Remembering V Ramani: Vikas Mehta

Vikas Mehta, V Ramani’s former colleague, remembers him as the quintessential advertising man who understood the power of creativity, especially in media

e4m by Vikas Mehta
Published: Aug 2, 2012 2:06 AM  | 3 min read
Remembering V Ramani: Vikas Mehta

The last time I met V Ramani was about eight years ago. I was then in charge of Lowe Dubai and Ramani was in town as a digital evangelist. Yes, eight years ago, when digital meant Internet dial-up connections and no spam SMSes to bother you, Ramani wanted to conquer this new world.

There were no half measures in Ramani’s life, he gave his 100 per cent in whatever he got interested in. As our erstwhile colleague Devika Sharma put it, he had an insatiable greed for highs – work, love, friends, partying, antakshri, cricket… his enthusiasm and his love for another nasha was what defined him.

He has many firsts to his credit, but his biggest achievement in my mind was to make media seem as sexy as creative. He was one of the earliest who would be chasing an idea. How can media make Philips an in-your-face brand for the youth? Philips Top 10, Philips out of the box… some of you will remember these TV properties from the 90’s. I daresay these would not have seen light of day without Ramani.

Not to say he was not a number cruncher. But for him, numbers were just a tool. He was the quintessential advertising man. He had understood the power of creativity, especially in media.

Ramani was a gambler. He would love to take risks. He would stick his neck out and backed what he believed in to the hilt. I can think of various examples where he coaxed, cajoled and finally got the client to do something never tried before.

Frankly, sometimes even I would be apprehensive if he had gone too far. And once in a while he did. But Ramani had advertising DNA in him. He understood the power of being creative. And he taught me a big lesson. Whatever you are diong in advertising, unless there is an element of creativity, uniqueness and ideation in your work, you are a deadwood in this industry.

And he would not be satisfied with just the big ideas. He would want to craft them. I remember him excitedly calling at 11 pm from a bar (those were the pre-mobile phone days), amidst the static of the MTNL landline he would be talking about what Satish Shah would do in the next episode of Philips Top 10.

Work hard and party hard. Ramani lived life to the full. I would wonder when he slept, where he got his energy from. I think for him sleep was a low, a downer where his nasha would disappear.

His loud guffaw was infectious, his drinking sessions boisterous and his love for Hindi film songs and cricket was indeed amazing. He would impromptu challenge me to cricket quiz and I would mostly end up second best. There would not be a week in the office or at a bar where Ramani did not organise a game of Antakshri.

I lost touch with Ramani in the last few years. But from what I heard about him, he hadn’t changed much. So, in a way when I heard about his illness a week or two back, I was not surprised. His constant search for the next high had finally gotten to him. He was a simple Chembur boy and life dealt him the most unkind cut at the end with so many complex medical conditions.

At the moment I am sure he is challenging God (or is it the devil!) for a quiz on cricket or a game of Antakshri. And in the meanwhile, he has worked out new ideas to promote heaven and hell.

I hope you have found a new nasha.

The author is former colleague of V Ramani from Contract and EuroRSCG.

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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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