Tag: Dentsu India

Dentsu Webchutney wins digital & social media mandate for HealthKart

Mumbai: Dentsu Webchutney, the digital creative agency from the house of dentsu India, has been appointed as the digital and social media partner for the HealthKart brands- HK Vitals and bGreen.

HK Vitals and bGreen are private label brands that operate in their own niches within the online marketplace for health products. While HK Vitals is a nutrition and supplements brand, bGreen is a plant-based nutrition brand with products in both the performance nutrition category and active wellness nutrition category.

Dentsu Webchutney’s credentials and work for high-performing e-commerce brands helped the agency translate a one-project deal with HealthKart into this much deeper commitment as their digital and social media partner, the agency said.

Dentsu Webchutney CEO, Gautam Reghunath stated, “HealthKart is a pioneer in the Indian nutrition and wellness space and one that is vertically integrated into a fragmented category. It is a brand that’s constantly innovated through product excellence and delivering on consumer needs. There is so much evolution happening in the vitals and nutrition space and we are lucky to be partnering with HealthKart who is at the front of it all.”

HK Vitals/HealthKart AVP – brands, Kaustuv Paliwal added, “We are absolutely thrilled to be joining forces with Dentsu Webchutney. Partnering with them to lead our charter on digital marks the beginning of a journey that is filled with intent and backed by action.”

September 9, 2021
Industry veteran Ajay Gahlaut joins dentsu Creative as group CCO

Mumbai: Dentsu India has announced the appointment of creative veteran Ajay Gahlaut as group chief creative officer (GCCO), spearheading creative excellence across dentsu India’s award-winning creative agencies.

Gahlaut will report to dentsu Creative India, chief executive officer, Amit Wadhwa and will be responsible for accelerating dentsu India’s creative businesses under one optimised service line, said the agency in a statement.

Dentsu India initiated the formation of a new structure for its creative service line in June this year. The redesign – part of the network’s global plan to transform into the most integrated group in the world by 2024, brings together some of India’s best agencies under one umbrella and catapults Dentsu India into its fresh journey to 2.0. The agency brands that come together under this new creative design are Dentsu Webchutney, Taproot Dentsu, WATConsult, Perfect Relations, Isobar, Dentsu One, Dentsu India, and Dentsu Impact, said the statement.

A creative genius with over 27 years of experience in advertising, Gahlaut wrote the line ‘Do Boond Zindagi Ki’ that anchored the famous Pulse Polio Immunisation campaign with the superstar Amitabh Bachchan. He also created more than a dozen commercials for the campaign and played a significant part in eradicating polio from India. He was also behind the line ‘Make It Large’ for the whiskey brand Royal Stag that transformed its fortunes and made it the highest-selling whiskey in its price range. He created the character ‘Mr Murthy’ for Voltas air conditioners and catapulted Voltas to the number one position in the category.

Gahlaut has also created work for the whiskey brand Imperial Blue with the famous ‘men will be men’ sign off. He has won multiple Cannes Lions, One Show and D&AD awards in his more than a quarter-century journey in this business. He also led Ogilvy Delhi to win eight Lions at Cannes in 2013. Some of the most significant brands that Gahlaut has worked on are Pernod Ricard, BMW, HT Mint and KFC at some of the world’s best-known creative shops.

“Dentsu India is in the midst of an exciting transformation journey towards dentsu India 2.0 and Ajay’s joining is a critical part of the plan,” said Amit Wadhwa. “Ajay is a well-respected creative leader with years of experience across categories and the right mindset that matches with dentsu India 2.0. With the brilliant creative minds in our business, we will be a force to be reckoned with, delivering growth for our clients while continuing our creative evolution at pace and scale.”

“Dentsu’s creativity defines generations. When the opportunity came to join Amit and his team, I could not refuse. Creativity is in the spotlight, with brands looking to differentiate themselves in a disrupted marketplace – it has never been a more exciting time to work in this field rich with opportunity. I am excited to join dentsu, Amit and the creative teams, delighting clients and creating era-defining work together,” said Gahlaut.

September 3, 2021
dentsu India CEO Anand Bhadkamkar moves on

Mumbai: Anand Bhadkamkar has stepped down as chief executive officer of dentsu International India. He was associated with the agency network for 14 years and served as CEO from September 2019.

Dentsu International APAC, CEO and chairman India, Ashish Bhasin and dentsu media and global clients, global CEO, Peter Hujiboom will step in to assume the day-to-day leadership of dentsu India in the interim. The company has yet to find a successor for Bhadkamkar.

“In the last year, and despite the pandemic, we have started to optimise our portfolio of brands into six global leadership brands, making us more agile and simpler for our clients to access our world-class capabilities and talents. To accelerate this transformation, Ashish Bhasin, CEO, APAC and chairman India, and Peter Huijboom, global CEO, media and global clients will assume interim, day-to-day leadership of dentsu India while the business completes its search for a successor to Anand Bhadkamkar, who leaves dentsu on August 31,” said the agency in a statement on Tuesday.

“With this new structure, we are well-positioned to unlock higher levels of business performance, innovation, and solution-led strategies for our people and for our clients. Our ambitions and goals are interconnected, and this is the beginning of dentsu India 2.0’s new and transformed path to success,” it added.

Bhadkamkar joined Dentsu Aegis Network as chief financial officer for India in 2008 and was given additional charge as chief operating officer in April 2019. During his 25-year career, he has been associated with Lowe Lintas and Ernst and Young.

Bhadkamkar is a chartered accountant who completed his bachelor’s in commerce from Narsee Monjee College of Commerce and Economics.

August 31, 2021
SAVA appoints WATConsult as digital marketing partner for SAVA Herbals

Mumbai: SAVA Healthcare has appointed WATConsult, the hybrid digital agency from the house of dentsu India, as the digital marketing partner for its new herbal formulation business, SAVA Herbals. Through SAVA Herbals, the pharmaceutical company will be launching clinically proven herbal product offerings across various therapy areas.

As per the mandate, WATConsult will oversee social media management, media planning & buying, online reputation management and search engine optimisation for the brand. The key focus of the agency will be to drive the brand growth and complete execution of the strategies across all leading digital and social media platforms generating a high engagement rate and overall connection with the audience, said the statement.

Speaking on the partnership, SAVA Group chairman, Vinod Ramchandra Jadhav said, “SAVA Herbals is an extension of the capabilities that we have built over the years in manufacturing herbal extracts of the highest purity. We truly believe that our association with WATConsult will help us grow and set new benchmarks as we promote our brand’s philosophy of making life feel good.”

SAVA Healthcare head – R&D, Dr Sriram Padmanabhan added, “The products that are being launched by SAVA Herbals have been developed in-house and tested for clinical efficacy and safety in patients, which is very significant. WATConsult will help us spread this message and reach out to customers across.”

Commenting on the association, WATConsult CEO, Heeru Dingra said, “Healthcare is of paramount importance especially in today’s times and so are companies like SAVA that intend to help improve people’s lives. Armed with a lot of new-age thinking and a digital-first approach, we are looking forward to helping the company further scale its efforts and accelerate business growth.”

August 23, 2021
Dentsu India restructures CXM business; Anubhav Sonthalia named CEO

Mumbai: Following the restructure of its creative and media businesses in India, dentsu has now announced the launch of a unified Merkle-led CXM proposition in the market. The announcement brings together data transformation, digital transformation, and CX consulting into one unit to create the most specialised CX practice in India under brand Merkle.

Part of the network’s global organisational redesign, the dentsu India CXM business will now house the agencies – Sokrati, Fractal Ink Design Studio and Merkle B2B, under one umbrella. Anubhav Sonthalia will lead dentsu CXM in India as its chief executive officer in addition to serving his current role as Sokrati CEO. He will continue to report to dentsu India CEO, Anand Bhadkamkar and dentsu CXM CEO – APAC, Z Shen.

Sonthalia will be responsible for the integration, coordination, and implementation of dentsu CXM’s overall strategy across the country. The CXM business will be aimed at building differentiated customer experiences through data, design & technology transformations, and will work with partners like Salesforce, Adobe, Google Cloud & AWS, said the company in a statement.

Speaking on the launch, Anand Bhadkamkar said, “Keeping up with our #onedentsu strategy, the new CXM business will help us move closer towards our growth journey. CXM is growing rapidly, and it is soon expected to become 35 per cent of our overall business in India. By 2025, we project that this growing field will have a 50 per cent contribution to our business. With this new CXM line of business, our clients will see a host of benefits as it will be a one-stop solution for all their CXM needs. I have complete faith in Anubhav’s leadership and in CXM to create numerous opportunities for clients as well as for the network.”

Commenting on his new role, Anubhav Sonthalia added, “I am looking forward to leading dentsu India CXM and to develop newer strategies to up our customer experience game. We aim to provide world-class services to our clients and prioritise data-driven experiences & personalisation of the entire end-to-end customer experience. Our key focus will be to create a holistic view for the clients, and a focused strategy for delivering personalised experiences that they demand.”

August 19, 2021
dentsu X India wins media mandate for MyGlamm

Mumbai: dentsu X, the media agency from the house of dentsu India, has won the integrated media mandate for a beauty product company, MyGlamm.

As per the mandate, dentsu X will contribute to the e-commerce enterprise’s expansion plans by designing and deploying an omnichannel media strategy.

Commenting on the win, MyGlamm chief marketing officer Apratim Majumder said, “dentsu X was highly recommended to us, and to our delight, in a very short period, we have discovered exactly why! Their strategic thinking, experience, speed-to-market products, and efficiencies have completely impressed us. Partnering with them on our go-to-market strategy is reassuring, given their data-driven clear-thinking and inventive approach in meeting consumer and company goals.”

dentsu Media South Asia CEO and dentsu X India CEO, Divya Karani added, “We obsess over driving value and delivering the committed outcomes to all our clients’ businesses. Recognition and acknowledgment for our services are invaluable! We are delighted to partner with MyGlamm and move from pillar to strength.”

dentsu X India COO, Roopam Garg commented, “We are honoured to partner with MyGlamm and look forward to deftly navigate the e-commerce opportunities and possibilities that lie ahead.”

August 19, 2021
Dentsu Webchutney wins digital & social media mandate for ACKO

MUMBAI: Dentsu Webchutney, the digital creative agency from the house of dentsu India, has won the social media mandate for digital insurance policy provider, ACKO General Insurance. The account was won following a multi-agency pitch.

In four years, the insurance brand, with its entire operations offered through the digital platform ACKO has set new benchmarks for customer experience in an otherwise slow-moving category. Dentsu Webchutney comes in with a specific goal to grow ACKO’s place in the market, with an always-on social excellence approach.

Dentsu Webchutney vice president GD Prasad said, “In a short time, ACKO has established itself as a disruptive brand that every player in the category will soon follow. To partner with them, is to take another step into the deep end of the impact of digital technologies. We have the enviable chance to build a brand whose actions are aligned with its values. We will continue to push the bar for them in what has turned out to be a year of fantastic partnerships with disruptive new brands for Dentsu Webchutney.“

ACKO General Insurance executive VP—marketing, Ashish Mishra added, “We are absolutely thrilled to be joining forces with Dentsu Webchutney. Partnering with them to lead our charter on digital marks the beginning of a journey that is filled with intent and backed by action. We are certain that Dentsu Webchutney, with their nuanced understanding of the digital landscape, will fuel our vision to be the country’s most loved general insurance brand.”

August 2, 2021
Carat India ropes in Avilash Chakraborty as associate VP, strategy

MUMBAI: Carat, the flagship media agency from the house of dentsu India, has appointed Avilash Chakraborty as associate vice president (AVP), strategy. In his new role, Chakraborty will report to Anita Kotwani, CEO, Carat India and will lead the communication strategy for the agency, nationally.

Chakraborty will also help drive the ‘Designing for People’ (DFP) framework inspired by Design Thinking from the house of Carat and work closely with the office leads on the agency’s existing and new business development initiatives.

Armed with more than 13 years of experience, Chakraborty has worked with some of India’s leading advertising and media companies including JWT, Y&R and Cheil. He has led various strategy functions in Mindshare – North & East. Chakraborty has worked across areas in Innovation & Content Strategy, Integrated Media Strategy, Communications Strategy and Strategic Partnerships. He has also been part of The Walt Disney Company where he established and led multi-platform Strategic Partnerships for the iconic National Geographic brand in India.

Welcoming Chakraborty to the team, Anita Kotwani said, “Avilash brings with him a wealth of experience across creative, media and content. As we drive growth for Carat India, we needed to bring in talent that can truly transform the agency offering, and drive integrated communication planning. Avilash, with his strong strategic bent of mind and diverse experience, will work with the newly formed central strategy function at Carat and lead communication planning for the agency. I am truly excited to have him as part of the Carat family.“

Commenting on his new role, Chakraborty added, “Touted to be the world’s first media agency, Carat is a powerhouse when it comes to some of the best-in-class strategic frameworks, brand planning products, and proprietary audience insight tools that exist in the market today. Moreover, the tight-knit integrated ecosystem of dentsu India across Media, Digital, Performance, OOH, Marketing Effectiveness and Creative agencies, make it perfectly poised to cater to the ever dynamic and agile marketing needs of clients. I am looking forward to being a part of Carat’s growth story under Anita’s leadership in India and partnering with clients in placing their brands at the helm of culture, consumer, and context.”

July 20, 2021
dentsumcgarrybowen India elevates Indrajeet Mookherjee to managing partner

MUMBAI: dentsumcgarrybowen (dentsuMB), the integrated agency from the house of dentsu India, has promoted Indrajeet Mookherjee to the role of managing partner. Mookherjee will now lead the agency nationally and will report into dentsuMB Group CEO Sidharth Rao, the agency said in a statement.

dentsumcgarrybowen is part of the larger, newly formed dentsuMB group, which houses a cluster of creative agencies from within the dentsu creative service line of business.

Prior to this, Mookherjee was dentsuMB president – South, where he led operations for offices in Bangalore, Chennai, and Kochi. Mookherjee joined dentsu India as executive vice president in 2016. Prior to dentsu, he was managing director at Soho Square, Indonesia – part of the Ogilvy Group.

Mookherjee is armed with more than two decades of experience in leadership roles across some of the leading communication networks in India and Indonesia including names such as Lowe Lintas, Ogilvy, and Leo Burnett. He has also worked on significant brands such as Unilever, Nestle, Mondelez, Apple, Himalaya Herbal, AB InBev, and Toyota.

Speaking on the elevation, Sidharth Rao said, “As we continue to strengthen and reshape our creative offering in the Indian market, we needed a leader who is experienced, connected, and understands the nuances of the communication landscape. Indrajeet, with his experience in managing brands and categories across South and Southeast Asia, was the perfect choice to helm our operations. The dentsuMB group of agencies, which already boasts iconic Indian agencies like Taproot Dentsu and Dentsu Webchutney in our stable, are growing at a rapid pace, and I look forward to Indrajeet and his talented dentsumcgarrybowen team, strengthening our creative offering even further.”

Speaking on his new role, Indrajeet Mookherjee added, “I am honoured to join the leadership team of dentsuMB India at a very exciting time where our business is seeing unprecedented change. However, the one constant is the power of ideas and how we deliver business outcomes for our client partners. And that’s where I am hugely inspired by the global legacy of dentsuMB as a creative powerhouse and develop work that wins in the world and leads to better business results for brands. I am looking forward to working with our talented team and group leaders to build and create a truly integrated agency.”

For the record, the brands that are now part of the dentsu creative group in India include Dentsu Webchutney, Taproot Dentsu, WATConsult, Perfect Relations, Isobar, Dentsu One, dentsu MB (erstwhile Dentsu India), and Dentsu Impact. Under this fresh structure, the agencies that will report into Sidharth Rao, are Dentsu Webchutney, Taproot Dentsu, Dentsu One, dentsuMB, and Dentsu Impact.

July 16, 2021
Isobar India appoints Pragati Rana as senior VP- strategy

MUMBAI: Isobar, the digital agency from the house of dentsu India, has named Pragati Rana as its senior vice president – strategy. As per the fresh mandate, Rana will head strategy for Isobar India and build an integrated planning team under her.

Prior to this, Rana was general manager- Strategy & Operations at dentsumcgarrybowen (dentsuMB) India. Armed with more than 10 years of experience, Rana has won over 50 industry accolades for her work, which includes Vice Media’s 8-bit Journo, Sony Pictures’ Angry Islands, MIB Agent Incognito, Thappad’s The Most Reported Trailer, Early Salary’s Month End Collection, Big FM’s Pride from Home campaigns, to name a few.

In her previous stints, Rana has worked across categories such as food, haircare, entertainment, technology, start-ups, automobile, and finance. Additionally, she has worked on brands like P&G, Complan, Heinz Ketchup, Tata Salt, Vespa, Honor mobiles, MTV, Big FM, Sony Pictures, and Early Salary. Her integrated experience comes from amalgamating learnings of brand building from mainline agencies like Leo Burnett and coupling them with learnings on new-age brand fluidity from digital agencies like Dentsu Webchutney and dentsuMB India. She has also spent some time on the client-side as part of the marketing team in GlaxoSmithKline.

Isobar chief operating officer Gopa Kumar said, “Isobar India is poised to become an innovation-first, fully integrated digital agency. We want people who not only understand the world of digital but also the world of brands and the world of the future, which is innovation, Pragati fits right in.”

Isobar chief business officer Rahul Vengalil added, “The future of advertising is bringing together brand thinking & digital thinking to create an experience economy. Pragati, with her experience and vision of creating a new age planning team, would help us to be the pioneers in this journey of creating an experience economy.”

Elaborating on her new role, Pragati Rana said, “An agency is future-ready when digital people can think of brands, and when brand people can think of digital and when both can think of the future – culture and innovations. My task is to help in creating a new species of mutant planners who can think of culture, brand as well as digital, social, and innovations. I’m super excited about this task. Isobar India has a very ‘actively progressive’ culture built by the leadership team where people aren’t just open to learning but actually look forward to it. I, too, am looking forward to partnering with Isobar India in its upwards and onwards journey.”

July 15, 2021