Not many of the younger set of professionals would remember that Shripad Kulkarni, Managing Director, Vizeum India has been an educator for many years. Now the Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) under the aegis of its AAAI Prowess initiative, has invited Kulkarni to conduct a one-day workshop ‘‘Media Strategy in the Digital Age†scheduled for September 22 at its training centre in Mumbai.
The one-day workshop would take stock of the media changing landscape i.e. what has changed and what will change and will cover basic media concepts; digital media concepts; approach to media in the new milieu; a new construct for media strategy; basics of new age tools and digital strategy and aligning creative approach to different digital media messaging.
Vizeum, the full-service media agency from Dentsu Aegis Network, has bagged the media mandate for Mathrubhumi Group.
As part of the mandate, Vizeum’s scope of work for its latest client will range across TVC, print, radio, OOH, digital and activations amongst others wherein Vizeum will focus on promoting their 18 brands.
Said Shreyams Kumar, Joint Managing Director, Mathrubhumi Group: “Mathrubhumi has been at the forefront of future proofing the brand and has diversified into many new age business areas. We are happy to have Vizeum on board and hope they will effectively communicate our key brand attributes through our media campaigns, taking the brand to the next level.â€
Added Shripad Kulkarni, Managing Director, Vizeum India: “We are extremely happy to have Mathrubhumi Group as part of our client roster. Mathrubhumi is a progressive group that has many new age initiatives. The Group’s aspirations are perfectly in sync with a growing agency network like ours. We shall strive to promote the wide ranging portfolio of leading brands of the Mathrubhumi Group.â€
Vizeum, the full-service media agency from Dentsu Aegis Network, has launched a media consultancy service in India in an attempt to help mainstream media companies adapt and transform for the new-age digital ecosystem.
Named Binary, this latest service from the Vizeum stable, aims to bridge the gap and provide the right mix between the old world learnings and new-age solutions.
Binary will cover customizable and dynamic modules under two key areas – the Transition and the Transformation roadmap.
“In this age of media disruption, the mainstream media companies have no option but to transform. The new milieu is unlike what we have experienced in the past and needs a fresh perspective. The consumer-media interface is at a tipping point even as the youth of India continue to consume news and content through newer platforms. Clearly, the need to have and follow a transformation roadmap is but inevitable. And yet, few companies have one,†says Shripad Kulkarni, MD, Vizeum India.
“There is still time and opportunity for mainstream media to capitalize on their strengths. But it needs a ‘refresh’ strategy to be absolutely relevant to Young India and to the digital brands that target them. The transition must be consistent and lead them into a Transformation Vision Roadmap,†he added.
Binary Transition will cover the four modules – RevenueMax (New Age Pricing and Sales Strategies for revenue maximisation) True 3600 (Holistic, Marcom Strategy to be relevant in the new milieu), Trainware (Getting the team trained and ready for the New Age challenges) and Sales Assist (Technology based real time sales support).
Binary Transform covers the sequential modules – Digital Audit, Content Strategy, “The New Company†and Strategic Road Map for Digital Transformation.
Vizeum has been appointed as the media AoR for Warner Bros Pictures, India. The agency won the account following a multi-agency pitch that was carried out over a period of six months.
Following the win, the first movie from the Warner Bros slate that Vizeum worked on was The Conjuring 2, which did decent box-office collections in its genre.
Shripad Kulkarni
Commenting on the win, Shripad Kulkarni, Managing Director, Vizeum India said, “We are delighted with this win. We look forward to our partnership with Warner Bros Pictures. We are confident that we will add tremendous value to the theatrical marketing of their movies.â€
He further added, “Vizeum’s philosophy of focusing on ‘simple strategy to address client’s business objective, activating it brilliantly’ guided our audience connection approach. Our media solutions will singularly aim at delivering box office success, by seamlessly integrating offline and online efforts around one PR-able idea.â€
Vizeum in partnership with MTV has launched ‘The Junkyard Project’ with the objective of stirring an important awakening in the minds of citizens across, especially the youth.
Commenting on the project, Sumeli Chatterjee, Head – Marketing, Media & Insights, Youth Entertainment, Viacom18 Media Pvt. Ltd. said, “MTV started with a basic question how can we make conversations around do-not-litter cool and interactive. #DunkThatJunk is gamification of the concept that junk should be dunked inside the dustbin. The simplicity of the concept coupled with interactive presentation is the key reason why these videos spread like wild-fire. And, also drew heavy participation by Bollywood and TV celebrities. It is just a game, but with a serious message in it. We have driven 1.5 Mn + interactions in a fortnight of launching this campaign on social media. And, this is just the beginning.â€
Samarjit Rajkumar, Executive VP, Vizeum India, commented: “True to its spirit of being in the forefront of trend-setting, it has been an exciting journey together with MTV in re-defining the Swacch Bharat initiative leveraging MTV’s partner celebs attracting as many as 6000 user-generated videos in the first 2 weeks itself. We are now creating platforms for our audience to live this trend and subsequently, more platforms for them to share with their friends once they choose to be the advocates.â€
Vizeum, the media agency from Dentsu Aegis Network, has been awarded the media duties of Srei following a multi-agency pitch. With this, Srei joins Vizeum’s long list of successful wins this year including Hindware, JetPrivilege, VGP Universal Kingdom, Saint-Gobain and HDFC Bank.
Srei is one of the largest private sector integrated infrastructure institutions in the country. The company has been playing a significant role in nation-building for two-and-a-half decades, both in urban and rural India. Headquartered in Kolkata, the company has a network of 86 branches covering almost the entire geography of India and has also replicated its business model overseas. Vizeum has been appointed to manage the client’s corporate brand campaign. For the record, Vizeum already handles the media mandate for Srei’s Non Convertible Debentures (NCD).
Commenting on the win, Sugato Banerji, Head, Brand and Corporate Communications, Srei said, “We are happy to increase the portfolio of Vizeum as our media agency partner. We are confident that with their proven approach of creating solutions with the business constraints in mind, they will bring substantial value to our corporate brand.â€
Shripad Kulkarni
Shripad Kulkarni, Managing Director, Vizeum India, said, “It’s very satisfying to see Srei reaffirming their confidence in our solution based approach by awarding further responsibilities. We were managing the media duties of Srei’s NCD product for the past 2 years and the excellent work put in by the team is one of the key reasons behind this.â€
Samarjit Rajkumar, Executive Vice President, added, “Our clients have always been our ambassadors. Srei invited us on strong client recommendation and now we look forward to delivering communication solutions that address the client’s business challenges in India. This business will be handled out of our Mumbai office.â€
Vizeum India has roped in Shripad Kulkarni as the Managing Director. Shripad will report to Ashish Bhasin, Chairman & CEO Dentsu Aegis Network, South Asia and will join the Dentsu Aegis Network India Executive Council.
Meanwhile, S.Yesudas will now focus on content and analytics, something that he is extremely passionate about, while continuing to report to Ashish Bhasin.
S Yesudas
With more than 25 years of experience across various media specializations, Shripad has worked in agencies such as Carat, Contract, Clarion and O&M. Prior to joining Vizeum, Shripad was CEO – Allied Media, a Percept Group company. Shripad, who serves on the Board of MRUC, was the founding CEO of Allied Media. An MBA from JBIMS, Shripad also holds a Master’s Degree in Statistics and a Diploma in Operations Research. He is also a well-known trainer and ran a media school prior to joining Allied Media.
Ashish Bhasin
Commenting on the appointment, Ashish Bhasin, Chairman & CEO Dentsu Aegis Network said, “I am very pleased to welcome Shripad as the MD of Vizeum India. With the wealth of experience that he brings in and the thorough knowledge of the business that he has, I am sure Vizeum India will touch new heights under his leadership.â€
“I also want to thank Yesudas for the great job that he has done in helping start Vizeum operations in India from the scratch and bringing the agency to the level, at which it is today. I have no doubts that he will equally excel in the new opportunities. Shripad now has a great platform to take Vizeum India to the next orbit because our ambitions for Vizeum India are tremendous,†he added.
Vizeum India has been named the media AOR for VGP Universal Kingdom, a Chennai-based family amusement park, after a thorough assessment.
The concept of amusement parks and beach resorts, which were only popular in foreign countries until a while back, was brought into India by the visionary VG Paneerdas in the year 1975. He created VGP Golden Beach, located on the East Coast Road in Chennai. Currently with more than 40 rides, including the first of its kind in India – the family roller coaster ride, the mixer ride, the Top Gun from all over Europe and the United States and a themed water park – the latest addition, VGP is clearly a top rung tourist attraction to watch out for.
VGP Ravidas
Speaking of the appointment, VGP Ravidas, Managing Director, VGP Universal Kingdom said, “Fun is a serious business and we have been looking for a media partner who understands this balance. We found Vizeum perfectly fitting the bill. I feel they have the right wherewithal to work with us in fulfilling our future ambitions. We look forward to a long and fruitful relationship with Vizeum.â€
S Yesudas
Commenting on the win, S Yesudas, Managing Director Indian Subcontinent, Vizeum said, “We are grateful to the VGP Universal Kingdom management for finding a partner in Vizeum. We will have fun together in working on this assignment while we seriously help the park move forward in consumer engagement and growth. This business will be handled out of our Chennai office, under the leadership of Subhas Warrier, VP, Vizeum, South.â€
Vizeum India has been appointed the media AoR for Hindustan Sanitaryware & Industries Limited (HSIL).
Hindware is a household name today and HSIL is the first company in the Building Materials Industry to be awarded the prestigious ISO 9001, 14001 and OHSAS 18001 certificate, awarding effective quality management and environment systems.
Speaking of the appointment, Krishnamurthy, VP, Marketing, Hindware said, “We decided to review our media agency relationship considering the very challenging journey we are embarking on. Vizeum was evaluated alongwith others on our key parameters. Their hunger, passion, knowledge and commitment got them our business. We look forward to a long and fruitful relationship with Vizeum.â€
Commenting on the win, S Yesudas, Managing Director Indian Subcontinent, Vizeum said “We are truly delighted with this assignment. It is a fantastic brand. We are well aware of the challenges at hand as we help HSIL move to the next orbit. We will stay fully committed to overcoming all those challenges. This business will be handled out of our Delhi office.â€
Chennai headquartered RHFL, promoted by Repco Bank has appointed Vizeum Media as it media AOR (Agency on Record). RHFL, a government undertaking, is embarking on a growth path and the appointment of Vizeum is seen in line with the same.
Confirming the appointment of Vizeum, R Varadarajan, Managing Director, RHFL said: “We are focused on translating into reality the aspirations of people to own a home through credit support customized to suit individual needs in a transparent and ethical way. The vision for our growth required us to get on board domain experts to guide us. Vizeum approached us proactively and the discussions have been on for many months. We are quite satisfied with their knowledge, passion and more importantly the sincere commitment to build our business. Their leadership staying involved in our business is an added benefit. We look forward to working with Vizeum”
S Yesudas, Managing Director – Indian Subcontinent, Vizeum said, “It is a matter of pride for us that more and more clients are finding value in associating with Vizeum. It also makes us very humble. We have our task fully cut out for RHFL. We will stay focussed on their business with utmost sincerity, in as selfless manner as possible. This business will be handled out of our Chennai office”
Aegis Media’s Vizeum India has announced an added layer in its suit of services in the area of active consumer engagement and has roped in Anand Kumar as Associate General Manager – Engagement Planning.
Affirmed S Yesudas, Managing Director, Indian sub-continent, Vizeum, “As the communication channel choices increase and the limited time at the consumers’ disposal further shrink, we believe we need to focus on engaging with consumers at different occasions and different state of mind based on the same strategic thread of the overall communication. Anand’s appointment is in line with this thinking.” Adding further Yesudas said, “Passive advertising sells a particular product and makes the consumer walk to the point of sale. However, there is a good chance that the consumer might walk out with a totally different brand because of some dynamics at the point of sale. On the other hand, had there been reinforcement of the message once again in the consumers’ mind as actively as possible just before the decision to pull out the wallet, chances are that the same brand would have been benefited. Both these scenarios call for different consumer engagements -the former talking “AT” the consumer and the later, talking “WITH” the consumer. Talking “WITH” the consumer is all about actively engaging them at a different state of mind.”
Commenting on the motivation to join Vizeum, Anand Kumar asserted, “Vizeum India today is a strong and credible agency in just less than two and-a-half years. Their well articulated understanding of talking “At” and “With” consumers can further enhance thought leadership status. I look forward to working closely with the leadership team in Vizeum as they move to next level of aggressive growth and consolidation story.”
Anand has a Bachelors in Visual Communications, Masters in Journalism & Communications and MBA (Sales & Mkt.) and has close to 9 years experience in the relevant field of operation. His last assignment was at the Network 18 Group. Anand will be based in Mumbai and will report directly to Yesudas, while working closely with the Heads of the 3 Vizeum offices.
Vizeum successfully operates in 55 countries with a philosophy of in-depth understanding of the co-existence of lives, brands and media in the actual world, through its process – motivation to media.
Vizeum India has been named the media AOR for VGP Universal Kingdom, a Chennai-based family amusement park, after a thorough assessment.
