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Category: MAM

  • Cadbury Dairy Milk sets out initiative for MCA ground staff

    Cadbury Dairy Milk sets out initiative for MCA ground staff

    Mumbai: As the country gears up for the much-awaited cricket season, chocolate brand Cadbury Dairy Milk has partnered with Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) to celebrate and support the often-unnoticed heroes of the league, the ground staff. 

    This season, the brand has become the official sponsor for the ground staff, and as a part of this initiative, it introduced efforts focused on treating the ground staff at par with the cricketers. “This includes best-in-class travel, accommodation, taking care of their nutritional needs, and providing customised jerseys designed by renowned fashion designer Masaba Gupta, throughout the season,” according to the statement.

    The brand has also extended its collaboration with Mumbai Indians as the official ‘goodness partner’ supporting the initiative.  

    Speaking about the initiative, Mondelez India VP of marketing Anil Viswanathan said they want to support and bring forth stories of these members who tirelessly work behind the scenes. “We hope our initiative acts as a springboard and spreads the message of acknowledging the unacknowledged,” he added.

    “Building further on our generosity platform, this cricketing season we are proud to celebrate the team of ground staff. We are grateful to have them as our team,” stated Ogilvy India chief creative officer Sukesh Nayak.

    “The ground staff are the unsung heroes of cricket, so it was only fair that we now acknowledged the heroes behind this massive event,” commented Wavemaker India’s national director – sports and entertainment partnerships Jigar Rambhia. “The biggest challenge for us, however, was to ensure that they get their dues, while cricket & the players continue to be at the center of this event.”

    “To do this we decided to acknowledge their efforts, where they sweat it out the most, their grounds. From recognising them off-screen to recognising them on screen, we aim to give the people of India a glimpse into the lives of the ground staff, so that when they watch cricket next, they celebrate, both: on-screen and off-screen heroes,’’ he added.  

    “Acknowledging the real heroes behind the scenes is a very generous gesture. Mumbai Cricket Association is delighted to be a part of this never done before heart-warming activity for the ground staff at Wankhede stadium,” the MCA spokesperson highlighted.

  • GUEST COLUMN: How talent agencies bridge gaps between brands and celebrities

    GUEST COLUMN: How talent agencies bridge gaps between brands and celebrities

    Mumbai: Celebrity endorsements saw a 44 per cent rise in 2021 as opposed to 2020, according to the data released by AdEx India, a division of TAM Media Research. As per the report, 27 per cent of the overall ad volume share on TV were celebrity endorsements last year while the remaining 73 per cent were non-celebrities ads. Of this, film stars together added more than 80 per cent share of advertising during 2021 followed by sports persons and TV stars that added 13 per cent and three per cent share respectively.

    Balancing the interests of a brand and a celebrity can be challenging to such a large extent that sometimes a collaboration that may on paper look most organic would not necessarily materialise. This is where the expertise of the agencies comes into play to bridge the gap between the brand and the celebrity.  Whilst there is no right answer to this or not even a straight answer to this question, the right approach is to break down the questions: what is the brand looking for, and which celebrity is currently best aligned with this ideology? In simple words how do they both benefit from this association?

    There are various factors to consider in a proposition like this that lead to a successful collaboration ranging from price points to organic compatibility to rebranding and both the brand and the celebrity need to be dealt with sensitively on each point.

    The biggest advantage today is that brands have understood that there is no standardised price point in today’s dynamic entertainment landscape. Each deal has different deliverables and hence standard prices will never work. The biggest reason why standard prices will not work is the ever-changing brand equity of an artist. The artist should have the liberty to change their price points as and when they want. And honestly, brands understand this aspect as for them also it’s all about ROI – so they know before investing what is the worth of the celebrity they are signing.

    Endorsements are also becoming extremely dynamic, it is not only limited to ambassadors or large advertising campaigns but are changing their landscape with the influx of time spend on social media. Ecom-media/ent/social media as a category saw the maximum celebrity from different profession endorsed brands under it. The category ran ads featuring over 44 celebrities. This was followed by ecom-gaming with 40 celebrities. Edible oil and building materials/systems category tied at the third place with 25 celebrities while aerated soft drink claimed the fifth spot with 20 celebrities under its belt as per the TAM report.

    The process will always remain the same, the core concept behind any deal will usually never differ. The only difference would be turnaround times between the ranges of celebrities when we close our campaigns and the price points that would depend on the brand equity that they bring to the table; the higher the brand equity of the celebrity, the higher the price point. This is in no way a reflection of their importance for the deal or the brand but simply to find the perfect fit for the brief. They all have a role to play – it’s just the reach and popularity that play a huge role in determining prices.

    Having said this, every endorsement deal starts with the basics, there is no set formula or standard brief to attach the right celebrity to the brand and its message and ethos. Transparency on all fronts is key in making sure that neither the brand nor the celebrity gets the shorter end of the stick, be it from what each party needs and wants and trying not to compromise but understanding the brief so well that everyone wins. An honest conversation with both parties will always get the job done. 

    (About Author: Sonya V Kapoor and Amrita Mendonza are M5 Entertainment founders)

  • GOQii launches health metaverse in partnership with Animoca Brands

    GOQii launches health metaverse in partnership with Animoca Brands

    Mumbai: Fitness technology company GOQii Inc on Tuesday announced that it has raised $10 million in an extended series C equity round of funding from Animoca Brands. GOQii will collaborate with the venture capital company and its ecosystem companies and projects to develop various offerings that leverage blockchain tokens and gamification in preventive healthcare.

    GOQii’s metaverse ecosystem will be powered by a virtual token programme, the Token. Consumers will receive the virtual token, which powers the GOQii metaverse ecosystem that incentivises healthy behaviours and gamified fitness actions. These tokens can then be used to unlock products, services, purchase NFTs, participate in special events and game modes, and access curated and discounted health-focused goods, medical services, and insurance products, said the company in a statement.

    “We are excited to onboard Animoca Brands to the GOQii journey,” GOQii founder and CEO Vishal Gondal commented. “Animoca Brands is one of the most prestigious names when it comes to gamification and blockchain. Web 3.0 is going to change the way companies interact with consumers. This investment from Animoca Brands and the close partnership will help GOQii bring best-of-class products to consumers and further keep them motivated to #betheforce in their journey of fitness.”

    Animoca Brands is a global player in gamification and blockchain with an extensive portfolio of over 170 investments in NFT-related companies and decentralised projects contributing to building the open metaverse.

    “Animoca Brands is delighted to invest in GOQii and support its mission to make people healthier,” Animoca Brands executive chairman and co-founder Yat Siu said. “GOQii has built a platform that leverages the power of gamification to make the preventive healthcare journey enjoyable for the masses, and we look forward to leveraging its synergies with OliveX and other companies in our portfolio.”  

    GOQii recently announced a $50 million series C round which included participation from investors including Sumeru Ventures, Modality (Digality), 9 Unicorns, Venture Catalysts, and others. The funding from Animoca Brands comes in the form of an extended series C fund raise. Its existing investors include Mitsui, funds managed by MegaDelta, DSG Consumer Partners, Galaxy Digital, Denlow Investment Trust, Edelweiss, Cheetah Mobile, and GWC, among others.

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  • Viral Fission’s content arm Studio TBH partners with Mumbai Indians

    Viral Fission’s content arm Studio TBH partners with Mumbai Indians

    Mumbai: Viral Fission’s content arm Studio TBH has announced its collaboration with Mumbai Indians. This partnership aims to engage with the gen-z audience through relatable, wholesome, and trendy content on Instagram.

    “Mumbai Indians is already known as the most digitally active IPL franchise. With this move, the team is driving engaging reels all across Instagram. From ‘Dil Chahta Hai’ musical parodies to alternate endings of Bollywood films if IPL was on, the studio has a content lineup to look forward to,” said the statement. 

    Studio TBH creative director Shreya Nair is very excited about the collaboration as she said, “With Mumbai as our home ground, there was an instant connection and fun that became a part of our creation process, paving the way for us to build a content lineup, which we are looking forward to.” 

    The videos are produced, shot, and edited by studio TBH’s crew on a real-time basis during the IPL season, by tracking the ongoing match schedule, according to the statement. 

  • Stashfin appoints Havas Media Group India as media AOR

    Stashfin appoints Havas Media Group India as media AOR

    Mumbai: Following the launch of its latest brand film conceptualised by Havas Worldwide India (Creative), neo-banking company Stashfin has further consolidated its relationship with Havas Group India by appointing the agency as its media AOR. 

    Havas Creative India MD Manas Lahiri and Havas Media Group India president and chief client officer Uday Mohan will jointly lead the mandate, said the company in a statement.

    “At Stashfin, we have always followed a customer-centric approach to provide unique and relevant services leading to greater financial freedom and inclusion, and we strongly believe in the power of integration,” said Stashfin co-founder Shruti Aggarwal. “We found Havas Group India to be in sync with our vision and growth plans. Their integrated capabilities coupled with market expertise made them the right choice for us to drive the brand. We look forward to their contributions in this critical phase of our growth journey.”

    “We’re building a unique brand, a brand that has a strong purpose of driving financial inclusion as well as financial freedom,” commented Stashfin VP – marketing Gaurav Nijhawan. “I also feel fintech needs to be seen as an easy and accessible place. Havas Group India can certainly help us deliver on that front.”

    “It is indeed a delight for us to win the integrated mandate of Stashfin, as it not only showcases our prowess as an integrated village in India but also enables us to deliver on the client/customer-centric model seamlessly,” stated Havas Media Group India CEO Mohit Joshi. “Using Havas Media’s Meaningful Media Experience (Mx) approach and Converged tool, we will be able to connect the brand with the right audiences at the right time whilst securing a strong brand presence in the market for them.”

  • Wunderman Thompson Kolkata onboards Ayan Banik as SVP – strategy

    Wunderman Thompson Kolkata onboards Ayan Banik as SVP – strategy

    Mumbai: Wunderman Thompson Kolkata on Tuesday announced the onboarding of Ayan Banik as senior VP – brand strategy. In this role, he will report to Wunderman Thompson India chief strategy officer Pinaki Bhattacharya.

    Banik joins Wunderman Thompson from Grey Delhi where he was not only heading planning for key clients like the GSK Portfolio, Volvo MMTC-PAMP, and Baidyanath. He was also heading the planning functions of key Bangalore and Mumbai accounts like the Britannia non-biscuit portfolio, Aditya Birla Group brands, Weilfield range of ready to cook and ready to eat range of products etc. 

    With 20 years of work experience, across agencies Ogilvy & Mather, JWT, Cheil India, Saatchi & Saatchi, Bates 141 and Grey Worldwide, Banik has worked on an enviable repertoire of brands across diverse categories that include names like Samsung, MMTC-PAMP, KFC, Eno, Pernod Ricard, Apollo Munich, Birla White, Volvo, Honda, in-shorts, Zee News, Mother Dairy, Britannia, said the statement. 

    “Ayan comes with rich experience across categories and brands and is adept at solving brand problems. What makes it even more exciting for us is that he will be based out of our Kolkata office- an office that handles some of our most cherished brands and has great momentum going for it,” said Pinaki Bhattacharya.

    “The WT Kolkata team has been on a roll with some very memorable award-winning work in the last few years,” stated Wunderman Thompson Kolkata senior VP and managing partner Vijay Jacob Parakkal. “Ayan’s rich Planning experience and infectious energy will really add more muscle to the team. I am really looking forward to partnering with Ayan and Arjun and doing some great work for our clients.”

    Banik was part of the core team that won the first-ever Cannes Glass Lion for both Cheil and Samsung India. He had also played an integral role in winning the prestigious WPP Partnership in Practice Award for Ogilvy India.

    “It’s an absolute honour and a privilege to work with industry stalwarts like Pinaki Bhattacharya and Vijay Jacob Parakkal,” commented Ayan Banik on his appointment. “Kolkata is one of the fastest transforming cities. With consumerism about to explode, it’s a really exciting time to be in Kolkata and create newer milestones in the advertising and marketing landscape.”

  • The Abby council appoints three international jury chairs for Abbys 2022

    The Abby council appoints three international jury chairs for Abbys 2022

    Mumbai: The Abby Awards Governing Council on Monday announced three names from the global advertising industry as jury chairs. This year, industry members Menno Kluin, Aricio Fortes, and Myra Nussbaum will be judging Abbys 2022.

    Menno Kluin is the chief creative officer of dentsu US with a string of big awards to his credit. Menno won the coveted ‘Creative Person of the Year 2021’ by US Campaign.com for his exceptional track record of creative success. His accolades include winning the ‘Most awarded Art Director  Worldwide,’ ‘Agency of the Year at Cannes,’ ‘Grand Prix,’ and ‘One Show’s Best in Discipline for  Digital Craft and Social Media,’ ‘Clio Agency of the Year,’ ‘ACD NY Agency of the Year,’ and  ‘Young Guns Agency of the Year.’ Menno leads the creative output of three dentsu agencies  – 360i, dentsuMB, and Isobar.

    BBDO China chief creative officer Aricio Fortes is also going to be jury chair at Abbys 2022. Aricio has won 44 Cannes Lions so far and he is still counting. He has won the Cannes Lion Agency of the Year four times for DM9DDB Brazil and Ogilvy Brazil in the past. Twenty of Aricio’s campaigns have won Lions and Pencils for large global brands McDonald’s, Procter & Gamble,  Walmart, Johnson & Johnson, IBM, FedEx, Pinterest, LEGO, and Mattel.

    Havas Chicago president and chief creative officer Myra Nussbaum is the third member of the jury chairs of Abbys 2022. Myra’s work for Valspar, which involved helping colourblind see colour for the first time, went on to win top honours at Cannes, One Show, and D&AD. Voted by Adweek as among the Top 30 Creative People in the world, Myra’s work has created emotional connections while significantly impacting business for such brands as Mars, KFC, Molson Coors, SC Johnson,  Dow, and Ford.

    “We are very fortunate to have Menno, Aricio and Myra chair some of the leading categories of ABBYs this year,” Abby Awards Governing Council’s Ajay Chandwani said. “All are contemporary creative superstars of our times and their versatility of being equally at home with traditional advertising and digital craft and social media makes them special advertising personalities.”

    “We are thrilled to have heavyweights come on board to chair this year’s Abbys awards,” stated Abby Awards Governing Council 2022 chairman and The Ad Club VP Rana Barua. “Our intent is to have world-class quality and inputs with The One Show, and has awarded and recognised international jury is just a start of a journey which will allow Indian advertising to reach the global standard of effectiveness and quality. “

    “We are indeed grateful to One Show for having partnered with the Ad Club to take ABBYs judging to the global level,” added The Ad Club president Partha Sinha.

    The deadline for submission of entries has been extended until 1 April, according to the statement.

  • IPL 2022: Mullen Lintas bags creative mandate for KKR

    IPL 2022: Mullen Lintas bags creative mandate for KKR

    Mumbai: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) has appointed Mullen Lintas as a communication partner for the cricket team’s creative mandate for Tata Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022. The creative agency will be responsible for delivering the campaign idea for the latest IPL season.

    The IPL is in its 15th season, and as the first runner-up of IPL 2021, it is important for KKR to show their fans that they are ready to return to the pitch with renewed energy, according to the team franchise.

    “KKR fans have always been the focus of our campaigns. We are fortunate to have one of the biggest fan communities that passionately root for the team,” remarked KKR CMO Binda Dey. “Our new campaign for this game season, designed by the Mullen Lintas team, aims to capture the frenzy and love our fans have always shown us unconditionally. We look forward to watching our fans cheer us on as they always have and have a great season together.”

    Mullen Lintas will be responsible for KKR’s campaign idea for IPL 2022, along with the brand film, on-ground and digital activations, and even KKR’s internal branding and team manifesto. The account will be handled from the Mumbai office. 

    “IPL is as much about the franchises and players as it is about fans. The game is incomplete without the latter,” commented Mullen Lintas executive director Priya Balan. “IPL is a shared space between the team’s players and their fans. Being the year of change and induction of new team members, our campaign for KKR seeks to strengthen and widen this beautiful bond with its large community of fans.”

  • IPL 2022: Muthoot FinCorp extends title sponsorship with RCB

    IPL 2022: Muthoot FinCorp extends title sponsorship with RCB

    Mumbai: Muthoot FinCorp, a non-banking financial company and flagship entity of Muthoot Pappachan Group has announced that it will continue as the title sponsor of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for the third consecutive year.

    As part of the association, the Muthoot FinCorp logo will be prominently placed on RCB’s match and training jerseys. The collaboration will also look to further connect with millions of fans across the country with social media integrations as well as TV commercials featuring RCB players, said the statement.

    “Our association with Royal Challengers Bangalore is a reflection of the common core values—grit, determination and creating limitless opportunities,” commented Muthoot Blue and Muthoot FinCorp director Thomas George. “RCB boasts of maximum fan base among all the T20 teams and we believe with their pan-India following, this partnership will aim to provide simple solutions to save hard-earned earnings and maintain the trust of millions of fans.” 

    “RCB has a prolific collaboration with Muthoot Blue so far and we are thrilled to enter the third consecutive year of partnership. We look forward to seeing this association grow further and bring great value,” added RCB VP and head Rajesh Menon. 

    The 15th edition of the cricket extravaganza is scheduled to start on 26 March. Team RCB will begin its campaign on 27 March against Punjab Kings at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai. 

  • Mia by Tanishq inks partnership deal with Bacardi NH7 Weekender

    Mia by Tanishq inks partnership deal with Bacardi NH7 Weekender

    Mumbai: Jewellery brand Mia by Tanishq has announced its partnership with music festival Bacardi NH7 Weekender for the event to be held on 26 March in Pune. The association was set up by Mates, the content unit of Madison World.

    Bacardi NH7 Weekender is an annual multi-city and multi-genre, music, and comedy festival held in India. Under this partnership, Mia by Tanishq will get a ‘Mia Lounge,’ an exclusive lounge that will provide festival-goers access to “innovative digital beauty experiences and a fun-filled paradise complete with WiFi, air conditioning, mobile charging stations etc,” said the statement.  

    A virtual trial of Mia jewellery will be conducted in Pune using augmented reality. Mia will receive ten tickets for each city of Goa, Kolkata, Chandigarh, Chennai, Bangalore, Mumbai, Shillong/Guwahati and Delhi to distribute to their top spenders. Additionally, Mia by Tanishq will receive branding across all of Bacardi NH7 Weekender marketing communication platforms.

    “We are very happy to partner with MAates and Bacardi NH7 Weekender,” said Mia by Tanishq head of marketing Sampurna Rakshit. “We feel that this is a great property to reach out to the young, modern free-spirited Mia women. We plan to give them a taste of the Mia way of life through the uber-stylish on-ground lounge.”

    Mates is the entertainment specialist unit of Madison World that focuses on content marketing, celebrity management, film marketing, influencer associations, OTT collaborations, video production, and partnerships with gaming companies, platforms, and e-sports influencers.

    “We at Mates are delighted to enable the association of Mia by Tanishq and Bacardi NH7 Weekender,” said Mates head Kumar Siddharth. “Both brands that appeal to the free-living independent women of today. We have worked closely with the NH7 organizers to enhance the festival goers’ experience by providing them with a space where they can unwind and be themselves. Creating associations between brands and properties that have true synergy is the cornerstone of our strategic approach and we’re hoping this is the first of many such innovative collaborations.”