MxMIndia

Tag: Vizeum

  • Meanwhile, Carat and Dentsu X clients will continue to access digital performance services through the Dentsu Media Scaled Services

    Dentsu merges iProspect and Vizeum

    By Our Staff

     

    Amanda Morrissey

    Dentsu has announced its intent to integrate iProspect and Vizeum to create a new media agency under the iProspect banner. Meanwhile, Carat and Dentsu X clients will continue to access digital performance services through the Dentsu Media Scaled Services.

     

    The new iProspect entity will be led by Global President Amanda Morrissey, bringing together more than 8,000 media and performance specialists across 93 key global markets.

     

    Said Amanda Morrissey: “iProspect is designed for clients at the intersection of brand and performance. We believe brand drives performance, and performance drives brand. We no longer exist in an ecosystem where these elements can be planned and bought separately. We must look at business and brand goals through a combined lens, bringing accelerated growth for our clients. By focusing on how consumers behave in their digital world and applying that to real world scenarios via a highly connected and creative use of all channels, we position our clients to combine the learnings from the short and long term to drive more effective business growth today and tomorrow.”

     

    The new agency will now be launched through a phased market plan over a three-month period with a target completion date of March 31, 2021.

     

    And how will things be impacted in India? Well, for that we’ll have to watch and wait.

     

     

  • Veteran industryperson Shripad Kulkarni uses his to-be-launched AdXforce software to forecast festive spends in print, in the first of a three-part series

    ‘Print festive spends to degrow 8% from last year’

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    Shripad Kulkarni

    Veteran advertising professional Shripad Kulkarni has been leading consulting assignments in the fiels of strategy, content and adsales. Having helmed teams at Carat, Percept Media and Vizeum and also running a media training and consultancy company called M:Ideas which was bought over by Carat Integra, Kulkarni is set to launch AdXforce, an end-to-end software solution for adsales, which facilitates sales process, Call calendar management and CRM.

     

    Using AdXforce, Kulkarni undertook the unenviable task of forecasting the festive season spends for MxMIndia. This is the first of a three-part series. The first focuses on print, and the other two will be on television and other media (outdoor, radio and digital). This report is part of a comprehensive white paper the veteran professional and his team have worked on

     

    Read on…

     

    So, how did the All India festive 2019 Kick Start till Shraadh period go?

     

    Again, we must note that the government infusion had not set in by then, and ad Industry had just got out of an additional adspends on TV due to ICC World Cup.

     

    :: In keeping with the past year trend, Print Innovations grew at a
    healthy 11%

    :: Retail and Personal care grew in Print

    :: Significant drop over 2019 levels in Newspapers SQC by 10%. Shradh was also a washout for print.

    :: Other than Retail, all other volume contributors seem to be holding on to their spends for the Diwali phase.

     

    :: So what’s the Outlook for festive 2019 looking like?

    :: Going by the first weekend of Diwali Phase, positive sentiment is led by new categories. High contributors are not yet too bullish. Sentiment is crucial here, and it seems to be in place for now. This should continue into the Wedding/Holidays Season. The Diwali phase, aided by an extended 6-weeks buying season, should grow and perform better. I assume there will be no increase in rates for any media.

     

    So, my forecast for the festive 2019 is that with a normal last-minute surge:

    :: Print spends will be at around 8% below last year’s level

     

    So what’s the bellweather Onam verdict?

     

    Firstly, we must note that Onam was shrouded in the current slowdown. Latest positive infusion by the government set in after Onam

    :: The upside:

    :: Onam advertising bounced back from the low levels of 2018 due to the unfortunate floods.

    :: A cautious but optimistic start to the Season with 12% more ads in Print than 2017.

    :: Print dominance is visible – with growth in ads driven by long tail of advertisers and better performance than TV.

    :: Services, Auto and HH products Sectors grew for TV and Services, Auto and also Auto grew for Print.

    :: The downside

    :: Significant drop over 2017 levels in TV 4% in GRPs and 7% on Duration

    :: A 4% drop in SQC– reflecting the market sentiment at that time.

    :: Print Innovations did not kick off in time for Onam season

    :: Retail, Durables, Food & Bev and Personal Care – the volume drivers did not take off this Onam.

     

    For full report, click on www.shripadkulkarni.com after 4pm today (Oct 4)

     

     

  • As part of the mandate, Vizeum's scope of work for its latest client will range across TVC, print, radio, OOH, digital and activations

    Vizeum wins media mandate for Mathrubhumi Group

     

     

    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.”

     

    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.”

     

  • As part of the mandate, Vizeum's scope of work for its latest client will focus on launching the client’s Noodles brand directed towards youth and kids

    Vizeum wins media mandate for A&M Noodles

    By A Correspondent

     

    Vizeum has bagged the media mandate for A&M Noodles from Maruchan Ajinomoto India, following a multi-agency pitch.

     

    As part of the mandate, the Dentsu Aegis Network media agency’s scope of work for its latest client will focus on launching the client’s Noodles brand directed towards youth and kids.

     

  • 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

    Vizeum launches Binary Consulting Service for digital transformation

    By A Correspondent

     

    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.

     

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

    Vizeum appointed AOR for TCL Corporation

    By A Correspondent

     

    Vizeum, the media agency from Dentsu Aegis network, has been appointed as the Media AOR for TCL Corporation. The agency won the account following a multi-agency pitch.

     

    TCL Corporation, a global corporate group focused on the production of smart products and the provision of online application services, has announced its entry into the Indian market with the launch of a range of Smartphones and Televisions through an exclusive tie up with Amazon.

     

    On a global footprint expansion mode, TCL is looking towards India as a strategic market with substantial growth opportunities in India. They will be launching a range of advanced technology oriented convergence products in the country. TCL looks forward to broaden the presence of its mobile Internet products designed for enhancing Indian consumer’s digital lifestyles.

     

    Commenting on the partnership with Vizeum, Praveen Valecha, Regional Director – TCL, said, “The agency has demonstrated deep understanding of the categories, with an offline and online integration for the launch, and we believe their ‘digital at its heart’ approach will help us in building a brand we look forward to partner with Vizeum in this journey of launching a comprehensive mobile and Television portfolio.”

     

    Amita Karwal, COO, Vizeum, on the partnership with TCL said, “Delighted to be given an opportunity to build a brand in a category where the market and consumer dynamics are changing continuously. We look forward to supporting the brand across all the marketing communication platforms.”

     

    Shripad Kulkarni, MD Vizeum added, “We are happy that TCL has chosen us as their AOR. We understand the challenges in scaling up in this category and are setting up a bespoke team comprising specialists across relevant Communication Platforms for TCL.”

     

    It is estimated that the marketing spends will be around Rs.35 Crores.

     

     

  • Horizon Media, the7stars, Zertem Communications Group, Media Italia, pilot, CoSpirit MediaTrack, Tre Kronor and Percept Media are among Local Planet's

    Leading independent media agencies join forces to form Local Planet

    By A Correspondent

     

    A consortium of the world’s leading independent media agencies have joined forces to launch Local Planet, a new global media agency network.

     

    At launch, Local Planet operates in over 40 markets across the world and includes Horizon Media in the U.S., the United Kingdom’s the7stars, Spain’s Zertem Communication Group, Italy’s Media Italia, Germany’s pilot, France’s CoSpirit MediaTrack, Sweden’s Tre Kronor and India’s Percept Media among its founder shareholder agencies.

     

    The Local Planet network will be lean, agile and devoted to client service and media solutions on the ground and is committed to providing its international clients with a level playing field in accessing international strategy, value, transparency, technology and talent.

     

    Martyn Rattle, formerly Global CEO of Vizeum and Global Chief Client Officer of Aegis Media, has been named Global CEO of Local Planet. Bill Koenigsberg, President, Founder and CEO of Horizon Media, the largest and fastest growing privately held media services agency in the world, has been named Chairman of the new network.

     

    All the main shareholder agencies’ founders and leaders will sit on the newly formed Local Planet Group Board, leveraging the talents and experience of some of the leading names in the media industry.

     

    “CoSpirit MediaTrack was a founder agency of Columbus Media International, a collective of highly respected and like-minded local, independent media agencies, sharing the same values and passion for providing clients with tailored, best-in-class, local media services and solutions,” said Florian Grill, Founder and CEO of CoSpirit MediaTrack, France and Board Director, Local Planet.

     

    “Market developments and the changing needs of international clients have inspired us to evolve the Columbus model.  We have, therefore, chosen an internationally experienced global CEO, supported by a senior network team, who will help us take the best of Columbus and create a genuine, globally competitive network that will appeal to a range of international clients who are looking for a different international agency partnership solution. We are, therefore, now launching Local Planet, a privately owned global media agency network, the only one of its kind”, said Jose Luis de Rojas, CEO, Zertem Communications Group, Spain and Board Director, Local Planet.

     

    “We know that many international marketers are looking for an alternative to the holding company model, a more agile and service oriented solution built around their specific needs, said Martyn Rattle, Global CEO of Local Planet. The shared experiences of starting successful independent agencies from scratch is an important factor behind Local Planet and its culture. Each one of Local Planet’s agencies has started, grown and succeeded by fighting for and on behalf of their clients.  We are now bringing that start-up, independent spirit to our global network. We are looking forward to working together with international clients in the pursuit of shared success.”

     

    The Local Planet model also allows it to offer its clients best-in-market, tailored technology and data solutions through its local and international partnerships, rather than offering a ‘one size fits all’ approach.

     

    The network agencies currently work with some of the world’s most recognisable brands, including Geico, Capital One, Nike, IKEA, Viacom, Pfizer, H&M and Kayak, among others.

     

  • Karwal has earlier worked with Zenith Optimedia, Initiative Media, DDB Mudra Max as well as Samsung and Reckitt Benckeiser

    Vizeum appoints Amita Karwal as COO, North & South

    By A Correspondent

     

    Vizeum, the media agency from the Dentsu Aegis Network, has roped in Amita Karwal as Chief Operating Officer, North and South. Karwal has worked with Zenith Optimedia, Initiative Media as well as Samsung and Reckit Benckiser. Prior to this, Karwal was executive vice president, North and East at DDB Mudra Max.

     

    Karwal will be responsible for heading all businesses in the North and South and will report to Shripad Kulkarni, Managing Director, Vizeum.

     

    Speaking on the appointment, Kulkarni said, “Currently, we are on an extremely strong growth trajectory, especially in Delhi, and Amita’s joining will bring in fresh momentum to this pace. Amita’s experience in leading the media marketing discipline for blue chip global brands Samsung and Reckitt Benckiser will add tremendous value to our clients business.”

     

    Karwal added, “Today Vizeum is ranked as the fastest growing media network in the world and I am extremely proud to be joining this network. Backed by the Dentsu Aegis network, I look forward to offering clients new-gen integrated solutions that will not only be futuristic but also clutter breaking.”

     

  • As Dentsu Aegis brings in the former Allied Media boss to head Vizeum, S Yesudas is to focus on content and analytics, but could well exit group

    Exit: S Yesudas, Enter: Shripad Kulkarni

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    The two are a study in contrasts. One, flamboyant, aggressive, very media-friendly, and the other a hardnosed planner, huge believer in research and statistics and understated.

     

    Ashish Bhasin

    The story goes that the office of Dentsu Aegis Network South Asia Chairman & CEO Ashish Bhasin was planning to make the news public only on Thursday, the day former Percept Allied Media CEO Shripad Kulkarni was to have joined the organisation. But, as it happened, exchange4media flashed the news mid-afternoon and the Dentsu PR office had to hurriedly put out the communiqué it was set to outbox today.

    S Yesudas, the marathon-runner and stylish outgoing CEO of Vizeum, is known to be among the most press-friendly media agency captains. The joke is that news on his account wins hit the media even before people in his organisation get to know about it. So even though it will never be known on how the news leaked to e4m, Bhasin, who was leaving for New Delhi on Wednesday evening, was reportedly livid.

    Vizeum may have been winning accounts at steady intervals, but Bhasin and the Vizeum worldwide bosses wanted the agency to take a different course. And being an old Carat Chief Operating Officer (Carat is Dentsu Aegis’s flagship media arm), Shripad Kulkarni, who was looking to exit Percept Allied Media, was a natural choice for the India office of the London-headquartered agency. While Yesudas was offered special projects to look at content and analytics, it was clear that he was evaluating options outside the group, including investors if he doesn’t find the right suitor.

     

    Kulkarni requested that he doesn’t want to be drawn into any conversation on the transition. “The sheer dynamism of Vizeum as a brand excites me,” said Kulkarni.

     

    When we spoke with Yesudas, he echoed what was stated in a Dentsu Aegis communiqué in terms of his role ahead. But then the story that comes out from e4m and that has been linked by him on his Facebook account says that he has quit Vizeum. Bhasin was gracious in his recognition of the work Yesudas had put in. “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,” he said in the communiqué.

     

    Both Kulkarni and Yesudas will report to Bhasin. Yesudas spoke to MxMIndia and indicated that he is considering options outside the group too. His Facebook post though said it all: “Friends, It has been an incredible 6 years with Vizeum India, starting the company from scratch with a laptop and 100 business cards, without any global clients or automatic alignments, we managed to carve out a niche for ourselves. ”

     

    And it added: “After two decades of media planning and buying which included setting up successful/ profitable businesses both in India and overseas, all those organisations going on to winning many awards and accolades, helping move many brands up the ladder and touching the lives of many a talents, I thought it was time for me to jump and develop my wings on the way, on two areas which I feel will hold immense potential for the future of brand-consumer connect, CONTENT and ANALYTICS. For those closer to the media business, SoV in my definition is Share of Vision and SoE is Share of Empathy, the former being brand to consumer and later the other way. Wish me all the best and watch this space for more action.”

     

    Kulkarni meanwhile has his work cut out for him. Vizeum may be doing well international as per RECMA ratings, but in India the qualitative assessement is in the negative.  With more than 30 years of experience across various media specialisations, Kulkarni was until last week, CEO of Percept Allied Media which he founded in 2006. An MBA from the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute, Mumbai, Kulkarni has worked in agencies like Contract, Clarion, Ogilvy and his own entrepreneurial venture called M:ideas. He serves on the Board of media research body MRUC.

     

    Commenting on the appointment, Bhasin said: “With the wealth of experience that Shripad brings in and the thorough knowledge of the business that he has, I am sure Vizeum India will touch new heights under his leadership.”  Some of the clients that Vizeum handles in India include BMW, Lotus Herbals, TI Cycles, MTV, Hindware, Jet Airways, Allied Blenders and Distillers, Luxor and the recently won HDFC Bank  amongst others.

     

  • The teaser was launched across a range of television channels wherein it carried snippets from the final TVC

    Vizeum executes Hindware’s new TVC launch

    By A Correspondent

     

    Vizeum has conceptulized and executed the new TVC for Hindware.

     

    Quite like a movie-promo-plan, Vizeum helped Hindware launch a teaser campaign two days prior to the final TVC roll-out. The teaser was launched across a range of television channels wherein it carried snippets from the final TVC.

     

    The final campaign featuring Shahrukh Khan was launched on the channel’s dance reality show ‘NachBalliye’ with the teaser embedded into the show-content. Before taking the commercial break, the host thoroughly discussed SRK’s new obsession and asked the viewers to stay-on to find out the whole story.Then the full TVC which was 75 seconds long was played out. Once the break retunred to the show, the host continued discussing with the judges about bathroom inspirations and in conclusion he said said, “Not only SRK, but the whole country could keep admiring bathrooms so stylish.”

     

    Speaking about the innovation, said V Krishnamurthy, VP, Marketing, HSIL Ltd, “This was our first campaign after signing on SRK and we wanted to ensure the launch of the TVC is conceptualized differently.  Working closely with our media agency, Vizeum, we managed to pull off something very different.  Congratulations to both the Hindware and Vizeum teams for making this happen.”

     

    Commenting on the execution, S Yesudas, Managing Director – Indian Subcontinent, Vizeum said, “It took a lot of coordination and efforts to pull this through.  Without an ever supportive client this would not have been possible.  I’m also thankful to the Star TV management for making this happen.  Congratulations to the entire Vizeum Team, led by Harsha Joshi for making this project a reality.”

     

     

  • HDFC Bank has a comprehensive nationwide distribution network covering 2,464 towns and cities with 4,014 Branches

    Vizeum is named media AoR for HDFC Bank

    By A Correspondent

     

    After adding various businesses like Hindware, Jet Privilege, VGP Universal Kingdom in quick succession over the last 2 months, Vizeum, the media agency from the Dentsu Aegis Network stable, has announced their appointment as the media AoR for HDFC Bank.

     

    HDFC Bank has a comprehensive nationwide distribution network covering 2,464 towns and cities with 4,014 Branches and 11,633 ATMs. With its customer centric focus, HDFC Bank has been constantly innovating in many areas and is looking at many new offerings and future growth. The appointment of Vizeum is seen to be in line with this.

     

    S Yesudas

    Commenting on the win, S Yesudas, Managing Director Indian Subcontinent, Vizeum said, “We are delighted with this win.  In a market cluttered with many “big” names, we launched Vizeum 5 years ago. We work with our undying spirit, passion and commitment on each of our clients who trust us with their precious resources. This I believe attracts others to us.  There cant be a better proof of our pudding.  Our clients are truly our ambassadors.  We are delighted with our partnership with HDFC Bank and will strive to add them to that list within a very short span. This business will be handled out of our Mumbai office by Samarjit Rajkumar, EVP, Vizeum and his able team”

     

     

  • JetPrivilege is one of the most robust and well managed loyalty and rewards programme in the country

    Vizeum awarded media duties of JetPrivilege

    By A Correspondent

     

    Vizeum has been appointed as the media AoR for Jet Privilege Pvt. Ltd (JPPL), a specialized loyalty and rewards management company. This comes close on the heels of their announcing last week that they had bagged the media mandate for Hindware.

     

    JetPrivilege is one of the most robust and well managed loyalty and rewards programme in the country. With over 100+ engaged programme partners across 10 categories, the JetPrivilege programme is constantly looking at opportunities as to how it can enrich the lives of its members and add value to all its programme partners. As JPPL is looking at growing its business innovatively, Vizeum has been brought on board as strategic consultants in the area of tangible consumer connections.

     

    Speaking of the appointment, Manish Dureja, Managing Director, JPPL, said “JetPrivilege is pleased to be associated with Vizeum, a leading global media agency and we are confident that they will add value to our business.”

     

    S Yesudas

    Commenting on the win, S Yesudas, Managing Director Indian Subcontinent, Vizeum said “It is an absolute honor for us to be working with a fast growing company like JetPrivilege. Vizeum is an experience-to-believe-it agency. Our DNA is to delight our clients. JPPL-Vizeum relationship is not limited to the core deliverables of a media agency. We are eager to add a lot more value to the overall business of the client.  This business will be handled out of our Mumbai Office under the leadership of Samarjit Rajkumar, Executive Vice President, Vizeum.”