Tag: Piyush Pandey

  • Portfolio Night’s ‘All Star’ winner was Mayank Bhayana

    Portfolio Night’s ‘All Star’ winner was Mayank Bhayana

    MUMBAI: For the ones who want to create a mark in the creative world, 21 May was the night. Lowe Lintas and Partners hosted the Indian twelfth edition of the world’s largest advertising portfolio review-cum-recruitment event- Portfolio Night.

     

    The event that was conducted simultaneously in 20 plus cities across the world sought to unite the advertising and design communities in every continent for a common purpose – to identify young and upcoming talent and mentor them on the opportunities that lay ahead.

     

     Mayank Bhayana from Bangalore bagged the Portfolio Night – ‘All Star’ title from India and will be flown to New York to take part in a week-long creative challenge on a specific brief.

     

     The evening saw an impressive turnout of 75 young creative aspirants who presented their work to top 25 creative directors of the country.

     

     Sharing his views on the over-whelming candidate participation and turnout, Lowe Lintas and Partners CEO Joseph George said, “With advertising arguably having lost its monopoly over being the coolest job to have, it was critical that as an industry we kept looking at ways to spot talent who are not just promising but fans of the profession. It was also very gratifying that all the creative stars from across the industry agreed to participate without any hesitation whatsoever. With the kind of response that we received from the candidates as well as the creative directors, it demonstrates the industry’s shared priority of ensuring that this profession remains exciting and attractive to young talent.”

     

    Lowe Lintas and Partners NCD Amer Jaleel said, “It was like the IPL of advertising. It was the place where raw ‘quickies’ and talented ‘big-hitters’ got spotted. There were many from the industry who were on a keen lookout for rising stars of the night. Seeing the enormous energy being exuded by the participants, I wished I too were playing under the floodlights!”

     

     The agency’s NCD Arun Iyer added, “The event was a great opportunity for Lowe Lintas to give back to the community and the industry of advertising. The way the young creative guys came in and engaged the attention span of the CDs for over three hours was worth the whole effort. They not only got a sense of what the real world is all about, but also received enough encouragement and opportunities from a widely appreciated platform such as Portfolio Night.”

     

     Extending his gratitude to the numerous clients who made it a point to support the event, George said, “It was heartening to see the speed with which the clients wanted to participate with us on Portfolio Night. We are thankful to them for realizing a shared passion of spotting young and aspiring talent and giving them the opportunity to see their dreams come true.”

     

     Portfolio Night is a platform for young creative aspirants to have their work sampled by at least three top creative directors from the industry in a single evening. While it helps youngsters gain constructive feedback and guidance on their skill sets, the top Creative Directors get to spot potential talent.

     

     For the review process, aspirants were divided into three batches and each aspirant got the opportunity to get their portfolio reviewed by three CDs. Each CD met three candidates individually for 15 minutes and reviewed their work, ideas and offered them valuable feedback.

     

    The creative heads who reviewed the work at the event included Ogilvy & Mather executive chairman and creative director south Asia Piyush Pandey, Ogilvy & Mather NCDs Abhijit Avasthi & Rajiv Rao, Publicis CCO Bobby Pawar, Josy Paul, BBDO chairman & CCO Josy Paul, FCB Ulka NCD K S Chakravarty (Chax),  TBWA India Nation head – art Deepak Singh, TBWA India CCO Parixit Bhattacharya, Scarecrow Communication ECD Kapil Tammal, Grey Worldwide NCD Malvika Mehra, McCann Worldgroup NCD Pradyumna Chauhan, Scarecrow Communication, founder/director Raghu Bhat,  , Cartwheel Creative Consultancy owner Ramki D Ramkrishna, JWT NCD Tista Sen, Underdog founder Vikram Gaikwad, Contract India NCD Ashish Chakravarty.

     

    The creative heads from Lowe Lintas who were part of the judging panel included Amer Jaleel, Arun Iyer, Shriram Iyer, Ashwin Varkey, Sagar Kapoor and Rajesh Ramaswamy.

     

     As part of its association with Portfolio Night, India’s leading classifieds entity – Olx.in, will offer one candidate a chance to work as an intern for three months on a brief set up by the client. The candidate will be chosen from the final set of nominees shortlisted from the various individual stages.

     

    This year’s Portfolio Night was supported by global sponsor – Shutterstock, Twitter and SquareSpace. In India, the event was supported by Godrej HIT, Idea Cellular, Tanishq, Micromax, Lifebuoy, OLX.in and Myntra who came onboard as Brand Sponsors for Portfolio Night.

  • Vote! Because you must

    Vote! Because you must

    MUMBAI: For every Indian citizen, who is escaping the power to use their own weapon for change, ET NOW India’s #1 Stocks and Business News channel has launched an election special initiative by Brand Equity called ‘Vote, India! with an intent to mobilize voters to cast their franchise.

     

    Under the initiative, three impactful TV films (created by India’s finest advertising agencies – McCann Erickson, Publicis and Leo Burnett) urging India to cast their vote, are now up in the race to be Voted as the Best one.

     

    Practicing democracy to the last bit, the best TV film will be adjudged basis people’s votes; all one needs to do is to log onto the ET NOWs Brand Equity FB page on www.facebook.com/brandequity and cast their vote for the campaign they deem as most effective on or before 1st April.

     

    Along with, the films will be judged by a panel of esteemed jury comprising Akshay Raut, Director General, Election commission of India, Milind Deora – Minister of State Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (India), Anupam Kher – Actor, Amitabh Kant –Secretary, Dept of Policy & Promotion & Piyush Pandey, Executive Chairman & National Creative Director Ogilvy & Mather India.

     

    Hosted by Sonali Krishna, the election special Brand Equity episode, announcing the winning Film will feature on Wednesday, April 02 at 10.30 pm followed by repeats on Saturday 2.30 pm & Sunday at 11 am.

  • Berlin School of Creative Leadership announces the Clear Channel Scholarship

    Berlin School of Creative Leadership announces the Clear Channel Scholarship

    MUMBAI: The Berlin School of Creative Leadership is proud to announce the ‘Clear Channel Scholarship for Leadership in Audio Innovation’.

    The scholarship will provide full tuition support for a top creative executive to participate on the Berlin School’s prestigious part-time global EMBA program starting in March 2014.

    Ideal candidates should be accomplished senior executives in the creative industries with a strong professional background and track record of creative excellence. Entries will be judged according to their overall profile and EMBA application, as well as their response to an additional Clear Channel Scholarship essay question.

    Indian Ad Guru Piyush Pandey – a long-standing supporter of the Berlin School –is urging Indian audio creatives to apply. “This is a fantastic opportunity for a top Indian audio innovator” , says Piyush Pandey, Executive Chairman and Creative Director, South Asia Ogilvy & Mather, India. “The Berlin School offers tremendous value and inspiration to creative minds by emphasizing the importance of leadership as a key differentiator in driving creative excellence.”

    Prashant Madan, Creative Director, Marketing & On Air Promotion, Disney-UTV India was the first recipient of the “Piyush Pandey Scholarship for Creative Leadership” and is receiving full tuition support to participate in the Berlin School of Creative Leadership EMBA Program that commenced this year in March 2013.

    “We are proud to work with the Berlin School to award this scholarship to the audio industry’s next creative innovator,” said Bob Pittman, Clear Channel Chairman and CEO. “Joining forces with the Berlin School to drive education and awareness of the value that audio advertising offers is a key initiative for us, and the Berlin School is a perfect global partner to foster such training and development.”

    Sheridan Johns, Director of the Berlin School, said the scholarship from Clear Channel adds a new dimension to the mix of students in the global EMBA program. “With the rise of social media in recent years, people tend to forget the bedrock and ubiquity of radio on the media and advertising landscape,” Johns said. “And – if the winner is from India – the Berlin School is able to help support leadership in the creative industries in India.”

  • Ogilvy Mumbai positions IDBI Bank as ‘Bank aisa dost jaisa’

    Ogilvy Mumbai positions IDBI Bank as ‘Bank aisa dost jaisa’

    MUMBAI: After a successful run of the elephant campaign, IDBI Bank and Ogilvy have decided to refresh the communication.

    While friendship was always the ultimate message in all their previous work, it was time to say it differently. Elaborating on the association, Ogilvy & Mather executive chairman and creative director, south Asia Piyush Pandey said, “Our initial thrust for IDBI Bank a few years ago had been to tell the world that just because we are a big nation-building bank, does not mean that we are not approachable to address your smallest need. And now when we look at the next step in the evolution of the communication, what better than the universal emotion of childhood friendships to symbolise the role that IDBI Bank plays in its customers’ and partners’ lives.”

    On the campaign, O&M NCD Abhijit Avasthi said, “When we started work on the new campaign of IDBI Bank, we were very clear that we are changing the campaign and not the values that the Bank stands for. The idea we came up with does exactly this. In an innocent and charming way we are telling people ‘What if a bank would do what a friend would do’. When you say something like this, you really don’t need to say much more.”

    The challenge before the creative agency was to craft the dialogues for each one of them. O&M group creative director Harshad Rajadhyakasha explained, “We wanted moments from a child’s world, because anything else would have been unfair to the campaign and fake. In one film a kid says, “One day my pant tore in school and my friend walked behind me all day to cover me.” It had to be as honest and as silly as that.”

  • Ogilvy Mumbai positions IDBI Bank as Bank aisa dost jaisa

    Ogilvy Mumbai positions IDBI Bank as Bank aisa dost jaisa

    MUMBAI: After a successful run of the elephant campaign, IDBI Bank and Ogilvy have decided to refresh the communication.

     

    While friendship was always the ultimate message in all their previous work, it was time to say it differently. Elaborating on the association, Ogilvy & Mather executive chairman and creative director, south Asia Piyush Pandey said, “Our initial thrust for IDBI Bank a few years ago had been to tell the world that just because we are a big nation-building bank, does not mean that we are not approachable to address your smallest need. And now when we look at the next step in the evolution of the communication, what better than the universal emotion of childhood friendships to symbolise the role that IDBI Bank plays in its customers’ and partners’ lives.”

     

    On the campaign, O&M NCD Abhijit Avasthi said, “When we started work on the new campaign of IDBI Bank, we were very clear that we are changing the campaign and not the values that the Bank stands for. The idea we came up with does exactly this. In an innocent and charming way we are telling people ‘What if a bank would do what a friend would do’. When you say something like this, you really don’t need to say much more.”

     

    The challenge before the creative agency was to craft the dialogues for each one of them. O&M group creative director Harshad Rajadhyakasha explained, “We wanted moments from a child’s world, because anything else would have been unfair to the campaign and fake. In one film a kid says, “One day my pant tore in school and my friend walked behind me all day to cover me.” It had to be as honest and as silly as that.”

    The campaign will see four films wherein in each one there are two kids and one kid is telling people why the other one is his or her friend. Curious’ Vivek kakkad has directed the films.

  • OgilvyOne wins 5 metals at DMA Echo

    OgilvyOne wins 5 metals at DMA Echo

    Mumbai: OgilvyOne Mumbai helped India achieve its best ever year at the DMA Echo awards which were held in Chicago on 15 October.

     

    Of the total haul of nine metals, OgilvyOne bagged five at the DMA Echo awards which is ranked among the oldest and most revered effectiveness awards on the calendar.

     

     Elevated Ogilvy South Asia executive chairman & creative director Piyush Pandey said excitedly, “I am delighted with yet another stellar performance by OgilvyOne at the worldwide Echo awards. This reinforces our digital leadership, not just in India but at an international level.”

     

    Adding on to it, OgilvyOne Worldwide president & country head Vikram Menon commented on agency’s performance, “Never before has an Indian agency won five ECHO Awards in a single year. This is a huge triumph for OgilvyOne India and a significant win for Ogilvy & Mather Asia Pacific. This clearly endorses OgilvyOne’s leadership position and stature in this industry.”

     

    The digital agency had earlier dominated the DMA Echo India awards by bagging several awards including Agency of the Year and the Grand Prix.

     

    Speaking on the occasion, OgilvyOne, Mumbai senior creative director Burzin Mehta said, “These awards mean a lot because they are awarded by an international jury comprising clients, planners and creative people. If anyone needed proof that great work works great, I suppose this is it. This award belongs to lots of people, so congratulations to everyone!”

  • O&M and The Hindu tell politicians to behave

    O&M and The Hindu tell politicians to behave

    MUMBAI: With the elections just around the corner, The Hindu has launched an extension of its successful Behave campaign.

    The camping has been conceptualised by Ogilvy & Mather and focuses on some of the concerns like Corruption, dereliction of duty, bad behaviour and inadequate infrastructure of the young voters.

    The campaign boldly poses these questions to the leaders of the country and urges them to behave, for the youth are watching.

    Ogilvy South Asia executive chairman and creative director Piyush Pandey said, “With a huge youth population and our ambition to be a shining nation in the world, there is a great need for us older people in positions of responsibility to set a better example for the young.  I have closely followed cartoonists who have a very effective way of using satire to shame people.  I know that campaigns cannot change behaviour overnight, but I would be very happy if some people are not able to sleep well for a few nights at least.”

    This is the next phase of The Hindu’s Behave campaign, which earlier drew attention to politicians’ bad behaviour. This time, it goes a step further, by not just admonishing bad behaviour but reminding politicians that the power to re-elect them undoubtedly lies in the hands of the youth.

    It uses dark humour to hold up a mirror to a political leader’s bad behaviour, the print and outdoor campaign uses stark facts to bring the issues that the youth face to the forefront. Eventually, it aims to become a crowd-sourced campaign, by asking people to send in their own questions via social media which will be featured as ads in the paper. Going forward, it hopes to address some of these issues so the youth can make an informed decision when they eventually vote.

    The Hindu editor Siddarth Varadharajan said about the campaign: “The Hindu’s ‘Behave Yourself, India” campaign cherishes the spirit of parliamentary debate, which is the true test of a functional democracy. Every Indian has a right to be heard – but that right is only as effective as our ability to listen, engage and disagree courteously with each other. Sadly, the space for tolerance and free speech is narrowing in our republic. This is no surprise because many of our elected representatives – who hold a candle to the rest of society – have failed to debate policy and politics with their peers in Parliament in a civilised manner.”

    He added, “Our campaign shines a light on the errant and discourteous politician, wedded to privilege and power, whose fate now lies in the hands of voters, many of whom are young and who will be exercising their franchise for the first time. The idea has been brought alive through print and a television commercial, beautifully executed by Prasoon Pandey of Corcoise Films.”

    The campaign will be on TV, cinema, print, outdoor across the country and on social media as well.

  • Industry leaders’ thoughts on Independence Day

    Industry leaders’ thoughts on Independence Day

    Independence. We in India have had it for so many years that the India that is emerging does not know what it is like to not be free. For millions, the struggle to get freedom from the British, Portuguese and sundry other rulers are just chapters in their history books. But occasions like Independence Day and Republic Day remind us that we were once subservient and that we overcame bondage and won our freedom.

    15 August is the 67th year of our independence. For sure, the Indian flag will be hoisted in neighbourhoods all over India. Smaller flags will be mounted on cars, cycles and bikes. And even smaller ones pinned on our shirt pockets. Patriotic songs will be played out on radio and on TV.

    And hopefully for a day we will forget all our complaints against rising prices, economic upheaval, a political and administrative class that is showing little backbone for fair governance and well-being of its citizenry, corruption and the lack of respect that many in India have for women. Hopefully, we will remember the price that was paid for the valuable freedom that we enjoy today. And feel proud to be Indian. We, at indiantelevision.com surely are and even proudly carry it in our name.

    Indiantelevision.com’s young team of journalists spoke to senior professionals from the advertising, broadcasting, cable TV and marketing sectors to get a fix on their feelings on India’s 67th Independence Day. And also to gather from them on what their favourite patriotic song or movie is. Read on to feel patriotic:
    O&M India executive chairman & NCD Piyush Pandey

    I am very proud to be an Indian. I think India is a very significant country with many diverse cultures and we have come a long way. In the future, I wish the country to be in a much better shape than what it is currently.

    Mile Sur Mera Tumhara is my favourite patriotic song and truly depicts the light of Indian culture and unity amongst Indians.
    NDTV executive vice chairperson Narayan Rao

    I feel good that we live in an independent country but it shouldn’t be taken for granted.
    I’d like broadcasting to be world class and for journalism to have high standards, credibility and ethics.
    My favourite song is Saare Jahan Se Achchha.
    Publicis director, CCO south Asia Bobby Pawar

    Yes I am proud and happy as well that I am living in an independent country as an independent man.

    I really don’t have any ideas about where the industry is headed. If I did know, then I probably would make millions on it. However, I am very optimistic about the growth in the industry.

    My favourite movie is my friend’s Prasoon Joshi’s film Rang De Basanti and the title song from the same movie is my favourite song.
    Discovery Networks Asia Pacific, sr VP & GM, head of revenue, pan-regional ad sales & south asia, Rahul Johri

    I am proud of being an Indian and happy about it. I think in the coming years the broadcasting industry will evolve as the market evolves. I see many more options on offer for viewers and I see the broadcasting industry only growing further.

    My favourite patriotic song is the video Ye Mera India by Saleem and Suleiman which is on Animal Planet.

    Zee, chief content and creative officer Bharat Kumar Ranga
    I renamed myself from Mukesh to Bharat, when I was in the fourth standard. I fell in love with Manoj Kumar’s character as Bharat inUpkaar. So when I was filling my form for fifth standard, I renamed myself as Bharat. This is how deeply I feel about India. Though firangi competition is welcome, but in India only Indians will rule. I am among those, who believes in the country.

    It is in India, that media enjoys the stature of being the fourth pillar. It started with print and went on to books and films. There was a certain independence given to broadcasters, but that was not utilised to the maximum. Though India has done well in a lot of sectors, but growth in media has not been great. We need to break away from daily and weekly competitions to unleash the power of media.
    My favourite patriotic song is Mere Desh Ki Dharti from the movie Upkaar, I still get all 

    charged up hearing the song. Purab and Paschim was one movie which aptly brought out the power of India, and that is my favourite patriotic movie.

    Draftfcb+Ulka advertising ED & CEO Ambi M G Parameswaran
    I am proud to be an Indian. And I value my freedom. 

    As a nation, the change I would like to see is that the slowdown, which we are witnessing, goes away. I know it will be another 12-18 months before that happens, but then we will see double digit growth after that. The GDP growth needs to regain momentum, business confidence need to rise, rural development really needs to happen, and food prices need to come down.

    My favourite patriotic movie is the Tamil film Kappalottiya Thamizhan.
    Star Den Media Services, CEO Gurjeev Singh Kapoor
    We feel proud to be independent and we celebrated Independence Day at our workplace too on 14 August. Everyone was wearing small paper flags across their hearts proudly. We decked up the office with balloons and placed a small flag on every workstation.

    In broadcasting, freedom of expression is critical and this has rarely happened in the past, but it is witnessing a change. Things have gone through a revolutionary change and kudos to the industry for bringing in this welcome change.

    I love patriotic movies, but Saat Hindustani (1969) and Shaheed (1965) figure among my favourites.

    Zee News CEO Alok Agrawal
    I feel good as an Indian. We are living in a democratic country. There are lots of things we need to do to improve. We all have some amount of influence that we can use.
    We are launching an entire new initiative Bharat Bhagyavita. Our responsibility as media is to inform and empower people with knowledge and make them aware of their rights and encourage them to do something about what’s going on.

    Nothing comes to mind. I don’t go by defining a favourite. Any patriotic song is fine. I like almost all songs.

    Media Consultant, Sanjeev Hiremath
    For me patriotism is a feeling and cannot be defined in a song, though I really love the Hollywood movie ‘Independence Day’.

    In the 67th year of Independence, the biggest achievement for India is that it is no longer considered as a developing nation. A lot of Indian companies are now investing in overseas business. Our GDP is robust and we are above world average. I am proud to be an Indian and the reason is its diverse culture. My only concern is that though individually we are progressing, the country collectively isn’t. Even today 70 per cent of the population lives on 1.50 dollars a day. It makes me sad. The political scenario needs to improve.

    What is good about the cable and satellite industry is that we are not 10 years behind when we compare ourselves to other countries. We have been making gradual progress and now with DAS, in the next two years we will be up close with the world cable and satellite industry.
    Playtime Creations TV producer Hemal Thakakar

    As an Indian we feel proud that we had so many great men and women who gave their lives for freedom we enjoy today. Somewhere I think we have failed them and have misused freedom which they got for us. I hope, pray and wish we correct that.

    For broadcasters, future is shining. Digitisation is beginning of new horizon as our country gets hungry for more entertainment and infotainment. New avenues are discovered and looking at the Indian diaspora and the fact that we are a young nation, the broadcast industry is going to get a major boost.

    My favourite song is the title track from the film Swades and Kandho Se Milte Hain Kandhe.

  • Madras Cafe: Served ice cold

    Madras Cafe: Served ice cold

    MUMBAI: As a producer, John Abraham tried a different theme with Vicky Donor and it worked. This time his banner again attempts a film off the beaten track with Madras Cafe. It is about a RAW agent on the trail of LTF (LTTE) to eliminate its leader but who instead stumbles upon a plot to assassinate an ex-prime minister of India (read Rajiv Gandhi). Only, films about RAW and espionage are not a novelty anymore and what’s more, in the absence of a valid cause or tradition about stories of Indian spy networks’ success, they don’t interest people; D-Day, a worthy effort of a RAW mission, is a recent example.

    John Abraham is drawn for a mission in Jaffna, Sri Lanka, by RAW. His mission is to either create an alternative for or to eliminate Anna (read Prabhakaran) the LTF chief. This because the PM of India wants peaceful settlement and democratic set up restored through elections in the province of Jaffna. Abraham is on the job but somehow his position is always compromised and the LTF is a step ahead of him. In his pursuit of Anna, Abraham is captured but saved by the army. Eventually, in a major ambush on the LTF camp, Anna is presumed dead. However, he is not and starts his attacks on Lankans and the Indian Peacekeeping Force with more venom and brutality. This leads to the resignation of the Prime Minister (this seems to be the humour angle in the film: an Indian minister resigning, a PM at that!)

    But, the film is not about LTF at all as you realise later. It is about a plot to kill the, by now, ex-PM. The people behind the plot meet at Madras Cafe in Singapore and London and even talk over open phone lines. Everything that is secret is known by all except Abraham, the RAW agent! He is clueless most of the time and a journalist from UK, Nargis Fakhri, and her personal sources know everything there is to know about the plot.

    Producers: John Abraham, Viacom 18 Motion Pictures, Ronnie Lahiri.
    Direction: Shoojit Sarkar.
    Cast: John Abraham, Nargis Fakhri, Raashi Khanna, Siddharth Basu, Piyush Pandey.

    Who wants the ex PM killed and why? Looks like an international corporate cartel wants the ex-PM killed because he believes in peace in Jaffna while this cartel wants LTF to win and control the area after which they can have a free run on the province and thereby control the whole region which in turn would pose a great threat to India’s security! That sounds like a lot of cock and bull.

    The cartel makes things easy as their messages fly high across countries which the Indians decode. The plot to kill the popular ex-PM is revealed. The super agent Abraham makes it a one man mission to save him since the ex-PM would not change his itinerary despite a threat to his life. Sadly, Abraham is late by about 30 feet to save the ex-PM but a safe distance enough to survive the bomb himself. Because the bomb is designed to only kill people in the range of twenty to twenty five feet. Of course!

    He spends the next three years hitting the bottle and making occasional visits to a local church till he is ready to tell the whole story of how the PM could have been saved to the pastor.

    Madras Cafe is an unconvincing, soulless film in which there is nothing for the viewer to identify with. The film lacks in drama, thrill and romance, and songs have been purposely avoided. The film rests solely on Abraham’s shoulder and he falls short by yards. His expressions refuse to change whether he has just found his wife killed or learnt a major secret. Nargis Fakhri has a brief role and she is okay. Direction is uninspiring. Rest of the aspects are passable.

    Madras Cafe has opened to a weak response and chances of a pick up look poor.

  • Madras Cafe gets U/A certificate, sans cuts

    Madras Cafe gets U/A certificate, sans cuts

    NEW DELHI: Viacom Motion Pictures, JA Entertainment and Rising Sun Films’ political thriller Madras Cafe has received a U/A certificate from the Central Board of Film Certification – minus cuts.

     

    Says director Shoojit Sircar, “I am happy that the Censor Board has passed our film without any cuts giving it a U/A certificate. This is a very special film for us and I am glad the audiences will get to experience this political thriller soon.”

     

    Starring John Abraham, Nargis Fakhri, Rashi Khanna, Leena Maria and ad gurus Agnello Dias an Piyush Pandey, Madras Cafe set with the backdrop of an inter-country relation, revolves around John Abraham, an intelligence officer, uncovering the workings of secret operations.

     

    Presented by Viacom 18 Motion Pictures and JA Entertainment and produced by Rising Sun Films and JA Entertainment, the film is scheduled to release 23 August.