The Laqshya Pitch CMO Awards 2023 celebrated the best minds in the marketing industry in India on Friday in Mumbai. The dazzling awards night was graced with the presence of top leaders, industry heads and experts from a wide cross-section of marketing, media and brands.

The awards recognise marketing leaders for their exceptional and innovative marketing efforts. The Laqshya Pitch CMO Awards celebrate the stars of the marketing domain for their outstanding creativity, strategic thinking, and impactful content.

The title sponsor of the event was Laqshya Media Group and it was co-powered by Vserv, WebEngage and Bharat Express. The growth partner of the event was Mobavenue and the performance partner was Admattic. 

The marketing leaders were recognised across 13 different categories for their outstanding work throughout 2022. The winners are decided by some of the finest minds in the industry for their works in the past year, using a set of metrics based on performance, their marketing strategies, financials and in-category success.

In the ‘The CMO Leadership Award’ category, the five winners were Abbey Thomas, Head of Marketing & PR, Volkswagen Passenger Cars, Anupama Ahluwalia, Chief Marketing & Customer Services Officer, Reliance Retail Limited, Deepali Naair, Group CMO, CK Birla Group and Nilesh Malani, President and Chief Marketing Officer, Polycab India Ltd, and Mayank Shah, Sr. Category Head at Parle Products Pvt. Ltd.

The ‘The CMO Transformation Award’ category had four winners - Abhishek Gupta, Chief Marketing Officer, Edelweiss Tokio Life Insurance, Shuvadip Banerjee, Chief Digital Marketing Officer, ITC Ltd (Foods Division), Sunayan Mitra, Director (General Manager) Coffee & Beverages Business, Nestlé, South Asia Region, Vishu Goel, Associate Vice President Sales, Marketing & Commercial, Asian Paints.

A total of three winners bagged the award in The ‘CMO Growth Award’ category. The winners were Ashish Mishra, EVP – Marketing, ACKO, Shamik Banerjee, Chief Marketing Officer, Apollo 24x7 and Utsav Malhotra, Chief Operating Officer, Nexxbase.

The ‘CMO Innovation Award’ category had three winners- Gaurav Anand, Chief Digital & Marketing Officer, L'oreal India, Shivani Behl, Chief Marketing Officer, Plum (PurePlay) and Virat Khullar, Group Head Marketing, Hyundai.

In the ‘CMO Customer Experience Award’ category, a total of five best minds were awarded. The winners included Anuj Sharma, Chief Marketing Officer, Xiaomi India, Avneesh Khosla, Chief Marketing Officer, Vodafone Idea Ltd., Deepti Sampat, VP Marketing, Tata SIA, Ranjivjit Singh, Chief Growth Officer (CGO), Hero MotoCorp and Kartikeya Bhandari, Chief Marketing officer, Livspace.

In the ‘CMO Digital Marketing Award’ category, three marketing minds were honoured. Anuj Arora, Chief Marketing Officer, Symphony Limited, Jennifer Pandya, VP – Marketing, CaratLane - A Tanishq Partnership and Vishal Subharwal, Chief Marketing Officer and Group Head - Strategy, HDFC Life are the winners.

The ‘CMO Content Engagement Award’ category had a total of four winners. They were Ankit Desai, Chief Marketing Officer, Hershey India, Anuja Mishra, Chief Marketing Officer, Honasa Consumer, Darshana Shah, Head-Marketing and Customer Experience, Aditya Birla Capital and Maneesh Krishnamurthy,  Head of Marketing (Eyecare), Titan.

In the ‘A Futuristic CMO: Retention-First Thinker Award’ category, three winners, including Geetanjali Kothari, Head of Marketing & Corporate Communications, Bharti AXA Life Insurance, Mahuya Chaturvedi, Chief Marketing Officer and Online Business Head, Baggit and MVS Murthy, Chief Marketing Officer, Federal Bank, were awarded.

In the ‘The CMO Experiential Marketing Award’ category, three marketing leaders have been awarded. The winners in this category include Kavitha Ganesan, General Manager – Marketing, TVS Eurogrip, Rahul Singh, Vice President & Head of Marketing, SAP and Vineet Sharma, Vice President- Marketing & Trade Marketing, AB InBev India have been honoured.

Meanwhile, four winners including Abhishek Jugran, Vice President-Marketing, Dabur India, Jaya Jamrani, Vice President – Marketing, Castrol India, Sachin Chhabra, Head of Brand Marketing, ACC Limited, and Sooraj Balakrishnan, Head – Marketing, Acer India and Bangladesh Acer have been awarded in the ‘CMO Sustainability Award’ category.

In the ‘The CMO Social Responsibility Award’ category, Amit Doshi, Chief Marketing Officer, Britannia Industries Ltd. and Jaswinder Sodhi, Head of Customer Propositions Digital & Marketing - Wealth & Personal Banking India, HSBC were given the award.

‘The CMO Creator Ecosystem Award’ category had two winners- Damyant Singh Khanoria,Chief Marketing Officer, OPPO India and Raunika Malhotra, President Marketing and Corporate Communication, Lodha Group.

In the last category, i.e., the ‘CMO Rising Star Award’ category, three lucky winners were bestowed with the big honour. The winners in this category include Amritansu Nanda, Chief Marketing Officer, Zepto, Pooja Baid, Chief Marketing Officer, Versuni and Vijay Kumar Pampana, Director, Head of Marketing Department     Procter & Gamble Health Limited.

Here’s the complete list of Laqshya Pitch CMO Awards 2023 winners:

The Raymond Group and its communication strategy have evolved gradually over the last 97 years, reflecting the mood of the nation in all its ad campaigns, said Sunil Kataria, the CEO of Raymond Lifestyle, at the Pitch CMO summit in Mumbai on Friday.

Speaking to a bunch of CMOs and other marketers at the Summit organised by exchange4media, Kataria in his keynote speech informed the audience that Raymond was established in 1925 as “Raymond Woollen Mills” in Thane and the group will mark a century in two years. 

“The company used to make blankets and woollen fabric. It wasn’t doing good business when Lala Kailashpat Singhania acquired it in 1944. The company tapped the mood of the nation and became part of the nation-building thereafter,” Kataria explained, sharing glimpses of the old Mills and the brand’s marketing strategy. 

From a woollen blanket producer, Raymond has not only evolved into an iconic textile brand but has also become a diversified conglomerate. 

He deliberated how the brand has kept pace with the times and remained relevant to an ever-changing customer profile. 

“It was the post-independence era with the country full of hope, optimism and new experiences when the company adopted Chess King Motifs in 1959 which became brand identity”, Kataria noted. 

“In the 1970s when the country was under emergency and unrest, giving rise to the success of angry-man films of Amitabh Bachchan, we decided to go beyond product promotion and focused on brand-building,” Kataria said, adding that Raymond campaigns at that time sought to build the narrative of masculinity through gentleman, just opposite to the angry man phenomenon of those days. 

In the 1980s Raymond came up with its first ad campaign titled ‘The guide to a well-dressed male,’ targeting flamboyant men. But it was ‘The Complete Man’ campaign launched in the 1990s that took the brand to the pinnacle of glory.

The campaign, which coincided with India’s economic liberalisation, grabbed the attention of aspiring young men to the growing big brand.

From Chess King Motifs in 1959 to iconic “Complete Man” in the 1990s to “Feels like Heaven” in 2010 to “Celebration time” of Ethnyx by Raymond in post-Covid time, the company’s communication strategy always reflects the mood of the nation, said the leader. 

Kataria also explained how the company opened its first store in Ballard Estate of Mumbai in 1958 when the concept of a  B2C retail store was unheard of.  Sensing the mood and aspirations of Indians, the company later expanded across the country with 1,100 stores. 

“Our decision to enter into ethnic wear also arises from sensing the mood of the nation. In the post covid time, celebrations and demand for ethnic wear have gone up. That’s why we decided to enter the segment by supporting the Ethnyx brand,” Kataria said, adding that the Ethnyx by Raymond already has 70 stores across the country and now plans to open 200 more stores in the next 8-9 months. 

exchange4media Group is back with the on-ground Mumbai edition of its flagship property - Pitch CMO Summit after three years. The upcoming edition of the conference will be held Tomorrow, 24th of March, 2023 from 10 am onwards. Fancode WebEngage and ABP News are the Co-Powered by Partners for the summit while the Co-Gold Partners are DoubleVerify,  Pepper Content & Torc ai. 

Pitch CMO Summit Mumbai 2023 brings India's most reputed brands and top management to interact and share insights on their game-changing success stories under one roof.

The theme of this edition of the conference is ‘The Agile Marketer’.

With the evolution of digital technology and Web3, marketers today have endless possibilities to explore which come with a sea of challenges. This era of heightened exposure has also made brands vulnerable, demanding them to be transparent and putting them under the pressure to provide a seamless experience to consumers in a VUCA environment. Therefore, it is imperative for marketers to adopt a new approach - Agile marketing, a tactical marketing approach, where marketing teams collectively identify high-value projects to focus upon and put in their collective efforts.

At the Pitch CMO Summit Mumbai 2023, we aim to understand the various aspects of ‘Agile Marketing’, how it helps marketers adapt to the ever-evolving market and consumer sentiments, and ensure a seamless consumer experience across the board. We also aim to understand how marketers can be more agile in their approach, how they can have a focused outlook on customer value and business outcomes, and how agile marketing is the need of the hour for this dynamic environment.

Below is the complete agenda for the Pitch CMO Summit Mumbai 2023. The award felicitation ceremony of the Pitch Best CMO Awards 2023 will follow the conference.

AGENDA:

For more details, please check out the microsite:

https://e4mevents.com/pitch-cmo-summit-2023/

To attend the summit and awards, get in touch with

Chandrakant@exchange4media.com or kapil.ramudamu@exchange4media.com

Kalyan Jewellers has announced the appointment of Rashmika Mandanna as its brand ambassador for the South, representing Kalyan’s lifestyle segment.

Mandanna is a popular actor in South India and has made her mark in the Hindi film industry with her recent releases. With this appointment, she joins the likes of Amitabh Bachchan (Global Ambassador), Katrina Kaif (National Ambassador), Nagarjuna (Andhra & Telengana), Prabhu (Tamil Nadu), Shivaraj Kumar (Karnataka) and Kalyani Priyadarshan (Kerala) and other renowned celebrities who have been associated with Kalyan Jewellers, the company said.

Commenting on the appointment, Ramesh Kalyanaraman, Executive Director of Kalyan Jewellers, said, “We are thrilled to have Rashmika Mandanna as our brand ambassador for the Telugu, Kannada and Tamil Nadu markets. Together will Kalyani Priyadarshan, she will be the face of our lifestyle jewellery line up, and we are confident that her popularity and appeal will help us connect with a wider audience and strengthen our brand further.”

Rashmika Mandanna expressed her excitement about the association and said, “I am thrilled to be part of Kalyan Jewellers, one of India’s most trusted and leading jewellery brands, and to join the ranks of other esteemed brand ambassadors such as Amitabh Bachchan, Prabhu Ganesan, Nagarjuna and more. It is an honour to represent a brand that has established itself as a hallmark of trust and transparency. I have always been fascinated by the exquisite designs and craftsmanship of Kalyan Jewellers and I look forward to being a part of Kalyan Jewellers’ journey towards excellence.”

Usha International has announced it will continue it official partnership with five-time-champions, Mumbai Indians men’s cricket team, for the 10th consecutive year. The much-awaited cricket tournament gets underway on March 31, 2023, with the Mumbai Indians playing their first game on April 2, 2023.

Aligning perfectly with Usha’s ‘Play’ ethos, the partnership bears testimony to Usha’s commitment to support and promote a culture of sports and athletics, as well as an active and healthy lifestyle, the company said.

This season will have 70 league games and 4 playoff games, played across 12 venues over the course of 52 days. As part of the association, the ‘USHA’ logo will be prominently visible on the caps and helmets of all Mumbai Indians players. The ‘Usha Play’ branding will be visible on perimeter boards and screens during the match.

Speaking on the partnership, Komal Mehra, Head – Sports Initiatives and Associations, Usha International said, “To reach a decade-long association with Mumbai Indians is a milestone that echoes the mutual respect and alignment of both brands. It further reiterates our dedication to nurturing sports and developing a sporting ecosystem via strategic partnerships. The Mumbai Indians franchisee displays the true spirit of sportsmanship, and its players are role models for the youth, inspiring them to lead active and healthy lives. We wish the players the best of luck and look forward to witnessing some high adrenalin games this season!”

The Mumbai Indians Spokesperson said, “We are pleased to continue our long-standing partnership with Usha International. This is a strong and valuable relationship has made them such an integral partner in our journey. Mumbai Indians are glad to be a platform that helps partners leverage and maximise the plethora of opportunities available, helping them reach a wide demographic of fans.”

Led by Rohit Sharma, who is captaining Mumbai Indians for the 10th season, the team continues to have a strong mix of experienced as well as exciting young talent, donning the iconic blue and gold including Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Jasprit Bumrah, Cameroon Green, and Jofra Archer, amongst others.

Apis India, one of the leading FMCG brands in India, is launching a campaign during the holy month of Ramadan. The campaign, titled “Ibaadat Ke Iss Mahine Rakhein Sehat Ka Saath”, aims to promote individual well-being by blending the spiritual and personal aspects of Ramadan through Apis India's range of dates clubbed with other relevant products consumed in the month of Ramadan. Beyond just health, the campaign also celebrates the community bond that Ramadan brings together.

The strategy of the campaign will follow two routes, utilising both traditional media and online marketing. The campaign will commence on March 23, the first day of Ramadan, and continue until the celebration of Eid al-Fitr. In addition to leveraging traditional media, Apis India will also utilise social media platforms as an extension to the campaign, along with influencer marketing and targeted ads to reach a broader audience. Through this campaign, Apis India aims to make a lasting impact on individuals and communities across the country, promoting overall well-being during the holy month of Ramadan.

As part of its digital campaign for Ramadan, Apis is implementing a multifaceted strategy that includes a variety of initiatives. In addition to the ongoing social media campaign, the brand has planned a Pan-India contest and an influencer campaign on social media. These efforts are designed to engage with a wide audience and promote the brand's message of overall well-being during the holy month.

The contest invites participants to create unique recipes using Apis dates and other products for sehri and iftar promoting the diverse delicacies of the season through the brand.

As part of Apis India's “Ibaadat Ke Iss Mahine Rakhein Sehat Ka Saath" campaign, the brand's social media strategy includes an online contest that leverages the overarching narrative. The contest aims to bring the community together in an engaging activity to not only celebrate Ramadan, but also as a means to make the brand an active part of it. Through the contest, Apis India wants consumers to come along and share some of their unique recipes that make their Ramadan celebrations their own. During iftar a variety of delicious foods are prepared. Leveraging this aspect, Apis stands at the centre of this contest, with its Dates, Honey, vermicelli and kesar being made to be the building blocks of these unique recipes. 

Being a social media contest that engages the community, Apis India is also relying on other factors to reach out to a broader community. Through influencers from the Muslim community, the brand aims to spread awareness, while maximising the influencers by using them as a catalyst to boost the activity. The brand is also focusing on targeted ads during this holy month to amplify its online campaign.

To expand its reach beyond the digital sphere, the brand also includes hoardings, billboards, and banners to complement the social media campaign. In addition, the brand will organise an on-ground activity inspired by its video advertisement which conveyed the message of togetherness across religious lines and promoted the brand as an icon bringing people together.

The on-ground activity will see Apis visiting areas in the national capital with a significant Muslim population and distributing hampers containing Apis Dates and other products to the underprivileged during iftar. Through this initiative, Apis aims to increase consumer awareness about the significance of physical well-being during Ramadan and create a deeper bond within the community. By leveraging its campaign, Apis hopes to make a lasting impact on individuals and communities across the country.

The exchange4media Group is back with the on-ground Mumbai edition of its flagship property - Pitch CMO Summit after three years. The upcoming edition of the conference will be held tomorrow, 24th of March, 2023 from 10 am. Fancode WebEngage and ABP News are the Co-Powered by Partners for the summit while the Co-Gold Partners are DoubleVerify, Pepper Content & Torc ai. 

Pitch CMO Summit Mumbai 2023 brings India's most reputed brands and top management to interact and share insights on their game-changing success stories under one roof.

The theme of this edition of the conference is ‘The Agile Marketer’.

Many esteemed speakers will be a part of the conference tomorrow at the Pitch CMO Summit Mumbai edition 2023. The keynote address at the conference will be delivered by a spokesperson representing a brand with the iconic tagline - The Complete Man. Representing the lifestyle division of the group - Sunil Kataria, CEO - Lifestyle Division, Raymond Group will speak at the conference on The Story of ‘The Complete Man’.

Another key speaker at the conference will represent a brand that disrupted the way how India buys and rents furniture. As their website says “Life can be a ‘bed of roses’ (if the bed is from Pepperfry)”, echoing the brand values Ambareesh Murty, Co-founder and CEO, Pepperfry will share insights in a fireside chat with Dr Annurag Batra, Chairman & Editor-in-Chief, BW Businessworld & exchange4media.

We live in an instant era - from our messages to our deliveries - we need everything to be faster than 5G. Why should our grocery delivery be slow? Our next speaker is the co-founder of an e-commerce brand that has disrupted the way India buys groceries.  Sharing with us this story of market disruption will be Aadit Palicha, Co-Founder & CEO, Zepto who will talk about Zepto: Revolutionizing The Way India Shops Groceries Online.

When our next Co-founding speaker was told that “Millet snacks can be healthy AND tasty? Impossible!”, she replied with “Challenge accepted.” and turned the love for Millets into a mission. Born out of the dream to reinvent millets, the brand today is a part of the Tata brands roster. Sharing more brands insights on the brand story at the summit will be Rasika Prashant, Co-founder & CMO, Tata Soulfull and speak on Tata Soulfull: Reviving Goodness With Taste, Health & Agility.

The summit will witness a mix of impactful stories of new-age brands and also the giants in their respective categories. Our next speaker will be representing an FMCG giant - Britannia Industries- which is one of India's leading food companies with a 100-year legacy and annual revenues in excess of Rs. 9000 Cr. Amit Doshi, CMO, Britannia Industries will be sharing cognizance on ‘Insightful Storytelling With Agile Marketing’.

Our next speaker comes from a brand that claims of leading the future of snacking with iconic global and local brands. Being a brand that most Indians remember and cherish, and one that has delivered iconic brand communication for its sub-brands over time, Mondelez empowers people to snack right in over 150 countries around the world. At the summit, Nitin Saini, VP - Marketing, Mondelez India will be speaking about ‘How Mondelez India Marries Ideas & Technology For Brand Building?’

The next brand making its presence felt at the summit is another FMCG biggie. Loreal, for more than 110 years, has devoted energy and competencies solely to one business: beauty. Their mission has been to offer all women and men on the planet the best of beauty in terms of quality, efficacy, safety and responsibility. Gaurav Anand, Chief Digital & Marketing Officer, L’Oréal India will speak about ‘The Future of Marketing with Consumer Data.’

In today’s world led by the likes of ChatGPT and Google Bard, brands that are shying away from using AI for advertising are at a continuous competitive disadvantage. To take us through the enormous opportunities that can emerge by marrying Human creativity and AI, Pawan Rochwani, Head of Brand & Partnerships, Pepper Content will speak about ‘Content ROI With & Beyond Generative AI’.

AI has revolutionized the advertising industry by enabling marketers to deliver personalized, targeted, and relevant ads to consumers. AI-powered advertising solutions use machine learning algorithms to analyze vast amounts of data on consumer behaviour, preferences, and demographics to predict and target ads to the right audience at the right time and place. To share some case studies of ‘Many Industry Firsts With VI Ads’, Rohit Verma, Chief Executive Officer, TorcAI will speak at the summit.

Conversational commerce is transforming the way consumers interact with businesses, allowing them to shop, order, and pay for products and services through messaging and chatbot technologies. No more clunky websites, no more frustrating phone calls - just natural language conversations with brands they love. Sharing more on ‘End of Broadcasting, Beginning of Conversations’ will be Tamanna Dhamija, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Convosight.

Gone are the days of Mad Men-style marketing, where creative ideas were enough to win over customers. Today, marketing is as much about technology as it is about creativity. The rise of MarTech (Marketing Technology) has given birth to a new generation of marketers who are just as comfortable with code as they are with the copy.  To share more insights on ‘Rise of the MarTech EXPLORERS & Insights From the State of MarTech In India’ joining the summit will be Mihir Karkare, EVP, Mirum India.

In today's highly competitive business world, understanding your customers has never been more critical. In fact, the success of your business largely depends on your ability to decode profitable customers and meet their needs effectively. This is where consumer intelligence comes into play. Let us welcome on stage Mr Vivek Bhargava, Co-Founder, Profitwheel to share more details on ‘Decoding Your Profitable Customers With Consumer Intelligence’

Another fireside chat will witness Deepak Saluja, Head of Marketing, ICICI Securities in conversation with Keyur Dhami, VP - Consumer Success, WebEngage to discuss How Futuristic CMOs are Building the Right Martech Stack and how the handshake between technology and marketing for legacy businesses has been getting stronger with Marketing Leaders becoming more and more tech-savvy.

The conference will be followed by the award felicitation ceremony of The Pitch Best CMO Awards 2023.

For more details, please check out the microsite:

https://e4mevents.com/pitch-cmo-summit-2023/

To attend the summit and awards, get in touch with

Chandrakant@exchange4media.com or kapil.ramudamu@exchange4media.com