ITV

Tag: Arun Iyer

  • FCB/SIX India appoints Gagan Prabhakar as VP – CX operations and Arun Iyer as Sr. director – CRM

    FCB/SIX India appoints Gagan Prabhakar as VP – CX operations and Arun Iyer as Sr. director – CRM

    Mumbai: FCB/SIX India has appointed Gagan Prabhakar and Arun Iyer as VP – CX Operations and Sr. Director – CRM, respectively.

    In his new role at the agency, Gagan will lead CRM, web strategy, and content verticals.

    Arun, on the other hand, will be responsible for leading the development and implementation of personalisation, and data-backed strategies, and managing the CRM team for delivering omnichannel customer experiences for FCB/SIX India’s clients.

    Gagan moved from Dhani Stocks, where he was the general manager of marketing, whereas Arun was the lead strategy consultant at Mirum India.

    With over 17 years of experience, Gagan has also worked with HDFC Bank, Indiabulls Group and most recently Dhani Stocks. Arun comes with over a decade of experience and has been associated with companies like Mirum India and The Walt Disney Company.

    Speaking on the new hires, FCB/SIX India, CBO Ankit Banga said, “At FCB/SIX India, we understand the power that creativity, data, and technology together possess in delivering an exceptional customer experience. The inclusion of Gagan and Arun strengthens our CX division, enriching it with their data proficiency and extensive experience in large-scale CRM campaigns across finance, healthcare, and the QSR sectors. Additionally, we’re enhancing our Salesforce capabilities to better serve a significant portion of our clientele.”

    FCB Kinnect and FCB/SIX India CEO Rohan Mehta added, “Welcoming Gagan and Arun aboard will synergise creativity and technology, bringing exceptional customer experiences (CX) across all our client offerings, to further strengthen our focus on using ‘creativity as an economic multiplier’.”

    FCB/SIX India VP – CX Operations Gagan Prabhakar said, “I’m thrilled to be part of FCB/SIX India and FCB Kinnect and I believe in the company’s philosophy of Growth, Glory, and Guts. I’m confident that by leveraging a data-centric approach and our innovative solutions across web verticals, we can help our clients achieve significant growth in the digital landscape.”

    FCB/SIX India Sr. director – CRM Arun Iyer said, “I’m all geared up to join FCB/SIX India and leverage my passion for data-driven strategies, to build meaningful customer relationships and drive business results. Given the agency’s culture of innovation, I look forward to pushing the boundaries of what’s possible, ensuring we continue to set new benchmarks for excellence in connecting brands with their audiences in the most impactful ways.”

  • Axis Bank sends its senior citizen customers to flashback in new campaign

    Axis Bank sends its senior citizen customers to flashback in new campaign

    MUMBAI: Axis Bank has recently launched 'Flashback' – a film festival exclusively for its Senior Citizen customers. Promoting this innovative initiative, Lowe Lintas Mumbai has conceived a gentle and heart-warming campaign.

    Across categories, campaign ideas and films targeting senior citizens revolve around subjects like pain, senility, sadness, fear and uncertainty. Flashback, with its cheerful undertones, is far from any of that. This is an initiative that aims to not just strengthen but invigorate the bank's relationship with its senior customers. In a simple initiative to bring back the joy into the senior citizens' lives, the bank tied up with INOX to screen old Bollywood classics across 8 cities in India.

    As a customer base, senior citizens are very important and substantial for Axis Bank. In the past, the bank has undertaken various initiatives for them like conducting complimentary health checkup camps or creating no-queue and special seating facilities for senior citizens at their branches.

    Speaking on the launch of the campaign, Axis Bank CMO Asha Kharga says, “Senior Citizens are a very loyal set of customers and we take pride in our long and fruitful relationships with them. They enjoy walking into our branches not just for their banking needs but also to chat over a cup of tea with our staff. While we organise health check-ups and financial advice sessions, we felt we must create a special experience that makes them feel young all over again. ‘Flashback Film Festival’ has been designed as a unique engagement program to enable our senior customers to re-experience their youth. We tied up with Inox to revive some Bollywood classics and organised screenings of their favourite movies across 8 cities. The experience was replete with vintage cars and old-world refreshments to make it come alive. In a very youth-focused world, small acts like these make a big difference and the feedback from our senior customers has been really heart-warming.”

    Lowe Lintas chairman and chief creative officer Arun Iyer adds, “Flashback film festival’ is about screenings of old Hindi classics with an intent to engage with senior citizen customers of Axis Bank to strengthen the relationship with them beyond banking needs. The task for us was to communicate about this event. Working on the campaign, we came across this observation – If you see our parents today or any older people, leading a retired life – they have a very set pattern, their routine does not change much. With Flashback film festival where the senior citizens would be invited for yesteryear movie screening, it would not only take them back to their younger days but also out of their routine life.”

    The campaign film is promoted online and offline.

  • Britannia celebrates 100 years with 10 multimedia campaign

    Britannia celebrates 100 years with 10 multimedia campaign

    MUMBAI: Britannia is marking its centenary year with a multi media campaign aimed to connect with the very heterogeneous set of audiences that its brands cater to. The campaign consists of a 10 film TVC series, a long format film for digital and social media, print, radio and OOH.
    100 years is a glorious and a big milestone – one that Britannia has reached because of the trust, love and blessings of its consumers. And the campaign is Britannia’s thank you to a heterogeneous country like India with a concept based on the thought that when you think of someone/something and if it arrives, the instant reaction you have is ‘Tu sau saal jiyega’ (You are going to live to 100 years!), an idiom which is a part of every Indian language.

    The stories in the TV Campaign are about how Britannia has turned 100 only because they’ve always been there for their consumers, just when they were needed most.
    Each clip takes a simple situation and highlights the bond between customer and product. The campaign also builds the symphony of Britannia through its product brands and the various roles that the brand plays in its consumers’ lives.

    Britannia India VP marketing Ali Harris Shere says, “Being part of every Indian household is an honour and this multimedia campaign illustrates our gratitude to the millions of Indians who wake up every day to dip a Britannia biscuit into their chai, and reach out for our products through various parts of the day. The 100-year campaign is our way of acknowledging the secret ingredient of our success – our consumers.”

    Lowe Lintas chairman and CCO Arun Iyer adds, “The brief was to thank the entire country with a simple idea that would seem relatable no matter where you are from. All 10 films are slices of life that have been picked from Britannia’s world. The challenge was to tell a brand’s story of completing 100 years and finding powerful emotions to connect with the consumers. But given how long Britannia has been a part of our lives, we found so many heartfelt moments to tell the story of a brand that has turned 100 because it’s always been there for its consumers. And the huge range of products that Britannia has gave us the room to tell stories across all age groups to make sure that campaign would resonate strongly with everyone.”
    Long format film for the 100 per cent digital natives.

    The digital film is knitted with old-world charm, adding flavours of the past, present and future while capturing a mélange of occasions across the century where a Britannia product has been integral to friendships, celebrations and togetherness.

    From sharing biscuits in the classroom and cheering for a World Cup win to connecting in the selfie era and looking 10 years into the future, the film pays a warm tribute to the journey thus far and looks ahead.

    “We travelled through time in the film, with the set design and camera movement designed to feel like the viewer was journeying through 100 years, revisiting one iconic friendship moment from each decade, until friendship comes back full circle with an interesting futuristic twist. From the parapet wall that fostered close friendships to the social wall that multiplied them, to walls breaking down at home, along with barriers, to make friends of family, this film is an endearing and insightful commentary on friendship even as it’s a journey through its timeline,” mentions JWT Bangalore creative head Priya Shivakumar.

  • MullenLowe Lintas Group promotes Amer Jaleel, Virat Tandon

    MullenLowe Lintas Group promotes Amer Jaleel, Virat Tandon

    MullenLowe Lintas Group is naming its group leadership team in India with two elevations from within. Amer Jaleel has been named Group Chairman and Chief Creative Officer. Partnering him, on business, will be Virat Tandon who’s being named Group CEO. In their new roles, the duo will lead the group mandate in India overseeing its three agencies; Lowe Lintas, Mullen Lintas and PointNine Lintas.

    Speaking of the new Group leadership, Alex Leikikh – global CEO MullenLowe Group said, “A few years ago, we had asked Amer and Virat to start our second agency in India, Mullen Lintas, and they have built it into a top 10 agency in the country in just two years. Amer has been a creative leader of our group in India for a very long time now, and Virat embodies the entrepreneurial spirit of the MullenLowe Group, and as such I am delighted to have them steer our overall business in India to even greater success.”

    Amer Jaleel joined Lowe Lintas in 2002 and has held multiple creative leadership positions including Chief Creative Officer. Virat Tandon joined the group in 2004 in the New Delhi offices of Lowe Lintas and has since played various senior roles in the network in India and Singapore. When the group started Mullen Lintas in 2015, it named Jaleel and Tandon Chairman and CCO, and CEO respectively. 

    Speaking of their new roles, Jaleel and Tandon said, “We have a lot of strong assets in the group. Two top ten agencies, Lowe Lintas and Mullen Lintas; a very promising incubation, the Omni-channel agency PointNine Lintas; some of the industry’s best and brightest creative, strategy and business leaders; and last but not the least a culture that makes us stick together and tick. The future is looking different and exciting. There could be no better time for the group to embark on this journey. To stay at the top of its game, MullenLowe Lintas Group realizes the importance of investing in building a strong talent pool with new skills that are relevant in the digital and hyper-connected world. It’s becoming more challenging for brands to win in the marketplace as the consumer is evolving and most categories are being disrupted and transformed due to technology. Clients are looking for all the help they can get from their agencies to win in this new reality. We want to continue to be our clients’ biggest strength.”

    In a separate development, Arun Iyer – Chairman and CCO of Lowe Lintas has decided to move within the agency to become a creative consultant. Arun plans to start a venture of his own and will transition out of the agency over the next year. The agency has planned a twelve-month transition period, during which he will continue to work for some key clients and help with succession planning.

    Iyer, spoke of his decision, “I have had the privilege of being part of an institution. I have spent a little over 15 years here. And it is home. Over the last few years, I have been passionate about start-ups and have played a role in developing some strong brands such as Byju’s, Freecharge and Grofers. Going forward, I am planning to work more closely within the start-up eco-system.”

    Adds Amer Jaleel, “Arun and I have been brothers-in-arms for over 8 years now. We’ve been shouldering the equity and reputation of Lintas together and that gives you a sort of a feeling of being in the same womb! Arun has, over the last 3 years, taken the spirit that Balki infused in Lowe Lintas to a different zone and moulded the agency in his own way. A large part of my job for MullenLowe Lintas Group will be to take that imprint forward.”

    Jaleel and Tandon’s appointments take place with immediate effect. They are working on plans to transform MullenLowe Lintas Group in a few critical areas to remain the key agency partner for clients. 
     

  • Xiaomi highlights trademark ringtone in new ad

    Xiaomi highlights trademark ringtone in new ad

    MUMBAI: Since its inception in 2014, Xiaomi has grown exponentially in the Indian smartphone industry.

    The brand earned its number one position in India for three consecutive quarters, and currently dominates the smartphone market with a substantial 30.3 per cent share as per the latest IDC research (Q1 2018), wherein one out of three smartphones sold in India is a Xiaomi phone.

    Xiaomi’s philosophy of bringing innovation for everyone combined with its robust India infrastructure of after-sales, well-established set of manufacturing units, innovative sales model and its 400+ strong workforce has significantly boosted the brand’s outreach. However, the growing popularity of the brand is mainly because of its passionate Mi fans who are not only increasing in numbers but also share great mutual love and admiration for the brand.

    The campaign offers a common fundamental feature that every Xiaomi user deeply connects with – its trademark ringtone. The campaign showcases that while people in India would be busy going about with their everyday lives, they may often hear and resonate with the sound of Xiaomi’s ringtone in the midst of their daily bustle. The campaign proves how this simple ringtone works as a subtle, yet powerful reminder of the brand’s widespread presence among the people of India. And the sound of this tone may often brim excitement in any given social space, leading several people to wonder if it’s their call to take.  

    The brand has now launched a new campaign that aims to connect with all individuals and Mi fans across diverse customer segments. Although Xiaomi India’s traditional audience was mostly technology enthusiasts of age group 18-40 years, who endorse the geeky spirit and can discern value irrespective of price bands; the brand has moved well beyond this, and now enjoys a widespread presence across different customer categories.

    The ‘Kiska Baja’ campaign will run across different channels which include television, radio, out of home, digital media and print media.

    The TVC campaign videos are launching across first three weeks of July, where the first launched during the India tour of England T20 cricket match. The overall campaign including other media will roll out within two months from July to August. 

    Kiska Baja campaign is a collaborative effort of the Xiaomi brand marketing team led by Karan Shroff, and Lowe Lintas, and is directed by Ayappa. 

    Xiaomi India VP and MD Manu Jain says, “Kiska Baja is a sincere effort from our team to portray where our brand stands today, and how our major success resulted because of all the massive love and attention we received from the people of India. As we continue providing innovative products of high quality with best specs at honest pricing, we hope our customers will also enjoy our technology and deeply connect to our widely growing Mi community across India.” 

    Lowe Lintas chairman and CCO Arun Iyer mentions, “The idea was inspired by real life events. Wherever we went, airports, offices, supermarkets we heard a familiar tone. Realising this, we decided to have fun with the idea of what happens when there is a Xiaomi in every pocket.”

  • Play Jenga in a moving car says MRF

    Play Jenga in a moving car says MRF

    MUMBAI: Indian tyre manufacturer MRF has launched a new campaign. The campaign promotes MRF ZLX, the latest range of tyres specifically designed for sedans and hatchbacks. From uniquely designed lateral grooves for improved ride comfort, edge-to-edge comfy stabiliser liner and wide tread polymer blend for an improved life, according to the company, this tyre is specially designed to offer superior grip and optimised cushioned ride. 

    For a low involvement category like tyres, it is important that the narrative be especially robust and convincing. In this campaign, the brand intends to communicate their proposition of ‘comfort made more comfortable’. The film involves a delicate game of Jenga in action in a sedan which is moving over challenging roads through bumps and potholes riding on top of MRF ZLX tyres.  This eventually hits home the message that a journey becomes more enjoyable when the ride is more comfortable.

    MRF executive vice president marketing Koshy K Varghese says, “MRF ZLX tyres are engineered to deliver a comfortable drive, on Indian roads. This new campaign is meant to consolidate the proposition of ‘Comfort Made More Comfortable’.”

    Lowe Lintas chairman and CCO Arun Iyer mentions, “It’s always a challenging task to come up with a sequel. By using the game Jenga as a visual mnemonic, we have tried to dramatise the benefit of comfort, delivered by MRF ZLX. The contrast between the road conditions and the game that goes on unaffected inside is punctuated by music that heightens the tension.”

  • Tanishq targets southern markets in latest series of ads

    Tanishq targets southern markets in latest series of ads

    MUMBAI: After the success of the national campaign for wedding jewellery collection Rivaah last year, Lowe Lintas has strung a new communication addressing Southern India’s Kannada, Malayalam and Tamil speaking population.

    Keeping the central theme around the ‘precious bond’ between a father and a daughter, the new films are shorter in duration but have captured the same appeal as the previous campaigns. Shorter duration formats are a challenge and need careful crafting that relates to the three different communities. A separate long format film will be live on digital media. By catering to the distinct needs of each community, Tanishq eyes a larger pie of the South Indian wedding market through its Rivaah collection.

    The campaign rests on the singular insight that a father always wants the best for his daughter. The films mirror the father’s feelings as his daughter is getting married. These moments are the purest and clearest manifestation of the father-daughter bond. Each film has a traditional setup of that community making it as relatable as possible for the target audience.

    Tanishq associate vice president marketing Deepika Tiwari says, “Every father in the world wants the best for his daughter. The new films on Rivaah are our endeavour to show the same. These three films are an extension to our earlier Rivaah TVC. From Kasu Malai, Vanki and Oddiyanam for the Tamil bride to Saunta da Dabu , Kasina Sara for Kannadiga bride and Palaka Mala and Pulinakha Mala for the Kerala bride – Tanishq offers a wide range of traditional designs re-interpreted to current sensibilities.”

    The films conceptualised by Lowe Lintas Bangalore capture intimate feelings showing the gush of emotions father goes through when he realises that it’s almost time to say goodbye to his daughter, as she prepares to start her new life. They have highlighted the nuances of each community, with the overarching thought of a father wanting the best for his daughter, cutting across all cultures.

    Lowe Lintas chairman and chief creative officer Arun Iyer adds, “As easy as it is to know that a father and daughter bond is always unique and strong, depicting it is equally difficult. We are happy that we found such a beautiful way of showcasing a father’s love for his daughter with just his thoughts rather than his conversations.”

    The campaign is live across online and offline media.

  • Swiggy smashes creative sixer this IPL season

    Swiggy smashes creative sixer this IPL season

    MUMBAI: Food ordering and delivery platform Swiggy has launched six relatable and witty television commercials this IPL season to celebrate two of India’s biggest passions — cricket and food.

    The multi-lingual campaign is conceptualised by Lowe Lintas, Bengaluru. Swiggy roped in seasoned cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle and former cricketer and commentator Aakash Chopra to lend their voices to the TVCs.

    The campaign highlights how Swiggy has changed consumers’ food-ordering habits with some of its unique differentiators such as ‘no minimum order’, ‘lightning fast delivery’ and ‘variety of restaurants’ to choose from. Considering the relevance of the campaign, apart from Hindi and English, the ads will be aired in Tamil, Kannada, Telugu and Bangla.

    Swiggy VP marketing Srivats TS says, “The IPL-themed advertisements are fun and intriguing to watch as they explore relatable scenarios that have made Swiggy a household name today. Whether it’s a married couple or a full-fledged party watching the big matches, the idea is to showcase Swiggy’s role in changing the way India eats, by bringing out the brand benefits in a likeable and engaging manner while delivering a full entertainment experience to millions of people and fans.”

    The TVCs have a simple storyline with minimal dialogues that cut straight to the chase. What makes them stand out is the execution including the comic expressions of the characters and the subtle yet smart interweaving of the spirit and sounds of the sport. It drives home the message that Swiggy is here to satisfy even the smallest of their consumer’s hunger pangs and food demands at lightning fast speeds. The TVCs are a right mix of consumer insight, targeting and product communication that is clutter-breaking and makes a mark. The films are directed by Abhinav Pratiman of Early Man Films.

    “Cricketing jargon has always been part of the popular lingo in India. What we’ve tried to do with this campaign is to present the brand’s benefits in a fun, light-hearted, everyday context with cricket commentary delightfully punctuating the life situations,” mentions Lowe Lintas chairman and CCO Arun Iyer.

    Besides the T20 in-game ad, the campaign will run on digital and across the brand’s social media platforms. Swiggy has also collaborated with Jordindian to create a couple of videos showcasing how cricket is best enjoyed with food ordered from the platform.

    At the start of the T20 cricket season, Swiggy launched Match Day Mania, a 51-day long food festival that offers discounts across 13000+ restaurants in the cities Swiggy operates in. This integrated campaign, apart from television is being promoted across print, radio, digital platforms, as well as in restaurants.

  • Axis Bank promotes forex card for overseas travel

    Axis Bank promotes forex card for overseas travel

    MUMBAI: Axis Bank has launched a digital campaign to create awareness about the convenience and safety of using Axis Bank forex cards over cash on foreign trips, enabling travellers to make the most of their experiences.

    The campaign’s communication is crafted in line with the bank’s priorities and communication strategy of depicting progressive mindsets.

    This campaign includes a series of short videos showcasing a modern day father–son relationship. Axis Bank strategised the campaign, leveraging consumer insights on how Indians have been increasingly taking overseas vacations and thereby underscoring the importance of creating further awareness about forex cards.

    The UN World Tourism Organisation in a report released in January 2018, predicted that India will account for 50 million outbound tourists by 2020. The report also quoted operators stating that at present around 25 million tourists from India travel abroad which implies that the number would double from the current levels within the next two years. To put things in perspective, around a decade back, only eight million Indians were travelling overseas.

    Axis Bank chief marketing officer Asha Kharga says, “We know that the predominant consumer behaviour is to carry cash, but doing so is inconvenient. One has to keep it safe, one has to look for money changers, the currency is unfamiliar and hence all these hassles come in the way of the holiday experience. Our forex cards addresses these functional barriers and we have showcased the same while being true to Axis Bank’s brand ethos of progressive mindsets.”

    Lowe Lintas chairman and chief creative officer Arun Iyer adds, “The idea was to show how holidays are more fun filled when you don’t have to worry about forex in cash. This was brought alive through a modern story of father-son, where the son gets his father to take a break from work and cash, two long ingrained habits he had. And to make it appeal to all kind of travellers, we decided to keep it real and warm.”

  • Tanishq celebrates love in latest ad as #LoveRemains

    Tanishq celebrates love in latest ad as #LoveRemains

    MUMBAI: The best occasion to talk about love is Valentine’s Day. Like every year, even this year, love will be celebrated once again with candies, marshmallows, soft toys, heart emojis, etc. But most often the true meaning of love is lost in this distraction. Jewellery brand Tanishq decided to do something touching.

    The film conceptualised by Lowe Lintas and directed by Gauri Shinde helps to give Valentine’s Day a whole new meaning. The film brings on camera, real people who had a relationship in the past to talk about their belief in love. A series of candid conversations made by corporate executives, artists, actors like Sandhya Mridul and Manav Kaul, hark back to their relationships and cherish what remains – love.

    As a brand that celebrates relationships, Tanishq, over the years, has always presented a very mature and progressive point of view on the subject of love. Be it the #Remarriage film, or the wedding film where the grandmother is joyfully mocking her granddaughter for not doing an intercaste marriage, the communication has always tried to break social stereotypes and portray more grown-up outlooks in communication.

    Tanishq AVP of marketing Deepika Tewari says, “In this new film we captured seven real love stories. In the journey of life, these people fell in love and each of their relationship has left behind something that they will cherish forever. These stories pull a heart string and evokes a strong sense of emotion and are very relevant and relatable especially today. Because whatever happens in the journey of life we would like people to keep celebrating love.”

    Lowe Lintas chairman and CCO Arun Iyer remarks adds, “On Valentine’s Day, everyone celebrates the beauty of love. But what about the difficult bits? It’s the ones who have seen this other side of love, that truly know what its like to be in it. We thought that Tanishq, a brand that has always shown the mature side of relationships; should not just celebrate the good parts of love, but also the sacrifices and hardships that make it stronger. It was a very difficult film to execute as everyone in the video is a friend or a friend of a friend, who is pouring his or her heart out on camera.”