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Tag: Samarjit Choudhry

  • Happy mcgarrybowen designs brand identity for Airtel Xstream

    Happy mcgarrybowen designs brand identity for Airtel Xstream

    MUMBAI: Bharti Airtel has partnered with Happy mcgarrybowen to design brand identity for Airtel Xstream, the digital entertainment platform by Airtel. As part of the exercise, Happy mcgarrybowen designed the brand identity and visual language for the brand.

    Speaking on the engagement, Airtel CMO Shashwat Sharma said, “The vision for the Airtel Xstream brand was to carve a voice that speaks to today's young, technology ready consumer. We were building an India-first platform of digital entertainment services and this needed a disruptive and market-defining visual identity. Happy mcgarrybowen became our partner in bringing that vision to life. They helped create an identity that is current, aspirational and future-ready. It’s a great visual ethos of what Airtel Xstream promises to bring to the Indian consumer going forward.”

    Happy mcgarrybowen president Samarjit Choudhry added, “Airtel is one of the most recognised brands in India. It has ushered in major changes in the way we use communication tools. With the launch of Xstream, they are once again on the cusp of changing our entertainment consumption habits. We have tried to capture the dynamic nature of the digital entertainment world, its confluence across platforms; obviously with the consumer at the centre of it.”

    Happy mcgarrybowen is the creative and design agency from the house of Dentsu Aegis Network. Born and thrived in the modern-day chaos of brands doing the unconventional, Happy mcgarrybowen stands apart by not just being the communication partner, but the growth partner for clients. With communication design, experience design, engagement design and the very craft of design, Happy mcgarrybowen works agnostically of any medium to deliver solutions to the clients' business problems.

  • Dentsu Aegis Network gets new leadership for Happy mcgarrybowen

    Dentsu Aegis Network gets new leadership for Happy mcgarrybowen

    MUMBAI: In a bid to strengthen its global creative agency mcgarrybowen’s India footprint, Dentsu Aegis Network (DAN) has elevated Samarjit Choudhry to the role of president – happy mcgarrybowen (HMB) India. In addition to this, the global media and marketing communications conglomerate has also entrusted Soumitra Karnik with the additional charge as chief creative officer (CCO).

    Choudhry joined the Network in 2017 as COO – Happy mcgarrybowen India. Armed with more than 20 years of experience, he has worked with agencies such as Ogilvy and Leo Burnett. At Leo Burnett, he was the chief growth officer for the group and was also instrumental in setting up Orchard and Black Pencil for them. In addition, he has also worked to create India’s premier comic book content company, Virgin Comics.

    Speaking on his appointment, Choudhry said, “mcgarrybowen has a strong philosophy of solving real problems. They truly operate as a media-agnostic agency. In India the foundation for this is already there and the agency has been operating as Happy mcgarrybowen for over 2 years now. My mandate is to take it to the next level. Other than communication, we already have a strong design practice and in conjunction with the other offerings from DAN, today we offer our clients a one stop solution for whatever their needs might be. I look forward to taking the opportunity to take the legacy forward. And all we ask is, ‘Give us your biggest problem’.”

    Soumitra Karnik joined the network in 2012. Prior to that, he was an ECD at JWT. In over 11 years spent there, he worked on a variety of clients including Pepsi, Airtel, Nestle, and Hero Honda. Karnik has also worked at Lowe and Percept. Amongst his notable campaigns are the Pepsi ‘Yeh Hai Youngistaan Meri Jaan’, ‘Slice Aamsutra’, ‘Yaari Ki Gaadi’ for Hero Honda Splendour NXG, and the ‘What Makes Us Click’ campaign for Canon, to name a few.

    Speaking about the role, Karnik said, “Happy mcgarrybowen is a phenomenal creative brand and has an enviable body of work to prove it. All these years, I have greatly admired them from a distance and I count my blessings for being given this opportunity to be a part of their creative trajectory.  I assume this role with utmost confidence only because the culture of HMB will not have it any other way. I shall take my mandate from Gordon Bowen, our Global CCO, in the coming days and will talk about it soon. Personally, I’d like to build a collaborative creative culture where everyone works with everyone and everyone learns from everyone. There is so much talent out there in the world and sometimes all it takes is a simple call to say, ‘Hi, I have this idea and I need you to make it even more amazing’. Most clients deserve a spectacular package. Anything less is just plain misfortune.”

    Happy mcgarrybowen India is going to be a key piece in DAN’s India creative strategy.

    DAN CEO greater south and chairman & CEO India Ashish Bhasin said, “With its new leadership in place, I am more than confident that the agency is now in extremely able hands. Happy mcgarrybowen has always been a brand to reckon with and I have no doubt that Samarjit and Soumitra, together, will further fuel this brand legacy and help Happy mcgarrybowen scale new heights.”

  • Ola Rentals launches ad with Sumeet Vyas

    Ola Rentals launches ad with Sumeet Vyas

    MUMBAI: Ola, India’s leading and one of the world’s largest ride-sharing platforms, has launched a nationwide, integrated campaign focusing on Ola Rentals.

    Starring actor and writer Sumeet Vyas, the video campaign highlights Ola Rentals as your ‘go-to’ weekend ride. With the ease of booking a cab that remains at a customer’s disposal, waiting on them, as they move from place to place, Ola Rentals has emerged as a convenient, hassle-free solution that fills in for your personal car.

    Conceptualised and developed by Happy mcgarrybowen, the creative agency from Dentsu Aegis Network, the TVCs show Sumeet as an empowered Ola Rentals customer who isn’t worried of getting tired of driving for long hours in heavy traffic. Instead, he enjoys a day out with his wife and back-to-back outings to meet relatives since he gets to relax at the backseat like a boss. The catch phrase #NoStressBoss, used by the central character of the film, plays upon the idea of enjoying the comfort Ola Rentals provides to its customers.

    Actor and Writer Sumeet Vyas said, “I completely related to the concept of the films. As a professional who works round the clock almost every day of the week, I look forward to stress free weekends with my family and friends. A product like Ola Rentals can give you that much required relief that commuters are looking for! One doesn’t have to fret about driving in crazy traffic, looking for parking spots endlessly, etc. I am so looking forward to use Rentals by Ola next time when I have to go for a shopping spree or need to run errands all around the city.”

    The TVCs are being showcased through digital, video, social, OOH and radio; and have already garnered more than 5.8 million impressions on various digital platforms. So far, both 30 second videos have collectively garnered 1.2 million+ views on YouTube.

    Ola senior vice president Pallav Singh added, “Since its launch in 2016, Ola Rentals has been a favourite among corporate customers and working executives who move from one meeting to another during the day. Through this latest campaign we want to highlight the convenience of having a cab on disposal for diverse needs like shopping trips, meeting friends, visiting relatives, local sightseeing etc. I am glad to share that the TVCs are garnering great response, which goes to show that customers today value convenience and experience. They don’t want to tire themselves driving in heavy traffic, instead would like to be driven around as they relax and enjoy their day off.”

    Happy mcgarrybowen chief operating officer Samarjit Choudhry mentioned, “Ola Rentals is a very unique category. Unlike a point to-point cab, this one is meant to take you to multiple places. It takes away a lot of pain points like parking or having to book another cab, not to say the pain of driving on congested roads. Keeping all this in mind, we decided to take weekends as a plank for communication because a large number of the people get out on weekends and face the stress of weekend traffic and finding parking spots. The ease of the product offering had to be conveyed and hence we came up with the campaign thought of #NoStressBoss.”

    Founded in 2011 by Bhavish Aggarwal and Ankit Bhati, Ola is one of the world’s largest ride-hailing companies. Ola integrates city transportation for customers and driver-partners onto a mobile technology platform ensuring convenient, transparent, and quick service fulfilment.

  • Happy mcgarrybowen appoints Mani as ECD & Madhavdas as SVP

    Happy mcgarrybowen appoints Mani as ECD & Madhavdas as SVP

    MUMBAI: Happy mcgarrybowen, the creative agency from Dentsu Aegis Network, has added creative and account management muscle in the team with the appointment of Rajesh Mani and Kunal Madhavdas as the agency’s first ever ECD and Sr. VP respectively.

    Armed with over 18 years of rich experience across agencies like BBH, Ogilvy, Leo Burnett and Commonwealth, Rajesh arrives at Happy to take up the Executive Creative Director role.

    Kartik Iyer, CEO, Happy mcgarrybowen, said, “Creative leadership is not just about the talent but more about having the maturity to nurture ideas. In Rajesh we found the natural energy to further that culture.”

    Having worked on many landmark campaigns, such as Vodafone’s Blackberry Boys, The Zoozoos, Lenovo’s Sumo film, many noted pieces on Marico, Chevrolet, Bajaj, Titan and more, Rajesh will head a few of Happy mcgarrybowen’s prime accounts – Ola, Suzuki and Jabong.

    Mani said, “The decision to join here felt like a natural progression. The mandate was simple and clear; to keep the creative flag flying high and that’s what I aim to do.”

    Meanwhile Kunal Madhavdas landed at Happy mcgarrybowen after stints at Lowe Lintas, JWT and McCann Erickson in a career that is 14 years in the making. Having overseen multiple blockbuster campaigns for Flipkart, TVS, Myntra, Fastrack, Britannia, Tata Tea, bagging multiple Effies and a couple of AME’s in the process, Kunal joins as Senior Vice President, working closely with Kartik Iyer and Samarjit Choudhry, COO, Happy mcgarrybowen.

    Madhavdas commented, “The intent and the capability to crack and execute integrated campaigns that work effectively across mediums is something most brands look for in their advertising partners today. Happy mcgarrybowen has consistently done that. I can sense happier times ahead, so keep watching!”

    The new hires mark a distinct upsurge in direction and ambition from Happy mcgarrybowen on its tenth anniversary and serves as another example of how the agency is investing heavily in the finest talent in India to deliver the best for its clients.

    Samarjit Choudhry, COO, Happy mcgarrybowen, said, “With Kunal and now Rajesh, we have people who come from the same mindset.”

  • Happy mcgarrybowen appoints Choudhry as COO – advt, makes key changes

    MUMBAI: Happy mcgarrybowen, the creative agency from Dentsu Aegis Network, has announced key structural changes to further strategise its business approach and strengthen its top-line leadership. As part of this change, PM Praveen Das, Co-founder and MD, Happy mcgarrybowen, will spearhead growth of the specialised units for Design, B2B and Social Behaviour Change Projects (SBCP).

    Das said, “The dream here is to use ‘design thinking’ to contribute something unique to design from India and create value for our clients. We also want to help B2B clients with solutions that fall between a digital and communication agency by leveraging technology and creating unique experiences with UI and UX, VR, AR, AI, Machine Learning, IOT (internet of things), etc. In SBCP too, we have been trying to use technology to solve communication challenges even as we patiently engage with continuous research and feedback to create and recreate communication for change. Yes, the process is slow but fulfilling and effective if done well. To accomplish this, we have put together a talented, top-of-line team of experts to deliver results.”

    Meanwhile, Happy mcgarrybowen has roped in Samarjit Choudhry as chief operating officer (COO), Advertising. Armed with more than 20 years of experience, Samarjit’s mandate here will be to run and grow the agency’s advertising business across the country. Prior to this, Samarjit was with Ogilvy Bangalore where he held the position of chief growth office. He was also instrumental in setting up Orchard in Bangalore and Black Pencil for the Leo Burnett Group. In his new role, he will report to Kartik Iyer, co-founder and CEO – Happy mcgarrybowen.

    Choudhry said, “Most agencies give lip service to integrated thinking. At Happy, it’s actually a way of life. This brings a unique perspective to the table and a very different understanding of the shopper of today. Also Kartik and Praveen are not just great people to work with, they are truly Happy people also. I quite look forward to our journey ahead of taking Happy mcgarrybowen to the Delhi and Mumbai markets.”

    Iyer will continue to oversee the advertising discipline for Happy mcgarrybowen. On the developments, Iyer said, “We have always wanted Happy mcgarrybowen to be a hybrid agency with multiple capabilities. Between Praveen and me, we are very clear what we want for Happy mcgarrybowen in the future. So it just makes absolute sense to split forces and give the attention each discipline needs.”

    “Samarjit comes with a rich experience of having built business units. His personality, in a lot of ways, echoes the values we believe in at Happy. We have entrusted him with the responsibility to running and growing the advertising business across the country. So we can concentrate on attracting the best talent and improving the creative product,” he added.

  • Blackpencil India bags creative & strategy account of Viva

    Blackpencil India bags creative & strategy account of Viva

    MUMBAI: Viva-Your Family Chemist, a brand of Surya Healthcare, has given Blackpencil India (the latest agency from the Leo Burnett group worldwide) to handle its creative and strategy account.


    In a multi-contested pitch, the process saw participation of agencies like McCann Healthcare and others.


    Said Surya Healthcare Ltd, AGM – Marketing and Branding, Sameer Poddar, “With Blackpencil we found not just a willingness to go beyond the ordinary but also a good strategic understanding of what we are seeking to do.”


    Since the pharmacy market in India is highly fragmented with over 1,000,000 family-owned, small sized chemists and druggists operating across the country, the company has entered the organised segment and seeks to create a unique brand space for Viva in the consumer mind space.


    Averred Blackpencil India Executive Director Samarjit Choudhry, “”It is great to be associated with Viva Retail and Healthcare. We are looking forward to partnering with them and pioneering great work in this space.”


    Viva – Your Family Chemist, a brand of Surya Healthcare Ltd., is a growing retail pharmacy chain in India, with more than 230 outlets, offering a comprehensive range of genuine medicines, healthcare and preventive products.