Category: Ad agencies

Mumbai: Sam Balsara, head of the Indian-owned Madison World will be the Leader of the Indian Delegation to the AdAsia’23 at Seoul. The AdAsia, a property of the Asian Federation of Advertising Associations (AFAA) is scheduled from 24 to 26 October.

Balsara is a veteran of many AdAsia’s. He has been honoured by the Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) with its Lifetime Achievement Award, and has been inducted into the International Advertising Association (IAA) India Chapter Hall of Fame as well as the Kolkata AdClub Hall of Fame.

Says Balsara, “The AdAsia is the biggest event in Asia for the communications industry. There is considerable interest now since the last AdAsia that Indians could go for, was six years ago in Bali. The AdAsia’23 is an unmissable event for marketers, media and advertising professionals. I am confident that we will have a sizable delegation from India.”

Adds R K SWAMY HANSA Group chairman Srinivasan K Swamy, “I understand that the Korean advertising industry and the AdAsia 2023 Seoul Organising Committee have taken special efforts to get speakers from several leading organisations across the world, in addition to leading companies in Korea like Samsung, Hyundai etc. Of course, we will also in for a treat to Korean culture and entertainment when we will get to see and hear more about K-Pop music, dance, and TV series.”

AFAA is an international association for the development and support of the advertising industry of Asia. It offers a wide range of services, platforms and resources dedicated for the purpose of planning, coordinating and implementing programmes to elevate the standards and viability of advertising at the Asian level.

The Advertising Council of India (ACI) is a distinguished member of AFAA from India and is an operational arm of STACA Trust. ACI has as its constituents the Indian Society of Advertisers, Indian Broadcasting and Digital Foundation, Advertising Agencies Association of India, India Chapter of International Advertising Association and The Advertising Club. It promotes the development of skilled manpower resource for the advertising industry and it believes in shaping future leaders for a stronger tomorrow.

Mumbai: Ogilvy’s creative director, Karthik Krishnan has decided to move on from the company after working for more than three years. He posted about this update on his LinkedIn profile. In this role, he was handling the creative mandate for digital-first brands like Cadbury Silk, Cadbury Bournville, Cadbury Dairy Milk, Cadbury Bites, Cadbury Desserts Corner, Marico Set Wet, HUL Love & Care. This was his second stint with the agency.

Krishnan had prior stints with The Digital Street as creative director, headed content at Terribly Tiny Tales, and has also worked with Isobar, fulcro and Cactus Communication in the past.

Mumbai: Havas India, one of India’s fastest-growing advertising conglomerates, has announced the launch of the global talent communications agency Havas People in the country. With this move, the network brings a unique and unrivaled offering, further strengthening its growing portfolio of specialized expertise.

A full-service employer branding agency, Havas People is headquartered out of London. Its work spans every aspect of the ‘People Agenda’ – from internal communications that drive employee engagement and performance through to employer brand positioning to attract future talent. By combining data-driven insights, creative storytelling, and digital innovation, the agency creates and executes compelling employer brands that drive meaningful connections with candidates and deliver measurable business impact.

Havas People’s entry into the Indian advertising space reflects the optimism around the future of the market, despite global headwinds. The introduction of such an agency marks a first for any large-scale advertising network in India, adding the crucial service of bespoke talent communications to Havas India’s portfolio.

Havas People will become part of Havas Creative Network India, that has witnessed exponential growth on the back of acquisitions, strategic tie-ups and client wins. Havas People will add to the creative network’s repertoire that includes agencies like Havas Worldwide India (creative), Havas CX (customer experience), Think Design (UI/UX), Conran Design Group Mumbai (brand design), Shobiz Havas (experiential), and Havas QED (digital) in India.

To lead Havas People in India, Havas Worldwide India chief growth officer Arindam Sengupta has been promoted to the role of managing director, Havas People India. With over 20 years of experience, Sengupta has been an integral part of Havas India since 2016. Sengupta has closely managed a diverse range of marquee clients Citroën, JBL, Harman Kardon, Tata CLiQ Luxury, Tata CLiQ Palette, Celio, Burger King, P&G, and Lionsgate Play, and has played a pivotal role in growing Havas India’s P&L through integration.

Havas People CEO Rupert Grose said, “We are thrilled to be announcing the launch of Havas People into the Indian market. Our entry into this dynamic country reflects our commitment to expanding our global footprint and connecting with diverse audiences, and it offers a plethora of opportunities to strengthen our expertise in shaping compelling employer brands. With its diverse talent pool, rich cultural heritage, and thriving business ecosystem, India provides an ideal platform for us to collaborate with organisations and unleash their full potential.”

Grose continued, “Our focus remains on empowering companies to attract, engage, and retain top talent by creating authentic employer brand experiences. We are excited to continue to partner with our existing global clients such as Haleon, Hitachi Vantara and Discover as well as working with local Indian businesses, aligning their unique employer value propositions with the aspirations of job seekers. Together, we will redefine the employer-employee relationship, fostering an inclusive and inspiring workplace culture that drives success and fuels growth.

Havas India Group CEO Rana Barua said, “India has emerged as a lighthouse market within the Havas global ecosystem. Our global leadership recognises and is deeply invested in the immense potential that the country has to offer.”

Barua elaborated, “Havas India has seen unprecedented growth in the last 5 years, completely transforming the network’s perception in the country, consequently adding us to the big league. One of the catalysts to this growth has been our constant endeavour to identify market gaps and come up with the most meaningful and innovative business solutions, which gives us the edge over other networks. This, combined with our integrated One Village philosophy and service-led solutioning, has helped us create meaningful difference to our client’s business. Launching Havas People is one more definitive step towards that. I wish Rupert, Arindam and the entire Havas People team all the very best.”

Havas People India managing director Arindam Sengupta added, “In the post-COVID world, demographic and social changes have compelled clients to radically rethink and adjust not just their consumer needs but also those of their employees – both existing and new. Today clients are faced with several challenges including talent shortage, trends like great resignation, quiet quitting, and several other deeper issues. This has led to the need to completely overhaul the employer branding space, going beyond just the transactional relationship. And that is precisely where Havas People steps in. At the core of the agency lies a simple idea – to help our clients build meaningful connections with the people who make them who they are. As a specialist agency we understand the intricacies of employer branding, and it will be our endeavour to solve complex workforce challenges for clients.”

Mumbai: Commerce – both offline and online (e-commerce) – is one of the major contributors to India’s GDP. It also provides a slew of employment opportunities. And with most of the large advertising networks getting their respective commerce functions to India such as Havas Media Network’s Havas Market, Publicis Groupe’s Publicis Commerce, and Wunderman Thompson’s WT Commerce – signifies that these agency networks had anticipated the bullish growth of commerce in the country.

With ONDC coming into the picture, the upward motion of commerce has only become more certain so as to foster open interchange and connections between shoppers, technology platforms, and retailers- thus, creating an inclusive ecosystem of e-commerce.

Indiantelevision.com spoke to advertising mavens in charge of their agency’s commerce function, to get an insight into the USP of their commerce functions, the climbing trajectory of commerce in India, and more.

Banking on the USP

With almost all large advertising networks launching their commerce practice, how are each of them going to look at and work on this function differently?

Publicis Commerce India managing partner Anshul Garg brings out that Publicis Commerce works with a range of clients across B2C, B2B and B2B2C businesses, delivering end-to-end Commerce solutions to activate the full potential of commerce & deliver on our clients’ growth needs. “It comprises of two major pillars – a) Foundation & Build, and b) Business & Growth. While Foundation & Build part works with organizations to lay the Commerce foundation and help them start their Commerce journey including setting the right direction, establish the business and operating model, build the fit-for-purpose platform and support with Go-to-market approach. The Business & Growth part helps organizations growing their businesses on various commerce channels including e-Marketplaces and D2C, with services across Paid, earned & owned media, customer experience management, operations, tech enhancements, data analytics etc.”

He adds, “Publicis Commerce team partners with clients at every step of the way of their Commerce journey including (however not limited to), D2C Platform, e-marketplaces, Omni-channel, traditional commerce etc. Publicis Groupe’s ‘Power of One’ model empowers Publicis Commerce team to bring together all the commerce capabilities across various parts of the firm and larger ecosystem of alliance partners, and provide integrated solution aligned with overall strategic objectives. It enables the clients to focus on the business outcomes and not on management of various stakeholders.

Globally Publicis has made the most significant acquisitions in order to further enhance the commerce capabilities – Sapient for tech, Epsilon for data, and Profitero and CitrusAd as Commerce products. Hence we have the new age skills required at scale, and we go in with not just a services offering, however, a product + service model which is required to succeed at scale.”

Havas Media India managing partner – digital services Rohan Chincholi explains, “At Havas Market, our close collaboration with clients aims to unlock the immense potential of digital-driven commerce through a comprehensive solution. Our primary goal is to empower consumers at every stage of their shopping journey, ensuring a meaningful and seamless experience that ultimately leads to increased sales for brands.

When it comes to customers, we believe that e-commerce should be frictionless, intuitive, and relevant. By partnering with Havas Market, brands gain a trusted ally in achieving meaningful growth in the e-commerce space. Our services range from strategic consulting to sales-focused execution, all conveniently accessible under one roof.”

He points out that to support their decision-making process, they utilize powerful tools that provide valuable insights. “With Havas Market Retail Insights, we can thoroughly understand a brand’s e-commerce presence across 53 retailers worldwide, allowing us to monitor and optimize performance across various channels. Additionally, our Havas Market Forecast tool enables us to forecast sales growth on direct-to-consumer platforms, marketplaces, and social commerce channels.

Our comprehensive services encompass everything from launching and optimizing efficient direct-to-consumer websites to harnessing the potential of social commerce. Moreover, we establish seamless connections between online media and offline retail experiences, creating a holistic approach that maximizes brand visibility and customer engagement.”

Increasing focus on commerce in India by advertising networks

What is the increase in focus on commerce in India by advertising networks all about? Why is India suddenly the centre of attraction for commerce and where is it heading?

Chincholi feels that India’s position in the current landscape can be attributed to three key factors. “Firstly, the country has experienced significant growth in internet penetration and smartphone usage, resulting in a substantial online consumer base. According to Kantar, Over the past three years, India has gained 125 million online shoppers and it is estimated that another 80 million will join by 2025, highlighting the scale of the opportunity. The median age of India’s population is 28.2 years, further indicating the potential for online shopping growth (according to World Population Prospects).

Secondly, tier II and III cities in India have become significant contributors to the e-commerce market. These cities accounted for over 50 per cent of total orders, outpacing growth in tier I markets. Thirdly, India has made significant advancements in facilitating convenient online payments. The introduction of Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and Pay-Later services has made online purchases easier and more accessible to a wider population.”

He goes on, “India’s retail landscape is characterized by its diversity and dynamism, encompassing both established players and emerging startups. The government of India has also played a proactive role in promoting digitalization and e-commerce through initiatives like the “Digital India” campaign. These efforts have created a favourable environment for businesses operating in the digital space.

Looking ahead, the adoption of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, augmented reality, and voice commerce is expected to reshape the Indian commerce landscape, further enhancing meaningful shopping experience.”

Garg presents some facts and figures. “Digital has become the #1 media channel which is estimated to be more than five billion dollars in 2023. With an expected 900 million active internet users in India by 2025, digital ad spend is expected to grow at a CAGR of >30 per cent. With the common belief, that every brand experience (including digital and omni-channel) could potentially be translated into a Commerce experience, Commerce becomes the core priority for the clients and for Publicis Groupe. This is also the complimentary and natural extension of the traditional work that advertising networks have been doing for decades.”

The ONDC angle

The ONDC network will change the way commerce is conducted in the country. How are advertising networks and their set of clients/brands looking forward to adapting to it? What kind of changes in strategy would it lead to?

Garg reveals that they have been quick off the blocks in understanding and helping their clients adopt ONDC. “In November last year itself,  Publicis in partnership with ONDC leadership, released a report on ‘Decoding ONDC – Perspective for Marketers’ which included key opportunities, critical success factors and implications while highlighting sector specific perspectives.

If ONDC roll-out unfolds as per the plan, e-Commerce in India is on the edge of getting revolutionized. We, at Publicis Commerce, recommend the clients to put a clear ONDC Strategy while evaluating the opportunity and associated risks. CPG has been one of most mature sectors in adopting e-Commerce in India and from ONDC perspective, CPG players are looking at three potential use cases – a) Direct participation as an Inventory Seller Node (ISN), b) Indirect participation through Marketplaces Seller Nodes (MSN) and c) As an extension to physical retail.”

He further adds, “Brands can potentially expedite the scale-up of their business because of being present on several buyer apps, leverage lower total cost of operations and build enriched consumer insights while leveraging transactional data and establishing the direct consumer connect leading to profitability. Businesses with traditional stores are also expected to benefit from physical proximity to consumers. On the other hand, non-participation might result in lost opportunity and share.”

Chincholi feels that the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) has the potential to significantly impact the way commerce is conducted in the country. “As a unified and interoperable digital commerce network, ONDC aims to streamline and democratize the e-commerce ecosystem in India.

ONDC enables seamless integration among various stakeholders, including sellers, buyers, logistics providers, and financial institutions. This open network approach fosters collaboration, innovation, and fair competition, thereby transforming the way commerce operates in the country.”

He wraps up, “Havas market aim to acts as true consultants. We know that ONDC aims to enhance consumer experience by facilitating a seamless and standardized shopping journey across multiple platforms.

We are committed to meeting consumers where they are and adapting our teams and tools to thrive in the open ecosystem of ONDC. Our approach involves planning marketing strategies that align with the ONDC framework. We recognize that there is still much ground to cover and significant scaling to achieve. We are actively taking equal strides in the right direction to make the most of this transformative opportunity.”

Mumbai: Improper Design + Animation, the New Delhi-based 2D animation director team of Mehr Chatterjee and Aditya Dutta, was named a third-place winner in the global COLORFUL 2023, a special grant program related to The One Club for Creativity’s Young Guns 21 competition to help up and coming BIPOC creatives around the world advance their careers.

COLORFUL winners are awarded cash prizes to be used towards a professional dream project of their choosing, and free entry to the YG21 competition.

This year’s first-place winner is Mischelle Moy, a digital artist and photographer based in Brooklyn, who will receive a $3,000 grant.  Second place went to Troy Charbonnet, a filmmaker in Irvine, California, who picked up a $2,000 grant.

In addition to Improper Design + Animation, the other third-place winner is Katty Huertas, a Washington DC-based illustrator.  Each receives a $1,000 grant.

In addition, the following COLORFUL 2023 finalists qualify for free entry in YG21:

Jappy Agoncillo, artist, Long Island City (New York)

Diego Aguilar Villalobos, graphic designer, art director, Draav, Montréal

Advik Beni, filmmaker, Valley Village (California)

Esston Benjamin, photographer, EssTheory Inc., Brooklyn

Denzel Boyd, artist, designer, Zeus Jones, Los Angeles

Black Childish, illustrator, Amsterdam

Lo Harrris, multidisciplinary artist, Lo Harris Universe, Brooklyn

Seine Kongruangkit, art director, artist, AKQA Bloom, Miami

Hayley Lim, art director, designer, Montréal

Aarman Roy, graphic designer, visual artist, Sunday Afternoon, New York

Levi Walton, photographer, videographer, director, Brooklyn

Yifan Wu, illustrator, Madison (Alabama)

Rozi Zhu, designer, Long Island City (New York)

The COLORFUL grant program, which has no application fee, is open globally to BIPOC creatives who qualify for the club’s prestigious Young Guns competition: age 30 years and under with at least two years of professional creative experience, and never having won Young Guns in the past.  Submissions were reviewed by the 2023 COLORFUL jury, many of whom are past Young Guns winners.

Funding for COLORFUL is provided by Russell’s Reserve Bourbon, female and minority-owned creative studio and artist rep agency Sunday Afternoon, as well as personal contributions from Ogilvy New York CCO Menno Kluin, and Rich Tu, an award-winning multidisciplinary artist, designer, and ECD/partner at Sunday Afternoon, who conceived of the grant program two years ago.

Sunday Afternoon will also provide one COLORFUL applicant with 12 months of mentorship from the studio’s leadership team.  Receiving that honor this year is COLORFUL second-place winner Troy Charbonnet, who will connect with the Sunday Afternoon team to help support their creative growth and goals.

“Congratulations to winners Mehr, Aditya, and all the other winners and finalists,” said Tu.  “It’s mind-blowing to witness the caliber of submissions this year, everyone came to play.  COLORFUL continues to be a barometer for the industry in terms of talent and representation from all spectrums. If you’re hiring, look out!”

COLORFUL branding was created by Sunday Afternoon, using the custom typeface — also called COLORFUL — designed by Tré Seals at Vocal Type Foundry in Washington DC, a YG17 winner.  The result is an exuberant new look, reflecting the grant program’s ability to help BIPOC creatives “make waves” in the industry. The COLORFUL typeface is available for sale, with all proceeds going to the grant program.

Mumbai:  Troo Good, India’s largest millet snack company, has called out to advertising agencies for a creative and digital pitch to help establish the brand in the burgeoning FMCG space in India.

Founded in 2018 with a vision to provide affordable nutrition across sections of the population, especially children, the enterprise delivers a range of products, including the brand’s flagship Millet Chikki. The brand has four manufacturing facilities across multiple states and caters to a diverse set of consumers. Troo Good has seven millet-based offerings in its catalogue of products.

Troo Good has so far raised around Rs 70 crores as funding from OAKS Asset Management Capital and Sashi Reddi and his family office. With a marketing budget of ₹10 crores earmarked for FY 23-24, the brand is looking for a full-service agency to fast-track Troo Good’s vision of establishing a Pan-India presence.

 

Mumbai: Hubble Money collaborated with Mullen Lintas, for their first ad campaign. Hubble Money is a unique, innovative, first of its kind, ‘Spending Account’ which helps users save up to 10% on all their spending on top brands across categories such as shopping, electronics, travel, food/grocery, etc. Hubble has partnered with leading brands such as Amazon, Zomato, Croma, MakeMyTrip, Nykaa, Decathlon, etc. to provide its users with a rewarding spending experience. Hubble is backed by Sequoia and other leading investors.

Mullen Lintas aims to re-frame the concept of savings in people’s minds, while also creating a shift in spending behavior of the young target group. The agency will focus on creating differentiation for Hubble Money and support their vision to be a one-stop spending account that makes spending more rewarding.

Speaking about the association, Hubble co-founder Mayank Bishnoi said, “Hubble is a highly rewarding spending account that is designed for you to live your lifestyle fully. We want people to get more value out of their hard-earned money when they spend on their lifestyle. 90% of people’s spending happens from their own funds and there is a need for a dedicated spending account which helps people track and manage spends better while also helping them save money. That is why we created the Hubble Money – to help users spend smartly. Whether it is ordering food, buying new clothes, or going for a vacation, consumers can now save up to 10% on every purchase. We chose Mullen Lintas because of their sharp and focused strategic approach and very exciting creative expressions. They demonstrated great understanding of the platform and the task on hand, and we also liked their passion on display. We look forward to this partnership and in creating a new financial habit with Hubble.”

Speaking about the win, Mullen Lintas CEO Hari Krishnan said, “Building a new category is always an exciting challenge. At Mullen Lintas, we adopt a ‘Challenger’ approach to brand building, and this helps when it comes to changing an existing behaviour or deep-rooted beliefs. Our intent is to make Hubble a new habit and a new way of life for consumers when it comes to spending/saving. We look forward to creating new benchmarks in the Fintech category with Hubble.”

The account will be managed by the Bengaluru office of Mullen Lintas.

Mumbai: You are as good as your last work. The Indian advertising fraternity gave it their all at Cannes Lions 2023 by bringing home 25 metals, but it cannot be missed that the industry’s performance is being gauged with that of last year’s when India put up their best show ever by securing 47 metals.

Even when it comes to the number of entries, this year the Indian contingent had 809 entries at the international festival of creativity, which is lesser than the 921 entries that were submitted last year.

Was it a poor showing by India at the Cannes Lions 2023? Is it just about the numbers? Where does creativity feature in this rate race of numbers? Indiantelevision.com spoke to ad industry mavens to unearth the answers to these questions, and more.

Poor performance by India or not?

Wieden + Kennedy India chief creative officer Santosh Padhi aka Paddy doesn’t think we can call this a poor performance by India. “Yes, if you compare it to last year’s performance, we did not perform as we performed last year. However, as we all know, creativity is subjective.  We all come to the office to create great work; we always push our clients to do great work. But fortunately or unfortunately, some pieces of work turn up, some don’t turn up, some shape up nicely, and some go and make a cut with the jury. I’m sure if the same set of work is entered with a new set of jury, the result will be absolutely 30 per cent or 40 – 50 per cent here and there; some which have won may not win, and some which did not win may win. So, I always feel that in such forums, the judging is subjective, barring those 30-40 pieces of work which are absolutely clear-cut winners. But I always feel that 40-50 per cent of the work is always on the borderline depending on who the jury is, what the sensibilities are, and so on.”

He also feels that to judge creativity, one year is not the right way to do it. “ I always put this filter saying that it should be an average of three years – be it a creative person’s growth, a creative agency’s awards, or consistency in business. Talking about consistency, it matters in creativity and business, and I request that we should take an average of three years of how India has performed because that is the ideal way of doing it.”

This year the maximum metals from India were bagged by Leo Burnett India – they nabbed 11 metals. Leo Burnett, SouthAsia, India chief creative officer and CEO, & Publicis Groupe – South Asia chairman Creative Council Rajdeepak Das understands that the number of metals is just about numbers. “But from the campaign point of view, how many different kinds of campaigns won last year? That’s where you see the difference. The difference is that India is no more a Cannes agency country – we are doing big brands, big work. And that takes its own sweet time and energy to do those things.  That’s why brands like PepsiCo, P&G (Whisper), Mondelez, Burger King, Swiggy, and Cleartrip have won. Look at the power of the brand, compared to last year. We won in multiple categories – Innovation, Sustainability, Data, Effectiveness, Business Transformation, Business Strategy, and PR. The quality of brands and work is amazing.”

He further adds that the number game is a bad game to be in. “In advertising, it is important to not look at numbers but to look at the brands and the quality of work being produced. A brand like PepsiCo hasn’t won at Cannes from India – it must have been a very long time ago, probably about eight or nine years back. Airtel too won after a very long time at the festival. Oreo won a metal for the first time. Brands like Swiggy and Cleartrip have never won a metal. We’ve got to understand the change that has happened. The new global Indian clients are coming up very fast, and they are winning for the kind of work that they are doing. I would emphasise that it is not the quantity but the quality that we should look at.”

How to rake in more metals?

Das of Leo Burnett thinks that we should concentrate on how to get more clients on board to do path-breaking work, not on metals. “A metal is a by-product of what we create. So, I think India is on the right track, and whatever it is doing, is amazing. I’m happy with the way Ogilvy India is doing so well, and so is Talented.Agency and Dentsu. Agencies are actually trying to push the clients to do good work. I think we need more clients to be in that crowd.”

Paddy points out that they keep doing experimental work, pushing their clients to do many new-age brave works. “Some may be prototypes, some may be done on a very small scale. But as a nation, the number of opportunities we get, the number of people we communicate to, I think we should more often do the SRK Cadbury ad – because that’s a genuine, great piece of work that was done for consumers keeping innovation and tech at the centre, or the core of the idea and without closing the human emotion. So, according to me, we should be doing four of such pieces every year, apart from the stuff that we already churn out.”

He is of the view that there are many Indias in India, and the world knows. “Like a particular region is rich in something, compared to another state which is rich in something else. So, I think that if that is our strength, then as an advertising community, we are capable of doing more than just TV, digital, print, radio, outdoor, activation, entertainment, sports, etc. Different regions have different sensibilities. Like folks sitting in Bangalore are super highly talented when it comes to new age mediums, whereas the traditional storytellers are fabulous when it comes to TV, we have a great understanding of what’s happening on the social and digital medium. I think this is what our strength is and I think it’s like saying that we should not be playing one format of a game – whether it’s T20, one-day, or five-days. I think we should be doing all formats and winning in all formats because we are capable of it.”

Innovations that need to be built upon

Paddy deliberates that slowly the ad industry is getting to know the possibilities that are there in this new-age creative tech innovation world. “Let’s not forget that ultimately these are the platforms and you have to reach out to consumers through these platforms and ultimately the core of everything is a great human idea, it’s the human connect. The platform can never be the idea. I think somehow we are still getting carried away with new mediums. New mediums is nothing except few buttons and machines, if it’s not going to move or make somebody cry or laugh. Let’s be very clear that we should use the right medium to convey to the right set of audiences to create the right brand impact. And this should be our sole goal in using technology in the coming years.”

Das offers an interesting take by deciphering that we don’t need to keep innovating for the sake of innovating. “When the Indian work was showcased in the Sustainability category at Cannes Lions 2023, the world was amazed to see that a huge number of shortlists came in this category from India. They were in awe of the fact that India is using data to solve the farming problems. So, we have already been doing those things.  Last year, we did not make it to the Innovation category, this year we did. We are doing tech-based innovation, and AI-based innovation to do farming right. “

Submitting a befitting conclusion, Das brings out, “We just need to keep on doing, what we are doing i.e. the biggest innovation and work for the existing client, and we have been doing that as a country. We don’t need to change anything – we just need to keep the momentum right of whatever we are doing. At Cannes, we are known as one of the nuclear creative powerhouses – a creative superpower. So, I don’t think we need to keep on doing it again and again. We are in our best possible time in the Indian industry. No one remembers what you win, they always remember what you win for.”

Mumbai: With the theme “the best of the region, on display to the world”, The One Club for Creativity has opened the call for entries for the 2023 ONE Asia Creative Awards, celebrating excellence in creativity throughout all of Asia Pacific.

After seven years of running The One Show Greater China, the club expanded the scope of the awards in 2021 as ONE Asia to include all of Asia Pacific.  Entries were received last year from 19 countries and regions in APAC, with winners representing 14.  

Eligible countries and regions for ONE Asia are: Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, mainland China, East Timor, Hong Kong-SAR, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Macau-SAR, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan-China, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Entry fees for ONE Asia 2023 increase after each deadline period. Early entry deadline is 28 July, with the regular deadline 31 August, extended deadline 8 September, and final dealing 15 September.

A significant element of ONE Asia is that points for winners are included in The One Club’s renowned Global Creative Rankings. ONE Asia awards won by agencies and brands will now gain them international recognition in their own right, and contribute to regional and global network and holding company rankings totals.  

New this year for ONE Asia:

·         Separate new disciplines for IP & Product Design, and Creative Use of Data.

·         Print & Out of Home is now split into two disciplines: Print & Promotional, and Out of Home; both include a category for Craft.

·         A new discipline for Innovation, and Innovation categories added to each discipline

·         Digital Craft discipline is now Interactive & Mobile Craft, with additional categories.

·         Film & Video Craft discipline is now Moving Image Craft & Production, with additional categories

Juries will be announced shortly.  First round pre-judging will be done online at the end of September, and final in-person judging in Shanghai takes place in October. Finalists will be announced in November, with Gold, Silver and Bronze winners will be announced in December.

“From Manila to Mumbai and Shanghai to Sydney, ONE Asia celebrates the best of creativity throughout Asia-Pacific,” said The One Club CEO Kevin Swanepoel.  “APAC produces some amazing creative work, and it’s through ONE Asia that the world will experience it.”

The One Club Greater China office was founded in 2000, hosting a series of youth events in China, and later The One Show Greater China Awards and related Creative Week programming.  In the past 23 years, The One Club team based in Shanghai has focused on promoting creativity in the APAC region, and greater communications between Greater China and the global industry. 

Mumbai: When two great minds with more than two and a half decades of experience come together, they create wonders. An independent creative agency, Infectious Advertising is a 10-year-old media-agnostic ‘ideas company’ founded by Ramanuj Shastry and Nisha Singhania that believes in creating work that solves problems facing brands and businesses. Some of their clients include National Geographic, ALD Automotive, Bayer Crop Sciences, UltraTech Cement, Inorbit Malls, IDFC, and TBZ – The Original, among others.

Talking to Indiantelevision.com, Infectious Advertising CEO & managing partner Nisha Singhania and managing partner & creative chairman Ramanuj Shastry reveal that it’s been an absolutely brilliant decade-long journey. “Everyday has been a learning experience. We have grown from a five-member team to a 70-member team.”

About the agency’s performance in the last two-three years, and if they witnessed any fluctuation during the pandemic, Singhania points out that the last 2-3 years have been their best so far. “We have grown 100 per cent in the last 2 years. The initial couple of months of the pandemic were tough as clients were cutting budgets, but we bounced back quickly and well.”

Shastry brings out that the next few years they see themselves scaling up substantially, and that they have made significant investments in senior talent. Discussing the new vision for Infectious advertising and the direction the agency is taking now, he says, “Going forward our motto is ‘Virality’ – work that is talked about and shared.”

Some of the leadership hires at Infectious Advertising in recent times have been Siddhartha Singh as COO & managing partner, Ashish Naik as ECD and Shabbir Motiwala as head of production. Singhania tells that in addition, they have also beefed up their account management and creative teams. “Diversity and inclusion are extremely important to us which is why we consciously hire people from different backgrounds. We also believe there are several women who take a break post-motherhood but are now ready to come back to work. We try and structure a work style suitable to them so they can manage both.”

Talking about the leadership structure, Shastry mentions, “Ashish as ECD will work closely with me, Rashid is helping the agency’s digital transformation journey and Shabbir is helping us establish ourselves in the content piece. Sid has come in as COO – he is going to be managing all clients and day-to-day work, which frees up Nisha to concentrate on research and strategy.”

However, inspite of the new companions in their team, Shastry and Singhania are and will continue to be completely hands-on and will be responsible for the quality of work at the agency.

About focusing on the digital and creative prowess at Infectious Advertising, Shastry remarks that the focus is already there. “With Rashid Ahmed at the helm of our digital transformation, Infectious has taken several steps in that direction. Recently we invested in a three-month long training program for the whole agency for digital upskilling.”

Some of the key account wins in 2022-2023 for the agency include Bayer Crop Sciences, Transunion, IBC. “In addition to that we have worked on several projects for Tata Teleservices, Eureka Forbes, Bayer Bangladesh, Mindseed, CredAvenue and ElWorld,” explains Singhania.

Both, Shastry and Singhania, have been part of large network agencies winning awards across Goafest, Kyoorius, Cannes etc. What do they think about Infectious Advertising participating in these award festivals? What kind of a change or disruption have these award festivals seen, along with the change in the kind of advertising that has been doing the rounds? Shastry emphasizes, “Awards are important and Infectious definitely plans to participate in all leading awards. In the current scenario, more integrated and cause-driven work is winning, which suits us as our approach has always been integrated and our starting point has always been what people care about.”

With digital and social media becoming the primary medium chosen by brands, what about clients consciously asking for integrated solutions rather than just traditional advertising? Shastry believes that that’s the way it should be. “Ideas should be media agnostic.”

Underlining their take on work-life balance, and challenges in retaining talent and hiring new talent, Singhania elucidates, “Work life balance is important, and we discourage people from working on weekends. Hiring the right talent is crucial as one needs to get not only good calibre but also good people who fit into our culture.”

Talking about their focus and expansion plans, Singhania wraps up, “We will be growing at a rapid pace, and you will see a lot of action.”