As reported earlier, Miami Ad School conducted Portfolio Evening on August 30 Over 65 young creatives were shortlisted to meet the following senior creative leaders (in no specific order): Raj Nair, Garima Khandelwal, Kainaaz Karmakar, Ramanuj Shashtry, Viren Noronha, KV Sridhar, Kartik Smetacek, Hetal Ajmera, Naila Mateen and Sameer Sojwal, Tista Sen, Pallavi Chakravarti, Raj Kamble, Manish Bhatt, Agnello Dias, Bobby Pawar, Parixit Bhattacharya, Ashish Chakravarty, Amit Akali and Vikram Gaikwad
Said Raj Nair Chief Creative Officer Garage Worldwide: “Helping put Portfolio Evening together for Miami Ad School and Garage Worldwide has been one of the most fulfilling moments of my advertising life. Young, enthusiastic aspirants showcased their abilities to an amazing, inspiring bunch of creative leaders. A sincere thank you to all the legends who accepted my invitation to attend by contributing their time and feedback to the young ones who came seeking their inputs.”
Added Prabhakar Mundkur, Miami Ad School Advisory Director: “It was a fantastic evening. So many creative people on our campus. A fusion of young and experienced creative minds interacting with each other.”
Garage Worldwide, advertising agency in Mumbai, appoints Raj Nair as Chief Creative Officer (CCO). With over 30 years of experience in the advertising industry, Nair’s role will involve steering the creative and strategic direction of the agency.
Nair transitions to Garage Worldwide from Madison BMB, where he served as Chief Executive Officer and Chief Creative Officer.
Said Sanjay Deshmukh, CEO, Garage Worldwide: “Raj Nair coming on board has given us a tremendous advantage in strategic thinking and creative leadership. The sheer experience of handling diverse categories is already benefiting our young strategy and creative team to put out really fabulous work.”
Caption: L to R: Abhishek Karnani, Chairperson, IAA IndIAA Awards, CVL Srinivas, Country Manager WPP India, Sonu Sood and Megha Tata, President- IAA India Chapter
The India Chapter of International Advertising Association (IAA) conducted the sixth edition of the IndIAA Awards on Wednesday October at a physical ceremony in Mumbai amidst a cross-section of the fraternity.
Said Suresh Narayanan, Jury Chairman and Chairman & Managing Director, Nestle India: “It’s been a privilege and honor to be the Jury Chair for three years in a row. These awards are the most prestigious in the advertising and communications. This year IndIAA Awards received 200 plus nominations across all the 31 categories. I want to congratulate every award winner for their outstanding work, you need to be truly proud of your yourselves, your agency, partners, teams, customers, consumers stakeholders and of everyone who has been involved in the success of the campaign”
Added Megha Tata, President IAA “A great jury, wonderful winning work, fantastic attendance of the who’s who of advertising media and marketing. The IndIAA Awards have truly set a new benchmark in the industry.
Said IAA IndIAA Awards Chairman, Abhishek Karnani: “Any award is only as good as the people who endorse it. I view the presence of such a high powered audience here today, and the presence of repeat sponsors, as a great endorsement for the IndIAA awards. Keeping in mind the phase we are hopefully emerging from, we have sculpted our awards event around a theme – that acknowledges and inspires the need to show – that there is good in everything around us. It just needs to be tapped into by us”
IAA felicitated three industry leaders as Covid Humanitarian Heroes: CVL Srinivas, Country Manager WPP India; Bhupal Ramnathkar and Raj Nair, CEO Madison BMB for “being industry leaders with a heart, being the silent hands behind several initiatives for good, showcasing the power of design, for the many communication campaigns that sought to make a difference and for the ever-willing attitude to help a good cause.”
(L-R) – Abhishek Karnani, Chairperson, IAA IndIAA Awards, Raj Nair, CEO Madison BMB, Sonu Sood & Megha Tata, President- IAA India Chapter
The Guest of Honor at the event were Actors Sonu Sood & Bhumi Pednekar
(L-R) – Mayura Shreyams Kumar,Director – Digital Business, Mathrubhumi, Sonu Sood & Immediate Past President IAA Global, and current Vice Chairman Asian federation of Advertising Associations
This year a new category – ‘Voice of Change’: campaigns that challenge the gender stereotype in the industry was instituted. The winner of the category was Unacademy for their campaign #TeachThemYoung | Know When She Needs You.
Caption- Team Unacademy winners of VOICE OF CHANGE category
Caption- Ogilvy Team winners in the category – Online Commerce, Ticketing and Services for Amazon Karigar Hunar Hai
Caption- MullenLowe Lintas Team (winners in the category Consumer Durables and Utilities for their campaign Havells – Feeling Fans)
Caption- Tilt Brand Solutions Team (winners in the category Home Décor and Infra for their campaign LivSpace-– Don’t Try This At Home)
Caption-Team Population First & UNFPA (Joint Winners in this category GOVERNMENT & NGOs)
Gardenia Cosmotrade LLP has entrusted Madison BMB, with the creative duties for Gatsby men’s grooming brand.
Speaking about having a new creative partner on board, Puneet Motiani, Designated Partner, Gardenia Cosmotrade LLP said: “India is a fast-evolving market when it comes to understanding the nuances of men’s grooming. Consumers are increasingly aware of the products available across segments like hair, face and body. While we’ve always been a trusted brand, we’ve noticed a host of new brands enter this space in recent times. We’re a global brand backed by deep knowledge of both, the category and the consumer. Hence, we needed an able creative partner like Madison BMB who can help us position our existing range of products to create a clear preference in the minds of the audience.”
Added Raj Nair, CEO and Chief Creative Officer, Madison BMB: “The audience that Gatsby wants to connect with are early adopters with a plethora of choices when it comes to men’s grooming. Gatsby has a range of products that allow the youth brigade to experiment and discover. The task for us has been to develop a brand world that not only communicates the benefits of the range of products, but also builds a relatable and endearing attitude that the audience can easily connect with, particularly in the digital space. It’s a task that’s as exciting as it is challenging, and we look forward to creating memorable and effective communication for Gatsby.”
Fintech startup ePayLater has assigned its creative and media duties to Madison. Madison BMB will handle the creative assignment and Madison Media Sigma will handle the entire media mandate including TV, Print, Radio, OOH, Digital and Cinema.
Said Akshat Saxena, Cofounder ePayLater: “We are happy to have Madison as a holistic agency on board as our creative and media partner. It’s an exciting phase of growth for ePayLater and with Madison as our partner, we are confident about effectively reaching out to millions of retailers in the country who stand to benefit from this solution.”
Added Vanita Keswani, CEO, Madison Media Sigma: “We are truly excited to be partnering with ePayLater, expand its reach and strengthen it as a game changer Fintech brand, in today’s fast paced digitized environment.”
Said Raj Nair, CEO & Chief Creative Officer, Madison BMB: “The fintech space in India is constantly innovating and developing and launching new products in the category. While there are many players, the leadership team at ePayLater are very upbeat about their prospects by virtue of what they bring to the table to smaller retailers and helping them spread their wings and fueling their growth story. Their partnerships with B2B majors like Metro Cash & Carry, Walmart, BigBasket and large FMCG brands help hugely towards this end. We are looking forward to help ePayLater succeed across the country.”
The India Chapter of the International Advertising Association (IAA) is driving a campaign aimed at the marcom industry, urging it to be more aware and sensitive to gender related issues in all its communication.
Said IAA President Megha Tata: “The unique survey we helped UNICEF and the Geena Davis Foundation conduct on the portrayal of women in Indian advertising threw up several interesting findings. We felt that a creative campaign that highlighted these findings could help our content creators focus on such points in a very positive way and collectively become what we call the Voice of Change.”
Added Raj Nair, CEO and Chief Creative Officer Madison BMB, whose team comprising Rohan Joseph and Vallabh Yeolekar created the campaign: “It’s amazing that even in the 21st century, we continue to address bias related to gender, skin tone, male dominated settings when we are simultaneously discovering space tourism, breakthroughs in cancer cures and the like. Just goes to show that even in our seemingly more aware world of communication, these cliched tropes are very much in play.
A study of gender representations in ads in India threw up some startling facts. An industry known to be a flag-bearer of out-of-the-box thinking seemed to be turning a blind eye to something as pertinent as gender equality. This campaign puts forward some uncomfortable truths and aims to be an eye-opener for the Indian advertising and media industry to be more aware and sensitive in their thought process. We leaped at the opportunity to hold a mirror to ourselves. And to help IAA continue to be the Voice Of Change.”
The India Chapter of the International Advertising Association (IAA) is appealing to all segments of the industry to take a deep breath in this hour of crisis. The campaign was created by the Madison BMB team of Rohan Joseph CD Copy, Vallabh Yeolekar CD Art, Raj Nair, CEO and CCO.
Megha Tata
Said Megha Tata, President IAA India and Managing Director – South Asia Discovery Communications India: “Yes, we are passing through an unprecedented crisis. There is pain and grief all around us. But as they say, extraordinary times need extraordinary responses. Corporates have responded with alacrity and fortitude to the call of the nation. Money and material is being raised to help those in need. Communication is being used, and will be used, to strike a chord of positivity. And this time around, as a responsible industry Association with a unique mix of members including leaders from the world of marketing advertising and the media, we are appealing to all stakeholders in our industry to deal with one another with a degree of sensitivity, understanding, empathy and kindness. It’s as simple as that. And as important. I thank Raj Nair and his team at Madison BMB for immediately responding to our appeal to prepare a communication campaign that will convey this message to our community.
Nandini Dias
Added Nandini Dias, Chairperson IAA Leadership Awards Committee and CEO Lodestar UM, India: “For three years now IAA through a well-managed campaign has been urging industry leaders to save lives by adopting flexi-timings. It evoked a very positive response. This time the challenges are different. We need to rebuild lives and livelihoods irrespective of where you work from or whether you belong to a local or global organization. Our industry members at every level of the corporate ladder are facing unique challenges. And we believe this is the time to introspect, look within, and dip into the reserves of goodness that exist in all of us and create strong foundations for long term renewal.”
More Retail Limited has awarded the creative duties of its chain of supermarkets to Madison BMB.
Said Sashi Gumma, CEO, Supermarkets: “We were looking at a communications specialist who would demonstrate deep insights into our evolving category and had creative acumen to understand our Consumer Value Proposition. In Madison BMB, we found an accomplished and energetic team that could relate to our vision for More Supermarkets and draw up a growth path for our brand in the form of a clear and sharply defined communication plan.”
Added Raj Nair, CEO and CCO, Madison BMB: “More Retail is a force to reckon with. Their ambitious growth plans for Supermarkets are reflected in their meticulously mapped buyer behaviour and their insightful product assortment. What we’ve done is infused simplicity, relevance and an in-depth understanding of local tastes and culture into the brand story, particularly in the topical context of safety and health. We look forward to providing ample food for thought on this very exciting and fulfilling brand journey.”
Madison BMB has appointed Ameet Joshi as General Manager. Joshi has over 18 years of experience across advertising agencies and was until recently a Business Head at Creativeland Asia.
Raj Nair
Commenting on this appointment to the team, Raj Nair, CEO & Chief Creative Officer, Madison BMB said: “Ameet is a welcome addition to the Madison BMB team as General Manager. He comes armed with nearly two decades of experience of working at leading creative agencies, on diverse industry portfolios. Armed with an infectious enthusiasm to get things done, Ameet will lead all account management functions and conversations with all our key clients. With a focus on adding value on current and new relationships by directing all aspects of business strategy and maintaining consistent strategic inputs and co-creating value for brands and businesses. He will also help in guiding the agency focus on new business development strategy. I look forward to him partnering me in taking Madison BMB to greater success.”
The International Advertising Association (IAA) India Chapter and the Rotary movement had invited entries from young professionals in advertising agencies to create a ‘Campaign For Good’ based on research that indicated that what senior citizens wanted most was the time of young adults.
Judged by ace creative names Arun Iyer, Raj Nair and Navin Talreja, the winning team was Adamya Mody, Kanchan Kesari, Reet Sawhney and Sanjana Dora of Ogilvy. This team was presented a special IndIAA Award.
The winning Print campaign of three advertisements was run in mainstream media including the Mid-day and the Free Press Journal.
Now the film has been produced by Zee (pro bono) and will premiere on Zee 5 and all Zee broadcast channels.
Said Abhishek Karnani, Chairman IndIAA awards, the campaign has a great emotional tug and we are delighted that this effort to show that communication can be a force for good is being supported so generously.
A jury consisting of Arun Iyer co-founder and creative partner Spring Marketing Capital (former Chairman and CCO Mullen Lintas), Raj Nair CCO Madison BMB and Navin Talreja co-founder The Womb will evaluate entries received for the International Advertising Association (IAA) and Rotary District Campaign For Good.
Said Abhishek Karnani Chairman IndIAA Awards: “We are expecting some great creative work from young professionals on the simple brief that elders really want just time from young adults.Getting such an illustrious jury to evaluate the work shows the commitment our senior creative people have towards good causes”.
The winning integrated campaign would be awarded on the prestigious IndIAA Awards stage on August 26 and run across media. The last date for submitting entries is July 28. There will be no extension of deadline, and there’s no entry fee
Madison BMB has announced the release of its latest commercial for modern kitchens brand Sleek. The agency evolved the concept of the campaign, including its tagline ‘Modern Kitchens for Modern Minds’, from an extensive consumer research where respondents equated modular kitchens with openness and modernity.
Said Pragyan Kumar, Vice President, Home Improvement, Asian Paints: “At Sleek Kitchens, we strongly believe in being in sync with the times, and that design can play a vital role in supporting the demands of our new lifestyles. The ethos of ‘Modern Kitchens, Modern Minds’ drives our innovation effort, and that’s the value we bring to our consumers: well-designed kitchens that are not just beautiful, but also makes things simpler and easy to use for all. Right from the concealed step ladder that provides easy access to those difficult to reach areas, smart chimneys and other appliances that make cooking a breeze or the overall kitchen design itself, every aspect and detail is thought through to ensure you get your dream kitchen. The joys of the modern family enhanced by a modern thoughtfully designed kitchen – that’s been the essence of Sleek and this TVC.”
Added Amit Syngle, Chief Operating Officer, Asian Paints: “Asian Paints’ foray into home improvement segment has been able to help us strengthen our vision of partnering people in creating beautiful homes. The kitchen as a space has transformed from a purely functional area to a place showcased with pride. Sleek’s ability to understand each customer’s requirement and build their dream kitchens fits in well with the overall Asian Paints vision.”
Said Raj Nair, CEO and Chief Creative Officer, Madison BMB: “This is the relaunch of Sleek Kitchens, India’s most well-known Modular Kitchens brand, since becoming part of Asian Paints. The modernity in the design, the openness of the layout of the kitchen, the contemporariness in the aesthetics, the attention to detail, all thoughtfully combine to create a truly distinctive offering. Take for instance the mid-way organiser that makes for convenient stacking at arm’s length. Or indeed the extremely convenient and unobtrusive step ladder. Just a couple of ultra – thoughtful features designed to dazzle. Matched with the most modern appliances like the hobs, the exhaust, the oven, even a concealed fridge! When presented by a leader like Asian Paints, the modernity of design transfers to modernity of thought that appeals to the modern minds of today. Therefore, very simply, who says a man cannot rule a kitchen? And along the way impart a few important life lessons to his son? We look forward to the communication involving film/print/outdoor/point of sale material cooking up very positive feelings among consumers, considering the package was already a hit at the dealer launch.”
