International: Struggling Motorola revamps agency relationships; close to naming Ogilvy, MindShare to lead 'partnerships'
With rival Nokia moving aggressively to build its worldwide lead through marketing, and the iPhone rattling the handset marketplace, struggling Motorola has begun to restructure its marketing, from its agency alignment to its internal organization.
With rival Nokia moving aggressively to build its worldwide lead through marketing, and the iPhone rattling the handset marketplace, struggling Motorola has begun to restructure its marketing, from its agency alignment to its internal organization.
CMO Casey Keller, in an interview with Advertising Age during the Association of National Advertisers conference here, said he has abandoned a short-lived plan announced by the late Geoffrey Frost to allow Omnicom Group, spearheaded by BBDO, to lead agency relationships. Instead, Mr. Keller said he is in the process of finalizing a new agency alignment for consumer-directed marketing with some of the final decisions coming as soon as this week.
WPP Group's Ogilvy & Mather, currently the marketer's agency for Latin America and Asia, is being considered for additional duties in North America and possibly Europe, he said. Omnicom's AMV BBDO, London, is the incumbent on the European assignment.
Mother in the mix
In addition, two to three "creative hot houses" will be hired for projects. The first agency appointed is Mother, New York and London, which will be handling music devices and one or two other projects.
On the media side, Mr. Keller said he is assessing Motorola's $200 million to $300 million global media account. The incumbent for that business, WPP's MindShare, appears to have an upper hand in those discussions, he said.
"We're trying to create real partnerships -- that doesn't necessarily mean one agency -- but we're trying to create more consistent partnerships on the agency side on the both the B-to-B and B-and-B-to-C marketing communications efforts," he said, referring to business-to-business and business-and-business-to-consumer marketing efforts.
In recent months, Mr. Keller completed the consolidation of Motorola's B-to-B advertising under BBDO, a business estimated at $20 million to $40 million. But otherwise, Motorola's attempts to work with a number of Omnicom agencies have failed. First, Goodby, Silverstein & Partners never produced a long-expected branding campaign, with agency executives there eventually declining to work with a client some considered unable to make decisions.
Earlier this year, TBWA, San Francisco, offshoot, Cutwater, was close to being announced as Motorola's new agency of record for creative, having picked up the crucial assignment for the Razr2 phone. However, that contract never materialized and the relationship was doomed this fall after the shop failed to get a spot costing more than $750,000 on air.
The Razr conundrum
This particular battle raged on two fronts. First, the director Cutwater hired for the spot, Michel Gondry ("Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"), wrestled with the agency and marketer over creative control. But there was a second issue: should the campaign emphasize slimness, the Razr's "sharp" look that once made it a hot best-seller, or some of the phone's product attributes, an issue that has become important as cellphone morph into multimedia devices, especially following the launch of the feature-rich iPhone.
At the last minute, according to an executive familiar with the situation, Ogilvy, which produced a commercial focused on slimness through its Beijing office, was selected for the launch. Eventually, the Cutwater spot was put up on the web.
Mr. Keller praised the work of Ogilvy Beijing's executive creative director, Nils Andersson, but indicated there were barriers to Mr. Andersson's taking control of the Motorola account should Motorola choose consolidate at the agency.
Mr. Keller also is moving to ease internal creative difficulties around the company's ad production. Elena Panizza, an Italian who serves as Motorola's in-house worldwide creative director and often tangled with the Omnicom shops, will now focus on branding issues, such as how Motorola, going forward, will handle its "Hello Moto" tagline, as well as its bat-wing logo. "She will help define Motorola at the next level, Mr. Keller said.
Product development
Perhaps more important than the intrigue around Motorola's agency gyrations, Mr. Keller, a package goods veteran famous for spearheading green ketchup at Heinz, also is trying to retool the Motorola organization to move marketing into product development, so product designers, marketers and "all will talk together and design together."
These teams, he said, will understand market segments emerging in the mobile phone arena – teens, for example, are looking for music players -- and decide "how to design a phone for that audience." This focus on market segmentation will enable Motorola to "get a regular drumbeat of products," he said. "We are making decisions on our portfolio and are not just throwing spaghetti on the wall," said Mr. Keller.
Good thing. Motorola is the top handset supplier to three of the top five U.S. operators, according Strategy Analytics data for the second quarter of this year. However, the report said sales of Razr and its derivative phones are slowing, with LG, Samsung and Sanyo slicing Razr sales. The world's largest handset manufacturer, Nokia, newly reorganized on the marketing front with Wieden & Kennedy for creative and JWT for global distribution, is gaining ground in the U.S., the report said.
Source: AdAge.com
Read more news about (internet advertising India, internet advertising, advertising India, digital advertising India, media advertising India)
For more updates, be socially connected with us onInstagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook Youtube & Whatsapp
TOP STORIES
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.
Read more news about (internet advertising India, internet advertising, advertising India, digital advertising India, media advertising India)
For more updates, be socially connected with us onInstagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook Youtube & Whatsapp
ShareSwapan 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.
Read more news about (internet advertising India, internet advertising, advertising India, digital advertising India, media advertising India)
For more updates, be socially connected with us onInstagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook Youtube & Whatsapp
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.
Read more news about (internet advertising India, internet advertising, advertising India, digital advertising India, media advertising India)
For more updates, be socially connected with us onInstagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook Youtube & Whatsapp
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."
Read more news about (internet advertising India, internet advertising, advertising India, digital advertising India, media advertising India)
For more updates, be socially connected with us onInstagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook Youtube & Whatsapp
test
test
test
Read more news about (internet advertising India, internet advertising, advertising India, digital advertising India, media advertising India)
For more updates, be socially connected with us onInstagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook Youtube & Whatsapp
test
test
test
Read more news about (internet advertising India, internet advertising, advertising India, digital advertising India, media advertising India)
For more updates, be socially connected with us onInstagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook Youtube & Whatsapp
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."
Read more news about (internet advertising India, internet advertising, advertising India, digital advertising India, media advertising India)
For more updates, be socially connected with us onInstagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook Youtube & Whatsapp