Tag: Agency of Record

India – One of India’s leading e-commerce marketplaces Flipkart has awarded its digital agency of record (AOR) mandate to digital marketing agency 22feet Tribal Worldwide. The remit will include managing Flipkart’s digital campaigns and strategy.

Under the partnership, 22feet Tribal will be helping the brand drive business growth through creativity. The agency will also be focusing on strengthening Flipkart’s fashion, Beauty, General Merchandise and Home (BGMH), and mobile phone categories.

Moreover, the agency will be focusing on strengthening Flipkart’s relationship with its strong customer base of more than 250 million shoppers.

Speaking about the win, Preetham Venkky, president of 22feet Tribal Worldwide and chief digital officer of DDB Mudra Group, said, “With this digital AOR mandate, we are thrilled to be partnering with Flipkart. Our commitment to creatively enabling Flipkart’s next stage of growth with an increased focus on strengthening their commercial spectrum is hugely exciting.”

He also added that the partnership will see 22feet Tribal providing ‘clutter-breaking’ solutions to help Flipkart overcome challenges in the online marketplace.

22feet Tribal Worldwide has also previously acquired the digital mandate of Indian logistics marketplace Porter.

New York, USA – Samsung-owned audio electronics company HARMAN International has appointed Havas Group to be its global agency of record across all its brands and territories. 

Under the new partnership, Havas Group will be responsible for the integrated marketing solutions across HARMAN’s businesses and brands, including the consumer lifestyle brand JBL, home audio systems brand Harman Kardon, and HARMAN’s B2B products, services, and technology solutions for automakers and enterprise customers globally.

Havas Group will be delivering a global and fully integrated solution that brings together brand strategy, creative, content, media, and production, as well as selective support in social media and influencer marketing. The team will be working across regional hubs for the Americas, Europe, and Asia, as well as through dedicated teams in key markets.

For the remit, Havas Group taps its proven integrated Village approach. The mandate especially includes bringing the JBL brand to the next level of consumer activation.

John Livanos, HARMAN’s vice president of brand strategy and consumer insights, shared that HARMAN’s marketing team is strengthening their operational model and building upon the foundational principles of insights, automation, integration, measurement, and accountability that will unlock exponential business growth. 

“Havas will be a central partner in this growth journey. We’re excited to build the solutions we need together and know that Havas is as invested in our success as we are,” said Livanos.

Meanwhile, Yannick Bollore, Havas Group’s chairman and CEO, commented. “We’re thrilled to start this new and exciting partnership with HARMAN. At Havas, we combine agility and global reach, making us a brilliant option for a growth business like HARMAN with huge ambition. It’s our collaborative spirit brought to life and a great opportunity for us to deliver meaningful growth together.”

Australia – Health insurer GMHBA has appointed Howatson+Company as their agency of record across the GMHBA and Frank brands. The agency will handle GMHBA’s brand strategy and creative, retail, customer experience and brand identity work for audiences across Australia.

The appointment follows after Howatson+Company has been recently tapped by UNSW as its agency of record, and by MYOB as creative lead.

Helen Stevens, chief marketing officer at GMHBA, said there was clearly a strong cultural alignment throughout the process and GMHBA were left with a sense that there is a mutual desire to operate as a true partnership.

“We were deeply impressed with Howatson+Company’s response to the pitch. Howatson+Company demonstrated a depth of strategic thinking, and creative capability that we are confident will help position GMHBA and Frank health insurance brands for future success,” she said.

Meanwhile, Rebecca Robertson, managing partner at Howatson+Company, commented, “The team at GMHBA live and breathe their brand, with the voice and needs of the member genuinely at the heart of everything they do. We are delighted to help the team drive the next stage of growth for both the GMHBA and Frank brands. On a personal note, I’m thrilled to be helping shape GMHBA, a brand I’ve grown up with.”

The new agency win comes just days after Howatson+Company had appointed Doug Hamilton and Michael Kleinman as creative directors.

Australia – Creative technology agency whiteGREY has been appointed as the new creative and media agency of record by Planpay, a paytech brand that is part of the Afterpay-backed ASX-listed Touch Ventures portfolio.

Through the partnership, whiteGREY will be charged with carving clear space in the market for Planpay and will be fuelling international growth by highlighting the brand proposition. The agency’s remit includes all strategy, creatives, and planning for the innovative paytech platform, initially launching in the travel sector with rapid expansion to follow.

Lee Simpson, CEO of whiteGREY, said, “Planpay is an ambitious and innovative business, not shy of backing bold thinking. We can’t wait to work with the team to realise the brand’s potential on the local and global stage.”

Meanwhile, Gary Burrows, CEO of Planpay, commented, “whiteGREY has extensive expertise within the brand experience space, alongside an impressive understanding of our sector. The agency’s expertise and full-service offering makes the team the perfect partner for us as we revitalise the lay-by model globally.”

In our recent The Inner State, we interviewed Simon Wassef, whiteGREY’s chief strategy officer, to discuss how creative communications can promote sustainable benefits to businesses, consumers, and society.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Digital lifestyle insurer Tune Protect has appointed TBWA\Malaysia as its agency of record for its creative business portfolio.

The agency’s objective is to create a cohesive sustainable brand positioning aligned with their brand’s goal of being the preferred lifestyle insurer for millennials, Gen Z and small and medium enterprises (SME).

As part of the appointment, TBWA\Malaysia a campaign featuring T.P. the Thumb, Tune Protect’s mascot, to promote its simple three-step approach requiring three minutes to purchase, three hours to receive a response and three days to receive a claim upon approval.

Rohit Nambiar, group chief executive officer at Tune Protect Group Berhad, said, “To achieve our vision of being the lifestyle insurer that everyone loves and appealing to the digital world and a younger dynamic generation, we felt the timing was right to embark on a larger scale branding exercise and appointed TBWA, our first creative agency, to help us achieve our goal in Malaysia and Thailand.”

Meanwhile, Hui Tsin Yee, chief executive officer at TBWA\Malaysia, commented, “Our task is to build a strong brand presence, with emphasis on Tune Protect’s core offering that not only simplifies the entire customer journey but strengthens the consumers interactions by adding value to their everyday lives.”

Mumbai, India – India-based delivery app Uncle Delivery has appointed Madison Media Alpha, a unit of Madison World, as their official media agency of record (AOR). 

As part of the remit, Madison Media Alpha will strategise and manage all forms of media for Uncle Delivery, including outdoor, digital, and traditional media.

Uncle Delivery entered the market in 2021 as a way of empowering Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). With a mobile and web app, a network of trusted drivers, and a fleet of couriers just a click away, Uncle Delivery aims to become the fastest on-demand delivery service in India. 

“As a start-up in a highly competitive on-demand delivery domain, we were looking forward to having an agency as a partner who not only help us in execution of different campaigns but also advise us to utilise our resources effectively and efficiently. I think Madison has got that perfect understanding of local dimensions and that is helping us a lot,” said Sourabh Chatterjee, founder and executive director of Uncle Delivery.

Meanwhile, Vishal Chinchankar, CEO of Madison Digital and Madison Media Alpha, said, “It is fascinating to me that Uncle Delivery strives to deliver fast, reliably, while prioritising the safety of its partners in this competitive market. I’m thrilled to have Uncle Delivery on board and look forward to working with them to deliver innovative and meaningful projects.”

Mumbai, India – Essence, a global data and measurement-driven media agency under WPP’s GroupM, has been appointed as the integrated media agency of record by online restaurant company Rebel Foods in India. 

Rebel Foods is home to brands such as Faasos, Behrouz Biryani, Oven Story Pizza, Lunch Box, and Wendy’s, amongst others. It currently operates over 45 own and partner brands, ranging from startups to global majors, to cater to consumers’ different food missions.

As part of the partnership, Essence‘s scope of work includes strategy, analytics, media planning, and media activation for the internet restaurant company’s brand marketing activities. Its first few activities for Rebel Foods include campaigns for Faasos and Sweet Truth, along with integrated communications plans for Behrouz Biryani and the company’s food court on an app experience, EatSure, in key markets.

Ankush Grover, Rebel Foods’ co-founder and CEO for India, shared that keeping their vision in mind, it is inevitable for their brands to have a communication strategy that focuses on customer-first offerings, while complementing their brand promise. 

“Over the years, our communication has been authentic, relatable, creative, innovative, and at the same time, has reflected the brand’s core value. We believe Essence is an ideal partner to help us in our journey with an insight-led analytical approach, while bringing a unique style of creativity and innovation. We are looking forward to collaborating with Essence on some exciting campaigns and strategies,” said Grover.

Meanwhile, Sonali Malaviya, Essence’s managing director for India, said that with their data-driven approach to strategy, analytics and media, focused on delivering value to brands and consumers through innovation, they see opportunities to help Rebel Foods drive greater synergies and efficiencies across its brands while defining bespoke growth paths for each brand.

“We are thrilled to collaborate with Rebel Foods on its exciting growth journey and become its ally in achieving its growth goals,” added Malaviya.

Manila, Philippines – As part of realme Philippines’ new strategy, the consumer electronics company has formally announced its partnership with FUSE, the PR agency under Omnicom Media Group – Philippines, to be its new PR agency of record. This partnership aims to further strengthen the brand’s top position in the local market. 

The adjustment to the PR agency will be supporting realme and narzo as two independent brands moving forward. With this, another agency will be reaching out to media partners for all narzo Philippines concerns. 

“We ask for everyone’s full cooperation with the changes so that we may have a smooth transition for all parties involved. For any clarifications and concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to the concerned agencies,” said realme Philippines, in a formal statement.

Singapore – Global automobile brand Audi in Singapore has appointed DDB Group Singapore as its agency of record for three years.

The agency is tasked with bolstering customer loyalty and awareness of the German car brand’s product range across all marketing channels, with a specific focus on social media.

With electrification underscoring the future of Audi in Singapore, DDB Singapore will also support the communication roll-out of the car manufacturer’s road map in the country. 

Rudi Venter, head of marketing at Audi Singapore said, “We are very pleased to forge this new partnership with DDB Singapore. The DDB team has shown that they understand the spirit of Audi, or as we call it ‘Living Progress’. We are confident of our choice of partner and look forward to the exciting journey ahead.”

Meanwhile, Neel Chhaya, managing partner at DDB Singapore, commented, “It is an honour to be able to work on one of the most leading and desirable car brands in Singapore. Throughout the process, our goal was to align the brand locally without losing sight of the big picture globally. Above all else, we set out to prove our team’s tenacity, commitment, and complete understanding of the brand’s DNA.”

Chhaya added, “The DDB team’s hunger, passion and devotion are testament to our belief that creativity is still the most powerful force in our business. We look forward to getting our engines started with Audi.”

Australia – Global food and beverage company Kraft Heinz has appointed advertising agency TBWA\Sydney as the creative agency of record for its brand Golden Circle.

As part of the remit, TBWA\Sydney will be responsible for the entire beverages portfolio including the development of the Golden Circle Masterbrand.

Rebecca Preston, Kraft Heinz’s CMO, said, “TBWA has a proven track record of bringing both world-class disruptive, cut-through thinking and a genuine level of partnership to brand creative development. We are looking forward to unleashing their talents across our beverages portfolio.”

Meanwhile, Nitsa Lotus, chief growth officer at TBWA\Sydney, commented, “We are thrilled to be working with such an iconic Australian brand in Golden Circle. It is a leading brand with the heart and soul of a challenger. We are looking forward to partnering with Kraft Heinz to help create the next exciting new chapter in this brand’s future.”

In July 2022, TBWA\Sydney collaborated with Tourism New Zealand, the agency that promotes the country’s tourism around the world, to launch a new campaign, which is an underground network of Secret (Travel) Agents, with a mission to encourage Australians to book a holiday in Aotearoa New Zealand.