Tag: IAA

IAA Green Awards: Maneka Gandhi urges advertising industry to exercise caution

MUMBAI: The advertising industry was at the receiving end at the International Advertising Association’s (IAA’s) Olive Crown Awards – Asia’s only awards for green initiatives in advertising which were held in Mumbai’s Palladium Hotel over the weekend. Environmentalist and parliamentarian Maneka Gandhi was felicitated with a special award for her years of diligent efforts to get the environment in the nation’s mainstream consciousness and getting regulations passed which saw animals and the coastal zone get protection. She received the recognition from Amitabh Bachchan.

Even as she thanked the advertising industry for bestowing the honor on her, she urged the creative community to be careful while using animals in the communications and commercials that it creates.

She referred to ads in which a pug was used, something which she has highlighted in the past too. “The problem with the ad was that it sparked off a demand for the pug which is not a local animal. Thousands of them were imported and the Indian climate does not suit them. Then these pugs find it very difficult to deliver; most of their stomachs burst during delivery. Owners who could not handle these little cute creatures just abandoned them. And we had hundreds of them turning up at our animal shelters.”

Gandhi then spoke about a TV commercial which featured an orangutan stealing underwear and amusing an Indian housewife. “We noticed that more and more orangutans were being smuggled after that TV commercial was aired,” she said. “We captured three of them headed for Chennai and have been on alert since then. A business man there had got fascinated by the orangutans and had ordered them.”

She told the creative heads and senior marketers present at the awards ceremony at the Palladium Hotel in central Mumbai that they should work on communicating the right environmental messages whenever they can as part of their corporate social responsibility initiatives. And that they should exercise extreme sensitivity while drawing up creative for ads as the content of commercials has a tremendous impact on the general Indian viewing public at home. And in the process it can impact the environment or animals.

The IAA presented Olive Crown Awards to McCann Erickson as the green agency of the year and to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) as the green advertiser of the year for the clean up campaign the two created for Bengaluru.

March 17, 2014
Award Nominees for 2nd Edition of IAA Leadership Awards Announced

MUMBAI: The International Advertising Association’s (IAA) India chapter today revealed nominations for the first 12 categories of the much-awaited second edition of the IAA Leadership Awards. Taking into account the outstanding marketing and related initiatives that have been undertaken in the year gone by, the nominees have been shortlisted from the fields of Marketing of various products and services categories.

The IAA Leadership Awards is a unique initiative which celebrates leaders in the fields of Marketing, Advertising and Media. The 2nd edition of the IAA Awards will witness honoring 21 individuals in as many categories who will be handpicked through a 2-stage selection process.

The following are the list of nominees revealed today who will compete to win the 2^nd Edition of the IAA Leadership Awards:

Speaking on the nominees, Srinivasan Swamy, President IAA India and VP-Development, IAA Asia Pacific, and Chairman, R K SWAMY BBDO said, “Following the success of the first edition of the IAA Leadership Awards, we continue to honour and recognize the contributions of individuals across various verticals who have made a positive difference for the brands they represent. The nominees can be happy with the fact that they are the chosen few from the field of Marketing, shortlisted via a scientific thought process and detailed research. By celebrating their achievements, we hope to motivate them to raise the bar year-on-year.”

The annual Awards this year is scheduled to take place on 1^st March 2014 at Grand Hyatt Mumbai. Honourable Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, Sri Manish Tewari will grace the occasion as the Chief Guest. The who’s who of the marketing, advertising and media industry are expected to be present at the awards night.

February 26, 2014
IAA reveals categories for 2nd edition of IAA Leadership Awards

MUMBAI: The International Advertising Association’s (IAA) India chapter revealed the categories for the second edition of the IAA leadership awards. Presented by India’s leading Hindi General Entertainment Channel COLORS, these awards celebrate the outstanding contribution made by marketing, advertising and media professionals by honouring them on a common platform. After a successful first edition of the IAA Leadership Awards held last year, this year, the Awards will expand its scope to recognize excellence across 21 Categories namely:

IAA categories:

1. Marketer of the Year – Banking

2. Marketer of the Year – Insurance

3. Marketer of the Year – Auto: 2 Wheeler

4. Marketer of the Year – Auto: Passenger Vehicles

5. Marketer of the Year – Mobile Services

6. Marketer of the Year – Mobile Devices

7. Marketer of the Year – FMCG: Personal Care, Laundry and Toiletries

8. Marketer of the Year – FMCG: Foods & Beverages

9. Marketer of the Year – FMCG: Consumer Durables

10. Marketer of the Year – Home Improvement

11. Marketer of the Year – Household Products

12. Marketer of the Year – Ecommerce

13. Media Agency Head of The Year

14. Creative Agency Head of The Year

15. CEO of The Year

16. Media Person of The Year

17. TV Anchor of The Year

18. Editor of The Year

19. Hall Of Fame

20. Brand Ambassador OF The Year – Male

21. Brand Ambassador OF The Year – Female

Announcing these categories Srinivasan Swamy, President IAA India and VP-Development, IAA Asia Pacific, and Chairman, R K SWAMY BBDO commented “after the great response we received for the first edition of the IAA Leadership Awards, we have made some marginal changes in categories this year to take into account some feedback received. The final winners are being determined now on a number of product and service categories and of course some Awards for senior practitioners. The IAA Leadership Awards is our endeavour to recognize and salute these outstanding talent which has made impactful contributions in the market space and the companies and brands they led.”

To ensure the authenticity and credibility of the awards and maintain the highest level of transparency at all stages, IAA had a task force which looked at various performance criteria in every category under consideration, like revenue/market share growth, marketing initiatives undertaken, innovative schemes, launches, advertising spends etc to shortlist the nominees. Nielsen (India) Private Limited was engaged thereafter to have the nominees voted upon by senior marketers from the same industry to pick the final winner. Ernst & Young LLP will look at the process to satisfy itself of its fairness and will officially tabulate the results.

The IAA Leadership Awards, this year, are scheduled to be held on 1 March 2014 at Grand Hyatt, Mumbai. Honourable Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, Sri Manish Tewari will grace the occasion as the Chief Guest. The awards night will be attended by the cr?me de la cr?me of the marketing, advertising and media fraternity to see some of their leaders carry home coveted trophies.

February 16, 2014
PepsiCo India’s Shivakumar says collaboration will be the key to growth

MUMBAI: “One needs to look at brands which will help each other grow as well as benefit the industry…”

This was the message conveyed by PepsiCo India chairman and CEO D Shivakumar to a large gathering of who’s who of the industry on Wednesday, as he took them through the highs and lows of marketing, media and advertising in 2013 and indulged in crystal gazing to see what holds for the communication fraternity in 2014.

In the coming years, Shivakumar sees a conflict between independent growth and dependent growth among agencies as well as brands.

Giving the example of telecom, Shivakumar said, “Telecom would not have been what it is today if Airtel would not have collaborated with Nokia or Vodafone with Samsung. “

Apart from all this, the industry is all about innovation wherein size doesn’t matter but all depends on how fast a company is in responding to consumers.

As the industry waited for the leader with ‘fighter’s instinct’ to share his views at the IAA organised event called ‘Retrospect and Prospects’, Shivakumar stepped on to the stage and made it clear it is more about paying tribute to the city (Mumbai) which has taught him a lot and that he will wrap up within 60 minutes.

He started with how the city and the people he met here have helped him grow in his career and went on to touch upon various aspects which affect the industry starting with how last year saw the emerging markets slowing down and how it devalued the currency.

Not indulging much in the negatives, he highlighted how 2013 was the defining year for the digital space. “The smart phone which gives the power of internet in every person’s hand has opened up the whole world of opportunities for them. It has empowered women and youth,” he said while pointing out how a billion phones were sold last year and this year will see many more being sold.

People using internet through mobile phone is much higher than through fixed internet, globally, hence, he urged marketers to shift their media strategies. With that note, he estimated that the year 2014 will see the world media industry spending $505 billion.

The general elections in India will play a major role in deciding which way the country and the various sectors will head. Shivakumar said in the coming months India will see about Rs 1,000 crore being spent on advertising by political parties, 2.5 times higher than what was spent in 2009.

The year will also see a shift in the manner the money will be spent. The shift will be in favour of the digital medium wherein 10 to 15 per cent will be spent on the platform as the first time voters (160 million) are on social media.

Shiv believes that regional markets play an important role as regional languages are driving growth in the number of TV channels. The same stands true for print as well. “We are a hyper fighting market and can never be satisfied with just a couple of choices. But with so much proliferation, it is time to collaborate?” he questioned the audience.

He then added how TV has been a major contributor in unearthing talent in the country. With too many dance, singing, etc reality shows gracing our television sets only shows the potential this wonder has, he said.

Maybe that is the reason behind the company (PepsiCo) launching its channel with MTV to help budding talent get a platform to showcase talent.

For brands which depend on celebrities, one needs to understand how social media has changed the equation and how brands as well as celebs need to help each other reach high numbers (likes and followers) on social media platforms.

February 13, 2014
Srinivasan K Swamy to lead Indian delegation at AdAsia 2013

MUMBAI: The Indian delegate will be represented by RK Swamy BBDO and president India Chapter of the International Advertising Association (IAA) Srinivsan K Swamy in the bi-annual advertising conference that maps the ascent of Asia’s vibrant market.

Reacting to the news Swamy said, “It is a privilege to represent the country at such a prestigious international event.” He added that India had a very special place in the recent history of the AdAsia movement having hosted two of the best events in India in 2003 and 2011. He said that Adsia 2013 would be very interesting and informative.

Asian Federation of Advertising Associations (AFAA) chairman Pradeep Guha welcomed the announcement and said, “This year AdAsia is being held in Hanoi between 11 and 14 November. There is great interest in this event as there is a galaxy of very good confirmed speakers and Vietnam is an emerging economic leader. Besides, the region is known for its natural beauty and the UNESCO World Heritage Site Ha Long Bay.”

The festival continues to expand over the course of its illustrious history spanning more than 55 years attracting 1200 advertising professionals from member countries, as well as the leaders of many of the most influential advertising and marketing communications enterprises in the world.

This year, the festival will see a melange of all new things. There is special impetus on uncovering what will be the next agency business model, considering a lot of business structures are now creaking. Also equally thrilling will be the understanding of how fast mobile advertising is penetrating the east of Asia, heralding the digital age at a faster than expected pace.

October 18, 2013
Srinivasan Swamy re-elected as IAA president

MUMBAI: R K Swamy BBDO chairman and managing director Srinivasan Swamy has been re-elected as president of India chapter of International Advertising Association (IAA). The announcement was made at the annual general meeting held on 25 September in Mumbai.

Apart from this, Hungama Digital Media Entertainment MD and CEO Neeraj Roy has been elected as vice president. Jaya Advertising chairman Jaideep Gandhi and HBO India MD Monica Tata have also been re-elected as treasurer and secretary respectively for the year 2013-14.

“IAA India was on an over-drive in 2012-13 under the leadership of Srinivasan Swamy” said IAA VP & area director Asia Pacific Pradeep Guha.

“I am happy I was at the helm at IAA when many new initiatives were planned and unfolded. I had a great team who executed much of these programmes with élan. As we move forward, our aim at IAA India is to be seen by IAA Global as the most vibrant of all IAA chapters worldwide. I am sure that recognition is not far,” said Swamy.

Swamy was co-opted onto the global IAA board in May this year as VP- development, Asia Pacific, as an acknowledgement of the initiatives that were undertaken in the first six months of his presidentship in India.

The other members of the new managing committee are: Pradeep Guha, Pheroza Bilimoria, Kaushik Roy, Sam Balsara, Raj Nayak, Ramesh Narayan, M G Parameswaran, M V Shreyams Kumar, Kunal Lalani, Avinash Pandey, Arunabh Dassharma, Neville Taraporewalla, Partho Das Gupta, Rajesh Kejriwal and Abhishek Karnani, Manish Advani, Janak Sarda, Vishakha Singh, C V L Srinivas and Atit Mehta.

September 26, 2013
Srinivasan Swamy & Pradeep Guha get VP positions on IAA board

MUMBAI: Two senior India media and advertising professionals have got themselves Asia-Pacific veep positions on the prestigious International Advertising Association (IAA) board. Pradeep Guha has been re-elected as VP area director Asia Pacific while Srinivasan Swamy has been appointed as VP Development Asia Pacific. The duo will be in these positions till May 2016.

The IAA annual board meeting was held on 18 June in Cannes during the on-going Cannes Lions, where the elections and appointments took place. IAA world chairman and president Faris Abouhamad, who took office in January 2013, stated “Our association, in its 75th Anniversary year will benefit from the energy and talents of IAA leadership drawn from virtually every part of the world. I am especially pleased and excited to have such able colleagues as the IAA charts its future. I cannot imagine a better or more capable team to embrace and deliver on the IAA‘s plans and initiatives.”

Among other appointments that were announced include:

IAA senior vice president- Felix Tataru COO at GMP (Romania)
IAA Treasurer – Glenn Hansen President and CEO of BPA Worldwide (USA)
IAAA Secretary – Erich Buxbaum Managing Director of EHB Consulting GmbH (Austria)
IAA vice-president area director US/Canada – Jill Cohen
IAA vice-president area director – Middle East/Africa Saad El Zein
IAA vice-president area director – Asia/Pacific Pradeep Guha
IAA vice-president area director – Europe V, Pawel Kowalewski
IAA managing director – Michael Lee
IAA vice resident corporate members and government affairs – Carla Michelotti
IAA vice president government relations Middle East/North Africa – Naji Boulos
IAA vice president development – Africa, Norkor Duah
IAA vice president development Middle East/North Africa – Hani Ghorayeb
IAA vice president 75th Anniversary and special events – Heather Leembruggen
IAA vice president Learning – Diane Slade
IAA vice president Development Asia/Pacific – Srinivasan Swamy

As is already known Srinivasan Swamy, popularly known as Sundar Swamy, chairman RK Swamy BBDO was unanimously elected president of IAA’s India Chapter for 2012-13 at its AGM on 2 November 2012.

The International Advertising Association, the world‘s only globally integrated advertising trade association, is split into five worldwide regions: Middle East and Africa, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, USA and Canada; and each of these regions has several chapters within it. Within its structure, the Association comprises of three constituencies: Individual Members, Chapters and Corporate Members.

The IAA‘s activity worldwide actively works to strengthen the position of the marketing communications business in the market place by acting as a central hub and respected go-to for industry professionals. The IAA promotes the role and benefits of advertising in all healthy economies and the foundation of diverse, independent media. It provides a forum for industry debate, promotes brand building and protection and advancement of freedom of commercial speech and consumer choice. IAA encourages greater practice and acceptance of advertising self-regulation and takes the lead in state-of-the-art professional development through education and training.

June 21, 2013
Ajit Balakrishnan on IAA’s next webinar

MUMBAI: International Association of Advertisers (India Chapter) has announced its next webinar on ‘World goes Digital’ on 23 May at 3.00 pm.

Rediff.com founder and CEO Ajit Balakrishnan will be the speaker at this webinar being held on Google Hangout.

IAA India Chapter president Srinivasan K Swamy said, “IAA’s first webinar with Rajan Anandan in April was an impressive success. We had nearly 200 people participating and more than 1000 people seeing it on our YouTube channel later. And, I am confident that this second webinar will have at least twice the number. IAA is providing a small service for young professionals and others to learn more about the digital medium.”

Free Press Journal director Abhishek Karnani and Mahindra Special Services Group head – marketing and public relations Manish Advani are co-chairing the IAA webinar series.

“This series of ‘World Goes Digital’ webinars is aimed at equipping professionals across age groups with what’s happening in the digital domain. Ajit can distill all the digital trends and nuances and bring it down to specifics,” said Karnani.

“Marketers need to evolve based on time, place and circumstance. Youth is a catalyst of change. IAA would like to inspire the youth to explore the opportunities digital media presents through digital gurus like Ajit Balakrishnan,” said Advani.

Over the last few months, the IAA (India Chapter) has conducted a series of activities – the IAA Leadership Awards, a unique gender sensitisation seminar and the IAA Olive Crown Awards. Every month, the IAA also conducts “IAA Debates” in different cities, on topical issues concerning the industry.

May 17, 2013
IAA Debates in Delhi: ‘Creative awards can also be given for differentiated one-off expressions’

Mumbai: The third in the series of the International Advertising Association (IAA) India Chapter’s debates will be hosted in Gurgaon on Monday 13 May 2013.

It will be presented by the Dainik Bhaskar Group.

The topic for the third IAA Debates is ‘Creative awards can also be given for differentiated one-off expressions’.

Speaking ‘For’ the topic will be BBDO India chairman and chief creative officer Josy Paul and DDB Mudra Group COO Pratap Bose.

‘Against’ the motion will be Pepsico India vice president marketing – beverage Deepika Warrier and Green Bean Ventures director Lloyd Mathias.

The debate will be moderated by Future Brands MD and CEO Santosh Desai.

IAA India Chapter president Srinivasan K Swamy said, “The first two debates – in Mumbai and Goa – have been extremely well received. I expect the third IAA debate to do as well. The topic chosen is provocative and is something in the minds of many after the recent Goafest-Abbys event. With the line up of speakers the debate in Delhi promises to be exciting, delivering viewpoints to help our perspectives evolve.”

IAA debates co chairperson Partho Dasgupta added, “This is the good old classic format of debate where industry leaders debate serious issues. It‘s not a standard comfortable panel discussion sitting on a couch. We get to hear the best opinion backed by information on subjects with speakers defending their positions passionately.”

The venue of the event is The Trident and it will be held from 4.30 pm to 6.30 pm.

May 9, 2013
IAA announces its new Initiative ‘World Goes Digital’

MUMBAI: The International Association of Advertisers (India Chapter) has announced its series of webinars with the theme ‘World Goes Digital‘. Through this initiative the body hopes to connect professional marketers and agencies with trends, ideas, strategies and success stories from the digital frontier.

IAA India Chapter president Srinivasan K Swamy said, “With digital media gaining prominence, an increasing number of advertisers are reaching out to consumers via the internet and mobile platforms. However, there is still a fair deal of inertia when it comes to embracing the interactive world.”

Free Press Journal director Abhishek Karnani and Mahindra Special Services Group head – marketing and public relations Manish Advani will be co-chairing the IAA webinar series.

Speaking on the same Karnani said, “Our attempt is to build a platform where professionals can share knowledge and experience on the digital medium. The interface will allow a live interaction with each of the experts we will bring to the series.”

“We are using the Google Hangout platform for the interaction. And coincidentally, we have Google India managing director Mr. Rajan Anandan, in our inaugural session on Wednesday, 25 April at 3pm,” said Advani.

Anandan who heads Google in India has also been he was managing director of Microsoft‘s sales marketing and services business in India. He is currently also on the Advisory Board of Innovize Tech and 24/7 Techies.

In the last few months, the IAA India Chapter has conducted a series of activities like the IAA Leadership Awards, IAA Mentorship Webinar, a Gender Sensitization Seminar, and the IAA Olive Crown Awards apart from the monthly “IAA Debates” on topical issues concerning the industry.

April 17, 2013