MxMIndia

Tag: Virat Tandon

  • Syrups, spreads, milkshake and exotic dark confectionary also part of the mandate

    Lowe Lintas bags Hershey’s Kisses

    By A Correspondent

     

    Hershey India has awarded its creative duties to Lowe Lintas. Wunderman Thompson is the incumbent agency on the account.

     

    The scope primarily includes a large scale multimedia campaign launching Hershey’s Kisses in India

     

    Talking about getting Lowe Lintas on board, Sarosh Shetty, Marketing Director, Hershey India said: “The distinctive and engaging new communication campaign brings alive the unique proposition of Hershey’s Kisses. It celebrates the distinct shape of a delicious Hershey’s Kisses chocolate, each of which is specially wrapped to make your loved ones feel special. Sharing Hershey’s Kisses is a great way to express one’s affection for your loved ones. We are sure these delightful chocolate treats will spread happiness and smiles across millions of Indian homes. We are excited to bring Lowe Lintas on board as our creative agency for the Hershey’s brand. The Hershey’s brand in India had leading positions across multiple categories, and is known for being an international, indulgent, high-quality chocolate brand. We look forward to a successful association with Lowe to bring alive the communication strategy on this key strategic brand.”

     

    Added Virat Tandon, Group CEO, MullenLowe Lintas Group: “We are truly delighted to partner a prestigious global brand like Hershey’s. We look forward to working together with the brand team in making Hershey’s a household name in India. To this effect, Lowe Lintas developed an overall strategy and a creative idea that will help build affinity and preference for the brand Hershey’s as well unlock opportunity for every product in their portfolio.”

     

     

  • Sonali Khanna’s new appointment is effective immediately

    Sonali Khanna appointed head of Lowe Lintas, South

    By A Correspondent

     

    Sonali Khanna

    Sonali Khanna has been appointed as the head of Lowe Lintas, South. An Executive Director in the organisation, Sonali has been in the advertising business for over two decades – of which she has spent 15 years with Lowe Lintas across offices in Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru.

     

     

    Virat Tandon

    Commenting on the appointment, Virat Tandon, Group CEO, MullenLowe Lintas Group said: “Sonali is what an ideal advertising leader should be. She’s as adept at strategy as she is at managing client relationships and leading high performance teams. In her 15 years at Lowe, she has worked on some of the most demanding assignments across offices and brands. And, she has delivered every single time. I am very happy to announce her as the branch head for Lowe Lintas South. It’s perhaps the most successful regional operation of any agency in the country. I am certain that with Sonali in the driver’s seat now, it’s going to move several notches higher.”

     

    Added Khanna: “Lowe Lintas South has always been an enviable operation for MullenLowe Lintas Group. The office has consistently delivered ground-breaking work for its clients; helping them build brands that are a force to reckon with. What sets us apart is that despite inheriting a large agency DNA, our mind-set still reflects that of a hungry start-up. We are a bunch of passionate and dedicated professionals always ready for the next challenge. Leading such a group of talented individuals is a real privilege. On a personal note, I started my Lintas journey with Lowe Lintas Bangalore back in 2004. 15 years and 3 cities later, it’s a real thrill to be spearheading an office that’s truly special!” The appointment is effective immediately.

     

     

  • The appointment will be effective January 2020.

    Hari Krishnan will be CEO, Mullen Lintas

    By A Correspondent

     

    Hari Krishnan has been appointed as CEO of Mullen Lintas. Krishnan moves from Lowe Lintas where he was President and was spearheading the South operations. The appointment will be effective January 2020.

     

     

    Speaking about Krishnan’s appointment, Virat Tandon, Group CEO, MullenLowe Lintas Group said: “Mullen Lintas has created a name and stature for itself in a very short period of time and is poised for more. The reason for that lies in our commitment to always put the A-Team at Mullen Lintas. So, when we were looking for the best person to lead the agency as CEO, Hari was the natural choice. He has the best credentials in the country as a P&L leader, an entrepreneur and as a brand and idea champion. He is passionate about making the agency future oriented. Actually, he is passionate about almost everything he does :). We were fortunate that he also happened to be working at Lowe Lintas. Hari’s appointment is another big step to ensure that Mullen Lintas lives up to its purpose of Challenger Thinking and offers clients a credible alternative to the top 2-3 agencies. His insatiable appetite for growth, challenges and creative excellence makes him the perfect candidate to drive Mullen Lintas into its next phase of growth and discovery.”

     

    Speaking about his appointment, Krishnan added: “If Lowe Lintas is like an aircraft carrier in the high seas – solid, powerful and battle ready 24/7, then Mullen Lintas is a turbocharged, supercar with a V12 engine that has zoomed its way into the top 10 list, punching well above its weight and leaving behind some of its illustrious counterparts. The creative firepower, pace, agility and intensity of Mullen Lintas is just what brands need in a Marketing World that is mutating and evolving rapidly. It’s both scary and exciting to be in charge of this beast and I look forward to partnering the amazingly talented and passionate gang of Mullenials.”

     

     

  • Siddhartha Roy named Benglauru Branch Head, Mullen Lintas

    Leadership changes at Mullen Lintas, Bengaluru

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Bengaluru offices of Mullen Lintas and Lowe Lintas have announced new leadership appointments. Kishore Subramanian, who successfully led Mullen Lintas’ agency office for over four years, has passed the baton to Siddhartha Roy.

     

    Meanwhile Subramanian will be moving to Lowe Lintas as its Bengaluru office’s Planning Head.

     

    Speaking about the key changes, Virat Tandon, Group CEO, MullenLowe Lintas Group said “I am delighted to welcome Sid to Mullen Lintas. In him, we found the skills to hyper-bundle the group’s services and give unfair share of attention to our brands. I was truly impressed by his entrepreneurial spirit and a future facing solutions mindset. I am positive that Mullen Lintas Bangalore has an exciting future under his leadership. I would also like to congratulate Kishore for giving Mullen Lintas Bangalore a formidable start by way of the brands and team he put together. Kishore is a planner at heart and that’s what he wanted to get back to. So, he takes over as the Planning Head for Lowe Lintas South. I am certain that he will bring his magic to the fabulous brands that Lowe Lintas Bangalore has and further develop the already strong planning product.”

     

    The new appointments are effective immediately.

     

     

  • The move is strategic to its singular market proposition of being a hyper-bundled advertising agency

    Lintas moves to swanky new office space in Mumbai’s BKC

    By A Correspondent

     

    MullenLowe Lintas Group has announced its relocation from Express Towers at Nariman Point to new business hub, Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC). The move is strategic to its singular market proposition of being a hyper-bundled advertising agency that offers all its services under one roof.

     

    Amer Jaleel

    Commenting about moving from a place that’s been an important part of Lintas, Amer Jaleel, Group CCO & Chairman, MullenLowe Lintas Group said: “As I stand in the new premises and watch the office come up around me I can’t help but think of how Lintas was said to be the only surviving SoBo agency for the 48 years that we belted out one strong ground-breaking campaign after another. Work that never even remotely looked SoBo! Well, we were, and we will continue to be MidInd, bang in the core of the consciousness of the country in our insights and our executions. We moved when we were ready with our new hyper-bundled agency offering and our central Mumbai office is also symbolic of how we intend to be with our clients and brands, tentacle-ing outwards in all directions from the centre! “.

     

    Virat Tandon

    Added Virat Tandon, Group CEO, MullenLowe Lintas Group: “Given the focus on providing our clients hyper-bundled solutions across creative, digital, PR, experiential and design, we saw a clear opportunity to bring all of our people spread across 4 different offices in Mumbai together under one roof. The new office space is purpose-designed, built to facilitate collaboration and houses multiple gather and huddle areas. We believe that moving to BKC will make us more accessible to both our employees and for our clients. BKC is a thriving and fast-growing hub for businesses, and it has powerful energy which makes it a truly inspiring place to work”. The agency will begin operations at its new office from July 1, 2019.

     

     

  • He assumes his new role with immediate effect

    Subbu is Group Chief Strategy Officer at MullenLowe Lintas Group

    By A Correspondent

     

    Known in the fraternity as Subbu, S Subramanyeswar has been elevated as Group Chief Strategy Officer of the MullenLowe Lintas Group with immediate effect. In the eight years he has been with the agency network, he championed its effectiveness awards agenda and, as a communique underscores, he has played a capital role in the group winning at prestigious award shows such as APAC Effies, India Effies, Tambuli, Tangrams and the world-renowned Jay Chiat by 4As.

     

    Commenting on the development, Virat Tandon, Group CEO, MullenLowe Lintas Group said: “Subbu has been a fantastic partner for not just our planning, business and creative leaders, but also for our clients over the past few years. He is a very generous giver of his thoughts, time, energy and passion. In his new role as Group CSO, Subbu will play a crucial role in driving our global model of “hyper-bundled” solutions for our key clients across Lowe Lintas, Mullen Lintas, LinConsult, GolinOpinion, LinEngage, dCell and other strategic collaborations and partnerships. As always, we want to put strategy first, even while developing hyper-bundled campaigns.”

     

    Said Subramanyeswar on his new role: “MullenLowe Lintas Group is one of those rare companies to have truly revolutionized the industry with transformational and culture-leading brand ideas, and I couldn’t be more honoured to have been chosen to lead the strategy agenda for the entire group. The opportunity ahead for us is vast and a big part of my job is to accelerate our proven strategic thinking ability in this turbocharged technology and data-led world, with “hyper-bundled solutions” that give unfair share of attention to our Clients’ businesses, brands and reputations.”

     

     

  • In his previous role, he was overseeing the North, East and South regions for the agency

    Lowe Lintas elevates Naveen Gaur as Deputy CEO

    By A Correspondent

     

    Lowe Lintas has elevated Naveen Gaur to the position of Deputy CEO. In his previous role, he was overseeing the North, East and South regions for the agency as its Chief Operating Officer – to which he was promoted in 2017.

     

    As Deputy CEO of Lowe Lintas, Gaur will lead the next phase of growth at the agency that is home to brands such as Axis Bank, Britannia, Flipkart, Godrej, Google, MRF, Swiggy, Tanishq, Ultratech, Unilever, etc. to name a few.

     

    Commenting on the elevation, Virat Tandon, Group CEO, MullenLowe Lintas Group said: “Over the years, Naveen has not just driven great business growth at Lowe Lintas, but also built a fantastic team. He has scripted many success stories while partnering MNC brands, startup brands and Indian brands. He is a passionate entrepreneur at heart. I am super excited for Naveen to lead Lowe Lintas into the next phase of growth.”

     

    Speaking about his new role, Gaur said: “In today’s evolving and dynamic business environment, where technology is disrupting businesses and presenting challenges and opportunities almost on an everyday basis. I am thrilled with the opportunity given to me by this great institution to drive the growth, ROI and stature of our brands.”

     

     

  • Mehta’s last assignment was to set up the omni-channel creative agency, PointNine Lintas, which he ran as CEO until its merger with Lowe Lintas, announced last week

    Mullen Lintas names Vikas Mehta CEO

    By A Correspondent

     

    Mullen Lintas has announced the appointment of Vikas Mehta as its CEO. Mehta takes on this role from Virat Tandon who was recently elevated to the position of Group CEO, MullenLowe Lintas Group. Speaking of the choice, Tandon said: “Mullen Lintas has very quickly earned the reputation of being a high achieving agency. There couldn’t be a better person than Vikas to lead the agency into its next phase of growth. He brings with him a hunger to build the agency of the future and has the skills needed to do so. His experience as an omni-channel practitioner will give an edge to the solutions that the agency develops. I am sure that under his leadership, Mullen Lintas will only up its challenger game”.

     

    Formed a little over three years ago, Mullen Lintas features amongst the top ten creative agencies in India with some iconic campaigns under its belt. The agency has partnered numerous brands on a client portfolio that includes like Bajaj Auto, Bajaj Corp., Dabur, Fossil, Gionee, Havells, Honda, Modern Foods, Motilal Oswal, Oppo, Pharmeasy, Quikr, SBI Life Insurance, Tata Cliq, Tata Tea, Too Yumm, Viacom 18, Vistara, Vivo and Voonik.

     

    Mehta’s last assignment was to set up the omni-channel creative agency, PointNine Lintas, which he ran as CEO until its merger with Lowe Lintas, announced last week.

     

    Vikas Mehta

    Commenting on the move, Mehta said: “Mullen Lintas has achieved in three years what most agencies would dream of in a decade. Its founding leaders – Amer, Virat and Shriram – have built an agency where the leadership pedigree of Lintas, meets the challenger mindset of MullenLowe Group. It’s a culture of creative excellence, that punches way above its weight. I am delighted at the opportunity to help author the next chapter in the agency’s evolution.”

     

    Amer Jaleel

    Speaking on Mehta’s appointment, Amer Jaleel, Group CCO and Chairman, MullenLowe Lintas Group added: “Mullen Lintas is a special agency. Handcrafted over the last three years, it needs nurturing and attention of a very different level to take it ahead from here. The agency has been the fastest to make it to the top 10 league in reputation ever and its ambition is to reach the 100-crore club too, faster than any other. In Vikas we found a partner to strengthen our already formidable team. Vikas brings so many colours to this role – he’s been a terrific believer and marketer of our name and fame, he’s shepherded PointNine Lintas back into the fold and he is probably visioning the future better than anyone in the industry. We are supremely fortunate to have him.” Mehta will operate out of the Mumbai office of Mullen Lintas, and the appointment is effective immediately.

     

     

  • The merger is effective immediately and the leadership teams of both agencies are working on operationalizing the merged structure

    Lowe Lintas announces merger with PointNine Lintas

    By A Correspondent

     

    Amer Jaleel & Virat Tandon

    MullenLowe Lintas Group has announced the merger of its omni-channel agency, PointNine Lintas, with its creative agency, Lowe Lintas.

     

    Said Virat Tandon, Group CEO, MullenLowe Lintas Group: “With PointNine Lintas, we’ve grown a new, future-facing strain and now it’s time to graft it into Lowe Lintas, which is already India’s best. Having seen the PointNine offering and skills develop very closely, and being familiar with the position that Lowe already commands, I am super excited about this move and am confident that this is a big leap forward for us. Our promise for clients with this merger is that in the increasingly fragmented and fast-evolving communications landscape, we will now be able to seamlessly extract more power from our big ideas. Lowe Lintas’ new Hyper-bundled offering means that our clients no longer have to settle for the fractured solutions of the past.”

     

    The services that Lowe Lintas will now offer includes digital marketing and transformation, public relations, reputation management, activation, experiential & shopper marketing, and media planning & buying. The PR, Media and Experiential divisions of the group, GolinOpinion, Lintas Mediahub and LinEngage respectively, would continue to offer their services to their clients, while collaborating with Lowe Lintas.

     

    Speaking about the merger, Amer Jaleel, Group CCO and Chairman, MullenLowe Lintas Group added: “We are looking at a future where a lot of very carefully designed and yet differing messages will aggregate to form a stereographic brand picture in the head. We see this emerging need as very challenging and exciting. Our omni-channel incubation PointNine Lintas is now fully ready and positioned to understand these complex brand needs and it’s time to unleash it across the breadth of our vast brand portfolio”.

     

    The merger is effective immediately and the leadership teams of both agencies are working on operationalising the merged structure.

     

     

  • While Michelle Suradkar will continue to help with some special projects until June 2019, Heather Gupta will take over the HR operations with immediate effect

    Heather Gupta joins MullenLowe Lintas Group as Group HR Director

    By A Correspondent

     

    MullenLowe Lintas Group has hired Heather Gupta as Group HR Director. She takes over from Michelle Suradkar, the current Group Chief HR Officer, who is taking a break from work for personal reasons.

     

    Virat Tandon

    Gupta’s move back to the group coincides with a renewed focus on meaningful integration at all levels of the business. Said Virat Tandon, Group CEO, MullenLowe Lintas Group: “We could not imagine an HR leader better suited for the task, given our vision of hyper-bundled solutions for the future, and the need for extreme agility as we integrate the various parts of our offering. Heather’s experience across diverse media businesses, including traditional and digital advertising, production, movies, TV, and content make her perfectly placed to help us shape our existing people for the future and also attract the very best talent in the industry”.

     

    Heather Gupta

    Commenting on her appointment, Gupta said: “I am thrilled to be returning to Lintas Group, after a journey of several years on a sharp learning curve across the media spectrum. Lintas is a special place with a strong identity and emotional resonance, and the company’s vision for the future is incredibly exciting”.

     

  • Iyer to take on a consulting role with the group, will transition out of the agency over the next year

    Amer Jaleel & Virat Tandon to head MullenLowe Lintas Group. Arun iyer to exit

     

    By A Correspondent

    The winds of change are blowing. And given that the headquarters are near the near-seafront end of Mumbai’s Nariman Point, these winds have been blowing hard and fast.

     

    So we woke this morning to the Brand Equity story on the development at MullenLowe Lintas Group. That Amer Jaleel has been named Group Chairman and Chief Creative Officer. Partnering him, on business, will be Virat Tandon who’s being named Group CEO. In their new roles, the duo will lead the group mandate in India overseeing its three agencies; Lowe Lintas, Mullen Lintas and PointNine Lintas. And, most importantly, Arun Iyer – Chairman and CCO of Lowe, the older agency, has decided to move on.

     

    Given the Economic Times supplement’s deadlines, this was a carefully planned exclusive given by the agency network. And we rest our case whether the exclusive lolly was really worth it.

     

    Speaking of the new group leadership, Alex Leikikh – global CEO MullenLowe Group said: “A few years ago, we had asked Amer and Virat to start our second agency in India, Mullen Lintas, and they have built it into a top 10 agency in the country in just two years. Amer has been a creative leader of our group in India for a very long time now, and Virat embodies the entrepreneurial spirit of the MullenLowe Group, and as such I am delighted to have them steer our overall business in India to even greater success.”

     

    Interestingly, the communique received from the agency network is silent on the roles of Raj Gupta, CEO, Lowe Lintas, the flagship agency and Vikas Mehta, CEO, PointNine Lintas. Gupta was elevated in March 2017 along with Iyer and Mehta was appointed CEO in mid-2017 along with the agency’s formation. Mehta was also essaying the role of CMO of the group. While the appointments have the blessings of the global guard, it needs to be seen how the appointment of Tandon impacts that of Gupta and Mehta.

     

    Meanwhile, speaking of their new roles, Jaleel and Tandon said this in a communique: “We have a lot of strong assets in the group. Two top ten agencies, Lowe Lintas and Mullen Lintas; a very promising incubation, the Omni-channel agency PointNine Lintas; some of the industry’s best and brightest creative, strategy and business leaders; and last but not the least a culture that makes us stick together and tick. The future is looking different and exciting. There could be no better time for the group to embark on this journey. To stay at the top of its game, MullenLowe Lintas Group realizes the importance of investing in building a strong talent pool with new skills that are relevant in the digital and hyper-connected world. It’s becoming more challenging for brands to win in the marketplace as the consumer is evolving and most categories are being disrupted and transformed due to technology. Clients are looking for all the help they can get from their agencies to win in this new reality. We want to continue to be our clients’ biggest strength.”

     

    Iyer, who plans to start a venture of his own and will transition out of the agency over the next year, has along with the agency planned a twelve-month transition period, during which he will continue to work for some key clients and help with succession planning. This is what he has said:  “I have had the privilege of being part of an institution. I have spent a little over 15 years here. And it is home. Over the last few years, I have been passionate about start-ups and have played a role in developing some strong brands such as Byju’s, Freecharge and Grofers. Going forward, I am planning to work more closely within the start-up ecosystem.” Added Jaleel: “Arun and I have been brothers-in-arms for over eight years now. We’ve been shouldering the equity and reputation of Lintas together and that gives you a sort of a feeling of being in the same womb! Arun has, over the last three years, taken the spirit that Balki infused in Lowe Lintas to a different zone and moulded the agency in his own way. A large part of my job for MullenLowe Lintas Group will be to take that imprint forward.”

     

    The last bit in the communique is critical: “Jaleel and Tandon’s appointments take place with immediate effect. They are working on plans to transform MullenLowe Lintas Group in a few critical areas to remain the key agency partner for clients.”

     

    Ah. Sorry, we aren’t Brand Equity, but this last line can be interpreted variously. Or perhaps not. We are journalists. We don’t have to necessarily do creative thinking. Tandon is a great guy, and so are Gupta and Mehta. But then there can be just one leader.

  • The account will be managed by the agency's Mumbai office who will be responsible for strategizing, planning and execution of the campaigns

    Mullen Lintas wins Bajaj Discover account

    By A Correspondent

     

    Leading two-wheeler brand Bajaj Auto has appointed Mullen Lintas to handle the creative duties for its motorcycle brand Discover in India. This will be the second Bajaj account win for the agency, after Bajaj Avenger, which is also part of their current client portfolio.

     

    Mullen Lintas bagged the account following a competitive multi-agency pitch that saw participation from some of the leading advertising agencies in India.

     

    Said Sumeet Narang, Vice President – Marketing, Bajaj Auto: “Discover competes in the core commuter segment of prestige 100 and 125cc bikes. The segment is very competitive and marked with different brands offering value, practicality, familiarity or prestige.  Discover differentiates itself from all other brands by promising an energised riding experience that rejuvenates life. Presenting this promise in a customer relevant and insightful communication is very critical.”

     

    Commenting on the win, Virat Tandon, CEO, Mullen Lintas said: “Discover is a very important part of the Bajaj Auto portfolio and we are absolutely thrilled to be awarded this business by client. The challenge is to rekindle the love and the following that Discover has had in the past and to grow it multi-fold. It’s going to be a fun ride.”

     

    It may be recalled that Bajaj Discover was handled by Lintas for many years in the past and Amer Jaleel, Chairman and Chief Creative Officer, Mullen Lintas had worked on the brand extensively then.

     

    Said Jaleel: “With the Discover win both of my favourite Bajaj brands (while at Lowe Lintas), that is Discover and Avenger are now back in the fold, so to speak. We have a very interesting brand promise on Bajaj Discover and we are excited by the challenge of this segment and happy to be on board with such encouraging and respectful partners as Bajaj.”