ITV

Tag: Scarecrow

  • Scarecrow Communications drives new campaign for Rupa

    Scarecrow Communications drives new campaign for Rupa

    MUMBAI: Kolkata based Rupa Innerwear has released a new campaign to promote its range of Hunk vests. The campaign has been created by Scarecrow Communications to endorse the range of stylishly designed colourful vests. The campaign will run on cinema and television.

    On the campaign says Scarecrow Communications founder director Raghu Bhat, “We have been seeking a habit change from wearing shirts to wearing Hunk vests. So apart from dialing up the style quotient, we have given the audience a solid reason to switch to Hunk. We also think that our message of ‘Zamane ko Dikhana hai‘ is in synergy with the flaunt-friendly Facebook generation.”

    Adding to it, the agency’s founder director Arunava (Joy) Sengupta, “One of our mandates for brand Rupa is to make this iconic brand more relevant for today‘s youth; the entire communication package of Hunk has been designed keeping this objective for the mother brand in mind. We believe with a great design line up and with this communication, Hunk can easily become an intrinsic part of today‘s youth.”

    Apart from Rupa, Scarecrow handles brands such as Vivel, Fiama Di Wills, Emami and Joy Cosmetics in Kolkata.

  • Birla Sun Life Insurance appoints Taproot India as its creative agency

    Birla Sun Life Insurance appoints Taproot India as its creative agency

    MUMBAI: Birla Sun Life Insurance (BSLI), the insurance arm of Aditya Birla Financial Services Group, announced the appointment of Taproot India as it creative partner.

    Birla Sun Life Insurance had invited four agencies to share their strategy and creative recommendations, namely, McCann Erickson, JWT India, Taproot India and Scarecrow. The incumbent agency is JWT India and has partnered BSLI for over five years.

    Speaking on the appointment, Aditya Birla Group CMO financial services Ajay Kakar said, “Today, the Life insurance industry is at an inflection point in India. There is an opportunity for us to redefine the role that this industry can play in the life of mass India. At Birla Sun Life Insurance, we remain committed to our chosen strategy to provoke mass India to self-realise the importance of life insurance in their lives, as a source of certainty in a rather uncertain world. With Taproot India, we have found an agency that not only guide and partner with us in the creative expression of our brand, but more importantly, also help us strategise for the way forward.”

    Taproot India co-founder and chief creative officer Agnello Dias said, “Birla Sun Life insurance, as a brand, is very passionate about its business and operates with great clarity, sharp insights and a strong point of view. As its communication partner, we look forward to making the brand even more relevant to consumers than it is.”

    “Birla Sun Life Insurance has done some brave work in the past in the insurance category. It is seen as a leader and we are very excited to work with the brand. Birla Sun Life insurance will also add a different dimension to the Taproot portfolio,” said Taproot India co-founder and chief creative officer Santosh Padhi.

    “Despite the presence of many players in this category, a strong brand with a clear agenda will always have the opportunity to create interesting brand conversations. We are more than delighted to partner Birla Sun Life Insurance in its journey ahead,” added Taproot India CEO Umesh Shrikhande.

  • Scarecrow bags Joy Cosmetics’ creative mandate

    MUMBAI: Kolkata-based Joy Cosmetics has appointed Scarecrow Communications as its creative agency. The agency‘s Mumbai office will be in charge of the account.

    The company‘s last campaign featuring leading Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma was released two years ago. The company that has grown to be a major player, especially in the Hindi heartland states, will retain Anushka as its brand ambassador and will release its new campaign soon.

    Joy Cosmetics director Sunil Agarwal said, “I personally know all the three founders of Scarecrow and have seen them evolving over the last few years. I am very sure that they would do a perfect job not only in developing the communication strategy for the brand but also in the execution and supervision of every communication element across all mediums.”

    Scarecrow founder director Arunava (Joy) Sengupta said, “Skincare and haircare are not only high growth categories but are also highly competitive. According to us, competition will get even more intense in the near future. In this scenario we hope our work not only cuts through the clutter but also catapults brand Joy Cosmetics to the next level.”

    Scarecrow founder director Raghu Bhat added, “Some years ago, we had done a one-off project for Joy Cosmetics while working for a network agency. It is destiny that has given us this opportunity to associate once again on a professional basis and we look forward to making it count.”

    Scarecrow founder director Manish Bhatt said, “We have extensive experience in the beauty category having worked on Lakme, L‘Oreal, Parachute, Vaseline and Dabur Vatika. We hope to convert that into compelling creative work that builds market share.”

    Joy Cosmetics was started in 1988 and consists of a wide range of personal care products, focused on skincare and haircare segments, with Skin Fruits, Honey & Almonds, 24K Gold and Pure Aloe as the focused brands. The products are enriched with the goodness of active natural ingredients.

    Scarecrow has fully functional offices in Mumbai and Delhi and is currently working with brands such as Reliance Digital, Danone, Anchor Panasonic, Emami, Kohinoor McCormick, Eristoff, Viacom 18, Nestle, Quikr and Rupa. Recently, Scarecrow started its full-fledged design outfit, Scarecrow Designs.

  • Scarecrow creates Thermocot’s winter campaign

    Scarecrow creates Thermocot’s winter campaign

    MUMBAI: Thermocot, the thermal wear brand from the house of Rupa, has launched a new TVC to make the most of winter.
    In its new commercial, Thermocot has positioned itself as a fashion and lifestyle brand, which not only gives warmth but also makes the wearer look ‘hot‘.

    The television commercial has been created by Scarecrow Communications.

    Scarecrow Communications founder director Arunava (Joy) Sengupta said, “Since we came on board, one of our key tasks has been to revamp the imagery of the group and its portfolio. It‘s a challenge, since the core audience, for many brands under the stable, is the masses of India. This TVC not only works for Thermocot, but also ups the imagery for the entire portfolio.”

    The film is based on an audio track, which is sung like a Sanskrit chant. The idea is to create an audio mnemonic using the word ‘Swaha‘ in a whole new context. Girls going ‘weak at the knees‘ looking at the guy is a category code. The out-and-out Indian track slapped against images straight out of Parisian streets, helps the film stand out in the clutter. What also adds to the film‘s appeal is the way it explores female stereotypes – both lyrically and visually.

    “Be it Tata Sky‘s Life Zhingalala or Pond‘s Googly Woogly Wooksh, an audio mnemonic helps in making the communication sticky. We looked at Sanskrit – the great Indian language, on the verge of extinction today, to derive our own audio property – Swaha,” Scarecrow Communications founder director Manish Bhatt added.

    The film is directed by Milestone Films‘ Vishal Manglorekar while the music is credited to Rooshin Dalal.

  • Scarecrow bags creative duties of B’lue

    Scarecrow bags creative duties of B’lue

    MUMBAI: Scarecrow Communications has won the creative mandate for Danone Narang beverages’ B’lue.

    This is Scarecrow’s fourth account win within a week. The other businesses that the agency has won are Emami Healthy & Tasty (Emami‘s oil brand), Religare and Justbooks.

    B’lue is a restorative drink with a product experience that leaves the person feeling refreshed and uplifted. At present, it is being test marketed in Pune.

    Scarecrow Communications founder director Raghu Bhat said, “It’s a source of personal and professional pride to be associated with a brand like B’lue from Danone Narang Group. And there is a genuine opportunity to create interventions at multiple levels through the power of creativity.”

    Scarecrow Communications founder director Manish Bhatt added, “Danone has given the world iconic brands like Evian. Working on this new innovative FMCG brand conceived by Danone Narang – B‘lue – is one of the most exciting opportunities for Scarecrow. ”

    Scarecrow with offices in Mumbai and Delhi handles brands like Nestle, Reliance Digital, DNA, DLF, Future Capital, Eristoff (Bacardi) and Rupa Innerwear.

  • Scarecrow’s growth plans after 4 wins this magic week

    MUMBAI: For founder-promoters Raghu Bhat, Manish Bhatt and Arunava Joy Sengupta, this week has been a turning point with their two-year-four-month-old agency recording four wins in the week.

    Scarecrow Communications‘ prize catch has been the consolidation of Religare‘s account. The agency will now handle the creative duties of Religare Broking, Religare Health Insurance, Religare Macquarie and Religare Arts Initiative for its first client. The next line of attack will be to bag Religare‘s mutual fund that is under the care of Ogilvy.
    Bhatt recollects those early days when the agency‘s name was not even firmed up. “When we first started with Religare Macquarie (a joint venture), Scarecrow did not exist. Our cards read Raghu, Manish and Joy and the address was of a coffee shop where we used to meet. We had pitched along with the likes of Ogilvy, Law and Kenneth, Lowe and TBWA and managed to win the account as a bunch of individuals. Scarecrow exists today because of that. Religare has been very lucky for us,” he says.

    The week‘s other two wins are significant in another sense as Scarecrow prepares to expand its operations geographically while widening its client portfolio. Emami is Kolkata-based while Justbooks, a community library firm, hails from Bengaluru. The fourth win will be announced soon and Bhatt is not ready to talk about it.

    Having offices in Mumbai and Delhi, Scarecrow is now planning to have a presence in both Kolkata and Bengaluru. Though the creative idea shop has around 35 clients across Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Bengaluru and Kolkata, the servicing so far is done from the Mumbai and Delhi offices.
    The Scarecrow Trio – Arunava, Manish & Raghu

    The Scarecrow Trio – Arunava, Manish & Raghu
    Scarecrow’s next target is setting a base is the eastern metro of Kolkata. Apart from the recently won Emami Healthy & Tasty edible oil account, Scarecrow already services five of innerwear manufacturer Rupa’s brands – Frontline, Kidline, Euro, Thermocot and Bumchums, also based out of the City of Joy.

    Scarecrow believes in first building a client list in a region before setting up shop there. “We prefer having clients and slowly building our reputation before setting up an office in these centres. This makes working easier. That is the way we set up the Delhi office,” says Bhatt.

    The six-month-old Delhi office has helped Scarecrow expand its client portfolio, winning most of the agency‘s new businesses. Housing 10 people, it services five major brands – Eristoff, Bacardi, MVI Mobiles, DLF and PentAir.

    “We plan to bring on board new clients and double our team in Delhi. Incidentally, the Delhi office gets us maximum new businesses, surpassing even the Mumbai headquarters,” informs Bhatt.

    Scarecrow‘s future strategy is to work with more companies that have a cluster of brands, products and services under them. It is already associated with brands like Future Capital, DNA, Viacom 18, Nestle, Quikr, MVL & Pentair.

    “Working with such companies not only gives an agency exposure and experience but also makes expansion of brand portfolio easier. There is a tuning of sorts and both the parties are acquainted with each other’s style of working and expectations,” explains Bhatt.

    The agency is eager to work with more brands across various categories. “We are pretty strong in the financial services category as we have already done work for Religare, Axis bank etc. FMCG is the most sustainable category for any agency as recession and slowdown do not really have a big bearing on it. They give you a good strength. We were already in the FMCG category but we have never planned communication for an edible oil brand. So it will be a learning experience for us too,” avers Bhatt.

  • Scarecrow wins Justbooks’ creative biz

    MUMBAI: Bengaluru-based community library chain Justbooks Clc, owned by Strata Retail & Technology Services, has appointed Scarecrow Communications as its creative agency.

    The account will be handled out of the agency‘s Mumbai office.

    Justbooks intends to take operations across India by incorporating proven retail practices, like warehouse backed operations with centralised inventory and new generation technology usage like cloud hosted infrastructure with RFID enabled touchpoints to meet the ultimate goal of every library.

    JustBooks founder and CEO R. Sundar Rajan said, “We are excited to partner with Scarecrow in our attempt to redefine libraries as a new generation platform connecting books and readers. Building a brand around a traditional neighbourhood service can present lot of interesting challenges and we look forward to work with the creative team at Scarecrow in getting people back to reading.”

    Scarecrow Communications founder director Raghu Bhat said, “Justbooks is our first ever client from Bengaluru. This is a huge moment for Scarecrow. Being a book lover myself, it will be doubly satisfying if our campaigns succeed in making more people visit Justbooks, which has the most charming libraries I have ever seen.”

    Scarecrow recently bagged the corporate account for Religare.

  • Scarecrow elevates Banerjee to Delhi branch head

    MUMBAI: Scarecrow Communications has promoted Anindya Banerjee to branch head at Scarecrow Delhi.

    Banerjee currently serves as executive creative director and creative head of the agency‘s Delhi office and will take on the additional responsibilities from 1 June.

    Scarecrow founder director Raghu Bhat said, “Andy‘s contribution to the growth of Scarecrow Delhi deserves more than lip service. Andy believes in Scarecrow as much as Scarecrow believes in him. We are merely being sensible by unleashing Andy‘s potential through timely empowerment.”

    Scarecrow founder director Manish Bhatt added, “Andy is the face of Scarecrow Delhi. All we are doing here is recognising it and giving it a nomenclature. We are giving him due liberty and power to the role he was playing by default. And wish him to attract great brands and great talent.”

    Scarecrow founder director Arunava (Joy) Sengupta said, “As we move to the next phase of our growth in Delhi, we needed a captain, and to all of us there was no better candidate than Andy. Am sure he will lead us well in our journey in Delhi market.”

    Scarecrow has, in its kitty, brands like Reliance Digital, Anchor Panasonic, DNA, Religare, Future Capital, Viacom18, Rupa, Core and Quikr.

    Scarecrow Delhi handles brands such as Eristoff, Pentair, DLF and MVL Mobiles.

  • Scarecrow celebrates 2nd anniv with launch of design division

    Scarecrow celebrates 2nd anniv with launch of design division

    MUMBAI: Celebrating its second anniversary in style, Scarecrow Communications Ltd. announced the launch of a design division by the name Scarecrow Designs.

    The new division will provide exclusive design solutions to various clients and will be headed by Kapil Tammal as design director.

    Scarecrow Designs also endeavours to produce pure graphic design content on its own. The in house designers and talent from design schools would be roped in to create merchandise (t-shirts, bags, accessories etc), which will be showcased at the Scarecrow Art Gallery and on www.scarecrowdesigns.net

    Due to the retail boom, mall culture and entry of many international lifestyle brands in India, design has become extremely imperative.

    Many national/international brands, more often, avoid spending on full-fledged ATL campaigns due to media costs. But what they can‘t avoid spending on is to create a look, feel and imagery of the brand where design is sacrosanct.

    The idea behind the new identity of Scarecrow Designs is based on the phenomenon crop circles, which have been the biggest design mysteries in the world.

    Scarecrow Designs design director Kapil Tammal said, “Scarecrow Designs is not a conventional design house. Design for communication is what my team will focus on. Certain brands need to be looked from a design perspective, so along with the routine advertising ideas, the team will wear a designer‘s hat and think of ‘designs‘ as and when needed. I wanted to form this kind of a team since long, and today it‘s finally happening!”

    Scarecrow founder director Raghu Bhat said, “This is a systematic attempt to broaden our communication offerings. It is also a recognition of the great design talent in Scarecrow. “

  • Carving out a space for independent agencies: Scarecrow Communications founder director Raghu Bhat

    Carving out a space for independent agencies: Scarecrow Communications founder director Raghu Bhat

     

    Mark Zuckerberg started his company when he was 20 years of age and Steve Jobs when he was 22. However, most of the independent agencies in India have been started by guys above the age of 35. Also, a lot of them had already attained professional success in their jobs at network agencies. This means, an independent agency is largely born out of a network agency’s inability to retain its senior creative people. Dissatisfaction in their current working environment has forced them to turn entrepreneurs and start their agencies, rather than the Silicon Valley mindset – the fierce desire to create a multi-million dollar valuation firm in the minimum possible time.

    This brings us to the next question? Why are senior creative people unhappy in a network agency? In our viewpoint, there are two big reasons. One is lack of creative freedom or independence. In many cases, the final creative call is taken by a suit. This can stifle creativity and individualism. The other is, lack of compensation proportional to their contribution to the agency. The latter is still negotiable but the former is indispensable for a genuinely talented creative guy to survive.

    In an independent agency, the potential of the creative person gets unshackled. His ideas don’t die before they reach the client. For this reason, many independent agencies are doing sparkling work.

    We believe that there is loads of creativity in the big network agencies. What they don’t have is a mechanism to ensure that the best ones reach the client. They do good work but the hit rate percentage is lot lesser than the smaller agencies. Independent agencies offer quality creative thinking, flatter structures, quicker response times, personalised attention and lots of passion.

    The other big advantage is that in an independent agency, the creative people get to hear the business problem itself, from the horse’s mouth as they get to deal directly with the big decision makers. We believe the brilliance of the creative solution is proportional to the clarity with the business problem is articulated. This puts them in a vantage position to solve it with maximum efficacy.

    Creative people get the liberty to present ideas they truly believe in. There are no unnecessary rules, no baggage, no hierarchy. Both agency and the client have only one objective – to solve the problem at hand in the given budget and timeline. This single-mindedness of agenda and purity of purpose is hugely liberating, from a creative standpoint.

    The other big differentiator for an independent agency can be the ‘creative culture’. At one level, this is intangible but at another level, it is very real as it is something employees experience on an everyday basis. Culture is the aggregate of the agency’s actions, internally and externally. Most network agencies behave in a similar fashion. They do the same things while dealing with employees and clients. Also a culture is created when most of the people in the organisation believe in the same things. Therefore, it’s easier for an independent agency to carve out its own distinct culture. Doing so will help it become a talent magnet and lead to a happy productive workplace.

    Admittedly, there are many challenges too. Some of the them are not very different from those faced by a network agency. For example, the ability of an independent agency to grow depends on their ability to attract top talent, at the senior and junior levels. They have to manage finances well. A weakened economic sentiment, the prospect of Europe being in recession for 5-10 years and a bearish stock market might mean lower marketing spends by Indian companies. This could hit the agency’s capacity to invest in people as they aren’t sitting on huge cash reserves.

    The independent agency also has to ensure it doesn’t become a victim of stereotyping. Based on a hi-profile campaign, an independent agency can quickly acquire a reputation for specialisation, without even realising it. In India too, there are independents who are known as ‘lifestyle’ agencies or ‘mass FMCG type’ agencies. While the agency may have the capability to handle different products across diverse audiences, they can still lose out, as the perception might overpower reality. The best way to counter this is to aggressively showcase work across categories and acquire a varied portfolio as fast as possible.

    One of the accusations against independent agencies is that they are creative boutiques, dependent solely on a pair of creative people. They may not be seen as ‘organisations’. Their capacity to deliver integrated solutions or handle big businesses is sometimes questioned. Bandwidth can become an issue. Some of them may not have the ability to hire great account planners. This is a reality that the agency heads have to face.

    To deal with this, they should craft out a short term and long term strategy. It’s important to have one eye on the present without losing sight of the future. A conscious attempt should be made to expand the bouquet of communication offerings. The independent agency should be on the lookout to develop expertise in related areas like design, digital, strategy, retail, rural marketing and healthcare. This will make the agency less vulnerable to recessionary trends.

    Moreover, it will accelerate the learning curve and ensure that the agency heads aren’t caught up in attending to just the short-term contingencies. In case the agency head plans to sell off his agency after a few years, this will also help in the valuation. It’s also important to plough back some money into making a decent office as that’s where people spend 10-12 hours every day.

    Ultimately, the independent agencies will co-exist with the large network agencies. There will be ample opportunities for both. The Indian economy is a domestic consumption story and we expect that growth will happen at a steady if not spectacular rate. The creative people who will enjoy embrace the added responsibilities (Cash flow, staffing, client management, accounting) of running the independent agency, along with the creative tasks, are the ones who will stick it out. The creative guys who want to concentrate only on doing creative work will be tempted to sell out.