MUMBAI: Bharti Airtel has partnered with Happy mcgarrybowen to design brand identity for Airtel Xstream, the digital entertainment platform by Airtel. As part of the exercise, Happy mcgarrybowen designed the brand identity and visual language for the brand.
Speaking on the engagement, Airtel CMO Shashwat Sharma said, “The vision for the Airtel Xstream brand was to carve a voice that speaks to today's young, technology ready consumer. We were building an India-first platform of digital entertainment services and this needed a disruptive and market-defining visual identity. Happy mcgarrybowen became our partner in bringing that vision to life. They helped create an identity that is current, aspirational and future-ready. It’s a great visual ethos of what Airtel Xstream promises to bring to the Indian consumer going forward.”
Happy mcgarrybowen president Samarjit Choudhry added, “Airtel is one of the most recognised brands in India. It has ushered in major changes in the way we use communication tools. With the launch of Xstream, they are once again on the cusp of changing our entertainment consumption habits. We have tried to capture the dynamic nature of the digital entertainment world, its confluence across platforms; obviously with the consumer at the centre of it.”
Happy mcgarrybowen is the creative and design agency from the house of Dentsu Aegis Network. Born and thrived in the modern-day chaos of brands doing the unconventional, Happy mcgarrybowen stands apart by not just being the communication partner, but the growth partner for clients. With communication design, experience design, engagement design and the very craft of design, Happy mcgarrybowen works agnostically of any medium to deliver solutions to the clients' business problems.
MUMBAI: In a bid to strengthen its global creative agency mcgarrybowen’s India footprint, Dentsu Aegis Network (DAN) has elevated Samarjit Choudhry to the role of president – happy mcgarrybowen (HMB) India. In addition to this, the global media and marketing communications conglomerate has also entrusted Soumitra Karnik with the additional charge as chief creative officer (CCO).
Choudhry joined the Network in 2017 as COO – Happy mcgarrybowen India. Armed with more than 20 years of experience, he has worked with agencies such as Ogilvy and Leo Burnett. At Leo Burnett, he was the chief growth officer for the group and was also instrumental in setting up Orchard and Black Pencil for them. In addition, he has also worked to create India’s premier comic book content company, Virgin Comics.
Speaking on his appointment, Choudhry said, “mcgarrybowen has a strong philosophy of solving real problems. They truly operate as a media-agnostic agency. In India the foundation for this is already there and the agency has been operating as Happy mcgarrybowen for over 2 years now. My mandate is to take it to the next level. Other than communication, we already have a strong design practice and in conjunction with the other offerings from DAN, today we offer our clients a one stop solution for whatever their needs might be. I look forward to taking the opportunity to take the legacy forward. And all we ask is, ‘Give us your biggest problem’.”
Soumitra Karnik joined the network in 2012. Prior to that, he was an ECD at JWT. In over 11 years spent there, he worked on a variety of clients including Pepsi, Airtel, Nestle, and Hero Honda. Karnik has also worked at Lowe and Percept. Amongst his notable campaigns are the Pepsi ‘Yeh Hai Youngistaan Meri Jaan’, ‘Slice Aamsutra’, ‘Yaari Ki Gaadi’ for Hero Honda Splendour NXG, and the ‘What Makes Us Click’ campaign for Canon, to name a few.
Speaking about the role, Karnik said, “Happy mcgarrybowen is a phenomenal creative brand and has an enviable body of work to prove it. All these years, I have greatly admired them from a distance and I count my blessings for being given this opportunity to be a part of their creative trajectory. I assume this role with utmost confidence only because the culture of HMB will not have it any other way. I shall take my mandate from Gordon Bowen, our Global CCO, in the coming days and will talk about it soon. Personally, I’d like to build a collaborative creative culture where everyone works with everyone and everyone learns from everyone. There is so much talent out there in the world and sometimes all it takes is a simple call to say, ‘Hi, I have this idea and I need you to make it even more amazing’. Most clients deserve a spectacular package. Anything less is just plain misfortune.”
Happy mcgarrybowen India is going to be a key piece in DAN’s India creative strategy.
DAN CEO greater south and chairman & CEO India Ashish Bhasin said, “With its new leadership in place, I am more than confident that the agency is now in extremely able hands. Happy mcgarrybowen has always been a brand to reckon with and I have no doubt that Samarjit and Soumitra, together, will further fuel this brand legacy and help Happy mcgarrybowen scale new heights.”
MUMBAI: Amidst the ongoing #MeToo movement, where several allegations regarding sexual harassment and sexual assault have come to light, the media and entertainment industry isn’t left behind.
Recently, Dentsu Aegis Network’s (DAN) Happy mcgarrybowen came in the limelight for similar accusations against its CEO and other senior executives. The agency network had last week launched an investigation into the allegations.
Following the controversy, DAN has removed Happy mcgarrybowen CEO Kartik Iyer and MD Praveen Das from their positions. Additionally, Bodhisatwa Dasgupta, senior creative director, Happy Creative Services and Dinesh Swamy national creative director, iProspect India have also stepped down from their respective positions following harassment charges.
In a press statement issued by Dentsu Aegis Network, the network announced: “Dentsu Aegis Network has always believed in providing a safe environment at our workplaces which is free from any kind of harassments. We have a zero tolerance policy towards any kind of harassment at our workplaces. Mr. Kartik Iyer (CEO) and Mr. Praveen Das (MD) have stepped down from their respective positions and responsibilities at Happy Creative Services. Additionally, Bodhisatwa Dasgupta, Sr. Creative Director, Happy Creative Services and Dinesh Swamy, National Creative Director, iProspect India have also stepped down from their respective positions.”
MUMBAI: Truecaller, the global leader in call identification and number blocking, has partnered with the Bangalore headquartered creative agency, Happy Mcgarrybowen, to roll out its new campaign for this year.
Happy mcgarrybowen was roped in to help chart a new course for Truecaller’s new avatar and host of services.
Kickstarting this partnership would be a full-blown campaign that would go live in a few weeks from now.
Happy mcgarrybowen co-founder and CEO Kartik Iyer says, “We have been in talks with Truecaller for nearly a year now, exploring opportunities to work together. There has been a synergy of minds and thoughts from the first day the teams met together. A new campaign is already underway and shall be out soon. We see huge potential in the brand growing its offering, considering it is one of the few apps that command acceptance amongst users of all phone segments. We look forward to a long-term relationship in building Truecaller’s already strong equity in India.”
Truecaller director marketing India Manan Shah adds, “We were looking for a partner rather than an ‘agency’ who can think beyond the obvious and move faster than us. This is where Happy mcgarrybowen clicked for us. Extremely delighted to work with them on our upcoming campaign and look forward to many more.”
MUMBAI: Cure.fit, the health and fitness destination that empowers well-being across physical and mental fitness, has partnered with Happy mcgarrybowen to launch its first-ever brand campaign, #ForTheLoveOfFit.
It aims to establish cure.fit as a holistic fitness brand with three verticals on offer — cult.fit, eat.fit and mind.fit.
#ForTheLoveOfFit ties the digital-led campaign together across multiple digital platforms. The campaign will also make its way to cinema screens, print and OOH.
The film employs a clever wordplay device to show the various aspects of getting and staying fit through physical exercises, meditation and healthy food – all of which are available on the cure.fit app. Some of the most popular poster-people of fitness like Tiger Shroff, Milind Soman and a few others also feature in quick cameos throughout the film.
Speaking on the new campaign, Cure.fit co-founder Ankit Nagori says, “Wellness requires personal commitment, but the busy individual of today needs easy access to the avenues for getting fit. What we want to communicate with the video is simple – you bring the passion and commitment for your well-being, Cure.fit makes it convenient for you to achieve your health goals through our holistic health solutions. Happy mcgarrybowen has done a commendable job of helping us reach our core audience.”
Happy mcgarrybowen CEO and co-founder Kartik Iyer adds, “Cure.fit has started a revolution in fitness space from the day they set out, nearly two years ago. With a unique offering that covers physical, mental and dietary fitness, it’s a wholesome look at healthy living; unlike any other in the wellness ecosystem.There is more than one dimension to fitness, and it always doesn’t have to be hard, painful and serious.Cure.fit breaks that barrier and invites people to get their share in the way most comfortable to them.The film aims to represent the entire gamut of offerings from the Cure.fit app, also trying to get people to think of fitness in a more fun and accessible way.”
MUMBAI: Ola, India’s leading and one of the world’s largest ride-sharing platforms, has launched a nationwide, integrated campaign focusing on Ola Rentals.
Starring actor and writer Sumeet Vyas, the video campaign highlights Ola Rentals as your ‘go-to’ weekend ride. With the ease of booking a cab that remains at a customer’s disposal, waiting on them, as they move from place to place, Ola Rentals has emerged as a convenient, hassle-free solution that fills in for your personal car.
Conceptualised and developed by Happy mcgarrybowen, the creative agency from Dentsu Aegis Network, the TVCs show Sumeet as an empowered Ola Rentals customer who isn’t worried of getting tired of driving for long hours in heavy traffic. Instead, he enjoys a day out with his wife and back-to-back outings to meet relatives since he gets to relax at the backseat like a boss. The catch phrase #NoStressBoss, used by the central character of the film, plays upon the idea of enjoying the comfort Ola Rentals provides to its customers.
Actor and Writer Sumeet Vyas said, “I completely related to the concept of the films. As a professional who works round the clock almost every day of the week, I look forward to stress free weekends with my family and friends. A product like Ola Rentals can give you that much required relief that commuters are looking for! One doesn’t have to fret about driving in crazy traffic, looking for parking spots endlessly, etc. I am so looking forward to use Rentals by Ola next time when I have to go for a shopping spree or need to run errands all around the city.”
The TVCs are being showcased through digital, video, social, OOH and radio; and have already garnered more than 5.8 million impressions on various digital platforms. So far, both 30 second videos have collectively garnered 1.2 million+ views on YouTube.
Ola senior vice president Pallav Singh added, “Since its launch in 2016, Ola Rentals has been a favourite among corporate customers and working executives who move from one meeting to another during the day. Through this latest campaign we want to highlight the convenience of having a cab on disposal for diverse needs like shopping trips, meeting friends, visiting relatives, local sightseeing etc. I am glad to share that the TVCs are garnering great response, which goes to show that customers today value convenience and experience. They don’t want to tire themselves driving in heavy traffic, instead would like to be driven around as they relax and enjoy their day off.”
Happy mcgarrybowen chief operating officer Samarjit Choudhry mentioned, “Ola Rentals is a very unique category. Unlike a point to-point cab, this one is meant to take you to multiple places. It takes away a lot of pain points like parking or having to book another cab, not to say the pain of driving on congested roads. Keeping all this in mind, we decided to take weekends as a plank for communication because a large number of the people get out on weekends and face the stress of weekend traffic and finding parking spots. The ease of the product offering had to be conveyed and hence we came up with the campaign thought of #NoStressBoss.”
Founded in 2011 by Bhavish Aggarwal and Ankit Bhati, Ola is one of the world’s largest ride-hailing companies. Ola integrates city transportation for customers and driver-partners onto a mobile technology platform ensuring convenient, transparent, and quick service fulfilment.
MUMBAI: Following a multi-agency pitch process and numerous rounds of evaluation, online food delivery marketplace Foodpanda, has awarded its creative mandate to Dentsu Aegis Network’s creative agency, Happy mcgarrybowen.
Foodpanda was acquired by Ola Cabs in December last year.
The pitch for the creative mandate included both advertising and design disciplines, as the startup looks to revamp its identity after the alignment with Ola. After a tight race, both the design and the brand communications mandates were awarded to Happy mcgarrybowen, who in the past has helped carve a niche for flagship startups like Flipkart, Myntra and Ola.
Ola Cabs CEO Bhavish Aggarwal says, “At Foodpanda, our mission is to connect deeper with our love and passion for food, and build not just a great delivery experience but also a great food experience. We trust that Happy mcgarrybowen would be able to take that narrative and ethos to the world with strong design and visual communication capabilities.”
Foodpanda head of marketing Anshul Khandelwal adds, “We distinctly understand the need to build a strong and differentiated brand that people love. Being a food experience platform, we intend to constantly innovate to build foodie-first solutions for India. Considering Happy Mcgarrybowen’s work portfolio, we are confident that the association will ensure an effective brand strategy and communications.”
Happy mcgarrybowen has been tasked with re-thinking the brand’s design language, which includes reinterpreting its logo and visual identity for the present-day. The advertising and communications will follow suit to help the brand form a bond with consumers in this ever-changing world of transactional relationships.
Happy mcgarrybowen CEO Kartik Iyer adds, “In a time where the market has already been created, we are proud to have won the mandates in such a competitive environment. We’re raring to go and leap ahead with Foodpanda right to the top.”
Happy mcgarrybowen CCO PM Praveen Das mentions, “Today brands are ubiquitously present on the digital media, therefore corporate identity too has evolved into a dynamic form. This is the age of the animated logos, GIFs, sonic signatures, design thinking and so on. We are very excited to work on evolving the Foodpanda brand identity by giving it an emergent, contemporary twist and bring it alive to a youthful audience who is so much into food these days.”
MUMBAI: Jabong, India’s leading online fashion brand, has launched its new marketing campaign to promote the fourth edition of its biggest sale of the year- the Jabong Big Brand Sale- which will be held from 27 to 30 July.
Big Brand Sale (BBS) is Jabong’s marquee bi-annual property that is held in January and July to mark the end of the ongoing season.
As a part of its 360 degree campaign, Jabong released an #OutOfTheWorld themed 30 sec TVC, which is set in a parallel universe and captures the essence of BBS where the World’s Biggest Brands are available at discounts. During BBS, Jabong is offering four lakh styles from premium, international and Indian brands at 55-80 per cent discount, out of which over one lac styles are for the first time on 50 per cent + discounts and more than 15,000 styles are available at above 80 per cent discount.
The TVC highlights the Jabong consumers who are free from worldly notions of fashion and have their own unique style and identity, staying true to Jabong’s brand philosophy- Be You. Set against a vast, celestial backdrop and a flickering panorama of space, the TVC beautifully uses spatial objects like stars, satellites and shooting stars to creatively bring alive the ‘out-of-the-world’ experience that the Big Brand Sale promises, in terms of, both, products and discounts.
Conceptualised and scripted by Happy Mcgarrybowen, the creative agency from Dentsu Aegis Network, the TV commercial will be aired across leading channels, GEC, English and Hindi movies, English entertainment, news, lifestyle and music genres. The television commercials will also run in five-second stings across select channels to drive frequency and reach. In addition, the campaign also covers print, radio, outdoor, DTH (Tata Sky) and digital-YouTube, Facebook, Wynk and Truecaller, with OOH across eight cities. Jabong is also collaborating with popular content creators like SIT and leading fashion influencers to amplify the campaign’s consumer reach.
Jabong head Gunjan Soni says, “The fourth edition of BBS is going to be bigger and better than ever before with innovations like 100 per cent cash back, VIP slots, and lightening deals. The TVC attempts to capture this magic in a uniquely Jabong way. The campaign theme is based on the very essence of BBS which promises an extraordinary experience for our customers by making the biggest global and Indian brands available at out of the world discounts. The TVC beautifully captures this Jabong world where fashion is the way of life.”
Jabong head of brand Gaurav Kackar adds, “The campaign communication is based on a simple consumer insight that when you dress well, you feel on top of the world. The TVC, set in a spatial backdrop, depicts the Jabong promise to offer an out of the world shopping experience to its customers this BBS. It’s a first-of-its-kind approach to creatively capture the brand essence and highlight the key sale callouts, which we believe will resonate very strongly with our consumers.”
Happy mcgarrybowen CEO Kartik Iyer mentions, “In a typical situation this would be another opportunity to do another sale ad. But this is Jabong and the team seems to just push the experience of every piece of communication, every single time. A fresh take on what to expect and the excitement around it makes up the experience to be totally out of this world. All credit to the collaboration between client agency and director.”
Jabong will allot exclusive slots to select shoppers on 26 July to make purchases via wishlisting, coupled with lightening and mystery deals throughout the four days for enhanced consumer engagement. Customers can also earn slots by playing fun games on the Jabong app to buy their favourite products before they go out of stock.
MUMBAI: Online marketplace IndiaMART that connects buyers and suppliers, has assigned its communication mandate to Happy mcgarrybowen. The agency, from the house of Dentsu Aegis Network, won the account following a multi-agency pitch.
IndiaMART provides a platform to over 4.6 million sellers to connect with over 55 million buyers to search from over 60 million products. Founded in 1996, the company’s mission is to make doing business, easy.
As part of the mandate, Happy mcgarrybowen will fuel the brand’s aggressive growth plans through multi-dimensional communication campaigns across outdoor, digital and social media platforms.
IndiaMART vice president of marketing Sumit Bedi says, “We were looking for a digital-first agency to drive our integrated marketing communication plan. Apart from our SME clients, this year we are also focussing on brand solutions and our new online payment gateway, ‘Pay with IndiaMART’. Happy mcgarrybowen clearly fits the bill as it understands the digital space very well. We hope that our association with the exciting team at the agency will help us create some highly engaging communication for our target audience.”
While Brand Solutions by IndiaMART offers enterprise companies to grow their distribution and sales network via the IndiaMART platform, Pay with IndiaMART enables easy low-cost instant payments through IndiaMART.
Happy mcgarrybowen MD PM Praveen Das adds, “For Happy mcgarrybowen’s new arm specialising in B2B, IndiaMART is a typical business that we want to take to the next level using a mix of digital and other communication formats that is calibrated to create a more favourable response. We are very happy to partner with IndiaMART to help accelerate their growth and leapfrog ahead with unconventional ideas using technology.”
The company has over 3600 employees located across 80 offices in the country. Its existing investors include Intel Capital, Amadeus Capital, West Bridge Capital, and Quona Capital.
MUMBAI: Eat.fit, the healthy food vertical of Cure.Fit has rolled out its first ever campaign in partnership with its creative agency Happy mcgarrybowen.
The campaign is digital-led, but will also make its appearance in cinema screens, print and OOH.
Cure.Fit was launched in April 2017 by Mukesh Bansal, who also was the head of commerce at Flipkart, and an ex-Flipkart chief business officer Ankit Nagori.
The campaign is spearheaded with the line #EatfitEveryday, and rightfully so; as the brand promises healthy and tasty home-like food that can be had every day without upsetting your system.
The campaign takes you through the everyday struggles of food-ordering from regular places where there’s food that puts you to sleep, the greasy type, the sad canteen food, the dabba wala, the type that’s either healthy or tasty but never both. The film humorously captures the hassle of food ordering itself. The film then goes on to show how simple life is after you subscribe to a pack of your liking from eat.fit.
Cure.Fit co-founder Nagori says, “Our idea was to communicate the ease with which today’s jet setting, young urban professionals can keep up with their busy schedule without compromising on healthy eating. We are pleased with the new-age look of the campaign developed by Happy mcgarrybowen.”
Happy mcgarrybowen CEO and co-founder Kartik Iyer says, “We have been part of the entire journey of creating the Cure.Fit brand, and one of our biggest efforts has been to create a unique identity and langue for the brand and the experience. With the eat.fit campaign we have only taken that further in the Cure.Fit world. The brand speak is simple, contemporary and artistic. Strategically the eat.fit offering is more than just convenient food at your doorstep. In today’s urban worlds many people feel the need to order-out nearly every meal. The need for it is more today than ever. Hence, the campaign of eat.fit every day.”
With Cure.Fit branching out into cult.fit, mind.fit and eat.fit, it aims at extending complete support for anyone who wants to lead a healthy life – from body to mind to soul.
Eat.fit offers calorie counted balanced meals from a menu that comprises of an array of Indian and global dishes that are made with fresh ingredients, and are high in protein and low in fat. Eat.fit also has offerings aimed at specific health goals like weight loss, lean muscle gain, etc. The recipes created by an expert panel of nutritionists and chefs, are rooted in local and global cultures and is prepared with the freshest of ingredients, with high emphasis on locally sourced, seasonal and premium products.
