ITV

Category: Media and Advertising

  • Pulp Strategy takes disruptive route to launch new mobile game

    Pulp Strategy takes disruptive route to launch new mobile game

    MUMBAI: Imagine if a brand created a piece of content and consumers lapped it up weaving it into a magical fun filled visual story, which caught the imagination of 3.5 million people. What are the possibilities that it could create?

     

    Taking exactly this route, Pulp Strategy Communications embraced a disruptive campaign through online storytelling, to launch its latest gaming app Rescue’em. The campaign concentrates on breaking the existing clutter in the gaming paradigm to come up with a concept that swayed away from violence and bloodshed to be a stress buster instead. Strategists worked on a detailed story map that had an identified target audience, a powerful game plan matched with animation and processed with latest technology.

     

    Beginning with releasing a news video animated to announce Baby Bubba the cute sheep from Frolic Island is missing, Baby Bubba’s emotional parents appealed to the public to find Bubba. Sparking the curiosity of the people #BubbaMissing, started trending on Twitter as people generated conversations and content around the video driving over five lakh views on social media in just three days.

     

    The creative strategy was to generate curiosity among people and create a buzz around the game, while keeping all communication fun, trendy and bordering on hilarious. #BabyBubba, #FrolicInPanic and #RescueEm began trending in quick succession as the story unfolded.

     

    Pulp Strategy Communications spokesperson said, “We knew that with the general trend of not so positive topics on social media the clean, cuteness of missing Bubba and friends captured attention. The hashtag chosen was intriguing. People could relate to it and hence it was the ideal conversation starter. The animated video is as close to the real world as could be and the agony of parents other than Mr & Mrs Wools… well, who wouldn’t relate? It’s captivating online storytelling.”

     

    The promotional activity was divided into three phases:

     

    ·Phase one: The story of the character Bubba, missing from Frolic land was floated on social media. Hashtags like, #BubbaMissing & #FrolicInPanic started trending nationally for 11 hours. It witnessed millions of impressions and thousands of conversations trending. Various other activities like display media online, series of spoof episode videos of news reports from Frolic Island, sharing of videos via WhatsApp and strong social media reach based on content was carried out. 

     

    ·Phase two: In the second phase, the story gradually progressed with clues leading to the prime suspect called ‘Brutus’ and people started pouring their support with #SuspectingBrutus and #RescueEm on Facebook and Twitter.

     

    ·Phase three: The third phase was an off line phase where a candle light march was announced and the targeted audiences were enthused to participate in the vigil that was held at the Delhi zoo.

     

    There was live streaming of content on Twitter via very new tools Periscope and MeerKat. Consumers across five cities started holding candle vigils to support the cause via crowd sourced micro gatherings.

     

    The story line was built with vines, videos, news reports, mailers and social conversations that saw over a million views and engagements. Within 48 hours of releasing its first video, it gathered 40,000 views and over 300 shares across platforms.

  • Mindshare restructures South Asia leadership

    Mindshare restructures South Asia leadership

    MUMBAI: As part of its ongoing commitment to delivering adaptive planning and thinking, for clients and dynamic markets, Mindshare APAC has realigned its senior leadership in South Asia.

     

    Mindshare APAC chief client officer MA Parthasarathy has been named chief product officer for South Asia. In his new role, Parthasarathy will lead a community of communications strategy and analytics across ten Mindshare offices in South Asia.

     

    Ruchir Mathur, currently principal partner on the PepsiCo business has been appointed as leader for client leadership. Mathur will spearhead a range of ground-breaking activity with an experience of over ten years with Mindshare.

     

    Saket Sinha returns to the Mindshare family as principal partner leading rodeos and the east zone. In his previous role, Sinha was championing business in new geographies for GroupM, creating expansions for the network in several new markets.

     

    Sinha will report to Mathur and Mindshare South Asia CEO Prasanth Kumar for the east zone. Parthasarathy and Mathur will report into Kumar directly.

     

    Commenting on the re-alignment, Kumar said, “As pioneers in adaptive marketing, we are focused on creating a team that continues to open up more possibilities and set ourselves apart, with the capability to merge strategy with market intelligence. As we advise our clients to change mindsets that reflect in the communication they partake in, so does our commitment strengthen to ensure our best talent to service the brands we work with. Parthasarathy, Ruchi and Saket have always been an integral part of the Mindshare family. Each one of them brings their expertise to the table and I am confident that they will continue to take Mindshare to greater heights.”

  • Reliance Games ups Amit Khanduja as CEO

    Reliance Games ups Amit Khanduja as CEO

    MUMBAI: Reliance Entertainment has appointed Amit Khanduja as the new CEO of Reliance Games.

     

    Khanduja, who is currently the COO of the company, will take on his new position from 1 June, 2015 from the present CEO Manish Agarwal.

     

    With about 10 games scheduled to launch globally, Reliance Games is well poised for continued success in global markets, especially in North America and Western Europe. The company also announced a new market expansion strategy to gain share in the domestic market.

     

    Reliance Group, group managing director Amitabh Jhunjhunwala said, “Amit is a proven leader, and has built a strong foundation for innovation and growth. I am confident that under his leadership, we will chart a promising new phase of success in the global mobile and digital gaming space.”

     

    Khanduja added, “I am deeply honoured to take this role and lead the team on an exciting journey both in the global and fast growing domestic markets. We have been on the forefront of delivering great consumer experiences on digital platforms over the past 36 months, and will continue on the growth path with renewed focus on new innovations and market expansions in this space.” 

     

    Khanduja has an experience of over two decades in mobile and digital media. Prior to joining Reliance Group, he held various positions in companies like Sun Microsystems and Hewlett Packard among others. 

  • Kinetic & GroupM acquire majority stake in French OOH company

    Kinetic & GroupM acquire majority stake in French OOH company

    MUMBAI: WPP’s wholly-owned operating companies, Kinetic and GroupM have agreed to acquire a majority stake in France based out-of-home (OOH) company Financiere Poster (Poster Conseil).

    Poster Conseil manages media planning and buying for agencies and direct clients, and provides planning and measurement technologies to both agencies and vendors.

     

    It employs 25 people and is based in Paris. 

    Poster Conseil will continue to be led by CEO Xavier Sorato. The agency’s consolidated revenues for the year ended 31 December, 2014 were EUR 9.8 million, with gross assets of EUR 8.5 million. 

    Tenthavenue, Kinetic’s parent company, develops and delivers content that aligns brand objectives with consumer needs in OOH and moving environments. The subsidiary companies of Tenthavenue provide comprehensive branding services in global in-flight entertainment, OOH media advertising, mobile marketing and digital publishing.
     

  • Leo Burnett India ups Samir Gangahar as North India president

    Leo Burnett India ups Samir Gangahar as North India president

    MUMBAI: Leo Burnett has elevated Samir Gangahar as president of North India. In his new role, Gangahar will be responsible to lead the agency’s operations in North India. 

    Apart from content, digital and experiential, Gangahar’s new focus will be to grow other specialisations including shopper, retail and e-commerce.

    Leo Burnett Group India CEO Saurabh Verma said, “Under Samir, Leo Burnett, Delhi has transformed into a fully integrated operation. He has been instrumental in creating a culture of collaboration within the agency where a group of specialists work together to solve a client problem. Samir has helped strengthen Leo Burnett Delhi’s digital operation and I’m delighted to state that it has now become a technology/digital hub for many of our key clients. The activation business has grown tremendously in the last one year and going forward Samir’s role will be to build on that momentum. He will help us build new specialisations as part of his mandate. These include shopper, retail and rural.”

    Gangahar adds, “In my new role I look forward to working closely with Saurabh in growing Leo Burnett India on the back of a renewed thrust for integration. In line with our Human Kind philosophy, we will intensify our focus on finding and solving our clients’ problems and partnering them in the journey of brand building and business growth.”

    He joined Leo Burnett as executive director in August 2007 after a 17-year stint with JWT, where he was vice president and director, client servicing.

  • WPP’s Mirum buys majority stake in Germany’s RSK Group

    WPP’s Mirum buys majority stake in Germany’s RSK Group

    MUMBAI: WPP’s global digital agency Mirum, which is a part of J. Walter Thompson Company, has acquired a majority stake in Germany’s full-service digital marketing agency RSK Group AG.

     

    RSK offers cross-media services including e-Commerce solutions, websites and mobile marketing. Its clients include RCI Banque Germany, Toshiba, 3M and Nestlé.

     

    RSK employs 25 people and is headquartered in Dusseldorf. Post-acquisition, RSK will rebrand as Mirum and will continue to be led by RSK founder and current CEO Christoph Eßer.

     

    RSK’s unaudited revenues for the year ended 31 December, 2014 were approximately EUR 2.3 million, with gross assets at the same date of approximately EUR 1 million.

     

    Germany is WPP’s fourth largest market after the US, UK and Greater China.

  • Everest Brand Solutions elevates Samir Chonkar as Mumbai creative head

    Everest Brand Solutions elevates Samir Chonkar as Mumbai creative head

    MUMBAI: In a recent restructuring of the top-level management, Rediffusion Y&R and Everest Brand Solutions have elevated its executive creative director Samir Chonkar to head the creative function of its Mumbai operations.

     

    Rediffusion Y&R and Everest CCO Rahul Jauhari said, “Samir’s contribution to the growth of Everest has been phenomenal. In addition to being a pillar of my team over the past few years, Samir has created work that has not just won, but also added immense value to our clients. His down-to-earth demeanor and relentless pursuit for perfection is respected by clients and colleagues alike. He steps into a role he has earned, in every sense of the word.”

     

    Rediffusion Y&R president Dhunji Wadia added, “Samir has a proven reputation as a creative leader and is held with enormous regard both internally and his clients. Samir’s passion for our agency, his integrity and intellectual curiosity, along with his deep collaborative way of working will make a difference to our clients and to our agency.”

     

    In his stint of more than 20 years in the industry, Chonkar’s work has featured across international awards shows and Indian award forums like DMAI Echo, IDMAI, Goafest, Digital Crest and Indian Marketing Awards to name a few.

     

    In recent times, his work for Tata Value Homes won the International Echo Award. His enviable body of work across Parle brands has been instrumental in Parle trusting Everest Brand Solutions with a significantly larger portfolio of brands.

  • GroupM appoints Filip Jabbour as MENA CEO

    GroupM appoints Filip Jabbour as MENA CEO

    MUMBAI: In order to drive growth in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), GroupM has appointed Filip Jabbour as CEO for the region.

     

    Based in Dubai, Jabbour will begin his new role from June and report to GroupM Europe, Middle East & North Africa CEO Dominic Grainger.

     

    In his new post, Jabbour will be responsible for developing GroupM’s strategy and accelerating the growth of its media agencies Mindshare, MEC, MediaCom, and BPG Maxus across the region.

     

    Jabbour will launch operations to leverage GroupM’s scale and accelerate development of media agency offerings with focus on developments in digital, technology, and data management, as well as partnerships with media, entertainment and sports rights owners to create additional value and drive advantages for clients.

     

    Jabbour joins GroupM from the US-based Spark where he was executive vice president and managing director. He was also previously with Starcom MediaVest Group as global business development director, where he spearheaded strategy with clients and drove new business internationally. He held leadership roles at Starcom since 2005, including being MENA CEO where he drove successful business across the region.

     

    “MENA is a diverse and dynamic region, with fantastic growth opportunities for our clients. Filip’s track record with blue chip clients, developing communications offers for the future and building relationships make him well suited to further develop and lead our regional operations. His experience, along with his strategic thinking and interest in developing an innovative future-facing business, make him an ideal cultural fit for GroupM and just the right leader to collaborate closely with our agencies to drive additional benefits and growth for our clients in the region,” said Grainger.

     

     

    Jabbour added, “The opportunity to join the world’s leading media investment management group to lead development in the exciting and fast-growing MENA market is thrilling. GroupM agencies operating in MENA are distinguished by their winning track records, and I am keen to help accelerate their pace by harnessing the absolute best digital, technology, data and content solutions available. I’m looking forward to integrating learning from work in the US and across global markets, with specific experiences developed by being part of the MENA region that has shaped my career for 18 years.” 

  • Havas Media International appoints Aga Giedroyc as Asia Pacific GM

    Havas Media International appoints Aga Giedroyc as Asia Pacific GM

    MUMBAI: Havas Media International has appointed Aga Giedroyc as general manager for Asia Pacific.

     

    The new role sees Giedroyc returning back to Havas Media International (formerly MPG International), where she spent three years between 2005 to 2008 based out of London office.

     

    Giedroyc will work closely with the agency’s hubs in Singapore and Hong Kong to manage key international businesses that include Emirates, LG Electronics, Shangri-La Hotels, Accor and AXA Insurance. Her mandate includes managing international teams with a focus on delivering integrated media planning and communications solutions through Meaningful Connections planning process. She will be also be responsible for driving the integration of digital and specialised services and leading business development from existing and new clients.

     

    Giedroyc will report directly to Havas Media International global CEO Jorge Irizar and will have a dual reporting in Asia Pacific reporting in to Havas Media Group Asia Pacific CEO Vishnu Mohan and Havas Media Group, Greater China CEO Christophe Cases.

     

    An accomplished media professional with more than ten years in media communications industry, Giedroyc joins the agency with an expertise in managing regional and global clients, strategy counsel, integrated and multi-market media planning, buying & implementation, incorporating digital, network management and international operations.

     

    Most recently, she was with OMD International, where she was responsible for managing the media business of ASICS and Cisco in EMEA region. Prior to this, she spent four years with UM International.

     

    Mohan said, “The two regional hubs of Havas Media International in Singapore and Hong Kong have witnessed a major growth and expansion on the back of our big global wins in recent years. Aga has the right experience and attitude for this role and I have no doubt that she will prove to be a great asset to the international team.”

     

    Cases added, “Aga comes across as a very enthusiastic and driven person and it is wonderful to have her on board. We are looking forward to working with her closely in Greater China to develop the full potential of the international businesses based out of the Hong Kong hub.”

     

    Giedroyc said, “Joining Havas Media is like homecoming for me. I started my career with Havas Media International in London and am truly excited to be back. Asia Pacific is a region that I was very keen to experience professionally and the group’s entrepreneurial spirit and its integrated offering was a big attraction for me. I do hope to contribute to its success story in the region.”