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
Raj Cooling Systems launches Agreyas appliances brand
Emraan Hashmi named brand ambassador for consumer appliance push.
MUMBAI: A company known for cooling solutions is now heating up its ambitions in the home appliances market. Raj Cooling Systems Pvt. Ltd. has launched a new consumer appliances brand, Agreyas, marking its entry into India’s rapidly expanding home appliances sector valued at more than Rs 1.5 lakh crore. The move represents a strategic diversification for the company, which has traditionally focused on cooling solutions for residential, commercial and industrial applications. Through Agreyas, the firm plans to tap into growing consumer demand for energy efficient and technology driven household appliances.
To build brand visibility, Agreyas has appointed Emraan Hashmi as its brand ambassador. The campaign has been developed under the banner of Zoommantra Productions, with actor and filmmaker Rohit Roy contributing to the creative direction.
The brand’s initial portfolio will include mid premium air conditioners, washing machines, geysers and other white goods designed to cater to modern Indian households seeking efficient and reliable appliances.
Raj Cooling Systems, founder and chairman Kalpesh Ramoliya said the launch aligns with the company’s broader expansion plans.
“The launch of Agreyas is in line with our vision to build a strong presence in India’s consumer electronics and home appliances market. The brand has been developed as a standalone identity to meet the evolving needs of Indian consumers,” he said.
Hashmi said the collaboration comes at a time when Indian buyers are increasingly looking for innovative and functional home solutions.
“I’m looking forward to working with Agreyas at a time when consumers are seeking more innovative and efficient home products. The brand reflects changing consumer behaviour around functionality, innovation and ease of use,” he said.
Raj Cooling Systems plans to invest around 10 million dollars in developing the brand, with an additional 5 million dollars earmarked over the next three to five years for product development and distribution expansion.
Agreyas will follow a multi channel distribution approach, selling through online platforms, retail outlets and dealer networks aimed at both urban and semi urban markets across India.
With the launch, the company is positioning Agreyas as a standalone consumer facing brand while continuing to leverage its existing manufacturing, engineering and research capabilities built through its core cooling solutions business.
