MxMIndia

Tag: Umesh Shrikhande

  • Taproot Dentsu was awarded the creative mandate for the campaign following a multi-agency pitch

    Taproot Dentsu’s latest film for Bajaj Finserv spans centuries

    By A Correspondent

     

    Bajaj Finserv has roped in Taproot Dentsu to conceptualise and launch its latest brand campaign, ‘Better Never Stops’.  The agency was awarded the creative mandate for the campaign following a multi-agency pitch and is now servicing the account from its Mumbai office.

     

    Said Umesh Shrikhande, CEO, Taproot Dentsu: “Brand ‘Bajaj Finserv’ is a power brand that has grown to a huge leadership position on the back of relentless innovation and a refusal to take no for an answer while finding new value propositions that make a difference to customers. This strong brand belief needed to be communicated in a manner that’s simple yet impactful.  And that’s what we have endeavoured to do.”

     

     

  • The agency won the account following a multi-agency pitch

    Eureka Forbes appoints Taproot Dentsu as its creative agency

    By A Correspondent

     

    Eureka Forbes has roped in Taproot Dentsu to handle its creative duties. The agency won the account following a multi-agency pitch.

     

    Under this new partnership, Taproot Dentsu  will now be responsible for Eureka Forbes’ brands across the categories of water purifiers, air purifiers, vacuum cleaners and security and surveillance solutions. With Taproot Dentsu on board, Eureka Forbes plans to further fortify its position as category leaders.

     

    Said Marzin R Shroff, MD and CEO at Eureka Forbes: “Taproot Dentsu’s creative ideas and holistic approach resonates with our ideology and strategy. We are confident that the agency’s understanding of our business and categories will help us in making our brands more engaging, intriguing and relevant to all our stakeholders. We wish the team success and look forward to an exciting journey together. I would also like to acknowledge the contribution of Triton Communications that has helped us create and build our iconic brands over the last three decades.”

     

    Added Umesh Shrikhande, CEO – Taproot Dentsu: “Aquaguard from Eureka Forbes is a brand that has been a leader and pioneer in the water purification space. For most Indian consumers, the name is synonymous with the category. The work they have done spanning visionary R&D, specialist selling and social initiatives is staggering. It is our privilege to get this opportunity to help the brand strengthen its leadership position. Equally, we are excited to work on their other important brands like Euroclean Vacuum Cleaners, Aeroguard Air Purifiers and EuroVigil Security Solutions, which are leaders in their own right.”

     

    Said Santosh Padhi, Co-founder and Chief Creative Officer – Taproot Dentsu: “It is always challenging to create sharp and memorable communication for a rational/scientific category. More so when you are dealing with a respected leader brand like Aquaguard. We will pull out all stops to make sure that we create winning communication that’s differentiated.”

     

     

  • Has tied up with India Premier League (IPL), spends Rs. 25 to 30 crore on advertising across all formats for the current year

    Devil makes a return at Onida

     

     

    Mr Murthy of Voltas move over. Onida has launched its new advertising campaign for its air-conditioners for the summer season. The company is spending Rs 25 to 30 crore on advertising across all formats like television, print, outdoor and digital. Onidahas tied up with India Premier League (IPL) for advertising and is spending Rs 20 crore alone on IPL advertising.

     

    The brand has roped in Taproot Dentsu to conceptualise the summer campaign. The intention is to demonstrate the power of an Onida AC and give the brand a distinctive voice among the scores of air conditioner and cooler brands that are present through the season.

     

    Commenting on the association, Umesh Shrikhande, CEO, Taproot Dentsu said: “We were quite bowled over to learn of the many innovations that Onida has engineered for its products. This was a case of a very good and well-priced product not getting its due, thanks to the big budgets of the many brands in the category. The task of communication was to get the brand top of mind through communication that would make people sit up and take notice. I believe we have risen to this challenge well.”

     

    Added Vijay Mansukhani, MD, Mirc Electronics Ltd: “We are very happy to announce that our iconic devil, with which the masses resonated with is back. With the company now turning profitable and Onida offering product for product and design for design in comparison with the other consumer durable goods available in the market.”

     

     

  • Danone India is part of the global food-products multinational corporation Danone, headquartered in Paris

    Taproot Dentsu to handle creative duties for Protinex

    By A Correspondent

     

    Danone India has roped in Taproot Dentsu as its creative agency on record for the entire portfolio of its health food drink brand, Protinex.

     

    Commenting on the development, Himanshu Bakshi, Marketing Head – Danone India said: “Protinex has been built on 60 years of doctors’ recommended trust. Brand positioning and portfolio presents a huge opportunity to establish as an everyday family health brand with a clear differentiator on protein. Taproot Dentsu has been quite instrumental to bring alive this paradigm shift on the brand. The team, with its strong planning and creative minds, has already delivered multiple campaigns to help build protein relevance across cohorts through the lens of Protinex. We feel very confident to strengthen the Protinex-Taproot Dentsu partnership, especially when the brand and category is at the cusp of a new dimension of expansion, innovations and growth. We look forward to a stronger collaboration in the future.”

     

    Added Umesh Shrikhande, CEO – Taproot Dentsu: “Danone’s global mission to ‘Bring Health Through Food To As Many People As Possible’ allows us to address unmet needs for the greater good. In India, eclectic dietary patterns and cultural nuances provide a huge demand creation opportunity to food brands that offer serious nutrition. We are committed to creating persuasive conversations that build on Danone’s strong and scientific brand propositions.”

  • Prior to joining Taproot Dentsu, Farah was General Manager – planning at Cheil India, where she helped lead the Insights division

    Taproot Dentsu appoints Farah Bashir as VP – Strategic Planning

     

     

    Taproot Dentsuhas strengthened its planning prowess with the appointment of Farah Bashir as Vice President, Strategic Planning. She will be based out of Taproot Dentsu’sGurugram office and will work closely with AnandMurty – head of planning at Taproot Dentsu. Prior to joining Taproot, Farah was General Manager – Planning at Cheil India, where she led the insights division.

     

    Armed with more than 13 years of experience, Bashir has worked as a journalist with Reuters, as a marketing professional with Unilever Asia (across India, Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia and Brazil), as a research analyst with Quantum Market Research and as a strategic planner with DDB Mudra and Lowe Lintas. She has worked on various brands including Samsung, Wills Lifestyle, OLX, Hindustan Times, Volini, Revital, Reckitt Benckiser, NDTV, Hindustan Times, MTS, Microsoft, Singapore Health Promotion Board (HPB), Singtel, Zopper, Twinings, Cisco, GPI and Dabur.

     

    Commenting on her appointment, UmeshShrikhande, CEO, Taproot Dentsu, said, “Farah brings with her wonderfully eclectic influences and perspectives, thus adding more power to our ability to think different. Given that good ideas come from interesting questions, we are truly happy to have strong minds such as hers amongst us.”

     

    “At Taproot Dentsu, the endeavour is to consistently add value to the brands entrusted on us. Strategic planning can help inform the creation of powerful, motivating work that Taproot is known for and also provide clear, incisive counsel to clients with respect to the brand and business challenges they face. Farah’s track record and skill set is an asset to our team and we look forward to an exciting year ahead,” said AnandMurty – Head of Strategy, Taproot Dentsu.

     

    Speaking on joining Taproot Dentsu, Bashir said, “Taproot Dentsu, well-known as the creative powerhouse, is equally focused on the rigour and thinking on brands that it works on. Very rarely does the archetype of a planner and agency converge. Basis the last couple of weeks and the collaborative culture of this place, the times ahead look exciting, stimulating and a lot of fun. Delighted to be a part of it.”

  • Priyanka in her earlier journey has had long stints with Ogilvy and JWT and brings with her solid cross-category experience

    Priyanka Rishi appointed GM at Taproot

    By a correspondent

     

    Taproot India has appointed Priyanka Rishi as their General Manager, based in Mumbai and will be reporting into CEO Umesh Shrikhande.

     

    With more than 16 years in the business, Priyanka in her earlier journey has had long stints with Ogilvy and JWT and brings with her solid cross-category experience.

     

    Umesh Shrikhande said: “With so many interesting opportunities for adding value to our clients’ businesses and brands, Priyanka is a welcome addition to our talented team. She is passionate about both strategy and creativity and comes with a deep and insightful understanding of brands. Infusing our team with such strong talent will further the process of adding depth and sparkle to brand Taproot.”

     

    On her appointment, Priyanka Rishi said, “To be a part of an agency that has set benchmarks for the industry is professionally stimulating and exciting. I look forward to building on Taproot’s strengths and work ethos to create an even stronger organization.”

     

  • Former Contract India captain joins Taproot India as CEO today

    Umesh Shrikhande signs contract to be CEO, Taproot India. Joins today

    [updated]

    By A Correspondent

     

    Dentsu India Group has announced the appointment of Umesh Shrikhande as the new Chief Executive Officer of Taproot India. The former CEO of Contract India, Mr Shrikhande is an advertising veteran with more than two decades of experience. This is the seniormost appointment made in the agency after Dentsu’s stake buy in August last year.

    Indicating the significance of the announcement, a communiqué to inform the media of the appointment was sent on the Dentsu letterhead. Until now, all major communiques – including that of the hiring of Sameer Aasht as Head of Strategy and Business or the setting of the SquareRoot design unit – were sent by Taproot co-founder and CCO Santosh Padhi. Mr Shrikhande joins today (July 3).

     

    Welcoming Mr Shrikhande to the group, Rohit Ohri, Executive Chairman of the Dentsu India Group, said, “I’m delighted that Umesh has chosen to join us. Aggie, Paddy and I look forward to his partnership in this exciting new phase of growth at Taproot. Umesh is an industry professional I’ve always had the highest regard for and now, I’m happy to have this opportunity to work with him.”

    On Mr Shrikhande joining team Taproot at the helm, Agnello Dias, Co-founder and Chief Creative Officer, Taproot India said, “I am glad to have Umesh’s vast experience on our side, which will be a guiding light for us as we scramble around doing what we think is the right thing. He is sharp, insightful and most important possesses great clarity on the way mass communication in the contemporary world works. Everything we need.”

    “With the kind of experience Umesh has and the number of youngsters Taproot has, it will be a wonderful blend,” said Mr Padhi. When asked who Mr Shrikhande will report to, Mr Padhi replied: “Though on paper he will be reporting to Aggie, he is not hired for that…  he has been hired to take certain calls and just inform us and keep us in the loop”.

    Speaking on his appointment as the new CEO of Taproot India, Mr Shrikhande said, “Aggie and Paddy are not just immensely talented, they also happen to be wonderful people who have managed to build an attractive reputation for Taproot despite a hugely competitive environment. Our collective endeavour will be to build on Taproot’s innate strengths and culture to create a stronger organisation.”

    Mr Shrikhande, a management graduate from Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, started his career with Lintas (now Lowe Lintas & Partners), where he spent six years. Thereafter, he was a core member of Team Contract and took charge as the agency’s CEO in 2008. He left the agency in November 2012.

  • Rana Barua joins Contract as COO succeeding Umesh Shrikhande who left recently

    Rana Barua quits Law & Kenneth to join Contract as COO

    By A Correspondent

     

    Rana Barua

    Two decades back, he had joined the advertising major as a trainee in the Kolkata office. And now he’s back to the fold, right on top. JWT South Asia has announced the appointment of Rana Barua as the COO of Contract Advertising, India. Mr Barua succeeds Umesh Shrikhande, who recently left the agency.

     

    A seasoned media and marketing professional with nearly two decades of experience, Rana Barua joins from Law & Kenneth, where he was the COO. “Rana has diverse management experience with a proven track record that makes him an ideal choice for Contract, one of India’s leading independent integrated advertising agencies”, said Colvyn Harris, CEO JWT South Asia on the appointment. “I am confident that Rana with his experience across advertising and integrated brand solutions will ensure that Contract continues to be a very successful agency,” Mr Harris said.

     

    Colvyn Harris

    “I am excited with the opportunity of being a part of the Contract story. It is a wonderful time for our industry as it continues to evolve so rapidly. Contract is uniquely positioned to take advantage of this and I am confident I will be able to facilitate this process by partnering with the senior management team”, said Mr Barua on his appointment which is effective today (February 4).

     

     

    “Contract has always been an attractive destination for people who are passionate about creativity and process of brand building. Rana with his diverse experience will add value to Contract and will help take the journey ahead. We look forward to having him on board,” said Ravi Deshpande, Chairman and CCO, Contract

     

    Ravi Deshpande

    Prior to Law & Kenneth, Mr Barua was COO of RED FM (2010-12) and the EVP Programming and Marketing for Radio City (2006-10) where he successfully repositioned the radio station to make it amongst the top two stations in the country. He started his career in advertising having worked at HTA (JWT) in 1993-94, Ogilvy (1995-96), McCann (1996-2000) & Rediffusion Y&R (2000-05).

     

    His category experience includes working with brands like Renault, eBay, ING Life, Godrej, Reckitt Benckiser, J&J, Gillette Parker, Microsoft, HP, Tata Tea, ZydusCadila, Levers, Tata AIG & AIA, Marico, Virgin Atlantic, ITC, to name a few.