards, Channel V Indiafest and even college fests.
Rao believes that collaboration with movie producers and advertising agencies can push indie talent to levels like never before. “Farout is trying to build this artist-centric indie ecosystem, getting collaborative artists together, and take independent music into mainstream broadcast television, advertising, film, etc,†Rao said. Farout strives to take indie bands and put them into collaboration with mainstream brands, which they feel is the best way today to take independent music and place it on a higher pedestal. “Fans are never going to buy your music any more. How are you going to take your music out? You have to think of various distribution partnerships and avenues to take independent music out,†he adds.
The advent of the digital media has in a way disrupted traditional methods of distribution of music like CD, Rao believes. “CDs are as good as obsolete now,†he said. “ITunes has now come in and become an inescapable infrastructure and we have to embrace technology and find different ways to take music out, and only technology can help.â€
“Skrat is the first indie band we’ve got on board, but we are working on more collaborative efforts with bands like Sparsh, Shaa’ir n Func, Sarah Jane and others. We are also working with a lot of Hindi non-film music, and we’re trying to take it onto a mainstream platform,†he concludes.
By A Correspondent
Dulux, the flagship decorative paints brand from AkzoNobel India announced the launch of its integrated brand campaign for Dulux Velvet Touch named ‘Fashion Trends for Walls’. The integrated campaign featuring brand ambassador, Farhan Akhtar turns the spotlight on the brand’s ability to translate fashion on to walls. Dulux Velvet Touch’s Fashion Trends is an offering of high-end emulsions (decorative paints).
Explaining the rationale behind the brand campaign, Rajiv Rajgopal, Director, Decorative Paints, AkzoNobel India said, “Being an International premium brand with a distinct legacy and lineage, Dulux’s strengths resides in its immense understanding of colours and maintenance of high standards of quality. The new campaign is aimed at reflecting Dulux’s core values of providing best in class interior solutions that support customers in making their homes stylish and establishing an iconic level for Dulux Velvet Touch.â€
He added, “With Dulux Velvet Touch being at the heart of the campaign, its Brand Ambassador, Farhan Akhtar has given life to this television commercial. The TVC is strongly flanked by print and outdoor advertisement, and active engagement through digital touch points and in store solutions. As a brand ambassador, Farhan Akhtar embodies the Dulux Velvet Touch’s core position of self-expression and style.â€
Agnallio Dias, Co-Founder & Chief Creative Officer, Taproot Dentsu Communications, Taproot Dentsu says “The Fashion Trend for Walls campaign of Dulux Velvet Touch has been catering to an audience that is not afraid of flaunting style. Beyond the colours and vibrancy, there lies a hidden meaning in each colour at the core of Dulux. These colours define a person’s individuality and Dulux provides a medium of expression to these individuals. Just as fashionistas set trends in the world of fashion, Dulux Velvet Touch empowers consumers to discover their style and wear it on their walls.â€