Tag: Tanishq

  • Design jewellery, express yourself!

    Design jewellery, express yourself!

    MUMBAI: Hardly, if ever, will you find a woman who does not like ornaments.

     

     And so, the Tata Group’s jewellery brand, Tanishq, has launched a digital campaign ‘My Expression’ which not only taps this feminine attribute but also gives members of the fairer sex an opportunity to explore their creativity.

     

     Essentially an online jewellery designing contest, ‘My Expression’ seeks to give concrete shape to individual ideas in the form of the Mia collection or jewellery for working women by Tanishq. To participate in the competition – currently in its second season – simply upload your inspiration/idea for Mia in the form of photographs, videos, Do it yourself, audio and plain words on the microsite http://mia.tanishq.co.in/myexpression.

     

    Speaking of ‘My Expression’, Titan Company Jewellery division head marketing and general manager Deepika Tewari says: “With the aim to encourage participants to source inspiration from the smallest thing and turn it into beautiful pieces of jewellery, ‘My Expression’ is a one of its kind jewellery designing contest.”

     

     While the first season saw just over 3200 entries from across the country, this season, there have been a staggering 10,000 entries from both India and abroad. “The second season of ‘My Expression’ is bigger, better and has gone international too. While the aim remains the same – encouraging women to express their ideas and give it shape in the form of a piece of jewellery,” says Tewari.

     

     The contest is a medium for Tanishq to get closer to its fans and customers. “My Expression is a perfect example of activity through which a brand can grow closer to its customers. Digital initiatives like this help us gain great consumer insights on the product and service front. With the digital medium playing an indispensible role in our lives, engaging activity on this platform is always a bonus for a brand to get a better understanding of the consumer, decoding the styling required and a deep dive to decipher a jewellery category never before addressed in the market,” explains Tewari.

     

    With Maxus handling promotion of the activity, only emails, facebook ads, banner ads and smses are being deployed to spread awareness about the contest.

  • Titan’s Q3-2014 higher q-o-q advertising spend helps improve income

    Titan’s Q3-2014 higher q-o-q advertising spend helps improve income

    BENGALURU: India’s largest specialty retailer, Titan Company (Titan), formerly known as Titan Industries, reported a 25.11 per cent increase in ad spends to Rs 118.04 crore in Q3-2014 as compared to the Rs 94.35 crore during the immediate trailing quarter that resulted in a 15.74 per cent jump in operating income to Rs 2650.46 crore as compared to the Rs 2290.02 crore in Q2-2014.

     

    Titan has three revenue segments – watches with five major brands – Titan, Xylus, Nebula, Sonata and Fastrack; Jewellery (the largest segment in terms of revenue and consequently profits) with Tanishq, Zoya, Gold Plus from Tata, Mia and Fq teen diamonds; and ‘Others’ that include eyewear under the Titan EYE+ brand, apparel and eyewear also under Fastrack brand and precision engineering among others.

     

    Facing a slowdown in the economy along with inflation resulted in weak consumer demand. Titan says that its jewellery segment witnessed a sharp decline in demand. The other factors that affected the jewellery segment’s performance included: average gold price during the quarter was 10 per cent lower than previous year level; RBI’s ban on gold-on-lease facility continues even today; Issues with gold supply in the market persist – premium on gold was above 10 per cent of gold rate in the quarter; Sale of gold coins was discontinued to help the government’s efforts to reduce CAD.

     

    During the nine month period that ended December 31, 2013, Titan’s ad spend was up by 2.13 per cent at Rs 317.06 crore as compared to the Rs 310.46 crore during the corresponding period of last year. Operating revenue for the current nine month period was 8.26 per cent higher at Rs 8028.77 crore as compared to the Rs 7415.92 crore during the corresponding period of last year. Titan had spent Rs 377.09 crore during FY2013.

     

    However, the company’s Q3-2014 operating revenue was 13.64 per cent lower than the Rs 2962.89 crore in Q3-2013. PAT for Q3-2014 at Rs 165.57 crore too was 11.29 per cent lower than the Rs 186.65 crore in Q2-2014 and lower by 18.81 per cent than the Rs 203.92 crore during the corresponding quarter of last year. Its nine month PAT for the current period at Rs 534.70 crore was 1.2 per cent lower than the Rs 540.21 crore during the corresponding period of last year.

     

    Let us look at the percentages of total revenues spent towards advertising by Titan…

     

    Last fiscal (FY2013) Titan spent Rs 377.09 crore or 3.73 per cent of its total revenue of Rs 10112.67 crore.

     

    During the nine month period in the current fiscal, Titan’s ad spend was 3.91 per cent of total revenue of Rs 8112.41 crore, while during the nine month period of the previous fiscal, its ad spend was 4.14 per cent of revenue of Rs 7415.92 crore.

     

    During Q3-2014, Titan spent 4.41 per cent of its total revenue of Rs 2675.77 crore; in Q2-2014, ad spend was 4.05 per cent of total revenue of Rs 2328.97 crore, while in Q3-2013 it spent 3.6 per cent of total revenue of Rs 3017.8 crore.

     

    The watch segment revenue during Q3-2014 at Rs 455.58 crore grew by 2.97 per cent as compared to the Rs 442.36 crore during the immediate trailing quarter and 7.54 per cent more than the Rs 423.53 crore in Q3-2013. The result from this segment at Rs 51.3 crore was 10.49 per cent more than the Rs 46.43 crore from Q2-2014 and 0.29 per cent more than the Rs 51.15 crore in Q3-2013.

     

    Titan’s jewellery segment had revenue of Rs 2126.67 crore for Q3-2014 which was 18.28 per cent higher than the Rs 1798.07 crore in Q2-2014, but 15.45 per cent lower than the Rs 2515.24 crore in Q3-2013. Its result for Q3-2014 at Rs 216.9 crore was 9.96 per cent lower than the Rs 240.89 crore in Q2-2014 and 12.03 per cent lower than the Rs 246.57 crore in Q3-2013.

     

    The ‘Others’ segment of the brand reported revenue of Rs 116.52 crore during Q3-2014 which was 2.15 per cent more than the Rs 114.07 crore in Q2-2014 and 18.58 per cent more than the Rs 98.26 crore in Q3-2013. This segment returned a loss of Rs (-1.68) crore in Q3-2014; loss of Rs (-0.25) crore is Q2-2014 and a profit of Rs 1.7 crore during Q3-2013.

     

    Click here for full report

  • Effie Awards: It’s a honey-bunny win for Lowe Lintas

    Effie Awards: It’s a honey-bunny win for Lowe Lintas

    MUMBAI: It was a night of many firsts for the Effie Awards, 2013. The Awards, organised by the Ad Club, that honours the advertising agencies and the clients just didn’t get the highest number of entries this time – which rose up to 415 from last year’s 315, it was also webcast live on the Advertising Club website while the award ceremony was in progress on Friday night.

     

    Moreover, the year also witnessed the highest number of attendees at the event with more than 12,000 passes sold. Plus, two new categories – Effie for Good and Effie for Experiential Marketing – were added this year.

     

    Lowe Lintas & Partners and Ogilvy & Mather that were leading the list of the shortlisted case studies with 51 and 31 shortlisted entries respectively, were in for a close competition at the award ceremony. While the former took home the Agency of the Year Award for the second time (earlier one being in 2006), the men in black – Ogilvy & Mather – bagged the Grand Effie to stand at the second position.

     

    Lowe Lintas bagged 16 awards in total including six Gold to lead the chart with 160 points for clients including Idea (Honey Bunny, Telephone Exchange), Lifebuoy (Help a child reach five), Tanishq (Tanishq and Sridevi – Coming Back Home), Hindustan Unilever (Kissan 100 per cent natural seeded).

     

    O&M also managed 130 points and three Gold Effies for clients including Vodafone (Made for you, Earmuffs) and Bournvita (Aadat).

     

    Lowe Lintas’ chairman and chief creative officer R Balki along with his team couldn’t stop smiling after the grand victory. The agency that is not really known for participating in award shows looked delighted with its performance. “My team is happy and they are here to party,” says Balki as he remarks that he personally doesn’t believe in awards and it is his teams’ happiness and hard work that matters to him the most.

     

    And though the men in black lagged behind with few points, their enthusiasm at the ceremony was infectious. The close competition with the rivals and the hunger to do better is what keeps the industry motivated year after year, thinks O&M’s executive chairman and creative director Piyush Pandey. “For a long time now, there hasn’t been a close fight and I wish Lowe Lintas the very best. It is their night tonight,” he says.

     

    However, the third spot in the list of winners was taken by McCann Erikson that bagged one gold and 60 points. The Gold came in for Coca Cola (how Coca Cola won the battle for Indian teens).

     

    And it was Hindustan Unilever (HUL) that was credited with the Client of the Year award. HUL executive editor, home and personal care was happy to have won the award, he says, “These awards are about industry recognition and effectiveness.”

     

    The nip in the air didn’t bother the ad world much as they all came in to become a witness to the grand ceremony that was opened by MC Brian Tellis. Pratap Bose took the stage for the first time after official taking the charge of the Ad Club as the president and proclaimed that the country has some of the best advertisements/campaigns in the Asia Pacific. “The quality of our work is only improving with every coming year and we have only bettered our standards set last year,” Bose remarked in his opening speech.

     

    However, this year, few categories didn’t see a Silver or Gold Effie being handed over. All India Bakchod’s Rohan Joshi didn’t take much time to take a pot shot at the situation by sharing a joke on Hussain Bolt coming third even when nobody claimed the second or first position!

     

    But still the event ended on a “high” note with lots of fireworks to celebrate the victory as the attendees whispered that the Lintas’ win was well-deserved.

  • When ads are better than soaps!

    When ads are better than soaps!

    By Ramanujam Sridhar

    It’s that time of year when we reflect on the old year, As an avid television viewer (and may my tribe flourish), I continue to find TV commercials often more entertaining than the soaps and serials my wife seems glued to. The advertising industry realizes that the remote control is an even more potent destroyer of poor advertising than clients and is hence pushing the envelope more and more to ensure that we don’t switch channels. Social issues have been sensitively portrayed and subtle brand messages conveyed. What better tribute to creativity than the Tanishq remarriage ad. Beautifully shot, it shows a woman doing the saat phere with her husband even as a child keeps calling her and trying to join the holy walk. We realize that it is the woman’s daughter from her first marriage perhaps, and the husband cheerfully asks the child to join in. Commercials like these need a lot of courage to create and more importantly, run, and I doff my hat to my friends in advertising and marketing who have the guts to push the envelope in more ways than one. The Google ad for Tanjore paintings is another one that created ripples as did some of the commercials for Idea Cellular and the latest Vodafone video streaming ad is as cute as advertising can get.

    Advertising which sucks

    And yet, I find a lot of advertising quite convoluted, where the idea seems to be stretched needlessly like some of the TV soaps that have long outlived their sell by date. The new campaigns for Fevikwik – a brand that had great advertising for years – seem to be that of an agency and a creative team which is too full of itself. Equally annoying are the new five star commercials. Some of the big budget ones like Pepsi’s much touted ‘Yes Abhi’ too hardly set the Indian pulse racing. While celebrity endorsements keep multiplying, there seems to be an inverse relationship between the amount paid to the celebrity by way of fees and the creativity of the commercials that they are involved in. Why are advertising agencies giving up so easily on celebrity scripts and coming up with such inane stuff?

    What’s with the programming?

    I am not a great follower of TV programming so I really should be the last person to complain, but our big anchors are becoming quite insufferable as they play God, passing judgments on people and events with impunity. They also seem to flit from topic to topic with the attention span of a few days and issues are just buried as they worry least about sensitivities and only about TRPs. Soaps are extended mindlessly for ages on end, timings are changed, characters dumped, and just about every possible character mayhem is managed with ease. The sports programming that I watch a lot is really cloying as India is shown to be the greatest superpower of all time based on a few home series wins and it seems really weird given the poor performances abroad.

    To hell with editorial responsibility

    The old issues of ‘paid editorials’ and ‘irresponsible journalism’ continue to haunt poor viewers like me. Unfortunately, the TV channels don’t seem to care as they keep outwitting each other in their quest for TRPs and viewer eyeballs. Self regulation will never work and I guess, the time is right for viewers to be more discerning, more militant even, and when their sensitivities are not respected, we must exercise our rights and instead of switching channels, maybe the channels will learn only if we switch off the TV set entirely!

    May that never come to pass however! Here’s wishing you all a wonderful year of TV viewing!

    (Ramanujam Sridhar is the founder CEO of brand-comm and director of Custommerce. The views expressed in the above article are the author’s personal views)

  • Getting married? Confess your desires

    Getting married? Confess your desires

    MUMBAI: With the wedding season upon us, jewellers, designers, decorators, planners, videographers and photographers are busy vying for attention (and assignments) from prospective brides and grooms.

    In such a scenario, Tanishq, the Tata Group’s jewellery brand, has come up with an innovative digital campaign that may well help it stand head and shoulders above the competition, while putting a smile on the face of the bride-to-be.

    Christened ‘Confessions of a Bride’, the month-long campaign is an extension of Tanishq’s recent wedding campaign and seeks to fulfill the innermost desires of every new-age bride; be it an immaculately designed wedding dress or a personalised jewellery set or even a romantic honeymoon in the Swiss Alps.

    So if you’re going to be a blushing bride, all you need to do is log onto: http://tanishqweddings.com and make your confession. Rest assured, your secret wish is then Tanishq’s command…

    Exults Titan vice president retail and marketing (jewellery division) Sandeep Kulhalli: “As family jewellers in a progressive society, we understand that every Indian bride wants to give an individualistic touch to her wedding and is ready to get out of the realms of comfort to fulfil the same. This campaign attempts to live up to the confessions that the bride makes so as to gift wrap a beautiful experience and present it to her that will go down memory lane.”

    On connecting with the audience, says Titan head marketing (jewellery division) Deepika S Tewari: “At Tanishq, digital campaigns have always been a great medium to connect with our customers. With more than 75% of internet users in India falling under the age of 35 – the digital medium is the best mode to reach out to them. In the past, we have had successful digital campaigns like My Expression, Mia on Wheels etc. which were well accepted by the audience. Confessions of a Bride is an attempt to celebrate differentiated weddings of the progressive Indian bride.”

    Tanishq is pulling out all stops to promote its new campaign, particularly on digital platforms. The brand is promoting the contest and various features of the website organically on social media platforms supported by paid promotions on facebook to relevant audiences, Google search, Google display network, YouTube and chats with stylists on twitter.

     “Bloggers have always been a critical part of Tanishq online campaigns. We reach out to them not only for publicising our digital activities but also take their inputs as they understand the pulse of the tech-savvy audience to refine and streamline our campaigns. For this campaign, we have reached out to bloggers who have been writing on weddings and similar themes to come on board and help us in making this a huge success!” Tewari says.
    Tanishq has partnered with Interactive Avenues on the campaign. 

  • DDB Mudra appoints Sambit Mohanty as creative head, North

    DDB Mudra appoints Sambit Mohanty as creative head, North

    DDB Mudra creative head, North Sambit Mohanty

    MUMBAI: DDB Mudra has roped in Sambit Mohanty (fondly known as Sam) as creative head, North. Sambit will be based out of Delhi and will report in to DDB Mudra Group chairman and CCO Sonal Dabral.

    Sam joins DDB Mudra from McCann Erickson where he was executive creative director, New Delhi, instrumental in creating memorable work for Coca-Cola (Haan, Haan, Mein Crazy Hoon) and Aircel (Thoda Extra Milta Hai Toh Achcha Lagta Hai).

    With over 14 years in advertising and design, Sambit has worked with world-class brands in categories ranging from Telecom, Food & Beverage, Automotive, Retail, Media & Publications, Healthcare and Lifestyle. In his diverse career, Sam has been a part of well-known agencies including Leo Burnett, Publicis, Lowe and Elephant Design and worked on an envious list of clients such as Coca-Cola, GM, Nestle, HP, Pernod-Ricard, Virgin Mobile, Hitachi, Max Bupa, Godfrey Philips, The Indian Express, BBC World, Tanishq, Britannia, Reckitt-Benckiser and more.

    DDB Mudra Group chairman and CCO Sonal Dabral

    On joining DDB Mudra, Delhi, Sambit said: “It’s a privilege to be part of DDB’s creative culture that’s guided by play books not rule books. With Sonal’s help, I’m keen on creating a place where one looks forward to coming to work – even on a Monday morning. And also producing some glorious work along the way!

    An avid quizzer, Sambit is well-known on the Delhi quiz circuit. He has had the distinction of being a finalist in BBC Mastermind as well as a National winner of the Brand Equity Quiz.

    Sambit has won national and international awards including a Silver World Medal at New York Festivals. He has also been acknowledged by 4Ps business magazine as one of ‘India’s Gen-Next Creative Brains’.  

    DDB Mudra Delhi president Vandana Das

    DDB Mudra Group chairman and CCO Sonal Dabral said: “New Delhi is an extremely important market for us so I’m really happy that a talent like Sambit will lead our creative offering there. Sambit is among the rare breed of creative professionals in India who are equally comfortable with Hindi or English, with paper and pen or mouse and computer screen. I’m certain Sambit will play a big role in helping shape an exciting creative future for DDB Mudra Group.”

    DDB Mudra Delhi president Vandana Das added: “We have got to dot our “I”s in the creative business. I am looking at ushering, welcoming, embracing creative leadership in DDB Mudra Delhi through Sambit. He is a phenomenal talent and he has got the three Is – Inspiration, Imagination and Involvement. Many “I”s put together becomes “We” and I look forward to generating some more incredible work from our office.”

  • Tanishqs new campaign by Lowe Lintas celebrates remarriage

    Tanishqs new campaign by Lowe Lintas celebrates remarriage

        
    MUMBAI: Jewellery adds to your celebrations, isn’t it? That is the mantra on which Tanishq is cashing on this wedding season with its new campaign conceptualised by Lowe Lintas.

     

    Tanishq had launched its wedding collection in 2010, and though it has a range of wedding jewellery, it’s not the preferred choice of wedding specific customers. To deal with this setback that it is facing, the brand has introduced a range of wedding jewellery that is a fusion of new age and contemporary design set in age-old Kundan polki, which makes it unique.

     

    The brief given to the creative agency was to establish Tanishq as the ‘differentiated wedding jeweller’.

     

    “Everything about the ad has to reflect the brand as the new-age product. Hence, we came up with a subject like this to make a bold statement talking about the brand which hasn’t been tapped in the past, says Lowe Lintas’ NCD Arun Iyer about the TVC.

     

    The TVC opens with a bride getting ready for her wedding, when a little girl walks up to her and starts interacting with her. The bride and the little girl walk together to the wedding mandap where the little girl goes and sits next to an elderly couple and the pheras start. Alongside, the little girl is shown telling the elderly couple to be a part of the pheras too but is denied. Finally, the little girl calls out to the bride and says “Mama, I also want to go round and round”. The bride shushes her, but the groom, on seeing how sad the little girl is, calls out to the girl and carries her. The couple completes the rest of the pheras with the little girl.

     

    What is catching everyone’s attention is the concept. Another talking point is the ‘dusky’ woman who features in the TVC. “Yes, we know everyone is talking about it, but nothing was done intentionally. The girl suited the role so we got her onboard,” clarifies Iyer.

     

    About the expectations from the campaign, Tanishq senior VP sales and marketing Sandeep Kulahalli says, “We wanted to do something different this time and do something which is usually not done by this category. And maybe, that’s why the camapign has been well recieved by people.”

     

    He adds, “Tanishq as a brand has evolved over the years and this showcases that we arent a ‘traditional’ brand. We show the progressiveness in people’s mind.”

     

    The campaign will be executed on TV, print and OOH.

  • JWT continues to strengthen its planning team with senior hires

    JWT continues to strengthen its planning team with senior hires

    MUMBAI: JWT India announced senior level appointments of Gulshan Singh as vice president and strategic planning director and Jasravee Kaur Chandra as vice president and strategic planning director across its Delhi and Mumbai offices.

    JWT India VP and strategic planning director Gulshan Singh

    A graduate of HEC Paris, Gulshan combines the skill sets of an MBA from a top global business school with over 10 years in building brands in various capacities. Gulshan joins from Lowe Lintas, Bangalore, where he was leading planning for brands such as Tanishq, Titan Sonata, MRF, USL, Apollo Hospitals, 3M and Tata Tea, which won an Effie in 2012.

    His previous work experience includes market research with IMRB and TNS, planning with FCB and a brief stint in consulting – spread across India, the Middle East, and Europe. He has worked across categories such as automotive, consumer electronics, education, energy, FMCG, F&B, financial services, healthcare, logistics and media and entertainment with a wide array of brands including DHL, GM, Indian Oil, ITC Foods, Marico, Nestle, P&G, Voltas, and the Zee Network. He will be working towards creating an ‘Indian consumer-friendly‘ approach to sustainable lifestyles, and is looking forward to exploring this in JWT.

    JWT India VP strategic planning director Jasravee Kaur

    JWT India chief strategy officer Bindu Sethi said, “We have responsibility of some of the most iconic, the biggest and best brands in the country. Our quest is to be thought and idea driven to ensure that our brands lead their markets and categories. Gulshan and Jasravee will add to JWT‘s robust planning talent pool with fresh experiences and perspectives.”

    Jasravee has over 13 years of experience in understanding and building brands. She started her career with ORG-MARG where she was involved in innovative and participatory research (ethnography, critical incident, semiotics etc.) for brands like Knorr, Annapurna, HBO, Lux, Coke and Dove. She transited to strategic planning with stints at Lowe Lintas, Leo Burnett and Rediffusion Y&R. She has strategised for both national and MNC brands such as Lifebuoy, Hamam, FAL, Lacto Calamine and taken up blue sky projects for Uninor, Liril and Lakme.

    Quick-witted and profound, Jasravee has a keen eye for the meeting point ‘betwixt contradictions‘. She loves arriving at paradoxes as well as breaking myths about consumers. Astute and intuitive, Jasravee loves to witness and participate in the inherent drama of diverse subcultures; be it rural households, youth, truckers or the small city migrants. Her exposure to diverse categories has ensured as well as sustained this.

  • Maxus walks away with agency of the year award, 40 metals at Big Bang Awards 2012

    BANGALORE: Maxus had a double whammy at the Advertising Club Bangalore‘s Big Bang Awards last weekend – it won the Media Agency of the year and the Media Campaign of the year.

    The agency in all bagged 40 metals, 13 each of Gold and Silver and 14 Bronze for work done for its clients, Vodafone, Perfetti van mille, Nokia India, Titan HTSE, Tanishq, etc., while DDB Mudra had a haul of 25 metals.

    Titan Industries was adjudged the Client of the Year, besides which it also won the Ayaz Peerbhoy memorial trophy for the Multi-Media campaign of the year for its Titan TS campaign.

    Stark Communications Trivandrum / Bangalore bagged the Agency of the year award for the second year in a row for its campaigns for Malayala Manorama, Kerala Tourism, Karnataka Tourism and other clients.

    Jasison Antony of Stark Communications, Trivandrum won the Art Director of the Year award while Shelton Pinheiro of Stark Communications won the Copy writer of the Year, to add to Stark‘s haul of metals

    DDB Mudra had a haul of 25 metals.

  • TBWA hires Aejaz Khan as EVP- Mumbai

    MUMBAI: TBWAIndia has appointed Aejaz Khan as executive vice president and head of its Mumbai operations.

    Khan was with Lowe Lintas- Bangalore where he was working as SVP and was responsible for Tata Group brands such as Fastrack, Titan Sonata, Tanishq and Tata Tea.

    TBWAIndia managing director Nirmalya Sen said, “Aejaz is a rich reservoir of experience and knowledge on Indian and global brands alike. This will be invaluable as he comes on board to lead an office that works with some large global brands on the one hand and several Indian majors on the other.”

    Khan said, “This is a fantastic new chapter in my life and career. TBWA is known for its great people who care about big ideas. The network has a deep creative culture with Disruption at the core of its DNA. I’ll chase fame, fun and fortune for the agency and our brands.”

    Khan comes in with over 19 years of experience in advertising. Prior to joining Lowe Lintas, he had also worked with agencies like Publicis Ambience, Impact BBDO, Ogilvy & Mather and McCann Erickson India. He has worked with brands like Vaseline, HSBC, Tata Sumo and Safari, Signal, BP, Rexona, Axe and Pepsi.