ITV

Tag: Cheil

  • Saksham Kohli hops over to FCB India as president of new venture

    Saksham Kohli hops over to FCB India as president of new venture

    GURGAON: Saksham Kohli has landed at FCB India as president of FCB NEO, marking the end of a nearly seven-year stint at Cheil Worldwide where he shepherded Samsung’s flagship mobile campaigns.

    The move, announced this month, sees Kohli swapping his associate vice-president perch at Cheil—where he orchestrated integrated campaigns for Samsung’s mobile portfolio and ecosystem products—for the top job at FCB’s new venture.

    At Cheil since 2019, Kohli climbed from director of client services to associate vice-president, spending his final months managing full-funnel marketing strategies that blended creative, digital and media. Before that, he put in three years at Ogilvy, steering brands including Perfetti Van Melle, Pernod Ricard India, BMW Mini and Dupont through 40-odd large-scale integrated campaigns.

    His advertising pedigree includes a two-and-a-half-year spell at FCB Global (2013-2016) handling Whirlpool’s India operations, plus stints at McCann on Aircel, Ogilvy & Mather on KFC India, Publicis on Beam Global Spirits & Wine, and BBDO India on Wrigley’s and Hewlett Packard.

    Kohli’s pitch: marketing that starts with understanding people and ends with measurable impact. Whether FCB Neo delivers on that promise remains to be seen—but with a Samsung-sized portfolio under his belt, he’s certainly had the practice.

  • Anuj Gupta climbs the media ladder, takes charge as sr vice president at Havas Media Network

    Anuj Gupta climbs the media ladder, takes charge as sr vice president at Havas Media Network

    MUMBAI: Media maven Anuj Gupta has stepped into the big league as sr. vice president at Havas Media Network, marking another high in a 20-year career that’s seen him steer some of the country’s top media accounts.

    Gupta, who was previously vice president at Havas, has been part of the agency since 2021, helping shape strategy, planning and buying across marquee brands. His promotion is a nod to his deep-rooted expertise and consistent delivery in the ever-evolving world of media.

    He’s no stranger to the circuit, having spent time at DDB Mudra, Starcom Mediavest, Carat, Cheil, and Maxus. Whether it was launching Reliance Big TV, shaping the media story for Samsung’s white goods, or rolling out Nokia’s telecom blitz, Gupta has worn the strategist’s hat with flair.

    Known for turning consumer insights into sharp, actionable media playbooks, he blends old-school rigour with new-age digital agility. Over the years, he’s mastered media mix modelling, cross-platform integration, competitive analysis, and ROI-driven planning.

    Now, with Havas doubling down on India’s growth engine, Gupta’s elevation signals a sharper focus on full-funnel media strategy. As he gears up for the next chapter, one thing’s clear – this VP knows how to turn impressions into impact.

  • Aman Rawat joins Creativeland Asia as executive creative director

    Aman Rawat joins Creativeland Asia as executive creative director

    MUMBAI: Creativeland Asia (CLA) has appointed Aman Rawat as its new executive creative director. Based in the Delhi office, Rawat brings extensive experience in brand storytelling, technology, and new-age media.

    “Rawat’s expertise in blending brand narratives with cutting-edge tech aligns perfectly with CLA’s vision,” said CLA group chief creative officer Azazul Haque. “His work at Mediamonks and beyond makes him a valuable addition to our leadership.”

    Rawat has worked with top agencies, including Grasshoppers, Digitas LBi, Cheil, Wunderman, and Repindia, and has led successful campaigns for brands like Booking.com, MTV, Tata Tea Gold, and Maruti. His portfolio spans major names such as Poco, Canon, Durex, Pringles, Tinder, and Amazon.

    Rawat said, “For me, creativity is more than a process it’s a way of being. I look forward to pushing boundaries and contributing to CLA’s legacy of excellence.”

    This appointment comes as CLA expands its presence in Delhi, focusing on AI, data analytics, and digital transformation to craft high-impact, result-driven campaigns.

  • Is AI becoming a better friend to the youth than humans: Cheil India’s new report

    Is AI becoming a better friend to the youth than humans: Cheil India’s new report

    Mumbai: Artificial Intelligence is dawning a new digital age, and the Indian youth are leading the charge, reveals a new report by Cheil India. The report, titled ‘Generation AI – Exploring the dual role of AI in Indian youths’ lives and its implications for brands, dives deep into AI usage by Gen Z students (aged 16 to 25) in India, covering their academic and personal uses of AI tools on an everyday basis. It includes quantitative and qualitative research findings from over 1200 students across the country.

    Cheil SWA president and CEO Limseob Chung said, “Over 68 per cent of the youth have a more positive perception of AI now than last year. Brands must adapt to this new reality where LLMs are the new best friends that the youth seek advice from. The caution regarding AI adoption is giving way to more optimism as the once-sceptics are turning into super users.”

    “We found 73 different usage scenarios for AI and this is just the tip of an iceberg yet to emerge” said Cheil SWA COO Sanjeev Jasani. “While it’s no surprise that more students are motivated to utilise AI for learning purposes, their personal uses are way more varied and interesting, ranging from daily life hacks to creativity to connecting with others.”

    Cheil India chief strategy officer Sourav Ray explained, “AI plays two roles: as the Liberator in academics, freeing students from the constraints of traditional education, and as the Conqueror in personal life, helping the youth seize new opportunities and face their fears.”

    AI as the liberator from traditional education

    On the academic side, there are six segments of AI usage by the youth:

    1. Troubleshooter: 33 per cent of students use AI to solve academic problems, mainly male students in schools and undergraduate studies. This liberation from academic grunt work is being sought majorly by around 54 per cent male students.

    2. Automator: 16 per cent automate school work and assignments, focusing more on co-curricular activities. This segment consists largely of college and university students.

    3. Instructor: 77 per cent believe AI enables self-paced learning, acting as a non-judgmental, tireless private tutor. Students appreciate this freedom to learn at their own pace.

    4.    Navigator: 15 per cent use AI as a scheduler or time-manager, especially before exams. STEM (29 per cent) and Business (27 per cent) students are the most common users in this segment.

    5. Explorer: Eight per cent use LLMs to explore new topics outside their current field of study, seeing AI as a career counsellor and guide.

    6. Mentor: Six per cent use AI as a co-builder of new ideas or ventures, they are mostly STEM (31 per cent) and Business (24 per cent) students. This segment is not just using AI; they are also creating future applications and businesses around AI.

    AI as the conqueror in personal life

    Gen Z has found an ally in AI, which shape-shifts into trusted confidants, creative collaborators, and relationship coaches. The 5 segments identified are:

    1. Genie: 31 per cent use AI for daily life hacks, from suggesting home décor tips to travel itineraries.

    2. Savant: 31 per cent expect AI to provide expert advice, replacing visits to specialists. This includes medical diagnosis, legal advice, astrology, make-up tips, coding help, and more.

    3. Co-creator: Many use AI as creative partners, generating inspiration for ideas or bringing those ideas to life with simple prompts. The most commonly used AI creative tool is Canva, followed by other tools like Designs.AI, Adobe Firefly, Figma and DallE.

    4. Wingman: Eight per cent seek AI’s help in social situations, particularly introverts or youth with social anxiety. This segment has 54 per cent male users, who are primarily residing in Metros.

    5. Buddy: While 72 per cent believe AI will soon understand them better than many people, there are few who are using it to conquer loneliness (11 per cent). This segment actively seeks a friend or a therapist in AI, discussing personal issues or having intimate conversations. The report calls this “human-machine symbiosis” once only shown in sci-fi movies, but now happening in real life.

     

    The flipside: A cautionary tale of over-dependence on AI

    However, not everything is rosy in ‘AI-land’. The report also highlights the rising concerns among the youth. 41 per cent fear that overdependence on AI will reduce creative or critical thinking skills. Nearly 40 per cent doubt the quality of AI-generated outputs, calling them too generic or superficial. In academic spheres, while there is broader acceptance of AI in everyday learning, 56 per cent still hold the conventional view that using AI is a form of cheating.

    If AI is affecting the way we think independently, the question, therefore is: Will the famous Descartes quote “cogito ergo sum” still hold true in the age of AI?

    How should brands navigate this new AI world order

    The report also provides specific insights for brand builders and business leaders on navigating the future:

    1.  High-involvement experiences: Brands need to understand the level of AI involvement among youth before creating AI-enabled solutions. The report shows how the needle needs to move from ‘transactional exchanges’ in low-involvement users to ‘relational experiences’ in highly-involved ones.

    2.  To each their own brand: Customers are becoming so AI-dependent that their purchase journeys are beginning with a prompt. Brands might soon need to achieve AI-enabled hyper-personalization, creating distinctive new identities and offerings for each consumer.

    3.  Brands as AI: Brands that have traditionally focused on building a personality over time need to now start thinking about ‘brand personification’. Future consumers will prefer interacting with brands as if they are friends or mentors. Imagine a 16-year-old asking Nike about weight loss or asking Dove about building confidence. This might be the right time to start developing “brand LLMs”.

    4.  Empathy is the key: AI solutions must act with empathy, addressing human vulnerabilities to either liberate youth from their issues or help them conquer new frontiers. The question every brand need to ask is: What will we as a brand do with AI that either liberates or conquers?

  • Aakash Educational Services appoints Yuvraj Singh as brand ambassador

    Aakash Educational Services appoints Yuvraj Singh as brand ambassador

    MUMBAI: Aakash Educational Services (AESL), has appointed ace cricketer Yuvraj Singh as its brand ambassador. The cricketer will promote the company and its various brands including Aakash Institute, Aakash IIT-JEE, Aakash Digital and Meritnation. As the face of Aakash, Yuvraj Singh will lead the brand's latest omni-channel 'Success is Waiting' campaign for Aakash Digital. 

    The ‘Success is Waiting’ campaign, conceptualised in partnership with Cheil India, the creative agency of AESL, will be for students re-appearing for medical and engineering entrance examinations. It intends to inspire such students to give it another shot and will be visible through the digital medium.  

    Yuvraj was the ideal fit to drive home the message effectively as the company needed an inspiring comeback story of a sportsperson, with the core messaging of ‘come back stronger’. With Cricket being the most widely followed sports in the country, the communication has been designed around the comeback story of Yuvraj Singh. He has been an inspirational figure for many Indians, first through his successful cricketing career, then his battle with cancer and his inspirational comeback and now with his humanitarian initiatives.  

    Read more news on Aakash Educational Services

    Commenting on the collaboration with Yuvraj Singh, Aakash Educational Services director and CEO Aakash Chaudhry said, “We are pleased to make Yuvraj Singh a part of the Aakash Family. We believe that every student gives their best shot during these critical examinations but we also acknowledge the fact that one does not taste success every time. We want to make the students understand that we not only stand with them in their struggle but also understand their weaknesses and are ready to work on them with the support of the aspirants. Striding on Yuvraj’s popularity amongst the youngsters and his path breaking success story and inspiring comeback, we are sure that he will inculcate the route to celebrate failure while bouncing back with all the more determination, strength and focus.” 

    The film unfolds as a long walk with Yuvraj Singh capturing the protagonist’s highs and lows in lives. At relevant moments, he walks past a set of cricket stumps uprooted, past trophies and medals, past pictures of his fans screaming for his autograph, newspaper headlines that speak of his not being part of the team, etc. Interspersed with the shots, we see school kids studying, looking into a mirror with determination or at times looking unsure. The film motivates the students to resume their journey on the path of success with renewed vigour. 

    Yuvraj Singh said, “I connect with Aakash as they train students to never give up and offer a helping hand to them in cracking such tough entrance exams. The theme of the film too in a way mirrors the journey of my life. I have faced many ups and downs. Through the film I want to tell the students that when the world calls you a failure, you call yourself a success. Find a coach who will have more faith in you than he would have in himself. And I assure you that once that happens, there is no looking back.”  

    Owing to the current scenario and shorter preparation cycle available to the repeaters, digital format is the most preferred medium amongst students. With the strong pedagogy of Aakash Institute in test preparation coupled with the superior digital capabilities, Aakash Digital stands out amongst the masses.  

    Aakash Institute aims to help students in their quest to achieve academic success. It has a centralized in-house process for curriculum and content development and faculty training and monitoring, led by its National Academic Team. Over the years, students from AESL have shown proven selection track record in various Medical & Engineering entrance exams and competitive exams such as NTSE, KVPY, and Olympiads. 

  • OgilvyOne hires Shukla who feels like a kid on his first date!

    OgilvyOne hires Shukla who feels like a kid on his first date!

    MUMBAI: OgilvyOne Worldwide India has appointed Sidharth Shukla as its new vice president and head of office for OgilvyOne Worldwide Delhi.

    OgilvyOne Worldwide India president Vikram Menon said, “Sidharth with his many years of experience across digital, strategy, analytics, CRM and Direct Marketing has exactly what we’re looking for in someone to lead OgilvyOne Delhi forward.”

    Shukla excels in digital and social planning and led a large team of digital planners and social media professionals leading projects for high volume prestigious brands, responsible for developing the vision, strategy and execution of their campaigns. He was also responsible for the development and execution and of the overall digital and social strategy for Samsung’s Note 5 and S7.

    As the national head for digital and digital strategy at MRM / McCann for close to four years, he was additionally responsible for leading and driving P&L across a portfolio of priority accounts and spearheading projects in the space of CRM, Direct Marketing and B2B marketing. More recently he has spent the past few years driving larger organization agendas such as digital expertise, thought leadership, integration, new business acquisitions winning accounts such as Bata, Adidas, HCL Healthcare, Logitech, UC Browser.

    Ogilvy Group North president and branch head Kapil Arora, “OgilvyOne Delhi is a young, spunky and inspiring place to be at. And I’m glad we have a leader of Sidharth’s experience, talent and drive to harness that energy, toward creating class leading work that works, for our clients. Together with Sidharth and creative lead Abhishek Gupta’s partnership, expect a lot more action from this part of the country.”

    With 14 years work experience behind him at agencies such as McCann, Timesjobs, Indian Express, Cheil and Tyroo: Quasar, Shukla is well poised to enhance OgilvyOne’s already existing strengths in the Northern part of its India network.

    Shukla asserted, “Like a kid going on his first date! I am truly looking forward to working with OgilvyOne, given the credentials it holds but also the challenges it presents. Most agencies face the same issues for the most part, and while it has barely been a week at OgilvyOne, I have observed that the people, system and culture are primed to take these challenges head on – it will be loads of fun to lead that. My objective is to create a winning culture and get people to have fun. If that is in place, everything else takes care of itself.”

  • OgilvyOne hires Shukla who feels like a kid on his first date!

    OgilvyOne hires Shukla who feels like a kid on his first date!

    MUMBAI: OgilvyOne Worldwide India has appointed Sidharth Shukla as its new vice president and head of office for OgilvyOne Worldwide Delhi.

    OgilvyOne Worldwide India president Vikram Menon said, “Sidharth with his many years of experience across digital, strategy, analytics, CRM and Direct Marketing has exactly what we’re looking for in someone to lead OgilvyOne Delhi forward.”

    Shukla excels in digital and social planning and led a large team of digital planners and social media professionals leading projects for high volume prestigious brands, responsible for developing the vision, strategy and execution of their campaigns. He was also responsible for the development and execution and of the overall digital and social strategy for Samsung’s Note 5 and S7.

    As the national head for digital and digital strategy at MRM / McCann for close to four years, he was additionally responsible for leading and driving P&L across a portfolio of priority accounts and spearheading projects in the space of CRM, Direct Marketing and B2B marketing. More recently he has spent the past few years driving larger organization agendas such as digital expertise, thought leadership, integration, new business acquisitions winning accounts such as Bata, Adidas, HCL Healthcare, Logitech, UC Browser.

    Ogilvy Group North president and branch head Kapil Arora, “OgilvyOne Delhi is a young, spunky and inspiring place to be at. And I’m glad we have a leader of Sidharth’s experience, talent and drive to harness that energy, toward creating class leading work that works, for our clients. Together with Sidharth and creative lead Abhishek Gupta’s partnership, expect a lot more action from this part of the country.”

    With 14 years work experience behind him at agencies such as McCann, Timesjobs, Indian Express, Cheil and Tyroo: Quasar, Shukla is well poised to enhance OgilvyOne’s already existing strengths in the Northern part of its India network.

    Shukla asserted, “Like a kid going on his first date! I am truly looking forward to working with OgilvyOne, given the credentials it holds but also the challenges it presents. Most agencies face the same issues for the most part, and while it has barely been a week at OgilvyOne, I have observed that the people, system and culture are primed to take these challenges head on – it will be loads of fun to lead that. My objective is to create a winning culture and get people to have fun. If that is in place, everything else takes care of itself.”

  • Cheil inks partnership with Sniper & Sooperfly for digital content

    Cheil inks partnership with Sniper & Sooperfly for digital content

    MUMBAI: The 120 Media Collective and Cheil Worldwide have entered into a strategic partnership for multi-platform video content starting July 2015. Its brands Sniper and Sooperfly will produce and distribute a wide range of digital content for Cheil’s clients.

     

    Speaking about the development, The 120 Media Collective founder & chief executive Roopak Saluja said, “Producing content in various formats over the past nine years has armed us with a deep understanding of the audience and what strikes a chord with them. Our brands, Sniper and Sooperfly come together to seamlessly provide what is needed to engage at scale with digital-first audiences in 2015. Cheil’s trust in us is testimony to our expertise.”

     

    Cheil Worldwide South West Asia group president Shiv Sethuraman added, “Video content is the fastest growing area within the digital play. Not just the creation but, equally importantly, the distribution of content. Clients are tired of agencies offering them TVCs disguised as video content and this is because many of them haven’t yet understood that the business model requires significantly different capabilities, resources and platforms. The partnership with The 120 Media Collective is designed to bring speed, economies of scale and quality – yes, all three – to video content. We believe they are the right partners and that the market is ripe for such an offering.”

  • Cheil Worldwide SW Asia ropes in Atishi Pradhan as chief strategy officer

    Cheil Worldwide SW Asia ropes in Atishi Pradhan as chief strategy officer

    MUMBAI: Cheil Worldwide SW Asia has appointed Atishi Pradhan as chief strategy officer.

    At the agency, Pradhan will lead the integrated strategy function, encompassing traditional, digital, retail and experiential divisions. She will also be spearheading the agency’s proprietary category/consumer knowledge initiatives and guide both current and potential clients on brand marketing strategies.

    On the appointment, Cheil Worldwide SW Asia chief operating officer Hari Krishnan said, “We are delighted to have Atishi on board to lead our integrated strategy function. As Cheil exponentially continues to grow business and capability, the need is to establish thought leadership. Atishi brings the much-needed mindset and experience for us to focus and succeed in this area. Her ability to create engaging, strategically-led ideas will be invaluable to Cheil.”

    Prior to this, Pradhan was with Mogae Media, which she joined in February 2012 as chief strategy officer. She has over two and a half decades of experience in diverse categories ranging from FMCG to technology, education and health under her belt.

    Talking about her new role, Pradhan said, “I am really excited about working at Cheil. I believe there are many exciting opportunities ahead as it is an era where technology and new media are transforming everything around them. I look to bring about transformations that drive brand solutions and create brand opportunities.”