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Tag: Wunderman Thompson

  • Redefines 'boldness' with brand ambassador Kartik Aaryan

    Wunderman Thompson launches new TVC for Doritos

    By Our Staff

     

    Doritos Chips has released a television commercial featuring brand ambassador Kartik Aaryan. The new campaign showcases ‘bold self-expression’ with tagline ‘For The Bold’.

     

    Said Ankit Agarwal, Associate Director, Brand Marketing – PepsiCo India: “At Doritos, we believe that today’s generation exemplifies bold self-expression like no other, and we aim to put this attitude at the heart of everything that we do. This campaign not just epitomizes this belief, but is also fun, fresh, and larger than life. We are confident that this new campaign will connect with the audience and encourage them to express themselves, in their own bold ways.”

     

    Discussing the campaign, Ritu Nakra, Senior Vice President, Wunderman Thompson, added: “With the tooth-rattling loud crunch of Doritos, we salute the courageous personality of the bold tribe. As the tagline “For the Bold” suggests, Doritos enables you to be you. Bite into Doritos along with Kartik and hear the loud satisfying crunch of this intensely flavoured corn chip as you enjoy this new campaign from the brand.”

     

  • Available in four variants with a non-sticky formulation

    WT unveils new range of Everyuth body lotions

    By Our Staff

     

    Skincare brand Everyuth Naturals has launched new range of body lotion with a maiden TVC campaign conceptualised by Wunderman Thompson.

     

    Commenting on the launch, the CEO of Zydus Wellness, Tarun Arora, said: “Everyuth Naturals is among the top facial skin cleansing brands in the country and a leader in the face scrubs and face masks segment. We are happy to extend our expertise in providing effective skincare leveraging natural ingredients in the new segment of Body Lotions. Everyuth Naturals now embarks on an exciting new phase where it has the scope to become a more holistic skincare brand.”

     

    Added Samarth Shrivastava, Senior Vice President & Executive Business Director, Wunderman Thompson Mumbai: “While conducting extensive consumer immersions, we came across two critical insights – unlike popular belief dry skin is not just a winter-only problem and second the young girls are peeved with the inadequacy of the current lotions that are usually either sticky or ineffective. The campaign brings alive the youthful and happy vibe of the brand that is refreshingly different in the clutter of category communication.”

     

  • The campaign has been conceptualised by Wunderman Thompson

    Kareena features in new Goodknight film

    By Our Staff

     

    Goodknight has partnered with Kareena Kapoor Khan for a new digital film to create awareness around mosquito-borne diseases like malaria and dengue. The film was showcased for the first time on Kareena’s Instagram account. Conceptualised by Wunderman Thompson Mumbai, the film features the actor in her original avatar- being concerned about her kids.

     

    Commenting on this collaboration, Sunil Kataria CEO – India and SAARC, Godrej Consumer Products Limited, said: “We are pleased to collaborate with Kareena Kapoor Khan for this awareness driven piece of communication which is credible and effective. Mosquito-borne diseases are currently surging across the country and what people don’t realise is that even one mosquito can be a threat to the family’s heath. Through this film, our intent is to reach out the masses across target groups and create awareness. Simultaneously highlight how Goodknight Gold Flash can help and empower households against mosquitoes. Apart from being one of India’s most followed and revered celebrity, Kareena symbolizes a commitment to ensure her family is healthy and protected. As a brand, we too share similar vision to ensure happy moments of families are protected uninterrupted.”

     

    Commenting on the film concept, Steve Priya, VPs & Executive Creative Directors, Wunderman Thompson Mumbai, added: “We’re all constantly aware of the invisible threat outside. And we will take every single precaution to stay protected for quite some time to come. But we forget that inside our homes too there’s a threat that’s constantly hiding. The dengue causing mosquito. And we may not even be able to spot it.We collaborated with one of India’s most loved and famous mom to create awareness and share our message of protection. To make sure that every home stays truly safe by switching on Goodknight every day.”

     

  • With the change in leadership, the last vestiges of a Thompson company in India blur into the distance, writes Prabhakar Mundkur

    Wunderman Thompson: Pinning the tail on the donkey

     

     

    By Prabhakar Mundkur

     

    Prabhakar MundkurSir Martin Sorrell when asked what he thought of the Wunderman-JWT merger had once used a euphemism in his characteristic style when he said: “So in a way, and I will probably be chastised for saying that, but Wunderman would be like pinning the tail on the donkey here.” Of course his comment was on the Indian market, where JWT was a giant and Wunderman a little, fledging marketing services agency. Unfortunately, many other markets faced the same situation.

     

    Thompsonites, which normally refers to JWT employees and alummi who are still very much in love with the agency, shed a few silent tears to mourn the merger three years ago. After all, JWT left a huge impression on the world – in fact often known as the University of Advertising.

     

    First established in 1864, no doubt old Commodore J Walter Thompson must have done a few backward flips in pain in his grave. It was not just the merger but the ignominy of it. I have always wondered if the Thompson employees in the merger felt like losers?

     

    Everyone knows that there are possibly only three alternatives to a post-merger branding situation.

     

    :: Adopt the name of the stronger brand for the merger. When US Airways merged with America West, its executives decided to retire America West. Made sense since US Airways was the stronger brand. Or when DHL acquired Airborne Express. Incidentally, I think JWT was the stronger brand in this particular case.

    :: Using the best of both brands. Wunderman Thompson falls in this category. But the first name of the double barrelled name, normally means that the first name is the horse they are backing. Considering the relative fame of JWT and Wunderman and their relative sizes it was a bit of a surprise to the Thompsonite. While using both the names is a good strategy, usually which names comes first also signifies that there is a winner and a loser. In the Wunderman Thompson case clearly JWT was the loser.

    :: The merger creates a new brand name and identity for the merged companies. Bell Atlantic’s merger with Nynex 2000 created Verizon for example.

     

    I think what irked most Thompsonites was the backbench given to their favourite agency.

     

    The redeeming feature of course was that given the relative sizes of JWT and Wunderman in India, the man incharge of the combined entity was Tarun Rai, earlier CEO of JWT, a deviation actually from the global formula where the merger was largely headed by the Wunderman chief. Thompsonites in India took some solace from that. But this fate has affected all the other great brand names in the WPP group as well. Y&R, Grey unfortunately have also had the short end of the stick. As a global rule, Mark Reed of WPP seems to have made the digital head the CEO of the merger. Has this preference or bias to do with the fact that Mark Reed himself was a Wunderman chief? Maybe.

     

    A number of marketers do claim that while digital is growing by leaps and bounds, it is having a detrimental impact on creativity. A study by Simzek in 2018 which surveyed more than 500 marketers around the world suggests that the industry is still struggling to nail the marriage of digital advertising and powerful creative work. I can’t help feeling that the Wunderman-JWT merger is likely to have impacted the overall creative quality of the new agency. In the larger quest for digital to deliver on measurability, the quality of creative has often been suspect.

     

    I have often also wondered how clients have reacted to the change over the last few years. My favourite clients Unilever, Kelloggs, to name a few, have always put good strategy and creative quality in the front. As an industry outsider now, I wonder how they are adjusting to the change.

     

    With Tarun Rai taking up another assignment within the network, the last vestiges of a Thompson company in India blur into the distance. I of course wish Wunderman Thompson and its new leader the very best for the future. But clearly all the remnants of my Thompson memory have been as brutally deleted as when you reformat a hard disk. And all the wonderful JWT memorabilia of yesteryears that I carried with me perhaps now has no real heir.

     

    I will give them a decent burial in my memory.

     

  • Tarun Rai to be Executive Director – Strategic Initiatives, APAC

    Wunderman Thompson shifts gears with Shamsuddin Jasani as CEO

     

    By Our Staff

     

    It’s been in the works for a bit, but it’s now official. Marketing services conglomerate WPP’s crown jewel Wunderman Thompson has appointed Shamsuddin Jasani as its Chief Executive Officer, South Asia effective November 1.

     

    Jasani, or Shams as he is called, set up Isobar in India in 2008, growing it from a two-person team to over 300-strong across South Asia and part of the Dentsu network. He will report directly to Ewen Sturgeon, CEO, International of Wunderman Thompson. Meanwhile, Tarun Rai, Chairman and Group CEO South Asia will become Executive Director Strategic Initiatives, APAC, effective January 1, 2022. He too will report to Sturgeon.

     

    The change of guard is significant as Wunderman Thompson was formed merging iconic advertising firm J Walter Thompson and Wunderman. If advertising industry veterans were shocked that Wunderman preceded Thompson in the name, Jasani taking charge of the agency is an indicator of the course the bosses want the agency to take. And appointing someone from outside the system is possibly another noteworthy act. Although Rai wasn’t exactly an insider (he worked with The Times of India group as head of World Wide Media publishers of Femina, Filmfare amongst others), he was part of what was JWT not too long ago. Jasani was of course a key member of Dentsu’s leadership team in India and is no stranger to advertising nitty gritty, helming an organisation with an agency of a legacy like JWT is going to be an ask. But those who know Jasani, say he will be able to essay that role with alacrity and take along the gods of the trade within the traditional advertising part of the business. Clearly, WPP wishes to make WT digitally first, and Jasani’s appointment will – if nothing else – help change the perception of the agency.

     

    Said Ewen Sturgeon, CEO, International, Wunderman Thompson on the changes: “We are pleased to have Shams join our Wunderman Thompson leadership, and believe he is the natural successor to continue propelling our South Asia business forward. We would like to thank Tarun for his leadership and efforts as Group CEO of South Asia, and are pleased that Tarun will continue his strategic guidance and support for the agency as he moves on to serve as our APAC Executive Director of Strategic Initiatives.”

     

    Added Shams: “It’s a great honour, but an even greater responsibility, to join such an iconic brand as Wunderman Thompson, with an amazing legacy. I am really excited to not only continue this legacy but to take it to greater heights with the combination of creative, Data, Commerce and Technology. I believe at Wunderman Thompson we have all the ingredients to be the partner of choice for the growth and transformation of brands and business in India.”

     

    And this is what Rai has said in a statement: “The last seven years have been very exciting and rewarding. The unprecedented changes in these years required nimble leadership. I also had the opportunity to lead the transition to our new company, Wunderman Thompson, which has a powerful mix of creativity and technology. I am extremely proud of our people and of our leadership team for their fantastic work through these years. We partner with some of the best clients in the industry and I value their friendship and support. I now look forward to stepping into my new role in an expanded geography.”

     

     

  • Considering that the Maharajah is a crucial part of the airline’s brand equity, Prabhakar Mundkur hopes he will be re-incarnated

    Air India Maharajah: An Anachronism or Timeless?

     

     

    By Prabhakar Mundkur

     

    Prabhakar MundkurThe tirade against the Maharajah is almost as old as that against the airline itself. The Air India top management, the aviation ministry and their new advertising agencies have been wanting to do away with the Maharajah for almost 30 years now. The agency HTA* that created him and nurtured him, even lost the Air India business after handling it for over half a century, maybe because they were the creators of the Maharajah.

     

    It is really a wonder he has survived this long. He doesn’t look the same, he doesn’t speak the same language that he spoke years ago when I handled the business, he has lost his unique sense of humour and wit, he is completely out of touch with current affairs, in fact he is a mere shadow of his former self and he might as well have been executed than allowed to linger like this on a ventilator. He was born on the corner of a letterhead, and he has gone back to being there, making me wonder if he might also be buried there.

     

    On Richard Nixon during Watergate

     

     

    Most people who have this point of view don’t understand that he is not just a Maharajah. He is a mascot who embodies the soul of Air India. Only his garb is that of an Indian prince. When he was conceived, he was meant to stand for everything that Air India stood for. Just like well-travelled Indian royalty that could speak authoritatively to both India and the world. Also, the Maharajah was not just the Maharajah. He took many shapes and forms disguised for the country he was meant to represent.

     

    Sawant, one of the Creative Directors at HTA who could draw the Maharajah in 15 seconds. was so inspiring that HTA once created a film, by making Sawant draw the Maharajah in real time, with a camera following his talented hands.

     

    K ‘Bobby’ Kooka, the Commercial Director of Air India, is once known to have said: “We call him a Maharajah for want of a better description. But his blood isn’t blue. He may look like royalty, but he isn’t royal.” Famous for having conceived the Maharajah along with Umesh Murdeshwar Rao of JWT in 1946, the Maharajah is one of the oldest mascots in the world. Kooka was later Chairman of Hindustan Thomspon Associates*) and watched the Maharajah and Air India advertising grow in stature and popularity.

     

    Ivan Arthur, earlier National Creative Director of JWT, and now educator and author, when asked about the Air India advertising, said: “Conceived as a letterhead design, the Maharajah broke the fetters of the line drawing and became flesh with a personality and DNA of his own: the double helix of gracious exotica. That DNA did not permit him to stand in the street corners of conventional media and tout his destinations like a cheap ticket salesman. His famous romps on those hoardings were not advertising. They were non-advertising: parlour talk, one-liner points of view, camaraderie, provocation and good humour, all of which did not ask you to buy an Air India ticket. In fact, in many of the hoardings, he refused to have the Air India logo as sign-off. He was the sign-off. He was no commercial mascot. He became a national figure. Much loved and respected.

     

     

    The Maharajah dies a 100 deaths

     

    Come the ’80s, however, frequent changes to the Chairman of Air India position resulted in the Maharajah dying a 100 deaths. Air India chiefs were keen to kill the Maharajah in lieu of something new and more contemporary. One such case was when in the late ’80s one Air India chief hired Landor, the well-known design firm, to redesign the logo of Air India in 1989. An airline identity change is one of the most expensive identity changes for any industry because it involves repainting all the aircraft, the livery, the ground vehicles and every signage in every country. But Air India went through all that bravely, eager to dump both the Centaur, which was their logo for the longest time and the Maharajah who was accused of not being in tune with the times. Rajan Jetley, then Managing Director of Air India, had said in defence of the new logo: “It is a public statement of change and a product exercise in the classic marketing sense.”

     

    Air India’s new identity created by Landor

     

    This was painted on the tail of the aircraft and the Boeing 747 Rajendra Chola became the first aircraft to carry the new logo and the livery. This facelift is known to have cost Air India $35 million back in 1989. But the public started questioning the change, immediately missing their familiar brand Air India. Questions were also raised in Parliament about the change of identity. But in spite of the identity change, the Maharajah seemed reluctant to leave the brand and its advertising. For every one person who didn’t want him, there was a loyal fan who wanted him back.

     

    Abolition of privy purses 1971

     

    Changing a brand’s identity is not an easy task. It is easy to say the Maharajah is an anachronism for those who don’t understand the Maharajah and the brand. Colonel Sanders who died in 1980 is still a part of the KFC logo. The Marlboro cowboy first made his appearance in 1954 while the cowboy era ended in 1885 at the end of the American Civil Revolution. They are not anachronisms. They are timeless just like the Maharajah. As Piyush Pandey, Chairman of Ogilvy is known to have said to Economic Times last week: “The Air India Maharaja stands for India. For any brand, any mascot, any logo, any identity is as meaningful as what they do with it.”

     

    With the Air India brand firmly with the Tatas, one wonders what the future of the Maharajah might be? Considering that the Maharajah is a crucial part of Air India’s brand equity and having worked on the brand, I can only hope that he will be re-incarnated.

     

    *now Wunderman Thompson

  • To launch Lucida – the super glossy range of laminates

    Wunderman Thompson films for CenturyLaminates

    By Our Staff

     

    Century Plyboards  has launched a new campaign for its new high gloss range of laminates, Lucida. Bengali actor Jisshu Sengupta features in the TVC. The campaign has been conceptualised and created by Wunderman Thompson and produced by Small Fry Productions and will be promoted across popular regional shows.

     

    Speaking on the new TVC, Keshav Bhajanka, Executive Director, CenturyPly said: “Lucida is the super glossy range of surface solutions from Century Laminates. This is in high demand among customers mainly due to its quality, dazzling shine, wide range of attractive colours and its ability to retain shine with time. Kitchen is a place where furniture surfaces are subject to heat, smearing of food ingredients, finger prints etc. This advertisement campaign conveys the core benefit of shine and retention of shine in a very warm manner, no matter what rough treatments the Lucida surfaces are subject to. The attempt here is to make kitchen surfaces synonymous with Lucida from Century Laminates.”

     

  • Launches a special Onam digital film to highlight Goodknight Gold Flash

    Wunderman Thompson films for Goodknight

    By Our Staff

     

    Goodknight has launched an Onam special digital film, showcasing celebrations in the new normal. The film also features Onam special edition pack of Goodknight Gold Flash, a liquid vapouriser with visible vapours. The campaign has been conceptualized and created by Wunderman Thompson Mumbai.

     

    Speaking about the digital film and the Onam special edition pack of Gold Flash, Sunil Kataria, CEO – India & SAARC, Godrej Consumer Products Limited (GCPL), said: “As the market leader in household insecticides, Goodknight has always enjoyed the trust of consumers in India. Goodknight provides assured protection against mosquitoes, to help create happy family moments. We believe in disrupting the category with innovative solutions that help meet our consumers’ needs. As one such endeavour, we are launching an Onam special digital film to be a part of festivities. The film also features the Onam special edition pack of Goodknight Gold Flash, being exclusively launched in Kerala. This is customized offering for the market and our aim is to further amplify the campaign with a digital film.”

     

    Commenting on the digital film, Steve Mathias and Priya Pardiwalla, Senior Vice Presidents and Executive Creative Directors, Wunderman Thompson, Mumbai, added: “As we celebrate Onam this year, we’ve still not returned back to 100% normalcy. Every family will have their own unique way of celebrating the festivities without losing out on the fun, while still staying safe. Our story is based on Vadam Vali (Tug of War), an event synonymous with Onam being played at home this year rather than stepping out. Staying indoors can keep you safe from harm to some extent. However, it is equally important that our loved ones stay fully protected even from mosquitoes that cause the much dreaded diseases like dengue and malaria whilst indoors.”

     

  • Part of its 'Chand Sa Roshan Chehra' campaign series

    Wunderman Thompson gets Anushka and Virat & Lux

    By Our Staff

     

    Unilever brand Lux has roped in power couple Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli for its latest film, as part of its ‘Chand Sa Roshan Chehra’ campaign series. Conceptualised by Wunderman Thompson South Asia, the campaign continues to build on the proposition of ‘skin glow’, from a modern and socially relevant standpoint.

     

    Said Sagar Mahabaleshwarkar, Chief Creative Officer, Contract India: “The idea here was to bring the magic back to the brand by giving a sneak into celebrities lives. The constant effort is to make the story real to the celeb’s life and bring out the chemistry between a man and a woman. The story is simple where the man is mesmerised by her glow which is possible because of Lux soap.”

     

    Added Severine Vauleon, Global Vice President, Lux: “The challenge given to the team was to relaunch Lux and communicate the benefit of moonlit glow by giving the brand a fresh perspective which is modern and culturally relevant. Whilst there was a brand story to be told, we wanted to narrate it in an engaging manner. And to do so for audiences across regions, nothing better than leveraging popular culture with multiple language songs which depict ‘moonlit glow’ that’s compared a woman’s beauty to the moon.”

     

    Said Kishore Tadepalli,  Managing Partner and Senior VP, Wunderman Thompson, Mumbai: “This film is part of the campaign conceptualized by Wunderman Thompson South Asia, where the agency explored the thought of creating a locally tailored campaign for multiple regions within the country with multilingual songs, that brought alive the brand’s proposition of comparing a woman’s beauty to the moon, an oft used metaphor in Indian cinema.”

     

  • To support women and non-binary business founders

    Wunderman Thompson launches Fund Femme

    By Our Staff

     

    Wunderman Thompson has launched Fund Femme, a new global database of women and non-binary owned businesses, to help tackle the gender inequality in the economy. A core part of the platform’s mission is to celebrate and promote femme founders, tell their stories and establish support networks for business owners via an editorial hub on the website and designated Instagram @FundFemme.

     

    Said Oriel Irvine Wells, Co-Founder of Fund Femme and Copywriter at Wunderman Thompson UK: “Our economy does not represent us, and that needs to change. By giving businesses owned by women and non-binary people a platform, we hope to make people more aware of the many amazing founders out there who are often overlooked. By thinking more about who we support when we spend our money and changing our shopping habits to reflect this, we can create genuine, long-lasting change and bring our economy back into balance.”

     

  • Launches Century Promise app to protect customers against fake plywood

    Wunderman Thompson films for CenturyPly

    By Our Staff

     

    CenturyPly boards has announced the launch of Century Promise app. The advertisement is conceptualised and created by Wunderman Thompson and produced by SVF Brands. The film features actors Rajat Kapoor and June Malia.

     

    Speaking on the initiative Sanjay Agarwal, Managing Director, CenturyPly said: “ While CenturyPly has always been innovative in terms of developing new products, this time our focus was to channelize this innovation to consumer’s knowledge and awareness about safety of his money. It is alarming to see the rise of so many counterfeit plywood in the market. Gullible customers cannot differentiate between authentic and fake plywood and pay huge amounts on fake ones. With launch of Century Promise app, we truly say to customers ‘Raho Befikar’ as they can now make right informed decision while purchasing quality plywood.”

     

     

  • Highlights in-home experiences for consumers with message 'Ghar Par Lay's, Always'

    Lay’s launches new TVC

    By Our Staff

     

    Lay’s chips has launched a new TVC with actor Ishaan Khatter. It highlights the message of ‘Ghar Par Lay’s, Always!’ The brand has introduced these new packs in line with the continued demand and relevance of in-home experiences for consumers across the country.

     

    Speaking about the new launch and the TVC, Ishaan Khatter said: “Lay’s has been etched in my memory since childhood. It is the go-to snack when hanging out with friends or family & the new ‘@ Home’ packs further solidify that feeling. I hope the fans enjoy the TVC and also ensure that they have ‘Ghar Par Lay’s, Always!’”.

     

    Sharing his thoughts, Anshul Khanna, Senior Director, Marketing – Foods, PepsiCo India added: “We at Lay’s continue to be laser-focused on elevating everyday moments in the lives of our consumers. Our latest campaign, ‘Ghar Par Lay’s, Always!’ captures the many in-home moments that people are experiencing today – be it working from home or hanging out with friends. Through our first-ever association with Ishaan Khatter – who represents the spirit of the youth today, we aim to deepen our consumer connect through the relatable moments captured in the TVC. We sincerely hope consumers enjoy these newly-launched, special in-home packs and make them a part of their experiences”.

     

    Added Ritu Nakra, WPP Lead – PepsiCo Foods at Wunderman Thompson: “Right now, the world is at home. Be it remote working, watching a movie or two, hanging out with friends, weekend outings – we are doing all this and more in the comfort of our own homes. And it’s only fair to make these occasions more joyous and delightful by making India’s most loved snack brand – Lay’s – an integral part of our ‘at home’ lifestyle. As our spots say ‘Ghar Par Lay’s, Always!’”.