Cannes Juror Speak: Companies don't scam & don't believe in scam: Colvyn Harris

The CEO of JWT South Asia, who is on the jury for the Creative Effectiveness category at Cannes Lions 2014, talks about what it will take India to win in the category, his favourite Cannes memories and more...

e4m by Priyanka Mehra
Published: Jun 11, 2014 8:51 AM  | 4 min read
Cannes Juror Speak: Companies don't scam & don't believe in scam: Colvyn Harris

Colvyn Harris, CEO, JWT South Asia is on the jury for the Creative Effectiveness category at Cannes Lions 2014. In conversation with exchange4media, he talks about what it will take India to win in the category, his favourite Cannes memories, the unfairness of a company’s integrity being questioned when individuals run after fame resulting in scam and more...

What do you think it will take India to win in the Creative Effectiveness category? What are the areas that we need to work on?
As much as creativity and ideas are important, the benchmarking on result and effectiveness has an equal weightage. Evidence is what the jury will look for.

For India to do well, our packaging must improve, to support the evidence with proof points, which can be established as facts. Finally it is metrics – if you can’t prove the metrics, you can’t win.

What is the creative effectiveness score you would give India as of now?
Three or four – this is basis last year’s shortlist and award winners.

For a country that is said to have great creative talent, what are the challenges that Indian agencies need to overcome to ‘up’ their performance at Cannes?
It is the sensibility; we operate in an Indian environment, the global jury must understand the ethos or the cultural difference that exists in the country. I think that is where there is a mismatch; work that we love, may not be the work that the rest of the world loves, that difference needs to bridged. Having said that, there is fantastic work done globally, so we are competing on a very level playing field. From what I have seen, the work globally has an edge – with a combination of great work, production and great packaging, backed by evidence and proof points of bringing about a change. Fundamentally, it is important to get your strategy right – great strategy leads to a great idea. Where we seem to lose is when we need to address an issue that advertising must solve or resolve; many times we get straight into creativity and the creative idea. We must crack the strategy and get it right, and then get into the ideation.

Creativity is a tool; if advertising doesn’t work in the marketplace, who are you keeping happy?

How do you balance between presenting your country’s case as part of the jury and doing the right thing?
I will just do what is right, when you go in wearing a jury cap, it is all about the piece and the work, it doesn’t matter which country it is from at that moment.  If some of the work is being unfairly judged because of comprehension, or if someone doesn’t understand the cultural nuances, then you have voice.

There was talk of scam work being part of the winning work at Cannes last year. Do you think the incidence of scam work is going to decrease?
You can identify an opportunity around a client’s business and proactively take it to him, even though it is out of scope. If the client chooses to run it, it is not scam.

Global companies do not risk their reputation built over the years for a little fame.

Companies do not scam, and do not believe in scam. The integrity and purpose of a company shouldn’t be put up for speculation, when people are the ones who created that scam and they are chasing their own ambitions, fame and glory.

What is your best memory of Cannes so far (personal and work-related)?
When we stood up on the stage with the Indian flag when we won the Grand Prix (Lead India campaign for The Times of India), it was our proudest moment. Over the years we won for a lot of work, first time when we won for ICICI – a Gold in the Direct category – I was in Contract. We weren’t really aware of what we had achieved. My best moment is yet to come.

You must look at Cannes like a week of great inspiration, great food, meeting a lot of people you don’t otherwise meet; the fraternity comes together and you see some great work.

Personally, it was going on the Microsoft yatch, sailing for 2-3 hours; they were 10 of us, we spent the day out and had a lovely lunch. 

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E4M Our strategy is to target younger audiences through Sports: Rajiv Dubey, Dabur

The Head of Media at Dabur India spoke exclusively to exchange4media on the World Cup, associating with Indian Idol, the company’s digital spending and much more

e4m by e4m Staff
Published: Oct 27, 2023 6:15 PM  | 1 min read
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With quirky campaigns, memes and moment marketing, timed with the ongoing World Cup and particularly the India-Pakistan matches, Dabur India has got considerable consumer attention for its popular brands – Red Paste, Cool King Hair Oil, Chyawanprash, Dabur Vita and the recently launched Bae Fresh Gel toothpaste.

The 140-year-old company is going big on key sporting events, World Television Premiere (WTP) movies and reality shows. It is now gearing up to become the title sponsor of popular talent show ‘Indian Idol’ on Sony TV for the first time, shared Rajiv Dubey, who leads the media strategy at Dabur.

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Swapan Seth's new book 'COOL' is out

The book is a reflection of the author's 'eclectic taste across categories'

e4m by e4m Staff
Published: Oct 27, 2023 6:07 PM  | 1 min read
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Advertising professional and art collector Swapan Seth has announced the launch of his new book COOL. The book is described as "a ready reckoner to the hip and the happening, of the known and the very unknown."

The book is a reflection of the author's "eclectic taste across categories: from boltholes to exotic hideaways."

COOL has been published by Simon & Schuster India and is available on Amazon.

Seth is an ad veteran with a long and illustrious career in the industry. He became the youngest-ever Creative Director at Clarion at age 24. He was VP at 26 at Trikaya Grey. Two years later, he started his agency Equus.

He writes for publications such as The Economic Times, Hindustan Times and India Today. This is his second book and he has previously published THIS IS ALL I HAVE TO SAY.

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Disney Star signs 9 sponsors for Asia Cup PAK

Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up come on board

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 26, 2023 11:48 AM  | 1 min read
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e4m Staff Disney Star has signed nine broadcast and digital streaming sponsors for the upcoming Asia Cup.

Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up have come on board for the upcoming tournament.
As reported earlier by exchange4media, Disney Star has sought Rs 26 crore for the co-presenting sponsorship on TV and Rs 30 crore for Disney+ Hotstar.

According to industry sources, the associate sponsorship on Star Sports has been priced at Rs 19.66 crore, whereas for the ‘powered by’ sponsorship on Disney+ Hotstar, the broadcaster is seeking Rs 18 crore.

As per the information available with exchange4media, Disney+ Hotstar has three sponsorship tiers-- co-presenting (Rs 30 crore), powered by (Rs 18 crore) and associate sponsorship (Rs 12 crore). The broadcaster is offering an estimated reach of 120-140 million for co-presenting sponsors, 90-100 million for powered by and 60-70 million for associate sponsorship.

A spot buy for 10 seconds has been priced at Rs 25 lakh for the India vs Pakistan matches, while for the non-India matches, the ad rate for 10 second is Rs 2.3 lakh. The India matches plus the final for ODIs has been priced at Rs 17 lakh per 10 seconds.

Asia Cup is scheduled to be held from 30 August, 2023, to September 17, 2023.

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Sorted 360 wins creative & social media mandate of Reliance Mall

The agency will manage offline and online campaigns for Reliance Mall

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 26, 2023 10:54 AM  | 1 min read
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Sorted 360, an integrated creative and social media agency, has won the mandate to providing brand solutions for Reliance Malls across India.

“Sorted 360 is set to enhance Reliance Malls' market presence with their unparalleled creative prowess and strategic thinking,” read a press release.

“Sorted 360's commitment to pushing the boundaries of creative communication aligns perfectly with Reliance Malls' ethos. With a pan-India presence spanning across 19 cities and growing, Reliance Malls has consistently captivated customers by offering an array of Reliance brands and third-party fashion & lifestyle brands. The mall has established an unparalleled connection with its patrons through superior quality, a remarkable value proposition, and an unmatched shopping experience,” it read further.

"We are thrilled to welcome Sorted 360 as our trusted partner in advancing our brand presence across the nation," said the Head of Marketing at Relaice Malls. "Their proven expertise in retail, shopping center management, and innovative creative strategies make them the perfect fit for our vision."

"Partnering with Reliance Malls is a testament to our commitment to shaping extraordinary brand experiences," remarked Prerana Anatharam, Co-founder of Sorted 360. "We are excited to leverage our strategic and creative acumen to further elevate Reliance Malls as the epitome of convenience, choice, and excellence."

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KlugKlug onboards Hemang Mehta as Country Manager for Indias

Mehta was most recently Head of Agency Relationships at Network 18 Media & Investments

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 24, 2023 3:35 PM  | 1 min read
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KlugKlug has appointed Hemang Mehta as its Country Manager for India.

Mehta will play a pivotal role in driving KlugKlug's growth and expansion within the Indian market and be responsible for Sales & GTM Strategy

Prior to that, he has also represented organisations like Exponential (now VDX.tv), India Today Digital and Rediff.com. His expertise spans various domains including digital media sales, mobile marketing, media planning, and buying, social media marketing, and more.

Hemang Mehta expressed his enthusiasm about joining KlugKlug, saying, "I am thrilled to be a part of KlugKlug, a forward-thinking platform that is reshaping the influencer marketing landscape. As much as I look forward to collaborating with the exuberant team at KlugKlug, I am super excited to interact with the brands to deliver powerful data-backed Influencer solutions that will guarantee business outcomes."

Commenting on the appointment, Kalyan Kumar, Co-Founder and CEO of KlugKlug, stated, "We are excited to welcome Hemang Mehta to our team as the Country Manager for India. His extensive experience in digital media sales and marketing will be instrumental in driving our efforts to provide influencer marketing solutions to our clients. We believe Hemang's leadership will be key in scaling our operations and expanding our reach within the Indian market."

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