MxMIndia

Tag: J Walter Thompson

  • The company will unite 11 independent agencies with 40 offices in 17 countries

    Mirum to drive business transformation for JWT

    By A Correspondent

     

    J. Walter Thompson announced the launch of Mirum, a global company uniting 11 digital agencies spanning 17 countries and 40 offices. Former Digitaria Chief Executive Officer Dan Khabie will take charge as Mirum Global and North America CEO. In this role, Khabie will have oversight of Mirum’s overall growth strategy, including P&L responsibility, managing key client relationships and aligning resources to service clients globally. He will report to J. Walter Thompson Company’s Global CEO, Gustavo Martinez, and be based between the West Coast and the East Coast.

     

    Mirum is a new company created with a pioneering spirit, built by bringing together successful regional companies that have a deep understanding of local market needs. Mirum’s principles are rooted in innovation, design, data, marketing and technology to drive business transformation in a world of constantly evolving behaviors and expectations.

     

    “The launch of Mirum is an integral part of our strategy to continue building on J. Walter Thompson’s many assets and capabilities in order to drive business transformation,” stated Martinez. “Mirum is poised to deliver both the technology and creative solutions that global brands demand.”

     

    “Dan’s natural entrepreneurial instincts and passion will foster Mirum’s startup mentality as he drives growth forward across our global network,” said Stefano Zunino, Head of Digital Worldwide, J. Walter Thompson, and Chairman of Mirum.

     

    Mirum’s capabilities are organized around Strategy & Consulting services, Creative & Content, User Experience & Platforms, Analytics & Insight and Product Development & Mobile. Additionally, Mirum has deep vertical service offerings in Digital Retail, Behavioral Media and Financial Services.

     

    Current clients include CBRE, Cyrela, Daum Kakao, Finnair, HSBC, Magazine Luiza, Mazda, Microsoft, Nokia, Petco, Singapore Tourism Board, TD Bank, Walmart and XL, among others.

     

    Mirum companies include Digitaria (U.S.), XM (Asia Pacific), CASA (Brazil), ActivearkJWT (Finland, Sweden, India and U.K.) and Twist Image (Canada). Lunchbox (U.S.), i-Cherry (Brazil), HeathWallace (U.K.), Quirk (South Africa and U.K.), Clarus (Mexico) and X-Prime (France) will also join Mirum.

     

    Daiga Atvara will be Chief Design Officer; Matt Webb, Chief Technology Officer; Dave Wallace, Chief Operations Officer; Nick Read, Chief Financial Officer; Sarah Kotlova, Global Head of Agency Services; and John Baker, Chief Marketing Officer. Khabie plans on naming a Chief Creative Officer, Chief Strategy Officer and Global Head of Data & Analytics over the next six months.

     

    Khabie has also named his global leadership team, which includes Robin Bade and Markus Hakala, Europe; Rob Stokes, MEA; Guilherme Gomide, LATAM; Nanda Ivens, APAC; Mark Goodman, NA; Alex Kavinski, Behavioral Media; and Kevin Weisberg, Digital Retail Marketing.

     

  • The campaign breaks with a 4-min film, 'Daddy aur Zooey a soul-stirring story of a father and son, the unique relationship they share

    JWT gives Tata AIA Life a makeover

    By A Correspondent

     

    J. Walter Thompson’s new campaign for Tata AIA Life, ‘Daddy aur Zooey’ gives the brand a complete makeover. The new campaign from the brand redefines Life Insurance by reminding everyone of a simple truth – ‘We live for the good of our loved ones’. A sentiment that’s the heart of life insurance, but often forgotten in the cluttered category.

     

    Commenting on the campaign, Ravi Vishwanath, Deputy CEO, Tata AIA Life said, “Making Good happen for our customers, partners, shareholders, and employees is why we exist.  Our campaign tells a simple truth well, but in a fresh way.  I am grateful to the amazing JWT Delhi and Boot Polissh Films teams for translating our vision into this campaign, which is a labour of love.”

     

    The campaign breaks with a 4-min film, ‘Daddy aur Zooey is a soul-stirring story of a father and son, the unique relationship they share. It is a film that is unflinchingly real, depicting bittersweet moments that we have all lived through.

     

    Anirudh Verma

    “It’s a proud moment to be part of rebuilding, redesigning a Tata brand from ground up.

     

    A unique look and feel to life insurance that makes it more now, approachable and people friendly. And with all hope to greater success”, says Anirudh Verma, VP & Senior Creative Director.

     

    Breaking all media conventions, Daddy aur Zooey will be premiered on TV as the first branded short film by an Insurance company. It will be also released as a shareable Internet film on YouTube and promoted under the social media handle #daddyaurzooey. The original soundtrack from the film ‘Tu Hai Mera’, will be aired as a full-length song for radio listeners. The film has been produced by Boot Polissh Films.

     

  • For J Walter Thompson CEO Gustavo Martinez, the 2020 agenda is about growth, work, new kind of talent and a new way of working

    Why India is a key office for JWT

     

    By Pritha Mitra Dasgupta

     

    Gustavo Martinez, the new global CEO of J Walter Thompson (JWT), says India will have to play a big role in pushing the advertising agency’s global growth rate to 6%-7% a year from less than 4% now. Mr Martinez, who spent about a year to know the network offices and set a growth agenda for 2020 before officially taking over as global CEO on January 1, 2015, started out by announcing new management structures in two of JWT’s biggest offices – New York and India.

     

    “I spent about 11 months to define and understand the company, to create and plan and now it is time to implement,” Mr Martinez said. He said the 2020 agenda is about growth, work, new kind of talent and new way of working. “I think we need to grow at least 6-7% per year globally between organic and inorganic,” he said. “Non-organic is clearly through acquisitions in new capabilities like digital, social content agency, content agency, digital platforms …. Organic is trying to expand our portfolio of clients.

     

    And that’s why it is important for people like Colvyn Harris to join my growth global team to specially deliver the organic growth,” Mr Martinez said. He expects India to be one of the biggest growth providers for the firm, adding he will be happy if JWT grows at about 8% rate in India. “India is a continent. It’s a region in itself,” he said. While JWT is still the largest agency network in India, industry estimate reveals that the JWT India suffered severe revenue losses of about Rs 55-60 crore, in the last two years. Mr Martinez denied this. “The facts are wrong. JWT India is still one of our largest companies and one of the most profitable companies we have in the organisation,” he said.

     

    “I also don’t want to measure JWT one year or the last six months performance. I will see the whole trend of the organisation. Clearly, in order to deliver the growth, we have set very ambitious targets and India needs to push the envelope.

     

    And therefore we are… reinforcing and reenergising the organisation.” On Tuesday, the firm had announced Tarun Rai as the new CEO of JWT South Asia, replacing Colvyn Harris who has been promoted as executive director, global growth and client development.

     

    In terms of improving skillset in JWT, Mr Martinez said ‘shopper marketing’ is an avenue that needs to be built in India. “Retail is still very traditional in India. I think because of the implementation of the new laws, the regulations it will catch up with the rest of the world. Shopper marketing will definitely become one of the fastest growing disciplines within our communication portfolio,” Mr Martinez said.

     

    He said that while global investor sentiment is positive towards India, the government needs to simplify regulations and processes as they are currently “extremely complex”. “My clients are definitely willing to increase their investments in the country. There was some kind of bitterness before because India didn’t crystallise enough.

     

    I think after the formation of the new government the sentiment is up again,” he said. Mr Martinez listed lack of infrastructure and legal problems among the hurdles that stopped big investment flow into India. “That for me will be the big challenge. It exactly what happened with Mexico two or three years ago. The new president put in the right changes and the laws but the problem was implementation.

     

    In India, the Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) will be successful only if he can implement his plan,” he said. He also said mobile phone will play a dominant role in the future. “We are already becoming a multi-screen kind of consumer. Everything is going to be mobile. Data is going to fundamental and third is creativity. How can be more creative taking advantage and leverage all the new resources and channels that we have?” Mr Martinez said.

     

    To deal with this kind of challenges, Mr Martinez is introducing a new style of management in the system that he called “channel agnostic”. “Focus on how we can deliver the new demands of the clients. More focus towards digital orientation and technology orientation. We need to have a management ready to embrace the challenges and try to even foresee those challenges and to readopt the structure in a nimble way for these changes,” Mr Martinez said.

     

    Source:The Economic Times

    Copyright © 2015, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved

    Licensed to republish

     

  • The outgoing WWM CEO will take over from Colvyn Harris who will assume a global role

    Change of Guard at JWT. Tarun Rai is new CEO South Asia

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    There is a change of guard at JWT in India. Gustavo Martinez, Chief Executive Officer of J  Walter Thompson Company,  announced that Tarun Rai will succeed Colyvn  Harris as CEO,  J. Walter Thompson South Asia, beginning early 2015. Mr Harris, 57, who has had a longstanding tenure with the company, will assume the role of Executive Director, Global Growth and Client Development, reporting to Martinez.

     

     

    In the role of CEO, Mr Rai will lead J Walter Thompson South Asia, which includes India,  Sri Lanka and Nepal, as well as J. Walter Thompson’s Indian companies, including  Contract Advertising, Hungama Digital Services, J. Walter Thompson Mindset, Encompass and Social Wavelength. He will report to Gustavo Martinez, and will work closely with Nick Romas, J Walter Thompson Asia Pacific CFO.

     

    “I am thrilled to welcome Tarun Rai back to J. Walter Thompson,” said Mr Martinez. “Tarun has the global business acumen and pioneering spirit needed to lead J. Walter Thompson South Asia. He was an important part of our, and now he will be a critical part of our future.”

     

    As was reported by MxMIndia on Monda, Mr Rai, 51, has announced his decision to leave Worldwide Media, where he held the role of CEO since 2008.

     

    “It’s wonderful to return home to J Walter Thompson during this pivotal time in the company’s history,” says Mr Rai. “Being away for a few years has given me an invaluable ‘outside-in’ perspective of the advertising business. Having a chance to head J. Walter  Thompson South Asia and work with Gustavo Martinez as he leads J. Walter Thompson into the next 150 years is a huge honour.”

     

    During his last tenure at J Walter Thompson, Mr Rai worked with clients like Hindustan Unilever, Diageo, GlaxoSmithKline, Pizza Hut, De Beers, ITC, Tata Steel, Nestlé, Hero, Godrej and Kellogg’s amongst others. He is someone who understands and reflects J. Walter Thompson’s values and ethics, notes a communique Mr Rai is an advertising and media professional with more than 25 years’ experience. He holds a business degree and is an alumnus of the London School of Economics.

     

    Mr Harris, who has spent 35 years at J. Walter Thompson, has been CEO of Contract Advertising and Managing Director of J. Walter Thompson Colombo, as well as holding various industry leadership roles and board positions, including President of the Advertising Agencies Association of India.

     

    Under his leadership, JWT has built a formidable reputation with a diverse spectrum of traditional, mainstream, activation, events and digital marketing services capabilities, including the acquisitions of Encompass, Hungama  Digital Services, Mindset and Social Wavelength, adds the communiqué. The agency also won its first Cannes  Grand Prix and first Titanium Lion under his leadership, and was the highest awarded Indian agency at Cannes 2014.

     

    “Every day has been an opportunity across my professional career at J. Walter Thompson,” said Mr Harris. “Building our capabilities to meet the ambition of our clients’ brands has been my relentless passion and purpose. I have worked with the most amazing and talented team one can ever hope for, and the bluest-of-blue chip clients across every category one can dream of. I am proud to have sustained and grown our client partnerships, and that our clients continue to be leaders in their respective categories for the ideas we have delivered for them. I look forward to being an integral part of the global client development team.”

     

    “I am deeply grateful for Colvyn Harris’ longstanding leadership and commitment to J Walter Thompson,” said Mr Martinez. “Colvyn has been a real asset and a great support during my first 11 months in the company. He will continue to help me further the growth of the company in this new role.

     

    “2015 will be a big year, especially for J Walter Thompson South Asia under Tarun’s leadership and vision,” he added.

     

     

  • J Walter Thompson names Tarun Rai as its new South Asia CEO replacing Colvyn Harris who will take up a global role as executive director, global growth and client development

    Tarun Rai to take charge at JWT South, Colvyn Harris gets global role

    By A Correspondent

     

    Tarun Rai

    J Walter Thompson, one of the largest advertising agencies in the world, has named Tarun Rai as its new South Asia CEO, replacing Colvyn Harris, who has been heading JWT in India for 10 years.

     

    Mr Rai was the CEO of Worldwide Media, a wholly owned subsidiary of Bennett, Coleman & Co Ltd that owns The Times of India and The Economic Times. Mr Harris will take up a global role as executive director, global growth and client development. Both Messrs Harris and Rai will report to Gustavo Martinez, global CEO at JWT. “This change in India management is on the back of my vision of creating a new style of management,” Mr Martinez said. “Tarun (Rai) has the global business acumen and pioneering spirit needed to lead JWT South Asia.”

     

    Colvyn Harris

    JWT is India’s largest advertising agency with annual revenues of Rs 2,000 crore. The new management will take to office in the third week of February. Mr Rai is a JWT veteran, having had a 19-year stint at the agency before quitting in 2008.

     

    As JWT South Asia head he will be in charge of the agency’s operations in India, Sri Lanka and Nepal, as well as JWT’s Indian companies Contract Advertising, Hungama Digital Services, JWT Mindset, Encompass and Social Wavelength. He will work closely with Nick Romas, JWT Asia Pacific CFO. Harris, in his new role, will manage JWT’s global growth and will primarily work out of its New York, London and Singapore offices.

     

    Mr Martinez said that the process of selecting a successor for Harris has been on for a while. Talking about the new management and creative leadership in India, he said, “I want to give Tarun Rai the time to come in and make his point of view (which Bob Jeffrey gave me) and allow him to set up his team.” At JWT, Mr Rai handled several major clients including Hindustan Unilever, Diageo, GlaxoSmithKline, Pizza Hut, DeBeers, ITC and Tata Steel.

     

    An alumnus of the London School of Economics, Tarun Rai has over 25 years’ experience in advertising and media. Mr Harris has completed 35 years at JWT, and his roles included being Contract Advertising CEO, JWT Colombo managing director. “Every day has been an opportunity across my professional career at JWT,” Mr Harris said. “I look forward to being an integral part of the global client development team.”

     

  • J Walter Thompson likely to win global advertising contract from Tatas for image makeover

    JWT likely to win global ad contract from Tatas

    By Pritha Mitra Dasgupta

     

    WPP-owned J Walter Thompson is likely to win a global advertising contract from the Tata Group, the first time that the conglomerate will embark on a corporate brand initiative as part of Chairman Cyrus Mistry’s push to make its worldwide presence felt more strongly.

     

    The two sides are yet to sign on the dotted line but a verbal commitment has been extended to the agency, according to well-placed insiders. A formal announcement is likely this week. Sources estimate the size of the business at just under Rs 200 crore. The group hasn’t engaged in any brand activity except during centenary celebrations a few years ago.

     

    During the celebrations, an award winning, football-themed film on the group’s values was made by Arun Nanda-led Rediffusion Y&R. “The new management under the leadership of Cyrus Mistry feels the need to position Tata as a force on the global platform,” said a top Tata Sons executive explaining the rationale behind the campaign.

     

    Mr Mistry, who took over as chairman of holding company Tata Sons in 2012 from Ratan Tata, will be looking to strengthen the group’s presence in global markets as an increasing share of its business comes from overseas. “More than half of the (group) companies’ revenues are… from the international markets,” said the person cited above.

     

    “And while people are aware of the individual companies, they don’t know that these companies actually belong to Tata Sons. And thus the company feels that this is the right time to launch a global campaign.”

     

    As reported in May, pitches kicked off in the first week of April. with five agencies participating – JWT, TBWA, Y&R, McCann World-Group and FCB Ulka.

     

    Of these, the first three made it to the final round of presentations that took place in May. The brief was simple, according to the CEO of one of the agencies that participated: “What should the Tatas do to be globally visible?”

     

    The group wants people to look beyond Tata Consultancy Services and Tata Motors unit Jaguar Land Rover, he suggested. “I think the idea is to build salience for the brand Tata so that people see more than just TCS and JLR. It is something that they are trying to fix.”

     

    A JWT executive said winning the deal was more about prestige than anything else. “More than the size of the business it is an extremely prestigious account because no other Indian company has gone global this way,” the person said. He said the pitch was led by Colvyn Harris, CEO of JWT South Asia, and the team had members from the agency’s New York and London offices. Harris declined to comment.

     

    A Tata Sons spokesperson said, “We have not appointed any agency so far, and will make an announcement at the appropriate time.” It wasn’t clear whether Tata wants one advertising campaign that will run across markets or if it will have separate country-wise campaigns with one overarching theme and tagline since the positioning of the group’s units vary across geographies. For instance, the group is the largest employer in the manufacturing sector in the UK, which is very different from its positioning in the US or even China. A top executive at another agency that participated in the pitch said, “They don’t have a plan yet. They have also not finalised the media plan as well and therefore don’t know if it will be an above-the-line (aimed at a wide audience) or below-the-line campaign (more sharply focused). And therefore they have not yet finalised a media agency.”

     

    However, executives aware of the plans say the media business will be integrated with one of the WPP agencies, a strategy that works well for both JWT and Tata if the two go ahead with the initiative.

     

    Source:The Economic Times

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

    Licensed to republish

     

  • The three firms in the running for Tata Group's global advertising pitch

    Y&R, JWT & TBWA in running for Tata’s global creative pitch

    By Pritha Mitra Dasgupta

     

    Two WPP agencies, Y&R and J Walter Thompson, and Omnicom shop TBWA Worldwide are in the final rounds of the first ever Tata Group global advertising pitch, currently underway. These three agencies will make their final presentations next week to the Tata team which is being led by Mukund Rajan, Brand Custodian and Member – Group Executive Council, Tata Sons. Atul Agrawal, vice-president, Group Corporate Affairs & Media, Tata Services is also a key decision-maker, said two senior officials familiar with the pitch process.

     

    Two other agencies in the fray – Interpublic Group’s FCB Ulka and McCann WorldGroup – were eliminated after preliminary rounds of presentations. In response to a mail sent by ET, a Tata Sons spokesperson declined to comment, stating, “This is internal to the company.” However, a senior Tata official, on condition of anonymity, confirmed that both WPP and Omnicom have reached the final round of the pitch process.

     

    The agencies are flying in global pinch hitters for this business, estimated at Rs 100-200 crore. “Teams from JWT New York and Y&R New York are a part of the pitch process,” said a source. Several senior WPP India officials also said that Martin Sorrell, CEO, WPP made a one-day visit to India to meet key Tata officials when the pitch began in the first week of April. When we contacted Sorrell to comment on the teams that will represent JWT and Y&R in the final round of presentations, the brief given to the agencies by Tata Group and if he at all came to India when the pitch process started. But he declined to comment and he said, “Obviously I couldn’t possibly answer any of those questions”.

     

    An email written to Tom Carroll, president and CEO TBWA Worldwide, did not elicit a response. Tata Group had given the agencies a formal brief, for an advertising mandate that would cover four key international markets including the US, the UK, Africa and China.

     

    The mandate is to create a global corporate campaign for the Tata Group as the company is looking to reposition itself globally. “In each market the company’s positioning is different. For instance, it is the largest employer in the manufacturing sector in the United Kingdom, which is very different from their positioning in US or even China. So they are waiting to hear from the agencies how best they can build their brands in these highly competitive markets”, said a senior official from one of the agencies still in the fray.

     

    Source:The Economic Times

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

    Licensed to republish