Mumbai: 82.5 Communications CEO Kapil Arora announced on LinkedIn that he will be joining Ogilvy Indonesia.
With over 22 years at Ogilvy India, starting as an account executive, Arora played a pivotal role in launching Vodafone in India. He later became president of Ogilvy North before leading Ogilvy’s secondary agency.
NEW DELHI: HR tech company GoEvals Solutions has named information technology expert Kapil Arora as an advisor to the board and consulting chief technology officer, providing guidance to the technology office and further strengthening their leadership team.
A seasoned IT veteran, Arora brings with him over 20 years of experience in digital platform development, engineering and creative technology solutions. As a member of the board, he will provide guidance towards product development, user experience, and engineering teams with the aim of building and delivering new digital offerings while creating more value for GoEvals’ clients.
“Digitisation of talent and workforce practices or processes is inevitable in the current pandemic environment,” said Arora. “GoEvals has embraced new-age technology for better workforce management and alignment which is the need of the hour for most HR practitioners. I am excited to be a part of this dynamic HR transformational journey and look forward to strengthening the range of future-ready Intelligent HR solutions by GoEvals.”
GoEvals founder & CEO Dr Gaurav Hirey said, “These are challenging times, and a lot of companies are trying to go completely digital. I am happy to have a leader like Kapil guiding the organisation on its growth trajectory and taking us to the next level by helping clients implement effective HR digitisation initiatives.”
MUMBAI: It’s a toddler and it is already boasting of achievements attributable to the big boys in advertising. Mumbai-hqed creative boutique Eight Two Point Five ( 82.5) Communications is the agency we are referring to. It came into existence just a year ago (26 January), as a reincarnation of Ogilvy agency Soho Square, with a sharp focus on providing communications services to India-specific brands. And it has managed to net nine new clients out of a total of 11 pitches it made, since then. A very good run, and a very high rate – something not many newborns in advertising can boast.
Its new client roster looks impressive: mandates from Nestle Milo, a few dairy projects with the multinational, IDBI Bank, Haldirams North, Hero Lectro, brands from the RSPL group (the maker of Ghari detergent), Campus Shoes, Pearson Education and Jeeru a Mumbai-based carbonated drink. Of course, 82.5 inherited some existing business from Soho Square as well: ACC, Tata Motors, Bisleri, Havells, Himalaya Herbals, ITC Goldflake.
“We are a bit selective about what we do,” says 82.5 Communications co-chairman & CEO Kapil Arora, adding that there is a clear understanding of where and why to pitch and because of that, the company even refused some clients early on. “On the basis of the conversations that we bring to the table, clients get comfortable and say we want to work with you,” he explains.
Arora reveals that the coming few months will be about consolidating what it has picked up in 2019 and the agency will get into growth mode only from March.
Has the rebranding exercise from Soho Square to 82.5, and labelling itself as an India-centric agency paid dividends?
“We have built a profile of interesting India-first businesses that resonate with our positioning, “ highlights Arora. “Ninety per cent of our client mix is comprised of India-first clients. But there are global brands like Milo, which wanted a Tamil Nadu insight reflected. So, they too see value in our India-first expertise and approach.”
Ogilvy India chairman and CCO Worldwide Piyush Pandey too believes it has. “This was a slot that was vacant,” he says. “82.5 has filled it well.”
And proof of that is the rewards it has got. 82.5 Communications’ edgy work last year with its quirky Samajhdar Jante hai campaign for Bisleri featuring camels got it the Grand Effie in January 2020.
The agency has not stayed still, rejigging the way it functions, when it felt it was needed. When it started it kept brand custodianship, strategy and content expertise in-house while outsourcing services like media, social, PR retail and activation to partners. It kept that circle open wide. Now it has tightened that ring of allies restricting Itself to WPP group outfits.
“As a small outfit it made absolute sense to work with partners to offer allied services,” says Arora. “ In implementing that model, we had a few learnings and we reduced that circle. This helps us retain better quality control and ownership for our clients and a move like the WPP campus really aids us in that regard.”
Arora was brought in as CEO from Ogilvy North in June 2019 when the then CEO VS Srikanth – who joined 82.5 from Bates CHI & Partners – decided to part ways to set up his own venture in the tourism sector.
Since then, he along with chairman & CCO Sumanto Chattopadhyay, have been working on hiring talent to continue offer clients classy service and the creatively edgy work it is getting known for. In September, Arora roped in Rishabha Nayyar national strategy lead reporting to him directly. Last month, the agency recruited creative veteran Preeta Mathur as head of its Delhi creative.
The agency has four branches Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Kolkata, with Delhi growing the fastest, hence the hiring of Mathur. More recruitment is likely to happen in the coming few months.
Chattopadhyay and Arora are also focusing on building language-thinking skills within the agency. Arora highlights that they have managed to get it right with Bengali, Tamil and Marathi – and of course Hindi and English. “This repertoire will continue to increase through a mix of in-house talent and a circle of friends from the local film and theatre circuit,” he elaborates.
Arora believes that 82.5 is a work in progress agency. “We will continue to evolve,” he says. “We have laid a strong foundation. As long as we pivot, change and stay relevant in terms of what clients require from us, in these trying economic times, we have a strong future. We are very bullish.”
Which is what Pandey is banking on. Remember, it was he who was the prime architect of the initiative to build a second agency within the Ogilvy network in India.
MUMBAI: 82.5 Communications is pleased to announce the appointment of Rishabha Nayyar as National Strategy Lead, 82.5 Communications.
Rishabha will have planning teams across Mumbai, Bengaluru and Delhi reporting to him. He will report to Kapil Arora, Co-Chairman & CEO.
Kapil Arora, Co-Chairman & CEO: “Rishabha brings a depth of strategic thinking and grounded-ness that is rare to find today. His experience and great work across big and small brands, legacy and new age businesses alike, will add not just the requisite strategic firepower for our clients, but also act as a force multiplier to our creative product. Having been an entrepreneur early on in his career, Rishabha also shares the 82.5 gene of passion for the new. We’re stoked to have him on board at this exciting phase of our growth journey.”
Rishabha has over 20 years of work experience in various aspects of advertising, marketing
and communications. Out of this, he spent about 12 years in advertising with Lowe Lintas, where he was Executive Director of Brand Strategy, before moving over to 82.5 Communications. He has worked on over 20 categories for brands that include Fair & Lovely, Pepsodent, Wheel, ICICI Bank, ICICI Prudential & BPCL, Knorr, Kissan, Kwality Walls, Burger King, Zee, Axis Bank, Vim, Domex, CIF, Proease, Streax HIT, Grofers, Firstcry.com, UltraTech Cement & Birla White.
While with Lowe he also carried an additional responsibility of Brand Consultant in LinConsult, the consulting division of the MullenLowe Lintas Group for 3 years during which time he was involved with development projects across the country for Philips Lighting, VKC Walkaroo Walkaroo, Britannia Tiger and Zee TV.
An additional 7 years work experience were garnered as a Founder of Genesis Institute of Business Management. As the Founder & Director of this Management Institute, he had both the opportunity and the challenge of building the business and the brand from scratch. He led all aspects related to running this business school.
He is hooked to the practice of building and managing brands through insights, strategy and communication.
His other passions are theatre and teaching. He is co-owner (with his father) of a theatre group of amateurs who are otherwise in corporate jobs but invest time in theatre. Moliere is a preference with this group. Weekends for the last 15 years have been reserved for teaching. Sharing his experiences and stories on brands gives Rishabha immense joy and satisfaction. It also acts as a platform for him to learn from the young.
Sumanto Chattopadhyay, Chairman & Chief Creative Officer: “With much of our senior management schooled at Ogilvy, I welcome the fresh perspective Rishabha brings in as an ‘outsider’.”
MUMBAI: HubSpot, a leading growth platform, announced that it now offers free email creation, sending, and analytics as part of the free HubSpot CRM. In doing so, HubSpot gives users the tools they need to see the full view of the customer journey and ultimately provide a more cohesive front-end experience for their customers.
Growing businesses often suffer from app overload – according to a report from HubSpot Research, 82 per cent of respondents indicated that they lose up to an hour a day logging into and managing disparate systems. That lost time can be particularly damaging to a growing business that’s working with small teams and limited budgets. By bringing email and advertising tools into the free CRM, HubSpot is giving users the ability to manage those essential features in one connected system, saving them precious time and providing insight into the entire customer experience.
“Over the past decade, there has been an explosion of email marketing tools that are targeted to the needs of small or growing businesses. Unfortunately, those free or low-cost solutions are often standalone and don’t provide a full view of the customer experience,” said HubSpot CMO Kipp Bodnar.
Bodnar added, “We believe that email and CRM belong together, and that every marketer, no matter the size of their budget, should be able to see how their efforts are impacting their customers and, ultimately, their bottom line. We’re offering email as part of our free CRM to enable growing businesses to finally see how their efforts impact their customers’ experience beyond just a single email or interaction.”
“As a startup, we're always looking for new tools that will help us make an impact on a smaller budget. We often end up signing up for lots of disjointed tools, which can make it tough to get a full view of the customer journey,” said Picmonic student outreach consultant Thomas Berry. “With HubSpot's new email features, we're able to combine those automation tools with the insights we gather in the CRM. We always aim to put our customers first and with the launch of these powerful (and free) tools, we can provide them with an even better experience.”
HubSpot CRM users are now able to create contact lists and send up to 2,000 emails per month, all with an email editor that is designed with efficiency and ease of use in mind. The company also announced today that it has expanded the capabilities of the free tier of its ads tools, which previously only supported Facebook lead ads. Starting today, users of HubSpot’s free marketing tools can manage and track up to $1,000 per month of ad spend across Facebook, Google, and LinkedIn ads. The tool also includes conversion-level reporting and up to two account connections. Both features feed insights back into the CRM, giving users a full view of how prospects and customers are interacting with their business.
“The free tools offered by HubSpot enable an agency like us to introduce the concept, capabilities, and fit of HubSpot to a prospect or client early in the sales process,” said Indian HubSpot Diamond Partner Transfunnel CEO and founder Kapil Arora.
He added, “They’re able to see the power of the products firsthand, which enables us to build trust and demonstrate the value of the platform. By offering email and ads as part of the free CRM, HubSpot has created another touchpoint for us to showcase the early value and attract new clients.”
TAGS: HubSpot, HubSpot CRM, Kipp Bodnar, Thomas Berry, Kapil Arora
MUMBAI: Ogilvy has announced the appointment of Ranjeev Vij as managing partner of its Delhi office. In his new role, Vij will report in to Kapil Arora and will be responsible for the running of the Delhi office operations along with recently appointed managing partner, Amarinder Butalia.
The Ogilvy Group-North president Kapil Arora said, “I am glad to welcome Ranjeev into the Ogilvy family. With his rich and varied experience, he brings to the table a great combination of brand building capability and modern marketing knowhow, both skills that will greatly benefit our clients in Delhi.”
Speaking on his appointment, Ranjeev Vij said, “Ogilvy is like homecoming for me. The energy and the enthusiasm each person in the organization has for creativity and craft is exceptional and I have unshakable faith in its talent. I believe with my hybrid work experience, I will be able to add value to our clients and deliver on the One Ogilvy vision – that helps bridge the gap between traditional and digital landscape and envisages an integrated offering built around client needs.”
With over 24 years of experience across advertising, digital, consulting, and PR, Vij was leading the Zeno Group in India, in his previous role. Besides contributing to and shaping a number of brand journeys, He is also responsible for the setting up of Proximity – BBDO India’s Digital, CRM arm and also for starting the Digital Marketing Services unit for Cognizant in the UK, in his earlier stints.
MUMBAI: Ogilvy announces the elevation of Amarinder Butalia, to the position of Managing Partner, Ogilvy Delhi NCR. Amarinder has over 22 years of experience in the business and has been with Ogilvy for the last 6 years, in Mumbai and Gurugram, donning many hats. She has led multiple business relationships across Cadbury, Star, Sprite, KFC, GSK, BMW. Her brands have won multiple Effies both in India and Asia Pacific.
On her appointment, Kapil Arora, President, Ogilvy North said, “Amarinder is a true blue Ogilvy brand custodian and client partner. Over the years she has displayed time and again, her ability to embrace change, shepherd great work and nurture long term client relationships. Her new role is a key component of Ogilvy Gurugram’s Next Chapter strategy and I’m confident that we have a leader in Amarinder, who will help consistently deliver on our credo to Make Brands Matter.”
Amarinder adds, “I am excited about the new role and look forward to help grow the Ogilvy Gurugram offering for a brave new world, with creativity at its heart. I am also keen to foster a workplace culture that is open, transparent, diverse and inclusive – values that have always been at the heart of Ogilvy.”
MUMBAI: OgilvyOne Worldwide India has appointed Sidharth Shukla as its new vice president and head of office for OgilvyOne Worldwide Delhi.
OgilvyOne Worldwide India president Vikram Menon said, “Sidharth with his many years of experience across digital, strategy, analytics, CRM and Direct Marketing has exactly what we’re looking for in someone to lead OgilvyOne Delhi forward.”
Shukla excels in digital and social planning and led a large team of digital planners and social media professionals leading projects for high volume prestigious brands, responsible for developing the vision, strategy and execution of their campaigns. He was also responsible for the development and execution and of the overall digital and social strategy for Samsung’s Note 5 and S7.
As the national head for digital and digital strategy at MRM / McCann for close to four years, he was additionally responsible for leading and driving P&L across a portfolio of priority accounts and spearheading projects in the space of CRM, Direct Marketing and B2B marketing. More recently he has spent the past few years driving larger organization agendas such as digital expertise, thought leadership, integration, new business acquisitions winning accounts such as Bata, Adidas, HCL Healthcare, Logitech, UC Browser.
Ogilvy Group North president and branch head Kapil Arora, “OgilvyOne Delhi is a young, spunky and inspiring place to be at. And I’m glad we have a leader of Sidharth’s experience, talent and drive to harness that energy, toward creating class leading work that works, for our clients. Together with Sidharth and creative lead Abhishek Gupta’s partnership, expect a lot more action from this part of the country.”
With 14 years work experience behind him at agencies such as McCann, Timesjobs, Indian Express, Cheil and Tyroo: Quasar, Shukla is well poised to enhance OgilvyOne’s already existing strengths in the Northern part of its India network.
Shukla asserted, “Like a kid going on his first date! I am truly looking forward to working with OgilvyOne, given the credentials it holds but also the challenges it presents. Most agencies face the same issues for the most part, and while it has barely been a week at OgilvyOne, I have observed that the people, system and culture are primed to take these challenges head on – it will be loads of fun to lead that. My objective is to create a winning culture and get people to have fun. If that is in place, everything else takes care of itself.”
MUMBAI: OgilvyOne Worldwide India has appointed Sidharth Shukla as its new vice president and head of office for OgilvyOne Worldwide Delhi.
OgilvyOne Worldwide India president Vikram Menon said, “Sidharth with his many years of experience across digital, strategy, analytics, CRM and Direct Marketing has exactly what we’re looking for in someone to lead OgilvyOne Delhi forward.”
Shukla excels in digital and social planning and led a large team of digital planners and social media professionals leading projects for high volume prestigious brands, responsible for developing the vision, strategy and execution of their campaigns. He was also responsible for the development and execution and of the overall digital and social strategy for Samsung’s Note 5 and S7.
As the national head for digital and digital strategy at MRM / McCann for close to four years, he was additionally responsible for leading and driving P&L across a portfolio of priority accounts and spearheading projects in the space of CRM, Direct Marketing and B2B marketing. More recently he has spent the past few years driving larger organization agendas such as digital expertise, thought leadership, integration, new business acquisitions winning accounts such as Bata, Adidas, HCL Healthcare, Logitech, UC Browser.
Ogilvy Group North president and branch head Kapil Arora, “OgilvyOne Delhi is a young, spunky and inspiring place to be at. And I’m glad we have a leader of Sidharth’s experience, talent and drive to harness that energy, toward creating class leading work that works, for our clients. Together with Sidharth and creative lead Abhishek Gupta’s partnership, expect a lot more action from this part of the country.”
With 14 years work experience behind him at agencies such as McCann, Timesjobs, Indian Express, Cheil and Tyroo: Quasar, Shukla is well poised to enhance OgilvyOne’s already existing strengths in the Northern part of its India network.
Shukla asserted, “Like a kid going on his first date! I am truly looking forward to working with OgilvyOne, given the credentials it holds but also the challenges it presents. Most agencies face the same issues for the most part, and while it has barely been a week at OgilvyOne, I have observed that the people, system and culture are primed to take these challenges head on – it will be loads of fun to lead that. My objective is to create a winning culture and get people to have fun. If that is in place, everything else takes care of itself.”