Tag: DDB Mudra Group

India – Advertising agency DDB Mudra Group has appointed Manish Darji as its new head of art for West. This appointment reinforces the agency’s commitment to craft at a time when visual storytelling is constantly evolving.

In his new role, Darji will be leading the design mandate for the agency’s west office and will be reporting to Pallavi Chakravarti, DDB Mudra’s creative head for West. He will also be exploring applications of craft in newer categories like digital, data, entertainment, and content. 

With a career spanning two decades, Darji has worked on some of India’s leading brands like Coca-Cola, NDTV, Big Bazaar, Volkswagen, and Marico, as well as Viacom 18, and Mondelez. He has also served as executive creative director and associate creative director at DDB Mudra in the year 2014 and 2010 respectively. Moreover, Darji has worked at BBH, McCann Erickson, Ogilvy, and Rediffusion Y&R, as well as Bates 141.

DDB Mudra said that its Unexpected Works philosophy lays a strong emphasis on creating clutter-breaking work that drives results, and craft plays a crucial role in this advanced approach. 

Speaking on his appointment, Darji said, “Bill Bernbach was the first to put Art and Copy on the same floor, back in the 60s, and that’s been the model for all agencies ever since. With it comes the opportunity to let craft shine as we pursue our promise of Unexpected Works. I am truly excited to be on this ride.”

Meanwhile, Chakravarti noted, “It is impossible to look at a piece Manish has worked on and not be wowed. His passion for craft and grasp of distinctive visual languages are skills sorely needed in this day and age. We’re delighted to have him on board to further the creative vision for DDB Mudra West.”

Mumbai, India – To honour the World Menstrual Hygiene Day, which is celebrated every 28 May signifying the 28 days typical gap between 2 periods and 5 days which is the average duration of a period, India’s sanitary napkin brand Stayfree has launched a new campaign, aimed at raising awareness and attempting to change damaging social norms around menstruation. 

The new campaign, which was conceptualised in collaboration with DDB Mudra, is part of the brand’s efforts to normalise periods. These efforts include education partnerships, promoting best practices for Menstrual Hygiene Management, and encouraging open conversations on the subject, by the people who matter the most to the young girl – her family.

To unmute and normalise conversations around periods, Stayfree wanted to nudge those primarily responsible for a young girls’ holistic coming of age – mothers and fathers – to step up and do more to change this narrative of shame and silence. This journey began in 2020 when Stayfree helped young girls say ‘It’s Just a Period’ by encouraging their fathers and mothers to say it with them. After all, while menstruation may mark the physical maturity of a girl’s body, she is still emotionally vulnerable and ill-equipped to brave societal stigmas around periods. Hence, it becomes imperative for the people closest to the young girl – fathers, mothers, and teachers – to help her understand that periods are just a normal biological process.

Continuing this school of thought, Stayfree’s new film aims to encourage fathers to be involved in the period conversation with daughters because every conversation has an impact beyond that moment. It helps set the tone that periods need not be hushed conversations and open dialogue can make the father-daughter bond stronger.

Manoj Gadgil, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Health’s vice president of marketing for India, noted that they believe the onus of normalising period conversations rests on the people that the young girl trusts – her family, teachers, and society at large, and Stayfree is once again stressing the role of a father because they realised that there is a distinct vacuum in a father-daughter relationship during her teenage years. 

He further shared that right from the daughter’s birth, fathers are increasingly taking on greater responsibility for caregiving; a fact recognized by corporates who are now offering generous paternity leaves, and these same fathers want nothing but the best when it comes to supporting her dreams and ambitions, no matter how unconventional they may be. 

“Yet, during her teenage years, they take a step back and let the mother become the primary parent to help her navigate her periods. This begins the subtle conditioning around periods – hushed voices, not to be spoken about in front of the men of the household and the accompanying worry about storing, changing, and disposing of pads. This film urges fathers to do more- to talk to their daughters and help drive more positive social norms and behaviour around periods,” said Gadgil.

Meanwhile, Pallavi Chakravarti, DDB Mudra’s creative head for West, said “‘So what if Dad pretended that periods didn’t exist? So, what if he pointedly looked the other way when I was young and confused and bleeding for the first time? It isn’t his job to talk to me about menstruation’ – Women believe this to be true. Stayfree digs deeper to unearth what lies beneath this age-old norm, resulting in revelations for both fathers and daughters.”

India – McDowell’s No. 1, Indian brand of spirits, has launched a cheerful campaign #No1YaariCheers (friendship cheers) with an aim to add a fun and energetic twist to the regular cricket viewing experience this IPL season. The campaign conceptualized by DDB Mudra features IPL players such as Virat Kohli from Royal Challengers Bangalore, Yuzvendra Chahal from Rajasthan Royals, Kieron Pollard from Mumbai Indians and many more, to bring alive the stadium action on the screen.

The 2022 Indian Premier League which is also known as IPL 15 is the fifteenth season of the IPL, a professional Twenty20 cricket league, which kicked off matches in March.

Participating in a group activity creates a stronger sense of belonging as well as strengthens connections between people, and the films intend to unite IPL fans and create delightful Yaari (friendship) moments. Using this insight, the brand created a series of clutter-breaking cheers for all kinds of Yaari moments, capturing the camaraderie between fans and teammates. To take it up a notch, each of the teams also had a regional chant with a local touch.

One of the features in the campaign series

Speaking about this association, Ruchira Jaitly, executive vice president and portfolio head for marketing at Diageo India, said that Cricket is a sporting extravaganza that brings the entire country together with inspiring sporting action that’s a feast for Indians across the length and breadth of the country, so they are delighted to be associated with these 6 iconic teams. 

“Moreover, this cricket season is the perfect platform to bring alive the special moments when yaars connect and make magic happen, whether while playing or while watching this tournament. To further add to the fun and entertainment, we are excited to give fans a chance to cheer for their teams with inspiring and playful language like never before. McDowell’s No.1 Soda is proud to share the spirit of Yaari with these amazing teams and build a meaningful new partnership,” said Jaitly. 

Commenting on the campaign, Neeraj Kanitkar, executive creative director for DDB Mudra West, said, “No.1 Yaari, six of the biggest IPL teams and 18 superstars deserve a grand platform. #No1YaariCheers is just that. A new language of Yaari that fuses what yaars do – from showing support to inspiring to teasing to provoking to badgering and everything in between – support, inspire, tease, provoke, badger – with the language of cricket. With the cricketers not having to so much act but simply express their Yaari for each other, they brought their own style to the cheering/chanting. Making for entertaining shoots and an exuberant bunch of films.

Sujay Ghosh, the agency’s executive vice president and business partner, added, “Chants (Cheers) connect people and help form stronger bonds with their group of friends and fans. We took this insight and developed a campaign which can play a role in culture during this cricket season. McDowell’s No. 1 has always stood for bonds of friendship. And Cheers have always brought fans together and made their fandoms epic, we mounted our idea based on these two inputs and created a new language for fans and friends to enhance the engagement and celebration for this cricket season across language and regions.”

The campaign is currently live across digital platforms such as Disney+Hotstar, YouTube, mCanvas, Facebook and Twitter.

India – Advertising agency DDB Mudra Group has appointed Aniruddha Deb, former senior vice president and executive business director at Wunderman Thompson, to be its new executive vice president and head of business for North. 

In his new role, Deb will be overseeing the integrated business between DDB Mudra and 22feet Tribal Worldwide in the North office.

Deb brings with him more than 19 years of brand stewardship experience in advertising and marketing. He has worked with global brands like Unilever, Nestle, Wipro, Samsung, LG, HSBC, and Vodafone, as well as KFC, and Subway. Aside from his recent stint at Wunderman Thompson, Deb has served as the chief marketing officer at smartphone brand Mobiistar. He has also worked with agencies such as Ogilvy, Publicis Groupe and Cheil Worldwide.

Deb shared that what got him is the company’s constant endeavour to grow and build great brands through recognisable and effective creative work and the ability and eagerness to provide integrated solutions irrespective of the kind of business they hold. 

“It really excites me to come on board and lead client partnerships across mainline and digital. I hope to play a significant part in the Group’s ongoing growth journey,” said Deb

Meanwhile, Ashutosh Sawhney, DDB Mudra Group’s managing partner for North, commented, “Aniruddha’s appointment is in sync with this growing need as he complements both these skill sets with aplomb and has a keen appreciation of what is effective, creative work. We’re excited to see what the future of this hybrid model at the group holds with him on board.”

Just recently, DDB Mudra Group has elevated Vanaja Pillai to be its new head of diversity, inclusion, and impact. She will be working on initiatives to grow a diverse and inclusive workplace, including talent acquisition, retention, training, and outreach to talent in underrepresented communities.

Mumbai, India – Advertising agency DDB Mudra Group has elevated Vanaja Pillai, former consultant of diversity and inclusion at DDB Mudra Group, to be its new head of diversity, inclusion, and impact.

Pillai was the driving force behind the agency’s ‘Phyllis India Project’, which is one of the industry’s most comprehensive and intense leadership development programmes with consistent and deep interventions, to help prepare DDB’s women talent for leadership.

In her new role, Pillai will be working closely with Aditya Kanthy, DDB Mudra’s CEO and managing director, and Rita Verma, DDB Mudra’s head of HR, on initiatives to grow a diverse and inclusive workplace, including talent acquisition, retention, training, and outreach to talent in underrepresented communities. She will also be leading the creation and delivery of effective growth and development opportunities rooted in the company’s purpose and growth strategy. 

Pillai said that over the next year, they will focus on a select set of DEI goals and approach them with the same rigour and passion that made the Phyllis India Project what it is today. 

“From an overall talent perspective, the pandemic made us even more aware of the need for constantly focusing on people and their growth. We hope to make some of our talent programs world-class this year,” added Pillai.

Meanwhile, Kanthy shared that besides being a stellar leader, having run operating roles in the agency business with flair and distinction, Pillai has over the last two years built one of the industry’s best-run diversity programs – the Phyllis India Project. 

“This work with the Group’s effort as a global network to bring in diverse voices to help shape workplace culture and brand communication of the future,” said Kanthy. 

Nikki Lamba, DDB Worldwide’s chief diversity, equity, and inclusion officer, noted that Pillai’s work on the Phyllis India program has been applauded across DDB’s borders and is a brilliant example of senior leadership driving actionable change in advancing DEI within the DDB family. 

“We are excited about her taking on this larger mandate and bringing DEI to the heart of our business, people and product strategies in India. There is a lot of good work happening already in parts of the DDB network that India will surely build off and gain from,” said Lamba.

Just recently, DDB Mudra Group has also announced the appointment of Anand Murty as the national strategy head for DDB Mudra and Mehak Jaini as the national strategy head for 22feet Tribal Worldwide. Both will be leading the group’s promise of a cohesive view across advertising, digital marketing and media.

Bengaluru, India – In line with the upcoming Indian Premier League this year, insurance company ACKO has launched a marketing campaign in a bid to highlight the value propositions that a consumer can expect when buying directly from ACKO’s.

The ad films, created and conceptualised by The DDB Mudra Group, rely on quirky, humorous scenarios to drive home a simple message and a call to try the ACKO app to experience these benefits firsthand. The new campaign also brings back the characters of Murthy and Funcle from last year’s campaign and builds on the funny dynamic between them. 

In addition, the campaign, titled #CheckACKO, encourages viewers to check the ACKO app to discover the benefits, such as savings up to Rs. 50,000 on new car insurance, claim settlements in 24 hours and the benefits of buying directly from ACKO.

Ashish Mishra, executive vice president for marketing at ACKO General Insurance, said, “Research told us that consumers are unaware that they can actually save a huge amount of money if they pay attention to the cost of the insurance. With ACKO, the savings can be as high as 50k as they are buying straight from the company. That’s what the campaign is focused on, delivering the message in ACKO’s unique style of humour. The character Murthy has become very popular with the audiences and we just had to keep his adventures going.”

He added, “IPL is a great media property to launch new campaigns as it attracts large audiences. This year, we are the leading sponsors of six IPL teams and we are hoping that this campaign will play a crucial role in helping the brand connect with the base of IPL fans.”

Commenting on the campaign launch, Pallavi Chakravarti, creative head at DDB Mudra West, commented, “Getting one’s car ACKO insured is a no-brainer – what with same day claim settlements, savings of up to fifty thousand and much more. But sometimes one misses the boat and goes on to regret it. With this new 360 campaign, the misadventures of the long-suffering Murthi continue, as Funcle keeps extolling the many virtues of Acko at the strangest of moments.”

The first ad film of the series went live on March 31 and amplified across television, digital, and social media.

India – DDB Mudra Group has announced the appointment of Anand Murty as the national strategy head for DDB Mudra and Mehak Jaini as the national strategy head for 22feet Tribal Worldwide. They will lead the group’s promise of a cohesive view across advertising, digital marketing and media. 

The company’s unique structure offers strategists an opportunity to define and track the complete consumer journey. Their teams will match the principles of brand planning – a deep grasp of culture and consumers – with the demands of digital transformation for some of India’s most respected and fastest-growing growing firms.

On her appointment, Murty said, that it is an absolute privilege to lead the strategy team at DDB Mudra and build the network’s strategic product with a partner like Mehak. 

“The agenda is to continue to build a team that helps drive growth for our clients and partners with creative to deliver on Unexpected Works – on repeat. I look forward to continuing the momentum on DDB’s effectiveness charter and the deep work on insights and culture that has enabled us to build some solid work across our vast and diverse client portfolio,” Murty adds.

Jaini shared that she is looking forward to redefining what strategy she can do for creative agencies.

Jaini emphasised, “The timing couldn’t be better. With traditional business experimenting with their digital presence, and digitally native brands challenging what qualifies as marketing – be it exclusive experiences, metaverse extensions, or NFTs; an integrated strategy agenda like ours ensures no client is left behind.”

“And with Anand’s team of brand & communication strategists, and 22feet’s specialist teams of digital evangelists, technologists, brand and business analysts, SEO & listening experts, data nerds and media mavericks, the full funnel wins are ripe for reaping,” She added.

Meanwhile, Aditya Kanthy, CEO & MD, DDB Mudra Group, commented, “We’re so excited about Anand and Mehak taking charge of the strategy department at the Group. They are the key to the kind of success we want to create for our people and clients.”

“From brilliant creative work and beautiful, seamless experiences through to measured and disproportionate brand and business growth – the strategists are at the heart of the action here.  While one part of the task is to bring changes to the ways of traditional marketers, equally, they will help bring the basics of brand building and consumer thinking to help set a foundation for long-term sustainable growth for digitally forward companies,” Kanthy underscored. 

Murty and Jaini are also part of DDB Worldwide’s Global Strategic Council that brings together the best and brightest of the network’s strategy leaders. 

Mumbai, India – Fido Dido, the familiar doodle brand mascot of beverage brand 7UP is back in a new spot for the Indian market, encouraging youngsters to be more witty when they find themselves in seemingly difficult situations.

The ad, conceptualised by creative agency DDB Mudra, notes how youngsters are inspired to be a ‘bit rebellious’, in this case walking over cars when the cars pulled over the pedestrian crossing. After such action, they aided an old woman at the other side of the road to cross over.

For the agency, the campaign’s theme stems from their consumer research with 7UP, where they found that the youth were suffering not just from googlies of a personal nature like relationships, careers, but also those kinds that arise out of systemic problems.

Naseeb Puri, senior marketing director for flavours at PepsiCo India, said, “The new campaign highlights the daily challenges we confront and encourages consumers to take a refreshed approach to prevail in this ever-changing reality is to retain a cool head and keep a quick wit.”

Meanwhile, Ashutosh Sawhney, managing partner for North at DDB Mudra, commented, “India’s biggest gift to the world is its brain capital. From the genius of Ramanujan to that abundantly evident in the everyday ‘jugads’ that Indians across the length and breadth of the country display. The fertility of Indian ingenuity and imagination is unparalleled. 7UP, as a brand that celebrates a refreshed body and a charged mind has taken that mantle.”

He added, “The canvas it lays out for the youth of India, through it’s ‘think fresh’ idea is a timely and well-deserved celebration of this spirit of the Indian youth that despite any odds, is always up and buoyant, thanks to its resourceful ingenuity, which it puts to use to solve pertinent youth issues.”

The ‘Think Fresh’ campaign has been amplified across channels such as TV, digital and OOH. 

India — Stabilo Boss and DDB continue their highly-awarded ‘Highlight the Remarkable’ campaign by featuring one of their own – DDB’s first copy chief Phyllis Robinson whose legacy and trailblazing spirit lives through employees everywhere today.

The campaign tells the story of Phyllis Robinson, a remarkable woman who pioneered a number of things, not only for women but for the creative advertising revolution that she helped ignite in the 1940s. Being one of the founding employees of Doyle Dane Bernbach back in 1949, the agency’s first copy chief and the first female copy chief in the United States, her ideas changed the creative industry forever.

Another such story of Robinson’s triumph is her strength during a time when men dominated the industry. While DDB founder Bill Bernbach is often credited for sparking the creative revolution, it was Robinson whose influence and contributions created DDB’s iconic works in Orbach’s, Volkswagen and Polaroid.

This year’s International Women’s Day, Stabilo Boss and DDB rightfully gives Phyllis Robinson her flowers and commemorate her spirit by continuing to ignite the empowerment of women in the workforce and their trailblazing contribution.

Roisin Rooney, chief people officer of DDB Global, said, “We’ve all heard the phrase, “Behind every great man is a great woman.” Throughout history, women have been upstaged, their actions and successes overshadowed by the men that surround them. We’re proud to partner with Stabilo Boss, using the campaign concept created by DDB Group Germany, to highlight further Phyllis’ impact on not only DDB but the advertising industry today.”

Vanaja Pillai, the project lead of the Phyllis India Project from DDB Mudra Group, says that what better way to celebrate Phyllis and her work than to create an environment that instils her spirit and her fearlessness on the ground? Pillai adds that it has been an exhilarating journey for us in India as we saw the creation and execution of the Phyllis India Project in the last two years.

“We have had a good representation of women in advertising for over a decade now, but that hasn’t translated to an equal representation in leadership. Inspired by icons like Phyllis Robinson, our efforts in the program were directed towards making sure that there are many more women who are enabled and empowered to rise to leadership, successfully. In fact, this International Women’s Day we are celebrating our first batch of graduates from this intense program, and we are so proud of them!” Pillai said.

The campaign is supported by a worldwide social campaign featuring the female leaders of the DDB network sharing what #BreakTheBias means to them.

Created by DDB Germany, the Stabilo Boss campaign has been widely celebrated with the initial campaign platform created in 2019 highlighting three remarkable women in NASA: mathematician Katherine Johnson, US First Lady Edith Wilson, and Austrian-Sweden physicist Meitner.

Mumbai, India – In a stereotypical set, men often make the first move in asking someone out for a date. But this latest ad from ice cream brand Cornetto makes viewers think otherwise: what if a woman asks a man out instead?

In this 20-second film conceptualised by DDB Mudra, explores the thought of asking someone out on a date, which normally makes everyone nervous, as well as the pressure of making it special contribute to the dilemma. The film itself puts an end to the ‘dilemma’ by encouraging consumers – girl or guy – to express their feelings with a gesture as simple as sharing a Cornetto.

Cornetto itself has long been a partner in the dating journeys of millennials and now the much younger generations. The brand has been known to lead the conversation around love and has taken a fresh, modern approach with its new campaign.

Speaking about the campaign execution, Maya Ganpathy, general manager at Kwality Wall said that as the brand has always been the wingman for youngsters to express love and make the first move, their latest campaign shows that Cornetto goes a step ahead to change the language of love by asking one out ‘with a Cornetto’ and ‘to be their Cornetto’.

“It also breaks stereotypes by entrusting the girl to make the first move, an idea that is sure to spark a conversation and perhaps a new trend. We couldn’t have asked for a better team than Alia, Rohit, and Gauri (Shinde), who have done a spectacular job of bringing this idea to life,” Ganpathy said.

Meanwhile, Pallavi Chakravarti, creative head – West at DDB Mudra, commented, “It’s not easy telling that special someone you like them. So, the next time words or even emoticons fail you, don’t worry. A Cornetto will suffice when you want to make your move. The campaign is light, sweet and ends on a high note – much like the Cornetto itself.”

The 360-degree campaign pans across television, social and digital platforms, which is headlined by the film.