MAM
Lowe revamps planning services; launches strategy division
MUMBAI: In a move to ensure rigour in understanding business issues and hurdles to growth, Lowe India has revamped its planning services with the launch of a strategy division.
This division will be manned by eight brand strategists, most of whom have over 10 years experience in advertising, market research and marketing. The brand strategists will be assisted by a team of 20 other planners across the agency.
The roles of the brand strategists too have been redefined. A strategist at Lowe will go beyond formulation of brand communication game plan. Also, planners would guide the teams through line executions, where needed, rather than just mass media campaigns.
The newly-formed division will embark upon a number of knowledge projects on an ongoing basis. These projects would focus on observing changing consumer and market trends in the overall area of marketing and communication.
For example, Lowe’s just-released ‘Lowe Faces of Asia report’. This is part of an Asia Pacific regional study covering countries like China, Thailand, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Malaysia and the Philippines, in addition to India. The study focuses on `Mrs. Urban India,’ housewives in urban areas, and builds a comprehensive picture of their values, lifestyles, media habits and product consumption behaviour.
“Our strategists will complete at least five more knowledge projects like ‘Faces’ during the current year and share the knowledge with our clients”, Lowe president and COO Pranesh Misra was quoted as saying in an official statement.
According to him, “We have always believed in creative products and will continue to do so. The strategy division will add another significant dimension to our service offering and, hopefully, build another point of differential for the agency.”
Brands
Uidai partners with Google to help users locate Aadhaar centres
Verified Aadhaar centres to appear on Maps with services and access info
MUMBAI: Finding an Aadhaar centre may soon be as easy as finding your favourite café. In a move aimed at making public services more accessible, the Unique Identification Authority of India has partnered with Google to display authorised Aadhaar centres on Google Maps. The feature, expected to roll out in the coming months, will allow residents to locate verified centres quickly and confidently.
More than 60,000 Aadhaar centres, including state of the art Aadhaar Seva Kendras, will be mapped. When users search on Google Maps, they will be directed to authorised facilities rather than unverified listings, helping curb misinformation and confusion.
The listings will do more than drop a pin. Users will be able to see the nature of services offered at each centre, whether it is adult enrolment, child enrolment, or limited to address and mobile number updates. Details such as operating hours, parking availability and divyang friendly infrastructure will also be shown wherever applicable.
Uidai CEO Bhuvnesh Kumar, said the collaboration is part of the authority’s continued effort to improve ease of living for Aadhaar holders by making authorised centres simpler and faster to navigate.
The partnership will deepen in its next phase, with Uidai using Google Business Profile to manage information and respond directly to public feedback. Looking ahead, the two organisations are also exploring the option of enabling appointment bookings through the Google Maps interface, potentially allowing residents to plan their visits with greater efficiency.
Google India country head, strategic partnerships Roli Agarwal, said integrating verified Aadhaar centres would help millions access trusted services with confidence, bringing essential government infrastructure closer to the people who need it most.
If all goes to plan, a routine Aadhaar update may soon begin not with a queue, but with a search bar.
