MxMIndia

Tag: Gopa Kumar

  • Will lead the agency's creative team

    Isobar appoints Aalap Desai as NCD

    By Our Staff

     

    Isobar, the digital agency from the house of Dentsu India, has roped in Aalap Desai as National Creative Director (NCD). In his new role, Desai will lead the agency’s creative team and report into Gopa Kumar, COO, Isobar India.

     

    Shamsuddin Jasani
    Shamsuddin Jasani

    Speaking on the appointment, Shamsuddin Jasani, Managing Director, Isobar South Asia said: “At Isobar, our motto is to ‘Invent, Make, Change’. We are striving to deliver innovative creative experience-led solutions for our brands in India. Aalap looks at tech as not something dry and lifeless but as something that can change lives and makes it work harder for brands. That’s a perfect fit with our philosophy and is the apt approach we need to make Isobar future-proof as a leader in innovations in India.”

     

    Aalap Desai
    Aalap Desai

    Commenting on his joining, Desai said: “Digital is a creative mine that is still hugely under-explored. Solving brand challenges with a proper insight that is supplemented by digital intuition is an explosive combination that very few people are aware of and something that even fewer choose to tap into. This combination has always been part of the Isobar DNA, and I will work towards hyper-charging it. Also, the past year has been tiring. Work pressure has eclipsed the joy we derived from work. One of my top agendas will be to reverse that because I genuinely believe that a tiny, seemingly insignificant thing as joy is actually the only key that opens up many locks. It unlocks creativity, leading to unlocking fame, awards, and a thriving creative culture because all of these follow. Isobar has phenomenal energy and a brilliant set of people. I’m looking forward to having tons of fun.”

     

  • Is a reality check for Indians in these challenging times

    Isobar creates film for Max Bupa

    By A Correspondent

     

    Max Bupa Health Insurance, one of India’s leading standalone health insurance players, has launched a fresh 360-degree brand campaign, #AbNahiKharidogeToKab?. The campaign introduces a comprehensive health insurance cover of Rs 30 lakh at a monthly premium of only Rs 620.

     

    As part of the campaign, Isobar India has conceptualised and executed a digital film for Max Bupa.

     

    Talking about the campaign, Anika Agarwal, Director, CMO & Director – Digital Business, Max Bupa said: “We launched the #AbNahiKharidogeToKab? campaign to highlight health insurance as an absolute necessity and priority for everyone, especially now when Covid-19 cases are rapidly increasing in the country and medical costs are skyrocketing.  Health and protection have become the key themes for consumers in these times and the awareness of health insurance as a category is at an all-time high. So, the need for us as a brand to communicate effectively with consumers that this is the right time to buy health insurance, was key. The film also highlights the value-for-money health insurance proposition from Max Bupa, which is a prudent choice for customers in these trying times. We believe that Isobar has put across the point wonderfully through the digital rendition of the film.”

     

    Sharing his views on the campaign, Gopa Kumar, COO, Isobar India added: “If this year has taught us one thing, it’s that Health Comes First and that we should be prepared at all times with the right tools to protect our health. That’s the kind of awareness we wanted to generate amongst the audience with #AbNahiKharidogeToKab?. We wanted to strongly encourage health-first thinking and establish that health insurance is now more important than ever. It is a necessity of today that cannot be put off till tomorrow anymore. So, with our digital film and communication, we created that sense of urgency by giving health insurance an equal prominence as we give to masks today.”

     

     

  • Home video shot by Boman Irani highlights pressing need for a comprehensive health insurance cover

    Max Bupa asks people to invest in health insurance

    By A Correspondent

     

    Max Bupa has announced a 360-degree brand campaign to drive home the importance of having a health insurance cover. The campaign poses the question – Ab nahin khareedoge to kab?, implying that health insurance is an absolute necessity and priority for everyone, especially when Covid-19 cases are rapidly increasing in the country and medical costs are skyrocketing.

     

    Said Anika Agarwal, Director – Marketing & Direct Digital Business, Max Bupa Health Insurance: “Covid-19 has made people realise the significance of a health plan, unlike earlier when health insurance was considered an optional expense especially by the younger age segment. People across life stages are now more willing to buy adequate health coverage for themselves and their loved ones. Max Bupa’s recently conducted Covid-19 survey also indicates that people have become more concerned about their health and have regularly enquired about coronavirus treatment in health insurance plans. Hence, our intent with the campaign is to create awareness and further establish this need, so that consumers do not procrastinate health insurance purchase and buy a suitable health insurance plan. We have featured Boman Irani, a trusted voice who is encouraging people to take the right decision, to drive a simple message – ‘This is the most appropriate time to buy health insurance!’. The pandemic has made people take their health seriously, but a message of urgency for health insurance is needed. We therefore felt the need for a campaign that would strike a chord with most Indian households to bring about a mind shift to invest in Health Insurance.”

     

    The campaign has been jointly designed by Dentsu Impact and Isobar. Added Anupama Ramaswamy, National Creative Director at Dentsu Impact: “The fact remains that at a time like this, no matter how many rules you follow, you still need to be prepared for everything that’s not in your direct control. We wanted to highlight that stress is the prevailing emotion these days in most people, and one of the ways you could possibly lighten the load in your mind is by getting a health insurance. In the film, Boman Irani has effortlessly brought the message on the importance of a health cover in the light of Covid-19 pandemic.”

     

    Said Gopa Kumar, Chief Operating Officer at Isobar said, “The current COVID-19 situation has been an eye-opener for all of us that there’s always a possibility for the unexpected to happen. However, what we can do on our part is to stay prepared for it. With Ab nahin khareedoge to kab?, we are putting the spotlight back on the inevitable importance of health insurance in everyday life. Just like masks, gloves, sanitizers, etc., have become health essentials, we want to make health insurance also a part of that checklist. We hope that the film makes the audience realize urgency of the situation and inspires them to insure their health.”

     

     

  • British Council provides access to English language training and learning for both students and teachers and creates opportunities for young people to succeed in a globalized world

    Isobar wins digital mandate for British Council India brands

    By A Correspondent

     

    Isobar India, the digital agency from the house of Dentsu Aegis Network (DAN), has been appointed as the digital media partner for British Council Brands – British Council Division and British Council Examinations and English Services India Private Limited, a subsidiary of British Council, UK. British Council provides access to English language training and learning for both students and teachers and creates opportunities for young people to succeed in a globalized world.

     

    Nirupa Fernandez

    Said Nirupa Fernandez, Director Marketing, British Council: “We are very pleased to associate with Isobar in India. We believe that deep customer insights and data analysis drive an effective campaign. We are confident that Isobar can help us deliver an integrated media approach that will help us position our brand effectively across all channels. We are excited about this partnership and look forward to working with Isobar.”

     

    Gopa Kumar

    Commenting on the win, Gopa Kumar, Chief Operating Officer, Isobar India added, “We’re excited and proud that British Council India has appointed us to manage their digital duties. With our integrated approach and capabilities of delivering end-to-end solutions, we are confident that we will be able to create a strong connection with our consumers across platforms. We are looking forward to making their digital presence stronger as we move forward.”

     

     

  • KickStrat is a 24-week training programme that allows young and budding talents to explore account planning and strategy as a significant career choice

    Isobar to nurture future strategists

    By A Correspondent

     

    Isobar India, the digital agency from the house of Dentsu Aegis Network (DAN), has announced the launch of ‘KickStrat’, an internship opportunity to foster future strategists.

     

    KickStrat is a 24-week training programme that allows young and budding talents to explore account planning and strategy as a significant career choice.

     

    Speaking on the launch, Shamsuddin Jasani, Group MD, Isobar South Asia said: “We are excited to launch this program and train our future strategic leaders. We intend to enable ‘strategic planning’ for interested candidates who can think fast and think hard. This program will help transform new talent into capable strategists for the future. At Isobar, we believe in nurturing culture and a value system that is unique and will help the industry at large.”

     

    Added Gopa Kumar, Chief Operating Officer, Isobar India: “We are excited to launch this programme for all the budding brand strategy planners. As we see a shift in the entire communication landscape where everyone is looking at driving transformation, planners will play an important part in driving strategic relationships with clients and help in long-term development and retention. There is a huge dearth of talent, and this program aims to enable and nurture new talent.”

     

     

  • The study highlights how Generation Z is realistically ambitious,

    Isobar-Ipsos unveils #MeetTheZ Survey

    By A Correspondent

     

    Centennials or Generation Z have carved a niche for themselves and are inspiring the preceding generations in the process, as they strut forward juggling all areas with dexterity, according to the Isobar-Ipsos #MeetTheZ Survey.

     

    Said Vivek Gupta, Managing Director, Innovation, Ipsos India: “The new breed of youngsters (Generation Z) – born between 1995-2015 – is pragmatic in every possible way, true role models for older generations – they know what they want and know how to get it. Tech savvy, clear headed, confident, outgoing, valuing close bond with family, this generation embodies traits, which every parent has dreamt, for their kids to possess.”

     

    Added Gopa Kumar, Chief Operating Officer, Isobar India: “Interestingly, Generation Z does not portray the conventional stereotype – if they are digital natives, they also yearn for and prioritize offline connections. They are constantly on the lookout for authenticity and purpose when they are engaging with brands. In fact, they have an informed view of the transformative impact of technology at work and play.”

     

    The study highlights how Generation Z is realistically ambitious, and shows that at least 73 per cent of those polled are keen to pursue unconventional career paths while 80 per cent of them are willing to put their heart and soul into achieving their career goals.

     

    When digitally connected, this tech savvy generation, sometimes loosely called E-Generation, perceives technology as the means to information and empowerment. At least 55 per cent say their life runs on technology – 66 per cent believe tech helps them gain experience and acquire new skills. Interestingly, across various activities, this generation spends an average of at least 8 hours per day, online.

     

    This generation understands the dichotomy of social media – 64 per cent believe it aids in reconnecting with long lost friends; 43 per cent find it limiting in its scope for personal relationships.

     

    The study also highlights the paradox about Generation Z – on one hand they are home bodies, consciously spending time with parents, with at least 51 per cent of them consuming all meals with parents, at home, at the same time they are highly gregarious, like to hang out actively with friends (29 per cent) at least once a week, 50 per cent stay over with friends at least once a month. Parents are the anchor in their lives and at least 78 per cent of Gen Z polled claims their parents give them independence and personal space.

     

    Generation Z realizes that some relationships may not be for the long haul, 70 per cent reject a limiting relationship, while 66 per cent are accepting of relationships not moving to permanence. They are easy going when it comes to forging personal ties and don’t drain themselves emotionally. We found they are in different modes – 14 per cent of those in a relationship want it to culminate in marriage, 22 per cent of those in a relationship are not in the marriage mode just yet, 22 per cent singles are actively seeking out partners and 41 per cent are happily single and are in no rush to get into a relationship, just yet.

     

     

  • The agency will service the brand from its Gurugram office

    Isobar bags digital mandate for Max Bupa

    By A Correspondent

     

    Isobar has been appointed as the digital partner for Max Bupa Health Insurance. Isobar India won the account following a multi-agency pitch and will service the brand from its Gurugram office.

     

    Gopa Kumar

    Commenting on the win, Gopa Kumar, Chief Operating Officer, Isobar India said: “We are truly delighted to be working with Max Bupa. It’s a highly competitive category and since we are talking to a digital-first audience, we aim to do category-leading work through the creative use of digital. We are looking forward to this partnership to create a communication that drives the desired impact and achieves business outcomes for Max Bupa.”

     

    Speaking on the partnership, Anika Agarwal, Director & Marketing Head – Digital and Direct Sales, Max Bupa Health Insurance added: “We were looking for a creative partner who could help us break the monotony that plagues most of the messaging around the BFSI category. The idea was to work with a partner who could break down complex products for the consumer and help drive category education. With Isobar, we found a partner who brought in a fresh approach to the brand and were in sync with the roadmap for the brand. We are happy to work with a team that ideates with a digital-first approach and are confident that their creative nous will help us convey Max Bupa’s value proposition to the Indian consumer.”

     

     

  • The agency is currently testing the Beta version of the tool for its key clients across automobile, apparel, appliances and technology

    Isobar India launches new content tool

    By A Correspondent

     

    Isobar India has announced the launch of Viewcent, a solution tool in video-strategy for businesses that aim to win the maximum yet relevant eyeballs.

     

    Gopa Kumar

    Commenting on the launch, Gopa Kumar, Executive Vice President, Isobar India said: “At Isobar, we are constantly looking at developing tools which can help bring transparency in our brand marketing efforts. viewCent is one such tool that will be a one-stop video strategy solution for brands. viewCent will reflect the future of the content-consumer engagement and how well can that video resonate with its audience. This will help brands stay one step ahead of the curve by pre-empting trends and help take data-driven media decisions to improve media efficiency. It will also help build some science into the age-old question of whether a particular content will go viral or not.”

     

    Aditya Kaul

    Added Aditya Kaul, Senior Director- Insights & Analytics: “Ability to pre-empt and quantify the viral potential of content opens up a plethora of business solutions for brands. These opportunities span from prolific content creation and effective media decision making to keeping an eye on competition and ensuring brand safety.”

     

     

  • The agency won the account following a multi-agency pitch

    Isobar India wins digital mandate of Marks & Spencer

    By A Correspondent

     

    Isobar India has bagged the digital mandate for Marks & Spencer. The agency won the account following a multi-agency pitch and will now manage it from its Delhi office.

     

    James Munson

    Commenting on the association, James Munson, Managing Director – Marks & Spencer said: “We look forward to working with Isobar India as our digital partners. Isobar demonstrated a well-rounded understanding of M&S and our audience, which has led to this partnership. We look forward to integrating our marketing strategies with their creative intellect on digital marketing.”

     

     

    Gopa Kumar

    Added Gopa Kumar, Executive Vice President, Isobar India: “We’re excited and proud that Marks & Spencer has appointed us to manage their digital duties. We are looking forward to make their digital presence stronger and create a great brand narrative as we move forward.”

     

     

  • As part of the mandate, Isobar India will manage the account from its Delhi office

    Isobar India bags digital media mandate for V-Guard

    By A Correspondent

     

    Isobar India has been appointed as the digital media partner for V-Guard. As part of the mandate, Isobar India along with Amnet India, the programmatic media buying division of Dentsu Aegis Network, will manage the account from its Delhi office. The agency won the account following a multi-agency pitch.

     

    Nandagopal Nair

    Speaking on the occasion, Nandagopal Nair, Vice President – Corporate Communications, V-Guard said: “V-Guard is coming off a massive brand transformation exercise, which symbolises the brand’s endeavour to be recognised as a smart, agile and a dynamic entity that will resonate with an increasingly younger India. Going forward, the brand will continue to build and invest in its digital assets. We were looking for a digital media partner who would sprint this journey with us with sharp, insightful digital led media propositions that would help build and differentiate the brand in this domain. In Isobar we found the perfect partner to take forward our digital media mandate.”

     

    Gopa Kumar

    Commenting on the win, Gopa Kumar, Executive Vice President, Isobar India added: “V-Guard is a much-respected brand in the electric appliances category and we are honored that they have chosen us to be their digital partner. We hope to work closely with the brand marketing team to strengthen their leadership in the premium segment in the coming years.”

     

     

  • The launch of the initiative was first introduced at Hotel Ramada, Ajmer

    Isobar launches ‘The Blind Faith Upgrade’ under ‘Accessible Tourism’

    By A Correspondent

     

    Isobar India has introduced the Blind Faith Upgrade, a cause-oriented initiative under Accessible Tourism. This initiative explores the challenges faced by visually-impaired travellers and allows the hotel to transform any of its rooms into a visually-impaired-friendly room. The launch of the initiative was first introduced at Hotel Ramada, Ajmer.

     

    On the launch of this initiative, Shamsuddin Jasani, MD Isobar India said: “We’re all accountable towards building a community in which we wish to live – not just for ourselves, but for generations to come. We at Isobar are trying to focus on overcoming key challenges in our quest for a sustainable community. We are looking at taking this a step towards creating an informed society and urging the other key players across tourism industry to adopt the same across their properties in India. ”

     

    Added Gopa Kumar, Executive Vice President, Isobar India: “Accessibility is a key concern for letting the elderly and differently-abled people feel confident that they can travel without facing any problems. We hope this initiative would help spread further awareness about accessible tourism and bring further advancements across larger players within the hospitality space.”

     

     

  • The launch of the initiative was first introduced at Hotel Ramada, Ajmer

    Isobar India launches ‘The Blind Faith Upgrade’

     

     

    Isobar India has introduced the Blind Faith Upgrade, a cause-oriented initiative under accessible tourism. A sustainable step towards accessible tourism, this initiative explores the challenges faced by visually-impaired travellers and allows the hotel to transform any of its rooms into a visually-impaired-friendly room. The launch of the initiative was first introduced at Hotel Ramada, Ajmer.

     

    In the light of the growing awareness for accessible tourism in India and the alarming ratio 1:250 of differently-abled-friendly hotel rooms to the total number of hotel rooms, Isobar introduced this initiative at Hotel Ramada, Ajmer with the Blind Faith Upgrade Kit. The kit includes Braille labels which can convert any phone into a Braille-enabled phone, reusable tactile paving tiles and Braille literature with audio assist.

     

    Manish Gupta, General Manager, Hotel Ramada, Ajmer said, “At Ramada, we are constantly working to deliver better hospitality experiences to our patrons. We are glad we could take up the Blind Faith Upgrade initiative; it fits right into our vision. As a hospitality brand, it’s our objective to deliver accessible tourism to all. This is an important step towards it.”

     

    On the launch of this initiative, Shamsuddin Jasani, MD Isobar India states, “We’re all accountable towards building a community in which we wish to live – not just for ourselves, but for generations to come. We at Isobar are trying to focus on overcoming key challenges in our quest for a sustainable community. We are looking at taking this a step towards creating an informed society and urging the other key players across tourism industry to adopt the same across their properties in India.”

     

    Speaking about the project, Gopa Kumar, Executive Vice President, Isobar India shares, “Accessibility is a key concern for letting the elderly and differently-abled people feel confident that they can travel without facing any problems.We hope this initiative would help spread further awareness about accessible tourism and bring further advancements across larger players within the hospitality space.”

     

    Anish Varghese, National Creative Director, Isobar India added, “We wanted to bring to light the fact that, being differently-abled is not the obstacle, accessibility is. We developed a solution that allows any hotel to transform any of its rooms into a comfortable, convenient place of stay for the visually-impaired. It’s our step towards ensuring universal accessibility.”