Tag: Mandate

India – Wunderman Thompson India expands its client roster after winning the brand building mandate of Tata Astrum Super, a brand of hot rolled sheets from Tata Steel – a company which is associated with the agency for more than 90 years. 

Within the long-term partnership, Wunderman Thompson India has been working on brand-building projects for Tata Steel Corporate, and other retail brands like Tata Tiscon, Tata Shaktee, Tata Kosh, Tata Pravesh, and Tata Wiron.

In the new mandate, Wunderman Thompson India will help Tata Astrum Super brand in building a competitive edge so it can command a premium over branded & unorganized players, forge bonds with channel partners, and connect with end users. The agency will also help in maintaining the brand’s promise to resonate with both fabricators and end users.

Vijay Jacob Parakkal, senior vice president & managing partner at Wunderman Thompson Kolkata, said that they are pleased to have Tata Astrum Super into the Wunderman Thompson brand family, and they are confident in giving justice to the new mandate that they will handle.

Earlier this year, Wunderman Thompson India also bagged the strategy and creative remit of Czech automobile brand ŠKODA.

Hong Kong – Hong-Kong based international hotel group, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, has named Forsman & Bodenfors as its global brand agency. Forsman & Bodenfors will partner with media agency Assembly to deliver an integrated offering of brand, design, social, performance marketing, and media services. 

The appointment comes after a 4-month pitch process which was led by client-agency marketing consultancy AAR Group out of London. The remit was made to support Mandarin Oriental’s future expansion of the business and the evolution of its brand to meet the evolving needs of the luxury consumer. 

The global creative collective Forsman & Bodenfors will work with Mandarin Oriental’s brand and marketing team to develop a new brand strategy and approach. 

London advertising which was the one who pioneered the group’s star-studded ‘I’m a Fan’ campaign will continue to support celebrity management and its current campaign commitments. Launched in 1999, the ‘I’m a fan’ campaign features international celebrities who regularly stay at the group’s hotels and are considered ‘true fans’ of Mandarin Oriental.

Joanna Flint, chief commercial officer of Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group said, “Forsman & Bodenfors challenged our thinking throughout the process, and their integrated approach alongside Assembly was seamless and impressive. We are really excited to see what comes next.”

Toby Southgate, global CEO of Forsman & Bodenfors added, “Our mission as a business is to make ‘ideas that change things’ and the Mandarin Oriental business has a bold and inspirational vision for their future. We have been enthused about this opportunity from the very start and we wanted to show every step of the way that we are the right partner for this business. On behalf of Forsman & Bodenfors, and Assembly, we’re delighted to be taking these steps together with our new partners.”

Forsman & Bodenfors and Assembly are both under the Stagwell Group of companies.

Mumbai, India – Omnicom Media Group (OMG) India has been appointed to manage the integrated media mandate of Electrolux, a global brand for home and kitchen appliances. OMG will be in charge of developing end-to-end media solutions for the brand. 

The Swedish powerhouse, Electrolux, is set to make waves in the Indian market with its range of premium products, leveraging the agency’s analytics and insight-driven tools. Electrolux has catered to consumers for more than 100 years with its elegant Scandinavian design coupled with innovative technology.  Now, it is establishing its brand in India. 

According to OMG, they are excited to help Electrolux scale to new heights by drawing on its talent, strategic capabilities, and data-driven approach as the brand ramps up its proposition and presence in India to achieve sustainable growth.

Last July, OMG India named Anand Chakravarthy as its new chief growth officer.

Melbourne, Australia – Independent media agency Match & Wood has been appointed as a media partner by Australian bedding brand Snooze. The move will see the agency taking over the account from incumbent Starcom which held the business for a number of years.

The mandate includes media strategy, planning, and buying. Through this, Match & Wood will be managing Snooze’s paid media (excluding search).

Doni Davies, general manager of marketing at Snooze, shared that they were looking for an agency that would work as an extension of their dedicated team, and the more time they spent together it was clear that Match & Wood believed in the same things as they did, which they feel sets a solid foundation for the future. 

“There is a strong cultural fit and we look forward to partnering with them to achieve our ambitious growth plans for the business,” said Davies.

Meanwhile, Chris O’Keefe, chief operating officer at Match & Wood, commented, “We are delighted to have been appointed after a competitive pitch, which recognises the expertise we have across media strategy, planning and buying. This is a significant milestone in Match & Wood’s history and [a] testament to the depth of specialist talent we have in the agency.”

In February 2022, Match & Wood has also been appointed by food company Chobani to handle the media duties of the Chobani and Gippsland Dairy brands in the Australian market.

India – Carat, the media agency from dentsu India, has bagged the media mandate for TimesPro, a higher edtech initiative of the Times of India Group. This account will be serviced from the agency’s Mumbai office.

TimesPro offers a variety of created and curated learning programmes across a range of categories, industries, and age groups. They include employment-oriented early career programmes across BFSI, e-commerce, and technology sectors; executive education for working professionals in collaboration with premier educational institutions like IIMs and IITs; and organisational learning and development interventions at the corporate level. 

As part of the mandate, Carat will be handling the omnichannel media services for TimesPro.

Anita Kotwani, CEO of Carat India, commented, “We are pleased to win the media business for TimePro. Carat is committed to creating meaningful end-to-end media solutions through data-driven marketing, and to further accelerate the brand’s growth journey. As a team, we are excited to get this opportunity to work with a brand that is aiding every professional’s career aspiration!” 

Meanwhile, Gaurav Barjatya, head of brand marketing and communications at TimesPro, said, “We are delighted to be working with Carat India. It’s an agency that’s responsive and nimble to the business demands of today, which span a variety of traditional and new-age media. We look forward to collaborating with them as we grow and take our H.EdTech offering to millions of learners nationwide.”

In June 2022, Carat India also won the media mandate for Croma, an Indian retail chain of consumer electronics and durables from the house of Infiniti Retail. Through the mandate, the agency will oversee the brand’s media planning and buying rights.

Beijing, China – Essence, a global data and measurement-driven media agency under WPP’s GroupM, has been awarded integrated media duties for smart short-distance transportation and robotics company Segway-Ninebot in China. This partnership will be led out of the agency’s Beijing and Shanghai offices.

In 2015, Segway-Ninebot was formed in a strategic merger and acquisition by Ninebot. As a global enterprise in the fields of intelligent short-distance transportation and service robots, Segway-Ninebot’s perspective and mission are to simplify the movement of people and things and make life more convenient. The company’s extensive product line includes electric self-balancing scooters, electric kickscooters, electric mopeds, electric gokarts, and all-terrain vehicles and service robots, catering to various aspects of life, from daily commute to entertainment and point-to-point delivery.

As part of the mandate, Essence’s scope of work includes strategy, creative, content innovation, media planning, and media activation for all of Segway-Ninebot’s products in the market. Additionally, Essence’s first initiatives with Segway-Ninebot include the launch of an integrated brand campaign and tagline, as well as a partnership with Chinese celebrity Jackson Yee as the brand’s global spokesperson to reach out to consumers across generations. 

Essence said that the communications plan, covering strategy, creative, media, and content marketing would propel Segway-Ninebot’s awareness and generated positive discussions amongst audiences across platforms since its launch in the early third quarter, effectively positioning the company as a breakout brand in the market.

Benjamin Wei, Essence’s CEO for China, commented that they are greatly excited to have the opportunity to collaborate with Segway-Ninebot to make the brand more valuable to consumers.

“With our full-service media offering, strategic and creative expertise, as well as cutting-edge use of data and technology, we look forward to helping Segway-Ninebot create new innovations to meet the evolving demands of modern transportation, and drive enhanced growth for the brand and business in the market,” said Wei.

Most recently, Essence has also been appointed as the integrated media agency of record by online restaurant company Rebel Foods in India. The agency’s scope of work includes strategy, analytics, media planning, and media activation for the internet restaurant company’s brand marketing activities.

Melbourne, Australia – Advertising agency Howatson+Company has been appointed by Australian-based business management platform MYOB to be its creative lead on its new brand advertising across Australia and New Zealand.

While MYOB works with several external agencies, as well as their in-house agency, Howatson+Company will be taking the lead on their brand advertising. The remit spans strategy and creative for internal and external audiences across the region.

Belinda Watson, MYOB’s head of design, agency and brand, shared there was a true sense of partnership and shared ambition for the business, that stood out during the tender process.

“Howatson+Company understood our strategy and the direction of the business. It was clear they took the time to really listen to our challenges and have applied critical strategic thinking and creativity to position MYOB for success,” said Watson.

Meanwhile, Rebecca Robertson, managing partner at Howatson+Company, noted that MYOB is a household name with a proven history of helping Australian and New Zealand businesses succeed. 

“We are thrilled to partner with MYOB to help support them in their next stage of growth. The MYOB team acted with such openness and integrity during the pitch process, we can’t wait to bring our shared vision to life,” said Robertson.

In May 2022, Howatson+Company has also been appointed by Sydney-based university UNSW as media agency of record. The agency was appointed following a competitive tender process to service UNSW’s domestic and international recruitment.

Sydney, Australia – Australian footwear and clothing company R.M. Williams has appointed WiredCo. as its global digital media partner, where the agency will be working with the apparel and footwear brand across six regions globally.

WiredCo’s mandate covers paid search, shopping, display, broadcaster video on demand (BVOD), and off-page management of the brand’s Meta, Pinterest and YouTube channels.

R.M. Williams is undergoing a massive digital transformation and will use digital media channels to drive brand awareness, consideration and growth globally, focusing initially on their biggest and emerging markets; Australia, New Zealand and the UK, respectively.

As part of the mandate, WiredCo will work in close partnership with the brand’s offline agency partner, Audience Precision, tapping into their proprietary ‘Precise360’ platform, along with Special Group, the brand’s creative agency of record.

Chris Willingham, chief marketing officer at R.M. Williams said, “What really stands out about WiredCo. is how successfully they integrate strategy and creativity with digital performance. It’s something I haven’t seen done this well by a digital agency before.” 

He added, “Above all, the people at WiredCo. are the perfect fit for the people at R.M. Williams. We’re looking forward to a fruitful long-term partnership as we launch into a new era for the brand.”

Meanwhile, Angela Hampton, founder and managing director at WiredCo, commented, “We’re absolutely stoked to be appointed to the legend and icon that is R.M.Williams. Having grown up in the bush myself, I have a genuine connection with the brand so this is a dream come true for our agency. As the brand embarks upon a new journey to get closer to its Australian roots, we can’t wait to play a key role in realising this.”

India – Contract Advertising, a Wunderman Thompson group company, has won the mandate for Haldiram’s, an Indian multinational sweets, savouries and retail/restaurant company headquartered in Delhi.

The mandate will include brand strategy and creatives for the domestic market, the export market, as well as in retail/QSRs. The account will be handled out of Contract Mumbai’s office.

Haldiram’s has manufacturing plants in a wide variety of locations in such as UP, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Bihar, J&K, Guwahati in India.

Pankaj Agarwal, managing director at Haldiram’s, said, “Haldiram’s has always been trusted for their quality offerings. As a key player in the snack, sweets, and restaurant sector, we are known to generate excitement amongst the consumers. We, as a brand, are constantly innovating and trying to raise our high-quality standards.” 

He added, “To make consumers aware of our wide brand portfolio, we needed an advertising agency that understands our constant rise and the consumer’s changing mindsets. And that is why we are excited to partner with Contract Advertising to build effective marketing communications and reach new heights.”

Meanwhile, Divya Batra, marketing head at Haldiram’s, commented, “Over the years, Haldiram’s has expanded its range from traditional namkeens to western snacks, frozen snacks, ready to eat, ready to cook, chocolates, and many more food categories. To communicate the same to our consumers, we needed an agency passionate about reaching and engaging with consumers impactfully.”

Ayan Chakraborty, EVP and general manager at Contract Mumbai, said, “Haldiram’s is an iconic brand, and it is a household name in India. We are proud of being the agency that has been given the responsibility to craft the narrative for this brand in India and abroad. “

Lastly, Rahul Ghosh, SVP and executive creative director at Contract Mumbai, commented, “At Contract, we have a bit of history with Made In India powerhouses. Haldiram’s is one such global success story. Getting to work on the narrative of this iconic brand is the kind of challenge that is a part of our DNA.”

Mumbai, India – Global cosmetic retail giant Sephora has appointed Mumbai-based creative agency Yellow to be its creative agency partner in India.

As part of the remit, Yellow will be responsible for Sephora India’s online and offline communications, including social media, celebrity campaigns, and e-commerce. 

Moreover, the partnership will help Sephora bring the global experience to Indian consumers across all touchpoints. The chief prerequisite for the brand’s new agency will be to navigate the burgeoning Indian market while keeping intact its core values and global identity.

Sephora is a luxury beauty retailer that offers a well-curated selection of makeup, skincare, and fragrance brands. Its India business is helmed by Arvind Lifestyle Brands in India. 

Shrey Doshi, Yellow’s creative director and founder, shared that Sephora is the go-to source for all things beauty and skincare across the world and they are looking forward to working with such an illustrious brand and growing it across India. 

“Over the years, we’ve worked extensively with D2C beauty and skincare brands, and are excited about merging our local know-how with the global expertise that Sephora brings to the table,” said Doshi.