Guest Column: Confessions of a Cannes Rookie - What I learnt from Droga & Under Armour: Prashanth Challapalli, iContract
What does it take to build a great brand? What does it take to build a great agency? That's what I was asking myself as I left The Lumiere theatre after an absolutely inspiring session with David Droga & Kevin Plank of Under Armour, writes Prashanth Challapalli, iContract, Executive Vice President and Digital Head of iContract

What does it take to build a great brand? What does it take to build a great agency? That’s what I was asking myself as I left The Lumiere theatre after an absolutely inspiring session with David Droga & Kevin Plank of Under Armour.
The more I thought about what they said and the more I looked at some iconic brands and the way they have been built, a clear pattern emerged. Apple & Chiat/Day, Nike & W+K, UA & Droga 5, Steve Jobs and Lee Clow, Phil Knight & Dan Weiden, Kevin Plank & David Droga.
It was very clear that these people did three things really, really well.
1. A clearly defined Brand Purpose articulated into a really strong Point of View
2. A great Product that can justify and build on this purpose and
3. An agency-client Relationship built on respect, trust and chemistry starting at the top and going all the way down the hierarchy.
Droga & Kevin didn’t speak about the advertising they did together. Well, they did but it was more of a side note. For me, what stood out were the shared values, the belief in each other and their personal chemistry. You could tell there was tremendous mutual respect but there was more than that. There was a shared sense of a journey they want to be on together.
Their relationship started many years before Droga5 ever worked on the legendary Misty Copeland campaign. It started when UA was just a USD 1 Bn company and Droga5 was a 20 man scrappy outfit yet to achieve the iconic stature it has now. These guys kept in touch, kept talking and kept meeting.
Droga finally decided to give up a multi-million dollar relationship with Puma to work on a small project with UA. His CFO was livid but Droga was convinced that he wanted to handle UA because he wanted to work with Kevin. From the 2014 Misty Copeland campaign to last year’s multi-award winning campaign featuring Gisele Bundchen, it has been a meteoric rise for both the brands and both the men. As Droga asked, how many brands have a really strong point of view or purpose which reflects in its products, the behaviour of its people and it’s response to disaster?
That’s a great example of how conviction and a sense of purpose can build great brands.
How many marketers innately believe that their product is the best they can have at that point in time but also how they need to improve it for the future? As Plank put it, he is not concerned about what Nike or Reebok are going to do next. He is concerned about Apple or Amazon getting into the sports apparel business. Because he doesn’t see better materials as the threat, he sees technology as the threat.
As they spoke, one often finishing a thought the other man started, trust and transparency clearly emerged as the key pillars of a relationship. How trusting an agency is the hardest thing for a marketer to do and how earning it and sustaining it is the hardest thing for an agency to do. Trust survives bad campaigns and glitches as long as there is transparency.
Ending on a seemingly awkward note when Kevin Plank was asked about his reaction to the initial negative consumer response to their latest shoe launch in the US, Plank said, ‘Thank God! After 20 years in the business and 13 years of advertising, they finally care! About what we do, who we are and what it means to them. That is the one of the greatest things you can ever expect. That you are finally part of the consumer conversation’.
And the punch line at the end was when Plank said, ‘This consumer reaction clearly tells us that it is no longer a two horse race, it is now a three horse race and we are going to win it with the best goddamn jockey in the world, David Droga leading us!’
I just stood up, applauded and walked out feeling, ‘Wow! I want a piece of what they have!’
PS1: Droga5 was named after the fact that David Droga was the 5th of 7 children an his mother used to tag his clothes ‘Droga5’. Kevin Plank is also the 5th of 5 children. Coincidence or Karma?
(The writer is the Executive Vice President and Digital Head of iContract, the digital arm of Contract Advertising. All views are his and don’t represent those of his organization)
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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
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'
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 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
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
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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