Tag: PepsiCo

Red Digital orchestrates Miranda TweetMob’s second innings

MUMBAI: Digital agency Red Digital created the second TweetMob on 24 February for Mirinda.

With the hot Indian summer approaching, PepsiCo has launched a new campaign for its orange soft drink Mirinda. The campaign orbits around the theme ‘Pagalpanti Bhi Zaroori Hai‘ and is based on the thought that drinking Mirinda is an intense and inescapable experience that leaves one breathless.

The TweetMob started at 3 pm on 24 February with a question asking people what they thought was crazy enough around them to be called ‘PagalPanti‘. The TweetMob lasted till midnight during which time Red Digital created and managed conversation around the hashtag ‘PagalPanti‘. Through the TweetMob, Red Digital helped connect Twitterati and Facebook users who tweeted about the topic with various Mirinda branded hash tags creating a plethora of endorsements for the brand.

Red Digital chief operating officer Yashraj Vakil said, “We think of TweetMob as a Flash Mob on Twitter where our intention is to take over Twitter and engage Twitterati for a certain duration while plugging-in the brand connect. After the successful execution of the first TweetMob on 14 February it was a challenge for us to out-do ourselves with the benchmarks we set for Mirinda and more importantly prove to ourselves that it was not a one-off success by repeating it in a grander manner. It was great to taste success again and take over Twitter.”

The activity saw 3,700 tweets in the span of 9 hours for MirindaIndia. Every 50 tweets with ‘PagalPanti‘ helped the brand reach 7,990 people generating close to 0.6 million views. The agency informed in an official communiqué that the brand reach this time was five times of what the first TweetMob generated.

Red Digital founder and managing director Harsh Jain said, “The independence of ideating with a bold and social brand like Mirinda has given us the opportunity to explore and innovate. We are thankful as well as determined to create and execute many more path breaking ideas through our association with Mirinda.”

PepsiCo India executive vice president – marketing, beverages (flavours) Ruchira Jaitly said, “As marketers we continuously seek ways to engage with the consumers via innovative means. Mirinda‘s TweetMobs is a unique innovation on the digital space that utilizes the strengths of the medium effectively to communicate with our consumers on our latest initiative. The idea is fun and youthful and helped to create awareness of our new flavor campaign in a never-before fashion.”

February 28, 2012
Red Digital wins Mirinda’s social media biz

MUMBAI: Red Digital has bagged the social media mandate of Pepsico’s Mirinda.

The agency will build and execute social media strategies that will help Mirinda brand reach out to their audience on social media platforms. It will play a key role in creating online buzz about the brand’s new offerings along with launching various campaigns and building engagement across social networks.

For Mirinda, Red Digital’s immediate mandate on social media is to create an impact for its latest campaign, with which it has launched two new flavours, Mirinda Orange Masala and Mirinda Orange Mango, while continuing with the base Mirinda Orange flavour.

Red Digital founder and MD Harsh Jain said, “Social media provides seamless opportunities to build interest groups. Digital is no longer just about showing banners and clicking on them. It’s about generating engagement, activation and creating convergence between the online and offline worlds. We are glad to have an innovative partner like PepsiCo onboard and look forward to creating path-breaking innovations in new media in the near future. The new activities for Mirinda brand emphasize our continued focus on digital innovation aimed at bringing value to our clients.”

PepsiCo India EVP- marketing, beverages (flavours) Ruchira Jaitly added, “Social Media has become a very important tool for engaging with consumers and having a dialogue with them on a constant basis. We are pleased to have Red Digital on board as our social media partner for this initiative. Their prior experience in handling leading brands coupled with a deep understanding of consumer behavior in the digital space will ensure there is a high level of engagement and traction for Mirinda’s campaign on 3 Flavors.”

The launch of new flavours is supported by a 360-degree campaign called the taste twister challenge, supported via radio, outdoor and on-ground activation along with social media. Red Digital will help in bringing the experience of this program me to Facebook and on-ground.

Red Digital will also exploit new disruptive full sleeve packaging that captures the taste and fun experience of drinking Mirinda through applications on Facebook. These applications use the prominent aspect of the packaging: the emoticons, to bring alive the new flavors. The applications range from allowing fans on the Mirinda India Facebook fan page to enter into an augmented reality world and play with the emoticons to classifying friends in various taste categories. The agency will also be creating an augmented reality iPhone and Android application.

The campaign will also see Red Digital creating TweetMobs though the duration of this campaign. These will be high impact subjects being Tweeted by Mirinda and re-tweeted by a group of people within a specific time frame.

February 15, 2012
PepsiCo appoints Homi Battiwalla to head marketing of Colas

MUMBAI: PepsiCo India has appointed Homi Battiwalla as EVP- Colas, Hydration and Mango Based Beverages.

Battiwala takes over from Sandeep Singh Arora who is not working with the company anymore. He takes charge of the marketing role for the Cola category (Pepsi, Diet Pepsi) along with his current responsibilities. He is director juice and juice drinks at PepsiCo India.

PepsiCo beverages executive director – marketing Deepika Warrier said, “Homi’s rich experience and in-depth understanding of the beverage industry, positions him well to lead the marketing responsibilities for brand Pepsi as we look forward to continue the brand’s winning performance. Homi has been singularly responsible for some iconic brand building and marketing on brand Slice and consistently positioning Tropicana in the breakfast nutrition space. He has proven his leadership skills in successfully growing the juice and juice based drinks category for PepsiCo.”

Battiwala joined PepsiCo in 1997 as management trainee. He has handled the company’s sales, distribution and marketing team. He has worked across various beverage brands including Mountain Dew, 7UP, Tropicana, Aquafina and Mango Slice.

February 14, 2012
PepsiCo to up ad spend, trim agencies from 150 to 50

MUMBAI: Calling 2012 a transition year, PepsiCo announced that it will be adding to the advertising spends kitty. In a strategy to position itself for growth, the company also said it will reduce the agencies on its roster and lay off employese while adding to the A&P spends.

As reported in the Ad Age, the company will invest an additional $500 million to $600 million to advertise its brands this year following a six month review, with a focus on North America. Up to $100 million in additional spending will focus on things like in-store display racks.

In the coming years as well, PepsiCo will maintain or increase that rate of support to maintain ad spending as a particular percentage of revenue.

According to an analysis from Jefferies & Co. as a percentage of sales Coca-Cola spent 8 per cent on marketing in 2010 while PepsiCo spent just 3 per cent on its beverage brands.

PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi is looking to boost U.S. beverage sales and regain market share from Coca-Cola.

It is reported that the additional spending will focus on a dozen core brands like Pepsi, Gatorade, Tropicana, Mtn Dew, Sierra Mist, Lipton, Mirinda, Lay‘s, Sun Chips, Cheetos, Doritos and Quaker rather than spreading it across a wide swathe of its beverage and snack brands.

PepsiCo said it will reduce the number of agency partners in the beverages section from 150 to 50 in order to make way for the new investments. Currently TBWA /Chiat/Day manages the Pepsi trademark in the U.S. as well as Gatorade and Tostitos. BBDO works with Mountain Dew and remains involved with the Pepsi trademark globally. Goodby Silverstein & Partners handles Cheetos and Doritos while Energy BBDO is responsible for Lay‘s and Sun Chips.

The company recently added Brad Jakeman as president-global enjoyment and chief creative officer and Lorraine Hansen as senior VP-global hydration.

It has also been reported that the company is in plans to lay off 8,700 employees or about 3 per cent of PepsiCo ‘s global workforce across 30 countries. The company says it will reduce costs by an incremental $1.5 billion in the next three years with $500 million in savings each year.

February 11, 2012
TBWA’s Integer Group debuts in India

MUMBAI: The Integer Group, a sister agency of TBWA and a key member of Omnicom Group Inc, has announced its official launch in India.

The promotional, retail, and shopper marketing firm has announced that it will begin its Indian operations by opening an office in Mumbai, making it the group‘s 16th global office.

The outfit will be headed by Sreejit Nair who was appointed as managing director of The Integer Group India in May 2011.

The group will make its debut in the country armed with clients including PepsiCo and Procter & Gamble and will serve both its global and Indian clients.

Nair said, “We have noticed that brands in India are increasingly recognising the importance of having a deeper understanding of shoppers. Integer uses this knowledge to develop shopper marketing programmes that result in an improved shopping experience for the shoppers and better conversion at retail for the brand.”

Integer Group regional managing director Asia-Pacific Dan Paris observed that over the last few years there has been a big shift in the media spending habits of brands across Asia. Also shopper marketing has evolved into a powerful new philosophy for these brands, such that they can tap into a whole new arena of insight presented by this discipline and also place a fundamental consumer role across all their main spending.

He added, “It is fast becoming the future methodology for consumer engagement, and we now have a great team in place in India to complement our Asia-Pacific footprint.”

Integer president International Marc Ducnuigeen said, “It is important for the group to continue to develop offices across the world to not only service the global needs of its existing clients, but also tap the demand for retail solutions from an increasingly sophisticated local client base. The launch of Integer India represents a significant milestone in the ongoing development of our global network as we continue our international growth.”

Besides the launch of its Mumbai office, Integer has also announced the release of the Indian leg of the group‘s shopper study – ‘The Checkout International: Indian Shoppers‘ designed to understand motivations and attitudes, rituals and factors that influence shopping.

The Checkout is a global newsletter that publishes results from an ongoing survey conducted by The Integer Group, where consumers are quizzed about their shopping attitudes, shopping behaviours, and economic outlook.

The Integer Group, which was first launched in the US, already has a presence across Europe, Asia, Africa, North and South America, and West Asia. The group is positioned as one that resides at the intersection of branding and selling. Some of Integer‘s leading clients include MillerCoors, Procter & Gamble, Pernod Ricard, Kellogg‘s, 7-Eleven, Michelin and Nissan.

February 8, 2012
Dentsu India makes two key appointments

MUMBAI: Dentsu India has made two senior level appointments. It has appointed C.P. Arora as Group chief financial officer and Suprotim Day as chief films officer.

Arora has joined Dentsu from JWT, Delhi where he was working as VP and executive commercial director and replaced Nobuki Sakai who was seconded to Dentsu India early last year.

Dentsu India executive chairman Rohit said, “Both will partner me in our endeavour to significantly strengthen our service quality delivery to our clients.”

As Group CFO, Arora will now be responsible for the financial plans, P&L management, policies, and accounting practices of the Dentsu India Group. He will also lead the accounting, budgeting, fund management, and financing functions of all the Dentsu India Group companies.

On his new role, Arora said, “After over a decade in advertising, I knew it was time for a fresh start. Interactions with Dentsu’s global and India management gave me an understanding of Dentsu‘s India ambition and growth plans. The role offered to me was not only challenging and inspiring but also something that could be the logical next step for me professionally.”

As strategic business partner with JWT, Delhi at both the corporate and business unit level, CP tracked financial efficiency and profitability, risk management, legal and compliance and overall financial operations for JWT Delhi Office.

Arora comes in with nearly 20 years of experience in financial
management. He is a strategic financial planner with expertise in designing and implementing systems/procedures to facilitate internal financial control, SOX Compliance and enhance the overall efficiency of the organisation.

Day has moved in from UK’s production house Stink, where he was heading London’s operations in India. He was instrumental in setting up a JV between Stink and QED Films in India. The production house serviced agencies such as JWT, McCann Erickson, Ogilvy, Leo Burnett, Lowe, Publicis and Cheil Communications among others.

Day said, “After my years in the film production business, I am excited to get back to the agency fold. The function of a film department is to raise the bar and ensure that the creative and client partner’s expectations are more than satisfied. With my new role at Dentsu India, I look forward to partner with the creatives to produce outstanding campaign work that takes brands to the next level of trust with the consumer.”

Day brings in over 25 years of experience in the production and direction of commercials. He has been in the forefront of producing advertising films for clients like PepsiCo, Airtel, Sony, Nokia, ESPN, Hero Honda, Frito Lays, Samsung, Electrolux, Mitsubishi, Dabur, McDonald‘s and Nestle.

Prior to this, Day has led the films department at JWT Delhi for over 5 years. Some of his most recent films include the KitKat ‘Squirrel’, the Cannes Award winning, Airtel ‘Endless Goodbye’ and the Mountain Dew ‘Wing Suit’ flying spot with Salman Khan.

January 18, 2012
Matt Damon receives $ 8 million grant to improve access to safe water in India

MUMBAI: Matt Damon‘s non-profit organization Water.org has received $8 million grant from PepsiCo Foundation to improve access to safe water and sanitation in India. This partnership will help enable approximately 800,000 people to access safe water by March 2016.

"There will never be enough charity in the world to solve the water problem. What we need to do is double down on smart solutions which can rapidly scale safe water and sanitation access for families that are in desperate need right now," Damon said in a statement.

"In the US, we have the luxury to debate and plan for water shortages and investments in our infrastructure. For billions, this is a daily nightmare and fight for survival. It‘s visionary partners like the PepsiCo Foundation that recognizes that and I hope their example inspires others to follow suit," the 41-year star added.

In 2008, PepsiCo Foundation contributed $4.1 mn to Water.org resulting more than 250,000 people to access improved water and sanitation through initiatives funded by micro finance loans.

October 29, 2011
Independent US PR firm makes entry into India

NEW DELHI. Demonstrating its commitment to securing a larger role in the fast growing South Asian economy, Ruder Finn, which is one of the world’s largest independent public relations firms, has opened its first office in India.

With its head office located in New Delhi, Ruder Finn India has made two key hires to drive its expansion: Radha Roy and Shruti Das. As country head, Roy reports to Ruder Finn Asia Pacific chairman Jean-Michel Dumont.

Ruder Finn has already bagged the retainer account for Automobili Lamborghini for this region. Ruder Finn India team has also successfully undertaken projects to help drive communication mandates for some key global names in the Pharma and not-for-profit sector.

Roy has over sixteen years of experience in public relations, communication and advocacy. Her expertise includes strategic counsel, promotional campaigns, corporate social responsibility programs, media and presentation skills training, crisis and issues management and marketing and business planning for clients in the corporate and not-for-profit sector. She has counselled and represented leading corporations like PepsiCo, Max Newyork Life, Danone, Dr Reddy’s, Thomson, Timken and ITC in Kolkata,Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Chennai. She has also worked for many years on campaigns for child rights.

Das, account director, has more than 10 years of experience in marketing & communication. Having undertaken cross-functional roles such as Marketing, Business Development, and Public Relations, she now specialises in strategic planning, development and execution of integrated communications programs. In her previous assignments, she managed communication mandates for organisations like Microsoft, Oracle, NetApp, HTC, ZTE and Unicef.

“On the heels of our record-level revenues and earnings for the 2010 fiscal year, combined with market demand, it was a logical next step for us to expand our presence to a new part of the world,” said Ruder Finn Inc. CEO Kathy Bloomgarden. “A presence in India will benefit our increasing number of multinational clients throughout North America, Europe and Asia by leveraging the synergies between business units, assisting in securing new opportunities and providing regional support to their existing global customer base.”

‘Khushiyaan Ruder Finn, Inc. is one of the largest independent integrated communication firms in the world, with offices in the United States and Europe, as well as in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Singapore and New Delhi in Asia. Through these offices and affiliates worldwide, the agency serves the global and local communication needs of over 250 corporations, governments and non-profit organisations.

October 11, 2011
PepsiCo’s Indra Nooyi to be keynote speaker at AdAsia 2011

MUMBAI: C has said that PepsiCo chairperson and CEO Indra Nooyi will be the Keynote Speaker at the Congress to be held in New Delhi from 31 October – 03 November.

Nooyi will share her pool of knowledge and experience, as well as discuss new challenges that could shape the future of global business and economies. More than 25 other speakers from around the globe are expected to share their perspective on the evolving dynamics in business and marketing at AdAsia 2011.

AdAsia returns to India after eight years. In 2003, the AdAsia congress was hosted in Jaipur and was widely regarded as a landmark in the history of the Congress. AdAsia seeks to comprehensively explore all aspects of the theme Uncertainty: The New Certainty.

The business world is currently at an inflection point witnessing a realignment of global economic leadership. In the 19th Century, the world looked to the West for innovation and progress. In the 21st. century, everyone‘s attention is riveted on Asia.

As everyone pays attention to the ad industry in Asia, AdAsia 2011 will aim to provide a ready platform to chronicle change of a significant magnitude and provide a glimpse of the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead.

The prolific agenda of AdAsia 2011 will comprise over 15 sessions aimed at exploring the business ecosystem and understanding the nature of disruption to effectively address pertinent concerns.

Chairman of the organising committee AdAsia 2011 and Group CEO and MD – Mudra Group Madhukar Kamath said, “AdAsia2011 is honoured to welcome Indra Nooyi to AdAsia 2011. Pepsi has been at the fore-front of several marketing innovations as well and having Indra Nooyi address the congress will help us gain from her global experience, as well as unique perspective of the Indian and Asian markets, in terms of interesting insights on how the future of our industry is expected to take shape.”

May 17, 2011
Mudra Max creates Slice Mango lounges

MUMBAI: Mudra Max has launched an on-the-ground promotional activation for Slice, PepsiCo’s mango drink. Slice Mango lounges aims to reach out over 1.5 million consumers by the end of the campaign in June 2011.

The agency has stationed Mobile–Slice Mango lounges at multiple locations in various cities across India. According to Mudra, the key task is to make the target audience taste mango packaged in the form of Slice.

The Slice Mango lounges have been created out of four buses, where the visitors are served Slice based mocktails.

Mudra Max Celsius SVP Sanjay Kacker said, “Bringing the product to life’ was the objective and we were successful in doing so, thus allowing the end consumers to actually sense & feel the brand closely. This innovative use of consumer sampling will not only give the consumer a taste but will also help drive consumption via repeat purchase.”

PepsiCo India director juices and juice drink Homi Battiwala adds, “Experiential sampling in small towns is a big priority for brand Slice this year, and the Slice Mango Lounge activation conceptualised by Mudra Max does a great job of driving this priority. The lounge has been on road for over six weeks now and we are delighted with the consumer traction and response. Look forward to Mudra continuing with their expertise in innovative activations with efficient operations and consumer insights. Keep it up team Mudra.”

April 22, 2011