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Tag: Soumitra Karnik

  • Behind the scenes of IKEA’s India marketing strategy

    Behind the scenes of IKEA’s India marketing strategy

    MUMBAI: Hej IKEA i Indien! This translates to ‘Hello IKEA in India!’ Unless you’re living under a rock, by now we’ve all heard and read about Swedish furnishing brand IKEA’s great and pompous launch in India!

    Indians alien to the concept of assembling furniture themselves lunged at IKEA’s launch in Hyderabad City. This reflects from 40,000 customers trooping in on the opening day, where the retailer rang up sales of a little over Rs 1 crore the same day.

    But what really made Hyderabad and the nation go gaga over a company that they had probably never even heard of before 2017? Well, the answer is simple – branding and marketing.

    In the global advertising world, IKEA is often cited as a master of branding, marketing and advertising. The company has consistently won the marketing game on social media and traditional mediums to carve some of the finest campaigns to reach out to the masses but India is a different animal altogether. A global campaign or a standard tone would never connect or work with the audiences here as India is an amalgamation of several cultures, traditions and beliefs.

    But how do you connect with a country that has a population of 1.35 billion, doesn’t know a thing about the brand and can’t connect with the concept of self assembling furniture? Labour is cheap here so you can just get your local carpenter to fix anything for you in a jiffy. Hire the best agency available and capture nuances in the communication. For this, the Swedish giant hired Dentsu Impact as its official creative agency to launch the brand’s maiden campaign for India. Its ‘Make Everyday Brighter’ ads resonated fantastically well with Ikea’s belief to create a better life every day and drove home a customer traction that none had ever expected.

    And now, as IKEA moves ahead aggressively to eke out a niche for itself in the country, Dentsu Impact is steadily helping the brand to discover this new culture and expand its footprint, nationwide.

    While we have all read about how the launch of IKEA is a positive step for FDI, generating local jobs and a tough fight for e-commerce players, nobody really knows what went into making IKEA’s launch in India grandiose. To understand this, Indiantelevision.com spoke exclusively to the men behind Ikea’s entry in India – Dentsu Impact president Amit Wadhwa and chief creative officer Soumitra Karnik – where they spoke about what went behind the planning, the agency’s strategy for Ikea, challenges while working for an international brand and much more. Excerpts:

    How did Dentsu Impact end up bagging the IKEA business for India?

    Amit Wadhwa: It was a long process that started way back in February 2016. They called us for the credentials sharing meeting which was more of a chemistry meeting. They shortlisted eight agencies basis the credential meeting and asked us on how they should launch IKEA in India and what should be their strategy. It was quite an elaborate pitch and they gave us three months to work on the pitch which was a little surprising considering how pitches normally happen in India. It took us a lot of time to understand the brand, how it functions and its tonality. Our creative team actually went to Hyderabad and stayed there for a few weeks to understand the Hyderabad market and the requirements for home furnishing there.

    So when did you officially get the mandate?

    Amit Wadhwa: We officially got the mandate in September 2016. But there’s a lot more that we’ve done for IKEA other than the launch campaign.

    What do you mean when you say that? Were they pre-launch initiatives?

    Amit Wadhwa: Yeah, we did an employee branding asking people to join IKEA where we used existing IKEA workers to promote the campaign rather than models. We also launched an experience centre for IKEA before the store launch where people could see the products but not buy them.

    How was it working for an international brand like IKEA? How interesting was it for you to work on a brand’s entry in a market like India?

    Soumitra Karnik: It’s been quite interesting and exciting because every adverting person around the world admires IKEA’s creative ads and it is a dream brand to work with for everyone. However, the challenge is that it’s not really easy to work for IKEA. IKEA is not only about award-winning ads and its products, it’s more than that and you realise that only after you’ve worked with them. The tonality of the brand is extremely exciting as they want to understand the local nuances of each market they enter into.

    What was the brief that team IKEA shared with you when you said they want to launch their maiden campaign in India?

    Amit Wadhwa: No two countries are exactly the same and moreover India is an amalgamation of many countries. What we have done for IKEA is take their belief and marry it with what India stands for. There are great similarities between brand IKEA and what India stands for. Family culture plays an important role for Indian and Swedish families and that’s well ingrained in IKEA as a brand and all their communications.

    How will you ensure that you maintain brand recall through creativity in your campaigns for IKEA?

    Amit Wadhwa: We have launched ad campaigns where it talks more about the products available at IKEA rather than just throwing out a good looking ad. We are creating things which are firsts in the IKEA world. The whole endeavour is to keep a balance between creating a brand language since IKEA has to be distinct and at the same time it needs to connect with the Indian consumers. They are very clear that the ads need to be locally relevant to connect with the consumers.

    What will be IKEA’s strategy for India under your agency’s guidance?

    Amit Wadhwa: It is not a typical client-agency relationship but more of a joint effort by IKEA and Dentsu to ensure we talk to many. Our focus will be on connecting with the family audiences but at the same time, they want to connect with the many.

    Who were your target consumers when you created the campaign? Also, going forward, will the campaigns be targeted at anyone and everyone?

    Amit Wadhwa: When we launched the first campaign, we wanted to target families and everyone. Now, going forward, while families will be at the core of our communication, we will look at targeting bachelors and elderly couples. You will see shades of many of them in our communication, but the core audience will always remain families with kids as IKEA wants to target families.

    What is Dentsu Impact’s plan with IKEA going forward? How will you strengthen the relationship?

    Soumitra Karnik: When we started working on the brand, we were super happy but now we are overwhelmed. It’s going to be an exciting journey with many more stories coming up. What the Mumbai store will bring to us is what we are really looking forward to!

    Are there any constraints while working for a global retailer in India? For instance, how will a person sitting in Hyderabad connect with a brand that’s Swedish unless you really break it down to their level?

    Amit Wadhwa: It’s definitely a challenge, but an interesting one! We understand that there could be challenge in terms of acceptance since it’s a Swedish brand and Indians probably had never even heard of it, but with the right communication, you can overcome that challenge. We really think we were able to overcome that but are working towards creating better communication going forward.

  • Sumit Negi joins Dentsu Impact as ECD

    Sumit Negi joins Dentsu Impact as ECD

    MUMBAI: Dentsu Impact, the creative agency of Dentsu Aegis Network, has further strengthened their creative function with the appointment of Sumit Negi as an executive creative director.  In his new role, he will operate out of the Gurgaon office and will report into Anupama Ramaswamy, the national creative director.

    Sumit’s key responsibility would be to take care of the creative output for Maruti Suzuki. Negi brings with him more than 18 years of experience which includes brands like Mortein (India and International), Microsoft, Telenor, Del Monte India, MAAZA, Samsung Mobile Phones, Grey Goose Vodka, Whirlpool, NIIT, MOTOROLA, Hutch, Hyundai and LG.

    Commenting on the new role, Negi said, “Dentsu Impact is where things are on a roll. It’s great to be a part of an organisation which exudes positive energy. Cars have always fascinated me, and having to mainly work on a brand which has been a leader for decades, and is transforming itself, is an exciting challenge. Nurturing creativity to reach business milestones, is what I will be aiming at Dentsu Impact. Being a team player, I look forward to helping in raising the bar and adding to the spirited environment in this place which Soumitra and Amit have kept alive. With Anupama at the helm of things, it is going to be a drive on top gear.”

    Ramaswamy said “Sumit is a rare blend of calmness and energy. He understands the automobile category and knows the pace of the account. He is talented, passionate, and at the same time mature. I believe he will help us in this journey of growing Dentsu Impact to new heights.

    Commenting on the same Dentsu Impact chief creative office Soumitra Karnik added, “Sumit’s maturity, calm demeanour and the manner in which he leads his team is what sets him apart. His passion and knowledge on cars gives Dentsu Impact an added edge. We are very happy to have him and wish him a fabulous future.”

    Previously, he has worked in various agencies such as HAVAS, Leo Burnett, Contract, Ogilvy, DDB Mudra and Grey.

  • Oppo launches new phone targeted at youth

    Oppo launches new phone targeted at youth

    MUMBAI: Dentsu Impact, the creative agency from Dentsu Aegis Network, has launched a new campaign for Oppo’s latest phone – the F7, powered by AI (Artificial Intelligence) 2.0. 

    Targeted at the youth, Oppo F7 comes loaded with features that help enhance the virtual lives of youngsters .

    The film mirrors this way of life of today’s generation, and shows how Oppo F7 is the perfect partner for them. This is a generation for whom their phone is an extension of themselves – where every moment is captured, shared, conversations are started and connections are made. 

    A generation that is comfortable in their own skin and are always ready to put their best foot forward. They want the appreciation and all the attention. They are confident to even flaunt their imperfections, because all of this makes them who they really are and that’s the real them. 

    The film looks slick and young, with a catchy track that captures the multiple situations from a youngster’s life and all through this, how Oppo F7 fits in to make the virtual moments even better.

    Dentsu Impact chief creative officer Soumitra Karnik says, “Virtual is the new real for this generation – selfies, social media, filters, status updates – it’s all an integral part of life for them. This is their reality and they unapologetically accept that. Oppo phones come with features that help enhance this virtual life of the youngsters and the attempt of our film is to bring this to life.”

    Oppo India brand director Will Yang adds, “We have always tried to bring the best camera and selfie experience to our consumers and we believe that OPPO F7 will enable the youth to click natural selfies. The TVC takes cues from the current lifestyle trends of the youth, especially their love for clicking Selfies and highlights how much goes into taking that perfect Selfie. We hope that the TVC finds a connect with the youth and help them realize that their selfie expert lies within their Oppo F7.”

  • OPPO shows tips & tricks to capture the real you in new ad

    OPPO shows tips & tricks to capture the real you in new ad

    MUMBAI: OPPO, the selfie expert, today announced the launch of its new TVC highlighting the latest addition to the OPPO family – F7. The new TVC aims to reach out to the youth and strike a chord with their love for selfies. It showcases how the selfie expert OPPO F7 is their partner in truest form when they want to capture their real selves. OPPO F7 was recently launched in India with an emphasis on AI powered selfie at a price of Rs 21,990.

    OPPO India brand director Will Yang says, “We have always tried to bring the best camera and selfie experience to our consumers and we believe that OPPO F7 will enable the youth to click natural selfies. The TVC takes cues from the current lifestyle trends of the youth, especially their love for clicking selfies and highlights how much goes into taking that perfect selfie. We hope that the TVC finds a connect with the youth.”

    OPPO’s marketing and branding initiatives revolve around and focus on youth. The brand focuses on a 360 degree approach to connect with this audience across all platforms – bollywood, lifestyle and sports – all things that today’s youth appreciates. Even brand partnerships and ambassadors are in line with OPPO’s aim to create a deeper connect with the younger generation.

    Dentsu Impact chief creative officer Soumitra Karnik adds, “Our film reflects the youth’s way of life – how they have embraced the virtual world and made it their own. Virtual is the new real for this generation – selfies, social media, filters, status updates – it’s all an integral part of life for them. This is their reality and they are unapologetic about accepting that. OPPO phones come with features that help enhance this virtual life of the youngsters and the attempt of our film is to bring this to life.”

    The TVC is active on digital and TV. 

  • Hitachi positions itself as brand accessible to all

    Hitachi positions itself as brand accessible to all

    MUMBAI: Dentsu Impact, the creative agency from Dentsu Aegis Network, has launched a new campaign for Hitachi, positioning it as a brand accessible for all.

    The brand, though considered premium, has also been facing a challenge of being perceived as an expensive brand.

    Its new campaign, “Kabhi Kabhi Zyada Ke Liye, Zyada Nahi Chaiye Hota” builds on the brand’s core of premium yet accessible. It communicates that superior technology Hitachi ACs are within reach. Developed by Dentsu Impact, the TVC is now on air, across all popular channels.

    The objective of the campaign was to break this perception of inaccessibility, while keeping the premium-ness of the brand intact and build a strong connect with the Southern market. 

    The approach was to establish the fact that to experience the unmatched superior technology, cooling and peace of mind offered by Hitachi’s products, not much is required. The idea was to bring alive the thought that sometimes it doesn’t take much to get much more. 

    To communicate this, in a category that highly relies on features and offers, Hitachi chose to come from an insight that stems from real-life, everyday situations. Leading south Indian actress Samantha Prabhu was roped in to play the protagonist in the ad commercials to build affinity in the South.

    Both the TVCs capture everyday moments that bring the idea alive. The first film has Prabhu portraying the role of a girl-next-door, getting ready in front of the mirror. While she can go for an over-the-top look, she chooses a simple black ‘bindi’ instead to enhance her beauty. Her smile in the end conveys that even a small gesture can make a huge difference.

    In the second film, we see Prabhu coming back home extremely tired. As she sits on the sofa, her husband sitting right next to her pushes the centre table towards her, so she can keep her legs on it and relax communicating that little gestures of our loved ones can make a lot of difference.

    Hitachi Air conditioning India chairman and managing director Johnson Controls Gurmeet Singh says, “Hitachi aims to reach every Indian household and become India’s leading air conditioning brand by 2021. With its innovative product range, best in class indigenous manufacturing facilities, world class R&D facility and a continuous endeavour to give its customers a better post sales service experience.”

    Dentsu Impact chief creative officer Soumitra Karnik mentions, “Hitachi faces a unique challenge in the market. And it’s always exciting to work on such challenging briefs. Our idea was to bring alive the campaign thought by beautifully capturing those simple, everyday moments which are truly priceless. As it’s the little things that make all the difference.”

  • Dentsu Impact expands its footprint to Bangalore

    Dentsu Impact expands its footprint to Bangalore

    MUMBAI: Dentsu Impact, the creative agency from Dentsu Aegis Network (DAN) headquartered in Gurgaon, has expanded its footprint to Bangalore. The agency has set up a team of business, creative and strategy leads to run its operations in the city.

    While Montu Sangha has been roped in to head business, Amish Sabharwal will head creative. Krittika Chakraborty, meanwhile, has been promoted to head strategy for Dentsu Impact in Bangalore. As part of their new mandate, the trio will not only be in-charge of the existing businesses at Dentsu Impact, especially IKEA, but will also look at opportunities to expand the agency’s offerings and thus, revenues.

    With more than 14 years of experience in the business of communication, Sangha has worked across agencies in consulting and with the marketing teams of global brands such as HP and GE in India and the UK. During her stint with agencies, she has worked on the launch of brands for Unilever and ITC Foods. In her last role, she was the South Asia lead for advertising and promotions in GE Healthcare. 

    On joining the Dentsu Impact family, Sangha says, “I am very excited and look forward to my new role at Dentsu Impact, Bangalore. It is a great opportunity to partner with an iconic global brand like IKEA for their successful launch in India which is a key market for them. In the coming months, my focus will also be on identifying new areas of growth for Bangalore operations and to build a team that can offer a bouquet of services in the coming years.”

    For Sabharwal, this is his second stint with Dentsu Impact. He joins back from JWT where he was taking care of the Pepsi business. There, he was also involved in the revamp of Gatorade and the launch of Sting.   

    Sabharwal adds, “IKEA is not just another brand. It’s a culture. And it is great to be involved in scripting the India chapter after being an integral part of the pitch team. Both Montu and Krittika are great professionals and human beings to work with, and we will make sure that the impact is both heard and seen. I really thank Amit and Soumitra for the faith that they have shown in us.”

    Chakraborty has been with Impact for the last six years. She has nearly a decade of experience across marketing, branding and communication strategy. She has worked for a variety of categories such as automobiles, publications and home furnishings. She has been instrumental in leading strategic thinking on large scale businesses such as Maruti Suzuki and IKEA and is a keen believer in insight mining and storytelling for the digital age.

    Commenting on the expansion, in a joint statement, Dentsu Impact president Amit Wadhwa and chief creative officer Soumitra Karnik mention, “We have picked the best talent from inside and outside our organisation to take care of our Bangalore operations and IKEA is a very important part of this. We are sure that with Montu, Amish and Krittika at the helm, we will build a strong statement in the market.”

  • Dentsu Impact elevates Ramaswamy, to make ‘Maruti’ a vibrant brand

    Dentsu Impact elevates Ramaswamy, to make ‘Maruti’ a vibrant brand

    MUMBAI: Dentsu Impact recently restructured its creative department and promoted Anupama Ramaswamy as the national creative director. Ramaswamy has been with Dentsu Impact for over a year now, after joining as the executive creative director.

    The recent restructuring happened owing to the consolidation of creative, digital and media duties for all Maruti Suzuki brands (except Nexa brands) with Dentsu Aegis Network. Post this development, the network created an integrated creative team which will deliver solutions for the brand. Ramaswamy would be leading this team both, on offline as well as digital creative front.

    Some of the agencies that Ramaswamy has worked with, besides Dentsu Impact, include Cheil, JWT, Lowe Lintas, Rediffusion, Havas and FCB. She has worked across a gamut of brands such as Samsung, Nokia, Airtel, Woodland, Whirlpool, LG, Maruti, Lays and Boost.

    There are a number of awards in her kitty; both international and local, like Cannes Gold, Clio Gold, AdFest Golds, Spikes, Effies, New York Festival and a number of Abby’s. She was a part of the One Show Jury in 2012 and is a regular face on the Goafest jury panel over the last few years.

    Ramaswamy said, “Maruti Suzuki is undergoing a transformation and not many in the industry can boast of being a part of such a change. My mandate is to make the ‘most popular automobile’ brand equally young and vibrant.”

    Dentsu Impact chief creative officer Soumitra Karnik said, “Anupama (Ramaswamy) has played a stellar role in the creative performance of Dentsu Impact. Keeping pace with where Maruti Suzuki aims to be in the coming times is both exciting as well as challenging. It requires complex understanding of the automobile industry and the world in which it is going to operate in.”

  • HT Media hires Dentsu Impact

    HT Media hires Dentsu Impact

    MUMBAI: Dentsu Impact has won the creative duties for all brands from HT Media – including Hindustan Times, Hindustan (Hindi), Mint, Shine.com, HT Campus, Career Plus, Study Mate, English Mate and Bridge School of Management. With this move, Dentsu Impact becomes the prime strategic and communication partner for HT Media handling communication for all brands from the group, barring its radio brands Fever FM & Nasha FM, which are handled by Ogilvy & Mather.

    The HT Group, which has so far worked with multiple agencies for different brands, initiated a process of consolidating all the brands with one single agency sometime in November 2016. Post an exhaustive pitch process, in which some of the country’s top agencies participated, HT finally decided to award the duties to Dentsu Impact.

    HT Media groum CMO Rajan Bhalla said, “We wanted to move to a single partner for our diverse brand portfolio. Dentsu was already handling Hindustan, Mint and Shine.com and their team has done excellent work for the last few years, hence the decision to go with them.”

    Dentsu Impact presiden Amit Wadhwa said, “This is a big win for us and an important one. When a group like Hindustan Times decides to award its entire portfolio of brands to one agency, it shows the level of trust as well as spirit of partnership from both ends. We are extremely excited and are rearing to create some interesting work.”

    Dentsu Impact national creative director Soumitra Karnik added, “It’s a fabulous start to this year for us. Winning all the brands of HT group is something any creative agency would kill for. Along with this great news also comes great responsibility. We are quite committed to doing some great work on each brand.”

  • HT Media hires Dentsu Impact

    HT Media hires Dentsu Impact

    MUMBAI: Dentsu Impact has won the creative duties for all brands from HT Media – including Hindustan Times, Hindustan (Hindi), Mint, Shine.com, HT Campus, Career Plus, Study Mate, English Mate and Bridge School of Management. With this move, Dentsu Impact becomes the prime strategic and communication partner for HT Media handling communication for all brands from the group, barring its radio brands Fever FM & Nasha FM, which are handled by Ogilvy & Mather.

    The HT Group, which has so far worked with multiple agencies for different brands, initiated a process of consolidating all the brands with one single agency sometime in November 2016. Post an exhaustive pitch process, in which some of the country’s top agencies participated, HT finally decided to award the duties to Dentsu Impact.

    HT Media groum CMO Rajan Bhalla said, “We wanted to move to a single partner for our diverse brand portfolio. Dentsu was already handling Hindustan, Mint and Shine.com and their team has done excellent work for the last few years, hence the decision to go with them.”

    Dentsu Impact presiden Amit Wadhwa said, “This is a big win for us and an important one. When a group like Hindustan Times decides to award its entire portfolio of brands to one agency, it shows the level of trust as well as spirit of partnership from both ends. We are extremely excited and are rearing to create some interesting work.”

    Dentsu Impact national creative director Soumitra Karnik added, “It’s a fabulous start to this year for us. Winning all the brands of HT group is something any creative agency would kill for. Along with this great news also comes great responsibility. We are quite committed to doing some great work on each brand.”