Yet again, JWT loses its creative face with Bobby Pawar’s exit
Sources have also confirmed the exit of Vijay Simha, VP & Sr CD at Global Team Ford, JWT. The series of exits take place after the JWT Ford fiasco
Bobby Pawar, Chief Creative Officer and Managing Partner at JWT India, resigns after a 1 year 3 months with the agency. Pawar confirmed the development to exchange4media. Highly placed sources have also confirmed the exit of Vijay Simha, Vice President & Senior Creative Director at Global Team Ford, JWT.
The series of exits take place after the JWT Ford Fiasco that was termed as shameful and disgraceful by experts globally. Speaking to exchange4media, Bobby Pawar said, “Regardless of how it happened, this was a totally unfortunate event and as the CCO I have the moral responsibility for anything that comes out, authorised or not. As the creative leader of JWT, I apologise for the pain this has caused. In light of this, it is better that we part ways. It was a pretty good year here, we did manage to do a fair bit in a relatively short time. I thank my team for giving it their all and I wish them nothing but the best.”
The wild fire was created by JWT for Ford showing the former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi flashing a peace sign with scantily clad women in the Ford Figo’s boot. The controversy is supported with another ad showing Paris Hilton driving a Ford Figo with the Kardashians tied up in the boot and the third one had the Formula One driver Michael Schumacher kidnapping his male racing rivals namely Sebastian Vettel, Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton. The posters, which were not approved by Ford India’s officials, were posted on the website Adsoftheworld.com but all three have since been removed. Official apologies have been issued by Ford and JWT’s holding company WPP. The brand is facing an image crisis with international publications slamming the incident and dozens of people on social media saying that they will never consider a Ford purchase after this campaign.
In an official statement JWT said, “We deeply regret the publishing of posters that were distasteful and contrary to the standards of professionalism and decency at JWT. These were never intended for paid publication, were never requested by our Ford client and should never have been created, let alone uploaded to the internet. These posters were created by individuals within the agency and did not go through the normal review and oversight process.”
“After a thorough internal review, we have taken appropriate disciplinary action with those involved, which included the exit of employees at JWT. These were necessary steps owing to the direct accountability of the concerned individuals as we work to ensure that both the right oversight and processes are strictly enforced so that this never happens again,” the statement added.
It makes us believe that the agencies need to create awareness among the advertising professionals and monitor every possible work. It is important to review the current awards system which should reward work created for clients that are award worthy rather than just creating work for awards.
Pawar was brought within the agency to fill the position of National Creative Head, which was vacant for the three years since Agnello Dias quit. JWT's Delhi office had Adrian Miller as Chief Creative Officer who quit the organisation in May, 2011. Miller was brought in right before JWT bagged the Airtel business in August 2010.
After roping in Bobby Pawar, JWT India promoted three of its executive creative directors -- Tista Sen, Senthil Kumar and Swati Bhattacharya -- as National Creative Directors. All three NCDs reported to Pawar.
Before joining JWT, Pawar was the Chief Creative Officer at DDB Mudra Group. He has worked for 21 years in advertising with brands such as Jaguar, Kodak and American Express. He started his career with Ogilvy Mumbai and worked with McCann Erickson and Rediffusion before moving to the US. He had also spent about three years with BBDO Chicago before coming back to India in 2007.
JWT has seen the exit of a lot of priced talent in the recent past right from Rohit Ohri, Managing partner at JWT Delhi, who had an outstanding track record and managed almost Rs 100 crore of business for JWT to the ‘Pepsi boy’ Soumitra Karnik, who was the Executive Creative Director and Vice President, JWT and Agnello Dias, the man behind many path-breaking campaigns. The agency has seen turbulent times with the exit of some of the best minds such as Tarun Rai, Anuja Chauhan and Elvis Sequeira earlier.
It clearly raises questions such as: Is this giant ship sinking? Is this a final wake-up call to stop functioning in a callous manner with such big ticket clients? How can the agency cope with these high profile exits and revive the lost fortune? For JWT South Asia CEO Colvyn Harris, the going gets tough to find a partner as able as Bobby Pawar to lead the creative front.
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Abby Awards: Anupama Ramaswamy, Ashish Chakravarty, Rajdeepak Das named Jury Chairs
The Abby Awards will be held on the 29th, 30th and 31st of May during Goafest 2024
Anupama Ramaswamy, Chief Creative Officer, Havas Worldwide India, Ashish Chakravarty, Executive Director, and India Head of Creative, for McCann Worldgroup and Rajdeepak Das, Chief Creative Officer Publicis Groupe, South Asia and Chairman, Leo Burnett, South Asia, join as Jury Chair for Still Digital category, Audio category, and Film (below 1 minute) category respectively, at The Abby Awards 2024 powered by One Show.
Anupama Ramaswamy, Chief Creative Officer, Havas Worldwide India has been appointed Jury Chair of Abby Awards 2024 powered by One Show in the Still Digital category.
Ashish Chakravarty Executive Director, and India Head of Creative, for McCann Worldgroup
has been appointed Jury Chair of Abby Awards 2024 powered by One Show in Audio category.
Rajdeepak Das, Chief Creative Officer Publicis Groupe, South Asia and Chairman, Leo Burnett, South Asia has been appointed Jury Chair of Abby Awards 2024 powered by One Show in Film (below 1 minute)category.
“I have always believed that an award is as good as its jury. This year too, the Abby Awards powered by One Show have a stellar line up of both domestic and international luminaries as Jury Chairs, across 23 categories. Over the last 2 years the number of women jurors have been significant, and this year, with over one-thirds being women masters of their craft. To win recognition from such respected Jury Chairs is a matter of immense pride for the AdClub, the participating agencies and brands.” said Ajay Kakar, Chairperson, Awards Governing Council, Abby Awards 2024 powered by One Show and Managing Committee Member, The Advertising Club.
The Abby Awards will be held on the 29th, 30th, and 31st of May during Goafest 2024.
SharePriyagold unveils new campaign featuring Kiara Advani for Snakker biscuits
The campaign aims to build a strong connection with the Gen Z audience
Priyagold has come up with a new campaign to create curiosity around the new range of Snakker biscuits among the Gen Z audience.
“With the launch of the new biscuit, the brand innovatively coined the term ‘Snakk’ to strike a chord with the youth. Resonating with their interest, Priyagold aspires to make Snakker biscuits synonymous to snacks. The video features brand ambassador Kiara Advani to tap the interest of youngsters. The popularity of the actress, coupled with her active social media presence bodes well for establishing a strong connection with the Gen Z audience,” the company said in a release.
Through the video posted on the celebrity’s social media platform, the brand created curiosity by showcasing the actress involved in baking a cake with secret ingredients. This keeps the audience hooked by compelling them to guess the favorite snack of the actress. Ultimately, the brand launched the roll-out of a video by Kiara Advani revealing the launch of the Snakker biscuit.
For driving mileage around the campaign, the brand also roped in relatable comedy influencers to amplify awareness. In the process, humor and wittiness were infused to the campaign to foster deeper connection with the audience.
Speaking on the occasion, Mannas Agarwwal, Priyagold's Director, said, "The campaign is designed to appeal to Gen-Z audience and that is why we incorporated the term “Snakk” for Snakker Biscuit which has two meanings, one means a Snack to have when hungry and other is referred to someone who is attractive or appealing. It is very important that we do ad campaigns which appeal to the younger demographic because they are becoming our largest consumer segment.”
International travel jitters? Alia & Ranveer show the way in MakeMyTrip’s new films
The two-film campaign is conceptualized by creative agency Moonshot
MakeMyTrip has launched two new brand films featuring brand ambassadors Alia Bhatt and Ranveer Singh. These films showcase the simplicity and convenience of booking flights and hotels for international travel with MakeMyTrip, catering to both first-time international travellers and seasoned travellers, the company said in a release.
There is a lot to consider when choosing flights and hotels for international travel, which often leaves travellers with decision fatigue or uncertainty. Whether it is a traveller’s first international trip or yet another one, the two new brand films pick up unlikely scenarios to deliver the message of convenience.
Raj Rishi Singh, Chief Marketing Officer & Chief Business Officer - Corporate, MakeMyTrip said, “We at MakeMyTrip believe in making the world more accessible, one trip at a time. In the past few months, we have introduced a suite of tools, features and benefits, some of them industry-firsts, designed for every international traveller, be it a first-timer or a seasoned globetrotter. Our aim is to ensure that everyone can partake in these benefits, making their travel booking and post-sales experience seamless and enjoyable. Our new films highlight the value addition we bring to the table, demonstrating how MakeMyTrip can be a game-changer when it comes to international bookings.”
The first film presents Alia and Ranveer as a newlywed couple on their wedding night, still trying to find their footing with each other. The conversation veers towards both sharing their apprehensions about their “first-time”. As film unfolds, viewers find out that the ‘first-time’ in question is in fact their first time travelling internationally. As a solution, they turn to MakeMyTrip for their flight and hotel bookings, both taking on the planning/research responsibility equally and with great enthusiasm.
In the second film, viewers are drawn into the middle of a suspenseful scene – where Ranveer Singh, playing an international spy/agent, unearths the location of a most wanted person. When Alia Bhatt, his commanding officer, discloses that the mission is in London, Ranveer, with his humorous style, argues that the criminal should be let go as ‘he isn’t bad at heart’ to save himself an international trip. Alia’s character senses his apprehensions and introduces him to the MakeMyTrip international booking experience, highlighting its ease and tension-free experience.
This campaign was conceptualized by the creative agency, Moonshot and films have been written by Devaiah Bopanna, Puneet Chadha and Deep Joshi.
HUL advertising spends jump 23% in Q4FY24
The FMCG giants posted a net profit of Rs 2561 crore in Q4, a decline of 1.54%
FMCG giant Hindustan Unilever has posted a consolidated net profit of Rs 2561 crore for the quarter ended March 31, 2024, declining by 1.54% from Rs 2601 crore in the same quarter last year. The company posted net profit of Rs 2508 crore for the quarter ended December, 2023.
The company spent Rs 1616 crore on advertising and promotions in Q4FY24. The expense saw a jump of 23.26%. The company spent Rs 1311 crore on advertising in Q4FY23. For the quarter ended December 2023, the company's advertising and promotion expenses stood at Rs 1626 crore.
HUL also announced a key change in its management committee. The company appointed BP Biddappa as Executive Director, Human Resources and Chief People, Transformation and Sustainability Officer for South Asia. Biddappa will also join the HUL Board as a Whole Time Director, subject to shareholder approval. Anuradha Razdan, currently Executive Director, Human Resources, HUL and Chief HR Officer, South Asia will be appointed to a global role as Chief Reward & Organization Development Officer for Unilever from June 1, 2024.
Welcoming Biddappa back to India, Rohit Jawa, CEO and Managing Director, HUL said, “An accomplished HR leader with over three decades of experience, Biddappa comes with immense knowledge of transformation and organizational development. I am glad to welcome him to the HUL Leadership and I am confident that his able guidance and leadership will help transform the business to progress further on our future-fit agenda.”
Thanking Anuradha for her contribution to the business, Rohit said, “Anuradha is known for her ability to shape and deliver a strategic business-focused people agenda. She has played a key role in the HUL Leadership Team over the past five years. Her appointment to a senior leadership role for Unilever is yet another testimony to the powerhouse of talent we have in India.”
Can a sunset view be certified? Corona India has the answer
Conceptualized in partnership with Digitas India, part of Publicis Groupe India, the campaign enables luxury travellers to check out the sunset rating of iconic hotels
Corona India has launched a campaign to introduce its sunset view rating system for luxury hotel rooms. The system is now being piloted at a selection of luxury hotels including the CGH Brunton Boatyard, Niraamaya Surya Samudra and Brij Laxman Sagar located in Kochi, Kovalam and Pali respectively.
Corona’s unique campaign around stunning sunset views is set to capture every traveller’s heart. Conceptualized in partnership with Digitas India, part of Publicis Groupe India, the campaign enables luxury travellers to check out the sunset rating of iconic hotels across the country on CRED Escapes, a luxury travel platform for India’s 1%.
“With nearly 90% of people in cities spending their time indoors, the allure of sun tourism has been on the rise. Recognizing this trend, Corona India set out to create a unique solution—a sunset visual quality rating system akin to a Michelin Star for restaurants. This innovative approach guarantees travellers the opportunity to witness nature's wonder with certainty, transforming fleeting moments into cherished memories,” stated a press release.
“We all believe in taking a moment from our busy everyday lives to enjoy the beauty of sunsets. If a hotel room can guarantee impeccable service and a host of amenities, why can’t it promise a great sunset view? With The Corona Sunset View, we aim to forever reimagine how people experience sunsets - relaxing and unwinding with their friends and enjoying a cold Corona served with a lime,” said Vineet Sharma, Vice President Marketing & Trade Marketing, AB InBev India.
“We’ve all been to that one hotel where everything is perfect, and yet been disappointed with the sunset view after spending a considerable amount of time and money planning a holiday. The Corona Sunset View combines unique scientific data and predictive modelling to solve a real-world problem, ensuring that sunset seekers can enjoy their moments with certainty, and making Corona the reference point for the world’s most beautiful sunsets,” said Abraham Varughese, Chief Creative Officer, Digitas India.
Patanjali: A long history of controversial ads by the Baba Ramdev-owned company
The recent case is just one among many such controversial and politically incorrect ads by Patanjali
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Homegrown brand Patanjali, owned by Ramdev Baba and Acharya Balkrishna, has been rapped again by the Supreme Court for the size of its “apology” which was reportedly smaller than its contentious ads.
It all started in July 2022 when the company printed a large ad for Patanjali Wellness, disparaging Western medicine titled “Misconceptions spread by allopathy: Save yourself and the country from the misconceptions spread by pharma and medical industry.”
Attack on allopathy
In an elaborate print ad, Patanjali raised concerns about the "side effects" of allopathic drugs and claimed that its own medicines were backed with scientific research by India's sages like Charak, Sushrut, Dhanvantri and the eponymous Patanjali.
Talking about lifestyle diseases such as BP, diabetes, thyroid, eye-and-ear diseases, arthritis and other incurable diseases, the company claimed to offer "permanent relief" from the ailments.
Terming his remarks a "criminal act" under IPC section 499, in May 2022, IMA sent a Rs 1,000 crore defamation notice to Patanjali, demanding that Baba Ramdev apologise.
It filed a petition in the Supreme Court over the disparaging ad in August 2022. The first hearing on the matter happened in November 2023, when Patanjali was warned against using terms like "permanent relief" under the 1954 act to sell its products.
In January, an anonymous letter notified the Chief Justice of India about Patanjali's continued violation of its assurance to the court.
After pulling up the errant company, SC asked Patanjali to issue a printed apology, the size of which is the current bone of contention between the apex court and the company.
Patanjali has a long and chequered history of misleading ads much before the 2022 print advertisement.
Coronil ad
The Ayurvedic brand first squared off with the litigant—in February of 2021 when the coronavirus pandemic was at its zenith.
The yoga guru released a scientific research paper on the “first evidence-based medicine for COVID-19”, brand name Coronil launched by Patanjali.
The company claimed that the Coronil tablet received a certification from the Ayush Ministry as a COVID-19 treatment support as per the World Health Organization’s (WHO) certification scheme.
IMA expressed its shock over the “blatant lie of WHO certification.” WHO later clarified that it did not review the effectiveness of any traditional medicine for coronavirus.
'Fairness' cream ad
Patanjali courted controversy in January 2018 over a beauty cream ad, which listed dark complexion as a skin ailement. The company blamed the snafu on a translation issue, stating that the term Patanjali approved was "Skin Complications."
Cooking oil ad
Patanjali is perhaps the only company to invoke patriotism to sell its cooking oil brands when in August 2017, it bizarrely claimed that all profits from the products go to charity. The company urged "all patriotic Indians" to buy its cooking oil and perform their "patriotic duties."
Goafest 2024 to explore 'The Age of Adaptability'
The event is scheduled to take place from May 29-31 in Mumbai
The Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) and The Advertising Club have announced that the theme for Goafest 2024 will be ‘The Age of Adaptability’.
The event, scheduled to take place from May 29-31 in Mumbai aims to highlight the resilience and innovative spirit of the advertising and marketing industries in an era defined by rapid change.
"The theme for Goafest 2024, 'The Age Of Adaptability', was chosen to reflect the current ethos of our industry. Adaptability is at the core of what we do - from adjusting to new media platforms to adopting innovative marketing strategies," said Jaideep Gandhi, Chairperson of the Goafest Organising Committee. "This festival will not only celebrate creativity but also the ability to pivot and thrive amidst challenges."
“This year, at Goafest 2024, our central theme 'The Age of Adaptability' has a chameleon as a mascot. The chameleon is a creature known for its remarkable adaptive prowess. Like the chameleon, which adjusts its colors to match its environment, our industry too must continuously evolve its strategies and creative approaches to thrive in changing landscapes. This year’s festival will celebrate and cultivate the chameleon-like ability to adapt swiftly and effectively, ensuring our practices remain on the cutting-edge of creativity and relevance. The Age Of Adaptability concept has been created and designed by the young and very talented team at Abnormal Design Studios," said Rohit Ohri, Chairperson Goafest Content Committee.