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Tag: WPP

  • Passport is a leading brand design agency based in Southern California

    WPP acquires branding agency Passport

    By Our Staff

     

    WPP has announced the acquisition of Passport Brand Design, a leading brand design agency based in Southern California.

     

    Said Eric Campbell, VMLY&R Global President: “Our ambitions for network growth reflect the best-in-class range of capabilities we continually offer our clients. This move will expand our network’s brand design expertise, which is essential in determining how brands visually show up in compelling new ways in the world and build a connected consumer experience.”

     

    Added Natalie Taormina, CEO of Passport: “It is a great honour to join a global team of passionate branding and business experts. Nearly twenty years ago, we founded Passport on the mission that great creative output is a result of a great team connection and respect. When the agency is happy, the client is happy. VMLY&R shares this ethos, and with the strength of its global network and WPP’s vision, Passport intends to continue that mission.”

     

    Said Mark Read, CEO of WPP: “With consumer expectations at an all-time high, defining a brand’s characteristics and identity has a major impact on its ability to succeed in today’s world. Passport brings extensive experience in delivering strategic positioning and creative execution across all touchpoints that will greatly benefit our clients. I’m delighted to welcome its people to WPP.”

     

  • The agency will join WPP's Hill+Knowlton Strategies to create large presence in Latin America

    WPP acquires JeffreyGroup

    By Our Staff

     

    WPP today announces the acquisition of JeffreyGroup, independent corporate communications, public affairs, and marketing consulting firms in Latin America.

     

    JeffreyGroup will join the Hill+Knowlton Strategies international network and will create the largest global communications agency presence in Latin America, doubling Hill+Knowlton Strategies’ footprint in the region. Headquartered in Miami, with 330 people across offices in Mexico City, Brasilia, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Buenos Aires, JeffreyGroup has been a powerhouse in Latin America for nearly three decades.

     

    AnnaMaria DeSalva, Global Chairman and CEO of Hill+Knowlton Strategies, said: “I’ve admired JeffreyGroup since my early days as one of its clients, and I’m delighted to welcome it and its employees into the Hill+Knowlton and WPP families. Latin America is one of the most dynamic communication markets today, offering a growing scope of talent and innovation. Our combination with JeffreyGroup creates step change opportunities and I’m excited about what we’ll be able to achieve together.”

     

    Jeffrey Sharlach, Founder and Chairman of JeffreyGroup, added: “The success of JeffreyGroup over the past 30 years in Latin America has been due in large part to our ability to evolve and adapt in a dynamic region of the world with diverse conditions, customs, and cultures. Joining forces with WPP and Hill+Knowlton is an exciting step forward in this evolution and opens up a world of resources for our clients and opportunities for our hundreds of employees.”

     

    Mark Read, CEO of WPP, said: “WPP’s public relations and communications services have never been more in-demand. Our clients want agile partners who can help them navigate today’s complex world and create the right spaces to tell their stories. Latin America continues to be an important growth market for our clients, and JeffreyGroup will strengthen our established presence in the region and bring deep-rooted experience of delivering tailored communications strategies that resonate with audiences.”

     

  • To consolidate the performance organisation

    GroupM Nexus appoints senior leadership in APAC

    By Our Staff

     

    GroupM, WPP’s media investment group, has unveiled a roster of C-suite appointments in Asia Pacific (APAC) who will lead the regional transformation of GroupM Nexus, a global performance organisation that unites the network’s performance talent and technologies into one single outfit.

     

    Arshan Saha
    Arshan Saha

    GroupM Nexus APAC leadership appointments comprise Arshan Saha, CEO of GroupM Nexus APAC (formerly CEO of Xaxis & Specialty Businesses APAC), Jon Thurlow, COO of GroupM Nexus APAC (this is an additional appointment to his corporate remit as COO of GroupM APAC), Deepika Nikhilender, CEO of Xaxis APAC (formerly Senior Vice President of Xaxis APAC) andBrett Poole, CEO of Finecast APAC & AUNZ (formerly Managing Director of Finecast Australia).

     

    Said Saha: “GroupM Nexus is a cross-channel performance-led organisation that unites our expertise in service excellence, AI-technology and the most advanced solutions. This is the future of marketing, and we are poised to offer our clients and agencies the most powerful performance engine that will accelerate their growth. I’m honoured to be working alongside some of the world’s best specialists at GroupM Nexus to collectively cultivate a better media ecosystem.”

     

  • The launch was planned with Mindshare and WPP's agenda on "marrying creativity and tech"

    Mindshare conceptualises Volvoverse launch

    By Our Staff

     

    Mindshare India has conceptualised and enabled a electric vehicle (EV) launch in the Metaverse, for Volvo Cars called Volvoverse. This is the first-of-its-kind collaboration on Metaverse across WPP India agencies. Mindshare collaborated with other WPP agencies including Hogarth, Yonder, Grey, and Genesis BCW to deliver Volvoverse.

     

    Said Amin Lakhani, CEO – Mindshare South Asia: “We at Mindshare strive to provide our clients with tech-enabled, creative branding solutions. The concept behind launching the XC40 Recharge in the Metaverse was to launch the EV in a sustainable ecosystem following the vision of Volvo. The Metaverse is evolving the Internet by bringing people closer. Using virtual worlds, we are looking to reach out to maximum audiences. We are excited to do the first-ever EV launch in the Metaverse with a campaign that appeals to our audience in an exciting new environment which is the first of its kind.”

     

    Added Jyoti Malhotra, MD – Volvo Car India: “Volvo has always been on the forefront of innovation and technology and we as a company are also globally known for our commitment to sustainability. The launch of the XC40 Recharge on the metaverse platform is a pioneering moment leveraging digital technology in the marketing sphere. The metaverse launch also contributes to our sustainability mission as it leaves a negligible carbon footprint as compared to conventional launches.”

     

    Said Gopikaa Davar, CEO – Hogarth India: “Hogarth is committed to reach Net Zero by 2030, and we are excited to partner with Mindshare & Volvo on a project, which brings together both our focus areas of sustainable production and the metaverse. Launching an electric vehicle in the virtual world is only befitting as a conscious alternative to a physical event where an average conference attendee would have produced around 170kgs of CO2 emission in a one-day event.* This is a great example where weall are reducing and mitigating the environmental impact by using virtual studios and green screen shoots as a driving force, removing the need for location shoots and events (reduces carbon footprint) and maximising the utilisation of the content we capture.”

     

  • Design Bridge and Superunion will merge to create a single design company in January 2023

    WPP creates Design Bridge and Partners

    By Our Staff

     

    To be called Design Bridge and Partners

     

    WPP has announces the creation of a new company, Design Bridge and Partners, formed by the merger of Design Bridge and Superunion. It will launch in January 2023. John Morris, currently CEO of Design Bridge, will take on the role of CEO of the new global business, in partnership with Jim Prior, currently CEO of Superunion, as Chair.

     

    The move follows the combining/merging of other WPP agencies to create AKQA Group, BCW, EssenceMediacom, VMLY&R, Wunderman Thompson and most recently FGS Global

     

    The two agencies will continue to operate as separate entities until the end of the year and the structure and market-facing brands of the new company will be assessed in each market over the coming months based on client and local needs. The full management team and creative leadership will be announced in due course, comprising current leaders from Design Bridge and Superunion.

     

    Said John Morris, CEO of Design Bridge and Partners:  “It’s absolutely fantastic to be able to bring together two creative powerhouses in design. Marrying the ‘best of both’, Design Bridge and Partners will be truly formidable, offering greater benefit for our clients through shared expertise and, importantly, many more opportunities for our people to grow.”

     

    Added Mark Read, CEO of WPP: “Design Bridge and Partners will be a leader in design and an important part of our simpler, future-facing client offer. Formed from two successful companies in Design Bridge and Superunion, it will create new growth opportunities both for our people and our clients.”

     

  • With Metaverse stand up show

    Ogilvy rolls out event to celebrate 50 years of Eno

    By Our Staff

     

    GSK Consumer Healthcare antacid brand Eno has completed 50 years in India. As part of the celebration, it has created a stand-up comedy event in the metaverse.

     

    The campaign was a joint-effort of Team WPP. ENO’s creative partners Ogilvy conceptualised and created the theme of the event, the creative roll-out strategy and the design. Genesis BCW co-created the branded content with the comics and ran the internal communications. The metaverse experience itself was powered by PartyNite.

     

    Said Anurita Chopra Chief Marketing Officer, India Sub Continent at GSK Consumer Healthcare India:  “We are very proud to celebrate ENO’s 50 years in India, adding to the legacy of one the most iconic and loved brands in the country. It is a brand that has always been about pushing the boundaries of communication and becoming a real wingman for the everyday acidity sufferer. Celebrating this in the Metaverse is a preview of the next 5 decades, as the brand continues to remain relevant, contemporary and full of life. The brand has always been about pushing the boundaries of connecting with its vast consumer base, spread across rural and urban India. We have been leaders in digital content creation, and the comedy genre is not just in sync with the brand, but also helps build unique allyship with the consumer.”

     

    Added Ritu Sharda, Chief Creative Officer, Ogilvy North: “A brand completing 50 years is no ordinary feat. So, when ENO turned 50 we knew we had to make the celebrations extraordinary. Instead of looking for the perfect place for the occasion, we ended up creating one. And so, ‘Plateful of Laughs’, India’s first stand-up comedy event inside the metaverse, came into existence. We had partners across functions like tech and PR working in complete synergy to create a cutting-edge metaverse experience. In collaboration with some of the most sought-after names in the comedy circuit, we created an experience that was truly out of this world.”

     

    Said Deepshikha Dharmaraj, CEO, BCW India Group:  “A huge congratulations to GSK Consumer Healthcare and brand ENO on this commendable milestone. It has been our privilege to be part of that journey for over a decade and to see the brand grow as a household favourite for wellness. The ‘Plateful of Laughs’ event is both, a celebration of that legacy as well as an overture to a new set of audiences through the metaverse. For us, that means an opportunity to showcase our earned-plus offer, with the comedy talent provided by The Outstanding Speakers’ Bureau and integrated communications across traditional and digital platforms. The metaverse is the new frontier for communications and together with our WPP partners and GSK Consumer Healthcare, I am sure we will be able to move people for ENO.”

     

  • New offering to help organisations in India lead with corporate social purpose

    BCW India & Whitekettle Consulting launch CSP+

    By Our Staff

     

    BCW India Group, the WPP-owned communications group and WhiteKettle Consulting, a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) firms that partners corporate, civil society and government to create sustainable social development and CSR interventions, has announced the launch of CSP+, a new offering to help companies in India lead with purpose.

     

    CSP+ will help organizations integrate their brand purpose into their DNA and deliver on it, including through management, impact measurement and stakeholder engagement to build stronger purpose-focused equity. This offering will leverage research, data analytics, creativity and innovation to deliver impact for clients across their stakeholder audiences.

     

    “Organizations today need to create long-term values and profitability through engagement with all stakeholders,” said Deepshikha Dharmaraj, Chief Executive Officer, BCW India Group. “Purpose helps align an organisation’s values and strategy to a shared vision. With CSP+, we give our clients a framework to move people with their purpose and encourage them to think differently, feel deeply and act with urgency.”

     

    Added Rama Iyer, Founder, WhiteKettle: “Purpose goes beyond the mandated two percent CSR spends. It spans and unites all of the stakeholders of a company. The CSP+ framework supports organisations with strategies and interventions no matter where they are in their purpose journey, whether they are just starting out or looking to scale up their impact.”

     

  • Campaign has been conceptualised by Contract

    Rajkumar Rao to promote Lendingkart as brand amb

    By Our Staff

     

    Lendingkart, the fintech platform, announced Rajkumar Rao as its first brand ambassador. This is to  engage with MSMEs in India to expand their ventures.

     

    The campaign has been conceptualized by WPP’s Contract Advertising, where the thought is pegged in the insight based on the idea that for many things in life, there are conflicting choices and can put oneself in a dilemma. But for a few things, the choice is clear, such as business loans equal only Lendingkart.

     

    Commenting on the campaign, Harshvardhan Lunia, Founder & CEO & at Lendingkart said: “We are delighted to have Rajkummar on board for our first-ever integrated brand campaign. Rajkummar has started his journey from grassroots and made a mark in the film industry. He is the perfect ambassador for us in our journey to simplify MSME financing. We clicked well together right in the first meeting we had. As the digital economy grows, it is imperative to spread awareness about digital business loans being available at fingertips. Lendingkart is playing a major role in bridging the credit gap that MSME sector faces. It is great that we have a friend in Rajkummar now”

     

  • To bring addressable TV advertising to advertisers

    GroupM launches Finecast

    By Our Staff

     

    GroupM, the media investment group of WPP, has announced the launch of Finecast in India, a first-to-market addressable TV service that enables advertisers to target households with relevant TV ads across multiple TV channels, pay-TV platforms and set-top boxes, a range of video on demand (VOD) services, over-the-top (OTT) providers, and game consoles.

     

    Said Prasanth Kumar, CEO, South Asia, GroupM: “As the largest media advertising company in the world, GroupM is able to create the scale of partnerships required to find relevant audiences in the fragmented TV landscape. With Finecast, we have partnered the top content providers, broadcasters, platforms and data providers in India to build this market that will inevitably add more value to GroupM’s clients in India.”

     

  • As part of WPP's global transformation journey

    WPP launches Global Engineering Centre in Chennai

    By Our Staff

     

    WPP has announced the launch of a new Global Engineering Centre (GEC) in Chennai, India. The centre will play a role in further strengthening WPP’s global service offering, by partnering resilient, industry-leading technology and skills with creative brilliance.

     

    Mark Read
    Mark Read

    Speaking on the launch, Mark Read, CEO – WPP said: “The pandemic has caused a fundamental shift in the way most businesses operate. Technology, now more than ever, is the primary driver of growth, and will be critical to help us build back not just better – but best. WPP is genuinely invested in growing our presence in India and increasing our focus on recruiting highly skilled talent at a local level – not only in our creative industries but also in the technology industry. Our new WPP colleagues in Chennai will play a pivotal role in further developing our technology offering – and will have the unique opportunity to work together with colleagues in an industry that has the power to create positive change at scale. Something I’m very excited about.”

     

    CVL Srinivas
    CVL Srinivas

    Added CVL Srinivas, Country Manager, India, WPP: “India is already playing a major role in WPP’s transformation with over 4000 people working across several global Technology COEs. The GEC will add to this talent pool and help us scale technology across our global company. We are excited to welcome our colleagues in Chennai.”

     

  • Mindshare, Wavemaker and MediaCom achieve the Top 3 agency rankings

    GroupM ranked No 1 in net new business in APAC & LATAM

    By Our Staff

     

    GroupM, WPP’s media investment group, has been ranked highly in the 2021 new business report issued by COMvergence, the independent and international research bureau measuring the performance of major global ad and media agencies. The study, which ranks GroupM first in net new business in both Asia Pacific and Latin America, reports $11.5 billion in total wins and retentions by GroupM agencies globally in 2021.

     

    As per a press release issued by GroupM, its wins and retentions in 2021 were the highest in the industry overall and nearly double its total wins and retentions for 2020. Among agency networks, Mindshare, Wavemaker, and MediaCom dominate the top three rankings respectively in Asia Pacific.

     

    Of GroupM’s top three markets, two were in APAC – China with $2.1 billion in growth and India with $1.2 billion – as the group finished first by a wide margin in one of the world’s fastest growing regions. Additionally, the U.S. saw $2.3 billion in growth last year, a 37% increase over 2020’s totals.

     

    Said Christian Juhl, GroupM’s Global CEO: “COMvergence’s report speaks to the strength and momentum of our business,” “Our commitment to responsibility is resonating strongly in the global marketplace. We’re growing the fastest where it matters most, with the right partners, in the right markets, with clients that share our vision for making advertising a force for good in the world. I’m grateful to our teams for the hard work they put into making 2021 a record-breaking year for us and to our clients for the faith and trust they put in us to help them achieve their business goals.”

     

    Added Elizabeth McCune, GroupM’s Global Chief Growth Officer: “Last year was the busiest ever for our industry on the new business front,” “In an especially demanding year, GroupM not only demonstrated that we are the most compelling new solution for global brands committed to responsibility and innovation in media and marketing, but we also retained more business from our existing clients than any other group.”

     

  • Digital will be the largest medium, taking up 45% marketshare in 2022

    GroupM forecast for 2022: 22.2% AdEx growth

     

     

    By Our Staff

     

    WPP-owned media investment conglomerate GroupM has  announced its  advertising expenditure (AdEx) forecasts for 2022. As per the GroupM futures report ‘This Year, Next Year’ (TYNY) 2022, the adspends are estimated to reach 107,987crs in 2022. This represents the estimated growth of 22% for the calendar year 2022. India will be the fastest-growing market among the top 10 global markets and retains its 9th rank in 2022, as per the report. See GroupM TYNY2022 deck.

     

    Commenting on the TYNY 2022 report, Prasanth Kumar, CEO, GroupM South Asia said, “The pandemic has pushed the envelope towards digital and has hence topped the pie, with advertisers keen to explore more of it. Ecommerce and Telco will drive the economy, we also expect FMCG and auto to slowly catch up and contribute towards this growth.”

     

    Added Tushar Vyas, President – Growth and Transformation, GroupM South Asia: “With the pivot to digital by consumers and companies alike, digital emerges as the largest medium in 2022 with an estimated share of 45%.  Digital is estimated to grow by 33% in 2022. As digital capabilities enhance and connectivity becomes omnipresent, technology will further poise and change almost every sector of India’s economy.”

     

    Said Parthasarathy Mandayam, Chief Strategy Officer, GroupM South Asia: “With consumers gravitating towards themes like sustainability and sensitivity, brands are adapting rapidly, and media has the power to lead this change. Flexible, specialist and distributed teams are the order of the day and this trend will be further enhanced with the arrival of 5G. The emphasis on performance marketing has further accelerated and is at the very core of marketing. Intelligent & responsible leverage of first-party data will be critical for brands & marketers in driving this.”

     

    Said Atique Kazi, President – Data, Performance & Digital Products, GroupM India: “Marketers will have to bring together innovation, intelligence and integration in their strategy to win on Digital. In 2022; we will also see addressable TV coming to India in some scalable form and connected tv surge with smart TV sales and new fibre/broadband connections will be on the rise. Focusing on eCommerce, performance marketing, outcome-based media and addressable data is winning formula in 2022.”

     

    Added Sidharth Parashar, President – Investments & Pricing, GroupM India: “While digital is set to take the larger pie, we are expecting a noteworthy revival for OOH & cinema too after a tough period. Advertising on e-commerce, the rise of influencers and short format videos along with OTT has witnessed growth in 2021, which would continue in 2022.”

     

    Said Ashwin Padmanabhan, President – Partnerships & Trading, GroupM India: “The rapid digital transformation of companies, brands and the way they connect with consumers is reflected in the global advertising spends as well as the way even traditional media is expanding with their digital extensions. India in 2022 will see a rapid manifestation of these Global trends and thus fundamentally altering the media industry.”