ITV

Tag: Dentsu

  • Percept/H wins Bharat Nirman creative biz

    MUMBAI: Percept/H won the creative duties of Bharat Nirman, the set of flagship programmes initiated by the central government for the development of rural India. The win is an outcome of a seven-agency pitch in July that included Dentsu, Grey and Concept.

    Bharat Nirman was launched around six years back. So far, the communication had always projected the schemes as an opportunity to improve and empower the lives of people. The focus this year is to project the change that people have experienced in their lives through these schemes.

    The agency has already started work on the account and has rolled out the first campaign for the client.

    The agency was asked to project the Bharat Nirman programs as the ‘right‘ or ‘haq‘ of people provided by the central government. In order to communicate this, the agency decided to show the change in people‘s life once they demanded their “haq” and which once they got, empowered them to impact their lives in a positive manner. The idea was to portray the moment of transition from the underdog to a person who knows his or her rights and the feeling of ‘pride‘ associated with the sense of achievement.

    The campaign is being executed through a complete 360 degrees approach with print, TVCs and radio. The logistical challenges of executing the TVCs were immense: 7 programme TVCs and one overarching jingle TVC, 4 language masters for each, making it a total of 32 master films and dubs in 7 languages of each film, making it 56 dubs. In all, a total of mind boggling 88 films.

    The campaign used a jingle “Bharat ke is Nirman pe haq hai mera”. It is directed by Paresh and Naresh Kamath and sung by Kailash Kher and Neha Bhasin. It aims to embody the emotions of people who have taken their rightful “haq” and which everyone should demand. It reflects the pride associated with the positive change that the people of India are empowered to bring about in their lives.

    The campaign includes initiatives in TV, print and radio. The idea was not just about reaching the rural masses in every nook and corner of this country by the width of its media usage and reach through multiple use of TV and radio channels and maximizing newspaper. There was equal focus on the way this campaign has been creatively conceived, designed and produced so as to connect with rural masses, relate to them, impact and involve them.

    The campaign covers the seven programs offered by Bharat Nirman through film, print and radio along with a 90 sec film. The film has been created in a way that covers every region and every language by separately creating an edition for different regions, in different languages, bringing out the authentic and real environment and setting and all the local nuances so as to connect better with local people of any region.

    These films have been extremely sensitively produced and filmed by Pradeep Sircar and his Apocolypso team with Joydeep Sircar directing all the films. The communication initiative by Bharat Nirman and Percept H is unique because no other brand in the social, government or corporate (national or multinational) sector has ever attempted a massive and authentic communication and production.

    Percept/H executive creative director Rajiv Agrawal said, “Till now, over the last few years, the Bharat Nirman campaign has really been from the POV of the Govt., and not from the POV of the people. This is what we corrected. It‘s a people‘s campaign this time around and exhorts them to claim their right. It‘s classic storytelling which attempts to engage the audience in the warm, aggressive campaign. Also, the look-feel is deliberately different, non-sarkaari. I believe that social campaigns should not be any different in look-feel from brand campaigns. The principle remains the same: you are trying to engage your audience by providing them a sound reason-to-believe”.

    Percept H COO (North) Amitava Mitra said, “Bharat Nirman has always been an extremely prestigious project for us since its launch, and this year too, it was a matter of great pride for us to win it. The complexities involved in the execution of the campaign were extremely challenging with multiple programs, languages etc. But at the end of it is a hugely gratifying and satisfying experience.”

  • Black Pencil wins Panasonic‘s corporate biz

    MUMBAI: Leo Burnett‘s creative agency Black Pencil has won the creative mandate of Panasonic‘s corporate business.

    The size of the business is estimated to be around Rs 200 million.

    Five agencies participated in the pitch including the incumbent Dentsu.

    Black Pencil will service the account from its Delhi office. It will work on Panasonic‘s brand communication and their green innovation initiative.

  • Aegis posts impressive H1 results ahead of Dentsu takeover

    MUMBAI: Global media conglomerate Aegis which is headquartered in London posted an organic revenue growth of 8.6 per cent for H1 2012, up by 0.8 per cent over year-ago.

    The billings for the H1 period of 2012 were ?596.8 million. In 2011, the Aegis group recorded billings worth ?519.1 million, registering a YoY increase of 15 per cent. Profits for the same period rose by 10.32 per cent from ?25.2 million in 2011 to ?27.8 million in 2012.

    Aegis Media APAC’s revenue increased by 17.3 per cent to ?115.8 million from ?98.7 million in 2011. China and Australia were the leading performers in the region for Aegis with other markets also doing reasonable well.

    The company’s revenue in the Americas region increased by 38 per cent to ?134.8 million as opposed to last year’s ? 97.7 million. Its North American business continued to improve its market position with the appointment of Carat US as General Motors Co’s global strategic media partner in January 2012.

    Geographically, the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region revenue increased by 5.3 per cent (from 2011’s ? 290.7 million) to ?306.1 million with Russia, the UK, Turkey and across the Middle East and Africa delivering strong performances.

    In January 2012, the group acquired a further 41 per cent of the share in Norwegian agency Qualité Search taking its stake from 34 per cent to 75 per cent, thus obtaining control of Qualité which has joined the iProspect brand in Norway.

    In February 2012 Aegis fully acquired the holding company of Roundarch Inc, a digital agency which specialises in designing and building enterprise-class digital solutions for clients. Roundarch has been combined with Isobar, Aegis’s existing digital creative network in the US and renamed as RoundarchIsobar.

    In March 2012, Aegis acquired 70 per cent in the Hungarian out-of-home agency PPI Central Europe. PPI has been rebranded to become part of the Postercope EMEA division of Posterscope Worldwide.

    In May, the group fully acquired Beijing-based digital agency eLink Advertising, which is now a part of the Isobar network in China.

    Aegis Group chief executive officer Jerry Buhlmann said, “Successfully delivering our strategy in recent years has consolidated Aegis’s market-leading position and, in July, the Board recommended a ?3.16 billion cash offer from Dentsu. Once completed, this transaction will create one of the world’s most dynamic marketing services groups, the first truly global communications group born in the digital age, with the global reach to provide increased scale, capability and investment to support our clients. For our people, the combination offers continuity and the promise of working for one of the most exciting, high growth companies in our industry.”

  • Dentsu wins creative mandate for Max India corporate

    Dentsu wins creative mandate for Max India corporate

    MUMBAI: Dentsu Creative Impact, Dentsu India’s full service advertising agency, has been awarded the creative duties for Max India Limited, a leading multi-business corporate with commanding India presence in life insurance (Max Life), healthcare (Max Healthcare), health insurance (Max Bupa Health Insurance), clinical Research (Max Neeman) and the manufacturing of speciality products for the packaging industry (Max Speciality Films).

    The agency has also won the creative mandate for the newest brand within the Max India Group – Antara, which is in the business of redefining how seniors live in India today through their upcoming residential communities for people over the age of sixty.

    Dentsu India Group executive chairman Rohit Ohri said “We’re really excited to partner Max India in its next phase of growth and development in the market. Max India is focused on creating positive social impact in the country through its businesses. This vision offers us a unique opportunity to create communication that not only connects with audiences at multiple emotional levels but also through a wide variety of touch points. Another opportunity for us to demonstrate our integrated communication thinking!”

    Driven by the spirit of enterprise, Max India Limited focuses on people and service-oriented businesses, the core of which revolves around ‘Life’. The Group is credited with forging and successfully nurturing strong and fruitful business relationships with leading global companies over the years. Max India enjoys strong relationships with its JV partners – Fortune 100 company New York Life, South African healthcare major Life Healthcare and leading international healthcare provider, Bupa.

    Max India Head – Communications Nitin Thakur said, “We were looking for a creative partner to help us think through a distinct and meaningful positioning of brand Max that reflects our ethos and is a powerful enough core for our Group businesses to build their individual product positioning around it. Two things about Dentsu’s approach stood out for us. While strategy was at the forefront, the enthusiasm displayed by the new team at Dentsu Creative Impact helped fortify our belief that a lot of fresh thinking is on the cards for a stronger and resurgent Brand Max.”

  • Dentsu to acquire Aegis for $4.9 bn

    MUMBAI: In its first serious effort to challenge the bigger media agencies, Japanese media conglomerate Dentsu is buying out UK-based Aegis Media Group for a whopping $4.9 billion.

    Joining the acquisition fever gripping the top media agencies, Dentsu‘s buyout of Aegis will place the Tokyo-based agency in the top position in the Asia-Pacific region while it becomes the second largest in western Europe, the fastest growing in North America and a global leader in digital markets.

    The deal will also have India implications where Dentsu had expressed its ambitions to grow. In January 2011, it had bought out its local joint venture partner to take full control. The price: $2.4 billion for Sandeep Goyal-promoted Mogae Media‘s 26 per cent stake each in Dentsu Communications, Dentsu Marcom and Dentsu Creative Impact.

    “Dentsu and Aegis independently were not too big a force in India. But the combined strength will provide the muscle power for them to build and grow strong in one of the fastest growing ad markets in the world,” said a top executive in a leading agency on condition of anonymity.

    When contacted, both Dentsu and Aegis declined to comment on the deal.

    A source, however, said the details would emerge only after the deal was consummated and complete. The entire realignment would follow after that, expected around April 2013. The first stage would be restructuring globally, followed by specific regions and then each country.

    Dentsu expects the scheme of arrangement to become effective during October – December 2012, subject to anti-trust clearance and other conditions.

    Overwhelmingly dependent on the home market for clients, Dentsu had earlier in its medium-term plan stated that it would focus on global business expansion and intensify its digital offerings while strengthening its mass media business.

    Dentsu initiated talks with Aegis in June, eyeing the agency which analysts had speculated would look for a buyer. The selling of the Synovate unit to France‘s Ipsos was only to make that task easier for a suitor.

    The Japanese agency was preparing the ground after terminating a nine-year partnership with Publicis in February. Selling off its shares to Publicis for €644.4 million, Dentsu had the cash to look for purchases that would allow it to penetrate into the UK, European and US markets.

    The acquisition of Aegis will make Dentsu one of the leading global media and marketing company. In January, Aegis won the General Motors Co. contract worth $3 billion of yearly advertising.

    Dentsu president and CEO Tadashi Ishii said, “I am pleased to announce this exciting and transformational combination between Dentsu and Aegis. Together, we will be able to deliver fully integrated and best-in-class services to our clients through a new global communication network born in the digital age offering a broadened service portfolio. Dentsu and Aegis will be the market leader in the Asia-Pacific region, enjoying a strong presence across Europe and the fastest growing agency network in the US.”

    The best part is that Dentsu has hardly any overlap with Aegis. The combination will be complementary, bringing together a global media platform with capabilities to provide integrated solutions and offer enhanced quality services to clients.

    The geographical fit is highly complementary. Dentsu has a leading market position in Japan‘s advertising and marketing sector, an established presence across Asia, and an increasingly expanding business in the US.

    Aegis, on the other hand, enjoys a leading position showing strong presence across Europe and increasingly in the US. Moreover, Aegis is rapidly growing its footprint across emerging markets, and has established robust positioning in Asia excluding Japan.

    Together, the enlarged group will be a stronger global competitor with the scope and scale to compete for and win international mandates across Japan, Europe, Asia Pacific and the Americas.

    Also, following the transaction, the combined group will have a strengthened ability to offer a wider spectrum of niche services and expertise as a full service agency.

    Dentsu faces strong client expectations to strengthen digital solutions. With the rise of digital consumption and client demand for digital services, Dentsu has successfully enhanced its digital solutions over the years. By integrating Aegis, with Isobar and iProspect‘s digital strengths in creative origination and performance marketing, the combined business will provide a powerful global platform for media, content and digital technology, and will increasingly support client activities.

    The combination of Dentsu and Aegis, with its robust client portfolio, will count at least 71 out of the top 100 marketers as clients on a combined basis, and will provide global and local clients with a new, differentiated proposition to achieve their objectives, and also accelerate the drive to continuously create new innovations as one unified group, Dentsu said in an official statement.

    Aegis CEO Jerry Buhlmann said, “This is a compelling combination of two great businesses that will create one of the world‘s most dynamic marketing services groups – and the first to be born in the digital age. We at Aegis are delighted at the prospect of being able to play a full part in helping Dentsu create a platform for global growth and continued digital innovation. By forming the first communications group with true global reach, the growth strategies of both businesses will be enhanced as we provide more scale, geography, capability and investment to support clients.”

  • WPP buys digital agency AKQA

    MUMBAI: Global advertising giant WPP is buying stake in San Francisco based digital agency AKQA, the last big digital shops not yet public or owned by a holding company.

    Though the purchase price was not revealed, the digital agency is valued at $450 million and trade estimates peg the price around that figure.

    AKQA is backed by private-equity firm General Atlantic and at the end of 2011 had gross assets of $282 million with a forecast of profits to the tune of $230 million in 2012 as opposed to $189 million in 2011.

    The announcement was made during the annual Cannes Lions held in Paris, France. AKQA will continue to operate as an independent and standalone brand within WPP and be led by founder and CEO Ajaz Ahmed and chairman Tom Bedecarré.

    Bedacarre will also become president of WPP Ventures, a new Silicon-Valley based digital investment company.

    Two years back, AKQA was approached by Japanese media house Dentsu, but the latter soon exited the talks. According top media reports, the asking price at the time was between $550 million and $600 million which was also speculated to be the reason for Dentsu’s withdrawal.

    WPP too tried twice before things finally fell in place.

    AKQA currently employs 1,160 people all over the globe and has offices in U.S., Europe and Shanghai. It provides expertise in integrated digital communications campaigns, social media, mobile, gaming work, and content creation and has clients like Delta, Diageo, EDF, GAP, Google, Microsoft Xbox, Nike, Target, Unilever and Virgin Money.

  • Dentsu sets up arm in India for sales promotion

    MUMBAI: Dentsu has set up two companies including a subsidiary in India even as it focuses on Asia as a growth market with particular emphasis on India.

    Promo Tec India and Promo Tec Indonesia will start operations from June and are floated to strengthen the group’s activities in the sales promotion domain.

    The two new outfits are subsidiaries of Promo Tec Pte. Ltd, a company established in Singapore last October as a subsidiary of Dentsu Tec Inc.

    In India, Promo Tec. has 95 per share in the JV while Dentsu Tec Inc holds 5 per cent.

    Dentsu said there has recently been a rapid increase in enquiries about the production of premium goods as well as out-of-home (OOH) advertising areas such as store development, in-store promotions, events and corporate identity (CI).

    According to the March 2012 edition of Advertising Expenditure Forecasts published by ZenithOptimedia, the size of India’s advertising market in 2011 was $5,87.6 billion, an increase of 9.8 per cent from the 2010 figure. The market is further expected to grow to $6,27.7 billion in 2012, $6,83.2 billion in 2013, and $7,44.7 billion in 2014.

    The size of Indonesia’s advertising market in 2011 was $5,11.1 billion, an increase of 18.9 per cent from the 2010 figure. The market is further expected to grow to $6,11.3 billion in 2012, $7,28.4 billion in 2013, and $8,93.1 billion in 2014.

    Working in cooperation with Singapore-based Dentsu Asia Pte. Ltd. which oversees operations in the Asian region, the two new companies will provide clients with fast and effective solutions to the growing range of sales promotion needs.

    The impact of these transactions on Dentsu‘s consolidated and non-consolidated financial results for the fiscal year ending March 31 2013 is expected to be minimal.

  • Dentsu empowers India, Ohri is part of unified management structure

    Dentsu empowers India, Ohri is part of unified management structure

    MUMBAI: Dentsu is giving more powers to India and other developing markets. For the first time, it has combined all its overseas operations into one global team with a unified management structure under Dentsu Network.

    Dentsu India Group executive chairman Rohit Ohri is among the key leaders from across Dentsu’s Global Network to be part of Dentsu Network’s global operations committee to help develop and drive Dentsu’s strategy, collective vision, values and motivation.

    Dentsu is striving to accelerate global growth through this new formation. Says Dentsu India Group executive chairman Rohit Ohri, “This new organisation of our global operations has been designed for speedier decision-making, accelerated sharing of know-how across geographies, and more empowerment of developing markets like India. This structure will power Dentsu India Group’s skill and capability to be the best integrated communication solutions partner for our clients.”

    Dentsu Network has been launched with 82 operations in 29 countries. Its aim: to make the company a more competitive and powerful global network.

    Led by Dentsu Network President and CEO Tim Andree, the single virtual company will foster collaboration and share to serve more clients in more markets with innumerable capabilities more profitably, with innovative strategies and collaborative entrepreneurship.

    Explains Andree, “Our goal as the newly formed Dentsu Network is to serve more clients, in more markets, more effectively through truly global collaboration. We have had the benefit of testing our growth strategy in the western hemisphere through our Dentsu Network West operation, and saw the rewards it has brought to all of our agencies and business partners. By combining our power in the East with our rapidly growing operations in the West, there is nothing stopping us from serving our clients in the most dynamic, nimble and resourceful way possible.”

  • Dentsu Creative Impact bags Tetra Pak creative biz

    Dentsu Creative Impact bags Tetra Pak creative biz

    Mumbai: Dentsu Creative Impact has won the creative duties for food processing and packaging solutions company Tetra Pak. The media mandate continues to be with Carat Media.

    Tetra Pak South Asia Markets communications and environment director Jaideep Gokhale said, “Past communication from Tetra Pak has focused on the key message of how Tetra Pak aseptic technology best protects foods like milk and juices. Our plans are to continue strengthening communication around the Tetra Pak credentials and around our brand promise ‘protects what’s good‘.”

    On the choice of Dentsu Creative Impact Gokhale added, “We were looking at how the communication task could be addressed with a fresh perspective without losing focus of the imperative to remain consistent and true to our brand personality. With our new agency partner Dentsu Creative Impact, we are now in the process of developing our 2012 campaign which will explore communication channels beyond the conventional.”

    Dentsu India Group executive chairman Rohit Ohri said, “The communication opportunity which Tetra Pak offers Dentsu India is very exciting and clearly beyond conventional media. We‘re looking at communication across every touch point in the packaged milk and beverage ecosystem. This communication approach is at the heart of Dentsu‘s offering in India.”

    Tetra Pak India delivers aseptic packaging material and processing, packaging and distribution solutions to the Indian food processing industry. Their customers include leading players, both national and regional, from the private sector as well as the dairy co-operatives.

    Tetra Pak works in close partnership with the food processing industry to promote consumer and key stakeholder awareness on the importance of aseptically processed and packaged foods, and how they provide benefits of food safety, consumer wellness and environment sustainability.

  • Sabuj Sengupta calls it a day at Dentsu

    Sabuj Sengupta calls it a day at Dentsu

    MUMBAI: Sabuj Sengupta has quit Dentsu Creative Impact as Sr VP and ECD.

    Sengupta had joined on 1 July 2011 and was heading the creative for the agency.

    Sengupta confirmed that he was moving out but refused to comment on his next venture.

    He had joined Dentsu Creative Impact from JWT where he was working as associate vice president and senior creative director.

    Prior to JWT, he has also worked with Contract and Bates.