ITV

Category: Media and Advertising

  • Snapdeal names Amit Maheshwari as Exclusively CEO

    Snapdeal names Amit Maheshwari as Exclusively CEO

    MUMBAI: Close on the heels of appointing Animesh Sharma as the chief technology officer of Exclusively, Snapdeal has now roped in Amit Maheshwari as CEO of the online premium fashion destination, which it acquired in February 2015.

     

    Maheshwari, who earlier held the position of senior vice president of fashion at Snapdeal, was instrumental in growing the fashion and lifestyle category into one of the most successful businesses, which is well on-course to become a $2 billion business within the current year.

     

    His appointment as the CEO of Exclusively, is part of Snapdeal’s efforts to build Exclusively as India’s largest premium fashion destination.

     

    Snapdeal co-founder and CEO, Kunal Bahl said, “Amit has been a core member of Snapdeal’s leadership team and the driving force behind the exceptional successes of our fashion business. As we create India’s most impactful digital commerce ecosystem, it is important to stay agile and move ahead with assured pace. In this new entrepreneurial role, Amit will be at the helm of Exclusively’s growth and we are certain that with his expertise and intricate knowledge of fashion business, Exclusively will very soon be India’s largest premium fashion destination.”

     

    Maheshwari added, “The move to Exclusively is a continuation of my journey that began three years ago at Snapdeal. We are focussed on building a highly scalable premium fashion business at Exclusively. Together with the dynamic and vibrant team at Exclusively, I am looking forward to this exciting journey ahead.”

     

    Exclusively general managers, Sunjay and Mohini Guleria too welcomed the move. “There is a tremendous void in the online premium and luxury fashion space. The proven leadership from Snapdeal combined with our experience in luxury fashion and creative DNA is a powerful combination to disrupt the industry,” said Guleria.

  • Dentsu acquires Brazil based digital agency

    Dentsu acquires Brazil based digital agency

    MUMBAI: Dentsu Aegis Network has acquired the Brazil based digital agency – Redirect Digital Marketing.

     

    The purpose of the acquisition is to strengthen and expand the range of digital services provided by the Dentsu Group in the largest advertising market in Latin America and enhance its presence in the region.

     

    Founded in 2007, Redirect Digital Marketing offers a range of services including the production of creative and content utilizing digital technology, the implementation of research and campaigns that leverage digital media and social media, performance marketing and search engine optimization (SEO).

     

    The Dentsu Group has to date provided services to its clients in Brazil through full-service advertising agencies NBS (acquired in 2014) and Dentsu Brazil, creative agency mcgarrybowen, full-service digital agency LOV Interactive Communications, and global digital brands Isobar and iProspect.

     

    The acquisition of Redirect Digital Marketing will enable the Group to further hone its competitive edge and accelerate its growth strategy through increased business from its expansion into Curitiba and enhancement of the digital services it provides in the Brazilian market. Post-acquisition, Redirect Digital Marketing will transition toward operating as part of digital performance marketing agency iProspect, one of the Group’s eight global network brands, in the coming months.

     

    In its March 2015 worldwide advertising expenditure forecasts, the Dentsu Group’s media communications agency Carat announced that digital advertising expenditures in Brazil grew 20 per cent in 2014 and are expected to continue to rise 10 per cent in 2015 and nine per cent in 2016.

  • Rediffusion Y&R appoints Navonil Chatterjee as chief strategy officer

    Rediffusion Y&R appoints Navonil Chatterjee as chief strategy officer

    MUMBAI: Rediffusion Y&R has roped in Navonil Chatterjee as its chief strategy officer. 

     

    Chatterjee joins the group from JWT where he worked for 15 years. He will be reporting to Rediffusion Y&R president Dhunji S. Wadia. 

     

    With over 17 years of experience in advertising, Chatterjee has headed the planning function across clients like Hindustan Unilever, Levi’s, Pepsi, Godrej, Madura Garments, ITC, United Spirits Limited (USL), United Breweries (UB), ING Bank and Landmark Group to name a few. 

     

    But the one brand that is perhaps closest to his heart is Nike, where he has played a key role ever since he pitched for it successfully at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore in 2005. 

     

    Wadia said, “Our No. 1 priority is to focus on strategic thinking that will help us create breakthrough work. And I can confidently say that in Navonil, we have the best in the industry to lead our strategic planning. I have known and worked with him before. He has a real respect for good ideas, great work and results. He is a bit of an ‘Un-Planner’ since he is extremely cynical about conventional research and over-intellectualization, and prefers simplicity above all else. We have now strengthened the core team at Rediffusion-Y&R with Rahul, JD and Navonil.”

     

    Chatterjee added, “There seems to be a renewed vigour and buzz around the place with the new leadership team coming on board and new hirings. From the outside I have always perceived Rediffusion as this spunky kind of place, which delivers good creative work. Also, I have worked very successfully with Dhunji in the past, so looking forward to forming a great partnership with him and Rahul (CCO). And as far as I am concerned, I strongly believe that passion makes the world go round, and that’s what I intend to bring to the table. The rest should follow.”

  • Virat Tandon roped in as Mullen Lintas CEO

    Virat Tandon roped in as Mullen Lintas CEO

    MUMBAI: Creative agency Mullen Lintas, which will officially launch on 1 August, 2015 has appointed Virat Tandon as its CEO. 

     

    Tandon will return to India after a three year stint with Mullen Lowe Group in Singapore where he was global business director for the Unilever brands Lifebuoy and Fair & Lovely.

     

    A part of the network for over a decade, Tandon first joined Lowe Lintas at its New Delhi office in 2004 and has undertaken numerous senior and leadership roles in the agency. A Unilever veteran of over 10 brands and 60+ countries, he has worked in India on clients including Maruti Suzuki, Nestle, Dominos, Sony Audio and Dabur among others. 

     

    Prior to joining Lowe Lintas, he worked with WPP agencies Rediffusion, Grey and Contract.

     

    Tandon said, “Mullen Lintas is born ahead of the curve and intends to remain a mash-up of the enduring and the emerging. Our founding team has the pedigree and the class of massive brand-successes under their belt. Big agencies are today, dealing with the new marketing landscape and adapting their offerings to it. Our advantage is that Mullen Lintas has no such baggage and that allows us to leap-frog this need to change and adapt. We understand that a great brand needs a great narrative that flows seamlessly through screens, experiences, shopping environments and conversations. We will equip ourselves to play a pivotal role for our brands.”

     

    Also joining the Mullen Lintas leadership team is Shriram Iyer, who takes on the role of national creative director. 

     

    Iyer said, “A great ambition for the agency and a wonderful team to work with, I am excited about what we can create. Our approach to enriching our capabilities is what we call ‘core plus one’. While we continue to practice our core skill sets, we will commit ourselves to adding people who bring with them a +1 skill or area of expertise. We believe this is critical and makes us ‘present ready’.”

     

    Currently ECD and creative head for the Delhi offices of Lowe Lintas, Iyer moves to Mumbai in this new role. He has been with the group since 1998 and has played various roles in the creative team at Lowe Lintas’ Mumbai and Delhi offices.

     

    Headquartered in Mumbai, the new agency will have offices in New Delhi (NCR) and Bengaluru.

     

    Mullen Lowe Lintas Group group CEO Joseph George said, “India has birthed several big brands over the last two decades. However, for a long time, the top agency brands have remained largely unchanged. Mullen Lintas is a product of the evolving marketing landscape, and with our “big agency” ambition, we intend to partner brands whose ambitions are driven by a passionate pursuit of leadership by presenting ourselves as a compelling challenger to the likes of Lowe Lintas, Ogilvy and JWT.”

     

    Mullen Lintas chairman and CCO Amer Jaleel concluded, “Virat has been a great business partner to me in managing the global mandate on Lifebuoy, and Shriram has been a driving force behind what Lowe Lintas Delhi has achieved in the past few years. I thoroughly enjoy working with both of them and couldn’t have asked for better friends to the start the Mullen Lintas journey with.”

  • Smart packaging, relevant marketing among key factors behind Pro Kabaddi League’s success

    Smart packaging, relevant marketing among key factors behind Pro Kabaddi League’s success

    MUMBAI: A game that was played in the inert Indian villages amidst mud and puddle garnered reach beyond expectations when telecast on television because of the way it was packaged. Quality non-reflecting mats replaced mud and puddle as the outdoor game was hosted in premier indoor stadiums and in turn offered fans a great viewing experience courtesy the Pro Kabbadi League (PKL), which was launched last year.

     

    Kabaddi being a native sports always had space in the heart of people and hence when clubbed with quality packaging succeeded to make an impact instantaneously in viewers’ mind. Moreover, the organizers in association with federations twisted and turned the rules of the sport to rope in more opportunities of monetization.

     

    To add to that, the who’s who of Bollywood were spotted cheering for their favourite team during Kabaddi matches in the first edition, which also drove their fan base into the sport. In the second edition, every game will start with a renowned dignitary singing the national anthem, the tournament kick started with Amitabh Bachchan singing Jana Gana Mana.

     

    To cut a long story short, no stones have been left unturned to popularize and market the game to the viewers.

     

    After detailed analysis, GroupM’s specialist business wing – GroupM ESP (Entertainment and Sports Partnerships) in association with IIM Ahmedabad released the key factors, which orchestrated the success story of Star Sports’ Pro Kabaddi League. In its debut year, PKL garnered a cumulative reach of 435 million. What’s more, in its second season, which is currently underway, Star and Mashal Sports expect it to be bigger and better.

     

    Fan Acceptability of League: Kabaddi as a sport didn’t enjoy the huge native fan base to start with but a high decibel marketing campaign ensured relevance and the media push built hype to ensure viewer interest. Top notch game quality, best-in-the world talent pool & crisp program packaging made the league ‘likable’ amongst the audience, finds the research.

     

    Choice of Sports: Choosing Kabaddi as the sport was a bold decision to start with considering player popularity being low in the country. But at the same time, Indian Kabaddi contingent has been immensely successful at the global stage over the years ensuring early survival of the league.

     

    Game Format & Scheduling: Instead of aping the successful home and away format of the Indian Premier League (IPL), PKL went for a caravan format keeping the league short and crisp ensuring the league getting over before the initial hype died down.

     

    Players: Being an indigenous sport, although the players aren’t well known names amongst the audience; the quality of talent pool participating in PKL has been the best in the world.

     

    Design of The League: In the first season, the right holders managed to keep the expenses from central as well as team perspective under check beautifully making the league commercially viable and ensuring deep pockets for the team to spend on players. This in turn ensured level playing field between the eight teams making the league competitive right till the end and exhilarating for the audience.

     

    Team Location: City based franchise enabled association with fans of that particular region resulting in captive fan base.

     

    Fan Experience:

     

    .   Kabaddi as a sport doesn’t demand major infrastructure making it easy to host the matches in equipped auditoriums/multipurpose stadiums. This makes the on-ground fan experience memorable.

    .   Seek on-air production and packaging with informative commentary in regional languages helps build greater audience connect.  

    .   Live streaming on Hotstar will add to the on the go audience.

     

    League Federation Relationship: Pro Kabaddi League is a privately owned league, which is controlled and run by the league and the franchise owners bringing in accountability and professionalism. However, the league is sanctioned by international and national sports federation allowing the best talent in the world to participate.

     

    Celebrity Involvement:  High profile celebrity owners ensuring stickiness to the sport. Celebrity owners also cashed in on their existing audience to build initial loyalty. Broadcaster capitalized on marquee sports properties by introducing Salman Khan and continuously associating with him and his movie Bajraangi Bhaijaan to build the buzz. Additionally, getting icons like Amitabh Bachchan to voice “Le Panga” anthem added to the celebrity fervor.

     

    GroupM ESP sports and live events national director Vinit Karnik said, “Pro-Kabaddi League is a fine example of how a nation that is largely cricket-hungry can have its fair share of adulation, growth and success in a short span of time. It is heartening and optimistic for the business and growth of a sporting economy like ours. As a front-runner in the business of sports, ESP through this initiative listed all possible parameters that has made Pro-Kabaddi League a success. These findings are backed by the IIM-A and GroupM ESP report, a comprehensive paper that examines identifying factors for successful sporting leagues.”

  • Dentsu Asia Pacific CEO Rohit Ohri resigns

    Dentsu Asia Pacific CEO Rohit Ohri resigns

    MUMBAI: Dentsu India CEO Rohit Ohri has put in his papers at the agency.

     

    After 21 years at JWT, Ohri joined Dentsu in 2011 as executive chairman. It may be recalled that just last month (June 2015), Ohri, who previously led Dentsu in India and Asia Pacific South, was re-located to Singapore and was given the responsibility to cover all markets in the region outside of Dentsu’s home territory as CEO Dentsu Asia Pacific (ex Japan).

     

    Ohri is speculated to join FCB Ulka. 

     

    In an official statement Dentsu said, “Rohit Ohri CEO Dentsu Asia Pacific (ex Japan) has resigned after four years at the company. He has made a great contribution and we thank him for that. New leadership of Dentsu brands in Asia Pacific will be announced in due course.”

  • MediaCom appoints Hariharan Vishwanathan as head – South

    MediaCom appoints Hariharan Vishwanathan as head – South

    MUMBAI: MediaCom has named Hariharan Vishwanathan as head – South.

     

    Vishwanathan joins from GroupM, where he was part of the CTG team. He takes over from Sriram Sharma, who was recently appointed as Mindshare leader – South.

     

    Vishwanathan will report to MediaCom India COO Rathi Gangappa.

     

    MediaCom India managing director Debraj Tripathy said, “We are happy to have someone with Vishi’s experience and caliber on board. Our business in the South has seen fantastic growth in the last few years under Sriram’s leadership. I am confident Vishi will bring renewed energy and focus to our business. I wish Sriram all the best in his new role.”

     

    Vishwanathan added, “I am excited to join MediaCom and I look forward to learning and applying their systems thinking approach. Working across agencies and functions in GroupM has been an enriching experience and I am happy that I will continue to do just that at MediaCom.”

  • U Mumba partners Enerzal for Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League 2

    U Mumba partners Enerzal for Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League 2

    MUMBAI: Ronnie Screwvala owned Kabbadi team U Mumba has partnered with energy drink Enerzal as its official ‘Hydration Partner’ for this season of Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League.

     

    With this alliance, Enerzal will be featured on the back of the players’ jersey and on LED display panels at match venues.

     

    Supporting sports has been an integral part of Enerzal’s profile and consumer engagement. Prior to this, the brand has associated with events such as Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon, Airtel Delhi Half Marathon and Tata Consultancy Services World 10K amongst other sporting properties.

     

    FDC executive director Ameya Chandavarkar said, “Enerzal is delighted to be associated with U Mumba as the Official Hydration Partner. This association is our first step into the spectator sporting arena and we are excited to further our role in the sporting revolution India is experiencing. Enerzal is a balanced energy drink and will ensure that the players are optimally hydrated during training as well as the Pro Kabaddi League matches. We wish the entire U Mumba team all the success and hope they continue their winning streak in the competition.”

     

    U Mumba, runner-up in season one of the League, is leading the points table in this season led by captain Anup Kumar and coached by Bhaskaran Edachery. The team concluded their home leg undefeated and will be playing next in Patna, after winning their games in Kolkata and Jaipur.

     

    “We’re delighted to have Enerzal on board as our Official Hydration Partner. They’re one of the leading brands in the category and the product will certainly be vital in helping the team maintain optimum energy levels during their matches as well as training,” said U Sports CEO Supratik Sen.

  • Vijeeth Shetty to head Tonic Media’s new initiatives portfolio

    Vijeeth Shetty to head Tonic Media’s new initiatives portfolio

    MUMBAI: Tonic Media has roped in Vijeeth Shetty as its new initiatives head. In his new role, Shetty will lead new initiatives at Tonic that includes InvenTonic, a dedicated practice that partners start-ups and venture capital funds to accelerate growth.

     

    Under his aegis, InvenTonic has already commenced its journey by adding three new clients – the first one being digital media duties of the search and discovery platform Xploree, along with Flexiport and BillBachao.

     

    Shetty will also lend his expertise on strengthening the digital research cell, which aims to fill the void of a digitally driven research agency. He comes with a decade of experience in digital media with stints at agencies like GroupM, Pinstorm and a short stint at Angel Broking.

     

    Having worked on several award-winning campaigns, his core areas of expertise include digital media, search, mobile and consumer research.

     

    Shetty said, “It’s an extended adventure for me. I’m quite excited at the prospect of bringing a ‘limitless possibilities’ approach to strategic planning for clients – having traversed the entire spectrum myself. The digital business is undergoing tectonic shifts and the challenge is to master the change for business success. My focus will be on guiding our clients and helm our talent to effectively navigate these changing trends to our advantage.”

     

    Tonic Media co-founder and CEO Chetan Asher added, “I am delighted to welcome Vijeeth to Tonic at this strategic moment in our journey. As our business gets more dynamic and interconnected every day, we are constantly looking for leaders who can guide our new talent and enable a better, more integrated creative digital strategy for our clients. And Vijeeth seems the right person for it.”