ITV

Tag: Anil K Nair

  • VMLY&R India appoints Ajay Ravindran as Director – Strategy and Planning

    VMLY&R India appoints Ajay Ravindran as Director – Strategy and Planning

    Mumbai: VMLY&R India, an award-winning digital marketing, advertising and transformation agency has appointed Ajay Ravindran as Director – Strategy and Planning. Ajay will work closely with Saurabh Mathur (Head of Strategy & Planning) and Anil K Nair (CEO), to drive strategy and growth of the agency.

    Ajay will head the brand planning function for VMLY&R in India. His mandate is to ensure that strategic thinking is at the core of all the offerings of the agency – across all verticals including Brand Stewardship (Campaigns & Content), Commerce, and Experience & Technology. Additionally, he will spearhead the Brand Advisory practice here.

    Commenting on this, Anil K Nair, CEO, VMLY&R India, stated, “Ajay will be working at the intersection of Brand Strategy and Technology, so that VMLY&R is at the forefront of defining how brands would need to evolve in this new, emerging, complex, post-digital world. Having helmed senior roles, Ajay will be a trusted advisor for our clients- current and potential – a responsibility I am sure he will cherish!”

    Speaking on his new role, Ajay Ravindran, Director- Strategy & Planning, VMLY&R India said, ‘In their eagerness to become the agency of the future, I feel most agencies are forgetting being the agency of the present. At VMLY&R, I saw not just an agency but a holistic marketing services firm – with cutting edge solutions encompassing content, commerce and platforms. It seemed to me that it could answer all the questions clients are seeking answers to TODAY, but don’t know whom to ask.’

    He further added, ‘But beyond all this was an X factor that escaped words – the palpable chemistry with the team, the richness of conversations and the vibe of the place itself. The more I interacted and learned, the more urgent was the question, “OK, so when do we start?” ’

    Ajay has around 14 years of work experience across Media Planning, Market Research and Account Planning, and hence brings a holistic view to brand strategy. He has handled blue chip clients including: Britannia (Marie Gold, 50-50, Nutrichoice, Cake and Rusk), Unilever

    (Kissan, Knorr, Annapurna, PureIt), Zee Group, Flipkart, TVS (Scooty, Radeon), Titan (Skinn, Sonata), 3M (Scotch Brite), Aditya Birla Group (Louis Philippe), Tanishq and Gold Plus.

    Some of his campaigns have gone on to win awards, including EFFIE (Tanishq & Flipkart), INDIAA Awards (Dell & Scotch Brite) and CMO Asia Marketing Awards (Dell). He has also been a finalist at WARC (for Britannia Cake).

    Ajay’s last assignment was with Lowe Lintas, Mumbai, where he was Vice President – Strategic Planning, leading the brand strategy mandate on Zee, PureIt, Unilever Foods and Setu. Previously, he led the same mandate for Flipkart, Britannia, TVS, Titan at Lowe Lintas Bangalore. He has also worked with Ogilvy, JWT, Grey, and L&K Saatchi & Saatchi.

    He is an MBA from NMIMS, Mumbai; a leading Indian B-School. Apart from work, Ajay loves reading, quizzing, motorcycling and is an aspiring author.

  • Patanjali Paridhan launches; celebrates Indiapan!

    Patanjali Paridhan launches; celebrates Indiapan!

    MUMBAI: Patanjali Ayurved Ltd has launched its apparels range called ‘Patanjali Paridhan’ with a brand-new campaign conceptualised by L&K Saatchi and Saatchi building on its brand values of providing a range of world class apparel for every Indian’s needs and wants.

    The brand shared that the primary objective of the launch campaign was to introduce the brand Paridhan by the mother brand Patanjali, carving out a special positioning niche for Patanjali Paridhan within the larger brand equity of Patanjali while retaining youth, modernity, fashion, and trendiness.

    It revealed in a press release, “The big insight that the agency unearthed was the fact that fashion in India is still very west focused. If you discount the token FabIndias, Manyavars, and a few local players, there is no national level India-centric fashion brand. Also, Indians feel slightly defensive about Indian fashion as compared to western fashion, unless it is ethnic wear. The brand wanted to bring Indian fashion fabrics and styles back into everyday life. To prove that Indian fashion is best suited for our body type and climatic conditions, and to celebrate our rich and varied fabric heritage. The idea was to create a movement – Tann Maan Dhan Indiapan, to remind people of the rich heritage of fashion that we have surrendered in the blind pursuit of western fashion.”

    Commenting on the same, Patanjali Paridhan CEO KN Singh said, “India was once one of the biggest exporters of clothing, textile, and styles. With changing language and cultures every 200 kms. in India, one can see a blend of different weaves, textures, and styles. Gradually, we have moved to adopting too much of western clothing and styling. The aim is to bring the focus and interest back to Indian clothing. Every outfit can be adapted for comfort and that is what we aim at doing. We are creating fusions and blends of different clothing formats and styles. Patanjali's objective, through Paridhan, is to mould the old format of dressing into the latest, more comfortable styles, for the Indian youth, while helping the various state handloom corporations and the weavers. All of the products have been selected basis the colour scheme, mood board and quality defined by the global authority on garment quality. Even products and styles from all the Indian states have been given space on our shelves. Our prices are at least 60% less than the international brands. But consumer has to try and use the product to know Patanjali's quality in apparel range.”

    L&K Saatchi and Saatchi managing partner Anil K Nair said, “Patanjali is a home-grown brand that has proven that Indian brands can achieve great success on its own. And on the back of this, Patanjali wishes to provide a range of world class apparel for every Indian’s needs and wants, and that’s the philosophy behind the inception of Patanjali Paridhan. The brand is built on a strong foundation of values that include pride and respect for our cultural identity, being comfortable in our own skin, a celebration of our rich heritage, providing value for money, and being aspirational. And also moving public consciousness from a western-fashion-orientation to ‘desi coolness and swag’.”

    L&K Saatchi and Saatchi executive creative director Kumar Suryavanshi said, “Very rarely does one, as a creative person get a chance to work on a unique brief to build an indigenous fashion brand. I thank Patanjali Paridhan for giving us such an opportunity. The challenge was to maintain a balance between Patanjali's Indian values and fashion codes and sensibilities. The challenge was to bring alive the feeling of Indiapan while showcasing fashion, which has always been associated with international brands. I think we successfully managed to capture the soul of the brand and expressed it beautifully through visuals and the anthem. With the help of a super energetic team, we shot across the country to celebrate diversity in the brand’s offerings. We want people to take pride in Indian fashion and break conventions. We are very thankful to Swami Ramdev baba who has agreed to play a pivotal role in the film and gave us a free hand to make this beautiful and evocative film.”

    L&K Saatchi and Saatchi executive creative director Ashish Naik further added, “It was a pleasure to shoot this campaign as the clothes were vibrant and captured the true essence of India's diversity. The beautiful locations added to the charm of the campaign.

    The campaign will be running on TV, Print, Outdoor, Radio and Digital platforms including the social media handles of the brand and the talent.

  • Big Bazaar launches game to promote R-day sale

    Big Bazaar launches game to promote R-day sale

    MUMBAI: Hypermarket chain from Future Group, Big Bazaar, has created a mobile game to promote its mega property, ‘Big Bazaar Sabse Saste 5 Din’. Designed and executed by L & K Saatchi & Saatchi, Big Bazaar’s innovative deal game is set to transform the shopping experience in India. Consumers and gamers can play the game and win shopping vouchers worth up to Rs 1 crore.

    The ‘Deal Skyfall Sabse Saste 5 Din’ mobile game has the group’s iconic Chidya as a playable character. The game consists of five levels and will change from one to the other on preset scores. The speed at which the products appear on screen will keep on increasing along with the frequency of obstacles as the level increases. The game will have various deals. Each deal will have its own value/points. The user will be awarded a reward for crossing a predefined score and they can redeem the voucher code from the rewards section of the game on 23 January 2018.The game is available on the App Store, Playstore and bigbazaar      

    Future Group’s head of digital Pawan Sarda says, “With Deal Skyfall – Sabse Saste 5 Din game we want to reach out to the hidden consumer in everyone. Be it a gamer, a next gen consumer, mobile addicts or our huge base of loyal consumers, the game can be played by one and all. It is a simple and rewarding game, where your points in the virtual world get you a chance shop in the real world for free.”

    L & K Saatchi & Saatchi Managing Partner Anil K Nair adds, “The game is a unique way in which a household brand like Big Bazaar is promoting one of its biggest properties. We have kept the game simple and it is sure to get many addicted and win as many vouchers they like.”

    Revolutionising the shopping experience in India, Big Bazaar started the first ever Republic Day Sale in 2006, which has over the years come to be known as Sabse Saste Din. Celebrating the 12th successful year of Sabse Saste 5 Din, Big Bazaar has owned the period around Republic Day and has been a trendsetter.

  • Publicis Drugstore to unite start-ups with real estate sector

    Publicis Drugstore to unite start-ups with real estate sector

    MUMBAI: Publicis Drugstore has started its India operations with the first of its initiatives targeting the real estate sector. The drugstore is an innovation incubator, which incubates innovation ideas/projects on behalf of the Publicis Groupe clients around the world in collaboration with the startup sector.

    These innovation incubation programmes range from supper chats with CXOs, to hackathons and long format innovation projects. Meet the makers is one such format which allows for an evening of intimate interaction between large companies and curated start ups in their respective sector. This experiential event was designed and created in partnership with Zone Startups, an organisation that incubates and accelerates start-ups in the Indian ecosystem.

    Key speakers at the event included Anil K Nair who leads the Publicis Drugstore initiative in India and Zone Startups India director Ajay Ramasubramaniam.

    Nair is of the opinion that the biggest business disruptor and saviour going into this decade will be an attitude of inside out innovation within large traditional organisations that will need to be encouraged & cultivated. A symbiotic relationship building between these organisations and the start up sector was also necessary. “It’s a win-win for both. And we at Publicis Groupe are determined to make these dialogues happen for the overall good of the market place and the consumer at large”.

    He further added: “The start-up space has been responsible for some of the biggest market disruptions across the world. Be it Uber or Air Bnb, they have all gone to redefine the space they were conceived in. We could have gone the traditional way and approached the fin-tech or other sectors which have such interfaces all the time. We however, have focused on real estate as it is one industry that needs the kind of innovations that start ups bring with them.”

    Ramasubramaniam added, “The start-up scene is well ahead in terms of infrastructure, support and finance. It is only recently that the Indian scenario has started catching up. There is still some time when crowdsourcing and crowd-funding will become the norm for our nation, until then we are focused on creating the right kind of environment with the assistance of the Publicis Groupe to incubate, accelerate and facilitate the transition of the start-ups to their relevant industrial sector.”

    Some of the notable startup pitches that came up were Phynart, a home automation start-up that incorporates Artificial Intelligence and data mining in traditional automation systems and Enso Immersive, a R & D establishment driving research in technologies like Augmented Virtual Reality for developing applications and platforms across industries like real estate.

    The real estate industry was represented by leading players like Omkar, Tata Housing, Kalpataru , Godrej properties & Puranik.

  • Publicis Drugstore to unite start-ups with real estate sector

    Publicis Drugstore to unite start-ups with real estate sector

    MUMBAI: Publicis Drugstore has started its India operations with the first of its initiatives targeting the real estate sector. The drugstore is an innovation incubator, which incubates innovation ideas/projects on behalf of the Publicis Groupe clients around the world in collaboration with the startup sector.

    These innovation incubation programmes range from supper chats with CXOs, to hackathons and long format innovation projects. Meet the makers is one such format which allows for an evening of intimate interaction between large companies and curated start ups in their respective sector. This experiential event was designed and created in partnership with Zone Startups, an organisation that incubates and accelerates start-ups in the Indian ecosystem.

    Key speakers at the event included Anil K Nair who leads the Publicis Drugstore initiative in India and Zone Startups India director Ajay Ramasubramaniam.

    Nair is of the opinion that the biggest business disruptor and saviour going into this decade will be an attitude of inside out innovation within large traditional organisations that will need to be encouraged & cultivated. A symbiotic relationship building between these organisations and the start up sector was also necessary. “It’s a win-win for both. And we at Publicis Groupe are determined to make these dialogues happen for the overall good of the market place and the consumer at large”.

    He further added: “The start-up space has been responsible for some of the biggest market disruptions across the world. Be it Uber or Air Bnb, they have all gone to redefine the space they were conceived in. We could have gone the traditional way and approached the fin-tech or other sectors which have such interfaces all the time. We however, have focused on real estate as it is one industry that needs the kind of innovations that start ups bring with them.”

    Ramasubramaniam added, “The start-up scene is well ahead in terms of infrastructure, support and finance. It is only recently that the Indian scenario has started catching up. There is still some time when crowdsourcing and crowd-funding will become the norm for our nation, until then we are focused on creating the right kind of environment with the assistance of the Publicis Groupe to incubate, accelerate and facilitate the transition of the start-ups to their relevant industrial sector.”

    Some of the notable startup pitches that came up were Phynart, a home automation start-up that incorporates Artificial Intelligence and data mining in traditional automation systems and Enso Immersive, a R & D establishment driving research in technologies like Augmented Virtual Reality for developing applications and platforms across industries like real estate.

    The real estate industry was represented by leading players like Omkar, Tata Housing, Kalpataru , Godrej properties & Puranik.

  • Tata Capital supports the cause of Right to Education

    Tata Capital supports the cause of Right to Education

    MUMBAI: Addressing the pertinent issue of illiteracy faced by small towns, Tata Capital’s ‘Do Right’ campaign has reached out to Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh and identified a true ‘Do Righter’ Ajeet Singh, founder of the unique Varanasi boat school.

     

    With an objective of engaging with the children of a community near River Ganga, Singh started a novel and innovative boat school for these children who otherwise would sit idle or pick rags.

     

    The boat school provides basic schooling here. In support of his noble initiative, Tata Capital is looking to create an ideal learning environment for the children of this boat school through a magical transformation. Starting with the makeover of the interiors, which includes renovations and repairs; to providing them with necessary facilities like a library, educational toys, stationery, a computer and a painting kit. For this a sum of INR 90,000/- is required to transform the boat.

     

    To support this cause, Digital L&K Saatchi & Saatchi through the social media properties will help highlight the initiative undertaken by Ajeet Singh and will aim at gaining support from the community at large in raising funds to enlighten the future of these children who are deprived of the basic right to education.

     

    Commenting on the Do Right campaign, Digital L&K Saatchi & Saatchi CEO & managing director Anil K Nair said, “How can we get ordinary consumers to participate in a brands philosophy and campaign? How do we convert the social media into a force for the good? ‘The Journey of Doing Right’ is a powerful campaign that is ‘live creativity’ as it’s best. A campaign that engages, inspires and involves people at the same time to participate in the philosophy of doing right. Let’s give the children of this unique boat school the ideal learning environment that they truly deserve. One can visit www.doright.in and contribute to this cause.”

     

    Recently, Digital L&K Saatchi & Saatchi successfully completed the story of Shikshangram Shelter on this Journey of Doing Right. Shikshangram Shelter, a Pune based NGO was going through financial crisis and was unable to bear overhead expenses, including their electricity bills. Digital L&K Saatchi & Saatchi reached out to various communities and managed to collect a sum of INR 1,26,500/- in just five days.

     

    With these funds Shikshangram Shelter is now a self-sustaining institute with solar panels installed across the premises. Watch the story and contribute at www.doright.in

  • Digital L&K Saatchi & Saatchi beefs up creative team

    Digital L&K Saatchi & Saatchi beefs up creative team

    MUMBAI: Digital Law & Kenneth (L&K) Saatchi & Saatchi has strengthened its creative structure with the appointment of Ashith Ballal and Divyesh Swamikutty as creative directors. The duo will be operating from the Mumbai office.

     

    Ballal said, “The support I get at Digital L&K Saatchi & Saatchi to try new things and pursue ideas that excite me is amazing. It is a hugely nurturing and supportive environment, which really helps bring out the best in everyone involved.”

     

    “New challenge and space is what I am looking for! When Anil Nair revealed L&K Saatchi & Saatchi plans and its journey in the digital space, I had no second thoughts. I am thrilled and excited to be part of an energetic and vibrant team, and I’m looking forward to create some great work in the digital space along with the team,” said Swamikutty.

     

    Digital Law & Kenneth Saatchi & Saatchi CEO Anil K Nair added, “Ashith comes from a digital and film making background and he brings with him great storytelling skill sets. Divyesh is one of the early pioneers of digital in India with lots of experience working across difficult markets and in start-up environments. They bring a fresh perspective to our creative team and will help raise the standard of creativity at Digital Law & Kenneth Saatchi & Saatchi and play an invaluable role not just for our clients but also for the agency.”

     

    Ballal previously worked at O4 digital, Channel V and Radio Mirchi along with taking up a lot of freelance assignments on brands such as Honda Mobilio, Ford, Reliance, and Volkswagen Polo.

     

    On the other hand, Swamikutty has worked with Rage Communications and D’zine Garage on brands like Royal Enfield, Moods Condoms, Cavin Kare, Sterling Holidays, Colorplus, Airtel Money, Ashok Leyland, Club Mahindra, Murugappa Group, The Hindu and Sify amongst others.

  • Digital L&K Saatchi & Saatchi announces key appointments

    Digital L&K Saatchi & Saatchi announces key appointments

    MUMBAI: Digital L&K Saatchi & Saatchi has announced two senior level appointments. Sandeep Sarma joins the agency as its client servicing digital director while Arunima Singh joins as servicing group head.

    Commenting on the new appointments, Digital L&K Saatchi & Saatchi CEO Anil K Nair said, “Sandeep Sarma brings a healthy mix of traditional brand knowledge and digital planning skill sets to head and consult a few strategic business units at Digital L&K Saatchi & Saatchi. Arunima Singh is an out and out digital native having worked in various aspects of the digital industry. A strong leader, she will be leading and building quite a few cutting edge digital led engagement initiatives for us.”

    He further added, “We are very pleased to have them on board and hope to have a great and sustainable run with them.”

    Sarma has over 10 years of rich experience in digital and has worked with Times Internet, Zapak.com and RKSWAMY BBDO on brands like P&G India, Mars India, Mercedes-Benz India, LIC, Raymond, Pepsi, Axe.

    Elaborating on his outlook to the new role he said, “I am quite excited to be part of a young and vibrant company Digital L&K Saatchi & Saatchi and aim to help create some winning case studies for some of the blue chip brands that we manage.”

    With 12 years of experience, Singh has previously worked with Social Wavelength (JWT) and Sobhagya Advertising Agency on brands such as Magma Fincorp, Dr. Batra’s, Force Motors, Kotak Mahindra, HUL, Skyscape, Apollo Clinics, Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Tata Housing, Intel, Piramal, to name a few.

    On joining Digital L&K Saatchi & Saatchi, Singh said “Joining Digital L&K Saatchi & Saatchi has indeed been a broadening of horizon for me as it has shown me a bigger picture of digital advertising. In the short span of time that I’ve worked here, I have got an encouraging glimpse of a very congenial working atmosphere. The bonding in this agency is not only at a professional level but also at personal level which helps build an environment where creativity gets nurtured and nourished.”

     

  • Brands need to be honest, says Digital Law & Kenneth’s Anil Nair

    Brands need to be honest, says Digital Law & Kenneth’s Anil Nair

    MUMBAI: Those in the habit of not taking digital agencies seriously may want to do a rethink on that one, given the sheer number of campaigns being recognised at various industry events and awards ceremonies.

     

    A case in point is Digital Law & Kenneth, whose campaign fetched it the top honours at the recently concluded GoaFest.

     

    In conversation with indiantelevision.com, the agency’s CEO and managing partner Anil K Nair spills the beans on the award winning campaign, the changing digital ecosystem, the future and everything in between…

     

    How have marketers’ demands from social changed in recent years?

     

    Marketers have realised the growing power of social if done the right way. After having dabbled with social through its initial adoption, marketers are now looking at advanced uses of social i.e. lead generation, CRM, crowd sourcing, trend forecasting and the like.

     

    Elaborate on the Tata Capital ‘Half stories- The journey of doing right’ campaign that fetched you the Grand Pix at GoaFest?

     

    The Tata Capital ‘Half Stories’ campaign was a magical one. A campaign devised to bring alive the core proposition of “We do what’s right for you”.

     

    It was a crowd sourced, live action, social media reality show that travelled all the way from Dharamsala to Guwahati. All through this serendipitous drive, we discovered Half Stories of fortitude, courage and hope. We then invited people to participate in making the “Half Stories” of these courageous people complete by donating, supporting or simply popularising the cause on social media and through their networks.

     

    The idea was to inspire people to ‘Do Right’ by demonstrating the effect of philanthropy first hand.

     

    With the digital category grabbing attention at industry events like GoaFest, what do you think agencies should keep in mind to be consistent and innovative?

     

    There are opportunities galore for brands to meaningfully engage with their consumers. Agencies need to be alert to such passing opportunities and be ready to grab them with both hands. Also, agencies and clients need to create an infrastructure and ecosystem to be able to have a real time dialogue with their fans and consumers.

     

    What are the key things that brands should keep in mind to build a healthy social conversation?

     

    Brands need to be honest and use their heart more than their brain. Also, the conversation has to be about the consumer rather than the brand.

     

    What according to you makes a ‘hit’ campaign on social media?

     

    If you can make the idea shareable, you would have hit the jackpot.

     

    How do you think the Indian digital ecosystem will shape up in coming years?

     

    I am very gung ho about the way our digital ecosystem is shaping up. Expect many more path-breaking campaigns across brands in the times to come. Our general digital market ecosystem is fast attaining some level of maturity which will hopefully see a lot of mature work which goes beyond traditional banner innovations and Sholay rip-offs.

     

    How has the year 2014 been for Digital Law & Kenneth so far?

     

    It’s been fantastic. Our hard work over the last few years has paid off. We have a young vibrant team that lives and breathes digital while understanding traditional brand building frameworks. We have some really interesting campaigns lined up that will see the light of day in the months to come.

     

    What is on top of your wish list for the months to come?

     

    A world beating case study, a few Effies and Cannes, happy clients and, a super happy team – that’s all I wish for. Touche.

  • ‘Half Stories – The Journey of Doing Right’

    ‘Half Stories – The Journey of Doing Right’

    MUMBAI: Digital L&K Saatchi & Saatchi crafted an online campaign ‘Half Stories – The Journey of Doing Right’ for Tata Capital. The campaign aimed at connecting ordinary people with simple stories and needs to other people, and gave them the opportunity to script a happier end together.

     

    The 24×7 live online campaign has unfinished stories that would draw people’s attention due to its incomplete nature and gave them an opportunity to complete the stories through online monetary contributions or through social sharing.

     

    The Do Righter- Pankaj Trivedi undertook a 2000km bike ride across India to find and film everyday stories of everyday people living in the remotest parts of the country. These films with suggested solutions were made into webisodes that were uploaded on a dedicated website and promoted using social media, blogs and PR. The site also has a payment gateway for online donations

     

    Digital L&K Saatchi & Saatchi won the Award of Excellence (Gold) in the Integrated Campaign – Social Responsibility category at the 20th Annual Communicator Awards for Tata Capital’s ‘Half Stories – The Journey Of Doing Right.’

     

    Commenting on the campaign Anil K. Nair, CEO (Digital) & Managing Partner, Digital L&K Saatchi & Saatchi said This Campaign has been an amazing experience. It actually leverages social media for social change and proves that business can work for social good too. It was a mammoth journey across Northern India with the campaign serendipitously unfolding every day. It was actually ‘Live Creativity’ at work.”

     

    Veetika Deoras, Head Brand Marketing, Corporate Communication and Digital Vertical, Tata Capital said “The ‘Do Right’ initiative is a key initiative for Tata Capital and our aim through the initiative is to help propagate the philosophy of ‘doing right’ by inspiring people to do right, provide platforms to doing right and doing right ourselves.”

     

    Tata Capital has also launched a website www.doright.in, which will act as the main platform for all the initiatives under the ‘Do Right’ campaign.