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Tag: Heeru Dingra

  • WATConsult finds 70% of internet users to access in local languages by Dec 2020

    WATConsult finds 70% of internet users to access in local languages by Dec 2020

    MUMBAI: WATConsult, the globally awarded hybrid digital agency from the house of Dentsu Aegis Network (DAN) India, under its market research division –Recogn, has unveiled its latest report on ‘Digital, Diverse & Multilingual India’. The report maps digital content consumption patterns of Indian users across local and regional languages. It also shares an in-depth analysis of the users’ preferences inside the Indian demography.

    Over the past few years, internet usage behaviour has changed tremendously with more users accessing the internet in their respective languages. Also, whilst most Indians are well-versed in at least two languages, it is observed that they are more comfortable accessing information in their local dialects. Consequently, a variety of digital solutions along with mobile and internet applications have recently been introduced in several local languages to cater to such consumer demands.

    This report, therefore, brings afore the digital content consumption patterns of these users across categories such as music, video streaming, and short-and-long-format content, amongst others. For a deeper understanding of the audience, the report has further segmented them into categories like functional users, casual users, students, etc.

    Below are the key findings of the report: 

        By December 2020, WATConsult estimates that close to 70% of all internet users will access the internet in their local languages.

        A majority of Indians prefer watching content around food, entertainment and education in their local language.

        Video content on technology, gadgets, fashion, and sports are preferred to be consumed in English.

        57% of the audiences watch online videos several times a day. YouTube is the most used application to watch and consume online video content, followed by Hotstar     and JioTV.

        There has been a great transition in the music streaming market with the advent of global players like Spotify, YouTube Music, and others. The audiences prefer     listening to music in their local or regional languages because it builds an emotional connect.

        While browsing on social media platforms, more than one-fourth of the users like to consume content related to memes, videos, images, etc. in their local language.
        More than one-fourth of the users feel that the search results in their local language is inaccurate.

        43% of the housewives feel that there are limited options to choose the language on online shopping websites. Lack of this local language feature does not result in a suitable experience that the customer is looking for.

    Speaking on the report WATConsult CEO Heeru Dingra said, “The report brings across a plethora of interesting data that can be further useful for stalwarts across industries. Since India is a diverse country with multiple languages and dialects, we believe that it is extremely important to approach consumers in the languages they prefer. While it is a mammoth challenge to process and train all the data for so many different languages, the insights presented in the report would benefit marketers significantly in chalking their way ahead.”

    The report can be viewed on: (https://www.watconsult.com/watinsights/local-language/)and is available for download at Rs. 999.

    Follow Tellychakkar for the consumer facing news & entertainment

  • Tata Motors, WATConsult recreate Ludo to spread awareness on Covid2019

    Tata Motors, WATConsult recreate Ludo to spread awareness on Covid2019

    Mumbai: The Covid209 lockdown has brought about a fundamental shift in content consumption patterns. With ample time in hand, people are turning to watch movies, shows, and play online games to keep themselves entertained. Amongst all, one game that has seen a tremendous surge in popularity and repeat plays across every age group is Ludo.

    With over 50 million daily active users, this game brings together families and friends in a time when they physically cannot be. The game has also witnessed a huge amount of success among celebrities during this period of lockdown. While everyone understands the rules of Ludo, a closer look at the game reveals that apart from being entertaining and addictive, it is also a perfect metaphor for social distancing.

    Leading automobile manufacturer Tata Motors and WATConsult, the globally awarded hybrid digital agency from the house of Dentsu Aegis Network (DAN) India, decided to use this symbolism to re-create this unique game. Titled #SafetyFirst Ludo, the new version of the game highlights the necessity to stay indoors and the risks that would befall us if we ventured out without protection.

    Link to the game:https://ludo.tatamotors.com/

    The idea stemmed from a simple insight wherein the main goal is to reach your ‘home’ as quickly as possible. As per the rules of the game, when a player ‘touches’ someone (equivalent to an in-game kill), he/she has to go back to the starting point (which is similar to being in quarantine) until the player rolls a 6 again; and this is the exact representation of what we are currently facing in the fight against Covid2019. This popular game has been re-launched during the lockdown period, aiming to teach Indians to be hygienic and show responsibility in protecting themselves.

    The game is designed in two playing modes: the Virus Spread mode and the Social Distancing mode. In the 'Virus Spread mode', one would get penalised for being too close to another player, that is, when the player is right behind or in front of them. But this can be counteracted by choosing to ‘sanitise’. The idea behind 'Social Distancing mode' is to avoid the players from being too close to each other under all circumstances. They need to maintain a minimum of one block distance between any two pieces at any given point in time.

    Vivek Srivatsa, head – marketing, passenger vehicle business unit, Tata Motors, said, "In light of the current scenario, digital engagement has taken a completely new shape. With an increased consumption of online content, keeping customers entertained yet informed is the way forward. Safety has always been of utmost importance to us, and what better way than to integrate it within a game that is synonymous to all. With the above in mind, we along with our team at WATConsult came up with an ingenious idea of #SafetyFirst Ludo. We aim to bring our community together on this gaming platform while reminding them of the importance of practicing Safety First during these times.”

    WATConsult CEO Heeru Dingra said, “With the lockdown impacting all of us in many different ways, digital engagement is something that is indeed binding us together. Games and television seem to be the major sources of entertainment. Safety being Tata Motors’ utmost priority, we thought of extending the brand's philosophy uniquely. #SafetyFirst Ludo is the perfect example of what we need right now, a subtle reminder of why we must maintain social distancing, along with a fun and engaging activity to help the lockdown become a little more fun.”

    Tata Motors was the first Indian manufacturer to make a 5-star safety-rated car for India certified by Global NCAP and #SafetyFirst has always been one of their core values. In this time of need, this campaign manifests the same values, globally.

  • Panasonic India’s digital campaign crosses 100 million views on YouTube

    Panasonic India’s digital campaign crosses 100 million views on YouTube

    MUMBAI: Panasonic India’s latest digital campaign for its newly launched IoT (Internet of Things) and AI (Artificial Intelligence)-enabled platform, 'Miraie for Connected Living’, has garnered more than 100 million views on YouTube. The campaign was planned and executed digitally by WATConsult, the hybrid digital agency from the house of Dentsu Aegis Network (DAN) India.

    Miraie is derived from the Japanese words – ‘Mirai’ meaning ‘future’ and ‘ie’ meaning ‘home’. The platform aims to empower everyday lives of consumers with comfort, convenience and seamless connectivity across all Panasonic devices. Therefore, in support of what Miraie signifies, Panasonic India created a variety of content pieces to highlight the first range of connected products that are available in the Indian market under the brand, Miraie. These products include connected Air Conditioners, Smart Door Bell, Plugs and Switches. The short digital films brought alive relatable consumer insights and focused on how Panasonic’s new platform can help consumers meet the future and enable enhanced flexibility.

    The campaign was advocated majorly on YouTube using the reach planner tool. In an attempt to drive all brand matrices, the reach sufficiency curves were considered to arrive at an optimal reach and frequency for the campaign. Subsequently, a full funnel marketing approach was adopted to remarket using various content consumption moments. To bring forth the key proposition of the IoT solution, the campaign was also supported with heavy-duty surround using social media. Additionally, various influencers were selected to promote it across effective genres, thereby, making it visible at every step of the consumer journey and hence, nudging the consumers to consider the brand. 

    Despite the scale of this campaign, the View Through Rate (VTR) was maintained at 30.5 per cent and the brand lift study showed a significant 57.9 per cent increase in recall, which was way above the industry benchmark of 25-30 per cent.

    Speaking on the campaign’s success, WATConsult  CEO Heeru Dingra CEO said, “The brand’s IoT and AI-enabled solution to its consumers is a perfect step towards enhancing the consumer experience. Thus, the campaign (launched by the brand) was indeed an impactful one. Making it reach the right set of audience, was our plan of action. With the key focus to amplify the impact showcased in the campaign video, we strategically imposed methods, like calculative selection of platforms and influencers, timing the promotions, and charting the consumer’s behaviour. This tactfully made the campaign video leave its mark among the right set of audience, enhancing the brand’s recently launched Miraie air conditioners amongst more than 100 million consumers.”

    Elaborating on the campaign, Panasonic India  head- brand and marketing  Shirish Agarwal said,  “At Panasonic, we are committed to our vision of creating ‘A Better Life, A Better World’. We are constantly working on new and advanced innovations that enhance the overall experience of our consumers. With the launch of our Miraie platform, we have forayed into the connected living solutions space to ensure comfort, convenience, and seamless connectivity. We understand there is a growing need for brands to create awareness among the consumers on the use of newer technologies like AI and IoT. Given the nature of the announcement, we introduced holistic marketing and promotions campaigns targeting both digital and traditional media to elevate the understanding around connected living amongst the aspirational Indian consumers. Beside digital films, influencer outreach across social platforms, we organized national dealer meets to reach out to our consumers directly.”

    He further added, “Specific to the Connected ACs, we have launched a digital campaign #MeetTheFuture that comprises a series of videos that are based on simple yet important consumer insights, to bring alive the sense of ease and fun that is possible in life through connected technology. Not only this, but we also engaged with key influencers such as – Rajiv Makhni and Harsha Bhogle to promote our new AC range.”

    Link to the campaign: https://youtu.be/-Xpiv8wlYjc

  • Success depends on conviction and perseverance, not gender: WATConsult CEO Heeru Dingra

    Success depends on conviction and perseverance, not gender: WATConsult CEO Heeru Dingra

    MUMBAI: Businesses are no longer male-centered. Women entrepreneurs are attempting to break the glass ceiling and some of them have. Heeru Dingra, CEO of WATConsult, the digital agency from the house Dentsu Aegis Network (DAN), is a strong believer in gender equality and strives to provide equal platforms to everyone for growth and success. WATConsult, which started as a blogging site in 2007, now boasts of 400 people and showed a whopping 60 per cent growth in net revenue and a 54 per cent growth in bottom-line making it the profitable digital agency within DAN.

    “Despite 2019 being a challenging year for the industry, we have registered a growth of 35-40 per cent. We aim to project a similar growth rate or more in the next two years. The share of digital in India’s advertising space is increasing rapidly and soon digital will become the second-largest medium in India, overtaking print as a medium. While we are already a sizable entity as a digital agency, we will continue to build scale on scale, keeping creativity and people at the heart of the business,” said WATConsult CEO Heeru Dingra.

    In a candid interview with indiantelevision.com Heeru Dingra spoke at length about her journey, challenges and much more.

    Edited excerpts:

    Tell us about WATConsult's journey from a blogging site to one of India's prominent digital agencies. 

    WATBlog’s instant success led to the birth of WATConsult. A brainchild of Rajiv Dingra, currently the chief mentor and advisor, the agency has had a roller-coaster journey since its inception in 2007. From thereon, the agency grew in leaps and bounds thanks to the constant support of friends, family and benevolent WATizens. In the very first year, we bagged big names like HSBC, Lay's and Mahindra. We not only survived the 2008 Lehmann Brothers crash, which pretty much put a pause on all marketing spends but also scaled up the agency during very competitive times from 2012-2015 before being acquired by DAN. In 2015 a majority stake of WATConsult was sold to DAN and in just three years it not only became the fastest-growing agency within the network but also the most internationally awarded agency within the network.

    Post Dentsu how has the scenario changed in the digital agency space?

    Specifically, for WATConsult, a lot has changed and yet, nothing has changed. We became a part of the network in 2015 but we still feel as independent as ever, in our thinking, creativity and the manner in which we serve our clients. There has been no dilution of culture or working style. If at all, we have only got better with time. What has changed though is more collaborations with group agencies and integrated pitches. 18 per cent of our business comes from DAN clients. By cross-leveraging the strengths of group agencies, we are able to build deeper integration with current clientele and become a one-stop-shop across domains.

    What are your marketing and brand strategy activites for 2020 and the future?

    Our strategy for 2020 and ahead, is to live by our company philosophy, coined collectively by the people of WATConsult – ‘Impact what matters, create what lasts’, six powerful words we truly believe in. A philosophy that comes alive in every interaction one would have with WATConsult, as a client and a partner.

    Did you experience failures? If so, what did you learn from them?

    Like everyone else, I have also experienced failures and here is what I have learnt from it.

    I firmly believe that success is overrated, and failure is unacceptable in our society. According to me, failure should be our teacher rather than our undertaker. It is nothing but a temporary detour that pushes a person to strike back again with more effort and passion. We as a company failed in 2008. During the recession period, we had to shut shop. However, it taught us many valuable lessons. We realised our mistakes and made sure it was never repeated. Today, we are what we are, thanks to our failures. I must mention, to showcase our value for failure, at WATConsult, we have put in action an HR initiative called ‘FAIL-First Attempt in Learning’.

    We have boards put up in the office for this initiative. Everyone, from the top bosses to the juniors are encouraged to write what they have failed at.

    What has been your most successful marketing campaign? And why?

    ·  The ‘Powerless Queen’ campaign created for Project Nanhi Kali has certainly been our most successful marketing campaign. It broke down the myth that digital agencies cannot produce outstanding and effective creative work. The campaign struck a chord nationally and internationally. We received awards and accolades from everywhere.

    · The ‘Mind Your Language’ campaign was the first-ever e-commerce campaign that turned misspelled searches into sales. The campaign won around 15 awards out of which nine were Gold medals. It also won a Grand Emvie.

    ·   ‘Thanks A Dot’ which was launched on Women's Day for SBI Life Insurance, was a step to spread awareness about breast cancer and inculcate the habit of self-examination among women. The campaign won around 10 awards including four Golds at national and international award shows. 

    ·     With ‘Beat the Crave’ campaign created for Safola Fittify, we created the first-ever audio-driven digital initiative that aimed to distract the audience from unhealthy food cravings. It also won the title of Best Use of Platform (Whatsapp) at campaign India digital crest awards. 

    What are the latest trends in the digital marketing segment that you have witnessed?

    The 3Vs of digital media – voice, video and vernacular will continue to dominate at scale in 2020. Businesses will continue to adjust to new ways of doing things, most of which are related to the digital transformation that the world has experienced in recent years. From artificial intelligence, marketing technology, and the internet of things, new digital technologies will continue to have a major impact on business in 2020.

    How easy or difficult it is to be a woman entrepreneur? Major challenges you have faced while being a women entrepreneur? And how did you overcome them?

    Nothing comes easy as an entrepreneur or otherwise, regardless of your gender. Both genders face challenges and when it comes to achieving success. It is about one’s conviction, self-belief and perseverance, than one’s capability or gender. What irks me is the constant comparison when there is actually none. Both genders are wired differently, physically and psychologically. Both come with their traditional and unique skill sets and strengths. In this day and age, the responsibilities of both men and women are ever-changing and interchangeable. Rather than competing with each other, we should work as a team and balance the skills of one with the complementary abilities of others.

    Do you have a message to aspiring women entrepreneurs?

    My message is –

    ·   Celebrate yourself. You are brilliant and unique just the way you are. I don't think you need to compare yourself with anyone. Have confidence, conquer your fears and respect your point of view. If you find yourself in a room full of men, remember you are there for a reason and the reason is YOU – your talent and your ability brought you here. Love yourself and be a catalyst for change.
    ·  Build a network. I’ve seen that women are extremely shy of networking. Networking is one of the strongest forces at all stages of the career. What stops us is that we overthink, we judge ourselves before we are judged. Stop doing this. Go forth confidently and get your work done. 

     Speak up fearlessly, express your opinion, it is far more valuable than you think!

     

  • Hershey’s Valentine’s Day campaign touches over 12 million users on Instagram

    Hershey’s Valentine’s Day campaign touches over 12 million users on Instagram

    MUMBAI: This Valentine’s Day Hershey’s chocolates decided to give a twist to the conventional way of expressing love by offering GEN Z the means to express their bond on their favourite go-to social media destination, Instagram. It launched the quirky campaign ‘That’s What We Said’ in the first week of February in partnership with WATConsult, the hybrid digital agency owned by Dentsu Aegis Network (DAN) India.

    Conceptualised and executed by WATConsult, the campaign made couples ask fun and interesting questions about each other and their respective relationships. The cinch here was that the answers had to match, and if they did, the couples scored a point. 

    In an innovative twist, the campaign utilised the existing Instagram feature, ‘pull and zoom’. Each partner was asked to place his or her fingers on the image and zoom in to read the question and answer accurately. Once the couples got their score, they could share them along with their experience and flaunt their compatibility on their own Insta stories.

    Sharing his views on the campaign, Hershey India marketing director Sarosh Shetty said, “Instagram is integral to Gen Z’s life where they express and celebrate all their relationships. Hence, Hershey’s launched this Insta-first digital campaign to bring their loved ones together and strengthen their bond through a fun and quirky game – ‘That’s What We Said’, this Valentine’s Day. We are happy that we were able to grab the attention and garner such a huge organic engagement with our audiences through this campaign.”

    WATConsult CEO Heeru Dingra said, “The acceptance of Instagram amongst millennials is huge and we wanted to optimise this knowledge in an innovative way rather than through the traditional portrayal of Valentine’s Day. Leveraging the ‘pull and zoom’ feature of Instagram, we made the couples have some fun and build a stronger bond. The campaign has created a fantastic buzz since its launch.

    ‘That’s What We Said’ has already marked over 17 million impressions, with a reach of over 12 million on Instagram. Since the game was played on Hershey's India Instagram page, Hershey’s also witnessed a massive surge in profile visits amounting to 42,000 and over 900 mentions of the brand; and the numbers only seem to continue to grow every minute.

  • Voice technology market to register 2.8X growth by 2022: WATConsult

    Voice technology market to register 2.8X growth by 2022: WATConsult

    MUMBAI: In the past few years, India has witnessed a rapid rise in its internet consumption, leading to the emergence of voice technology and the ways in which it is consumed across the country. There is a dire need to understand how the audiences interact and perceive voice technology with an increase in its adoption and growing usage across India. From voice-assistant-enabled feature phones to connected devices like Alexa and Google Home, the ecosystem is taking an encouraging turn, and thus, opening up many more avenues for brands and businesses.

    WATConsult, the globally awarded hybrid digital agency from the house of Dentsu Aegis Network India (DAN), under its market research division, Recogn, has launched its latest report, titled ‘Voice Technology in India: Now and Future – Consumer and business perspective’.  The main objective of this report is to share deep insights on voice-tech usage patterns, to consult brands and to help businesses make better decisions.  The report focuses on the market of voice technology in India, the perception of voice assistants, home management with the use of voice and data security concerns. It also highlights the usage patterns of voice -tech across most-used voice assistants including shopping recommendations.

    The agency has integrated with Google Assistant for the launch of this report and will be made available with a bot command.

    Below are some of the key findings from the report:

    ·  Speech and voice recognition technology market stands at Rs. 149.95 Cr as of December 2019

    ·  It is expected to grow at 40.47% to reach Rs. 210.63 Cr by the end of 2020

    ·  76% of the users are familiar with the speech and voice recognition technology

    ·  On an average, users are interacting with voice assistants on various devices for at least a year’s time

    ·  The users residing in Top Metros have been using the voice assistants for around more than a year

    ·  60% of the users give voice commands on their smartphones. Users of the Google Assistant use it for results on their queries and check for navigation while travelling

    ·  Even at this early stage, the majority of users (49%) prefer a combo of speaking and typing that occurs frequently, especially on phones.  38% of users prefer to speak their queries aloud

    ·  On a daily basis, voice assistants are frequently used to listen to music (65%), get daily news and updates (64%)

    ·  When it comes to usage patterns, most of the users search for queries online and are comfortable to use assistants indoors

    ·  Google Assistant is perceived to be smart, intelligent and helpful in search queries

    ·  Alexa is perceived as a reliable assistant in terms of managing smart home devices and usability by its users

    ·  Majority of the users have considered product/service recommendations from the voice assistant and shopped online

    ·  46% of the users feel that voice assistant on their devices are always recording and listening. The users are conscious about their privacy and feel that the tech companies are not safe. They do not feel secure in terms of their data being used elsewhere.

    WATConsult CEO Heeru Dingra said, “We are glad to bring across our latest report in the space of voice technology and have for the first time integrated our report with Google Assistant. Voice marketing has indeed changed the dynamics of the digital marketing landscape and is growing at a fast pace. This report is a one-stop store for brands and industry leaders to understand the growing crescendos of the voice-tech market, giving them a detailed analysis of user behaviour and patterns to abide by.” 

  • WATConsult launches #TrulyYou campaign for Wacoal India

    WATConsult launches #TrulyYou campaign for Wacoal India

    MUMBAI: WATConsult, the globally awarded hybrid digital agency from the house of Dentsu Aegis Network (DAN), has launched a new digital brand campaign for its recently acquired client, Wacoal India. Wacoal India is a premium Japanese lingerie brand established in the year 1946 in Japan. The brand entered the Indian market with its first store towards the end of the year 2015. As their digital partner, the agency will be conceptualising, strategising and executing digital activities of their products across the Indian geography.

    To mark the launch of Wacoal's Autumn Winter 2019 Collection the agency has also unveiled an empowering digital campaign: Truly Yours for #TrulyYou. The key communication of the campaign revolves around how women should embrace their true selves. Beauty is all about being comfortable in one's own skin and differs from woman to woman. Wacoal’s range of products allows each woman; tough, strong, graceful, classy, empathetic, gentle and much more to express her beauty in the best possible way. 

    Wacoal India CEO Nobuhiro Katsumata said, “We are glad to partner with WATConsult to manage our digital mandate. The team has shown immense potential and our first campaign launch with them has been welcomed by all. We look forward to this association.” 

    WATConsult  CEO Heeru Dingra added, “We are proud to associate with a legacy old brand that has a firm presence across the globe. We are looking forward to strengthening the brand’s presence and expand its legacy in the Indian market too. Keeping their aim to help women express and embrace their true selves we launched Truly Yours for #TrulyYou. The campaign beautifully highlights the products and thoughts of the brand, enabling women to stand out with comfort.”

    The campaign commences with a ‘behind the scenes’ digital video creating a lot of buzz/curiosity amongst the audience. It also takes ahead the brand's philosophy of helping women express their beauty. 

    To further amplify the concept of Wacoal’s #TrulyYou and build a strong connect with the correct target audience, content formats like Magazine, Instagram Stories and Scrapbook Grids have been explored during the campaign.

  • WATConsult elevates Heeru Dingra as CEO

    WATConsult elevates Heeru Dingra as CEO

    MUMBAI: WATConsult, the globally awarded hybrid digital agency from the house of Dentsu Aegis Network, has announced leadership changes. Effective from 01 February 2020 Heeru Dingra will be the chief executive officer (CEO) of the agency and Rajiv Dingra, the current CEO will move on to the role of chief mentor and advisor for WATConsult.

    Dingra, who is currently the CHRO & CFO, will now have a new role and an expanded set of responsibilities, overlooking the entire executive duties of the agency. In last 9 years of her journey at WATConsult, Dingra has played a vital role in building a team of more than 400 people and managing the day to day activities. She will continue to report to Dentsu Aegis Network India CEO Anand Bhadkamkar.

    The newly created roles will play an essential part in the agency’s vision towards growth and expansion in the coming years.

    Dingra said, “I am truly honoured to lead WATConsult which is full of talented people and brilliant brands. I am looking forward to work closely with our exceptional senior leadership team, along with Rajiv. Together, we will capture the next waves of growth for WATConsult by remaining laser-focused to serve our clients, deliver long term growth and value creation and provide the best career experiences for our people.”

    Anand Bhadkamkar said, “Heeru has been an integral part of WATConsult's growth story. She has led the agency alongside Rajiv in the capacity of CFO and CHRO and has an intimate understanding of this business. She works very closely with the leadership team at the agency and across DAN and is uniquely positioned to take on the role of chief executive officer at WATConsult. I am excited to have Heeru lead WATConsult on its next phase of growth alongside Rajiv, who now takes charge as the agency's chief mentor & advisor."

    “After leading WATConsult for the last 13 years, it’s time I move on to a new phase in this journey,”  Dingra said. “This new role would allow me to help guide the team in crafting an ambitious vision and would also allow the team at WATConsult to scale up in newer roles and achieve their personal growth.”