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Tag: Mandeep Malhotra

  • Pratap Bose steps down at Social Street. Mandeep Malhotra to take charge

    By A Correspondent [Updated]

     

    Pratap Bose
    Mandeep Malhotra

    Advertising industry veteran and former President of The Advertising Club, Pratap Bose, has stepped down from his position of Chairman and Founding Partner. Bose confirmed the development to MxMIndia. Mandeep Malhotra continues as Founding Partner and CEO.

    Bose had set up The Social Street with much fanfare in June 2015 after a not-too-pleasant exit from DDB Mudra. He steered the company in his inimitable, aggressive style and saw the agency bag top honours at the Abby Awards at Goafest 2018.

    Both Bose and Malhotra are reported to have had equal equity in the organisation, but given the Lockdown, discussions on the same haven’t been completed.

    According to the grapevine, the company has been experiencing tough times financially, as are many others in the marketing services domain.

     

  • The Social Street rolled out the mammoth OOH campaign in Uttar Pradesh

    Hotstar unveils India’s longest billboard

    By A Correspondent

     

    Hotstar unveiled am out-of-home initiative through a massive billboard spanning 10,000 sq ft near Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh, to highlight the variety and scale of content available on its platform.  The Social Street collaborated with Hotstar on this campaign from idea to execution, to source out and construct the longest billboard the country has ever seen from ground up.

     

    Said Mandeep Malhotra, Founding Partner & CEO, The Social Street: “Working Hotstar is always brilliant and fun. The brand inspires us to unlock new ideas and create campaigns that push boundaries. With the longest billboard campaign too, we wanted to create something that would send out the brand’s message in a way that wows people. We were able to leverage media in a way that managed to create brand-new boundaries. Some of our past campaign work with Hotstar, like IPL Largest Player Hunt and Game of Thrones, too are a testament of the innovation, creativity and impact that is at the heart of brand.”

     

     

  • The consortium will be responsible for all promotional activities of theleague for the next five years starting 2019 until 2023

    The Social Street bags five-year contract for Champions Boat League

    By A Correspondent

     

    Kerala Tourism has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a consortium represented by E-Factor Entertainment and The Social Street (AMP Communications) for the branding, promotions, marketing and revenue generation activities of the Champions’ Boat League (CBL). Following a multi-agency pitch,Kerala Tourism appointed the consortium as its official agency of record. The consortium will be responsible for all promotional activities of the league for the next five years starting 2019 until 2023.

     

    Said Samit Garg and Jai Thakore, Founders & Directors, E-Factor Entertainment: “For us it was like the God’s calling from the God’s own country. We are thankful to Kerala Tourism for this extremely fantastic initiative and inviting external partners to build and promote this amazingly passionate and traditional sport form. We look forward to creating some fabulous tourism sporting events and experiences along with getaways and excursions as a part of this entire exercise.”

     

    Added Mandeep Malhotra, Founding Partner & CEO, The Social Street: “The Champions’ Boat League is a pioneering step by Kerala Tourism to elevate the traditional snake-boat races, boat clubs and professional oarsmen to world-class levels. With a steep history of over 400 years, CBL is going to be the perfect collaboration of culture and sports. We were fortunate to find the best match in Samit, Jai and their brilliant team at E-Factor Entertainment to take on the challenge of the brand’s marketing and communication. Sports enthusiasts and travellers have exciting times to look forward to starting August 10, with a brand-new level of thrill in store.”

     

     

  • He will work in close cooperation with Mandeep Malhotra, Founding Partner & CEO, The Social Street

    Navin Fernandes to head Sports Marketing unit at The Social Street

    By A Correspondent

     

    Navin Fernandes

    The Social Street has announced the appointment of Navin Fernandes as the Managing Partner to head its Sports Marketing offering. In his new role, Fernandes will be responsible for all the agency’s sports-related aspects including strategy, new business, partnerships, events and activities. He will work in close cooperation with Mandeep Malhotra, Founding Partner & CEO, The Social Street.

     

    Commenting on the appointment, Mandeep Malhotra says, “Navin is an exciting addition to the TSS family. We are thrilled have him lead the charge of our expanding sports offering. He brings with him a valuable and unrivalled depth of experience in the sports and marketing arena. His high energy level and enormous talent aligns well with The Social Street’s vison for doing things differently.”

     

  • The new partnership is designed to put creativity in sports at the centre of its approach

    The Social Street inks partnership with UK-based Works Ltd.

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Social Street has entered into a partnership with UK-based Works Ltd in a move to promote sports advertising.

     

    Works has been associated with several sporting events including the recent FIFA World Cup in Rusia where it was commissioned to roll out the official look for the event.

     

    Commenting on the new association, Mandeep Malhotra, Founding Partner & CEO, The Social Street added, “With Works we have gained a partner who will provide us with tremendous support to build a strong sports marketing arsenal. Their bespoke body of work – be it design, branding or production across mediums – speaks volumes. We’re extremely delighted to join forces with Works as our go-to partner for everything that is sports. We look forward to working with them on a series of joint initiatives in India and across South Asia.”

     

    Said Roy Webber, Founder & CEO, Works: “This is a wonderful opportunity for Works. India and South Asia have such an appetite and love for sport and entertainment – to be a part of the energy created by this growing and vibrant market is an exciting prospect for us. It’s so important to engage with a like-minded and trusted partner when we enter a new territory. Mandeep is building something quite special with The Social Street and to collaborate with them at this point marks the beginning of a great new chapter for Works.”

     

    Aimed at inspiring innovation in sports, The Social Street and Works will collaboratively approach assignments and campaigns to capitalise on opportunities in India as well South Asia.

     

  • Shonali Sharmaa and Shilov Mani will report to Mandeep Malhotra and will be based in Mumbai

    The Social Street beefs up leadership team

    By A Correspondent

     

    Shonali Sharmaa

    The Social Street has roped in Shonali Sharmaa as Managing Partner for the Experiential business vertical and Shilov Mani as Senior Vice President, Planning. Shonali and Shilov will report to Mandeep Malhotra, Partner & CEO, The Social Street, and will be based in Mumbai.

     

    Commenting on the appointments, Malhotra, Founding said, “Shonali and Shilov are bright additions to our team. Both of them come with exceptional capabilities and inherent understanding of brands, markets and consumers. I am confident that our clients will benefit greatly from the knowledge and experience Shonali and Shilov bring on board.”

     

    Mandeep Malhotra
    Shilov Mani

    Said Sharmaa: “We have heard it for years; collaborate, work together, integrate. Yet, we still seem to push our clients agenda be it in digital, activation, retail, OOH, et al in silos. My aim is to have ‘One seamless thought process across media’ to make The Social Street the most effective marketing communications agency.”

     

    And this is what Mani said in a communique: “What drew me to The Social Street was the visionof Pratap [Bose] and Mandeep to build a future-ready agency. We have an extremely robust – and powerfully diverse – set of talents and we have great clients. I am really looking forward to joining forces and make things happen.”

     

  • A freewheeling chat with Pratap Bose, CMD, The Social Street, on a year in existence, winning awards and his relationship with DDB Mudra

    Smooth ride on this Street

     

    Around this time last year, Pratap Bose, former chief operating officer at DDB Mudra, launched with much fanfare a full-service advertising agency, The Social Street. With some seasoned names in the business by way of partners, like outdoor and experiential specialist Mandeep Malhotra, entrepreneur Arjun Reddy who also runs a diversified portfolio of businesses, and Pradeep Uppalapati, a former senior director and India lead for global corporate development team at Accenture, Bose’s venture has been on a roll. In a freewheeling interview with Pradyuman Maheshwari, Pratap Bose, Chairman and Managing Director, The Social Street, speaks about completing a year in existence, winning awards and his relationship with DDB Mudra.  Excerpts:

     

    One year of The Social Street, since June 22, 2015. How has the journey been so far?

    If you asked me last June where I would be, [I’d say] I would not have expected such progress in one year. When we set out, we had big ambitions but I didn’t think we would do so well. I think we have put an impressive list of clients together and done some really good work.

     

    The Pratap Bose interview first appeared in dna of brands on July 11.

     

    Mandeep Malhotra, Founding Partner and CEO

    On Year 1: I have loved the year.  A couple of months in the beginning were a bit of an emotional turmoil journey but then I got back to the 16 hours of working a day. I love staying busy and I had a great year.

    On the road ahead: I think if there is passion and hunger, India as a market has so much more to achieve and do. I am fairly excited for the teams who have got a lot of hunger and passion in them. So, it is an upward journey but it is a very gratifying, satisfied journey ahead. Looking forward to it.

     

    Pradeep Uppalapati, Founding Partner and CFO

    On Year 1: There are two ways I would answer that. Personally for me, it has been a very fun experience, a lot of learning and I am glad that I am part of this. From a company standpoint, in the one year that we have been in existence, we have achieved quite a few things, so we as The Social Street I think are very proud of it. We would like to keep the momentum going and achieve better things.

    On the financial front: Financially, I think we have met all our goals, no surprises. And we are on track.

     

    Interviews by Anuka Roy

     

    How do you define ‘so well’?

    The fact that we have already hired 150 people and  opened our Bengaluru and Delhi offices.

     

    Three very fancy offices

    The Delhi office is nice and much bigger than the Mumbai one. About 135 clients have been signed on. We have not made too much noise in the media about which clients we have won, but that was intentional. We are happy keeping it quiet.

     

    But you are not known to be a quiet person…

    It was part of the strategy and PR plan laid out during the first year. As a new set-up when you announce a win, your competitor agencies [also wake up to it]. But that is not the reason. Besides clients and setting up three main offices, we also have quite a few satellite offices. It has been a fair progress.

     

    You started off with a full-service agency, but some areas were not covered until you hired a creative head…

    Contrary to popular belief, a Chief Creative Officer (CCO) is not confined to the creative department. We brought in a team from various agencies to fill the gap. We thought if we were going to be a creative powerhouse in the area of communication, barring the traditional stuff, we need a CCO to run that. It is a team that understands the whole new world of content and creating content for activation – which is really what Deepak does. I’m not saying that we don’t want to get into print or television advertising, but that is not the focus right now.

     

    Does that bracket you as a BTL agency?

    I don’t care about that because at the end of the day, I am going to run a successful and profitable business. I think the media is also to blame for this. Everyone thinks that the creative agency is the be-all and end-all [of advertising]. But the new world is all about technology, social media, content, sharing and creating meaningful pieces of work in the social and marketing space.

     

    Are you saying that in advertising, you no longer make money on the traditional, creative stuff?

    Obviously the margins for the non-traditional side of the business are always higher. But barring the top four or five agencies…

     

    In this one-year journey, you have established an alliance with Rediffusion Y&R.

    I think the Rediffusion deal was good for both for us, where we run everything in the communication space and leave them to do their creative job. That is a partnership which is working well. It is a mutually-beneficial relationship that expands both their business and ours.

     

    But Wunderman is in the same space as you, isn’t there a clash?

    Today’s age is really about collaboration. It does not mean that if two agencies are in the same space, they need to compete. While Wunderman is largely in B2C, consumer, direct marketing and all that, it is a skill-set that complements what we do. Direct marketing, data — that is not our core competency right now.

     

    Do you see this relationship with Rediffusion cementing further?

    As long as we do good work together, and a lot of trust is there, and we want to further the relationship, we would probably make it a stronger.

     

    By further, do mean equity? You are known to be close to Martin Sorrell…

    I am. But that is not on the agenda right now. We just started out. Unfortunately or fortunately, there has been a lot of positive vibes from the industry, as well as in the communication business. But I don’t think you ever set out to create a business with the intent of selling out. If you did that, you would probably be a failure.

     

    Would you ever look at selling out or part with some equity?

    Not averse to that but there is a point in time where you think about that. But right now we are not thinking about this at all, five or six years later if things work out then. You do not set out to start a new business with the intent of selling out.

     

    You mentioned that having an international agency connection helps you with big, international clients.

    Not really. Dhunji Wadia and I are good friends, and had been working together even before we started The Social Street. As we started looking into some businesses, it turned out to be extremely fruitful for both of us.

     

    In terms of talent, how are you doing?

    We always knew we would succeed in the business. It is how to handle the large clients and the large assignments with limited resources. Our challenge right now is to be able to deliver on the promise we made to our clients, especially the large ones. That is a pressure, because if you keep adding bigger clients, you obviously would need to increase your workforce.

     

    What about your promise to investors?

    Thankfully, the investors have a lot of faith in us. They are looking at us long term. It is clearly a five-year projection we are working towards. As long as the basics have been ticked off the checklist, I think we are doing well.

     

    All the cheques coming on time?

    (Laughs) Actually, we are collecting very well.

     

    Where do you see yourself a year from now?

    That is the beauty of being on your own. We have set an agenda for what we want to be, and the areas we are getting into, and it is quite a large list. Having said that, if an opportunity presents itself, let us say in B2C, I would grab it with everything I have got. At the end of the day, we are entrepreneurs at heart.

     

    This opportunity can be in the form of acquisition or in the form of business?

    It could be in the form of business, it could be acquisition which any way is a part of our strategy. We would get in to more joint ventures, collaborations with other agencies, internationally as well as in India. That is all part of the plan.

     

    Any particular direction you are looking at in terms of international?

    We are looking at a couple of international firms in the area of brand activation, promotions, digital etc. We are already collaborating with a few. We got our first assignment in Indonesia last month. So it will gradually move that way, is my sense. Entertainment, digital and content is the space I see myself getting into, in the next couple of years.

     

    You have a CCO in Deepak Singh now. Are there any other heads you are targeting and appointing in the next year or so?

    We are looking at a senior position in the digital space, as well as seniors in the area of account planning and activation. Deepak’s team will also grow and branch out into similar kind of talent in Delhi and Bengaluru.

     

    And traditional media?

    We already have [people] in traditional media. We run a media planning and buying business for a few clients. Given that we have all the tools and databases, media is the glue that binds all the entities. It has to make money on its own for sure, but the intent is not to make a large media company.

     

    What about creative?

    I think creative will grow as we grow. The demands that we have in today’s briefs — these are socially-relevant big ideas; and for that, you need a juxtaposition of activation planners and highly-skilled creative people in that area to make things happen.

     

    Does your deal with Rediffusion prevent you from getting in to a space which it is into?

    No, not at all. It is not an exclusive relationship in any case.

     

    When you started out, a large number of people moved in from DDB Mudra. What is your relationship with DDB Mundra now?

    All of them were great friends. I probably had one of the best times in my life with DDB, which was Agency of the Year at Cannes in 2010 and 2011, from literally zero. We even toppled Ogilvy at Goafest. But I think I got out at the right time. It was a decision which I thought was the right decision at that time. My relationship with DDB Mudra is [still] fabulous.

     

    There are rumours that Madhukar Kamath may be moving on next year. So wouldn’t it have been nicer if you were still there?

    No, not now. Is there an option to merge The Social Street and take over Mudra? Why not? (laughs)

     

    You mentioned awards. Like it or not, the success of an agency is determined by the number of awards it wins. How do you rate your performance, vis-à-vis awards?

    Awards are really wait-and-watch. I think we will do spectacularly well next year.

     

    You know the game well.

    I know the game. If my job is only to win Agency of the Year and do nothing else, I would win it hands down. But you have to run a successful business. But I can promise you next year, at Cannes or at Goafest, we will do spectacularly well. I am saying that because of all the ideas we are currently working on. While everyone was at Cannes, and even before we put our heads together, there were some stunning ideas.

     

    So, south of France next year?

    Absolutely!

     

     

     

  • How big brands are increasingly taking the experiential route to build a direct connect with the consumer

    BTL is big business

     

    By Anuka Roy

     

    The last time you visited a shopping mall, you would’ve noticed a huge soda can replica has been installed and a few people representing the soda brand are trying to convince you to taste the new drink and give your feedback. Or closer home, a small table of cookies has been laid out for you to taste outside the kirana shop because a popular biscuit brand has come up with an array of new and healthy range of cookies. Brands even organise games and contests in malls and other public places to connect with the consumers. These are few such examples of product promotions that happen these days.

     

    It is not just new or local or small brands which are taking such unconventional path to promote their products. Big brands are increasingly taking this route and spending more on marketing activities which have a direct connection with the consumer and the target audience. These activities are not restricted to food brands or FMCG companies, even the financial sector and automobile sectors have been investing in it for quite some time.

     

    “I think the bevy of experiential marketing have stood up on its own feet. It has a lot more to accomplish and go forward but we know that now it has set a stage that this industry in itself can be self-sustaining and can be called an industry. In the past it used to be that very few brands believed in engagement. They were more looking at reaching out to masses at an economical cost. But the shift is moving in to sustenance relationships with brands,” said Mandeep Malhotra, Founding Partner and CEO, The Social Street about the arrival of BTL or experiential marketing in present scenario.

     

    These on ground promotions and events are known as ‘brand activation’ in marketing lingo. They are unconventional advertising activities, called below the line (BTL) advertising, and in certain companies, have more stakes than popular advertising activities.

     

    “Normally, if I look at an FMCG company it would have 14-15% in BTL but for us it is critical. In our business, you do not have people who keep coming in to your stores just for browsing. They will come in if they have a need for furniture. And, as a brand we are not present in high footfall zones. So, you will not find Godrej Interio stores inside a mall. They are always kept independently outside.  The objective is to ensure that the people who have a need come in there,” says Bedraj Tripathy, AVP, Marketing, Godrej Interio ,  the furniture division of Godrej and Boyce, about the amount that is generally spent on BTL activities.

     

    On the other hand, for the newly launched Himalaya Wellness, the wellness division of the The Himalaya Drug Company, BTL is the only way to go. Speaking about the same, SudheerSrinivas, the Marketing Manager of the company who looks after the wellness division, says, “The importance of retailing for our wellness range is because of many reasons. First, people today can afford and second, they think about their health more than anything today. Third, people have stopped being reactive and started being proactive over their health issues. Earlier when we used to go to a doctor we would spend Rs 50 maximum but today it is minimum of three to four thousand rupees. People today want a solution for their basic health care needs which they can pick it up along with their monthly shopping and they would want to make it a part of their lifestyle. So, BTL is very important for wellness care products.”

     

    Speaking about the sectors which have adapted well or are trying to use BTL advertising to its full potential, Rajesh Grover, Managing Director, Viscomm presents a very interesting view. He says, “Experiential marketing is basically the present and the future. The main reason is that brand spends have decreased, a lot of brands are weary of spending on ATL activities because the future is very uncertain and economy is very uncertain. To connect directly with the consumer experiential is the best kind of platform. I would say across all sectors. There is no specific sector where experiential marketing works. It works wonderfully in the rural segment, FMCG, automobiles, in services, so it is across sectors according to me. The only thing is as we go forward since digital is also becoming a very important platform because of social media and all of that, an integration of experiential and digital is the way forward. Agencies or brand need to focus more on the integration of digital with experiential. Monies have to invest in the right strategies in that space.”

     

    So, what are the activities that are done under BTL? To promote the Tata Sampann low oil absorb besan campaign titled ‘Ab Khao Befiqr’,  the company tied up with top 104 Vadapav stalls in Mumbai. This popular snack is considered unhealthy by some due to amount of oil used for it. “With this activation we wanted to encourage consumers to eat their favourite snacks and indulge without guilt. Tata SampannBesanabsorbs lesser oil as compared to the ordinary Besanand the tie-up enabled the consumers to witness this for themselves. We reached out to around five lakh consumers with this activity,” said the Marketing Head of Tata Chemicals Ltd (Consumer Products Business), SagarBoke.

     

    According to Sevantika Bhandari, Senior VP and Head Marketing, DHFL, as a housing finance company they are always in touch with the consumer. “We interact with the consumer inside his house by the way of our advertising, through digital, television and radio. As soon as he steps out we interact with him on transit medium with hoarding, press and newspapers. When he walks towards a large shopping area or a congregation of people, we engage with him on the ground with our people available in some form or the other undertaking the BTL activity. We engage with him on his mobile. We engage with him at a point of sale of his home with large building projects. So, the idea which is true for all marketers and true for DHFL as well is to engage with the customer wherever he or she is.  We also map all our activities according to that journey,” she says.

     

    But whether companies take the conventional advertising method or they invest in BTL, at the end of the day everyone is concerned with the ROI (return on investment). “The cost of acquisition from a reach point in this business will always be very high. It would not be as economical as a television or a print but then you need to put a balance between just reaching out to a number and really converting that person in to a fan or a consumer of your own product. There are two different objectives which are being met here but CPT (Cost per thousand) will never be achieved as efficiently as it would be on television,” says Malhotra.

     

    “Consumer engagement and brand recall. These are the two most important things for us. There is always a debate between biggest or best – and I can firmly say that we want to be the best. We’re a vibrant and authentic brand, and it comes to life through our product, our communication and really through everything we do. There is certain positivity about us and BTL is the more effective tool to help us with consumer engagement and through this – recall,” says Chaitanya Rele, Vice President, Marketing, Havmor Ice Cream about measuring the success of a BTL campaign.

     

    Even though this kind of marketing is on the rise and in some cases the only way to move forward for certain brands, but can it survive on its own without any help from the mainstream marketing methods or above the line advertising (ATL). Most of the experts are of the opinion that for certain products it can yield good results but that would take time. For the time being, BTL does require a certain push from ATL to be successful.

     

  • Heena, brings with her over 15 years of experience and moves from SOI Live Marketing & Events

    The Social Street ropes in Heena Mistry as Head of Events and Experiential Business

    By A Correspondent

     

    Heena Mistry

    The Social Street has roped in Heena Mistry to head the Events and Experiential business; she will operate out of their Mumbai office.

     

    Heena, brings with her over 15 years of experience and moves from SOI Live Marketing & Events, where she was a Director and lent her expertise with hundred plus marketers, leading brands, pan India across various industries.

     

    Mandeep Malhotra

    Mandeep Malhotra, Founding Partner and CEO of The Social Street commented on the development, “Heena is very well known in the industry for her impeccable delivery on various brand requirements. She is renowned for her ability to exceed client expectations. She brings to our team a sense of great commitment and prudence, which is hard to find these days.”

     

    Commenting on her new role, Heena says “It’s a matter of pride for me to be associated with TSS. I join this team with great expectations and delight. I am very confident on building on the immense learning I had at SOI Live Marketing. Mandeep&Pratap have a clear vision for The Social Street and knowing that they wanted me on the team gives me loads of confidence to do well. I am certain that my partnership with The Social Street will add a new dimension to my career.”

     

  • The integrated offering will include Digital, Media, Experiential, Out of Home, Retail, Entertainment, Cause Marketing and also extends to Semi-Urban and Rural Activations and Outreach

    Rediffusion-Y&R group & Social Street shake hands

    By A Correspondent

     

    Rediffusion – Y & R Group and The Social Street have entered into a strategic alliance to provide value added marketing services to clients of Rediffusion – Y & R, Everest Brand Solutions and Rediffusion Wunderman. This alliance will come into effect from March 1, 2016.

     

    According to a communiqué, Rediff-Y&R and Social Street will leverage their individual strengths to partner and provide greater value to clients and collaborate to tap opportunities for growth in the market. The alliance will enable Rediffusion-Y&R Group’s clients to benefit from The Social Street’s extensive network, capabilities, and expertise in bringing together a more effective and optimized solutions to clients. 
This integrated offering will include Digital, Media, Experiential, Out of Home, Retail, Entertainment, Cause Marketing and also extends to Semi-Urban and Rural Activations and Outreach.

     

    Dhunji S. Wadia

    Says Dhunji S Wadia, President, Rediffusion-Y&R Group “This is one of the deepest integrations to date, marking yet another milestone in the Group’s plan for a consolidated media investment management operation.  Our services are designed to offer an integrated yet seamless solution across the communications continuum. The focus is to bring competitive advantage to our clients and our companies.”

     

    Pratap Bose

    Added Pratap Bose, Founding Partner & Chairman, The Social Street: “This is going to be a very exciting journey for both Rediffusion and us.  It will be a great growth story to tell the world.  Our shared vision and collective capabilities should help us serve nothing but the best to all the clients as part of this alliance.  We are all focused on one single client centric objective through this alliance and that is unlocking value for clients.  With the wealth of expertise in both Rediffusion and TSS, I have no doubt in saying that we will make it the strongest and successful alliance ever.”

     

    Mandeep Malhotra

    Sad Mandeep Malhotra, Founding Partner & CEO, the Social Street,  “I am personally very excited about this alliance and looking forward to creating many stories together in this journey with Rediffusion. My career in the agency world started with Rediffusion and it feels now that the circle is getting closer. There is nothing more exciting for me then working with energetic, talented, committed and a fun team. Organizations that partner or compliment each other in this manner are going to be more nimble footed in the future, in creating customer-oriented value.”

     

  • BTL is the most effective way of geotargeting in a large country like India, says Mandeep Malhotra, CEO and co-founder, The Social Street

    BTL Baatein: Mandeep Malhotra, The Social Street… Powered by VISCOMM

    Known as one of the best brains in outdoor and experiential advertising and marketing in India, Mandeep Malhotra is co-founder and CEO of The Social Street. With a Masters in Business Advertising from Australia, Malhotra has over 15 years of professional experience in outdoor media. Prior to his stint as President, DDB Mudra and Head of MudraMax, he has worked with Ogilvy & Mather, Rediffusion DY&R and Bates India amongst others.

     

    In this edition of BTL Baatein, Mandeep Malhotra on the important role BTL plays in helping being in touch with prospects on the ground in the process of brand-building.

     

    What according to you is the importance of BTL in the world of advertising and promotions?

    There is no such thing as BTL. These definitions are outdated, but for the purpose of larger audience I will answer:

    a. Technology might be bridging gaps between brands, but people-to-people engagement is the biggest generator of word-of-mouth publicity.

    b. Marketers need to generate experiences in whatever medium chosen. Print/ TV/ Radio/ Digital/ social/ OOH/ Promotions/ Events all coexist and complement each other. Some case studies prove multiple effective touchpoints deliver x multiplier then two medias in silos.

     

    What would you say is that the importance marketers given to BTL activity in their overall marketing plan? Is it getting its due?

    FMCG brands have been giving importance for experiential marketing for sure. The other categories are already working their marketing plans to ensure accommodating most of them. Some wake up late, some wake up early 🙂

     

    Would you say that there are certain types of marketers who have a greater affinity for BTL? (e.g. FMCG, durables, auto, etc.)

    Absolutely. Till you don’t get the consumer to experience or educate them, monologue mediums cant beyond a point deliver sale. Some brands have understood really early in the cycle of building brands that you have to be in touch with prospects on ground. The journey from mind-heart-wallet is well experienced one on one.

     

    And typically what is the break-up of spends…. ATL v/s BTL?

    ATL still gets the major chunk. It would be fair to say 7-10% budgets go into generating experiences, split between events, promotions and sampling.

     

    In terms of generating results especially from consumers and in B2B, do you find BTL a surer shot avenue than ATL?

    Where you have a concentrated audience, one to many (focused) formats work the best. The audience usually has the hint of what is coming their way, therefore concentration levels are higher.

     

    While sales and salience are good indicators of its success, what are the attributes you/ your clients look at to measure the success of a BTL campaign?

    Most of our clients measure success rate by conversions/ impressions or leads generated on promotions campaign. For large events, you usually get feedback from word-of-mouth instantaneously.

     

    There are many organisations who often do new launches almost entirely on BTL aided with an outdoor and/ or digital blitz? Your view on this? Given rising media costs, do you see BTL managing on its own, without ATL?

    There are no lines but yes the best way of geotargeting specially when in a large country like India, distribution takes its own sweet time. BTL works most effective. We do campaigns for clients which link BTL to OOH as gratification. Recently, a great campaign was done for one such client. The proof of the pudding lies in the prospective consumer becoming the brand ambassador for the campaign itself.

     

  • The ex-DDB Mudra COO has teamed up with Mandeep Malhotra, Arjun Reddy & Pradeep Uppalapati

    Pratap Bose, 3 others launch The Social Street, a digitally driven ad conglomerate

    L to R: Mandeep Malhotra, Pratap Bose Pradeep Uppalapati and Arjun Reddy

     

    By A Correspondent

    Former DDB Mudra group Chief Operating Officer Pratap Bose, Outdoor and experiential specialist Mandeep Malhotra, Arjun Reddy an entrepreneur with a diversified portfolio of businesses, and Pradeep Uppalapati, who was a Senior Director and India Lead for Accenture’s Global Corporate Development Team have teamed up to launch ‘The Social Street’, billed as India’s maiden advertising conglomerate.

    Positioned as a digitally driven agency, traditional creative advertising, digital and social media will be added on to the bouquet of offerings by the end of the financial year along with more offices across the country.

     

     

    Brand Manifesto
    Stories start on the street. They are inspired by the lives of consumers and the interesting mindspaces where they intersect with brands.We find, tell and amplify those stories, no matter what form they take. We make sure that they are powerfully rooted in an authentic brand truth or its point of view.

     

    Why? It’s simply because these narratives play well on the streets that matter most to your brand and you.

     

    The ones that people inhabit.

     

    It may be, the literal ones that they walk beside and drive on. Or the virtual highways that they surf. The verbal paths that connect mouths to ears.Sometimes all of the above. These are the streets that make brands social. And very few can help you navigate them as well as we can.

     

    Welcome to The Social Street !

     

    According to communiqué, for now, The Social Street embraces the best in technology processes and systems, across its service offerings which include branded content & entertainment, shopper marketing, media, out-of-home, retail, sports marketing, events and promotions, rural marketing, trade marketing and youth marketing, with operations in Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru.  The agency will be headquartered in Goregaon in North West Mumbai, within a stone’s throw from the offices of Ogilvy and GroupM.

    Interestingly, creative gurus Josy Paul, Chairman & CCO, BBDO India and Bobby Pawar, Director & CCO, Publicis South Asia have helped with the name and the brand identity respectively.

    The name ‘The Social Street’ springs from the thought that very brand’s story starts on the street. They are inspired by the lives of consumers. They are born on the crossroads, where the lives of consumers meet the purpose of the brand.

    On the launch of The Social Street, Pratap Bose, Managing Director and Chairman said, “Everybody today wants to start something they can call their own. Something they can create from scratch. And thankfully for me, this dream has come true. It’s been a year of hard work and patience, but the fruits of it have started to pay off. This wouldn’t have been possible without Mandeep, Arjun, Pradeep and all the employees who have put their faith and trust in me. Our aim at The Social Street is to find, tell and amplify the stories that are inspired by the lives of consumers and intersect them with brands. We are here to connect the streets that make brands social. And nobody will be able to navigate these streets as well as we can. Here’s to a crazy ride with The Social Street.”

    Said Mandeep Malhotra, who quit DDB Mudra last month: “I am very excited and am looking forward to being a part of this unique agency and hope to build The Social Street into one of the hottest agencies in the years to come ’’

    Added Pradeep Uppalapati: “Social Street is an agency that is capable of addressing the entire suite of client marketing requirements.  It is all about latest technologies and processes to offer our clients nothing but the best.  Our strong and diverse team is fully geared up with fresh and innovative ideas to serve our clients.  I am really looking forward and excited to be working with Pratap and the team.  This will be one of the most exciting journeys of my professional career so far”

    And this is what Arjun Reddy said in a communique: “ I am personally very excited about this venture and looking forward to the exciting times ahead of all of us. I am very confident that we will be creating immense value to our clients in this space”