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Tag: Taproot Dentsu

  • From advertising ace to entrepreneurial ace: Ambalika Sen charts a bold new course

    From advertising ace to entrepreneurial ace: Ambalika Sen charts a bold new course

    MUMBAI: One of Indian advertising’s sharpest advertising minds is switching gears. After a 16-year career spanning heavyweights like JWT, Contract, Taproot Dentsu, and Tilt Brand Solutions, Ambalika Sen has hung up her agency boots to launch into the entrepreneurial fast lane.

    Now managing partner at Fundamental, the newly minted venture based in Mumbai, she is eyeing a future built on sharper strategic partnerships, brand management excellence, and a strong dose of independent thinking.
    At the same time, she’s staying firmly rooted in nurturing talent — moonlighting as a guest faculty at the prestigious Xavier’s Institute of Communication, where she teaches Business Management in Advertising to the next wave of ad mavens.

    Before stepping into the startup world, Ambalika’s career reads like a best-of list of Indian advertising. Across her career, the through-line has been clear: client-first thinking, relentless business-building, and a gift for weaving culture into commerce.

    While advertising has been the bedrock, Ambalika’s recent years have also seen her expand into cultural consulting — working as an independent business advisor with youth-driven brand Homegrown since 2020.
    With Fundamental, Ambalika is betting on a hybrid future — where brand-building meets cultural fluency, and strategic partnership is as important as creative spark.

  • Taproot dentsu’s Titus Upputuru launches own company

    Taproot dentsu’s Titus Upputuru launches own company

    MUMBAI: After eleven plus years at Taproot dentsu, national creative director Titus Upputuru has moved on to launch his own advertising and films firm – The Titus Upputuru Company. Upputuru was with dentsu since April 2011 and was elevated as national creative director in March this year.

    “I have been in this industry for 25 years now. I thought a silver jubilee is perfect time for me to launch this company,” Upputuru said. “Its time now to look ahead and I am so excited about this brand’s new journey. In my career, I have always been interested in the craft of writing, art direction, design, and photography. Over the last decade or so, I have also had the opportunity to direct ad films and short films for brands. I wanted to combine these skill sets and offer the last mile in execution too, because execution is what the audience ultimately sees,” he further said.

    Talking about the importance of video content, Upputuru  added, “We all know that video sits right on top of the marketing tools that marketers are using today across the world. So, along with brand strategy and static creative solutions across mediums and platforms, we will offer our expertise in video too”.

    To announce the entrepreneurial venture, the agency came out with a five-film campaign. The company has released a set of short, intriguing films that aim to establish the identity. Each film begins with the initials TU and goes on to form a different face, that has correlation to the drama occurring in the video and audio.  

    The 12-second films use illustration, design, music, and drama to bring out the unique identity of the company.

    Embed Links to the films:

    “We are excited to tell stories using different mediums. The idea is to keep human at the heart of it and manifest empathy. People still choose brands that have a certain quality about them, that profess a certain human belief; brands that move people, that respect them. As a Creative led company, we will wish to partner such brands, while obsessing about craft.”, the founder added.

    A two-time gold medalist in English Literature, Upputuru got interested in advertising after he saw a billboard that said, ‘Looking for top 10 writers in India’. After getting selected, he spent 25 years in advertising, film making, brand building and in helping grow businesses, while working with some of the best global networks including Ogilvy & Mather, Publicis, TBWA and Dentsu.

    Besides winning the DadaSaheb Phalke Award, Upputuru has won several national and international awards, including The One Show, British Design, the New York Festival, Adfest, Spikes Asia and the Abby’s.

  • Dentsu’s Abhinav Kaushik joins FCB India as president

    Dentsu’s Abhinav Kaushik joins FCB India as president

    Mumbai: Taproot Dentsu’s former executive vice president & head of office – Delhi & Mumbai, Abhinav Kaushik has joined FCB India as president. Kaushik made the announcement on LinkedIn. Earlier last week he shared the news of his stepping down from his role at Dentsu and moving on, even as he kept everyone guessing as to his next move.

    Kaushik joined Dentsu Marcom in 2013 as vice president in account management. In his nine years at the agency, he handled a gamut of leadership roles at Dentsu, working on many successful brand initiatives and multi-stage integrated campaigns across the funnel for brands like Honda (Honda Cars & Honda Two Wheelers), Dulux, Airtel, Microsoft, Shell, Oppo, Canon, Aditya Birla Fashion & Retail, Nokia, CP Plus, Fast&Up, Jack & Jones, Dainik Bhaskar, and Toshiba.

    https://www.linkedin.com/posts/abhinavkaushik05_im-happy-to-share-that-im-starting-a-new-activity-6959793079805489154-dyH-?utm_source=linkedin_share&utm_medium=member_desktop_web

    While moving on, Abhinav expressed his gratitude on his social media account. He wrote, “My nine years at Dentsu International India & Taproot Dentsu (A dentsuMB Company) have truly been a rollercoaster ride. What has made this ride special is the stellar team of some immensely talented people who have helped me learn every single day. As they say, great things are never done by one person, they are done by a team of people. So gratitude to all my team members, colleagues & partners. I will treasure the experience and the memories of working with you and I’m sure we will work together in the future. Over to the next chapter now. There is no finishing line”

    Prior to joining Dentsu, he was vice president and client services director at J. Walter Thompson for over six years, where he worked extensively with brands such as Airtel and Sony. Microsoft, GSK, and Pizza Hut. Abhinav began his career at GE Capital before moving on to work for agencies such as Contract Advertising and M&C Saatchi London.

    Previously, he has worked with agencies such as Contract and M&C Saatchi. He started his career in sales and marketing at GE Capital, working on the branding, integrated marketing, planning, strategising, and repositioning exercises for brands such as Airtel, Sony (Bravia, Vaio, Cybershot, Walkman, Handycam), GSK (Boost portfolio), Pizza Hut, Dabur (Real Juices’ portfolio), NIIT, Microsoft, British Airways, Shell, Indian School of Business, Revlon, Godfrey Phillips, and Asian Paints.

  • Abhinav Kaushik moves on from dentsu after 9 years

    Abhinav Kaushik moves on from dentsu after 9 years

    MUMBAI: Taproot Dentsu’s executive vice president & head of office – Delhi & Mumbai, Abhinav Kaushik has stepped down from his role at the agency. Having joined Dentsu Marcom in 2013 as vice president in account management, he was just one year short of completing a decade.

    In his nine years at the agency, Kaushik handled a gamut of leadership roles at Dentsu, working on many successful brand initiatives and multi-stage integrated campaigns across the funnel for brands like Honda (Honda Cars & Honda Two Wheelers), Dulux, Airtel, Microsoft, Shell, Oppo, Canon, Aditya Birla Fashion & Retail, Nokia, CP Plus, Fast&Up, Jack & Jones, Dainik Bhaskar, and Toshiba.

    Sharing the news on his LinkedIn page, Kaushik wrote: “My 9 years at dentsu international india & Taproot Dentsu (A dentsuMB Company) have truly been a rollercoaster ride. What has made this ride special is the stellar team of some immensely talented people who have helped me learn every single day.”

    “As they say, great things are never done by one person, they are done by a team of people. So gratitude to all my team members, colleagues & partners,” he further wrote, adding, “Over to the next chapter now.”

    Kaushik did not disclose his future plans in the post, though.

    Prior to dentsu, Kaushik was vice president and client services director at JWT for over six years, where he worked on brands such as Airtel, Sony, GSK, Pizza Hut and Microsoft.

    Previously, he has worked with agencies such as Contract and M&C Saatchi. He started his career in sales and marketing at GE Capital, working on the branding, integrated marketing, planning, strategising and repositioning exercises for brands such as Airtel, Sony (Bravia, Vaio, Cybershot, Walkman, Handycam), GSK (Boost portfolio), Pizza Hut, Dabur (Real Juices’ portfolio), NIIT, Microsoft, British Airways, Shell, Indian School of Business, Revlon, Godfrey Phillips, and Asian Paints.

  • Ayesha Ghosh joins Wieden+Kennedy as managing director for India; Gautham Narayan moves on

    Ayesha Ghosh joins Wieden+Kennedy as managing director for India; Gautham Narayan moves on

    Mumbai: Wieden+Kennedy has announced that Ayesha Ghosh has been appointed as managing director for India. Ghosh, who will be based in Mumbai, officially starts at W+K on 15 July and will partner with India CCO Santosh Padhi.

    Present WK Delhi managing director Gau Narayanan, who is leaving India and the agency to return home to the UK, will help with the transition through August.

    Ghosh joins the agency after six years at Taproot Dentsu where she held the role of CEO, based in Mumbai. She joined Taproot in December 2015 as general manager, and was promoted to CEO in 2021.

    Prior to Taproot, Ghosh was part of the leadership team for Contract Advertising for over a decade, helping build and grow the agency’s presence. Here she worked closely with the consulting and design practices, to help expand sources of growth. Previous to Contract Advertising, she held permanent positions in a number of industry shops including Grey Worldwide, Trikaya Grey and PSL McCann Erickson.

    On her new role, Ghosh commented, “It’s astonishing how W+K consistently produces off-the-charts work, across the world. I hope to absorb some of that genius and with the help of a talented team in India and an ace like Paddy, create some genius of our own. With scattered attention and infinite distractions, only work that is honest and primal, will win for brands. And that’s what we mean to do.”

    Padhi said, “I’m glad Ayesha is joining us to be part of this wonderful journey. She is absolutely blunt and honest when it comes to work, which is extremely important these days for our business. Clients too prefer to have conversations that cut to the chase. Ayesha and I have worked closely together for a good number of years at Taproot, we understand and complement each other.

    “An organisation is known by the kind of people that work for it and both of us will be focusing on putting together a crazy, talented bunch of people, across departments. And we believe that magic will follow,” he further said.

    Wieden+Kennedy Global CEO Neal Arthur added, “Ayesha’s first day is a great day for W+K. W+K India has big things ahead. Their collective creative ambition, optimism and connection to both local and global culture will no doubt usher in the next wave of transformation for the brands they work with. We are excited and grateful to have Ayesha with us.”

  • Sony Pictures Television India & Isobar make spider-man fans tap into the multiverse

    Sony Pictures Television India & Isobar make spider-man fans tap into the multiverse

    Mumbai: Sony Pictures Television India and Dentsu’s Isobar have launched a campaign to give the audience an experience of the multiverse, a physics theory that is barely known to the layman.

    Through this campaign, the duo has created a multiverse on mobile devices to bring the essence of the movie “Spider-Man: No Way Home” to the fans before they buy or rent the movie on the BookMyShow stream. For the record, the multiverse was a key part of “Spider-Man: No Way Home” for Sony Pictures Television India.

    Isobar India has developed a website titled, Tap Into The Multiverse, where a single URL – tapintothemultiverse.com can be opened on different browsers to get an experience of different villain universes each time. The website is created to showcase the two universes belonging to the three villains – Doc Ock, Electro and Green Goblin.

    One villain can be accessed with each unique browser visit, while the URL remains the same. The fans are further tested on their villain IQ with interactive questions for a more immersive experience. After this unique experience, the fans are given the option to purchase “Spider-Man: No Way Home” on BookMyShow stream and enjoy extra footage that has never been seen before.

    Talking about the collaboration, Sony Pictures Television South Asia VP, sales and international distribution Sonika Bhasin said, “For a movie like this, the experience of the multiverse just leaves you wanting more. It’s a prelude to an experience that’s completed by streaming “Spider-Man: No Way Home” on BookMyShow stream. People want to not just watch, but also engage with the brand and experience it.”

    Isobar India Group chief executive officer Heeru Dingra said, “It is just not enough to give the audience a taste of a film like this through a trailer. A unique experience is what Spidey fans deserve, and it’s what they got with Tap Into The Multiverse.”

    Isobar India and Taproot chief creative officer Aalap Desai commented, “An iconic franchise like Spider-Man calls for an iconic idea to promote it. A simple question we asked ourselves was, why wait for the movie to get an experience of your friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man? Why not give fans an experience even before they stream it at home? That’s what we did with Tap Into The Multiverse.”

  • Eureka Forbes ropes in Madhuri Dixit for new campaign

    Eureka Forbes ropes in Madhuri Dixit for new campaign

    Mumbai: Eureka Forbes has launched a new campaign with Madhuri Dixit for its leading product Aquaguard. The campaign is planned by Taproot Dentsu and produced by YellowLifafa with the tagline ‘pani mein Zinc aisa kahaan hota hai… jahan Aquaguard hota hai.’

    The newly launched copper and zinc cartridge will be present across the Aquaguard range. The campaign will be launched across all media channels and platforms.

    It features the famous Madhuri-Dadi jodi, both played by the Bollywood actor. The ad showcases Aquaguard’s technological superiority by enriching water with the goodness of copper and zinc. Madhuri as dadi exhibits nonchalant confidence using the line ‘jahan Aquaguard hota hain.’

    The new technology by Eureka Forbes, Active Copper Zinc Booster Cartridge infuses Copper and Zinc ions into the water to give not just pure but enriched healthy water also. When water passes through the cartridge, zinc and copper infuses with it offering the double goodness of both, said the brand in a statement.

    Talking about the campaign, Eureka Forbes managing director Marzin R Shroff said, “Aquaguard as we all know has always been a pioneer in water purification. With copper and zinc ionic infusion, our new range focuses on the goodness of both copper and zinc. We continue our endeavour of developing innovative technologies to meet the ever changing needs of our consumers in order to build a healthier India.”

    Taproot Dentsu India executive creative director Yogesh Rijhwani commented, “When we talk ‘Madhuri’ and ‘Aquaguard,’ the one word that comes to mind is ‘legacy!’ It’s that legacy factor and the bond that India shares with both the actor as well as their home water purifier – that helped us shape this campaign. She was obviously fabulous to pull this off with such ease – it was a pleasure to create this campaign!”

    Eureka Forbes brand ambassador Madhuri Dixit said, “Our generations are changing but certain old-time habits are still intact! Aquaguard’s copper + zinc innovation is something I’ve always believed in – it made the belief in the communication message stronger. It was fun to do another ‘old generation vs new generation’ role yet again!”

  • Titus Upputuru and Ayesha Ghosh exit Taproot dentsu

    Titus Upputuru and Ayesha Ghosh exit Taproot dentsu

    Mumbai: Taproot dentsu’s national creative director Titus Upputuru and chief executive officer Ayesha Ghosh have moved on from the agency. The development was confirmed by dentsu Creative India CEO Amit Wadhwa in a statement to IndianTelevision.com.

    “Both Ayesha and Titus are great talents, and I am thankful to them for all their contributions at dentsu, ” said Amit Wadhwa. “As we gear up for our next phase of growth and continue to pursue our global ambitions into becoming the most integrated agency of the world, we will keep transitioning more and more of our strong & young powerhouses into our leaders of tomorrow.”

    “We will also continue to add some exceptionally new talents who will embark with us on this fresh & exciting journey,” he further added.

    At Taproot, Ghosh was elevated as CEO in June 2021 and was responsible for both Mumbai and Gurgaon offices. Previously, she headed the agency’s Mumbai office. Ghosh joined Taproot Dentsu in December 2015.

    Titus Upputuru was promoted to the role of NCD at Taproot Dentsu Gurgaon in March this year and was leading the agency’s Gurgaon creative team. Titus had also been entrusted with the additional charge of leading integrated solutions for dentsu Creative India. Before that, he was the creative head at the agency, having joined the agency in April 2011.

  • Taproot Dentsu wins creative mandate for Biba

    Taproot Dentsu wins creative mandate for Biba

    MUMBAI: Taproot Dentsu has been awarded the creative duties for the Indian ethnic brand, BIBA. The account was won by the dentsuMB company and creative agency from the house of dentsu India following a multi-agency pitch, and will be serviced from the agency’s Gurgaon office.

    As per the mandate, Taproot Dentsu will create campaigns for BIBA’s ‘2022 spring-summer collection’. The focus will be on the brand’s perspective on today’s woman and its commitment to providing her ample choice in terms of outfits, irrespective of the occasion.

     Speaking of the association, BIBA managing director Siddharath Bindra said, “We are excited to partner with Taproot Dentsu as our creative partner for BIBA. They bring to the table a good mix of understanding the category and interesting creative outputs for the same. We look forward to our partnership and creating some great campaigns together.”

    “Biba is a well-established brand that every woman has seen, heard of, and at some point, shopped from,” added Taproot Dentsu Gurgaon executive vice president & head of office Abhinav Kaushik. “To work with such a well-entrenched brand in giving it a contemporary voice that will connect with the woman of today is both exciting and challenging. We are working closely with the Biba team for their upcoming collections and are gearing up to create a fantastic campaign for 2022.”

    BIBA has recently launched a variety of styles such as workwear, occasion wear, fusion, mix & match, to name a few. Apart from this, the brand has also launched a line of clothing called ‘BIBA Girls’ for young girls aged 2-15.

    Taproot Dentsu national creative director Titus Upputuru commented, “Fashion is such an exciting segment! In my college days, I remember creating designs for a few women’s Indian wear design boutiques in Delhi. When we got a chance to work on Biba, a homegrown Indian brand, my mind went straight to my college days. Working on the new direction of the brand and checking out the new collections was so fascinating. The colours, the fabrics, the cuts are all very exciting and we are excited to create stunning new campaigns for the brand!”

  • Aalap Desai elevated to lead Taproot dentsu & isobar India as CCO

    Aalap Desai elevated to lead Taproot dentsu & isobar India as CCO

    Mumbai: dentsu India has appointed Aalap Desai to the role of chief creative officer (CCO), Taproot dentsu, a dentsuMB Company. The erstwhile isobar India national creative director (NCD), Desai has also been promoted to the role of CCO for the agency. In both roles, he will report to dentsu Creative India group chief creative officer (GCCO) Ajay Gahlaut, announced the agency on Tuesday.

    “In addition to leading isobar India’s creative team, Desai will now also be responsible for Taproot dentsu’s transformation into becoming a nex-gen, digital-first agency,” said the statement.

    Meanwhile, Titus Upputuru, earlier creative head, has now been elevated to the role of Taproot dentsu NCD, Gurgaon. He will lead the agency’s Gurgaon creative team and will report to Aalap Desai. Upputuru has also been entrusted with the additional charge of leading integrated solutions for dentsu Creative India. In this role, he will report to Ajay Gahlaut.

     “The decision is vital to the growth of dentsu Creative in India and aligned with the network’s global ambitions. Talents such as Aalap and Titus come with unmatched expertise & experience, and their contributions are bound to outweigh the expectations of our clients and the industry,” commented dentsuMB Group CEO Sidharth Rao. “Over the years, they have been groomed with the proficiency to build brands from scratch and are excellent at measuring & matching the market pulse with client needs. With this move, I look forward to dentsu Creative India reinforcing creative solutions in newer and undefined ways.”

    “It is fascinating to work with some of the country’s best creative brains. Aalap and Titus are creative geniuses who have delivered some fantastic campaigns over the years,” said Ajay Gahlaut. “Their brand-building approaches are contemporary and fresh. I feel that’s the need of the hour. All the conversations around us are evolving and it is inevitable for brands to evolve their conversations too. They are perfect for that task. Their expertise in brand thinking and storytelling will create robust digital-led creative solutions for clients. I am looking forward to working with both.”

    While working at India’s best mainline and digital agencies, Desai has developed a profile that is truly integrated. He has won over 150 International & National awards that include Cannes Lions, D&AD, Spikes and One Show. Previously, Desai was with dentsuMB India where he held the position of NCD.

    In addition to this, he also co-headed the creative team at dentsu Webchutney, Mumbai and was behind some of the most notable works like Code Name: Uri, The 8-bit Journo for Vice and The World’s Most Reported trailer for “Thappad.” Apart from this, Desai was also a part of the creative teams at Disney+ Hotstar, Leo Burnett, JWT, DDB Mudra, Ogilvy, and Publicis Ambience. He has helped build brands like McDonald’s, Complan, Huggies, Nerolac, Videocon d2h, and some youth-centric ones like Early Salary and MTV India.

    Speaking on his new role, Desai commented, “With the integrated approach we have now, I am excited to be a bigger part of that journey with my new role at isobar and Taproot dentsu. isobar has taught me the power of limitless possibilities, the power of future-gazing and thinking of things that don’t even exist. It is a scary privilege to not just be in step with the world but to create steps that the world will use to climb to the future.”