Publicis Worldwide India, part of the Publicis Groupe network in India, has strengthened its leadership team and announced the appointment of Nitin Sharma as Senior Vice President and Head of Client Services. Sharma will be based out of Mumbai and report to Oindrila Roy, Managing Director, Publicis Worldwide India.
Before joining Publicis Worldwide, he was heading marketing strategy for UAE Exchange (now Unimoni). Welcoming Sharma to the agency, Paritosh Srivastava, CEO, Publicis Worldwide, India said: “While we reinvent ourselves to cater to the evolving marketing landscape, it is imperative to have the sound backing of a team that will drive this momentum forward for us. Towards that goal, we are glad to have someone of the calibre of Nitin Sharma who comes on board with domain expertise that is rich and pragmatic. His strong ability to direct and lead brands to a reputable position in the marketplace while possessing qualitative and admirable leadership skills bode well for our momentum in the long run.”
Putting its strategic and creative might to the fore yet again, L&K Saatchi & Saatchi won the creative mandate of India’s newest and much-awaited airline brand, Akasa Air. As its creative partner, the agency will manage strategic and creative initiatives for the airline which include developing brand and tactical communication for above-the-line and below-the-line elements. It will also develop brand communication campaigns and creatives for launch and sustenance phases and be involved in designing brand identity applications across mediums.
The account will be managed by the Mumbai office of the agency.
Commenting on the association, Belson Coutinho Co-Founder and Chief Marketing & Experience Officer at Akasa Air said: “We are on a journey to build India’s most dependable and affordable airline that delivers warm, reliable and efficient service. Hence it is inevitable to have our communication strategy that complements both the brand promise and our actual delivery on ground. We want our brand communication to be authentic, drive creativity and innovation, and at the same time reflect our core value of empathy.”
Sharing his views on how Akasa Air would power India’s growth engine, Paritosh Srivastava, CEO, L&K Saatchi & Saatchi said: “It’s literally a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to launch an airline; it doesn’t get bigger than this. The experience of being a part of the core team at Akasa and going through the journey of the launch of something as massive and transformational for our country and people is truly humbling. Aviation is a tough business, and everyone involved has to bring their best game to the table. We will try everything in our power to contribute to Akasa’s success in the time to come. We believe we are not an agency for Akasa; we feel a sense of ownership, and treat this as our own business.”
Publicis Groupe India has announced that Paritosh Srivastava, the current CEO of L&K Saatchi & Saatchi will now also helm the operations at Publicis Worldwide India. Subhash Kamath and Russell Barrett, who were overseeing Publicis Worldwide India, move into a Groupe advisory role and BBH leadership role respectively, as announced earlier.
Anupriya Acharya
Said Anupriya Acharya, South Asia CEO, Publicis Groupe: “Paritosh is a proven and accomplished leader and under his leadership, L&K Saatchi & Saatchi has won large and coveted mandates, navigated the pandemic judiciously and taken the agency to a position of strength. He has also played an important role in the success of Publicis Worldwide in India for many years and is very familiar with its culture, talent, and key clients and hence was a natural choice. I am confident that his appointment will benefit our clients, business and people immensely.”
Added Srivastava: “This is a huge honour and Publicis Worldwide is very close to my heart. I have spent eight wonderful years of my professional life in the agency. I look forward to working with its hugely talented teams, to bring in world-class, truly impactful solutions for our trusted and respected set of client partners. In the competitive backdrop of today, clients need communication solutions that impact business and are truly dynamic, bold and data driven. Publicis Worldwide is a powerful brand for the Groupe globally, we will ensure that we maintain its impeccable reputation and make it future-proof in India.”
Relaxo Footwears has appointed L&K Saatchi & Saatchi to manage the entire integrated mandate of its brand, Flite. The agency will manage the integrated mandate on Flite, which includes mainline, digital and media services.
As its AoR, L&K Saatchi & Saatchi will be responsible for repositioning the brand, develop consumer focussed brand communication campaigns that will be extended on to digital platforms, while also developing always-on content for the brand throughout the year. The media mandate also includes both mainline and digital.
Gaurav Dua
Commenting on the appointment, Gaurav Dua, ED, Relaxo Footwears said: “We are glad to have L&K Saatchi & Saatchi on board as our communication partner. In our initial conversations with them, there was a complete alignment on the vision of the brand and their approach to it. This assured us of our choice of a reliable partner. I’m very optimistic of this alliance and can foresee the brand getting the right launch pad for the future.”
Paritosh Srivastava
Highlighting the novelty factor behind the win, Paritosh Srivastava, MD, L&K Saatchi & Saatchi said: “It doesn’t happen often that a company that’s a leading manufacturer in a category parks the entire integrated mandate without a pitch only basis the credentials, chemistry and trust in the team. Puts immense responsibility on us to deliver beyond expectations. Flite, one of the biggest brands in the Relaxo portfolio, has done a tremendous job of creating a segment of its own. As their business partner, our role now will be to make sure that the brand takes a new flight in the minds of the consumers and trade, while achieving a growth trajectory that will propel it in a league of its own.”
Publicis Worldwide India has announced the appointment of Sanju Menon as Chief Operating Officer of Publicis Ambience and Publicis Beehive. Menon takes over the reins from Paritosh Srivastava, who recently was elevated to the role of Managing Director of L&K Saatchi & Saatchi. Menon will be responsible for driving the growth agenda while also providing fresh thinking and impetus to a host of brands under Publicis Ambience and Publicis Beehive. He has already assumed charge from January 2, 2020 and will report to Srija Chatterjee, MD, Publicis Worldwide, India.
Menon joins Publicis Worldwide from sibling Leo Burnett India where his last role was as Executive Vice President managing the entire Bajaj portfolio for the agency. Apart from Bajaj, he was also associated with brands across the Publicis Groupe including Jeep, Viacom, Bridgestone, Sketchers, Abbott Nutrition and Cholayil among others.
Srija Chatterjee
Commenting on the appointment, Chatterjee said: “It’s been an emotional ride these past few days as one of our most dependable faces departs to take on a larger role at the Groupe level. But that’s an exciting journey to undertake and Paritosh deserves every bit of the success that has come his way. I’d like to thank Paritosh for setting up steady and solid-looking agencies under Publicis Ambience & Publicis Beehive. At the same time, I’d like to welcome Sanju to the Publicis Worldwide family and can vouch for his credibility as one of the most exciting talents to watch out for. His credentials in driving growth and strategy and his team-bonding skills make him a prized asset to possess. I look forward to partnering him and carving out an upward trajectory for several brands under the Publicis stable.”
Paritosh-Srivastava
Added Srivastava: “Leaving is always tough, especially when it’s been a deep emotional relationship of over eight years. Publicis Worldwide will always be close to my heart and will root for its success and glory. However, the silver lining is that no one better than Sanju Menon could have taken the mantle. He’s a fantastic human being and an incredible professional who will add amazing value to our wonderful clients. I’m certain that he will take the agency to greater heights. My heartfelt wishes to Sanju, Srija, Ajay, Neeraj, Suraj, Sridhar and the entire PWW team for a great ride into the future.”
On joining Publicis Worldwide India, Menon said: “The last five years at Leo Burnett have been very rewarding. I will cherish the association I have had with the various teams I have worked with. With LB’s rich history of innovation, these years have been of great learning too, and I hope to take every bit of it with me to Publicis Worldwide. From the outside, I have seen that Publicis Worldwide has fantastic talents and long-standing relationships with brands that are trusted, loved, and have enormous potential. Equipped with the Publicis Groupe’s ‘Power of One’ philosophy and with the trust of our partners, I look forward to working with Srija and her talented team on building effective and innovative solutions that will make Publicis Worldwide more agile, and a powerhouse within the group. I’m looking forward to being a part of this exciting new journey.”
Leading multi-vitamin and mineral brand Wellman has appointed Publicis Beehive to manage its media mandate in India. Won after a multi-agency pitch, Publicis Beehive will facilitate the UK-based Wellman’s launch campaign while also developing a robust communication strategy for the brand to make an impressive impact in the Indian market.
In keeping with its core product promise, Wellman has appointed cricketer Virat Kohli as its brand ambassador. ental agility and strength.
Commenting on the launch of the brand in India, Tej Lalvani, CEO of Vitabiotics said: “We are delighted to announce the launch of Wellman vitamins in India through our major collaboration with global sports legend Virat Kohli. Wellman, the No.1 vitamins for men, has helped leading sports professionals and celebrities around the world achieve remarkable results, and we are excited that this will now be available in India.”
Added Paritosh Srivastava, COO – Publicis Beehive said: “Wellman is a much-loved and consumed brand around the world. And so is its communication. The task for its launch in India was to weave a similar magic and make it appealing to the Indian audiences. The focus was thus on the two elements necessary for success: physical fitness and mental sharpness; hence the tagline ‘Stay fit, Be sharp’. There couldn’t have been a better ambassador to embody this philosophy than the world’s best cricketer, Virat Kohli. We are confident that the communication will make quite a mark with the audiences in India.”
Škoda Auto India has launched its latest campaign under the Peace of Mind series that focuses on enhancing ownership experience. The ad film highlights the ‘Shield Plus’ package, which is a first-in-segment initiative that offers six-year warranty, six-year roadside assistance and four-year maintenance in one go.
Commenting on the campaign, Tarun Jha – Head of Marketing and Product, Skoda Auto India said: “Škoda India believes in pushing the boundaries and setting a benchmark for others. The Shield Plus is again one such industry first initiative with a unique offering, which will not only delight the customers but also make them experience complete peace of mind while owning a Skoda.”
Added Paritosh Srivastava, COO, Publicis Ambience: “Shield Plus is an industry leading offering. Peace of Mind is a proposition that Skoda owns strongly and the past campaigns have worked very well for the brand. Challenge was to push the limits further and change the trajectory for the brand with this campaign. Kudos to the Skoda team led by Zach Hollis and Tarun Jha who showed immense faith in the idea and were brave enough to buy it. We are very excited and proud as a team and reasonably confident the campaign will do exceedingly well for Skoda. Needless to say, it’s been a long time that we’ve seen such an idea in the automotive category.”
Adding his views on the ad film, Ramakrishnan Hariharan, Head of Creative, Publicis Ambience said: “This TVC ticks all the right boxes for me. Simple and clear messaging delivered in a manner that’s almost unescapable. Really fortunate to have bold clients like ŠKODA who don’t just demand cut-through work but also allow the creative team to wield the edge that makes cut-through possible.”
The production house on the film is Prodigious while the ad has been directed by Lloyd Baptista.
Storia Foods & Beverages has announced the launch of its first integrated marketing campaign for its range of Storia Shakes. The campaign will include the roll out of three ad films, each focusing on a different variant including strawberry, mango and banana.
The media campaign designed by Publicis Beehive will be seen across multiple media across OOH, digital and social media platforms with a range of BTL activations planned over a period of two months.
Speaking about the campaign Vishal Shah, Founder & Managing Director, Storia Foods & Beverages said: “We, at Storia, feel great responsibility because what we serve affects our consumers’ health and lives directly. We wanted to take this opportunity to communicate to the consumers how serious Storia is to living upto this commitment, in a fun yet a very impactful way, something that most shake brands haven’t explored yet. This campaign was a great way to increase significant brand consideration by reiterating this promise that places attention to the health benefits and quality control by stating ‘Only the best fruits go into India’s Highest Fruit Content Shake’.
Added Paritosh Srivastava, COO – Publicis Beehive: “In a highly cluttered category our challenge was to create a communication as differentiated as the drink itself. The animation allows us to tell a product story in a very charming fashion with storytelling at its heart.”
Publicis Beehive has won the creative mandate of snacks and namkeen player, Balaji Wafers. It will be handled out of the Mumbai office of Publicis Beehive.
Flagging off the partnership, Publicis Beehive has launched an integrated ad campaign led largely by a series of TVCs. Said Keyur Virani, Director, Balaji Wafers: “Publicis Beehive got the insight on the brand and value proposition spot on. The creative execution of their thinking was disruptive too. Subtle humour in the category of wafers and snacks is so difficult to achieve and we were pleasantly surprised to see how easily they married this style of storytelling.”
Sharing his views on the brand thought and execution, Paritosh Srivastava, COO – Publicis Beehive said: “Balaji Wafers is a trusted name in the snacks and namkeen category and we are delighted to have them partner us as they embark on a quest to become a household name across India. The key insight was to play on the one factor that sets the brand aside from the others – less air and more wafers. What better way than to relate it to real life instances. We are excited with the inaugural brand campaign and are positive that it will connect innately with the consumers at large.”
Oven Story Pizza, has launched its inaugural national ad campaign. Crafted by Publicis India, this is the brand’s first integrated campaign extending across digital, print, outdoor and radio.
Said Sagar Kochhar, Group Chief Marketing Officer: “Our focus with our first national campaign was to drive home the point that there’s pizza, and then there’s Oven Story pizza. No harm, no foul, but given our understanding of our consumers’ discerning taste buds, our campaign clearly mentions how one should move from ordinary pizza to extraordinary pizzas with Oven Story. Driven by consumer insight, the campaign is centered around brand’s core USP and innovation – Pizzas with four incredible cheese bases. The pizza space in India is evolving and we wanted to bring the zing back to pizza, rather than letting it be the-food-to-order-when-you-can-think-of-nothing-else, where it today languishes in India.â€
Commenting on the win and also the campaign thought, Paritosh Srivastava, COO, Publicis Ambience added: “We are delighted to partner a pizza brand that has built quite a distinction for itself as a favoured choice of consumers. Being homegrown and boasting a competitive spirit is what sets it apart from the established names in the market. Our ambition with the communication strategy was to disrupt the current dough & topping conversation seen in the category and focus our advertising story on the key ingredient that drives consumer indulgence for pizzas, the cheese itself. More so, with Oven Story offering an assortment of cheese flavors, it not only allowed us to leverage this truth in our storytelling, but also gave us an easy plank to deposition the current narrative taken on by the larger players.â€
Storia Foods & Beverages, a budding entrepreneurial venture in the natural foods space, has roped in Publicis Beehive to manage its entire communications mandate.
The agency was shortlisted after a multi-agency pitch and will manage the entire communication mandate including advertising, brand activation, digital and media.
Sharing his viewpoint on his plans for the Indian market and also on appointing Publicis Beehive as its communications partner, Vishal Shah – Founder & Managing Partner, Storia Foods & Beverages said: “It is important that we have a deep understanding of our consumers, how we want our consumers to perceive us and what feeling we want to leave them with. Today’s society is moving rapidly and brands have a small window to interact with their consumers and create an impact through their products and communication. It was thus important for Storia to invest in a partner who could communicate these brand values and create a feeling of belonging for our consumers and Publicis Beehive fit the bill seamlessly. They understand our brand vision and culture and there is immense trust that they will nurture our brand as well as we do.â€
Added Paritosh Srivastava, COO – Publicis Beehive: “Partnering an upcoming and entrepreneurial brand like Storia Foods & Beverages presents both an opportunity as well as a challenge. Opportunity lies in leveraging our integrated strength to put our best foot forward in terms of creative, media, digital and activation. The challenge is the trust and responsibility entrusted by Vishal and team upon us to make Storia a success in a tough environment. It’s a great product and we hope that together we will create memorable communication that will result in disproportionate trials and awareness.â€
The agency is currently working on the first communication message which will be rolled out shortly.
Automobile brand Skoda Auto India has launched its latest campaign titled ‘Peace of Mind’ that focuses on enhancing ownership experience.
The campaign comprises a TVC in which actor Boman Irani has played himself. Commenting on the films, Tarun Jha – Head of Marketing and Product, Skoda Auto said: “Skoda India has always believed in enhancing customer experience and offering delightful products every single time. The 4-year service care package is a unique proposition and has a singular focus of making the Å koda ownership hassle-free and pleasant. Apart from the service care package, a host of other initiatives have also been launched.â€
Adding his views, Paritosh Srivastava, COO, Publicis Ambience said: “We had a clear task at hand – to highlight peace of mind that comes with every Å koda car. One look at the campaign, and you’ll know it is trademark Å koda in every way. It’s testimonial in nature but is also a warm and charming human story. Å koda is the first brand to launch this package and we wanted to reinforce the hassle-free ownership experience. With this campaign, we are confident that fencesitters and others will understand that Å koda not only offers great cars but a great after-sales experience too.â€
Putting its strategic and creative might to the fore yet again, L&K Saatchi & Saatchi won the creative mandate of India’s newest and much-awaited airline brand, Akasa Air. As its creative partner, the agency will manage strategic and creative initiatives for the airline which include developing brand and tactical communication for above-the-line and below-the-line elements. It will also develop brand communication campaigns and creatives for launch and sustenance phases and be involved in designing brand identity applications across mediums.
