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Tag: Nandini Dias

  • The IT and FMCG major has appointed Interactive Avenues as ​the d​igital ​a​gency for all brands…

    Wipro consolidates media duties with Lodestar UM

    By A Correspondent​

     

    Indian IT and FMCG ​major Wipro has shifted​ a major part of its Consumer Care media business to Lodestar UM. The decision comes on the heels of an extensive and exhaustive multi-agency pitch. Under the new arrangement, in addition to Santoor that consists over 70% of Wipro’s media spends, Lodestar UM will also handle Chandrika and Enchanteur range of products.

     

    Talking about the business win, Nandini Dias, CEO, Lodestar UM said, “Wipro is one of our oldest clients and we have been handling the business for the last 25 years. We are truly delighted that in this next phase of growth Wipro has chosen us to be its media partner​,” adding: “In the last decade, Wipro’s business has grown over 16 times. The company made two significant acquisitions in the last two years L D Waxson Singapore and Yardley UK business have considerably added to the global footprint. Lodestar UM has been instrumental in making Santoor the number 1 brand in AP, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Gujarat through our differentiated strategic thinking. And over the years LUM has become integral part of overall Wipro marketing team and the collaboration extends beyond media responsibilities.”

     

     

  • Through this initiative, Dias is urging CEOs/HR heads to help Mumbai based companies to implement flexible office timings for employees so that they don’t risk their lives to reach their workplaces

    Nandini Dias leads IAA India campaign on ‘WorkToLiveToWork’

    By A Correspondent

     

    The India Chapter of the International Advertising Association (IAA) has announce a new social initiative, ‘WorkToLiveToWork’. Said Ramesh Narayan, President, IAA India Chapter, said, “Every year IAA undertakes initiatives to show that communication can be an effective force for the good of society. This year Nandini Dias is spearheading this meaningful project.”

     

    Due to personal losses, related to railways, during rush hour in the last 18 months, Dias, a Managing Committee member of IAA and CEO, Lodestar UM India, conceptualised the project named WorkToLiveToWork’’. Through this initiative, Dias is urging CEOs/HR heads to help Mumbai based companies to implement flexible office timings for employees so that they don’t risk their lives to reach their workplaces.

     

    A campaign has been designed around WorkToLiveToWork, to end the irrational rigidity in Mumbai’s office timings and save lives. Reports shows that every day around nine people die on the suburban rail network which is nearly 3300 people in a year. Many of these people travel in overcrowded transit system just to avoid late mark as that leads to penalty on their salary.

     

    Ramesh Narayan

    Added Narayan: “Instead of waiting for the transport infrastructure to be fixed, which would obviously take a long time, Nandini’s idea was as practical as it was simple. When asked , most CEOs and HR heads agree that flexi timing is a good idea. In fact many also say that in their office they had implemented flexi timings since a couple of years. The fact is that while heads of offices are not against it they have done very little to actually roll it out and enable people. There is no data to say how many people actually are on flexi timing.  Also if it was real then the rush hour traffic would have eased out”

     

    Nandini Dias

    Said Dias: “The two excruciating losses I faced last year have left an irreparable wound in my life. Therefore this project is really close to my heart and almost a life mission.I am urging all companies to come forward and adopt this to save the lives of Mumbaikars. Let’s all agree that, besides expressing outrage we need to help the government in mitigating the crisis. So whether you are an employer or an employee, think about it, talk about it, bring it up as often as you can to drive change and save lives. Even if we reduce the number of people losing life from 9 to 7 per day we would have saved over 700 lives in a year.”

     

    To take this initiative forward besides Lodestar UM, IAA has the support of Taproot Dentsu who created the communication. In addition large media companies like Economic Times, Hindustan Times, Indian Express, Laqshya Media and Radio City have already come on board as media partners. MxMIndia is also supporting this move.

     

    To join in Log on to www.WorkToLiveToWork.com or write into #FlexiTimeSavesLife and #WorkToLiveToWork.

     

     

  • The mandate includes media investment and strategic planning in print, television, online, out of home (OOH) and radio

    BMW appoints Lodestar UM as media agency on record

    By A Correspondent

     

    BMW India has appointed Lodestar UM as its strategic media partner. Effective July1, this mandate includes media investment and strategic planning in print, television, online, out of home (OOH) and radio.

     

    Said Vikram Pawah, President of BMW Group India: “The BMW Group has been a pioneer in automotive excellence and the brand stands for emotion, design and heritage with a promise of providing high quality products and services, today and in the future. This philosophy has been an integral part of our brand campaigns for our products and services. We are looking forward to work with Lodestar UM to further build the BMW India brand with new initiatives that are based on strong local insight and innovative ideas. The Lodestar UM team has impressed us with its great strategic media approach and buying efficiency, and we look forward to a wonderful working relationship with them.”

     

    Added Nandini Dias, Chief Executive Officer, Lodestar UM India: “UM handles the BMW account globally in more than 44 markets and we are delighted that this mandate has now been extended to India. This automobile behemoth is one of the leading global brands in the luxury car market. The media mandate is a validation of our global philosophy of better science and better art that delivers better outcome to our clients, in the media moments that matters the most.“

     

  • The Festival of Media Asia Awards (FOMA) 2017 will be held in Singapore on March 22, la

    Nandini Dias on Festival of Media Asia 2017 jury

    By A Correspondent

     

    Nandini Dias

    Nandini Dias, CEO, Lodestar UM India is part of the jury  at the Festival of Media Asia Awards (FOMA) 2017 to be held in Singapore on March 22. Rewarding the best in media thinking and communications, FOMA is the only awards ceremony dedicated to the evolution of media across the APAC region.

     

    Said Dias, who has been a long serving Jury member at Emvies, Effies, Media Abby, Cannes Lion, Spikes Asia, Festival of Media, Press Club of India, amongst several others: “Judging the Festival of Media Asia Awards and seeing the best in creative and innovative work that is happening in the region and around the world is always inspiring. I am extremely excited and happy to be part of the Jury this year,” adding:  “We are in a fast changing media landscape, where we are all grappling with the challenge of short attention span of the consumer. Therefore, I am looking forward to seeing the work that stood out in the clutter and made the consumer sit up and notice the brand.”

     

  • The Hexa was rigged with 12 cameras to capture all angles of the fun and excitement within

    Lodestar creates carpool karaoke for Tata Hexa

    By A Correspondent

     

    Lodestar UM has created what is being billed by it as India’s first carpool karaoke with the star cast of the upcoming film Rock On 2 for Tata Motors’ Hexa, Lodestar UM Studios, the content division of the IPG Mediabrands agency, proposed the idea and the Hexa was rigged with 12 cameras to capture all angles of the fun and excitement within.

     

    Said Nandini Dias, CEO, Lodestar UM: “This is a true example of a unique collaborative innovation by team Lodestar, where two big brands getting launched in November were brought together on the universally loved Music platform. The video captures the mood and the premium driving experience in the Hexa, which can also be called the music machine.”

     

    Rock On 2 releases today (November 11) and bookings for the Tata Hexa are already open. “To take it further we urge consumers to create their own carpool karaoke experiences on Hexa and share it”, adds Dias.

     

    Commenting on the association, Vivek B Srivatsa, Head-Marketing for Passenger Vehicle Business Unit (PVBU), Tata Motors Ltd, said, “Hexa appeals to customers for its design, driveability and comfort and with this association we will be able to connect Hexa even stronger with the customers.” Added Deepak Netram, Senior VP, Lodestar UM: “Rock On 2 is representative of the youth of the country that is passionate about music and motoring and thus it’s an ideal fit for Tata Hexa.”

     

  • This follows a global media review with media agency conglomerate IPG Mediabrands bagging the entire media mandate including digital for Tourism Australia in India

    Lodestar UM bags Tourism Australia account

    By A Correspondent

     

    Leading media agency network Lodestar UM has bagged the Tourism Australia account. This follows a global media review with media agency conglomerate IPG Mediabrands bagging the entire media mandate including digital for Tourism Australia in India.  The ambition is to create a dynamic digital, data and tech solution for Tourism Australia and increase footfalls from India and maximise visits, notes a communique

     

    Nandini Dias

    “Tourism Australia is a prestigious account to have in our portfolio and I am glad that the client entrusted us with this mandate. Our strategy, planning and business analytics, innovative buying practices and award-winning content programmes aided us to bag the account”, said Nandini Dias, CEO, Lodestar UM, adding: “For the Tourism Australia campaign technology and data will play a crucial role.”

     

    Lodestar UM has created a dedicated team of 15 people to handle the account which will be led by Deepak Netram, Senior VP, Lodestar UM.

     

  • Rangnekar is based out of Lodestar UM Mumbai and reports into Nandini Dias, CEO, Lodestar UM

    Nikhil Rangnekar joins Lodestar as Media Consultant

    By A Correspondent

     

    Nikhil Rangnekar

    Lodestar UM has appointed Nikhil Rangnekar as Media Consultant. Rangnekar moves from Spatial Access where he was CEO of the Media Audit and Advisory business. Rangnekar will be based out of the Lodestar UM Mumbai reporting into Lodestar UM CEO Nandini Dias.

     

    “Nikhil is an industry veteran and we are delighted to have him on board. He has a varied background having worked in various capacities driving strategy, business and audits. He brings in a lot of experience and strategic thinking which we intend to leverage,” said Dias.

     

    Armed with over 19 years of experience in the advertising and the media industry, Rangnekar started his career with Starcom in 1997 where in 14 years he climbed the ranks from a management trainee to executive director. In 2011, he quit Starcom to join Spatial Access. He is also the chairman of the marketing committee of IRS at MRUC.

     

    Talking about his new role, Rangnekar said, “I am extremely happy to join Lodestar UM in the role of a strategy consultant. For me, it’s a prestigious assignment working with one of the largest groups in the world and in India. I will be working with the individual brand teams in helping them take our strategy product to the next level. I will also be working closely with the Labcentre team on the various proprietary researches and tools that IPG Mediabrands has and aim to evolve them in line with the changes happening in the media environment in India. If my last role was more about driving efficiency, the new role is more about driving effectiveness. Lastly, I am proud to have got this opportunity to work with industry stalwarts like Shashi and Nandini.”

  • The company owns the largest music archives in India, one of the biggest in the world

    Lodestar UM wins media mandate of Saregama

    By A Correspondent

     

    Lodestar UM recently added another win by bagging the media duties of Saregama.

     

    The company started operations over 115 years ago and today goes by the name Saregama India Ltd. Saregama is the custodian of over half of all the music ever recorded in India. The company owns the largest music archives in India, one of the biggest in the world.

     

    After establishing its supremacy in India’s music scene, Saregama has now expanded into other areas of entertainment like publishing, television software and digital content. It also has full-fledged studio facilities in Kolkata making it one of the best end-to-end entertainment giants in the country.

     

    Commenting on the development, Vikram Mehra, Managing Director – Saregama, said “At Saregama India, we want the users to experience our rich content in a manner which is disruptive and at the same time, accessible. Whether it is our latest offering, Saregama Music Cards or our highly engaging music apps, Saregama Shakti and Saregama Classical, we don’t want to leave any corners unturned and for that we wanted to partner with an agency like Lodestar UM who understands our needs. We are listed on the NSE and BSE, and are India’s largest and best-known music recording company.”

     

    Nandini Dias, CEO Lodestar UM, seems very upbeat on this new win “We are happy and proud to have been trusted with Saregama and will partner the client across all its media needs. We are confident that with our differentiated offering and in-depth understanding of digital and offline media will help them get more value on the table”

     

    Bhavesh Shah, GM, Lodestar UM, Mumbai said, “I am delighted at the win of Saregama. Saregama is all about music and youth which we at Lodestar understand very well, with properties like Coke Studio”.

     

  • Zivame, a category innovator is probably India's first and largest online lingerie store for women

    Lodestar UM Bangalore wins media duties of Zivame

    By A Correspondent

     

    Lodestar UM Bangalore recently added to its vast portfolio of clients by bagging the media duties of Zivame. The media agency, in India has been on a winning spree and has emerged as the dominant players in Bangalore market.

     

    Zivame, a category innovator is probably India’s first and largest online lingerie store for women. Zivame takes on the age old tradition of women buying lingerie at a store and offers them a whole new experience in lingerie buying.

     

    Commenting on the win, Nandini Dias, CEO Lodestar UM said, “Zivame is a prestigious business to have on our roster and we were glad to win that business. I would like to thank the client for having expressed their confidence in Lodestar UM’s differentiated offering in terms of in-depth understanding of e-commerce and the technology sector, with incredible strategy and planning credentials.”

     

    The win adds significant weight to Lodestar UM’s client portfolio, which includes marquee clients such as J&J, Coca-Cola, Mahindra & Mahindra, Samsung, Amul, Tata, Wipro etc.

     

  • The appointment of Lodestar UM is a part of Helpchat's larger objective of strengthening its brand visibility and recall across geographies

    Helpchat appoints Lodestar UM as its media agency

    By A Correspondent

     

    Helpchat, the messaging based personal assistant app has announced the appointment of Lodestar UM, part of IPG Media brands, India to lead its media mandate in the country. In a multi-agency pitch, Lodestar was chosen because of its good record in strategy and approach. The current mandate for the agency spans across all affiliate media services including print, Radio, Digital and OOH.

     

    Kali Shukla, VP. Marketing, Helpchat said, “We evaluated several agencies on various parameters and finally decided to go ahead with Lodestar because of their sound strategy and approach, buying efficiency and ability to innovate. Also, Lodestar Bangalore has a head start and expertise in its understanding of e-commerce and the Internet service ecosystem by virtue of handling multiple brands operating in a similar space.“

     

    Nandini Dias

    Nandini Dias, CEO, Lodestar UM, adds, “We went ahead with a simple yet compelling strategy rooted in consumer insight for Helpchat. Lodestar UM has always believed that strategy lies at the heart of understanding the consumer and that solutions should connect with the audience, being media agnostic.”

     

    The appointment of Lodestar UM is a part of Helpchat’s larger objective of strengthening its brand visibility and recall across geographies. It has recently repositioned itself as a personal assistant app that lets you get more things done with its brand promise of “Do more by doing less”. Firmly embedding its market position in the consumer mindscape will be central to Helpchat’s brand building and media initiatives.

     

  • The account moves out from Mindshare who have been handling it for more than a decade

    Lodestar UM wins Media AoR of Century Ply

    By A Correspondent

     

    Century Ply, one of India’s leading and most trusted name in branded plywood, laminates and veneer category has moved its entire media AoR to Lodestar UM. The account moves out from Mindshare who have been handling it for more than a decade.

     

    The current mandate for Lodestar UM spans across all products of Century Ply.

     

    Talking about this shift Amit Kumar Gope – Group Marketing Head, Century Ply said, “It was not an easy decision to part ways with our existing agency. However Lodestar UM opened a whole new chapter in front of us through their understanding of the plywood market. Their media solution was focused on an alloy of strategy, basis sound consumer insight and portfolio management. We are confident with this partnership looking at our massive expansion in the near future.”

     

    Nandini Dias

    Nandini Dias – CEO, Lodestar UM added, “We went ahead with a simple yet compelling strategy rooted in consumer insight. Lodestar UM always believes that strategy lies at the heart of understanding the consumer and that solutions should connect with the audience being media agnostic.”

     

    Century Plyboards in a very short span has created a niche for itself and is the market leader in this sector. CPIL today manufactures the entire range of commercial, marine, shuttering and decorative plywood. It has also started manufacturing and marketing laminates under the brand name ‘Century Laminates’ and pre-lam particle boards named as ‘Century Prelam’.

     

  • Dhoni has been one of the top brands in India over the past few years, endorsing close to 20 brands such as Pepsi, Reebok, Aircel, Gulf Oil, Star Sports, Reebok Amrapali Developers and many more

    Retirement not to affect popularity, Brand Mahendra Singh Dhoni is not over, say experts

    By Pritha Mitra Dasgupta, Ratna Bhushan & Ravi Teja Sharma

     

    Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Tuesday announced his retirement from Test cricket bang in the middle of the Australia tour, catching many by surprise and fuelling speculation whether this is the beginning of the end of brand Dhoni.

     

    “It’s clearly a succession plan in the making, so it will definitely impact the brand value of Dhoni in the short term,” says Indranil Das Blah, chief operating officer of sports management company, Kwan.

     

    But he was quick to attach a caveat. “If India wins the World Cup next year, Dhoni will be bigger than ever. If not, we will begin to see the end of brand Dhoni, as we are certain that others like Kohli will rise.”

     

    Santosh Desai, CEO of Future Brands, termed the Indian captain’s decision as the “evening of his career and his brand endorsements”, but certainly not the end. “Is this step one of his game plans?” asks Madhukar Kamath, group CEO and MD of Mudra. “It was becoming evident that Dhoni will pull out of Tests and from other formats after the World Cup. Hence brand Dhoni will not get affected till after the WC.”

     

    Nandini Dias, chief executive officer of Lodestar Media, says that Dhoni has been the most successful captain for India and is currently the costliest sports endorser. “But sports icons quickly lose sheen when they stop playing. Since Dhoni will continue to play in the other two forms of cricket, which are more popular than Test cricket, it will not affect his endorsement or popularity yet.”

     

    Dhoni has been one of the top brands in India over the past few years, endorsing close to 20 brands such as Pepsi, Reebok, Aircel, Gulf Oil, Star Sports, Reebok Amrapali Developers and many more. He reportedly charges between Rs 10 and Rs 12 crore for a brand, which is way more than the next best Virat Kohli who charges around Rs 6-7 crore for a brand. Dhoni is also known to have done a few revenue share deals.

     

    Anupam Vasudev, chief marketing officer at Aircel, says their brand endorsement deal with Dhoni ended in October-November 2014 and they are still talking to him on renewing it. A PepsiCo India spokesperson said the company will continue its association with Dhoni. “We wish him all the best for his continuing leadership in the T20 and one-day formats.”

     

    Dhoni’s decision to focus on the shorter versions of the game will extend the longevity of his brand, says Abraham Koshy, professor of marketing at IIM-A. The dilemma for advertisers in India is that there are only two big names left in cricket at the moment – Dhoni and Kohli. There was a time – and not too long ago – when marketers were spoilt for choice with Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble, Virender Sehwag, and even Harbhajan Singh, Gautam Gambhir and Yuvraj Singh to pick from.

     

    Source:The Economic Times

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