ITV

Category: Media and Advertising

  • Asheesh Malhotra joins Bates CHI&Partners as Mumbai head

    Asheesh Malhotra joins Bates CHI&Partners as Mumbai head

    MUMBAI: Bates CHI&Partners has appointed Asheesh Malhotra as president and head of its Mumbai office.

     

    Malhotra will report to CEO Srikanth VS and will work closely with chief strategy officer Sourabh Mishra and chief creative officer Manmohan Anchan (Maac), NCD Sagar Mahabaleshwarkar and other members of the management team to drive the India growth agenda.

     

    Srikanth said, “Asheesh is one of the most talented people in our business today. In particular, he shines at growing existing client relationships and winning new business. His appointment is key to our growth agenda, by demonstrating fully our ability to deliver ‘Big Ideas for Ambitious Brands’.”

     

    Malhotra with 18 years of experience, including his term with Ogilvy Mumbai from where he moves to Bates CHI&Partners, saw him leading the business on the largest Unilever portfolio  – the beverages division for south Asia. Besides Unilever, he also led the Castrol lubricants global hub in India, BP corporate and a clutch of financial businesses – Bank of India, SBI Life Insurance and Federal Bank.

     

    Anew business junkie Malhotra said, “Bates CHI&Partners is a true blue new model agency. It breaks the traditional mould of ‘in-house only talent and resources’, and instead practices true collaboration by pulling together the best resources that the world has to offer, especially in the disciplines of digital, social and retail. As a result, we can offer solutions that are designed to break through more quickly, thus saving clients loads of media bucks. Recent interactions with clients have reaffirmed the need for such a nimble and creative agency model.”

     

    From 2001 to 2009, Malhotra worked at Lowe Mumbai where he headed the Prudential Life Insurance brand since its inception in India.

  • Leo Burnett India elevates Sainath Saraban to NCD

    Leo Burnett India elevates Sainath Saraban to NCD

    MUMBAI: Leo Burnett Group India CCO Rajdeepak Das today announced the elevation of Sainath Saraban as the national creative director (NCD). As part of his new role, Sai (as he is fondly known), will oversee and take care of the Chennai market as well as key national clients. He will continue to be based in Delhi as he assumes this new responsibility.

     

    Leo Burnett Group CEO Surabh Varma said, “Sai is one of the best creative talents in The Leo Group today. His thorough and in-depth understanding of the target audience coupled with popular culture comes through clearly in the great work that he creates for our clients. I look forward to seeing him make magic in the Chennai market and on our key national clients.”

     

    Leo Burnett CCO Rajdeepak Das added, “Sai is definitely one of the most promising talents of Leo Burnett India and undoubtedly one of the good human beings I have come across. We want the greatness to spread to one more office. Cheers to Sai.”

     

    On his new role Sai said, “Over the last nine years, I have grown with the agency and the agency has grown with me. Now it’s time to take my role to the next level. I see challenges and opportunities alike and along with Saurabh and Raj, I look forward to what lies ahead. The ‘Change Everything’ philosophy is something we all believe in and it holds true for the kind of work we create and how we create it.” 

     

    Sai, who joined Leo Burnett in 2005, began his career with JWT Delhi, where he worked for five years on brands like Boost, Pizza Hut, Hero Cycles and CNBC. This was followed by a brief stint at McCann Erickson after which he joined JWT Bangalore where he worked on Kingfisher, Red Label Tea, McDowell’s and was a part of the team that won Levi’s and Nike. At Leo Burnett, Delhi, some of the memorable work that Sai has created are on brands such as Thumbs Up, Maaza, Minute Maid, Perfetti, Samsung to name a few.

  • M&C Saatchi and Delhi-based February join forces

    M&C Saatchi and Delhi-based February join forces

    MUMBAI: M&C Saatchi Worldwide is strengthening its presence in India through a tie- up with Delhi-based independent creative agency, February. The tie-up sees the launch of a new Indian agency christened M&C Saatchi February with immediate effect.

     

    Offering  advertising, design, digital, social, mobile, events and activation, M&C Saatchi February’s founding portfolio of blue-chip  clients  will  include  Nando’s,  Typhoo,  Avis,  Blossom  Kochhar  Aroma  Magic,  DLF  retail, Ananda in the Himalayas, SBI Cards and Panasonic Mobility.

     

    M&C Saatchi Worldwide CEO Moray MacLennan said, “India is a fundamental part of our global strategy, and we’re delighted to join forces with a brilliant team to help us create a global hub in this critical market.”

     

    The deal follows a strategic review of the agency’s Indian operations and will see M&C Saatchi’s new Indian  agency  –  M&C  Saatchi  February  –  headquartered  in  February’s  offices  in  Delhi’s  Shahpur Jat.

     

    February’s  founders  Gopal  Krishnan  and  Nirmal  Pulickal  will take over  the leadership  of  the combined operation. They will be supported by M&C Saatchi Delhi CEO Anjali Nayar, who has been appointed as the president of the new venture.

     

    MacLennan  added, “In Gopal, Nirmal and the team at February, we have found our perfect partners. They’ve built an agency producing world-class work for both local and international clients.  They share our obsession with ‘Brutal Simplicity of Thought’, and our laser-like focus on building business results for our clients.”

     

    Initially, the  partners  of  February  will  have  a  majority  stake  in  the  venture,  with  M&C  Saatchi Worldwide taking over the majority stake over an agreed timescale.

     

    Krishnan said,  “We’re  delighted  to be  joining  forces  with  M&C Saatchi  as we embark  on the next phase  of February’s  exciting  journey.  We’ve been doing some great work for some wonderful clients over the last couple of years, and this new partnership will help us play on an even bigger stage going forward.”

     

    Pulickal added, “When we launched February two years ago we had a simple goal – to create great work that works for our clients’ business.  It’s great to find a partner in M&C Saatchi who shares our vision entirely. We’re very excited about the future of M&C Saatchi February.”

  • To create an ‘Aha!’ moment, create experiences: Jeff Cheong

    To create an ‘Aha!’ moment, create experiences: Jeff Cheong

    It was in June this year that Jeff Cheong was promoted to president of Tribal Worldwide Asia as part of DDB Group’s leadership and succession strategy to enhance digital creativity within the region.

     

    In 2008, a year after winning the Singapore Airline business with TBWA, Cheong helped kick-start Tribal DDB Singapore. In a short span of five years, the agency has grown to 120 staff with expertise from user experience to e-commerce and a tech innovation team.

     

    Under Cheong’s leadership, Tribal has built an expertise on delivering innovative digital-to-life solutions for regional clients such as Unilever, McDonalds, Changi Airport, DBS, StarHub, Ministry of Communication and Information and National Library Board.

     

    Recently, Cheong also led the Singapore office to launch the DDB i-store, featuring over 30 tried-and-tested tech solutions, which have been adopted as DDB Worldwide best practice. He has been tasked to grow the best practices in digital creativity for the region across technology, social media, content and e-commerce platforms.

     

    In a t?te-?-t?te with Indiantelevision.com’s Priyanka Nair, Cheong, talks about his views on the talent in Indian digital marketing space, creative challenges on the medium, expectations from this market and much more.

     

    Excerpt…

     

    Is being creative on digital much more challenging than other mediums?

     

    Creativity has always been challenging in the business of communication. The idea of being creative is to spark a human conversation. This is the very reason why we follow the philosophy of creativity in humanity. According to me, market scenario also plays the role of an influencer in creative processes.

     

    Maturity of media platforms and infrastructural barriers are a few other things that could pose as challenges in bringing out creativity across the table. Having said that, nothing stops from being creative. To create an ‘Aha!’ moment, create experiences. Using technology for the sake of it is not cool. Going forward, we want to create experiences that are enjoyable.

     

    What are the key things that brands need keep in mind to build a healthy conversation on social media?

     

    Adding celebrity quotient in communication plans is a big thing in a market like India. According to me this is a very interesting and smart route taken by many brands. Worldwide too many marketers have understood the power of influencers on social media. Brands need to work on identifying the right set of influencers to help create the right buzz.  

     

    When bloggers are spotted and involved in an activity, their posts are as good as a classified advertisement. Engagement on social media cannot be force fitted but needs to be very strategic.   

     

    How has marketers’ demand for digital marketing changed in the recent years?

     

    One observation that I have made is that across markets, the social media landscape has changed. Brands are constantly looking at driving conversations that in turn helps in building a large fan base. This constant process turns out to be the key performance indicator for many brands. It can be noted that Facebook changed the algorithm over night.

     

    These are major factors that have pulled brands to use this medium interestingly. The challenge that needs to be addressed by agencies time and again is to be realistic on this medium. This fact also answers your first question on why is it challenging to be creative on digital.

     

    What do you have to say about India’s talent pool in the digital marketing space?

     

    The talent I am exposed to here is fantastic. I had the chance of interacting with the 22Feet team in person. I felt as if I am entering my own office back in Singapore. The energy is the same. The kind of questions raised during brainstorming was similar too.

     

    I also had the opportunity to attend a few client meetings. I like the spark that digital professionals have here. The future looks extremely promising.

     

    What are your observations on India as a market in digital eco-system?

     

    I would have to draw a parallel observation with Australia to elaborate on this further. Five years ago situation in Australia was not the same. The market scenario today has been elevated to another level. Today, Australia leads on the chart of smartphone business. Mobile has changed the game for consumer marketing there. If this could happen within a short period of time there, India is not far behind.

     

    India is a young country, with tech savvy people. As infrastructure improves, there will be an explosion in the business of digital communication as well. The country will catch the next wave soon, its time wait and watch!

  • Mindshare partners exclusively with Crayon Data

    Mindshare partners exclusively with Crayon Data

    MUMBAI: In a landmark move, Mindshare has entered into an exclusive partnership with Crayon Data to power its planning, insights and consultancy offering.

     

    The main aim of combining Mindshare’s proprietary data and research with Crayon Data’s big data collection and analytical capability is to offer greater adaptive solutions for marketers. And provide ability to not only identify different consumer profiles and segments, but also target and track those profiles across a complex range of media channels, including social media and video.

     

     For Mindshare, the partnership continues its focus on developing leadership in Adaptive Marketing, a shift that is impacting how the agency thinks about services, products and ways of working. Mindshare’s core DNA is about disruption, provocation and speed, working with open source partners to continuously re-define how media agencies should behave.

     

    With this in mind Mindshare has consciously entered into a range of strategic partnerships across new emerging domains such as big data, mobility, online video, cross screen measurement, advocacy and social content. The agency has re-structured its approach to bring data, content, technology and accountability together in a way, which has unlocked dramatic growth opportunities for both clients and partners.

     

    Mindshare’s Products, Partnerships & Services council chairman and APAC chief client officer Sudipto Roy said, “One of today’s key business challenges is the complexity surrounding the collection of data making traditional database processing and management tools ineffective in helping clients make optimal decisions about their customers’ needs. It’s a fundamental requirement of business success. Without the ability to support customer needs, organisations fail.”

     

    “We are looking at this collaboration to dramatically transform the way consumer insights are mined and connected to our clients’ categories. For one FMCG company, we were able to unearth consumer connections and interests in a way that is almost impossible to do through standard research based methods. For a B2B client, we were able to unlock and profile a million potential leads with exact identification of what they would be likely to buy. This is a game changer; both for insights and for performance/ CRM based initiatives. It’s not a surprise that Crayon Data was recently chosen as one of the top five companies by IBM’s Watson Developer Challenge.” he added.

     

    Crayon Data is one of the fastest growing “big data” startups founded with a vision to simplify the world’s choices. The SimplerChoicesTM engine simplifies the decision making process for marketers, using proprietary algorithms to sort the complexity and present meaningful connections between data points and providing predictions of what consumers really want. The foundation of Crayon’s Choice Engine is the Taste Graph (B2C) and Interest Graph (B2B).  Crayon’s taste graph (for B2C companies) already has over 550 million taste nodes reaching close to a billion through 2014. The company’s interest graph (for B2B companies) has extensive information on over 10 million enterprises, with 500M data points.

     

    Crayon Data founding director Suresh Shankar said, “Media, analytics and behaviour is all going digital, and choices are proliferating in every aspect of our life from media to daily decisions. The partnership seeks to marry Mindshare’s media data sets and expertise, and its innovations like Loop Room, with Crayon’s choice engines, algorithms, and taste/interest graphs. This partnership forms part of a big transformation and caters to our mission of turning the misery of choosing into the magic of choice.”

  • DDB MudraMax assigned franchise and venue management for Bengal Warriors

    DDB MudraMax assigned franchise and venue management for Bengal Warriors

    MUMBAI: Taking everyone by surprise, the Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League has caught people’s fancy. And to keep the momentum going Big Bazaar’s Pro Kabaddi League team, Bengal Warriors, has entrusted DDB MudraMax with the complete franchise management.

     

    As the franchise management partner, DDB MudraMax spearheads the marketing communication and consulting on brand strategy and direction. With a mix of marketing touch points, the campaign communication has seen a burst in OOH, media, print, direct marketing, events, all integrated via digital platforms.

     

    The agency is also managing the venue for all the games that were held in the Netaji Indoor Stadium, home ground for the Bengal Warriors.  The last match at this venue was held on Saturday, 2 August, 2014.

     

    Future Group president Sandip Tarkas & Bengal Warriors CEO said, “Kabaddi is potentially the second biggest idea that India can export to the world after Yoga. It is an absolutely amazing sport that is played by really fit and skillful players, and the idea, like Yoga, is very Indian at the core. Frugal, simple, environment blended and works for an overall development of mind and body. Indian-ness is one of the core values of Future Group and we immediately consented to associate with the sport.”

     

    He added, “When the idea of Pro Kabaddi League was born. The choice of Kolkata was also a natural one, as Future Group does enjoy a special bond with Kolkata, the group’s first stores in both Pantaloons and Big Bazaar having been born here. Having done that, managing a sports event at this scale needs some special skills and we found in DDB MudraMax a willing partner who not just shared our enthusiasm for the sport but also had the requisite skills and was willing to invest. Our commitment to developing the sport in West Bengal also manifests itself in the recently concluded Junior Kabaddi League that was organised under the aegis of the Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India’s (AKFI) West Bengal Unit.”

     

    DDB MudraMax president Mandeep Malhotra said, “The Pro Kabaddi League is a rebirth to the best touch sport of our country, and it surely got me running for my breath. So when we got the opportunity, we grabbed it! My team and I have been on ground at the Netaji Stadium, for every single match, and it’s great to see how this sport has come back to life! I am proud of this association as an Indian and as a participant on building a great team sport. We are all one team and are working towards making Bengal Warriors the most successful franchise on and off the field in the Pro Kabaddi League.”

  • Dentsu Aegis Network appoints Harsha Joshi as EVP- group trading

    Dentsu Aegis Network appoints Harsha Joshi as EVP- group trading

    MUMBAI: Dentsu Aegis Network has appointed Harsha Joshi as its executive VP- group trading. Joshi will report to Dentsu Aegis Network chairman and CEO south Asia Ashish Bhasin.

     

    Joshi is an industry veteran who brings with her over 23 years of experience in media buying & planning, branded content and media audit and advisory.

     

    She has been the head of media buying at Fulcrum (Mindshare), headed media buying at Madison Media for 12 years. She also served as CEO – media & international at Spatial Access Media Solutions and her last stint was at McKinsey, India as media advisory.

     

    Bhasin said, “The remarkable growth that the Dentsu Aegis Network has had has resulted in our scale growing rapidly. To ensure our clients get the best global practices in the extremely important area of Trading, we decided to invest in a very senior resource. After evaluating several candidates, we were delighted to have Harsha join us. She brings with her unparalled experience in the area of Trading and we will use her expertise across the Dentsu Aegis Network. Trading is our strength and Harsha will help us maintain that edge.”

     

    Sounding excited about her new assignment, Joshi added, “I am truly looking forward to this role. With three strong media agencies, Carat, Vizeum and Dentsu Media in our group, and with so many large local and global clients, I am sure that we will be able to add value to our clients like no other agency can. Their professional and transparent approach, backed by best-in-class people, global tools, learning and systems attracted me to join Dentsu Aegis Network, which is India’s fastest growing advertising & media network for the second year in a row.”

  • Avon India appoints Romulus Marian Sirbu as MD

    Avon India appoints Romulus Marian Sirbu as MD

    MUMBAI: Avon Beauty Products India has appointed Romulus Marian Sirbu as the managing director with effect from 7 July 2014.

     

    An industry veteran, Sirbu will be responsible for the strategic growth and sustainable increase of Avon’s market share in India. His extensive knowledge and global experience will help develop and implement business strategies to meet the company’s growth, market share and profitability objectives.

     

    He said,” I feel privileged to have this opportunity to join the board of Avon India. India is an important growth market and the company has been focusing immensely on further strengthening its business. I am elated to be a part of Avon once again. I’m looking forward to strategic positioning of the brand and enhance its presence across India.”

     

    This is a homecoming for Sirbu, who worked with Avon in central and eastern Europe for a period of 12 years, where he started as a representative and progressed to sales leadership and commercial roles. Eventually he became country manager for Moldova and Serbia and Montenegro. He then moved out for a brief period to gain differentiated perspective of the industry and was associated with Life Care, as its CEO, overseeing the business in Romania and Hungary.

     

  • JWT India announces leadership changes

    JWT India announces leadership changes

    MUMBAI: After an excellent show at Cannes Lion this year, JWT has announced leadership changes across the agency’s key offices in Mumbai, Bengaluru and Sri Lanka.

     

    JWT south head Rajesh Gangwani has been appointed as JWT Mumbai senior VP and managing partner effective immediately.

     

    JWT group companies Colombo president Himanshu Saxena will succeed Gangwani as JWT south senior VP and managing partner.

     

    Joy Chauhan will be taking over from Saxena as JWT group of companies Colombo president.

     

    Announcing their appointment, JWT south Asia CEO Colvyn Harris said, “Rajesh and Himanshu are both dynamic leaders with strong connections to the markets, the consumers and the clients. By leveraging their strengths and strategic insights, JWT is uniquely positioned to maximise growth in these critical markets.”

     

    “Having successfully established brands like Pepsi foods, Nestle and more recently Airtel, Joy’s move to Sri Lanka will help develop his career further. He has managed large teams and big brands and that experience will hold him good stead. JWT Colombo is one of the most admired agencies in Sri Lanka and that will continue under Joy’s leadership,” he added.

     

    It’s a homecoming for Gangwani, who joined JWT Mumbai as a management trainee in 1991 and worked on Hindustan Unilever, and other Mumbai clients. He was later transferred to Bengaluru in2002 and has been leading the office since January 2008 and later as head of south, since 2011.

     

    JWT India NCD Tista Sen will be Gangwani’s creative partner and together they complete the leadership team at JWT Mumbai.

     

    “I look forward to my second innings in Mumbai and to the opportunity of leading our flagship office. Having been part of some amazing journeys on brands like Nike, Levi’s, Madura, Lifestyle and others, it’s going to be exciting times ahead.  Mumbai has a great portfolio of brands, a fabulous client mix and a fantastic talent pool,” said Gangwani.   

     

    With 22 years of experience in advertising, branding, consumer research and sales, Saxena comes in with diverse experience of leading brands, offices and cross functional teams. As head of the JWT Group in Sri Lanka, Saxena was overseeing JWT and the recently set up Contract advertising.

     

    “In our 150th year JWT India has reached great heights of achievement.  It is both an honour as well as a huge responsibility to lead a region as dynamic as JWT south. I look forward to carrying on the good work and pushing the bar higher. Leading JWT Sri Lanka was truly an enriching experience and I am glad to move on to the next professional assignment after three years in Colombo,” said Saxena.

     

    JWT India NCD Senthil Kumar will continue to lead JWT south and Kolkata as Saxena’s creative partner.

     

    “It is an immensely exciting opportunity for me to be a part of a great legacy like JWT Sri Lanka. To be a part of a growing market like Sri Lanka, is the high that I really wanted at this point in my career. Armed with the rich experience of some of the best national and international brands like, Pepsi foods, Nestle, Hero and Airtel, I feel my learning will help me grow the brands and businesses at JWT Sri Lanka. JWT will continue to shine,” says Chauhan on his move to Sri Lanka.