Tag: India

Singapore – Marketing and advertising agency BBDO India, has been appointed by Milkbasket, India’s first subscription-based micro-delivery service, to handle its brand strategy and creative output mandates.

Milkbasket, a unit of Reliance Retail, launched in 2015, and is one of the fastest-growing start-ups in the daily essentials delivery sector. Milkbasket has seen a positive preference in the consumer market and online groceries. Currently, the company is present in several cities and regions in the country namely NCR, Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Chennai.

Yatish Talvadia, founder and CEO of Milkbasket, commented on the partnership, saying, “On this exciting growth journey of Milkbasket, we are super thrilled to onboard BBDO. The plan is to leverage their creative strength to make Milkbasket a household name in Pan India by the end of the year.”

In 2022, Milkbasket said it aims to take its services to the top 50 cities in India. At this crucial point of expansion, BBDO will facilitate this growth by creating a pan India voice and brand positioning for Milkbasket.

Nikhil Mahajan, chief growth officer and GM of BBDO, said that the daily essential delivery space has seen a lot of action lately, and believes that feel Milkbasket, with its robust business model, is poised to win mindshare and market share.

“They have a unique proposition that sets them apart from any other player, and I’m very excited to bring that alive as we create a brand to reckon with in the coming times. The leadership team’s vision of not only winning the future but shaping it too is what makes this partnership so special and exciting,” said Mahajan.

New Delhi, India – Delhi-based boutique social and creative agency, Mixed Route Juice, has launched its new vertical, MRJ Shorts, which will cater to its zippy viewers through its short format munchable content pieces. 

MRJ Shorts are ideal for viewers with a low retainer appetite or who are looking for unique videos that meet their needs and the users will be able to publish their material across a variety of platforms, including social networking sites, and they will be able to promote it through Google advertisements and use it for display campaigns.

The objective to enter the trending short video content segment was motivated by the fact that short-form videos provide more leeway to create hard-hitting, relatable videos that get right to the point without the time commitment of longer-form content. 

Mixed Route Juice said that it is incredibly easy for someone to watch a video more than once if it is only eight seconds long. With so much material to choose from, it’s critical that the videos are optimised to their full potential, striking the ideal mix to reach clients and capture attention. Video marketing can also help a company increase sales, conversions, and brand awareness.

Amrita Sharma, Mixed Route Juice’s co-founder and creative head, shared that their experience with the past few campaigns tells them that video formats give 76% more ROI in terms of leads, visibility, or whatever the metric is.

“Today, 80% of our clients that invested in video content said they would do it again. We decided to build a unique vertical specializing in short format video content creation because of this, as well as the increasing trend of consumers across categories to consume short video content. The team consists of ten experts, and we’re on track to expand in the following quarters,” said Sharma.

Up to date, Mixed Route Juice has partnered with a number of renowned clients and some of the well-known names in its portfolio include, Dhara cooking oils, Safal stores, Jovees Herbal, and Stellar Foods, as well as JW Marriott New Delhi, and DLF, amongst others, Thomson, and with the launch of MRJ shorts, the company is all equipped to work with clients of all sizes and are looking forward to supporting small businesses and startups.

Mumbai, India – Digital advertising agency Chimp&z Inc. has recently been appointed as the creative and ideation agency of Autocar India, a car-centric magazine that is part of Haymarket SAC Publishing (India) Pvt. Ltd., a joint venture between Haymarket and Sorabjee Automotive Communications.

Through the mandate, the agency will be conceptualising and designing the brands’ digital creative strategies and communication. The scope also entails positioning, creating guidelines and assets, conceiving digital marketing and advertising campaigns for the brand. The account will be serviced from the agency’s Mumbai office.

On the association, Hormazd Sorabjee, editor of Autocar India and director at Haymarket SAC, said, “The team at Chimp&z are a passionate bunch, high on energy and bubbling with creativity. It’s a pleasure working with a company that shares our values for producing the best possible content, and has a ‘can do’ spirit.”

Meanwhile, Angad Manchanda, CEO and co-founder at Chimp&z Inc, commented, “We are thrilled to create unconventional digital content for a publication like Autocar India, acclaimed for its exceptional editorial content and production standards. Lavinn (co-founder) and I are both motorheads and have been ardent fans of the work Hormazd Sorabjee and his team pull off at Autocar India.”

He added, “We have aligned a dedicated team of motor enthusiasts who will be leading the brand here at Chimp&z Inc and we look forward to creating powerful pieces of work for the brands.”

All the three magazines from Haymarket SAC have over the years earned a reputation for a high level of editorial content, production standards, and meticulous testing. The brand’s partnership with the agency is based on a shared vision of crafting creative ideas that will articulate the vision, innovation, and offerings to retain its global reach.

New Delhi, India – India’s communications agency Adgcraft has won the communications mandate for Primathon, which will be managed and supervised by its Noida office.

Primathon is a Gurgaon-based company that creates scalable software solutions. It also produces customised software solutions for its customers and can also give full-time contracts to its qualified developers.

As part of the mandate, Adgcraft will be in charge of planning, implementing, and managing Primathon’s strategic and creative solutions. It will also be expanding Primathon’s market reach, facilitating market engagement via print and digital media, managing external communication, and establishing media relations. Moreover, Adgcraft will be helping Primathon to reach out to more people and invite them to adopt their software solutions.

Sagar Patidar, Primathon’s founder and director, shared that they require a fresh approach to enhance their brand’s reach amongst their customers today, and they believe that partnering with Adgcraft will help them achieve that. 

“We are happy to have a leading PR and creative agency such as Adgcraft on board with us to help us drive the right communication strategies, backed by their expertise, insightful industry knowledge, and strong media connections,” said Patidar.

Meanwhile, Abhinay Kumar Singh, Adgcraft’s founder and managing director, said, “Software and technology have become a core part of our lives, and we believe in Primathon’s missions and goals, and we are here to craft their communications through that journey. We are looking forward to this association.”

Bengaluru, India – Meesho, a local internet e-commerce platform, has launched its newest campaign, centred around the message of Loon Ya Na Loon, or the consumer dilemma of choosing one item over the other, and Sahi Sahi Lagaya Hai or the appeal of having the right price on the platform.

In separate 30-second TVCs, we see three different consumer segments – women, men and young adults, where the campaign highlights Meesho’s unmatched value proposition of offering quality products at the lowest prices. In addition, the campaign also tackles the fact that users fulfil multiple desires and for many value-seeking consumers, shopping has become an exercise of choosing one desire over another.

Conceptualised by agency DDB Mudra, the campaign is also focused on showcasing the protagonist’s journey from contemplation to a no-compromise shopping experience on Meesho.

Megha Agarwal, head of growth at Meesho, said, “When consumers want to purchase something they desire, the guilt or need to cut down on other expenses often crop up, making them prioritise one desire over another. The core objective of the campaign is centred around resolving the ‘Loon Ya Na Loon’ predicament. At Meesho, we are helping millions fulfil their desires by providing them a wide selection of quality products at the lowest prices.”

Meanwhile, Pallavi Chakravarti, creative head for West at DDB Mudra, commented that through Meesho’s appeal of putting up the appeal of a right price, the campaign result is a breezy yet insightful campaign which they believe will resonate with their target audiences around the country.

“To buy or not to buy – that is the question. Which bargain-hunting, value-conscious Indian shopper has not hit the pause button and wondered about all the demands on her/his budget, before picking up something? It is this behavioural truth that we played on to land a simple message – Meesho offers prices so low, you’ll never have to choose between one thing or the other again,” Chakravarti said.

The campaign will air on major TV networks such as in addition to YouTube, and OTT platforms. Each film is shot in three zonal master languages – Hindi, Tamil, and Bengali and further amplified in other regional languages.

Mumbai, India — Mahindra Racing, a motor racing team based in Banbury, United Kingdom, launched an integrated marketing campaign ahead of its participation in season 8 of ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, the world’s first all-electric street racing series.

Mahindra Racing has been a founding member team of the Formula E World Championship and has been competing since 2014. Season 8 of Formula E will start on January 28th, 2022, with the Diriyah E-Prix and Mahindra Racing is geared up to make India proud.

Anand Mahindra, group chairman of Mahindra and Mahindra, kickstarted the campaign with a tweet, saying, “Racing is an intrinsic part of our lives. Whether it’s about racing to achieve our life goals or racing to catch the next local, #IndiaLovesAGoodRace. Share the kind of race you favour most or your best racing memory. I’ll be retweeting the ones I like @MahindraRacing.”

Entitled the ‘#IndiaLovesAGoodRace’ campaign, the promotion was done in collaboration with BBH India and captures the love and spirit of the racing culture in India. The film showcases the passion for racing in the country by featuring racing at a young age in the form of small toy cars to racing tyres with a stick, from paper boats in the monsoons to the Vallam Kali boat races in Kerala. Through this presentation of the love for fast-paced competition, the campaign highlights how Team Mahindra has the prestigious responsibility of representing India at the Formula E World Championship.

Commenting on the campaign, Asha Kharga, chief customer and brand officer of Mahindra, said “Mahindra Racing is the first Indian team that competes on the global motor racing stage. It’s not only about delivering a thrilling experience to racing enthusiasts but is also Mahindra Group’s commitment towards clean technology and sustainability. The film pays homage to India’s love of racing in all forms and is a flashback to the old and flash-forward to the new.”

Russell Barrett, CCO and CEO of BBH India, added, “Our country is participating at the highest level in a sport that is at the cutting edge of new. The idea was to reach a much larger group of Indian sports enthusiasts. The film shows how we have racing etched into our DNA and now Mahindra Racing is providing the adrenaline and the opportunity for us as a nation to win at a new-age global stage. All that’s needed is the fuel of support that new fans will provide.”

India — The National Payment Corporation of India in collaboration with the Royal Monetary Authority of Bhutan has launched the third phase of the cross-border interoperable QR code payment linkage project between Bhutan and India.

The project is in continuation to the launch of RuPay, an Indian multinational financial services and payment system, in 2019 whose proponents include the Honorable Prime Minister of India, His Excellency Shri Narendra Modi, and the Honorable Prime Minister of Bhutan, His Excellency Dr Lotay Tshering.

Initiated on 20 March 2021, the project was formally launched by Her Excellency Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman, the Honorable Finance Minister of India, and His Excellency Namgay Tshering, the Honorable Finance Minister of Bhutan on 13th July 2021. This linkage marks another milestone between the two countries relationship as they venture into digital payment space, deepen their financial ties, and create convenience through the provisioning of payment infrastructure between the citizens of India and Bhutan. 

With the linkage, Indian citizens will henceforth be able to make instant and secure QR code payments using their smart mobile phones at any retail and major service provider outlets in Bhutan, thereby making payments much more accessible. A total of 182 banks in India provide QR code payment services through their respective mobile applications, accounting for up to 170.76 million users on Android and 3.61 million users on iOS.

The general acceptability of Bhutan QR code payments, as a safe alternative to cash or other means of payments, have surged during the Covid-19 pandemic, with QR code payments increasing 300 percent since July 2020 and QR code adoption has risen over 90 percent. A total of 23,792 merchants in Bhutan accept QR code payments and 356,157 users have registered for QR code payments, indicative of peoples’ growing preference for cashless transactions. The benefits of the QR code payment thus far have been numerous, including that of consumer convenience and reductions of costs for both customers and banks.

Through the collaborative effort by the two countries of harnessing financial technologies, the project is expected to ease the quality of regional and international payments of citizens through a safe and secure cross-border QR payment system.

Bangalore, India – HiveMinds Innovative Market Solutions, the full-service digital marketing and consultancy firm by Madison World, has recently bagged the digital mandate of insurance firm Max Life Insurance to manage its paid marketing portfolio. 

Max Life Insurance Company is a joint venture between Indian multi-business corporation Max Group’s Max Financial Services and Axis Bank. As part of the mandate, HiveMinds will be responsible for carrying out digital marketing activities across all publishers and platforms for Max Life Insurance including Google, Facebook, and Taboola, as well as Outbrain, amongst others. This will in turn enable new customer acquisition for the insurance firm. The account will be serviced by HiveMinds’ newly opened north branch.

Aditya Satpute, Max Life Insurance’s corporate vice president of e-commerce and digital marketing, shared that today’s consumers are evolved and very digital-savvy, so the success of insurance companies is increasingly dependent upon their ability to innovate and engage with customers on digital platforms. 

“We are pleased to partner with HiveMinds in the next phase of our digital growth, where they will manage the entire paid marketing portfolio for the e-commerce business,” said Satpute.

Meanwhile, Jyothirmayee JT, HiveMinds’ founder and CEO, commented, “We are proud of winning this highly contested mandate. There is a massive transformation happening in the Insurance sector powered by digital expansion. Bringing the right digital integrations and innovation will be key to our success.”

Deepti Bhadauria, HiveMinds’ chief strategy officer, said, “Max Life Insurance is one of those companies that have the vision, the clarity of thought, and the right team to ride the digital wave in the country. We are confident that together we’ll create new benchmarks in digital marketing.”

Most recently, HiveMinds has appointed Saurabh Tyagi, former vice president of Madison World’s media agency Madison Media, to be its new chief client officer, where he will be leading the agency’s enterprise clients.

Mumbai, India – LEAD, an Indian edtech that has recently reached unicorn status, has launched its newest campaign focused on the visible learning outcomes of children studying in LEAD Powered Schools. In addition, the campaign is also running on activity-based, practical learning methods that depart from old, lecture-based passive modes of teaching and learning that the parents’ generation was accustomed to.

As part of the campaign, two ads are released, which are conceptualised by creative agency TBWA and directed by filmmaker Nitesh Tiwari. These ads will be aired across multiple GEC and regional channels, and will be a part of LEAD’s 360-degree campaign via outdoor, digital and BTL activation.

The first film, ‘Syllabification’ is an endearing story of two fathers bonding over the right way to pronounce big English words by breaking them up into syllables – a trick taught to them by their kids who go to LEAD Powered Schools. Said ad touches on the subject of visible advantages of one of LEAD’s flagship programme, ELGA (English Language and General Awareness), which teaches English as a life-skill rather than a subject.

Meanwhile, the second film, ‘Aloo Se Electricity’ shows a dad who says he would have been a scientist and inventor like his kid, if only he had the opportunity to study in a LEAD Powered School when he was growing up. The ad is built around the innovative ways in which science is taught in a LEAD Powered School via ‘learn by doing’ approach.

For LEAD Chief Marketing Officer Anupam Gurani, through this campaign, they want to help parents find the right LEAD Powered School in their vicinity, thereby bridging student learning gaps and enabling parents to provide world-class education to their child, right in their hometown.

“The pandemic continues to impact all of us, especially those belonging to the lower economic strata. There are plenty of students who have not gone to school in the past 20 months and this has resulted in severe learning gaps. This is where LEAD comes in. We are building India’s largest network of schools that provide International standard of education at an affordable price,” Gurani said.

Speaking about the filmwork process for the ad, filmmaker Nitesh Tiwari said, “It was fantastic to work with LEAD again on their new campaign. The latest films are as relatable as the previous ones for parents who are always trying to get the best education for their children. These films beautifully capture the emotion of how parents want to give more to their child and equally be a part of their learning process. The scripts felt quite personal and I ended up drawing a lot from my life experiences.”

Meanwhile, Govind Pandey, CEO of TBWA\India, commented, “LEAD is leading a movement in India to provide access to a world class education to as many kids as possible regardless of which town or city they are studying. We see many progressive and proud parents joining in and giving their kids the foundation that opens all kinds of possibilities for them in the future. This campaign reflects this and invites more and more parents to join this movement.” 

Parixit Bhattacharya, managing partner at TBWA\India, also added, “There is nothing more reassuring for a parent than seeing their child display clear, visible signs of learning. Fortunately, for parents who have enrolled their children at a LEAD powered school, this is an everyday reality. We wanted to dramatize this through the new campaign while keeping true to the insight that seeing their kids learn so well can cause a tinge of jealousy while they are flushed with pride.”

New Delhi, India – Advertising agency RepIndia has recently bagged the digital and creative mandate for Sleepwell, a flagship brand under bed foam company Sheela Foam. Through the agency mandate, RepIndia will be driving Sleepwell’s consumer marketing initiatives across online and offline channels. In addition, RepIndia will partner with the brand’s growth through innovative and disruptive marketing and communication strategies.

The brand has a pan-India presence with over 110 distributors, over 5000 exclusive dealers, having a web and omnichannel presence supported by over 10 manufacturing units in India, and has become a ubiquitous name for sleep products in every Indian household. 

According to Vishal Sharma, head of marketing at Sleepwell, they have found RepIndia to be exactly the right fit and a partner with the right mindset that will help them translate their strategy and vision into this new reality for their consumers. He added that they are in particular love with the team’s young energy and fresh original approach to their business, going on to say that this partnership shall propel both companies to create a winning formula for the consumers.

“With the fast-changing nature of consumer outreach, emerging new business opportunities and in line with our new strategy of being digital-first, we are very excited to partner with RepIndia and take forward our brand building and communication strategy to all our consumer touchpoints. The Sheela Foam Group on its journey to becoming a multinational [company, and] Sleepwell with its Pan India presence has embarked on a journey to redefine the consumer journey of discovery, trial, buying and post-purchase services in an experiential manner led by digital transformation,” Sharma said.

Meanwhile, Nikhil Kashyap, AVP for strategy and business at RepIndia, commented, “Sleepwell is undoubtedly one of the biggest brand success stories of our time. It is, therefore, an honour to now be associated with them and help unfold & partner the next level of consumer experience journey that they have embarked upon. The team is super excited for this big win, and we are looking forward to connecting with the audience on a deeper level through a blend of clutter-breaking strategy and creativity.”