-

The task for out-of-home was of ultimate importance- Titan wanted to launch their belts and wallets as a pilot in Bangalore city only, which meant that they had to use localized media and avoid spillover as much as possible into other markets. With OOH being the only medium, there was not much room for error- the campaign was a true test of the efficiency of OOH as a medium, and the results would set the tone for the national launch. Mudra Max-OOH, part of the DDB Mudra Group was the outdoor agency for this campaign.

Client support for the campaign was extra-ordinary. Based on the ideas presented, product shoots were done specifically for the OOH campaign. Design was just half the work done, however. Innovations were placed with spread; to ensure every corner of the city took note of the campaign. A belt wrapped a crunched billboard, another wrapped vertically around the billboard, a wallet jutted out of the billboard- in some cases, the sheer size of the cut-out used posed a daunting problem- for teams used to implementing 4ft cut-outs, getting a 20ft cut-out in front of a 40 ft square billboard was the equivalent of installing a small billboard in itself. More than 20 people worked in tandem to create each execution of the ‘Crunched’ Billboard!

Along with the installations, a regular OOH media plan was devised which ensured proximity to sales points too. Large, high impact sites were chosen for the entire campaign as the emphasis was on creating quick awareness amongst the target audience.

Another media innovation was the activation of the dhobi network. Instead of executing a normal leaflet distribution campaign; the agency created specially made leaflets that replicated the actual belts and wallets. The belts were placed in the belt loops of trousers that were sent for ironing, while the wallets were tagged to the shirts. Mudra Max-OOH ensured the brand went straight into the houses of the target audience!

Speaking on the campaign, Sonia Lal, VP-Mudra Max-OOH, said- This kind of innovation was possible only because the client trusted us enough and went with our creative thoughts. I am very glad that Titan brought us in on this one. Also, the fact that OOH was used as the only medium to launch the product speaks volumes for the media itself.”

Mandeep Malhotra, President & Head, Mudra Max (OOH, Retail, Experiential), said- “Seldom are brands gutsy enough to give a challenging brief to their OOH partner to create something based on their understanding of media that stands out, complements the marketing plan and delivers the business objective. Titan did just this for their accessories announcement. The current execution helped deliver unprecedented growth in sales.OOH was used as primary media, therefore belting up outdated notions of outdoor being purely a reminder medium.”

Toranj Mehta, Manager, Titan Accessories says, “We would like to thank Mudra Max-OOH for the effort put into the Titan Accessories campaign. Basis the anecdotal response we have received, people have really found the innovations clutter breaking, especially the one with the crunched up flex. Numbers also indicate the same, as sales during the campaign have doubled over pre campaign sales. Overall the campaign has been appreciated for its refreshing take and innovative ideas.”

-

Mudra Max has exclusively implemented a high decibel campaign in Mumbai and Delhi through a mix of digital, experiential, on ground and OOH execution. The campaign is based on the international template which tells the story of the Volkswagen brand’s evolution as a responsible brand leveraging the ‘Think Blue’ philosophy.

Mudra Max and Volkswagen installed an exceptional art-piece of the iconic Beetle created wholly out of scrap collected from various Think Blue clean-up drives undertaken by Volkswagen at different locations. The concept has given life to life-less objects that have been discarded and are awaiting their inconsequential end. The ideation took day and night efforts of a team who worked for 15 days to put together a real sized Beetle made entirely of scrap ranging from discarded mother boards, keyboards, disposed machinery parts, mobile phones, cans, plastic bottles, cassettes, wires etc.

To maximize impact and reach, the Delhi T3 terminal served as the venue to exhibit the Beetle art-piece along with a holistic mix of media elements ranging from a constant running AV on the Think Blue philosophy and the making of the Beetle, a digital set up which connected the location live to Volkswagen’s micro-site and pages on facebook, cameramen to capture pictures of passersby and giving them away in custom made ‘Think Blue’ photo jackets as mementos, with promoters engaging people to a classic steel plated information kiosk on the heritage of Volkswagen and Think blue.

At the same time garbage collection drives were initiated where the trash collected were mounted in cases and put on billboards to spread awareness and to have a more responsible behavior towards the environment.

Taking the display of the art-piece forward, the Beetle was brought back to Mumbai and is now exhibited at Mahim causeway- One of the most significant junctions in the city catering to high decibel traffic and footfalls all day long. This would further heighten the impact and buzz created by the art-piece and would create talking points around the brand’s philosophy of Think blue and achieving sustainability while creating something beautiful.

A concept of ‘Fence branding’ preceded the entire ‘Think blue’ activity. A global template campaign of Volkswagen was rolled out worldwide on 15 December 2011. The primary requisite was continuous running space which would complement the ‘story telling’ creative of Volkswagen. Huge fences at Inorbit mall, Travelators at Delhi T3 airport, Fence branding at the T1 Delhi Airport were taken up. The size of the media was enormous running up to 700 square feet at one go.

In addition, an entire Delhi Metro train was wrapped with the ‘Think Blue’ story to create higher impact and interest. This was coupled with a block-out media presence across significant stations of the Delhi metro & DAME.

Speaking on the execution, Vikas Nowal, Vice President, Mudra Max-OOH on behalf of the Mudra Max team has the following take on the activity –“We wanted to ensure that the Volkswagen campaign receives equal prominence in the communication across media. Therefore, most often the need of the hour was to create disruptive opportunities for the message to hit home. The Earth Hour activity was probably the simplest yet most relevant introduction to the brand’s commitment to taking care of the environment. The Beetle installation is something we are all extremely proud of achieving, and is the best embodiment of the iconic brand, and the worthy cause it champions. We continue to look at how we can help spread the brand’s message to a wider audience, through unexpected avenues, keeping the innovative spirit alive and kicking.”

Bishwajeet Samal, Head of Marketing Communication at Volkswagen India, “Our aim was to create buzz and drive home the message of ‘Think Blue. Drive Blue.’With Out of Home activations like the Beetle art piece constructed purely out of scrap, branding of a Delhi Metro with the ‘Think Blue.’ message, creating the ugliest billboard in New Delhi from garbage collected from cleanliness drives in New Delhi; our outdoor agency effectively positioned Brand Volkswagen as a responsible automobile manufacturer. We look forward to taking up similar initiatives to further strengthen our ‘Think Blue.’ philosophy in India.

-

The objective of the campaign was to make inextlive.com the news website of choice for the youth of markets where the tabloid is circulated. It’s a three month campaign that commenced in January 2012.

Mudra Max defined the TG of the client as one with traditional values but global aspirations. They covet fame and are materialistic but still care for their parents. They live in tier 2 and 3 cities and villages of India. On the internet, the TG is looking for Infotainment – songs, music, local news, videos etc.

Based on these insights, a folk singing competition was used as a peg to launch the website with a fresh look and feel. This competition would bring the TG close to the tabloid and as registrations and updates about the competition will be available on the website of Inextlive, exposure to the fresh website was bound to be there. Besides this, the competition will also give a fresh breath of life to the folk music of these areas as the youth will be incentivized by their love for this music.

IKtara, was the name given to the folk singing competition. A call to action for the youth was created with the tagline “Aao Maati ki dhun sunao”. An online media plan along with print support from iNext and Dainik Jagran was designed to launch the campaign. For social media support the Youtube, Facebook and Twitter pages of Inextlive were revamped. The likes to the page were targeted to get regular fans of iNextlive page. For the initial three days, a teaser campaign was launched before the final campaign to announce the competition.

Iktara is a one of a kind initiative to have happened on the web-space, wherein except the shortlisting by judges & recording of the content in studios everything else such as the call for entry, registration, upload of user generated content and finally the airing of the content is all on the same platform.

In just four days of the teaser campaign, IKtara received 532 users registered for the competition. People have shown immense interest in the folk music and are coming forward to participate in the contest. Daily visitors to the website inextlive.com have almost grown three times after the launch of campaign.

Speaking on the campaign, Pratap Bose, COO, Mudra Group said, “This is proof of the through the line thinking that we promote & practice at Mudra Max. The challenge was to launch with an idea that brings stature, awareness & engagement for iNextlive & endears iNext to its core constituency. Initial results of the campaign are more than encouraging to say the least. ”

“Not only will it bring this largely neglected form of music to the fore, but also help amateur folk singers venture into the mainstream and connect the youth of today with the music of their roots.” said Alok Sanwal, COO & Editor, Inext.

-

Pratap Bose, said, “I am delighted that Sathyamurthy is coming on board and with his wealth of media experience and high levels of professionalism, he would certainly play a key strategic role in propelling Mudra Max to even greater success. I see him as driving our key client relationships as well as playing a pivotal role in enhancing our strong offerings in the digital, experiential and engagement space as well.”

Sathyamurthy comes from Lintas Media Group, where he was COO for Lintas Media Group and CEO for Karishma Initiative. He has been with the company since 2007, prior to which he was with Carat Media as Executive Director. Before Carat, Sathya, as he is better known, served as Director General, Media Research Users Council (MRUC) for three years. In this time, he has brought out syndicated research products such as the Indian Research Survey (IRS), Indian Listenership Track (ILT), and the new Consumer Classification System.

Sathya has worked with Heinz, a US-based food company, in various roles in sales, marketing and brand management. He has spent 10 years in media planning with agencies such as Mudra, O&M and Euro RSCG. During his career, he has worked on brands like Hindustan Unilever, Philips, Microsoft, Intel, Nokia, Gillette, American Express, Castrol, Prudential ICICI, HDFC, Asian Paints, Castrol, Vimal, Rasna and Dhara.

-

Mandeep will handle these added responsibilities in addition to his current role as Head of OOH and will report to Pratap Bose.

Commenting on his new appointment, Mandeep Malhotra said, “I am proud to be part of Mudra Max, a specialist agency that offers its clients an integrated approach to brand and business solutions. The agency is a great place to work as it provides a supportive and enabling environment that helps people realize their full potential. I look forward to taking charge of this mandate and leading my team in achieving new highs for our clients.”

Pratap Bose, COO Mudra Group, “Over the last 3 years Mandeep has done a commendable job in driving the growth and profitability of our OOH businesses and also in creating the finest Outdoor team in the country. That apart, his charm, confidence and ‘never say die’ spirit has been extremely endearing and infectious…which has always been his biggest asset.”

With a Masters in Business Advertising from Melbourne, Mandeep has over 12 years of rich professional experience in outdoor media. Prior to this appointment, he has worked with Clear Channel India, Rediffusion DY&R, 141 Wall Street (the OOH arm of Bates 141), Asian Age, Pioneer and Total Media Melbourne. He has managed brands such as Tata Indicom, Airtel, Reebok, Discovery, CNN IBN and Nokia among others. He has won 4 One Show awards, 3 Pencil Awards and a few dozens at the Outdoor Advertising Awards (OAA).

He is a part of the Gold Lion team at Cannes and has also received an award for The Entrepreneur of the Year along with bagging The Suit of the Year twice at Ogilvy & Rmg. He is the brain behind the recent successful launches of Aircel, Pepsi, Reebok, HT, Jet Airways, Reliance Capital, Micromax, Amway among others.

-

New Year “resolution” is the most talked about topic around New Year, we asked the leaders what is their ‘Business resolution’ for 2012. If we look back, 2009 was a tough year and 2012 if the economic scenario progresses the way it has been moving in the last six months may be testing times for all of us.We found leaders across in cautious mode and ready to talk the language the tie demands.

Ashish Bhasin, Chairman India & CEO South East Asia, Aegis Media says, “The best time to grow and invest in talent is when nobody else is doing it . I look forward to continuing that winning formula in 2012, which has worked brilliantly for Aegis Media India this year. Profit is paramount and hence my resolution continues to accept only that business which makes commercial sense, as well as has a financially credible client on the other side. Entrepreneurial ability is part of both Aegis Media’s and my DNA and hence the resolution to continue building an agency that encourages and grows every employee to become an entrepreneur.

Prashant Panday, chief executive officer of Radio Mirchi,

Ashish Bhasin

Prashant Panday

Alok Sanwal COO & Editor, I next says, “Publications, in the existing contours of business environment, are facing a stiff challenge of staying relevant to the readers as well as the advertisers. The need is to explore platforms allowing more interaction and engagement between the three; Publications, readers and advertisers. This could be done by manifesting into allied business channels that could provide multiple platforms to the stakeholders to interact with the targeted segment. From company’s point of view,

Alok Sanwal

Well!! Nisha Singhania, GM – Saatchi & Saatchi, Mumbai says, “My resolutions for 2012 are: Quality over Quantity,

Nisha Singhania

Arpan Chatterjee, Chief Sales & Marketing Officer, NaiDunia Media says: With the current economic scenario, GPD forecast going down, rupee depreciation against US dollar, Industrial production Index showing a sharp decline, – Cost Consciousness will drive our ability to

Arpan Chatterjee

Whereas as per Ramesh Chembath, Asst V.P – Head – Marketing & LFR sales , Godrej Appliances, their business resolution is to increase our engagement levels more with the

Ramesh Chembeth

Anil Sathiraju, Mudra Max Media-South Head says, “Am looking at 2012 as a very exciting year, I don’t believe in resolutions as such, but we will have to ensure we achieve

Anil Sathiraju

Shashank M Joshi, MD, My Mobile Payment Limited says, “With the growing penetration of mobile phones in India, we at My Mobile Payments Limited (MMPL) believe that mobile payments have huge potential in both urban and rural areas. For the year ahead, we want to empower all the mobile phone users across sections of the society with MMPL’s m-wallet which offers services in simple, easy and secured methods. Aiming at revolutionizing the payment system and creating a convenient mode especially for the

Shashank M Joshi

It seems that the industry leaders welcome the year with lot of ‘Enthusiasm’ and motivation. 2012 has been a year with lots of ups and downs. There were lot movements in the industry. But let’s hope 2012 brings in a lot of healthy, wealthy and prosperous time. | By Aanchal Kohli [aanchal(at)adgully.com]

-

Jesley’s induction as vice-president in OAP (South) is with the objective to help develop and strengthen the company in the ad world. His expertise in the field of outdoor,planning and execution will help the southern OAP team to build up more effectively.

Abhijit Sengupta, Chief Executive Officer, OAP, says on the appointment,“We welcome Jesley in OAP family. We’re very pleased to have Jesley on board. His experience, enthusiasm, and knowledge of new media is commendable. Having such a dynamic person in the team is a privilege for OAP south team.”

Speaking about his appointment, Jesley says, “It gives me immense pleasure and great opportunity to work along with industry stalwarts and to utilise my skills to good use on exciting new projects.”

In the year 2002, Jesley moved to the outdoor industry with ADS Advertising followed by Mudra Max (PRIMESITE) and Vivaki Specialist Services. He was responsible for valuable Out-Of-Home insights and strategic solutions for successful advertising campaigns. He focused on acquiring, maintaining and growing the business, to achieve the organizational objectives, and to expand the client base.

He commenced his career in the year 1994 with The Business India. Later he joined marketing team of the Indian Express group and was a Associate Director at Vivaki Specialist Services before joining OAP (South) for a period of one year. Today Jesley holds 15 years of experience in print, research, outdoor advertising, business development, media planning and more.

-

With the thought to get the true 360 degree, clear picture of the innovations that broadsheets are exploring during the festive season, we asked these industry minds as to what shall be their recommendation to their clients during festive season for a clutter breaking communication in broadsheet. And this is what they said!

Nitin Chaudhry, Head – Media Marketing (Revenues), Hindustan Times said, “A number of innovations have been implemented by Hindustan Times with our various advertisers during the festive season. Some of our major work being the Hyundai Eon Launch where we utilized the innovation of multiple flaps very effectively. For the Maruti Swift Launch we went with multiple front pages, a concept supported by the tagline – More Swift per Swift.” K.Uma Shankar, GM, Prabhat Khabar said, “Technically we did not do traditional innovations. However we have designed various packages to different clients for the entire festive season. We did Prabhat Utsav which is our Branding Initiative. Many clients happily participated and were happy with the results. The reason why we did not do innovations is; firstly, they have become very common and innovations no more remained innovations and secondly, clients were not willing to pay any premium due to slow down so doing innovations without premium does not make any business sense.

While Dhruba Mukherjee, Associate Vice President – The Telegraph said, “Innovations that we have done include – cover on cover, half cover, center spread and tabloid blowing out in to a broad sheet”, Gautam Dalal, dna positive said, “PFA 3 innovations done recently with advertisers. Some of these innovations are indeed done on page 1 (either main or after hrs)

Looking at this from agency’s point of view, Janardhan Pandey, Mudra Max suggests, “Large format ads & front page/page 3 innovations which will stand out to give them the best possible OTS & impact for their communication.”

On the other hand Kartik Sharma, Managing Partner, Maxus said, “At Maxus our recommendations are rooted in deep understanding of the consumer, a clearly articulated insight & great media ideas borne out of the insight. A lot also depends on the creative. We do not have a formula based approach for clutter breaking ideas during season period. Everything depends on the brand, category, creative & the context. Having said this, during season time we have noticed a disproportionate increase in ads & sometimes it can become a blind spot. Our overall recommendation is ‘tread with caution & if a great idea comes along, back it to the hilt’.

Print Media Brand Consultant A. S. Raghunath is of the opinion that, “Integrated Marketing communications would have been a better option in such festive season. I would have advised my market leader to shift the buying frenzy from the clustered space to more fare kind of spots.” He further elaborates that, “In a place where Diwali buying shops range from stalls selling puja materials to gift items to other electronic goods could have brought the entire diwali buying gamut in just one large space. It is wise to ensure the buyer’s traffic flow. My newspaper would have released special numbers from last week by integrating with local fm, outdoor and cable option. It would have also given a build up to such spots by also highlighting the salient feature through editorial content.”

With an increase in the use of jackets for newspaper as advertising options, do these industry’s thinking minds see this as the best innovations or jackets seem to have lost its sheen?!

Agreeing to the latter half of the above mentioned statement, K.Uma Shankar said, “Front Page jackets have become boring and at times I don’t even bother to see who is advertising. We directly jump into page 3 which is the real ‘page 1’. Jackets have defiantly it lost its sheen.

In complete contrast to this Nitin Chaudhry said, “Jackets are certainly an innovation with high visual punch both for advertisers and readers.” Similarly, Dhruba Mukherjee who said, “Jackets is increasingly becoming popular. They are still the best source of innovation revenues but given the frequent use they are becoming more of a standard offering rather than an innovation. Will not be surprised to see them appearing in rate cards in the future.”

Seconding Mukherjee’s opinion is Gautam Dalal, who said, “Jackets / front page ads certainly are preferred, since they provide 100% plus exposure. Besides subscribers, even passers by / glances notice innovations well.

Agency minds like Kartik Sharma said, “Jackets were conceived as a good way to differentiate & interestingly engage consumers. It gave a refreshing way to surprise & communicate with consumers in the initial stages. However it is getting overused. When any format gets over used there is bound to some degree of effectiveness drop as consumers start expecting the format and/or ignore it (if creative is not good). I won’t say jackets have lost its sheen but definitely some thought needs to be given before using it as an end all solution for brands. Apart from jackets there are many other interesting and relevant ways by which we can communicate with consumers.”

Voicing similar thoughts, Janardhan Pandey said, “Jackets are space created on premium positions to accommodate demanding advertisers for high impact communication. They are rampant now in publications which wasn’t the case few years back. I won’t call them as innovation but they are an innovative space options smartly created for advertisers.”

Critically analyzing this situation A.S Ragunath said, “If jackets are common to all newspaper, the communication loses impact. In Delhi almost all the newspapers were having jackets right from last week. With news space being compromised, it also irritates the news consumers.”

In an effort to understand the advertising patterns / trends and revenue charts, we threw a question to our elaborate guests’ line-up. It read – Are publishers offering better packages this festive season vis-a-vis last year, in turn getting a better value for your money?

We received almost single toned responses on this.

While Nitin Chaudhry opines that, “We have seen an uptick in festive season related revenue as compared to last year”, K. Uma Shankar also said, “Yes in our market the revenues are better than last year’s festive season, except few centers like Delhi last year during the same period there were elections and hence we cannot consider that revenue to it”. Mukherjee, in complete agreement said, “This year revenues have certainly been greater than previous years (Ranging between 15-20% higher)”.

Gautam Dalal elaborating on this point said, “Festive season continues to be good for DNA. The reason is obvious: Firstly, with over 5.7L copies in Mumbai alone, DNA is a huge opportunity for retail clients to reach the city’s spenders at almost half the rate of the leading publications. – The E:R works in DNA’s favour. Secondly, with a slew of automobile launches, we have seen strong revenue coming in this sector too.” Adding further, he said, “Given the huge buying season, clients pick up packages and not just single ads. These packages work well, as a local reach medium for them.”

“Each year different media houses craft new packages. Some of them are similar to last year & some are unique. Value for such offers need to be weighed in the context of the offer on the one side & the expected clutter (therefore effectiveness) on the other. Overall my sense is it will be more or less similar at an overall level”, said Karthik Sharma.

Janardhan Pandey is of the opinion that, “As media agency our job is to continue adding value to our clients by way of better rates and best positioning of ads. Now days the media owners are also forthcoming and open to offer innovative and cost effective deals that are win-win for all stakeholders. I can say that its volume & business which is more important than the ‘per square cms’ rates for media owners.”

Consultant A.S. Raghunath is dissecting the situation said, “The market has been passing through low sentiments. The other festivals like Onam and Dasherra which sets the pace for the Diwali campaigning were also dull this year. However, Diwali campaigning has suddenly burst out from late last week. I opine it was because most newspapers offered attractive packages to build up the tempo. Markets have not been as rewarding as last year.”

Speaking on decreased spends from the advertisers, which has led to the Broadsheets en-cashing on this with better packages, Nitin Chaudhry is of the opinion that, “While large advertisers have decreased the ad spends to some extent, lots of new advertisers have ensured continued revenues for publishers. Better packages do help in revenue maximization but they are a regular phenomenon rather than being an outcome of decreased spends.”

On similar lines, Mukherjee said that, “It is true – with spends been rationalized broadsheets are been forced to look at aggressive packages to maximize revenues.”
Have a crystal clear and analytical opinion on this point, K.Uma Shankar said, “First of all not all the advertisers have declined their spends. Some clients have spent more in some markets and some clients have ventured new markets. However, yes, broadsheets did en-cash the situation while the advertisers have also en-cashed it by getting more visibility and good impact.”

From this read, what one may understand and infer is that, though technology and taken the media by rage, print still holds a strong grip as an advertising option. With the revenue, cost and expenses charts sliding their way, it has become essential for print media owners and agencies to think out-of-the-box advertising methods and deliver superior quality results for every pocket size. Thus, though festive seasons have been and will continue to be the ‘high-action times’, innovation will also be a continuous task for the people of the business. | By Ankita Tanna [ankita(at)adgully.com]

-

Commenting on Mudra Max winning the account, Prachi Tiwari, Director, Marketing, World Gold Council, said, ”Given the special place that gold occupies within our tradition and lives, our focus at the World Gold Council is on making it go beyond its ritualistic consumption pattern, to become the high point in jewellery for women across different life stages. We were on the lookout for a media agency that could partner with us in driving relevance for gold in differentiated ways. Mudramax with its strategic understanding of the lifestyle category, their skill in going beyond the brief, and ability to translate consumer insights into unique media touchpoints, came across as an agency, with whom we could have an exciting brand journey with. We are glad to have them on board as our media agency for offline initiatives.”

On winning the account, Pratap Bose, CEO, Mudra Max, said, “Winning the WGC media business is testimony to the ideation and creative approach to media we as an agency have started to adopt ,and I am sure that will be evident as we commence our engagement. ‘’

Adding to this, Samir Khanna, Head, Mudra Max Media, West, said, “World Gold Council is a prestigious client for us. A brand which would requires a differentiated strategy that encompasses all the relevant audience. Given the width and scale that Mudra Max has across media touch points we will ensure that the brand gets the relevant connectors with the right audience.”

-

This is in line with Milestone’s integrated service offering through-the-line across categories pan India, from creating brand awareness out-of-home to creating brand experiences and consistently taking it right up to the branded environment at the last mile culminating into a brand purchase & re-purchase.

Nabendu Bhattacharyya, Founder & Managing Director, Milestone Brandcom said, “With consumers continuing to consume at a higher rate of growth than any other country in the world, Indian retail industry is one of the fastest growing industries in India. In addition, with approx. only 4% organized retail, we see a great opportunity in line with our integrated service offerings from a long term perspective, to enable brands to differentiate & emerge stronger at these rising touch points. With retail insight, innovation, picture perfect implementation and ideation along scientific and technology based applications, Milestone Lastmile will create a unique identity and differentiated offering in comparison to other operators in the fray. With right investment in the business as a long term business proposition, we are confident of challenging status quo and up streaming the benchmark with quality product offerings.

Milestone Brandcom will leverage its learning & network presence at the local level in context with the environment & shopper profile to provide a complete experience stimulating brand sales. The modern retail environment focus is moving from filthy and functional to the reflection of brand personality, friendly, youthful, futuristic and interactive. Milestone Last Mile will add value to modern shopping experience of the customer by creating branded environments in line with the latest social trends and aspirations, across brand interfaces like shop facia, point of sale material and merchandising, shop-in-shop, promotional packaging, permanent & semi-permanent fixtures with innovative concepts & designs, product display techniques, usage of new material, and effective use of digital & interactive media in influencing the shopper behaviour.

To lead the retail division, Milestone Brandcom has brought on board Atul Maheshwari as VP and National Head Milestone Last Mile. “It is a pleasure to have Atul on board to head the last mile wing. With 17 years rich experience in sales & retail marketing and recognized for tailoring the best integrated approaches to last mile marketing, he is well aligned with the agency’s vision to offer creative & result driven solutions to clients. Elated on his appointment, Atul Maheshwari said, “It’s a special feeling to be entrusted with leading a retail division with Milestone Brandcom. Stimulating brand sales for clients remain our common objective and my personal energies, along with the team, will be devoted towards realizing this. We aim to create a repute of turning great ideas into exceptional experiences that will trigger desired responses and finally results.”

Atul has over 17 years of experience in retail business. Prior to joining Milestone Brandcom, he was General Manager at PrimeRetail (the retail services arm of MudraMax), taking care of retail business across North, South & east India operations.. Prior to which, he spent over 4 years with Ogilvy & Mather spearheading the retail operations at Ogilvy Signscapes and also worked with LG Chemical marketing their various media products & services. In his various roles he has worked with a multitude of clients, spearheading retail projects nationally for brands like BlackBerry, Samsung Mobile, Nerolac, ING, VLCC and Hutch Vodafone.