Brands
NatGeo inspires Goafest to go green
MUMBAI: In its 12th year, the festival pledges to reduce its environmental footprint with the help of National Geographic. The much awaited Goafest 2017, organized by the AAAI and The Advertising Club will be hosted in Goa from 6 – 8 April, 2017. Like every year, this year too promises to showcase and recognize the most incredible creative and planning work of the year. However, there is one significant change in the awards for the first time in its 12th year history.
Goafest has pledged to be more conscious of its environmental footprint in its 12thedition. For this cause, it has partnered with National Geographic, an iconic brand which has inspired people to care about the planet for more than 129 years. National Geographic will come on board as the ‘Green Partner’ to help make the festival not only a congregation of the country’s best creative and planning minds, but also one that is conscious about its actions, and their impact.
Some of the initiatives include the organizing committee using recycled paper and making available a system of carpooling for the delegates. However, both National Geographic & Goafest agree that the organization committee adopting a host of initiatives will not be enough. Real impact and change will happen if the delegates themselves are involved and engaged in this initiative.
Consequently, National Geographic will create an awareness drive throughout the festival to shock, educate and inspire delegates for the need to be environmentally conscious. Delegates will also be encouraged to do their bit, from collecting water they would’ve wasted to ditching plastic bottles for the much sought after National Geographic branded water bottles.
FOX Networks Group India Business Head Swati Mohan said, “National Geographic has been educating and inspiring people to care for the planet. Our association with Goafest is another endeavor in the same direction – to make our incredible industry aware and conscious about preserving the planet. We are confident that the country’s best creative and planning minds will adopt this cause and be our partners to spread this important message.’’
Goafest chairman Ashish Bhasin adds, ‘’This year, apart from being this festival that is associated with excellence, we wanted Goafest to be a festival that is conscious and responsible. This year, Goafest is Green through the various initiatives that we have adopted. We couldn’t find a better partner than National Geographic for this cause.”
National Geographic reaches 139 million television viewers in India and globally the entire portfolio to 700 million consumers each month.
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.
