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Tag: Aditya Birla Group

  • Ad Club names Ajay Kakar & Vikram Sakhuja to head Effies 2015

    Ad Club names Ajay Kakar & Vikram Sakhuja to head Effies 2015

    MUMBAI: The Advertising Club has named Aditya Birla Group chief marketing officer – financial services Ajay Kakar as the chairperson and Madison Media & OOH group CEO Vikram Sakhuja as the co-chair for this year’s Effies. The awards ceremony will be held at the sea-side lawns Hotel Taj Land’s End, Mumbai on 15 January, 2016.

     

    The Effies are marketing communications awards given yearly by Effie Worldwide Inc. Effies provides recognition to campaigns for their direct impact on return on investments for a brand at the market place with special attention given to effectiveness and results. In its 15th year, Effies will celebrate not only the advertising agency behind the campaign, but also the client.

     

    Commenting on their appointment, The Advertising Club president and Colors CEORaj Nayak said, “The Effies is an institution by itself giving due recognition to campaigns that engage consumers thereby furthering a brand’s promise and proposition. I would like to congratulate Ajay Kakar and Vikram Sakhuja for this new project that they will be leading. The entire advertising community looks forward to the Effies and I am certain that they will strengthen its credibility within the industry.”

     

    Kakar said, ”Over the past four years that I have chaired the Effies, I have seen growing support and participation. Every year has broken the record entries and numbers of participating agencies, from the previous year.I believe this demonstrates the underlying need and demand for marketing campaigns that are not only creative, but more importantly, work for the brand and business. And I am confident that this year’s Effies will again beat last year’s record. And be even bigger and better.”

     

    Added Sakhuja, “For me it is imperative for advertising to drive demand and strengthen brand value. It is therefore an honour to be part of the Effies, which is the undisputed champion of effectiveness in India and worldwide.”

     

    Earlier this year, Kakar and Sakhuja were also inducted as the new office bearers of The Advertising Club. While Sakhuja was elected as the secretary, Kakar was elected as the joint secretary.

  • Tonic Media Wins 2015 Social Media Agency of the Year

    Tonic Media Wins 2015 Social Media Agency of the Year

    MUMBAI: Tonic Media, India’s leading independent digital agency, has been named 2015 Social Media Agency of the Year at the Big Bang Awards organised by the Ad Club, Bangalore on Friday, the 25th of September.The agency was nominated across 10 categories with 14 shortlisted entries and bagged 12 awards including five golds, five silvers and one Bronze.

    Over 987 entries were submitted across 58 categories by 72 agencies. Honorees were selected by a jury comprising of 46 Senior Advertising, Marketing, Media, PR and digital professionals from all over India, based on the nominations filed by the respective agencies. The awards re-emphasized the strengths of Tonic Media across social and creative platforms with the agency winning Best Use of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn as well as Community Development under separate campaigns.

     

    “We are excited that Tonic has had such a successful year in terms of performance and receiving appreciation for the same.” said Chetan Asher, CEO, Tonic Media. “The awards are a testament to the pace and commitment of the Tonic team. We aim to build the best-in-class services and focus on producing better creativity year on year.”

     

    Tonic received the following titles at The Big Bang Awards:

     

    Winner

     

    ·     Social Media Agency of the Year

     

    Gold

     

    ·     Best Use of Twitter for Aditya Birla Group

    ·     Best Use of LinkedIn for Sony Entertainment Television

    ·     Best Community Development for Sony Mix

    ·     Best Corporate Communications Campaign for Aditya Birla Group

    ·     Best CSR Campaign for Aditya Birla Group

     

     

    Silver

     

    ·     Best Corporate Website of the Year for Little Millennium

    ·     Best Use of Facebook for Sony Entertainment Television

    ·     Best Use of Twitter for Sony Max2

    ·     Best Community Development for Sony PIX

    ·     Best Social Game/App/Contest for Aditya Birla Group

     

     

    Bronze         

     

    ·     Best Use of Facebook for Sony PIX

  • Godrej Appliances VP marketing Ramesh Chembath quits

    Godrej Appliances VP marketing Ramesh Chembath quits

    MUMBAI: After a nine year stint, Godrej Appliances vice president marketing Ramesh Chembath has called it a day at the white goods major. The launch of the NXW, Godrejs’ premium category of refrigerators, was possibly Chembath’s last media appearance as a part of Godrej. 

     

    Chembath served his tenure and silently quit last week. His next move still remains unknown.

     

    When contacted by Indiantelevision.com, Chembath confirmed the news, but refused to say anything further.

     

    With vast experience in brand management, communication, product management, sales and P&L, Chembath was helming a strategic role in one of India’s leading consumer durable companies until last week.

     

    Prior to Godrej, Chembath worked with Draft FCB Ulka and the Aditya Birla Group.

  • Allen Solly targets to become Rs 1,000 crore brand by FY16

    Allen Solly targets to become Rs 1,000 crore brand by FY16

    KOLKATA: Allen Solly, part of Aditya Birla Group’s Madura Fashions, aims to be a Rs 1,000 crore brand by the end of next fiscal FY2015-16. 

     

    “In FY15, we are looking at Rs 800 crore topline from Rs 550 crore in the previous year,” Allen Solly COO Sooraj Bhat, said in Kolkata.

     

    Allen Solly ranks third in terms of revenue among the seven to eight brands that the company owns in fashion and lifestyle segment, he further said, when asked about the position of the brand Allen Solly in the whole kitty.

     

    Bhat said the new sub-brand Solly Sport had partnered with Wimbledon for exclusive marketing casual-wear line. He added that in FY15 the brand is expected to generate Rs 40 crore revenue and over the next three years it will expand to touch Rs 200 crore.

     

    The company said that it will not resort to discounts and bargains to push volumes, adding that online accounts for just four per cent of topline. 

     

    The company has 207 exclusive stores and proposes to add 50-odd stores in the next year.

  • Aditya Birla Group may exit India Today Group

    Aditya Birla Group may exit India Today Group

    MUMBAI: Even as rumours of the Adani group wanting to buy out NDTV is looming large, another company has decided to exit from the media business. The one so charming industry doesn’t seem to be boding well for all, it seems.

     

    According to media reports, the Aditya Birla Group is planning to cash out its investment in Living Media India, the holding company of the India Today Group and is said to have appointed Bank of America Merill Lynch (BofA-ML) for exiting the two year old investment in the Aroon Purie controlled group.

     

    Living Media acts as a holding company and owns 57.2 per cent stake in TV Today Network. The listed company controls its broadcasting assets, including Aaj Tak and Headlines Today, and operates its publishing business, which includes a host of magazines such as India Today.

     

    The Birla group bought 27.5 stake in May 2012 and had at that time said it saw media as a sunrise sector from an investment point of view and that Living Media offered one of the best opportunities for growth and value creation.

     

    Even though the companies never disclosed the price of the stake sale, according to experts, TV Today network was then valued at around Rs 1300-1400 crore and Birla paid about Rs 350 crore to buy the stake.

     

    Aditya Birla Group has also previously forayed into the media business through a production company Applause Entertainment in 2003 which shut down in 2009. The production house is known for Amitabh Bachchan starrer Black.

     

    The stake sale comes on the backdrop of Mukesh Ambani’s RIL taken over media house Network 18 gaining control over IBNlive.com, Moneycontrol.com, Firstpost.com, Cricketnext.in, Homeshop18, Bookmyshow.com and broadcast channels like Colors, CNBC TV18, CNN-IBN, IBN7 and CNBC Awaaz, all run by Network18.

  • Seventh Edition of Legal Counsel Congress and Awards Receives Tremendous Response

    Seventh Edition of Legal Counsel Congress and Awards Receives Tremendous Response

     MUMBAI: IDEX LEGAL, in association with Lex Witness, yesterday hosted the seventh edition of the Legal Counsel Congress Awards in Mumbai.

     

    The IDEX LEGAL Awards marked the first day of the Legal Counsel Congress witnessing top names of the legal industry and felicitating the most meritocratic nominees.

     

    While the first day played host to critical discussions and sessions lined up to offer solutions to business and legal challenges faced by In-house Counsels, the evening was marked by an awards night to celebrate the best in the legal space.

     

    Chaired by Mysore Prasanna, Former General Counsel, Aditya Birla Group, the jury comprised of well known experts such as: Valerie Bowles, Independent Consultant, Rajesh Narang, Vice President Legal & Company Secretary, Mindtree Consulting; Suresh Kumar S, Senior Director – Legal, CRISIL; Saugata Chakravarty, General Counsel – South Asia, Siemens; Amitabh Lal Das, Senior Legal Director & General Counsel, Yahoo! India, to name a few.

     

    While Trilegal bagged the Best Law Firm of the Year (Domestic), P&C Legal won the Best Start up of the Year (Domestic) and HP & Siemens jointly bagged the award for the Best Legal Department.

     

    Mr. Vikas Vij, Managing Director, The Ideas Exchange said, “We at IDEX LEGAL are proud to again be hosting what is becoming recognized as the Indian legal industry’s most credible and integral awards. We’re consistently demonstrating through our independent jury’s critical decision making that it’s not who you are that matters but the quality of your submissions and work that matter most. The IDEX LEGAL award is that platform which gives every legal individual and company an opportunity to win base on merit and effort and we’re committed to the continual championing of that principle as we start planning for 2015 awards.”

  • Everest bags Pantaloons strategic and creative duties

    Everest bags Pantaloons strategic and creative duties

    Mumbai: Everest has won the strategic and creative duties for Pantaloons.

     

    This is an additional account from the Aditya Birla Group for Everest that handles the More Retail business from the same group. There was no formal pitch process involved.

     

    Talking about the brand, Everest president Dhunji Wadia said, “We are happy to increase our presence with the Aditya Birla Group.  There is great joy when existing clients repose their faith in us with additional business. We are delighted to get an opportunity to work with Pantaloons. It’s a sharp and aspirational brand. Besides, it’s always a pleasure to work with a company whose business is also about creativity and fashion.”

     

    Adding Everest NCD Rahul Jauhari said, “It’s always a lot more fulfilling when an existing client gives you more business. We are delighted that the Aditya Birla Group has entrusted us with Pantaloons.  We look forward to creating some visible magic with them.”

     

    With a strong national presence in exclusive stores, Pantaloons houses over a 100 prestigious brands that have something fashionable for everyone.

     

    Commenting on the appointment, Pantaloons Fashion Retail CEO Shital Mehta said, “Everest are a young and energetic team and they will be a good match for us at this point of time since we are poised for substantial growth in market share and revenue in the Multi Brand Retail industry. We were looking for a team who could provide a new perspective and put in the necessary effort as a partner to take the brand to the next level.”

     

    Pantaloons Fashion Retail head (marketing & loyalty) Gaurav Chakravarty added, “We believe Everest will work with us as partners in building our brand equity.  We welcome them on board and look forward to working on some great campaigns together.”

  • Publicis acquires Indian digital agency Convonix

    MUMBAI: Marking its first acquisition in India this year, the Publicis Groupe has taken over full service digital marketing agency and consulting firm Convonix.

    The company will align with Starcom MediaVest Group (SMG) in India to provide search engine optimisation, paid search marketing, social media marketing and online reputation management to an extensive roster of clients. This news follows a number of recent acquisitions announced by Publicis Groupe in India and fortifies its position as India‘s largest digital marketing operation.

    The three founding members – CEO Vishal Sampat, co-COO Sarfaraz Khimani and co-COO Pallav Jain – will continue to lead the agency. Convonix will sit within SMG and will operate as SMG Convonix, with two market-facing brands: SMG Digital, and Convonix.

    Founded in 2003, Convonix was the first Search Engine Optimisation organisation in India, and currently employs over 200 digital advertising specialists serving clients such as Taj Hotels, Reliance Industries, Kotak Mahindra Group, Club Mahindra, Kodak, Aditya Birla Group among others. Convonix has a strong international footprint with over 60 per cent of its business coming from overseas. Convonix has also recently developed a proprietary in-house brand monitoring and social listening platform called IrisTrack which enables clients to gather market insight on their products and competitors and also engage customers online to improve their customer service.

    Starcom MediaVest Group global chief executive officer Laura Desmond said, “As the first SEO organisation in India, Convonix has continued to innovate and build the very best digital capability whilst being highly respected for its ability to recruit the best talent from universities each year, and transform them into digital advertising experts through a rigorous training program. combined with our existing talent in the market, this deal strengthens our offering to ensure we are the market leaders in digital.”

    Year on year, Convonix has increased revenues on average 66 per cent since 2008. According to the latest ZenithOptimedia ad spend forecast, Search Marketing continues to expand rapidly in India and is forecast to increase 35 per cent in the region during 2013, and more than 70 per cent in the next two years.

    Sampat said, “We have built our reputation by focusing on talent, training, technology and performance, and doing so has enabled us to rapidly evolve with the consumer. Aligning with SMG gives us global scale and a more powerful face to the market which we can leverage to constantly improve our offering and give our clients the best tools and solutions available.”

    The acquisition of Convonix is a testament to Publicis Groupe‘s strategic commitment to expanding its operations across India, with the ambitious goal of doubling its size in India between 2010 and 2015. The Groupe has been working to increase its profile in the country, including recent acquisitions of Indigo Consulting (April 2012), Resultrix (August 2012), iStrat (December 2012) and MarketGate (December 2012).

    VivaKi India country chair Srikant Sastri, who is presiding over the acquisition and transition of Convonix, added: “First Resultrix, and now Convonix. We are now clearly the digital marketing leaders in India, ahead of any other global network. We are positive that this acquisition will set the tone for our next phase of digital pre-eminence both in terms of expertise and revenue and we are continuing to explore other agencies that can help us capitalize on the outstanding potential of the digital marketplace in India.”

  • Ad Club Bombay is now The Advertising Club

    MUMBAI: The Advertising Club Bombay has decided to rename itself as The Advertising Club. The decision to change the name was ratified at the club‘s annual general meeting (AGM) on Wednesday to provide it a national character.

    The club also announced the members of its management committee.

    Lodestar UM CEO Shashi Sinha will continue to be the president of the club, while Aditya Birla Group – Financial Services CMO Ajay Kakkar has been appointed as the vice president. Kakkar replaces Time TV Network MD & CEO Sunil Lulla.

    DDB Mudra Group COO Pratap Bose has been assigned the role of secretary whereas Sujoy Ghosh will take over as joint secretary.

    Ogilvy India‘s Madhukar Sabnavis is named as the treasurer of The Advertising Club.

    Commenting on why the club has undergone a name change, Sinha said, “We have changed the name with the intension of giving the ad club a national footprint.”

    Ajay Chandwani (Percept) and N Rajaram (Airtel) continue to be a part of the new management committee. The other members include Punitha Arumugam (Director – Agency Business at Google India), Sameer Sathpaty (Marico Consumer Products), Ajay Trigunayat (Times English GECs‘ CEO), Sanjeev Bharghava (JWT India) and Sajan Raj Kurup (Creativeland Asia).

  • Aditya Birla Group enters media, acquires 27.5 % stake in India Today Group

    Aditya Birla Group enters media, acquires 27.5 % stake in India Today Group

    MUMBAI: Confirming a news report earlier put out by Indiantelevision.com, the $35 billion Aidtya Birla Group has acquired 27.5 per cent stake in Living Media India (India Today Group) through its private investment company.

    The transaction is the second high financial investment by a big corporation in the booming Indian media and entertainment industry this year, the other being the Reliance-Network18 deal.

    The financial services-to-telecom and retail conglomerate did not disclose the amount it would be paying for the stake purchase.

    “The media sector is a sunrise sector from an investment point of view. I believe that Living Media India offers one of the best opportunities for growth and value creation,” said Aditya Birla Group chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla.

    The Birla Group will, thus, enter the media sector with a presence across print, publishing, television and radio.

    Living Media owns and operates English weekly magazine India Today, business magazine Business Today, English news channel Headlines Today, Hindi news channel Aaj Tak and radio channel Oye FM, among others.

    “I am delighted to partner with the Aditya Birla Group to aggressively address the current and future potential of the Indian media business which is at a tipping point. The Aditya Birla Group with its strong leadership, global footprint, diversified business interests and its shared values of integrity, commitment and social responsibility make it a perfect fit with the India Today Group,” said India Today Group chairman Aroon Purie.

    Aroon Poorie, the promoter of India Today Group, holds 57.38 per cent stake in TV Today Network as per information on 5 March 2012.

    Indiantelevision.com had on 9 April reported that Aditya Birla Group is likely to pick up 25 per cent stake in India Today Group.

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