Inspiration, Perspectives, and Action from a Day of Dynamic Dialogues

Leo Burnett India wins Grand Prix for ‘Airtel 175 Replayed’ campaign

Following an exhilarating Day 1 of Goafest 2023, Day 2 kicked off with a line-up of insightful, informative and inspiring speakers and sessions. Each discussion offered insightful and unexplored information, from knowledge seminars to presentations, and as the day unfolded, learnings, experiences, creativity, and innovation culminated into the essence of this day!

The first session of Day 2 was presented by India Today, discussing the Future of Connected Devices and Cross Channel Measurement with Moderator, Rajdeep Sardesai - Consulting Editor - of India Today Television with Panellists Geet Lulla - VP of Sales & Head Asia Pacific - Comscore, Pankaj Krishna - Founder and CEO - Chrome DM, and Salil Kumar - CEO - ITGD. The session focused on the future of connected devices, highlighting seamless integration, effortless communication, and sophisticated cross-channel measurement for effective strategies.

Thereafter, Disney Star presented a Knowledge Seminar, titled The Evolving Economy And The Future Of Startups with Anuradha SenGupta, Independent Journalist leading the conversation with Rajan Anandan, Managing Director - Sequoia Capital & Surge. The dialogue highlighted the evolving economy that has become a conducive environment for startups and Rajan’s belief in the profitability of growth-stage companies in the near future.

This discussion was followed by yet another Knowledge Seminar powered by The Hindu Group, Supercharging Creative Effectiveness: Unleash The Potential Of Your Campaigns led by Ed Pank, Managing Director - WARC APAC. He presented several thoughts and insights on the need for original creativity. Ed spoke about and presented several instances where parameters like inclusive marketing, sound mnemonic, and authentically participating cultures and subcultures play a consequential role in a creative impact.

The second half of the day began with Digital Creator & Stand-up Comic, Aiyoo Shraddha, filling the room with uncontrollable frolic and laughter.

Following this comical session, a Knowledge Seminar titled ‘Data-Driven Marketing - Are We Walking The Talk?’ powered by InMobi in association With Dainik Jagran showcased Moderator, Vikram Sakhuja, Group CEO Madison Media & OOH with Panellists Chandan Mukherji, Director & Executive VP - Nestle India, Priyanka Gill, Group Co-Founder, Good Glamm Group & CEO, Good Media Co, Ravi Santanam. CMO - HDFC, and Vipul Prakash, COO, MakeMyTrip. This session discussed in-depth numerous elements that need to be factored into the workings of the world of data-driven marketing, to which, Chandan aptly added, “Data is helping brands make real-time marketing decisions.”

The session also, through the panel discussion, assessed the utilisation of the relevant data, aggregated, and personalised as well as the shift from traditional approaches because of available data and its analysis. Priyanka rightly added, “Data today is a blunt instrument, but with time and teams learning to use data sufficiently, it could become a sharper tool.”

Similarly, this interaction also underlined the importance of enriching data collection on parameters that are relevant to a brand. In this case, informed hypotheses will help brands with growth in conversion rate because consumer behaviour patterns are being learnt and evaluated like never before.

Later, OMS Digital, a part of the Times Group presented the ASCI Creators Session, titled Creator Calling Creator a session curated by the Advertising Standards Council of India moderated by Subhash Kamath - Former CEO, BBH & Publicis Worldwide, India | Former Chairman - ASCI. The panellists included Rajdeepak Das - Chief Creative Officer and CEO, Leo Burnett, SouthAsia, India & Chairman, Creative Council, Publicis Groupe - South Asia, Shreya Agarwal - Head of FilterCopy, Pocket Aces, Smruthi Rajagopalan - AGM Maybelline, L’Oreal and Prableen Kaur Bhomrah, Beauty, Fashion, Body Positive & Lifestyle Influencer. This session narrowed down the connection between content creators, collaborators, inspiration, and the need to foster a thriving creative community.

The questions posed also garnered answers and information that tallied the sentiment of brand-agency relationships today and their applicability during campaigns. The collaborators, whether digital or mainline, all partner, bringing their expertise to the table along with recommendations for other platforms as well. Rajdeepak rightly added, “Ideas can come from anywhere, the only thing that matters is how we make it big. For that to happen, all the collaborators need to have one goal - to make the idea big.”

In summary, the conversation underlined the power of creators coming together to exchange ideas, share knowledge, and elevate their craft, collectively.

These sessions, for Day 2 at Goafest, concluded with a Knowledge Seminar by Disney Star, titled Unearthing Future Talent: The Rise of Indian Cricketers from the Grassroots. The crowd could not keep calm when Harbhajan Singh, Indian Cricket Legend & Member of Parliament, took to the stage. It was unbelievably surreal and enthralling, all at once. In conversation with Manish Batavia, Sports Presenter & Commentator, he revealed so many components that make a cricketer, starting with self-belief, his experiences on-field and off-field, moving on to his journey beyond cricket, and then finally his upcoming book.

The discussion highlighted the immense talent pool in the country and the effectiveness of nurturing young players at the grassroots level. Harbhajan fondly remembers, “I tried my hands at Judo and Badminton, but Cricket was very close to my heart; I wanted to be like Kapil Dev!”

Harbhajan, in answer to Manish’s question about coaching, said, “Coaching is one thing, honest management of talent is what is required today.” He believes that through dedicated coaching programs, infrastructure development, and a passion for the sport, India’s young cricketers will make their mark on the international stage, paving the way for a promising future in cricket. This interview with Harbhajan showcased the potential for India to consistently produce skilled and competitive players who can contribute to the success of India.

Finally, he shared his insights on consistent practice and focus on a single goal. He also spoke about his learnings from failures and how he used them to do better at his game. He exited with the same gusto as his entry!

Parallelly, in the latter half of the day, the lineup of masterclasses began with Convosight, ‘Unleashing the Voice of Your Customers: Building Brand Advocacy in Communities’ by Tamanna Dhamija, Rajan Anandan & Shuvadip Banerjee. The speakers emphasised how brands and consumers can co-exist and create opportunities for each other whilst stressing the power of online communities. This was followed by the ‘Maximizing Your Advertising Potential on Flipkart’ masterclass, where Vaibhav Kapur, Senior Director of Flipkart Ads shared his experience and knowledge on how brands can weave effective digital ads from a company’s marketing and advertising perspective. Last, in line, the India Today Group: The Lallantop Adda masterclass primarily focused on the future of video content. Saurabh Dwivedi used references from film to deliver an entertaining masterclass about what successful video content will look like, going forward.

Well, that brought us to the end of yet another eventful day at Goafest 2023 coupled with a gala dinner and after-hours party with DJ Savio Joseph Mendez powered by MASTIII in association with Absolut Glassware.

ABBY Awards Highlights:

COG Culture was awarded as the Design Specialist Agency of The Year, with a total of 16 metals. The category saw a total of 3 Gold, 13 Silver and 16 Bronze Metals along with 17 Merits.

Leo Burnett India was recognised as the Digital Specialist Agency of The Year with a total of 15 Metals. The category saw a total of 6 Gold, 15 Silver, and 37 Bronze Metals. There were 6 Merits in the category. Leo Burnett India was awarded a Grand Prix for Airtel’s ‘Airtel 175 Replayed’ campaign.

With a total of 3 Metals, Mindshare was recognised as the Mobile Specialist Agency of The Year. The category witnessed a total of 15 Metals with 2 Gold, 5 Silver, 4 Bronze and 4 Merits.

Mindshare was also recognised as the Technology Specialist Agency of The Year with 4 Metals. The category had 3 Gold, 6 Silver, 7 Bronze and 4 Merits being awarded.

FCB Group India was recognised as the Direct Specialist Agency of The Year with 10 Metals in total. The category saw a total of 3 Gold, 12 Silver, 13 Bronze and 10 Merits being awarded.

FCB Group India was recognised as the Public Relations Specialist Agency of The Year with 8 Metals. The category had 6 Gold, 9 Silver, 7 Bronze, and 4 Merits in total.

With a total of 9 Metals, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited was awarded as the Broadcaster of The Year Award. The category witnessed a total of 6 Gold, 8 Silver, 4 Bronze and 1 Merit.

Stay tuned for Day 3!

To know the agenda for Day 3, please click HERE

The Times of India, the country's largest English newspaper, today launched the "Saving Our Stripes" campaign to raise awareness about the importance of tiger conservation.

The campaign commemorates the 50th anniversary of Project Tiger, a centrally-sponsored scheme that started in 1973 and aims to ensure the survival and maintenance of the tiger population in specially constituted tiger reserves throughout India.

“This year marks the completion of 50 years of Project Tiger, a world famous conservation model and success story,” said Kaustuv Chatterjee, Director, TOI. “Times of India is giving the nation a popular film(s) and song on the occasion to drive home the importance of the project for future generations as well. Through this initiative, we are taking the message of conservation to the masses, signifying that tigers and forests are a national treasure and an inheritance for our children.”

The “Saving Our Stripes” campaign has featured a variety of content across TOI’s print and digital platforms, including quirky contests, thought-provoking editorials, and a special Tiger Anthem curated by celebrated artists including Nalla Muthu (a national award-winning wildlife cinematographer) and Shantanu Moitra (composer and musician for Bollywood films like 3 Idiots and Parineeta).

The Tiger Anthem showcases heartwarming images of pure love between a mother tiger and her cub, giving viewers a glimpse into their habits and the world they inhabit. The film traces their path to the serene tunes of Moitra, surreal lyrics by Tanveer Ghazi, and beautiful visuals capturing the power of emotion by Nalla.

“The hearts of the toughest human beings will melt on seeing a tiger cub caressing its mother’s face,” said Moitra. “It will work because the song and visuals are from a cub’s perspective. I am hoping children will pick it up like the ‘lakdi ki kathi, kathi pe ghoda’ song of the 80s.”

Elaborating on how music and films are the best mediums for communicating a message to people, Nalla said, “The minute you talk about tigers and poems, people remember William Blake’s ‘Tyger, tyger burning bright’ first. Using music or a narrative-driven medium like a feature film to convey a message can have a profound impact on an audience. Emotionally engaging content often resonates with people on a deeper level, making it more likely that they'll remember the message and potentially act on it.”

When launched, Project Tiger covered nine reserves across 18,278 sq. km. Currently, there are 53 tiger reserves spanning 75,000 sq. km. Today, with 3,167 tigers, 75 percent of the global wild tiger population is in India.

“The ‘Saving Our Stripes’ campaign is a call to action for all of us to do our part to protect these majestic creatures,” said Chatterjee. “By raising awareness about the importance of tiger conservation, we can help ensure that these magnificent animals continue to thrive for generations to come.”

To learn more about the “Saving Our Stripes” campaign, visit www.savingourstripes.com

Eleven leaders from across WPP have been recognised in the 2023 Empower Role Model Lists, designed to celebrate leaders who are championing inclusion for people of colour within global businesses.

The lists, compiled by INvolve and supported by YouTube, celebrate 100 Ethnic Minority Executives, 100 Ethnic Minority Future Leaders and 50 Advocate Role Models from across all industries for their commitment to DE&I in the workplace and to driving strategic change within their organisations.

Empower Top 100 Ethnic Minority Executive Role Models:

Dionne Aiken, CMO, Profiles Division, Kantar

Dorothy Burwell, Partner, FGS Global

Debbie Ellison, Global Chief Digital Officer, VMLY&R Commerce

Shelina Janmohamed, VP of Islamic Marketing, Ogilvy

Kirk McDonald, North America CEO, GroupM

Niken Wresniwiro, SVP Global Communications, WPP

Empower Top 100 Ethnic Minority Future Leaders:

Narmda Bhudia, Global Credit Risk Manager, GroupM

Andre Charles-Foster, Global Product Manager, GroupM Nexus

Amber Tomlinson, Product Director, GroupM

Empower Top 50 Advocate Executive Role Models:

Mark Read, CEO, WPP

Jennifer Remling, Chief People Officer, WPP

Mark Read, CEO of WPP, said: "Our priority at WPP is to continue to foster a culture where everyone feels valued, supported and inspired to create world-leading work for our clients. We believe that diversity and inclusivity are not only moral imperatives but also powerful business opportunities. I’m delighted that WPP leaders have once again been recognised in the Empower Role Model lists, highlighting their contributions to breaking down barriers for people of colour in our industry."

The recognition of role models comes against a backdrop of ongoing strategic work by WPP to address racial injustice both within the company and across the industry. In 2020, WPP made a series of commitments aimed at combatting racial injustice and supporting Black and minority ethnic talent. As part of these commitments, WPP pledged to invest $30m over three years to support anti-racism charities and inclusion programmes around the world.

This includes WPP’s Racial Equity Programme which funds projects that help bring about change, and WPP’s Elevate, a United States sponsorship programme designed to support Black women in their career growth. Elevate has since been rolled out to 25 high-potential Black women in the UK and will be piloted in its evolved format, SUMMIT, a year-long sponsorship programme for people of colour in Brazil and South Africa this year.

WPP has also introduced diverse candidate slate policies in the UK, US and APAC, has roles specifically marketed and accessible to candidates from under-represented groups, and is nurturing early talent to build a diverse pipeline. In 2022, we appointed a new Global Chief Talent and Inclusion Officer, highlighting our commitment to sustained momentum.

Following the success of the United States pilot, WPP partnered with The One Club for Creativity to launch ONE School UK in 2022, a free 16-week online portfolio programme designed to open doors to a career in advertising for talented UK-based Black creatives.

To ensure progress is driven by accountability, WPP established a global Inclusion Council in 2020 which gives a voice to under-represented groups and advises on goals, identifies barriers and recommends new systems and, in 2021, introduced DE&I metrics linked to leaders’ compensation and quarterly reviews. For the third consecutive year, we have published our workforce diversity data for the US and UK in our Sustainability Report.

As a small business owner, you understand that marketing is a crucial factor in the success of your business. However, traditional forms of marketing such as radio, print, and television ads are slowly becoming obsolete. The new frontier of digital advertising is mobile marketing. In today's digital age, mobile devices have become an integral part of our lives, and this has opened up new areanas for businesses to reach their target audience through mobile advertising. Mobile advertising refers to the use of mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets to advertise products or services.

With more than 5 billion mobile users worldwide, mobile advertising has become a powerful tool for small businesses to reach their potential customers. Mobile marketing utilizes technology such as geofencing to deliver ads to your customers’ mobile devices when they enter certain locations or search for specific keywords.

Here are several reasons why you should consider using mobile marketing for your small business:

Easy to Measure

Measuring the return on investment (ROI) of your marketing efforts is essential to determine their effectiveness in bringing qualified traffic to your website. Mobile marketing provides an advantage in tracking campaigns and obtaining ROI. This is because it allows you to track messages, calculate responses, and click-through rates easily. Small and medium-sized businesses can adapt quickly to the ever-changing demands of their customers, thanks to mobile marketing. This, in turn, enables them to remain competitive and enhance the user experience.

Increased Reach

Mobile advertising can help small businesses reach a larger audience than traditional advertising methods. With mobile devices, businesses can target potential customers anywhere, at any time. Mobile ads can be displayed on various platforms such as social media, search engines, and mobile apps, making it easier for small businesses to reach their target audience. Many consumers use their mobile devices every day to interact with ad-enabled experiences such as shopping, streaming videos, listening to podcasts, or playing games. According to a survey conducted by Statista in February 2021, about half of the respondents said they spend 5-6 hours on their phones daily, not including work-related smartphone use. Mobile advertising can help your brand reach audiences where they already are and through devices they are already using.

Location-based targeting

Location-based targeting is a powerful tool that enables businesses to target customers and prospects based on their location in real-time. While not a new concept, local businesses are increasingly recognizing the value of targeting people who are in the vicinity. Technologies such as geo-targeting and geo-fencing allow businesses to send messages or display ads to people who are nearby. For example, a restaurant could send current specials to a customer in the area.

Cost-Effective

Compared to traditional advertising methods such as television and radio, mobile advertising is cost-effective. Small businesses can create mobile ads at a fraction of the cost of traditional advertising methods. With mobile advertising, businesses can also target specific demographics, ensuring that their ad reaches the right people.

Increased Engagement

Mobile advertising can increase engagement with potential customers. With mobile devices, customers can easily interact with ads by clicking on links or calling the business directly. Mobile advertising also allows for personalized messages and targeted ads, increasing the likelihood of customer engagement.

Flexibility

Mobile advertising offers small businesses flexibility in terms of ad placement and duration. With mobile advertising, businesses can create and launch ads quickly and easily, and can also adjust their advertising campaigns in real-time based on their results.

In the end, if done correctly, mobile marketing has the power to help small businesses grow exponentially with minimal effort!

Authored by Sundeep Rana, Co-Founder NetSetGo Media

Broadcast Audience Research Council India (BARC), the world’s largest Television Audience measurement body, today announced the appointment of Ms Dolly Jha as its Chief of Product & Research.

Ms Jha is a Postgraduate in Management from IRMA and has an experience of close to three decades across KANTAR, ITC Foods & Nielsen. She comes with a rich experience across Consumer Research, Audience Measurement, Media Analytics, ROI Measurement and Innovation Research.

Dolly needs absolutely no introduction neither to the BARC Team nor to the industry at large. Prior to joining BARC India, she has been associated with Nielsen for 13 years where she has held multiple leadership roles. Her last role was as the Managing Director for Nielsen Media - India. At Nielsen, she led large Audience Measurement Mandates for multiple Industry Bodies. She has also steered the launch of various industry-first solutions in the Digital Measurement space in India. She has worked extensively with Broadcasters, Agencies and Publishers and strongly believes in an attitude of collaborative team spirit.

Dolly Jha on her appointment said, “I am excited to join BARC India as the Chief of Product & Research. BARC today runs the largest Audience Measurement system in the world. With all the experience behind me, I am looking forward to contributing to BARC by evolving the Measurement further to meet the growing needs of stakeholders.”

Welcoming Dolly, Nakul Chopra, CEO, BARC India said, “It is indeed wonderful that Dolly will join the BARC Leadership Team. As the Chief of Product & Research – she will expectedly bring immense value to our eco-system, both from the perspective of working back from our output, to improve input quality and, over time in helping build value added services that will benefit all our subscribers. Both these vital functions are new capabilities that we seek to add to BARC – given her vast experience, I cannot think of a leader more suited to this role. In her stint at Nielsen, Dolly has already deep exposure and understanding of what BARC does – I am confident that this will augur for an extremely fulfilling partnership. I warmly welcome her and look forward to working closely with her.”