Harshil Dhawan
Creative Head, Zomato | Ex Ogilvy, McCann, The Glitch
⚙️
Account Management⚙️
Project Management📊
Market Research📰
Public Relations✍️
Content Writing
Gurgaon, India
Experienced Creative Head with a track record of leading successful campaigns for top brands like Zomato, McCann Worldgroup, and Ogilvy. Skilled in strategic communications, account management, and driving innovation in a digital-first approach. Excited to bring my expertise to new challenges.
Creative Head, Zomato
November 2023 - Present
Gurugram, Haryana, India
- All things dining
Creative Director, McCann Worldgroup
April 2023 - November 2023
Gurugram, Haryana, India
- Got an incredible opportunity to contribute to Brand India, I proudly served as a key member of the core team for the G20 Leaders' Summit during India's presidency
- In this role, I had the privilege of working in an end-to-end branding and communication effort that spanned an entire year
- This encompassed the creation of captivating films, dynamic print ads, eye-catching outdoor campaigns, meticulous event branding, compelling collateral, strategic activation, and engaging social media initiatives
- Part of the core team for Brand Air India after it got privatized
- Responsible for creating and amplifying the transformation story
- POC for digital mandates and integrated ideas for Delhi accounts
- Some of the brands I am engaged with- Dettol, Nescafe, Alpenleibe, Campa, Rajnigandha
- In this role, I had the privilege of working in an end-to-end branding and communication effort that spanned an entire year
- This encompassed the creation of captivating films, dynamic print ads, eye-catching outdoor campaigns, meticulous event branding, compelling collateral, strategic activation, and engaging social media initiatives
- Part of the core team for Brand Air India after it got privatized
- Responsible for creating and amplifying the transformation story
- POC for digital mandates and integrated ideas for Delhi accounts
- Some of the brands I am engaged with- Dettol, Nescafe, Alpenleibe, Campa, Rajnigandha
Creative Director, Ogilvy
July 2022 - April 2023
- Driven by my dream to own bigger narratives, and collaborate with Indurstry's best creative giants, I joined Ogilvy amidst the pandemic
- And boy, what an extraordinary experience it has been
- The key focus is to bring digital-first thinking to creatives and drive innovation
- Executed more than 15 films in the first year and won Ogilvy India's Creative Person of the Year award (2022)
- Accounts: Amazon India, Titan Watches, Skinn by Titan, Allen Solly, Peter England
- And boy, what an extraordinary experience it has been
- The key focus is to bring digital-first thinking to creatives and drive innovation
- Executed more than 15 films in the first year and won Ogilvy India's Creative Person of the Year award (2022)
- Accounts: Amazon India, Titan Watches, Skinn by Titan, Allen Solly, Peter England
Associate Creative Director, Ogilvy
March 2021 - July 2022
- Brands - Amazon, Titan Watches, Allen Solly, and Skinn by Titan
Creative Group Head, The Glitch
July 2018 - April 2019
- At Facebook For Business (Meta), I collaborated on film campaigns to encourage brands to adopt digital marketing alongside traditional TV campaigns
- Launched Lazy Pay, an innovative app that allows users to pay later for their purchases
- I worked on multiple films and crafted a unique strategy tailored to resonate with financially conscious millennials
- Led creative strategy for key GSK (GlaxoSmithKline) brands like Horlicks (mother’s, Growth +, Protein +, Oats), Boost, and ENO
- Led creatives for Reckitt Benckiser accounts such as Harpic, Mortein, Lysol, and Vanish
- Spearheaded the launch of OkCupid in India, crafting its digital voice from scratch
- An award-winning campaign I orchestrated was for the launch of new Philips Trimmers with Virat Kohli
- With a viral leaked footage strategy, we successfully convinced the world that VK had insured his beard, subsequently unveiling the news with the launch of our trimmers
- Launched Hopper, an authentic Belgian craft beer, focusing on its positioning, key communication, and a comprehensive 360° launch strategy
- Launched Lazy Pay, an innovative app that allows users to pay later for their purchases
- I worked on multiple films and crafted a unique strategy tailored to resonate with financially conscious millennials
- Led creative strategy for key GSK (GlaxoSmithKline) brands like Horlicks (mother’s, Growth +, Protein +, Oats), Boost, and ENO
- Led creatives for Reckitt Benckiser accounts such as Harpic, Mortein, Lysol, and Vanish
- Spearheaded the launch of OkCupid in India, crafting its digital voice from scratch
- An award-winning campaign I orchestrated was for the launch of new Philips Trimmers with Virat Kohli
- With a viral leaked footage strategy, we successfully convinced the world that VK had insured his beard, subsequently unveiling the news with the launch of our trimmers
- Launched Hopper, an authentic Belgian craft beer, focusing on its positioning, key communication, and a comprehensive 360° launch strategy
Senior Manager, Creative, The Glitch
October 2015 - October 2017
Mumbai and Delhi
- The Glitch was a significant turning point for me
- Upon my return to Delhi, I sought to explore more creative and relevant avenues in an evolving digital landscape
- I took on the challenge and found my passion
- As a senior copywriter, I had the privilege to work with some of the most well-known conglomerates
- Over my tenure of 5+ years at The Glitch, I earned 5 promotions, awards, and forged invaluable connections
- It began with overseeing creative aspects for Pepsico brands such as Lay's, Kurkure, 7UP, and 7UP Revive
- I led the launch of Doritos in India, transforming it into the world's largest nacho brand
- I spearheaded the digital adaptation of 7UP's key campaigns and scripted digital films
- I also managed TLC India, the country's premier lifestyle TV channel
- This role taught me the art of marketing TV shows and merging them with pop culture
- I worked on repositioning TLC as India's first women's lifestyle channel and curated several creative campaigns to sustain this positioning
- Additionally, I scripted brand films and TV show promos while managing BAU
- During my time, the digital landscape expanded, giving rise to more digital-native brands
- This necessitated a more digital-first approach
- As a Creative Lead on Tinder, I played a pivotal role in crafting the brand's voice and tonality for the Indian market
- I created engaging content for social media handles, collaborated on pop culture initiatives, and made the brand relatable to millennials
- I devised Swipe Stories, a successful perception-changing strategy that garnered positive associations with the brand
- I also spearheaded the launch of OYO Rooms' social media channels, overseeing creatives and digital planning for various products like OYO Townhouse, OYO Home, and OYO Holidays
- Leading a team of 10 creatives, I managed social media, CRM, and mainline advertising
- Upon my return to Delhi, I sought to explore more creative and relevant avenues in an evolving digital landscape
- I took on the challenge and found my passion
- As a senior copywriter, I had the privilege to work with some of the most well-known conglomerates
- Over my tenure of 5+ years at The Glitch, I earned 5 promotions, awards, and forged invaluable connections
- It began with overseeing creative aspects for Pepsico brands such as Lay's, Kurkure, 7UP, and 7UP Revive
- I led the launch of Doritos in India, transforming it into the world's largest nacho brand
- I spearheaded the digital adaptation of 7UP's key campaigns and scripted digital films
- I also managed TLC India, the country's premier lifestyle TV channel
- This role taught me the art of marketing TV shows and merging them with pop culture
- I worked on repositioning TLC as India's first women's lifestyle channel and curated several creative campaigns to sustain this positioning
- Additionally, I scripted brand films and TV show promos while managing BAU
- During my time, the digital landscape expanded, giving rise to more digital-native brands
- This necessitated a more digital-first approach
- As a Creative Lead on Tinder, I played a pivotal role in crafting the brand's voice and tonality for the Indian market
- I created engaging content for social media handles, collaborated on pop culture initiatives, and made the brand relatable to millennials
- I devised Swipe Stories, a successful perception-changing strategy that garnered positive associations with the brand
- I also spearheaded the launch of OYO Rooms' social media channels, overseeing creatives and digital planning for various products like OYO Townhouse, OYO Home, and OYO Holidays
- Leading a team of 10 creatives, I managed social media, CRM, and mainline advertising
Account Executive, Adfactors PR
May 2015 - October 2015
- Right after completing my post graduation in Advertising and Public Relations, life took me to Mumbai- A place I always wanted to explore
- I enter the swanky office of Adfactors PR- India's leading PR company
- Here, as an Account executive, I was responsible for strategy, content generation, client coordination for all PR and Digital comms for my clients
- During my short and sweet stint, I worked on a few clients in the BFSI sector and unlocked some skills like planning and executing PR strategies, responsible for writing authored articles, exclusive stories and industry stories, creating speaking opportunity, press conferences, media relationship meetings for the brand in media, pitching stories and maintaining relations with the media, responsible for coverage in financials mainlines, magazines and broadcast, assisting in crisis communication strategy, news tracking, preparing client reports, competition and industry mapping
- I enter the swanky office of Adfactors PR- India's leading PR company
- Here, as an Account executive, I was responsible for strategy, content generation, client coordination for all PR and Digital comms for my clients
- During my short and sweet stint, I worked on a few clients in the BFSI sector and unlocked some skills like planning and executing PR strategies, responsible for writing authored articles, exclusive stories and industry stories, creating speaking opportunity, press conferences, media relationship meetings for the brand in media, pitching stories and maintaining relations with the media, responsible for coverage in financials mainlines, magazines and broadcast, assisting in crisis communication strategy, news tracking, preparing client reports, competition and industry mapping
Management Consultant, Protiviti
June 2013 - July 2014
- This was the first job I took up, right after my graduation, through a campus placement
- I joined Protiviti as a Consultant in the Internal Audit and Risk Advisory practice
- I went on audits, struggled with Excel sheets, V-lookups, and learnt 'how to tie a tie'
- The best lesson this job gave the 20-year-old me was some clarity on things I didn't want in life
- This job was one of those
- So I took off the tie and took a very different path
- I joined Protiviti as a Consultant in the Internal Audit and Risk Advisory practice
- I went on audits, struggled with Excel sheets, V-lookups, and learnt 'how to tie a tie'
- The best lesson this job gave the 20-year-old me was some clarity on things I didn't want in life
- This job was one of those
- So I took off the tie and took a very different path
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Education
Indian Institute of Mass Communications, New Delhi
2014 - 2015
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication
Shaheed Bhagat Singh College , University of Delhi
2010 - 2013
Marketing
Ryan International School, Gurgaon
1995 - 2010
Business/Commerce, General