Draftfcb Ulka completes 50 yrs on Feb 1: Ambi Parameswaran in conversation

Draftfcb Ulka is embarking on its Golden Jubilee Year. The celebrations ahead include client-facing, in-office and society facing events.

e4m by Noor Fathima Warsia
Published: Jan 10, 2011 7:30 AM  | 4 min read
Draftfcb Ulka completes 50 yrs on Feb 1: Ambi Parameswaran in conversation

The year 2011 is special for Draftfcb Ulka as the agency completes 50 years on February 1. The company’s top brass has planned a series of events and initiatives to mark this milestone. In a conversation with exchange4media, Ambi MG Parameswaran, Executive Director & CEO, Draftfcb Ulka, speaks on the plans for the Golden Jubilee year and the legacy that the agency wants to take forward.

One point Parameswaran stresses on time and again is the Draftfcb Ulka philosophy of long-term commitment towards employees, clients and other stakeholders. He believes this is reflected in the continuation of the top team, and clients who have been around for over a decade. “This is the legacy Ulka has created in the last 50 years, and we want to ensure is that this legacy continues for another 50 years at least,” said Parameswaran.

Speaking further on some benchmarks that the agency had outlined for the years ahead, he added, “The next is to prepare the organisation for the exciting future that India offers. Next many years are going to be very exciting in India – there are new brands coming in, enhanced competition and we want to make the organisation strengthen its learning orientation.”

The final thing on Parameswaran’s list is to give back to the society in terms of sharing knowledge, experience, and help create a breed of better advertising professionals. He explained, “We are planning a series of workshops and seminars, where we would try and reach to a larger audience outside. This would help improve advertising knowledge in the market place. We have also planned at least two books to be published in the next three to six months, authored by some of the senior people in the company.”

In short, Ulka is geared to strengthen its offering as it celebrates five decades of operations.

The in-house celebrations are open to Ulka employees and alumnus. The agency has put together Ulka50years.com for current and former employees, where archival material has been published. Parameswaran observed, “This is more for nostalgia, which is one part of the in-house celebrations, and we have planned a party on February 1 across our offices for Ulka-ites and ex Ulka-ites. Later in February, we would also have client-facing events in the form of a get-together in Mumbai and Delhi, where we are expecting senior people from Draftfcb.”

As Parameswaran puts it, this is just the beginning of celebrating the Golden Jubilee Year.

Walk Down Memory Lane
Ulka Advertising was founded on February 1, 1961 by Bal and Ann Mundkur. There were seven people who formed the first team, including RK Joshi, considered the father of modern typography in India. Bal’s brother Bhaskar Mundkur joined Ulka soon after, leaving Hindustan Lever. The agency went on to build its business based on strategy based advertising.

Some of the early clients included Gabriel, Crompton Greaves, Mukund, Godrej, Ciba Geigy, Zodiac, Nerolac, Ceat and ITC. The agency opened offices in Kolkata and Delhi in the first decade, and moved into Bangalore and South India 10 years later. A team of six professional managers comprising Ambi MG Parameswaran, Arvind Wable, Shashi Sinha, Nagesh Alai and Niteen Bhagwat, led by Anil Kapoor, joined the agency in the late ’80’s. The new team built on the foundation and took the agency into the top-five league.

In February 1997, Foote Cone & Belding (FCB) acquired a 51 per cent stake in the agency and the name was changed to FCB Ulka. In 2007, Draft Worldwide and FCB merged globally to form Draftfcb. Soon after, Draftfcb acquired the remaining 49 per cent stake and the name changed to Draftfcb Ulka, a 100 per cent Interpublic Group company.

An official statement stated: “Over the past 50 years, the agency’s belief is reflected in its enduring client relationships, many of which can be traced back to the first decade of the agency [ITC, Zodiac, Nerolac]. Many other clients have been with the agency for over two decades [Wipro, Amul, Tata Consultancy Services, Hero Honda, Agrotech, Blue Star]. Similarly, the agency’s top management has stayed together for over two decades; KS Chakravarthy (Chax) further strengthened the core management team when he joined as National Creative Director two years ago. Interestingly, the top 45 executives would have served an average of 10 years+ with the agency group.”

Over the last two decades Ulka has turned itself into a marketing communication solutions provider with two mainline agencies – Draftfcb Ulka Advertising and Interface Communications. It also has media service brand Lodestar UM Media, direct and digital arm Draftfcb Ulka Interactive, pharma agency Draftfcb Ulka Healthcare, Nebula Films, Procyon Graphics, IO Design and Cogito Consulting.

 

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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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e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 25, 2023 4:39 PM  | 1 min read

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e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 25, 2023 4:38 PM  | 1 min read

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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