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Category: AD Agencies

  • Concept PR hires biz journo Apurv Gupta, Lifestyle specialist Charu Benegal

    Concept PR hires biz journo Apurv Gupta, Lifestyle specialist Charu Benegal

    MUMBAI: Seeking to strengthen its teams, Concept PR, announced the appointment of two senior communication professionals –financial journalist Apurv Gupta and lifestyle PR specialist Charu Benegal.

    While Apurv will head the IPO PR vertical, Charu has been appointed to lead the Lifestyle & Entertainment practice.

    Apurv Gupta is an experienced financial journalist having worked with premier media houses. He comes with significant exposure to the financial services and capital markets and has also been a capital markets lawyer with leading law firms. Prior to joining Concept PR, Charu Benegal worked as India Practice Chair (IPC), Brand and Consumer Practice for WPP’s Genesis Burson Marsteller. Her international exposure in New York at Star TV has furthered her professional development.

    Welcoming the duo on board, Concept PR, CEO & Director, Ashish Jalan said, “Both Charu and Apurv bring with them rich experiences in their verticals. We are confident that our client servicing capabilities will now acquire a new dimension.  With a string of successes in client acquisitions, the timing of these two veterans joining us could not have been better.”

    Charu Benegal said: “I am looking forward to the business growth of the lifestyle and entertainment vertical in line with Concept’s strategy. Our endeavour will be to provide direction and ensure high quality of service, delivery and customer satisfaction.”

    Apurv Gupta said: “It is a new challenge as well as an opportunity for me as I take this plunge from journalism and law to public relations. I look forward to exciting times as Concept PR is posed for a new era of growth.”

    Concept PR, the multi-award winning agency, is headquartered in Mumbai with offices in New Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Chandigarh, Kolkata, Nagpur, Kochi, Ranchi and Pune employing over 250 professionals. In addition, the agency has a strong stringer network across 35 cities in India. 

    Though agnostic to any special industry or segment, Concept PR has a significant and growing presence in the domains such as Diversified Corporates, Auto, Engineering, Power, Oil & Gas, Education, Healthcare & Pharma, Sports, Entertainment, Media, Lifestyle, Telecom and IT, Aviation, BFSI, Real Estate, Infrastructure, apart from its acumen in managing crisis communication.

    Concept PR boasts of one of the finest media presence in the industry with journalists and PR professionals heading media relations in every centre. It is also a fully integrated PR agency in the true sense offering a full spectrum of services including Corporate PR, Online Reputation Management, BTL activities, Business Intelligence, Financial PR, Investor Relations, Sports, Entertainment and Lifestyle PR and Crisis Communication.

  • WPP board begins investigation of its CEO Sir Martin Sorrel, says WSJ

    WPP board begins investigation of its CEO Sir Martin Sorrel, says WSJ

    MUMBAI: Once the toast of the advertising industry, investors, and shareholders, Sir Martin Sorrell now faces the ignominy of being probed by a law firm, which has been appointed by the WPP board for a potential misuse of assets and personal misconduct, if a report in the Wall Street Journal is to be believed.

    The agency group has been under pressure from clients and hungry for business rivals for a while. Its share price has fallen some 35 per cent as companies such as Alphabet (Google) and Facebook have been doing direct deals with brands, cutting agencies such as WPP out of the picture. Additionally, big spenders such as Unilever, Procter & Gamble have also been cutting back on marketing spends in a rapidly disintermediating digital content marketplace.

    This has led to WPP reportedly putting up a lackluster performance which in turn has affected its share price. Sorrell was also forced to take a cut in his pay, the amount he was forced to back down from 2017’s 48 million pounds sterling, will become clearer in the next few days as it announces its financial performance.

    A Saatchi & Saatchi finance executive in the seventies and eighties, Sorrell went about building what would become a global tour de force under the umbrella of a company called Wire & Plastic Products. He acquired 18 different below the line agencies over three years, before making an audacious $566 million dollar bid for J Walter Thompson and then $825 million for Ogilvy & Mather. He acquired both of them. He snared two other agencies Young & Rubicam and then Grey Worldwide on the follow through. Among the other agencies and communication services providers under WPP today include: Wunderman, Kantar Group, Hill & Knowlton, Burson-Marsteller, GroupM, Cohn & Wolfe, Brand Union, Buchanan UK among others.

    WPP as a group employs close to 200,000 employees worldwide and reported a revenue of 15.265 billion pounds sterling, with an operating income of 1.908 billion pounds sterling with net income standing at 1.912 billion pounds sterling in 2017.

    Investors have been baying for Sorrell’s blood for some time now with the agency not coming with a solid plan to revive growth. Speaking to indiantelevision.com in Amsterdam a couple of years ago Sorrell had said: “I only own two per cent of the company; but I am identified with the company. I will carry on as long they will let me. WPP is not a matter of life or death for me, it is more than that. They will carry me out to the glue factory.”

  • Zee melt, largest convention forming synergies between mar-comm-tech is back with its 4th edition

    Zee melt, largest convention forming synergies between mar-comm-tech is back with its 4th edition

    ZEE MELT, a pioneering convention forming the cross-pollination of creativity, marketing, communication, technology and digital space since its inception has announced the 4th edition to take place on 30th and 31st May, 2018. The two-day festival will be held at NSCI, Mumbai and features an impressive line-up of keynote speakers, who have established themselves as disruptors and creative thinkers in the global marketing arena.

    The speakers include:

    · Chuck Porter: Co-Founder & Chairman, CP&B. An American advertising executive, marketer and author

    · Fernando Machado: Head of Brand Marketing, Burger King. A global marketer with a passion for growing brands and businesses. Burger King became ‘Client of the Year’ at the D&AD in 2016 and Creative Marketer of the Year in Cannes 2017 under his leadership

    · Tom Fishburne: Chief Marketoonist. A veteran marketer and cartoonist.The brainchild behind combining content marketing with a sense of humour

    · Tom Goodwin: Executive Vice President and head of innovation, Zenith Media. A self-established marketing provocateur and commentator on the future of marketing and business

    · AnindyaGhose: Prof. of Information, Operations & Mgmt. Sciences, Leonard N. Stern School of Business. The youngest ever recipient of the prestigious INFORMS ISS Distinguished Fellow Award

    · Mark Shayler: Autho. A public speaker, trainer, a founding partner of the Do Lectures and runs Do Workshops. He also helps run Good for Nothing – a collaborative group that deliver design and strategy work for good causes, for nothing.

    · Matthew Quint – Director, Center on Global Brand Leadership – Columbia Business School. Co-producer of the acclaimed BRITE Conference which brings together big thinkers from industry and academia to discuss how innovation and technology help build strong brands.

    Speaking about Zee Melt 2018, Kyoorius, Founder and CEO, Rajesh Kejriwal said, “Zee Melt continues to march forward with its focus on bringing the biggest and the creative minds together on one platform and change the way marketing is perceived. Year after year, we look forward to unfold a highly-energized and knowledge driven convention. Having such notable speakers on-board for the sessions fortifies this objective and we are certain this edition will add immense value to all the attendees.”

    Over the years Zee Melt has been an all-encompassing arena of 150+ speakers, 280+ sessions, 6000+ delegates and 100+ partners. The convention this year too will be an insightful hub that reverberates with powerful, resourceful ideas, striking content and creativity across keynote sessions, speaker presentations, panel discussions, seminars, workshops and an exhibition.

  • Founder and MD Ambika Sharma becomes the sole equity stakeholder of Pulp Strategy

    Founder and MD Ambika Sharma becomes the sole equity stakeholder of Pulp Strategy

    MUMBAI: In a massive top-tier overhaul, the reins of Pulp Strategy have been taken over by its Founder and Managing Director Ambika Sharma. Ambika Sharma the Majority stake holder acquired an the balance equity stake of 22% for an undisclosed amount from the brand’s exiting minority shareholder and Director CFO Raj Vikram Singh, to become the sole equity owner of the multi-award winning full-service marketing agency.

    The restructuring has helped Pulp Strategy tide over vision mismatch and improve its agility to consolidate its domain leadership position as a leading independent Digital creative agency in India redefining the brand-consumer interaction in today’s dynamic business landscape.

    With the management overhaul that was finalised in Q3 of the Fiscal Pulp Strategy has experienced accelerated growth in H2, as it gears up for large-scale business expansion, with a singular focus on innovation driven by an in-depth understanding of the industry.

    With new client acquisitions including brands like Tupperware, Barco, Hero Electric, Proburst and Philips Avent, The agency is now looking to increase its focus on content marketing, digital engagement, while simultaneously leveraging interactive new-age technologies for its expanding client portfolio.

    On the development, Pulp Strategy, Founder and Managing Director, Ambika Sharma said, “As a young business it was important for us to maintain our agility as well ensure that our talent contributes towards the improvement of our offerings as well as our commitment to our clients. This decision to re-haul management has been taken with an aim to augment the growth trajectory of Pulp Strategy and to consolidate the agency’s market position. It will enable us to further our aggressive growth plans while strictly maintaining an industry-focused and innovation-driven approach.”

    Incorporated in 2011, Pulp Strategy at present drives revenue worth Rs. 443 million and is eyeing forward-thinking product and service offerings to support its market ascension and client base expansion. Its current and previous clientele includes the likes of Google, Philips, Microsoft, Michelin, Canon, Rolls Royce and Yahoo!, amongst others.

  • iProspect India bags 4 metals at the Global Digital Marketing Awards

    iProspect India bags 4 metals at the Global Digital Marketing Awards

    iProspect India, the digital agency from Dentsu Aegis Network bagged 4 awards at the Global Digital Marketing Awards by the World Digital Marketing Congress. The awards ceremony took place at Taj Lands End, Mumbai in on 13th February evening.

    Details of the winning campaigns are as follows.

    1. Best Social Media Marketing Campaign – Switzerland Tourism

    2. Best Digital Integrated Campaign – Aegon Life – iDecide

    3. Best Digital Marketing Campaign – YES BANK – Khushiyon Ka Upgrade

    4. Best Multi-Channel Integrated Marketing Campaign – Kotak Mahindra Bank 811 – iPump

    Commenting on the win, Rubeena Singh, CEO, iProspect India says, “We are delighted to have won 4 awards at the Global Digital Marketing Awards for our campaigns across different brands and sectors. We are glad that our proprietary tools like iPump are not just helping brands drive business performance, but also winning industry awards. I thank the jury for recognizing our work and the World Digital Marketing Congress for giving us opportunities to showcase the great work we do in the digital arena.”

  • Carat bags media account for ZEE5

    Carat bags media account for ZEE5

    MUMBAI: ZEE5, Zee Entertainment’s new digital entertainment platform, has appointed Carat, part of Dentsu Aegis Network (DAN), as its media agency for India. Carat bagged the media duties following a multi-agency pitch. Carat will handle media planning and buying for ZEE5 in India excluding digital. Headed by senior business director Suman Pal, the account will be managed by the agency’s Mumbai office. 

    ZEE5 India digital head Archana Anand says, “We are delighted to have Carat on board as our media partner. We were keen to collaborate with an agency that understands our business and has the expertise to help us drive huge efficiencies into our media planning and buying, and Carat had excellent credentials on this front.” 

    Carat Media India CEO Rajni Menon adds, “ZEE5 has been in the news for some time and we are extremely excited about bagging the account. The platform offers viewers an extremely innovative viewing experience and we will adopt an equally innovative and consistent approach to ensure that their digital platform gains a strong foothold among their audiences. With the DAN group’s integrated approach and capabilities of delivering end-to-end solutions, we are confident of establishing a strong connect with the digital consumers of India.”

    Launching soon with content across multiple languages, ZEE5 will be the digital destination for Zee Entertainment and will offer a mix of both on-demand content, including originals, movies and much more, as well as live TV. 

  • Publicis Groupe announces global leadership elevations

    Publicis Groupe announces global leadership elevations

    MUMBAI: Publicis Groupe has announced the continuation of its transformation through the evolution of its solution hub leadership teams and the implementation of its regional leadership model. These moves are the next step in Publicis Groupe’s strategy aimed at breaking down silos while strengthening vertical practices.

    Mark Tutssel has been named as the executive chairman of Leo Burnett Worldwide while Rich Stoddart, currently president of Leo Burnett Worldwide, is leaving to pursue a new venture.

    In his new role, Tutssel will focus on creative excellence and growth, igniting the collective firepower of the global network on behalf of clients and leveraging the special culture of Leo Burnett. 

    Under Tutssel’s leadership as global chief creative officer, Leo Burnett has developed world-class campaigns for some of the most iconic brands and helped Samsung, McDonald’s and Coca-Cola earn the prestigious Cannes Lions Creative Marketer of the Year award. His work has helped the agency win nine Grand Prix at Cannes and consistently rank in the top five most-awarded agency networks in the world.

    Publicis Groupe CEO Arthur Sadoun says, “I want to acknowledge and deeply thank Rich Stoddart for his energy and commitment to Leo Burnett’s clients, culture and people. After 23 years with the agency, Rich has decided to move on to a new professional challenge. Mark’s appointment is a profound statement of the value we place in the power of creativity. Mark will be the first creative at the helm of the agency since Leo the man. Mark is one of the most proven, admired and awarded creative leaders in our industry, and I have great respect for his passion and authority in the world of brand-building creativity.”

    Tutssel adds, “I am truly delighted to assume the mantel at Leo Burnett, a global company that has the talent, the passion and the ambition to deliver the game-changing ideas our clients deserve. It is a tremendous honour and responsibility to live up to the ideals of Leo Burnett himself and deliver them in a new age of technology and opportunity.”

    At Publicis Health, Alexandra von Plato, a member of Publicis Groupe’s Management Committee, is appointed CEO, responsible for leading Publicis Health’s 17 agency brands in 40 offices across the globe. Nick Colucci, who has served as CEO since 2007, will act as chairman of Publicis Health and oversee a transition period until the end of the year.

    At Publicis Communications, Nick Colucci will also take on the new role of COO of Publicis Communications North America to partner with Andrew Bruce, CEO, in the transformation of Publicis Communications North America. This move comes as Andrew expands his duties to take responsibility of the Publicis Groupe North America strategy and growth team. Andrew will supervise the Groupe’s Global Client Leaders (GCL) in the region and focus on building and developing transformative solutions for the Groupe’s major clients across North America.

    At a regional level, Loris Nold, currently COO of Publicis Communications APAC and MEA, is promoted to the newly created role of CEO of Publicis Groupe APAC and will oversee all of Publicis Groupe‘s operations in the Asia Pacific market. He will work closely with our leaders in the region, to drive greater integration across Publicis Groupe’s capabilities, transform its relationships with existing clients, win the trust of new ones and of course cultivate and attract the best talent across its agencies and disciplines.

    Speaking about the global appointments, Arthur Sadoun mentions, “As we continue on our journey to be the market leaders in marketing and business transformation, these appointments will allow Publicis Groupe to reinforce our global practices. This is a key priority for us in order to constantly build on the quality of the expertise we deliver to our clients in a seamless way.” 

  • Blink Digital launches limited edition KFO for promotion of KFC smoky wings

    Blink Digital launches limited edition KFO for promotion of KFC smoky wings

    There are two kinds of wings in the world – the finger lickin’ good ones and ones that can fly. Well, KFC India in association with Blink Digital just made sure you can have both! The campaign has already gathered lot of eyeballs across the world with likes of The SUN, The Daily Mail, Engadget and Mashable covering it.

    The ‘KFO or Kentucky Flying Object’, as it is called, is the most fly meal ever!  The red and white snazzy packaging for the KFC Smoky Wings has detachable parts that are easy to assemble. With an online user manual, assembly and installation are quick, easy and hassle-free. Once you’ve put everything together all you need to do is turn the power on, connect it to your smartphone via Bluetooth and voila! your KFO is ready to fly!

    *list appended to the end.

    “The democratization of technology has made tech products evolve from indulgences to must-haves. What was once extraordinary is now the norm. With the launch of KFC Smoky Grilled Wings, we wanted to give wings (literally) to its packaging; the result: KFO – a limited edition box that converts into a drone.”Blink Digital, co-founder and chief creative officer, Dooj Ramchandani says.

    Commenting on the launch,KFC India, CMO, Lluis Ruiz Ribot said “Food and technology, are two things that keep us and our consumers excited. To celebrate the introduction of our new scrumptious Smoky Grilled Wings, we are launching a limited edition KFO box. It is super cool packaging that converts into a drone”

    We hear that KFC might be selling the product on their official website, online.kfc.co.in this week.

  • Indigo Consulting undertakes leadership reshuffle

    Indigo Consulting undertakes leadership reshuffle

    MUMBAI: Publicis Communications’ digital agency Indigo Consulting has rejigged its key leadership team. The agency has hired Paul Dueman as senior vice president – strategy & business, Chetan Thaker as head – customer success and Alifiya Naik as lead – UX consultant.

    The executives will be based in Mumbai and will report to Indigo Consulting president Jose Leon.

    “At Indigo Consulting, we are constantly trying to better the great momentum we have built up across the last three quarters. As the fourth industrial revolution spurs our customers along to evolve and meet expectations of their digital customers, bringing in key talent across our BSFI, hi-tech, FMCG, retail, Fashion & Lifestyle projects was par for the course. Paul, Chetan and Alifiya are highly established leaders who deliver our promise to customers. I am confident that they will lead by example and set higher quality benchmarks every day,” Leon said.

    Paul’s new mandate is to lead business development, account management, sales and strategy functions for Indigo Consulting’s digital transformation business, nationally. All business and account management teams for Indigo’s digital transformation business, across the Mumbai and Gurugram offices, report to him. He joins from Lowe Lintas’ digital services division Linteractive, where he was the executive vice president and national planning head for brand and solutions. 

    Chetan has over a decade of experience in technology-led solutions across BFSI, Corporate Communication, eCommerce, online music streaming and a variety of other niche sectors. His last stint was with VML where he has heading the Project Delivery team, prior to which he has also worked at companies such as Network18 and V2 Solutions. Chetan’s appointment closes the loop for Indigo Consulting’s extremely vital Customer Success Team – the team that ensures clients are set-up for success and derive value of their partnership with Indigo Consulting. 

    Alifiya has 12 years of experience across global giants like Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and Mphasis, in addition to Manulife.

  • R K Swamy BBDO’s Ramamurthy Iyer passes away

    R K Swamy BBDO’s Ramamurthy Iyer passes away

    MUMBAI: Ramamurthy Iyer, 54, Partner, R K Swamy BBDO (Mumbai), is no more. He passed away on Tuesday, December 19 succumbing to a massive heart attack. He is survived by his wife and a son.

    A client servicing professional for 30 years, Murthy (as he was popularly known) was with R K Swamy BBDO for past 11 years. He handled accounts such as LIC, LIC Housing Finance Limited, Hindustan Times and Raymond.

    Clients and agency colleagues mourn the passing away of this committed and amiable advertising professional who made light work of the most stringent deadlines.