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Tag: GroupM

  • GroupM elevates Arshan Saha to APAC CEO, Xaxis & specialty businesses

    GroupM elevates Arshan Saha to APAC CEO, Xaxis & specialty businesses

    MUMBAI: WPP’s media investment group, GroupM on Tuesday announced that it has expanded Arshan Saha’s role to CEO of Xaxis & specialty businesses, APAC. Saha’s previous title was CEO of Xaxis APAC and in his new role, will lead GroupM’s data-driven specialty businesses including Xaxis (programmatic), INCA (influencer marketing), finecast (addressable TV), sightline (addressable out-of-home), and acceleration (data & tech consultancy practice).

    The consolidation of leadership for all data-driven specialty businesses for APAC, will ensure GroupM’s continued future-ready innovation and growth. Saha brings his experience in growing and scaling Xaxis across the region to further strengthen GroupM’s data and technology suite of products, said the company in a press statement.

    GroupM, APAC CEO, Ashutosh Srivastava commented, “As part of GroupM’s overall global strategy for growth, we have been investing in launching and growing several data-driven specialty businesses in the region. Apart from Xaxis, we have fast-growing businesses in INCA and finecast, and are on the verge of launching addressable OOH and data & tech consulting. Arshan has shown great product and commercial acumen in growing Xaxis, and we are confident of his success in scaling our performance and digital product offerings across Asia-Pacific.”

    Speaking on his new role, Saha said, “My journey at Xaxis has provided me with the perfect platform to succeed in this role. I am excited to embark on this new challenge, leading a high-growth portfolio of specialty businesses for GroupM in channels that are in high demand from our clients. This consolidation will empower our clients to make media work harder for them while allowing them to easily access GroupM’s digital expertise as a single unit.”

  • Xaxis’ latest ad campaign for Pizza Hut brings about surge in order volume

    Xaxis’ latest ad campaign for Pizza Hut brings about surge in order volume

    New Delhi: Xaxis, GroupM’s Outcome Media Company has announced that its recent voice-activated conversational ad campaign for Pizza Hut India has successfully led to a surge in order volumes and increased the customer engagement by 8.29 per cent over a period of two weeks.

    Xaxis Creative Studios (XCS) had created voice-activated conversational ads, engaging listeners in a dialogue to drive awareness of Pizza Hut’s Buy One Get One (BOGO) offer. The interactive audio content generated over 2,000 responses from 60,000 impressions during a 10-day pilot. XCS accessed advertising inventory on the Gaana music app and used voice-activated artificial intelligence (AI) advertising technology to help handle conversational elements.

    It also ran A/B tests to measure the effect of generic campaign creative elements vs. creative focused on dinnertime. The overall voice-engagement rate saw an 8.29 per cent increase, it stated on Tuesday.

    Pizza Hut India, chief marketing officer, Neha said the brand has been experimenting with innovative marketing formats that resonate with the millennial-minded audience. “I am thrilled to see that our voice-activated BOGO campaign has received such an excellent response. Kudos to the Xaxis team for perfectly conceptualizing and implementing it. I look forward to working with them on many more exciting projects going ahead,” she said.

    Brands have been using audio ads to drive awareness, but typical broadcast methods do not spur as much customer engagement as interactive formats.

    According to GroupM South Asia, CEO, Prasanth Kumar conversational ads are still in the nascent stage in India. “Pizza Hut expressed its openness to leverage the expertise of Xaxis Creative Studios and use two-way conversational audio ads to reach its target audience. With conversational audio ads, there is an opportunity for brands to craft a targeted and personalized customer engagement strategy. The results of this campaign are proof that our insight-driven approach and expertise drive impactful and measurable outcomes for the client,” said Kumar.

  • Mindshare South Asia CDO Vinod Thadani moves on

    Mindshare South Asia CDO Vinod Thadani moves on

    Mumbai: Mindshare South Asia’s chief digital officer (CDO), Vinod Thadani has stepped down from his position. Media reports suggest that Thadani is expected to join a leading rival agency soon.

    Thadani had joined Mindshare, the flagship media agency of GroupM, back in May 2014. In 2018, he was promoted as CDO-South Asia and he handled the agency’s full-service digital offerings for existing clients as well as brought in new business to the agency.

    Thadani comes with over two decades of experience in media and advertising. Prior to Mindshare, Thadani was the CEO of Madhouse India, a joint venture between WPP and Madhouse China, and played a crucial role in setting up India’s largest mobile advertising and marketing company.

  • MediaCom wins media mandate for Aqualite

    Mumbai: MediaCom India, a GroupM media agency has been awarded the media mandate for Aqualite, manufacturer of men’s and women’s footwear.

    The mandate was bagged after a multi-agency pitch and will be serviced out of MediaCom’s Gurgaon office. The media duties include media strategy, planning, buying and implementation for TV, OOH, Activation, Cinema et al.

    Aqualite director marketing Avichal Gupta said, “We are happy to team up with MediaCom as our media partner as the agency brings the quality of experience and execution with them. For Aqualite, we always look for a partner who can understand and resonate with the brand as well as understand our consumer offerings and we saw this in the team and the work they put forward. We are confident that MediaCom will be able to develop a robust strategy for our media planning and buying to add impetus to all our marketing initiatives and help us be the best for our consumers. We look forward to working with them.”

     MediaCom South Asia CEO Navin Khemka said, “We, at MediaCom are very excited and proud to partner with a brand like Aqualite – an organic homegrown start-up which became one of India’s largest footwear companies through the years. Their dedication to providing their customers with multiple product choices and staying rooted in their objective has driven them to become one of the market leaders. We understand how Aqualite is committed to its consumers. Similarly, we want to be committed to deriving a very focused consumer-driven 360-degree media approach across all media platforms and help the brand reach their business goals.”

  • GroupM appoints Madhvi Pahwa as chief people officer, South Asia

    Mumbai: GroupM, WPP’s media investment group on Thursday appointed Madhvi Pahwa as its new chief people officer for the South Asia region (APAC). Pahwa, previously chief people officer at Mindshare APAC was promoted into the role to lead the GroupM India talent team and develop the company’s talent proposition for the region. She will report to GroupM South Asia CEO, Prasanth Kumar.

    In her six years as Mindshare’s APAC CPO, Pahwa led several ground-breaking initiatives in the region including, the design and rollout of Mindshare’s award-winning ‘Balance’ program in APAC. This resilience training programme won a Women Leading Change Award two years in a row (2020 & 2021) and is now being extended globally. She is also credited for bringing Mindshare’s ‘Momentum’ high potential leadership training programme to Asia and delivering numerous L&D programmes across commerce, AI, and planning.

    Pahwa replaces Rohit Suri, who is moving on to explore other opportunities.

    GroupM South Asia, chief executive officer, Prasanth Kumar said: “Madhvi has a proven track record of delivering innovation and education that moves the dial for the business. She is the perfect choice to lead the GroupM South Asia talent team and to lead us into the next phase of our growth. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Rohit Suri for his commitment and efforts in helping build the talent team across South Asia. We greatly appreciate his contributions and wish him the best.”

    Talking about her new role, Pahwa said: “Our employee promise has been to make Mindshare the place where you do your best work, and it has certainly been true for me. The people, priorities, and culture just come together almost magically to bring out the best in you. I am grateful and proud to be part of the GroupM network that has given me growth opportunities across multiple agencies and geographic remits spanning global, regional, and markets while supporting flexibility and personal priorities. I am super excited for the next chapter for GroupM India.”

    A replacement for the role of Mindshare APAC CPO will be announced shortly, said the company.

  • Mediacom wins media mandate for Ozone Overseas

    MUMBAI: MediaCom India, a GroupM media agency, has bagged the media mandate of Ozone Overseas, an integral part of Ozone Enterprise group that offers Architectural Hardware solutions.

    The mandate was awarded after a multi-agency pitch and will be handled out of MediaCom’s Gurgaon office. The media duties include full planning and buying across all media platforms.

    Ozone Overseas director Alok Aggarwal said, “We believe that security and hardware as a category has always been around us. At Ozone, we are always looking at creating a brand that is more consumer-centric. We are happy to have MediaCom as our agency partner because of their enthusiasm towards our vision and purpose and their years of expertise in this industry, we hope together we can find solutions to all the requirements.”

    Established in 1999, Ozone Overseas has expanded its business expertise in the fields of Architectural Hardware, Urban Street Furniture, and Digital Safes and Locks and has a global presence across 21 countries, four R&D centres, and four modern manufacturing facilities.

    MediaCom South Asia chief executive officer Navin Khemka said, “Security is a growing category and Ozone Overseas is one of the largest players in the security locks category and has a strong presence in India. We are excited to partner with Ozone Overseas in their journey. Our effective media solutions and digital-first approach will complement the strong strategy, planning, and buying to further strengthen the integrated media solutions. We look forward to delivering strong business outcomes for them.”

  • 62 % of urban internet users research for products online before purchase: GroupM & Amazon report

    Mumbai: Consumer behaviour and purchase patterns have undergone a drastic change over the last year. Around 62 per cent of urban internet users now prefer to research for products online, before making any purchase, according to the first-ever Search Advertising Playbook released by GroupM and Amazon Advertising India on Wednesday.

    The comprehensive report – ‘Decoding the shift in consumer behaviour to win on search’ details how an increasing number of consumers are leveraging online platforms for not only buying products but also for conducting holistic product research. Be it personal hygiene, skincare, electronics, wireless accessories, or large appliances, urban consumers are researching the product on at least two platforms before making a purchase decision.

    Online product research influences offline sales since 50 per cent of offline shopping across categories involves prior online product research, stated the report, which also found that at least 60 per cent of ads’ influenced purchase journeys are inspired by search ads.

    The playbook also showed that Amazon.in has emerged as a preferred platform for product research and 52 per cent of urban internet users who research online, visit amazon.in to research products before making an online or offline purchase. Total 89 per cent of consumers discover new products and brands on amazon.in.

    GroupM South Asia president – growth and transformation Tushar Vyas said. “The last year has seen a rapid shift in purchase decision making and channel preference for purchases with more consumers now researching and purchasing online. This trend is only accelerating with not only metro consumers but consumers from smaller cities and towns. Furthermore, the role of e-commerce platforms in the purchase funnel is undergoing a change with more consumers relying on them from a product research point of view.”

    The pandemic has led to an increased focus on health and wellness since personal protection (PPE kits, masks), home sanitizing products (disinfectants, floor cleaners), and health supplements (protein, vitamins) have seen quite an upsurge. This is followed by searches on WFH setups, laptops and fitness equipment, gaming accessories, smart TVs and home theaters, UV sterilizers, DIY toolkits, dishwashers, etc. 

    Amazon Advertising India director-ad sales Vijay Iyer said the playbook aims at helping brands understand the behavioral trends with respect to consumer demand and discusses recommended strategies to drive awareness and performance on amazon.in. “With the drastic increase in media consumption, online and e-commerce platforms have become the go-to destination for urban consumers to make a product and brand choice before making a purchase online or offline. The search environment provides brands the opportunity to reach ‘intent’ consumers and create awareness in the early phase of the purchase journey. Native search advertising formats aid in establishing a seamless connection with researching audiences,” he added.

    This playbook shares a holistic approach to marketers and on-platform advertising execution teams on how to plan, evaluate performance, and follow best practices from a search execution point of view, with the support of case studies, said the agency in a statement.

  • WPP launches global data company Choreograph

    WPP launches global data company Choreograph

    MUMBAI: WPP has launched its new global data consultancy arm Choreograph, to help clients realise the value of their first-party data, consult on and implement their data and technology strategies, and advise on privacy-first approaches to navigate the fast-changing data landscape.

    WPP Choreograph will help clients create and manage their first-party data assets and activate them for media buys as third-party trackers phase out. Accessible to clients through GroupM’s media agencies, Choreograph will offer data and identity management consulting, audience and insight-driven media planning, AI-driven media optimisation and predictive analytics. The group will also help clients with strategies around premium media supply, ad verification and data ethics. 

    “We have a host of products and tools across WPP that we need to simplify, rationalise and make investments in, in order to help clients own their first-party data,” said GroupM global CEO Christian Juhl.

    Agencies can access Choreograph tools through WPP Open, a common platform housing the applications, best practices and frameworks across the holding company. The group is “another important step in our simplification strategy,” WPP CEO Mark Read said in a statement.

    “We are at an inflection point in the industry, where brands have an imperative to leverage their own first-party data to make advertising more relevant, effective and personal while fully respecting consumer privacy,” he said. “We must also use data to gain insights, shape our creative work and measure results – and this requires a holistic approach that this integrated offering brings by enabling data to flow across client, agency and media owners.”

    WPP will continue to build out Choreograph through acquisitions and partnerships, and has “almost unlimited investment budget to do what we need to do for clients,” Juhl said. The group will also look to hire talent from data and technology organizations, as opposed to agencies.

    Choreograph will operate as part of GroupM, with GroupM North America CEO Kirk McDonald extending his remit to lead the new company. McDonald is joined by a seasoned data and technology leadership team from across WPP along with more than 700 technologists, product developers and data scientists.

  • Group M research reveals consumers affinity for latest tech

    Group M research reveals consumers affinity for latest tech

    NEW DELHI: GroupM has released a new research that reveals that one in two (54.3 per cent) consumers believe it’s important to be equipped with the latest technology.

    Conducted by GroupM’s Live Panel in December 2020, this original research looks at the importance of new technology in consumers’ lives. The agency surveyed 1000 US consumers on their attitudes toward technology across six general categories: attitudes toward technology, information sharing and privacy, virtual reality-based devices and services, smart appliances, mobile devices and digital services, such as visual search, streaming audio and streaming video.

    The key highlights of the research are –

    · Attitudes toward technology:

    54.3 per cent respondents agree with this statement: “It’s important my household is equipped with the latest technology.” Males, younger people and higher-income households all “completely agree” with a much higher propensity than other groups.

    · 5G connected devices:

    More than half (51.5 per cent) respondents said they have a 5G device such as a mobile phone that can connect to a 5G network. Among the half of the population without a 5G connected device, 59.6 per cent of 35-54 year-olds said they expect to buy one in the next year, while 45.2 per cent of 18-34 year-olds said the same.

    · Digital services:

    Voice assistance/Visual search: 96.1 per cent respondents use an Amazon or Apple connected product to help with their shopping.

    Streaming audio services: The responses were significantly higher for females than males regarding YouTube Music (49.1 per cent to 42.4 per cent), Pandora (53.4 per cent to 39.7 per cent) and local online radio station (19.6 per cent to 15.4 per cent).

    Streaming video: In order to maintain a lower monthly bill for streaming services, 66 per cent respondents said they would accept having to watch commercials.

    · Virtual or augmented reality: 

    The higher the income, the more likely a consumer would respond “yes” to having a “virtual travel experience” like visiting a museum or a foreign city— eight per cent of the highest quintile, while only 24.7 per cent of the lowest quintile. Overall, males across each age group showed a higher propensity to have accessed a “virtual” trip.

    · Information sharing and privacy for health and fitness trackers: 

    81.7 per cent of respondents believe that either they or a family member should be the only ones with access to this data. On the other hand, only 6.9 per cent of respondents believe the company that made the device or software should have access.

    · Smart appliances: 

    48 per cent agreed that they would like a home appliance to “automatically order replacements when I am running out of related products” (i.e.: a washing machine ordering new detergent or a refrigerator ordering food).

    GroupM global president of business intelligence Brian Wieser said, “New technologies change the ways in which consumers engage with brands and introduce new ways to drive long-term growth. Exploring the contours of new technology adoption laid out in this research is critical for marketers to better understand how to allocate their resources in 2021 and beyond.”