Havas Worldwide has brought on board Divya Uttam as Vice President and Business Head – Digital of its Gurgaon operations.In her new role, Divya will lead and drive the growth of digital in the city. She will also partner Pradeep Nair, General Manager – Digital and head of Havas Worldwide, Bangalore in advising the agency’s Management Committee on digital acceleration and innovation.
Divya joins from Razorfish and brings on board 10 years of experience in leading Fortune 500 brands through digital transformation by planning and executing their strategies across mobile, social media and innovative technology-based solutions.
Nirmalya Sen
Nirmalya Sen, Chief Executive Officer, Havas Worldwide India said, “I have great pleasure in welcoming Divya into the Havas Worldwide family. Digital is not a division or a separate company at Havas. It lies at the heart of the agency. And therefore, it was critical we found a sharp digital strategist with the hunger of a business lead for this role. Divya fits this requirement perfectly.â€
Divya added, “I am honored to be given the opportunity to lead the digital mandate for Havas Worldwide, Gurgaon. I have closely followed the agency’s inspiring creative work in India and globally and am really excited to be a part of a team that is driven by its resolve to be ‘always in Beta’. I look forward to delivering cutting edge, innovative and meaningful work for our clients aimed at delivering high ROI.â€
Dentsu Webchutney has roped in Gaurav Soi to head its new business operations, nationally. Soi joins as Executive Vice President and will report to Sidharth Rao – CEO, Dentsu Webchutney.
As part of his new mandate, Soi will identify and channelize new opportunities for the agency across its offices in Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru. Prior to this, Soi was Senior Vice President – Havas Worldwide, Mumbai.
Commenting on his appointment, Soi said, “The most commonly used word in conversations today is digital. It is no longer the future. It is here and now! Denstu Webchutney has a proven track record and is associated with very prestigious brands. Known for its quality product and forward thinking, I am extremely proud to be a part of this team.â€
“The company is aggressively focusing on growth; and yet, we will need to retain the quality of our product across client offerings. It is this balance that will make the road ahead a very exciting one,†he added.
Commenting on the appointment, Sidharth said, “Dentsu Webchutney has now entered its next phase of growth and it’s absolutely essential for us that we use the right kind of experiences to steer this growth forward. Gaurav comes in with immense experience and exposure across clients and categories. And his appointment will only further catalyse the strength that already holds the Dentsu Webchutney fort so strong. I am extremely happy to welcome him on board.â€
With more than 15 years of experience, Soi has worked with agencies including The Grey Group (Mumbai), Ambience Publicis, Metal Communications and most recently Havas Worldwide. He has also been part of the events and activations industry through Line Communications.
FCB Ulka Digital, the digital arm of FCB Ulka, has appointed Gerard Jayaranjan as Creative Head – Digital. Prior to this, Gerard was with iContract, the digital division of Contract Advertising where he worked as the Senior Creative Director. He will report to Satbir Singh, CCO, FCB Ulka.
Gerard has done stints with Havas Worldwide, TBWA, DDB Mudra and Mcann Erickson. With a blend of mainline and digital advertising, he has a strong understanding of brands and creative solutions irrespective of the medium used.
Commenting on the appointment, Satish Ramachandran, Senior Vice-President, FCB Ulka Digital, says, “We have been growing way ahead of industry, this has been possible due to fact that we have been consistently investing in talent and technology. Gerry is a perfect addition to the team with his passion and experience in the space.”
Satbir Singh
Satbir Singh, Chief Creative Officer, FCB Ulka, says, “Gerry is one of those handful of creative guys out there who can think compelling ideas and have a firm grasp on the role of technology. He just had to be in our team.”
Sony SIX has unveiled its first TVC for their marquee tennis property, The Champions Tennis League. The TVC marks itself as the first ever tennis super league commercial to be aired on national television.
Conceptualized by Havas Worldwide, the commercial is targeted towards sports fans and general audiences alike by igniting the passion for tennis that has been evoked with the element of the tennis ball. Capturing a series of montages of the tennis ball in action, the commercial culminates into the announcement of India’s most exciting all-star tennis league, the Champions Tennis League. Through the commercial, the channel aims to engage with a large spectrum of audience by driving the relevance of the tennis ball in one’s everyday life.
Commenting on the launch of the TVC, Prasana Krishnan, Business Head, Sony SIX, said, ‘‘Through the years, the tennis ball has come to be synonymous with a host of activities like cricket, lagori and juggling amongst many other outdoor activities. It presents an autonomous manifestation of sportiness. What we have tried to do through this TVC is not only show the versatility of the ball but connect it to its fundamental use, which lies in the game of tennis, highlighting the first ever international tennis league to be hosted in India.â€
Vivek Rao, Executive Creative Director, said, ‘The team came up with a script that had a simple, wonderful insight. In India a Tennis Ball has been omnipresent in our lives since our childhood for reasons other than the game of tennis. Finally here’s a reason to see it for what it’s really meant for – Tennis! And the Champions Tennis League has the right pros to make it a must watch tennis league. The “extreme slow motion†treatment recommended by director Nitesh Tiwari was to ensure that the hero very clearly was the Tennis Ball.â€
The TVC will be aired across various English, Hindi and regional news, movies and entertainment channels and will be promoted on various digital spaces.
MAX & SIX, the official broadcasters of the Indian Premier League have announced their mega marketing campaign for the Pepsi IPL 2014 titled ‘Come On, Bulaava Aaya Hai’. The campaign is inspired from the fact that Pepsi IPL is the biggest cricketing extravaganza in the world.
The campaign kicks off with a series of four films set in diverse situations of different people’s life reaching a crescendo with three films and culminating into a final bulaava film. Be it a runaway bride drawn to the call of the IPL bugle, a son by the side of his ill mother or a priest struggling to free a woman possessed with a spirit, all films have the essence of the key nuance of IPL  ‘Bulaava’ prompting people to literally drop everything to watch Pepsi IPL.
The entire campaign is the brainchild of the creative agency Havas Worldwide and has been directed and filmed by noted ad film director Rajesh Saathi of Keroscene Films.
Neeraj Vyas, EVP and Business Head, MAX expressed, “In India, nothing supersedes the passion for cricket and during the IPL, that passion rises to an all-time crescendo. That is where we draw our latest campaign ‘Come On, Bulaava Aaya Hai’ emphasizing that irrespective of anything that takes place in your life, the calling for the IPL will always reign supreme. This enthralling campaign coupled with world class talent on display is sure to entertain our viewers through this edition of IPL.”
Vivek Rao, Executive Creative Director, Havas Worldwide said, “The campaign idea of ‘Come on, Bulaava Aaya Hai’ is played on a simple truth – no other property provides more action, more entertainment or more opportunity whether you’re a viewer or a player. So no matter what calling you have, it’s the call of the IPL that’s more irresistible. After last year’s campaign, we needed something that would entertain as well as move the IPL brand forward. This seemed instinctively right.”
