MxMIndia

Tag: Ogilvy

  • Madhukar Sabnavis, Vice Chairman and Country Head, Discovery and Planning, O&M India, is one of 12 new members appointed to the worldwide board of Ogilvy and Mather

    Madhukar Sabnavis on O&M’s worldwide board

    By A Correspondent

     

    Madhukar Sabnavis

    Madhukar Sabnavis, Vice Chairman and Country Head, Discovery and Planning, O&M India, is one of 12 new members appointed to the worldwide board of Ogilvy and Mather, in changes announced yesterday by O&M.

     

    Carla Hendra, Chairman of OgilvyRED, the agency’s global strategy and innovation practice, has been appointed vice-chairman of the board, a newly created position. Additionally, the agency announced a significant expansion of the board to include a more diverse and youthful group of leadership.

     

    Commenting on the12 new members who were elected to the board, Chairman and CEO Miles Young remarked, “These additions represent a wonderful range of our key talent and inject a significant infusion of new blood. Our board will now be significantly more diverse, and I believe, will be reflective of and useful for many of the debates about content which need to happen at the heart of our business.”

     

    Commenting on Carla Hendra, Mr Young added, “I am so very pleased to announce that Carla has been elected to the role of vice-chairman. Carla’s contribution over the years has been enormous, not least recently as the founder and driver of OgilvyRED. As our board continues to grow, we will need someone with Carla’s laser focus and drive to help harness the diverse talents and viewpoints within our board to the advantage of the entire agency.”

     

    The newly elected members are:

    Nelly Andersen, Executive Vice President of Global Brands, OgilvyOne Worldwide

    Lou Aversano, Chief Operating Officer of Ogilvy East

    Brandon Berger, Worldwide Chief Digital Officer

    Shenan Chuang, CEO of O&M Greater China

    Annette King, CEO of OgilvyOne EAME and Chairman of OgilvyOne London

    Paul Matheson, Regional President Strategy and Planning of O&M Asia Pacific

    Jaime Prieto, President of Global Brand Management

    Ben Richards, Worldwide Head of Integrated Strategy

    Madhukar Sabnavis, Vice Chairman and Country Head, Discovery and Planning, O&M India

    Gunther Schumacher, Worldwide Chief Operating Officer of OgilvyOne Worldwide

    Steve Simpson, Chief Creative Officer of O&M North America

    Paul Smith, Regional Creative Director EAME

     

  • Team Ogilvy, the 2011 Champions, retained the championship cup when they won the annual 5-A-Side Football Tournament organised by The Advertising Club Bangalore jointly with The Dainik Bhaskar Group

    Team Ogilvy wins Ad Club Bangalore football tourney

    By A Correspondent

     

    Team Ogilvy, the 2011 Champions, retained the championship cup when they won the annual 5-A-Side Football Tournament organised by The Advertising Club Bangalore jointly with The Dainik Bhaskar Group.

     

    Team Ogilvy convincingly beat Group M, 4 – 3 in a keenly contested finals this afternoon, at The Powerplay sports Pavilion at Bangalore. The tournament began on Friday, 12th October under flood lights and continued on Saturday 13th October. 18 teams contested in 4 groups on a league basis. The teams were tied at 1 – 1 at the end of the stipulated time and went into extra time of 5 + 5 minutes. During the extra time Sameer of Ogilvy scored with a hatrick. Group M fought back valiantly by scoring 2 Goals but eventually Team Ogilvy won by the one goal margin.

     

    Sameer of Team Ogilvy who scored a total of 28 goals for the Champions, bagged the trophy for the Highest Scorer. Sameer of Team O & M who scored 28 goals and excelled in an all round display of skill & sportsmanship was also unanimously adjudged “Player of the Tournament “. Soumya Das of Group M, was adjudged ” The Best Goal Keeper for his consistent performance in all matches played by Group M.

     

    The tournament, which is into its 21st year, is being jointly presented by the leading national media group Dainik Bhaskar, which has instituted a championship trophy for the winners. Commenting on their association with this tournament, Dainik Bhaskar’s Sr General Manager-south and Business Head – International Raja Mitra said, “We are proud to be associated with this prestigious event which brings together members of the advertising & marketing community in Bangalore. Such events not only help in improving inter-company relations, it also helps in bringing out a competitive spirit, albeit on the football field.”

     

    Anand Bazaar Patrika gave special prizes to the “Player of the tournament”, Top Scorer and Best Goal Keeper apart from the trophies instituted by the Ad Club.

     

    Speaking about the tournament, Arvind Kumar, Executive Director of the Ad Club, said, “This is the 20th year of this five a side competition and we are happy to receive 19 entries, a record for the Advertising Club, Bangalore. I am happy to see the enthusiasm and fair play, displayed by all the teams.”

     

  • Ogilvy has announced that Pete Smith has been appointed Regional Innovations & Creative Director, Asia Pacific for the agency's specialised healthcare division

    Ogilvy APAC transforms creativity in healthcare comm

    By A Correspondent

     

    Pete Smith

    Ogilvy has announced that Pete Smith has been appointed Regional Innovations & Creative Director, Asia Pacific for the agency’s specialised healthcare division. Ogilvy’s healthcare offering reaches across Asia with hubs in China, Korea, Japan, India, Hong Kong, Singapore and Australia. Mr Smith will relocate to Shanghai from Sydney in October to lead the creative offering of Ogilvy’s healthcare division across the region.

     

    Mr Smith comes from the BBDO network in Australia, where he was Creative Director. As creative lead within that network, he created some of the best-known and most successful healthcare campaigns both locally and globally. Most recently he has been driving the launch and ongoing growth of Astra Zeneca’s major brand portfolio in Australia.

     

    He will join the core regional team of Ogilvy’s health discipline which includes Rohit Sahgal, Regional Director Asia Pacific, and Sebastien Boisseau, Regional Director Insights & Strategy, to create a unique specialist agency model that will seamlessly service the needs of global/regional/local clients, across Rx-OTC-Nutrition & Wellness.

     

    “Pete has been a leading advocate for digital, new technology, experiential and social marketing in a health context, but has always followed the simple principle that every great campaign needs a great idea brilliantly executed. He has embraced and driven serious innovation of new media platforms into the healthcare sphere – in particular the ‘digitalisation’ of healthcare creativity. I couldn’t have asked for a more inspiring and groundbreaking creative leader to work with,” said Mr Sahgal on Mr Smith’s appointment.

     

    “The Asia Pacific region is where the most exciting work in the world is being done and the most exciting work in the region is being done by Ogilvy, a leader in the field. I genuinely feel privileged to be part of this team and excited by the prospects of working with this team. Ogilvy has always been the place where advertising people want to work, and nothing much has changed. Under my guardianship, I have strong ambitions to take that spirit further and faster” said Pete Smith on his being a part of the Ogilvy AP network.

     

  • RedWorks has announced the appointment of Gavin Hall as Regional Vice President, RedWorks Digital Services, based in Singapore

    Gavin Hall is Regional VP for RedWorks Digital Services

    By A Correspondent

     

    RedWorks has announced the appointment of Gavin Hall as Regional Vice President, RedWorks Digital Services, based in Singapore.

     

    In this new role, Mr Hall will expand the digital delivery capabilities of RedWorks across the region, including specialist and production operations in Bangalore, Ho Chi Minh and Beijing.

     

    “RedWorks has evolved considerably over the last three years and we are pleased to have Gavin on board to be part of our growth,” said Michael Burgess, Regional President, RedWorks Asia. “His extensive management, mobile, online project and product management experience will further add to our service offerings and strong leadership team, and create additional value for our clients.”

     

    Mr Hall began his career as an award-winning producer for MTV before joining OgilvyOne in the interactive space where he worked on regional projects for Nokia, Unilever and Lufthansa. He moved to Yahoo! where he managed regional mobile product offerings before his most recent role at SingTel, where he was charged with leading the developer and partnership relationships for the company’s drive into mobile applications.

     

    “It has been more than six years since I was part of Ogilvy and I feel as if I am coming home,” said Mr Hall. “It is an exciting time to join RedWorks, and I am looking forward to supporting RedWorks’ growth across Asia Pacific.”

     

  • The tried-and-trusted brand is further strengthening its message with entertaining commercials that reinforce the product's qualities

    Fevicol Marine: the bond that remains even in water

    By Tuhina Anand

     

    Looking at the success of Fevicol Marine, Pidilite Industries is pulling out all stops to position the product in the mainline category. The product has seen tremendous success and the demand has seen a rise post its first campaign two years ago. The company sensing an opportunity is looking to make a big leap forward. Fevicol Marine is a variant adhesive that can be used in moist and damp condition and protects furniture from de-bonding even when exposed to water.

     

    Its earlier TVC borrowed from the iconic Fevicol advertising featuring the Dum Laga Ke Haisha tag and focused on bringing out the functional aspect of the product. Now the TVC aims to push the product into the mainline, especially seeing that its growth has been 3 to 4 times the category growth. The latest ad keeps in line with Fevicol’s communication tone and humour and reinforces the promise of a strong bond that Fevicol Marine provides, even in water.

     

    Anil Jayaraj

    Anil Jayaraj, Chief Marketing Officer, Pidilite Industries said, “Fevicol Marine has progressed immensely and hold huge potential. While the first commercial talked of the functional value, we want now to match the tone and tenor with the Fevicol ads that are humorous and interesting t watch while conveying the core value of the product.”

     

    The TV campaign will be supported by an integrated marketing campaign. There are outdoors, POS and increased visibility at trade outlets besides a number of activation has already been initiated with carpenter programs conveying the core message of the adhesive being able to hold its bond even in wet or most conditions.

     

    Talking about the agency Ogilvy, that has created the campaign, Mr Jayaraj, said, “We share a unique relation with Ogilvy where we co-create the brief and that has been responsible for the success of these ads. The idea in this campaign like our other campaigns has been to make the communication interesting and at the end of it should bring a smile on the faces of people watching it.”

     

    Commenting on the concept, Piyush Pandey, executive chairperson and creative director, Ogilvy & Mather- South Asia says, “Keeping in mind the tone and manner that Fevicol has had for the last 20 years, the Fevicol Marine ad captures the spirit of India, borrows from India and therefore becomes a part of the fabric of India like all Fevicol ads have been.”

     

    The ad will be aired across key markets including entire Hindi speaking belt and supported by regional channels in South India, West Bengal, Maharashtra, and Gujarat for 4-5 weeks period starting mid-September, 2012.

     

    The TVC features a boatman, somewhere in the rural hinterland. His boat is filled to capacity with wooden chairs. As he rows through the serene waters, an old man waves out to him, almost as if he wants to hitch a ride. Since there’s no room on the boat, the boatman subtly gestures to the old man that he can’t take him on board. Just then the old man clarifies that it’s not him who wants a ride but his young daughter. The boatman suddenly stops the boat.

     

    When he sees the beautiful daughter, he decides to offer her a ride at any cost. He kicks a stack of chairs into the water and makes room for her. The girl quickly points out towards her goat. So the boatman throws more chairs into the water. Once again the girl points out towards a huge hay stack. Soon all chairs are kicked out of the boat. And the boatman happily continues his journey, ferrying the girl, her goat as well as the hay stack. And he hasn’t gotten rid of his chairs either. He’s tied them to the boat with a rope, unperturbed by the fact that the wooden furniture is submerged in water. The film ends with a VO which brings forth the brand promise: “Fevicol Marine. Wohi mazboot jod, paani mein bhi.”

     

    Mr Jayaraj, summing up the reason for Fevicol ads being such a success, said, “I think its because we have been consistent in our communication, we have through our communication maintained that Fevicol is the ultimate adhesive available and have been creating communication that has been interesting as well as informative.”

     

  • Harshad returns to Ogilvy one as Senior Vice President, Ecommerce & CRM Practice, Ogilvy One India

    Harshad Hardikar returns to OgilvyOne

    Harshad Hardikar

    By A Correspondent

     

    Harshad Hardikar has returned to Ogilvy after working for one year at rediff.com. At rediff.com, he was responsible for Rediffshopping. Prior to that Mr Hardikar was with OgilvyOne for 4 years as its Mumbai Head.

     

    A postgraduate from MET IMS, Mumbai, Harshad has over fifteen years experience in CRM/Loyalty, working with Select Direct, iContract, ICICI Bank and OgilvyOne. He launched India’s first coalition loyalty programme called iMint (now Payback).

    Harshad Hardikar, Senior Vice President, Ecommerce & CRM Practice, OgilvyOne India said: “I am glad to be back at OgilvyOne. We are witnessing unprecedented growth for e-commerce and ECRM in India. Our clients are actively looking for solutions to sell online as a cost efficient revenue stream.  My mandate at OgilvyOne is to lead this practice nationally and manage our clients Ecommerce/CRM needs end to end.”

     

    Kunal Jeswani, President, OgilvyOne India said: “The best service we can do for our clients is to bring in talent that can make a difference to their business. Harshad represents just that, the best available talent in CRM and e-commerce. Someone who understands the intricacies of digital relationship marketing and can use it to demonstrate a real impact on our clients businesses.”

     

  • Four leading media agency heads pick their top print ads of last year… in an extract from Dainik Bhaskar's Mosaic 2011

    The Best of Print Ads – 2011

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    You may have seen only a few of them and probably even forgotten the underlying message that the campaigns had to tell. But now you could make a dash to have a hard copy of MOSAIC, a compilation of the Best in Print (campaigns) to have hit India n shores in 2011. The compilation has been put together by 23 creative agencies who have submitted their best pieces of work for the category in 2011. Conceptualised by Sanjeev Kotnala and team from the Dainik Bhaskar Group, the initiative has been made special through the “insights” and “personal favourite” sections that have been provided by Media agency bosses. These include Lynn de Souza of Lintas Media Group, Mallikarjun CR, CEO, Starcom MediaVest Group, PM Balakrishna, Chief Operating Ofiicer, Allied Media and Punitha Arumugam, Director – Agency Business, Google India.

     

     

    Lynn de Souza, Chairman and CEO, Lintas Media Group, Chairman, Aaren Initiative and Director, Karishma Initiative

    “An excellent idea to recreate interest and remind all about the power and impact of the print medium. My only reservation is that there were too many submissions of ‘pretty pictures-pithy headlines’ work that may or may not have been published and did not appear to fully grasp how the medium must be used effectively.”

     

    TOP 5 Choices:

     

     

     

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    1) DNA – ISKCON (Scarecrow India)

    Reasons for choosing: The intelligent use of the cigarette-turned-food visual immediately targets the smoker and invites him/her to contribute in a very simple way to a cause that benefits both beneficiary and the giver – something not easy to achieve. I like the simple, clean look of the ad and the directness of the headline and copy.

     

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    2) Flying machine “What an Ass” (Lowe)

    Reasons for choosing: This is my idea of perfect ad! One that has used all the elements of the print medium – headline, visual, copy to present a bold, modern attitude through a perfectly harmonised contribution of all three. It’s an unmissable ad whether you are a guy or a gal.

     

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    3) Parker – Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards (Lowe)

    Reasons for choosing: A stark headline supported by the simple bottle of ink that says it all. An attention grabbing reminder of the power of the pen to influence the world. Perfect synergy for the subject – Journalism awards and the ‘always memorable’ image of a gold Parker fountain pen.

     

     

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    4) The Times of India – A day in the Life of India (Taproot India)

    Reasons for choosing: Fantastic art direction – great visual appeal that hooks you into reading the whole ad. The contemporary feel, using India n kitsch, with attention to detail, is riveting. (Check out the dog lifting his leg to pee on the bed of nails!) Bright, colourful, crowded yet not messy. I could read it again and again!

     

     

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    5) Vaseline ‘Dear Mr. Vaughan’ (BBH India)

    Reasons for choosing: The kind of ad that every Creative Director who woke up to it that morning would have said: “I wish I had written this”. There are some things you can do impactfully in a topical yet ‘permanent’ medium like print that you can’t do anywhere else, and this ad fits the bill. Nose-thumbingly outstanding!

     

     

    Mallikarjun CR, CEO, Starcom MediaVest Group

    “This is a fantastic initiative. As media agency professionals, our lenses to view the world are different. However, what comes across is that great creative work is universal. Really enjoyed it.”

     

     

     

    TOP 5 Choices:

     

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    1) Audi – World Cup (Creativeland Asia)

    Reasons for choosing: Great connect with the Champion’s Trophy ’85 win. Most of the target audience that can buy an Audi will connect immediately with that moment. For a lot of us India ns, that was the first moment of connect with Audi.

     

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    2) DNA ISKCON Food Relief Foundation (Scarecrow)

    Reasons for choosing: A nice calculus linking smoking to food relief. Very innovative, eye catching visuals.

     

     

     

     

     

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    3) Indigo Campaign (Weiden+Kennedy)

    Reasons for choosing: Stark, consistent visuals. The colours, space everything reflects the qualities of the airlines. Nice word play that grabs your attention and makes you read the copy. The reference to price is as value and not cheap.

     

     

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    4) Nissan Micra (TBWA\ India)

    Reasons for choosing: Simple stark visuals. Driving home the relevance of a small car without talking price, affordability etc. Great, understated use of a celebrity.

     

     

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    Reasons for choosing: Great expedient use of Michael Vaughan’s comment. Superb cut through and great visuals.

     

     

    PM Balakrishna, Chief Operating Ofiicer, Allied Media

    “I think this is a wonderful initiative and exposes the fantastic creativity. It is a very different platform as it is more an appreciation of great work rather than a competition as I believe each creative is great on its own.”

     

     

     

    TOP 5 Choices:

     

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    1) Bajaj Fans (Leo Burnett)

    Reasons for choosing: The best part of this creative is the way it has integrated everyday common issues and weaved them into the core communication of the product. The creative is also very well crafted visually using the very cause of the product making it very effective.

     

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    2) Birla Cellulose (Salt Brand Solutions)

    Reasons for choosing: The sheer aesthetic treatment to the communication draws you and I like the beautiful and colourful way the creative has used nature and the human body (woman). It brings out the environmental friendly nature of the product in a very soft and appealing manner.

     

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    3)Fuji(Grey)

    Reasons for choosing: Colour and background are intrinsic material for any great creative and nothing better than drawing inspiration from Mother Nature and wildlife. The beautiful use of the animals brings the message home effectively and creatively and connects with any photographer or photo enthusiast.

     

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    4)NipponPaints (JWT)

    Reasons for choosing: They say a great picture is worth a thousand words and the effect is breathtaking when it is beautifully woven into the message making the communication very compelling and effective. In this case the product USP, a central factor in the category has been brought home very beautifully for correct impact.

     

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    5) Zee 24 Taas (Draftfcb Ulka)

    Reasons for choosing: Ganpati Bappa has a significant connect with the India n diaspora and especially with Maharashtrians who revere the elephant God. I like the way the creative has beautifully engaged the viewers in an innovative and personal manner and makes it unique and different.

     

    Punitha Arumugam, Director – Agency Business, Google India

     

    “This initiative continues the long tradition of Dainik Bhaskar – breaking boundaries and setting new trends in the industry.”

     

     

     

     

     

    TOP 5 Choices:

     

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    1) DNA Mumbai Marathon (Scarecrow)

    Reasons for choosing: The power of long copy. It brings back memories of the old era, which was marked by a great headline and the power of long copy. It inspires and bonds with its audience.

     

     

     

     

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    2) Murphy Richards epilators (Contract)

    Reasons for choosing: The power of a picture. The visual intrigues, makes you pause, demonstrates the benefit and brings a smile – all this without a single word.

     

     

     

     

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    3) MTR Spicy Pickle (Ogilvy)

    Reasons for choosing: The power of insight. A true South India n like me will see this ad and can only say “How true!” Equating spicy with ‘tears’, the way the ad captures the cultural nuances – awesome!

     

     

     

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    4) Parker – Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards (Lowe)

    Reasons for choosing: The power of words. While most entries used the power of the picture, this ad stands out because it uses print for what it does best – leverage the power of words and intriguing headlines.

     

     

     

     

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    5) Saffola Healthy Heart (McCann)

    Reasons for choosing: The power of an innovation. A great collaboration between the creative agency, the brand team, the media agency and the publication to convey the brand message interestingly and inclusively so as to trigger an action from the reader.
    Best of Print in Dainik Bhaskar Group’s MOSAIC
     

    Some may see India’s performance of bagging just four Press Lions at Cannes out of the 30 that were shortlisted as a drab effort, but then there are some who would like to think of it as being otherwise. After all, Press Lions as a category managed to get India its largest tally of four metals versus any other category at the awards – a valiant effort considering that India finished 2012 with just 14 metals in its kitty.

     

    While the category may have received its fair share of fame at the pinnacle of creative awards, many would agree that Indian adland has failed to laud the finesse that stems out from Print creatives over the years. While such is not the case in some large international markets where creative works across categories gets noticed and rewarded that gesture seems to be missing when it comes to India. Luckily for the creative frat in India, an opportunity to showcase their best works – besides the awards shows – were given a fillip by the Dainik Bhaskar Group that released the first of its kind creative compilation of the finest works produced in Print in the form of MOSAIC 2011.

     

     

    Elaborating on the initiative, Sanjeev Kotnala, VP & National Head, Dainik Bhaskar Group said, “This has been a first year for MOSAIC, which is a rich collection of 150 creative units part of 77 campaigns that have been submitted by 23 agencies.” The creative showcase has been made special through some individual comments and insights that have been posted by creative leaders of individual agencies.

     

    Elaborating on the thought process behind the compilation, Mr Kotnala said: “As a group, we believe that the Indian creative across mediums and media is of international standards, in its thinking, relevance and in its execution. Unfortunately there has been no single reference point for the same. MOSAIC bridges this gap and we would want it to be referred by the creative, clients, media and trade.”

     

    As for the method that was adopted in getting the agencies to submit their campaigns, Mr Kotnala said that it began with Dainik Bhaskar requesting the creative heads at the agency to send their best Print work. “They know better than us – as by placing it in MOSAIC affirms it to be their best work. Though we did have constraints on the number of campaigns we could place in Mosaic from a single agency. This has all been a by-invitation. On the other side, there were few agencies that sent lesser number of creative units as they felt others were not up to the standard to feature in such a compilation. So it was created and evaluated by the creative teams themselves.”

     

    On how print has evolved over the years as a medium, Mr Kotnala said: “Today print ads are working on all fronts of communication. They are not just for the purpose of awareness building or as a source of providing tactical information; they engage and involve the readers and are very result-oriented in their approach. We always held that the idea is more important than the medium. And it will automatically find its right medium for better efficiencies and effectively delivery of the message.”

     

    In fact, the compilation has been made special with the involvement of four media agency heads who’ve provided their assessment of the campaigns. They include Lynn De Souza, Chairman and CEO, Lintas Media Group, Chairman, Aaaren Inititative and Director, Karshma Initiative; Mallikarjun CR, CEO, Starcom Mediavest Group; PM Balkrishna, Chief Operating Officer, Allied Media and Punitha Arumugam, Director- Agency Business, Google India.

     

    With the first edition already finding appreciation within the industry, the Dainik Bhaskar group have their task cut out for the next year too. On his plans for a sequel, Mr Kotnala said, “We would want to see more regional and language work in the collection – and they still should meet the standards set. We would and could try getting clients and media owners also picking their favourites and definitely may wish to incorporate a section on media innovations. Though we have taken the task and brought out the book, in our mind it is an industry level initiative and we would want to keep it that way.”

     

    Mosaic 2011 can be accessed and downloaded at http://i10.dainikbhaskar.com /dainikbhaskar2010/books/ Final_Book.PDF

     

  • Of the two shortlists India has received this year, the first is BBH India's entry for its client Google Chrome under the category of Art Direction. The second entry to be nominated is Taproot India's entry for its client The Times of India titled 'I am Mumbai'.

    2 shortlists in Film Craft for India

     

    By A Correspondent [Updated]

     

    There is every chance of India putting up a good show at the Cannes Lions festival under the category of Film Craft. After sending a record 41 entries this year, two of them have found mention in the shortlisted entries so far. And both of them stand a great chance of emerging winners given the adulation it has managed to receive on its own national shores. Of the 33 entries sent last year, only Ogilvy’s entry – Train for Indian Railways received a metal in the form of a Gold.

     

    Of the two shortlists India has received this year, the first is BBH India’s entry for its client Google Chrome under the category of Art Direction. The second entry to be nominated is Ramesh Deo Productions’s entry for its client The Times of India titled ‘I am Mumbai’. The entry has been nominated under the category of Direction and Taproot India is the agency.

     

    Introduced in 2010, the Film Craft Lions honours the craft of the filmmaking process – the direction, copywriting or editing, or the skilful use of music or sound design. A total of 1721 entries from 48 countries have been submitted into the Film Craft category this year, an increase of 30 per cent compared to 2011. The countries that have sent maximum entries include USA at 640, United Kingdom at 315, France at 77, Brazil with 76 entries and Germany with 72.

     

    Representing India at the Jury is Sneha Iype Varma, Executive Producer/Partner, Nirvana Films.

     

    The trophies will be presented during the Film, Film Craft, Branded Content & Entertainment and Titanium and Integrated Lions Awards Ceremony, which will take place on Saturday evening 23 June in the Grand Auditorium, Palais des Festivals.

     

  • DDB Mudra bagged a Design Gold (& Bronze) for 'The Hinglish Project' with Leo Burnett winning a Silver for radio.

    1 Gold, 1 Silver & 5 Bronzes on Day 4

     

     

    By Delshad Irani

     

    DDB Mudra Chief Operations Officer Pratap Bose put up this picture with the Design Gold on his Facebook page

    Cannes on Day 4 won more gold for India, taking its tally to two. ‘The Hinglish Project’ from DDB Mudra Group took home a gold Lion in design.

     

    The design entry is part of the ministry of tourism’s Incredible India campaign. Abhijit Bansod, jury member and principal designer and creative head, Studio ABD, said this is perhaps a new beginning for hybrid typographic design work that combines cultures.

     

    “It really stood out amongst the typographic work we saw during the judging process,” he adds. India had a total of eight entries on the shortlist with three originating in DDB Mudra Group, including a campaign for Volkswagen India.

     

    ‘The Hinglish Project’ has been awarded a bronze Lion, too. A total of four categories were judged on the day. Press, a traditional favourite with Indian entrants, kept India’s ad engine chugging along. There is one silver Lion in Press for Leo Burnett’s work for Bajaj Electricals.

     

    Ogilvy took home two bronze Lions in the same category for its work for Perfetti Van Melle and Mattel Toys’ Hot Wheels brand. And, BBDO India has one bronze Lion, courtesy its work for White Collar Creatives.

     

    The Grand Prix winner in Press is United Colors of Benetton’s Unhate campaign that cooked up a storm in many places around the world and got it the much-coveted top prize at the Cannes Lions.

     

    In radio there’s a lone win, another bronze Lion for India as well as Leo Burnett. Titled ‘Punishment’, the work interestingly was written entirely in Hindi. The work for Mumbai-based book store Strand Book Stall is in the form of a conversation between Mahatma Gandhi and a little boy.

     

    According to Rob McLellan, executive creative director, Network BBDO South Africa, and Radio Lions’ jury president: “It is a heart-warming piece of work. India is very similar to South Africa in many ways. Radio is still the most popular medium and sometimes the only way to reach people. I think the piece is a worthy winner.”

     

    This brings us to Cyber category, a disappointment of digital proportions. Out of the 27 entrants, not one made the shortlist. About India’s non-existent presence in this category Anita Varma, jury member and director of Digital Driftwood, said it’s a shame because we are great storytellers but falter on how best to use the technology at our disposal.

     

    Source: The Economic Times

    Copyright © 2012, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved

     

  • Ex-Google industry veteran charged with leading Havas Digital’s search responsibilities

    Havas Digital names Alan Boughen SVP Global Search Director

    By A Correspondent

     

    Havas Digital, the umbrella group that manages all of Havas Media’s digital assets, including interactive media group Media Contacts, mobile marketing specialist Mobext, and creative interactive network Archibald Ingall Stretton, amongst others, announced that ex-Google advertising Search expert, Alan Boughen has been named SVP, Global Search Director, effective immediately.

     

    Based in London, and reporting directly to Rob Griffin, EVP Global Director of Product Development, Mr Boughen is charged with managing and developing the Search product within the agency. Mr Boughen will be managing Havas Digital’s search partners and building stronger relationships with the agency’s global clients, with a strong focus on continued development of search services and teams.

     

    Mr Boughen joins Havas Digital from Google where he was a Global Agency Business Leader. He was responsible for managing Google’s strategy and relationships with some of the world’s largest media and advertising agency networks.

    Prior to joining Google in March 2008, Mr Boughen spent over 7 years in senior search marketing roles at WPP companies in the UK and US. Mr Boughen launched and led the US operations of NeoSearch@Ogilvy, the search marketing division of Ogilvy’s digital and direct media global network, where he managed a large team of search marketing experts running SEM campaigns for Ogilvy’s Fortune 1000 clients.

     

    Before working in search marketing, Mr Boughen held positions with AIG and Whirlpool where he gained a background in information technology, business analysis and project management.

     

    “The search landscape is evolving at an extremely fast pace and advertisers are demanding more sophisticated solutions in order to stay relevant. In order to meet the needs and requirements of our clients, we need best in class tools and the most knowledgeable professionals. We have known Alan for a long time, and we are convinced he will add a new level of strategic leadership to the team, and will help define our Search capabilities going forward,” said Mr Griffin.

    Mr Boughen added: “I look forward to becoming a part of the Havas Digital team. By combining my search experience with the advanced search capabilities of Havas Digital, I will ensure all of our clients get the results they’ve come to expect.”

  • Mr Roy or Sid, as he is fondly known, will be responsible for Happy's operations across branches

    Happy gets Siddhartha Roy as COO

    By A Correspondent

     

    With operations kicking off recently in Mumbai, Bangalore-based creative agency Happy has welcomed Siddhartha Roy as their first Chief Operating Officer. In a short span of five years, Happy has grown to a team of over 30, and a newly appointed COO marks the beginning of big things to come from the Idea Shop.

     

    Mr Roy or Sid, as he is fondly known, will be responsible for Happy’s operations across branches. He has over 16 years in the business, of which 10 years were spent with Ogilvy in Mumbai, Bangalore and Sri Lanka.  Besides Ogilvy, he has worked with Ambience and Everest as well as loyalty marketing specialists, DIREM.

     

    He has been associated with a diverse spread of categories and brands such as FMCG (Cadbury, ITC Foods, Nestle, Coke, Ceylon Tobacco Company), Telecom (Hutch/Vodafone, Reliance, Sri Lanka Telecom), Web (Yahoo) and Retail (Madura Garments). His contribution extends to several campaigns that have been awarded for not only marketing effectiveness but creative excellence as well. In Phoenix Ogilvy – Sri Lanka, Sid set up & headed the Strategic Planning cell along with leading Account Management.

     

    “I think there are seismic changes taking place in the business of communications today. Gone are the days of agency imperialism. While marketers are looking for ‘ideas’, large network agencies are increasingly selling ‘processes’. And over the past few years, Happy has been successfully capitalizing on this need-gap. This is the primary reason for me to join the HAPPY family – and I’m extremely excited about it,” said Mr Roy.

     

    “Kartik and Praveen have been doing a fabulous job over the past few years to create and keep conversations alive around Happy with their work. My mandate at Happy is to partner them in augmenting the same while driving business efficiencies,” he added.

     

    On the new appointment, co-founder and CEO, Kartik Iyer commented: “Praveen and myself have done things by ourselves so far. We think it’s time to take a more structured approach to reach our goals. He comes with the right level of experience combined with the hunger to do the unexpected – this is very much the DNA of Happy. Known as the ‘oldmonkster’ among friends, we think he is the perfect fit as our COO. We welcome him and are very confident this addition will take things to a whole new level. In fact, it already has.”

     

    Happy is responsible for the much appreciated Flipkart campaigns featuring little kids which won a silver at the Asia Pacific Adfest in Pattaya this year. They are also well known globally for their ‘Lee – Never Wasted’ shopping bag design, which won them a Cannes nomination. Happy was also the agency behind the highly acclaimed Incredible India tourism commercial titled the ‘post card’.