Dentsu Creative celebrates the achievement of Devansh Chaudhary, Associate Creative Director – Copy, and Rohit Sharma, Art Director, who have won the Kyoorius Young Blood Award 2024 for their work ‘Cali: The Indian Denim Thread’. The winners will be honoured with the Red Elephant – an award that recognises excellence and innovation among young professionals under 28 years of age.
The challenge, presented by brief partner Myntra, was to reimagine the timeless denim with an Indian twist and create a narrative that reflects the rich and diverse culture of India, with a contemporary appeal.Under the guidance of Manzoor Alam – Executive Creative Director, Dentsu Creative India, the duo created the winning proposition.
Amit Wadhwa
Speaking on the win, Amit Wadhwa, CEO, Dentsu Creative India said: “We are extremely proud of Devansh and Rohit, who have shown exceptional talent and originality in their work. They have not only met the challenge but also exceeded our expectations by creating a product that is both functional and meaningful. This recognition reinforces our belief in nurturing and empowering creative minds to make a lasting impact on the industry.”
Myntra launched its new brand campaign, ‘Trend IRL (In Real life)’, featuring actor Kiara Advani.
Notes a communique: “The campaign features a series of films spotlighting various trends, from ruffle dresses to corpcore in western wear, and from ready-to-wear sarees to summer sharara sets in ethnic wear, reinforcing Myntra’s position as one of the trendsetting leaders.”
British brand French Connection, along with Myntra, has announced actor Siddhant Chaturvedi as its first brand ambassador in the country. The campaign featuring Siddhant showcases the brand’s new range of fashion fits and the ad campaign is visible across regions and various mediums.
Notes a communique: “Siddhant has made a promising start to his acting career with stunning performances in Inside Edge, Gully Boy, Gehraiyaan and Phone Bhoot. With a slew of exciting movie projects lined up and a thriving fan base, the actor is sure to leave a mark in the minds of the audiences. With him at the helm, French Connection’s new campaign is set to build stronger brand salience with its young and sophisticated audience cohorts across top metros and tier 1 cities in the country.”
Myntra, fashion e-commerce platform, unveiled House of Pataudi in October 2018 with Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan. The brand collections are inspired by Saif Ali Khan’s personality statement, which considers his Pataudi heritage and contemporary fashion.
In a recent ad film, House of Pataudi brand, highlighted Indian traditions and ethnic clothing. The film focused on the brother-sister banter during which they discovered unexpected twinning on a festive day. Soha opens her surprise gift and finds a gorgeous ‘House of Pataudi’ outfit. She discovers unexpectedly that her outfit matches that of her brother & they looked terrific when twinning!
On the day of the shoot, Saif and Soha were seen enjoying this unique concept and were often caught in an exchange of laughter. Along with creating the commercial, TVA Productions also executed the whole campaign photoshoot for the brand.
Harish Ramaswamy, Deputy Director, Marketing for Myntra’s House of Brands portfolio, said: “Working with TVA Productions with such a talented cast was incredible. It is one of the best brand shoots we have ever done. Special thanks to TVA for making this happen on such short notice. Despite many challenges and tight timelines, they remained available at 7 a.m. or 11 p.m. Throughout the process, the team ensured a smooth execution and timely delivery. This couldn’t have been done with anyone else, so big thanks to TVA.”
Tarika Gulabani, the co-founder of TVA Group, added: “We are delighted to be able to work with such a wonderful team at Myntra, who trusted us with this project. It was an interesting concept for us to crack. At TVA, we prioritize quality over everything else. Working with the House of Pataudi and Myntra team was fantastic and great fun.”
Myntra, the fashion e-commerce platform, has signed up Hrithik Roshan, Vijay Deverakonda and Dulquer Salmaan as its newest brand ambassadors, alongside the existing celebrity ambassadors, Kiara Advani, and Samantha Akkineni.
Speaking on the announcement of the new brand ambassadors and the launch of the brand campaign, Harish Narayanan, CMO, Myntra, said: “We are elated to welcome all the superstars to the Myntra family. These top fashion icons, who are also acclaimed fashion connoisseurs, will be a part of Myntra’s biggest star-studded campaign ever. The campaign will strongly reinforce Myntra’s position as ‘India’s Fashion Expert’ with differentiated fashion offerings and unparalleled shopping experience pivoted on technology. This campaign will cut across demographics and build a deeper relationship with our customers across the country.”
The Bhima Jewelers ad. The Kalyan Jewelers ad starring Katrina Kaif and Amitabh Bachhan. The Myntra Anouk ad from 2015. Geeli Puchhi, from the Ajeeb Daastaans anthology released on Netflix.
What do these all have in common?
Other than the six-year-old Myntra ad, they all released last week and focus on inclusion and diversity as their central themes. Some sparked conversation and high appreciation, the Kalyan Jewelers ad, which touched upon inter-cultural marriage (though very lightly) focused more on the stars rather than the story was a lost opportunity. I wonder whether the inter-cultural theme was touched upon lightly to avoid a furor similar to the one caused by the withdrawn Tanishq ad
In the last few years, Inclusive Marketing has become quite common (and hallelujah for that). Unilever’s Dove really started the trend with the Real Beauty Ad campaign in 2004, but for long, Dove was the lone ranger with other major brands peddling narratives focused on the rich and beautiful. This despite the fact that their target audience was not always rich but aspiration rather than acceptance was the calling card. In the last few years, facilitated by the interwebs that the masses have gained exposure to, progressive ideas and conversations around inclusiveness have become mainstream. This has helped to both start and sustain many a cultural revolution while also becoming a part of many brand narratives.
Inclusive Marketing will continue to catch on as more people become conscious of their biases, and are willing to pay a premium to overcome past prejudices. Brands will play to the gallery, because it is good for business however, in the race for the revenue is where many narratives fumble.
Inclusive marketing as defined by Salesforce is the creation of content that truly reflects the diverse communities that they serve. This means, they make a concerted effort in elevating diverse voices and role models, decreasing cultural bias, and leading positive social change through thoughtful and respectful content.
Their six principles of inclusiveness in communication cover the gamut of what inclusive marketing should cover
Inclusive marketing principles as defined by Salesforce
Start with Tone, & Be Intentional with Language
Both tone and language form a crucial part of inclusive communication. While language most brands are cognizant of ensuring that the tone is respectful is as important.
Avoid Appropriation
Many pieces of communication made on marginalised communities miss nuance as there is only so much that research can do. Hence, ensuring that the narrative is written or whetted by people from the community is key to an authentic narrative.
Ensure Representation
Marginalised communities anyways have limited opportunity; hence the cast should be as close ethnically to the character as possible. A good example from cinema is the stories told by Dalit film -aker Neeraj Ghaywan who made Masaan and recently the most acclaimed short of the Netflix anthology Ajeeb Daastaans, Geeli Puchhi. Being from the community, Ghaywan’s stories have authenticity about caste and privilege unlike other narratives, because he understands the depth of the issue.
Consider Context & Counter Stereotype
The truth is that brands are putting forward messages about inclusion and acceptance because the audience relates. Advertising has relied on clichés and stereotypes for far too long and evolving audiences are finally allowing brands to showcase storylines, which break the glass ceiling. Brands should embrace this and stop showing a fat woman as the sidekick friend or a male boss with women subordinates. This gem from Heineken, which truly speaks to not let perception drive functioning, elucidates this point well.
Inclusivity can help brands connect on a deeper, more meaningful level with their audiences — which can be a major asset to marketing campaigns.
In a country like India where the landscape, language culture changes every 100 kilometers, inclusivity and acceptance become all the more important because even the most privileged Indians feel marginalised in multiple ways – the colour of their skin, height, weight, hometown, knowledge of English and umpteen others.
I can’t tell you the joy I feel when I land up on a ecommerce website only to see models with real proportions (and I am not even plus-sized)
However, it is imperative that inclusive marketing is not used as a crutch to prop up marketing communication, because audiences are smart. As Salesforce’s principles entail being inclusive without being representative is commercial, and audiences see through the charade, which end up being counter-productive.
Beyond just a focus on bottom-line and hopes for virality, companies should ensure they are inclusive inside the company by applying these principles to HR and recruitment policies, and in their day to day functioning.
So, Myntra decides to change its logo because an activist sees it differently. She files a police complaint because it offends her misplaced sensibilities. She has taken a long time to react. In one simple tectonic moment, she achieved a few things. She made everyone think dirty and see images where none existed.
What surprised me, was neither the meek surrender by Myntra nor the right business decision to change the logo! But, the brand keeping it out of circulation for a month.
The controversy broke (or was allowed to break) with the new logo. I love it. Now everyone knows the changed Myntra logo. There is a positive buzz, and almost everyone is with the brand! Oh, not everyone, the activist and few other people like her have a different take.
LOGO KA REACTION
Sonal Dabral @agrakadabra in his style tweeted, ‘Kucch Toh Log Kahenge, Logo ka Kaam hai Kehna’. Making us realise the converse of the saying, ‘Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder’ is also true. KV Sridhar aka @kvpops summed it right: ‘#Myantra logo is like an inkblot, it tests your imagination and state of mind. I have never seen people with such rotten imagination’.
LOGO KI PROBLEM
The logo controversy created problems for many.
Some can’t unsee the old Myntra logo without thinking what the activist was thinking. Women now understand how a simple orange blot can mean so many things. And few are still trying to understand what it is all about.
I worry everything will be seen with a different lens. No more me using such patterns in doodles and zentangles. Water drops are out because of their shape. No more using two Os together, like in Look, book, took as it may suggest another part of the female body. Try to stop using M, W, K, L, and O. Life has a new problem. People can take offence to search on gOOgle.
LOGO KE DEKHNE KA NAZARIYA
Fertile minds on social media have allowed their imagination a free run. The experts started seeing things differently. The glasses are now tainted with a sexual overtone.
KUCH LOGO KI PROBLEM
The activist raised a question. Brand Myntra acknowledged.
Now people are pointing out new visual interpretations of the well-known logos. Here are a few more the social media pointed out. Will someone file a complaint?
McDonald’s, articles are suggesting, has a shape that represents a mummy’s mammaries. People ask if the arrow in Amazon is a male organ. The Airbnb does raise eyebrows. An idli brand is more of a problem. Tesla is not a long shot if the Doordarshan emblem seems like 69. Keep watching social media and many more will surface soon.
EXTRA HINT
Here is a Libresse- Viva la Vulva commercial to watch for reference in case someone is indecisive. Suddenly, too many things may start looking objectional.
VERMAJEE SPEAKS
This was important, and I could not avoid discussing it with my dear friend and brand consultant Vermajee. Like most of us, he says he never saw the Myntra logo in the way the activist suggested. And it has opened a few questions. Brands now have another filter to check their choices.
However, the marketing, PR and the legal Myntra at Myntra need to be complimented. They kept the controversy out for more than a month, from the time the complaint was made. Myntra took the right decision and controlled the breaking of the news only after the January 26 weekend sale and just before the Budget, which will anyway change the discussion subject. They managed the window of discussion and yet made everyone aware of the change of logo. More so, being transparent and giving the activist all the credit (blame) for seeing it differently, created a positive vibe for the brand. And he appreciates and applaud the people at Myntra consulting and taking the call.
BRAND MORE THAN JUST THE LOGO
He additionally says that Myntra brand has always been progressive in approach. He does not believe that even the designers and the brand saw the old logo differently.
Myntra Anouk ads ( Pregnancy, Move, Visit, Wait and single mother) tell you how the brand things and support being bold and beautiful. Reason enough for Vermajee to believe brand Myntra would be the last one to approve the logo if they saw it how many others see it. Maybe that is why people, even after pointing out, want to remain blind.
Myntra has announced the launch of #BeUnskippable, a new brand campaign that highlights its role as a fashion expert for its customers. The positioning pivots on Myntra being the facilitator for people to make an impression with fashion.
Said Harish Narayanan, Head – Marketing, Myntra Jabong: “This is an important campaign for Myntra from a brand perspective as it implies a shift in our positioning with the progress we have made so far as a brand. We have passed the stage of defining who we are or what we offer, which is clear in the minds of our consumers and so are focussing on aspects related to enhancing the spirit of fashion in people, showcasing that we understand their needs and how we can help them. The new campaign establishes a strong pay off for people looking to make a lasting impression through fashion.”
DAN Consult has roped in Rahul Jaiswal as Principal – E-commerce. Jaiswal will be based out of Mumbai and will report to Lalit Bhagia, CEO, DAN Consult. His chief mandate will be to help build a client-facing e-commerce consulting practice.
Before joining DAN Consult, Rahul has driven growth for Myntra as Deputy Director – Category Marketing, Strategy & Operations, where he led brand solutions, category marketing and monetisation, and helped scale ad revenues over two years.
Lalit Bhagia
Said Bhagia: “Rahul’s rich experience in E-commerce will be invaluable to us. With Rahul coming on board, we look forward to helping brands, retailers and e-commerce platforms help scale their business. We already have some large clients where we are leading E-commerce strategy and growth, Rahul’s expertise here would be deeply valued. Rahul has been building brand partnerships via ad-sales and marketing, growing category revenues by multi-channel marketing interventions, and leading strategy and operations to build and monitor effective ad inventory (supply) that drives demand for ad monetization, and conversion and ROI for brands and categories.”
Wavemaker and Banijay Asia have partnered with Myntra to create a digital reality show – Myntra Fashion Superstar. The show is aimed at identifying country’s most sought after digital fashion influencer. The eight-part reality show will go live on Myntra app on September 17, 2019. Actor Sonakshi Sinha and celebrity stylist Shaleena Nathani will be the judges.
Speaking about the show, the Myntra spokesperson said, “Consumers these days look for experiences coming from people whom they can relate to, which are more authentic. Fashion as a category is highly dominated by influencers who play a huge role in consumer’s decision making journey. Rather than create for them, we realized that we should put them in the centre and create with them and take the game to the next level.”
“Fashion and Entertainment dominate the lives of young Indians. To cater to their specific needs we decided to combine these two worlds and put together a truly unique and relevant reality show that’s bound to resonate with young India. We are delighted to have found a partner in Wavemaker to bring this idea to life”, says Deepak Dhar, Founder and CEO, Banijay Asia.
Commenting on the initiative, Karthik Nagarajan, Chief Content Officer, Wavemaker said, “In Myntra Fashion Superstar, we landed on an idea that was the perfect marriage between audience centric, digital first content, which was also moving the needle on business goals. In Myntra, we had a client who was willing to push the boundaries and Banijay Asia was the perfect partner for us as their ability to create quality content and innovative concepts at scale, is unmatched in the country. We are delighted to partner with them for such a unique, path-breaking show that promises to merge the boundaries between reality television, digital content and fashion – creating a first of its kind genre along the way.”
Myntra has launched ‘Go Myntra-la-la’, a brand campaign that brings alive the “joyful experience of shopping for fashion on the brand’s platform”. The campaign kicks off starring Myntra’s brand ambassadors Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma.
Said Amar Nagaram, Head, Myntra-Jabong: “Myntra has transformed the overall dynamics of the online fashion industry by offering shoppers unmatched experiences. Technology is enabling us to understand consumers and their fashion needs, resulting in the development and implementation of several innovative features and conveniences on our platform, which have been highlighted vividly in this new campaign.” He further added, “The association of Bollywood and Sports with fashion needs no introduction and hence having Virat and Anushka as the face of this new campaign will enable us to build strong brand salience and establish the joy and convenience of shopping on Myntra.”
E-commerce held centre stage on Day 1 of Goafest 2019 which kicked off at the Grand Hyatt hotel in Bambolim, Goa on Thursday, April 11.
Sponsored by Discovery Channel, the Industry Conclave had the marketing chiefs of the leading e-commerce brands, Amazon, Flipkart and Myntra explain to the audience the dramatic changes that have taken place in the field of digital marketing.
Ravi Desai, Vijay Sharma, Achint Seti and Velumani
Ravi Desai, director, mass and brand marketing, Amazon India explained how the old system of ‘pen portraying’ a customer was completely passé now. Desai said that Amazon India had created a mind-boggling 1,00,000 digital advertisments during Diwali 2018 to address hundreds of customer-types across multiple segments.
Desai explained how primetime TV advertising was also passé. According to the senior executive, the modern-day, urban consumer was consuming content in very different ways. Desai demonstrated with the help of a video clip, how consumers were comfortable directing Amazon’s artificial intelligence device, Alexa to play songs of their choice on Amazon’s Echo, smart speaker system. “If consumers are hooked to this, we need to devise ways and means to catch their attention on this platform,” Desai said.
Citing the example of his teenaged son and his friends, Desai said that multiple TV channels did not interest these teenagers anymore. “They were more keen to play PUBG ( Player Unknown’s Battleground), the popular, online multiplayer game and live streaming video games. Our advertising needs to cater to these new trends,” Desai said.
Quoting Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who said, “Focus obsessively on customers,” Desai explained how building customer loyalty was a prime objective at Amazon. According to Desai, the ‘Amazon Prime’ programme where a customer paid INR 129 every month to avail of a free and fast delivery, advertisement free video streaming, audio streaming and exclusive deals was a step in this direction.
Likewise, Vijay Sharma, associate director, brand marketing and head digital media, Flipkart said that digital marketing and digital brands had changed the face of modern-day marketing. According to Sharma, fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) like Coke and Pepsi had made way for brands like Apple and Google as the world’s leading brands.
Explaining the challenge of digital marketing, Sharma said that artificial intelligence was being used extensively by Flipkart to run its latest advertising and marketing campaign, ‘The Big Billion Days’.
Multiple celebrities and models were roped in to run the popular, ‘Ab Hoga (name of city) budget se mukt!’ digital marketing campaign, which was made to reach a wide audience across the entire country.
In a similar vein, Achint Setia, vice president – marketing, Myntra, explained how the modern-day customer was consuming information across a wide variety of platforms like the internet, television and the android phone. “In such a scenario, we necessarily have to use artificial intelligence to make a customer experience a joyful moment with the mere touch of button,” Setia said.
Explaining that Myntra was a cool and youthful brand, Setia said that the company had put a customer loyalty programme titled, ‘Myntra Inside’ in place. With the help of a video clip, Setia demonstrated how the programme treated the customer to a personality make-overs, gifted new dresses and curated the experiences of the customers using cutting edge technology. Myntra also gifted select customers overseas trips.
Earlier in the afternoon, popular singer Shaan regaled the audiences with many of his hit Bollywood songs and also sang several English-Hindi medleys.
The audiences were also regaled and kept spellbound by a very peppy presentation made by Dr A Velumani, creator and managing director of Thyrocare, the company which has made a mark in the field of healthcare. Velumani touched many a chord when he narrated his rags to riches story. Advocating the philosophy of frugality, Velumani explained how he did not own a home despite being very rich. “As an entrepreneur I feel it is more important to grow my business and create more employment,” Velumani said.
Rahul Chandawarkar, a former newspaper editor, is a communications strategist and superactive triathlete based in Goa. He has been covering Goafests for MxMIndia since 2017.
Myntra, the fashion e-commerce platform, has signed up Hrithik Roshan, Vijay Deverakonda and Dulquer Salmaan as its newest brand ambassadors, alongside the existing celebrity ambassadors, Kiara Advani, and Samantha Akkineni.
The Bhima Jewelers ad. The Kalyan Jewelers ad starring Katrina Kaif and Amitabh Bachhan. The Myntra Anouk ad from 2015. Geeli Puchhi, from the Ajeeb Daastaans anthology released on Netflix.
So, Myntra decides to change its logo because an activist sees it differently. She files a police complaint because it offends her misplaced sensibilities. She has taken a long time to react. In one simple tectonic moment, she achieved a few things. She made everyone think dirty and see images where none existed.
