MxMIndia

Tag: Raji Ramaswamy

  • The new mandate will see Contract India become the global hub for strategic and creative duties

    Contract India wins global creative mandate for Bata

    By A Correspondent

     

    Following a multi-agency global pitch, Contract India has won the creative mandate for Bata brands globally. The new mandate will see Contract India become the global hub for strategic and creative duties for the European footwear major’s key geographies in LATAM, Europe, Asia and Africa with the support of its group companies within Wunderman Thompson, part of the WPP network that it belongs to.

     

    Speaking on their decision to award the global mandate to Contract, Isabelle Sakai, Bata Group Chief Marketing Officer, said: “Contract India is a key strategic and creative partner for the Bata India operating company. The ‘Surprisingly Bata’ campaign has helped shift consumers perception about the brand, driving footfall to our stores and increasing sales. We are glad to award Contract India the Global mandate to roll out the ‘Surprisingly Bata’ campaign across the Bata world, smartly adapting the campaign idea to capture the local nuances of consumers insights. We are looking forward to a great partnership beyond the boundaries of India.”

     

    Said Raji Ramaswamy, Chief Executive Officer at Contract India: “We are delighted to be chosen by an iconic brand like Bata to partner with them in supporting their strategy and shaping their communications narrative across markets. Having done some great work for Bata in India, it is truly rewarding to now become the global creative and strategic hub for them which is a significant win for us and probably an industry first. Our team’s experience and capabilities in offering a multi-discipline integrated offering makes us well poised to drive the desired impact and achieve business outcomes for the brand across markets.”

     

    Added Tarun Rai, Chairman and Group CEO, Wunderman Thompson South Asia: “Contract has partnered with the Bata India team extremely well to deliver fantastic business results. It is this partnership that gave Contract the opportunity to pitch for Bata’s global mandate. I am truly delighted that we could demonstrate the strength of our network around the world to help win this very prestigious account. I also feel a sense of pride that a campaign created in India is going global and will be executed in so many countries across the world. My congratulations to Raji, Rohit, Sagar and the entire team at Contract.”

     

     

  • Contract will handle the entire range of furniture products

    Contract wins the creative mandate of Godrej Interio

    By A Correspondent

     

    Godrej Interio has awarded its creative mandate to Contract Advertising. The business will be handled by the agency’s Mumbai office, which won the account over a multi-agency pitch.

     

    Said Anil Mathur, COO, Godrej Interio: “We were looking for a partner who believed in the power of the brand Interio and had the vision of making it a buzzing brand in the shortest possible time. Team Contract has taken up this challenge.”

     

    Commenting on the win, Contract CEO Raji Ramaswamy added: “Godrej Interio is one of the legacy interior brands in the country and to partner it in the next stage of growth is a great opportunity and honour for us”.

     

    Said Sagar Mahabaleshwarkar, Chief Creative Officer, Contract: “I am really excited and looking forward to working in this brand. Winning this strengthens our belief that clients have started recognising and appreciating our new approach towards creative work, which is built on design and digital thinking.”

     

     

  • Mahabaleshwarkar has over three decades of experience across leading advertising agencies in India and abroad

    Sagar Mahabaleshwarkar joins Contract as CCO

    By  A Correspondent

     

    Contract Advertising has announced the appointment of Sagar Mahabaleshwarkar as Chief Creative Officer.

     

    Tarun Rai

    Said Tarun Rai, Chairman & Group CEO, J. Walter Thompson: “We have been in discussions with Sagar for the last few months. And I am very happy that we have him on board, finally. Sagar is an industry stalwart. He has built his reputation over the years across many agencies in India and abroad. He has worked with more traditional FMCG clients as well as some of the iconic technology companies. And he has excelled across media platforms – with the last decade, especially, building his reputation as a digital-first creative leader. Contract has some of the most exciting and high-profile brands. We have big ambitions for the agency. With Raji Ramaswamy as the CEO and Rohit Srivastava, one of the finest strategic minds in the country, what Contract needed was a CCO with the depth of experience and a solid reputation of creative excellence that Sagar brings to the agency. He is the ideal creative leader to take Contract to the next level and make it a creative powerhouse”.

     

    Raji Ramaswamy

    Added Raji Ramaswamy, CEO, Contract: “I am delighted to welcome Sagar Mahabaleshwarkar as the Chief Creative Officer responsible for guiding the creative output of Contract in the digital age. He is a seasoned new age creative leader who has the finest art and design sensibilities. He has worked on some of the biggest brands in the country across both traditional and new media platforms and excelled in every one of them. Contract manages some of the biggest brands and businesses in the country and we believe Sagar will be able to contribute and add value to each one of them.”

     

    Sagar Mahabaleshwarkar

    Commenting on his appointment, Mahabaleshwarkar said: “The vision of Contract and the direction that JWT group is taking globally, is to make brands agile and to make brands purposeful. That’s a dynamic shift which is challenging and forward looking. I am excited with Tarun’s strategy. Having worked on a winning note in a highly competitive, tech-first consumer business for the last three years, I am confident the shift is in the right direction.”

     

     

  • The pitch will be handled out of the agency’s Mumbai office

    Contract bags Sony Sab’s creative mandate

    By A Correspondent

     

    Contract Advertising has bagged the creative mandate for Sony Sab and will be handling all its creative duties, which include brand and show-related communications. The business that came after a multi-agency pitch will be handled out of the agency’s Mumbai office.

     

    Talking about the new association, Neeraj Vyas, Business Head, Sony Sab said: “We welcome Contract Mumbai as our creative partner for Sony Sab. We are currently at an exciting juncture of expanding our content portfolio and taking the channel towards growth. It is therefore the right time to bring in a fresh perspective and Contract seemed like the most fitting team to collaborate with in this endeavour. We look forward to infusion of fresh and creative thinking and eventually taking the business to the next level with this partnership.”

     

    Added Vaishali Sharma, Head – Marketing & PR, Sony Sab: “After an extensive pitch process that involved key creative agencies, we are happy to have Contract Mumbai on-board as our creative partner for Sony Sab. We look forward to positioning the exciting new content line-up in the most refreshed way to take the brand ahead. With great creative minds on board from both sides, we look forward to some path-breaking creative campaigns and marketing communication for Sony Sab.

     

    Commenting on the win, Raji Ramaswamy, CEO, Contract Advertising said: “We are delighted to have the opportunity to partner with Sony SAB in their ambition to further growth across geographies. Sony SAB is a great brand to build and we are very excited to work on it.We look forward to creating memorable work across media to build a larger audience base for the channel.”

     

     

  • Sengupta joins from J Walter Thompson where he has spent last four years

    Subho Sengupta to head Contract in Delhi

    By A Correspondent

     

    Contract Advertising has appointed Subho Sengupta as Executive Vice President and General Manager of Contract Delhi. He joins from J Walter Thompson where he has spent  the last four years and was Senior VP and Executive Business Director.

     

    Commenting on the appointment, Raji Ramaswamy, CEO, Contract Advertising said: “Delhi is an important growth market and I am confident that Shubho Sengupta will be able to deliver value to our clients though his diverse category experience. His deep understanding of building brands and his strategic skills will help us deliver the best solutions for our clients. I am delighted to have him onboard as the head of Contract, Delhi.”

     

    On joining Contract, Sengupta said:“I am very excited and I look forward to both the opportunities and challenges that come with the new role. Contract as an agency has an impeccable reputation and has always been driven by passion. Delivering impactful work that will move the needle for our clients’ businesses will be my focus.”

     

  • Barua will help the transition by staying on till June 30 as Ramaswamy takes charge on July 3

    Rana Barua quits Contract, Raji Ramaswamy takes over as CEO

    By A Correspondent

     

    Raji Ramaswamy

    Contract Advertising CEO Rana Barua has quit, and replacing him will be Raji Ramaswamy. Barua will help the transition by staying on till June 30 as Ramaswamy takes charge on July 3.

     

    Commenting on Rana Barua, Tarun Rai, CEO, JWT South Asia said; “Over the last four years Rana has built an excellent team of professionals, helped in developing new capabilities, built business and reputation. As a result of his efforts, Contract continues to be counted as one of the best agencies in the country. He will be missed and I am sure he will make a success of whatever he choses to do next. We wish him all the very best. “

     

    Rana Barua

    Speaking about his movement, Barua said; “It’s been an outstanding and fulfilling four-and-a -half years for me at Contract and I have enjoyed every moment of this journey. Contract is now clearly among the top few agencies of the country and poised only to get bigger & better.”

     

    Barua is tightlipped about his what he’s onto next when MxMIndia spoke with him on Friday, but according to the grapevine, it could well be a switch to another sector. While Barua has spent most of his career in advertising, he has spent six years leading Radio City and Red FM.

     

    Tarun Rai

    Speaking of Ramaswamy’s appointment, Tarun Rai, CEO, JWT South Asia said: “I have known Raji for over a decade. She is a consummate advertising professional. Her passion and energy are infectious. She leads from the front and is totally committed to her work and to her clients. She understands the power of collaboration, is a team player and an excellent leader. I am very confident that she will do exceptionally well in her new role and help in meeting our clients’ business objectives and in taking Contract to greater heights.”

     

    On her new assignment, Ramaswamy who is currently heading the JWT Kolkata operations as Senior VP and Managing Partner, said: “Contract Advertising has always been an iconic brand and respected for its commitment to building great brands. With this opportunity, I hope to leverage my vast experience in brand building across categories by creating meaningful communication that will deliver on brand objectives and create campaigns that will work for our clients and the agency”