What do you get when one of India’s top 5 agencies decides to associatewith one of the most cutting-edge design houses in the world?That’s a question that Cheil India wants brands to consider as it prepares tohit the market with a unique offering. The Munich-based ‘Mind Design Laboratory’ is a specialist in creating integrated 360º brand experiences.They have put together some of the most awe-inspiring technology-enabled designs and spaces for brands across the world including at CES Las Vegas, MWC Barcelona,Photokina Cologne, IFA Berlin, Olympia Park Sochi, Westfield London and many others. Their project teams comprise of award-winning researchers, architects, artists, designers and engineers. This combined offering, which is being rolled out in time for Auto Expo 2015,will incorporate brand-strategy, audience-planning, interactive media,3D design and world-class production management. This combined offering, which is being rolled out in time for Auto Expo 2015,will incorporate brand-strategy, audience-planning, interactive media, 3D design and world-class production management. It will offer brands the chance to stand out and make an impact at not only the Auto Expo but also at a number of other large events and expos such as the CeBIT, Aero India, etc. NavdeepDhindsa (Cheil India’s Head of Brand Activations & Event Marketing) commented on the association saying:We couldn’t have found better partners to collaborate with than MDLab. They have designed some truly awe-inspiring exhibitions and events as well as highly memorable brand experiences for retail environments and pop-up format spaces. The kinds of projects they have executed are the stuff of dreams.We are very confident that brands in India will be able to benefit hugely from our combined capabilitiesand really capitalise on all the exciting opportunities that exist in this vibrant market.
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As humans, we all look for categorizations. They make our lives easier and more manageable.Therefore, it’s only natural that we at EE, after careful scrutiny, bring to you the list of Top 10 Experiential agencies in India today. For marketers and newbies in the experiential world, this list provides the top 10 agencies in India that have made their mark and given an excellent show as far as experiential is concerned. Keeping in mind the scalability factor, the brilliance in innovation, and the management of the audience, we have compiled a list of top 10 agencies. And the winners are – 1. Wizcraft Established in 1988, this agency is responsible for all the magic behind the IIFA Weekend and Awards, Green Globe Foundation Awards, Global Indian Music Academy Awards and the Film & TV Producers. Some of the prestigious projects led by Wizcraft most recently include the Opening and Closing ceremonies of the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, the ICC World Cup’s Opening ceremony in Dhaka, the Oman Tattoo and the celebration of 150 years of India-South Africa friendship. 2. Percept Founded in 1984, Percept Limited, they are responsible for some of the biggest shows such as Sunburn (with over 1,00,000 attendees), Bollyboom, Filmfare, Ad Films, Feature films, Fight Night, GOD, Champions of the world, Windsong, and the list goes on. Celebrating 30 years of excellence, they provide creative services,media services, digital and mobile services and and also have a vertical that handles sports and entertainment for their clients. 3. LIVE Viacom 18 LIVE Viacom18 is a subdivision under Integrated Network Solutions (INS) whose mandate is to create LIVE IP’s in the Music & Entertainment space. They are the ones responsible for creating MTV Xtreme, the Comedy Central Chuckle festival, Supersonic, MTV Bollyland, Nickelodeon KCA India, etc. 4. Only Much Louder The guys behind the multi-city, multi-day Bacardi NH7, A Summer’s Day, The Scene, NH7 Smash Up, and NH7 Shake Down, MTV Bring On The Night, and producing the Cannes Lion-winning show – The Dewarists, OML has made their mark in the events industry. 5. Fountainhead Having commenced operations in 1995, Fountainhead has worked with top global brands like MTV, Philips, Hutchison Max Telecom, Procter & Gamble, Pepsi and solid domestic brands like Tata, Blue Star, Aditya Birla Group and Bennett Coleman.They have also handled international acts such as Akon, 50 Cent, INXS, Spyrogyra, Buddy Guy and have created very successful music festivals like The One Tree Music Festival and The Mahindra Blues Festival. 6. DNA Networks A name synonymous with Entertainment in Sports, DNA Networks are the big guys behind events such as IPL, ICC Cricket World Cup Tour, ICC World Twenty20, Champions League, Athens Olympic Torch Relay. Besides sports they have also a number of music festivals such as Sound Awake, Rock’N India (an international annual music festival) and it prides itself on being the only events company in India to have produced live concerts with Music Greats such as Sting, Roger Waters, Lionel Richie, Iron Maiden, Katy Perry, Bryan Adams, Shakira, Aerosmith, etc. 7. 70 EMG Established over a decade ago, 70EMG, they are the curators behind festivals like the India Bike Week – a first of its kind biking festival in India, and the The Kala Ghoda Arts Festival in Mumbai since 2002 with over 6,50,000 visitors each year, the AAAI Goa Festival, South Asia’s answer to the Cannes Lions Advertising Festival – since 2007, the Nokia IndiaFest with over 12,000 visitors and the GJEPC India International Jewelry Week (over 800 exhibitors & 50,000 business visitors) amongst many others. 8. Encompass Events Having been in the industry for over 15 years and having more than 10000 projects in their pockets, Encompass events are the brains behind the award winning campaigns such as the P&G Thank You Mom mall activation, Gillette Shave For The Soldier campaign and the world launch of Toyota, Etios, People’s Gateway Movement, Mercedes Benz-Star Drive, etc. 9. DDB Mudra Max Founded in 1980, DDB Mudra Max has dabbled in experiential in a way that it successfully executed the 46 day long Grand Kerala Shopping Festival with the Government of Kerala, grabbed the South African Tourism OOH duties, IAA Olive Crown, and many more such properties along with handling experiential campaigns for a number of corporates such as Volkswagen. 10. Showtime Group Having been in the industry for over 30 years now, the Showtime Group has successfully executed events such as the BMW 3 Series launch, BMW Xperience, BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe Launch, DLF Mall of India launch, Swiss Unlimited launch, the Finacle Conclave, Hero Insolito, Jodhpur One World Retreat, MINI Countryman launch, Starbucks launch, etc.
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What do you get when one of India’s top 5 agencies decides to associatewith one of the most cutting-edge design houses in the world?That’s a question that Cheil India wants brands to consider as it prepares tohit the market with a unique offering. The Munich-based ‘Mind Design Laboratory’ is a specialist in creating integrated 360º brand experiences.They have put together some of the most awe-inspiring technology-enabled designs and spaces for brands across the world including at CES Las Vegas, MWC Barcelona,Photokina Cologne, IFA Berlin, Olympia Park Sochi, Westfield London and many others. Their project teams comprise of award-winning researchers, architects, artists, designers and engineers. This combined offering, which is being rolled out in time for Auto Expo 2015,will incorporate brand-strategy, audience-planning, interactive media,3D design and world-class production management. This combined offering, which is being rolled out in time for Auto Expo 2015,will incorporate brand-strategy, audience-planning, interactive media, 3D design and world-class production management. It will offer brands the chance to stand out and make an impact at not only the Auto Expo but also at a number of other large events and expos such as the CeBIT, Aero India, etc. NavdeepDhindsa (Cheil India’s Head of Brand Activations & Event Marketing) commented on the association saying:We couldn’t have found better partners to collaborate with than MDLab. They have designed some truly awe-inspiring exhibitions and events as well as highly memorable brand experiences for retail environments and pop-up format spaces. The kinds of projects they have executed are the stuff of dreams.We are very confident that brands in India will be able to benefit hugely from our combined capabilitiesand really capitalise on all the exciting opportunities that exist in this vibrant market.
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Sony Pictures Networks India Pvt. Ltd (SPN), earlier known as Multi Screen Media or Sony Entertainment Television, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment wanted to celebrate their glorious journey of 20 years. Fountainhead Entertainment was given the mandate to conceptualize and organize an event which would bring out exuberance. The invitees for this grand celebration included the biggest names of Bollywood and Television along with Sony’s internal employees, in honour of their completing 20 wonderful years. To mark an outstanding 20 year journey of Sony, the theme for this year's party was #SonyTerrific20 and the celebrations were organized at Grand Hyatt, Santacruz, Mumbai. In order to create a pre-event buzz for the party, Fountainhead organized a Flash mob at the Sony office on 29th Oct, where the crew performed on a song track & the shout out was to welcome them for the grand party. A few Sony employees were trained for a week who were a part of the mob along with the flash mob crew on the 29th. Along with a setup which aptly portrayed this theme, the grand party also witnessed some enthralling performances by Israeli Mentalist Roy Zaltsman, Electric String Angels band, DJ Aqeel, DJ Suketu and Sunidhi Chauhan along with her Band. According to the Sony's vision, the entire venue was transformed into an exuberant and glamorous club giving it a feel of the grand party. Fountainhead Entertainment ensured a buzzing celebration for the country’s leading entertainment network.They booked the entire event space at Grand Hyatt for the multiple setups. The grand ballroom had a massive stage and chandelier along with the other ballroom areas setup for all the celebrities. The setup also included numerous installations for guest engagement in the pre-function area. A dedicated manpower of 90 people working rigorously for 32 hours and achieved the client’s vision of a gigantic setup. Fountainhead Entertainment also installed a 25 feet moving chandelier in the center of the ballroom, a technology used for the first time in India at an event. It provided a unique experience as the chandelier’s patterns and lighting were perfectly programmed to sync with the music playing. The DJ platform was setup at the center of stage above the LED Wall at a height, in order to create a better connect with the audience, enhancing the club feel. To add an international flavor to the party, 4 separate platforms were created across the ballroom where the Russian dancers performed.The visuals, lights and the music throughout the evening were synced as the guests entered the celebrations.There were various engagement activities in the pre-function area such as Karaoke Room, Post-it wall where people could post a wish for Sony, Sling shot wall where a message could be digitally splashed on a wall, a Twitter mirror and a Flip Book area along with various fun props to add to the party element. The highlights of the event were the mentalist Roy Zaltsman’s introductory act , the moving chandelier in the main ballroom, Sunidhi Chauhan’s performance and music by DJ Aqeel and DJ Suketu. Commenting on challenges faced by Fountainhead while executing the event, Rohan Salvi, VP - Business Development and Client Servicing, Fountainhead Entertainment, said, “It was an extremely prestigious event as it marked the 20 year journey of Sony Entertainment Television (Multi Screen Media) in India. Hence, it was important for us to translate the client’s vision into reality, right from the selection of invitees to registration and guest management leading to the content and execution. Given the lineage and prestige attached to such an event, perfection is the only norm for Fountainhead Entertainment. Ensuring an extraordinary experience for the esteemed employees, Bollywood and TV celebrities was our main challenge which was lived up to. With an exceptional concept and impeccable production, Fountainhead Entertainment crafted an immersive experience for all the guests to cherish forever.”
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Ajay Vadhvani Solutions conceptualized and executed Season I of Jabong Turfwar 2015 driven by Hero, held on Nov 21st – 22nd 2015, at G.L. Bajaj Institute of Technology and Management. While over 5000 people witnessed the fun, fashion, fitness and football combination live we at EE bring to you the highlights from the event. An IP by AVS, with online fashion retailer Jabong had twelve colleges from Delhi NCR participating, all competing for the grand trophy. The final match was played between Gautam Buddha University & G.L. Bajaj Institute of Technology and Management. After what proved to be a highly combative game, Gautam Buddha University emerged as the Champions receiving the Jabong Turf War trophy and a cash prize of INR 25,000. Brishektu Pal from G.L. Bajaj Institute of Technology and Management won the Hero of the Tournament Award and received a limited edition Karizma motorcycle signed by Dutch musician Martin Garix of the Animals fame. Speaking at the award ceremony, Nils Chrestin, Interim CEO at Jabong and Group CFO of Global Fashion Group, said, “The level of football played in this tournament was truly impressive. Football has been gaining ground in India and this was quite evident by the excitement among the players and the crowd alike.” The tournament, which was held over two days, captivated the audience with some exceptional performances by the participants. Adding to these were great live performances by Archis Patil, India’s record-breaking freestyle footballer; emcee Clince Varghese, MTV selfie challenger winner; and award-winning DJ Varun Dayal. Hero, India’s largest two-wheeler manufacturer, drove the Jabong Turf War, co-sponsored by German sportswear major Puma. Other partners were Gatorade (sports drink), Jawed Habib (hair care), 94.3 Radio One (radio), Magic Bus (NGO), Sony Six (associate), GLBIT (venue), Eco Wise (waste management), Crowne Plaza (hospitality), and Jabra (performance). The tournament was held at the G.L. Bajaj Institute of Technology and Management, Greater Noida. “G.L. Bajaj Institute of Technology and Management, Greater Noida is happy to associate with Jabong for this great initiative. This event will fill the youth with revived energy and new knowledge as the sports not only give physical fitness but also teach important management lessons. I believe that Jabong will continue to create more such avenues for youngsters,” said Mr. Pankaj Agarwal, Vice Chairman, G.L. Bajaj Institute of Technology and Management. The tournament was attended by prominent sport figures with the likes of Abhishek Mishra, Triathlete, Marathoner, Ultra-Runner and the winner of the recent Ironman Mallorca; Sandesh Jhingan and Nirmal Chhetri, professional footballers in the Indian Super League, rallying the participants through the tournament. Fascinating performances by a rock band, dance troupe, and cheerleaders provided a good spectacle for the audience throughout the tournament. Speaking about the IP, Turfwar, Ajay Vadhvani, Founder at AVS, said “This tournament took over 20 days for pre-planning, associations and partnerships, 10 days of promotions, 2 days of setup at the venue and 2 days at event. The idea was to deliver flawless execution with branding & various activations during the tournament days. And to which the team did a wonderful job. I also thank my partners and sponsors for having faith in us with this IP, and which made it large”. Speaking of future for Turfwar, we already have a go ahead for 4 cities in Season II (2016), starting from Jalandhar, Kolkata, Mumbai, Delhi & Goa* with its Beach Edition.
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Global marketing communications consultancy Maxus announced today key appointments across its two specialist units. Vidur Patney joins in as the National Director Experiential Marketing and Pooja Verma as Head of Maxus ESP respectively. Vidur joins Maxus from Globox Media Private Limited. As a founder in a start-up of an Experiential Marketing company, he was responsible for the day to day running of the firm along with everything that went into building the business and developing new clients as well as executing projects. Some of his key achievements at Globox include, managing all TVS Racing initiatives for the last 2 years at the BIC, MMSC and the KMS racing tracks and conducting over 70 Apache Pro Performance Stunt Shows across India etc. In a career spanning eighteen years, Vidur has worked with leading agencies these being Dentsu Communications Private Limited, Encompass Events Private Limited, and 212 Traders etc. He has handled important and significant clients in all his earlier stints and brings to the table a proven ability to manage key account relationships and large-scale projects. For nearly a decade and a half, Pooja has been involved in building engagement as a part of content strategy through communication, branding, marketing and citizenship initiatives. She has worked for leading multi-nationals including Disney, BASF and Make-A-Wish Foundation. In her last role Pooja was Director of Marketing and Communication for Make-A-Wish based in Singapore. She also consulted independently for brands in India and overseas for their content marketing and multi-platform content needs. In her free time, Pooja also offers her content and marketing communication expertise pro-bono to non-profits. Kartik Sharma, Managing Director, Maxus South Asia said "The appointments of Vidur Patney and Pooja Verma reflect Maxus’ commitment to attracting the best and brightest talent to our agency. They both are reliable leaders with robust backgrounds in experiential marketing and content marketing respectively. Both of them will fit very well within our strongly established client-driven culture and marketing culture and we are sure they will achieve even higher success with Maxus. Elaborating on his new role Vidur Patney- National Director Experiential Marketing, Maxus said, “The media landscape is possibly at its most dynamic state today. It’s a time of rapid and big changes. With the vision that Maxus has, and the kind of work that they do, my decision making became that much easier. Maxus is going from strength to strength; I’m excited to be a part of this growth oriented organization and being present while we achieve greater heights of success." Talking about her new appointment Pooja Verma, Head, Maxus ESP said, “Maxus ESP is in a unique position to tell our client’s stories through differentiated content and associations with leading entertainment, sports and live properties. As MAXUS ESP gears up to the next level, I am privileged to lead this award winning team in its mission. I look forward to utilising all that I have learnt working with multinational brands in enabling the team to build an imaginative and successful body work for our clients”. These appointments come in the wake of Maxus solidifying its position as an employer of choice and are a step towards becoming the leading marketing communication consultancy in the country.
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After having submitted a representation to the Chief Minister of Maharashtra for single window license clearance for event permissions, good news has followed for Events and Entertainment Management Association (EEMA) members as Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai has yesterday announced approval of single window licensing procedure for events. The announcement comes after the C. M. of the state Sri. Devendra Fadnavis assuring full government support to the event fraternity at the EEMAX Global Awards held in September this year. Post EEMAX, EEMA has been rigorously working along with the state machinery and MCGM on the ‘Single Window’ mandate. Event organizers will now be able to get all the permissions required from the Municipal Corporation in Mumbai through one window only. The MCGM single window, currently a physical window has gone live today and an on-line window is expected to follow in the next few months. It is expected that all other licensing permissions across different departments in the state are expected to be amalgamated soon. Talking about it, Sushma Gaikwad, VP, EEMA West says, “We have been relentlessly working alongside MCGM and have provided input as well as clarifications with a view to make the system simple and robust. This announcement brings in good news for the entire industry and its stakeholders who faced numerous hassles while organizing events in Mumbai. This is the first step and an important one. ” Speaking on the subject, Sabbas Joseph, President EEMA said, “We are pleased to announce that the MCGM has approved the single window for Mumbai. This is the first step toward a feasible solution and is expected to evolve as learnings are incorporated over a period of time. This window is highly effective as it brings together all the permissions required from the Municipal Corporation in Mumbai. Over a period of time all other permissions across departments in the state are expected to be amalgamated.” He added: "Our special thanks to a few persons to the Maharashtra CM, Devendra Fadnavis and Yuva Sena leader, Aaditya Thackeray who shared our vision. And to their team comprising the state’s Tourism and Culture Secretary, Mrs Valsa Nair Singh and from the MCGM, the Municipal Commissioner, Ajoy Mehta and Ms Shashi Bala, Chief BDD. Their consistent and steadfast commitment ensured that this pathbreaking step has been taken in the shortest possible time. The new event permission circular is now available on www.mcgm.gov.in
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Social media is one of the most important tools marketers and curators use to amplify their event content today. Not only does social media enables your event content to go global without much investment but it also serves as a platform to receive prompt feedback on the event and what can be improved in it. But a recent observation made by marketing gurus in reference to usage of social media by brands and agencies is that how none of their marketing strategies on the social media differ from each other. Just like a decade back ATL was cluttered with all brands sending out same type of messages to their TG, social media too these days is filled with social media accounts of these brands who though use different platforms but have no uniqueness in the way their communication messages are rolled out. What brands do these days is write a message and then copy+paste the same into all social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Snapchat and others. What they do not understand that is that even though social media is dynamic in its ethos, the same communication message through all platforms with zero innovation will reap no results for the brand. Marketers and agencies need to understand today, that all social media platforms are popular because all of them have their independent unique features. A twitter is more prompt than facebook & allows only 140 characters to be communicated at a time and thus using the same fb status here would go unnoticed. LinkedIn is a professional communication tool and hence the communication messages here have to more crafted, for them to get the attention a brand wants and a platform like SnapChat has to be used to create pre-event buzz in form of small glimpses and definitely not lengthy articles. If one looks at some of the most successful social media campaigns this year, they would see and realize that the success of creating memorable experience on social media for your TG roots back to using a particular social media platform to its benefit and not just ticking it off the list with a unified message across all platforms. As an example, in 2006 Ecommerce vendor TOMS Shoes had launched a philanthropic campaign asking people to donate one pair of shoes to needy children. In May 2015, the brand took the campaign to Instagram with the hashtag #withoutshoes. As part of the campaign activity whenever someone posted an Instagram photo of their bare feet using the hashtag #withoutshoes, TOMS donated a pair of shoes. The brand used a singular social media platform to create awareness about the campaign but used the platform in a way to best optimize the features of Instagram to ensure success. As a result, the campaign resulted in the donation of 296,243 pairs of shoes with people posting their legs without shoes photo on instagram for support. Similarly, the last selfie campaign by World Wildlife Fund (WWF) managed to wow animal lovers through its innovative use of Snapchat. WWF used the idea that selfies disappear off Snapchat after 10 seconds to illustrate the disappearance of endangered species around the world. The result was worldwide branding and sharing that led to increased donations for the month in only a matter of days. The reasons behind the success of this campaign too was its ability to engage its audiences through an innovative use of platform rather than just pleading people and advocating about animal rights. Brands and curators need to understand today that social media has been around for quite a while now and its time to put the pedal on the metal and create newer experiences with them rather than their monotonous use. Using same marketing strategy for different platforms will not work anymore, what is going to help brands achieve a loyal TG is surprising them using a different marketing strategy for different social media platforms.
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