MAM
Goafest: FCB Ulka designs ‘Gods Of Advertising’
MUMBAI: The gates are open to the biggest festival in the religion of Advertising! The campaign marking the onset of the 12th edition of Goafest, has been unveiled, under the theme- “Gods of Advertising”. The campaign has been conceptualized and designed by FCB Ulka in line with grandeur of the festival, where the Gods come together, celebrating the Gods within us.
Under the campaign, the Gods of Advertising have been depicted like the Greek Gods, to give the entire campaign a unique identity. The campaign is built on clever canvas paintings of Greek Gods with a subtle integration of the elements of their times. The art purely showcases ancient Church art style that can also be seen in the design and the font. Everything together shows the grandeur and antiquity of the festival, lending strength to the theme.
Commenting on the occasion, Goafest 2017 chairman and AAAI vice president Ashish Bhasin said, “Goafest 2017 is going to be at a level it has never been before and the campaign announcing that, Gods of Advertising, designed by FCB Ulka, has captured the feel very well. Goafest is about the Industry coming together and celebrating Creativity, sharing bonhomie within the industry participants and learning from experts, not just from our industry but from other fields as well, at a global scale. This year we have introduced several new initiatives, which will add to a lot of excitement and I thank and congratulate FCB Ulka for kicking off South Asia’s largest festival of advertising with a beautifully crafted campaign”.
Shedding light on the premise of the campaign, FCB Ulka NCD south Mahendra Bhagat said, “‘Gods of Advertising’ as a phrase is something we hear often in the advertising industry. Goafest is a fun event, that’s given. But we wanted to talk about it being an enriching event too. Which is why, we directed our communication to the youngsters, telling them that the who’s who of advertising will surely be there – imparting knowledge and sharing ideas and an event that you surely can’t afford to miss.”
“What I particularly like about this campaign is the treatment that’s given by our young creative team. Instead of repeating the typical imagery that’s associated with Goa, they thought of recreating these old frescos you see in some of the churches. Very distinct and very relevant. So, even though, it’s western in its content, it’s a little Indian in its outlook and execution,” he added.
FCB Ulka is creating promotional posters, mailers and Press communication for Goafest 2017. The first leg the campaign kicks off with a series of promotional content highlighting the God of various divisions of advertising. Each of the Gods have been given a name and their specific characteristics and inviting people to not miss it, because even the Gods won’t give it a miss.
AD Agencies
Abhay Duggal joins JioStar as director of Hindi GEC ad sales
The streaming giant brings in a seasoned revenue hand as the battle for Hindi television advertising heats up
MUMBAI: Abhay Duggal has a new desk, and JioStar has a new weapon. The media and entertainment veteran has joined JioStar as director of entertainment ad sales for Hindi general entertainment channels, adding 17 years of hard-won revenue experience to one of India’s most powerful broadcasting operations.
Duggal is no stranger to big portfolios or bruising markets. Before joining JioStar, he spent a brief stint at Republic World as deputy general manager and north regional head for ad sales. Before that, he put in three years at Enterr10 Television, where he ran the north region for Dangal TV and Dangal 2, two of India’s leading free-to-air Hindi channels. The north alone accounted for more than 50 per cent of total channel revenue on his watch, a number that tends to get attention in any sales meeting.
His longest stint was at Zee Entertainment Enterprises, where he spent over six years rising to associate director of sales. There he commanded the Hindi movies cluster across seven channels, owned more than half of north India’s revenue across flagship properties including Zee TV and &TV, and closed marquee sponsorships across the Indian Premier League, Zee Rishtey Awards and Dance India Dance. He also handled monetisation for the English movies and entertainment cluster and the global news channel WION, a portfolio that would stretch most sales teams twice his size.
Earlier in his career Duggal closed what was then a Rs 3 crore single deal at Reliance Broadcast Network, one of the largest in Indian radio at the time, before that he helped launch and monetise JAINHITS, India’s first HITS-based cable and satellite platform.
His edge, by his own account, lies in marrying data and instinct: translating audience trends, inventory signals and client demands into long-term partnerships built on cost-per-rating-point discipline rather than short-term deal chasing. In a media landscape being reshaped by streaming, fragmented attention and AI-driven advertising, that kind of rigour is increasingly rare and increasingly valuable.
JioStar, which blends the scale of Reliance’s Jio platform with the content firepower of Star, is doubling down on its advertising business at precisely the moment the Hindi GEC market is getting more competitive. Bringing in someone who has spent nearly two decades doing exactly this, across some of India’s most watched channels, is a pointed statement of intent. Duggal has spent his career turning audiences into revenue. JioStar is clearly betting he can do it again, and bigger.
