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Tag: Dentsu Aegis Network

  • Technology and sports: Indian fans lead the change

    Technology and sports: Indian fans lead the change

    MUMBAI: The marriage of sports with technology is reaping rewards. Nearly 90 per cent of Indian fans believe that the use of emerging technologies in sports has enhanced their overall viewing experience, both inside and outside the stadium, according to a Capgemini research institute report on ‘Emerging technologies in sports: reimagining the fan experience'. Additionally, 70 per cent of sports fans across the world point out that technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) have changed their overall viewing experience.

    “The advent of the AI, AR, and VR age has added a new dimension to the sports genre. It has pushed the creative boundaries and sports broadcasters are lapping up the tech on offer,” says Sony Pictures Sports Networks, head – marketing & on-air promotions Neville Bastawalla. “The VR and AR setup, a part of Sony Sports studios, have constantly been used for marquee events like UEFA Champions League, India tour of Australia 2019, Commonwealth Games, UFC, etc. It has really added another layer of interest, intrigue and visual delight for sports fans, creating more immersive sports viewing experience.”

    Citing an example of technology that helps the sports broadcaster, Bastawalla says, “Imagine one studio catering to various sports but with a different look on a flick of a few buttons. One can start the day with an Australia theme studio in the morning and get a completely new set designed for European football at night – all this in one studio and through the magic of VR.”

    “However, the sports broadcasting industry has just scratched the surface as far as the power of VR and AR are concerned. Globally, tech partners are working around the clock to deliver the next big thing on this platform,” adds the marketing head of Sony Sports channels.

    Echoing the views of Bastawalla, Dentsu Aegis Network – South Asia director – data sciences, Abhinay Bhasin says, “Technologies like AR, AI-driven systems and VR have only spurred the growth of users and engagement of sports fans by offering ‘never seen before’ experiences. The future application of such technology is limitless. Imagine creating an experience where you are at the finish line just as Hima Das finishes her sprint or on the field just as MS Dhoni knocks a winning six!”

    More than 65 per cent of fans, across the globe, have increased the number of matches they watch on traditional TV channels, whereas 60 per cent of sports fans are watching matches on digital platforms. Over 91 per cent of fans across the globe have increased their spending on team or brand merchandise thanks to technological advancements.

    “Technology used in sports broadcast has helped advertisers in various ways in recent times,” says Bastawalla. “For example, during LIVE cricket broadcast, virtual reality is not only used for display statistics or player information as an immersive graphic component, but also has become a tool through which advertisers can get visibility on the playing field.”

    Meanwhile, Bhasin says, “Digital has propelled the movement of eyeballs from being glued to television sets to now being glued to mobile and digital screens on the go. The ubiquitous consumption of data fuelled by inexpensive smart phones and telco wars has only given momentum to a shift in the online behaviour of audiences.”

    There has also been a marginal rise in the way e-sports is being consumed across the globe. Topping the chart in watching and playing sport through e-sports, the report said, India has a fan base of over 70 per cent who have watched e-sports and 57 per cent have played it.

    Bhasin mentions, “With the present and future now being driven on an online world, for example Hotstar, which logged 300 million users and a 40 per cent market share of active users in April 2019, sports is being rapidly shifted to digital screens – requiring brands to follow audiences and engage in an online space.”

    The report says, “This research has laid out the benefits those organisations can reap by appropriately deploying emerging technologies to not only enhance the fan experience but also to attract more fans.”

    “The common drawback broadcasters and advertisers face is in keeping audience engagement levels at constant highs,” says the DAN data science director. “Every format of sport has moments where energy levels are at lows and there is a constant drop out the risk of audiences.”

    “As technology pushes the creative boundaries in terms of delivering information, it creates a new avenue to have more and new-age advertisers on board. However, it being an upcoming and nascent field, has high entry barriers and need deep investments,” concludes Bastawalla.

  • Success depends on conviction and perseverance, not gender: WATConsult CEO Heeru Dingra

    Success depends on conviction and perseverance, not gender: WATConsult CEO Heeru Dingra

    MUMBAI: Businesses are no longer male-centered. Women entrepreneurs are attempting to break the glass ceiling and some of them have. Heeru Dingra, CEO of WATConsult, the digital agency from the house Dentsu Aegis Network (DAN), is a strong believer in gender equality and strives to provide equal platforms to everyone for growth and success. WATConsult, which started as a blogging site in 2007, now boasts of 400 people and showed a whopping 60 per cent growth in net revenue and a 54 per cent growth in bottom-line making it the profitable digital agency within DAN.

    “Despite 2019 being a challenging year for the industry, we have registered a growth of 35-40 per cent. We aim to project a similar growth rate or more in the next two years. The share of digital in India’s advertising space is increasing rapidly and soon digital will become the second-largest medium in India, overtaking print as a medium. While we are already a sizable entity as a digital agency, we will continue to build scale on scale, keeping creativity and people at the heart of the business,” said WATConsult CEO Heeru Dingra.

    In a candid interview with indiantelevision.com Heeru Dingra spoke at length about her journey, challenges and much more.

    Edited excerpts:

    Tell us about WATConsult's journey from a blogging site to one of India's prominent digital agencies. 

    WATBlog’s instant success led to the birth of WATConsult. A brainchild of Rajiv Dingra, currently the chief mentor and advisor, the agency has had a roller-coaster journey since its inception in 2007. From thereon, the agency grew in leaps and bounds thanks to the constant support of friends, family and benevolent WATizens. In the very first year, we bagged big names like HSBC, Lay's and Mahindra. We not only survived the 2008 Lehmann Brothers crash, which pretty much put a pause on all marketing spends but also scaled up the agency during very competitive times from 2012-2015 before being acquired by DAN. In 2015 a majority stake of WATConsult was sold to DAN and in just three years it not only became the fastest-growing agency within the network but also the most internationally awarded agency within the network.

    Post Dentsu how has the scenario changed in the digital agency space?

    Specifically, for WATConsult, a lot has changed and yet, nothing has changed. We became a part of the network in 2015 but we still feel as independent as ever, in our thinking, creativity and the manner in which we serve our clients. There has been no dilution of culture or working style. If at all, we have only got better with time. What has changed though is more collaborations with group agencies and integrated pitches. 18 per cent of our business comes from DAN clients. By cross-leveraging the strengths of group agencies, we are able to build deeper integration with current clientele and become a one-stop-shop across domains.

    What are your marketing and brand strategy activites for 2020 and the future?

    Our strategy for 2020 and ahead, is to live by our company philosophy, coined collectively by the people of WATConsult – ‘Impact what matters, create what lasts’, six powerful words we truly believe in. A philosophy that comes alive in every interaction one would have with WATConsult, as a client and a partner.

    Did you experience failures? If so, what did you learn from them?

    Like everyone else, I have also experienced failures and here is what I have learnt from it.

    I firmly believe that success is overrated, and failure is unacceptable in our society. According to me, failure should be our teacher rather than our undertaker. It is nothing but a temporary detour that pushes a person to strike back again with more effort and passion. We as a company failed in 2008. During the recession period, we had to shut shop. However, it taught us many valuable lessons. We realised our mistakes and made sure it was never repeated. Today, we are what we are, thanks to our failures. I must mention, to showcase our value for failure, at WATConsult, we have put in action an HR initiative called ‘FAIL-First Attempt in Learning’.

    We have boards put up in the office for this initiative. Everyone, from the top bosses to the juniors are encouraged to write what they have failed at.

    What has been your most successful marketing campaign? And why?

    ·  The ‘Powerless Queen’ campaign created for Project Nanhi Kali has certainly been our most successful marketing campaign. It broke down the myth that digital agencies cannot produce outstanding and effective creative work. The campaign struck a chord nationally and internationally. We received awards and accolades from everywhere.

    · The ‘Mind Your Language’ campaign was the first-ever e-commerce campaign that turned misspelled searches into sales. The campaign won around 15 awards out of which nine were Gold medals. It also won a Grand Emvie.

    ·   ‘Thanks A Dot’ which was launched on Women's Day for SBI Life Insurance, was a step to spread awareness about breast cancer and inculcate the habit of self-examination among women. The campaign won around 10 awards including four Golds at national and international award shows. 

    ·     With ‘Beat the Crave’ campaign created for Safola Fittify, we created the first-ever audio-driven digital initiative that aimed to distract the audience from unhealthy food cravings. It also won the title of Best Use of Platform (Whatsapp) at campaign India digital crest awards. 

    What are the latest trends in the digital marketing segment that you have witnessed?

    The 3Vs of digital media – voice, video and vernacular will continue to dominate at scale in 2020. Businesses will continue to adjust to new ways of doing things, most of which are related to the digital transformation that the world has experienced in recent years. From artificial intelligence, marketing technology, and the internet of things, new digital technologies will continue to have a major impact on business in 2020.

    How easy or difficult it is to be a woman entrepreneur? Major challenges you have faced while being a women entrepreneur? And how did you overcome them?

    Nothing comes easy as an entrepreneur or otherwise, regardless of your gender. Both genders face challenges and when it comes to achieving success. It is about one’s conviction, self-belief and perseverance, than one’s capability or gender. What irks me is the constant comparison when there is actually none. Both genders are wired differently, physically and psychologically. Both come with their traditional and unique skill sets and strengths. In this day and age, the responsibilities of both men and women are ever-changing and interchangeable. Rather than competing with each other, we should work as a team and balance the skills of one with the complementary abilities of others.

    Do you have a message to aspiring women entrepreneurs?

    My message is –

    ·   Celebrate yourself. You are brilliant and unique just the way you are. I don't think you need to compare yourself with anyone. Have confidence, conquer your fears and respect your point of view. If you find yourself in a room full of men, remember you are there for a reason and the reason is YOU – your talent and your ability brought you here. Love yourself and be a catalyst for change.
    ·  Build a network. I’ve seen that women are extremely shy of networking. Networking is one of the strongest forces at all stages of the career. What stops us is that we overthink, we judge ourselves before we are judged. Stop doing this. Go forth confidently and get your work done. 

     Speak up fearlessly, express your opinion, it is far more valuable than you think!

     

  • Trumping India

    Trumping India

    MUMBAI: From Bollywood to cricket and terrorism to defence, US president Donald Trump made an attempt to woo Indians and send a positive message back home to the Indian-Americans in his 26-minute-long speech during an event ‘Namaste Trump’.

    The event, Namaste Trump, is considered to be strategically important to Trump as the US presidential elections are slated later this year. Seeking a second term in office, he has been trying to create positive vibes and raise his brand value across the globe which eventually could have an impact back home. In the US, as many as 40 lakh people Indian-Americans are crucial, capable of swaying votes in his favour.

    Media pundits and experts are of the opinion that Trump’s India visit is a well-calculated marketing initiative.  

    Havas Media chief executive officer Anita Nayyar said: “Indian-Americans are contributing a lot to the US economy and could be the potential campaign fundraisers.”

    Nayyar believes it was a well-planned marketing gambit of Team Trump to come to India a few months ahead of the presidential elections to woo the Indians and the Indo-Americans back home. It may be recalled that in 2018, the US president turned down India’s request to be a chief guest for the Republic Day event.

    She adds: “Trump talked about India very well in his address. He talked about Indian festivals and the country’s cultural diversity. He also touched upon topics such as movies, cricket – all those good aspects where India is progressing.”

    Trump quite often has a habit of making loose comments, which can have repercussions, at domestic and international levels. “I was quite surprised that Trump remembered and touched upon all the areas where the Modi government has made progress,” explains Nayyar.

    Literally playing to the gallery and earning the applause of the cheering crowd at Motera stadium, the US president eulogised Bollywood and mentioned Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge and Sholay. He very well struck a chord with the audience by talking about cricket, which is almost like a religion to the masses. He also mentioned the cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar and the Team India skipper Virat Kohli in his speech.

    Despite facing problems in pronunciation, Trump also praised the work of Swami Vivekananda and Sardar Patel in his speech. He also lauded India’s effort to reach the moon’s southern pole.

    The president’s popularity in India has soared to 56 per cent from 14 per cent since his candidacy in 2016, a Pew Research poll said in a report. Nayyar says: “The sole credit for the increase in confidence within Indians for Trump goes to Modi as their bonhomie has been quite visible for the last few years.”

    The president, all along with his speech, kept praising India, Indians and prime minister Modi and his government’s work. “India will hold a very special place in our hearts,” he said. “America loves India, America respects India and America will always be a loyal and faithful friend to Indian people.”

    Nayyar also said that it was expected that Trump would speak on the common problem shared by both the two nations: terrorism. Trump in his speech said: “India and the US are committed to fighting terrorists and their ideology; that is why my government is working with Pakistan to crack down on terror groups.”

    Moreover, on defence strategy, he also announced an over $3 billion military deal between the two nations that would be signed on Tuesday. “The Indian armed forces will get the absolute finest state-of-the-art military helicopters and other equipment through this deal,” he said.

    Echoing Nayyar’s views, Dentsu Aegis Network’s chief executive officer Anand Bhadkamkar says: “Trump is a great marketer and he understands the pulse exactly where to reach out. He definitely will make use of every  opportunity he comes across.”

    He believes that the recent visit to India could be termed as Trump’s approach to woo Indians in India as well as in America. “Indian-Americans are quite large in the US and this visit cannot only be seen as the upcoming US election agenda, but an enhancement of bilateral and trade relations between India and the US.”

    “Trump is a quite sharp businessman and great politician, which he has proved in the last few years. Trump as a brand has great value and people do respect him for what he’s creating. He has maintained what he was before and he’s very conscious and aware of the same,” says Bhadkamkar.  

    The Namaste Trump event is a return gift to the US president. “Five months ago, the United States welcomed your great Prime Minister at a giant football stadium in Texas and today India welcomes us at the world's largest cricket stadium right here in Ahmedabad,” Trump said in his address.

    Quid Pro quo?

  • 4 ink strategic partnership

    4 ink strategic partnership

    MUMBAI: Merkle Sokrati, the leading data-driven performance marketing agency from the house of Dentsu Aegis Network (DAN), has inked a strategic partnership deal with TikTok – world’s leading short-video creation platform, for India.

    Given the platform’s popularity and content diversity, brands today are regularly planning and implementing their marketing campaigns on TikTok India. This partnership further strengthens the ability of clients to connect with users on TikTok.

    Under this partnership, TikTok India and Merkle Sokrati will develop the best practices emerging from high impact digital marketing campaigns for Indian brands. The partnership will also assess various measurement features that add value to brands and will be implemented for Merkle Sokrati’s clients across industries.

    TikTok India monetization vice president Sameer Singh said, "TikTok as a platform has championed the art of creative content marketing with unique ad formats that effectively drive engagement. The platform’s immersive short-form videos also allow brands to express their content and voice creatively. We value partnerships such as the one with Merkle Sokrati and are sure that this will further accelerate client benefits.”

    Merkle Sokrati CEO Anubhav Sonthalia  added, “Digital media continues to evolve into a myriad web of features and ad formats. Based on our decade-long experience in helping brands get strong ROIs on their spends, I strongly believe that understanding and reacting to your audiences is extremely crucial, irrespective of the digital channel. TikTok is a phenomenally engaging platform. It is a definite opportunity to gain visibility and revenue and this is where our potential as a marketing agency lies.  I am excited to see the results driven by our teams with our client partners such as Dunzo, PharmEasy, Tata Sky and more.”

  • iProspect India bags paid media mandate of Max Bupa

    iProspect India bags paid media mandate of Max Bupa

    MUMBAI: iProspect India, the digital performance agency from the house of Dentsu Aegis Network (DAN), has won the Paid Media mandate of Max Bupa Health Insurance, a leading standalone health insurance player in India.

    As per the mandate, the agency will service the account won from its Delhi office and will handle their entire gamut of Paid Media duties. The agency bagged the account post a multi-agency pitch.

    iProspect India CEO Rubeena Singh said, “We are pleased to partner with Max Bupa. The work done by iProspect India is at the cutting edge of tech-enabled innovation. The recent Max Bupa win demonstrates the belief that the client has in our team.”

    Max Bupa Health Insurance director & head marketing, digital and direct sales Anika Agarwal added, “At Max Bupa, our goal is to drive measurability of our marketing initiatives while retaining our focus on customer-centric innovations. We are delighted to partner with iProspect India in our journey towards being a true data-driven marketing organisation and continuing to deliver the best return on investment for our marketing initiatives.”

  • Isobar India launches ‘Isobuzz’- a tool to tackle new-age influencer data intelligence

    Isobar India launches ‘Isobuzz’- a tool to tackle new-age influencer data intelligence

    MUMBAI:  Isobar India, the digital agency from the house of Dentsu Aegis Network (DAN), has announced the launch of Isobuzz, a unique  solution-based tool that will help map influential people on social media – considered to be subject matter experts across a variety of fields. Launched in association with Qoruz, the agency’s technology partner, Isobuzz will analyse the influencers’ content, the engagement value that they create and their follower-base.

    Isobuzz will offer solutions to challenges such as identifying the right set of influencers for a brand, along with their followers. This, in turn, will help the brand understand if the influencers are a match to brand product’s ideal target customers. The tool will also help in measuring the effectiveness of the influencer and the brand’s overall campaign communication strategy.  

    Commenting on the launch, Isobar India chief operating officer Gopa Kumar said, “With all kinds of influencer strategies in place and a lot of them becoming experimental in nature, content still needs to be tailored for the brand’s advantage. Isobuzz has been developed for creative brand advocacy, which will help with quality creation/co-creation of content. With the measurement of influencer marketing becoming more scientific in nature, Isobuzz will focus on mapping the virality-potential of an influencer and the influencer content.”

    Speaking about the tool,  Isobar Social  national head Aakriti Sinha said, “Influencer marketing budgets are changing every year. Also, they are constantly driven by ROI and measured for impact and quality. Isobuzz is designed to help with the most important step of influencer discovery. After all, brands are choosing their influencer associations as carefully as their brand ambassadors, especially on social media. Measurability in this case becomes imperative, and as we build content around influencers with brand integrations, Isobuzz will give a detailed analysis of influencer content performance along with their follower-base understanding and whether or not the association has had the desired impact.”

    Qoruz chief executive officer Praanesh Bhuvaneswar mentioned, “Brands are heavily reliant on story-telling based narratives to attract the attention of audience, and influencer-centric strategy is pivot in these instances. At Qoruz, we believe in a data-first approach to influencer-planning and ideation. In our initial discussions with Isobar, we realised Isobar’s strong intention to set a new standard as a creative-tech firm by launching Isobuzz for influencer marketing. This sets an example for the marketers of the country for a scientific approach towards influencer space. The team at Qoruz is very excited to partner with Isobar on this initiative of bringing Isobuzz solution to brand partners of Isobar and up the advocacy game!"

  • Dentsu Aegis Network appoints Cheuk Chiang to lead Greater North business in APAC

    Dentsu Aegis Network appoints Cheuk Chiang to lead Greater North business in APAC

    MUMBAI:  Dentsu Aegis Network announces the appointment of Cheuk Chiang to the role of CEO, Greater North, Dentsu Aegis Network APAC, effective 2 December. Based in Shanghai, China, and reporting to Ashish Bhasin, CEO, Dentsu Aegis Network APAC, Cheuk will oversee Dentsu Aegis Network China, Dentsu Aegis Network Hong Kong, Dentsu Aegis Network Taiwan and Dentsu Aegis Network Korea. He will also join the Dentsu Aegis Network APAC Executive team.

    The appointment follows the announcement of the simplified three-cluster structure in March this year, which was put in place to further operationalise our markets, giving them the autonomy to react to client needs. This allows our businesses to deliver more strategic and market-specific initiatives at pace and scale.

    Cheuk takes over from Takaki Hibino who was overseeing Greater North in the interim. He will now focus on his role as Executive Chairman, Dentsu Aegis Network APAC.

    Dentsu Aegis Network APAC CEO  Ashish Bhasin   comments: “Greater North is a critical collection of markets that needs a strong and accomplished leader to drive our business forward in an increasingly complex and challenging landscape. Cheuk is a visionary leader who’s keenly focused on reinventing the way the industry operates, consistent with the vision of our business and the value we place on our clients. He is an industry thought-leader who has played a pivotal role in driving transformation across the industry. It was clear from the start that he is the perfect candidate to navigate these fast-paced markets for our clients. I am delighted to have Cheuk join the APAC Executive team to drive value and realise the long-term growth in our business.”

    Dentsu Aegis Network APAC Greater North Cheuk Chiang, comments: “As an industry, we are seeing unprecedented changes and at Dentsu Aegis Network, I saw a company that is leading that change. Its capabilities are future-facing and it is important for me to be able to contribute to a network that can leverage its competitive strengths to meet new demands.  I am delighted to take on this leadership in one of the most dynamic and technologically advanced group of markets in our industry. The Greater North presents us with a combination of unique challenges and opportunities, which Dentsu Aegis Network is extremely well-positioned to capitalise on with our unparalleled market-specific offerings. I look forward to taking our Greater North business forward.”

    As the network continues to mobilise its Cluster structure to unlock greater opportunities in the faster moving parts of the business, Ashish Bhasin will continue to lead Greater South as the Executive team continues to look for a successor.

  • Dentsu Impact bags digital mandate for HT Media’s Radio Biz

    Dentsu Impact bags digital mandate for HT Media’s Radio Biz

    MUMBAI: Dentsu Impact, the creative agency from Dentsu Aegis Network, has added another new mandate to its recently established Social Media Division, Dentsu Impact Digital. The agency has been awarded the digital mandate for all 3 radio businesses of the HT Media Group –  Fever FM, Radio Nasha and Radio One. The agency already handles the mainline creative work for the 3 brands, and with the consolidation of the digital mandate, the team looks at ensuring a stronger consolidation of the offline and online platforms for the brands. Interestingly, Dentsu Impact also handles the creative duties for Hindustan Times and Hindustan Hindi – the 2 leading dailies from the HT Media group.

    Speaking on the development, Rajan Bhalla, Chief Marketing Officer, HT Media said, “We have been associated with Dentsu Impact for a long time and have immense trust in the capabilities of the team. The agency’s forward-thinking approach in embracing the evolving market today, and the intent of giving us synergized solutions for digital and offline is something that helped us come to this decision. We hope to see some great work being rolled out soon.”

    Commenting on the appointment, Amit Wadhwa, President, Dentsu Impact said, “At Dentsu Impact, we have a clear vision of becoming a truly digitally enabled agency, and that was the thinking behind setting up our social media division. It is extremely encouraging to see clients embrace our vision and see the kind of value we bring in.  Our relationship with HT Media is an old one and one that we really cherish, and we are thankful to them for placing their trust in us once again.”

    Soumitra Karnik, CCO, Dentsu Impact added, “We live in a borderless world, where consumers continuously navigate between offline and online platforms. It has thus become even more important for brand narratives to be integrated and synergized across mediums, and this demands a new way of thinking. This is something that we as an agency have embraced and brought into our creative process. It will be very exciting for us to use our strong brand knowledge on Fever FM, Radio Nasha & Radio One, to create talk worthy ideas that will work across platforms.”

  • Honda launches ‘A Quiet Revolution’ campaign Premium Activa 125 BS-VI

    Honda launches ‘A Quiet Revolution’ campaign Premium Activa 125 BS-VI

    MUMBAI: Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India Pvt Ltd has lifted the curtains of its 360-degree campaign ‘A Quiet Revolution’ for its paradigm shifter Activa 125 BS VI – Honda’s first two-wheeler into the BS VI era.

    ‘A Quiet Revolution’ encapsulates the wizardry behind Honda’s BS-VI era two-wheeler line-up while showcasing the Power of Silence coming from Honda’s globally acclaimed Enhanced Smart Power (eSP) technology for a silent start and smooth eco-friendly ride.

    With as many as 26 new patent applications, exceptional technology, new features, 13 per cent more mileage, intelligent display informatics, elevated convenience and evolved style; the all new Activa 125 – Honda’s maiden BSVI offering kick-starts ‘A Quiet Revolution’.

    The campaign conceptualised by Dentsu One, a Dentsu Aegis Network division aims to highlight the unique feature of eSP technology i.e. Silent start.

    Leading the narrative of ‘A Quiet Revolution’ is Honda 2Wheeler India’s brand ambassador Akshay Kumar. The campaign is based on the human insight that since birth all of us hear two words “Keep Quiet”. The TV commercial shows Akshay re-telling his personal experience on this. Cherry on the cake is a surprise debut of his charismatic wife Twinkle Khanna, who further proves his point once again. 

    Speaking about ‘A Quiet Revolution’ campaign, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt Ltd senior vice president, sales & marketing Yadvinder Singh Guleria said, “By launching a BSVI two-wheeler six months ahead of emission norms, Honda is all set for a quick, silent and innovative start into the new era. The new Activa 125 BSVI campaign is inspired by something everyone has all experienced, right from our birth to school, college and so on… the desire to replace noise with the power of silence. The revolutionary eSP technology, industry first features of Activa 125 BSVI bring to life the meaning of ‘A silent revolution’. And adding the perfect spice to this campaign is Twinkle Khanna shushing Akshay in the end yet again.”

    Dentsu One national creative director Titus Upputuru said, “When we talk of technology, the usual direction is to go all techno and sci-fi. We thought why not make technology a little friendly. That’s why, we went the ‘keep quiet’ way. It’s true that all of us have been told to keep quiet more than once in our lives. People love peace and quiet. We thought let’s get Akshay to play the central character and make him speak about this life truth.”

    “The objective of this campaign was to highlight Honda’s technological prowess and first-in-segment features of the product. A simple yet powerful insight woven with slice-of-life situations strengthens the connect of the campaign with the target audience and furthers Honda’s position as a leader and innovator in the world of two-wheelers,” said Dentsu One executive vice president, account management Abhinav Kaushik.

  • DAN appoints Asha Suvarna as CFO India

    DAN appoints Asha Suvarna as CFO India

    MUMBAI: Dentsu Aegis Network (DAN), the global media & marketing communications conglomerate, has roped in Asha Suvarna as chief financial officer (CFO), India. Prior to this, the role was held by erstwhile COO and CFO Anand Bhadkamkar who was promoted to lead the country operations as chief executive officer (CEO) in September this year.

    Armed with more than 20 years of experience in media and advertising, Suvarna is also a qualified Chartered Accountant (CA). She joins DAN India from GroupM where she held numerous roles over the years. Prior to this, Asha was Finance Director at GroupM.

    Suvarna will take charge of her new office, effective October 16. In her new role, she will report to Dentsu Aegis Network India CEO Anand Bhadkamkar, and Dentsu Aegis Network CFO Greater South David Neal.

    Commenting on Suvarna’s appointment, Anand Bhadkamkar said, “I am pleased to announce Asha’s appointment as CFO of the Group in India. Asha brings with her considerable experience in our industry as well as a very strong understanding of our business. With her financial acumen and leadership capabilities, I am sure Asha will be a great addition to the DAN India executive team and a critical strategic business partner in these transformational times.”

    Commenting on her new role, Asha Suvarna said, “Home to 23 super-successful agency brands of the country, Dentsu Aegis Network today is undoubtedly the fastest growing network in India. I am extremely honoured and happy to take up this new role and now ready to embark upon this new challenge under DAN’s strong One P&L philosophy.”