ITV

Category: Media and Advertising

  • Wunderman India names Manoj Mansukhani as managing director

    Wunderman India names Manoj Mansukhani as managing director

    MUMBAI: WPP’s digital and direct marketing agency Wunderman International India has named Manoj Mansukhani as managing director with immediate effect. 

     

    Succeeding Rahul Guha, Mansukhani is based in New Delhi and reports to Wunderman Asia Pacific president Martin Conneen.

     

    Mansukhani will lead Wunderman India’s operations, as well as consolidate the network’s current offerings and expand agency expertise and capabilities. He will work to further develop Wunderman’s e-commerce offering, leveraging the agency’s data, analytics and creative expertise to help clients deliver more impactful cross-channel consumer experiences.

    Bringing with him over 18 years of experience, Mansukhani is well-versed in moving brick and mortar companies into the digital space, developing omni-channel solutions and connecting online and offline sales. He was most recently senior vice president and head of e-commerce at Razorfish India, where he ran the Mumbai and Bangalore offices. 

     

    Prior to that, Mansukhani served as associate vice president of MRM (part of McCann Worldgroup), working in both B2B and B2C spaces.
     

    Conneen said, “Wunderman India has built award-winning teams and firm foundations for the future. We warmly welcome Manoj, and feel his extensive expertise will be instrumental in Wunderman’s strategy to expand agency capabilities and offerings in India. We thank Rahul for his significant contribution over the past five years.”

    Mansukhani added, “It’s exciting to be joining Wunderman International India as the network looks to build on existing strengths to incorporate new assets. I look forward to helping helm the agency to the next level of its development.”

  • FreeCharge appoints Sudeep Tandon as chief business officer

    FreeCharge appoints Sudeep Tandon as chief business officer

    MUMBAI: Online platform FreeCharge has roped in Sudeep Tandon as its chief business officer to further strengthen its senior leadership team. 

     

    Based out of Mumbai, Tandon will closely work with FreeCharge CEO and co-founder Kunal Shah. 

     

    Tandon’s appointment will enhance the corporate strategy and strategic alliances of the company.

     

    Shah said, “FreeCharge is at an exciting stage post acquisition by Snapdeal and we are expanding management bandwidth to reach to next level. Tandon was key advisor during early days of FreeCharge and has deep understanding about the brand’s vision. His process-orientated approach and continuous push for innovation will strengthen our execution. I believe Tandon’s capabilities will help us leap ahead and bolster our vision.”

     

    Tandon comes with over eight years of experience in telecom, technology strategy, product and business development. He has been associated with brands like Samsung, Cisco and Cartesian in the past. 

     

    Prior to FreeCharge, Tandon was an engagement manager at Cartesian, a telecom, media and technology (TMT) focused strategy consulting firm. At Cartesian, Tandon led several client engagements with a particular focus on solving strategic challenges for mobile network operators globally. 

     

    Tandon added, “I am excited to re-join FreeCharge as it is an enthusiastic workplace always experimenting with futuristic ideas and dipping hands into verity of variants like electricity and gas payments. I look forward to play an active role in this endeavour and innovate more and more.”

  • Maxus ESP & Chef Vikas Khanna join hands for Askme’s video series

    Maxus ESP & Chef Vikas Khanna join hands for Askme’s video series

    MUMBAI: Maxus ESP has partnered with Chef Vikas Khanna to co-create and design Askme’s video series called ‘Top Trending places for Top Trending moments.’

     

    Maxus ESP identified and finalised various moments that matter to consumers via research. These moments were then incorporated in concepts for the video series.

     

    Explaining the content of the video, Maxus Asia Pacific, South East Asia and South Asia Regional director for content Shailja Saraswati said, “We have curated the videos to suit the contemporary taste of the audience and have ensured that every moment of the viewing becomes an experience to cherish. The videos are custom made for digital audiences always on the lookout for suggestions and will be promoted across digital/app/mobile.”

     

    According to Saraswati, Askme.com has evolved from being just an information realisation service to a curator of the latest trends and satiates the consumer’s need of staying in tune with fast changing content preferences.

     

    Askme.com group head marketing Manav Sethi said, “We are delighted to be a part of this one-of-a kind initiative by Maxus ESP in collaboration with Vikas Khanna. At Askme.com, we have fine-tuned our strategy to offer content that is credible and crisp and this new series of videos is all about celebrating life packed with fun moments and experiences. Askme believes life is all about celebrations and who better than Vikas Khanna, to help consumers out with the right choice for moments that matter.”

     

    The video series was custom created for seeding across digital platforms, including social media assets of AskMe.

  • Maxus APAC names Rose Huskey as client leadership head

    Maxus APAC names Rose Huskey as client leadership head

    MUMBAI: Rose Huskey has joined the Maxus regional team as Maxus APAC client leadership head.

     

    Prior to this, Huskey spent four years as the Maxus Vietnam managing director.

     

    Based out of Singapore, Huskey will be responsible for ensuring that the client’s experience is world class, integrated product and thinking into brand marketing as its leans into change in the ever evolving world.

     

    Huskey is an advertising executive with 18 years of experience across agencies, specializing in developing solutions to client’s challenges and bringing them to life in the online and offline world. Before joining Maxus, GroupM Huskey held positions at OMD in Vancouver, Canada and Future Shop where she was responsible for conceiving, managing and developing advertising and communication solutions.

     

    Huskey said, “The media industry has never been more exciting and interesting. The convergence of online and offline experiences means that people now have more choice than ever before on how, when and where they access the media they want. Maxus helps our clients leverage a wide spectrum of media opportunities to seize opportunities and fight off competitive threats.”

     

    Maxus Asia-Pacific regional CEO Ajit Varghese added, “We are very excited to have Rose join our regional leadership team. Given all her extensive experience in managing clients, building high performance teams and leading growth in one of our highest performing countries, she’s absolutely the right person to drive central leadership for our network clients and lead our teams to flawlessly execute across multi markets. At Maxus, we always aim to provide successful career options within the group for star performers and Rose certainly meets that criteria.”

  • Razorfish Global acquires 2Datafish to expand commerce & data analytics capabilities

    Razorfish Global acquires 2Datafish to expand commerce & data analytics capabilities

    MUMBAI: Razorfish Global, part of Publicis Groupe, has acquired Sydney-based 2DataFish, the Adobe data analytics and marketing optimisation consultancy in Australia and APAC.

     

    The acquisition strengthens Razorfish Global’s Intelligence Practice by adding significant commerce and data analytics capabilities and makes it the only Adobe partner in Australia and the wider APAC region that can provide end-to-end cloud marketing services at scale, including systems integration, data analytics, media and content platforms, creative and experience design.

     

    It is the latest milestone in a strong growth period for Razorfish Global in Australia, with recent major client wins, including Foxtel, eBay and Bank of Queensland. Razorfish Global is a global strategic partner of Adobe, while 2DataFish is the first analytics consultancy in the region certified as a global Adobe analytics specialisation partner.

     

    Specialising in online testing, content optimisation, analytics, audience segmentation and tag management, 2DataFish was founded in 2010 by Steven and Kim Hann, who will both continue in the business as co-directors. 

     

    Current 2DataFish clients include Telstra, Virgin Australia, Commonwealth Bank, Westpac, Fairfax Media, Suncorp Group, Energy Australia, Dick Smith, IAG and GE Capital to name a few.

     

    “We’re pleased to welcome 2DataFish to the Razorfish Global family and Publicis.Sapient platform. This move positions us to accelerate growth in the Australian market while building on a clear competitive advantage in our Intelligence Practice through the addition of world-class talent, data analytics and customer intelligence capabilities, technology platforms and intellectual property,” said Razorfish Global international CEO Michael Karg.

     

    “2DataFish significantly boosts our data analytics capabilities, which are critical to our ability to help clients transform their business. Clients will now benefit from intensely specialised skills across data, technology, insights, commerce and media that result in a truly holistic solution,” said Razorfish Australia managing director Doug Chapman.

     

    2DataFish founder Steven Hann added, “We are excited about the possibilities that our combined talents can offer clients and proud to join forces with the talented team at Razorfish Global.”

     

    2DataFish will complete its move into Razorfish Australia’s Sydney offices by the end of August 2015 and will maintain a separate brand name at this stage.

  • Dentsu partners Opower to deliver sophisticated client services

    Dentsu partners Opower to deliver sophisticated client services

    MUMBAI: Dentsu Inc has partnered with Opower Inc, a leader in cloud-based big data platforms for the utility industry. Dentsu will work together with Opower and Opower Japan to further enhance client services as Japan moves toward liberalization of the energy market starting from 2016.

     

    With the liberalization of the retail electricity market starting from April 2016 and that of the retail gas market in 2017, households and small business owners will be able to freely select the power and gas companies they want to use. In countries outside of Japan, where energy market liberalization started much earlier, the increase in the number of businesses entering the market and the diversity of the tariff plans offered were such that the ability to develop marketing communications that closely met consumer needs became an important factor in creating a competitive edge for a utility.

     

    Opower is a leading provider of engagement platforms, and provides services to approximately 100 electric power and gas companies all over the world where markets have already been liberalized. Based on the analysis of big data such as personal power usage data, the company provides personalized energy-saving advice to consumers, and, by improving the cost efficiency of utilities through this feedback, improves the relationship between businesses and customers while supporting the optimization of energy balance.

     

    Dentsu, meanwhile, is already providing a wide variety of solutions such as marketing and promotion services, business development, consulting and IT solutions to a large number of energy-related clients in Japan through its energy sector solutions team DEMS, which was launched in February this year.

     

    By leveraging their mutual strengths, Dentsu and Opower aim to deliver even more sophisticated client services and provide integrated marketing communications services to existing electricity, gas and other energy providers as well as to new market entrants. In addition, the two companies will continue to promote the horizontal development of knowhow for energy businesses outside of Japan while strengthening the localization of Opower’s solutions to meet the needs of consumers in Japan.

     

    Overview of the services provided by the two companies:

     

    (1) Customer acquisition, retention and increased loyalty through big data analysis and energy-saving insights 
    a. Proposal and implementation of plans that seamlessly and organically link integrated 
    communication strategies across mass media, PR channels, social media and one-to-one direct channels to subscribers 
    b. Marketing and outsourcing services in the direct communication business geared toward subscribers 
     

    (2) Creation of regional engagement models: The two companies will utilize the power usage data from Opower platform subscribers together with Dentsu’s consumer expertise and data on regional and societal trends to develop new demand-response schemes, regional loyalty point programs and advertising media campaigns for different geographic segments.

  • MediaCom acquires minority stake in Australian media agency

    MediaCom acquires minority stake in Australian media agency

    MUMBAI: WPP’s MediaCom has acquired a minority stake in Rapid Media Services Pty Ltd, a media communications agency in Australia with offices in Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast. 

     

    Founded in 2001 as part of full service advertising and communications agency, Rapid Media, Rapid Media Services specialises in media planning, strategy and buying across all traditional, digital and emerging channels. 

     

    Rapid Media Services has been affiliated with MediaCom in Australia since 2001. The company will continue to operate as an independent and stand-alone business led by managing director Vaughan O’Connor. 

     

    This acquisition marks a further step towards WPP’s declared goal of developing its networks in fast-growth markets and sectors.

     

  • Hike Messenger’s new brand campaign reaches 200 million consumers

    Hike Messenger’s new brand campaign reaches 200 million consumers

    MUMBAI: Hike Messenger has launched its biggest ever brand campaign that will reach as many as 200 million consumers. The brand campaign rollout comes on the back of the launch of biggest ever product update, Hike 4.0, which is 5X faster and loaded with over 10 new features.

     

    The campaign with its tag line ‘Got a Gang? Get on Hike’ aims at showcasing the ‘World of Hike’ by bringing alive groups of friends and asks consumers to create their own gang on Hike and experience the fun and spice that the product features can bring to their social conversations.

     

    The 18 week long campaign that will run across TV, print, digital, radio and outdoor will showcase new features like sticker suggestions, free calling, group chats with over 500 people, multi-type file transfer up to 100 MB, enhanced privacy options, photo filters and doodles among others. Each product feature and its benefit will be brought alive by a different group of friends shown in different situations, with a storyline that makes the campaign fun to watch.

     

    Hike messenger founder and CEO Kavin Bharti Mittal said, “Our goal with this campaign is to highlight those quirky groups that you cherish so much in your life and how that world would be so different, better and more expressive in so many ways in the world of Hike. This campaign truly brings out the all the great things about the latest version of Hike, which is a big step up from where we’ve been. We can’t wait for India to see it.”

     

    Lowe Lintas president GV Krishnan added, “The all-new Hike, with its unique features, is an intelligent messenger in the world of instant messengers. Our campaign aims to bring alive the fun that these wonderful features can bring to social interactions and conversations. ‘Got a gang? Get on Hike’ is an inescapable invite from the world of Hike to join in and have fun.”

     

    To engage with consumers in India and make messaging more relevant, along with the campaign, Hike will also be releasing special sticker packs for all major festivals in India starting with Rakhi, which falls on the 29 August. Consumers can access Rakhi sticker packs on the Hike app, which is available for android users on the Google Play store and Apple users on the iOS App store.

  • Sandeep Goyal’s Mogae & Zeotap ink JV for programmatic advertising on mobile

    Sandeep Goyal’s Mogae & Zeotap ink JV for programmatic advertising on mobile

    MUMBAI: Sandeep Goyal’s Mogae Media has signed an MoU for a joint venture (JV) with Germany’s Zeotap for programmatic advertising on smartphones.

     

    The JV will bring to India the world’s most trusted platform for enriched, profiled and targeted mobile advertising. The new company will see an equal participation by both Mogae and Zeotap. The final financial structures are currently being worked upon.

     

    “Programmatic buying involves a paradigm shift in the approach to digital advertising from the entire ecosystem – brands, agencies, publishers, not forgetting the availability and capability of technology platforms (demand side platform, supply side platform, data management platform) to execute the true potential of programmatic. Programmatic is an ideal technique to move marketing from a fragmented campaign-by-campaign paradigm to an always-on paradigm covering the entire customer lifecycle. With Zeotap, we wish to do just that,” said Mogae Media chairman Sandeep Goyal.

     

    “The new investment will be employed towards Zeotap’s international expansion as well as to substantially grow our global technology centre in Bangalore,” added Zeotap CEO Daniel Heer.

     

    Zeotap co-founder and chief product officer (CPO) Projjol Banerjea said, “Zeotap’s platform makes some of the most comprehensive ad targeting capabilities available to the mobile advertising market. We work with publishers and supply-side platforms to optimize yield as well as advertisers and demand-side players to make ad buying more efficient. The company operates in Europe and Asia.”

     

    The Mogae-Zeotap JV platform will be live by September. A larger rollout is planned over the next 6-19 months.

  • OMD China unveils data smart television measurement tool

    OMD China unveils data smart television measurement tool

    MUMBAI: OMD China has launched Predictor 2.0 – a tool, which is designed to help marketers evaluate the real value of existing TV programs.

     

    Predictor 2.0 also predicts future TV ratings by taking into account various factors which influence it.

     

    Brands continue to pay record prices for TV show sponsorships, yet the effectiveness of their investments remains open for deliberation and measurement. Predictor 2.0 quantifies the real value of TV programming through a combination of TV ratings and social buzz created.

     

    “It’s a breakthrough in television measurement. Previously TV had been measured by a one dimensional indicator – “ratings.” We created Predictor 2.0 in response to a staggering amount of evidence related to social interactions emanating from TV programs. Hence, Predictor 2.0 combines a very important factor ‘social influence’ on TV ratings and also the reverse influence of TV in the social space. Together, these two effects can push a program to its peak popularity or drive the ratings down,” said Omnicom Media Group Asia head of brand science Saurav Bhowmik.

     

    Additionally, Predictor 2.0 has algorithms and machine learning capabilities to forecast the future of a program to help marketers by understanding the audience around a TV show even before it premieres as well as breaking down the elements of branded content which potentially creates the biggest ratings impact.

     

    Currently, there are other program evaluation systems, which provide a “forecast” function, but they have a qualitative approach rooted in an expert based scoring system. These systems provide “recommendation scores” instead of directly predicting the ratings. Predictor 2.0 has a more quantitative approach, which links program information to social media attention indexes and hence evaluates and recommends content opportunities.Predictor 2.0 identifies 12 key topics through social big data (at least 10M social posts) and with modeling, links the TV rating to quantify the real value of the program. In addition to social buzz, other factors considered in the prediction model include: the TV channel, celebrities/producers, on-air time-slot, and competition with other key programs. Because of this, it is also feasible to do forecasting for new TV programs as well.

     

    OMD China CEO Arlene Ang said, “OMD is committed to developing data smart media solutions, and we are continuing to set the industry standard by developing the first program assessing tool. Innovation is key to our success and Predictor 2.0 is an example of how we are committed to being at the forefront of game changing thought leadership.”