Consumer word-of-mouth has become more critical than ever

Rohit Ohri, Executive Chairman, Dentsu India Group talks about creativity in India, industry trends, booming South India market, along with acquisition plans for 2014...

e4m by Deepa Balasubramanian
Published: Sep 13, 2013 8:31 AM  | 4 min read
Consumer word-of-mouth has become more critical than ever

In conversation with exchange4media, Rohit Ohri, Executive Chairman, Dentsu India Group talks about creativity in India, the latest industry trends, booming South India market, digital translation of ideas, along with acquisition plans for 2014...

How, according to you, is India positioned in terms of creativity?
I think India has done pretty well at international awards. The talent that we have in India is world-class. For example, Taproot won four Gold awards for one campaign, which is extremely good. We have seen a very positive movement and it’s a great start for us. I don’t think we have anything lacking in terms of creativity in India.

Is South India a lucrative market for young talent of the advertising world?
In terms of talent, there is a migration to Delhi and Mumbai, because I think that’s where the businesses are, especially in the world of advertising. The way we are looking at it is that we have created a hub for the Southern market and the creative nerve centre or planning nerve centre is Bangalore. We are also servicing in Chennai, Coimbatore, Cochin. Many people move to Bangalore from Chennai. So, I think clients are now asking for the best; the place of the agency does not matter to them. The client’s objective is to get to the talent and not restrict themselves to their city.

Please mention few innovative campaigns done for clients in the South? How strong is Dentsu Group in the Southern market?
Some of the clients are looking at iButterfly. We are doing lot of digital creativity as well for clients such as Jos Alukas. We have actually got jewellery buying to go online and increasingly, people are looking at it.

For Toyota, we enabled a Toyota Etios race, along with Toyota University Cricket Tournament.

We have a strong team in Bangalore. Though they are based out of Bangalore, they develop clients in Chennai and Kerala markets.

Please throw light on some of the industry trends you have observed?
One of the trends that I am seeing is how a piece of creativity can be translated into digital. The most important aspect is creating relevant, interesting and engaging content. Very important we have these three things in the communication business.

Brands are fighting for consumer mind space. So it’s very important to be relevant, and that I think is the insight and way forward in creativity.

The new trend is that the consumer has become the medium in a way. The word-of-mouth the consumer can generate is critical. The best example is British Airways – Visit Mum campaign. It has relevant content with a sharp insight.

We have seen Dentsu Group acquiring Taproot and then Webchutney. Are there any specific acquisitions in the pipeline?
We will be acquiring in the first quarter of 2014. We are looking at activation as it’s a big space. These acquisitions help us grow enormously. The two acquisitions that we have done have helped add over 75 clients to the Group, which is otherwise difficult. So, there is organic growth and inorganic growth. In this way, we get an opportunity to work with more clients in a holistic way by offering Webchutney clients to Taproot or Dentsu and vice versa. So we can expand the scope of the business.

You mentioned iButterfly. Can you please elaborate?
iButterfly is a text platform that any brand can use. Honda has just used it for its motorcycles. It’s a mobile platform. Any ‘idea brand’ can use it; of course, retail brands find greater utility.  It combines GPS, motion sensing and virtual reality. You just have to download the app and then as soon as you switch on the camera and swipe the phone around, you can see butterflies and catch them through the phone. This is a very interesting concept as I can release the butterfly in any geographic locations. So, you could have CCD butterfly or Zara butterfly or any brand that wants to use this. These are all created especially for the clients. It’s a virtual technology. The consumers can actually catch these butterflies, store them or trade in these butterflies and exchange with friends. The app could be used in many ways. We are also thinking of introducing it during IPL in the stadiums, provided we have a wi-fi.

What are some of the targets marked ahead of 2013?
I basically set my targets on the basis of the quality of the work we do for clients. My measures are only the measures of work, integrated services that we can create and the awards that we can win.

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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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