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Tag: Grey

  • Grey India appoints Vishal Ahluwalia as Bangalore head

    Grey India appoints Vishal Ahluwalia as Bangalore head

    MUMBAI: Grey Group India has appointed Vishal Ahluwalia as vice president and office head of its Bangalore ops. He will be reporting to Grey Group India chairman and managing director Sunil Lulla.

     

    Ahluwalia joins Grey with two decades of marketing communications experience, across various geographies and disciplines. In his various avatars, he has headed businesses and has been an entrepreneur. Until recently, he worked as a member of the Board of IRIS Worldwide, in which he spearheaded the digital and retail verticals. Prior to that he was TBWA South India head; JWT -Taipei head for Unilever business and has also had stints with Contract and JWT.

     

    “Vishal brings a great blend of advertising savviness and digital smarts to Grey. His experience across geographies and diverse categories, will strengthen the leadership team at Grey. He will take further our integrated offerings to various clients and enable their brands to be famous and effective,” said Lulla.

     

    Ahluwalia added, “I am very excited about the prospect to bring my skills across various stream to Grey Group’s rich and diverse client roster. I do believe the future requires us to be able to deliver services in a wholesome and integrated fashion. I am delighted to return to Bangalore which has always been a springboard for my learning and my success.”

     

  • Mumbai Marathon: Media professionals run for a cause

    Mumbai Marathon: Media professionals run for a cause

    MUMBAI: On the day that Mumbai runs, it’s another city altogether. No honking, no mad rush to reach somewhere, but an army of runners, who want to test their limits, painting a healthier sight of the maximum city.

    Keeping aside the usual business suits, a whole bunch of executives right from broadcast companies, media agencies to marketers and advertisers will once again don their running shoes as they join others for the 2015 edition of the Mumbai Marathon.

    The largest marathon in south east Asia, which will take place on 18 January, will see media veteran Bharat Kapadia running half marathon; his 12th marathon, overall. “Last year, I ranked 47th in my category. I started running at the age of 54. I have been training with a group called ‘Be Fit’ and we have been practicing on alternate days from 6 am to 8 am at Juhu Beach,” he says proudly.

    Kapadia believes that for people, who are hesitant to run, it’s all a mind game. “Anybody can run. 75 per cent of it is a mind game. No one is a born athlete. Also, the benefits of running versus that of visiting a gym can’t be compared,” he adds.

    Agrees his follow runner, HDFC Life marketing, product, digital and e-commerce senior executive vice president Sanjay Tripathy. “It is a great way to test your limits and prepare your mind for bigger challenges in the life. One can also see it as an opportunity to meet like-minded people,” he says, while adding that he will be running his seventh marathon for which he has been preparing for three months now.

    For Spatial Access founder Meenakshi Menon running the dream marathon is like child’s play. A regular runner, Menon will be running for her NGO Vanashakti along the likes of film director Namita Roy Ghose. “Lately, running has become sexy so a lot more people are up for the challenge. I believe everyone should run for a cause because the country lacks social compassion and to be great country it is a must,” she opines.

    India chairman and managing director Sunil Lulla will be running the half marathon with two partners of which one is physically handicapped. “I will be running for Children’s Movement for Civic Awareness,” says Lulla who is running his sixth marathon.

    Media agency Vizeum India managing director Yesu Yesudas is running the marathon. And he has taken to social media to raise funds for two of his causes: an old age home and orphanage Swagat Ashram in Mumbai, and a tribal school Vidya Vanam in Tamil Nadu.  “I have a desire to raise Rs 500,000 for these two causes. I am making a personal contribution of Rs 100,000,” he announced on Facebook.  And he went on to urge his friends to contribute Rs 2,000 each to help him reach his goal.

    GroupM ESP entertainment, sports and live events national director Vinit Karnik says that the property has been evolving over a period of time and it is highly commendable. “The organisers i.e. Procam have done a fantastic job and it is one of the most well respected and well organised sports property in India. Right from the registration of the participants to the doubts of the participants on the actual day about their well being is taken care of completely by the organizers,” he highlights.

    This year five new brands, namely Cigna TTK, Jabong.com, Volini, TUI, and India Cares Foundation have associated with the event as health insurance, online retail, recovery, travel and philanthropy partners, respectively.

     

  • Cannes Lions 2014: India adds 8 more Lions to its kitty

    Cannes Lions 2014: India adds 8 more Lions to its kitty

    MUMBAI: Looks like Indian digital work is leaving a good mark at global platforms. At Cannes Lions 2014, JWT’s work for Nike India won a Silver Lion along with two Bronze Lions in the Cyber category. The campaign titled ‘Make every yard count’ was a digital film created by the agency that was then splashed across social media platforms.

    The agency crowd sourced 225,001 images of cricket enthusiasts out of which 1,440 were used in the film. Athletes were invited, via social media and Nike Cricket’s official website. Around 108 travel photographers went around playgrounds, streets, gullies and cricket pitches across the country.

    An interesting soundtrack was composed using chants, breaths, appeals, screams and sledges that one usually hears during a cricket match. The video received over 2.5 million impressions during the online campaign period.

    Click here to watch the campaign…

    In the same category, O&M India’s work for Akansha Foundation bagged a Bronze Lion. Three Grand Prix were awarded in the category, Iconoclast Paris, Forsman & Bodenfors Gothenburg and Creative Artists Agency-Los Angeles won for ‘Pharrell Williams – 24 hours of happy’ campaign, ‘Live Test Series’ for Volvo Trucks and ‘The Scarecrow’ for Chipotle Mexican Grill.

    Under the Design Lions, O&M’s Cleft to smile campaign for Operation Smile India bagged a Gold Lion.  The campaign that aimed to spread awareness around issue of cleft using Twitter as a platform.  In all, over 20,000 tweets were received with the support of celebrities on the platform. According to the agency the campaign reach was 30 million. The symbol :{to:) that stands for cleft or ‘:{‘ to smile or ‘:)’ became the world’s most tweeted logo.

    McCann’s campaign for Perfetti Vans Melle fetched a Bronze Lion in the same category. The entries submitted for this campaign are titled as ‘Mango’, ‘Pear’ and ‘Tangerine’.

    The Grand Prix went to Adam&EveDDB London for its campaign for Harvey Nichols.

    Grey Worldwide India won a Gold Lion in Press lions for its campaign for P&G’s Duracell Batteries. The agency submitted three entries ‘Choo-choo’, ‘Remote Control’ and ‘Camera’ under this category.

    JWT received a Bronze Lion for its Press campaign for Godrej Security Solutions; the three entries submitted in this category were ‘House’, ‘Antique Store’ and ‘Music Store’.

    It can be noted that a total of 95 Press Lions, 68 Design Lions and 145 Cyber Lions were given away. However, no Indian entry picked up any award in Radio Lions.

  • Cannes Lions 2014: Grey, JWT only Indian agencies making it to Press Lions shortlist

    Cannes Lions 2014: Grey, JWT only Indian agencies making it to Press Lions shortlist

    MUMBAI: Last year 37 Indian entries had got shortlisted in the Press Lions category, but this year the numbers have been disappointing. Only three entries each from Grey and JWT have made it to the Press Lions shortlist this year.
     

    Grey’s campaign ‘Choo-Choo’, ‘Remote Control’ and ‘Camera’ for Duracell Batteries have qualified for the finals under the ‘Household Category.’ The other three entries that made it to the finals are JWT India’s ‘Ouse’, ‘Antique’ and ‘Music’ campaign for Godrej Security Solutions. These campaigns qualified under ‘Home Appliances & Furnishings’ subcategory. 

     

    Around 472 entries have made it to the Press Lions shortlist. The Press Lions was introduced in 1992. Since 2002, the festival has recognised Press and Outdoor as separate advertising media, awarding each their own Grand Prix.

  • Cannes Lions 2014: 20 Indian entries qualify for Outdoor Lions finals

    Cannes Lions 2014: 20 Indian entries qualify for Outdoor Lions finals

    MUMBAI: Outdoor campaigns by McCann, Grey, Ogilvy & Mather and Havas Worldwide have made it to the final round of Outdoor Lions this year.

     

    McCann’s campaign for Prefetti Van Melle and Premier Tissues have been shortlisted in the ‘Food’ and ‘Household’ subcategories respectively. On the other hand, Grey’s campaign titled ‘Traffic’ for Killer Jeans has been shortlisted under the ‘Clothing, Footwear and Accessories’ subcategory.

     

    The agency’s campaign for Duracell Batteries called ‘Choo-Choo’ and ‘Remote Control’ qualified for the finals under the subcategory ‘Household.’ O&M’s three entries for Hot Wheels (Mattel Toys) has got shortlisted in the ‘Entertainment & Leisure’ subcategory.

     

    Havas Worldwide India’s ‘Arm’ and ‘Cleavage’ campaigns for Durex Condoms (Reckitt Benckiser) have also been shortlisted in the ‘Cosmetics & Beauty, Toiletries & Pharmacy’ subcategory. It can be noted that last year 43 entries were shortlisted in this category and the number this time has gone down to almost half.

     

    While the Outdoor Lions category was introduced in 1992, it was in 2002, that Cannes Lions recognised Press and Outdoor as separate advertising media categories, awarding each their own Grand Prix. Since 2006 Outdoor is judged by a separate and dedicated jury.

  • Alfonso Cuaron honoured at the 66th Annual Directors Guild of America

    Alfonso Cuaron honoured at the 66th Annual Directors Guild of America

    MUMBAI: Hosted by Jane Lynch, the 66th Annual Director’s Guild of America Awards held at the Hyatt Regency center Plaza, Los Angeles on 25 January was a grand affair honoring the behind-the-scenes folks that shape our viewing experience.

     

    Academy Award nominee and Golden Globe Award winning director, Alfonso Cuaron (Pan’s Labyrinth, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban) snagged up his first Outstanding Directorial Achievement in a Feature Film award for the Sandra Bullock and George Clooney starrer space epic, Gravity.

     

    Steven Soderbergh (Ocean’s Eleven, Erin Brockovich, Magic Mike) took home not one, but two DGA awards as his debut win. One for Outstanding Directorial achievement in Movies for Television and Mini-Series in the Golden Globe winning HBO Original Movie, Behind the Candelabra starring Michael Douglas and Matt Damon. Soderbergh was also awarded the Robert B. Aldrich Service Award in recognition of extraordinary service to the Directors Guild of America and to its membership.

     

    In the Television category, Vince Gilligan won the Outstanding Directorial Achievement in a Dramatic Series for Breaking Bad, while Beth McCarthy-Miller won the Outstanding Directorial Achievement in a Comedy Series for 30 Rock.

     

    Grey’s Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers (Casanova, The Hoax) won the DGA Diversity Award in recognition of commitment to diversity hiring and providing jobs and opportunities to women and minorities in DGA-covered categories.

  • WPP Q1 2013 revenues grow 6%; looks to maintain tempo

    WPP Q1 2013 revenues grow 6%; looks to maintain tempo

    MUMBAI: Sir Martin Sorrell‘s charge is doing very well, thank you. Take a dekko at the Q1 2013 financials that the global advertising and marketing leader WPP has posted. Revenue growth is at 5.85 per cent, which seems not much, but it is far better than some of its peers‘ performances (Omnicom at 2.8 per cent and IPG at 2.4 per cent). Revenues were at ?2.53 billion as against Q1 2012‘s ?2.39 billion.

    On a like-for-like basis, excluding the impact of acquisitions and currency fluctuations, revenues were up 2.1 per cent with gross margin up 1.9 per cent compared with the same period last year.

    North America led the media communications conglomerate‘s growth by contributing 35 per cent of the total revenue pie followed by the Asia Pacific, Latin America, Africa & Middle East and Central & Eastern Europe region at 29.1 per cent. Western Continental Europe accounted for 23.4 per cent of WPP‘s Q1 2013 revenues while United Kingdom pitched in the rest 12.5 per cent. The UK and the Asia Pacific Asia Pacific, Latin America, Africa & Middle East and Central & Eastern Europe region were the only two regions which showed a growth in share of the revenue pie.

    Business sector wise, advertising and media investment management continued to be the strongest sector accounting for 40.8 per cent of the total revenues, followed by branding and identity, healthcare and specialist communications with 27.3 per cent, while consumer insight and public relations and public affairs made up 23.2 per cent and 8.7 per cent respectively.

    In line with the group‘s strategic focus on new markets, new media and consumer insight, WPP completed 13 transactions in the first quarter. Nine acquisitions and investments were classified in new markets (of which eight were in new media), two in consumer insight, including data analytics and the application of technology and two driven by individual client or agency needs.

    Specifically, in the first quarter of 2013, acquisitions and increased equity stakes have been completed in advertising and media investment management in Canada, Colombia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Myanmar, Philippines and Thailand; in consumer insight in the United States and Myanmar; in public relations and public affairs in China; in direct, digital and interactive in the United States, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Turkey, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Uruguay and Australia, says the media group‘s release.

    WPP gained a total of ?940 million in net new business wins (including all losses) in the first quarter, compared to ?1.159 billion in the same period last year and in line with the quarterly average in 2012 of approximately ?940 million. Of this, JWT, Ogilvy & Mather, Y&R, Grey and United generated net new business billings of ?281 million.

    Also, out of the group total, GroupM, its media investment management company,which includes Mindshare, MEC, MediaCom, Maxus, GroupM Search and Xaxis, together with tenthavenue, generated net new business billings of ?465 million ($743 million).

    In its financial guidance for the rest of 2013, WPP says “our prime focus will remain on growing revenues and gross margin faster than the industry average, driven by our leading position in the new markets, in new media, in consumer insight, including data analytics and the application of technology, creativity and horizontality. At the same time, we will concentrate on meeting our operating margin objectives by managing absolute levels of costs and increasing our flexibility, in order to adapt our cost structure to significant market changes and ensuring that the benefits of the restructuring investments taken in 2012 are realised.” It has targeted like-for-like revenue and gross margin growth of 3 per cent and also improving its operating margins by half a point.

  • Spicejet to continue with Grey as creative AoR; JWT to work on project basis

    MUMBAI: Spicejet, the low-cost airline company from the Sun Group, has decided to continue with Grey as its creative agency of record.

    Contrary to media reports, WPP‘s JWT has not replaced Grey as the creative agency. It will, however, be working with Spicejet on a project basis.

    A source close to the development informed indiantelevision.com, “The airline has decided to continue with Grey as its main creative agency. JWT has been roped in to work on a specific project. From a proximity point of view, the agency‘s Delhi office has been asked to handle the project.”

    Grey had won the Spicejet creative account in April 2012 following a multi agency pitch. Before Grey, Contract Advertising handled the account from 2009 to March 2012 when the terms of the contract expired.

  • WPP acquires remaining shares of three Colombian agencies

    MUMBAI: Three of WPP-owned companies – Grey, G2 Worldwide and MediaCom – have acquired the outstanding shares in three agencies in Bogota, Colombia.

    Global advertising agency network Grey has acquired the remaining shares in advertising agency REP/Grey. WPP‘s digital and relationship marketing company G2 Worldwide has acquired the remaining shares in REP/G2 while MediaCom (JV between Indian media group Madison and WPP‘s GroupM) has acquired the remaining shares in media agency Massive.

    After the latest acquisitions, WPP‘s collective revenues (including associates) in Columbia will amount to approximately US $110 million.

    The acquisitions are steps towards furthering strengthening WPP‘s presence in the Colombian communications services industry. Other WPP companies active in Colombia (including affiliates) are JWT, Ogilvy, Young & Rubicam, Wunderman, OgilvyOne, Burson-Marsteller, Live, Energy, TNS, Kantar Worldpanel, Millward Brown and IBOPE.

    In the past month, WPP also announced that it had invested approximately $70 million to take a 20 per cent stake in Buenos Aires-based Globant S.A. and that its wholly owned subsidiary Wunderman acquired Mexico City-based Crossmedia S.A. The Group collectively, (including associates), will have revenues of over $1.6 billion and will employ over 18,000 people in the Latin American region alone in 2013.

  • JWT, Ogilvy and Grey to jointly handle creative biz of Tea Board of India

    MUMBAI: Tea Board of India (TBI) has empanelled JWT India, Ogilvy and Grey India to jointly handle its creative mandate.

    Lowe Lintas, which was the incumbent agency along with JWT India and Ogilvy, has been replaced by Grey who will now spearhead the project along with JWT and Ogilvy.

    Grey‘s appointment comes after a multi-agency pitch that also saw participation of Bates India and Interpublicity, say sources.

    The contract is still in process but the agencies have received the notification, source added.

    The responsibilities of the agencies would include promotional campaign for the Tea Board both in India and internationally.

    For the record, the Tea Board of India is a state agency of the Government of India established to promote the cultivation, processing, and domestic trade as well as export of tea from India.