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Tag: marketing

  • Namit Prasad joins L&K Saatchi & Saatchi as SVP- planning

    Namit Prasad joins L&K Saatchi & Saatchi as SVP- planning

    NEW DELHI: L&K Saatchi & Saatchi has onboarded Namit Prasad as senior vice president, planning. He will be based out of Mumbai and will report to chief strategy officer Snehasis Bose.

    Prasad joins the agency post setting up a start-up involved in building an enterprise development platform based on an original creativity algorithm. Prior to that, his last agency stint was with Famous Innovations where he was strategy head.

    “Over time and managing various categories and roles, Namit possesses a rare combination of fluid and strategic acumen in seeking and owning solutions that impact business growth. He is a great fit in our team of explorer-strategists, missioned to find the sweet spot between consumer need gaps X technology X clients’ business growth. I am looking forward to working with him and adding fresh spark to the agency’s entrepreneurial DNA," Bose said.

    “As an enterprise builder myself, L&K Saatchi & Saatchi’s business focus – closely working with brands with an entrepreneurial mindset and contributing to growth beyond just communication – interested me hugely. With my kind of experience, I hope to bring in a bit of ‘Baniya Branding’ mentality, wherein all branding efforts are tightly aligned to business objectives. While of course ensuring creative flair and the inventive possibilities of integration," Prasad added.

  • Bacardi India taps Zeenah Vilcassim as marketing director

    Bacardi India taps Zeenah Vilcassim as marketing director

    NEW DELHI: International spirits company Bacardi India, has appointed Zeenah Vilcassim as marketing director. She will head consumer and customer marketing across the entire Bacardi portfolio of brands starting this month.

    Vilcassim will be responsible for driving synergies across marketing, commercial and finance teams to ensure campaigns are effective, impactful and deliver on business goals. She will be based out of the company’s Gurugram head office and report to Bacardi India managing director Sanjit Randhawa.

    She began her career with Bacardi four years ago as global brand director for Dewar’s Scotch whisky. During this time, she focused on growing the brand’s footprint in emerging markets and oversaw the marketing of three award winning innovations.

    Vilcassim said, “During my time as global director for Dewar’s Scotch whisky, India was – and still is – one of our most exciting markets. It is incredibly diverse, dynamic and constantly evolving. Each one of our iconic brands has an opportunity to play an authentic role in the hearts and minds of the Indian consumer. I can’t wait to get started and bring a little bit of creative rebellion into all that we do.”

    Vilcassim began her career as an economist and moved to a management consultant role in global banking at Ernst and Young. Her pivot into marketing was driven by an interest in combining data, analytics and creativity to accelerate business growth. She has held previous positions within digital analytics and content and also led the entire UK operations as managing director at Protein before joining the team at Bacardi.

    Randhawa added, “As we continue to build and grow our portfolio in the country, we are thrilled to have Vilcassim as part of the India leadership team. She has played an integral role in the Dewar’s brand’s global journey and will now be instrumental in driving the strategic direction and growth for the entire brand portfolio of Bacardi in India. With consumer at the heart of all our efforts, we’ll work closely to deliver on moments that matter and create solutions as well as campaigns that resonate with our audiences.”

  • Nearly 60% of Indian CMOs have dedicated budgets for influencer marketing, study finds

    Nearly 60% of Indian CMOs have dedicated budgets for influencer marketing, study finds

    NEW DELHI: The growing affinity of consumers towards digital platforms to connect with brands has elevated the popularity of influencer activities in India. Moreover, the Covid2019 outbreak has made brands focus more on affirming their online presence, and it has made influencers a part of the mainstream marketing plans. And now, a new study conducted by AI-driven influencer marketing platform ClanConnect.ai has found that more than half (58.7 per cent) of Indian CMOs have dedicated budgets for influencer marketing in 2021. 

    According to the report, 78 per cent of marketing leaders leveraged influencer marketing in 2020, while a little over 13 per cent dabbled in the segment for the first time last year. Interestingly, 52 per cent of brands engaged more than 10 influencers in 2020, which coincides with the accelerated growth of the sector in the last year.

    The study found that budgets allocated to influencer marketing grew significantly in 2020 as compared to 2019. In fact, 39.13 per cent of the CMOs mentioned an increase in spends on influencer marketing. The other 60.87 per cent saw no change in spends between 2019 and 2020. Furthermore, more than 50 per cent of the respondents increased their marketing spends in 2020, a clear indication of the growing trust that industry-leading brands are placing in influencers for bolstering their brand message among the target audience. 

    58.7 per cent of CMOs are allocating separate budgets for influencer activities in their 2021 marketing plans. Simultaneously, 52.17 per cent have decided to increase spends in 2021 as compared to 2020. It is not surprising, then, that almost 90 per cent of CMOs are considering aligning up to a quarter of their entire marketing budget towards influencer-led activities in the current year. Moreover, over half of the respondents are interested in increasing budgets by up to 25 per cent in 2021. 

    While 50 per cent of the respondents find Instagram to be the most effective platform for these campaigns, 23.91 per cent prefer LinkedIn, and 15.22 per cent identify YouTube as their go-to platform. 

    In another interesting finding, the survey revealed that almost 87 per cent marketing heads prefer to conduct up to 25 per cent of their influencer campaigns with micro-influencers. This proves that brands prefer to engage with influencers who have a dedicated, loyal following even if the number of followers does not go into the millions. 

    Over 41 per cent of brands have taken the onus of managing influencer marketing mandates. On the flipside, 15 per cent of them are employing dedicated influencer marketing platforms and marketplaces to create and manage highly targeted and impactful campaigns. However, 89.13 per cent of CMOs are concerned about influencer fraud in the form of fake followers and engagement.

    "Influencer marketing is at the cusp of exponential growth. It is the veritable future of marketing, a fact that is evident from this first-of-its-kind survey report," said ClanConnect.ai co-founder and COO Kunal Kishore Sinha. 

  • Vishal Chinchankar tapped as CEO of Madison’s Digital & Media Ultra units

    Vishal Chinchankar tapped as CEO of Madison’s Digital & Media Ultra units

    MUMBAI: Madison Media has promoted its chief digital officer Vishal Chinchankar to CEO at Madison Digital and Madison Media Ultra.

    Chinchankar has been involved in shaping the digital arm of Madison Digital since his appointment at Madison Media in 2017. In addition, he has also been given the responsibility to drive a few integrated mandates under Madison Media Ultra, the unit that handles Marico, Atomberg, amongst other businesses. He will continue to be a part of the agency’s Exco and strengthen its value proposition under his leadership.

    With over 22 years of experience in domestic and international markets, Chinchankar has worked across marketing services and business development involving both start-up and growth organisations.

    Madison Media & OOH partner and group CEO Vikram Sakhuja said, “Vishal has been an exceptional leader. His clarity of vision and relentless passion has put Madison Digital right on top over these past three+ years. In addition to strong domain expertise, he has also been highly successful in building the business. As a natural evolution it is only fitting that in addition to leading the agency’s overall digital agenda, he also runs the whole media business of Madison Ultra. I wish Vishal all the best, in building a world class practice for Madison.”

    Chinchankar said, “I am absolutely excited with this opportunity. Clearly, the work done at Madison Digital has been exceptional and completely on the back of an extremely talented team. We’re determined to work towards making Madison Digital bigger and better than it already is, while keeping clients and the Madison values at the core of our work.”

  • We want to create a culture & community of respect: L’Oréal Paris–India’s Pau Gruart

    We want to create a culture & community of respect: L’Oréal Paris–India’s Pau Gruart

    MUMBAI: L’Oréal Paris launched its global initiative ‘Stand Up Against Street Harassment’ in India in November last year with NGO Breakthrough as its on-ground training partner. The aim was to train one million people in India in bystander intervention to tackle street harassment by 2022. The program, with actor Aditi Rao Hydari as its brand ambassador, applies the global ‘5D’ methodology of Direct, Distract, Delegate, Document, and Delay – to help victims and bystanders to take these actions when faced with harassment in public places. 

    Now, on the occasion of International Anti-Harassment Week, Indiantelevision.com’s Anupama Sajeet spoke to L’Oréal Paris – India general manager Pau Gruart to know more about the beauty conglomerate’s drive against street harassment and what it hopes to accomplish through it. Gruart also shared insights on the long-term impact of Covid2019 on the beauty industry and why he believes the changes brought about by 2020 in consumer behaviour and consumption “are real and here to stay”.

    Edited excerpts:

    On what inspired the global cosmetics giant to take on this initiative.

    Globally, L’Oréal Paris has always stood for women's empowerment. We are committed to addressing the barriers between women and their ambition. An international survey done by L’Oréal Paris-Ipsos showed that sexual harassment is one of the most important issues worldwide. It happens everywhere, every day, and takes away the right of women to feel safe in the public spaces and impacts their sense of self-worth. We felt there was a need to empower people to take action for themselves, and others. Thus, L’Oréal Paris launched a campaign to encourage women and men to intervene safely if they experience or witness street harassment. We partnered with Hollaback! a global, people-powered movement to end harassment in all its forms, and Breakthrough India, an organisation working to make violence and discrimination against women and girls unacceptable, for its launch in India.

    On what the brand hopes to achieve through this initiative.

    We want our program to create awareness about street harassment and let people recognise the issue for what it is. We want to create a culture and community of respect, dignity, and worth by empowering over one million people with the 5D’s methodology, developed by Hollaback – training that can be taken digitally from the standup-india.com site. In India, we are also going on-ground with our partner Breakthrough India. We hope to create a bystander movement that discourages harassers, supports victims, and empowers bystanders to intervene by equipping them with safe methods to do so.

    On the findings of the study conducted by L’Oréal Paris in partnership with Ipsos.

    When we investigated to know the most important issue women face in their daily lives, we discovered that the #1 issue was street harassment. So, we commissioned Ipsos to investigate the scale of sexual harassment in public spaces.  The survey found that 80 per cent of women have experienced sexual harassment in public spaces, at least once in their lives. 76 per cent of people (men and women) have witnessed sexual harassment. While 28 per cent globally said they did not know what to do when asked why they didn’t intervene.

    In India, the survey revealed that 81 per cent of those spoken to feel there is a lack of training on how to intervene to put an end to sexual harassment. At least 54 per cent of Indians said someone helped while witnessing sexual harassment and 79 per cent said it improved the situation when someone did intervene.  

    These stats clearly show there is intent, but people do not have the tools or strategies that can help them change the narrative. So we decided to #StandUp Against Street Harassment and help people become a part of the solution in preventing street harassment. Our program offers people free training in the 5D methodology that gives them five simple, safe strategies to diffuse a situation without endangering themselves or the victim. 

    On the disruption caused by Covid2019 and changes in consumer behaviour.

    Firstly, I don’t think there is going to be any ‘going back to pre-Covid normal’. The changes brought about by 2020 in consumer behaviour and consumption are real and here to stay. Digital has become an extremely important aspect of our strategy. Fortunately, L’Oréal Paris has been leading the field when it comes to digital for years now. We have transformed from a beauty company to a Beauty Tech company. We have been able to ride on this shift in consumer behaviour effectively. We have been delivering a much richer online experience for our consumers, capturing the DIY and digital trend through: 

    -Delivering education (on products) in a virtual way

    -Use VR/AR tools to try the product and see how it looks on you

    – Live sessions and leveraging influencers for consumers to help them on their DIY journeys

    -Access to e-consultants who can further help answer queries 

    L’Oréal Paris Hair Colour, for example, leveraged technology to hold the consumer’s hand ‘virtually’ as she took her first steps into the hair colouring journey at home. We did this by organizing special sessions with our Hair Colour expert to clarify all her questions, having a virtual try-on on our website where you can see how the colour will look on you. So, we educated, demonstrated, and consulted – all virtually.

    On the long-term impact of Covid on the beauty industry.

    Beauty is an eternal requirement, linked to a fundamental need to feel and look good. While we have been in the business for 110 years globally, the desire for beauty has been with humankind for many more years, and that is not going to change. Even if you look at what happened last year during the lockdown with practically no socialising, people still experimented and expressed themselves in different ways with their makeup. Eyes got a lot more focus, even long-stay lipsticks became a mainstay in makeup bags. Like everything else, the market will transform. With Covid2019, it might go through an accelerated phase of transformation in products, consumer use, distribution, etc but as long as we are close to the consumers and thinking of satisfying their needs, the beauty market will be fine.

  • MX Player promotes Abhishek Joshi to business head – SVoD

    MX Player promotes Abhishek Joshi to business head – SVoD

    New Delhi: Video streaming service MX Player has elevated Abhishek Joshi as business head – SVoD (subscription business).

    “I have been given an additional mandate and responsibility of building the SVoD business from ground up as the business head while managing my existing portfolio,” he stated in a LinkedIn post.

    Joshi joined MX Player in October 2018 as head of marketing and business partnerships and lead marketing function (brand & digital performance) for new business launches like MX TakaTak. Before this, he worked with Sony Pictures Network India as SVP and head-marketing, subscription and content licensing- digital business.

    He became a part of SPNI in June 2015 as VP and head – marketing and analytics, digital business – OTT and led a digital business leadership team. Joshi was also responsible for shaping overall business strategy with core focus being on marketing and communications (online and offline). He handled some of the most talked about campaigns and format brands like Indian Idol 6, IPL, Kaun Banega Crorepati 5, X Factor and a few fiction shows as well.

    In his career spanning over two decades, he has worked with Reliance Big Pictures, Sab TV, ABP Group, Zenga Media and Max.

  • 315Work Avenue offers to protect you from ‘Indiranagar Gunda’ Rahul Dravid

    315Work Avenue offers to protect you from ‘Indiranagar Gunda’ Rahul Dravid

    MUMBAI: If there was one thing that bowled over netizens this weekend, it was Rahul Dravid’s dramatic turn as ‘Indiranagar ka gunda’ in a Cred advertisement. Otherwise known for his cool persona, a commercial managed to do what the fiercest bowlers and toughest competition couldn’t — get Dravid to lose his cool.

    To acknowledge and pay tribute to his the cricket legend’s extraordinary performance, coworking space provider 315Work Avenue has come up with witty responses to the new campaign. The company expressed how safe their working space is from ‘gundas’, especially in Indiranagar, where it’s office is located.

    It emphasised that, “Our wall is strong enough to keep you safe from Indiranagar Gunda: book your space now,” playing on ‘The Wall’ moniker of the cricketer. The other riposte talked about safety: “Safest Work Place in Indiranagar: Could protect from angry Gunda too.”

    315Work Avenue founder Manas Mehrotra said: “The always affable Dravid shouting, smashing rear-view mirrors and throwing coffee, is a brilliant play on his persona. The less than 15 menacing seconds on-screen ad transforms the public image of the former captain of the Indian national cricket team. We could not have imagined that India’s wall would one day be an Indiranagar gunda. As a cricket lover and a fan of Rahul Dravid, we are in awe of the most unexpected character. We came with our response as we wanted to pay an ode to this fantastic campaign and we made sure that we played with words to match the tempo.”

    Several other brands like Zomato, Oyo and Parle-G also hitched onto the bandwagon and created some wonderful spinoffs of the Cred ad. Along with the ex-cricketer’s colleagues, including Indian skipper Kohli, top marketing professionals, movie makers and actors also lauded Dravid for his unexpectedly marvellous ‘off-field’ performance. Meanwhile, social media has been in a frenzy since the ad hit the internet, churning out bountiful memes revolving around the rarely-ruffled Rahul Dravid.

  • upGrad’s new campaign brings back the donkey in a new ‘kick-ass’ avatar

    upGrad’s new campaign brings back the donkey in a new ‘kick-ass’ avatar

    MUMBAI: After the success of its #DontLickAssKickAss campaign last year featuring a donkey, edtech platform upGrad has come out with another campaign which sees the animal in a fresh avatar. The second leg of the 'Sirf Naam ki Nahi, Kaam Ki Degree' campaign sees the donkey as an animated, feisty fortune-teller. 

    Conceptualised by The Womb, the film reminds working professionals how the right specialisation can lead to one getting salary increments, as high as 50 per cent.

    Previously in 2020 the ed-tech firm, via its campaign, had offered an alternative to licking ass in order to progress in one’s career- It told one to get a specialised degree from its many offerings that would make one’s boss take notice of your skillset. In its new ad film, it takes the 'Sirf Naam Ki Nahin, Kaam Ki Degree’ messaging further, using the fortune-teller donkey. The animal predicts the person’s success and bright future after he has acquired a specialisation certificate from upGrad saying, “Specialisation hain right, toh future hoga bright (If the specialisation’s right, the future is bright).”

    The Womb founding partner Navin Talreja said, “With the success of #KaamKiDegree we had to find a message that would showcase the value of upGrad specialisations to the fence sitters. Given the success of the donkey as a device we just felt what could be better than getting our donkey deliver this wisdom, albeit in its own feisty manner. Embarking on this journey with Varmdea was reassuring as he is awesome with performances. A charmingly intricate set up, brilliant animation, and the perfect soundtrack have all come together to bring this spectacularly to life."

    upGrad chief executive officer Arjun Mohan said, “The campaign is a wake-up call for the youth and working professionals to invest in real value-adding, outcome-oriented education that can result in employability and career progression. We received an overwhelming response in our first leg, as the Donkey, quite literally became a talk of the town."

  • Virat Kohli shares his learning mantra in new Great Learning spot

    Virat Kohli shares his learning mantra in new Great Learning spot

    NEW DELHI: Edtech platform Great Learning has released a new TVC that features brand ambassador Virat Kohli meditating on the importance of lifelong learning. The ad film is the third in the series of the multi-film campaign titled Power Ahead – Jo Seekhta Hai Wahi Aage Badhta Hai.

    It draws attention towards the significance of taking lessons from one’s victories and defeats alike and showcases how upskilling is a necessary step for students and professionals to power ahead in their careers. The campaign has been conceptualised by Sideways and directed by Cornerstone.

    The film opens with Kohli emphasising on the significance of lifelong learning, by sharing his personal journey of learning from victories, defeats, mistakes, right and wrong decisions, critics and fans in order to improve his performance on the field each day and in each match. He further adds that in order to succeed whether it is in cricket or in life, one must always have the willingness to learn new things.

    Great Learning CMO Aparna Mahesh said, “Virat’s ethos of pursuing excellence is exactly what we follow at Great Learning while delivering our programs across domains to our learners. We believe his passion to stay at the top of his game will inspire our learners and audience to uplift their careers through mentored learning.”

    Sideways co-founder Abhijit Avasthi, “Great Learning's stance of 'Jo seekhta hai, wahi aagey badhta hai' is true of any sphere of life or career. Virat is an embodiment of this philosophy. And the results are there for all to see. We have seen a lot of traction ever since we launched this thought last August. We hope to continue and build on the momentum."

  • Ranveer Singh turns businessman for JD Mart

    Ranveer Singh turns businessman for JD Mart

    NEW DELHI: Just Dial has roped in Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh as its brand ambassador. The local search company has launched a campaign with Singh for its newly launched b2b marketplace portal JD Mart.

    Conceptualised by Tilt Brand Solutions, JD Mart’s ad film showcases Singh as a businessman in various avatars. The campaign takes a quirky and innovative approach on how every business owner feels elated on selling and has a special affection towards the goods and services he sells. The ads deliver a strong message with Singh’s quirkiness and ability to transform into mindful characters. The ad positions JD Mart as ‘India Ka b2b Marketplace’ along with the tagline – Sell Smart. Buy Smart.

    “I am excited to be part of Justdial’s JD Mart campaign. I am confident that JD Mart shall benefit millions of India’s businesses to discover, buy and sell products online, which is the need of the hour in these challenging times of the pandemic. I hope this campaign will encourage more and more businesses to go digital and become future-ready," Singh said.

    Just Dial founder & CEO VSS Mani said, “We are proud to have Ranveer on-board in our mission to create India’s largest b2b marketplace. His energy and passion and the aspirational value that he brings in is indisputable. The new campaign will be a fun riot to watch for all viewers. Just Dial has helped India’s businesses over the last 25 years to grow their business and this association and our new platforms will help us reach the next level.”