Tag: Havas Media Group

  • Havas Media appoints Josh Gallagher as Regional Strategy Director

    By a correspondent

     

    Havas Media Group has announced the appointment of Josh Gallagher as Regional Strategy Director.

     

    In his new role, Josh will be responsible for driving offline and online strategy for the agency’s key clients including AXA, Emirates, LG Electronics and Shangri La Hotels. He will also lead the adoption of agency’s proprietary planning process Meaningful Connections Planning with an eye to delivering innovative solutions to new and existing clients. An integral part of his mandate is to propel the uptake of Havas Media Group’s Meaningful Brands research, a unique framework that analyses and tracks the connections brands have with our quality of life and well-being.

     

    Josh joins the agency with ten years of experience working with international media and digital agencies in Australia. He was most recently with Zenith Optimedia Melbourne, where he worked as a Communications Strategist, driving strategy for Honda, Lion Nathan and Reckitt Benckiser. Prior to this, he spent seven years with Universal McCann Brisbane, where he worked as Client Services and Strategic Director. He has also had a stint at digital agency Kruse Digital.

     

    Based out of Singapore, Josh will report into SK Biswas, Chief Strategy Officer at Havas Media Group, Asia Pacific.

     

    Commenting on his appointment, Biswas said: “Josh is a very welcome addition to the regional strategy team. He has an unrelenting curiosity for uncovering consumer insights and is a champion of integration. He is one of those rare strategists, who have a hands on and practical experience of working on integrated strategies and expertise in both offline and digital communications planning processes.”

     

  • Indian consumers most passionate & grateful

     

    :: 68% Indians generally trust brands

    :: 82% Indians think brands should play a role in improving our quality of life and well-being

     

    The results from Havas Media Group’s 2013 Meaningful Brands statistically demonstrate that Meaningful Brands outperform the stockmarket by 120 percent. It demonstrates in hard financial terms, how the relationship between people and brands can benefit from measuring, communicating and delivering increased well-being.

     

     

    Top 12 Meaningful Brands 2013

     

    India:

    Life Insurance Corporation (LIC), Britannia, Cadbury, Sony, Samsung, Parle-G, Unilever, Tata Motors, Airtel, Hyundai, LGE and Maruti

     

    Global:

    Google, Samsung, Microsoft, Nestle, Sony, IKEA, Dove, Nike, Wal-Mart, DANONE, Philips and P&G

     

    Sector trends

    India Top 3 Sectors : F&B, Auto and IT & Consumer Electronics (ITC)

     

    Global Top 3 Sectors : Retail, F&B, ITC

     

    Brands can break sector limitations and emerge outliers disrupting all categories as Life Insurance Corporation in India. 2013 shows a marked increase in the importance of ITC globally, half of the top ten brands are technological; these act as enablers to empower us to achieve our potential.

     

    Indian Brands having greatest Attachmen (highest percent of people who would care if they disappeared): LIC, Cadbury, Unilever

     

    In its sixth year, the 2013 findings show Indians as the ‘most passionate and grateful’ customers across the globe, believing brands ‘can and should’ contribute positively to their overall quality of life. People in India tend to believe the overall intentions of brands yet are a bit sceptical of their communication creating huge opportunities for brands to make a real, tangible meaningful difference. India is increasingly expecting brands to enhance personal well-being as brands become aspirational symbols of their improved standard of living.

     

    The study measures 13 dimensions: impact of the brand’s ‘Marketplace’ benefits alongside its impact on 12 different areas of ‘Well-being’ (Personal and Collective), for a comprehensive view of its effect on quality of life. Unique in scale – 700 brands, over 134,000 consumers and 23 countries, it measures the benefits brands bring to people’s lives. The Meaningful Brand Index (MBi) forms the core of the Meaningful Brands framework allowing a view of brand results in terms of consumer perception over time.

     

    Anita Nayyar

    Speaking on the study, Anita Nayyar, CEO, Havas Media Group, India & South Asia, said, “The India findings highlight deep customer involvement with brands, making ‘meaningful’ the sweet spot of brand strategy in India. Meaningful – today is real business, delivering what matters when, in the truest economic and social sense. It drives brands to establish relationship connections with their customers directed towards sustained personal, societal and financial success.”

     

    India findings

    Consumers in India not only trust brands more but also expect more. Key figures include:

     

    :: 68% people in India generally trust brands (Asia 58%, US 36%, Global avg. 45%)

    :: 71% believe that brands can play a role in improving their quality of life and well-being (Asia 65%, US 41%, Global avg. 50%)

    :: 82% think companies and brands should play a role in improving our quality of life and well-being (Asia 77%, Global avg. 70%)

    :: 79% agree that large companies should be actively involved in solving social and environmental problems (Asia 75%, Global avg. 71%)

     

    What Indians Want? – Modern-day life and livelihood pressures dominate the psyche of Indians:

    :: 3 key issues Indians cannot live without:

    People who care, Save money & better manage spending, Adopt a healthy lifestyle

     

    :: 3 key issues Indians want to devote more time to:

    Learn new skills, Adopt a healthy lifestyle, Simplify and organise life to gain more time

     

    Mohit Joshi

    “More meaningful global brands are likely to come from emerging than western markets where brands need to reinvent themselves to reconnect with people, to avoid getting commoditized. This presents huge opportunities for existing and new brands to establish meaningful connections with their customers in India. Here consumers are still warming up to brands and core categories like F&B brands are seen as meaningful. The study is scalable and throws up rich inferences for a strategic outlook. LIC is an outlier being in the insurance category yet completely in sync with Indian touch points, thus its India’s 2013 top meaningful brand”, continued Mohit Joshi, Managing Director, Havas Media India.

     

  • Havas Media makes senior digital hires

    By A Correspondent

     

    Sumit Kumar
    S V Sunilkumar

    Havas Media India has appointed Sumit Kumar as General Manager, Mobext India while S V Sunilkumar, has joined as Business Head Digital-Mumbai.

     

    In tune with the group’s integrated structure, Havas Media India’s full-service digital portfolio includes digital media planning and buying, display advertising, digital direct response, search engine marketing, SEO, pay-per-click, social media, as well as ‘Mobext’ for mobile solutions and performance marketing using data and analytics.

     

    Anita Nayyar

    Speaking on the appointments, Anita Nayyar, CEO, Havas Media Group, India & South Asia, said, “Digital is a focal point for us and these appointments will further consolidate our attempt to offer the latest digital services to our clients. Both Sumit and Sunil are talented and committed digital players – we are glad to have them on board.”

     

    “Sunil and Sumit are mandated to entrenching and expanding the Havas Digital footprint in Mumbai and India”, added Anurag Bhatnagar, MD-Digital, Havas Media India.

     

    Anurag Bhatnagar

    “Mobext not only provides mobile solutions to engage the customer but can also help brands make their sales force more effective with our enterprise solutions – a unique proposition in itself. The profile is a huge challenge and opportunity to create unique experiences and expand the Mobext offering in India,” explained Mr Kumar.

     

    Commented Mr Sunilkumar: “As a digital enthusiast, it is always exciting to work with an agency whose mantra is ‘Digital at its core’. Havas Media has been on an aggressive growth path and again it is good to be where the action is. I look forward to creating some of this action”.

     

  • Size & Price no longer differentiating factors: Anita Nayyar

     

    Media agency network Havas Media has completed 7 years in India. Ranked as the fastest growing agency in 2012 by global media researchers RECMA, Havas Media grew at 43 per cent in a market which saw growth of 15 per cent.

     

    Post a global rebrand earlier this year, Havas Media has bagged several new businesses. Its new wins include Voltas, Aspiring Minds, Shaadi.com, Wonder Cement, Neo Milk Products, Career Builder, Halonix, Simmtronics, Mobis, Bloomberg TV India, LG Electronics and more recently Emirates.

     

    In the midst of a hectic schedule, Anita Nayyar, Chief Executive Officer, Havas Media Group in India and South Asia took time to answer our questions. She’s been particularly candid in her responses and just for that, we would say: Three cheers!

     

    Seven years here in India… if you have to sum it up for us in one sentence, what would it be?

    It’s been a challenging journey.

     

    Did it help that you were growing at the international level too at the same time?

    Growth at International levels always has a positive rub-off locally especially if you are part of global wins. Post our rebranding earlier this year , there has been a higher degree of integration and we now follow a much simpler, integrated and meaningful structure to customize solutions. The  systems, processes, knowledge and tools shared across the globe bring a lot of synergy across the network. Sharing and exchange of knowledge and ideas helps adapt the same to different markets. More so, there is an exchange of business ideas, for example at our internal Asia Pacific Summit some of India’s strategies towards new business was a talking point of discussion.

     

    India is very well-leveraged on Indian brands and businesses or the India divisions of international brands. This 2013 has seen Voltas India, Aspiring Minds, Amway-Beauty,  Shaadi.com, Yebhi.com, Career Builder, Simmtronics, Neo Milk Products, Bloomberg TV India, etc.

     

    Havas Media has had an interesting last year with many new client acquisitions. So what worked for you last year which didn’t earlier?

    We have had more crest years than trough ones. 2006 when we started and 2010 were comparatively low in compitches and also as graded by RECMA. We strongly believe that our tools and processes are our USP. We are the only agency who differentiates itself by working on brands to make them more meaningful. We have been singularly focused and aggressive towards new client acquisitions. Unlike most agencies who believe in picking up clients of a certain size we have always looked at future potential of a brand, partnered them and grown with them. All this coupled with our passion and challenger mentality has worked well for us.

     

    Since buying constitutes much of the business, do clients find the negotiation power of the networks bigger than a relatively smaller player like yours? Or is that not an issue?

    Size and Price are no longer the differentiating factors. It is a sum total of a lot of factors more importantly about ideas and innovations. We have been successfully able to demonstrate our buying power. It is no longer about big volumes. It is about being Smart and buying smart.

     

    Havas Media is not much in the awards circuit. Is it by design, or is it quality of work or is it just that you don’t find winning awards worthwhile enough?

    Priorities are different at different stages in an agency’s lifecycle like that of any brand. While setting up, the focus is more on gaining new business, servicing and retaining them. So the award application process does take a backseat. Winning awards certainly adds to market perception and we have seen enough of that happening. It is not as though we have not submitted good quality award entries as our work and product is what we take immense pride in but we’ve for some reason been very unlucky and won only some. Everyone likes winning but it’s not always the best athlete who wins, it is also following the rules and getting it just right and there are far too many factors that influence the process. In fact in 2013 we were on the shortlist for the (Excellence in Radio) ERA Awards and won a Bronze and Special Award at the DMA ECHO Awards India 2013.

     

    We take pride in our work and client delivery. We have delighted clients and the testimony lies in retaining them over years. That to us is the biggest award.

     

    How much of your business is now centred around digital?

    Around 15-20% but you will see this figure grow.

     

    You were among the early entrants in mobile. How’s that doing?

    Operations with Mobext in India started about mid 2011 as a pilot outfit. This quarter on you will see us more aggressive on mobile with more resources allocated. Clearly we see it is a high growth area, hugely scalable and Mobext is armored with technologies for emerging and developed mobile markets which we are looking at leveraging for the Indian end-customer.

     

    Havas has been active on sports internationally, but in India that’s not done too well. Why.

    As you are aware India has limited sports to cricket with little focus on the other ones like soccer, tennis, hockey etc. Even the national game does not find too many takers. The gestation period for sports led solutions is very long and low on priority with clients. Unless of course it is cricket. This limits the growth of customized sport solutions and hence we’ve been going slow on the same. It is best to concentrate on what converts. However, we are doing our own bit in the area of sports hoping to take it to a better level.

     

    Below The Line is another area that is growing in demand as traditional media gets expensive. How active are you in that space and going forward to see much grow?

    BTL even for mega-brands today is becoming increasingly important more so with its direct speak mechanism. Havas Media Active our OOH division takes care of BTL. We are certainly looking at scaling it up.

     

    And lastly: Seven years hence, what do you see Havas Media doing and growing to?

    Everyone talks of integrated and digital but India needs a lot more stepping on the pedal.

     

    Advertising in its old format does not exist. The future is to those who will unlearn and re-learn and this means domain knowledge, its application, processes for execution, collaboration and attitudinal and mind-set shifts.

     

    We see Havas Media Group in India still relatively smaller, more agile, completely integrated with digital at core – as brand architects providing meaningful experiences – some award winning, some effective for our clients and their customers, scoring No.1 on client delight.

     

    Our focus is on adding incremental value to clients, training, investment in digital and looking at alternate revenue streams.

     

  • Havas strengthens India top deck for LG, MTS etc

    By A Correspondent

     

    Love Guglani
    Saurabh Bhatnagar

    In keeping with its growth and new business acquisitions since the beginning of 2013, Havas Media Group India has made some senior management appointments.

     

    Love Guglani joins as Vice President and Saurabh Bhatnagar as Group Account Director-Digital. Their main mandate is to manage the LG business in keeping with the philosophy of being ‘Digital at the core’.

     

    Besides this, the Delhi office has appointed Roopali Sharma as Vice President to manage key clients like MTS which are on their growth phase.

     

    Roopali Sharma
    Anita Nayyar

    Commenting on the appointments, Anita Nayyar, CEO, Havas Media Group India & South Asia said, “Our growth strategy needs the right people. All three have had illustrious careers and collectively bring in huge wealth of knowledge and experience.”

     

    Mr Guglani has 12+ years of experience across Carat, Starcom, Maxus and Loadstar Universal. He has worked on some of the big local brands (Tata, Hero Honda) as well as global brands (Intel, Sony). He has straddled across planning, buying and implementation roles. Mr Bhatnagar too comes with 12_ years of experience most of which have been with digital. He was previously Business Director, Dentsu Digital. He has also worked with Sapient Nitro, Quasar Media, BC Web Wise. Ms Sharma has over 13 years of experience which spans across strategy, planning and buying. She also had a stint on the client side when she worked with LG. and was previously VP Buying at Zenith Optimedia.

     

  • Bloomberg TV India back with Havas

    By A Correspondent

     

    Sriram Kilambi

    Havas Media India has won back the media mandate of Bloomberg TV India. For a short while the account was with Aegis Media’s Vizeum India.

     

    “Bloomberg TV India is all about catering to the elite key decision makers. Havas has demonstrated expertise in using media innovatively and we look forward to a great new relationship,” said Sriram Kilambi, President, Bloomberg TV India in a statement.

     

     

    Anita Nayyar

    “It is wonderful to renew ties with Bloomberg TV India. We are closely tuned in to their brand philosophy and keen growth path. Our meaningful brands framework is perfectly suited and will increasingly be applied to create connections to further enable Bloomberg TV India to talk to their audience on this trajectory”, said Anita Nayyar, CEO Havas Media Group, India & South Asia.

     

     

     

    Mohit Joshi

    “We are glad Bloomberg TV India thought us the correct people to partner with for their future plans. It is an interesting product and they are good people to work with; it is wonderful to have them back,” added Mohit Joshi, Havas Media Managing Director.

     

  • Havas Media Group acquires MFG Labs

    By A Correspondent

     

    MFG Labs, a mathematics think tank specialising in digital strategy, data science and mathematical research, will join the Havas Media Group.

     

    Founded in 2009 by a team of world renowned mathematicians, MFG Labs established itself as a leader in its field using advanced mathematics and algorithms to build decision support solutions that make sense of “Big Data”. The company’s teams of senior mathematical researchers are led by Pierre-Louis Lions – a Fields Medal holder, the highest recognized award for mathematics and Professor at the prestigious College de France – and Jean-Michel Lasry, Professor at the University Paris-Dauphine with a renowned career in quantitative finance. They have created and pioneered the development of the MFG “Mean Field Game” theory and its application to the world of finance and business. MFG Labs recent work includes the conception and implementation of Warner Bros France’s digital strategy, ‘My Warner’, their social relationship management programme.

     

    Dominique Delport, Global Managing Director of Havas Media Group, remarked, “As the data revolution continues there is no doubt that these guys are at the top of their field. Two years ago we identified their impressive capabilities in the social data world. The next stage for us was to make sure we were able to bring them into the group to reinforce our solid foundations in data… and this driving force to integrate data and content is paying off well. With the increasing importance of consumer engagement platforms pushing brands beyond traditional media, the two disciplines are totally interconnected. We were the first communications company to win an Emmy award for content creation and we are now the first communications company to move into the mathematics space. We are delighted that our genuine passion for data has won the support of two of the greatest mathematical minds in the business and their talented team. We have been working with the MFG teams for many months to expand and extend our leading data and content services to our clients around the world and the feedback we have had has been outstanding.”

     

    MFG co-founder Pierre-Louis Lions said, “We join the Havas Media Group at a unique moment where quantitative methodologies and Big Data analytics are becoming the key to media performance. For an intrinsically quantitative and programmatic spirited team like us these are exciting times.”

     

     

     

  • Havas Media Group acquires data analytics consultancy ElisaDBI

    By A Correspondent

     

    Havas Media Group has acquired the pan-European data analytics firm ElisaDBI (branded Elisa Interactive in Spain) to further develop its connected digital and data capabilities. The acquisition enables Havas Media Group to offer its clients improved methods of collecting, organizing and using data as a strategic asset to drive business insights and marketing engagement.

     

    ElisaDBI, a data analytics and optimization specialist, was launched in Barcelona and Madrid before opening offices in London. Their client roster spans the UK, Spain, Italy, Ireland and Andorra. The business specializes in converting data into client-focused intelligence through the application of analytics and as well as offering conversion optimization, web analytics and training.

     

    Paul Frampton, CEO Havas Media UK said, “The teams at ElisiaDBI ensure that media is better measured, marketing investments better made, and that data is more effectively used. This is the smart way to drive improved brand experiences and more profitable client businesses.” The deal, handled by the Havas Media Group in the UK and Spain, further strengthens Havas Media Group’s reputation for data-driven marketing.

     

    ElisaDBI will work closely with the both Havas Media and Arena’s econometrics teams and with the Havas Media Group’s unique attribution offering through its Artemis data management platform. To ensure total integration, the ElisaDBi teams will be located amongst the planning and strategy teams within the Group’s UK offices.

     

    Mr Frampton added, “Not only is data a topic close to my own heart, but in a number of recent studies, data has been quoted as the top priority for CMOs and CEOs. This acquisition will make sure we lead in this area, rather than follow. The future is not Big Data. For us, it’s “connected data” (off and online, 1st and 3rd party data, etc.). We feel we are better placed than a big tech consultancy to advise here as we execute and understand people and can therefore prove value throughout the chain.”

     

    Mike Potts, the founder of ElisaDBI and Head of Data Strategy, said, “We’re really excited to be joining Havas Media Group, especially at a time when there’s so much noise around data, analytics and digital intelligence. What’s most thrilling for us is the opportunity to fit in alongside great teams that are already delivering complementary services and giving our existing clients access to an even greater range of skills. We’ve already been successfully working alongside the Havas Media team on a partnership basis for a while now, and this is simply a very natural extension of that relationship.”

     

    The deal follows last month’s acquisition of Marketing Consultancy SCB Partners, the marketing trends and insights business.

     

  • Shaadi.com strikes a match with Havas for media

    By A Correspondent

     

    In what could be a swayamvar of sorts, Havas Media won the media mandate for Shaadi.com in a multi-agency pitch. The account will be handled by the agency’s Mumbai office.

     

    Gourav Rakshit, Chief Operating Officer, Shaadi.com said, “Shaadi.com is a pioneer in the online matrimonial space and is unanimously recognized as the world largest online matrimonial service. We were seeking a partner who not just understood what we do and how we do it, but also why we do it. In Havas Media we found a partner who reciprocated our needs with efficient ideas that positively reflect their understanding of the category and the brand. We believe they will significantly contribute to the growth of the brand in the future.”

     

    Anita Nayyar
    Mohit Joshi

    On the win, Anita Nayyar, CEO Havas Media Group, India and South Asia explained, “It is our endeavour to bring customised business solutions to our client brands and category taking from a deep understanding of people insights and analysis coupled with innovation. We are glad Shaadi thinks the same of us and look forward to working on the account.”

     

    “It has been an interesting year so far with a series of wins and Havas is indeed geared for the future of brand challenges to deliver insightful and meaningful brand solutions,” said Mohit Joshi, Managing Director, Havas Media India.

     

  • Havas pushes integration, digital strategy into media

    By A Correspondent

     

    (L-R) Michel Sibony, Alfonso Rodes, Dominique Delport and Jordi Ustrell

    Havas has announced another step forward with its integration strategy, simplifying its brands and structure.

     

    The newly created ‘Havas Media Group’ will include all of Havas’s media agencies, consisting of Havas Media (operating in 126 markets, India included), within which its media brand MPG and its digital brand Media Contacts, also in India, will be fully incorporated and rebranded, and Arena Media (operating in 13 markets). The rebrand is supported by a new simplified structure that places its digital expertise and content marketing at the core of its operations. This move brings the media side of the business in line with the structure of Havas’s creative division, Havas Creative Group (composed of the Havas Worldwide global network and Arnold Worldwide micro-network).

     

    Alfonso Rodes, Havas Media Group’s CEO, commented, “The explosion of digital media means that no one can afford to deliver a siloed approach to communications. This new media model integrates our digital expertise “at the core” of our organisation, promoting greater agility between all our teams and disciplines. It’s a simple yet progressive move that enables us to harness the digital transformation that has hit all types of media. By reorganising our teams, changing the lines of reporting and investing in building company-wide digital fluency, we put ourselves in a unique position in the industry. Our scale and simplicity allows us to present clients with a shared vision that meets consumer demand for more meaningful connections.”

     

    The new media organisation allows Havas to continue its strategy to be the first major communications holding company to invest in establishing digital excellence at the centre of all its agencies around the world. The new structure will place its specialised units such as Artemis (the group’s global data management network), Mobext (mobile network), Socialyse (social media), and Affiperf (Havas’s global trading desk) so that they are more accessible to the teams from both Havas Media Group and Havas Creative Group.

     

    On the content marketing side, Havas Sports & Entertainment will support this structure with its 36 international offices, India included. To support this move the Havas Media brand will be relaunched on January 24 with a new identity to reflect the tighter, more integrated organisational structure.

     

    To manage this new organisation the group has formed a new executive committee managed by Mr Rodes. Dominique Delport, CEO of Havas Media France, is appointed as Global Managing Director Havas Media Group. Reporting to Mr Rodes, he will be in charge of the commercial activity for all countries and all brands, strategy, new business, digital integration and intelligence. Michel Sibony, “Global Head of Middle Office”, will manage all global planning and buying operations as well as the group’s digital and specialist offers. Jordi Ustrell, “Global Head of Back Office”, will oversee the global support services such as IT, HR, legal and finance

     

    Mr Sibony said, “We need to guarantee our clients more consistency in every market and more speed in the delivery of this change to provide greater effectiveness and more efficiency when leveraging the new technological given by data management and technological platforms.”

     

    Mr Delport explained, “Our clients need change and innovation more than ever because beyond media, digital affects any business with great opportunities but also potential disruption. Understanding the relationship between brands and consumers, especially for the growing digital generation, is essential. Our aim is to form a new company that lies at the intersection of the traditional international holding groups and the new style of innovative, digital companies. It’s an exciting challenge for our clients and our teams.”

     

    Vishnu Mohan

    Vishnu Mohan, CEO, Havas Media, Asia Pacific, added, “This rebranding couldn’t have been initiated at a better time from the Asia Pacific perspective. Clients in the region are looking for simplicity in agency structures and an integrated offering. The objective of our current rebranding is aligned to that expectation. The simplification of brands within our group furthers our aspiration of being the most agile and integrated agency group with digital at its core”.

     

    Commenting on the development, Anita Nayyar, CEO, Havas Media India, observed, “Media is today an evolving ecosystem where only change is constant. Digital is fluid across every platform from traditional to new age, so the concept of ‘digital at core’ is vital. It is not ‘only’ specialization but the dynamics of integration and knowledge synergies that will exploit it to advantage. Brands are asking for integrated communications to differentiate themselves; they need responsive and analytical services. In India, digital is a reality or aspiration for every Indian. Our integrated service offerings of media, outdoor, digital and mobile with the new platform will be better leveraged to the benefit and delight of our customers.”