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Tag: Rediffusion Y&R

  • The Rediffusion Y&R Chairman and Managing Director has written an open letter to former Tata Sons chairman Cyrus Mistry asking him not to misrepresent facts about his agency

    Bandh karo bakwaas, Rediff boss Arun Nanda tells Cyrus Mistry (well, almost!)

    By A Correspondent

     

    The indefatigable Arun Nanda is at it again. The Rediffusion Y&R Chairman and Managing Director has written an open letter to former Tata Sons chairman Cyrus Mistry asking him not to misrepresent facts about his agency.  “Please do not place selective facts about us to suit your narrative before the media and the public,” he writes, adding: “Our reputation has been built over 43 years and I will not allow it to be tarnished in any manner whatsoever.”

     

    So Arun Nanda ko gussa kyun aata hai? What irks the big boy of adland? Well, there have been a few reports that have appeared recently mentioning him. Like this one in The Economic Times: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/55435946.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

     

  • The agency, which is now part of the WPP group's Y&R network, boasts of many firsts including the country's first teaser campaign as well as the first five-second ad

    Everest celebrates 70 years

    By A Correspondent

     

    Leading advertising agency Everest Brand Solutions is celebrating its seventieth anniversary. The agency, which is now part of the WPP group’s Y&R network, boasts of many firsts including the country’s first teaser campaign as well as the first five-second ad. Its roster of clients include Parle, Tata Housing, Sab TV, Volini, Bombay Chemical, DS Group (Catch Spices) and Borosil amongst others

     

    Said Dhunji S Wadia, Group President, Rediffusion Y& R who joined the Y&R network in India to helm Everest before taking on the larger group role: “To work with the secondmost experienced agency in the country is an unparalleled honour. No other agency would have the width of relationships and the depth of knowledge. Yet remaining humble in its dealings despite the accolades it has received in every award forum both locally and internationally. For me personally, it is an honour to be at the helm of this institution.”

     

     

    Rahul Jauhari
    Dhunji S. Wadia

    Added Rahul Jauhari, Group Chief Creative officer, Rediffusion Y&R: “Everest has been the finest, warmest and most memorable stint of my career. It has rich legacy of big ideas and big brands. And over the years it has been home to some of the finest people in the industry. Everest does not brag about its credentials or its work. It has rather focused on partnering its clients in every sense of the word. I think that’s probably the one reason we have client associations that are older than most of the agencies in this country. For me, it’s been nothing short of a privilege.”

     

  • The campaign has been conceptualised by Rediffusion Y&R which won the account following a multi-agency pitch

    Rediff creates ‘Cinema for All. All for Cinema’ campaign for Kolkata Film Fest

    By A Correspondent

     

    After awarding the creative mandate to Rediffusion Y&R, the Kolkata Film Festival gave the brief of communicating how cinema brings people closer and together.  The agency then came up with a campaign idea ‘Cinema for All. All for Cinema’.  The agency initiated a contest on the social media requesting people to share their very own pictures so as to be a part of the KIFF 2016, thus accounting all those received images the campaign creative has been created.

     

    The 22nd Kolkata International Film Festival begins today (November 11) and will be on till November 18. Said Dhunji S Wadia, President – Rediffusion Y&R: “We have some really interesting campaign work coming out of this association. We are looking forward towards this eventful week ahead.”

     

    Added Nilanjan Dasgupta, Executive Creative Director – Rediffusion Y&R: “Since the brief was about human integration and cinema, our core idea was to involve the common people in the campaign. So we did a Facebook activation where we asked them to send selfies based on expressions of different film genres and then we made images of film icons with the selfies. The participation was beyond expectation and the best selfies were awarded.”

     

     

  • The account has been won following a multi agency pitch and will be handled out of the Rediffusion Y&RÂ’s Delhi office

    Rediffusion Y&R wins creative and digital mandate of its Aristocrat Whisky portfolio

    By A Correspondent

     

    Rediffusion Y&R has won the creative and digital mandate of Aristrocat Whisky. Its mandate comprises the Aristocrat Whisky brands, namely Aristocrat Premium Whisky, AC Black Whisky, AC Neat Whisky, AC S EK C Whisky, Aristocrat Whisky.

     

    The account has been won following a multi agency pitch and will be handled out of the Rediffusion Y&R’s Delhi office.

     

    Said Anant Iyer, COO, Jagatjit Industries Limited: “Rediffusion Y&R was chosen for the creative mandate, as well as brand strategy after a multi-agency pitch. We found their creative most strategic and fresh in media dark industry like ours. It is an opportunity for them to infuse fresh energy in the brand portfolio and take it to newer heights.”

     

    Added Navonil Chatterjee, Chief Strategy Officer- Rediffusion Y&R added: “We are extremely proud to be associated with this brand which has a rich heritage and legacy. All through this pitch, our proprietary strategic tool, the BAV (Brand Asset Valuator), came in very handy in helping us get a deeper understanding of the category, consumer and brands. The pitch process itself was both rigorous and rewarding, as we had to share our point of view on the entire portfolio. However, the real fun, I guess, will begin now.”

     

  • The account win was a result of a multi-agency pitch in Kolkata

    Rediff bags mandate for Presidency University makeover

    By A Correspondent

     

    Presidency University has empanelled Rediffusion Y&R for handling its creative mandate for the celebration of its 200 years. While the names of the agencies in the fray are not known, the final round included presentations from several agencies from Kolkata and Mumbai. The agencies were asked to make a strategy-cum-creative presentation on how the agency can take the legacy and heritage of the institution forward as they approach towards the completion of 200 years.

     

    The bicentennial celebration of the prestigious university will be a national as well as an international event, with seminars in India, Britain and in US. There will be academic workshops, debates, international seminars, lectures by distinguished academicians, Nobel laureates and Oscar winners; cultural events and a lot of other things. The events will start from the first week of January 2017

     

    Said Anuradha Lohia, Vice Chancellor, Presidency University: “While we celebrate 200 years, we aim to strengthen the legacy of this heritage institution in the future. Our criterion for short listing our agency was based on the enthusiasm & love displayed by the agencies for our prestigious institution. The creative concepts of Rediffusion Y&R team were insightful and passionate as befits our hallowed institution.”

     

    Added Dhunji S Wadia, President Rediffusion Y&R: “It is an honour to be the agency of choice for Presidency University which has a unique place in history.  To be able to together celebrate the 200years that have refashioned its venerable traditions and continuing strengths into a leading institution of the future.”

     

    Said Suparna Mucadum, Vice President, Rediffusion Y&R Kolkata: “Presidency University has a unique significance in history. The university boasts of several eminent scholars and Nobel laureates. We are glad to be a part of this celebration and believe that the fu0ture belongs to those who prepare for it today. Through this festival of 200 years, we aim/endeavour to support the institution as it creates a stronger foundation for the generations ahead.”

     

  • The #FarmDost community is perhaps the largest farmer-cause community in India

    #ThankYouTohBol campaign creates high buzz on social

    By A Correspondent

     

    The film has been conceptualised by Rediffuion Y&R, Chennai for TAFE (Tractors and Farm Equipment Limited) and presented by the TAFE’s Corporate Communications’ team. The campaign urges all to recognise the contribution of farmers so as to bring the invisible farming community back into our collective psyche.

     

    The #ThankYouTohBol campaign comes in the second phase of the #FarmDost initiative that kicked off in April of 2015 with now over 800,000 followers – or  #FarmDosts. The first phase of the campaign urged people to cultivate a one sqft farm. There was an extensive outreach in schools and other educational institutions to get students excited about the initiative. The overall agenda was to seek to inspire participants to feel the warmth of the soil between their fingers, to feel the joy of nurturing a seed until it springs to life and, in the process, empathise with the farmer.

     

    This second phase, #ThankYouTohBol is an initiative to encourage people to recognise and respect the contribution of farmers. It is an appeal to the society to express our gratitude to our farmers by taking a pledge to make the effort to go and meet and spend time with a farmer.

     

    The campaign is supported through a digital advertising, as well as via a radio campaign. In addition to the video, a nationwide on ground activation are being planned to support this phase of the initiative.

     

    Said Sunitha Subramaniyan, who heads the Corporate Communications Department at TAFE: “Over the last five decades TAFE has been working closely with the farming community and has a deep insight into how hard farmers toil to nurture their crops and nourish us – for no other reward, but the love of the land. It was only natural for TAFE to champion the cause of the farmer – a cause we truly believe in.”

     

    Added Ananda Ray Creative head- Rediffusion Y&R, Chennai: “It is rare to come across a client who invests in a cause that is not designed just to tick the CSR boxes or with an eye on the bottom line. TAFE has been dedicated towards improving the lives – and standing – of farmers within our society from their inception and the #FarmDost movement is but a natural extension of this vision. This is a cause that is easy to believe in and to work towards making happen – whether from an agency perspective or as a lay person. If even one viewer is moved to action after watching Maya’s story, it will mean a lot to both TAFE and us – and, most crucially, to the farmer.

     

  • Conceptualized by Rediffusion Y&R, the campaign reflects on the premise that physical beauty is only skin deep, and real beauty comes from within

    Safi unveils new TVC highlighting core brand offering

    By A Correspondent

     

    Hamdard has unveiled its latest campaign for Safi that urges Indian youth to follow their dreams and create a level of self assurance that beauty lies within. The innovative campaign developed by Rediffusion Y&R and shot by Jigsaw Pictures, will be launched in the form of a TVC and on digital media with a message of #IhateumomReturns and #IHateBadSkin.

     

    The new campaign for Safi is based on a larger premise which was the cornerstone for the campaign last year. The campaign shows the larger thought that beauty flows in our blood and Safi is that exceptional product that cleanses our system from within, giving us “Ragon Mein Khoobsurati”.

     

    The campaign depicts and is voiced by a montage of girls declaring to the camera ‘IHateUMom’. It is a known fact that all girls in the growing years of their life have hated their mothers for possessing great skin and have secretly desired for their mothers great looks. But, with the onset of puberty comes unbalanced hormonal side effect such as rashes, acne, blemishes, and patchy skin. All this gives any teenager a nightmare. The horror of discovering bad skin and lack of skin confidence is enough to create a nightmare in her life. Unknowingly, they blame the mother for not bestowing them with her skin. The TVC, is an acknowledgment of gratitude to the mothers for introducing Safi to their daughters and helping them take the brand in their fold and for making it a part of their lives and making them understand that one can only be beautiful from the outside when one is beautiful within. Safi understands that with the change in time, the younger generation wants to break the old stereotypes about mere outer physical beauty, and become beautiful and confident from within.

     

    Commenting on this, Mansoor Ali, Chief Sales & Marketing Officer said, “It has been a constant endeavor to get into the ‘skin’ of the younger generation, understand their attitudes, driver and sensitivities, and reach out to them basis these insights. The “I Hate You Mom” campaign last year was a bold approach for Safi, and we saw tremendous affinity developing in the younger TG. This time around, we continue on the same basic insight, but now extend the thought to a more universal philosophy of “inner beauty”, symbolized by “Ragon Mein Khoobsurati.”

     

    Nilotpal Singh, Sr. Brand Manager, Hamdard Laboratories said, “New SAFI campaign tries to complete the story which was started last year with #IHATEUMOM campaign. Creative this time is about self-realization that “real beauty lies within which leads to the beautiful skin outside”. Going further brand will own a larger plot on larger philosophy of “Ragon mein khoobsurati”. We are also trying to uplift the brand imagery and I feel that our creative agency and production house has done remarkable work in this direction.”

     

  • The awards were held in Mumbai on Tuesday, and saw 441 entries from over 70 agencies & 150 brands

    Ogilvy tops @ DMA CreatEffect Awards 2016

     

    By Anuka Roy and Santosh Jangid

     

    Winners of ECHO affiliated DMA India CREATEFFECT Awards 2016 were revealed at the Awards Gala at Blue Frog, Mumbai, celebrating India’s most creative and effective data driven marketing campaigns. OgilvyOne Worldwide was named DMA CREATEFFECT Awards 2016 ‘Agency of the year’, bagging 21 metals including three golds and a diamond, while Ogilvy & Mather was honoured with the Network of the Year 2016 title. Two new special categories were added this year ­‘Small Agency of the Year’ and ‘Brand of the Year’ to recognize the joint efforts and close collaboration between clients and small agencies to produce successful work. The awards were presented to pi communication and Britannia Good Day respectively. Hindustan Unilever bagged the ‘Client of the Year’ Award for the second year in a row with three Metals.

     

    “I feel really good that my colleagues at OgilvyOne have won this big distinction and also at the network level we have won. It always feels good to win,” said SumantoChattopadhyay, Executive Creative Director, South Asia at Ogilvy & Mather about winning the top honours. The Social Street made its debut this year and was among the top agencies in the race for ‘Agency of the Year’ award. “It is the first time we have entered the DMAECHO awards and it is a great result for us. With 3 golds we feel extremely ecstatic.”

     

    Said Dhunji S. Wadia, President at Rediffusion Y&R, who was one of the jury presidents: “Some of the best minds from both marketing and communications came together together for the judging and it has been the most robust process anywhere in the world.” Speaking about the entries received this year, he said, “The highs are getting higher and the lows are getting lower. So in the balance, some things work some things don’t. Some entries are equal to the best in the world. The emphasis was more on data driven management. So that is where the jury spent more time deliberating and trying to see that it is true to the cause.”

     

    Sapient Nitro won the Grand Prix in the Media Effectiveness category for Nestle India’s ‘100 and Running’ campaign, while Mindshare India bagged it for Pepsico’s ‘Google Maps went beyond giving directions’ in Creative Effectiveness ­ Interactive category. The Diamond Award went to Ogilvy One Worldwide in the Business Effectiveness category for Amazon Fashion­ Kya Pehnu campaign.

     

    The Awards Gala, was attended by over 200 industry leaders, presented a total of 144 citations, including 25 Golds, 45 Silvers, 46 Bronze and 23 Leaders to the shortlisted winners out of 441 registered entries from over 70 agencies and 150 brands. The celebrity chief guest for the evening was Boman Irani who kept the audience entertained and engaged with his short speech.

     

    This year, notable winners were campaigns from IBS with 40 points, The Social Street with 25 points, PHD with 24 points and Sapient Nitro with 16 points.

     

    Talking about future plans for the awards, Vatsal Asher, Global Envoy of International ECHO and CEO and Co­-Founder,Association of Data­-driven Marketing and Advertising in Asia (DMAAsia) said, “We continue to grow and we are now responsible for finding entries from not only countries and agencies in Asia but from the Middle East and North Africa region also. So we are taking the DMA international ECHO to more markets, more agencies, more brands and more geography. So this year we have the Asian addition happening in Singapore in October and the Middle East and North Africa edition is happening in December at Dubai. Next year we will be having many more enhancements to the DMA international ECHO program.”

     

    “This is the biggest show for the direct and digital data driven industry. It recognizes people who have produced scintillating work that is also effective. So, for them it is their stage, their recognition. I am happy to be a part of that,” said Rakhshin Patel, Jury Chairperson and MD, Pi Communication. “We have run this for about four or five years and the India chapter just gets bigger. So, last year we added Asia, this year we are going to add Middle East too,” she said about the journey so far.

     

    Added Shelly Singh, also Global Envoy of International ECHO and COO and Co­-Founder, DMAAsia, “The winners epitomise the very best of creative effectiveness, that is, creativity that has driven exceptional results and profit growth. Marketers in India are extremely excited about the ECHO Awards to get global recognition for their work.”

     

    ECHO affiliated DMA CreatEffect Awards 2016, India Edition is organised by DMAAsia with an objective to celebrate India’s best and most creative and effective data driven marketing and advertising campaigns. The Asia and Mena editions of ECHO affiliated Awards are scheduled to happen on October 5 in Singapore and subsequently at Dubai respectively. The calls for entries to both are open till August 31.

     

  • Unilever CMO Keith Weed tries to predict the future of brands at Cannes Lions 2016

    Brands and their Future

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    The question about future of brands has been doing the rounds for quite some time. Keith Weed, CMO of Unilever, tried to explore the future of brands in a world where information and experience eclipse ownership as the key to growth at Cannes Lion 2016.

     

    “Brands! Love them or hate them, they are an integral part of our lives,” was Weed’s opening statement for the session ‘The Future of Brands’ hosted by Unilever. But what exactly is the future of brands in this dynamic, complex and ever changing world? Weed tried to answer this question in his a little over 30 minutes session.

     

    “I believe the future of brands is best represented by i to the power n,” continued Weed but was quick to add that it is not going to be a math lesson. This equation, in the context of brands, signifies what is going on in this technology driven world. So, i equals individuals, influencers and impacts. He explained each of them one by one.

     

    Said Weed, “With technological advancement, now, we can market to individuals. We have gone from mass marketing to massive customisation.” So, marketing is about engaging individuals. “From Unilever’s perspective, we want to build a relationship with a billion brands- a billion people around the world,” he continued.

     

    Weed emphasised that as much as we have to do work globally, we must engage people locally as well. The combination of the two, according to Weed, is ‘magic’ done by technology. He gave an example of the Axe ad which showed the changing modern man. It was a good example of connecting with individuals. Weed urged brands to use data about individuals to connect with them.

     

    Influencers do play an important role in building a brand. In this part, Weed explained the changing face of influencers. The re-launch of the ice cream Magnum double was used as an example to explore the role of influencers. Kendell Jenner was used as an influencer to promote and magnify the brand. Twitter as a tool for influence was also lauded by Weed. “We need to think about influencers more as we build a brand,” he said

     

    While explaining impact he looked at it from three different points- campaigning brands, challenging stereotypes and what consumers want. “In some ways they say campaigning brands is the right thing to do but I think we should campaign brands which make good economic sense,” said Weed. Unilever’s climate change video was showed as an example to prove this.  Addressing the audience about challenging stereotypes, Weed focused on how women are portrayed. According to a research done by his organisation, 80% women do not identify with most of the ads. “We can create better advertising, if we create progressive advertising,” he said. Weed said, “We found 54% of people would buy a product if they find it socially and environmentally sustainable,” while speaking about consumer needs. Focusing on consumers wants is extremely important for brands.

     

    The fact that brands can take their products to endless number of people with the help of technology is quite commendable. “With all that is going on in technology, consumers have been ahead of marketers,” said Weed. So, using these ‘i’s multiple ways and times, brands can be successful and that is the future of brands, Weed concluded.

     

    Meanwhile, on the awards circuit, there were no golds added to the kitty.  In Media Lions, Rediffusion Y&R bagged a silver for Dipper Condoms and a bronze went to PHD for Hindustan Unilever’s Wheel detergent. BBDO India picked another metal – albeit a bronzed one – in Cyber Lions for its Ariel “ShareTheLoad campaign.

     

  • Medulla also bagged the 'Healthcare Agency of the Year', the first time ever that an Indian agency has been accorded this title

    Day1@Cannes2016: Medulla is Healthcare Agency of the Year, wins 7 metals. Rediff gets a silver

    By A Correspondent

     

    It was a case of India Shining on the first day of Cannes Lions 2016 with Mumbai-based Medulla Communications winning big with seven Lions.

     

    Medulla also bagged the ‘Healthcare Agency of the Year’, the first time ever that an Indian agency has been accorded this title. It may be remembered that Medulla was third in the pecking order at Cannes Lions last year.

     

    Of the 7 metals Medulla bagged, there were 2 Golds, 2 Silvers and 3 Bronze. The two Golds were for Indian Association for Palliative Care’s Last Words campaign under the Education and Awareness sub-category of the Pharma Lions. A silver and bronze were bagged GSK’s ‘Slums for Worms’ campaign and two Bronze Lions were won for Johnson & Johnson’s ADHD Symptom Stamps.

     

    For Rediffusion Y&R, the Bronze was for the Tata Motors ‘Dipper Condoms’ ad in the Education & Awareness sub-category of Health and Wellness Lions.

     

  • The agency harnessed an innovative idea to play with 1500 Dots through outdoor installation for Moods Condoms

    Rediffusion YR executes innovative campaign for Moods

    By A Correspondent

     

    Despite being the origin of Kamasutra, people in India are surprisingly shy to talk openly about sex thereby condoms.Only 5 per cent purchase reflects the stigma attached as people are embarrassed to buy condoms.Moods wanted to promote the use of condoms without making the consumer uncomfortable.

     

    The agency conceptualized the installation ideas with balls signifying the dots on the condom for enhanced pleasure.

     

    Installations with Telephone booth, car and bathtub filled with the balls were set up in buzzing malls, exhibiting these red colored dots with one striking message; ‘Play with 1500 dots’.

     

    The very first installation went live around the Valentine’s Day earlier this year, and recently another set of installations were seen creating buzz.

     

    The idea has been receiving favorable responses by all. Some clicked pictures; some asked questions, while some even carried them back home waiting to be pleasantly surprised with condoms inside them. These installations created a successful interactive forum making a conversation reserved for closed doors, the talk of the town.

     

    The brand campaign rolls later this month.

     

  • Recognizing its inherent weaknesses, he took a sabbatical to learn the intricacies of the digital world

    Rage appoints Neville Medhora as Head of India Business

    By A Correspondent

     

    Rage Communications has appointed Neville Medhora as its Head of India Business. Neville, till recently, the head of Rediffusion-Y&R’s Mumbai office joins Rage Communications after a twenty-year journey that traversed across most of the leading advertising agencies in India.

     

    Apart from Rediffusion-Y&R, Neville has had substantial stints with Equus, Saatchi & Saatchi, TBWA and JWT. In his extensive advertising stint, Neville has worked with some of the largest and most successful brands in India across many categories.

     

    Karthik Kumar, Director, Rage Communications commented, “Neville’s joining  Rage will add significant depth to Rage’s overall offerings in India and bring fresh thinking in the way digital will contribute to its clients building strong and sustainable engagements with their consumers.”

     

    Commenting on his role, Neville Medhora, India Head, Rage Communications said, “Indian marketing is on the cusp of change with respect to digital.  Marketers are beginning to realize that digital can no longer be an esoteric activity on the margins, but has to be a key ingredient in the marketing playbook of any serious activity. As they realize this, they also discover that digital is not just ‘shoot-and-scoot’ advertising, but a completely new form of engaging with consumers that requires developing deep roots and sustaining it for meaningful impact.”

     

    Neville caught the digital bug about six years ago and spearheaded key digital initiatives of clients within the boundaries of the traditional off-line format. Recognizing its inherent weaknesses, he took a sabbatical to learn the intricacies of the digital world. Neville joins Rage Communications fresh from this sabbatical.