Brands
Britannia seeks to bring Smile to ‘Indian Guard of Honour’
MUMBAI: It’s World Smile Day on 6 October and Britannia’s flagship brand, Good Day, is celebrating the day with a new, heart- warming and soulful digital film.
It’s new film is a narrative by an Indian Guard of Honour stationed outside India Gate, and it captures a day at work – which requires him to remain solemn and unsmiling despite all the slice-of-life activities happening around him. The soldier is bound by his work circumstances to not smile, but at the end of every day, he reminisces the sights of the day and smiles broadly – which leaves the viewer wondering “What are my reasons not to smile more”?
The purpose of the film is to emphasise the importance of a smile in our everyday life, through the eyes of someone who can’t. The film has been conceptualised and executed by J. Walter Thompson (JWT), Bangalore.
The film has all the elements of humour, emotion and realism and is seen from the eyes of an Indian Guard. Motionless and un-smiling till his duty ends, he recounts the happenings of the entire day. The lady and her dog who are out for a walk, the child who competes with him on the mannequin challenge and the balloon seller who implores him to smile every day. All characters entertain him and even make him smile, but he holds back – because he is on duty. And every day, he waits for the moment when he is off duty and makes it a point to smile whole-heartedly.
JWT ECD Prita Shivakumar opines: “A brand that’s all about smiling more and celebrating the value of a smile through an unexpected and heartwarming story. A man who is compelled by virtue of what he does for a living, to withhold his smile. It’s only under such circumstances that you realise the value of that magical gesture – the human connection it forges and the goodwill it generates, all the more because a smile doesn’t expect anything in return.”
Britannia Industries VP – marketing Ali Harris Shere said, “We wanted to get people to realise they do not have any reasons not to smile and shouldn’t hold back – and to encourage this realisation we went on the opposite path to identify people who have reasons not to smile owing to their work regime, honour or commitment – the Indian Guard of honour being one of them.”
Brands
Hardik Jhaveri named senior director marketing at Colgate-Palmolive Asean hub
Former Hill’s Pet Nutrition general manager returns to the company to steer marketing for South Asean from Kuala Lumpur
KUALA LUMPUR: Hardik Jhaveri has been appointed senior director marketing for the South Asean hub at Colgate-Palmolive, marking a return to the consumer goods major after a three year stint with Hill’s Pet Nutrition. He will be based in Kuala Lumpur and will lead marketing strategy for the region.
Jhaveri joins the role after serving as general manager at Hill’s Pet Nutrition in Taipei, where he led a cross functional team and oversaw the business with full profit and loss responsibility. The role placed him at the helm of operations in Taiwan, managing growth in what he described as a start-up style environment within a global multinational.
Before that, Jhaveri spent over a decade with Colgate-Palmolive across several marketing and innovation roles in Asia. As associate director innovation for Apac excluding China, based in Hong Kong, he led new product development and launches across multiple markets.
His portfolio ranged from developing specialised oral care products such as a diabetes focused toothpaste for the Indian market to launching premium oral care experiences under the Colgate Total brand in Australia. Alongside innovation, he also worked on launch planning, brand strategy and communications for the company’s oral care portfolio.
Earlier in his Colgate-Palmolive journey, Jhaveri held roles including marketing manager innovation, senior brand manager and brand manager. His work spanned urban and rural markets in Mumbai and customer development responsibilities in the Greater Kolkata Area.
Prior to his long association with Colgate-Palmolive, Jhaveri worked as brand officer home care at Unilever, where he helped drive marketing initiatives for the Rin detergent brand, including nationwide relaunch and on ground activation campaigns.
He began his career in advertising with Bates David Enterprise, working on brands such as IDBI Bank, The Leela Hotels and The Times of India.
Jhaveri holds a post graduate programme in management from the Indian School of Business and has also completed a level 4 diploma in wine from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust.
Announcing the move, Jhaveri said he is excited to begin his new chapter at Colgate-Palmolive’s South Asean hub and thanked colleagues and mentors who supported his journey at Hill’s Pet Nutrition.
