Tag: India

Mumbai, India – Integrated creative agency Infectious Advertising has won the creative mandate for furniture manufacturing company Ebco.

Ebco is one of the leading manufacturers in the furniture hardware and fittings industry in India. The brand’s product range includes office furniture fittings, home furniture fittings, and retail display systems, as well as a range of window and door hardware, and LED furniture lights, among others.

The appointment will see Infectious Advertising handling Ebco’s above-the-line (ATL) and below-the-line (BTL) advertising, as well as leading the company’s digital creative services.

“We are happy to appoint Infectious Advertising as our creative agency for digital and non-digital brand communications of Ebco and its group brands. We are confident that their expertise in working with established brands across different industries will align with our growth plan for the brand,” said Rajesh Nair, the director of sales and marketing at Ebco.

Meanwhile, Nisha Singhania and Ramanuj Shastry, the founding partners of Infectious Advertising, commented, “Ebco has a fantastic range of innovative products. It’s an honor for us to be selected as their communications partner. We look forward to creating some fantastic work for them.”

Earlier this month, Infectious Advertising has also announced the appointment of Nitin Sharma as its new vice president of business. Sharma’s appointment aims to strengthen the existing businesses of the creative agency and develop organic growth.

Mumbai, India – Independent media agency Madison Media in India has promoted Vishal Chinchankar, former chief digital officer, as its new chief executive officer for its digital agency Madison Digital and Madison Media Ultra. 

Chinchankar brings with him over 22 years of experience in domestic and international markets, specializing in marketing services and business development which involves both start-up and growth organizations. He has been instrumental in shaping Madison Media’s digital agency Madison Digital since his appointment in 2017. Under his leadership, the digital agency has grown 10 times in terms of billing in the last 3 years, to become a 150-employee strong outfit with capabilities in branding, performance, and creative solutions.

In his new role, Chinchankar will be responsible for driving a few integrated mandates under Madison Media Ultra, the unit that handles consumer goods company Marico, and home appliance brand Atomberg, among others. He will also continue to be a part of the agency’s Exco and strengthen the agency’s value proposition under his leadership.t IDMA Digital Awards 2019, in addition to winning over 100 awards since January 2019. 

Commenting on his promotion, Chinchankar said, “I am absolutely excited about this opportunity. Clearly, the work done at Madison Digital has been exceptional and completely on the back of an extremely talented team. We’re determined to work towards making Madison Digital bigger and better than it already is while keeping clients and the Madison values at the core of our work.”

Meanwhile, Vikram Sakhuja, the partner and group CEO of Madison Media and OOH, commented that Chinchankar has been an exceptional leader with a clear vision and relentless passion, and he has put Madison Digital right on top over the past three years. 

“In addition to strong domain expertise, he has also been highly successful in building the business. As a natural evolution it is only fitting that in addition to leading the Agency’s overall Digital agenda, he also runs the whole Media business of Madison Ultra. I wish Vishal all the best, in building a world-class practice for Madison,” added Sakhuja.

Mumbai, India – McDonald’s India has announced that Indian actress Rashmika Mandanna is the fast food chain’s new brand ambassador for its key advertising campaigns, especially in West and South India.

Mandanna has been featured in various Telugu and Kannada films such as ‘Kirik Party’, ‘Sarileru Neekevvaru’, ‘Geetha Govindam’, and ‘Dear Comrade’. She also currently has a total of 15 million followers on Instagram, making her a household name and a popular face among millennials, especially in the Southern states of the country.

“McDonald’s has been one of my favorite brands since I was a kid. I’d literally lived on McDonald’s when I was in college. When they reached out to me for this association, I was absolutely thrilled! I am delighted to represent a brand that is passionate about serving yummy food with great quality to its consumers,” Mandanna stated regarding her appointment as brand ambassador.

She added, “McDonald’s has been serving Indian consumers for 25 years and counting now and is definitely a preferred choice across all age groups. I am really excited about my partnership with such an amazing and trusted brand.”

Meanwhile, Arvind RP, director for marketing and communications at McDonald’s India (West and South) said, “We are delighted to have Rashmika onboard. She is someone who connects strongly with millennials and is a popular youth icon.”

Mandanna, popularly known as the ‘National Crush’ has expressed her love for food through her social media handles, on several occasions. Rashmika will be a part of key brand campaigns and will play a pivotal role in enhancing ‘brand love’ for McDonald’s across key markets.

India – Healthcare-focused advertising agency Medulla Communications has appointed Rajesh Mehta to be its new chief strategy officer.

Mehta brings in over 25 years of experience across India and the SEA region. He previously worked as the head of strategic planning for media agency Triton Communication, the national planning director for advertising firm Contract Advertising, and vice president and strategic planning director for marketing communications brand J. Walter Thompson. 

Mehta has also worked with brands such as food manufacturer Kellogg’s, dairying company Fonterra, and medical device company Johnson & Johnson, as well as private banking company HDFC Bank, among others. He has created award-winning ideas which were recognized by juries across the world.

Commenting on his appointment, Mehta said, “While I have worked on many consumer health brands, I believe that this is an area with a lot of potential and a huge impact on consumers’ lives. Being part of a specialist healthcare agency can help me meaningfully contribute, with better solutions”.

Meanwhile, Praful Akali, the founder and managing director of Medulla Communications, shared, “I welcome Rajesh Mehta to Medulla Communications and am confident that his leadership experience along with his industry experience and approach will assist in solidifying Medulla’s core values i.e. to make healthcare communications more consumer-friendly.”

India – While the awareness on breast cancer is one that is said to be in its full form, Marks & Spencer in India thinks that you can never gain too much knowledge on the disease, launching a new campaign that aims to add to people’s vigilance on breast cancer. 

Being a lingerie brand, Marks & Spencer in the country aims to leverage its top-of-mind position among women consumers, releasing a special set of imprinted bra straps, that helps women be reminded to be on top of their breast health.

Done in collaboration with its charity partner Women’s Cancer Initiative and digital agency Isobar India, the transparent bra straps, called ‘Straps That Remind’, are imprinted with an important reminder – ‘With regular check-ups, the chances of late-detection of cancer can diminish, just like this message’.

‘Straps That Remind’ aims to be a helpful nudge for every woman to examine herself for early signs of breast cancer. Printed with thermochromic ink, the message will start to diminish due to body heat when the straps are worn and reappear when the straps are taken off.

Furthermore, the straps also come with a detailed leaflet from the Women’s Cancer Initiative to encourage women to look out for the symptoms of breast cancer, and to provide advice around where to get support when they notice anything unusual.

Marks & Spencer has been working with the Women’s Cancer Initiative at Tata Memorial Hospital since 2016 to raise awareness and educate women about the cause, signs, and symptoms of breast cancer. ‘Straps That Remind’ is another prominent action towards the same cause, as both believe that regular awareness is created via disseminating key messages, asking women to self-examine themselves all year round.

James Munson, the managing director of Marks & Spencer India, said, “‘Straps That Remind’ is a unique tool to remind women to check for the unusual in their own personal space. I feel proud that we have been able to support such an important cause innovatively.”

Meanwhile, Deveika S. Bhojwani, the vice president of the Women’s Cancer Initiative at Tata Memorial Hospital, shared that breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer among women in India, which if detected at the early stages, can be cured. 

“‘Straps That Remind’ is an excellent step in that direction to help women read the early signs of breast cancer and get them checked. It can be a life-changing product for so many women out there and it is such a personal way to remind them of their well-being,” added Bhojwani.

“With ‘Straps That Remind’, we have set out to achieve that with the Women’s Cancer Initiative and Marks & Spencer. I am proud of the team for coming up with an entirely new means of communication to spread such an important message. I hope that the straps reach women across the country and can help detect the disease right at the start,” said Anadi Sah, the executive creative director of Isobar India.

The lifesaving bra straps are accessible to all women on selected M&S India stores and come free of cost.

Mumbai, India – India’s cookware manufacturer Vinod Cookware has awarded its digital communications duties to Mumbai-based digital marketing agency Chimp&z Inc. The agency won the account following a multi-agency pitch that involved several other leading agencies.

Vinod Cookware is a trusted household brand in the country, with a commitment to design innovative products for contemporary kitchens and is devoted to enhancing the consumer experience, using state-of-art technology to create premium quality stainless steel products for intelligent cooking.

Through the new partnership, Chimp&z will be leading the social media strategy, creatives, and digital PR, as well as performance marketing for increasing the brand’s digital footprints. The agency will also be responsible for designing digital campaigns and content that will boost the brand’s recall value, while also emphasizing the ways it caters to the modern lifestyle of the target group.

Commenting on the win, Lavinn Rajpal, the managing director and co-founder of Chimp&z Inc, said that they are delighted that the agency’s integrated communication strategy for the brand was appreciated, saying that they look forward to actioning their plans for the brand.

“Vinod Cookware has successfully won the trust of its consumers over the last few decades. In the digital ecosystem too, we plan to take the loyalty the brand has gained and use it to create digital connections with the new-age consumers,” added Rajpal.

Meanwhile, Sunil Agarwal, the director of Vinod Cookware, said, “Vinod Cookware has established a good reputation offline and currently we’re on a pursuit to digitally engage with our consumers, who are in various stages of their purchase journey. Chimp&z Inc brings a fresh perspective to our vision for the way forward and we are excited to explore the many potential routes on digital platforms.”

New Delhi, India – The Indian arm of dentsu’s data services agency Dentsu Data Sciences has recently published a new industry position paper on the importance of privacy to marketers, publishers, consumers, and data brokers as they face both challenges and opportunities in maintaining their position in a privacy-first world.

Titled ‘Who Ate My Cookie’, the paper notes on the importance of computer ‘cookies’ having been for a long time the cornerstone of digital marketing ever since their inception in 1994. They have been the basis of digital advertising, with a goal to deliver more relevant ads to consumers, companies have amassed troves of customer data via third-party cookies, which eroded customer trust. 

This industry position paper aims to describe the shift and need toward a privacy-first world by demystifying ecosystem changes and attempts to provide guidance to marketers and publishers on navigating a “privacy-first” online world devoid of third-party cookies.

For Gautam Mehra, chief data and product strategy officer for Asia Pacific and CEO at dentsu Programmatic, the paper speaks by a matter of fact that “the digital revolution that [has] created so many new business and marketing opportunities is now driving the customer revolution.”

“Developing strong customer relationships has always been fundamental to building a successful business practice. This becomes more vital in a privacy-first world. Through our position paper, we endeavor to assist the industry in navigating through the fast paced ecosystem changes and provide guidance on a few possible solutions to strengthen customer experiences with privacy at its core,” Mehra stated.

Meanwhile, Nishant Malsisaria, vice president of product strategy for Asia Pacific at dentsu Data Sciences, commented that in order for organizations to succeed in a new customer-driven environment, organizations must be able to use consent-based information, technology, and analytics to deliver relevant customer experiences across channels.

“A privacy-first world promotes the need to develop first-party data sets in a far more secure and privacy-focused way. Future competitive advantage will depend on the ability of brands to have more control over their audiences in a trust-based world,” Malsisaria added.

The paper is written under the specialist consumer insights wing dentsu Marketing Cloud (DMC) Insights, which offers an expertise-led model to assist dentsu Data Sciences’ research and insights, consulting and practice teams in delivering differentiated values to their clients. A copy of the paper can be obtained through dentsu marketing’s site.

India – Automotive company Maruti Suzuki in India has launched its latest campaign for the all-new 2021 Swift, done in collaboration with dentsu international’s creative agency Dentsu Impact India. 

The campaign aims to introduce the latest and improved edition of India’s best-selling hatchback, following the vision of pushing oneself to go the extra mile and challenging one’s limits with a noticeable attitude.

The all-new 2021 Swift offers a sporty driving experience that is complemented by its enhanced looks, featuring a new and appealing front fascia with sporty dual-tone exteriors. It is powered by the advanced powertrain Next Gen K-Series 1.2L dual jet dual VVT engine with idle start-stop.

Furthermore, Swift also offers cruise control and auto foldable ORVMs with key sync. It comes with an electronic stability program and hill hold assist, to be offered as standard in AGS variants. The enviable feature list makes the 2021 Swift a car that not only performs but also leaves a lasting impression for all.

Shashank Srivastava, the executive director of marketing and sales at Maruti Suzuki India, shared that the idea behind the campaign is pure performance and enhanced style, which makes the driving experience limitless.

“The new Swift is perfectly poised to take the breath away of those who like a wow drive, and also of those who have an eye for great designer looks. Swift has always been a car that has challenged all kinds of limits. With the ‘Limitless Thrill’ campaign, we look forward to set new benchmarks, and win even more hearts and minds,” added Srivastava.

Meanwhile, Amit Wadhwa, the president of Dentsu Impact, said, “Swift is synonymous with car enthusiasts who love to push themselves beyond limits. With the new 2021 Swift, Maruti Suzuki has taken the pedestal a notch higher with new looks to match the aspirations of a modern-day customer. As their partners, we are excited to be a part of Swift’s launch and create newer milestones with them.”

The campaign has already been released on television, OOH, and social media, as well as in print.

New Delhi, India – The Indian arm of digital production company MediaMonks, through a new partnership with video game company Epic Games, has sought in investing for a new office in New Delhi, India, which will help to attract new talents for the company.

The envisioned new office will be a new 8000 square feet studio, with three smaller studios featuring state of the art equipment and facilities to allow COVID-safe shoots. The studio will also have features including a full sensor camera, live tracking devices, and LED Panels for filmmaking with Unreal Engine, Epic Games’ developed game engine.

“We are planning to be at the forefront of the APAC region for high-end shoots as well as shoots using Unreal Engine,” said Robert Godinho, managing partner at MediaMonks.

Through Unreal Engine, MediaMonks’ artists can digitally swap out assets, change backgrounds, color schemes instantaneously creating multiple versions of the same product in a revolutionary turnaround time, without needing to shoot the physical assets. 

According to Tim Dillon, SVP for growth at MediaMonks, the game engine utilization is in response to the increased demand from their clients and partners to explore innovative solutions that enable real-time interactive 3D production using technology like Unreal Engine.

“As our pipeline expands globally, we’re upskilling and scaling our teams around the world to meet client demand in this rapidly expanding category, from product virtualization to virtual production,” Dillon stated.

In line with MediaMonks’ promise of harnessing the power of data and technology to fuel and inform creative content, the global team is reinventing the use of this gaming software to bring real-time filmmaking, visual effects, previsualization, virtual production, and CG animation together. 

Godinho also stated that part of their utilization of the Unreal Engine from Epic Games’ grant is its implementation across clients for the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry.

“The aim is to take these learnings and apply them to an end-to-end product shoot for a real product with a side-by-side comparison of a virtual production versus a live production. The side-by-side comparison will determine best use cases, ease-of-use/integration on set, visual equality and flexibility; the financial efficiencies; and, most importantly, the final image outputs,” Godinho concluded.

Mumbai, India – Indian cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni, most commonly known as MS Dhoni, partakes in a new campaign by the Indian arm of oil company Gulf Oil, which takes the ambassador in a ‘memory lane’ with his younger self.

Titled #GulfDhonixDhoni, the campaign sees Dhoni’s self back in 2005 and his current self sharing both their love for biking and the cricket sport. The campaign focuses on the blend of performance of Dhoni and Gulf Oil’s Gulf Pride oil product, drawing the consistent performance of both entities.

The campaign, made by DDB Mudra Group, was strategically released on the 10th Anniversary of India’s 2011 World Cup Victory, one of the greatest sporting moments for Indian cricket fans.

Speaking about his participation in the campaign, Dhoni stated that he is happy to be associated with a brand that is driven by passion to move forward.

“As an avid biker myself, I can very well connect with the brand’s proposition and product offerings. This campaign makes me nostalgic as I revisit my favorite cricketing moments including the winning shot at the 2011 World Cup Finals. It gave me a feel of how it would be to meet my younger self, what we would talk about and what I would advise him if we met,” he stated.

Rahul Mathew, chief creative officer at DDB Mudra Group said, “Great brands should tell great stories. And with Dhoni, we had an engaging story that we could tell the world while building on the brand’s promise of consistent performance.”

According to Ravi Chawla, managing director and CEO at Gulf Oil Lubricants India, their newest campaign is intended to strengthen their position as one of the well-known brands when it comes to important consumer mind measures or brand health measures.

“At Gulf, we pride ourselves on being an innovator and we seek to consistently push the envelope when it comes to our product quality and benefits. In keeping with this ethos, we recently upgraded our flagship 2-wheeler engine oil, Gulf Pride 4T. While previously the brand promise was about “Insta pick-up”, and it resonated strongly with bikers across the country, we bettered the product to be able to now deliver ‘Consistent Insta Pick-up’ over thousands of kilometres and many years,” Chawla stated.