MUMBAI: Aegis Media’s Vizeum India has appointed Anand Kumar as associate general manager – engagement planning for its newly launched active consumer engagement service.

Based in Mumbai, Kumar will report to Vizeum MD Indian sub-continent S Yesudas.

He moves in from Network18 Group where he was senior account group head- advertising and sales.

Yesudas said, “As the communication channel choices increase and the limited time at the consumers’ disposal further shrink, we believe we need to focus on engaging with consumers at different occasions and different state of mind based on the same strategic thread of the overall communication. Anand’s appointment is in line with this.
Passive advertising sells a particular product and makes the consumer walk to the point of sale.

However, there is a good chance that the consumer might walk out with a totally different brand because of some dynamics at the point of sale. On the other hand, had there been reinforcement of the message once again in the consumers’ mind as actively as possible just before the decision to pull out the wallet, chances are that the same brand would have been benefited. Both these scenarios call for different consumer engagements –the former talking ‘AT’ the consumer and the later, talking ‘WITH’ the consumer. Talking ‘WITH’ the consumer is all about actively engaging them at a different state of mind.”

Kumar said, “Vizeum India today is a strong and credible agency in just less than two and-a-half years. Their well articulated understanding of talking ‘At’ and ‘With’ consumers can further enhance thought leadership status. I look forward to working closely with the leadership team in Vizeum as they move to next level of aggressive growth and consolidation story.”