TBWA India has announced Nirmalya Sen as MD. Sen was earlier working as COO, North, TBWA/ India. Company officials confirm and say the news was expected to be announced. Sen has 18 years of experience in the advertising industry and has worked with agencies like Jenson & Nicholson, and agencies like Trikaya (now Grey India) and Saatchi & Saatchi.

Shiv Sethuraman, CEO, TBWA India Group said, “Nirmalya is one of our most capable leaders. He has done a fantastic job in Delhi in terms of building the TBWA brand as well as partnering Anirban Sen to create a body of very, very good work. He is one of the rare people in the business who develop existing clients with as much facility as hunting for new business. In his new role, he will oversee the advertising agency nationally as well as drive our Disruption and Media Arts effort”.

Sen confirmed the news and added, “My priority will be to bring that brand alive for all our clients in India with Disruption, Media Arts, the unique TBWA creative culture and our fantastic talent pool.”

Sen has worked for renowned brands like Britannia Cheese, Tata Tea, Nestle (Cerelac and Milo), Arvind Mills, and Panasonic to name a few.

Vehrnon Ibrahim, VP, Programming, Radio One has put in his papers at the organization and is currently serving the notice period. Confirming his exit, Ibrahim said, “Radio One has a talented team and is an extremely forward moving company. I enjoyed my stint there but felt the need for a newer challenge.” Industry sources believe Ibrahim will be joining Radio Today Broadcasting’s Meow FM as national programming head.

Vineet Singh Hukmani, managing director, Radio One confirmed the news. “In the two years that he has been with Radio One, Vehrnon has brought a lot of science and system to programming, making it far more efficient,” Hukmani says.

Ibrahim has been an integral part of all the organizations he has worked for in the past. From Radio One to Red FM to Radio Indigo, he has been widely appreciated for his work and systematic approach.

Radio One will not be having any replacement for Ibrahim’s post but at the same time confirm about promotions in store.

Indian National Congress, one of the major ruling parties in India will complete 125 years of its existence in 2010. The party will organize various events, promotions as well as media campaigns to celebrate the historical event. The party has also called for pitches from various advertising agencies to tie up for the event celebrations. The account size is estimated at Rs.50 crore.

Prominent agencies like JWT India, Crayons, Percept and K&V Media are expected to pitch for the account. The presentations are scheduled next week. The communication plan would focus on all media including TV, print, radio, internet and OOH.

A 19-member team has been formed to overlook the year long celebrations. Sonia Gandhi, Chairperson of Congress will also oversee the details related to ensure efficiency.

Park Avenue is all set to revamp its soap brand for men by launching the brand in a new size and various fragrances. The move is an effort to strengthen the market share. Dentsu Marcom has conceptualized the TVC for the brand which highlights how a bath can be a complete male experience. The TVC through its punch line “It’s a man thing” also communicates the same.

Adrian Mendonza, National Creative Director, Dentsu Marcom, said, “Given the brief, the creative route taken to showcase the product was to highlight the masculinity of the bathing experience. That single-mindedly was the objective of the launch film – to show how a bath can be a completely male experience. This singular aspect led the execution of the film. The film projects great force, pace and intensity and all elements used – be it the water, lighting or music go to build this.”

Mendonza further added, “The objective of the campaign was to showcase the relaunch of the new, all male Park Avenue Soap in a new size and fragrances. The brief from the client was to generate excitement and buzz around the relaunch of the new Park Avenue Soap targeted at men, to achieve high level of market share in the men’s soap category.”

The TVC was released on November 22 and can be seen on various entertainment and news channels.

The world’s best travel guide is set to come to India with the help of world’s finest creative guide. Yes, we are talking about the launch of Lonely Planet Magazine in India. The magazine is a delight for travelers across the world, providing its readers various destinations along with all the required info. The magazine has appointed Mudra West as its creative partner for the launch in India.

Confirming the news, Arijit Ray, executive vice-president and head, Mudra West, said, “Lonely Planet is one of the most highly regarded brands in the travel space. We are looking forward to launching the brand’s magazine offering in the country. We will work closely with the brand team to create a distinctive communication plan for the magazine.”

The magazine is already established in UK and Brazil. The magazine aims at providing the Indian traveler with fresh and relevant information. It will serve as a travel guide for national as well as international locations. The magazine will be customized for the Indian markets and will also provide handy tips for an Indian traveler.

The magazine officials added, “We appreciate Mudra’s understanding of the brand essence. We look forward to work as a team with Mudra West. Our priority will be to ensure a fantastic launch in the first quarter of 2010.”

Coca-Cola, the global leader in the beverage industry lately added a new drink in their kitty. It has brought to India the global brand Burn, which already has a huge presence in the European markets. Burn is positioned as an energy drink for the niches. Coca-Cola officials further add that Burn is targeted at the trendsetting, socially active and adventurous young adults.

Burn will be competing with arch rival Gatorade (from PepsiCo) apart from Red Bull and Cloud 9. Currently, the energy drink sector in India is estimated at a whooping Rs.200 crore and thus attracts the big players in the industry.

Ricardo Fort, vice-president, marketing, India and Southwest Asia confirmed the news and said, “We have always assessed and researched the opportunities to expand and diversify our beverage portfolio. We are happy to announce the launch of our globally successful energy drink in India.”

Speaking about Burn, the product is priced at Rs.75 for a 250 ml can and will be available at selective premium channels across Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore. Burn will be marketed through an intensive below-the-line programme along with presence in other media forms.

Let’s hope Burn sets the market on fire.