ITV

Category: Media and Advertising

  • Salt Brand Solutions promotes Siddhartha Singh as CEO, Arun Divakar as NCD

    Salt Brand Solutions promotes Siddhartha Singh as CEO, Arun Divakar as NCD

    MUMBAI: Salt Brand Solutions has rejigged its top management. The company has promoted Siddhartha Singh as CEO and Arun Divakar as national creative director (NCD).

     

    Singh is one of the founder members of Salt and till now was executive vice president (EVP). He has almost two decades of experience across agencies like Leo Burnett, Ambience Publicis and Rediffusion – Y&R.

     

    Singh said, “I plan to up the ante on product delivery, ensuring it is above industry standard and pushes the agenda of being best new-age business partners to our clients. This is something we have practiced for the last four years and today feel confident and capable of delivering. In addition, I want to instil brand thinking that cuts through the jargon, brings in simplicity and germinates from a client’s business problem rather than lofty brand ideologies.”

     

    On the other end of the spectrum is Divakar, who will now be responsible for the complete creative portfolio of Salt. “I want to create an environment where people contribute and come up with ideas fearlessly and frequently in a manner that is fun, for I believe that Happy People create Happy Work and that is something that we want to stand for,” he said.

     

    Divakar started his career as an account executive, but quickly realised he was a better art director than the ones he was listening to! He has worked with Flagship and Saatchi & Saatchi in Mumbai, and Classic Partnership, O&M, Y&R and TBWA in the U.A.E, before taking on the role of regional creative director, Pirana which he helped set up in the U.A.E. In 2014 he moved back to India and joined Salt Brand Solutions.

     

    Defining the road ahead, Salt Brand Solutions founder Mahesh Chauhan added, “Divakar has been the proverbial madman of Salt. His talent coupled with his joie de vivre has transformed our work and culture beautifully. Sid, on the other hand, has been a pillar over the past four years of Salt and has seamlessly transitioned into this role. He is widely respected and brings great gravitas to our offering as an organisation.”

     

    “With these elevations, I will now be spending my time driving ideas for our clients. This will involve working seamlessly with both the strategy and creative teams. The end objective being consistently superior work for all our partners as well as properties that we develop for ourselves,” he added.

  • Viiking appoints Omar Qureshi as CCO & biz head

    Viiking appoints Omar Qureshi as CCO & biz head

    MUMBAI: Viiking Media & Entertainment has appointed Bollywood & media expert Omar Qureshi as chief creative officer (CCO) and business head.

     

    With Qureshi’s appointment, the Group will now enter the digital media and creative content market.

     

    Viiking Ventures and Viiking Media & Entertainment chairman Sachiin Joshi said, “This is the most fabulous handshake to happen in the business of media and entertainment in a long time and will remains so for a long time. We, as a Group, are expanding in the areas of movies, movie content, short and long form content for digital. And who better than Omar – with his immense experience in all these zones – to spearhead these areas. He is a household name with Bollywood and a known face with TV, media and even the audiences. His experience and expertise shall only add greater value to Viiking as a company.”

     

    Joshi further added, “We intend not only to become the biggest players in the digital content space out of India, we will also have the in-house expertise to select and make the best possible content for movies and the music space, that seem to be suffering from dearth of enough creativity. Omar is a master of that territory and we are very excited.”

     

    Qureshi said, “When smart business meets smart content, the result is a spark that can set benchmarks and blaze new trails. With the kind of Group support and resources at the disposal of the Viiking Group, the ventures we are looking at shall be the place to visit, for sampling any kind of content across genres. With a focused eye on Bollywood and entertainment, we shall also foray into other genres.”

     

    “With niche TV viewing going through asphyxiation by the larger GECs, and with content suffering from scarcity of originality, we hope to create shark tanks of expert teams, the best of breed in their domains, who will create businesses that will become a landing page for most consumers. With the Group’s interest in Bollywood and Tollywood movies, also looking internationally, I see a beautiful synergy and an exciting new zone that shall be the mother of all digital content, hopefully, sooner than we think. With the kind of vision, 70mm foresight and drive that Sachiin Joshi has, this seems immensely doable,” Qureshi concluded.

  • Lowe Lintas Mumbai creates inaugural brand campaign for Grofers

    Lowe Lintas Mumbai creates inaugural brand campaign for Grofers

    MUMBAI: Local e-commerce platform, Grofers has appointed Lowe Lintas Mumbai to launch its inaugural brand campaign in India and establish it as the one-stop destination for all things grocery and home needs, on the digital platform.

    Lowe Lintas Mumbai executive director Shantanu Sapre said, “I am happy that Grofers chose us to chart out their brand journey in India through the inaugural launch campaign. The excitement on this launch is high; in this I see an interesting challenge, as the category is as yet nascent. This provides Lowe Lintas Mumbai with the opportunity to create a unique brand voice in an unexplored category. Thus, what we present to the audience is a quirky, witty and playful communication that will help us make Grofers a household name.”

     

    As part of the launch exercise, Lowe Lintas Mumbai will unveil a series of four films of 45 seconds and three additional films of 30 seconds each that will highlight the service features of Grofers. The entire campaign will work towards promoting the USP of Grofers as an online on-demand delivery service expert. 

     

    The core theme around the campaign is based on the simple consumer understanding that most working people, especially young couples face — spend most of their time at work. They do not have enough time balancing work and the basic needs at home. 

     

    Lowe Lintas Mumbai chief creative officer Arun Iyer said, “The challenge was to give the brand meaning in the lives of these young working couples. It is a well-known fact that women have always found men who share domestic responsibility, more appealing. I’m certain this holds even truer for the young working women of today – given they are constantly trying to successfully juggle work and home. It is this insight that we played on for the Grofers campaign.” 

    Launched in December 2014 as an on-demand delivery service that connects consumers with local merchants in the neighbourhood, Grofers has offer a platform to those who wish to shop their wares via digital platforms.

     

    Grofers co-founder Albinder Dhindsa added, “We are now in 27 cities across India and offer a rich mix of everyday use products that consumers need. As such, we felt Lowe Lintas Mumbai was the right partner to help us communicate the value of our offering to consumers. We are building our brand on understanding our customer’s wants and needs – wanting to enjoy their time but needing to take care of daily chores as well. Hence, the proposition of ‘We get it’ bodes well for the brand.”

     

    The media coverage for this campaign is programmed for high visibility, which includes on and offline channels such as digital platforms, television, print and outdoor.

  • Edelweiss Group signs Saina Nehwal as brand ambassador

    Edelweiss Group signs Saina Nehwal as brand ambassador

    MUMBAI: Edelweiss Financial Services has appointed celebrated badminton player Saina Nehwal as its brand ambassador for a period of three years.

    The deal was initiated by IOS Sports & Entertainment.

     

    During the period of association, Nehwal will be part of a 360 degree multimedia national campaign. Additionally, the company’s logo will also feature on her jersey across domestic and international tournaments as a part of a sponsorship deal.

    Edelweiss Group chairman & CEO Rashesh Shah said, “Saina is an inspirational icon widely recognised by people across all corners of India, which is one of the compelling reasons to associate with her. More than that, she’s different – it is because of her that badminton is now watched by millions across our country. It is indeed a pleasure to sponsor the champion, Saina Nehwal and have her as Edelweiss’s brand ambassador.”

    Edelweiss will roll-out of a national level media campaign shortly.

    IOS Sports & Entertainment MD and CEO Neerav Tomar added, “In a multi-crore deal, we have signed Saina’s main sponsor branding on front of her jersey today. We are very happy to have Edelweiss on board.”

    Nehwal and Edelweiss go back a long way to the Olympic Gold Quest (OGQ) days where Edelweiss was one of the first companies to promote women empowerment and sports via OGQ. “Edelweiss and I share similar values. For me, it’s about building a winning proposition to max the game and for Edelweiss, it’s to develop long term meaningful solutions for clients,’ said Nehwal.

  • Faasos launches ad campaign with 2 new TVCs

    Faasos launches ad campaign with 2 new TVCs

    MUMBAI: Faasos has rolled out its new TV ad campaign that comprises two TVCs, conceptualized by Lowe Lintas Mumbai. The new ad campaign highlights the daunting question every consumer asks from the time they wake up till the time they reach home: “Aaj Khane Mein Kya Hai?”

     

    Faasos head of marketing Revant Bhate said, “Aaj Khane Mein Kya Hai, is the most colloquial question that all Indians discuss every day and we at Faasos endeavor to give answers to this with multiple meal options of the day. We felt the need to address this question because we understand the plight that working professionals, young couples and foodies in general face. Faasos was started some years ago with a focus on good quality reasonably priced food and that is what we serve till today. With new options for everyday meals; breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner; Faasos is the answer through an easy to use app.”

     

    Lowe Lintas Mumbai chief creative officer Arun Iyer added, “While the strategy to make Faasos top-of-mind with that niggling everyday question of ‘what to eat’ was clear, in the campaign executions we had to pitch their ‘everyday plight’ just right. Our inspiration was –in-your-face reality served with a dash of humor. So our creative approach was to hold a mirror to their reality when it comes to this everyday question and pepper it with a dash of humor to create an intelligent yet fun brand tone for Faasos.”

     

    Lowe Lintas Mumbai ED Shantanu Sapre said, “Faasos is a venture with an understanding of what young-adults want today. When we got started thinking about how to bring Faasos to the fore of every food decision that they have to make in their day to day bustle, we realized that food is one question that today’s young-adults don’t want to stress about. They want the answers ready. And that’s where we positioned Faasos.”

     

    Both TVCs reflect the ease of ordering food by simply telling the consumer to leave their food worries to Faasos.

     

  • Max Life celebrates Teacher’s Day with new radio campaign

    Max Life celebrates Teacher’s Day with new radio campaign

    MUMBAI: Max Life Insurance has launched a radio campaign ‘Sachchi Advice’ to celebrate Teacher’s Day and express gratitude towards the importance of true guidance by teachers in one’s life.

     

    As part of the campaign, Max Life will invite listeners to share their personal life experiences on how true advice given by their teachers has changed their lives.

     

    The radio campaign from 3 – 5 September, was aired in nine cities namely Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Pune, Ahmedabad and Jaipur.

     

    This radio campaign is an extension to the Sachchi Advice campaign launched by Max Life last month.

     

    The central theme of the campaign is well captured with the tag line ‘Sachchi advice sirf apne hi dete hain.’

  • Saatchi & Saatchi promotes Justin Billingsley as worldwide COO

    Saatchi & Saatchi promotes Justin Billingsley as worldwide COO

    MUMBAI: Justin Billingsley has been promoted to the role of worldwide chief operating officer (COO) for the network.

     

    Billingsley is presently CEO of Dynamic Markets at Saatchi & Saatchi, having joined the company in 2009. Based in London, he commences his role immediately.

     

    All of Saatchi & Saatchi’s offices across the world will report to Billingsley, who will focus on leading the network’s growth and performance across markets, and on transforming the capabilities of the business to meet the future needs of clients. He will continue to lead the agency’s worldwide M&A activity and continues on the executive board and global leadership team of Saatchi & Saatchi.

     

    Saatchi & Saatchi CEO worldwide Robert Senior said, “Justin is a proven transformational leader for us, first in China, then in EMEA and in his new role, will focus on improvement in our performance globally. Justin and I have a great working partnership. It is as simple as this: we both stand in the doorway of the Saatchi & Saatchi network. From there I tend to look outwards, and Justin tends to look inwards. We need to do both in order to lift our game and achieve our purpose.”

     

    Billingsley added, “This role represents an inspirational challenge to wake up to each day: If we are promising our clients and our people that ‘Nothing is Impossible’ then what kind of agency does it take to deliver this today and what will be needed tomorrow? We are defining what this means and transforming accordingly, combining new skills with a hunger for creative excellence and world-changing ideas. And it’s fun, making Saatchi & Saatchi more Saatchi & Saatchi.”

     

    His appointment follows a series of additions to the global leadership team at Saatchi & Saatchi, including David Hackworthy as chief strategy officer, and Jeff Geisler as chief marketing officer.

     

    Prior to being named CEO of Dynamic Markets in January 2015, Billingsley was the COO of the EMEA region for Saatchi & Saatchi. He joined the agency in 2009 as CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi Greater China, and before that held various senior marketing leadership roles at companies including Unilever, Nokia, Orange, and The Coca-Cola Company.

     

    Previous COO Chris Foster has moved to a new role in Publicis Groupe as SVP – global clients.

  • Mobile Marketing Association reveals speaker list for 4th MMA Forum India

    Mobile Marketing Association reveals speaker list for 4th MMA Forum India

    MUMBAI: The Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) has revealed the full speaker line-up and agenda for the upcoming MMA Forum India to be held on 16 September, 2015. Themed: Acquiring, Reaching and Engaging the Right Consumers with Mobile, this one-day conference will see prominent experts and thought leaders from across the mobile marketing ecosystem dissect the different components of mobile marketing from programmatic, mobile video, and location, to creativity and innovation. In-depth discussions will reveal new ways in which marketers can harness the power of mobile to keep up with the ever changing needs of today’s discerning consumer.

     

    Rahul Welde, Regional Vice President – Media of Unilever, will kick-start this year’s Forum, providing insight into Unilever’s innovative approach to marketing, discussing the opportunities presented by the consumer in his session ‘Leveraging Mobile To Drive Innovation and Enhance Brand Experiences.’

     

    CVL Srinivas, CEO GroupM will moderate a key panel discussion on key principles to becoming mobile capable with Vipul Prakash, Vice President – Beverages Category, Pepsico India, Ajit Mohan, Executive Vice President & Head, Digital for Star India and Novi Digital Entertainment Limited, Amrit Thomas, CMO, United Spirits Limited and Amarjit Singh Batra, CEO, OLX India. They will share examples from their client’s perspective and will give insight into how media owners can best work with agencies to build mobile insight and capability so companies can reach a level of maturity quickly and more effectively.

     

    The Forum will also see Fergus O’Hare, Head of APAC at Facebook Creative Shop, talk about the creative renaissance in mobile marketing. His session will explore creativity in today’s connected world, the explosion of mobile video and the implication and opportunities for marketers.

     

    In addition, Dippak Kurrana, Co-Founder & CEO Vserv will host a Fireside chat with Media Specialist and writer Vanita Kohli-Khandekar on the discovery to transaction in the mobile internet world. The smartphone explosion and ever-evolving technology has brought us closer than ever in achieving the marketer’s ultimate goal of shrinking the intent-purchase gap. This session will see the industry leaders discuss how marketers can get ahead of the curve, to maximize their opportunities and future-proof their strategy.

     

    Other key speakers include

     

    ·         Rohit Dadwal, Managing Director, Mobile Marketing Association Asia Pacific Limited

    ·         Nitin Bawankule, Industry Director, Ecommerce, Local Classifieds & Technology, Google India

    ·         Shireesh Joshi, Head Strategic Marketing, Godrej Group

    ·         Joshua Maa, Founder & CEO MADhouse Inc

    ·         Scott Zalaznik, Head of Global, Strategy, Xad

    ·         Joe Nguyen, Senior Vice President, Asia Pacific comScore, Inc

    ·         Nitin Mathur , Senior Director Marketing, Yahoo Asia Pacific

    ·         Vikas Gulati, Managing Director, Asia Opera Mediaworks

    ·         Avinash Jhangiani, Managing Director –Digital & Mobility OmnicomMediaGroup

    ·         Chris Steedman, Managing Director APAC, M&C Saatchi Mobile

    ·         Anita Nayyar, CEO India & South Asia, Havas Media Group

    ·         Milind Pathak, COO Madhouse – South Asia

    ·         Manav Sethi, Group CMO, ASKME India & Findit Malaysia

    ·         Jayesh Easwaramony, VP & GM, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa, InMobi

    ·         Rohit Sharma, CEO & Founder Pokkt

    ·         Joby Babu, COO, Nimbuzz Internet Media Pvt Limited

     

    “I am extremely excited about the diverse mix of speakers at this year’s Forum, who will be sharing their insights into how marketers can adapt and reinvent their approaches to mobile marketing to acquire, reach and engage the consumer in line with continuously changing technologies and consumer behaviours,” said Rohit Dadwal, Managing Director, MMA APAC.

     

    The MMA Forum India 2015 will conclude with the awards ceremony of the SMARTIES™ INDIA 2015, recognizing the best mobile marketing works in the region.

     

    The MMA Forum India 2015 is partnered by Vserv.com, MADhouse, InMobi, Nimbuzz, Opera Mediaworks, Pokkt, Hotstar, Yahoo!, Unites Spirits Limited and Pocket Math.