Headquartered in Mumbai, Godrej & Boyce Mfg Co, a Godrej Group Company, has 15 diverse business divisions offering consumer, office and industrial products and services of the highest quality to every corner of India and across the globe.

As part of the mandate, Isobar India will manage the account from its Mumbai office. It is pertinent to note here that the agency won the account following a multi-agency pitch.

Speaking of the appointment, Animesh Bhartiya, Chief Communications Officer, Godrej & Boyce said, “Godrej & Boyce is going through an exciting phase. We are a diversified group with interests across 14 varied sectors. While, on the one hand we collectively have to ensure each of our businesses are independently responding effectively to the needs of its customers and all other stakeholders, it is also imperative on the other, to understand how resources can be best optimized at a group level by leveraging combined effort and spends. In a rapidly evolving media landscape, we also need new and innovative practices and approaches to connect meaningfully with a new generation of consumers. We believe Isobar has the necessary skillsets and attitude to bring fresh thinking to an organisation as varied as ours. Our teams are enthusiastic about the new partnerships. We are thankful to each of the agencies for their participation.”

Suruchi Trivedi, GM Corporate Marketing & Communications at Godrej & Boyce added, “Our objective was to drive efficiencies and more meaningful conversations by moving from a fragmented approach across the organization to a more consolidated one. We developed a comprehensive & robust scientific process for the pitch ensuring that all the key parameters of evaluation are dovetailed into the same. After a rigorous analysis along with the key stakeholders from within the company, we unanimously decided that the pitch response from Isobar best aligned with organization objectives. We now look forward to seeing this synergy come to life and deliver amazing results. We thank Triggerbridge who managed the pitch process for us."

Commenting on the win, Shamsuddin Jasani, Managing Director, Isobar India said, “Godrej & Boyce is one of the most prestigious brands in India. We are honored and thrilled that they have chosen us as their digital partners to help them in their digital transformation. We look forward to doing some great work together.”

The countdown has begun. As the excitement around the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards builds up, Hotstar, India’s leading video-on-demand platform, announces the live streaming of the grand event on its platform. Viewers from across the country will be able to tune in to the simulcast on 18 September, 2017, at 5:30 AM. Thereafter, the ceremony will be available in the Hotstar library from Tuesday, 19th September.

With a whopping 149 nominations across 23 shows, Hotstar is truly the home of the Emmys and will be the only digital platform in the country to simulcast the event. Viewers will have the opportunity to watch the much anticipated ceremony along with the rest of the world, from wherever they are. This year, the event will be hosted by Stephen Colbert, previous Emmy Award winner and host of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.

From the Hotstar library, acclaimed shows like Westworld, Feud, Veep and Big Little Lies lead the extensive list with the most number of nominations. Other favourites include Night Of, This is Us, Silicon Valley, The Wizard of Lies, among others. Through their partnership with the world’s largest studios, like HBO, Disney and Showtime, Hotstar has managed to bring the most celebrated international shows to India, under their Hotstar Premium bucket.
Watch the live streaming of the Emmys on Hotstar.

A frequent question I hear from senior global marketers is, "how can I maximise ad transference?" It's a sensible question. As zero-based budgeting grows in popularity, the opportunity to save costs by producing one ad that can be used in many countries is compelling. But there is the risk that making an ad work across multiple countries may not be the best way to maximise ROI.

Benefits and risks of a global approach

In many ways, the world is getting smaller and brands are becoming more international. Advertising produced and deployed globally has the potential to be a huge cost saver for marketers. But the odds are against the ad working effectively globally, so marketers need to know when a global ad is the best option and when it would be best to take a global idea and execute locally. And often, local marketers will say they can create better copy locally, which will more than cover the incremental production cost. So who’s right?

Few ads transfer successfully

Only 38% of the ads tested by Kantar Millward Brown that are strong in one country are strong in another. And only 20% of ads run that are strong in one country are strong in another. With evidence like that, you would be inclined to side with the local brand director and allow production of new creative.

Consistency, consistency, consistency

Because many brands are international and consumers are geographically mobile, giving creative control to local markets does run the risk of presenting non-unified brand associations. At worst, consumers could be confused about what a brand stands for.

Guide from the centre, execute locally

Some of the best global advertising we see has centrally defined ‘foundations’ with local execution. Giving the local team a framework to work within allows them to develop a brief which considers the brand’s status in that country. This is the biggest factor affecting whether or not an ad can cross borders successfully. It also means that local specifics around receptivity to advertising and any ‘red flags‘ around cultural sensitivities can be addressed.

Some marketers might argue that this approach is too time consuming and too costly, but if the foundations are strong, they’ll only need to be revisited every few years. And, following the global lead doesn’t have to add time to the development process.

Start with an insight

It might sound obvious, but the most successful global advertising starts with an insight. To be enduring and truly global, the insight has to be based on a fundamental human truth, not on an observation around a current fad or even a trend. And it doesn’t need to involve the brand.

The AdAge campaign of the century, Dove’s ‘Campaign for Real Beauty’ has been running since 2004. Every single ad was based on the insight that emerged from a three year research programme: few women considered themselves beautiful or that they were responsible for influencing their own definition of beauty. That insight has been the start of many creative executions over the years, with different local challenges, but it has proven to be very enduring yet flexible.

Define the purpose

The best campaigns don’t go straight from insight to execution. They identify the brand’s purpose, which is found at the intersection of the insight, the brand’s functional strengths and its emotional strengths.

Brand purpose is much harder for other brands to copy than product attributes, and provided the insight is a fundamental truth, it can be global and flexible when the product changes.

Always’ ‘Like a girl’ campaign has been so successful in part because its creative doesn’t deal with product attributes but focusses on the longstanding purpose of supporting girls as they transition from puberty to young women.

Develop a creative platform

The term may no longer be in vogue, but when brands operate in more countries, in more channels and in a more agile way than ever before, it makes sense for all communications to be based on a ‘big idea’. This means that the creative team have a framework within which they can work and a point of reference when it comes to how the brand talks to people. It gives teams a head start each time they’re called upon to produce new creative, and it means they can work pretty much in real time. Oreo’s famous ‘dunk in the dark’ tweet from the 2013 Super Bowl blackout was widely regarded to be genius, but was also a great example of planned spontaneity: an almost immediate response to the lights going out that was totally ‘on brand’ and ‘on market’.

The benefit for consumers? They have consistent and easily recognisable interactions with the brand, wherever they happen to be in the world.

While some people think that a consistent campaign idea is an outdated concept or a creative straight jacket, there are many brands that have found ways of expressing a consistent idea. Red Bull continuously develops new ways of executing against ‘gives you wings’.

Execute in market

If two or more markets have similar stages of category development, similar brand status and receptivity to advertising and there are no cultural ’red flags’ in the script, then the chances are that an ad that showcases the brand’s purpose and is built on its creative platform will transfer successfully. Ads that use strong visual language have the best chance of succeeding. It’s still worth doing a quick check with consumers to ensure the ad will resonate.

Written by Daren Poole,Global Brand Director, Creative Development Millward Brown

In sync with Omnicom Media Group’s commitment to invest, nurture and grow talent from within, the network has promoted Mamatha Morvankar previously the Managing Director for OMD India (West), to the role of Chief Investment Officer for Omnicom Media Group India.

In this role, Mamatha will be responsible for the investment, accountability and strategic partnerships across Omnicom Media Group’s four offices and for all clients across OMD and PHD. Mamatha’s role is effective immediately.

Mamatha has been one of OMD India’s founding members and has played an active role in OMD’s growth journey. Having won and managed a portfolio mix of automotive, FMCG, media, travel and technology clients, Mamatha’s passion and contribution to the overall business has led to both agency recognition and award-winning work.

Commenting on Mamatha’s new role, Harish Shriyan, COO, Omnicom Media Group said “We are delighted to fill this position with great talent from within the network. Mamatha has shown an impressive ability to drive intelligent application of scale across the strategic pillars of talent, technology, and innovation. She has headed up and transformed OMD India to be one of the most successful markets in APAC punching significantly above its weight. Mamatha has the perfect background and understanding of our needs to drive change in this area to maximize available opportunities, create new models and to deliver competitive advantage for our clients.”

“Investment is an area of increasing sophistication and plays a key role in supporting our business growth collectively across the network. We are delighted to have someone of Mamatha’s calibre and capability to lead our investment portfolio across India”, said Tony Harradine, Chief Investment Officer, Omnicom Media Group Asia Pacific.

Speaking about her new role, Mamatha said, “I am thrilled to embark on this new journey and support the vision, ambition and unparalleled client-satisfaction focus of Omnicom Media Group. The Indian market is currently in an exciting and challenging phase, and I look forward to this responsibility and working closely with the team to further strengthen our offering in the region”.

The incredible speed and fluidity of social media is a marvel of our digital age.

Social media is an unmatched mode of direct connection with your audience, but it also opens up a new world of crisis management where one complaint can quickly gain momentum, putting your brand’s reputation (and potentially, share price) at risk.

In order to build lasting trust amongst your customers’ base, setting the stage for the creation of loyal brand advocates, it’s essential to have a framework for responding to negative feedback on social, before it snowballs into a larger fiasco.

Here are five key social customer care tips which are applicable to every social marketer, no matter your industry.

1. Listen Carefully

Stopping a problem in its tracks (and building lasting relationships) starts with social listening.

Unfortunately, an angry customer won’t always speak directly to you - to ensure you don’t miss important feedback, you need to track all mentions of your brand, branded hashtags, and branded URLs shared on social - whether they include an @ mention or not.

2. Remember That Response Time Matters

When establishing your target response times, know that now, more than ever, speed matters.

Common SLAs can vary from mere minutes to hours, depending on a variety of factors including your industry and your team, and are likely to fluctuate based on peak times, specific events or campaigns. But one thing is consistent across the board: rapid replies are increasingly becoming the expectation.

In fact, 42% of customers who complain on social expect a response within 60 minutes. And with sensitive issues, like an emotionally charged complaint, a slow response can leave a customer feeling ignored and stoke the flames of further discontent.

Negative sentiment can soar, and multiply - in some cases, circulating on social until it reaches media outlets - when a brand’s response is seen as comparatively too slow.

3. Be Human, Be Transparent, And Never Go Negative

Brands can take the control of the situation by responding in a helpful and genuine manner. Never respond negatively or defensively.

Avoid canned responses and strive to establish a human connection.

Ensure your customer feels listened to, and don’t be afraid to apologize for any inconvenience or a less-than-stellar experience to help diffuse a negative situation.

4. Respond Publicly Before Moving to a Private Conversation

When responding to a complaint on social, always reply publicly before moving the conversation into a private message.

The days of purely 1:1 communication are behind us - on social, a brand may be replying to a comment directed solely at your brand, yet this exchange is still taking place in the public eye.

Responding publicly is essential to showcasing your brand as transparent, attentive, and helpful. Only after this first step should you move the conversation into a private message in order to provide a solution with greater detail, or to ask for sensitive information, like an account number or identifying details, essential to solving the customer’s problem.

Negative feedback on social can also represent the chance to turn unhappy customers into brand advocates and provide unique opportunities to surprise and delight.

5. Know When to Engage - and When Not To

Responding to social posts - both compliments and complaints - can strengthen a brand’s relationship with its customer base, but comments that veer into trolling territory (comments that are racist, sexist, or otherwise aggressively derogatory) are often better left untouched.

Be transparent with your audience by including a statement of what violates your online community terms in your bio or 'About me' section, and that you reserve the right to remove any postings of a vulgar, discriminatory, or inappropriate nature.

One caveat: be wary of deleting comments. This can incite more anger, and additional comments are likely to increase - both in number and in vitriol.

If a comment is derogatory, you can report it and on some networks, like Facebook, you can hide the comment from the public. This feature lets the comment remain visible to the user who posted it, as well as to the original poster’s friends, which lessens the potential for additional conflict when removing a comment from the public eye.

Investing in Customer Experience Starts with Listening

There's no better way to understand what your customers need and want than via their own feedback. A negative comment presents an opportunity to show your brand’s dedication to resolving any issues with transparency and empathy.

Use the five steps above to deliver service necessary for a satisfied fanbase - and to create a brand worthy of customer loyalty.

Written by Manish Agarwal, Brand Head at Zee Entertainment Enterprises and a Digital and Social Media Strategist from IIM Calcutta.