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Tag: FCB Ulka

  • FCB Interface wins integrated creative mandate for Max Life Insurance

    FCB Interface wins integrated creative mandate for Max Life Insurance

    New Delhi: FCB Interface wins the integrated creative mandate for Max Life Insurance. After a multi-agency pitch that included multiple rounds, Max Life Insurance has assigned its integrated creative mandate to FCB Interface.

    The mandate includes creative strategy, execution and social media management for the brand across all channels.

    Commenting on the announcement, Max Life Insurance chief marketing officer Rahul Talwar said, “We are geared up to make the Max Life brand authentic, contemporary, and relatable to millennials & Gen Z. This partnership will strengthen our brand purpose of ‘You are the difference’. FCB Interface joins our strong ecosystem of highly credible partners, and fits in our vision to build integrated communication channels from strength to strength and deliver impactful work together.”

    Speaking of this association, FBB Group chairman & CEO Rohit Ohri, said, “Max life is looking at accelerated growth in India and we at FCB Interface are excited to partner with them on this journey. Integrated mandates are what we love because that’s what empowers us to build relevance, authenticity, and consistency across every stage of the customer journey.”

  • Publicis Health appoints Anindya Banerjee as creative head

    Publicis Health appoints Anindya Banerjee as creative head

    Mumbai: Publicis Health has announced the appointment of Anindya Banerjee as head of creative. He will report to Publicis Health senior VP Dorelle Kulkarni.

    In this role, Banerjee will lead the creative mandate for the unit, evolving their creative offerings while managing growth, strategy and communications output for the agency, said the statement.

    “Publicis Health has had tremendous growth momentum in the past year and this is reflected in both our new business wins and our body of work. To keep up this momentum it is important to have a leadership team that brings a diverse perspective and open new avenues for us,” said Dorelle Kulkarni. “Anindya comes with the perfect knowledge of craft and experience which will be invaluable in propelling Publicis Health to the next phase of growth. I look forward to us working together.”

    Banerjee is a seasoned creative with diverse experience in advertising, marketing, and communication. He has held senior leadership roles across various agencies and crafted award-winning campaigns that have gone on to win several accolades at world stages. With over 20 years of experience in the advertising and communication space, his expansive experience will fuel the organisation’s creative services.

    “Publicis Health continues to play a pivotal role for our growth plans and to that end we are committed to bringing on board the best in class talent to the agency,” stated Leo Burnett, Publicis Health & Publicis Business CEO and chief strategy officer for South Asia Dheeraj Sinha. “Anindya’s diverse background will bring a unique perspective to agency and I look forward to some great work in the future.”

    Banerjee joins Publicis Health from FCB Ulka, where he worked on some of India’s biggest brands including the award-winning Times ‘Out and Proud’ campaign for LGBTQ rights in India. He has worked across several Indian and international brands throughout his tenure with various agencies crafting award-winning hybrid 360 campaigns.

    “The scourge of Covid and its terrible aftermath has shown how important health is in the overall well-being of people. I believe health and wellness are going to be the engine drivers of the industry going forward. In that context, Publicis Health is once in a lifetime opportunity for me to be in the right place at the right time,” said Anindya Banerjee on his new assignment.

  • #Retrace2021: From Nykaa’s Falguni Nayar to dentsu veteran Ashish Bhasin, who all made news in 2021?

    #Retrace2021: From Nykaa’s Falguni Nayar to dentsu veteran Ashish Bhasin, who all made news in 2021?

    Mumbai: The year that began with the slowdown of pandemic cases, and phased opening of businesses across the country, is ending with another Covid variant rearing its head. The new cases of Omicron are spreading faster, even as the industry struggles to hold on to its post-pandemic revival after braving a deadly second wave in May early this year.

    Amid all these challenges, there were signs of resilience, that highlighted the advertising industry’s slow yet significant recovery this year. If 2020 was the year of ed-tech, 2021 only took the game a notch higher. E-commerce dominated headlines, and several D2C brands rose to success with their innovative advertising and marketing strategies. The year saw the largest number of startups joining the unicorn league, of which many of them are internet-based companies, including Flipkart, Nykaa, Zomato, and Paytm. The agencies too, adapted to the new normal, brainstorming newer ways to strengthen brand connect and retain audiences across media channels.

    With the curtains falling on this eventful, yet resilient year, we take a look at some of the biggest names that made headlines, and created a buzz in the world of brands, advertising, and marketing this year.

    1.      FALGUNI NAYAR, NYKAA FOUNDER

    An entrepreneur at 49 and a billionaire at 58, Nayar made waves with her company’s chartbuster initial public offering (IPO) in November. The ₹5,352-crore IPO of her FSN E-Commerce Ventures Ltd was oversubscribed nearly 82.5 times. On the same day, the company’s market capitalisation touched the ₹1 lakh crore mark, making Nayar who owns a 52.56 per cent stake in the company, India’s richest self-made woman billionaire. An investment banker, Nayar launched the beauty and fashion e-commerce platform Nykaa in March 2012 after quitting her job at Kotak Mahindra Capital. Today, Nykaa Fashion is a multi-brand platform with close to 1,500 brands—of which five are its own brands- two acquired and three it has built from scratch. Nykaa Beauty and Nykaa Fashion are separate businesses.

    Falguni Nayar: The billionaire founder of Nykaa who dared to dream at 50

    2.      BYJU RAVEENDRAN, BYJU’S FOUNDER-CEO

    Byju Raveendran-owned edtech, Byju’s has been on a dream run. The company, which saw its business grow rapidly during the pandemic, ramped up its user base and saw a swift growth in revenues. It also announced several deals around the world over, acquiring a number of its competitors, eight of which were this year. With this, Raveendran and his family have also expanded their fortunes, making them the 67th richest Indians, according to the IIFL Wealth Hurun India Rich List 2021. The home-grown edtech startup is now the 13th most valuable start-up in the world, as per CB Insights’ latest unicorn tracker. Currently valued at $21 billion, the Bengaluru-based start-up is also the world’s most valuable ed-tech start-up. It is also the only Indian name to feature in the list of the world’s elite unicorns as of December 2021. Recently, the ed-tech giant was in the news for its advanced discussions to go public through one of Churchill Capital’s special-purpose acquisition companies (SPAC). While an announcement could come as soon as January, the negotiations are not final. 

    3.      PARAG AGARWAL, TWITTER CEO

    2021 was also the year when Indians were taking over coveted leadership roles in the global forum. The first to mark his name was Indian-born Parag Agarwal, who was appointed as the CEO of the micro-blogging platform Twitter in November. An alumnus of IIT-Bombay, Agarwal had joined Twitter in 2011 and worked his way up the ladder to becoming the chief technology officer (CTO) by 2018 and was reportedly one of the ‘first choices’ of the company’s co-founder Jack Dorsey in the line of succession, after the latter announced his resignation. In a staunch endorsement of 37 years old Agrawal, Dorsey wrote: “He’s been my choice for some time, given how deeply he understands the company and its needs. Parag has been behind every critical decision that helped turn this company around… My trust in him as our CEO is bone-deep.” Before Twitter, Agrawal had briefly worked at Microsoft, AT&T, and Yahoo. He did his bachelor’s in engineering in computer science here, before moving to the US for further studies, his doctorate coming from Stanford University.   

    Jack Dorsey steps down, Parag Agarwal named as Twitter CEO

    4.      LEENA NAIR, CHANEL CEO

    In another proud moment for India, Maharashtra-born Leena Nair joined the list of Indian-origin CEOs of multinational brands in December. Her appointment as the CEO of the French luxury fashion house Chanel was unprecedented, given that Nair was a rank outsider with zilch experience in the fashion industry, not being a part of the Paris fashion scene.

    Before this, the 52-year-old had an illustrious career that spanned 30 years at Unilever, becoming the first female and youngest-ever chief human resources officer at the global company, in London- a position she resigned from to join the 111-year-old luxury group. Nair rose through the ranks of Unilever having started out as a management trainee. Under her watch Unilever achieved gender parity across global management. With the latest win, Nair is being hailed as a “serial glass-ceiling breaker”. An electronics and telecommunications engineer from Walchand College of Engineering in Sangli, Maharashtra, she did her MBA in Human Resources from XLRI Jamshedpur in 1992 before joining as a trainee at HUL.

    5.      PIYUSH PANDEY, OGILVY

    An advertising industry veteran with over three decades of experience in the industry, Pandey has donned several hats, representing Rajasthan in Ranji Trophy cricket during his younger days and being a tea taster are some of them before discovering advertising as a career choice. This year, the ad guru added one more feather to his cap when he took on the role of global creative chairman at WPP Plc. owned creative agency Ogilvy in May. He continues to serve as chairman of Ogilvy India helping brands understand their consumers.

    6.      ANITA NAYYAR, PATANJALI AYURVED COO-MEDIA & COMMUNICATIONS

    The year 2021 saw life turning 360 degrees and completing a full circle for former Havas media India boss Anita Nayyar in the advertising and media industry, as she joined Patanjali Ayurved as COO- Media & Communications in July, after a brief stint with Zee5 from May 2020 to March 2021. An industry veteran, Nayyar had an eventful two years, with transitions circumscribing the client-side from the agency side, before settling finally on the brand side, having managed many portfolios of brands across sectors in a career spanning three decades.

    #Retrace2021: Cautious optimism will drive industry growth in 2022

    The year also saw some of the country’s biggest agencies undergo senior-most level executive shuffles and the arrivals and departures of some of advertising’s top talents. In recent months, dentsu India network parted ways with many of its key leaders in an exodus that began in January. The exits were announced as part of its restructuring process to usher in the dentsu India 2.0 vision. The rejig, brings together its creative agencies under one umbrella, including Dentsu Webchutney, Taproot Dentsu, WATConsult, Perfect Relations, Isobar, Dentsu One, Dentsu India, and Dentsu Impact. The high-level exits from its India leadership team included veterans like Santosh Padhi, Shamsuddin Jasani, Vivek Bhargava, Rubeena Singh, Haresh Nayak, Gopa Menon, and the India CFO turned CEO Anand Bhadkamkar. After almost five years of being the CEO at the digital-first media agency iProspect, Rubeena Singh started new innings as the country manager at the short-video app Josh in October.

    7.      ASHISH BHASIN, DENTSU

    Ashish Bhasin -stepped down as dentsu International- CEO APAC & chairman India in November. An industry veteran with over 30 years’ experience, Bhasin had joined Aegis Media in June 2008 and was tasked with launching the business in the market. He was promoted to CEO, Dentsu Asia Pacific in September 2019. Earlier this year, Bhasin had resigned from the board of directors and Audit Committee of Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC India) sparking the retirement rumours.

    Ashish Bhasin steps down as dentsu International CEO APAC & chairman India

    8.      SANTOSH PADHI AND AGNELLO DIAS, TAPROOT DENTSU

     

    The news about Padhi’s sudden exit from the agency he founded with Agnello Dias in 2009 shocked everyone in the industry. Padhi ended his historic innings with Taproot dentsu in September. An art graduate from Mumbai, Padhi began his career with DDB Mudra. He then moved on to Leo Burnett, where he was an executive creative director and later became the national head of art.

    Earlier in June, Taproot made some leadership level rejigs and announced that Agnello Dias (Aggie) will move on to a role as a consultant for key brands, but he too put in his papers around this time. Dias began his advertising career in 1989 and after working with many local and international agencies, including Dart, Interpublicity, Lowe and Leo Burnett, he joined JWT India in 2005, where he soon became the chief creative officer. It was in 2009 when the art and copy duo Padhi and Aggie, decided to together launch their independent creative boutique Taproot India — a bold independent setup. Over the last 12 years, Taproot dentsu rose to become one of India’s most prominent creative agencies, notching up several accolades along the way.

    9.      AJAY GEHLAUT, DENTSU CREATIVE

    Industry veteran Ajay Gahlaut joined dentsu Creative as group CCO in the midst of Dentsu India’s transformation journey towards dentsu India 2.0 and Ajay’s joining is a critical part of the plan, the agency said. Gahlaut, with over 27 years of experience in advertising, was with Publicis Worldwide, India, as chief creative officer and managing director till June 2020. He wrote the line ‘Do Boond Zindagi Ki’ that anchored the famous Pulse Polio Immunisation campaign with Amitabh Bachchan and the ‘Make It Large’ tagline for the whiskey brand Royal Stag. He was also the man behind the ‘Men will be men’ series of campaigns for whiskey brand Imperial Blue and the creator of the character ‘Mr. Murthy’ for Voltas air conditioners.

    10. SHAMSUDDIN JASANI, WUNDERMAN THOMPSON

    As Wunderman Thompson chairman and Group CEO South Asia Tarun Rai moved into a new role as executive director Strategic Initiatives, APAC, Jasani was roped in to take on the mantle. Before this, he was with Isobar as Group MD South Asia. Jasani is a veteran of the industry, having launched Isobar in India in 2008, growing it from a two-person team to over 300-strong across South Asia.

    Isobar’s Shamsuddin Jasani joins Wunderman Thompson South Asia as CEO

    11. PRITI MURTHY, GROUPM

    Priti joined GroupM India as president, GroupM Services India this October, which the network described as a ‘homecoming’ for her and strengthening of the GroupM India leadership team. As an industry veteran, Murthy has spent a large part of her 22+ year career with GroupM. Her last held role with GroupM was as the chief strategy officer at Maxus Global.

    Priti Murthy joins GroupM as president, GroupM services India

    12. ANISHA IYER, OMD India CEO

    Iyer was elevated to OMD India chief executive officer in December. With nearly 18 years of experience in the advertising business and a niche in digital and technology, she joined OMD, a subsidiary of the group, in 2019 as the managing director for Malaysia. Her previous stints include working in companies such as Mindshare, Madhouse, and GroupM in a career spanning two decades.

    13. ANUPRIYA ACHARYA, PUBLICIS GROUPE 

    Anupriya Acharya, a veteran in the media and advertising world, was re-elected as president of the Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) for the year 2021-22 in September this year. Hailing from Dehradun, Acharya has worked with Ogilvy & Mather, McCann (then McCann Erickson), media agency Mindshare Fulcrum and The Media Edge in her 20 plus career. She has also remained the Group CEO of Zenith Optimedia (part of the Publicis Groupe), where she was elevated to lead the India business of Publicis Media in 2016 with a 900-plus strong team.

    14. SWATI BHATTACHARYA, FCB INDIA

    This year also saw the FCB Group India announce the restructuring of its creative agencies and a new three agency structure – FCB Ulka, FCB Interface and FCB India. FCB India, the newest agency in the fold, which’s led by Swati Bhattacharya as the creative chairperson, announced its newly elevated C-Suite leadership team. A noted industry professional, Bhattacharya has been the only woman CCO in India when she joined FCB Ulka in 2016. The brains behind award-winning campaigns like Sindoor Khela for the Times of India, Horlicks, Maggi sauces and noodles, Close up, Airtel, Kit Kat, 7Up, Pepsi, Pizza, UNICEF, Sunrise and Slice are some of her other note-worthy works.

    15. RAMESH NARAYAN, CANCO ADVERTISING

    Canco Advertising founder and Indian advertising doyen Ramesh Narayan was inducted into the prestigious Asian Federation of Advertising Associations (AFAA) Hall of Fame at the AdAsia conference held at Macao in December. “The AFAA Hall of Fame sets out to recognise those who’ve defined a generation of advertising, those who we look up to, who inspire us, and who have done what few others have ever done or could ever do; for those who have pioneered- the very few we can call legends,” said outgoing AFAA chairman, Raymond So about Narayan’s inclusion in the prestigious hall of fame. Earlier this year Narayan also released his book titled “A Different Route to Success”, which gives readers a ringside view of his professional life, having retired at the age of 50, after running Canco Advertising, an advertising agency he founded and ran for 24 years.

    Ramesh Narayan inducted into AFAA Hall of Fame

    16.  ARJUN MOHAN, upGrad CEO

    upGrad CEO ArjunMohan is an experienced industry professional having worked across sales, marketing, and product development domains for more than 15 years, before helming upGrad. One of the most creative edtechs in the country, when it comes to utilising marketing channels to amp up its reach, Mohan helped script a remarkable success story backed on innovative services and out-of-box marketing activities. The upGrad CEO is on a high this year with education going digital-first due to the compulsions brought about by the pandemic.

    17.  VINEETA SINGH, SUGAR COSMETICS CEO

    Singh famously gave up a crore-rupee job offer from an investment bank while she was still in her twenties because she wanted to dive into entrepreneurship. Sugar Cosmetics, a digital-first brand, is her third start-up—the first two did not take off but the second startup, Fab Bag, a subscription business that offered women an assortment of beauty products every month for a small fee- gave her enough data and insights to kickstart her third one. Unlike most digital-first brands, Sugar was early to develop an omnichannel presence and her mantra to make cosmetics for Indian skin tones and suited to the Indian environment paid off. In 2020-21, the D2C firm achieved Rs 130 crore in revenue, and raised $21 million (Rs 160 crore) in venture funding, bringing its valuation to Rs 750 crore.

    From the verge of closing shop, Sugar Cosmetics delivers 49x returns to investors

    18. GHAZAL ALAGH, MAMAEARTH CO-FOUNDER

    Baby and mother care brand Mamaearth turned unicorn after raising close to $80 million in a new round at unicorn valuation led by Sequoia. One among the few startups to turn unicorns with a woman co-founder, the five-year-old D2C brand took birth after Ghazal Alagh and her husband, Varun became parents. In 2016, the couple launched the brand under the parent company Honasa Consumer Pvt Ltd, in Gurugram using natural, plant-based or manmade ingredients, which are both certified safe as well as effective.  In just four years, Mamaearth became Asia’s first brand to get the MadeSafe certification for its toxin-free products. The company recently acquired a female-centric content platform, Momspresso, and associated influencer-engagement platform, Momspresso MyMoney to further accelerate engagement with consumers and strengthen content-to-commerce.

    19. ANIL KAPOOR, AD VETERAN

    Finally, taking a stock of all that we lost this year, there are some losses which cannot be restored ever in any manner whatsoever- and that’s the lives of people lost. This year saw the demise of many eminent names and talents of the industry, many of whom were lost to the Coronavirus.

    FCBUlka chairman emeritus Anil Kapoor passes away

    One such name is that of DraftFCB+ Ulka’s late chairman emeritus Anil Kapoor, who passed away after a prolonged battle with cancer, in April this year. His passing marked the end of an era in the advertising industry. Kapoor joined a struggling Ulka in 1988 and scripted one of the greatest turnaround stories in advertising. He was given charge of the situation to stop the exodus of clients and is credited with bringing in a fresh set of talent, including from institutions like the IIMs. Clients who had left returned and he built a leadership team that stuck together for decades. Kapoor’s career in the ad industry extended to over three decades, and under his guidance, Ulka group emerged among the top five advertising agencies of India. He was conferred with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the AAAI in 2013. His death leaves a huge void in the realm of India’s advertising industry.

    In memoriam: Anil ‘Billy’ Kapoor

  • FCB India announces its newly elevated C-Suite leadership team

    FCB India announces its newly elevated C-Suite leadership team

    MUMBAI: FCB Group India recently announced the restructuring of its creative agencies and a new three agency structure – FCB Ulka, FCB Interface and FCB India. FCB India, the newest agency in the fold, led by Swati Bhattacharya as the creative chairperson, has now announced its newly elevated C-Suite leadership team. FCB India will be led by Debarpita Banerjee as chief executive officer, Surjo Dutt as chief creative officer and John Thangaraj as chief strategy officer.

    In an increasingly digitised marketplace of ever-increasing options, influencing consumer choice has become more complex than ever before. It is this tremendous complexity that informs FCB India’s belief system: that siloed, medium-first thinking is no longer enough to build powerful brands in today’s world. FCB India aims at bringing a multi-disciplinary approach to creative ideation, drawing from fields as varied as design and data to media and marketing, the company said in a statement on Thursday.

    FCB India creative chairperson Swati Bhattacharya, said, “When Debbie, Surjo, and John enter the room to solve a problem…you know it will be done. Very rarely do you see such chemistry and energy in the boardroom. They can afford to be terribly honest with each other, and that directly makes the idea shiny and the brand shinier!”

    Debarpita Banerjee joined FCB in 2016 as president- North & East and now heads the agency as the CEO. A seasoned business leader with prior experience in both marketing and advertising, she headed marketing for National Geographic India in her previous role. She is a content enthusiast and also leads Fuel- the branded content and production arm at the agency.

    Surjo Dutt joined FCB in 2016 as national creative director. In his previous role, he was heading creative for specialist digital agency Sapient Nitro. Dutt combines over two decades of advertising experience across both mainline and digital with a strong focus on filmmaking and creative disruption.  

    John Thangaraj joined FCB in 2016 as executive planning director. In his previous role, he was head of strategy- North for Mindshare. Thangaraj brings close to twenty years of marketing communications expertise to the table, having worked across the ecosystem- from qualitative research & brand marketing to account planning, media strategy, and advertising.

    Speaking on this new developement, FCB Group India chairman & CEO Rohit Ohri said, “Hybrid thinking truly begins with hybrid talent. Debbie, Surjo and John’s diverse experience across content marketing, media strategy and digital storytelling, respectively, uniquely positions them to deliver to the challenges of building and growing brands in today’s complex, ever-changing marketplace”.

    “Debbie, Surjo & John have been instrumental in growing the FCB brand across new clients, categories and markets. Having spent half a decade working with each other, they play off each other’s strengths, bring multiple perspectives to the table and form a formidable base from which to further consolidate the tremendous equity they have already built. I wish them the best in their new roles and have no doubt that they will lead FCB India into a new era of success,” Ohri added.

  • FCB Ulka names Kulvinder Ahluwalia as CEO

    FCB Ulka names Kulvinder Ahluwalia as CEO

    Mumbai: FCB Group India had recently announced the restructuring of its creative agencies and a new three agency structure – FCB Ulka, FCB Interface, and FCB India. In a follow-up announcement, FCB Ulka, the flagship agency of the group, has named Kulvinder Ahluwalia as CEO. The agency has also appointed Saad Khan as chief strategy officer, and Keigan Pinto as as chief creative officer. 

    The newly elevated C-Suite leadership team will lead the agency’s next phase of growth in India, it said in a statement on Monday. 

    In their previous roles, Ahluwalia, Khan, and Pinto were the trio heading the account management, strategic planning, and creative respectively at the agency’s Mumbai office.

    “Ulka is celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2021. It is only appropriate that on this momentous occasion, we start getting the agency ready for the next 60 years. And what better way to do this than recognizing talent from within,” FCB Ulka vice-chairman Nitin Karkare said. “Kulvinder, Saad, and Keigan have played a key role in building the Mumbai office of FCB Ulka. And I am delighted that they will now lead the agency into the future.”

    Kulvinder Ahluwalia, who joined the agency in 1996 as a management trainee, as part of Star One – an entry-level program in the industry, is now the CEO in a demonstration of the agency’s strong commitment to long-term partnerships.

    Chief creative officer Keigan Pinto is also a Bollywood musician, apart from being a deeply insightful creative leader, with a pulse on popular culture. He has been listed among the ‘Blazing Admakers’ of the country by Impact Magazine and his work has been awarded at the most prestigious national and international platforms.

    With over two decades of diverse experience in advertising and brand consulting, chief Strategy Officer Saad Khan brings to work solid problem-solving skills and an attitude that questions formulaic marketing. An ardent advocate of detail, data, and behavioural economics, his approach to strategy is to remove all the noise to get to the core problem.

    “I believe future-readiness starts with talent. Empowering and enabling our best talent to perform at their very best has always been at the heart of my organizational philosophy,” said FCB Group India chairman & CEO, Rohit Ohri. “This elevation of our shining stars makes me truly proud because it embodies the spirit of #talentaboveallelse and is a demonstration of our belief of growing our future leaders from within. This new leadership partnership structure is what will make us future-ready and power our creative transformation journey for the next decade and beyond.”

  • FCB Group India announces organisational rejig & key elevations

    FCB Group India announces organisational rejig & key elevations

    MUMBAI: On the back of its success at the recently concluded Cannes Lions 2021 where it collected eight Lions, FCB Group India today announced the reorganisation of its creative agencies in India, along with key elevations. 

    The group which has seen a creative transformation over the last four years, announced organisational restructuring with its three full-service agency brands in India – FCB Ulka, FCB Interface, and FCB India. These three agencies will be a part of FCB Group India with Nitin Karkare, Swati Bhattacharya, Robby Mathew, and Joe Thaliath taking on more prominent roles, the company said in a statement on Wednesday. 

    “It is imperative for us now, more than ever before, to be able to provide our clients with the strategic direction and creativity they need to navigate the new world we live in today,” said FCB Group India chairman & CEO Rohit Ohri. “Our new structure allows for our best people to provide focused and dedicated partnership to our clients; to bring the disruptive creativity, agility, and fluidity that is required today to transform our clients’ businesses and create unmissable brands.”

    Karkare will take on the role of vice chairman at FCB Ulka. With 35 years in advertising, he started as a management trainee at Ulka Advertising. Karkare is known to forge long-term partnerships, be it his clients, teams, colleagues, or associates.

    Bhattacharya, who has recently been named ‘Adweek Creative 100’ for 2021, has been appointed creative chairperson at FCB India. She became India’s first woman chief creative officer when she joined FCB Ulka in 2016. Under her leadership, FCB has won more than 120 awards.

    Mathew takes over as vice chairman and CCO at FCB Interface. With over two decades at FCB Interface, he drives the agency’s creative agenda and is behind some of the agency’s most memorable campaigns for brands like Mahindra, Oreo, Bluestar, and Agrotech Foods.

    Thaliath takes charge as vice chairman and CEO at FCB Interface. A retail pioneer and entrepreneur, he started his advertising career with FCB Ulka in Cochin. He later shifted to Mumbai and led many different businesses before becoming the CEO of FCB Interface. Through his 30 odd years with the Group, Thaliath has worked on global and Indian mega brands across the automotive, FMCG, publishing, media, and telecom sectors.  

    “Nitin, Swati, Robby, and Joe have been the pillars of the Group. The creative work that Swati and Robby have done over the last four years has made FCB Group India shine brightly on the global creativity firmament. Nitin and Joe have ensured that our creativity was a powerful economic multiplier for our clients. Together, they have scripted our creative transformation story,” Ohri further said.

    “I believe this new three creative agency structure sets up the Group perfectly to serve our clients better, with a sharper focus on their business, and for accelerated growth as we look to our next 60 years in India. It signals the empowerment of our creative leaders and the building of sustainability in our creative transformation journey,” he added.  

    FCB Group India said that it also appointed the next level of leadership for each of its agencies, for which the announcement will follow soon.

  • In memoriam: Anil ‘Billy’ Kapoor

    In memoriam: Anil ‘Billy’ Kapoor

    MUMBAI: Billy Kapoor. A feisty manager. An advertising legend. A man who brought management to what was an entrepreneur driven ad agency at that time.

    My memory of him was a man who loved his suits, but was more than open to taking off his jacket, rolling up his sleeves and getting his hands dirty to do any job. Not that he had to do it often: he had built a fabulous team of young managers – all MBA types – at a time when advertising agencies did not really look at recruiting them in the numbers he did – in the late eighties-early nineties.

    And he deeply believed that advertising was not just about great copy or breathtaking visuals – you had to bring marketing thinking to your client’s brands and products. Wear a marketer’s hat all the time was his constant urging to his team. Find strategic or other solutions to move product off the shelves and generate sales. Once you do that, the brand and marketing manager will see in you a partner, not an agency chasing billing. You will build that trust, where he knows his interest is your interest. And the partnership can only grow and grow from there.

    Another memory of him is that he could get gruff and tough when he wanted to. At BusinessWorld magazine in the nineties, I was in charge of the advertising and marketing section, and I was assigned to write a story on Ulka Advertising, which was reportedly looking shaky – and was on the verge of closure – but Billy had showed signs of turning around. I met him in the Nirmal building office (if I remember correctly) – and he spoke  to me about the agency, his teams, and how it functioned. He then called in his musketeers – Shashi Sinha, MG Parameswaran, Niteen Bagwat, Nagesh Alai, and Arvind Wable – into the boardroom and introduced me to them. For the next 15 minutes they spoke to me, while Billy watched them narrate what had lured them into his orbit, and the agency’s philosophy.

    Billy brooked no nonsense from any one including clients and even me. When I slipped up in some of my information about the agency, he got visibly upset and growled. I squirmed, almost visualising what if this bulky man were to thump me one. But he immediately smiled and told me: “You should get your facts right.”

    The article was published and I called him to have his feedback. He pointed out to a couple of errors – which I was not responsible for, it was probably the desk. But later on I learned that he had proudly shared the feature on Ulka with his colleagues.

    From then we would be in regular touch. I would call him up frequently. And he would too. I remember once when he barked at me in relation to a feature on advertising agencies I had written. He called me and told me: “There are many who want to write on advertising and marketing. I want you to be the best. I will not tolerate any mediocrity in your work.”

    Remember, Billy  was only an advertising executive on whom I had done a feature. Like Mike Khanna and Ravi Gupta, he took a special interest in seeing me develop into a better professional, he often scolded and chided me when he thought I was going wrong.

    I lost touch with him at the turn of the century as I moved on to being an entrepreneur and setting up the Indiantelevision.com group. However, I did stay in touch with Shashi and Ambi. And I happened to interact with actor Ram Kapoor when he had been hired to host The Indian Telly Awards. He told me Billy is his dad, and he was not keeping well. I called him once and spoke to him. Billy was happy with my progress, congratulating me. He once again told me not to stoop to or accept mediocrity. That’s the only way to succeed, he told me. We did not talk about his cancer. But he was fighting it well, Ram told me.

    And now when I read about Billy passing on after staring cancer in the face, battling it well, I can only applaud a life lived to the fullest.

  • FCB Ulka chairman emeritus Anil Kapoor passes away

    FCB Ulka chairman emeritus Anil Kapoor passes away

    New Delhi: DraftFCB+ Ulka chairman emeritus Anil Kapoor I had passed away.

    Kapoor served as managing director and chief executive officer of DraftFCB+ Ulka until 2006, when he was appointed as Draftfcb president with responsibility for the Asia-Pacific region and Africa. In 2010, he was made the chairman emeritus after a 22-year stint with the organisation and its other associated agencies. 

    With nearly 33 years of advertising experience, Kapoor was a highly regarded and respected figure in advertising and marketing circles. He also remained the president of the Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) and the chairman of the Audit Bureau of Circulation of 2007-08.

    An industry veteran, Kapoor was also credited for launching a string of brands, during his 14-year tenure as Boots Company India marketing director. In 2013, the AdvertisingAAAI conferred him the Lifetime Achievement Award, which is the highest honour given to an individual in India for his/her outstanding contribution to the advertising industry.

  • This Diwali, Nerolac urges people to care for the colours of nature

    This Diwali, Nerolac urges people to care for the colours of nature

    MUMBAI: Kansai Nerolac Paints Ltd (KNPL) has launched a new digital film in line with its Aaj Careful toh Kal Colourful (Be careful today for a colourful tomorrow) campaign to celebrate the festival of Diwali. Through the video, Nerolac beautifully captures the recovered hues of the environment during the lockdown and inspires consumers to do their bit to care for these colours.

    The digital film showcases various instances of the lockdown’s positive impact on the environment such as the Himalayas being visible from Punjab due to the reduced levels of air pollution, the shimmering and clear waters of river Ganga, flamingos migrating back to Mumbai and more. The film encourages citizens to nurture and protect the environment this Diwali by using diyas made of clay, preventing air and noise pollution by trying to avoid firecrackers, and planting trees.

    Kansai Nerolac Paints Ltd executive director Anuj Jain said, “The lockdown has taught us a lesson on the impact of care. Mother Nature has blessed us with gifts in abundance. This is yet another chance to colour her. We at Nerolac, have always believed that acting responsibly today, will herald a brighter tomorrow. Our Diwali campaign reiterates this thought by encouraging consumers to celebrate a safe, environment friendly, yet colourful Diwali.”

    Conceptualized and created by FCBUlka and directed by Kashif Memon, the film is being promoted across Nerolac’s digital and social media platforms.

    FCB Ulka president- Mumbai Kulvinder Ahluwalia said, “Nerolac has been building on the theme of Aaj Careful Toh Kal Colorful. It is an interpretation of a fundamental life truth, the actions we take today will impact the kind of world we would live in. For Diwali, Nerolac is building on this theme with a message that encourages all to reflect on the learnings from the lockdown which helped cleanse the environment and taking care to continue to sustain this improvement.”

    Early this year, Kansai Nerolac Paints Ltd launched its campaign, ‘Aaj Careful Toh Kal Colourful’ with intent to underline the importance of taking necessary precautions in the current Covid2019 situation to ensure a colourful future. 

  • FCB India’s Rohit Ohri’s advertising mantras

    FCB India’s Rohit Ohri’s advertising mantras

    NEW DELHI: FCB India group chairman & CEO Rohit Ohri doesn’t need a long introduction. An ad veteran, with years of experience in the trenches, he has earned respect and his stripes over the past three decades.

    Hence, when he got together with  Indiantelevision.com founder CEO & editor-in-chief Anil Wanvar over in a virtual fireside chat on Saturday when the rest of the industry was putting its legs up, resting, one expected some interesting insights. And boy! did he provide them.

    For instance, he revealed that he is not a great votary of working from home (WFH), which has become the norm now. He has accepted it as a necessity but is raring to get back to the office.

    “I come from the pretty old school of advertising, and WFH is much harder because you’re doing so many things altogether,” he said. “Advertising is a people business. Yes, virtual meetings are good, we are getting more work done, and are saving on travel time. But the business of advertising requires ideas, which we get in casual interactions and in the face to face meetings and even in having fun. That constant interaction is essential to get the creative juices flowing more. I can't wait to get back.”

    He, however, admitted that the past few months of lockdown and WFH have allowed him the opportunity to get involved in the larger set of business needs. Plus it has lent to a cleaning up of the environment something that millennials have really appreciated.  “Nature is telling us it is possible to clean up your act and this realization has made an impact among people,” he revealed.

    Read our coverage on FCB

    Ohri shared that he has learned all about advertising from his first boss Kolkata-based Response Advertising’s Ram Ray who passed away in November 2019.

    “His skills, his passion, his attention for detail was impeccable, his eye for detail are qualities that I have never seen in many ad professionals,” he expounded. "Ray used to write letters to clients and employees, one of the best lessons I learned in business communication. He always had said if you don’t pay attention to your own brand and if the client sees shoddy communication how will you handle them? Ray took me under his wings, and I learned so many things.”

    Ohri firmly asserted, as leaders of companies and organizations it’s our responsibility to mentor the next generation and leave a rich legacy.

    According to him, Ogilvy’s Piyush Pandey brought about a change in the way creative brand advertising can be used to build organisations just like he did for Pidilite.

    Read our coverage on Rohit Ohri

    But he was also very clear that he lets FCB’s advertising output do the talking rather than sounding a bugle about its creative prowess. “I don't believe in the flamboyance of agencies at all, the flamboyance should be the brands,” he emphasised. “In my head, what work we do, and the best rewards are when the brands do well in the market. In my book, there’s no other flamboyance required. It is genetically against the way FCB is as an organization. We believe in solid partnership with clients.”

    He believes that an agency’s role has evolved to become more of a marketing solutions provider. “It’s not just about advertising. It goes way beyond helping them solve any marketing problems. This is something FCB is known for since Anil Kapoor’s days,” he pointed. For instance, the decision to air old Amul commercials during Ramayan and Mahabharat on Doordarshan was something that both the FCB and the Amul team reached. “It was a nostalgic journey into the Amul history,” Ohri explained. ”And on many levels, AmulDoodhPeetaHaiIndia will go down in marketing history because of the way the brand behaved during this crisis. It built a new bond with the whole set of consumers. There was not a day when Amul Milk was off the shelves even during the lockdown. Even with consumers, it brought back the nostalgia, and everybody felt connected with the brand.”

    Ohri shared that he is cautiously optimistic about the advertising industry’s propsects going forward. “We have a global freeze on recruitments or increments, everyone is holding together in these difficult times. But the good news is that clients are coming back and there’s a lot of pent up demand,” he revealed. “FMCG, automotive, white goods are a few categories that have seen improvements.

    He pointed out that there’s a clear pathway that he has charted out for the FCB group (which includes FCB Ulka, FCB Interface, Lodestar UM, FCB Digital, and FCB Cogito). “We are not in the binge acquisitions game,” he said. “We work with partners to provide services to our clients who are satisfied with what we have to offer. That's the path we will continue to tread. Additionally, we have brought all our digital offerings in-house under the main agency. I believe that way we can work holistically together to offer clients a comprehensive solution.”