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Tag: WPP

  • GroupM’s Goat and Forbes India unveil the Top 100 Digital Stars List

    GroupM’s Goat and Forbes India unveil the Top 100 Digital Stars List

    Mumbai: GroupM, the media investment group under WPP, has announced the Top 100 Digital Stars List for 2023 curated by The Goat Agency, GroupM’s  influencer and content marketing solution, in partnership with Forbes India. This list  showcases India’s most influential digital personalities, celebrating their exceptional  contributions across various domains including comedy, beauty & fashion, business &  finance, fitness, food, tech, travel, and social work.

    The focus is on original content creators, with tech, travel & photography, and comedy  influencers constituting over 50 percent of the list. Notably, the list boasts a balanced  representation of both men and women, showcasing the diversity of talent in the vibrant  influencer community.

    “This collaboration between Goat and Forbes India has resulted in the identification of  India’s most influential digital stars,” said GroupM India, business head, Goat, Kunal Sawant. “We are highlighting original content creators who are ‘influencing’ their  audiences in the best possible way and driving positive impact. Key metrics such as  followers, engagement, views, reach and impressions across social media platforms  have been taken into account in the curation of this list. We’ve also included the Goat  changemakers – a roster of socially conscious creators, and an integral part of GroupM  Goat’s Responsible Investment Framework.”

    To compile this list, a multi-step process was initiated. Beginning with the identification  of top creators in nine specified genres based on engagement rate and follower count,  the selection was then narrowed down to the top 100 influencers through a  comprehensive assessment of vital metrics, including reach, engagement, impressions, and follower count. Goat’s proprietary scoring algorithm played a crucial role in the  process. This algorithm, which compares creators within similar categories, types, and  audience sizes, ranks their content based on engagement rate. The careful consideration  of authenticity-verified profiles, compliance with disclosure labels, and platform presence  ensured a fair and data-driven assessment, highlighting the real impact of these  influencers in the digital landscape.  

    “In the digital age, influencing has been honed into a science, thanks to the availability  of gazillions of data that help quantify and measure the degree of influence. The number  of followers and engagement metrics like shares and comments help determine the  success or lack of it of an influencer. Forbes India-Goat’s 2023 India’s Top 100 Digital  Stars takes into account those producing engaging content and with the views,  engagement and reach to show for their efforts,” said Forbes India editor Brian Carvalho.

  • WPP appoints Lindsay Pattison as Global Chief People Officer

    WPP appoints Lindsay Pattison as Global Chief People Officer

    Mumbai: WPP has appointed Lindsay Pattison as the new global chief people officer, responsible for overseeing the company’s people strategy and operations. She takes over from Jennifer Remling, who is moving on to become the chief people officer at Warner Bros. Discovery.

    Pattison currently serves as WPP’s global chief client officer, where she leads the relationships with the company’s major clients. She has held this role since 2018 and is in charge of developing and supporting the global client leaders for the company’s largest clients, which contribute significantly to WPP’s revenue. Before this, she held various leadership positions at WPP, GroupM, and the media agency Maxus.

    Throughout her career, She has been a dedicated advocate for talent development and is committed to enhancing diversity at the highest levels of business. She has a strong track record of implementing initiatives to improve gender diversity, including the successful launch of ‘Walk The Talk’ during her time as CEO of Maxus. This program aimed to empower senior women to reach their full potential and was later expanded globally within WPP, benefitting over 3,000 female leaders worldwide.

    She has also played a crucial role in WPP’s Diversity & Inclusion Council, supported the Elevate program for Black female talent, and served as the former President of WACL (Women in Advertising and Communications Leadership), where she mentored early-career talent across the industry.

    In addition to her role at WPP, Pattison serves as an independent non-executive director for the Rugby World Cup (England 2025) Limited, overseeing the delivery of the Women’s Rugby World Cup in 2025. She also holds positions on the board, including chairing the compensation committee, at Waldencast, a NASDAQ-listed global beauty and wellness company. Furthermore, she is involved with the advisory board of Planet First Partners, a fund focused on sustainable products and services, as well as Meta’s Global Client Council, and the UK EFFies advisory board, which is dedicated to driving effectiveness in marketing. Pattison also contributed to the WEF Global Agenda Council on the Future of Media, serving two terms and co-chairing for two years.

    WPP CEO Mark Read commented, “Lindsay is extremely highly regarded across the industry as a leader who can identify and develop top talent and as a trusted partner to global clients. She has a deep understanding of our business, people and culture, and her strong commercial focus will help to drive our future people strategy.”

    “Jennifer has been an excellent partner to me, the rest of the executive team and the leaders of our agencies, and I’d like to thank her for everything she’s contributed to WPP and our agencies over the last seven years,” he added.

    Lindsay Pattison said, “Our business and our clients succeed when we have the best, most highly motivated talent. Our most valuable assets are our people, and creating the culture and environment where they can do the work of their lives is both what excites me about this new role, and what will deliver results for our clients.”

    Pattison and Jennifer Remling will work closely together on the transition until the end of the year, taking up their new positions in January 2024. An announcement regarding Pattison’s successor will be made shortly.

  • GroupM and Criteo partner to drive commerce media innovation in APAC

    GroupM and Criteo partner to drive commerce media innovation in APAC

    Mumbai: Criteo the commerce media company, and GroupM, WPP’s media investment group has announced the first partnership in Asia Pacific (APAC) to strengthen omnichannel commerce media capabilities for GroupM clients in the region.  

    The partnership brings together product sales data and the proprietary media solutions of GroupM, with privacy-safe commerce audiences and proximity-based insights provided by Criteo. Criteo’s insights technology will further enhance media planning, budget allocation, and best-in-class activation, enabling new levels of relevance, optimisation, and conversion for GroupM clients across all channels.  

    “The innovation in commerce that will be made possible through this collaboration with Criteo is a  significant and hugely exciting development for advertisers in APAC, and for our industry as a whole,” said GroupM APAC chief investment officer Anita Munro. “Combining Criteo’s commerce media capabilities  with our own not only strengthens our commerce offering in the region, but also allows us to set a new  standard for what’s possible in advertising by bringing products, media, clients and consumers closer than  ever before.”

    The partnership between Criteo and GroupM will also expand access for GroupM’s clients to Criteo’s holistic omnichannel monetization solution. This solution allows retailers to manage their entire media inventory across both e-commerce and physical retail while enabling brands and agencies to seamlessly discover and purchase omnichannel media from leading retailers. Tools available to GroupM clients include 360° media asset activation, ranging from in-store activations such as point-of-sale displays to out-of-store activations like inbox sampling, and online activations such as email and social.  

    “Together with GroupM, we are honored to usher in the next era of omnichannel marketing in the region,” said Criteo MD enterprise APAC Taranjeet Singh. “This partnership represents a union  of industry leadership, and we are optimistic that it will drive greater integration across omnichannel  campaigns and elevate success for brands and advertisers.”

    As commerce media continues to accelerate, Criteo and GroupM plan to evolve the partnership by looking at strategic opportunities across media-buying capabilities and insights to drive predictive decision-making. Further collaborative efforts to develop best practices in the area aim to unlock many exciting possibilities.

  • GroupM- Experential Session: Unveiling The 5G Frontier: Interacting, Immersive and Integrated Commerce

    GroupM- Experential Session: Unveiling The 5G Frontier: Interacting, Immersive and Integrated Commerce

    Mumbai: The 3rd edition of Indian Digital BrandFest 2023 kicked off and had brands, advertisers, and tech platforms discuss all these trends and more. The summit looked at the latest trends driving the change in consumer behaviour and how it has impacted the industry’s growth.

    Whether it was a boom in influencer marketing or the popularity of short-video platforms, brands did not hesitate to jump onto the digital bandwagon to up their marketing game. So Indiantelevision.com is taking this opportunity to bring a host of industry experts together under one roof to discuss all these new trends shaping the future.

    One standout moment at Indian Digital BrandFest this year was the experiential section led by WPP / GroupM emerging tech lead Niraj Ruparel, alongside BeLive CEO & co-founder Kenneth Tan and speaker from Nestle India head of media Gazal Bajaj. Together, they orchestrated an unforgettable experience that pushed the boundaries of innovation.

    Ruparel harnessed the lightning-fast speeds of 5G, integrated mind-bending functionalities of a live commerce platform, and curated a precise, immersive, and engaging shopping experience, culminating in the ultimate extravaganza.

    Overall, a great panel discussion combined thoughtful planning, engaging content, effective moderation, and respectful dialogue to create a meaningful and memorable experience for both panellists and attendees.

  • GroupM launches South cinema audience behaviour report

    GroupM launches South cinema audience behaviour report

    Mumbai: GroupM, WPP’s media investment group, has launched the South Cinema audience behaviour report. This report sheds light on the movie-going habits of the South Cinema audience and provides valuable insights to advertisers and marketers.  

    According to the report, ‘watching a movie at a theatre’ has the highest monthly average frequency of all outdoor leisure activities among South cinema audiences – with an average of 1.8 visits per month, translating to 22 visits annually. The report also reveals that 8 out of  10 South Cinema audience visit a theatre at least once a month, which is twice the national average.

    Commenting on the report, GroupM India MD – cinema and OOH Ajay Mehta said, “Our report is a game-changing tool for marketers and advertisers looking to engage with South Cinema audience. By shedding light on the unique preferences and behaviours of this audience, we can now tailor our campaigns to resonate with them on a deeper level. A  noteworthy example is the exceptional success of ‘Jailer,’ starring Rajinikanth, which has become the top-grossing Tamil film in India. Impressively, ‘Jailer’ ranks as the second fastest Tamil film to amass an astonishing Rs 550 crore worldwide at the box office. The fact that a heavy cross-section of South Cinema audience is watching 32 movies in a year highlights the immense potential of this market. With the South cinema audience behaviour report, we are equipped with the insights needed to tap into this potential and  drive real business results.”

    The report further highlights that ‘heavy’ South moviegoers visit the cinema on an average of 32 times annually, which is 20 visits more than the national average. Further, the heavy cross-section of South Cinema audience from Andhra Pradesh & Telangana and, Kerala watches 36 movies in a year.

    The report also throws a light on language preferences among the South Cinema audience.  

    In Karnataka, Telugu is the second most preferred language among those preferring  Kannada, while in Kerala, Tamil is the second most preferred language for those preferring  Malayalam. The report also suggests that horror/thriller is the top genre for visiting a  cinema in Andhra Pradesh & Telangana and, Kerala.

    Andhra Pradesh & Telangana cine-goers prefer to watch a movie on the first day with a  preference of 66 per cent for any show on the first day. Apparently, all South cinema audience consider nearby theatres.

    The South Cinema Audience Behaviour Report provides marketers and advertisers with valuable insights into the preferences and behaviors of Southern states regular cine-goers.

    The data and insights from this report will enable advertisers to create more effective marketing campaigns and better connect with the South Indian audience.

    References:

    * All India average cinema visits are for the year 2017 and quoted from a study conducted in 2017. 

  • Colvyn Harris to be conferred with AAAI Lifetime Achievement Award 2022

    Colvyn Harris to be conferred with AAAI Lifetime Achievement Award 2022

    Mumbai: The Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) has announced that the AAAI Lifetime Achievement Award for 2022 will be conferred on advertising veteran Colvyn Harris. This is the highest honour to be given to an individual in India for his/ her outstanding contribution to the advertising industry.

     Harris has had a long and successful career in the Indian advertising industry spanning over 40 years. His career was built in one company – JWT (now Wunderman Thompson), a WPP Group company, across varied roles, across India and JWT Sri Lanka where he was managing director.  He began his career at Hindustan Thompson Associates (HTA), and went on to assume the role of CEO at Contract (now Contract Advertising), and then was designated JWT South Asia CEO.

    During his tenure he built the most formidable full-service agency, most admired for its creativity, scale and reputation. He has worked on India’s most admired brands, notably Hero, GSK- Horlicks, Boost, Citibank, Ford, Airtel, Nestlé.  He ended his career as executive director global growth & client development at JWT. He was also managing director marketing at L. Catterton Singapore, a global private equity company, part of LVMH, where his role was to help their investee companies working with the CEOs and chief marketing officers for achieving their growth and branding objectives globally.

    Harris took a lot of interest in Industry matters. He was a jury member at the Cannes Lions in 2015, in the Effectiveness Category. He was also president of the Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) in 2010 and chairman of the Goafest in 2009 and 2010. During his chairmanship, Goafest grew much faster and was recognized as the largest festival in India for celebration of creativity.

    Harris has been a speaker at London Business School, at the Wharton India Economic Summit, Spikes Asia 2010 and chairman of numerous forums, including a speaker at the World Economic Forum India. He was a WPP nominee to the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Development Council for four years. Under his leadership, JWT won several Global Awards, numerous Cannes Lions, including India’s First Grand Prix while he was CEO.

    Making the announcement, AAAI president Anupriya Acharya said, “Harris is in every sense a true pioneer and visionary. Apart from singlehandedly making JWT a top agency, he has also contributed significantly to the industry in various capacities, including as president of AAAI. He’s been a key driver and pivotal force in establishing Goafest as the largest advertising festival in India.  I am pleased to say that the entire committee was unanimous in selecting Harris as this year’s AAAI’s Lifetime Achievement Award winner. He is truly deserving of this honour.”

     For the record, the AAAI Lifetime Achievement Award is presented annually to an individual who has been a practitioner of advertising for twenty-five years and had been in the top management position; has been or continues to be an active participant in industry bodies and or made significant contributions in shaping the industry priorities which enabled the advertising industry to grow, prosper and  become more professionalized;  individual  known for his integrity, ethical practice and leadership qualities; contributed to his company/companies growth by innovative thinking and taking them in newer directions; involved in projects of social consequence which is seen as a role model for the industry at large and had been an industry veteran.

     Some of the past winners of this award include Subhas Ghosal, Alyque Padamsee, Mike Khanna, R K Swamy, Piyush Pandey, Sam Balsara, Prem Mehta, Roda Mehta, Ram Sehgal, Madhukar Kamath, Arvind Sharma and others.

  • WPP Commerce 2022 India returns after 3 years to be held in Mumbai

    WPP Commerce 2022 India returns after 3 years to be held in Mumbai

    Mumbai: After a three-year hiatus, WPP has announced that it will host its WPP Commerce event on 16 November 2022, at the St. Regis Mumbai to showcase its holistic e-commerce offering through a series of keynotes and workshops.

    Speaking of the event, WPP India country manager CVL Srinivas said, “In light of the rapid growth of e-commerce, as well as the digitisation of services that resulted from the pandemic, companies have increased their demand for agile, full-service partners that can service their needs for omnichannel commerce and business transformation experts. WPP Commerce will offer deep insights into this ever-evolving commerce landscape. We are looking forward to offering our WPP companies, clients, and partners insights into this ever-evolving landscape at WPP Commerce – we are glad to be back.”

    WPP Commerce will present a host of experts that will offer both deep and broad perspectives on today’s commerce realities and how they drive future trends; the roles of user-interface, user experience, and content in commerce; shopper-targeted and direct-to-consumer marketing; measurement and analytics, as well as consumer insights.

    GroupM South Asia president of growth and transformation Tushar Vyas stated, “WPP Commerce is an amazing platform to understand how market priorities are changing the commerce landscape and taking centre stage for brands. As eCommerce accelerates, customers increasingly buy directly from brands, with social media playing a vital role in this commerce journey. As such, having a fully managed service with omnichannel expertise has become essential. The spotlight of this event will be the acceleration of the eCommerce ecosystem, with technology and innovation being growth drivers for commerce. This year, we look forward to diving deeper into the commerce ecosystem through sessions and workshops led by our WPP agencies, clients, and partners.”

  • FM Schmidt joins WPP as president in Germany

    FM Schmidt joins WPP as president in Germany

    Mumbai: WPP has announced the appointment of Frank-Michael ‘FM’ Schmidt, who is Scholz & Friends Family CEO, as the first president of its German business.

    In leading WPP’s third largest market, FM will be instrumental in shaping the company’s business in Germany, supporting agency leadership teams, and promoting a strong WPP culture. From 1 January 2023, when he officially steps into the role, he will be responsible for bringing together the best talent and resources from across the company and connecting the capabilities of WPP’s 7,000 people in the market to deliver transformational growth for clients.

    Alongside his new position at WPP, FM will remain in post as Scholz & Friends Family CEO, which is part of the VMLY&R network and whose clients include VW, McDonald’s, Sparkasse, and the Federal Republic of Germany. He will also continue to serve on VMLY&R’s global leadership team, a role he has held since 2021.

    FM joined the WPP network in 1998 at J. Walter Thompson, later becoming the chief strategy officer of its German business. In 2003, he joined Scholz & Friends as CEO in Germany, and in 2008, he was named CEO of the Scholz & Friends Family, which operates across the DACH region (Germany, Austria, and Switzerland). Originally from Berlin, FM studied political science, philosophy, and communication science at the Freie Universität Berlin and began his career as a journalist before moving into marketing and communications.

    Schmidt said, “I am delighted to become president of WPP in Germany, and I see this first-ever appointment as a strong signal of the increasing importance of the German market. It is an exciting task to find common interests and to create common ground between our strong agency brands to unlock the full potential of WPP’s capabilities for the benefit of both our clients and our people. I am very much looking forward to opening a new chapter for WPP in Germany, together with some of the brightest minds in our industry.”

    WPP CEO Mark Read said, “FM’s exceptional track record at Scholz & Friends Family, his valuable contribution to the WPP network over the last 24 years, and his extensive knowledge of the German market make him the natural fit for this important role in our third largest market.”

    WPP COO Andrew Scott added, “Having worked with FM for a number of years, I am certain that under his leadership, our people and agencies will be supported in continuing to deliver outstanding creative work. I look forward to working with him in his new role as we further drive growth opportunities for our clients and for WPP in Germany.”

  • Pearson ropes in VMLY&R to launch ‘PTE Kar, Befikar’ campaign

    Pearson ropes in VMLY&R to launch ‘PTE Kar, Befikar’ campaign

    Mumbai: Pearson has rolled out a new campaign for the Pearson Test of English—”PTE Kar, Befikar.” The campaign is conceptualised and executed by VMLY&R India.

    The goal of this campaign is to connect the brand with consumers by highlighting the Pearson Test of English as a new age test that empowers students to be confident and not stress about the test. With benefits like unbiased two-hour computerised tests and faster results, PTE lessens the stress on the candidates and helps them be at their best. It removes unnecessary hurdles and makes life simple for them so that they can be their confident self not only on this test but also when they face the outside world during college admissions, job interviews, or even as individuals going about their regular activities.

    To launch the campaign, VMLY&R took the “Befikar” attitude a step further by associating it with an act that personifies being “worry-free.” The act of whistling to oneself is an act that usually signifies freedom from stress and worry. The agency turned the whistle into a creative device that perfectly captures the “Befikar” vibe and resonates with the test takers’ determination and commitment.

    Also, for better reach and engagement, the whistle was introduced in collaboration with relevant influencers in two phases. In the first phase, the influencers teased the audience by whistling carefreely, thanks to PTE, and in the second phase, they revealed the reason why PTE has made everyone go “Befikar.”

    VMLY&R India creative director Nikita Parmar said, “PTE is different. An unbiased test, which is more like a friend or a mentor, who pushes you to do your best while you stay stress-free, or ‘Befikar.’ The aim is to make PTE synonymous with being stress-free, so we thought of what it is that resonates with ‘Befikar,’ and the whistle tune was born. We tend to whistle when we are at our relaxed best. PTE’s signature tune will remind and assure people to appear worry-free for the test and pursue their dreams.”

    Further, to establish the core messaging for PTE, the launch campaign has been divided into four stages. Starting with making the test takers take notice, making them think by establishing superiority over other tests, giving them reasons to stay focused, each stage plays a vital role in the journey.

    The campaign throws light on the dream that studying or moving abroad is exciting and full of possibilities and was executed with the Befikar vibes across digital and social platforms with music created by multi-Grammy Award winner Ricky Kej.

    English Learning vice president of marketing Rachel Exton said about the campaign, “At Pearson, we always put the ‘learner’ at heart; be it our products, our customer experience, or our communication. We want to talk to our customers in their language, in a way that embraces their cultures, acknowledges their challenges, and truly reflects their journeys. This has been the genesis of our new marketing campaign, “PTE Kar Befikar.” We understand the stresses and considerations that come with the decision to move abroad and how overwhelming the whole experience can be. The English proficiency test, which is a high-stakes test and a compulsory one, should be the least of their worries. This is where the Pearson Test of English (PTE) comes in.”

  • VMLY&R India bags agency of the year at Dragons of Asia

    VMLY&R India bags agency of the year at Dragons of Asia

    Mumbai: chas grabbed the Red Dragon Award for the Agency of the Year and Best Campaign in Asia. The award show took place on Friday, 14 October 2022 in Kuala Lumpur.

    For the first time in Dragon’s history, an Indian agency has been awarded Red Dragons for the Best Campaign in Asia, Agency of the Year and won the Network of the Year.

    VMLY&R commerce India NCD Arpan Jain said, “We are thrilled that we’re being celebrated as the Agency of the Year at Dragons of Asia. This feat feels even more special as it has come on the back of multiple campaigns that have won across different categories. All the winning works are great examples of purpose-powered creativity that actually has the power to change the world. I’m happy to see SmartFill, work which has genuine impact, being recognised as one such amazing piece of work.”

    The award will be shared with VMLY&R Commerce India and Vietnam. A Red Dragon for eeach, a Blue Dragon for the Best Campaign in India, two Gold Dragons and two Black Dragon certificates.

    The Dragons of Asia director Mike Da Silva said, “This is the first time in Dragons history that an Indian agency has been awarded Red Dragons for the Best Campaign in Asia, Agency of the Year and a member of the Network of the Year. The Blue Dragon for the Best Campaign in India was simply icing on the cake!”