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The biggest test Indian girls face in their school years is the "beauty test", says Unilever-owned beauty brand Dove in its latest campaign released on International Daughters Day 2022 (25 September). The ad has been viewed by millions of netizens, garnering over 12 million YouTube views in four days. 

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While the campaign gained appreciation for starting a conversation about deeply ingrained beauty biases, a section of audiences also criticised the company for double standards. Unilever sells Glow & Lovely (earlier called Fair & Lovely) which largely hinged its communication equating fair/light skin with success. However, in 2019 Unilever changed the product name and also its advertising strategy to be more inclusive and conscious. 

This is reflected in the new Dove ad as well. 

Made by advertising agency Ogilvy India, the ad shows how young girls are subjected to socially accepted standards of beauty which drastically impact their confidence and self-esteem. The Stop The Beauty Test 2.0 is an extension of its previous campaign that was focused on beauty judgements faced by women during marriage. 

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To be sure, Unilever said that Dove launched a study which stated that 80 percent of Indian school girls have faced unjust beauty tests as a teenager. Hence, this year the conversation has shifted focus from prospective brides to the stage where it all begins – adolescence.

 In an exclusive conversation with Storyboard18, Harman Dhillon, vice president, hair care, Unilever talks about the backlash on its new campaign, changing ideas of beauty and how Dove is striving to stay relevant among Gen Z consumers.

Edited excerpts:

There is a certain set of audience that have criticised the new campaign. How does the brand deal with the negative feedback?

Our intent with #StopTheBeautyTest campaign was clear - to make society aware of a prevailing issue faced by young girls on a daily basis. To bring about a tangible impact with the Dove Self-Esteem Project, we are training teachers to deliver educational modules around body confidence and self-esteem to young minds. Our purpose of the campaign is to create awareness regarding when these beauty biases start, and the impact it has on women. We respect everyone's point of view and hope they see that our objective is to redefine the scope of beauty - celebrating it in its authentic and diverse form.

What kind of research went behind picking the theme for this edition of the campaign?

At Dove, we’re constantly working towards making beauty a source of confidence and not anxiety. Last year, we brought to light beauty-based judgements women especially faced during marriage and the impact it had on their confidence. However, during our research we uncovered a key moment of truth wherein societal standards of beauty are imposed on women much earlier on - as young as adolescence. Capturing this sentiment, we shifted our focus on the root of the problem - moving our communication from prospective brides to teenage girls. At a time when these girls should be concentrating on education, they are being unknowingly subjected to beauty biases by society. We felt that this was a crucial stage of intervention and wanted to bring about a tangible change. Thus, with #StopTheBeautyTest 2.0, we aim to raise the self-esteem of these young girls and break through beauty led stereotypes. 

Where did the inspiration for the execution of the campaign come from?

As always, we wanted to share real stories enacted by real girls and feature the real-life implication beauty judgements have on their self-esteem. So, the brand film is a portrayal of exactly that. We want to highlight how family and peers, in the guise of guidance, are pressuring young girls to fit prescribed beauty standards and how this can lead to body image issues in their young minds - eventually stunting their confidence. The #StopTheBeautyTest movement is an attempt to bring awareness about this issue so we can stop subjecting young girls with beauty-based report cards and grading them on external appearances. The focus instead should be on building their self-esteem so that they can be comfortable in their own skin and realise their potential to the fullest. 



<blockquote>While Dove’s global markets may be slightly more evolved, we’re not far behind where customers are demanding equal representation and opportunity. Brands no longer can superficially support progressive social movement but need to be actively engaged and be true drivers of change.</blockquote>



What is Dove doing to stay relevant among the Gen Z? How do they define beauty and is it different from older consumers?

The Dove Self-Esteem Project is aimed at the Gen Z with a vision to empower 8 million young minds by 2025. As part of the initiative, we partnered with experts in the fields of psychology, health and body image to create educational modules around body confidence and self-esteem which will be delivered by teachers under the life skills curriculum. Through this we will be reaching girls and boys in grades 6, 7 and 8 in selected schools across 8 states.

The ultimate goal is to change ‘beauty’ from its conventional lens and redefine and realign what it means to be beautiful. In comparison to the older generation, the younger audience is demanding an ethical, inclusive and diverse representation of beauty in media and Dove’s Real Beauty motto stands tall to deliver on the ask - ensuring beauty is not defined by shape, size or colour but being beautiful is to be the best version of yourself.

Any unique trends in terms of advertising or consumption you are witnessing among your TG in India? How's it different from Dove's global markets?

The Indian woman has gone through a complete metamorphosis in the recent time, especially when it comes to her portrayal in advertising and media. We’ve come a long way from women being conditioned to believing their self-worth is dictated by the perception of others, to now where they are seen taking charge and having a voice of their own. At Dove, we’re proud to have been one of the leading contributors to this change and are glad that brands across categories are following suit.

Today, our TG makes their own choice and has the spending power. Beyond expecting brands to deliver high-quality products, they also demand the brand drive a thought-provoking dialogue. While Dove’s global markets may be slightly more evolved, we’re not far behind where customers are demanding equal representation and opportunity. Brands no longer can superficially support progressive social movement but need to be actively engaged and be true drivers of change.

How do you measure the success of a campaign now? Has the benchmark changed over the years?

Today, the success of a campaign, especially when it comes to the type of campaigns Dove has been leading, is very different from the benchmarks traditionally set in place. The impact is no longer purely number driven. The campaigns of the current era are heavily driven by the impact they have on people and the type of change we can drive through the efforts of the campaign. 

Are the days of big splash TV campaigns long gone? What works for new gen consumers?

Television is a relevant medium even now, in my opinion. There is still a large set audience in the deeper pockets of our nation who yet rely on television for entertainment as well as information. Thus, given that our target isn’t just the metro markets but pan India, TVC’s are a prime medium for us to bring our narrative alive. On the other hand, speaking about the new generation of consumers, social media has emerged as a stronger medium of communication than most others since it allows a two-way communication unlike TV. Thus, it is essential for us to keep the balance while strategising our media plan.

Exclusive: Unilever’s Harman Dhillon responds to feedback on viral Dove ad

Keep up with all the key people movements in the brand marketing ecosystem in Storyboard18’s CXO Moves. Here’s a round-up of the executives who are in, out, and in-between in the past two weeks.

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Prabha Narasimhan

Previous: Executive Director, Hindustan Unilever Ltd

Present: Managing Director, Colgate-Palmolive India

Prabha Narasimhan joined Colgate-Palmolive India as MD, taking over from Ram Raghavan who has moved to a global role. This is the FMCG company’s first hiring from outside the company at the top post in 12 years. The last time HUL hired from outside was in 2010, when it picked Mukul Deoras, also from HUL, to become MD of Colgate-Palmolive (India), CNBC-TV18 reported. Narasimhan joined HUL in January 2006 as a regional marketing manager before becoming a regional brand director for the company’s Lipton & Brooke Bond brands the next year, as per her LinkedIn profile. An Indian Institute of Management-Bangalore alumni, she rose through the ranks in HUL in over 15 years to become executive director for home care and vice-president, home care for Unilever, South Asia. Before HUL, she had a brief stint at Madura Garments as general manager, strategy.

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Laxman Narasimhan

Previous: Chief Executive Officer, Reckitt

Present: Chief Executive Officer, Starbucks; Member, Starbucks Board of Directors

Starbucks has appointed Laxman Narasimhan as the chief executive officer. Narasimhan, who will join Starbucks as incoming CEO on October 1, 2022, will work closely with Howard Schultz, interim ceo, before assuming the CEO role and joining the Board on April 1, 2023. At Reckitt, Nicandro Durante, current Senior Independent Director, will step into the role of CEO, as the Board evaluates and selects the future leadership. During the transition period, Laxman will be fully immersed in the company, spending time with Schultz and the management team, partners and customers. This will also include gaining in-depth exposure to the brand, company culture, and reinvention plan. This will initially include Starbucks store immersions, visiting manufacturing plants and coffee farms, connecting with partners around the globe as well as Starbucks long term business partners. Narasimhan has worked at McKinsey & Company and PepsiCo, before joining Reckitt. 

 
Ramanathan Balasubramanian

Previous: Group CEO, Ogilvy Indonesia

Present: Chief Marketing Officer, Ogilvy Asia 

Ramanathan B has joined Ogilvy Asia as the chief marketing officer. He has worked across agencies like RK Swamy/BBDO, Rediffusion DY&R, Ogilvy & Mather and Bates CHI&Partners. 

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Jayesh Sali

Previous: Head of Brand and Digital Marketing - South Pacific region, Vodafone

Present: Marketing head - fashion and lifestyle, Reliance Retail

Jayesh Sali has been appointed as the marketing head of the fashion and retail division by Reliance Retail. At Vodafone, he was responsible for driving brand expansion and digital innovation across the region. Sali, who has 15 years of experience, has worked across JWT, L’Oreal, and headed an EV emerging startup as the head of brand strategy. 

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Karan Shroff

Previous: CMO, Unacademy

Present: Not known

Karan Shroff, who was the chief marketing officer of learning platform Unacademy, has decided to quit the edtech major and is currently serving his notice period. In September 2021, he was promoted to Partner. 

Shroff has worked across Wizcraft International Entertainment, Bertelsmann, Herbalife International India etc. Shroff is also the co-founder of Pixies Events. Prior to joining Unacademy, he was the head of brand marketing at Xiaomi India.

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Hari Krishnan

Previous: MD, Zenith India

Present: MD and Head of Content Practice, Publicis Groupe

Publicis Groupe has appointed Hari Krishnan as the managing director and head of content practice. Krishnan, who has three decades of experience, has worked across Clarion Advertising, Ogilvy & Mather, Bates India, Grey Worldwide, JWT, The Blue Hive, Cheil Worldwide Inc. Further, he was also the strategic advisor of an independent venture he had launched, CultureDrum. Two weeks ago, Publicis Worldwide India appointed Oindrila Roy as the managing director. 

Amit Nandwani

Previous: Executive Creative Director and Head of Content, Leo Burnett

Present: Not known

Amit Nandwani, who was the executive creative director and head of content at Leo Burnett has stepped down from his position. Nandwani has two decades of experience and has worked across Ogilvy, McCann Worldgroup, JWT (now Wunderman Thompson), DDB Mudra and RMG David.

Last month, Leo Burnett had appointed Bala G as executive creative director. And, the agency also bagged the creative mandate of PepsiCo India. 

Amit Ojha

Previous: Head of Marketing Partners, Meta India

Present: Not known

Amit Ojha, who had served as the head of marketing partners at Meta India has stepped down from his position. He joined Meta in 2018 as the head of agency business. Ojha started his career with Bharti Airtel as the DGM of Brand and Media. From there, he went on to work at ibibo Group, Yatra Online Pvt Ltd, Publicis Groupe and Nestle. 

Nidhi Sehdev

Previous: Senior Brand Manager - Lakme, Unilever

Present: Senior Global Brand Manager - Lux, Unilever

Unilever promoted Nidhi Sehdev as the senior global brand manager of Lux. Sehdev had joined Unilever as a brand executive in 2011. 

Jeremi Gorman and Peter Naylor

Previous: Chief Business Officer, and Vice President - Sales, Snap Inc

Present: President - Worldwide Advertising; and Vice President - Advertising Sales, Netflix

Streaming platform Netflix has hired Jeremi Gorman and Peter Naylor to its leadership team. Netflix is in the process of building an ad-supported version of the company's streaming service, which is expected to be launched next year. Gorman has more than two decades of experience and has worked across Variety magazine, Yahoo and Amazon. Naylor, who also has two decades of experience, has worked across iVillage, NBCUniversal, Inc. and Hulu. Netflix is looking to charge brands premium prices for advertising on its ad supported platform.

Anil Jayachandran

Previous: Head of Communications Planning, Omnicom Media Group Malaysia

Present: Chief Strategy Officer, Infectious Advertising 

Independent advertising agency Infectious has appointed Anil Jayachandran as the chief strategy officer. Jayachandran, who has more than three decades of experience, has worked across Contract India (JWT agency), Lowe Lintas + Partners, Ogilvy & Mather, Universal Media (McCann), Leo Burnett etc.

Rijuta Richi

Previous: Customer Experience Head - India, Ogilvy

Present: Marketing and customer experience head, SanKash

Travel fintech company SanKash has appointed Rijuta Richi as the marketing and customer experience head. Richi has more than a decade experience and has worked across RED Express, Google, NIIT Limited, Digitas India etc.

Mohammedullah Shaikh and Richa Chugh

Previous: Head of Customer success and Delivery, Grapes; Digital Head - West region, Motivator

Present: Senior VP & Head – Tech Services, and VP - Media, Digitas

Digitas India, the marketing and technology Services brand from Publicis Groupe, roped in Mohammedullah Shaikh and Richa Chugh. The duo will report to Sonia Khurana who is the COO. Shaikh, who comes with an experience of over 22 years in technology consulting and governance, will lead all technology services mandates at the agency. Further, he will work closely with Khuranaand Roopesh Pujari (CTO, Publicis Groupe). Chugh has over 11 years of experience across various digital media, which ranges from creative, to social media, tech, and media planning. 

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Siddharth Mantri

Previous: Chief Product & Growth Officer, MX Player

Present: Chief Product & Strategy Officer, Disney+

Siddharth Mantri has joined Disney+ as chief strategy officer. In March, he joined the company as the chief product officer. His responsibility includes running product management, design, analytics/data science, support & business strategy for Disney+ across India, Israel, Africa, Middle East, South Asia and SouthEast Asia. Mantri has more than 15 years of experience and has worked across Larsen & Toubro Infotech, Microsoft and Grab. As per reports, by the end of 2022, Disney+ will launch in-app commerce features.

Compiled by Kashmeera Sambamurthy

CXO Moves: Colgate-Palmolive new MD joins; Execs in and out at Dentsu, Ogilvy Asia, Reliance Retail and Unilever

Vishal Gupta

Previous: Vice President - Beauty and Personal Care, Unilever Russia

Present: EVP - Consumer Beauty Brands, FSN E-Commerce Ventures Ltd (NYKAA)

FSN E-Commerce Ventures Ltd (NYKAA) appointed Vishal Gupta as executive vice president for its consumer beauty brands. With nearly three decades of experience in the FMCG space, Gupta joins Nykaa after a long tenure at Unilever globally where he led large-scale, award-winning campaigns and teams. In his last role at Unilever Russia, Gupta helmed the beauty and personal care business comprising a large portfolio of international and local brands including Lux, Surf Excel, Wheel and Sunlight. Gupta will now steward Nykaa’s transformative growth across its portfolio of owned consumer brands. Gupta’s appointment comes just a day after Nykaa announced the resignation of Reena Chhapra, CEO of its private label division. Recently, the company also confirmed the acquisition of lifestyle platform LBB.

Reena Chhabra

Previous: CEO - Private Label, Nykaa

Present: Not known

Reena Chhabra, who had served as the chief executive officer of e-commerce beauty company Nykaa's beauty private label has decided to move on. Her resignation will come into effect on August 16. During her six year stint at Nykaa, she helped take the private label to more households, introduced new product lines and expanded distribution. Chhabra has over two decades of experience and has worked across companies like Kodak, Kaya Skin Care, Unilever and Colorbar USA.

Ashish Tiwari

Previous: Chief Marketing and Digital Officer, Future Generali

Present: CMO, Home Credit

Ashish Tiwari, who served as the chief marketing and digital officer at Future Generali has put in his papers and is set to join consumer finance provider Home Credit as its CMO. With over two decades of experience under his belt, Tiwari is a seasoned marketer who has held positions at companies like HCL Infosystems, Vodafone, and JACPL etc.

Vineet Nair

Previous: Vice President - Mindshare

Present: Head of Media - Amazon India

Amazon India appointed Vineet Nair as the head of media. Previously, Nair was the vice president of GroupM’s Mindshare where he headed the client leadership and planning vertical for Mindshare Fulcrum. Nair has also been a part of organisations like Lodestar Universal and Amazon. At the e-commerce platform, he led the media planning and buying, and handled long term media strategy. Further, he looked after the day-to-day deployment for Amazon.in and new engagement platforms like Prime (video and retail), digital payment solutions, fashion and grocery.

Rajesh Ghatge

Previous: Chief Growth Officer, Publicis Groupe

Present: CEO, Wondrlab Technologies

Wondrlab Technologies appointed Rajesh Ghatge as the chief executive officer. Wondrlab India, a martech startup, launched Wondrlab Technologies to help clients transform their businesses and brands in the dynamically evolving industry 4.0 digital landscape. Ghatge has held senior positions at Amul, Lamb Weston, Bates CHI &amp; Sercon, iCare Life, Indigo Consulting etc. In April, Wondrlab acquired a data-driven influencer marketing platform Opportune. Through this acquisition, the company has added influencer marketing solutions to its network.

Ganapathy Balagopalan

Previous: Head Of Strategic Planning, Ogilvy West and East

Present: Deputy Chief Strategy Officer, Ogilvy India

Ogilvy India has promoted Ganapathy Balagopalan to the position of deputy chief strategy officer where he will partner some of the agency’s key clients. Further, he will be the national effectiveness leader and help teams across markets. Ganapathy will also partner account management and creative leaders to drive digital excellence.

Abhinav Kaushik

Previous: Executive Vice President &amp; Head of Office, Dentsu

Present: President, FCB India

FCB Ulka appointed Abhinav Kaushik to the position of president. Armed with more than two decades of experience, Kaushik started his career as an area sales manager at GE Capital. Then he moved to Contract Advertising and worked as an account manager. At M&amp;C Saatchi, he was the account director, and from there he moved to J.Walter Thompson and was the vice president and client services director. At Dentsu, headed the Delhi and Mumbai offices of Taproot Dentsu and Dentsu One. His work experience spans across multiple categories from FMCG, telecom and consumer electronics to auto, education, finance and fashion.

Pratik Mukkherjee

Previous: Head Of Marketing, Infra.Market

Present: Vice President - Brand Factory, Honasa Consumer Pvt Ltd

House of Brands for beauty and personal care Honasa Consumer Pvt Ltd appointed Pratik Mukkherjee as the vice president of the brand factory. In his new role, he will be responsible for crafting, launching, and building new brands businesses for the company. With 15 years of experience, Mukkherjee is a Cannes Lions-award winning commercial leader and his experience spans across consumer goods, technology and consumer internet sectors. At Procter &amp; Gamble, he started his career as the assistant country manager for Gillette India. He was promoted as the DTC head for the Indian and the South Asian region. From there, he moved to Urban Company where he was the marketing head of the beauty, men's grooming, and professional cleaning segment.

Jyoti Mahendru

Previous: Executive Vice President Human Resources, McCann Worldgroup

Present: Chief People Officer, Wunderman Thompson

Wunderman Thompson appointed Jyoti Mahendru as the chief people officer. In her new role, she will be responsible for talent development and talent acquisition strategies across the organisation and its group companies. Mahendru had started her career with Tata Press two decades ago. Then she moved to Star TV Network where she worked as the senior manager in the HR department. She then joined Barista Coffee Company and held the position of the vice president of HR.

Rohin Desai

Previous: Head - Trading and Partnerships, Mindshare Fulcrum

Present: National Media Buying Head, Bharat Media Group

Rohin Desai joined Bharat Media Group as the national media buying head. Desai had started his career with Godrej as the field officer. Then he joined the Media Edge as a media buyer and moved to Wavemaker as a business manager. At Lintas Media Group, he was the media director and later served as senior manager of media and planning at ICICI Prudential Life Insurance. At Mindshare and at Madison Communications, he was partner, and vice president of media buying. In the latter position at Madison, he headed media investments nationally for ITC.

Cherryn Dogra

Previous: Head of Marketing, India Leadership Team, Emaar India

Present: Chief Marketing Officer, Bharti Land

Bharti Land appointed Cherryn Dogra as the chief marketing officer. Armed with 17 years of experience, Dogra has held positions across organisations like United Breweries Ltd, Pernod Ricard India, Lodha Group, Xanadu etc. Prior to joining Emaar India, she was the head of marketing at DLF Limited.

Saurabh Bajaj

Previous: Head of Marketing - Dairy, Britannia Industries

Present: Not known

Saurabh Bajaj, who had served as the head of marketing of the dairy segment at Britannia Industries has decided to move on. During his stint, he was responsible for the marketing strategy, activations and media for the Rs 450-crore dairy portfolio. The portfolio included Britannia cheese, ghee, dahi, dairy whitener and Winkin Cow milk shakes. Prior to this role, at Britannia Industries, Bajaj was the marketing head and looked after the international business. He was responsible for marketing Britannia's international business of Rs 700 crore. For a decade, he was associated with Mondelez International, and his last position there was as the branch sales manager. Before joining Britannia Industries, Bajaj headed innovation for the premium and luxury segment at USL - Diageo.

Abhishek Bhatia

Previous: Head ECC Marketing Max Mudra, DDB Mudra Group

Present: Vice President - Marketing, Hindustan Wellness

Hindustan Wellness has appointed Abhishek Bhatia as the vice president of marketing. He started his career as a sales officer at Coffee Day Group. He’s had stints at Ogilvy, Bates CHI&amp;Partners, Percept Ltd, Telenor, GroupM and Impact Communications.

Fatima Qidwai

Previous: Marketing Professional, Future Group India

Present: Head of Digital Marketing, SMART Stores, Reliance Retail

SMART Stores, which is a part of Reliance Retail has appointed Fatima Qidwai as the head of digital marketing. Qidwai Started her career with Future Group India as senior executive store operations, and at Future Value Retail as the assistant manager marketing. She then moved to Reliance Retail as the chief marketing manager and at Shoppers Stop she worked as the deputy general manager of the marketing department.

Snigdha Anand

Previous: Senior Brand Manager, Surf Excel

Present: Vice President - Marketing, Mamaearth

Mamaearth appointed Snigdha Anand as the vice president of marketing. At Unilever, she led purpose-led communication development for water-saving products in home care. Anand has also worked at Unilever Sri Lanka. She’s been an area sales manager and national projects lead of sales strategy and analytics, and later was brand manager of Surf Excel.

Sagar Sharma

Previous: Senior Manager, Strategic Portfolio Management, APAC, GSK Consumer Healthcare India

Present: Director of Business Strategy, The Coca-Cola Company

The Coca-Cola Company appointed Sagar Sharma as the director of business strategy. Sharma has had stints at Aricent and Wipro Consumer Care and Lighting. He worked at GSK Consumer Healthcare India for a decade.

Pratik Adhikari, Parijaat Sehgal and Swati Agnihotri

Previous: Brand Director, Lowe Lintas; Associate Account Director, Innocean Worldwide India; Management Supervisor, Ogilvy

Present: Associate Vice President, Account Management; Associate Vice President and head - account management; Client Servicing Director

Advertising agency Enormous Brands strengthened its leadership team by roping in Pratik Adhikari, Parijaat Sehgal and Swati Agnihotri. Adhikari and Swhgal were both appointed as the associate vice president of the account management. Agnihotri was appointed as the client servicing director. Adhikari, who has an experience of more than a decade started his career with Ogilvy and worked with Leo Burnett and Hakuhodo Percept Pvt. Ltd. Sehgal has been a part of agencies like Adept ARTvertising, McCann Worldgroup and Ogilvy &amp; Mather. Agnihotri worked at Marico, DDB Mudra Group, ICICI Bank and Kotak Mahindra Bank.

Jay Morzaria

Previous: Creative Associate, Spring Marketing Capital

Present: Creative director, Oktobuzz

A few months after joining Spring Marketing Capital, Jay Morzaria quit the company to join OktoBuzz as creative director. Morzaria has worked at Schbang, The Glitch, Wavemaker and ^atom network in the past. At Schbang he was the creative head handling Pidilite's Fevicol brand.

Pranesh Urs

Previous: Director - Marketing, Samsung Electronics

Present: Not known

Pranesh Urs, who served as the director of the marketing department at Samsung Electronics has decided to move on. Announcing his departure from the organisation, he said, “These 6 years have been an incredible journey. Happy to have contributed to the growth of the brand, and to see where it is today despite a very competitive category. Now, onto exploring new possibilities.”Urs started his career at Ashok Leyland. He had stints on the agency side with Bates CHI&amp;Partners and DDB Mudra Group. He moved to HP Inc where he was the country marketing manager of laptops and tablets. His expertise spans across marketing management, digital strategy, direct marketing, digital marketing, social media marketing, integrated marketing and advertising.

Govind Agarwal, Sulagna Chanda, Neha Gupta

Previous: Associate Vice President – Client Services, Publicis Groupe; Associate Director, Plum Insights &amp; Strategy; Client Servicing Director, Hakuhodo Lync Pvt. Ltd.

Creative arm of Havas Media Group, Havas Worldwide has appointed Govind Agarwal, Sulagna Chanda and Neha Gupta as the vice president of account management, vice president of strategic planning and associate vice president of client servicing, respectively.

Ashish Golwalkar

Previous: Content Head, SET (Sony Entertainment Television) and SonyLiv

Present: Not known

As per reports, Ashish Golwalkar, who was the content head of Sony Entertainment Television and SonyLiv, has decided to move on from the company. Golwalkar has more than two decades of experience which spans across sales and marketing, content syndication, brand management and content creation. He has held positions in companies like Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd, and Star TV Network etc. Three weeks ago, SET had appointed Rachin Khanijo as the marketing head.

Reuben Karkaria

Previous: Creative Head, The Good Creator Co

Present: Group Creative Director, MullenLowe Lintas Group

MullenLowe Lintas recently appointed Reuben Karkaria as the group creative head. Karkaria’s expertise lies across digital and mainline advertising, copywriting, and creative strategy. He has been a part of agencies and media houses like Leo Burnett India and Miss Malini.

Manoj Jacob

Previous: BBDO Bangalore

Present: Executive Creative Director, Crayons

Digital marketing agency Crayons roped in Manoj Jacob as the executive creative director. Jacob has worked in agencies like Ogilvy, DDB Mudra, Soho Square, Havas and Contract Advertising. At BBDO, Jacob helped set up the creative team from scratch and oversaw the creative work for Mercedes-Benz TeamX.

Vishal Chopra

Previous: Senior Director and Head of Growth Marketing, Freshworks

Present: Chief Growth Officer, Hiver

Software company Hiver has appointed Vishal Chopra as the chief growth officer. Chopra has been a part of organisations like IBM where he was the global marketing lead and he led the marketing strategy and planning for GBS’s MobileFirst portfolio globally. At Freshworks, he looked after the strategy and programs to acquire new customers, expand into the current base and retain the accounts. Towards the end of July, Freshworks announced an integration with Google’s Business for Freshchat, Freshdesk Omnichannel and Freshsales Suite products.

Udayan Chakravarty

Previous: Executive Creative Director, Wunderman Thompson

Present: ECD, FCB India

Advertising agency FCB Ulka has roped in Udayan Chakravarty as the executive creative director. Chakravarty, who has an experience of more than 15 years, had started his career as a trainee with FCB Ulka. He has gone on to work with agencies like Ogilvy, Dentsu International, JWT Worldwide, Wieden+Kennedy etc. A week ago, FCB India had appointed former Dentsu executive Abhinav Kaushik as the president.

Sudheendra Chokkasamudra

Previous: National Lead - Agency accounts, MyGate

Present: VP - Sales and Strategy, Sense Digital

Advertising and digital marketing solutions provider Sense Digital appointed Sudheendra Chokkasamudra as the vice president of sales and strategy. In his new role, he will be responsible for demand generation and campaign strategy. Having an experience of more than a decade, Chokkasamudra has been a part of organisations like Ohana Media, Ozone Media, Digex Media, LocoBuzz, Firework, ETV Bharat etc. The agency also promoted Ekta Khungar as the vice president, sales - key accounts. Her role would see her boost online revenues for the company's key accounts, develop new business and generate revenue.

Raunaq Singh Kohli

Previous: Marketing Director - India, Tinder

Present: Head of Marketing, Hinge

Dating app Hinge appointed Raunaq Singh Kohli as the head of marketing. This move comes after his six-year stint with Match Group that owns Tinder. In his new role, he will head the launch, setup and growth of Hinge in India. At Match Group, he was marketing director of the India region and aided Tinder’s launch and growth. Recently, Match Group said it would drop Tinder’s plans of adopting newer technologies like virtual currencies and metaverse-based dating. Further, Match Group also acquired members-only dating app The League.

Rohit Gupta

Previous: Chief Revenue Officer - Ad Sales and International Business

Present: Advisor, Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI)

Rohit Gupta, who served as the advisor to the management and the board at Sony Pictures Networks India has decided to move on. During his 20 years at SPNI, he was responsible for the organisation’s growth under the different profiles he held. In a recent announcement, SPNI said it has extended its broadcast partnership with England Wales and Cricket Board (ECB) until 2028.

Balachandran V

Previous: National Trading Director, Dentsu Media

Present: Executive Vice President, Havas Media Group

Havas Media Group appointed Balachandran V as the executive vice president. Having an experience of 25 years, Balachandran has worked across agencies like Mindshare and has worked as an investment director with MPG. Recently, the company launched a sports, entertainment and culture based agency called Cake in India. Further, it won the integrated media mandate of millet-based food children’s brand Slurrp Farm, and expanded its footprint in Eastern India by tying up with Kolkata based digital marketing agency ‘Quite Easily Done’.

Ferzad Variyava

Previous: Group Creative Director, FCB Interface

Present: CCO, Langoor

Digital marketing agency Langoor has appointed Ferzad Variyava as the chief creative officer. In his new role, Variyava will drive brand strategy and creative thinking upstream. He will also help to coordinate brand creativity with technology, data and web 3.0 as part of the digital marketing transformation process. Armed with an experience of more than two decades, Variyava has worked in agencies like Publicis India, McCann Erickson India, Leo Burnett, Fortune Communications Pvt. Ltd, JWT, DDB Mudra Group, Famous Innovations etc. In June, Langoor exited Havas Group within three years of acquisition by the media company. Also, in the same month, the agency brought Vinay Rao on board as the head of client success where his mandate would be to head digital strategy and digital transformation on key accounts. And, gaming and esports agency Power League Gaming---based in Dubai—named Langoor as its digital, creative and strategic agency partner.

Titus Upputuru

Previous: National Creative director, Taproot Dentsu

Present: Founder, Titus Upputuru Company

Writer, director, lyricist and former national creative director of Taproot Dentsu, Titus Upputuru launched his own advertising and films firm – The Titus Upputuru Company. The company will create content for brands and audiences across platforms where along with offering brand strategy and static creative solutions across mediums and platforms, the company will offer their expertise in video also. Upputuru, who has more than 25 years of experience, has been a part of agencies like Ogilvy &amp; Mather, Publicis, TBWA and Dentsu.

Compiled by Kashmeera Sambamurthy

CXO Moves: Nykaa ropes in Unilever exec as its private label CEO quits

The FMCG juggernaut Unilever said that its brands are beginning to explore the metaverse – a virtual realm where real-world limits don’t apply, but real-world representation absolutely must.

When Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg announced his metaverse plans and even changed his company name to Meta to reflect his bigger ambitions, he said: “You’ll be able to do almost anything you can imagine. Get together with friends and family. Work, learn, play, shop, create – as well as completely new experiences that don’t really fit how we think about computers or phones today.”

So far people's experiences of metaverses have ranged from awesome to awful, with most falling in the underwhelming category. There's also a rising concern among privacy advocates and users around privacy, security and safety as the metaverse emerges from a buzzword to become a reality.

Brands and marketers across the board, however, are planting their flags firmly in the metaverse.

Here's how Unilever, one of the world's biggest companies, is approaching the metaverse. The company said that it is still early days for Web3 and the metaverse, but it's already taking strategic steps into these virtual spaces.

What is it doing: In the past year, some Unilever brands have begun to explore the metaverse through partnerships, gaming and experiences. Extending its purpose-driven brands philosophy, the company is working to ensure it plays "a part in making this evolving arena representative, inclusive and safe for everyone who uses it."

But how? The company said in a statement, "Robust governance around issues such as data privacy, safety, equity, diversity &amp; inclusion, sustainability and ethics needs to be established and we’re using our scale and global profile to help set some future-fit foundations for our business and beyond."

Unilever has an in-house Web3 Collective, a cross-functional group of subject-matter experts representing areas such as marketing, finance, legal, media, procurement, licensing and more. Supported by people across brands, categories and markets, and agency partners, that are helping Unilever navigate this new world.

Emily O’Brien, one of the Programme Directors of Web3 Collective, said, “We’re currently on the cusp of a seismic shift: the biggest change to the digital landscape, and culture, since the dawn of social media in the early 2000s with Web2."

She said that consumers are already immersing themselves in these spaces and spending more of their time with virtual experiences that enable them to explore their passions, participate in cultural events, and engage with like-minded communities.

“This is a great opportunity for brands, but they must offer genuine utility to consumers and not just jump on the bandwagon,” she added. “We’ve set up the Web3 Collective to tackle the risks and concerns surrounding Web3 and the metaverse that we want to mitigate and solve. As Unilever we have an opportunity – and a responsibility – to influence the industry and lead from the front."

The Work: Unilever's attempt to put purpose into practice in the metaverse

1) Degree Metathon - Rexona hosted the world’s first metaverse marathon

Deodorant brand Rexona, also known as Degree and Sure, is on a mission to give everyone the confidence to move more. In 2021, the brand announced the world’s first adaptive deodorant designed for people with disabilities.

Rexona partnered with metaverse platform Decentraland to host the Degree Metathon. The route took in 26.2 miles of the platform’s scenery, complete with accessible architecture to reflect a more inclusive landscape.

The first-ever adaptive wearables were introduced, including wheelchairs and running blades, to offer greater representation for people with disabilities and enable participants to create avatars representative of their unique identities.

[caption id="attachment_802" align="alignnone" width="1280"]<img class="wp-image-802 size-full" src="https://images.storyboard18.com/storyboard18/maxresdefault-4.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /> Rexona partnered with metaverse platform Decentraland to host the Degree Metathon.[/caption]

2) Getting Closeup and personal in Decentraland

The oral care brand has long championed love of all kinds and in March 2022, it launched the Closeup City Hall of Love in Decentraland.

It’s a completely inclusive environment where users can mint an NFT marriage certificate, immortalise their love on the blockchain, and celebrate with friends and family.

3) Magnum’s museum in the metaverse

In June 2022, Magnum invited delegates at the MET AMS metaverse festival in Amsterdam to visit a virtual exhibition. Hosted in Decentraland, the Magnum Pleasure Museum showcased original artwork from Magnum’s collaborations with painters, designers and sculptors.

Guests enjoyed the gallery, and had the chance to order a Magnum from a vending machine in the metaverse – getting a glimpse of how ice creams might be ordered in the future. Simulating an evolution of an existing partnership between Unilever and Deliveroo, the ice cream was then delivered to them at the end of their experience, bringing the virtual world into reality – and giving users a taste of ultra-futuristic food shopping.

[caption id="attachment_803" align="alignnone" width="1280"]<img class="size-full wp-image-803" src="https://images.storyboard18.com/storyboard18/magnum_remix_met_ams-80580169-jpg.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /> The Magnum Pleasure Museum (2022) showcased original artwork.[/caption]

4) Sunsilk’s safe space for girl gamers on Roblox

Unilever’s first foray into the virtual world of Roblox, Sunsilk City, is a space where girls can feel included, engage with a real-life role model, and learn about Sunsilk’s range of training programmes for real-world skills. There’s also a range of mini games, where users can design creative hairstyles for their avatars and even blast away negativity with a magic hairdryer.

[caption id="attachment_804" align="alignnone" width="1280"]<img class="size-full wp-image-804" src="https://images.storyboard18.com/storyboard18/maxresdefault-5.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /> Sunsilk City on Roblox[/caption]

Web3 Collective's O'Brien said, “Things are changing fast but one thing we’re certain about is that the new virtual landscape must be more equitable than the internet – and indeed the physical world – is today. It must be more representative and more inclusive for everyone – from the avatars we can build to attitudes we embody and experiences we enjoy. And it must be sustainable. From our work in this space so far, it’s clear that just as purpose connects with people in the real world, it matters in the metaverse too.”

Inside Unilever's grand plans to move in to the metaverse

Former Unilever marketing executive Shashank Mehta founded The Whole Truth in 2019 to offer healthier alternatives to packaged foods. Mehta has been changing the way food products are marketed and advertised too. Keeping content at the core of The Whole Truth’s marketing strategy, Mehta appears in all of the brand's commercials. He tells Storyboard18 that no one else can speak about his brand mission with more conviction than him.

Recently, The Whole Truth roped in comedian Rohan Joshi to create a series of videos. In the “educational mini-series”, Joshi plays the role of ‘Healthy Food’ and Mehta plays ‘The Whole Truth’, and they go on to have a conversation that highlights the “hidden chemicals” in packaged foods. In another episode, we see the many ways food is made to look irresistible in ads. For instance, the milk in the cereal bowl is actually glue and the golden honey drizzled on pancakes in ads and in product photos is engine oil.

In a previous interview Mehta had told Storyboard18 that when he creates and features in content for his brand, he thinks “consumers can feel the honesty.” They see through paid endorsements like influencer or celebrity-laden ads, which are often forced, Mehta believes.

Keeping with the brand's philosophy of always speaking the truth and nothing but the truth, Mehta took to social media this week to announce that the brand will be taking a break from Instagram.

Mehta and his team weren’t thrilled with the content they were putting out. Dancing to trending music and pointing to corners of the screen with cluttered text boxes didn’t seem right. “Everyone could feel the shift in the energy,” says Mehta candidly.

In a freewheeling chat with Storyboard18, Mehta opens about why his brand decided to go on an Instagram break; the risks involved in this move, lessons from Unilever; featuring in his own brand's commercials and more.

Edited excerpts. 

At a time when every brand wants to be on the top of their Instagram game, The Whole Truth decided to log off and take a break. What led to this decision?

The purpose of our content, across platforms, is deeply focused on educating consumers about food and fitness. Both these topics are complex. Honestly, listicles or one-liners don’t work for a brand like ours. We bring in nuances in the content we write by adding expert opinions and research-led information. We almost look at packaging our copies like journalistic pieces that will answer questions that consumers are constantly looking for. This approach worked for us and we want to continue to do so.

Two and half years ago, when we got on to Instagram it worked for us well. Contrary to popular belief the long captions we wrote that sometimes also continued into the comment section got a lot of traction. It reached users, they liked interacting, and it helped us grow our follower base too.

Soon Instagram started changing its algorithm. It indicated that it’s time to move on from photos and get on to Stories. When that was catching up IGTV was pushed heavily, when brands like ours were exploring, Reels were launched, and now it’s all about it.

So what's the issue?

This was leading to two problems. One with algorithms changing every few months, it was becoming different for my team, which is a lean one, to do justice to the purpose of our content. It was taking us away from why we do what we do.

Two, 

<blockquote>the secular trends in the algorithm shift are that content is moving from long-form to short-form; from deep to shallow; and from attracting higher attention span to lower attention span.</blockquote>

 This is not well suited to what we aim to do. It was difficult to introspect this when we were in the middle of the game.

There was an unsaid pressure of producing a Reel and post every day. We realised if we have to get this right we need to step back, take a break, and disconnect for a bit. We were starting to get confused that the medium is the primary thing rather than the message. I think if we continue to craft the content we have been doing, we will find the right medium for it soon.

Have you factored in the risk involved with this move?

I agree that there is a risk. However, when we sat down to reevaluate things for us, we realised consumers love our explainer format content pieces. They see value in it. If we would have tried fitting our content in shorter formats even further, our users would have noticed, and that would have affected our growth on Instagram. These changes are visible slowly.

I think we will have enough time to explore formats like blogs, newsletters and even create a content hub on our website, where people will find us. Once you chase follower count and engagement you may end up being a brand that’s completely different. That traction will lead to the discovery of a brand that may be not the real you.

Now that Instagram is out of your media mix, how are you re-defining your marketing strategy?

We don’t have an answer to this yet. It’s an introspective journey for us at the moment. The one thing we are clear about is that we are done with changing what we do to find favour with any platform. We will continue to do in-depth content pieces and alongside look for mediums that fit well for us.

From a product point of view, what’s the focus area for The Whole Truth?

Food brands have been selling half-truths for ages. We are here to change that up. We plan to take one food category after the other and apply three filters to it. Think of it like a venn diagram. One, are the current incumbents selling half-truths and bad products to the consumers? That’s how we shortlist a category. Two, can we create a product that’s in line with our brand philosophy? From getting texture, to binding to ingredients, everything is critical to get right for us. Theoretically, we could create a product on paper but practically it’s a different game altogether. Three, is the taste. The moment these factors intersect, we hit launch. Honestly, all food categories in the world are a playground for us. Every six to seven months you are seeing us come up with something new. However, the R&amp;D on these launches take us close to a year, that’s we work on multiple categories. From cookies, savoury items, protein powders to kids’ food, there are several options in front of us.

As someone who has worked with an FMCG giant like Unilever in the past, what are the lessons from that experience you are using to build your own brand?

Unilever is known as a leadership factory. There are good reasons for that. Now, as an entrepreneur, I am putting to use many things that I picked from there. The biggest is - businesses are all about people. Everything takes care of itself if you get the right people and build the right culture. I can say with confidence that my teams don’t look at this as a job, they take ownership of what they do.

We have seen you act in the brand’s commercial. You also acted in RazorpayX’s recent campaign. Ultrahuman also featured you. What do you enjoy the most while being on-screen? Also, are any new acting offers in the pipeline?

(Laughs) I am not getting any offers. The RazorpayX ad was more like a dramatic version of a testimonial. We have been using the product and genuinely like it too. Ultrahuman is also a product that I use, so it was easy to do a testimonial. Coming to me being a part of The Whole Truth’s commercials, to be honest, it always makes me nervous and it takes a lot of effort. I am not a flamboyant CEO who loves being on camera.

Having said that, I think one else can speak about my brand mission with more conviction than I can. 

<blockquote>As a founder of the brand, if I am putting myself out there, it’s an indication that I am responsible for what I am promising. No celebrity can do that for the brand. We are a decently funded startup and can easily go and get a celebrity face like many others, but in my opinion, no one can do it authentically than me.</blockquote>

UNILEVER