MAM
PM Modi to be tourism mascot; ad agency screening under way
MUMBAI: The leader is the natural ambassador. Why would there be any need to create a brand or national identity from celebrities/socialites? The nationalist is India’s most well-known face.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to be the mascot of the Incredible India campaign with the Tourism Ministry deciding to finally drop plans to bring in any Bollywood stars, including Amitabh Bachchan, for the role which was vacant after ouster of Aamir Khan earlier this year.
Earlier, names of leading stars Amitabh Bachchan and actress Priyanka Chopra were doing rounds for the campaign aimed at promoting India as a favourite tourist destination abroad.
No Bollywood actor will now be engaged for the campaign targeted at attracting foreign travellers. Video footages of Modi during the last two-and-a-half years where he has talked about tourism in India and abroad will be utilised for the campaign, a senior ministry official told PTI.
The ministry is planning to use — for audio and radio release — two types of communications of different durations where Modi had talked about the uniqueness and diversity of the various places in the country, the official said.
The ministry is presently “working on selecting the footages”, the official said, adding that the campaign would be released in the next 40-45 days as the Indian tourism season starts by November-end due to favourable weather as also the Christmas holidays and New Year celebrations.
The official said the process of selecting the agency, which will carry out the task of running the campaign, is also under the process.
Earlier, the tourism minister Mahesh Sharma had endorsed Modi’s persona for the role, saying he is the “best face” to promote the Incredible India campaign. He had asserted that the country has witnessed a jump in the tourists inflow from the countries the prime minister had visited. He had said that the ministry need not have any Bollywood face for the campaign.
Sharma said that the perception about India had changed significantly in the last two years with Prime Minister Modi visiting a host of countries during the period. So, who else could be the better face for Indian tourism than the Prime Minister, he added.
A senior ministry official, supporting Sharma’s remarks, said the tourist inflow from countries such as the Australia, the UK, the US, Germany, Fiji, Brazil, Canada and Myanmar, among other, had witnessed a significant jump after the PM’s visit there.
Though it was believed that Khan was eased out for his remarks on perceived intolerance, the ministry had maintained that he was not hired as the contract with the advertising agency had expired.
Brands
Hardik Jhaveri named senior director marketing at Colgate-Palmolive Asean hub
Former Hill’s Pet Nutrition general manager returns to the company to steer marketing for South Asean from Kuala Lumpur
KUALA LUMPUR:Â Hardik Jhaveri has been appointed senior director marketing for the South Asean hub at Colgate-Palmolive, marking a return to the consumer goods major after a three year stint with Hill’s Pet Nutrition. He will be based in Kuala Lumpur and will lead marketing strategy for the region.
Jhaveri joins the role after serving as general manager at Hill’s Pet Nutrition in Taipei, where he led a cross functional team and oversaw the business with full profit and loss responsibility. The role placed him at the helm of operations in Taiwan, managing growth in what he described as a start-up style environment within a global multinational.
Before that, Jhaveri spent over a decade with Colgate-Palmolive across several marketing and innovation roles in Asia. As associate director innovation for Apac excluding China, based in Hong Kong, he led new product development and launches across multiple markets.
His portfolio ranged from developing specialised oral care products such as a diabetes focused toothpaste for the Indian market to launching premium oral care experiences under the Colgate Total brand in Australia. Alongside innovation, he also worked on launch planning, brand strategy and communications for the company’s oral care portfolio.
Earlier in his Colgate-Palmolive journey, Jhaveri held roles including marketing manager innovation, senior brand manager and brand manager. His work spanned urban and rural markets in Mumbai and customer development responsibilities in the Greater Kolkata Area.
Prior to his long association with Colgate-Palmolive, Jhaveri worked as brand officer home care at Unilever, where he helped drive marketing initiatives for the Rin detergent brand, including nationwide relaunch and on ground activation campaigns.
He began his career in advertising with Bates David Enterprise, working on brands such as IDBI Bank, The Leela Hotels and The Times of India.
Jhaveri holds a post graduate programme in management from the Indian School of Business and has also completed a level 4 diploma in wine from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust.
Announcing the move, Jhaveri said he is excited to begin his new chapter at Colgate-Palmolive’s South Asean hub and thanked colleagues and mentors who supported his journey at Hill’s Pet Nutrition.
