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Tag: Wavemaker

  • OTT release won’t disrupt cinema ecosystem, theatres to rebound

    OTT release won’t disrupt cinema ecosystem, theatres to rebound

    MUMBAI: The Advertising Club Bangalore recently organised a webinar ‘The Future of Cinema’ that delved into various aspects of the cinema business and how the industry will deal with this pandemic. The webinar had Friday Films founder producer actor Vijay Babu, MMTV COO PR Satheesh, Interactive Television founder Ajay Mehta, Qu be Cinema CEO Harsh Rohatgi as panellists and the discussion was moderated by Wavemaker South VP Kishan Kumar.

    Amidst this pandemic, Babu announced that his film Sufiyum Sujathayum, which has Jayasurya and Aditi Rao Hydari in lead roles, will premiere in Amazon Prime Video. Babu was praised and criticised for his decision.

    “The last few days have been the toughest period of my life. I had to answer questions from various parts of the industry. Because it is the first film that directly went to an OTT release. We make thousands of movies. Since the birth of the Indian film industry, this is the first time that we have been in lockdown. According to multiple reports, loss to the Indian film industry could be between Rs 1500 to 2500 crore,” Babu said.

    According to him, during this lockdown period, between various languages, there must be 400 to 500 movies that might have completed their shoot or are in some stages of production. This means the money has been invested already. 

    “In my case, the film was completed in January. I was expecting to release the movie during Ramzan. And also every movie has a shelf life. Even if the cinemas are open in September or October there will be a lot of issues that we will face. How to bring back audiences to the theatre is the biggest issue. Will a big-banner movie or a leading actor be able to bring back audiences to the cinemas? Most certainly the answer is no. There will be a wait-and-watch situation,” he added.

    Rohatgi said that India released 1700 to 1800 movies last year out of which 1600 were local productions. Roughly 40 to 50 movies are waiting for release once the lockdown is lifted, which will create a rush. There will also be limited inventories in theatres. These inventories will be taken by big-budget movies once the theatres are opened. Seats will be sold for a larger number of weeks. He points out that this will create challenges for small and big-budget producers. In this case, even if 10 to 15 movies are released on OTT platforms, it should not be a problem for the cinema ecosystem.

    How do you maintain balance between satellite and OTT? Is the acquisition strategy going to change and what are the inventory challenges? These questions were raised by Kumar.

    Satheesh adds, “Theatrical experience is not going to go away. As far as our strategy is concerned we have been looking at broadcast plus OTT and the opportunities are now rising. Vijay Babu’s point of releasing first on OTT doesn’t mean that he will not go to theatres again. There is always an audience for theatre, OTT and television. Also, challenges are always going to be there; some producers might take a different route but it is not necessary that all will do the same thing. Everyone will have a different strategy.”

    Mehta said that in India OOH entertainment options are very less. The role of cinema is very prominent. He mentioned that if you look at US’s data for the last ten years one of the top grossers are franchise films. It includes superhero films, animation movies; these movies need larger-than-life cinematic experience. OTT and television can be substitutes for some of the content, but larger-than-life movies need cinematic experience. He concluded by saying that franchise films will continue to thrive.

  • Brands should focus on creating content that fits their space

    Brands should focus on creating content that fits their space

    MUMBAI: Every individual during the lockdown is trying to master one or the other skill.  But they are not realising that it is okay to ignore the pressure of productivity. Apparently, productivity is not a synonym for safety, health or sanity. This point was raised by Oaktree founder Gaurav Kapur during a webinar discussing the business of content in a post-Covid world, hosted by The Advertising Club Bangalore.

    Kapoor said: “I just want to tell people that it is not a productivity contest which people initially taught it is. It is the race for survival. During the first thirty days people though it is a party, but slowly people are realising that the situation is quite dire. And now there is a shift in the mood and behaviour of people. I have a team of 25 people at Oaktree. It is not just about generating revenue but also have some things that keep the team motivated; we are trying to keep busy by generating content”

    The other panellists in the virtual discussion included Pocket Aces founder Ashwin Suresh, Duroflex VP marketing Smita Murarka, Nodwin Gaming MD Akshat Rathee, Wavemaker VP and Kishan Kumar MS. The panel was moderated by Wavemaker chief content officer Karthik Nagarajan.

    Explaining the measures taken at Pocket Aces, Suresh added, “In the initial week of lockdown we realised the repercussions. So, accordingly we made the arrangements by moving the system to people’s houses. Post that, we started working on forward content; we were planning a lot of shoots that could be done during lockdown. We started researching about what is happening in the countries where lockdowns happened before India. Our HR team started preparing scenarios if it is going to be 20 day or 30 day but now it is almost 70 days. So we in a way had a capability to move into the productive mode.”

    According to experts, it is time for motivating people as well as focusing ways on generating revenue systems.

    There are two kinds of advertisers: those who spend a lot of money on advertising and those playing it safe. And others who are seeing this period as a great opportunity and are being more aggressive when it comes to content.

    “Before Covid2019 we were educating clients about the importance of sleep but according to Indian mentality burning the midnight oil is great. For Duroflex as a brand the situation has come very positively and organically where we say that sleep builds immunity. We were able to take this conversation out in the world through digital and TV medium in a much stronger way than we could have done earlier,” says Smita Murarka.

    According to Murarka, posting the right content that fits today's environment has helped them a lot. There was an increase in the traffic on the site by 4x times. She also highlights that it is important for other brands to see if the occasion relates to you and how much connection you can draw from it organically. It is not a performance contest or a competition. Brands should see if the content is in their space and strengthen that further to help people.

    Gaming industry is one of the few sectors that has seen growth or is faring better than other industries.

    Elaborating on the same, Nodwin Gaming MD Akshat Rathee said that working from home for a sector like gaming and e-sports is easy. “We already knew that PUBG mobile was doing well before it became popular. My servers are melting down because people are playing too much and watching too much. On the other side platforms like Netflix are very passive because when you watch too much it creates an urge of doing something live. E-sports comes at the top tier of gaming.”

    This year was very challenging in terms of ad spends. Currently, live entertainment has come to a standstill. Major sports events like IPL and Olympics are not happening.  Considering this scenario Nagarajan pointed a question towards Kishan Kumar on how it will impact a market like India.

    “As agencies we are consultants. So, basically consultancy is based on past knowledge and here we don’t have any rule book on issues like this. As an industry we work on passion points, whether it is cricket or live game or entertainment. So, when you are in a situation where a large aspect of the industry is taken away is very difficult. As long as brands and advertisers stick on to a passion point to engage with consumers that passion point translates into different ways of expression. This pandemic has also taught us to go back and rediscover our fundamentals,” added Kishan Kumar.

  • Skinn by Titan celebrates Valentine’s Day with a refreshing take on love

    Skinn by Titan celebrates Valentine’s Day with a refreshing take on love

    MUMBAI: Celebrating Valentine’s Day with a refreshing take, Skinn by Titan in collaboration with The Timeliners has released a new digital short film, It’s a date. Conceived by Ogilvy Bangalore the short is a heartwarming story of modern love – not limited to romance between couples, but also the affection for people who are important to you. 

    The film is a celebration of the unique bond between two best friends. Initially, one would assume that the protagonists are a live in-couple. Soon after, they would assume that the male lead is about to propose. Only later they would realise that the gift was no more than an expression of platonic love towards his flatmate and that his date is with another male friend.

    Titan Company Ltd marketing head fragrances Ankit Kasliwal said, “There are often many things which remain unsaid in a relationship & even when you want to say sometimes the words aren’t just enough to convey a gamut of emotions. Gifting a Skinn perfume is a very warm, thoughtful & personal gesture which the protagonist does in the film to convey his feelings to his flatmate. The film is progressive in the brand’s take on not limiting love to certain boxes and boundaries.”

    TVF global head – content and business Rahul Sarangi quoted, “Youth today have strong opinions, preferences and feelings that they don’t hold back. With changing trends, Skinn by Titan has struck the right chord and has taken a great route to bring to life the openness of today’s time. We are delighted with this partnership with them for 'It’s a date’ and our aim is to ensure that the thought reaches far and wide as well as to the right audience.”

    Wavemaker VP Kishan Kumar said, “Skinn, as the brand signifies, wanted to take a contemporary approach on this Valentine’s Day. We believed the best way would be to strike a powerful communication which personifies Skinn as an enabler of love and friendships. So instead of building the usual pressure of finding a date, the team along with Ogilvy and The Timeliners co-created ‘It’s A Date’ – a heartwarming story of modern love.”

  • Royal Stag Barrel Select Large Short Films returns on Zee Café

    Royal Stag Barrel Select Large Short Films returns on Zee Café

    MUMBAI: A carnival of powerful stories and storytellers united by the love for cinema – Royal Stag Barrel Select Large Short Film returns on Zee Café for the second time. An influential and celebrated platform for short films that recognizes the innate talent and skill of filmmakers truly deserves to be celebrated and Zee Café takes it a notch up by showcasing these masterpieces to a wider audience. Featuring a curation of finely-crafted short-films that promise to leave you in awe, the channel, available with the Zee Prime English Pack, enthrals its discerning audience starting every Fridays and Saturdays at 10 PM.

    The series of original, powerful and inspiring short-films including ‘Tindey & Unread’, ‘Siblings & Anukul’, ‘The Lovers  & Everything is Fine’, ‘Gadhedo & Chutney’  among others were showcased in a 6-city tour including Hyderabad, Kolkata, Gurgaon, Pune, Delhi and Jalandhar. With a host of gifted filmmakers donning the director’s hat, the riveting short-films stand for meaningful and engaging content, truly leaving viewers in captivated.

    In a specially curated panel discussion, the platform invited cinematic maestros like Anil Kapoor, Farah Khan, Jimmy Shergill, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, Randeep Hooda, Vinay Pathak and Zoya Akhtar and many more from the industry who conversed around cinema, what makes films powerful and their own pursuit of excellence. The 6-part series explores the depths of Indian cinema in an engaging discussion with these maestros of cinema who are known for their craft. Giving viewers a deeper insight into what goes behind the making of a film, the series also features exclusive interviews of the makers as they unearth the many layers of the films.

    ZEEL  chief growth officer Ashish Sehgal said, “Consumers have gradually warmed up to short-films as a content consumption format. Viewers are looking for meaningful experiences that these compelling short-films have to offer. Moreover, brands, who seek to engage with their audience in innovative ways, see it as a fitment. True testimony to its success is the countless cinephiles who gather year-on-year for the screenings along with loyal enthusiasts who are committed to witnessing the works of art on Zee Café. This truly reflects in our continued partnership with Pernod Ricard for the second year in a row. It brings us immense happiness to collaborate with Royal Stag Barrel Select Large Short Films in the endeavour to recognize the works of budding filmmakers and amplify it with a wider audience.”

    Pernod Ricard India  GM marketing Ishwindar Singh said, “Royal Stag Barrel Select Large Short Films has pioneered a revolution in the field of filmmaking and has redefined movie-watching for cinephiles. To tell a compelling story in 15 to 20 minutes needs one to be a master in story-telling and filmmaking. The platform celebrates this pursuit of excellence as we bring together the finest storytellers from the world of cinema to create short yet impactful films. With the Zee network we endeavour to reach a larger audience with these insightful and powerful discussions on cinema.”

    Wavemaker chief content officer Karthik Nagarajan said, “The journey of Royal Stag Barrel Select Large Short Films is an inspirational one. To have captured the imagination of the audience and to have become such an iconic part of popular culture is a dream for every brand. It is easily the gold standard in India for content marketing and it has been a privilege for Wavemaker and GroupM to have been a part of this. Every year, the challenge is in making it bigger than the previous one and this partnership is an important part of this journey.”

  • Wavemaker elevates Ajay Gupte as CEO Wavemaker South Asia

    Wavemaker elevates Ajay Gupte as CEO Wavemaker South Asia

    MUMBAI: Wavemaker announced the appointment of Ajay Gupte as chief executive officer for Wavemaker, South Asia. Gupte who is currently COO of Wavemaker India, takes over from Kartik Sharma who steps down to pursue other opportunities in the industry. He will continue to be based out of Wavemaker Gurugram and will report into Prasanth Kumar, CEO – GroupM South Asia and Gordon Domlija, President Wavemaker Asia-Pacific and China CEO.

    GroupM South Asia CEO Prasanth Kumar said, “I would like to take this opportunity to thank Kartik for his contribution over the years and wish him all the very best.”

    He added, “At GroupM we always believe in building on the hard work and passion of our people and it gives me great pleasure to see Ajay take over as the new CEO of Wavemaker South Asia. He comes with vast experience working in multiple markets and categories. He is a well-rounded professional, and I see him bring in distinctive and increasing value for our clients and the overall ecosystem. I am confident that he will continue to grow Wavemaker as an agency of the future.”   

    Wavemaker President Asia-Pacific and China CEO Gordon Domlija added, “India is a hugely important market for Wavemaker, and we’ve got a very successful team here. I’ve gotten to know Ajay as a strong client and team leader, and I’m convinced he is the right choice to help Wavemaker to future sucesss and, ultimately, to keep looking for better ways to unlock growth for our clients, our agency and our people.”

    Gupte said, “I am humbled and very excited to take over the role of the CEO of Wavemaker South Asia. It is an exciting time for the Indian market as the Indian advertising industry is also having a global impact, and I see lots of opportunities for growth.”

  • Mondelez India launches ‘Go ‘Madbury for Cadbury’ campaign

    Mondelez India launches ‘Go ‘Madbury for Cadbury’ campaign

    MUMBAI: Mondelez India, the makers & bakers of some of India’s leading snacking brands like Cadbury Dairy Milk, 5Star, Oreo, Bournvita etc., for the very first time throws open the doors, inviting the nation to ‘go Madbury for Cadbury’. Through this initiative, the company is encouraging all the chocolate aficionados to don their culinary hats and tighten their aprons while they create their own Cadbury Dairy Milk bar. This initiative underscores the company’s commitment to stay consumer-obsessed and to empower consumers to snack right, by providing them with more choice and newer eat experiences.

    In line with Mondelēz International’s recently launched and first-ever State of Snacking report, which highlighted how snacking provides Indians with a source of identity and cultural exploration and how snacking as a tradition has also built strong bonds and memories, the ‘go Madbury for Cadbury’ initiative gives an opportunity to Indian consumers to take some time out with the family and friends, take a nostalgic trip and create some unbreakable bonds and everlasting memories – in short just ‘go Madbury for Cadbury’!.

    Mondelez India  director – marketing (Chocolates)  Anil Viswanathan said, “As a company, we are always looking for ways to innovate and excite our consumers and Madbury is yet another attempt to further strengthen our connect with them. Through this campaign, we are encouraging our audience to make their unique ‘Home wala’ Cadbury Dairy Milk, and thus come up with suggestions for the next Cadbury Dairy Milk limited edition pack with two different ingredients. It’ll be great to see the imagination of our fans shine through and now we have the chance to make the first fan-based Cadbury Dairy Milk bar a reality.”

    Challengers are encouraged to seek the spotlight as the next Cadbury inventor by visiting the website madbury.in and partaking in the challenge. From black forest jelly, coconut, wheat crispies, popcorn, salted caramel to desi ingredients like paan, thandai, khajoor, kaju katli and masala chai, there are options galore to pick and choose from. One can submit up to two of their favourite flavors for the chance to be one of five finalists. What more? Apart from taste and creativity, every bar should have a unique name and an inspiring tale that would have the judges captivated. The company has also tied-up with Amazon.in, for an exclusive Madbury store, where consumers can get some wacky ideas to ‘go Madbury for Cadbury’, with some unique ingredients listed. Entries are open till January 15, 2020. 

    Ogilvy Mumbai  senior creative director Hemant Sharma, & creative director Sagar Jadhav said, "The brief was truly exciting from the word go and particularly challenging for the Indian market where the taste and flavors are as diverse as the land and its people. So, the old-world wisdom, ‘when there’s a lot to say, sing it’ came to the rescue. We created a jingle with stanzas in 8 different languages celebrating the food and cultural quirks of people across the country. We designed the supporting visuals to bring alive the idea of India’s great multiplicity and love for Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate."

    Conceptualized in partnership with Ogilvy India & Wavemaker, the Madbury campaign will be supported by a 360-degree communication campaign, which includes a fun new video asset, innovative Outdoor & Digital campaigns and strong in-store visibility. The five lucky finalists will have the opportunity to visit Mondelez International’s state-of-the-art Global Research, Development & Quality Centre in Mumbai, India, and work with the chocolate experts to experiment with their creations and make their dream bar a reality. The competition will witness two of the five finalists as champions and their creation will become the latest and most exciting addition to the iconic Cadbury Dairy Milk range. These limited edition bars are slated to be launched in the latter half of 2020 and will be available to purchase for a limited period across markets in India.

  • GroupM closes 2019 with billings exceeding $50B: COMvergence report

    GroupM closes 2019 with billings exceeding $50B: COMvergence report

    Mumbai: GroupM, WPP’s media investment group, will close 2019 with more than $50B in annual billings for the first time, and three GroupM agencies in the top five of global media agency networks based on billings, according to COMvergence’s projections. Mindshare, MediaCom and Wavemaker rank number two, four and five, respectively, with MediaCom posting the highest growth among all agencies in the top ten over the last year at +6.8 per cent.

    “This year, GroupM won and successfully defended $2 billion of businesses,” said GroupM chief growth officer Elizabeth McCune. “This is an incredible accomplishment on top of delivering breakthrough and award-winning work for our clients. A big part of this success, among other things, is attributed to a combination of data-led insights that drove our clients to new ways of thinking about their business, creativity in activation ideas, and the ability to connect client teams across markets with a more aligned strategy. I’m thankful to our client partners for choosing us and proud of our teams for earning their trust.”

    According to the report, the total estimated billings handled by the media agency networks and standalone/dedicated client units and agencies – operated by the big six holding companies – reached about $166B (across 41 markets representing 94 per cent of the global media investments covered by COMvergence – Brazil and Japan excluded). GroupM had the largest industry market share at 17.2 per cent and 30.2 per cent intra-Big 6 group share.

    GroupM’s m/SIX was also one of three networks that increased their billings by a double-digit figure (+14.8 percent) over the last year on a global level, while Essence grew double digits in both EMEA and APAC.

    COMvergence will release final 2019 billings figures in April 2020.

  • Lupin urges women to talk about vaginal hygiene with latest campaign #SahiBaat

    MUMBAI: Wavemaker, the media, content and technology agency of GroupM has created a quirky digital campaign for pharma major Lupin Ltd’s (Lupin) OTC arm Lupin Life featuring its new woman-care product, V-Bath. The campaign named #SahiBaat aims to build awareness among women around the usage of intimate hygiene wash and encourages them to openly discuss their concerns rather than being ‘shusssh’ about it.

    Featuring vivacious Richa Chadha, the campaign video builds on the storyline of how even confident women avoid talking about intimate hygiene, do not give the issue any priority and end up compromising their own health.

    Talking about the launch of V-Bath on digital media,Lupin Life head Anil Kaushal said, “We have reinvented V-Bath by making changes in the product based on new research and customer feedback, and are looking forward to re-introduce it in the market. It was imperative for us to get our first communication right and Wavemaker helped us develop this campaign based on an integrated content solution approach. The #SahiBaat campaign delivers our message and represents our product philosophy in the best possible way.”

    Talking about the campaign conceptualisation, Wavemaker India chief content officer Karthik Nagarajan said, “When Lupin wanted to launch V-Bath, we did not look at it as just a product launch but a new category altogether. We recommended a digital-only launch as we thought it was the best way to generate buzz around an issue that has largely been taboo, while generating consideration for the brand. Extremely proud of our ‘Originals’ team which conceptualised the film and our partners. However, none of this would have been possible without a progressive client who was willing to walk the talk!”

  • Wavemaker brings alive inspiring celebrity stories for Tata Tea Gold’s‘Dil Ki Suno’ campaign in partnership with IIFA

    Wavemaker brings alive inspiring celebrity stories for Tata Tea Gold’s‘Dil Ki Suno’ campaign in partnership with IIFA

    MUMBAI: Tata Tea Gold has partnered with IIFA 2019, the biggest Bollywood platform to launch #DilKiSuno stories as part of the brand’s ‘Dil ki Suno’ Campaign. Crafted and executed by Wavemaker, the media, content and technology agency of GroupM, the campaign will showcase inspiriting stories by many leading celebrities at IIFA 2019, encouraging consumers to share their inspiring stories and experiences.

    Tata Tea Gold #DilKiSuno campaign, in its first phase, invited consumers to buy a pack of Tata Tea Gold and win a chance to attend the exciting IIFA 2019 awards event in person. Some lucky consumers have won the opportunity to witness the glitz and glamour and watch their favourite stars up, close and personal.

    #DilKiSuno campaign of Tata Tea Gold aims to bring alive the inspiring stories of consumers who have listened to their hearts and made their own path.

    Puneet Das – Vice President Marketing – (India), Tata Global Beverages Ltd. said, “Tata Global Beverages’ iconic brand, Tata Tea Gold, has stood for the ‘Gold standard’ in tea drinking experience with its rich taste and an irresistible aroma. The brand Proposition talks about ‘Dil ko na kahoge toh pachtaoge’; encouraging consumers to listen to their heart and have no regrets. We continue to build on that proposition with an exciting partnership with IIFA 2019, by sharing inspiring #DilkiSuno stories of your favorite celebrities… and inviting consumers to share theirs.”

    Speaking on this successful collaboration, Kishan Kumar M S, Vice President, Wavemaker India said, “Tata Tea has always brought difference to the lives of millions of consumers through their purpose-driven marketing. For the latest Tata Tea Gold ‘Dil Ki Suno’ campaign, our objective is to inspire our consumers to follow their dreams by listening to their heart. 

    To bring this alive, Wavemaker partnered with IIFA to bring out inspirational stories from self-made stars who listened to their hearts. Using the trinity of media, content & technology, we will leverage these Bollywood stories to trigger, create, curate and amplify real-life #DilKiSuno examples which will then create a domino effect.”

    These celebrity stories will be showcased during IIFA telecast scheduled on 20th October, 2019 on the Viacom Network.