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Tag: Madhukar Kamath

  • DDB launches DDB-U in India

    DDB launches DDB-U in India

    MUMBAI: DDB-U@MICA, a learning institution responsible for educating varying levels across the DDB Mudra Group has been launched in India.

     

    Working along with MICA Ahmedabad, a ‘Strategic Marketing and Communication’ management school, the DDB Mudra Group has just concluded two key Career Development and Engagement Programs. A three-day MDP (Management Development Program) and a unique three day IMP (India Management Program), for its current and future leaders.

     

    Through the two programs, which were held in MICA, Ahmedabad from the 23 January 2015 till 29th January 2015 , DDB Mudra Group mid and senior level leadership were taken through bespoke Programs addressing specially identified operational challenges and opportunities, designed to deliver on its ‘People First’ culture.

     

    The 3 day MDP course was a hands-on, interactive, skill-building learning experience, loaded with tools and best practices to help one create a management toolbox that enables one to handle the most difficult of management challenges. All of the case studies, tools, techniques and exercises used in the program were based on extensive leadership and management research and real-life agency issues.  The program was led by Nigel Beard, Trainer & Facilitator, DDB Worldwide, based at Adam & Eve DDB in London. Nigel has been with DDB for over 30 years, he lectures and tutors at London?s University of Westminster, is a Member of the UK Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA).

     

    The goal of the 3-day IMP course was to explore the best contemporary thinking available on professional service firm management and leadership development. It also introduced future leaders and rising stars throughout the DDB Mudra Group to the core principles of leading and managing. The curriculum included extensive pre-read selected case studies developed by the Harvard Business School and Omnicom University. A large number of these have been specially written after identifying and analyzing situations that have challenged Managers of various Omnicom Group Companies and their clients.  The IMP was led by Craig Lonnee, the Chief Development Officer of DDB Asia-Pacific operating across 23 offices in 14 countries.

     

    Said Madhukar Kamath, Group CEO & Managing Director, DDB Mudra Group,”Being a ‘People’s first organization’, we are thrilled to launch DDB-U to India to reinforce the organizational hierarchy of “People, Product, Profit, in that order? with our employees. Through these programs we have been able to enhance the skillsets and leadership quotient of around 60 of our talented and dedicated colleagues. All in a period of one week. This is just the beginning. “

  • Integrated Marketing Communication is the future: John Zeigler

    Integrated Marketing Communication is the future: John Zeigler

    MUMBAI: The world is changing and it is the right time to understand the change and make a difference believes DDB Group Asia Pacific, India and Japan chairman and CEO John Zeigler.

     

    He along with Tribal Worldwide Asia president Jeff Cheong are in India to meet clients and converse about cross-pollination between Singapore, India and Sydney to help the region. The visit was planned to meet more talent from the region and get some collaborative work across the table informs Zeigler.

     

    It can be recalled that early this year DDB Mudra acquired 22Feet, a Bangalore based digital agency. The agency is aiming to get some great pieces of work out very soon. Cheong is of the opinion that, “India is a talent pool when it comes to technologists and the acquisition of 22Feet has helped us reach greater heights.”

     

    Zeigler who believes that ‘Integrated Marketing Communication is the future,’ also thinks adding human touch in advertising campaigns creates magic. “Creativity is our birth right, humanity is our inspiration and technology is our canvas,” says Zeigler proudly, while elaborating the mantra of the various innovative campaigns the group has done.  

     

    The ‘Sorry, I spent it on myself’ campaign done by adam&eveDDB for Harvey Nichols and Heineken Ignite, an experiential campaign launched at the Milan Design Week by Tribal DDB Amsterdam are just a few innovations done by the group to take the message beyond just advertising. “It needs to be about creating influence,” says Zeigler.

     

    In India, the ‘Push the pin’ campaign for Jaago Re before the 2014 general elections allowed users to voice relevant issues from their respective constituencies. Apart from that, the 52 week long campaign for Big Bazaar is a first of its kind marketing communication in the country wherein each week a new TVC is being launched focusing on various products offered.

     

    After its consistent good performance, the network in India is now taking the next step of collaboration and integration within the system.

     

    Given the new order of business and marketing challenges, increasing conversations and demands from a wide spectrum of collaborative and integrated solutions, the DDB Mudra Group, with its 10 agencies and operating units (DDB Mudra West, DDB Mudra South & East, DDB Mudra North, DDB MudraMax – OOH, DDB MudraMax – Experiential, DDB MudraMax – Media, TracyLocke, 22feet Tribal Worldwide, RAPP and DDB Remedy) have re-constituted its executive board.

     

    The new board will see the addition of five more members taking the total toll to eight. The members include: Madhukar Kamath, Sonal Dabral, Anurag Bansal, Sathyamurthy Namakkal, Aneil Deepak, Deepak Nair, Mandeep Malhotra and Rajiv Sabnis.

     

    “We are investing in people who will bring with them different kind of aspects and perspectives to the board,” says the group CEO and MD Madhukar Kamath on the backdrop of the various high management appointments.

     

    Apart from this, the group has also created a group creative council and a strategic planning council. The creative council will consist of Aneil Deepak, Brijesh Jacob, Rahul Mathew, Sambit Mohanty and Vipul Thakkar while the strategic planning council will have Aditya Kanthy, Amit Kekre, Pradeep Ramakrishnan and Ramraaj Raghunathan.

     

    The two councils will be headed by Dabral. “We have formulated the cross-section of talent and it will help us better our work,” he says while adding that soon the group will launch its own creative awards which are as of now tentatively named ‘Bernie’ on the group’s founder, the legendary Bill Bernbach.

     

    The executive council will meet once a month over video conferences and on quarterly basis in either of the offices or at an offsite.

     

    “It is the age of ‘influence’ and we believe in leading the change,” concludes Kamath.

  • I will take a break and then decide on options available: Pratap Bose

    I will take a break and then decide on options available: Pratap Bose

    MUMBAI: After working for six years with DDB Mudra, the chief operating officer, Pratap Bose, is taking a summer holiday!

     

    The news of him quitting the agency broke yesterday. However, not many were surprised with it as the reason of him putting down his papers was known. The group CEO and MD Madhukar Kamath has been given a four year extension at the agency and it is this reason why Bose resigned. Bose was expected to take over from Kamath, post his expected retirement.

     

    Without indulging more on the subject Bose says, “It was a quick decision for me given the circumstances. But it has been glorious six years with the agency and I’m looking for the next chapter in my life and career.”

     

    Bose has already been approached by other agencies, but he hasn’t taken any decision yet. “I might take a break for a while and then decide on the options.”

     

    His last day in the agency is 11 April but will be available for handover or any work, if needed.

     

    No one will be replacing him in the agency and people reporting to him will now be directly reporting to Kamath.

     

    Prior to joining Mudra, Bose was with Ogilvy & Mather for 17 years; in 2006, he was named (youngest) CEO of the agency.

     

    A chartered accountant by qualification, Bose has also worked across markets – national and international.

     

    Last year, he was appointed as the president of the Ad Club and will continue to spearhead it.

  • With 52 TVCs, DDB Mudra launches Big Bazaar’s biggest campaign

    With 52 TVCs, DDB Mudra launches Big Bazaar’s biggest campaign

    MUMBAI: Multiple creatives for a certain marketing initiative is nothing new today. Marketers come up with variants of advertising campaign to keep the target audience engaged, but the country’s largest hypermarket chain, Big Bazaar has launched its latest marketing campaign which will leave all others plain faced.

     

    Unlike the norm of doing a TVC which tries to establish the brand positioning and message thought through a single or a series of TVCs, the campaign from Big Bazaar will see 52 different TVCs which will go on to take one product every week from the hypermarket chain.

     

    DDB Mudra Group CEO and managing director Madhukar Kamath said, “It is an unique, never done before and a brave campaign which can only come from a leader like Big Bazaar. The brand has been at the forefront of innovation and leading change. This campaign redefines the step-change that Big Bazaar is making in its relationship with its current and prospective shoppers. It will further establish Big Bazaar as a company that sells products which enables and inspires every Indian to make their world look beautiful on the outside, as well as on the inside.”

     

    Each TVC is a light-hearted commentary on the changes that are happening in Indian society, and make for interesting stories of the role that products play in making people’s life more beautiful and enriching. These short stories also trigger positive social change like men lending a helping hand to household work, health consciousness, people becoming more stylish, society becoming more secular etc. This campaign strengthens the connection of Big Bazaar with its current customers, while appealing to new younger Indian consumers at the same time.

     

    DDB Mudra Group chairman & CCO Sonal Dabral said, “If it’s not engaging and insightful it’s not creative. That’s what we told ourselves when it came to the creative execution of these films. We looked at deep insights around each of the 52 products to come up with stories for each one of them. Our objective was to showcase the brand and its usage and yet convey the small change that the product has brought into the lives of new Indians through nuanced and closely observed insights. In terms of tonality, we have kept it real because that’s the voice of Big Bazaar.  These are not ad films they are closely observed 52 sparkling stories of the small changes Big Bazaar and its products are bringing to everyday India.”

     

    The campaign will be backed by OOH, radio and in-store visual merchandising.

  • DDB Mudra Group names Anurag Bansal as CFO

    DDB Mudra Group names Anurag Bansal as CFO

    MUMBAI: DDB Mudra Group has announced Anurag Bansal as chief financial officer (CFO) of the group, effective 1 January.

     

    Bansal takes over from Dilipkumar Upadhyaya who has stepped down after 26 years with the group. Upadhyaya will however continue to be a consultant with the group.

     

    In his new role, Bansal will oversee the finance, legal & commercial and information technology functions of all entities under the group, in addition to heading the financial integration of the DDB Mudra Group with Omnicom Group.

    With over 16 years of experience Bansal said, “I am very excited to step in to the role of the group CFO. The CFO of today is very different from the CFO of even a decade ago. The CFO’s role today goes beyond the mere accuracy of numbers. Apart from implementing a robust process for financial information, compliance and corporate governance, together with a high level of risk assessment, he is required to have a more sophisticated understanding of all areas of the business and its operations. The journey for me has just begun and I look forward to some challenging yet exciting times ahead!”

     

    He is also a trustee of the Mudra Foundation for Communications Research and Education.

     

    On the appointment, DDB Mudra Group CEO and MD Madhukar Kamath said, “Anurag, in the short span of six years with us, has grown tremendously within the DDB Mudra Group. Apart from his professional capability and competence, I truly admire his energy, enthusiasm and leadership qualities. I am glad to have him partner me in our next phase of growth.”

  • Xavi Bech de Careda joins DDB Mudra Delhi as VP

    MUMBAI: DDB Mudra Delhi has appointed Xavi Bech de Careda as DDB Mudra Delhi vice president planning.

    Careda will report to DDB Mudra Group Delhi President Vandana Das and DDB Mudra, Delhi and Mumbai senior VP planning Aditya Kanthy.

    De Careda started his career as a food technology researcher in the R&D team of Unilever Research. He then joined BDDH and has also worked with BBH and McCann Healthcare in London. He moved to Barcelona in 1997 and worked with BBDO Tiempo, Rapp Collins and DDB Barcelona as a brand and communication strategist.

    He has over 15 years of work experience de Careda has handled world-class brands such as Audi, Bayer, Fujitsu Italy, Marcilla Coffe, Natura Bisse, Panasonic and Volkswagen to name a few.

    De Careda said, “After spending some months travelling in India the thought of a professional challenge here seduced me, and following DDB Mudra Group‘s call, things have moved at a fast pace. As it is with brands and business here; I am convinced that a very fruitful relationship awaits me in India.”

    DDB Mudra Group group CEO and managing director Madhukar Kamath said, “Delhi is the growth market for the DDB Mudra Group. We have a large presence already. Our offerings in advertising, media, digital, CRM, experiential, shopper marketing, retail and strategic branding enable us to work with a varied client portfolio. Xavi, with his rich and diverse experience will add to the unique base of talent that we have in the DDB Mudra Group in Delhi today.”

    Das said, “We are very thrilled about Xavi joining us. We are looking forward to huge amounts of learning that he would bring to the table and his contribution towards nurturing and building brands for DDB Mudra in Delhi.”

    Kanthy added, “We‘re thrilled that Xavi will work with us. He‘s an experienced DDB hand, knows the culture well and has an intuitive understanding of how we work. Xavi‘s widely traveled and has a deep appreciation of the arts. He‘ll add a unique flavour to the conversations we have at the agency and with our clients. He‘s the quintessential DDB man – talented and nice! The right guy to lead our team of bright young planners in Delhi.”

    In addition to having worked with agencies, de Careda also gives lectures at business and design schools in Barcelona like the ESSERP Business School, Instuito Europeo di Design and Universitat Blanquerna and has been a presenter for a bi-monthly radio show on advertising on Barcelona‘s leading radio channel ‘Catalan‘.