MAM
McCann Worldgroup’s Ben Lilley talks about creativity at Adfest 2016
MUMBAI: ADFEST is pleased to announce that Ben Lilley, Chairman and CEO of McCann Worldgroup Australia, is joining the line-up at ADFEST 2016.
Lilley presides over one of the region’s most awarded agencies, McCann Australia – the agency behind the multi-award winning ‘Dumb Ways to Die’ campaign of 2012. At ADFEST this year, he will present a session titled: ‘Is the Creative Team Dead? Or has it just been hipsterized?’
“Technology has disrupted everything, including now, it seems, the creative team. Or has it? Just as there’s ‘no I in team’, there’s no ‘I’ in technology either. Agency teams remain as vital as ever to developing original, compelling and effective ideas,” says Lilley.
So has the creative team really changed? This session will examine what exactly a successful agency team should look like these days.
Lilley started out as a creative with some of Australia’s most respected agencies, including George Patterson, McCann and DDB, before launching his own agency SMART in 2000.
Described by AdNews as “one of the best known independent advertising success stories in Australia”, SMART was recognised in theAdNews and B&T Agency of the Year, Employer of the Year, Cannes Lions, Effies, Clios, New York Festivals, BRW Fast100 and numerous other global award shows.
In 2011, SMART was acquired by McCann Worldgroup and Lilley was appointed Australian Chairman and CEO. Within two years, McCann made Australian history as the world’s most awarded agency in the The Gunn Report, Won Report and AdAge Awards Report.
The agency’s campaigns include “Dumb Ways to Die” for Metro Trains, which in 2013 was named the most awarded campaign in Cannes Lions history and one of AdAge’s Top 15 Ad Campaigns of The 21st Century.
In 2014, the agency was awarded its 6th Cannes Grand Prix for V/Line “Guilt Trips”. And in 2015 McCann was Australia’s top ranked agency (and 6th in the world) in the global Warc 100 creative effectiveness rankings.
‘Is the Creative Team Dead? Or has it just been hipsterized?’ takes place on Friday 18th March at 4pm.
Delegate Passes to ADFEST 2016 – which runs from 16th to 19th March at the Royal Cliff Hotels Group in Pattaya, Thailand – are now available via www.ADFEST.com
Brands
Madhurendra Malu appointed genesis vertical head at Hyundai
Hyundai taps luxury veteran to steer Genesis debut and growth
GURUGRAM: Hyundai Motor Company India has appointed Madhurendra Malu as vertical head for Genesis, tasking the seasoned auto executive with leading the luxury marque’s official entry and long term growth in the Indian market.
Based in Gurugram, Malu will oversee the brand’s end to end mandate, from luxury positioning and network strategy to crafting a high touch customer experience. The role puts him at the centre of Hyundai’s push to establish Genesis as a serious contender in India’s elite automotive segment.
He joins Hyundai after a short but high impact stint at JSW MG Motor India, where he served as head of sales and earlier as head of CEM and network development. During his time there, Malu helped build the MG Select premium retail format from the ground up. The initiative saw the appointment of 13 dealer partners and the launch of 15 showrooms across 14 cities, with spaces designed to feel more like art galleries than conventional car outlets.
In a farewell note to his MG colleagues, Malu described the experience as a defining chapter. He said the role demanded constant sprints from day one, spanning dealer development, marketing, sales, planning, strategy and execution. Despite the intensity, he called the journey deeply fulfilling and expressed pride in helping lay the foundation of a premium automotive brand in India.
Before MG, Malu held senior leadership roles at Škoda Auto Volkswagen India, where he led business and brand development as well as network expansion. He also spent over 16 years at Maruti Suzuki, rising through multiple regional and national sales roles, including commercial business head for the Nexa network in the southern region.
With experience across mass, premium and near luxury segments, Malu’s appointment signals Hyundai’s intent to treat Genesis not just as another launch, but as a carefully curated luxury play. As the brand prepares to enter the Indian market, all eyes will be on how this new captain steers the flagship.
