Tag: South Asia

Mumbai, India – After a two-year hibernation, Portfolio Night is back in-person with a bang! This event by The One Club for Creativity, a global nonprofit organisation whose mission is to support the global creative community, was conducted worldwide, in different cities. For India, the Portfolio Night 2022 was held in Mumbai last 2 June 2022, and saw 55 new creatives show their work to a jury panel of the industry’s best creative minds. 

The global event was co-hosted by three Omnicom agencies, namely DDB Mudra Group, BBDO India, and TBWA\India. Meanwhile, the event’s panel comprised seventeen creative leaders from Indian advertising, who steered the fast-paced evening of advice, networking, and recruitment opportunities for new creative talent. It kicked off with an opening address by Josy Paul, Chairman, BBDO India. A rigorous 3-hour portfolio review session followed this.

Rahul Mathew, DDB Mudra Group’s chief creative officer, said, “This Portfolio night was much needed. Not just for new talent, but for us senior folks as well. We fed off their excitement and energy as they gathered our opinions and directions around their work.”

Meanwhile, Paul commented, “You could feel the shared passion and expectation in the fast-paced face-to-face interactions. All of us had left something to follow something we love, our creative calling. And you could feel that excitement and love in the room.” 

He also said, “I was looking for the person in the portfolio and I was thrilled that I met many young folks with a unique voice and a different view. Portfolio Night was a waterfall of pure creative energy.”

Parixit Bhattacharya, TBWA\ India’s chief creative officer, said, “The quality of work was astounding. The people behind the work were supremely interesting and from richly varied backgrounds. From architecture colleges to fine art schools to design schools and advertising schools. The excitement for the business in each of them was infectious. I couldn’t be happier to have played a small part in making this singularly energising event happen. Long Live The One Club Portfolio Night!”

The three Omnicom agencies also co-hosted an online pan-India Portfolio Night last 1 June 2022 for those outside of Mumbai.

India — Carat, the media agency from dentsu India, has bagged the media mandate for Croma, an Indian retail chain of consumer electronics and durables from the house of Infiniti Retail. The account was won following a multi-agency pitch and will be serviced from the agency’s Mumbai office.

As per the mandate, Carat India will oversee the brand’s media planning and buying rights – including traditional and digital. The agency will also partner with the larger teams at dentsu India to drive the full-funnel marketing needs of the client, further driving outcome-based solutions for the next phase of their exponential growth, keeping customers at the core of its planning and execution.

Commenting on the win, Anita Kotwani, CEO of Carat India, said, “We are backed by a consumer understanding proprietary framework, Designing for People, which is strong and always relevant. It is inspired by design thinking which enables us to help brands with an in-depth understanding of their consumers.”

She adds, “Our single-source consumer-connected system is the key differentiator in the Indian market. It has the ability to drive full-funnel client outcomes. Our ability to stay ahead of the curve in the tools and tech space by showcasing a unified holistic view of the consumers has been a key tenet that helped us clinch the business.”

Meanwhile, Shibashish Roy, chief business officer of ecommerce and marketing for Croma – Infiniti Retail, commented that they are expanding their presence in India by strengthening their omnichannel proposition with digital initiatives and aggressive store expansion plans. Roy adds that they’re looking forward to working with Carat India as their media planning partner to build on the Croma brand further.

Mumbai, India – To honour the World Menstrual Hygiene Day, which is celebrated every 28 May signifying the 28 days typical gap between 2 periods and 5 days which is the average duration of a period, India’s sanitary napkin brand Stayfree has launched a new campaign, aimed at raising awareness and attempting to change damaging social norms around menstruation. 

The new campaign, which was conceptualised in collaboration with DDB Mudra, is part of the brand’s efforts to normalise periods. These efforts include education partnerships, promoting best practices for Menstrual Hygiene Management, and encouraging open conversations on the subject, by the people who matter the most to the young girl – her family.

To unmute and normalise conversations around periods, Stayfree wanted to nudge those primarily responsible for a young girls’ holistic coming of age – mothers and fathers – to step up and do more to change this narrative of shame and silence. This journey began in 2020 when Stayfree helped young girls say ‘It’s Just a Period’ by encouraging their fathers and mothers to say it with them. After all, while menstruation may mark the physical maturity of a girl’s body, she is still emotionally vulnerable and ill-equipped to brave societal stigmas around periods. Hence, it becomes imperative for the people closest to the young girl – fathers, mothers, and teachers – to help her understand that periods are just a normal biological process.

Continuing this school of thought, Stayfree’s new film aims to encourage fathers to be involved in the period conversation with daughters because every conversation has an impact beyond that moment. It helps set the tone that periods need not be hushed conversations and open dialogue can make the father-daughter bond stronger.

Manoj Gadgil, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Health’s vice president of marketing for India, noted that they believe the onus of normalising period conversations rests on the people that the young girl trusts – her family, teachers, and society at large, and Stayfree is once again stressing the role of a father because they realised that there is a distinct vacuum in a father-daughter relationship during her teenage years. 

He further shared that right from the daughter’s birth, fathers are increasingly taking on greater responsibility for caregiving; a fact recognized by corporates who are now offering generous paternity leaves, and these same fathers want nothing but the best when it comes to supporting her dreams and ambitions, no matter how unconventional they may be. 

“Yet, during her teenage years, they take a step back and let the mother become the primary parent to help her navigate her periods. This begins the subtle conditioning around periods – hushed voices, not to be spoken about in front of the men of the household and the accompanying worry about storing, changing, and disposing of pads. This film urges fathers to do more- to talk to their daughters and help drive more positive social norms and behaviour around periods,” said Gadgil.

Meanwhile, Pallavi Chakravarti, DDB Mudra’s creative head for West, said “‘So what if Dad pretended that periods didn’t exist? So, what if he pointedly looked the other way when I was young and confused and bleeding for the first time? It isn’t his job to talk to me about menstruation’ – Women believe this to be true. Stayfree digs deeper to unearth what lies beneath this age-old norm, resulting in revelations for both fathers and daughters.”

Mumbai, India – Digital music company Believe has appointed strategy consultancy Pitchfork Partners to be its communication counsel that will manage its brand strategies in India.

As part of the mandate, Pitchfork Partners will be working closely with Believe India to strengthen its brand awareness and engagement for its services across Artist Services, Label and Artist Solutions, and TuneCore, as well as Ishtar with relevant stakeholders across the country. It will also drive and support Believe’s mission to develop independent artists and labels with their unique offerings and solutions, at each stage of their career and development.

Vivek Raina, Believe’s managing director for India, commented that they are excited with their association with Pitchfork Partners, as the agency’s experience and understanding of the industry align with Believe’s objectives and will help them reach emerging independent artists and labels in the digital world. 

“We are focused on building a community in which independent artists and labels will get a platform and partnership to build their fanbase and enhance their revenues in the digital world,” said Raina.

Meanwhile, Jaideep Shergill, Pitchfork Partners’ co-founder, said, “We are delighted to work with Believe India, given its leadership position in this competitive industry. It’s a great opportunity for us to drive their messaging across audiences in the country. We look forward to reaching new heights with Believe.”

Mumbai, India – Madison Media Ultra, a digital unit of Madison World, has been appointed as the media agency of record (AOR) for India’s household brand Jyothy Labs. This mandate will see Madison Media Ultra responsible for the brand’s traditional media and digital media mandate, including TV, print, and digital. 

Jyothy Labs is a well-established name in the FMCG category. It offers affordable household products, national accessibility, and exceptional packaging. Jyothy Labs operates several brands including Ujala, Pril, Maxo, and Margo, as well as EXO, and Henko, amongst others.

Jyothy MR, Jyothy Labs’ managing director, commented, “Madison is a respected name in the industry with its proven expertise in traditional and contemporary media platforms. We believe our brands will be ably assisted with Madison’s well rounded integrated media solutions in meeting our marketing objectives.”

Meanwhile, Jolene Fernandes Solanki, COO of Madison Media Ultra, shared that they are delighted to partner with one of the pioneering brands in the country, and they are pleased to have Jyothy Labs on board to partner with them in their growth journey. 

“We believe that our framework at Madison – ‘keeping consumers and technology at the centre’ – will complement Jyothy Labs’ growth journey,” said Solanki.

Just recently, Madison Media Omega, another unit of Madison World, has also been appointed as the media AOR for Ki Mobility, where it will be handling the traditional media and digital media mandate for the client including TV, print and online video media buying and planning.

India– WATConsult, the digital marketing arm of hybrid digital agency Isobar, has won the creative and social media mandate for CarDekho, India’s digital automotive solutions provider. The account will be managed by the agency’s Delhi office.

As per the mandate, WATConsult will be responsible for CarDekho‘s social media management, digital creative designing, and content marketing, as well as ORM.

Charu Kishnani, CarDekho’s SVP of marketing and content, commented, “We’re thrilled to partner with WATConsult as our creative and social partners. This engagement will help us elevate our brand presence with the right Strategy, Ideation and Creative thinking. We are looking forward to creating some good and memorable work. Welcome aboard, WATConsult.”

Meanwhile, Heeru Dingra, CEO of Isobar India, said, “CarDekho is a one-stop destination for new as well as second-hand cars. The brand’s auto and non-auto business is expanding, and we are so excited to embark on this journey with them.”

Sahil Shah, WATConsult’s managing partner, shared that they are happy to have the opportunity to partner with CarDekho and they cannot wait to build a dynamic brand presence for them. 

“Our strategy is to enhance the top of the mind recall that the brand has created by applying creative, new age thinking and a strong storytelling narrative,” said Shah.

Mumbai, India – The advertising regulatory body, Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), has updated its code to add greater inclusivity in advertising depictions, including new areas of possible discrimination or derision, such as gender identity and sexual orientation, body shape, age, and physical and mental conditions.

The new areas of the ASCI code, in addition to race, caste, creed, gender or nationality, will now be considered violations if an advertisement tries to mock or deride anyone on these bases. These changes to the ASCI code were approved by the board recently.

Talking about the changes, Manisha Kapoor, ASCI’s CEO and secretary-general, shared that they have seen consumers call out ads that mock or deride people, or portray them in unfavourable ways, and it is only fitting that advertising becomes more inclusive and sensitive to this.

“It is not acceptable for example, to associate characteristics such as sluggishness with a certain body shape. Similarly, to deride someone with a physical or mental ailment, or their gender identity would now violate the ASCI code. With this change, ASCI hopes to ensure that advertising becomes more inclusive and sensitised to all sections of our country, and does not perpetuate certain portrayals that have no place in a progressive society,” said Kapoor.

Bangalore, India – HiveMinds Innovative Market Solutions, the full-service digital marketing and consultancy firm by Madison World, has recently bagged the digital marketing mandate of Rupeek, India’s asset-backed digital lending platform.

Rupeek aims to democratise access to hassle-free, doorstep credit for all markets and audiences. Currently, Rupeek also operates in the gold loan space. Its investors include Sequoia Capital, Accel Partners, Bertelsmann, and GGV Capital, as well as VEF, and Lightbox.

Rupeek’s spokesperson commented that as they continue to grow and unlock gold-backed credit for a billion Indians, digital marketing will play an important role in driving this momentum further via tech-led gold monetisation (GoMon) in over 120 cities across the country. 

“We are happy to partner with HiveMinds in this digital-led growth,” the spokesperson said. 

Meanwhile, Deepti Bhadauria, HiveMinds’ chief strategy officer, shared that gold asset loan is a $2 trillion opportunity in India, and there is a massive consumer segment looking for access to cheap capital and monetisation of gold assets that can be unlocked using digital marketing effectively. 

“I am happy that we will be partnering with Rupeek, in scaling and building India’s largest digital asset-backed fintech platform,” said Bhadauria.

In January 2022, HiveMinds has also bagged the digital mandate of insurance firm Max Life Insurance to manage its paid marketing portfolio. 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. 

Cairo, Egypt — Payment industry giant Mastercard and fintech OPay have announced a strategic partnership, which marks a significant boost for wider financial inclusion and economic prosperity by opening up digital commerce to customers in Pakistan.

The collaboration enables OPay Pakistani consumers and merchants to engage with brands and businesses anywhere across the globe, thanks to a Mastercard virtual payment solution linked to the OPay eWallet. The partnership’s effect also reaches other regions namely in the Middle East and South Africa.

This partnership is the latest milestone in Mastercard’s emerging market strategy where the technology company is collaborating with growing fintech such as OPay to expand access to digital payments, enable multiple lifestyle services, and create new pathways to financial inclusion and support the next generation of super-apps.

Consumers are increasingly looking for seamless user experiences on a single platform offering easier interactions to complete various day-to-day needs, including sending and receiving money, ordering food and groceries, organizing transport, lending, investing and listing items they wish to sell.

In the initial phase of this partnership, OPay customers will benefit from the Mastercard virtual payment solution linked to their OPay wallets, to shop at well-known global brands for leisure, travel, accommodation, entertainment, streaming services and more. The service is available regardless of whether or not the customer has a bank account. It also allows small business owners to purchase from suppliers abroad and pay with the secure virtual payment solution.

Amnah Ajmal, executive vice president for market development at Mastercard EEMEA, said, “At Mastercard, our innovation strategy is rooted in partnerships to support inclusion at scale. Our partnership with OPay demonstrates our commitment to supporting payments providers across the world to create an interconnected global payments ecosystem that benefits an array of consumers with unique needs.”

Yahui Zhou, CEO of OPay, commented, “As the leading fintech in the Middle East and Africa, we are delighted to be partnering with Mastercard as we continue on our journey to promote financial inclusion, helping to open up the global economy to more consumers and businesses across the Middle East and Africa.”

Since its operations started in 2018, OPay’s active users have grown to 15 million in dozens of markets in which it operates. The company processes millions of transactions per day on average.

Plans are in place to launch OPay services in other markets in the next three to five years, significantly driving the growth of digital inclusion and digital commerce, while at the same time widening OPay customer inclusion into the global economy.

Mumbai, India – DDB Mudra Group’s media agency, 22feet Tribal Worldwide, has appointed Vishnu Srivatsav, former creative head of DDB Mudra’s South office, to be its new national creative director. 

The appointment of Srivatsav will take over from Debashish Ghosh, former national creative director at 22feet Tribal Worldwide, and will continue to report to Rahul Mathew, DDB Mudra Group’s chief creative officer. With Srivatsav at the helm, the agency aims to marry brand-first thinking with digital-first solutions as it gears up for the next phase of growth.

Since his appointment at DDB Mudra in 2015, Srivatsavhas led some of the Group’s award-winning campaigns that also sparked conversations. Under his leadership, DDB Mudra’s South office produced work such as Puma’s Suede Gully and Battlegrounds Mobile India’s Game Responsibly.

Commenting on his new role, Srivatsav said, “It’s been a terrific journey with the DDB Mudra group so far. And to lead an awesome team of creatives and be part of one of the most exciting names in digital – 22feet Tribal Worldwide – is nothing short of a privilege. Can’t wait to get started.”

Meanwhile, Mathew commented, “Vishnu has been a great partner to the organisation in our pursuit of creative excellence. He recently led our South office to one of our best years creatively. I look forward to him taking this momentum and his infectious energy into the exciting opportunity at 22feet.”

Preetham Venkky, 22feet Tribal Worldwide’s president, shared that Srivatsav has always been a huge source of inspiration for the creative team at 22feet. 

“His grasp on culture, specifically internet culture, is arguably the best in the country and established through his work over the years. We are super excited to have him come aboard, to inspire, shape and establish the culture of excellent creative work for our clients,” said Venkky. 

Just recently, 22feet Tribal Worldwide has won the digital mandate of Porter, India’s marketplace for intracity logistics, with the primary focus on brand awareness and community building.