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Tag: Niti Kumar

  • Ad Tech Today is back with its second edition of EMERGE

    Ad Tech Today is back with its second edition of EMERGE

    MUMBAI: Ad Tech Today is back with its second edition of EMERGE. After the grand success in Mumbai last year, EMERGE 2025 is all set to take place on 07 August at Welcomhotel by ITC Hotels, Delhi (Gurugram).Gurugram will play host to one of India’s most refreshing marketing events — EMERGE 2025, a celebration of independent thinking, bold creativity, and innovation across digital, media, and tech.

    Presented by Adtech Today, EMERGE 2025 is where leaders from agencies, brands, and platforms come together to decode what’s really driving growth today. With Kargo as Premium AdTech Partner, Trackier as Managing Partner, Annimmoov as Creative Partner, Wingreens as Gifting Partner, and Treize Communications as PR Partner, the event promises ideas worth spotlighting and conversations worth joining.

    The day-long event will feature bold panel discussions, each curated around future-ready themes. A session on Short-form Content & Commerce will be there on short-form content’s growing influence. Niti Kumar (Starcom) will moderate a conversation featuring Nikita Malhotra (Woodland), Naresh Gupta (Bang in the Middle), Nisha Khatri (Libas), Sindhu Biswal (Buzzlab), Megha Marwah (White Rivers Media), and Neha Kant (Clovia)  diving into how creators, commerce, and content converge.

    The panel “Thriving Independently: Adapting to Tech, Media Shifts & Competing with Giants” will be moderated by Mimi Deb (Madison Media Plus). Panelists include Sajit Gopal (Domino’s), Sini Magon (Grapes), Sumon Chakrabarti (Buffalo Soldiers), Sonal Shrivastav (Kenstar), Tufayl Merchant (Howl), and Vishnu Sharma (Efficiency Worldwide) decoding how independent agencies and new-age marketers are collaborating and competing at scale.

    Another session will be on The Future of Performance Marketing, which will be moderated by Kumar Awanish (Cheil India). This panel will explore the evolving dynamics of performance-driven marketing. Panelists include Chirag Jagwani (Fixderma), Shweta Srivastava (Dr. Reddy’s), Dr. Ashish Bajaj (Narayana Health), Sachin Vashishtha (Paisabazaar), Vikram Singh (ITC Hotels), and Rahul Pant (Trackier) offering practical and strategic insights for marketers.

    The panel “Unfiltered: What It Really Takes to Run an Independent Agency Today” brings together honest perspectives from both agency and brand leaders. Moderated by Dr. Kushal Sanghvi, the session features Nasheet Shadani(Nash8), Anadi Sah (Tgthr.), Pratik Lalwani (CrayWings), Shubh Bajaj (Lyxel & Flamingo) and Manas Gulati (ARM Worldwide), who share raw insights into the indie agency journey.

    EMERGE 2025 will also throw Spotlight on Visionaries with a new segment called The Founder’s Spotlight, that will recognize bold, rising entrepreneurs from across marketing and media. Adding depth to this showcase is a review panel of seasoned leaders Ishank Joshi (Mobavenue), and Gandharv Sachdev (Hybrid) and Karanbir Bhatia (Yugo Capital) who will share their perspectives on leadership, innovation, and the future of independent growth.

    Keynotes That Cut Through

    In a hard-hitting keynote, Nabajit Nath, Sales Director – India at Kargo, will address “Ad Fraud 2.0: The Growing Threat of MFA in India”. Also on stage, Srikanth Rayaprolu ,CEO of Adtech Today will deliver a forward-looking keynote: “Eastward Bound: Strategic Expansion for Independent Agencies in ME & SEA.”

    An integral part of the event, The EMERGE Awards will look to honor excellence across independent agencies, publishers, and tech platforms. With categories spanning display, video, influencer, and data-led campaigns, these awards are curated to spotlight outstanding digital work.

    Chaired by Dr. Kushal Sanghvi and K.V. Sridhar (Pops), with select editorial oversight, the awards ensure that credibility, creativity, and impact stay at the heart of every recognition.

  • Frodoh partners with Jeep for maiden CTV campaign

    Frodoh partners with Jeep for maiden CTV campaign

    Mumbai: Fast-growing ad tech firm Frodoh partnered with Jeep for the first-ever Connected TV (CTV) campaign that delivered exceptional results with a staggering 97 per cent video completion rate and an astounding 11,700 QR scans. Conceptualised and crafted by Starcom India part of Publicis Groupe India, this innovative campaign featured a video of Indian actor Hrithik Roshan, enhanced with an inverse L-skinner that integrated a smart QR code.

    Leveraging Frodoh’s cutting-edge inverse L-skinner which maximises screen visibility and user attention, the campaign integrated a QR code with the Jeep Wrangler branding. The ad strategically targeted over a million households across India’s top 10 metros, though the prominence on HSM was to be heavy. The premium and affluent audience profile of CTV viewers who interacted with the campaign further reinforced the effectiveness of the targeting strategy. The campaign was also extended to mobile devices to maximise reach and frequency, allowing for seamless cross-platform engagement.

    Speaking on the partnership Jeep India brand director Kumar Priyeshmn said, “Jeep Brand has always stood out for our brave and innovative approach towards advertising, and our latest campaign in collaboration with Frodoh and Starcom was no different. This pioneering CTV campaign for Jeep Wrangler pioneering the use of CTV and QR technology, reported outstanding results and hence demonstrate the power of new ad technologies in reaching and engaging our target audience, and we continue to look forward to exploring more such cutting-edge opportunities in the future.”

    “We are thrilled to have partnered with Jeep and Starcom for a campaign that has witnessed significant success. The metrics speak volumes about the potential of integrating smart technology mediums such as CTV that enable us to deliver highly targeted campaigns, creating further value for the brand.” Frodoh founder and CEO Russhabh R Thakkar added.

    Speaking on the campaign, Starcom India CEO Rathi Gangappa said, “At Starcom, our mission is to ‘Move People, Move Business,’ and this pioneering Connected TV campaign for Jeep is a testament to that philosophy. Utilising Frodoh’s advanced technology, we crafted an engaging and impactful brand experience that resonated deeply with our target audience. Achieving a remarkable 97% video completion rate and 11,700 QR scans highlights the success of our strategic approach in leveraging media, data, and technology. We are proud to have delivered such outstanding results and set a new benchmark in the AdTech industry with this innovative campaign.”

    Starcom India COO Niti Kumar further added, “We are proud to have successfully executed this innovative Connected TV campaign. The strategic collaboration between Frodoh and Jeep Wrangler, facilitated by Starcom India, demonstrates the powerful capabilities of Connected TV for delivering impactful advertising. This campaign’s success also highlights the potential of Connected TV in reaching and engaging premium audiences. We eagerly anticipate driving similar groundbreaking campaigns in the future.”

    With this latest campaign, Frodoh World and Jeep exemplify the growing importance of interactive elements in CTV advertising. 

  • Eveready & ZEE join hands for a first-of-its-kind brand collaboration

    Eveready & ZEE join hands for a first-of-its-kind brand collaboration

    Mumbai: Eveready, a trusted name in the world of batteries has partnered with ZEE, India’s leading content company to promote its new range of batteries. As part of the brand collaboration, Eveready ULTIMA will feature prominently on ZEE’s popular and homegrown reality shows, including Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, Dance Bangla Dance, Dance Karnataka Dance and Telugu medium I school.. ZEE’s linear channels that are an integral part of the brand association are Zee TV, Zee Sarthak, Zee Tamil, Zee Marathi, Zee Bangla, Zee Kannada and Zee Telugu.

    Eveready ULTIMA will be showcased in the reality shows, and the brand’s logo will be integrated into the shows’ set design, graphics, and on-screen promotions. The battery brand has also worked closely with ZEE to create custom content for the shows, such as sponsored segments and product challenges.

    Commenting on this announcement, Eveready Industries India Ltd Sr VP and SBU head (batteries and flashlights) Anirban Banerjee, “We have recently unveiled our new and improved Ultima range of batteries supported by a 360 campaign ‘Khelenge Toh Sikhenge’. The campaign highlights that children in any family can learn valuable life lessons like caring, sharing, love and equality when playing in daily life with battery operated toys. Thus to keep the child’s play ongoing effortlessly, our new 400% longer lasting Ultima batteries are just perfect. Our collaboration with ZEE seamlessly aligns with the campaign’s objective and values, as majority of ZEE’s shows are packed with energy, fostering a blend of entertainment while actively nurturing the young talents. Eveready is committed towards its mission to empower the youth with the essential support they require for a brighter and more promising future, and our partnership with ZEE amplifies our ability to achieve this noble endeavour.”

    Adding to this, Starcom India COO Niti Kumar said, “At Starcom, we believe that a successful product launch requires a powerful platform that maximises consumer engagement and brand visibility. Such a key communication pillar was vital to drive home Eveready’s new message. ZEE’s reality shows enjoy immense popularity among Indians, which makes it a strong channel for brand collaboration. Accordingly, we forged this first-of-its-kind strategic partnership, which not only introduces Eveready’s robust product offerings but also harnesses ZEE’s expansive reach across diverse regions, languages, and content formats.”

    Eveready ULTIMA recently launched its campaign, ‘Kheloge Toh Bahut Kuch Seekhoge’, which highlights the exceptional longevity of Eveready ULTIMA batteries, perfectly suited to power the modern gadgets and appliances that have become an integral part of daily lives.

  • Connected TV: A growing market in India

    Connected TV: A growing market in India

    Mumbai: Connected TV has an audience base of 45 million in India, according to Madison Advertising Report 2022.

    The segment contributes eight to ten per cent of the digital audience currently. In the last five years, it has grown nine times and is expected to grow by another four times to reach an audience base of 120 million by 2025. It is expected that connected TV audience base contribution will surge by 15 per cent in future.

    The audience base of CTV is growing mostly due to the increase in demand for smart TVs. In 2021, CTV shipments accounted for 84 per cent of overall TV shipments as compared to 64 per cent in 2020.

    These data points were presented by Madison World’s general manager Chinmay Chandratre who moderated a panel discussion at Indiantelevision Dot Com’s four-day event ‘Content-Tech, Ad-Tech, Mar-Tech and More (CAMM) Summit’ co-powered by Pubmatic and Industry Partner Adjust held on Tuesday.

    The discussion was joined by legacy and new-age brand marketers, media planners and technology providers such as Adjust lead product strategist Gijsbert Pols; Starcom chief operations officer Niti Kumar; ITC Limited chief operating officer – dairy and beverages Sanjay Singhal; HomeLane chief marketing officer Udit Mediratta and Pubmatic’s regional vice president (OTT and CTV) Vijay Anand Kunduri.

    Watch the full session.

    The discussion kicked off by understanding how a legacy brand like ITC looked at the opportunity of CTV. “Typically, the way you build huge categories like biscuits and snacks is through mass advertising,” explained ITC’s Sanjay Singhal.

    “As consumer tastes have evolved, we have found that there is a need to slice and dice consumer segments whose needs cannot be met by traditional products and communication on mass media platforms. There is a need for targeting cohorts of consumers that TV cannot do efficiently,” said Singhal.

    “There is only so much that may be communicated in a 30-seconder ad on TV,” he added.

    Singhal, “When there is a need to explain certain benefits of products to the consumer, a more engaging medium with a higher frequency build-up is required.”

    No doubt ITC is a large spender on TV but a large proportion of ad spends are moving to new age mediums for their brands that are targeting younger audiences, alluded Singhal.

    He added, “It’s not just our brands such as ‘Bingo’ and ‘Yippee’ which are youth-oriented that are moving towards digital but also our atta brand ‘Ashirvaad’. That’s the power of high frequency.”

    While legacy brands are leveraging a mix of traditional TV and CTV, new-age brands such as HomeLane are comfortable advertising only on digital and CTV platforms.

    As Udit Mediratta puts it, “As a digital-first brand, our target audience is largely millennials who are ‘cord-cutters’ and hence CTV is the new TV for us. There are inherent strengths in CTV whose visuals and formats are similar to traditional TV while at the same time it is also targeted and measurable. The only disadvantage at this point is scale because there are only 20 million CTV households. However, this base is expected to increase by four times in the next three to four years.”

    From a media planning perspective, CTV allows brands to reach incremental audiences, states Starcom’s Niti Kumar. “When you look at CTV and what it brings to the table, it is the largeness of TV in terms of screen size and format coupled with the biggest advantage of digital i.e., targeting/precision. CTV should be included in media plans based on two criteria – where’s the consumer and the brands’ business outcomes.”

    “In terms of inventory that is available and targeting, CTV in India is still in its nascent stage as compared to what a YouTube or Disney+ Hotstar can provide. There’s a lot of development that is needed in the technology but it can be layered onto media plans from an incremental reach perspective,” she adds.

    The rise of CTV also implies that publishers must be more conscious of hygiene factors while displaying an ad that negatively impacts the user experience. “What we’ve seen is a movement from the small screen to the big screen,” observed Pubmatic’s Vijay Anand Kunduri.

    “In most of the Indian market, digital penetration is largely due to mobile but in the last 24 months, we’ve seen the transition from ‘me’ to ‘we’ viewing largely in front of CTV. On the broadcaster side, the trend where the content was first being created for linear and then streamed on OTT as catch-up has reversed. Now, content is being streamed on OTT-first followed by linear telecast,” Kunduri added.

    “Parallel to CTV there’s also the emergence of free ad-supported TV (FAST) or advertising video-on-demand (AVOD) and publishers must take into account that when their ad is playing on CTV it should not face technical issues such as buffering, back-to-back ad reels and showing competitor product ads consecutively as this creates a bad user experience,” he added.

    Adjusts’ Gijsbert Pols mentioned that in terms of measurability, CTV measurement on digital platforms is just like Facebook and YouTube, however, there is an important caveat that marketers and planners must be aware of.

    He said, “Across the world, performance marketers are entering the TV space via CTV because it has become measurable. I don’t think we are far away from a fully digitalised way of measuring performance and branding as the technology and data are there. The problem is implementation which is a tough cookie to crack.”

    “While you can measure CTV in the same way you measure other digital channels, it does require you to adjust key performance indicators (KPIs). CTV is more upper-funnel as there are no clicks. For the last decade, digital marketers have been used to measure digital looking at last touch data, however, CTV requires you to adopt a multi-touch approach when it comes to measurement,” he concluded.

  • Starcom onboards Niti Kumar as chief operating officer

    Starcom onboards Niti Kumar as chief operating officer

    NEW DELHI: Media agency Starcom has strengthened its leadership team with the appointment of Niti Kumar as chief operating officer. She will be responsible for client deliverables, revenue growth, and new business development across the agency’s offices.

    Kumar will report to Starcom India CEO Rathi Gangappa, and will work closely with the senior leadership at Publicis Media to consolidate businesses and drive integrated solutions.

    During her 20 years in the media and marketing industry, she has dabbled in media planning, marketing, digital communications, and media investment management, and has worked across a variety of categories like publishing, FMCG, telecom, automobiles, garments, and BFSI.

    Gangappa said, “I believe that there is immense growth potential in the market today, especially considering the shifts we are likely to see in consumer and workplace habits in a post- pandemic era. This is the right time for Starcom to recruit the right talent, drive future-focused capabilities and to grow the agency’s business through innovative and organic streams.”

    Before joining Starcom, Kumar was the senior vice president at Penguin Random House India, where she spearheaded marketing along with the digital and data initiatives of the organisation. A graduate from MICA, she has held leadership roles at GroupM (managing partner north & east at Mediacom) and Mudra Communications (office head, media, Delhi & Kolkata).

    A TEDx speaker, Kumar has closely led and managed media investments and strategy for global and local businesses like Mars Wrigley, Shell Plc, Makemytrip.com, Gillette, Amway and Reckitt Benckiser, to name a few.

     “I’ve always believed in the power of communications to influence a brand’s business impact and their relationship with consumers,” said Kumar. “Starcom has a diverse and interesting portfolio of clients, and I’m looking forward to working with them to drive more value, innovation and effectiveness for their media investments while also using the agency’s unique offerings to grow and strengthen the teams and the business.”

  • The comeback of iconic brands

    The comeback of iconic brands

    MUMBAI: In today’s metamorphic world, it is a constant struggle for brands to retain their identity and ensure that they are constantly in the minds of people. There have been iconic brands of the past which one fine day decided to vanish into thin air. Though still present, they dropped advertising and years later felt the urge to bounce back with a bang.

    Be it the mango flavoured drink Frooti, or Appy Fizz, Crompton products, deodorant Old Spice, mobile handset Nokia or television champion Onida with its iconic devil, all these brands were superheroes of their own time and in their respective categories but disappeared from television screens with digitisation and modernisation kicking in.

    After being away from television screens for sometime, Parle Agro’s Frooti hit the screens with a new brand ambassador Shahrukh Khan which helped in boosting sales. 

    Old Spice, which was known for its masculine and metrosexual male-dominated ad, came back with its new brand ambassador, Milind Soman in 2013, a man who women believe resonates with the company’s name and is an old spice himself. The ad helped Procter & Gamble (P&G) to target the metrosexual youth of today with India’s own ‘Iron Man’, doubling its revenue.

    The question for any comeback is whether to create a new product or reaffirm the brand legacy. Tonic Worldwide chief strategy officer Unmisha Bhatt believes that it is a bit of both since as long as the brands are broadly loyal to the category, the legacy is maintained. But in some cases, the brand and product may be obsolete. 

    She also notes that legacy can also backfire with millennials considering that the brand could be perceived as fuddy-duddy and outdated as the new age consumer is looking for ‘cooler’ brands and not heritage brands.

    Mediacom India managing partner Niti Kumar notes that once the brand has re-established itself it can move into line extensions and newer audiences and product line to stay relevant. 

    Today, we spend over 70 per cent of our waking hours on digital, especially mobile, with the rise of smartphone usage and data consumption in the broader strata of society. Hence, Bhatt thinks that while using a healthy media mix, brands need to embrace modern technologies so that their strategy is relevant not only for today but is also future-proof.

    While traditional media including television, hoardings, pamphlets among others would have been a great way to communicate and get the message across 20-30 years ago, they are no longer relevant. Today, regardless of the product, digital is the key to every brand’s communication and, hence, brands that want to come back should leverage it.

    One of the most important qualities that a brand needs to possess in this digital age is vigilance as today’s consumer needs answers and assistance at the drop of a hat and if a brand fails to deliver, there is a greater possibility of it snowing in Mumbai than of them giving you a second chance.

    Brands need to stay true to their legacy as it is after all their greatest asset, according to White Rivers Media CEO and co-founder Shrenik Gandhi. He also suggests brands to never underestimate the power of a beautiful story as stories make sales pitches palatable and no one likes to be sold to.

    Brands should play to their strength but they should not overestimate what their heritage brings to the table. Kumar thinks that sometimes, brands tend to think that because they’ve had a history and legacy in the past, it will still be relevant today, but that is not true and brands need to realise it because the consumer and market are evolving.

    For Gandhi, Maggi’s comeback after battling the shattering of trust and the rise of an unprecedented new competitor was something that kept all marketers hooked and was a historic example. To find a place back in the hearts, minds and plates of customers is tough, and Maggi did it effectively, albeit in a lot more than two minutes.

    While for Kumar Old Spice ad stood out among the rest, Bhatt thinks that Onida campaign was a fine example of a comeback and the recent television commercials during IPL matches are an example of that. They have evoked a great response, touching the nostalgic chord of the older generations and the contemporary ‘devil’ appealing to the younger masses also. However, it would have been exciting to see Onida also take a digital leap and connect with the millennials more smartly with engagement driven campaigns, new formats, tech interventions at retail outlets, e-commerce-based innovations and contextual weather-based innovative search campaigns, reviews and tech influencers.

    Communication is a bridge between the old generation and the new, and it helps in reaching smaller pockets of the nation. Any brand that communicates well with its audience is sure to succeed in the long run. This also means, changing the communication and its medium as and when required to keep up with changing times. Here’s to more brands that have resurrected or want to resurrect from the dead to capture the ever-fragmented market!

    Also Read :

    Indian TVCs that rapped with consumers

    Guest column: Ads that didn’t work!

    Mirza and the art of brand endorsement

    New Era up for hard graft in India

  • Niti Kumar takes over as MediaCom Delhi GM

    MUMBAI: Media agency MediaCom has elevated Niti Kumar to the post of general manager for its Delhi operations. She takes over from Vinish Joshi who has decided to move on from the agency.

    Kumar joined MediaCom in 2011 as the national director – Insights and new business and continued to hold the post till now. She led a number of successful pitches, the latest being Mars this January. She has over 13 years of experience in the media agency domain. She has worked on a host of clients like ICI Paints, HBO, Dabur, Amway, Gillette, Reckitt Benckiser, Electrolux and Yatra.com.

    MediaCom India MD Debraj Tripathy said, “Niti has shown perseverance and maturity in the way she has been able to manage both the new business and the consumer insights processes. She is absolutely the best person to take over from Vinish. Vinish has been with MediaCom for the last six years and has done a great job of nurturing our clients as well as the MediaCom Delhi team. I wish him all the very best in his future endeavours.”

    Kumar said, “It‘s exciting to move into this new role at MediaCom. In a more ‘front of the line‘ role I hope to bring more energy to the organization. Delhi is a wonderful, dynamic market and MediaCom Delhi has exceptional talent and a great set of businesses. My goal will be to maintain the excellence while also ensuring growth from new businesses.”

  • MediaCom selects Niti Kumar as national director-new biz and insights

    MediaCom selects Niti Kumar as national director-new biz and insights

    MUMBAI: MediaCom has appointed Niti Kumar as national director-new business and insights. She will be based in Delhi.

    In her last stint, Kumar was head of operations at Mudra Connext-North and East India.

    This was Kumar‘s second stint with the organisation. Earlier in 2003, she had joined Connext as business director and was with the company for five years before she took a one-year sabbatical.

    Says MediaCom India COO DebrajTripathy, “Niti’s experience and expertise will help in growing MediaCom’s client roster and will add immense value to our media product. She is definitely the kind of talent that we are looking for and her hiring is in line with our objective of having the best people in MediaCom.”

    Kumar specialises in media planning and has over 11 years of experience. She started her career with FCB Ulka Advertising in 1999 where she handled clients including Whirlpool and Tropicana. She has also worked with Universal McCann and clients such as ICI Paints, HBO, Dabur, Amway, Gillette, Reckitt Benckiser, Electrolux and Yatra.com.

    NitiKumar adds: “I am extremely excited about my role, here at Mediacom. I look forward to contributing towards the growth of the agency and working with their current clients and people across the country.”

    MediaCom manages businesses such as Procter and Gamble, Volkswagen, Skoda, Audi, Dell, Shell, Wrigley, Edelweiss and AegonReligare.