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  • OMD India strengthens its leadership team

    OMD India strengthens its leadership team

    MUMBAI: In a move to strengthen its core leadership team, OMD India has promoted Sulina Menon to the newly created role of chief client officer, while Lalit Agrawal has been elevated to the role of head of OMD India – West.

    The promotions are in line with the executives’ long-standing track record of achievements and will enhance the agency’s leadership capabilities as it continues to take on fresh growth in the Indian market.

    Menon takes on her new role with immediate effect and will work closely with OMD India’s CEO, Priti Murthy, in building the OMD brand nationally. A media veteran with multifaceted experiences, Menon has worked across media agencies, television channels and on the client-side at Samsung. Since joining Omnicom Media Group in 2013 to lead on planning for the network’s Delhi office, Menon has proved her mettle and earned the status of a trusted partner to the agency’s longstanding clients. In this new role, she brings her media agnostic approach, helping clients to focus on what really drives value for their brands instead.

    Speaking on her promotion, Menon says,  “I am really excited about energising our team in India to drive data-enabled, integrated solutions for our clients and look forward to seamlessly on-boarding our new clients. It’s important for us to continue evolving our approach for clients and OMD is well equipped to future-proof their businesses. I am excited to be a part of the journey.”

    In his new role as Head of OMD India – West, Agrawal will drive and consolidate fresh avenues for growth. His presence as a strong business leader is already felt by some of the most iconic brands,  and his consistent delivery of innovative solutions to complex business problems has earned him respect and appreciation from both local and regional clients. During his eight years with OMD, he has been instrumental in delivering several innovations and industry-first initiatives – a feat that he will undoubtedly continue as the agency continues to expand its presence in West India.

    Speaking on his appointment, Agrawal adds, “OMD is now well underway on its new path, with a rejuvenated focus on helping clients make ‘Better Decisions, Faster’. I am thrilled to be part of this momentous occasion as we extend our footprint in West India and I look forward to working with our clients and teams to make a mark for this region.”

    Speaking on the promotions, OMD India CEO Priti Murthy mentions, “I am delighted to partner with Sulina and Lalit in their new roles. As an agency that is committed to generating business results for our clients, both Sulina and Lalit embody this value proposition, having spent considerable time in the industry and at OMD. These promotions are also a testament to the talent of our teams, taking our agency from strength to strength. I look forward to working closely with them both in navigating OMD’s continued journey of growth in India.”

     

  • Ogilvy appoints Anirban Roy as head of planning for South

    Ogilvy appoints Anirban Roy as head of planning for South

    MUMBAI: Advertising agency Ogilvy India has appointed Anirban Roy as head of planning for Ogilvy South with immediate effect. Roy will move to Bengaluru.

    Ogilvy South president N Ramamoorthi says, “Anirban’s leadership of our planning group ticks two boxes for us. One, he is from within Ogilvy – so he’s not new to the culture of the agency. Two, he is that rare breed of planner who has worked on both brand and digital planning – both crucial to Ogilvy’s next chapter transformation.

    Roy was in Ogilvy Mumbai and comes with 15 years of work experience across mainline and digital in India and APAC (Singapore, Manila). He has led brands such as Fanta, Sprite, BMW, GSK, Tata Salt, Wild Stone, United Nations, Carlsberg, Huawei to name a few. 

    Ogilvy India chief strategy officer Prem Narayan mentions, “Anirban is a true Ogilvy all rounder. He has worked in our Delhi and Mumbai offices. Anirban is a great team player and is one of the finest leaders I have worked with. As Head of Planning, Anirban will partner N Ramamoorthi, Azaz, Kiran, Tithi and Mahesh. I am sure he will take Ogilvy South to greater heights.”

  • White Rivers Media starts ops in Delhi

    White Rivers Media starts ops in Delhi

    MUMBAI: White Rivers Media, a full-service digital marketing agency has announced its foray into Delhi NCR. 

    Operating out of Mumbai for over five years, the company is tagged as one of the fastest growing independent digital agencies in India and it now looks forward to cater to clients in the northern region through physical presence.

    Started in 2012, the agency services national and international clients from more than eight countries. The agency has worked with some of the top-valued brands in the country, executing many of their flagship campaigns and grabbing eyeballs internationally.

    The agency has worked across a range of industries and verticals, including brands like OnePlus, Viacom18, TATA Cliq, Zivame amongst others.

    With the new office in DLF Cyber City, White Rivers Media is looking to localise all the digital, video and AI driven e-commerce solutions for its NCR based clients and more.

    White Rivers co-founder and chief executive officer Shrenik Gandhi says, “Delhi NCR expansion has been one of the focus points of this quarter and we are glad to be taking the leap. Delhi NCR has been a key market in our growth story and with a localised office, we look forward to develop stronger relationships. Our core team will be actively involved to ensure the best operational SOP’s are followed and in getting the right talent on board.”

    White Rivers Media is the only agency to rank in Deloitte Tech Fast 50 Companies for two years consecutively, i.e., in 2016 and 2017. The agency also provides custom e-commerce solutions via its proprietary AI tool.

  • Vertuals appoints Mr. Zahid Gawandi as the agency’s business head

    Vertuals appoints Mr. Zahid Gawandi as the agency’s business head

    MUMBAI: Zahid Gawandi, the much experienced and feted marcom specialist has recently been anointed the Business Head at Vertuals, the firebrand Digital Content specialist outfit and will be based out of their Mumbai office.

    Zahid of the Tata Donnelley, Dentsu, Percept-Hakuhodo, Reliance Capital & Spice Digital genre, now has taken on the daunting task of taking the agency towards a defined growth trajectory and will also be responsible for instilling a robust content practice which the industry is clearly gravitating towards.

    His large body of work has led him to many a watering hole, across sectors ranging from Automobiles to BFSI, FMCG, Consumer Durables, Fashion & E-commerce amongst others. His ranging years saw him hold several senior management positions, with his last notable foray was helming the role of CMO at Destimoney Group. Accolades have also adorned his lustrous career graph of which the ‘Corporate Communication Leadership Award’ by Lokmat BFSI Awards deserves special mention. He was also profiled in Impact magazine under the Future Leaders section.

    Vertuals at Managing Partner, Mr. Ajay Tripathi commenting on the appointment said, “With the advent of video consumption going up, Vertuals is well positioned as a brand storyteller across the digital ecosystem. We are delighted to have Zahid on board. He has joined the agency at a time where his ability to ramp up business verticals and take brands to the next level of growth in a short span of time will be an asset to Vertuals. His wealth of knowledge and experience in advertising both on the agency & client side across various categories will serve in maximizing value for our clients.”

    Mr. Zahid Gawandi also expressed his enthusiasm on his appointment, saying, “I’m excited to be part of a young, restless and kickass team at Vertuals. Customers always seek great stories which they can relate to. We understand that ‘Marketing’ and ‘Storytelling’ is the new power couple. Hence at Vertuals we combine an idea (Marketing) with an emotion (Storytelling) and serve it up for consumption to targeted audiences, leveraging strengths of our home turf – the digital ecosystem. This creates real emotional connections with the consumers – connections that can turn into trust, and eventually engender revenue. We are already in talks with several brands to take their brand story on various digital platforms.”

  • Adolescent – the company by the youth, for the youth

    Adolescent – the company by the youth, for the youth

    MUMBAI: Marketing to teens, youth and generation Z (teens between the ages of 13-15) is now more important than ever. Gen Z has a spending power of $250 billion. Every marketing and advertising campaign should now aim to reach the coveted and soon-to-be-powerful gen Z consumer audience because of their attachment and comfort with using social media. They are also more technically aligned as compared to previous generations.

    It isn’t unusual for people above 30 years to be deciding the content for all age groups, especially when it comes to understanding their thought pattern. An ideal way would be to have the younger generation create ads based on their own likes and preferences.

    That is exactly what a gen-Z and millennial advertising agency and production company, Adolescent, has been doing. The company is focused on authentically reaching out to the teen and youth audiences with commercial and entertainment-driven content made by the youth and for the youth. Adolescent functions as a traditional production company as well as a think tank for ad agencies, ideating and executing concepts for print, broadcast, branded content videos and original series.

    Founded in 2013 by Ramaa Mosley and based in Los Angeles, California, the company works with national brands and advertising agencies to help them grab the attention of the youth. It has clients across multiple industries including fast food, soft drinks, entertainment, underage drinking, consumer packaged goods, candy and toys. Some of those multi-million dollar clients are Deutsch, Mini Cooper, Netflix, Nike, TOMS, Disney, Beats music, Bud Light, American Girl, Diesel, Samsung, ESPN and Yowie.

    Standing true to its vision, the ad direction is 15-year-old Amelia Conway, a content creator who works on multi-million dollar projects with brands such as Netflix and Target. She feels that age should not be a barrier here since only similar aged people can relate to each other. Adolescent has over 500 creators in the network which represents teens from over 20 different countries.

    How accepting is the industry of a teen creative agency in the cluttered adult show? Conway says it is improving but the industry remains male-dominated. “I see very few working women on set and I hope to make the difference,” she says.

    Handing over a $500,000 shoot to a 15-year-old is obviously a concern for producers. Conway laughs it off saying it doesn’t bother her. “It’s new for them so they may worry but I will get it done whether they like it or not,” she adds.

    The young consumer consumes advertising and content across Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube. Adolescent creates social media content that is created specifically for these platforms. It has also developed youth market research and children’s marketing research. The youth and gen Z market in the United States is worth $485 billion. Adolescent analyses attitudes and lifestyles of the 42 million young consumers in the 15 to 24-year-old age group and develops specific marketing and promotions strategies.

    Conway says that there is a fine difference between honest and fake content. “Genuinity is very important to kids, youth and adolescents. Most advertisers think that if they put millions of dollars on a clever idea, that some people like in a room like, it will work for the adolescents. But it doesn’t. What does work is content that is entertaining, empowering and collaborated with them,” she adds.

    The company usually hires actors and other professionals on the sets (mostly teenagers) via regular casting calls with help from the client. Parents are also on set for any children under the age of 18 and Adolescent makes sure it adheres to all labour laws.

    An aspiring future feature film director, Conway was a victim of bullying before she started her career as a director at Adolescent, and it has shaped her mental personality. The company has given her the opportunity to be a better person professionally and a more confident person. Although she has directed six campaigns so far, she admits getting the teenager jitters on set when she’s surrounded by professionals who have been doyens of the industry.

    Conway’s advice to her peers would be to just go for it! “It’s simple and basic, but true. If you’re passionate about something, who cares if you are not going to do it for the rest of your life? Waiting till you’re older is not worth it.”

    She’s surely defying her age norms at 15. One can only wonder what she would be doing 15 years down the line.

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  • Tinder peeks into a world of possibilities in latest ad

    Tinder peeks into a world of possibilities in latest ad

    MUMBAI: Every swipe on Tinder represents the possibility of meeting someone new and interesting, and starting something epic – an epic friendship, a crazy adventure or an epic love story. The possibilities are endless and quite literally in the palm of your hand. Tinder’s new digital film brings this world of possibilities alive.

    This latest Tinder video follows the fun, confident and spunky Tinder girl, played by indie musician and actor Kavya Trehan, as she goes about exploring the world and herself, enjoying the adrenaline rush of bonding with the people she meets along her way. Her world is full of joy, ease, spontaneity, excitement and adventure, minus any fear of rejection or judgment to hold her back.

    The film conceptualised and executed by BBH India and directed by Bharat Sikka, plays to a lively background score of ‘Jaan Pehchan Ho,’ originally sung by late Mohammad Rafi and has been recreated by Mikey McCleary – an India-born New Zealander music composer known for many award-winning tracks. A 90 second digital film, it brings to life the snazzy, empowering and irreverent world of Tinder where one is free to be oneself, create new connections with like-minded people, and open a world of epic experiences for themselves.

    Commenting on the new video, Tinder India head Taru Kapoor says, “Tinder expands your world by helping you meet new and interesting people you may never meet otherwise, as well as opens doors to exciting beginnings. The film portrays the joy and adrenaline of the epic possibilities that millions of Tinder users enjoy every day while being in control at all times. On Tinder, epic can range from a great conversation where you discover something new, an amazing first date, the beginning of a new friendship to the starting of a romantic relationship – the chemistry of every conversation on Tinder is unique! Women especially love Tinder as it is a community based on equality, mutual respect and a place where they are not judged for being themselves or being bombarded with unsolicited attention.”

    BBH Delhi executive creative director Vasudha Misra adds, “Tinder, at its core, connects people to other like-minded people, helps one make new friends, find a date or a life partner. It puts people in control of their social interactions in a way that may not be possible otherwise. And this film is an unabashed, joyous celebration of that feeling. In a world where we are always being told how to behave and what not to do, Tinder stands (and does a little jig) for individual choice, without judgment.”

    BBH Delhi general manager Shreekant Srinivasan mentions, “BBH has been known for partnering with some of the most iconic global brands that challenged and redefined pop culture. Tinder has challenged taboos and become a part of lifestyle and culture both globally and in India. So, the partnership is natural. I’m extremely excited with the work we have created.”

  • Leo Burnett ropes in Pranav Sharma as ECD

    Leo Burnett ropes in Pranav Sharma as ECD

    MUMBAI: Leo Burnett India has appointed Pranav Harihar Sharma as Executive Creative Director. Pranav will report to Rajdeepak Das, Chief Creative Officer of Leo Burnett, South Asia.

    Sharma will be based in the Mumbai office. His last stint was at Rediffusion Y&R where he was the Executive Creative Director for West and North.

    In a career spanning over 18 years, Sharma has worked across several agencies such as DDB Mudra, J. Walter Thompson, Linen Lintas and Grey Worldwide, in addition to three stints at Rediffusion Y&R.

    Apart from his experience as a creative in advertising agencies, Pranav is also a well-known ad and short filmmaker. He was given the script and screenplay credits of the Dabur Vatika film – Brave and Beautiful when he handled the brand’s creative business at Linen Lintas. The campaign went on to receive multiple awards in advertising festivals across the country.

    Speaking about this new role at Leo Burnett India, Sharma says, “I have always admired the kind of work Leo Burnett India has been behind. It is an agency known for its innovation and effectiveness, and that is exactly the sort of culture I want to be a part of. My role here is to extend the legacy handed over to me and churn out effective work in the space of ‘content’, a key word in today’s advertising industry. I look forward to my new innings.”

    Das adds, “Pranav is a passionate and creative person who 

    combines strategic advertising thinking with brilliant filmmaking skills. His understanding of the Indian consumer runs deep, making him the kind of talent that is coveted in our industry. I have great expectations from him at Leo Burnett, and I’m confident he will easily fulfil them all.”

  • Law & Kenneth Saatchi & Saatchi appoints Delna Sethna as CCO

    Law & Kenneth Saatchi & Saatchi appoints Delna Sethna as CCO

    MUMBAI: Law & Kenneth Saatchi & Saatchi, Publicis Communications’ full-service creative agency, has named Delna Sethna as its chief creative officer across all its businesses. Prior to this, Sethna was leading some key global businesses such as P&G brands and Mondelez. She is now the creative face of Law & Kenneth Saatchi & Saatchi with immediate effect. She will continue to report to Anil S Nair, chief executive officer and managing partner of the agency. 

    Law & Kenneth Saatchi & Saatchi looks after the creative mandates of some of India’s biggest brands, including HeroMotoCorp, P&G, Renault India, Pepperfry, Jockey, Dabur, Mondelez, Thomas Cook and Kent RO, among others. 

    Anil S Nair says, “Delna has proved her creative mettle over and over, across all the brands she has worked for. Her creative and strategic thinking pushes the boundaries of traditional advertising to newer, unexplored areas. She has brought glory to the agency by winning Cannes Gold and D&AD in one single year. She is the perfect person to be heading our entire creative product and I am sure she will only thrive hereon.” 

    Sethna joined Law & Kenneth Saatchi & Saatchi in 2014, her second stint at the agency. She joined from Leo Burnett India, where she was the Regional Creative Director for P&G’s Whisper. A creative professional with over 20 years of experience in her stride, Sethna has also had stints in agencies such as JWT, Publicis Ambience and Lowe Lintas, in the past. 

    Speaking about her new responsibilities, Sethna adds “Law & Kenneth Saatchi & Saatchi is a wonderful place to grow as a creative professional. It is an organisation where the proverbial glass ceiling doesn’t restrict women. It allows for both people and work to flourish. The teams here are all young and passionate and I feed off that energy. I look forward to my new responsibilities and creative challenges coming my way. 2018 is going to be about creating great, memorable work for all of us at the agency.”