MxMIndia

Tag: Samarjit Choudhry

  • Happy mcgarrybowen designed the brand identity and visual language for the brand

    Happy mcgarrybowen designs identity for Airtel Xstream

    By A Correspondent

     

    Bharti Airtel has partnered with Happy mcgarrybowen to design the brand identity for Airtel Xstream, the digital entertainment platform by Airtel. As part of the exercise, Happy mcgarrybowen designed the brand identity and visual language for the brand.

     

    Speaking on the engagement, Shashwat Sharma, CMO, Airtel said: “The vision for the Airtel Xstream brand was to carve a voice that speaks to today’s young, technology ready consumer. We were building an India-first platform of digital entertainment services and this needed a disruptive and market-defining visual identity. Happy mcgarrybowen became our partner in bringing that vision to life. They helped create an identity that is current, aspirational and future-ready. It’s a great visual ethos of what Airtel Xstream promises to bring to the Indian consumer going forward.”

     

    Added Samarjit Choudhry, President, Happy mcgarrybowen: “Airtel is one of the most recognised brands in India. It has ushered in major changes in the way we use communication tools. With the launch of Xstream, they are once again on the cusp of changing our entertainment consumption habits. We have tried to capture the dynamic nature of the digital entertainment world, its confluence across platforms; obviously with the consumer at the centre of it.”

     

     

  • Soumitra Karnik has been assigned with the additional charge as Chief Creative Officer (CCO)

    Samarjit Choudhry takes charge of Happy mcgarrybowen, Soumitra Karnik takes additional charge as CCO

    By A Correspondent

     

    Happy mcgarrybowen, which was hit by complaints of sexual harassment of its founders and their eventual ouster, has elevated Samarjit Choudhry to the role of President while Soumitra Karnik has been assigned with the additional charge as Chief Creative Officer (CCO).

     

    Samarjit Choudhry

    Speaking on his appointment, Choudhry said: “mcgarrybowen has a strong philosophy of solving real problems. They truly operate as a media-agnostic agency. In India the foundation for this is already there and the agency has been operating as Happy mcgarrybowen for over two years now. My mandate is to take it to the next level. Other than communication, we already have a strong design practice and in conjunction with the other offerings from DAN, today we offer our clients a one stop solution for whatever their needs might be. I look forward to taking the opportunity to take the legacy forward. And all we ask is, ‘Give us your biggest problem’.”

     

    Soumitra Karnik

    Speaking about the role, Karnik added: “Happy mcgarrybowen is a phenomenal creative brand and has an enviable body of work to prove it. All these years, I have greatly admired them from a distance and I count my blessings for being given this opportunity to be a part of their creative trajectory.  I assume this role with utmost confidence only because the culture of HMB will not have it any other way. I shall take my mandate from Gordon Bowen, our Global CCO, in the coming days and will talk about it soon. Personally, I’d like to build a collaborative creative culture where everyone works with everyone and everyone learns from everyone. There is so much talent out there in the world and sometimes all it takes is a simple call to say, ‘Hi, I have this idea and I need you to make it even more amazing’. Most clients deserve a spectacular package. Anything less is just plain misfortune.”

     

    Ashish Bhasin

    Said Ashish Bhasin, CEO Greater South, Dentsu Aegis Network and Chairman & CEO India: “With its new leadership in place, I am more than confident that the agency is now in extremely able hands. Happy mcgarrybowen has always been a brand to reckon with and I have no doubt that Samarjit and Soumitra, together, will further fuel this brand legacy and help Happy mcgarrybowen scale new heights.”

     

     

  • Titled ‘no stress weekend with Rentals’, the TVC features actor, writer Sumeet Vyas

    Ola launches new brand campaign for Ola Rentals

    By A Correspondent

     

    Ola has launched a nationwide integrated campaign focusing on Ola Rentals. Starring actor and writer Sumeet Vyas, the video campaign highlights Ola Rentals as the go-to weekend ride.

     

    Conceptualised and developed by Happy mcgarrybowen, the TVCs show Sumeet as an empowered Ola Rentals customer who isn’t worried of getting tired of driving for long hours in heavy traffic. Instead, he enjoys a day out with his wife and back-to-back outings to meet relatives since he gets to relax at the backseat like a boss.

     

    Said Pallav Singh, Senior Vice President at Ola: “Since its launch in 2016, Ola Rentals has been a favourite among corporate customers and working executives who move from one meeting to another during the day. Through this latest campaign we want to highlight the convenience of having a cab on disposal for diverse needs like shopping trips, meeting friends, visiting relatives, local sightseeing etc. I am glad to share that the TVCs are garnering great response, which goes to show that customers today value convenience and experience. They don’t want to tire themselves driving in heavy traffic, instead would like to be driven around as they relax and enjoy their day off.”

     

    Added Samarjit Choudhry, Chief Operating Officer, Happy mcgarrybowen: “Ola Rentals is a very unique category. Unlike a point-to-point cab, this one is meant to take you to multiple places. It takes away a lot of pain points like parking or having to book another cab, not to say the pain of driving on congested roads. Keeping all this in mind, we decided to take weekends as a plank for communication because a large number of the people get out on weekends and face the stress of weekend traffic and finding parking spots. The ease of the product offering had to be conveyed and hence we came up with the campaign thought of #NoStressBoss.”

  • Rajesh Mani and Kunal Madhavdas join as the agency’s first ever ECD and Sr. VP respectively

    Happy mcgarrybowen makes senior appointments

    By A Correspondent

     

    Happy mcgarrybowen, the creative agency from Dentsu Aegis Network, has added creative and account management muscle in the team with the appointment of Rajesh Mani and Kunal Madhavdas as the agency’s first ever ECD and Senior VP respectively.

     

    Said Kartik Iyer, CEO, Happy mcgarrybowen: “We have been very particular about creative leadership within the agency. Because at that level it’s not just about the talent but more about having the maturity to nurture ideas. We have a strong culture at Happy mcgarrybowen and in Rajesh we found the natural energy to further that culture. It’s great to have him in our team.”

     

    Added Samarjit Choudhry, COO, Happy mcgarrybowen: ”Happy mcgarrybowen has a culture of creating great ideas and not just great ads. We are particular about the people who work with us not just on skill set but also on the attitude. With Kunal and now Rajesh we have 2 people who come from the same mindset. They are a fabulous addition to the “Happy” team.”

     

  • He will spearhead growth of the specialised units for Design, B2B and Social Behaviour Change Projects

    Happy mcgarrybowen rejigs. Appoints Samarjit Choudhry as COO – Advertising

    By A Correspondent

     

    Happy mcgarrybowen has announced key structural changes to “further strategise its business approach and strengthen its top-line leadership”.

     

    As part of this change, Praveen Das, Co-founder and MD, Happy mcgarrybowen, will spearhead growth of the specialised units for Design, B2B and Social Behaviour Change Projects (SBCP).

     

    On the path ahead, Das said: “The dream here is to use ‘design thinking’ to contribute something unique to design from India and create value for our clients. We also want to help B2B clients with solutions that fall between a digital and communication agency by leveraging technology and creating unique experiences with UI and UX, VR, AR, AI, Machine Learning, IOT (internet of things), etc. In SBCP too, we have been trying to use technology to solve communication challenges even as we patiently engage with continuous research and feedback to create and recreate communication for change. Yes, the process is slow but fulfilling and effective if done well. To accomplish this, we have put together a talented, top-of-line team of experts to deliver results.”

     

    Kartik Iyer, co-founder and CEO – Happy mcgarrybowen, will continue to oversee the advertising discipline for Happy mcgarrybowen. On the developments, Iyer said, “We have always wanted Happy mcgarrybowen to be a hybrid agency with multiple capabilities. Between Praveen and me, we are very clear what we want for Happy mcgarrybowen in the future. So it just makes absolute sense to split forces and give the attention each discipline needs.”

     

    Meanwhile, Happy mcgarrybowen has roped in Samarjit Choudhry as chief operating officer (COO), Advertising. Armed with more than 20 years of experience, Choudhry’s mandate will be to run and grow the agency’s advertising business across the country. Prior to this, Samarjit was with Ogilvy Bangalore where he held the position of chief growth officer. He was also instrumental in setting up Orchard in Bangalore and Black Pencil for the Leo Burnett Group. In his new role, he will report to Iyer.