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Tag: Agency

  • dentsu India’s CCO Narayan Devanathan resigns

    dentsu India’s CCO Narayan Devanathan resigns

    MUMBAI: After an eleven-year-long stint at the network, dentsu India chief client officer (CCO) Narayan Devanathan has resigned.

    Devanathan moves on from the agency to pursue his interests outside the advertising industry. The existing teams at dentsu India will continue to drive and oversee client-centric solutions led by the market’s key leadership – Divya Karani, Amit Wadhwa and Anubhav Sonthalia, the agency said in a statement.

    Commenting on Narayan’s decision, Dentsu India interim CEO Peter Huijboom said, “Narayan’s leadership has played an instrumental role in successfully aligning dentsu India with the company’s global ambitions of becoming the most integrated advertising network in the world. His relentless commitment towards providing the finest solutions to our clients is commendable and I wish him all the best on his new endeavour.”

    “There is a solid winning leadership in place, led by Divya Karani, Amit Wadhwa and Anubhav Sonthalia – that continues to serve our clients with excellence, perfection, and passion. Our ambitions for India are on an upward trajectory and we are moving ahead full throttle,” he added.

    Devanathan added, “My association with dentsu goes way beyond the varied roles that I have held within the network. Dentsu has been a life-shaping experience for me and the decision to take this big leap to pursue my interests outside the advertising industry was a tough one but something I am keenly looking forward to”

    “The network is a rich powerhouse of expertise; the enormity of exposure it offers is way beyond many milestones. As I look back, I am filled with gratitude to have been closely working with many of the best talents and industry leaders within the network,” he further said.

  • Wunderman Thompson Mumbai appoints Anurag Tandon as managing partner

    Wunderman Thompson Mumbai appoints Anurag Tandon as managing partner

    MUMBAI: Wunderman Thompson India has appointed Anurag Tandon as its managing partner to lead its Mumbai operations, effective 16 May.

    In his new role, Tandon will focus on growing the client base in Mumbai and closely work with teams on providing business solutions for brands by leveraging the agency’s capabilities of creative, technology, strategic consultancy, commerce and data-driven experience and design.

    Tandon joins Wunderman Thompson from DDB Mudra where he served as managing partner heading the Mumbai and Ahmedabad operations focused on driving top line growth and delivering profitability. He was also global brand director for Unilever’s Ice Cream business – responsible for developing integrated brand strategies and communication plans in markets across SEA, NAMET and LATAM.

    He has over 20 years of experience in building and nurturing brands across varied industries like automobiles, consumer goods, fashion, retail and financial services.

    “Mumbai is one of our strongest offices and with our focus on being the strategic partner for our clients across the brand and consumer experience ecosystem, we are delighted to onboard Anurag at this critical juncture to augment growth for our clients and teams,” said Wunderman Thompson South Asia CEO Shams Jasani. “With his strong track record of achieving business targets and vast experience across diverse categories and brands, we are convinced that he will be able to accelerate the momentum we have and achieve great success.”

    Commenting on his new role, Anurag Tandon said, “The constant evolution of consumer journeys poses a constant challenge for clients. There is a need for integration of services and providing experiences around the brand which Wunderman Thompson is uniquely poised to deliver. With WT’s traditional strength of long term client partnerships, I’m excited about the next leg of the agency journey, by embracing the need to look at brands much more holistically and building on the strong fundamentals that WT has always stood for.”

     

  • Weekend Unwind with: Deep Mehta, co-founder of DigiChefs

    Weekend Unwind with: Deep Mehta, co-founder of DigiChefs

    Mumbai: With the weekend upon us, IndianTelevision.com rolls over to the next in its series of informal, fun snippets that peek into the mind of corporate executives – akin to a virtual water cooler chat. An attempt to get to know the person behind the title a little better, by having them share their nuggets on life and their mantras to deal with the curveballs that life throws – not necessarily revolving around work life – and sometimes going beyond work.

    This week, we have on the hot seat the co-founder of DigiChefs- an independent creative agency based out of Mumbai. Deep Mehta calls himself a passion-driven entrepreneur who “helps startups scale their topline”. Having started the agency with his co-founder Marmik Ajmera in the later part of 2015, they have grown almost organically to a team size of 65 people in these six plus years and worked with over 300 clients.

    Here it goes:

    -Your mantra for Life
    There are three actually:
    You miss 100 per cent of the shots you don’t take
    Use your “fear of failure” to do incredible things in life
    Be kinder than is necessary

    -A book you are currently reading/plan to read
    The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel.

    -Your fitness mantra, especially during the pandemic
    Cycle your way to a fitter you.

    -Your comfort food
    Chaat!

    -When the chips are down a quote/ philosophy that keeps you going
    You didn’t come this far to only come this far.

    -Your guilty pleasure
    Binge-watching movies & shows.

    -When was the last time you tried something new?
    I started playing table tennis (using a coach) last week. That’s going great, enjoying every bit of it.

    -A life lesson you learnt the hard way
    Never let success make you complacent. Always be on the lookout for potential falls and work towards minimising them. Learned this the hard way when we were so confident (a tad bit overconfident) of our sales skills, that we stopped sales once our bandwidths were exhausted for a good two months. This, instead of constantly nurturing leads in those months so that we could onboard projects once we do hire talent or complete older projects.

    -What gets you excited about life?
    The very fact is that you can make mistakes, and it’s completely okay, and, the sooner you fail, the faster you learn! You can only get better. This very thought gives me the confidence to keep taking bolder decisions and pick up more challenging work than we did yesterday.

    -What’s on top of your bucket list?
    Doing a Ski course in Gulmarg this coming winter.

    -If you could give one piece of advice to your younger self, what would it be?
    When in doubt, ask for help without hesitating too much. There are some genuinely good people out there waiting to help!

    -One thing you would most like to change about the world
    One: End civil wars/ fights and 
    Two: Make people kinder towards the animals around us

    -An activity that keeps you motivated / charged during tough times
    Gardening! I have 76 plants at my home, and I take care of each of them.

    -What lifts your spirits when life gets you down?
    Talking to my best friend (and now my wife) Poonam.

    -Your go-to stress buster
    Listening to some lo-fi music.

  • Sunil Lulla joins dentsu as consultant advisor for India

    Sunil Lulla joins dentsu as consultant advisor for India

    Mumbai: dentsu on Thursday announced the appointment of industry veteran Sunil Lulla as consultant advisor for India, effective 4 April. He will work with the business until dentsu India hires a permanent CEO.

    “Lulla will report to dentsu India Interim CEO Peter Huijboom to focus on driving business growth and activation in the market. The company continues its search for the right candidate to lead the dentsu India business,” said the statement.

    Lulla previously served as Balaji Telefilms Group CEO and Broadcast Audience Research Council (Barc) India CEO.

    “Sunil is joining us at a critical time as we realise the benefits of our transformation through our integrated offering. He has had an impressive career with significant achievements in the businesses he has worked with, and I am looking forward to our partnership,” commented Peter Huijboom. “We see significant opportunity in the India market and I am pleased with the momentum we are seeing. Sunil will continue to accelerate our growth trajectory while working with our teams to define, activate and ignite dentsu’s winning culture in the market. It’s an exciting time to be at dentsu India.”  

    Lulla will partner with key members of the India leadership team to realise dentsu’s global vision of being the ‘world’s most integrated network by 2024.’ stated the agency.

    “I am thrilled to participate in denstu India’s growth and transformation journey. I could not refuse an opportunity to work with a business that is relentlessly focused on shaping their own business to help clients navigate the changing market context and pioneer a new way forward,” remarked Sunil Lulla. “I am excited to partner with Peter and build on the progress made with the leadership team, being a part of the team that works together to transform into the agency of tomorrow.”

  • Amit Shankar joins Hashtag Orange as co-founder & CCO

    Amit Shankar joins Hashtag Orange as co-founder & CCO

    Mumbai: Digital advertising agency Hashtag Orange on Tuesday announced the appointment of Amit Shankar as its co-founder and chief creative officer.

    Shankar moves on from Famous Innovations, where he served as the head of creative at the agency’s Gurugram office.

    In a career spanning over 25 years, Shankar has won multiple accolades such as metal at Cannes, One Show, AdFest, Spikes Asia, Effies and Abbies. His work has also featured often in Luerzer’s Archive.

    “Amit is a brand in himself, and we are thrilled to have him sail the ship for our creative department,” Hashtag Orange founder Mukesh Vij said. “Hashtag Orange is richer in its talents to have such a decorated creative soul be a part of the journey ahead. We look forward to making a big bang shortly.”

    Shankar’s advertising journey includes tenures at agencies like Publicis, J Walter Thompson, Contract and Grey (including Trikaya). Among the marquee brands he has actively contributed to and helped build, are Microsoft, Windows XP, Domino’ Pizza, NIIT, Honda, Hyundai, General Motors, Monte Carlo, Pernod Ricard, Pedigree, GlaxoSmithKline, Procter & Gamble, Hero MotoCorp, Times of India, Nestle, ITC, India Today, Government of India, Whirlpool, SpiceJet, Hindustan Times, Montecarlo and Revlon, according to the agency.

    “The best thing about advertising is that it unfolds a whole new chapter for you, every time you look forward to breaking the continuum,” commented Amit Shankar. “Being a technology-driven agency, Hashtag Orange offers a rich playfield for ideas that ride on tech. The creative energy here is irresistible and infectious, and I look forward to adding more vigour to it. The time is to un-learn and learn much more; I see lots of experiments, innovations and some sharp work on the cards.”

  • FCB Group India expands its footprint in South Asia with FCB KL.LK

    FCB Group India expands its footprint in South Asia with FCB KL.LK

    Mumbai: FCB Group India on Monday announced the expansion of its footprint in South Asia with the launch of FCB KL.LK. This new agency partnership in Sri Lanka will be led by chairman and CEO Santosh Menon.

    FCB KL.LK, a fully integrated marketing communications agency, is the newest affiliate office under the FCB Group India umbrella. The agency works with marquee clients and brands including Ceylon Biscuits Ltd, HNB credit cards, Fairfirst life Insurance, Ultratech Cement, and Godrej Consumer products.

    Speaking on the importance of this partnership, FCB Group India chairman & CEO Rohit Ohri said, “We are delighted to partner with KL.LK in Sri Lanka. They are a young, future-ready agency that is growing very rapidly with many global multi-national clients. With this association, we are hoping to offer seamless service to many of our clients who look at South Asia as a contiguous market.”

    FCB global partner, global chief marketing abd reputation officer Brandon Cooke talked about how thrilled he is to have a partner in Sri Lanka. “The creative passion and business momentum made KL.LK the perfect partner for us in the Sri Lankan market. As we continue on our global mission to unleash creativity fuelled by diversity, data and technology, we’re incredibly excited about the opportunities that lie ahead as we expand our footprint across this region to a new client base,” he further said.

    FCB KL.LK chairman and CEO Santosh Menon added, “I came to Sri Lanka first in 2003 as a team member of FCB for its clients here. Today, bringing FCB back in its latest avatar as part of KL.LK gives me special pleasure and happiness. It’s the wheel turning full circle.”

    The new agency partnership aims to bring forth the KL.LK expertise to brands, coupled with FCB’s Never Finished philosophy, said the agency.

  • Havas Group India announces second edition of internship programme ‘Havas SPARK’

    Havas Group India announces second edition of internship programme ‘Havas SPARK’

    Mumbai: After successful completion of its maiden internship programme ‘Havas SPARK’ in 2021, Havas Group India has announced chapter two this year.

    The Group had recruited 13 interns through its flagship programme last year and aims to scale it up further in the second edition. The intensive six-month internship programme led by Havas Group India leadership, and other industry experts trains young minds with practical skills and career development and advancement opportunities.

    “Havas SPARK represents our ethos of playing a critical role not just in the industry but also within the community. Evaluating, inspiring, and ensuring that these young minds are armed with the best on-the-job skills gives us an immense sense of pride and purpose as a network,” the Group said in a statement.

    The upcoming six-month programme will involve formal and on-the-job learning opportunities, working on challenging live projects, and a chance to gain full-time employment with Havas Group India, after completion of the programme. The candidates are shortlisted through a rigorous selection process, following which the shortlisted interns go through personal interviews for the final round. The network then trains these final candidates for six months. As part of their final evaluation, the interns prepare a whitepaper. After the successful completion of the programme, these interns are recruited by the 10 companies (under creative, media and healthcare) of the Havas Group India network, across various functions.

    “What began as a means to introduce fresh talent in our industry has now become a programme that sets an example across the country on identifying, mentoring and nurturing talent,” said Havas Group India CEO Rana Barua. “An inherent part of our sustainable growth, Havas SPARK is an embodiment of our progressiveness and proactiveness. That we played our part in introducing these fresh, talented minds to our industry is something that all of us at Havas Group India will be proud of, forever.”

    Havas Group India CHRO Vandana Tilwani said, “Armed with training through the Havas SPARK programme, these young millennials get the best exposure to the industry and become well-versed with its way of working. By the time they graduate, we already have a team ready to display their best skills. Our practical and structured approach ensures that the interns become much-sought-after in the industry once they successfully complete the programme. The interns of our first batch are now firmly entrenched in the Havas Group India family as management executives.”

  • Havas Group India restructures Havas Worldwide (Creative) leadership

    Havas Group India restructures Havas Worldwide (Creative) leadership

    New Delhi: Havas Group India has elevated Arindam Sengupta as chief client officer of Havas Worldwide India and head – Group Integration, here on Thursday. He was previously managing partner – West & South.

    The announcement is part of the phased restructuring of the Havas Worldwide (Creative) leadership that comes on the back of the company’s recent growth.

    Sengupta will also continue to head the French automobile brand Citroen India, and other key clients of Havas Worldwide India. As head of integration, he will work closely with the leadership team of all the Havas Group companies, drive higher growth and business collaboration, which will dovetail into the overall Better Together philosophy of Havas Group India, it said in a statement.

    The agency has also promoted Havas CX executive vice president and business head Prashant Tekwani who will now additionally also head the Mumbai operations of Havas Worldwide India, working closely with Manas Lahiri. He will continue to lead and build Havas CX which was launched in India in late 2020, and accelerate digital transformation and consumer experience-led brand strategies.

    Arindam and Prashant (as head of Havas CX) will continue to report to Group head Rana Barua and work closely with the senior leadership of Havas creative and the group companies, according to the statement.

    Prior to this, the agency had promoted Manas Lahiri as managing director and Ravinder Siwach as ED & national creative director of Havas Worldwide India, respectively.

    Havas Group India – Group CEO Rana Barua said, “Despite the challenges of the last two years, as a network, we have witnessed unprecedented growth through new business wins, acquisitions and extending several global expertise to India. All of which has helped us build a marquee list of new clients and partnerships. Havas Group India has emerged as one of the strongest integrated networks in India, offering our clients effective solutions through collaboration and coming together of the best talent and expertise.”

  • Grapes Digital rebrands to Grapes, unveils new logo

    Grapes Digital rebrands to Grapes, unveils new logo

    Mumbai: Digital marketing agency Grapes Digital announced on Wednesday that it is shedding ‘Digital’ from its title and will be known as ‘Grapes.’ The rebranding strategy reflects the vision of the company while repositioning it from a digital agency to a strategic partner for brands. The agency unveiled a fresh brand identity with a new logo.

    The new name is effective immediately and will be executed across platforms as well as in products and services, said the agency. Grapes will become a 360-degrees integrated advertising agency and will offer services like media strategy, ATL & BTL activities, campaign execution, digital strategy, social media marketing, creative support, public relations, and media planning and buying, it added.

    “The lines between traditional and digital agencies are diminishing, and with Covid-19 it has pushed brands to have a digital strategy first with the mainline media,” said Grapes founder & CEO Himanshu Arya. “In the past year, the demands of clients are evolving, and digital is acquiring the centre pie of it. The decision was always in mind to reinvent it but certainly, we realised this is the right time to hit with the compelling need to reinvent ourselves and make Grapes future-ready in terms of its business model and offerings.”

    The transformation has been initiated to serve clients better while expanding the offering of varied services altogether, stated the agency. The company has been working in the digital media landscape for more than a decade. With this move, the agency will expand its horizon into new and emerging business areas by creating new possibilities to serve the ever-evolving needs of clients.

    “Looking at the way advertising is done, it will be next to impossible for traditional and digital agencies working separately. Clients want agencies who offer both kinds of solutions, hence it’s pertinent for the industry to go for a merger. We aim to associate with our clients right from planning to execution,” Grapes COO & strategy head Shradha Aggarwal said.

    She also added, “Disruption is always healthy for the industry. As digital is a key driver of a brand’s success in the market, clients prefer all kinds of services under an umbrella. This has led us to take a first step towards expanding and reinforcing the regional services we provide to our clients in India. The coming year will see digital agencies working more closely with brands and digital ad spending will continue to grow.”

    The company forayed into the Bangalore market a few months ago. The agency is working to strengthen the team and expand the business into new markets.