Category: Media and Advertising

  • Dentsu’s psLive Rural bags Gold at RMAI Awards

    Dentsu’s psLive Rural bags Gold at RMAI Awards

    MUMBAI: psLive Rural, the rural marketing division from the Dentsu Aegis Network, has been conferred with three awards at the 6th edition of Flame Awards, organized by RMAI (Rural Marketing Association of India). 

     

    While it won a Gold for the campaign ‘Jaagte Mat Raho’ (client: Cholayil) for the soap brand – Medimix, its work for DuPont’s Coragen brought home a silver (for its Sweetness of Victory campaign) and a bronze metal (for its Kori Se Mulaqat campaign).

     

    Dentsu Aegis Network chairman & CEO South Asia and Posterscope & psLIVE chairman – Asia Pacific Ashish Bhasin said, “It’s great to see psLive Rural perform so well. Rural marketing will become an extremely important area and psLive is expanding its network rapidly to gain leadership in a field that most agencies seem to have vacated.”

     

    Rural Markets, psLive national head Keshav Chandorkar added, “We are proud to receive the honour that was showered on our intellectual properties in the field of rural marketing. We are thankful to our clients for believing and partnering with us. A special thanks to the Jury for believing in our work. We look forward to creating many more such campaigns in the future.”

     

    This year, RMAI received as many as 300 entries from corporate and rural marketing agencies for the Awards. The entries were judged by a jury comprising top level executives.

     

  • Grey India appoints Vishal Ahluwalia as Bangalore head

    Grey India appoints Vishal Ahluwalia as Bangalore head

    MUMBAI: Grey Group India has appointed Vishal Ahluwalia as vice president and office head of its Bangalore ops. He will be reporting to Grey Group India chairman and managing director Sunil Lulla.

     

    Ahluwalia joins Grey with two decades of marketing communications experience, across various geographies and disciplines. In his various avatars, he has headed businesses and has been an entrepreneur. Until recently, he worked as a member of the Board of IRIS Worldwide, in which he spearheaded the digital and retail verticals. Prior to that he was TBWA South India head; JWT -Taipei head for Unilever business and has also had stints with Contract and JWT.

     

    “Vishal brings a great blend of advertising savviness and digital smarts to Grey. His experience across geographies and diverse categories, will strengthen the leadership team at Grey. He will take further our integrated offerings to various clients and enable their brands to be famous and effective,” said Lulla.

     

    Ahluwalia added, “I am very excited about the prospect to bring my skills across various stream to Grey Group’s rich and diverse client roster. I do believe the future requires us to be able to deliver services in a wholesome and integrated fashion. I am delighted to return to Bangalore which has always been a springboard for my learning and my success.”

     

  • O&M inks JV with Hogarth Worldwide to form global production house

    O&M inks JV with Hogarth Worldwide to form global production house

    MUMBAI: Ogilvy & Mather has joined forces with Hogarth Worldwide, a sister WPP company, to launch H&O (Hogarth & Ogilvy) – a new company that will bring the resources and technology of the two companies together.

     

    Headquartered in London, H&O will stand alongside Hogarth with a presence in 48 Ogilvy offices. This will create the largest marketing implementation group in the world.

     

    Through this venture, Ogilvy’s production unit, RedWorks, will be consolidated into this new entity, giving clients access to the traditional strengths and global network of RedWorks in addition to Hogarth’s unique offerings – full broadcast and moving image capability, a market leading language and transcreation service and proprietary technology solutions.

     

    Ogilvy & Mather worldwide chairman and CEO Miles Young said, “I have always believed that to be a truly integrated world-class communications agency, we need to be best-in-class in each and every one of our specialist disciplines. Marketing implementation is no exception especially in this new age of marketing and branding. H&O is our response to the ever-changing needs of our clients, and our growing role as content producers and distributors. It will be an ideas-delivery engine sitting at the heart of Ogilvy that will change the conversation about how brands are brought to the market dynamically.”

     

    Explaining his reasons for choosing to partner with O&M, Hogarth Worldwide CEO Barry Jones added, “H&O is a new concept. It puts a creative realization engine at the heart of a creative powerhouse. With Hogarth going from strength to strength, having H&O in parallel gives us the opportunity to bring all of our capabilities directly to Ogilvy’s clients.”

     

    Jonathan Adler will join the group to serve as H&O global CEO. Ginny Maycox, currently COO of O&M West will be global CFO. Duncan Stokes, who is global CEO of RedWorks will lead H&O in EAME as well as taking global responsibility with Adler for the change management. RedWorks veterans Xavier Carou and Michael Burgess will be CEO in Latina America and Asia Pacific respectively. While in North America, Matt Bonin will be chief production officer and Jonathan Parker will be chief operations officer.

     

    Adler said, “I have spent my career working in advertising and marketing services, essentially bringing great ideas to life. I don’t think there is a sector or discipline I’ve not touched and I truly love the creative process. The opportunity to combine two great global companies was irresistible, and I am extremely excited about what the future holds for H&O, helping deliver Ogilvy’s vision of the future.”

     

  • WPP’s Kuvera joins hands with China’s mobile platform PaiPai

    WPP’s Kuvera joins hands with China’s mobile platform PaiPai

    MUMBAI: Kuvera, a wholly owned WPP company specializing in e-commerce in China has forged a partnership with Paipai, China’s social commerce platform on mobile owned by JD.com. The deal names Kuvera as Paipai’s strategic partner in a new initiative of developing mobile social e-commerce in China for global brands.

     

    Under the agreement, Kuvera acts as a total solution provider for WPP’s clients to conduct online retailing business on Paipai’s e-commerce platform, utilizing social networking and a variety of marketing tools; if circumstances permit, Paipai will recommend WPP agencies to Paipai’s merchants, as a preferred service provider of marketing and promotion services and as a strategic partner of Paipai.

     

    Specifically, Kuvera becomes a qualified service provider on Paipai and will assist Paipai to recruit new brand merchants. Kuvera will provide a full spectrum of services to clients, including transaction services, storefront management, brand promotion and customer relationship management (CRM). In turn, Paipai will provide clients with necessary support and resources, including traffic, technical solutions and merchandising staff. 

     

    The agreement also provides Kuvera access to Paipai’s advertising inventory, including its organic traffic and traffic from social media which Paipai connects with, such as WeChat and QQ.

     

    “It is a milestone that we are going to provide a total solution package including advertising and online sales for global brand names under social e-commerce context. Through Paipai and Kuvera, we hope more global brand names can enjoy the benefit and excitement that social e-commerce brings to them and we hope JD and WPP will have further and tighter co-operation along the way,” said JD.com CEO Richard Liu. 

     

    “China’s consumers are among the world’s most engaged in the e-commerce, social networking and mobile spaces. This agreement provides WPP and our clients the ability to leverage Paipai and JD.com’s platforms,” added WPP CEO Martin Sorrell. 

     

    “Brands are seeking to reach Chinese consumers more effectively, particularly over social and mobile networks. With this agreement, our clients now have greater access to social commerce channels, including the highly popular WeChat ecosystem,” said WPP China CEO Bessie Lee.

     

    In 2014 in Greater China, WPP companies (including associates) generated revenue of $1.5 billion with almost 15,000 people, with digital revenue around $450 million. WPP’s global digital revenue was $6.9 billion in 2014, representing 36 per cent of the Group’s total revenues of $19 billion. 

     

    “We are excited to have WPP as a strategic partner of Paipai. With WPP’s unparalleled branding and advertising expertise globally, we together will provide a total solution including brand and long tail ads and marketing strategy to our customers in the social commerce universe,” said Paipai president Kate Kui.

     

  • GroupM India wins ‘Country of the Year’ at eMMies

    GroupM India wins ‘Country of the Year’ at eMMies

    MUMBAI: For the second time now, GroupM India has won the ‘Country of the Year’ award at the eMMies 2015, the regional awards for GroupM Asia Pacific. However this time round, India will be sharing the title with GroupM Philippines.

     

    The ‘Country of the Year’ is the grandest award at the eMMies and is given to the country that delivers the best business performance.

     

    Commenting on GroupM India’s showing, GroupM Asia pacific CEO Mark Patterson said, “India continues to set a gold standard in the region through continuous refreshment, reinvigoration, expansion of services and unique influence in the market whilst maintaining a close, collaborative and entrepreneurial spirit throughout GroupM. India does this year on year which make their performance all the more special and worthy of recognition. If there was a country of the decade award it would be India’s.”

     

    GroupM South Asia CEO CVL Srinivas added, “India is extremely proud to receive the ‘Country of the Year’ award at the eMMies this year. 2014 has been one of our best years. We are especially proud of our talent who have embraced challenges in a very dynamic market and delivered true value to our clients. However what is most heartening is that we live up to the highest standards of quality among our peers in the larger GroupM family.”

     

  • Brand Amitabh still going strong for Gujarat Tourism

    Brand Amitabh still going strong for Gujarat Tourism

    BENGALURU: Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan has been the brand ambassador for Gujarat Tourism Corporation Limited (Gujarat Tourism) for the past five years and more.

     

    Bachchan, as the face of Gujarat Tourism has been seen in 22 television commercials (TVCs) in Hindi and English, the print and outdoor ads, on the tourism department’s social media page and his rich, deep, baritone is heard on many a radio stations across India exhorting Indians to spend a few days in Gujarat.

     

    That the superstar has been successful in attracting the growing number of tourists is evident by the 2.88 crore tourists that visited in FY-2013-14, or 13.3 per cent more than in FY-2012-13. Gujarat, apart from being home to some of the most sought after tourist destinations, is home to rich and diverse cultural and traditional heritage. The Gujarat growth story has expanded to include tourism- a sector that has immense potential to change the course of employment and economy in the state and the country. The political will and burning desire to develop tourism exists in Gujarat.

     

    Note: 100,00,000 = 100 lakh = 10 million = 1 crore.

     

    Speaking to Indiantelevision.com at a roadshow to promote Gujarat Tourism in Bengaluru, Gujarat Tourism manager – marketing K. Bsiwas said, “Amitabh Bachchan has been the face of Gujarat Tourism for a number of years and we don’t see the necessity for a change. We have no immediate plans for more TVCs in the near future. The 22 TVCs created by O&M that he has shot for us are still very much a part of the campaign, which we run periodically across mediums to attract tourism to the state.

     

    As per company sources, the corporation spends between Rs 10 – 15 crore every year towards ATL and BTL activities. Media buying is done directly.

     

  • Rentrak partners India’s Cinepolis for box office analysis

    Rentrak partners India’s Cinepolis for box office analysis

    MUMBAI: The movie measuring consumer viewership information provider Rentrak has joined hands with Indian multiplex operator Cinepolis. With this tie-up, Rentrak will launch its box office service to report daily theater-level information for Cinepolis, the third largest multiplex operator in India, in terms of box office revenues.

     

    With the recent acquisition of Mumbai-based Fun Cinemas, Cinepolis has now nearly 200 screens in India in 31 cites. The addition of Cinepolis, gives Rentrak a huge boost in its efforts in India, where Rentrak has just launched its services to track movie box office revenues with the Rajkumar Hirani and Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s film PK starring Aamir Khan.

     

    “India is one of the fastest-growing theatrical markets and our measurement is vital to helping serve their clients, we look forward to our partnership with Cinepolis and expanding as they continue to add more screens,” said Rentrak worldwide movie measurement business president Ron Giambra. 

     

    Cinepolis India managing director Javier Sotomayor added, “India is a very exciting market with tremendous passion for cinema. When this passion can be measured accurately in real time and understood in terms of box-office analytics, it will pave way for greater growth in the industry and better movie products for the country as a whole.”

     

    Rentrak’s Box Office Essentials and International Box Office Essentials are the movie industry’s source for comprehensive global box office intelligence and are used as the currency by every studio in the United States as well as distribution entities around the world. Boasting a global footprint of the worldwide movie market, Rentrak is able to provide its clients with real-time box office intelligence, through one unique system, which allows users to view real-time online reports from anywhere around the world.

     

  • KKR appoints Achint Gupta as content & media management head

    KKR appoints Achint Gupta as content & media management head

    MUMBAI: Indian Premier League (IPL) 2014 champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) has appointed Achint Gupta as the head of content and media management.

     

    Gupta brings with him 12 years of content and media experience having worked until recently as a cricket producer with Star Sports as well as media houses like India Today and Times Now.

     

    KKR CEO Venky Mysore said, “With a view to focusing on building the KKR brand and deepening our engagement with our fans, we are investing more in content development under Achint’s leadership.”