Tag: Mediabrands India

Jar mandates Initiative Media as its media AOR

Mumbai: Homegrown savings and investment app Jar has onboarded Initiative Media, the full-service media arm of Mediabrands India as its media agency on record, following a multi-agency pitch. The account will be managed by the agency’s Bengaluru office, with a focus on both digital and offline media duties.

Jar aspires to carve out a unique niche and hold a substantial market value in the fintech space, said the platform in a statement. “Initiative Media is tasked with positioning the brand as the ultimate savings platform in the fintech category,” it added.

“We are joyous to share that Initiative will be Jar’s media agency. Together, we are on a mission to reach the corners of the country to become ‘har ghar ka Jar’,” said Jar co-founder and CEO Nishchay AG. “In the last few years, Indians’ rate of saving has declined drastically. The pandemic was an added factor. The fintech space is what we need to adapt to at the moment. With this partnership, we aim to expand on a wider prism and reach our customers to convey the importance of saving to common Indians.”

While Jar is currently using digital gold that is backed by physical gold of the same amount as its financial instrument, they aim to broaden their offerings and explore additional investment avenues to expand its user base, according to the company.

Talking about the association, Initiative EVP – South Priya Iyer said, “We see great potential in Jar’s educated approach towards daily savings and intend on taking it to a larger audience by elevating its brand story. Its revolutionary approach coupled with our seasoned expertise in dealing with new-age clients will surely make this journey a combined success.”

“I am confident that our proven capabilities for building client-centric prospects in the technology domain, will help Jar achieve its desired business outcomes and open further growth avenues,” added Initiative CEO Vaishali Verma.

April 1, 2022
Interactive Avenues onboards Pranali Sarkar as Associate VP- Media Planning

Mumbai: Interactive Avenues – A Reprise Network Company, the full-service digital agency of Mediabrands India, has onboarded Pranali Sarkar as associate vice president, media planning. Sarkar will be tasked to scale up and add greater value to the current capabilities under the agency’s media planning function.

Talking about the appointment, Interactive Avenues – A Reprise Network Company CEO Amardeep Singh said, “As more brands are committing to the digital transformation journey, we strive to fuel meaningful business outcomes with precise targets and that’s where Pranali comes in. Her experience and portfolio are a perfect fit for our integrated business and complement our data-driven philosophy. We are excited to have her onboard and wish her all the success.”

With over 15 years in the industry, integrated media planning and strategy is core to Sarkar’s area of expertise, according to the agency. She has seasoned expertise in FMCG, and Telecom categories, and her diverse portfolio features some of the top advertisers in the country including Unilever, Mondelez, ITC, Godrej, and Reliance, to name a few.

About her new role, Sarkar said, “Interactive Avenues’ reputation precedes itself. The company is in a highly competitive industry and leading from the front in all-round media capabilities. All this backed by a dynamic leadership team that I am thrilled to be a part of. I am looking forward to using this opportunity to further elevate and enhance the existing media function by crafting new-age solutions for client and agency business outcomes alike.”

Sarkar was last working with Fulcrum, heading the Unilever Personal care category where she spearheaded multiple campaigns for iconic brands like Dove, Closeup to name a few. She has also worked with Madison where she helped set up and lead their integrated media planning teams.

March 17, 2022
Aditi Mishra takes over as Lodestar UM CEO

Mumbai: Lodestar UM India on Tuesday announced the appointment of Aditi Mishra as the new CEO of the company.

Mishra has been associated with Lodestar UM for over two decades. She started as a management trainee and worn many a hat over the years, driving large client relationships in a business role to leading strategy and product as chief strategy officer of Lodestar UM for the last 10 years. “She is one of the finest strategic minds in the country with a deep understanding and experience of building brands and digital transformation. A valued voice in the IPG network and just the right leader to partner clients into the future,” said the company in a statement.

Lodestar UM CEO Nandini Dias moves on after 27 years

“As I think about what is next for us in the challenging environment of today, I am energised by the vision of building an agency resilient and agile to partner with clients and the community for the future,” said Aditi Mishra, on her new role. “A team that will not just ride the waves of digital transformation but fosters media as a growth driver for business. I recognise that I have big shoes to fill and with the support of the incredible teams across Mediabrands India, I look forward to stewarding this journey for Lodestar UM.”

The company further announced promotion of Hema Malik to Mediabrands India chief investment officer. In this new role, she will lead the charge for Mediabrands India and foster greater collaboration to bring glory and success to clients and businesses. “Her calm demeanor, strong relationships, and innate ability to extract the best for clients and business through investment planning, partnerships, and negotiation, make her a natural choice for this super critical role at Mediabrands India,” the company said about Malik.

Malik, too, began her journey with Lodestar UM and has been a strong pillar, leading the operations, clients, and people with aplomb as its COO in Delhi for the last six years. Both Mishra and Malik will continue to be based out of Delhi/Gurgaon, according to the statement.

“We at Mediabrands India have always ensured that all our clients get full advantage of the opportunities in the marketplace,” said Hema Malik. “With the setting up of Mediabrands Investments, we are not only strengthening our obsession for performance and accountability but are equally energised to explore transformative partnerships and set new trading norms beyond the obvious. I am honored and excited to be the first CIO of Mediabrands India. So much to look forward to as we build the new.”

“I am a firm believer of leadership from inside; success with and around people for winning together. Both Aditi and Hema have been with the organisation for over two decades and have done us proud in their multiple roles over the years,” commented Mediabrands India CEO Shashi Sinha. “Nothing makes me prouder than to see our own people grow. I am thrilled and view these appointments as a giant leap forward. I am confident that both Aditi and Hema will embrace their new roles successfully and champion good growth.”

Meanwhile, Lodestar UM’s long-term associate Nandini Dias recently announced her decision to move on from the company after being its CEO for close to a decade. She joined the group 27 years ago and has since gone on to acquire the top position, leading the organisation to several ‘Media Agency of the Year’ recognitions over the years.

March 15, 2022
Initiative Media becomes media AOR for Urban Company

Mumbai: Online home service platform Urban Company has named Initiative Media, the full-service media arm of Mediabrands India as its media agency on record. The account was won following a closely contested multi-agency pitch and will be managed out of the agency’s Gurugram office.

According to a statement, the business mandate includes both online and offline media duties and will focus on providing comprehensive media solutions to augment business outcomes.

“We are extremely delighted by this association and prepared to position Urban Company as the country’s go-to platform for all of their listed services. Our approach is designed to deliver client-centric results and will ensure elevating the growth momentum for the brand,” said Initiative CEO Vaishali Verma.

Urban Company aims to rapidly expand its national footprint while also launching new products and services pan India, said the brand in a statement. “Initiative’s strategic and audience-first approach and understanding of their unique business model, aligns perfectly with Urban Company’s expectations for their future endeavours, making this a fitting partnership,” it added.

“We are stepping into the next phase of our evolution and expansion now and confident that Initiative will prove to be our trusted partner in this growth story,” stated Urban Company SVP Abhinav Tyagi. “The seamless combination of their superior strategic planning, the robust experience of managing new-age clients, backed by a passionate young team made the mark for us. We are looking forward to a great run together.”

February 15, 2022
Interactive Avenues wins digital media mandate for Emami

Mumbai: Interactive Avenues – A Reprise Network Company, the digital arm of Mediabrands India has won the digital media duties of personal care & healthcare FMCG major Emami, following a multi-agency pitch. The account will be managed by the agency’s Gurugram office.

The agency will drive the entire paid media mandate for both Emami and Emami Agrotech as well as The Man Company, an associate company of Emami.

“We are thrilled to have joined hands with Emami, a household name that resonates with a huge fraction of the country’s demographic. As for our strategy, we emphasised on making media measurable and accounting it against business outcomes,” said Interactive Avenues – A Reprise Network Company CEO Amardeep Singh. “Taking into consideration how the cookieless future is going to disrupt businesses, our proprietary Identity solutions will futureproof Emami against it. Hence, basis a full-funnel business outcome model, the team crafted customised digital solutions that connected Media, Experience, and Content, in the most seamless flow.”

Talking about the association, an Emami spokesperson said, “We look forward to working with Interactive Avenues as they have the relevant experience and expertise to handle our brand’s digital amplification.”

February 11, 2022
Apollo Tyres appoints Reprise Digital as its social media agency

Mumbai: Apollo Tyres has appointed Reprise Digital, which is part of the media conglomerate Mediabrands India, for the brand’s social media duties, following a multi-agency pitch.

The mandate for Reprise Digital includes services such as social media, online reputation management (ORM), social listening and content marketing. The account will be handled by the Gurugram team of Reprise.

Headquartered in Gurgaon, Apollo Tyres, a multinational brand, aims to further strengthen its social media footprint. With the brand tagline ‘Go the Distance’, the company is the global tyre partner of Manchester United Football Club, and has the sports icon, Sachin Tendulkar, as its brand ambassador. Apollo Tyres plans to scale up its social media presence across all touchpoints, prompting an increase in brand affinity and business outcomes.

Apollo Tyres Ltd, vice president, marketing, sales and service (India, SAARC and Oceania), Rajesh Dahiya said, “Social media marketing being our one of the topmost marketing pillars, we are constantly focusing on utilising it in the most impactful way. We were looking for a strong social media partner who possesses a comprehensive understanding of our business and audience segment, and can successfully craft and execute the best social media strategies. Reprise Digital seems to be one of the best fit and we are looking forward to a goal-oriented & exciting partnership ahead.”

Reprise Digital, India- director, Amardeep Singh said, “Our partnership with the brand is beginning at a time when the social ecosystem is undergoing a major metamorphosis. Social advertising redefined the advertising industry in this pandemic and Reprise is one of the harbingers of this change. We are confident that our future-proof tools, research and data will make the partnership with Apollo Tyres extremely rewarding and long-lasting.”

September 3, 2021