Brands
ASCI unveils new brand identity, steps up focus on digital
Mumbai: The Advertising Standards Council of India (Asci) is all set to update its guidelines and procedures according to the changing requirements of the digital era. The advertising industry’s self-regulating body has unveiled a new brand identity on Wednesday to reflect the agenda of becoming future-facing and more inclusive.
As part of the new phase, Asci will update its guidelines and procedures to include ads on the digital media. This will also take note of the changing consumers’ expectations and interactions with advertisements and the media.
It will also expand its offerings and services that will help advertisers balance creativity and responsibility. Apart from its regular complaint management system and process, Asci will now also help advertisers with services that help them “get it right”, with the help of advisory services and research-based insight studies. It has already launched a massive study GenderNext, that looks at gender depiction in advertising, to provide new starting points for advertisers for more progressive gender depictions. It is also in the process of overhauling its Advertising Advisory service, which will support advertisers at the pre-production stage, it said on Wednesday.
Underlining the need for a new brand identity, Asci chairman Subhash Kamath said, “With new-age challenges posed by the digital age, it is imperative for ASCI to take a leap into becoming a contemporary thought leader and add greater value to consumers, industry and all our stakeholders. The new logo represents this very interesting phase of ASCI’s journey, and the vibrant and optimistic outlook of responsible advertising. Our ideology and aim remain unchanged; however, we are now on the path to becoming a more dynamic and future facing organisation.”
The advertising industry’s self-regulatory body will also deploy the latest technology tools, machine learning and AI systems to track and measure advertising content. Technology will help ASCI be more vigilant, more real time in overseeing the sheer explosion of advertising content, and enable a smoother interaction between consumers, industry and other stakeholders.
The new logo signals that ASCI is gearing up towards this fast evolving and dynamic environment of consumers and advertising, said Nihilent Ltd, chief creative officer, KV Sridhar. “The colourful logo palette denotes the vibrancy of advertising and communication itself, as well as the diversity of ASCI’s stakeholders who have taken the oath to self-regulate and create ads with responsibility. The elegant and inclusive font reflects an organisation opening up to newer kinds of stakeholders, an organisation that is collaborative and demonstrates leadership in bringing together the needs of different stakeholders,” said Sridhar, whose agency designed the new logo.
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.
