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Tag: Jishnu Sen

  • Big Bazaar celebrates essence of togetherness

    Big Bazaar celebrates essence of togetherness

    MUMBAI: The festive season of Diwali is a huge consumption occasion for any retailer, and with 220+ stores across India, it is of utmost importance to Big Bazaar. Historically, Big Bazaar has seen an increase in sales during the festive period across categories – fashion, food, home, electronics, to name a few, and the brand recognises that the opportunity to grow further is immense.

    Big Bazaar’s ongoing campaign, ‘Har Tyohaar Mein Big Bazaar’ aims at reinforcing the brand’s understanding of India, her festivals and the nuances with which different groups across the country celebrate different festivals, such that it makes Big Bazaar a preferred destination for all festive needs/shopping.

    As an extension of the campaign, the brand’s latest film celebrated the very essence of family and togetherness that forms the fabric of any Indian festival and brings to life the meaning of the true spirit of Diwali.

    The warm, cinematic narration takes us through the journey of Jatin, a passenger in a delayed train who decides to not let the situation get the better of him. Instead, he strikes up a conversation with his fellow traveler to break the somber mood and offers him sweets from Big Bazaar. His little gesture sparks a chain reaction, with other passengers joining in and celebrating Diwali in the train itself, like one big family.

    Penned by Rahul Mathew and his team, the lyrics of the background score resonate with the festive spirit of Diwali and the music, composed by Indian music producer, Sameeruddin, encompasses every mood in the film.

    Apart from the film, the campaign consisted of a print, digital, radio and outdoor leg too.

    Big Bazaar chief marketing officer Jishnu Sen says, “We at Big Bazaar believe that festivals; all of them are an intrinsic part of Indian life. So we celebrate all of them under one common thought of Har Tyohaar mein Big Bazaar. Diwali is yet another festival that’s important. We built a campaign on two truths. The first that a simple act of sharing a sweet and saying ‘Happy Diwali’ can bring untold joy. The second truth is that unfortunately, some people are not with family on Diwali. When you marry these two thoughts you get a magical tale of how a train full of lonely strangers transforms into a celebration of festive cheer.”

    DDB Mudra group executive creative director Iraj Fraz adds, “The film celebrates the essence of togetherness during India’s biggest festival. It’s only the spirit of Diwali that can turn a train full of sullen strangers into one big family revealing in the festivities.”

  • Big Bazaar urges people to be free spirited

    Big Bazaar urges people to be free spirited

    MUMBAI: As we celebrated the festival of colours, hypermarket chain Big Bazaar had launched a campaign that gives a glimpse into the spirit of Holi.

    Executed by Prime Focus Technologies, the TVC is part of Big Bazaar’s ongoing campaign – Har Tyohaar Mein Big Bazaar. The campaign depicts how over the years Big Bazaar has played an integral role in making all festivals and occasions even more special for its customers.

    The ad film features a free-spirited young girl, who despite being cautioned by her mother, joins in the colourful festivities of Holi with all her heart and soul. The film’s jingle encapsulates the joys of coming together to celebrate India’s colourful festival with enthusiasm.

    Speaking about the campaign Big Bazaar chief marketing officer Jishnu Sen says, “Festivals are special occasions that bring families and friends together and we are glad to participate with our consumers in their endeavour of making these gatherings beautiful memories to cherish. India is a land which celebrates many cultures and colourful festivals and our campaign is a small reflection of our festivities.”

    Talking about working on the ad film, PFT vice president, creative services Bhaskar Sitholey adds, “Holi is all about coming together as a community and immersing oneself in colours and optimism. The TVC aims to capture the delights of celebrating this festival, with Big Bazaar at the core of all the revelry. It celebrates the spirit of sharing with loved ones in its true sense and infuses beautifully.”

  • “Want to be the ‘Influencer Network’ in 2015”: Sunil Lulla

    “Want to be the ‘Influencer Network’ in 2015”: Sunil Lulla

    With over 30 years of experience, Sunil Lulla brings skills in media, marketing, communication and management.

     

    From spending an early part of his career, which spanned over a period of nine years, in advertising with JWT to rolling out indya.com, in the first wave of the internet; from bringing zing and youthfulness to MTV to help build the television business for The Times Group, Lulla has been a prominent member on many industry boards and forums where he shaped policies and set industry standards and best practices.

     

    His decision to move on from the Times Television Network managing director and CEO to Grey Group India chairman and managing director did come as a shock to many. Nonetheless, the man who engages in a new passion every few years is back to his first passion.

     

    In a freewheel interview with Indiantelevision.com’s Meghna Sharma, Lulla talks about his plans for Grey and much more.

     

    Excerpts…

     

    Back to advertising. So far, so good?

    Very good. The communications business is the best place to stay eternally young (smiles).

     

    If you had to compare, how different has been advertising’s evolution from that of broadcasting industry?

    Both bring new challenges and new ideas each day, blended with a frenetic pace and an youthful environment. TV broadcast is focused around the consumer via which it builds relationships with the customer. Advertising is built around the customer via which it creates story telling for the consumer. They are different spectrums. The TV industry faces significantly more regulatory challenges than the communication industry. There is a zameen aasman ka difference in scale and profitability. Advertising brings the edge of ideas unlimited.

     

    It’s been four months, any changes that you have brought in the company? Why?

    Grey group is a stable, growing business, producing famous and effective work. I’ve used the time to get to understand the business better. Meeting clients and understanding their challenges and in helping gear Grey group offer integrated solutions and ideas, across advertising, communication, the vast spectrum of digital and social; activation and advocacy. These are via our own Grey group services and those with partners / affiliates, such as RC&M, Penn Schoen Berland and Talent House. Importantly, working closely with the team, which is energetic, talented, innovative and always bubbling with ideas and energy. I believe in the short period of four months, gearing to grow and being able to work across services seamlessly, has been my focus.

     

    Many of our clients are now accessing more than one service from Grey group. For our affiliate partners, we have been able to provide Grey thinking, muscle and experience. What’s visible is perhaps the new campaigns of Swacha Bharat, the Border Security Force and the announcement of Quickr and Reach Mobile as new businesses.

     

    Importantly, in the next few weeks there are many campaigns of Grey group, which continue to define culturally sensitive communication, aimed at changing social behaviour, which is one of the biggest challenges any communication company can deliver on. We believe our clients should be satisfied with our services and offerings but continuously challenge us to deliver outstanding performance. Which is exactly what Grey clients do.

     

    How has the year 2014 been for Grey India?

    There has been top line and bottom line growth as per expectations. The new account wins are all based on differentiated communicate on briefs and the focus on adding alliances is preparing Grey group for a strong 2015. Talent has been stable and the awards have been coming in. All in all – a good year for Grey. We are not very boastful about our achievements; our clients hopefully do the talking for us.

     

    One mandate, which you are really proud of, and why?

    I cherish my new role at Grey group, via which we are building a differentiated service business to build strong brands for our clients. Each of our clients are precious to us and the work we do, we believe, plays a big role, in making their brands famous and effective.  I do believe the new ‘Swacha Bharat’ campaign enables us to work with the Prime Minister’s vision of changing behaviour which is always a tough task. The communication is simple, mass oriented and evokes the right emotive and attitudinal cord.

     

    How much of the business that you generate out of India is globally aligned?

    Some of our global alignments are P&G, GSK, Volvo, amongst others. 65 per cent of our business is India alone business.

     

    Competition is growing multifold, so how would you differentiate Grey from the others?

    We believe Grey group’s thinking and capability is being rapidly geared to offer integrated solutions around advertising, social, mobile, web, activation, advocacy, rural and crowdsourcing. With many more to be included. Powered by our vision to create Famous and Effective solutions, work and brands, Grey group is becoming a highly differentiated ‘Influencer Network’. We say Grey groups role to influence consumer choice and thinking and via its array of skills it is designed to be ‘an influencer network of choice, creating famous and effective work’. Each way of approaching the consumer needs to be true to the host medium but interconnected to the behaviour we need to change. Grey enjoys a very strong reputation because of its Planning, Creative, Digital and Communication Skills and this is poised to grow with strength.

     

    According to you, has Grey really been ‘Famously Effective’?

    Absolutely – the wins at Cannes and Effies are a great testimony. The growth of each of our clients business is evidence of the work – working!

     

    What are the plans lined up for the digital side of your business?

    Growth is the obvious agenda. Growing and strengthening resources in the Delhi and Bangalore NCR are on the agenda for 2015. Focusing on having more of our clients across our range of services avail of our Award winning Digital solutions. Continuing to create cutting edge and new solutions is the everyday task. Focusing on learning and training for our talent is the key.

     

    How do you see an increase in media fragmentation impacting creative agencies?

    Agencies should stop worrying about definitions. We do not see ourselves as a creative-alone agency. Grey’s role is to influence consumers and we believe that requires each of us to continuously grow skills and expertise, which is our focus. Agencies can easily learn, adapt and innovate to tell stories be it on a one to one basis or one to many basis. If there is no structured integration, then one must bring it in any way into the service, as businesses will not grow in a linear fashion.

     

    With an increase in penetration of smartphones and tablets, the biggest challenge will be on how to most optimally use the mobile phone for building a brand. What advise will you give the brands and digital agencies?

    We reserve recommendations like these, exclusively for our clients (Smiles)

     

    Do you think Indian advertising has been able to shift paradigms with changing times?

    The glass is always half full, which makes it encouraging for the industry to keep pouring skills, ideas, talent and investment in creating culturally cutting edge work. The new Swach Bharat campaign defines that. On an overview, the Indian industry has successfully paved the way for new paradigms.

     

    What is at top of your wish list for Grey India for 2015?

    Be the Influencer Network which successfully enables Famous and Effective Brands and Communications.

  • Sunil Lulla will bring in a new dimension in our offering to clients: Nirvik Singh

    Sunil Lulla will bring in a new dimension in our offering to clients: Nirvik Singh

    When indiantelevision.com wrote about Sunil Lulla taking up a leadership position in Grey India, it did surprise many in the industry. Very few knew or recollected that Lulla’s roots have been in advertising: he was an account director at HTA (now JWT India) and had also taken the role of regional client servicing director on the Colgate Palmolive business with Y&R New York.

     

    The announcement of his joining saw the departure of president & CEO Jishnu Sen. Lulla is taking over at Grey India at a time when it is in the midst of a grow-grow phase. On the global front, Grey was ranked as the agency of the year by adage.com for its revenue growth, client retention and the fact that it won almost all of the client pitches it made in 2013.

     

    In India, Grey, the advertising network of the Grey Group, acquired a majority stake in rural and marketing communications services provider RC&M just as the year was drawing to a close.

     

    It has done well on the awards front too, both in traditional and digital advertising.  It can be noted that Grey India picked up a Gold Lion at the Cannes this year in the Press category for the work done for P&G’s Duracell Batteries.

     

    Indiantelevision.com’s Priyanka Nair got in touch with Grey Group Asia Pacific CEO Nirvik Singh to chat with him about the leadership change in India, and what he expects going forward.

     

    Excerpts: 

     

    With Sunil Lulla coming on board, what are the areas in which Grey India is looking at expanding?

     

    We have been investing in India continually and with RC&M coming under our fold, I believe we have the right expertise and capabilities currently across the full marketing spectrum. Sunil Lulla would play a critical role in integrating and strengthening our offering.

     

    In the 30 years of experience that Sunil Lulla has, he has been associated with the broadcast side of the business most. How do you think his expertise will help in the growth of Grey India?

     

    With his 30 years of working experience, Sunil brings with him a wealth of knowledge from the media side of the business, not just broadcast. From our conversations, he has shown that he knows the heavily fragmented media landscape in South Asia in depth. By having him leading our operations in India, he is able to add a new dimension in our offering to our clients.

     

    How has the year 2014 been so far for Grey India?

     

    2014 has been really good for Grey Group, not just in India but across Asia Pacific as well. We are seeing clients in the market increasing their marketing spend with us, both regional and local clients. All in all, I expect India to be a really strong performer at year end. Malvika Mehra (National Creative Director) and team have been performing consistently as well – they have brought home yet another Gold Lion from the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. This is their second year in a row they are doing so.

     

    What are the plans lined up for the digital side of your business?

     

    Sudhir Nair (Senior Vice President, Head of Grey Digital India) will be working closely with Sunil on this, but I must say our digital team has been stellar in their creative solutions and output (using Twitter to launch a car and YouTube for a test drive). Digital is definitely a big part of the picture and the continued investment in talent and capabilities is top of our priorities.

     

    What is at top of your wish list for Grey India?

     

    Win more Cannes Lions next year!

     

    Till when will Jishnu Sen be with Grey India? Could you elaborate on the experience of working with him? 

     

    It has been a truly great journey – I have seen him grow into the CEO’s role and he is a great chap to work with.

  • Sunil Lulla goes Grey

    Sunil Lulla goes Grey

    MUMBAI: No we are not talking about his hair; that happened sometime back.  We are talking about him getting back to his original professional calling: advertising. The affable gent whose last posting was that of  BCCL president corporate developement is slated to join Grey India as chairman and MD if sources are to be believed. 

     

    While a report stated that he will be replacing Grey India president & CEO Jishnu Sen, that may prove to be untrue. Sen is likely to continue in his position with Sunil Lulla being brought in as additional top management.

     

    Sen was unavailable for a comment. He joined Grey India in 2007 and was heading the Mumbai office. It was in 2009, he was appointed COO of the entire Grey India operation. And in May 2011, Sen was promoted as president & CEO.

     

    Lulla has spent close to nine years in TTN in various leadership roles. Prior to joining TTN, he was at Sony Entertainment Television as executive VP for three years. And in his early days he was associate account director, HTA (now JWT India).

  • Grey Group elevates Sujit Sen to South Asia CFO

    MUMBAI: WPP‘s integrated marketing communications agency Grey Group has elevated Sujit Sen to the post of chief financial officer South Asia. He will be responsible for operations in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

    Sen‘s new responsibilities are applicable with immediate effect. He held the post of Grey Group India SVP and financial controller till now where he was in charge of commercial, financial and accounting for India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

    He will be based out of Mumbai and will report to Grey Group Asia Pacific CFO Loh Wei Ping and Grey Group India president and CEO Jishnu Sen.

    Sujit is a veteran in the Grey Group having been with it for over 20 years since 1991. He joined Grey at its Kolkata office as an accounts manager and has over the years worked closely with Late Vinod Prabhakar since he joined the Grey Mumbai team in 1996 as the group head for accounts. He was in charge of all commercial and accounting functions for all five branches and divisions in India. In 2000, he was promoted to general manager, where he spearheaded the implementation of global commercial systems and procedures.

    He was also regional client finance director, tasked with the stewardship, compliance and commercial aspects for Procter & Gamble, Asia Pacific and the lead client contact for all financial matters related to the account.

  • Dheeraj Sinha moves to Grey India

    Dheeraj Sinha moves to Grey India

    MUMBAI: Former Bates regional planning director Dheeraj Sinha, who quit the agency in May this year, has joined WPP‘s Grey India as consultant and will head planning for South and South East Asia.

    In a statement to the press, Grey India president and CEO Jishnu Sen said, “I have been looking for a planning partner, someone to lead the strategic thinking of our team for a few months now. I have been a huge fan of Dheeraj‘s for a while. His reputation precedes him. His work, his awards, his publishings are all testimony to his prowess. So when Dheeraj started his consultancy, we became his client. And the chemistry is fabulous. So I can confirm that Grey has taken him on as a consultant and we look forward to this exciting partnership”.

    Sinha said, “I feel a great sense of energy and determination about the people at Grey. In all my interactions with Jishnu, Amit and Malvika, it looked that we can play as a team to create some magical work. The focus on creating sparkling work comes from the regional and global leadership which is critical for success. So when they proposed a longer term role, it felt like the right thing to do”.

    In a career spanning nearly 12 years, Sinha has worked with agencies like McCann Erickson and EURO RSCG in India and has worked on the brand strategy for several multinational and Indian brands, including Fiat, Virgin Mobile, MasterCard, LG, Reckitt Benckiser, TVS Motorcycles, Max Bupa, Marico, Dabur, and Cavin Kare.

    He started his career in 2000 with McCann Erickson as associate planning director and then moved to Bates in 2005 where he served as regional planning director till May 2012.

    He also launched his first book, ‘Consumer India: Inside the Indian Mind and Wallet‘ last year and authored a chapter ‘Bridging Gaps – Retail in the Emerging Indian Market‘ in a book titled Shopper Marketing.

  • Grey wins creative duties of Dell

    Grey wins creative duties of Dell

    MUMBAI: Dell India has awarded the creative duties of its Consumer and SMB division to Grey Advertising. The account will be handled by the Bangalore office the agency.

    Dell India executive director – marketing, CSMB Krishnakumar P said, “Grey demonstrated a good understanding of the category and the direction that we are planning to grow. To communicate effectively with our customers it was important to find the right partner, and the energy and passion of this team helped further our confidence.”

    Grey India president and CEO Jishnu Sen said, “This pitch saw our cross functional teams coming together from digital to activation to mainline and was ably led by Malvika Mehra and Amit Akali our national creative directors. Kudos to our team in Bangalore and GREY Digital. It is a matter of great pride to be chosen by a global brand name such as Dell.”

    Grey India VP south Hari Krishnan added, “We look forward to partnering Dell in its efforts to further establish presence in a complex market like India.”

    Grey Bangalore already handles accounts of ITC Foods, Britannia, 3M, Bharti AXA General Insurance, Fortis Healthcare and UB Wines.

  • Jishnu Sen promoted as Grey Group India president & CEO

    Jishnu Sen promoted as Grey Group India president & CEO

    MUMBAI:Jishnu Sen has been promoted as the president and CEO of Grey Group India.

    In his new role, Sen will continue to report to Grey Group Asia Pacific chairman and CEO Nirvik Singh.
     
    Sen joined Grey India four years ago as the head of its Mumbai office. Under his stewardship, Grey Mumbai grew significantly to establish itself as the flagship office in India.

    In 2009, Sen was appointed COO of the entire Grey India operation. 
     
    According  to Singh, “Jishnu is an exceptional leader. With his forward thinking, sharp mind and deep passion for the industry, I am confident he will continue to strengthen Grey Group India’s position in the marketplace. With this team, Jishnu has already built a terrific new business track record which includes wins such as Reliance Communications, Ferrero, Honda and Fox International Channels, to name a few.”

    Over the last year, Sen has made a number of key appointments to raise the leadership, creative and strategic planning mettle of Grey India. With his support, Grey Digital India also won the Digital Agency of the Year at the first ever Indian Digital Media Awards. 
     
    Sen said, “I am excited by the possibilities that lie ahead for Grey Group India. The agency has earned a solid reputation particularly in recent times, and I stay committed to the company’s vision of delivering truly famous and effective work for our clients. I firmly believe that with Grey Group India’s formidable talent and integrated communications offering, we are well poised to continue to deliver superior results which our clients need to succeed in today’s increasingly competitive environment.”

    Prior to joining Grey Group India, Sen held various positions with JWT and Y&R across India, Singapore, Hong Kong and the United States. His diverse portfolio includes brands such as Colgate, Pepsi, Pizza Hut, ITC, GlaxoSmithKline, ESPN, STAR Sports and the Indian Army.

    Grey Group offers a total communications approach in India through Grey (advertising), Grey Digital, Grey Public Relations and G2rams (activation).

    The agency has clients such as Reliance Communications, Honda, Volkswagen, Adani, Bharti AXA, Britannia, Deutsche Bank, Ferrero, Godrej Sara Lee and GlaxoSmithKline.
     

  • Fox International Network ropes in Grey as its creative partner for India

    Fox International Network ropes in Grey as its creative partner for India

    MUMBAI: Fox International Channels (FIC) has roped in Grey Worldwide as the creative partner for its business in India.

    TapRoot India, the network‘s creative partner in key Asian markets, will continue to provide strategic and creative expertise to the Fox Network channels at Asia level.

    In February 2011, Fox International Network had announced that it is looking for an additional creative partner in India, as a result of an active expansion spell, with seven new channels added to its Indian basket.

    Says Fox International Channels vice-president marketing Debarpita Banerjee, “We are pleased to announce the appointment of Grey Worldwide as our new creative partner and look forward to working with them. We are sure that they will be able to keep pace with our growth targets and usher in innovative and refreshing brand solutions.”

    Grey COO Jishnu Sen added, “We are really excited to be chosen as the agency for the National Geographic Network. Its an iconic brand that gives fabulous opportunity to do superb work. Having this brand as a part of our stable huge testament to Grey. We are looking forward to terrific times and a long successful partnership.”