MUMBAI: A reel that began with home-cooked fries and a lovingly hand-sketched McDonald’s box ended up serving the internet one of its warmest moments this month. The creators behind @patnijipatikijodi posted a short video of a husband recreating the iconic red-and-yellow fries box for his wife—drawing every curve, arch, and crinkle with heart.
What followed was McDonald’s India flipping the script in style. The brand tracked down the couple in Siliguri and sent them a surprise: a real fries box, perfectly mirroring the husband’s hand-drawn version—this time filled with actual fries and packed with love. The move, imagined and executed by creative agency DDB Mudra, quickly turned into a crowd-puller online.
The couple returned the favour with another reel, this time unboxing the surprise and praising the brand for its thoughtfulness. The comments section lit up with fans hailing the fast-food giant for its ‘aww-some’ real-world response to a digital love note.
No paid partnership, no flashy collab—just pure, authentic engagement that fried the internet in the best way possible.
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.
MUMBAI: Noopur Bapna has taken the plunge into the frosty world of frozen desserts, nabbing the coveted position of media and digital marketing lead for ice creams at Unilever India.
Bapna’s career path has been anything but vanilla, having most recently served as group media manager at Marico Ltd where she spent nearly three years climbing the corporate ladder. Prior to this chilling new appointment, she honed her digital chops at GroupM, where she rose from senior director to partner during a two-and-a-half-year stint.
Her CV boasts an impressive medley of media roles, with previous positions at The Social Street, where she spent nearly five years as media supervisor, and earlier gigs at the Times Group and DDB Mudra, where she cut her teeth on brands such as BPCL, Kuoni and World Gold Council.
Bapna’s has a well-stocked toolbox of skills to her new role, including media strategy, digital strategy and social media expertise—all essential ingredients in today’s marketing mix.
Unilever’s ice cream portfolio, which includes global heavyweights such as Magnum, Cornetto and Wall’s, will now benefit from Bapna’s digital savvy as the company continues to battle for supremacy in India’s increasingly competitive frozen treats market.
The appointment comes at a time when digital marketing for consumables is heating up, even for products that need to stay below zero. With summer approaching in the subcontinent, the timing couldn’t be more delicious for both Bapna and Unilever.
MUMBAI: Feminine hygiene brand Stayfree has unveiled its latest advertising campaign for Stayfree Secure XL featuring Hindi film star Kiara Advani.
The campaign challenges the societal expectation that women should ‘act normal’ during menstruation despite physical discomfort and anxiety about leakage.
In the film, Advani reflects on how her acting career began not on screen, but during her first period when she pretended to feel comfortable. The narrative highlights common struggles experienced by millions of women, including maintaining cheerful appearances despite constant worry about staining and coping with skin irritation from sanitary products.
The campaign promotes Stayfree Secure XL’s LeakLock technology and clinically tested non-irritant cover, which offers up to 12 hours of protection. Its central message—”When pads are comfortable, periods are comfortable”—aims to free women from the burden of pretending during menstruation.
Stayfree maker Kenvue vice-president marketing Manoj Gadgil said: “Girls and women put up an act braving through their days as normal. It is a period reality we acknowledge, and that’s why we are committed to offering superior products that provide comfort and long-lasting protection.”
Creative directors Harshada Menon and Siddhesh Khatavkar from DDB Mudra explained the campaign concept: “We used the creative device of an actor talking about acting on periods to deliver a strong message.” Advani, who serves as the brand ambassador, added: “I still remember my first period—it was a new chapter in my life, but it also meant learning to ‘act’ like everything was normal despite the discomfort.”
The campaign launches on 25 February across television networks and social media platforms including YouTube and Meta, with versions available in multiple regional languages.
Stayfree is owned by Kenvue, the world’s largest pure-play consumer health company, whose portfolio includes brands such as Aveeno, Johnson’s, Listerine, Neutrogena and Tylenol.
Campaign credits: Credits: * Brand – Stayfree * Agency – DDB Mudra Group * Creative – Rahul Mathew, Harshada Menon, Siddhesh Khatavkar, Jyotsna Mohanty, Baskar Thevar Subbiah, Jena Shah, Kanchi Undevia, Darshika Kapadia * Business – Saad Khan, Pooja Mehta, Snehal Wasnikar, Kanchan Joshi * Strategy – Shashank Lanjekar, Atreyi Nag, Tanvi Agrawal * Films – Jay Gaikwad, Alisha Dsouza * Production House – The Magic Box * Director – Abhishek Verman * Producers – Srikanth Kumar, Mayur Patel * Associate Producers – Neeraj Saini * Editor – Utsav Bhagat * Associate Editor – Ankit * DOP – Satchit Paulose * Production Designer – Amrita Singh * Music Director – Rahul Pasi (Jamroom) * Post Producer – Shiv Shankar Yadav
Mumbai: Meesho, an e-commerce marketplace, has launched its campaign called ‘Shopping ki Power’ today, in an effort to encourage e-commerce adoption in India. The campaign aims to empower first time shoppers to utilise platform features and enhance their shopping experience. The tagline ‘Shopping ki power lo apne haath mein’ urges shoppers to embrace the power of making informed and smart purchases.
Created and conceptualised by DDB Mudra and the creative team at Meesho, the campaign uses an educational approach. It skillfully addresses two key factors that impact consumer confidence in online shopping. By highlighting the use of genuine customer images and reviews, it aims to empower shoppers to make well-informed decisions and select products that align with their expectations, thereby enhancing their overall shopping experience. Additionally, it educates users about Meesho’s ‘easy return and refunds’ policy, ensuring that shopping on Meesho remains a safe and hassle-free experience.
Commenting on the campaign launch, Meesho general manager, growth, Milan Partani, said “At Meesho, we are dedicated to ensuring every shopper has a safe and seamless online shopping experience. E-commerce opens up a world of possibilities, but new to e-commerce shoppers need guidance to ensure that they find the right products to meet their needs. Our new ‘Shopping ki Power’ aims to equip users with the tools to make informed purchases and aids with resources available if any issues arise with their order.”
Meesho has adopted a multifaceted approach to address these concerns and bring the campaign to life. By effectively leveraging television as well as social media platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter, Meesho aims to bring its message to the masses.
As part of this approach, Meesho has unveiled two engaging TVCs, which aim to debunk common myths about online shopping. The commercial ‘Lucky Draw’ demonstrates how checking reviews and viewing real images can assist customers in making more informed purchases. It explains that by exploring the reviews section, shoppers can verify that the fabric, colour, and design meet their expectations before finalising their purchase. The film ‘Chase’ focuses on Meesho’s ‘easy return and refunds’ policy, demonstrating how customers can return products effortlessly in just three simple steps and receive instant refunds. The commercial highlights how this feature ensures satisfaction and peace of mind for shoppers with every delivery.
Together, these stories highlight Meesho’s dedication to transparency and customer trust by providing clear and accurate product information and return processes, empowering shoppers to make informed decisions, and enjoy a worry-free shopping experience.
Mumbai: Adani Wilmar Ltd, one of the largest food and FMCG companies in India, has rolled out its new ‘Banao Kuchh Hatke’ campaign for its rich in protein brand Fortune Soya Chunks. The 360-degree campaign showcases the versatility of soya chunks as an ingredient, encouraging consumers to explore innovative and diverse culinary options. Conceptualised by DDB Mudra, the campaign – ‘Banao Kuchh Hatke’ – features ad films, narrated by the renowned multifaceted Indian actor and dancer, Jaaved Jaaferi in Hindi and popular former Indian cricketer Sourav Ganguly in Bengali. The film is being distributed across various media platforms, including TV and digital channels such as YouTube, Instagram and Facebook.
The campaign films feature ‘hatke’ recipes made with Fortune Soya Chunks, with Jaaved Jaaferi and Sourav Ganguly humorously guessing the dish being prepared. While he may get his guesses wrong, the audience is left with one certainty: Fortune Soya Chunks promises delightful surprises. The brand has collaborated with esteemed and influential chefs to enhance the digital presence of this campaign. These chefs will share their unique recipes using Fortune Soya Chunks, engaging the audience in an exciting way.
The brand has also planned to extend the communication through their product packaging, where they will showcase ‘Hatke’ dishes which can be prepared using soya chunks. A QR code will be used in packaging to redirect consumers to explore more such recipes on microsite.
Sharing his insights on the campaign, Adani Wilmar Ltd’s head- media and brand Jignesh Shah said, “We aim to inspire consumers to create ‘hatke’ dishes using Fortune Soya Chunks across various cuisines through this campaign. We are thrilled to innovate and showcase the ways an ingredient like soya chunks can be presented in an appetizing way. We wanted to highlight unique recipes that can be created with soya chunks and the campaign film reflects the message seamlessly.”
DDB Mudra CCO Rahul Mathew said, “The biggest challenge was to maintain the entertainment value in the film while showcasing the variety of dishes possible with Fortune Soya Chunks. Jaaved Jaaferi and Sourav Ganguly’s iconic voice added a unique touch, making this campaign truly ‘hatke’. We are hopeful that the messaging will resonate with the consumers.”
Fortune soya chunks is a great source of protein for vegetarians. It contains 15 times more protein* than milk and has low fat content. The advanced technology helps Fortune soya chunks to soak water and masala well, which makes it more delicious and easy to digest. It is a healthy food option for growing children and adults.
Disclaimer: Compared to protein of milk (cow milk). Source: Indian food composition tables, NIN, ICMR (2017).
The ‘Banao Kuchh Hatke’ TVC is set to air on leading television channels nationwide, inviting viewers to embark on a journey of rediscovery and reimagine the joys of cooking at home. In addition, a dedicated microsite has been developed, featuring an array of unique recipes with Fortune Soya Chunks. This platform aims to inspire consumers to go beyond traditional recipes and experiment with new culinary ideas.
Mumbai: The 55th edition of the Abby Awards powered by One Show marks a milestone in the recognition of excellence in advertising, bringing together the industry’s brightest minds and creative talents. This year’s awards showcase an increase in participation and entries, reflecting the growing competitiveness in the advertising community.
Indiantelevison.com caught up with Ajay Kakar – Chairperson of Awards Governing Council Abby Awards 2024 powered by One Show and Managing Committee Member, The Advertising Club, where he shared a deeper understanding on the relevance of the event, judging process and much more!
Edited excerpts
On the relevance of conducting Abby Awards 2024 powered by One Show
We have remained contemporary and attuned to the changing times. We are the only awards that I know of which are for the industry, by the industry, and of the industry. While there are award shows that operate primarily as commercial platforms, our focus is on inspiring and recognizing our own industry.
On the surge in participation and entries
This year, the Abby Awards 2024 powered by One Show saw a rise in participation from media and creative companies. The number of media agencies involved jumped to 73, up from 63 last year, while creative companies saw an increase from 181 to 198. The entries from media agencies surged to 1,258 from last year’s 1,019, indicating an engagement in the competition. Although the entries from creative companies slightly decreased to 2,248 from 2,282, the total number of entries reached an impressive 3,506 surpassing last year’s 3,301.
On the introduction of new categories
The Abby Awards 2024 powered by One Show introduced three new age categories – Digital, Mobile, and Technology, which garnered 626 entries from 75 companies. This addition reflects the evolving landscape of advertising, emphasizing the importance of innovation and technological integration in the industry.
On the diverse and inclusive jury
A panel of 23 jury chairs and 204 jurors across 23 categories ensured a rigorous and fair judging process. This year’s jury included 68 female judges, contributing to a 33:67 gender ratio, and out of the 23 jury chairs, nine were women, reflecting a commendable 40:60 ratio. The inclusion of 53 new, young, award-winning judges, constituting 26 per cent of the jury, underscores the bright and shining future for India.
On the return of leading agencies
Prominent agencies such as Lowe Lintas, McCann Worldgroup India, DDB Mudra, and Famous Innovations returned to compete, highlighting their influence in the advertising sector.
On the rigorous judging process
The Abby Awards 2024 powered by One Show employed a meticulous judging process, combining the renowned One Show system of shortlist and award rating with independent verification by KPMG. This rigorous approach ensures the highest standards of integrity and credibility in the selection of winners.
On this year’s new and exciting categories
This year’s awards introduced several new and exciting categories to acknowledge the latest trends and innovations in advertising:
1.Best Use of AI: Added as a sub-category in both digital and technology verticals.
2.Copywriting for Web and Digital Craft: Added in digital and digital verticals.
3.Health Vertical: This new category includes sub-categories such as OTC Oral Medicines, OTC Products, and Nutraceuticals. Additionally, a new specialist agency award, Health Specialist of the Year, recognises the best performance by a company in this vertical.
Mumbai: On International Women’s Day, Adani Wilmar Ltd (AWL), one of India’s largest food FMCG companies has launched a new CSR short film celebrating the invaluable contributions of SuPoshan Sanginis in eradicating malnutrition and anaemia amongst its target groups- children (0-5 years), adolescent and women in reproductive age. These women volunteers are an integral part of Fortune SuPoshan Project, a pioneering initiative of Adani Wilmar and implemented by Adani Foundation, the CSR arm of Adani Group to combat malnutrition and anaemia in India.
SuPoshan Sanginis empowers their communities and are making their voices heard. Their dedication shows how individuals can spark positive change and inspire others to join in, creating a culture of teamwork and inclusivity. At the grassroots, they’re pivotal in breaking the intergenerational cycle of malnutrition. At the same time, these Sanginis also act as beacons of women’s empowerment in their communities.
The newly launched CSR short film, which is airing today, depicts a Sangini visiting a family, diligently checking on their son’s health and ensuring that he receives proper nutrition to thrive. This narrative highlights the transformative role of Sanginis in rural India, showcasing their endeavours to uplift the lives of undernourished children, impart hygiene practices, and educate families on the significance of nutritious foods such as leafy vegetables, millets, legumes, and fruits. Through their unwavering dedication, these women volunteers are not only nurturing the physical growth of future generations but also spearheading positive change within their communities. The four-min CSR short film, which has been directed by the filmmaker Tiyash Sen and conceptualised by DDB Mudra group, will be extended across platforms like Meta & YouTube for maximum visibility.
Commenting on the newly launched CSR short film, Adani Wilmar Ltd MD & CEO Angshu Mallick said, “The Fortune SuPoshan project holds a special place in our hearts, and we take pride in the progress it has made towards eradicating malnutrition and anaemia since its inception. Given that malnutrition is closely linked to food and nutrition, there is no better organisation than us to address it, considering Adani Wilmar’s status as the largest food company in the country. It, therefore, becomes our responsibility to actively work towards this cause. Our SuPoshan Sanginis have played a pivotal role in achieving these objectives, working tirelessly at the grassroots level. The CSR short film serves as a testament to the extraordinary dedication of Sanginis and their unwavering commitment to enhancing the health and well-being of their communities. Their passion and efforts have been instrumental in breaking the worrying issue of intergenerational cycle of malnutrition, and we are proud to honour their contributions on International Women’s Day.”
DDB Mudra creative head Nitin Pradhan said, “Through the metaphor of the chalk drawings on the wall that capture the world through the confines of his house window, the intent was to visually show the journey of a malnourished kid who recovers gradually, with the passage of time. The Suposhan Sangini is instrumental in this recovery in a variety of ways, bringing to our attention her role in helping us get rid of malnourishment as a widespread malaise.”
Initiated in 2016, the Fortune SuPoshan Project has witnessed a resounding success in enhancing the health and nutritional status of its target groups in vulnerable communities. The project’s unique approach involves active engagement with stakeholders, including gram panchayats, local governing bodies, healthcare facilities, and frontline health workers. The training and deployment of SuPoshan Sanginis, who’ve been picked up from the villages that are a part of the project, played a vital role in implementing interventions and driving behavioural changes at the grassroots level.
Lauding the part played by SuPoshan Sanginis in making the project a success, Adani Foundation chairperson Dr Priti Adani added, “I have consistently maintained that the Sanginis have played a significant role in the success of Fortune SuPoshan. The film tribute on International Women’s Day is well-timed and commendable. Their work deserves recognition, particularly their remarkable achievement in breaking the intergenerational cycle of malnutrition.”
Empowered with comprehensive knowledge of nutrition and the use of technology like tablets, the SuPoshan Sanginis have conducted interventions, utilising cooking demonstrations to focussed group discussions and individual discussions, to spread awareness about health and nutrition as well as government policies and benefits. They act as bridges between communities as well as serve as a connecting factor with the aanganwadis.
Since its inception in 2016, the Fortune SuPoshan Project has spread its network across 31 sites in the country including some of the aspirational districts like Vidisha(MP) & Narmada(Gujarat), reaching over 4,04,261 lakh households through 1000+ Sanginis across 1940 villages and slums. The proactive approach of Sanginis have resulted in around 90,000 children being saved from malnutrition. More than 3 lakh adolescent girls and women in reproductive age have also benefitted from the project’s intervention through the women volunteers.
The endline evaluation by a New Delhi-based research institute, recently disclosed the impactful interventions of the Fortune SuPoshan Project in addressing malnutrition among children under five across six sites. Despite India ranking 107 out of 121 countries in the Global Hunger Index 2022, the evaluation showcased the project’s effectiveness in combating malnutrition, which is especially critical given India’s high global child wasting rate.
Apart from child nutrition, the project also addresses maternal health, infant and child feeding practices, adolescent knowledge and Water Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH) practices. Positive outcomes include increased Antenatal Care (ANC) check-ups, iron folic acid consumption, institutional births, early breastfeeding initiation, and improved dietary diversity among beneficiaries.
Mumbai: The power of movies on television, often referred to as “The Big Picture”, has impacted how we consume entertainment, making it an essential part of our lives. Not only that, the synergy of Movies and TV has also proven to be lucrative for brands who want to reach India at large and impact their daily lives. In a series of chats with marketers and media veterans, we discuss all things related marketing, media and especially movies. Indiantelevsion.com founder, chairman & editor-in-chief Anil Wanvari, discusses all things related to marketing, media and especially movies with Innocean Worldwide Communication Pvt Ltd executive VP B. Shridhar.
Edited excerpts
On your early life, educational qualifications and extra curricular activities
I was born in Delhi in a Tamil Brahmin household and spent my whole life in Delhi. My parents always emphasized the need for education but I was little better than an average student. Sports were a big deal for me. It was an escape from Mathematics especially. I studied at the Kirori Mal College, Delhi University and did BA Honors in Geography with the objective of appearing for civil services. Few of my friends got involved in the bandwagon of MBA so I also followed them because I was told you would be needing Maths at a working level rather than a scientist level. I also went into doing an MBA in marketing. When I was growing up in the late 1980’s, it was a great period for Indian advertising. I got a sense of freedom while working in the industry rather than getting clogged in a corporate suit. That’s me in a nutshell and I can say that despite being raised with old school values, I would say that sports have been a big deal in my life.
On your journey and milestones
When I started my career in 1984, I actually wanted to be a part of Account Planning because Mr. Santosh Desai used to be a faculty. Once he called me in his office while he was in Mudra and he said we have an opening in Media Planning but I said I wanted to do Account Planning. He said that taking Account Planning in the initial year is about going and doing research left, right, center. He reckoned that I will do better in media planning. So at the end of the day, I thought about doing some planning and I got pretty latched on to it, starting my career in Mudra. I used to mainly work on Nestle. I carried on and moved to McCann for a while. Then again I came back to do a second stint with Mudra and used to work mainly for Samsung. I was very happy that I was part of a company that was launching product after product every half year.
After a second stint with Mudra, I got an opportunity to work in Ogilvy. I used to have similarities in the work culture and the environment as such. The whole thing which I started of in my career as a lifestyle that the advertising professionals lead and I thought that would go to the next level. At Ogilvy, I used to work at Electroluxx and Dabur. GroupM came into India and the media divisions of Ogilvy contract, HTA etc got merged into the entity of GroupM. I also worked with Initiative Media where I used to work for many brands of ITC. 2006 is when I joined Innocean and worked in 2 parts. It was Hyundai’s group company. I used to drive the media functions for Hyundai Motors. I worked till 2015 for my first avatar in Innocean and then I went away for one and a half years where I was driving the strategy & insight lead for Initiative Media. Towards the end of 2017, I returned to Innocean this time to head the media function for KIA Motors. KIA Motors was just about to come in India, and they ultimately rolled out their first car in the middle of 2019 but all the proprietary work including building of the launch and corporate campaigns, I was like part of minus two years of KIA in India and it’s been a great journey.
On work life balance and initiatives which you are proud of
I had a good work life balance working at Innocean and it depends on how you understand the needs of clients so somebody is more strategy oriented and someone is more proactive or a good organiser, a good manager. The point is strategy is something we would tend to do together but depending on the domain of expertise. The other thing is that both Hyundai and Kia Motors need the efficiency and executional brilliance because at the end of the day proof of the pudding is being able to serve your audiences in their way. I would say stuff that works in the marketplace and not necessarily with the jury of XYZ awards. I am absolutely proud to say that I worked on many of the Santro campaigns and launches. Going forward from there, they also launched many products which worked well with the audience in terms of creating positive brand disposition towards the products of Kia. Point is like doing things efficiently that’s the way it has been for both Kia and Hyundai.
On initiatives which you are proud of
This is going back to 2007 and when IPL was going to start in 2008. At that time, people really didn’t think the IPL was going to be glorified domestically. I am very happy to say that I could get a sense of what this is because I had an interest in football and watching the English Premier League etc. I thought that this was something to be in that zone. I was able to recommend that to folks at Hyundai to buy into it and really walk into the hearts of Indian audiences because in India there’s cricket and there’s Bollywood. I am happy that I could push this through and get them to invest in the IPL. I felt that nobody knew how to price this at that time because nobody has sense of what it could turn out to be. We also took it to the next level in terms of associating with ICC. Hyundai was a partner with the ICC for a good five years starting with the 2011 World Cup which after the rest of the 4 years it went into global association. If you could go back to the time when Dhoni had hit that six to win the World Cup, as the ball goes to the stadium, just at the nick of time, you can see a digital poll which pops up Hyundai. These are a couple of things which I have been part of. Going forward from there working on Kia which came as a late entrant when the market was very mature with big players in the market, a way dominant. Here comes a challenge for the brand. The thing that they backed themselves was the product quality and design as the big deal and turned it around into business success. I have been a part of each and every thing of Kia since they came into India to roll out their first car. So we are happy the way Kia has been accepted in India for all their cars. I am glad that I am gonna continue the journey with Kia even for the next few years.
On marketeers leveraging the box office success movies like Pathaan, Gadar 2 etc and strategies they can use for the growth of their brands
Integration into content is the most important thing. Because you can do stuff over the promotion but being actually part of a movie and building synergy with the brand’s proposition and the movie’s plot. I dont watch many movies, but I remember one movie very vividly called ‘Road’. The car was such an integral part of the movie it seemed like a subject in itself. Therefore to be able to integrate meaningfully with the movie and it’s not so much about the screen time, it’s about the synergy. Then it’s about magnification of collaboration by way of promoting it together. To create a lot of shoulder content to it and create anticipation both for the show as well as the brand and depending on the life stage of the brand whether it’s gonna be a tease for the audience or showcase what a product can do. Those things can come alive with a lot of shoulder content that can happen around it. Secondly, creating a ripple effect to content like post production, audience engagement. These are the buzzwords for leveraging a movie.
On co-branding on promotional outlets whether its in retail outlet or digital-outdoor
If you can do this exclusively, that’s the best thing. You can possibly take it into the realms of AFP (Advertiser Funded Programs). If not, there has to be some kind of synergy between the brands also wherein you are pulling in together. For example Coke and Adidas have better synergies and Pepsi and Nike have better synergies rather than vice-versa. So even if there are other brands coming into picture, we have to see whether they compliment each other or crossover with each other. Exclusivity is best but if not synergy is important in any case.
Between Hyundai and Kia, Hyundai is a little bit formal, more reaching out to the demographic kind of audience, not going on the edge kind of brand. Similarly Kia, being a late entrant, being salient is more important so therefore going more to the edge and kind of collaborating with people who personify the identity of Kia. I would define Hyundai as more functional plus lifestyle, Kia is more attitude. Kia could host Elon Musk and Hyundai could host Mr. Tim Cook better if we put it that way.
On TV and OTT aggregating large audiences and brands leveraging big titles coming on TV.
Being able to be there as a presenting partner or co-presenting partner and therefore using the brands own assets and creating a post production content piece and thereby engaging with the contest and gamification can work well. In any case they would get eyeballs because people definitely value a content that is two months old after theatrical release and doing well in the theaters. As I said, presenting partnerships, being a part of backend part stories, doing joint production. That can be a good way of leveraging WTPs.
On strategy for movie genres and your ideal winning mix.
You will have a scenario as in your max investment goes into the hero movie of the month, but you can also have a sprinkling of surround inventory to that movie and catch audiences also and in any case even if you didn’t want to invest more on hero movie, you will get peripheral content also, therefore you will have presence in ROS so far which is fine ultimately when you do post campaign analysis of any metric of ROI, Hindi movies tend to do very well and besides only focusing on hero content, if you take a package, it becomes much more efficient and greater amount of GRPs on any metric. In a nutshell, I would say diversify the mix.
On TV playing important role in building brand awareness
Awareness is one point related to the mind metric to an audience. It’s not important that you know me or I know you but how well do I know you or how well do you know me that matters. Which means to say that awareness is one thing but do you build trust? Do you build confidence? Good amount of research has shown offline media, linear TV, newspapers, radio have greater trust and credibility than that in the digital space. Having said that, TV brings a lot of things other than basic awareness. It is trustworthy and credible. Therefore you will have a scenario of an influencer and the consumer of the product are all consuming the content at the same time. TV goes beyond the space of credibility and those kinds of mind metrics. Research has actually proven that it works very well from a brand’s lifecycle perspective also. Within the offline media space, TV was always a big thing. It is even bigger now. I would say generally even from my own practice, TV does continue to have its own importance and it’s not going anywhere.
Mumbai: Birla Opus, from the house of Aditya Birla Group, has selected DDB Mudra as its creative partner for four brands in the range, following a multi-agency pitch. The mandate involves crafting strategy and communications for Birla Opus which offers a wide array of decorative paints aimed at businesses and consumers.
With this partnership, DDB Mudra will manage the comprehensive portfolio of four brands from Birla Opus: Style (economy paints range), AllWood (wood finishes), AllDry (waterproofing) and Prime (institutional).
Birla Opus head, marketing Inderpreet Singh said, “We look at our agency partners as an extension of our team, sharing similar passion and belief in the brand. Our endeavour is to make the lives of our consumers a little more colourful and prettier every day and we are pleased to have DDB Mudra as our partners in this journey.”
DDB Mudra Group president and managing partner – growth & strategy Saad Khan said, “We are delighted to be a part of the journey of Birla Opus. This is a big moment in the paint category in India. During our interactions with the team at Birla Opus, including the R&D team, we immediately felt their passion and ambition to disrupt and change the course of paint category. DDB’s DNA has always been about making challenger brands win, and we intend to come true on the creative mandate Birla Opus has given to us.”
Through this foray, Aditya Birla Group will be able to tap into a high-growth Rs. 70,000 crore decorative paints market. This category has been witnessing double digit YOY growth. Aiming to be one of the biggest players in the decorative paints industry in the coming years, the brand is committed to expanding pan-India distribution points and manufacturing units. As a flagship company of the Aditya Birla Group, Grasim will build upon a solid foundation established over the years and leverage the power and trust associated with the brand.
