MAM
Everest Integrated reinvents itself as Everest Brand Solutions
MUMBAI: Is 59 years a good age to be given a face lift and a new lease on life? Most of us would answer in the affirmative. Even the management of the Rediffusion owned Everest Integrated Communications said da-da to this. After a long drawn-out surgery, the agency has re-emerged with a spanking new face- Everest Brand Solutions (EBS).
Its leitmotif: going beyond the regular creative brief and becoming a custodian of brands, hence fulfilling all brand objectives, says a press release. EBS will have its hq in Mumbai with a branch in New Delhi and a representation in Bangalore.
Says EBS chairman Arun Nanda: “It has been a great year for Everest, beginning with the new management catapulting it to be the second most creative agency at the Abby Awards. I see in them a bunch of mavericks who have a vision with the passion, talent and energy to actualise it. Everest today is geared to define the next paradigm in the evolution of the communication business.”
And what is that? EBS president Mahesh Chauhan explains. Says he: “Retrofitting an ad campaign as a panacea for all marketing ills just doesn’t work. Now more than ever before, clients need partners to help resolve their marketing problems. Identifying brand problems first and then delivering media-independent solutions is what the client seeks and Everest is geared to just that. Or else, the likes of brand consultants are circling above to carve out their pound of flesh from our industry.”
The agency has designed a new structure where there are ‘idea initiators’, ‘idea leaders’ and ‘idea managers’ replacing the whole system of client servicing, planning and creative terms in the agency.
EBS COO Anirudda Banerjee points out that the agency is doing away with the traditional agency functional roles of client servicing, planning and creative. “There is no reason for these obsolete roles to continue. We are revamping our entire organisation to align with the way we arrive at solutions. Silo-type watertight departments are passé, in fact, they are dysfunctional. What works far better are cross-functional teams working at what they do best.”
In simple language this means that EBS will set up teams handling one or more brand depending on each of their requirements. Within each team, ad professionals will in all likelihood be multitasking donning different hats, depending on their capability and aptitude. “The traditional roles will blur. Our focus is on offering clients effective brand solutions and bringing in the skills of the entire team for one goal, that is success,” say EBS executive creative director Milind Dhaimade.
The new sobriquet apart, the EBS management has also done away with the familiar mountain peaks in a circle Everest logo. The new corporate identity essentially consists of a squiggle or as the agency puts it – three continuos loops. The looped line is set on a yellow backdrop; yellow signifying; ‘bringing – light into darkness, warmth to the cold, health wealth and happiness and youth to the old’.
Interestingly, the agency has also allowed every employee to add to the bare basic identity by giving it their own character. So, every individual will carry their personalised logo on their card and stationary giving the logo their own interpretation of what it stands for.
Says Dhaimade,”We are re-emerging with a child’s perspective. We are empowering our people at a fundamental level to bring about the revolution that we are looking at.”
EBS execs in its previous avatar had been known for the pirate costumes they used to wear at the various award functions. And in fact the agency had positioned itself as the pirates’ agency. With a new vessel to sail in and new clothes, will we see them at their rapacious best, pillaging the brand terrain? While the EBS team is sanguine that it will, only Long John Silver knows!
Brands
33 per cent of women believe the salary scale is rigged: Naukri report
Voices @ Work study finds rising calls for equal pay audits and lingering bias
MUMBAI: Progress may be visible in India’s workplaces, but many women still feel the need to tread carefully. A new report by Naukri reveals that one in two women hesitate to disclose marriage or maternity plans during job interviews, worried that such information could influence hiring decisions.
The findings come from the second edition of Naukri’s annual Voices @ Work International Women’s Day report, titled “What Women Professionals Want.” Drawing insights from more than 50,000 women across over 50 industries, the survey sheds light on evolving workplace aspirations alongside the biases that continue to hold women back.
One of the report’s most striking insights is the growing demand for equal pay audits. The share of women calling for regular pay parity checks has climbed to 27 per cent this year, up from 19 per cent a year ago. The demand now stands alongside menstrual leave as the most sought after workplace policy.
Interestingly, the call for pay transparency grows louder higher up the income ladder. Nearly half of women earning between Rs 50 lakh and Rs 1 crore annually say equal pay audits are a priority, suggesting that pay gaps become more visible as women move up the career ladder.
At the same time, confidence and ambition appear to be rising. About 83 per cent of women say they feel encouraged to pursue leadership roles, a significant jump from 66 per cent last year. Cities in southern India appear particularly supportive, with Hyderabad leading the way as 86 per cent of respondents there reported encouragement to step into leadership positions. The education sector recorded the highest sense of encouragement at 87 per cent.
Yet the report also highlights a growing trust deficit around pay equity. Nearly one in three women, or 33 per cent, say they do not believe men and women are paid equally at their workplace. That figure has risen from 25 per cent last year, pointing to widening perceptions of disparity as careers progress.
Bias in hiring and promotions continues to be the biggest hurdle. About 42 per cent of respondents say workplace bias is the main challenge for women from diverse backgrounds. The concern is consistent across major metros, with Chennai and Delhi NCR reporting similar levels.
Reluctance to discuss personal milestones during hiring processes is also widespread. While 34 per cent overall said they hesitate to share marriage or maternity plans in interviews, the anxiety increases with experience. Among professionals with 10 to 15 years of work experience, the figure rises to 40 per cent.
Info Edge group CMO Sumeet Singh, said the data reflects both progress and unfinished work. “Behind every data point in this report is a woman who is ambitious. The fact that 83 per cent feel encouraged to lead is something to celebrate. However, the fact that one in two still hide their marriage or maternity plans in interviews tells us the work is far from done. As India’s leading career platform, it felt not just important but necessary for us to shine a light on these gaps through the second edition of our report,” he said.
The report suggests that while ambition among women professionals is growing, structural changes around pay transparency, fair hiring and supportive policies will be key if workplaces hope to keep pace.
