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Tag: Taproot Dentsu

  • Guest column: Titus Upputuru on the book that’s guided his life

    Guest column: Titus Upputuru on the book that’s guided his life

    GURUGRAM: The best book I ever read is the book I read daily. I have been reading it since I was a child, but it is so unputdownable that I can’t help but read it every single day. I carry it everywhere, in the flights, in the cabs, I sleep with it, even. It’s a love letter actually. And the love shines through to anyone who believes in the author.  

    The name of the book is Holy Bible, the largest selling book in the world till date.

    It has 66 chapters and is largely about the lives of some people since the beginning of time and how God dealt with those people. It also records the birth of Jesus Christ, his cruel death, and his resurrection from death. The book ends with the promise of the second coming of Jesus Christ and a glorious life to the readers who believe in him.

    Now the interesting thing is this – it says in the Bible that all of the chapters are written by men, but that God actually moved them to write them. And this is what makes it so incredible because as you read it, you get verses that directly speak to you.

    Like for instance, I had to go to Afghanistan for a film shoot. Now my dad and the rest of the family were really worried. But as I read the Bible in the morning, a verse read ‘Go in peace’. I believed it and showed it to my dad saying God is telling me to ‘Go in peace’ so do not worry, nothing will happen to me. While I was there, there was a suicide bomber who blew himself right outside our hotel, but nothing happened to me and I came back safely. A week later after I came back, I read the most spine-chilling news in the morning newspaper – an Indian engineer’s body was beheaded and sent back to India. Now I was thinking that it could have been me, but God had said “Go in peace” and I didn’t have to worry.

    This is just one experience. There are countless others, where God guided me through this very book that I daily read for direction, for comfort, for everything.

    Now I can’t think of any other book that comes close anywhere close to this.

    (The author is creative head, Taproot Dentsu Gurgaon. Indiantelevision.com may not subscribe to his views.)

  • ‘What is love’: OkCupid may have the answer for Indian millennials

    ‘What is love’: OkCupid may have the answer for Indian millennials

    New Delhi: ‘What is love?’ Haddaway had plaintively demanded years ago, and it's a question that still rankles in peoples' minds. With a hope to solve this conundrum to a great extent, international dating app OkCupid has launched its latest digital campaign titled ‘Love is…’ that reclaims love for Indian millennials. The campaign is a conceptual take on love that is unique to your individual personality, values and aspirations. It recognises and celebrates that every person is seeking a different kind of love – from romantic dates to sharing memes, and that uniqueness is valid, accepted and deserves to be celebrated. 

    The campaign draws insight from user responses to over 3,000 questions on the app, breaking stereotypes about what relationships mean for dating Indian millennials. A large majority are in fact hopeful romantics with 88 per cent men and 87 per cent women wanting to find love, or have love find them. They are open to finding serendipity of love on a dating app like OkCupid with 61 per cent men and 57 per cent women saying yes to falling in love with someone they meet online. Surprisingly, 68 per cent don’t even believe marriage is mandatory for people in love. When it comes to the kind of relationship they want, 72 per cent believe traditional gender roles, such as men being default heads and not househusbands, or women taking care of chores and children or changing names, have no place in their lives. While, they might believe in love and its serendipity, the kind of love each Indian millennial wants is completely unique. OkCupid’s ‘Love Is…’ takes these insights and brings them to life to showcase how every person is seeking a different kind of love, one that they deserve to have. 

    Developed by Taproot Dentsu-Mumbai, the ‘Love is…’ campaign includes four short films as well as a VoxPop. The VoxPop is a fun dipstick video of single Indian millennials as they express their honest views of what love means to each of them. In true millennial style, the answers vary from drawing similarities to food, farts and fairytales. This experiment is an attempt to reflect the diversity of love and what it means for different people spotlighting what essentially makes love and relationships so special and bespoke. The four campaign films also use these insights along with user responses to questions on the app to articulate what love is to different people. 

    The first film “Love Is… Working Overtime Together” tells the story of a couple who are career driven but won’t make a compromise on love. It draws from the insight that 88 per cent millennials are looking forward to both love and professional growth, refusing the long held notion that you can only have one. 

    “Love Is… all About The Little Things” is inspired by the 87 per cent users on OkCupid who have expressed the importance of everyday romance in their lives. It reminds those looking for a relationship built on the little expressions of love that will find what they’re looking for even if everybody else is telling them otherwise. 

    “Love Is… Living In The Moment Together” was born from well-meaning but untrue advice that giving up spontaneity is the road to adulthood and thus a meaningful relationship. This film encourages you to be unapologetically you and find a partner who loves that about you. 

    The final film “Love Is… A Partnership” was born from the shifting gender roles in Indian relationships where men and women both play equal roles as homemakers and breadwinners, building a relationship of equality and partnership. This will go live by later today. 

    OkCupid India marketing director Anukool Kumar says, “Love is not one size fits all and that’s exactly what OkCupid India’s campaign ‘Love is…’ celebrates. The very fact that most singles are being told that they have to choose between a career and love or romance and practicality is archaic to us at OkCupid! This campaign celebrates love in the way that an Indian millennial craves it, breaking away from the cringey unattainable version that has been fed to us for generations.” 

    Taproot Dentsu Mumbai ECD Pallavi Chakravarti says, “What is love? Now if we knew the right answer to that one, we’d be Gods not mortals. So together with team OkCupid, we agreed to do the next best thing for our new campaign – acknowledge that there is no one right answer. But no matter how one defines love, chances are they’ll find what they’re looking for on this app.”

    The campaign was featured on OkCupid’s YouTube, Instagram and Facebook pages. The first film went live on 27 November 2020 and has received an overwhelmingly positive response, with over five million views in just a week.

  • #MeToo: Taproot Dentsu & iDiva pay ode to the movement

    #MeToo: Taproot Dentsu & iDiva pay ode to the movement

    NEW DELHI: What started as an  exposé on the predatory behaviour of Hollywood film mogul Harvey Weinstein became a global movement as women took to social media to share their experiences of being sexually harassed with the hashtag 'Me Too'. The movement took the world by storm, with the hashtag acquiring different forms and meanings in different places; but the essence of the stories being told held a common note – of men in positions of power or trust, wielding their influence to take advantage of women and, in some cases, other men.

    The movement highlighted how the culture of silence and complicity perpetuated a highly toxic and exploitative system where victims of molestation were afraid to come forward. ‘Me Too’ not only encouraged women to break this vice of silence, it also helped them heal and overcome.

    Now, Taproot dentsu and women’s lifestyle community iDiva have come together to pay ode to the #MeToo movement through a powerful film that puts the spotlight on the conundrum of reporting abuse.

    Read more news on Taproot Dentsu

    The digital film titled Nip in the Bud shows an aspiring young woman, fresh out of college, going to meet a powerful tycoon. Her interactions with him quickly go awry as he intrudes into her personal space. The young woman initially gives him the benefit of doubt – perhaps he was treating her like his daughter. Until he crosses the line of propriety and begins to touch her inappropriately in earnest. When she puts a stop to this and attempts to leave, much to her dismay, he threatens that she would not make a career with this kind of attitude. The young woman goes into a café and tweets about the horrible experience. Here’s where the story takes a turn. Her tweet is read by a woman, who realises with horror that it was the same man who abused her years ago. In the end, the camera pans to show a photograph on the mantle where we see that the two women happen to be mother and daughter.

    Taproot Dentsu Gurgaon creative head Titus Upputuru said about the film: “It wasn’t an easy subject. One had to keep in mind the sensitivities involved. What happens between a man and a woman within the confines of a professional environment is between them. There are no witnesses. There are no cameras. Nip in the Bud is a tribute to every single woman who had the courage to speak about what happened in a moment where there was no one to corroborate the story.”

    Upputuru, who is also the writer and director of this riveting film, went on to say: “Unfortunately, many women took years to report and this allowed the men concerned to continue with the predatory behaviour. Hope this digital film inspires women across the world to nip it in the bud.”

  • Facebook launches another phase of More Together campaign

    Facebook launches another phase of More Together campaign

    NEW DELHI: Facebook has launched the next phase of its ‘More Together’ campaign in India ahead of the much-awaited cricket and festive season. The campaign underlines the brand belief that people can do more together than alone.

    Facebook unveiled its first ‘More Together’ campaign in India earlier this year with an objective to showcase how people across the country can do more together by harnessing the power of their connections on the platform. The underlying theme of the campaign was further amplified by real stories about how people came together on Facebook during the lockdown to help and support one another which was reflected in the second phase of the campaign. As we move closer to the widely celebrated cricket and festive season in the country, the latest phase showcases the power of connections and people coming together to help, support and celebrate with each other. 

    Read more news on Facebook

    Speaking about the campaign, Facebook India director-marketing Avinash Pant  said, "Over the last few months we have witnessed really powerful stories of how people came together through our platforms to face and conquer challenges during these unprecedented times. Our last two phases of the More Together campaign were a testament to this collective power. As we head into the festive season that's set to be unique this year, we wanted to highlight how our collective actions can create beautiful outcomes. We hope people are inspired by these stories, and see a world made better when they come together".

    The campaign will have four 30 second films over the course of the tournament and will be available in 6 languages. The first film showcases a girl making a post on Facebook expressing her desire to bring the cheerful atmosphere of a live cricket match into her house. This gets all her friends enthused and the excitement spreads.  And just like that, we see a jersey manufacturer getting a big order. 

    The core campaign has been conceptualized and executed by Taproot Dentsu, the creative agency from the house of Dentsu Aegis Network (DAN) India. 

    Talking about the inspiration behind the campaign Taproot Dentsu  senior creative director  Neeraj Kanitkar explains, “Our previous campaign told stories of people using Facebook to really look after each other. The upcoming cricket season presented us an opportunity to tell new stories- of the profound power of small but collective actions on Facebook which could lead to a deep and meaningful change in the lives of so many. We will keep rolling out such stories through the duration of the tournament, serving as an inspiration to people to keep sharing their ideas on the platform. And hopefully set in motion the wonderful consequences of people coming together.”

  • Facebook celebrates the power of people coming together to support one another in the next phase of its consumer marketing campaign for India

    Facebook celebrates the power of people coming together to support one another in the next phase of its consumer marketing campaign for India

    India, August 01, 2020: Facebook today launched the next phase of its consumer marketing campaign in India – ‘More Together’, to showcase how people across the country can do more together by harnessing the power of their connections on the platform – even more so in the current situation The latest campaign is inspired by real stories and celebrates the people who came together in these trying times to help and support one another.

    As a part of Facebook’s priority of transparently communicating the role its services play in the world, the ‘More Together’ campaign showcases stories that celebrate and highlight the power of connections. The campaign includes four 30 second films featuring young parents, grandparents, two roommates and a doctor and depicts how they found support through their connections to help each other during these extraordinary times.

    Speaking about the campaign, Avinash Pant, Director-Marketing, Facebook India, said, “At the core of this campaign is our brand belief that people can do more together than alone. Over the last several months, all of us have seen and heard many stories of people across India that have been the embodiment of this idea. People who were once strangers, connected with one another through Facebook, and together addressed many challenges that have surfaced in recent times. Through this campaign, we are shining a spotlight on the real stories that have inspired us, and hope more and more of our consumers will recognise that people are indeed each other’s best resources. Sometimes all you need to do is reach out to the world”.

    The core campaign has been conceptualized and executed by Taproot Dentsu, the creative agency from the house of Dentsu Aegis Network (DAN) India. As part of the campaign, Facebook will leverage the power of its platform extensively to bring stories to life and has partnered with Dentsu WebChutney to craft the creative strategy and communication across digital and social  media.

    Talking about the inspiration behind the campaign Pallavi Chakravarti, Executive Creative Director, Taproot Dentsu explains, “When it came to looking out for each other in the months gone by, we found that Facebook was a vehicle. People were the fuel. This is the simple truth the campaign tries to capture. When times are tough, we truly can do more together than we can alone.”

    Agency credits:

    ●        Co-Founder, Taproot Dentsu and Creative Chairperson, Dentsu Aegis Network India: Agnello Dias

    ●        Co-founder and Chief Creative Officer: Santosh Padhi

    ●        Chief Executive Officer: Umesh Shrikhande

    ●        Executive Creative Director: Pallavi Chakravarti

    ●        General Manager: Ayesha Ghosh

    ●        Head of Strategic Planning: Shashank Lanjekar

    ●        Senior Creative Director: Neeraj Kanitkar

    ●        Group Head (Copy): Gauri Burma

    ●        Account Supervisor: Ana Iman

    ●        Associate Vice President: Radhika Sabherwal

    Film credits:

    Equinox Films

    ●        Director: Sandeep Modi

    ●        Executive Producer: Manoj Shroff

    ●        DOP: Mikhaeil Shah

    ●        Production Designer: Anna Ipe

    ●        Directors Assistant: Nisarg Vaidya

    ●        Costumes: Maiti Shahani

  • Taproot Dentsu launches new campaign for StarMaker

    Taproot Dentsu launches new campaign for StarMaker

    MUMBAI: Taproot Dentsu, the creative agency from the house of Dentsu Aegis Network, has launched a new campaign for the music networking app, StarMaker.

    Ranked amongst the top 5 music apps of the country, this karaoke app with over 50 million users globally, offers multiple features including pitch, effects and rolling lyrics. It also allows users to appreciate or encourage one another’s singing and musical prowess, thus, ensuring steady consumer engagement.

    StarMaker’s decision to launch this fresh campaign with Taproot Dentsu, therefore, clearly indicates the brand’s intent to catapult onto greater heights across India in the nearest future.

    As inextricable and omnipresent as it may be, Music in India also continues to be a collective phenomenon. This is chiefly because an Indian’s perception about his/her own voice quality is so truncated that the thought of being singled out and put under the spotlight makes him/her visibly scratchy and uncomfortable.

    Now, based on this very insight, this latest campaign from StarMaker showcases a montage of stories of different people who shy away from singing solo. Eventually of course, with some assistance and encouragement from the app – StarMaker, they transform from hesitant, uncertain singers, to joyful, confident and unabashed heroes.  In it pertinent to note here that the key features of the app, which are also its chief differentiators, have been organically woven into the campaign story.

    Speaking about the campaign, StarMaker Interactive  Marketing Vice President Aviva Walsh said, “StarMaker has managed to reach millions of young hearts in India who love to sing. Yet, there were certain local inhibitions that did not allow everyone to sing out loud…just yet. Taproot Dentsu conjured up this great idea urging the commoners to break all barriers and just sing for the love of it. The Karaoke culture is set to boom in India and we thank Taproot Dentsu to stand true to our expectations in making this happen.”

    Speaking about the campaign, Taproot Dentsu  ECD Pallavi Chakravarti said, “Singing is in every Indian's DNA, but for a large part of the population so is stage fright. Bathroom singing is all well and good. However, when it comes to public performance, people back off. StarMaker is here to turn things around and make sure that everyone has the confidence to sing out loud and more importantly, sing to the best of their potential.”

  • Taproot Dentsu creates launch campaign for Shaze’s hosting collection

    Taproot Dentsu creates launch campaign for Shaze’s hosting collection

    MUMBAI: Shaze, the premium luxury retailer, has partnered with Taproot Dentsu, the creative agency from the house of Dentsu Aegis Network, to launch its keenly anticipated hosting collection of barware and brew-ware with its latest campaign. Since its inception a decade ago, the brand has carved a niche for itself in the designer jewellery and home décor categories. The decade-old company known for its figurines and jewellery, will be seeing a revamp in its product offering with this launch.

    The hosting collection heralds a new vision of thoughtful design that creates moments of magic and mystery, brought to life with the expertise of the London based firm, Seymourpowell.

    Along with the collection, the campaign will also be the first exposure to the brand’s new proposition “Shine by Design”, an apt commentary on the product and the consumer who desires to be noticed. Conceptualised by Taproot Dentsu Mumbai, the campaign is live across films, outdoor, in-store branding, influencer outreach and more.

    Commenting on the association and campaign, Samrat Zaveri, MD, Shaze Luxury Retail said, “Our hosting range is the result of months of loving craftsmanship. After putting in a lot of efforts into its intricate designing, we were absolutely sure that we had a winning collection. Taproot Dentsu has created an advertising campaign that is worthy of this collection and we are very happy to have them as our communication partner. We have big plans for Shaze, so watch this space as there’s lots more to follow."

    Commenting on the campaign, Santosh Padhi, CCO and Co-founder, Taproot Dentsu said, "The lovely hosting collection has been designed by some of the world’s best designers. It was important for us to be true to the range and weave stories around the hosting collection, at the same time celebrate the host by a new-age inspiring narrative, "Shine by Design" is a true insight that seamlessly bridged the host and collection."

  • smartwater and Taproot Dentsu unveil new films featuring Rana Daggubati and Radhika Apte

    smartwater and Taproot Dentsu unveil new films featuring Rana Daggubati and Radhika Apte

    MUMBAI: smartwater®, a premium water brand by Coca-Cola has, unveiled two new films for its ‘Made Differently’ campaign, featuring celebrity brand ambassadors Rana Daggubati and Radhika Apte.

    The theme of the campaign ‘Made Differently’ depicts smart thinkers who break through the conventions with simplicity and style, like smartwater. The campaign features brand ambassadors Rana Dagubbatti and Radhika Apte, who are distinct characters and trendsetters in their field of work. Their offbeat choices of roles, multi-talent, the eschewing of the usual and innovation at its best embody smartwater’s attributes of innovation and forward thinking. The campaign is conceptualized by Taproot Dentsu.

    Speaking about the campaign, Anoop Manohar, Director – Emerging Categories, Coca-Cola India said, “The brief given to the agency was to showcase the unique process story of smartwater. Our aim with this campaign is to help consumers relate to the bright idea that smartwater is. As a premium water brand, smartwater is more than just a product, it is a lifestyle choice , a frame of mind and an attitude of seeking the best;  all rolled into one.”

    Titus Upputuru, Creative Head, Taproot Dentsu said, “Typically, brand campaigns are about what brands do for consumers. This brief was challenging. We were asked to talk about the manufacturing process. Now that could have gotten really boring. But we saw a parallel between the actors Rana Daggubatti, Radhika Apte and the product smartwater. We found that they were all made differently. The choices that these actors have made in terms of the films and the characters is a testimony to this. The way smartwater is made is inspired from the clouds. We found this very fascinating. So, we didn’t want to just relegate it to the product window. We wanted to romance it. The installation execution seemed appropriate for a premium brand like smartwater. It was great to work with Rana Daggubatti and Radhika Apte.”   

    The films show an infinitely vast space within which the celebs encounter beautiful and artistic installations that reflect unique aspects of their personalities. As they proceed through this wonderland, they reveal how smartwater resonates with their unique choices and characters. smartwater is made differently through the process of vapour distillation and remineralization with electrolytes, which sets it apart.

  • IPL 2019’s ‘Game Banayega Name’ campaign aimed at younger, contemporary audience

    IPL 2019’s ‘Game Banayega Name’ campaign aimed at younger, contemporary audience

    MUMBAI: IPL is not only prominent for its matches but is also a platform for advertisers to make a mark, similar to the Super Bowl in the US. This year too, broadcaster Star India in collaboration with Taproot Dentsu has created a beautiful campaign which along with promoting the series also tells the heartwarming tale of the players participating in it. The ‘Game Banayega Name’ docu-series highlights the stories of uncapped talents who got recognised because of their game at IPL.

    Taproot Dentsu head-strategy planning Shashank Lanjekar shares that the idea behind the campaign was to offer something unique. He says, “When 11 campaigns of a particular brand have already happened, the first question you normally ask is what is new. How do we say something new and also in a way that has never been seen before? That’s how the whole process began for us and incidentally, we came across the line that is written on the IPL trophy, in Sanskrit, which reads ‘Where Talent Meets Opportunity’. So, we picked from there and the campaign was conceptualised.”

    ‘Yatra Pratibha Avasara Prapnotihi’ is the credo of the IPL game and highlights how the tournament gives opportunities to rank outsiders, to stand with and also play against established international players like Dhoni and Kohli.

    ECD Pallavi Chakravarti continues, “The part of the brief (shared by Star) was that they wanted something that appealed to a cricket loyalist as much as is to the infrequent viewer. They wanted something that speaks to everybody. So, for all of us, the thought was to capture the universality of the game. The idea of a newcomer who joins the team to make a name for him connected well to the thought.”

    Speaking about the lyrics for the campaign, Chakravarti reveals that the peppy words were co-written by her along with a lyricist. She says, “We wanted to say it in an easy manner that is neither too cumbersome nor too ‘Shuddh Hindi’ or too English. It had to be younger and contemporary so it appeals the most of the audience. The song tells the philosophy (of the game) but not in a very philosophical way.

    Co-founder and CCO Agnello Dias shares that it was very taxing to be a part of such an interesting and unique campaign. Summing up his thoughts about it, he says, “I can think of an old saying that states that when you enter a casino, you might win or lose, but if you don’t enter it, you will definitely lose. So, it was a challenge that we took.”

    It is for the first time that the players from all the eight teams have come together for a campaign like this, and the energy on sets was undoubtedly infectious. Chakravarti mentions that the players were very cordial to one-another as well as the boys on the other side of the wall. Dias notes that not only the concept but also the way the ad was shot was very interesting. He shares that the screen that the players are seen pushing in the ad is not a special effect, but an actual panel with a camera attached to it.

    The docuseries has been shot with five young players, who were selected by a joint decision taken by BCCI and Star India. The main campaign ad has garnered around 15 million so far, as shared by the team.

  • Taproot Dentsu creates campaign for Discovery channel pack

    Taproot Dentsu creates campaign for Discovery channel pack

    MUMBAI: To announce its bouquet rates of 9 channels at Rs 8, Discovery Communications India (DCIN) collaborated with Taproot Dentsu to deliver its ‘virtue of exploration’ as ‘the window to the world’ in a simple yet charming way.

    Taproot Dentsu executive creative director Pallavi Chakravarti said, “Our challenge lay in landing a tactical, price-point related message without losing the brand essence of exploration that Discovery epitomises. Using the visual device of binoculars flipping to the number 8 was, to our minds, a simple, engaging way to drive home the point effortlessly. Hopefully people will find something new about the ad every time they see it, just like they will learn something new every time they will watch a channel from the Discovery Pack.”

    Speaking about the campaign, Discovery Communications India director original content and marketing Vednarayan Sirdeshpande said, “Discovery endeavours to tell stories that make you learn more about your world and open new worlds. It becomes the road that bridges audience curiosity around topics, passion points, people and places. The communication aims to establish the brand as the catalyst in giving audiences the ‘window to the world @ Rs 8 with an interesting visual device that is memorable. It also emphasizes on our network brand offering, a plethora of content choices at the most appropriate price.”