ITV

Category: Media and Advertising

  • George Kovoor joins OgilvyOne India

    George Kovoor joins OgilvyOne India

    MUMBAI:  OgilvyOne Worldwide has appointed George Kovoor as senior creative director, OgilvyOne Mumbai.

     

    He will partner with senior creative director Burzin Mehta to lead digital creative for OgilvyOne, Mumbai.

     

    OgilvyOne Worldwide India president Vikram Menon said, “George Kovoor’s experience, understanding of brands and his skill in digital story telling will make him a huge asset to the team.”

     

    With over 20 years in the business, Kovoor’s work has been recognised by the AAAI, ABBIES, IDMA, Campaign Brief and Yahoo Big Idea Chair. In his previous role at Digitas LBI, he led the teams that created integrated communication solutions for clients like Tata Motors, Johnson & Johnson, Budweiser, Vespa and Siemens; his brand experience also covers work on brands such as L&T, Mahindra, Unilever, ITC, Wipro. 

     

  • Havas Media Group partners globally with Facebook’s Atlas

    Havas Media Group partners globally with Facebook’s Atlas

    MUMBAI: Atlas, Facebook’s ad serving and measurement platform that allows brands to reach people across multiple devices, has agreed a global partnership with Havas Media Group. The global deal will have a heavy focus on US and western Europe and will see the communications network offering the ad server to its clients during 2015.

     

    The partnership will see Havas Media Group offering Atlas to clients across Latam (Q2), Middle East (Q3) and APAC (Q4). Havas Media Group becomes the first company to announce a partnership with this scale and geographical focus.

     

    The connection of Atlas with Havas Media Group’s Artemis data platform gives clients the opportunity to accurately track all interactions people have with a brand up to (and beyond) the point of purchase, as they experience a variety of brand messages across all media.

     

    Havas Media Group global managing director Dominique Delport commented, “Havas Media Group has spent the last 15 years investing in market leading data driven solutions through Artemis its proprietary data platform. This partnership, coupled with our clients’ data, will enable us to find out how people are interacting with brands and then purchasing products as they travel across devices. We have been working with the Atlas team now since June 2014 and are delighted that we have partnered with a platform that can take our analysis beyond previously limiting cookie based offers. It will allow us to filter, clean and manage data with unprecedented granularity. This relationship with Atlas, including our participation as a member of the Atlas Product Council, will enable us to offer best in class, tech neutral solutions for our clients.”

     

    Atlas director Erik Johnson said, “This is a great step for Atlas and Havas Media Group, bringing the power of people based marketing to more brands in more countries. Havas Media Group has been a supporter of our approach that helps brands reach real people across devices and publishers. The geographical focus and depth of potential client absorption makes this partnership significant for the industry.”

     

    The partnership takes immediate effect with more Havas Media Group clients expected to work with the new platform in the coming months.

  • Rediffusion Y&R appoints JWT’s Suman Varma as head of operations

    Rediffusion Y&R appoints JWT’s Suman Varma as head of operations

    MUMBAI: Rediffusion Y&R has appointed JWT India VP and executive business director Suman Varma as head of operations, Delhi.

     

    Varma, who was with JWT for 22 years, will be reporting to Rediffusion Y&R president Dhunji S Wadia and add to the company’s leadership team.

     

    Dhunji said, “I’m delighted to welcome Suman to Rediffusion Y&R. She brings the right mix of talent, experience and enthusiasm that we seek to inject into our talent pool. Her strong leadership skills will enhance the quality of the work that we do for our clients and add value to their brands.”

     

    Varma added, “After a successful stint of 22 years with JWT and extensive associations with some of the most robust marketing companies, I am now seeking to leverage the depth and width of my experience in leading the Rediffusion-Y&R, Delhi team to greater success. Leaving the comfort of JWT was a tough call, but the thought of joining Rediffusion Y&R and teaming up with Dhunji was exciting. I look forward to the new challenges ahead.”

  • Starsports.com to lure digital fans with new World Cup campaign

    Starsports.com to lure digital fans with new World Cup campaign

    MUMBAI: The biggest sporting event for this year – the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 – is just around the corner and the clamour around it is only getting louder. While TV will be abuzz with promotions galore, a good amount of traction can be expected on social media too. To boost the buzz on social media, Lowe Lintas + Partners has unveiled a new campaign ‘Carry the World Cup’ for starsports.com.

     

    The brief for the campaign was to mirror the passion of the youth and their association with the sport in India. Today, with 3G on mobile phones, the youth stays connected 24×7 thereby allowing them to keep doing what they want to. The agency wanted to tap into this lifestyle and leave behind a thought that when one carries a mobile phone, which has the starsports app on it, one is actually carrying the World Cup along. It thereby allows them to continue following their favourite sport and at the same time do what they please to do. 

     

    Speaking about the campaign a spokesperson from starsports.com said, “Given the centrality of the mobile phone in the life of a young Indian, the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 is going to be carried round the clock on a mobile screen this time. At starsports.com, we are putting together an exciting proposition for the digital fan. As always, Lowe has put together a compelling campaign for us that will resonate well with young sports fans around the country.”

     

    The challenge for the agency was to get as much attention for the tournament online as compared to the live matches on television.

     

    Commenting on the creative execution that was undertaken for the campaign, Lowe Lintas + Partners national creative director Arun Iyer said, “The youth don’t believe that life comes to a standstill when the cricket WC is happening. It’s this thought that was a springboard for the creative. We then just went ahead and showed all the stuff you can do while watching the WC. In execution, we wanted it to be really cool and have scale. And that’s what Bharat Sikka has helped us do.”

     

    Directed by Sikka, the campaign was shot by Ransom Films. Starsports.com and the starsports mobile app will provide online live streaming and video-on-demand for the entire WC.

     

  • Havas Media’s ‘digital at the core’ strategy has paid off, says Anita Nayyar

    Havas Media’s ‘digital at the core’ strategy has paid off, says Anita Nayyar

    MUMBAI: Havas Media Group India posted a stellar performance in 2014. As per the company, it won new business worth over Rs 200 crore in 2014.

     

    Last year witnessed the integrated business wins of clients like Emirates, World Kabaddi League Yepme, MTS (re-win), LIC, BBC, Borosil, Assetz Property Group, OCM India and Hi Care among others. Havas Media also won digital specific mandates of Xolo Mobiles, BusinessWorld and Starbucks.

     

    The RECMA mid-year 2014 Qualitative Evaluation reported Havas Media India growing at 35 per cent, much higher than the industry average.

     

    Havas Media India and south Asia CEO Anita Nayyar said, “Havas Media’s ‘digital at the core’ strategy has richly paid off. Our integrated offering and approach has been appreciated by our clients as well as prospects. Clients have loved our Meaningful Brands Study and the Meaningful Connections Planning process along with our challenger brand attitude has been the key differentiator in the market. However, we at Havas Media are not just about business but also about people. We are known as the ‘Happy Agency’ in the market and many of our ‘old employees’ are eager to join back the Havas family – this according to me is our greatest strength.”

     

    “We are known in the industry for our passion and transparency. We ensure significant senior management involvement in all our clients. Our view of media is integrated and this is further demonstrated by the fact that most of our recent wins have all been integrated. 2015 is a new year with new challenges, however given our strong leadership we are all set to make this year too a remarkable one,” added Havas Media India MD Mohit Joshi.

     

    The Havas Media Group India client roster includes Parle Products India, Hyundai Motor India, Quikr.com, LGE India, Tata Motors, VLCC, AMWAY Beauty, Taj Hotels, Dupont India, Sleepwell, R.K. Marble Group, Voltas India, Ista Hotels amongst others.

     

  • Interbrand India ropes in Ashoo Advani as brand strategy – associate director

    Interbrand India ropes in Ashoo Advani as brand strategy – associate director

    MUMBAI: Interbrand India has brought on-board Ashoo Advani as associate director – brand strategy. Based out of Mumbai, Advani will work closely with Interbrand India MD Ashish Mishra on the agency’s client roster.

     

    Advani said, “Since my B-school days, brand valuation has been an area of interest. It is the ultimate metric for any brand and there is no organization in the world that comes close to Interbrand in brand valuation expertise. I am excited about learning and using the global best practices of managing brands.”

     

    Mishra believed that the war for talent is accelerating and globally Interbrand’s people’s skills are considered as a benchmark. According to Mishra, the agency clearly wants the select few who can do justice to the company’s reputation and the ones who can be trusted with transformational value creation through brands and are valued for it too.

     

    “For far too long the brands and branding world in India has remained reconciled to the easy and interesting second half of expression. We want people capable of pulling back the conversation into the non-existent first half of strategic definition, both respectfully and profitably and I am happy and confident that with Ashoo on board with us, we can help make this happen,” stated Mishra.

     

    Advani brings to the agency an experience of over a decade in brand communications and strategy development. His expertise pans largely around developing brand communication for new and existing brands. He joins Interbrand from Chlorophyll where he was senior brand planner. Prior to Chlorophyll, Advani was associated with Ogilvy & Mather where he exclusively worked with Asian Paints and managed development of communication for 22 different product brands. He has also worked with Lowe earlier in his career.

     

     

    An MBA from Asian Institute of Management, Manila, Philippines; he believes in saving the world from the overuse of the word brand. For doing his share, he is associated with Xavier Institute of Communications as a guest faculty member for Corporate and Product Branding, where he interacts with students and clarifies their ideas about branding.

  • Leo Burnett ropes in Rachita Dutta as business head

    Leo Burnett ropes in Rachita Dutta as business head

    MUMBAI: Leo Burnett India has appointed Rachita Dutta as the business head of its Delhi office.

     

    In her new role, Dutta will work closely with Leo Burnett’s executive director Samir Gangahar to help grow the agency’s revenue by focusing on organic growth and winning new businesses.

     

    Gangahar said, “I am delighted to have Rachita on board. Her depth of knowledge and experience across categories and geographies would really add to the agency’s capabilities. Moreover, having had the experience of heading an agency, Rachita will add immense value to the leadership team in Delhi.”

     

    Dutta added, “I have always admired the work produced by Leo Burnett from a standpoint of strategy and the final creative product it delivers to solve its clients’ problems. With changing times, the agency is evolving as a holistic unit, which is not only equipped to offer traditional communication solutions but also more contemporary services like digital, activations, etc. I look forward to work with Leo Burnett Delhi’s young and talented team to create communication that is creatively stimulating and relevant in the real world.”

     

    Dutta joined Leo Burnett from Grey Sri Lanka where she was country head since 2013. During her tenure there, she played a hands-on role of consolidating existing businesses and growing the agency’s revenue through new business wins. Prior to joining Grey Sri Lanka, Dutta led Rediffusion Y&R’s LG business out of its Delhi office and also had a two year stint as Lowe Delhi vice president.

     

    In her long spanning advertising career, Dutta has also had stints with Grey Delhi, Contract Advertising and Grey Kuala Lumpur.

  • “It was time to move on to newer challenges”: Satbir Singh

    “It was time to move on to newer challenges”: Satbir Singh

    MUMBAI: Ending his nine-year long association, Havas Worldwide India managing partner and chief creative officer (CCO), Satbir Singh, has decided to move on.

     

    The man behind last year’s Indian Premiere League (IPL) campaign ‘Come on bulava aaya hai’ has been in the industry for over 20 years. Singh has worked in India’s top agencies such as Trikaya Grey (now Grey), Contract, Leo Burnett, Ulka, Ogilvy & Mather and has also to his credit the ‘Incredible India’ campaign and the long-standing radio tagline ‘Bajaate Raho.’

     

    The advertising industry’s known food-and-drink connoisseur and sportsman at heart, Singh has been associated with Euro RSCG in various roles, before it was rebranded Havas Worldwide in 2012.

     

    The news of him exiting Havas spread like fire and Indiantelevision.com had a quick chat with the man, who will be associated with the agency till February.

     

    After almost 10 years, what prompted you to quit?

     

    10 years is long enough association. And I think it was time for me to move on to newer challenges. Sometimes offers come your way, which need you to mull and decide your next move.

     

    So have you made up your mind on your next move?

     

    Soon, in a week or so should be able to announce my next move.

     

    What do you have to say about your journey with Havas?

     

    It has been a wonderful journey. In 10 years we have accomplished a lot. We have created some memorable campaigns for Sony Entertainment Television (SET), Dainik Bhaskar, Max New York Life Insurance, Red FM amongst many others.

     

    Parting words for your colleagues…

     

    I will miss them all. And they should continue doing the good work.

     

    And clients…

     

    Havas is a good place; stick with it.