ITV

Category: Media and Advertising

  • Now, health on call!

    Now, health on call!

    MUMBAI: What if you called a friend and heard a celebrity sharing health tips instead of the usual caller tune? Would you get annoyed, give a good ear or better still, make it your own to spread awareness.

     

    Well, Leo Burnett and World Health Organisation (WHO) certainly seem to think you will change your caller tune. Which is why the duo has created a campaign titled ‘Donate your Caller Tune’ which lets you hear health advice from a celebrity and activate the same on your mobile phone in a bid to keep up the good work.

     

    The initiative, being promoted on digital platforms, covers 12 diseases with 12 celebrities talking about them, including the likes of Amitabh Bachchan, John Abraham, Cyrus Broacha, Parineeti Chopra and Shankar Mahadevan.

     

    Easily the world’s biggest mobile health campaign, ‘Donate your Caller Tune’ has been kicked off in India and will travel to other countries only after strengthening base here.

     

    So why was India chosen as the launch pad? Because non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are presently the leading cause of death across the globe and in 2008, India alone accounted for 53 per cent of all such deaths worldwide. Also because India has a record 600 million mobile phone users and WHO aims to reach all of them through this campaign.

     

    WHO India representative Dr Nata Menabde says: “Donate Your Caller Tune is an idea where people take responsibility and ownership to spread awareness of health concerns voluntarily. To us, this simple idea of using a caller tune to create mass awareness appealed a lot when presented by Leo Burnett. Caller tunes are very popular in India and it made perfect sense to leverage the power of the mobile phone to create awareness about health issues.”

     

    Leo Burnett NCD K V Sridhar who himself suffers from diabetes, believes the campaign will benefit millions. “Diabetes runs in my family so when I got a chance to educate people, I jumped on it,” he says, giving the example of actor Imran Khan who chose to become an ambassador for cancer awareness because he lost his near and dear ones to the disease. “I usually get 40-50 calls in a day and I’m sure others do too. So, instead of hearing a song or a joke, wouldn’t it be better if we created awareness about various health related issues by donating our calling tunes for the cause?” he questions.

     

    Apart from roping in 12 celebrities, the other herculean task for Leo Burnett was to get all mobile service providers on board. The campaign was launched in November last year with just two service providers VSNL and Airtel and it is only now that others have joined the fray.

     

    People interested in participating need to SMS their service provider to activate the caller tune for the cause they wish to support and spread awareness about. Charges vary as per the service provider.

  • Madison PR adds 20 clients to its kitty in January

    Madison PR adds 20 clients to its kitty in January

    MUMBAI: It seems to be a great year for Madison already. Madison Public Relations has won 20 new clients in the month of January, itself.

     

    Commenting on the new wins, Madison Public Relations CEO Paresh Chaudhary said, “It’s a great start for the last quarter of the year and lays a strong foundation for the next year, with over 50 per cent of our big wins as retainer clients. A focused strategic communication partnership approach, coupled with intense capability building mechanisms, are converting PR managers to brand managers, thus enhancing the brand building process.”

     

    Madison PR has further strengthened its dominance in the youth, entertainment, luxury and lifestyle segments. The agency signed up brands across diverse sectors, including The Lodha Group, Zee Media Corp, Indian Merchant Chambers, Enamor, Celio, VVF, Radio Mirchi, and Max Fashions, among others.

     

    As the agency’s client roster extends, it is also investing in quality talent with relevant strategic communication experience. The agency claims to have also recorded less than 5 per cent attrition rate as opposed to the industry standard of 20-25 per cent. A new strategy brand planning team has been created to provide a cutting edge to every campaign right from conceptualisation.

     

    Madison World chairman Sam Balsara said, “I am delighted at Madison PR’s consistent high growth over two years. I am glad that more and more advertisers are waking up to the power of brand PR. PR, when used intelligently and strategically, can greatly enhance the power of advertising.”

     

    Meanwhile, the Madison Public Relations Partners Meet has been introduced as an annual property, the first one held in December 2013. The interaction with external partners is aimed at tappingon their strengths on a regular basis. It has helped Madison PR to understand markets, issues and challenges better, whilst gaining insight that guides the team better in planning city-specific activations. This deeper engagement between external partners and Madison PR has proved mutually beneficial in harnessing further business because of the high level of effectiveness of plans.

     

    The agency recorded a growth of 32 per cent in 2012-13 and is expected to end 2013-14 with close to 30 per cent growth.

     

    Going forward, Madison PR aims to strengthen its practices in the areas of entertainment, luxury, tourism, IT and FMCG.

  • Maxus elevates Sanchayeeta Verma to Managing Partner

    Maxus elevates Sanchayeeta Verma to Managing Partner

    MUMBAI: Maxus, the country’s leading media investments firm today announced the promotion of Sanchayeeta Verma as Managing Partner, Maxus South India& South Asia. She joined Maxus in 2009 as head of the Bangalore office. Over the years she has successfully managed the Bangalore operations and established the Kerala set-up. She helped the team bring in some key clients such as Wipro, Tata Tea, RedBus.com, Google, Myntra.com, Manapuram, Kerala Tourism (for digital) into the Maxus fold. Sanchayeeta has been key architect in driving the entertainment & sports programming, digital and activation agenda for all Maxus clients in the Southern region. Under her stewardship, Maxus won the agency of the year title in Ad Club Bangalore awards for 4 years in a row.

    Speaking on her appointment, Kartik Sharma, Managing Director, Maxus South Asia said, “Sanchayeeta is one of our star Maxusites.  A team player to the core, her sharp strategic thinking and keen sense of innovation keeps her and her team at the cutting edge of media investments and planning. We wish her all the best for her future endeavors at Maxus.”

    Upon her appointment Sanchayeeta Verma, Managing Partner, Maxus said, “The effort till now has been to put together a formidable setup, be it in terms of the clients we handle, the work we do and most importantly the rich and diverse talent pool. Going forward the biggest thrust will be on making our clients future ready. The future of media is about choreographing convergence between traditional, digital and experiential media, content & data being the epicenter of it all. To survive today’s complex, always under stress market conditions, brands need to master how to navigate the same. Maxus is best poised to lean into change towards this exciting new future and I look forward to it!”

    Sancheyeeta has been with the GroupM system for over 10 years, earlier with Mindshare.

     

  • Cannes Lions announces major changes in Cyber Lions category

    Cannes Lions announces major changes in Cyber Lions category

    MUMBAI: The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has announced significant changes that will be made to the Cyber Lions category ahead of the 2014 awards, in line with current digital trends.

     

    Three new sub categories; Social, Branded Technology and Branded Games, have been introduced to better reflect the industry and in turn spark a renaissance of the Cyber Lions category.

     

    Social will reward focused executions with social thinking at the core of the work. The jury will consider levels of engagement, social reach and the creative use of social networks and activity to successful commercial effect. Branded Technology will honour executions that utilise or harness technology in order to enhance or complement the brand, and Branded Games will recognise creative executions that have been specifically produced for a client in order to enhance overall brand experience.

     

    Commenting on the changes, Lions Festivals CEO Philip Thomas said, “The Cyber Lions have seen many changes since their launch back in 1998. More recently, with the ever-changing digital landscape and the introduction of the Mobile Lions category in 2012, it has become increasingly important to revise the structure and purpose of the category. We thank the many industry leaders who have helped shape the new-look Cyber Lions, and adapt them to the ever-changing world of creative communications.”

     

    Speaking about the changes to Cyber Lions, industry professionals say:

     

    Studio Heiss founder Flo Heiss who was in 2013 Cyber Lions Jury said: “At a time when the nature of digital marketing and advertising is changing by the day, the minute, the second, Cyber Lions are not playing catch-up, but leading the charge in modern awards categories.”

     

    Iris creative director Clarence Chiew said: “It’s clear, comprehensive and definitely sets the Cyber Lions apart not only for Cannes, but against other award shows.”

     

     “Both the breadth and specificity of the new Cyber Lions are equally impressive, and feel like a true reflection of the range of great creative work being done around the world,” sais CAA Marketing co-chief creative officer and co-head Jae Goodman.

     

    AKQA chief creative officer Rei Inamoto said: “Cannes Lions is introducing a newly revamped Cyber Lions category and it shows how vibrant Cyber is in our industry. I’m convinced that this is where the next big thing will come from.”

     

    Further endorsements have been captured in a video that pulls together some of the current industry leaders’ thoughts on the direction of Cyber Lions. The video is now online and available to view at http://youtu.be/S7K2h8pceK8.  

     

    Entries for the 61st Cannes Lions Awards open on 23 January 2014. 

  • Airtel’s Arun Sharma joins IPG Mediabrands

    Airtel’s Arun Sharma joins IPG Mediabrands

    MUMBAI: IPG Mediabrands has roped in Arun Sharma from Bharti Airtel south Asia. He will be joining in as vice president and will be part of the agency’s Delhi team.

     

    In Airtel, Sharma was heading the media division as vice-president, marketing and head, media.

     

    Sharma has over 17 years of experience of which 10 years were with Airtel. In the telecom company, he was responsible for the brand’s media strategy, planning, buying, deployment, ROI measurement, research and execution of marketing budget. He also led various key developments of the telecom brand including the launch of Airtel’s new brand identity in late 2010.

     

    Before Airtel, he has worked with leading media agencies and handled a number of brands such as Coke, Nestle, Gillette, J&J and GSK. He has earlier also worked with Universal McCann, which is part of IPG Mediabrands.

  • MEC and Britannia Good Day Wish ‘Happy Good Day To You’

    MEC and Britannia Good Day Wish ‘Happy Good Day To You’

    MUMBAI: MEC, a leading global media agency and a founding partner of GroupM, has designed and implemented an engaging digital campaign for Britannia Good Day biscuits. The campaign titled HappyGoodDayToYou isaimed at bringing a smile through small actions without a rhyme or reason.

     
    “Happy Good Day to you” is a new wishing revolution which invites users to simply send daily greetings to their loved ones. Britannia Good Day believes that small acts are all that it takes to make someone happy. The team strategized the digital campaignthat will bring a smile upon a loved one’s face knowing that someone somewhere is thinking of you. The campaign has a dedicated website with thematic messages to express different emotions and feelings of Friendship, Love and Humor. Since the activation started in December, special greetings for Christmas/New Year were also incorporated. The site also allows the user to personalize their greeting, customize the message and add images which will let their loved ones have a Happy Good Day.

     
    The campaign has been linked to Facebook, which keeps the audience updated on the campaign developments. Through the page, the audience is made aware of the contest winners, traffic generated to the microsite, update on entries and interesting contest pictures.

    The website has many interesting features incorporated into it. The first one being The Wish Meter. It is like a tracker, which tracks the number of wishes sent by each city and the top eight cities are mentioned on this Meter. Another interesting and fun feature on the website is the “What’s Your Good Day Moment?” It urges viewers to share their delightfulmoments and let the happiness spreadon to all others viewing the website. All the user has to do is upload happy pictures and make the world smile 🙂

    MEC, known for its specialization in providing genuine integrated solutions to its clients has reached out successfully to Britannia Good Day’s audience by using appropriate platforms to convey the message – ‘Small acts is all that it takes to make someone happy.’ According to The Wish Meter, there have been over 1 lakh wishes already sent.

     
    Giving details on the campaign ZubinTatna, National Director Planning, MEC India said “MEC is delighted to partner with such a reputed brand that has been there for more than 25 years. The brief given to us by Britannia Good Day was to popularize the greeting “Happy Good Day to You”. The team at MEC was successful in capturing this message through this campaign. Making someone happy, can be as simple as sending a greeting or a pleasantry across. We are glad that the campaign has been appreciated and has received great response from the target audience. We are certain that through this initiative, we have helped Britannia Good Day attract more visibility across the country.”

    Sharing her views on the campaign, AnuradhaNarasimhan , Director – Marketing, Britannia Industries Limitedsaid “The new campaign of Good Day is all about having a good day, every day. And this thought is captured beautifully in the wish “Happy good day to you”. Our objective with the digital campaign was to take this wish to everyone and get people to start using it in common parlance. MEC helped us do just that by devising a comprehensive digital strategy to get India to start wishing each other “Happy Good Day to you”. Through our website, www.happygooddaytoyou.com, we have been able to get over 1.75lac consumers from the length and breadth of the country to spread the happiness with a simple “Happy Good Day to you” wish. Because the brand believes that’s all it takes to make someone’s day a good day. Happy to partner with MEC in bringing happiness to our consumers”

     
    Contest closes on 31st January, 2014
    For more details log on to http://www.happygooddaytoyou.com

     

  • Turner International Asia Pacific appoints Gregory Ho as VP communications & marketing

    Turner International Asia Pacific appoints Gregory Ho as VP communications & marketing

    MUMBAI: Turner International Asia Pacific is soon going to witness some change as public relations and television professional Gregory Ho is joining the company as Vice President of Communications & Marketing. The announcement was made by c Senior Vice President of Communications Oliver Herrgesell.

     

    In his new role, Ho will serve as Turner International’s chief communications and marketing executive in the Asia Pacific region where he will look at all marketing, corporate communications and public relations activities for the company and its affiliates.

     

    Ho will be taking up the role with immediate effect and will work closely with Turner International Asia Pacific president Ricky Ow.

     

    “This move and Greg’s vast experience reflect the strategic importance of our business interests in Asia Pacific,” said Herrgesell in a release. “Greg brings leadership skills and a working relationship with Ricky Ow to a role that will have significant influence on the company’s continuing efforts to position, capitalise on and grow its entertainment, animation and news brands’ reputation.”

     

    “Greg is one of the most experienced, well-connected and innovative media professionals I have had the pleasure of working with in Asia, and I’m delighted he will be building on the strong heritage of the leading brands we run,” said Ow. “Greg will be a strong addition to the group of Turner communications and marketing professionals, a valuable resource for the management and a trusted adviser to me.”

     

    Prior to joining Turner, Greg was with Sony Pictures Television (SPT) Networks, Asia as the vice president and head of public relations, corporate communications and marketing. Earlier, he was with Animax Asia VP & General Manager with operational responsibility for programming, marketing, promotions and revenue. He joined SPT in 1999 as Director of Marketing & Communications at a time when it operated one channel, AXN. In the years from 1995 to 1999, Greg served at CNBC Asia/Asia Business news in various roles. He started his broadcasting career in 1992 at Mediacorp Radio.

  • MSLGroup gets 8 new regional practice leaders in Asia

    MSLGroup gets 8 new regional practice leaders in Asia

    MUMBAI: Publicis Groupe’s strategic communications and engagement consultancy, MSLGroup has appointed eight new regional practice group leaders and two regional deputy practice group leaders across Asia to further strengthen the firm’s expertise and leadership.

     

    The practice leaders will ensure best-in-class client service and strategic counsel, including growing the business, developing new offerings and methodologies, structured internal capability enhancement and thought leadership.

     

    MSLGroup president Asia Glenn Osaki  said: “Most of these top talents and leaders have been with us for many years, some have grown with us for over a decade. We are very happy to appoint these experts to take on international leadership roles and to contribute to developing the future of MSLGROUP in Asia and globally. MSLGroup is driving the change. I’m proud that these top talents will play a part in taking our firm – and our industry – to the next level.” 

     

    The eight regional practice leaders are: Amrit Ahuja (with over 20 years of experience she will be adding the role of regional practice leader to her current position as client engagement leader for 20:20 MSL in India), Narendra Nag (will be adding the role of regional practice leader to his current position as vice president and co-leader of MSLGroup Social Hive in India), Parveez Modak (apart from his current position as senior VP and co-leader of MSLGroup Social Hive in India, he will be adding the new role to his portfolio) , Amit Misra (he will be adding the role of regional practice leader to his current position as executive VP and director, Public Affairs, at MSLGroup in India), Par Uhlin (will add the role of regional practice leader to his current position as vice chair, MSLGroup China), Ellen Cheng (the sought-after trainer and advisor to senior executives of leading international companies in China will be adding the role of regional practice leader to her current position as director, MSLGroup China), Ken Hirata (will add the role of regional practice leader to his current position as senior director, MSLGroup in Japan), Dennis Hsu (will add the role of regional practice leader to his current position as VP, MSLGroup in Taiwan).

     

    Jaideep Shergill will continue his leadership of the regional Financial Communications practice.

     

    Two deputy practice leaders have also been appointed: Jolin Liu (will be adding the role of deputy regional practice leader to her current position as group account director, King Harvests) and Fu Yumei (will add the role of deputy regional practice leader to her current position as healthcare leader and senior associate director at MSLGroup in Singapore).

  • Aegis Media and Dentsu Network join hands to create Dentsu Aegis Network

    Aegis Media and Dentsu Network join hands to create Dentsu Aegis Network

    MUMBAI: From 1 January 2014 Aegis Media and Dentsu Network combined to form the Dentsu Aegis Network. Together they form the first truly global communications network for the digital age, in 110 countries worldwide with over 22,000 dedicated specialists.

     

    Nick Waters will lead Dentsu Aegis Network in Asia Pacific and will be responsible for the management of the business and the development of network, specialist and local brands across the region.

     

    With over 5,500 employees in China including associates, full integration in China will begin in 2015. Until then, Aegis Media and Dentsu Network will continue to work in parallel, managed by Phil Teeman CEO Aegis Media China and Motohiro Yamagishi CEO Dentsu Network China.  KF Lee will take the role of Chairwoman Dentsu Aegis Network China working across the two businesses.  Motohiro Yamagishi will additionally lead the Dentsu agency brand across North Asia.  Rohit Ohri will lead the Dentsu agency brand across the rest of the region – Asia Pacific South.

     

    Luke Littlefield will lead Dentsu Aegis Network Australia and New Zealand as CEO and Rob Hughes, Dentsu Aegis Network North Asia. Ashish Bhasin is appointed CEO Dentsu Aegis Network South Asia and Dick van Motman takes leadership as CEO for the group in Southeast Asia. 

     

    Brand leaders:

    Motohiro Yamagishi                                 CEO Dentsu China & North Asia

    Rohit Ohri                                                 Chairman Dentsu India & CEO Dentsu Asia Pacific South

    Sean O’Brien                                              CEO Carat Asia Pacific

    Jean Lin                                                     CEO Isobar Asia Pacific & Global Chief Strategy Officer

    Ruth Stubbs                                              CEO iProspect Asia Pacific

    Kristian Barnes                                          CEO Vizeum Asia Pacific

     

    Nick Waters, CEO of Dentsu Aegis Network Asia Pacific said: “With our brand and leadership structures confirmed we have the opportunity to develop the Dentsu Aegis Network, and our client base, by delivering a wider range of distinctive products and services across the region. The new Dentsu Aegis Network has a unique position in the market, and with this brings the opportunity to grow our clients’ businesses with our own.”

     

    The Dentsu Aegis Network will be headquartered in London. Carat, the Dentsu agency brand, iProspect, Isobar, Posterscope and Vizeum will work together for the first time under the operating model of one P&L per country alongside growing multi-market specialist and local brands.

     

  • Katrina Kaif is the new face of L’oréal Paris

    Katrina Kaif is the new face of L’oréal Paris

    Mumbai: L’Oréal Paris is pleased to announce Katrina Kaif as the new face of the brand in India. Katrina is one of the most successful actresses in the Indian film industry and has created an impact like no other. As the new L’Oréal Paris spokesperson, Katrina Kaif joins Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Sonam Kapoor and Freida Pinto as the fourth Indian face of the brand.

     

    “I am thrilled that Katrina joins our amazing roster of spokespeople. She exudes sheer glamour and is a beauty icon to millions across the globe. She has risen to the top through sheer hard work and is an inspiration to all. Today we are proud to welcome her into the L’Oréal Paris family and hope to have a fabulous association with her”, said Satyaki Ghosh, Director, Consumer Products Division, L’Oréal India.

     

    “I’m honored to be a part of the L’Oréal Paris family; it’s been a brand that I have always admired for its glamour and powerful message of ‘Because you’re worth it’. The stunning women that represent the brand across the globe are strong motivators. It is an incredible privilege to be joining this league of ladies. I’m looking forward to working with the L’Oréal Paris team in India and creating some new global beauty trends,” said Katrina Kaif.

     

    Manashi Guha, General Manager, L’Oréal Paris says, “In India, L’Oréal Paris has grown immensely to become an extremely important part of the L’Oréal consumer portfolio. We have made significant leaps in terms of our product range and their relevance to the modern Indian woman. Our spokespeople are passionate and talented individuals and sources of inspiration for our generation thanks to their vision, engagement and talent. Katrina beautifully embodies the qualities that represent our brand and we’re very happy to have her on board with us.”

     

    Global ambassador for L’Oréal Paris – Aishwarya Rai Bachchan who has been a part of the brand for 12 years said, “I would like to extend a warm welcome to Katrina to the L’Oréal Paris family. I am sure she will enjoy representing team India as brand ambassador and I wish her the very best.”

     

    Katrina Kaif has an outstanding film record and has carved a niche for herself in the Indian film industry. She has received multiple award nominations for the variety of roles she has portrayed and has been a part of several successful films like Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, New York, Ek Tha Tiger, Jab Tak Hai Jaan and Dhoom 3.