MAM
Askme appoints JWT as creative agency; sets aside Rs 350 crore marketing budget
MUMBAI: Askme has appointed J. Walter Thompson as its creative agency to help the brand strengthen its leadership in the Indian digital platform and e-commerce space.
With ATL and Digital marketing spends of Rs 350 crore, initially for one year, this contract will entitle J. Walter Thompson for all the creative and digital duties of Askme including Askme Bazaar and Askme Freeads.
Askme had called for a multi-agency pitch where several agencies participated over three months. J. Walter Thompson was entrusted with creative duties for the next marketing campaign basis the creative ideas presented to the team.
Getit Infomedia group head, marketing and digital products Manav Sethi said, “We launched Askme brand last year and have witnessed significant consumer uptake and others in app and digital ecosystem following the suite in trying to launch similar integrated services across search, deals, classified and commerce. We remain focused on our growth story and have been continuously working towards developing an enriching platform for end users and SMEs. We are confident that creative team at J. Walter Thompson India will help position Askme brand as a destination of choice across our target consumers in this already cluttered market.”
J. Walter Thompson, Delhi managing partner Sanjeev Bhargava added, “J. Walter Thompson has a tremendous track record of creating brand value through advertising that catches the imagination of the people. In the e-commerce space, we are excited to partner with a brand on its journey to success and leadership in the face of intense competition. We are happy to be selected for our demonstrated prowess in strategic thinking and creative abilities that bested some worthy competitors. And we hope to live up to and exceed the expectations of leadership at Getit Infomedia.”
Brands
Faber-Castell India appoints Sunaina Haldar as director – marketing
With stints at Tata, SleepyCat and ADF Foods under her belt, Haldar is primed to redraw Faber-Castell’s brand story
MUMBAI: Faber-Castell India has poached Sunaina Haldar from ADF Foods, appointing her director – marketing as the German stationery brand looks to muscle up in a category that is rapidly reinventing itself around creativity and self-expression.
Haldar hit the ground running. “My first couple of weeks have been incredibly energising, understanding consumers, visiting markets, engaging with retailers and immersing myself into the world of Faber-Castell Group,” she said.
She arrives with considerable firepower. At ADF Foods, Haldar ran marketing across India and international markets for a portfolio spanning Ashoka, Aeroplane, Camel and ADF Soul. Before that, she was vice-president – marketing at direct-to-consumer mattress brand SleepyCat, where she helmed brand, content and performance marketing. Her résumé also includes a stint leading marketing, new product development and CRM for Tata SmartFoodz at Tata Consumer Products, no small proving ground.
Between corporate roles, Haldar also operated as a fractional CMO for early-stage startups, building marketing strategy and operational structures from scratch, a signal that she knows how to move fast with limited resources.
With 18 years straddling FMCG, D2C and the startup world, Haldar now takes the reins at a brand that has long owned the classroom but is clearly hungry for the living room. In a stationery market where the pencil has become a lifestyle statement, Faber-Castell has picked someone who knows exactly how to sell that story.
