Tag: South Asia

Bangladesh – Germany-based financial service provider Deutsche Bank will be expanding its global network with the launch of its first representative office in Dhaka, Bangladesh. With this new market entry, Deutsche Bank’s regional footprint in the Asia Pacific will now span 15 diverse markets.

The representative office will be focusing on supporting multinational corporate clients, predominantly exporters to Bangladesh. The bank has hired Syed Naushad Zaman, formerly deputy head of the Commerzbank Representative Office, to be the new chief representative officer at Deutsche Bank in Bangladesh.

According to the Embassy of Bangladesh, Germany is the largest trading partner of Bangladesh in Europe and the second largest globally. German exports to Bangladesh have tripled in the past 25 years.

“We continue to grow and invest in our business in the Asia Pacific. We are proud that in our 150th anniversary in the Asia Pacific, we are welcoming the 15th market to our strong regional network. With its fast-growing economy, we enter this market to support its increasing participation in regional and global trade,” said Alexander von zur Muehlen, Deutsche Bank’s CEO for APAC and member of the Management Board.

Meanwhile, Atul Jain, Deutsche Bank’s global co-head for trade finance and lending, noted, “Bangladesh is an increasingly strategic market for both our global multinational and German corporate clients. This representative office reflects our firm commitment to support our clients’ evolving risk management and financing needs in this dynamic growth market.”

India – India-based retail fashion brand Lifestyle has launched its new campaign, with an aim to encourage all fashion lovers to elevate their style with the brand’s latest collection ahead of the seasonal celebrations.

Called ‘Glam up & Style up’, the campaign is comprised of two quick, snappy, and fun 15-second digital-only films, which were conceptualised by Wunderman Thompson Bengaluru. Both films showcase the stylish range of season must-haves available at Lifestyle with a high celebratory vibe, almost like the trending reels made by fashion influencers around the world.

Inspired by the reel format, the brand intends to leverage the current trending format of a short-form social video as a new way of engaging with its customers. Each of the two films features four stylish ensembles from Lifestyle’s latest range with the transitions choreographed in easy and fun dance moves. The original upbeat background track of the film adds to the vibe, urging everyone to groove in style this festive season.

Lifestyle said that it intends to amplify the campaign through multiple celebs and fashion influencers grooving to the peppy track from the film and recreating the video in their own style. With the launch of this campaign, the brand intends to highlight the importance of having fun while you explore your options at Lifestyle, becoming the brand of choice this festive season.

Rohini Haldea, assistant vice president and head of marketing at Lifestyle, commented that they are delighted that this festive season their customers will discover Lifestyle’s on-trend styles through an entertaining film, to flag off a series of celebrations. 

“This is the first time that the brand has taken inspiration from a trending social media video format to break the festive clutter and engage with its shoppers in a fun and unique way. We are very excited and invite all our shoppers this season to not just style but groove in style with Lifestyle,” said Haldea.

Meanwhile, Priya Shivakumar, senior national creative director at Wunderman Thompson India, shared that it’s that scrolling through-your-phone-and-stumbling-upon-that-reel-you-just-can’t-skip moment they were looking to recreate through the lens of a brand with style at its heart. 

“Lifestyle’s eye-catching new collection also unveils its range of exciting festive looks. With music you want to dance to and clothes you want to reel, Lifestyle looks to make you sway to its beats and recreate your own reel moment, giving yourself many ways to glam up and give yourself a style upgrade,” said Shivakumar.

Mumbai, India – India-based delivery app Uncle Delivery has appointed Madison Media Alpha, a unit of Madison World, as their official media agency of record (AOR). 

As part of the remit, Madison Media Alpha will strategise and manage all forms of media for Uncle Delivery, including outdoor, digital, and traditional media.

Uncle Delivery entered the market in 2021 as a way of empowering Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). With a mobile and web app, a network of trusted drivers, and a fleet of couriers just a click away, Uncle Delivery aims to become the fastest on-demand delivery service in India. 

“As a start-up in a highly competitive on-demand delivery domain, we were looking forward to having an agency as a partner who not only help us in execution of different campaigns but also advise us to utilise our resources effectively and efficiently. I think Madison has got that perfect understanding of local dimensions and that is helping us a lot,” said Sourabh Chatterjee, founder and executive director of Uncle Delivery.

Meanwhile, Vishal Chinchankar, CEO of Madison Digital and Madison Media Alpha, said, “It is fascinating to me that Uncle Delivery strives to deliver fast, reliably, while prioritising the safety of its partners in this competitive market. I’m thrilled to have Uncle Delivery on board and look forward to working with them to deliver innovative and meaningful projects.”

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.

India – Creative agency Wunderman Thompson India has appointed two new senior hires for its Mumbai office, as the agency embarks on an accelerated growth path of creative transformation with a continued focus on driving relevance and scale, inspiring growth for its clients. 

The new hires are Rakesh Varma, the new vice president and executive business director at Wunderman Thompson Mumbai, and Abhay Godbole, the new vice president and client servicing director at Wunderman Thompson Mumbai.

Varma has over 15 years of advertising experience, having worked across a diverse range of brands with a special liking for the automobile and the auto ancillary category with brands like Volkswagen, TVS Motorcycles, Ashok Leyland, and Gulf Oil. He has been associated with leading brands like Hotstar, Radio City, FBB, Gelusil, and Tata AIA, amongst others. Varma has also an in-depth understanding and experience in brand strategy, campaign planning, and leading integrated marketing efforts. 

Meanwhile, returning to Wunderman Thompson is Godbole, who was instrumental in leading the much-lauded ‘Mutual Funds Sahi Hai’ for AMFI during his previous stint at the agency. He has close to two decades of experience in marketing communications working across categories like FMCG, automobile, and BFSI. Passionate about advertising and creativity, Godbole believes any marketing challenge can be addressed through compelling creative solutions. 

Commenting on his new role, Varma said, “At Wunderman Thompson, we’re building a future that’s as exciting as its legacy. And I’m really fortunate to be a part of this transformation. With its diverse brand portfolio, integrated service approach and promising growth vision, WT is all set to thrive. Looking forward to nurturing some of the long-standing client relationships and creating new ones.” 

Meanwhile, Godbole also commented, “I am delighted to be back at Wunderman Thompson, one of India’s finest agencies that has nurtured and built multiple brands in the country. Wunderman Thompson is in a unique position of creating the agency of the future, an agency that is capable of delivering the best of both mainline and data-led digital communications. I look forward to being a part of this exciting and transformational journey.”

Anurag Tandon, managing partner at Wunderman Thompson Mumbai, noted that as they continue to diversify their client roster and grow their talent base, it was critical for them to have the right hands on deck. 

“Rakesh and Abhay bring with them extensive experience and domain knowledge that will propel us to drive growth in key industry domains and deliver the best outcomes for our clients. Both our senior hires have an impressive track record of building strong consumer brands and I am looking forward to scaling new heights with our client partners,” said Tandon.

Mumbai, India – Marriott Bonvoy, a travel programme and marketplace under Marriott International, has brought its ‘Here’ campaign videos alive, with an immersive anamorphic installation at Cyber Hub, Gurugram, and Phoenix Mills (Palladium) in Mumbai until 26 September 2022. This installation was created by Inventech, a Laqshya Media Group company.

The ‘Here‘ campaign, which was created in collaboration with Singapore-based creative company, The Secret Little Agency, and was launched last August 2022, builds on Marriott Bonvoy‘s global tagline ‘Where Can We Take You’, with ‘Here’ as an expression for revelling the authentic, relatable little moments missed by travellers. These videos celebrate the power of travel with moments everyone can relate to; from trips to beach destinations or mountains, the local videos capture cities such as Chennai, Bengaluru, Mussoorie, Gurgaon, Kochi, and Goa.

Khushnooma Kapadia, Marriott International’s senior area director of marketing for South Asia, noted that as an organisation, they are constantly innovating to find new-age communication vehicles customised for an audience that has the appetite to consume narratives that appeal to their evolved sensibilities. 

“Our members are now eager to travel and get back on the road, and with this immersive activation, we want to help them discover all the places and experiences our hotels have to offer. This is an attempt to engage with our audience in a high-impact visible format with the travel content we have developed,” said Kapadia.

Meanwhile, Sommnath Sengupta, CEO of Inventech, a Laqshya Media Group company, shared that the 3D DOOH format is extremely dynamic and engaging, and it changes the relationship with the recipient as it is impossible to go by without noticing it, as well as it is changing the way people interact with advertisements – it’s futuristic. 

“With the right amalgamation of art, science, and technology, our super-skilled, experienced, passionate team has created this best-in-the-class user experience for Marriott Bonvoy TG. Our immersive content ideas and interactive storytelling solutions for our clients with cutting-edge, next-generation technology differentiate us from the others,” said Sengupta.

India – The Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI), a regulatory body for the mutual funds sector, has launched its new recruitment campaign that reinforces the need and attractiveness of ‘Mutual Funds Distribution’ as a career option with long-term earning potential for individuals with entrepreneurial aspirations.

Titled ‘Karein Shuru?’, the comprehensive campaign was conceptualised by Wunderman Thompson Mumbai. It includes four TVCs that depict how individuals from different walks of life – be they fresh college graduates, individuals in rural India, mid-career professionals, or small business owners and entrepreneurs – have opted for ‘Mutual Fund Distribution’ as a profession. 

Moreover, the campaign showcases the attractive career opportunity with its productive earning potential, benefitting not only themselves but in the process earning goodwill from the members of society who they serve as Mutual Funds Distributors. It targets fresh graduates and enterprising individuals with entrepreneurial aspirations.

N.S. Venkatesh, CEO of AMFI, noted that their in-house research revealed that an increasing number of individuals today aspire to have good earnings and yet be their own boss, and even help in serving the society at large. 

“Our unique ‘Karein Shuru?’ campaign would precisely help these individuals achieve this aspiration. As a Mutual Funds Distributor, they can help their clients generate wealth over the long term and in turn be rewarded with an enriching career,” said Venkatesh.

Meanwhile, Samarth Shrivastava, senior VP and executive business director at Wunderman Thompson Mumbai, shared that the campaign is designed to build consideration for an active career option when people are forming decisions about choosing a career path. 

“We dug deeper in our study phase to understand the pain points & highlights of this profession and really nuanced our storytelling to the ground realities attached to this profession which you will see in a series of films targeting different target groups & ethnicities,” said Shrivastava.

Mumbai, India – BBH India, an advertising agency under Publicis Groupe, has elevated Priya Gurnani and Arvind Menon to become the new executive creative directors. Both Gurnani and Menon were previously senior creative directors, and will continue to report to BBH India’s CCO and CEO, Russell Barrett.

With over 15 years of experience, Gurnani specialises in building creative communication that is at the intersection of brands, culture, and consumer behaviour. In the past, she has worked with Ogilvy, Leo Burnett, McCann Worldwide, and has created culture-defining work for brands like Stayfree, Yatra.com, Heineken, Kingfisher Ultra, Amstel, and Zee5. Most recently, she conceptualised and wrote the lyrics to a rap song for the entertainment channel – Zing’s Apni Vibe Apni Tribe campaign.

Meanwhile, armed with 13 years of experience, including a stint at a media agency, Menon specialises in building medium-agnostic integrated campaigns. In the past, he has worked on brands like Mercedes, Frooti, Axe, Burger King, Aditya Birla Capital, Heinz, TRESemmé, Surf, and Taj Mahal Tea. Arvind’s work has been awarded locally and internationally at forums.

Commenting on the elevation, Gurnani said, “I am looking forward to embodying and enjoying this new role. BBH has always been a place where ‘Outstanding is the norm’, and that applies to the work we do and the culture we have. As I continue my journey at BBH, I hope to zag for years to come.”

Meanwhile, Menon also commented, “I’m equal parts honoured, excited and terrified. BBH has an undeniably rich culture of creative excellence. And I know it’s only work that can help climb up to those rarefied heights. So I’m just going to focus on that.”

Barrett shared that it’s always great to welcome brilliant talent to key leadership positions, but it’s even better when that talent is promoted from within.

“Priya is a highly talented creative leader with a sharp and curious mind, great maturity and a clear vision for the kind of work both she and BBH want to produce. She has already proved an invaluable contributor by leading the PWW Bangalore creative team in the past. Arvind is an amazing new-age creative thinker who led the creative mandate on Emil before joining the BBH team. He comes with rich knowledge of the digital and creative tech landscape and is the perfect fit for BBH’s Modern India’s Fame Factory philosophy,” he said.

Just recently, BBH India has also promoted Radhika Burman, former vice president of strategy at BBH India, to be its new VP, head of Delhi, where she will be responsible for current clients, people, and new business performance in Delhi, along with driving strategic thinking across clients.

India – In conjunction with the Engineer’s Day celebration in India, which is celebrated on 15 September, India-based multinational conglomerate, JSW Group, has launched a new campaign, with the aim to remind people of the importance of engineers in shaping the world by asking a seemingly simple question – ‘What do engineers do?’.

Developed in partnership with advertising agency RepIndia, the campaign celebrates engineers with a heartfelt message about their role in building the country. Giving it a curious child’s perspective, the film talks about all things great and small that engineers have created to make the nation better.

Vinay Shroff, CMO at JSW Steel, said at JSW, their engineers are integral to everything they build and create, and their role is indispensable. 

“It was crucial that besides celebrating them we also made people aware of their unrivalled contributions in building the nation. We collaborated with RepIndia, to make this message come through in this film,” added Shroff. 

Meanwhile, Neelanjan Dasgupta, creative director at RepIndia, noted, “This was a special one, especially because we got an opportunity to tell a story keeping a child in mind. We wanted to thank the JSW team for giving us this opportunity to celebrate the true builders of the nation.”