DIBYENDU CHAKRABORTY (DIBS)!Brand Strategist & Account Planner!

If I know only what I know, if I do only what I do, if I believe in only what I believe, I am dead. So while new is scary, new is uncertainty, new is change, new to me is life.!  “! ”!

A quest for the new!

 !

Academics to business! After my post-graduation in economics, while my friends were leaving for higher studies, I wanted to work in the corporate world. And I got an opportunity to work in brand management. That got me interested in marketing and the business of brands.!

India – the land of diversity!

Having lived the economic transformation of the 90s, the boom of the last decade, have witnessed how the country gradually transformed to become a power. The land of diversity - in language, in religion, in culture and in values, India provided me with a great opportunity to understand human beings, in all their diversity. !

Shift in ideology, shift in place!

From left-brain management,!to right-brain advertising!

I come from a traditional, middle-class family in Calcutta, that put values before success. But I wanted to pursue success, wanted to make my mark in the corporate world. Thus landed in Mumbai the land of opportunities, leaving the comfort of home!

Having spent the first few years of my career in managing media, retail and online brands, I wanted to experience the intriguing world of market research. Two years of meeting consumers and crunching numbers made me realize that I am more right brained. And advertising was the answer.!

16 years in brand, research and advertising; !every day a new learning!

The advertising world made me realize that itʼs where I wanted to be. The first few years, I was doing everything – from account servicing to research to writing briefs. I enjoyed the process, the madness, the intellectual challenges. I gradually rose up the ranks to head the strategy and planning division of the agency.!

Fascination with brands and media!

My fascination with brands started when I was a part of the brand management team, managing the countryʼs largest single edition newspaper. I got intrigued by the power of a brand, the media side, the madness of news collection, the printing process, the distribution. And most importantly, the readers and their passion. !

Research brought me closer to people & advertising!

Market research brought me closer to consumers and advertising. While brand tracking gave me the inside view of what makes a brand, advertising pre-testing gave me a glimpse of the world of communication and creativity. Traveling across the country, going to houses across the socio-economic strata, meeting hundreds of consumers - made me learn more about life.!

Advertising: I want to be here!

5 years Brand Management: Media, Retail, Online !

2 years Market Research: Quantitative – Brand Tracking & Advertising Pre-testing!

9 years Advertising: !Account Planning, managing leading CPG brands!

Our job is to do the new!

I am a brand strategist. Having worked on many brands, I understand what connects brands to people, what makes strong brands. I also understand that interactions of brands with people are constantly evolving and what makes strong brands strong, are continuously changing. !!And that only the new, in thinking, in approach and in solutions, will script a stronger journey for brands. !

For their INNOCENCE and SIMPLICITY

For his APPROACH to BRAND BUILDING

For making us realize that innovation can happen

through a STRUCTURED THINKING

For his philosophy of life and his KEY NOTE

addresses

MY  INSPIRATIONS  

BRANDS  NEED  THE  NEW  

New is thrilling!

I live the new each day - in life and in work. So whether in cooking its making the perfect basil pesto sauce or learning oil painting, attempting to write a script or teaching creativity and innovation to a bunch of management students, I love to do new things. Its always thrilling.! !!

I love to cook and try different dishes; it helps to de-stress.

Painting is a hobby; I am fascinated by colors and patterns.

Teaching is a passion; it helps me to learn and keep in touch.

Films fascinate me, of all genres and languages; hope to write a script one day!

Books – I love the smell of a new book; love collecting, love reading; from novels to management, from films to cookery – I love them all.

I love to visit new places, see new cultures; I would love to visit all the countries in the world.

I love many things and want to do everything.  

Leaving the comforts!to learn the new!I was becoming too comfortable for my own comfort. With that realization, I decided to go back to school to learn the craft, to see what is happening in this part of the world in advertising. Hence, Miami Ad School. !

Similarity in diversity! Cultural perspectives to richer creative!

Idea in the digital age!

While culturally, contexts and nuances may vary, what motivates human beings are essentially similar. Having worked in India and now in the US, it made me realize that any global communication can start from that similarity and then branch out, taking account of the diversity.!

3  NEW  THINGS  I  LEARNT  AT  MIAMI  AD  SCHOOL  

For the first time I got an opportunity to work in teams with multi-cultural backgrounds. Realized that diversity helps ideas to nurture, leading to better quality of creative.!

The way technology has impacted the lives of people here, was an eye-opener. The digital wave has impacted the way business is done, has altered consumer journeys, and a whole lot more. While the power of the idea remains, the way of delivery has surely changed.!

1! 2! 3!

CASE STUDIES!Miami Ad School!

A NEW WAY OF LOOKING AT VEHICLE OWNERSHIP!

CHALLENGE!

Nissan aims to lead the future automobile market by appealing to a new generation (millennial), promoting the benefits of individual products and also the connected and technologically integrated products of today and the future. They want to launch a new lifestyle sub-brand, which will hold its complete sustainable range of products that goes beyond vehicles. ! !

APPROACH!1. Analyzed the automotive industry trends!2. Reviewed the future cars, including the segment of ʻgreen carsʼ !3. Researched on Nissan and the issues the company was facing!4. Met owners of green cars, millennial (owners of Nissan and competition)!!

Launch a new lifestyle sub-brand, to stay at the forefront of the future automobile industry.!

Will ʻgreenʼ attract the millennial?!

While Nissan had already launched a zero emission vehicle called Leaf, we realized that ʻeco-friendly carsʼ was not the answer. The solution needed a new approach, which would define the philosophy that Nissan could own for the future.!

TARGET AUDIENCE!

For them, investment in something, like a smart phone or the latest camera,  that enhances their potential is more important. They are concerned about the cost and hassles of owning a car in cities, They are concerned about the environment, support Mass Transport System yet want something of their own.  !They donʼt see electric cars as cars. !

INSIGHT! They want the benefits of ownership without the hassles.!

STRATEGY!When you buy a Nissan, you donʼt just buy an automobile, you buy an entire support system. This philosophy would be the overarching thought of all Nissan vehicles that addresses the ʻfutureʼ. It takes into account the existing business model of Nissan. It is an ʻumbrellaʼ branding of all eco-sustainable vehicles that Nissan would launch, both of existing as well as new models. !

Millennial: Concerned but yearns for self-fulfillment.!

Network: the Nissan automobile philosophy for the future.!

CREATIVE STRATEGY! The umbrella brand is named Rinku (Japanese for Network) !

and an identity of the same was developed, adhering to the philosophy. A campaign was created, using print, outdoor and social media highlighting the greatest benefits of membership.!

Benefits of the new way of vehicle ownership. !

Activation, engaging the millennial!

Press ads!

Identity ! Launch communication!

CREATIVE!

We first created the identity of RINKU, inspired by technology, forward movement and the network philosophy.!

The strategy was to first introduce the philosophy and then the benefits of the network.!

Billboards! Website!

A big part of the Rinku Network is that it saves time and money. We estimated that one would save $500 and 3 hours a month. We would use twitter to illustrate this. We will ask people to tweet what they would do with that time and money using the hash tag ʻWhatwouldidoʼ. We will select 100 winners among them.!

Twitter!

A NEW WAY OF CONNECTING WITH THE AUDIENCE!

CHALLENGE! Reduce gun violence in America.!

APPROACH!These mass murders are the most outrageous and leaves the deepest scars in a society. !!The stimulus - Video Games, which everyone talks about, but no one does anything!Violent first person shooter games prepares minds for killing. It leads to more aggression and lower sensitivity towards others. For a small segment of teens who are not fully matured, it can lead to fatal consequences. !!.!

Focused on senseless acts of violence.!

There have been 24 known cases in the last 15 years where video games can be directly linked to senseless acts of violence - mostly resulting in multiple murders. And many other instances those are related but havenʼt been linked. !

!We spoke to insiders in the video game industry and parents of kids, to get a deeper insight.!

TARGET AUDIENCE! First person shooter (FPS) gamers, 13-17 years, males. !

For a troubled few, this virtual world is aiding aggressive behavior and isolation. The training combined with societal influences and easy availability of guns in the US creates a potential breeding ground for senseless acts of violence.!

STRATEGY!Go after the virtual guns in the society to reduce real killings.!

INSIGHT! Virtual guns train you for real guns, but the virtual world does not train you for the real world. !

CREATIVE STRATEGY! Use the virtual world to connect with the audience, partnering with EA, one of the biggest

companies in the gaming industry. !!Create a first person shooter game that depicts the consequences of real life killings.   !

Games as an escape, not entertainment.!

Attack the virtual guns.!

Killing does not equal rewards.!

Involving parents!Killing Time: The Game! Experiencing the message!

CREATIVE!

We created a game (which will be offered in partnership with EA), which shows the actual consequences of killing. We created a video depicting one level of the game.!

To bring the message to life, we would be set up Killing Time game booths in public places like malls. When gamers playing shoot someone on the screen, staged people in the surrounding area will get ʻshotʼ, reinforcing the real life consequences of killing.!

Mall activation!

To help parents get involved in the campaign, we created a Killing Time app. by which they can keep a tab on the gaming habits of their children. This links to the hard drive, which monitors the type of games played, number of hours, real time killing count, etc. !

The Game Cover!

The Game!App.!

A NEW WAY OF ENGAGING FANS!

CHALLENGE!IBF wants to develop a campaign for its 10 key international markets to achieve the desired objectives. !

APPROACH!Started by analyzing 3 aspects that needed to be linked – the markets, the IBF offer and the target audience. !!In the key markets, basketball is already among the top 3 popular sports and hence the campaign needed to focus on selling IBF (and not basketball). !!Research indicated that the top reasons of becoming an IBF fan were the skills of the players and the competitive, unpredictable nature of the games. !!In terms the target audience, we decided to look at the sports fans – those who are already interested and spending time in watching sports. Analysis of motivations of fans led to segment them into various groups like the Entertainment Lovers, the Escapers, the Belongers, the Eustress Seekers, etc.!

Broaden fan base, deepen engagement.!

3 step approach.!

Immersing in the game.!To understand what the excitement was all about, I went to a game in American Airlines Arena, witnessed the game in various bars and also tried my hands on it.!

TARGET AUDIENCE! Those who are driven to sports due to the excitement, unpredictability and thrill that the

game offers. While the Eustress seekers seek more thrills, they live in todayʼs world – a world that has been transformed by the availability of instant information and knowledge. And this has actually led their lives to be less thrilling and more predictable.!

STRATEGY! IBF brings back the real thrill.!

INSIGHT! Hunger for information has made life less thrilling.!

CREATIVE STRATEGY!

Engage the Eustress Seekers through the thrill they seek. !Challenge them to perform various tasks in 24 seconds and incentivize them with gifts and sharing the success through social media. ! !

Eustress seekers.!

Make people experience the thrill through various challenges within 24 seconds. !

Activation!Teaser! Calling for action!

CREATIVE!

We will start the campaign with a teaser of ʻ24 seconds can change your lifeʼ!

We will use TV and print to communicate the philosophy of ʻIBF your lifeʼ, and asking the Eustress Seekers to join the movement!

TVC!

Interactive billboards will be put up all across, inviting people to take various challenges that they have to complete in 24 seconds.!

Billboard!

#IBF YOUR LIFE

Print ad.!

Thursday, March 7, 13We are going to set interactive billboards around the 10 locations (obviously in their respective languages) that allow people to play the challenge. By clicking on the billboards people can choose the type of challenge they want to be set from a menu of options (these include things like Blocking, Passing...). Once they choose their option the challenge will be described and people have 24 seconds to complete it. You can link the billboard to your phone so that it can track you as you move and it can tell you when you’ve completed the mission.Interactive billboard!

Thursday, March 7, 13

Thursday, March 7, 13We will also have a mobile app where people can play the 24 Seconds of Thrill. Depending on your location, the challenges will be different. If you complete the challenge you will be given the option to share your success through social media (facebook or twitter) and you will be also be given the option to retrieve a price. The price will be an NBA bracelet at the beginning and as you play and pass different levels you’ll be able to get free tickets to an NBA game in the US. Facebook!

An app. to take the challenge, depending on the location, will be created. If one completes the challenge, apart fro other things, will get a chance to share their success through social media!

App.!

What I bring on the table!

Specialties: Brand strategy; Brand Launch; Consumer Insight; Creative Planning; Innovation; New Product development; Integrated Marketing; Communication research!

Ability to learn new technology, flexible to work with new teams, adapting to new culture, looking at problems from a new angle, thinking new and doing new things in life.!

In my journey of working for some of the leading brands in the country, I have gained a good experience of the business of brands and an understanding of what it takes to create and nurture strong ones. !

Managing leading brands, successfully!

Holistic perspective of brands!

My belief as a Planner!Brands are about people;!

our job is to find insights that links brands to people !

The zest to do the new! My belief as an advertising professional!

Good advertisements build brands; great advertisement build factories!

16 years experience across various disciplines and brands has given me a good perspective of brands from each of the 3 sides – business, research and advertising.!

“!”!

Work experience!!June 2005 till December 2012!Head – Account Planning, Situations Advertising (Mumbai, India)!Brand strategy and planning for large CPG brands, with most being leaders in their categories.! !November 2004 to May 2005!Senior Project Manager – Quantitative Research, TNS (Mumbai, India)!Managing key accounts and implementing quantitative studies across categories. ! !October 2002 to October 2004 !Associate Project Director, Situations Advertising (Mumbai, India)!Undertaking research for brands of the agency. ! !February 2002 to September 2002 !Associate Project Director – Quantitative Research, IMRB (Mumbai, India)!Brand tracking and adhoc quantitative research for Unilever brands.! !2000-2002 !Brand Manager, Oxford Bookstore (Kolkata, India)!Managing the brand Oxford Bookstore – in both retail and online versions.! !1995–2000!Executive – Brand Management, ABP Ltd., (Kolkata, India)!Managing the largest circulated single edition newspaper in India.!

Resume!

Education!!Account Planning Bootcamp!Miami Ad School, Miami 2013!!Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management!Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta 2001; Specialization in Marketing! !Master of Arts (Economics)!Delhi School of Economics, 1995!

Professional achievements!!Successfully launched Yardley in India in 2009, a brand of Wipro Consumer Division.!!Successfully managed Indiaʼs largest fairness cream for men brand, Fair and Handsome.!!Launched the first Dollar Store in India in 2002.!!Successfully implemented the price drop (for the first time in the world) campaign for Bollgaurd, a Monsanto brand.!!Successfully lead a multicity brand tracking for Idea cellular services.!!Implemented brand tracking for hair oil and shampoo brands of Unilever.!!Launched Oxfordbookstore.com, Indiaʼs premium e-retailer of books and music.!

!!Citizen: India !DOB: July 25, 1971!Mobile: 305 815 3687!Email: dibyenduchak@gmail.com!LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/dibyenduchak/!Skype: dibyendu2507 ! !

Dibyendu Chakraborty (Dibs)!Brand Strategist and Account Planner!