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  • 7Up brings festive cheer to Tamil Nadu, launches limited edition packs ahead of Pongal

    7Up brings festive cheer to Tamil Nadu, launches limited edition packs ahead of Pongal

    Mumbai: Marking the celebrations for the auspicious harvest festival of Pongal in Tamil Nadu, 7Up has unveiled its all-new limited-edition festive packs featuring the quirky, curly-haired mascot Fido Dido.

    Pongal is widely celebrated in Tamil Nadu with people across the state marking the end of winters and expressing gratitude for a good harvest. The limited-edition 7Up packs are a tribute to the spirit of Pongal and take inspiration from the various elements that define the festival in its true essence. Right from the intricate art of Kolam to the use of sugarcane and pot to cook delicacies – the packs are a multi-faceted representation of all things Pongal.

    PepsiCo India senior marketing director Naseeb Puri said, “7Up is privileged to have been part of the rich Tamil Nadu culture, and this time, we really wanted to celebrate Pongal in a special way. The limited-edition packs are our endeavor to bring alive the festive spirit and add some freshness to the celebrations as people continue to stay home to mark the occasion this year.”

    The vibrant new Pongal-inspired labels will be used across 600 ml, one liter and 2.25-liter packs of 7Up and will be available across all modern trade outlets and select e-commerce channels. In a bid to spread the festive cheer across the state, the celebratory branding will also be showcased across hoardings and posters across public spots in select cities to engage the audiences, said the brand in a statement.

  • Akshay Kumar dons Superhero avatar in Policybazaar’s new campaign

    Akshay Kumar dons Superhero avatar in Policybazaar’s new campaign

    Mumbai: Policybazaar, insurance aggregator and leading fintech platform has roped in actor Akshay Kumar as its new superhero –‘Mr Policybazaar’ for its latest ad campaign.

    Claim settlement is considered a moment of truth and often, the process becomes a pain point for policyholders during a time of distress. Policybazaar aims to address this gap with its 30-minute claim assistance promise.  The campaign emphasises the significance of quick and effective assistance with insurance claims in the hour of need.

    The brand highlights its commitment of assisting people at every step of their insurance journey through the ad film which shows Mr Policybazaar assuring a wife anxious over admitting her husband to the hospital, saying, “Insurance claim ke time pe aapki help ke liye sirf 30 minute mein tayyar, main hoon Mr Policybazaar.”

    Policybazaar chief operating officer Sharat Dhall said, “We have been focussed on providing end-to-end assistance to our customers when it comes to the entire insurance journey – right from comparing policies, getting the best prices, to buying online and to claims support. We are excited to take this commitment to the next level with our new 30-minute claim assistance promise. With this campaign, we look forward to driving a strong consumer connection by building trust that Policybazaar will be there for you at the time you need it most.”  

    Talking about the campaign launch, Policybazaar’s VP and head of brand marketing, Samir Sethi said, “The fundamental objective of the campaign is to assure consumers that Policybazaar will always be there to help them with their insurance claims. Mr Policybazaar is the superhero manifestation of that promise. We are elated to have Akshay Kumar as Mr Policybazaar, as he is the perfect fit to take our message to the masses.” 

    Drawing attention to the brand’s larger message of providing social and financial security to all, the campaign also stresses the importance of purchasing health insurance. At a time when the deadly pandemic is gaining momentum yet again, health issues are soaring at an alarmingly high rate. Following some tough lessons and seeing medical inflation translating to skyrocketing bills, insurance is the only safety shield against it. 

  • #Retrace2021: Associating with marquee properties on TV helped us take a quantum leap on digital: Arjun Mohan

    #Retrace2021: Associating with marquee properties on TV helped us take a quantum leap on digital: Arjun Mohan

    The only ed-tech “to have a ‘donkey’ as its brand ambassador”, upGrad has been hitting all the right notes, starting from its eye-grabbing ‘Don’t lick ass, instead kick ass’ 2020 ad to its fortune-teller donkey ad in early 2021 to drive across its “Sirf Naam Ki Nahi, Kaam Ki Degree” messaging. Having achieved the desired impact with its former campaign, the edtech consciously shifted its brand positioning to ‘Fast Forwarding’ one’s career with upGrad’s online courses, ending the year with a striking print campaign that took on CAT, while also tackling with humor the perception of ‘online’ MBAs not being effective.

    The seven-year-old start-up, known to make full use of its marketing channels to amp up the reach has crossed a subscriber base of two million learners at last count, and the jump from one million to two million came about in approx. eight months.

    As the person at the helm of upGrad’s India operations, Arjun Mohan has steered the edtech unicorn and helped put it on an upward trajectory. An experienced industry professional, Mohan has worked across domains spanning sales, marketing, and product development for over 15 years.  Before upGrad, Mohan worked with edtech major Byju’s as marketing vice-president and later as the chief business officer (CBO). A gold medallist from IIM Kozhikode, Mohan has worked with brands like Titan and Tata services.

    In a free-wheeling conversation with IndianTelevision’s Anupama Sajeet, the upGrad India CEO Arjun Mohan talks about steering the edtech brand through a post-pandemic world and on the key marketing innovations adopted by the brand in the past year. He also shares his thoughts on being a ‘hardcore optimist’ and the trends that might dominate the edtech industry in 2022.

    Edited excerpts:

    On looking back at how the year 2021 fared for upGrad

    In a growing industry, every year is a good year. So, from a business perspective, 2021 was a good year as overall business metrics have been quite good. But it was pretty challenging considering the multiple waves of Covid which struck us – the lockdowns, the inconsistencies of when to come to the office, and the problems that our consumers were facing. As a result, decisions were getting delayed. But then it was these challenges that pushed us and I believe as a result of that we were able to carve out several good ideas on all three aspects of business i.e. products, sales, and marketing. Hence we were able to create an impact in the market.

    On key innovations adopted by the brand in 2021

    Yes, between 2020 and 2021, there have been a lot of changes in the way upGrad communicated. That change is a testimony to consumer behaviour, where the association between education being something ‘serious’ is a thing of the past. And that is why we positioned the brand differently.  We realised that learning, upskilling, lifelong learning- all these aspects are no longer constrained to a few. There are guys who want to learn, upskill, and constantly improve themselves but at the same time, they want to enjoy life. We started talking to our consumers in a lighter vein, started communicating with working professionals in a language they connected to.

    One of the initial communications we did was on office politics- on how one should stop bothering about office politics and focus on specialisations and upskilling that will take your career ahead. The second campaign we built upon was ‘Sirf naam ki nahi, kaam ki degree’. We continuously heard from customers that “we would definitely think of doing this course, par ye degree koi kaam ki honi chahiye.” In India, a degree is associated with – a better job, a promotion, a better salary, a future, and so on. So, we worked on those insights and repositioned the entire company into offering courses that will actually be life-changing. That’s where we moved to our positioning of ‘kaam ki degree’.

    In 2022, we moved into phase two of it. Rather than just talking about online learning, we started focusing more on the value proposition part of it- On how the upGrad course/ degree is better than whatever options you have in the market. Thus, if you see our communication, it has also been based on the life-changing impact that upGrad courses have, followed by two or three shorties or 15-second films where we talk about the USPs. This format has been really helping us with the consideration part and we have been seeing that the conversion on the lead has been on the uptick. So, if last year the donkey was the high point from an ‘awareness’ perspective, then this year the MBA campaigns we did focusing on the ‘value proposition’ – that would be the highlight which saw a lot of impact for us. That’s been a big change in 2021. 

    On launching campaigns sans any celebrity endorsements

    While we do joke about it that every edtech out there has a celebrity brand ambassador- Byju’s has a SRK, Great learning has Virat Kohli, now Vedaantu has got Aamir Khan- and we have a donkey (!), it’s not been a conscious decision. If at a point in time we feel we need a celebrity vehicle we would do that. Currently, we are at an early stage of our brand building and the aspect we have been focusing on, as well as the TG we are talking about, is very different. This is not for mass India; this is for a smart audience. We didn’t see working professionals as the right vehicle for getting a brand ambassador. Even if you look at who or what they follow on OTTs or YouTube platforms – the kind of influencers these people follow are not celebrities. They are very individualistic and iconoclastic in that they follow what they think is right- they don’t believe they need to follow the crowd. And that’s why we stuck to the basics and the donkey!

    On exploring influencer marketing and subsequent ad-spends

    The way we look at brand marketing is that there are three pillars- The first pillar for us is ‘Content’ which includes social etc. Then comes the ‘Mass media’ which is where the TV and Print comes in and finally the ‘PR’ and all other aspects.

    For Content- we focus a lot on the content creators: influencers on YouTube, Instagram, OTT platforms, etc because our TG, especially the knowledge worker who is in IT/ ITES follows this segment a lot. We have started by working with multiple content creators like BeYouNick, Dhruv Rathee, who are very popular with this TG. We work with them on bringing Upgrad into their content very organically.

    Apart from relying on other content creators, we have also started creating our own original content called ‘the office canteen’. This again revolves around the theme of office politics, along with BeYouNick and YouTube, Google and has been a big success for us (trending with ten mn views).

    On the brand’s ad spend across TV, digital and print

    When it comes to mass media like TV and Print, rather than a ‘spray and pray’ our strategy has been focused on large properties.  When we do it, we do it big because we want to work on those properties which have a huge reach. So, we worked on IPL, the Test championship, UEFA, Wimbledon, and such. You can also see the sports association- as sport is connected with winners and ambitions so that works for us. Even in newspapers, our ad was an impact ad. It was more like moment marketing in that we took a dig at CAT, saying ‘CAT is so yesterday’. So that’s the kind of ‘big bang’ approach we are taking with mass media.

    We do digital marketing all the time and we’ve our leaps coming at particular CPL (Cost per lead) and traffic coming with a particular threshold. I want these brand properties on mass media to be at a point where I’ll get a quantum leap on the digital side of it. We plan it in such a way that our traffic moves a threshold and comes to a new benchmark. That’s been our larger strategy.

    Digital is where we get to do direct marketing. And we keep using large-scale marketing properties to get quantum jumps. Because, the kind of scale these properties give, digital will take years to reach there. We are also seriously looking at OOH. We shall do a clinical campaign, once our TG is back in the office, by trying to focus on places where we know our TG is- for instance, an IT park- and then do BTL inside such premises along with hoardings etc.

    So, all of this mass marketing is important to us, and we have a way to measure their impact. For that matter, even ‘Shark Tank’, where we are the title sponsors, we are quite sure that is the direction large-scale mass media is moving into. Rather than doing a couple of ads in between programs, writing your brand into the story is what really works. So that’s something we have really worked on and we have big plans for the show.

    On rising competition in ed-tech space and strengthening their USP

    We have complete confidence in our product. This product took almost five years to develop after multiple iterations. We were always clear that if we are able to get our customer to at least try our product then we can change his/ her perspective and even convince them that online is better than offline. There has been a lot of influx but if you see what’s happening today is that the players with a strong product, and sales & marketing capability are finally emerging out of this. So, I feel the solution for us is just to have our ears to the ground and keep on listening to the customer and then be ready with a solution that they will love. And that’s what we have been doing with our products, sales and marketing.

    On upcoming plans for 2022

    I am a hardcore optimist so I am sure 2022 will be superb for the brand. We are very clear we want to be the largest integrated edtech in the higher education space (post K-12) across the globe. Our international operations, which we started in 2021, is panning out well. We have our offices in the US, APAC and India where we have set up our subsidiaries. Post-India, our focus market will be the US- we really want to crack that market. So really looking forward to 2022 when we can take this to the next level.

    On key trends that might dominate the industry this year

    I think most of the ed-tech players in the K-12 segment will ultimately stabilise with the hybrid model, wherein there’s an offline component to it and an online component. But in higher edtech I don’t see that happening. Higher online learning has gotten established as a clear option or a side-by-side alternative to what used to exist earlier offline. There’s a very clear value proposition that you can continue upskilling even when you are working: ‘Learn while you Earn’.

    Hence, I believe, online education will be the preferred mechanism, at least from a Masters-degree perspective in India. The majority of Indians do not do a Master’s today because they are not sure whether thereafter, they will be able to get a job with that kind of a package. Even from a NNation-building perspective it is important for a country like India, with such a young population that we have highly skilled people. That’s when the country’s economy will move to the next level.

    Also, as we keep getting feedback from our learners, there has to be some social component to even online learning. So we are working to build a social module where learners can share their ideas, meet their lecturers, and have a session offline also. So that’s the way we see it and we will keep improving on it in 2022.

  • GUEST COLUMN: Brand Positioning in FMCG sector is more than just good packaging, logos

    GUEST COLUMN: Brand Positioning in FMCG sector is more than just good packaging, logos

    Mumbai: The FMCG sector happens to be one of the toughest and volatile categories to succeed, often regarded as modern branding’s birthplace. The FMCG market in India was valued at $110 billion in 2020. The overall market size of FMCG had nearly tripled as compared to 2012. Furthermore, by 2025, the market is expected to grow to 220 billion dollars.

    There are numerous brands in India catering their products to millions of people across the country and generating immense capital. However, to become recognised as a household brand, it takes a lot more than just good packaging and ‘nice’ logos. Brand positioning needs synchronised efforts of different moving parts to create a perception in the marketplace that drives the business forward. 

    What is Brand Positioning?

    Brand positioning in simple words can be defined as the place a brand wants to own in the target audience’s mind. It’s about identifying, exploring and refining the distinctiveness of a brand through an effective positioning strategy. The most important aspect of positioning the brand is that it allows a company to be distinct from its competitors which helps communicate value, increase brand awareness and justify the pricing. All these factors impact the bottom line in a significant way.

    Strategies that Act as Allies to Brand Positioning Efforts

    Successful brands incorporate different strategies to create authentic customer experiences around their products. These brands provide their target audiences with a compelling reason to buy through effective communication and reaching out to them. While deciding to position the brand in the marketplace, there are certain strategies that can be adopted to stay ahead in the race and drive towards increasing consumer engagement.

    Creating Brand Loyalty

    At the heart of every successful FMCG company lies returning customers. This is especially true for the FMCG segment where products are usually consumed frequently and quickly. For long-term success, brand loyalty is critical that helps ensure consumers become tunnel-visioned concerning a brand. To drive brand loyalty, many companies make the mistake of competing alone on price. It is important to understand that consumers aren’t just looking for the cheapest products. Typically, they look for the right blend of value and quality. Value is not only about price but involves a complex mix of the brand promise, brand culture, brand values, corporate social responsibility, customer experience, etc. that all add up to enhance the perceived brand value.

    Aligning with the Needs of the Target Audience

    While this may sound odd but to become a household brand, it is desirable to be appealing to the right target audience instead of a broader audience. Apart from knowing the market, competitors, the sector’s environment intimately and understanding what the ideal customer wants, it is also essential to know how the offering can enhance their lives. It’s only when there is a proper understanding of the consumer needs, loves, hates and aspirations that companies can craft a focused and concise brand message that cuts through the noise. In the present age, customers are bombarded with messages from multiple channels throughout the day. The challenge is to put forward the right message, on target to grab their attention, at the right time and then, most importantly, to hold that attention. Companies can develop a customer avatar that they can use to underpin their brand’s proposition and profile. The brand should indicate why and how it’ll meet the consumer needs and that it understands what really matters for the audience.

    Evolving with Time

    The FMCG market is undergoing constant evolvement and brands need to be flexible to be at par with the changing times. Successful brands quickly recognize trends and act on them with shifts in strategy that helps them to stay relevant and meet market requirements over the years. With increasing digital media consumption, the evolution of business models and proliferation in internet connectivity, FMCG companies have vast opportunities to create value by leveraging digital media across the value chain to drive the effectiveness of operations and efficiency. However, there is a thin line between incorporating new trends and staying relevant versus losing sight of what the brand stands for. Instead of ‘muddying the waters’ with an excessive range of confusing brand messages, brands must always remain true to the core of what they stand for.

    (Dawinder Pal is head of marketing at Bikano. The views expressed in this column are personal and Indiantelevision.com may not subscribe to them.)

  • Winners of 2021 Indian Telly Adz Awards announced

    Winners of 2021 Indian Telly Adz Awards announced

    Mumbai: Successful advertising campaigns cannot only power up the brand, but they can stir emotions, and leave a long-lasting impact on viewers, who remember them for years to come. The last few decades have witnessed the launch of some brilliant campaigns, that have now become a part of everyone’s memories.

    It is this incredible talent that Indiantelevision.com attempted to recognise at the Indian Telly Adz Awards 2021. After a rigorous selection process that continued for months, the final list of the winners was announced at a virtual event, here on Friday. Among the winners are agencies and brands that executed some of the most iconic campaigns for Television, and celebrated TV as a proud medium of communication.

    Here are the winners:

    CATEGORY

    WINNERS

    Best Brand Collaboration with FTA Channel

    First Virtual Auditions for Crime Show – QYOU Media (The Q)

     

    Best Brand Collaboration with Kids Channel

    Disney Imagine That x Byju’s – Disney India

     

    Best Brand Collaboration with Movies Channel

    Star Gold Pay Online Campaign Star Gold – Star India

     

    Best Brand Collaboration with Sports Channel

    Mallakhamb Promotional Film, Tokyo 2020 – Mallakhamb – being Creative LLP

     

    Best Brand Collaboration with GEC Channel (Hindi)

    Tata Intra (Badle Soch Badle Zindagi) Network Integration on Sony – Tata Motors – Sony Pictures Networks India

     

    Best Brand Collaboration with GEC Channel (Hindi)

    Bingo! Comedy Adda – Season 1 – Disney Star India

     

    Best Brand Collaboration with GEC Channel (Bengali)

    Explore the “Joy of Cooking” with Fortune – Adani Wilmar – DDB Mudra Max

     

    Best Brand Collaboration with GEC Channel (Bengali)

    Mithai Launch Campaign – Zee Bangla – Zee Entertainment

     

    Best Brand Collaboration with GEC Channel (Marathi)

    Exo Bar connected with the genuine Home Minister – Jyothy Laboratories – OMD Mudramax (DDB Mudra Group)

     

    Best Brand Collaboration with GEC Channel (Malayalam)

    Nestle Munch Onam Campaign – Nestle India – Disney Star India

     

    Best Brand Collaboration with News Channel

    NDTV Dettol Banega Swasth India, Season 7 – Dettol – Reckitt Benckiser – New Delhi Television Pvt Ltd

     

    Special Award Best Brand Collaboration with News Channel – Editor’s choice for choosing News as a medium in 2020-21

    Dabur India Ltd

    Starcom

     

    Best Brand Collaboration with News Channel (editor’s choice)

    Be a Bijli Donor – Luminous – New Delhi Television

     

    Best Brand Collaboration with News Channel (editor’s choice)

    Gulf Suraksha Bandhan Season 3.0 in partnership with TV9 – Gulf Oil Lubricants India Ltd – OMD Mudramax (DDB Mudra Group)

     

    Most Iconic TV Campaigns of All Time

    Don’t Worry, It’s Bisleri – Bisleri – 82.5 Communications

     

    Most Iconic TV Campaigns of All Time

    #NayeRishteNayeVaade – Vedant Fashions Limited – Shreyansh Innovations

     

    Most Iconic TV Campaigns of All Time

    #TaiyaarHokarAaiye – Vedant Fashions – Shreyansh Innovations

     

    Most Iconic TV Campaigns of All Time

    Zubaan Pe Sach, Dil Mein India (Sach Dikhate Hai Hum) – NDTV

     

    Most Iconic TV Campaigns of All Time

    Hari Sadu – Info Edge Media – FCB ULKA

     

    Most Iconic TV Campaigns of All Time

    Doodh Doodh – Amul (GCMMF) – FCB ULKA

     

    Most Iconic TV Campaigns of All Time

    Zee Bangla Mother’s Day Campaign 2021 – Zee Entertainment

     

    Most Iconic TV Campaigns of All Time

    Asli swaad zindagi ka – Mondelez International

     

    Most Iconic TV Campaigns of All Time

    Surf Excel & Puddlewar– Daag Ache Hain – Unilever

     

    Most Iconic TV Campaigns of All Time

    Ariel #ShareTheLoad – Procter & Gamble

     

    Most Iconic TV Campaigns of All Time

    Google Search: Reunion – Google India

     

    Most Iconic TV Campaigns of All Time

    Mumbai Mirror – I am Mumbai – The Times Group

     

    Most Iconic TV Campaigns of All Tim

    Gale me khich khich, Vicks ki goli lo! – Procter & Gamble

     

    Most Iconic TV Campaigns of All Time

    The Dot – Essence of NDTV – NDTV

     

    Most Iconic TV Campaigns of All Time

    Star Movies Select: Brand Campaign – Star India

     

    Most Iconic TV Campaigns of All Time

    Oscars 2017 campaign – Star India

     

    Most Iconic TV Campaigns of All Time

    Surf Excel Lalitaji – Unilever

     

    Most Iconic TV Campaigns of All Time

    Washing Powder Nirma – Nirma

     

    Most Iconic TV Campaigns of All Time

    Onida Devil – Onida Electronics

     

    Most Iconic TV Campaigns of All Time

    Raymond – The Complete Man

     

    Most Iconic TV Campaigns of All Time

    Fevikwik Fishing – Pidilite Industries

     

    Most Iconic TV Campaigns of All Time

    Hamara Bajaj- Bajaj Auto

     

    Most Iconic TVCampaigns of All Time

    ‘La, lalala, la, la, la – Liril – Liril – Hindustan Unilever

     

    Most Iconic TV Campaigns of All Time

    Vodafone Zoo Zoo – Vodafone Idea

     

    Most Iconic TV Campaigns of All Time

    Karram Kurram – Shri Mahila Griha Udyog Lijjat Papad

     

    Most Iconic TV Campaigns of All Time

    I love you Rasna – Rasna

     

    Most Iconic TV Campaigns of All Time

    Mauka mauka – Star Sports – Star India

     
     

  • Eggoz appoints Samarth Wadhwa as head of marketing

    Eggoz appoints Samarth Wadhwa as head of marketing

    Mumbai: Eggoz, a Gurgaon-based integrated farmer egg brand has appointed Samarth Wadhwa as the company’s new head of marketing.

    Wadhwa carries nine years of experience in marketing, brand management, product promotions, and digital marketing. The company termed the appointment as a strategic move to capitalise on its recent success and the vision to grow. Wadhwa will be responsible for directing the marketing function and defining the short-term and long-term strategies of the brand, it said in a statement.

    Eggoz co-founder Abhishek Negi said, “Samarth is an expert in the field of marketing as well as a strategic thinker. He provides a varied set of abilities and a wealth of expertise to help Eggoz expand in India. His enthusiasm and dedication to his work will be invaluable in helping Eggoz shape and develop new opportunities.”

    Wadhwa oversaw Brand and Digital Marketing roles at Ford India and Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India before joining EGGOZ. He has completed his bachelor’s degree in Computer Applications from Bharati Vidyapeeth University Institute of Management & Research in New Delhi, as well as an MBA in Marketing and Finance from the same institution.

    “It is an honor to be a part of EGGOZ, the first consumer-focused and integrated farmer egg brand in India, and promote their mission of supplying chemical-free eggs fully integrated from farms in every corner of India. I am confident that EGGOZ’s products, services, and strategies will quickly propel it to the top of India’s business landscape,” said Wadhwa.

  • Paytm’s latest campaign is all about treating women with respect

    Paytm’s latest campaign is all about treating women with respect

    Mumbai: Paytm, mobile payments & financial services company has teamed up with Dentsu Impact – a dentsuMB company & the creative agency from dentsu India to roll out a thought-provoking campaign about treating women with respect.

    The digital film released as part of the campaign drives the message, through a relatable scenario that women find themselves in during New Year parties. There are times, when random men try to buy unsolicited drinks for women – a practice often seen in bars and pubs. The new campaign offers a refreshing take on it, with a message on respecting women. The film also takes forward Paytm’s belief to be an enabler for women’s financial autonomy and builds on a similar social experiment film, launched by Dentsu Impact on Women’s Day in 2021 – The Divide.

    With the onset of this campaign, Paytm sparks a conversation about rethinking what treating women with respect actually means through a day-to-day scenario. It also paves the way for women to be more in control of such difficult social situations while staying completely secure.

    Dentsu Impact national creative director and managing partner Anupama Ramaswamy said, “Giving it back, by paying it back makes the intent of this campaign palpable for both women and men. The New Year campaign demonstrates how it pays to challenge the conventions of how we think of finance and gender. And any challenge to the traditional way of accepting things makes the brand and the message it conveys modern and aspirational, striking a chord especially with a younger generation.”

  • HiveMinds appoints Saurabh Tyagi as chief client officer

    HiveMinds appoints Saurabh Tyagi as chief client officer

    Mumbai: HiveMinds- Bengaluru-based digital specialist unit of Madison World has appointed Saurabh Tyagi to lead its enterprise clients. Tyagi was previously working in Madison Media Omega as Vice President.

    A seasoned media professional with has over 18 years of experience across India & South-East Asia, Tyagi has worked on brands like Unilever, Nestle, Titan, Vodafone in his stints across Publicis, Group M, and Madison Media. He has played diverse roles including media planning across offline & online, content strategy, and client servicing.

    HiveMinds founder and CEO Jyothirmayee JT said, “We’ve delivered results for our clients based on our digital prowess and innovation. With Saurabh’s experience, we can now further partner with clients in thinking beyond digital marketing and work towards comprehensive marketing and growth strategy. He has joined us at a time when digital transformation is at its peak in India and we’re expanding all-around – in teams, in new geographies, and in clients across industries. His experience across esteemed brands and international markets will power our growth in the coming years”.

    Madison World chairman Sam Balsara said, “In today’s scenario, the real value we can deliver to our clients is the combination of media insights gained over decades, delivered through new media channels. With Saurabh’s movement, we can confidently assure our clients of delivering a holistic digital media strategy.”

    Commenting on his new role, Tyagi said “Digital media has changed the rules of the game. Brands are ready to partner with agencies that bring innovation and agility to the table. I am happy to be joining this high-energy team and look forward to delivering value to our clients”.

  • Tata CLiQ Luxury partners with bigbasket to launch a luxury gourmet store

    Tata CLiQ Luxury partners with bigbasket to launch a luxury gourmet store

    Mumbai: TATA Group’s e-commerce brands, Tata CLiQ Luxury- luxury lifestyle platform, and online supermarket – bigbasket have teamed up to launch and grow the luxury gourmet store on Tata CLiQ Luxury.

    The platform is offering a curated selection of products from a wide assortment of global and Indian luxury gourmet brands and categories across select staples and specialty categories, it announced on Tuesday.

    The brand is promising to provide a luxury gourmet experience to customers’ doorstep at the click of a button, with authentic products and fine ingredients in premium packaging on the same day or the next day. To begin with, this is being rolled out in Mumbai, and in the coming months, the platform will expand its reach for the gourmet store to cities like New Delhi, Bangalore, and other tier-I cities.

    The assortment on the platform currently includes cereals, chocolates, biscuits, beverages, cooking oils, dry fruits, sauces, spreads, dips, pasta, soups, noodles, baking ingredients, and more from premium and luxury gourmet brands.

    Tata CLiQ business head- global luxury Gitanjali Saxena said, “Gourmet enthusiasts look forward to a holistic shopping experience and are increasingly shopping online. This has encouraged us to launch a dedicated store that offers a diverse selection of the finest international and Indian gourmet brands, curated with the utmost attention to quality. As a platform, we will inspire and educate our valued and discerning consumers on gourmet and lifestyle options and provide an unmatched online luxury shopping experience.”

    bigbasket group category head Vishal Das said, “In addition to showcasing the width and quality of bigbasket’s gourmet range, this platform also will serve as an opportunity to address the ever-evolving lifestyle needs of the modern Indian consumer.”

    The editorial-led store will also educate consumers not only about the origins of the delicacy but also about the numerous methods in which a product or an ingredient can be cooked, thus inspiring them to experiment with cuisines. It will cover everything, right from the time of gourmet food purchase, its preparation, delivery, and presentation, to how to consume and host it, as per the statement.

  • #Retrace2021: Cautious optimism will drive industry growth in 2022

    #Retrace2021: Cautious optimism will drive industry growth in 2022

    Mumbai: The year 2021 saw work-life turning 360 degrees for former Havas media India boss Anita Nayyar, as she joined Patanjali Ayurved as COO- Media & Communications, after a year-long stint with Zee5 as head of customer strategy and relations.

    An industry veteran with over three decades of experience, Nayyar has managed many portfolios of brands across sectors. She has played leadership roles in several media and advertising agencies including Saatchi & Saatchi, Ogilvy & Mather, Initiative Media, MediaCom, and Starcom Worldwide. Nayyar spent the longest tenure at Havas – the agency she joined in 2007 as chief executive of the India operations. Under her aegis, the agency grew exponentially and expanded its offerings as an integrated communications group. She subsequently headed Havas Media Southeast Asia (SEA) in addition to her role as CEO of Havas Media.  

    As the year draws to a close, Indiantelevision.com, got into a freewheeling conversation with Anita Nayyar about her big professional move in 2021, leading the media and communications strategy at Patanjali Ayurved, and outlook on industry’s growth as we enter 2022.

    Edited excerpts:

    On looking back at 2021 and her transition from Zee5 to Patanjali

    I spent over 30 years working with agencies and publishers. After so many years on the agency side, I thought I had done my bit. Plus, the monotony tends to set in. So, it’s good to learn something new from the other side of the table. That’s how Zee5 happened. On the whole, I have worked with advertising agencies, media agencies, publishing platforms, as well as new-age digital platforms like Zee5. So when Patanjali came in, I thought it’s a good opportunity to do a full circle and explore all aspects of advertising, marketing, and communication. So to that extent, I feel it completes my circle in the industry.

    On how the year was for Patanjali as a brand, and her priorities when she joined the company in July

    Patanjali is one of those aggressive Indian brands, which has galloped its way through to the top in the Indian FMCG industry. When I took over as the COO for media branding and communication, the idea was to oversee all the strategies that are happening in their advertising domain, how they are progressing and what is it that we can do better. It was interesting to see their (Baba Ramdev and Acharya Balkrishna) vision. Sometimes, it’s even difficult to match up to the speed at which their vision for the company goes- both in the Wellness, fitness, and the Ayurveda sector. Also, the fight that they are bringing to the table for the MNCs in the FMCG category. Patanjali Ayurveda, along with Ruchi Soya, is the second-largest FMCG brand in the country.

    On any key innovation that the brand brought in this year

    The company is constantly innovating, in terms of the categories and areas they have entered in over the years. Like IT solutions or Agri sciences for example and this foresight of acquiring Ruchi Soya. The brand has kept up with the times, even by propagating the fact that they are ‘swadeshi’ as well as ‘Make in India’ initiatives. So innovation, to my mind, is the core of this brand. We have recently launched a Nutrela nutraceutical range of supplements, that’s the new category that Patanjali along with Ruchi Soya has entered into. And it’s interesting as there aren’t too many players in this segment and the fact that people have become very conscious about their health and wellness, especially in the last two years.

    On any changes in the brand’s media strategy in 2021

    This past year has fared fairly well for the brand because we have strategically invested in some high-impact properties. As a brand, we have been highly visible on the news channels and we have done a lot of GECs as well, and as such, there’s a tremendous amount of reach and awareness for the category. New marketing campaigns are on and we are in the process of working on our annualised spend and strategies, so let’s see how that goes.

    On looking ahead to 2022 and expectations for the brand

    We are cautiously optimistic. In businesses, when there’s recovery, optimism is the core. If you aren’t optimistic how will you take risks and move forward? That applies to life in general. But, if I were to wrap up my expectations for the brand in a single word, it’s ‘growth’. That is what every organisation’s looking for and we specifically do so, because we want to bridge the gap between the number one in the industry. And we are getting there. In the media branding and communications domain, I want to maximise the return on investment (ROI) that we are doing in the media industry.

    On key industry trends that might dominate next year

    The past year has certainly fast-paced the digital transformation of companies, whether it was entertainment, online shopping, or the use of digital platforms to connect with other people. It was anyways slated to grow between 25-30 per cent earlier also, the needle just moved quicker now. To my mind, next year we will see a healthy mix of both TV and digital and each medium plays an important role, depending on what the objectives are. TV, of course, remains the mainstay because of its reach and low CPMs (Cost per Thousands) that it offers.

    Print was badly hit during the pandemic. It is doing a little better, but still nowhere close to where they were pre-pandemic as yet. Outdoor is back and Cinema is also showing signs of recovery, depending on the titles that are playing.

    Each medium today has a role to play from that aspect and we use them for their attributes. So I think overall for the media industry and, as per industry reports too, there should be a growth of 12-16 per cent in the media & advertising industry, which given the situation is not a bad thing. 

    On any personal learnings that she will take into the next year

    My personal learning may sound a little clichéd, but it was very important for me to explore other areas and not remain stuck to a particular area of expertise. It’s when you try to explore other fields that you know what your proficiencies are. Every domain that I’ve worked in has given me immense learning. So, it’s a good check for one to constantly keep trying newer opportunities and opening up newer avenues for one’s own learning. If you continue to explore newer domains, it just keeps adding to your professional and personal growth as well.