MxMIndia

Tag: Mandeep Malhotra

  • Mr Trikha was earlier AGM, Marketing Communication at Sistema Shyam Teleservices (MTS)

    DDB MudraMax appoints Deepak Trikha as VP, Experiential

    By A Correspondent

     

    DDB MudraMax has roped in Deepak Trikha as VP, Experiential. Mr Trikha will be based out of Delhi and will report to Mandeep Malhotra, President, DDB MudraMax.

     

    Mr Trikha joins DDB MudraMax’s experiential team from Sistema Shyam Teleservices (MTS), where he was AGM, Marketing Communication, responsible for strategy and execution of 360 degree marketing campaigns for MTS’s telecom products and services. He started his career with Kidstuff, DDB MudraMax’s Promotional & Events unit, and then moved to Encompass as AVP where he served for six years. With over a decade of experience in the field of marketing, he has worked with some world renowned MNCs such as Ford, Britannia, World Space, Toyota, Sony, Hewlett Packard and Nokia among others.

     

    Mandeep Malhotra

    Commenting on this new appointment, Mandeep Malhotra, President, DDB MudraMax, said, “I am really glad to welcome Deepak in my team. He comes with a lot of experience in the business. I strongly feel he will complete the dots for a constellation in our Delhi office of glittering stars. Looking forward to a great innings with DDB MudraMax. My advice to him is stay hungry, as I strongly believe Delhi has a lot to offer.”

     

    Mr Trikha said, “I am very excited to be part of the DDB Mudra Group family which is India’s largest Integrated Marketing Communications entity. Creativity and customer centricity being the driving factor to run its business. The DDB Mudra Group is well poised to take up the market leadership position in the field of brand and marketing communications. I am delighted to be a part of this passionate and highly spirited team and looking forward to play a pivotal role in achieving greater milestones in times to come.”

     

  • DDB Mudra Max president Mandeep Malhotra on 'The Art of Indian Jugaad', a presentation he made to marketers and ad agencies in Finland last month, and why the concept is such a hit in Europe

    Jaldi 5 with Mandeep Malhotra: Jugaad is our way of life

    Last month (October 2012), DDB Mudra Max president Mandeep Malhotra and DDB Mudra Concrea Chief Youth Marketer and MxMIndia columnist Samyak Chakrabarty were invited by Aller Media, Finland’s leading publishing house, to speak to advertising agency and brand heads on ‘The Art of Indian Jugaad’ in the context of marketing  and advertising.

     

    MxMIndia interviewed Mr Malhotra on his view on Jugaad and why the concept was such a huge hit with the European audience.

     

    01.  Jugaad in India has a very negative connotation. So how come talk about it to a European audience?

    When first invited, I too was surprised – not because of the negative connotation as such but more about how and when did the Europeans start wanting to learn more about Jugaad. However, upon interacting personally with my hosts and audience – I realized that post the slowdown, they wanted to discover more innovative and ‘street smart’ ways of doing business.

     

    Despite of the global recession, India has managed to tide through and hence they wanted an insight into our way of doing things. In fact, they were surprised to know how our advertising and marketing industry was so vibrant even in such testing economic conditions. The kind and quantity of innovations we continue to produce was a great eye opener for them.
    02.   Do you think the fact we have more economic imbalances in India as against the West causes this desire for the Jugaad? And in the developed economies there is greater complacency?

    I think Jugaad is ingrained in our social fabric – it is not just business, it is our way of life. Indians by nature are streetsmart, hardworking and ‘quick’ individuals. Whether people at the bottom of the pyramid or the SEC A+, this method of working is utilized by all at different scales and purposes. Those in the west are advanced at one end (in terms of technology especially) but at the same time are also quite primitive (with respect to approach to business processes), they prefer to rely of what is tried and tested leaving not much room for change.

    But due to recent circumstances, they are slowly opening up to newer ideas and are keenly looking at international success stories hence the interest in Jugaad – The art of doing business in India! This new-found interest has also much to do with the rise in the number of successful entrepreneurs in India.

    03.   In many ways, it’s this aggressive can do.. by hook or by crook attitude in India has also resulted in inefficiencies?

    No I disagree, one can still be efficient and aggressive at the same time. It is all about how seriously you take your business, comply to deliverables and create value for all stakeholders. Ineffeciences occur when there is no proper monitoring, control and strong leadership…this has nothing to do with using Jugaad.

    04.   If it can work to help business abroad, surely it can work here in India too. What’s your view on how we can use this ‘Jugaadoo’ spirit without short-cuts and corruption?

    Why are ‘corruption’ and ‘short-cuts’ synonyms to Juagaad? It is but a technique of getting around (without compromising fundamental ideals) your goal without wasting precious time and ensuring 100% results. We just got to be clear about what we want, critically analyze enabling factors (that can help reach the goal) and smartly use all available advantages.

    05.   Regrettably those with a spirit of enterprise in India (like Parle’s Ramesh Chauhan or R Mohan of GoodKnight) gave up their topselling brands to international or larger players like Coca-Cola and Godrej respectively. Are those into Jugaad, short-term entrepreneurs or is there no clear rule? 

    By the fifth question, I’ve begun to realize how misunderstood Jugaad is in our very own country especially by the current generation. In Jugaad, the clear rule is only about how to do business, not what to do with it. It is an enabler to success, not a destination. If someone wants to sell his/her business, that has nothing to do with it. One must know that this practice of doing business prevails even in the smallest of commercial ventures and deliver results everyday. At the outset, I urge everybody not to complicate and over-analyse Jugaad – its success lies in how simple it is!

     

  • He will head the operations of Terra, its rural marketing agency

    Rohit Samarth joins DDB MudraMax as Senior VP, Terra

    By A Correspondent

     

    Rohit Samarth has joined DDB MudraMax as Senior Vice President. He will head the operations of Terra, its rural marketing agency.

     

    Mr Samarth comes from Percept Out of Home, where he was the business head of its rural vertical responsible for all its communication and marketing strategies. With more than 25 years of experience in the industry, Mr Samarth has had the opportunity to work with some of the largest and the most recognized brands in the country.

     

    He started his career with Nestle India, and later worked with various other companies like Media Workshop India, Amar Ujala Prakashan, India Infrastructure Publishing, UCP Integrated Marketing Solutions, and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and Linterland.

     

    Commenting on this new appointment, Mandeep Malhotra, President, DDB MudraMax said, “I am excited for the positive change brought into the BOP offerings at DDB MudraMax. Apart from great knowledge and experience, Rohit brings with him passion and energy to take the existing momentum of the team and the work to a whole new level.”

     

    Commenting on joining DDB MudraMax, Mr Samarth said: “I have some very exciting plans in mind and the focus this year will be to make DDB MudraMax a serious contender for the top spot in the BoP space. Development of strong teams in all disciplines is another of my initial focus areas. I have no doubt that Terra will grow to be one of the most preferred and specialized rural communication solutions provider within the next two years.”

     

    The DDB Mudra Group, a part of the Omnicom Group, is India’s largest integrated marketing communications and services network. The group comprises eight agencies – DDB Mudra, DDB MudraMax, Mudra, DDB Health &Lifestyle, RAPP, Tribal DDB, Water and Maatra.

     

    The DDB Mudra Group utilizes its deep understanding of Indian consumers, brands and media and a customized and collaborative approach to deliver inventive business solutions that help clients build valuable and enduring brands in India.

     

    DDB Mudra Group operates out of its offices in 15 leading cities and is represented in more than twenty other locations, giving it a comprehensive presence across the length and breadth of the country. It has more than 1,100 employees and a reach across 1,75,000 villages, 4000 towns, 3500 schools and nearly 7 million students.

    In 2011, DDB Mudra Group was India’s most awarded agency network at Cannes, Spikes and Abbys among others.

     

  • The architecture & identity of the new DDB Mudra Group will be shared with the media on February 28.

    DDB Mudra announces new ‘A’ team

    By A Correspondent

     

    Madhukar Kamath, Group CEO and MD DDB Mudra Group announced on February 23 that the restructuring of the Mudra Group is complete, and shared a slew of changes in responsibility of his ‘A’ team, pursuant to the Group’s integration with Omnicom and DDB Worldwide.

     

    The architecture & identity of the new DDB Mudra Group will be shared with the media at a press meet scheduled on February 28, in the presence of John Zeigler, Chairman & CEO – DDB Asia Pacific, India & Japan. The effective date for the change of identity and the roll-out will be March 1.

     

    With regard to his senior team, Mr Kamath announced the following:

    Rajiv Sabnis will be President – DDB Mudra Group and will report to him.  He will be responsible for building the DDB Mudra and Mudra brands in Mumbai and the Western Region. He will also be responsible for initiating integration projects and business for DDB MudraMax from the existing clients within DDB Mudra and Mudra.

     

    Ranji Cherian will be President – DDB Mudra Group and will also report to him. He will be responsible for building the DDB Mudra and Mudra brands in the South. He will be responsible for initiating integration projects and business for DDB MudraMax from the existing clients within DDB Mudra and Mudra in the South.

     

    Anurag Bansal will be Director Finance, DDB Mudra Group.   He will now function as deputy to the Group CFO, Dilip Upadhyaya.

     

    Sudarshan Banerjee, apart from his role as Head, Mudra Ahmedabad, will now also be Director – Business Development, DDB Mudra Group and will report to the Group Chief Operating Officer, Pratap Bose.

     

    After a successful stint in Mudra West, Arijit Ray (currently President – Mudra West) will now work with Mr Kamath on a new assignment in the DDB Mudra Group, possibly in the DDB Asia-Pacific network.

     

    “With these changes in place and with Mandeep Malhotra (Mandy) driving the Experiential, Retail and OOH Agenda, Aneil Deepak (Andee) leading the planning and creative function in DDB MudraMax as National Head – Ideas, N.P. Sathyamurthy driving the MudraMax media agenda, Venkat Mallik running RAPP and Tribal DDB, Soumitra Sen and his fast expanding DDB Health & Lifestyle practice, Ashish Mishra in Water, and Radha in Maatra, Vandana Das joining us as President – DDB Mudra Group in Delhi in mid March, Sonal Dabral coming on board as the Chairman & Chief Creative Officer, from  March 1, and Pratap working closely with me as the Group COO and  driving the entire New Business Agenda, I look forward to exciting days ahead,”  said Mr Kamath.

     

    DDB Mudra Group isIndia’s largest integrated marketing communications and services network. Its customized and collaborative approach helps its clients build valuable and enduring brands. The group’s capabilities span Advertising, Media, Digital & Data marketing, Experiential marketing (Promotions, Events, Rural), Trade marketing, Youth marketing, Localization & Pre-Media services and Brand Strategy & Design consultancy.

     

    With over 1,100 employees and 26 offices, offering direct contact across 1,75,000 villages, 4000 towns, 3500 schools and nearly 7 million students, the DDB Mudra Group was India’s most awarded agency network at Cannes, Spikes and Abbys among others in 2011.

     

  • Apollo Munich Health Insurance launched 'Optima Restore', an 'Unbelievable' health insurance product in this unique way

    Apollo makes it ‘snow’ in Chennai

    By A Correspondent

     

    Apollo Munich Health Insurance launched ‘Optima Restore’, an ‘Unbelievable’ health insurance product in a unique way. To bring this offering closer to the people of Chennai, Apollo Munich conceptualized an unbelievable event where the people of Chennai experienced “snowfall in Chennai” at the Express Avenue Mall on February 19.

     

    Mudramax, the agency partnering Apollo Munich in their ‘Unbelievable’ concepts, came up with an execution whereby it snowed in Chennai, a city which has never seen snowfall! An innovative pre-event hype promotion saw promoters distributing Apollo Munich branded balloons with ‘Snowfall in Chennai’ written on it, as invites. Radio also acted as an invite medium to drive people in hordes to the event!

     

    On the day of the event, the team created a maze-like structure through which people could explore their way to the main event, to experience snowfall – for most of them, this was the first time in their lives that they experienced something like this. A snow machine threw imitation snow around an igloo throughout the day, attracting crowds who not just experienced it, but took home the experience, through their mobiles and cameras, to share with others.

     

    To round off the snowfall effect, the team also got them to play a game of skiing on the large screen, using a motion sensing game. Speaking on the event, Mandeep Malhotra, President and Head Mudra Max (OOH, Experiential, Retail) said: “That the event was a huge success can be seen by the number of people who participated. For a mall event to reach out to more than 100,000 people over the weekend is rare. Needless to say, the brand delivered on its promise of offering the ‘Impossible’ to the people of Chennai and I am indeed happy that I was present here personally to experience the same”

     

    Speaking about Optima Restore and unbelievable ‘Snow in Chennai’, Antony Jacob, CEO, Apollo Munich Health Insurance, said: “For the past four years, Apollo Munich has brought to the marketplace, unique and innovative products. Optima Restore is the latest and most exciting with the presence of two unbelievable benefits.”

     

  • To communicate the message of 'TV Off, Mumbai On', Mudra Max-OOH planned and executed an effective OOH media campaign for No TV Day, beginning January 13.

    Mudra Max OOH drives home HT’s No TV Day message

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    Hindustan Times returned with its popular and inclusive initiative on January 28 this year, following its success on January 29, 2011.

     

    What started as an HT initiative became a people’s movement in Mumbai, making it the only city in the world to have its own special day. Hindustan Times called upon Mumbai to switch off TV and be open to the immense possibilities that their relationships and the city had to offer.

     

    To drive home the message – TV Off, Mumbai On, Mudra Max-OOH planned and executed an effective OOH media campaign for No TV Day, beginning January 13.

     

    The agency deployed a wide mix of OOH media, namely billboards, gantries, BQS, DBQS, pole kiosks, in-train branding, bus back/side panels, station branding & domestic airport branding.

     

    Considering the growing population which prefers air travel these days, a few interesting media vehicles such as cutouts on conveyer belts & standees were deployed at strategic locations inside domestic terminals.

     

    To break through the clutter, Mudra Max-OOH executed a couple of innovations at marquee sites in Mumbai (Juhu Koliwada & Mahim Causeway).

     

    Innovation 1: At Mahim Causeway (one of the important congregation points for vehicular traffic in Mumbai), the idea was to create the NTD Facebook homepage on a billboard. There was a daily change in the status, just the way one updates their statuses and the number of growing Facebook fans on the billboard. The status updated continued was for 5 days as a build up towards No TV Day.

     

    Innovation 2: This was executed at Juhu Koliwada / Juhu Tara Road (one of main arterial roads of Mumbai), since the core essence of NTD is TV Off, Mumbai On, this execution tried to bring that alive on a billboard by showing a father-son having fun on the swings in a park and the copy read ‘TV Off, Fun On’. The swinging movement on the billboard caught a lot of attention and was really talked about.

     

    Like last year, Hindustan Times organized a plethora of activities on January 28, encouraging Mumbaiites to step out of their homes and explore the city with their family and friends.

     

    The activities ranged from school painting competition attended by around 34,000 children with their parents, helicopter rides, and exclusive discount deals at more than 400 outlets in the city, heritage rides, dance workshops and many others.

     

    Across the city, around 250 housing societies registered for the No TV Day Best Society contest. A city specific treasure hunt was organized across three zones in Mumbai (western suburbs, Navi Mumbai andSouth Mumbai). While 1,300 participants raced against time to reach the finishing point, 3 winners were selected in each zone.

     

    The engagement with Mumbai was sustained in the social media space as well with the HT Mumbai No TV Day Facebook page and a special microsite. In just 3 weeks, 1.5 lakh new fans were added to the No TV Day Facebook community, taking the total strength to 2.5 lakh fans. The Facebook page also generated 6.5 million unique impressions and was the among the top branded Facebook pages inIndiain terms of engagement. On January 28, the strong buzz about the initiative resulted in No TV Day featuring among the top trending topics nationally on Twitter.

     

    There were various partners, such as Railways, Prince of Wales museum and MTDC, and brands like Surf Excel,Toyota, Lays, Micro Technologies and Scrabble who joined in this initiative.

     

    Ajay Dang

    Mandeep Malhotra, President, Mudra Max (OOH, Retail, Experiential) said: “NO TV DAY is an annual property built by HT and we were required to create a history connecting the brand with Mumbaikars. Our aim was to establish a property better and louder than the last year’s campaign. In a city dominated by competitors, it was an indispensable task to keep Mumbai ‘On’ for a quality life. We, along with HT, delivered the message effectively and took OOH from the position of a reminder medium to a call for action platform.”

     

    Ajay Dang, Marketing Head (West and South),HindustanTimes said: “Very few times does an initiative by a brand/ newspaper becomes a people’s movement. Hindustan Times has added an important day in the calendar of Mumbai when the city takes time to reconnect to important relationships be it family and friends or the city that we call home.”

     

  • Mr Malhotra will handle experiential businesses and retail cluster along with his current responsibility as Head, OOH

    Mandeep Malhotra is President & Head, Mudra Max

    By A Correspondent

     

    Mandeep Malhotra has recently been elevated as President & Head at Mudra Max. He will be in-charge of the Mudra Max offerings comprising of experiential businesses (Kidstuff, Celsius, Terra and Concrea) and retail cluster which include Prime Retail, Prime Consult, Prime Wayfinding, Multiplier and Pratham.

     

    Mr Malhotra will handle these responsibilities in addition to his current role as Head, OOH. He will be reporting to Pratap Bose.

     

    Commenting on his appointment, Mr Malhotra said: “I am proud to be part of Mudra Max, a specialist agency that offers its clients an integrated approach to brand and business solutions. The agency is a great place to work as it provides a supportive and enabling environment that helps people realize their full potential. I look forward to taking charge of this mandate and leading my team in achieving new highs for our clients.”

     

    Pratap Bose, COO Mudra Group said: “Over the last 3 years, Mandeep has done a commendable job in driving the growth and profitability of our OOH businesses and also in creating the finest Outdoor team in the country. That apart his charm, confidence and ‘never say die’ spirit, which has always been his biggest asset, has been extremely endearing and infectious.”

     

    With a Masters in Business Advertising fromMelbourne, Mr Malhotra has over 12 years of professional experience in outdoor media. Prior to this appointment, he has worked with Clear ChannelIndia, Rediffusion DY&R,141 Wall Street (the OOH arm of Bates 141), Asian Age, Pioneer and Total Media Melbourne.

     

    He has managed brands such as Tata Indicom, Airtel, Reebok, Discovery, CNN-IBN and Nokia among others. He has won 4 One Show awards, 3 Pencil Awards and a few dozens Outdoor Advertising Awards (OAA).

     

    He was a part of the Gold Lion team atCannes and has also received an award as ‘The Entrepreneur of the Year’, along with bagging ‘The Suit of the Year’ twice at Ogilvy & rmg. He is the brain behind the recent successful launches of Aircel, Pepsi, Reebok, HT, Jet Airways, Reliance Capital, Micromax, Amway among others.

     

    The DDB Mudra Group isIndia’s largest integrated marketing communications and services network. The group’s customized and collaborative approach has helped its clients build valuable and enduring brands. With over 1,100 employees and 26 offices, they offer direct contact across 1,75,000 villages, 4000 towns, 3500 schools and nearly 7 million students. They wereIndia’s most awarded agency network at Cannes 2011.