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Tag: Mindshare

  • Times Network, Britannia, and Mindshare launch content hub ‘Cheeseitup.in’

    Times Network, Britannia, and Mindshare launch content hub ‘Cheeseitup.in’

    Mumbai: Times Network, a broadcast and digital network has partnered with Britannia The Laughing Cow Cheese, a renowned cheese brand and Mindshare to launch ‘Cheeseitup.in’, an innovative content destination to enhance cheese awareness in India and provide culinary inspiration.

    ‘Cheeseitup.in’ is designed to build a vibrant community for cheese lovers, offering insightful information on various types of cheese, recipes, health benefits, DIY videos, blogs, and more. Through multiple touchpoints across the website and social media, ‘Cheeseitup.in’ offers easy and snackable content that makes everyday meals tastier by incorporating different types of cheese from Britannia The Laughing Cow Cheese. Whether you want quick snack ideas or gourmet recipes, the platform offers engaging, user-friendly content, ensuring that the recipes are easy to follow. Users can easily save and download recipes that are tailored to their preferences and specially curated by food influencers and chefs across India.

    Developed by Times Network Digital, this digital encyclopaedia for cheese will leverage the network’s expertise in content creation, organic user acquisition, and e-commerce to enhance brand visibility and user engagement. Targeting a wider reach within a year through content integrations & promotions across various platforms of Times Network, including TimesFoodie.com, TimesNow.in, TimesNowNavbharat.com, and ZoomTV.com, this industry-first initiative is strategically promoted by Mindshare, showcasing an innovative approach to brand promotion.

    Britannia Dairy CEO Britannia Bel Foods and CBO Abhishek Sinha said, “CheeseItUp.in is Britannia The Laughing Cow Cheese’s effort for all cheese enthusiasts and novices who are constantly looking to gather knowledge about the product category. After the joint venture between Britannia and Bel group, we began the journey of creating awareness about the category benefits, with borrowed learnings and expertise from the French conglomerate. We realised that as a nascent category in India, the awareness about cheese, its benefits, and its usage is still limited and fragmented. We took up this challenge with our partners – Times Network and Mindshare to build an inclusive platform which could cater to this gap for all Indians.”

    Commenting on the partnership, ZENL & BCCL(TV Division)  CEO Rohit Gopakumar said, “Our endeavour is always to provide a balanced platform for both our audience and clients. The satisfaction of achieving brand objectives through targeted content offerings excites our team. Britannia has consistently led the way in creating cutting-edge communication ideas for its various products. This partnership between Britannia The Laughing Cow Cheese and Times Network Digital platforms will undoubtedly break new ground in the cheese category. Collaborating with Britannia and Mindshare to introduce a new and innovative concept that marries content with brand thought leadership is the way forward for deep audience engagement. It’s time to CHEESEITUP!”

    Speaking on the partnership, Times Network president & COO – Digital Rohit Chadda said, “Content-driven commerce strategically integrates content into the shopping process to provide customers with the highest quality experience. Times Network Digital has the largest base of premium, influential audiences in the country across news & lifestyle categories. Our brand TimesFoodie.com, an industry-leading platform in food content, is the perfect partner to create such a food destination for Britannia. The idea of ‘CheeseItUp.in’ is to instil product knowledge and usage, while also taking an innovative approach to e-commerce that directly drives revenue for the brand.”

    Mindshare CEO Amin Lakhani shared, “CheeseItUp.in isn’t just a platform, it’s your fun and flavourful culinary playground! We want to make cheese a delicious and healthy part of everyday meal planning. We use real consumer data to craft healthy and inspiring recipes with Britannia The Laughing Cow cheese. It’s connected commerce powered by content. Mindshare has architected a partnership between Britannia Bel Foods and Times News Network. Get ready to experience a whole new world of cheese-based creations! We are excited to see how this platform will revolutionise the way people enjoy Britannia The Laughing Cow cheese in their daily lives.”

    Additionally, the integration of a quick commerce platform with ‘Cheeseitup.in’  allows consumers to purchase cheese in a few clicks, seamlessly transitioning from CheeseItUp.in to savouring The Britannia Laughing Cow cheese delights.

  • Ravi Shastri returns with quirky avatars in the latest Britannia 50-50 campaign

    Ravi Shastri returns with quirky avatars in the latest Britannia 50-50 campaign

    Mumbai: In India, cricket is more than a sport; it’s a cultural phenomenon that unites generations across all demographics. Embracing this passion, Britannia 50-50 announces two quirky campaigns, including Britannia 50-50 T20 Golmaal with Ravi Shastri and a new TVC film for Britannia 50-50 Sweet and Salty. These initiatives feature cricketing icon and former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri, who has been associated with Britannia for the past two years.

    Britannia 50-50 kicked off the season with a new TVC with Ravi Shastri in a dual avatar for Britannia 50-50 Sweet and Salty. Conceptualized by Lowe Lintas, the TVC captures the essence of the cracker by showcasing Ravi Shastri in a playful dual persona, conversing with doves. As he experiences the sweet and salty sides of the biscuit, his interactions with the doves mirror the distinct flavours. His persona softens when he experiences the sweetness, but his response takes a witty and playful turn when he encounters the salty crunch. Through this campaign, Britannia 50-50 delivers a perfect blend of sweet and salty sensations that cater to the discerning tastes of today’s snack enthusiasts.

    Britannia takes it a notch further by introducing an initiative in partnership with Mindshare India, seamlessly integrating AI technology. The Britannia 50-50 T20 Golmaal with Ravi Shastri offers an innovative way for users to interact with Ravi Shastri during the ongoing cricket season and receive Golmaal advice. Building on last year’s chatbot, Chatbot 2.0 initiative now includes a new AR feature, presenting an animated Shastri avatar that answers “Golmaal” questions with unexpected humor, keeping fans entertained regardless of the game’s outcome. This innovative addition activates the user’s rear camera, projecting a digital avatar of Ravi Shastri onto their screen, allowing users to ask questions directly, thus making the interaction smooth and engaging.

    Teams involved in development have delicately crafted and trained this digital avatar of Ravi Shastri, and have humanised it further by mapping the face details, adding mocap to match mannerisms and training the voice using multiple LLM’s. Physical appearance aside, even the personality, way of speaking, and words used have been created to emulate his mannerisms. The chatbot seamlessly combines the best nest of new technology – AR engines of 8th Wall, Conversational AI technology of InWorld, Gen AI voice technology of Eleven labs and Xtendr’s proprietary tech layer to take engagement and experience to the next dimension of “real-time two-way conversations in both voice and text formats.

    That’s not all, users can also win* exciting Golmaal cricket hampers and match tickets to Australia by recording and sharing their best Golmaal conversations with Ravi Shastri on Instagram or Facebook, tagging the handle @britanniasnackInc.

    “We are thrilled to launch two exciting initiatives that perfectly capture the spirit of Britannia 50-50 and our deep connection with cricket. The Britannia 50-50 T20 Golmaal with Ravi Shastri and our Sweet and Salty campaign, both featuring Ravi Shastri represent our commitment to exploring new horizons and delivering unique experiences to our consumers. With the cricket fever gripping the nation, these campaigns are exciting and unpredictable, much like the sport itself. Ravi Shastri perfectly embodies the essence of Britannia 50-50, and we are confident that both campaigns will resonate deeply with cricket fans and snack enthusiasts alike.” – Britannia Industries CMO Amit Doshi.

    Speaking about the campaign, Ravi Shastri said, “Partnering with Britannia 50-50 has been an absolute delight. As someone who is deeply connected to cricket, I appreciate the passion and excitement that Britannia brings to the game through its innovative campaigns. The Britannia 50-50 T20 Golmaal with Ravi Shastri offers fans a unique, interactive way to engage with me, while the Britannia 50-50 Sweet and Salty mirrors the dynamic nature of the sport. Britannia is doing fantastic work in connecting with cricket lovers and snack enthusiasts across the country, and I am thrilled to be a part of this journey.”

    Ravi Shastri first brought his distinctive charm to the iconic Britannia 50-50 Maska Chaska TVC in 2022, where he perfectly depicted the desi and videsi styles of watching cricket and the emotions evoked by the flavors in Britannia Maska Chaska. Additionally, Shastri was featured in five humorous films for Britannia 50-50 Golmaal, where a player approaches him for guidance in each film. In response, in his inimitable style, Shastri imparts the ultimate strategy of “Golmaal.” His dynamic persona perfectly matches Britannia 50-50’s spirit, celebrating the brand’s long-standing association with cricket.

    “Britannia 50-50, Cricket and Ravi Shastri are such powerful ingredients that you have to craft the right balance, or one can easily overpower the other two. Also, when you have a long cricketing season you don’t want your ad to be an irritant, instead something people look forward to in the breaks. We feel the Doves and the Guturgoos may have just helped us land these two things right.” – Lowe Lintas India regional creative officer Sarvesh Raikar.

    “Generative AI is revolutionizing brand experiences, creating deeper connections with audiences and becoming a cornerstone of our marketing initiatives. By integrating AI with cutting-edge technologies like AR avatars, Mindshare is pioneering experiences that are not just industry firsts, but world firsts. Britannia 50-50 T20 Golmaal with Ravi Shastri exemplifies this innovation, offering a sustained, evolving property that continuously delights consumers with fresh and engaging interactions. We are committed to pushing the boundaries of what’s possible, ensuring that each encounter with our brand is memorable and impactful.” – Mindshare, South Asia CEO Amin Lakhani.

    “At Xtendr our mission has always been to augment human vision using spatial computing & AI. We have been blending technology, design and human imagination to make objects talk and narrate brand stories in an immersive manner. This partnership with Britannia and the team at Mindshare had us take branded content conversations to the next level of engagement – creating something that has never been done before. We made brand storytelling real-time & immersive about the moments that matter the most.” – Xtendr founder and CEO Anurag Sachdeva.

    Steps to chat with Ravi avatar:

    1    Click on the link: https://www.5050cricket.in/ 
    2    Verify your details 
    3    Ask or Type your cricketing queries to Ravi 
    4    Get live Golmaal responses from Ravi’s AR avatar 
    5    Record and share your Golmaal conversation with Ravi on Instagram or Facebook tagging @britanniasnackinc  
    6    Stand a chance to win* a trip to Australia to watch a match or exciting Golmaal cricket hampers *T&C applied

  • Dimpy Yadav joins Mindshare as Head of Digital Strategy

    Dimpy Yadav joins Mindshare as Head of Digital Strategy

    Mumbai: Mindshare, the media services company that is part of GroupM and WPP, today announces the appointment of Dimpy Yadav as the new Head of Digital Strategy. Dimpy’s expertise and experience will play a pivotal role in shaping Mindshare’s digital narrative and enhancing our digital product offerings for both existing and new clients.

    Dimpy brings with her a wealth of knowledge and experience in driving impactful and data-driven strategies for brands. Her passion for leveraging cutting-edge technologies to optimize advertising efforts has been evident throughout her career. In her previous role as General Manager at Xaxis India, Dimpy successfully navigated the ever-evolving landscape of programmatic advertising, demonstrating her ability to stay ahead of industry trends and deliver results.

    With a track record spanning 15 years in the industry, Dimpy has honed her skills in designing and executing digital and media strategies across various channels and streams. Her specialization in Artificial intelligence tools and frameworks further strengthens Mindshare’s capabilities in delivering innovative solutions to clients.

    Mindshare – South Asia CEO Amin Lakhani said, “Dimpy’s wealth of experience and expertise will be invaluable in propelling our digital strategy forward. Her deep understanding of the digital landscape and track record of driving impactful results align perfectly with our vision for innovation and growth.

    Yadav expressed, “I’m optimistic to be part of such a dynamic team at Mindshare. The opportunity to craft innovative digital strategies and drive meaningful results is both motivating and inspiring. I look forward to starting this journey, full of possibilities, making impactful contributions, and achieving great success together.”

    Dimpy will be based out of Mindshare’s Gurgaon office.

  • Mindshare ropes in Kalyan Undinty as head of E-Commerce

    Mindshare ropes in Kalyan Undinty as head of E-Commerce

    Mumbai: Mindshare, the media services company that is part of GroupM and  WPP, has announced the appointment of Kalyan Undinty as the Head of E-Commerce.  

    With over 17 years of diverse experience spanning E-Commerce, Sales, Marketing, and  Supply Chain, Kalyan brings a wealth of expertise to his new role. A graduate of the  esteemed Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode, Kalyan joins Mindshare from Reckitt,  where he played a pivotal role in establishing and scaling a dynamic and sustainable E

    commerce business over the past eight years.

    Mindshare – South Asia CEO Amin Lakhani, said, ” His extensive experience in building  and scaling e-commerce businesses will help us innovate and deliver exceptional results  for our clients. As brands embark on a journey of growth and transformation, we want to  help them leverage the power of e-commerce to redefine strategies and drive tangible  value for them. Together, we will chart new territories, elevate customer experiences in the  ever-evolving realm of digital commerce.”

    Undinty said, “It’s an exciting opportunity to  explore new avenues and create transformative experiences, driving sustainable growth in  the e-commerce ecosystem. Together, we’ll utilize data-driven insights, consumer-centric  strategies, and cutting-edge technology to surpass our clients’ and consumers’  expectations. I’m excited to join the team and help shape Mindshare’s e-commerce  agenda.” 

  • Britannia and Mindshare unveil AI-powered camera campaign for NutriChoice

    Britannia and Mindshare unveil AI-powered camera campaign for NutriChoice

    Mumbai: Britannia, one of India’s leading foods and beverages companies in collaboration with its innovative partner agency, Mindshare, is proud to announce a groundbreaking advancement in Brand Experience with the introduction of India’s first AI-powered Mixed Reality Smartphone Camera. The cutting-edge technology is built by Flam, an AI-powered mixed-reality content platform for marketing. This innovative platform opens up a world of engaging experiential advertisement and user-generated content for forward-thinking brands.

    With this innovative campaign, consumers will be able to scan the QR code on their smartphones leading to experiencing a video from Ranveer Singh within their smartphone camera experience. On scanning, the static image comes alive with a video that delivers the message that Britannia NutriChoice Digestive biscuit is the only digestive biscuit made with 100 per cent atta and zero per cent Maida*. This breakthrough experience will also soon be available at several retail touch points for consumers to experience, in addition to the print advertisement.

    At the core of this pioneering campaign lies an AI-powered mixed reality camera, seamlessly integrated with an instant app activated via QR codes. The Britannia NutriChoice campaign showcases unparalleled capabilities with an intuitive and compelling user experience. Utilising image tracking in 3D space, the camera employs feature points to generate immersive mixed-reality 3D content, delivering a captivating experience. With an impressive operating speed of 60 frames per second, the camera ensures smooth video playback, even during image translation or rotation. Powering this technology is the visual transformer, a deep-learning AI model engineered for similarity matching and image recognition.

    Britannia Industries chief marketing officer Amit Doshi shared, “The application of technology in marketing is deepening and it is exciting to build such novel consumer experiences. Users can now immerse themselves through their phone camera, without the need for app downloads or webAR. It is truly rewarding to have partners like Mindshare, who powered this innovation and brought it to reality. Together, we are pushing the boundaries of creativity and technology to engage consumers in unexpected ways”

    Mindshare CEO Amin Lakhani shared, “From personalized content experiences to real-time engagement opportunities, this AI-powered camera technology is set to transform how consumers perceive and interact with brands. Together, Britannia and Mindshare are not just disrupting the status quo; we’re pioneering a new paradigm — one that empowers consumers, amplifies creativity and unlocks limitless possibilities for brand engagement.”

    Flam founder & CEO Shourya Agarwal shared, “Our camera technology is engineered for effortless scalability, supporting billions of users and seamless compatibility across all devices. It delivers robust performance without requiring app downloads or web-based augmented reality. Our advanced AI-driven image recognition and tracking provide unmatched accuracy and efficiency. Starting with Mindshare & Britannia, we’re bringing experiential advertisements that are not just seen, but something you engage & create shareable stories with – for the first time in India. This innovative platform opens up a world of user-generated content for forward-thinking brands, allowing them to harness the creativity of their audience” 

  • Mindshare along with Modi Illva unveil ‘The Rockford Circle’

    Mindshare along with Modi Illva unveil ‘The Rockford Circle’

    Mumbai: Mindshare, a GroupM company, and Modi Illva present ‘The  Rockford Circle’ – a new chat show produced in collaboration with GroupM ESP and Motion  Entertainment. The show aims to fuel ambitious spirited minds towards pursuing their goals.  The Rockford Circle inspires and stimulates ambitious likeminded individuals to dream big  and break new ground.

    Wealth generation and financial independence are on the rise in the country. The inspiring  lineup of guests on this show will be seen talking about the importance of these along with  conversations on each of their journeys and their aspirations. The candid conversations led  by Chitrangada Singh, and the founders of the companies, delves into the journeys of  insightful individuals and their audacious goals.

    The prominent guests of the show are:

    Yashish Dahiya: Founder of Policy Bazaar

    Rohit Bansal- Founder of Snapdeal/ Titan Capital

    Rahul Jain- Founder of Epigamia

    Amit and Gaurav Khatri: Founder of NOISE

    Shantanu Deshpande- Founder of Bombay Shaving Co

    Dhruv Shringi: Founder of Yatra

    Mindshare South Asia CEO Amin Lakhani said, “The Rockford Circle engages audience  through genuine narratives of individuals starting from scratch and building empires. This  show aspires to do just that, shedding light on the human behind the stories of today’s  successful entrepreneurs. Partnering with Modi Illva on this inspiring chat show, we are  confident that it will motivate people to take that transformative step, becoming an  inspiration to many.”

    Mindshare chief content officer Ajay Mehta said, “The Rockford circle is designed to  inspire viewers and reveal what goes behind the human side of some of the greatest  entrepreneurs India has ever produced. The series is a candid chat that throws light on  some of the awe-inspiring moments, challenges they faced & their wins as successful  entrepreneurs. We hope the audience finds it equally captivating and inspiring.”

    Modi Illva India Pvt Ltd managing director Abhishek Modi said,“Over the past few years,  the Indian Start-up Ecosystem has witnessed a remarkable growth with significant  developments on multiple fronts. The Rockford Circle is an initiative to fuel, inspire and  ignite the spirit of collaboration and networking amongst ambitious individuals. It creates candid conversations normalising unique goals, set-backs and triumphs wrapped together, as a source of encouragement. The Rockford Circle has been created as an  online platform to deliver inspiration in a light, entertaining, & engaging format through  entrancing interactions.”

    The show will feature on YouTube and the six episodes will be 25 minutes each.

    The Rockford Circle

    The Rockford Circle

  • Muthoot Finance launches ‘Bharosa India Ka’ campaign with Madhuri Dixit

    Muthoot Finance launches ‘Bharosa India Ka’ campaign with Madhuri Dixit

    Mumbai: Muthoot Finance has launched a new integrated marketing  campaign titled Bharosa India Ka featuring Madhuri Dixit, who came on board as brand ambassador with the brand earlier this year.

    Over the years, with over 72 crore people (including repeat customers) having benefitted  from its products and services, and with over 2.5 lakh people reaffirming faith in the brand  on a daily basis, across the length and breadth of the country, Muthoot Finance enjoys  immense trust of the people. The recent certification granted to Muthoot Finance, as the  No. 1 Most Trusted Financial Services Brand by The Brand Trust Report 2023, for a seventh year running is testimony of the trust the brand has ‘earned’ over a long period of time.

    The 360-degree campaign, Bharosa India Ka, launched on 1 August 2023 is a humble  recognition of this trust, as also a way to express the brand’s gratitude towards people  who have maintained their preference and faith in Muthoot Finance. The campaign  reaffirms the brand’s traditional leadership status in the Gold Loan segment while bringing  attention to its various loan offerings such as Housing Loans, Personal Loans, and Vehicle  Loans as well as providing Gold Loan at Home services.

    Mindshare CEO South Asia Amin Lakhani said, “It is with great excitement that my team  and I look forward to “Bharosa India Ka” which is the latest integrated marketing  campaign from Muthoot Finance. The campaign through its powerful creative effortlessly  brings out the key distinction of Muthoot Finance truly being a Financial supermarket with  an unparalleled distinction of being the most trusted brand. We firmly believe that to create maximum impact, the message as strong as this should  be served to the target audience in its entirety. Through our 360 degree amplification  across all relevant mediums, Mindshare will strive to ensure that this campaign reaches  out to the maximum audiences ensuring maximum exposure and highest ROI for the  brand.”

    Speaking about the campaign, The Muthoot Group joint manager Alexander George Muthoot said, “Muthoot Finance is a financial conglomerate and this TVC with  Madhuri Ji brilliantly showcases some of our main loan products such as Home Loan,  Personal Loan, and Vehicle Loan, in addition to Gold Loans. The main idea of this  campaign is to reinforce our credentials as a financial supermarket – A brand with an  unblemished track record and certified as India’s Most Trusted Financial Services Brand  for 7 years in a row by the prestigious Brand Trust Report. With 20 diversified divisions and  5850+ branches serving +2.5 Lac customers every day, Muthoot Finance has earned the  Trust of crores of Indians since its inception. Hence, we thought of the campaign tagline  as “Bharosa India Ka”.

    Madhuri Ji will showcase the brand in a very interesting and vibrant avatar to connect  with a cross section of audiences and specially female audiences whom Muthoot Finance has truly empowered from a women empowerment perspective too. The flagship product  of Gold loans are a great way to enable women to unlock the true potential of their  emotional currency and realise their dreams and aspirations. The Bharosa India Ka  campaign embodies the larger essence of our brand’s legacy of trust and confidence  customers have in our various products and services.”

    Muthoot Group senior general manager – marketing & strategy Abhinav Iyer further added, “Muthoot Finance Loans – Bharosa India Ka“ is a special campaign for us  since it is our maiden integrated marketing campaign with Madhuri Ji. The campaign  features the charismatic Madhuri Ji in an exciting and visually stunning musical TV  commercial that showcases our diverse product propositions across our various loan  products. Besides amplifying the different loan categories, the ad film also showcases  key features of Muthoot Finance’s services, like minimal documentation, zero hidden  charges, hassle-free process & instant disbursement, Loan at Home facility amongst  many others. Sung by the ever-popular Sunidhi Chauhan, the upbeat and catchy  number is choreographed and directed by the talented duo Piyush & Shazia. Besides TV,  the campaign will also be carried across Print, Outdoor, Digital, Cable and Ground  Activation.” 

  • India’s smart TV market grew 74 per cent YoY in Q2’ 22: Report

    India’s smart TV market grew 74 per cent YoY in Q2’ 22: Report

    Mumbai: mediasmart, an Affle company, has published the second edition of its India CTV Report 2022, titled “India Says Yes to Connected TV!” The report stated that India’s smart TV market grew 74 per cent YoY in Q2’22.

    The report focuses on consumer adoption trends in metro and non-metro areas, as well as a significant shift in CTV ad potential for brands and marketers. According to its report, CTV viewing is a part of the daily routine and a preferred source of entertainment. CTV consumption is driven by adults, including grandparents. 78 per cent had a smart TV, of which 93 per cent used the internet to consume content.

    TV subscriptions stood at merely five million subscribers in 2020, but quickly doubled to 10 million in 2021. By 2025, this figure is expected to become 4x.

    mediasmart vice president (India & SEA) Nikhil Kumar said, “Our report this year goes deeper into the reach and impact of CTV. It is interesting to see how far CTV has grown into the metros and non-metros. It’s a stark revelation to see CTV’s growth into a family viewing phenomenon that is bringing people back to their living rooms. The audience for CTV is fairly well spread across the diversity of content offered by multiple OTTs and is now beginning to explore newer genres like games and live news as other top choices. This consumption shift has also led to significant growth in co-viewing, which is not restricted to a certain demographic or geographic segment either. This holds huge potential for advertisers who can leverage emerging technologies like mediasmart’s CTV Household Sync to connect the worlds of TV & mobile and drive impact.”

    The report highlighted that viewers spend an average of four hours daily watching CTV content, as opposed to three and a half hours in 2021. 69 per cent spend  one to four hours/day watching CTV.

    72 per cent of respondents above 35 years of age consume CTV content after 6 p.m., indicating that CTV is a preferred source of entertainment for people to wind down after work.

    50 per cent of respondents said they prefer Smart TVs for watching content at home, while only 36 per cent prefer mobile devices. 84 per cent of households have more than one person watching CTV, and 64 per cent of respondents claimed to prefer watching CTV together with their families, unlike the solo viewing experience.

    The covid-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of wired broadband connections in homes. As the country enters the holiday season, more users are discovering CTV as a new way to consume content at home with their families. Adults, including users from older demographics, drive the co-viewing phenomenon on CTV in many Indian households.

    On-demand content on OTT continues to remain the preferred choice for most viewers (41 per cent) with music (17 per cent), games (11 per cent), news (10 per cent) and user-generated content (21 per cent) being other options. 66 per cent have a subscription to more than one OTT app.

    The reports stated that people use multiple OTT apps across global, national, and regional apps and switch between multiple apps based on the content genre of their preference. 82 per cent of CTV devices generate active bid requests from more than four OTT platforms.

    Marketers are using CTV for high-impact storytelling, increased brand engagement, and driving action and conversions on mobile globally and in India. With CTV’s ability to provide measurable advertising on television and to connect users’ journeys both online and offline, CTV presents remarkable opportunities for brand impact during the current holiday season.

    Nine out of ten CTV viewers recall being exposed to advertisements, and 81 per cent of those exposed to advertisements claim that the advertisements influenced them. Nudging the users on their mobile devices within 24 hours helps improve the purchase intent for users who have seen ads on connected TV.

    VTION chief business officer Shailesh Varudkar said, “Our partnership with mediasmart in 2021 was the first-of-its-kind research on CTV viewers in India and their habits, sliced-and-diced by various demographics, and came at a time when there was little industry knowledge about this category. This year, as we go deeper and wider into the country, the newer learnings from our CTV2.0 report will further give an impetus to the growing appetite and enthusiasm for CTV among consumers and advertisers.”

    Elaborating on India’s potential as a robust market for CTV adoption, Interactive Avenues co-founder & CEO Amardeep Singh said, “CTV has the potential to truly democratise TV advertising by allowing even low-budget advertisers to connect with audiences on TV. This edition of mediasmart’s report will help advertisers understand the nuances of the medium better along with changing consumer behaviour and also instil confidence regarding CTV’s role as an impactful advertising medium through measurable technologies like mediasmart’s CTV Household Sync.”

    mindshare head of digital (South Asia) Gopa Menon added, “India is a young market with tremendous potential for CTV adoption and offers great opportunities to advertisers where they can get strong consumer insights on viewing habits and also target specific cohorts to drive the brand message effectively and efficiently.”

    Madison Digital CEO Vishal Chinchakar added, “We have come a long way from last year, when the ecosystem in India was just beginning to explore the CTV opportunity, to now when top clients are insisting on the inclusion or better understanding of CTV in their media plans.”

    Commenting on CTV’s impact for brand lift, Havas Media Group India CEO Mohit Joshi said, “CTV ecosystem creates meaningful exposures to reach the target audience. The platforms and the formats have opened up a vast opportunity for us in terms of innovation, strategy, and creating best practices for CTV advertisers.”

    PivotRoots founder & managing director Shibu Shivanandan said, “The good thing about CTV advertising is that, unlike traditional TV, advertisers get to choose their potential audience. Hence, a complete shift from spot buys to audience buys on a large screen is now possible with digital targeting capabilities and can be bought and served programmatically.”

  • Mindshare names Sam Thomas as head – performance & product

    Mindshare names Sam Thomas as head – performance & product

    Mumbai: Mindshare India, the flagship agency from GroupM, has announced the appointment of Sam Thomas as the head of performance & product in India.

    Rehan Ali as partner – performance (North and East), Atishay Agrawal as senior director – performance (South), and Pratishtha Dehariya as partner – performance (West) are the other key appointments. They will be based out of Gurgaon, Mumbai, and Bangalore, respectively, and will report to Sam.

    Sam will be based out of Mumbai and will report to Mindshare South Asia digital head Gopa Menon. He will look after the performance business, productizing services and building enhanced capabilities for clients. With over 16 years of experience in digital marketing, Sam has a hands-on approach to setting practices, building teams, promoting innovation, and growing client businesses. Sam is an internal and external specialist as an expert in data-driven marketing and analytics. He will continue to have a strong focus on performance and measures effectiveness.

    Rehan will bring in more efficiencies for an existing set of clients and grow the performance marketing portfolio as well as support teams to bring on board new clients in the northern and eastern markets. Atishay will help grow the existing business efficiently and grow the performance portfolio for Mindshare in the South, while Pratishtha will lead the performance business for Mindshare West.

    A crucial aspect for the team will be to work with various departments within GroupM and help fill in gaps wherever necessary. They will also collaborate with teams to understand the existing business and provide performance-driven solutions for existing clients and create performance strategies for new businesses.

    Mindshare South Asia CEO Amin Lakhani said, “As we observe massive acceleration of digital adoption by consumers, it is imperative for us to deliver full funnel integrated products for our clients. Strengthening our performance capability further is a step in right direction. The expertise Sam and his team bring to Mindshare will allow us to continue supporting clients with their digital capabilities and performance excellence. I am certain that this team will play a pivotal role in the brand transformation journey for our clients and will drive Mindshare’s ‘Good Growth’ proposition for them.’’

    Mindshare South Asia digital head Gopa Menon said, “Performance marketing is becoming increasingly important to marketers and Sam and his team brings in-depth knowledge of how brands can revamp their digital and performance strategies. We look forward to continuing enriching digital experiences for our clients.”

    Sam Thomas said, “I’m excited to join an agency like Mindshare, which has been at the forefront of performance marketing to help companies reach their business targets. Performance marketing is the backbone of brands’ transformation as digital adoption takes over. I am looking forward to contributing to Mindshare’s ‘good growth’ journey by bridging the gap between seamless digital activation and implementation for its clients.”

  • Mindshare names Sidharth Parashar as chief investment officer of APAC

    Mindshare names Sidharth Parashar as chief investment officer of APAC

    MUMBAI: Mindshare, the media services company that is part of WPP, has appointed Sidharth Parashar as the chief investment officer of Mindshare APAC. Formerly the president of investments & pricing at GroupM India, Sidharth will be based in Singapore and will be part of the Mindshare APAC leadership team.

    Reporting to Mindshare APAC chief executive officer Helen McRae, Sidharth will focus on enhancing Mindshare’s investment strategy across local markets as well as driving Intentional Investment and the opportunity for Good Growth in the region.

    Helen McRae said, “I am very pleased that Sidharth will be joining our regional team. He brings a tremendous depth of expertise and will be a great champion of Good Growth for our clients.”

    Commenting on his move from GroupM to Mindshare, GroupM South Asia CEO Prasanth Kumar said, “Sidharth has had a phenomenal career journey where the organisation has witnessed his evolution from a practice expert to a leader in the last 18 years with GroupM. He has successfully led the investment mandates across all media and has elevated the practice through innovative products and delivering exceptional value for our clients. I would like to wish him the very best and will continue to work closely with him as he drives the regional investment strategy for Mindshare.”

    Parashar said, “It has been an amazing journey at GroupM, and I am delighted to now take over this new Mindshare APAC investments role. I look forward to this opportunity in new markets to build value for our client’s business.”