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Tag: Social Wavelength

  • Tarun Rai to replace Colvyn Harris as JWT South Asia CEO

    Tarun Rai to replace Colvyn Harris as JWT South Asia CEO

    MUMBAI: Beginning early 2015, Tarun Rai will step into the shoes of Colyvn Harris as JWT South Asia CEO.

     

    Harris, who has had a longstanding tenure with the company, will assume the role of global growth and client development executive director and will report to J Walter Thompson Company CEO Gustavo Martinez.

     

    In the role of CEO, Rai will lead JWT, which includes India, Sri Lanka and Nepal, as well as JWT’s Indian companies, including Contract Advertising, Hungama Digital Services, J. Walter Thompson Mindset, Encompass and Social Wavelength. He will report to Martinez and will work closely with Asia Pacific CFO Nick Romas.

     

    “I am thrilled to welcome Tarun Rai back to J. Walter Thompson. Tarun has the global business acumen and pioneering spirit needed to lead J. Walter Thompson south Asia. He was an important part of our, and now he will be a critical part of our future,” said Martinez.

     

    Rai rejoins the company from Worldwide Media, where he held the role of CEO since 2008. Under Rai’s leadership, Worldwide Media (then a joint venture of The Times of India Group and BBC Worldwide) grew exponentially.

     

    “It’s wonderful to return home to J. Walter Thompson during this pivotal time in the company’s history. Being away for a few years has given me an invaluable ‘outside-in’ perspective of the advertising business. Having a chance to head J. Walter Thompson South Asia and work with Gustavo Martinez as he leads J. Walter Thompson into the next 150 years is a huge honour,” added Rai.

     

    During his tenure at JWT, Rai helped build some of the world’s most reputed brands; his clients included Hindustan Unilever, Diageo, GlaxoSmithKline, Pizza Hut, De Beers, ITC, Tata Steel, Nestlé, Hero, Godrej and Kellogg’s. Rai is an advertising and media professional with more than 25 years’ experience. He holds a business degree and is an alumnus of the London School of Economics.

     

    Harris, who has spent 35 years at JWT, has been Contract Advertising CEO and J. Walter Thompson Colombo managing director. He also holds various industry leadership roles and board positions, including Advertising Agencies Association of India president.

     

    Under his leadership, J. Walter Thompson South Asia has built a formidable reputation with a diverse spectrum of traditional, mainstream, activation, events and digital marketing services capabilities, including the acquisitions of Encompass, Hungama Digital Services, Mindset and Social Wavelength. The agency also won its first Cannes Grand Prix and first Titanium Lion under his leadership, and was the highest awarded Indian agency at Cannes 2014. The company has deepened the scope and scale of the services it offers in the market, from digital to events and activation, through organic growth and acquisitions.

     

    Harris said, “Every day has been an opportunity across my professional career at J. Walter Thompson. Building our capabilities to meet the ambition of our clients’ brands has been my relentless passion and purpose. I have worked with the most amazing and talented team one can ever hope for, and the bluest-of-blue chip clients across every category one can dream of. I am proud to have sustained and grown our client partnerships, and that our clients continue to be leaders in their respective categories for the ideas we have delivered for them. I look forward to being an integral part of the global client development team.”

     

    “I am deeply grateful for Colvyn Harris’ longstanding leadership and commitment to J. Walter Thompson. Colvyn has been a real asset and a great support during my first 11 months in the company. He will continue to help me further the growth of the company in this new role,” added Martinez.

     

    “2015 will be a big year, especially for J. Walter Thompson South Asia under Tarun’s leadership and vision,” concluded Martinez.

     

  • Brands engage with Twitter influencers to reach out

    Brands engage with Twitter influencers to reach out

    MUMBAI: According to the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), as of March 2013, Twitter had 33 million users across the country. An Economic Times report said that Twitter is eyeing India’s over 500 million mobile consumers as potential users, given that its service can be used on feature phones.

     

    With statistics like that, no wonder brands are milking the popularity and reach of the micro-blogging site, albeit through people called ‘influencers’.

     

    Earlier this month, a national dairy brand created a Twitter splash with the help of 50 influencers, with the campaign being the most talked about at the time. Similarly, Mahindra has identified an ‘influencer’ for its SuPer Milo in actress Gul Panag, who connects with the brand at many levels and campaigns regularly on Twitter.

     

    So, who are these influencers whom brands are increasingly seeking out in order to grow their consumer base and widen their reach?

     

    Social Wavelength joint CEO Sanjay Mehta says that there are three types of influencers. Firstly, the celebrity kinds, who may generate influence across many different areas and people; secondly, subject matter influencers, who are domain specialists and wield influence in specific categories such as automobiles or gadgets or fashion; and thirdly, peer influencers, who may not fall in the first two categories but have good influence over a sizeable group of tweeple (people on Twitter) who interact with them.

     

    Mehta points out that of late, several brands have been engaging with influencers, in big or small ways; be it getting influencers to talk about their new mobile phone or getting them to initiate a tweetinar (a seminar on Twitter) on a topic of relevance. “At the end of the day of course, it is about getting engagement with the influencers, and through such engagement, managing to get an amplification of the brand via the wider network reach of the said influence,” Mehta explains.

     

    A common perception among social media enthusiasts is that Twitter influencers are those who have a huge follower base. While FoxyMoron co-founder, director – new business Pratik Gupta, is of the view that while this is a crucial criterion and an influencer must have at least 1,500 followers, other factors too need to be taken into consideration. “The brand must select an influencer whose opinion and tone is in sync with the brand philosophy. The content tweeted must be consistently of good quality and at the same time, be memorable and valuable. Also from a brand perspective, it is important to ensure that the chosen influencer has not endorsed a competitor in the past. The final criterion one must look out for is dedication; the influencer must regularly and religiously tweet in order to keep his/her followers intrigued,” says Gupta.

     

    For instance, for Maybelline New York India, Foxymoron identified a core group of influencers and called them the ‘Beauty Brigade’. This was done in order to create better products and a unique identity in a highly competitive market. Members of the brigade were the first to receive product samples and hear about contests. They played a major role in promoting brand awareness and product loyalty.

     

    Gupta says that these days, brands engage with influencers in different ways including product sampling, reviews on blogs and DIY YouTube tutorials. Influencers give their opinions in the form of reviews and connect with their followers on a personal level. So, they tend to gain the trust of their followers apart from adding advocacy to brand campaigns. “They support the brand by enabling it to tap into their own fan base. Every consumer then becomes a potential word-of-mouth marketer, which is one of the biggest benefits to the brand. This becomes a win-win situation for the brand and the consumers”, explains Gupta.

     

    That said, most brands are not very open about engaging with influencers on social media. And still, part of the success of the brand on Twitter campaigns definitely goes to its influencers!

  • JWT acquires majority stake in Social Wavelength

    JWT acquires majority stake in Social Wavelength

    MUMBAI: WPP Group’s JWT has acquired a majority stake in Social Wavelength.

     

    JWT’s acquisition of Social Wavelength is a logical confluence of social media and mainline expertise, coming together to create integrated communication for brands. The rich experience of five years that we have, in this young industry of Social and Digital Media, will find the next leap of growth, through this partnership. A socially connected world is going to create new challenges and opportunities for brands, and we will create solutions to help brands navigate those challenges,” said Social Wavelength joint CEOs Haresh Tibrewala and Sanjay Mehta.  

     

    The social media agency was founded in 2009, and headquartered in Mumbai, with offices in Delhi and Chennai. The agency now has over 170 professionals who offer social media communication services, social media listening services using Radian6,  influencer outreach program, application development, video and rich media content creation and media buying to over 50 leading brands.

     

    The acquisition marks a further step in WPP’s strategy of developing its networks in fast-growth markets and sectors. In India, WPP companies (including associates) generate revenues of nearly $500 million and employ almost 13,000 people.

     

    “We want to be a critical resource partner across the many solutions we provide to our clients. As we continue to relentlessly transform our offerings, Social Wavelength adds a huge dimension to our existing clients and the brands we steward. Across the marcom value chain and across various digital touch points the skills and capabilities of Social Wavelength will be that edge,” said JWT South Asia CEO Colvyn Harris.

     

    Social Wavelength’s revenues for the year ended 31 March 2013 were Rs 9.15 crore, with gross assets at the same date of Rs 5.92 crore. Social Wavelength marks WPP’s fifth acquisition in India in the last four years.

     

    JWT Asia Pacific has invested heavily in expanding its digital footprint over the last two years.  In addition to the acquisition of Hungama, in India, JWT acquired Post Visual in South Korea in 2013, and took a stake in Converge, in Pakistan, in 2012.  XM Asia, a digital agency owned by JWT, also acquired Designercity, in Hong Kong, and Thomas Idea, in Thailand, in 2013, and XM Gravity in 2012.

  • Social Wavelength ropes in Vijay Sankaran as director – digital strategy and planning

    Social Wavelength ropes in Vijay Sankaran as director – digital strategy and planning

    MUMBAI: Social Wavelength, one of India’s largest social media agencies has now brought in Vijay Sankaran to head the Digital Strategy and Planning department.

    Vijay comes in with over two decades of experience in branding, advertising, digital and integrated communications. Earlier, he headed Digital at Edelman PR, and worked on evolving its digital practice and integrating digital into PR. He also brings with him invaluable client side experience, setting up and building global social media initiatives at Nokia Siemens Networks.

    On his new role, Vijay Sankaran said “I am happy to join Social Wavelength, India’s largest social media agency with a pan India presence. Social is now an approach embracing ATL, BTL, and all of digital and I look forward to working with the leadership team and a great bunch of clients to take the game to the next level.

    On this occasion, Social Wavelength’s Joint CEO Sanjay Mehta said, “We are thrilled to have Vijay Sankaran on board with us now. With the expertise and understanding of the industry that he comes in with, we are sure he will play a very crucial role in the growth of Social Wavelength.

  • Social Wavelength wins SARE Homes social media biz

    MUMBAI: Social media agency Social Wavelength has been appointed as the social media agency for SARE Homes following a multi agency pitch.

    SARE Homes executive director David Walker said, “Expanding our online brand presence through social media will enable us to connect with young audiences who are aspiring to purchase a home of their own ways. We are happy with our choice of agency to deliver this task.”

    Social Wavelength joint CEO Sanjay Mehta said, “We are excited by SARE‘s concept of providing quality, community housing at strategic locations across India and we are glad to take this concept to their consumers.”

    SARE Homes, a company that has invested in seven integrated projects in major cities, offers quality, community-housing at strategically identified locations across India. SARE is in a high-growth mode and aims to double its area under development in the next three years.

    Social Wavelength has presence in Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Bangalore. Its’ suite of services include social media monitoring, online-reputation management, online PR, social media management and building online communities. Social Wavelength is also the authorised reseller for Radian6 for the Indian market.

  • Social Wavelength wins Ginger Hotels social media mandate

    MUMBAI: Ginger Hotels, a TATA enterprise, has awarded the social media duties to social media agency Social Wavelength.

    The chain of hotels is spread across 23 locations in India with 26 hotels launched on the concept of smart basics.

    Ginger Hotels marketing manager Alisagar Merchant said, “Social media will help us connect with our prospective customers, understand our current audience more closely and enable us offer better products and services. With Social Wavelength‘s strength, expertise and experience in the field of social media communication and social media monitoring, we are sure they will help us listen to the customer‘s mind and also connect with them effectively.”

    Social Wavelength vice president Mihir Karkare commented, “The concept of Smart Basics for a hotel is very unique and we are delighted to take this concept to the consumers. We are sure that social media will play a significant role in the audience interactions for Ginger Hotels”

    The primary objective behind the concept of Ginger hotels is to provide a superior product offering and consistent experience to travellers, beyond the present offerings in the industry. Ginger Hotels have also recently won the ‘Best Budget Hotel‘ award by Outlook Traveller.

    Social Wavelength has presence in Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Bangalore. Its services include social media monitoring, online-reputation management, online PR, social media management and building online communities. Social Wavelength is also the authorised reseller for Radian6 for the Indian market.

  • Globus ropes in Social Wavelength

    MUMBAI: Globus, Rajan Raheja Group’s chain of retail stores, has brought on board Social Wavelength to handle the social media communication duties. The retailer zeroed in on the agency after a multi-agency pitch and evaluation.

    Globus plans to leverage the social media platform to enhance its brand while using social interactions to gain better insights into consumer behaviour. The retailer also plans to facilitate co-creation of products through a planned 360-degree communications perspective that involves building pages on social networks, mobile apps and other social utilities.

    Globus managing director Vinay Nadkarni said, “We are a pan India youth fashion brand with a very active customer base in the 16-24 age bracket. This audience is very active on social networking site and hence, we have identified social media as a key business driver for our brand.”

    Social Wavelength joint CEO Hareesh Tibrewala said, “We are delighted with our association with Globus, one of India’s leaders in fashion retail. We are sure social media will play a significant role in customer engagement for Globus.”

  • Social Wavelength bags social media mandate of GreenDust

    MUMBAI: Online shopping portal GreenDust has awarded its social media duties to social media agency Social Wavelength.

    GreenDust offers customers and bulk buyer‘s an option to purchase unused, branded factory seconds, surplus, overstock, and refurbished products at the lowest prices.

    The company feels that social media is the perfect geography for GreenDust to communicate how they are converting potential e-waste into quality offerings to customers, in a “unique” service in India.

    Social media presence will also help the brand to constantly engage with their audience and create a top of mind brand recall, the agency said.

    Social Wavelength joint CEO Sanjay Mehta said, “The business model of GreenDust is very interesting and unique, and we are excited to have the opportunity to take this to consumers via Social Media. We are sure that leveraging social media presence will play a significant role in audience interaction for GreenDust, and their understanding of the brand proposition that GreenDust stands for.”

    GreenDust CEO Hitendra Chaturvedi said, “There are unfortunate misconceptions that people carry about words like refurbished or factory seconds, and there is a need to explain these concepts correctly. Social Media enables us to do exactly that. The platforms being interactive and conversation friendly, we expect to have a dialogue with the consumers, and bring out the advantages that GreenDust offers. With Social Wavelength‘s expertise and knowledge on our side, we are sure we will be able to understand the minds of our customers and communicate with them effectively.”

  • Tata Housing hands social media mandate to Social Wavelength

    MUMBAI: Real estate company Tata Housing Development Company has roped in digital marketing agency Social Wavelength to handle it social media mandate. The agency‘s approach and suggestion came very close to the brand‘s need and vision for its social media initiatives and that is what won Social Wavelength the mandate.

    Tata Housing is a developer of premium and luxury projects in the country. The company now aims to leverage the digital medium in an attempt to be more accessible to Indian consumers. By going the social media way, Tata Housing hopes to increase conversations with its consumers and engage them more effectively with the brand.

    The brand plans to undertake a 360-degree digital communication route that includes fan pages on social networks, mobile apps and other social utilities.

    Social Wavelength joint chief executive officer Hareesh Tibrewala said, “We are delighted to be working with Tata Housing, which has built a strong brand reputation both in India as well as abroad. We believe Tata Housing‘s social media presence will help set the nation‘s real estate agenda of promoting premium lifestyle.”