MUMBAI: PHD Media has announced the promotion of Harsh Vora to senior vice-president. With 16 years of expertise in media planning, buying, strategy, and events across both ATL and BTL channels, Vora has been instrumental in driving growth and innovation within the industry.
Currently serving as the business lead for Skoda Automobiles at PHD, Vora previously held several key positions within the agency, including vice-president and assistant vice-president. Over his tenure, he has demonstrated his ability to implement successful media strategies and achieve significant business results.
Before joining PHD, Vora was the assistant general manager of marketing at Kalpataru and worked as senior manager of media planning & buying at Star TV Network, where he spearheaded media for popular shows on Star Plus. His strong analytical skills have also led to successful campaigns, such as the impactful Star Plus – Nayi Soch campaign, which significantly increased the channel’s viewership.
Vora’s career highlights also include working with Godrej at Madison Media group, where he managed the media strategies for major brands, achieving combined annual sales of Rs 3,000 crore. He started his career as a media planner at Lodestar Universal, contributing to high-profile launches like the Tata Nano.
Mumbai: Omnicom India supported the launch of the India chapter of Women in Tech Global. Women In Tech Global is an NGO headquartered in Paris and committed to actively promoting women’s & girl’s empowerment in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics). The India Chapter spearheaded by Radhika Iyengar of Credera, a global, boutique technology & consulting firm, aims to empower women & girls through impactful programs, opportunities, and business-building resources in new and emerging technologies as well as in leadership building. WIT Global is designed to connect and empower women talent through a global network spanning six continents, 50 chapters and 9,000 plus members.
The India chapter was officially launched on 8 March 2024, International Women’s Day, at the French Embassy in New Delhi, under the patronage of Thierry Mathou, French Ambassador to India. The event also welcomed policymakers from the Government of India, DEI leaders from prominent corporations, NGOs and The Omnicom Group of agencies in India, including DDB Mudra Group, Annalect India, Credera have extended support to the initiative.
WIT Global country director – India Radhika Iyengar shared her thoughts, “The Women In Tech India team is simply overwhelmed by the traction the chapter has gained in a short span. Having soft launched just a few months back, we have grown from three to 500 plus since November 2023. The launch of the India Chapter marks a pivotal moment in the collective effort of Women in Tech Global, towards empowering 5 million women and girls in STEAM by 2030, while also tailoring our local activation outreach and programs to address India pertinent issues. The high dropout rate of girls in STEAM careers, the Gender paradox in India – are all alarming. We know the problem but also see that Global partnerships have helped evolve mediums that can foster women in STEM careers. Pursuing this path, we would want girls and women to traverse the path in Tech, be it in academia, in careers and to decision-making roles, in more empowering yet simpler ways and make their journeys more enriching & enjoyable.”
DDB Mudra Group head – DEI Vanaja Pillai said, “The Women in Tech India chapter can be a pivotal initiative towards a more inclusive and innovative tech ecosystem. By championing diversity, we not only empower women but also enrich the industry with varied perspectives. The future of technology depends on our collective commitment to breaking barriers and fostering an environment where talent knows no gender. Together, let’s inspire and shape the future of tech in India.”
French ambassador to India Thierry Mathou also added, “France is strongly committed to promoting women in science. In our international relations, we advance gender equality through our feminist foreign policy, which is translated into action in our bilateral cooperation with India. I would like to cite two instances: the “Women in Science” programme led by our Indo-French Centre for the Promotion of Advanced Research (IFCPAR/CEFIPRA), and the targeted network initiative of the French Development Agency (AFD), GroW – Greening of Finance by Women, which aims to empower women in India by facilitating their access to the Indian financial system. I am therefore delighted that the Paris-based association, Women in Tech, is launching its actions in India. They can count on our full support.”
Mumbai: Volkswagen has launched a new campaign, titled ‘Hello Goosebumps’, for its sedan Virtus. Conceptualised by DDB Mudra Group, the film aims to plug in excitement and energy into the premium mid-size sedan segment by highlighting the thrill and joy of driving the new Volkswagen Virtus.
The striking, exhilarating and German-engineered new Volkswagen Virtus aims to reignite the premium midsize sedan with its ‘Big by’ design, performance, safety, connectivity, convenience and comfort. The Virtus is a true Volkswagen developed on the core DNA of the brand of build quality, safety and fun-to-drive experience and each element has been captured through the new TVC campaign.
Volkswagen’s media agency, PHD India, further elevated the launch campaign via its 360-degree incisive approach, covering all vital media channels, and crafting an effective marketing strategy. PHD was tasked with building enthusiasm and maximising outreach amongst its target audience to amplify the launch experience of Volkswagen Virtus.
The campaign kick-started on a high note with the ‘French Window Innovation’ in India’s top-read newspaper, The Times of India. Garnering scores of impressions across the country, this large-canvas innovation delivered high-visibility engagement that today’s audiences desire and was augmented by high-impact roadblocks on leading business and news digital publications to maximise reach and frequency.
The integrated campaign was further strengthened with an influencer marketing strategy featuring India’s leading mega influencers like Tamanaah Bhatia, Yami Gautam, Mrunal Thakur, and more, perfectly encapsulating the essence of Virtus’ tagline – ‘Hello Goosebumps!’ through their own personal and professional journeys.
Speaking on the campaign launch, Volkswagen Passenger Cars India head of marketing & PR Abbey Thomas commented, “With the launch of the new Volkswagen Virtus, our intention was to showcase the potential of the premium midsize sedan segment. The Virtus boasts of a striking design, exhilarating performance and German-engineered built and safety that has the ability to reignite the segment. Our communication positioning for the Virtus’ ‘Hello Goosebumps’ has been rightly captured by our partner DDB Mudra Group and amplified by PHD media in reaching out to our intended consumers. The combined efforts have elevated the excitement and thrill of driving sedans paving the way for an introduction truly befitting of the Virtus.”
DDB Mudra creative head – west Pallavi Chakravarti said, “This sedan looks like a dream and drives like one too. ‘Hello Goosebumps’ captures the essence of the Volkswagen Virtus in a simple, visceral campaign that every passionate driver will undoubtedly relate to.”
PHD Media India CEO Monaz Todywalla said, “Our partnership with Volkswagen gave us the opportunity to steer another big launch campaign to its true potential while staying true to PHD’s tradition of helping its clients make significant leaps in the marketing space. Utilising key strategies across all touchpoints to maximise reach, an outcome like this always gives us the impetus to continue building impactful experiences for brands like Volkswagen and elevate their marketing strategies to be a cut above the rest”.
Mumbai: Media agency network OMD has announced the appointment of Iti Kaul to spearhead its digital practice in India, effective from April. Kaul will take charge of this new role from PHD Media, where she currently leads digital planning as its general manager.
Further building upon elevations within the group, Kaul is yet another leader to be promoted within Omnicom Media Group, spotlighting the company’s sharp focus on driving growth for its people, stated the agency. “In her new role, she will be reporting to OMD India CEO Anisha Iyer,” it added.
“The story of OMD India’s growth and success is one that is driven by our people and their unwavering commitment to delivering better decisions for our clients, unapologetically and innovatively,” said Anisha Iyer. “Iti’s role will add significant leverage to our digital practice as we create the next wave of transformative experiences for our clients. We are thrilled to have her on board and are confident that her expertise and future-ready perspectives will elevate our work to drive greater impact and successes for client growth.”
Kaul has over 13 years of experience in the industry, having lent her digital strategies on global mandates across industries for Fortune 500 companies. She is adept at creating media plans that foster growth opportunities for brands – a practice she spearheaded at PHD’s digital planning division out of the Gurugram office.
NEW DELHI: ŠKODA Auto India has unveiled the new Superb and Karoq at the Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport. Targeting premium and business air travellers who are on the move post easing of lockdown restrictions, the brand displayed its latest set of wheels at the airport’s swanky Terminal 2.
The automobile manufacturer plans to launch a series of new cars in 2020 and 2021, and airport displays are a great way to advertise and create a buzz about the cars among their customer segment. And with Unlock 5.0, the timing was ripe for this promotional event, says ŠKODA Auto India head of marketing Tarun Jha.
“Since the Mumbai airport is one of the largest airports in the country in terms of footfalls, it was a no-brainer and a significant choice for us. Another important factor was that Mumbai has always been one of the top markets for brand ŠKODA and capitalizing on this was an obvious decision,” he elaborated.
Living up to its tagline ‘Simply Clever’, the brand maximised this marketing strategy by using the largest floor LED installation ever for an experiential display inside an Indian airport. The combination of prime location (just past security check for Departures), glamorous cars and sumptuous display no doubt makes for a super-effective promotional campaign that’s bound to create the right kind of buzz for ŠKODA.
PHD Media and The MAX (Tribes & Mudra Group Venture) worked closely with the brand to conceptualize the campaign.
NEW DELHI: Jyoti Kumar Bansal has stepped down from her position as CEO of PHD India. A highly-placed source confirmed the development to Indiantelevision.com.
She started her journey with PHD in 2013, at the time when the agency began its operation in India.
Indiantelevision.com tried reaching out to her for the confirmation, but couldn’t get any response at the time of filing the story.
Prior to this, she was the new business lead at Omnicom Media Group and worked with large clients like Unilever, Sony Networks, Ferrero, Renault Nissan, HTC and more.
In 2005, she joined Havas Media as Mumbai head to take on the fledgling operation. and helped launched Bloomberg UTV in India and India’s 1st non-music youth channel Bindass.
Bansal entered the media agency world in 1995 at Lintas Worldwide, Mumbai. She worked on the biggest brands in India at the time including Bajaj Auto, J&J Baby, Clinic Plus, Maruti Suzuki, etc.
MUMBAI: Bloomberg|Quint India has announced its association with ŠKODA and PHD Media to produce Pursuits, a series highlighting journeys of individuals with remarkable achievements across various sectors. The 10-episode series will be launched on 10 January and augmented on multiple digital platforms.
The series, which airs exclusively on bloombergquint.com, will capture stories of artists and activists, storytellers and curators of music, entrepreneurs and creators of change, who in pursuit of their dreams embarked on an unconventional journey and achieved something worthwhile. Identified by the Bloomberg|Quint team after extensive research and thought, these unconventional talents who share common attributes of making a difference in their respective fields, will tell their stories, to inspire others. Matt and Namrata, founders Blue Tokai Coffee, theater personality Roysten Abel, movie director Sriram Raghavan and many more, will be featured.
For the first time ever, ŠKODA will travel across the length and breadth of the country, to tell their protagonists’ stories in a never-seen before manner. The series also breathes new life into the art of storytelling with crisp content and excellent visuals.
Bloomberg|Quint CEO Anil Uniyal said, “We are elated to bring to India an all new storytelling experience with Pursuits. The series, much like our partner ŠKODA is all about standing out, setting new standards, and raising the bar for excellence. The idea behind Pursuits resonated with common values shared by all partners, and we look forward to the success of the show.”
ŠKODA Auto India head of marketing and product said, “Storytelling is a part of ŠKODA’s global communication strategy. We look at human stories with elements of endeavour, dedication and achievement. The concept of Pursuits by ŠKODA fits this requirement beautifully and we are very happy to bring it to life.”
Omnicom Media Group CEO Jyoti Bansal said, “In the spirit of finding a better way for ŠKODA to build deeper engagement with its customers- present and potential, PHD identified Pursuits – great stories of people who are ‘driven’ in different ways to realise their true potential. The premise is so fitting to what ŠKODA stands for and we are looking forward to creating a property which will set new standards.”
