Ranjeev Vij returns to BBDO India to head Proximity

BBDO India, the youngest agency of BBDO Worldwide and the Omnicom group, has announced the launch of Proximity - to meet the integrated and interactive marketing needs of its rapidly expanding client base in India.

The new division of BBDO India will be led by Ranjeev Vij, who returns to BBDO after a gap of eight months.

Proximity India has been established to provide expert communication insights, ideas and creative marketing initiatives that are designed to change individual consumer behavior.

In India, Proximity clients will get access to proprietary strategic tools such as Antenna - a social media online brand reputation management tool and Seventh Sense - designed to optimize effectiveness of digital campaigns.

BBDO-Proximity has already played an integral role in campaigns like Quaker’s mission to make India heart healthy and Aviva’s  "Education is Insurance" website.

Fusing digital, experiential and direct expertise along with in depth local market knowledge and understanding of consumer data, Proximity will deliver a world class offering to the Indian market.
 
Commenting on Proximity's launch, Chris Thomas, chairman and CEO, BBDO/Proximity Asia, said, "BBDO India has had a spectacular start in life. Strengthening and deepening our offer with the launch of Proximity is our next strategic step."

Ajai Jhala, CEO, BBDO/Proximity India said, "It’s great to have Ranjeev back to spearhead the launch of Proximity. At the heart of Proximity’s offering will be developing Interactive Ideas that help modify behaviour and tools that help us monitor and measure the change in behaviour."

Josy Paul, Chairman and CCO, BBDO/Proximity India said, "Ideas that create action, that increase active participation with the brand idea - that’s the future of advertising. We believe the launch of Proximity, with worldwide expertise and new learning in consumer engagement, will help us add immense value to our brands.  BBDO/Proximity will change the conversation from thought-leadership to action-leadership!"
 
Ranjeev Vij, VP and head – Proximity India said, "We are in a new world today where consumers interact with multiple media simultaneously. They seek control on information and content. They are spreading their views about brands and products more so than ever before. And sometimes before even a new product is launched it is rejected or accepted by them. And in this scenario the brands have to do much more than just fighting for eyeballs on TV medium, brands need to play an active role in engaging with the customers and be one of them. And with Proximity India’s core focus being on behavior changing ideas, I am excited to be part of this journey and be back with the world’s best network."

BBDO/Proximity India also plans to launch their proprietary Digital Lab Initiative in India later this year. It is a multi-faceted program designed to drive digital thought leadership and to provide a significant added value service to Clients of BBDO/Proximity.