MAM
Dentsu Webchutney brings back ‘90s nostalgia with Logitech’s Friendship Day campaign
MUMBAI: Inspired by the ‘90s era, Dentsu Webchutney, the creatively led digital agency from Dentsu Aegis Network, has launched the ‘Logitech Buddy Board’- a keyboard innovation that lets two to five friends play a game together on just one single keyboard. The campaign went live on Friendship Day with a unique microsite www.logitechbuddyboard.com.
The game is a throwback to the iconic ‘90s with the classic 8-bit art style and multiplayer arcade gaming. Players have to team up and control their individual avatars in the game while trying to score as high as possible. A leaderboard tracks the rankings with prizes being given to the top teams.
From an initiative started by the ‘greeting cards’ industry to a monumental event that is celebrated by brands and people from all over the world, Friendship Day has evolved into something that’s much more than just tying brightly coloured wristbands. However, the concept of friendship itself has changed over the years due to the rise of social media, smartphone addiction and phubbing (snubbing someone in favour of a mobile phone). Heartfelt bonding and intimacy have turned into friend requests – a far cry from the way people bonded over trump cards, board games and arcade gaming back in the ‘90s.
Gurbaksh Singh, Chief Creative Technologist, Dentsu Webchutney says, “Hectic work schedules and social media have changed the way we perceive friendship. Things were very different back in the ‘90s. We took this nostalgic hook and decided to hack into the keyboard interface so that at a time five players can play independently with their avatars. With this fun game, we hope to evoke the spirit of friendship the way it was in the ‘90s.”
Abbas Zaidi, Creative Director, Dentsu Webchutney explains, “The ‘90s for many of us were making friends over furious button mashing on Nintendo and Sega systems. So, this Friendship Day we decided to tap into nostalgia and make old friends revisit that era. Through Buddy Board we made it possible for multiple friends to come together (literally, on the same keyboard) to play an 8-bit game like the old times and score some sweet loot too.”
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.
