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  • Luxottica Group launches eyewear brand Arnette in India

    Luxottica Group launches eyewear brand Arnette in India

    MUMBAI: Italy’s premium and luxury eyewear company Luxottica has announced the launch of its street style eyewear brand Arnette in India.

    Having wowed new-age, discerning shoppers across the world, the brand now brings its range to India, offering a wide variety of eyewear for the young and young at heart, looking for a street style look, the brand said in a statement.

    Arnette is fully committed to caring for the environment. That’s why the brand uses recyclable raw materials for a greener, sustainable world. In 2019, it launched its first sustainable collection, and by this year, 70 per cent of its collection is made of eco-friendly BRT600LS bio-based plastic, with a recycled elastane pouch and dedicated packaging, it further said.

    Commenting on the India launch, Luxottica Group, India & South-Asia brand manager Suvashish Banerjee said, “ARNETTE is popular for its distinctive shapes and iconic colours, additionally the brand echoes an easy-on-earth attitude. We shall be introducing the bio-acetate collection that is made from planet-friendly bio-based materials and bio-lenses, perfect for today’s green shoppers. Right from store props to packaging, ARNETTE is committed to a ‘what goes around, comes around’ approach. Our non-conformist and genre-defying styles along with our eco-conscious sensibilities are what makes us unique. We believe ARNETTE will resonate very well with today’s edgy, quirky, and effortlessly cool young consumers and Gen Z that will represent a major share of the Indian audience.”

    Arnette is now available in India via leading e-commerce platforms such as Amazon, Flipkart, Tata CLiQ Luxury, and leading optical stores across the country. It will also be sold soon on Tata CLiQ, AJIO, Nykaa, Nykaa Fashion, and Myntra.

  • Nike launches app to accelerate its digital run in SE Asia & India

    Nike launches app to accelerate its digital run in SE Asia & India

    MUMBAI: Global sportswear brand, Nike announced the launch of its app in a continued bid to accelerate its digital transformation in Southeast Asia and India (SEA&I). The app deemed to be ‘the company’s fastest-growing platform’ provides members with personalised access to the best products & offerings of the sports brand. Apart from India, the free app launches Thursday in Singapore, Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Vietnam.

    The Nike App connects its members to product, guidance, rewards, and experiences, all tailored to their individual preferences. Akin to a digital Nike hub, members receive product recommendations based on what they love, with fast and secure checkout, the brand shared.

    “The launch of the Nike App marks a critical expansion of Nike’s digital ecosystem in SEA&I,” says Nike SEA&I VP Sanjay Gangopadhyay. “Through this launch, we are creating meaningful relationships with our local members, and inspiring and equipping them to move.”

    Apart from member benefits like ‘exclusive access’ and ‘member rewards’ the app offers ‘Inspirational content’ with access to stories, guidance, and other inspirational content available only through the Nike App.

    With this, the brand’s consumers can now shop offline at Nike stores and partner stores, as well as online through the Nike App, Nike.com, SNKRS Web.

    “A key focus with developing the Nike App for SEA&I was ensuring that the content, experiences, services, and product offers are customized based on what we know Nike members in SEA&I want most from us,” says APLA Nike direct digital commerce VP Xia Ding. “Over time, this focus becomes even sharper as we learn from member behavior and engagement, so we are able to personalize the Nike App experience to an even greater extent.”
     

  • The Hershey Company appoints Geetika Mehta as MD, India

    The Hershey Company appoints Geetika Mehta as MD, India

    Mumbai: North America-based global snacking company and chocolate maker, The Hershey Company, announced the appointment of Geetika Mehta, as managing director, India effective from 1 July. India continues to remain a key focus market for Hershey International and the organization is committed to talent development and building leadership. Geetika’s appointment will further strengthen the leadership at Hershey India, the company said in a statement.

    Geetika will be reporting to The Hershey Company India VP and AEMEA Herjit Bhalla, who was recently elevated to a global role. Herjit reports directly to Hershey International president Rohit Grover.

    In her most recent role, she served at Hindustan Unilever as general manager for its home and hygiene business. With various leadership roles in FMCG and food businesses, Geetika brings over 18 years of experience across commercial and consumer marketing.  

    Welcoming Geetika on board, Hermit Bhalla said, “The Indian market is of significant importance to us and is critical to our long-term growth plans. In our endeavor to further strengthen the leadership and drive resilient growth and execution, we are delighted to have Geetika onboard. With a proven track record of building and nurturing small businesses and leading growth for large businesses and driving profitability and turnaround, I am confident that Geetika will successfully lead the Hershey India team into the next phase of growth, scale and evolution.”

    The newly appointed MD said, “I am excited to start my new journey and be a part of the wonderful narrative at Hershey India. My central focus will be on the next phase of growth in developing a strong, multi-category play while strengthening positions across key growth segments. I look forward to script a strong growth story in India with the immensely talented team here.”

  • Devyani Rajya Laxmi Rana joins Coca-Cola India’s leadership team

    Devyani Rajya Laxmi Rana joins Coca-Cola India’s leadership team

    New Delhi: Coca-Cola on Thursday strengthened its leadership team and appointed Devyani Rajya Laxmi Rana, as vice president Public Affairs, Communications, and Sustainability for India and Southwest Asia.

    Formerly, Devyani was director of Public Affairs for India, Nepal, Bhutan for Caterpillar India, leading Caterpillar and its subsidiaries’ work in government/corporate affairs, public relations and communications, corporate social responsibility, and sustainability for the region. Before that, she led portfolios with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and United Nations (UN) in India, as well as The Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, Geneva, Switzerland World Economic Forum (WEF).

    She has over 25 years of work experience in government and corporate affairs, strategic business advocacy, risk management, communications, CSR, and sustainability.

    Coca-Cola, president, India, and Southwest Asia, Sanket Ray said, “I am delighted to welcome Devyani on this exciting charter to deepen Coca-Cola’s engagement in the region as she joins the leadership team to spearhead the practice in the region. Devyani brings a wealth of experience in advocating for policies, legislation, trade agreements, and regulations. Her contributions will augment our belief in our purpose even stronger and serve as an acceleration of the work that was already underway.”

    Devyani has successfully developed effective strategies focused on maximizing impact in the region on infrastructure, environmental, social and governance, and trade, resulting in business profitability, increased footprint, and expanded manufacturing operations for domestic and export markets, said the company in a statement. Apart from that, she has also led advocacy, internal, external, and brand communications initiatives that have delivered positive business outcomes and contributed to the engagement of the organizations and teams she served.

    An alumnus of London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), London, Devyani holds a Master’s Degree in Political Science from Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur in Nepal and a Bachelor of Arts, (Hons.) in Political Science from Lady Shri Ram College, University of Delhi, New Delhi, India.

  • SPSN onboards 15 advertisers for India’s Sri Lanka tour

    New Delhi: The Men in Blue are all set to return on Sony Pictures Sports Network (SPSN) as the countdown begins for the India tour of Sri Lanka. The much-awaited cricket series with three ODIs and three T20s is all set to begin on 13 July. 

    The series will be aired in India LIVE in four languages: SONY TEN 1 and SONY SIX in English, SONY TEN 3 in Hindi, and on the newly launched SONY TEN 4 in Tamil and Telugu from 1.30 pm as well as live-streamed on its on-demand OTT platform SonyLIV.

    The network has roped in as many as 15 advertisers so far, which includes Byju’s, Pan Bahar, Amazon Prime, 99 acres.com, Cars 24, Oppo, Tata Motors, Raj Niwas, Vimal, Kent, Unacademy, Housing.com, Policy Bazaar, Paisa Bazaar, and Dafa News. “The network is in the process of closing more brands before the start of the first ODI on 13 July,” it said on Wednesday.

    SPSN will be back with its flagship studio show Extraaa Innings in English and Hindi. The LIVE studio show in English will be presented by former players like Sanjay Manjrekar, Ajit Agarkar, and Ajay Jadeja along with Matt Floyd while the Hindi studio show will be presented by former cricketers – Mohammad Kaif, Vivek Razdan, Amit Mishra, Saba Karim along with Arjun Pandit. The Tamil commentary box will feature Laxman Sivaramakrishnan, WV Raman, Vidhyut Sivaramakrishnan, T Arasu, and S Seshadri while the Telugu commentary will be presented by Venkatapathy Raju, Gnaneshwar Rao, C Venkatesh, RJ Hemanth, Sandeep Kuma,r and Vijay Mahavadi.

    Led by former India captain Rahul Dravid who will step in as coach, this will be the first time two senior Indian men’s teams play bilateral series simultaneously. Shikhar Dhawan will captain the young side while Bhuvneshwar Kumar will be the vice-captain in the three-match ODI and T20I series against Sri Lanka.

    Devdutt Padikkal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Nitish Rana, Krishnappa Gowtham, and Chetan Sakariya are likely to receive their maiden Indian cap in ODIs and T20Is and will have the experience of seasoned players like Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav and more by their side as all eyes will be on the performance and future of the Indian Cricket Team.

    SPSN has also launched the #JeetneKiZid campaign that depicts the #HungerToWin or #JeetneKiZid of the Indian Brigade, who are ready to give their all to emerge victorious in Sri Lanka. The campaign calls all Indian cricket fans to show their support and cheer for their home team as the young squad is very determined to emerge victorious in Sri Lanka. 

  • UEFA Euro 2020: 37 million viewers watched the first 21 matches on SPSN

    Mumbai: The football fever is sweeping the world and India is no different. The UEFA Euro 2020 has performed well in terms of ratings on TV with 37 million viewers tuning in to Sony Pictures Sports Network (SPSN) to watch the entire coverage of the first 21 matches of the tournament in the group stage from 11 to 18 June. The total viewership rating is the culmination of BARC, All India, CS2+, Cumulative reach of LIVE matches, wraparound shows, highlights, and repeats on SPSN.

    In terms of average Impressions, viewership for Euro 2020 is almost three times (BARC, All India Urban+ Rural, CS 2+, LIVE match) the viewership of UEFA EURO 2016, it said in a statement.

    The Hindi audio feed for the LIVE matches has been watched by close to 12 million viewers across the country to date. Whereas the Malayalam and Bengali audio feed recorded close to six million viewers on Sony Six.

    The most-watched game to date has been Hungary vs Portugal, and Denmark vs Belgium was the second, witnessed by 8.5 million and 7.5 million viewers, respectively.

    The massive viewership of Euro 2020 in the group stages is evidence of cricket-frenzy country’s appreciation for one of the biggest footballing spectacles of Europe currently underway on SPSN.

    Fans can watch UEFA Euro 2020 LIVE on SONY Ten 2, SONY Ten 3, SONY Six, and SONY Ten 4 chanchannel

  • Cannes Lions 2021: India’s metal tally touches 21 on day 4

    Mumbai: Dentsu Webchutney continued its winning spree on day four of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity 2021, winning two Silver Lions and two Bronze Lions, taking its total metal tally to seven.

    Cheil India picked up its first Silver Lion on day four, FCB Interface a Bronze, and Ogilvy India won a Bronze Lion rounding off day four with 21 Lions for India.

    Here’s the detailed list of the wins on days three and four of the fest:

    Dentsu Webchutney

    The 8-bit journo for Vice Media

    The 8-bit Journo campaign continued its winning spree by adding Bronze Lion under the Mobile Lions category on day four. Created by Dentsu Webchutney for Vice Media, it also took home a Silver in the Digital Craft (real-time contextual content) category on the previous day. The campaign had earlier won two Silver Lions and one Bronze Lion, taking its total winning tally to a cool five Lions. It won a Silver Lion in Creative Strategy (media/entertainment), another Silver Lion in Direct (market disruption), and a Bronze Lion in Direct (media/entertainment) categories.

    The campaign was a one-of-its-kind, unique initiative to inform the Jammu & Kashmir public of what transpired in the world when they were under a 100+ day internet and telecom blackout after the scrapping of Article 370 in August 2019.

    ‘The World’s Most Reported Trailer’ for Trigger Happy Entertainment

    In the Entertainment category, it bagged the silver for ‘The World’s Most Reported Trailer’ for Trigger Happy Entertainment to promote the Bollywood movie Thappad. The win was in the audience engagement/distribution strategy sub-category. The campaign aimed to sensitise the public around domestic violence, which was the core theme of the film. It made smart use of the built-in ‘report’ feature on YouTube app and websites and prompted the viewers to report the second trailer of the film, which included the scene from the movie wherein the male lead slaps his wife, played by Taapsee Pannu during a party. Having been reported over 400,000 times, the trailer was ultimately taken down by YouTube within 26 hours, proving the success of the campaign.

    ‘The Better Half Recipes’ campaign for Swiggy Instamart

    Dentsu Webchutney continued its winning spree at the ongoing Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity by picking a Bronze Lion for Swiggy Instamart’s ‘The Better Half Recipes’ campaign under the Creative eCommerce (cultural insight) category.

    The e-comm brand launched an innovative cookbook to bring more gender equality into the kitchen. It did this by splitting the recipes into two halves to give both partners an equal responsibility to cook the meal. Each partner had to follow only their side of the instructions to see their meal to completion, together. The ingredients from the cookbook could be ordered directly with a simple QR scan and the order was delivered by Swiggy Instamart. The food delivery platform asked the users to send a picture of them and their better halves in the kitchen, to get their hands on the cookbook. A barrage of entries poured in to claim a copy of #TheBetterHalfCookBook, making the campaign a triumph.

    Cheil India

    ‘Now, Words Aren’t Just Heard’ campaign for Samsung

    The agency picked up its first Cannes Lions 2021 metal in the form of a Silver Lion for its ‘Now, Words Aren’t Just Heard’ campaign for Samsung on day four.

    The campaign was designed for Samsung Good Vibes smartphone communication, which has two interfaces: one regular, and the other for the deafblind. It translates voice and text messages into Morse Code vibrations, and vice versa, helping the deafblind community. Supported by a robust digital campaign and nationwide training workshops, the campaign is bringing inclusivity to over 500,000 people who have been disregarded by modern social media technologies.

    FCB Interface

    ‘The Punishing Signal’ campaign for Mumbai Police

    The no-honking campaign for the Mumbai police by FCB Interface continued its winning run, adding one more Bronze Lion to its metal tally. ‘The Punishing Signal’ campaign picked the Lion in Brand & Activation (not-for-profit/charity/ government) category.

    One of the most successful campaigns at Cannes Lions this year, the campaign, thus far, has won seven metals, including one Gold, three Silver, and two Bronze Lions under Health & Wellness, Outdoor, PR, and Brand & Activation Lions.

    Ogilvy India

    #NotJustACadburyAd for Mondelez

    Ogilvy Mumbai’s work titled #NotJustACadburyAd campaign won a Bronze Lion under Creative Data (data-driven targeting) category. The Creative Data Lions category celebrates the intersection of creativity and data. Created for Mondelez’s ‘Cadbury Celebration’ on Diwali last year, the campaign managed to advertise not just the brand, but thousands of small businesses across India.

  • India’s ad-revenue to rebound over 2020-25 with 13 % CAGR : MPA

    New Delhi: After a 27 per cent plunge in 2020, ad revenue in India is forecast to rebound strongly over 2020-25 with a CAGR of 13 per cent, said a new report released by Media Partners Asia (MPA) on Monday.

    According to the report- Asia Pacific Advertising Trends 2021, digital advertising is expected to benefit from India’s expanding digital economy across online gaming, ed-tech, food and delivery platforms, outgrowing television to become the largest advertising segment by 2024.

    Overall, APAC advertising expenditure is forecast to grow at 5.4 per cent CAGR to reach $245 billion by 2025, powered by growth across key markets such as China, India, Japan, and Korea, says the report.

    Digital ad-revenue most resilient

    According to the report, digital ad revenue remained most resilient through the pandemic, with consumers across APAC spending more time online and brands accelerating digitization efforts. The medium is projected to contribute 67 per cent of APAC ad revenue in 2025, eating into TV’s share (18 per cent), it said.

    The role of e-commerce in advertising surged in 2020, with e-commerce contributing an estimated 39 per cent of China’s ad revenues, while growing significantly, albeit from a small base, in India, Indonesia, Japan and Korea. Search and social advertising benefited as well. As per MPA’s projections, digital advertising’s share of net advertising spend is likely to grow from 59 per cent in 2020 to 67 per cent in 2025.

    TV ad-spend to rebound in 2021 growing 4.6 per cent Y/Y

    Television advertising faced further pressure in 2020 as advertisers accelerated their transition to digital, declining 15 per cent Y/Y to $43.3 billion.

    While the dips in TV ad spend are expected to be permanent in mature markets such as Australia and Japan, the medium remains important in key markets like India, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand where it retains its position as the largest ad segment as of end-2020. Overall, TV advertising is expected to rebound in 2021, growing 4.6 per cent Y/Y, before secular decline sets in again in 2023, according to the report.

    MPA projects total Asia Pacific TV advertising spend to grow at a CAGR of 0.7 per cent over 2020-2025 to reach $44.8 billion in 2025.

    Online video advertising to grow $ 33.3 billion in 2025

    TV broadcasters are growing online video ad market share through catch up and dedicated AVOD streaming services, particularly in connected TV markets such as Australia, Japan and Korea. MPA estimates online video advertising, led by YouTube, contributed 16 per cent to APAC digital ad revenue in 2020. With various local and regional AVOD and freemium platforms, including broadcaster-led platforms driving growth, online video advertising is forecast to grow to $33.3 billion in 2025, representing 20 per cent of the APAC digital ad pie while topping 40 per cent in emerging markets such as India & Indonesia.

    Ad-spend to exceed $ 200 billion by end-2021 in Asia-Pacific

    According to the report, net advertising expenditure in Asia Pacific, calculated after discounts, declined 4.3 per cent Y/Y in 2020 as Covid-19 ravaged the countries across the globe. Pandemic-induced macroeconomic uncertainty softened advertiser demand in the first half of 2020.

    However, as economies rebound, recovery is underway with ad spend forecast to exceed $200 billion by end 2021, topping pre-pandemic levels for the region. China was the single largest contributor to advertising expenditure, with 55 per cent share of APAC ad spend. The growth was largely led by digital advertising, which accounted for 70 per cent of China’s total ad spend, anchored to short video, live streaming, social, and e-commerce platforms. Ad markets in Korea and Vietnam will also return to pre-pandemic net ad spend levels by end-2021.

    Most other countries including India will follow in 2022, bolstered by the growth of digital advertising; TV advertising will return to pre-pandemic levels in India, Thailand and Vietnam, it said.

    KOREA: Ad spend fell one per cent in 2020, with a 9 per cent decline in TV advertising and bolstered by 12 per cent growth in digital advertising, led by mobile, display and search ads. The Korean advertising market is forecast to grow at 6 per cent CAGR over 2020-25. TV has bounced back strongly in Q1 2021 and digital advertising, including video, continues to maintain double digit growth levels.

    JAPAN AND AUSTRALIA: Ad spend is projected to grow by 2 per cent over 2020-25, led by digital. TV remains scalable in both markets. Video’s share of digital advertising is growing in both markets with global tech majors dominant though broadcasters are growing rapidly from low base through dedicated streaming platforms.

    SOUTHEAST ASIA (INDONESIA, PHILIPPINES, THAILAND AND VIETNAM): Ad markets are recovering rapidly with TV & online benefiting. Indonesia remains Southeast Asia’s largest advertising market and is projected to grow at 4 per cent CAGR over 2020-25, powered by digital (including video) and free TV.

  • McDonald’s India – north and east offers special deals for vaccinated customers

    New Delhi: Fast-food chain McDonald’s announced on Tuesday that its restaurants in north and east India will offer special deals to its customers who are vaccinated.

    The announcement is part of its initiative- ‘We Care’ aimed at encouraging its customers to join the fight against COVID-19 and get themselves vaccinated. Customers can avail the limited time offer by uploading their vaccination certificate on McDonald’s mobile app under the ‘Got Vaccinated’ tab, along with basic details. Post this, they will receive a unique code via SMS that can be redeemed through Getmcdonalds.com. Customers can opt for contactless delivery or contactless take away/in-store, wherever allowed by the local authorities.

    Last month, McDonald’s started employee vaccination covering more than 5,000 employees in its corporate office and restaurants across 11 states in north and east India. “Vaccination is an important step in our country’s fight against the pandemic, one that requires all of us to work together and do our part, including encouraging others to get vaccinated. As a brand with a deep connection with people, we are glad to contribute towards the greater cause in our unique way for the people we serve,” said Connaught Plaza Restaurants’ chief operating officer, Rajeev Ranjan.

    Meanwhile, the fast-food chain is continuously making changes under its global Safety+ program. Hand sanitizers are available at all restaurants all the time for everyone to use. Front counters have been fitted with protective screens and contactless ordering, payment, and contactless delivery options are available for customers to minimize human contact. 

  • Amit Malhotra appointed managing director for HBO Max in Southeast Asia, India

    Amit Malhotra appointed managing director for HBO Max in Southeast Asia, India

    New Delhi: WarnerMedia on Friday announced the appointment of Amit Malhotra as managing director for HBO Max in Southeast Asia and India. 

    Malhotra most recently served as regional lead for Disney+ in Southeast Asia, where he was responsible for overseeing the launch and operations of Disney’s streaming services in the region, including Disney+, Disney+ Hotstar and Hotstar.

    He will join WarnerMedia later this month and report to HBO Max International head, Johannes Larcher. Malhotra will be responsible for the rollout and management of WarnerMedia’s direct-to-consumer platform in Southeast Asia. He will immediately assume responsibility for the management of HBO GO, WarnerMedia’s existing OTT streaming service available in eight territories across Southeast Asia. In the future, he will spearhead the introduction of HBO Max in these territories and will lead WarnerMedia’s exploration of future opportunities to launch the streaming platform in additional markets, as well as a potential future launch in India, said the company on Friday.

    At Disney, Malhotra also led the content sales and distribution division as part of The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to Consumer & International (DTCI) business in South APAC and Middle East, pivoting Disney’s linear business in the region to streaming by working closely with local telcos and MVPDs, creating localized payment strategies and developing deep content studio relationships throughout Southeast Asia. 

    Johannes Larcher said, “With our upcoming launch across Latin America on 29 June and our plans for Europe on the horizon, we turn our sights toward Asia, where we have an incredible opportunity to bring HBO Max to millions of new fans who are just as excited about streaming as our audiences in the U.S. Amit’s experience launching streaming services in both mature and emerging markets across Southeast Asia and the surrounding region make him the ideal leader to plan and oversee the rollout of HBO Max and its expanded content offering and platform experience.” 

    David Simonsen, who has played an important role in the growth of HBO GO in Southeast Asia to date, will continue to make a significant contribution to WarnerMedia’s direct-to-consumer efforts in the region, and will work closely with Amit as part of his executive leadership team.

    Amit Malhotra said, “I am delighted to be part of the incredible team at WarnerMedia in Asia as we look at bringing HBO Max to this region. WarnerMedia’s brands including DC Universe, HBO and Cartoon Network are extremely popular with passionate fans and audiences across this region. With a focus on consumers our goal will be to bring all of these brands and content together in an exciting new world class streaming experience as we move into the future with HBO Max.” 

    Under Malhotra’s leadership, WarnerMedia expects to launch HBO Max in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam in the future, including an expanded content offering for the entire family and a premium new platform that would be hosted on HBO Max’s tech stack, providing a more stable and consistent streaming experience than HBO GO. Malhotra will also be responsible for exploring possible opportunities to launch HBO Max in new and fast-growing Asian streaming markets such as India.

    HBO Max has witnessed significant success since launching in May last year, adding 11.1 million HBO/HBO Max subscribers in the U.S. as of the end of Q1 2021. The platform will roll out in 39 territories across Latin America and the Caribbean on 29 June, and HBO’s existing OTT services in Europe are scheduled to be upgraded to HBO Max later this year. By the end of 2021, HBO Max is expected to be available in 61 global markets, said the company.