Tag: Dentsu

India – The hyperlocal space has seen a rise in the number of niche brands across categories like home décor, home services, groceries, essentials, and pharmaceutical sectors. Since India has witnessed growth, traditional brands have shifted their focus towards hyperlocal and direct-to-consumer business models. This transition has been accelerated further due to increased internet usage and evolved consumer behaviour.

The hyperlocal approach enables the brands to reach out to their target customers directly, removing the middlemen and retail stores as part of the traditional business model. This provides customers with a better shopping experience as it offers convenience and quick delivery, especially in the areas of logistics, food, pharmaceutical, and groceries. Some examples of hyperlocal commerce include Dunzo, 1mg, UrbanCompany, BigBasket, to name a few.

New report by WATConsult unveils insights on the demand for hyperlocal delivery, the effects of the pandemic on the hyperlocal usage and captures the benefits, and challenges of the model.

According to the report, this format of e-commerce has seen a huge surge of customers in both metros and beyond. Currently, there are around 141 million hyperlocal commerce shoppers in India, which is 48% of all e-commerce users. This number of hyperlocal commerce shoppers will increase by 52% to reach 214 million by the end of 2022.

The report further reveals that while Zomato tops the list of the most used hyperlocal apps, SwiggyGo, Amazon Fresh and BigBasket are some of the popular choices among consumers. This is followed by 1mg, Grofers and UberConnect.

Moreover, while most females have used services from Zomato, BigBasket and Grofers, some males have used services like Zomato, SwiggyGo, BigBasket and 1mg. On the other hand, the majority of young customers belonging to the age groups of under 18 years, 18 years to 24 years and 25 years to 34 years, have been seen using Zomato, SwiggyGo, and Amazon Fresh.

India — Dentsu India announces the appointment of Saagar Sethi as the president of Amplifi, its supply side management platform. He stepped into the role in April 2022, as part of the increased media leadership roster across dentsu India. He will report to Divya Karani, media CEO of dentsu South Asia, and work with the global Amplifi leadership to focus on creating truly sustainable values for dentsu and its partners in India and across the globe.

Sethi holds 15 years of experience in transition management. His appointment echoes dentsu’s commitment to continually elevate its growth trajectory across markets. The network’s rapid transformation ensures it offers long-term sustainable growth to clients via distinctive, integrated capabilities in an environment which is forever changing.

In his new role, Sethi will lead the network’s investment management, media trading in terms media owner services and principal buying, and content in terms of original partnerships and entertainment businesses in India. He will also have responsibility for helping drive the continued growth of The Story Lab and Posterscope, two specialist agency units within dentsu which focus on entertainment production and Out of Home (OOH) capabilities, respectively.

Previously, he was the head of indirect procurement in LG Electronics India. He has also participated in organizational design, transitioning and change management journeys for leading brands like LG Electronics and Ernst & Young.

Commenting on the appointment, Karani said, “We are excited to have Sethi join our management team as we consolidate and prepare for the next stage of growth. In today’s increasingly complex media market, the experience he brings to the table will help us increase our client delivery skills in India.”

Meanwhile, Sethi shared, “I have always been passionate about media. The timing of this opportunity could not have been better. This role complements my transformation experience and passion. I am committed to creating synergies and incremental value for all our clients, stakeholders, and partners, underpinned by the need of driving compliance and transparency. Truly, it is an exciting time to be at dentsu India.”

India – Further strengthening its leadership team, Carat India, the media agency from the house of dentsu India, has appointed Vasim Rakhangi as associate vice president for strategy for North And East. With this appointment, Carat said it aims to continue to accelerate its transformation of the agency across India as it looks to bring new focus on its designing for people proposition.

In his new role, Rakhangi’s core focus will be to spearhead and deliver integrated media strategy to the agency’s existing clients across the regions. He will be reporting to Anita Kotwani, CEO of Carat India.

Rakhangi has over 11 years of experience in media and research. He has led multiple brands on integrated media strategies that focus on both traditional as well as digital media. Prior to this, Rakhangi has worked for conglomerates in the FMCG sector like Mondelez, GCPL, and Marico as well as broadcasting brands including Star Plus and Star Sports. 

Commenting on the appointment, Kotwani said that with his extensive experience and passion, Rakhangi will be helping clients stay ahead of the curve, especially as he helps them demystify the complex digital media landscape. 

“One of his focus areas will be to translate the disruption of video and the future of measurement to the consumers’ dynamically changing needs and, how the role of data, privacy, and technology impact their business. Vasim’s remit in our North market will encompass Phillips Domestic Appliances, Microsoft, Mastercard, Havells, and the DS Group amongst others, as he also works with our local teams to drive growth for both North and East markets,” Kotwani said. 

Rakhangi himself commented, “With the kind of transformation taking place within the media landscape in India, Carat’s framework seamlessly blends in with the rapidly changing environment. It has always focused on building deeper relationships between people and brands in order to design campaigns which truly resonate with people and drive impactful results for clients. It is indeed a privilege to work with Anita and lead regions with so many great opportunities to bring this to life in partnership with such powerful brands. I am really excited and look forward to contributing towards the growth of the clients.”

Rakhangi’s appointment is the fourth key strategic leadership hire for the agency in recent months, including Megha Jain as vice president of planning for South and Sayami Podder being appointed as associate VP for strategy at the agency. 

New Zealand – As Kiwis celebrate the return of international travel with borders reopened, Air New Zealand‘s loyalty programme Airpoints has launched a new creative campaign that is designed to show New Zealanders how they can transform their everyday spending to unlock the power and joy of travel. 

The campaign, which was developed in partnership with creative agency Bastion Shine and dentsu, includes a 60” AV and a social campaign directed by Adam Stevens and produced by Good Oil. 

Titled ‘Don’t Live Pointlessly’, the campaign shows why travel should be prescribed as a therapy to relieve stress, grow relationships, and aid mental health, and how Airpoints want all New Zealanders to experience those benefits.

Andy McLeish, Bastion Shine’s chief strategy officer, shared, “The Airpoints programme has been around a long time and there is a huge opportunity to connect with a large part of the member base. We wanted to re-ignite emotional connection with the Airpoints programme through its largest benefit – that it enables anyone, no matter who they are, to get closer to their travel dream every single day.”

Meanwhile, Rich Maddocks, Bastion Shine’s chief creative officer, said, “Reminding Kiwis how they can live a life less ordinary through the power of travel was a fertile creative territory, rich with insight. The challenge for us was to bring that narrative to life in a way that was as interesting as it was true. Hopefully, we’ve done that.”

The campaign is already available across broadcast, digital, social, and OOH. Further activity is also set to launch over the coming months aimed at enhancing engagement with the programme and showcasing the multiple ways to earn and spend Airpoints.

Singapore — Merkle, dentsu’s technology-enabled, data-driven customer experience management company, has named John Riccio as the new president of Merkle Asia Pacific (APAC). He replaces Zhengda “Z” Shen, who has announced his retirement, effective July 1, 2022.

In addition to the appointment, Riccio will continue in his existing role as CEO of Merkle’s ANZ region while now being tasked to lead the growth of Merkle in APAC. Riccio has an extensive understanding of leadership and holds more than 25 years of experience heading major digital businesses and strategic programs. He is recognized as a specialist in helping clients transform the way they respond to market change and engage consumers.

Prior to joining Merkle, Riccio was in the customer experience consulting industry, holding the position of consulting partner of EY for APAC. He also held partner positions including PwC in Australia and Asia, and at IBM in the United Kingdom.

Riccio said, “Since joining Merkle, I have been impressed by the technical expertise and forward-thinking, agile approach the company takes in the experiences delivered to its clients and employees. I am excited to expand my ANZ role across the broader APAC region, supporting our clients who have entrusted us to create distinctly better experiences and relationships with their customers across all key technology platforms.”

On Riccio’s appointment, Michael Komasinski, global CEO of Merkle, said he is delighted to confirm Riccio as president of Merkle APAC, as further proof of dentsu’s commitment to accelerating the growth and performance of their customer experience consulting, data, digital transformation, and B2B services across the region. Komasinski said Riccio’s extensive regional and global leadership experience will further enable and drive growth and success in this critical region for the business.

Singapore – dentsu Asia Pacific has appointed Farrokh Madon, former chief creative officer at creative and CRM agency Wunderman Thompson, to be its new chief creative officer for APAC at B2B-dedicated CXM agency Merkle B2B.

Aside from his previous role at Wunderman Thompson, Madon has a career spanning Singapore, Amsterdam and India, where he has previously led various creative departments in Singapore at BBDO, McCann Erickson, and Y&R, which has been renamed VMLY&R following a merger with VML. He has also worked with major brands including BMW, Lazada, Johnson & Johnson, MasterCard, Gillette, and Caltex, as well as Suntory, and Diageo. 

In his new role, Madon, who will be based in Singapore, will be overseeing Merkle B2B’s creative directions and strategies to impart creative technology solutions and innovative customer experience. He will also be reporting directly to Kiaran Geen, the president of Asia Pacific at Merkle B2B, and Rhys Taylor, the managing director of strategy and creative for APAC at Merkle B2B.

Commenting on his appointment, Madon said, “When storytelling and technology hold hands, magic happens. I am looking forward to creating engaging brand stories and experiences with the talented team at Merkle B2B.”

Meanwhile, Geen shared that Madon will be bringing his wealth of experience and expertise in creativity and design to Merkle B2B with out-of-the-box ideas and digital solutions to their ever-evolving customer journey.

“We look forward to having him on board to share his insights in creating a unique brand experience and bringing it to the next level at Merkle B2B,” said Geen.

India – Dentsu has appointed Sunil Lulla, former CEO at television measurement science industry body BARC India, to be its new consultant advisor for India. 

In his new role, Lulla will be working closely with, and reporting to, Peter Huijboom, dentsu India’s interim CEO, to focus on driving business growth and activation in the market while the agency continues its search for the right candidate to lead the dentsu India business. 

Moreover, Lulla will be partnering with key members of the India Leadership team to capitalise on the opportunities delivered through dentsu India’s rapid transformation to realise dentsu’s global vision of being the world’s most integrated network by 2024. He will also work on ensuring the competitiveness of dentsu India’s distinctive, integrated capabilities in a fast-paced, evolving marketplace.

Commenting on his appointment, Lulla said that he could not refuse an opportunity to work with a business that is relentlessly focused on shaping its own business to help clients navigate the changing market context and pioneer a new way forward. 

“I am excited to partner with Peter and build on the progress made with the leadership team, being a part of the team that works together to transform into the agency of tomorrow,” he added.

Meanwhile, Huijboom shared that Lulla is joining them at a critical time as they realise the benefits of their transformation through their integrated offering. 

“We see significant opportunity in the India market and I am pleased with the momentum we are seeing. Sunil will continue to accelerate our growth trajectory while working with our teams to define, activate, and ignite dentsu’s winning culture in the market. It’s an exciting time to be at dentsu India,” said Huijboom.

The appointment will be effective on 4 April and Lulla will be working with the business until dentsu India hires a permanent CEO.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Dentsu Malaysia’s digital-first end-to-end media agency iProspect has won the regional media mandate of hotel and flight booking platform Traveloka.

The remit, which will take effect in April 2022, will see iProspect as a key partner in Traveloka’s plan in becoming a lifestyle superapp. iProspect will also be responsible for all above the line media planning and buying across the platform’s key markets, which are Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines. 

Moreover, iProspect will be setting up a regional media strategy hub based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, ensuring that the brand delivers a unified strategy with local nuances across the said SEA markets. 

Dheeraj Raina, the CEO of dentsu Media for Malaysia, shared that the travel industry has gone through very challenging times, to say the least, and so have the consumers. 

“As the world begins to open up, we want yearning travellers to pick Traveloka as their first choice, for fulfilling experiences and we believe the media has a strong role to play in building that trust and optimism,” said Raina.

Meanwhile, Shirley Lesmana, Traveloka’s CMO, noted that they have marked their presence in six countries across SEA, helping millions of people enrich their lives on a daily basis, as they are on an accelerated mission to fulfil the end-to-end lifestyle needs of consumers in the region. 

“In addition, we found synergy in the strategy crafted by iProspect in these markets, to deliver our brand promise,” said Lesmana.

Singapore – Creative and communications network dentsu in Asia Pacific has appointed Christina Lee, former vice president at Kering Technologies APAC, to be its new chief technology officer (CTO). Lee commences the role in April this year.

In her new role, Lee will be responsible for providing technology strategy, industry-leading capabilities, and solutions to enable business growth and drive day to day operations through transformational business and technology initiatives. She will be based in Hong Kong, and will be part of both global and APAC senior management teams.

Lee brings with her over two decades of senior leadership experience in information and digital technology. She also has a strong track record of consulting and industry experience in strategy, business transformation, business partnership, vendor management and solution delivery, as well as aligning and advancing IT as a tool and driver for the business of Fortune 500 multi-national brand companies.

Aside from her recent stint at Kering Group, Lee has also held a senior leadership role at L’Oréal, where she led IT for the most strategic and complex region and successfully established the tech organization strategy for APAC. Moreover, Lee sat on the judging panel for the Case competition, Enactus Singapore, a community of student, academic, and business leaders committed to using the power of entrepreneurial action, and served as a mentor during her leadership at Kering.

Lee said that she has ambition for technology to be a champion of change for brands and businesses to optimise their business practice, and also be a strategic partner to help businesses to get maximum benefits from the data and technologies.

“Dentsu values technology and innovation at the heart of its culture and I could not be more excited to be working together with this incredible, high performing team of technology professionals,” she added.

Meanwhile, Dominic Shine, dentsu’s global chief technology officer, shared that Lee is a committed leader who is passionate about organisational design, understands the problems that will be faced during hyper-growth, and is energized by solving these problems. 

“She brings with her strong experience and a successful track record in driving significant transformational change through technology across organisations, as well as in the delivery of data and digital products. I look forward to having her on the team,” said Shine.

Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam – Consumer research and analytics company Milieu Insight has announced a strategic partnership with dentsu International to improve the agency’s Consumer Connection System (CCS), the agency’s end-to-end communications planning platform, in their Vietnamese market.

Using Milieu Portraits that will fuel higher quality and up-to-date data, the partnership will enable dentsu to use advanced research and analytics tools to help its clients undertake fast turnaround studies and craft effective business and communication strategies. In addition, Milieu’s consumer profiling tool, when integrated into the CCS, will complement and help unlock more use cases ranging from campaign measurements to optimising the activation of digital ads. 

Another service that will be utilised will be Milieu Activate, an automated brand tracking solution and programmatic activation, which leverages millions of data points to serve ads to the right mobile audiences, enabling Dentsu to help their clients drive stronger metrics in terms of click-through rates and conversions. It uses programmatic lookalike modelling to identify target audience with access to mobile device IDs.

Gerald Ang, CEO at Milieu Insight said that their strategic partnership with Dentsu is an important step towards providing the industry with a highly differentiated and data-driven audience targeting solution that will lead to better and more effective campaigns.

“The real-time dynamic nature of Milieu Insight’s consumer engagement platform and the wide range of data that it holds will empower dentsu to help brands gain a competitive edge and build stronger relationships with their customers,” Ang said.

Meanwhile, JP Salustiano, chief strategy officer at dentsu Services Vietnam, commented, “We’re able to offer our clients a higher level of insight and accuracy because of the quality and depth of data Milieu Insight’s Canvas provide, at the speed with which it can be augmented. We are already able to build planning segments for our clients that were not possible before, which gives us greater ability to drive return on marketing investment.”

Lastly, Navin Dhanpal, CEO at Carat, commented, “Through our partnership with Milieu Insight, CCS in its new digital avatar is going to fundamentally shift the media research industry and give our brands the latest insight into not just ‘what’ media their target consumer is consuming and ‘when’ – but more importantly, ‘how’ they are consuming that media and ‘why’.”