MxMIndia

Tag: PointNine Lintas

  • Mehta’s last assignment was to set up the omni-channel creative agency, PointNine Lintas, which he ran as CEO until its merger with Lowe Lintas, announced last week

    Mullen Lintas names Vikas Mehta CEO

    By A Correspondent

     

    Mullen Lintas has announced the appointment of Vikas Mehta as its CEO. Mehta takes on this role from Virat Tandon who was recently elevated to the position of Group CEO, MullenLowe Lintas Group. Speaking of the choice, Tandon said: “Mullen Lintas has very quickly earned the reputation of being a high achieving agency. There couldn’t be a better person than Vikas to lead the agency into its next phase of growth. He brings with him a hunger to build the agency of the future and has the skills needed to do so. His experience as an omni-channel practitioner will give an edge to the solutions that the agency develops. I am sure that under his leadership, Mullen Lintas will only up its challenger game”.

     

    Formed a little over three years ago, Mullen Lintas features amongst the top ten creative agencies in India with some iconic campaigns under its belt. The agency has partnered numerous brands on a client portfolio that includes like Bajaj Auto, Bajaj Corp., Dabur, Fossil, Gionee, Havells, Honda, Modern Foods, Motilal Oswal, Oppo, Pharmeasy, Quikr, SBI Life Insurance, Tata Cliq, Tata Tea, Too Yumm, Viacom 18, Vistara, Vivo and Voonik.

     

    Mehta’s last assignment was to set up the omni-channel creative agency, PointNine Lintas, which he ran as CEO until its merger with Lowe Lintas, announced last week.

     

    Vikas Mehta

    Commenting on the move, Mehta said: “Mullen Lintas has achieved in three years what most agencies would dream of in a decade. Its founding leaders – Amer, Virat and Shriram – have built an agency where the leadership pedigree of Lintas, meets the challenger mindset of MullenLowe Group. It’s a culture of creative excellence, that punches way above its weight. I am delighted at the opportunity to help author the next chapter in the agency’s evolution.”

     

    Amer Jaleel

    Speaking on Mehta’s appointment, Amer Jaleel, Group CCO and Chairman, MullenLowe Lintas Group added: “Mullen Lintas is a special agency. Handcrafted over the last three years, it needs nurturing and attention of a very different level to take it ahead from here. The agency has been the fastest to make it to the top 10 league in reputation ever and its ambition is to reach the 100-crore club too, faster than any other. In Vikas we found a partner to strengthen our already formidable team. Vikas brings so many colours to this role – he’s been a terrific believer and marketer of our name and fame, he’s shepherded PointNine Lintas back into the fold and he is probably visioning the future better than anyone in the industry. We are supremely fortunate to have him.” Mehta will operate out of the Mumbai office of Mullen Lintas, and the appointment is effective immediately.

     

     

  • The merger is effective immediately and the leadership teams of both agencies are working on operationalizing the merged structure

    Lowe Lintas announces merger with PointNine Lintas

    By A Correspondent

     

    Amer Jaleel & Virat Tandon

    MullenLowe Lintas Group has announced the merger of its omni-channel agency, PointNine Lintas, with its creative agency, Lowe Lintas.

     

    Said Virat Tandon, Group CEO, MullenLowe Lintas Group: “With PointNine Lintas, we’ve grown a new, future-facing strain and now it’s time to graft it into Lowe Lintas, which is already India’s best. Having seen the PointNine offering and skills develop very closely, and being familiar with the position that Lowe already commands, I am super excited about this move and am confident that this is a big leap forward for us. Our promise for clients with this merger is that in the increasingly fragmented and fast-evolving communications landscape, we will now be able to seamlessly extract more power from our big ideas. Lowe Lintas’ new Hyper-bundled offering means that our clients no longer have to settle for the fractured solutions of the past.”

     

    The services that Lowe Lintas will now offer includes digital marketing and transformation, public relations, reputation management, activation, experiential & shopper marketing, and media planning & buying. The PR, Media and Experiential divisions of the group, GolinOpinion, Lintas Mediahub and LinEngage respectively, would continue to offer their services to their clients, while collaborating with Lowe Lintas.

     

    Speaking about the merger, Amer Jaleel, Group CCO and Chairman, MullenLowe Lintas Group added: “We are looking at a future where a lot of very carefully designed and yet differing messages will aggregate to form a stereographic brand picture in the head. We see this emerging need as very challenging and exciting. Our omni-channel incubation PointNine Lintas is now fully ready and positioned to understand these complex brand needs and it’s time to unleash it across the breadth of our vast brand portfolio”.

     

    The merger is effective immediately and the leadership teams of both agencies are working on operationalising the merged structure.

     

     

  • Titled milega milega, two TVCs emphasize on customer claim settlement

    Liberty General Insurance launches maiden TV campaign

    By A Correspondent

     

    Liberty General Insurance has launched its first campaign highlighting the brand ethos as well as its health and motor insurance products and services.

     

    Said Roopam Asthana, CEO and Whole Time Director, Liberty General Insurance: “At Liberty General Insurance we have a legacy of assisting our customers with integrated insurance solutions. With this campaign we are motivating people to fearlessly go forward and avail the benefits of being an insured individual.  This campaign also marks a start of a new direction in our brand strategy and we have some exciting plans which will fructify over time.”

     

    Added Raman R.S. Minhas, Group Creative Director, PointNine Lintas: “The word claim has become synonymous with unsure – that is the default thinking in consumers’ minds today. The films are conceived to disrupt that thinking in a very quirky yet relatable manner, while associating the brand with the magical word that consumers want to hear – Milega.”

     

     

  • The mandate includes marketing strategy, creative development and public relations

    Product of the Year appoints PointNine Lintas

    By A Correspondent

     

    Product of the Year (POY) has partnered with PointNine Lintas to design its communication strategy.

     

    Speaking about the association with PointNine Lintas, Raj Arora, CEO of Product of the Year India, said: “We are proud to partner with PointNine Lintas as our agency of choice. They bring to the table a holistic and refreshing approach, and we are confident that together we will exceed expectations this season.”

     

    Added Vikas Mehta of PointNine Lintas: “Being a brand for brands, Product of the Year (POTY) is a very interesting win for us. Raj and his team have put in a lot of hard work over the past ten years in bringing the platform this far. Coming in as their agency in the eleventh year, the priority for us is to help the platform leap into its next stage of evolution into becoming one of India’s most prestigious. There’s been a natural meeting of minds in our discussions so far, about the future of these awards and I would like to see this relationship grow into a deeper partnership.”

     

     

  • Mandate includes the brands, RiteBite and Max Protein

    PointNine Lintas wins omni-channel account of Naturell India

    By A Correspondent

     

    Naturell India, manufacturer of protein bars and snacks Max Protein and Rite Bite, has appointed PointNine Lintas as its omni-channel agency.

     

    Speaking on the win, Vikas Mehta, CEO, PointNine Lintas said: “Naturell is an exciting young enterprise, run by grown-ups. It has a great line-up of products in a category whose time has come. As their full service agency, we have the opportunity to act like a true partner and create business impact through the entire marketing mix, and not just some silos. We are grateful for the trust Vijay and team has shown in our abilities and are committed to helping them succeed in the market place.”

     

    Added Vijay Uttarwar, Founder and CEO Naturell India: “When we were looking for an agency, we were looking for a team who would be an equal partner in our ambition. We felt that PointNine’s single-minded focus on ROMI (Return on Marketing Investment) and their strategic bent for business effectiveness works well for a growth-focused organization like ours. As a protein foods company, we’re breaking new ground in changing the attitude of India towards nutrition and creating interventions on the food clock. With their full span of omni-channel marketing capabilities – the team at PointNine Lintas was best suited to partner us on this journey.”

     

     

  • The new campaign, #JusBol, emphasises how easily you can manage all your chores with just voice commands

    PointNine Lintas and MS Dhoni ask audiophiles to #JusBol

    By A Correspondent

     

    PointNine Lintas has conceptualised and executed a multimedia campaign for the launch of Sound Logic’s new Voice Assistant Wireless audio range. As the omni-channel agency of the brand, PointNine Lintas designed the entire campaign leveraging Sound Logic’s partner-evangelist, Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

     

    Said Vikas Mehta, CEO of PointNine Lintas: “We are delighted to help Sound Logic create its first major marketing campaign in India. It’s a singular campaign that maps the entire user journey from awareness right up to commerce. Mahi’s upcoming birthday presented a great topical opportunity for us to offer something exciting to his fans and a limited edition range was born. Flipkart has been an invaluable partner in agreeing to do a first-ever flash sale for our products, giving us a great platform for the brand to make a debut.”

     

    Added Sagar Gwallani, CEO & Co-founder of Sound Logic: “SoundLogic strives to be at the forefront of innovative technology at accessible price points. With this campaign we want to communicate how user-friendly SoundLogic’s voice-assisted range of audio products are. As the campaign is all about giving commands to the voice assistant, there cannot be any better choice than Captain Cool, who is known for his leadership qualities on and off the field.”

     

     

  • SoundLogic recently appointed PointNine Lintas as its full service agency

    SoundLogic gets M S Dhoni on board as partner-evangelist

    By A Correspondent

     

    SoundLogic has roped in former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni as a partner-evangelist. Speaking about the partnership, Sagar Gwallani, CEO of SoundLogic said, “Mahi is the epitome of leadership and self-belief. He is driven by passion and continues to inspire millions. Like SoundLogic, Dhoni represents the new age of Indians – confident, cool and savvy. We look forward to working with him to develop innovative and engaging collaborations with consumers.”

     

    SoundLogic recently appointed PointNine Lintas as its full service agency. The agency is working with the team at SoundLogic and Mahi to create the marketing roadmap for the brand.

     

    Added Vikas Mehta, CEO, PointNine Lintas: “Mahi coming on board is of great significance for SoundLogic. We now have a confluence of best-in-class products and a perfectly apt persona. The fact that this isn’t yet another brand ambassador deal but a deeper partnership; makes it a great runway for real innovations as we take SoundLogic’s products to market.”

     

     

  • PointNine Lintas will work closely with the management of SoundLogic to define a brand positioning

    SoundLogic appoints PointNine Lintas as its full-service agency

    By A Correspondent

     

    Audio and electronics brand SoundLogic has given the full-service agency mandate to PointNine Lintas, as it prepares to launch its upcoming range of innovative audio products.

     

    Vikas Mehta

    Commenting on the assignment, Vikas Mehta, CEO, PointNine Lintas said: “We first met the team from SoundLogic only a few weeks ago. We saw a demo of their upcoming product range and it was love at first sound. They are a young company with big ambitions and a product lineup to back those ambitions. In a way, SoundLogic is about to democratize cutting edge audio technology and our team at PointNine Lintas is enjoying the opportunity to help them navigate this journey.”

     

     

    Sagar Gwallani

    Commenting on the appointment, Sagar Gwallani, CEO of SoundLogic added: “We are happy to collaborate with PointNine Lintas to fuel our ambitious dream for SoundLogic. It is the first time we have embarked on a campaign of this magnitude. The PointNine Lintas team demonstrated a roadmap that was aligned with our brand philosophy. We look forward to an interesting and insightful journey ahead.”

     

     

  • Probitec is envisaged to be an end-to-end solution for executing and monitoring on-ground programmes for consumer engagement

    PointNine Lintas announces beta launch of Probitec

    By A Correspondent

     

    Omni-Channel agency PointNine Lintas announced its foray into martech and launched the beta version of its first product, Probitec. Probitec is envisaged to be an end-to-end solution for executing and monitoring on-ground programmes for consumer engagement.

     

    Announcing the go-live, Vikas Mehta – CEO, PointNine Lintas said: “A few years ago, we saw the wave of adtech sweeping the advertising business. The action is now shifting towards marketing technologies (martech), and we’re really excited about the possibilities it presents for innovations and inventions. Until now, agencies have primarily viewed their business model as ‘service providers’. At PointNine Lintas, we are committed to an equally strong focus on developing products that can add value to the marketing ecosystem. Probitec is a fine example of that, because it offers a platformic solution to a decades-old problem of transparency in the activation business.”

     

    LinEngage, the consumer engagement division of PointNine Lintas, has led the product development of Probitec in collaboration with technology partner, TalentBridge Technologies – a Bangalore based technology firm.

     

     

  • With this launch, KRBL – one of India’s leading food companies, has set out to lead the charge in creating the superfood category with Quinoa

    PointNine Lintas campaign launches Quinoa

    By A Correspondent

     

    LinTeractive recently won the mandate from India Gate to launch its Quinoa brand. The agency unveiled an omni-channel campaign that deploys a combination of films, web/ mobile content, social media communities, on ground activations and also a digital website.

     

    With this launch, KRBL – one of India’s leading food companies, has set out to lead the charge in creating the superfood category with Quinoa.

     

    Said Ayush Gupta, Marketing Head KRBL Limited: “Indians as people have always loved their food. With changing times and growing health consciousness, we decided to introduce newer grains for newer lifestyles in India. This new India is fearless about trying new flavours, new foods and new cuisines. We want to feed this trend with interesting new grains like Quinoa that adds to a better life as well. However, we did not want to take a health stand on this because it would end up reducing Quinoa to an occasional food which people would try out maximum twice or thrice a month. We wanted Quinoa to be a part of an everyday mindset.”

     

    Added Deepak Agarwal, Executive Creative Director – PointNine Lintas: “Our approach to delivering the message of ‘Indulge, Guilt-Free’ was to keep it light-hearted and humorous .When the desire to eat ‘real food’ overtakes the desire to ‘get healthy’, most of the people are likely to indulge in their favourite comfort food and end up being guilty about their spur-of-the-moment choices. We chose to show people sumptuously eating burgers, kebabs & halwa while chastising themselves for all the ‘atonement’ they would have to do for entertaining this indulgence. The twist in the execution was that the very same people revealed the message that, indulgent dishes made from a nutritious India Gate Quinoa base as a part of the recipe meant that there was actually no reason to feel guilty at all.”

     

    Commenting on the campaign, Sumanta Ganguly, EVP – LinTeractive & National Director, Digital – PointNine Lintas, said“The campaign was going to be digital-first as a new premium food grain would naturally need to be investigated and experienced online. We mapped numerous user-journeys and created an omni-channel strategy to create interesting interventions at the most crucial touch-points – from discovering the quirky product film to drooling at quinoa delicacies on Instagram on to digging into why and how to consume Quinoa – all tied into a single brand idea of Indulgence without the baggage of Guilt. The insight was born out of the difficulty one experiences while letting go of the dishes that one has grown up eating, in favour of healthier ones.”

  • The Relevance Framework released by Golin global CEO Fred Cook throws up some interesting data

    A Matter of Relevance (& Trust)

     

    By A Correspondent

    GolinOpinion, the PR division of PointNine Lintas, released its first marketing product, Relevance India. At an event in Mumbai last week, Fred Cook, Global Chairman, Golin unveiled the Relevance framework which is being rolled out globally. The research was conducted in 13 markets, including India, covering over 13,000 respondents. The first round of data from the study indicates that in the battle for relevance, truth is having a moment of truth. Golin’s global research focused on three categories that touch billions of lives every day: social media, personal banking and automotive.

    After three years of research, in partnership with the USC Annenberg School for Journalism and

    Communications, Golin’s study in four continents including India, uncovered what drives relevance for categories and brands across the globe. The survey population encompassed millennials (18-34), Gen-x (35-54) and boomers (55+).

    The India data, that covered three categories, threw up some interesting aspects:

    People around the world believe that their ideal brand would deliver on being trustworthy (ethical, moral, honest and truthful. However according to the research, study the reality tells a different story. Of the most relevant brands studied, 0% met the ideal when it came to being trustworthy; while people are seeking it, leading brands aren’t seen as relevant. 91% of the most relevant brands studied exceed the expectation when it comes to being popular. This is a part of a major shift.

    Having lost faith in brands and institutions, people are looking to each other, to their trusted tribes – friends, family, advocates and influencers – for validation in the choices they are making. Popularity isn’t a frivolous, fleeting dimension. Talkability means putting a premium on the people who will vouch for and recommend your brand.

    Within the three categories studied it was found that social media category, research found that people don’t need truth; they want to be entertained. People prefer local banking over global – and since all banks are under-delivering on the ideal, unique relevance drivers in this category have emerged. And the automotive category struggles to have a breakout relevance brand leader.

    An ideal banking brand in India is Trustworthy, Effective and Transparent. As with other categories, respondents scored brands very similarly to one another, though SBI scores higher against the ideal and exceeds expectations on Essential and Popular. None other bank in 12 other countries, where the research was done, scored so high on trust.

    The automotive sector which covered global brands, shows Honda as a clear Relevance leader in India, followed by a close competition between Toyota and Ford. Nissan has low relevance, while Fiat is barely known. In India, an “ideal” automotive brand is Trustworthy, Effective, Authentic and Innovative. However, there is little difference in how consumers score each brand.

    Social media is a highly-relevant category overall in India, with Facebook and YouTube ranking at the top in relevance. Local channel Hike is less relevant than global channels.

    Meanwhile, the macro global trends included:

    Screens win out over people

    > Social media (59%) and television (57%) consistently ranked first and second above “word of mouth from friends and family” (45%) as the most relevant sources of news and information

    Word of mouth sees gender differences

    > Word of mouth from friends and family is more relevant to women (50%) than men (39%)

    People are drawn to pragmatic and funny

    > The top characteristics of information people found relevant were useful/practical (54%), informative (53%), and funny (35%), beating out others like inspiring, shocking and exciting

    The one dimension that is currently driving relevance across all categories is popularity: being talked about and recommended by others showing that talkability trumps truth.

    Speaking about the findings at the event, Cook said: “Relevance is what attracts and keeps people paying attention to what brands have to say and moves them to act. This is something that we, as marketers and communicators, can directly impact. We’ve been studying, and perfecting the art of analysing relevance for years because we understand that it is the most important measurement of a brand. Our research indicates that despite people being continually let down by the perceived trustworthiness and truthfulness of brands, they continue to buy their products and services.”

    Speaking of the India launch, Vikas Mehta, CEO, PointNine Lintas, said: “Finding a unified metric that can measure the impact of multiple marketing initiatives is one of the biggest challenges today’s marketers face. In Relevance, I believe GolinOpinion has found a viable choice that replaces data analysis with data analytics. It’s a great way for any brand to find out where they stand vs. competition, locally or globally.”

    Added Ameer Ismail, Chief Growth officer, PointNine Lintas and President GolinOpinion: “As the landscape changes rapidly and as brand managers or communication professionals it is extremely important to have data based insights to decide the interventions that are important for the brand and its agency partners. This is tool is designed to give brands an edge.” Developmental work on the study is being done in Chicago and Mumbai, to further improve functionalities of the tool including real-time data integration.

  • Responsible for a national mandate, Malhotra has joined GolinOpinion with immediate effect and will be based out of Mumbai

    PointNine Lintas appoints Asheesh Malhotra as ED, Golin Opinion

     

     

    Asheesh Malhotra has quit his role as President at Bates CHI & Partners and has joined GolinOpinion, the PR division of PointNine Lintas as Executive Director. This marks a significant shift for Malhotra, who’s spent his entire career in creative agencies, as he ventures into the landscape of PR. At GolinOpinion, he will lead the strategic planning function and oversee the agency’s social media centre-of-excellence, the Bridge.

     

    Commenting on his appointment, Vikas Mehta – CEO, PointNine Lintas said: “Convergence of marketing disciplines is here to stay. An omni-channel marketing plan today is incomplete without elements like advocacy and conversations. To stay relevant, PR firms need brand practitioners in addition to PR experts. Asheesh has built blue-chip brands while working with India’s two most respected agencies, Lowe Lintas and Ogilvy. We’re delighted to have him back in the Lintas family and look forward to his contribution in further strengthening PointNine Lintas’ PR service-stack.”

     

    Malhotra joins GolinOpinion from the Ogilvy group where he was President, Bates CHI&Partners heading their Mumbai and Delhi offices. He was earlier a unit head looking after a large Unilever portfolio as well heading a global hub for Castrol and BP at Ogilvy.

     

    Malhotra will report to Ameer Ismail – President, GoinOpinion & Chief Growth Officer, PointNine Lintas. Welcoming Malhotra to the agency, Ismail said: “We have a vision to redefine PR. I am delighted that a senior professional, strategist and well-respected leader who has worn many hats in advertising is going to lead this audacious vision. As a part of this goal his experience in defining milestone campaigns for brands will further the kind of bold work do for our clients. His experience in planning, equips him to lead and build out our Explorer community. I am excited to have him on board.”