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Tag: Tarun Rai

  • JWT and McCann Worldgroup tie at No 1 spot in Gunn Report 2015

    JWT and McCann Worldgroup tie at No 1 spot in Gunn Report 2015

    MUMBAI: J. Walter Thompson and McCann Worldgroup have scored the most number of awards in India for their creative campaigns spanning across print, digital, film, and AGB as per The Gunn Report 2015.

    J. Walter Thompson Mumbai and Bangalore, and McCann Mumbai have their sum totals tied at 10 each, while J Walter Thompson’s South Asia group company Contract Advertising came in at the third spot with a tally of six.

    On the whole, India has jumped a position higher from it’s last year’s world rank of 14 to 13 in 2015, as per the GR Creative Ranking.

    When it comes to film category, JWT stole the show with the lead score of seven, closely followed by its sister arm Contract Advertising with five.

    McCann Worldgroup chairman Asia Pacific and McCann India CEO and chief creative officer Prasoon Joshi said, “I am excited with this outcome, the hard work and dedication that our teams put in has come to the fore with this recognition.  I also want to thank our clients who have always believed in us and value ideas and long term relationships.”

    JWT South Asia CEO Tarun Rai said, “To have two of our group companies right at the top of the creative charts is really satisfying. This is an unprecedented achievement. I am really proud of the fantastic teams led by Senthil and Ashish.”

    J. Walter Thompson India chief creative officer Senthil Kumar added, “It’s a great start to the year with J. Walter Thompson India topping the Global Gunn Report India agency ranking. We have always gone in with all guns blazing for our clients with sharp ideas that strike the bulls’ eye more often than not.”

    Contract Advertising NCD Ashish Chakravarty said, “While I am quite happy about the Gunn report rankings, I believe that awards (and, therefore, such rankings) are the by-product of the passion and rigour that we put into our work… so, the many creative awards, new business wins, and rankings, only go to show that we are doing it right. Maybe.”

    On the world stage however it was Always #LikeAGirl from Leo Burnett Toronto that emerged as the most awarded All Gunns Blazing in the World advertising campaign of the year 2015, while “Monty’s Christmas” by adam and eve DDB London took away the most number of awards in Film Commercial category. The title for Most Awarded Agency in the World this year was taken away by BBDO, followed by Leo Burnett and DDB.

    The Gunn Report 2015

  • JWT and McCann Worldgroup tie at No 1 spot in Gunn Report 2015

    JWT and McCann Worldgroup tie at No 1 spot in Gunn Report 2015

    MUMBAI: J. Walter Thompson and McCann Worldgroup have scored the most number of awards in India for their creative campaigns spanning across print, digital, film, and AGB as per The Gunn Report 2015.

    J. Walter Thompson Mumbai and Bangalore, and McCann Mumbai have their sum totals tied at 10 each, while J Walter Thompson’s South Asia group company Contract Advertising came in at the third spot with a tally of six.

    On the whole, India has jumped a position higher from it’s last year’s world rank of 14 to 13 in 2015, as per the GR Creative Ranking.

    When it comes to film category, JWT stole the show with the lead score of seven, closely followed by its sister arm Contract Advertising with five.

    McCann Worldgroup chairman Asia Pacific and McCann India CEO and chief creative officer Prasoon Joshi said, “I am excited with this outcome, the hard work and dedication that our teams put in has come to the fore with this recognition.  I also want to thank our clients who have always believed in us and value ideas and long term relationships.”

    JWT South Asia CEO Tarun Rai said, “To have two of our group companies right at the top of the creative charts is really satisfying. This is an unprecedented achievement. I am really proud of the fantastic teams led by Senthil and Ashish.”

    J. Walter Thompson India chief creative officer Senthil Kumar added, “It’s a great start to the year with J. Walter Thompson India topping the Global Gunn Report India agency ranking. We have always gone in with all guns blazing for our clients with sharp ideas that strike the bulls’ eye more often than not.”

    Contract Advertising NCD Ashish Chakravarty said, “While I am quite happy about the Gunn report rankings, I believe that awards (and, therefore, such rankings) are the by-product of the passion and rigour that we put into our work… so, the many creative awards, new business wins, and rankings, only go to show that we are doing it right. Maybe.”

    On the world stage however it was Always #LikeAGirl from Leo Burnett Toronto that emerged as the most awarded All Gunns Blazing in the World advertising campaign of the year 2015, while “Monty’s Christmas” by adam and eve DDB London took away the most number of awards in Film Commercial category. The title for Most Awarded Agency in the World this year was taken away by BBDO, followed by Leo Burnett and DDB.

    The Gunn Report 2015

  • J. Walter Thompson India promotes Senthil Kumar as CCO

    J. Walter Thompson India promotes Senthil Kumar as CCO

    MUMBAI: J. Walter Thompson has promoted Senthil Kumar as chief creative officer (CCO) for India.

     

    Kumar was most recently JWT India national creative director (NCD) for South and has been  the agency for the last 15 years. 

     

    JWT South Asia CEO Tarun Rai said, “It’s a new world of communication. Creativity is no longer only about the 30-second TVC but has to work across various platforms. For this new world of communication, I needed a new age creative chief – someone who thinks digital first. Senthil is extremely talented, is focused on work and always leads from the front. His passion for excellence and his boundless energy is infectious. He will partner me in raising the bar of our creative product, building our clients’ brands and attracting the best talent in the industry.”

     

    Kumar added, “I am thrilled to lead J. Walter Thompson India as its CCO. The opportunity to partner Tarun in steering India’s largest agency into the future, challenges and motivates me. Am proud of our current creative firepower across the country and our collective ambition will be to spearhead marketing success stories for our clients with world-beating ideas. The way forward is not just language-neutral and media-agnostic ideas, but to invent platform-specific creative solutions that solve business problems.”

     

    “The journey is never over in this business of ideas as we continue to push harder on the creative front and attract the best talent from within and outside the industry. Our creativity should leap from deep human insight and be driven by ‘Curiosity’ and ‘Collaboration’ while we build our ‘Capability’ to generate ideas that engage with millions of consumers,” he further said.

     

    J. Walter Thompson worldwide chief creative officer Matt Eastwood said, “Senthil is the definition of a modern ideator and leader who thrives on constantly exploring the power of new technologies and platforms to create truly pioneering work. His boundless energy and enthusiasm for his craft, clients and employees alike, will serve him well in guiding and building our creative brand in the region.”

  • JWT names Carlton D’Silva as Hungama Digital Services CEO

    JWT names Carlton D’Silva as Hungama Digital Services CEO

    MUMBAI: J. Walter Thompson South Asia (JWT) has named Carlton D’Silva as Hungama Digital Services (HDS) chief executive officer (CEO) effective immediately. D’Silva will be reporting into JWT South Asia CEO Tarun Rai, while continuing to lead HDS’ creative leadership as its chief creative officer.

     

    In his new role, D’Silva will be responsible for leading the growth at HDS and further enhancing its creative output. He will partner Rai to seamlessly integrate and deliver on JWT South Asia’s creative vision to offer the best value proposition to its clients. He will have complete oversight of all six offices of HDS, including Hungama Promo Marketing.

     

    Rai said, “Carlton is a dynamic, creative leader with strategic capabilities, which makes him an ideal choice to head HDS. He is young, ambitious and has the drive to take HDS to the next level.”

     

    “We are delighted to elevate Carlton as the CEO of HDS. Apart from being one of the most experienced digital advertising professionals in India, Carlton has demonstrated tremendous leadership qualities in leading a team of top performers who have won accolades for their clients and given them innovative and sustainable solutions with impactful and engaging consumer interactions. In his new role, Carlton will prepare our clients from leveraging creative digital activations and transform their communities to transactions. I wish him all the very best, always,” said HDS director on-board Neeraj Roy.

     

    D’Silva added, “Hungama Digital Services has evolved over the years and I have been privileged to be a part of this journey. We are at a sweet spot when it comes to Digital Marketing. HDS has proved that we have always stayed ahead of the curve when it comes to new ways of communication and I do believe we will keep surprising everyone through innovations and ideas. I hope to make good on the learnings over the years, take HDS to greater heights and set the benchmark in digital communication through technology and collaboration.”

     

    D’Silva joined HDS in its early days in 1999 and was instrumental in creating the brand it is today. With an agile and dynamic team of visualizers, designers, and copy writers, he has been responsible for creating award winning ideas for brands across digital media in the form of social media activations, games, mobile apps, digital innovations and other forms of digital promotions for domestic and international clients.

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

    Tarun Rai to replace Colvyn Harris as JWT South Asia CEO

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

     

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

     

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

     

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

     

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

     

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

     

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

     

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

     

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

     

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

     

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

     

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

     

  • 61st Idea Filmfare Awards 2013 to be held in July

    61st Idea Filmfare Awards 2013 to be held in July

    MUMBAI: The 61st Idea Filmfare Awards 2013 (south) will be held at the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (Nehru Indoor Stadium), Chennai on 12 July 2014. It is expected to be an evening where the luminaries of Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada cinema come together to celebrate and honour the best in their fields.

     

    The Filmfare Awards have always strived for a perfect balance of public opinion and critical appreciation. This year too Filmfare readers and movie buffs around the world have already voted for their favourites across 10 categories in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam films. The list of nominees will be chosen after carefully tabulating the data from the vote count. Subsequently, a specially-appointed jury will pick the winners from among the nominees, in each regional category.

     

    Speaking on the announcement Worldwide Media chief executive officer Tarun Rai said, “We are proud of our 60 years association with south Indian cinema. And in these years the industry here has grown tremendously. From just a handful of films in the initial years we have over 607 films competing to get the, much sought after, Black Lady this year.”

     

    Commenting on the association with the property Idea Cellular chief corporate affairs officer Rajat Mukarji said, “In the sixth year of our association, we will once again honour and recognise talent from diverse southern film industry. Idea is a champion brand in AP and Kerala and a strong challenger brand in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, with 25 per cent of our subscribers coming from these markets. The Idea Filmfare Awards South gives us an unique opportunity to connect with our millions of consumers with innovative marketing and engagement programs.”

     

    The first Filmfare Awards (south) were held at the prestigious Kalaivanar Arangam in Chennai and the venue was then shifted to the distinctive Music Academy. Initially, only Tamil and Telugu films were considered for the awards, but Malayalam and Kannada films became part of the event in 1966 and 1969 respectively. The film fraternity and all its fans consider Filmfare Awards (south) as the ultimate form of recognition in cinema excellence. The thought of winning a Black Lady is still as alluring as ever.

  • Vivel Filmfare Awards 2013 comes to the East

    Vivel Filmfare Awards 2013 comes to the East

    KOLKATA: The Black Lady is the dream of many in the Indian film industry. For years, she has been the epitome of good talent in cinema. Now, the people belonging to the Eastern region will have an opportunity to own the Black Lady – the Filmfare Award. The first Vivel Filmfare Awards 2013 for the eastern region was announced in Kolkata with an aim to recognise the cinematic excellence in the Bengali, Oriya and Assamese films.

     

    Renowned Bengali actor Prosenjit Chatterjee along with ITC Limited chief executive, personal care products business Sandeep Kaul and Worldwide Media, the publishers of Filmfare Magazine in Kolkata, chief executive officer Tarun Rai unveiled the iconic Black Lady on Saturday.

     

    “The Black Lady took 60 years to come to eastern region. We are working hard to finalise the list. Starting from the announcement with a press conference, we shall undertake 360 degree media campaigns including Times of India brand to promote the event,” said Rai.

     

    “This is the first year of Vivel Filmfare Awards in the east. We feel that we should have been here sooner. For long, we have wanted to come here since Bengali cinema has contributed immensely to Indian and world cinema,” said Rai.

     

    The emphasis during the announcement was on the importance of stalwarts that the eastern region has produced. It has been the cradle of Indian cinema with stalwarts like Bimal Roy, Satyajit Ray, Kishore Kumar, RD Burman among others who have created celluloid history with national and international acclaim. Last year itself Bengal made more than 100 movies. The awards are a way to recognise the growing talent of the region. There would be around 21 categories in Bengali awards category. While for Oriya and Assamese, there would be four categories each.

     

    “The 29 awards that will be handed over in various categories include 21 trophies for Bengali movies and four each for Oriya and Assamese films respectively,” said Rai.

     

    In the Assamese and Oriya segments, the four awards including Popular, Technical, Debut and Critics will be given to the four popular categories only.

     

    Prosenjit Chatterjee said though eastern region produced greatest of the talents in the film industry “we were away and not looked upon.”

     

    “Bengali cinema has crossed the golden era,” added Chatterjee.

     

    Filmfare Awards, established in the year 1953, may look at awarding the Bhojpuri and Bangladeshi films too in the time to come.

     

    However, for the time being the Black Lady is set to enter the eastern region film industry on 29 March.

  • 59th Idea Filmfare Awards 2013 to be held on 24 January

    59th Idea Filmfare Awards 2013 to be held on 24 January

    NEW DELHI: The 59th Filmfare Awards will be held on 24 January, 2014 at YRF Studios in Mumbai.

     

    Awards will be given in 31 categories. Filmfare will continue its association with Idea as its partner and title sponsor, sixth time in a row. The announcement was made at a press meet held in New Delhi.

     

    The announcement was made jointly by Bhaag Milkha Bhaag star Farhan Akhtar along with Worldwide Media CEO Tarun Rai, also the publisher of Filmfare magazine, and Idea Cellular chief corporate affairs officer Rajat Mukarji.

     

     “It has been another astounding year for Bollywood. More than 130 films have been produced. For the first time seven films have crossed the Rs 100 crore mark. It will be a tough task for the Filmfare readers and jury to select the winners as we have both popular and critics’ awards. And, of course, you can look forward to a spectacular Awards night on 24 January. It will be nothing like what we have done before or people have seen so far,” said Rai.

     

    Extending their association to yet another magnificent year, Mukarji said, “The 59th Idea Filmfare Award marks another glorious year of Idea’s association with Filmfare. Idea has always been committed to provide the best in class mobile telephony service to its customers. With Idea’s 3G services and devices, over 128 million subscribers will get an opportunity to experience the best mobile experience across various platforms. Idea will also enable its subscribers to access movie content and results of the Idea Filmfare awards on their mobile phones.”

  • Filmfare (South) Awards on 7 July in Chennai

    Filmfare (South) Awards on 7 July in Chennai

    NEW DELHI: The Idea 59th Idea Filmfare Awards 2011 (South), to be held in Chennai on 7 July, will be based on votes across ten categories in each of the four southern languages: Tamil; Telugu, Malayalam, and Tamil.

    The event will take place at the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu, Chennai.

    This was announced at a press meet in Hyderabad attended among others by the sensational Rana Daggubati and the charming Deeksha Seth along with Worldwide Media CEO Tarun Rai and Idea Cellular CMO Sashi Shankar.

    Over 2500 Black Ladies have been awarded till date. Musical maestro A R Rahman was the recipient of the 2500th Black Lady at the 57th Idea Filmfare Awards (Hindi) held in January this year.

    The 59th Idea Filmfare Awards 2011 (South) celebrates the sparkling talent in the Southern film industry and also brings unparalleled entertainment to the audience.

    Rai said, “­­­­­­­­­­­­­The size and stature of the South Indian film industry never ceases to amaze me. This year, 451 films, across four states, are competing for the coveted Black Lady! It is four times the number of movies that were made in Hindi. The talent in the South is immense and, we at Filmfare are proud that over the last six decades we have celebrated and facilitated this talent.”

    The Filmfare Awards (South) were initially held at the prestigious Kalaivanar Arangam in Chennai. Eventually it shifted to the distinctive Music Academy. Initially, only Tamil and Telugu films were considered for the awards and later, Malayalam & Kannada films became part of the event in 1966 and 1969 respectively. The spirit of the awards lies in its popularity not just amongst the masses but also the film fraternity. It is the ultimate recognition of talent.

    Worldwide Media is a part of the Times Group, one of India’s largest media and entertainment conglomerates and publishes Filmfare, Femina, BBC TopGear, HELLO! GRAZIA, BBC GoodHomes, Lonely Planet, Home Trends, BBC Knowledge, and BBC GoodFood.

  • Filmfare to present 2500th ‘Black Lady’ in 2012

    Filmfare to present 2500th ‘Black Lady’ in 2012

    NEW DELHI: The 2500th award will be given away at the 2012 annual Filmfare awards ceremony, which is the first private sector film award instituted in the country in the fifties.

    Terming the 57th Idea Filmfare Awards 2011 for this reason, Worldwide Media CEO Tarun Rai said Filmfare was not fazed by the large number of other awards since ‘the Black Lady has had a head-start of fifty years‘.

    The awards are selected by a two-way process: the readers send in their votes, and the jury then shortlists the award-winners from the films nominated on the basis of the votes received. However, this does not apply to the Critics Awards which are picked by a jury.

    He said the next ceremony would be on 29 January 2012 at Film City in Mumbai, thus giving readers adequate time to react over the releases of 2011.

    Aditya Birla Group chief corporate affairs officer Rajat Mukarji said that Idea Cellular would be sponsoring the awards for the fourth time in a row.

    Imran Khan, who presented the show along with Ranbir Kapoor in the last award ceremony, said that they ensured that no film personality was hurt or offended by their presentation. He admitted that taking on the show after Shah Rukh Khan and Saif Ali Khan had done it for two years prior to their coming in had made it a daunting task. It was particularly ‘scary‘ for him the first time since it was just six months after his debut. Imran is in Delhi to learn Haryanvi and do rehearsals for a new film he will be doing shortly. Speaking for himself, he said audience appreciation mattered more to him than awards.

    Mukarji added, “This year of Idea Filmfare Awards is special as it also celebrates the centenary year of Indian cinema and coincides with Idea crossing the 100 million subscriber mark. With Idea‘s 3G services, our over 100 million subscribers will now get an opportunity to experience the best mobile experience across various platforms. Idea will also enable its subscribers to access movie content and results of the Idea Filmfare Awards on their mobile phones.”

    Coincidentally, the Indian film industry is entering its 100th year in 2012. Filmfare was founded in 1952.