MxMIndia

Tag: Nabendu Bhattacharyya

  • To build ideas and content across all spectrums of brand communication

    Ideacafe.agency bolsters leadership team

    By Our Staff

     

    Ideacafe.agency started by Nabendu Bhattacharyya serial entrepreneur and angel investor, hires a host of key senior people to build ideas and content across all spectrums of brand communication.

     

    Divesh Jadhav has been appointed as Creative Director to reinforce and strengthen the creative capabilities of the agency. Raj Mohanty an industry veteran of more than two decades with rich experience and expertise in the industry joins the ideacafe team as Vice President. In the East Sunny Sharma joins the team as Client servicing Director and Business Head East. In the West Mitesh Darji comes on board as Client servicing Director. In the South, Pavankumar Makani joins the ideacafe team from Madison Media as Branch Head Bangalore and will drive business from the agency’s Bangalore office.

     

  • Joining Bhattacharyya are two co-founders, Hanoz Patel and Abhishek Kabra

    Nabendu Bhattacharyya launches new agency

    By Our Staff

     

    Nabendu Bhattacharyya, Founder of Milestone Brandcom and one of the seniormost OOH professionals in the country, has announced the launch of his new company: Ideacafe.agency.

     

    Notes a communique: “Ideacafe.agency. (written ideacafe.agency.) promises to be a new age independent company that redefines the ‘brewing’ of ideas…  Ideacafe’s aspirations are much bigger than being just another out of home agency and revolve around doing OOH the right way that is idea-driven and data-led.”

     

    Joining Bhattacharyya are two co-founders, Hanoz Patel and Abhishek Kabra, both specialists in the space who were part of the Milestone Brandcom journey.

     

    Said Bhattacharyya: “I am super thrilled to announce the setting up of this new age independent company ideacafe.agency. will concentrate on building ideas and content across all spectrums of the brand communication space. I have always believed in creating disruptive, clutter-breaking ideas and bringing them alive to make a difference in a brands growth trajectory and will continue spearheading the same ahead.” The new agency has set up offices in Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and Kolkata.

     

  • Nabendu Bhattacharyya, CEO & MD – Milestone Brandcom, will spearhead the initiative

    Milestone Brandcom unveils OOH revival plan

    By A Correspondent

     

    In an attempt to smoothen the damage that the OOH sector continues to face in India under the coronavirus threat, Dentsu Aegis Network (DAN) India has embarked upon multiple initiatives to future proof the group along with working closely with other DAN markets from the network to further strengthen its capabilities.

     

    As part of these initiatives, Milestone Brandcom, the out-of-home agency from the house of DAN India, will lead the programme to augment the agency’s OOH business by adopting new technology, media insights and best practices by working closely alongside the agencies in the network and getting the best practices from other markets. Nabendu Bhattacharyya, CEO & MD – Milestone Brandcom, will spearhead the initiative. In the coming period, Bhattacharyya will be alternating between the US and India offices to introduce the best practices and learnings to DAN India in addition to catalysing Milestone Brandcom’s OOH business capabilities in the market and provide connect to its Indian businesses. Bhattacharyya will continue to report into Anand Bhadkamkar, CEO, Dentsu Aegis Network India.

     

    Anand Bhadkamkar

    Speaking on the initiative, Bhadkamkar said: “The post-Covid world will summon a new era. It will demand new ways of working and thinking across businesses. Fresh strategies will have to be charted to improve business productivity. We will have to re-invent the way we work and bring in more resilience in our businesses to embrace the disruption in the market in a post COVID scenario. Therefore, to inculcate innovation, and introduce fresh learnings and perspectives into the business, Nabendu will drive this initiative. He will continue leading Milestone Brandcom, alternating between the US and India offices.”

     

    Nabendu Bhattacharyya

    Commenting on his new role, Bhattacharyya said, “US controls nearly 50 per cent of the world’s ad industry. So what better than to start there, import their technologies and ideas, and use their learnings to enhance Milestone Bandcom and DAN India brands. I strongly believe that Dentsu as a network will help in the growth of India’s advertising structure and Milestone Brandcom will strengthen its position as a flagship brand of DAN India. I am also convinced that the whole world will come out of these challenging times soon and large markets like the US will accelerate economic growth faster than ever.”

     

     

  • The ingenious campaign has made heads turn across the country in a visually disruptive way

    Milestone Brandcom launches outdoor campaign for DSP MF

    By A Correspondent

     

    DSP Mutual Fund along with Milestone Brandcom has unveiled an outdoor campaign to build awareness on ‘Dynamic Asset Allocation Funds’ (DAAFs) category.

     

    Said Aditi Kothari Desai, Director & Head-Sales and Marketing, DSP Investment Managers: “The idea behind this campaign is to grab attention and build awareness for Dynamic Asset Allocation Funds across potential cities/towns for mutual fund investments all over India. As a brand, our endeavour is to create stand-out marketing campaigns and our aim is to make finance fun along with being bold and having a creative approach. Perhaps we are the first Indian brand (across industries, and not just financial) to take this bold step of keeping the main headline ‘Markets Fluctuate’ written upside down. Our main aim is to communicate the truth behind the markets, in a memorable and attractive way. This creative device very quickly communicates that anything can turn upside down and one should be prepared.”

     

    Added Nabendu Bhattacharyya, CEO & MD, Milestone Brandcom: “The sole purpose of advertising is to create disruption and deliver the brand message in a simple yet effective way. Most people are alien to the world of mutual funds, and hence shy away from investing. The idea of writing the headline upside down is big and bold, and I’m sure it would help communicate the brand message in a memorable way.”

     

     

  • The campaign is based on the insight that, in the current times, the selling of second-hand cars in India is an extremely complex process

    Cars24, Milestone Brandcom launch OOH campaign in Bangalore

    By A Correspondent

     

    Milestone Brandcom has rolled out a huge OOH campaign for Cars24. Currently launched in Bengaluru, the campaign focusses on inviting customers to sell their cars at the city’s Cars24 branch in their very first visit.

     

    The campaign is based on the insight that, in the current times, the selling of second-hand cars in India is an extremely complex process. In this market, car owners have to visit or meet a number of buyers before making that sale; and Cars24, a focused and specialised player in this domain, intends to make this technique easy with its unique process that allows the sellers to get the right price for their cars in their very first visit.

     

    Said Gajendra Jangid, VP-Marketing, Cars 24: “We aim to provide a quick and convenient way for car owners to sell car in India. The campaign was strategically placed to test the OOH medium and to understand its impact to convey the brand communication to wider audience . This quarter of the year is always good for used car market and we wanted to create a huge noise before the festive season.”

     

    Nabendu Bhattacharyya

    Added Nabendu Bhattacharyya, CEO & Managing Director, Milestone Brandcom: “We got an opportunity here to introduce Cars24 to its core group of consumers through OOH and we have left no stone unturned to create a high impact campaign for the brand. The idea here remains to create buzz and drive home ample curiosity for customers to visit the store and get a first-hand experience on the value of their cars.”

     

     

  • The business will be handled by the agency's Kolkata office

    Milestone Brandcom bags outdoor mandate of Dalmia Bharat Group

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Dalmia Bharat group has awarded its OOH mandate to Milestone Brandcom for the Eastern region following a multi-agency pitch. The business will be handled by the agency’s Kolkata office.

     

    On the newly formed partnership, BK Singh, Group Marketing Head, Dalmia Bharat Group said, “We have very strong confidence on the long term growth opportunity of the Indian cement industry. We have ambitious plans to leverage this opportunity through our core experience and proven expertise of the industry. A capable partner like Milestone Brandcom will certainly bring in critical contributions and help in this process. We welcome Milestone Brandcom onboard.”

     

    Added Nabendu Bhattacharyya, CEO & MD, Milestone Brandcom: “We are excited at the prospect of partnering with Dalmia Bharat Group to comprehensively leverage OOH to engage with their consumers across brands and markets. I truly believe, OOH promises a great brand engagement through innovative outdoor solutions and drive conversations around their brand promise. We hope to deliver value on back of our ability to mine data and research for them and create some disruptive iconic campaigns for them through this association. We look forward to serve them with best of our ability.”

     

     

  • Apart from Mumbai this campaign was rolled out in Ahmedabad, Baroda, Indore, Bhopal, Lucknow, Kanpur & Nagpur

    Milestone Brandcom innovates for &TV’s ‘Paramavatar Shri Krishna’

    By A Correspondent

     

    Milestone Brandcom has informed us of its association with the exercise to create awareness and buzz for the launch of &TV’s show, Paramavatar Shri Krishna. Natkhat Krishna surely brought out a smile on the faces of Mumbai residents through attractive outdoor advertising at key routes and locations, notes a communique.

     

    Commenting on the campaign, Nabendu Bhattacharyya, MD, Milestone Brandcom, said: “Innovation is one of the key elements which we focused on while executing the campaign and ensured they stand out on OOH space across markets. We are very excited with the response as each innovation had a Krishna story which truly captured the show proposition.”

     

  • Wins Panasonic Refrigerators, Microwave Oven and Water purifier

    Milestone Dentsu, Milestone Brandcom’s creative agency, bags Pansonic

    By A Correspondent

     

    Milestone Dentsu, the newly formed creative agency of Milestone Brandcom, part of the Dentsu Aegis Network, has bagged the creative mandate for Panasonic India’s Refrigerator, Microwave and Water Purifier business. The creative duties were handed over to Milestone Dentsu following a multi-agency pitch. Milestone Dentsu, the creative arm of Milestone Brandcom, will be in charge of handling the Japanese multi-national’s leading business portfolio.

     

    Sarthak Seth

    Commenting on the decision, Sarthak Seth, Head-Brand & Marketing Communications – Panasonic India said: “We were looking out for a youthful and progressive partner who could deliver fresh perspectives in terms of planning and creative execution to help us keep pace with the changing trends. We found that partner in Milestone Dentsu. Their approach was fresh and creative, outstanding. We are looking forward to this association and hope that it goes a long way.”

     

     

    Nabendu Bhattacharyya

    Added Nabendu Bhattacharyya, CEO and managing director, Milestone Brandcom: “We are delighted to win a prestigious creative account like Panasonic. We enjoy working on global brands with such diverse portfolio as they challenge our true potential. We have put up a strong ATL Team while we foray into creative services at Milestone Dentsu.”

     

    The business will be handled out of Milestone’s Delhi branch with Ujjwal Anand, Country head and Mayank Khattar, National Creative Director as the brand custodian.

     

  • Titan has consolidated its outdoor media business with two agencies and one of these is Milestone Brandcom

    An apology. Laqshya is not only agency to win Titan OOH account. Milestone Brandcom also wins Titan biz

    By A Correspondent

     

    It’s one of those things in the business that shouldn’t happen, but once in a while they do slip in. On Tuesday, MxMIndia carried a news report on Laqshya winning the Media OOH mandate of Titan, the watch to jewellery to eyewear company of the Tata Group. This was based on a release we received from Jayanthy Menon of Laqshya and we carried it on the basis of that (http://www.mxmindia.com/2017/06/laqshya-wins-outdoor-media-business-of-titan/). As we do with most other such communiques from known media companies, we carried it without any verification.

     

    However, a day later, we received a very terse mail from someone at Laqshya that the outdoor company was in fact just one of the outdoor major partners.

     

    We protested, but there was not a word of regret from Jayanthy Menon and Karan Dalvi, the person who wrote to us and also called. Instead, he wrote: “Expecting your quick response.”

     

    We also addressed our mail to them on the issue to  AtulShrivastava, Group CEO, Laqshya Media Group, assuming that as a responsible senior executive, he would respond.

     

    We then spoke with Satyabrata Das, Head – Strategic Alliances and Corporate Communications, and we was exceedingly apologetic.

     

    There’s still no mail from Shrivastava, Menon or Dalvi. Meanwhile, we’ve received a communique from Dentsu Aegis Network’s Milestone Milestone Brandcom which notes that Titan has consolidated its outdoor media business with two agencies and one of these is Milestone Brandcom.

     

    Commenting on the win, Nabendu Bhattacharyya, CEO and Managing Director Milestone Brandcom said, “We are extremely happy and excited to partner with the Titan Group. Titan is one of the heritage brands of this country and We are honoured that they have chosen us to uphold their prestige and prominence in the OOH space. Titan is very active in the OOH space and we are only going to leverage it even further.”

     

    Yes, we haven’t received any proof from Milestone Brandcom, but we trust it entirely.

    Once again our apologies to our readers for publishing the Laqshya communique. We have now put the agency on our hotlist of companies from whom we will not accept releases without a self-certification. If necessary, we may even insist on a proof of a business win.

     

  • Continuing with our extracts from the second edition of the MxMIndia Annual, we present contributions by Lara Balsara and Nabendu Bhattacharyya

    What Ticks for Indian Consumers/ Children -Lara Balsara and Nabendu Bhattacharyya

    Continuing with our extracts from the second edition of the MxMIndia Annual, we present contributions by Lara Balsara and Nabendu Bhattacharyya.

     

     

    Stay truthful and honest about brand attributes

     

    By Lara Balsara

     

    TV is the lead medium today when it comes to targeting kids and their moms. Kids and their moms love to watch serials, cartoons and movies in that order. Cinema, shopping malls, computer games are key media touchpoints that marketers must consider. Book reading being a popular habit in metros, bookstores could be used as a touchpoint. Internet as a medium is growing in importance with the number one activity being playing games, followed by searching for information and social networking online.

     

    		  

    Do children notice OOH advertising?

     

    By Nabendu Bhattacharyya

     

    Children are increasingly the target of advertising because of the amount of money they spend themselves, and because of the amount of money they influence their parents to spend – their pester power. Studies show that by age 12 children have developed their behaviour as consumers, effectively recognise advertising in its various forms and are able to adopt critical attitudes towards it. Advertisers recognise that brand loyalties and consumer habits are formed when children are young and vulnerable and will be carried through to adulthood.

     

     
     

    The most important thing is to stay truthful and honest about the brand attributes and promises made. No one likes being cheated or mis-communicated to.

     

    		  

    Today, children are bombarded with marketing every moment that they are awake via television, radio, print, OOH, internet as well as other electronic media. Like most adults, even children spend majority of their time outdoors – going to school, classes, recreational activities etc. With the advancement of media and technology, the future of OOH (Out-of-home) is brighter than ever. Yes, children notice OOH advertising, amongst many other forms of advertising and it plays a substantial role in their decision making. Children are very observant, and also have an established mind-set of their own.

    The use of relatable characters, heroes, icons, celebrities, vibrant colors, free coupons and free gifts are all common ways in which brands connect with children. Viral marketing, special programmes, contests and activities run in schools, malls, amusement parks etc are some other ways brands capture the children’s attention. TV channels like Cartoon Network, Disney etc. have child-centric advertising focused on the impulse buy and junk foods category. Brands like Cadbury, Kellogg’s, HUL, Colgate, Maggi, and Britannia are heavy spenders for television spots. Children are also exposed to out-of-home advertising on their way to school via bus shelters, bus branding, billboards etc. During weekends, children are exposed to advertising in malls, multiplexes, game centres and movie theatres. Majority of children today are tech-savvy; at an early age they get exposed to technology via the internet, TV video games, iPad’s and smartphones. It is a known fact that children are great influencers in decision-making processes and this includes decisions around food, technology, vacations, car etc. Also, marketing in schools and within specialized kids clubs, organised by brands have also proliferated in recent times.

     

    Child-targeted marketing earlier was concentrated on sweets and toys; it now also includes clothes, shoes, a range of fast foods, sports equipment, computer products and toiletries etc. To get children to notice their campaigns, brands adopt an entirely new communication strategy targeted to these evolving consumers. In India, brands like Cadbury, Britannia, McDonalds, HUL, Lays amongst others have focused products targeting children. Children are a large consumer segment for a variety of brands. The communication strategies are carefully crafted after observing the receptiveness of a product across numerous groups of children. Cartoon characters launched as movies will be followed up by television series and then be merchandised on hundreds of products from t-shirts to toys.

     

    To conclude, children are an important TG for brands while planning their communication strategy as they do play a substantial role – directly or indirectly in the decision making processes of the household. The market for children’s products and food is enormous. Thus, they represent an important demographic to advertisers because in addition to their own purchasing power they influence their parents’ buying decisions and are the adult consumers of the future.

     

     

    Tomorrow (Aug 19): Family – Vijay Bobby and Avik Chattopadhyay

     

     

  • Dentsu Aegis Network acquires majority share in leading integrated Out-of-Home agency Milestone Brandcom

    Dentsu OOH firm Milestone Brandcom

    By A Correspondent

     

    Dentsu Aegis Network has announced the acquisition of Milestone Brandcom, the leading Out-of-Home (OOH) agency by taking a majority share in the firm. With the acquisition of Milestone Brandcom, combined with Posterscope – Dentsu Aegis Network’s global outdoor media agency – Dentsu Aegis Network gains much clout in the Indian OOH space in terms of quality and volume.

     

    Founded in October 2009 and led by founder and managing director Nabendu Bhattacharyya, Milestone Brandcom has more than 100 active clients across a wide range of industries, and provide a full service comprehensive OOH offering which includes an event promotion activation division, rural OOH activation, retail and digital OOH division. Milestone Brandcom recently launched the ‘Milestone Optimizer’, a powerful tool which optimises OOH media plans by tracking 25,000 sites across India and providing Gross Impression Points of an OOH campaign, a first in India.

     

    Nabendu Bhattacharyya will continue as CEO and Managing Director of Milestone Brandcom, reporting to Ashish Bhasin, Chairman and CEO of Dentsu Aegis Network South Asia.

     

    Said Mr Bhattacharyya: “We are thrilled to join hands with the Dentsu Aegis Network and my entire team and I are looking forward to taking Milestone Brandcom to even greater heights. Being a part of a dynamic global group like Dentsu Aegis Network will help us be stronger together. OOH will become more and more important in India and we are confident that as market leaders we will be at the forefront of this progress.”

     

    Said Nick Waters, CEO of Dentsu Aegis Network Asia Pacific: “Milestone Brandcom is a highly awarded and well respected agency in India. This acquisition marks another significant step as we build a high quality and scaled group in India.  We welcome Nabendu and the team to the company.”

     

    Added Mr Bhasin: “Milestone Brandcom is not only a market leader but also a pioneer of several developments in the OOH industry in India. Posterscope was already amongst India’s fastest growing brands. This investment now establishes clear leadership for us in this very important medium, making us the leader in the OOH and OOH Retail space in India. We believe that OOH will play an increasingly important role for clients in years to come so we are delighted to be able to offer clients a market leading service.”

     

  • Though rural markets have seen a drastic increase in the standard of living and purchasing power, it is very fragmented with little or no transparency

    Rural market is the new siren call for OOH

    By Robin Thomas

     

    According to industry estimates, ruralIndiais growing at a faster pace than its urban counterparts, atleast in certain product categories. The overall Indian rural market size is believed to be Rs800 crore, with a total advertising pie of Rs12,000 Crore in rural markets. FMCG products, consumer durables, agro manufacturers, banking and insurance, telecom companies are some of the big spenders in rural markets.

     

    A survey reveals that FMCG products account for nearly 53 per cent of the market share in ruralIndiawhereas consumer durables account for the rest.

     

    The last few years have seen a drastic increase in the standard of living and purchasing power in ruralIndiaand many marketers heading for the lucrative rural markets. Also people in rural areas tend to spend a lot of time outdoors, which makes the rural market an ideal target for OOH media. As a result, almost every OOH industry player believes that the next phase of growth for the out-of-home media will come from rural markets.

     

    In interactions with MxMIndia, Mr Nabendu Bhattacharyya, Managing Director, Milestone Brandcom – who had shared his plans to launch Milestone Rural – and Mr Rohit Samarth, Business Head – Rural, Percept- Out of Home, were of the opinion that out-of-home media is seeing a tremendous growth in rural markets as consumption power in smaller towns and villages is increasing.

     

    Mr Anirban Ghosh, Senior Vice President, Adz Edge opined that an increase in purchasing power of rural masses in recent past has fuelled lot of interest amongst clients across all categories in ruralIndia. “Once considered a market only for low end products, today companies are seeing rural market as the new growth avenue. Comprising more than 70 per cent of the total consumers in India and annual market potential in excess of Rs12,30,00 crore, rural India is being charmed in novel ways. Naturally, out-of-home has also taken an upswing in rural market. More and more clients have shown interest in tapping this market which has got tremendous potential and increasing buying power” he said.

     

    The main revenue stream in rural market will come through a media integration and activation approach such as van activations, road shows, wall paintings, melas or village fairs.

     

    Mr. Ashish Pherwani, Associate Director, Advisory Services, Ernst & Young is very optimistic about rural out-of-home media. He believes that it can reach 25-30 per cent of the OOH advertising share in 5 years and that as consumptions shifts from metros to the 35 to 100 of the largest towns, OOH spends will also follow.

     

    Although OOH in rural areas is on the growth curve, it still has a long way to go and in order to continue growing in the long run; industry players believe that there are certain challenges and concerns that need to be overcome.

     

    One of the biggest concerns is the fact that the rural market is very fragmented and there is neither a credible measurement system nor a clear census data that can provide a clear definition of ruralIndiaand the socio-economic classification, among other relevant details.

     

    Mr Samarth observed: “While advertising in ruralIndiais growing, fragmentation of the market is a big challenge; there is no distribution network and there is no credible measurement system either. Another set of challenge is about living up to the promise of delivery in the rural markets. However, on the positive side, the biggest change in the rural is the fact that there is much less central control because today a lot of large companies are decentralizing their budgets.”

     

    Mr Pherwani said: “The rural market is extremely fragmented and there is little or no transparency to provide confidence to advertisers. Therefore, transparency needs to improve with better demonstration of proof of delivery. There are also few national players who can support large campaigns.”

     

    But Mr Ghosh believes that the biggest challenge for OOH is the lack of quality properties in rural market and also the fact that it is even more unorganized as compared to its urban counterpart. As a result, execution and proper monitoring is another core challenge. “To overcome these problems, we need to understand the rural market in a better way. Major players from OOH media owning houses should take initiative to open up their operations close to these locations for better control. They should collaborate with the local authorities to implement uniform regulations and open up more quality properties in rural market” he suggested.

     

    Innovations are the need of the hour to attract the rural masses and the OOH approach needs to be more interactive and integrated with brand activation for high recall value. As product consumptions increase, OOH media spends will also increase.