ITV

Category: Media Agencies

  • Cheil inks partnership with Sniper & Sooperfly for digital content

    Cheil inks partnership with Sniper & Sooperfly for digital content

    MUMBAI: The 120 Media Collective and Cheil Worldwide have entered into a strategic partnership for multi-platform video content starting July 2015. Its brands Sniper and Sooperfly will produce and distribute a wide range of digital content for Cheil’s clients.

     

    Speaking about the development, The 120 Media Collective founder & chief executive Roopak Saluja said, “Producing content in various formats over the past nine years has armed us with a deep understanding of the audience and what strikes a chord with them. Our brands, Sniper and Sooperfly come together to seamlessly provide what is needed to engage at scale with digital-first audiences in 2015. Cheil’s trust in us is testimony to our expertise.”

     

    Cheil Worldwide South West Asia group president Shiv Sethuraman added, “Video content is the fastest growing area within the digital play. Not just the creation but, equally importantly, the distribution of content. Clients are tired of agencies offering them TVCs disguised as video content and this is because many of them haven’t yet understood that the business model requires significantly different capabilities, resources and platforms. The partnership with The 120 Media Collective is designed to bring speed, economies of scale and quality – yes, all three – to video content. We believe they are the right partners and that the market is ripe for such an offering.”

  • WPP to make tender offer for digital marketing co Syzygy.

    WPP to make tender offer for digital marketing co Syzygy.

    MUMBAI: WPP, which currently holds shares representing just below 30 per cent of the issued share capital in Syzygy AG, is planning to make a tender offer for the digital marketing firm. 

     

    WPP has been a long term investor in Syzygy AG and continues to believe in the future of Syzygy AG. With this tender offer, WPP’s management is keen to help the company expand and to work with WPP’s major clients in Germany and internationally. 

     

    “This would be easier if the Group had a greater ownership. WPP would also like to capitalize on Syzygy AG’s strong relationships with leading German multinationals and local companies,” the company said.

     

    WPP believes that its existing facilities can provide Syzygy AG with offshore capabilities in low cost locations, which are becoming increasingly important in providing the effective and efficient solutions needed by clients. 

      

    “All of these goals will be supported by a larger or potential majority shareholding,” WPP said.

     

    According to the company, Syzygy’s current valuation is at an advantageous level for share owners but is based on very low average daily volumes. The WPP offer will provide the market liquidity for share owners who wish to take advantage of the current price by tendering their shares.

  • Dentsu Aegis Network wins big at 2015 DMA Asia Echo Awards

    Dentsu Aegis Network wins big at 2015 DMA Asia Echo Awards

    MUMBAI: WATConsult, the digital and social media agency from the Dentsu Aegis Network, bagged eight metals at the 2015 DMA Asia Echo Awards. The event was held at The Leela, Sahar in Mumbai on 6 August.

    The agency won a bronze for Kokuyo India’s Harinacs Stop Motion Animation Video campaign in the Animation category, a silver for its Nikon Cheatsheets campaign in the Illustration category, along with a silver and a gold for Sony Six’s Active Mornings On Six and NBA Mornings On Six campaigns respectively in the Publishing/Entertainment category.

    Further on, it bagged a silver for Bestseller Group’s Veromoda Marquee – Retail campaign in the Retail and Direct Sales category, a bronze for SAP India’s SAP ACE USie campaign in the Apps & New Development category and a bronze each for Peter England’s #ColourMorons by Peter England campaign and Bajaj Allianz General Insurance’s Can You Drive Like Your Dad campaign in the Branded Video category.

    The agency also earned special mentions by the Jury in the following categories:

    WATConsult founder and CEO Rajiv Dingra said, “Eight metals across seven distinct clients stand as a great testimony to the work that WATConsult is churning out across its clientele. We got 24 nominations and that surely showcases the level of our work across our portfolio. This shows that we are not a one-hit wonder agency but an agency with consistent and credible work across clients.”

    Additionally, iProspect, the global digital performance agency from Dentsu Aegis Network, bagged three awards at the DMA Asia Echo Awards. The agency won a silver for HDFC Life’s GDN Micro-Targeting campaign in the ‘Creativity-Interactive Search’ category and the Leader award for successfully working out the iLive Inventory Checker campaign for Koovs. The agency also bagged a bronze in the ‘Creativity, Interactive – Remarketing & Retargeting’ category for the iTarget campaign rendered for ShopClues.

    Under the effectiveness category, Dentsu Aegis Network’s Isobar bagged a bronze each for Reebok India’s ‘Reeboot100’ campaign and Phillips’ ‘India’s First Multi-Device Conversations’ campaign.

    Dentsu Webchutney won a bronze for Bacardi India’s ‘Bacardi Triangle’ campaign in the ‘Effectiveness’ category.

  • Dentsu invests $3 million in US social robotics start-up Jibo

    Dentsu invests $3 million in US social robotics start-up Jibo

    MUMBAI: Dentsu Inc’s corporate venture capital fund Ventures Global Fund I has made an investment of $3 million in US social robot development startup Jibo, Inc.

     

    Dentsu Ventures has acquired Series A preference shares of Jibo through third-party allocation of shares.

    Dentsu Ventures was established in April 2015 armed with a total fund capital of ?5 billion. The objectives was to invest in ambitious start-up companies with a focus on the US, Europe and Asia region, which will create an as yet unseen future and furthering open innovation across the Dentsu Group through collaboration with investees.

     

    In addition to funding, Dentsu Ventures will support businesses and entrepreneurs by providing problem-solving solutions and resources that are unique to the Group. Its first project is Jibo, Inc.

    Jibo, Inc. was founded by Dr. Cynthia Breazeal, professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and recognized as a pioneer of social robotics. The Jibo social robot incorporates voice and emotion recognition, natural language processing, machine learning and expressive display and movement, and is designed to achieve companionship and rapport among family members.

    Dentsu Ventures believes that Jibo will continue to develop into a new type of medium that will bring fundamental changes to the way information is assimilated, and that it has the potential to function as an infrastructure and communication hub in a smart home.

    Looking ahead, the Dentsu Group will also provide support for the development, promotion and spread of Jibo worldwide as well as the new business opportunities that Jibo will bring in the future.

  • Q1-2016: Emami spends Rs 142.06 crore towards marketing

    Q1-2016: Emami spends Rs 142.06 crore towards marketing

    BENGALURU: Emami Limited spent 38.1 per cent more towards Advertisement and Sales Promotion (ASP, marketing) in Q1-2016 (quarter ended 30 June, 2015) at Rs 142.06 crore (24.1 per cent of Total Income from Operations or TIO) as compared to the Rs 102.84 crore (21.3 per cent of TIO) in the corresponding quarter of the previous year. Emami’s Q1-2016 ASP was 72.3 per cent more than the Rs 82.47 crore (14.9 per cent of TIO) in the immediate trailing quarter (Q4-2015).

    Note: 100,00,000 = 100 lakh = 10 million = 1 crore

    Among the brands in Emami’s portfolio are Zandu, Zandu Balm, Himani Navratna, BoroPlus, Fair and Handsome, Emami Vasocare, Emami Mentho Plus, Himani Fast Relief, Zandu Sona ChandiChyawnprash Plus, Zandu Kesari Jivan,etc. 

    Emami director Mohan Goenka said, “The first quarter of 2015 has been challenging with subdued economic environment and unfavourable weather, which is expected to continue. Notwithstanding such hurdles, Emami has ensured a good performance to deliver a profitable growth during the quarter. Strong performance by all our power brands in key categories coupled with growth in International business has helped us to register a 22.4 per cent top line growth.”

    Please refer to Fig A below for ASP during the 17 quarter period starting Q1-2012 until the current quarter. ASP in Q1-2016 has been the highest by the company in terms of absolute rupees and in terms percentage of TIO at Rs 142.06 crore and 24.1 per cent. Historically, as is evident from the figure below, Emami’s ASP has been the highest in Q3 of a financial year (the festival season in India) and the next highest in Q1, with the company spends the lowest towards marketing in Q4.

    During the 17 quarter period under consideration in this report, Emami has spent the lowest towards ASP in terms of absolute rupees and percentage of TIO in Q4-2012 at RS 36.60 crore and 9.2 per cent of TIO. The broken blue and maroon trend lines indicate that the company’s ASP shows a linear increasing trend in terms of absolute rupees and percentage of TIO.

    Also historically, Q3 of a financial year has been the best quarter for Emami in terms of TIO and PAT, which peaked in Q3. The next best quarter has been the fourth quarter of a financial year before sales and profits dip to the lowest in a year in Q1 (the summer and the beginning of the educational holiday season in India) followed by a rise in Q2. Please refer to Fig B below.
    In Q1-2016, Emami reported TIO of Rs 589.87 crore, which was 22.4 per cent more than the Rs 481.73 crore in Q1-2015 and was 6.5 per cent more than the Rs 553.66 crore in Q4-2015..
    During the 17 quarter period under consideration, Emami TIO was highest in Q3-2015 at Rs 692.26 crore and lowest in Q1-2012 at Rs 299.91 crore. The broken brown trend line shows that the company’s TIO is increasing linearly.
    PAT in Q1-2016 at Rs 87.75 crore (14.9 per cent of TIO) was 23.9 per cent more than the Rs 70.80 crore (14.7 per cent of TIO) in Q1-2015 but was 36.6 per cent lower than the Rs 138.33 crore (25 percent of TIO) in Q4-2015.

    Company Speak
    Domestic business in the first quarter grew steadily to achieve a healthy topline growth of 23.4 per cent. Despite prevailing macro-economic challenges and not very favourable weather, both the consumer care and the health care segments have performed considerably well.
    New brands such as Fair and Handsome Instant Fairness Facewash, Emami 7 Oils in One, Zandu Balm Ultra Power and ‘HE’ Deodorant continue to contribute to the growth during the first quarter.
    The quarter also witnessed the launch of a brand extension – Zandu Gel Balm Junior, the first ever gel based balm for kids in the country. The company also scaled up its spend on both advertisement and brand building during the quarter. Despite the high increase in ad spends, the company’s EBIDTA during the quarter rose by 32.9 per cent, bettering industry average.
    Aggressive marketing campaigns, both ATL and BTL delivered rich dividends in terms of growth of most of Emami’s Power Brands. Navratna Oil, Navratna Cool Talcum Powder, Zandu Balm, MenthoPlus Balm, Fair & Handsome and Zandu HCD Range grew in healthy double digits and enhanced their respective market shares.
    With increased emphasis, improved visibility and focused execution, the Modern Trade business and Direct Rural business continued to grow at a steady pace.
    Emami director Harsha V Agarwal said, “Prudent approach, efficient cost management and robust business model have helped us to meet the challenging environment to remain competitive and profitable. For the long term, we will continue to focus on cost efficiencies and invest in R&D and brands to further grow our market share. As part of our aggressive growth strategy, we acquired the Kesh King business during the first quarter FY-2016 and forayed into the Ayurvedic Hair & Scalp care segment. The Kesh King business is being integrated with Emami’s existing business and it has already started contributing to the growth. We plan to make Kesh King a pan-India brand soon.”
    Emami acquired hair and scalp care business under the ‘Kesh King’ and allied brands for Rs 1684 crores. The company raised around Rs 950 crore debt to partially fund the acquisition. The balance was funded by internal accrual.

  • Usha International sets up in-house ad agency – Goldilocks

    Usha International sets up in-house ad agency – Goldilocks

    NEW DELHI: Even as it awarded the creative mandate of Usha Fans to Grey Group India recently, consumer durables conglomerate Usha International has set up an in-house advertising agency called Goldilocks India.

     

    The agency, which will be a 100 per cent subsidiary of Usha International, will initially take care of all the creative mandates of the different business verticals within the company.

     

    Usha International vice president Anju Munjal said, “The setup of an in house agency is aimed to provide better focus and timeline adherence to the advertising, marketing and brand communication of the company. In the initial days Goldilocks will be working on creative mandates within the company. We are looking to hire a senior resource from within the industry who will be responsible for overall creative and strategic inputs to the company.”

     

    Goldilocks will function as an independent company like any other conventional advertising agency and will sport the tagline – “We get things just right.”

  • Dentsu strengthens presence in West Africa; acquires two agencies in Ghana

    Dentsu strengthens presence in West Africa; acquires two agencies in Ghana

    MUMBAI: In a bid to strengthen its position in West Africa, Dentsu Aegis Network has acquired two Ghana based media agencies namely Adams Media Ghana Limited and Premier Media Company GH Limited.

     

    The acquisition, which will take the form of the purchase by Dentsu Aegis Network of a 59.62 per cent shareholding in Adams Media, with Premier Media as a wholly owned subsidiary of Adams Media, will strengthen the Dentsu Group’s presence in West Africa.

     

    Adams Media was founded in 2009 and Premier Media in 1999, and both companies provide services to a large number of multinational clients. After acquisition of the shareholding by Dentsu Aegis Network, Adams Media will be rebranded Carat, and Premier Media rebranded Vizeum, collectively forming Dentsu Aegis Network Ghana.

     

    Carat and Vizeum are two of the Dentsu Group’s eight global network brands. Both Adams Media and Premier Media have extensive mass media and digital media planning and buying capabilities, and these will be fully utilized in the provision of cutting-edge media solutions by the new entity.

     

    In terms of economic scale, Ghana is second only to Nigeria in West Africa, and the International Monetary Fund has estimated that Ghana will achieve GDP growth of from 3.5 to 9.2 per cent between 2015 and 2020. Together with Media Fuse, the Nigerian company with which Dentsu Aegis Network entered into a joint venture agreement in August 2014, Dentsu Aegis Network Ghana will function as the Group’s hub in West Africa and Central Africa.

  • Mindshare APAC launches adaptive solution suite for brands

    Mindshare APAC launches adaptive solution suite for brands

    MUMBAI: Mindshare APAC has launched FAST (Future Adaptive Specialist Team), a unique solution suite, which aims to provide data led adaptive marketing services to brands looking to make sense of the deluge of data that is engulfing marketing communications. 

     

    One of the key headwinds that brands are facing due to this data deluge is the dynamism and uncertainty in the customer journey and the primary purpose of FAST is to help clients take control of the same.

     

    Mindshare’s FAST is the first of its kind in Asia Pacific from any marketing communications company.

     

    FAST comprises six services that clients can choose from or use as an integrated solution. As part of Data Management, powered by The Data Alliance from WPP, FAST provides data advisory services to help clients prepare their data management strategy, and to help them on how they can use technology to make sense of the data.

     

    Performance Marketing is an insights-driven outcome-based service that helps clients harness the power of search, e-commerce and mobile marketing in an integrated manner. With Programmatic Strategy, Mindshare has developed a proprietary architecture that leverages GroupM’s global scale with advanced behavioral targeting that delivers dynamic advertising to the most valued target at the most opportune time. 

     

    Real-Time Marketing, hallmarked by The Loop, is an adaptive decision making engine that influences the dynamic consumer journey, using real time insights to drive real time actions. 

     

    Finally, FAST provides capabilities in Digital Analytics with tools to better understand the digital trail, attributed right down to the last mile action. And for clients who have rich Enterprise data, Mindshare will integrate its own proprietary data with 3rd party data to provide Big Data services in partnership with Crayon Data by developing brand specific affinity graphs.

     

    Designed specifically for clients with centralized needs, Mindshare has gathered digital specialists from across the network to create five FAST hubs, located in Singapore, London, New York, Shanghai and Mexico City. FAST is particularly open sourced in building strategic partnerships in each of the Hubs to leverage local knowledge and expertise and they are fully integrated within the existing agency teams in the region.

     

    Mindshare Asia Pacific COO Gowthaman Ragothaman said, “In the last 15 days, FAST has built up significant traction, demonstrating its value to our clients and their businesses. It is more than just a concept, it is a step in the right direction – one that is built on a sound understanding of our client’s business needs and their expectations of what the future of media should be. By adding new and evolved capabilities and leveraging off of our global scale, FAST showcases Mindshare’s ability to constantly and quickly adapt to the need of the day, and is poised to be our key differentiator as it begins to deliver results for our clients.”

  • Dentsu acquires healthcare communications agency Synergy MC

    Dentsu acquires healthcare communications agency Synergy MC

    MUMBAI: Dentsu Inc. has reached an agreement to acquire Synergy MC, a healthcare communications agency specializing in marketing communications for prescription drugs.

     

    The agreement was reached with the principal shareholders of APO Plus Station Co., Ltd., the parent company of Synergy Medical Communications, Inc.

     

    Against the backdrop of Japan’s recent declining birthrate and aging population, the marketing of prescription drugs by pharmaceutical companies and other healthcare-related entities has reached a major turning point due to healthcare reforms and changing drug development trends.

     

    Under these circumstances, there has been a pressing need for the Dentsu Group to establish a system that will comprehensively meet increasing client needs for solutions such as the development of and support for new healthcare services, marketing techniques that maximize client value, and the provision of insights from healthcare professionals, patients and society.

     

    The Dentsu Group is currently providing healthcare marketing communication services in Japan through its subsidiary Dentsu Sudler & Hennessey Inc.

     

    The acquisition of Synergy MC will boost the Group’s capacity to respond to a wider range of healthcare communication needs. Looking ahead, the Group will continue to implement further service innovations through the fusion of its expertise in the healthcare domain with its distinctive experience and knowhow in the B-to-C market.

     

  • WPP and Providence acquire Chime for ?374 million

    WPP and Providence acquire Chime for ?374 million

    MUMBAI: Martin Sorrell’s WPP and buyout firm Providence Equity Partners have agreed to acquire British communication and sports marketing group Chime Communications for ?374 million.

     

    As per the deal terms, Chime shareholders will receive 365pence in cash for each share they own. In addition, shareholders who are on the Chime shareholder register on 11 September, 2015 will be entitled to receive an interim dividend for the current year of 2.53 pence per share.

     

    WPP and Providence are acquiring Chime thorough Bidco, which is a newly-incorporated vehicle controlled by funds managed by Providence. WPPwill acquire an indirect minority interest in Bidco in exchange for transferring its existing 20.03 per cent stake in Chime to Bidco’s parent company – Bell Topco. The remaining ordinary shares in Topco will be held indirectly by funds managed by Providence.

     

    As WPP is a joint offeror, it will not be entitled to vote its Chime shares at the Court Meeting. However, WPP will be entitled to vote at the general meeting and Bidco has received an undertaking from WPP in the Bid Conduct Agreement to vote in favour of the resolution to be proposed at the general meeting in respect of, in aggregate, 20,158,421 Chime shares, representing approximately 20.03 per cent of the share capital of Chime in issue on 30 July, 2015.

     

    Commenting on the offer, Chime chairman Lord Davies of Abersoch said, “Chime has achieved great success to date in building a leading position in the global sports marketing and communications industry, which is reflected in the attractive premium being offered to shareholders. However, to fulfill Chime’s considerable growth potential, significant new capital is required. Providence and WPP offer Chime both the capital and the industry expertise to fast-track our ambitions to build a full scale, global sports marketing and communications business. Taking this into account, Chime’s independent Directors unanimously recommend that shareholders vote in favour of the resolutions at the General Meeting and in favour of the Scheme at the Court meeting.”

     

    Bidco director Andrew Tisdale added, “Chime’s history is one of innovation, creativity and consistent delivery of superior results for its clients. We believe Chime’s true assets are its people, and are excited to have the opportunity to partner with them as we embark on the next phase of the company’s growth.”

     

    Chime, which was founded in 1989 by Margaret Thatcher’s media adviser Lord Bell, will be delisted from the London Stock Exchange on completion of the deal.