ITC Foods has just launched its new campaign for Sunfeast Marie Light Rich Taste. It is a comprehensive package of films that beautifully capture the tea time moment, and build how that moment is incomplete without Sunfeast Marie Light.
Launching the campaign, and building the space of tea time being incomplete without Sunfeast Marie Light, are three films – Imperfect Surprise, Phone Call & Tea Time Together. These will be followed by a series of films tailored to regional sensibilities.
Rather than follow the usual method of making a film and then dubbing it into all the regional languages, the individual films have been created for regional markets, with popular local celebrities for each region.
The roster of celebrities includes Sneha, Priya Bapat, Mary Kom & Rituparna Sengupta.
The entire campaign focuses on building the inseparability of tea and Sunfeast Marie Light biscuit, by drawing a parallel to the husband wife relationship, and how the ritual of that morning cup of tea is incomplete without one’s spouse.
Speaking about the campaign, Swati Bhattacharya, Chief Creative Officer, FCB Ulka, said – “For Sunfeast Marie Light we’ve taken off from the fact that the morning tea time together is something that both the husband and wife look forward to and cherish. In the hustle and bustle of day to day living, this is their little moment together. And this moment is incomplete without that cup of tea, and their favourite Sunfeast Marie Light biscuit.â€
Menaka Menon, Vice President – Bangalore, FCB Ulka, said – “This campaign is built on a strong truth, the fact that the couple holds sacrosanct their morning tea moment together. Combined with the fact that tea & Marie biscuits are an unshakably strong pairing, this campaign simply uses the couple’s strong relationship to draw a parallel to the strong bond that tea & Sunfeast Marie Light share.â€
Speaking on Surjo’s new role at FCB Ulka, Swati Bhattacharya, CCO, FCB Ulka said, “I remember the first time we heard the line ‘cheetah bhi peeta hai’ in JWT. We all knew the new kid on the Pepsi floor was special. Surjo’s omnivorous talent comes with an infectious energy and passion that not just creates great creative work but also strong creative teams. I am absolutely excited to have him partner me in building a bright creative future for FCB India.â€
Commenting on Surjo’s appointment, Nitin Karkare CEO, FCB Ulka said, “Surjo is a powerhouse of talent. The sheer energy that he brings to every assignment makes him a delight to work with. He is a great people’s person and his teams are always ready to give their best for him. He is a fantastic addition to our creative leadership team and I am sure our clients will benefit from his workâ€.
Nitin Karkare
Speaking on his new role at FCB Ulka, Dutt said, “FCB Ulka is an agency I have always admired for not just its work but also its core values and culture. And now with true gamechangers like Rohit and Swati coming in, it’s a wonderful time to be in this agency.I am thrilled to be a part of the team and will do everything I can to write my bit of the success story that is sure to be written.
In a multi-round, multi-agency pitch, FCB Ulka has been awarded the digital duties of Arogya Keralam, an initiative under the auspices of National Rural Health Mission (NRHM). The agency has been chosen for its precise understanding of the Kerala digital audience as well as its unique communication strategy which, when rolled out, would be educational, fun and share-worthy.
Nitin Karkare
Nitin Karkare, CEO, FCB Ulka said, “Kerala has peculiar issues in healthcare sector. Though the state scores very high nationally in terms of critical health indicators, it faces problems quite unique to itself such as high incidence of lifestyle-induced diseases, problems related to an ageing population as well as re-emergence of certain communicable diseasesâ€.
The mandate given to FCB Ulka is to reach and connect with the increasingly digital-savvy audience of the state and create awareness of such diseases as well as the various initiatives and activities undertaken NRHM. The agency will utilize all of NRHM’s social media properties as well as other digital platforms to achieve its communications objectives.
In addition to this, the agency will also help NRHM manage real-time online interactions and queries from the public, which will be supported by an expert panel of doctors.
The woman of the house often has to deal with the challenge of maintaining the health of her family along with the activeness quotient, which impacts the day-to-day happiness in the household. Every woman expects her husband to be an active father. She wants the husband to spend some active time with their children after he is back home from a busy and stressful work day. While, men around the country are trying hard to share the responsibility of parenting, while their better halves are helping them maintain an active lifestyle by making smarter food choices.
As a result, the modern day Indian family is switching to healthier lifestyle and food choices. In its all new brand campaign, NatureFresh Acti-Lite brings forward its association as an able health partner to the fore.
Conceived by FCB Ulka, and set against a melodious soundtrack created by Salim Sulaiman, the storytelling is about how a woman, by making little changes in the grocery items, can turn her husband into a dream father for their little daughter. We see a father who enjoys to take his little girl cycling daily or getting her ready for school, to doing delightful things like pitching a tent and camping out in the backyard. This is where the power of the Woman- the Home Maker is showcased. She is able to make kacche papa to acche papa [being able to do all that they want to do with their children] by simply switching to NatureFresh Acti-lite, as the cooking medium. NatureFresh Acti-lite, with its low fat cooking medium, promises less absorption of oil, that results in less sluggishness in the body. One important step towards having a ‘har pal active’ family.
Speaking on the launch of the new campaign, Neelima Burra, Chief Marketing Officer , Cargill India said, “NatureFresh Acti-Lite is India’s first low fat cooking proposition in the edible refined oil category. According to our research, eating Low-Fat food is an un-met need which consumers feel is important for an active lifestyle. Through our new marketing campaign, we aim to target the cosmopolitan families and set a new trend in the category of low fat cooking with Nature Fresh Acti-lite.†The new NatureFresh Acti-Lite is the perfect partner for the Home Maker, which is helping her give the household their daily dose of active fun by having an active father!â€
Speaking on behalf of FCB Ulka, Swati Bhattacharya, Chief Creative Officer, said “The woman of the house is the architect of the happiness moments of the family. Behind every “Ache Papa†is an intelligent Mom who knows the recipe of how to make her family more active and help them accomplish more each day.â€
Rohit Ohri, Group Chairman & CEO, FCB Ulka said, “At FCB Ulka, we nurture brands to become strong partners to their consumers. NatureFresh Acti-Lite is one such brand. Giving new age solutions like low fat cooking to homemakers who are wanting to empower their husbands in their most important role in life- that of a good father.â€
The Indian advertising industry has several leading lights but few have got down to chronicling the industry and documenting case studies like MG Parameswaran has. Ambi, as he’s known in the fraternity, recently set up Brand-Building.com after 35 years in advertising, sales and marketing, a large part of it was helming FCB Ulka. He is also President of the Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI). In his new book titled ‘Nawabs, Nudes, Noodles’, Ambi writes how advertising has changed society and adapted with the times. Excerpts from a free-wheeling interview with Pradyuman Maheshwari:
You are among the few advertising professional who have written books, and this is your eighth. How do you manage to make time for writing?
The writing started in reverse. In 1997-98, I was looking for cases to use for teaching when I discovered they were still using some veryold books. Then I started writing some short cases based on brands I’d worked with and . Tata McGraw Hill was interested [in publishing them as a book] so that’s how it started. I wrote cases for teaching, and those became books. Once the books came out, they actually sold, and the publisher stared asking what are you writing next? Then I wrote the second, and the next, and it just continued. Obviously, there was a big lacuna of professionals writing books, in the late 90s. Now there are a lot more people writing, which is good. Myfirst bunch of books was more academic. Then my agent, Anish Chandy, said I need to write for a larger audience and that is how ‘For God Sake’ was born. It was based on my thesis, but it was a light book. And, after I finished writing it, the idea for [the latest] book came up and we started discussing.
How much time did this last book take?
40 years (laughs).
And it’s packed with loads of information…
80,000 words (smiles). The idea for the book happened about two years ago, and it took a year of writing. I was working full time so I used to devote three or four hours every weekend to compile stuff. I did not want to do a history of agencies, but wanted to look at how society has changed. First you have to compile information, and I went through 30-40 books. Also, one had to not just write about different topics but also see if there are any international parallels. So I had to hunt for relevant books on that topic. Fortunately, some of my friends are senior professors, so they helped identify the books I should look at. It took six months of collecting information, and six months of writing.
In the book, there are a fair number of references to influences in society and how it has changed. For instance, you write on ads having helped Indians discover new products and services. Really?
If you ask a consumer ‘did you buy this product because of the ad’, the response will be no, I heard about it from a friend. But where did your friend hear about it? She heard it from her friend. There might be an ad involved. Take the example of Dalda, which was the first Indian product advertised in 14 different languages in print. Each ad was different because it was specific to the cuisine of a particular region. Ads were written in 14 different languages to convince Indians that Dalda was as good as ghee, during the days of a ghee shortage. And it succeeded. Today I saw an ad where they were trying to sell 4G services saying you can use it to locate a loo for your kid. That is education. Advertising is performing the role of disseminating education so consumers do learn from ads. They may not admit it, but they definitely learn a lot.
At the same time, there is a lot of advertising which is possibly instilling values you don’t want, like fairness creams or ads for colas which are not good for health. Advertising can be educational, but there are many brands which don’t sending out positive messages…
I believe if it is legal to sell a product in a country, it should be legal to advertise a product. If it is legal for me to make and sell beer, it should be legal for me to advertise the beer too. If you go back to how this idiocy started in this country, 25 years ago the government suddenly decided that sanitary napkins would not be advertised on TV. They said the ads could only play after 10 pm. Maybe that has caused a problem. Today, one of the biggest issues we have is girls are afraid to go out because of their menstrual cycle. If they had allowed those products to be advertised widely, maybe we would have had more innovative products coming out. But why was it was not allowed before 10pm? Because it was considered a bad, female hygiene thing, which could not be shown on TV. We banned the ads, and now we are saying girls are not going to school, not going to work on those days because of this problem, and now we are regretting it.
Every month, the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) comes out with a list of ads against which complaints have been registered. A fair amount of such advertising shows that not all practitioners are doing their job correctly…
Yes, it is a combination of the agency and the client. Often the agency pushes the limit and the client says okay let’s do the ad and see what happens. I am happy that ASCI has become powerful now because in the good old days, it used to take a month to respond to a complaint. Now they come back to you within a week, whether they uphold the complaint or reject it. The government has also mandated that if some ad complaint is upheld by ASCI, TV channels cannot run that ad. To be fair, every brand owner and agency is trying to claim whatever they can do to the maximum.
In your book you have referred to the Tuff shoes ad, and the case against it that went on for two decades. Do you think the ad was beyond decency? And would it be accepted now?
I do not think it would be accepted. Today we will probably react just as badly to that ad. As a piece of art, it was brilliant and beautifully art directed, and launched an unknown brand in a sensational way. But it got into all sorts of trouble and the court case ran for 20 years…. Today, the complaint would have gone to ASCI, which would have either upheld or rejected it. For all you know, ASCI may have even passed it.
There is a lot in your book about the changing man, woman, child or youth. You have mentioned that the Raymond ad was a milestone in the way it depicted men.
I have been a follower of Raymond advertising for a long time, and for a hot country like India, Raymond made suitings cool. But it moved away from an executive suit to embrace the concept of a complete man. One of the best ads they had was about this man from abroad looking for his friend and discovering that his friend has lost his legs and is in a wheelchair. He takes him to Marine Drive and they are shown having fun, chatting about old times. There is no mention of suits except for the fact that this guy was dressed in suit but carried his jacket in his hand. Suddenly this presented a whole new face to the guy who wears suits — that he is not an automaton but a guy with a heart. Such ads have redefined suiting advertising.
You have written about men, women, children and teens in ads. Which of these strata do you think have changed the most in terms advertising in the last 15 years?
All of them. May be women more significantly, because earlier, women were never featured in a financial services ad or in motorcycle, scooter or car ad. Like the ads for Hero Pleasure, which is a scooter for women. A lot of car brands are showing the woman driving the car. The biggest change in Indian society has been with respect to women. Their education and desire to work has dramatically changed over the last 20 years. Therefore, the depiction of women in ads has also dramatically changed.
Yet there is a lot of advertising that is not gender-sensitive…
I think there is a need to sensitise people to this. Sometimes you do it even without thinking. Some ads are being created without any deep agenda on pushing down of women. It’s just a lack of awareness.
Do you find that in the last 10 years, effectiveness awards have become very big and that even creativity in advertising tries to earn brownie points from social media and the buzz created?
I do not think so. Advertisers today are looking at two different kinds of advertising. First is the classic way, where you spend a big amount on advertising. The second is the ad which is created for social media. One is the 30-seconder which will run on TV channels, and the other is the three-minuter which will run on YouTube. Today, these two are working on two different agendas, but one day the two will meet.
The book covers about 50 years of advertising, but perhaps some inside stories and gossip would have made it more juicy. You have stayed clear of controversies…
The last chapter is all about the problems advertising has faced. It deals with the Tuff shoes ad, the Kamasutra ad or the problem I had with an innocuous Sweetex commercial, where I was showing the navel of a model, which got into trouble. I have not discussed any gossip, such as who copied whose idea, because that is not the domain. I am writing this book because I hope the young people entering advertising can, in just a few hours of reading, understand how this business works and have a positive impression of the industry.
If you were to pick three, five or 10 ads that have been game-changers, what would they be?
I would say go back in history. The Maharaja ad for Air India is one. The Amul hoardings (which even the client gets to see only after it goes up, shows the kind of trust you need to have with your agency partner), the Lalitaji ad which re-defined and put the middle-class woman in the market. Or ‘Doodh’, which made milk cool. Also, the Cadbury cricket film….
And Liril?
Yes, Liril was path-breaking. And in recent times, stuff like the Gundappa film for Lifebuoy and the Airtel ‘Hare ek friend zaroori hota hai ad.’ So, there have been quite a few films, Fevicol take a very humble adhesive in to landmark creative, again that is a very good client-agency partnership.
Ads like ‘Doodh’ for Amul that you have worked on at Ulka, which you are extremely proud of?
I am proud of what FCB Ulka has done with Naukri.com – the Hari Sadu ad. I am especially proud of the work done on Tata Indica. Then of course the work we did on Santoor, Sundrop – two brands which took on the might of Levers and succeeded. Some fabulous work we have done on Zee, Zee Cinema especially.
What next?
Well, I do not know. I hope this book does well and serves the purpose of both making people like you and me nostalgic about the past and make young people say these guys actually did some good work and now we need to do better.
This interview first appeared in dna of brands on May 23
FCB Ulka Interactive, a division of FCB Ulka Group recently added to its large portfolio of clients by bagging the duties for Vero.
Vero has launched an innovative concept that offers a new way to appreciate coffee. One can enjoy uniquely crafted blends brewed in a world-class coffee capsule machine at just a touch of a button. Vero coffee looks at redefining the coffee experience for Indian consumers.
‘Vero’ is an Italian word for Real, True and Perfect that aims to bring the perfect coffee experience to the coffee connoisseurs across India. Taking a cue from the Make in India phenomenon, Vero has focussed on the Indian coffee blends rather than going with the western tastes.
Priya Gandhi
Commenting on the pitch process, Priya Gandhi, Vice President at Vero says that post a creative & strategy presentation done by 5 agencies and 2 rounds of evaluation, FCB Ulka was finalised as the agency to manage the business. The decision was based on their deep understanding of our product, user insights & proven capability in managing small-to-large social media campaigns. We are confident that FCB Ulka will not just be a communication agency but a strategic partner in our journey to redefine the coffee experience in India and build the brand Vero.
Satish Ramachandran
Satish Ramachandran – Sr. Vice President, FCB Ulka Interactive, commented on the win saying “Vero coffee is a prestigious business and it’s a pleasure to be a part of the launch of this new category in India. I would like to thank the client for having expressed their confidence in FCB Ulka Interactive.â€
The win adds significant weight to FCB Ulka Interactive’s client portfolio, which includes marquee clients such as ICICI Bank, Skoda, Amul, Tata Housing, Tata Consultancy Services, etc.
FCB Ulka Advertising announced the appointment of Arijit Gupta as Creative Head- Art, FCB Ulka Delhi. Arijit has more than 20 years’ experience and has worked on some legendary brands like Maruti, Nestle, Thums Up, LG, Bacardi, Idea and many more.
He started his career in Lintas – New Delhi and was more recently at Leo Burnett. Arijit or Ari as he is popularly known, is quite a favorite amongst his peers. Arijit will partner with Vasudha to lead the creative team in Delhi.
Nitin Karkare, CEO, FCB Ulka said, “Arijit is a welcome addition to the Delhi creative team. Design is playing an increasingly significant role in advertising today and Arijit has the skills and the sensibilities required to raise the game for usâ€
Swati Bhattacharya, CCO, FCB Ulka said, “I am sure that Arijit will add significantly to our creative firepower in Delhi. With his keen design sensibilities and exceptional ability to carry ideas from concept to finish, I can see our work going places and getting famous.â€
FCB Ulka has been appointed the creative agency for mid-day infomedia ltd. In addition to mid-day, the agency has also been awarded the creative duties for Gujarati mid-day and Inquilab.
mid-day infomedia ltd. is a part of Jagran Prakashan Ltd. (JPL) – India’s leading media and communications group with its reach going across Print, Radio, OOH, Activations, Mobile and Online, making it one of the largest media conglomerates in the country.
Sandeep Khosla, CEO, mid-day infomedia ltd., said, “We are pleased to have FCB Ulka as our creative partner. Their sound understanding of the media industry and their customized approach would give us that extra edge to take our brands to the next level. We look forward to creating effective communication across mid-day, Gujarati mid-day and Inquilab with them on board.â€
Mumbai’s engaging newspaper, mid-day would be completing 37 this year. With its rich and wholesome content it is consumed with great interest in the city. The paper also has a Sunday edition, which is a fun and leisure read for the weekend.
Gujarati mid-day focuses on Gujarati specific stories, in addition it captures interesting city, national and global news, making it a huge favourite amongst the community.
Nitin Karkare
Nitin Karkare, CEO, FCB Ulka, added “I am delighted that mid-day has selected FCB Ulka as their creative partner. mid-day is the soul of Mumbai and I personally have fond memories of having grown up reading the paper. Look forward to working with them to help mid-day reclaim its place in the sunâ€.
After infusing fresh energy into key creative and strategy roles, FCB Ulka has brought on board Debarpita Banerjee to grow and manage its business across North and East India. Debarpita will also head the soon to be launched branded content division of FCB India.
Debarpita comes with 19 years of experience in Advertising and Content Marketing. Prior to joining FCB Ulka she was heading Marketing & Communication for the portfolio of channels at National Geographic and Fox International India. At NGC and Fox, she led many award winning integrated marketing initiatives and creative campaigns across mainline and digital. Before stepping into the business of content and broadcasting, she spent a decade and a half working across some of the largest clients and multiple categories at JWT, Leo Burnett and R. K. Swamy/BBDO.
Rohit Ohri, Group Chairman and CEO, FCB India said, “I am confident that Debbie will bring to the FCB Ulka Delhi operation the dynamic leadership that it needs. With her multifaceted experience she has an extraordinary ability to think ‘integrated’ which is a key skill for new age leadership in the communication business.  Her mandate is also to open up markets beyond NCR and in the East which will be an integral part of our growth strategy at FCB Ulkaâ€
Nitin Karkare, CEO, FCB Ulka, said, “I see huge potential in Delhi and it is going to be a critical chapter in FCB Ulka’s growth story. Debbie brings very solid experience across categories and I am delighted to have her driving this market for us.â€
Speaking about her new mandate, Debarpita Banerjee said. “I am excited to join the FCB Ulka Group and Rohit’s team. For me this will always be the organization that created memorable advertising, which clearly stood out in its category. Whether it was the Whirlpool mom or the catchy Doodh Doodh campaign, it’s easy to start remembering the solid body of work. Am looking forward to being and growing Brand FCB Ulka, through creating work that makes a difference in the marketplaceâ€.
ITC has launched Sunfeast Farmlite Digestive All Good with a TV commercial conceived by FCB Ulka, Bangalore. The film captures the quirky and endearing side of a health-conscious couple on a Saturday morning, while also informing the viewers that ordinary digestives are not what they seem to be.
The film begins with the husband entering the house after his morning tennis session. The wife playfully teases him about his health regime, as she sorts her grocery shopping. He decides to participate in the fun, in turn challenging her about her health regime. The fun banter ceases when he discloses that her trusted digestive biscuits aren’t as good for her after all. Just when she’s feeling cheated by her biscuits, he introduces her to the true digestive biscuit, Sunfeast Farmlite Digestive All Good.
Speaking about the commercial, Menaka Menon, Vice President, FCB Ulka, Bangalore, says, “Farmlite is ITC Biscuits’ play in the health space, and true to form they’ve come up with a winner product, that has absolutely no Maida and no added Sugar either. The new TVC aims at telling the viewer about what makes a true digestive biscuit. It encourages her to look at the back of the pack and see for herself what it is that she’s actually consuming.â€
Vinci Raj, Senior Creative Director, FCB Ulka, Bangalore, points, “Only when the product is so honest, can we boldly talk about it in our communication. Through this memorable ad, we aim to teach consumers how to evaluate a product, especially one directly resulting in their well-being.â€
FCB Ulka Bangalore has created a new campaign for Pixarom, a comprehensive post production studio that provides creative solutions for print and digital media. The campaign captures the perfection of retouching which looks so real that the viewer feels that he/she is in the scene performing it. Retouching is the next realm of creative expression which infuses life in photographs.
Pixarom’s services range from image retouching, 3D for print as well as 3D animation and videos for online and TV commercials. Equipped with the latest technology as well as a group of skillful and creative people, Pixarom is able to turn the ideas into reality in the fastest and most cost efficient way.
The campaign was created from a point of view of the retoucher. The idea was to highlight the fact that retouching brings out the much needed perfection which makes the picture come to life.
Commenting on the campaign, Steve Koh, CEO, Pixarom said “When I first heard the idea, it instantly brought a smile on my face & said, ‘We will do it.’ The brilliance of this campaign is in its execution itself, which is our forte. Usually, we do retouching & campaign creation for other brands, but, for a change, we are delighted to have created our own campaign promoting Pixarom Imagerom.â€
Vinci Raj, Sr. Creative Director, FCB Ulka Bangalore said,“In any art, we usually give life to an idea through photography, retouching, production, etc.Why can’t these then create the idea?â€
The campaign is aimed towards the niche segment of advertisers, art directors and photographers.
Zodiac Clothing Co Ltd (ZCCL) has launched its S/S2016 campaign by bringing back the ‘Zodiac Man’ across three brands – Zodiac, Zod! Club wear & Z3 relaxed luxury.
In the latest campaign, FCB Ulka brings back the magic of the ‘Zodiac Man’. The campaign talks about celebrating classic elegance this summer. The ads would cover the entire range of summer special offerings including linen suits, accessories, formal and casual linen shirts.
Commenting on the campaign, Salman Noorani, President & Managing Director, Zodiac Clothing Company says, “The iconic ‘Zodiac Man’ was created way back in the 60’s by my father & Bal Mundkar of Ulka Advertising. My brother carried this campaign very successfully through the 70’s and early 80’s generating tremendous recall for the brand. Today I am delighted to revive this advertising icon. Our new campaign reinterprets the Zodiac Man for modern times and makes him relevant across our brands – Zodiac, Z3 & ZOD! Club Wear”
Jonathan Harries, Worldwide Chairman FCB, who was actively involved in the campaign said, ““One of the most refreshing things about being involved in the Zodiac Man campaign was being in the meeting with Mr Salman Noorani. It’s so rare to be in an advertising meeting these days, anywhere in the world, and having the guy who can say “yes†in the room. In my opinion that’s the best, most efficient way to get to great advertising.â€
Haresh Moorjani, Executive Creative Director, FCB Ulka said, “The Zodiac Man is one of the most memorable campaigns in Indian advertising. When we decided to bring him back, it was quite a challenge to reinvent him for 2016 .He had to blend machismo with sophistication, ruggedness with elegance. The campaign brings alive his personality across all the three brands — Zodiac, z3 & ZOD! But more than anything it is quite an honor to be associated with one of the most legendary advertising creations.”
