ITV

Category: People

  • Art forms influence advertising: FCB Ulka’s new NCD Mahendra Bhagat

    Art forms influence advertising: FCB Ulka’s new NCD Mahendra Bhagat

    MUMBAI: FCB Ulka Group has appointed Mahendra Bhagat as the national creative director. Bhagat will be based in Bengaluru and will support all FCB Ulka’s south India offices. Mahendra was earlier with JWT Mumbai as the vice president and creative head.

    FCB Ulka CEO Nitin Karkare said, “Mahendra is a heady mix of creative, business acumen [he headed an office for a few years] and team building”.

    FCB Ulka CCO Swati Bhattacharya said, “By his own admission, Advertising is his first love and he couldn’t stay away from it too long. Mahendra is a powerhouse of talent”.

    Speaking on his new role, Bhagat said, “Advertising has always been influenced by other art forms, from cinema, literature, theatre, folk art to paintings, installations etc…in my second innings I would like to bring in some new practices that I followed while exploring art in its pure form”.

    In his last assignment, he created some landmark work for brands like Times of India, Kellogs, Rin, Nakshatra Jewelry and Godrej Appliances amongst others. Before JWT, Mahendra has worked in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata and Delhi with SSC & B, Enterprise, Clarion and Lintas, providing creative partnership to giants like Titan, ITC and Bajaj Auto. He has many national and international awards to his credit including Cannes, Clio, New York Festival, London Festival as well as AME (Advertising & Marketing Effectiveness) and has been on the jury of most prestigious Advertising festivals including the New York Festival.

  • Vidya Balan brand ambassador for Samajwadi Pension Yojna

    Vidya Balan brand ambassador for Samajwadi Pension Yojna

    NEW DELHI: Indian film actress Vidya Balan has been made the brand ambassador for Samajwadi Pension Yojna or Samajwadi Pension Scheme by the Uttar Pradesh government aimed at empowering the State’s financially poor women.

    “This (monthly) pension scheme is an important step towards women empowerment,” Balan said in Lucknow at a function organised by the State Government to announce this particular scheme and dwell on other pro-people government projects.

    According to Balan, empowering women is relevant and important as womenfolk not only work for their own development, but also their whole family.

    In the past also Balan had been roped in for various government initiatives at the both the Central and State levels, including those revolving around themes of importance of general cleanliness and having toilets in village homes.

    Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, while expressing gratitude to Balan for agreeing to be associated with the scheme, said that as many more people know the film actress, the scheme is certain to get more exposure and become popular, especially in rural areas.

    The Chief Minister added that he’s slowly learning the importance of effective PR activities and having celeb brand ambassadors for UP government’s initiatives, many of which, though benefitting the people, did not get the desired publicity in the media and elsewhere in the past.

    Under the pension scheme the State government is proposing to directly transfer into the bank accounts of beneficiary-women of 55 lakh (550,0000) families a sum of Rs. 500 monthly.

  • Vidya Balan brand ambassador for Samajwadi Pension Yojna

    Vidya Balan brand ambassador for Samajwadi Pension Yojna

    NEW DELHI: Indian film actress Vidya Balan has been made the brand ambassador for Samajwadi Pension Yojna or Samajwadi Pension Scheme by the Uttar Pradesh government aimed at empowering the State’s financially poor women.

    “This (monthly) pension scheme is an important step towards women empowerment,” Balan said in Lucknow at a function organised by the State Government to announce this particular scheme and dwell on other pro-people government projects.

    According to Balan, empowering women is relevant and important as womenfolk not only work for their own development, but also their whole family.

    In the past also Balan had been roped in for various government initiatives at the both the Central and State levels, including those revolving around themes of importance of general cleanliness and having toilets in village homes.

    Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, while expressing gratitude to Balan for agreeing to be associated with the scheme, said that as many more people know the film actress, the scheme is certain to get more exposure and become popular, especially in rural areas.

    The Chief Minister added that he’s slowly learning the importance of effective PR activities and having celeb brand ambassadors for UP government’s initiatives, many of which, though benefitting the people, did not get the desired publicity in the media and elsewhere in the past.

    Under the pension scheme the State government is proposing to directly transfer into the bank accounts of beneficiary-women of 55 lakh (550,0000) families a sum of Rs. 500 monthly.

  • Why Sir Martin Sorrell is keen on India

    Why Sir Martin Sorrell is keen on India

    Amsterdam: When you get a guy like Sir Martin Sorrell to keynote, you can expect to get some statements. That’s exactly what Sir Martin made at IBC 2016, the audiovisual equipment industry’s annual European get together at the RAI Exhibition Centre in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

    Sir Martin Sorrell waxed eloquent about Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Said he: “Modi has made an incredible difference. I don’t know what is with these guys whose second part of their name begins with the M initial. Modi. Argentina’s Macri. They all have done a..Merkel. May (Britain’s new prime minister) maybe.”

    He went on to state that India has supplanted Brazil for the WPP group. “India is very important. We have 50 per cent of the market. We are interested in India because of its population size, GDP growth and also the young population’s growth. Then, the intellectual firepower in India is really strong. If you look at India 25 years hence, and it is going to become even more important. And then there’s the Muslim population. The third biggest Muslim population, probably going to get even bigger.”

    Sorrell also praised the talent he has in India. “Our people are outstanding. People like Srini, Piyush, Ranjan, Tarun, they are absolutely outstanding people. If you could export them from India, or if we had the same quality of people around the world, I could retire,” he said.

    “I only own two per cent of the company; but I am identified with the company,” he responded to a question whether he would retire. “I will carry on as long they will let me. WPP is not a matter of life or death for me, it is more than that. They will carry me out to the glue factory.”

  • Why Sir Martin Sorrell is keen on India

    Why Sir Martin Sorrell is keen on India

    Amsterdam: When you get a guy like Sir Martin Sorrell to keynote, you can expect to get some statements. That’s exactly what Sir Martin made at IBC 2016, the audiovisual equipment industry’s annual European get together at the RAI Exhibition Centre in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

    Sir Martin Sorrell waxed eloquent about Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Said he: “Modi has made an incredible difference. I don’t know what is with these guys whose second part of their name begins with the M initial. Modi. Argentina’s Macri. They all have done a..Merkel. May (Britain’s new prime minister) maybe.”

    He went on to state that India has supplanted Brazil for the WPP group. “India is very important. We have 50 per cent of the market. We are interested in India because of its population size, GDP growth and also the young population’s growth. Then, the intellectual firepower in India is really strong. If you look at India 25 years hence, and it is going to become even more important. And then there’s the Muslim population. The third biggest Muslim population, probably going to get even bigger.”

    Sorrell also praised the talent he has in India. “Our people are outstanding. People like Srini, Piyush, Ranjan, Tarun, they are absolutely outstanding people. If you could export them from India, or if we had the same quality of people around the world, I could retire,” he said.

    “I only own two per cent of the company; but I am identified with the company,” he responded to a question whether he would retire. “I will carry on as long they will let me. WPP is not a matter of life or death for me, it is more than that. They will carry me out to the glue factory.”

  • Srinivasan K Swamy is new ASCI chairman

    Srinivasan K Swamy is new ASCI chairman

    MUMBAI: Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has appointed the industry stalwart Srinivasan K Swamy as the chairman, as the incumbent head Benoy Roychowdhury’s term comes to a close. R K Swamy Hansa BBDO chairman Sundar Swamy, as he is popularly addressed, was serving as the vice-chairman of the board of ASCI during the HT Media executive director Roychowdhury’s term.

    About his primary focus as the chairman, Swamy said, “My focus will be to inform the world about ASCI’s Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) and its members, who preview every objectionable advertisement independent of the ASCI board of governors. These members hail from the civil society consisting of consumer activists, educationists and lawyers, etc. Basically, the decision taken by them reflects a consumer’s decision.”

    His appointment as the chairman doesn’t come as a surprise given his contribution to the advertising community in India as the head of R K Swamy Hansa BBDO.

    Apart from this, Swamy has played important roles in several industry bodies : International Advertising Association (IAA), Asian Federation of Advertising Associations (AFAA), Confederation of Asian Advertising Agency Associations, ll India Management Association (AIMA), The Madras Chamber of Commerce & Industry, and the list goes on.

    Recently, Swamy was conferred with this year’s AAAI Lifetime Achievement Award by the Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI).

  • Srinivasan K Swamy is new ASCI chairman

    Srinivasan K Swamy is new ASCI chairman

    MUMBAI: Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has appointed the industry stalwart Srinivasan K Swamy as the chairman, as the incumbent head Benoy Roychowdhury’s term comes to a close. R K Swamy Hansa BBDO chairman Sundar Swamy, as he is popularly addressed, was serving as the vice-chairman of the board of ASCI during the HT Media executive director Roychowdhury’s term.

    About his primary focus as the chairman, Swamy said, “My focus will be to inform the world about ASCI’s Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) and its members, who preview every objectionable advertisement independent of the ASCI board of governors. These members hail from the civil society consisting of consumer activists, educationists and lawyers, etc. Basically, the decision taken by them reflects a consumer’s decision.”

    His appointment as the chairman doesn’t come as a surprise given his contribution to the advertising community in India as the head of R K Swamy Hansa BBDO.

    Apart from this, Swamy has played important roles in several industry bodies : International Advertising Association (IAA), Asian Federation of Advertising Associations (AFAA), Confederation of Asian Advertising Agency Associations, ll India Management Association (AIMA), The Madras Chamber of Commerce & Industry, and the list goes on.

    Recently, Swamy was conferred with this year’s AAAI Lifetime Achievement Award by the Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI).

  • Nikhil Rangnekar is Lodestar UM’s new media consultant

    Nikhil Rangnekar is Lodestar UM’s new media consultant

    MUMBAI: IPG Mediabrands’s Lodestar UM has appointed Nikhil Rangnekar as its media consultant. Based out of Lodestar UM Mumbai, Rangnekar will be reporting to the CEO Nandini Dias.

    Rangnekar has moved from Spatial Access where he was the CEO of the Media Audit and Advisory business.

    “Nikhil is an industry veteran and we are delighted to have him on board. He has a varied background having worked in various capacities driving strategy, business and audits. He brings in a lot of experience and strategic thinking which we intend to leverage,” said Dias.

    Armed with over 19 years of experience in the advertising and the media industry, Rangnekar started his career with Starcom in 1997 where in 14 years he climbed the ranks from a management trainee to executive director. In 2011, he quit Starcom to join Spatial Access. He is also the chairman of the marketing committee of IRS at MRUC.

    Talking about his new role, Rangnekar said, “I am extremely happy to join Lodestar UM in the role of a strategy consultant. For me, it’s a prestigious assignment working with one of the largest groups in the world and in India.”

    He further added, “I will be working with the individual brand teams in helping them take our strategy product to the next level. I will also be working closely with the Labcentre team on the various proprietary researches and tools that IPG Mediabrands has and aim to evolve them in line with the changes happening in the media environment in India. If my last role was more about driving efficiency, the new role is more about driving effectiveness. Lastly, I am proud to have got this opportunity to work with industry stalwarts like Shashi and Nandini.”

  • Nikhil Rangnekar is Lodestar UM’s new media consultant

    Nikhil Rangnekar is Lodestar UM’s new media consultant

    MUMBAI: IPG Mediabrands’s Lodestar UM has appointed Nikhil Rangnekar as its media consultant. Based out of Lodestar UM Mumbai, Rangnekar will be reporting to the CEO Nandini Dias.

    Rangnekar has moved from Spatial Access where he was the CEO of the Media Audit and Advisory business.

    “Nikhil is an industry veteran and we are delighted to have him on board. He has a varied background having worked in various capacities driving strategy, business and audits. He brings in a lot of experience and strategic thinking which we intend to leverage,” said Dias.

    Armed with over 19 years of experience in the advertising and the media industry, Rangnekar started his career with Starcom in 1997 where in 14 years he climbed the ranks from a management trainee to executive director. In 2011, he quit Starcom to join Spatial Access. He is also the chairman of the marketing committee of IRS at MRUC.

    Talking about his new role, Rangnekar said, “I am extremely happy to join Lodestar UM in the role of a strategy consultant. For me, it’s a prestigious assignment working with one of the largest groups in the world and in India.”

    He further added, “I will be working with the individual brand teams in helping them take our strategy product to the next level. I will also be working closely with the Labcentre team on the various proprietary researches and tools that IPG Mediabrands has and aim to evolve them in line with the changes happening in the media environment in India. If my last role was more about driving efficiency, the new role is more about driving effectiveness. Lastly, I am proud to have got this opportunity to work with industry stalwarts like Shashi and Nandini.”

  • Dentsu Aegis Networks launch Data Sciences India; elevates Gautam Mehra

    Dentsu Aegis Networks launch Data Sciences India; elevates Gautam Mehra

    MUMBAI: Dentsu Aegis Network (DAN) has announced the launch of Data Sciences in India to help clients and marketers understand and predict the influences of human behaviour on media and advertising. This unit has been designed to effectively catalyse the decryption and interpretation of the overwhelming amount of data that agencies within the Dentsu Aegis Network explore and exploit every single day to drive efficiencies for its clients.

    Led by DAN chief data officer Gautam Mehra along with iProspect India CEO Vivek Bhargava, the division houses have a capable team of economists, statisticians and computer scientists. Prior to this, Mehra was iProspect vice president social media.

    The team will come up with data driven solutions to solve complex problem of clients, help effective data management within the group and that of the client and will work with all the network companies to bring data, analytics and technology together to provide business intelligence at the click of a button.

    DAN chairman and CEO South Asia, Posterscope chairman and MKTG Asia Pacific Ashish Bhasin said, “In order to take a leadership position in managing the ever-growing Data requirements for our clients, we have invested in a team of experts, led by Gautam, who will use technology to bring Data and Analytics together. We want to invest ahead of the curve as leaders in the Digital Marketing services to ensure that Dentsu Aegis Network clients in India get the best-in-class Data Management solutions, of a world standard. Vivek Bhargava will be the executive sponsor for the team and this will help us further strengthen our position in Digital Marketing services.”

    He added, “With Gautam and the team, we are welcoming the avenues of smarter marketing by not just providing our clients with data, but also giving them tools that can help them make better business decisions.”

    Bhargava added, “Data rests at the centre of all brand marketing in modern times. The new-age marketer keenly studies customer action and envisions disruptive products and campaign communication in accordance. It was a no-brainer therefore that as a network that leads in digital capabilities, we had to own a data division that adds immense value to our client campaigns across categories, in-turn boosting business achievements. This is definitely a sign of exciting times ahead.”

    Mehra said, “Digital plays a critical role in the evolution of marketing. Data is being generated everywhere, that too volumes and volumes of it. The first challenge was to measure and collect it. The second obstacle to store data, which resulted in concepts like the cloud. And the third hurdle was to analyse and fructify it. And that’s where the need for a data team came into place. At Dentsu Aegis Network, we believe that data is a multiplier, not just a layer and needs to be analysed in milliseconds. Our Data labs consist of contemporary propriety tools that will positively provide effective and practical solutions to clients. I’m thrilled to be given this unique opportunity and certain that the data division will see great success.”