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Tag: Maxus

  • The GroupM agency lost the Rs 250 Titan account to Madison in Feb, but this is a big win

    Maxus wins ITC from Madison

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    Early in February this year, GroupM agency Maxus lost the Rs 250-odd crore account to Madison. And now it has got back and grabbed the coveted Rs 550+ homegrown cigarettes-to-hotels-to-food products conglomerate ITC Limited from Madison.

     

    As has been known, the account has been bagged in a fiercely contested pitch with five contenders in fray: Madison, GroupM (Maxus), IPG Mediabrands (Lodestar UM), Dentsu Aegis Network (Carat) and Publicis Media.Madison had bagged the ITC account in 2010.

     

    In the last lap, it’s said that other than Madison, Maxus and IPG were in the fray. ITC officials are reported to have visited the Maxus and IPG offices for detailed discussions and an evaluation.

     

    Like it was done with Madison in 2010, Maxus will also set up ‘Team ITC’ a dedicated team to service the business.

     

    The Media AOR will move to Maxus with effect from April 1. According to information received, Madison was informed of the move last week.

     

    Said Kartik Sharma MD of Maxus, South Asia: “We are excited and humbled to be chosen by ITC to be their media partner. We have huge respect and admiration for ITC in the way they have built their business and brands. We are confident that through our consistent investments behind cutting edge tools and a diversified talent pool across data, digital and content we will help deliver competitive edge to ITC for their future growth”

     

    Added CVL Srinivas CEO GroupM, South Asia: “We are delighted to be chosen by ITC as their media agency partner. This win comes as a huge recognition that we are on the right path as far as future proofing our business is concerned in an otherwise highly commoditised media industry. The investments we have made in talent, technology and data are helping us keep our clients ahead of the curve. We look forward to partnering ITC on its next phase of growth”.

     

    Over the years, GroupM as a whole and Maxus specifically have upgraded themselves in technology-led solutions. Last year,  ‘Maxus Kaleidoscope’, a mood-based planning tool was launched. This is Maxus India’s second initiative on behavioural mapping, the first being Moribus, a behavioural sciences lab by a media agency.

     

    Maxus also launched ‘Mesh’, a marketing command centre and dialogue engine, in partnership with Singapore-headquartered social media marketing firm Vocanic. Last year, the agency partnered with Bengaluru-based IoTBLR for pervasive computing. Then there is innovation technology consulting unit ‘Maxus Metalworks’ which is now in the country.

     

    ITC Limited is headquartered in Kolkata, with five diversified business segments: Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG), Hotels, Paperboards and Packaging, Agri Business & Information Technology. The pitch was for the entire media mandate of the company across categories, for both urban and rural markets.

     

    While operations for ITC are generally done from Kolkata, Bengaluru and Mumbai, it is rumoured that it is likely that part of the ITC’s business operations may relocate to Mumbai in the near future.

     

  • At least four media majors have pitched for the coveted ITC media account

    Titan goes to Madison. Now all eyes on ITC…

    By A Correspondent

     

    Madison Media has reportedly bagged the coveted Titan account. GroupM agency Maxus was the AOR until now. We use the word reported, because while we have had it confirmed, no one has gone on record. The account is estimated to be in the region of Rs 200 crore.

     

    Meanwhile, all eyes in the industry are on the ITC pitch. The final presentations happened last Saturday in Bengaluru and four agencies have pitched for the account: incumbent Madison, GroupM, IPG Mediabrands and Publicis Media.

     

    ITC is Madison Media’s biggest account and any movement of that could be a huge blow to agency. However, the FMCG major is not known to change agencies on a whim so Madison could well retain the business even as there is some very strong competition from the other three.

     

  • The very first phase included time checks sponsored by Sonata; as time-checks have a synergistic fit with the 8‘o’clock button awareness generation

    Maxus co-creates innovative radio campaign for Sonata’s safety watch ‘ACT’

    By A Correspondent

     

    Maxus has partnered with Big FM to co-create and conceptualize a powerful radio campaign for Sonata’s newly launched safety watch ACT– App-Enabled Coordinates Tracker, designed exclusively for women. The watch has a button placed at the 8’clock position which when double clicked sends distress alarms to 10 designated guardians. Keeping in line the safety features and uniqueness of the watch, an innovative three-tiered campaign using radio as a medium was executed in 21 cities.

     

    The very first phase included time checks sponsored by Sonata; as time-checks have a synergistic fit with the 8‘o’clock button awareness generation. The second phase comprised of conversations with some of the great Indian women achievers like Sakshi Malik, Saundarya Rajesh, Sujitha Bora, Tashi & Nungshi, Deepa Malik, Sneha Mohandass and many more with RJ Richa Anirudh on a show titled as ‘ManzilPeNazar’, bringing alive their stories of courage and achievement. In the third phase, Big FM will be shifting their studios at various on-ground public locations and bringing in 12 hours live programming from 8 pm – 8 am with an all-female crew. This first of its kind activity will take place across five metros – Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore and Chennai, from January 4th till January 7th, 2017.

     

    Elaborating on the campaign, Sanchayeeta Verma - Managing Partner, Maxus South Asia, South India said, “Sonata ACT is a smart watch with a purpose, enabling women to courageously follow their dreams. Safety is a need for every woman and concerns not only her, but her family and colleagues as well. However, we also noticed a low adoption of current safety options and realized that we needed de-mystification of the technology, create a wave of collective participation from women to corporates, and build a habit of mindfulness and usage. To do this we needed a platform with relatable real-life people & generate momentum. Our effectiveness studies have shown high ROI for radio. The medium not only helps participation and engagement, but also offers significant digital platforms and multimedia amplification. We therefore worked at creating this unique and mega-scale initiative with Big FM that we believe will show great results.”

     

    Talking about the initiative Suparna Mitra- Chief Marketing Officer – watches and accessories, Titan Company Ltd. said, “In India, safety is a huge concern for women and their families. As Indian women are evolving and progressing to take on more challenges, we realized there is a huge market for a safety watch which will help women pursue their dreams.  With Sonata ACT, we want to bring alive an element of courage and passion. Uniquely priced between Rs. 2,749/- to Rs. 2,999/-, Sonata ACT cuts across all demographics. It is a break-through product from Sonata and our aim is to reach out to every woman and benefit as many consumers through our communication activities”.

     

    Commenting on the partnership, Tarun Katial, CEO, BIG Network said, “We at 92.7 BIG FM, are thrilled about the initiative that Sonata has implemented on a large scale as part of the brand launching a line of safety watches called ‘ACT-App-Enabled Coordinates Tracker’. There are plenty of inspiring stories about women that deserve to be told, and with Sonata ACT we are promoting their unstoppable spirit.”

     

  • Masses show ‘patient restraint’ post-demonetisation, says Maxus study

    The demonetisation of the Rs 500 and Rs 2000 currency notes at 8pm on the eve of the US election 2016 results by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was a surprise announcement that triggered a significant upward kink in social media chatter.

    Maxus Kaleidoscope mapped the mood basis the location based Twitter and Instagram conversations in India between November 8 and 24 by when one had a clearer picture of the how the initial euphoria of the demonetisation panned out over time.

    Location0based Tweets and Instagram Posts oscillated largely between Action oriented and Calm Moods in the fortnight since the demonetisation from an All India basis. Calm moods were dominant in the North Eastern states of Mizoram and Meghalaya as depicted in the map below.

     

     

    Nearly 5 lakh conversations on Twitter and Instagram made up the Top 10 trending topics. Demonetisation accounted for six of the Top 10 trending topics since the announcement of which the Prime Minister garnered half of the trending topics. #IamwithModi and #Modi were the topics that made up for 19% of the conversations within the top 10 trends. Cricket shared a bit of the spotlight from demonetization thanks to the ongoing England-India test series.

     

     

    A total of 23 brands of were linked to the top 10 trending topics during the past fortnight. These brands factored in slightly over 30% of the total conversations of which PayTM (avg. 53% association) and SBI (avg. 16% association) carved out the larger part of the Brand Share of Conversation.

    Samsung and Amazon also managed to gain a significant share of overall conversations however Samsung conversations were largely based on humorous conversations around the Samsung Galaxy Note and demonetisation of currency notes.

    The Top 5 metros reflected similar patterns of Moods where Action dominated the moods however there were some days especially like November 17 in Delhi when the expression of Calm gave way to Action. Additionally Tamil Nadu showed a blip towards Anxiety on the November 18, 19 and 21 when subsequent announcements of the demonetisation easing by the government and news of the CM Ms. Jayalalithaa seemed to have driven up the specific mood.

     

     

    Overall, across the top cities in India there is a sense of patient restraint as the demonetisation moves on into the 3rd week and nears the critical end of the month period when cash flows really come into play.

     

  • The programme hosted some of the leading names of the communication and media industry and was a showcase of the impressive and outstanding work of organizations in this sector

    Mindshare, Maxus win big at Ad Club Bangalore’s Big Bang Awards

    ​Prasanth Kumar, CEO, Mindshare South Asia and team winning the Media Agency of the Year award of the Advertising Club Bangalore

     

    By A Correspondent

    Ad Club Bangalore successfully concluded the 21st edition of its annual awards – Big Bang Awards for excellence in communication and media on September 23, 2016 at Jayamahal Palace, Bangalore. This year, the event wasn’t just confined to awards night but was conceptualised in a manner to encourage the ideology of Connected India, which was the theme of the event. The evening commenced with Nihaal Kashinath (Founder, IOT Bangalore), S Anand (Chief Executive Officer, Gramener) and Arunabh Kumar (Founder & CEO, The Viral Fever & TVF Media Labs) sharing their opinion and views as guest speakers on Internet of Things, Connected Data, and Connected Content respectively.

    The programme hosted some leading names of the communication and media industry and was a showcase of the impressive and outstanding work of organizations in this sector. Stark Communications was named Creative Agency of the Year. Mindshare and Maxus were the biggest winners of the night bagging awards for Media, Digital, and Social Media Agencies of the year, respectively. Saatchi and Saatchi Health won the Healthcare Agency of the Year. Tata Sky won the Client of the Year Award winning across several categories.

    Commenting on the awards programme, Sanchayeeta Verma, President Ad Club Bangalore and Managing Partner, Maxus, South India & South Asia, said, “We had unprecedented interest and participation in Big Bang Awards this year and the effort was to have a meaningful and enriching event for our media, creative and marketing fraternity. I am happy that we were able to do so. Also, we had really interesting and spirited work which truly epitomised Connected India. Our heartiest congratulations to all the winners.”

    This year Big Bang awards were presented under four major categories – Creative, Media (Including Data & Tech), Digital, and Health. The awards assessment involved an online jury selection process. On the panel, 56 senior advertising, marketing, media, PR and digital industry experts and thought leaders were deployed by Ad Club. “We are the only Indian Ad Club using a sophisticated online jury process. Every jury member scores independently based on the facts presented in the entry form. No jury member knows who else is in his group and the identity of the entrant,” explained Arvind Kumar, Executive Director of The Ad Club Bangalore.


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    Client of the Year

    Tata Sky

    Media Agency of the Year
    (Covers Digital, Mobile and Traditional Media)

    Mindshare

    Social Media Agency of the year

    Maxus

    Creative Agency of the Year

    Stark Communications

    Healthcare Agency of the Year

    Saatchi & Saatchi Health

     

  • Smith will continue to be based in London and will report into Nick Vale

    Maxus appoints global creative director

    By A Correspondent

     

    Maxus Global has announced the appointment of Jen Smith, currently head of strategy and planning for Maxus UK, as its first ever global Creative Director. Smith will be responsible for overseeing all of Maxus Global’s creative output.

     

    Smith joined Maxus UK in 2013 as head of planning, before expanding her role to include strategy where she restructured the team to enable Maxus UK to better provide insight-led, ideas-focussed and technology-rich solutions across the agency. Smith was also instrumental in creating Change Planning, Maxus’ bespoke planning process.

     

    In 2016, Smith developed a bespoke creativity training scheme, taking ten percent of the agency on a journey of facilitation techniques and creative problem solving. Each of these creative champions are driving learnings out across the entire agency.

     

    In her new role, Smith will focus on the delivery of outstanding creative work for clients both on a UK and global level, and she will also expand the UK creativity leadership programme for all Maxus employees worldwide.

     

    Announcing the promotion, Lindsay Pattison, Maxus worldwide CEO, said: “Jen has been an absolutely integral part of Maxus UK; she’s a brilliant communicator and left field thinker, and has consistently come up with ideas that move the needle for our clients and make us a more efficient, creative business.

     

    Added Smith: “Maxus is a super fast and agile global agency and there’s a fantastic opportunity to drive creativity across our network. Clients are calling out for work that is brave, problem-solving and with one foot firmly planted in the future. I’m looking forward to taking the initiatives that have delivered in the UK out across the world, creating creativity leadership programmes, along with developing stronger and senior creative opportunities for key clients across the globe.”

     

    Smith will continue to be based in London and will report into Nick Vale Worldwide Head of Planning and Nick Baughan, CEO Maxus UK. She will split her time 50/50 between Maxus UK and Maxus Global.

     

  • This is Essence's fifth APAC office and the India ops will be supported by Maxus

    GroupM digital agency Essence enters India

    By A Correspondent

     

    Essence, a global digital agency that was acquired by GroupM in November 2015, has announced the kickstart of operations in India with the opening of its office in New Delhi NCR. This will be the agency’s fifth office in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region and the third to open its doors this year. Essence, billed as the largest buyer of digital media, is GroupM’s fifth global brand.

     

    To help ease its transition into India, Essence turned to Maxus, a GroupM agency in India.  The unified Essence-Maxus team will be based out of the GroupM Delhi office.  In addition to transferring several existing Essence and Maxus employees to fill relevant positions, the agency is actively recruiting to hire local, outside talent for roles across the account management, strategy and planning, advertising operations, biddable and performance disciplines. Kunal Guha, client partner and head of strategy, APAC, is serving as the Essence office lead, reporting into Kyoko Matsushita, CEO of APAC.

     

    “We are delighted to bring Essence into India at a time when more and more clients are looking at cutting edge digital media solutions for their brands. With their very focussed approach they have built deep client engagements globally. Our digital offering in India is further strengthened by their opening of an office here,” said CVL Srinivas, CEO, South Asia at GroupM.

     

    “Just over three years ago, Essence opened its first APAC office in Singapore,” said Matsushita.  “It’s incredible what we’ve been able to accomplish in such a short period of time.  Working with innovative clients has helped Essence unlock opportunities to bring digital innovation to the region.  We see even more opportunity in India and are excited to align with GroupM as we navigate this crucial market.”

     

  • Priya Choudhury to be lead on the P&G business, K Srinivas Rao to take charge of national buying role from Choudhury

    MediaCom beefs up top deck

    By A Correspondent

     

    Media agency MediaCom has announced changes and additions to its leadership team in India. Priya Choudhury who used to lead buying nationally moves as the lead on the P&G business. K Srinivas Rao (Srini as he is known) joins MediaCom to take over the national buying role from Choudhury. Both will report to Rathi Gangappa, COO, MediaCom India

     

    Rao moves to MediaCom from Maxus, where he used to lead trading for the north. He has over 18 years of experience across agencies and media owners. He will be based in Delhi. Said Debraj Tripathy, Managing Director, MediaCom on the moves “I am delighted to see Priya grow from her current role and have Srini on board. I am confident both of them will shine in their new roles”

     

    Commenting on her new role, Choudhury added “it’s a pleasure and privilege to be working with a prestigious portfolio such as P&G’s. My three-year stint as the buying lead at MediaCom has been very rewarding and I hope to continue the excitement as the P&G AOR lead”

     

    Said Rao: “MediaCom is known for its people centric culture. I’m looking forward to being part of this wonderful team of people and clients and taking the buying products to the next level.”

     

  • Mindshare topped the metals with 17 awards tally followed by Maxus with 7. Lodestar UM and Madison Media bagged six metals each

    Winnning ways for Mindshare

     

    Media agency major topped the metals tally at the Media Abby awards held on Day 1 of Goafest 2016. Mindshare was awarded two Golds, six Silvers and nine Bronze metals. The first runner-up was sibling Maxus with seven metals (one Gold, two Silvers and four Bronzes).

     

    The parameters we were looking for was work that is fresh and unique, said Pratap Bose, Jury Chair of the Media Awards, adding that the jury did not find any of the shortlisted entries making the cut for a Grand Prix, the highest level of the awards.

     

    Lodestar UM and Madison Media secured six metals each with four Silvers and two Bronze awards. New entrant The Social Street won two golds and two silvers.

     

    There were a total of 76 agencies which participated in the Media Abby, sending in 1015 entries this year. The number of jury members was 86 and a total of 77 metals were awarded (11 Golds, 36 Silvers and 30 Bronzes).

     

    For Prasanth Kumar, CEO, Mindshare South Asia, it is a continuation of the agency’s winning ways after the agency coming out tops at last year’s Emvies Awards of the Advertising Club. “Yes, we ended 2015 with 176 awards and this year has also been equally spectacular,” he said, adding that the emphasis is on providing innovative solution to clients to break the clutter and fragmentation.

     

    Along with the Media Abby, the Publisher Abby awards were also presented. Dainik Jagran newspaper was presented 10 of the 17 awards.

     

     

     

  • A location based mood mapping tool for audiences in India

    Maxus unveils Kaleidoscope

    By A Correspondent

     

    Maxus India launched ‘Maxus Kaleidoscope’, a unique mood based planning tool. Inspired by British physician Dr. Liz Miller’s mapping principle of defining one’s mood, this web based tool will enable brands in India to align their communication basis the emotional and behavioral parameters of the audience. The tool measures parameters such as ‘Share of Mood’, ‘Receptivity of Audience’ and ‘Appropriate Moment’ for engagement from a brand and audience perspective. This is Maxus India’s second initiative on behavioural mapping the first being Moribus – first of its kind behavioural sciences lab by a media agency in partnership with the Mumbai University.

     

    Lindsay Pattison

    The tool was launched by Lindsay Pattison, Global CEO, Maxus at a media round table with the entire Global Executive Committee, along with Ajit Varghese, CEO, Maxus APAC. The round table further discussed their vision for Maxus India in 2016 as well as how the domestic market contributes to the global brand.

     

    The fundamental premise of ‘Maxus Kaleidoscope’ is that every decision of humankind is based on feelings. Different moods denote diverse feelings and reactions, making it important for brands to be sensitive in their messaging. Data on a brand’s share of mood and audience receptivity can help a marketing campaign reduce ad avoidance and wastage. Mood based audience segmentation has a greater probability of effective communication, vis a vis demographic segmentation.

     

    Speaking to the media about the tool, Lindsay Pattison, Global CEO, Maxus said “With access to real time data, brands can move beyond demographics into behavior consumer profiling. Maxus Kaleidoscope is a first step towards mood and receptivity profiling, so brands have an insight on what their target consumer is feeling, and build their communication around a ‘mood’.”

     

    Lindsay and the Global team also discussed India’s new initiatives, including Maxus India’s focus in 2016 on the trinity of data, digital and content. While IoTBLR Partnership and Metalworks form key components of the digital pillar, Moribus and Maxus Kaleidoscope are one of a kind tools that differentiate our data and analytics product. The content marketing pillar is an enabler that provides brands the opportunity for greater engagement with brands.

     

    Commenting on India, Lindsay further added, “India is a benchmark market for us. In 2016, we are looking at a growth poised in double digits, fueled by innovation within the trinity of data, digital and content. India is one of those unique markets where traditional media and digital media are growing together. We are most excited about developments in mobile media and advertising, and have a lot to learn from this mobile-first market. Our focus in 2016 is to develop a diverse skillset that will be future ready for all our clients and brands.”

     

  • Maxus and IoTBLR will work together with their brands in building new products and consumer engagement solutions

    Maxus announces partnership with IoTBLR

    By A Correspondent

     

    Global marketing communications consultancy, Maxus has announced a new partnership with the IoTBLR Foundation for Pervasive Computing (IoTBLR).

     

    IoTBLR is a leading IoT (Internet of Things) focused meet-up group. IoTBLR was founded as an open community by NihalKashinath with a vision to grow awareness on IoT, empower individuals and organizations to build connected products, and create impact by leveraging pervasive computing solutions. Today IoTBLR has entrepreneurs, working professionals, students, researchers, investors, journalists, hobbyists, etc. as its members. Members can attend workshops/talks/hackathons, work together on IoT projects, share equipment and resources, build IoT solutions and startups, and generally stay updated about the latest developments in the connected world.

     

    Maxus and IoTBLR will work together with their brands in building new products and consumer engagement solutions.

     

    Nihal Kashinath

    Talking about the partnership, Nihal Kashinath, Founder, IOTBLR said “We are very excited about working with Maxus and look forward to co-creating more campaigns and product prototypes that have rarely, if ever, been conceptualized before. We bring in a lot of technological firepower around the Internet of Things, wearable tech, virtual and augmented reality, rapid prototyping, etc as well as a massive developer network from which to crowd-source ideas plus expertise. To put these to work in the context of a brand’s story is terribly exciting for us. There is a symbiotic relationship between creative campaigns and bleeding-edge technologies, and from our interactions so far with the Maxus team, we can confidently say that this partnership is going to push creative technology to stratospheric levels (possibly literally). So get ready to see futuristic tech come alive today”.

     

    Unny Radhakrishnan

    Unny Radhakrishnan, Chief Digital Officer, Maxus said “We have been working with IoTBLR for some time now and it is a great learning experience. We had earlier launched Maxus Metalworks, our R&D lab, to work in the areas of emerging technologies and completed a couple of projects. Our teams have been conducting specialized workshops for some of our clients as well. This new partnership will help us keep our pace in understanding technology and leverage it for marketing and consumer services”

     

  • Maxus and IoTBLR will work together with their brands in building new products and consumer engagement solutions

    Maxus announces partnership with IoTBLR

    By A Correspondent

     

    Global marketing communications consultancy, Maxus has announced a new partnership with the IoTBLR Foundation for Pervasive Computing (IoTBLR).

     

    IoTBLR is a leading IoT (Internet of Things) focused meet-up group. IoTBLR was founded as an open community by NihalKashinath with a vision to grow awareness on IoT, empower individuals and organizations to build connected products, and create impact by leveraging pervasive computing solutions. Today IoTBLR has entrepreneurs, working professionals, students, researchers, investors, journalists, hobbyists, etc. as its members. Members can attend workshops/talks/hackathons, work together on IoT projects, share equipment and resources, build IoT solutions and startups, and generally stay updated about the latest developments in the connected world.

     

    Maxus and IoTBLR will work together with their brands in building new products and consumer engagement solutions.

     

    Talking about the partnership, Nihal Kashinath, Founder, IOTBLR said “We are very excited about working with Maxus and look forward to co-creating more campaigns and product prototypes that have rarely, if ever, been conceptualized before. We bring in a lot of technological firepower around the Internet of Things, wearable tech, virtual and augmented reality, rapid prototyping, etc as well as a massive developer network from which to crowd-source ideas plus expertise. To put these to work in the context of a brand’s story is terribly exciting for us. There is a symbiotic relationship between creative campaigns and bleeding-edge technologies, and from our interactions so far with the Maxus team, we can confidently say that this partnership is going to push creative technology to stratospheric levels (possibly literally). So get ready to see futuristic tech come alive today”.

     

    Unny Radhakrishnan, Chief Digital Officer, Maxus said “We have been working with IoTBLR for some time now and it is a great learning experience. We had earlier launched Maxus Metalworks, our R&D lab, to work in the areas of emerging technologies and completed a couple of projects. Our teams have been conducting specialized workshops for some of our clients as well. This new partnership will help us keep our pace in understanding technology and leverage it for marketing and consumer services”