ITV

Category: Media Agencies

  • Madison Media bags media rights for Bandhan Bank

    Madison Media bags media rights for Bandhan Bank

    MUMBAI: Continuing its aggressive list of acquisitions in 2015, Madison Media has added one more account to the tally. The media agency has won the media mandate for the proposed Bandhan Bank in Kolkata.

     

    Bandhan Financial Services, a microfinance entity, was set up in 2001 to address the dual objective of poverty alleviation and women empowerment. Bandhan has been the talk of the banking and financing community having got an in-principle approval from the Reserve Bank of India to start its banking operations.  Currently, it operates in 22 Indian states through more than 2000 branches, run by 14,000 employees. It has a borrower base of 6.5 million. As a bank, it will have pan-India operations and meet the credit needs of different types of customers even as offering various savings products.

     

    Bandhan chairman and managing director C S Ghosh said, “As we embark on this new journey, we need to reach out to new consumer across Indian states and we are confident that Madison will help us achieve our objective.”

     

    “Bandhan’s accomplishments are truly remarkable and we are delighted to partner them in this exciting new phase in their life which will make them play an even more meaningful role in the Indian financial sector, changing lives of many millions,” added Madison World CMD Sam Balsara.

     

    Madison Media was in the news recently for handling the media mandate for BJP for the national elections and for Maharashtra, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir and the current Delhi election. It has recently won a host of new accounts like Viber, Lenskart, Amul Hosiery, Metro Cash & Carry, DHFL and Gaana.com.

  • WPP reports record ?1.5 billion annual profit

    WPP reports record ?1.5 billion annual profit

    MUMBAI: For 2014, Martin Sorrell’s WPP Group reported a record ?1.5 billion annual profit in 2014, which was up by 12 per cent on reported revenue of ?11.53 billion, which was up 4.6 per cent year on year.

     

    WPP, which owns agencies such as Ogilvy, J. Walter Thompson, and Milward Brown, said 2015 was off to a flying start. Like-for-like revenue in January rose 6.7 per cent, with like-for-like net sales up 3.9 per cent, which WPP says was stronger than the final quarter of 2014 and 2014 itself.

     

    The agency expects to grow net sales by three per cent in 2015 and is looking at a headline operating margin target of 0.3 margin points, excluding the impact of currency.

     

    WPP’s reported billings at ?46.186 billion, were up 6.8 per cent in constant currency driven by a strong leadership position in net new business league tables. On the other hand, WPP saw like-for-like revenue growth in all regions, led by strong growth in North America, United Kingdom and Asia Pacific, Latin America, Africa & the Middle East and Central & Eastern Europe, and by all sectors, with particularly strong growth in advertising and media investment management and branding and identity, healthcare and specialist communications (including direct, digital and interactive).

     

    The group’s like-for-like net sales growth were at 3.3 per cent, with the gap compared to revenue growth more than the first half, as the scale of digital media purchases in media investment management and data investment management revenue continues to increase.

     

    WPP saw EBITDA growth of 0.7 per cent, up 7.5 per cent in constant currency, reflecting currency headwinds, but giving 0.2 margin points improvement, to 19.0 per cent on net sales, with like-for-like operating costs (+3.1 per cent) rising slower than net sales.

     

    PBIT increase of 1.1 per cent to ?1.681 billion, up eight per cent in constant currency was observed for the year. Net sales margin, a more accurate competitive comparator, up 0.2 margin points to an industry leading 16.7 per cent, up 0.3 margin points in constant currency, in line with target.

     

    WPP saw exceptional gains of ?196 million largely representing gains on the AppNexus and Rentrak transactions completed in the second half, together with other gains of ?45 million, including gains on the re-measurement of the Group’s equity interests, partly offset by ?89 million of restructuring costs, ?39 million of IT transformation costs and ?7 million of investment write-downs, giving a net exceptional gain of ?61 million.

     

    WPP was recognised again in 2014 for creative and effectiveness excellence with the award of the Cannes Lion to WPP for the most creative Holding Company, for the fourth successive year, since the awards inception and another to Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide, for the third consecutive year, as the most creative agency network. In another rare occurrence in the industry, in 2014 Grey was named Global Agency of the Year 2013 by both US trade magazines Ad Age and Ad Week. For the third consecutive year, WPP was awarded the EFFIE as the most effective Holding Company.

  • Askme appoints JWT as creative agency; sets aside Rs 350 crore marketing budget

    Askme appoints JWT as creative agency; sets aside Rs 350 crore marketing budget

    MUMBAI: Askme has appointed J. Walter Thompson as its creative agency to help the brand strengthen its leadership in the Indian digital platform and e-commerce space.

     

    With ATL and Digital marketing spends of Rs 350 crore, initially for one year, this contract will entitle J. Walter Thompson for all the creative and digital duties of Askme including Askme Bazaar and Askme Freeads.

     

    Askme had called for a multi-agency pitch where several agencies participated over three months. J. Walter Thompson was entrusted with creative duties for the next marketing campaign basis the creative ideas presented to the team.

     

    Getit Infomedia group head, marketing and digital products Manav Sethi said, “We launched Askme brand last year and have witnessed significant consumer uptake and others in app and digital ecosystem following the suite in trying to launch similar integrated services across search, deals, classified and commerce. We remain focused on our growth story and have been continuously working towards developing an enriching platform for end users and SMEs. We are confident that creative team at J. Walter Thompson India will help position Askme brand as a destination of choice across our target consumers in this already cluttered market.”

     

    J. Walter Thompson, Delhi managing partner Sanjeev Bhargava added, “J. Walter Thompson has a tremendous track record of creating brand value through advertising that catches the imagination of the people. In the e-commerce space, we are excited to partner with a brand on its journey to success and leadership in the face of intense competition. We are happy to be selected for our demonstrated prowess in strategic thinking and creative abilities that bested some worthy competitors. And we hope to live up to and exceed the expectations of leadership at Getit Infomedia.”

  • DDB MudraMax Media wins media mandate of Athena Life Sciences

    DDB MudraMax Media wins media mandate of Athena Life Sciences

    MUMBAI: A start-up in the space of cosmoceutical and therapeutic beauty treatment, Athena Life Sciences has appointed DDB MudraMax Media as its media agency.

     

    The agency will be responsible for all media activities viz. planning, buying and implementation.

     

    Athena Life Sciences is a relatively new organization and hence its association with DDB MudraMax Media becomes crucial since the agency has become the brand’s first ever media agency.

     

    For their maiden campaign, the company will focus on building awareness for D’Free, an overnight anti dandruff lotion.

     

    On appointing DDB MudraMax Media, Athena Life Sciences CEO and MD Prabhu Karthikeyan said that startup dynamics are so different from established businesses – budget constraints, faster changes, narrow focus and much more.

     

    “DDB MudraMax Media gave us the comfort of a large planning and buying house, strong FMCG/consumer mindset, and yet brought in the kind of attention, collaborative thinking that a startup deserves,” Karthikeyan added.

     

    DDB MudraMax Media associate vice president Navin Kathuria said, “It is an interesting assignment to deploy our consumer planning and holistic implementation skills, with ideas at the centre of the consumer engagement. We are very delighted to partner with Athena Life Sciences in their journey towards building a cutting edge Consumer Products Business.”

  • IAA Debates: Are agencies rapidly reinventing?

    IAA Debates: Are agencies rapidly reinventing?

    MUMBAI: There is need for both advertising agencies and marketers to reinvent themselves. This was the basic message from the IAA Debates held in Mumbai earlier this month.

     

    The topic of the discussion of the second of the new season of IAA Debates was: ‘Agencies are not rapidly reinventing themselves to stay relevant to changing advertiser needs.’

     

    At the start of the debate, the overarching view of the audience was that agencies must reinvent to stay relevant. At the end of the debate, the view moved to that agencies are reinventing themselves and indeed more relevant than the initially held view.

     

    Speaking for the motion (‘Agencies are not reinventing themselves’) were Dentsu Aegis Network chairman & CEO South Asia Ashish Bhasin and Marico chief marketing officer Sameer Satpathy.

     

    Speaking against the motion (‘Agencies are reinventing themselves’) were Madison World MD and chairman Sam Balsara and Godrej strategic marketing group COO Shireesh Joshi.

     

    IAA India Chapter president and IAA vice president-development, Asia Pacific Srinivasan K Swamy said, “The fact that some of the leading lights of the industry participated in the debate ensured that we had discussion of the topmost quality. By bringing in practising leaders of the industry, the IAA Debates has become a must-attend event from all section of the advertising, media and marketing fraternity.”

     

    D B Corp chief-marketing and corporate sales officer Pradeep Dwivedi added, “We are delighted to partner IAA Debates in bringing about discussions around current, thought provoking subjects which have a bearing on the industry and our marketing, media and advertising community. As marketers figure out ways to maximise value from their agency engagements and vice versa, as was the subject of the recently concluded second debate of the season, we at Dainik Bhaskar remain committed to contribute to the spirit of discovery and discussion to help bring about change and evolution.”

     

    The IAA Debates hosted so far have been in Mumbai, Goa, Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Chennai. The debates have featured senior advertising, media and marketing professionals such as Prasoon Joshi, Vikram Sakhuja, Lloyd Mathias, Josy Paul, Pratap Bose, Deepika Warrier, Anupriya Acharya, Arun Anant, Arunabh Das Sharma, Partha Sinha, Monica Tata, Vikram Chandra, Punitha Arumugam, Mahesh Murthy, Virginia Sharma, Ashok Lalla and Zerin Rahman, Sadashiv Nayak, Atul Phadnis, Ronita Mitra, and Amitabh Pande amongst others speaking for and against the motion.

  • Vizeum bags media duties of Saint-Gobain

    Vizeum bags media duties of Saint-Gobain

    MUMBAI: Vizeum India, the media communication specialist from the Dentsu Aegis Network, has been appointed as the media AoR for Saint-Gobain.

     

     Vizeum Indian subcontinent managing director S Yesudas said, “We are delighted with this appointment and thank the Saint-Gobain management for considering us worthy. We see immense possibilities for the brand to connect with its consumers and business associates meaningfully. We will ensure no stones are left unturned on our path to this destination. This business will be handled out of our Chennai office.”

     

  • Lowe Lintas India named world’s top creative agency by WARC

    Lowe Lintas India named world’s top creative agency by WARC

    MUMBAI: WARC 100, an annual ranking of the world’s best marketing companies and campaigns, based on their performance in effectiveness and strategy competitions, has declared Lowe Lintas India as the number one creative agency in the world.

     

    The study focuses on marketing that makes a difference, driving business performance or changing consumer behaviour.

     

    The rankings are compiled based on the winners of 87 effectiveness and strategy awards from around the world. Unilever was named as the number one advertiser of the year, with two of its campaigns (both created by Lowe Lintas) making it to the top five.

     

    Lowe Lintas India accumulated 212.9 points while AMV BBDO UK took the second spot at 191 points and Colenso BBDO NZ that collected 147.6 points finished third. Recent successes of Lowe Lintas on global platforms include Ad Age International Agency of the Year, the American Jay Chiat Awards and and WARC Asia.

     

    Speaking on the development Lowe Lintas + Partners CEO Joseph George said that the recognition was both extremely satisfying and spurring. “We have had a terrific run on creative effectiveness this year across the globe; and all the accolades have further reinforced our belief in the type of work we want to do and believe in,” George added.

     

    Lowe & Partners, Worldwide saw significant representation in the WARC 100 listing. Notable ones being – Lowe & Partners ranked fourth amongst the top agency networks in the world; and two other agencies from the Lowe network, Lowe SSP3 and Lowe Roche featured in top 25 agencies list. Furthermore, five of the campaigns created by the network featured in the WARC 100 Best Marketing Campaigns.

  • MEC Africa launched; Monica Kambo to head

    MEC Africa launched; Monica Kambo to head

    MUMBAI: Media agency MEC has officially opened its doors to a new Sub-Saharan network, headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya.

     

    Following WPP’s move to a controlling stake in ScanGroup last year, MEC Africa has launched with a team of over 20 people and will cover 22 markets in East and West Africa, supplementing MEC’s existing offering in South Africa and North Africa.

     

    Monica Kambo has been named as managing director of the new office, and will work closely with MEC’s international team, Global Solutions, in London.

     

    MEC Africa will work with existing ScanGroup clients and with MEC international clients in the region. 

     

    MEC global COO and EMEA chairman Alastair Aird said, “Launching MEC in new markets is always exciting, so I’m personally delighted to be welcoming 22 new markets into the MEC EMEA family. Africa is a complex but fascinating region, with many great opportunities, so it’s a truly exciting time to be partnering with our clients here. With the support of our collaborative and experienced network, and with Monica at the helm, I’m confident we’ll be able to integrate the same rigour and strategic leadership to our work for our clients as we do elsewhere in the world, and that for us is key to delivering growth to them.”

  • Chatter around India-SA match 30% lower than India/Pak match: MEC report

    Chatter around India-SA match 30% lower than India/Pak match: MEC report

    MUMBAI: Team India so far has been on a winning spree at the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. The winning moments on field have also been translated on social media where fans have expressed their excitement on various platforms. 

     

    On 22 February when India won against South Africa the chatter around the match was 30 per cent lower than that of the much talked about India vs Pakistan match, according to a report prepared by MEC.

     

    The report states that the hashtag #IndvsSA garnered only 0.2 million mentions as compared to the hashtag #IndvsPak at 0.3 million mentions. Further another hashtag, #cwc15, garnered 0.1 million mentions for both the matches. 

     

    Shikhar Dhawan was the most talked about player during the India vs South Africa match, but received almost half the mentions as compared to Virat Kohli during India’s clash against Pakistan.

     

    Sports brand Nike’s “#bleedblue” campaign continued to be the most talked about brand mention, but received only 40 per cent mentions compared to that during India and Pakistan’s match. Official broadcaster Star Sports campaign #Maukamauka gained talk value during India vs South Africa with their new TVCs says the report.

     

    In its concluding remarks the report states that it is clear that no match generates as much excitement and engagement as an India vs Pakistan match.

  • TV ad spends to grow to over Rs 15,500 crore in 2015: Pitch Madison report

    TV ad spends to grow to over Rs 15,500 crore in 2015: Pitch Madison report

    MUMBAI: 2015 seems to be an exciting year for television spends. According to the Pitch Madison report, in 2015 television spends are projected to grow to over Rs 15,500 crore, up from Rs 14,158 crore in 2015, showing a growth of 9.5 per cent.

     

    The report further states that for last year, television grew by 14 per cent on par with its projected growth rate of 15 per cent and maintained its contribution to the total advertising pie at 38 per cent. TV advertising, which grew by approximately Rs 1,700 crore, saw two giants – the elections and the e-commerce segment spending in excess of Rs 1,050 crore.

     

    This year’s biggest sports extravaganza, the International Cricket Council (ICC) Cricket World Cup 2015 is expected to bring in revenue of Rs 1,000 crore of which Rs 500 crore is likely to be additional revenue. The balance will be part of organic growth across segments like BFSI, telecom, consumer durables, automobiles and others.

     

    With regards to new channel launches, the report states, “The Hindi general entertainment channel (GEC) space saw three launches – Zindagi, Sony Pal and Epic and the re-positioning of Big Magic as a national channel last year. 2015 is expected to see the trend to continue with many more new channel launches from existing networks. This increased inventory supply will in turn lead to a hike in advertising revenue.”

     

    With the government extending the deadline for phase III of digitization, the increased penetration of digitization will also see increased spending not only on SD and HD channels but also on niche channels. The report also mentions that the facility of geo targeting ads on TV (as seen recently with Star picking up the initiative for the World Cup) will pull in more premium, local and retail advertisers. E-commerce along with marketers of mobile social apps are expected to continue their intensive push through higher advertising spends.

     

    The report also mentions that while Hindi GECs contributed nearly 27 per cent of their overall TV revenue and continue being the leaders, a change in the order saw Tamil Cable and Satellite (TN CS) garnering the second largest chunk of ad revenues, as it grew from 7.2 per cent to 8.5 per cent in 2014, thereby overtaking Hindi news channels.