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Category: PR & Communication

  • Kaizzen partners with TERI for World Sustainable Development Summit 2023 outreach

    Mumbai: Kaizzen, a leading integrated communication agency, has partnered with The Energy and Resources Institute’s (TERI) to curate the media and social media outreach for the upcoming World Sustainable Development Summit (WSDS) 2023 to be held in New Delhi in February.

    The 22nd edition annual flagship event of the not-for-profit, policy research organisation is scheduled to be held from 22nd February 2023 to 24th February 2023 at India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road, New Delhi. WSDS 2023 will focus on the umbrella theme: Mainstreaming Sustainable Development and Climate Resilience for Collective Action.

    Speaking on the occasion, TERI senior fellow and associate director Dr Shailly Kedia said, “The world is approaching the crucial midpoint of the 2030 Agenda and the sustainable development goals. It is time for the global community to accelerate actions on sustainable development and climate resilience. It has been more than 50 years since the United Nations conference on the human environment, popularly known as the 1972 Stockholm conference. But we still have a long way to go especially in terms of horizontal and vertical integration of sustainable development across spheres. The World Sustainable Development Summit 2023 is planned to take these deliberations forward and discuss the collective action needed to come up with concrete roadmaps for the future.”

    After bagging the communication mandate for the event, Kaizzen CEO Vineet Handa said, “Kaizzen is proud to partner with TERI for the upcoming World Sustainable Development Summit 2023. It is one of the most important and impactful events around the world addressing pressing issues on climate change and sustainable development. It is a critical issue and it is necessary to take appropriate action on the issue to save mother Earth. We are grateful to TERI for this opportunity.” He added, “Communication – both online and offline – plays a pivotal role in sharing the deliberations with all the stakeholders. We are confident that Kaizzen will help to communicate our message on sustainable development to all the stakeholders. We are looking forward to work with the TERI to make the event a great success.”

  • Kaizzen elevates Nikhil Pavithran and Prashant Subramanian

    Mumbai: Kaizzen, one of the leading integrated communications agencies, in an effort to strengthen its leadership, has announced the elevation of Nikhil Pavithran as group president and Prashant Subramanian as head of North India. The announcement comes as the first step towards accomplishing the vision of expanding the agency’s national and international footprint.

    Earlier, Pavithran, based in Mumbai, was in charge of operations in Western India while Subramanian handled the Delhi market for Kaizzen.

     Pavithran and Subramanian will continue to work closely with Kaizzen CEO Vineet Handa. Announcing the new leadership, Handa said, “I am delighted to announce the elevation of Pavithran and Subramanian as group president and head – North India, respectively. Both have been instrumental in Kaizzen’s meteoric rise, and I know that they will do everything in their power to grow Kaizzen to greater heights. I wish Pavithran and Subramanian the very best for their new roles.”

    Having been with Kaizzen for over five years, Pavithran joined the agency as Vice President in the Mumbai office and rose to the position of group president in 2021 holding the global mandate for Kaizzen.

    Commenting on this development, Pavithran said, “It is a matter of great honour for me to have been a part of Kaizzen’s growth over the last couple of years. I look forward to leading its talented team in increasing the company’s national and international footprint. As the group president, I am excited to work towards Kaizzen’s holistic expansion, providing opportunities for its people, and diversification of the agency’s client portfolio across varied sectors.” With over 18 years of experience and working with various agencies across sectors, Nikhil brings with him a wide range of experience in brand communications and integrated marketing.”

    On the other hand, Subramanian joined Kaizzen in 2018 as director client servicing and rose to become Vice President in 2021. In his current role, Subramanian will hold the mandate for strengthening Kaizzen’s presence in Northern India.

    Speaking about this announcement, Subramanian said, “As the communication industry is subject to constant evolution, we aspire to leverage new-age technology and communication platforms to create new opportunities for Kaizzen’s stakeholders. Their trust in us has been integral in this journey, and we look forward to their support in helping Kaizzen achieve greater heights in the future.”

    “It has been a privilege to be part of this journey with Kaizzen and I look forward to working closely with the management and team to expand our portfolio across the North,” Subramanian added.

    Subramanian has 17 years of experience in brand & product marketing and communications across various sectors.

  • Lipika Kapil joins Cuemath as director, head global PR and communications

    Lipika Kapil joins Cuemath as director, head global PR and communications

    Mumbai: Cuemath, a global math learning platform, has announced the appointment of Lipika Kapil as director and head of global PR & communications. Based in Bengaluru, she will set up the communications function and lead the PR and communications efforts for Cuemath across key markets – India,  the Mena and the US. She will report to CMO Varun Jha.

    With over 15 years of experience in the field of communications, Kapil, as part of the marketing and growth team, will be instrumental in managing the brand’s reputation and building awareness for Cuemath. She will also support strategic marketing initiatives for the brand globally. Prior to joining Cuemath, Kapil managed communications for Koo, which is the country’s first multi-lingual and the world’s second-largest microblogging platform.

    She said, “Edtech is one of the most exciting industries in the startup sector, and I am thrilled to be part of a mission- and vision-driven brand like Cuemath. What excites me the most is Cuemath’s sharp focus on teaching math as a life skill beyond academic excellence and its student-centered learning approach, which offers a unique opportunity for storytelling. Another exciting aspect of the role will be to anchor communications across international markets and power the brand’s marketing initiatives that aim to take Cuemath closer to our customers across the globe. It’s my pleasure to join the business at this juncture and play a critical part as Cuemath commences the next phase of its journey.”

    Jha said, “As Cuemath aims for global expansion, we see marketing and brand communications as one of the most important business pillars for the company. Therefore, the role of PR and communications becomes more important than ever. With Kapil’s experience of managing PR and communications for a variety of brands across industries, her role will be beneficial in designing and implementing PR strategies for Cuemath across markets. She, along with her team, will also support strategic branding and marketing initiatives as the organisation expands further. I am delighted to have Kapil on board and wish her a fantastic stint at Cuemath.”

    Cuemath aims to become the number one math learning platform globally, with the mission to create the next generation of invincible problem solvers. Over 2,00,000 students globally have learned math the Cuemath way from over 8,500 vetted, qualified, and experienced teachers. Currently present in more than 80 countries, Cuemath aims to expand to over 100 countries by FY’23. This plan includes bolstering its presence in North America, APAC, the UK, Europe, Middle East and capturing markets in Africa and South America.

  • What Is Meant by Sustainability Management

    What Is Meant by Sustainability Management

    Sustainability management is the combination of sustainability and management. It helps to reduce emissions and energy consumption, promotes growth, and guarantees the availability of resources.

    Sustainability management applies sustainable methods to enterprises, agriculture, buildings, and communities for future generations.

    When making ethical management choices concerning business growth and development today, the corporate sector is placing an ever-increasing emphasis on the idea of sustainability and embracing a triangle of economic, environmental, and social aspects. By factoring in the environmental and social costs of doing business, sustainability management places a greater emphasis on long-term gain than short-term gain.

    Elements Comprising Sustainability Management

    Sustainability management recognizes that, in the long run, irresponsible economic behaviour makes it challenging to maintain the division of labour and livable earth. The long-term well-being of all people, including the business itself, is a concern. It seeks solutions for how we can meet our demands while protecting natural and social resources for future generations. Sustainable management is comprised of three components:

    Long-term benefit: To determine corporate value, the expected future revenues of each enterprise are combined. Therefore, from a financial perspective, firms should refrain from making choices that are only profitable in the short term and think about the outcomes of their choices over the long run.

    Environmentally sustainable development: Earth has limited resources and a limited tolerance for waste, so pushing it to its breaking point provides no long-term economic benefits for anyone. As a result, sustainable management tracks the effects of its activities on the environment and devises tactics like:

    • Using the circular economy
    • Reducing the carbon footprint of businesses and
    • Ensuring the sustainability of the supply chain to reduce its environmental impact

    Sustainability in society: Long-term profitability is impacted by internal harmony, which makes it possible for a successful labour division. Employee satisfaction is correlated with corporate harmony. As a result, sustainable management puts policies into place to enhance corporate inclusion and monitors development using social indicators like the gender pay gap.

    Top Sustainability Management Best Practices

    Take a Comprehensive Stance: Systematic thinking aids in the sustainability of businesses. It’s a viewpoint that searches for industrial symbiosis or utilizes unanticipated trash as a resource to create commodities. Thinking outside the box is related to systems thinking. For instance, water haul uses ghost nets in the ocean to obtain its sunglasses. Such innovations are more likely to happen in an organization with staff members from different disciplines and backgrounds.

    Establish Key Measures Periodically: It is only possible to determine whether a firm is sustainable with measurement. Companies can assess their level of sustainability using ESG and circular economy parameters like resource productivity, company carbon footprint, CEO pay ratio, etc. Businesses should set a deadline for reviewing their progress toward sustainability goals after the initial assessment. As a result, companies should set up a routine for monitoring their sustainability.

    Determine the Social and Environmental Challenges: It might need to be more effective to attempt to reduce your real environmental and social impact simultaneously. Companies start by concentrating on their biggest business sustainability threats. For a business with a significant product carbon footprint, new legislation regarding carbon labelling and corresponding carbon taxation, for instance, might be a major burden. It would be pointless to concentrate on lowering the CEO pay ratio in such circumstances.

    Change your hiring practices: Because of the shift in the business paradigm, HR procedures also need to be altered. Employers could favour candidates who have completed multidisciplinary studies since it will encourage a comprehensive viewpoint within the company. Companies can reach their sustainability goals more quickly by employing personnel from programs in sustainable management and technology rather than from standard business administration departments. Additionally, to guarantee that the business is inclusive of all social groups, HR policies should be neutral toward all groups.

    Implement Sustainability Management with the Right Assistance

    While many organizations might want to implement sustainability management, they require certain assistance to achieve it. There are several firms that offer counselling services that people can avail of to get a better idea of implementing sustainability and determine a plan.

  • Pitchfork Partners joins SBICAP Ventures as strategic communication counsel

    Pitchfork Partners joins SBICAP Ventures as strategic communication counsel

    Mumbai: SBI Capital Markets’ SBICAP Ventures Ltd. (SVL) has appointed Pitchfork Partners as its strategic communication counsel. The agency will work towards strengthening the brand’s position as one of India’s fastest-growing asset management companies.

    The service mandate will now cover external communication in addition to the ongoing digital outreach for the various fund initiatives under SBICAP Ventures, namely Neev funds, SWAMIH (Special Window of Affordable & Mid-Income Housing), and SRI (Self-Reliant Fund).

    SVL has a stellar track record of investing in stressed residential real estate and the MSME sector in India, as well as contributing to many renewable energy, waste management, and climate-related initiatives.

    Neev Fund vice president Anjana Seshadri said, “We are excited about our collaboration with Pitchfork Partners. Our long-standing association with the company has propelled us to expand our horizons and dive even deeper into the brand’s communication with the media. With Pitchfork’s guidance and expertise, we hope to foster a better positioning of SBICAP Ventures as a whole.”

    “We are happy to announce this partnership. Given SBICAP Venture’s current positioning in the market, it has emerged as one of India’s largest asset management companies. We are privileged to partner with them and build on their credibility,” added Pitchfork Partners co-founder Jaideep Shergill.

  • Adscholars Enters Strategic Partnership With Bidstack in India

    Adscholars Enters Strategic Partnership With Bidstack in India

    Adscholars is delighted to announce a strategic partnership with the leading in-game advertising platform Bidstack in India. The partnership offers programmatic in-gaming solutions and enables one-of-a-kind technology in the Indian market. After establishing itself in the UAE market, Adscholars is now expanding its expertise to the Indian market.

    Bidstack’s sophisticated technology allows partners to seamlessly integrate advertisements into the gaming environment. Through native in-game, in-menu, and rewarded video placements, the company enables advertisers to engage gamers without disrupting their playing experience, while providing dynamic, targeted, and automated native in-game advertising solutions to the global video games industry.

    The partnership will enable Bidstack to scale immersive solutions in India with the help of Adscholars’ programmatic expertise, which will enable them to reach consumers on the platforms they spend the most time on and offer unique brand activation options and experiences.

    A significant amount of in-game advertising is gaining traction with advertisers and becoming a part of their media plans. There is an overwhelming preference among gamers across all age groups for playing video games over watching TV shows and movies. India is rapidly expanding the gaming market. The industry reports predicted that by 2026, this market will be worth seven billion dollars at a CAGR of nearly 30 percent. The future holds more business opportunities for global in-game advertising and can spur a revolution given these advantages.

    “We’re delighted to be partnering with Bidstack for the India market. The in-game advertising market growth has been phenomenal, and many prominent gaming apps have adapted to this format,” said Srikanth Rayaprolu, CEO of Adscholars. “The advertisements are non-interruptive, allowing players to have a more seamless experience. Advertisers can find excellent branding opportunities and a high view time on the apps. Bidstack globally works with the world’s biggest brands to deliver immersive in-game advertising campaigns. We’re excited to launch innovative and advanced solutions in the Indian Market.”

    On the partnership, Lewis Sherlock, EVP, Bidstack Technologies and Partnerships said “We’re delighted to be working with Adscholars across the Indian region to deliver authentic brand experiences that fit in seamlessly with the gameplay. India is an important strategic market for Bidstack, and this innovative new partnership will help extend our sales effort into previously untouched markets. Adscholars will become our first buy-side enterprise sales partner in the region, and we are looking forward to working closely with them to unlock gaming as an engaging and effective new ad channel for their partners.”

  • Zero Gravity Communications bags the full-service mandate of Gopal Namkeen

    Zero Gravity Communications bags the full-service mandate of Gopal Namkeen

    Mumbai: Zero Gravity Communications has recently onboarded Gujarat’s legacy snack brand Gopal Namkeen for the full-service integrated mandate.

    The agency will be in charge of brand strategy, overall communications, and advertising duties.

    From its beginnings in 1994 to its current form, Gopal Namkeen boasts of being the taste tycoon of the state, famous all over India for its snacks.

    Expressing their aim to rope in Zero Gravity Communications, Gopal Namkeen executive director Raj Hadvani said, “We trust the creative direction of Khushboo Solanki Sharma and her team. We wish to have an integrated approach that gives strong brand awareness. We are excited about this association with Zero Gravity Communications and look forward to growing on the path we carved for our brand together.”

    Zero Gravity Communications founder Khushboo Solanki Sharma said, “We are elated to bring Gujarat’s respected snack brands, such as Gopal Namkeen, to our client roster. With our experience and expertise, we are determined to contribute to the brand’s growth. We look forward to a long and strong association with them.”

  • Sumanto Chattopadhyay to move on from 82.5 Communications

    Sumanto Chattopadhyay to move on from 82.5 Communications

    Mumbai: 82.5 Communications chairman and chief creative officer Sumanto Chattopadhyay will be retiring later this month after having been with the Ogilvy Group for 30 years, the network has announced. The company said in a statement that Sumanto’s journey with Ogilvy and then in setting up 82.5 was nothing short of excellence, and he leaves behind several proteges and a robust collection of awards from Indian and international platforms.

    Anuraag Khandelwal and Mayur Varma will take on the creative leadership role as joint chief creative officers, 82.5 Communications India. Both Anuraag and Mayur are home-grown leaders—seeped in the Ogilvy group culture, part of the 82.5 founding team, with a body of internationally and nationally acclaimed work to show.

    Ogilvy chairman global creative & executive chairman India Piyush Pandey said, “Sumanto Chattopadhyay has spent 30 glorious years with Ogilvy and 82.5 and retires after a well-played, long innings. Sumanto leaves with blessings and good wishes from all of us at Ogilvy and 82.5.”

    He added, “I am delighted to announce the appointment of two new CCOs who will work together to keep 82.5 shining. Mayur Varma and Anuraag Khandelwal are experienced and Ogilvy-trained creative stars who have received international and national recognition for their phenomenal creative work over the years. I am happy that Sumanto leaves behind a solid creative leadership for 82.5.”

    82.5 Communications India chairman & chief creative officer Sumanto Chattopadhyay said, “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the adventure called Ogilvy, including its 82.5 chapter. Now it’s time for me to seek new adventures. It’s good to know that I can pass the baton to capable hands. Mayur has grown up under me in Ogilvy Kolkata, then Mumbai, and finally at 82.5. It’s wonderful to see him come into his own. Anuraag is a fabulously creative person who has done 82.5 proud with his work and will, no doubt, shine brighter now. Kapil, my co-chairman, is a man for all seasons. With this leadership, the agency has a great future. My warmest wishes to them, to 82.5 and to all my colleagues past and present.”  

    82.5 Communications India co-chairman and chief executive officer Kapil Arora added, “I’ve had the privilege of being Sumanto’s partner these last three years and have much to thank him for, including helping build 82.5 Communications into a formidable agency in such a short period of time.  Sumanto is well known for grooming fantastic leaders throughout his career. As is the case with Anuraag Khandelwal and Mayur Varma, they are two of the best new-age, open and fearless creative leaders, and I can’t wait for them to bring their ideas, energy, and creative vision for the future of 82.5 Communications to life.”

    “We are super excited to be given the India responsibility of 82.5! Our endeavour is to work towards creating a more collaborative, creative and empathetic culture for our clients and us. With work that is both loved and fearless,” said Anuraag Khandelwal and Mayur Varma.

  • DPhi appoints Bconnect Communications as its communication partner

    DPhi appoints Bconnect Communications as its communication partner

    Mumbai: Belgium and India based DPhi has appointed a new-age integrated marketing communication agency — Bconnect Communications — to manage its external communication across pan India.

    DPhi is an artificial intelligence (AI)-focused community platform. Chanukya Patnaik founded the company in 2020 with the goal of educating and building AI for everyone in order to solve key challenges for humanity.

    Headquartered in Delhi, Bconnect Communication will look into the strategic communication for DPhi as it is important to convey the right message to the audience about the brand initiatives.

    On its collaboration with Bconnect Communications, DPhi founder Chanukya Patnaik said, “We are glad to onboard Bconnect Communications as our communication partner. We’ve worked with them on a few engagements before getting into this longer collaboration. Neha and her team showed great enthusiasm, ownership, and a keen willingness to make an impact. Most importantly, they are well connected across most Indian media outlets and have shown remarkable results in a short span. This collaboration will help DPhi reach a wider audience, and we are looking forward to it.”

    Bconnect Communication founder and director Neha Bahri said, “Business-to-business technology is our core forte. It is the most demanding segment right now in the global and Indian markets. Our strong business acumen in the sector and past experience in the B2B and AI space gives us an edge in working on our strong portfolio of clients. I believe we will be able to deliver through a mix of communication strategies.”

    DPhi said that it has fostered AI-driven innovation among several companies and has solved social and business problems, including predicting earthquakes to save lives, safeguarding NFTs, building an AI powered lens for the blind and many others.

    DPhi claims to provide free AI and data science courses by industry experts from large tech companies or startups worldwide. It claims that over 100K learners across 150 countries have benefited from its courses in the past two years.

  • PR & Comm Aces Awards’ 22: Honouring the top communication professionals from the industry

    PR & Comm Aces Awards’ 22: Honouring the top communication professionals from the industry

    Mumbai: In its second year of recognising and honouring remarkable leaders, game changers, and pioneers in the PR & Communication industry, IndianTelevision.com announced the names of the best communication professionals award winners on 24 August at the PR & Communication Aces Summit & Awards 2022 (PRCA) event. The second edition of the summit focused on the theme “Creating a New Storyline” and encompassed a daylong conference held at Crowne Plaza Gurgaon, which saw top industry stalwarts in attendance.

    The categories for the awards comprised: Trailblazer: PR & Communication; Best PR & Communications Team; Best Arts, Entertainment & Media Campaign; Best Culture Campaign; Best Public Health Campaign (COVID-19); Best Social Media Campaign; and Best Use of AR/MR/VR for a Campaign.

    The Trailblazer-PRCA Under 40 Award recognises the best communication professionals under the age of 40 on the basis of leadership, accomplishments, future potential, and proven contribution to the industry.

    The Best PR & Communications Team category is awarded to a PR communications team within PR consultancies or to an in-house corporate, government, or non-profit communications team. This award recognises success in addressing issues related to management, corporate communications, and campaign execution, including crisis situations.

    The award category of Best Arts, Entertainment & Media Campaign honours achievements in the arts, music and entertainment, including films, music, concerts, magazines, TV shows, books, newspapers, and websites.

    The sterling event spread across keynote addresses, leadership addresses, and panel discussions focused on PR & Communications, where thought leaders from the industry shared their insights on the current trends, challenges, strategies, and opportunities in the highly evolving space. Apart from PR and communication professionals, the summit also had representation from brands and agencies, advertising and marketing professionals, and technology service providers.

    The power list of the top achievers that played a critical role in driving the change in the PR & Communications space has been compiled with the aid of an esteemed jury comprising senior professionals from the industry.

    Here are the names of this year’s standout winners: