MxMIndia

Tag: Vandana Verma

  • Shetty will be Lead Integration Director – West, Experience Platform

    Sandesh Shetty joins Wondrlab

    By A Correspondent

     

    Sandesh Shetty

    Wondrlab has appointed Sandesh Shetty as Lead Integration Director – West, Experience Platform. He will report to Vandana Verma, Co-Founder and Managing Partner – Experience Platform at Wondrlab. In his new mandate, Shetty will infuse new-age thinking with conventional mediums of experiential marketing, helping clients in India’s western regions win in these spaces.

     

     

    Vandana Verma

    Said Verma: “Our recent acquisition of What’s Your Problem and our new operations in NCR are testimony to our growth and momentum. Bringing in experienced talent like Sandesh to support this unprecedented pace is the natural next step. His ability to understand offline experiential touchpoints and leveraging technology helps nudge products off the shelf for clients. Sandesh has the unique ability to merge the best of traditional cross-category thinking with contemporary platform-first experiential solutions. With his appointment, clients can leverage his stellar experience and expect a deep commitment toward solving their business problems.”

     

    Shetty’s last stint was as Senior Vice President – Experiential at Arc Worldwide, and before that atsenior roles in agencies such as DDB Mudra, Ogilvy, and Kidstuff Promos.

     

     

  • Both will report to Vandana Verma, Co-Founder and Managing Partner – Experience Platform at Wondrlab

    Wondrlab opens in NCR, brings in Ankit Grover & Biswajit Das from Arc Worldwide

    By A Correspondent

     

    Wondrlab, the Saurabh Varma-founded agency, has officially kicked off operations in North India with an office in NCR, which will also cater to the East. Teams comprising platform, strategy and creative experts are in place in both North and East, notes a communique.

     

    Vandana Verma
    Ankit Grover
    Biswajit Das

    The firm has made two senior appointments for the new office. It has brought in Ankit Grover as Lead Integration Director, and Biswajit Das as Lead Strategist, for the Experience Platform. Both will report to Vandana Verma, Co-Founder and Managing Partner – Experience Platform at Wondrlab.

     

     

    Saurabh Varma

    Said Verma, Co-Founder and Managing Partner – Experience Platform, Wondrlab: “Starting off our Delhi office means we now have excellence in the North and East. This move has come a little after Wondrlab’s launch and the momentum is unprecedented. Ankit and Biswajit are a great choice as leaders; both are new-age thinkers, excellent integration managers and tech enthusiasts with diverse cross-category brand experience. Our clients can expect hands-on leadership involvement in their business problems, great turnaround time and collaboration on the implementation of industry-first solutions at an enormous scale.”

     

    Grover has over 14 years of experience in experiential and integrated marketing and has joined from Arc Worldwide – Publicis Groupe’s experiential marketing arm – and has been part of agencies such as Wizcraft, RK Swamy BBDO and ESP Active.

     

    Das Biswajit has over 12 years of industry experience. His previous stint was also with Arc Worldwide. He has previously worked in companies such as Hansa Events, Network18 and ESP Active Marketing.

     

     

  • The former Publicis Communications boss has now set up Wondrlab, a 'platform-first' martech firm. He speaks with MxMIndia on his plans, philosophy and promises to reveal more… soon

    MxM Live with Saurabh Varma, Wondrlab

     

    Saurabh Varma’s exit from the Publicis Groupe In December 2019 was much discussed. But what was never really debated was the great value and out-of-the-box thinking that he brought into Leo Burnett.

     

    After 329 days of moving out from Publicis Communications, Saurabh Varma set up Wondrlab with former colleagues Vandana Verma and Rakesh Hinduja. Wondrlab is being billed as India’s largest platform-first martech firm and will have three key verticals – Content, Experience and Digital business transformation.

     

    In a 25-odd-minute interview with MxMIndia founder and editor-in-chief Pradyuman Maheshwari, Saurabh Varma talks about the thinking behind Wondrlab and the concept of a “platform-first martech” firm. Of course he promises to reveal more in the days to come – four weeks to 18 months. Sigh.

     

    Watch. Enjoy. Like.

     

  • Joining him are Vandana Verma and Rakesh Hinduja

    Saurabh Varma sets up Wondrlab, billed as a platform-first martech firm

    By A Correspondent

     

    Advertising and brand communication specialists Saurabh Varma, Vandana Verma and Rakesh Hinduja have launched Wondrlab. Wondrlab is billed as a platform-first startup with three key verticals – Content, Experience and Digital business transformation.

     

    Speaking about the launch, Saurabh Varma, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Wondrlab, said: “There has never been a better time to disrupt the communication landscape. At Wondrlab all our teams are platform first. We will work with key platforms to create hybrid teams that help clients win on these platforms. We will also curate, partner and build martech platforms that can create meaningful experiences and become an advantage for our clients.”

     

    Speaking about the launch of the martech company, Vandana Verma, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Experience Platform, Wondrlab said, “We have completely platformised brand experiences at Wondrlab. What brands will see are productised events, shopper marketing, retail and brand activations into tech platforms. Backed by data and automation, Wondrlab’s platforms unlock new levels of efficiency to drive new sources of growth for brands.”

     

    Added Rakesh Hinduja, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Content Platform, Wondrlab: “Brands now have an opportunity to make a personalised connection with their target audience, something that doesn’t happen with a one-size-fits-all approach towards platforms. Wondrlab’s key focus will be service and technology-based platforms combined with creative ideas based on data and human understanding.”

     

     

  • Publicis Communications has announced the merger of digital experiential arm, Solutions, with Arc Worldwide

    Publicis creates a bigger Arc with Solutions

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    In a consolidation of its experiential marketing play, Publicis Communications has announced the merger of its in-house technology-enabled experiential arm, Solutions, with its brand activation and experiential shopper agency, Arc Worldwide. The merger is effective immediately.

     

    The entire Solutions team and its roster of clients will now come under the Arc umbrella. The newly merged entity will be called Arc Worldwide, and will be headed by Vandana Verma, Executive Vice President and India Head at Arc.

     

    The merged entity can now create deep impact in over 100 Indian towns and metros, further delivering on Arc’s ‘Irresistible Commerce’ philosophy, notes a communique.

     

    Saurabh Varma

    Speaking about the merger, Saurabh Varma, CEO, Publicis Communications India and Leo Burnett, South Asia said: “By merging the two entities, Arc can leverage their combined expertise in ways that are unprecedented for the industry. The merger of Solutions with Arc will create even more momentum for Arc’s trajectory in India. Arc has deep capabilities across the entire experience landscape. With Solutions, we will create meaningful value exchange straddling the entire shopping experience for greater impact on our clients’ businesses. The merger is in perfectly in line with our ‘Power of One’ strategy.”

     

     

    Vandana Verma

    Speaking about her vision for Arc Worldwide, Vandana Verma, Executive Vice President and India Head, Arc Worldwide said: “Arc is focused on creating meaningful connected experiences. In India, Arc is a key platform within Publicis Communications. Solutions will add immense value to Arc through its expertise across technology-enabled solutions, paperless retail audits, merchandising and real time consumer feedback, among others. The merger will now help us lead experiential planning, data-driven shopper insights, and mobile-tracking and analytics-led initiatives designed to help our clients reach empowered consumers.”

     

    Virender Sharma

    Added Virender Sharma, COO – Solutions: “Arc’s superb experiential and shopper marketing capabilities, combined with Solutions’ superior technology-led approach will prove valuable for clients in this market. The merger with Arc means unparalleled access to all clients in the Publicis Communications portfolio. I look forward to seamlessly integrating ideas and solutions that will grow our clients’ businesses. We are happy to see the coming together of Arc Worldwide and Solutions at our new Big Apple office in Gurugram.”

     

    Arc Worldwide is the shopper marketing agency within the Publicis Groupe and is headquartered in Chicago. It works with some of the brands including Procter & Gamble, MillerCoors, Intel, Bridgestone, Kraft-Heinz, Alcon, Coca-Cola and Walmart.

     

     

  • The shopper marketing and activations agency will now work with all Publicis Communications agencies in India

    Arc Worldwide is back, bigger

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    Ten years after it made its first appearance in India, Publicis Communications has announced the launch of Arc Worldwide, Publicis Groupe’s brand activation and experiential shopper agency in the country. Unlike the past where it was essentially a Leo Burnett arm, Arc will work closely with all Publicis Communications India agencies – The Leo Group, Publicis Worldwide (including Marcel), Publicis Beehive, L&K Saatchi & Saatchi, and MSLGroup.

     

    Arc Worldwide specialises in creating shopper interactions with brands. It will provide clients with the same core expertise through acts and activations, events, exhibitions, shopper and rural marketing and retail design across metros and smaller towns and cities.Leo Burnett India’s below-the-line and experiential arm, Leo Burnett Experience, will now merge into Arc Worldwide. VandanaVerma, Executive Vice President at Leo Burnett Experience, will head the new entity.

     

    Saurabh Varma

    Speaking about the launch of Arc Worldwide, Saurabh Varma, Chief Executive Officer, Publicis Communications India, and Leo Burnett South Asia, said: “Arc Worldwide is a critical piece in our ambition for Publicis Communications in India. Arc will create more momentum for our ‘Power of One’ platform. With Arc Worldwide we hope to create meaningful ACTS for our clients using data and technology.”

     

    Added Bob Raidt, Global President, Arc Worldwide: “Arc’s rapid growth is a testament to the agency’s strengths and capabilities. Our expansion to India, and merging with Leo Burnett Experience, will benefit our clients even further. This expansion, coupled with the power of all Publicis Communications India agencies, ensures that Arc can continue to stay at the forefront of the industry.”

     

    Vandana Verma

    Looking forward to leading the new division, Vandana Verma, Executive Vice President at Arc Worldwide said: “Arc Worldwide is one of the biggest brand activation and experiential agencies in the world, and I’m excited about the possibilities the India launch holds for us. People and their behaviour are the key pillars for Arc to create effective and meaningful brand activations. We create programmes that inspire consumers to connect with brands in new ways. Our proprietary tools uncover unique insights into consumer needs and help create measurable actions that have a dynamic effect on our clients’ business. I believe the solutions we can create for clients across Publicis Communications will remain unmatched.”

     

    Arc Worldwide currently employs over 2,000 employees in over 37 countries, working with 400 of the world’s biggest brands, and in India takes off with several brands in the kitty already. These include Nissan, Huawei, Bacardi, Vodafone, ITC Foods, P&G, FCA, Bajaj, Cipla, Amazon, Viacom18, Netflix, Haagen Dazs, Color Plus and State Bank of India.

     

    When it launched in 2007, Arc Worldwide was headed by CVS ‘Venke’ Sharma. Later, around 2012, the focus faded away and also Leo Burnett acquired Indigo Consulting.

     

  • Marketers today realise that experiential offers a chance to tailor their message in a more personalised way and helps establish a stronger connect with consumers, says Vandana Verma, EVP Leo Burnett & Head of Experience

    BTL Baatein: Vandana Verma, Leo Burnett… Powered by VISCOMM

    Vandana Verma has worked with leading organisations in the two decades that she has worked in the marketing services sector. Teamwork Films, TIC Integrated Marketing Services, Big Live, Ogilvy & Mather where she headed North at Ogilvy Action Live, Mudra Max (VP and Country Head, Mudra Celsius) and since 2012 as with Leo Burnett where she is now Executive Vice President and Head of Experience. In this edition of BTL Baatein, Vandana Verma speaks on how experiential is the oxygen brands need to survive in the marketplace, and more…

    What is the importance of BTL in the world of advertising and promotions?

    Experiential is the oxygen brands need to survive in the marketplace. While mainstream advertising works as an announcement platform for most brands, experiential initiatives help brands cover the last mile and trigger purchase decisions.

     

    What would you say is that the importance marketers given to BTL activity in their overall marketing plan?

    Marketers today understand the need for Experiential. They do realise that experiential solutions is the only way to deliver communication that is targeted at a specific kind of audience. It gives marketers a chance to tailor their message in a more personalised way and establish a stronger connect with consumers.

     

    ROI measurement on traditional platforms is fraught with issues, but not in the case of Experiential. Tracking down campaign performance in an accurate manner is easier and less complicated in Experiential and that’s a huge plus. Marketers are increasingly becoming fans of Experiential. No wonder we are seeing so many agencies enter this space.

     

    In Experiential, one can gather feedback easily and take corrective actions immediately in case of any crisis.  Something mainstream advertising can never achieve.

     

    Are there certain types of marketers who have a greater affinity for BTL? (eg FMCG, durables, auto, etc)

     

    My answer would be NO. The average spends on experiential across brands is about 35-40%, which has risen from 15% three years ago. Activations are most commonly used for sales promotions, branding, launches, channel partner appeasement, channel expansion and lead generation. There are different objectives for different activities. These requirements would remain across categories of marketers.

     

    Typically what is the break-up of spends….ATL v/s BTL?

     

    35-40% BTL, balance ATL and Digital.

     

    Can you also specify the range of activities that you propose to undertake as part of the below-the-line advertising and promotion for your clients?

     

    Leo Burnett Experience is a specialist unit that offers holistic experiential solutions to clients including activation, events and exhibitions and rural marketing across metros and 5,000 small towns and cities. We function in an integrated manner by collaborating with a multi-disciplinary team of strategists and creators.

     

    In terms of generating results esp from consumers and in B2B, do you find BTL a more sureshot avenue than ATL?

    Strategy driven experiential solutions have always guaranteed results for our clients. Going forward we will explore new ways of solving business problems for our clients.

     

    While sales and salience are good indicators of its success, what are the attributes you/your clients look at to measure the success of a BTL campaign?

     

    ROI is an obvious measure and every client would use that as a measurement tool, but what clients also look at is the quality of engagement your idea brings to the table. Experiential also seamlessly enables integration across all other media. Most agencies struggle in this regard as they lack the skillsets and the capabilities to enable real integration. Integration of specialists to solve a single brand problem. That’s what makes us unique.

     

    There are many organisations who often do new launches almost entirely on BTL aided with an outdoor and/or digital blitz? Your view on this. Given rising media costs, do you see BTL managing on its own, without ATL?

     

    We are still at an early stage where clients do not truly understand the role of BTL in growing their business. Most still treat it as just one part of the media mix. However, we at Leo Burnett, are blessed with some clients like Bajaj Auto, Mc Donalds, ITC foods, Coke etc., whom we have partnered in their journey building where BTL plays a substantial role.

     

    I don’t think any major brand entirely depends experiential to achieve what it wants to in the marketplace. Integration is key.

     

    Do you have a view on BTL? Would you like to engage in a conversation on BTL marketing and promotions? Write to us at editor@mxmindia.com with BTL Baatein in the subject line

     

  • Vandana Verma named Executive Vice President

    Leo Burnett launches Leo Burnett Experience

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Leo Burnett Group India announced the launch of Leo Burnett Experience, a specialist unit that will focus on rural marketing, activation, events and exhibitions across metros and 5,000 small towns and cities.

     

    Leo Burnett Experience has a pan-India presence with a team of 40 professionals working on some iconic brands in the country such as Dabur, Vodafone, Uninor, McDonald’s, ITC Foods, OnePlus, Amazon, P&G, Fiat, Axis Bank, Ruchi Group, and Bajaj Discover.

     

    Leo Burnett Experience offers a unique solution for brands and operates under its global philosophy of PLAY, BUY, SHARE. Vandana Verma, Executive Vice President, Leo Burnett Experience, will oversee the division’s operations. She will report to Group CEO Saurabh Varma and will be based out of Leo Burnett India’s Mumbai office.

     

    Apart from Vandana, the leadership team of Leo Burnett Experience includes Nishith Sharma (National Creative Director), Ankit Grower (Head of North and East), Pratik Maitra (Head of South), Sandesh Shetty (Head of National Operations) and Kiran Dodiya (Head of West).

     

    Commenting on the occasion, Saurabh Varma, CEO, The Leo Burnett Group India, says, “One of our key HumanKind pillars is participation. It is my belief that the future is in creating experiential platforms. Our unique methodology of PLAY, BUY, SHARE gives Leo Burnett Experience a truly differentiated offering. Already it is the fastest growing part our business. And our ambition is to add technology to create immersive experiences for consumers.”

     

    Vandana Verma, Head of Leo Burnett Experience throws some light on the division’s unique offering, “ROI is the biggest black hole in India’s experiential industry. None of the existing agencies seem to effectively manage crisis and identify likely risks that affect ROI. At Leo Burnett Experience we give foremost importance to foreseeing risks and managing real time crisis to maximize the output for clients. Our revenue growth has been significant in the last 18 months. Going forward we will build on this momentum and surpass the industry average growth of 25%. We define our objectives clearly and develop strategies based on HumanKind’s philosophy of building brands and changing human behavior using creativity. As for the most exciting opportunity – it is the rural markets, where brands are increasingly demanding strategy based experiential services – a big gap in the industry which we will address. These are surely exciting times at Leo Burnett Experience.”