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Tag: Rediffusion Y&R

  • Leadership changes at Rediffusion Y&R and Everest

    Leadership changes at Rediffusion Y&R and Everest

    MUMBAI: In a move to strengthen its leadership, Rediffusion Y&R has elevated Kavita Kailas as the new chief strategy officer as well as promoted Prithviraj Banerjee as the strategy planning head at Everest Brand Solutions. This is in addition to his current role.

     

    Speaking on the development Rediffusion Y&R president Dhunji S Wadia said, “For quite some time Gautam Talwar has been nurturing the idea of pursuing interests beyond advertising.  And I think the time has come to allow him to follow his passions.  So after a hard working stint Gautam is taking a well-deserved break before deciding what his next chapter should be.  I thank him for all his help and support and wish him the very best in whatever he chooses to do.”

     

    On Kailas’ elevation, who has been heading the strategic planning function across Delhi, Kolkata and Southern operations, Dhunji said, “She is meant for this role.  Kavita has a great love of our business, our clients and our people that infuses all that she does. Unleashing her enthusiasm and her expertise will make a real difference in how we serve our clients.”

     

    On Banerjee, he added, “Prithvi’s passion for our agency, his intellectual curiosity and integrity, along with his deep collaborative way of working will make a difference to our clients and to our agency.”

  • “Our focus will be on digital, mobile & activation”: Dhunji Wadia

    “Our focus will be on digital, mobile & activation”: Dhunji Wadia

    Regarded as someone with strong business acumen, great entrepreneurial instincts and affinity towards clients’ businesses, Dhunji Wadia was anointed as Rediffusion-Y&R president in December last year.

     

    With the Rediffusion-Y&R Group since 2010, Wadia had moved from JWT after spending 18 years there. Helming Everest Brand Solutions, he will now have greater responsibilities on his shoulders as he steps into the shoes of predecessors like Mahesh Chauhan, D Rajappa and Sam Ahmed.

     

    The 40-year-old company surfaced from choppy waters by reinventing itself. The years 2014 saw the agency bag a number of new accounts, including Videocon, Virgin Atlantic and Biba Fashions in Delhi; PC Chandra Jewellers and Cordlife in Kolkata; and Revtron in Mumbai.

     

    Indiantelevision.com’s Meghna Sharma spoke to the man, who has over 25 years of industry experience and has worked closely on brands like Parle, Tata, Unilever and Nike amongst others, to know his plans for the agency.

     

    Excerpts…

     

    A new year, a new beginning. What will be on your agenda for 2015 for Rediffusion Y&R and Everest Brand Solutions?

     

    2015 will be the year of focus. The number one priority is to focus on the creative work. Creative work is the whole agency. Of course, creative and strategic thinking are interlinked. But it’s the final output that moves the consumer. Once the creative work is in place, all good things will start to happen. It will positively impact the health of our brands, the agency’s fortunes, new business acquisitions and taking better care of our people.

     

    Having understood the destination, we are working on the strategy to get there. In the process, people who are excited about the opportunities will make it big rather than people who are happy to sit back and wait for things to happen. The results will speak for themselves.

     

    The year 2014 saw Rediffusion Y&R bagging new accounts like Videocon, Virgin Atlantic and Biba amongst others. The agency also regained its spot amongst the 10 advertising agencies in the country. What does this mean for the agency and how will this impact the future?

     

    Winning new business is always great. It gives us a chance to showcase new work. Regaining our spot in the top 10 was a great moral booster. It fills us with the confidence and enthusiasm to go further.

     

    What were the key lessons learnt from 2014 for you and the agency? And how will you implement those learnings in 2015?

     

    Today, the size of the agency makes no difference at all. Neither does the scope or the geographic reach of the agency. The difference for any client is really in the people. Do they bring the experience, knowledge and insight to a client that will make a big impact in that organisation’s results and bottom line?

     

    People are going to be the key going forward. We have a promising lot with immense potential and unleashing this potential will be a priority in 2015.

     

    What are the key areas that the agency has been working on?

     

    We have been focusing on our existing clients. Last year, more than half of our new business came from existing clients. It feels terrific when your existing clients trust you with their critical new brand launches. It’s a responsibility we cherish and specialise in.

     

    We are living in a ‘Breaking News’ world where what’s trending today is forgotten tomorrow, so we need to be in the news for the right reasons. We not only need to do the work but we also will have to come out and tell the world ‘Hey look, here’s what we’ve been doing.’

     

    According to you, what will be the highlights for the coming years?

     

    We hope to make our work the single biggest highlight of 2015 and beyond.

     

    What is your take on digital video format becoming a go to formula for advertising? Why are brands as well as advertising agencies opting for it?

     

    This is going to become a key differentiator in content marketing – one will be able to cut through online clutter to attract customers, increase engagement and guide customers throughout their buying journey. This would be possible on any screen, anytime, anywhere.

     

    Since brands are banking on creating films for digital platforms what do you enjoy the 30-second clip for TV or the long ones for digital?

     

    As opposed to bombarding the viewer with repeat telecasts of TV commercials, this is an option where you create a long duration commercial and hope the viewer likes, comments and shares the video.

     

    Going forward, clients won’t care about web hits because majority of the hits are now just bots. The main parameter for them will be sales. That’s what it was supposed to be in the first case.

     

    What are the plans lined up for the digital side of your business?

     

    We have done quite a few award-winning digital initiatives for our clients – SAB TV, Ranbaxy Volini and TATA Housing to name a few. Going forward there will be additional drive and focus on digital, mobile marketing and activation.

     

    How has storytelling evolved over the years?

     

    Thanks to the advancement in technology, storytelling is becoming increasingly compelling over the years. The recent Honda Type R commercial is a good example.

     

    One mandate which you are really proud of and why?

     

    Every mandate comes with its own unique challenges. And our credo is – To Resist The Usual. It would be impossible to isolate any one instance.

     

    Everest has won the Brand Revitalisation Award for Brand Everest, at the ‘Global Excellence Awards’ by World Brand Congress and also adjudged the ‘Happiest Agency in India’. What initiatives do you take to make sure employees are happy? And how productive are happy people?

     

    Happy people make a happy agency and in turn happy clients. It’s a happy circle. Most people join advertising in order to follow their passion. Majority of the work related grievances turn out to be minor issues when there is a common consensus. You need to have your heart in the right place.

  • Rediffusion Y&R appoints JWT’s Suman Varma as head of operations

    Rediffusion Y&R appoints JWT’s Suman Varma as head of operations

    MUMBAI: Rediffusion Y&R has appointed JWT India VP and executive business director Suman Varma as head of operations, Delhi.

     

    Varma, who was with JWT for 22 years, will be reporting to Rediffusion Y&R president Dhunji S Wadia and add to the company’s leadership team.

     

    Dhunji said, “I’m delighted to welcome Suman to Rediffusion Y&R. She brings the right mix of talent, experience and enthusiasm that we seek to inject into our talent pool. Her strong leadership skills will enhance the quality of the work that we do for our clients and add value to their brands.”

     

    Varma added, “After a successful stint of 22 years with JWT and extensive associations with some of the most robust marketing companies, I am now seeking to leverage the depth and width of my experience in leading the Rediffusion-Y&R, Delhi team to greater success. Leaving the comfort of JWT was a tough call, but the thought of joining Rediffusion Y&R and teaming up with Dhunji was exciting. I look forward to the new challenges ahead.”

  • Dhunji Wadia is Rediffusion Y&R president

    Dhunji Wadia is Rediffusion Y&R president

    MUMBAI: Rediffusion Y&R has announced the appointment of Dhunji Wadia as president of the agency, effective immediately. This is in addition to his role at Everest Brand Solutions.

    Wadia had joined Rediffusion Y&R Group in 2010.  On his new role, he said, “The group has given me the opportunity to use my experience and skills towards making a positive difference to our clients. I am looking forward to writing an exciting new chapter in the history of Rediffusion Y&R.”

    Rediffusion Y&R chairman Diwan Arun Nanda said, “Dhunji has strong business acumen, great entrepreneurial instincts and affinity for our clients’ businesses. What makes it all work is his ability to motivate and inspire people on all sides of the business. He’s an ideas guy who gets that great creative work and strategic insights are inextricably connected.”

    Wadia holds an MBA from the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies and has over 25 years of industry experience. Brands he has worked closely on during the course of his career include Parle, Tata, Unilever, Nike, Levi Strauss, Diamond Trading Co, Kellogg, Aditya Birla Group, Sony Entertainment Television (MAX and SAB), and Kotak, among several others.

     

  • FCB Ulka appoints Tushar Pal as creative director

    FCB Ulka appoints Tushar Pal as creative director

    MUMBAI: Tushar Pal has joined FCB Ulka as creative director. Pal, started his career at Euro RSCG (now Havas), has over 12 years of experience in mainline advertising.

     

    He has had successful stints at Mudra, Leo Burnett, Rediffusion Y&R and Ogilvy. Over the years, he has worked on iconic brands like Onida, Godrej, Future Group, HDFC Bank, Sony Entertainment Network, Sony Max, Zandu, Times Group, Air India, McDonald’s, LG and Vodafone to name a few.

     

    Commenting on his appointment, Pal said, “I’m very excited to work on FCB Ulka’s vast portfolio of clients. I look forward to some great opportunities and help raise the creative bar on our key clients.”

     

    FCB Ulka executive creative director Haresh (Harry) Moorjani said, “We are happy to have Tushar on board. He brings with him diverse experience on a varied set of brands. We look forward to him adding value to an important set of accounts he is aligned to.”

  • Chax quits FCB Ulka

    Chax quits FCB Ulka

    MUMBAI: FCB Ulka’s national creative director K S Chakravarthy aka Chax has quit.

     

    As per industry sources, Chax is serving his notice period and will soon go on a short break. “Yes, he has quit but as of now he is not joining any other agency,” says the source.

     

    Chax had joined Ulka in 2008 and had been overseeing all the work for creative, digital and interactive divisions of the agency.  With career spanning close to 35 years, Chax has worked on a variety of brands including Tata Docomo, Tata Motors, ITC, Coke, Cadbury, Lever, P&G, Goodyear and Reebok.

     

    An Electrical and Electronics engineer by education, Chax started his career as a copy-trainee with Clarion (now Bates 141), he then moved to JWT and then, Enterprise. He later joined Chaitra (now Leo Burnett) after which he went on to set up his own production house – Persistence of Vision. During this time he was voted as one of India’s most respected ad film directors. He moved back to Rediffusion Y&R before joining FCB Ulka.

     

  • An ‘Infectious’ association

    An ‘Infectious’ association

    MUMBAI: For colleagues at the then Saatchi & Saatchi who saw them fighting with each other, it came as a surprise when Ramanuj Shastry and Nisha Singhania quit within days of each other, to start an enterprise of their own.

    Singhania makes no bones about it. “We still have a lot of fights. Of course, it’s all related to work, but we aren’t the kinds who will just nod our heads to what the other person has to say,” she admits. How do they resolve these conflicts? “We try and convince the other. At the end of the day, it is all about logic and creativity,” she answers.

    What began as an association when the duo first met in Rediffusion Y&R blossomed into an up-and-coming agency christened ‘Infectious’. Ask them why such a title and Singhania says it has to do with their belief that their work should be infectious. “We wanted to solve clients’ business problems, rather than focus only on creating communication like large agencies. Our work is to engage people and for that to happen, the work had to be communicable. We wanted to start an epidemic of good with ideas that spread,” she adds.

    The freedom to do the kind of work the two of them wanted to was the mainstay of this self-funded agency. “We wanted to ‘do’ as well as ‘say’. For instance, when Camlin asked us to create a print ad for Children’s Day, we ‘did’ an activity instead. We created a ‘join the dots’ ad, which kids had to colour and parents were urged to upload on their Facebook page. It was a very successful engagement and within 24 hours, took the likes on the Kokuyo Camlin FB page from 150 to 15,000,” says Shastry.  The activity went on to be nominated by Facebook Studio for best use of the social networking website by any brand.

    According to Singhania and Shastry, what sets their agency apart is the quality of ideas, lesser turnaround time, and personal involvement in every business. The client list is a mixed bag of biggies like HCL, DNA and Camlin and start-ups like Pied Piper and Braces & Smiles. For some clients, the agency handles all their marketing requirements while for others, it looks after specific projects.

    For an organic set up, Infectious was lucky to have bagged two clients even before it launched. However, Singhania and Shastry are candid about the fact that clients are usually more comfortable giving business to larger agencies. Besides, it did take them a while before winning the confidence of heavyweights like HCL and DNA.

    Infectious is headquartered out of Mumbai with a presence in Chennai, Delhi and Kolkata and has a young, energetic, hand-picked team of 15 running it. “We have worked in various agencies, so when people heard that we were starting something of our own; we got a lot of calls, especially from the youngsters. And since we have worked with them, so we knew what we could expect from them. We are blessed to have hand-picked talent,” says Singhania.

    In addition to having a young team, the agency saw no harm in advertising itself. “Very few advertising agencies ever advertise about themselves. What is the harm in doing so? The logo adaption is our way of having fun. Digitally, one can do so much to engage with people, let alone clients,” says Shastry. Though he quickly adds that at its core, the business is still about ideas and digital is only a medium. Speaking of elections, he says that most political parties engaged and optimized their reach via the digital medium. Even Infectious created a special campaign along with DNA to urge people to go out and vote.

    What do the next five years look like for Infectious? “Five years is a very long time. We are a ‘work in progress’ agency, with plans for the next 100 days,” say Shastry and Singhania at once.

    What about network agencies snapping up independent agencies? The duo feels that in most cases, it is a win-win situation where network agencies bring in resources and scale while independent agencies bring in local expertise.

    And with Goafest coming up, the agency which is all for awards as long as they are for real work, the future holds only great promises.

    One wouldn’t be wrong in saying that like Monday mornings and coffee (chai, in some cases), Singhania and Shastry are a perfect combo.

  • Tata Motors to spend more than Rs 20 crore on Vista Tech & Nano Twist

    Tata Motors to spend more than Rs 20 crore on Vista Tech & Nano Twist

    BENGALURU: Tata Motors has announced a nation-wide launch of the new Vista VX Tech (Vista Tech) in Bengaluru today.

     

    This comes in after the announcement of the launch of the New Nano Twist made by the company a few days ago. The campaign including TVC, print, online and outdoor in select cities is already underway for it, while a new TVC campaign for the Vista Tech commenced yesterday.

     

    While unveiling the two vehicles, Tata Motors senior vice president commercial passenger vehicle business unit, Ankush Arora, also showcased a 15 second TVC for the Vista Tech created by Rediffusion Y&R and a 30 second TVC for the Nano Twist created by Draftfcb Ulka. “These TVCs’ will run across all channels, national as well as regional, and we plan to have a campaign in print, digital as well as outdoors in a select few cities,” says Arora while talking to indiantelevision.com. The New Nano’s positioning is ‘Celebrate Awareness’, while the tagline for the Vista Tech is ‘Designed to Thrill’.

     

    “The response for the Nano Twist has been good, right since the launch of the vehicle in the Mumbai market a couple of days ago, we have received about 400 bookings from Bengaluru,” informs Arora.

     

    According to industry sources, the automobile market in the country has set upon hard times and this low phase is likely to continue for another six to nine months until the elections are over and the policies of the powers that be at that time are in place.

     

    To push sales, huge discounts on vehicles is more often a norm rather than an exception at present. Industry sources reveal that Tata Motors plans to spend around Rs 10 to 12 crore each for the Vista Tech and the Nano Twist towards mass media communications over the next month or so, probably until the next Auto Expo in New Delhi.

     

    Lodestar UM handles the media buying for these two Tata Motors brands.

  • Sam Ahmed moves on from Rediffusion Y&R

    Sam Ahmed moves on from Rediffusion Y&R

    MUMBAI: After only an eight-month stint, the Rediffusion Y&R vice chairman and CCO Sam Ahmed has decided to go back to film making.

    He will leave the agency in December this year.

    Ahmed was brought on board early January this year from Y&R Dubia where he had worked for 14 years on brands such as Ford, P&G, Nestle, Pepsi, Colgate-Palmolive, Citibank, Skoda, Land Rover, Jaguar, Sony Ericsson, HTC, Apple and World Gold Council.

    Rediffusion Y&R made noise recently for its catchy campaign for Tata Nano, which repositioned the product as an ‘awesome’ youth brand.

    Ahmed has also won over 200 international awards, which include Epica, Clio, Cannes Lions and New York Festival.