WARC turns spotlight on Brand Activism in India; expands its team in India

WARC’s Spotlight India is a new bimonthly series, with each edition focused on a current topic geared towards helping brands market effectively in India. The series is a capsule collection of expert commentary and insights, tackling each subject from a range of angles. Contributors to the series are highly-regarded industry professionals offering the latest advice into what’s working.

Launching with the theme ‘Brand Activism in India’, this Spotlight edition is the first of five slated for the year and includes eight exclusive pieces bringing together varying points of view, consumer sentiment, data and expert guidance for marketers to draw upon.

Meanwhile, WARC has expanded its team in India with Kunal Sinha as Principal Consultant for Advisory and Biprorshee Das as India Editor.

As brands and agencies in India look to address the challenges ahead, the right insights and expertise to help craft strategies designed for success are critical. With a shared vision, Sinha and Das, together with Iwaton Consultancy, WARC’s commercial partner in India, and the rest of the WARC team, will help brands and agencies in India market more effectively.

Ed Pank, Managing Director, WARC APAC, commented, “To ensure that brands have access to in-depth local expertise and the latest insights, we have expanded our team in India with Kunal Sinha, Principal Consultant, for WARC’s new local advisory service, and Biprorshee Das, India Editor.”

Kunal Sinha is an award-winning consumer strategy and foresight expert with experience in driving demand generation, market innovation and engagement in fast growth markets.

Biprorshee Das is a Mumbai-based journalist with over 14 years of experience writing on varied subjects like finance, advertising and marketing, pop culture, lifestyle and current affairs.

Speaking on the Spotlight India edition, Das said, “As consumers become more vocal about environmental, political and social causes, there is pressure on brands to speak up too. While many worldwide are answering that call, most Indian brands have stayed silent. Brands are still wary about being outspoken and the recent Tanishq case is a clear example. With little escaping the public eye these days, being vocal about issues that plague society has often proved to be risky business.”

He further said, “That said, should the Indian marketer choose to stay silent and go about its business the way it always has? Or should he or she become braver? The answer will be different for every brand but some core themes have emerged from this edition of our Spotlight series: Any step towards activism needs to be backed up by tangible action that stays true to a brand's core values. And while there is risk involved, as more consumers increasingly become belief-driven in their choice of brands, how can any brand afford to stay safe but silent? If there ever was a time to be outspoken and be heard, it is now.”

Excerpts from the report:

Puneet Das, SVP, Marketing - Beverages, TATA Consumer Products, tells WARC how standing up for a cause must go beyond just communicating it in order to be meaningful, including how Tata Tea issued a "Wake up" call to highlight national issues here.

Over the years, The Times of India has been at the forefront of brand activism with popular campaigns raising pertinent issues. Malcolm Raphael, Senior Vice-President and Head - Trade Marketing, Innovations, Creative Strategy, The Times of India, explains how the country’s leading newspaper leads with social activism at its core and talks about initiatives such as Teach India and Aman Ki Asha.

Chase Buckle, Head of Global Trends, GlobalWebIndex, explains how brand purpose can also be a competitive differentiator amid the spike in online shopping.

Ajeeta Bharadwaj, Chief Strategy Officer, Wondrlab, shares why it is becoming increasingly important for India's brands to be vocal about issues, and how to do so the right way.

Ankit Singh, Senior Vice President - Strategy, Leo Burnett Delhi, draws on global parallels to show why Indian brands must stand up for issues and walk the talk.

Ashraf Engineer, Principal Consultant, Pitchfork, takes a look at how it is getting harder for Indian brands to separate their values from their business.

Suraja Kishore, CEO, BBDO, introduces Brand Activism 101, a strategic framework that marketers in India can follow if they want to champion an issue.

The next Spotlight India will be released in April. Spotlight India complements WARC’s Spotlight Australia, Southeast Asia and US series, with further market-specific Spotlights being released over the coming months.