ITV

Tag: Volvo

  • Volvo drives into World Pickleball league as luxury mobility partner

    Volvo drives into World Pickleball league as luxury mobility partner

    MUMBAI: It’s driven right into a “pickular” partnership. Swedish car maker Volvo Car India has come on board the  World Pickleball League (WPBL) as official luxury mobility partner.  Unconfirmed estimates are that it has put in about Rs 50 lakh for the privilege.

    Founded by former top tennis players Gaurav Natekar and Arati Ponnappa Natekar, the WPBL aims to capture wide audiences through thrilling competitions and entertainment. The league will feature six teams competing in 48 matches over ten days, complemented by performances from renowned Indian artists.

    Natekar expressed pride in the partnership with Volvo, stating, “This collaboration underscores the league’s broad appeal and promise of high-octane action.”

    Volvo Card India MD Jyoti Malhotra added, “We are thrilled to support WPBL and believe it will significantly boost the sport’s popularity and engage discerning audiences who value luxury and performance.”

    The inaugural edition kicks off on 24 January, with tickets available on Swiggy Scenes and live coverage on FanCode. The  iconic Brabourne Stadium, will be playing host, marking the first time the historic venue will be holding  a non-cricket tournament, adding a new chapter to its illustrious legacy.

    The WPBL promises a unique blend of sports and entertainment, featuring performances from renowned artists including Dhvani Bhanushali, Suhani Shah, and the popular band The Yellow Diary. Fans can expect high-energy acts to complement the intense pickleball matches, ensuring an unforgettable experience.

    The opening day will feature thrilling matchups, including a much-anticipated Maharashtra derby where Mumbai Pickle Power faces Pune United, followed by a southern derby with Atlee’s Bengaluru Jawans taking on Samantha Prabhu’s Chennai Champs.

    The WPBL, promoted by Natekar Sports&  Gaming, is committed to growing the fandom for  pickleball in India through engaging events, community building, and grassroots initiatives in franchise cities. It also works closely with the All-India Pickleball Association (AIPA) and has the backing of Sony Corp as an investor. 

    (Picture courtesy: World Pickleball League facebook page)

  • Volvo & Mindshare launch ‘Volvoverse’ campaign to provide 3D experience to customers

    Volvo & Mindshare launch ‘Volvoverse’ campaign to provide 3D experience to customers

    Mumbai: Volvo Car India has announced the launch of its first-ever electric vehicle in the Metaverse called ‘Volvoverse.’ The campaign launch is conceptualised by Mindshare India. This is the first-of-its-kind collaboration on Metaverse across WPP India agencies.

    The Volvo XC40 Recharge is being launched in a virtual world by Volvo Car India managing director Jyoti Malhotra, while ushering in a new era of digital platforms for Volvo customers with accessible 3D experiences.

    Mindshare collaborated with other WPP agencies including Hogarth, Yonder, Grey, and Genesis BCW to deliver ‘Volvoverse’, realising the group’s ambition for customers to efficiently access specialist companies in the group to achieve their objectives with a single point of contact.

    Mindshare South Asia CEO Amin Lakhani said, “We at Mindshare strive to provide our clients with tech-enabled, creative branding solutions. The concept behind launching the XC40 Recharge in the metaverse was to launch the EV in a sustainable ecosystem, following the vision of Volvo. The metaverse is evolving the internet by bringing people closer. Using virtual worlds, we are looking to reach out to the maximum audience. We are excited to do the first-ever EV launch in the metaverse with a campaign that appeals to our audience in an exciting new environment, which is the first of its kind.”

    Speaking about this unique experience, Malhotra said, “Volvo has always been at the forefront of innovation and technology, and we, as a company, are also globally known for our commitment to sustainability. The launch of the XC40 Recharge on the metaverse platform is a pioneering moment leveraging digital technology in the marketing sphere. The metaverse launch also contributes to our sustainability mission as it leaves a negligible carbon footprint as compared to conventional launches.”

    Hogarth India CEL Gopikaa Davar added, “Hogarth is committed to reaching net zero by 2030, and we are excited to partner with Mindshare and Volvo on a project which brings together both our focus areas of sustainable production and the metaverse. Launching an electric vehicle in the virtual world is only befitting as a conscious alternative to a physical event where an average conference attendee would have produced around 170 kg of CO2 emissions in a one-day event. This is a great example of how we are all reducing and mitigating the environmental impact by using virtual studios and green screen shoots as a driving force, removing the need for location shoots and events (reduces carbon footprint) and maximising the utilisation of the content we capture.”

  • Volvo India urges women to reclaim their streets

    Volvo India urges women to reclaim their streets

    MUMBAI: Mindshare, a full service media agency and a part of GroupM, has collaborated with world renowned Swedish automobile manufacturing company Volvo Car India to launch #MakeYourCitySafe, a campaign aimed at empowering women to take a stand for their safety.

    Culminated in Mumbai, the campaign had been organised in partnership with CrossBow Miles, with partners such as the National Commission for Women and The Hans Foundation backing the cause. With Volvo Car India acting as the Safety Partner, the campaign took the form of a desperate plea from the city to its female residents, to not give up or lose hope in it, and instead, to take to the streets and make their city safer for themselves. It was started with a thoughtful and poetic brand film which urged women to step out in large numbers and reclaim the streets to make them safer, for women themselves hold the key to the burning issue of women safety.

    Volvo Car India managing director Charles Frump says, “Women safety and empowerment are two issues that we feel strongly about. A society can be truly progressive if women get equal opportunities, feel safe and confident. We support Srishti Bakshi in her mission and urge everyone to join us during the Mumbai Night Walk to show solidarity towards the cause.”

    Being a progressive, culturally rooted, and socially conscious brand, Volvo Car India not only wishes to make a stand for women’s safety, but follow up on it through a collaboration with others who’re doing something about it, as well. Thus, it has tied up with CrossBow Miles, whose founder Bakshi has just completed a 3800 km nation-wide journey from Kanyakumari to Kashmir on foot to encourage women to come out of their houses and empower themselves.

    Mindshare South Asia chief innovation officer Mac Machaiah adds, “Being a highly forward thinking agency, we are eagerly looking forward to this collaboration, and are proud to receive this opportunity to raise awareness about such a burning issue. Together with Srishti Bakshi of Crossbow Miles, Volvo, and the women of Mumbai, we hope to help make the streets, and the city, safer for women.”

    As part of the campaign, Volvo, in collaboration with Srishti, called on the women of the city to embark on an iconic walk into the night, and disengage violence with city spaces, de-villainising streets, and reminding men and women both, that these spaces are meant for all. She was joined by other men and women in an action to make their cities safer, challenge norms, break them, and change them, as well.

    Volvo was responsible for launching the Volvo XC90, recently bestowed with the title of ‘Safest Car in the World’ by IIHS, and now, it endeavours to make the environment safer too, for women. This association with Mindshare, a brand well known for its hugely successful track record of providing competitive marketing advantages to businesses and their brands, is expected to help unite women and encourage them to reclaim their streets, without letting fear and daily headlines of violence and assault deter them. This is because, the more the number of women on the streets, the safer they become for them. The walk was meant to be a symbolic wake up call for its residents from High Street Phoenix, Lower Parel till Haji Ali, covering a distance of roughly 3 km. From there, Srishti and Volvo continued their walk into various parts of the city.

    Bakshi mentions, “CrossBow Miles has been walking for women’s safety and empowerment through the country, covering a distance of 3800 km on-foot, from Kanyakumari to Kashmir. It was a perfect synergy of belief with Volvo’s #MakeYourCitySafe campaign because we have been conducting night walks across the country to encourage women to step out of their homes and realise their true potential.”

  • RIP David Abbott, you will be missed!

    RIP David Abbott, you will be missed!

    MUMBAI : If you are someone who keeps a keen eye on British advertising then you will surely know who David Abbott was. Abbott, a British advertising executive and founder of Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO, passed away on Saturday, aged 75.

    Abbott started his career in advertising as a copywriter at Mather & Crowther and later got associated with DDB, London. It was in 1971, when he founded French Gold Abbott. After seven years he headed to establish Abbott Mead Vickers (AMV).

    Abbott got his due recognition when he was in AMV. The veterans in the industry know Abbott as a person with wit and sharp vision. He is known for creating some classic campaigns for brands such as Volvo, Sainsbury’s, Ikea, Chivas Regal, The Economist, Yellow Pages, and the RSPC. In 1991 BBDO acquired a stake in AMV and appended its name.

    He is also known to have authored a book titled, “The Upright Piano Player” in 2010.

    Take a look at some of the popular work done by Abbott:

     

     

     

     

     

    According to international news portals, it is understood that D&AD plans to pay tribute to Abbott at its awards ceremony this week.

    (Images sourced from Twitter)

  • BBC World News Horizons returns to explore ‘Carmageddon’

    BBC World News Horizons returns to explore ‘Carmageddon’

    Mumbai: In the third series of Horizons, Adam Shaw travels to Detroit to meet Ford Motors executive chairman Bill Ford Jr to discuss his vision for mass mobility and the revolution that is needed to prevent global gridlock or what some are calling, ‘Carmageddon’.

    As the world’s population increases and the number of people living in cities rises, it will become more difficult to move around our urban areas.

    Bill Ford Jr said: “We see global gridlock as an issue of human rights, not just one tied to business and economics. If I think of our mission at Ford, we started off making cars and then we became a car and truck company, but really we’re a mobility company. And if we think of ourselves as that, and I do, then that opens up lots of possibilities. If we do nothing today, that mobility will be severely compromised in the future.”

    The programme then heads to Volvo in Sweden where they are developing driverless vehicles. Using radars, lasers and high-specification computers, the idea is to integrate a suite of technologies that can detect pedestrians, and allow cars to cruise at speed in convoys.

    In Shanghai, reporter James Chau looks at how China’s largest metropolis moves millions of people around the growing mega-city and how authorities are trying to get people out of their cars. James also takes a trip on the Shanghai Metro to see how one of China’s most efficient and extensive public transport networks runs.

    James also visits the Hongqiao Transportation Hub, one of the first transport hubs in the world to integrate air, high speed rail, metro and road under one roof, all within a ten minute walk of each another. Known as one of the world’s largest interchanges, Hongqiao deals with more than a million passengers a day. With numbers expected to grow rapidly, James explores the operations of the hub and how it is dealing with the rising numbers.

    The Horizons series, sponsored by DuPont, airs weekly on Saturdays at 7.00am and 2.00pm, Sundays at 8.00pm. The sponsorship arrangement was facilitated by BBC Advertising, which sells advertising and sponsorship solutions on behalf of BBC World News and bbc.com.

  • Havas shuffles two key executives to drive growth

    MUMBAI: Havas has made some changes, shuffling people within its sister outfits. Andrew Benett has been appointed as Havas Worldwide global president and Robert LePlae as Arnold Worldwide global CEO.

    Both will report to David Jones, who will remain Global CEO of the Havas Worldwide network.

    Benett will retain his chief strategy officer role at Havas Creative Group. He is currently Arnold Worldwide (Havas‘ creative company) global CEO. In the new role, he will assume responsibility for leading the day-to-day management of the global network.

    Benett has been with Havas for nearly a decade. Prior to his role at Arnold Worldwide, he served as global chief strategy officer for Euro RSCG Worldwide and CEO of Euro RSCG New York. During his recent three-year tenure leading Arnold Worldwide, he and his team grew the agency by more than 30 per cent, winning and growing relationships with clients including The Hershey Company, Jack Daniel‘s, Unilever, Volvo, American Eagle Outfitters and fab.com. The team also dramatically enhanced the agency‘s digital capabilities, while expanding the micronetwork‘s offerings in Amsterdam, London, Moscow, Shanghai and Sydney.

    Benett said, “I am very proud of what we‘ve accomplished and delivered together. The leadership team at Arnold is one of the most passionate and committed I‘ve seen, and they are further strengthened by the expertise and experience Robert brings. I am looking forward to my new role. Havas Worldwide‘s digital strength and leadership in the areas of social media and social responsibility have put the agency at the cutting edge of the industry and we have high expectations of what we can accomplish in 2013.”

    LePlae was previously Arnold Worldwide global president. He brings a wealth of experience to his new role. He spent 11 years at TBWA, including five years as CEO of TBWAChiatDay Los Angeles, leading to his appointment as president of TBWA North America. He also spent two years in Japan as founding CEO of an international joint venture company to run the Nissan business globally. He is considered to have been a cornerstone in the emergence of TBWA Worldwide as a leading global creative network. Immediately prior to joining Arnold, he served as McCann Worldgroup North America president.

    “When I joined Havas last year, its reputation as the most agile, entrepreneurial and integrated of all the big communications groups was incredibly appealing. Stepping into the CEO position at Arnold is an inspiring chance to deliver results for a first-rate group of clients, and to lead a world-class, innovative team at Arnold,” added LePlae.

    “Both Robert and Andrew will have a similar focus in their new roles – making successful businesses even more successful. When we moved Andrew to Arnold, we put him there to develop and execute a plan to turn around the agency – he‘s done that very successfully. The move to Havas Worldwide provides a different opportunity as the agency is coming off one of the best new business streaks in its history, having in the last few weeks won the global Unilever data business, the European Central Bank account, Louis Vuitton globally, Berluti globally, and Citibank CRM and eCRM as just a few of the highlights. His key focus will be leveraging his strategic strength to lead the business to even more rapid growth,” said Jones.

    Jones added, “This is an incredibly exciting time for our industry, presenting fantastic opportunities for big talents like Andrew and Robert, who are motivated by change. The momentum at Havas is very strong at the moment, following the successful rebranding of Euro RSCG to Havas Worldwide, the unique co-location of all our media, creative and digital teams into one building in Paris and in New York, and a great fourth quarter of new business wins and digital growth. These senior management moves represent another important step in delivering our strategic plan.”

  • McCann strengthens management and creative teams

    MUMBAI: Continuing its string of senior level appointments, IPG‘s McCann has appointed Ranjeev Vij as general manager McCann Delhi and Abhishek Das creative director – digital at McCann Mumbai. Recently, the agency brought on board ex CEO of Iris Alok Lall as executive director.

    Vij has over 18 years of experience in the field. He started his career in 1994 as account supervisor at Enterprise Nexus. After six years at the agency, he moved to Draft FCB Ulka and later shifted to O&M as account group manager. His next move was to join Lowe Lintas as brand director before returning to Enterprise Nexus as account director for a while. After his second stint at Enterprise Nexus, he joined Redifusion DY&R as general manager on Bharti Airtel. After this, he joined Vyas Giannetti as VP and branch head and then moved to IRIS Worldwide as board director.

    During his career, Vij has handled brands such as Airtel, General Motors, Aviva Life Insurance, DHL, J&J, P&G, Pepsico, VISA, HP, Sony and Sony Erickson.

    Das has been in the industry for the past 10 years now having started his career with Ab&m Communications in New Delhi as senior copy writer in the year 2002. After working for two years, he moved to Oxygen and then to Tribal DDB before joining McCann New Delhi as creative supervisor.

    Das has worked with brands such as TimesJobs, SimplyMarry, magicBricks, Hyundai, Volkswagen, Volvo, Nescafe, Kitkat, ESPN Star, MTV and UNESCO during his career so far.

    Das said, “This would be my second stint at the McCann Worldgroup. It‘s been over five years since the last time I was at McCann Delhi and things have changed a lot. Prasoon and I have been in talks about building a strong digital presence for McCann for a while now, and given his vision of things to come, the challenge was very hard to resist. I look forward to adding a host of digital creative solutions to McCann‘s extensive portfolio.”

    McCann Worldgroup chief executive officer Prasoon Joshi said, “Abhishek and Ranjeev are a great combination of new age media thinking with a sound background in the traditional. They both have more than a key role to play to further accelerate McCann‘s drive into the futuristic model and cutting edge offering.”