MxMIndia

Tag: Gautam Kiyawat

  • Yes! Vikram Sakhuja is joining Sam Balsara to take charge of the media agency empire plus the out-of-home business

    Now, Group CEO & Equity Partner, Madison Media

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    It’s a question which everyone in the industry has been asking him and each other since October 2014 when the name of a new Global CEO of Maxus was announced.

     

    When we asked him then with the lyrics of a classic Bollywood song: Yeh kya hua, kaise hua, kyun huaaa, he replied in an equally filmi style: Main toh chala jidhar challe rasta – only in this case I have an idea of what the manzil is.

     

    The ‘manzil’ clearly is the global headquarters of Madison World in North Mumbai.

     

    We’re referring to the man you see in the picture: Vikram Sakhuja, inarguably one of the most powerful and well-known media agency professionals in the country today.

     

    He joins Madison Media as an equity partner. A short statement we received from the office Madison World Chairman and Managing Director Sam Balsara announced:  “Madison World is delighted to announce that Vikram Sakhuja is set to join the Madison Media Group including OOH as Partner and Group CEO. Vikram will be responsible for the Media and OOH business of Madison World and will work closely with Sam Balsara.”

     

    This has indeed been a coup of sorts. As a senior industryperson who has known both Balsara and Sakhuja from close quarters said: “Sam is one of the smartest and shrewdest mediaperson in the country. And he has proven that yet again by getting Vikram on board.”

     

    The move also silences naysayers that Sam Balsara would do well to sell his stake in Madison World to a worthy international conglomerate. Perhaps he still will, the senior industryperson we spoke to earlier told us. “This may well be a way of saying that, yes, we are privately held company, but are professionally run.”

     

    An alumnus of IIT Delhi and IIM Calcutta, Mr Sakhuja has over 28 years of experience across the media and marketing landscape.  He has worked with Proctor & Gamble, Coca-Cola, Star India and of course GroupM where he headed South Asia operations as CEO and later Global CEO of Maxus.

     

    Said Mr Balsara in a statement: “I am delighted to have Vikram come on board and partner us in  Madison. I know Vikram as a true blue professional, over the last 20 years, first as a client, then a media partner and finally as a formidable competitor.  I am confident that he will be able to contribute significantly to our clients’ business growth and success, by providing the right strategic direction, given his vast and rich experience”.

     

    Added Mr Sakhuja in the same statement:  “I am truly excited at the prospect of returning home to India and in an entrepreneurial capacity. It is also a privilege to now partner a person who initiated me into media in my Client days. Media has never been more exciting, and I look forward to further strengthening an already iconic Agency brand.”

     

    Gautam Kiyawat

    Meanwhile, Gautam Kiyawat, current Madison Media Group CEO has decided to relocate to Singapore for personal reasons.  Balsara said the following on his movement: “I would like to place on record Gautam’s substantial contribution to Madison Media in the three years that he has been with us, especially in the area of growing our people and working as a team. I thank Gautam for his contribution  and wish him all the best in his future endeavours”.

     

    Madison Media Group is among the Top 3 media agency groups in the country handling media planning and buying for clients including Godrej, Mondelez, ITC, Marico, McDonald’s, Raymond, Piramal Healthcare, TVS, Levis, Domino’s, BhartiAxa, Max Life Insurance, Asian Paints, Pidilite, Tata Salt, Acer, Lafarge Cement, Crompton Greaves, Times Television Network, Indian Oil, Enamor Lingerie, Gowardhan Dairy, Viber, Lenskart, Metro Cash and Carry, Café Coffee Day and many others.  The gross billing of Madison Media is about Rs 3000 crore.

     

    It’ll be interesting to see how Sakhuja as head of Madison Media takes on former employer GroupM and friend Shash Sinha IPG Mediabrands, both of who are formidable competitors.  As followers of the space, we couldn’t have asked for any better.

     

  • Do the extra-long ads like the Pepsi and KitKat had around Diwali send the message better than the shorter ones?

    Do looooong ads work for brands?

     

    By Priyanka Nair & Mukta Lad

     

    3.33. 3.53. 4.40. 7.16. Before you shut this paper and run a mile, we will have you know that this isn’t a complicated math problem coming your way, but the durations of some of the ads you’ve been seeing of late. With our daily dose of listicles masquerading as news for our seriously short attention spans, one would think quick and easy fixes are the way to go.

     

    The world of advertising begs to differ, though, offering a paradox. A spate of really long ads are the not-so-new kids on the block, where brands are taking the liberty to take as long as seven minutes to narrate their mostly heartwarming stories, The year is seeing a lot of the films that take their time to tell the tale, both internationally and back home.

     

    Pepsi’s ‘Ghar wali Diwali’
    KitKat’s Diwali
    Kissan’s ‘Joy of Togetherness’
    Fortune Oil’s ‘Ghar ka Khaana’
    Google’s ‘Reunion’
    Tata Sky’s ‘PrisonBreak’

    Most recently, KitKat and Pepsi jumped on the Diwali bandwagon, and two much talked about long-format films were born. They are usually released online, making it an inexpensive medium to tell powerful stories. But with such ads clearly becoming a regular trend, we have to ask; are brands really justifying the length of their communication with stories that are compelling enough? And do they work?

     

    Piyush Pandey executive chairman and creative director, Ogilvy & Mather India and South Asia, the man behind Fortune Oil’s emotive four-minute ‘Ghar ka khaana’ ad, believes, “With long-format, your single responsibility is to the viewer. It’s like people who make movies. A viewer of a long-format ad has made the effort to click on your film. It’s not like he was sitting around watching something else and the ad came on. It’s your responsibility to make sure he feels rewarded after the time spent and says ‘I must share this with my friends.’ I am assuming as professionals we know that we have a responsibility to the brand.”

     

    For T Gangadhar, MD, MEC India, it was the advertising during FIFA that has lingered on in his mind, especially the riveting spots by Nike and Adidas. “The episodic treatment, the fleshing out of the idea, the execution was such that there would have been no other way to create them except through the medium of long-format,” he says, admitting that he really didn’t notice the amount of time he was investing in watching them.

     

    Globally, too, brands have asked their agencies to deep dive into this particular style of creative build up for some time now. From Johnnie Walker to Dove and many in between, several brands have tried and tested using this narrative style for some years now.

     

    Apart from Fortune Oil, KitKat, Pepsi, Google’s ‘Reunion’ and #PledgeToVote, Tata Sky+’s ‘Prison Break’ and Kissan’s ‘Joy of Togetherness’ are some of the Indian ads that went much beyond the proverbial 30 seconds.

     

    Narayan Devanathan, EVP and national planning director, Dentsu India Group thinks of this trend as a fad, though. “To me, this seems like the work of diva creative directors who want to cash in on lack of extra mediabuying costs, the freedom the internet offers as a medium and the fact that they might be able to wiggle out a few favours from the directors in the same budget,” he says bluntly.

     

    Perhaps brand managers are looking at creating these epics as a feather in their cap. But Devanathan and Gangadhar would rather brands didn’t make long-format ads a fashion statement, please. It is best if the idea defines how much time it needs to unfold, instead of the other way around. But is there a formula as to who should or shouldn’t leverage this medium? “Boring brands have gone ahead to create some interesting long format ads, while some interesting brands have put out some boring ones,” says Gautam Kiyawat, CEO, Madison Media, implying that anyone with a good story should go ahead. But what makes marketers give a green signal to agencies?

     

    Mayur Bhargav, general manager (Chocolate and Confectionery), Nestlé India mentions that his digital centre noticed that India’s successful Mars mission was generating a lot of positive discussions on social media. They went ahead to create the KitKat Diwali film, knowing that its topical nature rated it high on the shareable scale.

     

    Gangadhar, however, wasn’t too convinced by the film. “If the video is going to be longer than 30 seconds, then it needs to become more content and less ‘advertising’, especially for the internet, where brands aim at making content people would want to share. The KitKat Diwali film, to me, was quite ‘addy’ in that sense.”

     

    Senthil Kumar, JWT India’s NCD and Suresh Eriyat, director, Eeksaurus, the men who made the KitKat film, believe that there making these spots can be a challenge. “It’s easier to hide the imperfections in 30 seconds, but the long format tests almost every limit that creative guys know of,” Kumar reveals. Eriyat elaborates, “Unlike short format ads, the biggest challenge in a long format ad is losing objectivity.

     

    Another danger is that it can end up becoming boring and monotonous. I am of the opinion that if one sees the KitKat campaign out of the context of Diwali, it may seem irrelevant.” At the end of the day, what do consumers feel about these ads, really? Devanathan, donning his planner’s hat, mentions, “The Pepsi ‘Ghar wali Diwali’ film, to me, lacked Pepsi’s youthfulness and Kurkure’s wackiness.”

     

    But advertising and planning be damned, he says, considering consumers didn’t really care about the ad’s length or whether it had the brand’s values at the core. They were touched by the emotion and shared the ad nevertheless, making it a viral success.

     

    The long and short of storytelling on digital is that the canvas is yet to reach its creative tipping point, as brands are taking their own sweet time exploring the medium.

     

    Source:The Economic Times

    Copyright © 2014, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved

    Licensed to republish

     

  • Uncertainty about IPL's future freezes ad sales

    Freeze! Media agencies put on hold IPL-7 buys given uncertainty over tourney

    By A Correspondent

     

    Media-buying firms have frozen all ad sales of the Indian Premier League for the next 48 hours as they await clarity on the future of the tournament, two top officials of leading media buying firms said.

     

    They said advertisers are considering either re-negotiating ad rates for the IPL, or considering pulling out of the twenty20 tournament and putting their money on elections instead, after the Supreme Court on Thursday recommended suspension of two teams – Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals.

     

    Gautam Kiyawat

    Gautam Kiyawat, CEO at media buying firm Madison Media group, said the development will hit the sentiments of marketers. “There was a bit of scepticism from the beginning with some matches being moved out of the country and now with the potential disappearance of two star teams, advertiser sentiments are going to tank even further,” he said. Media buyers, which represent some of the country’s biggest advertisers, are of the opinion that if 20-30 per cent of the IPL matches are scrapped, it would bring down the overall revenues of the popular twenty20 tournament by half.

     

    Multi Screen Media-run Sony Entertainment, which holds broadcasts rights for the tournament, would also face a similar quantum of losses because advertising airtime would also shrink with less number of matches, said the CEO of a top media buying firm.

     

    Multi Screen Media (MSM), which is charging Rs4.5-5 lakh for 10 seconds, was expected to better its last year’s IPL earnings of around Rs900 crore that was helped by 30 per cent – 40 per cent jump in advertising revenues. Rohit Gupta, president at MSM, said: “Since the final order has not come yet, it is too early for us to comment on the matter. Let the order come.”

     

    If Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals are banned, then it would have a direct negative rub-off on advertisers. Title sponsor PepsiCo, which had has committedRs400 crore for five years, stands to lose the most, as it has hinged its entire annual plans on the tournament that falls in peak summer season for the soft drinks sector. PepsiCo declined comment on the matter.

     

    CVL Srinivas

    CVL Srinivas, CEO at GroupM, the country’s largest media conglomerate that also represents PepsiCo, said, “It is too early to take any decision (on whether or not we should advice our clients to stay away from the IPL) as we don’t know which way the scenario will pan out. We will get more clarity in days to come and then we will weigh the options for our clients.”

     

    Some matches of the IPL will be played in the UAE, which is not a market for many brands, and with the Supreme Court banning two teams, advertisers stand to accrue huge losses if the tournament is scrapped. Navin Khemka, managing partner at media buying firm ZenithOptimedia, said absence of two key teams will bring down the value of IPL as a property.

     

    IPL’s brand value grew 4per cent, from $2.92 billion in 2012 to $3.03 billion in 2013. The total brand value of the nine franchises last year reached $325.8 million from $321.12 million in 2012, according to consulting firm Brand Finance.

     

    Nandini Dias

    Mr Khemka said that big advertisers may choose to be on elections over IPL, while likely lower ad rates may open IPL doors to smaller companies. “The sense is that overall ad rates could come down in the IPL. The flip side is that many small advertisers, who otherwise were not able to afford IPL as the entry costs were very high, may get a chance to be a part of it this time,” he said. Nandini Dias, CEO at media-buying firm Lodestar UM, said the agency was not advising clients to pull out of the tournament.

     

    “Controversies in cricket seem to have become a regular occurrence. Advertisers like PepsiCo have paid unprecedented amount of money despite all the controversies and uncertainties,” she said. “There are enough clients who want to ride on the higher viewership likely due to controversies. In fact, there are clients who change their media plans and skew their media plans to news channels when the channel is breaking news regarding controversies and scams.” The hospitality industry too could take a hit if some matches are cancelled.

     

    Source:The Economic Times

    Copyright © 2014, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved

    Licensed to republish

     

  • The media agency business will see vibrant growth this year, predict captains of the media planning and buying business

    Sunny times in 2014, say media agency bosses

     

    By Pritha Mitra Dasgupta

     

    Most media agencies predict a good year for the entire media sector in 2014 with television, radio, digital and out of home continuing to grow and print making a revival. The industry also expects media groups to continue consolidating across different formats this calendar, transforming the entire media buying business.

     

    Ashish Bhasin

    Ashish Bhasin, India chairman and South East Asia CEO at Aegis Group, said digital, out-of-home (OOH), rural and below-the-line (BTL) media will play a much bigger role this calendar. BTL refers to non-mass media promotions such as direct mail campaigns, telemarketing and trade shows. “There will be a clear shift from ATL (above-the-line) to BTL in client spends – a trend that has already started,” he said. “Print will hold its own, though focus may shift towards regional print,” he added.

     

    In 2014, media planners estimate television will grow by 15-18 per cent, print by 8-10 per cent, and digital media by 30 per cent. In 2013, the media sector is estimated to have grown 7-8 per cent. CVL Srinivas, CEO at GroupM South Asia, pointed out that India is one of the few markets where print continues to be a dominant medium, garnering nearly 40 per cent of the total advertising spend. “Media buyers will look for long-term deals that secure inventory at a certain price coupled with shorter-term opportunistic buys. Content will emerge as a new currency on TV,” he said. Mr Srinivas said clients will increasingly opt for integrated media solutions spanning digital and offline against the current majority practice of treating digital as a standalone medium.

     

    Boosting this trend will be the consolidation drive of media groups. Mr Bhasin of Aegis said more and more media owners will consolidate in print, TV, OOH, cinema and in radio, putting pressure on smaller and weaker players. “Media buying will… transform into weaving messaging into content the consumer loves, across formats,” he said.

     

    The general elections are expected to provide the biggest impetus to media industry, with print emerging the biggest benefactor. “The general elections will definitely be a huge boost to the advertising industry in 2014.

     

    Nandini Dias

    Expectations are that between television, print and radio there will be an additional advertising money of approximately Rs 1,000 crore,” Nandini Dias, CEO at Lodestar Universal, said. Print medium is expected to consume at least 65 per cent of this money. “Since print is more segmented and has more depth, there are various kinds of ads which are put out on print,” a senior media planner said. “There are poll results, classifieds, information of candidates, ads on party manifestos and so on. So print garners the bulk of the advertising election spends,” he said.

     

    The person said television is mostly used for umbrella campaigns and the medium captures about 25 per cent of the total advertising spends. And radio is about 10 per cent. According to industry estimates, Congress is expected to spend Rs 500 crore, BJP Rs 300 crore, and all the other parties together Rs 200-300 crore.

     

    The newly introduced cap on television ads – a channel can air a maximum of 12 minutes of ads for every one hour of broadcasting – too is expected to help print media. Some media planners are, meanwhile, sceptical about the industry’s prospects in 2014. Debraj Tripathy, MD at Mediacom India, said he expected 2014 to be a more difficult year than 2013, as overall economic condition has not improved.

     

    Gautam Kiyawat

    “It may get little better around the elections. But the second half of the year will be really challenging.” Gautam Kiyawat, CEO at Madison Media Group, said: “The first half of 2014 will continue to be soft as marketers are conserving money for the first quarter.”

     

    Source:The Economic Times

    Copyright © 2013, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved

    Licensed to republish

     

  • Madison Media has been appointed the media agency on record by Raymond Limited

    Madison Media is Raymond’s Media AOR

    By A Correspondent

     

    Madison Media has been appointed as the media Agency on Record for leading textile, apparel and fashion retailer, Raymond Limited. Madison would be responsible for the entire media mandate for all Raymond group brands, including Digital and OOH.

     

    Gautam Kiyawat
    Mrinmoy Mukherjee

    Says Mr. Gautam Kiyawat, Group CEO, Madison Media Group, “We are delighted with this new win and are confident that we can add substantially to building the Raymond group brands.”

     

    Commenting on this development, Mr. Mrinmoy Mukherjee, Director, Marketing, Raymond Limited said, “Madison Media’s leadership status as one of the best integrated media solutions agencies in India and well-integrated service and processes will help our brands scale newer heights of success.”

     

     

  • New blood is running through Madison's veins, and throbbing to the Balsara beat with the same fervour as in years gone by

    Gautam Kiyawat, Arminio Ribeiro, Gour Gupta, Paresh Chaudhary, Ruby Bana & Raj Nair on Madison@25

    A person is known by the company she/her keeps, and the same holds true of the company – it is known by its people – and how happy they are working for it. Madison, to its credit, has a number of old-timers who swear by it.  RITU MIDHA of MxM India spoke to a handful of the newer team members – on how Madison fitted into their system, and how they fitted into Madison’s. Three simple questions with, well, not-so-simple answers.

     

     

     

     

     

    Gautam Kiyawat, Group CEO, Madison Media

    Gautam Kiyawat became a part of Madison World in May 2012, when he took charge of Madison Media as Group CEO.

     

     A graduate from IIM Bangalore, Kiyawat has over 17 year of marketing, media and communications experience in organisations like P&G, Star TV, Phillips and Blackberry spanning across India, South East Asia and the US. He is happy working in “bold yet practical, client-focused approach in a non-political environment” at Madison.

     

    How difficult or easy it was for you to adapt to the Madison way of working?

    Quite easy. Madison, which I knew as a client, has remained true to its principles over 25 years.

     

    What are the key learnings in your Madison stint so far?

    Any agency role is a humbling experience coming from the client side. The degrees of freedom are fewer when you are helping drive multiple client agendas in addition to your own business. The great part of working at Madison is, the bold yet practical, client-focused approach in a non-political environment. There are certain founding principles and values that serve as a guiding light. Not too many organizations live by these values on a day to day basis.

     

    In a nutshell, how would you define your Madison experience so far?
    Our best is yet to come…

     

    Arminio Ribeiro, CEO, Madison OOH Media Group

    Arminio Ribeiro joined Madison’s Outdoor unit in April 2007. He is now Chief Executive Officer of Moms & Platinum Outdoor. His multifaceted personality needs no introduction. Ribeiro states that Madison objective is to achieve client delight – and he is happy to be working towards that along with others at Madison.


    How difficult or easy it was for you to adapt to the Madison way of working?

    It has not been difficult to adapt to Madison’s way of working! The fact that I decided to work with Madison rather than any other agency is because of its professional reputation, client profile, size and culture that was similar to what I had grown up with over the years – namely at JWT. At Madison World, there is a single minded objective – “achieve client delight” and this is across SBU’s and employees. Growth and profitability are by products of our delivery to our clients. Amongst the leadership team members there is collaboration and a spirit of comradeship, and I have had the advantage of working closely with Sam and Lara who have believed, supported and encouraged me in launching all our OOH business initiatives.

     

    What are the key learnings in your Madison stint so far?

    The answer is quite simple. I have imbibed Sam’s business acumen… priorities are client, then employees and then the management/me. Sam has been extremely successful by following this business principle. As I mentioned earlier, one needs to “achieve client delight” as Growth and Profitability are by-products. What’s more, one needs to be a better human being. And respect our clients and one another.

     

    In a nutshell, how would you define your Madison experience till date?

    It has been 6 years since I joined Madison and as CEO, Madison OOH Media Group. I am delighted to state that we have achieved the status of “preferred client choice” when it comes to out-of-home communications solutions across the growing consumer congregation points. As Madison OOH Media Group, we are proud to have some of the best, most experienced and developed minds in this market space, and as a team we have provided our clients with a comprehensive and integrated range of quality OOH communication services – both strategically and tactically. Being consumer-focused, our purpose through experiential, retail and design creations is to deliver experiences that enhance people’s lives at every point of engagement. This has helped deliver a market advantage to potential clients’ OOH needs which has resulted in dramatic growth and recognition for us.

     

    Gour Gupta, CEO, Platinum Communications:

    Gour Gupta joined Platinum Outdoor, a specialist OOH unit of Madison World, as Chief Operating Officer towards 2007 end. Before joining Madison World, he has spent time with Modern Suitings, Pantaloon Fashions, Selvel-Vantage Group and Portland India. Gupta believes in Madison’s values and style of functioning.

     

    How difficult or easy it was for you to adapt to the Madison way of working?

    The Madison way of working is built on trust, transparency and integrity. It is not much different from my previous work experience, and hence, it was quite easy for me to imbibe the existing work culture and smoothly ease myself into the orgainsation without any hassles

     

    What are the key learnings in your Madison stint so far?

    The key learnings so far have been understanding and managing the complexities associated with working for a large group like Madison with individuals from varied work backgrounds and experiences

     

    In a nutshell, how would you define your Madison experience?

    Enriching, Invigorating and quite Exciting!

     

    Paresh Chaudhary, CEO, Madison PR

    Paresh Chaudhary took charge of Madison PR from Veena Gidwani in June 2012. He has over 24 years of Brand Communication & Reputation Management experience across industries. Among the organisations he has worked for are Reliance Industries, Hindustan Unilever, Smith Kline Beecham , Ranbaxy and Wockhardt. He is an MBA (Marketing) with a Public affairs Diploma from Hong Kong University.

    Chaudhary defines his journey with Madison as “wonderful” and is elated that the organisation’s value system echoes his own.

     

    How difficult or easy it was for you to adapt to the Madison way of working?

    As part of its organizational DNA, Madison gives you the freedom and space to operate in. Sam’s value systems of integrity and fair play has seeped into the system, which echoes my own value systems. This made my transition easy. I am impressed by the engagement levels of our communication professionals, not just at Madison PR, but across Madison World. The empowerment to think out-of-box enhances self-drive and higher levels of customer delightment.

     

    What are the key learnings in your Madison stint so far?

    One key learning, I have had so far is that our clients really value our strategic intervention, and view us as important business partners. I intend to integrate my own areas of expertise in corporate communication into the enterprising Madison culture and use it to the benefit of our clients, so as keep raising the bar at all times.

     

    In a nutshell, how would you define your Madison experience so far?

    It’s been a wonderful journey so far, with large blue chip clients that we have on board. The fact that most of our clients have been with us for many years, reflects the confidence we have in our well-oiled teams. I plan to spring-board from here to ensure robust and consistent growth, both in terms of client’s delightment, and attracting and retaining talent.

     

    Ruby Bana, Chief Strategy & Insights Officer

    Ruby Bana joined Madison in January 2010. Prior to this she was working as Chief Intelligence Officer for APAC region at Havas.

     

    How has your experience been so far?
    I joined Madison at a very exciting phase. I have been a part of accelerated change and have enjoyed the pace as well as the experience. It is amazing how an organization this size can evolve, adapt and respond so enthusiastically.

     

    What are your key learnings from Madison?
    My key learning from Madison is that vision needs to be jointly shared by all stakeholders for it to be successful. Once a new direction is set fearless whole hearted commitment behind it with action and results to evaluate (both good and bad) is a better way than tentative steps and with halfhearted action.

     

    I have learnt to challenge myself continuously with both humility and confidence at the same time. Most of all, from Sam I have learnt that values endure and make for good long-term business sense even though in the short term it may seem irrelevant or even a baggage sometimes.

     

    Raj Nair, CCO, BMB India

    Raj Nair joined BMB India, a 50:50 JV between Trevor Beattie’s BMB and Madison World in June 2012. In his more than 20 year experience in advertising he has worked with JWT, Enterprise and Contract Advertising among others. Nair defines Madison spirit as indefatigability …. the very personification of passion.

     

    Says he:

    What really is the Madison way of working? Is it a never say never, relentless spirit? Is it a desire to create outstanding, lasting value for a client? Is it innovation in the truest sense of the word? Having joined BMB Madison just nine months back but having had the good fortune to interact with Sam closely on more than a number of occasions, I would safely say it’s all of the above and then some. It’s indefatigability. It’s the very personification of passion. It’s a sharp sense of what works and what doesn’t. It’s an eye on ROI.

     

    Nine months, quite obviously, aren’t even a blip on the larger picture woven over 25 years. And there will be many other Madisonites who have far more enriched experiences to narrate. But this I will say. On behalf of the entire media, advertising and marketing world and having taken the liberty of using a line from Casablanca, ‘Play it again, Sam.’

     


  • Madison Media Sigma will handle traditional media planning and buying for the client with an approximate spend of Rs 30 crores

    Madison Media Group wins Ruchi Soya AOR

    By A Correspondent

     

    Madison Media has announced the win of the Ruchi Soya Industries, Consumer Brands Division account in Mumbai. Madison Media Sigma will handle traditional media planning and buying for the client with an approximate spend of Rs. 30 crores. The account was previously handled by MEC.

     

    For the record, Madison Media recently won a host of new businesses including Max India’s corporate account, Cafe Coffee Day, Radikal Rice and Crompton Greaves.

     

    Gautam Kiyawat

    Gautam Kiyawat, Group CEO, Madison Media, said, “We are delighted with this new win and confident to take Ruchi Soya group and Brand Nutrela to greater heights and are looking forward to a long and mutually beneficial partnership.”

     

    Sandipan Ghosh, AVP Marketing, Consumer Brands Division, Ruchi Soya Industries, “We wanted a Partner who values our business and brands and provides a turn-key differentiated media solution. Madison is an obvious choice for the same.”

     

  • Madison Media has recently won the media mandate of Radikal Rice, estimated at around Rs 25 crore

    Madison Media wins Radikal Rice Media AOR

    By A Correspondent

     

    Madison Media has recently won the media mandate of Radikal Rice.  The account was won in a multi-agency pitch, where MEC, Zenith Optimedia and Carat participated. Radikal is one of the leading manufacturers and suppliers of premium basmati rice with nutritive value. The account size is estimated to be approx Rs 25 crore and will be handled by Platinum Media in Delhi.

     

    Says Mr. Siddharth Chaudhary, Managing Director, Radikal Overseas, “After reviewing several agencies, we found the right partner in Madison Media, given their expertise of the Indian media market and proven track record.”

     

    Says Gautam Kiyawat, Group CEO, Madison Media, “We are excited to partner with this new age food company, and are looking forward to helping them gain their rightful share in India’s growing food industry.”

     

     

  • Madison Media wins Cafe Coffee Day Media AOR as Creativeland Asia creates TVC for the coffee chain

    There’s a lot brewing at CCD, Madison wins Media AOR, Creativeland creates TVC

    By A Correspondent

     

    Gautam Kiyawat

    Madison Media has been appointed as the media AoR (Agency on Record) Cafe Coffee Day. The account size is estimated to be approx Rs. 40 crores and will be handled by Madison Media Omega in Bangalore. Said Gautam Kiyawat, Group CEO, Madison Media,”We are delighted to have India’s premier and leading Cafe chain, Cafe Coffee Day, to our roster of clients and are confident of helping it grow and gain further market share in the country.”

     

    CCD today has over 1,450 Cafes across over 185 cities and as a brand has never advertised in mass media in the last 16 years of its existence. It has been built solely through marketing initiatives, coffee category building activities, public relations, social media, engaging the ever-aspirational Indian consumer.

     

    K. Ramakrishnan, President Marketing, Cafe Coffee Day said, “Cafe Coffee Day being a brand for the young and the young at heart, we needed a partner who would be passionate about the brand, to be able to understand the category in depth and the varying dynamics to enable us to move along at a fast pace. We are confident of Madison Media’s thought leadership and competence in executing the campaigns. We are delighted to have them on board.”

     

    However, with brand presence expanding over 185 cities into newer, emerging towns and markets, it’s time for the brand to introduce their first ever television commercial campaign ‘Sit Down’ aiming to reinforce itself into every single household in India, as they make inroads into several newer and unconventional markets.

     

    The ‘Sit Down’ TVC, conceptualized and created by Creativeland Asia, is part of a 360-degree-campaign. This is CCD’s first-ever TVC in its 16 years of existence.

     

    The TVC captures CCD-goers across Cafes in India, telling, actually singing about what they are sitting down for. From sitting down for love and peace, to sitting down to make friends and to tweet, to sitting down to read and to dream, the film showcases plenty of ‘sit downs’ that happen at over 1450 CCDs every single day. The film ends with the line, “Sit Down. A lot can happen over coffee”.

     

    Sajan Raj Kurup

    Sajan Raj Kurup, Founder and Creative Chairman, Creativeland Asia, said, “This is the first ever TVC for CCD. I feel extremely fortunate to have had this unique historic opportunity. We have given it our most honest shot at it. And I hope CCD regulars like it. Personally, as someone who goes to CCD and someone who has been working on the brand for five years now, I feel extremely happy when I see this piece of work. We wanted CCD’s first ever TVC to be a little more than an Advert. Something that CCD goers identify with. Something that is effortless and not trying to hard. Something that is neither too heavy nor too frivolous. In the whole idea of Sit-down, we eventually found all these and more. A powerful thought which is socially relevant in India at this juncture.”

     

    He added, “While the hype initially may be on the TVC, the campaign will be integrated across media. Digital and social playing a very poignant role. Many campaign specific acts have been planned over the last year and will be executed phase-wise.”

     

    The TVC was shot over seven days across various CCDs across the country with a cast of over 75 youngsters. The unique craft of the TVC intelligently combines two contrarian culture. One, the Cafe and the other, the social media space. The storyline of the TVC shows how a bunch of youngsters started a movement call sit-down by self-recording videos across various CCDs across the country to the self anthem and then posting it via various avenues on social media. The central message of the TVC being to stop creating morchas or standing up against things, and instead Sit-down talk  over a cup of coffee and find a way forward. Over 130 social-media profiles were used. Live posts were diligently crafted and created to become the frame-work of the TVC.

     

    The TVC is produced by Equinox Films and directed by Ram Madhvani. “Great effort has gone into crafting every detail in the TVC by Ram, myself and our respective teams who have relentlessly worked over months to design each and every frame in the TVC,” added Mr Raj Kurup.

     

    Speaking on the launch of its first TVC, Mr Ramakrishnan said, “CCD as a brand has never advertised in mass media in the last 16 years of its existence. It has been built solely through unique and pioneering marketing initiatives, coffee category building activities, public relations and more recently through social media. We believe it is the right time to get deeper into our customers lives, possible only through television.”

     

  • On the back of a fine showing at the Emvies, the Madison Media CEO is confident that good work & supportive clients mean greater heights ahead

    We’re already No 1: Gautam Kiyawat

     

    By Johnson Napier

     

    While 2012 will be remembered as another familiar year at the Emvies given the absence of a new winner, what it will also be remembered for is the emergence of new challenger brand. Madison Media Pinnacle – the agency that emerged a close runner-up with 135 points – was a surprise entrant at the top having beaten other notable agencies by quite some margin.

     

    While it was the campaigns for big-spending client Cadbury that did the trick for the Pinnacle, CEO of Madison Media, Gautam Kiyawat offers other facets of the agency that he believes made it race its way to the top. According to Mr Kiyawat, what has worked for all of Madison’s various media agencies is to create the right structures for the right clients and to enable the team to drive results. In fact, without sounding too pompous, he even goes on to state that if Pinnacle and Infinity are combined (as the teams operate under a single roof), then Madison is the No 1 agency at the Emvies this year.

     

    In conversation with Johnson Napier, Kiyawat throws light on the factors that worked well for the network this year, on Madison Infinity bagging the Grand Emvie, on how clients are reacting to their newfound success and what to expect from Madison on the awards front for 2013. Excerpts:

     

    Q: A brilliant performance by Madison at Emvies this year. What according to you were the factors that worked in your favour?

    I would term our performance at Emvies this year as fantastic. It’s a result of all the hard work that the team has put in over the last year. We’ve put in a structure that creates excellence by design and not by accident. The fact that the wins have been so emphatic and across the board is testimony to the above statement. That’s the way forward for Madison which is to create the right structures for the right clients and to enable the team to drive results.

     

    Q: Personally, did you have any favourites from across the units under Madison Media that you had pinned your hopes on?

    All the entries were truly deserving of the awards that they received; I wouldn’t want to single out any one of them. In some cases there were other agencies in some categories which had potentially more deserving work. So I wouldn’t want to take the credit away from the other winners. But at the same time the entries that went from Madison were equally deserving of the awards. Let’s not miss the point that if you look at the agencies under Madison (Pinnacle and Infinity) and add up the tally, we beat leader Mindshare by quite some margin. The way we work at Madison is that we put dedicated teams for each client but they all sit under Madison Media.

     

    Q: You will also be remembered this year for edging out several other big agencies to emerge a worthy runner-up at the Emvies. Would it be a good re-invention accolade to move forward with?

    Madison has always been a force to reckon with. The philosophy at Madison has always been to be the best agency that it has the potential of becoming. We’ve been fortunate to do what we think is right for the client’s business and we keep our eye on that ball and then everything else follows from there. It’s clearly a question of achieving our own potential as opposed to comparing versus other agencies.

     

    The Madison Media winning team at Emvies 2012 A jubilant Madison Media team

     

     

    Q: It looks like the decision to float an agency for a large client like Cadbury has paid off… at least on the awards front. Do you see this as an encouraging move, one that may find more followers going forward?

    I think every decision has to be taken in its own merit and its own context. So I am not a big fan of blindly re-applying the way teams are set up; I think teams should be set up in context of what the client’s needs are and then everything else moves on from there. We’ve done what is right for Madison and our clients and that’s what working in the context of the objective that we’ve set out with.

     

    Q: What has been the response from Cadbury over your performance at the Emvies?

    Cadbury is over the moon. They are a fantastic client to be working with. They treat the Madison team as an extension of their own organization and the results are there for all to see. Apart from the fact that we have capable teams to handle all of our clients, it really makes a difference when the client makes an environment for driving excellence. And we all know that it takes two hands to a clap and that’s what’s driving both Madison and Cadbury.

     

    Q: Do you see Cadbury upping marketing spends on the back of a super showing at the Emvies this year?

    Marketing budgets will always be a function of the business priorities so an award win as emphatic as the Emvies doesn’t necessarily mean more market budgets would come in, going forward. That continues to be a separate parameter that gets decided by the business priorities of the client.

     

    Q: How would you rate the judging task that was set out for the jury members at the Emvies?

    I would say the judging process was very well done. It deserves to be added that it was judged by a jury of peers in the first round and a jury of clients in the second round, so how much more rigorous can it get? Among the other parameters the judging process that was done online this year was good. The results are for all to see. People had a chance to go and have a look at the entries and case studies, and it was clear that there were a few that stood head and shoulders above the rest, which showed in the results.

     

    Q: Also, Madison Media Infinity won the Grand Emvie award for Saffolalife-Saving Private Heart campaign. Surprised at the win, or was it expected?

    This again was a fantastic piece of work and an example of a great team working very seamlessly with the client towards a common objective. We were quietly sure that Infinity would do well and convert shortlists into sure-shot winners. The client too is extremely thrilled at the outcome.

     

    Q: Are you looking at a better showing in 2013? What would it take for a new winner to emerge at the Emvies 2013?

    Like I said we are going to keep our eye on the ball, do fantastic work in line with the business priorities of our clients and the results will be there to show for it. In my mind, Madison is already No 1 because Pinnacle and Infinity sit under the same roof and are part of one Madison Media entity. If you add that we are already at the top. But yes, if you continue to do good work in line with driving client’s business the results will be there to show for it.

     

  • The account was previously handled by Carat

    Madison wins Parag Milk media AOR

    By A Correspondent

     

    Madison Media Infinity has announced the win of Parag Milk Foods, the makers of Go and Gowardhan milk-based products like cheese, milk, ghee, and so on. The account was previously handled by Carat.

     

    Mr Gautam Kiyawat, Group CEO,MadisonMedia & Platinum Media said: “We are delighted to add Go to our portfolio of clients and are confident of adding a lot of value to their businesses and starting a long and mutually beneficial relationship.”

     

    Mr Devendra Shah, Chairman, Parag Milk Foods Pvt Ltd said: “We have partnered with Madison Media, considering their strength and hopeful that their strength will definitely help us to draw our future growth path strategically.”

     

    Madison Media was recently in the news for winning Dixcy Textiles, Enamor and Crompton Greaves Media AORs.