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Tag: Soumitra Karnik

  • The duo will continue to report into Soumitra Karnik, Chief Creative Officer, Dentsu Impact, Dentsu India and Mcgarrybowen India and Amit Wadhwa, President, Dentsu Impact

    Dentsu Impact elevates Devraj & Ramaswamy to Managing Partners

    By A Correspondent

     

    Ajit Devraj

    Dentsu Impact, the creative agency from the house of Dentsu Aegis Network (DAN) India, has elevated Ajit Devraj and Anupama Ramaswamy to the role of Managing Partners. The duo will continue to report into Soumitra Karnik, Chief Creative Officer, Dentsu Impact, Dentsu India and Mcgarrybowen India and Amit Wadhwa, President, Dentsu Impact.

     

    Anupama Ramaswamy

    In their new role, the duo will oversee the Gurugram and Bengaluru operations for Dentsu Impact. While Devraj will be the business lead, Ramaswamy will head the creative arm of the agency.

     

    Speaking on the development, Karnik said: “I am thrilled to announce the second phase of Dentsu Impact. Our journey has been really exciting so far and we are proud to hand over the steering wheel in the able hands of Ajit and Anupama. Both are absolutely amazing at what they do. They bring in a lot of method and discipline, which is required during this time of constant fast changes that our industry is going through. They have a hard task ahead – to embrace ‘what’s new’ faster than others, to deliver growth at the back of solid creative reputation, to be always ‘people-first’ and to keep the joy of advertising intact.”

     

    Added Wadhwa: “This is an important phase for Dentsu Impact. We move into a new era, hereon, where creativity embraces the new approach to communication. We could not have better leaders than Ajit and Anu to lead the organisation into this exciting phase. Both come with extremely balanced mindsets and have the hunger and eagerness to accept new challenges and work towards achieving them. I am excited!”

     

     

  • Under the expanded mandate, Karnik will lead Dentsu India’s creative output nationally and will be responsible for maintaining and amplifying a robust client-agency relationship for the agency across its offices in Bangalore, Mumbai, Chennai and Kochi

    DAN expands Soumitra Karnik’s role

    By A Correspondent

     

    Soumitra Karnik

    Dentsu Aegis Network (DAN) has now entrusted Soumitra Karnik, currently Chief Creative officer (CCO) at Dentsu Impact and Mcgarrybowen India, with the additional charge of CCO, Dentsu India. He will assume this role for Dentsu India, the full-service agency headquartered in Bengaluru, with immediate effect, and will report into Agnello Dias, Creative Chairman, DAN India. Under the expanded mandate, Karnik will lead Dentsu India’s creative output nationally and will be responsible for maintaining and amplifying a robust client-agency relationship for the agency across its offices in Bangalore, Mumbai, Chennai and Kochi.

     

    Agnello Dias

    Speaking on the appointment, Dias said: “I have known Soumitra for many years now and he is the sort of guy you could go to war with. Nothing fazes him. I have seen him take on the most absurd challenges with a happy fascination at having found a new puzzle to solve. He has that most rare of attributes in a creative person – his creative stamina, and I am sure he will go on to do more than justice to his new extended role.”

     

    Elaborating on his new role, Karnik added: “Keeping the big-sounding designations aside, I am the same hungry and relentless creative person that I have always been. Lately, I find a lot of people from the industry complain about the prevalent diminishing standards and mediocrity everywhere; and while I am certainly not going to deny this, I also believe that the only way out of it is to roll up our sleeves, put our heads down, and get to work. That is exactly what we did when we were giving shape to Dentsu Impact a few years back. We won a lot of good clients and did a lot of good work which won us a battery of awards nationally and internationally. I am fortunate to have worked very closely with some great clients and some amazingly talented team members. Without the support of both, consistently producing good work is just not possible. With the mandate and the freedom to build a strong creative culture at Dentsu India, what I now have is an incredibly exciting challenge and an opportunity – all rolled into one,” he added.

     

    Narayan Devanathan

    Said Narayan Devanathan, Chairperson, Creative Line of Business for DAN India: “Soumitra and I have been partners in crime for close to 9 years now, and I couldn’t be happier to have him now also lead the creative mandate at Dentsu India. Over the years, Dentsu India has grown to be one of the most stable partners any client could ask for. With this solid foundation, I’m sure Soumitra will help the agency scale new heights with a creativity-first approach.”

     

     

  • Campaign reaches over 12 million people on Social Media

    Hindustan Times salutes India’s bravehearts

    By A Correspondent

     

    Hindustan Times has unveiled a fresh initiative ‘#HTSalutes’ in collaboration with Dentsu Impact amidst the lockdown period. The campaign’s singular objective is to pay tribute to the heroes who are currently in the line of duty during the nationwide lockdown.

     

    This integrated campaign comprises a film, print and digital media.

    Speaking about the campaign, Soumitra Karnik, CCO, Dentsu Impact said: “The idea was to not just recognise the brave efforts of certain professionals, but also to capture the emotional angle of how safe people are feeling at home because of these brave efforts. The film and print ads have been designed to connect with everyone emotionally.”

     

    Added Rajan Bhalla, Group CMO & Chief Business Officer, HT Media: “Hindustan Times always steps forward to serve the nation through credible news via responsible journalism— and this campaign recognises all professionals, groups and communities embodying the same responsible value. HT salutes our real heroes who put the nation first before self and risk their lives in an effort to contain the pandemic. These warriors have taken the lead in boldly stepping forward in the fight for a better tomorrow. We will cover seven core constituents (medics, journalists, police, essential service providers, SMEs providing necessary life-saving equipment, chemists, groceries) under the programme. After all most of us are safe at home because some have chosen to step out.”

     

     

  • The campaign focuses on the importance of an equal status

    Dentsu Impact partners Hindustan to push equality in marriage

    By A Correspondent

     

    Dentsu Impact has released its latest campaign for Hindi daily – Hindustan. Titled ‘Aathwa Phera’, the campaign focuses on the importance of an equal status that both husband and wife should enjoy in a marriage.

     

    Commenting on the campaign, Rajan Bhalla, CMO, HT Media Group, said: “Hindustan is a progressive brand, and believes that new perspectives have the power to bring about positive change in the society. Aathwa Phera is an initiative that will connect deeply and emotionally and it will evangelise the core brand positioning of Tarraki Ka Naya Nazariya. Most importantly it will bring home the message of gender equality in the society.”

     

    Speaking about the concept, Soumitra Karnik, CCO, Dentsu Impact added: “The narrative of gender equality has been there for a while now. However, we still hear stories every day that prove there is still a lot to be done to ensure equal status for women (specially in certain regions). Everyone talks about equality in the workplace, jobs, opportunities etc., but what about our homes? What about the husband treating his wife as an equal? This is where our concept came from. We want each and every man to take a vow that he will support his wife and ensure her equal status in a marriage.”

     

     

  • Bhagat has worked with agencies like Enterprise, SSC&B Lintas, JWT and FCB

    Happy Mcgarrybowen appoints Mahendra Bhagat as NCD

    By A Correspondent

     

    Mahendra Bhagat

    Dentsu Aegis Network agency Happy mcgarrybowen has strengthened its creative team with the appointment of Mahendra Bhagat as National Creative Director.

     

    With over 20 years of experience in the industry, Bhagat has worked with agencies like Enterprise, SSC&B Lintas, JWT and FCB for brands like Titan, Britannia, Times of India, Godrej and Unilever.

     

    Agnello Dias

    Commenting on his appointment, Agnello Dias, Creative Chairman, Dentsu Aegis Network India said: “I have worked with Mahendra during my last stint at an agency, and always felt he had a calm, collected, creative mind without the tantrums that some creative people have. He is keen to understand the brand’s point of view and apply his undoubted creative skills to find a solution. He has a keen art and design eye as well. I’m sure Happy mcgarrybowen will forge a great partnership with him and their clients. I wish him all the best.”

     

    Soumitra Karnik

    Added Soumitra Karnik, Chief Creative Officer, Happy mcgarrybowen: “I am thrilled to have Mahendra in our team as we plan to take Happy mcgarrybowen to the next level. He is a rare creative talent who is on top of the game as far as craft is concerned, and who has managed to use the new media platforms really well. Above anything else, he is a lovely person to work with and I am quite certain that we couldn’t have found a better leader than him. Happy mcgarrybowen is now happier with him around.”

     

    Speaking on his appointment, Bhagat said: “The future of advertising lies in marrying creativity with technology. Instead of relying on traditional mediums, Happy mcgarrybowen is constantly in an exploratory mode; finding a new age communication solutions. Being a relatively young agency, it is buzzing with new ideas and energy. I look forward to channelizing that energy in creating some path breaking work for our clients.”

     

     

  • The social media mandate will be serviced by Dentsu Impact digital

    Dentsu Impact wins digital & creative mandate of Subway

    By A Correspondent

     

    Dentsu Impact has bagged the creative and social media mandate for Subway Systems India. The social media mandate will be serviced by the agency’s recently set up digital division, Dentsu Impact digital.

     

    Amit Wadhwa

    Speaking on the win, Amit Wadhwa, President, Dentsu Impact said: “The QSR (Quick Service Restaurant) segment is one of the most exciting segments in the F&B industry today. The competition is stiff and constant shifts are happening in the segment with technology playing a major role in tapping customers and their preferences. More than ever the brands in this segment need to constantly engage with the consumers to stay relevant. This is exactly what we, along with the brand team at Subway, would strive to do and create an even more relevant and stronger brand in India. It is an exciting brand to work on and we can’t wait to begin creating some great work together.”

     

    Shuchi Monga

    Talking about the new association, Shuchi Monga, Head of Marketing, South Asia – Subway Systems India added: “We are excited to work with Dentsu Impact as our creative & strategic communication partner. We have consciously made an effort to have both digital and mainline business together to have seamless flow of communication across channels. We look forward to leveraging their creative talent to deliver work that will resonate strongly with audiences across markets.”

     

    Soumitra Karnik

    Added Soumitra Karnik, Chief Creative Officer, Dentsu Impact: “At Dentsu Impact, our focus is to grow our clients’ business through innovative creative solutions. We have a great track record in that. We hope to carry this on with Subway as well and look to continuously create exciting and talk worthy work for the brand.”

     

     

  • 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.”

     

     

  • He will operate out of the Gurgaon office and will report into NCD Anupama Ramaswamy

    Sumit Negi joins Dentsu Impact as ECD

    By A Correspondent

     

    Dentsu Impact has strengthened its creative function with the appointment of Sumit Negi as an Executive Creative Director. He will operate out of the Gurgaon office and will report into Anupama Ramaswamy, the National Creative Director.

     

    Said Soumitra Karnik, Chief Creative Officer, Dentsu Impact: “Sumit’s maturity, calm demeanour and the manner in which he leads his team is what sets him apart. His passion and knowledge on cars gives Dentsu Impact an added edge. We are very happy to have him and wish him a fabulous future.”

     

     

  • The film looks slick and young, with a catchy track that captures the multiple situations from a youngster’s life

    Dentsu Impact targets youth with its latest campaign for OPPO F7

    By A Correspondent

     

    Dentsu Impact has launched a new campaign for Oppo F7. Targeted at the youth, Oppo F7 comes loaded with features that help enhance the virtual lives of youngsters, which for today’s generation is actually their real life. The film mirrors this way of life of today’s generation, and shows how Oppo F7 is the perfect partner for them.

     

    Said Soumitra Karnik, Chief Creative Officer, Dentsu Impact: “Oppo is a brand for the youth and their phones are designed to answer the needs of this young generation. Our film is actually a reflection of this youth’s way of life – how they have embraced the virtual world and made it their own. Virtual is the new real for this generation – selfies, social media, filters, status updates – it’s all an integral part of life for them. This is their reality and they unapologetically accept that. Oppo phones come with features that help enhance this virtual life of the youngsters and the attempt of our film is to bring this to life.”

     

    Added Will Yang, Brand Director, OPPO India: “OPPO is a young and energetic brand which always mirrors the energy of youngsters. We have always tried to bring the best camera and selfie experience to our consumers and we believe that OPPO F7 will enable the youth to click natural selfies. The TVC takes cues from the current lifestyle trends of the youth, especially their love for clicking Selfies and highlights how much goes into taking that perfect Selfie. We hope that the TVC finds a connect with the youth and help them realize that their selfie expert lies within their OPPO F7.”

     

     

  • The objective of the campaign was to break this perception of inaccessibility

    Dentsu Impact launches campaign to solve Hitachi’s challenge

    By A Correspondent

     

    Dentsu Impact has launched a new campaign for Hitachi, positioning it as a brand accessible for all. The campaign, “KabhiKabhiZyadaKeLiye, ZyadaNahiChaiyeHota” builds on the brand’s core of premium yet accessible. Developed by Dentsu Impact, the TVC is now on air, across all popular channels.

     

    Said Gurmeet Singh, Chairman & Managing Director, Johnson Controls – Hitachi Airconditioning India: “Hitachi aims to reach every Indian Household and become India’s Leading Air Conditioning brand by 2021. With its innovative product range, best in class indigenous manufacturing facilities, world class R&D facility and a continuous endeavor to give its customers a better post sales service experience, we are confident that we will be able to achieve this because we truly believe that ‘Every home deserves Hitachi cooling’.”

     

    Talking about the campaign, Soumitra Karnik, Chief Creative Officer, Dentsu Impact added: “Hitachi faces a unique challenge in the market. And it’s always exciting to work on such challenging briefs. Our idea was to bring alive the thought – ‘Kabhikabhizyadakeliye, zyadanaichahiyehota’ by beautifully capturing those simple, everyday moments, which are truly priceless. As it’s the little things that make all the difference.”

     

     

  • The recent restructuring happened owing to the consolidation of creative, digital and media duties for all Maruti Suzuki brands (except Nexa brands) with Dentsu Aegis Network

    Dentsu Impact elevates Anupama Ramaswamy as NCD

    By A Correspondent

     

    Anupama Ramaswamy

    Dentsu Impact has recently restructured its creative department and promoted Anupama Ramaswamy as the National Creative Director. Ramaswamy has been with Dentsu Impact for over a year now. She had joined as an Executive Creative Director.

     

    The recent restructuring has taken place given the consolidation of creative, digital and media duties for all Maruti Suzuki brands (except Nexa) with the Dentsu Aegis Network. Post this development, the network created an integrated creative team which will deliver solutions for the brand. Ramaswamy would be leading this team both on offline as well as digital creative front.

     

    Commenting on her new role, Ramaswamy said: “It is an exciting time to be at Dentsu Impact and working on a brand like Maruti Suzuki. Maruti Suzuki is undergoing a transformation and not many in the industry can boast of being a part of such a change. A change that happens once in 35 years. My mandate is to make the most popular automobile brand equally young and vibrant. And hopefully, I would be able to add value to the business and win some awards. There is so much to learn and hopefully enough to contribute too.”

     

    Talking about the development, Soumitra Karnik, Chief Creative Officer, Dentsu Impact said: “Anupama has played a stellar role in the creative performance of Dentsu Impact and this is an extremely well deserved elevation. Keeping pace with where Maruti Suzuki aims to be in the coming times is both exciting as well as challenging. It requires complex understanding of the automobile industry and the world in which it is going to operate in. Anu is going to be right in the forefront of this change and along with her team of individuals with diverse capabilities, will be setting altogether a new bar.”

     

     

  • As part of the win, the agency will manage the digital, social, and mainline duties for both Roca and Parryware

    Dentsu Impact bags creative mandate for Roca and Parryware

    By A Correspondent

     

    Dentsu Impact has won the creative mandate for bathroom solution brands Roca and Parryware. Both accounts have been won following a multi-agency pitch that lasted for more than two months.

     

    As part of the win, the agency will manage the digital, social, and mainline duties for both Roca and Parryware.

     

    Commenting on the association, Mayuri Saikia, Marketing Head, Roca Bathroom Products, said, “We are elated to have Dentsu Impact onboard to handle our creative mandate. They are a young team with fresh ideas and thinking. They will certainly infuse new energy in the brands and we look forward to working in collaboration with them to create strong brand communication moving forward.”

     

    Speaking about the account win, Amit Wadhwa, President, Dentsu Impact, said, “Roca and Parryware are the leading players in the bathroom solutions market and we are delighted with the opportunity of strengthening these brands in the Indian market. It is a great start to the year for us and we look forward to a long lasting partnership here.”

     

    Added Soumitra Karnik, National Creative Director, Dentsu Impact:  “Every brand and category comes with unique challenges and opportunities. The team of Roca and Parryware took pains to explain these to us in detail and with this clear understanding we were able to come up with some exciting ideas that helped us win this one. We look forward to partner with them and bring some interesting ideas to life.”