Tag: Ogilvy

Indonesia – Global confectionery company Cadbury has launched a new TVC for its Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate brand, reinforcing the brand’s ethos of ‘generosity’ and brand platform of ‘goodness in everyone’ to consumers and markets in the SEA region.

The TVC, which was created in collaboration with creative agency Ogilvy, was developed with the objective to demonstrate the Cadbury goodness or the ‘Rasakan Lembutnya Kebaikan’, which in English translates to ‘Taste/Feel the softness of goodness’. Its story is anchored in the universal truth of not judging a book by its cover, to go beyond snap judgment and allowing softness in action and reaction, which manifests into a little more goodness around us. 

Cadbury said that the authentic tone of the brand and the storytelling which has the duality of ‘goodness in us’, as well as the product, is captured in the story and also breaks ad stereotypes in the region.

Nikhil Nicholas, Cadbury’s chocolate category lead for SEA, commented, “We fell in love with the script and it’s amazing to see it come to life on screen. Rasakan Lembutnya Kebaikan is our way of marrying both product and purpose for Cadbury Dairy Milk by showing how softness leads to goodness which speaks to the heart of this piece of communication.”

Meanwhile, Nicolas Courant, chief creative officer at Ogilvy Singapore, said that their teams in SEA came together and undertook a massive strategic and creative exploration process across Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines, over a 6-month period to bring this story to life. 

“It was a true reflection of our commitment to borderless creativity and to Cadbury as a brand. In some markets our relationship with Cadbury stretches over 50 years, so we could tap into an immense amount of knowledge and experience across the network,” added Courant.

The TVC is now available in Indonesia and Malaysia, and is set to launch in the Philippines in July.

Singapore – Ogilvy Asia has appointed Kunal Jeswani as the new group CEO for Ogilvy Singapore and Malaysia, succeeding Chris Riley, who is departing the agency, effective June 2022.

Jeswani has been with Ogilvy in India for the last 17 years. He has been CEO of Ogilvy India since 2015. Prior to that, Jeswani was the chief digital officer of Ogilvy India. During Jeswani’s tenure as CEO, Ogilvy India has become a leading agency in the Indian market.

He holds an extensive understanding of the business, having spent over two decades in the communications industry. Among his successes, he is known to have worked with high-value clients namely Unilever, Mondelez, Vodafone, Pidilite, The Tata Group, and The ITC Group. He has also worked on the launch of the Indian Premier League for the Board of Cricket Control in India and the South Asia Cricket Boards’ successful bid for the ICC Cricket World Cup.

Kent Wertime, Ogilvy Asia co-CEO and chairman of Ogilvy Singapore and Malaysia Group, said of the appointment, “I couldn’t be more thrilled that Jeswani is taking up this important role. Jeswani lives the Ogilvy spirit: he cares deeply about Ogilvy people and what we stand for, he is focused on building close client relationships, he is deeply passionate about the creative product for our clients, and he constantly aims to shape and transform the Ogilvy service offering through innovation, new capabilities and new partnerships.”

Simultaneously, VR Rajesh will be elevated to group president of Ogilvy India. As group president, he will lead the integrated Ogilvy India P&L across all offices and will be responsible for the acceleration of all core Ogilvy capabilities in India.

Piyush Pandey, chairman of global Creative and executive chairman of Ogilvy India Ogilvy, commented that Rajesh is a fantastic leader and a pivotal driver of their business and culture. Pandey added that Rajesh joined Ogilvy in 2004 and has grown from strength to strength within Ogilvy.

“Since 2018, he has led Ogilvy Mumbai and Kolkata, growing the business consistently year after year. He embodies Ogilvy values and knows how critical it is to nurture strong talent in our business. He is a powerful growth driver, an influential client partner, and a passionate creative partner. Rajesh also understands the importance of transformation in our business and has demonstrated this time and again – championing new transformative roles, new capabilities and new revenue streams,” Pandey said.

Hong Kong — Pizza Hut in Hong Kong has launched its latest campaign in support of Earth Hour 2022. The campaign seeks to connect Pizzahut with its fans on topics close to their hearts – this time with its ‘Join The Dark Side’ promotion. The campaign was done with advertising company Ogilvy.

Earth hour is a worldwide movement organized by the World Wildlife Fund. To mark this year’s event, the brand went ‘dark’ on its Hong Kong social media feeds on March 26, displaying a black logo and posting ‘blackout’ content.

To further support the World Wide Fund for Nature’s initiative, Pizza Hut also released limited edition candle ‘pizza savers’ on a first-come-first-served basis at stores across the territory. Starting at 6 pm on March 26, kits were given away to customers with any takeaway purchase. Fans were also encouraged to share their ‘dark side’ moments as they enjoyed a candlelit slice, to further increase awareness of Earth Hour.

Wendy Leung, marketing director at Pizza Hut Hong Kong, shared her thoughts on the campaign, saying “Environmental responsibility is important to all of us at Pizza Hut and the opportunity to support Earth Hour and raise awareness of climate change really aligns with our values as a brand.”

Simultaneously, Amy Cheng, associate creative director at Ogilvy Hong Kong, commented, “We want people to feel good about the contribution without compromising, so we make the hour in the dark enjoyable for Pizza Hut fans.”

Singapore – Chris Riley, who served recently as the group chairman for Ogilvy in Singapore and Malaysia as well as CEO for Ogilvy Singapore, has announced his departure from the agency to join Glydways, a US-based transportation and technology company, where he is appointed as its new chief commercial officer. 

Riley began his career in 1995 at Ogilvy Hong Kong, where he now works for the company. The past six years have seen him serve as Ogilvy Singapore CEO and chairman of the board for Singapore and Malaysia, as well as supervising the agency’s experience business in Hong Kong. He has also led IBM’s growth into 147 new markets.

Kent Wertime, who now serves as co-CEO of Ogilvy Asia, will also serve as group chairman for Ogilvy Singapore and Malaysia, and a new Singapore CEO will be chosen soon. Wertime has worked closely with the Singapore Group over the past two decades and is already extremely familiar with the office and clients. Wertime and Riley will collaborate closely to ensure a smooth transition. Announcements on further senior appointments in Singapore will be made in due course.

Wertime said, “I’ve worked closely with Chris for over two decades and would like to thank him for his many contributions to Ogilvy. He has been a true example of Ogilvy at its best. We will miss him but wish him all the best in his future endeavours.”

Meanwhile, Riley commented, “I’m eternally grateful to Ogilvy for providing such stimulating career opportunities which I’ve thoroughly embraced. I’ve worked with fantastic clients, colleagues and friends, and now have an opportunity to apply my skills and experience to something completely new and different.”

Ogilvy shifted to a new global structure with five businesses last year, with regional and local leadership in each. The agency will continue to build the agency and leadership roles while offering clients with complete continuity.

Singapore — Creative agency Ogilvy has announced that Arvind Srivastava has been promoted to become chief strategy officer of Ogilvy for the Asia division. He recently held the same position for Ogilvy China.

Srivastava started as a customer relationship planner at OgilvyOne Delhi and has spent nearly two decades with Ogilvy Asia where he has worked in various strategic planning roles that increased his expertise in the market.

Srivastava moved to Shanghai in 2016 and has since then helped build a modern strategy offering bringing together brand, CRM, commerce, data, media connections, and social strategists. He was responsible for leading Ogilvy China’s strategy for handling their global top-value clients namely Nestlé and The Coca-Cola Company and played a key role on large Chinese brands including AliExpress. Under his leadership, Ogilvy has been ranked one of the most effective networks in the Greater China Effies for 3 of the past 5 years.

Srivastava commented on his promotion, saying that Ogilvy has one of the strongest and the most effective strategy teams in Asia, and he feels truly honoured to be given this responsibility.

“I am excited at the opportunity to partner with our strategy and business leaders to continue evolving and modernizing Ogilvy Asia’s strategic solutions to drive growth and impact for our clients at the intersection of capabilities,” Srivastava said.

Srivastava will continue to be based in China and he replaces Benoit Weisser who will be relocating to Europe to be closer to family.

Chris Reitermann, co-chief executive of Asia and chief executive of Greater China, shared his praises for the new CSO, saying, “Arvind has done an outstanding job for Ogilvy Asia for nearly 20 years in various strategy roles across several Asian markets. He has a deep understanding of the evolving strategy needs of our Clients and brings a great mix of business, brand and digital strategy to our offer. We very much look forward to partnering with him in building on the strong foundation set by Benoit and I’m personally excited to have a strong strategic partner continuing to be based out of China.”

This January, Ogilvy’s Malaysian arm has announced their appointment of Eddy Nazarullah, former creative director at Reprise, to be its new creative director.

Singapore — Singapore’s statutory board for learning and information literacy The National Library Board and Japanese lifestyle brand MUJI have entered into a collaboration to promote the love for reading by engaging online users to practice love for reading, even when online.

The campaign, conceptualised alongside creative agency Ogilvy, encourages online users to download the NLB Mobile app, as part of the ongoing “National Reading Movement” in the country.

As part of the reading awareness campaign, the creative team created an in-store installation that pays homage to popular Japanese literary culture and encourages reading. With this year’s NRM theme of “Be Unexpectedly Interesting”, NLB has worked with MUJI on the launch of a new campaign titled “Wall of Haikus”. Shoppers at the two selected MUJI stores will get to experience these haikus, a Japanese poetic form written in three lines.

The installation made use of mechanics to encourage readers to enter into a literary adventure. Starting with 30 selected eBooks and audiobooks uniquely designed with images and haikus unto a bookmark, customers can scan the QR code attached to the bookmarks and they will be directed to NLB’s eBook collection. According to NLB, this strategy of allowing customers to take home with them a free bookmark that contains a free eBook will encourage learning and discovery of content.

Elrid Carvalho, creative director of Ogilvy Singapore, commented on their work on the project, saying, “Haikus are a beautiful part of Japanese culture and being able to highlight them alongside the joys of reading feels like a double discovery. We want everyone who interacts with the bookmarks to feel a sense of wonder and intrigue, as well as feel inspired by the bookmark designs and the beautifully crafted Haikus, to then go home and download the book and continue their reading journey.” 

Chris Koh, programme director of the National Reading Movement, commented on the event, saying, “For this year’s edition of the National Reading Movement, we wanted to explore new ways of bringing reading and discovery to more people. Through our partnership with MUJI to bring haikus and books to people, we hope to inspire everyone to read more, read widely and read together.”

The installations can be found at MUJI stores at Jewel Changi Airport and Plaza Singapura and will run until 28 June 2022.

Malaysia – Creative agency Ogilvy in Malaysia has appointed Eddy Nazarullah, former creative director at Mediabrands’ digital creative agency Reprise, to be its new creative director. 

Aside from his stint at Reprise, Nazarullah also serves as a creative director at integrated marketing communications network MullenLowe and was on the creatives team of communications agency Leo Burnett.

At Reprise, Nazarullah was part of the team that launched the successful KEPCI KITCHEN campaign for KFC, which ran during the early periods of the pandemic, and which was founded on the profound insight of making KFC staples part of every Malaysian’s household cooking.

In his new role, Nazarullah will be overseeing Ogilvy’s entire NESTLE business, including MILO, Nestlé Omega Plus, Nestlé Health Science, and Wyeth Nutrition. He will be working alongside Creative Directors Jaz Lee and Shariar Ghafar, completing a trifecta of top-notch creative talent for the Malaysia office.

Adrian Miller, Ogilvy Malaysia’s chief creative officer, shared that this year the agency has a big ambition to win with work by putting ideas at the center of everything they do. 

“As trite as this sounds, it’s a sentiment that all too often gets lost in our business. Eddy has a digital-first, nuanced way of thinking that, coupled with local insights, will be pivotal in driving our vision to bring back the power of creative ideas and an audience mindset to Malaysia,” said Miller.

Nizwani Shahar, Ogilvy Malaysia’s chief executive officer, commented that Nazarullah is a transformative creative leader who is unparalleled in his effectiveness.

“Together with his creative leads, Adrian will be pivotal in driving strong branded experiences for our clients. I look forward to having Eddy onboard to continue to fuel the very best in creative ideas with our senior team. This is aligned with our larger creative strategy to fortify creative firepower across Ogilvy Malaysia and Singapore,” said Shahar.

Shanghai, China – Advertising agency Ogilvy in China has been tapped by agricultural product production business Tongwei Group for the launch of its newest pet food brand Pjoy. Through the agency appointment, Tongwei Group aims to expand its brand portfolio to tap into business opportunities presented by the fast-growing domestic pet food segment.

Ogilvy China will be responsible for crafting the new brand and charting a business roadmap that would support sustainable growth, leveraging robust market analysis and consumer research to define a scalable business segment, identify the new brand’s target audience, and develop new product concepts, product mix, brand positioning, naming and personality. 

In addition, Tongwei Group’s strategic recommendations are then translated into the real-world by Ogilvy’s advertising, experience and public relations teams, who spearheaded and executed the new brand’s visual identity, packaging design as well as e-commerce content and communications strategy.

Sandy Ng, president at Ogilvy Consulting in China, said, “Pjoy is a true testament of how Ogilvy’s offerings across capabilities can work seamlessly together to help support our clients and give birth to a new brand starting from market opportunity analysis all the way to the brand communications execution. We look forward to establishing Pjoy as the go-to choice of premium pet food in China.”

Pjoy’s product line currently includes 16 different types of cat and dog food that can be mixed and matched to suit the animal’s preferences and diet needs. All products are free of additives, artificial colorings, preservatives, and cooked through 3 different methods to ensure high-nutritional value. 

Furthermore, Ogilvy Shanghai supported the brand launch just ahead of this year’s Singles’ Day festival, delivering an integrated communications strategy and amplifying brand awareness KOLs and KOCs on key Chinese social media platforms.

China – Ogilvy China has been selected by Inner Mongolia Mengtai Group (Mengtai Group), the group that operates as a coal operation company, to lead the brand strategy consulting for its Mengtai Whiskey Distillery. The distillery is the group’s first foray in the area of Whiskey. 

For the remit, Ogilvy Consulting will be assisting the Mengtai Whiskey Distillery to plan and launch a new Chinese whiskey brand, and help to establish China as one of the strong players of the international whiskey scene along the likes of Ireland, Scotland, the United States, Canada, and Japan.

The company wants to take advantage of the market’s whiskey sector which is undergoing rapid transformation, turning from simply being a ‘whiskey consumption market’ into a ‘whiskey production region’. The Ordos plateau, situated in the southern part of Inner Mongolia and where the Mengtai Group’s distillery is based, carries a similar climate as Scotland, making it an ideal region to launch a high-quality whiskey brand.

In October 2021, the first batch of distillery equipment was manufactured in Scotland and shipped to Inner Mongolia for assembly with operations expected to start in 2022, making Mengtai Distillery the first whiskey distillery in Inner Mongolia. 

Ogilvy Consulting’s remit will focus on business strategy and consulting duties for the Mengtai Group. This includes market research, segmentation, product portfolio definition, as well as brand positioning, naming, and visual identity.

Ao Bo, vice chairman and vice president of the Mengtai Group, commented that they are confident that the partnership will be able to build a true world-leading Chinese whiskey brand and expand the company’s footprint even further across the globe.

“Mengtai is truly passionate and committed to developing local Chinese whiskey brands. Through our cooperation with Ogilvy Consulting China, we have gained even more confidence about bringing this project to fruition. As whiskey enthusiasts, just like many other Chinese consumers, we are looking forward to being able to taste domestically produced whiskey,” said Bo.

Sandy Ng, president of Ogilvy Consulting in China, commented saying, “We are honored to be working with the Mengtai Group’s leadership team on this brand creation project, which truly exemplifies the breadth and depth of our Consulting offering, from data-led brand positioning and architecture design to product visual identity and naming, all the way to portfolio and integrated communications strategy.”

Chris Reitermann, CEO for Ogilvy Asia & Greater China, adds, “It is an immense pleasure to be partnering with the Mengtai Group to together pave a new way for the Chinese whiskey industry. The future is full of exciting opportunities in this category and as part of our focus on being the best platform and partner for growth for our clients, we look forward to leveraging our expertise in developing strong brands globally and in China to help the Mengtai Group build a strong and sustainable business for years to come.”

Singapore – SEEK Asia, the parent company of jobs platforms JobStreet and JobsDB has rolled out its pan-regional omnichannel campaign for Asia that is targeted to empowering job seekers to go after careers they are passionate about.

A prime figure for the campaign is its TVC that depicts workers encouraging job-seekers to find work that matters to them, whether to save lives, design for fashion, explore new things, or discover future technologies. All of the TVCs, localized for their respective markets, end with the campaign’s mantra and name ‘Let’s Get to Work’.

The inspiration for the campaign stems from the fact that the pandemic has changed people’s attitudes towards their jobs, with many re-evaluating where and how they want to work and the kind of work they want to do. This has led to the emerging trend known as the “Great Resignation”, a term coined by associate professor of management at Texas A&M University Anthony Klotz, which explains why even experienced job seekers are choosing to leave their current careers in the search of something more meaningful.

The campaign is made possible by the direction of acclaimed Manila-based director Adrian Calumpang and through the creative direction from marketing company McCann Worldwide. As part of the campaign activation, Ogilvy will lead the social drive for the campaign, while PRecious Communications will drive the campaign’s PR.

Speaking about the campaign, Jane Cruz-Walker, chief marketing officer at SEEK Asia who was recently appointed as CMO for SEEK this year, said that the campaign is launched to motivate job seekers to pursue the jobs they love, adding that by providing them with these opportunities, they at SEEK Asia want to be the career partner that will inspire the next generation of workers to be the ‘heroes’ in their own career journey.

“While the pandemic has caused widespread job loss, reduced working hours, and pay cuts, it has also caused many to re-evaluate what they want out of their career. Job seekers’ demands have evolved beyond remuneration — they want a sense of fulfilment, good work-life balance, and career progression — and it is time for companies to adapt to this new world of work,” she stated.

Focusing on the hyperlocal nature of the job market, ‘Let’s Get To Work’ will also feature influencers and key opinion leaders will be used across the region — including Singaporean actress Sharon Au, Malaysian stand-up comedian Harith Iskander, Indonesian vlogger Gerry Girianza, Filipino actor and chef Marvin Agustin, Thai musician Manassavee, and Hong Kong fitness entrepreneur Charlz Ng.

Additional activities will also be introduced to get local job seekers excited, including Roro Jonggrang in Indonesia. This hyperlocal campaign will use the popular Javanese legend to tell the story of love and betrayal, and contrast this with how finding a job with SEEK Asia can be easy and drama-free. Said hyperlocal campaign for Indonesia is directed by Ben Wee, a freelance film director and cinematographer that has worked on multiple projects locally, including advertisements for Google and Indomie.

Meanwhile, Peter Bithos, CEO at SEEK Asia, commented that through their campaign, they hope to be able to better engage with and inspire job seekers to find jobs that are meaningful to them. He added that with their appeal to job seekers, this will also allow them to get more employers on the platform looking for quality talent, allowing an ‘explosion’ of opportunities. 

“Let’s Get To Work is an integral part of SEEK Asia’s commitment to job seekers and employers, and this is just the beginning of our exciting developments and plans,” Bithos stated.

He further added, “SEEK Asia is the biggest and most trusted jobs board in Southeast Asia. Our ambition is to grow fourfold in the next five years and to expand our platform beyond what people have come to know and love us for today. We are strengthening our existing business by making big investments in ​​people, innovation, and technology.”