MxMIndia

Tag: Venkat Mallik

  • Earlier this year Track DDB opened offices in Canada, Germany and Singapore and will soon be expanding its presence into other global markets

    DDB Mudra Group to launch TRACK DDB

    By A correspondent

     

    DDB Mudra Group launches Track DDB in India on October 1, 2015.

     

    Track DDB will be DDB Mudra Group’s brand to address the increasingly complex Data led world of Marketing Communications. With sweeping changes influencing the way consumers connect with brands and companies today, it is important to track the consumers’ decision-making journey and develop unique consumer centric perspectives and solutions.

     

    Earlier this year Track DDB opened offices in Canada, Germany and Singapore and will soon be expanding its presence into other global markets.

     

    As a starting point Track DDB will be launched in India with the existing RAPP India clients moving to Track DDB. These clients will include HDFC, Aditya Birla Group, FBB, Royal Canin, Loyalty Solutions, VGuard, among others.

     

    Madhukar Kamath

    Making the announcement in India, Madhukar Kamath, Group CEO & MD, DDB Mudra Group says, “The launch of Track DDB is a great opportunity for us to create a mainstream offering in this hyper-connected Data Digital World. Track DDB will offer creative solutions across connected touch points to address today’s consumer.”

     

    Track DDB will commence with presence in Mumbai and Delhi with a roll out in Bangalore in the near future.

     

    Services that will be offered include Creative Services, Data & Digital Analytics, Database marketing, CRM, digital & mobile marketing services.

     

    Venkat Mallik

    Venkat Mallik, President, Track DDB India said, ‘Track DDB will be Data Driven Agency for the Digital World which will bring the best thinking to address new age consumers. The new world of marketing calls for a complete overhaul in thinking about marketing communications solutions across consumer touch points and Track DDB will bring these to clients. Track DDB will offer solutions customized to specific industry verticals across FMCG, IT & B2B, Financial Services, Retail, Automotive, and Real Estate amongst others.’

     

  • Backed with an experience of over nine years, Kabir has worked for both, brand communication and creative execution for his clients

    Kabir Ahmed joins RAPP India as Group Director- Brand Communication

    By A Correspondent

     

    Kabir Ahmed

    Kabir Ahmed, erstwhile Brand Services Director at Lowe, Mumbai has joined DDB Mudra Group as Group Director- Brand Communication at RAPP India.

     

    Backed with an experience of over nine years, Kabir has worked for both, brand communication and creative execution for his clients. From his stints at Lowe and Percept/H, he gathered knowledge in brand communications while working on brands like FedEx, Sunburn, Idea Cellular, Practo.com, HSBC Bank and HSBC InvestDirect amongst others. His earlier stint at DDB Mudra, Chennai, and Art Advertising, Mumbai, during former years of his career span gave him an opportunity to work on the creative end for brands like Anchor, Dyna, Fem, Schwarzkopf, Nippon Paint, Cavin Kare, J. Hampstead, Mistair, Siyarams, Monginis, Medimix, Rakindo, and Ashok Leyland.

     

    Venkat Mallik

    Venkat Mallikarjunan, President, RAPP India quoted, “RAPP India is going through its next phase of growth with a number of new business wins and a truly fabulous array of clients and spread of work. In a typical work day our life moves from a digital assignment to one involving Data and consumer engagement and then to a classical brand building task. It’s a truly exciting period of time when we need people with deep passion for the communications business supported with a high level of energy and versatility. Kabir brings in just the right blend of enthusiasm and experience for the period ahead.”

     

  • The #McDElections campaign is for the launch of two premium burgers – the Grilled Chicken Royale and the McPaneer Royale

    RAPP India’s McDElections campaign initiative scores big

    By A Correspondent

     

    McDonalds and RAPP India have recently launched the #McDElections campaign for the launch of two premium burgers – the Grilled Chicken Royale and the McPaneer Royale, in their menu.

     

    Phase 1 of the campaign kicked off with all the McDonalds foods seemingly electing the leader amongst their candidates. The cast included a number of participating candidate burgers each with an interesting personification and McDonalds foods that play their supporters. With the just to be launched Royale Burger duo threatening to sweep the polls.

     

    Facebook posts and banners set up the context of the McDElections with the candidates and their supporter foods all campaigning for victory.

     

    But the inevitable happens, and the Royale Burger Duo wins the McDElections and forms the McDSenate.

     

    Venkat Mallik, President RAPP India said, “The McDElections campaign has provided us with a fantastic platform that helps us set up the food value of current and new Royale Burgers from McDonalds mixed in with the spice that the election brings in. The wide cast of characters with seven candidates and many supporters has helped us build a property which can potentially go on for a really long time ahead. The campaign lends itself extremely well to all parts of the digital landscape and we have used Facebook, Viral Videos, Youtube, a Microsite, Twitter and Banners.”

     

  • RAPP's mandate will cover the full service spectrum with the mainline as well as digital aspects of the campaign

    Simplymarry.com engages RAPP

    By a correspondent

     

    Multichannel agency RAPP of DDB Mudra Group has been roped in to handle Simplymarry.com. RAPP India will be responsible for bringing the brands new proposition alive. RAPP’s mandate will cover the full service spectrum with the mainline as well as digital aspects of the campaign.

     

    Matrimonial portal SimplyMarry.com is promoted by The Times of India group and offers a superior matchmaking experience for prospective brides and grooms to meet and communicate with each other.

     

    On choosing RAPP, Sanjeev Kumar, Business Head, SimplyMarry.com said, “The online matrimony space in India is quite challenging with many established and new players. Over the years, we have realized that although the space has a lot of big players, the value differentiator in this category hasn’t been cracked just yet. We are re-launching into this competitive market with an offering unlike any the market has witnessed yet. We were looking for an agency that would help us amplify this difference. RAPP, with its unique strategic and media agnostic approach seemed like a perfect fit.”

     

    Venkat Mallik, President, RAPP India said, “The SimplyMarry team has a strategy that is designed to change the convention among Matrimonial sites. A number of new innovations are planned that will change the rules of the game. To be able to disrupt the convention is a challenge that has always got us going. And we hope to do that with SimplyMarry.com.”

     

  • RAPP India has roped in Kapil Bhatia as Associate Vice President for the agency’s growing clientele in Mumbai.

    RAPP India appoints Kapil Bhatia as AVP

    By A Correspondent

     

    Kapil Bhatia

    RAPP India has roped in Kapil Bhatia as Associate Vice President for the agency’s growing clientele in Mumbai.

     

    Mr Bhatia joins RAPP India from Squad Digital, Nairobi, where he was General Manager overseeing the operations of the agency across digital strategy, creative solutions, media planning, social media marketing and mobile marketing.

     

    Before moving to Nairobi, Mr Bhatia worked with the DDB Mudra Group for four years and was primarily in-charge of client servicing for one of the agency’s largest clients, LIC.

     

    Venkat Mallik

    Said Venkat Mallik, President, RAPP India and Tribal Worldwide India, ‘We are going through an interesting phase of transformation and growth at RAPP in India. Kapil joins RAPP at just the right time as we look to remodel the agency and introduce a set of new initiatives to strengthen  the multi-channel RAPP offering across Mass Media, E Commerce, Social Media, Email marketing & CRM. RAPP is one of the few agencies with the ability to offer genuinely integrated communication thinking and Kapil’s skills and experience complement this really well.’

     

     

    Bijoe George

    Commenting on this, Bijoe George, Vice President, RAPP India said, “As we go about building RAPP INDIA as a media agnostic, data-led agency we needed leaders who can champion this cause amongst clients. Kapil comes with the requisite experience and fits the bill perfectly”.

     

    On joining RAPP India, Mr Bhatia said, This is going to be an exciting opportunity to tap into my through the line communication understanding. I look forward to help RAPP with the building its multi-channel capabilities.

     

  • Bijoe George, VP, Rapp, will now handle Rapp India's operations in the West and South. Saugata Bagchi, VP, Tribal DDB, will now be in charge of the West & South operations for Tribal DDB through the Tribal DDB presence in Mumbai and Bangalore

    Saugata Bagchi, Bijoe George get wider roles at Tribal DDB, Rapp India

    By A Correspondent

     

    Saugata Bagchi
    Bijoe George

    Saugata Bagchi and Bijoe George are taking on additional roles for Tribal DDB and Rapp India respectively. Mr George, VP – Rapp, will now handle Rapp India’s operations in the West and South. He will also continue his lead role on the HP business that is a key client for Rapp in India. Mr Bagchi, VP Tribal DDB, will now be in charge of the West & South operations for Tribal DDB through the Tribal DDB presence in Mumbai and Bangalore.

     

    Both of them will continue to report to Venkat Mallik, President, Tribal DDB and Rapp India.

     

    Tribal DDB is a digital agency while Rapp is a new age data-driven multi-channel agency. Rapp and Tribal DDB are members of the DDB Mudra Group and the Omnicom Group world-wide.

     

    Commenting on his new role, Mr Bagchi said, “We’ve had a strong hold in the western market and were able to further consolidate it in 2012. I am very excited about this new opportunity and believe that with our new improved digital skill-sets, our clients in Southern India will increasingly contribute to the fast pace of growth that we’ve set for Tribal DDB India.”

     

    Mr George said, “Over the last few years Rapp India has won many blue-chip clients and 2013 would further propel our growth story. It would be exciting to lead this growth and transformation. Given Rapp’s legacy in the data analytics space combined with its media-neutral offering, clients across verticals will find the Rapp proposition a compelling one.”

     

    Venkat Mallik

    Venkat Mallik, President, Tribal DDB and Rapp India, said, “We have had a very good 2012 for both Tribal DDB & Rapp. The new structure with expanded roles for Bijoe and Saugata will help us leverage their skills better &build on the progress we have made in 2012. The year 2013 should see us deepening our capabilities and delivering higher quality business and creative solutions for our clients while we build Rapp and Tribal DDB into stronger, bigger communications agencies.”

     

  • With his background in advertising, brand marketing, Data & Digital communication, Mr Mallik brings a unique combination of skills needed to build Tribal DDB, as well as RAPP, feels Madhukar Kamath

    Venkat Mallik to head Tribal DDB & RAPP in India

    By A Correspondent

     

    DDB Mudra Group is pleased to announce that Venkat Mallik will head its Tribal DDB operations inIndia, with immediate effect. Simultaneously, Mr Mallik will continue to lead RAPP India.

     

    Mr Mallik majored in marketing from XLRI,Jamshedpurover two decades ago and has since worked with companies like JWT, Leo Burnett, Euro RSCG and Unilever.

     

    More recently, he was Managing Director for an International Online Game Company. He has held multiple Board level positions and business leadership roles for over a decade. Mr Mallik’s brand experience spans 50 different brands and categories, including leading brands from companies like Unilever, SmithKline Beecham, ITC, Indian Oil, Ultratech, Sara Lee, Van Melle, CavinKare, Standard Chartered Bank, HDFC, Tata Communications and HP.

     

    Over the past four years, Tribal DDB Asia Pacific has expanded rapidly, from five offices to 18 spanning 12 countries, with 450 staff. In 2008, Tribal DDB was the most awarded agency network at Media’s Digital Marketing Awards, in 2009, the most-awarded pure digital agency network, and also voted Media’s Digital Agency of the Year by peers and clients. In 2010 Tribal DDB Asia Pacific was again awarded Campaign’s Digital Agency Network of the Year.

     

    The Tribal DDB India story has been similar with the agency being one of the most awarded and respected digital agencies in Indiasince its inception. In 2011 alone, the agency won around 15 metals across Abbys, Yahoo Big Chair, Campaign Indiaand Digital Media awards.

     

    Commenting on the new structure Madhukar Kamath said, “With around a 100 million internet users, digital advertising is acquiring mainstream proportions and it is important to create a leadership structure for Tribal DDB which understands both digital and mainstream brand marketing communications well. With his background in advertising, brand marketing, online gaming and Data & Digital communication Venkat brings a unique combination of skills needed to build Tribal DDB, as well as RAPP at this juncture.”

     

    Commenting on his new role Venkat Mallik said: “Tribal DDB is among the finest digital networks in the world and has a great track record inIndia. It’s exciting to have the mandate to grow RAPP and Tribal DDB, both of which are leading global new age agencies. We are looking to scale up both agencies quickly while leveraging synergies between them.”

     

    InIndia, Tribal DDB has a blue chip client list including Idea Cellular, Star TV, McDonald’s, TourismAustralia, Emirates among others. Meanwhile, RAPP has seen very strong growth over the last couple of years with its new industry vertical focused strategy combined with its thrust in building new age data, digital and brand capabilities. The RAPP client list inIndianow includes Hewlett Packard, Standard Chartered Bank, Johnson & Johnson, Tata Communications, among others.