MxMIndia

Tag: TBWA\India

  • How and why advertisers have kicked off a celebration of women not as consumers but as mothers + 5 ad videos that’ll make you laugh, cry

    Maa, Meri Maa!

     

    By Delshad Irani & Amit Bapna

     

    There was a time a Hallmark card with Happy Mother’s Day scrawled on the front, and yes, “Thank You” on the inside, would have worked for Ma. Now advertisers are making every day Mother’s Day if commercials on the telly are anything to go by.

     

    Hallmark just won’t cut it anymore. If one really appreciates the woman who spent laborious hours just to give you life,  the only way to show gratitude is this: Hire an award winning director, preferably Alejandro González Iñárritu, and Ludovico Einaudi to provide musical score, for a commercial shot on multiple continents to document candid everyday Mommy moments: Washing the battered jersey, making lunch, driving back and forth from school, swimming, skiing or boxing class.

     

    But there’s a prize for all the hard work. If washed and chauffeured well enough, the best kid will be rewarded a gold medal at the next Olympic Games. Well, not you and I, of course. (We aren’t all made up of that special Olympian stuff, Ma.)

     

    The film ‘Best Job’ and its follow up ‘Pick Them Back Up’, part of P&G’s global campaign ‘Thank You, Mom’, are two universally acclaimed commercial films. (See box.) Apart from single-handedly providing a sales-boost to tissue-paper manufacturers the world over, they have also revived the discussion on how advertisers speak to and communicate with women in their role as mothers.

     

    Communication directed at mums has generally not been as exciting, or insightful as advertising aimed at men. Xavi Bech de Careda, chief strategy officer – TBWA\India attributes it to the concept of a ‘working woman’ who is financially independent being of a relatively recent vintage.

     

    And so, advertisers turn on the mommy water-works one moment and unleash the tiger mom during the next ad break. According to Katherine Wintsch, founder & CEO, The Mom Complex (a mom-dedicated unit of the US based The Martin Agency), there are five, very common mistakes advertisers make in ads depicting moms: 1) She’s always happy.  Especially when cooking and cleaning. 2) Her children are obedient angels. 3) She loves wearing cardigans and capri pants. 4) Her wardrobe often matches the brand colours of the product she’s promoting. 5) She loves talking to the camera. We can see one or all of these in many mom related ads.

     

    The supermodel mom, whose perfection is infuriating (say real moms) and the ma who knows-it-all. (We speak, fairly fondly, of Lalitaji’s samajdari still.) Then we have a heart-to-heart with the best-friend-mom whose emotion-detector is 100% accurate (take that, John Larson, inventor of the polygraph.) We even have moms who are the entertainment, but hardly ever the entertained.

     

    Interestingly, marketers have only recently begun to valorise motherhood. They’ve unleashed a horde of campaigns that celebrate the ma in every woman. But the biggest mistake advertisers make is idealising motherhood. Karthi Marshan, executive VP & head – group marketing, Kotak Mahindra warns in celebrating the woman’s role as mom, we frequently diminish her identity as a person, and risk focusing on the stereotype of dishwasher, cook, laundry lady, support system, et al.

     

    Not just that, making a mom the “hero” of an ad, is a dangerous proposition. A global study by The Mom Complex across 17 countries, revealed the number one emotion all moms share in common is doubt, more specifically self-doubt.

     

    Says Manjari Upadhye, VP – marketing, Cocoa Beverages, Mondelez International, “Advertisers more often than not, bring out her worst fears and anxieties. However, they have also started portraying a more real picture of today’s mom and that is a good start.”

     

    The very idea of parenthood for mothers has changed. It extends beyond just wiping away their child’s snot and fears and obsessing about their height and weight. The growing power of the working mom makes her an even more relevant decision maker in brand choices for the family, and this presents a whole new set of opportunities and challenges.

     

    Says Mr Marshan, “Agencies and advertisers are still navigating the greenfield cum minefield this evolution presents. We get it wrong as often as we get it right. While phenomenal upsides exist in recognising the vital role a mother plays, risks abound as well.”

     

    There are, however, rich dividends for agencies and brands which can manage to tap into the unique struggle, humour and emotion that come with motherhood. Millennial mothers, especially, have no trouble admitting they’re human and make mistakes, hence the popularity of the Twitter hashtag #MomFail.

     

    It’s also becoming more of a team sport. According to a study by McCann’s Truth Central “88% of moms say that when they hear an interesting idea or piece of advice about being a parent they want to share it, and 37% say they want to share it with as many parents as possible.”

     

    Besides who says moms don’t have a sense of humour? The goal with marketing to moms should be to raise the bar of creativity and “stop playing it so straight. It’s boring,” says Wintsch. In fact, in another study conducted by the agency, moms went out of their way to say how much they love the advertising from Budweiser. All directed at men and none features a mom.

     

    “The concept of the mother and the father stereotypes is breaking down fast. Just as phones have become smartphones, moms have also become smart moms,” says Joseph George, CEO, Lowe Lintas, the agency behind an ad for jewellery brand Tanishq which features a young mother’s wedding. He says, “It is the time of the youth and the time of moms – these are the two segments that will rule the market.”

     

    However, as George also points out, in this celebration of mothers the fathers are the ones who are being marginalised now, “Moms are the all-rounders and dads are ending up as either the batsman or the bowler only.” Alright, we’ll say it. “Thank you, Dad.”

     

     

    British Airways ‘A Ticket To Visit Mum’

    In the business of making Moms proud and happy was a BA web-film, although not necessarily targeting mothers directly  (Spoiler alert). The airline promises to fly a Mom-made meal to her son who moved to the US when he was 17. They fail to deliver on that promise. But BA gives the son a ticket to visit his mum instead. Says Christopher Fordyce, regional commercial manager – South Asia, British Airways, it isn’t enough to focus on functionality anymore. Brands must connect on an emotional plain. The core message was that BA’s the airline which connects people around the world. And to be able to witness a mother reunited with her son, there’s not a better way to get the emotions flying and tears flowing.
     

    Bournvita’s ‘Taiyyaari Ki Jeet’

    In 2013, Bournvita released two commercials, Runner and Boxer. According to Mondelez’s Upadhye. the brief to the agency, Ogilvy, and the campaign objective was to bring out the progressive parent in every mother who has left the sidelines and is taking charge of inculcating good habits, in order to prepare the child for all eventualities in life. The Runner TVC featuring an athlete mom training her young son has already crossed a million views on YouTube. The Boxer, on the other hand, features a working-mother providing for and supporting her daughter to excel in a male dominated sport. It has clocked 315,000 views in three weeks.
     

    P&G’s ‘Thank You, Mom’

    The P&G ‘Thank You, Mom’ campaign, the biggest in the company’s 175-year history, recognises and celebrates the moms behind the athletes. It’s part of P&G’s worldwide sponsorship deal with the International Olympic Committee (IOC). According to a company spokesperson, the insight for their most recent spot ‘Pick Them Back Up’ for the Sochi Winter Olympics came from research P&G did with real moms all over the world. “From talking to moms, we learned a few things all moms share – they want to teach their kids resiliency and determination. To quote one mom from the UK – ‘Teach your child to chase a dream but not to fear failure,’ While we seek to delight as many people as we can, for this campaign, we wanted to take time to specially thank moms as P&G is, largely, in the business of helping moms. So we see our sponsorship of the Olympic Games through a special lens – moms.” Digital drove program engagement and lifts in brand social-media buzz volume; there were nearly 74,000,000 views of digital assets. The first film ‘Best Job’ drove 21,681,704 views across more than 200 countries.
     

    Google’s ‘Here’s To The Moms’

    Google paid tribute to Mummies everywhere with a film covering all those moments when mom was there for her child, from the first ultrasound to coming out of the closet.
     

    Fiat’s ‘The Motherhood’

    A genuine rap on motherhood complete with “babes, bitches and hoes,” also known as her kids, her dogs and a hose in the back seat. This video, released for the car maker’s UK market, has well over 4 million views on YouTube. It’s real, hilarious and very graphic. Here’s a sample. “Wear a nursing bra, like a bulletproof vest. Work versus home is a mental combination, with my elbows deep in infant defecation. I’m a school-run-taker, fairy-cake-baker, dealmaker, orgasm-faker, rattle-shaker, cheesegrater, nighttime waker. I’m a placater, peacemaker.”

    Source:The Economic Times

    Copyright © 2014, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved

    Licensed to republish

     

  • Venky will be based in Mumbai and will report to Parixit Bhattacharya, the TBWA\India CCO

    TBWA\India names R Venkatraman as Creative Director

    R Venkatraman
    Parixit Bhattacharya

    TBWA\India has announced the appointment of R Venkatraman (Venky) as Creative Director. In his new position,Venky will join the creative team in Mumbai,reporting to Parixit Bhattacharya, Chief Creative Officer of TBWA\ India.

     

    With eight years experience in advertising, Mr Venkatraman has worked at Grey Worldwide, Creativeland Asia and BBH India. His brand experience includes Appy Fizz, Mango Frooti, LMN, Johnnie Walker, Red Bull, Kinetic Honda, Café Coffee Day, Gili Jewellery, Movies Now, Vaseline Men and Google.

     

    Commenting on the appointment, Mr Bhattacharya said, “Venky has a stellar work ethic and a very matured head on his young shoulders. I am hoping that our rich roster of clients will nourish him with new opportunities to create an enviable body of work. Needless to say, by having him around, the laughter index of the agency will rise significantly too.”

     

    “My quest for work-type fun brings me to TBWA and I am very, very excited to be here,” Mr Venkatraman added.”Now it’s all about turning that excitement into work that will make a difference to the brands we nurture here.”

     

  • TBWA\India pull in Xavi Bech de Careda from DDB Mudra as Chief Strategy Officer

    TBWA\India names Xavi Bech de Careda Chief Strategy Officer

    By A Correspondent

     

    TBWA\ India has announced the appointment of Xavi Bech de Careda as Chief Strategy Officer. In his new position, Mr Bech de Careda will work alongside the management team at TBWA overseeing the entire strategic planning function of the agency.

     

    Mr Bech de Careda, a Catalan national from Barcelona, Spain, previously worked with DDB Mudra, Delhi where he was Head of Planning.

     

    Shiv Sethuraman

    Commenting on his appointment, Shiv Sethuraman, Chief Executive Officer of TBWA\India said, “Xavi is passionate, articulate, ambitious and multi-talented. We wanted to step out of the box with this hire and find someone who wasn’t necessarily schooled in the Indian planning system. He has been, among other things, an Assistant Film Director and a Food Technology Researcher. He has also worked across many markets internationally. I am hopeful he will bring this wide and wonderful ‘education’ and his Indian experience to help create a beautiful story for TBWA.”

     

    Mr Bech de Careda began his career in the UK as a Food Technology Researcher at Unilever and since worked across Europe in various capacities, most notably with Rapp Collins and DDB on brands such as Audi, Fujitsu and Volkswagen. He has also taught extensively at business and design schools in his native Barcelona.

     

    “It’s a great opportunity for me to join this dynamic team,” Mr Bech de Careda added. “TBWA\India is very well positioned for a new chapter in its story; it has the right talent, passion and human approach to make a difference in India and I’m really looking forward to collaborating with the team and disrupting conventions in this complex market. I’m absolutely thrilled to be a part of it.”

     

  • Deepak Singh joins TBWA\India as National Head of Art

    Deepak Singh

    TBWA\India has brought on board Deepak Singh as National Head of Art.  He will report to Parixit Bhattacharya, Chief Creative Officer, TBWA\ India Group.

     

    Commenting on the appointment, Mr Bhattacharya said, “Deepak is a rare talent. He has greatness tattooed into him.  He is insatiably hungry to get the most out of every brief.”

     

    Shiv Sethuraman, Chief Executive Officer of TBWA\India Group, said, “Deepak doesn’t need a certificate from me or anyone else. He has a room full of metal and an inspiring work ethic. I can only say I am delighted he chose to work with us.”

     

    Over a decade ago, Mr Singh decided to quit his job as a software engineer and follow his dream into advertising.  Since then he has worked with agencies such as McCann, Grey Worldwide, Leo Burnett, DDB Mudra and Dentsu Communications and won over 300 national and international awards including at Cannes, One Show, LIA, Adfest, Spikes, Young Guns, New York Festival, SOAA and Goafest.

     

    “TBWA has a great roster of clients that give me the opportunity to do some fantastic work. I’m looking forward to working with Parixit Bhattacharya who brings along with him a lot of international experience and awards,” said Mr Singh.

     

  • TBWA\India has further strengthened its Delhi operation by bringing on board Mudit Trivedi as Client Services Director

    Mudit Trivedi joins TBWA\India as Client Services Director in Delhi

    By A Correspondent

     

    Mudit Trivedi

    TBWA\India has further strengthened its Delhi operation by bringing on board Mudit Trivedi as Client Services Director.

     

    Mr Trivedi has worked on various categories and brands such as L’Oreal, Pond’s, Reliance Life Insurance, BIG Pictures, BIG Cinemas, ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 and IPL. He has also worked on campaigns that have received recognition at Cannes Lions and a number of other well-known international awards.

     

    A post-graduate in Mass Communications, Trivedi has been in advertising for nearly a decade. Trivedi joins TBWA from JWT Delhi where he was overseeing the Horlicks brand. He has also worked with Ogilvy and McCann.

     

    Commenting on his decision to join TBWA, Trivedi said, “I am absolutely delighted to be part of one of the most exciting and energetic networks in the world. I have always admired the philosophy of Disruption and Media Arts that is proven to deliver outstanding strategies and breathtaking creative for clients in India and all over the world.”

     

    Nirmalya Sen, Managing Director, TBWA\India said, “Mudit is a great combination of experience and youth. His exposure to integrated communication across big brands will make him a great asset for our clients in Delhi.”

     

    Subho Sengupta, Executive Vice President and Head of TBWA’s Delhi operations, added, “Mudit has rich experience and knowledge of Indian and global brands alike. This will be invaluable as he comes on board. His energy and passion is infectious and I am sure this will further accelerate our drive to create outstanding work for our clients.”

     

  • As we celebrate our 66th Independence Day, we ask a cross-section of mediapersons on whether they enjoy freedom at the workplace

    Are we really ‘free’ at work in Indian media?

     

    By Tuhina Anand and Meghna Sharma

     

    As India gets ready to celebrate her 66th Independence Day, one wonders how much freedom one really has to express oneself – specifically those who are in the creative business. While one has to be responsible when communicating with the masses – be it journalists, or planners for content that is shown on the various channels or the creative agencies that work on various communication strategies for different brands – but there are deterrents to this key element of freedom that the fraternity craves for to express freely.

     

    Keeping these factors in mind, MxMIndia spoke to cross-section of people from the industry to get an understanding on their Freedom Fundas.

     

    Bobby Pawar

    Bobby Pawar, Chief Creative Officer and Managing Partner at JWT India is clear that there is no unfettered creativity that exists and that is probably best for a creative agency. He explained: “Our job is to come up with brilliant communication solutions for our clients, hence there is a purpose to achieve. So what we follow is creativity within a box where it is harnessed to achieve maximum result. We partner with various people to come up with this solution and hence we have to listen to various opinions. I do not profess complete freedom for the creative industry.”

     

    However, Mr Pawar would like to have more control over the shape that an idea finally takes and how it gets executed. Also he definitely would like to have more control over the research that is handed to them and definitely over the way an allocated budget on a brand is being invested.

     

    Research seems to be the bane of the creative frat. Rahul Sengupta, NCD at TBWA India too would want freedom from research. He feels that if one wants to do anything that’s trendsetting, often research acts as an impediment to take it forward. As for clients’ demands, Mr Sengupta said: “The client is the one sponsoring the idea, so definitely one would not want freedom from them! I have met clients who are hazards to creativity as well as those who are best guardians of an idea.”

     

    He added pragmatically: “Of course, there are frustrations and there is lack of freedom but if I would rather have freedom from research than clients as latter can be worked amicably to enhance the client-agency relationship.”

     

    We also spoke to people at mid level like Auro Chattopadhyay, who quit Ogilvy recently, who also wanted freedom from research. He said: “Often research might not help in the brand story, but insistence to stick to it hinders creativity.”

     

    A creative hand at JWT pointed that conflict happen when there is no match with one’s creativity and that of one’s higher up. Fortunately, this has never happened with him. He feels that the creative industry gives him much freedom to use his ideas as opposed to many other professions.

     

    However, another stated that hierarchy means towing the line of ideas that the higher in authority believe in. Freedom of creativity in such cases often refers to agreeing to somebody else’s vision.

     

    The case, however, is different in the new medium such as digital where there is largely freedom to execute an idea. Carlton D’Silva, CCO, Hungama Digital, said: “Right now, digital is like the last three slide of a presentation- very much an afterthought. Hence, spend on the medium is miniscule. There is a fair amount of freedom to explore creativity. However, one would like freedom from data as often clients demand for it but in digital especially, when suggesting some new technology and a unique idea to take shape, there is no data available.”

     

    Prosenjit Datta
    Courtesy BusinessWorld

    We also spoke to people from the print and broadcast industry to give us an understanding of freedom they enjoy at work. Cyrus Oshidar, Creative Director at Bawa Broadcasting is credited with creating some unique content at MTV and even pushing the boundaries. His view: “If one only wants creative freedom then one should be an artist. If you are producing or making a show for which a client is paying, then there will definitely be some constraints. Ratings do matter in our business and sometimes might even alter one’s choice rather than giving the freedom to do something which one really wants to. Also, one needs to be politically correct in this country. Even the government which is supposed to protect people’s freedom sometimes backtracks from its duties. One needs to be careful about how they approach an issue without offending or hurting feeling of any section of the society. Honestly speaking, we have too many restrictions which are created by us. There is no true democracy in this country.” Mr Oshidar clearly pointed that freedom in creative business is a myth.

     

    Sucheta Dalal

    Prosenjit Datta, Editor, Businessworld, giving his take on the print industry, said: “Every magazine or a newspaper has a certain set of audience and purpose. For instance, a business magazine like ours won’t focus so much on political stories as political or general magazine would do. So, what stories they choose and how they analyse will be different from genre to genre. Hence, it would be unfair to say that there isn’t creative freedom or if media is ‘restricted’. We don’t have any management policy which will hamper or obstruct our editorial approach. A lot depends on the editors too as they enjoy full freedom to how to go about an issue.”

     

    Pointing out the restriction that comes with the economics of business, Sucheta Dalal, senior journalist, commentator and consulting editor, Moneylife said: “With so many newspapers, magazines and news channels making losses, it is hard to say or believe that they are not dictated by marketers. Today, we can even see head of various companies writing with their bylines which wasn’t the case earlier. I don’t know how things are right now as I’m not working with any newspaper at the moment, but when I was with Times and Express, the pressure from the advertisers was quite evident.”

     

    Sunil Lulla

    And how is it in television? Said Sunil Lulla, CEO and MD, Times Global Broadcasting: “Over the past decade or so, the television industry has evolved. There is greater sense of self-regulation and discipline as well as maturity on entertainment and news channels. Though there are guides and policies set by regulatory bodies like IBF, industry enjoys the freedom to operate freely. Besides, there is greater acceptance of TV now which enjoys sense of confidence and responsibility. So, there is culture of freedom in media.”

     

     

     

    Sudhir Sharma

    Said Sudhir Sharma, Producer, Sunshine Productions: “TV as a medium is for the masses and targets everyone from kids to adults to old folks. We make TV shows to entertain. We do follow certain guidelines and censorship which is surely a necessity. By and large we surely have the freedom to make the content we want to show. Creative freedom parameters may vary from producer to producer. Compared to films, TV censorship guidelines are surely stricter keeping in mind that television is accessible on the press of a remote button. In my opinion, we have enough creative freedom and we as makers are progressing and so are the maturity level of audiences.”

     

    Freedom, limited freedom, no freedom… we received no clear answers to our question. However, the fact remains that despite the current slowdown, the fraternity is still managing to survive and thrive in the prevailing system.

     

    Image: Rafiq

     

     

  • Four leading media agency heads pick their top print ads of last year… in an extract from Dainik Bhaskar's Mosaic 2011

    The Best of Print Ads – 2011

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    You may have seen only a few of them and probably even forgotten the underlying message that the campaigns had to tell. But now you could make a dash to have a hard copy of MOSAIC, a compilation of the Best in Print (campaigns) to have hit India n shores in 2011. The compilation has been put together by 23 creative agencies who have submitted their best pieces of work for the category in 2011. Conceptualised by Sanjeev Kotnala and team from the Dainik Bhaskar Group, the initiative has been made special through the “insights” and “personal favourite” sections that have been provided by Media agency bosses. These include Lynn de Souza of Lintas Media Group, Mallikarjun CR, CEO, Starcom MediaVest Group, PM Balakrishna, Chief Operating Ofiicer, Allied Media and Punitha Arumugam, Director – Agency Business, Google India.

     

     

    Lynn de Souza, Chairman and CEO, Lintas Media Group, Chairman, Aaren Initiative and Director, Karishma Initiative

    “An excellent idea to recreate interest and remind all about the power and impact of the print medium. My only reservation is that there were too many submissions of ‘pretty pictures-pithy headlines’ work that may or may not have been published and did not appear to fully grasp how the medium must be used effectively.”

     

    TOP 5 Choices:

     

     

     

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    1) DNA – ISKCON (Scarecrow India)

    Reasons for choosing: The intelligent use of the cigarette-turned-food visual immediately targets the smoker and invites him/her to contribute in a very simple way to a cause that benefits both beneficiary and the giver – something not easy to achieve. I like the simple, clean look of the ad and the directness of the headline and copy.

     

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    2) Flying machine “What an Ass” (Lowe)

    Reasons for choosing: This is my idea of perfect ad! One that has used all the elements of the print medium – headline, visual, copy to present a bold, modern attitude through a perfectly harmonised contribution of all three. It’s an unmissable ad whether you are a guy or a gal.

     

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    3) Parker – Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards (Lowe)

    Reasons for choosing: A stark headline supported by the simple bottle of ink that says it all. An attention grabbing reminder of the power of the pen to influence the world. Perfect synergy for the subject – Journalism awards and the ‘always memorable’ image of a gold Parker fountain pen.

     

     

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    4) The Times of India – A day in the Life of India (Taproot India)

    Reasons for choosing: Fantastic art direction – great visual appeal that hooks you into reading the whole ad. The contemporary feel, using India n kitsch, with attention to detail, is riveting. (Check out the dog lifting his leg to pee on the bed of nails!) Bright, colourful, crowded yet not messy. I could read it again and again!

     

     

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    5) Vaseline ‘Dear Mr. Vaughan’ (BBH India)

    Reasons for choosing: The kind of ad that every Creative Director who woke up to it that morning would have said: “I wish I had written this”. There are some things you can do impactfully in a topical yet ‘permanent’ medium like print that you can’t do anywhere else, and this ad fits the bill. Nose-thumbingly outstanding!

     

     

    Mallikarjun CR, CEO, Starcom MediaVest Group

    “This is a fantastic initiative. As media agency professionals, our lenses to view the world are different. However, what comes across is that great creative work is universal. Really enjoyed it.”

     

     

     

    TOP 5 Choices:

     

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    1) Audi – World Cup (Creativeland Asia)

    Reasons for choosing: Great connect with the Champion’s Trophy ’85 win. Most of the target audience that can buy an Audi will connect immediately with that moment. For a lot of us India ns, that was the first moment of connect with Audi.

     

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    2) DNA ISKCON Food Relief Foundation (Scarecrow)

    Reasons for choosing: A nice calculus linking smoking to food relief. Very innovative, eye catching visuals.

     

     

     

     

     

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    3) Indigo Campaign (Weiden+Kennedy)

    Reasons for choosing: Stark, consistent visuals. The colours, space everything reflects the qualities of the airlines. Nice word play that grabs your attention and makes you read the copy. The reference to price is as value and not cheap.

     

     

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    4) Nissan Micra (TBWA\ India)

    Reasons for choosing: Simple stark visuals. Driving home the relevance of a small car without talking price, affordability etc. Great, understated use of a celebrity.

     

     

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    Reasons for choosing: Great expedient use of Michael Vaughan’s comment. Superb cut through and great visuals.

     

     

    PM Balakrishna, Chief Operating Ofiicer, Allied Media

    “I think this is a wonderful initiative and exposes the fantastic creativity. It is a very different platform as it is more an appreciation of great work rather than a competition as I believe each creative is great on its own.”

     

     

     

    TOP 5 Choices:

     

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    1) Bajaj Fans (Leo Burnett)

    Reasons for choosing: The best part of this creative is the way it has integrated everyday common issues and weaved them into the core communication of the product. The creative is also very well crafted visually using the very cause of the product making it very effective.

     

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    2) Birla Cellulose (Salt Brand Solutions)

    Reasons for choosing: The sheer aesthetic treatment to the communication draws you and I like the beautiful and colourful way the creative has used nature and the human body (woman). It brings out the environmental friendly nature of the product in a very soft and appealing manner.

     

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    3)Fuji(Grey)

    Reasons for choosing: Colour and background are intrinsic material for any great creative and nothing better than drawing inspiration from Mother Nature and wildlife. The beautiful use of the animals brings the message home effectively and creatively and connects with any photographer or photo enthusiast.

     

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    4)NipponPaints (JWT)

    Reasons for choosing: They say a great picture is worth a thousand words and the effect is breathtaking when it is beautifully woven into the message making the communication very compelling and effective. In this case the product USP, a central factor in the category has been brought home very beautifully for correct impact.

     

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    5) Zee 24 Taas (Draftfcb Ulka)

    Reasons for choosing: Ganpati Bappa has a significant connect with the India n diaspora and especially with Maharashtrians who revere the elephant God. I like the way the creative has beautifully engaged the viewers in an innovative and personal manner and makes it unique and different.

     

    Punitha Arumugam, Director – Agency Business, Google India

     

    “This initiative continues the long tradition of Dainik Bhaskar – breaking boundaries and setting new trends in the industry.”

     

     

     

     

     

    TOP 5 Choices:

     

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    1) DNA Mumbai Marathon (Scarecrow)

    Reasons for choosing: The power of long copy. It brings back memories of the old era, which was marked by a great headline and the power of long copy. It inspires and bonds with its audience.

     

     

     

     

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    2) Murphy Richards epilators (Contract)

    Reasons for choosing: The power of a picture. The visual intrigues, makes you pause, demonstrates the benefit and brings a smile – all this without a single word.

     

     

     

     

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    3) MTR Spicy Pickle (Ogilvy)

    Reasons for choosing: The power of insight. A true South India n like me will see this ad and can only say “How true!” Equating spicy with ‘tears’, the way the ad captures the cultural nuances – awesome!

     

     

     

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    4) Parker – Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards (Lowe)

    Reasons for choosing: The power of words. While most entries used the power of the picture, this ad stands out because it uses print for what it does best – leverage the power of words and intriguing headlines.

     

     

     

     

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    5) Saffola Healthy Heart (McCann)

    Reasons for choosing: The power of an innovation. A great collaboration between the creative agency, the brand team, the media agency and the publication to convey the brand message interestingly and inclusively so as to trigger an action from the reader.
    Best of Print in Dainik Bhaskar Group’s MOSAIC
     

    Some may see India’s performance of bagging just four Press Lions at Cannes out of the 30 that were shortlisted as a drab effort, but then there are some who would like to think of it as being otherwise. After all, Press Lions as a category managed to get India its largest tally of four metals versus any other category at the awards – a valiant effort considering that India finished 2012 with just 14 metals in its kitty.

     

    While the category may have received its fair share of fame at the pinnacle of creative awards, many would agree that Indian adland has failed to laud the finesse that stems out from Print creatives over the years. While such is not the case in some large international markets where creative works across categories gets noticed and rewarded that gesture seems to be missing when it comes to India. Luckily for the creative frat in India, an opportunity to showcase their best works – besides the awards shows – were given a fillip by the Dainik Bhaskar Group that released the first of its kind creative compilation of the finest works produced in Print in the form of MOSAIC 2011.

     

     

    Elaborating on the initiative, Sanjeev Kotnala, VP & National Head, Dainik Bhaskar Group said, “This has been a first year for MOSAIC, which is a rich collection of 150 creative units part of 77 campaigns that have been submitted by 23 agencies.” The creative showcase has been made special through some individual comments and insights that have been posted by creative leaders of individual agencies.

     

    Elaborating on the thought process behind the compilation, Mr Kotnala said: “As a group, we believe that the Indian creative across mediums and media is of international standards, in its thinking, relevance and in its execution. Unfortunately there has been no single reference point for the same. MOSAIC bridges this gap and we would want it to be referred by the creative, clients, media and trade.”

     

    As for the method that was adopted in getting the agencies to submit their campaigns, Mr Kotnala said that it began with Dainik Bhaskar requesting the creative heads at the agency to send their best Print work. “They know better than us – as by placing it in MOSAIC affirms it to be their best work. Though we did have constraints on the number of campaigns we could place in Mosaic from a single agency. This has all been a by-invitation. On the other side, there were few agencies that sent lesser number of creative units as they felt others were not up to the standard to feature in such a compilation. So it was created and evaluated by the creative teams themselves.”

     

    On how print has evolved over the years as a medium, Mr Kotnala said: “Today print ads are working on all fronts of communication. They are not just for the purpose of awareness building or as a source of providing tactical information; they engage and involve the readers and are very result-oriented in their approach. We always held that the idea is more important than the medium. And it will automatically find its right medium for better efficiencies and effectively delivery of the message.”

     

    In fact, the compilation has been made special with the involvement of four media agency heads who’ve provided their assessment of the campaigns. They include Lynn De Souza, Chairman and CEO, Lintas Media Group, Chairman, Aaaren Inititative and Director, Karshma Initiative; Mallikarjun CR, CEO, Starcom Mediavest Group; PM Balkrishna, Chief Operating Officer, Allied Media and Punitha Arumugam, Director- Agency Business, Google India.

     

    With the first edition already finding appreciation within the industry, the Dainik Bhaskar group have their task cut out for the next year too. On his plans for a sequel, Mr Kotnala said, “We would want to see more regional and language work in the collection – and they still should meet the standards set. We would and could try getting clients and media owners also picking their favourites and definitely may wish to incorporate a section on media innovations. Though we have taken the task and brought out the book, in our mind it is an industry level initiative and we would want to keep it that way.”

     

    Mosaic 2011 can be accessed and downloaded at http://i10.dainikbhaskar.com /dainikbhaskar2010/books/ Final_Book.PDF

     

  • Last year India had won a total of 5 awards in this category, its best showing so far

    India@Cannes: DDB Mudra steals limelight with 6 Design shortlists

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    A glimmer of hope for India in Design Lions as eight of its entries have managed to make it to the shortlists. India had sent a total of 134 entries in this category, compared to 139 last year. Last year India had won a total of 5 awards in this category, its best showing so far.

     

    Overall, the category has received 2,182 entries from 62 countries, an increase of 23 per cent compared with 2011. Countries with the most entries include USA at 340, Brazil at 225, Germany at 219,UK at 168 and Japan at 113.

     

    As for the shortlisted entries, the table may well belong to DDB Mudra that has 6 entries against its name. Its entries – Stay Alert New York blackout for GeeBees Beverages and Moustache Gym and Musical Jungle for its client Volkswagen has been nominated in the Illustration category. The Hinglish Project entry for Ministry of Toursim has received two nominations in two categories including Design Typography & Consumer Services.

     

    Other entries include Elephant Combs Logo design for MKV Household Products by TBWA\India Gurgaon in Logo Design category and Chaplin Chapters for its client Movies Now by BBH India in Posters category.

     

    Representing India in the Jury is Abhijit Bansod, Principal Designer & Creative Head, Studio ABD. The awards ceremony will take place on June 20, in the Grand Auditorium, Palais des Festivals.

     

  • For TBWA, the win comes on the back of a multi-agency pitch that was held in Mumbai

    TBWA\India wins creative mandate for Peninsula Land

    By A Correspondent

     

    Peninsula Land Limited, a leading real estate company inIndiahas appointed TBWA\India (www.tbwaindia.com) as its creative partner.

     

    Rated among the top 100 companies in India by ET, the Peninsula Land Limited is a part of the Ashok Piramal Group, a leading business conglomerate with diversified business interests in textiles, real estate, engineering, family entertainment and sports.

     

    For TBWA, the win comes on the back of a multi-agency pitch that was held in Mumbai. The pitch saw the participation of several of the country’s leading agencies. The Mumbai office of TBWA will handle the business.

     

    Confirming the win, Mr. Rajesh Jaggi, Managing Director Peninsula Land Limited said: “We are happy to have TBWA as our lead agency. They bring a unique dimension to creativity by using the Disruption thought process. The PLL brand has always been very distinct in the market place and our association with TBWA will further go in positioning our brand.”

     

    Nirmalya Sen, Managing Director of TBWA\India, commented: “Peninsula is a story waiting to be told; a story of long years of commitment to ethics and high quality. We are delighted to have been chosen as Peninsula’s lead agency. There are few categories as steeped in communication conventions as the real estate category. Disrupting them is a challenge we are looking forward to.”

     

    This is TBWA\India’s fourth win on the trot. Over the last few weeks, the agency has won business from Sify, JG Hosiery and Jyothy Laboratories.

     

    TBWA Worldwide creates Disruptive ideas expressed through Media Arts for global clients. TBWA is ranked as a Top-Ten worldwide advertising agency, and was recognized by Advertising Age in 2010 as the “Best International Network of the Decade”.

     

    TBWA is part of Omnicom Group Inc, a leading global marketing and corporate communications company. Omnicom’s branded networks and numerous specialty firms provide advertising, strategic media planning and buying, digital and interactive marketing, direct and promotional marketing, public relations and other specialty communications services to over 5,000 clients in more than 100 countries.