Tag: Y&R

  • Rediffusion-Y&R creates ads for LIC’s Single Premium Plans

    Rediffusion-Y&R creates ads for LIC’s Single Premium Plans

    MUMBAI: Rediffusion-Y&R has conceptualised LIC’s latest campaign film, the objective of which is based on two of LIC’s single premium plans.

    The ads for the ‘Bima Bachat’ and ‘Jeevan Shikhar’ plans, which are targeted at the modern upper middle class families, extends the brand proposition of ‘Be rest assured once and for all.’

    LIC’s objective was to build their campaign communication in order to familiarise people with a single premium endowment plan and its benefits, thereby encouraging them to invest in the same.

    Rediffusion Y&R ECD – West & North Pranav Harihar Sharma said, “The film taps the mind space of a father, how he thinks long term and in the disguise of a birthday gift, how he starts planning for a bigger occasion in future. And this actually is a beautiful thing that only we Indians have. The habit of saving and planning for future is an in-bred thing in us and that’s made the core insight in the film.  The story line was kept simple and slice of life and the effort was to connect the story seamlessly back to the product offering from the brand. I think simplifying a product in an interesting way is the job of communication and that’s what we tried doing here.”
     
    Rediffusion Y&R president Dhunji S. Wadia added, “We were given a very detailed and specific brief. This helped the team in terms of addressing the issues and working on an interesting creative solution.”

    The campaign aims at making people realise the importance of saving early in life and investing in the future of their loved ones.

  • Rediffusion-Y&R creates ads for LIC’s Single Premium Plans

    Rediffusion-Y&R creates ads for LIC’s Single Premium Plans

    MUMBAI: Rediffusion-Y&R has conceptualised LIC’s latest campaign film, the objective of which is based on two of LIC’s single premium plans.

    The ads for the ‘Bima Bachat’ and ‘Jeevan Shikhar’ plans, which are targeted at the modern upper middle class families, extends the brand proposition of ‘Be rest assured once and for all.’

    LIC’s objective was to build their campaign communication in order to familiarise people with a single premium endowment plan and its benefits, thereby encouraging them to invest in the same.

    Rediffusion Y&R ECD – West & North Pranav Harihar Sharma said, “The film taps the mind space of a father, how he thinks long term and in the disguise of a birthday gift, how he starts planning for a bigger occasion in future. And this actually is a beautiful thing that only we Indians have. The habit of saving and planning for future is an in-bred thing in us and that’s made the core insight in the film.  The story line was kept simple and slice of life and the effort was to connect the story seamlessly back to the product offering from the brand. I think simplifying a product in an interesting way is the job of communication and that’s what we tried doing here.”
     
    Rediffusion Y&R president Dhunji S. Wadia added, “We were given a very detailed and specific brief. This helped the team in terms of addressing the issues and working on an interesting creative solution.”

    The campaign aims at making people realise the importance of saving early in life and investing in the future of their loved ones.

  • L&K Saatchi & Saatchi hires Reliance Jio’s Meraj Hasan as VP – planning

    L&K Saatchi & Saatchi hires Reliance Jio’s Meraj Hasan as VP – planning

    MUMBAI: L&K Saatchi & Saatchi has named Meraj Hasan as vice president – planning.

     

    He joins the agency from Reliance Industries, where he was working on the company’s 4G service – Jio and will be based out of Mumbai.

     

    L&K Saatchi & Saatchi CEO and managing partner Anil S Nair said, “Meraj’s appointment is part of a significant ramp up in our strategic planning division. Our sincere attempt is to make each and every brand at L&K Saatchi & Saatchi a Lovemark and hence give it the highest possible strategic input.Meraj comes as a leader who will drive this agenda across as many brands in the Mumbai office.”

     

    Hasan added, “An opportunity to strategically steer some of the best global as well local brands in the country is what pulled me towards L&K Saatchi & Saatchi, when I wanted to do my ‘Gharwapsi’ of sorts to advertising. A few meetings with Anil and the gang and exposure to the rocking work that they are doing confirmed that this is perfect place to do so. We found our fit in each other.”

     

    “Today’s consumer isn’t just buying a brand, she is buying into cohesive and compelling storyline around the brand, irrespective of the platforms and Lovemarks is a fantastic way of doing so. The idea is to build an enthusiastic team of bright minds and tell such stories for our brand. I’m really looking forward to this gig,” he added.

     

    In his career spanning more than 15 years, Hasan has worked across agencies like Lowe Worldwide, Y&R, Ogilvy, TBWA and McCann.

  • Viacom releases annual Viacommunity social responsibility report

    Viacom releases annual Viacommunity social responsibility report

    BENGALURU:  Viacom Inc (Viacom) today released its annual corporate social responsibility report, ‘Viacommunity 2014 Review: Impact Creating Value.’ The report showcases the company’s investment in some of today’s most pressing issues, and its work to inspire and activate audiences to bring about positive social change. In conjunction with the report’s release, Viacom launched a powerful new series of NO MORE PSAs to raise awareness for the NO MORE movement to end domestic violence and sexual assault.

     A few highlights from the Viacommunity report include:

     Viacom committed US$ 116 million in in-kind goods and services to campaigns and non-profit partners in 2013, the same amount that would purchase 464 seats on Virgin Galactic’s commercial trips to space – or 5 copies of the Magna Carta.

     1.8 million kids, educators and parents visited the Get Schooled website during the 2013-14 school year, enough to fill every Major League Baseball stadium, and then Yankee Stadium another 11 times.

    40,000 volunteer hours were donated by Viacom employees in 2013. In that time you could watch the entire film Titanic 11,428 times.

    “Our partnership with the NO MORE movement is a prime example of Viacom’s commitment to shining a spotlight on the most important issues of the day,” said Viacom president and CEO Philippe Dauman. “I am proud to showcase this work and all of the company’s initiatives in the Viacommunity 2014 Review.”

     The new “Speechless” NO MORE PSAs, produced by Viacom Velocity and the Joyful Heart Foundation, highlight the difficulty and critical need of starting conversations around domestic violence and sexual assault.

     The NO MORE PSA campaign initially launched in September 2013 and was designed to help dispel many of the most common and pervasive myths about sexual assault and domestic violence, and to engage the public in an open dialogue about these important issues. The three-year PSA campaign, developed in partnership with Y&R, director Mariska Hargitay and world-renowned photographer Timothy White, has been rolling out across the country in local and national markets via print, broadcast, online and outdoor advertising, in movie theatres nationwide, and in major airports and medical facilities.

     

  • Y&R’s chairman & CEO Edward Ney is no more

    Y&R’s chairman & CEO Edward Ney is no more

    MUMBAI: Young & Rubicam former chairman and CEO, Edward N Ney, breathed his last on 8 January at 88 years old.

     

    He had joined the company as a young account manager in 1951 and worked his way up to preside over the company as CEO from 1970 till 1986.

     

    The industry attributes him for creating the agency’s integrated “whole egg” strategy which was later followed by others. In a press statement, WPP Group’s global CEO Martin Sorrell said that Ney “understood, probably more than anyone else, both the power of agency brands and, at the same time, the paradoxical need to bring them together… He understood it all and saw it sooner than most.”

     

    Besides his work at Y&R, Ney was politically active as well. He became a member of the Council on Foreign Relations in 1974. In 1989, President George HW Bush nominated him as the United States Ambassador to Canada. He served in Ottawa until June 1992.

     

    After his time as the ambassador, Ney returned to the agency as chairman.

     

    Ney is survived by his wife, a son and two daughters.

  • WPP Q1 2013 revenues grow 6%; looks to maintain tempo

    WPP Q1 2013 revenues grow 6%; looks to maintain tempo

    MUMBAI: Sir Martin Sorrell‘s charge is doing very well, thank you. Take a dekko at the Q1 2013 financials that the global advertising and marketing leader WPP has posted. Revenue growth is at 5.85 per cent, which seems not much, but it is far better than some of its peers‘ performances (Omnicom at 2.8 per cent and IPG at 2.4 per cent). Revenues were at ?2.53 billion as against Q1 2012‘s ?2.39 billion.

    On a like-for-like basis, excluding the impact of acquisitions and currency fluctuations, revenues were up 2.1 per cent with gross margin up 1.9 per cent compared with the same period last year.

    North America led the media communications conglomerate‘s growth by contributing 35 per cent of the total revenue pie followed by the Asia Pacific, Latin America, Africa & Middle East and Central & Eastern Europe region at 29.1 per cent. Western Continental Europe accounted for 23.4 per cent of WPP‘s Q1 2013 revenues while United Kingdom pitched in the rest 12.5 per cent. The UK and the Asia Pacific Asia Pacific, Latin America, Africa & Middle East and Central & Eastern Europe region were the only two regions which showed a growth in share of the revenue pie.

    Business sector wise, advertising and media investment management continued to be the strongest sector accounting for 40.8 per cent of the total revenues, followed by branding and identity, healthcare and specialist communications with 27.3 per cent, while consumer insight and public relations and public affairs made up 23.2 per cent and 8.7 per cent respectively.

    In line with the group‘s strategic focus on new markets, new media and consumer insight, WPP completed 13 transactions in the first quarter. Nine acquisitions and investments were classified in new markets (of which eight were in new media), two in consumer insight, including data analytics and the application of technology and two driven by individual client or agency needs.

    Specifically, in the first quarter of 2013, acquisitions and increased equity stakes have been completed in advertising and media investment management in Canada, Colombia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Myanmar, Philippines and Thailand; in consumer insight in the United States and Myanmar; in public relations and public affairs in China; in direct, digital and interactive in the United States, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Turkey, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Uruguay and Australia, says the media group‘s release.

    WPP gained a total of ?940 million in net new business wins (including all losses) in the first quarter, compared to ?1.159 billion in the same period last year and in line with the quarterly average in 2012 of approximately ?940 million. Of this, JWT, Ogilvy & Mather, Y&R, Grey and United generated net new business billings of ?281 million.

    Also, out of the group total, GroupM, its media investment management company,which includes Mindshare, MEC, MediaCom, Maxus, GroupM Search and Xaxis, together with tenthavenue, generated net new business billings of ?465 million ($743 million).

    In its financial guidance for the rest of 2013, WPP says “our prime focus will remain on growing revenues and gross margin faster than the industry average, driven by our leading position in the new markets, in new media, in consumer insight, including data analytics and the application of technology, creativity and horizontality. At the same time, we will concentrate on meeting our operating margin objectives by managing absolute levels of costs and increasing our flexibility, in order to adapt our cost structure to significant market changes and ensuring that the benefits of the restructuring investments taken in 2012 are realised.” It has targeted like-for-like revenue and gross margin growth of 3 per cent and also improving its operating margins by half a point.

  • Carter Murray Named CEO of Draftfcb Worldwide

    MUMBAI: The Interpublic Group (IPG) has named Carter Murray Draftfcb Worldwide CEO. He replaces Laurence Boschetto, who will remain with the agency through a transitional period and then serve as a Senior Advisor to IPG in a consulting capacity. Murray will be based out of New York.

    Thirty eight year old Murray comes in from WPP’s Y&R, where he was president and CEO for North America and Y&R New York CEO. He has previously served as chief marketing officer and worldwide account director on Nestlé, as well as a member of the executive committee at Publicis Worldwide.

    Murray began his career at Leo Burnett in Chicago and has held a number of posts at the agency, including stints in Germany and the United Kingdom. Howard Draft will continue in his role as executive chairman at Draftfcb.

    IPG chairman and CEO Michael I Roth said, “We‘re very pleased to welcome Carter in this key role at an important time for Draftfcb. He understands consumer advertising and brands, has demonstrated the ability to motivate diverse teams and raise the quality of creative work, nurture client relationships and win global business. This combination of skills and experience in a dynamic new leader is what the agency needs in order to evolve its integrated model and drive growth.”

    Roth added, “We thank Laurence for his contributions to our search for his successor and to the agency, including a consistent and high level of operational and financial delivery. We wish him well in his ongoing industry activity, particularly in the area of diversity and inclusion, where we will continue to work together.”

    Murray said, “I am greatly looking forward to this opportunity. Draftfcb has outstanding people, clients and a commitment to putting together the best of brand advertising and accountable communications disciplines, such as digital, CRM and activation. That‘s a powerful promise we must make good on. When we do, the Draftfcb offer will be hard for clients to resist. Working with the strong leadership teams across the network and with Interpublic‘s continued support, I feel we can deliver on that vision and do something really special.”

    Boschetto said, “Carter brings energy, a new perspective and range of talents that will take us to the next level. I‘ll do everything to help him step into the CEO role seamlessly and I know our senior teams will do so as well. I thank all of our nearly 9,000 people around the world for their support and I know the agency‘s best days are ahead. Moving onto the next chapter personally, in working to promote our industry and in particular to work for greater diversity among our ranks, is something to which I am very much looking forward.”

  • Rediffusion Y&R president Rajappa quits

    MUMBAI: Rediffusion Y&R president D Rajappa has moved on from the agency. He had put in his papers a couple of months back and served his last day as president on 7 January. He will, however, continue to work with the communications network in the capacity of a consultant.

    Rajappa has been with the Rediffusion network since 1995 when he joined Rediffusion Y&R, Delhi Office as vice president. He then moved to Sri Lanka as CEO of the branch in 2003. His next destination was Everest Brand Solutions as president. In December 2010, he joined Rediffusion Y&R as president.

    His next destination is hitherto unknown, but sources close to Rajappa reveal that he will be on a sabbatical for some time before he returns to advertising.

  • Rediffusion – Y&R elevates Amitava Sinha to COO

    Mumbai: Rediffusion- Y&R has elevated its East and South region COO Amitava Sinha to COO.

    Based in Delhi, he will now take over the additional responsibility of Rediffusion-Y&R‘s Delhi office with immediate effect. Rediffusion-Y&R VP-Delhi Abhik Santara, will now report into Sinha.

    With the development, the agency aims to deliver better synergies to the brands that it works on through a larger talent pool and enhanced collaboration between offices, it said.

    Sinha added, “I am excited to now work in a market as large and challenging as Delhi. My focus will be on delivering cutting edge communication solutions on all the brands that we work on from the Delhi office, and pursuing growth aggressively given the opportunities the market offers”.

    Rediffusion – Y&R president D Rajappa said, “Amitava‘s appointment as the guardian of our Delhi office once again reinforces our talent philosophy of growing people from within the organisation. Delhi is a critical market for the agency and Amitava will be able to bring a better focus on developing national synergies on all our brands at Delhi through a larger talent pool and enhanced collaboration between offices. With his extensive experience of working across geographies and multitude of brands, I am confident that he will lead the Delhi office to greater heights in client satisfaction and creative excellence.”

    Sinha comes in with over 25 years of experience in marketing and advertising. He joined Rediffusion-Y & R in October 2003 as head of Kolkata operations. He has worked on clients like ITC, Eveready, Reckitt, Bata, Tata Steel, Berger Paints, Spencer‘s, Ananda Bazar Patrika and United Spirits.

  • Rediffusion – Y&R Delhi gets Vishal Chemjong as the creative head-copy

    Rediffusion – Y&R Delhi gets Vishal Chemjong as the creative head-copy

    MUMBAI: Rediffusion – Y & R, Delhi has appointed Vishal Chemjong as creative head – copy. He joins in from GIR Communications where he was handling the LG portfolio.

    Rediffusion – Y&R, Delhi ECD Chraneeta Mann said “We‘re happy to have Vishal on board. He has won a number of national and international awards and is a good team leader. He has done some impactful brand building campaigns such as the ‘me & meri maggi‘ series. We‘re looking forward to him maintaining that same balance of ‘insight‘ and ‘executional cut through‘ in the work that he does on brands for us at Rediffusion.”

    Rediffusion – Y&R VP Delhi Abhik Santara, added, “Vishal is an ideator. He does not think just one media and that‘s what excited me the most. In today‘s time, we believe brands are not built by marketers, but by consumers. And for that one needs specialists who could deliver on strong conversation ideas. Vishal‘s inclusion will further help us in our journey to help brands start those right conversations.”

    Chemjong said, “This is an exciting time to be in advertising. A lot of new mediums and avenues of communication are opening up and a lot more are being explored. I look forward to adding value and doing some interesting work here at Rediffusion.”

    Chemjong comes with 11 years of experience and has worked with agencies like McCann Erickson, Bates, Mudra, Leo Burnett and Publicis India.