MxMIndia

Tag: Sunil Lulla

  • Grey Group India has announced the appointment of Sandipan Bhattacharyya as its Chief Creative Officer effective August 1, 2015

    Sandipan Bhattacharyya joins Grey as CCO

    By A Correspondent

     

    Sandipan Bhattacharyya

    Grey India has announced the appointment of Sandipan Bhattacharyya as its Chief Creative Officer effective August 1, 2015.

     

    He will oversee the Mumbai, Gurgaon (New Delhi NCR) and Bengaluru offices across all platforms including advertising, digital and below the line. He will be based in Mumbai, reporting to Sunil Lulla, Chairman and Managing Director of Grey Group India.

     

    Bhattacharyya returns to Grey from BBDO where he spent close to eight years partnering Josy Paul in setting up the agency in India and shaping its creative reputation. He was Executive Creative Director and was pushing the creative mandate on several global clients like PepsiCo, General Electric, Hewlett Packard, Aviva Life Insurance, P&G Gillette and Wrigley. In a career spanning over 16 years, his previous stints include Saatchi & Saatchi, Enterprise Nexus and a long run at GREY group as the Creative Director of Grey’s Mumbai office.

     

    Sunil Lulla

    “We are delighted to welcome Sandipan back. In an ever changing world, now Grey’s capabilities will be significantly enhanced with Sandipan’s leadership” said Lulla

    .

    Commenting on his move, Bhattacharyya said, “What’s interesting in today’s ad landscape is what I call freestyling. No rules, no limits, just format-defying, medium-bending work. Gun shops that spring a surprise moral dilemma, car companies promoting bodypaint and a ridiculously simple Superbowl 2

     

    interception that makes everyone spending millions on a 30” spot, seem like an idiot – that’s freestyling. And guess what, it’s all happening at Grey.!”

     

  • The Twitter application was created as part of the EPIC Channel’s ongoing campaign

    Epic channel introduces Twitter alarm for #Epicat10

    By A Correspondent

     

    EPIC channel has unveiled a unique innovation for their new campaign – #EPICat10. The channel is has released ‘The EPIC Channel Twitter Alarm’ that lets followers set a reminder for the 10 PM shows. The Twitter alarm was conceptualized for the EPIC Channel by Grey group India and executed in collaboration with Twitter. The Twitter application was created as part of the EPIC Channel’s ongoing campaign.

     

    Mahesh Samat

    Mahesh Samat, MD, The EPIC Channel says, “When GREY suggested the idea as part of the ‘EPIC At 10’ campaign, we were instantly sold and excited to get it activated. We are proud to announce ‘The EPIC Channel Twitter Alarm’ for the first time in India. Twitter has been excellent in facilitating the innovation. The core idea of our Campaign is to drive tune-ins to the 10 pm timeslot on the channel. The Twitter Alarm fits in perfectly with the campaign.”

     

     

    Sunil Lulla

    Sunil Lulla, Chairman and Managing Director, Grey Group India commented, “At GREY group, we are constantly looking at creating, ‘Famous & Effective’ campaigns for our clients. This makes it imperative to step beyond the boundaries and create – even if it is something as simple as a ‘Twitter Alarm’. We hope that soon enough, India will need no reminder to tune into The EPIC Channel at 10 PM.”

     

  • He will be reporting to Sunil Lulla, Chairman and Managing Director GREY group India

    Vishal Ahluwalia to head Bangalore office at GREY

    By A Correspondent

     

    Vishal Ahluwalia

    GREY group India has announced the appointment of Vishal Ahluwalia to head its Bangalore office. He will be reporting to Sunil Lulla, Chairman and Managing Director GREY group India.

     

    Vishal joins Grey with two decades of marketing communications experience, across various geographies and disciplines. In his various avatars, Vishal has headed businesses and has been an entrepreneur. Until recently, he has worked as a Member of the Board of IRIS Worldwide, in which he spearheaded the Digital and Retail verticals. Prior to which he was the Head for TBWA- South India; Head of the Unilever business for JWT -Taipei and a Senior Member of both Contract and JWT.

     

    Sunil Lulla

    “Vishal brings a great blend of advertising savviness and digital smarts to GREY. His experience across geographies and diverse categories, will strengthen the leadership team at GREY. He will take further our integrated offerings to various clients and enable their brands to be famous and effective,” said Sunil Lulla welcoming Vishal on board.

     

    Vishal holds a post graduate degree in Sales and Marketing. He has worked across the brands of Nestle, SONY, Reckitt, Pernod Ricard, Unilever, Dabur, Coca Cola, Maruti, Tata Gold Plus, Kimberly Clark and many others.

     

  • Interesting accounts from the big boys and girls of the advertising business

    What ad veterans have learnt from the younger lot

     

    By Delshad Irani

     

    At work, like in any human tribe, there are two kinds of people – the Elders and the Young. The latter, of course, are eager to conquer the world. The elders, who have been there and done it all (or so they’d like to think) remind the impatient youth, Rome wasn’t built in a day.

     

    ‘No schnitzel, Sherlock!’ is the response, generally. While it’s not the elders’ job to shatter the young’s exaggerated sense of self-belief, it is however their duty to voluntarily impart pearls of wisdom and teach a lesson or twelve. That is if the children aren’t of the know-all variety with brains like sieves.

     

    However, at no other point in history has there been such a high premium on youth and the mad dash to make everything from buttocks to board rooms look younger is testimony to that fact.

     

    Yet, rarely are inhabitants of corner offices conscious of the learnings they’ve gathered from the younger tribe. It might not seem so but there are some important lessons to learn. And we’re not talking about teaching grandma to text and abbreviate every word known to man here.

     

    In advertising agencies, there are endless corridors of hormone-fields. It’s one of the youngest industries, where millennial minions slave day and night to create ads for unrelenting and often unreasonable clients so their award-winning bosses can scale the Palais in June, every year.

     

    So whoever said the millennial is fickle or needs constant validation and expects “Look maa, I drew within the line!” to be followed by a treat and a cuddle or that they are as loyal as a mercenary is nucking futs.

     

    Well, there are exceptions. But amid the myriad of contradictions, millennials have come to represent quite effectively, the new generation of adwallahs. They too have priceless wisdom to share with the generations that preceded them, even if they aren’t quite aware of this yet.

     

    In an attempt to bring these to light, Brand Equity asked advertising’s “seniors” about the valuable lessons they’ve learnt from their juniors.

     

    Striking the right work life balance, not being averse to risk and cultivating a very low embarrassment threshold, are just some of the beautiful learnings but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

     

    Read on to see the lessons advertising’s heads have learnt from the legs that prop them up.

     

    Prasoon Joshi, Chairman Asia Pacific & CEO of McCann Worldgroup India

    What I have learned from the younger generation, is the work life balance. My generation (or at least speaking for myself) were very extremist, single minded and did too much work. We’d go to Cannes and it was like a project: go and return.

     

    The younger lot tie it up with travel and exploration. With youngsters, right from the start, there’s a more holistic approach to life. They believe it’s good to take breaks, even short ones. And so to someone like me, with a crusader mentality, I’ve learned a lot.

    Moral of the story: Take as many breaks as HR will allow.

     

     

    Bobby Pawar, Director and Chief Creative Officer, South Asia, Publicis

    The lessons I’ve gathered from my youngest colleagues? Holy-moly, where do I begin? Tenacity. Irrational passion. Being curious of the changing world. Trusting my instincts as much as my experience. Experiment. When to step in. When to sit on the sidelines and applaud. Rediscovering that this business is supposed to be fun. Patience. The list grows almost every day.

     

    I believe, if you aren’t learning from the people you are with, you have the wrong people, or more likely you have the wrong attitude. One day at work we were discussing ideas. It was a big brand, big brief, big budget, big stakes. This kid had an idea that sounded cool, but it was pretty much out there. And I said, I don’t think we can take a chance like this on a billion dollar brand. The kid looked bummed. He remained quiet for a bit, while we chatted.

     

    Then he said, “Bobby, failure is temporary, success is permanent.” I said, “Getting fired is temporary too, but it stings.” Everybody laughed. What he said haunted me. The next day I caught up with him and we spent time trying to make his idea work. Let go of your professional prejudices. A new marketing order is coming and it will be shaped by those willing to shape it and be shaped by it.

    Moral of the story: Don’t save your precious aphorisms for Twitter, try it in conference. Even if it sounds dumb. Never stop being bold and curious. Christopher Columbus wouldn’t have gotten far if he weren’t a nosy fella.

     

     

    Ambi Parmeswaran, Executive Director and CEO, FCB Ulka

    The youngsters taught me how use technology to solve problems. Sometimes what looks difficult is really a piece of cake.

     

    The younger lot have innovative skills that they bring to the table. It’s great interacting with trainees from management and creative. They are supposed to make a 20 minute presentation to us at the end of their stint, and I remember a boy making a video presentation in the form of a daily diary to his mom. It was great because of the ‘We haven’t seen this before’ feeling.

     

    Their approach to work is very different, which we often criticise, but there are plenty of takeaways. I remember the time when an employee was moving on from our agency, and I asked him to give me a call in case he wasn’t happy at the new place. I told him there was nothing to be embarrassed about and we could definitely work something out for him if he decided to return. “Why would I be embarrassed?” he asked me. And he was back in six months.

    Moral of the story: Never criticise before thinking. And if one is ever in need of a smashing presentation, commission the millennials in your employ.

     

     

    Joseph George, CEO, Lowe Lintas

    Their belief in the spirit of “moving on”, it allows you to not get stuck with any issue (good or bad) for too long. It allows you to accomplish a lot more. And it makes you a lot less emotional and more objective. It also allows you to stay focussed in meetings and conversations instead of the hangovers of an earlier issue or a previous meeting still clouding your head.

     

    Many times, we seem to dismiss and brand this trait of the youth as being fickle and superficial. Or even accuse them of being disinterested. It took me a long time to realise that those were erroneous and lazy conclusions. I was interviewing this young planner ( I personally interview all planners coming into Lowe Lintas ), and as we concluded with me saying that HR will get back to him, he said in a matter of fact way “to not let his youth come in the way of his salary or indeed his designation!” There are three brand lines that sum them up “Move on”, “Impossible is nothing” and “Poochne mein kya jaata hai”?

    Moral of the story: Life’s too short to cry over yesterday’s headlines, delusion of grandeur is a millennial condition and there is no such thing as a stupid question

     

     

    Josy Paul, Chairman, BBDO India

    One of the greatest things that my youngest colleagues have taught me is to be more authentic. They value that in themselves and they seek that from me. It helps me relax in their company and be who I am. It brings out the best in all of us. I feel the younger generation is a reminder medium of who we once were. They remind me of the strengths that I had, and have now forgotten. They revive and rejuvenate my authentic side. They point out things I once told them when I was a visiting faculty in their colleges. And they don’t let me forget. It’s a great source of energy.

     

    “We work differently from how you work. You guys work really hard and are obsessed with excellence about work. But excellence for us is how we manage both work and life. We need more breaks, more away-time. That’s how we create excellence at work. For you work is everything. We work for life” – Hemant Shringy, senior creative director, BBDO Ashram, age 29. It’s an insightful jolt and a beautiful truth, and I have accepted it. It is important to me. Which is why I remember it. Reverse internship, osmosis and learning are part of my world. I spend at least two hours a week speaking at colleges. The best thing that an experienced generation of marketers can learn from millennial marketers is to let go! The best way to contribute is to get out of the way.

    Moral of the story: Be real and weekends are not just Saturday to Sunday.

     

     

    Kawal Shoor, National Planning Director, Ogilvy & Mather

    I like their naivete and candour the most. I especially love their language, as yet un-corrupted by the dreaded ad lingo. And fresh language is often a window to new thoughts. No ‘target audience’, no ‘strategy’, no ‘360 degrees’ no bullshit. When they talk formally, they are pretty predictable and ordinary ; maybe they say what they think they’re expected to say, but when they let go, when they just chat with you, when they talk about how people are, and why they are the way they are, is when they can really say interesting things.

     

    The biggest life lesson is that there are no rules. Yes, there are a few rules on how you anchor a thought f o r clients to feel comfortable with them, but for creation of new thoughts and ideas, there are absolutely no rules. I also think today’s young are a lot more confident, sometimes even before they’re able.

     

    Exactly the opposite of how I was, or still am. And then I have a 14 year old at home who’s my anti-aging insurance. There’s a daily crash course I get on staying young. There are times I fail, times I pass, but I can’t say life’s boring.

    Moral of the story: Speak without thinking.

     

     

    Sunil Lulla, Chairman and Managing Director, Grey Worldwide India

    “I work harder.” It was a simple statement made to me by a fresher at JWT in the late 80s. It expressed the strength of the individual and the difference one can make to one’s success. i.e. Work Harder, than anyone else, until success is yours. He was working really late hours and was undertaking very simple and humble tasks. It was late and I asked him to stop working and go home and complete it the next day. This response, “I work harder”, got me to agree, smile and adopt this attitude.

    Moral of the story: Forget what was said about frequent getaways, work your backside off.

     

     

    Subhash Kamath, Managing Partner, BBH

    There are many lessons I’ve learnt from some of my young colleagues. Most importantly, I’ve realised that their youth is very different from how mine was. They’re growing up in a very different society, they’re far more optimistic and daring, far more capable of taking risks and exploring newer things than I was. And thanks to the digital age, they seem far more connected and have much better access to information than I did.

     

    Sure, it’s much more competitive now than it was in the 80s, but I think today’s youngsters are upto it. Our generation was taught to play safe, hold on to our jobs, save for a rainy day etc. Today’s youngsters have grown up in a more plentiful society. They have many more options to choose from, more entrepreneurial opportunities.

     

    Talent and ideas get rewarded more easily today than it did in my time. So the same values and priorities that I had don’t necessarily work for them. The one anecdote I remember very vividly that would perhaps illustrate this change was when, some years ago, I was doing an exit interview of a young star who’d decided to leave the agency. She had been doing extremely well, her colleagues and clients loved her, and she’d just been promoted with a hefty increment. But a month later, she put in her papers. I was completely taken aback. When I asked why, she said the job was keeping her too busy and that she was not getting any chance to spend time with her family and friends.

     

    Trying to give her some sagely advice, I explained that even I had to go through this phase in life. That it was important to give it one’s all at this early learning stage to build a long term career. That one day she’ll be able to balance it having come on top of this service business.

     

    To which she coolly looked me in the eye and said “But what makes you think I want to lead the same life as you did? I want to do it differently and enjoy both work and play now, not later.” I honestly had no answer to that. Just the strong realisation that things have indeed changed. This generation looks at things very differently. And the worst thing a senior person like me could do was to think of my own upbringing and youth in evaluating today’s generation.

    Moral of the story: Don’t evaluate the world through the prism of your life. It’s not that great a life, after all, if a millennial doesn’t want it.

     

     

    Rahul Jauhari, National Creative Director, Everest Brand Solutions

    I guess the number one lesson is that these kids don’t take shit for too long. They are not as tied down by stuff like loyalty to boss/agency as we used to be. So if they don’t get a good deal (monetary or opportunity) they move on. They have innumerable options – advertising copywriting is not bigger or smaller than content writing or opening a wedding ideas shop with friends or something else.

     

    I guess fundamentally, they are experimenting more than we did, they take less load than we did/do. Long ago, after I finished seeing a complete fresher kid’s folio, he asked to see mine. I kicked his butt for not doing his homework, but loved the attitude. We are in a people’s business.

    Moral of the story: You can’t take designations and dignity to the bank.

     

     

    Mythili Chandrasekar, SVP & National Planning Director, JWT India

    The youngsters absorb so much from the world around at a blistering pace, and are intuitive culture and technology experts. They challenge conventional wisdom and it is good to be constantly tested. Free flowing and lateral thinking is something we can learn. Some very young colleagues have stunned me with their depth of work and speed of learning.

     

    While one cannot generalise, I do find disrespect for dress codes, time and casualness in tonality ends up working against youngsters being taken seriously. They certainly seem to have better work life balance, and are able to switch off far more easily – too late to learn that! After a point it’s not about age, but character. Those who are tenacious, unrelenting, passionate, bold, and thorough are those who stun you and teach you every time.

    Moral of the story: Study hard, study fast. Dress for comfort, but save the ‘Frankie Says Relax’ t-shirt for under the comforter.

     

     

    Pratap Suthan, Managing Partner and Chief Creative Officer, Bang In The Middle

    This was when I was a CD in Grey Delhi in about 1999. I had a trainee for about six months – he was really good at his job and had a lot of spunk. I wanted to hire him as a junior writer, but apparently we didn’t have the budgets. I kept delaying telling him because I wanted him on board, till the time he asked me what the status was.

     

    When he realised that the branch head couldn’t bring him on board, he walked into his office, gave him a piece of his mind and got out, only to start his own agency. That boy is Sidharth Rao of Webchutney. That day I learned that if you are convinced about something, you should stand by it no matter what anyone says. All it takes is belief and some spine.

    Moral of the story: Never listen to your branch head. And go with the gut every time. (At your own risk.)

     

     

    Sumanto Chattopadhyay, ECD – South Asia, Ogilvy India

    The most obvious fact is that the young colleagues are digital natives and we are digital dinosaurs. That is one area I have learnt everything from my juniors; I harass them and pick up a lot of internet and socialmedia related things from them. I can now ideate on digital campaigns today, and the only reason I can is because I had juniors who were complete whizzes at this. They’re born into it and have been using technology since the time they were in school.

     

    Another thing that is amazing is their comfort level with all kinds of apps and software to get things done. They find ways to easily put together a little film for a presentation, for instance. These little things seemed so difficult but they’re not; they helped me break that barrier. We belong to the doctor-lawyer-professor-bano generation, where we were told to pursue our passions only after first securing an academic degree and a steady job.

     

    Our mentality was to stick it out whether or not you’re enjoying your job. While there are good and bad sides to this way of thinking, I am going to say that the changes in the world and economy give youngsters the option to not waste their time at a place they aren’t having fun. The flipside is that they decide in three months that they don’t like advertising and quit. Three months! At least give it a year?

     

    Sure, go ahead and explore if you like something or not, but three months is too short a time. Some people are too hasty in deciding if something is working for them. They just need to find their happy medium. I like that they explore and have the confidence, but just take your time.

    Moral of the story: It’s never too late to learn.

     

     

    Narayan Devanathan, Executive Vice President and National Planning Director, Dentsu India Group

    The natural ease with which they carry themselves, knowing their place in the world (at the centre). Their ability to keep me grounded with an “Ae, kidhar ja raha hai, pehle good morning toh bol de.” Knowing how to be wrong with complete confidence, and most of the times, with a good idea of what failure looks like. Being completely comfortable with uncertainty, with “maybe” as a valid life choice.

     

    Work hard, party harder (I haven’t been able to apply this as effectively as them though.) But time and again, the young ones have taught and reinforced to me the idea of embracing uncertainty. “We’re dating currently, but he’s at IIM Ahmedabad and I’m here in Delhi, and I’m not sure if we’ll be in the same city after he finishes. I might find somebody else by the time he comes back. Or he might. Ya, I know we’ve been together for five years, but who knows what will happen tomorrow? I’d like to marry him, but that’s too far away.”

     

    This was a 20-year-old intern who worked with me several years back. I have no idea who she is with right now, but I don’t think she’s worrying about it. The value of persistence: A girl applied for a position in a previous job of mine, and after I met her, I was pretty sure I wanted to be on the same team. Except we didn’t have the budget to hire her then. So I told her, “Listen, I’m pretty bad at keeping in touch. But call me regularly. And if I don’t answer, message me. And if I don’t respond even then, email me.” She did all three for three weeks continuously.

     

    I managed to wrangle a budget out of the management to get her on board after that. I hope I apply these lessons regularly. But those who work with me will probably be able to better speak about the impact. In life, I definitely am more actively trying to embrace the uncomfortable, the uncertain. As I said elsewhere sometime back, I’m discovering the joys of confusion. Clarity is overrated, if you ask me.

    Moral of the story: Don’t date anyone at IIM-A. Embrace uncertainty and confusion every morning and there’s no shame in being stalkerishly persistent. However, try and stop short of a restraining order.

     

     

    Pratap Bose, former COO, DDB Mudra Group

    I remember once going through my worst crisis ever on the IBM account, and by the end of the evening it looked like we would lose the account through a horrible mishandling which had the worldwide IBM CEO and CMO threatening hell and high water.

     

    At 9 o’clock in the evening, when I was in the depths of despair and totally at my wits’ end, a young colleague came over and said to me, “Sir, why don’t you go home and sleep on it? It never seems so bad in the morning after you wake up.” To this day, I follow that advice I learnt from my younger colleague. In life, no matter how disastrous or how enormous the problem, it always seems smaller after you have slept on it.

    Moral of the story: Snoozes, not weekend getaways are the pillars of success.

     

    (With Inputs from Ravi Balakrishnan, Amit Bapna, Shephali Bhatt, Mukta Lad & Priyanka Nair.)

     

    Source:The Economic Times

    Copyright © 2015, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd.

    All Rights Reserved, Licensed to republish

     

  • Her mandate at GREY group is to grow its talent strength and accelerate its human processes

    Grey appoints Shilpa Chitre as Head of Human Resources

    By A Correspondent

     

    Shilpa Chitre

    GREY group India has announced the joining of Shilpa Chitre as the new Head of Human Resources. Shilpa reports Sunil Lulla, Chairman and Managing Director, GREY group India. Her mandate at GREY group is to grow its talent strength and accelerate its human processes to deliver famous and effective work for its clients.

     

    Shilpa is an HR generalist with over 18 years of work experience across key Human Resource (HR) areas including competency systems, talent acquisition & retention, performance management, strategic organizational policies and training. She has worked in the Human Resources Department of several advertising agencies and corporate houses, actively partnering senior management. Until recently she was with Reliance Industries Ltd, as Vice President of Human Resources. Prior to which she has worked in Human Resources with KPIT Cummins Infosytems Limited, Everest Brand Solutions, Percept H, Leo Burnett India and Rediffusion-DY&R.

     

    On welcoming Shilpa Chitre, Sunil Lulla – Chairman and Managing Director, GREY group India stated,” I am deeply delighted to have Shilpa on board. She will partner me in driving new age processes to enhance our professional services and capabilities, across all our services, of advertising, activation, retail design and digital. I find Shilpa to be a very skilled, competent and articulate HR Professional, up to date with new HR trends including digital. She joins GREY group as it accelerates its growth in creating an integrated offering for its clients, poised to make brands of its clients brands truly Famous and Effective.”

     

    Shilpa holds a Master’s Degree from the University of Mumbai in Labour Studies, Organizational behavior, Human Resources and Psychology at work. Shilpa is passionate about writing, movies, and is a voracious reader.

     

  • Grey Group India has announced the appointment of Projit Sarkar to head the agency's Kolkata operations

    Grey appoints Projit Sarkar to head its Kolkata office

    By A Correspondent

     

    Projit Sarkar

    Grey Group India has announced the appointment of Projit Sarkar to head the agency’s Kolkata operations. Mr Sarkar brings with him an experience of nearly 13 years in brand and marketing communications.His last stint was with Amrit Group of companies where he was heading the brand and marketing department. The other agencies he has worked with includes Genesis, Mileage, Mudra , O&M and Madison BMB.

     

    At Grey, he will report to Sunil Lulla, the recently appointed CMD. Commenting on the appointment, Mr Lulla said: “Grey Group is delighted to welcome Projit back to lead the growing operations of Eastern India from Kolkatta. His familiarity with the marketplace, clients and consumers coupled with  his experience in brand and marketing communications will add tremendous value and benefit both the agency and clients based in the market.”

     

    Sunil Lulla

    Speaking on his return and new role, he says, “Coming back to Grey is a homecoming.  I see and believe that there is a lot of opportunity to create value for internal and external stakeholders  through meaningful effective marketing communication. GREY Group is the place where it can be done from.”

     

  • Senior mediaperson Sunil Lulla will join leading advertising agency network Grey Group India as Chairman & Managing Director for Grey Group India.

    It’s official. Sunil Lulla to join Grey as CMD

    By A Correspondent

     

    Sunil Lulla

    Senior mediaperson Sunil Lulla will join leading advertising agency network Grey Group India as Chairman & Managing Director for Grey Group India. He will report to Nirvik Singh, Chairman & CEO of Grey Group Asia Pacific.  Meanwhile, Jishnu Sen, currently CEO of Grey Group India is leaving the network for personal reasons.

     

    Mr Lulla’s move to Grey is a return to advertising and the WPP group. WPP owns Grey as well as JWT, where he worked till 1996. He joins Grey from Bennett Coleman & Co. Ltd where he was President, Corporate Development. Prior to that, he was Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer of Times Television Network.

     

    On his joining of Grey Group India, Mr Lulla said, “The creative and communication landscape in India is undergoing a huge transformation now and there’s no better time for me to join Grey Group, which has been doing wonderful work for leading brands in India and across the world..”

    Said Nirvik Singh: “Sunil Lulla will be the keystone to our growth strategy in India as we build a stronger network to provide truly holistic communication solutions to our clients.”

     

    Said Jishnu Sen: “Grey Group has been great to me and I am truly happy to have worked with some of the best people in the industry. We had a great run together. It is time for me now to move on to different and more exciting challenges. I wish the Grey family all the very best and I am sure they will continue to grow to greater success.”

     

     

  • While it's confirmed that Sunil Lulla has decided to move on from BCCL, there is no confirm to the buzz in adland that he's joining Grey

    Sunil Lulla heading Grey-wards?

    By A Correspondent

     

    Sunil Lulla

    Is Sunil Lulla heading to WPP agency Grey? The buzz in adland says he is, though there are no official announcements as yet.

     

    Sunil Lulla, President – Corporate Development Bennett, Coleman & Company Limited, has decided to move on, a development he has confirmed. Mr Lulla has spent around nine years in at Times TV Television. Earlier this year, he moved to the Corporate Development role, when MK Anand took charge as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Times Television Network.

     

  • In his new role, Mr Lulla will be working closely with Vineet Jain, Managing Director, BCCL Group and Satyan Gajwani, Chief Executive Officer, Times Internet Ltd overseeing a number of group initiatives in the areas of sports, music, international events and more

    It’s official. Sunil Lulla is now Prez-Corp Devpt, as MK Anand to join as MD & CEO, Times TV

    Sunil Lulla
    M K Anand

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

    By A Correspondent

    Bennett, Coleman and Co. Ltd. (BCCL) issued an announcement on Friday confirming the news that MxMIndia had carried over a week before. Sunil Lulla, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Times Television Network, is to be appointed as President – Corporate Development, BCCL Group. Mr Lulla has spent over eight years in various leadership roles at Times TV Television. In his new strategic role at BCCL, he will be working closely with Vineet Jain, Managing Director, BCCL Group and Satyan Gajwani, Chief Executive Officer, Times Internet Ltd. overseeing a number of group initiatives in the areas of Sports, Music, International Events and more.

    Meanwhile, M K Anand, an old BCCL hand, will return to the group after his stint of heading the broadcasting ventures of the Disney UTV group. Mr Anand will be taking over as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Times Television Network. He has previously worked with The Times of India group for 19 years, first with the print business for 14 years and later with the television business at zoOm from 2004 to 2009.

  • Top media and marketing pros are set to run the Mumbai Marathon on Sunday. Some are stressing about it, some running to destress & many others just for fun

    Marathon time for Mumbai’s media mavens

     

    By Shobhana Nair

     

    “I ran just once in my college when I saw a wild elephant,” says Ravi Rao, Leader, South Asia -Mindshare, “After that it’s going to be the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon that I will be running for!”

     

    Members of the advertising, media and marketing community are regulars at marathons held in various cities across the country. Especially the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon which sees them enter in reasonably large numbers. Sunday, January 19 promises to see an encore. Mr Rao may be debuting this time, but there are several others who’ve been running for some years now. For Sudhanshu Vats, Group CEO, Viacom 18, running has been a passion and he re-discovered it some 10 years back. Last year, Mr Vats did the full run in three hours, 59 minutes. Breaking his own record is not on the agenda but having a good run tops the list! “I think it is a great addiction and I am addicted to it. I would invite others to get addicted to it as well,” beams Mr Vats.

     

    It’s interesting to see many top captains for whom stress at work is never really a bother getting the heebie-jeebies. Well, almost. Says Times Television Network MD and CEO Sunil Lulla who is also a debutant: “I am completely stressed out right now and getting a lot of anxiety. I have no other expectations and want to have a good run, start well and finish well.”

     

    For many, running the Marathon is not just about fitness, but there’s a good cause as well.  S Yesudas, Managing Director, Indian Subcontinent, Vizeum has been offering support and commitment to two causes that are close to his heart. “An old age home and orphanage at Malad, Swagat Ashram Charitable Trust in Mumbai and the other is a tribal school, Vidya Vanam at Coimbatore. The person who manages Swagat Ashram, Brother Stanley stays in the same shelter with his family.  His children grew up with the orphans, eating the same food. These are men of God and they need support from other God-believers.”

     

    The training for the marathon begins way before the actual date and that really tests one’s power to achieve what is often the impossible. And there are some who believe it actually helps easing work stress. “The aim is to keep yourself fit, keep enjoying the run for a longer period of time. Once you do a long run during the weekend, it sets you right,” says Amin Lakhani, Leader – South Asia, Mindshare Fulcrum.

     

    “The marathon is a lot about challenging your mind over your body. The fact is that you will be running a long distance but how you keep yourself mentally focussed on the objective? You become more focussed in your personal and professional lives. It gives you an adrenaline rush when you reach that finish line,”reasons Simran Hoon, National Sales Head, Colors.

     

    There are many who participate not for the run, but the fun element. Paritosh Joshi, Principal, Provocateur Advisory admits that he is not a runner but loves to participate to soak in the atmosphere around him. “There are people who come on the streets to run and then there are those who are present just to encourage the runners. The spirit and the energy is what I like to soak in. In fact, I click pictures & tweet them. That’s how I enjoy it.” And not surprisingly, this is Paritosh Joshi’s ninthth consecutive “fun year” at the Marathon.

     

    Sanjay Tripathy, Senior Executive Vice President – Head Marketing, Products & Direct Channels at HDFC Life has another motivational reason to get up and run, “It is a competition with yourself rather than with anyone else. I think it is only the Mumbai Marathon that gives you a chance to run on the Sea Link and that should motivate you. Run just to feel how beautiful Mumbai looks in the morning!”

     

    If this hasn’t motivate you enough, then this should: veteran mediaperson Bharat Kapadia started running when he was 54 and still continues to do so in his 61st year. In fact, he accepts that if he can run, anybody can. So get hold of those sports shoes and run to experience the spirit of Mumbai this Sunday. Or simply do the run around your building, the road, the promenade or a jog track near you. And get set for 2015 edition of the Marathon.

     

  • According to source, the former Disney UTV MD-Media Networks will take charge of Times Television from Sunil Lulla who will move to a new role, possibly in the MD's office

    M K Anand to head Times Television, Sunil Lulla to head to BCCL in new role: Sources

    By A Correspondent

     

    M K Anand
    Sunil Lulla

    M K Anand, until last month Managing Director, Media Networks at Disney UTV is set to be joining Times Television as its head, according to our sources. Sunil Lulla, currently Managing Director and CEO, is reportedly moving into parent Bennett, Coleman and Company Ltd (BCCL) in a new role, possibly as part of the Managing Director’s office.

     

    Although Mr Anand’s moveback to Times has been in the grapevine ever since he announced his departure from Disney UTV last month, neither of the movements have been confirmed by BCCL or Times Television. MxMIndia has learnt of these from reliable sources.

     

    The appointments are likely to be effective February 3, 2014. Mr Anand has worked with The Times of India group for 19 years, first with print for 14 years and later with the television business as VP for Zoom from 2004-09. He moved to lead UTV Software as CEO and see through the acquisition by Disney as well as the transition to Disney UTV.

     

  • BBH India will be the creative agency for 'Romedy Now' with credo being LOVE.LAUGH.LIVE

    Times TV to launch Romedy Now in mid-Sep + Jaldi 5 with Ajay Trigunayat, CEO, English Ent Channels

    Ajay Trigunayat, Harsh Sheth & Sunil Lulla at the launch of ROMEDY NOW

    By A Correspondent

     

    It was a well-guarded secret and the invitations didn’t quite reveal what the channel was all about. Media conglomerate Bennett, Colmean & Company Limited (better known as the Times of India group) announced an all-new English entertainment channel: Romedy Now. Catering to urban, upscale audiences, the channel will offer a combination of ‘Love and Laughter’.

     

    Speaking to the media, Sunil Lulla, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, Times Television Network, said, “We at Times Television Network, are excited to strengthen our footprint in the English entertainment category with the launch of Romedy Now. The success of Movies Now highlights the tremendous opportunity that the category presents, with both viewers and advertisers.”

     

    Jaldi 5 with Ajay Trigunayat, CEO, English Ent Channels, Times Television: People watching shows through downloads and internet streaming are negligible
     

    01. And we all thought there was a downturn, advertising was bad. Etc, etc, etc. And you are launching a channel, which isn’t mass, it’s not exactly uncluttered though there may be no clear romcom positioning. Comments?

    The downturn is not impacting the English entertainment category – which caters to the urban mass. The category is definitely not niche, 6 crore people watch this category every week and it is growing at a healthy rate of 98%.

     

    We don’t utilise positioning as a brand management tool. The brand identity is pivotal to the insight that life is about love & laughter crystallised in 3 words – ‘Love. Laugh. Live.’ brought to life in Warm golden yellow.

     

    02. Romcom in the English entertainment space has had some trouble with the BCCC and various regulatory complaints. So: how are you going to get around that?

    It is not love and laughter content but voyeuristic content which is objectionable to the viewer. We don’t encourage voyeurism on our channels

     

    03. One of the issues in this genre is people watch shows on the internet much before the show’s aired here. Any thoughts on beating that? How current will be your shows (season-wise)?

    People watching shows through downloads and internet streaming are negligible in numbers. Average downloads per show in India are less than 5000 and the highest ever is 37000. English television reaches out to 6 crore people for 60 minutes.

     

    We will be offering the shows within a short span of 24-72 hours of US/international telecast. Other shows which may be repeated are determined by the popularity of the show and viewer demand.

     

    04. Do we see ‘Made in India’ content?

    Not yet, we have considered this but we will not execute this for some time.

     

    05. Any tie-ups with international production companies/channels for content?

    All key studios, example Warner, Fox, MGM, Regency and 40+ mid/small size distribution tie ups are in place.

     

    Added Ajay Trigunayat, CEO, English Entertainment Channels: “We changed the game in the English movie category by challenging the status quo with the launch of Movies Now. Extensive research has revealed, the audience is seeking highly differentiated and personalised content and the identification of this ground breaking shift of genres and the significant gap between behaviour vs. need, has led to the conception of Romedy Now.

     

    Elaborating on the brand, Harsh Sheth, Associate Business Head, said: “Romedy Now is the go-to destination for the ‘time-pressed’ urban masses who neglect the most important aspects of life -‘Love & Laughter’. Therefore,the essence of the brand, ROMEDY NOW, is crystallised in three words -‘LOVE.LAUGH.LIVE.’ brought to life in warm golden yellow.”

     

    The channel – to launch in mid-September – will be launched in standard definition and high definition (HD) and across all distribution platforms. There is a strong marketing plan as the the channel will utilise the combined strengths of the Times Television Network and the Times group publications at the time of the launch. BBH India is the creative agency.